I'm stuck in the middle of the book Wicked and can't decide if I want to keep reading it or not. Everyone I know that's read it has given up at some point partly through... I'll trudge for a bit longer, but I don't think reading should be trudging, I think it should be a bit more glorious and enjoyable than that.
I had a big urge to knit last night...maybe I'll finally finish a project this year. Why is it always so easy to start a project and so hard for me to finish?
Last month I decided to work out regularly and have been slacking off these past few weeks. My weight loss has been up and down, lose 2 pounds one week, gain them back the next.
What is going on with me!? I need to get serious, make some decisions and make some progress.
Oct 21, 2008
Oct 9, 2008
Oct 8, 2008
A month and a half!?
It's been well over a month since my last post and that's just ridiculous. Had a few busy weeks, a few overwhelmed days of bingeing or trying to pull myself out of the cycle, some fun nights out, a few good books, some great progress with my crazy lady and lots of other things in between.
I will definitely try to be better about updating my blog more often....
I was tagged by my favorite friend MB (who I get to see at Christmas - yippee!) so I'll post it to get myself going:
1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:50ish am
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds are just so beautiful but if I were to get one, I'd want it to be some sort of "safe" diamond. Did you know there are even extraterrestrial diamonds?
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Pineapple Express. My friend and I were the only ones laughing. I still think it was hilarious.
4. What is your favourite TV show? Project Runway, Amazing Race
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? yogurt or a Kashi granola bar, fruit and coffee
6. What is your middle name? I have two
7. What food do you dislike? Onions!! A friend once filled my bed with onions - under the covers, in my pillows, everywhere. Luckily they weren't peeled or chopped.
8. What is your favourite CD at the moment? Can't stop listening to the Once sountrack (still) and listen to Radiohead nonstop
9. What kind of car do you drive? Volvo
10. Favourite sandwich? You know, I don't think I have one. Do most people?
11. What characteristic do you despise? I've realized lately that it is true quite often that the things you dislike the most in those close to you are the things you hate or fear about yourself...
12. Favourite item of clothing? Because it's fall - slippers or my down vest
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Today, I'd like to go here - Kolarbyn Eco-Lodge
14. Favourite brand of clothing? I have no idea.
15. Where would you retire to? I want to retire to a farm in a warm climate
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? My 30th was pretty great - Radiohead concert, a few days off from work, a party and night away with some of my closest friends
17. Favorite sport to watch? Tennis
18. When is your birthday? August
19. Are you a morning person or a night person? Definitely night
20. What is your shoe size? 9
21. Pets? Two monster bunnies - Bunnicula (Charlie bear) and Zooey
22. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us? One month since I quit smoking!
23. What did you want to be when you were little? Teacher and a flight attendant
24. How are you today? Hopeful
25. What is your favourite candy(lollie/chocolate)? Chocolate
26. What is your favourite flower? Lilies
27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? The day my debt is paid off
28. What is your full name? Not on my blog. Or yours.
29. What are you listening to right now? Michael Kors and Heidi Klum hating on Kenley. I'm right there with them.
30. What was the last thing you ate? Homemade minestrone and biscuits
31. Do you wish on stars? Of course!
32. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Cerulean Blue
33. How is the weather right now? Dark and sort of chilly
34. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? My mother
35. Favourite soft drink? Coke for a hangover
36. Favourite restaurant? Lately I love Pepperland Cafe
37. Real hair colour? light brown/dark blonde
38. What was your favourite toy as a child? I loved my tape player - that went along with the books (turn the page at the chime *dddrrrring*)
39. Summer or winter? Summer!
40. Hugs or kisses? Depends who they're coming from
41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
42. Coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning, tea in the evening
43. When was the last time you cried? I'm probably due for a good cry.
44. What is under your bed? Charlie bear is hanging out under there right now with a few suitcases
45. What did you do last night? Watched TV and made soup
46. What are you afraid of? My own success
47. Salty or sweet? salty
48. How many keys on your key ring? 4
49. How many years at your current job? In a few months it will be 5!
50. Favourite day of the week? Saturday
51. How many places have you lived in? I think 10
52. Do you make friends easily? It depends if I'm in my shy mode.
Today I'm grateful for: crunchy leaves underfoot, bike rides after work
I will definitely try to be better about updating my blog more often....
I was tagged by my favorite friend MB (who I get to see at Christmas - yippee!) so I'll post it to get myself going:
1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:50ish am
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds are just so beautiful but if I were to get one, I'd want it to be some sort of "safe" diamond. Did you know there are even extraterrestrial diamonds?
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Pineapple Express. My friend and I were the only ones laughing. I still think it was hilarious.
4. What is your favourite TV show? Project Runway, Amazing Race
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? yogurt or a Kashi granola bar, fruit and coffee
6. What is your middle name? I have two
7. What food do you dislike? Onions!! A friend once filled my bed with onions - under the covers, in my pillows, everywhere. Luckily they weren't peeled or chopped.
8. What is your favourite CD at the moment? Can't stop listening to the Once sountrack (still) and listen to Radiohead nonstop
9. What kind of car do you drive? Volvo
10. Favourite sandwich? You know, I don't think I have one. Do most people?
11. What characteristic do you despise? I've realized lately that it is true quite often that the things you dislike the most in those close to you are the things you hate or fear about yourself...
