Time for a change...

There were a lot of changes lately in JATP’s world. And it is all because of a man. I know. So predictable…








Well, in the last 2 weeks, I’ve changed jobs and moved in with a great guy. Yep, I’ve quit the corporate world, the 9 to 5 gig, the office with no window (but with a door!) and traded all my comfort for the oh! so unpredictable world of a full time musician with a teaching gig. Yeah!!! I rock! It is still a contract. As was my other job. But I now get drug insurance. Which is a big bonus for me. I now get to justify my student loans payments. And I get to wake up with my great guy beside me every day. Yes, there are many other benefits but whatever.








I know the move come in quick. Without that new job, which happens to be in the same city as his work, we wouldn’t have moved in together so quickly. But we make a good team. We work well together. We know each other’s body language so well, it is freaky sometimes. We also have realistic expectations. Nobody’s perfect. But we’re also both willing to discuss a problem before it escalades. And the fact that there were absolutely no fights during the move, none whatsoever, should be a good indication on how things are going to be… ;)








Bonus points for me; the new city happens to be right in the middle of my two favorite worlds. Two and a half hour each ways. I’ll get to see my favorite people more often!! Well, except for you Nico. And let’s just say I’m not too kin on the idea of you moving to Siberia. The vodka might be cheap but it is definitely way too far. There. I said it.








The new place has a backyard for Moka. And a finished basement (with plenty of sofa-beds for our guests…ehem…) And it also comes with a great guy… Yes, you are allowed to call me geeky. It is also in the middle of nowhere. **gasp** Not exaggerating. Really. The nearest Starbucks is 30 miles away. I’ve started a 12 steps withdrawal program.








Here are pictures of my old and new surroundings…






Old life:







New life:

Noticed the difference?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!

Here we go again.



And it's still October.



20-27 cm of snow is expected.



I now have a vision of trick or treaters going around in snow shoes...

Batteries included...

I've had babies on my mind a lot lately. I'm not saying I'd want one right now. But the clock is definitely on the wall and the batteries are at hands reach. I'm at a stage in my life right now where children are not something I might consider: it is something that I want. Badly. But the thing is, I'm kind of screwed in that department. See, I have only 1 ovary, and a very lazy one that is, PCOS, endometriosis, a looped uterus and pelvic adhesions. Screwed I said. Big time. Let's just say I've wasted a lot of money on birth control for nothing. I won't get pregnant on a drunken night...



The fact that I still haven't come to term with my fertility problems seems to affect my relationships with men. Yes, I do bring many other insecurities in a relationship. My weight is a big issue with me. But it is relatively easily fixable. But why would a man want to have a future with me knowing that creating a family will be a very long and costly road ? That pretty and skinny girl on the corner just seems like an easier ride...

Bastard...

I was asked, a couple of weeks ago, to lend my "artistic" talents and judge a fake marketing campaign.



Eager to please, I took my job my job very seriously, armed with a clip-board and a very elaborate spreadsheet in order to take notes and allocate the appropriate points to the right teams.



I was browsing quite happily from team to team when one sign stopped me, quite abruptly I must say. There I was, standing in front of a sign that had a drawing of a very large men, drinking from a glass with the inscription "Fat Bastard". Needless to say, that particular team got a ginormous ZERO from me for offensive and disrespectful language and drawing and I had them disqualified from the competition.



Yeah !



Except...



Unbeknownst to me, that particular team was actually marketing a Canadian wine called, you got it: Fat Bastard.



I just received a bottle from them, as a souvenir...

Weekend Recap...

I attended a high school reunion over the weekend !! I was part of a special music program (oh don't act so surprised... ) all though grade school and high school, and we had our 14-15 years reunion. What a blast ! Only 6 people couldn't make it and even some teachers showed up !

Some of us are still in contact, because of the music business or because of websites like FB... or simply because we remained friends over the years. It was fun to see everybody; how all of our lives have evolved over the years. And of course, most of them have babies now. Lots and lots of pictures were showed.

The funniest thing of all, for me, was to realized that feuds that were happening 15 years ago ? Still happening !! Some people do need to get a life...

