August 19, 2001
OK, if Terra can come back from the dead (figuratively speaking of course), so can I.
A lot has been going on in my life these past few weeks. The money situation is still bad, but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel. Although the contract job with the funeral home corporation fell through (yes, I know), another, even better contract opportunity has arisen which should see me through the fall. This is very good, because I am almost at the point of foraging in the back lanes for empty pop bottles. Summer can be a bad time for consultants.
On the other hand, my sweetie has been working way too hard, on stuff she doesn't really enjoy (corporate b.s.), and it's been tough. On top of the emotional stress this causes her, it has meant we haven't had time to go camping or hiking. However, on Wednesday we leave for Winnipeg, and then it's on to Chicago for the last few days of August, when we finally will get to meet Cindi. Yay!
The Winnipeg trip is partly for my dad's 75th birthday, and partly for that band reunion I mentioned earlier. The reunion has been on hold until recently, because of the terminal illness of the wife of one of the guys (they were separated, but still...). It's on again, and I'm not sure whether to be pleased or terrified at the prospect of getting on stage 15 years after our last practice. Pray for Trubble.
Also, we're told the mosquitos are especially bad this year. If you've ever been to Winnipeg in the summer, you'll know what horror lurks in that sentence.
If that's not enough, Ruth and I have been looking at houses, after succumbing to the logic of "if we combine what we both pay for rent, we might as well buy." Naturally, we found the perfect house. I don't want to say anything more because the deal hasn't been finalized yet, and many things can still go sour. Stay tuned.
(But it really is the perfect house for us.)
I hope everyone is enjoying the last precious weeks of summer. Kerri, I was really sad about your news, but it sounds like you're coping pretty well, considering. Life sucks sometimes, but I believe it's still way better than the alternative.
I'll be posting from the road, if anything interesting happens -- which I'm sure it will. See you soon, Beef!
August 3, 2001
I'm back. Actually, I didn't go anywhere. I just was too mopey to post anything worth reading. For one thing, the summer is half over and I still haven't gone wilderness camping, or been on a beach. I have no money, just debts. And my kid drives me crazy.
On the plus side, I just landed a contract that will see me through til November or so. Don't ask what company is hiring me; you'd all point and laugh.
I wish I was flouncing about Paris like kara and Simon. I love the Louvre, and the Champs Elysees, in fact the whole Paris beret wearing, girl watching, teeny coffee cup sipping, flea market browsing scene. *sigh* Maybe I should morph into a starving artist, instead of an underemployed corporate shill.
I'll just pause here to wave hello to Camille, since I promised her a gratuitous reference. Hi Camille! *waves*
Kara's list o' links made for some interesting reading. I also have some thought-provoking sausages to share. You artistic types might enjoy this one about the artist who dropped a dead bull from a helicopter
If online debating is your cup of tea, read this indy media forum on the Genoa protests. The initial post, by some university deepthinker, makes a few good points, amid some poor ones. But check out the virulent response he got from the anti-global crowd. Man, you thought Behind the Gym was negative! Whoo-wee! Remind me never to disagree with these people.
Looking for a contrary view? Try Why no protesters at the Zanzibar meetings?, or how trade barriers hurt poor farmers in the Third World, or even the disaster of international foreign aid programs. And in honor of the UN-sponsored conference on eradicating racism, have a look at how modern slavery in Africa is largely ignored.
I'm going back into my cave now.
July 16, 2001
Too lazy for linking. Deal with it.
We hopped over to Bowen Island this weekend. I was there for a directors' meeting/strategic planning retreat for the volunteer association I belong to, and Ruth came along for fun (she knows the same people). We stayed overnight at a bed-and-breakfast place, which was really nice, and we all sat up late on the deck, drinking cranberry martinis and trading stories. It's amazing what you learn about professional associates when everyone has had just a bit too much to drink. Heh.
Has anyone else seen this e-mail? I received it on a listserve I belong to, for professional communicators in BC and Alberta. I could tell right away that the "facts" were all bogus, and it annoyed me. Then I did a search on Google and found that this e-mail has been picked up by tons of online newsletters, most of whom just accepted it as gospel without checking. I blame Reader's Digest for getting people used to seeing history as a collection of short anecdotes, ending with statements like, "...and that little boy went on to become Prime Minister of England!"
Naturally, being the anal-retentive curmudgeon that I am, I fired off a response to the group pointing out that the "Life in the 1500s" piece was almost completely false, and added a few handy links to good myth-busting sites like urbanlegends.miningco and www.snopes2.com. I can't help reacting to this stuff, because cyberspace has way too much of it, and most people are ignorant enough of history already without being misled by cleverly written hoaxes.
Camille, I'm really sorry the bus strike screwed up your summer holidays. I hope that once you get back to Montreal there will still be opportunities to enjoy yourself before hitting the books again. Summer is way too short as it is. Also, I sympathize with you on the stoopid computer chair -- I used to have one of those, and I think whoever invented it should be strung up by his thumbs.
Note that I have changed the links for Kim's and Claire's moved sites. That's an adorable looking kid you have there, Kim. And Claire, it's good to hear from you again. Hang in there.
