It's 6:28 am and I'm awake. Not because I want to be and not because my alarm clock went off, although it should have but I turned it off for the weekend and forgot to turn it back on last night.
No, I'm up because I was awoken by my next door neighbour and his new girlfriend. For the 3rd time this weekend they have made the noisy case for me to buy a single family home.
And here I thought I was done with this when I moved out of the apartment building. *le sigh*
Epilogue: So on my way out of the driveway this morning I wanted a good look at the unknown vehicle sitting in the double driveway I share with the neighbour because I wanted to see what this operatic singer drove. One of the things my neighbour is notable for is the fact that he has a vanity plate. As in his license plate says his first name and his ex had one that said her first name. Sure enough, he somehow has found someone with a vanity plate that's her last name. Good god. And she also has a beaded rosary hanging from her rearview mirror. Lemme tell ya, a good catholic wouldn't have been making those kinda noises ;o)
Wow, I'm nosey. ;0)
Showing posts with label neighbours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label neighbours. Show all posts
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, November 30, 2009
There are few things
I'm not sure if I was never really one to get swept off my feet at grand gestures of presents or whatnot or if that's a new position since becoming an adult. Perhaps it's tied to the fact that we didn't have a lot of money growing up as kids and while I never really felt any hardship, I don't feel I missed out on anything because of some of the memories I have growing up. While money was tight, time spent as a family or with my brother wasn't and well, perhaps that's why I could care less what name my heel is walking over each day or the brand of car I drive (although don't get me started on Fords).
So when I do actually see something I like and want, I have very little impulse control not to buy it but I figure that as it happens less often than most, I can be forgiven.
When I moved into my house, my first Christmas was rounding the bend at this time of year. Amazing that I've been here now for almost two and a half years and amazing more than I've been here longer on my own (sans the med student) than I was with le ex. But I digress...it was at this time that the neighbour at the other 'corner' of our street put up star lights that hung as a curtain in their dining room window. Because they were on the corner where the two streets intersected, every time I went north on my street, I'd see the lights. I was enchanted.
I'm not sure what it is about stars and twinkle lights. I've wanted nothing more than to have twinkle lights in my back yard and then to see stars I could have in my house, well, I was sold. I remember begging le ex to try and find them, convinced they were an Ikea product, and to get them when we did one day stumble upon them. But he saw them as unsightly and expensive. I resigned myself to trying to think that they were tacky so I wouldn't want them as much.
Fast forward almost two years and not wanting to let the Ikea gods get the better of me, I was in the Toronto Ikea on a mission when I came across them once more. This time, without hesitation, I bought them. And as my street seems to be getting more and more like the Griswalds every year (WTF? Even *I*, lover of all things Christmas, have a limit and some neighbours reached it several strings of lights ago), I will turn on my simple lights and bask in the oddly greeny-cream glow.
So when I do actually see something I like and want, I have very little impulse control not to buy it but I figure that as it happens less often than most, I can be forgiven.
When I moved into my house, my first Christmas was rounding the bend at this time of year. Amazing that I've been here now for almost two and a half years and amazing more than I've been here longer on my own (sans the med student) than I was with le ex. But I digress...it was at this time that the neighbour at the other 'corner' of our street put up star lights that hung as a curtain in their dining room window. Because they were on the corner where the two streets intersected, every time I went north on my street, I'd see the lights. I was enchanted.
I'm not sure what it is about stars and twinkle lights. I've wanted nothing more than to have twinkle lights in my back yard and then to see stars I could have in my house, well, I was sold. I remember begging le ex to try and find them, convinced they were an Ikea product, and to get them when we did one day stumble upon them. But he saw them as unsightly and expensive. I resigned myself to trying to think that they were tacky so I wouldn't want them as much.
Fast forward almost two years and not wanting to let the Ikea gods get the better of me, I was in the Toronto Ikea on a mission when I came across them once more. This time, without hesitation, I bought them. And as my street seems to be getting more and more like the Griswalds every year (WTF? Even *I*, lover of all things Christmas, have a limit and some neighbours reached it several strings of lights ago), I will turn on my simple lights and bask in the oddly greeny-cream glow.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Overheard in 421
Gback started his new job today in the cube fort beside mine in our office suite. It's a good thing, his starting this new position as it'll give me a backup, but I have a feeling know that it will add more work to my plate. We get along well so it should be a good team. (BTW, did I mention he reads this so it has to be 'edited' now when I speak ill of work?).
