Inn of the Wandering Dragon

Apparantly my boyfriend has made a resolution (despite being fairly anti-reolution overall). His resolution seems to be to be in possesion of a suitable stereo system - one with which we can have a substantial stereo skirmish with the people upstairs. I will not say an all out stereo war because at this point he's not eager to find a new place to live.

So in the last couple days I find my tiny space getting inundated with electronics. First came a pair of large speakers from his place. Yesterday a new amplifier followed him home. On top of this the people upstairs have set up a new stereo yesterday and have kindly passed along the old one. The tuner works much better than mine but the CD player is in serious need of cleaning and is unusable at this time and so my little CD player is now living on top of the donated stereo. The pile is getting rather comical actually. The truth of the matter is that making all of this work is going to require some serious re-arrangement of space or at the very least a new TV stand that will accomodate the speakers. Ah the fun never ends!

As for myself, I do not have any firm resolutions. I find I get better results over time with little steps that I can build upon. But there are a few general categories that will be getting attention in the comming year.

Reduce clutter
fill sketchbooks
increase movement

That pretty much sums it up for now.

I have been hearing several questions as to the fate of Chalk and his present locked in the kennel. Fear not! For on Christmas morning I opened the kennel, set the gift bag in front of the cat and told him he could open his present now. Chalk wasted no time trying to squeeze his body into the bag in search of the delicious scents. The end result was a box of dried fish treats, a bag of 'super catnip' and a fuzzy toy on a string all wrapped in a neat red bow. All three have proven to be a big hit with the furball, although the Kowabunga chicken treats with real catnip inside took a bit of convincing. They will never replace his favorite pounce treats but he will not turn his nose up at them either.

All in all we had a lovely day yesterday. We spent the day at my parent's house where we all enjoyed good food and games. It is something of a family tradition to pull out one of the many boardgames to while away the hours. The game of choice this year was monopoly and after how ever many hours we simply totaled up the assets and called it quits. No one really wants to go to the wee hours of the morning on a belly full of turkey dinner. I'm trying not to give this cold a reason to stick around either.

I was able to bring home the carcass of the bird and today I finally got around to getting it in the oven to make a tasty soup. The aroma of slowly simmering soup is even starting to penetrate my clogged sinuses and is one of my favorite smells I associate with Christmas. Others include fresh cut evergreen boughs, baking gingerbread and homemade stuffing. Today has been quiet and lazy (how I love these low maintenance recipes for days like this). The snow is finally falling and I am almost tempted to step outside for a bit. If nothing else walking back in will bring a fresh perspective to the lovely aroma of homemade soup.

Another week passed already, and this week so far is moving just as quickly. The tree is up (in my bookshelf) and the cat is leaving it alone. Come to think of it, I haven't even noticed any inquisitive teeth marks in the presents laying on the floor. You know he's moving out of the kitten phase when... My Christmas shopping is almost finished now and I have a few more things to make. Plus we have a couple more dinners to attend at the end of the week and hopefully the other half will be up for them. We recently attended his company dinner and sad to say the food has not agreed with him. Add this to a pre-existing cold and I have a fairly unhappy individual on my hands.
This morning I am listening to the Trans Siberian Orchestra - The Lost Christmas Eve. A friend of mine indicated she likes this group so I thought I would check it out. I don't know if the other albums are structured around a story like this one but I am enjoying what I hear. I'll probably take it over to Mom and Dad's for Christmas Day.
Perhaps it's just me, then again perhaps not, but it seems to me like there are fewer decorations and cards this year. Not fewer items to purchase - there is still a flood of that stuff. But when I go out I see less places have decorations up. Where in previous years there was a small wall of cards received on display this year there are definitely only a few.
It makes me wonder if the frantic pace of the past years (red hot economy, labour shortages etc) has finally burned everybody out. And if that's the case, will anybody get a chance to rest this holiday season? What do you think?

