Short Post

Our workout tonight was pretty upper body focused so my arms are a wee bit tired. :P

Class on Tuesday was good. Illustrator will be fun I think. I finished my work early and ended up staying at Shane's because it makes my commute about 20 minutes less.

Wednesday evening my Xerox guy, Gary, was in town, and took myself and a few reps out for dinner. I came home and ended up playing the Sims for a few hours to unwind.

Work is always hectic when Gary's in town - we spend the whole day running around - so I needed the gym to blow off some steam. We could do the following in any order as long as we finished it.

100 pull ups
75 push ups
50 squats
25 dips

My time was 22 minutes and some change. :D Brit and I did 45 sit ups too because we find our abs don't get the same work out as everything else.

I'm making some food now and then taking it easy. So glad it's almost Friday.

Labels: Daily Life, Health

posted by Lisa at 8:34 PM |

 
I'm Waiting on the Man

By man, I mean, manager. :P I found out on Friday afternoon that my Xerox reps were able to dig up the funds for me to go on the Bahamas cruise that they gave away for their yearly trip! The information was sent off to my manager, and I just need his approval to go ahead and register. I can't see why it wouldn't be okay as I was able to go last year, so I'm pretty excited. :)

Friday, I ended up bailing on the gym (I know, shame on me :P) and went to Peel Pub with Shane and Phil. We had a few pitchers of cheap beer and tasty cheap pasta before parting ways around 10:30. Saturday was a pretty chill day. Shane worked on some of his homework while I did my reading. We headed over to Scott's for a board game night. Vanessa was there, of course, as well as Sam, Janna and Phil. We played 'Betrayal at House on the Hill." I totally got everyone hooked on it. :P

Sunday I was up bright and early to head out to rehearsal. I'm helping out with a production called "Mental Floss." It's going to be an interesting show - I wish I would have been able to audition for it, but unfortunately it goes up the same weekend as my sister's wedding. Oh well, hopefully I'll get in on the next one. :)

Today was a bit of a long day. We had a table top schedule to promote a new deal, so I was running back and forth from my desk to the 2nd floor. Ugh. Seriously, the 1st of the month is the absolutely worst day for a table top. I have so much to do. :S I headed down to the gym, which definitely helped relieve some tension.

It was a short but tough workout. I finished in about 12 and a half minutes. It was 6 rounds of 3 pistols, 6 pull ups and 9 sit ups with a weight on the chest. Afterwards, I did 100 singles and 20 push ups to round out my work out. In all I feel really good, but my legs are going to hurt tomorrow thanks to the pistols. Scott gave me a lift home, and planning on catching up on my Supernatural (oh I love those Wincester boys :P) and possibly playing the Sims.

Labels: Daily Life, Health, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 7:57 PM |

 
Wrap it Up

After work last night, I stopped in at the grocery store for stuff to make wraps. I got black olives, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, tomato and chicken. Shane came over and we enjoyed tasty tasty wraps before curling up to watch a movie.

I had the strangest dreams last night. The one that stands out the most is one where I was home but the house was huge. Way bigger than it is in real life, with lots of secret passages and rooms. And my father was played by Jensen Eckles from Supernatural. Except, he was twin. And everyone knew that he was the good twin, and his evil twin had gone off somewhere.

During the dream, the 'evil' twin came back. We were uncovering clues and running around all the hidden areas, only to discover that the evil twin wasn't actually evil! He had actually gone off to chase the evil triplet, whose name was Frank. I learned this shocking fact while facing off against the 'evil' twin when behind him appeared the triplet with a weapon, and I was like 'OMG it's FRANK!!' It was very action adventurey.

I woke up with my heart pounding, and thinking what an interesting movie that would have made. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Dreams, Food

posted by Lisa at 11:31 AM |

 
Slow Week

Seriously, the last two weeks have been going so slow! I think it's due to a bit of the winter blahs.

Last night, since I was tired, I opted to skip the gym and went on a date with Shane. :) We went to this bakery we found yesterday in Chinatown and got some giant cupcakes for $1.20 each. I wasn't feeling up to cooking, so we ended up going to Shabu Shabu for chinese fondue. We both ended up getting the beef with the spicy soup. So tasty. :) Afterwards, we went home so Shane could finish his homework, and I geeked out a bit with my Serenity RPG book. :P

Labels: Daily Life

posted by Lisa at 2:50 PM |

 
Yawn

Wow, it feels like a Monday rather than a Wednesday. Blah! :|

I had a long day yesterday. I made sure I was at work a bit early, and then worked through lunch so I could leave early for my first class. It's a bit of a commute to say the least. I catch the bus at 5 pm at Lionel - Groulx and get to the campus at about 6:10.

I think it will be a good starter class. We're working on new iMacs - mmmm - and I'll be getting an intro to Illustrator, Photoshop and QuarkXPress. Last night was a bit of a waste though. It was a lot of 'this is a Mac,' 'this is how you open applications.' Blah! :P Oh well. I was able to get my student id, and my book for the course. The book actually will be a good thing to have. It includes beginnger info for Dreamweaver, InDesign and a few others as well.

We finished early, and I was able to catch the 8:55 bus. I was back in town by 9:50, and home by 9:30 or so. I couldn't unwind though. I ended up being awake until after 1, so I'm beat this morning. Ugh. I brought my stuff for the gym tonight, but I don't know if I'll be able to muster up the energy to go. :P

Labels: Daily Life

posted by Lisa at 9:01 AM |

 
Monday Monday Monday!

Today was kind of a long day at the office, but it was broken up by sushi with the boys. I went down to the gym (alone because the guys all wussied out again :P) and it was kind of intense.

The first work out was 5 rounds of 15 push presses, 20 pull ups and 30 box jumps. The second work out was 1 km of rowing as fast as you can. There was a 10 minute time limit, so as soon as you finished rowing, you had to do as many double unders as possible in the remaining time. I'm awful at double unders but I did manage to get 53.

My body is achy already. :P It took me almost 30 minutes to walk up to the metro. I was feeling a little queasy afterwards, so the slow walk was good. Thank goodness it's not cold out tonight. :P

Tomorrow will be a very long day. I have my first class at 6:30. It's a long commute, so I'll be working through my lunch and leaving at 4:30 so I can get there on time. Class finished at 10:30 and with luck, I'll be able to catch the 10:45 bus. I won't get home until a little after midnight. I'm hoping I don't have a ton of books to buy, or that Vanessa will be able to load me her books. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Health

posted by Lisa at 9:24 PM |

 
Ugh

I woke up yesterday feeling awful. I got really sick, and then took a Gravol before passing out until 2:30 in the afternoon. I didn't do anything all day. Shane brought me homemade chicken soup around 7:30 and I was able to keep it down. We watched a movie curled up on the couch - he rubbed my back which was awesome - and I went to bed around 10:30 or so. I woke up with a brutal headache and ended up staying in bed until 11.

I've been taking it easy today. My head is still feeling puffy, for lack of a better word, but I'm hoping I'll be feeling better for Le Salon de L'Amour de Seduction this weekend.

Labels: Daily Life, Health

posted by Lisa at 6:14 PM |

 
Sending Love

To Sarah and Matt who lost someone so very dear today. My thoughts are with you - I wish I wasn't so darn far away. I wish there was something I could do to help at this time. :(


Today was a very long day. It seems like this week has been dragging on forever. Last night I went to Vanessa's and we went to dinner at St. Hubert. She's so cute - she was so excited about the dipping sauce and her chicken fingers. :) We then headed out to John Abbott. Vanessa took the same program there that I'll be taking so she showed me around the campus. It's a bit of a commute, but I'm hoping that the time will help me get into the right frame of mind for class after a long work day.

I woke up late today - 8:14. I'm supposed to be at work at 8:30. Ugh. I hate starting a day like that - it throws you off for the rest of the day. Wednesdays are my conference call days. Training call from noon to 1. Logitech call from 1:30 to 2:30, another training call from 3 to 4 and now, an extra call that started today at 4 and ended at 6.

I wasn't feeling up to the gym - especially since all the guys were sissies and didn't go :P - but I made myself go anyway. It was burpees. Burpee suck. A burpee is a push up that you hop to your feet and do a jumping jack immediately after. Tonight our workout was 20 burpee muscle ups (you do a muscle up after every burpee), 20 burpee pull ups, 20 burpee handstands, 20 burpee box jumps and 20 f-ing burpees (a burpee where you do your push up with your hands on weights, lifting the weights, doing a squat and pressing the weights above your head). I can't do handstands or muscle ups yet, so I walked my legs up the wall for the handstands and Dom wouldn't let me do weights since they only had heavy ones left for the f-ings. I finished at just under 16 minutes. Ugh.

Labels: Daily Life, Health

posted by Lisa at 9:29 PM |

 
Power Work Out

I was not feeling the gym last night, so when I got there, I resolved to power through the thing as fast as I could. My time was about 11 minutes, 30 seconds, give or take. I was the first one in my group done - the second fastest for the evening. :D

The warm up was: 25 shoulder 'dislocations'
25 sit ups
100 single skips

The workout was 3 rounds of the following for speed:
10 pull ups
25 kettle bell swings
25 double unders (or 125 singles)
10 handstand push ups or box push ups

I thought I was going to die after. :P Afterwards, Scott gave Shane and I a lift to my place and I made very tasty green curry.

I am *so* looking forward to Suwanna next month. :D

Labels: Daily Life, Health

posted by Lisa at 3:18 PM |

 
Stiff Already

Today was a hectic day at work. It felt like I couldn't get on top of anything! However, I did manage to convince Shane, Phil and Scott that it was a good day for sushi. Mmm... :d

Then it was down to the gym. Gotta love a work out that leaves you stiff, sore and bruised. :P We had to do four sets of the following:
10 / 10 Kettle Bell Snatches
10 Pull Ups
10 Box / Tire Jumps (I did step ups because my ankle has been really sore since Monday's workout)
5 hand stand push ups (or as most of the folks did, you put your legs up on a box and do the push ups)
25 squats
10 knee to elbow

The kettle bells kept hitting my forearms when I finished the lift. The bruises and bump on my left arm is far worse than the one on my right. I'll be glad when my arms are equal strength. :P

I stopped for a few groceries on my way home, had supper and then chilled out with some 30 Rock. Oh, I also was able to get a sick deal on my flight home in February. $75 to and $100 back! :)

Labels: Daily Life, Health

posted by Lisa at 11:34 PM |

 
Oy

Yesterday was a pretty chill day. I was up bright and early and threw together all the ingredients for beef stew into the slow cooker. I read for a bit and then napped before getting up and getting ready to see 'Avatar.' I left early because the theatre has been a zoo lately. It was good that I did because the theatre was indeed busy and a line up was already started to get into the theatre.

I really liked it. People have been giving the story a lot of flack, but I think they're crazy. Scott described it as a futuristic 'Dances With Wolves' and I have to agree. Also, the whole concept of the avatars is quite interesting and original.

Shane came home with me and we enjoyed some tasty tasty stew. We watched a couple episodes of 30 Rock before Shane headed home. I watched a few more episodes before turning it to read for a bit.

I didn't sleep well last night thanks to the return of my nightmares. I think it's stress related..

Work was busy today, and by the end of the day, I was beat. However, I was determined to go to the gym. So I met Shane and we made our way down. It was a good workout. We did deadlifts to start - I did 46 of 75 lbs. We then had to do skipping. We had the choice of 50 double unders or 2000 singles. I suck at the DUs so I did the singles. It took about 40 / 45 to get through all 2000. It was rough!

I then came home to enjoy some tasty left over stew. I'm hoping the workout will help me sleep.

Labels: Daily Life, Health

posted by Lisa at 9:08 PM |

 
Christmas

Shane and I had a really nice Christmas Day. There is something to be said about spending a holiday with someone you are madly in love with. :)

Shane woke up way earlier than me - 7:30 - but I made him go back to bed until 9 or so. I had given him candy canes, chocolate, gloves, a comb and TMNT 2 & 3 in his sock, socks, underwear, 3 books (A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder, Perfume: Story of a Murderer, and Across the Nightingale Floor), a sweater from RW and a 320 GB portable external hard drive. He gave me a silver/grey robe, a pair of pj pants from jacob, two shirts and a belt from Mango, and 3 movies (Knocked Up, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, and DOA).

We went back to bed for a while, and then Shane got up and made pancakes. Yum! I opened up the peach preserves we'd got at the turkey dinner we went to a few weeks ago to try with them. It was all around tasty. :) Shane made his family calls while I gamed in the living room. Around 2 we started prepping the duck for cooking. My mom called right before we were about to take the bird out of the oven. So I left Shane in charge of it for a bit while I chatted with the family.

The duck turned out really well. I'm very proud of how good dinner was actually. Neither Shane or I had ever attempted to roast any kind of big bird. I was also really pleased with the stuffing I made from scratch (thanks to Phil's recipe), and the gravy (I'd mixed and matched my mom's gravy making style with Phil's).

The rest of the evening was pretty chill. We were both too full to do very much. :P We ended up just watching the Hurt Locker together before Shane went into read, and I watched the first half of Tomb Raider before turning in myself.

I think today we're going to head over to Scott's for a board game night and take out from Bejing in China Town.

Labels: Daily Life, Family, Friends

posted by Lisa at 11:21 AM |

 
For Those That Missed the Notes

- Landed in Saint John
- Lingerie party for Sarah
- O'Leary's
- Late night chatting
- Belated Christmas gift exchange with the folks
- Steak and eggs at the Bucc
- Starbucks misadventures
- 2 new pairs of shoes
- Lily Lake Pavilion
- Ceasars
- District 9
- Hole in the Wall
- Hour long chat with Shane
- Coffee with Jay in King Square
- Quick visit with Stephen at the lovely new Princess street location
- A beer with Mike on the boardwalk
- Met Dre at her place
- Fabricville
- Churchills for a burger, sweet potato fries and caesars
- Ms. Pettigrew Lives For a Day
- IM with my boy
- Lunch with my mom and nanny at Tea Infusion
- Walk through the City Market with mom and nanny
- Went to Dre's, chatted with Jay, Lisa and Mare
- Thai Hut Phad Thai (yum)
- Sing Star with Dre, Mare and the Millers
- Chilled at my Mom's
- Video chat with my boy who I miss like crazy
- Up early for brunch with Val
- Ran into Al at Mcallister
- Java Moose
- Met Dana and Jenn.
- Discovered I'm known as "Shane's Lisa" amongst a select group :P
- Shopped. Bought make up and a clutch
- Dinner and an evening of jazz with Dennis
- Video chat with Shane.
- Tour of the SJTC building
- Lunch with Em
- Gift and fun card shopping with Em
- Coffee and sunshine with Ann
- Bedtime Stories with Dre
- Suwanna and oh so yummy green curry
- Heartwarming loving conversation with my love
- Leftover curry
- Hair appointment with Doug.
- 3 hours and 3 colors later, I leave Doug with a new do
- Dressing for the wedding
- Chatting with John and Liz on route to wedding
- Arrival at the church
- First sight of Sarah looking oh so beautiful and happy which resulted in held back tears
- Lovely ceremony
- Car switch at the Cheraz home
- Jenn and Stew! Kizzy, Em and the Stuarts!
- Reception and tasty dinner
- Jenn's toast to Sarah which equaled teary me
- Matt thanking Sarah for being his means more tears for a Lisa
- First dance
- First chance to hug Sarah. I came seriously close to the ugly cry.
- Heading home
- Hour of morning texting with my boy
- Breakfast with Krista, Sam and the rents
- Trip to the hospital to take care of Mom after she fell at breakfast
- Packing
- Flight home

I managed to make the shuttle and Shane met me at the bus terminal with flowers! How sweet is he? :)

The rest of the weekend was really great. I'd really missed Shane and it was good to be home with him and the kitties. I think I need a vacation to recuperate from the vacation though! I'm really looking forward to the weekend!

Labels: Daily Life

posted by Lisa at 4:22 PM |

 
Monday Update

I've been really slack with the updating, I know. There hasn't been too much going on really. I'm all settled into my new apartment. I still haven't got around to painting the bedroom, but that mostly due to the fact that the humidity has been brutal and my apartment gets really warm - too warm for painting. :)

I had a lovely weekend though. Phil and I went to karaoke last minute Friday night. We didn't stay too late, just enough to do a few songs as we both had plans for later in the evening.

Saturday, I was up bright and early because my new couch was being treated at some point during the day. Luckily they came early, at 9 am, so Shane and I were able to go back to bed to catch up on much needed sleep.

The afternoon was spent enjoying the beautiful weather. We walked to St. Denis to get frozen yogurt from this lovely place that Shane loves, and then we headed to Parc la Fontaine to chill out. We laid on a blanket under the trees reading for hours. I hope the weekend weather is nice for the remainder of the summer. This was really the first time I've got to hang out in Parc la Fontaine thanks to tons of rain.

We were going to get Greek from this great place on Duluth for supper, but the place was lined up right out the door. We opted instead to try something new and went to the Afgan place across the street. After dinner, we stopped at a dep and got some sparkling wine to drink in the park. We set up by the pond, cuddled on the blanket and drank our wine until around 9:30 or so. It was really an excellent way to spend a day.

Yesterday we were going to go to Hudson to hang out on the lake, swim and bbq, but the weather, of course, turned bad. We went for breakfast at Omega in Gare Central and then headed to Shane's to spend the day. We got completely soaked walking from the metro to his place, so we endeded up in comfy clothes watching movies. We made tatziki for to go with dinner (with lots of yummy garlic), which turned out really well. It was easier than I thought, it would be. Next, I think we need to buy a blender so we can start making our own hummus too.

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends

posted by Lisa at 11:54 AM |

 
New URL

So I've got a new URL. You may have noticed. You may not. :P Anyway, it's up and running, hosted and all is good.

Things have been busy. I did a show last week. 'Bestiary' with Funhouse Theatre. It was nice to finally be on stage again! I got a lot of positive feedback so hopefully the next time I audition, I'll have a better chance. :)

This week has been long. Very long. Yesterday was a disaster. Shane did something stupid. We've talked about it, and while things are not better, they will be. We love each other and we think its worth saving.

I'm so looking forward to next week. I'm off for my furlough, and I really need the time off. I'm planning on painting my new place and I'm going to start moving small things. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 10:17 AM |

 
Disappointed

So I got to the airport last night, got checked in and through security to discover the flight was delayed. 45 minutes later than scheduled, we got boarded and took off around 9:30 or so. We got all the way to Saint John - I could see the lights of the city! - only to be advised that due to icy runway conditions, we had to turn around. We couldn't land in Fredericton or Moncton because they were in just as bad a shape as Saint John so it was back to Montreal.

A 3 hour joy ride essentially.

By the time we got back to Montreal, got our luggage and were given the brush off by the Air Canada agents, I dialed the 1-800 number provided and headed home. 45 minutes later, I finally got to talk to someone. The next available flight was some time tomorrow. Since I would still have had to return on Monday, I ended up opting to take the refund and will reschedule.

I'm so disappointed. I was looking forward to getting to see everyone.

