Finally the skies are slowing down.

Did ja get rain too? huh huh huh. I hope so, it's good for everything involved. I'm a mess right now. I've been sick for the past week and now my insides are turning for that once a month guest. I'm guessing my terrors and womanly powers will be back to full strength in the next coming days, until then though- bleh.

Got two movies you should watch eventually (when your life slows down, and you feel like having a lonely, quiet night)

1. "Persopolis", a persian animation film based on the story of a young girl growing up and her reflection of the revolution. I actually really enjoyed the movie, and the art is something I can really admire. It's casual, but I loved how Marjane Satrapi mixes her blacks and whites- it's great. I should also say that Marjane Satrapi writes graphic novels (I read Embroideries a couple months ago and overall enjoyed it and recently just placed the rest of her books on hold at the public library.) I obviously highly recommend checking this out.
 

2- Nader and Simin, A Separation- A modern Iranian film (Farsi with English subtitles, 2011), narrating a situation between of a housekeeper of sorts who is hired to look after the father of Nader. The Father has Alzheimer's and the housekeeper was hired to take care of him until a better person could be found. Problems arise, along side tensions of a already divorce in the mix and you get an intense story that leaves you hanging in the end. Nader reminds me of Mehdi I think.. or someone else, I can't explain it and it was leaving me indescribably uncomfortable for the duration of the film.


Other than all that, "The Parksville Street Dance" has been planned for August 24th (A Saturday Night, starting at 7pm) and so far we have Del Larson Trio and The Fresh Pots.... We're still working on the lineup though. Plus Kumbana is playing too, just because we're the ones arranging it.

Hope you're happy and healthy. I'm craving poutine and beer right now. ARAGGG

Time for a curry

Sup Chiquita.

Got hit on in Spanish by an old guy today. He came through my till and looked deep into my eyes. And I've sort of ditched Dexter, because I have commitment issues, even with TV.
It seems like I've replaced all my TV time with outdoor activities and TWO MORE JOBS.
I've become the disgusting kind of person who runs to work in the morning. It started because I was always at least 5 minutes late, since my bike is out of order. And it continued because it became a habit. People glare me down for being out running at 7 am with a backpack on.
And I went rock climbing with Tyson's gung-ho roomate/ new best friend. It was challenging but fun you know, sun was shining and I was jamming by limbs and fingers into every available crack. New respect for the fad. And got a couple disturbing looking bruises on my upper thighs from sliding off a rock face. Always a win.
Ok about the jobs: One is actually volunteer. Z asked me if I want to be on the programming committee for Open Space, which sounds great to me. I'm going in on Tuesday to meet and greet. I'm a bit nervous actually. I know they are short on volunteers at the moment but I haven't handled actual art for 2 years. Plus I've learned in this past year that what I find interesting and appealing is often the direct opposite of what everyone else thinks. Lucky its a committee thing.
And the other thing is through my Aunt's company. She texted me today to see if I wanted a "banking job," which sounds a bit less customer service- y than "cashier" (I know its a desk job, something with accounts...) So I am considering that too. It's funny when your horoscope comes true.
Plus all of my relatives from all of my families are somehow going to be in Victoria at the same time. Talk about awkward time juggling. 

LV I am going to your house tonight, which is currently empty. To use your/ my scanner. And probably edit some photos and maybe steal some tea if you've got a good stash. Hope you are safe.
SC when is your street dance? I want to come- and which bands did you get? Going to be great.

All I've got left is a sore toe.

Spent this last week in Bamfield. We slept on Brady's, the sand never giving in to our sore backs and listening to the wind rustle up the excuse of the tent tie. It was an adventure for us three girls and it was surprisingly jam punched with fun to the max. Everything from boating around to this adjacent Island, trying to find the "lost finger", exploring the haunted inn/stealing a giant whisk, kayaking across the inlet to ask whether we could use the row boat, playing cards against humanity (can you say kids with ass cancer?) and ending it all with a bonfire with local drugged up fishermen and waking up to search for a wallet for a couple hours. All good, no bad.

