and about that...

"no spring nor summer beauty hath such grace..." -john donne

2008-10-20T20:38:00.008-04:00

so this fall has been quite a whirlwind too!
we celebrated our 4th anniversary...
had another super cute photo shoot with my favorite model and her cousin...
started a studio lighting course...

spent a weekend in ny visiting the bro's new pad and checking out the apple festival...

go training to toronto for an eaton centre shopping excursion with lisa...
(yes, we tried on a LOT of hats... this isn't even half of them!)

oh, and did i mention WORKING A LOT!?
fall day school portraits are wrapping up but hockey and senior grad photos are in full swing and keeping me muy busy! i'm so very, very, (very) much looking forward to our 2 week vacation that starts next wednesday!

summer reflections part 3

2008-09-15T16:37:00.002-04:00

for the first time EVAR i attempted to grow tomatoes in the backyard. they haven't done too bad, surprisingly enough! i've even made salsa and NINE varieties of jam!

i've also been pretty busy photographically speaking, with outings with the hamilton flickr group, a wedding photography workshop, and photoshoots. and i have a contract position taking school portraits and sports photos this fall while still working at my old job one day a week. AND i start a studio lighting course next week.

this summer has actually been pretty stellar and i'm sad to say goodbye. but the fall brings new things and exciting destinations...

summer reflections part 2

2008-09-15T16:30:00.006-04:00

the road trip was incredible, i got to see parts of this country i've never seen before and spend some quality girl time.

being semi-employed this summer has also afforded me the luxury of chillin with my dog, working on my tan (ha!), pool time with heather & miss emma bean, and reading.

summer reflections part 1

2008-09-15T16:17:00.003-04:00

as i sift through photos, i'm saddened that this summer has rapidly come to an end! just a semi-small update for those who don't know, i quit my admin job in the spring and promptly headed off on a trans-canada road trip with two of the hottest chickies this side of the atlantic. we left hamilton on june 27 and three cars, five stormy (but bear-free) nights in tents, two much-deserved hotel stays, and ZERO moose later, we arrived in vancouver!

long overdue

2008-03-06T19:15:00.005-05:00

after a brief (eight year) hiatus, please welcome the questionably triumphant return of... the BANGS! and while they certainly are not bigger, they are better, albeit a bit soccer-mom-ish.

and now i'll leave you with a few pics of my new work "office." (and no, whatever photography skills i had are not deteriorating- i just took them with my cell phone.)
ps. do not, i repeat do not, bring pillars of the earth to work. because, maybe you'll get no work done because maybe when you put it away in a drawer, you will still want to read it. all day. maybe.

a wise guy

2008-02-29T10:50:00.002-05:00

My Utmost for His Highest (Oswald Chambers)
February 29, 2008

He said, ’Lord, that I may receive my sight’ —Luke 18:41

...Be persistent with your disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself. Don’t deify common sense. To sit calmly by, instead of creating a disturbance, serves only to deify our common sense. When Jesus asks what we want Him to do for us about the incredible problem that is confronting us, remember that He doesn’t work in common sense ways, but only in supernatural ways.

...If it is an impossibility, it is the very thing for which we have to ask. ...And God will do what is absolutely impossible.

...God will do it if you will ask Him. But you have to come to the point of believing Him to be almighty. We find faith by not only believing what Jesus says, but, even more, by trusting Jesus Himself. If we only look at what He says, we will never believe. Once we see Jesus, the impossible things He does in our lives become as natural as breathing. The agony we suffer is only the result of the deliberate shallowness of our own heart. We won’t believe; we won’ t let go by severing the line that secures the boat to the shore— we prefer to worry.

take it for what it is

2008-02-16T10:19:00.004-05:00

i hate when people start their posts by saying something like "wow, can't believe it's been so long since my last post..." or "i promise to start writing more..." like they owe it to somebody to blog. face it, if you post out of obligation, it's just not as exciting to read. plus, who's to say that people actually read your blog anyway? so that being said, i'll start today's post.

wow, i'm not sorry i haven't blogged in awhile! things have been busy and i kinda like it (altho i'm fairly certain i'll be getting prematurely gray as a result). the last (almost) two months have been quite the busy ones, that's for sure. christmas (of course), parental visits, a long-awaited visit from dear melissa, new year's eve wine & game night, supper & chat with globe-trotting cher bear, taking in some theater and concerts with a newly reacquainted buddy(that's you debbie jane!), a very happy birthday spent at a dance competition with mom and the "outlaws," shopping for the birthday present that my darling husband had been canvassing the continent for funds to help him afford (a macbook!), visiting a new mommy, dinner and driving with taiwan-napped naomi, photographing my first "real" wedding with the best assistant ever (again, you debbie jane!), movie with sis-in-law, monday night bible study/gabfest, teaching sunday school... and this weekend jj & lisa are coming up to visit! and that's just on the home front! i'm finding it necessary to invite people over just so that i'm forced to clean my house- otherwise i don't find the time/energy! ;)

at work, we've moved our office to a new location and i've also submitted a proposal to work for them as an independent contractor, which would mean some major changes if they go for it.

both my dad and norm's dad have heard the word "cancer" in the last few months and we're still waiting to hear exactly what's going on. my dad has gotten the "it's not cancer, but we don't actually know what it is" from his doctor but we're not sure yet about norm's dad.

so, thus far, this year's turning out to be a doozy, for better or worse. but God is good so we'll see where He takes us.

ps. if you create a clever scavenger hunt, including 10 creative reasons why you love me, and at the end leave an ooey, gooey, chocolate, brownie, caramel cheesecake for me to find, i will indeed be yours.

2007-12-19T14:06:00.000-05:00

snow!

2007-12-02T17:51:00.000-05:00

bibs!

2007-11-09T19:11:00.000-05:00

2007-10-24T08:17:00.000-04:00

fall is a funny time of year for me and i seem to get very restless. maybe it's because i'm so used to having things "change" during this time of year. for seventeen years, school has started in september. i got married, honeymooned, and moved in september. i tend to travel out of country september/october. i've changed jobs twice in october.

but now in my "stable" life-- home, job, life-- you'd think i'd finally settle and relax. instead i get very antsy. i have a huge list of things to do and projects to complete in the near future (like read books that never seem to come off my "to read" list, finish that stained glass project, paint the stairway, finish the baseboards, work on some christmas and baby gifts, throw a baby shower or two, organize photos and put some albums together, put my recipes in some kind of order, get my side job up and running, get my sewing machine fixed, and... oh yeah... finish my photography certificate-- just to name a few of the actually fun ones!) but even when i'm accomplishing something, my mind is constantly jumping and i can't seem to settle.

this week, i start going through "the purpose driven life" (again, apparently i didn't get it the first time!) and God seems to be telling me a few things re: my "purpose":

that i'm not as clueless as i pretend to be, He's given me so many resources (the Bible, prayer, life experiences, etc.) that will show me the way if i'd only pay attention
that i have to dig for the good stuff (diamonds need to be mined, pearls are hidden in oysters, etc.)
i need to give him my open hand as opposed to a closed fist. yes, God can take anything from an open hand, but He can also give.

my socks no longer smell like beer!

