Boo

Go Go Jason Waterfalls!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Random Encounters

Here are some of the odd people I've come across in my travels.

*'Those Who Fight' begins to play*
  • Walking home down the Iron Horse Trail with my friend, Sam, a guy appeared out of the bushes. He looked like your standard-variety thug. We walked past and and he fell in behind us, following us a ways, obviously up to no good. Watching our backs, on one of our checks we found that he was....gone. Vanished, without a sound. All people make some amount of noise as they move, and we checked behind us often enough that we would have seen where he had gotten to...
  • On the way to the Multicultural Festival one year, I was accosted by a transgendered person. They enquired as to the size of my genitals and whether I would give them a look. I declined.
  • During one of our weekly D&D sessions at Gemini Jetpack, a guy came into the store and proceeded directly to the back wall near our table. He pressed himself up to the door of the back room and began to lick it, lovingly caressing it with his tongue. After a minute or so he left, without a word.
  • While out walking once, I saw a man on the sidewalk across the street. We did not interact, and I had only to glimpse him for everything in me to tell me that he was not to be trusted.
  • After dinner at Checkerboard family restaurant, I went to the washroom. Opened the door to find it was already occupied by an old man (it's a single-person room). He said I could come in. I declined.
  • While riding the bus once, I saw a girl a few seats over: jaw length red hair, petite. She made my heart beat really hard, and it felt like the kind of anxiety you feel you'll die from. I'm not sure what it was that caused this. She was pretty, though not unearthly so...
  • MADD called. This is roughly how the conversation went:
  • MADD: Is Mr. or Mrs. Koenderink home?
  • Me: Speaking.
  • MADD: We thank you for your previous donation. *spiel about needing more money* What can you contribute?
  • Me: I don't know. My mother handles this sort of thing.
  • MADD: *silence*
  • MADD: May I talk with her?
  • Me: She's out at the moment.
  • MADD: When would be a good time for me to call back?
  • Me: I honestly have no idea.
  • MADD: *angrily* Well, you said you were Mr. Koenderink! *hangs up*

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Jane

Not only do Jeff Martin and Jim Morrison look exactly the same, but they also share the initials J.M. Coincidence? Murphy controls those. And, not only do they share the same initials, but you have not written an exceedingly lengthy response and continuation to the very fabric, I think it's flannel, of our quasi-pseudocal anti-existence. That said, I will commence in the act of originating my own concoction of ingeniously produced wordplay, in retribution and spite of your discourtesy. Here lies what I am to have wrought.
PART ONE
“As I was arriving at the conclusion of my shadow's self-concluding, I was unwarrantably misplaced amidst the other antiquated manila-coloured folders by a rather uncomely and brazen chap! Imagine my completely complicated rantings, not to mention the fervour brought on by this little scenario of my shadow. Oh, you should definitely meet her, she's positively concrete in her lucidity. In fact I'm quite of the mind that you'd interact infamously! But to return to the insights of the tall men with the reddest beards, I was in a state of fractured euphoria. The stiff pages were peeling down all around, but solely in the study. It was UTTER perplexity! As I sought to overcome this hill of towering forks, or maybe they were sporks, I don't remember, I was besieged by the most unlikely of antagonists: a tawny gazelle. It's inset, azure eyes sped through me as if I had been gunned down by a microscopic version the largest ultra-death ray of loneliness the universe, and a scant few galaxies outside it, has ever seen in the 18 seconds of it's existence on the astral 747 commercial plane. I knew it's thoughts, and it knew mine - which didn't help the situation as neither of us could understand said thoughts.
“But a young woman behind me sneezed, and a very intricate and delicate sneeze at that. She had ventured hundreds of kilometres from the safety of her cherished big-time university, the type that produced the lowliest of the vilest rot that can be disclosed in these turquoise days. Yes, she was to be a lawyer. She had come from a small triple-parent home, the splendid glistening waterfall of a dwarven marine biologist, an incredibly attractive smokin' hot corporate CEO who was a volcanologist in her spare time, and a dominatrix. Life had been reasonably respecting of her, and she had held sway over many a fabled disc-jockey. She spent an ascertainable amount of minute seasons among the others of the town. May all that is simply atrocious befall Mr. Henry, and his waltzing unclothed across his yard! Bless his shins! Indeed, all was as it should have been, as evidenced by the colouring books. Until that one single day. Thursday. A day like any other, though all were deceived (except the sanitary department, who were able to see through the bullshit). She was just heading toward the casino when, out of the glowing shrubbery, an elf appeared! She had always thought she would be prepared for this kind of thing, but it was not so this day. Paralysed in the swoon of it's indifference, she could do naught but stare at the increasing translucency of it's essence. The finely drawn eyebrows arched above the flashing aqua eyes as it approached her. Sheer terror. A hundred thousand aphids descending from her temples down her perfect, pale skin. She knew. It was about to happen. Now. Why, of all the times? Why now? And then it was there upon her. A stream of silvery tendrils of energy arced through her body as the elf took it away from her. The moment seemed to last an eternity, a mixture of the lowest low and the highest high. It was exhilarating and what could only be described as orange. And in an instant, it was over. The elf gliding away; she, left there in a state of pure undulating staticity. As the thing left her field of vision, she regained sway over the mechanics of her parts. She fell to the foam of the path and began to weep tears of laughter. Never had she experienced a more traumatizing plot twist. Minutes passed before her strength returned and arms reached down to pull her up. She thanked the good Samaritan who had helped her to her feet, and set off on her personal journey. None before her had ever attempted this, not even in the time of Gurmot Ehltnivac. Despite this, she was an ever burning flame of golden determination, presentable to any circumstance.
“She tried to act inconspicuously after sneezing, so as to not disturb our battle. The great gazelle wished her luck in getting her favourite glove back. That elf was indeed a despicable entity for taking it. With that, she continued along among the winding dunes. Her slender figure was swallowed up by the behemoth of the horizon.
“We resumed our struggle. I grasped the very air to my left and hurled it at my beastly opponent, a passing glance as the missile struck it. My attempt was all for naught, maybe even in vain. It's horns elongated and shot outward, arcing, and then plummeting back down, to crash through the sand. The ground was then permeated with tremors, the shaking building and building. And then silence. All was still in that second. And at that the gazelle erupted volumes of searing energy, culminating into an enormous triskelion before dissipating just as quickly. I understood. I treaded off, following the petite footprints in the sand…”
***
PART TWO
The clammy spider leg fingers of exhaustion held tight. She had travelled too long through the dreariness of that granular hell. And that part was over. Presently she was in the midst of a brilliantly blinding grove. The black of the leaves almost unbearable. But she could fend off the spindly digits no longer. The earth reached up to her and she was lost.
***
It had been eight days since his encounter with his blue-eyed adversary. Allan was not even truly certain why he had taken to following this woman. There was just something......something right about her. His curiosity had to be sated. More easily accomplished without the meddling of that sandstorm. He would have shouted at it to make it cease its disruption, but his maw was too preoccupied with finding the water that it didn't have. That was the past though, a very difficult aspect of all things to change. Few creatures could be found here. Odd, deserts usually were home to an abundance of life. Granted, this one didn't seem to have snakeroots. So much blue; a darker shade than most others.
Allan was focusing too much on the scenery. He had to get back to finding her. But how? There were no tracks left. He scanned the endless grey in all directions. One patch of sky to the left was a striking lighter grey; more than that, to him, it felt that that was the way he was supposed to go.
***
She reclaimed her consciousness. The surroundings had been altered. Everything was bright and warm...
***
Allan found himself in a forest of expired carpenters. It seemed half a miracle that the corpses remained upright. "Perhaps it’s the ebony leaves clinging to them," he said to the lime-coloured button of his shirt collar. It offered nothing in response, though it did vomit a glare at him which had a suggestion of a hatred of cherries. Unoffended, this blob of masculinity trudged onward, accidentally stepping on a hammer, which of course caused a micro-fracture in the underground colonies of snail teeth, as well as the implosion of a nearby bumblebee.
Despite the complete lack of evidence to the contrary, Allan joyfully knew that he was ever so close to that aberrantly veiled enigma of the most praised taupe caged within his orifices. He stumbled about for thirty more symmetrical hours.

