CinnamonOpus Says

Sunday Stuff

Today’s random information:

A power washer and some dirty lawn chairs on a hot sunny day is really just a high-powered grown-up lawn sprinkler. I am drenched and sunburnt and happy as Larry. And I have clean lawn chairs! I hope it’s sunny again tomorrow so I can power wash something else.
Homemade apple crumble pie rocks. And it’s really easy.
Moving to New Zealand is not an option. Damn. It struck me as a brilliant plan this morning…
My gardening shoes (faux-Crocs) have given me a very strange polka-dotted tan on my feet, and the look of perpetually dirty ankles because of an unfortunate tan line.
Not all teenage boys are sullen, irresponsible and shiftless. They are, however, NOISY.
I have discovered I can still do things that require tools and some manner of strength and whatnot by myself. I thought the ability had left me sometime around the time I found myself part of a couple, as often happens. But, I find myself alone bytimes with things to do, and thinking, “Well, why don’t you just do it your own self, then?” And lo and behold, I can.
I miss swimming and sunshine.
A good icy cold beverage is a happy thing indeed.
I’ve been mapping my bike rides each day — well, actually, I am quite a bit behind, but I have a map started and when I left off in early June I was already in Kingston. I estimate that I am probably well into Quebec by now. When I get it up-to-date I’ll post it. Go me!

July 13th, 2008 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | no comments

Random Tuesday Thoughts

It’s one of those days.

It’s a billion degrees with the humidex outside. I await thunderstorms with great anticipation. Although we’ve lived in the Bermuda triangle of weather during the past 5 years or so — weather that is forecast hits everywhere BUT here, passing just north or south or east of us — this year seems to be different. We’ve had big snow and big storms and twisters so far this year. So maybe this summer will be a stormy one. We can hope — it beats the promise of rain that never comes, and seeing my plants and lawn die of drought.

I have decreed: Next year, we are finishing our basement, buying a rollaway daybed, and moving into the basement for all of June, July and August. (Maybe.) It’s so nice and COOL down there, and we wouldn’t have to worry about running the A/C as long to cool the rest of the house.

My cat has been barfing. Not that this is a serious thing: she barfs a few times a week. Usually it’s because she’s hungry and she either can’t remember where her food is, or she knows where it is but decides “DO NOT WANT” and then goes and drinks water until she barfs. So that’s quite normal, actually. The problem is that she’s been barfing on her blankie, which then has to go in the wash. This causes Yelly McScreamsalot to walk around doing her MADMADMAD thing and shrieking her fool head off because she has no blankie to sleep on. When she’s not yelling because she’s hungry, that is — completely forgetting she just barfed 14 minutes ago. Ah, the joys of senile geriatric cat management.

I filled a bird feeder with seed. The birds are happy. The squirrels are happy. The lemon thyme below the feeder? Not quite so happy. BDH? Will not be quite so happy when he sees the condition of said lemon thyme.

We have been watching a lot of streaming TV. Specifically The Tudors, Season 4 of Doctor Who, and Mythbusters. Good doG, how I love the Internets.

6 or so years ago, we planted a honeysuckle vine at our back fence. The intent was for it to grow and cover the back fence, hiding a bit of the weediness of the conservation area and attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. We planted it, we put a trellis in for it to start on, and we walked away. The thing took off like a shot, growing up and all over the trellis, and blooming and thriving. But no matter what we did, it would not crawl along the fence. I have each year fed new runners through the fence and not one has ever grown along the fence. So, this morning I went out and checked on some of the vines I had thread through over the past few weeks. Sometime during the past few days, each one has been almost surgically been snipped off, right at the fence. And then I realized: there are no vines within about 5 feet of the ground, on the other side of the fence. It seems certain wildlife, who shall remain nameless (*ahem* DEER *ahem*) have been partaking of my honeysuckle as a tasty snack, walking along and… NOMNOMNOMNOM… there goes my honeysuckle. Oh well, at least they’re doing it while I am not looking — unlike Charleston, who stands there and shamelessly noms all my daisies RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, with a “WHAT??” look on his face.

I was going to buy some clearance items at Victoria’s Secret today. But I realized we haven’t got a lot of spare cash, and I need a clothesline more. Good grief, I am becoming a MOM.

And, on a serious note:

Some loved ones have received some terrible news and are currently coping with a heartrending situation at a hospital down East. We think good thoughts and say our prayers for them, but it’s one of those situations where there is nothing we can do to help. It’s a horrible feeling, knowing people you care for are in such pain and you cannot help them. All we can do is hope and pray.

July 8th, 2008 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Everyday Life Stuff, Random Thoughts, Cats | one comment

Miscellaneous Life Stuff

Here’s what’s going on at the House of Peevish on a Wednesday.

It was one of those mornings when waking up is hard to do. It was one of those mornings when you just settle into a really good, comfortable spot, and the temperature is just right, and you’re so happy sleeping… and then the alarm goes off. And it’s Wednesday, so it’s garbage day, so it’s not like you can just shut off the alarm and sleep in because you never know when the stupid garbage men will come by. But oh, for just another hour or so of that magical sleep.