Labels: Daily Life

posted by Lisa at 3:14 PM |

 
Springy Sunday

This past week seriously dragged on. Tuesday night we did cheapy Tuesday and saw 'Defiance.' It was really good - Daniel Craig was great, but I particularly enjoy Leiv What's-His-Name. He stole his scenes I thought. Sure, it wasn't the most uplifting of movies, but it was well done.

Wednesday evening was spent chillin' with my boy at my place. Thursday night we did ribs at Deli Planet with Melissa, Scott and Phil. The ribs are very tasty and the beers are cheap. :P

Friday I had to take off from work early to take Kaylee to get her stitches out. The vet was a half hour behind, which kind of sucked. Kaylee freaked out when a ginormous dog was brought in, and it took a good 5 minutes to calm her down. The stitches removal was pretty quick, and on the way home, I stopped in the grocery store to get something for supper. While I cooked, I caught up on episodes of How I Met Your Mother. I totally cried at the end. :P

Saturday I was up early-ish, read for a bit, napped and finally got up and got moving. I had leftovers for lunch, and watched "Doubt," which is excellent, btw. I walked east on Sherbrooke, and met Shane at Frontenac, and we made our way to the SAQ for some wine to take to Phil's. I can't find any of my favorite wines here. Remind me to bring some back with me from Saint John please! We spent the remainder of the afternoon snuggled on Shane's couch watching 'Kung Fu Panda.' Well, you know me and talking animals. Let's just say I enjoyed it. :)

We headed out around 6:30, a bit late as it turned out. We didn't end up getting to sit with Phil at dinner, which is too bad because he always knows the good sushi to order. Shane got to experience good quality sushi. The people at our table really liked the sashimi, which is great, but not really for the new sushi eater. They didn't bring us our dumplings either. :P The salmon sashimi was really good, and surprisingly enough, so were the octopus tentacles. My fav is always the eel - it was a little more bbq and a little less smokey, but still very tasty. After dinner, we went to Phil's, which ended up being a pretty mellow affair. We drank wine in the livingroom and talked video games and computers with his roommate Matt. It was nice to see Matt had taken a break from WoW to join the living. :P

Today, Shane and I were up kind of early. I played 'Super Swing Golf' while he make crepes (thanks babe!). We then headed downtown, and got him some lotion for his hands, and some work clothes. We then made our way out the the Jean Talon Market. The market is great. Butchers, pasta makers, fish market, fruits, veggies, flowers, cheese, you name it, they've got it and it's fresh. This is part of what I love about Montreal. There are places dedicated just to sausages (we got some fancy types to try), for example, or the shop that's all olive oil variations and spices.

I'm sitting on Shane's couch at the present. He's reading "The Watchmen" graphic novel in preparation for the movie. I recommend reading it if you haven't yet. I think we'll be making supper soon and then watching a movie. It's just getting cold out again now that the sun is going down, but it was like spring here today. I hope that's a sign that spring is coming early - I'm so over winter!

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Movies, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 5:00 PM |

 
Winter Wonderland

At least, that's what Quebec City was like. Pretty, but damn cold!

Friday night, Sarah, Phil, Sean, Oscar, Shane and myself hit O'Hara's for beer o'clock and karaoke. It was a good time. Not too busy so we (by we I mean me) got to sing lots. We got back to my place around quarter after 11, just enough time for me to pack before the next bus came.

We were up bright and early on Saturday. We headed to Berri-UQAM, arriving just in time to catch the 9 am bus. We watched "Burn After Reading" and the first part of a movie called "Outlander." I enjoyed them both, but "Outlander" was pretty bad. :P We landed in Quebec City about 12 pm. We figured out where we were and where we had to go. Shane assured me that our hotel, the lovely Chateau Bellevue wasn't far, so we decided to walk. It wasn't *too* cold, but by the time we got there, we were pretty cold. We cuddled up under the covers, finished watching "Outlander" while we warmed up and went in search for food.

We went to St. Patrick's Pub, Shane having heard that it was good. It wasn't. The food was expensive. The drinks were expensive, and the stew we ordered arrived at our table cold. I wasn't impressed needless to say. After we ate, we walked until we were too cold to go any further, stopping at this fun cafe for hot chocolate. I ordered a regular mug - Shane ordered a bowl. It was very tasty, but a little rich for me.

After our hot chocolate, we went in search of an SAQ, but ended up missing it because we'd stopped in a cool little medieval shop. The stuff was gorgeous but super expensive. We wandered around a bit, finally finding a dep that was open to get some wine. We met up with Dana briefly, and arranged for her to come to our hotel after she'd gone and changed. We headed back to our room, snuggled under the covers, and cracked open some wine.

Dana joined us at around 7 pm, and we finished our drinks before venturing back out into the cold to find food. We ended up in this lovely little Italian restaurant on Ste. Louis. They had a nice table d' hote. Shane got the lasagna, Dana and I ended up getting the garlic pesto penne. It was super tasty, and it was great spending some time with Dana. It was nice to finally meet her - we've been texting and facebooking for months so it felt like we already were old friends. :) We thought about going out, but Dana had fallen last week and did a number on her tailbone, and we were kind of tired, so we parted ways with hugs (and a few tears) and headed back to our hotels.

We were up early again on Sunday, and headed downstairs for breakfast. We were a bit late, so a lot of the buffet had been picked over, but considering we hadn't realized breakfast was included, were happy anyway. We checked out around 11:30, and hopped a cab to the bus station to come home. We landed at Berri-UQAM around 3 pm.

It was nice to get back - Quebec City is lovely, but it's not as welcoming a city as Montreal, and Montreal is home now. We went to Future Shop, and used our gift cards on a 2nd Wii remote and nunchuck as well as a charger. We headed back to Shane's place, got the fixings for dinner, and spent the evening curled up on his couch. It was a good weekend in all. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Movies, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 9:21 PM |

 
Quebec City, Here I Come!

Shane and I are going to Quebec City this weekend. It's not far, and we're meeting up with Dana and Izy, but it's our first trip together. I hope this cold/flu/arm thing goes away, or I'm at least feeling up to going out and doing stuff. I've been feeling pretty miserable the last couple of days, and now I'm getting stuffy. Sigh.

Labels: Daily Life, Health

posted by Lisa at 9:52 PM |

 
Hi Winter, thanks for the visit, but its time to go.

It was a long, cold week. I'm totally *not* loving Montreal winter. The air is drier and super cold. It's like a knife some days!

Not much really went on this week. I went out with Shane and Melissa on Thursday and we found Shane a couch. It's really nice, and reasonably priced. I also found a sectional I want, but that's going to have to wait I think. Sigh.

Friday night was beer o'clock followed by some karaoke at Club Date. It's normally packed, but this week it was packed full of Francophones. This wouldn't be an issue if they hadn't insisted on singing horrible, horrible French songs. I mean *bad*. We were there 2 hours and I only got to sing twice, and the KJ decided to 'help' me at the end of my second one. What an ass. Seriously, that's a big karaoke no-no.

Yesterday was a day of D&D. I met Sean and Jason at Cote Vertu and we played until about 10 pm. It was a long session, but the first battle, against two land sharks, took 2 hours! I thought about meeting up with the Boys afterwards, but they'd had a head start on the drinking, and I was tired. I just headed to Shane's place, arriving just before he did. We chatted about the evening, and crashed out. Well, he crashed out and I read for a bit. :)

We were up fairly early today. Shane was expecting his friend Liam to come visit, but things didn't quite work out that way. He went to help Parker paint, and I went and bought the belt and jeans I'd been putting off purchasing. :P I also got a sweet argyle sweater and super comfy dress pants too. I spent a little more than I could really afford, but I really need new clothes. I met Parker and Shane at the Provigo on Parc and we went back to Parker's for some wine and a seafood jambalya. It was really good. We head back to my place around 8 or so, and spent some time curled up chatting. I'm about to go in, read for a bit, and hit the hay. I have an early morning - Kaylee is getting fixed tomorrow and I have to take her to the vet before work.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming

posted by Lisa at 11:03 PM |

 
Lazy Weekend = Crazy Monday

I had a very lazy weekend. Friday night Phil and I went to Peel Pub for some beers - Shane met us after - and we ended up staying there until after 10 pm. I crashed at Shane's place, and we pretty much did nothing all day Saturday. We only left the house to go to the store and spent most of the day watching "Rescue Me" season 2. (It's an awesome show!)

Sunday was pretty much the same. We did venture out in search of supper. We went to Le Vieux Dublin, but the kitchen is closed on Sundays. Seriously, wtf?! We ended up at Hurley's. I was craving a burger. It was okay. Hurley's does great stew and yummy fish & chips, but not so much with the burgers.

Today was madness at work. I spent the entire morning working on a report for one of my managers. By the time I ran the dozen reports I needed, and filled in all the data, while juggling my AE requests, it was 1 pm. I got it sent off, ate quick, and ran a few errands before jumping back to it. I spent the next couple hours following up on leads, and finally was able to get to the last few things on my list a little after 4 pm. Sure, the day flew by, but I was exhausted!

After work, Shane and I dropped into Indigo - I picked up a book - and then headed back to my place for food. I made tasty (low point) Indian Butter Chicken (Blue Menu, I love you), and we watched the first part of the BSG pilot. Shane's never seen the show, so I'm trying to torrent it.

I think tomorrow is movie night - I love cheapy Tuesdays :)

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Stuff, TV

posted by Lisa at 9:55 PM |

 
Saturday Morning

It was a *very* long week. Everything was back to business as usual at the office, but really it actually was *more* busy than before. Which is a good thing. There were a couple of times when I actually had stuff waiting for me to get to it. I'm glad the job is picking up because that means I'm doing my job properly. :)

Let see, Shane and I went to see 'Yes Man' for cheap night Tuesday. It was actually quite funny - I enjoyed it a lot.

Wednesday was a long day - I don't really want to get into it. But, let me just say, Shane is awesome. Seriously. Best boyfriend ever.

Thursday was spent playing a lot of catch up. After work, Phil and I went downstairs to Deli Planet for a couple of pints to unwind. Shane joined us after he was done his work. We were not out too late, but on the way home, we stopped for a few grocery type items and ended up chilling out once we got back to my place.

Yesterday the day pretty much flew by. Phil and I went late to sushi Friday and ended up eating enough sushi for 3 people between the 2 of us. I was *so* full! But, we usually go to Kanda for all you can eat. They make these awesome dragon rolls there, not to mention their chicken rolls and sashimi! Yum! Around 4:45, work slowed down a bit, which was nice. I'd been really busy all day so it was nice to have that last bit of the day to clean up my messages etc. Flav had stopped by - he had got let go last week :( - so we went downstairs with him and a couple of guys from the office to have a drink and wish him well. He's a sweet kid, I was sad to hear he'd been let go. But it's his big 2-0 on Monday, so I think he's planning on popping by again so the guys can take him out to celebrate. :)

Today I'm getting ready to take Kaylee to the vet for her second booster shot before her surgery on the 26th. I think she knows she's going out today - she got a little weirded out when I pulled out the cat carrier. The last trip was a physical and a needle, and she wasn't particularly thrilled by the whole experience. She's not the most affectionate kitty in the world, and having a strange man poking and prodding her got her pretty stressed out. I've actually got a bunch of errands to run. I've got to take her to the vet, get groceries and do laundry. Blah!

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 10:07 AM |

 
Fall Already?

I've been here 3 months already! Can you believe it? Where did the summer go?

My week was very busy. I worked late most days, but I did make some good sales. My commission cheque for September will be pretty decent, which is good news.

Friday night, I went to Deli Planet with Philip and some of the guys from work. Andrea met us there, and we went to karaoke at O'Hara's for a bit before heading to the village. We were tipsy and in the mood for dancing so we went to a bar call Unity, which was lots of fun.

Saturday afternoon I did very little. I hung out, read a bit, ran a couple of errands. Aidan called mid-afternoon to advise that his platoon got the weekend off. I met him around 7, and we went for a walk to catch up. I went back to where he was staying to have a beer or two and meet 'the guys.' I was probably the safest girl in Montreal Saturday night with a dozen of the fittest (and attractive) men in the city looking out for me. We went to a couple of clubs, Andrea joined us at the last one, and we danced the evening away until the bar closed at 3.

I didn't do a whole lot yesterday. I was all kinds of hung over. Lots of beer, and at least 3 shots = hang over. I ended up watching movies all afternoon (after going to Mont Royal for some cheap noodles). I met Andrea, Philip, his brother and roommate at Barfly about 10:30 for some blue grass music, but I was still feeling a little under the weather. I ended up leaving about 12:30. Phil was on the way home, so I walked with him to the Sherbrooke metro, which was nice. It's a much shorter walk when you've got company. :-)

I'm going to hit the park once I have some lunch. It's beautiful here today, so I've got a sun dress on, a bunch of books to read and my blanket. I love Park la Fontaine - I'm going to miss lazy days in the park once the weather starts to get colder. On the upside though, Shane arrives next Saturday morning!

Labels: Daily Life, Friends

posted by Lisa at 12:19 PM |

 
Sorry - I'm a Slacker!

It's harder to find time to blog now that I can't access it at work! I can tell you about this past weekend, but there's been so much going on, the days kind of bleed together!

Lets see, Monday I went home early from work with a migraine. Tuesday I stayed home from work with the same migraine, and Wednesday left early again and visited a doctor to get stronger painkillers. Thursday I woke up feeling like a new woman and went to work all chipper. I spent Thursday evening hanging out with Andrea and her housemates at Marika's going away 'pantsless' party. :P I left before the streaking. lol

Friday after work I went to rehearsal for "The Color of Me," at Inter Arts. It went very well, and by 10 pm, we had what blocking we needed down etc. I met up with Shana, Marika and Andrea on St. Laurent and we ended up going to this bar just north of Fairmont and riding a mechanical bull. Yes, that's right, a mechanical bull. It was freakin' awesome! Afterwards, we got some beer from the dep and ended up sitting on Andrea's rooftop terrace and chatting. I headed home around 1 or so, whenever Shana left to go to the old man bar on Papineau since it was in the same general direction.

Saturday was a bit of a lazy day. I didn't do much during the day. I chatted with an adorably drunken Shane mid-afternoon (I love drunk dials :P) and hung out in the park a bit. I got home around 4:30, showered, ate and headed out to prep for the staged reading at 8 pm. We started at 6 pm with our warm ups and a run through. In all, it went very well. It's a lovely and thought provoking play. After, Alex and Emily, Sean, Kurt, Andrea and I went to Dieu de Ciel, a micro brewery on Laurier at Clark for a couple of brews. I had 2 of the 9% Imperial Pale Ale. Alex and Emily went home after that, but the rest of us made our way down St. Laurent, getting $2 phad thai from a noodle place and walking Kurt to the metro. Once we said our good byes to Kurt, we hit L'Absinthe where I tried, you guessed it, absinthe. It tastes rather like black licorice, which I'm not a huge fan of, but you really only need one - it packs a wallop!

Yesterday I was very lazy. I slept in, slathered on the sun block and went to Parc la Fontaine. I laid in the sun, reading, dozing and listening to tunes until 5 pm. I met Sean by his place and we went to this delightful restaurant for couscous and lamb. After dinner, I went home, showered again as I was all greasy and sticky from sun block, gathered up my laundry and hit the laundry place around the corner. It was a pretty relaxing day - there won't be many more where I can just sit in the park all day. Seriously, where has the summer gone?

Today was a good day at work. I got a good sized order and got all of my metrics. After work, I called Sarah and we talked as I stopped at Indigo to get a book (the next Laurel K. Hamilton book in the series I'm reading), stopped at Provigo (for groceries) and came home. It was nice to catch up with her. I think tomorrow I will try to get either Em or Dre on the phone. :-)

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Health, Stuff, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:54 PM |

 
I Miss You

It would be great to hug you right now. Cause I could use one, and I wish you were here.

Let's see, the rest of my weekend was fun. I overslept on Saturday and ended up arriving at Helene's to help her move just in time to watch them move the last thing into the apartment. Oops! I did help Jenn put together Helene's needless complicated shoe rack though. We hung out, chatted and generally enjoyed each other's company until about 6 when I headed home to get ready for Lesbomonde.

I got dolled up and went to Andrea's for a beer before we headed down to a house party to meet Chiara before hitting the ball. It was pretty crazy party, and I'll just leave it at that. :P

I was a bit hung over Sunday and was very, very lazy. I eventually got up and made my way to Mont Royal Hotdog for a burger. It was tasty and greasy and just what the doctor ordered. I was very full and feeling better and ended up wandering around for a while. I found the pagan bookstore Matt and I had been looking for a few weeks ago, but it was closed. I'll have to drag him out to visit it with me soon. I spent a couple hours in Parc la Fontaine with my sketch book, feet in the pond. It was lovely. I thought about going to Meow Mix with Helene and Andrea but changed my mind (due to vast broke-ed-ness) and ended up chatting with Shane on MSN since he was at work and bored.

Monday I didn't do much. I walked home after working until about 7 pm, and made supper. I ended up chatting with Shane for a couple of hours when he got off work.

Tuesday I stayed late at work with Sean to work out my character - I'm joining his D&D game this weekend. Woot! :-) We walked home, stopping at this great little market not far from home on route. I watched the rest of 'Fly Boys,' caught up on a few things that needed reading/sending/uploading/downloading, IM'd with Shane, read for a bit and hit the hay.

I may pop down to the fireworks tonight, but it's pretty wet and I don't really want to go alone. I'm contemplating running to the dep and buying a giant beer. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Friends

posted by Lisa at 8:44 PM |

 
Random Adventures

Yesterday was wonderfully random. After work, a few of us from the office went to O'Hara's for beer o'clock (I'm making a monumental effort to make beer o'clock a thing here). Andrea met me there, and the plan was to have one beer, then head to Nemur to meet Kelly and Stephanie for curry before going to the dollar cinema. Of course, one beer turned into two pitchers and before you know it, we had to tell Kelly and Stephanie to just go without us. At 8:30, we dragged Sean with us to Nemur because Andrea still wanted curry.

We got there just before 9 and the guy told us they were actually closing at 9 so we couldn't stay. We ended up going to the giant orange. There is an Orange Julius by the Nemur metro that is a giant freaking orange. It's awesome! We had dirty hotdogs and fries and sat in the parking lot. We then went to the saddest little strip club in the land, where the strippers were bored and not particularly attractive.

We stayed for one drink before heading back to the plateau. We got off at the Sherbrooke metro and spent some time wading in the fountain at the park just off of St. Denis at Prince Arthur. We made our way to St. Laurent. This guy from work said his friend had bought a bar and last night was the grand opening so it was free drinks for women. It was interesting. The opening was sleep-over themed so there were teddy bears and pillows around. Andrea wanted one of the teddy bears, so I stole it for her. lol We stayed for a couple of free cosmos, but this guy was creeping on Andrea and we took off. We spent an hour or two on her rooftop terrance but around 2 am, Sean and I headed home. He lives just on the other side of the parc and walked home with me. It was a completely random night, but lots of fun. :-)

I'm just killing time before meeting up with Andrea for Lesbomonde - it's the big kick off for Pride and should be interesting. :-)

Labels: Daily Life, Friends

posted by Lisa at 7:51 PM |

 
Matt = Hero

Matt came by after work tonight and he was able to save my computer. That is the good news. The bad news is that he had to wipe it clean and reinstall the operating system. Which means I lost everything - my music, photos, applications - it's all gone. I have learned a valuable lesson about backing up everything. Sigh.