***
“Where are you?” she bellowed with the ferocity of an immature seahorse. She assumed someone must be responsible for changing her clime without even having the courtesy to inform her with a long distance email from a contaminated island in the Venezuelan Isles. No response, excepting a dry wheeze expelled from a magnificently pumpkin-hued shrub. She stood up, weary of the ox tongues composing the ground tickling the small of her delicate back. She was greeted with a, “Hullo there, Snorbles!”
“H-hello,” she said meekly.
“I’ve not seen you in an orange-clad age, Snorbles, my obtusely acute friend.,” issued from the puss-dripping lips of an insanely refined looking chap straight out of the Dark Ages-themed comic spread of a demented Presbyterian high on sawdust.
“No,” replied the sparkling woman, “I’ve been too terribly busy running errands for the Marquise of Lunderdanty. This exchange of vocalizations continued for quite some time, literally boring to death a rough-skinned wood elf. A mechanized Swedish nurse quickly inhaled his ashes.

***
At last he arrived at his destination. It was a hideously deformed wall of wriggling shoestrings. It had a visage akin to a hag who’s spent too many twilights washing avocados with a taxidermist’s kit. Pinned to it’s supposed neck by thirty-two toothpicks dripping with the blackest gall was a sign. It read: “Where there’s a will, there’s a wading pool”. Now there’s a notion, Allan mused with the selfsame expression a general of the Azores might have worn after putting down a group of splendid fortune tellers.
“Indeed, indeed,” intoned a voice from above his left shoulder which sounded strikingly similar to his cousin Muriel who worked at the all-night ulna shop. “Mudcakes! Is that you?” exclaimed the questing lad. There was a general hissing noise and the sound of hundreds of thousands of clay animation figures charging a well-to-do corporate executive. The stringy wall burst open, showering Allan with day-old honeydew melon rinds.
And there she was, speaking animatedly with a sketchy-looking beast, her hands strangling an imaginary person Allan guessed was her sister’s future boyfriend. He had finally found her. His quest was over. “I’m here!” he exclaimed, startling the woman’s companion into jumping through a conveniently placed window. There was tissue paper everywhere. The mechanical nurse was not amused.
“WHO’S THERE?!” she demanded while looking directly at him. Sensing that something was amiss, she added, “I’m not blind…much.”
Allan began to explain how he had come all this way, as if drawn to her.
“You may call me Sousaphone,” she said regally. “Will you help me track down my adversary?
“Never,” beamed Allan. They set off down a tunnel made of tunnels, for the man who jumped through the window had said the wicked elf went that way…

Friday, December 3, 2010

Camera

Ever play with the focus of your eyes to make the beams from light sources advance toward and recede from your vision?

Untitled

I've dropped my course at St. Louis; my mood has sunk again and I could not attend class on a regular basis. I will be attempting correspondence, however. Hopfully they give me credit for having already completed half the course.

Tonight is the gem club's annual auction/best specimens contest/secret Santa/pizza party. I'm bringing something for the secret Santa (a fossil I don't want); this will be the first time I've participated in one of these. I've also never bid in a live auction before, only silent ones.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Spider-Man, Spider-Man...

As a child, I would often become delirious when I had a fever, always while I was in bed for the night. The first time I experienced it, I was terrified because the giant robot spiders (from the episode of the original Spider-Man cartoon I had watched that day) were going to zap my mother.

Along with the dream sequences, my delirium usually included 3 uncomfortable sensations. First, there was the feeling of having a balloon in my throat (kind of like the piece of rubber stretched over your mouth when getting a filling at the dentist), choking me. Second, there was the sensation of wrapping myself around a sharp, thin wire (~1mm diameter), which at the same time was a concrete pillar (~2ft diameter). I don't know how else to put it. Third, there was always some task I had to do which would spin out of control. For example, I would have to sort or pack a bunch of balls, which kept multiplying and multiplying, making me despair that I would never finish the job. Sometimes there was just one ball (they were always yellow) which continued to expand, becoming bigger than the planet, the galaxy, even. Terrifying. These three sensations always felt as if they were building up, threatening to engulf me (how I feel sometimes when I have bad anxiety).

I haven't been delirious in years. In my teens, however, I began experiencing those sensations outside of the delirium. I could even feel them in various body parts, like my arm would be choking on a balloon. This is basically impossible to tell anyone without them thinking me mad (they may be right). It still happens to me, every once in a while.

Twice this past week, while trying to sleep I got the wire/concrete thing. It started in my torso, migrating then to my legs. The same engulfing panic ensued and I had to get up and do something to distract the feeling away.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

What. Are. You? I'm a Vampire!

