piece of paradice....

so....i think i see why my parents settled here in halifax....the people are super relaxed and friendly .....and their place is pretty amazing. they live in the suburbs of coal harbour...but then they over look this amazing lake....a little piece of paradise.

whose back yard looks like this?!





humming birds hang out with the wild flowers

accross the lake...is the studio where "the trailer park boys" is filmed...guess i just can't get away from tv!

made it to halifax!!

i was thirsty on the plane...

actually b/c of the new saftly regulations they won't give you bottled water...even on the plane...they pour it out into glasses...ok then..that will stop em...for sure!!

tom, gloria and i stayed up after everyone else had turned in....it was only 7pm my time......


today we went down to the farmers market near the waterfront

then we headed to the buskers festival....

this guy was doing a mural in pastels.....

then it rained....

i felt bad for the guy...

:)

a little side note....

still no sign of chloa bell....starting to think she's gone for good. the posters i put up are looking a little worn.

i haven't been mentioning it... b/c i don't want to drive people crazy more then anything...but i am really sad about it. i just don't always show it. that's how i deal i guess.

jazz walks around the house crying...i guess she's sad too.

people have been really kind and helpful...both judy and garnet took time out of their busy lives to call around for her and garnet put an ad on craigs list.

thanks guys...

:)

jordan's sle pics...

jordan took some awesome pics of the seattle lindy exchange that he posted on flickr.com....i thought i would share too.

flikr.com seems like a cool site...i have to check it out more. you can post your pics on there and your friends and family can view and download them...it’s cool.

not much else to report..i should be packing right now b/c it’s off to halifax friday morning and tomorrow night is showboat...which i don’t want to miss.

i will be seeing some of you friday!!

should be fun.

i love this pub...not b/c of the beer...but b/c they asked me for ID!! ya...i know i don't look a day over 21....lol

kyle talks...oliver listens

jamming w/ kevin buster's band


:)

SLE

what an awesome weekend it was!!!. i'm definitely paying for it now!

oh well...it was worth it for sure. people were there from all over north america and some internationally to do ton's of swing dancing on not much sleep....

the diet of the weekend..lots of coffee, chocolate and red bull...i skipped the red bull

....oh ya and we can’t forget the beer and becky’s fabulous breaky...man she spoilt us!

i'm not going to bore you with too many details...just some pics...

my lovely hosts becky and ian at the outdoor event...


i had to take a pic of this wacky car


dancing at the centry ballroom sunday night


dancing sat evening at the seattle centre



jordan enjoying the sun


becky and ian's punk rock dog....jules "ramone"... they also have another sweet doggie willow.



having good chats and brews at the pub crawl sat afternoon


jordan and me being dorks on the pub crawl


...best quote of the weekend..."we're swing dancers in need of a 12 step program..the only problem is...we don't know steps"

:)

ok ok ok ok....

ok...sorry not much blogging action lately....i've had a stupid few weeks!! i'm actually skipping showboat tonight...(which is almost unheard of!) but i'm going to seattle tomorrow for a dance exchange....right from work... and i just have to do a few things and relax.

seattle will be fun. it will be three days of almost non stop dancing w/ a little pub crawl in the middle...i'll hopefully have lots of great stories and pics when i come back.

still no word from chloe..i wish i wasn’t going to be away...i just wish i knew what happened to her.....

:)

chlo chlo....

still no sign of the chlo chlo monster...



the place seens just a little lonely tonight.


i caught a glimpse of jazz and just for a second she looked just like chloe....

it was odd.