I had an excellent weekend. After work, Anthony, Cheryl and her friend Penny went to O'Hara's for beer o'clock. There ended up being karaoke and we hung out there until 10:30. I got an encore! I sang Cabaret and the KJ wanted me to do All That Jazz afterwards. It was great! :-) After that, I ran home to change quickly, grab some beer and then made my way to Andrea's for the going away/welcome party. It was a great time. Andrea collects strays like me and makes sure they end up talking to the people they will get along with best. I don't know how she does it, but I'm glad she does - I'm going to miss her when she leaves in September. I ended up chatting to a fellow named Alex who's from Cape Breton. Turns out I'd met his grandfather on a number of occasions. lol Nothing like perpetuating the stereotype that all Maritimers know each other. :P I left at 3 am - I was beat!

Saturday was a relaxing day. I slept in and then went to the park to meet Ryan. He was hung over and running late, but it ended up starting to rain, so we postponed. I spent some quality time with my sketch book before getting ready to go to roller derby. It was, as usual, excellent. Plus, my team won! Woot! We partied pretty hard - I had 5 1/2 beer by the time the match ended, and I lost count at the after party. :P I walked home about 2:40, too drunk to stay any longer.

Sunday when I woke up at 9 am, I was in rough shape. :P I went back to bed after a couple of texts and didn't get out of bed until Ryan texted me around 1:30 to ask if we were still on for the park. I showered and grabbed some food and headed to Parc la Fontaine with my blankets and a sketch book. Andrea joined us and we hung out until the clouds began to look ominous. We made our way to Mont Royale, sat in a bistro of sorts, before grabbed some Thai food from a place a few blocks up. Andrea and I had a good chat about boys (:-P) before parting ways. I took it easy for the evening, although I did spend about two hours chatting with Shane before going to bed.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 8:06 PM |

 
So...

After finally getting my internet working, I downloaded the automatic updates, restarted my computer and it crashed. Yes, it crashed. It is freezing up between the Apple loading screen and the desktop. It's a glorious blue screen of death.

Sigh.

It's not easy to get tech support from Scott via text, let me tell you. :P (Thanks for the help though Scott, I appreciate it.) Matt, the Apple guru at work, was out of the office until today, but he said he can take a look at it for me. Woot! I'm hoping that all of my data isn't lost. Even if the computer works just long enough for me to burn all of my photos etc to a disc, I'll be happy.

Let's see, what have I been up to? After a ridiculously long day of work on Thursday, I met friends for drinks. We ended up at Andrea's - who's roommate made us delicious chick pea curry - until about 12:30. I woke up Friday not feeling well, so I stayed home and ended up dozing and reading most of the day.

Saturday I went out looking for a present for Helene's birthday, to no avail. I had an idea of what I wanted and couldn't find it anywhere! I met Ryan on St. Laurent, and we spent a couple of hours just walking around and chatting. I went home, had some supper, and then went to this lovely little bar on St. Urbain at Sherbrooke called Lolita for karaoke. It was dead, so I bonded with the bartender, who's name I forgot to ask, and the owner. The owner's name is Coco - how awesome is that?! I had a few beer, sang a few songs, got a drink on the house from Coco, and headed home about 1 am.

Sunday, I slept in because I'd stayed up late reading. (I actually finished four books in the course of 5 days. I discovered Laurell K. Hamilton - it's fluffy but very enjoyable reading, and I started 'Twilight' on Sunday) I went to find some lunch, had a lovely chat with Emily, made my way home around supper time, and then got changed. I had a meeting with Adriano and Jimmy to discuss my website/press kit at 7, then I headed to Hurley's to meet Helene, Jenn, Jackie and a few others for Helene's birthday. I got there just in time to head to The Drugstore, where we met Jan and Dave, to enjoy a couple of cheap pitchers. I also realized I'd forgotten my umbrella at Hurley's, which means it's gone forever. Sigh. :P

Yesterday was a pretty long day at work. I was having a rough time getting in touch with the people I needed to talk to, and the day dragged on. I thought about going to see a movie, but didn't really want to spend that much on a movie when I thought I'd been seeing Dark Knight with Alex sometime this week. Besides, I was craving a burger, so I went to this little diner on St. Denis and Mont Royale for supper. I got home a little after 9, feeling a bit down, mopped the floor in the bathroom and kitchen and called Shane. I talked to him for about an hour and a half chatting with him. Thanks again for the cheering up Shane!

Today was another long, stressful day. Alex emailed me about 3:30 to ask if I wanted him to pick up a ticket for the 7 pm showing of Dark Knight. Unfortunately, because I'd thought it was already decided that we wouldn't go tonight, I'd booked an audition for 7:30. Oh well, Allan invited me to go with him and his roommate tomorrow night - it's not cheap night, but oh well. :)

My audition went well, but it's hard to say. It was for a short film, and I was feeling a little out of my element - I've very little experience with film/tv work. I also got caught in the rain on route. Nothing like going to an audition when you look a bit like a drowned cat. :P I think I'll make some supper shortly, and watch a movie.

Labels: Books, Daily Life, Friends, Stuff, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:36 PM |

 
Please Stop

You know who you are. I'm not interested - it's too little too late.

So Few Updates

Sorry for the lack of updates folks. No access to blogger at work and no real internet at home (stupid Bell!) makes posting tough.

I am really good, no need to worry (if you were). Busy, but what else is new? :P Let's see... Friday night Matt and I went to this cool little diner on St. Laurent after work. It's just a hole in the wall but they make excellent tofu burgers. After we ate, we went in search of a pagan bookstore that I knew was off of St. Joseph just not exactly where. We wandered for a bit without luck (turns out its actually further east than we were looking according to Helene) so we grabbed a 6 pack at a dep and hung out on the mountain chatting. By the time we finished our beer, it was dark, so we made our way to St. Laurent for a pitcher.

It was a good time - he's pagan too and we've a ton in common. Totally destined to be friends. :)

Saturday Niko and I went on a bit of an adventure. I invited him to go with me to Mt. Royale for cat food. He needed sheets and the super for our building had recommended a place. We stopped for directions and the woman must have thought he was cute because she offered to give us a ride to 'a place cheaper.' That ended up being the Wal-Mart almost at the far east end of the green line! I got home in time to eat very quickly and then headed out for roller derby. It was an amazing match - it totally makes me want to try it out. If only I didn't break... We partied with the roller girls (a friend, Dave is the coach for both the all star team and a league team) and I didn't get home until about 3:30.

I slept in on Sunday, needless to say. Around 1 I went off in search of hangover food. I ended up at a pizza place on Mt. Royale where I had a tasty veg pizza. Seriously, the French also make good pizza. After I ate, I ventured out into the pouring rain to the nearest Second Cup. Inspiration struck, and I ended up designing a tattoo (although I kind of want it on my back, but that will mess up the runes I want on my spine. I might get it on my right hip, but it's pretty large... We'll see). I got home about 5:30 or so, and spent the evening curled up with a couple of books Matt had loaned me while texting Shane about his plans to move here. Glad I'm not the only person who found a visit to Montreal just wasn't good enough!

Work has been crazy busy, but I'm enjoying it for the most part. I worked late tonight, which kind of sucked, but I got some stuff done that will hopefully result in some solid commissions.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends

posted by Lisa at 8:00 PM |

 
Hmm...

I can't think of a clever title. :P

So I had a really good audition yesterday. At least, I felt good about it. I didn't call back, but oh well. :-) Alex had just finished his audition when I arrived, so we were able to catch up before I made my way to Greg's. We got sushi - it was very good - from a sushi place on Mont Royal at St. Laurent (too far to be a regular sushi stop for me sadly). I left about ten to 7 to meet folks for roller derby, and of course, managed to get lost. It was pouring and I got completely soaked, but I did manage to hop on the St. Laurent bus to meet Jan and Dave and we made it to the arena.

Roller Derby is awesome! I can't wait to go again. About 15 minutes into the bout I had a light bulb moment where I actually knew what was going on. Plus 2 for $5 beer. :-) After the bout, we headed to KGB for the after party. We partied there until about 1 am before heading deeper into Mile End to crash a party that Greg was at. The host was very nice about 4 strange women just showing up. On the walk home, we got followed by this drunk guy. "My name is Fernado but I'm so much more!" We managed to lose him by the time we got to St. Viateur, which was close to where Andrea lived. I hailed a cab on Mont Royal, too drunk and tired to walk any further. I got to bed around 5 am. :P

Today was a lazy day. I slept until about 11 am, and headed out about 2:20 to meet Alex for a movie. Unfortunately, he got caught up at his call back and didn't make it, but since I was already there (and a bit too hung over to do anything else) I stayed and went to 'The Hulk.' After the movie, I ran him to see what was up, and he was still in the mood for a movie, so he treated me to see "Wanted" which was awesome / terrible / awesome again. :-) I'm about to turn in - it was a very exhausting weekend and I've got a busy day ahead of me tomorrow.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Movies, Stuff, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 11:24 PM |

 
Wish I Had Blogger At Work :P

Its so much more effort to blog from home!

Monday, I got a bit lost trying to find Helene and I ended up an hour late. We ate at a restaurant on Prince Arthur - I finally had moussaka but it wasn't awesome and didn't quite satisfy the craving. We walked back home, and, after discovering a mutual enjoyment of dance movies, we watched Step Up instead.

Tuesday was St. Jean Baptiste Day here in Quebec so pretty much everything was closed. It was so surreal going to work. I felt like I was in 28 Days Later. Imagine being in downtown Montreal on a Tuesday morning and only seeing about 3 people and 2 cars. Rene-Levesque, one of the busiest streets in downtown was completely deserted. The work day went very quickly though, and afterwards I went to an early show of "The Happening." I enjoyed it - I didn't really know anything about it going in, no trailer to really ruin it. :-) I walked home to work off some of the popcorn (:P), using the time to call and have a good catch up chat with Sarah.

Wednesday I got home, had a bite to eat, and then met a couple guys from work. We went to House of Jazz to see my trainer from work, Mark, play. It was a lot of fun, but the prices were a little high. We shared 3 pitchers of sangria, which ended up being about $30 a pitcher. We probably won't go there very often! I got home around midnight and then crashed out.

Thursday I met Rosanne at a shop on Parc for a vintage shoe party. I didn't really see anything that I liked - all the really cute ones were size 6 - but she found a fun purse. We walked downtown and walked around the Jazz Fest to discover that there was a homage to Leonard Cohen at Place des Arts. It was jam packed full of people, and we stayed until about 10/10:30. The Jazz Fest is super cool - they've got free shows happening all day from noon on.

Yesterday I picked up cat food, got home in dire need of a shower thanks to the humidity and then went to Allan's. He was throwing a party for our training class to celebrate the end of our classroom training (ie: excuse to get drunk together). It was a good time - I got home about 3:30 or 4. I think I'm going to hang out with Greg this afternoon, I've an audition at 3:20, and then tonight its Roller Derby! Woot! :)

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Movies, Music, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 11:52 AM |

 
Long Weekend

It figures, we get a long weekend and the extra day off is rainy. I don't care though - I'm going to wander around town anyway! :P

Saturday night I met up with Jan and Dave at the Fringe stage for 'Wintersleep.' They've gotten better since the last time I saw them - they had a nice tight set. We wandered around St. Laurent for a bit (got some tasty and crazy cheap Phad Thai from a street vendor). I ended up going to Club Date for karaoke. It was packed and I only got to sing two songs before it was time to head home.

Sunday started out kind of miserable. I wasn't in the mood to run, but I did anyway, and it was brutally difficult! Niko and I watched a few episodes of a show called "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' which is wonderfully funny and irreverent. We went to Mont Royal later in the day once the weather cleared up for a bit and met up with Izy, Sean, Alex, Tanya, Frank and Hania. I had to leave a bit early though as I was meeting Greg at 7-ish to watch 'Bladerunner.' Which he did not have a copy of. :P Luckily, I'd brought along 'DOA'. :)

Today I did some laundry, and now I'm off to run a few errands, including finding a comic shop. Later I'm meeting Helene for some Greek food, and then we're going to watch some Firefly. Woot!

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Health, Movies, Music

posted by Lisa at 3:00 PM |

 
Feeling Tuesday-ish on a Wednesday

I've got the blahs. Plus, my hips are a little stiff from my run last night. Sigh. :P

Let's see, Monday after work I went for my first run in a while. It was kind of rough starting, but it was a short one, and I made it through without too much of a struggle. Afterwards, I went (on jelly legs) down to the Provigo to get a grocery order. It seemed to be the only Provigo that doesn't deliver. :P I got home around 8:30/9, made chicken curry for supper and did dishes in preparation for the new roomie.

Yesterday was kind of a long day at the office. Most of the day was spent with vendor/production training - some of which was interesting and some that was really not. I got home to discover Niko was mostly moved in. We chatted a bit, and I went for a run. It was an easier run than Monday, but still a bit tough. I powered through it though. I got home around 7:30, Adriano dropped by to pick up mail about 7:45, I ate some leftovers and called Brett back (who'd I'd met Friday night) and we met for a drink. I chatted with Dre on the walk home, helped Niko make his new bed and we hung out until I went to bed about 12:30. It's definitely going to take some time to get used to having to share my space again, but I think it will good.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Health

posted by Lisa at 7:01 PM |

 
The Big Post

Sat, May 31st: I was up bright and early to head to IKEA with Scott and Mare. We were there until about noon (it was a zoo) and I was able to get my new sofa bed. It was quite inexpensive, and for a small extra charge, I was able to get them to deliver it.

We started unloading the truck around 1 pm or so. It had been pouring out, but luckily it stopped long enough for us to get everything in. Unfortunately the tenant, Penny, was still in the apartment, so we had to pile everything into one room. The couch arrived around 8 pm, and I put it together while Penny finished up her packing around me. I slept on it that night as I could not put my bed together.

Sun, June 1st: Again, I was up early, this time to head to Laurier to help Emily move into her new place. I was home around 2, and was able to start unpacking my kitchen stuff. Penny started moving out around 4:30/5, and by 7, I was able to finally start unpacking. It took forever to get my bed put together, but I was able to eventually get it together and spent my first night in my new room.

Mon, June 2nd: The morning was spent unpacking, and then it was off to downtown for my 1:30 interview. It went very well - she made me a verbal offer by the end of the interview. Woot! :) I stopped in the Eaton Centre and got my new cell phone and Montreal phone number, and tried to get the internet, which was less easy than getting the new phone. I made my way back home and spent the rest of the day unpacking.

Tues, June 3rd: It was a rough day. It was raining, and I had to go the store for groceries. I walked all the way down, got my groceries and realized after everything was rung in that I'd forgotten my wallet. So I had to walk home, again, in the rain, and then back to the market. Thankfully Alex stepped up and we went to a movie - The Strangers. Creepy movie, and enjoyable (just don't think about it too much!)

Wed, June 4th: Wednesday was spent much the same way. Lots of unpacking, etc. I also went downtown to sign the papers for my new job. I went for a walk to find a library because I was starting to get desperate. :P While I was gone, Kaylee got out. I couldn't find her anywhere, and ended up calling my Mom and Sarah, a complete wreck. Thankfully, she'd just got into my neighbors' kitchen and hid out there. She came to the door and I went down to get her, extremely relieved!

Thurs, June 5th: I spent the afternoon wandering around the Plateau and Mile End with Alessandro, who had come to see the apartment earlier in the week. We parted ways around 9 pm, I did a bit more unpacking and then to bed.

Fri, June 6th: In the evening, I met Izy at her work and we hit an Irish pub downtown called Hurley's. We were eyeing a table of attractive guys, which sparked a debate about the age of one of them. I went over, asked how old he was, and returned to our table. Brave soul that he was, he followed me back (much to the giggling delight of the girls) and we ended up hanging out with them. They were all actually just in town for Grand Prix and happened to be staying at the same hostel. One was American, two were German, one Slovakian, a Scot and an Aussie. The hostel ended up being close to where I live, so they walked me most of the way home, and we parted ways.

Sat, June 7th: Em and Alex popped by so that Alex could drop off the Opera tickets. I spent the afternoon on Mont Royal for the cool sidewalk sales, and returned home in time to get ready for the opera. Alessandro met me at Place des Arts. The show was spectacular! Truly wonderful.

Sun, June 8th: I spent an hour at Parc la Fontaine before heading to Mont Royal to join Alex and Sean at the tam tams. It was Sean's birthday, so we hung out drinking beer. At one point, Sean, Alex and Dave decided to take part of the Live Action Role Playing, and rented rubber swords. The skies then opened up, and we got completely soaked. Dave and Jan kindly invited us back to their place to dry off, and then we went to a micro brewery called Benelux for Euro Hot Dogs and strong beer. :)

Mon, June 9th: My first day of work at PC Mall. I was up early and on the bus to downtown. The day flew by! The evening is a bit of a blur.

Tues, June 10th: Another fast day at the office. I bought a fan at lunch, which was much needed. Seriously, the humidity migh kill me! :P After supper, I went for a walk on Mont Royal, stopping at the Provigo to get a few groceries. I also had a good chat with Em.

Wed, June 11th: Training flew by again, and for the second time in the week, we were given lunch from the company. After work, I made my way to St. Laurent for an audition. It wasn't my best audition ever - I was nervous. Afterwards, Alex and I went to this brew pub where I got a nice cream ale, and Alex got a crazy beer that smelled (and kind of tasted) like pepperoni. Very odd! I had a good conversation with Sarah after I'd got home.

Thur, June 12th: The day went a little slower as I had caught on to what we were doing a bit faster than everyone else and spent a good portion of the day playing catch up. After work, I was finally able to bully Bell into getting my internet up and running. I then wasted the rest of the evening on Facebook, uploading pics etc. I also chatted with Helene, who I'd met Sunday, for about 2 hours.

Friday, June 13th: Friday was a good day. Work not only fed us, but gave us an extra hour. Me and the guys in my training class ended up going for a beer at the pub up the road during that extra hour. Then we discovered that Fridays are 'Ice Cream Fridays' so work gave us all ice cream bars. Yum! I made my way to Emily's after work and made chili for her house warming pot luck. It was a good time, and I met some really nice people, who invited me to hang out with them Saturday night.

Saturday, June 14th: I showed my apartment to a couple of people. The last guy to come by, Nicholas, liked the room and he and I really hit it off. We decided he'd take the room and we went for beer to celebrate. Kelly called and we met her at the Sherbrooke Metro and then we made our way to St. Denis to go to a veg Thai place. It was very tasty! We parted ways at 7, and I made my way to Vendome to check out Alex's show. I really enjoyed it (although I wasn't wild about the way they presented 'Sure Thing') and afterwards I made my way to Paulina and Ryan's. I ended up there until about 3:30. :P

Today I slept in a bit, and then met Kelly to go thrift shopping. I got two sweet dresses for $12! We made our way to Mont Royal where we went to this cool bakery/deli/coffee shop. We then spent a few hours in Parc la Fontaine - it was lovely!

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Stuff, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 10:02 PM |

 
Killing Time

Since my boy doesn't get off work for another few minutes, I thought I'd do a quick post.

