hurray!

I was just about to write about how terrible starting at 7am was until I looked up at the clock and realized two and a half hours have already flown by!
I actually thought it had been about 45 minutes!

Only 6 1/2 more hours to go until a nice dinner at Mike's brother's new apartment, and then swaying my hips to the sounds of Starvin Hungry, performing for the very last time with all their current existing members!

JOIN ME!?!?!??!

things im into , or slowly giving into

Staying in a houseboat in Amsterdam


This Umbrella


Indulging in Shamelessly being a tourist


Waifs


Heartshaped sunglasses


Buying and learning to play the Banjo


Blue Nailpolish


Really girly bedroom decor


Oversized bows


Hats


My two best friends



Lou Doillon (and this song too...)

grass is green enough for me

I've always been aware of how much I complain, but in recent efforts to reduce my whining I have unfortunately become all the more aware of how much girls my age like to bitch.
I am making a conscious decision right now to surround myself only with positive, life-loving people, with the sole purpose of increasing my own "lust for life" (haha Pat's tattoo).

On that note, I have spent all day inspiring myself and being productive in planning my upcoming europe trip with Mike.
I would first and foremost like to say that if I can plan and save up for a trip, then anyone can!

Now here are some links, lists, videos, pics and general points of interest in my life at the moment:

1. Movies: There are several movies I've been hearing about recently, some of which are old, others won't be out till the end of the year....

• Imagine - A documentary on photographer Annie Leibowitz
  
• The Last Waltz - 1970's Scorcese film starring Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Emmylou Harris, Van Morrison and many more. (saw it last night, but talked through most of it, oops)
  
• Festival Express - Another 1970's film starring Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead and the Flying Burrito Brothers, among others...footage from a 5day train tour across canada.
  
• The Painted Veil - starring Naomi Watts and Edward Norton
• The Edge of Love- Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller
• My Blueberry Nights - Norah Jones and Jude Law (with an appearance by Cat Power)
• Stealing Beauty- 1996 film starring Liv Tyler
• Twilight - First of a series of books turned into movies, coming out in December
• Buffalo 66 - Vincent Gallo film (I recently watched The Brown Bunny and was bored to tears, I'm hoping this will change my mind about him)
• Hors de Prix starring Audrey Tautou
  
• Coco Before Chanel -also starring Tautou, due out later this year!
  

I've posted some of the trailers to these gems down below for those of you who are interested.










2. Books: I recently realized i've skipped over a whole bunch of classic novels and legendary authors and am hoping to catch up with the rest of society a little. I got started today on a classic English novel by Emily Bronte; Wuthering Heights and feel smarter already! Here are more authors/titles I'd like to find:

• Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird
• J.D. Salinger's Nine Short Stories, Franny and Zooey and the obvious Catcher in the Rye
• Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's
• Virginia Woolf's Jacob's Room
• Jack Kerouac's On the Road, The Dharma Bums
• Rebecca Well's Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood

a little bit nervous

I just signed up for a medical research trial thingie with algorithme pharma thanks to isabel's sound advice!
it sounds like sheer perfection, except for one part....one million blood tests!
2 weekend stays at the clinic when they test the difference between the brandname version of an already-on-the-market drug used to treat hypertension, versus the generic brand of the same drug.
followed by three early morning blood tests during the week following the clinic-stay.

i have to go for a physical on thursday morning to see if i check out. But so far the phone interview qualifies me as eligible for it.
If this physical exam works out i will probably shit my pants at the thought of all those blood sucking needles, but 1110$ in my pocket will be motivation enough for me.

i don't even have to miss an hour of work!! oh god please don't make this one of those too-good-to-be-true things!!!!!

i love my job

My boss just brought up a guest at our hotel who is staying tonight and told me to "make sure Mister Jones has everything he needs".



unfortunately I wasn't allowed to ask for a photo or an autograph while in uniform because the hotel doesn't want their guests to feel uncomfortable here.

hurray for star struck me and celebrity sightings!

randoms

1. last week mike and i circled the block near my place looking for parking and ended up settling for the one and only spot we found about a block and a half from my door. when we returned to the car 45 minutes later, a tree had fallen over and as we got closer we realised his was the ONLY car affected. somehow there were no damages!?







2. on the metro yesterday i thought i was seeing an old man talking to himself, which wouldn't be that out of the ordinary, but as i got closer i realised he was talking to his pet parrot! and the parrot was totally talking back!



3. Mike and I went swimming on Ile Ste Helene on Saturday and I ran into this little friend. A crazy "ile-ste-helene local" told us that if we stand very still with food in our hands the lil guys will come right up and eat out of your hand. I experimented, we had a moment.




4. This morning i spent time with Lola. we went to the dog park and she chewed a chew stick while I read a book and a great dane tried to sniff her butt a lot.
when it was time for me to leave for work, she gave me this look:

what did i do to deserve that??