As we haven't had many WOP entries lately, I figured I'd share with you our convos over the fortress walls.
Gback: (as he pops a Sweet Tart in his mouth) I shouldn't even be eating these
L: Whatever. They're made of pure sugar. You'll just pee it out.
*insert giggling like little school girls*
Gback: Somebody's already had too many.
*insert more giggles*
Yeah, we're going to be one formidable team, us two.
As we haven't had many WOP entries lately, I figured I'd share with you our convos over the fortress walls.
Gback: (as he pops a Sweet Tart in his mouth) I shouldn't even be eating these
L: Whatever. They're made of pure sugar. You'll just pee it out.
*insert giggling like little school girls*
Gback: Somebody's already had too many.
*insert more giggles*
Yeah, we're going to be one formidable team, us two.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
What keeps me going today
Something about today is getting on my nerves. Perhaps it's the impending rowing practice in the freezing afternoon I'm not looking forward to. Perhaps it's the exhaustion of spending too much time at work this week. Perhaps it's just that I need vacation time to get some life things in order.
Who knows.
Or perhaps it's the self-righteous rant I'm having to listen to that's floating over my fort walls (read cube walls) in the office.
But if there's one thing that keeps me going every spring and summer...it's these little gaffers:
Every year, a momma groundhog makes a den in the quad and I, JJ, and the Mexican Princess inevitably spend many a lunch hours giving away all our fruits and veggies to these guys. Not that momma doesn't provide enough for them or there's not enough clover to go around, but nothing cracks us up like when they sit back on their haunches and try and hold an apple core the size of their head in their hands and chow down.
So, regardless of the mindless chatter I have to listen to that floats over the fort walls (I SO need headphones to block that idiocracy out), seeing these little cubs runnin' around, I remember why it's grand to be alive.
Total soul singing moment...
Who knows.
Or perhaps it's the self-righteous rant I'm having to listen to that's floating over my fort walls (read cube walls) in the office.
But if there's one thing that keeps me going every spring and summer...it's these little gaffers:
Every year, a momma groundhog makes a den in the quad and I, JJ, and the Mexican Princess inevitably spend many a lunch hours giving away all our fruits and veggies to these guys. Not that momma doesn't provide enough for them or there's not enough clover to go around, but nothing cracks us up like when they sit back on their haunches and try and hold an apple core the size of their head in their hands and chow down.
So, regardless of the mindless chatter I have to listen to that floats over the fort walls (I SO need headphones to block that idiocracy out), seeing these little cubs runnin' around, I remember why it's grand to be alive.
Total soul singing moment...
Friday, April 24, 2009
Rawr - postscript
I know that that's how it's done and all and that the info that I put into Facebook is all public and used for evil (advertising demographics) not good (uselessly letting it sit on a server) but sometimes I get a little creeped out by the accuracy of things.
I navigated to someone's page to see the wall->wall discussion of two mutual friends. Once there, I noted the right hand ads that came up. I was shocked to see what I saw considering the Rawr post I had yesterday here:
Seriously? The exact T I commented on yesterday? It's not like I put it in a link or even have a link to my blog on my Facebook account. Seriously?
And the irony of having a CU ad below it? Granted, the person I was creepin' is a fellow employee of the capital E Employer, but still...
It's the cyberspace trolls that creep me out once more...
I navigated to someone's page to see the wall->wall discussion of two mutual friends. Once there, I noted the right hand ads that came up. I was shocked to see what I saw considering the Rawr post I had yesterday here:
Seriously? The exact T I commented on yesterday? It's not like I put it in a link or even have a link to my blog on my Facebook account. Seriously?
And the irony of having a CU ad below it? Granted, the person I was creepin' is a fellow employee of the capital E Employer, but still...
It's the cyberspace trolls that creep me out once more...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
I'm on to you, you parents out there, I'm on to you
This morning I drove out of my driveway and nearly took out more neighbourhood kids than I knew existed on my street.
