Saws and Social Shindigs

Weekends...for me that means a Saturday sleep-in, maybe a walk with my dog, shopping a bit with my mom or going out for lunch, a nice lazy, relaxing day.
However, this past Saturday I was jolted awake by the loud and shocking sounds of chainsaws at about 7:30 am! Yes, the scheduled cutting of a very large dead tree in my yard just happened to be early that morning. Why so early?! Especially on a day where the majority of people don't get up as early, who want to relax a little.
Sufice to say, I was wide awake by 8:00 am and by 8:30 am ran a brush through my unruly hair, donned a warm sweatshirt and took my gleeful dog for a walk down to a park. She was utterly ecstatic and thoroughly enjoyed our jaunt, we even met some neighbourhood dogs in the park and had a bit of off-leash time. The morning was gorgeous, a chill in the air but the warm, bright morning sun broke through the clouds to make our walk warm and sunny.
By the time I got back the tree still was not down, and my neighbours hedges were half-destroyed by the falling branches. I watched the latest episode of ugly Betty (an enjoyable Halloween romp!) then headed out to escape the noisy sawing.
I had a lovely day with my mom, poking around the dwindling Moss Street Market, shopping at Costco and Tilicum Mall. I always have such fun with her!
THEN...the piece de resistance (or however you spell it) that night I had a Costume Party! My wonderful friends Meg and Shan came over to help me decorate and get ready as I furiously cleaned. They also carved my pumpkins, and did an great job! Thanks!!!
My party was great! Lots of excellent, cute, fun and imaginative costumes! And LOTS of food and goodies!! Man!! I'll be full for a week!! Thank you for all the yummy treats and the great time! I had so much fun!
What was my costume, you ask? Well after a lot of research, thought and creative imagining....I dressed up as...
The Fairy Goth Mother!! Yes, that's right! Fairy GOTH Mother! I had fun coming up with the costume: all black, my dark burgundy leather boots (combat-style kinda), black lacey gloves with fingertips cut off, black nail polish, black lipstick (that didn't last very long once we started nibbling on treat!), a cool black mask with little metal studs and my hair up all spikey, sprayed black. Oh, and fairy wings and a star want that were also sprayed with some black. Fun, fun!
Some other guests at the party included: Minnie Mouse, a fancy fairy, a Lady bug, a Hill Billy, Tinkerbell, a Luna the cave woman, Siamese cats (joined at the shoulder!), a cute cat, and a lioness. My dog even appeared out of hiding for a bit dresses as a pilot in her bomber jacket. Some other shady characters showed up later, sans costume but still in the mood for a social get together. Thanks everyone, for a great night!
I'll have to post a photo or two later.

Magicians and Meetings

An eventful weekend is finally over. And no, I haven't made a mistake, my weekends include Mondays since that is one of my days off. After my venture into advertising my roommate situation on Craigslist, I had a whopping 12 e-mails and phone calls within a week. Sheesh! Most of which were male or weird, so I had to e-mail them back saying that unfortunately I don't think it would work out. Out of the female and no-so-weird messages several never got back to me and one sounded promising but she failed to contact me when she came to town on the weekend. I even had one planned for meeting who was a no-show. Maddening! I cleaned, tidied and the eediot could not even call? La-Who-za-Her!!!

Anyway, my glorious friend Meg and I had a wonderful time catching her up on as much Grey's Anatomy as we could. Wow, I never knew I could do a TV marathon like we did!

Then off to the movies on Saturday night. Some gals chose to see Marie Antoinette, which they said wasn't so good. And M and I decided to see "The Prestige".

My comment for that movie...it's just "eh" (picture me shrugging my shoulders and only half smiling). For one thing the theatre was pretty packed and we had to sit right at the back next to some unruly teens who kept punching not only themselves but my arm once in a while by accident.

And for the whole first third of the film I had to strain to hear since it seemed the volume was turned down too low. I guess my ears and listening centre of my brain adjusted and after some confusing beginnings with the plot moving back and forth through time I finally settled into the tricksey and only slightly surprising story of two magicians trying to out-do one another.

The actors were excellent. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale played the magicians and Michael Caine played the gadget-inventor/mentor. Scarlett Johansson played the role of the pretty assistant who betrays back and forth between the two tricksters. The plot was interesting but the twists were a flop in my book. I spotted some of the fakery a mile off, well really about half-way through, and when the final surprise was revealed I wasn't at all shocked. Ah well, it was good old entertainment through and through.

After our movies, all the girls went out to Fifth Street Grill and I enjoyed THE BEST wings ever! Mmm, maple garlic! I love that place and am confused as to why I don't go there more often.

So today, on my final day off for the week I lazed about, clean a little , did some needed laundry and mostly watched some episodes of Carnivale. Wow! What a messed-up show that is! I am so hooked! Funny thing is, this show, too, surrounds two magicians who will eventually meet and dual. However these characters are supposed to have actual supernatural powers, one for good, one for bad and we don't know quiet yet which is which. One is a failing priest, the other and 18-year old boy who hooks up with and has some connection to a Carnivale/Freak Show. Quite intriguing.

So, a good weekend but no roommate yet. If you have someone in mind let me know. I'd love to be able to get that DivX player SRM keeps bugging me about. Later.

~ TTK

Rejection, RSS and Roommates.

