Ya I'm really blogging this much

On the off chance someone generous and loving sees this, and is looking to adopt a kitten my Dad has one left out of two litters!  That's right ladies and gents, he is so dedicated to kittens that he's personally found homes for all of them but this little one.. and she really needs a home.  Free of course to any good person who can look after her, with some food and litter to start you off.

 

Female, 9 weeks old, grey and white.  ADORABLE. 
Sure, she climbed my drapes but then fell asleep like this.. how can I be mad?

If you were ever picked last in gym class, this is the kitten for you!
Email me.

Upon Eating the Black Jellybean

...this is not my favourite

Growin'

Things I've been up to which don't resemble the dead houseplant in my bathroom.  Few weekends worth of snapping pictures of things that are growing and alive! 

Planted our front garden and back vegetable garden.. had tons of fun tilling the soil (even though I didn't do any work lol).  Great trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens too, and we have to go back because we ran out of time to go to Easterbrooks and apparently my husband HAS NO IDEA what Easterbrooks is!   In High School I remember we literally walked from Hamilton to Easterbrooks along he train tracks to get a hot dog, which was dumb, but delicious!

Things that don't remind me of things that grow and are alive?  My grandpa operated the heavy tilling machine with a lit cigarette in his mouth.  Ahh full of life.  Most of my piX will be up on flickr of course, including the smoking and heavy machinery confusion.

As for the actual WEEK, well, I'm not a fan of the rain.. the 'surprise' dentist appointment a week early nor the realization after standing somewhere for an extra 15 mins it's because the dental assistant (who must be related to someone to work there) couldn't figure out A) what is 10% of $740.  and B) how to even charge me for it on their own debit machine.  I won't lie, the dentist and I exchanged a very obvious glance of 'wow she's stupid huh'?  And I think it happens a lot.

Ok I'm off to keep dreaming it's Friday and taking a spontaious vacation somewhere in next month.  I don't even care where it is, it just needs to get here STAT.  I can't wait until August.

The Awkward Family

Never before has a birthday cake photograph been so chilling.



Take a peek at Awkward Family Photos! It makes me kinda relieved that I was an only child and my parents were divorced and nobody ever thought about taking photos with one another. Well other than that one Christmas in the early 90s where my step dad, my mom and myself were photographed in front of a mounted deer head and wood burning stove at my grandparents house while wearing the following: Mom- dark pink sweater dress with a perm, Me- Christmas coloured wool plaid dress and red ribbon pigtails, Dad- grey suit with red leather skinny tie and holding a rifle for some reason... looking pretty pissed.

I really didn't escape that one did I? We'll just pretend then.

Maybe someone will water you (less) on the other side

nataliedee.com

How I gave up my seat on the bus to Heaven

I have no idea how to even start this story. It all started many years ago with my good friend Wes pictured right here

and his funny impersonation of a very famous and beloved staple of local Hamilton CH news reports. For years as we grew up you'd see Randy Steele on the tv and he'd be the guy who reported on Zamboni's not being able to fit in the arenas they were bought for, a giant tooth sign being stolen from a dental office and street cleaning machines the city didn't need.

The best part about being from Hamilton is lovingly making fun of this stuff, by the way. Like the way you make fun of your drunk uncle but get really pissed if anyone else makes fun of him because it's only funny if you are related.





You pretty much need to watch that video to understand the running joke impersonation my good friend Wes actually does. We have many many running jokes and they are all hilarious and offensive, as a note, but not really intended to be mean spirited.

Basically it was funny, we all laughed like idiots and then today we see Randy Steele died. Of throat cancer. A real FML moment right there and I could not feel like more of a grade-a a-hole! It's literally funnier now because we unknowingly made fun of someone with throat cancer for having a funny voice and we are all going straight to hell. If I owned a crowbar I'd gladly bludgeon myself with it. It's like local celebrity weatherman Matt Hayes actually dying of skin cancer after all our jokes about him being orange.