WTF?
Sure it's spring, sure it's a nice sunny morning out but 10 to 9 am and the street's alive like I've never seen it before?
WTF?
Ahhh, wait a minute, I see what's happened. You parents out there have jacked 'em full of chocolate and then sent them out to play in the street. Let 'em run around out there. Drive the DINKS and singletons crazy with their whoop calls, riding their bikes all over their lawns, drawing all over the sidewalk with chalk, the works. SHARE THE EASTER LOVE.
Well I'm on to you. Haven't figured out what my punishment will be but you keep your eyes on your garden gnomes and Mary's in a tub. 'Cause payback's a bitch.
WTF?
Sure it's spring, sure it's a nice sunny morning out but 10 to 9 am and the street's alive like I've never seen it before?
WTF?
Ahhh, wait a minute, I see what's happened. You parents out there have jacked 'em full of chocolate and then sent them out to play in the street. Let 'em run around out there. Drive the DINKS and singletons crazy with their whoop calls, riding their bikes all over their lawns, drawing all over the sidewalk with chalk, the works. SHARE THE EASTER LOVE.
Well I'm on to you. Haven't figured out what my punishment will be but you keep your eyes on your garden gnomes and Mary's in a tub. 'Cause payback's a bitch.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Sometimes I shouldn't open my mouth
Because inevitably, stupid things fly out.
Take my first 20 minutes in Halifax on Monday night. Super duper windy. Like "blow your suitcase with all your worldly possessions into the puddle you parked it beside" windy. What's my observation that should have remained an inside voice thought:
This is SOOOO not a sticky lip gloss kinda city.
That's right. My hair was getting stuck to my lips and then gooey. Sure it happens sometimes but all of my freshly applied lip gloss went right into my hair. So this is what I was thinking. That and "I'm gonna look like some 80's freak with super crazy sparkly hair when we get to the hotel."
I also had some other observations while in the maritimes.
For some reason, when you drive on the wrong side of the divided highway or the wrong way down a one way street, the ministry of transportation feels the need to remind you that you are in fact going the "WRONG WAY" every few kilometres. And should you be in the right lane while on the wrong side of the road, they wouldn't want you to be confused with the fact that it's only the LEFT lane that's the wrong way so they put up big red signs on BOTH sides of that side of the road. Right. Ooo-kaaaayyyy.
Also, everyone is your NBF and everyone talks to each other. I had a 10 minute conversation with a lady to help her determine which jacket she should bring to Toronto for the weekend because her husband was celebrating 40 years with his company ("isn't that a long time to work for one company?" she mused) and they were flying him and her in for a banquet dinner and she wanted to do tourist things like go shopping or go to the CN tower but didn't want to be too cold because her brother just flew back from Edmonton on Tuesday and they had to stop the plane in Ottawa to de-ice it on the way home. (Totally off topic - is deice one word or hyphenated?) We established, after much debate and many minutes after I was finished paying for my Fruit To Go from her little university centre store, that she should go with the lighter jacket, check the weather network and bring layers. You can all only imagine how emotionally draining this was for me given that I try and avoid my neighbours and prefer to live a relatively anonymous lifestyle. I also should have known that it would be like this given the excitement of the car rental girl when I gave her my name for my reservation "oh, so you're Ms. Alberta. I've been waiting to meet you. You see, I looked at all our reservations for this evening and saw your name and thought "wow that's an interesting name" so I wanted to see who it belonged to and wouldn't it be cool if you were also from Alberta" to which my response after a terrible flight was a stoney "whaaaaa???" and she said, "oh, so about your reservation" I know, I just lived up to their expectations of Ontarians.
Finally, I couldn't do it. I couldn't have the lobster. I was thinking about it but the lobster tank at the restaurant was on the other side of the wall from my chair and then the little guys started splashing around and havin' fun and then a cook came out of the kitchen and picked one up and put him in a big tupperware container and took him back to the kitchen to meet his Maker. (Let's put a big M on that but we'll keep with the little g god. ;o) ). The thought of him being boiled made me retch (literally) and we almost had see-food of a different kind.
Anyways, Halifax and Wolfville were...ah...interesting. They're cute but not in October when I'm tired, cranky and wishing I was home.