:)

ok.enough....

i've had enough of this wacky week.....
one car accident....one shiner and now chloe's gone.....

so i have this rental car b/c my car is in the shop....i'm so use to my other car..it's lower than this one. anyway i was opening the door yesterday and i hit myself in the face with it! hard. it hurt like hell. ok...if that's wasn't enough i did it again a few hours later!!! fudge fudge fudge....

here's the pic to prove it


:)

chloe bowie

there is a possibility that chloe is gone....this time maybe for good......


she’s always done these disappearing acts....she started in toronto. i would have to cruise the back alleys of queen st to find her. once i found her in someone's garage....next to the biggest pot plant i have ever seen. a few times she’s come back injured. she never comes back on her own...i always have to go find her. last time i found her held up under a covered car in the parking lot. a dog had chased her under there....and i guess that's where she stayed for four days. i never know how she gets out half the time either...it’s very strange. i didn’t let her out....

Chloe's a good cat..... strange but good. she loves me. i remember one time i came home after a car accident and slept all day. my roommate told me that chloe just sat by my bed the whole time watching me....like she just wanted to make sure i was ok. she’s good that way......she would always come to me with a worried look when i cried and lick the tears off my face.

i really hope i find her. i put signs up in the lobby...see if anyone’s has seen her. i’ll go a call around the building again later today.

:)

the happy mundane....

so...i had today off....yeah!

it was good day. the morning was busy b/c i had to arrange for my car to be fixed. the good news is it will be covered by icbc and my rates are only going to go up $23 this year then $11 the next two. that's not bad...considering the bill is $3100!!

i also went to go see the doctor. i seem to be having attention span difficulties. i need to fast for 12 hrs tonight so i can get blood work done tomorrow. i hate the fasting thing. especially in the morning. i feel faint and dizzy if i don’t eat. he said it could be a blood sugar problem or anaemia. anyway...we will see.

it's show boat again tonight. it will be fun as always! more catching up on life tomorrow. don’t have to work until monday now. life is pretty good....even if it ain't terrably interesting.... mundane happy. my life isn't like that too often...i better enjoy it while it lasts!

:)

weird day...nice night.

i had kinda of a horrible day at work today...all kinds of weird things happened...including my car getting into a disagreement with a dump truck...the dump truck won...and my car has a nice dent on the hood and fender! it was all my fault. i did one of my space out things instead of stopping....oh boy. i’m fine. anyway enough of that.

i needed a little r&r after the crazy day at work. so i joined garn and jen for a snack and tea....it was nice. when i got home i noticed an email from Tom and gloria. they sent me pics of waterdown. i guess they went there the other day to check things out...see if anything has changed.

it was a nice surprise...so i thought i would share....

is that the tree we use to sit in?

our old house

my childhood play ground....


thanks guys...
:)

here come the clowns....

went to cirque du soleil last night with garnet, mishi and garbs. garnet bought us all tickets...thanks g. i loved it. it was magical....and i’ve always liked that kinda thing. it’s a nice escape for a few hours.

it’s funny that i went to the circus b/c we are also doing a circus episode at work...except the clowns on our show are creepy. tuesday morning i have to go to set and dress 200 carnies...clowns, little people, juggles, freak show people...etc.
oh, and of course no one really knows how they want them to look!!
it will be fun...or hell...or both. probably both.

wish me luck....

:)

lame blog....

so it’s been a really busy week at work. we’re doing a circus episode...with creepy clowns, dwarfs, 300lb bearded women...all of it.....aaahhhh....

so.... sorry folks...i’ve been a little lame on the blog action....

anyway weekend’s here spend a nice evening w/ myself listening to music, eating goat roti from the reef, surfing the net, chatting on msn and looking at my new myspace friend’s pages...i have 57 of them now!!

i like my new place, although i still don’t believe the air conditioning is working....ah well...it’s suppose to be 35 degrees tomorrow....wow!

i will try to do a better blog tomorrow....cheers

:)

simons 50th more pics...

...and here is some alot more recent!

halfway at the london marathon. symbolic?...perhaps...






... :)

happy 50th simon!!

well simon...you’re officially old!! lol i’m sorry...i just had to do it....i had to!

here are some blasts from the past!








