It was a lovely evening for a walk. I think it when the humidity stays away.
Here's what rocked my walk tonight:
Lost In You - Three Days Grace
Sick Of You - Bleeker Ridge (these guys are doing something cool to fund their next album - they're asking fans for pledges and you get cool stuff from the band in return. Check it our here!)
Champagne - Cavo
The Good Life - Three Days Grace
Howlin' For You - The Black Keys
Trip - Hedley
Talking To The Walls - Finger Eleven
Trying Not To Love You - Nickelback
Nature of the Beast - My Darkest Days (another one of my current favourite songs)
Falling On - Finger Eleven
Monday, 6 August 2012
Sunday, 5 August 2012
35 Years And Counting...
No. The title of this blog does not refer to my age. It's close, but not quite.
Tonight's blog title is the number of years that my parents have been married. They celebrated their 35th Wedding Anniversary today. I wasn't there to celebrate with them but I will be seeing them next week so I'm going to take them out for a nice lunch while we're in Stratford as a belated gift.
In a time when marriage really doesn't seem to mean much anymore, hitting 35 years together is rather impressive. But then again, so are my parents. Looking at them, they are so different but fit together so well. Perhaps it's the differences between them that has kept them together for so long? I definitely get my stubborn streak from my mother and I get my peace-making skills from my father. I get my creativity from my mom and my outgoing nature from my dad. I get my bumpy toe from my mom and my broad shoulders from my dad. I get my courage from my mom and my love of rock and roll from my dad and I get my inner strength from both of them.
My childhood was great. We didn't have the biggest house on the block or the newest toys, but I don't remember wanting for anything. We took a family vacation every summer. Sure, I never got to go to Disney World, but I got to explore the country and see amazing sites and visit family. Some of my most cherished memories are of the crazy things that happened while on family vacation. Like the time our dog skipper took a dump in the back of the station wagon a mere 3 minutes after we left the house. Or the time we had run out of water on the way home so we gave the dog Kool Aid to drink. There were multiple incidents involving my father and a raccoon, including the time one stole his blueberry pie and threw a bun at him. One year in New Brunswick I made the chewiest brownies ever...because I forgot to add the eggs. I swear, they came out more like taffy than brownies. I'm pretty sure that's the same trip where my brother and cousin ate an entire tin of molasses cookies one afternoon. I've got to tour several mines, pet a porcupine, stand on the top of a few mountains, travel on several different ferries, drive through the tail end of a hurricane, watch a meteorite shower, seen a Sleeping Giant, dug my own amethyst, got up in the middle of a storm in the middle of the night to rescue a row boat, mistaken a freight train for an alien spaceship and have collected thousands of memories that I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world......all thanks to my mom and dad.
Over the years, I've seen them fight, cry, laugh and love. No matter what I've done or where I've gone, they've always had my back. Through all the bad times, the good times, the hard times and the simpler times, they stuck together and pulled us all through. I am so incredibly blessed to have them as parents.
I want what they have. That's the kind of relationship I want to have with a mate. One that stands the test of time. One that two people are willing to invest the time and effort into making work. No quitting, no giving up when the going gets rough. Perhaps I need to stop looking for someone who's like me....perhaps I do need to be looking for an opposite. Like my parents. Their differences make them unique, but they still have a lot of common ground between them. And compromise. They're pros at it. I love watching them watch hockey. It consists of dad watching hockey while mom reads her book...until there's a fight, at which point mom looks up and then goes back to her book with the fight's done. And I'm not sure how it happened, but mom somehow managed to get dad hooked on the books she was reading.
They are my heroes. They are who inspire me. Their relationship is what I strive for and hold up and the model. Maybe relationships like theirs don't exist anymore. But I'm sure not going to give up on finding out anytime soon. What they have is worth it. It's worth waiting for. I'm so happy that they found each other and I can't begin to express how fortunate I am to have them in my life.
Happy 35th Wedding Anniversary Mom and Dad. I love you more than words can express. May you have many, many, many, many, many more years of happiness together ahead of you.
Good Night!
Sarah
Tonight's blog title is the number of years that my parents have been married. They celebrated their 35th Wedding Anniversary today. I wasn't there to celebrate with them but I will be seeing them next week so I'm going to take them out for a nice lunch while we're in Stratford as a belated gift.
