Fallin In Like

Alien Hands (hence forth referred to as AH) has been stepping up his game.

He’s unfailing sweet, he dropped off flowers Saturday night…just because, he’s always calling me up, offering to cook for me. (He’s a great cook, not the ‘stuff something from a box into the oven kind,’ but the, let’s make a fresh mango salad, with a mix of pear infused balsamic vinaigrette dressing.) He brings me take out when he thinks I’m not eating enough and is ok sitting on the couch watching episodes of the office.

At first I was resistant. The attraction was tepid at best. He has just broken up with someone and I still admittedly see the one (whom we do not speak off) on Tuesdays.

Yet there’s only so long you can resist a good guy with an absence of disqualifiers.

Eventually you start to look at them a little bit harder, notice that the smile seems a little more charming, and heck they still want to hang out with you even when you pointedly refuse to sleep with them. People grow on you. And I think I’m falling in like.

Remember the days when you guys used to comment en mass?

I do.

Is it the cold?

Or are you guys trying to tell me that you are in a hot warm country, busy partying it up, lying buck neeked on a beach, have hot wild fun............ with out me???

It isn't me? Is it??

Blogging is after all in exercise in vanity.

And I’m feeling like an ugly girl.

ps. that pic is scarryyyy!

A Bed Indeed!

It’s no secret that I love shopping on Craig’s List.

It’s a great way for a person on a budget to furnish their home, and on the flip side, a great way for someone moving out of the country/downsizing/changing things up to get rid of stuff.

As mentioned before my current bed’s been falling down quite a bit lately. It’s gotten so bad, that I try to limit motion as much as possible, no surprise turns, and no umm…..

There’s nothing more annoying/surprising, than your bed falling down from under you.

In need of a new bed, I found a potential prize on Craig’s list. I make contact and decide to trek after work to view the bed. On the bus at Eglinton, I notice a few lights are out on the street. Closer to my destination the signal lights are working, so I continue on. I get to the building and see five little Latino kids, not more that three years old, huddled on the floor by the intercom. The building is in complete darkness. So I think to myself, another day maybe. And as I being to walk out, I hear, Excuse me, Excuse me are you CP?

Introductions are made, and seller says, ‘do you want to see it? Come Up.’ I agree, and then we hit the fourth floor and its pitch black, and eerie scenes of “No Country with Old Men” flash into my head, and I think ‘what the heck am I doing, Im a teeny, tiny pipsqueak of a girl, entering some fellas apartment in a black out.’ But I am pretty much in the thick of things, so I figure let’s just soldier on and get it over with. I begin to practice my Tae Kwan Do moves in my head, and soon realize that I have completely forgotten the proper technique for putting someone in a choke hold.

Buddy Seller has a weird flash light as part of his phone and begins to show me the bed, in a way you picture they did it in the olden days, section by section. It looked good, modern new, black, just what I needed. But the set didn’t have a dresser or any of that good stuff, so I was have a few doubts. Buddy Seller seeing my hesitance lowered the price by $200 on the spot. I told him, I’d have to think about it.

When I get home an email, lowering the price a further $100.

Desperation?

And being the meanie that I am, I offered $100 less than that!

Heheheee!

Am awaiting an answer!

Couple's Night

This weekend, I invited friends over for games night. Sure it sounds corny, but the alternative of standing out in the cold to go to a club to get drunk, vs sitting at home, pretending to play corny games and get drunk, seemed a lot more fun.

Games night turned into couples night, with S and me as the only singles.

It was a lot of fun. I had never played games before. (Which is the only reason Aaron is kicking my behind in Scrablouous.) And it was fun, especially when people have been drinking, and its their turn to act things out and they try and get serious….

The one thing I realized from this weekend, was how different couple’s night is from other singles night’s I’ve had. For instance:

Offerings: singles will bring you the last rum left over from the last party, couples usually bring nice pretty bottles of wine and food…all hail couples for the food….

The boozing styles are different, singles like shots, they will shoot anything from the rum you’ve had for the last ten years, to the little green liquid someone bought along that no is sure what it is. Couples prefer wine n tings.

Party styles, you know a real party get under way when a song comes on, the table is picked up and shoved into the bedroom, chairs are cleared and the dancing begins. Couples on the other hand politely listen to the music and every now and then go, ‘oh nice song.’

Conversation: All conversations with a bunch of singles will revolve around sex, single guys will go into grave detail about what they want/like/dislike. Couples it’s a bit more guarded territory, conversation will flirt around the edges of sex, coupled men, will mildly hint at things, and coupled woman will pretend to be outraged and eventually conversation shifts to safer ground like the US election……

End times, singles love to go one forever, at some point you find yourself tired, trying to kick out the last straggler who refuses to go home. Invariably you wake up with a person or two passed out on the couch. Couples almost in unison, will see themselves out at 2.

Ahh well, a night with friends is always a great thing.

I just watched No Country For Old Men.

It’s one of those movies that’s best watched in the afternoon, with a lot of sunlight streaming in.

It is not a movie that you should watch all by your lonesome, in the dark.

Especially if you have an imaginative mind.

I am now retreating to my bed, armed with one my newly purchased as seen on TV knives.

Any Mistah with an air gun, a coin and a bad hair cut better beware…

Hazy conversations, over golab jamons, tempered with sour lime chips.