Only 4 of us, out of 36, are still active musicians. The rest of the bunch mostly hadn't been near a music instrument in almost 15 years so we decided to have a little fun and play some of our old repertoire. I know, we are such geeks !! People were going hysterical, laughing and panicking over the stuff. And spouses were also having a blast videotaping such extravaganza. It was a too short but very fun night.

The weekend also gave me a chance to spend some time with some of my nephews and nieces. I miss them soooooooo much ! Looking at the pictures, they do have their favorite aunt's personality... Yéééé !!!! But then, while spending some time with them, I got the dreaded question: "When are you gonna give us a new cousin ? 'Cause the others ones live pretty far and we kinda need somebody new to pick on to..."

Hopefully, in the near future sweety...

Recap...

I know.



I've totally sucked at the blogging thing lately.



Anyway, here is a recap of the last two weeks. And in pictures !








- Drove in the middle of a fog fest, which totally creeps me out and gives me panic attacks, so I could feel more at peace and drive a special someone to the hospital for an operation. And thinking about him and his ordeal didn't help me feel better either...






- Went to a wedding in a lovely little town (well, the picture represents about all that I saw, but it does look lovely!) I had a great weekend, thanks to Bob.

- Received flowers from a special someone. It's actually the first time that I've received flowers from a man. Well ok, 2nd time; I did received ONE flower from the very same special someone ages ago. And well, I know you've sent me flowers Nico but totally not the same thing. I knew you'd understand. ;)

- Started winning brownies points by cooking some man my very good lasagna. I think I'm getting somewhere...








- Browsed through a swanky furniture store for some design ideas. Can somebody please explain to me why somebody would want a $400 cushion with a lobster on it in their bedroom ??









- Had the greatest surprise and had an impromptu visit from Audrey. I truly miss the evenings we used to have in the old city. Truly.

- Did some concerts in that area. I didn't get the chance to visit however. But I'll fix that by going again for an audition in October!

- Had many great diners. I'll truly miss summer. I wish fall would be as amazing but it is not up to me, unfortunately. Some unexpected things happened for me over the summer. The only problem is; I have a feeling that I am heading on a one way street. I'll have to learn to be patient. But like the saying: "Love Hurts". And I'm definitely on that boat...

Obsession...

Have I ever mentionned my obsession with Etsy ?



Yeah, quite obsessed actually. I've managed to find some pretty amazing things over there ! Really cool.



And I've just added a wish list on the side, so people in my life know what to get me, when needed.



Just saying...



I know; I have no shame.



;)

The great big list...

Once in a while, I like to make "the" list. The list about my hopes and dreams about my life. Well, 50 of them anyway. The list is usually being made in the middle of a sleepless night; like right now.



I have kept most lists over the years. Some of them are dated from 1989. They are now kept in a very plain scrapbook, well hidden and for no one to see.



Except...



Here's what has made every single lists for the past 5 years (in no particular order) :



- Have a baby

- Find or rekindle with that special someone

- Get another degree (photography?)

- Love myself

- Build something cool. Anything.

I Know...

Please meet Bob.



This is Bob last Sunday night.



I'm a lucky girl, I know...

Lets talk about it...

Lets talk about it.

I had to do some shopping today. Shapewear. Yeah. That kind of shopping. Very intimidating.

See, I have been invited to attend a special ceremony. Ceremony that calls for a dress and heals. Fun, I know. And I really want to look my best for that event, from all angles. Well, as many as possible anyway!

So I headed to a specialty store and browsed around. After only a couple of minutes, that sweet older lady came to my rescue and told me she knew exactly what I needed. After various measurements were taken, I was shipped to the dressing room.

How in hell are we supposed to put those darn things on ? Really !!! After what seemed like 15 minutes, I let out a huge grunt in despair. That's when the nice lady came asking if I was alright... After another 15 minutes, I was out of the dressing room and ready to make my first "lady" purchase. Yep; I only tried one on. I'm not that keen on self humiliation.

While wrapping my purchase, the sales lady proceeded to explain the basic cares of my new garment and then, with the quirkiest smile ever, said: "Honey, if you ever hope to marry some day, I would never, under any circumstances, put on or remove that garment in front of any decent man. Ever. Understood ? 'Cause I personally think that is the reason why so many of you girls are single these days. "

Duly noted.

Booo me if you wish...