Of course I could not possibly go to Paris without going to the Louvre and visiting the Mona Lisa. Jinx is somewhat astounded by the crowds here so we had to take a picture of the frenzy. But if you are patient and with some gentle elbow nudging you can get right up to the front for a good look.
In reality it is a very beautiful painting. I could spend a long time taking in the gentle gradations of the sfumato technique that Leonardo developed. There is a richness to the colours still that doesn't quite make it into most reproductions. Her gentle smile seems to take in the crowd with amusement. Add this to the fact that it is one of only a handful of paintings by Leonardo to have survived to this day and you can see why the art historians have made such a fuss over her. As to why everyone else is fussing over her though and the story changes a bit. I think my most memorable moment is when I saw over eager parents hand massive expensive cameras to their young children (who are having issues just holding the silly thing straight) and send them under the barricade. Take the picture - they urge on the youngsters. The kids themselves are looking a little bewildered. One little boy looks back to ask, why? The parents are now getting impatient, there are still more signature pieces to find and capture on film. "It is a very important painting now hurry up and take the picture!"
So my question is, do they actually look at the painting? Or are they just measuring the success of their trip by how many famous / iconic things they can stand beside?

I have to admit that after working a few years in a framing / poster shop I had become pretty tired of the usual stream of Monet prints that are the average shop's staple images. They are small, pretty and there are enough colours in them to work with just about any decor. I read about the Muse de L'Orangerie and decided it was a priority to visit. On the main floor there are two large oval rooms that were built according to instructions by Monet himself. Large paintings curve around the walls and the main light source is a large skylight in each with a light cloth stretched across to diffuse the light - so you are viewing the paintings in natural light just as he did. You could come back at different times of the day and see how the character of the paintings changes with the change in light. I could have stayed there for hours easily. No matter how good the replica, it will never do justice to the real thing.

The joys of attempting to take pictures through a steel fence (atop the arch) is the chance of your flash bouncing off the fence and messing up your shot. Luckily I happen to like this particular happy accident. Of course I was one day off for the Eiffel tower as the previous day there was a massive green inflatable rugby ball hanging inside the tower.

Paris is beautiful, both by night and by day. Granted we were only in the central portion of the city. But then Paris has had her royal architects and planners, whose job was to create a vision for the royal city - a vision of beauty and symmetry. Paris has lived through time periods where alliances were commemerated with great works of art and architecture, and where the face of nature was to be shaped by mans design. The vision of Paris was very much shaped by the elite and powerful of the day.

The sun was setting and the whole city was looking hazy. The ferris wheel was set up for the World Rugby Cup that ended just as we arrived. Beyond that lies the Louvre in all it's glory.

Okay, I'm opting for the less typical shot this time (at least to my mind). This is looking up at the arch and the elaborate carvings from underneath.

Another beautiful building - this one was built for one of the world expos. It is still used for various art shows and expositions.

I love the old buildings and the ornamentation that went into them.

This is actually a facade we found as we walked along the Champs Elysees in Paris. Behind this there were crews either building or renovating a building. In Calgary we just get plywood or steel fencing to cordon off the jobsite - nothing this cool! Of course, the big question would be "what is going to be revealed when all is said and done?"

I don't remember if I have already posted about this or not - but has anyone else noticed that there seems to be a lot of really whiney adults out there? From the guy on the phone who's late returning the rental (yet feels he should never have to pay of course), to the couple out shopping or wherever and one of them is doing a very impressive impersonation of a two yr old (I have witnessed both men and women doing the "whine dance").

I have two questions: 1. When did it become acceptable for adults to act like little kids? (and not in a good way) 2. Does anyone else feel this near overwhelming urge to throttle them?

I just had my first class on rendering 3D forms in AutoCAD. Initially there was the "just how do I accomplish this task?" running through my head but the commands started flowing back to concious memory so it wasn't long before I was zipping along in putting together my staircase. There is definately an element of play with rendering. AutoCAD has made it fairly easy - select your finishes and attach those finishes to the object. However there is some room to fine tune how the finish looks, and unless one was to memorize every single finish chances are good that some play will be required to get the image "just right". Prior to this learning went along the lines of, "here is the command, now build X". Now I get to play with X along with light, shade and surface texture. And this has made things a lot more interesting!

I love gargoyles, those medieval guardians of sacred places. In St. Augustins some of these weathered beasts have been brought down and put on display along the cloister. Normally they would be sticking out from the walls so on the ground they look like they have lifted their voices to sing, chant, howl - whatever your imagination happens to hear.

In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building.
The term originates from the French word gargouille, originally "throat" or "gullet", which represented the gurgling sound of water. These gargoyles have a channel dug into their backs to funnel the water away from the building and out through the mouth.

These are not as elaborate as some of the more famous gargoyles, but you can still make out individual features based off of various animals. There are boars, dogs, bats and some more fantastic creations.

Now that I finally have my photos scanned and available to upload I am goint to try and be a bit better at posting stuff from my trip. No more leaving a week between posts! We'll see anyway.

