Inn of the Wandering Dragon

The boyfriend and I made the trip out to the family farm for Easter. While there is still a fair bit of snow on the ground the weather still was not too bad. Yes the wind was cold but hey - I'm outside in the sunshine so life is good! A trip to the farm is never complete without a barn cat or two trying to stand on your shoulder (or head), getting the dog's frizzbee stuck in a tree or on a roof, and getting bawled at by some cows. And mud - semifrozen mud everywhere.

Unfortunately not everyone was feeling so great (a bout of flu) and on top of that, two family members are nurses who were stuck with the night shifts at the hospital. This puts a damper on things but what can you do? We still tried to make it a good visit regardless and we even managed to visit some more family in the city on Saturday. Overall, it was pleasant, here's hoping everybody feels better soon!

The first day of spring has arrived, Easter is right around the corner and the skies are clear and sunny. Maybe we can start to feel like winter is finally leaving us for another year. Not to sound like a pessimist but I will not be suprised to see one more big snow dump before the end of May but cest la vie. It will melt away fast enough. Most of the spring cleaning is done so I am satisfied. A few small improvement have been made around the house here and there. I now have some coat hooks by the door and a door on the spice cupboard - horaay! I don't think it is any secret, I'm in a mood to get my nest all in order.

I'm not alone in that feeling, some co-workers are seriously looking at buying houses. But they make a lot more than I do so they *can* consider that luxury. I really wish I could too, but on my wages alone I would never qualify for a mortgage in this town. I was playing with a couple online calculators on bank websites. According to those I qualify for a house worth 50-60 thousand dollars. A small condo starts at around 4 times that and a starter home in this city starts at 5 times that amount. Even with my boyfriend's income thrown in it would be tight. I think it could be doable, but since he is not interested it will not happen. Period. I don't need anything huge or fancy. I grew up in a small house and I've been living in small basement suites for the past several years. But at least I would be working on something to keep as opposed to paying someone else's mortgage and being completely at their mercy. I'm also getting tired of living underground. I need some light. I need some life.

Tuesday nights are my nights with out with one of my girlfriends. We chose to schedual a regular night every week to get together and hang out because otherwise our crazy lives would have us running off doing other things. Next thing you know, 6 months has passed and we haven't even spoken to each other. We still occasionally arrange something on other days but for the most part, tuesdays have become our 'hang time'.

Yesterday I went to her place, food in hand (because of detox) and discovered her latest addiction - Guitar Hero 3. A friend of hers brought over the playstation and controller so the evening was spent taking turns navigating our little band towards greatness. Actually, they navigated, I occasionally detoured off the map. You can tell they have put in a few hours of practicing! But they cheered me on as I gradually missed fewer notes and managed to complete 3 whole songs (all in 1st level). They tackled the more difficult songs and we all had a laugh at the character options for costumes and guitars. I enjoyed it over all. I don't see myself rushing out to buy a copy, so I guess you could say the addiction hasn't taken hold. But when some other friends come to town (bringing their guitar hero games) I won't say no if they offer a chance to play.

Today has been a good day. I was aiming to get the bedroom and the kitchen done today for part one of my spring cleaning.
The bedroom has been dusted, walls spot washed, floor vacuumed (behind the dressers and under the bed), laundry finished and all that is left is to change the artwork hanging on the wall. All that is left of the kitchen is to wipe down the top cupboards and wash the floor. We put the door on the spice cupboard and pulled the fridge out to clean the back and underside. The oven was pulled out only a couple months ago so that's fine. I still have to clean the oven itself but that can wait until a nice warm day when I can open all the windows in the house. There is finally a decent towel rack in the washroom, it's not in the ideal place but when we're trying to anchor in the wall studs we have to take what we can get. Otherwise everything else has been swpet and vacuumed.
I even managed a walk out in the sunshine this afternoon and enjoyed a good chat with a long distance friend. All in all I am feeling pretty good about it all.

Time flies when you're working like crazy and generally enjoying yourself. It still passes when you're not that impressed with the world overall whether you like it or not. I think I can honestly say I spend most of my time in the first part, which is a good thing to my mind. But like a startled cat I do occasionally blink and notice that all of a sudden I'm not in the previous year / season / time of day etc. And sometimes I am watching it pass by closely, thinking about what may lie in store ahead.
The past couple of years have felt largly stagnant to me and so for the past while I have been working to change that. Physically I am moving a bit more. Artistically I am creating a bit more. I am working to get that momentum going and gathering steam, with the vague idea that one day my life will be in better balance than it is now. I also have other issues to contend with, revolving largely around the big question of "what do I want to do with my life?"
In short, I'm restless and I need to shake things up.

There have not been many reactions to my decorated hands in the past week.

One comment at work came from my boss. He asked if these were real tattoos, when I explained what they are he seemed to accept that and nothing more was said. Mind you the guys at work have all accepted that I'm a bit 'weird' so I guess in a way this is just another manifestation of what they already expect.

Another guy asked if I had eaten out at an Indian restaurant, and if there were any meanings to the designs. (we picked the designs because they were pretty, not for any meaning)

One friend has teased me about being a "tattooed freak". I recognize that she is teasing, so it doesn't bother me.

My friend upstairs had to see the designs and complimented me - as well as my other friend who made the design.

In the past I have experienced a variety of reactions ranging from surprise and honest appreciation to outright disdain and negativity. Most people do not say anything at all but it always surprises me when they do. Henna is not traditionally a part of my cultural background so I can accept a certain amount of surprise or hesitancy. For those who question my use of henna in a negative way I have a very simple argument in return.

a) It is an activity that makes us sit down and relax. Think about that for a moment.

b) Henna is temporary, the designs WILL fade away.

Winter's grip is begining to thaw as we enter March and I am once again doing my annual spring detox.

I started on Sunday so for the remaining 10 days I am staying away from processed foods, flour, dairy and sugar. My boyfriend would like to interject that this includes no wine or booze as well. For those who do not know, the detox I undertake lasts for 12 days and the intention is to give my body a break from all the artificial food colourings, flavourings, preservatives and chemicals etc that are common in processed food. I have been doing this for a few years now and I can honestly say that the results are worth the hassle. It is not always easy (since I love good food) but in the end I feel better physically and mentally.

What I can eat can be basically listed as follows:
Whole grains
Vegetables
Domestic Fruit (the tropical fruits have too much sugar for this)
Meat and Eggs
Fish

Thanks to my ample spice cabinet I can enjoy flavourful curries, homemade soups, stirfries and roasted / baked meats and fish. It really is not as bare and desolate as some people think. Mind you eating out is pretty much kaiboshed but so be it, my wallet can breath a little easier for it.

I just heard a reminder on the radio that this comming sunday is once again time to adjust our clocks - yet another sign that spring is getting closer. I am starting to make a list of what needs to be done for spring cleaning. Unfortunately it really didn't happen last year so the house definately needs it now. Time to sweep and scrub and get some fresh air moving through the house.