2007-09-29T14:19:00.001-04:00

we survived yet another trip during hurricane season! here are some highlights from the hamilton-dekker cruise 2007 aboard the carnival valor:

day 1: depart miami- we'd arrived in miami the day before and stayed at the radisson downtown for uber cheap (thanks to hotwire.com), enjoyed a long walk and leisurely breakfast and then headed to the ship. onboard, we lined up for the muster drill (to inform us where to go in case of emergency. see lifejacket photos- these canadians were melting in all that tropical heat!)

day 2: at sea

day 3: grand cayman- after a short stop in hell (name of the town), we went to the turtle farm (uber exciting for jamie) and swimming with sting rays in the wild! it was the most amazing thing and i hope i never forget it.

day 4: isla roatan, honduras: i was up early and saw dolphins swimming next to the ship! we ventured out on our own. it was very obvious we were in a 3rd world country and the cruise lines hadn't commercialized the port yet. it was a little rough, but very naturally beautiful. it was kinda nice seeing how people really live- kids were getting out of school, playing in the water, and laughing at us tourists sloppin through the downpouring rain.

day 5: belize- we took a crowded boat ride down the river wallace where we searched for manatees, saw oodles of iguanas, monkeys, bats, and vegetation. it was cool to see these animals really in the wild- not in a tourist zoo type place. then we took a bus ride to altun ha mayan ruins.

day 6: cozumel, mexico (we were originally scheduled to go to costa maya but the hurricane destroyed most of it) - we snorkled and walked 5 miles to the shopping district. and we found the exact same mexican vanilla we'd purchased on our honeymoon- it's so yummy!

day 7: at sea headed back to miami- took a tour of one galley (kitchen- the ship has four!), saw my beloved warm chocolate melting cake being prepared (i had it 6 out of 7 nights for dessert!). just before dinner, the ship got a call from the us coastguard about a situation we had to stop and check out. we picked up 10 cuban refugees in their "chug" (homemade boat)- it was kinda sad and i sorta hoped they'd refuse to get onboard but a storm hit that night so it was probably a good thing they did get on the ship. the whole "wet foot" policy is summed up like this: if cubans can make it to us soil, then they can be legally processed. if they are picked up or helped at sea, they get shipped back to cuba... unless they can prove that they'll be persecuted upon their return. it's all sorta sketchy but that's my understanding of it. later at night, during a fairly heavy rainstorm, the cubans were transferred to a us coastguard ship. here's an extremely brief newstory on the cuban refugees we picked up: http://www.wftv.com/news/14188056/detail.html and some interesting reading on the topic of policy re: cuban refugees if you're interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet_feet,_dry_feet_policy-.

day 8: flights back home were loooong. we waited five hours in the airport for our "short" 45min flight from ft. lauderdale to orlando which ended up being delayed because of a storm in orlando, resulting in us waiting for over an hour on the runway. they held our connecting flight for us but two of our suitcases didn't make it onboard. (the ones with the alcohol- suspicious no?) our luggage came on the next flight and was delivered to us at home on monday intact except for one bottle of beer. i'd packed socks (clean ones!) around them to help prevent breakage but... i had some pretty wet and smelly socks!

it was a fantastic trip thanks to God, thanks to the cruise line and thanks to the dekkers for being such great travel companions. it's good to be home and finally caught up on the laundry!

cottaging on keuka...

2007-08-20T21:49:00.000-04:00

wish i was still there...

exploding watermelon?

2007-08-01T12:12:00.000-04:00

we had quite the busy weekend (hang on, i'll get to the exploding watermelon...eventually!)...

friday night we were visited by amanda, ryan, alan & heather and enjoyed a lovely marinated pork tenderloin courtesy of the dekkers and some rowdy mario party.
saturday morning, my dear melissa (from vancouver via orillia) arrived for the reckman wedding. we were off for pedicures (& manicures!) at a new place just up the street. surprise, we chose the same colors.
saturday afternoon we headed to crystal beach for the wedding. it was lovely to see long lost friends again and to dance the night away to the incredible Garner.
sunday morning we went to church and after lunch, melissa headed back to orillia.
sunday afternoon we headed to buffalo's cheesecake factory to meet mom, bob, jj & sarah to celebrate mom's birthday. gooooood cheescake....
monday after work deb, corrine, rana, and minh came over for supper and taboo! (the best team won... just kidding!) and i broke a chair. so gracefully too, i'm sure.

so today's my day off and i got up early to get some stuff done. i took some pictures and played with my new flash and by 9am i was peeling apples for a pie. i had purchased a small watermelon intending to serve it monday night but we never got around to it so it was still sitting on the counter. maybe i should've put it in the fridge! i heard this hissing sound and i looked around but thought it was just the plastic bag from the apples crinkling in breeze from the fan. a few minutes later, i was still hearing it. i noticed that there was juice coming from the watemelon and thought, that can't be good, maybe i should cut it up and put it in the fridge. thankfully i plopped it in the sink before slicing into it because when i stuck the knife in, it burst open spraying my face, hair, and glasses with stinky rotten watermelon juice! needless to say it went straight to the compost bin on the porch. who knew watermelons could explode?

anyhoo, i'm off to shower (yes, there's still stinky juice in my hair) and run some errands, just thought i should blog about our fun friend-filled last few days!

[insert clever, attention-grabbing title here]

2007-07-15T21:59:00.000-04:00

oma's 88th birthday party

i've completed three more blankets...

happy 4th of july!

2007-07-04T08:40:00.000-04:00

i know that i'm in canada and that this picture was actually taken on canada day. and... i think i generally behave fairly well as an stranger in a foreign land. i try to ignore digs at george bush, being able to buy guns at walmart and beer & cigarettes at a pharmacy, and comments about burning down the white house. i laughed at the comedy now canada day special. i think tim horton's has worked its way into my dna (altho ice capps are disgusting). i enjoy "free" healthcare. i've even been able to diminish my "american" accent for the most part (it comes out on rare occasions, especially after talking to my dad). all in all i love canada. but that's not what this is about.

today is the 4th of july-- and i'm american. and i think it triggers something uniquely rebellious, prideful, and just a little bit wistful somewhere deep inside me.

so yes, i'm living in canada but I AM AMERICAN and today, I'M PROUD OF IT! :D

hamilton tree fairy?