Wednesday night, I went to the funeral parlor with Aidan to pay my respects to his family. We didn't stay too long, stopping in at my mom's on the way back to my place. Aidan did my dishes for me, cause he's awesome, while I worked on packing. It was a busy evening - Gilbert, Charlene and Anthony dropped in over the course of the evening. I hit the packing wall around 1 am and hit the hay.

I was up at later than I would have liked and spent the rest of the day finishing up my packing. I went with Scott and Mare to pick up the truck only to discover that U-Haul had no record of my reservation and we ended up having to get a bigger (more expensive truck) from Penfield. I was thrilled. The bed switch and loading of the truck went pretty smoothly. There were some tears as folks said goodbye and I went up to spend one last night in my apartment with the kitties. Aidan came over when he got off work, which made sleeping on the floor a bit better. :)

There was a bit of weepy goodbye this morning when he left. I spent the rest of the morning cleaning the apartment. I also learned that I won't be getting one last pay on the 15th - I received it today, which sucks hard. That means I pretty much need to find a job right away. Sigh.

The drive up went very well. The kitties were very well behaved, and we made good time. I'm crashing at Alex's tonight with the cats and we'll get started in the am.

Labels: Daily Life

posted by Lisa at 12:58 AM |

 
Pack Rat

Em came over after supper last night and hung out will I packed. I got a fair bit done. I've still got about 1/3 of my apartment to get packed, but I'm making good progress. It was nice to have the company while I worked. I also managed to refrain from getting teary when I hugged her goodbye at 9.

Aidan was going to come over, but due to the loss of his grandfather yesterday, his family wanted him to stay home for the night. He says he's doing okay, but I'll be dropping into the funeral parlor this evening to pay my respects and to check on him. That's what a good 'complicated' does. :)

I went to bed around 1 am - too late, of course - and had a terrible nightmare that I arrived in Montreal to discover I'd forgotten all of my clothes here in Saint John. I woke up in tears. I guess I'm a little stressed about the move. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Friends

posted by Lisa at 10:07 AM |

 
Hello Handsome!

It was a very busy weekend for me - it's actually a bit of a blur!

Thursday night Dre did my hair and make up before we headed to Dan's for a head shot photo shoot. It was fairly quick, and we dropped into Churchills to have a drink with Scott, Mare and Keith afterwards. I popped into Akhord on my way home to say hi to Aidan, and ended up being out a bit later than I'd intended since I was so tired.

Friday I slept in a bit, and did a bit of packing. Jason dropped by and we watched 'Pulp Fiction.' Aidan stopped in on his way to work, which was kind of nice. I made supper - a super easy hamburger pasta dish that I'd got from Sabine - and poked around the apartment until about 9:30. I headed down to Elwoods for Sunspeed and Iron Giant. They were not starting until late, so I went down to Akhord to discover that Keith Hallett was playing, and I ended up hanging out there, chatting with Aidan and the guys.

Saturday I was up earlish, and got a few things done around the apartment before heading to the Imperial to see 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' I took Aidan with me, and we met my cousin Anne-Marie in the lobby. She'd bought her ticket from someone on the street (:P) so I didn't end up seeing her again after the show started! Congrats again to everyone involved with the show - I really enjoyed it. After the show, Aidan and I went to Lemongrass with Sandra and David. Aidan couldn't stay because he was late for work, but it was nice to catch up with Sandra and David before I leave town.

I dropped backstage after dinner to pick up my hot rollers that I'd loaned Woody for the week, chatted a bit with the various players, and was treated to a tour of the new building by Brian. It's looking really good! :) I rushed home to drop off a few things and change before running back to the theatre to man the subscription table. Aidan got off early, and since I was beat, we didn't bother hitting the cast party. I was in bed pretty early for me actually, and I got a good night's sleep.

I spent Sunday afternoon packing to eps of Veronica Mars. I ran out of paper so went on a hunt for some. I dropped by Elwoods where Aidan was working to set up for the Matt Good show, and he took me down to Akhord where he had a pile of old 'here' magazines. I grabbed a bag full, and ran home in time to grab my D&D stuff. It was a good session - we got to kill a dragon! We got back into town about 10, and I headed back to Elwoods to see Matthew Good. He was great. It was all acoustic, just him, his guitar and the audience. It was a late night - I stayed until close, and hung out with my boy for a drink once they'd finished loading out.

I was up bright and early yesterday - okay just early - for a dentist appointment. I had one last filling to get replaced, which didn't take too long. I was uptown to have lunch with Dre by noon. I spent the afternoon packing. Aidan came over the 'help' but of course was a bit more distraction than help. :P He left at 5, and I had some supper and got ready to head to Freddy with Sarah for Sarah Slean. She picked me up a little after 6 and we hit the road. We made a pit stop in Nerepis to drop off props she'd borrowed from her family's cottage, and arrived at the Playhouse just in time.

The opening act, Royal Wood, played all depressing sad songs. I thought the opening act was supposed to warm up an audience, not send them into a depression. Because he was so depressing, Sarah and I were chatting quietly only to have the woman in front of turn around and say "Would you mind not talking during the songs?" It was quite amusing - I could barely hear Sarah over the music, I'm not sure how she could hear us. I think she just had the hots for ol' Royal. She was on the edge of her seat for his set and then watched Sarah Slean back in her seat with her arms folded. Sarah Slean, however, was awesome! She's absolutely riveting to watch, and just very quirky and fun. One of her new songs "Looking for Someone" brought tears to my eyes. We got home about quarter to twelve, and I was actually in bed by one.

In all, it was a very good weekend. Of course, I've done something very silly - I've gotten a bit attached to a certain awesome guy. Cause it's not going to be hard enough leaving on Friday. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Music

posted by Lisa at 9:36 AM |

 
Happy Friday!

Today is my Friday! Woot! I'm super tired - I've been staying up too late (I know what a shock right? :P) and I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.

Last night I rushed home to change and then ran down to Ambiance to get my eyebrows done for my photos tonight. Dre threatened to pluck me into non-existance if I didn't, and I figured it was best not to rish her wrath. lol It took about 10 minutes, and the girl who did them for me actually ended up being a good friend of Em's so we chatted about Mockingbird etc.

Afterwards I popped into the Imperial to drop off my hot rollers for Woody to use. I chatted with him for a few minutes, stopped to hug Richard Roy, and ran home to eat because I was starving. I ended up being a few minutes late for Turtles, but the guys were still chatting so they didn't seem to mind.It was a good session, although it turns out that all of the crazy stuff that we used to get into actually was Anthony's fault. Ha ha! The highlight of the night had to be when 'Baron' thought he could fly but he had actually been picked up by an evil giant flying bug thing. The expression on his face was priceless!

On the way down to have a drink with Aidan, I talked with a gal named Michelle who is in need of a place to live. She seemed nice, and down to earth (and not trying to get me to launder money for her :P) so I'm going to arrange for Adriano to show her the apartment on the weekend. I ended up being out too late again, but the company was good. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming

posted by Lisa at 8:37 AM |

 
Honorary Thursday

I'm so glad this is a short week. Today is honorary Thursday and tomorrow is my Friday. Woot! :)

Aidan swung by to pick get me about 6:30 last night and we headed to Thandi's for dinner. I had a very tasty Thai chicken stirfry. It was huge and defeated me after I'd eaten only about 1/3 of it. :P I got it boxed to go, and ended up forgetting it on the table. Sigh! After dinner, we headed down to Akhord for drinks. The evening flew by. We got chatting, and before you know it, it was after midnight. It was a really great evening. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Family

posted by Lisa at 8:54 AM |

 
Good Morning Sunshine!

It's too bad it's going to rain later - it's quite lovely out right now. I totally overslept this morning. I slept right through my alarm and woke up at about 9:10. Great way to start the day. :P

Last night I walked home as it had become nice out. It was windy, and kind of cool, but a nice walk nonetheless. I stopped in the Shoppers on route (as it was the only thing open) and picked up some packing tape. I also treated myself to Phad Thai for supper. After I'd eaten, I spent a bit of time packing. I got pretty much all of my pictures, candles etc. packed, and the first couple shelves of one of my bookcases. If I can get one or two boxes done every night this week, I should be able to get a good chunk done this weekend.

Can you believe I leave next week?!

Shane called about quarter to 8, so I met him at Churchills for a drink at 8:30. We got chatting, and before you know it, it was 11! I was home by about quarter after, and I read "Trinity Prelude," one of the free comics I'd picked up on the 3rd. It's pretty good - I may have to add it to my followed comics.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends

posted by Lisa at 9:25 AM |

 
There Is Only One Thing Worse Than a Monday

And that's a Monday when you have to work while everyone else you know is off. Throw in some rain and gloom and you're set! :P

I met Sarah and the legal team at Churchill's after work for beer o'clock. We enjoyed a few beer, before heading to Tim Issac's to take part in the gallery hop. We hung out there for a bit but we actually had got started too late and everything was closing. The rest of the gang hit Happinez and I ran home to drop off my stuff. I chatted with Dre briefly - I ran into her as Doug and Colleen dropped her off after her salsa lesson - ran home, touched up my hair and make up and headed back to Happinez. We ended up going to Scott B's for some more wine etc. and were there until about 1 am.

I slept in a bit on Saturday and ran around the apartment getting things done. I packed a little bit, but didn't feel like venturing out into the pouring rain, so I spent the majority of the day relaxing. I think the most productive I got was washing the dishes.

Sarah and Matt arrived about 8 pm and we had some wine before heading to Akhord. It was a really good turn out. With the exception of the people in Hali, pretty much everyone made an appearance. I've got great friends. :) The drinks were flowing freely (thank you everyone who bought me a drink), and Aiden was mixing me random tasty drink treats. We closed the bar, and Brian walked me home (which is good - by that point I was pretty drunk and probably would have crawled into a corner somewhere on route if left to my own devices :P).

Yesterday I was feeling a wee bit under the weather. I got up around noon, all of my plans going out the window. I had planned on helping with the load in, and I was supposed to have coffee with Shane, but my tummy was not very happy with me. :P I ended up doing pretty much nothing all day. I did check out "Iron Man" again with Scott M, Mare, Jay and Lisa though - it was the movie in Cinema 3. It was just as good the second time - maybe even better because I was anticipating all the good parts. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Movies

posted by Lisa at 8:23 AM |

 
I Need A New Super Power :P

After work I walked down to the grocery store to get a few things. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I'm really disappointed they don't seem to be making the PC Mousakka anymore. :( I had my iPod cranked and was a shopping whirlwind finishing in about a half hour.

Liz popped by about 7:30 or so to drop off some boxes, and she arrived just in time because Mike brought a stack of boxes as well. He fractured his leg just behind his knee so he can't do stairs at present so she helped me bring them up. We chatted for a bit, which was kind of nice - I so rarely get quality Liz time.

I headed down to Elwoods for the Mahones about 10 pm. The band didn't end up starting until almost 11, but that was fine, that gave me time to chat with the friend I'd gone with. The band was a lot of fun - especially once they got warmed up. There are an interesting combination of really heavy punk and Irish. I ended up heading home at 1:15, so by the time I got to bed, it was about 2 am. I'm a wee bit tired today.

Is it bad that I'm already counting down to beer o'clock? :P

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Music

posted by Lisa at 8:42 AM |

 
What If I Was Crazy?

I didn't end up working yesterday. I was feeling sick to my stomach (when combined with a decided lack of desire to work) so I opted to stay in bed. I slept off and on all day, so obviously there was something going on as I'm not one to nap.

I was feeling a bit better by supper time, so I had some soup. The power went off a little after 6, and I spent the next ten minutes trying to find my lighter so I could use the bathroom. :P I got my stuff together and headed down to John and Sabine's for Turtles. Unfortunately Keith overslept so we didn't have enough people to play. The power came back on close to 8 pm, and Sabine and I ended up watching the first episode of 'Firefly.' She didn't hate it, but it's still too sci-fi for her tastes. I'm glad she was willing to watch with an open mind though. :)

I got home a little after 10 (after stopping for ice cream). I finished watching the ep of Veronica Mars I'd been watching before the power so rudely went out, as well as one more, and then went to bed.

I got an email from my future roommate's uncle. He's going to send me the first 3 months rent, which is good. He also seems to be thinking of sending me an additional $9000 because Elisa doesn't have a bank account, and doesn't know how else to ensure she gets her tuition and book money, etc. I suppose I could wire it to her, but that seems like a lot of money to send to a stranger. I'm starting to wonder if he's in Russia too - I just assumed he was in Montreal.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Health, Stuff, TV

posted by Lisa at 8:41 AM |

 
At Least It's Sunny!

The sun helps make a Bluesday a bit better. :)

Yesterday I was crazy busy at work. I had/have a stack of paperwork and a bunch of work filtering down to me for a big deal that will be starting any moment. It's a bit stressful, but I'd rather be busy than not - it will make the next two weeks fly by. :)

Last night I went to the gym to cancel my membership as there isn't a Nubody's in Montreal. I then ran down to vote before heading home to change and grab Mom's Mother's Day gift. I made my way to her place to have dinner with her, and we hung out chatting. We also watched "How I Met Your Mother," and of course, tried to get on to www.lilyandmarshallselltheirstuff.com but it wasn't working. I should actually check that today... :P

It bothers me a little that a great show like HIMYM has only had stellar ratings the time Britney was on - I'm sure that's why she was back. I'm hoping that the success of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" will bring in a larger number of viewers.

I got home about 10:30 or so, watched an ep of Veronica Mars, checked the election results (and was disappointed) and read for a bit before going to bed. I almost got to sleep at a decent hour. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Family, TV

posted by Lisa at 8:55 AM |

 
Bang!

What a weekend! 4:45 pm on Friday, I got a *ton* of work dumped on my lap, the majority of which is due by the end of the week (As I'm waiting to hear from the SE, I thought I'd take a short break and blog).

I met Sarah and the lawyers at Churchills for a quick beer o'clock after work and then it was off to the Alehouse for supper with my family. It was a lot of fun. Nanny actually came out, which was nice to see, and (my cousin) Melissa was also up from Hali so she joined us as well. Dinner was very tasty, and the company was great. Jay M texted about 9:30 in dire need of karaoke therapy so we decided to meet him at the Prince Edward Square Pub. It ended up being closed, so Melissa, Jay and I wound up at the Somerset. It was pretty quiet, so I got to sing a number of times, and also tried some new stuff (some of which will never be sung again :P).

Saturday I was up early-ish to have brunch with Val. We went to Cora's (I ate the crepe-omelette - so good, so fatty) before heading out east to visit Holly. Holly bought a house a couple months ago and has been renovating, but I hadn't been out yet. It was good to see her and the house is really coming along nicely (She also gave me some boxes for packing, which is awesome). Afterwards, we drove out to see some wild geese, dropped into the mall for Starbucks, and then it was home.

I made chilli, downloaded some tunes and got ready to go out. Matt picked me up about 8 pm, and we went to grab Sarah before heading to the Thomas's for the Ten-o de Mayo party. It was a lot of fun - lots of great food and awesome company. I took a ton of pics and have a great little video clip of Jay and Keith dancing to George Michael. Thanks again S & A for the hospitality!

It was a late night though, and when I finally got up at noon, I was still pretty tired (and a wee bit hung over :P Tequila + Lisa = Bad!). I headed out to meet Justin for coffee about 1:20, only to discover that Java Moose is closed on Sundays (seriously, wtf?!). We went to Tim's and then sat in the park catching up. I walked with him to work at 3:30, dropped into Reads to pick up my comics, and then called Dre. My plans for the evening had fallen through, so she and I ended up eating Phad Thai and watching chick flicks. We watched '27 Dresses,' which is cute if a bit formulaic, and "The Devil Wears Prada," which I enjoyed immensely. Meryl Streep is delightful in it. I ran home for a bit at 8 pm to show my couch and sofa to potential buyers, went back to Dre's to finished the movie and was home by 11 pm.

Of course, instead of going to bed like I should have, especially since I was exhausted, I opted instead to upload my pics to FB. I ended up being up until 1:30. It was rough getting up, let me tell you!

Well, gotta get back to it!

Labels: Daily Life, Family, Friends, Movies

posted by Lisa at 2:21 PM |

 
Happy Friday!

It’s been a weird week. I’ve had days that have been redonkulously busy, and then times when I had nothing to do at all. That totally makes for long days!

First, Hazen called to say that they've rented my apartment. I've got to try to remember to call to discuss my moving plans so that the new tenant knows when the apartment is available.

After work, I headed west with my co-workers for a team dinner. The caterer was a man from Hong Kong and every dish was meant to cleanse and purify the system, which was kind of cool. We had won tongs for apps with a home made chilli sauce, the first course was a pork dish, the second was steamed beef dumplings, the third was a chicken stir-fry and the last was BBQ pheasant (or something). For desert, he served some sort of butter tart that was made with 3 types of liqueurs with pecans and raisins. Then we had a tea that he makes himself with a ginger, jasmine, and a few other things that is apparently very good for balancing hormones. Everything was delicious!

After dinner he did fortune telling of sorts. He asked when our birthdays were and did horoscopes based on the Chinese signs (He said I’m year of the goat). He said that last year was a good year creatively (true) and very bad for romance and emotional upheaval (also true). He said this year will be very good for me, and that I should plan on making a move and a career change. He said that I’m creative and adventurous, and this year will be very ‘hot’ for romance, but to be wary of getting into a serious relationship because next year I’ll be so busy that anyone I’m involved with would become frustrated/jealous of the time away. He also said I should avoid buying property, children are not in my immediate future, and though it’s hard for me, I should try to save money.

My manager had never met him before we arrived, and I certainly didn’t tell him anything about me. It was so bizarre! When he started and said he foresaw a major career change and possibly a move, everyone looked completely shocked. It was kind of cool actually. :)

I got home a little after 11, and called BC Scott (there are way too many Scotts in my life :P). I actually caught him at work and we talked for a few minutes. He's going to give me a call this afternoon. I also tried Cristel, but got her voicemail so I'll try her again over the weekend.

I'm very glad it's Friday, but I've got a very busy weekend ahead of me. I've got dinner tonight with my mom and sis (yay!), brunch tomorrow with Val, Ten-o de Mayo (I'm not sure if I'll stay for the night or not...), coffee with Justin at 1:30 and D&D Sunday evening.

EDIT: D&D is cancelled. Who's free? :P

Labels: Daily Life, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 9:31 AM |

 
Told Ya!

After a painful day at work, I hit the sidewalks for a brisk walk home. It was a lovely day, not too hot or cold, and I enjoyed the walk immensely. It was just what I needed to unwind a bit. I tried to reach Richard a couple of times, but I think he's working nights... I got home about 6:15, had supper, and then it was off to Turtles.

