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I'm feeling much better today. Although it's a Wednesday, (aka production day) and things did not go all that smoothly at View, I was feeling pretty good. Hey! I even got a slice of yummy homemade pie from my co-worker... although I did threaten war if he did not bring me a piece.
I forgot to mention that we went to the wood show last weekend. Whenever I mention that we are going (because we go every year) people giggle or roll their eyes. Some of the work there is actually pretty amazing. Take a gander at the pics below. The first was created by wood burning, the second burned and then painted/tinted. Pretty nifty if you ask me.
  
ALSO it's just over a month until D's birthday! We've been trying to decide what type of party to have and at the mo' he's settled on a bug and lizard, African safari fiesta with taco's... why can't it ever be simple?
Today I am loving: Dante, Paul, and Ms. Sean Young
So, I'm still in my funk. What can you do? Nothing but charge forward... well, that and colour your hair and give yourself a facial.
I've just finished "Valley of the Horses" by Jean M. Auel. It's the second book to "Clan of the Cavebear" which I really enjoyed. This one... not so much. I'm not a big fan of loads of description, it usually bores me, and there are certainly pages and pages of it in Valley. Don't get me wrong, I love it when an author can transport me into the environment of the story but sometimes more is just more. There was also some pretty far fetched ridiculousness in it too. (This coming from a Potter fan!) After 500+ pages it was just lame.
Last night I started on Perfume by Patrick Suskind and I'm loving it. The words are loverly. "The odor came rolling down the rue de Seine like a ribbon..." Unlike the seemingly unending pages describing flora and fauna in the last book, this one uses words much more... umm... lovingly. I'm sort of sorry it's such a short read but at the same time I'm grateful.
I've been a bit stingy with the pics lately so here's a picture of my work space. I'm actually stuck in a sort of hallway but it's way better than a cubicle. They wanted to give me a privacy wall but I asked them not to put it up. Five years blocked in is enough... besides I can almost see out of a window ;) Anyway I thought I'd show off my scattered papers, scattered cds, coffee mug, water bottle, fake tree, Snakes on a Plane poster and WHAM mirror... everyone loves the Wham mirror.
Today I am loving: Dante, Paul, Flankie, Auntie K, Liz, Christian Bale, the sexy fellas in 300 and my all my troops :)
I feel like I'm not quite there yet as far as my new job goes. I've been working on a promotional postcard and inspiration has failed to hit. I'm so fortunate that I have such freedom in what I do but sometimes having a little direction is helpful. Anyway I've come up with a 'safe' design but a sneaky little idea snuck into my head last night so I may propose a change come Monday morning. I'm really excited about it and I hope it turns out well.
We went to the book store last night looking for the latest copy of Communication Arts (which they did not have). I took a quick peek at the occult section to see if there was anything new or exciting. The only thing I found was two obnoxious young adults sitting on the floor yammering to one another. The girl was pointing out that she had the same outfit as some gal in a book and that that was "just the kind of goth" she wanted to be. The fella was talking about 'that great party' they were at. They turned to look at me, and the girl exclaimed "Oh look, a Harry Potter scarf." "My coworker made it for me. I love it!" I beamed. I don't think that she was admiring the scraf though... me thinks she was being facetious. I got the distinct impression that those two kids thought I was browsing in the wrong section of the book store or perhaps had some sort of mental ailment.
Anywho, here are my observations from the encounter. Speaking loudly makes you look like a tool. I don't care how interesting you think your conversation is, no one else gives a shit what you are talking about. Announcing that you are going to do drugs is idiotic (ie "Lets go smoke a dube"). Again, no one gives a shit and you look like a dirty hippy with no self control.
I'm not in a very chipper mood at the mo but I will sign off with one bit of excellent news. While I was at the book store I checked a title called Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (yes it was made into a movie not too long ago) $20! For a paperback! I cannot spend that on a paperback. The thought makes me ill. Long story short we took a trip to the Reuse Centre and I got a mildly used copy for 50¢ Gawd I loves that place.
Checking my email yesterday I noticed an update from CNN. I thought that it was just going to another election update but it was about Heath Ledger. I literally gasped when I read the news.
I am a fan of gossip sites, celebrity, films and all round good clean entertainment. I love reading about Brit-Brit's misadventures (I think she needs a hug), about that crazy Pete Doherty always managing to stay one step ahead of the coppers, seeing gals dolled up and fabulous famous people doing crazy things and being ninnies. I visit dlisted.com every day to get my trash fix. It's fun, light and not too serious and MichaelK was wonderfully compassionate when dealing with the news of Heath's death. It's shameful and disgusting what some of the gossip sites were posting yesterday. tmz actually had a live feed of Heath's body being removed from the building. Hell, people were even bickering right and left about others expressing their sadness over 'someone they didn't even know'. *sigh* What is wrong with people?