In a time when marriage really doesn't seem to mean much anymore, hitting 35 years together is rather impressive. But then again, so are my parents. Looking at them, they are so different but fit together so well. Perhaps it's the differences between them that has kept them together for so long? I definitely get my stubborn streak from my mother and I get my peace-making skills from my father. I get my creativity from my mom and my outgoing nature from my dad. I get my bumpy toe from my mom and my broad shoulders from my dad. I get my courage from my mom and my love of rock and roll from my dad and I get my inner strength from both of them.
My childhood was great. We didn't have the biggest house on the block or the newest toys, but I don't remember wanting for anything. We took a family vacation every summer. Sure, I never got to go to Disney World, but I got to explore the country and see amazing sites and visit family. Some of my most cherished memories are of the crazy things that happened while on family vacation. Like the time our dog skipper took a dump in the back of the station wagon a mere 3 minutes after we left the house. Or the time we had run out of water on the way home so we gave the dog Kool Aid to drink. There were multiple incidents involving my father and a raccoon, including the time one stole his blueberry pie and threw a bun at him. One year in New Brunswick I made the chewiest brownies ever...because I forgot to add the eggs. I swear, they came out more like taffy than brownies. I'm pretty sure that's the same trip where my brother and cousin ate an entire tin of molasses cookies one afternoon. I've got to tour several mines, pet a porcupine, stand on the top of a few mountains, travel on several different ferries, drive through the tail end of a hurricane, watch a meteorite shower, seen a Sleeping Giant, dug my own amethyst, got up in the middle of a storm in the middle of the night to rescue a row boat, mistaken a freight train for an alien spaceship and have collected thousands of memories that I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world......all thanks to my mom and dad.
Over the years, I've seen them fight, cry, laugh and love. No matter what I've done or where I've gone, they've always had my back. Through all the bad times, the good times, the hard times and the simpler times, they stuck together and pulled us all through. I am so incredibly blessed to have them as parents.
I want what they have. That's the kind of relationship I want to have with a mate. One that stands the test of time. One that two people are willing to invest the time and effort into making work. No quitting, no giving up when the going gets rough. Perhaps I need to stop looking for someone who's like me....perhaps I do need to be looking for an opposite. Like my parents. Their differences make them unique, but they still have a lot of common ground between them. And compromise. They're pros at it. I love watching them watch hockey. It consists of dad watching hockey while mom reads her book...until there's a fight, at which point mom looks up and then goes back to her book with the fight's done. And I'm not sure how it happened, but mom somehow managed to get dad hooked on the books she was reading.
They are my heroes. They are who inspire me. Their relationship is what I strive for and hold up and the model. Maybe relationships like theirs don't exist anymore. But I'm sure not going to give up on finding out anytime soon. What they have is worth it. It's worth waiting for. I'm so happy that they found each other and I can't begin to express how fortunate I am to have them in my life.
Happy 35th Wedding Anniversary Mom and Dad. I love you more than words can express. May you have many, many, many, many, many more years of happiness together ahead of you.
Good Night!
Sarah
Walking Playlist for Aug 5th
I was back out tonight and on my usual route. A little later than normal so it was a tad on the dark side by the time I got home, but it was all good. No critters out tonight, just a lot of dogs being walked.
Here's the list of what rocked me tonight:
Count On Me - Default
Hero - Char Kroeger ft. Josey Scott
Sin With A Grin - Shinedown
Forever - Papa Roach
Side Of A Bullet - Nickelback
Remedy - Seether
Get Stoned - Hinder
Flat On The Floor - Nickelback
How You Remind Me - Nickelback
Lit Up - Buckcherry
*For someone who has never done drugs, I do realize that I sometimes listen to a lot of songs that are about drugs. LOL. Irony? Maybe :)
Here's the list of what rocked me tonight:
Count On Me - Default
Hero - Char Kroeger ft. Josey Scott
Sin With A Grin - Shinedown
Forever - Papa Roach
Side Of A Bullet - Nickelback
Remedy - Seether
Get Stoned - Hinder
Flat On The Floor - Nickelback
How You Remind Me - Nickelback
Lit Up - Buckcherry
*For someone who has never done drugs, I do realize that I sometimes listen to a lot of songs that are about drugs. LOL. Irony? Maybe :)
Saturday, 4 August 2012
Life's A Beach
What a wonderful summer day. The sun was out, a breeze was blowing, the tree-toads were singing so I did the most logical summer activity that I could think of. I went to the beach.
