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archives february 2008
When we arrived home this evening I was excited to see a package lodged between the doors. It was my Little Britain Daffyd doll. Squeeze it's hand and it says the character catch phrases. What fun! The sound isn't great but the face is well done... so I'm chuffed. I have a feeling I'm slipping beyond obsessed and will wander into the realm of the truly sick and addicted. I suddenly feel a deep need to own every Little Britain doll ever made. I will not rest until my quest is complete! Speaking of dolls (and to prove that I'm not only obsessed with Little Britain) you will also see pictured here my talking Ash figure from Evil Dead... one of my most favouritest things! Owning a mini Bruce Campbell makes me happy. Perhaps it's because it enables me to pretend to be 50 feet tall. *sigh* Is it weird that the Evil Dead movies and Bruce Campbell's cheeky acting make me so happy? Nah. Paul has a la-dee-da wine function this Friday night and so it's mamma/son date night! I'm going to take Dante to see the Tartan Terrors, a celtic music/comedy/dance group. I'm hoping he'll like it more than Loreena McKennitt. Loreena was wonderful, magical even, but apparently not something my fidgety 4 year old wanted to sit through. Here's hoping Friday turns out a bit better. 02.25.08 - Kung-fu night & the cutlery drawer Saturday was Kung-fu night in the Battilana house. We gorged ourselves on Chinese Take-out, battled each other playing Street Fighter 3, ate miscellaneous treats from the Chinese shop downtown, and watched Iron Monkey. At one point Dante went missing for a short while and when I discovered him he was trying to find some gear so that he could dress up like a ninja. He ended up finding some scarves and asking me to rewrap him every ten minutes.
Sunday was cleaning day. Not very exciting but my bedroom is loverly and clean, as is the guestroom. It's frightful how different things look than when they are in their 'normal' state. Anyway, I was trying to fit some things into our cutlery drawer and noticed that it was in quite a state. I decided that perhaps I should clean that out too. Here is what I found...
That's 18 corkscrews in one drawer. 18! I know I live with a winemaker but why, for the love of god, do we have so many corkscrews? Christ! That would be a lot if that were the number we had in our whole house never mind a single drawer!!! Anyway, on my way to show Paul this craziness what should I find?
Yes, that is another corkscrew 'hidden' between my loverly pots and bowls.
We've recently subscribed to Gourmet magazine. I can't being to tell you how much I love it. The design is delish, the photos are scrummy, the articles are interesting and the recipes we've tried have all been successful. You'd think that the recipes would be a tad fru-fru what with the title and all but in actuality they are proof that sometimes its best to keep it simple... okay, a wee bit of pizzazz doesn't hurt but you get my drift. Highly recommend. I'm reading Henry Miller at the mo'. I've never read anything by him before and I'm enjoying it so far. There is a lovely rhythm to his writing. It's not like sitting down to a story but rather like listening in on a conversation, or probably more accurate, sitting in on someone's thoughts. I don't think I could read it all the time but it's proving to be a nice change of pace. I'm also reading Inside Little Britain (yes I am obsessed) which I got at the Book Depot for only $3.99! Hurrah! My bus ride this morning was interesting. Most rides on the Barton St. bus are long and smelly. There are always a few nutters, someone who hasn't bathed in three weeks, another who has just smoked a spliff and reeks of pot at 8am, and the obligatory girl on her cell phone telling discussing the date her boyfriend is due to be released from prison. Sadly, I'm not joking. Today however was much different. There was laughing, camaraderie, and genuine niceness going on between strangers. It was totally out of the ordinary but it was lovely. Maybe, at some point next week, a group of passengers will spontaneously perform a musical number in the aisles. A girl can dream. I am lovin'; P&D, Henry Miller, The Young Ones, The Rizdales, Kathy Burke 02.19.08 - A few things on my mind Swappy Goodness! Designing for the Politically Correct Fame must stink D's Birthday Party Plans Kung-Fu Night! 02.15.08 - Disaster Strikes So just as we are getting ready to leave, to drop off my swap item for my Auntie Liz, I decide to put a "protective" top coat on my beautious swap item. I use quotation marks because in actuality it ate through the paint and destroyed my loverly item. I've decided to use this as a lesson well learned... leave well enough alone. We went out this evening and Paul wanted to stop by the re-use centre to see if they had any carafes, they did not, but they did have a wine rack marked at $25. Paul asked a fella working there if he could do any better on the price and was told, "Sorry buddy, I don't make up the prices." We had noticed a foosball table on our way in but there wasn't a price on it, we asked the lady at the cash how much it was and she got on the speaker saying "Chris, we need an item priced." Funny, that fella who told us that he wasn't the one who made up the prices WAS in fact the one that made up the prices. HA! I call shenanigans! The kiddo is having a great time at the new sitter. The two jobs are keeping me busy. All is well with the world.
