Tell Me More..

Erin tagged me on this one.

What were you like when you were five? Quiet with a streak of absurdity.

What are you wearing now? Gray jeans, white dress shirt under a cream sweater, black boots

What story/book/novel have you read over and over again in your life? A Semester In The Life of a Garbage Bag by Gordon Korman

What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading? Sleeping With Schubert by Bonnie Marson

Do you nap a lot? No, but I have been more lately.

Who was the last person you hugged? Matt

What’s your current fandom/obsession/addiction? Morrissey/The Smiths

What was the last thing you ate today? A piece of homemade pumpkin bread

What was the last thing you said aloud? Something went wrong with the direct deposits for everyone on the floor but me.. not sure why.

What websites do you always visit when you go online? Gmail, Facebook, Google Reader

What was the last thing you bought? Groceries at Wegmans

What are you listening to right now? Beth Orton's "Sweetest Decline"

If you could have any super power, what would it be? I used to think flying, but with my luck I'd be shot down. Now I think invisibility would be handy.

What is your favorite weather, and why? Sunny, about 64 degrees with a light breeze

What time do you usually get up? 7:27 a.m.

What is your most challenging goal right now? Staying positive and focused on what I need to do as I continue to live in uncertain times.

Say something to the person who tagged you: Erin, we've never met but you've always sounded like you'd be a fun person to get hot chocolate with!

If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? A semi-wooded lot on the shore, but not right on the shore of Lake Ontario near Rochester.

Favorite vacation spot? Canada. It's a foreign country I can drive to and either go to the big city, hit up the rural wonders, or even visit family.

What is your favorite children’s book? Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak

Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you: chocolate

If you could meet anyone famous - dead or alive - who would it be? Edith Wharton

What was your first job? Babysitting for under the table. Ride Operator at Seabreeze Amusement Park for taxable income

What’s the last movie you saw? Catch and Release

What was the last restaurant you ate at? Pizza, Wings, & Things in Fredonia.

TAGGED: Not tagging today. Go ahead if you like. It's something to do while it's snowing outside.

THE RULES:
Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
Step 2: tag—eight other un-tagged people will be tagged.

WTF Is Going On In Canada?

Seeing as how I live under two hours from the Canadian border, I generally try to keep tabs on what's happening up there. It's good policy to keep tabs on what's happening around the world in general.

Anyway, so I started seeing rumblings on a few blogs written by Canadians over the past week or so about something going on with Parliament. I've been a little distracted by other stuff in my life, so I didn't quite follow what was going on. Then I saw the headline this morning that Governor General has agreed to let Prime Minister Stephen Harper suspend Parliament until January 26th.

Now, I know almost jackshite about Canada's form of government even after touring Parliament in Ottawa back in 2000. However, I did vaguely recall that the Governor General (GG) represents Queen Elizabeth. Oh yeah, did you forget that the Queen still has a finger on the pulse of Canada?

So anyway, a couple groups of political parties were working to form a coalition that would force a confidence vote on Stephen Harper. Harper is a conservative, or Tory, and the groups opposing him included NDP, the bloc from Quebec that wants the Province to secede from Canada, and the Liberals. If the confidence vote happened, Harper would have gotten a no-vote of confidence, and put the coalition in power with a new Prime Minister being elected. I believe.

But wait now, Harper used a rarely used ploy in asking the GG for permission to suspend Parliament. By doing this, he avoids the whole no-vote of confidence issue until January, at least.

Since I'm probably talking out of my arse on all of this, I'll give the links to what I can find online so you can all educate yourself on the various opinions:

Gen X at 40 - has several posts on the topic and seems to have been following the action diligently.

Western Standard - The top blog for Canada's Top 25 Political Blogs as determined by this guy

The 2006 End of the Year Meme

Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

As with most years, I didn't have anything specific that I planned to do other than find a new job. I'd say I was more than successful at that!

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, I had at least four friends who had babies this year.

Did anyone close to you die?

Thank God... no.

What countries did you visit?

I'm very disappointed in myself since I didn't even make it to Canada this year.

What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?

Painted walls in our house. It's something we've needed to do since we moved in!

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Overcoming my fear of going on the radio live for the first time since 2001. I know, weird eh?

What was your biggest failure?

Being way to paranoid about everything and anything

What was the best thing you bought?

Our new-to-us car (2003 Toyota Corolla)

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Matt. For putting up with me.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

George W. Bush. Until he is out of office I think his name will remain on this list.

Where did most of your money go?

Fixing our garage so that the back corner didn't collapse.

What did you get really excited about?

Going to Indiana to see our friends.