2007-06-30T11:33:00.000-04:00

background: kind-hearted hamilton has a free tree planting program. being treeless, we were stoked. about a month ago we applied online, someone came to check out our yard and left a note in our mailbox saying to call and tell them what kind of tree we wanted. i called but had to leave a message as the office was closed and hadn't heard anything back. it had been a couple weeks so last night when i got home and checked the mail, looked at the yard and thought, tuesday i should give them a call to see if they got my tree request.

around 9pm last night i was chatting with melissa on the phone while sitting on the front porch. i was commenting to her about the people across the street and at the park, etc. nothing was out of the ordinary with our front yard. then, around midnight, i headed upstairs to bed. as i opened the window in the bedroom, i saw this beauty:

down in our front yard! (it was darker then- i took this picture this morning). our lovely schubert chokecherry (i'm diggin the name) was definitely NOT there at 9pm but was there at midnight?? we, including our ever-perceptive guard dog, did not hear a thing! no digging, no truck, nothing! thus the only logical conclusion is that there is a hamilton tree fairy. so thank you, hamilton tree fairy!

mmm...saturday morning

2007-06-30T10:38:00.000-04:00

wiikends and so on...

2007-06-27T17:59:00.000-04:00

phewf, it's hot!

two weekends ago my sister came up and we made jam. lots of jam. and it's yummy. she mentioned that she watched pride & prejudice (the new one) and is now reading the book so i (so kindly) got her started on the colin firth version straightaway.

last weekend my mom came up and we had a (not so lucrative) yardsale in my front yard. we still have lots of junk left. we rented three girly movies (dream girls- entertaining enough, because i said so- painfully annoying and not all that funny, and the queen- seemed more like a tv special but made me want to learn more about her). we've also been taking advantage, er, i mean, have graciously sacrificed our time to thoroughly check on the hamiltons' pool while they are away (florida again). after mom left, n & i thought we'd better give the hamiltons' new wii some attention too. let me tell you, i now have baseball, bowling, and tennis elbow. so sad.

and in lieu of paying me mucho cashola for photographing their wedding next may, joe & diana have secured my services through gifts... of photo gear! within the last couple weeks i've become the proud new owner of a tripod, flash, photoshop (elements), AND a new lens!!! lots of new toys to play with! they even gave me their wedding rings to photograph for their invites/program etc.

in other news, rebecca (friend since third grade!) is having a baby in august! and her little sister is due 6 weeks later! i've added their baby blog to the list at the right.

jamie = brave?

2007-06-14T23:28:00.000-04:00

so i was in best buy last week shopping for a tripod and was chatting with the salesperson about all things photo and he mentioned that there was a hamilton flickr group (hfg- clever name, i know) that meets up at least once a month to go on photo outings, the next one being this past wednesday evening at baranga's on the beach (near hutch's...). so... i hemmed and hawed about it.

i thought i should go because a) it'd force me to get out of my backyard to take pictures, b) i'd be in a group so wouldn't look like a weirdo stalker person with my camera, c) it'd be good for me (socially, photographically, networking-ly, etc), d) i wouldn't have to drag poor hubby along on my photo adventures.

but then i thought that i shouldn't go because a) i'm a big chicken, b) i'm kinda shy, c) i don't know what i'm doing, and d) all of the above.

but then i went. alone. to meet a bunch of people i didn't know. so i walk up to a group of people who carried big cameras around their necks and bags slung over their shoulds and said with sheer brilliancy (wait for it...) "i think you're the people i'm looking for." great. i'm a genious.

anyways, they were all very nice- all guys except for one girl (who's just thrilled to have more estrogen in the group). we must've looked ridiculous, a big group of paparazzi in training, scrambling along the beach, chasing seagulls, crouching in the weeds, and dodging waves for the perfect shot.

you can see more shots from my photo adventure here.

i totally made this...

2007-06-07T20:13:00.000-04:00

ps. awww...

it's days like these,

2007-05-28T14:46:00.000-04:00

when i'm wearing my hair in pigtail buns, capri pants, a sweater, and slippers (to work, no less) that i can kinda understand why my mom wants to nominate me for tlc's what not to wear...

lame defensive excuses include, "but it's so easy," "they're comfy," and the all-time winner: "who cares?"

i'm so classy.

nyc...

2007-05-21T16:39:00.000-04:00

in chronological order (roughly and skipping the more boring bits):

yummy thai food & coldstone creamery,
museum of natural history,
hrc with henny
fao schwarz (walk by's of rockefeller center, plaza hotel, trump towers, tiffany's etc),
empire state building,
mary poppins,
getting left behind on the subway at midnight (norm got off but i didn't)
brunch nyc style,
random turkish parade,
the moma,
staten island ferry,
bbq avec some nice people and lots of laughs
central park,
circle line boat tour,
chocolate by the bald man
lots of walking!!!

thank you amanda & daniel for a great trip!

spring...yessss!

2007-05-09T19:01:00.000-04:00

weekend retreat

2007-05-06T15:20:00.000-04:00

here are some pics from our bible study retreat at the sister servants of mary immaculate retreat centre in ancaster. we stayed in a school (nun school?) that may (may not) have been haunted... either way, icons of Jesus, saints, mary, angels haunted every nook, cranny and wall space, which made for frightening trips down the long dark hallway to the bathroom...

we discovered our spiritual gifts and discussed way to apply them, played games (mad gab and headbanz were a huge hit!) went hiking, made cards, snacked, laughed a lot and slept little!

it was such a beautiful weekend!

wine tour photos

2007-05-01T17:59:00.000-04:00

before:

after:

wine weekend...

2007-04-29T21:55:00.000-04:00

so friday evening i sped down the thruway to dad's for the long-awaited wine tour weekend! (we were planning to do it last year but with dad's broken neck, we decided to hold off.)

saturday we had a 10am departure and our guilt free tour took us to NINE wineries in 6 hours (think: at each winery, we tasted AT LEAST 5 different wines x 9 wineries = A LOT of wine!) all in all, it was REALLY fun! i was nervous there was going to be obnoxious drunkenness but it wasn't, just really, really fun(ny). and now, it's going to be an annual event! :D

since i have not a single picture, memorable moments include (in no particular order):

sarah (jj's underage gf) managing to get served at all but 2 wineries
deb k., deb b., & joanne line dancing (and very badly)
seeing a guy running butt (buck?) naked for a free bottle of wine
chanting loudly as we drank "red cat, red cat, it's an aphrodisiac! red cat, red cat, it will get you in the sack" (best selling wine in ny state... wonder why)
drinking a ridiculous amount of wine-- some good, some very (very) bad--and coming out fairly unscathed
deb b. seeing what she thought was a dog scarf in one of the winery gift shops, but upon closer inspection, discovering it was a thong.
coming home with 4 bottles of wine
lisa misreading wine name "matinee" for "manitee" :D
buying wine for dad ("psst! jamie, here's some money- go buy me a bottle of... psst! jeremy, get me a bottle of...") because the coupons were one per person
seeing dad's face when he discovered he'd bought 16(!!!) bottles of wine by the end of the day
laughing at the more "mature" (old) people as they became more and more "tipsy"
physically fighting for the bathroom in the morning as six people needed to shower
sleepover in lisa's room
breakfast at the sportsman's club
pineappalicious!
not feeling the wine til the last place when we practically had to chug 1/2 glasses of each one (as opposed to the little sips the other wineries poured into our glasses)
lisa, sarah and i watching from the window for 20 minutes as jj and dad attempted to remove cut branches from the tree in the backyard. jj on the ladder, dad handing him tool after tool (rake, clippers, rope) and finally getting the big branch down... taking most of the tree with it!
sitting on the dock by the pond trying to catch goldfish with a tin can

tuesday play date

2007-04-25T22:01:00.000-04:00

trying to convince the dog to chase bubbles proved more difficult than anticipated...

