the sprite files

kitty cuteness

2007-07-23T03:19:00.001-07:00

well, i'm off to new york city this morning (!!) and i thought i'd leave you all with some cute kitties to tide you over to when i'll post again. cute, aren't they? the boy, solomon, is at the top and our litte girl, Kali, is below. here they are peacefully sleeping together on their favourite sheep skin rug in the living room.

see you when i get back!

thirsty

2007-07-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

while we usually play favourites with our kitties, sometimes solomon surprises us! look what i found our little prince doing! how cute. a quick drink from the dripping shower faucet. a moment like this and all his annoyances are forgotten.

gainfully employed

2007-06-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

some exciting news: yesterday i was offered the position at the local art gallery i applied to! hooray! i, of course, ecstatically accepted! it was the job that i had been hoping for. i am the "public programs coordinator" with the charge of researching exhibits, brainstorming programming ideas, coordinating programs, and serving on an arts access committe - among a range of other exciting and creative things!

now i will have "creative projects on the go" for a living!

5 things i did since i last posted...

2007-06-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

don't get me wrong: i loooove facebook. but what a distraction it can be! and i don't even mean that it's a distraction from real-life responsibilities and duties (because it is that too!). mainly, it's a distraction from my other internet distractions -- namely, my blog. and really, there should be enough material in my life to fodder both venues, no? this post will be: 5 things i've done since i last posted:

1. we went on a couple trips to vancouver -- how great it was to see you all on the west coast again! we ate sushi, went to the beach, went shopping, ate sushi, walked around parks, hung out with old friends on main street, saw a cute new baby, went to daiso, and we ate sushi. it was a *very* fun time.

2. i made another baby quilt -- this one was called the "Potter Quilt" because it was done with beatrix potter fabric of the watercolours from some of her stories. it was very cute. congratulations to the new parents! what i loved most about this project, is that i was able to develop some new skills (i machine-quilted diagonally and i made my binding on the bias so the gingham pattern appeared to be lattice work)

3. we got a membership to a community pool -- it's very nice to have a pool to go to when it gets hot out! just a quick dip and you feel refreshed! they even offer aquafit classes in july/august. it's perfect. and the best thing about it is that i can invite as many guests as i want! come one, come all.

4. i'm planning a trip to new york -- okay, i might have been doing this before my last post, but it's really coming together now. we're going to stay in the chelsea area, go to chicago on broadway, walk the brooklyn bridge, ride the carosel in central park, dine at some yummy restaurants, shop at anthropologie (yeah!) and some other shops, and just plain hang out in general. i'll definitely be keeping you posted!

5. we just got back from a trailer park weekend -- thanks again to the gracious hosts! we roasted marshmellows, ate 'smores, went to bingo, played horseshoes and ringtoss, went to an 'adult' dance, and we danced hedonistically around a fire before star gazing. quite fun!

well, if you're still reading after all this, thank you :)
more (regular) updates to follow!

where in the world is...

2007-05-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

This was a great idea lifted from Regan's blog! Thanks Rae! This is really neat. It reminds me of all the places I *haven't* been and should be going to! By the end of the summer, some of those grey East coast countries in the states will be painted red too! Because Becky and I will be painting the town of NYC red!

North America and Europe... that's it?! I need to broaden my horizons! I'd love to visit some of those South American countries... and Japan would be fun... so many places left to see (in fact, I've only visited 5% of the world!)

You, too, can find out where you've been: in the states and in the world...

Happy Wedding (M)andy!

2007-05-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

Here comes the bride! Mandy and Andy got married this past weekend, on a beautiful, sunny, and mild May afternoon. Mandy's craftiness lent itself to a very pretty and homemade wedding! The shawl in the above picture was sewed by Mandy!! We took pictures in Waterloo Park and then headed to the Butterfly Conservatory for the ceremony. Later on, we ended up at the St. Jacob's Schoolhouse Theatre for an intimate dinner and dance. The day was perfect -- befitting of a perfect couple like (M)Andy!

Here's the happy couple posing with their homestead in the background ;)

Becky, Amanda, and I dancing it up with our new-found pinata loot! Yeah noisemakers!

all things easter

2007-04-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

Daryan and I haven't been as diligent about sending Easter greetings as we normally are; so please take this entry as a Happy Easter! We hope the Easter bunny brings you lots of chocolates. Despite the snow us southwestern Ontarians are having, we are still spring decorating the house as per usual!
Here's what the Easter bunny brought Daryan...

Surprise! Matching Nigella Lawson egg cups!

And here's what I made for little baby Eden! A velveteen bunny rabbit that looks a bit more like a demonic attack rabbit... not too too shabby for a first try though... look out next year!

Montreal in March

2007-04-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

We were in Montreal this past weekend; Daryan was doing business, I was marking papers (better to mark in a Montreal hotel room than in my living room in Kitchener, right?)
... views from my hotel room ...

I just love this Five Roses sign.

I did manage to sneak out of my marking hovel for some fun, though! Amy and Jon took me out for poutine at a diner in their neighbourhood, and then we went to the art gallery. The Once Upon a Time Walt Disney: The Sources of Inspiration for the Disney Studios show was one of the highlights of my trip. We saw some Beatrix Potter sketches, some Waterhouse and Grimshaw Pre-Raphaelite paintings, a Brueghel painting, and also a Salvador Dali and Walt Disney collaboration animation project... how cool is that??

... Jon and Amy posing in front of the art gallery ...

Daryan and I also partied it up at the fancy dress ball on the Saturday night.

... here we are on the dance floor ...

who's ronaldo??

2007-03-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

ooooo... isn't this fun! thanks to melissa, i found this celebrity look-alike generating website! jay, you should market yourself to this company... this software failed to call up thora birch or benicio del toro on this celebrity match up, though ;) and, don't ask us why daryan's celebrity lookalikes included women!! :)

daryan and i have probably unwittingly registered ourselves in some kind of american profiling website now... great... at least it was good for a laugh?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2007-03-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Dia duit ar maidin! Top of the morning! (Gaelic looks an awful lot like Old English - does anyone know if there's a connection there? probably...)

Kelly, Jon, Becky, Mandy, Daryan, and I are heading to a pub uptowne this afternoon/evening for a few toasts to the leprechauns...

May the luck of the Irish be with you all day long!

(click on the title for a wee history of the day)

"Flora"

2007-03-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

thought i'd share my current w.i.p. (work in progress). "flora" is my pet name for it... this is a special baby quilt for becky's brand new niece... don't you just love the colours and fabrics she chose?? this is going to look so sweet...

oh, and clearly kali loves it too ;)

in like a lion...

2007-03-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

for us south-western ontarians, march came in like a lion... like an i'm-ready-to-pounce-and-kill-and-eat-a-baby-zebra-kinda-lion... yes, it was that bad.

so bad, in fact, that yesterday was the worst weather i've ever driven in. first, there was a blizzard that sent 6cm of snow in 2 hours. then the freezing rain came. that's when i was out driving; cars doing 180 turns, tires spinning, transport trucks unable to clear even the smallest hills... nuts. then, the winds came. at about 2am, enormous gusts of wind came. i awoke to crashing sounds... at first i though that boulders were being dropped on our house. i looked outside and our neighbour's yard was completely covered with ice-caked sticks and branches. the weight of the ice on the branches sent them breaking onto our roof. then, the floods came. this morning we awoke to a computer desk and stairway puddled with water... what a mess...

the only thing we can look forward to now: march going out like a lamb.

Pass it on...

2007-02-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

I was chatting yesterday with Allie about a documentary she just saw called Black Gold. And we started to lament the fact that Starbucks doesn't regularly serve fair trade coffee. And, we started to lament that our favourite espresso-shot drinks aren't ever available fair trade. Then today, when Daryan and I couldn't resist stopping by Starbucks, it came to me! ... from now on, I will keep requesting my drink to be fair trade. I employed the method today when I ordered a caramel macciato... it went like this:

me: yes, I'll have a tall, non-fat, extra hot, fair trade caramel macciato, please.

barrista: (looking puzzled) um, we don't have our fair trade coffee on tap today... wait... we don't offer fair trade espresso...

me: (feigning ignorance) oh really? I thought that was an option for me... you know, it really should be an option... well, in that case, I don't want a coffee-based drink, I'll have a chai latte.

Yes, I see flaws. The "feigning ignorance" bit might not work on the same barrista 5 times... so, eventually, that part of the plan will be substituted with "oh, you still don't have that option, eh? huh".... and so on. I also recognize that I have the option to boycott. But, if I boycott, then:

1. other non-globally-minded individuals will fill the gap that my boycott left and still Starbucks will go on selling their non-fair trade coffee (defeatest? perhaps).

2. I admit that I have a weakness for Starbucks... so, I will just boycott their ill-conscience coffee.

Here's where the important part comes in: I challenge you all to do the same. It's a non-confrontational, polite, and subtle (yet persistent) way to solicit change.
Your thoughts?

Pass it on!

