February 24, 2006

Take Me Out at the Dreams



The smell in the air, the blue of the building, the dark, wet gray of the pavement below. There was a humid wind that carried the scent of the rain and the clouds to me, buffeting my cheeks and stirring my heart.

The kites in the sky, crashing, soaring, falling, and flying, while strings of glass and sand cut through the sky 'til we were sore and bloody. The shouts of children, the shouts of men, the sweet smell of the rain in the humid spring air. Oh the sweet smell of rain.

I wore blue linen and lace, the smell of fresh linen and starch about me. The breeze made me shiver as I watched the world move over a ledge, watching reds and blues cut through the brilliant green and grey below.

You were young, I was younger. No one ever knew.

When you crept up behind me my brooding soul was lulled. When you caught my shoulders my heart jumped back and my breath caught against a knot in my throat. A shock, a gasp, and a lifetime passed in that one moment.

We've moved away from those worlds, to new and unusual places. You were never there, and you never will be more. I will always look back, on grey days when warm winds soothe my passionate soul, and remember for one day that I loved.

February 23, 2006

The "Shut Up, Graham" Trifecta



Note: The "Shut Up, Graham" Trifecta is not actually included in this post, but one day I will needlepoint it, and you will understand.

I've been tagged by Miss April, and so, here goes!

Four jobs I have had:
  • Research Assistant to Dominique Arel, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa
  • Assistant Co-ordinator, Chair of Ukrainian Studies, University of Ottawa
  • Project Officer, Outreach, Social Development Canada
  • Child Labourer, Park's Variety


Four movies I could watch over and over:
  • I (Heart) Huckabees
  • Monsoon Wedding
  • A Very Long Engagement (or anything directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, really)
  • Igby Goes Down


Four books I could read over and over:
  • Jane Urquhart's The Stone Carvers
  • Robert Cormier's The Chocolate Wars
  • Sherri S. Tepper's The Gate to Women's Country
  • Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden


Places I have lived:
  • London
  • Ottawa


Four places I have been on vacation:
I've only really been on vacation once, in Chicago, but some of this might count.
  • Pakistan (Islamabad, Lahore, Wazeerabad, Karachi)
  • Chicago
  • MontrĂ©al
  • Toronto


Four websites I visit daily:
Are you kidding me? The only thing I do on a daily basis is brush my teeth! If I did have any sort of regular internet habits, the following would be included therein.

  • Feria Films
  • Environment Canada
  • The Globe and Mail
  • Girls Are Pretty


Four favourite foods:
  • Palaak (Spinach), especially with paneer (a very, very mild, unripened cheese)
  • Samosain
  • Daal Chawal (Lentils and Rice)
  • Spaghetti al Pomodoro


Four favourite non-alcoholic drinks:
  • Water, bitches!
  • Limeade
  • Grape Juice
  • Orange Juice, with pulp


Four favourite musicians:
Yeah, some of them are bands, I know. My favourite music often comes from bands, so you'll just have to accept it.

  • Paul Simon
  • Ella Fitzgerald
  • Coldplay
  • The Kaiser Chiefs


Four places I would like to be right now:
  • The Amazon Rainforest, without the constant conflict and threat of deforestation
  • Roma!
  • Buenos Aires
  • London


Last four books I read:
Thank you, Children's Lit.
  • Louisa May Alcott's Little Women
  • J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan
  • E.B. White's Charlotte's Web
  • C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe


Last four movies I have seen:
  • Proof
  • Shaun of the Dead
  • Elizabethtown
  • Matchpoint


What's on my desk right now:
I'm at my parent's house, but I think what's on my desk at home is far more entertaining, so that's what you're getting!
  • Rubber ducky bubble dispenser (affectionately refered to as "Bubble Duck") from Canada's Wonderland
  • Plastic ostrich figurine from Chels
  • Popple's Mug that I've had since infancy, containing an assortment of pens, highlighters, scissors, etc, as well as several floppy pencils from Ruth
  • Painted tile from Cuba, via Emily
  • Bowie, the cat, most likely
  • A whole lot of stationery and documents for work and school
  • A stack of books that I haven't read and don't really want to, beneath a glass vase, containing a pink silk scarf, unless I put the scarf away, in which case, just a glass vase
  • Several photos of friends and family from London
  • Assorted computer equipment
  • A CD containing footage from Darfur, which I've never watched
  • An "Out, Out, Damned Spot!" eraser, which Chels brought back from a trip to Stratford


Tagging: Chelsea, Ciara, Ben (who I don't think reads here, but what the hell)