The Soup is inspiration, you do not want to leave...

10:37PM - Roller Suicide

It occured to me today that LJ folks may nor may not know what's up with me because everything new is either spoken in person (usually with skates on) or posted as flyers on myspace.

So, lovely people of LJ, come to Roller Suicide! You get to not only check out Suicide Girls doing burlesque, and Toronto Roller Girls skatin' around in short skirts, but you also get to talk to me while I wear skates. Neat.



I can probably arrange advance tickets for you - just let me know that you'd like to come.

6:04PM - Moniku

H and M today.
For all that shit-talk you do
you sure do hide fast.

Edit:
Thanks for making an ant hill into Mt. Everest, ladies.

I'm going to go back to my regularly scheduled life now, but I'll make sure to keep that post public and open so you can all show your friends just how clever/hurtful you are.

Now I know why it was so easy to walk away and focus on the good stuff in front of me. Thanks for the education.

Edit again:
I've changed my email preferences so this crap isn't in my email box. If you're interested in proving your point in a constructive way, by all means, email me privately.

9:59PM - Drinking Chocolate

Remember Chantico? It was that tiny super sweet drinkable chocolate thing Starbucks used to carry for about 15 minutes.

I just made a very close cousin to it.

See, it's rainy and windy out today. It's one of those cuddle up with hot choclate and watch TVtropolis from under an afgahn kind of days.

Now being an impossible foodie, I don't do that hot chocolate in a packet with sugar chunks they pass off as marshmallow crapola. No sir, my hot chocolate is an experiment in melting chocolate of various brands and textures with flavour extracts, spices, booze, or all of the above, added.

Today I didn't have chocolate to melt, so I had to make do with cocoa. In searching for the jar, I uncovered a can of sweetened condensed milk. Eureka.

Here's how you make it:

Over low heat, warm the SCM with cocoa until you make a paste. It just so happens to be enough sweetness right there to make something close to viscus dark chocolate. Add a titch of milk or half and half and you've got drinking chocolate.

You can also cut this with more milk to make a very sucessful hot chocolate... and a whole pot of the stuff costs about $3 all in.

Steal of a deal.

11:28AM - Radio Active Feminism

I did an interview with them last weekend on roller derby.

The show airs today in about 30 minutes.

If you're close to a radio, and haven't heard my voice in a while, tune into CLKN 88.1 FM.

w00t for airtime!

10:40AM - The Watchtower

They sent the women in.

I didn't see the short sleeved button down shirts and skinny ties, so I opened the door.

They were here to talk about whether it is "scientific" to believe in a creator. I told them I had just mixed the hair dye, and therefore not at liberty to talk about God right now.

The older of the two seems very sure that I will find this litarature very interesting... said with a stepford wife look in her eye as she hands me two small colour magazines. The other women, just a bit younger then me, was along for the ride and clearly shadowing her mentor.

They said they would be back to talk about what I was about to read.

... Never fear, I'm not going to jump on the WWJD bandwagon, but it got me thinking about belief this morning and I rarely take the time to do that. I think what irks me most about the witnesses is not that they have a set of beliefs (good on them if finding God makes them happy) but that they sell it to everyone around them. Isn't it enough that they are reeping the rewards of whatever it is God does for them? Why spend so much time selling it door to door? Do that many people convert based on a couple booklets that it's become worth it to continue selling God?

I look at it this way... I've got a Shoppper's Drug Points card. I LOVE it. They give me points which I can then redeem for cash value at the register. I don't care that Shopper's Drug is patterning my spending habits, and drawing market research from my purchase history. I like that they reward me with extra points if I shop on specific weekends (presumably their slowest time of the week) or if I buy specific items. I redeemed $75 worth of points nearly 2 years ago, and I already have enough points to do it again this year. I'm not ashamed to admit that cash back keeps me loyal to a brand.

That said, I have friends who refuse to get the points card because they don't like the idea of being watched. I have explined the benefits, and they are still not sold on it. So, I continue to use my Shopper's card, and they continue to shop without it. We're both happy with our choices. The end.