Literally, irony is not running in our favour. Our last running joke is that in lieu of flowers the family has asked that Wes Chiasson please retire his Randy Steele impersonation. 

And to conclude this funny by accident true story and truly an end to an era, I point you towards the incredible Hamilton photography blog of Randy Steele.  A very very nice man.  Oh and I'M REALLY SORRY. REALLY!

A name for everything

While it is not a big surprise to me that there are other people in the world who share my name, it is one of those things that I end up considering not as particularly awesome as when I do it.  Yeah I am one of those people.  I just didn't grow up like a Jennifer where you meet them all the time, and to date I've only really met one and she spelled it wrong so it really doesn't count.  You spell Ann with an E and you might as well be from another planet if you ask me. 

Needless to say I've had names going on in the back of my mind lately and while I'm totally glad I didn't have a VERY SPECIAL name like Agamemnon, where your parents didn't love you, or what happens when two Milhouse's meet.. "so this is what it sounds like when doves cry".. I still am a little protective over my own name.  I really don't allow many people to call me Ann-Marie by simply introducing myself as Ann under the guise of "it's just easier for people to hear once and remember" which is half true and I don't know what that says about people to be honest.. it's a very easy name!  I consider it somewhat getting my attention if you do call me Ann-Marie, like Sweetie or Dear, and people I don't like making a point to call me by my name really pisses me off.  Is that not strange or what? 

I don't know what people with common names think about that but I thought I'd put it out there!  Goodbye!  Enjoy your Friday and your weekend everyone.

Since LOST is done

I have not watched American Idol all season, or last season, or many of their seasons. Usually if you catch the beginning and the final show you get the general idea mainly because they take a whole hour to recap it for you anyway with highlights. Since Lost is done we figured we might as well watch the finale and can I just say, holy crap was that a good show! The bikini girl was outrageously embarrassing and hilarious and how the hell did they manage to get all of those performers??? Seriously impressive, and the guys on the show seemed to all be pretty great in their little duets. What I don't understand is how Adam Lambert lost? Did you not see him perform with KISS? like holy crap! They could promote him so well and actually have an outrageously successful AI winner instead of just an OK one that sells 1 or 2 albums and then shows up in a CSI episode or 5 minute bit as Kenneth Parcell's cousin on 30 Rock. *ahem clayaiken* The other guy Kris was good too but let's be serious, he wasn't crazy good like Adam. Clearly I have not been biased by past performances where Adam may have sucked but are you kidding? Who cares, let that guy sing whatever he wants. His sucking would be other people's best show ever.


That is all.

I can't even stop laughing to post this

superpoop.com


Everything about this is amazing, I am crying TEARS here.

Highlights

Well after getting to chill out with us my friend Andrea is currently on the long cross Canada trip back to Calgary, and in Thunder Bay right now - not being eaten by bears!  Can't say I'm terribly jealous I didn't get to go with her because sitting in a car for 3 days kinda isn't what I want to do right now.  I like my legs, and I walked a lot today so I have some idea how terrible that would be.  And some idea is all I need.

Best thing all week I can die now having witnessed a 3yr old have diarrhea for the first time and looked up at me with the sweetest most uncomfortable face and said "Oh No, My Bum Is Sick".  I had tears in my eyes, it was that good, I had him repeat it later to others as well.. what is the point if I can't share that moment with the world.


Worst thing all week hearing a little boy tell me his Dad hits him, and then seeing that Dad when coming to pick him up.. actually hit him.  It made me, well, want to hit someone.  Especially since he did it like he was a dog rapping him on the snout to teach him who's boss.  He needs a call from Child's Services.

In other news, a cute wicker basket for my bike is $42, why? 

Caffinated

I have been finding myself a little introspective, probably due to the one medium coffee I've had at the park which gave me the jitters. I'm all high on the coffee
bean, or, on the bean as they say on the streets.