I’m turning into every crabby old adult I ever knew. And the reason? Is cats. And gardens. I love cats — obviously. Always have. But I remember as a kid how the horrible nasty neighbours would complain about cats using their gardens as a litter box. I remember my father complaining about it (only tangentially, because we had an outdoor cat, so it was kind of expected). I remember thinking how these crotchety old people were so mean for chasing cats out of their yard, yelling and clapping and acting like freaks. And what am I doing, at least a couple of times a week around here? Yelling and clapping and making weird noises to chase cats out of my garden or my yard. Even this morning, as I sit out on the porch with you typing, one of the worst offenders (the orange cat belonging to the Queen Bitch President of the Special Mommies Club who lives a few doors down, who always digs up my vegetable garden to crap in — that’s the CAT, mind, not the woman) was starting to walk over to our yard. He saw me and stopped dead in his tracks. “Don’t even think about it,” I told him. He froze. Then he turned, and walked in the other direction. I’m turning into that horrible Mrs. S, who lived next door when I was a child.

It’s cool today, and the forecast is calling for rain this afternoon. Maybe a thunderstorm. I love thunderstorms, especially in the heat of summer. But right now it is cool, so if the rain comes it will get cooler, and the chill and the damp will get into your bones. I think a big pot of chicken curry is in order. There’s something good for a cold, damp day.

I have this thing about wildlife. I love animals. I have an affinity for animals, mostly because they have always been great companions, trustworthy and unconditionally loving, where people have not. And so, I live in a house with 4 cats. And I can watch the deer out back for endless hours. And I feed the birds and the squirrels and the chipmunks and the rabbits. And I don’t get upset when the voles tear up our lawn, or various animals mow down our plants and shrubs, because they need food and shelter in the winter. So when the neighbour shows me that a robin has started making a nest in a decorative wreath that’s hanging on the brick wall of her house — a wreath, that she tells me, is only lightly hung up on the wall and not capable of supporting much weight — well, I begin to worry. You just know that I’ll be worrying about that bird and the inhabitants of that nest, wide awake and in a state, on the first rainy, windy night.

I am looking at the front yard of the Queen Bitch President of the Special Mommies Club, and I notice, she’s got some sort of decorative tree thing in her front lawn. This tree (I use the term loosely) is held up by three big honking stakes and some ropes covered in rubber tubing, all considerably thicker and sturdier than this twig-like tree thing. And it’s been there for years; it’s not as if this is a brand new plant that just needs a little help in its first season but then will be big and strong in no time. Oh no. It’s been like this for a couple years now. And so I ask myself, what is the frigging point? Why would you buy a tree that needs an elaborate system of pulleys and cables and trapezes and whatnot to hold the damn thing up? Why not buy a tree that was, you know, more TREE than TWIG? Is it like some sort of bizarre art installation that I am just not understanding?

We don’t have cable, so everything we watch is on DVD or the computer. And we’ve taken to watching a few oddball movies and series over the last little bit, along with some old favourites. And so, if you’re looking for something a little more intriguing and off the beaten track than your average fare, I would recommend:
- Jekyll, because it’s both thrilling and darkly hilarious, and James Nesbitt is brilliant and — dare I say it — just a little bit sexy in it.
- Slings and Arrows, because Paul Gross is hilarious in season 1 and 2, and just plain great in season 3. The first two seasons are funny and touching and fun, while season 3 is a bit less funny and a bit more tear-your-heart-out sad.
- Waitress, because it’s a sweet little movie, both funny and sad. It’s a gem.
- The MatchMaker, because it’s one of those movies that never gets old. It’s charming and fun, and it’s got some great characters along with the obviously played-for-broad-laughs stereotypical ones. It’s nice rom-com entertainment.
- Greenfingers, because it’s just a lovely film. And because Clive Owen is lovely to look at.

May 14th, 2008 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Everyday Life Stuff, Random Thoughts, Movies | 4 comments

Random List of Randomness

I love listening to podcasts. (I’ve said that before, haven’t I. Oh well. Go ahead and skip down if you want.) From the yoga classes I do online, to listening to Stephen Fry while I go for a walk (as he advises to do) to watching Gorgeous (and brilliant) George on The Hour while I make dinner, podcasts are a fantastic thing. It’s just like all the things I love about radio, without the commercials. And with better sound. And on the computer. Okay, so not EXACTLY like radio. Maybe like what radio could be. And TV too. The variety is tremendous, and I can choose whatever I am in the mood for whenever I want. And it’s free.
My sports bra is broken. The wire is poking out at one end and stabbing me in the armpit. And it’s a really great bra, too. I hate when that happens. Damn.
I didn’t win the pet photo contest at Canadian Living. Damn again. Oh well. I shall console myself with the fact that they OBVIOUSLY don’t know from cute pets.
Today is a good day to make cookies.
My seeds have sprouted! Well, 50% or so have, anyway. I have tomatoes, and basil, and dahlias, and cockscomb, and gazanias… hopefully we’ll see some more before too long. I have to set up an indoor greenhouse this week to put them all in to growgrowgrow over the next two months, which may or may not be a pain in the whatzis. The plastic cover is in the garage, no doubt being peed all over by Adventure Mouse. And the greenhouse framework is currently being used as a shoe rack in the hall closet. Le sigh.
Every last one of my cats is full of beans today. It’s going to be one of those days. I can feel it.
I’ve got to get out with a shovel and do some digging soon. In my garden. I have perennials I want to split and move and a garden I want to enlarge and edge. I suppose a plan is in order.
Do you ever get a craving for something to eat even though you are not hungry? Just now I thought “ooh, French toast would be FAB” and yet, I am not hungry. Sometimes I just like the IDEA of food, I think. Maybe I should invent flavoured sprays to spray in your mouth so when you get a craving you can just go “PFFFFT — MMM! French toast!” without actually eating anything. I bet I’d make a fortune.
Inventing something would require science and math. Science puts me to sleep (unless it’s of the MythBusters variety, in which case things are getting blown up, and that is GOOD) and math makes no sense whatsoever to me. So I think inventing is not in my future.
The baby’s room has been cleared out to the point that you can go in there and walk around. There’s still an extra single bed in there, and the carpet needs shampooing, and the walls need painting, and all the furniture is leaning up against the wall and has to be assembled… but progress has been made.
I have to go for my walk now. Ta.