Take my first 20 minutes in Halifax on Monday night. Super duper windy. Like "blow your suitcase with all your worldly possessions into the puddle you parked it beside" windy. What's my observation that should have remained an inside voice thought:
This is SOOOO not a sticky lip gloss kinda city.
That's right. My hair was getting stuck to my lips and then gooey. Sure it happens sometimes but all of my freshly applied lip gloss went right into my hair. So this is what I was thinking. That and "I'm gonna look like some 80's freak with super crazy sparkly hair when we get to the hotel."
I also had some other observations while in the maritimes.
For some reason, when you drive on the wrong side of the divided highway or the wrong way down a one way street, the ministry of transportation feels the need to remind you that you are in fact going the "WRONG WAY" every few kilometres. And should you be in the right lane while on the wrong side of the road, they wouldn't want you to be confused with the fact that it's only the LEFT lane that's the wrong way so they put up big red signs on BOTH sides of that side of the road. Right. Ooo-kaaaayyyy.
Also, everyone is your NBF and everyone talks to each other. I had a 10 minute conversation with a lady to help her determine which jacket she should bring to Toronto for the weekend because her husband was celebrating 40 years with his company ("isn't that a long time to work for one company?" she mused) and they were flying him and her in for a banquet dinner and she wanted to do tourist things like go shopping or go to the CN tower but didn't want to be too cold because her brother just flew back from Edmonton on Tuesday and they had to stop the plane in Ottawa to de-ice it on the way home. (Totally off topic - is deice one word or hyphenated?) We established, after much debate and many minutes after I was finished paying for my Fruit To Go from her little university centre store, that she should go with the lighter jacket, check the weather network and bring layers. You can all only imagine how emotionally draining this was for me given that I try and avoid my neighbours and prefer to live a relatively anonymous lifestyle. I also should have known that it would be like this given the excitement of the car rental girl when I gave her my name for my reservation "oh, so you're Ms. Alberta. I've been waiting to meet you. You see, I looked at all our reservations for this evening and saw your name and thought "wow that's an interesting name" so I wanted to see who it belonged to and wouldn't it be cool if you were also from Alberta" to which my response after a terrible flight was a stoney "whaaaaa???" and she said, "oh, so about your reservation" I know, I just lived up to their expectations of Ontarians.
Finally, I couldn't do it. I couldn't have the lobster. I was thinking about it but the lobster tank at the restaurant was on the other side of the wall from my chair and then the little guys started splashing around and havin' fun and then a cook came out of the kitchen and picked one up and put him in a big tupperware container and took him back to the kitchen to meet his Maker. (Let's put a big M on that but we'll keep with the little g god. ;o) ). The thought of him being boiled made me retch (literally) and we almost had see-food of a different kind.
Anyways, Halifax and Wolfville were...ah...interesting. They're cute but not in October when I'm tired, cranky and wishing I was home.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Mary's DA BOMB!
So, I was telling new reader A about my neighbours and the pranks I want to pull on them over computer problems today and I realized I hadn't shared my dark little desires to be evil with you.
I have 3 neighbours on my street that I want to be kinda mischievous towards for no good reason other than I would definitely get shits and giggles outta it.
One neighbour has a whack o' garden gnomes in her overly-manicured yet strangely still wild looking yard. Another has a foot-long, miniature, white, wicker couch on her lawn with nothing on it - no little ornaments or anything, just this funny looking couch. And finally, another neighbour's got the Mary in a Tub statue with creepy blue solar lights leading up the walkway to it. It's especially creepy at night because Mary's faded to now be almost purely white with the strange blue robe being very pale. And we all know how much I love religious idols so it's self explanatory as to why this gets me wanting to play pranks.
So, how do I get all of them in one fallow swoop?
Thanks for asking!
I think that Mary should lie down on the couch with all the gnomes around her in a remake of Snow White and the 7 dwarfs. After all, Mary's almost snow white herself (and we know she's got that hidden "immaculate conception" purity goin' on) and the gnomes would gladly stand watch over her - it'd be a welcome reprieve from that hideous mess of flowers and weeds my neighbour takes such pride in. And then the couch wouldn't look like the garbage man had forgotten to take it with the trash on Friday.
