race to the finish

Shout out to Chip and Kim for winning the Race! It was a tight race and my eyes were glued to the set as the final minutes played out. When they stepped on the red carpet, I was hooting and hollering as loud as Chip in celebration of their victory. If anyone deserved to win, it was them...followed closely by the not-as-likable, but fiercely competitive Colin and Christie.

If anything endeared me to Chip & Kim, it was their awe and wonderment everytime they reached a new destination. More than anyone else, they soaked up every experience and celebrated the completion of each task with a renewed appreciation for each other. Everyone else was "I love my partner if they suceed. If they fail, I"m giving them the silent treatment!"

My favorite clip from the Race has got to be Brandon and Nicole snowshoeing up the Continental Divide in Calgary. Tired from the hike, Nicole is prodded on by Brandon shouting at her, "Picture Jesus at the top of the mounatin! He's right there in the clouds! Picture yourself running into his arms! Come on! Go! Go! Go!"

Not that I'm trying tobe irreverent or anything, but you've gotta admit, that was pretty freaking hilarious!

I just about peed my pants laughing.

If I ever do the Amazing Race (and boy, would I love to!), I'd either do it with Katija because she's fearless and would whip my ass if I wasn't pulling my weight, or with Terry, because he's full of seemingly useless and random bits of information which would probably come in pretty handy. And he'd allow me to whip his ass if he wasn't pulling his weight.

...and the geeks shall inherit the earth!

I usually don't have the patience to do online quizzes, but this one caught my eye, and the fact that it was short predicated that I had to complete it. On thefirst go around, I was declared a jock (which is so far from the truth), so I went back, changed an answer, and was correctly declared an unabashed geek. To be perfectly honest, this probably would have offended me back in high school. Since then, however, I think I've grown more comfortable in my own skin and can celebrate and bask in my utter geekiness. In my friendster profile, the "who I'm looking for section states: Dorkiness, nerdiness, geekiness and general idiocy are all welcome and encouraged.


....now that's more like it!

I need to make myself a "geek" t-shirt. I have a "nerd" one that I made several months ago, which I loved. Got either blank stares or appreciative chuckles every time I wore it out - reconfirming my belief that it was the "popular" kids were the ones struggling more with identity and insecurities than the rest of us. Or maybe I choose to believ this in order to make myself feel better. Whatever works, right?


My Little Corner of the World :: Yo La Tengo

a river runs through it

Just when I thought suburbia was all planned subdivisions and paved parking lots, I stumbled upon a little piece of paradise this afternoon while on my run. Beyond the beaten trail, a grove of trees which opens up to a babbling creek. Branches reaching down to the coolness of the crisp, clear water that glides over the smooth stones at the creek bed. The tree bark scarred with declarations of love from young lovers, each of whom have made this small parcel of perfection their own, if even for just a few minutes.

And just yesterday I was lamenting the fact that there were no interesting places to go for a run here in the heart of suburbia. I take it back.

Now, if only those fiends at Kodak would get on with it and finish repairing my camera so that I can capture paradise on film before all the leaves fall and the air turns cold and nippy.


It Don't Matter :: Donovan Frankenreiter

and the award goes to...

Got sucked in by yet another awards show tonight. I keep telling myself not to watch them because they last for like, forever and I can just as easily get the results from my good friend, the Internet, and see highlights on Entertainment Tonight. At least it wasn't horrible. My favorite acceptance speech (aside from that of Elaine Stritch - who the hell is she anyway?) was Meryl's:

"There are some days where I, myself, think that I'm overrated...but not today!"

I seriously need to read the Kushner play that has been on my bookcase for months now, or at least rent Angels in America from the video store.

So, this weekend has pretty much been a write-off. I didn't start any of the logo designs that I should have been working on, organize my finnacial documents like I had planned, hem the way-too-long pants that I wear to work everyday, or respond to the growing number of e-mails left unanswered in my inbox. And I also fell asleep too early on Saturday evening and missed Sharri's big birthday bash/no-quite-a-rave-but-almost-a-rave party. I blame it all on the weather - apparently the rainiest day in Vancouver history. *sigh*

But enough of what I didn't do. Here's what I managed to squeeze in:

• laundry...finally!
• picked up a gift for a friend's upcoming birthday. They're gorgeous. I kinda want to keep them for myself...but I won't.
• bought a few new CDs (none of which satisfy me as much as my Scissor Sisters album).
• ....as well as a pair of these babies to add to the burgeoning collection. I need to find a cheaper hobby!
• watched two movies that I've been wanting to see for some time now: Far From Heaven and The Shape of Things, neither of which disappointed. Shape was like watching a theatrical performance - probably somewhat intentional, since it was adapted from the stage - but I think that was part of the appeal.