Being a land locked province (I'm not counting the great lakes), we don't have access to the ocean so our beaches aren't quite on the same level as the ones you see in New Brunswick or Vancouver, Florida or California but we do what we can. I'm fortunate enough to live in a city which has several beaches on the river. So today, I ventured out to one of them.
I'm also fortunate to live pretty close to the beach. A very short bus ride and I was there. We've had a very hot, dry summer here. We haven't had any substantial rain since May but I was beyond shocked to see how low the water level was at the beach. I actually sat in an area that's usually under water. I found a spot of shade, parked my chair, pulled out my book and sat back to enjoy. After a few chapters, I put down my book, ditched my sundress and headed for the water. Yes, I had my bathing suit on underneath!
The water was perfect. Not too cold, not too warm. It was great. I chased little minnows in the shallow water near the shore and swam about when the water finally got deep enough. It was very lovely. I then got out and pretty much repeated everything one more time before deciding to go home.
Want to know the best part of the day? Not once did I feel self conscious. Not once! That never happens at the beach!! When I walked from my chair to the water, I didn't give a rat's ass who was looking. In fact, I didn't even look around. I was just focused on how nice and cool the water was going to feel. Same with when I got out of the water. I just strolled back to my chair like I owned the place. I'm pretty sure this had something to do with the fact that when I tried on my bathing suit this morning, it was almost too big! I was actually somewhat worried that the bottoms might fall down. Had to adjust and tighten the straps on the top too so that the ladies didn't run away. A wardrobe malfunction would have definitely made the trip to the beach memorable, for me and anyone who happened to see it too.
So not only did I venture out all by my lonesome, but I strutted around like I was a supermodel too. LOL. Suddenly I have Rupaul in my head!
I enjoyed myself so much that I have to ask myself this question: Why the fuck didn't you do this sooner? Think of all the wasted days there were that I could have spent at the beach, if I'd only been brave sooner. Oh well. No regrets.
I didn't go walking tonight as I figured that my swimming this afternoon covered that off. No playlist tonight either. It's a little hard to swim and listen to an iPod at the same time. There's an idea Apple - make a waterproof iPod for swimmers.
For some odd reason, I'm rather sleepy so I think I'll sign off and head to bed.
Good night and sweet dreams!
Sarah
Being a land locked province (I'm not counting the great lakes), we don't have access to the ocean so our beaches aren't quite on the same level as the ones you see in New Brunswick or Vancouver, Florida or California but we do what we can. I'm fortunate enough to live in a city which has several beaches on the river. So today, I ventured out to one of them.
I'm also fortunate to live pretty close to the beach. A very short bus ride and I was there. We've had a very hot, dry summer here. We haven't had any substantial rain since May but I was beyond shocked to see how low the water level was at the beach. I actually sat in an area that's usually under water. I found a spot of shade, parked my chair, pulled out my book and sat back to enjoy. After a few chapters, I put down my book, ditched my sundress and headed for the water. Yes, I had my bathing suit on underneath!
The water was perfect. Not too cold, not too warm. It was great. I chased little minnows in the shallow water near the shore and swam about when the water finally got deep enough. It was very lovely. I then got out and pretty much repeated everything one more time before deciding to go home.
Want to know the best part of the day? Not once did I feel self conscious. Not once! That never happens at the beach!! When I walked from my chair to the water, I didn't give a rat's ass who was looking. In fact, I didn't even look around. I was just focused on how nice and cool the water was going to feel. Same with when I got out of the water. I just strolled back to my chair like I owned the place. I'm pretty sure this had something to do with the fact that when I tried on my bathing suit this morning, it was almost too big! I was actually somewhat worried that the bottoms might fall down. Had to adjust and tighten the straps on the top too so that the ladies didn't run away. A wardrobe malfunction would have definitely made the trip to the beach memorable, for me and anyone who happened to see it too.
