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1. While jogging, I stepped on a hard fruit which was hiding in the shadow. I tripped, hurt my inner sole (an old injury) again, scraped my elbow, picked myself up and limped and jogged for the rest of 5km. I thought if I gave this up, what else wouldn't I give up?
Then I did push-ups! standard ones, spider and diamond pushups. I didn't know I could still do it. Foot still hurts, especially after standing up for 3 hours for my volunteer work.
2. Speaking about volunteer, I volunteered at another gay sauna, which was having a full moon night, which means NO CLOTHES. I'm an ass guy. All those asses! Perks--pun intended--of the job.
Went to volunteer with morbidity and his boyfriend at a bar today. As Jason Donovan sings "I'm not afraid of making my move," I introduced myself to another volunteer, Alvin, whom I like very much and although I think he was interested too--he stood near me always--MY BEST FRIEND morbidity and his bf said I was delusional. That's what friends are for--calling each other nutcase. Alvin is an artist and I always like the sensitive artist sort. Morbidity said that Alvin knows how to work his boyish doleful puppydog charm but I thought he is just being shy.
I asked Alvin if he is seeing anymore. Yes, the irritating fly beside him the entire night, his boyfriend who wasn't volunteering. Ray, morbidity's bf, said he could understand The Fly's position. I said, where's there to be insecure about? Only those who are diffident about themselves will feel insecure. If the guy wants to stray, he will stray no matter what. Ray said, "But did you see how flirtatious Alvin is?" I insisted he is shy, coming off as coy.
The Fly isn't cute and is twice Alvin's age and he isn't even a volunteer, which makes me think he can be kinder. He also doesn't look like he appreciates art. (I DO! I DO!)
When Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" came on, I very nearly wanted to turn to Alvin and said, "The story of my life." We saw The Fly's very cute and expensive convertible and morbidity said, "That's why he's with him."
I said on facebook to Daph, "I'm handsome, tall, clever and kind. You'll regret not wooing me more fervently."
She asked, "Are you rich?"
I said, "If you've my love, you'll feel like the richest person in the world." Why wouldn't people understand that?
He drives sports car, I walk my ka
Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find
what's you're looking for has been here the whole time.
You belong with me.Current Music: taylor swift - you belong with me |
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Current Photo Friday theme: From My Past
My baby book, several decades old.
Badly water damaged, but some parts are still legible enough for me to get a glimpse
into what preoccupied my mother about her youngest child.
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Theme: From My Past
My First Christmas
See more Photo Friday here
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I believe I have, for the first time in twelve years or more, gone into a retail establishment on Black Friday. It's clear that aliens have taken over my body. With this new information in mind, I believe I'll frost a birthday cake and write an entire novel before dinner.Current Mood:  shocked |
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Nov. 27th, 2009 @ 02:25 pm
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All is well with MaryAlice. Apologies if I left anyone waiting in suspense. I've been a little scattered, and find it difficult to manage my assorted social networking fora. First world problems: I have a few.
Stuart was something approximating angelic upon our reunion yesterday afternoon (ferried from one family's Thanksgiving celebration to another's). Now he's up to his usual shenanigans, which include, in their current incarnation, wrapping the ribbon from a helium balloon around his sister's neck and pulling her to the ground with it, informing me, "I want a stranger to take MaryAlice away," and punching and kicking his way through our pre-naptime ritual.
I think I may have convinced him to go to sleep ... by yelling, "Lay down!" in his face. Awesome modeling, Amanda. Awesome.Current Mood:  exhausted |
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I made a comment on a friend's blog recently about the Christmas song Baby, It's Cold Outside, and the numerous versions of the song that I have in my iTunes library. That comment got me wondering, "Just how many recordings of this song have there been?"
Among the highlights:
Dean Martin
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan
Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme
James Taylor & Natalie Cole
Rod Stewart & Dolly Parton
Lee Ann Womack & Harry Connick, Jr.
Michael Bublé & Anne Murray
Liza Minnelli & Alan Cumming
Lady Antebellum
Willie Nelson & Norah Jones
But for me, there is - and will forever be - one definitive version of this holiday classic.
Take it away, Nick & Jessica.
(Note: To best experience this song first turn off all household appliances, then put your face as close to your monitor as possible and close your eyes. It will almost sound like Jessica is singing in English!)
Current Mood:  silly |
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Every year I think the same thing: we’re not going to put much effort in to christmas decorations, we’ll just do something simple, the bare minimum. But those intentions usually get overtaken by events, and more often than not we go all out.