So, I am currently in the market for a new roommate. No, there isn't a store where I can puruse the aisles and pick our the freshest, most juicy personality to share my home and my life with. There is no Roommate Market where they are locally grown and picked daily. However, there is such a thing as web shopping for a roommate. It is called online ads and e-mailing.
I recently placed an ad on craigslist seeking a roommate to share my place. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love living on my own, in fact, I prefer it, but the bills and rent of my little home are getting the better of me and I find I have little to no spending money and no chance in heck of any type of savings. I don't mind having a roommate, but from past experiences I think I know what I can handle and what I don't want to even try tackling. I'm meeting with a few people this weekend to chat and see what they are like. I know I'll have to have some house rules to go over right away so nothing is a surprise later on. Right away I received about 10 e-mails and a couple phone calls. Several look promising, but I hadto e-mail backa couple saying I don't think we'd be a good roommate "fit" (some were guys, one a 52 year old man, and one mom looking for a home for her 17 year old! No way Jose!). I hope they don't take it too hard. i know rejection if difficult to take, but in the rental/roommate market, you have to expect to search for a while before finding the right place or person.
A little update on things in Kirsten World, my RSS feed for downloading TV shows seems to be crashing an awful lot lately. And not only crashing but not half working - it says it has downloaded a show in the history but the show has not downloaded. Arg! Being a pirate is such frustrating work sometimes.
Oh one last thing, I send out an evite to a bunch of friends inviting them to a killer costume party. I'm pretty stoked and excited. My party last year went really well and I think everyone had fun. I've been looking up costume ideas for myself and I have a few possibilites but I can't decide! Maybe I'll post a few later and see what you guys think.
Later!

~ K

Rain

I love the rain.
I love the cool, bright glow from rainclouds.
I love how rain sounds as it pat tap tap pats on my shoulder.
I love the wet grass.
I love how rain collects in trees and then falls in bigger, louder drops.
I love how rain makes the once dark and dead streets and into a brilliant, new reflective surface, alive with lights, colour and movement.
I love the smell of the rain on plants, concrete and soil.
I love how the sound of rain can whisper gently or drown out every other noise as it plummets down.
I love umbrellas and how such a simple, little piece of material and metal can shield us from the rain, keeping us dry in a wet world.
But I love rain on my face and hair.
I love the cold drops on my arms.
I even love how the rain makes tiny, sparkling dots like decorations on my glasses and window.
I love the coolness of a rainy season.
I love rain and how it makes me feel like everything is clean, like I can start again.
I love the rain.

My Life on TV

So I was home last night, watching some shows I downloaded (What About Brian, Gilmore Girls) and I was thinking...and maybe it was the painkillers for my toothache talking but I was thinking, what would my life be like if it were a TV show?

Would it be a comedy sitcom, like a family show? Or would it be a drama or documentary style? I know it probably wouldn't be an action/suspense type show! But really, what would it be like?

I know I would probably be one of those quirky, funny character who has a lot more 'character' and 'personality' than good looks. I'd have to be TV ugly, which actually means cute, fun, perky with a dash of just-above-average looks. I think my show would be part "The Office" with some antics from working in a church office, as well as part "Friends" as I get together with my two separate groups - the Marrieds and the Younger Singles. So in a way it's like "What About Brian" since I am one of the single people left in my age group of friends, but it's also like I'm a bossy, loves to be in-charge Monica from Friends, um, minus the obsessive cleaning, though.

I know I'd have some cool music throughout the show - as background music, a funky theme song - not cheesy like from 80's family sitcoms ("Show me that smile again..."), and as serious moments arise...U2 ballads play as I watch the rain fall outside my window...that type of thing. As I've already said I really like songs by Death Cab for Cutie, but I'd have to add Snow Patrol to the list of show songs, as well as songs from Great Big Sea (slow and fast), OH and a montage! Everyoe loves a Montage...time seems to fly during a Montage!!!

Hmmm, so I've covered character type, settings, music....swhat's left...Oh plot! Sheesh, what the heck could the plot/premise be?

It could be a Seinfeld-like show where it is actually about nothing. Day to day living, usual experiences...butlers and Jr. mints, you know....Well maybe not. Maybe there is a bit of a life-quest going on, me trying to figure out what I should do with my life, even though I've got a good job etc....Maybe a dash of my lack of love life tossed in for fun - good old drama section of me flirting but getting nowhere, interested but just friends, liking men I can't have, the usual....Hmmm, yes that can be the drama side of things, well with a bit of comedy, like jokes about how very few dates I've been on...very few....and jokes about how friends seem to come to me for advice and I really don't have the full prespective to give, but they keep coming anyway....doesn't seem that funny now that I write it...Ah well. We can make it funny.

Ooo, and epiphany! An Unscripted Reality TV Show where cameras follow me around like on The Office, but the main reason is to document me trying to find Mr Right. Not at all like The Bachelorette or even those annoying Dating shows, just me and the people in my life and any new men that appear....Maybe even a foray into internet dating and having cameras film that whole realm of experience. Hmm, maybe not.

What else, what else....I'd have to have quirky and odd advertisment placements for products like say used car dealerships (Find yerself a used car that'll last for a while!) or a local pizza place (Not the best but pretty darn decent!) or pet/Aquarium stores since I have a lot of fish tanks etc etc. Not the usual products. Even my Diet Coke cans would have to be blurred or covered with flaming orange construction paper wheile on film. Heh, sure.

Now, I'd need a name for my show: something catchy, but not annoying or too heavy on the puns....and it would all depend on the direction the show would goin...something like..."In the Middle of Somewhere" or "Almost There" or "Kirsten on Camera" or "My Life" or "Moments of Me"...yech! I'm not sure I like any!

Hmmmm, do YOU have any ideas? Let me know what you think.

What would my life as a TV show look like?

~ K