rain rain

the buds are trying and so am i.

the big paint

before: red. dark. sad. not bad, but just slightly oppressive after living in it for four years.



the first and second coats of primer. it took four. those red walls were a greedy, greedy beast pig. after a while i couldn't even tell if the red was being covered. it was like it was bleeding through. nightmare.



oh, hi. oscar helped by entertaining us the entire time.



beer was had. lots of beer.



also coffee. cheers, primer.



finally done step one.



then an incredibly handsome man flew by with some more paint.





FINALLY aaaaaahhhh.



i can now breathe in my livingroom.



time for more beer. i need to fix those cords. next on the list.



oscar made friends with a tiny potato. he was squirrelling it away so we couldn't find it. so far it has been found under the stereo tower and the ottoman. i finally took it away because it got soft.



we also rearranged the books. why not.



so much better.





six coats. six. sooooo worth it.

oh well

my thesis is just about done, but a title eludes me. perhaps i should call it: "Boatloads of Debt: How I Got Suckered Into Paying $10,000 for Bus Rides to York, 14 Hour Days, and Expertise in a Topic That I Suspect Does Not Render Me Any More Employable Than I Was Before".

i'm half kidding. not about the part where i don't have a title though.

day in the life fail

of course i forgot to start taking pictures for a day in the life entry because when i wake up at 4:15 (earlier today due to having to walk because of the rain) i do not have my wits about me and it's all i can do to put my underwear on the right way. i would not like to admit the number of times i have discovered it on backwards/inside out after getting ready at this ungodly hour.

so to make up for it, i am going to do an installation of a segment called THIS DAY ON LIVEJOURNAL (BLANK) YEARS AGO. luckily i have a livejournal that is over 10 years old that i can scour for goodies.

APRIL 26th 2006 (THIS DAY ON LIVEJOURNAL 5 YEARS AGO)

the other day i was leaving the liquor store, bounty in hand, as i am prone to be doing on a friday evening. a man with a grin was walking towards me on the sidewalk, his long hair was flowing, and the bleached spots on his patched denim jacket caught the sun. he asked me: "why are you going that way? my house is this way!" and pointed, still with the friendliest grin on his stubbled face. normally i would ignore anyone who said something like that, but he seemed so happy that i couldn't help but laugh. then he said "i've got a brand new ice cold six pack, you're going the wrong direction!!" and for a second, i was really really tempted. but alas, i got on my bike. if it wasn't for the vodka in my bag, that decision would have been much, much harder.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS THAT I LOVE SUMMER!

it is mostly his acid-wash jean jacket that stands out in this memory, however, i also remember that he wanted to 'watch a movie'. yeah i know what that means.

APRIL 26th 2004 (THIS DAY ON LIVEJOURNAL 7 YEARS AGO)

i had a lazy day.



WARNING: IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY CLEAVAGE BECAUSE YOU ARE A LITTLE BABY WHO IS THREATENED BY FEMALE SEXUALITY THEN DON'T LOOK AT THESE PICTURES BECAUSE THERE IS ONE THAT MIGHT MAKE YOU HAVE TO CALL THE WAHMBULANCE. IF YOU ARE GOING TO HOLD IT AGAINST ME AND CALL THE PICTURES "WHAT AMOUNT TO GLAMOUR-SHOTS OF YOUR TITS HANGING OUT OF A NEGLIGEE" THEN ALSO DON'T LOOK AT THEM BECAUSE I MIGHT PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE.

ed. note: behind an "LJ_CUT" there are then a series of glamour shots.

here is one of them:

other ed. note: i took it down. no one needs to see that

ooooh black and white. this whole thing was about a fight i had with my then bf who did not appreciate my propensity for sensual photography as much as my future self would. i can understand it now. look how boobsly my boobs are. baby fat. and also how short my hair is.

APRIL 26th 2003 (THIS DAY ON LIVEJOURNAL 8 YEARS AGO)

Current mood: peaceful
Current music: my dog licking himself


Didn't go to karaoke
Did go to vazaleen.
Didn't sing j.lo
Did see a HUGE ballsack.
Didn't watch red dragon or one hour photo
Did get a little drunk.
Didn't go to the show at the 360
Did watch copious amounts of TV.
Didn't really study
Did buy flowers for my room and return red dragon.
Didn't see you all
Did miss you.


i remember this night very clearly. standing next to a naked man, hanging with the bartenders at lee's and chatting with the forever loved will munro who was always immensely kind to me (despite my being a 20 year old weenie nerd). if only i had taken more photos. i would love to have a better record of the early days of my 20s.