I know, I know. Boo me if you wish; I took a blog hiatus. Many, many things are happening in my life. Most of them I can't talk about over here. Sorry...



I am definitely back on blog land and intend to do a posting marathon: yep, you'll be stuck with 1 posting a day for a while. And if I do succeed, I promised myself a really good reward. And I am not telling what yet...



So...



At the request of some people in my life, it have decided to set the records straight on my 100 things about me....



Ahem...



2. I still have a dirty mind.

3. I will, sometimes, walk "hand-in-hand" with a special someone.

4. As of lately, I have had the urge to make-out in public. I apologize to anyone who had, or will have to see that.

10. I am not the most patient person.

22. I have been to a hair salon, twice, in the last few months.

28. I have slept a record breaking of 8.5 hours straight a couple of times in the last month.

49. My favorite colour is apparently red and can be found profusely in my apartment.

53. I still can't stand Jack Daniel. But the memories it brings still makes me smile.

79. I am still prone to panic attacks while a passenger. But instead of screaming, I'll just grab the thingy inside the door and hold it as tightly as possible. I will, however, stop breathing for a while.




Anything else I should correct ?

What I didn't blog about...

The last few weeks where quite hectic. Crazy hectic.



Here's what I didn't talk about:



- Moved my mom, again. She's had an other small stroke and living in an apartment, even a supervised one, was getting too difficult for her. She still has the same address but she is now living in the studio area, area she will remain in until, well, I won't say it. That would make it too real. It's been quite weird to see her mingle with her new friends. Most people living in that part of the residence are 80 year old and older. But she seems to belong to that group. She looks at peace now. Those are people who are going through the exact same thing as she is. She can relate to their daily struggles. I guess I'm the one who need to adapt now...

- Made my mom destroy a partly knitted sweater. That sweater was to be my birthday gift 18 years ago. She never got around to finish it but was hanging to it like her dear life. But knitting is not an option anymore and instead of just throwing it away, we had a small destruction party. She laughed and giggled the whole time...

- Managed, with the help of my fantastic cousin, to bring a Queen size mattress into my apartment. A huge challenge since the staircases are very, very narrow. So narrow that regular size fridge or oven would not fit. There was a lot of bending, for us and the mattress. Bending in ways I didn't think were possible. Don't ask. But that mattress is the most comfiest thing ever. It was worth every bruises and scratches. But I'll definitely hire movers to get it out of here. I'm not that crazy!

- Spent the most amazing time with a special someone. Let's call him Bob. He and I used to go out over 10 years ago. Things ended between us because I felt lost and overwhelmed. And I guess I wasn't mature enough to handle the relationship. And we lost touch. But by some weird turns of events, we recently started to exchange emails and chats every nights. We're talking about hours on ends of chatting over the Internet. So we decided to have fun for the summer. See what happen. There'll be a lot of travelling back and forth involved in order for us to see each other, though. I don't know how to define this relationship other than I am having a lot of fun and am loving every minute of it. I missed him.

There. I said it.

Hello, My name is JATP and I missed Bob.

What I didn't blog about...

Totally stealing from Diane Mandy (sorry... but you are a great inspiration!)

- I finally put away those darn boxes that were camping in my kitchen since the move last September. And all by myself.

- Witnessed first hand during a thunder storm that Moka is definitely not a watch dog. We're talking shaking dog, hiding under the blankets and whining. Yeah.

- Spent the weekend with an old friend visiting. Many drinks were had. A lot of great times. And new expressions were created and all because of Moka.

- Flirted massively with the very gay guy at the dog park. Watching the other owners faces was worth a million; it made both our day. We are becoming fast friends, meeting over for coffees and planning play dates for our dogs. He actually reminds me of a special someone that I miss dearly (Yes, I'm talking about you Nico. And you would actually make a beautiful couple... Just saying.)

- Followed the advice of a friend and bought myself some girly shoes. I am still trying to figure out how to walk properly in those... 3 inches people ! Not kidding...

A bit of this, a bit of that...

Read today:



“While women go on every diet in the world to lose weight, men have a different solution: They simply lower their belts.”



That explains so much...




And totally out of context:



What music puts you in the mood for... ?

Weekend Recap...