In the mean time I am almost shocked to say that I have finally been shopping - and I have bought clothes! To most people this may not be a big thing but for myself, the only time I enjoy shopping is when I am in the market for more art supplies or books. Clothes are one of those annoying neccessities I would rather put off until another time, or when said existing articles are full of holes / paint/ or otherwise no longer appropriate. My boyfriend is most impressed with me for this - doubly so considering that I actually purhased a dress! Wow! Talk about a red letter day. But it was the annual Art Market downtown and I am (occasionally) a sucker for the fun and funky.

I just thought after all the history it would be nice to post some general shots around the city. Most of these were taken on my last day there as Kim and I did some last minute shopping.

There is actually a whole series of statues around Toulouse by this artist although I was never able to find out who that is (if anyone can tell me please do).

I admit, I'm a sucker for a well done large scale mosaic like this one. In the rays surrounding the figure are different words like 'sciences', 'arts', 'information' etc.

It was such a lovely break to sit down at the local creperie for lunch and warm drinks. I am used to seeing desert crepes but this cafe had a wide assortment of savory crepes to choose from. For anyone wondering, the little dragon on the table is Jinx - he was given to me as I left for Australia many years ago and has joined me on all of my major trips. If nothing else I do enjoy the looks on the faces of the customs officials when they find him in my purse.

Our Thursday in Toulouse started off pretty slow with everyone sleeping in and relaxing. We all set off for St. Sernin - one of the largest and most complete Romanesque churches in Europe. The original chapel was supposedly built in the 4th century over the grave of the first Bishop of Toulouse who was martyred around 250 A.D. Over the centuries the current basilica-shrine was built up to meet the demands of the public, as the place had become a very important stop for Christian Pilgrims. The current incarnation of the building was begun in the late 11th century.

To a second generation Canadian like myself the concept of a single permanent building, let alone a town/city existing for so long is mind boggling. The oldest standing building in Alberta was erected in 1861 - Father Lacombe Chapel in St. Albert. How is that for some perspective?

Our next stop was Muse St. Raymond - literally right next to the basilica. I think at one time it was part of the abbey cloisters. So in keeping with our current theme, the main exhibit of the museum focused on what was found while the city was building the second metro / subway line. In the process of digging the long tunnels the crews came across artifacts and structures from the prehistoric periods right through to the late 18th century. Starting with 25 million yr old fossils; findings from the earliest human settlement; foundations of the antique city; traces of a forgotten pottery workshop; the remains of a convent destroyed during the French Revolution and a forgotten medieval graveyard complete with carved stone sarcophagi gives you a brief glimpse at times and lives that is difficult to imagine.

Oh yes and on the top floors there are exhibits of roman statuary and mosaics from when Toulouse was essentially a roman outpost.

Between the shifting colours on the walls and the nature sounds piped in over the speakers, this is actually pretty surreal in comparison to the rest of the airport!

At last! I am finally sitting down to share my latest travels... (The cat is aware of this of course and conveniently parks his butt in front of the monitor as I try to type this.)
Honestly - it was one of those trips for getting bounced around by the airlines. We had called the cab to take us to the airport, our bags on the front step waiting to go and then the phone rings. Our flight has been changed, we are now leaving 4 hours later. During our layover in Frankfurt we found our gate and sat down with our books to wait, only to find no staff and no other passengers ever showed up to the gate - that too had been changed (as we discovered about 25 minutes prior to departure). Announcements had rung out at regular intervals in both German and English but when they kept to that very fine line of "is it recorded? is it live?" it became fairly easy to tune them out. I'm partially deaf after a flight anyway so really, would it have made any difference? Fortunately it was only a difference of walking down the hall. Anyone who has been to a large airport with multiple terminals can imagine the joy in running from one terminal to the other (been there - not fun)!
We arrived in Toulouse on schedule and called our friends to get their address. As they were unable to meet us at the airport we would take a cab into the city. Mental note for any future trips - calling from a payphone to a cell phone is not cheap! I did manage to get the whole address written down before getting cut off.
Taxis queue under a small overpass and come out one at a time to collect passengers. I did notice that all the taxis were clean and well kept, which made me wonder if there are similar by-laws in Toulouse as in Calgary (as in your car cannot be more than x years old to pick up at the airport). Our driver was polite but not talkative, and I'm not sure if that was because of perceived language barriers or if culturally they are just not talkative with their fares? Back home it's practically unheard of to have a driver who does not try to strike up conversation.
Kim and Cedric's apartment overlooks a quiet street not far from the botanical garden. Kim and I had not seen each other for several months so we're thrilled to meet up again. Cedric gives me the traditional cheek to cheek. I never know what to expect with those kinds of things and I have made the mistake in the past of turning the wrong time/way and either bonking heads or getting a surprise kiss on the lips. No such mistakes this time though. As we did not arrive until the evening we just relaxed in the apartment with a few snacks and talked about our flights and what there was to do in Toulouse. Kim and Cedric had just come back from a trip to Portugal - which they tell us was fantastic! Needless to say we were all pretty tired so it wasn't long before the makeshift bed was set up and everyone was getting ready for sleep. The adventures would have to wait until morning.

