Finally met my godfather today. My sister and I were sitting in the pews at church while the pastor was introducing the newcomers. I heard a familiar name and leaned in to my sister asking if that was my godfather. She laughed, realizing that I'd never met my godfather - aside from when I was, like, two years old. And honestly, who remembers anything from when they were that young anyway? Since I can remember, I've called Grace's godmother, my godparent, since we see her with some regularity...and simply because she's one cool lady!
Anyway, turns out it was him. He was visiting his brother with his four sons - none of whom I recall meeting prior to today. Aside from the annual Christmas card, I don't really know them, so meeting them was like meeting overseas relatives that you've never met, but have heard about from your parents. It was kind of neat getting to know them a bit better over sushi. Think of it as the comfort of family mixed with the awkwardness of strangers.
His four sons were pretty cool too. They're roughly the same age as my sister and I, and as it turns out, two of them live in Philly. So, they've offered to show me around town when I'm there later this summer. They even suggested taking me on a road trip to New York if I'm up for it. Up for it? I'm so there!
Now, this next bit has absolutely nothing to do with the above post except for its relation to the movie. I'm simply including it because I think it's funny. Shout out to Coppolla...
"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."
Monday, June 07, 2004
Saturday, June 05, 2004
barn on the yard
Attended Bard on the Beach yesterday with my mom and sister. We started going last year and enjoyed it so much that we're planning on making it a yearly tradition. Grace wanted to introduce her boyfriend to live theatre last year, so she took him to a performance as well. If it gives you any indication of how well that plan worked, to this day, he still has trouble getting the name of the festival right. "Have fun at Barn on the Yard!" He said to us as we were heading off today.
For those that have been to Bard on the Beach before, you know that it's general seating, so the only way to 'reserve' your seats is to write your name with crayon on a sheet of paper that they provide and tape it to your seat back. That way, once you get your seat, you can go pick up concession snacks, use the facilities, or wander around chatting with people until the play starts without fear of losing your seat. On the sheet of paper taped to the seat next to us were scrawled the words: 'some fool.' Genius!
This year, they put on one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, Much Ado About Nothing. Michael Shamata, the director, decided to set the play in 1945 at the end of WWII, with the images of 'boys coming home' and the womens lib. movement resonating as themes throughout. It reminded me of the similarities in which we staged Troilus & Cressida back in University.
I still remember some of my lines as Troilus:
Makes me want to get into Shakespeare again...
Speaking of which, it's back! (With the same cast, even!) Serey took me when it was in town four or five years ago and I laughed my pants off. I don't usually watch plays twice, but for this one, I'll make an exception.
For those that have been to Bard on the Beach before, you know that it's general seating, so the only way to 'reserve' your seats is to write your name with crayon on a sheet of paper that they provide and tape it to your seat back. That way, once you get your seat, you can go pick up concession snacks, use the facilities, or wander around chatting with people until the play starts without fear of losing your seat. On the sheet of paper taped to the seat next to us were scrawled the words: 'some fool.' Genius!
This year, they put on one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, Much Ado About Nothing. Michael Shamata, the director, decided to set the play in 1945 at the end of WWII, with the images of 'boys coming home' and the womens lib. movement resonating as themes throughout. It reminded me of the similarities in which we staged Troilus & Cressida back in University.
I still remember some of my lines as Troilus:
This is the monstruosity in love, lady, that the will
is infinite and the execution confined, that the
desire is boundless and the act a slave to limit.
Makes me want to get into Shakespeare again...
Speaking of which, it's back! (With the same cast, even!) Serey took me when it was in town four or five years ago and I laughed my pants off. I don't usually watch plays twice, but for this one, I'll make an exception.
i'm a cheap date
Okay, before you go getting excited, I did not have a date today. In fact, it's been so long since I've been on a date, it's embarassing! No, today, I played hooky from work and had a "me day." So, I guess you could say, I had a date with myself. No, scrap that - it just sounds sad and pathetic.
Aaaanyway, I'm not sure I've ever taken a day off from work in my life, so I wasn't sure what to do. First thing's first, I slept in. Well no, I actually woke up at the usual time, turned on the morning news and laughed at clips of the morning commute, had breakfast, then took another nap before packing my swim trunks and a towel and heading to the pool.