Dante is already nicely settled at the new sitter. I'm glad. I'm especially glad that he seems happy. He's also been eating non stop for two days. He ate 9 perogies at the dinner table tonight! That kid simply cannot grow any faster. Had a meeting at CCMA today about a new project we'll be working on. Lord help me, I hate speaking in front of more than 3 people. It really gets to me. Even in a meeting setting I find it difficult. Ug. Had a wee chat with the main programming fella, he seems nice enough... I hope he's got a whole whack of patience because I'm sure I'll drive him batty in no time at all. My auntie Liz agreed to do a bargain swap with me and I have managed to finish one item... though I need to pad out the package with the rest of my $10 budget. Looky here for some before and after shots NO PEEKING LIZ! before1, before2, after1, after2, after3 ALSO see my plastic hunk of something has been spray painted black and is ready for embellishement! Finished Oryx and Crake... it was okay... not nearly as good as Alias Grace. I've no idea what to read next. Everyone seems a bit blah this week. People seem to be sad or grumpy. Buck up people! I'm now out of my own funk so everyone else must also be happy! Today I am lovin': P&D, Jeremy Irons... the 'humps' song... though I don't really like it... I just can't get the damned thing out of my head! P.S. I am looking forward to a potluck lunch with my newest co-workers where I will make a meatloaf that looks like a cake!
I approached one of the other moms at D's school who takes care of a few kiddos and, after visiting her house, the only thing we are worried about is what she's hiding because she seems too good to be true. Dante is very excited about the change. One of D's little friends came over on Friday afternoon. He's such a cutie. The two of them can't agree on anything and all day long its "Nicky, Dante did this to me." or "Mom, Grant won't do that." I don't know how people deal with multiple kids because after about two hours I told them that unless they stopped tattletaling that I was going to tie them up and toss them in separate closets. A nice display of my superior parenting skills. D's friend had found two flashlights and was snooping through our house very deliberately and methodically. When I asked him what he was up to he replied... no word of a lie... "I'm securing the crime scene and searching for DNA and blood samples." Did I mention his favourite show is CSI? So, after building a snowman (see pics below), searching for DNA, playing video games, and eating lunch I though we'd all settle down and watch a movie. The two kids bickered and whined, both wanting to watch something different. I was getting a bit frustrated but when I turned the DVD player on and the intro to Corner Gas started up the two boys said "Hurray! Let's watch this!" just one more reason that show is the bestest. Today I am lovin': P&D, Annie Lennox, Margaret Atwood
02.06.08 - What a day Another storm is hitting us at the mo' and I'm wondering if the school will be closed tomorrow. Why does it seem that when I have meeting or have to be at the office something comes up? Ug. The day started out pretty well. We may have a new sitter for D. I received an email saying that the Lou and Andy dolls are back in stock! I got some yummy jalapeno and potato soup from Papagayo which was delish. I fell behind a at work and spent the day catching up. My boss was driving me crazy, pushing my buttons so I threw a handful of highlighters at him not realizing that there was an xacto knife in the mix. In case you're wondering, it missed him but was jutting nicely out of the floor directly beside his foot. I must remember to stop throwing things at people :0 I have finally sent my bio off to be reworked. Here it is...
