kettunainen, posts by tag: adventure - LiveJournal

I am missing Pride again. Last year, it was because I was the size of the Goodyear blimp and much too swollen and pregnant to enjoy anything beyond a walk around the block, let alone a whole parade with millions of people around. This year, it is because we are spending the weekend with N's parents. It's their birthday weekend and his dad's retirement party, so the whole family is going to be visiting.

N, A, and I will be sleeping in a tent. Wish us good weather and/or a water-tight tent. There's a chance of rain and thunderstorms... eep!

Lots of last minute preparation: we discovered only last night that we will have to provide all our meals, too. This is because my food sensitivities and our mostly vegan lifestyle is completely incompatible with his family's very meat-oriented, microwavable, suburban food lifestyle. There's a rant in there (they put SUGAR on perfectly sweet, ripe STRAWBERRIES, FFS! ugh.)

yeah, so... got lots to do, little time in which to do it; add in 11-month-old baby and everything is crazier and harder than it would normally be.

Thankfully, I've mostly got A packed up. Just need to get his food situated and figure out which toys to bring. Need to get our food bought and packed, which will take up the rest of the day.

A is currently napping. *phew*
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and for a quick baby update: he has started to sign to me. He lets me know when he wants 'more' and today, he signed his version of 'all done'. He also lets me know which food he wants to eat if I give him a choice (he smacks at whatever of the two options he prefers) , which is so awesome! Yay for communication! He's also trying to say words like apple and pear and more, but it's still pretty garbled.

He's standing on his own, but it'll be awhile before those first step happen.

He turned 11 months old yesterday. *sniff* It really goes by quickly!

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ohohohohoh! We finally got the window box up and have plants! Garlic chives, lemon basil, oregano, and a viola (the blooms are edible). Wheeeee! And I discovered that lettuce would probably grow really well in a window box in the kitchen, so that's our next project in a couple of weeks.

Next week, N will be pretty much unavailable, due to biannual work craziness. I could use some visitors. Anyone interested in coming over some evening next week to hang out with me and A?

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The Doom and Gloom Report brings you:
The Stranger: Be Afraid. (topic: bird flu; article not suitable reading for the hypochondriacs on my flist, nor for those with health anxieties. you know who you are.)


In happier news:
Inhabitat: Reverse Graffiti srsly cool stuff.

CNN: Man flies 193 miles in lawn chair

Salon: Air head: I could buy an air conditioner -- but what would summer be without the romance of a shockingly cold beer, sweaty sheets and rustling leaves?


And regular news brings the following:
CNN: Avoiding 'Made In China' labels not an easy task

Instructables: Make a reusable Swiffer Mop Pad

Can I just say once again how much I LOVE FAM [fertility awareness method]? I Love it. I do I do I do.

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Friday night, N and I did salvia divinorum for the first time. It was... unlike anything else I've ever done. Imagine the intensity of a 10-hour acid trip compacted into the time frame of a lengthy nitrous trip. It was approximately a 3-minute foray into weird-land where I didn't know who I was or where I was. I knew there was someone with me, but I couldn't see him. This was freaky, since Nikos was sitting on the bed not quite directly in front of me -- about at 2o'clock. I just couldn't see him. At least, not until I tipped my body over to the left side, which brought him into my direct line of sight. WTF? And because I couldn't see him, I started to get scared. And then I told myself* that I shouldn't freak out. Freaking out would be bad (in both a "They're all going to laugh at you" sort of way and a "that's simply unproductive" sort of way). I knew while tripping that it would be a very short experience and that it would all be ok. This didn't stop me from grabbing N's hand in a contorted grip of doom once I finally caught sight of him.

I was aware that I was in a room and that there were objects in front of me, but I had no idea what room I was in or whether those objects I saw were supposed to have any significance to me. It felt like they were movie props and I was sitting on the set of some unknown tv production. Kind of like in the Labyrinth when Sarah is in her fake room in the junkyard or, better yet, the Truman Show. It all felt wrong to me and it took several minutes for me to come to terms with the fact that yes, I lived in this house and yes, these things I saw were my and N's things. This was our stuff, but it still felt like one big joke for some time.

Visually, things were... weird. Very very difficult for me to explain. I'll have to experiment further to establish an appropriate vocabulary. When my eyes were closed, I saw really pretty, geometric designs, but when I opened my eyes, it was as though the geometric designs were the templates upon which the objects before me were built. It's really hard for me to describe it any further, since it was so short an experience -- literally a matter of seconds.

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I came away from the trip very moved. When I came to, I wasn't sure if I enjoyed it or not. The fear was most assuredly not enjoyable, but learning about myself and my perceptions very much is enjoyable, so it's kind of a toss-up. And since I really like pushing my own boundaries, I'll definitely be doing it again. It was one of the most intense things I've ever experienced, and all it took was ONE TOKE off my beloved, green glass water pipe.