Before heading out, I stuffed $25 into my wallet, and haphazardly decided to make it a $25 day. Basically, the plan was that I'd try to entertain myself with just the money in my pocket...nothing more. Oh, and no pre-planning allowed, so no newspapers or movie listings, etc. So, here's a run-down of my day (format courtesy of mastercard).
pool admission & locker rental - $3.55
I was actually really excited to go to the pool. It's been years since I've been swimming, and I used to do it quite regularly. Heck, I went through Bronze Medallion, Bronze Cross, NLS, AquaLeaders, and Water Safety Instructor Certification. I was hardcore...once upon a time.
And now, I just suck. I made it through 400m before I had to stop and just sit in the kiddie pool to catch my breath and soak my aching muscles. (i don't even want to think about why the kiddie pool is warmer than the regular pool, so don't go there!)
sunshine - free
After my swim, I decided to enjoy the sunshine outside at the adjoining park. The pool itself is just off a highway, but there's plenty of greenspace around it, so it made for a good tanning location. I just whipped out my pool towel, and presto, change-o! Since it was an impromptu tan and I neglected to bring any sunscreen with me, I expected to get a little burnt, but so far, I'm only slightly pink. I hope this means I won't start peeling like a leper.
lunch - $7.02
For lunch, I devoured my Turkey Bacon Club and had a Honey Cruller for dessert, along with an Iced Cappuccino. Mmmm... Timmy HoHo's spreads this great honey mustard sauce on the club, and it's just delicious! Think of an Italian Mama with her lips to her fingers - "perfetto!"
movie admission - $8.55
In the spirit of spontaneity, I went to the ticket counter, asked what the next movie was going to be and bought a ticket for it. Turned out to be Shrek 2, which was nice because I had wanted to see it anyway.
window shopping - $0
Had about 45 minutes to kill before the movie started, so I walked over to Winners to window shop. Actually, I didn't even really pay attention to the windows, I went straight in and checked out the racks. Now, some people hate going to Winners because they never seem to be able to find anything for themselves there. I'm in love with this store because while it may look like a tacky store, there are usually some great finds to be had. It's like a bazaar...you just have to dig around.
I found a pair of pyjama bottoms that i wanted to pick up, but remembering my $25 rule, I didn't make the purchase. I must admit that I sorta cheated though. I ended up placing them on hold and will probably go and pick them up tomorrow.
medium sized iced tea - $3.58
Back to the movie. The theatre was pretty empty, which was nice, so I had my pick of the seats. The last time I went to a movie myself was probably about five years ago, when I was living in Victoria. That time, I was pretty much forced to go by myself since I was new to town and didn't know anyone yet. I enjoyed the solo movie-going, but didn't like that I had to wait for my friends to go watch the flicks before discussing it with them, so I stopped doing it when I moved back to the mainland.
The movie itself was fun. I loved the metropolitan land of Far, Far, Away, copmlete with its own squeegie kids and Farbucks . The intertextual elements and references to other fairy tales was amusing too, and would have made a great essay for my Children's Lit. class if I was still a student.
fliping though magazines - $0
After the movie, I went to Chappies to flip through some magazines and browse the shelves for interesting titles. I tend to pre-shop before buying books. I look for interesting book covers and make a mental note of which books jump out at me, then I usually go home and read reviews and synopses online before narrowing down my choices. This way, I'm usually guaranteed to like the books that I buy. Neurotic, I know, but the pre-shopping concept kept me within my budget for the day since I didn't have to buy anything.
vintage hunting - $0
With about two or three dollars left in my pocket, I decided to hit the thrift store to see if I could score any cool vintage swag...cheap. I found a pink PUMA golf shirt and a striped GIVENCHY dress shirt, but at $4.99, they would have blown my budget for the day.
dvd rental - free
With that, I ended my day and headed home. Had a light tofu dinner and popped in the DVD that my sister rented last night.
grand total = $22.70
Not bad. Good times for under $25. Maybe I should do this on a more regular basis. I could get used to taking time off from work...
Aaaanyway, I'm not sure I've ever taken a day off from work in my life, so I wasn't sure what to do. First thing's first, I slept in. Well no, I actually woke up at the usual time, turned on the morning news and laughed at clips of the morning commute, had breakfast, then took another nap before packing my swim trunks and a towel and heading to the pool.
Before heading out, I stuffed $25 into my wallet, and haphazardly decided to make it a $25 day. Basically, the plan was that I'd try to entertain myself with just the money in my pocket...nothing more. Oh, and no pre-planning allowed, so no newspapers or movie listings, etc. So, here's a run-down of my day (format courtesy of mastercard).
pool admission & locker rental - $3.55
I was actually really excited to go to the pool. It's been years since I've been swimming, and I used to do it quite regularly. Heck, I went through Bronze Medallion, Bronze Cross, NLS, AquaLeaders, and Water Safety Instructor Certification. I was hardcore...once upon a time.