Oh, and check out their "history of coffee" education lesson... wow, it really gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling...

blue mountain

2007-02-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

hello all,

yes, i know, i haven't posted in quite some time... work, and applying to other works, is starting to really pick up and take some of my blog time away. today i begin marking 60 poetry essays. so, today's post will be rather short... just a 'let-you-know-that-i'm-still-here' post, really :)

yesterday was my brother's birthday, and daryan and i and my family spent the weekend in collingwood for some skiing. the weather was perfect for it and i got in a solid afternoon of downhill skiing... great fun. blue mountain is almost like a mini-whistler, so we were able to get some quaint shopping done too. notably? i stocked up on some l'occitane products... mmmm...

maybe some pictures later...

these are a few of my typical things

2007-02-04T09:46:00.000-08:00

5 THINGS.
5 things in my refrigerator:
1. 1 litre of organic milk
2. Apples cut and ready to be fashioned into dessert
3. vegetarian curry
4. Stella Artois
5. Babybel cheese

5 things in my closet:
1. yet-to-be-drycleaned wedding dress
2. old tweed skirts I can't part with
3. my contact lens stash
4. 2 velvet jackets
5. a sleeping cat

5 things in my purse:
1. 3 shades of lipstick
2. my wallet
3. yesterday's to-do list
4. frisk mints... mmmm
5. a gazillian receipts

5 things in my car:
1. a broom (from the time when I hadn't got a scraper yet)
2. a scraper
3. 4 empty starbucks cups
4. a wool blanket
5. straw from the hay bale we took home for hallowe'en (still haven't gotten around to the vaccuuming)

all cozy 'round the fire

2007-01-23T22:04:00.000-08:00

Allie and Eden came over last night to have dinner with my Mom and I. (My Mom has been staying at my house to babysit me while Daryan is in Vancouver/Whistler on business). It was quite fun; we had my famous homemade quiche and tea + cookies. We kept the cozy fire well-stoked and chatted the evening away as we passed around the baby.

Well, I'm going to hit the hay; tomorrow I facilitate three tutorials and take a trip to the campus art gallery... I have to view the gothic prints a local artist has done of Poe's "the raven" as part of the class I TA for. I like bird imagery. I'm looking forward to it.

Here is Allie stoking the fire... wow! it sure was blazing!

like sand through the hourglass...

2007-01-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

these are the days of my lives... no, no, i'm not spending my days watching soaps. i *did* however spend my day yesterday making this "hourglass pillow." i should be spending my days working on the many quilts i have lined up, but i just can't resist the immediate satisfaction of making a small project that i can see the end result of. and, i've very happy with how it looks here on our reading chair. you, too, can make this hourglass throw pillow... the free pattern by Amy Butler is here.

i start tutorials tomorrow, so this might be the last of my extravagant free time...

we recommend it.

2007-01-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

good film. d. and i just saw it last night. it's a very quirky and uplifting movie about a dysfunctional family. great cast, too. we recommend it.

thrifting + sipping

2007-01-11T21:06:00.000-08:00

two things i've been doing a lot of lately: thrifting and sipping. i'm thrifting at the MCC thrift shops in my area and also at value village (i had a fun time allie!). found some pretty fun books - one of which is a photographed-puppet-animation kids book published in japan in the seventies (oh my!) - some sewing supplies, and these great mugs. actually, allie spotted them and decided they were too small for her mug-likings... but they weren't too small for mine (i like tiny mugs). AND, they're wedgwood. oooo. they seem to be seventies-ish and they are a very durable ironstone. inside the wedgwood is what i've been sipping of late: cocoa camino's fair trade organic hot chocolate. mmm... it's not too sweet and it's very chocolatey. highly recommended.

(finally) it's beginning to look a lot like winter.

2007-01-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

the view from my front window.

i woke up this morning to find even more snow than yesterday! big fluffy white flakes are peacefully meandering to the ground. it's that kind of snowing. very peaceful and beautiful. it was very odd and disconcerting to see buds and leaves already on my plants and bushes last week... but now the season is balancing itself out.

:: poetry ::

2007-01-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

tomorrow i begin my new job as a TA for a poetry class. i'm very excited to be returning to the university environment to teach. the course looks very interesting and i think that students will appreciate how the professor has organized it.

i still consider whether or not i should continue in my studies. it does seem to be the natural progression. sometimes i think i'd really do well: i love teaching tutorials and facilitating the discussions. i love reading and studying new works and talking about them. i love the idea of doing a PhD. however... i'm unsure if i could rein myself in to concentrate in such a specific area. plus, i'm not yet over my serious case of grad-school-inferiority-complex.

ring in the new year.

2007-01-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

i had perhaps one of the best new year's eve nights ever! special thanks go out to vancouverites tamsin and michael for hosting a fabulous party of imbibing, noshing, unwrapping, laughing, chatting, and dancing (with trivia, of course!). it was a perfect start to 2007. (see more photos of the evening at my picasa photos website)

it's a whole new year and it's a whole new look for my blog. i just love the idea of a fresh start and a clean slate. i feel like i can re-do, re-arrange, re-vamp on a monday (at the beginning of a new week)... so imagine how i feel on a new year.

i have many resolutions this year, as per usual, and i will share a few of them here on this public venue...

i plan to:

develop a routine
think before i speak
eat healthier
hit the gym
exercise in daily life
finish decorating
craft more often

Happy New Year!

New Year's Meme...

2006-12-29T17:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a Meme post... reflecting on 2006...

1. What did you do in 2006 that you had never done before?

i went to hawaii... it was fun.

2.Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

i *think* i kept my resolutions last year... at least, i had them in mind the whole year long... and yes, i did make more for this year... i'm a firm believer in clean slates

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, allie and james just had a baby girl on dec. 5th

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Daryan's grandpa died.

5. What countries did you visit?

The USA ... that's it!

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

a routine.

7. What dates will remain etched in your memory and why?

october 7th... our wedding day!

8. What's your biggest achievement of the year?

i felt most proud when i got offered my new job at laurier...

9. What was your biggest failure?

wow! these are heavy questions... um, i'm not sure actually... i guess that's a good thing if i can't think of a failure, eh?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

i had a knee surgery way back at the beginning of 2006... but the injury happened in previous years.

11.What was the best thing you bought?

our new home... we heart it.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

everyone's! these are odd questions.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted?

again, wow. odd.

14. Where did most of your money go?

probably on airplane flights... combined, daryan and i have been on like 20 flights.

15. What did you get really really excited about?

finding out that allie was pregnant!

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?

um, many songs... all the songs from our wedding soundtrack!

17. Compared to this time last year are you? a)happier or sadder? Happier b)fatter or thinner? Fatter... i need to head back to the gym c)richer or poorer? Richer

18. What do you wish you had done more of? routine and friend time

19. What do you wish you had done less of? less critical-ness

20. How did you be spend New Year's Eve?

tamsin and michael had a fabulous party out in vancouver... so we were visiting our old home and our vancouver friends - very fun! and the "dance party trivia game" was perhaps one of the biggest highlights ;)

21. Did you fall in love in 2006?

Yes... with daryan!

22. What was your favorite TV program?

hm. tough one. still sex in the city, i think... i got the 5th season for xmas... one more season to go!

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

i hope not

24. What was the best book you read?

let's say "the good earth" by pearl buck.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

let's say april march

26. What did you want and get?

too many things.

27. What did you not want and not get?

to live at the same time in waterloo and vancouver... that defies some kind of gravity law or something...

28. What was your favorite film this year?

clearly i have some memory issues... all i can think of is the last movies i saw

29. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?

we went to toronto... i was 27.

30. What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying?

a routine

31. How would you describe your personal fashion in 2006?

i've run the gammet... nerdy teacher look, casual br look, thrift shop finds, etc.

32. What kept you sane?

coffee... mmm...

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

kirsten dunst

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

gay marriage... i'm pro

35. Who did you miss?

everyone in vancouver.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Eden Yeh Eun Park.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.

that i'm officially an adult

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"'cause you're goin' marry me"

on the 9th day of christmas...

2006-12-22T11:42:00.000-08:00

on the 9th day of christmas my true love(s) gave to me, a christmas card each day of december! check out our christmas card display on our shutters! yes, in fact, we received 1 (or more) christmas card(s) EVERY single day of december up until now! what a fun way to countdown to christmas! so, thank you all for your cards and your warm greetings :)

in other news, we attend our 3rd christmas gathering of the season ce soir... this is regan's annual (has it been 4 years in a row that you've hosted this?! wow) christmas party extravaganza. should be fun. she always has yummy appies and cookies set out. let the xmas weight gain begin!!

p.s. does anyone have any useful digital camera tips for me? either i use my flash when indoors and the photo comes out super washed-out and stark, or i don't use a flash (as with this photo) and it comes out really yellow-ified... hm... ??

on the 8th day of christmas...

2006-12-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

on the 8th day of christmas, my true love gave to me a history of the 12 days. so, i've heard some feedback that says that the 12 days of christmas are not a countdown to christmas. and i respond: yes, yes i know. they in fact start counting the day AFTER christmas until january 5th (they = christians)...

apparently, epiphany starts on the 12th day after christmas, and the countdown is for that... altho i'm not too clear on what that means.

so there's a little history lesson for you...

too bad there's no snow yet...

on the 7th day of christmas...