this concludes the first installation of THIS DAY ON LIVEJOURNAL (BLANK) YEARS AGO.

catamatic

who might those tiny white paws belong to?



oh what a surprise. it's the tiniest, sweetest little deer rabbit there is.




the following comprises my ghetto hipstamatic experiment whereby i attempt to create an old-timey photo using equimpent i already have on hand. please note the completely and perfectly sideways tree shadow, the reason for which i took the photos in the first place.

photo taken with three year old blackberry:




photo taken with three year old blackberry with sunglasses in front:



yeaaaaaah it's not the same. i need a stupid iphone.

here is stella enjoying the newest addition to the household: a four point wool trapper's blanket. apparently the number of points corresponds to size, and four is the largest and therefore considered the most desireable, according to the guy that sold us this and ebay. not to brag or anything, but our blanket is pretty big.



ok this blog is turning into a "stella sitting on things" blog. i need a new direction. tomorrow i'm going to attempt* a "day in the life" photo spree so you guys can see what getting up at 4:30 in the morning looks like. you'll love it, i promise. all two of you will love it.

*may not occur due to extreme crankiness at 4:30 in the morning.

snippets

nature cat likes birch bark. munch munch.




homemade curry (there is brown and wild rice under there. approximately one thousand pieces). beer leftover from case bought for painting. new placemats care of brother for birthday.




little snow rabbit otter cub mouse. she cannot resist lying on my tummy.

atv/quad/four wheeler-ing

this is from back in march on our trip to the dominican republic. i wish i had taken footage while we were driving. i did not because there were a lot of men walking around carrying machetes(presumably for harvesting sugar cane) and to be honest besides that, the whole thing made me a little nervous and i couldn't manage holding on super tight with both hands AND filming at the same time. at one point we were climing a very steep hill, at the top of which was a hairpin curve. as we neared the middle of the hill, a giant bulldozer came rumbling around the corner and began its descent, seemingly right on top of us. because i am a lady at all times, i yelled HOLY JEEESUS! FUCK! and then we pulled as far to the side as we could without getting stuck in the ditch and let them pass, narrowly avoiding being bulldozed. the oversize bulldozer with gravity on its side wins, every time.

anyway, here i am, being brave.



check my legs bud, that's some serious evidence of weight-bearing squats. thanks, gym.

the view from the top.



a house or two.



and a video.



not pictured: many dogs and chickens, at least one person sitting in a chair outside of every house, emaciated cows, hard times, scrap yards, the aforementioned machetes, people staring at us slack-jawed as we drove past, and little girls doing each other's hair.

sally said, sally said

i can't take no more regret



according to those in the know, these leaves look just like placentas.

my bitchiest shirt

someone called me a "bitch" while i was wearing this shirt once. it was out of nowhere and the person really meant it. since i'm clearly not a bitch, and actually think calling someone that makes YOU more of one and does harm to females everywhere by propogating the notion that aggressive women are "bitchy", it must have been the shirt. just look at it, being so happy and smug with it's little ribbon collar. i don't know how it stands itself.

today

wake up. breakfast. dishes. video back to the video store. groceries from the grocery store. fold laundry. vacuum. hem curtains. spin class. get call from doctor with news of B12 deficiency. work 1-8. research vitamin B12 deficiency. wonder which symptoms of B12 deficiency are ones that i have because of it. discover someone took the tumblr name of this blog A CURSE UPON YOU, STEALER. take B12. fix and fill zippo. watch debate while eating mini eggs. pretty good. i should do this with pictures it'd be way more interesting.

BYE!

FOOD

vegetable tagine. get some veggies (sweet potato, zucchini, peppers, carrots, onions) sautee in a huge pot, add cumin, coriander seeds, cayenne pepper, tomato sauce, raisins, chick peas, half cooked lentils, honey, lemon juice and enough water or stock to make it thinner then you want. cook it down until it's all stew-like. serve on couscous. done.



yummy salad. roast garlic bulbs and red peppers. serve on greens/spinach tossed with balsamic dressing. squeeze out garlic onto salad. done.




veggie lasagna. get a boyfriend who makes veggie lasagna. buy wine. done.

it's like a stair but it goes on the wall

new shelf in progress:




new shelf in its completion:



they say that putting up shelving is one of the most stressful tasks a couple can undertake. "they" have obviously never driven on the quebec side of ottawa in the rain.

oh you know.

tulips loving the sun




paring down my collection of jewels




a little something to help celebrate good changes



life and stuff