Other than that, I've been up to planning a Street Dance in Parksville for the end of August. We've been in cahoots with various bands up and down the island, the Parksville Chamber of Commerce, Mayor and local Businesses. Planning this event has really opened my eyes to how much you really need to think when planning something on this scale. It looks like it's going to work out, which my stress level is excited about. Hopefully the group and I can have a meeting tomorrow at some point to see where everyone is at.

Miss you guys and I hope you're enjoying music fest in Vancouver right now. I'm just busy downloading movies and enjoying the lazy life. It's funny that you're watching Dexter. It's Cyrus' favorite series and a couple months ago I started watching it all. I'm currently up to date and wait every Sunday to watch what's going to happen.

TAAAAAAKE CAAAAAAAAAARE!

not so gleeful

Spent a couple of hours in the darkroom today. Amazing how loose and calm one feels after an afternoon spent in the dark, wrist deep in chemistry. The enlarger has a slightly crooked lens, somehow, so I spent an extra twenty minutes trying to trim the prints to something that resembled a rectangle. Unsuccessfully, as the paper cutter appeared to have an oddly curved blade likely retrieved from the rubble of the Blitz.
Have started watching that show Dexter, which has made the visitation of Aunt Flo a little more queasy than regular. And feel incredible depressed that my summer report involves television at all, but two jobs, man. The laziness is too thick to cut with a butter knife.
At least am going somewhere interesting next weekend, although it is still not camping.
And got the photos from that side of the road cam developed today. Sarah the photo of you is a beaut, minus the overall un-focus. We will try again next time I see you.

Amish Adirondak Holler

So today I made my first sex joke as a cashier, to a guy who was buying condoms. The guy promptly forgot his wallet, or was somehow robbed. I don't think I'll be cracking many more jokes in the future.

On the plus side I hit the Moss Street Market for the first time ever this morning and loaded up with veggies. I also bought a Thai Basil plant and a chocolate mint plant. I walked around most of the morning holding the basil directly under my nose so I could smell its perfection.

Also on the plus side I found a soccer ball on the way home, which brought a wave of nostalgia and not a scrap of sympathy for whatever hooligan stole the thing from Reynolds Soccer Club.

Laying in bed listening to a band whose name was scribbled into my moleskin by the guy who played the keys/ saw. Because I can never catch the name of an opening band at a show- maybe it is slurred or lisped too heavily or maybe I am deaf but a couple of Pabst will give me courage to approach minor members as they lounge against the bar.

I seriously need sleep.

I'm sleepy. I probably look sleepy.

It's 5:52 on a Thursday night and if you didn't get it from the title, I'm sleepy. Today was a weird day where if you stepped outside barefoot, the ground was cold, the sky was gray, but the wind was ridiculously warm. You never felt like you needed a sweater, but you were scared that in case it started raining, you might need one.

Jasmine and I had a meeting with the Mayor of Parksville today (How impressive right?), we were there to discuss some marimba matters. We are going to hopefully be offering free/by donation use of the marimbas not this weekend but next at the beach on a hopefully sunny Sunday afternoon. We wanted to know whether there would be any limitations or city bylaws preventing us from advertising something like that. We also had a question about who and how we would go about starting a street dance/block party for the end of august. He gave us the name of one of the city council members and now I have another phone call to make!

I want this right now.

How are you guys going to be spending your long weekend? My long weekend is going to be spent on Gabriola for a wedding (we're the music) and then Monday we are heading to Richmond to busk and play around the Canada festivities there. I'm excited because they are all cool activities and hopefully I'll be getting paid from all of them :) I'm feeling poor right now and I'm just hopefully going to find opportunities to get paid. If ya know what I mean.

I've been talking to Cyrus about the trip at the end of the summer, and if I go (which in all my heart hopefully i do) I'll be going to Detroit and maybe Cleveland! Sounds too cool to me.

I'll try and keep in touch better, I've felt disconnected to you guys. Cheers! - Sarah

You Should Close The Door

Watching a TV drama in which one of the characters is shot, and her last words while laying in the ambulance holding the hand of someone else's boyfriend are: "I just bought this dress."

