Let's just change this guy to have an afro, and playing some a banjo or something and i'd do him.

This morning has been funny, and also has been slow. The power was out until ten-ish, and before that, I woke up to crashing waves and a harsh wind, blowing through the tiny bits of the house. I got dressed and went down to the beach with my dad, we enjoyed it there. The sky was clear and blue. The islands opposite have snow, and you could see the harbor is all its pride and glory. The sun was shining off of tiny bits of everything. The wind was there, in a strong presence, blowing the sea foam off in all directions, and the waves were crashing with the whites still connected. It was crazy nice.

We should still give blood today or tomorrow, doesn't really matter to me. I just think it would be a nice thing to do.

can you feel it all the time?

Hi. Just overheard my parents having a loud argument about whether the town transvetite is a man becoming a woman or the other way around. Gotta love being at home. I feel like I have gained the appropriate 25 extra Christmas pounds. gah.

Not a lots been going on. Was in Victoria for a bit today dropping my grandmother off at her gorge-side appartment. Its weird because she is planning on moving out of the city soon so she has very little furniture (we're talking two chairs and a bed in the whole place) I would go nuts in a house that sparse. We also drove to like 40 different restaurants- all of them closed except the last one- and my father insisted that he buy me a book of poetry even after I told him not to bother. Maybe he wants me to be a poetic guru. We'll see how that turns out.

That's a pretty dignified road to starvation

Hey, y'all. Hope that your boxing day vacations have been as loverly as mine has been. Woke up this morning, travelled to a snowy lake, went skiing, got totally bogged down in slush, hitched a ride on a snowmachine, sat by a campfire, strapped on a pair of defective snowshoes, stumbled around on an island, took pictures, ate sausage and moose meat, went back home. Nice. The lake was frozen and covered with low-lying fog. The sun must have been out higher above, however, because the day was infused with a soft golden light and quite warm. Also at the lake was a young couple from Chilliwack who are crazy smart and talented. I have known the guy forever; I was actually his candlebearer way back when. I can't remember many of his accomplishments, but he can build anything, fix anything, and I believe he is designing a cooling system for the medical isotope reactors. She is working towards a Masters in Biology, makes her own cheese, skis really well and is beautiful. I want to be both of them when I grow up.

The picture at the top always makes me laugh. Hope that your holidays are treating you well and that you are consuming vast amounts of delicious food with slightly exasperating, though lovable, family members.

Watched The New Animated Astro-Boy, I Cried. I highly Recommend it.

The Title says it all. I also nearly peed my pants twice while at the proper christmas dinner yesterday (We finally have the dinning table up and going) and the dinner featured my lovely pickled beets. Its differant though, I used whole chilies and Cardamon in the mix. The laughter came from my younger-bigger brother, throwing chunks of sausages to the dog, and then chunks of brie to the dog. He threw a chunk of sausage the size of a babies hand.

Merry Christmas Eve Noon

well well well. I wish it would stop raining for 30 mins so I could stretch them legs you know? Sounds like nice adventures you two.
Anyway in the mail today we got a letter from my aunt giving the details of her mad traveling adventures of 2010. She went to Ellis Island (NYC) in the spring to look up some family details. Looks like my great-grandmother arrived in North America from Germany in 1894 at the age of 6 months, with 6 siblings and a single mother. Can you imagine? And here I am complaining about the weather.

You're taking me to concerts and you're taking off your top

Hey, island folk. Crazy weather you guys are having! Can't say I'm jealous, though it is supposed to get up to +6 here on Saturday and start slushing. Ugh.

I have been listening to music that is not explicit, exactly, but has very intimate lyrics. Intimate enough to wear my headphones when my mom is in the kitchen. She has noticed me half-dancing while heating up soup and just keeps shaking her head.

I baked peanut butter cookies yesterday (with applesauce; fancy, fancy) and went for a ski. The lake was covered with low, yellowish clouds, and the light was really strange. It made me feel restless, and I went a lot further than I intended. But it was calming, and quiet, and there were miles and miles of snowy lake with no one around.

Somehow, I found myself in Fort Fraser a few days ago mushing a crrrazy dog team. My lead dogs were named Higgins and Hans, and my wheel dog was named Emma (hah!). Everything went well until we had to cross a field with about 30 horses in it. That was not so much fun.

I do miss Victoria. A week in close quarters with my little brother has made me fantasize about throwing him through the kitchen window. Try not to get swept out to sea in those massive ocean waves, you two.