Turtles was a lot of fun. My new dice rolled awesome, I am happy to report. :P There was a great moment when I was controlling Baron (Anthony's character) and he was faced with 3 unknown liquids. I had him drink them. Unfortunately, the first two horribly disfigured him, but the third brought him back to full strength. John suggested that Anthony would 'kill' me, but I stood by the decision - he would totally do that. I also got him a cool new magic power - Fireball. After the game, John called to tell Anthony the news and asked what he would have actually done. Without hesitation, he said "Drink them." Ha ha! :) I also forfeited the tournament to let Nicole have the cybernetics - I'm leaving in 3 weeks, why does Zora need to be super powered? :P

I got home to discover that Facebook was not working properly - it kept dropping the connection or saying I wasn't hooked up to the internet. As I was streaming the latest ep of HIMYM (which is *awesome* btw), I knew it was FB and not me.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming, Stuff, TV

posted by Lisa at 10:33 AM |

 
Getting There

I forgot my phone today. I feel naked. :(

I walked home yesterday as it was a beautiful day. I cranked the tunes and made my way home. It was lovely! I may do the same today - I've got Turtles at 7, but if I pick up the pace a bit, I should be fine (I tend to mosey if I don't have anywhere to be :P).

I had a light supper, and Mare dropped in to borrow my little table for Dramafest at 7:30. At about 7:55 I left to go down to her place with my lease in hand. We went over it, and she witnessed it for me. Thanks again Mare! I appreciate the help! There was a moment of panic when the lease said no pets, but I called the concierge, and she said that cats are fine, they just don't want dogs. Whew!

I left there at 9, and since I wasn't in the mood to go home, I made a few calls to see if I could find someone to have a drink with me. Al was up for it, so I met him on King Street East and we walked down to Akhord. Sarah and Matt ended up joining us around 10:30 or so, and we all chatted until about 11:40 or so. It was almost midnight by the time I got home, and instead of going to bed, I ended up checking email, facebook and reading. I didn't get to bed until about 1 am. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Friends

posted by Lisa at 9:18 AM |

 
Bored Now.

And I don't have a 'puppy' to play with. :P

Last night I was super restless when I got home. I was in the mood for some sort of adventure, and the few people I tried to get in touch with were busy. I ended up just watching episodes of Veronica Mars and thinking about packing.

My lease arrived in the mail though, which is kind of cool. I've got to find some time to sit down with Mare so we can go over it together - it's in French. I want to make sure I'm not going to get screwed. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Stuff, TV

posted by Lisa at 10:24 AM |

 
Time to Get Started

On my way home, Scott called and asked if I wanted to join he and Mare for curry. Never one to turn down curry, I met them at the library sale (scored a bunch of books for $8) and we headed to their place for a tasty supper. Thanks again S & M! We also watched "Bon Cop, Bad Cop" which is excellent. A lot of the French was still too fast for me to follow, but there were times that I was able to catch bits and pieces. Actually, the Quebec actor, Patrick something-or-other, was easier to follow than Colm. I headed home about 11, and ended up chatting with a friend for about an hour before going to bed.

I was up early-ish on Saturday, and headed down to the Market to meet Jay. I ran into Brian on the way, and while Jay took Dre a coffee from Jave Moose, B and I hit Reads for 'Free Comic Book Day.' I got about 8 or 9 comics, and also picked up a new set of dice. :) B and I then hit the book sale, and I got a bag of paperbacks for $2. Dre and Jay met us at the book sale and we made our way up to the Market again for lunch. We ended up having samosas from A Touch of Spice. Yum!

Matt and Sarah picked me up at a little after 3 pm, and we hit the theatre for "Iron Man." When we got there, they said that both afternoon shows were sold out. As the parking lot was next to empty, it seemed pretty sketchy, so I gave Sarah my coat and headed into the theatre proper to check it out. Turns out the second theatre had the projector break down Friday night and it was actually closed. I looked in the theatre where it was still playing, and as it didn't look like it was full, we hatched a plan to sneak in. We bought tickets for a different movie and got our snacks. As I was heading in to get seats, I heard the girl telling someone that there would be a delay because they were setting up the new projector. I asked and the girl said that it had been fixed and I could switch my ticket. So that's what we did and legally saw 'Iron Man.' :P It was AWESOME! I totally need to see it again. It's totally my new favorite super hero movie. Robert Downey Jr. is spectularly cast as Tony Stark, and the support cast is equally excellent.

After the movie, they dropped me off and I ran down to the booze hut to get some wine for book club. It was really nice by that time, so it was a good walk. When I got home, I curled up with a book, intending to read for just a little while, but I ended up dozing off and napping until about 9:30. I opted to head down to Elwoods where The Daisy Anthesis (the main band the Boys play in) were rocking out. I'm not a big fan of thrash metal, but I can appreciate the skill that they've got. I headed out with Skot about 1:30 am (I didn't want to walk home alone so he gave me a lift) after promising that we'd all rock out before I left. It was good to see them - it's been a couple of weeks since I saw Skot and about a month since I saw Andrew and Scott.

Yesterday was delightfully relaxing. I was awake early-ish, but read for a bit. Sarah picked me up about noon and took me to the grocery store to grab a few snacky things for book club. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching episodes of 'Veronica Mars' season 2. I had supper about 6, got food ready and people started showing up at 7. Sabine also gave me a belated Christmas present - a German book she'd ordered that took 3 months to arrive. Thanks again Sabine - I'm really excited to read it! The gals all left about 11 pm. In all, it was a good weekend.

Today I've another dentist appointment. This one is to replace a filling I got in junior high that's gone soft. Sigh. I'd forgotten about it, which means I probably won't be able to do a repeat viewing of 'Iron Man' because it's so expensive to cab over and back. Oh well, maybe when I move...

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Movies, TV

posted by Lisa at 9:04 AM |

 
Seriously Cold, Time to Go

Being sick really sucks. I'm stuffy, congested, my head hurts and last night I was feeling a bit queasy.

I got home, had my slighly overcooked chicken (and rice) for supper, and crashed for a couple of hours. I watched "It's All About Love" with Claire Danes and Joaquin Phoenix, which is a really strange movie. I actually didn't really get it. I'm sure there is some deep hidden meaning, but it was a little too well hidden. I then spent some time cleaning my apartment. Not what I wanted to be doing considering I was feeling absolutely miserable, but Hazen is showing my apartment today (yes, already!) and I wanted it to look nice. Luckily I didn't have too much to do. It was mostly just a matter of sweeping, running the swiffer over the floor, and straightening up my bedroom. I still ended up being up later than I wanted, and didn't really sleep great.

I think tonight I'll be skipping out on beer o'clock and just taking it easy. Maybe rent a movie or two from Quality, and chill. Melissa said she may come over, depending on how work goes - she's been swamped and I haven't seen her all week. Actually, that's kind of true for most everyone. Everyone seems to be busy with work or Mockingbird. :) I'm also hoping to hear from Al tonight. At any rate, if anyone feels like watching movies with me, let me know. If you don't mind the sniffling and coughing that is.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Health, Movies

posted by Lisa at 10:01 AM |

 
Happy May Day!

I can't believe it's May already! Seriously, where has the time gone?! :)

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I emailed my manager my resignation letter to proof, just to make sure I got everything, and she got all teary! She also offered to take the few of us on this pilot out to lunch tomorrow as well. I'm really going to miss the people I work with... After work, I walked down to the Superstore to get groceries. I was pretty much out of everything. Luckily it wasn't too busy and I was able to get done in about 35 minutes.

When I got home, I called to check on Dre (who was starting to feel better) and we chatted while I put my groceries away. I then did the pile o' dishes in my sink - seriously, I *hate* doing the dishes - before Brian came over to watch "Batman Begins" with me. He hadn't seen it, and I'd told him it was a must see, especially with "Dark Knight" rapidly approaching. It was nice to have the company, and he didn't mind that I was in my bummy clothes since I wasn't feeling well. :) He left about 10:30, and I self-medicated and crashed.

I didn't sleep great - I kept waking up with coughing fits and an epic runny nose. I'm feeling pretty miserable today - I wish I could have just stayed in bed. I may try to sneak out a bit early.

I am trying out my slow cooker finally. Izy went on and on about hers, so I thought, what the heck! :) I'm cooking chicken in a balsamic vinegar and fig sauce. The sauce smelled great, so I'm optimistic.

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Health, Movies

posted by Lisa at 9:07 AM |

 
Boo-Urns Cold!

So that tickle in my chest (that I've had forever) has again developed into a full blown cough over the course of last night, and now I'll all stuffy and headachy as well. :( Boo-frigging-urns. I'm all self-medicated, which is helping a bit, but sheesh, enough is enough all ready.

Suzy picked me up last night and we checked out the early show of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" with Ann. It was really cute. Jason Segel is just charming, and there are some great laughs in it. I particularly got a kick out of the guy who plays Sarah's new boyfriend.

I talked to Penny last night. The apartment is definitely mine - they're mailing down the lease for me to sign. :) She may stay for June 1st depending on 1. if she can find a place or not and 2. if I find a roommate. She's rather not stay if she doesn't have to - they actually broke up and that is why they are moving :(

I also talked to Al last night, and he seems pretty keen on the idea of moving. He's going to talk to his instructor who has contacts in Montreal to see if he can get hooked up with some possible studios who may be hiring. He's going to let me know Friday or Saturday if he's in for July 1st. I can manage rent for one month on my own if I have to.

I also rec'd a note from a guy named Scott from Vancouver who is planning to move to Montreal June 1st as well. He's not bringing any furniture as he's coming from Victoria, BC, so furnished is ideal (he'd have to buy a bed and dresser of course). He gave me his number so we'll chat.

I'd rather move in with someone I know, of course, but beggars can't be choosers. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Health, Movies, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 10:03 AM |

 
Don't Panic

I had a good walk home last night. I called Jay M immediately after work and talked to him for most of the walk (thanks Jay - you're a good friend). He, as usual, gave some good advice, mainly 'Don't panic.' I'm doing my best not to. I stopped at Quality and got some comfort Phad Thai, and after dinner, sent out a few emails to people seeking roommates on craigslist. Adriano called to say that the lease was ready to sign - he was also a bit upset to hear that Izy bailed because he and Penny were kind of banking on us to take over their lease for June. He said he'd talk to the landlord and see if I could sign it on my own. With luck, I'll get the apartment - it really is a nice apartment, very homey, and in a great location - and find a roomie.

I walked down to Scott and Mare's to watch HIMYM, and had a good chat with Mom while I walked. I found the ending a bit weak, but it was otherwise a great episode. It also introduced the 'Hot Diggity Dogger.' I think everyone needs one - don't you? :P

Labels: Daily Life, Family, Friends, Stuff, TV

posted by Lisa at 8:36 AM |

 
Sunny Disposition

It's a lovely day today! I'm totally going to walk home and enjoy the sunshine.

It was a good weekend - very relaxing. I met Sarah at Churchill's for beer o'clock after work on Friday. We didn't stay too late - we ended up going to Quality and renting 'Once.' What a great movie. So sweet, and I've had the soundtrack for months. I highly recommend it. :) We chatted for a bit after the movie, and Sarah left around 11:30 to check on a sick Matt.

Saturday I didn't do very much. I read until about noon, put my hair into rollers and watched a movie. About 4:45, I headed to Rob Roy's studio to take part in the photo shoot for the banners for SJTC's next season. It was Kizzy, Suzy, myself and a whole lot of cake. It was a lot of fun. :) Afterwards, I headed to Dre's to hang out before going to see Improv Corp down at Akhord. It was a good show, if a little long. It's the first time I've been in the position to just watch them perform since I was asked to leave the group. The long form was really tight, but I realized that performing a Harold is a lot more fun than watching it. It made the show a bit too long.

I hung out at Akhord for a while, but everyone was heading out to Scott and Alison's (it seemed to be a cast only thing) so Brian and I went to Elwoods to see who was playing. It was some industrial goth band, so we skipped it and popped into Taco Pico to hang with Colleen and Doug for a bit. They have salsa night on Saturday nights, which I somehow did not know. :)

I couldn't sleep when I got home, so I was up until about 3 am. I ended up sleeping fitfully thanks to a budding cough and didn't get out of bed until about 11. Sarah and I were supposed to check out 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' but she was stuck in Freddy so we rainchecked. I didn't really mind - I'm super broke - so we'll go Wednesday or something (after I get paid :P). I went for a short walk mid-afternoon, and watched a movie. Dre picked up Brian and myself at 5:35 to head out to Jay and Lisa's for D&D. It was a great session - lots of fighting and a surprise ending. :) I'm hoping we can figure out a way to conference me in to session after I move. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming, Movies, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 9:46 AM |

 
Friday's Tuesday

The problem with a two day work week is that Friday becomes one's Tuesday, and we all know how I feel about Tuesdays.

Last night I headed down to Scott and Mare's for a 'Serenity' session. It was great! I got to threaten and intimidate people, get into a bar fight/shoot out, and show a bit of Mel's deeply hidden soft side. We finished up a little after 11. I read for a bit (I'm really enjoying 'American Gods,' as a pagan, I'm finding some of the concepts fascinating) and then went to bed.

Today I had a bit of a hard time getting out of bed. That tickle in my chest that has been there since February and I thought culminated in that terrible sickness last month seems to be making a comeback and I'm not feeling great. I have a feeling I'll be taking it kind of easy this weekend.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming, Health

posted by Lisa at 9:14 AM |

 
Boo-urns!

Being back at work after a whole week off really, really sucks. Especially when it is also cold and wet and gloomy. Again I say boo-urns. :(

The rest of my day yesterday was relaxing. I totally crashed out around 6 and power napped for a hour and a half. Em texted me at 7:30, and I headed over to spend a couple hours with her catching up. I ran to the store to get soup afterwards because I was hungry, but they didn't have the kind I wanted left. I practically ran home because the rain started and there was some lightning and thunder. I ate a frozen thing that I had in the freezer, read for a bit and then hit the hay.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends

posted by Lisa at 8:53 AM |

 
Home Again

Yesterday was a good day. I ended up spending the afternoon with Victor, who I had met Saturday night at the Buck 65 show. We hung out at Mont Royal for a bit and then made our way down Parc to Bernard to check out Bilbouquet. Bilbouquet is an ice cream parlor that makes all their ice cream and it is excellent. Victor recommended the pistachio so I got a scoop of that and a scoop of pear sorbet. Both were extremely tasty and worth the walk. It was a *very* warm day - think Saint John in July - so the ice cream was just what the doctor ordered.

After ice cream, we walked for a bit, and then decided to head downtown so I could switch my opera tickets for another night as Alex is in a show that is running on Saturday nights for 6 weeks (I think) starting May 10 (or so). On route, I realized that I'd lost my phone somewhere. Victor called it and luckily someone had picked it up and taken it to the Re/Max across the street from the ice cream parlor. As it was getting late, we parted ways after exchanging additional contact info (emails, etc) and I sprinted a block in order to catch a bus back to Bernard.

I picked up my phone (phew!) and made my way to the Outremont metro to look at a place by St. Henri. It was quite nice and it's a definite possibility. I chatted with the guy showing it for a bit, and then headed back downtown to try to find a place to get my ticket changed. Which I was unable to do. I know, I shouldn't have left it until my last day in town, but I was busy! :) I went home, stopping for some tasty take out from the Szchewan place, chatted with Sean a bit and finished watching 'Ratatouille.' In need for a familiar voice, I called Dre and talked to her for a bit. Alex got home while I was on the phone with Dre (I'm going to need a really good long distance plan :P), and we hung out for a bit before I rearranged my suitcase so it would close and went to bed.

I didn't sleep well - which is not unusual before a trip - and woke up around 5 am. I dozed for the next hour and was up and ready to go by 6:30. It took less time to get to the airport than I'd expected, which was good because it took *forever* to get checked in. Staff kept getting pulled away so check in was slowed to a crawl. I finally got to my gate a little after 8 am, had a quick bite to eat and settled in to wait until boarding (which was 20 minutes late).

The flight was, for the most part, very good. I didn't have anyone sitting next to me, so I was able to get good and comfy. I read most of the trip. The last 15 minutes was a little rough, with some turbulence and it seemed that the plane powered down a bit and slowed down. The flight attendant got called into the cockpit and she returned looking a bit nervous, but smiled at everyone before strapping into her seat. The landing was kind of shaky, but I was glad to land in one piece.

Scott picked me up (thanks Scott!) and now I'm home. It's good to see the kitties, but feels a little weird to be back. The past week was a good opportunity to get comfortable with Montreal and really reiterated how much I love the city. I can't wait to get back.

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 11:46 AM |

 
Go Habs Go!

I'm thinking of heading to one of the local pubs to check out the end of the hockey game. I'm not normally a hockey fan, but I'm willing to bet Montreal will go *crazy* if the Habs win tonight. :)

Today was a pretty relaxing day. I got up around 10:30, poked around the apartment for a bit before heading out to buy a pot. I came back and made some veggie chili as promised. It turned out really really good - I don't think I can get the ground soy I used at home and I like it better than the BM soy. Oh well, I'll be able to get it regularly soon enough. :P

Once the chili was done, I had a small bowl and then went to Parc Jeanne Mance to chill out. I had brought a towel with me, so I just sat out in the sun for a couple of hours before heading downtown to have dinner with Alain. We ate at this crazy Arab/crepe place on Maisonneuve, and chatted for a couple of hours before parting ways. He offered to help with the move, and offered to take my resume into the place where he works - apparently they love former Xeroids.

Now I'm just enjoying a beer and as I said, thinking of heading to a pub. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends

posted by Lisa at 8:07 PM |

 
Weekend Walking

Saturday morning I was up early and out by quarter after ten as my Concordia audition was at 11 am. I had my interview, did my two pieces, took some direction and did the pieces again. I think I did well, but it's hard to tell at these things. Then it was off to meet Izy to look at apartments.

Again, we were all over town. We did a little less walking as we were bouncing around all over town, but by supper time, I was beat! The last place we looked at for the day was in Mile End, so we had dinner at a Mexican place in Mile End and parted ways for the night.

I got home a little after 7:30 or so to find Sean and Kelly hanging out. We chatted for a bit, Alex got home a little after 8, and we all hung out until after 9. Alex, Sean and I headed into town for Buck 65 at Le National, which was a great show, and it's a cool venue. After the show, Alex and I hit the karaoke bar next to Le National and rocked the mic until close.

It was about 4 am by the time we got home. I crashed out hard, and let me tell you, getting up at 9:30 wasn't fun. :P I was out the door by 10:30 to meet Izy downtown for our first appointment at 11. I got on the Parc bus and was treated to a screaming match between the bus driver and a passenger because the lady brought her child's tiny bike on the bus with her. The two argued until the next bus came along at which point the bus driver kicked everyone off the bus. When the next bus pulled away, they were still yelling at each other. It was nuts! :)

The day was spent looking at places, but we really liked the second one of the day, and actually filled out the paperwork to see if we could take it. It's on the corner of Sherbrooke and Papineau, close to two Metro stops, on a main bus route and next to the beautiful Parc La Fontaine. The people living there, Penny and Adriano were awesome, and we actually ended up hanging out with them and chatting for an hour before we had to rush off for our next appointment. There was another one that we liked a lot and we may take it if we can't get Penny and Adriano's.

Izy and I were beat come supper time and we parted ways about 5:30. I met Sean and Alex on Mont Royal because the Tam Tams were still going on. The tam tams are crazy cool. On Sundays in the spring, summer and into the fall, all the hippies gather on the mountain and just bang on drums for hours. People come from all over the city to hang, listen to the drums, dance, drink beer or get high (or both) and enjoy the sun. We also took some time to watch what either Sean or Alex referred to as 'the duct tape wars.' There are dozens of boys and men, from age 8 or 10 and up, who do these mock battles with foam swords, axes, maces, etc. It's pretty entertaining to watch. :) Emily met us around 7 or so, and we all walked home, ordered pizza from this place around the corner and just hung out for the evening.