Last week's episode of the Vampire Diaries introduced a new character, Slater, who is very much like how I would be if I was a vampire. He has been going to college continuously since he was sired in 1974, racking up a huge number of BA's, MA's and PhD's.

I want to mention how great this show is. Aside from the teen drama and formula of 'human girl falls for vamp' which is, unfortunately, so common (why can't the human ever be male?), it's a bloody fun time. Full of eyes being gouged out, fingers being chopped off, and hearts being ripped out (literally and figuratively). The vampires are ferociously strong, do not sparkle in sunlight, and get all veiny and black-eyed when angry. Plus, Ian Somerhalder is just perfect.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Vampires do Look Sparkly When I Have a Migraine

This evening, while watching Rome, I experienced scintillating scotoma (aura migraine). It happens every so often, usually without the headache which can follow it. The strange thing about this time was that as soon as it had receded, another one started up! Even stranger, this second aura abruptly ended, instead of diminishing over time. It was somewhat startling.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know(ledge)

It has been an interesting two weeks. Last week, my (wretched) psychiatrist put me on Zeldox, a relatively new anti-psychotic. After only two doses I began experiencing side effects: uncontrollable shaking, itches like bugs crawling on me in various spots, weak legs, and a horrible feeling of phlegm in my throat which I could not expel. After a trip to Emergency on Thursday, stopping the drug, and being put on Ativan for a couple days to ease the symptoms, I am mostly better, though the phlegm thing persisted and is only fading now.

This week was my first back at school in 9 months, and high school, no less. I've been going to St. Louis Adult Learning Centre. I need 4 grade 11 and 12 courses as prerequisites to begin majoring in geology (I can no longer deal with the open-endedness of history papers). Being surrounded by so many people again has been quite stressful, and it certainly does not help that most of them are teenagers.

Yesterday, a madman (who seems to have been expelled from the school) came into our class, waving gigantic signs and rambling about soldiers dying for our rights, mental illness, and dancing...He was shooed out by the teacher and minutes later an announcement was made for everyone to get to their classes and lock the door. The police hauled him away and classes resumed shortly afterwards. He was there again today, outside the building. He didn't get in, and I believe the police dragged him away again.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Italy and Greece

In grade 10 I went on a trip to Italy and Greece for March Break. That semester I was taking my first year of Latin. The textbook used the story of a Pompeian family to teach the language, and I was very excited to actually visit the ancient city. About 25 people from my school went, including the principal. We were grouped with a small number of students from another school.

I befriended Ben, a grade 11 or 12 student from KCI, for the trip. He was a nice enough guy (a terrible rapper, though). After a delay in Montreal, we landed in Athens. I didn't sleep during the flight -I was too afraid (I don't like flying). I watched Anchorman twice, and the same Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue videos far too many times. I had terrible jet lag when we landed, but felt better after eating. From there we flew to Rome in a small plane as the sun set. The aircraft was full of rowdy Roman teenagers.

Our tour guide for the trip was Billie, a Serbian woman who had moved to Italy. Our driver was named Marcello; all the girls loved him. My roommate while we were in Italy was Liam, a student from the other school; he was pretty cool.

In Rome, we saw the Trevi Fountain (I did throw a coin and make a wish), Trajan's Column, and the incredible Pantheon. The bus to the Colosseum was so (uncomfortably) packed that the doors wouldn't close, and people still kept trying to get on! We took the elevator to get to the upper levels of the amphitheatre (we didn't get to go on the modern floor built over part of the underground chambers). We next went to the Forum Romanum, entered through the Arch of Titus. The spot where Caesar was cremated was commemorated.

From the Forum we went to the Vatican Museums. The place is pretty much made of gold, with lovely Roman, Greek, and Egyptian statues. We didn't get to see the Pope, as he was in the hospital and only returned a couple days after we left the city (he died the next month). I loved the Gallery of Maps, hobbit that I am, which led to the Sistine Chapel. The Chapel was amazing, with walls of trompe l'oeil curtains and Michelangelo's fantastic Last Judgement. Inside the massive St. Peter's Basilica were Michelangelo's Pieta and numerous works by my favourite sculptor, Bernini, including St. Peter's baldachin. I took a picture of my feet here, and there was a face in the photo. I got a great pic of some off-duty Swiss Guards leaving the Vatican.

I signed-up for the optional excursion and spent a day in Florence, instead of having free reign in Rome. The bus ride through golden Tuscany was lovely. Our guide for the excursion was a cool guy nicknamed Mimo. We began atop a lookout on a hill where all the fashion designers lived, with a view over the city. We toured a leather worker's shop and passed by the church of Santa Croce, with an awesome statue in front of Dante and an eagle pulling at his robes. Florence Cathedral was amazing, the baptistery with Ghiberti's bronze doors, as well. I had lunch in the Piazza della Signoria (real Italian pizza) with KCI's principal. I also had gelato for the first time (banana). We didn't have time to see the Uffizi, unfortunately, but did see the lovely statues outside it by Donatello, Giambologna and Cellini.

As we were leaving Rome for Naples, our bus was hit by a car. Only a little paint scratched, but the drivers in Rome are maniacs. In Naples, we took a small ferry to Capri. Ben fell asleep on a little old Asian lady. I loved Capri, with it's narrow roads, orange trees, and gorgeous azure waters. For lunch I had the best pasta I've ever tasted at an upscale restaurant, and strangely the only good pasta of the entire trip...

Back on the mainland, we stayed the night in Sorrento. Liam and I went for a walk to get some disposable cameras, and an old woman muttered about the number of single men in the world as she walked past us. Leaving the city for Pompeii, we took terrifyingly narrow mountain roads, and even a tunnel through the mountain.

Upon reaching Pompeii, we discovered the ruins were closed! The workers chose this day to go on strike. This was very disappointing, as I had wanted to try to find the house of Caecilius, the pater familias of the family my textbook was based on. We did get to visit a cameo studio, and the stalls selling various phallic paraphernalia. There were a lot of stray cats wandering around.

From there we drove to Bari, on the other side of Italy (only 4 hours!) to catch a ferry to Greece. Before this trip, I had never seen mountains, and the ones we passed here filled me with awe. Ben fell asleep on me this time, and tried to buy my watch while half-asleep, which had suddenly become fascinating to him. I had never been on a boat across a sea, either -scary. Unfortunately, I was switched to being roommates with Josh for the overnight ferry ride (and the rest of the trip). Josh was a troublemaker, and the teachers put me with him to keep an eye on him. I hate that. I've been punished like this for being responsible too many times. The morning after was nice, though; I went out on the deck at stern and watched the water swirls trailing behind the ferry.