Is it so much to ask for The God Talk to be just that simple?

5:43PM - Moving Details

In case anyone is interested, the movers are coming by between 9am and 10am Saturday to pick up most of my stuff and take it away. (Save for the midnight run Trev and I are planning this evening)

I should be moved into my new place at Sherbourne and Shuter by 11 or 12 (provided I didn't have to stack everything outside until my my elevator booking technically starts at 12).

If anyone would like help hand boxes to movers, hold open doors, guard stacked boxes, and/or hold the cat so he doesn't totally freak out by being locked in the bedroom just to be moved to an unfamiliar bedroom a few hours later, I'd welcome the help and the company.

Call me on my cell or just come by. xo

8:57AM - I owe somebody lunch...

...And that someone is intercitykitty!!!

OMG I found a booking for the 1st to move in a matter of 2 hours for under $250.

Wildest dreams... check.

Now, to pack!

Edit: Question - As someone who has never hired movers before - is it wise to handle fragile stuff like computers and such on your own (ie should I rent a car for that day?) or do we just leave it to the pros?

1:42PM - Interesting...

American Cities That Best Fit You::

65% Atlanta

60% Austin

55% Chicago

55% Las Vegas

55% Miami

My sister is currently in Atlanta directing a technology camp there.
I just got back from Austin and loved it there.
I love Chicago and am sure that if I hadn't found a way to move to Toronto, I'd be living there.
And of course my favorite CSIs take place in Miami and Vegas...

6:27PM - Wake

So it's settled. Those who won't be in Ohio are welcome to meet up at James Joyce on Monday night at 7pm.

If we decide we need to retreat to more private digs, my apartment will be available a short walk away.

10:58AM - Derby Fundraisers

There are two:

One ( COME SKATE WITH US THIS SATURDAY! )

9:07AM - Help! I need a camcorder!

I am short 2 DV cameras for Sunday's roller derby tryouts!!!

We need about 6 in total- 4 cams on tripods during the interviews, and 2 for each group out on the rink.

If anyone has a camera at their disposal and doesn't mind me using it for a few days, please please please let me know. We're hoping to get all DV or DVD cameras that way we can play the tapes without monopolizing your camera, but if it's an 8mm or something else we may need to hold onto the camera for about a week.

Also, if you're none too keen about not knowing who has a handle on your camera I can either make sure Trev or I are doing the filming with your gear, or I may invite you to come along and take the footage for us. We're totally flexable at this point.

Please pass on the info to anyone you know who might be keen to help!

Thanks!

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Looks like your average spam, right?

( Until... )

10:20AM - Pattern list

I was going through a ton of patterns the other day and realized that I loved some patterns so much I bought them twice. Others I just don't think I'll ever make.

I'll probably end up posting them to craig's list or ebay when I take pictures of the patterns themselves, but I figured if anyone wants one or all of these you get first dibs. I found some but not all online to see at least a sample of what it looks like sewn up (some may be out of print) so if any of these spark your interest let me know and I'll e-mail a pic if I couldn't find one already. I can hand deliver to Toronto anytime, and Detroit on the 29th of April (provided you're not a serious haul from the Masonic Temple). $5 a pattern.


Burda #8905 - 2 jackets - Women's size 6-18

Butterick #6792 - Jacket, skirt, and 2 pants - Women's size 12-14-16

New Look #6763 - Pant, Capri pant and skirt - Women's size 8-18

Simplicity #8615 - Men's poet shirt - Men's size 38-44

Vouge Pattern (Bellville Sassoon) #1672 - Bow back gown/short skirted dress - Women's size 14-16-18

Vouge Pattern (Givenchy) #2086 - Work jacket and sleevless A-line dress - Women's size 14-16-18

Vouge Patterns (DKNY) #2091 - 3 dresses - Women's size 14-16-18

Vouge #1753 - Men's 3 piece suit - Men's size 38-42

9:30AM - Bouting in the Detwah

So me and some of the Toronna gals are planning to rent a van and head down to Detroit for the day to see this:



I'm not sure I'll have a ton of time to visit, since we're probably banking on making it a day trip (8 people - 8 different scedules) but if any of you locals are planning to check it out anyway, or were thinking about it, let me be your final excuse to go!