:)

happy birthday peter....oppsss

oh boy oh boy oh boy......

i screwed up a bit! i thought it was peters birthday today...and simon’s tomorrow!! well....it turns out it’s was peter’s yesterday and simons today!

ok.....so happy bleated birthday peter!! i’m sorry...i’m a lame sister....but i’m the only one you got! i guess your stuck with me.

peter jives w/ mum...hey... mum where are your shoes?


cheers peter...

can't wait to see you in halifax!
:)

mica....formica....

i had a pretty nice day off today. relaxing...did a few errands in the morning...then went on a nice little field trip with mishi. we went to capalano rock and gem then savoury pie co.....for yummy lunch that include pie....of course!

i bought some mica at the gem store that i think i’m going to include in an art project. i love mica...it’s the coolest stuff...they use to put in in makeup for shimmer. it’s a crystal that grows in the form of very fine layered sheets...it’s almost clear with just a bit of a smokey shimmer. it looks a bit like old glass....but lighter.

i think the reason i like it so much is it reminds me of my childhood. when we lived in waterdown i remember finding pieces of mica all over the grave yard. if i found a big enough piece i could sit there for hours peeling the layers one by one...until i was basically destroyed it.......

i wonder if that's where they got the name formica from....from mica?!

anyway.....i also started a my space!! it’s pretty cool... i found alot of swing dancers on there that i recognise from workshops and exchanges.....it might be a nice way to make new friends...i have 17 friends on there right now! i’ve also had quite a few messages from guys telling me how beautiful i am...well...that’s never a bad thing. one was a 17yr old from finland...ok...that’s just a little creepy! i swear i put my real age!!

if you want to check it out here is the url;
http://www.myspace.com/thephychicnetwork

:)

three day weekend!

my working not quite full time has already started...so i have a three day weekend!!

i still have lots too do in my apartment..it’s coming along though. last night had a bit of a break from it by going to dinner with garn, mishi and sasha for chinese tan tan noodles and general chows chicken!!...yummmy.

and we had fortune cookies....


today more work on the apartment and learning a few new things on the computer with garnet’s help......he thinks i’m an idiot....but he likes me anyway. i guess that’s good!
(i’m joking of course....;)

duality

i have many duality's to my personality, this is about one of them.....one i myself am trying to understand.

i’m confident and self sufficient person....but i have moments when i become that little girl who just wants to be loved and taken care of.

they are both me. they are both an important part of my personality. the latter part of my personality, i don’t really like for but i suppose it makes me a more caring person...who thinks of others and their feeling when she can.

this sensitive part of me tends to come out only at certain times and is fairly short lived..... when i’m tired, stressed or sometimes just when i’m hungry or going through a part of my cycle. sometimes i think my work takes so much of the independant jojo..that only sensitive jojo is left behind when i'm off.

when people are first getting to know me, i think it surprises and confuses them when they find out i can be like that. it’s like the first jojo they started to get to know...isn’t who she appears to be. i know i try to hide it from others....b/c i’m not proud out it. i wonder if people feel sorta lied to by that?! maybe i shouldn’t hide it. i don’t know. maybe on a certain level it can be a strength. maybe with out that bit of me.....i would just be a bitch!!

i know people often see the independent confident side of me and think that’s all i am. that i don’t need others to care for. well, they are mistaken....i do. just like everyone in this stinking world...i need others to care for and care about me. no matter how hard i try not to...i do. i just don’t need to be with them all the time. i like my freedom and being on my own.... probably more than the average person. i think that's why i like my job so much..b/c most for the day i'm on my own, driving around the city. i enjoy my own company, doing my own thing, living on my own. some how just knowing i have people around that care....that is is enough i think. knowing i can rely on them in a pinch.

....b/c i really am that strong, independent jojo.....but i’m also this one.