So not only did I venture out all by my lonesome, but I strutted around like I was a supermodel too. LOL. Suddenly I have Rupaul in my head!
I enjoyed myself so much that I have to ask myself this question: Why the fuck didn't you do this sooner? Think of all the wasted days there were that I could have spent at the beach, if I'd only been brave sooner. Oh well. No regrets.
I didn't go walking tonight as I figured that my swimming this afternoon covered that off. No playlist tonight either. It's a little hard to swim and listen to an iPod at the same time. There's an idea Apple - make a waterproof iPod for swimmers.
For some odd reason, I'm rather sleepy so I think I'll sign off and head to bed.
Good night and sweet dreams!
Sarah
Friday, 3 August 2012
I've Got Nothing
Welcome to Friday. And this is a special Friday too...it's the Friday of the long weekend. There was several people missing from the office so you definitely know it's a long weekend. Even the bar was a bit dead tonight. Myself and 8 co-workers met up for drinks and dinner after work. A lot of us were really tired so it wasn't one of our more boisterous outings but it was still amusing and entertaining.
I thought I'd be too tired to walk tonight, but I wasn't. I actually opted to go the opposite direction along the path tonight and ended up doing a longer walk as a result. 3.7km to be exact. It was an alright chance of scenery. The sucky part is that I have to cross the road 3 times and go under 2 big bridges to get the pretty part of the trail again. Still, it was nice and it felt good (especially after the deep fried pickles I had tonight) and the cool shower afterwards was bliss. Back to the long weekend.
So I have 3 lovely days off ahead of me and zero plans. That's right, I've got nothing. I've got some things I should do like laundry and cleaning my apartment, but no real plans to speak of. I'm contemplating going to the beach tomorrow. It's supposed to be stupid hot here (high of 35C before the humidex) and I'm sure there'd be a nice breeze coming off the water and I do have a new book to read and I haven't been swimming in a very long time.... but I dunno. I'm not entirely sure I'm up to going to the beach alone.
I'm not worries about drowning or having someone steal my stuff per say, I'm more worried about the looks you get. Those of you who have ever gone out alone and done something that social convention usually says should be done as a couple or group know what I'm talking about. It's a strange look that's half pity and half awe.
I know, I know. I shouldn't let other people stop me from doing what I want to do....unless it's jumping into a fountain while semi-intoxicated. But sometimes I find it depressing too. Looking around at all the happy couples and groups of friends, wishing I wasn't alone. It's not that I don't have any friends, it's just the fact that they're aren't around or are simply too busy with their own lives. I can think of a couple people who'd gladly go to the beach with me if they weren't 4000+ kms away. That's a bit of a commute for a day at a city beach so I really can't fault them for that. Others are away with their own families.
This time next week I'll be home with my parents as I'm heading off on vacation for 10 days, so having a weekend to myself is a good thing. There's a lot happening in town. We have the Buskers Festival this weekend and the Rideau Canal Festival/Colonel By Day as well. Or I can opt to sit at home with my AC on and just read allllll weekend. And I get to sleep in. Oh bliss! I can sleep in. That's one of my favourite things to do :)
I'm sure that left to my own devices, I'll come up with something to keep myself entertained. I always do.
So to those of you out there with a long weekend ahead of you, I hope it's a safe and fun one!
Good night,
Sarah
I thought I'd be too tired to walk tonight, but I wasn't. I actually opted to go the opposite direction along the path tonight and ended up doing a longer walk as a result. 3.7km to be exact. It was an alright chance of scenery. The sucky part is that I have to cross the road 3 times and go under 2 big bridges to get the pretty part of the trail again. Still, it was nice and it felt good (especially after the deep fried pickles I had tonight) and the cool shower afterwards was bliss. Back to the long weekend.
So I have 3 lovely days off ahead of me and zero plans. That's right, I've got nothing. I've got some things I should do like laundry and cleaning my apartment, but no real plans to speak of. I'm contemplating going to the beach tomorrow. It's supposed to be stupid hot here (high of 35C before the humidex) and I'm sure there'd be a nice breeze coming off the water and I do have a new book to read and I haven't been swimming in a very long time.... but I dunno. I'm not entirely sure I'm up to going to the beach alone.
