The ARK

Last night I went with some friends to see the movie "Evan Almighty". In the movie, God (played by the brilliant Morgan Freeman) commands Evan Baxter to build an ark for the imminent flood. Without giving too much away, let me just say there are some truly, truly funny parts in the middle of this movie that had me choking on laughter for a good 15 minutes. Don't be mistaken however, this movie is not the best thing I've ever seen. The setup at the beginning is completely obvious and they really hit you over the head with the message. There were a couple of comedic gags that are very obvious and hit completely "below the belt", but otherwise it was a pretty good movie. During the previews there was another Steve Carell movie that looked really good too . . . Dan in Real Life.

One of the things I discovered last night was the idea of the ARK. No, not the boat, an Act of Random Kindness. A lot of people probably call these random acts of kindness, but I rather like the acronym ARK and how it all ties together with the bigger message of the movie. Last night on the skytrain on the way home after the movie, I experienced a real-life ARK! I was sitting on the train feeling really tired (it was past midnight) and just wanting to be home. When the train pulled into Gateway station (one stop before mine), I saw a transit officer outside the train. Thinking he was going to get on and check fares I bent down to dig my bus pass out of my purse. When I looked up, the officer was standing in front of me, holding a white rose bud to me (it looked as if it had just been picked off a rose bush). He said to me "have a good night!" and then got off the train just before the doors closed. It was so random and sweet and totally made my evening (which had already been pretty darn good to begin with). Anyway, the picture above is of that rose, which opened this morning. That simple gesture brought me happiness and I've been in a good mood ever since. I want to perform an ARK for someone else now . . . and I strongly encourage everyone to perform an ARK this week!

Happy Canada Day!

I've spent the better part of the this fine Canada Day watching the first season of Lost on DVD. It's very addictive. A while back I had a dream in which several Lost characters appeared and after that dream I started getting a very strong urge to start watching the show. A friend from work happened to have the first season on DVD (she bought it in Korea) and she was kind enough to loan it to me. Because it's from a different country I wasn't sure it would work in my DVD player, but it does so hooray! Anyway, I want to try and watch as much as I can today and tomorrow because I'm not sure when I'll have time to watch the rest after this long weekend. So I guess what I'm trying to say people is if you need me, I'll be LOST :-)

Moving

Nope, I'm NOT moving just in case you read the title of this post and went "What?!" This past few days I've been trying to get our Juniors program organized so that we could move to our new summer campus. The move happened yesterday and it went quite smoothly actually. But that's not actually what this post is about. Today I helped my best friend unpack and organize her boxes in her new classroom at school. It was a bit of an overwhelming job for her and I was happy to go and help her. I would have helped her move all the boxes too if she'd needed it, but there were two teachers (only TWO, out of a school of at least 12) who kindly helped her move them on Thursday and Friday. Anyway, we spent a good 3 hours unpacking, organizing, and throwing things away. In return she bought me lunch and drove me all the way home. She didn't even need to do that; I was happy to help. But I did learn something in all of this. I think we both did. Both of these recent moving experiences has taught me that anything having to do with moving really shows you who your real friends are! Moving is such a grubby, yucky, exhausting experience that it seems like it really takes true friends to offer to help you. To my true friends who have helped me move in the past: THANK YOU! To the people who helped us move boxes and desks yesterday in anticipation of summer: THANK YOU! To the people who may potentially help me move at some point in the future (at an undetermined time as I have NO PLANS to move ANYTIME SOON): THANK YOU! To all of my friends and family reading this blog: if you are planning to move, I will help you. That's what friends are for!

All About Me (for the umpteenth time)

