Not really a day

In the life of me ... but you get the drift.

The first is a bear location ... where they magically slip through the tree line, and you would never know they were there ... I like the sun peaking through .. and at this time of year .. it's clear sailing walking up to the entrance .. because I also know somewhere behind me they are tucked away in the forest snoozing ...

I managed to figure out how to do this shot last week. The image could be focused a bit better, however it was a bit scary working in a group of strangers, and people were busily pressing down their shutters .. and then setting the group back even longer .. I didn't want to be one of them .. so I just took what I got ... and for the most part .. I managed to get the picture .. the subject was brilliant at being a subject. Just don't photograph his hands ...

The third picture was heading straight for the delete button. The skies were too grey, and the shot not quite focused .. but then I noticed something .. it had the cool image of one of our local ski mountains in the backdrop .. so in my mind this image is far better than it will ever be .. and had it been an EXCELLENT shot .. it would have been featured in a ski adventure film, or a tourist splash. OK .. maybe not .. but in the mind of ME .. it would have.

poems for the popper

The sun is hiding.
Behind the clouds.
The world has gone dull.
Beneath it's shroud.

Alrighty then ... moving forward.

I bought a new jar of peanut butter yesterday. I can't help but love peanut butter. I do eat the reduced fat .... however I know that it isn't the complete greatest for you ... but then ... what do you eat for that hit of protein with the celery .. you can't chuck a piece of ham on a stick of celery. Well .. you can have cream cheese .. that's extra exciting ... but fricken expensive.

In the meantime while I ramble this is what is taking place:

My home doesn't echo. Except in the Jimmy's room. There's a lotta echoing going on in there. In the meantime the other end of the house is loaded up down and sideways with the Jimmy's stuff. Including Jimmy ... he's camping in the livingroom. Quite the camping situation we have going on here ... chaos before change. It's that simple. 

Welcome lalas.

AND .. in other things that I found ... I must hit DRAFT .. instead of PUBLISH .. because you know .. the two words look and read the same don't they ... ? I must publish this due to the fact that I like the title of this post. All of my posts have great titles .. and therefore MUST be published .. never mind what the following drizzle has to talk about ... I have a feeling that I must have been thinking about time going by as I wrote the following STUPENDOUS piece of poetry .. and my little ones growing into huge towering ones ...

AND .. an update .. the boy is back .. living in his bedroom, and now completely removed from the livingroom ... he LOVES his new room .. completely 17.

Now onto this DRAFT post from ... 3 weeks ago ... nothing has changed ... kind of ... just age and time.

That was my first thought.

Little lalas running around,
little lalas falling down,
little lalas spreading their wings,
little lalas doing great big things.

There, a Monday poem ... what an accomplishment!

In other things accomplished:

Haven't yet got the boy out of his makeshift bedroom yet. He is currently being housed in the livingroom while his room is in for renovations. I gave away his furniture over the weekend .. and he has been without ever since, so an air mattress an an excess of blankets have been his best friends ... when he needed to sleep. He went out the other night .. and got home at 0530 in the morning. Put your eyeballs back in your brains ... he went out to help a friend work on a project .. they went to the all day all night recording school. Jimmy and his billions of dollars worth of equipment. It's all good .. he managed to work 2 eight hour shifts over the weekend, plus stay out to help a friend, plus went to an 80th birthday dinner, plus took his date out! What a lazy ass.

In other things lazy:

That's how I feel on Monday mornings ... except that I can't be. My one task of the morning is getting that Jimmy to school .. and then I can have a bit of free time to myself .. and look around the house, and take mental notes of things that need to be accomplished. Then those mental notes, make me mental .. then I use a very well established habit ... and I MANAGE to forget everything that I thought about .. and go on with my day ... I am SO a professional at this! Not to fear .. all those thoughts come rushing back at a quarter past midnight ... hmm.

I have bought myself another day of free time. My last day at my group is March 1st. Sadly. BUT .. with the changes that have occured, and what has become a steady new norm of the association, I am not pleased with the lack of communication, and the expectation that half my work should be conducted as a volunteer. I was not happy having a volunteer as a volunteer, but rather should have been a paid position, on top of my position. AS odd as that sounds. Nonetheless ... I am out. Done. Complete-O. Quitsville. I wish the next person they find great successes .. because they are going to have to be someone that is willing to do a whole whack of stuff, for not really a lot of coin in their pockets. I think I might have been dumb for doing it this long. Oh well ... sometimes it takes time to realize that YES you really are that dumb!