What song will always remind you of 2006?

Justin Timberlake "Sexyback"

Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder?

I'm trying to remember this time of year last year. I think I'm happier since I had to deal with the first Christmas/New Year's without my grandma last year.

Thinner or fatter?

I'm probably the same, but I did lose weight over the holidays!!

Richer or poorer?

A little richer salary wise

What do you wish you'd done more of?

Paid off more of my debt and read more

What do you wish you'd done less of?

Wasting energy getting paranoid about meaningless stuff

How will you be spending Christmas?

I spent it with all kinds of family, new and old.

Did you fall in love in 2006?

In a way... I made some new friends who I now love very much.

How many one-night stands?

None!

What was your favorite TV program?

I hardly watched tv this past year, but I did see WIVB's newscast almost every day

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

There's a couple people I developed some disliking toward even though I wouldn't say I hate them.

What was the best book you read?

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

What was your greatest musical discovery?

The Format. I knew of them back in 2003, but wasn't so impressed with their first album. Their new album completely blew me away.

What did you want and get?

The 10th Anniversary editions of Clerks and Mallrats (THANKS SEAN!!!!)

What did you want and not get?

The dvd for the movie Amelie, but since that's easily remedied I'll say that I wish we had impeached Bush.

What were your favorite films of this year?

Clerks II, An Inconvenient Truth, The Holiday.... I'm sure I saw more but I honestly can't remember what they are.

What did you do on your birthday?

I played in a concert with the Jamestown Community Orchestra, and then had dinner with my parents and in-laws at our house. The night before, we had 2o-some people over for a big party.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?

It got a little sassier after August

What kept you sane?

My husband.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Jude Law despite his philandering ways

What political issue stirred you the most?

The total ineptness of George W. Bush. I'll always take issue with his sorry arse.

Who did you miss?

My grandma and my friends who live far away.

Who was the best new person you met?

Lynn. She's like a sister to me and generally has a clear head about stuff.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006:

It's up to you to succeed. No one is going to do it for you, so you better get working at whatever you want to have happen.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"you, you think it's cool to be crazy
i say 'you want risks? take risks.'
there's no point in taking chances

and me, i wouldn't call it a sophomore slump
no i'd say i’m one step closer to bein' just where i want to be...

...it's no sense in complaining
if it doesn't change our minds
well take me by the hand let's compromise"

The Format - The Compromise

With Glowing Hearts...

You're Canada!

People make fun of you a lot, but they're stupid because you've
got a much better life than they do. In fact, they're probably just jealous.
You believe in crazy things like human rights and health care and not
dying in the streets, and you end up securing these rights for yourself and
others. If it weren't for your weird affection for ice hockey, you'd be
the perfect person.


Take the Country Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid

Putting a Curse on the World One City At a Time

Matt and I have often joked that wherever we go on vacation, either together or with our families, we seem to bring catastrophic events to the place we've just enjoyed. It's simply called the "Curse of Matt & Julia." Here is a partial list of the havoc we've wreaked over the past six years:

Toronto, Ontario CA (November 2000): The SARS epidemic comes to the city in March 2003.

Orlando, Florida (October 2002): Tropical storm with heavy rain, strong winds, hail, and lightening while we visited

Halifax, Nova Scotia (May 2003): Hurricane Juan in October '03 and then "White Juan" in February '04. The first caused heavy damage to the harbor, brought down an untold number of trees, and caused unbelievable destruction in the historic Victorian gardens. The latter dumped so much snow it shut down the city.

New Orleans (January 2003): We were engaged in New Orleans on this trip. Two years later - Hurricane Katrina

Buffalo, NY (various visits throughout our lives): I'm convinced that Buffalo keeps getting walloped with huge snow storms because of us despite it's natural geographic location for such weather events. However, the fiscal crisis for the city and Erie County that started a few years ago could be an indirect result of our time there as well.

Southern Caribbean (August 2004): While on our honeymoon, we sailed through Tropical Depression Charley on a cruise ship before that storm strengthened to become Hurricane Charley. The hurricane lashed Cuba as a category 3 storm before smashing into Florida as the strongest storm to hit that state since Hurricane Andrew.

Binghamton, NY: We've never visited, but Matt met the Mayor of that city on Friday, June 23rd. The next week, the city was flooded and under at State of Emergency

These are the events I can think of off the top of my head. Proof that the curse is getting stronger, and proceeding our arrival is the latest tragedy in Madison, Indiana. We are scheduled to visit this little city on the river at the end of this month. God help the poor place!