long overdue

2007-04-22T22:03:00.000-04:00

so i can't decide if a lot has been going on lately or nothing at all. here's a quick events recap of the last few weeks in no particular order:

started sewing classes on wednesdays with my mother in law (i can now successfully thread my sewing machine which is a HUGE achievement for me and am working on a fleece for my mom.)
had three job interviews, was offered a position, and turned it down.
booked a cruise for september (yippee!)
sewed some curtains for our bedroom (FINALLY)
spent a weekend in brockport getting a pedicure and shopping with mom, lunched with beth & her mom, had dinner with jj & sarah at "sticky lips" bbq (i ordered the "rita hayworth" special) and then coldstone creamery for dessert!
attended dinger & vanessa's wedding
took the dog to the vet (always a highlight)
umm... i'm sure there's other stuff that i can't think of right now

here are some upcoming events:

weekend at dad's (for a wine tour!)
getting new glasses
weekend retreat with bible study ladies
long weekend in nyc to visit amanda & daniel in may
shopping for garden plants at the gem's plant sale
umm...
sleeping. now. 'night.

did you know...

2007-03-28T14:56:00.000-04:00

that i have a photograph hanging in the art gallery of ontario??

ok, i wish... really i just went here: http://www.dumpr.net/museumr.php?

key west

2007-03-26T22:33:00.000-04:00

i know i should post about our trip and i was working on it... but i couldn't decide which pics to post and this here already took me an embarrassing amount of time... so consider this a preview:

more will follow when it's not past my bedtime. :D

i should not be ordering funeral flowers for a 4 yr old.

2007-03-07T07:17:00.000-05:00

turns out i can't go to the funeral today. the airline wanted to be a loser about changing my flight. they were completely unhelpful which is really frustrating. and i feel like such a loser because here i am going on vacation but i can't go to my only nephew's funeral. i just wish i could be there with my brother.

so one more day til florida. i'm really looking forward to getting away. oddly enough, i plan on getting a lot done- reading, creating, photographing, and soul searching but hopefully it will be productive. God's really been doing something in me, through a lot of people and books and i'm looking forward to (hopefully) some time to really think.

sorry folks...

2007-03-05T21:31:00.000-05:00

due to a recent rash in "spam" type comments on my past posts, comment moderation has been enabled. i'm sick of going back through my posts deleting these dumb things and can't think of a better way to prevent them other than the word verification, which is a pain in the arse. :D

march 4

2007-03-04T21:22:00.000-05:00

riley died today. i guess there's no other way to say it. along with the news came all sorts of emotions.

sadness- four years old...it's too young for anyone to die.
relief- from suffering, from living each day knowing that he would never crawl or play or call for daddy, from waiting day by day for four years for this phone call to come.
confusion- why was he here? did he suffer? why did he live so long? why did God take him now? what are we to learn from this? what happens next? how will my family handle this?

the feelings repeat and overlap in an intricately choreographed mourning dance. but who's the choreographer and why won't the music just stop so i can catch my breath?

ps. my great grandmother's sister, "annie boo" as she was affectionately called, although no one really remembers why, died last week at the age of 99, just four days before her hundredth birthday this tuesday.

there's plenty of room! anyone else want to tag along?

2007-03-03T21:10:00.000-05:00

11 days til i'm here...

2007-02-25T22:57:00.000-05:00

i know, i'm a brat. my mom already told me.

2007-02-14T14:51:00.000-05:00

monday play date

2007-02-06T18:22:00.000-05:00

one of a kind? guess not...

2007-02-06T13:55:00.001-05:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
269
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

oh, and ps. 69.86 percent of people with the first name Jamie are female.
so why does everyone assume i'm a boy?

is it even possible...

2007-02-03T09:15:00.000-05:00

for my car to slurp through a whole jug of washer fluid in 2 weeks?
for walmart to be out of washer fluid?
for my boss' wife to ask "have you ever heard of elvis presley?"
for cassava chips to taste so good? (go to bulk barn and get some NOW! do it! try the spicy ones and prepare for the inferno, or just try the plain ones. and get some plantain chips while you're there too. do it!)
for me to be really excited about doing my photography homework?
for me to currently be reading more than six books at a time and excited about them all? (actually reading them, unlike school books...)
for me to be unable to remember the last time i had a phone conversation with melissa? (i think it was last friday? maybe??)
for a rice steamer to come without a warning label and for me to burn my hand pretty good? oh wait, there IS a warning label...
for people to look out a window at the world and say that there is no God?

mmmmocha....

2007-01-25T08:35:00.000-05:00

if only starbucks delivered. :(

two five on the two five

2007-01-24T22:54:00.000-05:00

1982

Pac-Man attracts girls as well as boys to home video games.
From Japan, a camera with electronic picture storage, no film.
Tron from Disney is both feature film and arcade video game.
Sony of Japan and Philips of the Netherlands bring out the compact disc.
Caller ID.
The one-button point-and-click mouse is born.
Also at the movies: E.T., Tootsie, The Verdict, Missing, Das Boot.
Return of the Jedi opens in theaters equipped for its THX sound system.
Commodore 64 introduced; popular with game players.
Michael Jackson's album Thriller sells 25 million copies.
Alice Walker's novel, The Color Purple.
Thomas Keneally's novel, Schindler's List starts as "Schindler's Ark."
U.S. Post Office begins installing optical scanners nationwide.

music chart toppers:
"Physical" - Olivia Newton-John best selling single of the year
"I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" - Daryl Hall & John Oates
"Centerfold" - J. Geils Band
"I Love Rock 'N Roll" - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
"Chariots of Fire Theme" - Vangelis
"Ebony And Ivory" - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
"Don't You Want Me" - Human League
"Eye Of The Tiger" - Survivor
"Hard To Say I'm Sorry" - Chicago
"Jack And Diane" - John Cougar
"Up Where We Belong" - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes
"Truly" - Lionel Richie
"Mickey" - Toni Basil
"Maneater" - Daryl Hall & John Oates

and i LOVE it!!!

the heart beats on...