In other other things so greatly exciting .. its .. "bring your camera to class" tonight at my photogroup! I am so so so so excited about that ! I am hoping today I can run around and gather some photos before going .. not that anything exciting will pop out at me ... but just fun enough to gather some images before I go ... I totally forgot about until now!

That has created a certain light footstep all of a sudden .. better get moving while the fever strikes!

Really ...

need more ...

music, laughter, pictures, memories, maid & some laundry soap.

Ha ha!

And if at first

You don't go crazy .. try try again.

Yes people .. that is my profound achievement for the day.

I didn't have to try very hard .. and well will you look at that ... I have already completely mastered my first task!

~~~

In other things less exciting but more noteably:

Trying hard to make sense of the boys band, and their attempts at moving forward, given the fact that he makes up 30% of the musical creativity.

So, for now will have to ignore that one ... unless I need to call a lawyer. AND if that's the case .. well then you know that things have definitely gone SOUTH!

Went to my camera group last night. Again .. interesting .. EXCEPT for the hum in the room, where the already QUIET talkers were muffled by the hum. It took all my restraint (as the new comer sitting in the dark) ... to not wildly hiss ..."STAND UP and talk you FREAKS ... the old guy on the other side just SAID .. "I can't hear you ... " I will be allowed back due to my stealthly silence.

I can't wait actually, because along with anything that I do ... it becomes an experiment into the human mind ... I love to see where people get there passion .. and how they project themselves onto an image - in relation to how they master their shots. I wonder if I'm just too simple .. I try and do as little editing as possible. I get quite perturbed when the camera can't see what I see ... so in effect I am left to fiddle and faddle with settings that help me to project my intentions.

One lady stated: "I shoot RAW". That's nice. I eat things that are RAW. Big deal.

I loved Harry's photos ... except that Harry shouldn't take pictures of his hands. Harry's hands were something strait out of a 1700 century warrior ... squishing grapes too boot. I'm not sure if my reaction was one of complete repulsion or extreme fascination.

I also LOVED Grant's photos. He's left handed. Of course I would love his photos. GAWD. How's that for writing on the wall.

Then there was the computer operator girl with the skinny ankles that didn't click NEXT on the slide show fast enough when it came to the ugly pictures. There were the gasps of WOW-NESS when the shots of the singular rose flashed upon the screen. Hello. Macro. Lens. Big. Whoop.

GIVE ME SOMETHING that I can sink my teeth into ... as in .. TELL me what the aperture was for the snowy owl .. and did you shoot in aperture .. or how did you shoot it .. and what was the ISO.. and tell me the F stop. Please. Left handed GRANT didn't have to ... because his photos were REMARKABLE.

So ya .. moving on ...

The snowman is melting .. I should get a picture of him .. while I still can ...

Well .. that was it.

For the snow.

Now .. it's been nothing but rain rain rain ... and a little wind thrown in for good luck.

In other things crazed and out of control.

Me.

No... just kidding.  Well .. semi not kidding.

Currently the state of mind is this ...

Overwhelmed by the stupidity of others; and frustrated by the fact that being thrown underneath a bus doesn't seem to have an impact on it's victim.

OH well .. can't change what is.... however now it will be important to pick up the pieces ... if there are any left to pick up.

It's January

What else do you take pictures of ... birds in trees, or on the road, and their luxury homes, the random goat .. and what looks to be a his and hers fence .. guess which one is the HIS side!

Now it's sunny .. with snow falling.

There's a little clear patch in the sky above ... with the sunshine peaking through. Kinda cool .. however ... all the cameraness in the world will not capture the excitement of the moment. Really.

Blue skies above us... with a hint of snow trickling through. Interesting.

In other things of great interest ... my hair colour is brown, with a huge hint of grey falling ... Interesting.

Given the fact that I did not run my group today ... (weather condtions leave people having to leave their homes in MAYBE ways that could make them slip) .. I have the time to perfect my hair back to the perfect brown-ness ... ok not perfect brown-ness, but some assorted flavour of colouring more than the colour grey. Ick.

In other things ...

The boyson has a new love interest. Yae him. Yae for the mother that loves the new love interest ... only because the new love interest is in fact in love with school. While love is still young and blossom filled .. will happily regard the situation as a walk towards the light! I will not speak of the torrent of dark cloud that has cast it's ugly shadow over our homestead for a great number of months in attempts to get the boyson to the education system.

