Post Portia

ugh. eerk

2007-02-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've sold out to the man or sommink. I signed on to the new blogger...with google account, etc. Waddup w/ that forced sign on stuff - talk to me blogosphere.

Meanwhile, had a gas contractor come by the house to read our C O 2 levels AT 9:30 THIS EVENING. OH HOW I HATE. And the headache and drowsiness that I'm experiencing now -is that PMS or some sort of vile carbon monoxide meter reading backlash??

Well, enough pollution from me...for now. I'll be too happy to bound to work in the morning I am sure.

toodles.for.now.

Quickly! Quickly!

2007-02-10T14:39:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, a zap post today - becoming a habit sadly.

The court thing - a full on waste of time, pity. But, a la out n' about yesterday, went to SUPERMARKET in Kensington last night w/ the boys. This was followed by 45 years of jamaican music, etc @ harbourfront, nice.

So! Supermarket. bless Cazack and Junior -honestly, they are full on dearhearts. I had an awesome time UNTIL I NEEDED TO USE THE LADIES ROOM. Dissssssgusting. Frigging abhorrent, nightmarish and disgusting.

A wet slippery floor, stalls flooded and well, full of the dirt of a thousand years and people puking at the sink. I am still shivering in horror a day later. Heavens

Hi Ho, Hi Ho. Its off to Court I go

2007-01-30T17:21:00.000-08:00

Sooooooooo, I used my free day off of the week to fulfill a subpeona request. Yessssssss, last April I was on a streetcar on Queen that got hit by a cab. And the case came up today. And...guess what? It has been rescheduled for July. Sommink about the cabbie's lawyer setting the date back cuz they only just had a chance to confer. Huh? Wha? I MUST have misunderstood.

Anywhoo, I don't think I'll be doing the July date. I am SURE my memories will be foggiest of fuggiest by then and it ocurred to me today that um, the streetcar driver has really dreamy eyes and is kinda cute. I suspect that this is clouding my judgement and cannot be the reason for proceeding further, whatcha think? Ah, the wheels of justice - they turn soooooooo slow...

Ok, off to watch entourage, eat some leftovers for dinner and do some reading before packing it in for the night - more. later.

mushing, MUSHING to keep up!

2007-01-28T18:49:00.000-08:00

And doggonit, I will, I WILL. Somehow, some. way. But, just not this evening. Frack.

Lots to update and keeping it all in my head, is VERY bad...so I'll be back soon, promise. Jaynerator, glad that u n' Jack are better, scary...

Oh noooooo!!

2007-01-19T06:25:00.000-08:00

Pafetik that I have so NOT blogged as yet for the year. How can this be when I have so much to rant about? Harumph...

1)dakota fanning. i'm choking, JUST choking...enough of that moron and her oscar hungry family already

2)chantal kreviazuk. wtf. must she be EVERYWHERE? I mean EVERYWHERE? Sheesh almighty

3) I watch too much CSI. Its my wind down after work but I think I've seen enough dead female bodies to last a lifetime - I get it already...still George Eads and Gary Dourdan are so hot...

4) Still krafting away, much more enjoyable than I thought it would be but working in the suburbs messed up my gaydar, faaack...

JAMES BROWN Rest In Peace

2006-12-25T09:12:00.000-08:00

Wowzers, at a bit of a loss for words on this one. I was actually considering braving the wild jungles of Casino Rama again just for this performer but alas, the hardest working man in show business will grace the stages no more.

That said, Merry X-Mas all.

scrooge ROCKS my world

2006-12-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

I lost my purse this evening. I am HOPING. PRAAAAAAAAYING I left in my dad's car en route to the subway but if not, I LEFT it on the bloody subway. Faaaaaaaaack! Granted that I had my wallet and keys on my person at the time and that if someone wants to poach my numbers the battery is now dead but riding the subway tonight looking for it - not so much fun. The idea of having to replace all those numbers - not so much fun. It just makes me want to eat chocolate truffles and nap furiously.

Ok, tragic the level of updates needed here. Am working for a certain major North American food services company doing pr/promotions and copywriting. I've never done the copywriting thing officially and I live for it.