April 15th, 2008 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | 6 comments

A Little Bit of Random

Some random for you today:

Apparently it’s possible to have a phone number with all zeros. Even the area code is 000. You know how I know this? Because whoever it is calls me every. flipping. day.
There’s a product samples lady in my grocery store who has been sent to me from heaven. The first time she was there, she offered the tastiest tomatoes ever. But the next time? DARK CHOCOLATE. And she gave me 3 pieces.
Everyone has their limit. BDH’s came shortly after looking at the massive pile of dirty dishes on the counter on Sunday night, after having washed dishes by hand for the past 2 months. And he threw up his hands in surrender and called a repairman to come look at our dishwasher. Or we’ll replace it, whatever is a more reasonable cost.
Because of this past point? BDH is my hero.
I no longer believe we are actually in the process of adopting. It’s just been too long a wait. I think what’s happened is that I’ve just had a really elaborate dream. And I’ll wake up and Bobby Ewing will be in my shower alive and well. And he’ll tell me it’s all been a dream. And that I shot J.R. And Mr. Burns, too. AND the sheriff. (But, as you may have guessed, I did not shoot the deputy. Phew.)
I drank the last of my Bailey’s in a mug of coffee the other night. I feel remorse. For it would be nice to have coffee and Bailey’s right now.
Doing a couple of gentle classes of yoga is sometimes just as good as doing one of the classes where Chaz kicks my ass.
It is not possible to get tired of A Year in Provence. Or if it is, it’s certainly not after the first several hundred viewings, because we watched it again on the weekend and loved it just as much as always.
Even 6 months later, I’m still totally grateful to BDH for buying me an iPod for my birthday and introducing me to the addictive world of podcasts.
I’m in the mood to eat something. Something hearty. When I figure out what it is, I’ll get back to you.

February 26th, 2008 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | 2 comments

Tagged Again

Well it looks like once again I’ve been tagged for a meme on the blogs, this time TWICE! Ricki and Shannon both tagged me to list 6 random things about myself, so here goes.

I get my hair coloured quite often. I like the change. Sometimes it’s lovely, sometimes it’s just a bit funky. I let my hairdresser do whatever inspires her. This month, it’s kind of a dark purply-brown with bright blonde peek-a-boo highlights underneath. I mean, why not? Hells bells, it’s only hair. It’s not life or death.
I currently have a pan of cinnamon buns and a loaf of cranberry-raisin Portuguese sweet bread rising in my kitchen.
I am afraid of fish. Not on a plate, where they are wonderful, and not in an aquarium, where they are quite pretty to look at. Just in their natural habitat. I won’t swim in lakes or the ocean because of fish. I won’t go on a cruise because the boat could sink and then I would be, if not most certainly dead, which would suck, then stuck out in the middle of the ocean with FISH, which would also suck. My thinking is, if whoever created this planet wanted us to actually BE where the fish ARE, he would not have covered it up with water. He would have made it LAND.
One of my feet is a full half-size smaller than the other.
I have wanted to adopt since I was a teenager. I never imagined that I would have kids that were NOT adopted, and Ethiopia always appealed to me. Early on, I just felt that one of my children would be born in Ethiopia. And my life has presented nifty connections with Ethiopia time and time again. I had students who came from Ethiopia. I did a post-grad project on Ethiopian language. I became fascinated with it’s position as the cradle of human life during class on Bioanthropology. Some of my favourite cultural icons have a connection with Ethiopia. Things happen for a reason.
I have dance parties with my cats.

Now, I don’t do a lot of social networking on the internet, so I don’t really have anyone to tag. But I can tag YOU — yes, YOU, reading this right now — so feel free to add your random things about yourself in the comments if you like.

February 10th, 2008 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Everyday Life Stuff, Random Thoughts, Cats, Adoption, Fun Stuff | 4 comments

Rejection

Hey, you.

Yes… YOU! Internet!

I’m talking to you.

You’re so QUIET lately.

I mean, it ECHOES when I come in here, it’s so quiet.

You don’t write, you don’t call… nothing.

Is our relationship in trouble, Internet? Do you not feel for me the way you once did? Has the bloom gone off the rose?

Well you certainly don’t pay me much attention these days, that’s for sure.

Oh, I know… you’re busy.

You have a life, too. Right?

But I had grown accustomed to your boisterous, chatty self. You remember… we used to have quite a witty repartee going back in the day.

But now it’s all quiet.

Sigh.

Well, I don’t mean to be a bastard about it, but… all I’m saying is, if this keeps up, I am leaving you.

That’s right.

I’ll leave you and go back to my TV.

February 5th, 2008 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | 3 comments

Moments Best Left Unwitnessed

While listening to music and doing a super-micro-clean of the kitchen yesterday, I bring you moments that are best left unwitnessed.