- Went to an Asian-Fusion restaurant, were Pad Thai and Shawarma mingled... There was something very weird about it.



- Witnessed a naked parade on bikes. A very hairy and naked guy riding his bike ? Sooo not hot.



- Went kayaking. Tandem. Realized that 2 trumpet players with equal amount of muscle on just one arm ? Not that great. We'll use singles next time.



- Bought an air conditioner. The apartment had reached 38.9C (or 102.02F) when I finally convinced myself that it wouldn't be luxury. The fact that Moka was sleeping less than a meter from the fan also helped convince me...

- Chatted via F*cebook with an old friend for 4 1/2 hours. Opened a bottle of wine after a while. Got very tipsy and said many, many things. And realized that I meant every single one of them. Even in a sober state of mind...

Playing Tag...

I was tagged by the very cool Diane Mandy to do a meme about random facts ... Which means I now need to update my site and post something. Crap...



**Just kidding ! I've been in a cheery mood since Monday for some unknown reason so humour me, will you ?




Random Fact # 1:



I have a major addiction to Goglu cookies. Addiction that I've had since I can remember. I eat them a special way and they need to be at a certain degree of moisture. I can't keep them in the house; too dangerous. And my mom just gave a family size box...



Random Fact # 2:



I have a passion for Lip Balm. Nearing an obsession, actually ! Being a trumpet player, I take great care of my lips. But unlike most players who use plain and regular balm, I always carry a wide variety of those small tubes: who knows when the weather or temperature could suddenly dramatically change ? One minute it's sunny and humid, the next its full blown air conditioning in a very dry, claustrophobic room ?? My new obsession is Jack Black's Intense Therapy Lip Balm. FPS 25, lots of Shea Butter, a tiny bit of mint and green tea. Just perfect.



I should get a discount now, right ?



Random Fact # 3:



I am now addicted to F*cebook and Twitter. I just am.



Maybe that explains why I am not posting here as much as I used to. Sorry...



I'll try do to better.




Random Fact # 4:



I am in LOVE with my new phone. Lots and lots of gadgets on it; perfect for somebody that gets bored as easily as me. And one of my favorite one ? The step counter. Since setting it on last Wednesday, I have walked a grand total of 78827 steps. That's 60.4 km (or 37.53 miles) people !!



Random Fact # 5



I'm addicted to gossip blogs. Really. I know it is very wrong to encourage such sites but I need my daily dose of other people's ''not-so-real'' life. I just need it.



Random Fact # 6



I have been contemplating buying a house for a couple of weeks now. Many people close to me are either have a baby or buying a house. And since I cannot make a baby by myself, I could certainly buy a house on my own ! But since I am on my own and since my credit rating is not that shiny, I managed to get pre-approved for a very tiny house loan. Tiny. Major fixer upper type of loan. But still. And while I am very excited about the idea of buying on my own, I have decided not to rush into things and wait for my perfect fixer upper to come along. And is it wrong that I passed on seeing a maybe perfect house just because I couldn't pronounce the name of the street ?






That's it folks !



I am now tagging:



Audrey

Nico

Calliope

Recap...

I know, I know; I haven't updated in a while.



I seem to get inspired in the middle of the night, when my computer is off. And then, it takes sooo much time to boost that by the time the computer is up and running, I've fallen asleep again. I also thought about writing down my ideas instead but in this digital era, finding a pen seems to take longer than opening the darn computer...



So. The last 2 weeks in recap:



- Got myself a new cool phone ! It doesn't have that swanky keyboard that I liked so much but this one actually works. A big plus.



- The death of an very old great-uncle brought back some very old wars about the inheritance of a land that never actually belonged to him. Don't they realise that they are arguing over something that was never meant to be theirs in the first place? And really, people should at least wait for the body to be cold before starting the fights. It is just plain disrespectful. There. I said it.



- Spent almost a full week with my twin sister. I miss her.

Here she is, discovering Godiva's Milkshakes...

- Reapolstered my very dirty cream colored couch. For $20 and many blisters on my palms, I now have a very good looking (in my taste anyway !) couch. I'm very proud of myself.

- Learned that I would be an aunt again ! My baby sister is pregnant with baby # 2... Hopefully, this pregnancy will be much easier on her: bedrest for 7 months doesn't look so appealing this time aound.



