Re-Reading My Childhood

I've recently come across a new addiction - blogs about novels. Especially blogs about novels written when I was a kid. Stuff like Fear Street, Babysitters Club, SVH, Christopher Pike.. the list goes on. A lot of these books I read before the "recommended age"... I'm certain I was reading C.Pike novels in like, grade 4. They were about murder, abortion etc! It's amazing that I ended up "normal".

Anyway, some links to the greatness I've discovered recently. Maybe I'll have time to do a few novel snarks of my own soon.

Like Pike - Recaps Christopher Pike's novels. My favourites were Remember Me and Whisper of Death - both have stuck with me since!

Shadyside Snark - Reading and snarking R.L. Stine's Fear Street novels. I remember them all so clearly. The covers especially.

Are You There Youth, It's Me Nikki - A bit more broad of a selection, from Judy Blume to Norma Fox Mazer. Gotta love the YA book set.

BSC Headquarters - One of the best BSC snarks I've read, though now discontinued. Still totally worth it for the points made at the end of each recap.

Anyone that's interested in the other blogs that I follow and uses gmail, let me know and I can "share" them. I'm all about my Google Reader. It's probably the most entertaining thing I do somedays.

Hamish Aloysius Templeton

So I got myself a cat... I named him Hamish! I found him on Kijiji and he's an older fellow, about 7 and he's quite large! Large like Bonnie. However he doesn't appear to like me very much, and this is seriously depressing!

I think the dislike comes from the fact that I'm the one who took him away from his family (the only people he's known, I think) and brought him to my home-home where there was a scary dog. He hid out under my bed back home and stayed there until I forcibly had to drag him out. He doesn't have claws, however he sure can bite!! I had to put on some leather mittens to actually grab him so that he wouldn't eat me!

Then I brought him here to London where he's spent his day and a bit since he got here living under my bed and/or couch. He's come out to eat and use his litter box, however he still doesn't like me. He hisses at me when I try to get near him :(

All this makes me very sad! I was so excited to get a kitty, one that will cuddle with me and whatever and all I've got is this cat that won't come anywhere near me cuz I'm apparently the devil. *pout*

Hopefully somewhere in the future he will come to trust me. I'm not a mean person at all!

Wild Wild West

So on Thursday I was checking out West Jet's website to see of there were any good deals to fly into Calgary and back from Vancouver. Much to my surprise, the prices were even lower than they were last time checked! It was only $499 each for Dave and I. I immediately emailer to powers that be and asked if I could have the time off. Suprisingly I got an answer back quite quickly, confirming that I can have 5 days off in May.
I've always wanted to drive through the mountains.

Since I'm attempting to write this on my iPod and it's not working so well i'll save the details for another time

Oh, Neptune High...

I've recently become addicted to the (now cancelled) show Veronica Mars. I feel like the characters on this show are people I know and interact with on a regular basis - and I kinda do! I've watched 2 seasons since just before Christmas, sometimes 3 or 4... or in last night's case 5, episodes a night!

 

I've gone so far as to download the show onto my computer and then convert the episodes to play on my iPod so that I can watch and run/elliptical/stairmaster at the gym. No better way to get my cardio!!

I can't even tell you what it is about the show that has got me hooked. The writing is great - the characters are (mostly) believeable and you end up loving even the biggest jerks. I actually care what happens to these people!

 

See, this is why I really try not to get into tv shows! It happened with 24 (Trishelle and I watched the first 4 seasons in less than 2 months while in Melbourne), Carnivale - a fantastic HBO show (2 seasons in less than a month) and Six Feet Under (4.5 seasons in about 3 months)... even Dead Like Me was watched in a very short amount of time. 

 

Recently I've also put Freaks and Geeks onto my list of shows I just love - though there was only one season (and I've tried to savour ever moment).

 

Thank god it's all on DVD/Downloaded and I'm not being forced to watch commercials!!

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alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

2008 The Year in Review

I did this last year, it seems... how much can happen in a year!

(An idea stolen from Erin because I'm too lazy to come up with my own ideas for things to blog about.)

 

Jan 2008

• Rang in the new year with the usual suspects in Toronto. Ran to Nathan Phillips Square after doing shots.
• Successfully gave up eating desserts until my birthday in March
• Went to Ottawa for SC's birthday
• Booked me, Meg and Cam's trip to Ireland.