I'm not worries about drowning or having someone steal my stuff per say, I'm more worried about the looks you get. Those of you who have ever gone out alone and done something that social convention usually says should be done as a couple or group know what I'm talking about. It's a strange look that's half pity and half awe.
I know, I know. I shouldn't let other people stop me from doing what I want to do....unless it's jumping into a fountain while semi-intoxicated. But sometimes I find it depressing too. Looking around at all the happy couples and groups of friends, wishing I wasn't alone. It's not that I don't have any friends, it's just the fact that they're aren't around or are simply too busy with their own lives. I can think of a couple people who'd gladly go to the beach with me if they weren't 4000+ kms away. That's a bit of a commute for a day at a city beach so I really can't fault them for that. Others are away with their own families.
This time next week I'll be home with my parents as I'm heading off on vacation for 10 days, so having a weekend to myself is a good thing. There's a lot happening in town. We have the Buskers Festival this weekend and the Rideau Canal Festival/Colonel By Day as well. Or I can opt to sit at home with my AC on and just read allllll weekend. And I get to sleep in. Oh bliss! I can sleep in. That's one of my favourite things to do :)
I'm sure that left to my own devices, I'll come up with something to keep myself entertained. I always do.
So to those of you out there with a long weekend ahead of you, I hope it's a safe and fun one!
Good night,
Sarah
Walking Playlist Aug 3rd
After a long day and drinks/dinner with co-workers after work, I didn't think I'd be up for a walk. But I was! Took a different route and ended up walking further than normal: 3.7km to be exact. Here's what kept me motivated tonight:
Friday August 3rd 2012
Second Chance - Shinedown
Devour - Shinedown
Your Love Is A Lie - Simple Plan
Bleed It Out - Linkin Park
Casual Sex - My Darkest Days
When We Stand Together - Nickelback
Saint Veronika - Billy Talent
Move Your Body - My Darkest Days
Too Bad - Nickelback
Small Town Dead - Bleeker Ridge
Something In Your Mouth - Nickelback
Little Smirk - Theory of a Deadman
World So Cold - Three Days Grace
Friday August 3rd 2012
Second Chance - Shinedown
Devour - Shinedown
Your Love Is A Lie - Simple Plan
Bleed It Out - Linkin Park
Casual Sex - My Darkest Days
When We Stand Together - Nickelback
Saint Veronika - Billy Talent
Move Your Body - My Darkest Days
Too Bad - Nickelback
Small Town Dead - Bleeker Ridge
Something In Your Mouth - Nickelback
Little Smirk - Theory of a Deadman
World So Cold - Three Days Grace
My Darkest Days at Bluesfest this summer
Thursday, 2 August 2012
The Universe is F*cking With Me
I had a very interesting day. Some rather odd events occurred and I'm not sure what to make of them. Both fall into the "it's a small world" category.
First up - the mystery caller.
When I got home from work on Monday, I had a voicemail on my home phone. It was some guy named Mike calling to speak to some guy named John. The message rambled on for a bit, I ignored it and deleted it since it was obviously the wrong number. On Wednesday, sometime in the afternoon, I looked at my cellphone and realized I had a missed call. I checked my voicemail and it was Mike again, looking for John. Again, I deleted the message. My cell# is on my home voicemail so this was nothing odd to me. When I got home from work, there was a 3rd message from Mike, looking for John on my home phone. This was a very long message. With a lot of detail as to Mike's weekend plans. As I listened to the message, I got a strange nagging sensation in the back of my brain somewhere. It occurred to me that Mike's voice was rather familiar and that a few of the things he mentioned in his message rang faint bells. Mike left both is home and work numbers in the message, so I saved it, planning on calling Mike later to tell him and I wasn't John and no one lives here by that name.
While on my lunch break today, I decided to look up Mike's number online. When the result came back, you could have knocked me on my ass with a feather. I did indeed know this Mike. He's a guy I dated briefly 13 years ago! What the hell are the odds? Since returning from my 4 years out west, I've only seen Mike once, and I deliberately (and quite stealthily) avoided him. We'd also run into each other in a group on Facebook about 8 months ago. That ended with me blocking him and the group admin deleting him (story isn't worth getting into). So I'm have zero desire to connect with this man again. So I will not be calling Mike to tell him that he's got the wrong number for John.