When I'm overseas your love just come over me, Attacking me viciously in a sweet way that's loving to me

HELLO. The Gods are angry. Do you hear them outside? Howling? Growling? FOR YOU. (Laura; It's just hella angry outside stormy. The island is missing you.) I just went down to the beach, and the wind is too strong for me. The waves are too big for me. Pushing whole trees uplong everywhere. I felt tiny, I saw a deer run away. I know now to put apples down there for them.

Last night, I met Zoola, for a christmas skating adventure. We skated for over an hour. Saw some old friends, I fell on the ice twice, I have a bruised leg now. We then back to her humble adove for hot chocolate, and just sat at her island, talking. We gave love to the dog, we walked into town, around town, and then back along rupert road, eventually just sitting infront of the crazy house, with like, 10 trees on their property covered in intense christmas lights. Have you seen it?

I have something exciting to tell you. All about me though.

If life is sex and entertainment I am dying slowly.

Hey so nice turn of events... I'm sleeping on the couch for Christmas. What else you ask?

Well Sir, last night some of the old frenchies decided it would be nice to go to the Rod and Gun (only bar in town, equipped with a bartender named Ryan Reynolds, no joke) for a few drinks and some ketchup/ catch up. Anyway we get there and there is all these kids that we graduated with, who made my last year at high school the most boring living hell I have lived through, if you know what I mean. Anyway, everyone I arrived with ended up trashed and we saw this kid Trevor Panton who used to eat glue in elementary school and this other kid named Dan who's mother is a Buddhist accountant that worked at the same place as me this summer. Either way the night was a gong show and I felt weird and out of place for most of it. Shoulda drank more.

I'm Thanking the Lord for Blessing You With Hockey Teeth

So here we are in full Christmas mode (happy Soulstice by the way) My father has managed, true to form, to squeeze a ful sized douglas fir into our comparitively smaller living room. If you don't hear from me in a week its because I have been buried in an avalanche of pine-needles. Or fir needles I guess. And my aunt's most precious 12 year old dog swallowed a popsicle stick last night, reaffirming the distinction between DOG TREATS and POPSICLES. So my mom was on the phone with her on and off trying to talk her through the dilemma. Because when in doubt, one calls Leigh, not the vet. (please don't live by this rule, my mother has enough siblings without you too)

Not a whole lot else has happened around here. Here's a picture of baseball guys fighting.

Hey we saw the moon ring too! We were walking down this path between town and the boonies in Qualicum, through the bushes, and then we look up and there is the moon! And Shark goes "I really like the moon right now, it's not too bright." and I go " I wonder what that ring is called, doesn't it mean something?"

And then we got to a Christmas party and ate chocolate and these funny Vietnamese prawn things on sugar cane sticks and nicked beer out of the fridge. And that basically sets the theme for the next two weeks.

Greetings from the northern interior

Hey girlies. So, um, this will be my first guest post on your blog. And that's great, because I really feel like writing this morning.

Ended up getting up at 4 yesterday and heading off to the airport to fly back to the land of snow and ice, which is inhabited people who dress up for ev-ery-thing and pluck their eyebrows into funny shapes. On the bus I was checking out my fellow passengers and Just Knew that three of them were hockey players. None of them were carrying any sports paraphenilia, but sure enough, just as we got to the airport their conversation turned to Our Nation's Game. I'm like a drug-sniffing dog, but with a less useful talent.

Last night, some family friends threw a lavish Danish Christmas party, complete with little homemade chocolates and these dee-lish fluffy pastry balls with a name I can't pronounce (Sarah, you may know what I am talking about here) and real candles on the tree. And one of my favorite people whom I had not seen for over half a year came up to me and told me the titles of books that I should read. It was nice, because he didn't ask about school or anything, just what books I had enjoyed recently. Awsome.

I really like the idea behind the painting at the top of the page. You would never run out of subject material.

The stars were blazing last night, and there was a massive silver ring around the moon. It is easy to feel small here.