Speaking of Roller Derby (again), I set up a my space for all my derby stuff at www.myspace.com/cwheelz. I suspect I might cool it on the derby stuff here and put it all there so I can make room for real stuf on here... at least that's the plan. Although, it migght just prove my theory that I have no life outside of rd afterall.

10:33AM - I've made my accounts into a smart sports jacket

But I don't want to look at US tax documents let alone write numbers into them! Stupid america making me file taxes even though I didn't pay them taxes or make money in that country! :P

So instead of that, I did this!

Go to Wikipedia. Enter your birthday (no year) into the search field.
Post three events, 2 births, and 1 death.

I did 4 of each cause I don't listen good...


On March 7th, shit happened:

1876 - Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for an invention he calls the telephone (patent # 174,464).

1911 - Revolution in Mexico. (Viva Revolución!)

1965 - In Selma, Alabama, State troopers and local law enforcement forcefully break up a group of 600 civil rights marchers. The event was televised and was dubbed Bloody Sunday.

2002 - The Network Against Prohibition forms in Darwin, Australia.


Birthdays (brought you you by Smuckers):

1934 - Willard Scott, American television broadcaster

1942 - Tammy Faye Bakker, American evangelist

1942 - Michael Eisner, American film studio executive

1964 - Bret Easton Ellis, American writer


These are people who died, died:

322 BC - Aristotle, philosopher (b. 384 BC)

1988 - Divine, American actor (b. 1945)

1999 - Stanley Kubrick, American film director (b. 1928)

2006 - Gordon Parks, famed Life photographer (directed Shaft!) (b. 1912)

8:44PM - Tits on the radio

I talk about, think about, dream about nothing but roller derby these days.

If I thought for a second I would ever make money at this I'd quit my job and dive into this head first... but instead I dive in head first and keep my job for the time being. It's kinda a shame the photography has taken a back seat...

Anyway, surprise surprise, I have more roller derby news:

I'm gonna on the radio!

We're announcing the roller derby tryouts on 102.1 The Edge (think "new alternative" radio station...) at 7:30pm on Tuesday afternoon. The host, Barry Taylor, has asked that three of us step up to the mic and talk about the tryouts, and I'm one of the three!

We're planning to show up with matching ghetto spray painted tank tops, and our rollerskates on. It's going to be silly. And cool. And terribly exciting.

So, tune in! and if you have the means make sure to tape/record the show for me!

11:41AM - Meetup?

Hey ladies...

11:35AM

Thanks to everyone who came out to drink with me last night. I'm really no worse for wear this morning (funny how not smoking has cured me of the dreaded hangover) but had a great time last night.

It was very cool to see the cool kids at work with my cool friends and my cool roller derby manager/partner sanderella_. I wish more of you had been there, but it was great to see everyone who did show up. Special thanks, of course, to my main grrl panic who even made it out after a long day of moving. Ditto for the_siobhan and the_axel who also did some heavy lifting and still managed to stick around long enough to see me make my intoxicated exit. (Kudos to roller skating for improving my balance!)

Alex, one of my coworkers who is celebrating her birthday today and colaborated with me on arranging this little get together was in awe of my friends. She loved everyone who was there and told me over and over just how cool my friends really are. Eric, the head cheese at work was also impressed by the caliber of my friends and was a little bit in smit of sanderella_. I'm sure I'll hear more about you guys on Monday, but it's nice to reinerate just how freaking cool all the people in my life really are.

Thanks for making 27 memorable...

7:50AM - in case you know somebody tough...

8:09AM - I somehow failed to mention...

Last night among all the greeting cards and fanfare, I got another gift from the Government of Canada.

I have been scheduled to take my citizenship test on March 30th!!!