Heath wasn't one of my favourite actors but his death is shocking and sad. I didn't know the fella but he'd given me a few hours of entertainment, was a decent actor and wasn't all sorts of crazy... what's wrong with being a little sad about him dying. I think it's probably pretty normal to be gob smacked when a seemingly young, healthy bloke you expect to be around for another 50 odd years passes away.
It's been a depressing month really. Death seems to be making his rounds. Brad Renfro, Suzanne Pleshette, the fella that played Sam the Butcher (Allan Melvin), Edmund Hillary, George MacDonald Fraser, 3 deaths close to our own family... all in just a few short weeks.
Hell, I'm still sad about Anna Nicole.
For years we haven't really been all that fussy on roasts. We love roasted lamb, salivate over stuffed pork roast but roast beef hasn't been on our menu for quite some time... until recently. Look at that loverly bit-o-meat. Mmm, a slow cooked Sunday roast could quickly become a fave in this household. Forget sex, real afterglow comes after a totally satisfying chunk of red meat. No wonder I didn't last as a vegetarian. Go to the recipe.
 I've been thinking about this for a while. Is it really wrong to love things? Some of the things that I love have sentimental value... Dante's drawings, a first edition of the White Goddess that Paul gave to me, pebbles from the beach. BUT some of the things I love are those weird and quirky finds that reveal themselves at garage sales and secondhand shops. I confess, I love stuff. It's not that I want more than the Jones', it's that there is so much neat stuff out there! Just take a gander at the 50¢ gem to the right. Who in their right mind would give up that good looking thing?!?!
My dear Auntie has taken me up on a swap challenge! We've each got $10 to make a loverly package for each other. Little does she know that I am a bargain hunting goddess AND I have trusty sidekick just as cheap thrifty as I am! I have no idea what I'll be crafting but it will be glorious!
Finally, the ninja stuff. My new co-worker made this amazing video. I have to admit that I had never heard of animutation before. It warmed by cold unfeeling heart with it's ninja goodness. I will forever randomly shout Holy Shit! Ninja's!!! Here's some more Ninja goodness.
So things have been pretty crazy this week. I started my new job, I'm continuing at the old one, Paul had his fancy ice wine gala, and we're still trying to live a normal life in between. It's going to take some getting used to... all this running around from one place to the other.
Hopefully, in a few weeks, I'll settle into a routine. I think that once I do, working at CCMA is going to be great experience. My new co-workers are swell, the space is really cool, I've managed to complain just enough to get a new monitor (sweet!) and the projects seem really interesting too. Now if I can just start feeling comfortable enough to do some nice design work I'll feel much better. Feeling shy and awkward does nothing for the creative process.
Dante has started screaming when he's mad. "I hate you! You're not my best friend!" and all that good stuff. We drive him crazy by saying "Well I love you to bits and you are my bestest friend ever!" That usually makes him laugh or storm off to his room. Not sure if it's a growth spurt or if we've failed miserably as parents. He's a great kid most of the time, just occasionally drives us to the verge of a mental breakdown. I suppose that time will tell if he's a hooligan or not.
It's family movie night tonight! We've got a triple feature planned. I can't wait to snuggle down with a giant bowl of popcorn and pass out halfway through the first flick :)
First thing's first... my first day at CCMA. Besides feeling totally awkward and unsure of myself I'm still pretty excited about my new position and all the projects that I'll get to work on. It's going to take some time to get back into the groove of things but I'm sure that once I get myself sorted it will be a lot of fun. One thing is certain, it's a big change from making ads for hookers and bars!
 We finally tried out our new tajine (our awesome xmas gift from my auntie Kath and uncle Ian, seen left). Yummo! Paul made a chicken and carrot dish and it was loverly. The carrots were absolutely de-lish and the smell while it was cooking was divine. Funny, I rarely think of adding cinnamon to savoury dishes but it adds a nice touch. Paul is now on the hunt for a Moroccan cook book.
Sadly, my brush with greatness has come to an end. At least I can say that for one short week I was facebook friends with my big crush of the mo', David Walliams from Little Britain. Don't try telling me it wasn't really him... a girl can dream :) Unfortunately facebook only allows 5000 friends and the dishy fella has dumped my sorry ass from his list. Don't feel too badly for me because I've now demoted him to being my 4th, not 2nd, husband. We will be an item after the 'cat lady years' but shortly before I'm solely sporting animal prints and fuzzy heeled slippers. It won't last long, and I'll leave him broken hearted, but it will be the best 24 days evah!
Also see below the jacket I made for Dante. It's far from perfect, he looks totally, umm.... thrilled to be wearing it, the inside is a mess but at least it's wearable and I managed to put a zipper in all by myself.
  
I know some people may think it's a bit much to ask a 4 year old to clean his own room. Dante is a smart one though and has cleaned his room many times over the past year. That's how he earns money to buy things when we go on outings. Lately he's been getting a bit lazy.