I'm happy to say my experiment with the morrocan recipie has turned out well. It is an assortment of veggies (celery, onion, yam), millet (grain) and spices. The spices come across quite subtle since it is simmered with a couple slices of lemon so the lemon taste dominates (but not overpoweringly so). I did forget to add the lentils but even so the soup is filling. This will be another recipie to keep.

I have just spent the afternoon cooking up a storm for my detox. Soups were the thing today and after creating a vegtable broth I put together one of my favorites - carrot/ginger soup. I'm also trying a new recipe for a morrocan vegtable and grain soup. The emphasis was on getting as much made as possible so I'll have to let you know tomorrow how the morrocan soup turned out. There was also a request for the boyfriend's favorite curry lentil dish so there should now be enough of that to keep him happy for a while. He is not doing the detox with me although he does not mind trying the food on occasion. As for myself, after a rough first few days I'm starting to feel better about the whole thing. But I am still craving bread like mad.

Friday night saw a last minute invite to supper with some good friends. On the way we quickly picked up the now developed photos and did not notice until much later at home that the requested cd's of images were not present. It turns out the developer forgot? At any rate that means I can't post anything quite yet since I do not have a scanner (yes, yes I know I should get my butt into the 21 century). Having a look through the photos however has shown me that my trusty camera is getting less trusty and I think a new camera will be on the list for Christmas. But I still have some lovely shots to enjoy in the meantime. Heaven only knows when they will all get sorted into an album (along with postcards, tickets etc.

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I love dressing up, I love checking out the other costumes and handing out candy. Not that long ago I picked up a book that listed various obscure Halloween traditions and superstitions from centuries past. Did you know you can attract unicorns by burying fresh apples under an apple tree on Halloween night? Like I said, there are some obscure ones.
In the meantime it seems I will not be able to pick up my developed pictures until Friday. Fate has conspired against my desire for instant gratification - and to have something to show people - but oh well. At least I can sit back and enjoy the anticipation.
Today marks the start of my fall detox, a little late but I was not about to miss out on all that lovely french food! 12 days of home cooked, non-processed food sounds pretty good to me at this point.

We arrived back in Calgary last night after a crazy two weeks in the south of France. Overall the trip was really good although there is so much more that I would love to go back and see. I'm going to get my pictures developed today (yes I still use film) and I'll be posting some chapters from our various adventures in the comming week. Meanwhile I have more or less unpacked and I'm taking it easy today before diving back into work tomorrow.

My boyfriend and I are heading off to France for two weeks to visit a very good friend of mine. My bags are packed, and re-packed and sitting waiting to go. Everything has been checked off my list of what to take, what to do before leaving etc. There are just a couple things left to do in the morning (like wash the breakfast dishes, leave notes for the neighbors to feed the cat) and then we cab it to the airport. The plane takes off tomorrow afternoon and oddly enough it doesn't quite feel real yet. I was more excited earlier in the week, now I'm just ready to go. Or maybe I'm just ready to settle in for a long nap on the plane after all the fussing and the long hours. Whatever the case - I am ready for a holiday!

and yes, for those of you who may be wondering - Jinx, the wandering dragon will be flying with us!

Well the upstairs invader has been caught, but to be sure the traps are staying out just in case there are more. Aparantly this was a either a big fat mouse or a mouse ready to have little mice, we'll never know for sure but at least for now it looks like the problem is solved.
We have finally booked our flight tickets for holidays next week - just slightly cutting it close I know. The boyfriend has learned an important lesson in booking travel arrangements, the more you wait the harder it is to get a good price as the planes fill up! As it is we got lucky and saved ourselves about $400 each on the tickets so I'm breathing a sigh of relief.
So now I can relax a bit - but only a little bit, there is the packing and the itinerary left to do.