Lisa, I don't know what to say. I agree with you that it's kind of weird to know so many strangers are reading these journals, and it's hard to get up the nerve to write when it seems nothing interesting is happening in our lives. But, um, I'm puzzled by your comment about infighting and being shot down. Did I miss something (apart from the recent Nick/Kim thing)? I hope you're not sore at me for the joke I made about you swearing.
I think we all should just enjoy our summer and not worry about anything. Look at Carol; she knows how to have a great weekend that never ends!
July 9, 2001
I plead fatigue. I probably should not have posted an entry last night, because I was totally bagged from hiking all afternoon in the heat. But it had been a week since my last entry, it was time to archive, so I figured I'd better say something.
Anyway, contrary to my fumblewords, of course Camille isn't the only journaller who has been keeping up the work. Kara can always be counted on for something interesting. I liked your thoughtful response to my "one true love" question. Maybe a belief in the existence of The One is dangerous. But if that's the case, why do we all respond so strongly to that very concept when it's in the movies? We want to believe the thunderbolt can strike, followed by happily ever after. If the dream differs so much from the reality, you have to wonder which one is wrong, and why.
Sarcasm is the cheapest form of humor, even cheaper than Little Moron jokes. It's a thin skin of wit over a core of hostility. I have been prone to it all my life, but try to resist the urge to go that way, because I realize how painful the needle can be.
And Kerry, I chuckled (yes, I do that) over your adventure in voyeurism. It brought two thoughts to mind. One was to wonder whether women get the same thrill from peeking at naked men as men do from seeing naked women. For men it's practically a universal truth: see a (reasonably attractive) nekkid lady, get a boner. But in the same circumstances, different women react in different ways. Some, like Kerry and her friend, hoot appreciatively like lady's night at the strip joint. Others recoil in embarrassment and turn away. But do any get a sexual tingle from it? I wonder.
The other thought was to remember a story a good female friend once told me. Years ago she shared an apartment with another young woman, her childhood friend and fellow rowdy. This place had a balcony facing the back lane, with numerous other apartments overlooking it. Every Friday night they would go out onto the balcony and put on a performance for the amusement of the neighbors. Fractured Shakespeare in homemade costumes, epic poetry readings, that kind of thing. Once, my friend swathed herself in rolls of plastic wrap, and the other girl pulled on one end while she rotated, all the while reciting some speech from Henry V or the Merchants of Venice. She of course was naked under the plastic. Now that's theatre!
July 8, 2001
Looks like everyone is in summer mode. Who can be witty and insightful when it's hot? Not me. But I'm impressed by the way Camille is bravely soldiering on, a lone voice in the wilderness.
Cindi, that sounds like the mother of all sunburns, you poor kid. I hope you take care of it and feel better soon. Get Jordan to nurse you back to health, with unguents and emollients, and tall glasses of iced tea, and bedtime stories. It's what boyfriends are for.
This week looks to be busier than the past several weeks, because I finally got a new project. I'll be earning money for the first time in a while, which is nice. I've had so much time on my hands lately that I have been playing a lot of sissyfight. I even got on the Winning Streaks board for the first time ever -- incredible, given my profound lack of skill. Lots of goofy posts on the message boards too, which I always enjoy. It's a good way to take my mind off my worries.
The weather has been gorgeous for more than a week, but while I've been more or less idle, Ruth has been up to her eyebrows in work, preventing us from taking advantage. Finally today we managed to get out onto the hiking trails. We did the Lynn Creek trail, a brisk four-hour round trip. The day was hot, but it was nice and cool in the forest. We both needed the fresh air and exercise. Our butts were sore afterwards, but it was nothing a massage couldn't cure. Ruth says every business should have a butt masseur on staff. Productivity would soar, because nothing melts away stress quite like a butt massage.
I notice no one has commented on the thing between Nick and Kim, so I'll toss in my two cents worth. I have to say I was a little surprised that Nick took offence at Kim's post; I didn't read into it what he did, and really can't see that she deserved to be criticized for it. It's not good, seeing journallers slam each other this way. Sure it's fair game to disagree (respectfully) on political or social issues, but I would never question someone else's spiritual beliefs. I hope Nick responds and they can work this out.
I think we need a round of frozen daiquiris. And a butt masssage.
July 1, 2001
Go Canada! We rawk.
By the way, what's that incessant thumping sound? Oh, it's just Vanessa, working out some issues. *hands Nessa a lolly*
Liz, having no money makes you pure, didn't you know that? Of course, it's way more fun to be impure. I sympathize. Right now I'm going through a bad patch, cashflow-wise, and it sucks. I know it will pass, though, and when it does, having a little change in my pocket will feel all the sweeter. But hey, kid, don't you have a library card? Books are free there.
A philosophical question for the group: Last night, Ruth and I watched Castaway, and without giving anything away for those who haven't seen it yet, the ending got us talking about the concept of the love of your life. So what do you think? Do you believe there is one person (or at best, a very few people among the billions out there) who has the potential to be the love of your life? And your job is to find that person, and maybe you never will because your paths never cross, but if you do, you both will know it, and you will go through hell to be with that person? Or do you think love is just an emotional construct, an extension of your self, and you can create love with any appropriate person, all you have to do is work at it? I know what side of this I come down on, but I wonder if I'm just a romantic idiot or if others feel the same way.
Also, is it just me, or is everyone else unable to load Kara's journal page these last several days? Grrr.