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Oh yeah. This year’s “Jeans and Classics” night was all about Kiss! Melle and I went with friends of mine.

As always, the best part was the people-watching. There’s lots of season ticket holders who are probably not in the generation who put on their Kiss make-up and threw devil horns in the smoking section at high school. It’s more than entertaining to watch them trying to figure out when they should be applauding a guitar solo (and, I’m sure, wondering where the heck their beloved string section has gone musically).

The crescendo of the evening was “I Wanna Rock n Roll All Night” where our fav lead singer led the crowd to a stand-up, clapping sing-along. He didn’t disappoint in the wardrobe department either – leather pants, and possible a codpiece.

The two happiest dudes in the place were Brent and Tom: two 16 year-old skinny geeks who came to celebrate the Kiss in righteous fashion.

Good time had by all.

Top 5 Ways To Build a Wonderful Life

I’ll add mine (cuz there are 6 already). Laugh. Don’t forget to laugh.

I took my co-op out for lunch today. A get to know her.

She’s 19. Never been drunk and hasn’t been to a bar yet. Tries to get jobs that keep her close to home. Helps her parents and friends out on the weekends. Jogs at 5 o’clock in the morning. Says she feels like she’s coming upon “the rest of her life” but is enjoying the time before that happens. She loves her life.

I couldn’t help comparing my 19 to hers. I was afraid to speak lest I sully her. Where was I then? Well, started university, sure. So many drunken nights and pass-outs by then, I wouldn’t be able to count them. Couldn’t get far enough away from my family or from other people left behind. Scared shitless that the rest of my life was gonna be what was happening then.

Her innocent joy seems unreal, like I’m interviewing a storybook character that is going to go do crack in the washroom afterward, or get attacked by a stranger one night. Like some life happening is gonna take it all away.

And so I feel protective, and amazed and wish fervently that she stays in her bubble, while I keep my voice of experience to myself.

My sister, brother-on-law and my niece and nephew came into town today so we could partake of the 150th celebrations in Waterloo. Our primary focus was on the PI events, of course.

They had Science for Kids on the main floor, and we got to race balloon rockets and make a fish and put our hands in starch goo that is both a liquid and a solid. Very cool.

I got tickets for my sister and brother-in-law to attend one of the public lectures and I took the kids next door to Waterloo Park. Let me tell you, this kid thing? Good gods, I don’t know how mothers and fathers do it. I had the niece running ahead 20 feet while the nephew was sauntering behind 20 feet and visions of weirdos looking for stray beasties so I was constantly looking back and forth and sending out voicepings to keep them both in talking distance. And then the niece would get distracted by a bunny and the nephew would run ahead 20 feet, and I’m not sure they know how to walk in step in any case.

We did get a chance to pet a baby goat, and see some ducklings and discourse on the salient characteristics of llama poop. Oh, and there was a parade! That kept them seated for a good 15 minutes. We loved the drums, the big black horse and the orange mustang and the cool solar car. Which led to an interesting discussion on what things we can do to protect the environment – we agreed that walking at a brisk pace is the best way to go with biking a close second.

I’m feeling massively proud to have escorted them about for a whole hour and 15 minutes without losing them, and with no broken bones, crying fits or inappropriate use of boogers. Being unchilded, this is indeed a big deal :)

Splendid day.

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On the other hand, I am still houseless. Mr Agent and I looked at 3 more houses yesterday, 1 of which is very nice, with a few things that don’t work for me and I’m laying bets that the price will go above what I’m willing to pay. Given my recent disappointments, I’ve opted not to bother on this one. Next week is my official panic week, though. I am need of a house.

Happy birthday, Star Wars!!!

What is it about our culture that we insist we know when someone should be excited or jubilant, and then we pester the people who seem to be inappropriately low-key?