It's not perfect but I think it's a pretty good start. 02.05.08 - WHAT I REALLY WANT TO SAY I'm trying to write a short one paragraph bio for work. It's hard. How do you sum it all up in just one paragraph? What I'm supposed to write is this...
What I really want to say is...
I know a lot of people that are tired of this... when can we just start saying what we really mean? That's why I've decided to swear more. It's liberating and it gets my point across clearly and directly. In an ideal world I wouldn't have to worry about daycare for dear Dante. I'd be a stay at home mom, my house would be clean, there would be a home cooked meal on the table every night and The reality is that we both have to work and that our daycare provider is the pits. It's been one nightmare on top of another and we've both raised our hands into the air and finally given up on them. Time to seriously find a new sitter for the little fella. In the past they have called because they were certain D had ringworm and told me I was wrong when I said it was a small patch excema. The worst was when they forgot to pick him up from school one day. Today, without our permission, and without notifying us, they picked Dante up from school early, making him (and one other boy) leave before school was actually over. We also received notice that come Monday they will no longer be picking the kids up from school, that they will arrange a taxi for them. There is no way my little boy is going to take a taxi alone. Fingers crossed that come Monday we'll have a miracle and a new sitter will be found. Will keep you posted as the drama ensues. If you want to buy me something... I want that one. Seriously, if you happen to be walking in a shop and hear some angelic music, see some clouds part and a ray of light shine down from the heavens, do us a favour and see if it's the gods looking favorably upon thee, providing you with the opportunity to buy ANYTHING that is Little Britain. We'll pay you back. We're good for it :) Today I am loving: P & D, Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice), Billy Connolly, kd lang 02.04.08 - SUSHI & OBSERVATION DAY We went for sushi and dim sum at August on Saturday. It was awesome! I loved everything except for the squirmy shrimp dim sum thing and the giant clam sushi thing although it really didn't taste so bad but felt like eating someone else's tongue.. ick. Paul refused to use a fork. I was convinced that he was going to starve but he managed to stab enough to sustain him. I ended up tossing a chopstick across the table... I must stop talking with my hands! It was 'observation day' at Dante's school today. I guess it's sort of a replacement for report cards for the little ones. Dante is great and the teach said he's right on track and that there aren't any worries. Anywho, the kids all settle down to listen to a story when one little boy says he has to go to the bathroom. He comes back a good 10 minutes later with his hair sopping wet. The teacher puts down her book...
When the snow falls heavily here in Ontario it is as though the end of times were upon us and entire cities shut down. Today this meant a day at home for the Battilana family. A snow day! Wheee! I'm not sure if many people know this but designers and programmers have a notoriously bad relationship with one another. Since starting my new job I have had it in my head that I should do my best to overcome this stereotype. A few of the sweetest people I know are programmers for goodness sake. I don't want to be the snobby designer... I know that I am not on the cutting edge of high design and I'm comfortable with that. I also know that I'm not the worst there is... and there is some pretty bad stuff out there. I want to work toward a greater good, not against the people I'm supposed to be working with. I also do not want to be bullied. When I received a forwarded email from the programming guy today, I prepared for war. Then it occurred to me that I'm too old for this. I refuse to fight stupid battles with people I don't care about. I will defend myself and the things that I believe in but I will not put myself in a position where I have to defend my actions or my abilities continually because someone else is having a hissy fit. *sigh* Can't we all just get along? Apparently not. Ah, well. I finished Perfume this morning! What a great read. Now its on to Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. I have no idea what it's about but I think Atwood is great. Although I have a deep rooted dislike for Margaret Laurence I just may give her another try after that. If only to prove to myself that I really do dislike her writing and that it isn't just bad high school memories.
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