And now, I just suck. I made it through 400m before I had to stop and just sit in the kiddie pool to catch my breath and soak my aching muscles. (i don't even want to think about why the kiddie pool is warmer than the regular pool, so don't go there!)
sunshine - free
After my swim, I decided to enjoy the sunshine outside at the adjoining park. The pool itself is just off a highway, but there's plenty of greenspace around it, so it made for a good tanning location. I just whipped out my pool towel, and presto, change-o! Since it was an impromptu tan and I neglected to bring any sunscreen with me, I expected to get a little burnt, but so far, I'm only slightly pink. I hope this means I won't start peeling like a leper.
lunch - $7.02
For lunch, I devoured my Turkey Bacon Club and had a Honey Cruller for dessert, along with an Iced Cappuccino. Mmmm... Timmy HoHo's spreads this great honey mustard sauce on the club, and it's just delicious! Think of an Italian Mama with her lips to her fingers - "perfetto!"
movie admission - $8.55
In the spirit of spontaneity, I went to the ticket counter, asked what the next movie was going to be and bought a ticket for it. Turned out to be Shrek 2, which was nice because I had wanted to see it anyway.
window shopping - $0
Had about 45 minutes to kill before the movie started, so I walked over to Winners to window shop. Actually, I didn't even really pay attention to the windows, I went straight in and checked out the racks. Now, some people hate going to Winners because they never seem to be able to find anything for themselves there. I'm in love with this store because while it may look like a tacky store, there are usually some great finds to be had. It's like a bazaar...you just have to dig around.
I found a pair of pyjama bottoms that i wanted to pick up, but remembering my $25 rule, I didn't make the purchase. I must admit that I sorta cheated though. I ended up placing them on hold and will probably go and pick them up tomorrow.
medium sized iced tea - $3.58
Back to the movie. The theatre was pretty empty, which was nice, so I had my pick of the seats. The last time I went to a movie myself was probably about five years ago, when I was living in Victoria. That time, I was pretty much forced to go by myself since I was new to town and didn't know anyone yet. I enjoyed the solo movie-going, but didn't like that I had to wait for my friends to go watch the flicks before discussing it with them, so I stopped doing it when I moved back to the mainland.
The movie itself was fun. I loved the metropolitan land of Far, Far, Away, copmlete with its own squeegie kids and Farbucks . The intertextual elements and references to other fairy tales was amusing too, and would have made a great essay for my Children's Lit. class if I was still a student.
fliping though magazines - $0
After the movie, I went to Chappies to flip through some magazines and browse the shelves for interesting titles. I tend to pre-shop before buying books. I look for interesting book covers and make a mental note of which books jump out at me, then I usually go home and read reviews and synopses online before narrowing down my choices. This way, I'm usually guaranteed to like the books that I buy. Neurotic, I know, but the pre-shopping concept kept me within my budget for the day since I didn't have to buy anything.
vintage hunting - $0
With about two or three dollars left in my pocket, I decided to hit the thrift store to see if I could score any cool vintage swag...cheap. I found a pink PUMA golf shirt and a striped GIVENCHY dress shirt, but at $4.99, they would have blown my budget for the day.
dvd rental - free
With that, I ended my day and headed home. Had a light tofu dinner and popped in the DVD that my sister rented last night.
grand total = $22.70
Not bad. Good times for under $25. Maybe I should do this on a more regular basis. I could get used to taking time off from work...
Thursday, June 03, 2004
stick to your day job!
I went in to work today planning on moving some furniture around to make room for the new baby and ended up in somewhat of a mini remodel. I meant simply to re-assemble and reconfigure my desk system, in what was supposed to be a 'done in a day' project, but I got a little carried away.
When he swung by, Terry laughed and said, "This is why we plan our remodels ahead of time!" But I planned, I really did! One thing just lead to another, and another, and another...and before I knew it, I was tearing out a section of cabinetry, jimmying a plinth under the existing cabinets, and trying to weave my way around the scattered group of furniture piled in the middle of the room. Oy!