I have been told that my work to get him to the education system is one that shouldn't be done, and in fact enabling the boyson to continue to behave in a manner that is far than admireable. My response to the pointedness of the facts include the simple and mere truth ... I never wish to look back and say "what if". "If only" ... "Maybe if I" ...  The truth of the matter be told ... is this exhausting .. YES. Is this equivalent to hammering your head against a wall? YES.  Is this torcher one that will have a positive outcome? Perhaps not.

BUT ... at least my inner soul will not be one of regret if there comes a day that the boy doesn't make it to the end of school. It wont be because I gave up on him. It wont be because I just couldn't be bothered any longer. It wont be because I gave him the OUT of not going. It wont be that he somehow decided it was OK not to complete his education.

BECAUSE he is a very smart kid .. eventually he will get it ... even though he doesn't quite get it yet .. I have been told by many people .. "if he doesn't want to go to school .. and won't get out of bed ... then just leave him .. let him fail". OK .. how about NO. How about ... everyday he join the grind .. every day he makes an attempt to join in with the rest of the ranks and plug his way through the system ... just the same way we all have to. Everyday that he remains in the school system the is actually under somebodies radar. Everyday that he joins in with the school system ... somebody will influence him ... Everyday that we trudge our way to school and not giving him an out to excuse himself from the rest of the world ... there's the lesson. Like I know .. he's a smart guy ... he can make it through the work requirements ... if only I can get him through the life requirements.

YES .. it is soul taxing on my part, on the families part. Is it completely stressful getting this hugely smart young man to the four walls that will eventually lead to his freedom? Yes.

Is it worth it?

It's priceless.

See, blue skies .. with a little snow falling ...

Well look at that...

I am back ... at the old interface.

GAWD ... how I love this interface ...

Not certain how a box, and tabs across the top, and tan coloured sections can put one at great ease, but it has with me.

In other news:

I forgot to send the cheque with the boy. How shocking is that.

In MORE important news:

I charged my new watch ... holy crap is that ever cool ... I signed in with my FB account ... and now it has all my activity from April of last year, of course with the exceptions of all the times that I did not use my ipid to do my walking/running with. Very cool. The NIKE people have suggested that I try bumping up my work outs .. ya, sure NIKE people, not a problem. FRUITACAKE you, if you know what I mean. I will just bring the menial labourers on board to clear the way for mamma oompa to powerhouse around the town at all hours of the day so that I can increase my workout time. Somedays I look in the fridge and wonder who is really in charge of this whole grocery shopping thing anyways.

That's always been a confusing one.

WELL .. I am just so relieved. .... I just love this interface. That will teach me for clicking buttons that lead to possible great black holes ... yes people, I do believe that if I change this layout I could manage to find myself in  that very blackhole ... and upon being a semi-interested learned one ... those blackholes have quite a bit of gravity going for them.

IN OTHER THINGS ....

I spied the bears trails yesterday .. holy crumble cakes (better write this quietly .. he might come knocking) ... has he made a mess out there ... omagawd a mess and a half. If you take the time to peer through the bushes ... he has crap scattered all over the place. AND ... it was comical to see this large black object fly through the air yesterday ... and plop into the bushes ... that I know was scaredy cat running and jumping ... what a bad boy he is.

All this talk of running and jumping .. better be off ...

I liked the old layout.

What was wrong with the old layout ... it was prettier to look at, softer corners, a nicer box, something told me it was saving my draft every 20 seconds, the publish button was easily at the bottom left.

And now this ...

A white box.
Something that flashes to the top right of the screen every so often.
I don't even know where I am any longer on this thing.

I fear greatly that if I try to update or change this thing ... then the last 7 years will be lost in blogger blackspace ... which could be very similar to those big black holes that are somewhere out their 5 universes from here .... and I will never be able to get my fence pictures ... ok, well I will let the fence pictures go .. but the rest ... like clouds and stuff .. well I will never get that back.