2006-12-20T21:55:00.000-08:00

today was a major wrapping day. major. most gifts are completed and wrapped (except those that are perishable)... xmas is coming soon...

oh, and we also drove around christmas light watching. the ways in which some people choose to decorate their homes is unbelievable/unbearable... and the poor people who have to live across the street from some of these places... at least neighbours would save on electrical bills over the holiday season...

on the 6th day of christmas...

2006-12-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

on the 6th day of christmas, my true love gave to me... one damn cute little baby (well, i'm the auntie of said baby). today, allie and i ventured out to the mall. this was my first outing with baby and it was quite a fun time. allie carried little eden in the sling i picked up for her out west. too cute. oh yeah, and we got some christmas shopping done too ;). yes, i know... this is an old photograph, but i feel it merits a re-play, no?

on the 5th day of chistmas...

2006-12-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

on the 5th day of christmas my true love gave to me... 5 candy canes! (on my ginga bread house that is! it was more difficult to assemble and decorate a ginger bread house than i anticipated... i lost control with the icing... but oh how festive it was! we're slowly finishing and wrapping gifts around here...

on the 4th day of christmas...

2006-12-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

yes, yes, i know... i skipped a day in the countdown to christmas... i was busy, what can i say?

anywho, on the 4th day of christmas my true love gave to me: an xmas dinner and some carollers. today was the day of the klepacki family christmas and daryan and i (well, mostly daryan) cooked us up an amazing feast. and in the evening, real life carollers came to our door. can you believe that?! does that really happen nowadays?? only in old westmount. they were collecting donations for the foodbank. it was very cheery and festive here today.

on the 2nd day of christmas...

2006-12-15T22:34:00.000-08:00

on the 2nd day of christmas, my true love gave to me: a whole buncha wedding photos... this is the year of the photo for our christmas gifts... thanks to the over 900 photos we just received from our photographer... albums and blow ups for everyone!

on the 1st day of christmas...

2006-12-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

on the 1st day of christmas, my true love gave to me: one fire blazing in the pit... daryan came home from his business trip and we had a nice fire.

this first of my '12-days-of-leading-up-to-christmas-posts' will be a festive meme...

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

i don't believe in santa :)

Colored lights on tree/house or white?

i like to see coloured lights on OTHER people's houses, but my personal style is white lights... and we have lots of them this year!

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

i'm going to have to say sweet potatoe casserole... while the marshmellows don't earn them any credit in the nutritional department, sweet potatoes are healthier than regular potatoes... say, what's the difference between sweet potatoes and yams anyway?!

Funniest Holiday memory as a child:

well, there was that one time that my dad picked up an elderly woman in slippers and a housecoat from outside the nursing home where we were visiting my great grandmother... she had him driving all around the city looking for her 'house.' eventually, we caught on that she lived in the nursing home and we had just accompliced in her escape.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

no. never. except that one year that my parents didn't want to cart all the gifts down to windsor.

How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?

this year we went for a classic look... pearl garland, moss green, silver, gold, and chocolate brown balls... and white lights of course!

Snow! Love it or Dread it?

love it BEFORE christmas, hate it after... unfortunately us southern ontarians seem to have lost our snow... white christmas this year?

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?

hmmm... this is a hard one... this year i really like 'chocolate crackles' (see martha stewart's holiday cookie magazine edition 2005 for recipe)

What is your favorite Christmas Song?

i have a thing for the muppets this year... 'the muppet christmas carol' has a lot of fun tunes

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?

only yummy if cut up and put on top of peppermint pie... becky, i NEED your mom's recipe for that! ;)

Favorite Christmas Tradition growing up:

playing christmas tunes on the piano.

Least Favorite Christmas Tradition Growing Up:

marshmellow salad.

Breakfast or Presents First?

breakfast DEFINITELY first.

see you tomorrow...

well under way

2006-12-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

well, christmas is well under way here at the klepacki/angle household. our tree is up, gifts are slowly being handmade, wrapped, and placed under the tree, the outdoor lights are up, the house sounds of festive music, and the kitchen is warm and fragrant with seasonal baking. mmmm... my favourite time of year. stay tuned until tomorrow for the start of my 12 days of giveaways... no wait, that's the ellen show (can you tell i'm unemployed?), stay tuned until tomorrow for the start of my 12-days-of-leading-up-to-christmas posts...

Welcome Eden!

2006-12-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

She's finally here! Allie and James' new baby, Eden Yeu Eun Park was born yesterday at 6.25pm... she weighed 7 lbs, 8 oz. and she was a healthy and beautiful bundle of joy!!

Mommy is doing well and in high spirits after the 18 hour long labour!

Auntie JiLL is ecstatic to be holding Baby Eden only 1 hour after her birth!

Little Eden sleeping peacefully in Grandma's arms... awwww...

o tannenbaum o tannenbaum

2006-12-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

So here I am posting again after 2 long weeks of ignoring my blog. This time of year has me busy Christmas crafting :) This weekend we officially dubbed "christmas weekend" where we worked diligently at getting the house decorated and prepped for this (the funnest) month.

Most things went off without a hitch - except for my electrocution by our Christmas tree! A very L O N G trip to the emergency room ended in me deciding that my problem couldn't be too bad if they were willing to let me sit for four hours (their estimation) waiting to see the ONE (that's right, only ONE) doctor they had working. So, I left. And I haven't had problems since, so I guess I'm okay :)

Said Christmas tree (featured above in all its festive glory) was finished just a few short hours ago as we enjoyed the last embers of the fire. I suppose it was worth the shock ;)

and michael wins...

2006-11-14T21:40:00.000-08:00

t.s. eliot's 'the waste land' it is! and michael wins... is this a michael i even know, by the way? michael b. is that you? the last two comments left on this blog are by people who haven't posted before... do we know each other in real life, or just in the internet world?

Nothing Else to Blog About

2006-11-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

well, here goes some fun... (for me... probably not for all of you)...

1. Flip to page 18, paragraph 4 in the book closest to you right now, what does it say?

"Ganga was sunken, and the limp leaves
Waited for rain, while the black clouds
Gathered far distant, over Himavant.
The jungle crouched, humped in silence.
Then spoke thunder
DA
Datta: what have we given?
My friend, blood shaking my heart
The awful daring of a moment's surrender
Which an age of prudence can never retract..."

My literary library is right here beside me... can anyone guess this poem? I'll post the answer tomorrow and we'll see who got it right ;)

2. If you stretch out your left arm - as far as possible, what are you touching?

Daryan. He's burning cd's onto his new iPod at his laptop.

3. What's the last program you watched on tv?

Desperate Housewives. That show is easy to get hooked on to... I've never even been a regular watcher and lately I can't pull myself away.

4. Without looking, guess what time it is.

hm. 10:45pm... (real time is 10:35pm)

5. Except the computer, what can you hear right now?

the dishwasher running... and Kali's meowing.

6. When was the last time you were outside and what did you do?

Maybe 2 hours ago to put something in the rubbish bins.

7. What are you wearing?

Dark jeans, a brown cardigan, and fuzzy grey socks.

8. Did you dream last night? If you did, what about?

not that i remember...

9. When was the last time you laughed?

While watching desperate housewives.

10. What's on the walls, in the room you're in right now?

hm. an asian rice hat (?) and a white board and a print and some vintage postcards and a new curtain rod that my dad just installed this evening... tomorrow we'll put the curtains up... the neighbours will spy on us no longer!

11. Have you seen anything strange lately?.

probably...

12. What do you think about this meme?

It's long... and I'm clearly very bored.

13. What's the last film you saw?

At the cinema? Marie Antoinette... I saw it with Becky a few weekends ago... it was slow at times, but quite good, and VERY pretty.

14. If you became a multimillionaire, what would you do with the money?

I would travel and I would buy more cats and I would buy a whole lotta fabric.

15. Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know.

I have to come home quite frequently just after I've left to triple check that I turned the stove or some other firing-producing-appliance off... is that ocd?

16. If you could change ONE THING in this world, without regarding politics or bad guilt - what would it be?

I would change people's etiquette... there's a lot of rude people around.

19. What do you want your children’s names to be, girl/boy?

I'll keep those a secret... remember what happened to Charlotte ;)

17. Do you like dancing?

Yes! And I'm going dancing in Toronto for my birthday this weekend!

18. George Bush?

that would require more time/space

20. Would you ever consider living abroad?

yes

21. What are you going to do now?

Hang some pictures I made, tidy my room, have a bath and read my book, then go to bed

22. Who should do this meme?

I think Regan should... her posts have been a bit spotty lately... what happened to that resolution Rae ;)

Happy Hallowe'en!

2006-11-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a spook spook spooky hallowe'en...

Daryan and I went as a cat and a bird - a predator prey thing :)

Eden's home stretch...