Right -more later. Am very dehydrated at the moment, what with taking in ttc fumes all evening.

STILL trying to catch up!

2006-12-01T17:49:00.000-08:00

So behind with this. Nuff tings gwanin'...

ok, ok, OK. So November was not so good with the catch up as I had thought.
Hustling to find a replacement for the steady duckets which I landed, well - sorta. Um, then finding other things to supplement it with which is an ebb and flow situation.

But! Lots of updates are necessary. Just not sure where/how to begin. Despite continued downward spiral of the TTC, Moscoe and Miller are fully ensconced at city hall again, not impressed with that and cringe every time I have to board a bus w/ a cranky, generally disgruntled looking driver.

Lots of soapboxing on far too much so I'll try to take a stab one itching issue at a time.

First of which was dinner last week at La Vecchia @ Yonge & Egg last week. Disgusting. Not only was it unappetizingly packed in there but there were bugs at our table and we had to pay the bill in full -WAAAAAAAAAAHT???????

I'll tell that one first but later, don't want this to be too long, ahem...

Counting down...

2006-11-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

It's almost that time...

I've got one more working day until I start my hot new p/t gig @ the food place, please don't let me eat too many white chocolate covered oreo cookies, faaaaack!

Meanwhile, I am doing the Joe thing today in tempo land - VERY interesting indeed. Even hotter is the fact that I am writing to you from a MAC - OMG, I love the MAC, I am one with the MAC, sweet, sweet...I DEFINITELY want a notebook for home now. And with word on the street that MACs now have Windows?? Shut-UP!

Well - apart from the fact that the head JOE in charge has not acknowledged my presence, this has been a stimulating morning already. The whole acknowledgement thing is par for the course of temping but is interesting considering the contrast in behaviour across sectors, personas, etc. I think realtors make a lot more than fashionistas and I don't recall nothing but manners for days w/ the Bay Streeters from earlier this week. Which brings to mind the blue vibes I get when I think about people like Serena d.p and the Canadian apparel industry; lots of sniffles. The good thing about this gig is that 1) it took me 20mins to get here and 2) Cheryl lives around the corner. I have to make a pit stop @ her place for my pits later on, eek.

Ewww

2006-11-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

This sux, royally:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6157612.stm

In other news, chomping on the bits to see Casino Royale, woo-hoo! I have been fully brainwashed by the media blitz and am super curious. I fully enjoy the continued firestorm re: Bond, er Craig being so buff, HOT. Hot I tell you.

What else? Start date for new contract has been pushed back by a week so likely more temping, went to see Masia 1 perform for the Reel Asian Film Fest music showcase @ the Drake - turns out Moose lost the master key, eek. Having lunch w/ former CBC peeps over roti in the underground - not in my day I tell you and at Saint Cinnamon at that - crazyfied. Tonight is dinner @ The Rushton, tomorrow a UK garage sale and Sunday movies. Monday back to the real estate perch and will have to suss out new leads for Tuesday starting, oh - say now.

And in other movies news

2006-11-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

You know - Russell Crowe should be thanking Sasha Baron Cohen for releasing a box office monster the same week as A GOOD YEAR came out. C'mon! Russell Crowe as a romantic lead? Cack. The guy is only ever good looking, and barely at that thank you very much when he is covered with dirt, debris, blood and sweat. Yack - I definitely won't be going to see that one and the Crowster is lucky that there is enough Boratedness out there that people won't even have to forgive him cuz they'll have never heard of this bloody GOOD YEAR movie crap to begin with. Cackle...

And in other Russell news, Russell PETERS got a sweet write up in today's Globe, nice...overdue as f*ck and nice...

http://theglobe.ca/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061115.wxpeters15/BNStory/Entertainment/home

NEW VERSION? Wha??

2006-11-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

No idea what the deal is w/ the new version of blogger - anyone care to share?? Help! Some of you have even bounced out of blogger all together, off to greener pastures and such.