Genius...non?
You know what's coming next, right? Pics of all 3. (Note to self: I so need photoshop at work.)
Epilogue: A thought he'd pass on this link after our conversation this am. I will be so very disappointed if someone doesn't show me the love for my birthday.
I have 3 neighbours on my street that I want to be kinda mischievous towards for no good reason other than I would definitely get shits and giggles outta it.
One neighbour has a whack o' garden gnomes in her overly-manicured yet strangely still wild looking yard. Another has a foot-long, miniature, white, wicker couch on her lawn with nothing on it - no little ornaments or anything, just this funny looking couch. And finally, another neighbour's got the Mary in a Tub statue with creepy blue solar lights leading up the walkway to it. It's especially creepy at night because Mary's faded to now be almost purely white with the strange blue robe being very pale. And we all know how much I love religious idols so it's self explanatory as to why this gets me wanting to play pranks.
So, how do I get all of them in one fallow swoop?
Thanks for asking!
I think that Mary should lie down on the couch with all the gnomes around her in a remake of Snow White and the 7 dwarfs. After all, Mary's almost snow white herself (and we know she's got that hidden "immaculate conception" purity goin' on) and the gnomes would gladly stand watch over her - it'd be a welcome reprieve from that hideous mess of flowers and weeds my neighbour takes such pride in. And then the couch wouldn't look like the garbage man had forgotten to take it with the trash on Friday.
Genius...non?
You know what's coming next, right? Pics of all 3. (Note to self: I so need photoshop at work.)
Epilogue: A thought he'd pass on this link after our conversation this am. I will be so very disappointed if someone doesn't show me the love for my birthday.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Rogers sucks
I've been having problems with my internet connection today, if you've been disappointed that there wasn't anything showing up for you to read. I think Rogers sucks. I think that the modem they've rented me sucks more. I think I'm going to exchange it. Apparently, I've been doing a lot of thinking.
Anyways, my day wasn't as productive as it should have been. No new nephew but I cancelled all my plans anyways which left my day wide open to be productive. So what did I do? I got up early, took out the garbage, watched Sicko and then crawled back into bed to pet the cat. 3 hours later, I woke up and have been trying to make up for the lost time ever since. BAH! The to do list is growing exponentially of things to do before B arrives on Monday and the roommate arrives on Wednesday. Why oh why have I procrastinated so?
Hope you all had a great day. This weekend is filled with the ball tourney so don't be looking for much outta me, oh loyal fan club.
Epilogue: I did do ONE interesting thing today. I ran over my recycling bin. Okay, I didn't really RUN it over, I just kinda dragged it outta the driveway before I thought, WTF is that noise? It's okay, my car's okay and it was before rush hour so no neighbours saw - not like they all don't think I'm a nutbar anyways. I was the hit of the neighbourhood last night with R on the roof and the ladder on my balcony. Everyone came by to see what was going on. Apparently my neighbours don't get out much...
Anyways, my day wasn't as productive as it should have been. No new nephew but I cancelled all my plans anyways which left my day wide open to be productive. So what did I do? I got up early, took out the garbage, watched Sicko and then crawled back into bed to pet the cat. 3 hours later, I woke up and have been trying to make up for the lost time ever since. BAH! The to do list is growing exponentially of things to do before B arrives on Monday and the roommate arrives on Wednesday. Why oh why have I procrastinated so?
Hope you all had a great day. This weekend is filled with the ball tourney so don't be looking for much outta me, oh loyal fan club.
Epilogue: I did do ONE interesting thing today. I ran over my recycling bin. Okay, I didn't really RUN it over, I just kinda dragged it outta the driveway before I thought, WTF is that noise? It's okay, my car's okay and it was before rush hour so no neighbours saw - not like they all don't think I'm a nutbar anyways. I was the hit of the neighbourhood last night with R on the roof and the ladder on my balcony. Everyone came by to see what was going on. Apparently my neighbours don't get out much...
Sunday, August 10, 2008
I know I shouldn't but I can't help myself
Okay, so I've been spying on one of my neighbours for a few months. Now, I have not put one of my two pairs of binoculars to use, it's just whenever I walk past the window and he's out there I stand and watch him for a while.