Last Sunday was Nanookville’s “Home for the Holidays” Christmas house tour. It’s a fundraiser, run by the Nanookville Business Association, deigned to support our main street improvement project. I’m the treasurer of that organization (see what happens when you’ve worked in banking and delusional people think you can be trusted?) so I have a particular interest in these things doing well. This year it did. We sold 268 tickets, not bad for a little village of 700 people and even fewer houses. And the proceeds, while not enough money for me to run away to Mexico with – although I did give it a quick thought – will be enough for a bench or two on Main Street.
So the event didn’t serve as a launching pad for my Mexican run (as opposed to the Mexican runs, which are, of course, not to be laughed at). But it did kick-start my dreams of a holiday season right out of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, without the flaming Christmas tree and slovenly relatives. Our house, I decided right there, would be all a-twinkle again.
But first we had to help out with the house tour. Meirion and I - you should have seen how festively spiffy we looked - acted as host at one of stops, the best on the tour, as it happens. This is the house - the dining room is pictured here - that long-time readers may recall from a post about a charity dinner we attended there several months ago. It used to be a rather cluttered B&B, buried in Victorian kitsch and Laura Ashley prints, but two big gay guys with big gay genes bought it and did a number on it.
The Christmas decor was suitably understated, but enough to get my juices flowing. So later that day, finished with the tour, we turned our outside christmas lights on. Next day, at Costco, I spotted some outdoor lights we must have. They are like branches that you stick in the ground, covered in extremely bright LED lights. We bought eight of them. I’m worried now that passing 747’s will mistake our front lawn for the airport runway it was never really intended to be. But no matter. Down to the basement to drag out the white fake christmas tree, all $44 bargain-store-fibre-optic goodness, that graced our porch last year and that looks surprisingly good, from a distance.
If all this sounds a wee bit tacky, somehow it doesn’t look it. Not quite as tastefully restrained as the home we hosted on the tour, perhaps, but not bad either.
A couple more weeks and we’ll put up the tree indoors, complete with that disembodied heads theme that you've all come to know and love, except for ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) fivecats. And maybe a few hundred others. |
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I'm up. I feel like I went to the toilet 4 times. I feel 20 pounds lighter.
I have a ton of work to do tomorrow. I feel like an art project is creeping up.
I feel like wandering on the roads of America again. I'm growing my hair out.
I'm thinking about my smoking. I hear the engine of a freight train in the distance.
I'm headed back to the floor, next to my beau.
Goodnight, Goodmorning. |
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Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter |
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Happy (almost late) Thanksgiving!!!
I don't know how people keep coming up with new ideas for cards! Of course, if I could draw, I'd draw the dogs doing what I want them to do---or draw in the prop I would need.
Our meal is eaten, the husband has cleaned up the remains (what a good guy he is!) and a friend and I have drawn up our battle plan for hitting black friday sales in the morning. I did get a fair amount of shopping done today, actually. Some stores opened today and I was able to get some of my purchases out of the way without big crowds.
I need to get going on making my annual ornaments!
Here's my annual request that if you would like an ornament and a Dogrl Christmas card, send me your address if I don't already have it. Just put it into a comment and then delete the comment. |
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Between the two of us, n8an and I have somehow become a five iPod family:
In our defense, the white one doesn't work any more, the iPhone on the far right is from work, and we both hate iTunes. |
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Here's a bonus button. This one is from Lynne's collection, but I think I may have one like it deeply buried in my container o' buttons.
I chose this button even though I'm not a big fan of pies (sorry, Agent Cooper) because Wednesday provided a spontaneous pie night with friends. On a whim, Tom called The Brides to see if their tight schedule allowed for dinner, and it did, as long as Lindsey could later use my kitchen for baking. So we had a raucous evening with Tom, Tim, Rhonda, Lindsey, me, Margot, Guinness, Rex, Pixie, Sugar, and Puddles--the puppy also known as Pixie's Mini Me.
Later, while I sewed, the house filled with the aroma of baking. Lindsey was making pies in a jar, which involved a lot of cutting apples into cubes and some apple-cube eating (The bowl was right in front of me! I couldn't help myself! There were plenty!). There were also a couple of side trips to the grocery store and Starbucks in there. And when Lindsey finally filled all the jars, there were enough apple cubes left over (SEE?) to fill a couple of ramekins. One of which is still in my kitchen, looking adorably edible.
More Thankgivingy stuff to come, but for now, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone who celebrates it, and for those who don't, just know I'm thankful that you're part of my life.Current Mood:  thankful |
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Thanks to my f-list for your sympathy at our dog's death. I appreciate every kind word.