A strange duckwalk across the kitchen, completely lacking in any sort of bluesy-ness, as though undergoing some kind of seizure, in time with “Baby Please Don’t Go”.
The moment of realization, as your back feels a bit of a twinge, your air guitar playing needs work. Or possibly, a switch to air harmonica.
The sheer, unbridled joy, and not just a little tunelessness, with which “Born to Run” can be sung while scrubbing the sink. Accompanied, of course, by the periodic shrieking of “OH WOOOOOAAAAH!” along with Bruce, and mad gesticulation along to the lyrics, like some bad karaoke nightmare.
Telling the cat, without a smidge of sarcasm, that yes, Cinnamon, the Bee Gees DID have way more talent than anyone every gave them credit for. Because you know she can keep your dirty little secret.
Feeling somehow that “slinky” is not a word that describes you. Even if you’re doing your best Shirley Manson, purring “You can touch me if you want”, while cleaning the stove and cupboard with Lysol.

What?

September 27th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts, Music Notes | one comment

Life’s Laws

There are certain laws in life that I’ve come to learn are true and cannot be denied.

The things that are worst for you taste the best.
Your hair always looks its worst when someone really attractive comes to the door.
If you’re nervous about visiting someone’s home, your sock will miraculously spring a hole in it.
Love and joy can be noisy. Especially when you need sleep.
Before you get that tattoo, remember that you’re going to be old one day and that skin will stretch and sag.
You can’t go home again, but you can shop there. (That one I got from Grosse Pointe Blank. But in my case, it’s partly true.)
If you put your garbage out the night before garbage day so you can sleep later, instead of getting up early, they won’t come to pick up the garbage until after noon.
You can tell a person’s character from how they treat wait staff in restaurants.
Class reunions only happen when you are overweight.
If someone drives by with music blasting really loud, it won’t be GOOD music.
Before you name your child, make sure it sounds dignified in combination with “The Right Honourable _____” or “Reverend _______”.
Real friends are the ones you don’t see or talk to for years, but when you do see them again, you just pick up where you left off.
You always run out of creamer just as you make a really good quality pot of coffee.
Life is more fun if you handle your goof-ups with good humour.
Being kind to strangers you deal with in your day-to-day-business costs nothing, but the rewards are endless.

September 19th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | no comments

Woodstock

Do you remember Woodstock, the little bird from the Peanuts comics? The little guy who flew kind of topsy-turvy, all-over-the-place, sometimes-upside-down and sometimes not?

Well, this week and for the past few weeks, I’ve been kind of like Woodstock. I know where I have to go, but getting there is a little topsy-turvy and all over the place.

My weeks have been kind of… disjointed. I have random bits of this and that to do, in the middle of big projects to do, so it all feels kind of scattershot. It feels like I have no plan (and you know me, I like a plan).

A lot of odd jobs have had to be done for our adoption, that last push of paperwork before our file gets sent off to the government, then Ethiopia. I’ve had places to go and errands to run outside my usual stuff, and that has caused great honking gaps in my daily routine. Plus, there was that extra day off, so I feel like it’s not Thursday… although goodness knows, I could not tell you what day it actually IS.

But, the good thing is, it’s always moving forward. Things are getting done.

I’ve been going to and from the vet regularly. Just dropping off cats, and picking cats up, and taking cats to appointments…

I’ve phoned the government Revenue department (those tax people). And that was actually very PLEASANT, which is outside the norm for most people. (Of COURSE it was pleasant — they are in PEI!)

I’ve been to the adoption agency, and will be going again.

I’ve spent great honking blocks of time in a foreign country. (Okay, so it’s the U.S. But STILL.)

I’ve had LUNCH. With a FRIEND. *gasp!*

I’ve sat and knitted in an office cubicle while waiting to see someone to notarize documents. And I’ve had documents notarized, which is again an odd thing to do.

I’ve started a new writing gig, which requires the use of a new software, which I have already blown up in spectacular fashion.

I’ve walked. Early.

And my days will continue to be disjointed, at least for a little while longer, with passport photos to take and photocopies to make and doctor visits to arrange.

It’s been an odd few weeks. To and from, here and there, back and forth. I’ve had lots of detours and turns in my days. But at least, things are getting done. I’m getting somewhere.

Woodstock would be proud.

September 6th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Everyday Life Stuff, Random Thoughts, Adoption | no comments

See? Chocolate IS the Perfect Food.

Thanks to Heather, this morning I received the glorious news that chocolate makes a good toothpaste.

Well, but of COURSE it does.

I have long said chocolate is a near-perfect food. Sweet and tasty, full of chemicals that make you feel good… and scientists are discovering more of the benefits of chocolate each and every day.

But I have ALWAYS known it. What woman hasn’t?

In the future, I predict that chocolate will be found to:

Cure the common cold.
Aid space travel.
Make us thin.
End wars.
Give us good skin.
Win the Nobel prize for literature.
Bring about world peace.

I feel the urge to bake now.

August 16th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | no comments

Sometimes…

I bake just to relax.

Some shows and movies bear watching over and over again.

The quiet is almost loud.

A couple of vegetables IS all you need for dinner.

I think I could sleep for days.

My cat is too beautiful for words.

Ponytails are tiresome.

I realize how ill-prepared I am to be a mom.

Rainy days give me an excuse to be a lazy bum.

One of the cats snores.

I really miss being thin.

A clean house makes your mind and spirit content.

I am hit by the enormity of what it means to adopt from Ethiopia.

There’s nothing to eat in the house that appeals to me.

