G'morning sunshine

My alarm clock goes off at 6:02am which is actually 6am by the clock on my TV which is when SG1 airs on Space. Upon waking, I roll over to get my glasses and turn off the air purifier before making my way into the living room. Skirting piles of laundry, I turn off the alarm and turn on the TV. It’s always on the Space channel so I trundle to get cozy on the couch as I listen to the teaser. Time was I would first start the coffee and breakfast before sitting down. Now I rest my eyes.

Push the button

There are two very important buttons at my office building: the elevator button and the after-hours door release button. It is the unspoken agenda of the community to educate newcomers.

We have five elevators with two call buttons. The key is to not push the call button again until after the doors have shut and the light has gone off otherwise the doors will open on the elevator full of people.

The after-hours release button was reluctant to let people leave. You had to hold the button down until the door pass glowed green and then make good your escape.

Posse

“I’ve never had a posse before,” said Jen.

For some reason when the soccer girls go out, it seems to be the midfielders and the defenders that are there. Perhaps that’s just because those are the outings I attend and there are others that I don’t know about. The defense line is quite close-knit already, we typically carpool to games and practice, but there’s something of the team feeling that is carried over when we go out. Twice we’ve had incidents where other girls have tried to start petty shit with us and each time we close ranks. Girl power!

All you need are friends

I am lucky to be surrounded with so many kind, funny and strong friends. I had an amazing Saturday. I ran for a couple of hours with a woman I respect and admire, not to mention the random hilarity. Then I got to sip wines and pretend to be cultured with a friend that has stuck by me through my flaky years and with my running partner (in crime). Then it was off to another friend to beautify me for 80s night before a delightful afternoon spent at the spa for another friend’s birthday. Finally we soccer girls rocked out.

80s night

I met with friends last night to go over what to wear to an 80s night shindig this evening. We decided that I didn’t have enough hair to rock out the really colorful glam rock of the 80s so we went for an Annie Lennox look. The hard part about pulling this off for me is that I am not slim and I have fairly ample breasts. I’ve been fighting this new diet regime and with following it I have gained weight. It’s very frustrating and sometimes I regret buying a bathroom scale. I have to find my power word.

Adorkable

Banner created by Livejournal user Oblaye

I’m vain; I have a problem with reflective surfaces because I’ll look at myself instead of the person I’m speaking to. When I was a child, I wasn’t allowed to sit opposite the sliding doors to our porch because I would stare at my reflection throughout the meal. It’s an odd vanity because most of the time I’m not really that pleased with what I see. I have moments where I believe that I am easy on the eyes – attractive to some. I love Amanda Tapping because she’s beautiful and doesn’t believe in being serious all the time. Totally adorkable.

Bzzz bzz bzzz

Mostly I’m tired, I want to shower and go to bed but I really need to do my dishes, preferably a load of laundry and oh yes – write one hundred words. I’ll write this up and then I’ll shower and head to bed. The dishes can wait until the morning – which is when I clean more productively. This weekend is shaping up to be quite busy: running with a friend, wine tasting, going to a spa birthday party for a pedicure and then going out for an 80s night farewell party. My motto always is, I can make it fit!

Geekdom

I have always embraced my geekiness as I think it is an integral part of my personality. The intensity of my attention on things geeky tends to go in cycles and though one might argue my attention to running and soccer of late as a different form of geeky behavior, I shall be returning my more traditional roots. I’ve recently been checking out more Trek blogs and twitter postings. I can feel the sweet pull of inane details. As Wil Wheaton said, there’s nothing geeks love more than talking about something no one else cares about. I love my fandoms!

Fantasyland

I have enjoyed fantasy and science fiction all my life though I have preferred fantasy. Through the veil of words, I glimpsed our world. Amidst the humor, SG1’s 200th episode made a very salient point:

“Science fiction is an existential metaphor that allows us to tell stories about the human condition. Isaac Asimov once said, ‘Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinded critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all.’”

This resounded within my heart.

Glad tidings, woeful response

At the Stargate convention, I had the opportunity to ask the show runners Robert Cooper and Brad Wright a question that I’ve been wondering for awhile. One of the executive producers of SGA believed that there was a main character that was gay but felt that they had not had an opportunity to reveal this in a natural way. Cooper and Wright confirmed that there will be gay characters in their newest Stargate. In response to this, a forum I belong to has had an upcropping of homophobia and negativity. I am crushed to see this in my online community.

Shippy

I’ve borrowed the first season of “Supernatural” from friends and have been watching several episodes a day. I have to laugh because another friend had commented that the leads of the show were used to acting opposite female costars and as a result gave each other intense looks that have undercurrents of sexual attraction. This is particularly amusing since the two characters are brothers. I’ve never been a fan of the shipping of the Weasely twins from Harry Potter and I didn’t think that I would buy into it on “Supernatural”. I was wrong and I can admit it. Scandalous.