Given that he's on the other side of the path from me, I can't see what he looks like. I stare because he's a GIANT. Seriously. He has to duck to get into his house through his back patio doors.
Now, let's assume that the average patio door is 6'4" high. Okay, let's assume that the average height of MY patio doors is 6'4" (and yes, I did measure both of them - would you expect any less from my neurotic personality?!?). He has to duck down enough that if he stood up straight, he'd easily lop off from the nostrils up. That's another good 6 inches. That makes him like 6'10". Okay, now that I read that that seems ridiculously tall and I'm sure my engineering buddies will tell me that my math and logic are off slightly.
But still - he IS ridiculously tall. After all, have you ever seen someone have to BEND OVER to BBQ? His GF/wife looks like a midget in comparison.
Anyways, whenever he's out in his back yard and I happen to be passing by a window, I just stop and watch him because I'm amazed at how tall he is. It's like my personal freak show right in my back yard...and all for the price of a mortgage payment a month. What a steal!
Given that he's on the other side of the path from me, I can't see what he looks like. I stare because he's a GIANT. Seriously. He has to duck to get into his house through his back patio doors.
Now, let's assume that the average patio door is 6'4" high. Okay, let's assume that the average height of MY patio doors is 6'4" (and yes, I did measure both of them - would you expect any less from my neurotic personality?!?). He has to duck down enough that if he stood up straight, he'd easily lop off from the nostrils up. That's another good 6 inches. That makes him like 6'10". Okay, now that I read that that seems ridiculously tall and I'm sure my engineering buddies will tell me that my math and logic are off slightly.
But still - he IS ridiculously tall. After all, have you ever seen someone have to BEND OVER to BBQ? His GF/wife looks like a midget in comparison.
Anyways, whenever he's out in his back yard and I happen to be passing by a window, I just stop and watch him because I'm amazed at how tall he is. It's like my personal freak show right in my back yard...and all for the price of a mortgage payment a month. What a steal!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
What was I thinking?
Yet another story for the B&G category.
Okay, this is really going to show that I've got no taste. While I will poke fun at those with those stupid magnetic ribbons on their cars, you can all roll your eyes at me when I confess that I like that new Pussycat Dolls song "When I grow up". And even worse, I sing and dance to it when it comes on the radio.
So picture it. I'm at home (soberly) doing doing dishes on a Friday night, shakin' my booty and singing (to I'm sure the neighbours' amusement if they looked in my dining room window):
When I grow up
I wanna be a star
I wanna be famous
I wanna be in movies
When I grow up
I wanna see the world
I wanna drive nice cars
I wanna have boobies
I've been singing these lyrics for a few months. It's this last line that especially tickles my fancy about this song because I can't believe the PCD's poor taste in trying to shape the minds of little girls to want to have boobies.
So, the song ends and the DJ comes on and is singing this last verse but saying "I wanna have groupies" It's then that I realize my blunder - but come on, can you blame me? It's the PCDs - "I wanna have boobies" sounds like something they might say, non?
Yeah, I'm thinking it too: it's amazing I get paid to use my brain at work.
Okay, this is really going to show that I've got no taste. While I will poke fun at those with those stupid magnetic ribbons on their cars, you can all roll your eyes at me when I confess that I like that new Pussycat Dolls song "When I grow up". And even worse, I sing and dance to it when it comes on the radio.
So picture it. I'm at home (soberly) doing doing dishes on a Friday night, shakin' my booty and singing (to I'm sure the neighbours' amusement if they looked in my dining room window):
When I grow up
I wanna be a star
I wanna be famous
I wanna be in movies
When I grow up
I wanna see the world
I wanna drive nice cars
I wanna have boobies
I've been singing these lyrics for a few months. It's this last line that especially tickles my fancy about this song because I can't believe the PCD's poor taste in trying to shape the minds of little girls to want to have boobies.
So, the song ends and the DJ comes on and is singing this last verse but saying "I wanna have groupies" It's then that I realize my blunder - but come on, can you blame me? It's the PCDs - "I wanna have boobies" sounds like something they might say, non?
Yeah, I'm thinking it too: it's amazing I get paid to use my brain at work.
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