toppa ten

HI. I realize that we are not a music blog, per se. But I thought it would be fun to enter this music zeitgeist thing that Hypem does every thistimeof year, you know, participate?
So here 'tis, starting at the top.
Number one being the Suburbs by the Arcade Fire. I know this is typical history of art kid, but I love the song Rococo, mostly because it is fun to say. Hate the art period though. Bunch of fluff.
annnd number two will have to be Mt.Chimaera by our friends Brasstronaut, of Vancouver. Decent live show(at one point the keyboarder was hammering out notes on the trumpet and the keys At The Same Time), decent enough to make me buy the record anyway. Good West Coast indie sound without all that hip-ster nonsense.
And Number Three. I'mma say Wild Hunt by the Tallest Man on Earth. Mostly because I, too, want to be the King of Spain. But seriously he sounds like Bob Dylan AND his lyrics make sense. What more can a person ask for?
Number Four is going to be Behave Yourself Ep by the Cold War Kids. Because I love them. It sonds like they are smoothing things out a little, sound-wise which is nice too. They are maturing like good ol' cheese. And the lead singer is damn-tattooed. I reccomend you check that out. Also check out "Audience" if you don't feel like listening to the whole thing, at least do this one.
Five: Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene. I have waited for 5 years for this. And not even listening to this record non-stop on a 14 hour road trip from Calgary will diminsh my love for it. My dad bought it as soon as it came out. Classic.
Six: Work by the Shout Out Louds, not to be confused with that other bands with a lot of shouting in the name. I feel like these guys too have matured into their sound. From snot nose teenage boys to men with arm tattoos and really expensive tshirts. And a nice sound.
ok and Seven: Heartland by Owen Pallett, previously named after his favourite video game. I always love albums in the form of little stories, especially when they are epic farming/pioneering stories, as this one and Midlake's The Trials of Van Occupanther of a few years back. Apparently Midlake put out a new one this year too but I haven't heard it yet.
Eight will be: Die Stadt Muzikanten by Woodpigeon. A charmingly German name for a charmingly Canadian band. Saw these guys at the Rifflandia festival last year with their hauntingly sweet vocals and their syncronized foot stomping. Very nice.
And nearing the end... Nine: Broken Bells' self titled debut. From the guy who brought you the vocals in the Shins comes a funky new sound. I swear at the beginning of the summer I was going to shoot every radio station if they played "the High Road" one more time. But gee Isure like it now. I'm serious.
And the last one! Ten: High Violet by The National. Since my brother has an addiction to men with very very deep voices (you should hear his roommate) he snatched up this album as soon as the ink had dried on the cover art. May I reccoment putting this on on a rainy Sunday morning? Maybe with pancakes? And loved ones? Then again that's my reccomendation for every album. If you are completely comfortable and reeelaxed than you will more fully enjoy what you are hearing. Believe you me.

And folks I am going home for the holidays tomorrow so I probably won't be writing as often. And lucky me: I get to sleep on the counch for two weeks as my grandmother is coming to stay. Lovely.

I realize this is my second post of the day. Get over it.

You would be adorable picking up your future daughter in your two door mercedes.

So i'm having a theory making sesh right now, where " What If I Could Catch You, Before You Fall" typa thing. For real. Because it's not one of a motor skills i have yet developed, and i'm pretty sure it would a excellent skill for life. Remember that time that time you fell over the curve, while carrying our beers? In front of incoming traffic? I could of saved you if i had the chance. Another memory that comes into mind about how this could be nice,was this time, where I was waiting to be picked up from school after choir one night, and mister Julian HG just walks ontop of those medal pole things, where the buses are, and he just completely face plants it moments later. You guys have a moment in common, Maybe that's why you guys were prom dates.

Speaking of that, I havent talked to my prom date in aaaaaaaages.

Cats used to harmonize, like OOooooOOOoooo

ok. So tomorrow I have my last exam until midterms next semester (February?) and all a girl can want right now is a little peace and quiet and a comfortable seat. Maybe a lock on the door and a room of ones own. Of course today is the day that Sarah NEEDS to go on a cleaning rampage, complete with loud Rufus Wainwright, and the floor guy NEEDS to drag all his scruffy friends with loud jokes through the house. And.... aaarafhfhfhhfh. I don't even like linguistics. I can't see a future in which I will need to map out a phrase using the xbar schema, or know the exact definition of a m-fing vowel.

Weird thing: I had a dream that my brother started reading the blog and was pulling all this intimate information out of it, somehow. Like: "So you guys got wasted and.... hey?" (it's a little blurry here) for some reason I feel like my brother is always taunting me, like he's storing up information to use against me or something. And my parents probably don't even know I drink.

I'll be home either tomorrow or the next day. Counting the seconds, sister.

coming at you live

went for a run for the first time since it snowed way back when. was so slow that school girls were outstripping me with their witty insults, walking with their "boyfriends" and holding up their woodworking projects. Jesus. And last night I went to a potluck dinner at which I felt like a huge turd because I could not stop swearing and blaspheming and then I'd say something like "so how do you know Julia (the host)?" and whoever I was talking to would reply that they had met at church. Either way, it was nice to go to a party where the main goal is not to get shitfaced and laid, know what I'm saying. Like these people had integrity. And we played charades, which I hate, but it was nice all the same. I suddenly feel like everyone I usually hang out with are alcoholics from ghetto backgrounds, and I don't know, it's cool to see how the other half lives once in a while. All the same I would never trade up. No how.