Yep, the midnight banging around of the upstairs people is not due to things like, a weird facination for doing construction at 11pm or trying to learn irish dancing at 3am - it is because a mouse has moved in.
On occasion they ask to borrow the cat to sniff it out. Traps with cheese have been set out under the fridge and behind the stove. There has been much cleaning of late as well to discourage the fuzzy intruder but when there is a big bowl of dog food set out as a free buffet it is hard to drive it out. And it's driving the people crazy! So when it sounds ike they are pulling wires through the wall at midnight - it is because one of the people has caught a glimpse of the intruder and they're tearing the house apart to try and catch it.
I'm hoping they catch it before it discovers the downstairs suite and invites the neighborhood in!

Every night when I go to bed I put my cat in the workroom and close the door. This enables me to actually sleep through the night, and Chalk has a big room with his compfy chair, treats and toys to keep him ammused. Last night I was working on some collage pieces so I make sure to put away any inks, glues, papers etc so Chalk can not get into it. However this morning I see he has a 2" grey stripoe down one side of his body, and a large yellow smudge on the other side?! I checked my desk and my pastels, nothing was out that should have done that. So now we're all puzzled as to how my cat is getting so colourful, and I'm wondering just what my furry friend gets up to at night.

So I have successfully re-arranged the furniture - I'm still working on the de-cluttering. This is going to have to be broken down into pieces I can tell. It may be a small house but it can be overwhelming when you still have a busy life to deal with. But durring this I have dug out my old travel journals from years ago, I was looking for entries about language.
While the majority of my travels have been through english speaking countries I have spent some time in Indonesia where most people did not speak english and I had to learn at least some basics to get around. One of the first phrases I learned was to say was, 'I'm sorry, I do not understand'. Needless to say at the very start of my trip I used that a lot! One man in the market loudly berated me and while I did not understand the words I picked up the tone and rough meaning quick enough (something along the lines of I should not be traveling if I do not know the language). But for the most part people were patient with me, corrected me when I needed it and we tried with some humour to make ourselves understood.
I have forgotten most of what I learned, mainly from lack of use, but I did take notes back then so I have been re-visiting them for a project I'm currently working on. There is something facinating in text that I do not understand, especially trying to puzzle out the meanings and relationships of these essentially abstract symbols.

language begins at the tongue

but dreaming london doesn't mean it's the only dot on the map. not when you grow up different, not when shopping malls suffix every parking lot


and when it doesn't begin at the tongue? I've whispered with fingertips, written words that no longer know how to speak. Japanese chases itself inside Turkey then sits on the page a vision of China. appearances speak volumes. 1... 2... 3...


or like other times, when linguistics was a map of my mouth. when a sentence will end long after the period. a promise you hadn't yet said. when latin replaces math

they didn't notice, but "I" and "r" can be versions of the same letter. can be, to her ear, the same sound. listen, there's a reason dreams happen beneath eyelids. there's a pattern. Trust me when I say I'm going to sew buttons on the underside of shirts, read them across ribs


hearing sideways in the morning may be your idea of verbal action. in turn, I will be consumed by midnight, only not that mercuric. the street crammed with lawn intentions, remnant of camouflage, veiled postures, faux balconies


lip service - by Nicole Markotic

Autumn has to be my favorite season - at least it's tied with summer anyway. It's not just the pretty colours or the fun of stretching out the summer activities as long as possible before the snow hits. It's not just about the fall cleaning and getting ready for winter. For myself the months of October and November (specifically) are all about change. Despite school always starting in September it is the following months that have a special meaning for me.
With very few exceptions, my job situation has always changed durring those two months. My biggest trip abroad started and ended in those months. In fact I am planning another trip (a shorter trip) overseas that will take place in October. Studio time has always been more intense at that time as I look to complete more before Christmas. As per my last post I am looking to re-organize areas of the house as well as do some serious de-cluttering. One of my favorite holidays takes place at the end of October - Halloween! My boyfriend could care less (and outright disapproves I think) but I always look forward to the carving of pumkins, making of costumes and generally having a fun time with friends. My Halloween activities are going to be curtailed this year due to the timing of my trip but I can accept that.
I have been to parts of the world where the changing of the seasons is so subtle as to be missed by those who don't know what to look for. I honestly missed the seasons, and all the activity they bring.