5. unfortunately my job is right around the corner from urban outfitters, and no matter how much my brain knows that nothing is worth what they charge there, I can't help myself when i see certain things. This notebook was the result of my indulgent behaviour today, and i have already started filling it with appointments, and tips that Laura Lloyd gave me about places to see in Europe!

sufficiently obsessed

it's getting out of hand. i've been sitting at work listening to this guy all day.
where's my rocking chair and my mason jar beer?



now im on my way home, to do some laundry, clean up the backyard and bake two pies.

arrrrgh

familiar feeling of wanting to get the hell away from here.

to friends:

how come i don't look this cute with a middle part?!

makes me happy

photos to enhance previous entry

I've always had a tendency to turn every phase i go through into some kind of ridiculous, consuming obsession.
It usually ends up working against me since these obsessions come on suddenly, and my patience is quite thing. My history of "all-talk-no-action" grandiose plans is the result of my constant desire to do it all without any time to prepare.

After a weekend of marvelous bonding with my parents and sister, I've developed a strategy to break this pattern, so I can stop always wishing for things and never actually living them.
its a start-small-make-you're-way-to-the-top kind of plan. It involves me making a few rather selfish decisions in the next few years, and relying on people being understanding and supportive rather than judgmental or discouraging.
But I think it might work.

As for my current obsession, the good old U.S.A., I've decided not to go around telling anyone I'm moving to Georgia to live on a plantation and open a pie shop just yet.
Instead, I'm planning a short road trip through a few of the southern states that interest me most so I can get a real taste of it without smothering the idea with too much ambition.
This may involve postponing the trip to France Mikey and I had been slowly putting together, but money wise, we've agreed it might not be the worst of ideas. Nothing is final.

I have to give credit where its due; this idea is in now way my own.

Suzanne, the girl who runs Spanish Moss Vintage, one of my favourite E-Bay stores (although I have yet to purchase anything from it because it gets so pricey) is currently touring the states with her husband to pick up cute thrifty things for her shop and shes documenting the whole thing via blog which i have been religiously following. It's got me completely and thoroughly obsessed with the idea of taking such a road trip, and simultaneously inspired me to actually try to open up a little business of my own. She's 27 and I'm 22, so she's somehow singlehandedly convinced me this is not an unrealistic option.

http://spanishmossvintage.blogspot.com/

and so, my decision to become a patriotic-confederate-flag-toting-pie-baking-southern-belle has been put on hold for a bit while me and mike discuss the option of road tripping together for three weeks, seeing different little southern towns every day and seeing if I like it as much as the part of me who lives vicariously through stranger's blogs does.

im getting smarter every day.

speaking of obsessed....what do people think of me dying my hair platinum white like hers?

weekend at mom and dad's

involving:

- delicious breakfasts
- home made vegetable soup
- pie baking
- cookie making
- hearty salads
- text messaging my boyfriend a lot
- writing cute emails to him
- finishing his long overdue anniversary gift
- falling asleep in the sun
- corn on the cob on the back porch
- cuddling with my mom and sister and father
- watching old Devon Sawa films
- saving all my money
- long walks with Lola (possibly up the mountain if i'm feeling better)
- visiting my friend Ashley's new home and gawking at her preggers belly
- day dreaming a lot
- coloring
- visiting grandma
- projects with Allie
- missing my man more than usual because I'm a big baby when I'm sick
- letting my mom pamper me more than i deserve
- general happiness!

our little trip to hampton beach made me decide to save up as much money as possible this year so that next summer i can fuck off, quit my job and get a summer cottage in some beach town on the east coast. maybe hampton, maybe cape cod, whatever the case, i will live there responsibility free and have friends over whenever someone is free to come down.



i have also decided that within the next two weeks i absolutely must have a fancy night out so i can finally sport my new babay's. Stef introduced the idea of going for 20$ burgers at hotel nelligan in the old port. lets go lets go lets go!




lastly i have been watching this movie at work and its so cute. one of my new faves.

going to my parents house this weekend to relax and nip this stupid cold in the bud.
i havn't gotten sick in nearly a year and apparently the month of JULY is when my body decides to catch a fucking cold.

well friday at 4pm when my shift ends i'll be on my way to otterburn park for a weekend involving (although not limited to):

- cookie making
- pasta eating
- delicious salads
- blankets and pull out couches
- old movies
- really good digital cable
- painting with my sister
- celebrating dad's bday
- making nachos (the real kind in the oven)
- sleeping
- cuddling a small weiner dog
- being really fat and lazy.


hampton beach was so great, camping trip in august is the next summer 08 project and i plan on making every weekend count!

p.s. does anyone know how to send an effing picture message on a blackberry?

catchy

count down

one month and twelve days... this happens....

two dodos!

tanning. waves. frolicking. beach bods. bbq-ing. swimming. beach hair. head scarves. sunglasses. bathing suits. towels. tanning oil. sunscreen. sunburns. cheap beer. friends. inside jokes. laughing. bonfires. swimming pools. seafood. boardwalks. sunsets. car rides. music. water fights. tanlines. tourist shops. fake tattoos. ankle bracelets. heat stroke. flip flops. three day weekend.

I CANT WAIT!