Strawberry Daiquiris infused with rum so strong, the last suck always feels like a shot of wassabi.

A movie, left off half way through, because more important points needed to be made.

Roman esque costumes made from soft microfibred throws,

A seated position of cruelty and perfection

A bed unhinged, lying lop sided on its frame

These are a few of my favorite things.

Blue You

I walked into work today, plugged in the computer, and began to do my thing. And then I noticed my nails.

Blue You. A beautiful shade of aqua blue, slightly chipped at the edges, completely out of place with my straight jack black suit.

Blue You…defined my weekend. Friday to Sunday I rested. I was burn out from a week of late nights, putting out mini fires and an intense day of hating happy ‘in love’ people. I was pooped, so I snuggled my bum into my huge papasan chair, and watched movie after movie, after movie.

And by Sunday I had the blues. I was rested out. I needed some action, some mac-tion, some basic attention.

So I jumped at an offer to shake a leg, and out came the polish…Blue You.

Blue You is the kind of color that makes you forget the deary snowy weather, and makes you will yourself into a Caribbean state of mind. Blue You inspires tequila shots, and decadent Malibu martinis. Blue You inspires you to shake your rump and get dipped*. A little dipping does wonders for the soul.

Best of all, at work the next day, the tattered remains of Blue You can put a secret smile on your face….

*The Latin dance kind ofcourse..

It’s Snowing Again.

Infact it’s snowed every other day since I got back.

It’s the most snow Toronto’s received since the 1930’s.

I remember when I first came to Toronto thinking how wonderful winter was going to be: snow, pretty wet flaky snow, and holidays, warm, cocoa drinking, lie in the bed watching movies holidays.
The ‘Canadian Determination’ factor came as a huge surprise.

They didn’t mention it on the “Come Live in Canada” DVD.

I soon found out that Canadians are born with an innate determination to never let winter ruin their mechanical existence. They will do anything to get to work/school at all costs. Snow days are an urban myth. Canadians will happily trek through mountains of snow; patiently wait in bus stops while the wind slowly beats at their resolve, waiting for TTC busses that never come, and even insist on making the 8 am morning meetings.

I mean, jeez, there’s a blizzard outside, and not one person has told me to go home.

All the snow is weeding away any ‘Canadian determination’ I’ve built up over the years.

Give me a blanket, a hot water bottle, a bed and movies, or a plane ticket back home.

Taste Testing...

I came back from India with a simple resolution. Be Happy. I realized this meant giving up bad old habits. Habits like obsessing about one man (after all, the great bonus about being a single girl, is that the mantra “variety is the spice of life” is completely applicable,) getting depressed on Sundays (formerly the most boring day of the week) and living life like an old woman (water bottle and all.)

I am happy to report great progress.

You know what’s better than a man cooking you dinner?

Two men cooking you dinner…. (Different days of course….)

You can tell a lot about a man by his style of cooking. Man #1, clean, orderly, came bearing every ingredient, and made me simply just watch. Even bought chocolate mousse cakes, because he knew they were my favourite. Exhibited great attention to detail.

Man #2, not so clean, definitely not orderly, spent half the time dancing around the kitchen, and hugging me up, in between stirs. Made me apple martinis, and left a nice lil mess after he was done!

Both tucked the kitchen towel into the small of their back, both handled my new knives with great dexterity, and both meals came out delicious and yum.

I think I’ll have to have another taste test before making any lasting decisions here. Also consider this an open call for all male chefs out there….since it appears I can’t have my professional, I am now open to amateurs…..

SUPER PANCAKE TUESDAY!!!!!

Our Americano friends would have us believe that today is Super Tuesday, a day for obsessively watching CNN, and their poll maps, for counting cacuses and trying to wrap our brains around terms like super delegates and split states.

But my friends, being the good~ brain washed Catholic~ that I am, I am here to bring you the 'GOOD news.'

Today is actually Pancake Tuesday. An entire day dedicated to the art of gluttony. You are free to enjoy the most fluffy, tasty, buttery, maple syrup oozing pancakes, all with the blessing of the Church.

Therefore forget this silly election, where the poor populace seems to have to vote over and over again (and they wonder why no one turns up for the real thing) and go eat pancakes instead. I mean really 24 hours worth of coverage, millions and millions of dollars spent, and they won't even conclusively give me a democratic winner....wassup with dat? (We already know who won the Republican vote....good Ole Ronald, ressurected and well. Sssshhh don't tell the American's they think they got a new guy.)

(This message has been brought to you by Canadian's trying to get over their obsession with American Politics, CNN, & Obama.......)

A Good Cause

The scene, Cranky and two- ex-party now married to old money dudes- girlfriends having dinner together.

Cranky talks about missing the good ole days when we all first started working in the city; the Friday night partying, getting dressed in the washroom at 5 pm while all the oldies would smile, fitfully remembering their good ole days.

Friend one: Yeah I miss those too, but these days I am so busy, there’s no time to do anything really. Infact I am thinking of quitting my job.

Friend two: Me too….XX says that I am too over worked, and I have no time to decorate the house…

Cranky: (Choking with jealousy, starting to foam at the mouth) But what would you guys do all day

Friend one and two: Well I’ve always wanted to volunteer, …I would look into that….

Cranky: Supreme depression descends, with the realization that some people are allowed to volunteer during the day…..for fun!