I live in a small space. In fact, most of my friends would rather have me come over to their house than come over to mine. But I do persist in inviting people over occasionally - and it usually poses a challenge.
Some time back I re-arranged the place by switching rooms around. What was the work room became the bedroom and vice versa. Short of buying all new furniture there really isn't much I can do about the rest. I was quite happy with the new set up as it offered more flexibility - principally for having people over. But I am not one to refrain from tinkering with the layout. Now I have thought of a way to improve the space for working on my art (and yes it will still be used for gaming with friends). This basically comes down to re-assigning purposes to the different furniture. I am swapping the kitchen table for the desk, to give me more room to work. (making christmas cards takes a lot of room) The desk can now go against the other wall for storage and the plants. When needed, both pieces can still be pulled together in the center for a large gathering.
I shall have to try this out this week.

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

I am reminded of the old circus act, that of fitting a whole bunch of clowns into a tiny car. One by one they tumble out as you shake your head and wonder how they all fit in the first place. I have a couple of house guests this week. And while it is only another two people, that is still in addition to the two + cat that already reside in my little place. Early this morning my boyfriend and I were going about the usual routine of getting ready for work while trying to make the least amount of noise and light possible. One of his sisters has only had about 7 hrs sleep in the past 48 so she is in the spare room while the other is on the couch. The door to the spare room is slightly open to accomodate the ramblings of the cat (well, the ltterbox has to fit somewhere!). I am not convinced that anyone has slept particularly well, but at least we'll have fun while they are here!

Yesterday was spent in my little studio - for the first time in a long time! To say that it was wonderful, calming, de-stressing, cheering and rejuvenating really doesn't seem to cover it. I made some ATC's (artist trading cards), mainly collage and mixed media. I also started working on a larger pastel drawing which I can already see is going to take me a while to complete. It has been a long time since I really dug into the chalk pastels and I think I had forgotten what a process it is to really build up rich colours, either that or my sub-conscious decided I needed the exercise! Either way I am enjoying it immensely!

Mixed media ATC 2.5"x3.5"

Mixed media ATC 3.5"x2.5"

Recently we have been doing a lot of driving across the province, visiting family, local attractions and the Star Party in Cypress Hills. Long hours have been spent in the car or truck watching the prairie landscape speed by us. Contrary to some peoples opinion it's not actually that flat all the way through, nor is it that boring. I have heard others go on about how some other part of the country is just so much more beautiful than this part, so much more interesting, so much better. Personally I think they haven't taken a close enough look. And if there is one thing I have found in all my travels it is that every place has it's own beauty.
Watch the landscape closely as you go by. What you thought was just one big block of colour is actually made up of many colours. Various shades of gold, yellow ochre, russet, red, green and even smaller splashes yet of purple and blue. The colours themselves range from pale tints to vibrant rich hues. They shimmer and wave alongside each other like paint strokes in a giant impressionist painting.
There is another reason I enjoy the open spaces of the prairies - the vastness of it all. It is easy to forget in the city, where we are so focused on our day to day things and buildings crowd around us. Even in the forests and mountains we can only see so far (unless we are standing on a high peak!). But out in the prairies we can see just how wide that horizon really is. I imagine I can feel the muscles in my eyes stretching to accommodate, they are not used to looking such long distances anymore and it takes some adjustment.
It feels good to enjoy this physical reminder that the world really is a bigger place than it seems.

I'm just venting at the moment. Let's see, I told these guys that they made an error three months ago. They denied making the error, it was in my favor but whatever. Still, I knew there would be a day of reckoning so I made sure I was prepared for it.
Sure enough last week I get the call from the bank saying there was an error (I told yuo so!). So we worked out the best way to resolve the issue and - guess what? Instead of going with option A,
they chose to do options A AND B!
Now I'm short $500 and I'm not impressed. >:( I've left a long distance phone message for the lady I have been dealing with on the other end of the country and tomorrow this farce gets to be re-opened and dealt with again.
Sigh....

... and so little time! Suffice to say the past couple weeks have been busy - both at work and in my (spare?) time.I sat down to gather my thoughts and I litterally have a good dozen and more topics and half written entries in my head. I have taken to making a list so that I don't forget them and the theory is that I shall be able to slowly work my way through them. Of course the list will never shrink anymore than the fuzzball will ever cease to play with my pen and paper. But that's ok in my books. While some may question what I am or am not doing with my life, at least it's evidence that I am living my life!