2007-01-22T22:32:00.000-05:00

yep, still here, altho apparently my friends are getting fewer and farther between due to my lack of keeping in touch (pardon me for working while i'm at work! ahem, melissa!) but i'm not naming names.

mom came up for the weekend and re-claimed the guest room from "melissa's room" to "mom's room." we went shopping on saturday at the outlet mall in the falls (ny) and target. woot. yay for shopping for my own birthday presents.

just before my mom came on friday night, norm graciously offered to clean the bathroom. well, he scrubbed so hard the tiles came off! well, that's not totally true. the tiles on our bathroom wall were already a bit squishy seeming and we knew it was only a matter of time before they fell off. two of them have now sorta caved in so a lovely black garbage bag has been taped up to cover the hole. super... why did we want to own a house again?

sunday night was the "hopefest" for sierra leone which i sucessfully convinced my mom to stay for. last week work was crazy busy in preparation for the fundraiser/information night. i was up to my eyebrows in pictures, chickens, and packing tape re-vamping our displays. my fingers have permanent stickum on them from all the tape and glue sticks. (and they still look like bad grade school projects but meh, i'm not a miracle worker.) it went well. there was a sierra leonean praise and worship team from toronto, my boss spoke, as well as some others. there were even a lot of sierra leonean people there and lots of sl food for everyone to "try." not really my thing. let's just say, it'd be a wise dieting move for me to go to sl for a few weeks.

now this week is the ovma convention in toronto (ontario veterinary medical association- who knew?) so i'm busy prepping for that. and still trying to catch up on bookkeeping. ergh.

why am i talking about work so much? ick.

tomorrow night is the 3rd (of 4) spiritual healing workshops at my church given by alf davis of agape healing minsitries. it's amazing to say the least. i'm kinda nervous tho because at some point we'll be "practicing" on each other... :S

k, well, my pillow is calling.... buenos noches.

maybe we are in ontario after all...

2007-01-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

today is an ice day! so while i was waiting for my car to warm up so i could release it from its icy prison, i walked around my beautiful, bejeweled, ice-palace-like backyard.

2007-01-15T12:50:00.002-05:00

2007-01-15T12:50:00.001-05:00

2007-01-15T12:50:00.000-05:00

2007-01-15T12:49:00.000-05:00

2007-01-15T12:48:00.001-05:00

2007-01-15T12:48:00.000-05:00

2007-01-15T12:47:00.000-05:00

2007-01-15T12:46:00.002-05:00

2007-01-15T12:46:00.001-05:00

2007-01-15T12:46:00.000-05:00

january 13

2007-01-13T10:42:00.000-05:00

i woke up this morning to the most snow we've had yet this year.

i can still see the grass.

you know you're sick when...

2007-01-02T21:34:00.000-05:00

you skip the cheap-o tissues and go for the uber expensive puffs plus (with lotion!)
you spend most of new year's eve at your own party waiting for the stinkin ball to drop so you can go to bed. (i really did have fun tho, sorry for being a such party pooper guys!)
your best bud comes (all the way from vancouver!) to spend FOUR days with you and you spend two of those days in bed, make her clean your house and walk your dog, and miss part of the long-awaited p&p marathon.
your eyes are watering so profusely that when you blink, you spray your glasses. (true story people)
your saliva is tainted pink from all the halls you've been sucking down like air.
your breath has the enticing aroma of menthol. (see #5)
your dog thinks he's in heaven because you leave a trail of tissues and halls wrappers wherever you go (they're his favorite snack- i swear, halls are like puppy crack!)
left over party foods (read: a gazillion cheeseballs, 5 gallons of spinach dip, and pina colada-drop-you-on-the-floor-with-one-sip buckets) don't pique your appetite.
your hubby comes home at 10 o'clock at night with broccoli cheese soup because that's the only thing that appeals to you.
you go to bed with penaten diaper rash cream on your nose.

and on that note, i'm off to get the penaten and drag myself into bed. oh yeah, happy new year to one and all!

wishes of peace (or pieces?)

2006-12-22T12:19:00.000-05:00

so i decided to forgo mr. darcy's lil' santa outfit this year (i'd been accused of animal cruelty), but wanted to make sure he was in the "christmas spirit." so i decided to take a picture of him next to our tree.

he sat nicely, patiently, and obediently until...

the sitting and staying became too unbearable for an energetic doggie and he yielded to the temptation of the snowflake "bait" i'd been dangling over his head.

pikipimp.com, that's all i have to say.

2006-12-22T09:09:00.001-05:00

lame

2006-12-15T14:57:00.000-05:00

is when you only have face to face human interaction with only one person over the course of a day. and it's superficial type of interaction at that. and that person is extremely irritating most of the time. and you just want them to leave.

is when you talk to your dog more than is socially acceptable.

is when you eat crackers and spoonfuls of chocolate goo (fudge that didn't set properly) for supper because it's just too much work to make something decent for just yourself.

our house, with lights

2006-12-14T17:18:00.001-05:00

weekend...

2006-12-10T22:07:00.000-05:00

saturday:
i got up early to prepare for battle. ate a hearty breakfast of... nothing and girded myself for... the MALL on a december saturday. so off i went thinking the enemy(ies) would still have too much sleep in their eyes to inflict too much chaos but they were too crafty for my scheme. i found a parking spot with ease, picked up my long lost jewel (wedding ring from mappins- it needed a repair), and b-lined my way to walmart. (dun Dun DUN!) i grabbed the ONE thing i went in for and battled my way through shopping carts and strollers to the checkout, where i found no "express 8 items or less" lane. thoughts of plunder and pillage filled my addled mind but goodness prevailed and i waited...and waited.

a grueling delay, but i persevered perilously on to fortinos. the troops at home (husband and dog) needed nourisment so off i went in search of vittles. brake-less shopping carts, screaming children, frantic cries, (the smell of fresh baked rolls) assaulted my senses as i careened through the store like a drunken old woman behind the wheel of a 1974 cadillac coupe de'ville.

after what seemed like fortnights, i arrived safely back at the barracks where my aforementioned troops were eagerly awaiting my arrival.

justice has prevailed again!

sunday (abridged):
-i helped teach sunday school this morning for the 5 year old class. and... they didn't eat us alive! they were completely adorable! but then again, it was only for 20-30 minutes.
-i made homemade bbq chicken pizza for lunch (with the chipotle beer sauce)
-i finished some christmas stuff
-i made peanut brittle
-we went to see the holiday which is the BEST movie i've seen in a VERY, VERY LONG time. i completely LOVED it. ya know how when you think a movie is going to be amazing, and people tell you it's amazing, then you go and it's not so amazing? well this was nothing like that. it IS amazing! so much so that i'd actually be willing to see it again in the theater and own it. NOW. and that's the end of my commercial. and my weekend.

mom's christmas present (close up)

2006-12-09T22:46:00.001-05:00

mom's christmas present

2006-12-09T22:46:00.000-05:00

dad's christmas present

2006-12-09T22:45:00.000-05:00

sadness

2006-12-07T21:20:00.000-05:00

1. ugly betty was a re-run
2. more importantly, gray's anatomy was a re-run
3. my dog is a little shit
4. my husband is working late (again)
5. melissa is unreachable by phone b/c she's talking to another long lost friend.

thursday = a bust.

dear Lord,

2006-11-27T14:14:00.000-05:00

please grant me more days in my life and more life in my days.

amen.

a productive weekend...

