Oh Hai

Thanks FutureShop for the replacement lens. Thumbs down for not saying happy birthday to me though.

Lens, originally uploaded by anna potatoes.

Feelin' the love from my mailbox and inbox full of birthday wishes, and a call from Calgary and Australia. Relaxing with a glass of red wine and savoring the end of probably the best Tuesday ever.

I want to go to there

Happy Birthday to .. ME. Look what I got!

I've secretly coveted the NikonD40 DSLR for a while and now it's mine! I've been upgraded from the indestructible camera I got last year, which I will likely still use anytime I go out because let's face it... I need it. I cannot be trusted even though I am now 27 years old. I am going to have a lot of fun with this today though :) Yay!!

So awesome.

Now I'm going to have a BIRTHDAY green wrap and BIRTHDAY coffee before the interview coming in an hour. I mean, BIRTHDAY interview. All my ordinary day things are a little more special and exciting today, because I'm awesome :) Did you know that according to Daniel Tammet, I was also born on a blue day (a Wednesday) and on the 31st of the month just like him. Just a little bit of random birthday related trivia for you.

B - "what does awesome means?"
"it means when something is real real great"
B - "I am awesome"
"haha yes you are!"

About even

Birthday #27 is 3 days away.. which The House Bunny commercial tells says will make me "like 59 in bunny years." In all my nearly 59 bunny years I had never found out what difference 1 egg can make when baking a cake.  Literally it cannot stay together, I do not recommend it.  It's confusing and awkward to eat!

Since it was a fantastic Saturday afternoon,  while my husband napped I went for a run alone by the harbor.  I just got some new kicks after all so why not enjoy them. 


- 1 for Sean and his "tiredness" (includes sleeping too long)
v.s. 
+1 for counting on him breaking up a disruptive house-party at 1am last night and chucking the liquor bottles they leaned against my house into their front yard


I guess it balances out, doesn't it ;)

Closure on that anecdote

The girl I contacted about the package came to my door yesterday evening unexpectedly.  So everything is now where it belongs, which is not at my house.  I am just glad about that and glad I got the right person, especially after French-Canadian reading Sean went over it and we understood more of the intent of the weird package.

I've had a ridiculously productive day which is sort of nice.  I re-painted a shelf and window trim in the play area, and basically freshened everything up for spring.  You have no idea how dingy white something can be until you give it a nice bright coat of white.


Also, I decided this is what I will turn my backyard into this summer. 

Sometimes weird things come in Spring.

Hockey Pool, originally uploaded by anna potatoes.

Yesterday I was warmed-up and elated to participate in some version of the sisterhood of the traveling pants when handing my wedding dress to another gorgeous and ecstatic bride-to-be! I had never planned or wanted to keep my dress tucked away for any reason, my mother did that and hello it was totally 80s and never used again - double cursed by the lace and divorce. In my heart I was totally and unexpectedly fulfilled thinking that this piece of clothing has a life of its own. I'm no hippie but believe me, it was special. I wore every inch of awesome out of that dress.. I was a silver screen starlet and loved every moment of that day. It made me sad to box something like that up, so yesterday.. yeah you could say I felt pretty amazing watching a flush-faced bride-to-be and her friend run out of my house screaming "I HAVE A WEDDING DRESS" with a totally new day and new wonderful starlet moment to have and squee'ing all the way to the car. Someone give me a high-five dammit!! Fine I will high five myself! *yeah!*

Today, slightly less elating as I received a package in the mail which I thought was either from my grandma or related to my 8-days-away-birthday. To my surprise the large manila envelope (with my correct address on it, different name) was full of pictures of a woman, photocopied handwritten letters in french and one in english which seemed to be a suicide note/poem along with obituary and funeral programs of that woman. Not expecting that... but it looked pretty important to someone so I've been trying to find the person it was meant for to ask where to send it. I think I did find her, so, fingers crossed I'm right... and just maybe she lived here before me.

It just seems like two totally different, but potentially important ways to effect a virtual strangers life that I feel a little bit of responsibility to make sure it's all done right. Because it just doesn't happen everyday.

Like watching a hockey rink melt in your neighbors backyard. Oh, spring, just stay.

Crack a smile, adjust my tie

This reminded me of today. Oh, Fridays.

DON'T BE A BAD LEAVER OR ELSE YOU WON'T GO AGAIN! I literally made an adult laugh because I actually told a 3yr old to "think ahead"!

I also decided I'm in like with a new album by Vampire Weekend. I asked it to the prom and made it a mixtape the next day. I'd be a nice feature on a road trip before summers end. Calgary or Boston, may-be? Whatevers more "vampire" for my weekend. Or whenever Andrea gets back to me about her car.

Goodnight!

Scary Tale Theater

I hope everybody had a lot of fun last night and I figured why not bless St. Hangover day with a post that has a lot of nice pictures, you lushes.