Met a real-life stay at home dad last night who was bitching about how his wife comes home cranky and demands to be fed, "like a lumberjack."

And two men who were discussing how their romantic endeavors were "opposite caveman," as in the woman has to hit them over the head and drag them home in order for them to realize that she is interested.

Today at work I saw the back of Cowboy Chris, the new accountant, whose dulcet tones has all the middle aged ladies swooning, even as they are commenting that it is best not to get involved with an accountant. Maybe because they are what the literate call misers and what the literary call scrooges. The idea of being interested in a person just because of the sound of their voice brings me back to  high school, when I fell in love with a boy who bought two cupcakes that I was selling for some cause or other. I swear he only said two or three words but it was a surefire "coup de foudre,"  I was thunderstruck. 

And I asked a girl I work with what she was doing for Canada Day and she said nothing at all. Because the last time she went out for the holiday she was so distraught by the douchebags that she kicked in a nearby Starbucks window and got arrested.

thinking about the end

Worked ten hours today. Some people I know consider any time less than ten hours to not be a real day at work but I feel like my feet have been run over by a golf cart. I think my brain turned off about 6 hours in. Which left 4 hours of headaches induced my non-stop smiling.

And Kat is stuck at the lodge- you know the flooding in Calgary is because of extreme rain in the mountains. So the road up there washed out and all the guests were flown out by helicopter. Except the food trucks have also not been able to get up so I'm picturing scenes of Armageddon up there.At least everyone she works with thrives on difficult situations (they might call it adventure). And I hope she's taking pictures.

So now I'm lounging, listening to the doors slide open and closed and the easy rain slap the sidewalk. Can't imagine Victoria will ever flood but I can see it being swallowed back into the ocean. When I was a kid someone told me the island was floating and for whatever reason I believed them. Maybe when the Big One hits we will be swept away on an icy blue wave.

she makes the sound the sea makes

Seems like everyone I work with is constantly experiencing hot flashes, to the point that I'll turn around to chat with Kathy at the next till and she's got her black lace fan out and in action.

And I`m just picturing what my grandmother has to say about the flooding in Calgary right now, she`s in a hilltop neighbourhood on the outskirts of downtown (downtown is right along the river, as are the neighbourhoods of the rich). Her arthritis must be killing. Stevie Harper And His Sweaters is reportedly going to do a tour of the city, how generous of him. Meanwhile I worked an easy 4 hour morning and picked some cherry tomatoes up on the way home. Grown on the farm that is owned by the ex-wife of the heir to the Rogers Sugar fortune. Her son lives in the chicken coop and has hair so long that everyone thinks he`s a girl from far away.

Trying to decide on things to barbecue at Mama Dee`s house tonight. I forgot it was the solstice until CBC put on Vivaldi`s `Summer' from the Four Seasons. Vivaldi's Summer always reminds me of winter but maybe the seasons are wacky in Italy.

And congrats on being famous Sarah. You can congratulate me on not being menopausal. And for spending the entirety of yesterday's Rain Day in bed watching movies and eating cereal. Such is life.

 

Gonna go have a shower because as Carter would say, I smell like toilets.

so slow, yet my days feel full.

Kindof felt good tonight, walked around the tuesday night market and a couple people came up to me and asked why wasn't the band busking, I told them because the people are roadtrippin' slash visiting croatia, but expect us bus in two weeks time. It felt good to be noticed in a sense, remembered.

Tomorrow I'm spending the day in nanaimo and I'm hoping to get a couple things finished up. I wonder if any  thing exciting will happen. Doubt it. But it's kind of how I've been liking it lately. Predictable enough, that I can just focus on the things I want to do without being scared or worried about anyone else or anything else. It's great.

To end this, I'm trying to convince my allumni chapter of Katimavik to do a super long hike, and people would pledge whoever is in it, so the money would fundraise katimavik programs. Hopefully it will work out.

That's it. Miss you.