Top Ten Canadian Things

I found a list via Fark of things that are truly Canadian. Here they are courtesy of this story:

1. Cadbury Crispy Crunch and Caramilk Maple chocolate bars "Because they are only available in Canada and would spark delicious memories. A skid of Kraft Dinner would also be a must." (Deborah Weinstein, president and co-founder, Strategic Objectives, Toronto)

2. A Bell telephone "Because, prior to cellphones and deregulation, the only phone any home had was from the father of 20th-century communication, Alexander Graham Bell. Who could forget such icons as the Princess or Contempra rotary-dial phones, available in a variety of colours?" (Anthony J. Stokan, retail consultant and author, Toronto)

3. Roots "Because two Americans, Michael Budman and Don Green (above), gave the hard-working Canadian beaver a fresh identity and turned the logo into the most sought-after product through the '90s, and continue to rework and update the iconic Canadian brand." (Anthony J. Stokan)




4. A CanCon CD "With music from Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, The Guess Who, The Tragically Hip, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Diana Krall, Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne and Nelly Furtado. Because music is the staff of life." (Deborah Weinstein)

5. The President's Choice Insider's Report "Because every season, Loblaws seduces you with innovative new products and some of your old favourites. You couldn't possibly call yourself Canadian and not have tried at least one President's Choice product." (Anthony J. Stokan)





6. Tim Horton "Because we are a coffee nation inclined to drop in or drive through and pick up our favourite hot cup of double-double in a double-cup along with a box of Timbits, and we roll up the rim, even when the contest isn't running." (Anthony J. Stokan)





7. A tree tap "Because it reminds me of maple syrup, which reminds me of maple trees, which reminds me of the maple leaf and that brings me to the flag. Ah ha! I am Canadian." (Shawn King, VP and creative director, Extreme Group, Halifax)

8. Group of Seven paintings "Because they all celebrate the vastness of the Canadian landscape." (Don Williams, creative director and partner, Free Agency Creative, Vancouver)






9. A Hudson's Bay blanket "Because it is the one universal graphic that speaks to Canada, second only to the flag." (Barry Avrich, president, Endeavour Marketing, Toronto)


10. Bob and Doug McKenzie "Because they're loose, they wear toques and they love beer. All things that remind us of Canada. Besides, who else but a Canadian would embrace those two guys?" (Shawn King)

A Friday Meme on Saturday

Four jobs I've had:
1. Amusement Park Ride Operator
2. Radio News Reporter/Anchor
3. Executive Assistant to a County Executive
4. Public Relations Specialist

Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. When Harry Met Sally
2. Sleepless In Seattle
3. You've Got Mail
4. A Christmas Story

Four places I've lived:
1. Rochester, NY
2. Berea, OH
3. Buffalo, NY
4. Jamestown, NY

Four TV shows I love:
1. CSI
2. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
3. House Hunters
4. Designed To Sell

Ten highly regarded and recommended TV shows that I've never watched (added category courtesy of kottke.org:
1. 24
2. Lost
3. The Sopranos
4. Arrested Development
5. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
6. Battlestar Galactica
7. 30something (I know, that goes way back)
8. Deadwood
9. 8 Simple Rules
10. The Wire

Four places I've vacationed:
1. London, England
2. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
3. New Orleans
4. Washington, DC

Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
2. Basil Chicken Curry
3. Nick Tahoe's Garbage Plate
4. Sushi from California Rollin'

Four sites I visit daily:
(In my "open all in tabs" catagory):
1. Kinja
2. Muzenew's Inside View
3. National Weather Service: Buffalo
4. Google

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. In my car on a roadtrip
2. Under an afghan with an endless cup of tea and the latest edition of Real Simple
3. Quebec City
4. Any time between May 24 and June 8, 2003 (on vacation with my parents and my grandma)

Four bloggers I am tagging:
1. Matt
2. Heidi
3. Courtney
4. Matt F

End of the Year Meme: 2005 redux

Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

What resolutions?

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, three friends did this year! Lori had Ben in June, Kim had Emily in June, and Christa had Harrison in September.

Did anyone close to you die?

Yes. My Grandma died from pancreatic cancer on August 8th.

What countries did you visit?

Canada. More specifically, Burlington and Orangeville, Ontario, Canada.

What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?

Materialistically, a new car (this is a carry over from last year).

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Staying employed?

What was your biggest failure?

Not finding a better job.

What was the best thing you bought?

Our new house.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Matt. He has been ultra-supportive through everything that happened with my Grandma's sickness and subsequent death; and with all the bullshit going on for me at work.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I can't really say who it is because I'd like to stay employed.

Where did most of your money go?

Bills.

What did you get really excited about?