2006-10-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

Allie and her baby are in the home stretch! (by the way, what does this mean? is this a baseball term? Jay? do you know?). We decided that her shower yesterday marked it. Only 6 more weeks to go. So it *could happen anytime in the next month! Yeah! I have to say I'm really excited! At Allie's shower, we ate yummy food, enjoyed excellent company, and played many fun games. Allie was also showered with many beautiful and useful gifts. Here are some highlights:

Allie brewing Rooibos in the kitchen.

Allie and I making tea in the kitchen.

Guests enjoying themselves.

James enjoying himself too - he arrived at the end to catch up on the festivities.

Pumpkins Galore!

2006-10-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

We had a very 'autumnal' adventure today going to the pumpkin patch in the country!

It turned out to be a very educational and fun afternoon - Daryan was disappointed that we couldn't go through the corn maze, but we were on a tight schedule. We plan to go back and do that another day. This particular pumpkin farm (Nauman's Pumpkins Galore) had loads of regular pumpkins, heirloom pumpkins, squash, and gnarly looking gourds. We purchased a wide variety of cucurbitaceae, the technical name for this family of flora, at the farm. Martha Stewart would approve. Here's what we bought:

carnival squash: a brightly coloured and uniformly round-ish squash that has a pleasant, mild flavour.

delicata squash: this squash is also known as the bohemian squash. It is creamy, sweet, and moist with yellow flesh that tastes like a sweet potato. It is an heirloom variety and considered one of the best for flavour.

lumina pumpkin: a starkly white pumpkin that is uniformly stout and round.

jarrahdale pumpkin: a ghostly light greenish blue pumpkin first cultivated in Australia.

We'll without a doubt have a lot of pumpkins to carve this Hallowe'en and I think the creepy white and green ones will further the effect :) Do any of you out there have plans for what designs you'll carve into your pumpkins this year?

Here are the photos of our adventure:

The perfect pumpkin!

Here's me posing with the pumpkins!

Daryan pulling the pumpkin cart.

Here's Daryan posing with a festive autumn spread

goin' to the chapel...

2006-10-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

well, our wedding weekend is officially over, and daryan and i have had some time to reflect - we had an AWESOME time. we were so glad that so many people were able to make it and share in the special day. the highlights of the day included the weather (cloudless, sunny, and warm... we couldn't have asked for better weather), the food, the splendid company (from east coast and west coast and the USA and trinidad and everywhere in between), the beautiful venue, and the amazing dance party later on!

our ceremony was a bit of a 'surprise' for daryan and i (to say it diplomatically), but we felt the general tone of the ceremony was quite special...

here's some photos that got taken with our digital camera of the preparations and the ceremony...

three cheers to marriage!
feel free to visit our photographer's blog... there are some pics of our engagement photos there... and hopefully there will be some wedding photos up there soon, too...
www.barebonephoto.blogspot.com

also, if anyone knows how to start up a communal place for people to drop off digital photos, could you let us know? like which sites are best?

another busy weekend

2006-10-01T05:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we celebrated Daryan's birthday, went to the Wellesely apple butter and cheese festival, and attend a baby shower for Allie all in one fell swoop!

Friday night was a surprise birthday party for Daryan at Ennio's Pasta House. He thought it was just the two of us going out for dinner, but really my Mom, Dad, and brother met us there. He was similarly surprised when Allie and James arrived at the house for cake later. It was a fun evening.

Bright and early Saturday morning we were up for the Wellesley Apple Butter and Cheese Festival... this is sort of similar to the the UBC apple festival Daryan and I made it our tradition to attend... except more entertainment and less apples. We had apple dumplings for brekkie, watched some clogging demonstrations, sipped mulled hot apple cider, bought honey and fudge (mmmm...), and saved a lost dog before heading back to the city.

At 1:00pm, Allie and I made our way to her baby shower. It was a blast. There were yummy sandwiches and cake and I got to catch up with Allie's wonderful and friendly family.

... and for each of these fun events, i forgot my damned camera ...

... nearly done

2006-09-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

The due date (self-imposed) for completing all (foresee-able) wedding tasks is Monday morning and it looks like we might actually pull it off! Daryan and I have been working hardcore on cocktail and dinner music, seating charts, decorations and favours, program booklets, vows, ceremony details, musician organizing, alcohol quantities, transportation... you name it, we've already done it!

It was very important for us to have everything done well in advance so we could enjoy the time leading up to the wedding without rushing around too much. So, for the next two weeks, we'll be renting movies, relaxing, working out at the gym, doing yard work (man, I *hate* weeding)... and hanging out with anyone who'd like to hang...

My period of il communicado is officially over!

a wedding shower...

2006-09-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who had a part in planning and attending my bridal shower this weekend! I had loads of fun; the games were hilarious, the food was delicious, and the company was grand! Here are a few pics of the day...

Kelly, Mandy, Me, and Becky...

Heidi and Regan and me!

Allison and I - doesn't Allie have a glow about her?

nous visitons a montreal

2006-08-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

Daryan and I have been in Montreal for the past week and this is the first time we've visited the city in the summer... you definitely get a lot more enjoyment out of walking around the city this time of year... I remember the winter visit being absolutely BRUTALLY cold. We arrived on Tuesday morning and promptly headed for the Plateau neighbourhood where we did some eating, some walking, and some shopping. The next few days consisted of sporadic shopping on Rue St. Catherine and some yummy meals at French rotisserie restaurants. Friday we went to the BioDome (a Science/environmental/educational centre that houses 4 distinct ecosystems). The tropical rainforest ecosystem reminded me of that room at the Vancouver Aquariam.

The main focus of our trip was to be to watch the Roger's Cup women's tennis match - the semi-finals and the finals. Unfortunately though, Saturday night and ALL Sunday, the matches were rained out. We saw a singles game of Martina Hingis kicking butt, and a doubles game of Martina Navrilatova and her partner kicking butt... so that was worth it.

West meets in the East

2006-08-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

The long weekend is sadly over, but it was filled with fun and adventure! Our Vancouver-turned-Toronto friend Christine came out to the country for a wee visit Friday and Saturday. We had drinks at the Jane Bond (finally we caught it on a nite when they decided to open!) and in the morning we had a greasy brekkie and headed to the Farmer's Market. In the afternoon we were in St.Jacobs and the evening rounded out with a stroll through Victoria park and a trip to the quaint Train station. We had fun Christine! Come back soon!

DoubleBirthday

2006-08-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Daryan and I celebrated Allie's 27th birthday with her and James... we had a yummy BBQ and dug into a DQ ice cream cake for dessert! mmmm... if it weren't for the wicked stormy weather us Southern Ontarians had in the early evening, we would have rounded the night off with a game of Cranium. The word worm will have to wait.

Today, Daryan and I celebrated my Dad's 54th birthday with him and my Mom... we had some yummy linguine pasta and recycled the previous night's DQ cake too! HAHA. Dad got some whiffle balls for backyard golf as well as a date on the driving range with Daryan and I.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL!

Allie and James posing with the cake.

My Dad showing off his new whiffle balls.

Showers for the Shower

2006-07-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of flowers
and a couple of kisses,
soon Jon and Kelly will be Mr and Mrs!

Happy Bridal Shower Kelly!

I should have been a graphic artist...

2006-07-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a creative interpretation of what will eventually become our wedding cake :) My Mom and I went to the bakery today to pick out the style and kind of wedding cake we'll have. On Daryan's request, we invented something with dots on it. And, in spirit of our themes and the time of year, those are fall leaves and twigs on the top (no, they AREN'T chewed up and spit out ju-jubes on top, as Daryan teased about).

The wonders of cut and paste and paint technology never cease to amaze me! Let's hope my baker is more talented at cake decorating than I am at operating the most basic programs on my computer ;)

Summer Day Trip #1: The Elora Gorge

2006-07-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

Daryan's parents are in town for a visit this week, so we have started our adventures exploring areas near us in southwestern Ontario! Yesterday we went to the quaint town of Elora. Settled in the early 1800s by Scottish pioneers, Elora started as a grist mill town - the town lies at the crux of two merging rivers and a waterfall. The scenery is spectacular. In the 1960s, it became a haven for crafters and artisans. Today, the town boasts many craft stores, art galleries, and quaint shops.

Some of the photos from our adventures are below:

Here I am posing in front of the old grist mill turned inn and restaurant.

This is Daryan wading and playing with baby fishes in the gorge river bed.

Here are some of the neat things I purchased: a handmade "prickly pear" mockingbird tote, a Cath Kidston mini tissue package, and some French milled soaps. mmmm.

fun-filled

2006-07-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

wow. what a weekend we just had! plenty of summer fun to go around. we hosted two bbq parties; one of which we had with kelly and becky (further above and lower above, respectively). daryan made an *awesome* roasted strawberry cheesecake for us to nosh on. mmmm. it was a good time.

then on sunday, we were invited to muskoka lake in the great northern ontario district of muskoka to go to a cottage. muskoka is one of my favourite places i've *ever* been to, and this short jaunt confirmed it. i went tubing for the first time, played bocce ball, swam in the lake morning, afternoon, and night (i'm being quite literal here ;). it was fabulous.

fire and water

2006-07-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

What better way to say "Happy Birthday Canada" then to watch the Columbia Lake fireworks in the *pouring* rain. I mean p o u r i n g. Funny, you'd think the ex-Vancouverites would think to bring an umbrella. Nope. Not us. But, the beautiful fireworks display made it all worth it.

good bye vancouver! :(

2006-06-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

Slowly, but surely, we move in. Finally our land computer is hooked up and we are able to upload our photos. Now I can officially thank our dear friends in Vancouver for making us feel so special and loved during our last days in Vancouver :) Last days as citizens, that is... certainly not our last days as visitors!