Anyone remember that Faery Tale Theater stuff in the 80s with Shelly Duvall? A lot of people seemed to have loved those movies from their childhood, like an enormous amount, and have super great memories of watching them. Personally I was creeped out beyond measure when watching Rapunzel. Did you know Tim Burton was one director for them? I don't like to throw around the word "traumatized" that much but let's just say that it is a fact that if it weren't for Shelly Duvall and her extremely 'unique' features/tired sunken-in eyes I would have assumed I wasn't remembering a real-life event at all but some vivid dream I had.  I should add that I was probably far too young to watch it.

Anyway it is only the fact that she had to be/and was a real person that led me to IMDB this after I recognized her and was horrified it to find out this was only part of a SERIES of shows. Seriously, her eyes follow me around.. is she going to nod off or attack me like a screaming banshee? A surprise every time.

Shelly from another movie in the same series.

Lord help me with my flashbacks.
Anyway, here's a few stills and storyline from Rapunzel I found to illustrate my point.

Apparently in the start of the movie this woman was pregnant and could not get enough radishes. Radishes all the time, dipped in chocolate and crazy shiz, she'd even have nightmares about them.

My own mother had a fondness for radishes and would eat them raw with sugar on those little fondue sticks. Oh.. the 80s. So this image really terrified me.

Anyhow back to the story.

Her husband kept bringing home bushells of them but of course she was obsessed and couldn't get enough so he ended up having to steal some from a witch's garden (of course) who dressed like THIS to catch him.

No.. not scary at all right?


The witch took the child when it was born, as makes sense in all fairy tales that would happen, though I am pretty sure she wanted to cut the mans fingers off and plant them in her garden before that idea came up.

Great effects. Still.. a scary woman who would suggest planting fingers. And she locks the baby in a tower that she seals in with bricks.

When she grows up, tired eyes likes to sing because she's lonely, and a guy hears her obviously.

Climbs up there.

Oh look it's Jeff Bridges! He's so young here! Anyway they are in love suddenly.

Ah fuck there's the eyes again... rolled back this time. She did that before when she played the pregnant lady 'enjoying' eating the radishes, I just don't have a pic. Shelly Duvall's husband is a lucky man to have to look at sex faces like that.

Nothing creepy about this other than the HAIR ROPE. So she plans to escape, the witch finds out and lures the guy in the tower only to toss him out this window and blind him so he can't see Rapunzel anymore.

Bleeding from the eyes is totally something you want kids to see.

Also nothing disturbing about crying into another persons eye. But apparently it's the cure to blindness; who knew Rapunzel had this talent? I heard that's how AIDS started.. just saying.

They're both banished and raise their kids under a blanket in the movie Dune. What a happy ending.

Where everybody knows your name

I got my first 27th birthday present today!  My grandparents are going to Australia on the 21st, which is so great for them, but they didn't want to be late on my gift apparently.  A very thought out card and $250 lovely dollars to spend on myself in whatever way I see fit.  I've been fantasizing lately about the Spa Train, AE Boyfriend Jeans, a fresh haircut, and a tiny little sweet angel puppy.  I suppose we'll see, but it just made me realize how close my birthday really is.  Two years ago aging was really an interesting but clearly unexplored concept; now I have time to examine the number 7 I have no idea what I think about that.  It's definitely a strong number.. and if it were in a percent like 70% I would think I did reasonably well but not entirely satisfied.  Twenty Seven.. wtf?

 [Cakewrecks]

*16 Days errrrbody




"My friends had a party for me... Midge, Skipper and Black Barbie"
-snl.. tonight

xxxx

If I could give The Watchmen a rating it'd definitely be at least 4 naked blue stars. There was a lot of story and kicking-a and overall it was pretty awesome. A nice change at least than a movie about a man aging backward.. until it just simply ends.

Is Denny less charming than he was in Grey's? I'd say so.

Are we not sure what the Owl guy honestly does? yes. Is there a surprising amount of nudity? sure; but I think all the super-cool killing people took the focus away from it getting "weird". When you think about the continuity of the characters, putting pants on the Dr. Manhattan does seem silly. Where would he even shop?

Tela-ella-ella-phone

My mom called me at.. 1am.. to let me know she'd like to come hang out at my house for a day this week.  Also she wanted to tell me about her foot cast (that she got from a bar fight) and how she gets on the bus with it.  There was some other stuff but I stopped listening.  I don't know if it's possible for someone to feel actual physical frustration from hearing a person talk on the phone but I promise you that I do when I am talking to her: even for 3 minutes but especially 7 minutes.

I would go so far as to call it mild-torture because she is just TALKING.  I could say "can you excuse me, I am shitting Oreo's" and she would just continue talking without pause.  She has always been that way on the phone.  I have re-evaluated my real memory of this and if I was just a super needy kid, and well, that simply does not seem to be the case.

I guess that just seems unnatural.

