Peace out 2012

Another year is coming to an end.  It feels like my year only really began in September when I finally got a job.  It definitely changes everything.  I feel like I haven`t done anything exciting since my Autumn 2010 trip out East.  Probably mostly because there was no money.  But now there issss money.  I`ve always wanted to drive up to Cochrane and take the Polar Bear Express up to Moosonee / Moose Factory.  Maybe that'll be something to do this summer.

Christmas was good.  I drove to my parents' on the 24th and stayed over until late on the 25th.  My mom and I have a new tradition of doing the Globe and Mail super crossword.  Unfortunately since they were out of the country when it was issued their G&M was cancelled so we didn't get it.  So I went online and found their PDF version.  The squares are maybe slightly larger than 2mm each way.  I felt like I should have had a diamond magnifiers on my eye as I entered our answers.  We still haven't gotten through all of the hints yet.  I went through by myself and added all of the obvious ones. and we're slowly working our way through the rest.  I think we're still on Across, but what can you do. This is our third year working on it over Christmas, and it is actually something I look forward to each year.  It's funny that working on it with my mom somehow inspires my genius.  I can be completely stumped and have NO idea on a clue and then I'll ask her and 2 second later blurt out the answer myself.  Hamelin's rat remover (4,5)  I'm like, "Who the eff is Hamelin.  What?  What could this possibly be???  Mooom, what's Hamelin's rat remover, 4 letters and 5 letters........nm, it's Pied Piper."

I went to Georgetown with the fam to visit my cousin's family and her new baby.  Holy moly is that baby cute.  And sooo well behaved.  I'm so awkward holding babies.  I don't know how to pick them up, or set them on my knee, it's just all so foreign.  She sat with me for a while but then squirmed away.  Photo op:

PS to that thought, I gave my cousin the little baby hat, nervous out of my mind that she'd think it was  a sub-par gift (I didn't have the needles small enough to do it on the round so I had an ugly stitch crease running up the back).  It was still cute, and they loved it!

I went to Oakville last night for a birthday party.  Sorry Jackie lol.  You really set me up well to steal your friends should you ever depart Ontario.  I miss you more and most of all whenever I see them.  First I stopped off at the Queensway to see Django Unchained with Adam and a friend of his that is visiting from NY.  I don't think my mouth has ever gaped as much before during a movie.  For some people it's the in your face eye gauging that brings them out to a Tarantino movie.  For me, he can write a script like no other.  I think perhaps he's made his more recent work more accessible.  I loved Inglorious Basterds and Django was a masterpiece.  If he could just tone down the super-violence he'd rocket into my top 10.  On top of the gaping I averted my eyes several times.  Yikey.  After that I stopped by Chapters to return the first book I ever ordered online as I ordered it in FRENCH, go me.  Seems the hardcover was the only EN option, so when I opted for paperback hidden in the details page was the comment it was French.  I should have known something was wrong when the cover photo wasn't available.  I took a stroll through their paper section, because I'm a sucker for their stuff.  I was tempted by a scrabble magnet kit, but taking a feel of what was inside it was just magnet sheet squares which would be hard to arrange and rearrange.  I should get a set from Good Will or something and magnetize them, a la Michaels.  Note to self.  I saw this neat journal type book that was a calendar of thoughts for 5 years.  There were just 365 day pages, but each page was split into 5 blocks.  So you go through a year and each day you write down one comment.  Maybe a funny quote you heard, or a funny thought you had, or anything really.  I thought it was super cute, but I walked away.  And now it's all I can think about.  Yes, I could make one myself, but this is already bound and laid out nicely.  I need to get back there before or close to Jan 1.  My first entry is going to be a retrospective entry from the first moment Adam and I exchanged words after seeing Django.  After almost 3 hrs of seeing bodies exploding with bullet wounds, and listening to a hard (but brilliant) script that threw the realities of slavery in your face with atrocious acts of torture, he looked at me and said, "Tarantino got fat."  Priceless.