Right. So - yesterday was the big municipal election love in. I am super suprised that Pitfield conceded at all AND as early as she did - wtf?! Shocking, runaway win for Miller, sniffle. Am also shocked that dear Alexandra Bravo didn't make it in, am going to do some digging re: the numbers on that one re: C. Palacio. I had high hopes for Alexandra, who is a super keen resident; hopefully she will continue to grow her public career!

Admission - am secretly brooding re: the Miller victory because as a TTC super user, I have my suspicions about the company morale and just the wackiness of the service. Case in point the door situation yesterday on the train home, the disappearing Friday evening buses, etc. Most interesting...

Ooh, still hoping to catch up

2006-11-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

Happenings for days. Here at home, around the world...

In the midst of the clanging, the din of the news of the world, mid terms, war, divorce, what have you, I see that former SA President Botha passed away. The interesting part of Mbeki's attendance at the funeral is that his eldest son, who disappeared while he was in prison, was likely killed by Botha's administrators. Sad that he has never had the opportunity for a proper burial, like so many to be sure.

Hoping to catch up

2006-11-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

At least somewhat...

Now that the gig by the water is done and I am plotting a path towards the next big thing, which I have heavy expectations for, I can spend a moment luxuriating in the blogosphere catching up on far too many truancies.

So, let me begin with my most favourite encapsulation of Banda-gate thus far, care of the fantastic Borat, followed by a great read from the Globe all about the chained heat, better known as Canada's penal system for women - BC style - way to make us look bad in front of the stylish French people, helloooo

Firstly, on Madge:

My only concern is that this singing transvestite will not be such a good father,” Borat said in a mock video link from Kazakhstan.

And the prison tidbit, oh dear...

France tunes in to mother's guilty plea in B.C.
Bizarre tale features jailed professor who wants to seek French presidency
ROD MICKLEBURGH
From Friday's Globe and Mail

VANCOUVER — Detours in the long and winding road to a PhD are not unknown.
But few can measure up to what befell Nathalie Gettliffe this spring, as she journeyed all the way from her native France to defend her doctoral thesis at the University of British Columbia.
Instead of appearing before an elite academic panel, she found herself arrested at the Vancouver airport and thrown in prison.

While her professors wondered why she hadn't shown up, Ms. Gettliffe was being charged with two long-standing counts of child abduction.
The charges were laid after she fled five years ago to France with two children from a broken marriage, in defiance of a B.C. court order. Since then, her case has become even more bizarre. Behind prison walls, where she remains to this day, Ms. Gettliffe has not only managed to complete her thesis defence, but also give birth to a baby boy.

In the meantime, she has become a cause célèbre in France, the subject of numerous media reports pillorying Canada for its treatment of a pregnant woman and turning B.C. into a land of "terrorist justice" in the eyes of her many fervid French supporters.
Adding fuel to the frenzy, Ms. Gettliffe has announced her intention to run for the presidency of France in 2007.

The remarkable saga of the 36-year-old learned linguistic professor, however, is at last nearing an end. In a brief court appearance yesterday, her lawyer, Richard Fowler, announced that Ms. Gettliffe will plead guilty today in B.C. Supreme Court, rather than face a scheduled jury trial on the charges against her on Nov. 20.
Mr. Fowler said sentencing arguments will be heard later this month.
But Ms. Gettliffe's guilty plea is unlikely to diminish the fierce emotions her case has generated in France.
There, she has been characterized with great sympathy in the media as a brave mother seeking to protect her children -- Joséphine, 12, and Maximilien, 11 -- from an alleged cult-like church attended by the children's father, Scott Grant.

The Vancouver Church of Christ has links to the U.S.-based International Church of Christ, banned from many U.S. university campuses for cult-like recruiting drives.
At the same time, prison conditions in B.C. have been characterized as "worse than Guantanamo" by Ms. Gettliffe's current husband, Francis Gruzelle, who appears regularly on French TV to plead his wife's case.
The couple say they are writing a book called The Hell of Canadian Prisons.
By the summer, the atmosphere in France had become so volatile that police feared a vigilante attack to prevent Mr. Grant from bringing Joséphine and Maximilien back to B.C., after gendarmes tracked them to a small village in the French Alps where they were being cared for by a relative of Ms. Gettliffe.
Their fears prompted a police escort for Mr. Grant and the children on the way to Paris and then to the airport.