After relating this story to 2 co-workers, they both suggested that this couldn't be a mere coincidence. But how could it not be? The public listing for my phone number only lists my first initial and there are 16 people with the same first initial and same last name that come up on the search list. My cell # is on Facebook but only my friends can see it and my home # isn't on my cell voicemail. And my phone number has changed a few times since I went out with Mike.
There are lots of people who believe that there are no coincidences. That everything is linked and it's not random at all. I'm not sure that I personally believe that. A phone number is 10 digits. It's very easy to get just 1 digit mixed up and you accidentally call someone else. Who hasn't done that before?
I think the universe is simply fucking with me. But man, I really would love to know what the odds are on that. Where's Sheldon when you need him? Should Mike call again, I'm just going to recruit one of my male co-workers to call him back and let him know that he's got the wrong number.
The other fun one from today was the discovery that the daughter of Peter, one of my former co-workers, just bought a house 1 block away from my parents. That was kind of impressive :) And Peter got so excited about that. It was entertaining to watch.
Some things are definitely easier to explain than others. Some things just can't be explained. I say we just sit back and quietly ponder them all, just for a little while and the ones we can't solve, we just shrug and move on.
Just as a side note, I may or may not have changed the names of the people involved here. Just to keep you guessing :D
Good night!
Sarah
First up - the mystery caller.
When I got home from work on Monday, I had a voicemail on my home phone. It was some guy named Mike calling to speak to some guy named John. The message rambled on for a bit, I ignored it and deleted it since it was obviously the wrong number. On Wednesday, sometime in the afternoon, I looked at my cellphone and realized I had a missed call. I checked my voicemail and it was Mike again, looking for John. Again, I deleted the message. My cell# is on my home voicemail so this was nothing odd to me. When I got home from work, there was a 3rd message from Mike, looking for John on my home phone. This was a very long message. With a lot of detail as to Mike's weekend plans. As I listened to the message, I got a strange nagging sensation in the back of my brain somewhere. It occurred to me that Mike's voice was rather familiar and that a few of the things he mentioned in his message rang faint bells. Mike left both is home and work numbers in the message, so I saved it, planning on calling Mike later to tell him and I wasn't John and no one lives here by that name.
While on my lunch break today, I decided to look up Mike's number online. When the result came back, you could have knocked me on my ass with a feather. I did indeed know this Mike. He's a guy I dated briefly 13 years ago! What the hell are the odds? Since returning from my 4 years out west, I've only seen Mike once, and I deliberately (and quite stealthily) avoided him. We'd also run into each other in a group on Facebook about 8 months ago. That ended with me blocking him and the group admin deleting him (story isn't worth getting into). So I'm have zero desire to connect with this man again. So I will not be calling Mike to tell him that he's got the wrong number for John.
After relating this story to 2 co-workers, they both suggested that this couldn't be a mere coincidence. But how could it not be? The public listing for my phone number only lists my first initial and there are 16 people with the same first initial and same last name that come up on the search list. My cell # is on Facebook but only my friends can see it and my home # isn't on my cell voicemail. And my phone number has changed a few times since I went out with Mike.
There are lots of people who believe that there are no coincidences. That everything is linked and it's not random at all. I'm not sure that I personally believe that. A phone number is 10 digits. It's very easy to get just 1 digit mixed up and you accidentally call someone else. Who hasn't done that before?
I think the universe is simply fucking with me. But man, I really would love to know what the odds are on that. Where's Sheldon when you need him? Should Mike call again, I'm just going to recruit one of my male co-workers to call him back and let him know that he's got the wrong number.
The other fun one from today was the discovery that the daughter of Peter, one of my former co-workers, just bought a house 1 block away from my parents. That was kind of impressive :) And Peter got so excited about that. It was entertaining to watch.
Some things are definitely easier to explain than others. Some things just can't be explained. I say we just sit back and quietly ponder them all, just for a little while and the ones we can't solve, we just shrug and move on.
Just as a side note, I may or may not have changed the names of the people involved here. Just to keep you guessing :D
Good night!
Sarah
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