The Libertines :: What Katie Did

blue

Now that we've gotten the recap out of the way...

I walked into my office this morning, only to be greeted by a stack of creative briefs on my desk, a tonne of new e-mails in my inbox begging for something or another, and an abnormally large handful of stupid messages on my machine. What a way to start the morning! I guess it serves me right for calling in "sick" yesterday.

I was feeling kind of doldrummy yesterday. The weather probably had a little to do with it - it's been raininy and cold ever since I got back from Philly and New York, so I pretty much went straight from the dead of summer to a cold, wet fall without much of a transition. Aside from that, however, I've just been feeling very disconnected from everything around me here.

My job is starting to bore me silly, and this scares me. Of all the jobs that I've had, this has been my most favoritest to date, but the mundane aspect of the day-to-day grind is starting to wear on me a little and makes me feel like I no longer want to be there. The politics annoy me. I get irritated a lot more easily by stupidity, and it's starting to show. The only thing that keeps me there are the handful of people that I work with whom I love, and the hops of relocating with the company very, very soon (more on that another time).

I'm still living with my parents and beginning to resent it more and more on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but it's tough to still be living at home at 24, especially if you've lived on your own for a few years and gotten a taste of independence. When I moved back, after graduating (so I could pay off my loans and not be forever in debt), I promised myself that this would be a temporary arrangement. I gave myself until my 25th birthday to find a place of my own, and now that my birthday is around the corner, I'm feeling the itch to fly the coop, but not nearly motivated enough (because of aforementioned impending move) to go apartment hunting again.

Earlier this evening, my mother and sister barged into my room with a hanger draped with a variety of scarves, shawls, and pashminas. They proceeded to sit on my bed and waltz around my floor-length mirror tossing things over their shoulders and striking poses. "It's our Friday Night Fashion Show," they informed me matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes and politely asked them to entertain themselves elsewhere, to which I was told, "you're no fun!" Re-confirming my belief that I do not belong in this house.

My sister has also recently become betrothed to her boyfriend of several years (don't ask me how many, I haven't kept track). Their engagement wasn't a surprise to anyone, not even my sister. She was already planning the wedding moths ago. Even though she's older than me, and I expected that she would get married before me, it's strangely disconcerting knowing that she's moving on and taking this very adulty step before me. Not that she's immature or anything, but this is my sister who just graduated, is currently unemployed, is constantly borrowing thousands of dollars from me to cover her loans, and has always been kind of sheltered. And now she's getting married, moving to California after the wedding, and will probably start popping babies soon after. I'm not entirely sure why this makes me feel weird and depressed, but somehow, it does.

Oh, and my litle red station wagon is starting to die a rather painfully slow death, which saddens me and also makes me a little trepiditious to wake her up and drive her out of the garage every morning. I'm tempted to get a new set of wheels, but not really sure I want to be making such a big purchase with the possibility that I might be moving Stateside in a few months looming over the horizon. My fingers are crossed that Red Thunder will hang on through the winter, just enough time until I move to the US and get a new car there.

Oh gawd, what if this relocation things doesn't materialize?

a dose of inspiration?
I asked boss-man if I could accompany one of my colleagues to Seattle on Monday for what we like to call Inspiration Day (basically a cross-border shopping day disguised as 'compasion shopping' and 'field research'). He reminded me that my former intern was coming back to work with me on Monday to finish off his contract, so I should probably stay. Somehow, the topic of going to Calgary for some field research came up (I think I brought it up jokingly), and he seemed to buy it. Said he had actually been considering sending me and another of my collegues for a few days. I was surprised. We'll see if it actually happens, but it may be a possibility. It's Calgary, but if nothing else, it'll be nice to get away, visit some friends and see my Mo, who's there for six weeks on a project right now.

the remedy
Blasting on the CD player: Scissor Sisters. Pure campy, psychedelic fun - a perfect cure for the mood I'm in. Although I'm kicking myself for not snapping up tickets to their concert when I heard that they were going to be in town. Now the show's sold out and I'll be somewhere else the night of the concert, wishing I was the one getting jacked up on cheap champagne...

Gonna take your mama out all night / Yeah we’ll show her what it’s all about / We’ll get her jacked up on some cheap champagne / We’ll let the good times all roll out / And if the music ain’t good, we’ll it’s just too bad / We’re gonna sing along no matter what