It's funny because as I write this Sarah is on the front steps smoking a bowl with her friend who was telling us earlier about being strip searched in an international airport, just because he is Pakistani. Thats another thing: everyone there last night was wholesome white until my token Chinese friend Sally showed up.

this is the front of that building you just posted.

Honey don't you know that I'm too dumb for that.

Hey you. Man is it pouring rain. And for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to wear glasses today. There go the gods, trying to make my life that much harder. On the plus note I was Christmas shopping today and I found the complete Alfred Hitchcock at this thriftstore, which I will pass on to my father on the 25. Nice.

Also, what else is there? Sarah is on the "balcony" smooching. And I got invited to a potluck for tomorrow night... I think I will make a chickpea type salade. I'm excited, I think this is the first party that I am going to this year where I was actually invited. What can I say, things are funner when you don't know anyone!

The house at the top reminds me of Heidi, did you ever see that movie/ read that book. I will bring both back after Christmas

"Ya.. See, I unbutton two buttons... by instinct you know, it's the cuban in me- All i'm asking, is that you do one."

I mostly came on this blog this morning, to do two things. First and foremost, to thank our recent reader for our first (or i do believe) real comment on this blog, a couple days ago. Man, you're awesome Laura.

Second, to paste a link to this tango song. The song reminds me of some dark and white oldies movie, with subtitles and girls with waists that are greatly shown off from the dress they are wearing. The dark lipstick on their lips also compliments it all too.

Most probably from Argentina, because the man who sent it to me, was from Argentina. Mortimer, you've already heard it, but I'm still keeping it here, so i can remember it for later.

How are you doing anyways? Tyson is home this weekend ??Maddy?? is too, or at least super soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbTjFbuhw-A

wait... 16 days til Christmas?

hey cool gangster friend. I honestly couldn't care less if Talib ate Justin for dinner by accident, or something.

I just ate one portion too many of delicious pasta and now Brett is sitting on the counter trying to tune Sarah`s guittarrré (olé) cept it doens`t sound that festive, honestly. I've been craving one of those cheesy Starbucks special coffees with all the syrups and the sprinkles and the milks of various animals and sometimes of soy product, you know what I mean?

Anyway Shark, ma'am. I think people in our small town do not realize that most kids that don't go to University right away seem happier with their lives at the moment. I mean who doens't want to live a little after being cooped up in High School for eternity? I myself keep having Rocky Mountain fantasies.... or full time job fantasies. But at the same time I think I am the only person I know who is genuienly enjoying school at the moment. Maybe I'll be one of those permanent student types.

Why is Talib working with Justin?

His high voice surprisingly works with it, but stillllll. How are you? How was b-towns home for the evening? Mine was alright. I spent it at the annual first nations christmas dinner. Saw old friends, but most of time, I was just bored. I left early to go on some quick grocery quest. I came back with organic cream cheese, cool whip and graham crackers. At the checkout, I ended up talking for a solid 5 minutes to two girls about cakes. That is a long time at checkout, with people behind you.

Tonight, here's whats bugging me. Why do people look down at you if your not going to school? That was alot of people tonight, in a weird way, actually, not only tonight, but alot lately. They consider random whatever i;m doing, (not lately), but the bigger things, unacceptable. I'm starting to get a tiny bit pissed off at the middle class. Even though, you as a people, are a hardworking one. I respect you. But I'm still allowed to be ticked-off. Why can't a not yet 20 year old do something other then kill herself with something i don't even know what it will turn out to be? Its just bugging me. You don't have this problemo mortimer. Your living the goodlife as a art history person. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezeeeeeeee. (no dis-respect, just sayin')

http://hypem.com/#/track/1276806/Talib+Kweli+-+Hostile+Gospel+Pt+1+Deliver+Us+

http://hypem.com/#/track/1276805/Talib+Kweli+-+The+Nature+feat+Justin+Timberlake+

The Girl at the Thai Restaurant Knew I was my Father's Daughter

Second free lunch this week! If this keeps up I can maybe afford Christmas presents! Either way Chouette, we went to this Thai place that is like a 3 second walk away and I got pineapple rice with chicken and shaved pork (that has the consistency of saw dust- my dad and his friend were making jokes about using a plain saw to cut it- whatever that is) and man, I will probably be full for weeks. And there is still half a plate left in the fridge. MMMmmmMMmmmMM

And I have been trying to straighten out my linguistics vocab but I keep getting distracted by things like my bladder and websites that are not called "blackboard learning systems"

Janina supposedly had to write this story for her English class about a freak that abducts women and stuff... so I am off to read and rate that.