It all started around Mother's Day, I was falling asleep and suddenly I started imagining this one day at school when I was in grade 1. My school had those 60s stairs that were all made up of different stones with two strips of glittery black sand so you wouldn't fall down them. In my mind I was walking down ..5 stairs to get to my class. I think I had smelled something earlier that day in Mountain Equipment Co-Op that was a little like wood and jug paint which made me think of school, as that's what it smelled like. When I walked down there I remembered the day I made my Mom a mother's day card. It was black and we drew flowers on it with chalk, and mine was pink, and I did a particularly nice job on it. We then added tissue paper bits with glue, applying them with pencil erasers, to make the petal effects. My mom kept all my Mothers day crafts in her drawer and one day she was mad at me and took them out and ripped them up in front of me. The one I made, plus another one in my mind I still can see torn up was a blue construction paper one with orange hand prints and a poem from the previous year.


She taped them together later in tears but, that was worse, worse than throwing them away was keeping something you broke on purpose. So on Sunday while waiting for our breakfast I thought back to that, and realized that I was just 7 which means my mom was only 26 at the time she did that, which I never take into consideration. She was a whole year younger than I physically am now, and I still feel like I screw things up, so as much as it hurts to forgive someone I thought I could give it a shot.

I bought her a green scarf for Mother's Day this year and, I'm happy about that decision, for myself. I can move on from that, though things are very very different and.. complicated. I can move on from something if I choose to.

I'm sharing that story because I actually found myself thinking back today and scolding myself about what basically amounts to feeling spoiled, as a person who gets trusted with personal things I think a little too much. Without doing it back, of course. So really it is my friends who have ruined me ;) To be honest, in my life I have really worked on being a good friend because that is something I decided was important to me; for others I care about to feel as though I am always dealing with them fairly and have all the hope in the world that they're blessed with great things and just an open mind and ear to understand situations the best way I can. It is easy to share interests, a sense of humor, exciting experiences and all that fun friend stuff.. so I am always working on the rest. I guess I thought I was doing good and then something happened to change my mind, so I feel a little guilty I guess. And conflicted. Knowing things about a person definitely does not make it easier to understand them... just the opposite. That goes for myself though as well so really, wtf am I even saying right? I'm so the mayor hypocrite-ville.

My coffee bean buzz brain says I am glad I realized I should be happy anytime a friend doesn't need me as much as I am happy if they do.
My coffee bean rapid palpating heart says I'm not entitled to put anyone on the spot for any reason, as I have my own reasons for keeping my private life private. It is what it is.

As a side note Andrea is coming into town with Simon tomorrow and we get to chill all Thursday night so that'll be pretty fun! Gotta put a little face-time in every year or so yanno :)

Discounts on Vancouver 2010 Olympic wear

Zellers and HBC have crazy discounts right now for everything Vancouver 2010 and it's the CUTEST stuff I've ever seen. I am so glad they did such a great job with it. I wish I could buy everything, there were hundreds of original items I never saw on the website! They had the most adorable shorts and tie strap jumpers for girls that, do I know a little girl? no. Can I not stop thinking about buying it? yes. So far I've picked up 2 pairs of micro-soft PJs, winter hat, awesome shirt (made out of bamboo and I don't want to take it off!) all for probably $35 total. I have NO idea why since it's the best stuff.. just look at that little hooded towl OMG so if you see Vancouver 2010 items go pick it up and support the hell out of games by looking cute :)

The next NEXT pre gen

Holy crap Star Trek was so awesome! Anyone not planning on seeing it for whatever reason needs to rethink that ASAP. Has to be one of the best movies of the year for sure, such a great Date Night <3 even though I was totally bawling my EYES OUT the first 5 mins.

The characters and effects were amazing, I swear, and that's not even coming from my love for JJ Abrams. We all know Cloverfield sucked.

Amateur Status

New flips, originally uploaded by anna potatoes.

This post is for my Dad whom I just talked to about the kind of pics I've been taking on my new camera, so this is for him just now discovering my flicking awesome flickr.  