We arrived at Patras and headed for Delphi. The mountain roads up Mount Parnassus to Delphi were even more terrifying than the ones we took in Italy. Delphi was amazing, though -most likely my favourite part of the trip. We worked our way up through the ruins, seeing the Treasury of Athens, the seat of the Delphic Oracle in the Temple of Apollo, and the theatre. My former roommate, Liam, and I were the first to reach the stadium at the top of the ruins. Everyone else seemed to be out of breath...We raced each other; I would have won, but my shoe came off. The museum had the famous Charioteer statue. Again, there were a lot of stray cats wandering around outside. The balcony of my hotel room overlooked the streets of the little town. There was one shop which sold medieval weapons. The crazy shopkeeper even demonstrated the crossbow by firing a bolt into the back wall! I watched the sun set on a platform at the edge of town (it was a straight drop down the mountain).

From Delphi we continued on to Athens. On the way, we stopped at a rug shop, and had lunch at a lovely relaxed restaurant on the shore. While the food in Italy was unimpressive, the food in Greece was delicious, especially cheese pie.

In Athens, we ascended the Acropolis -saw the Erechtheion with it's Porch of Maidens, the Parthenon, and a nice museum. From the Acropolis you could see a disgusting ring of yellow smog around the city. We explored the market areas in town, and I had a necklace with my name (in Greek) made at a jewelry shop. We stayed in an upscale hotel, one of the many built for the Olympic games which had recently taken place. We had a party the night before we flew back home. The music was really loud, and the performers shouted 'opa' a million times. I hate that word now. Josh was becoming increasingly destructive, throwing things at pidgeons from our window, and yelling at people in adjacent buildings. I'd had enough, and refused to stay in the same room anymore. I slept on the floor of the other guys' room.

Of course, he somehow ended up next to me on the fight back. The bus ride back home from the airport was nice and toasty, though (it was freezing in Toronto).

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Signature

I use a stylized signature to sign many of my artworks (I don't sign it if I hate the finished product). I did not choose this signature, however, my dessert did. One night in grade 9 or 10, I had one of those chocolate-coated ice cream on sticks. Traced in the moisture on the bar was the symbol I claimed as my signature.


Thursday, September 23, 2010

Re-Booking

I've noticed one improvement, at least, since getting off most of the meds: my focus is much better. I'm halfway through a fourth book in less than a month -that's more than I've averaged in a year for the past few years! How I've missed reading. I have wanted to many times, but it was like there was a barrier preventing me from doing so.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

LOST

I love going exploring. Being lost, having no idea where I am is always refreshing. You discover so much more when you have no destination. After finishing some shopping today, I decided to take the bus heading in the same direction which brought me to the stores, instead of going back the way I came. It took me out to Conestoga College, and I didn't get back to the terminal for an hour and 45 minutes, but it was fun. I saw at least five churches I didn't know about, and got to see most of Conestoga's campus (I've only been to the gym for various events). I got to listen to the amusing conversations of moronic teenagers, and saw swamps with those awesome dead trees one sees a lot up north.

A friend of mine and I have recently learned of our mutual love of exploring. Last week we went for a drive and ended up in New Hamburg. We ate at the gorgeous Puddicombe House (a lovely platter of 3 meats, mustards, black olive tapenade, and 8 cheeses). Riverside Cemetery had beautiful tombstones made of the Brazilian granite, Verde Ubatuba. There was also a monument to the pioneers of the town, unlike anything I've ever seen.





*This post has had nothing to do with the fine television program, LOST*

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Huh

The last couple weeks, I've been experiencing strange things. Between the big toe and the toe next to it on my left foot it has often felt like there is a hair caught; it itches/tickles, drives me mad. I've become a bit paranoid, too. Any noises around the house have been getting my imagination going, worrying about intruders. I seem to be a little emotional as well. Whenever I'm watching something on TV that is supposed to be sad, I choke up, instantly, out of nowhere. I don't actually cry, I just get that feeling in my throat and the urge to weep. The things setting me off wouldn't really affect me, normally. I watched part of 8 Simple Rules the other night; it was the one where John Ritter's character died. I had to change the channel I got so many choke-ups...Bizarre.

Friday, August 20, 2010

+20 Jump

I went to the Wings of Paradise butterfly conservatory yesterday, one of my favourite places. While sitting on a bench, this cutie jumped on me:

My favourite kind of spider: the daring jumping spider. She lept at my finger whenever I pointed at her, and even taunted the camera (raising front legs menacingly). I love jumping spiders. They're so friendly, and actually turn their body to look at you. I came to love the daring jumper when I first encountered one, a male, on my porch. We played hide and seek around a brick.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

(Friend)shipwreck

The past few months have been difficult. I ended my friendship with my closest friend, Kyle. He was a terrible friend, selfish, thoughtless, unreliable, but no one could make me laugh like he did. He had an insane sense of humour and created dozens of wacky characters and skits. Our friendship started at YAP when he showed me his skit about the "Dance of the Beheaded Projectile Penguin". He had all the same interests as I do, and we were always learning from one another. He let me down countless times over the years, but I stayed with him because, frankly, I had no other friends. I just became so tired of being angry at him, of doing all the work to keep the friendship going. I've broken free. I miss him.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Do I Know You?

I'm always seeing people who look incredibly familiar to me, but I can never quite place them. I usually assume they are from high school. It nags at me for days, though. I had dinner at Yukiko's last night and was possitive I knew our waitress. There is very little chance of my seeing her at KCI, as I was not there much for my 4th and 5th year, and paid little attention to anyone, especially grade 9-10 students (she mentioned that she is 18). *wracks brain*

P.S. She had the most incredible eyes; they flashed pale green and chestnut.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Darling You're Mean

I like to mess with people. I'm a terrible person. I revel in it. The other day I got a call from someone saying that Solo Mobile wanted to give me a phone with the first month paid. I already have a phone plan with Solo...I wish these frauds would do a little more research, make it more challenging. He asked me for my name. "You don't know?" I asked. He had my last name, but not my first name. I told him I didn't have one. There was a long pause. He actually recovered and attempted to continue the deal, but I told him I wasn't interested.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Father

I figure I should write this just for future reference. I rarely talk of my father. He committed suicide when I was 8. It's not that it's a difficult subject for me; I just don't feel the need to talk about him.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Aki

It's Autumn. I don't care what season the calendar says it is. It's cool and windy, leaves are beginning to turn red, and the smells are intoxicating. Right now the smell of watermelon is wafting in from my window. I went for a walk yesterday evening. I was bombarded with memories all of the smells brought back to me. I have always loved Fall, but it is difficult for me; it makes me incredibly happy and sad at the same time. During my dark ages, I often went for walks in the Fall. I was usually quite sad, but the atmosphere seemed to allow me to revel in it. These days, the season brings unpleasant memories, yet they almost make me happy. I don't know how to reconcile these conflicting emotions...