2006-11-26T15:25:00.000-05:00

here's what i've crossed off my "to do list" just this weekend!
hem & put up living room curtains
hang star lights (norm doesn't mind them, just not ALL year long:D)
buy picture frame
wash towels
send evites
organize computer room
get ikea shelves
hang mirror
work on some christmas presents
trip to canadian tire for misc. supplies:D

still on to do:
fix nightstands
work on more christmas presents
christmas cards
get filing cabinet
build lamps
sew/hang bedroom curtain (so we stop flashing the neighbors)
fix bathroom wall
paint window frames
finish mom's stained glass
make oma's stained glass
wash windows

you know you work in an office when...

2006-11-24T14:13:00.000-05:00

you come home and your husband finds paperclips holding your hair back out of your face!

desperate times call for desperate measures my friends... was better than masking tape!

twice in one week!

2006-11-22T21:36:00.000-05:00

so i had a dream last night that cheryl, melissa, jess and i (and some others maybe?) were living together (still or again?). i vaguely remember adrian being around... anyways, cheryl had the job with youthworks like she has now and was out of town a lot. i remember that this time she came home and couldn't find her toothpaste. she was all upset because she thought melissa had taken it while she was away. and THEN she found her toothpaste on melissa's dresser, which kinda proved that melissa had taken it. so then melissa totally blamed it on me! and i clearly remember saying, "why would i take cheryl's toothpaste and leave it on melissa's dresser? and it doesn't even look like toothpaste, it clearly looks like a shampoo bottle."

and that's all i remember. :D

so this is what our devotional thingy at work said today: squash takes days to grow, an oak tree takes 100 years. which would you rather be? interesting. i wasn't quite sure what they were getting at. is an oak tree way better than a squash? can an oak tree provide food like a squash...? if squash grow fast then it could feed more people...? an oak tree takes 100 years so... it's a slow learner? i dunno.

ya, i know, i suck

2006-11-20T16:46:00.000-05:00

well, at least my blogging sucks. i've just... it's been... ick. i've been too ick to post anything. but no, i'm not suicidal (thanks for asking, melissa!) and i won't ever be:D work's been really crappy and i've been busily working away at house stuff (i'm really re-thinking the whole becoming a homeowner idea) among other things. and i'm starting to think that weekends are even busier than weekdays (altho they're way more fun cuz i'm not at work).

we heard on sunday that it's been said that cemeteries are some of the riches places in the world, for the pockets of the deceased are full of unwritten stories and poems, unseen plays, unheard songs, unrealized works of art, unfulfilled hopes and dreams, etc.

i want to be a poor dead person but it's one of my biggest fears that i'll be among the rich ones.

up.da.te.

2006-10-31T20:45:00.000-05:00

been awhile eh. well, today is halloween and i didn't carve my pumpkin until today thus it ended up looking lame-o like this:

we had an impromptu long weekend get away to florida with the hamiltons. we had fun hangin out with the gang including this guy:

hightlights also include:

spinning uncontrollably on the buzz light year ride because james was "steering" our cart so we could shoot the targets... barf.
seeing a disney employee with suny brockport (the university at home) on her name tag and asking her how she liked brockport only to have her say, "i'm not from there, i'm from syracuse" and me replying, "well...brockport's...nice...." i know i'm a dork but what the heck was i supposed to say to that? why was it on her name tag then? ergh.
going to mickey's "not so scary halloween party" and collecting over 50lbs of candy for the hamilton clan.
being brave and going on splash mountain (a 52 foot drop at the end!) and not even losing my popcorn (that i had unwisely eaten right before the ride)! no biggie to some of you but for me, it was huge! i get nauseous on normal swings! i'll post the embarrassing photo evidence soon.
watching the best kids show ever, toopy and binoo

2006-10-14T22:59:00.000-04:00

2006-10-14T22:43:00.000-04:00

2006-10-14T19:55:00.000-04:00

ugga wugga wig wog

2006-10-11T20:40:00.000-04:00

so my dumb computer decided to be dumb and my dumb usb ports (all of them) seem to not want to work. so here's a list of dumb things that use the dumb usb ports:
-printer/scanner/copier
-camera #1
-camera #2
-memory stick
-mouse (thankfully i have a converter thingy to put it in another hole)

this problem showed itself awhile ago now, but i've just wiped/reloaded my whole computer hoping it would reset itself. no such luck. and the professional opinion is that it's too costly and time consuming to diagnose where the problem lies so it's recommended i just get a new computer. a new computer! this one is less than 2 years old! just old enough to be off the warranty- figures.

so now all my settings, documents, music, pictures(lots), etc have to be reset and copied back over AND my dumb usb ports STILL don't work. so maybe that's not a big deal...but i need my scanner and printer! i have projects to do! ergh.

exciting things...

2006-10-06T20:24:00.000-04:00

it's been a busy week! here are a few highlights:

monday i went to my discipleship class with some ladies from church and we ended up having a really interesting discussion on whether or not salvation can be lost. thoughts anyone?
tuesday i went to a stained glass window class and had to work hardcore to catch up from my missed class last week (due to recent travels) but it's REALLY fun. no burns this week, just a few minor cuts.
wednesday at work i got a letter addressed to me personally from malawi. (i had to look it up on a map cuz i didn't even know where malawi was!) turns out it was some newsletter type thing from some other organization there... not really to me.
thurdsay we got to have dinner at turtle jack's with NAOMI!!! (nome, i'm still full from the appetizers...)
friday i went to an all day workshop in toronto about direct mail fundraising for work. i know i'm a dork but it was really fun! kinda like a field trip! i went by all myself and felt so independent! (i even ate lunch by myself for like the first time ever, i think. subway counts right?) the funny thing was that even tho i registered myself, they still had my boss' name printed on the name tag so i had to flip it over and write my name on it. the other funny thing is that my table buddy was an older man named julius who's from the jews for judaism organization that encourages jews to rediscover/strengthen their jewish-ness, like with programs, education, outreach, etc. he's big into re-coverting christian jews back into judaism. (check out the link!) it was very interesting to say the least. i had no idea what to say...
tomorrow i'll be painting some more and hopefully moving into our new bedroom so that we can paint the downstairs room! and also doing some last minute thanksgiving grocery shopping.
and on sunday... dad, debby, and lisa are coming up to visit and i'm makin turkey! (thankfully they're coming because otherwise we'd have a LOT of turkey to eat!)

we're baaaack! (and oh so happy about it (sarcasm:D))

2006-10-01T17:38:00.000-04:00

go here to see more pics:D

2006-09-22T18:55:00.000-04:00

as of 7:20am Saturday, i am here. well, or on my way anyways. feel free to leave me a message and i'll get back to you when my sunburn wears off:D

smooches!