Jeeze Dad, way to get a life and not be right up to date on the first day I wear flip-flops with my pasty feet and toe-nail polish grandma said was "such an ugly colour". LOL. Enjoy!

Love, your shutter happy daughter

I'm Jacks total confidence in doctors

New doctors are always a nice little venture into bizarro world, and today really wasn't any exception.  Apparently things are in upheaval from one doctor taking a month to get married and the woman I got was literally .. well.. let's just say I had to tell her how to use a calculator on a Mac and how to make it 'go away'.  I'm also pretty sure using a Mac in a doctors office isn't necessary especially if everyone doesn't know how it works.  She also opened iTunes accidentally while filling out my blood work requests.  I am brimming with confidence. I did not even bother pointing out that she could pull out the printer arm to catch the paper which was instead, being launched into the air.

Any more correction from someone who didn't go to medical school I'm sure would have just made me look like a total asshole.

Anyway I really try and just get through it without bringing attention to how odd it seems to me but suddenly she says "can you pee for me?" when I wasn't that sure I needed to pee (what an accomplished feeling, peeing on demand!) and then had me GUESS at things like my height and dates of things.  She almost seemed upset I was halfway self-aware.  Of course I have some compassion since she was so clearly overwhelmed with things.. or on drugs.. however she handed me a perscription without even telling me there was somethng wrong. 

Let's back up here, this is for? 
      -   OH YA, by the way, you probably have a bladder infection. 
Ok, you may want to lead with that next time.  

Not to mention I had to ask where I go for bloodwork in the city because I looked all over for an address on my paperwork and.. nothing.  Talk about feeling out of the loop!

My new bike

I have a new bike! No, not this one. However this is the very AWESOME Strawberry Shortcake bike that I got on my.. 7th? birthday, and so many other little Strawberries of the 80s also had. No, my new bike is a little less CUTE (pearl white is also cute) but when I test drove it at the store it was just as fun! I decided to get a cruiser mainly because it's such a comfortable ride (I'm not doing any trails) and since my husband was so great in insisting to buy this for me I intend to ride with him a lot, especially since the seat feels like angels holding my ass.

That sounded wrong.

The best part is since it's 2009 - and intended for an adult, although I am getting a basket - there are a few awesome differences like having an aluminum body, MP3/phone holder, leather handles and yay it actually has gears and handle breaks. As much as I loved that bike that was an important issue as I did not want to repeat any skinned knees I had which almost happened when I test drove a different "show" cruiser without the gears and rammed the tire into the curb. Whoops! Delayed memory on that one.

Anyway, it's just waiting for a nice free day :) Thought I'd give a shout out to anyone who owned a crazy coloured Supercycle or Shortcake bike, fun summers that have been had, sticky ice cream hands and emptied band-aid boxes. My new bike throwback = I knew it was my favourite season for a reason.

Arr I haven't abandoned ship!

If you hadn't noticed I got bored with the website look.. and also I have a soft spot for the adorably funny asofterworld.  Just thought I'd declare that.  Then I noticed how you couldn't read anything on one of the backgrounds and thought, hey friends, let's not regress back to that right?  I am sure you have better opportunities to damage your eyes, like getting pepper-sprayed on a date or the ever-present temptation to stare directly into the sun.

So I happen to have received a really cute compliment the other day about my organizational skills.  I am here to attest that it is possible for a person who does not live in complete order to still be a good organizer and I find lots of enjoyment in doing it.  I planned our wedding for Gods sake but being observed as 'such an organized person' by someone else was a bit much to swallow.  I felt like following up my actual response of "really? you think so" with  "do you mind calling my grandmother and telling her that for me?  it won't take a minute, hold on while I dial."

Although since my grandparents are both horribly deaf she would think it was the wrong number.  Like yesterday I honestly had a 5 min screaming fit with her trying to give her an address to a communion party.  You have no idea how unnatural it is to yell "CRANSTON STREET" until you do it 85 times.  Canton?  Carrington? Oh ok I've got it, Crailway.

Are we doing a skit right now?