Michael wanted to have a roast dinner for daryan before we moved, so he and Tamsin had us over for a M A R V E L L O U S dinner. Above are the happy hosts, and the yummy roast ;)

On our last night we hung out with Jay, Tamsin, Micheal, Jenn, Stephen, Cadence, Pablo, and Laura. A special thanks to Jay, who hosted this fun evening of friends, fondue, and fond farwells!

i hate yellow

2006-06-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

we're still movin in. well, we're most diligently working at getting rid of the soft yellow paint that's spread thru our home "like a cancer," as daryan puts it. we're also putting away dishes and reconnecting with our personal possessions.

so, naturally i'm into procrastinating... mandy sent me this *great* website that's proved useful in this endeavour. you all should check it out too :)...

once you are on the blank screen, use the different features on your mouse to drag and click your way to a pollock masterpiece.

www.jacksonpollock.org

the big move

2006-06-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

well, hello there. i haven't been updating here in a while; the confusion of packing up and moving has been my main course. how 'bout i tell you a bit about that? well, we are officially move out of our house by june. 14th and then we fly to ontario around the 21st or 22nd (we haven't firmed up our flight plans yet).

needless to say, daryan and i are both excited and sad. sad to see this beautiful and fun city go; sad to say goodbye to all our great friends here (sniffle). but, at the same token we are incredibly excited to move to waterloo into a nice and new (to us) beautiful home; and i'm excited to see all my friends there. also, we're quite excited to start new career paths (well... of course, d's career path is more firmed up than mine!) such is the experience of moving across the country to a new city: it's a double-edged sword (apologies for the cliche;)

we are trying to keep in mind that we will get to visit vancouver fairly often - i'm thankful for that.

birds in paradise, cheeseburgers in paradise: DAY 4

2006-05-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

wow. busy day today. first thing in the morning, daryan and i went to the westin spa (the sister resort of our hotel); daryan had a man's volcanic pedicure, and i had a french manicure. at this resort there were many exotic bird. at the right are some pics of the flamingos and parrots.

in the later morning, we went to lahaina for some shopping and some museum-going. we went to this heritage house where the first american missionaries came to convert the 'heathens' of hawaii. eventually this family (the baldwins) came to own almost all of maui's land, resorts, as well as the sugar cane industry of hawaii. the home had many original pieces from this family.

daryan and i went to a famous restaurant called "cheeseburger in paradise" for lunch in Lahaina (the town close to here). we ate on the top level overlooking the wharf and the water. d. had a gigantic beef cheeseburger and i opted for the turkey burger. both were delicious. above are some shots from the restaurant.

at the left are some random shots of birds from around our resort. i gather that they are relatives of sparrows and/or morning doves. some are so used to touists that they'll eat right out of your hand. it's actually sort of sad to see. but, i prefer tiny sparrows hopping around compared to sea gulls!! (strangely, there are no seagulls here).

we hung by the pool, and the snorkeling was cool!: DAY 3

2006-05-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

today daryan and i did the utmost in vacation pleasure - we did practically nothing! we relaxed and read in front of the pool, and we ordered this crazy drink (seen above), which is a cored pineapple with a pina coloda inside! it was fabulous. we also enjoyed a pineapple fruit salad that used the pineapple as the bowl - today was the day of the pineapple.

we also did some snorkeling. i was pretty proud of myself that i was able to go so deep into the ocean for this adventure (i'm pretty afraid of sharks). but we saw some needlefish, clown fish, and other iridescent fishes. oh, and we saw the zebra kind, too. we're going to go snorkeling again sometime to see if we can spot the sea turtles that hang around these parts.

in the evening was the luau; we got to taste traditional hawaiian foods (including the pig, which i avoided). then, we watched a hula show with male and female hula dancers. it was all pretty interesting - and i'll let you all ask daryan his story about what he got to do at the finale of the hula show ;)

the iris people that went on the cruise today had 60 dolphins (or more!) visit them and do tricks for them! how envious we were. we still have one more boat ride left in which we might see dolphins - keep your fingers crossed for us!

some items i bought, and our trip on the maui jim yacht: DAY 2

2006-05-23T00:53:00.000-07:00

hawaii is known for its quilters; the art of "kapa" as it is known here. what i perfect souvenir it would be, i thought, to get a hold of some hawaiin fabrics and quilt patterns. interestingly, typical hawaiin quilting is done with solid coloured fabrics - not the brightly coloured floral prints we think of when we hear 'hawaii.'. it is appliqued onto a plain white background. the patterns apparently involve folding fabric into 8ths and cutting it to achieve a snowflake effect. i'll attempt the pattern in the above picture when i return home.

here daryan is on the maui jim sunglasses company yacht; the captain took us on a yacht trip around lahaina (the town near our resort). we got a full 2 hours of life on the high seas! some IRIS people went on the yacht earlier in the day and saw dolphins swimming along the side of the boat, but we, unfortunately, weren't so lucky. we did, however, get to enjoy some brews and some views!

"Wowee! we're in Maui!" : DAY 1

2006-05-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

we're here in Maui! we woke up bright and early at 5:30am to the sounds of the exotic birds here on our resort. it's quite a nice view of the ocean and lava rocks from our room, so we spent a few moments waking up out on our veranda. while daryan was at a short meeting this morning, i got a chance to walk on the beach, write some postcards, feed some fish, and snap some photos. we will go snorkeling this afternoon at 'black rock' - the lava rock formations on our resort that cascade into the ocean. apparently this site has some of the most amazing snorkeling in all of hawaii!

we got to feed the koi fish in the pond surrounding our hotel this morning. it seemed to be a popular pastime with the little kids... and there i was among them, just as excited! i got to pet the fish too!

Aloha

2006-05-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Daryan and I are heading to Hawaii on Saturday! I'm quite looking forward to this trip; I've even decided to take along my fancy camera (which is usually too big to take on holidays) in hopes of capturing some nice shots of this beautiful place. We are staying at the Sheraton Maui resort on Kaanapali beach.

We get to go on two different yaught cruises on the ocean while we're there! Daryan and I are also hoping to visit the world's largest dormant volcano for what has been said is the most beautiful sunrise on all the earth (Haleakala Crater).

Also, pool-side activities at the resort include hula dancing lessons, lei making, ukulele tutorials, as well as coconut husk weaving. The trip promises to be ultra relaxing. Stay tuned for photos from the vacation when we get back!

Mom Comes to Town

2006-05-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

My Mom came last week to Vancouver for a spring-time visit! And thanks to my slacker job, I was able to take the week off to have a vacation as well. I got to play tour guide and explore the city with my Mom. It's kind of neat to get to play tour guide, because it encourages you to re-experience the city - a city that I had started to take for granted. And, man, did we ever get to experience lots this week. We ate at many yummy restuarants (including a breakfast date with Jay at the Naam!). We also hung on the Drive, Main street, Point Grey, Kitsilano, and at Granville Island. While at Granville Island, we took a small ferry boat around False Creek to see the sights from the water. We walked through Van Dusen Gardens on Thursday; we sat on the beach in the West End that evening. And we went to the USA for outlet mall shopping on Friday. We even found time to bust out the craft supplies and make a log cabin pillow for my Mom.

(Explore the series of links above for some info about locations in Vancouver).

Below are some select pics of our adventures:

Mom and I enjoying lemon tarts on the Drive at the yummy italian bakery. The picture above left even includes some mountains peeking through!

Wednesday was spent touring Main street - here Daryan and I are enjoying a meal at The Reef.

Here we are at Van Dusen Gardens - a 55 acre garden right in the middle of Vancouver. There were many unique trees and the azaleas and rhododendrons were the notable flowers in bloom. But, this patch of forget-me-nots (above left) were also in their glory. We apparently preceded the 'laburnum walk' by three weeks. Late May features garden paths with a canopy of yellow laburnum blooms. We also saw ducks, geese, huge fish, sunning turtles, and even a heron!

Daryan, Mom, and I (taking the photo) took night trip to English Bay to listen to the waves on the shore, and watch the lights of the city over the water in the distance. This evening also marked the christening of my 'good day sunshine' beach quilt! We have warm drinks and sweet treats in hand to keep us warm ;)

"we need more rain! melissa is eating her babies!"