- After looking at my blog stats for the month of April, realized that over 2000 perverts had landed on my blog through google looking for a particular post on body parts that I did over a year ago. I say perverts because, well, the said pic is located, on average, on page 1750, which means they must have spent hours looking at pics of the said body part before landing on my site.


- Became, against my wishes, one of the fire warden for my department at work. My sexy look apparently sealed the deal...


- Did some very weird gigs. But hey, the pay is the same so whatever gets them off , works for me.



- Met the perfect guy for me. Really. But then again, I'll never be the perfect one for him so thats the end of it. But it was nice. And I know that somewhere, there is another perfect guy for me. He just needs to get is ass moving and come and find me.

************************************

And totally out of context:

I am going to be in New York City from June 22nd to 27th. On a very limited budget. Any ideas on what I should do ?

I'm in love...

Those great designers have a little shop on the corner from where I live: Jefferson Sukhoo .

I say great but I have actually never set foot inside . I have been drooling in front of their windows almost every night for the last couple of months, thought ! The thing is: I'm pretty sure nothing in their store would fit me right now and they are definitely not in my price range but I promised myself that once the weight is gone, I'm definitely rewarding myself and getting a new concert dress from them.

Because I'm worth it...

I decided to make myself a nice diner tonight. Something I hadn't done in a very long time.



On the menu ?



Giant scalops on fresh pastas, Riesling, and for desert: green tea gellato.



Yummy !

From mom with love...

My mom finally managed to give me my birthday card ! A month too late but whatever...



The card says: 'This is definitely NOT the kind I card I would normally give you but I drooled so much on it that they made me buy it...'



My mom rocks...

Night classes...

Now, that's my kind of course. Why didn't they offer that kind of class when I was a student ???

Life isn't fair...

The Wednesday tradition

Because it is Wednesday...



I am...



- Still slowly losing weight




I want...


- A man in my life...





I have...


- Some weird problems with my feet right now



I hate...


- Snoby sales people



I fear...


- of what doctors might find under those brown spots on my legs...



I search...


- For the "perfect for me" relationship




I wonder...


- If my hot new neighbourg is gay or not




I never...


- Leave the house without nail polish on my toes



I rarely...


- Leave work before 7pm



I cry...


- When I'm pissed off or really stressed




I am not always...


- The most politically correct person





I'm confused...


- About the receptionist... There's something not quite right here.



I miss...


- Waking up with somebody by my side




I need...


- To decide what to do while in New York in late June



I should...


- Be nicer to the plumber who's fixing the leak in my office for the 6th time.

Yup !

This is why I get paid the big bucks at work people ; I get to make Snow White costumes for a male coworker.



And for the records; he even asked about the kind of shoes he should be wearing with the dress...

Euh.. What ?

As opposed to the bad news one ? I just don't get this...

Can't get over myself...

Look at what's opening in my neighbourhood !!!





I have a feeling I'm going to spend a lot of money in the near future...

The Wednesday tradition...

I did a post similar to this one back in December. For some reason, I found myself going back to this post quite frequently lately. It seems to be keeping me grounded.



So...



I've decided to turn this exercise into a weekly thing. It might actually help me out by putting things in perspective. Let's try:





I am...


- Still lazy when it comes to do the dishes

- Starting to slowly lose weight




I want...


- To take a year off and travel around the world

- The new eeePc. In green please.




I have...


- Great friends

- The ability to poke fun at myself



I hate...


- Violence, racism, judgmental people, smoochy couples, lineups and green peas

- Ignorant people



I fear...


- Of getting sick again

- Of not being able to become and stay pregnant



I search...


- The "happily ever after" relationship

- For the perfect drink



I wonder...


- If I'll ever be truly happy

- What dogs dream about




I never...


- Leave the house without nail polish on my toes

- Look in other people's bathroom cabinets



I rarely...


- Say what's really on my mind

- Take a lunch break



I cry...


- When I'm pissed off or really stressed

- When laughing




I am not always...


- On time

- The most politically correct person



I lose...


- Myself, when trying to help others

- Sight of my ankles during the summer



I'm confused...


- About the guy that keeps licking my dog at the park. Gross...

- About religion



I miss...


- Having an unpredictable schedule

- My sisters

- My friends N, A and V...