Eagles, bears, bobcats, children .. well we will be able to find them again ... certainly so.

I will go to the options now ... who knows .. it's a new year, you may never hear from me again ... eeke.

And because I dont get around much ...

Even more fences. Well ... I was out waiting for a friend ... and I had my camera ... with non other than the 70 -300 mm range ... so uhm .. right ... off I trudged in the rain, (but not as much the following day, so thankful for little things !) ... I wasn't quite sure what to start experimenting with .. so I just randomly started finding fences ... because there are lots .. and many that we don't see because of the walls that surround them. Hm. Believe that.

Anyways ... it forced me to go crazy with trying to figure out using different features on the camera ... and I even went into the very scary mode of MANUAL. I joined a camera club ... because in reality .. it's the right thing to do ... given that I am an enthusiast, or a wannabe. Not sure.

I signed up for another two hour camera course ... in the perfect DIM light of January. I wanted to know if we were going out in the wet weather .. she suggested that I wait til May or June. I told her that I wanted to figure out settings in the this remarkable low and dreary days that follow us around for months on end. In reality ... it is easy to take pictures of things with colour, and manage to make the pictures look interesting and thought provoking ... it is even more challenging to take what is grey, feed it light, and make that interesting. But that is only me ... thinking that thought.

There's that whole issue of discussing cameras with people. It's hard. They ask, you tell them. Then the pause. It's interesting talk.

In other things:

The school just called .. they wanted money from me.... for Mr Outstanding. I asked the lady what they were for ... she said that she was only covering, making phone calls, and when would I be coming in to pay the $145.00 in fees. I asked her when would somebody be able to call me back when they could tell me what I was paying for. She told me Home Economics. I told her Mr. Outstanding wasn't in Home Economics, and would I be bringing in the check today. No. Not today.

In other things:

The school just called. I owe them money. $45.00. Whew. Good thing I didn't relent the first time around.

In other things:

Personal comedy at it's finest.

Oh .. and saw the bear jump into the bush this morning. I didn't see if he had another garbage in tow, because clearly that has been his winter occupation, since sleeping isn't the first thing for this bad boy to be doing.

I found some fences!

January hilights!

Using the camera, one mistake at a time.

It's a new day ... along with a new year.

Sounds like a religious experience.

But it's not.

Today .. well .. off I went, had a shower, got all tidied up, just to put on my oompa pants, and then on a whim reached to bring my running pants .. and off I went to drive the Jimston over to school, and then bypass the rainy weather, and assorted tracks and headed to Port Moody ... 4 miles later in the cover of the rec centre I decided I was done. I probably could have stayed for hours .. but knew that wouldn't be the best of decisions ...

I still have a wait list of excitement waiting for me in the homestead .. of which I must tend to .. sometime this year....

Yesterday I fell upon an opportunity that I was most pleased with .. I was asked to accompany a friend, but not accompany a friend .. and all I had to do was sit and wait for her .. except I didn't sit and wait .. I just took my camera and wondered around the little side streets. That was fun ... in the pouring rain ... learning the configurations and limitations of my camera .. the limitations were more than likely all me ... anyways .. I was pleased with the outcome .. of sorts.... but more importantly it gave me the confidence to continue to press buttons, and shift film speed and aperatures for greater effect.

That reminds me ... I bought a groupon for another camera learning experience ... I better get that sorted out!

Well .. it's the beginning of the year .. surely the adventures will be of great excitement and even more excitement ... ya .. believable ...

Interestingly though the principal called from the Celista school district and told us that they had found our dog Cicely ... as the german shepherd had a tag on it with that name, and our phone number ... uhm ... I asked the fellow ... I guess Celista is considered heaven on earth I said to him ... because unless she is getting kicked out of heaven .. because she has been gone for a great many years ... Poor Prance ... can't even cut it in doggy heaven .. what a crazy lovely evil queen she was!

As the clock ticks on .. so do the chores .. pop cans are klitanking.

Welcome

To the end of the year.

It has finally come to a close, with all but a few short hours left of it.

I am thankful for our families continued health and happiness.