For next time, I'd like to try it with N being closer to me, holding on to or touching me, and me keeping my eyes closed. I'd also like to try it outside in nature. I think that experiencing salvia in a natural setting where no attachment to the plants is felt in the first place might be easier for me somehow. Or with keeping my eyes closed, there are no objects to look at in the first place. I wonder what that would do for me.

optimystik and I went to the doctor on saturday because he is sick and he needs referrals for other stuff. He's got tonsillitis. I seem to be doing ok, though, but that's because I've been sleeping when I'm tired (and I've been excessively tired the past couple of days), have been staying well away from sweet things like ice cream, even when my partners are eating bowls full on either side of me (sugar depresses the immune system, esp. mine), and eating copious amounts of garlic (mmmm, garlicky bacteria-ridden morning breath! yay!). Also, I've been drinking lots of fluids. I really can't afford to be sick and I don't want to pass my germs on to people at work, since two of the 5 of us are pregnant (neither of which are me).

misslynx and I made a wunnerful celebratory dinner for N friday night because he now has a permanent position in the company he's been working for since last November. No probation, even, and benefits, etc. start immediately. How freakin' awesome! So L bought fantastic, antibiotic- and growth-hormone-free steaks that were super super lean (leanest steaks I've EVER seen), plus yummy ice cream (I had a leeetle bit on Friday, but none since), a card and a really neat bonsai tree with exposed roots/weird-looking trunk. Miko-plant-eater seems to be leaving it mostly alone. This is good. Oh, and this was the first time ever that I made steak, and I managed to make it medium-rare, which is apparently how I now like it best. N approved mightily. Yay!

We just finished the first season of Lost last night in a four-episode marathon. I can't WAIT for season two. Please say nothing specific about what happens in season two, thank you. I enjoy surprises. Hope to get all the way through it before season three starts, but that's probably asking too much. I totally love this series.

My job does not suck. It is certainly not for everyone because a lot of the tasks are definitely mind-numbingly boring, but for the most part, I enjoy those sorts of tasks, so it's a good fit. I knew it would be. Probation is over around the third week of November. Dress code is business casual, which I think is such a nebulous territory. I've got a good handle on it, to be sure, but I keep wanting to see what I can get away with, which is bad. Business casual is temptation for badness. Erg.

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In other news, N and I bought a water pipe while we were out on Saturday because we thought we were going to be able to do salvia this weekend. But with him being sick, me being not-quite-healthy, and us not finding the right lighter (nor being able to afford a new one, since we had to scrape to get the pipe), we decided to put it off until the stars are right. But here's the thing. There's a water pipe that I saw at Jupiter on Queen W (across from Shopper's) that I ADORE, and if I don't get it for my birthday (ahem, next weekend), I'll buy it myself the week after when I get my very first paycheque. It's green glass and is literally shaped like a pipe. It looks so decidely fairy that I don't care if I ever use it for smokables, I have to have it. And if I get it before doing salvia, then I want to use this pipe for it. It resonates like a magical tool would. And were I to use it for salvia, it would, in its own way, BE a magical tool. I'm not interested in doing salvia 'to get fucked up'. I'm interested in it because I'm interested in learning what it has to offer. I'm interested in altered states of consciousness. And that sweet-ass water pipe for $46 and change at Jupiter. Please, someones buy it for me!

Maybe I want it so badly because I've been reading R. J. Stewart's Earth Light. Mmmm... Underworld Faery Stuff. And Goats! er, not really. But kinda: faeries are said to be capricious and, well, capricious kinda means 'goat-like', so yeah! Goats! ;P

Dude, a plane just flew by (or planes) as part of The Ex airshow, and it sounded like it was going to crash right outside my window, it was so low. Or break the sound barrier. I kept waiting for the BOOM. I really wonder how the veterans in the city are feeling this weekend. That sound was just not fun to listen to, and I don't even have PTSD.

I think that's it for now.

I'm going to attempt to make paneer for tomorrow night's dinner. It doesn't look that difficult... we shall see.

I took a look at the calendar last night and cross referenced it with my pill pack and I have discovered that next Thursday will be my last day on the pill. This means that for the next three months, I will be flushing excess hormones from my body in preparation for trying to conceive.

I am officially a little freaked out by this.

I was talking to optimystik last night and compared it to standing in line for a massive roller coaster ride. I've been standing in line, getting all excited, mentally preparing myself for the ride, and the line-standing has lasted so long that I almost forgot why I was there. And then, suddenly, I get a nice solid view of the ride entrance and my heart starts pounding, and my palms break out into a cold sweat, and I remember exactly what I'm doing here.

I really really want to go on this ride, but I'm still nervous. And the closer I get to actually getting on the ride, the more nervous and excited I get, and the more a sense of disbelief about it all washes over me.

But I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna get on that ride. I have no idea what it'll really be like, but I'm not chickening out or delaying; I'm gonna keep standing in line, and when my time comes and I'm sitting in the car all strapped in, I'll be even more determined to see it through to the very end.

we got the apartment we looked at on Saturday
we're moving in less than two months
this was the most pain-free apartment hunt ever

last time was dead easy, but we only had 2 weeks
this time, we have two months
Yay!