Well, not quite but we did make the 2-3 hour drive to Wetaskawin yesterday to visit my grandmother. Some of the family were getting together to take her out for a birthday lunch. Larry and I just missed them but we hung around waiting for everybody to get back so we could visit. I do not often get to visit with my grandma so I was pretty upset about missing everybody. But it all worked out - and I now have my aunt's cell number in case we do this again!

Nothing feels quite so good after a long day in the sun (and shoes) than to find a lush & shady spot of grass. Take off your shoes and socks and let your toes stretch and wiggle in the cool greenery!

Last weekend my girlfriend and I made the 10 hr drive to Aldergrove, BC for our very first Ren Fest. I have to say overall that I had a really fun time and I greatly enjoyed the various performances. Sadly it was pretty obvious that there were various politics that were trying to interfere but I think the cast and crew worked very hard to overcome those issues. I think the organizers have come away from this event with some hard learned lessons which hopefully will help create an even better event next year.
As you can tell from the few pictures posted, a story line was woven into the day's activities in which the visiting nobility were essentially blackmailed by some pirates with a thirst for payback. Actors wandered the grounds in character carrying out parts of the story line and generally adding to the atmosphere. The fair itself was a small english village attempting to celebrate the accension of the new king (long live the king!). In addition there were vendors (yay shopping!), demonstrations of fencing and tilting, musicians, and even a few privateers showing off their boats and cannons. The end of the day concluded the story with a sing along at the Frog and Fiddle pub and everyone's fates revealed (for now).
It is safe to say that my girlfriend and I (and who knows who else?) will be attending next year's Ren Fest!

I've been fully swept up in the Potter mania and I've enjoyed every last bit of it. Friday night some friends and I ventured out to the local bookstores for the festivities. These consisted primarily of games and crafts for the kids, which is as it should be. Afterwards I went down town for the street festival. I have to say that I do not recall ever finding that many people crammed into Stephen Ave - not even durring the olympics! While it was a valiant attempt to turn this section of street into Diagon Alley, I'm thinking the organisers under estimated the sheer volumn of fans.

Don't get me wrong - I love street festivals! I love the energy and the atmosphere, especially at night when everything is transformed. On a more practical note the heat of the day is lessened considerably making things much easier for everybody. There were acrobats, fortune tellers and buskers. There were crafts for the kids and there was even a rescue society that brought at least one snowy owl for people to look at and learn about.

My favorite past time in things like this is watching for the costumes. People go to enourmous lengths to create costumes of favorite characters. Some of the better ones included Mad Eye Moody, Faulkes (the phoenix), Lupin, Moaning Myrtle, Professor Sprout, a few house elves and Hagrid (wild bushy hair and all). There were of course numerous Hogwarts students and oddly enough a Jedi Knight. Go figure.

Just over 12 hours ago my preordered copy of the Deathly Hallows finally arrived at my work. The timing was perfect as we technically were about to close for the day when the post van drove up. But by that point I was prepared to sit on the front lawn for the hours required if need be. The mailman in question seemed to find the whole thing rather ammusing if slightly odd. And after seeing to some much needed laundry, yardwork and grocery shopping I finally curled up with my book and read it from start to finish. I will read it again of course in the next few days, the first read is always fast and so some details get missed. The second and third read are more enjoyable as further details and connections are gleaned.

But now, I think it's time for some sleep. It's been a while since I have been up this late and I suspect tomorrow may feel a bit worse for wear. But to be honest - it will all have been worth it.

Ha! And some people wonder why I'm weird....

Which College Major Should You Be?
	Your major should be Engineering. Logic is your friend. With enough work, you can find a solution to anything... Unless it involves dating or parties.
	Your major should be Art. You are sensitive, creative, and you don't follow established rules. Unfortunately, you'll have to follow some rules if you ever want that promotion at Starbucks.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Wow, it really has been 2 weeks since my last post. *gives a bemused shrug* Ah well, not much to be done about that. I quite enjoy writing in my blog - honest! But sometimes life gets busy, and sometimes the furball knocks a pretty glass object of the shelf and watches me clean up the shards. (Yes that is what I just spent the last 20 minutes doing)

Actually I have been playing more in the collage / artsy department. My latest adventure has been learning to work with gold foil, I swear the stuff wants to stick to me. And I don't even want to imagine the look on the vet's face if the afformentioned furball were to get involved! It's another fun dimension to add to my creations. Admittedly I tossed out most of what I made but I would like to think the one piece I kept is good enough to hang onto for a little while anyway - long enough to remind me of a few important points when working with the suff. I think I have a whole series bubbling up of art cards to play with.