~~~~

Not sure what to make of the new year coming in, in about 11 hours.

I probably will not have any revelations, nor aspirations to do better.

Well, ... I might get better at colouring my hair ... because afterall... I do get a lot of practice at it.

I might find contentment .. but I don't think so. That is a hard road to find.

So is the road that has the word TIME attached to it.

Timing is everything ... so I am hopeful that when I find the TIME .. it wont be whiddled away before I realize that I am wasting my time.

I did spend a lot of time this year watching the fish, when they were here. Now there is something that doesn't have a lot of time to do a whole lot of anything .. and when I went back for an inspection ... all the remnants of them being on this earth had vanished. ... I know they have deposited another lifetime of species that will surf through this earth, and I will not see them for another four years. Seems so strange.

I have no plans to change they way I live, or change the way I eat, or change the amount of exercise I can accomplish.. well .. I will plan on buying more runners actually, which will increase the amount of exercise ... so that should be fun. I don't think I will join any running clinics, or runs, or walks, or causes ... because I have about 399 causes in my brain .. I do not need to slap a number on and exchange some money .. to say I did it ... cause I will just do whatever it is I wish to do anyways ...

I think we are going to get a dog. There's big talk, and plans to purchase a dog.

I do not think we are going to build another family room. I do think though that we are going to carry on with the front fascade renovation, and something called a porch. This is a carry over from the summer, when the sir snapped his bicep. Damned to middle age .. cause that is when they talk about when this injury happens .. middle age. I'm not sure when the whole middle age happened, but it did .. but I don't think that happened this year ... it's been a compilation of many years in the making. However .. my middle age isn't for quite a number of years yet ... since I am planning on living till at least a 105.

I saw an old guy yesterday ... he wasn't quite that old, he was more impressed at his roommates age ... the roommate was 99. The old guy ... 96. So you see .. hold on ... to what you believe.

I am planning on purchasing another pair of running pants this year. I have two. One pair which I do not like, but I wear, and another pair, which I love, but they are seasonal ... So, I do have 2 plans now. Whew .. that should see me through the next 365 days at least.

I am hoping that my pippies hair will grow out this year....and that my supersons stays short.

I wish to join something this year ... it's quite a challenge .. and it's free. I am looking forward to it ... and am hoping that I will believe in myself enough to see that I continue this adventure.

This is my blog .. so I get to write me, all me, all the time. I think I am going to write way way way way more about my adventures. I do have quite a few adventures actually, but ultimately fail to write about them. Albeit that it appears that I live a quite consumably boring life being a mother, wife and someone that manages to have four separate jobs. I wont say that I am failure for not writing about the adventures ... for whatever reason .. I just don't! GAWD.

 I dont think I am going to get rid of that saying any time soon. I love the word GAWD. It wasn't around when I was growing up .. and I would like to think when I say that I get to stomp my foot and flick my hair, and throw my hands in the air ... something that I have to do on a regular occasion .. minus the antics.

I'm going to figure out utorrent. I have a whack of music that I need. Badly. So bad, I don't even know what it is.

I am excited for the adventures that are in store ... only because I feel an adventuring spirit will eventually take over ... and these four jobs will be whittled down to just one, a whole one encompassing plaster of something that I can pour my energies into one solid endeavour, rather than run here and do that, then do this over here, and then over the water do this ... I am thinking it's all going to stream together ... will it be this year .. that is the larger question.

I am also thinking about using a wine glass everyday... just because it's fun, and it's light, and not everything is fun and light everyday. The reality of course is the fact that I do not drink every day, or even a regular basis ... so it looks like I am going to inhale a lot of soda water and talking rain ... it looks so refreshing in a wine glass ... or equally fun are the peach coloured outdoor wine glasses, that I use year round. Simple, and yet complicated.

I am hoping to re-arrange my closet this year. But if I do not get to it .. then I will not dismay ... it's not something that someone should schedule for a year long adventure.

I think I will go and buy a piece of granite. The Sir and I were just talking a bit ago ... and I asked hom what project is doable.... cause he was complaining about putting to more chairs in the family-non family room. He said it wasn't making his efforts to build it any easier ... so then I asked which project seemed like it was actually going to happen ... the front of the house .. or the family room ... he said front porch, so I said take the chairs away. He's so dumb... which is why I lovingly just randomly call out dumb-dumb. It takes one to know one, which gives me free and clear access at throwing the insults, or so it seems.