As most of you know, I'm kinda a sucker for these kinds of surveys, so when I saw this on Jay's blog, I couldn't resist adding it to my own:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My middle name, Wilma, is after my maternal grandmother, Wilhelmina
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? A few weeks ago I guess, when some of the stress of dealing with the upcoming summer got to me
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING Yes!
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? I don't eat much lunch meat since I'm not big on sandwiches, but if I had to choose, I guess I'd say roast beef.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Nope.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? No, never (heavy sarcasm here). You're reading the blog of a person who was once called a "sarcastic wench" . . . does that answer your question?
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Most emphatically no!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Normally I'd say Cheerios, but the past few times I've purchased cereal it's been Lucky Charms 'cause I love those marshmallows!
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes I do.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Depends on what kind of strength you're talking about. Physically I'm okay . . . I can carry heavy grocery bags home and lift the things I need to. I think I'm strong mentally, though. I'd like to think I have strength of character too.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Plain old vanilla.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their faces and their sense of humour
15. RED OR PINK? Definitely pink!
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My weight.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My dad.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Well, I want to see it on lots of people's blogs . . .
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue jeans and no shoes, but green woollen socks.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? a chocolate chip cookie
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Sense and Sensibility (I've got the DVD running in the background)
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? pink
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? the Honeysuckle Belle body wash I got from the States, grass, storms
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mom
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Well, I got it off Jay's blog and I can honestly say that she's a wonderful person whom I have yet to actually meet in person!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? I don't mind watching hockey . . . and soccer
27. HAIR COLOR? Light brown (some might say dirty blonde, but I don't)
28. EYE COLOR? Hazel
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No. I wear glasses, but have never really wanted to try out contacts.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Chocolate
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? I like both, but I'm a sucker for a happy ending at the end of a romantic comedy :-)
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Incredibles . . . I was watching it just before I popped in Sense and Sensibility
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Blue
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? I like aspects of both . . . but probably I prefer winter a little more because I don't do well in the heat.
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Cake.
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Have to agree with Jay on this one . . . Dianne (hint, hint)
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Jennifer
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (have to refresh my memory before the next book comes out!)
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Just the mouse . . . guess I'm boring!
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Debbie Travis: From the Ground Up
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Hugh Laurie's voice . . . both his normal accent and the fake American one. I also love the sound of laughter, especially when I've said or done something to make people laugh!
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The Beatles
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME??? Germany, but that was a long, long time ago (close to twenty years!!)
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Making a fool of myself (on purpose) in front of teenagers. Seriously, I have no fear anymore, which is good since during the summers I routinely speak to LARGE groups of teenagers (think 200!)
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Burnaby, B.C.
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Everyone! I love reading these things and filling them in!

New and Improved Kill Count

The new number is 18. Yes people, 18 dead! It's a glorious day when you can brag about killing 18 fruit flies. Now I have to get back to my important ninja work (wait, that reference probably doesn't make sense to you unless you were with me on Friday night).

The First Kill Count of 2007

At least I think it's my first! Anyway, I put out the secret fruit fly death formula only a few hours ago and I've already claimed five victims! Woot woot! Fruit flies will tremble at the mere thought of coming anywhere close to my sink ;-)

Weird Dream

I just woke up from another really weird dream. It was a little scary and had a really cool ending. In my dream I was in my room, lying in bed. My room pretty much looked like it does now, but bigger and with stuff (like kids' art projects) hanging from the ceiling. I was lying in bed thinking about the stuff I had to remove from the room so it could be painted (I know what prompted that part of the dream!). Anyway, as I was lying there, a HUGE spider (the size of my hand or bigger) crossed the wall that I was staring at and then crossed the room on black webbing! (Hmmm, I did watch the second Harry Potter movie last weekend) Anyway, I jumped out of bed and started freaking out and screaming. This was one HUGE and menacing-looking spider. My sister came over at that point. She was going to help me clean out my bedroom. I told her about the spider and she said she would help me get rid of it. We found some raid and I started spraying close to where I had last seen it. The spider came out of the closet and I blasted it with spray. It went into death throes and ran back into the closet. I kept spraying it and it came back out of the closet. My sister, who was holding a fly swatter, handed the spider the fly swatter so that it could take it's own life with a little dignity. Then the spider started TALKING to my sister! I can't remember what they were talking about though. A few seconds after that, my attention was attracted away from this sight by the sounds of talking outside my window. I looked outside and I saw Harry Potter flying towards my window on his broom! Hermione was with him, and she had just landed on the sidewalk down below my window. I remember saying something like "Jennifer, forget about the talking spider for a minute, you gotta come here and see this!" and that's when I woke up.