i love him, i really love him

2006-09-21T15:02:00.000-04:00

sappy haters be forewarned- it's gonna be gushy! but put on your protective gear and read on, my friends!

i love my husband. dorky, eh? we recently celebrated our 2nd anniversary and are gearing up for an exotic anniversary trip! the hubster planned (in secret) a caribbean cruise! we happily embark on saturday and will be out to sea and making various stops for 7 days! destinations include san juan, st. thomas, and st. marten.

and if that weren't enough, today i was surprised at work with an enourmous bouquet (that's such an ugly looking word...) of flowers and a java chip from starbucks! teeheheheheheee!

ok, you can remove your face shields and helmets, i'm done tossin the mush. :D

little funny foo foo

2006-09-15T15:41:00.000-04:00

so last week i registered my boss for a conference in fayetteville, arkansas, booked his plane tickets online, and booked him hotel online using travelocity.ca. (crap, i still have to get him a rental car!)

so this week, i was typing up his itinerary, flight info, hotel info etc, when i discovered that...
i had indeed booked his hotel in fayetteville....but in NORTH CAROLINA!!! instead of arkansas.

so i had to call up travelocity.ca and change the reservation. which was really no big deal but i had to face up to the humiliation and confess my retardation and it cost more. (i thought i had gotten a sweet deal on a hotel room...apparently not cuz it was in the wrong state!)

ah well. good thing i noticed when i did and he didn't try to check in! then i would've felt really dumb...

happy birthday friend!

2006-09-14T21:07:00.000-04:00

you're my right hand gal! (apparently, as shown in every photo of the two of us!)

we're gettin there!

2006-09-09T20:14:00.000-04:00

ok, so pretend you're standing in the bathroom doorway and you look to your immediate left and you see this: (where the sink will be)

and then you look straight ahead and you see this:

and please notice the new floor!

painful...

2006-09-08T20:55:00.000-04:00

there's drywall dust EVERYWHERE. my computer desk, the floor, EVERYTHING. every time i touch something, i get white stuff all over me. rocco calls it divorce dust. funny.

the upstairs floor is in. the upstairs sink and toilet are in.

tomorrow the downstairs bathroom toilet and sink get taken out, floor ripped up, and new floor goes back in. hopefully the plumber will be able to come back next week to put the sink and can back in. til then, we'll be using the upstairs ones!

we'll also be priming upstairs tomorrow (hopefully) and painting sometime soon (hopefully) .

i can't even explain how dirty/messy/gross our house is right now. now i'm no neat freak, i'm one to embrace a little disorder, but this is so far beyond that... ergh. i actually can't wait to clean. yes, you can go back and read that again or i could just type it again. I CAN NOT WAIT TO CLEAN! that's how insanely dirty my house is. 'nuf said.

no visuals...

2006-09-05T20:46:00.000-04:00

friday: took dog to kennel, picked cheryl up at the airport, were early for adrian and jess' wedding, got italian sodas and a mondo piece of carrot cake, got batteries, were late for adrian and jess' wedding, visited mr. van dyk at duca, went to dollar store, cheryl lost her corsage in dollar store, went to reception, laughed at the mc's, took some pictures, drank too much coke & rum, dropped cheryl off, went home.

saturday: slept in, took shower, went to mcd's for lunch, went to bank, went to find balloons, couldn't find balloons, found chocolate, still looked for balloons, found balloons on sticks (spongebob, a cupcake, and nemo for james' b-day), got sopping wet in the rain, went to the cottage, went to kelsey's for supper with the gang, went in the hot tub, stayed up late playing puppets with balloons on sticks.

sunday: went to church in the park, had chocolate pb ice cream for breakfast, had bacon and pancakes for lunch, played with playdough, played puppets with balloons on sticks, played football in the livingroom, went on the seadoo with norm, went on the boat, almost fell in the freezing water and took my pa-in-law with me, went on the seadoo with joe, froze my toes, had uber good supper, went to fireworks, ate cotton candy, went home.

monday: slept in, picked up dog, bummed around, went to ribfest, went to a movie, ate popcorn, cursed at my computer because my usb ports aren't working.

tuesday: went to work, laughed as norm, rocco(the construction guy) and colin(the electrician with a hurt thumb) tried to make the lights come back on, made supper, cursed again as bvo's plan for making my usb ports work failed miserably, helped norm unload new sink for upstairs bathroom!

breaking news!

2006-08-30T12:51:00.000-04:00

well, i guess it already broke...but our top story is that the office paint color is...(drumroll please!)...sandrock! which is basically a light beigy color that is as neutral as you can get. a vast improvement to say the least. it's being painted today and should be ready to move back into tomorrow. no more working in my pj's... :(

in the "more than you wanted to know" edition of our news brief, our next story is that, yes, i have been relieved! the whole "peeing" thing has been quite a difficulty these last two days.

the plumber was here yesterday (in the bathroom) and they've knocked down the walls to the closet and the ceiling so it's very "airy" in there now. which makes it sort of difficult to have "privacy" during the day when i'm "working" from home. yesterday i had to go meet norm for lunch at the mall so i could use the mall bathroom!

and today... well... i couldn't hold it any longer and just asked if i could use it as rocco was on his way out to his truck to get stuff. i think he sorta lingered out there to give me time:D luckily i'm a fast pee-er.

that's all for now, folks. until next time, i'm jamie with...um...jamie's news... (?)

stoked...

2006-08-29T08:48:00.000-04:00

so my boss called this morning...i'm still working from home b/c the office isn't done yet...and he asked if i wanted it painted a different color!!! now, the previous color was a very serious bold orangish red which i was/am not very fond of. at all. and since they had leftover paint of that color, i figured they would just use that to re-paint the areas that needed it. but THANKFULLY he's not really sold on that color either! when he hung up the phone, there was a big discussion/debate/argument going on in his house about whether or not they should use the same color or get a new color. my vote (and his vote) was for a new one but his wife and daughter liked the old one... i hope we win!

i'll keep you posted on the results:D

in other news, the plumber is at my house today making a huge mess but it hopefully will make our bathroom(s) more accessible. :D

out of necessity...

2006-08-28T18:57:00.000-04:00

i feel like i need to post something just for the sake of posting something. so you know it's gotta be good eh?

anyhoo...

last week i worked from home because my office was being renovated...some mold in the walls needed to be addressed very badly. so i took the work computer home to get out of the renovation mess only to be in my own renovation mess.

norm and rocco (the hamilton family contractor) were here working upstairs and on the bathroom. the drywall is up! we might be able to paint late this week! and the plumber is coming tomorrow morning so hopefully we'll be able to move the bathroom sink into the closet soon:D (those who have 'experienced' our bathroom will truly appreciate the changes!) all i can say is...yay!!!

saturday i went to the dentist and ended up getting a filling, not because of a cavity, because they had to file down part of my tooth... it's all good now but i had a numb mouth for the rest of the day. we went to the peach festival- nope, didn't see amy. then out for a movie (invincible) and mexicali rosa's with al & heather.