Again, I crashed pretty hard. I've got to find a cheap pot to make chili this afternoon, and then I'll probably head up to Parc Jeanne Mance or something with my book to just chill for the afternoon. I'm meeting Alain for dinner when he gets off work, and Izy and I may take a look at a few places when she gets off work at 6.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Music

posted by Lisa at 11:57 AM |

 
Can I Sit Now?

I think Izy and I have walked most of Montreal in the past two days. Seriously. :P

I met Izy at the Lionel Grioux stop at 1 pm and we walked around the area for an hour before determining it wasn't the spot for us, so we hoped on the Metro and made our way back to the Plateau. We wandered around, made a few calls and finally stopped for a very late lunch (or early supper) at this crazy poutine restaurant (I think it was on Mont Royal). I got the Poutine Mexicaine, which was poutine with tomatoes, black olives and banana peppers. It was surprisingly good. Also, because it was like 20 degrees and we were on the patio, I enjoyed a frosty beer as well.

Oh, and might I add - ALDO OUTLET STORE!!! I got some cute little plaid sneaker shoes for $8. $8! After taxes!

We made our way, on foot, deeper into the Plateau, and finally into Mile End. We made it home around 7:30, and with sore feet and legs, dropped on to the couch and spent an hour on Craigslist, trying to make appointments etc. Finally, about 8:45, we headed down the street, literally half a block up, and had a very late supper at a Brazilian restaurant called Sen Zala. It was excellent. I had fajitas, and we shared a litre of the strongest Sangria ever.

We parted ways around 11:30, and I chatted with a friend on the short walk home. I checked my emails, and now I'm off to bed. I've a very busy couple of days ahead of me. Woot!

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends

posted by Lisa at 11:54 PM |

 
I Love This Town

Yesterday I was up early. I won't say bright because it was 4:30 am and still very dark. Em picked me up at 5, and we were off to the airport (thanks again Em - you're the bestest!). The flight was, for the most part, good, and 10 minutes shorter than originally scheduled. This was kind of a blessing, as I had the window seat and was squeezed in next to a rather hefty gentleman in a suit who did a whole lot in the way of sweating. He also was rather mean looking and made me feel bad when I asked to get out to use the loo.

I got my baggage in record time and then set out in search of the shuttle, or l'aerobus as it is called. I was able to find it (Ou est le guichet, svp?) but arrived just in time to see it pulling away. I had to wait until the next one, which was, luckily, only 25 minutes. This took me right downtown to the bus station at Berri & UQAM. The UQAM metro is kind of the hub, so I was able to purchase my pass there (Est ce je peux achete un passe pour le semaine ici? Oui? Woot!). I got on the Metro and arrived at Alex's place about 9 am. I'd hardly slept, so I was tres fatigue! I fell into bed and napped until about 11.

I went out and visited 'Frere's,' a tiny Market about 4 blocks away on avenue Parc. I picked up stuff for chili, some yogurt, soup for lunch, and a few other things to tide me over while I'm here. I went home (Alex's place will be henceforth referred to as home during the duration of my stay), made my soup, read for a bit, and then dug into Craigslist to find possible apartment options.

Around 3, I got a call from Carlo, who I'd been chatting a bit with since March, and he invited me to come see his place and have tea. "I'll see you in 10 or 15!" So, after checking google maps, I determined what I thought would be the fastest route, and headed out to catch the Van Horne bus to Rosemont Metro. I got off at Mont Royal, went the wrong way, walked 15 minutes before I realized I went the wrong way, went back to Mont Royal, a man who saw I was lost gave me directions and I struck out for Cartier. I should have got off one stop sooner because I ended up walking a very long time. It was beautiful out though, about 17 degrees, and rue Rachel is lovely and right on Parc La Fontaine. Finally, an hour later, Carlo called. "Where are you?!" "I have no idea!" Turned out I was only a couple blocks away.

I hung out with him until about 5:30. Cool guy, but I don't think I could live with him. He seems to want someone to rent the room, not be a roommate. I promised to call before I leave for home, and agreed that we'd do something for sure once I get settled in come June.

Carlo gave me details directions and I headed out to meet Alex. I walked up Duluth, which is a great street, to St. Urbain, and we had supper again at "Santropol," that awesome sandwich place. I tried something new - the Duluth Avenue, which was blue cheese, brie, tomatoes and romaine on thick brown bread - while Alex had the Killer Tomato again. We also had tasty homemade milkshakes. :)

We wandered around St. Urbain and St. Laurent for a while after supper before heading home to have a beer and to catch up.

Today I was up early-ish, and read for a bit. I headed out at around 12:30, bought a pair of cheap sunglasses because it was 20 degrees and sunny, and headed to Cote des Neiges to meet Izy for lunch. We immediately hit it off, and enjoyed some great 'getting to know you' conversation over a tasty lunch at Talay Thai. I had deep friend tofu in peanut sauce, green curry over rice and mango salad. Yum! :d Afterwards, we spent the afternoon together, wandering around town, chatting, calling any place that had a sign that said 'a louer' and indicated it was a 4 1/2 or bigger. We looked at a couple of places, made appointments to see more, and parted ways around 6:45.

She's great! I already feel like I've known her for years. I immediately felt comfortable with her, and we had a lot of laughs and good conversation over the course of the afternoon. The clincher was when we both responded to a guy in stereo :) I got home around 7:15, and gratefully sat down with a mug of beer. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 8:13 PM |

 
1/2 a Sleep!

Or, considering my regular sleep pattern usually results in me just getting 4 to 5 hours of sleep, if I get to bed at midnight, then it will almost be a full sleep when my alarm goes off at 4:30 am. :P

I walked home from work last night. I love this time of year - it's perfect walking/running weather. It took me about 45 minutes to get uptown and then I stopped in at Scott and Mare's to drop off my spare set of keys as Mare has generously said she'd look after Zedd and Kaylee while I'm gone (thanks again!). I ran into Em on the street, and we chatted for a few minutes. I popped a lasagna in the oven to cook. Skot couldn't make it over after all so I actually ended up hanging with Melissa. We just watched a movie but it was good to see her.

I chatted with Alex a bit after she left to discuss visit details. Visit details just ended up him confirming that I was arriving tomorrow and that I'd see him when he got off work. Ha ha! We chatted a bit, and then I curled up with "House of Leaves." I really shouldn't pick it up when I don't have a lot of time - again I got completely lost in it and before you know it, it was quarter after 1.

It's absolutely fascinating to read - like the people who get lost in the house, you get lost in the book. The formatting is at times wacky, so you're turning it upside down or sideways at times, there are footnotes and the footnotes have footnotes, so you'll flip ahead two, three, sometimes four pages reading footnotes and then have to double back to pick up the story again. It's written in such a way that it seems like you're reading a true story and I get completely caught up in it.

Labels: Books, Daily Life, Friends

posted by Lisa at 8:24 AM |

 
1 1/2 Sleeps!

I can hardly believe it's almost time to head back to Montreal! The last 7 weeks seemed to drag on and now it's in sight! Woot! I'm excited, and hoping everything will go smoothly in terms of finding a new home.

The weekend was very busy, but lots of fun. Friday night I met Jason at Churchills and we had a couple drinks before he had to head to band practice at 7:30. I dropped into Brunswick Square to run an errand and I also picked up 'House of Leaves.' I was in the mood to rock out, so I made some calls and sent some texts. Eric was working at Elwoods but he suggested that I come down to see Slowcoaster. I ended up hanging out with Al for the evening, and we went to Elwoods around midnight. The place was packed, but the band was great! I also think I should have some sort of thing that pops up on my phone if I try to text while drunk. :P

Saturday I woke up with a bit of a headache from a wee too much beer, but it was nothing a hot shower and extra strength Advil couldn't fix. I went down to Jave Moose around 3:30 with my book, curled up in one of the leather chairs in the window and before you know it, the girl was telling me that they closed in 15 minutes. I got completely wrapped up in the book! I got home a little after 5, and made a light supper. Jason texted at 6 to ask if I was up for a drink before 'Script Happens.' We went to Churchills, where we got in the wrong section. It was the young guy serving us - he brought our beer and then we didn't see him again for an hour, at which point it was way too late to get food. Jason walked me down to the museum and I chatted with folks before the show got started.

I really enjoyed the first two shows of the evening. Again, I've got to give Keith props for committing to the chair humping. :) I had tears in my eyes by the time he finished. The last script I thought still needed a lot of work. I had expressed concern about the playwrites directing their own scripts, and this one was an example of a script that would have benefited from the eye of someone not so close to the material. I headed back to Churchills with Brian but it was packed, so I called Matt, who was on route to meet us, and we went to Thandi instead. I got a really good bowl of seafood chowder (only $5 - my beer was $7) that really hit the spot.

We got to Elwoods a little after 11, just in time for the Penny Blacks set to start. I was so happy that they were able to play 3 of the 4 songs from the EP. I love 'Our Old Rooms' and enjoyed it with the full band. The Tom Fun Orchestra took the stage a little after midnight, and they were excellent. I danced pretty much the entire show. Afterwards, I chatted with the lead singer for a bit, and was pleased to hear that they'll be in Montreal this summer. If you haven't seen them play, you really should. :)

I was wired when I got home, and ended up until about 3:30, woke up at 4:45-ish, read for a bit, and then slept from 7 to 10. Tired and restless, I went to Tim's for an iced capp and again got wrapped up in my book and ended up there for about an hour and a half. When I got home, I curled up on the couch, only putting my book down long enough to eat quickly around 4. I got completely absorbed and was startled when Dre called at 5:30 to say she'd be there soon to pick me up for D&D. It was a good gaming session, plus Lisa had made some of her famous chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Dre dropped me off around 11:30, and I chatted with Skot until about midnight. I again made the mistake of picking up my book, and it was 1 am when I next looked at the clock.

I'm very tired today. I woke up again at around 4:45 and laid awake until about 6:30/6:45. I was particularly thrilled when my alarm went off at 7:45. *sigh*

Labels: Books, Daily Life, Friends, Gaming, Music, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:19 AM |

 
I Was Shocked My Own Self

I ate quickly after work and headed out around 6:50 to Scott and Mare's. I ran into Brian on his way through the Square and we walked up together for our 'Serenity' session. I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but there were a ton of adventures, including a saloon brawl and Melinda managed to not be involved in any of them! Dre and Jay also surprised us with a cliff hanger ending that involved Dre's character getting shot and killed. It was late when we finished, but in all, a good game.

I called Sarah when I got home to chat briefly. She left for Cuba at 10 am this morning. We're calling this our 'trial separation.' :P Except, you know, after I move, I'll still be able to text and email her regularly. ^_^

Anyone up for beer o'clock tonight?

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming

posted by Lisa at 9:29 AM |

 
Pfftt! Who Needs Sleep?

So yesterday afternoon I bit into something hard. Afterwards, one of my teeth on the upper right side of my mouth was feeling funny, like I had something stuck between it and the one next to it. I tried flossing whatever it was out, but it still felt weird. I was walking home, about 15 minutes or so into the walk, when I ran my tongue over the tooth and a small piece came off.

The weird feeling was apparently caused by the fact that I'd broken it. >_< I popped into the Zellers to find a mirror and survey the damage. It's not a big piece, luckily, and far enough back that it's not very noticeable. I immediately called my dentist and was able to get an appointment for the 29th and got a promise that if anyone cancels between now and the end of the day next Tuesday, she'll call.

As I said, its not very noticeable, I'm just extremely aware of it. I've got coverage, thankfully, but it only covers 80%. I'm not sure how much a repair costs, but I'm probably looking at the very least $100 out of my pocket - an expense I can't really afford. :(

I got home about 6:30, enough time to make a quick bite to eat and change before heading to Tim's to meet Anthony for coffee. We hung out until about 8:30, and it was good. I think we may actually be friends, which I'm happy about. He was my best friend for a very long time, and I'm glad that he's still going to be in my life in some way.

I headed home, and Em came over. We chatted until about 9:25, at which point we turned on "Pride & Prejudice," the new one, and my buzzer rang. It was Sarah. I really enjoyed it! It was extremely well cast all around. The guy who was cast as Mr. Collins was just delightful! Every time I saw him, I grinned. Em hit the wall around 11 pm, and headed home. Sarah and I ended up getting caught up in conversation, and didn't turn the movie back on until midnight, so it was a late night for both of us.

I couldn't sleep, and ended up awake until about 2 am, and was up again at 4:30, wide awake. *sigh* Some day I'll sleep through the night. Maybe. I hope. I was able to get back to sleep around 5:30 at least, and slept until about 8.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Health, Movies

posted by Lisa at 8:24 AM |

 
Night In

I walked home again last night to take advantage of the beautiful weather (and to get some exercise until my lungs are in good enough shape to start running again) Seriously, if it could just stay like this... I stopped in at Quality and picked up a couple of movies and made my way home.

Of course, it was Tuesday. On Charlotte street, I passed by two guys. I made eye contact with one, and naturally smiled. He took this as encouragement, immediately turned around and began walking with me. He seemed nice enough if a little heavy with the flattery, but when I asked what he did for a living, he replied "Oh, I'm a... business man." This set off warning bells. He continued walking with me, so I walked past my apartment. I went into a building a few doors down and hid in the foyer until I figured enough time had passed that it was safe to venture out to my own building. Seriously, do I just look approachable?

I checked my hotmail etc. and then made supper, a tasty stirfry in a southwest sauce. I then popped in the first movie - "The Seeker: The Dark is Rising." I know it's based on a book, which I haven't read, but I enjoyed it. It was a little fluffy, and things seemed a little easy for the main character, but in all, I was entertained. I chatted with a friend for a bit, recounting my walk home adventure, and then put in the second movie "Dan in Real Life." It's very good - totally worth checking out. A "B+, maybe even an A-" for sure.

Labels: Daily Life, Movies

posted by Lisa at 8:25 AM |

 
Tuesday Tuesday

After a very busy work day, I opted to enjoy the good weather by walking home. I stopped in at the Sobeys to grab a few things I needed on route. It was a lovely walk - I love weather like this.

The evening was spent pretty quietly with good company, movies followed by an intense music search for my latest musical obsession. I may have found it in the form of 'Art Brut.' I was in love the song "Good Weekend" about a minute in - we'll see how it goes after I listen to the rest of the album a few times. :)

It's been a wacky morning already. I'm trying to remain optimistic and not let Tuesday slap me around as it usually does. So even though I missed my bus, and the next bus was 5 minutes late and then waited at Metcalf for 10 minutes making me 20 minutes late for work, which was followed by a 20 minute system update, I'm still feeling rather cheerful. After all, I'm heading to Montreal again in 8 days (and I'm hoping someone will be crazy enough to get up at 5 am to take me to the airport :P), the sun is shining, and I'm having a good hair day. Woot!

Labels: Daily Life, Music

posted by Lisa at 9:02 AM |

 
Monday Yawns

Ah, there is nothing like starting your work week with about 4 hours of sleep.

*sigh*

Friday had some very stressful moments so I was very glad to get to Churchills for beer o'clock with the gang. I ended up going to Alanna and Sarah Price's with Sarah and Matt, which was interesting. We ended up spending some time looking at 100+ year old books and coins that Sarah P had got from her grandmother. I ended up heading home around midnight, wired for sound, and ended up awake until about 2 am.

I woke up at 10 am, read for a bit, and hung around my apartment for the afternoon. I did venture out to go the liquor store around 4:30 or so. Man, does it ever suck that the King Street store is closed. Prince Edward Square is a fair walk away, and it's a sketchy area. I then headed down to Suzy's for dinner at 7. It was great to hang out with the girls, for what is quite possibley going to be one of the last times. Suzy made a wonderful dinner and desserts - it was excellent! I ended up staying until 2 am, chatting with Suzy.

I was up until about 4 am thanks to being a bit tipsy when I got home, but I was still awake around 10:30 yesterday. I lounged about, and went for a walk about 2:30 as it was absolutely beautiful out. I ran into Dre, or rather, she ran into me (as she was actually out for a run) on Harbour Passage, and we walked back to her place together. She took a quick shower and we hit Studio 10 to see "Nim's Island," which is super cute. Plus, Gerard Butler. (And for you gals who scoffed when I said he would be shirtless and wet at one point, I would like to point out that I was right. He wasn't shirtless as much as I would have liked, but... :P). I made a tasty supper of indian curry and rice. I didn't feel like watching any of my movies so I walked down to Quality and ended up renting "Southland Tales," which was quite interesting. I rather enjoyed it.

And now it's Monday. On the up side, only 9 more days until my next trip up to Montreal. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Movies

posted by Lisa at 8:38 AM |

 
90%

Is about how I feel today. That is good enough for me to indulge in a brief beer o'clock tonight I think. I'm feeling a bit stressed between work and other stuff, and I think beer and company is just want I need.

Last night, Jay and I left work early to go the funeral home. My former cubemate, Geraldine, lost her husband on Tuesday. He had been fighting cancer for the past two years, amazing considering he'd been given 6 weeks at the time of diagnosis. I got home around 5:45, made supper, did a little internet surfing, and then settled in.

Mare had to cancel our French session due to a surplus of marking. I opted to watch 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl' with the French dubbing and subtitles. It kind of made my head hurt. I'm familiar with the movie - I've seen it a dozen times - but it was still difficult to follow at times. Especially when there are a number of times when the dubbing doesn't match what the subtitles said. It's also spoken faster than I can follow easily. It was a good thing to do though.

I then turned on the DS and worked through two more lessons before going to bed.

Labels: Daily Life

posted by Lisa at 9:44 AM |

 
But I'm A Good Guy

After work yesterday I did the responsible thing and went and got groceries. I kind of just wanted to go home and nap, but I do have to feed myself and my cats. :) I ate quickly when I got home and headed down to John's for my first TMNT session in well over a month. It was a lot of fun - we were engaged in a DOA style tournament. It's down to Nicole's character, Lee, and my character, Zora. Next week should be interesting. :)

I got home a little after 10 and ended up playing "My French Tutor" until about midnight. I'm on lesson 40 of 977. My next lesson is random vocabulary words - the first 40 were the basics. It's actually a really great tool, I've been learning a lot. Can I carry on a conversation yet? I don't know, we'll find out tonight. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming

posted by Lisa at 8:10 AM |

 
Solved!

The sunglasses are Skot's. Whew! I don't remember him wearing them the last time he was over, but Kaylee must have knocked them off of whatever he set them on. I'm glad that I didn't have an inept burglar. :)

I didn't quite make it through the day yesterday. I went to the doctor in the morning, and ended up going home on the 3:25 bus. I picked up a prescription, grabbed a wrap from the Market for my supper, went home and went to bed for a few hours. It was a pretty quiet evening. I dropped into Dre's to do some D&D 'house keeping' and then went home, chatted with Sarah a bit, and then went to bed.