In other things non related to anything in particular at the end of the year but will make it on the list of accomplishments:

I managed to take a camera course, even though it was only one, I did manage, and have already booked for another course, with the date yet to be determined.

I even managed to organize my photos. That was an effort however; somehow this will make it easier in the future.

I recycled something. Well, I recycled a whole whack of shit! More importantly .. I recycled my viewsonic screen ... I love this screen ... I just do .. it's flat, it's lovely, it makes things just look like a frame, it has a lovely speaker system at the bottom of it .. and then it broke. The computer guys told me to chuck and buy a new one, which is what I did. Except I chucked it into the back of my car .. bought a new screen, hooked it up, and hated it. I'm not sure how one can hate a screen, but it is possiblye, apparantly. I returned the computer screen, then returned to the computer place, insisted that they put a new lightbulb in it, and I don't care if it's going to cost me one hundred dollars for a lightbulb .. it's a lightbulb that has brought me much happiness ... and so yes .. I continue to be thrilled with my screen ... I think the ultra nice reason, is the fact also that is has clean lines, no cords hanging out, and no additional speakers are required in an effort to make this computer system work. Although .. if you look behind my little moveable computer desk ... it is wire central ... but that is fine ... outwardly it makes owning such a dinasour of a computer completely liveable.

I plan on playing another 10,000 hours or more of angrybirds ... because ... why not?

And such as life goes .. I have had quite the time of keeping that car of mine clean. How does one do that? I spend a lot of time over at the handy wash place ... just spraying down the vehicle .. and giving it the quick clean up .. and then have to drive down a road that is full of dirt from the trucks that remove dirt from the places that are being built ... GAWD.

I have become a personal assistant to the son .. who facetimes me, txts me, emails me, calls me .. and these meager words .. HEELLPP. GAWD.  it's usually to retrieve juice, the jimmy and his juice .. that has been his mainstay this last year. We are still on the nonmilk in the nonmilk department .. only because I think that it really aggravates his face, and he has such a nice looking face ... so one he continues to grow up .. in about 165 years .. he might be able to drink milk again.

I have my fingers crossed for his band .. they are all good looking guys, with a lot of going for them, and a mountain of ideas packed in their musical brains, .. I am hoping that beyond their musical selves they can manage to get themself out there ... whereever that out there is. The biggest thing is that I hope that the mr jimmy stays within the the realms of getting through things ... he's got a lot on his plate ... between school, his band, his job, his social time ... crazy boy .. he will probably be like that until he grows up... which might be more than the 165 as suggested previously.

Well .. I see that my internet connection is having a spaz attack .. not sure why .. so I might just publish this one day journal right now ... and be back later .. because ... I can ..

After all ...

This BLOG is all about me ..

I should have something to say ...

Minus the pictures.

I have let these past 4 days trickle by.

I haven't made an effort to do anything ultra special or that required energy. Other than walking in the pouring rain the other night with the crazy sister. But that's cause the two of us are crazy ... and when last night ... it was pouring out ... I quickly slammed back a glass of wine  (BECAUSE I COULD!!!!) just so I could say I was highly intoxicated, and therefore couldn't go walking in case the crazy sister asked .. but she didn't ... because she was probably doing less crazy things, similar to me .. like playing words with friends, or cruising through facebook, or even better playing a slot machine game on her iphone.

The Fusspot is wondering if we will ever leave the home again ... and yet we did ... temporarily the other day ... to purchase a new running jacket ... but that didn't happen ... because they didn't have my extra healthy size ... OK .. in FAIRNESS ... I will COMPLAIN that Nike doesn't believe that sporty clothing should be made for the peoples that are slightly more than a sporty looking size. I'm not small, BUT I am not HUGE-GANTIC ... so I do not know where I fit in the clothing department ... apparently not in Nike's apparel at least.

In things that are just things ...

I'm off to buy a lottery ticket now. Wish me luck ... cause my luck could just be your good fortune also!

In other things ...

I read this book:



My 16 year old son picked this book out.

He will be 17 in 7 days.

I have to say ... I loved this book ... ALOT.

THEN ... my girl picked this book ......


She is 14 1/2. I love this book ... ALOT.

~~~~~

Young people with brilliant minds.