Friday, August 6, 2010

The Paranormal

This is a big part of my life. Many of my family members have had experiences. During a test drive, my aunt threatened to jump out of the car if my uncle didn't let her out immediately -someone was telling her to get out. The salesperson later revealed that someone had died in that car. There is also a picture of my uncle when he was a child hanging in my grandparents' basement. The trees behind him form the shape of a gruff-looking man seemingly standing behind him. I love that picture.

I've experienced quite a bit, myself. I have seen a few shadow people (none with fedoras, unfortunately -that would be awesome). The first time I saw one I was hanging out with a friend at a nearby school during the summer. Through a set of doors which led up some stairs, I saw the form of a person, completely black, no features -not even eyes, at the top of the landing. It was only there for a second before turning and going out of sight up the next flight of stairs. I had never seen anything like it; it was somewhat frightening, but mostly just intriguing. A couple years ago on a trip up north with my great uncle, I thought I saw some shadow people in the trees as we were driving down a back road. I'm not certain if I was these were just an illusion caused by the actual shadows of the trees. Earlier this summer, though, on the way home from another trip with my great uncle, I saw some sort of shadow creature appear from the trees and drop down into the ditch. It was the size of a child, but with longer, gangly arms. There are reports about shadow children, but I don't know of human/monkey hybrids...

There have been other minor things, like hearing my name whispered (something for which my sister was recently hospitalized), but I'm never sure if it's just my mind forming words from background noise, such as the tap running.

The biggest part of my experience has to do with ghosts. As a child, I had company after going to bed. A number of people, all in older style dress (like Mennonite) would be by my bedside. Every night. There was the group of women and children kneeling by my bed, and the old man wearing a flat cap, arms crossed, standing by the window. There was no colour; they were just transparent contours. They never moved, just stared at me, their faces gaunt. This went on for years, and as you can imagine, I was terrified. I slept with the covers over my head. At one point, I managed to work up enough courage to peek out and see if they were still there: they were, and they had a new member, a man with spiky hair, mouth wide open as if he were screaming, directly in front of my face. That was a fun night. Eventually they went away. I think maybe it was because I started to tell people what I had been seeing for years.

Now that I'm older, I wish that I had tried to communicate with them. When I still lived in the old place I tried talking to them, but I never saw or heard anything again. I had a friend once who did a card reading for me. She said that the ghosts left because of me, that I had convinced myself it was safer not to believe perhaps (my mother tells me she was less than supportive when I first told her). She said that in order to open up again I would have to do a lot of work. Along the way, I'm supposed to meet three people who can help me: someone who is not what he or she seems, someone who will try to bargain with me for their help, and another whom I will fall in love with before realizing that she can help. Time will tell...

Of course, all of this may just be me being stark-raving-mad-as-a-hatter.

Side note: I seem to be drawn to people with paranormal experience; many of my friends have had dealings with the supernatural.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Musing of the Day

Wouldn't it be neat if during a job interview the employer asked, "If a zombie outbreak occurred during your shift, what would you do?"

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Mission to Mars

I went to the Cheltenham Badlands, near Terra Cotta, ON, with a friend yesterday. It was quite the sight -like a piece of Mars in the middle of nowhere.



Afterwards, we went to the Belfountain Conservation Area and walked the trail around the river. The water was surprisingly cold, and we cooled our feet [I've just learned the river is spring-fed]. I saw a cuckoo wasp for the second time in my life (having just seen one a few days before), but unfortunately could not get a picture because it zipped away. I went on a suspension bridge (a new experience) above a waterfall. I had lavender tea (delicious), and on the way home we stopped at a cemetery in Rockwood with the most unusual chapel and a number of deceased people named Death!



Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Antiquing: Part Dos

Mom and I went to Shakespeare and Stratford again yesterday. It turns out that in these crazy towns, most businesses are closed on Monday! We saw a number of antique shops, only one of which was open. A very friendly three-legged cat named Walter lived here.

We stopped in at the same antiques warehouse from our previous trip; there was a gold-painted sickle! Although this would be very dangerous to use against zombies (close combat never a good idea), can you imagine how awesome it would look to decapitate a zombie with a golden sickle?

Arkona

I went fossil hunting at a conservation park in Arkona, ON on the weekend. I went with my friend Leslie and her hiking group. I'm not really a big fossil enthusiast, but I have discovered that I love brachiopods; they're very nice to hold (I find holding small pieces of rock, glass, plastic, such as gems or Crazy Bones to be soothing) and they are somewhat translucent. The fossils were found along a river; you just had to look down and you would see them in the mud -hundreds of them.

We searched along the river for a bit and then went to a lovely waterfall to search for trilobites. I wasn't keen on wading into the water, so I sat on the rocks near the cascade, basking in the misty breeze. I could have sat there all day. I love the wind; few things can re-energize me like it can -I'm wind-powered!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Not So Magic Dance

I walked a labyrinth yesterday evening. It's basically a circular maze on the ground, in which every time you get near the centre, it takes you off in another direction. It is supposed to be a form of meditation; one might focus on their breathing, repeat a mantra, or discover a solution to a problem. All I could think about was how poorly the labyrinth was made. The path you follow was formed of faded pinkish bricks, bordered by faded grey bricks. A more striking contrast would help.

By the time I reached the centre, I was too dizzy to make my way back out (the last few months I've been getting dizzy a lot -geometric patterns do not help this), and unceremoniously stumbled across the path and lay down in the grass.

Dizziness aside, I find it frustrating that I cannot seem to get into all the Zen stuff...