Lucy has a nose whistle.

I wonder if I should go back to work.

Quieter, gentler songs are better.

My computer seems to get constipated.

Chatting by IM isn’t the same.

I think time is passing more slowly, and am glad that I have learned to enjoy it.

August 12th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | no comments

Heat, and Lots of It

I had to go out and run some errands today. How is it I pick one of the hottest days of the summer to run around and do stuff? It boggles.

The air conditioning in my car is not working and therefore I have to employ 460 air conditioning — 4 windows open at 60 km/h. And let me tell you, it’s hardly satisfying. I was still sweating like a sweaty thing that sweats the entire time. But were it not for busted air conditioning, I would not have been able to enjoy the pleasures or driving around our fair city: exhaust fumes, other people’s bad taste in music, and construction dust.

One of the downfalls of life in this city is that it appears to be a mission of our city works department to ensure that there is no easy way to get from any one part of town to any other. They accomplish this mission by doing endless construction on all major thoroughfares all at once. Or, rather, they tear up the major thoroughfare, block off several lanes, scatter pointy-arrow-sign-thingies and construction pylons about the place, and then leave for several days/weeks/months. Right now they are tearing up two roads in this neighbourhood that are relatively new and required no major repairs that I had ever noticed. I believe that there is a large map on the wall in the main city works office and they throw darts at it weekly.

People get a bit weird in the heat. Certainly, their fashion sense — or lack thereof — gets a bit weird. And as I tromp around in my baby blue faux-croc gardening shoes, I am certainly not one to pass judgement. But let me just say, there are a frightening number of women out there who are wearing tummy tops out in public who have absolutely no business wearing said tummy tops. And I think you know what I mean.

My cats get weird(er) in the heat. I went to the vet to stock up on cat food, and picked up a couple of cases of cans and a bag of kibbles. I came in the house and put the whole lot on top of a cooler sitting in the foyer. I heard scrabbling and went out to find Opus trying to climb up and claim Mount Catfood as part of the Bubby Empire.

I have allergies going outer limits. Plants are spewing pollen and whatnot because tomorrow is August first, and time for the annual Hayfever Festival is just around the corner. Oh JOY! My sinuses may explode at any moment. The membranes INSIDE MY NOSE itch. I have been sneezing since 7:45 am. Also, any part of my skin that has ever touched a blade of grass has suddenly broken out in itching.

I love summer.

July 31st, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | 3 comments

Randomy Goodness

It’s a random sort of a day.

Lately the adoption stuff has had me a bit frustrated. The countless questions, the never-ending homestudy, the social worker who doesn’t like BDH and doesn’t do a good job of hiding it — it gets on your last nerve, sometimes. Even spending time in the baby aisle comparison shopping gets a little old. But then, when you unpack your groceries which includes a package of diapers, and all of a sudden you get that baby-powder sweet baby smell… it reminds you why you’re doing it all.
Chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven, taste so much better when you’ve thrown a bunch of Skor chips into the dough.
I was looking at some video yesterday that we took of a volleyball match at the National Championships back in March. And there’s a weird dorky guy who came and sat right in front of the camera with his weird dorky daughter, effectively blocking the view, but completely, blissfully oblivious that he’s doing so. And the funny thing is, just seeing him sit down in frame made me instantly loathe the guy, all over again. And all the while he sits there, pointing stuff out to his kid, standing up and stretching periodically, completely unaware of everything around him. I had to laugh.
A fly came in the house when I was bringing in my groceries this morning. ENDLESS hours of cat amusement, I can tell you. It’s like Cat TV.
Tomorrow is the start of a long weekend. Canada Day means fireworks, insanity at the grocery store, and avoiding any routes to cottage country at all costs.
Today is the birthday of the one, the only, John Cusack. He’s 41 — did you ever dream in your life that John Cusack would be 41? I certainly didn’t. He’s still looking good, mind — he’s aging well. And yet, his love for me remains unrequited… Dear, sweet John, you poor hopelessly pining man, try to put me out of your mind… I’m a married woman now…
It’s hard to reconcile the cries of a kitty trying desperately to convince you to chase her around the house and play with the fact that just yesterday, said kitty was barely able to walk without teetering over. What a difference a day makes. The howling call to play is annoying, sure. But I’ve not been so glad to be annoyed in a long time.
Look! My potato plants have come up in my garden! Whee!

June 28th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Everyday Life Stuff, Random Thoughts, Holidays, Cats, Adoption | 2 comments

What Makes It A Good Day

An air-conditioned house when it’s humid
Jerk chicken marinating in the fridge
Cape daisies
My father-in-law home and recovering
“Bad Wolf” written in big letters on someone’s driveway
Garden centres
A clean bill of health for my mother-in-law
Goslings
French vanilla coffee creamer
icanhascheezburger
New garden shoes
Little girls who come up to me and tell me “My dad has my Nana’s money card because he says she wastes all her money”
Water coolers
Dessert tofu (mango and peach)
The Police
A new t-shirt
Shade
Really good egg salad

May 31st, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | no comments

crickets

HellllllllllllOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Hello?

DUDE.

The interweb is TOTALLY quiet today. And yesterday too.

There was an echo in here today.

And crickets. Chirping. (Not just, you know, milling about and stuff. It wasn’t like a cricket cocktail party or anything. Because that would have TOTALLY been cool.)

I have nobody to play with.

It’s so QUIET.

*crickets*

May 30th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | one comment

Some Daydreams

What would you do, if you had the money?