I will hopefully be making an appointment tomorrow with the current tenants to come and take measurements so that I can create a nifty diagram on graph paper of each room, to scale, of course. This will help me figure out exactly what will go where. It will be tight but doable with effort, organization, lots of planning and perhaps a shoehorn.

This move will not be like the previous two. It will be organized. Boxes will be packed and ready to go before moving day. Boxes will also be appropriately inventoried and labeled with the room they will go to. This will all happen in one day. There is an understood emphasis on DAY, as in, not night. Not 11pm or 3am or all night. Unless, of course, the current tenants are moving out on the same day we're moving in. In which case, all bets are off, and there's not much we can do except hope they get out of there asap.

I have made lists and diagrams and have done everybody's feng shui/ba gua to figure out who and what goes where. As a result, we already have a general idea of how the apartment will be arranged. We have begun discussing whose silverware, microwave, tv, etc., we will be using, where all the music-making machines will go, and what needs to be organized and/or shed before moving. We don't know if there will be time to paint before we move. It would be nice -- really nice -- because the living room and hall are a wrong-looking medium beige, N's room is white, and L's office is a not-too-great shade of green. My and L's bedroom, though, is a beautiful shade of purply periwinkle with white trim. Preeettttyyyyy..... We'll make do if we have to. We'll be there for awhile.

This afternoon, I spent organizing LEGO chez Nikos (almost done!), did four loads of dishes, and two loads of laundry. This evening, I helped L with work stuff.

And now I am braindead
I need to sleep
sleeeeeeeeeep

and MUST work on diurnal schedule! ugh. I don't like staying up this late anymore. :(

We're looking at an apartment 8 hours from now.
3 bedrooms + living room
in our own building.
2nd floor.

Rent is quite manageable:
slightly more than what we're currently paying
but slightly less if you don't include our storage unit.
utilities included.

Landlord doesn't hate us,
especially since we've been good with rent
for two months in a row.
He gave Lynx a drink on the house this evening.

Just need to see if we all like it
and if it's big enough.

I really really really hope it all works out for the best -
- whatever that may be.

Wish us luck?

i am tired
my bag is still wet from yesterday
my muscles are sore
my desk is covered in receipts and underwear and paperwork
i have a lot of work to do

i've been craving oatmeal cream pies. i should figure out how to remedy this -- need to discover a corresponding sugar/wheat-free recipe that will satisfy the depraved beasties that are my taste buds.

i tried E for the first time a couple of weeks ago. it was splendiferous! even though I threw up (cuz i always do), it was still splendiferous. i am now ready for acid. or more E. or oatmeal cream pies. moist chewy creamy goodness. yuuummmmy.

i'm trying out all the good bad things i can before i start having kids. i hear there isn't a whole lot of time for much else when the babies come.

i need to repaint my toes a different colour. maybe sparkly olive or dark blue or something. they're red now, which matched my skirt that i wore last week, but red nail polish is kinda too mundane for me. i feel too suburban, which is a bad, icky feeling that must be squelched. at least the skirt is pretty.

we go see our lawyer tomorrow to turn in our immigration application. i still need to locate my photos, which, i believe, are tidied away in that box over there with all my other papery-type things -- the ones that aren't crowding up my desk at the moment.

boy, i'm hungry.

we got all our letters (or, rather, enough of them) from our loved ones supporting my immigration here and they all rock -- both the letters and the peeps. mmmm.... peeeps.... i really need to eat.

tomorrow evening, i am seeing pyralea again. maybe we'll see a movie. maybe we'll make dinner again. maybe we'll paint or something.

i went hiking on the escarpment near Milton with my coven yesterday. we did a ritual out there and it was awesome. for me, it involved making a small and very literal leap of faith concerning fear. i become fearful of silly little things and i am trying to find ways of getting past those fears. if i can do that, then maybe the big fears won't be so ominous.

i was told that there would be a cave -- it turned out to be a sheltered crevice in the limestone. and while not a proper cave, it was really neat. there was mist rising from the depths of the crevice, but it wasn't noxious or hallucinatory, like with the Pythia. it didn't even smell -- the mist, that is, but the whole area smelled of cool wet damp limestone and decaying wood and leaves. very very lovely. i wanted to spend more time there, but then the skies started dumping on us. there were streams of water from my shorts to my socks by the time we started heading back. it was fun being completely soaked in the rain! kinda freeing. but by the time we got back, i was all cold and wet and wrinkly and my feet hurt from being trapped in my shoes for so long, drenched from the rain. it's too bad toronto didn't get the rain that Milton got. we coulda used it here to make everything much greener and get rid of some of this hideous heat. at least with what rain we did get, things have cooled off to a more manageable 27-30C.

ok, i've rambled long enough. i'm gonna go eat now.

if you're interested in caving in Ontario there is a Toronto Caving Group. It looks like fun!