Feb 2008

• Dropped my phone in the snow and it got run over, prompting an upgrade.
• Tried to help out a friend, which backfried completely - we stopped talking
• Ridiculous reading weekend party in Toronto

March 2008

• Made plans for my birthday, which got snowed out by 50cm of snow, consequently got into a fight with a friend after I accidently rebooked my party for the same day as his. Might I note this was an internet fight.
• Friend that I stopped talking to in Feb came to my night out - but didn't talk to me.

April 2008

• Dave got accepted into UWO, which prompted me to ask the offices in London whether they had any spots available. I was informed there would be a space opening up in Aug, even though I didn't think I wanted to move until the winter.
• Voluntarily missed the MSF for the first time in my life.
• Went nuts and redid my closet at home, despite the fact I planned on moving.
• Mom's hip started to hurt, I jokingly said to her "Maybe you have bone cancer, you should get that checked out"
• Booked my Contiki trip for July.
• Montreal for Meg's 27th birthday/what would have been 4 years with Dave... now only 6 months, if we started counting again.

May 2008

• Had to undergo minor surgery to remove part of my cervix due to abnormal, pre cancerous cells.
• Dragon bit my finger in half when I took him outside. Oops.
• May 2-4 in Toronto due to mass amounts of rain and poor planning.
• Trishelle's bachelorette party
• Mom doing physio to help her sore hip.
• Got my caterpillar tattoo on my leg.

June 2008

• Trishelle's wedding June 8th
• Camping in Grand Bend
• Mom fell and broke her femur/hip - confirmation that the weakened hip was due to metastasized cancer cells in her hip area
• Decided that if I got my transfer to London I'd move in with Christian's condo with him - formally asked for the transfer.

July 2008

• Canada day at Port Stanley
• Left for London/Greece to do the Contiki cruise. Great times!!
• Home for a week, just in time for the BBB3 - great turn out even though it poured rain all night.
• Off to Ireland with my cousins, Meg and Camille - drove stick shift in Ireland without my drivers licence. Oops! :P
• Confirmation of my transfer to London

Aug 2008

• Started shopping on Kijiji for furniture for London
• Our dog that we'd had for 4 years or so, Charlie, died.
• Mom to start chemo at end of Aug
• moving date : Aug 24th
• Started working at the travel agency and Henry's in London

Sept 2008

• signed up at Goodlife, got a personal trainer.
• home a few times to visit the family. Mom started chemo.
• Gaz, a friend from the UK that I met in Oz visited me in London.

Oct 2008

• Had a girl's night with Trishelle and Bailey.
• Ziplining with Dave in Ottawa/Quebec
• Sarah Catherine visited on Thanksgiving weekend
• First signs that mom wasn't getting better - started to make a conscious effort to visit home more.
• Went with mom to hospital one day, doctor decided her drugs weren't working and was going to try something else.

November 2008

• Meg and Camille come up for a week to help my mom out
• One year with Dave
• Girl's night planned, cancelled to go visit mom at home.
• Mom back into the hospital for low blood counts (a couple times this happened) - Dad says to me "It could be 3 days or 3 weeks, we don't know". Mom says to me "I don't want a funeral, I want a party"

Dec 2008

• Mom into the hospital at the beginning due to crazy low blood - it was a wonder she was alive at all. I decided I wasn't doing Christmas this year and that Christmas should be held in July.
• Family meeting called to discuss Mom's constantly declining health and possible options. - My tire explodes on the 401 on the way to Kitchener for the meeting, I miss the meeting.
• After being moved to Freeport Hospice, mom passed away on Dec 12th.
• Mom's "Going Away Party" on Dec 18th.
• Christmas as usual in Toronto. First christmas eve spent away from home. 
• New years in London.

And there you have it... until another year passes. 

 

Things I'm looking forward to this year: 

• Western Canada road trip - going to fly to Calgary and meet up with Camille and drive to Vancouver (hopefully)
• All inclusive vacation?
• BBB4 - But this time it's a cancer benefit where James and I will shave our heads. Perhaps BBB will stand for Bands, Bald, Benefit!
• moving in with Dave in may