I woke up in the middle of the night, as usual, and this time I'm glad I did. There was a power outage or surge or something at some point around 4 am and my alarm clock was flashing. This morning, I set up mobile alerts on FB. I'm sure I'll regret being able to get my wall posts and messages on my phone, but hey, if it gets too crazy, I'll just turn it off. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming, Health, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 9:45 AM |

 
Je suis un peu malade

Just how I like to start a Bluesday. :(

Not that yesterday was wonderful. I was still feeling low yesterday - likely due to the fact that I was so overtired. Jay M took me uptown to have lunch with he and Dre which helped.

D&D last night was a lot of fun, and just what was needed after a long day. We had what could have been a scary battle if not for some lucky rolls - it was the 'end of the day' and I was almost completely out of spells.

Unfortunately, as the evening went on, my throat started feeling a bit scratchy. When I got home, I took a couple of Advil, and went to bed. I then laid awake, tossing and turning, feeling my heart pound. I got up around 1 am, Facebooked, started reading 'Pride & Prejudice,' this month's bookclub selection, and finally, around 2:30, my eyes felt heavy enough to turn my light off. It was a fitful sleep at best - I woke up a few times.

My throat is definitely raw, and that tickle that I've had in my lungs for the past month is feeling less ticklish and more congested. Boo-urns.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming

posted by Lisa at 7:52 AM |

 
Happy Ostara!

Today is the Spring Equinox when the hours of daylight are equal to the hours of darkness. Tomorrow we begin to have more light than dark. Blessed be!

I opted to stay in and do nothing last night. It was glorious! ^_^ I ran into the grocery store after work to pick up something for supper (which reminds me I really need to find a vegetarian moussaka recipe...), some cat food and a few misc items. I watched the new episode of HIMYM while I ate, and then did my taxes. I was pleased to discover I'll be getting a decent refund, which will prove to be very timely I'm sure. :) I burned a couple of DVDs, and then settled in to watch 'Monster House.' It's a cute movie - it kind of reminded me a bit of 'The Goonies.' I Facebooked a little, then played my DS for a while, and got through a couple of lessons. I don't know that I'm ready to carry on a conversation in French yet, but my vocabulary is growing in leaps and bounds!

Labels: Daily Life, Gaming, Movies, TV

posted by Lisa at 9:16 AM |

 
Collapsed in the Act of Just Being Here

Yesterday was a very long day. I was very nervous - more than I usually am before a show - so the day seemed to drag on. Jay M came and took me to lunch, which was nice, and helped me ignore the nerves for an hour at least. I was able to pick up my Gunslinger and Serenity comics too, which was another nice treat.

Curtain seemed to creep up on us. I chatted with Sabine for a bit before getting ready, and ran into the improv folks on my way to get into costume, which was a nice treat. I have to admit to not really missing the improv, but I do miss the gang.

I also had a brief chat with Anthony, which was kind of nice. It was still a little awkward, but it was surprisingly good to see him. I felt nothing but that warmth that you get when you see a friend you haven't seen in a long time. I'd been wanting to talk to him - I didn't want to move with him thinking I hated him.

The show went really well. We had a great pace, there were only a few minor line issues, but nothing really major and we were able to pick them up. I had one kind of scary blank out, but I found it after a moment. :) We had audience members land on either side of the fence and a couple who were torn right down the middle. So yay! :)

We popped into Churchills after the show to meet Mare for a drink. Graham, Kizzy, Stephen, Tim and Dre were also there. I had a great chat with Graham, and he gave me a few names of possible contacts in Montreal when I move. I was still wired when I got home, and ended up being up until about 1. Which I guess isn't really that different than any other night... :P

So two more to go. The discussion panel is after tonight's performance, so if you're coming to see tonight's show, I hope you'll stick around to discuss the show.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:48 AM |

 
Opening Night

Last night's dress rehearsal was pretty good. I felt a little off about it, but it was good to run with the costume changes at least. I'm just hoping everything runs smoothly.

I got home feeling stressed and tired. I skimmed my script, and spent a bit of time poking around on Facebook. The need to mop struck me at about 11:30 - I don't know why, don't ask - so I swept and mopped up the floor. I got to bed around midnight and read for about 30/40 minutes before turning off my light.

I'm kind of nervous today. My tummy is a little flip floppy, and I'm hoping to find some time to run through my script again.

Anyway, I hope to see you there!

Labels: Daily Life, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:50 AM |

 
Shut Up Girly Brain

Seriously, I don't know why I can't just accept things at face value and not over-analyze. :P I'm sure it was meant, so why am I worried? Because I've a stupid girly brain.

I didn't sleep well at all Sunday night. Between the time change and my over-active brain, I think it was after 2 am before I fell asleep. When my alarm went off, I simply could not muster the will to get out of bed. I called in a floater and crashed out for a couple of hours and woke feeling refreshed. I bummed around in my pj's until around 1, and then headed out of the apartment at 2. I went down to the Prince William Street Java Moose for a mega-sized latté and sat down to just read my script.

When I finished, I was struck my the need to go price out the tattoos on my back. I'd told Alex that the next time I visited, I would probably have them, so it had been in the back of my mind for the last couple of weeks. So I went up to Pins & Needles and the guys there had come highly recommended and chatted with them for a bit. I ended up booking an appointment for 5:30, and got Goddess and God symbols, one on either side of my lower back.

It hurt like a bastard! WAY more than the first one did. I know the lower back is more sensative, but holy gods, I wasn't expecting it to hurt *that* much. It's a good thing he started with Goddess on my left side because God on the right hurt twice as much and I don't know if I would have the courage to let him continue. :P Luckily it only took about 30 minutes to do both, and it wasn't expensive. They look pretty good, although it's a bit hard to tell at the moment since they're red rimmed and a bit swollen, and you know, on my back. :P

Rehearsal was cancelled, partly because of the venue change, so Scott and I got together at his place at 7:30-ish to run an Italian. It went well. There were only a couple of spots where we lost lines, but they are certainly much fewer and farther between than before. ^_^ I got home around 10:30-ish maybe, and discovered that my DVD player isn't working. It's causing every disc to skip. I'm hoping it just needs to be cleaned because I so cannot afford to by a new DVD player.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Religion, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:42 AM |

 
Just Words

It was a good weekend, for the most part. Friday I went to beer o'clock with Kizzy and the gang, and stayed there until about 8-ish before Scott and I went to his place to run lines. It was rough - I think we were just tired, but there were a lot of sketchy parts. I got home around 10:30 or so, but ended up being awake until around 1:30.

Saturday I was up bright and early for rehearsal. The run went pretty good. There were a few shaky parts, but for the most part, it went well. We finished up around 2, and I relaxed for a couple of hours. Scott and Mare picked me up around 4, and we headed out to Jay and Lisa's to test his convention game. It ended up being a late night, but lots of fun. We finished up after midnight. I was a bit tipsy by the time I got home and ended up getting changed and spent 45 minutes or so running around in the rain. I was completely soaked, but felt completely rejuvenated afterwards. ^_^ Of course, it was (with the time change) 4 am by the time I got to bed.

I woke up at 10 am (much to my dismay). Rehearsal was at 1, and also went very well. Again, a few shaky parts, but less than Saturday. It's certainly coming together. Pippa was there, and she laughed quite loudly at a few parts - I guess we've become so close to the material that we forget there are a few moments of humor in the show to break the tension. It threw us a bit, but in a good way. ^_^ We finished about 4:30, and I spent the evening hibernating since it was my last free night for the next week. I turned my phone off, turned up the TV and just vegged. It was kind of nice (although I think my DVD player may be dying. :( It was acting wonky and all of my discs were skipping).

I didn't sleep well though. I was up until about 2:30 - I just could not relax. I think I got up about once every hour after that. My mind was racing - still is actually - and I have such a bad habit of over-thinking everything.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 10:49 AM |

 
"You've Got My Heart Blinking Like An Old Nintendo

It's never gonna work again. It's never gonna work again.
And MegaMan 2 says "BA, what's wrong with you?
You've got a bad attitude
She's gotcha pretty screwed."
- BA Johnston

Yesterday was a good day. I woke up a little distracted, was a brat and shared my distraction with others. :) After work I ploughed into my lines. I realize I pretty much know all of my lines, just not the order they come in. As long as I get the correct cues, I should be fine. (No pressure Scott :P).

Scott swung by around 9 and we walked down to Elwoods. I was mostly there for BA, and he didn't disappoint. He is so much fun to watch, and his songs are equally entertaining. We didn't stay for all of Wax Mannequin's set though - by 12:40 I was fading. Thanks for lift home Scott and Mare! :)

I'm beat today though - I couldn't relax when I got home. Mare and Scott had given me their plan for the move to Montreal and it was on my mind. It was 1:45 am the last time I looked at my clock. But, it's Friday, so YAY! I'm going to try to get home tonight at a reasonable hour since we've got rehearsal tomorrow morning at 10 am.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Music, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:39 AM |

 
Ditto

Blarg. I have a dentist appointment this afternoon. Boo-urns. I'd forgotten about it until they called to remind me.

So, I talked to Mom yesterday after work. Now it's official - I'm moving. Yup. I fell madly in love with the city while I was there, so I'm going to move to Montreal. June 1st is the date I've set for myself. I've 12 weeks left in Saint John and will be gone indefinitely.

It's something that's been on my mind for a very long time. The bug kind of hit me about a year ago, but Anthony was tied to his job and I wasn't willing to leave him. But now, I really only have me and my cats to worry about. I know so many people who have been taking the plunge, following their heart and doing those things they want to do - Alex moving, Suzy and John auditioning, and Val deciding to sail for a year. It's been very inspiring, and if they can do it, so can I. Even if I just end up doing what I'm doing now - working full time and doing theatre on the side - at least I'll be in Montreal doing it. If I can get paid for doing what I love, even better.

Of course, now that I've made the decision, I kind of want to go *right now*. :P Anyone want to come with me? It could be a ton of fun! :)

Rehearsal last night was very productive, if difficult. It was our first off book rehearsal without being able to call for lines. Considering we'd only had one rehearsal for each act off book, it was really hard and, for me, very frustrating. I'll be spending the next two nights cramming. I was pretty tired when I got home, but I did treat myself to a beer and an episode of Buffy before bed.

Labels: Daily Life, Stuff, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:19 AM |

 
War Wounds

We had a very productive rehearsal last night. I still need to find time to cram more, but it went pretty good for the most part. It also ended with a bang. Scott miscalculated and cracked me pretty hard. He almost knocked me over! It's still a week before we open, and I've already got 6 bruises (one of which is on my palm just under my index finger and I've no idea how I got it). I tend to bruise pretty easily, so I'm going to be looking pretty abused by the end of the run.

Speaking of, we've got posters. If anyone has somewhere they can put one or two, please let me know and we'll find a way to get them to you.

I was still feeling blue when I got home, so I ended up reading my lines, Facebooking, Photoshopping and watching a bit of Buffy. I was up until about 1:15 - I just could not unwind! I woke again about 5 am, and was awake until about 7 before I was able to doze off again.

I wish the weather wasn't bad - it would be nice to get out of here for an hour or so today for lunch. Maybe Friday. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:53 AM |

 
Powerlines in the Bloodlines

"I am a writer, a writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home
And I've written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
My bones.
My bones."

- The Engine Driver - The Decemberists

I've had the Decemberists on repeat on my iPod for the last couple of days (this song always gets played at least twice in a row). It's some of the music Alex sent me home with and it's my current musical obsession. Every song is a story and I'm loving it.

Rehearsal last night was very productive. I didn't call for line as much as I had worried I was going to (although the last few pages of Act 3 I didn't really get to Sunday and that was kind of a rough part to get through :P). It's the first rehearsal in a while that I've left feeling pretty good about. I don't like feeling unprepared and now that I've got the majority of my lines, I'm feeling much better about it.

I took an uber long shower last night to unwind (seriously, I love my apartment. Tons of hot water and great water pressure) and went to bed kind of early-ish. Unfortunately I was up a number of times through the night and am pretty tired today. The fog and gloom isn't helping lift the Tuesday blues I'm feeling. I'm so ready for winter to be over...

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Music, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:19 AM |

 
Lundi, Lundi

It was a very, very busy weekend. :) Friday I met Sarah et al. at Churchills for beer o'clock. I had a salad and a couple of beer before Scott picked me up for rehearsal. It was a very productive rehearsal if a little stressful. :) We finished up around 10. I texted Sarah to see what she was up to, but ended up deciding to just go home.

Saturday I was up bright and early for rehearsal. I didn't feel great about the rehearsal - I was woefully unprepared and I hate that feeling. We finished up around 1. Scott dropped me at the grocery store. I was out of pretty much everything as I hadn't bought any groceries before going away. :P I spent the afternoon chilling before Scott Miller picked me up around 6-ish to go jam. We hung out for a bit before getting started. We went through the song that I learned our last session a couple of times, and nailed down the melody for the one we'd written. I've got about half the lyrics - ish - and it felt like a pretty productive evening. I headed over to Dre's around 11, and stayed there until 1 or so. Despite being tired, I was tipsy and my brain would not shut off. I ended up being up until about 3:30.

I slept in a bit Sunday, made lunch and then headed out to cram. I spent some time at Tim's (while lamenting the lack of real coffee shops in Saint John. Seriously.) and then moved to Churchills. I managed to cram all of act 2, and 95% of act 3 into my head before going to book club at 7. Book club was lots of fun. It's great to have an excuse to get together with the girls and chat. :) I left a little after 10, chatted on the phone for an hour or so, and then read my script for an hour because my brain, again, would not turn off.

Today has been weirdly busy. I haven't really been able to be productive at all because everything is in conflict with everything else. Boo-urns to Mondays. I did book my flight for April though, so that's something else to look forward to. :)

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Music, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 2:13 PM |

 
Lisa travaille sur sa liste

Yesterday was as long as I had thought it would be. :P I have a few highlights though - I spent the day emailing with Mare in French. Sure it took me forever to read each email and make sense of it, and even longer to respond, but I definitely feel I learned a lot and am making progress. I also had a friend running lines with me via email. It was very helpful!

I treated myself to supper at the Thai Hut, and when Scott came to pick me up for rehearsal, Mare gifted me with "Learn French" game for the DS and headset! Thanks Mare - you're awesome!! ^_^ She also gave me a suit that is a bit too big for her but fits me perfectly. Yay presents! Rehearsal was very productive. I'm not nearly as off book as I should be, but I did know more of act 1 than I thought I did. I was very stressed out about it as I dislike being unprepared, but it certainly could have gone worse.

I didn't get home until a little after 10, took a shower, and spent an hour chatting on the phone. Instead of going to bed like a normal person, I turned on the new game to give it a try. It's very fun! I'll be bilingual before you know it! ^_^ By the time I actually ended up turning off my light, it was about 1 am. I woke up again around 3:30 and poked around the apartment for a bit before going back to bed for a couple of hours.

I'm drinking an energy drink right now. I rarely have them - I can already feel the caffeine buzz. It's a tastier delivery method than coffee - it's Red Rain and tastes vaguely like fruit juice.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:03 AM |

 
Restless

I spent most of last night cramming lines. I was having a really difficult time. I just wasn't feeling the script and was suffering a major case of the blahs. My trip was like a high and I kind of crashed yesterday. I was feeling anxious, stressed and very, very restless. I texted a bit with Sarah and Alex through the evening, each being a welcome distraction. I was having such a hard time concentrating that I was almost resenting the fact that I had to study.

Em called around 9-ish and we ended up going for a coffee because I needed a break. Her timing was great because I really needed it. Afterwards I downloaded some free 'Learn to Speak French' podcasts from iTunes and plugged them on my iPod (I'll make an effort to listen to them at least 3 times today). I ended up staying up until 12:30 studying, and feel like I've hardly made a dent in it. *sigh*

Today I'm still feeling that restlessness. I don't want to be here at all, I can't focus, and I don't really care to. It's going to be a long day...

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 9:16 AM |

 
Hello Real World

Being back in the city has been feeling kind of surreal. It's very weird. I loved being in Montreal so much that it almost feels like I'm just here for a visit. I was considering making the move before I went, but now I seriously think it may be something I need to do. Mare has offered to help me with my French, so between her, various podcasts etc., who knows, maybe I'll be ready to make a move within the next 3 to 6 months.

Work was, well, work. I had a hard time maintaining my focus... My luggage arrived at least. Afterwards, I ran down to Princess and Dre gave me a black eye for a promo shoot for "Oleanna" that Dan so generously did for us. It looked pretty bad. ^_^ After grabbing some take out, we went back to Scott and Mare's to do a read through of the script (We're supposed to be off book today... I'm not, so I'll be cramming between work and rehearsal to get Act 1 as close to off book as possible). I finished unpacking, took a shower and uploaded photos to Facebook from my trip.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 10:54 AM |

 
Au Revoir Montreal

So Montreal is freaking awesome. I seriously think I need to move there - it turns out that I love that city!

Let's see, Scott picked me up Thursday at 5 am to take me to the airport (thanks again Scott!). I got checked in and didn't have too long to wait before they made the pre-boarding call. While waiting for boarding to start, I chatted with Jeff Smith who was on route to Boston and going to be on the same flight. I had a window seat, which is good, but which also meant I was trapped next to a man who was reading a book called "Abortion - The Lie" that had been distributed by the Christian Colition or something. Kind of scary...

I arrived at 7:20 and ended up waiting forever for my baggage. It turns out that they couldn't have two baggage carosels running at the same time. :P I was there until about 8 before I was able to go find a cab. I got to Alex's about 8:50. He had left a ton of hilarious post it notes all over his apartment giving helpful instructions regarding where to put the key, and how to use the light switch. ^_^ I promptly went to bed for a couple hours, and when I got up, Shawn was out of bed so I finally got to meet him. I then found my way to the nearest Metro, got lectured by a Portuguese Metro attendant for not being bilingual before he advised me to go to the Bonaventure terminal get a tourist pass for the Metro. The tourist pass is great - 3 days unlimited use for $17. I got lost a couple of times, whichs is both kind of scary and fun and finally found my way to the Eaton Centre. I spent way too much, but I did get a pair of great shoes, an awesome skirt and a couple of sweet blouses. I went to the Basilica Notre Dame as recommended by Dre, and spent a good hour there.

I met Alex at Place d'armes Metro as it was just two blocks from the Basilica and we headed home so he could change and I could drop off my purchases. We then went to dinner at the best sandwich place in the world - I'd been there my last trip to Montreal. I got the Northern Lights (herbed cream cheese, romaine lettuce and olives on huge brown bread) and he got the Killer Tomato (tomatoes, some sort of spices and cream cheese, and lettuce) and we shared. So good! It's on St. Urbain, if you are ever in Montreal. We then went to a bar to check out music but didn't end up staying too long because we were both pretty tired.

Friday I got up at 6 to have breakfast (Eggs Marshall :P) with Alex before he went to work. I went back to bed for a couple of hours before hitting the town. The bus driver made fun of my tourist pass (I think - he was speaking very rapid French while laughing uproariously), but it was okay because I made a friend because of it. A girl came and sat next to me and asked if she could see the pass. We chatted all the way to Metro depot and on the train, and we had a coffee before she had to go to class. She was super cool - studying photo-journalism - and gave me her card. Which reminds me, I'll have to facebook her... :) I spent the afternoon wandering around town getting off at random stops and then just walking. I found super cool stores and restaurants, including this great little Korean place that I'll probably never find again and a crazy store that sold wigs (so I bought two :P).