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

I Gotta Get it Right, I Gotta Quit These Drugs

I had an appointment with my psychiatrist today. I have to decided to begin tapering off my meds. Nine years, 13 different drugs and little to show for it. I want to see what I'm like without all this crap in my system.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Florence Foster Jenkins

I sing. Often. I sing along to my favourite tunes. I am terrible at it. Sometimes no sound even comes out of my mouth.

*Funny story: In Grade 7 we had to play an instrument for music class. All the school had was woodwinds and brass instruments; I chose the flute. I managed to get one note out of it, and could never play anything on it again. The teacher made me switch to saxophone. I could not even get a sound out of this one, ever. The teacher asked me, in all seriousness, if I had had a lung removed...(I still own 2). For the rest of my time in junior high, I just pressed the correct buttons and pretended to be producing music*

You won't ever hear me, though; my singing is for me alone.

Friday, July 9, 2010

(Relation)shipwreck

When I was 18, I experienced my first, and to date, only, relationship. Of the few things I regret, this is high on the list.

I met J- at YAP. I had been in the program for nearly a year when she arrived. The class was doing some sort of crafty thing, and we were joking about how the new students never stayed (a great number of new classmates were never seen after their first day); she took this as a personal insult and responded with biting remarks. In all my life, I've never had someone hate me so much within mere hours of meeting (this should have been a warning sign). Afterwards, during group therapy, she expressed her anger that we were trying to get rid of her. I assured her that it was light-hearted, and that I can often come across as insulting, though that is never my intention. I did not know it at the time, but it seems she was instantly smitten...

J- became close to my friend C-, and we got together to hang out a number of times. One time, after giving me a ride home, I hugged C- goodbye, as I do with many of my friends, and J- asked for one as well. I did so. She then asked for a kiss. I was completely taken aback! I clumsily said "no" and hurried inside. C- later told me that J- was crazy about me.

At first I was very confused, but I started to entertain the idea of a relationship. I eventually invited her over and had my first kiss that night (not counting my "girlfriend" in nursery school). We began dating. We went way too fast, for me, anyway. She really wanted to have sex, which I was nowhere near ready for, so we stuck to some very minor stuff (still outside my comfort zone). You must understand that well into junior high, I could barely stand physical human contact, and the idea of sex repulsed me (the former still being a problem at times), so it was really crazy for me.

Anyway, the relationship lasted less than a month. I began to realize that I didn't really like her; I was just so thrilled to have someone want me. I broke it off. The next day, I called just to see how she was doing; she was suicidal and took a bunch of pills while we were talking. I ended up sending an ambulance to her place. Bad day.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Liminal Pleasantry

Sometimes, I really love the Internet. Researching various wacky sleep-related things, I found a thread ( http://www.stevepavlina.com/forums/spirituality-consciousness-awareness/18481-hearing-voices-just-i-am-falling-asleep.html ) on people's sensory experiences during hypnagogia (the transition between wakefulness and sleep, [and vice versa depending on who you ask]).

Oftentimes, when I am drifting off to sleep, I will hear voices. It is usually a string of seemingly unconnected people talking, and I just happen to be listening in. Sometimes it's just a couple words or sentences, at other times it is pieces of a conversation. The voices are never directed at me, at least the ones speaking English aren't; often I hear stuff in other languages, like German or Italian.

The thread posits many explanations, from the boringly scientific "misfiring neurons", to the annoyingly religious "demons trying to get at you". Perhaps it is the "radio" theory, in which during this state, one can tune in to another plane of existence and hear the dead, or just pick up on "audio" from our own plane.

Some say the experience is quite frightening. Personally, I find it incredibly relaxing. I try to hang on for as long as I can, though is very difficult, and often concentrating on it makes it go away.

Many great thinkers and artists have drawn inspiration and/or the solution to particular problems through hypnagogia. As far as I can tell, what I hear is meaningless. It is still a lot of fun, mind you. I recall one time hearing what I assumed to be a board meeting; someone told a joke and everyone was laughing.

Somniphobia?

Alors, it is nearly 3:00 am, and the keen observer will note that I am not asleep. I've dealt with insomnia for many years, though of late I have developed what I can only describe as a "dread" of going to sleep. When this occurs, I do try to force myself to sleep, though it does not always work, such as right now. I've been using my time awake researching various sleep disorders.

Somniphobia seems to be the best candidate. Of course, as with most of the medical "merde" I experience, it's either unexplainable, or only partially describes an accepted diagnosis, to the point of confusion. I've found a wonderful blog post on this particular disorder, with ample comments from fellow sufferers( http://disorder-sleep.blogspot.com/2006/07/somniphobia-fear-of-sleep.html ).

The most common reasons for the "dread" seem to be a fear of dying whilst asleep or having nightmares. I don't fear dying in my sleep -none of that Greek 'Sleep and his twin brother Death', I'm afraid; it would be the best way to go, anyway. I quite enjoy dreaming, and am disappointed when I cannot recall any dreams from the previous night. I don't mind nightmares, either; they may be terrifying at the time, but I find them simply interesting afterwards. Fervently not wanting to sleep contradicts my desire to dream (which is much easier to do while asleep). Some posters also mention a fear of "not being able to sleep", which seems the least logical, and therefore, "logically", it should be the reason for my dread *grins*. Nope. I have to be even more special! *rolls eyes*

Anxiety and depression (both of which I deal with) can also be factors, though the links are not so clear. It is true that some nights, my mind refuses to shut up (in a talking to me kind of way, how I assume "normal" people think; on average, my thoughts seem to be more like...well I don't exactly know how to define it), but this just gives me all the more reason to wish for unconsciousness.

One issue that a few people mention is the paranormal. This may be the root of my phobia, even though this is far from my thoughts during nights like this...As a child I experienced a great deal of the paranormal, which was frightening, to say the least (I'll make a post on the subject later). It just seems odd that something which occurred so long ago could be having an effect now.

Conversely, at times I often dread being awake when I get up in the morning...

Monday, June 28, 2010

The Widow Queen

Near St. Jacobs Farmers Market is a Best Western hotel. The edges of the roof are lined with an unnecessary number of widow's watches. An elevated watch occupies a central position. At one point, all of these platforms must have been the lookouts of women waiting for their menfolk to return home, which was never to be, as they all perished on the return voyage from the far side of Laurel Lake. These widows needed a leader. The central tower was built, and a queen installed. From her perch, her majesty oversaw all the mourning and weeping.

