oldog

25-ish

So recently I spent some time at the top of Mont Tremblant searching for shooting stars. Over the course of 4 days (or nights to be more precise) I managed to see 25, I think.

If you've ever seen a shooting star you'll know why I say "I think". The first one you see is usually an "I think", as in, I think I just saw one!After you've seen a couple in a row you are usually more sure of yourself.

This was a new shared experience. Yes, it was really interesting to share with amateur astronomers who brought their telescopes and laser pointers to aid the uninitiated.

Astronomy is one of those things that I have a hard time wrapping my head around. Maybe it's because the numbers are so large that it's difficult for me to relate it to anything; maybe it's the concept that something I can see right now may not even exist anymore, maybe it's both. But I can sit still for a period of time and gaze into the night sky and count up to at least 25 -- and even more if I get the chance to!

This shared experience also had a bit of a downside too. When you are stargazing alone, or with one or two close friends or family members, it's exciting to shout out "I saw one! Did you see it?". Totally different when you are watching with hundreds and there is a awe-inspired gasp from the crowd... and you missed it.

Watching shooting stars with your significant other is also really neat; and when you happen to catch the same star falling at the same time, well it's almost like reaching the summit together (if you catch my meaning). Note to self: next shooting star, remember to wish :)

As I promised myself yesterday, I would try and post daily, with a pic. The photo today is from the first evening at the top of Tremblant, just as the sun was going down.

is it weird yet?

The summer is almost over and I’m really not much further ahead getting my schtuff together than I was when it began, but at least I am feeling more of myself these days, and that includes the ability to again laugh out loud about life.

This past year I was chatting with a friend who was in the midst of a divorce. She was relating an awkward family situation that occurred at Halloween and asked for some feedback.

I’m not a laywer, psychiatrist, or family therapist, but I know divorce. My parents were divorced (technically separated) when I was 4 or 5, my father remarried a woman who was divorced, I am divorced, my new partner is divorced, my sister is divorced and her new partner is divorced -- hell I could start my own reality TV show for divorcees!

What, you ask, were my words of wisdom to her.... “just put it down to weird -- and be prepared for "it" (the weirdness) to surface when you least expect it. Things will happen that you will in no way ever be able to anticipate or prepare for and you’ll just say to yourself -- gee, that was weird.”

Turns out, I was right. The other day she popped by just to say “remember the conversation we had about the weird factor, you were right!” She explained what happened and finished with, “and then I thought -- you were right, this is one of THOSE moments -- the weird!”

Now that I have totally given away all of my secrets for dealing with deep emotional divorce issues there is absolutely no hope of my becoming a multi-millionaire now.

Oscar Wilde said “The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.” If only that were true!

I thought my adventures in weirdness would end with my wedding. I’m quite sure there is some kind of etiquette now that one should follow when inviting parents and their spouses, etc. to your wedding, but there wasn’t when I was married and the extreme awkwardness -- what to say, how to say it, where to seat them, where not to seat them -- was, in a word, weird.

Who knew the pinnacle of weirdness would be just one summit in a whole freakin’ mountain range!

So much that I intend on writing a sequel to the movie “It’s Complicated” called “It’s Weird”. Here's the  premise: Man meets woman, man marries woman, man meets another woman married to another man, man divorces woman, man marries the other woman who has since divorced the other man -- are you confused yet? If you are, just think of how I felt!!!

Anyway, my father’s second wife has recently passed away and she is dearly missed by him, my half-sister and her family and by me and my family. So now, all of a sudden, after 20 some odd years of my mother and father not setting eyes on each other (the last time was my wedding day -- why is Billy Idol playing in my head... it's a nice day for a - weird wedding?), my mother “volunteers” to take my son to see my father and casually drop-in and have tea with him!

Bring on the weird flashbacks!

 

Earth Hour - bah humbug

I’m only going to say this once…

I’m NOT against Earth Hour, in fact I enjoyed a lovely candlelit dinner (though I was somewhat disappointed that it wasn’t dark enough to see the stars) and as a marketing tool to increase awareness I think it was very successful. What does irritate me is this: isn’t it a tad hypocritical – kinda like a vegan wearing leather clothing?

I’m checking out the blog (http://www.earthhour.org/for Toronto events and found info like this:

“And to celebrate the new hue of dark, Canadian Nelly Furtado lead her compatriots in the Earth Hour party at Nathan Phillips Square – and all by candle light. On March 29, 2008 Canadians stood proud for their hard work in taking a stand against climate change.”

Wow… that’s great isn’t it? I suppose hamsters were running the sound equipment?

“Blogging LIVE from Earth Hour in Canada!

Kewl… windmill powered wi-fi because it’s might be too dark for solar. And who cares that you had to charge your batteries before you could use them to do that blogging, not to mention kudos to all the people who walked to the downtown event so they didn’t increase their “carbon footprint” by unnecessarily driving or taking transit.

And speaking of carbon footprints, how much of a footprint did the Earth hour t-shirts leave?

Let’s be serious, the time to celebrate saving the planet is AFTER we’ve saved it, and the real test is if people are willing to do it WITHOUT all the hype, in the summer, in the dark, without air conditioning, after we’ve sweated our proverbials off during the 1 hour subway ride home on a Friday night.

Anyone for a veggie burger?

oh you ho...

not to be confused with yo ho, which would take me tangentially to yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, and on to heh heh heh, Johnny Depp, sex toys and mascara. I know, you're dying to ask... sex toys???? Before you change your opinion of me let me explain, on the weekend I caught part of a show that was talking about an art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. A friend had previously sent me a link to PostSecret so it wasn't particularly new news to me, but one of the postcards they displayed on the show said "my vibrator is named Johnny Depp" ... and, so, isn't everyone's?? But back to the ho...

Yesterday my back was wracked with pain (I'm starting to forget when my last pain free day was... possibly one that I was inebriated...) so off I went to physio. Got some more stretches (tip: it's embarassing to be asked to "see how far you can move" after you have already moved as far as you can) and then I was introduced to the magic fingers and heat of the ho. I'm not sure if it was THE Dr. Ho, and to be honest I really didn't care. The sensation was heavenly, bordering on orgasmic and like the lovesick, I longed for it to continue into eternity. So take note, I'm putting Dr. Ho's Muscle Massage System on my Christmas list, and my birthday list, and my mother's day list, and my new holiday in February Family Day list, and any other list I can think of... just so you know.

now that I think of it, maybe my thoughts about Johnny Depp and Dr. Ho have more in common than I originally thought ;)

Happy New Year

Inspired by my daughter and her new blog I will attempt to post more items to my blog this year

I don't think I will ever get used to self-flushing toilets. Don't get me wrong, I think they are a fabulous invention -- especially for some of the toilets that I have to use on a daily basis. But to be honest, they scare me. When I have finished "doing my business" (gotta love that old fashioned term!) and stand to adjust my clothing the damn thing flushes and scares the crap (if there were any left) out of me! I turn around quickly expecting to find someone sharing the stall with me -- I mean there has to be right, who else just flushed it when I wasn't looking!

I imagine I must look similar to Eduardo (my lovable mini-schnauzer) when he farts and it makes a noise -- he jumps up and quickly turns around, expecting to find... what exactly I'm not sure, but it's hilarious to see nonetheless.

Which reminds me, ever notice how dogs always check out what they've just done? Just to make sure it's theirs? What's with that? Another reason why I'm glad I'm not a dog -- I'd probably drown in those self-flushing toilets!

more prozac please :)