Mr. Grant, whose marriage to Ms. Gettliffe ended in divorce in 2000, regained custody of the children after France's highest court upheld the original B.C. court ruling.
Alarmed by public hostility in France, Canada's ambassador to that country, Claude Laverdure, took the unusual step this week of writing to French journalists "to set the record straight" about her alleged prison mistreatment.

"It is completely understandable that those close to Ms. Gettliffe want her released," Mr. Laverdure wrote. "But it is unacceptable that the reality of this case should be so distorted, that the Canadian justice and correctional systems should be so unjustly criticized and that Ms. Gettliffe's situation in prison should be so wrongly portrayed."

Ms. Gettliffe gave birth in late September to her new son, Martin, at a public hospital near the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women in the Fraser Valley, where she is incarcerated.
Since the birth, she has been given a single room in a special wing of the medium-security prison to allow her to care for the baby.

Earlier, arrangements were also made to enable the imprisoned woman to give the required oral defence of her PhD thesis that had been so abruptly cancelled by her arrest.
Ms. Gettliffe's six-member academic committee agreed to conduct the hearing at the Alouette prison, a first for the university, according to Sherrill Grace, who chaired the unusual proceedings.
It was a marvellous experience, she said. "The guards did not stay in the room, and I must say that Nathalie was incisive, intelligent, articulate, poised and professional. There was not the slightest ripple. She was just an academic again. It was very touching."

Prof. Grace, a veteran of the UBC English department, said she became caught up again in the excitement she feels whenever there is engagement with a young academic.
"There's a euphoria about it. You completely forget where you are," she said. "What's the old saying? 'Iron bars do not a prison make.' "

DAVID BANDA

2006-10-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

FRAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thass all I wanted to say.

Literally not a peep more - despit the many parties, the meetings, interviews and everything else that is happening at the moment. I merely wanted to utter, to share, those two words "David" and "Banda".

And now I take my leave

Right, catching up then

2006-10-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

Ah, trying to be a better, more diligent blogger.

Listening to Mark de Clive Lowe on 1xtra on BBC - Benji B's Deviation. As part of Black History Month- a month with 31 days in the UK by the way, MDCL is paying homage to Herbie Hancock. Now I am so sorry that I missed MDCL when he was in town during my sole weekend off this summer. I got the CD though, nice NICE...

Meanwhile, winding down the job by the water in general and doing searches on new opportunities. A bit of adrenaline at the moment considering I was in all day today and have to be up and perky ALL DAY tomorrow.

More later...

Ick. Ick I say...

2006-10-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

So bad of moi. Not blogging in a lifetime.

And so MUCH to blog and rant and vent about, titch titch. I actually had a whole posting re: Marianne Pearl but it spittled and I couldn't be boffered trying to retreive for the hour of night of my attempt.

Ah, literary thing is almost there and the gig on the water is wrapping up so I will be more diligent, I pwomise. ;)

W.

Sunday Sunday

2006-09-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

An easy peasy Sunday afternoon in the tdot. I am actually a wee bit shocked that it is 5:46 already - gah! Where did the day go? I've taken to doing some laundry, power cleaning and plan to head to the Drake a bit later but overall, it is not as much of a chillax day as I intended.

I must share that Sunday Edition was splendid this morning. A bit of IFOA Nigerian hoy-poloy, some Hoagy Carmichael Jr., sweet. I SHOULD be playing Monopoly with older nephew at the moment but have fears of getting creamed in front of younger nephew - must save face!

Meanwhile, doing lots of BBC Radio listening this wknd. Sadly, some of what I usually listen to is being cancelled, moved; weekends with Spoony, Trevor Nelson, etc., ah, Spoony is playing the album version of John Legend's "Ordinary People", sniffle, I seem to recall an in studio acoustic version that Trevor Nelson played on his show.