12. Favourite item of clothing? Because it's fall - slippers or my down vest
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Today, I'd like to go here - Kolarbyn Eco-Lodge
14. Favourite brand of clothing? I have no idea.
15. Where would you retire to? I want to retire to a farm in a warm climate
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? My 30th was pretty great - Radiohead concert, a few days off from work, a party and night away with some of my closest friends
17. Favorite sport to watch? Tennis
18. When is your birthday? August
19. Are you a morning person or a night person? Definitely night
20. What is your shoe size? 9
21. Pets? Two monster bunnies - Bunnicula (Charlie bear) and Zooey
22. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us? One month since I quit smoking!
23. What did you want to be when you were little? Teacher and a flight attendant
24. How are you today? Hopeful
25. What is your favourite candy(lollie/chocolate)? Chocolate
26. What is your favourite flower? Lilies
27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? The day my debt is paid off
28. What is your full name? Not on my blog. Or yours.
29. What are you listening to right now? Michael Kors and Heidi Klum hating on Kenley. I'm right there with them.
30. What was the last thing you ate? Homemade minestrone and biscuits
31. Do you wish on stars? Of course!
32. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Cerulean Blue
33. How is the weather right now? Dark and sort of chilly
34. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? My mother
35. Favourite soft drink? Coke for a hangover
36. Favourite restaurant? Lately I love Pepperland Cafe
37. Real hair colour? light brown/dark blonde
38. What was your favourite toy as a child? I loved my tape player - that went along with the books (turn the page at the chime *dddrrrring*)
39. Summer or winter? Summer!
40. Hugs or kisses? Depends who they're coming from
41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
42. Coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning, tea in the evening
43. When was the last time you cried? I'm probably due for a good cry.
44. What is under your bed? Charlie bear is hanging out under there right now with a few suitcases
45. What did you do last night? Watched TV and made soup
46. What are you afraid of? My own success
47. Salty or sweet? salty
48. How many keys on your key ring? 4
49. How many years at your current job? In a few months it will be 5!
50. Favourite day of the week? Saturday
51. How many places have you lived in? I think 10
52. Do you make friends easily? It depends if I'm in my shy mode.
Today I'm grateful for: crunchy leaves underfoot, bike rides after work
Aug 21, 2008
As I was told, "it's easier to understand your own culture once you learn another language"
I had a long discussion about language with one of the guests at the weddng in New Brunswick . She was a native French speaker and didn't learn English until well into her twenties when she moved to Toronto and it was required for her job. I had been feeling hesitant about ever being fluent in another language until I met so many people that weekend whose second language wasn't mastered until well into their adulthood. This woman mentioned to me how she never understood her culture as well until she learned another language. To be able to see how word choices and definitions reflect a culture's values and humor give breadth to your vision into yourself.
Quite an interesting reflection. I've been pondering that idea lately, so it was great to stumble upon these articles from NPR and Times Online about words in each language that are difficult to translate but are perfect descriptions for just about anything. These articles are both a few years old.
Some examples:
"As an untranslatable, this one ranks high on my list of favorites. I could not improve on the background given by commentator Boye Lafayette de Mente about this beautiful word, yoko meshi. Taken literally, meshi means 'boiled rice' and yoko means 'horizontal,' so combined you get 'a meal eaten sideways.'This is how the Japanese define the peculiar stress induced by speaking a foreign language: yoko is a humorous reference to the fact that Japanese is normally written vertically, whereas most foreign languages are written horizontally. How do English-speakers describe the headache of communicating in an alien tongue? I don't think we can, at least not with as much ease."
taarradhin [tah-rah-deen] (noun) ARABIC
Arabic has no word for "compromise" in the sense of reaching an arrangement via struggle and disagreement. But a much happier concept, taarradhin, exists in Arabic. It implies a happy solution for everyone, an "I win, you win." It's a way of resolving a problem without anyone losing face.
Quite an interesting reflection. I've been pondering that idea lately, so it was great to stumble upon these articles from NPR and Times Online about words in each language that are difficult to translate but are perfect descriptions for just about anything. These articles are both a few years old.
Some examples:
esprit de I'escalier [es-pree de less-ka/-iay] (idiom) FRENCH
A witty remark that occurs to you too late, literally on the way down the stairs. The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations defines esprit de l'escalier as, "An untranslatable phrase, the meaning of which is that one only thinks on one's way downstairs of the smart retort one might have made in the drawing room."
meraki [may-rah-kee] (adjective) GREEK
This is a word that modern Greeks often use to describe doing something with soul, creativity, or love -- when you put "something of yourself" into what you're doing, whatever it may be. Meraki is often used to describe cooking or preparing a meal, but it can also mean arranging a room, choosing decorations, or setting an elegant table.
"As an untranslatable, this one ranks high on my list of favorites. I could not improve on the background given by commentator Boye Lafayette de Mente about this beautiful word, yoko meshi. Taken literally, meshi means 'boiled rice' and yoko means 'horizontal,' so combined you get 'a meal eaten sideways.'This is how the Japanese define the peculiar stress induced by speaking a foreign language: yoko is a humorous reference to the fact that Japanese is normally written vertically, whereas most foreign languages are written horizontally. How do English-speakers describe the headache of communicating in an alien tongue? I don't think we can, at least not with as much ease."
taarradhin [tah-rah-deen] (noun) ARABIC
Arabic has no word for "compromise" in the sense of reaching an arrangement via struggle and disagreement. But a much happier concept, taarradhin, exists in Arabic. It implies a happy solution for everyone, an "I win, you win." It's a way of resolving a problem without anyone losing face.
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