5 things I want to do around the house, if I had the money:

Finish the basement.
Finish the patio and put on a little deck.
Put in a fireplace.
Add about 6 feet on to the main floor. (Probably I should do that before I do the other ones, huh.)
Remodel the kitchen to include a breakfast bar, an eat-in space, and a wine rack.

5 things I would buy totally just for fun, if I had the money:

An in-ground pool.
An elliptical trainer.
A really high-end fancy coffee-beverage-maker that makes all kinds of tasty beverages.
One of those big plasma TVs that you can hang on the wall.
A crazy-high-end barbeque.

5 places I would go, if I had the money:

Barbados
Ireland, specifically Galway/the west coast
New Zealand
The UK
Some of the fancy resorts I always see in my Concierge e-newsletter

Sigh. It’s a good day for daydreams.

May 29th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts, Fun Stuff | no comments

A To-Do List For When I Am Fabulously Wealthy

Pay someone else to weed the gardens.
Adopt retired racing greyhounds.
Hire a personal shopping assistant for BDH.
Pay Christopher Eccleston whatever it takes to get him to be Doctor Who again.
Have a cool exercise machine invented where I can use my computer while I exercise.
Put in one of those plunge pool things. And also? One of those pools that’s like a lane in a pool with water you have to swim against. Yes, that’s right. TWO pools. And maybe another pool just for swimming, with many many toys. HELL YEAH!
Fund the discovery of a cure for allergies (for me). And diabetes (for BDH).
ROAD TRIP! to Japan for beer and okonomiyaki. Possibly? Take in a sumo tournament.
Have a dance party with a bunch of three and four year olds.
Buy a very large place. Like, say, Texas. Make it into a state of the art animal sanctuary. And then Kelly can be the Imperial Grand Poobah and run it as she sees fit.
Fund Volleyball Canada and fund all its athletes indefinitely. And hire a team to run it and make it run like a well-oiled machine.
Pay someone else to clean the cat litter.
Have a dream house in Barbados. Near enough to Champers so we can eat there regularly.
Build a volleyball academy and start a volleyball club to play there.
Build a new facility for the Humane Society here in town, and make sure they have everything they need at all times.
Hire a personal trainer. OOH! And a massage therapist!
Bring back Sports Night and Firefly. With the original casts and staff. And fix those unfortunate Serenity cast *ahem* CHANGES. Accept no substitutions.
Get the best pogo stick in existence.
Have a place dedicated specifically to jumping on a pogo stick.
Find the ultimate sports bra. Buy many of them.
Buy the house of my dreams. With heated floors. In Nova Scotia. Without all these stairs, dammit.
Podcast these blogs instead of writing them.
Fund AIDS research and relief worldwide, but FIRST in Africa. Buy everyone who needs one a bed net. And then make poverty history.
Tasty refreshing beverages! For everyone!

May 21st, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | 2 comments

Weeds

There are so many big problems in the world. So many big problems in people’s lives that they have to worry about. But often times, for those things, people get geared up for a fight. They get motivated. They make a plan.

I find sometimes, it’s the little, everyday things that wear us down. Smaller, more mundane things that come up time and time again that wear at our optimism and dent our days. Little annoyances that you have to tackle time and time again. They’re like a cold that won’t go away. Or weeds in your garden that are forever coming back and needing to be pulled.

Here are the weeds in my garden. What are yours?

Being creative with meals while trying to stick to a budget
Feeling guilty for staying at home
Getting up and going and being productive in the morning
Holding the purse strings
Washing our indoor grill
Getting certain house projects done that I’ve been meaning to do for years
Worrying that everyone in the house is getting the attention and love they deserve and is not feeling neglected
Getting all the laundry done and put away
Feeling like I am not contributing enough in our life
Weeding the back garden

May 9th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Everyday Life Stuff, Random Thoughts | one comment

Hey, Wait A Minute…

Several signs that the apocalypse is upon us:

I’m getting rid of magazines. CANADIAN LIVING magazines.
BDH asked for fruit in his lunch today.
My cat has started talking in her sleep.
Both BDH and I are losing weight.
I’m considering paying someone to paint my porch. (ME. Spending MONEY.)
My cat has not peed on anything today (yet).
I passed on the on-sale Easter chocolate while out shopping today.
We’re going to set up more investments, and it was BDH’s idea.
We exercised. On our DAYS OFF.

I am telling you, if I see four cranky-looking guys on horseback, I am SO outta here.

April 9th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | 10 comments

Friday Fun

Well, we’re in the middle of a snow storm here, the annual April last-blast-of-winter we always get before spring is here for good. So I am not going anywhere or doing anything while the wind is howling and the snow is blowing. So I need YOU to entertain me.

Yes, YOU. And that means you TOO, lurkers. Oh yes, shy little lurkers in Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia and Pennsylvania and elsewhere, come on out and play. Join in.

Are you a dog person or a cat person? Or another animal entirely?
If you could do absolutely any job in the world, what would it be?
What job would you absolutely NOT want to do?
What is your favourite kind of cookie?
Do you ever dance while doing things around the house?
Perfect vacation: snow, sun & sand, or adventure?
Do you like soup?
What colour is the shirt you are wearing RIGHT NOW?
Where are your keys?
What song makes you happiest?

Thank you for entertaining me. I’ll post my answers later. Hell, maybe I’ll even change out of my pajamas before then.