But in truth I have also been pretty tired lately. There is of course a lot going on with friends visiting and various birthdays, events and related craziness. I am also trying to be more physically active which has led various protesting body parts to loudly exclaim "What are you thinkg?!?!" Case in point we went swimming at the local wavepool recently. Just because I used to go tread water in the deep end durring the waves on a regular basis back in the mists of time does not mean that I am ready to pull that off today. I don't think I have been in that much pysical discomfort since I had the stuffing kicked out of me by an ostrich. Of course the fun part of trying stuff like this is that the body waits for a day or two to really get back at you.

Some days I have sat down at the computer and then just wander off to bed - my head feels like it is stuffed full of wool half the time. And some days I just don't feel very interesting in print. We all have those long days of just getting through work, cooking, and housework only to turn around and find the previously pristine kitchen counter is suddenly overflowing with dishes and it is - *sticky?!*. Sigh...

I think it is time to go play laser with the cat and call it a night.

Or perhaps I should say the facebook cult? At any rate it has recently exploded all across North America and people I know here in Calgary are along for the ride. I resisted for a while, but eventually numerous emails from friends trying to add me to their "friend" list got the better of me and I set up a small profile. This is not the first time this has happened though.

I remember back in highschool I had several pen pals. We hand wrote our letters and tossed them in the post box to find their way across the country and the world. Gradually over time some pen pals fade away - their letters come further and further apart. Other pen pals stopped writing letters altogether and instead sent me postcards with their e-mail adress on the back. "E-mail me!" And so our communications moved to the electronic medium. I will admit the convenience and speed of receiving these new letters added a whole new level to the pen pal relationship, as well as opening the door to a few more pen pals. However even e-mail would fall by the wayside as online chatting began to take over. Programs like ICQ and Messenger became the way to keep in touch. Once you worked out your relative time zones you could have a real time conversation with people in other parts of the world without the expensive long distance bill. I still use that method to keep in touch with a few people. Instant messaging was also the norm for commumicating with many friends close by and for a few that is still true. But now chatting has been supplanted by MySpace and Facebook. The thing is, our comunications have been changed as well, primarily getting shorter.
Are we really still "in touch" or "involved" with our friends despite only exchanging a few sentances? My friends and I wrote letters that went on for pages. In chatting I could have a whole conversation touching upon various facets of our lives. In facebook it depends upon whether the other person is online at the time and whether you are checking your profile for replies. A short single subject conversation can take a week. It is still my experience that we communicate much more in person or even over the telephone. We add in nuances of tone, volumne and body language that smileys can not reach.
I am not saying that Facebook is bad, or that it does not have it's place. There are a few things that facebook does well - like organizing events or providing a means to re-aquaint yourself with old friends / co-workers. I am just not convinced it is the best option for our primary means of communication.
What do you think?

I finally wrote my exam today! Since I wrote the test at home I had to have a proctor oversee the whole thing and fortunately one of my friends was able to do that. He also figured I should get bonus marks for dealing with cat interference but I don't think my instructor will take that seriously. :) My feline friend was harrassing me throughout - the dangers of having a bored cat hanging around. Ah well. I have my thoughts on how things went, I go over points here and there in my mind wondering if I've covered everything. Hopefully I will not have to wait too long to find out my results.

Not that long ago I was having a rather interesting conversation with a friend of mine about tarot cards. My friend had gone out and purchased a beautiful deck of cards and we were musing on the history and artwork of tarot in general.
I have collected several different tarot decks over the years. While a couple decks are set aside for occasional use the rest are mainly there for the artwork. I have posted a few examples of the range of artwork in my decks from the traditional to the modern. I even have a deck of cards specifically for cats which I thought was very funny - not OF cats, but FOR cats. :) I have never read them for my furry friend but I suspect if I did he would just lay across them and take a nap.
To be perfectly honest I think that regardless of your beliefs the tarot deck is a fascinating exercise in illustrative and artistic skills. To successfully pull off a series of 78 well crafted images rich in symbolic meaning and storytelling is a very good way to stretch yourself as an artist. I guess all I need is time one day to transfer my sketchbook drawings to the canvas. Here's hoping I get the chance to do so.