I need...

- More money

- A drink.



I should...


- Be more patient when driving

- Be nicer to the plumber who's fixing the leak in my office for the 4th time.




Anything else I should add ?

Change is IN apparently...

I apparently needed some change in my life. After the hair, I now present you:



The new computer desk.



I know. So exciting...

With before and after pics !! Because I'm that great. Ehem...

It hides the mess perfectly...

How many...

How many musicians does it take to assemble a BBQ ?



Apparently, 4



And it should take them about 5 hours.



And a lot of beer...

Time for change...

I had my hair cut today. 8 inches of hair were sent to Beautiful Lengths.





I decided on cutting my hair when a coworker mentioned that my best look was the french braid. Hum... And when taking the appointment, the owner asked if I was the girl with the big dog and the way too long hair that live upstairs...




I hate getting my hair cut. I usually end up with a cut that I hate and a style that's impossible to manage. I have no talent with a hair brush and don't plan on becoming a pro anytime soon. But I was pleasantly surprised this time. The hairdresser totally understood my concerns and showed me how style my hair with a blow dryer and my fingers. And that, I can totally do.





What do you think ?





****Update:





Here's what I managed to do on my own this morning. Not bad hey ?

Aging...

It was moving day for my mom today. The building is still under construction but her apartment was ready so they let her move in. She was that eager to make that new place her home.

Everything went perfectly and we made sure to keep her busy and on target with her regular schedule. My favorite cousin even took time off work to help out (Thanks N.!). Ok, the movers were super slow but they didn't even made one scratch on the walls so...

Upon her move, she had made a box for me of food she is not suppose to eat but that were bought by mistake (ahem...) She proudly announced that she had personally checked all items in the box and that everything, EVERYTHING, was indeed edible and not passed expiration date.

I haven't had the heart to tell her about that little box. Yet.

Yeah baby !

Good bye socks and Hello sandals !



They're out people !! They're finally out !!



Hard to believe it was still snowy last week ! The normal for the season is usually 35 F. but it's been around 77 F all week !!



Looks like I found the perfect new amazing color for my toes right on time...

Holly Molly ...

My life is now complete.





I present you:

The pay-as-you-go flat iron.

What happened to those cheap breath-mints / condom machines ?

I feel old...

Kicking my sorry self...

This blog was suppose to keep me grounded. It was suppose to keep me from loosing myself. In the life of a freelance musician, with a day job, you can easily get caught in the moment and loose track of who you really are. Between working full-time and the many rehearsals, practices and concerts, life becomes a blur. You end up living for your work and music and not much else.



I used to love writing here. And reading all of your blogs. I would spend hours trying to come up with the perfect funny comment on a particular post I liked.



I don't have the energy anymore. I still read my favorite blogs on a daily basis ; but I've become way too bored with myself to even think about writing something remotely clever.



But I am trying to change that. Maybe by forcing (and kicking) myself to post on a daily basis, my life will appear a tiny bit less boring and maybe, life itself will start happening again...



Let's try:

I was giving a concert in Toronto over the weekend. Believe it or not, it was my first time in the city and I had a blast ! And I even managed to get a free ride up the CN tower !! Boy, what Godiva truffles can do for you ...

Really ??

Want a good laugh ?





Yeah , I tought so...





My very bright step-sister and her mom went to Cuba for 2 weeks. Thinking they were being clever, they decided to pay the cheap motel clerk to watch their car while they were gone, instead of paying a huge amount at the airport.



A brand NEW car.



Yep ; it got stolen.



I wonder why ?!

Lets talk about it...

Week recap. Because you care...






- Got to spend an incredible 3 days with the cutest little girl





- Analysed a file with the fakest transcript ever. It even had 2 typos in the school name !!





- Had a good scream fest with my upstairs neighbour who decided to empty her cat litter box in her toilet. And when that clogged (duh !), decided to pour it in her tub instead. A real smarty. She somehow seemed surprised that that made the 40 years old pipes explode and flooded my bathroom and kitchen. I now have a very scared dog wondering why in hell there's cat poop falling from the ceiling.





- Went to see a new doctor. Lets be graphic here. I've had my periods since August 28. That's right : 213 days. I agree that my condition is not life threatening. However, it is still a big deal. So I decided to go see a doctor who would agree with me on that.