April 6th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts, Fun Stuff | 15 comments

Best: Saturday Edition

Best beverage for a cool, lazy Saturday: A cup of Chai tea with lots of milk and honey.
Best way to be woken out of sleeping in: The unequalled joy of a four-year-old on his birthday. In this case, our neighbour’s son welcoming people to his birthday party.
Best pals: Opus and Lucy. One of the most wonderful sounds in the world is the two of them burbling to each other as they play chase.
Best lazy Saturday dinner: Sloppy Joes. There’s something about sanctioned mess that makes Sloppy Joes taste so very good.
Best chore: Making a coffee cake to use up the last of the buttermilk, before it goes bad. We’re trying hard not to waste anything these days.
Best plan: None at all. Except maybe a nap.
Best friend: A husband who wants to snuggle on the couch and watch Firefly, and laughs at all the lines with you.

March 31st, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | no comments

Cake

I’m craving cake. With icing. A really good piece of cake, with a cream cheese or a lovely not-too-sweet butter icing, would go a really long way right now. I have no idea why I am suddenly craving cake. I am not even a big cake person. And yet…

When I have dessert, cake is usually far down the list of options. I’ll go for something cheesecake first, or a pie, or something custardy. That’s just who I am. I mean, my love of the pie is well documented. I am, as we all know, the original Pie Stealing Bastard. I love a good piece of pie. And cheesecake is next to godliness in my book. So this whole craving of cake is completely out of the ordinary.

It can’t be cheap cake, mind you. Not that manufactured, heavily iced, lacking-in-substance birthday cake. Oh no. I’m craving something with some teeth, something dense and rich and decadent. Something chocolate would be lovely, of course. But a nice heavy slice of a buttered almond cake, or a wonderful piece of carrot cake from the bakery in St. Jacobs — they’d be perfect. With a big mug of tea.

But there’s no cake. Nary a slice, Not a crumb within shouting distance of this place. Le sigh.

March 26th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | no comments

Enough

Everyone has limits.

I’ve had enough of being sick. This has gone on for too long, and I am tired of the whole coughing and nose-blowing thing.
There’s not enough really good Italian restaurants in town. We need some really good Italian restaurants — not chain restaurants, but family owned and authentic.
One season of The Ninth Doctor of Doctor Who was not enough.
We definitely haven’t got enough storage space in our house. Or maybe we have more than enough stuff. Possibly some could be thrown away.
Winter can be over now. I’ve had enough of the cold and the snow, and I want to start going for walks outside everyday again. I could certainly do some of my errands on foot.
I can’t get enough of those Chapman’s fudgesicles these days, the no sugar added ones. I could eat a billion.
Sometimes it feels like it will be forever until we have completed our adoption work and have a child, and other times, we haven’t got nearly enough time or money to get ready.
I’ve had enough of Opus yelling, already.
We haven’t got enough money to finish our basement now, which is a drag. It’d be great to have that space finished.
I’m hungry enough for both of us right now, I tell you.

March 20th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | no comments

Best

Best ice cream flavour: Vanilla. Yes. Possibly outdone only by French vanilla. I love vanilla, what can I say? I am boring.
Best TV series: Sports Night. Brilliantly written. Several wonderful characters, including one of my Virtual Top Ten men, Dan Rydell. I wish I was so clever as some of the characters on this show. I wish I were as gifted a writer of dialogue and story as Aaron Sorkin. Even though we have watched the series through many, many times, we still laugh and cry and discuss the minutiae of the show and talk about what should have happened in subsequent seasons.
Best time of day: Early evening.
Best-loved children’s book: Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass. I got a compilation of both stories as a kid, and I read it many times over. I adored the Alice stories. They appealed to my imagination and I always wanted to walk through a mirror into another place.
Best comfort food: Mashed potatoes. Especially with butter and green onions, also known as champ.
Best sale: The 100 yen sales at Kintetsu department store, when I lived in Japan. You can’t believe all the wonderful stuff I bought for a dollar during those sales. Some stuff I still use.
Best shoes: My Doc Martens with the big silver buckle. If they’d been shiny patent leather, they’d be perfect.
Best meal: Dinner at Champers, near Bridgetown, Barbados. BDH took me there one evening when we were on a business trip to Barbados, and it was the nicest dinner, just for sheer ambiance and good food. Right on the water’s edge, it was a favourite place to dine. I wonder if it’s still there, and still as nice.
Best T-shirt (tie): My gray Navy t-shirt Bob brought me from the US Naval Academy, and my John Lennon collector’s edition from the Hard Rock Cafe in Tokyo. Hard to say which one I love more, but both of them are well worn and pretty special to me. Luckily, they’re both too small now.
Best colour of paint in my house right now: I think the blue in our attic is the richest, most relaxing colour, and I am glad we decided to go with something bold. Although, it’s not one of those neutral colours they say you’re supposed to paint. Oh well. Screw them. What do they know anyway? I like it.

February 25th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | 2 comments

Answer Me This…

There is no middle ground.

Tonight for dinner: leftovers or something new?
My blog: Change the look of my blog, or leave it the same?
Nursery room: carpet or faux hardwood?
My father’s belated birthday lunch: The Keg (steakhouse) or Casey’s (family/roadhouse)?
Biography: Audrey Hepburn or U2?
Men who knit: Sexy or strange?
Lost: Watch season 2 or forget the whole thing?
Ethiopian baby name: keep it as a first name, or move it to the middle slot?
Painting bathrooms: easy or difficult?
Harry Potter in book 7: lives or dies?