Have a nice time.

Saltspring one day, Lady M the next.

So this is the view from the top of Mt. Maxwell on Saltspring Island. And man was it colder there than here. You know, this kind of looks like a river as viewed from a cliff top. No no, my friend: that there is the Great Strait of Georgia, nearish to the Canada/USA border, Vancouver Island with some snow in the distance. I should have taken a picture later, the sun came out as we were coming down the second mountain of the day and was shining through the rocks and honey-yellow and orange curly paper arbutus trees. I don't think I have ever seen so many arbutus (arbuti?) in one concetrated area. Gorgeous.

Made some more over 50 year old friends too. Cool ESL teachers with hard-core hiking boots. And a Japanese boy, a Korean elementary school teacher, two Chinese mathematicians.

And today my mom came down for the day to try and squeeze her way into some art galleries downtown, and to pick up some paitings with her friend. They were super nervous and were trying to get me to give opinions on thei bio write-ups and their hairstyles and I was like woooaaha. You take me Lady Marmalade and buy me a fruit parfait, let me eat it hey? And my mom's friend Susan ordered half of one salad and half of a different one, which is something I have never even considered. She got these two huge plates sitting in front of her. Anyway now I have a Lauryn Hill craving because they were playing some at the restaurant and our waiter was doing this hiphop head and neck rotating thing while picking up our plates.

the bird is for scale

This is what I did today ^^
Sarah's got this boy over and she kept shooting me little looks so I eventually just went for a 2 1/2 hour walk through downtown, to the Cathedral, down to the creepy former convent, up the hill to the park, down the hill to the bluff and the sea, up another hill to this really old neighbourhood, down another hill to home. This is a hilly city. And now the two of them are somewhere, because I can hear voices and his shoes are still in the kitchen, but I don't know where and I don't really want to find out...
On the up side, I found Kool and the Gang at the library CD section, so I have a few hours of quality listening coming up.
Also last night was the best show that I have ever been to... incredible. And I shared the whole thing with this wild child Mary from the hometown. Haven't seen her in ages but I'm really happy I did, she's a lot of fun. That is the first and only time I have ever stood on a pew in a church. Ha. But anyways, getting off topic here: DAN MANGAN. phewf, I don't even know. There was this one point where we were all standing in our pews doing this "oooOOAOoaodfvbn" kind of sound and swaying and he was doing his harmonizing "OOOOoooaofhswgh" and standing in the aisle, with the back up band memebers spread up and done the aisle. Holy holy. That is what I call a spiritual experience

down the road and on the lefthand side

So I am going to see Dan Mangan in about two hours, at the Victoria Conservatory of Music/ this real old church with good acoustics. I hear he is good live. Aren't we all.

And the kareoke was good last night. Except not a lot of people showed up and certain friends of mine were being all hoity-toity and not very nice in general. I had a pineapple vodka and 7up though, which made things seem a little better.

And her brothers going to kill me and he's six foot ten

hi. I think I'm tripping on paint fumes. And for some reason Sarah's toothbrush is in the shower. Or is that something that people do sometimes? Anyway today my stress-0-meter is back at 6/10, yesterday it was probably around 11/10. Today wrote an exam, sold some cookies, sold some tickets to a party, (sold my soul) bought some books and a couple of records, did some laundry, got a headache from sitting sideways on the bus. And I got an A on this paper I was a little stressed about, so apparently I am capable of sentence structure and all that. Hm

I'm coming back on the 16th. Which is a... thursday? I have to buy a bunch of christmas presents and write some exams in the meantime. Damn I saw some cool earrings today that someone would have liked but the guy won't be selling them over the christmas break... unless he's there tomorrow.

Ate so many cookies. I feel like I weigh 400 pounds. And I may have to dance tonight too. History in Art kids are throwing this end of semester party/ kareoke-DJ event. bleh.

And today I also met this guy who talked about "his book" and how it would be in the stores within the next month...and how when he was famous we will be glad to have met him. Too bad I don't remember his name. I know his business card has flames on it though.

This morning has been incredibly lame. I woke up feeling like shit, on the case, my brother stayed up until god knows when, and me waking up, at 2, 4, and some other hour. Then the website for the papers i need for the doctors, wasn't working. Tried to act cool, emailed them, (twice...) and finally got a email from marie-claude. But not before, canceling the doctors appointment, getting shamed from the lady on the phone and re-booking for the day they are due.

I'm still lame-feeling.


When are you coming home?

I fell in the forest, did you hear me?

something to do when you are bored: google the names of colours. Above you will see "light plum"