- Sipped champagne from the bottle, with a straw.

Better...

Yeah... I've been away. Noticed ?



I've been through a bout of not feeling that well and wanting to hide for a while. Hiding from my friends and family and reality. Even the dog had a taste of it as walks got shorter and shorter and the dog park became nonexistent.



I got the help I needed and was slowly starting to feel like myself again.



But what really got me to come out of my hole ?



Little Miss Cuteness.

She seems to think I'm the coolest and funniest person on hearth and I had the chance to spend 3 full days with her !

I'm in love.

And feeling much better.

How about you: What makes you come out of a funk ?

Yeah... about that...

Way to go for posting something about blog inactivity and disappearing for a couple of weeks...

So many things happened !!

• Many, many concerts
  
  
  



• Many, many rehearsals
  
  




• THE flu
  
  




• And Nico's visit !!!!
  
  
  
  

Nico's visit left me a bit bitter sweet. It reminded me how much I miss him. Don't know why... We used to have so much fun together ! And then life happened. He moved to France, then England and travelled the globe, while the lives of us, mere mortals, stayed the same.

I call him Mr. International: he always seems to be in-between flights or preparing for a trip. And while I'm at it, I don't think any of us know for sure what he's really working on. We hear about exploding machines but that's just a rumor... Oh ! Maybe he's a spy !! ;)

But a bunch of us seem to have left a permanent mark on him and we've been lucky enough to see him every six months or so since his big move.

Missing our Nordic weather, Nico had planned a trip for early February, the coldest and stormiest month of all. And boy was he served !! He landed in Quebec City in the middle of a huge snow storm and left Ottawa in a record breaking freezing temperature.

We decided to make the most of his short stay with me and braved the cold to play tourists. Yes, it did take us 15 minutes to get dressed and people were looking at us funny at the restaurant but we had fun. Even in the - 30's weather.

We were stopped by 2 photographers on our way to visit Parliament Hill and were asked to be models for the new Winter Tourism brochure. Yep, if you ever happen to come across some brochures about Winter Tourism in Canada with pictures of 2 weirdos looking at each other and laughing their pants off, as if Parliament Hill was the funniest thing on hearth ? That or 2 drunks in front of an faux-old monument... That's us !!

We also went skating on the Rideau Canal and managed to skate for 7 km. And armed my new kick ass skates, I didn't even get one foot cramp ! I also discovered that while my skates made me look taller, so did Nico's...

I know; I'm cheating. But not that much. Nico was at least 7'' tall with those skates while I got up to a whooping 5'5...

We also discovered that freezing temperatures and bars ? Not so hot. We went out on his first night in town: there were a total of 4 costumers while that place usually has a huge lineup. We did a bit better on the second night: 15 costumers !! At least the drinks were cheap...

On our last excursion, we came across this shirt:

I am sooo getting them for our birthdays ! I know we are getting a bit old for that kind of thing but hey ! you only live once...

Let's talk about it...

I recently changed the template of my blog and while doing so, took the opportunity to uptate my blogroll by removing sites that hadn't been uptated in a while, or that I didn't have affinities with anymore. And also to add new cool ones...



That, apparently, was a mistake.



I received an email shortly after from a very angry person, asking What on hearth made me think I could get rid of people that easily, whithout any warning?



Hum...



Well, if you don't update your blog for at least a year, that sort of thing is bound to happen!



That makes me wonder: Is there a blog etiquette book I forgot to read? A hidden chapter mentionning that I should have notified that person before removing her site?



I am at a lost for words on this one...

Ipsum Project

Please meet the Ipsum Project.



We're quircky, funny and make great music together. And we really are good looking, too!



What more could be asked from a brass quintet ?

Yeah... you noticed...

I'll be back as soon as I figure were I messed up....

Feeling the need to vent...

To the people who, while in a meeting, feel the need to put their two cents in everything, comment on subject that don't even apply to them nor that they have any knowledge of:



SHUT THE F#$%!K UP !!



Thank you.




Feeling much better...



Your turn now:

Though of the day...

Heard today:




We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located among millions and millions of cows in America but we haven't got a clue as to where millions of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of Immigration?