When his little friend stopped by last week and tried to get into D's room I said "You'd better not go in there. It's a mess. Dante isn't allowed any friends in his room until he cleans it up." The little boy snuck a peek at the disaster area, quickly shut the door and said "Holy Dante, you really need to clean that mess up!"
So for a week now we've been warning him that this weekend the deed had to be done. Today, after much stalling and excuses (to the point where he was helping clean the kitchen to avoid his own room! pic 1 / pic2) he made his way up the stairs to clean the den of wickedness.
After a short while he comes down the stairs with a cape and hat. "Mum, I need you to tie my cape up for me." Being a mum I tell him that he does not need a cape, and that he should march back up the stairs to his room. "But mum, I'm a magician, I need my cape and hat to make the mess disappear." How can you say no to that?
Looky at the goodness I found while at Value Village yesterday! (pic 1, pic 2) It's so hideous but it's got loads of potential for an art shrine. I'm not sure what I'll create a shrine to just yet... hard cider, day of the dead, zombies, my wonderful husband? <<sneakily added by Paul>> the man I am sure will be my second husband (the dreamy bloke from Little Britain). I don't know just yet but I'm terribly excited.
Also found on our hunt was the checkered fabric underneath the plastic hideousness for $2.99, suiting fabric at $2.99/m plus an extra 20% off, 5 books and 2 Everton pillowcases for Dante for only $3 for the lot. To top it off the grocery bill didn't leave me with an empty wallet either (but that just means I'll spend more on other stuff I don't really need).
We'll be trying out our gorgeous new tajin tonight. I'm super interested to see how it cooks up and what the results will be. Best food news of all? It's homemade pizza and beer night in the Battilana house. Love, love, love pizza and beer.
What is the point of taking reading material into the bathroom? Seriously! I thought that was just something they did on tv to indicate that someone was going to take a poop. Apparently not, because the office newspaper was found in the bathroom this morning. Gross. If you want to read something in there go ahead, but for the love of god don't be taking the fekking morning paper that your coworkers read in there with you. Ick.
Also in the office today... the mysterious reek of liquor. Considering my cold, and therefore total lack of sense of smell, it was pretty bad. There are a ton of theories floating around as to who or what was the cause of it. My favourite was that someone brought a 'lady friend' back and that there was some drunken hanky-panky going on. Drinking in our office is not unheard of (see the pic for evidence) and I am a huge fan of having a boozy good time, but it smelled as though there was some hard core elbow bending last night. Why the hell wasn't I invited?
There is article on msn about Hollywood's ugliest leading men. It's pretty terrible and they try to justify their comments by saying that it's okay to laugh at the fellas because they have loads of cash. Funny, the people I find most attractive aren't those that are typically good looking. Steve Buscemi, whom they call "unsightly", is a very attractive man in my eyes. He seems to be someone who is comfortable in his own skin. The roles he selects are usually pretty intriguing. He's able to poke fun at himself. He's not ugly, he's interesting. There are a loads of things that make people attractive. I'll take confidence, smarts, sweetness and a healthy sense of humour over physical appearance any day. Some of the ugliest people I know have the prettiest faces.
A Dante story... we were playing an animal sounds game while he was sitting on the toilet (waiting for me to wipe his smelly bum). I made a rather impressive "cockadooledoo" noise. Dante looked at me and very slowly and deliberately said "Cock". It wasn't exactly what I was expecting but I said "That's right! It was a rooster." To which he replied "Yeah, I forgot that word so I just said cock." I swear I must have the sense of humour of a 12 year old boy because I could hardly refrain from giggling. He must have some idea that it can also be a 'bad word' because while I was putting him to bed he said it like a zillion more times! "Cock, cock, cock ... " over and over agian. He must get that from me, I have a mouth like a truck stop hooker.
Lastly... a quote from my buddy Liz.
"If a little voice inside says don't buy that fabric you have so much, you know your not pushing the cart with the loud wheel to the cutting counter fast enough!"
So true.
I am finally getting around to this web site. Poor thing has been sitting here for ages, neglected and lonely. I thought that since I'm starting a new design job that perhaps I should brush up on my skills and that this would be the perfect place to practice. There will be some growing pains and I'm pretty certain that the content will be a tad skinny for a while but hopefully, eventually, it will grow into something really swell.
It's been an eventful day today. I woke up and stubbed by toe so badly that I am certain it's broken. I told my boss I was cutting wayyyy back on my hours so that I could take on a shiny new job. Paul found out that he will be attending three la-dee-da wine events over the next month. Dante has a new friend from school going to the same daycare. Lastly, we grabbed dinner from O'Neil's, which is a tiny burger joint we used to frequent, and I had the best milkshake ever. It was a pretty good day (well, except for the toe thing).
*yawn* It's 1.25 am and I have to get a good nights sleep because I get to meet my new co-workers tomorrow! So, it's off to bed with me and I'll get cracking on the rest of this site later. |