2006-05-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

grizzly man. the jane goodall of bears.

i haven't posted a movie reccommendation in a bit. my mom (who's visiting me in vancouver this week) and i rented GRIZZLY MAN last night. it's the documentary about an ecentric man named treadwell who goes to live with the grizzly bears of alaska. yes, this DOES sound like a mock-umentary... and it watches like one too! but it's all true. in fact, he video taped all 13 summers of living with grizzly bears and in the videos he's touching the grizzly bears and coming within a mere couple feet of the bears. he scolds them if they swat at him and he coddles them and tells them he loves them at other times. he believes that he can actually show them that he is the alpha. but, they seem to tolerate him - to an extent...

pick it up for yourselves! it's quite interesting and surprising how much he really does get involved with the grizzly bear colony and other animals of alaska.

the happy couple

2006-04-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

here are daryan and i as south park characters!! i have to say that daryan looks a lot more like himself than i do - why doesn't this website have freckles to add?! this idea is *totally* a knock off from jen's website - jenny you look quite like your character too :) why don't ya'll give it a whirl? it promises to be much fun - i was laughing my head off this morning.

*the title is a link to the website.

sakura special

2006-04-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

'tis the season in vancouver of soft pink and white candy-cotton-like trees - the cherry trees are blossoming! how fitting that i'm currently reading MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, and it's at the point where Chiyo hears about the Cherry Blossom viewings (hanami). has anyone else read this book?. once i finish the book, i'm going to rent the movie :).

here's a picture of our street lined with these striking, yaezahura-variety spring-blooming trees; although they've been fragrant and full (mankai) for about a week, they are beginning to shed. now it's another kind of beauty - the soft shower of cherry blossom petals. unfortunately, the rains come tonight and will destroy the blooms... and the carpet of petals on our front lawn will wash away into the gutters.

Avondale Avenue

2006-04-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

avondale ave... nice ring, eh? well, it's official - daryan and i have a home in waterloo (well, it's two streets over the border technically in kitchener - but lets just say waterloo for fun). and although we haven't even seen the house yet, we're sure we'll love it. i just love its english cottage-y feel... and being on avondale street and all, well, the whole thing seems to have a shakespearean thing going for it.

we think we might be living there as soon as mid-june, which means there's plenty of time left to round out the summer season with barbeque parties on our back deck! i've already promised bec a planked salmon roast!

Happy Easter !

2006-04-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

"Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin' down the bunny trail!"

(this song from my childhood has been in my head for a whole week! unfortunate for those around me, these are the only lyrics i know).

Hope you are all enjoying this spring-ly season. Daryan and I will be colouring Easter eggs and planning our egg hunt for our brunch tomorrow :) Anyone else want to share what they will do/did for Easter?

what is a salt pig?

2006-04-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

to all my readers: (thanks for leaving comments guys ;)
a salt pig is an old fashioned receptacle for salt! it's a handy thing to keep on the counter in case you need a pinch or spoonful of salt while cooking. it is especially useful for larger grain salt that doesn't come out through the shaker. also, it is useful for keeping the salt dry(apparently?) ... altho i've never had a soggy salt problem, per se!

i HEART thrifting

2006-04-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

i just love it when i score a sweet find at a thrift shop for nearly zero dollars. last week it was an old-ish looking denby mug that i scored for 25 cents. yesterday it was the genuine nigella lawson salt pig for 99 cents! what a steal! not that i have any real *need* for a salt pig. but i'm sure now that i have one i'll never know what i did without one. plus, it makes me look like a fancy cook to have one strategically placed on my counter top.

scrap bag

2006-04-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

oh yay! my mail order purchase has finally arrived! i ordered a fabric scrap bag from a minimalist modern quiltmaker in the states; it has many bold fabrics in it. i thought there might be larger pieces in the scrap bag, but they are remnants after all. my favourite pattern is that blue/turqoise and yellow centred pattern near the left of the photo. already i'm thinking of some creative uses that i'll put them all to :)

Springtime in Vancouver

2006-04-04T23:55:00.000-07:00

We've sprung ahead, and now spring's dead ahead. I was inspired (by our *beautiful* day here) to take some spring-ly photos of our yard/neighbourhood. No mountain shots turned out :(

Here's a description of each of the photos-

Top left: a cherry blossom tree around the corner from our place - in full bloom.
Top right: our potted japanese maple tree is sprouting its delicate red leaves.

Middle left: a closeup of a lone yellow flower in one of our flower boxes.
Middle right: a flowering tree in our side yard.

Bottom left: our back neighbour's petite garden.
Bottom right: some purple-flowered ground cover in our front beds.

Text is Text

2006-03-28T22:09:00.000-08:00

in my travels to main street today, i couldn't prevent myself from wandering into urban source (the craftish store in vancouver that sells remnants of anything imaginable for creative and crafting purposes). and, of course, while browsing around urban source, i couldn't prevent myself from indulging in a rather expensive set of old printing press text. they are made of lead... but i plan to use them as i do rubber stamps for card making purposes. it took me 1/2 and hour to test them and choose an eclectic and yet united set of alphabet letters including an 'and' sign as well as a 'money' symbol. i also purchased some fabric remnants, pink tutu crinoline, gift tags, and ribbon. since april is officially use-what-you-have-month, i figured i should stock up on some crafting supplies before the first hits.

bookworm

2006-03-22T21:12:00.000-08:00

it's been a long time since i last posted... sorry to keep the fans waiting! well, i was going to post about the B E A U T I F U L first day of spring we had on monday, but after shivering in the rain all day today, it just didn't seem fitting. i've been working a lot and staying indoors a lot this week, which means that i've been able to get some reading done. i'm currently reading THE KITE RUNNER... it's marvelous... bec will also be able to attest to this. it's in a close running with my favourite book of all time (A FINE BALANCE)... pick yurselves up a copy!

Quilting with the Stars

2006-03-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

well, i think this might have some tv potential... if countless north american fans are drawn to shows like "dancing with the stars," or "skating with the celebrities," who wouldn't watch QUILTING with the stars?! lol... ah the Oscars; so, as i planned the fabrics for my "good day sunshine quilt" (by original design), "it's hard out here for a pimp" blasted through my television. and as itzak perlman serenaded us with his solo, i was rotary cutting strips in chocolate brown. and as i drew the grid for the free motion quilting, reese witherspoon gushed over her win (I *did* like her in "walk the line," - the movie i liked best)... and, as jack nicholson rasped out the best film, i was cutting my batting...

a snippet

2006-03-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

This week was fairly ho-hum, but I feel as though I should keep you all in the loop :) I got to be an art teacher at a super small and hidden high school on UBC campus (I didn't even know their was a school there!)... the school has fewer than 500 students and they don't use a bell system - students just wander from block to block and it WORKS! Of course, the students were also super down-to-earth and 'with it.' Essentially, I got paid to knit, to chat with the very fun students, and to do their funky art projects with them (see my conte crayon chickadee above - Mandy, IS that a chickadee?! - I just took a wild guess).

Most of our time was spent at Kiri's apartment because we had our hardwood floors restored a darker colour. I think it adds a richness to the main floor - we're continually seeking new ways to enhance our house before listing time. (what do you all think?)

I've also been quite crafty this week. I'm working on a log cabin quilted pillow for a friend's birthday. And all the while Daryan and I are working and trying to be productive, our sweet kitties lounge around and sleep. Solomon was feeling motivated enough to wake up and pose for this photo ;)

Adventures in America

2006-02-25T17:10:00.000-08:00

Daryan, Jay and I were inspired by the beautiful sunny day on Friday to throw caution to the wind and take ourselves on an excursion to the states (i felt like i was 21 again!). We went to our homes, grabbed our passports and other personal effects and we were on our way to the Peace Arch border crossing. An hour and a bit later and we were in Bellingham. The adventure started with a stroll around the town, shopping, and basking in the sunlight.

the day took a slightly 'after-school-special' tone when we drove down to Bellingham Bay to get out and explore the shoreline. we had only been there a few moments when some hippy in a van told us to 'be careful what we touch' on the shoreline because the factory ajacent the bay had semi-recently been caught for dumping mercury in the ocean. 'now,' he went on to tell us with his motor revved, 'every whale that makes its way into the bay ends up dead from mercury poisoning on the shoreline.' yikes... while his quote that '29 000 tons' of mercury ended up in the bay seemed comical and slightly exagerrated, i looked it up online and he was right! click on the following link to read up on this disaster... bellingham bay mercury disaster
needless to say, that cautionary chat made me give my bubble glass hunting idea a second thought. then we moved on to the burbs for some shopping... see some of my fav purchases below -

Isn't this the most beautiful purse you ever saw?! We found it at a vintage-style shoe and accessory store in downtown Bellingham. I just had to own in for my fancy + funky + vintage-style purse collection (i now have 4!)

Here's a funky coconut husk welcome mat i bought at TARGET - what a fun thing to put out after the spring cleaning :)

french knots on chocolate: wuthering heights edition

2006-02-14T00:21:00.000-08:00

finally! my first quilt is finished... it's a simple but funky quilt that consists of two large pieces of fabric, machine sewn on the seams, stab stitch on the edging and hand tied with french knots. it came from a great quilting book called MAKE YOUR OWN CONTEMPORARY QUILTS. i would recommend it - there are great instructions for first time quilters like myself. i'm making another quilt like this one with different fabrics. then i'm on to a children's quilt from this same book. hooray for handcrafts!

Four!