The women remained there till their death, even though travel by schooner on Laurel Lake was halted with the invention of the bicycle. They say when you pass by the hotel at night, you can still hear faint wailing.

Radioactive Man

At this moment I am radioactive. Literally. You'd get a read on me with a Geiger counter. I had a bone scan this afternoon. They injected me with a radioactive dye in the morning, and 3 hours later, once it had been absorbed into my bones via my bloodstream, they scanned me for any damage.

Over the past year and a half or so, I've been having sternum problems. It was popping in and out of place, and it would hurt a lot if I bent forward or backward. This progressed to it just being sore all the time, and sometimes if I moved a certain way, it would pop, making a cracking sound. And it was excruciating. In it's current state, a smörgåsbord of movements set off this "crack"; things like reaching out, bending over, sitting up, jumping, coughing, laughing, sneezing, stretching, turning my head to the side too far or too quickly, or carrying anything somewhat heavy.

I've researched possible sternum complications, the most common being costochodritis, which doesn't entirely fit. The tricky thing about it is that it does not show up on any scan (so far, all my scans have shown nothing). None of the main causes of costochondritis have really happened to me, either. A lot of the people who have it say that when they pop their sternums purposefully, they feel relief. I cannot imagine intentionally causing that "crack"; it bloody hurts!

The test was really long and may not tell us anything, but hey, I'M RADIOACTIVE. I will be spending the rest of the day (it only lasts ~24 hours) trying to discover my superpowers.

A Good Festival, Finally

The Multicultural Festival at Victoria Park was this weekend. As a kid, it was always great. The food was yummy (Vietnamese kabobs, mmmm) and there were usually a couple stalls selling gemstones. Over the years, the goods for sale became less and less interesting, and the gems disappeared, excepting some jewelry. Plus, it seems to rain every year now, too.

While it did rain again this time, I managed to get in and out before the deluge. Shockingly, one of the vendors actually had gems, and quality ones at that! He was a really nice guy whose friend owns a mine in Namibia. Sometimes he takes a group with him when he goes down there. I may take a trip to Africa in the future! I got the nicest piece of schorl (black tourmaline) and the largest dioptase (my favourite) crystal I've ever seen. He even took a cheque!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Blades and Tea

I was at Talize today, looking for a wall-mounted shelf to store my teas (like a spice rack). Instead I found a gorgeous wooden case, velvet-lined, and the perfect size to store my bayonet. It turns out the inside of this case smells like orange pekoe or earl grey tea...

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Pets

I've grown up with a number of pets, and I've loved them all so much. When I started living with my family (ie. was born), our dog, Muffy, and cat, Dinkie, were already there. Muffy was great. She was full of energy, and did crazy things like jumping up and biting the carrot nose off our snowman. I would cuddle up with her during lightning storms (which she was terrified of). Dinkie was terrified of everyone, except my parents. He stayed away from my sister and me, and bolted under Mom's dresser whenever someone so much as knocked on the door. He only really warmed up to me during the last few years of his life. When he passed away (at 17), I was devastated. We buried him amongst the trees off the side of a trail (which was dug up by Habitat for Humanity to make houses; I wonder what they thought upon finding feline bones!)

I did not want to get any more pets, but caved in when I saw the kittens born to a cat of my Mom's friend. We've had Blaze and Cozmo ever since. Along the way, we've had a budgie, numerous fish, and my sister had a skinny pig. I get so attached to these animals. When the skinny pig died, I firmly declared we should not get any more pets; I couldn't take the pain of their eventual deaths. And yet when my sister rescued a hamster, The Gingerbread Man, from an incompetent friend, I fell for him, too (he was so called because he had the uncanny ability to escape from his cage and wind up in places like the stove). With his death, I made the same declaration.

With the exception of my father, I've always been struck harder by the death of an animal than a human. This is another trait of Asperger's: identifying more with animals than humans. Aspies (as many of us seem to call ourselves) often say they are from the wrong planet. I definitely feel this way sometimes. Hell, when I tried to commit suicide, the hardest part was saying goodbye to my cats!

Despite so many deaths, I now find myself wanting a dog once my cats are gone...

P.S. Today I experienced my first earthquake! There was brief rumbling, and things on my shelves rattled.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Grr, Argh!

My next door neighbours have a wind chime. I don't like the sound of most wind chimes, except for some of the bamboo ones with deep tones. This one is small, metal and incredibly shrill. I am hypersensitive, and the sound is painful and maddening. I like to have my window open to feel the breeze while in bed, but the damn thing keeps me up. I can even hear it with my window closed! I have to have the fan going, but it's not the same as cool air.

I was thinking of hiring a ninja to steal it, but they charge by the second...

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

I have never dealt well with change. It provokes a lot of anxiety for me. This may be a trait of my Asperger's Syndrome. As a child I would take weeks or even months to transition from Winter to Summer clothes, and vice versa. I haven't really outgrown this either. Once I was free from my mother telling me I had to dress for the season, I switched to wearing t-shirts year-round. Going from one grade to another in school was also difficult.

I've been reorganizing my room (more change) the past couple days. I have a ton of Lego: 4 buckets full, plus various creations sitting on shelves. I needed to free-up some room, so I dismantled a number of the things I had built. The Apache attack helicopter (the 1st of my Lego aircraft, built at least 10 years ago) and the Jaguar fighter jet were both "shot-down", along with a few vehicles from my undead army. I cannot possibly convey how hard this was, emotionally.

Friday, June 18, 2010

My Doctor May Be a Witch...

My family physician is quite something. I've known him all my life, and while he's a bit overly fond of diagnosing most ailments as "post-nasal drip", he has a special power. While most big tests like MRI's and CT Scans take months to book, he ALWAYS gets me in within the month. Often within a couple weeks, sometimes even the very day I see him.

Last week I went to see him about the ongoing problems with my sternum pain. He wrote up a requisition for some sort of bone scan. By the time I got home from my appointment, there was already a message on the answering machine informing me the test is later this month.

Something is up. Maybe it's magic: he has the staff at St. Mary's under his control. Or he could have dirt on them and is blackmailing them...

Of course, there's always the other possibility: aliens.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

The Dark Ages

I think I would like to talk about the darkest chapter in my life. I've written much about it in journals, but I burned all those to lessen the number of reminders in my environment. This blog, however, is for my friends, to better understand who I am.