I met Alex at home, we had a couple of beer before going to this great Thai place for supper. I got a red curry called Kang Pai Pek (I think), and he got Tofu in a peanut sauce with crispy spinach. We shared again - seriously one of the best meals I've ever had. The tofu was beyond delicious, and who would have thought deep fried spinach would be so awesome?! We also got some green tea ice cream, which Alex had never had before, to cleanse our palate before heading out on the town. We made our way to this super cool bar/coffee shop called KGB where they had - wait for it - hip hop karaoke. It was wild - they had an actual DJ who was spinning the beats and people would just go up with the lyric sheet and kind of freestyle it. It was wicked cool. We stayed for a couple of hours before heading home.

Saturday we wandered around his neighbourhood before heading into town. He had a play reading for a show he's been cast in, so I hit old Montreal for a couple of hours. I went home around 5:30 because things close in downtown Montreal at 5 pm on Saturdays (wtf?!) and my phone was dying. I got changed and tried out one of my wigs, and then met Alex at the Sherbrooke Metro. He had reserved tickets to a play called "The Elusive." It was a great - very "Closer" esque. By the time it was over, it was 10:30, and we hadn't eaten, so we headed closer to his place in the hopes of finding some place we could get some take out. Unfortunately, many places were closed, so we ended up going to a little super market, and getting olive pizza, weird cheeses and hummus, and just hung out.

Yesterday we ran around his neighbourhood again (it's a great area - very cool and lots of Anglos), had a latte at this cool coffee shop that looks like a bar and is famous for its lattes. We walked around, stopping for a bagel hot out of the wood stove, and checked out some cool shops. There was this awesome little boutique where the girl working actually was sewing the clothing. Every piece was an original, hand sewn item and was cool. Unfortunately, hand made means expensive and I couldn't afford anything in there. We headed back home at 4:30 so I could finish packing, etc. I called a cab around 6 to go to the airport.

Of course, my flight was delayed, and my luggage didn't make it on the plane some how. :P They tell me there was no room for it. I'm not sure how they didn't have room for the people and not the luggage when the plane wasn't even full... The next flight from Montreal should be coming in any time, so hopefully my bag is on it. All of my new stuff is in it, as is my hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner, etc. All the things that one needs but cannot take in your carry on any longer. Grr! :)

Sarah picked me up (Thanks Sarah!!) and we headed into town. We went to Chris and Suzy's to watch the end of the Oscars. I got home around 1, and have never wanted to be anywhere less - the weekend went by way too quickly.

So now it's back to the real world. I've got a photo shoot this evening for Oleanna posters, and then I've got to line cram as we're supposed to be off book tomorrow. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Friends, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 10:42 AM |

 
Happy Friday!

I'm so glad it's Friday! I was ready for it to be Friday on Tuesday. :P

After work, I stopped in the drug store to get some Advil Cold & Sinus (only to realize this morning, that I actually need a decongestant. *sigh*) and then got Phad Thai for supper. I got it spicy and it was awesome! I cracked open some red wine, turned up the tunes, and got ready to go out.

I did end up in the red dress because it was Valentine's day and it's the last opportunity to wear it this year - it's too festive for regular wear. I headed to Em's around 8, stopping to chat with one of our neighbours (Colin - he's a cutie) for a few minutes on the way. Kizzy arrived about quarter to nine, and we hung out there until about 9:20 or so. We piled into Kizzy's car, stopped in at Churchills to pick up a tipsy Sarah, and headed to Elwoods.

When we arrived, there were only a handful of people there. By the time the show got started, there were a good number of folks there. It was a fun show. Jason's a great singer, and Adam is just plain fun to watch. Sarah and I stayed to the end, I picked up copies of the Penny Blacks cd for Alex and myself, and then headed home (thanks for the lift Sarah - it was cold!). I was wired when I got home, so I uploaded the cd to my iTunes, and the photos from my camera and posted them to Facebook. It was about 2 am by the time I got to bed.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Health, Music

posted by Lisa at 11:26 AM |

 
Hit me from the back side. I am on the white side. You are on the black side.

We were sent home early due to the crazy weather yesterday, which included some crazy flooding in areas not prone to flooding (like in front of my apartment - I live on a hill!). Jay cancelled rehearsal because the roads were so bad, and there was literally 2 inches of water on the street at any given time.

I'd had plans to meet Suzy after rehearsal, so I called her, and she invited me to come down for supper. I bundled up and splashed my way down Duke. We had a tasty supper (thanks again friends!), caught up as it had been weeks since we last hung out, and watched "Superbad." Why don't I have a copy of that movie yet?

Despite the rain, the walk home was kind of nice. It was warm, and I totally wanted to go puddle jumping. If it hadn't been so late, I think I would have. ^_^ Instead, I spent some time chatting with friends on and offline, downloaded some new tunes (seriously, I think I need a new Nano - 2 gigs is not cutting it anymore!), and went to bed early because I was feeling cold-like symptoms.

Today I'm definitely stuffy, and I'm a bit congested. I'm hoping to skip out early to get to the drugstore to get some medication, and maybe take a nap before meeting the girls before Elwoods. I'm hoping this cold will run its course so that I'm not sick when I'm out of town next week. Thanks cold gods, your timing is impeccable. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Health, Movies, Music

posted by Lisa at 11:48 AM |

 
Ted-ing

There is a great episode of "How I Met Your Mother" in season one called "The Pineapple Incident." The whole thing starts with the gang making fun of Ted for over-thinking every situation. Ted gets drunk and stops thinking and embarks on a series of adventures.

I've been thinking about a certain situation to constantly. And talking it to death. (Thank you to my very understanding friends for humoring me :P). I *know* I'm over analyzing, but I can't seem to stop! I've been telling myself to just park it - it's not really the kind of thing that requires a lot of over thinking. I know that its going to work out - life has a way of doing that - but my brain, like Ted's, isn't willing to just let life do its thing.

So I'll keep thinking about and I'll probably keep talking about it. Just bear with me - I'm hoping it will resolve itself soon.

Tuesday's Girl

Yesteday Jay came over to get me and we had lunch at the Market. We had been in the habit of having lunch at least once a week, and haven't been able to in a while between our various schedules. It was nice to hang out and catch up (thanks Jay!).

After work, I reheated some leftovers, and then headed down to the Jay's for rehearsal. We're doing text analysis this week. It was good to start delving into the text - Carol is very different from me and I'm already relating to her a bit more than I did before. After rehearsal, Em came over (cause what's a Tuesday without Em? ^_^) and we chatted for a good hour before watching a couple episodes of HIMYM.

And why is texting so addictive? I mean really? I like feeling connected to people, and the people I text the most tend to be just as bad as me - it's almost like IM-ing. But someone made a teasing comment yesterday and I realized that I may be texting some folks too much. So, if I'm sending you too many, please just let me know, and I'll try to cut back.

Oh, and I'm definitely getting a cold. I keep sneezing and my nose is runny. *sigh* The timing is impeccable, really. I'm going to have to take it easy for the next week so I can get it through my system before I go away.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Health, Theatre, TV

posted by Lisa at 10:50 AM |

 
I Wonder If It's A Condition

I think I may be physically incapable of not being busy. Seriously, you should see me schedule. :P I shouldn't complain because I go crazy when I have too much time on my hands. Not that it happens often, but I recall. I think it makes me appreciate my free time all the more when I don't have much. ^_^

So, I made out a list of things I want to do - It's on the left hand side bar of this blog. I am determined to do as much of it as possible. In that spirit, I met with Skot and Scott last night at the Alehouse (I will either refer to them henceforth as The Boys, cause they're a fair bit younger than I, or The Scotts) to discuss the possibility of me fronting their band. Now that I've talked to them, listened to some samples of the stuff they want to do, I'm kind of excited about it. It's something I've always wanted to do, so we're going to start out with a few songs they've already got written and then I'll get into the song writing process with them. We're meeting again next Monday to jam. ^_^

I got home a little after 11, chatted with a couple of friends and went to be around 1, per usual.

Tonight we're doing text work for Act 1 of 'Oleanna.' I'm looking forward to delving into the script. ^_^

Labels: Daily Life, Music

posted by Lisa at 1:21 PM |

 
Working on the List

Friday I met Jason at Churchills for a drink. We'd both had a long week, and before you know it, we'd each enough beer that driving to the Blue Olive was out. We ended up popping into Elwoods so Jason could drop off some posters, picked up a 6 pack and went to his place to hang out before heading to karaoke. We actually didn't leave his place until about midnight. Sarah and Jay met us there, and we were able to get in a few songs before the bar closed at 2.

Needless to say, after about 10 beer and staying up until 3:30-ish, getting up for 8:30 for our first reading of 'Oleanna' was less than pleasant. :P The reading went very well though. It took a bit to find the rhythm, one of the best and worst things about Mamet is the way he writes dialogue, broken with half expressed thoughts and sentences. After the reading, I went to meet Dre, and we made our way out to the mall for Starbucks, and so she could run a few errands. Keith met us at her place when we finished, and we ended up hanging out for the afternoon before having dinner at Swiss Chalet. I hadn't been in ages - so tasty! ^_^ The evening was spent watching movies. We watched "The Nines" with Ryan Reynolds and Melissa McCarthy, which was just excellent. I can't really tell you what it's about without ruining it for you except to say it's 3 interwoven stories where the characters are all played by the same actors. We also watched 'Blade' because Dre hadn't seen it. The evening was also punctuated with some hilarious texts from Matt. :-P

Yesterday was pretty quiet. I'd been up late, of course, and we had our second 'Oleanna' reading at 12:30. I did get out to pick up the latest Buffy issue, had coffee with Al around 8, and arranged to meet a guy this evening about the possibility of me fronting his band. ^_^ It was good to have a quiet night to myself because the next two weeks are going to be jam packed.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Movies, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 11:44 AM |

 
Dirt and Drama

It has been a really long week, and I'm glad it's almost over. I don't really have time to be posting, but I need a break! Actually, I think I need a break in general. My upcoming trip is proving to be very timely (13 more sleeps! ^_^).

Tuesday night was my regular date with Em - we watched "Eastern Promises." It was really good, and man, you've got to give props to Viggo for the completely nude fight scene. It takes guts to have your junk flopping around on screen!

I woke up Wednesday feeling very flu-ish. I was pretty miserable actually, and spent the day alternating between the couch and my bed. It was a long and horrible day and surprisingly stressful.

I was back to work yesterday, even though I wasn't feeling my best. I was greeted with a stack of work, literally, and spent the day with my nose to the grindstone. I barely dented the pile. The Serenity game last night was a welcome distraction - killing things always makes me feel less stressed. :P I got to do an old fashioned fast draw gun fight, and we did a couple of neat flashbacks. I got home around 11, chatted with a few folks via text messages and Facebook, and went to bed.

Sarah has been my Friday night date these past couple of weeks, but she has a work function. I'm hoping someone is up for a drink after work with the possibility of checking out the Blue Olive later?

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Gaming, Health, Movies

posted by Lisa at 10:06 AM |

 
I'm Pulling a Ted - I Need 5 Shots!

Friday night I met up with Sarah, Em, Kizzy, and Jason at Churchills for beer o'clock. Sarah's co-worker was there as well, and we all squeezed into a booth for a couple of hours of chatting. At 9-ish, Sarah and I headed to Prince Edward Square to meet Jay for karaoke. Of course, it didn't start until 10:30. :P It was a good time regardless, and between Sarah and Jay, we won 5 free drinks. I hit the wall around 12:30, but we stayed until 1:30 to get the most out of our free drinks. The roads were terrible, so Sarah crashed at my place.

We slept in until 11. She had to rush home because her other book club was meeting at noon. I poked around the apartment until 1:30-ish. I dropped off some mail and my laundry before heading to the SJTC building to check out the progress and offer feedback. It's looking pretty amazing so far - they've done so much! I can't wait for it to be finished! ^_^ Sarah, Dre and I then piled into the car with Jay and Lisa and we hit the mall for Starbucks. Yum! I ended up hanging out with Jay and Lisa watching movies for the evening.

I was tired when I left their place, but when I got home, I could not relax. I was so wired from getting a full 8 hours of sleep. :P I was up until 6 am, and woke up at 9:30. I lounged in bed for about an hour, day dreaming (and hoping to doze off again) before giving up and just getting up. Mom picked me up at 1:45 and we went to meet Sarah, Chris and Suzy at the cineplex to see "There Will Be Blood." Stellar movie - Daniel Day Lewis should win the Oscar. I'm still rooting for "No Country-" for best picture, but it's a tough race this year.

I got home just in time to pick up my laundry and head to Jay and Lisa's with Dre for D&D. It was a good session. Lots of action and some fun story developments. It was 11 when I got home. Despite being tired, I was up until 1 am. *sigh*

I woke up yesterday at 5:30 and could not fall back to sleep. I finally gave up at 7 and hopped in the shower to wake myself up completely. My day was redonkulously busy, which was good. I'd much rather be busy. ^_^ I ran a few errands after supper and Sarah came over to watch the first two episodes of 'The Tudors." Mmmm... Jonathan Rhys Myers = hotness. :d

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Movies, TV

posted by Lisa at 7:55 AM |

 
Happy Friday!

It's been a long and busy week at work - I am glad its Friday! Sarah and I are going to celebrate Friday at beer o'clock this evening if anyone wishes to join us. ^_^

Last night Sarah picked me up at the Superstore, we dropped off some groceries and then went to Sebastian to have a celebratory drink. She got a bonus for all her hard work yesterday, and I - after swearing I needed a break from theatre - was offered the role of 'Carol' in "Oleanna." Seeing as I love Mamet, and this kind of role doesn't come up very often, I couldn't say no. I'm not entirely sure when the show is going up except that it's in March some time, nor do I know when rehearsals start, or where exactly it will be performed (although I think it will be on campus somewhere). Once I read the script, I was hooked, and now I'm very excited!

So many good things to look forward to!

But I've digressed. ^_^ We hung out at Sebastian until a little after 9, and I spent the evening poking around the apartment - watched a bit of tv, entertained was entertained by the kitties, chatted with Dre, did my hair and then capped the evening off with a super long, super hot shower (One more reason to love my apartment - awesome water pressure and its always way hot).

Labels: Daily Life, Friends

posted by Lisa at 8:54 AM |

 
Blog Five!

Tuesdays have become my Emily night, but since she got stuck this week, we rain-checked and she came over last night. We chatted for a bit, and then went on a mission to get HIMYM season 2 on DVD so we wouldn't have to watch it on my computer. Scott kindly brought over a season (thanks Scott-you're the best!), but it turned out to be season 1. We bundled up, and went on a (minor) adventure to his place to do a trade. ^_^

We watched 4 or 5 episodes, finishing with 'Slap Bet.' I think Em agreed that it is one of the best 22 minutes on tv in years. ^_^ The decision was also made that I am Lilly and she is Robyn (mostly because of the height difference I think :P).

I had a heck of a time sleeping last night though. First, my brain would not shut off. The last time I recall looking at my clock, it was 1:30 am. I slept fitfully - lots of dreams - and woke up at 5:30 am. I laid awake until about 7 am, crashed until 7:55, left a message for Jay to skip me this morning, crashed again until 8:30 and then ran around to get to work.

I is very tired today. :P

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, TV

posted by Lisa at 9:21 AM |

 
Full of Light

So yesterday was my first day actually on the new job. I was doing a lot of grunt work, but I don't mind. It was nice to be productive, and to be getting more familiar with the programs I'll be using daily.

I treated myself to Thai Hut green curry last night for supper before heading to the loft for the reading of "Rossum's Universal Robots." It was a small turn out - only 5 of us - but it was great to hear the script read a lot. It really is a fascinating story. We discussed afterwards how so many of the modern sci fi stories, such as "I Robot," and "The Matrix" really got their beginnings from "R.U.R."

It's a long-ish show though, and we didn't finish until 9:30. Tuesday is usually my Emily night, but she was stuck working on an essay, so I spent the evening watching some TV and battling Alex for the title of 'How I Met Your Mother Trivia Guru.' True story. I was winning as of midnight, but he's got an hour on me in the evenings. :-P

Labels: Daily Life, Food, Theatre

posted by Lisa at 8:09 AM |

 
Look at Me!

Actually doing some of the work I was hired to do! Woot! ^_^

Labels: Daily Life

posted by Lisa at 9:17 AM |

 
Living

I woke up today feeling conflicted and a little down. Then I got into to work and chatted with my former cubemate whose husband is terminally ill and immediately realized I've no reason - no right! - to be down. I have so many people in my life who I care about and who care about me, a good job, a hobby I'm passionate about, and so many things to look forward to. There are two things weighing on my mind, but they are not things I should allow to get me down.

I had a very busy weekend. Friday night I headed to my mom's for lobster dinner with her and Richard. One can't go wrong with lobster, and I hung out there until about 11 pm - it was a good time. I was pretty beat and went home, read for a bit, and then hit the hay relatively early (for me).

Saturday I lounged around in bed until about 11:30 am to get a start on "Pillars of the Earth," our book club selection. I had lunch, and then hit the mall. I didn't really have the extra money, but I really needed jeans. I tried on at least 45 pairs, and ended up with 2. I got home around 6:30, ran to the liquor store, had supper and then got ready for whatever the evening was to hold. Sarah arrived around 8-ish, and we hung out until about 10 before heading to Churchills for a drink. She wasn't feeling great and went home around 11:30/12, and I headed to A Khord to check out the Tom Fun Orchestra. They were excellent - they're this cool folk/rock combo - and I picked up a copy of the cd for myself and one for Jay for his b-day. Dan and Keith were there and I ended up hanging out with them and going to breakfast at the Colonial. I haven't been there in ages! When did it become a breakfast buffet?! Of course, it ended up being way too late when I went to bed. :-P

Sunday I didn't wake up until a little after 11. I grabbed my book, went to Tim's for soup and spent an hour and a half reading. That was pretty much my entirely afternoon - reading. I was able to get through about 400 pages by 7 pm. I didn't finish it, but at least I was able to discuss the book. ^_^ I probably could have finished it, but I'm easily distracted. :-P

Also, new musical obsession: Susie Suh. Beautiful.

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Music, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 8:31 AM |

 
My Wall is Broken!

Jason came over last night to watch "The Holiday" with me. He said it was cute, but I think he may have exagerated his love of chick flicks. :P I've really been enjoying to get to know people better these past months, and having company is always good. ^_^ I actually kind of love having people over - I adore my apartment so much, that I like sharing it with others.

While he was there, I mentioned my wall-o-heat (tm). He touched it and it wasn't hot! I touched it and it wasn't hot! It wasn't even warm! It was like a normal wall! It still wasn't hot this morning. There was a note under my door when I got home last night indicating they were installing natural gas in my building and something about the water. I don't know if the wall just hadn't had time to reheat after being off all day, or if it won't ever be hot again because they've switched to the gas. I hope it's the former - the wall-o-heat (tm) is one of the charming quirks about my place!

Oh, and guess who slept a full 6 hours? Yup, it was me. Hells yeah! :P

Labels: Daily Life, Friends, Movies, Stuff

posted by Lisa at 9:45 AM |