Ludicrous

After work today I once again witnessed Vancouver’s worst driving trait: ignoring emergency vehicles. In the six years I have lived here I have seen three ambulances that have been t-boned by passenger vehicles because they wouldn’t yield. This evening four lanes of traffic could barely be bothered to move to the side of the road; nor could the cars in the intersection lose their place or pedestrians stay their feet. I cannot coherently express my disgust and loathing for these people who believe that their schedule is more important than someone’s life. How hard is it to pull over?

Running Responsibly

Tonight’s running clinic talk was about safety, given by a Constable of the Greater Vancouver Police force. Sadly, a woman was murdered recently in the parks around the university I attended. The brutality and apparently spontaneous nature of this event has worried many, even riding on the waves of current gang violence. The talk focused on choices and intelligent decisions and it struck me as something I should work on outside of running. I need to make better choices regarding not just the paths I’m on but also my future roads. It’s dangerous to wander too long in the woods.

Escapism

For some months after my last break-up, the only thing that kept me going and focused at work was to have three specific fan videos playing of Carter/O’Neill from SG1. I had to be able to see them in the corner of my screen and listen to “The Scientist” by Coldplay, “I’ll See It Through” by Texas and “Transatlanticism” by Death Cab for Cutie. Seeing those characters and the relationship they had grounded me in some odd way. I spent most of my free time watching SG1. It didn’t make things better but it made the passage of time bearable.

Sculpting

Last night I threw out the remainder of my Easter candy after discussing goals with my personal trainer. I want to enter the costume contest at the 15th Annual Xena Convention in Burbank in January 2010. Right now that might sound like a long term goal but the reality is that I will have to lose 30 pounds and gain a lot of muscle tone. Especially about the midriff area since I’m built like a brick shithouse. To be fair, I have whittled down 7” from three years ago. I didn’t say no to my Snickers today; there’s always tomorrow.

Beverages

While I am at work, I try to drink three to four liters of water. That’s just five hundred milliliters an hour so when you think about it, it’s not that hard. When I’m actually thinking about it and listening to my body, I can drink three liters easily. I have a harder time getting started in the morning and then I make myself a promise – I can have a cup of coffee after one 750ml bottle of water. Not bad considering I’ve already had three cups of coffee before I even get to the office. I have to pee.

Scrub-a-dub-dub

It’s easy to forget how large my apartment is when I have half my closet scattered across the floor and draped over furniture. Half of my time spent cleaning is actually just spent doing laundry. It is satisfying and pleasant to see a large living space revealed as the whole grain is uncovered from the chaff. Whenever I do my thorough cleaning sprees or rearrange my furniture I always think how nice it would be to maintain the tidiness. I have even managed to keep up with myself for a month, for two, before returning to my messy ways. Whoops.

Have pets, will travel

Today I spent a couple of hours with my friend Cheryl walking the two dogs at her folks place and then walking her two dogs. I will be petsitting for Cheryl in June and I wanted to get an idea of their routine. Not having any pets myself, nor am I allowed to in my current building, I often offer my time to friends with pets when they go on vacation. I quite enjoy spending my down time with the animals, though I prefer cats to dogs. I’m glad that my friends can rely on me with their furry families.

Dressup

Better to write than to clean. Today I went out dressed up in festive Spring colors and wearing my bunny ears to meet the soccer girls for a run. Along the way I smiled and offered Easter egg candies to those who smiled at me or were waiting for transit. I like the spontaneity and fun that dressing up for any occasion, or no occasion, can bring into your day. I like to think too that the people I met earlier today had their mood improved for seeing someone walking about town dressed as I was. Hippity hop, Peter Cottontail.

Fandom

Fan: An ardent devotee; an enthusiast. Short for: fanatic.

I often forget because of current acceptance that to be a "fan" is not always something to be seen in a positive light. Having recently attended a convention, I have been considering the ways in which fandom is represented. I would consider myself an ardent fan of many things: TV shows, authors and movies. I am interested in the minutiae of the not only the fandom canon but also the quirks that make something identifiably genuine. I strive to enjoy the various fandoms but still maintain a firm connection with reality.

Catch Up

Well, three days in and I’ve already missed my second post. In an effort to keep up the word count for the number of days in the month, I’m going to post a double entry today. I like the idea of one hundred words because it’s enough to convey the sense and feeling of a moment without feeling burdened by a huge commitment. Fine tuning the prepositions to reach the one hundred mark can be at times tricky but I have a series of CSI vignettes that I am quite proud of. I think the results are worth the effort.

Initial Attempt

This is day one, evening one, of my continuing attempt to keep writing as a daily aspect of my life. As my current journal attempts are lengthy and sporadic, I am going to try the one hundred word posting method. Obviously I hope to craft those one hundred words into an evocative entry. In the event that is impossible, one hundred words strung together will have to suffice. Ground rules will be no word padding allowed. Topics, time of posting and other restrictions have not worked in the past. I shall work within a twenty-four hour time frame and write.