2006-02-13T00:35:00.000-08:00

Four Jobs You’ve Had In Your Life
1. High school teacher
2. TA at SFU
3. Health food representative at Zehrs
4. Bus girl at the Stone Crock

Four Places You Have Lived
1. Vancouver, BC
2. 413 Hazel Street
3. 9 Alten Way
4. London

Four Music Artists You Can’t Hear Too Often
1. Rufus Wainwright
2. Elliot Smith
3. The Magnetic Fields
4. Mozart

Four Favorite Books (this was tough, there are so many i like)
1. A Fine Balance
2. Angela's Ashes
3. Skinny Legs and All
4. The Kite Runner (I'm reading it now!)

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
1. Little Women
2. Billy Elliot
3. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
4. The Royal Tannenbaums

Four TV Shows You Love to Watch
1. Sex in the City
2. Northern Exposure
3. Law and Order: SVU
4. What Not To Wear

Four Places You Have Been On Vacation
1. Switzerland (and other European locations)
2. Mexico
3. Las Vegas
4. Banff

Four Websites You Visit Daily
1. www.google.ca
2. www.craxxyrae.blogspot.com
3. www.waywardsylvia.blogspot.com
4. www.vancouver.craigslist.com

Four Of Your Favorite Foods
1. Chocolate cupcakes
2. anything Mexican
3. Indian fare at Yogi's
4. sushi

Four Hobbies
1. quilting
2. knitting
3. pottery
4. reading

*feel free to add this list o' fours to your own blogs out there ;)

glorious

2006-02-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

we awoke this morning to a gloriously bright and clear sky. a perfect day off. we had breakfast with our friend jay (at the naam) to start it all off... mmm... whole wheat vegan pancakes....
then, we found ourselves looking at fabric in a sunny shop on w 10th before heading home to bask in our yard playing with the neighbourhood kitties. we even found time for a quick cat nap in the afternoon with all the windows open. certainly, a day like today erases the memory of the horribly rainy weather that has preceeded it. some of you might even be jealous to know that our crocuses are in full bloom. ;)

Not for the Squimish

2006-02-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

apparently, i'm the squimish one!

To Bee, or Not to Bee

2006-02-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

quilting bee, that is. i've just taken up this age-old pastime and am currently working on two pretty basic quilt styles (only 2 pieces of fabric and some wadding; sewn together and bound with french knots). my next attempt will be an applique children's quilt with funky birds on it. to support this hobby, i've gotten a new sewing machine. it's a PFAFF, which is apparently a good make. sew, whilst i'm recovering from my wee knee surgery, i'll be doing some good ole fashioned quilting to pass the time.

The Gala

2006-01-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

yesterday evening, daryan and i attended the annual IRIS AWARDS GALA... it was pretty swank to say the least. over the top, one might even say. there were 675 guests there! i got to wear my new carrie bradshaw-esque black crinoline dress with my new vintage silver purse (actually, i'm in a panic now that i left it in the cab last night!!). perhaps the most unneccessary and outrageous swank detail was the IRIS SYMBOL they moulded (sp?) out of the ice plates they served our sorbet onto! insanity. how exactly 675 ice plates are made this way, i have no idea!

"liquid sunshine" my a$$...

2006-01-09T22:38:00.000-08:00

people here in vancouver rationalize the rain (when the rest of the country has snow) by obsessively repeating mantras like "you don't have to shovel rain" or "rain is liquid sunshine." i myself even quoted these sayings, trying to convince myself of their truth. but, this week, i've realized that it is simply a defense mechanism spouted by vancouverites in an attempt to make right their seasonal affective disorder and their weather-induced depression. no one REALLY likes rain - they couldn't possibly. my pant cuffs in this city are permanently dripping wet, our wooden side porch is growing a slippery algae-like moss that nearly caused me to break my neck the other evening, and i quite literally haven't seen hide nor hair of the sun since i was in ontario (over 2 weeks ago!). and the future forecasts are looking similarly dismal. the weather reporters are always sure to mention the slightest possibilities of sun in the forecast, but this really only gives us false hope. *sigh* time to batten down the hatches for another 2 staight months of rain... if i think really hard, i can sort of remember how nice it is when the crocuses are up in late february here :)

*click on the title to visit THE WEATHER NETWORK online for Vancouver, BC

Festival of Lights

2005-12-16T01:29:00.000-08:00

daryan, jay, and i checked out the van dusen 'festival of lights' on monday. it was fantastic! we sipped hot apple cider and cocoa, traipsed through the trails in search of festively-decorated nooks, avoided/provoked the heron on stilts, and listen to cheezy carols along the way. here are some shots... oh, and,

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S

as i'll be home for christmas... and, so, away from my blog! see you all in the new year!

angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing over the plains.

jay and i peaking out the windows of the gingerbread house.

the enchanted woods...

Long Live Narnia!

2005-12-10T11:31:00.000-08:00

daryan and i went to see THE LION, THE WITCH, and THE WARDROBE last night. it was fabulous! you all must see it - it's one of those emotional, epic, good vs. evil kinda films... well, i guess you all know this from the book too;). this remediation was quite filmly rooted in the book, actually. good rendition!

and it was SO busy - we almost didn't get in! either i haven't been to an opening night in a while, or else this opener was really popular. when daryan and i traipsed in around 1/2 hour before (with our pre-purchased internet tickets in hand) there was a line up that people had stood in FOR 2 HOURS to get the good seats! we were tho the side, but in decent seats.

also the crowd was filled with kids, teenagers, young adults, and older adults - the widest generation range i've ever seen at a film. disney latched on to the right series with this one!

i've been raged!

2005-12-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

what do you call it when an irrate bridge-person from surrey flies off the handle at poor, cute, little innocent me? ... my drive home from work on monday afternoon!

i was at a red, turning right... only, i didn't try to see if i could go - yeah, yeah, i *COULD* have turned, but a number of situtations led me to wait until the green. the woman behind me blasted her horn for a solid 30 seconds 'cause of my driving decision. i *MAY* have flipped her the bird - okay, i did. ;)

when we both turn the corner together on the green, she speeds up beside me, and cuts me off such that i almost rammed into her. then, she comes to a complete halt and PARK in the right lane of a busy street. she GETS OUT of her car and comes to my open window to ream me out. she tells me i *HAVE* to turn right on a red - it's in the book! (according to her). i say, well, yeah, i *COULD* have turned right, but i'm not obligated to. then, perhaps the funniest moment of the exchange (if there is one), she says "look at you all hoity-toity in your fancy little outfit and you're givin' me the finger!" haha... i suppose a vintage jacket from value village and a nose ring could be considered 'fancy'!? she probably considered the world 'obligation' fancy too! lol.

back to the story: she got in her car, sped away and then cut me off again to turn left down the same road i was turning... it wasn't until i was backing into our garage that i noticed she was at the end of the lane watching me!!! this nut-job followed me to my home!!

needless to say, i've been monitoring the street to make sure she doesn't come back...
ack!

anyone else have a story to share?

grad cubed

2005-11-26T23:31:00.000-08:00

nothing produces closure like walking across a stage to shake hands with a white man on his death bed who pronounces, "i admit you" - lol! there's something cult-esque about it all. but, each uni. has their own 'thing' - sfu's was my fav. so far... nothing is as emotion and pride-wrenching as a world renowned bagpipe team playing the procession through a quadrangle, over a pond, and amidst the mountains on a sunny summer day!

there was something unique about this grad over the others - and not just because i'm nearly guaranteed a job for it - i knew most of the people crossing the stage - there was something intimate about the whole thing. plus, i'm the colleagues of all these fine grads now!

yeah... us

2005-11-14T22:10:00.000-08:00

saturday was stephen, jay, and i's communal birthday party! combined, we are 83 years old! we scorpios spent the evening chatting and laughing, playing a heated game of trivial pursuit 90's edition, and exchanging gifts of savoury foods, shoes, pottery and kitchen effects. i'm nearly 26... where has my life gone!? ;)

scorpio: Scorpio is the eighth Sign of the Zodiac, and you shouldn't take that lightly. You shouldn't take Scorpios lightly, either. Those born under this Sign are dead serious in their mission to learn about others. There's no fluff or chatter for Scorpios, either: these folks will zero in on the essential questions, gleaning the secrets that lie within. Scorpios concern themselves with beginnings and endings, and are unafraid of either; they also travel in a world which is black and white and has little use for gray. The curiosity of Scorpios is immeasurable, which may be why they are such adept investigators. These folks love to probe and know how to get to the bottom of things. The fact that they have a keen sense of intuition certainly helps. It's the Scorpion which symbolizes Scorpios, and it's no accident. Much like the Scorpion would rather kill itself than be killed, those born under this Sign are the ones who are in ultimate control of their destiny. It is life on the Scorpion's terms, too, since these folks promote their agenda (they are quite the executives) and see to it that things go forward. Others may find this overbearing (it can be) and even self-destructive, but that's the beauty of the Scorpion: these folks have tremendous regenerative powers, much like the literal Scorpion can lose its tail and promptly grow a new one. Fearless Scorpions rarely lose, per se, they just keep on going, since they are stubborn and determined to succeed (this Scorpio trait is in keeping with the Fixed Quality assigned to this Sign). Scorpios work as hard as they do so they can someday sit back and feel satisfied with themselves. These folks are intense, passionate and filled with desire. They're also complex and secretive, so don't expect to get much out of them, lest they become suspicious and exit stage left. It's best not to bet against Scorpios, either, since these folks are surprisingly resourceful.