[exciting news: heather and i are taking stained glass window classes starting in september:D should be fun!]

so my office at work still isn't fixed so today i spent HOURS typing up stuff my boss had written. fun. i should hopefully be back in there on wednesday. yup, exciting stuff.

attack of the curry...

2006-08-23T19:34:00.000-04:00

went to "phulkari indian cuisine" for dinner tonight. we've been wanting to try it for awhile now and a coupon came in the mail this week so it seemed like fate. ever since 1st year of university, when our kenyan roomies received a package of spilled curry and used my brand new dust buster to clean it up, and even years later every time i used the dust buster it smelled like curry...i haven't been a fan. but i thought, why judge indian food and curry based on one bad experience? but now, i can honestly say, curry is not my friend. my nose doesn't like it, my tongue doesn't like it, and my tummy doesn't like it. ick.

the highlight of the ordeal was getting to watch indian music videos on the restaurant tv. and i'm now adding another thing to my "someday i wanna do" list: shake my hips in an indian music video. (that comes right after singing in a black gospel choir) and i'm not joking.

:D

how embarrassing...

2006-08-19T09:54:00.000-04:00

i got a speeding ticket yesterday on my way home from work. who knew that the city limit was 50? not me. i just drive. the dude walked into traffic to pull me over. oops. he showed me the radar gun and apparently i was going 73 (which he knocked down to 65 so i wouldn't get points). my response: nothing. caught lead-footed, guilty as charged.

thus i received my first canadian speeding ticket. (second ticket ever, but the first was in ohio: i was clocked at 87 (MPH!!!) in my tempo which was an utter impossibility...those of you who'd ever ridden in it know the truth).

i knew that the hubby would appreciate the hilarity of my ticket situtation. and he did. he laughed and said, "see, you're not so perfect!" and laughed some more. as if there was ever any doubt.

melissa, why do you do this to me?

2006-08-18T17:30:00.001-04:00

One book that changed your life: blue like jazz by donald miller
One book that you’ve read more than once: pride & prejudice by jane austen
One book you’d want on a desert island: probably the complete novels of jane austen, i do have them all in one book
One book that made you laugh: pride & prejudice...i'm really trying not to make it my only answer...
One book that made you cry: jane eyre by charlotte bronte
One book that you wish had been written: being happy and jamie for dummies
One book that you wish had never been written: lord of the flies by william golding, it's horrid!
One book you’re currently reading: pilgrim at tinker creek by annie dillard (yes, ok, i'm still reading it, it's meaty!)
One book you’ve been meaning to read: anna karenina by leo tolstoy
Now tag five people: caroline, amanda, everybody else has gotten tagged!

(have i done this before?)

2006-08-16T18:04:00.000-04:00

taking a cue from miss naomi, here are the highlights from "jamie needs" according to google:

jamie needs your vote!
jamie needs a bit of help to get up on the bed
jamie needs a kid
jamie needs mental help
jamie needs a nap
jamie needs more than a mother's love
jamie needs some sugar
jamie needs some permanency, especially at her age
jamie needs a gavel
jamie needs a haircut soon.

all very true. sigh...

from high society to 17 bug bites below the ankles...

2006-08-15T22:38:00.000-04:00

so it's been a busy last few days. and i'm tired.

wednesday night: niagara falls

thursday night: high society at the shaw festival at niagara on the lake. it was... brilliant! loved it, wish i had it on dvd so i could watch it again.

friday night: couch and went to bed early.

saturday night: camping at melissa's (which involved sleeping on the *lumpiest* ground ever and getting a *lot* of mosquito bites-- 17 below the ankles and seeing folks i haven't seen in *way too long*

sunday night: laundry, talked to mom on the phone, went to bed at 9:30.

monday night: dinner with melissa, joella and amy

tuesday night: ex-fed-ex guy came over to work on the electrical upstairs (it's almost time for drywall!!!) and al & heather came over and made us dinner.

i'm so tired. but i seem to be sleeping ok. but i'm so tired...

on a wednesday night...

2006-08-11T07:18:00.000-04:00

so the bro-in-law's gf from holland is visiting so we took her to niagara falls to see the sights. the maid of the mist was fun (nobody else had done it before) and the ginormous blue garbage bags were a hit!

after walking through the mist along the falls, the three of them started giggling and pointing at me. then norm told me to give him the camera. apparently my hair was standing on end! (you can't really tell in my picture but in the one of anagriet--pronounced 'ah-nah-hchrite'-- you can see a bit better.) everyone's hair was doing it, it was really funny!

then off to the rainforest cafe for (a tediously slow) dinner and drinks!

this weekend, it actually felt like a real summer...

2006-08-07T10:43:00.000-04:00

on the road again...

2006-08-03T22:08:00.000-04:00

we're going to dad's for the weekend: deck party at the winery on friday night to booze it up and dance the night away with the fam and then heading to the garlic festival on saturday,(melissa, don't tell your dad- he might be able to smell it from there!) woot woot! mmmm...wine....mmm....garlic..... ew, but not together!

moving appliances...

2006-08-02T22:49:00.000-04:00

[melissa] my fridge has moved to my myspace (no, i didn't stutter, sounds dumb eh?) and it works there. so go. there. and. play. :D

no thank you...

2006-07-31T17:57:00.000-04:00

43 degrees C with the humidex... = 109.4 degrees F!

today, my boss says to me, "wanna know what sierra leone is like? go outside!"

no thank you.

...

2006-07-30T19:19:00.000-04:00

you know you've reached *a certain age* when you're no longer just tagging along with your mom to tupperware, mary kay, pampered chef parties but are actually getting your own invitations...

put the blame on me...

2006-07-29T10:23:00.000-04:00

i'm starting to feel picked on at work... and i don't really think i'm just being sensative or paranoid and here's why:

1) the conference breakfast: attendees were fed the deluxe breakfast for kings. when asked why we got this when we always get the cheap coffee-and-muffin breakfast, they responded, "jamie approved it." i now have to find non-existent paperwork where i "approved" it.

2) the newsletters: they came back from the printer's with GREEN ink. when asked why it was green instead of our traditional blue, they responded, "that's what jamie asked for." i then had to go back and find the two separate emails in which i specifically asked for the blue. maybe if they actually read their email...

3) the government form: apparently was never received by the government. but guess who was the one who actually mailed it out? that's right, JAMIE!!! so i get three phone calls this morning before 9:30 am (yes, a saturday when nothing with the government can be done and when i'm sleepin in for once!) trying to figure out when, where, what i mailed. yes, i mailed it priority so there are tracking numbers; yes, i gave you the tracking numbers with the receipt for which you reimbursed me; no i don't remember where you were and why YOU didn't mail it; yes, i do remember mailing them very vividly. sigh. the good news is that tracking them online says they were delivered. so hopefully it's not actually my fault.

and now i'm getting a paranoia complex.

2006-07-28T23:39:00.000-04:00