Moving into our new house and the U2 concert we went to on December 9th.

What song will always remind you of 2005?

Gorrilaz - "Feel Good Inc."
Hot Hot Heat - "Middle of Nowhere"

Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder?

Sadder.

Thinner or fatter?

The same.

Richer or poorer?

Same in some ways. Our savings is somewhat depleted due to the buying of the house, but we have a house and I'm making more per hour than I did a year ago.

What do you wish you'd done more of?

Been able to pay off one of my bills so I could save more. And read more books.

What do you wish you'd done less of?

Watched less tv probably.

How will you be spending Christmas?

We spent it with our families.

Did you fall in love in 2005?

Yes, I fell in love with our second new doggy, Zak.

How many one-night stands?

Well, we have several night-stands in our new house. One in each of the bedrooms in fact!

What was your favorite TV program?

CSI. The original. Still.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Again, can't name those people.

What was the best book you read?

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

What was your greatest musical discovery?

The new album by Franz Ferdinand

What did you want and get?

Our house.

What did you want and not get?

A new, or even new-used, car.

What were your favorite films of this year?

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, March of the Penguins, & Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

What did you do on your birthday?

My parents were visiting, so we looked at some shops near Mayville and had dinner at the Nik-L-Inn.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?

Umm. Layers? As in, let's buy more cuddl duds so I don't freeze my arse off at work.

What kept you sane?

My husband.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Jon Stewart. If I wasn't and he wasn't married....

What political issue stirred you the most?

I'm not sure I paid that much attention this year. That's not true either. The county executive race in our county. Unfortunately, our guy lost. Now we wait in quiet anticipation to see what his successor will do.

Who did you miss?

My Grandma.

Who was the best new person you met?

Amy. Our H.R. Manager. She's very smart and very supportive.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:

Spend quality time with those you love.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"You don't have to put up a fight
You don't have to always be right
Let me take some of the punches
For you tonight

Listen to me now
I need to let you know
You don't have to go it alone

And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you when I don't pick up the phone
Sometimes you can't make it on your own

U2- "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own"

A Fabulous End to Pride Month

Canada Lawmakers Approve Gay Marriage Bill

I can remember back in 1996 when my college friends and I thought Hawaii might become the first state to legalize gay marriages, and how some of my friends talked about going to the Netherlands to get married. And then how I teased my cousin, Bill, that he must get his partner Bob to Ontario, Canada and get married since his sister had finally gotten married at age 40-something. He laughed and said maybe if it became legal in Massachusetts. A year later that became reality. I'm so very happy to see our neighbors to the north doing the right thing.

Moving Up In The World

Scientific studies have discovered that the melting of a ice sheet that stretches over the northern part of Canada is causing the Canadian land mass to rise higher than the United States. It's a see-saw effect. If you put weight down on one side, the other side rises. The ice was putting weight down on Canada, causing the U.S. land mass to be higher. Now that the ice is melting, the pressure is off the Canadian land mass.

This could mean earthquakes on the Eastern part of the U.S. where there are no fault lines or plate borders. My geological hazards professor at Buffalo State always said he knew there weren't any fault lines running underneath Western New York. However, his next comment that this meant New York State would never see a major earthquake seems bogus now. Note this seismic graph for the past decade. The orange spots are indications of earthquakes. The bigger the spot, the bigger the earthquake. The largest quake recorded in NYS was a 4.8 in Massena in 1944.

Quirk of note: if you look at the Great Lakes area of the map and note the area near Lake Erie and Lake Ontario where the green line goes through, they're essentialy saying that Rochester, Syracuse, and Niagara Falls (USA) are on the Canadian side, therefore moving up in the world. In other words, I'm screwed living down here in Jamestown.

What About Moving to Canada?

So you don't support the war in Iraq. Well, regardless of this, a new bill may reinstate the draft for 2005 that may force you to go over there and risk your life anyway. I have relatives in northern Nova Scotia. I think Matt would very much like to meet them some day, even sooner if necessary.

The Underground Railroad to Canada

With the potential for civil war rising every day in Iraq, some say the best way to avoid this is more troops. How do you get more troops? The draft. What happens when you draft kids that don't want to go to Iraq? The Underground Railroad to Canada.

Cut Halifax A Frickin' Break Already!

Okay, after Hurricane Juan, you'd think the fair city of Halifax, Nova Scotia would get a break for a little while. Nope. The city and greater metro area got slammed with about a meter (AKA 39 inches) of snow last week. Pictures here.

An Essential If Going North of the Border

Okay, some of the things listed in the American's Guide to Canada have a huge "Duh!" factor for me, but then again.. I'm practically Canadian. Still interesting stuff.