I mentioned before my love of cryptic crossword puzzles. The pleasure of pitting my wits against the setter of the puzzle, and the sense of satisfaction when I crack a difficult one. There is the added buzz because English isn't my first language, so I feel clever and all, see.
Still, it's not as if I can zip through a puzzle in 10 minutes like some people do, it takes me a day or three. Strange how the mind works; clues that are impenetrable on night one, fall open like a book on night two. Or three.
Like this one: Run off with Ulysses' wife, freed from confinement (5)
At first I was, like, eh??
( Read more... ) Current Mood:  calm |
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I copied a number of photo files over to my memory card so I could print them out. However, I realized that I didn't need some of them so I tried to drag them over to trash . . . and was told I couldn't do that because they were locked! I finally called up Help and typed 'locked files' into it. It explained how to go to Finder and unlock those files. What's really weird is that I don't know how they got locked in the first place. |
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1. Was a witness at Chrsitine and Henry's solemnization today. It was a little strange because Christine, American, and Henry, English, are married in Singapore. They don't even intend to live here; they are returning to New York in December and Christine flew here just for a week for the wedding. Stranger still is the dress which Christine got on ebay; she sent the China tailors her measurements and the dress is done in a week!
Regardless, they are so so so happy and happiness is infectious. Research shows that when you're in the presence of happy people, you produce endorphins (happy hormones) of your own. I was very lucky to be there.
No one was at their solemnization except for me and another witness, Karen. The photographers were late and missed taking photos of the ceremony and still the gracious bride and the groom didn't mind. They were smiling and courteous to them. Such a great couple, this is how a wedding should be, relaxed, laidback and even if something happens, don't let it ruin your day. A wedding doesn't have to go as planned; don't be so uptight, bridzillas! A perfect wedding is a happy one.
I want to be married one day too. And I want to be married in Singapore. Please, please will Singapore move on with the times already?
 ( What I wore )
2. I didn't know they were having their wedding photos after the solemnization. I'd have cancelled my volunteer work for it but Christine said there was no need. So I left for my volunteer. After that, Bryan, Jim and I went for dinner.
Bryan is very cute, huge doll eyes with a sharp high narrow nose. A twink. Quite hot. He speaks with a roguish child-like tone although he is 30. His uncouthness is in part an affectation, a pretense, so that he could fit into the straight world but because he has pretended for 30 years, it has become him, inseparable. He's jaded by reality, and tired even and so he says he doesn't believe in monogamy anymore and even if deep within him, there is a small voice, hoping, hoping, hoping that this might be the one, and when he finally finds the one he can be monogamous with, his obstinate nature will still refuse to acknowledge that he can be wrong too. What I like most about him is his honesty and chumminess. When you ask him a question, he will answer it although perhaps sometimes the answers are half-truths; he can be evasive and highly private too. He won't talk about his feelings, he will talk about the weather and food and travel plans. He has been hurt before and doesn't want to be hurt again. He's a nice coward. He is the sort that puts everyone at else and can be friends with gangsters and fashionistas, heiress and paupers because he always is himself and doesn't act like someone else. Because he is himself and he is stubborn, when he feels like he wants to do something out-of-the-ordinary, he will not do it; there are rules in his life, he has principles, he will not compromise. He is better as a friend than a lover. I really like him and think he will make a great friend because he knows that I won't judge him regardless what he says and I know that if he judges, he tries to be objective.
So when I said, "Wow, that auntie calls me handsome! No one has said that of me for a long time," and he replied, "But it's true what, you're handsome," I knew he was being objective and speaking the truth.
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Nov. 26th, 2009 @ 08:40 am
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Merry Tofurkey Day!
I get to see Santa today at the end of Macy's Big Parade as well! Always a good deal.
Looks like a long holiday weekend of good books, movies, friends and family and my brain seems to be cooperating so I am thankful, much like Charlie Brown at his magnificent feast! |
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THE BEST CRANBERRY SAUCE EVER
Ingredients:
1 cup orange juice
1 cup white sugar
1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
1 orange, peeled and pureed
1 apple - peeled, cored and diced
1 pear - peeled, cored and diced
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring orange juice and sugar to a boil, until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to simmer, and stir in cranberries, pureed orange, apple, pear, raisins, pecans, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
Delicious as a side dish or a dessert. (It's FANTASTIC served over vanilla ice cream.)Current Mood:  happy |
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pleased