Case 1: A woman I know is pregnant for the first time. She’s in her thirties and her life until now has been very much about her career, her husband and travel. She’s happy to be pregnant, but not, like squealing and petting bibs at Roots or asking everyone to touch her belly. And touch her belly they do, asked or not. And to add insult to women at large, apparently, she wants to go back to work after 4 months. She’s been publicly berated for saying so. She feels uncomfortable talking about being pregnant because there is no low key, only high keys that hyperkinetic dogs and chattering soccer moms can hear.

Case 2: Another friend bought a new car. Everyone is excited about the car. They want to smell the car. For her, it’s a different car but not FUN!!! on wheels. People are insisting that she be excited about the car too.

Case 3: I saw one house, only one so far (which I lost twice, grrr) that made me flutter a bit and get excited enough to show pictures to anyone other than Melle. But mostly, I’m pretty sure when I find a house, my biggest feeling will be yep, a house. But I know already that I will have to talk about the house over and over again because, everyone says, one must be excited about a new house and talk about it all of the time and show pictures (like a new baby, come to think of it).

There are some of us who don’t have frenetic reactions to these things. Get over it.

The Browncoats Prayer

OUR JOSS,
Who art in Hollywood, Whedon be thy name.
Thy ideas come, and will be done
On film as they are in Comic Books.

Give us someday a little more Serenity,
And deliver us from Reality Television.
For thine is the Wit, the Wisdom,
And the Imagination

Forever and ever,

AMEN.

–by tdbrown1

Website Mashups by Lore  Sjöberg

I think my fav is WikiHarmony – seriously, wouldn’t you like to be able to edit people’s online profiles??

Link courtesy of Melle. 

It felt like it was just getting good when our heroine Veronica wandered off into the rain after voting for Dad Keith in an election that he’s probably going to lose. But Jake is back, and there’s the creepy pictures of Lily and Duncan, and so much more to explore!

I thumb my nose in the general direction of tv execs once again.

The two-parter was a pretty great season finale, but sucks sucks sucks that it’s the series finale.

Oh, and Logan going all apeshit on a guy’s ass cuz he was mean to Veronica even though he knew the guy was connected was awesome, and the glint in Veronica’s eye at his display of bravado was awesome. Piz may be a nice guy, but he’s a nice guy.

Sigh. When can we have a Joss and Joss-like tv channel???

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What’s happening to our gays? I got this book out of the liberry, thinking it would have some saucy hijinks a la Darcy Takes a Wife. But it’s all former hunk Hank looking for true love as Henry. And the ending is straight out of Chick Flicks 101. Hrmph.
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Checked out a few more houses this weekend. No more free range commodes, but I did go through one that was decorated with ant traps. I hadn’t thought of that one before. Oh, and another one had the fattest cat evar, easily a 24 inch waist on that poor fella. And his companion was a lovely little Himalayan, until his owner SHAVED him. Dog groomer gone wild. The poor things looked like Laurel and Hardy.

There may be something good that comes out of this but I’ll not say anymore in the event that the house-purchasing gods are listening and deign to smote my efforts.

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Lots of walking this weekend. I think 4 walks altogether. St Jacobs Mill Race today. Some amazingly huge willow trees along the path, and we saw a muskrat and I raced a groundhog along the banks of the stream, and we saw a Mr and Mrs Bullfrog (which is great news, since frogs indicate a healthy habitat). There was a fishing area at the end of the path, though I can’t imagine eating anything that comes out of the river.

Victoria Park is lovely at 7:30am, except that the babies are everywhere now – goslings, ducklings, and um, cygnets. That means that the parents are extra vigilant, and I got hissed at more than once.

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I’ve booked the big BD vacation for my father. Couldn’t pull him away from work for a whole week, so we compromised on a long weekend in Halifax. He doesn’t know that I’ve gone and booked a “swanky” hotel (at least by his standards). I can’t wait to see his face when we enter the lobby, and I’ll probably have to explain why it’s okay to get the concierge to do stuff. It’ll be a short and sweet trip, but one he’s wanted to do for a while, so I’m really excited about it.