Well Ring A Ding Ding!

So I'm wishing you all a Happy New Year and stuff and wondering how the hell I'm going to cure my darn earworm of "Hey Ya!" by the Outkast when I realize that in less than eight months I'll be married. While pondering my demise as a singleton, I also realize that 2003 was not always the most damn fine year I had come across. On the otherhand, karma speaks louder than words so the rollercoaster that the year was all seems to be in balance in the end.

Things to be happy about? First and foremost, my engagement to a guy who happens to be the best match I've ever come across. The verdict is still out on whether we'll procreate, but otherwise we've found excellent ways of putting up with each other's shite so why not seal the deal?

And in no particular order, other bouts of happiness realized came in the form of my best friend's wedding, a trip to the Maritimes, Canada with my parents and grandmother, a trip to Wilmington, NC to meet Matt's brother, claiming victory once more with the re-election of Matt's boss, the Sabres playing in Rochester, the release of the fifth Harry Potter book, a trip to NYC to do wedding shopping, discovering Coldplay, seeing my cousin Bill for the first time in about 10 years and meeting his partner, Bob; my cousin, Karen's wedding; The Da Vinci Code, getting John Flansberg's autograph, the Fountains of Wayne new album, the release of Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns on DVD, a bevy of good films including Bend It Like Beckham, A Mighty Wind, Love, Actually and Pirates of The Caribbean; and many other items.

Updates on Effects of Hurricane Juan

I get that sick feeling while reading reports of the damage and seemingly slow reaction by the Canadian government to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Juan in Nova Scotia. My parents and I are both hoping our family in Sydney Mines and the people we met on our trip made out ok and are safe.

Some reports:

Hurricane Juan news update

Patience Wearing For Nova Scotians

Public Gardens in Halifax Sustain Major Damage

Hurrican Juan Inflicts Damage on Halifax

I'm always surprised how stories that happen outside the United States get glossed over by our media. Example:
Halifax sustained major damage due to Hurricane Juan. Having visited Halifax, Nova Scotia this summer, I can tell you that this isn't just some little city in rural Canada. Maybe I missed the story on the networks, but a quick look at Yahoo! supplies nothing in terms of stories on this. So if I was to be a pessimist of a sort my line of thinking would be if it doesn't affect the U.S.A. then our media doesn't give a shirt. Unless it's an earthquake.

Why Did the Power Go Out in Canada?

Here's an interesting thought: The United States and Canada power grids are essentially separate. Electricity, or the sale of it, is money. Countries want to protect those interests. So the big question going around our office is why would Canada be affected something that apparently started in Michigan (according to this story)? I know that there's several officials (county-side at least) that were quite worried last night and waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop in terms of terrorism against this continent. They may say it's not terrorism, but even if was someone hacking into the computer system, that can still be considered a terroristic act. It's an attack.

We'll see what our glorious appointed one feeds us in his next tv/radio appearance.

In The Dark on the Blackout

Ironically, the only time the blackout has affected me was when I tried to get food in Fredonia on my way to Buffalo right after 4pm. I thought the power outage was a local thing at the time. I'm not going to post any news links because part of the information being disseminated is inaccurate.

THE BIG INACCURACY: Lightning was not the cause of this massive power outage. It was a clear day here in Western New York and weather forecasters (AKA Don Paul on WIVB in Buffalo, NY) stated that no lightning strikes have been documented in the region. Plus, Niagara-Mohawk officials from here in Western New York have verified that information as well. So don't listen to that Jean Chretien fellow in Canada. I may love our neighbors to the north (and west in my case), but their leader is way off base on this one. It's too bad the rest of the national media hasn't figured that out yet.

So while a good chunk of this Great Lakes/Eastern Seaboard area was without power, I was basking in the musical beauty of Aimee Mann in Buffalo. What an exquisite concert! She did all my favorite songs ("Wise Up", "Save Me", and "That's Just What You Are"). Unfortunately, that all almost pales in comparison to what I came home to. At least we have power now. Matt says we did lose it for 3 hours while our Board of Public Utilities switched over to its backup of natural gas. Huzzah to that!

Another Good Step Forward

I'm heartened to see that My Episcopalian leaders have voted to elect the first openly gay bishop. I get the feeling that people will look back on the summer of 2003 and call it "The Gay Summer of 2003" with everything that's happened from the Supreme Court's ruling that strikes down sodomy laws to the legalization of same-sex marriages in Canada to the gay-themed television shows that have appeared on the scene (mostly Bravo! and NBC) this season. It's a good thing.