Thursday, December 07, 2006
Raining
There are seventeen unopened doors on my chocolate calendar until the big C.
Still so much to do and very little time to do it if I want to get stuff in the mail on time.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Snow & Ice
Monday, December 04, 2006
Snow?!
The weekend was good and it started a day early. I didn't end up going into work on Friday although I had planned to. Darrell had a doctors appointment later in the morning Friday so he went in on his own to that and then stopped by the office to work on a DVD project that has been giving him grief. By the time he got home it was too late for me to turn around and head in so I didn't. Instead I spent an hour on my eliptical trainer (I can sing most of the Cabaret soundtrack while working out now although still a little breathlessly near the end) then puttered around.
Saturday I basically painted, and not much else. I got Seth's painting finished completely by the end of the day.
The photo is before a few little finishing touches, erasing pencil lines, and varithane, but it gives you the idea. Once the Varithane was on it the colour popped a lot more, but the shine reflects the flash on the camera. The painting contains all his information; the calendar has his birthdate, the clock has the time, Daisy Duck is sitting on a scale that has his weight, The Blocks spell out his name on the fronts and on top they have his middle and last initial.
Sunday I went to work on the painting I'm doing for my cousin and got most of it blocked out. I can probably finish in one more sitting.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
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Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Halifax
I've been seeing the doctor in Halifax because of the drug coverage program that allows me to get all those extrememly expensive drugs for just a dispensing fee, but that is now a thing of the past. This is the last time I will be able to do that. The NB government has started paying for antirejection drugs now so NB patients don't have to go to halifax. Most NB patients didn't have to go for quite some time now, but I had to because I'm not on welfare medical so my drugs weren't covered that way. So that was my last trip to Halifax to see the doctor and I will start seeing him when he does clinics in Moncton.
Darrell ended up having to work an all nighter last night to get the Outstanding Business Achievement awards videos done intime for tonight's ceremony, so I popped into the office and picked up the dogs, then stopped at Future shop and got the Superman Returns DVD. I never actually went out and saw this movie at the theatres so last night was the first time through for me. I'm generally a pretty easy sell when it comes to comic book movies though... so long as they don't really screw with the chracters. Generally the movie was pretty weak in my opinion. I liked the characters but could've done without the Lois Lane with Superman's kid thing... that was completely unnecessary. Lex Luthor was portrayed too much like the old 1960's lets keep it light and simple comic villan and his plot to build a new continent so he'd own all the property was pretty lame. I'm wonder why they even bothered to try and make this a sort of continuation of the other movies... why not just pull a batman and start over with a more modern style Superman closer to today's comics? Having him "Gone" for five years without so much as a goodbye is stupid, because Superman wouldn't actually do anything that selfish to begin with. Oh well... I score it a 6... a little better than average and a good moive all things considered, but I'm glad I didn't blow the money on it at the theatre... plus the DVD has so many extras.
I managed to catch the Mercer Report before putting in my Movie and they used my picture on the show which was really cool. They don't say your name or credit you in any way, but it's still neat to see something you whipped off in photoshop in half an hour make it on TV over the other submissions that came in. Especially considering I've only actually done the Photo Challenge three times and Twice they've used my image on the air!
Here's the original Howard Dean Image
Here's what I did to it (It's actually elements of about six or seven images combined)
Monday, November 27, 2006
Little Hamster
Friday while I was at the gym running, I couldn't help but think of a little hamster I used to have when I was kid. His name was Lee and he had a little wheel in his cage and would get on there and just go forever never getting anywhere. Of course then it hit me that I have turned into that little hamster...running my ass (and hopefully my gut) off on the treadmill and going nowhere. So, it prompted me to hook the leashes on the dogs Saturday afternoon, and take a walk up the road. I figured it would be easier to walk to the end of the road and then run back since the dogs would have time to get over their "oh what's that over there" phase of the walk. I didn't go to the end of the road though, because it occurred to me that there was a house with two dogs that weren't always contained and I had no desire to deal with that, so I stopped before I got within range of their driveway and ran the rest of the way back home. Running outside on the pavement, with the hills, and the wind, and two dogs who don't understand what's going on yet, is considerably different than running on a soft treadmill in the gym, but I really enjoyed it. As long as the weather allows it I may make a habbit of it. It is a little disheartening though, when you're going along, out of breath just trying to get to the end, then you look down and the dogs are trotting along beside you completely unphased and not even having to break into a run to keep up. But they seemed to enjoy it and I can't complain to much since I'm new to the whole running thing.