gettin' it together

2005-11-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

i took today off to organize and relax... hmmm... those two kind of contra-indicate one another, i guess. but, after not exercising for a while and after doing 10 hour pottery marathons on poor nutrition, i decided i need to get my life together. on the roster for today? tea with friends, organizing, candle-lit yoga in the evening, and time spent working on knitting projects.

nostalgic read

2005-11-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

the film version of THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE is due out on december 9th... the perfect cozy film for the approaching days 'til christmas (although the perpetual winter thing is not as cozy as christmas winter, if you know what i mean). in preparation, i've just picked up the collector's edition of the book complete with colour illustrations (at a reasonable cost from chapters - $11.99); so far, it is quite the nostalgic read. i've only gotten to the part where lucy meets the faun, but already i'm enjoying it. not to flaunt being out of school, 'cause many of you reading this are still drudging through uni., but i honestly thought i wouldn't know what to do with myself and that i'd be completely bored and unstimulated - but i'm not! the only difference between uni. and no uni. (for me anyway), is that i can *choose* what i want to study/learn/read/do. still just as busy as i always was. i'm thinking about taking on beginner adult ballet lessons as my next 'class.' couldn't you just picture a bunch of adults having a first 'recital' - wouldn't that be a hoot!

anyone want to start reading it with me? we could have an online casual book chat of sorts...

p.s. the title of this blog entry is a link to the official narnia film website - oh, i've just realized it's a disney production, hmmmm...

new wheels

2005-11-05T00:09:00.000-08:00

check out my new wheels! i'm really feeling like an adult today (that could be a good or bad thing ;)), because i've just gotten my first car ever! she's a smooth ride with good visibility and lots of umph. but, i here announce that i don't want to abuse this privilege - i still plan on driving it minimally and taking transit when possible - don't want to be another one-passenger vehicle scooting around town.

and the winner is ....

2005-10-31T23:24:00.000-08:00

the winner, and the only contestant incidently ;), of the Hallowe'en trivia question was becky! congratulations! her first instinct told her i was a cat (although she posted another great guess) - and i was!

hope you all had a safe and happy haunting day!

All Hallows Eve

2005-10-30T21:22:00.000-08:00

whhaaaa hhaa haa haaaaaa (evil laugh) - VELCUM to dee hous ov fright (vampire voice). well, all our pumpkins and other such veggies (squash) have been converted into jack-o-lanterns and are ready to frighten young and unsuspecting trick-or-treaters (man there's a lot of odd punctuation for Hallowe'en... the bottom right one daryan carved, and i carved all the others. the smallish pumpkin on the top row left even determined its own face! (i only enlarged the already existing natural markings on the pumpkin's face ... C R E E P Y ....)

Halloween / ,haele'wi:n, ,hol-l/ n. (also Hallowe'en) the eve of All Saints' Day, 31st October. [Hallow + EVEN 2]... [Old English halgian, halga from Germanic]

Hallowe'en Fact #1:
The Celts believed that the veil between this world and the next was thinnest at this time of year. Friends and relatives who had died would often return, with their souls inhabiting an animal - often a black cat. Black cats have remained a symbol of Halloween down to the present time.

Hallowe'en Fact #2:
Samhain, in celtic times, was a fire festival. Sacred bonfires were lit on the tops of hills in honor of the Gods. The townspeople would take an ember from the bonfire to their home and re-light the fire in their family hearth. The ember would usually be carried in a holder - often a turnip or gourd. NOW, we carve faces into pumpkins instead of the traditional turnip or gourd.

Hallowe'en Fact #3:
There is software available that converts a photo of yourself (or anything for that matter) into a pumpkin-carving stencil - plan ahead for next Hallowe-en (see link at top of this entry).

And, FINALLY ...

The person who can guess what I will go as for Hallowe'en this year will receive eternal fame and recognition on this blog site... leave your guess in the comments section :)

leaves ON grass

2005-10-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

today was a slow post-strike day in terms of job opportunities for me (ie - i didn't have any :)). instead, i slept in to an embarrassingly late time of day, took the kitties for a walk, went to the market, and raked the leaves that had piled up for weeks on our front lawn - good thing i did it, because it rained this evening - nobody likes wet leaves! and since my brain is thinking in terms of before and afters, thanks to my daily fill of TLC programming, i thought i'd offer a before and after shot of all my hard work.

Christmas in October

2005-10-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

I've finally made something in pottery that I'm not embarrassed of! It's been a long time coming! They're cookie-inspired Christmas tree ornaments! Pottery Cookies! Actually, I have some even show-ier stuff than this, but they're currently in the kiln (I've been making some bowlish looking objects).

These are red clay slab pieces that I cut xmas shapes out of with cookie cutters - then I painted them with white slip, black terra sig (on the back of the ornaments), and then slews of coloured slip on the front. All glazed up with clear glaze!

More pottery photos soon!

The Apple Festival

2005-10-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

How cozy +
pioneer-ish!
This weekend was the annual University of British Columbia (my ole alma mater) Apple Festival. Daryan and I went on Sunday after our pottery class; we rode on the old-fashioned trolley, walked through the vegetable gardens and the asian gardens sipping fresh squeezed hot apple juice, and nibbled on apple chips. Although it was rainy and cold (as it was last year, too, come to think of it) we had a fun time learning about hundreds of apple varieties. We bought some organic fameuse apples on our way out. Thought I'd post one of my favourite apple recipes here, too - 'cause I'm going to make these muffins with all my apples in a few moments! And by the way, they're high in taste and low(ish) in sugar and fat! Enjoy!

CHEDDAR APPLE MUFFINS

ingredients...
3 cups whole-wheat flour
2/3 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
2 eggs
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups finely chopped apple (I keep the skin on - healthier that way!)

directions...
- Combine flour, sugar, powder, salt, and cinnamon
- Add cheese and mix together
- Beat eggs with apple juice and stir in butter and apple pieces
- Add this liquid to the flour mix all at once
- Stir everything together until moistened

Pour batter evenly into muffin tin - i usually grease the pan and place muffin papers inside each mold.
Bake 25-30 minutes @ 375 degrees. Makes 12 muffins.

Knitting Pretty

2005-10-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

And the rains are starting here in Vancouver, and I'm currently not working; so, this all gives me the perfect opportunity to stay home and cuddled up by the fireplace to work on craft projects. Most notably, I'm starting my first sweater project ever! (in pint size!) I'm using this beautiful Debbie Bliss cathay yarn that feels like heaven to the finger tips (cotton/silk blend) and it's knit in the round to make it just seamless. I only have yet to figure out why I turned out to be purling all the time instead of knitting (it makes it difficult to add new yarn balls to the work - suggestions?).

Gobble Gobble!

2005-10-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Gobble Gobble!
Our traditional-style, sit down Turkey dinner with our good friends Tamsin, Michael, Jay, Jenn, Stephen, and the wee one Cadence was a yummy success. Our first homemade turkey ever was very juicy and aromatic. Lots of festive spirits and good company punctuated our evening. Hope all of you had (or, are having) a delicious Thanksgiving too!

diagnosis? f%*cked up knee

2005-10-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

i've been back from the doctor, and finally have a name to call my chronic knee inflammation - PIGMENTED VILLONODULAR SYNOVITIS (PVNS). it's a benign disease of the joint that makes a normally 'lettuce' like lining in the knee turn into a 'cauliflower' like lining... ie - not good. i'm on a waiting list to have a relatively non-invasive surgery where they shave and suck out the bad parts. only a 2 month recovery time - not bad. those of you who have heard my constant complaining/whining about this persistent injury will be happy that i will soon have nothing (well, less) to complain about! lol ;)

and, no, this is not MY knee - but it is an example used for illustration purposes :)

I'm Back...

2005-10-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

okay, so i knew it would take me awhile to get this blog up and running... but, i didn't realize it would take me nearly a year. well, now i'm back (and i'm going semi-public!) and i promise to keep it filled with updates, etc. right now, i'm *so* glad to finally be done school; with my spare time, I'm knitting and doing pottery and spending quality time with Solomon and Kali. i have realized that i'm so used to having my schedule jam-packed from school, that in my new found freedom i just CAN'T sit still. today i'm doing a 6 hour pottery marathon in the studio... i'll post some of my work once i get to the point that i'm not embarassed about what i make!

my first blog

2004-11-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

well, this is my 1st blog... in this first post, i wanted to issue a disclaimer - things on this blog may be slow-going while i get a handle on how things work. i expect that this will be an interesting e-space for me to communicate and share. my ultimate goal is to have this site steadily flourishing with news about me, photos of important things/pets/people to me, updates on all my projects, communique from friends and fellow bloggers, and other such alluring details!
welcome to "the sprite files" blog ...