Comments about the weather

For some reason today the weather smells nice.  I was out all day yesterday and although I kept wanting spring to get here it didn't smell the same.  Whatever breeze is bringing spring in, I have smelled it a hundred times before, it has to be deep inside my actual DNA of how I love that smell and makes me feel good generally.  Even though I was feeling particularly good already, even yesterday.

My logical guess (if I were to venture one about the air) is that with pollution, de-forestation, pesticides, burning rain, over-production of condos etc. nothing could ever smell the same even if it wanted to, but today that feels like I'd be wrong.  It's the same.  I just want to be out there in it, drink some beer around a little firepit on my deck.  Maybe make some flame-grilled cheese sandwiches, nothing fancy, really. 

It just reminds me how nice it is that things are there when you desperately want them because so often they are not, and we hardly even notice.  They seem the same as things we want.  Like a Prado bag?  Watches in Times Square?  Bitches in my Lexus?  I'm unable to think of a good comparison so we'll leave it like that. 

Can I also just say I sure hope people who read this have a sense of humor. You can always borrow mine, it's on loan anytime you come here.  promise.  

Lastly, while I am just sayin' stuff can I also just say that I could not have been creeped out more then a few nights ago walking into Tim Hortons and the entire place was filled with Troop Scouts. 
Here's a tip: wear head-t-toe Khaki if you want to look like you'll never have a friend.

'The Bachelor' I'm just not that into you

I love to watch finale's of various shows, mostly because I can't stand to watch slow progress.. especially in something like a dating show. Just sum it up for me, thank you.. I vote Coles Notes on dating. So I tuned in to The Bachelor finale, which as you probably heard by now, was a total freakshow! Background: guy: Jason, divorced.. single dad of a really cute kid and got shafted on the last Bachelorette = totally likeable. So as much as you can wish for a person you don't know to be happy, that's what I was tv-viewer hoping for. What actually happened was so crazy I sat there looking as if I just witnessed an execution.

After a whole 6 weeks of trying to make it work with Melissa, the girl he chose to totally-like-seriously-marry-me, and spent all the holidays with her and his 4 year old son... he says

"yeah, so it's not working, I gave it my best shot, I made a mistake I should have picked Molly!"

Then DUMPS HER on tv, she rightfully calls him a bastard and hands the ring back while telling him not to ever contact her again. That is when I proclaim outloud to my equally shocked husband sitting next to me that this guy is so lucky, I would have fire-bombed his house. I mean, I had How Stella Got Her Groove Back arson fantasies about a really annoying yellow truck for gods sake.. if it were up to me there would be nothing on earth to save this man from a violent verbal beating until be became nothing but a shit-stain on the couch. Dignified and classy? not exactly, but consider what is classy when before his and Melissa's 6-week engagement is even cold in the ground he is making out with Molly on the very same couch, 10 mins later. Boy, what a fairytale! Can't these people ever do things one at a time? Why is it so unrealistic to break that engagement then, just, GO HOME? yanno, call it a day?

Ann Curry, I love your wtf-face

If I made a mistake like ask the wrong person to marry me, I think I'd take some time to evaluate myself and my life. But not this guy, it is almost as if he likes making retarded decisions virtually all the time. Reason #590 why people need to hire decision makers, and make that a real job. How would you know you need one of these people?

1. you've asked 4 women to marry you
2. you say things like 'I need to follow my heart' when you have no other explaination
   
3. you've been to more than 3 psychic expo's
4. you'd consider naming your child Tiffaley, Tayber or JaCole
   
5. you regularly ask for signs from the universe before you do anything
6. you consider the limiting of candy and chocolate to children to be abuse

I could go on but you get the idea. Now you'll have to excuse me while I get lost in the fictional world where a Decision-Maker exists and creates enough jobs to solve the economis crisis.

Tip: don't be green

I think my un-killable "it's cool, don't water me" plant is dying.  Anyone have some gypsy tears to help me bring it back to life?  I'm hoping by my 27th birthday I will be able to figure out WHY THIS SHIT HAPPENS TO GREEN THINGS AROUND ME.

*not actual plant

These aren’t tears of sadness because you’re leaving me
I’ve just been cutting onions
I’m making a lasagna
For one - I'm not cryin'

 

Stealing

Update::: Brian accused me of possibly really stealing and wanted to see my tags. Here's one better.. receipt proof it was Winners and not some crazy dollar store.





Winners last day clearance sale! So we did some shoppin' and I picked up a long black and pink cami top (tag price was $48) and a 3 button sweater (tag $40) for...............
FIVE DOLLARS .

I couldn't even sew two pieces of fabric I found on the street and put buttons on it for less than that. I felt like I was stealing them, honestly. I stood in line and didn't say a peep about the price to Sean in case anyone heard me and I jinxed it.

FIVE dollars!

Needless to say I am psyched about that, and being officially DONE painting as of tonight. Yaaaay. Tired, satisfied and lil' excited though for the new fridge that is coming soon. Then there will be nothing to do!

Did I mention five dollars? As in the top was $2 and sweater was $3? I am putting the tags in a scrapbook.