Sunday I cleaned the kitchen and then I sat at my painting table and worked away at the first of two baby announcement paintings on my list. I got a lot of it finished and I can probably get it done in one more sitting. It's amazing how fast the time goes when I'm painting. I get so lost in it, that I feel like I've only just started and a couple hours have passed. I should do it more because it's very relaxing, and I probably will do it more, now that I've managed to clean a path to the table and get everything set up.
I went onto Rick Mercer's blog, followed the link to his show last week, and took the photo challenge. This weeks picture was of US Democrat Howard Dean, so I downloaded it and using elements of about 6 other images I did a picture of him doing George Bush's Hair. On Friday I got an E-mail from Nik Sexton at CBC that said they liked the picture and might use it on Tomorrow night's show, so I had to fill out a release for them. If you're a Mercer Fan watch the show and you may see my picture. I'll post it on my blog later.
I'm off to Halifax Tomorrow for my regular check up, so expect snow. If it can snow when I have to drive to Halifax it usually does, so be prepared just in case. Hopefully I will be home in time to Catch the Mercer Report.
Friday, November 24, 2006
No Walkin
New Personal best
Friday Feast, November 24, 2006
Have you ever changed a flat tire by yourself?
Yes of course. If you can't change a tire by yourself you shouldn't be driving by yourself.
Soup
Do you have an "innie" or an "outie" belly button?
Innie
Salad
Name a new paint color and describe it.
Emerald Sea - Named for the Pacific Ocean around Vancouver Island a deep green with a dark blue base (Would make a great wall colour in a bathroom with white marble tiles)
Main Course
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Since we moved to the East Coast and it's only the two of us, we don't really have any holiday traditions. New Years Day I usually make Eggs Benny for brunch.
Dessert
If you were a cookie, what kind of cookie would you be, and why?
Oreos with double stuff... if you gotta be a cookie you might as well be the best cookie!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Welcome to the Jungle
The second act I could have done without completely though I'm sure the rest of the guys in the audience would disagree. It was a burlesque act called Suicide Sisters. Five girls with pasties doing various strip teases.. blah blah blah.
The Trews were on Third and they gave a really good show. I didn't realize I knew so much of their music until I heard it. Then there was a huge long delay between them and the resetting of the stage for Guns n Roses.
When Guns N Roses finally hit the stage the crowd went insane and they really rocked. It was a good show, but I had a hard time getting past all the compression and effects on Axel Roses' Microphone. He sounded like you hear on the albums, but without all the studio tech etc it all sounded computerized, so now I'm curious as to whether or not he can actually sing. Considering that with modern technology in the studios most of today's "singers" are mediocre at best.
Don't get me wrong I was ultimately able to get past it with the help of several beers, and have a good enough time I had to take the next day off to recover.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Weekend
The weekend itself was fairly uneventful. Did a little house cleaning, got the baords up for the closet door frame, and caught up on laundry.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Opening Night
Brain and Helen were sitting in row K and my ticket was row J, but there was an empty seat beside Helen so after the first intermission I escaped the gum lady and sat beside Helen. Unfortunately I had a guy witha giant head, who kept lifting his arms up into the arm for some unknown god forsaken reason, sitting in front of me there. I simply could not win. We need to educate our audiences better about theatre etiquette. If you have big hair tone it down and maybe slouch a little in your seat, if you can't chew with your mouth closed... don't chew period, if you have a cold... stay home or come with already unwrapped cough candies so you aren't coughing through the quiet parts, if you have a cell phone leave it in the car... you're not that important, And go to the bathroom before the show starts for Chirst's sake. Just a few simple little things that would make the experience better for everyone.
Thankfully Noises Off was so well done and such a good show that the seating unpleasantness was only a minor distraction. It was a long show though so I didn't get home until 11:30, then I stayed up to watch the new episode of Smallville (it just isn't Thursday without a dose of little Superman).
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Noises
After work we met up with Brian and Helen for dinner at Romanos and then later on that evening we popped out to Dairy Queen for a sundae. I know it sounds like a quest to refind that unwelcome ten pounds again, but it's okay to do that kind of thing Occasionally. Occasionally being the operative word.