Oh and a sweet wknd highlight was a drive-by date that I had yesterday. A nice, neat experience. Ladies, you must do it at least once...

HUMP Day

2006-09-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

Having far too much fun for the week already - Monday was a colleague bbq thingie[I didn't get to score any butcher treats cuz I was on the go all wknd and had to suffice w/ loblaws], last night, well - our party ended up @ Jilly's; what can I say? And tonight is King Lear @ SoulPepper.

I've just submitted for vetting a great new article for my 80s blog so I'll keep you posted when it goes up. I was supposed to invu Howard Jones on Friday morning but that may not happen.

Thankfully nothing to rant about at length or ad nauseum today. ALTHOUGH! I really don't know why I bother to torture myself with the 512 when I am running late in the mornings. It is blood curdling to wait for it and a general waste of my precious energy getting upset, which I now always do, faaaaaaack!

More later.

More soap boxing

2006-09-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

Feeling like I am going to be all angry a la politico situation for a bit. Of course I will just have to share every little gripe cuz I can't whinge in my head forever.

Maher Arar, deportation to Syria, torture - the whole thing. I tell you, when I hear that people can't carry lip gloss on airplanes and then think back to situations like this perilous experience, I get all heated and not in a good way or even a menopausal way - just HEATED. Ick.

The "lowlights" of O'Connor's report are particularly blood curdling. No good can come from this or from candy doling Canuck soldiers being blown to bits by suicide bicycle riders, double ick...

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/09/18/maher-arar.html

While I am ranting, waddup w/ the 19 year old breast baring teenager from the US who was bonding with Kimveer Gill on the net or the Italian nun in Africa who got blown away because of angst over Ratzinger's comments.

On the up side of things, good times in Tdot this wknd. Lots of wilin' out on Friday[came in @ 6am, hellooo], attended a sapphic packed 40th bday party on Saturday - no one asked me if I was there as a coming out - not that there's anything wrong with that[came in @ 2am, hiii!] and chilled in Thill on Sunday[missed a nephew visit, boo...]

WAIT a minute...

2006-09-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

What EXACTLY did the Pope say? Gah...

Can anyone clarify?

C'mon already!

2006-09-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

I just can't listen to that story about incident at the Delta Chelsea last night without absolutely bristling at the input from the person in the hotel room beside the fatalities. Why would one give any detail to the media about how they heard screams and a scuffle in the middle of the night but chose to go back to sleep. Nice. I'm not sure I'd be chatting about it to the local newspaper if it were me. I'm just sayin'...

Give A Little Bit...

2006-09-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

Ah, listening to Supertramp on Q107, what frigging year is it? Never mind, not a sweeter moment could be had right now.

Not much as am mushing at the moment but MUST get it off my chest that this whole kidnap dash to freedom gal needs to shut up, leave those sterile, vapid psychiatrists already and have a proper reunion w/ her family. Gaaaaads. So tired of hearing about the people in the white coats in Austria. Most reunion people rejoin their families and shut up about it already. Nice, glad she is safe, horrible yes but really - the Japanese gal who was gone forever, the American blah blah -they're too busy with their families, to be proded and poked by people in white coats with severe sounding names.

Ok - the Q is rocking out to Rush, gotta go...

September. Icky so far

2006-09-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

No longer summer and not quite winter. I am fighting a cold and its a grody in between state, much like I imagine purgatory to be[and hopefully this is as close as I get, hellooo]. The fever is HOVERING. The post nasal drip that is bothering my throat won't exactly manifest but is HIGHLY irritating. I fade horribly at around 9pm but wake up whisteling dixie. Enough!

Ok - off to eat some fresh fruit - too bad if its almost 11pm. Desperate times call for desperate measures, then off to bed like a school girl, it being Labour Day and all.

A rant follow up

2006-08-25T09:57:00.001-07:00

Ah-ha!

How can it be that CNN.com has NO news about John Karr's family denying his involvement in the crime?? Ok, ok, I SWEAR this will be the last time that I mention that name or that case on this blog. Honest.