:)

goodtimes....

so rainy thursday today....which sucks b/c we can’t dance on he beach...so just some r&r for me tonight.

today at work the new permit who is working with us got permission to stay....which is good for me because basically me and her are doing the job that i was doing last year on my own......so things have been pretty easy breezy comparatively.

she was super happy to get her permit. it brought me back to the time when i was new and eager. i still like my job...i do...for the most part. ok... well....lets say....i’ve worked WAY worse ones! I just don’t have the same verve that’s all.

so anyway...her name is jen she’s young...in her 20’’s. i like her...we get along. seem to have the same scene of humour. today we were unpacking some stuff and chatting. she asked me if i had a roommate...i said no...i’m too old for that. then she asked me how old i am. i told her 41....and she didn’t believe me! she wanted to see ID!! hehe......she was probably just trying to get on my good side...

tomorrow’s friday....and i have monday off!! good times...
:)

art anyone?

...or just the world's ugliest lamp!

ok...i saw this lamp in metrotown mall today and had to take a pic!! it's verging on being so hideous that it's appealing in a warped kind of way!


and now for something completely different....
what is artistic expression anyway....??

what make’s art....art... and not say...a craft or just a good idea? sometimes i think the world views things that women tend to practice more, as crafts...and ones that men are more likely to do, art. i could be wrong.

can an idea be art? isn’t design just a good idea? so does that mean design art....or just a way to make things look prettier? does it have to be good design to be art? most designers don’t execute their own ideas...they have employees. does that exclude them from being artists? andy warhol didn’t do alot of his own art.....
getting ideas out of your head and into the world.....is it the execution that is the art? or is an idea in itself art?

what about every day things like food...can they be elevated to the level of art? some people say yes. at what point do you descide....this is art. and who decides?!! hey...doe's anyone remember preformance art for the 80's?! looking back...was that really art?...hmmmm....

some art (maybe all) is just presenting the world back to the world...but with a different out look. that’s what found art and pop art are all about, really.....i find it interesting. seeing beauty where others may not. i actually think about it alot as i go about my day.

attempting to show others this beauty.... that was born out of the ugly or the mundane. telling it’s story. it’s a talent.

for me it’s just getting things out of my brain and body and out into the world. the form of expression isn’t that important. although different ones satisfy different needs. physical, mental, emotional....even spiritual, i guess. i’m not sure if it matters if you share it...but i think it’s nice. and i think needing to make money off of it can ruin the art. for sure, it changes it. when you stop thinking about your expression and instead are thinking of what people want. it has to change the out come.

....maybe that’s what makes art art. i don’t know.

i stole a little piece of this from... http://www.zefrank.com/theshow/#
07-11-06
thanks for the idea!

:)

time to dust off those paints and pencils...?

something...or i should say....someone made me realise today that i really don’t use my artistic talents as much as i use to.

it’s always been up and down on how much and which ones i practice. i think time or lack of..... absolutely has an effect. i’m hoping that my new reduced hours help with that aspect.

i do get a fair amount of expression out in a physical way through dance. and i need that...it makes me feel alive. at work i get to practice my textile arts.... although not as much these days....and every now and again some millinery.

one thing i don’t do any more though, is my illustration. that’s what i would like to play around with again. i was actually a little hurt at the end of last season when diane needed some illustrations done and even though she has seen my portfolio....granted it was a long time ago....she never mention anything to me about doing them. maybe she didn’t like my work, maybe she just didn’t remember that i do it. i don’t know.

if people don’t see you do something (and you aren't actively doing it)......they aren't going think you do it. you're right....that’s true...
thanks.

:)

apartment update

hi....it’s sunday..the weekends almost over and i haven’t done any dancing!

i really wanted to focus on the apartment anyway. i should be doing that right now but thought i should stop for a late lunch/ early dinner.

did a bit of gardening outside my front door today. i’m on the court yard part of my building now and i like it much better. i actually see my neighbours from time to time. the neighbour across the way is a professional pianist and it’s nice to hear him play his music while i did my garden. another neighbour has a huge jasmine plant that smells amazing.....
the cats went out today and jazz tried to pick a fight...oh well....

:)

oh..and i bought an orchid today....