First, a little back story. My depression began in grade 7, the reason, if any, unclear to me to this day. For 2 years I struggled with it, until admitting that I needed help. I began to see a counsellor, who was of great help. It was only temporary, as she was a student gaining experience, and had to return to school. My family physician put me on Fluoxetine, which made me incredibly restless and jittery. I started to see a psychiatrist. We tried a number of meds, which did little, if anything (most meds have no effect on me, and the ones that do wear off quickly).

Enter A-, my first love. I met her in grade 10 Latin. I asked her out, and though she declined, we became friends and talked often. I had been having suicidal thoughts every once in a while for the past year, and when I discovered she had a boyfriend, I decided to attempt suicide. While my Mom was out, I took a knife and cut the backs of my hands to test how much it would take to slit my wrists. Fortunately, I "chickened out" and called my Mom. We met with my shrink and I agreed to check myself into the psyche ward, called CAIP (Child and Adolescent Inpatient Program).

I spent two weeks there. It's insane, but I've never felt more safe or comfortable than in that wing of the hospital up on the 9th floor. I would sit on the window sill of my room and watch the clouds roll over the vast view of the city. I even loved the food! These days I use Axe Snake Peel body wash because it smells like CAIP. I met a number of girls there, who were all discharged before me. I cried when they were gone (I'm almost never that emotional).

After my first stay, the staff at CAIP suggested that I be placed in the Young Adult Program (YAP), which involved academics in the mornings and therapy in the afternoons. I was loath to go, but it was actually really good for me, not because of my assigned counsellor (I thought she was pretty useless), but because I met my best friend there. We were quite the mischief makers, and one time the staff took us aside and literally told us to stop communicating telepathically (we just had to look at one another to share something funny those around us did not perceive)! I was admitted to the hospital a couple more times while at YAP during times when I didn't trust myself to be safe.

After a year I returned to regular high school. I continued to pursue A-. I feel terrible about this. She was very confused as to why I found her so special. One day, I confessed my love for her. After we parted ways, awkwardly, I left school and went home. I had it in my mind that she should know my true feelings before I was gone. This was the worst moment of my life. I'm a bit ashamed, even if it wasn't truly me in control. I waited for Mom to go to Toronto and then took about half a bottle of Tylenol (~50 pills). The whole ordeal was very confusing, my mind going back and forth. I called friends (no answer) and the help line a couple times. They sent an ambulance. For the longest time I lay there, waiting for unconsciousness (which of course did not happen; turns out Tylenol won't kill you, but can mess up your liver in the long run). The paramedics weren't allowed to enter the house until the police arrived. I got tired of waiting and just let them take me to the hospital. The police never came (good thing, you know, I wasn't actually dying!)

In Emerge, I had to drink a bottle of charcoal, and proceeded to vomit it back up again and again until I was just vomiting bile. I spent the night waking up nearly every hour to vomit some more. I was admitted once again to CAIP the next day. I tend to calm down not long after being in the hospital (waiting in Emergency for hours seems to bore the suicidal feeling out of me), making the week or so in the psych ward rather pointless. After being released, I did not go back to school. Eventually, Mr. R-, my Latin teacher and an incredible person, began to tutor me at my home!

A- moved to another city, and I went on to go back to school for a 5th year. I still struggle with my depression (which I've named Courtney, as most of the people I've known with that name were awful), but I vowed to myself that I would never sink so low again.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Antiquing

I went antiquing in Stratford with Mom today. We were going to try to visit all the ones we could find. The first we came across turned out to be the only one we went through. It took us most of the day to see everything. There were many swords, bayonets and knives, more than the usual antique shop. There were a couple of triangular bayonets (1800's), a couple of Kukris, and a Tulwar!

I am always on the lookout for boxes shaped like turtles or beetles, where either the shell comes off or the wings open to reveal a compartment. Last year, Mom actually found a turtle for me. Today, I found a frog box of the same two-tone wood as my turtle. There was also a brass turtle with a hinged shell, but it wasn't very attractive.

I like boxes in general. I have a couple of small treasure chests, and an ornately carved wooden box from Ten Thousand Villages (great store!), in which I keep emeralds and an aquamarine.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Children

I went to La-Z-Boy today to help Mom pick out a couch. The man who helped us mentioned the quality of the furniture and how I might be impressed enough to choose their store when I have a family of my own. I get this a lot: people assuming I will one day have children. Historically, it was expected of one to produce offspring, for a number of reasons which I don't care to discuss presently. These days, however, more and more couples are making the decision to not start a family. The aforementioned assumption is becoming outdated.

Personally, I will never have children. They can be quite cute sometimes, but they're more trouble than they are worth. As infants, there's the crying (one of the most horrid sounds on earth), the smells, the mess, and the lack of sleep (for the parents). As they grow older, they have the potential to go wrong, despite perfectly nurturing parents. My mother taught us well, and yet my sister still managed to get into drugs and alcohol and have a baby at 17.

Call me greedy, but I feel that a child would take away some of the love my partner and I have for each other. I want to be devoted to one person.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Farmers' Market

Today I went to the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market. It's been a long time since my favourite store (Weather gem shop) closed. The owner, Colin, had too much on his plate and wanted to focus only on his stalls at the market. Other than Stonebridge imports (which is for the most part overpriced), it was the only gem shop in town. Having to go to (the outskirts) of St. Jacobs is a bit tedious, though it makes the acquisition of some shiny new rocks all the more rewarding. A downside to this is that I have to battle my way through hordes of (zombies) shoppers milling about. Very stressful.

Anyway, I got a few stones, including two slabs of labradorite (one with gold labradorescence, the other with a lovely blue), a handful of quartz crystals, and an aventurine pendant. I don't normally buy jewelry, but it was such an interesting stone. I also got a container of Diatomaceous Earth to help keep away the evil Red Lily Beetles that have been ravaging my poor lilies this year. The traditional bag of sponge toffee (mmmm) and glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice were obtained as well.

Before heading home was a stop to the antique store across the street. They have an entire alcove devoted to all things Star Wars, and I came looking for the novels needed to complete my collection (the earlier ones are becoming increasingly difficult to find, and I want to know the rest of the story). I got my hands on 16 of the ones on my list! Yay!

P.S. It smelled like Autumn today, my favourite season *content*.

P.P.S. Yes, so, this has turned out to be an actual post. Umm...bye!

Anti-Post

So I have created this blog, but cannot bring myself to post anything. Perhaps someday I will be able to...