I await your thoughts on these matters of earth-shattering significance.

ETA: To contribute fully to the random mood, I give you the current song in my playlist — “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” by They Might Be Giants.

You’re welcome.

February 6th, 2007 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | 4 comments

Sleeplessness

I couldn’t get to sleep last night.

I hate that — when you’re so tired you’re yawning constantly, yet you cannot get to sleep. Rolling around in bed, and you can’t get comfortable. Finishing an entire book in an attempt to make yourself sleepy.

I think about so many things when I cannot sleep. That makes it even worse. Instead of relaxing into a nice restful sleep, your mind first starts churning over the fact that you cannot sleep and then moves on to other topics to keep you awake. Odd topics. Random topics.

I thought about a house I really like, and how one day I would like to have a house that has certain things. Stackable, front-loading washer and dryer. Heated floors. A big wood fireplace. A lovely big shower. A clawfoot tub I can lie down in. A wraparound porch. Lots of big windows. A view of the water. Looks like I had better make a LOT of money to afford such things. And how I had better get writing in earnest in the new year.

I thought about the book I had just read, The Glass Castle. I debated whether the parents of the author were just “free spirits” as they were described, or if they were actually mentally ill. I tried not to dislike them, which was really hard. I decided I didn’t like them one bit, and that they were both nuts.

I thought of a boy I used to see from Manitoba. I was 18 or 19 when I met him; I think he was 23. He lived in Winnipeg and I lived in Ontario so it wasn’t a serious thing. But he played volleyball and was handsome and could jump higher than anyone I’d ever seen. I thought he was a hottie. But as I got older he seemed to me to be more of a dork, and I wasn’t as interested as I once was.
I thought about Cinnamon and Lucy and how they are doing at home. I worry that they are lonely. I know the cat sitters are probably giving them lots of food and love and the girls are probably doing just fine. But I miss them. I will miss them on Christmas morning when they usually tunnel and play in the wrapping paper. And I will miss Opus too because she loves the wrapping paper. But we get daily updates on her so I know she’s doing okay.

I thought about how hard it has been to see babies this Christmas. How this is this first Christmas I really have to admit defeat and realize that Christmas for us will likely never involve Santa and excited kids opening presents and all the magic of the season. How painful it is to see babies and know I’ll never have one. How hard it is to keep from crying my eyes out this holiday season.

I thought about how incredibly stuffed I have been. I have been indulging in the treats and goodies of the holidays a little too much. I have been drinking way more wine than I ever do normally. It’s been nice, but oh, I am paying for it. Pepto Bismol is my friend. And after the holidays, I’m going to have to watch my diet and get back to exercising each day. Ugh.

I thought about the blogs I have to write, and how I probably should just get up and write them, since I was thinking about them anyway. And that’s what finally put me to sleep.

December 24th, 2006 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Everyday Life Stuff, Random Thoughts | one comment

Alrighty Then…

So. Today I’ve had two fairly surreal things happen.

1. I glanced the back window, to see our wonderful neighbour, a woman of about my age, hanging in an evergreen tree in the conservation area behind the house. (Upon investigation, I learned she was hanging Christmas lights. But still.)

2. I got an email from Death. It was in my spam folder, but there it is. From: Death. I haven’t been so surprised since the Pope emailed me and advised me to enhance my penis size.

Some days, I am considering taking up drinking in the morning.

December 20th, 2006 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | 2 comments

And Another Thing

Here are some things I am thinking about today.

Whoa. It is DARK today.
I recently discovered my sister-in-law Sherri has been reading my blog each day. Everybody wave hullo to Sherri! *waves*
Current muffin count: twelveteen. I am torn: do I want to be fat and full of tasty goodness, or thin and starving and craving tasty goodness?
When am I going to really LEARN that big floral prints look hideous on me? Perhaps there’s some deep-seated need in me to walk around looking like a bedspread.
Some days, you’ve just got to have baked goods with cinnamon and nutmeg.
A fireplace would be nice at this time of year.
Puppy-Cam is lovely. It’s like my best day ever, and when they piddle, someone else has to clean up the mess.
I hate the headboard/footboard on my bed. Something must be done.
Diet root beer was a good invention.
My cat has taken to licking my desk chair. It’s a bad sign that I sit at my computer too much.
My daydream life is prettier and better decorated than my real life. Like in a high-end commercial. And also, I am wealthy and thinner. But I know it is only a dream, for there is a DOG there. My cats would not go for that.

September 24th, 2006 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | 11 comments

Questions I Have About Life

Here are some things I am thinking about today.

Why can I NEVER get green peppers to grow in my garden?
Why is it people don’t have to have a license to have kids? You can’t drive without one, and kids are certainly more challenging than driving.
Is it possible to have too much ice cream? I don’t think so.
In “Lord of the Rings”, why doesn’t Arwen just wait and go into the frigging West AFTER that Hottie McHotterson Aragorn comes back from killing all the bad guys?
Why do I continue to buy large floral prints, even though I know I look like a big sofa in them?
When quoting someone, why do reporters insist on actually saying “quote” and “unquote”? It’s not like they haven’t already said they’re quoting someone.
Green beans or peas?
What colour should I paint my bedroom?
Is there anyone who doesn’t believe there’s a homosexual subtext to “Top Gun” or “Lord of the Rings”?
Who wants a cookie?

August 21st, 2006 Posted by CinnamonOpus | Random Thoughts | 4 comments