Tonight I think I'll tag along with Brian and Helen and see Noises Off. I know everyone is working really hard on it so it's bound to be a great show. It's kind of strange, I thought I would be happy to not be doing sound this time around, but I'm actually feeling a little out of touch with everyone. Maybe I'll throw my hat in for Sound on the Glass Menagerie.
Congratulations to Stephen and Sandra on the safe arrival of their new son Alexander Frederic Jamie Tobias..... and congratulation to Mister Bill on becoming a big brother.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Quiet Weekend
Saturday we got to work at pulling the drywall otuof the closet door frame and cutting the wood to go into it. Darrell started cleaning out the little back room and sorting out what would be returning to it and what would not... no small job there.
Sunday we stained and urithaned the wood for the closet doorway. I'm still in the middle of the urithaning process and will do the third coat tonight after work. You get the best results if you do several coats with a light sanding in between each.
Monday we came into work and it was a very quiet day since most people were off. Darrell rearranged all the wires and connections in his editing suite and I worked on my 3d model of canaport.
My nose is still alittle stuffy but for the most part the cold is basically gone. I'll be getting back to the gym today. I went once last week but was still so stuffed up I could only do tenminutes onthe treadmill before callin it quits and heading home.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Found these
This one is of Darrell and me on my 27th Birthday, May 19,1998. I was in the BMT Isolation Ward in Halifax and had just finished three days of High dose Chemotherapy, followed by three days of full body radiation, followed by the transfusion of my Donor Bone marrow on May 14th, five days before this Picture. My hair hadn't even started to fall out yet. Tragically it is also the day of the Columbine shootings in the States.
This one was taken a couple weeks later when my Mom flew out from Calgary to stay with me for ten days
It seems so long ago now.
Nothing going on
In the mean time there's nto much going on. We're taking tomorrow off because of rememberance day on Saturday, and have no plans for the weekend so far. We may actually get around to turning al lthat planed wood into moulding for the bedroom.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Beginning of November
We did very little on Friday after work, basically kicked back with the TV. I called my sister, Amanda, to say happy birthday and talked to her for about an hour. She is now officially a quarter of a century old.
Saturday was a beautiful day, so we hauled the planer up into the driveway and finally started planing all the wood we bought for the moulding in our bedroom. We bought it all last spring, but got so busy in the yard over the summer that all in house projects were put on hold for fall and winter.
We got a pretty big pile of shavings by the end of it, but luckily our neighbour Sylvia has a horse and a pony so she wanted them for bedding. I ended up taking four wheel barrow loads full over to her which the horses should enjoy.
Sunday was my Grandpa, Joe, and my Brother, Lorne's birthday so I called both of them. Lorne wasn't home (Never is) so I left a message, but I got to talk to Grandpa for a while.
Sunday was also the 400th Anniversary of Guy Faulks Day, and Helen, being a Brit, celebrates it every year. This year was no exectpion. She and Brian made up a dummy Guy Faulks who hung out with all of us last weekend during all the Halloween stuff. Then Sunday we went over to the Bonds, (Bertis was there as well, but Chad and Nancey couldn't make it), lit a big fire, and tossed Guy on.
Then we lit some sparklers
Darrell videotaped the whole thing
Then we had baked potatoes, Hotdogs, and a cinnamon bun
It really was alot of fun. I think next year we should dress guy up in a George Bush mask and kill two birds with one stone...hahaha.
If you're unaware of who Guy Faulks is, he tried to blow up the British Parliament 400 years ago and was caught and executed for treason. These days I don't know if we celebrate Guy Faulks day because he was caught and executed, or because he tried to blow up parliament (Which I'm sure many people have want to do from time to time)
Thursday, November 02, 2006
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Getting Better
I did manage to get a bunch done yesterday, despite the cold. I've got a long way to go..... and a short time to get there. (Couldn't resist)I think I'm okay for time as long as nothing large, surprising, and immediate comes through the door. Although with Christmas ads starting there's a good chance I'll be bogged down pretty soon.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Day Off
We got absolutely no Trick or Treaters to the door last night. There's only two young kids on our street. Yet somehow the candy bowl kept getting emptier and emptier.
I'm not anywhere near 100% today, in fact 80% is something to aspire to at the moment, but I couldn't afford to take yet another day off. I would fall way to far behind and not get things done. The nice thing about a job like mine is that most everything works on a deadline, so as you can take a personal day here and there as long as you hit your deadline.... the drawback is that deadlines don't care if you catch a nasty cold.