Heck, I work at The Big Blue, I'm fairly design-savvy and handy with tools - I thought I'd be able to pull it off without too many issues. Turns out I was wrong. *sigh* Here's to the disillusioned dreams of a graphic designer who thinks he can do double duty as an interior decorator. I need to go back tomorrow and finish off what I started. Thank goodness there's no shortage of office furniture at work for me to configure a new office system that will work for my needs. Gawd, I sound a little like an advert for the company.
as seen on tv
Just got a request from my Alma Mater to be part of a website video project:
This project is part of a larger Career Services initiative to develop a comprehensive website entitled "What Can I Do with My Major." This site will feature over 50 University majors, or programs of study, and each page will include discipline-specific information on the skills a student will have gained in the program, common occupations of graduates of that program, strategies for success in selected career paths, and links to relevant associations and interesting websites. Included in the Majors site will also be three pages of video clips featuring, respectively, University students, alumni, and professors from across the faculties.
We are hoping to video approximately 15 alumni - each video being about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. The video process would probably take about 1 hour which could be conducted either at your office or on campus (depending on your preference).
Sounds intriguing. Perhaps this is my 15 minutes of fame. 14:59, 14:58, 14:57...
When he swung by, Terry laughed and said, "This is why we plan our remodels ahead of time!" But I planned, I really did! One thing just lead to another, and another, and another...and before I knew it, I was tearing out a section of cabinetry, jimmying a plinth under the existing cabinets, and trying to weave my way around the scattered group of furniture piled in the middle of the room. Oy!
Heck, I work at The Big Blue, I'm fairly design-savvy and handy with tools - I thought I'd be able to pull it off without too many issues. Turns out I was wrong. *sigh* Here's to the disillusioned dreams of a graphic designer who thinks he can do double duty as an interior decorator. I need to go back tomorrow and finish off what I started. Thank goodness there's no shortage of office furniture at work for me to configure a new office system that will work for my needs. Gawd, I sound a little like an advert for the company.
as seen on tv
Just got a request from my Alma Mater to be part of a website video project:
This project is part of a larger Career Services initiative to develop a comprehensive website entitled "What Can I Do with My Major." This site will feature over 50 University majors, or programs of study, and each page will include discipline-specific information on the skills a student will have gained in the program, common occupations of graduates of that program, strategies for success in selected career paths, and links to relevant associations and interesting websites. Included in the Majors site will also be three pages of video clips featuring, respectively, University students, alumni, and professors from across the faculties.
We are hoping to video approximately 15 alumni - each video being about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. The video process would probably take about 1 hour which could be conducted either at your office or on campus (depending on your preference).
Sounds intriguing. Perhaps this is my 15 minutes of fame. 14:59, 14:58, 14:57...
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
i have my moments
Katija's moving to Montreal to be with her boyfriend, Chris. After doing the long distance thing for some time now, they've decided to take the plunge and move in together. While I'm happy for her, I'll definitely miss that fiery little redhead!
She came into my office this afternoon asking me to help her write a resignation letter so that she could make it official and get everything sorted out with payroll, etc. So, I tore off a sheet of A3 paper from my pad, grabbed a big, fat marker, wrote:
i quit!
*heart* katija
....coloured in the heart with a red marker, and handed it to her. "How's that?" I asked ginning. She laughed and brought the sheet over to the boss man, who pissed his pants.
I so funny.
scars are sexy, no?
While measuring my office today so that I could CAD it and rearrange some of the furniture in there, I gashed myself along my left temple. It bled a lot and started throbbing, but my vision didn't blur and I was able to pass the 'how many fingers am I holding up?' test, so according to the first aid attendant at work, I'll be okay.
The only hitch is that the thing I gashed myself against was metal, so there's a remote possibility of getting a tetanus infection. I think I got shots a few years ago, so I should be safe. However, if I start blogging incoherently, then you can assume the worst.
I so clumsy.
She came into my office this afternoon asking me to help her write a resignation letter so that she could make it official and get everything sorted out with payroll, etc. So, I tore off a sheet of A3 paper from my pad, grabbed a big, fat marker, wrote:
i quit!
*heart* katija
....coloured in the heart with a red marker, and handed it to her. "How's that?" I asked ginning. She laughed and brought the sheet over to the boss man, who pissed his pants.
I so funny.
scars are sexy, no?
While measuring my office today so that I could CAD it and rearrange some of the furniture in there, I gashed myself along my left temple. It bled a lot and started throbbing, but my vision didn't blur and I was able to pass the 'how many fingers am I holding up?' test, so according to the first aid attendant at work, I'll be okay.
The only hitch is that the thing I gashed myself against was metal, so there's a remote possibility of getting a tetanus infection. I think I got shots a few years ago, so I should be safe. However, if I start blogging incoherently, then you can assume the worst.
I so clumsy.
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