On Saturday Afternoons in 1963

I've fallen in love with a new song. It's called "On Saturday Afternoons in 1963" and it's sung by Rickie Lee Jones (whom I had never actually heard of until I heard this song). I first heard this song on a first season episode of "House" called Paternity. It's played at the end of the episode when you see House watching his patient play lacrosse. It struck a deep chord in me the first time I heard it, and not too long ago as I was rewatching the episode on my House DVD, I decided I had to find out what the song was called and download it (perfectly legally through iTunes, so relax people!). The official House website has this cool feature where you can look up the songs played in any episode of House . . . for the second and third seasons only! Do you have any idea how freakin' annoying that was?! Anyway, I did a little internet research and found the name of the song. I downloaded and have been listening to it ever since. It makes me feel nostalgic and happy and sad at the same time. The melody is haunting. Anyway, the lyrics are below. If you have the chance to listen to it, I strongly suggest that you do!

The most as you'll ever go
Is back where you used to know
If grown-ups could laugh this slow
Where as you watch the hour snow
Years may go by

So hold on to your special friend
Here, you'll need something to keep her in :
"Now you stay inside this foolish grin ... "
Though any day your secrets end
Then again
Years may go by

You saved your own special friend
'Cuz here you need something to hide her in
And you stay inside that foolish grin
When everyday now secrets end
Oh and then again
Years may go by

Crazy for Hugh

I might be a little, no, a LOT, crazy about Hugh Laurie. If you don't know who I'm talking about, this blog is clearly NOT for you. A little while back, the picture on my MSN screen became this:

This picture alone wasn't enough to feed my addiction. I changed the desktop of my computer at work to this picture:

To be 100% fair, I didn't actually set out to find this picture when I did my search at work. I typed the phrase "Baby Blues" into google, intending to find a funny cartoon panel from one of my favourite cartoons, "Baby Blues." It must have been fate (or destiny, I'm not sure) that lead me to this picture. I don't think I'll be changing it, unless I find another picture of Hugh. A few minutes ago I decided it was time to find a Hugh Laurie picture to spice up my desktop at home. This is what is now on my home desktop:

Excuse me while I take a moment to wipe the drool off my keyboard. So, do you think I'm addicted?

Renovations

I know it's been a while since I posted, but I've been quite busy with my latest project: renovating my apartment! I guess renovations isn't quite the right word since I'm not knocking anything down or making many major changes. The painting that I had planned to do in the living room/dining room area is done. I wanted to take this week to paint the living room/dining room area and my bedroom, but it wasn't meant to be. Instead, EVERYTHING is getting repainted! My bedroom will have to wait until after I choose fabric for curtains, however . . . boo! This is what's been done so far: We've selected and purchased fabric for slipcovers and throw pillows, the paint has been purchased and put on the walls in the living room/dining room, and new light fixtures have been purchased for the kitchen and hallways. The exisiting light fixture for the dining room is going to get painted to match the decor. Eventually we'll paint the table too. Oh, and I purchased a new showerhead and a new towel bar and toilet paper holder for the bathroom. It's been an expensive week already! Anyway, once everything is done I'll be posting pictures of before and after! Stay tuned . . .

Outlet Shopping

Got back from outlet shopping down south a little while ago. We had a BLAST! We didn't actually make it all the way into Seattle, instead we stopped at Seattle's Premium Outlets in Tulalip. Picture it . . . a huge complex with about 80 brand name stores, and only 5 restaurants in the food court! Oh well, the mission was to shop, not eat, right? Anyway, we spent about 4 hours walking around and shopping, and we got some fantastic deals! I got three pairs of shoes, all for the summer, for about $75. The first pair of sandals came from Nine West and the other two are from the Shoe Pavilion. The second two pairs are identical, just different colours. They are easily the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. Putting them on my feet was an almost sexual experience. Anyway . . . I also bought a pair of capris and two t-shirts from Lane Bryant. My friend got a pair of sandal from Nine West that are identical to mine, a denim skirt, two pairs of capris, a couple of shirts, several panties and a couple of bras, as well as a new Coach wristlet. By far the busiest store was Banana Republic. The line-up for the change rooms alone was easily as long as the border line we encountered heading south (about 90 minutes). Then there was another long line up for the cashier . . . it was just too much. Anyway, after we went shopping we decided to head back towards the border to find a hotel so we didn't have to hurry this morning. The first Best Western we stopped at was full, so we kept going towards Bellingham. We stopped at the Best Western Heritage Inn right next to Bellis Fair. It was a perfect location . . . we even managed to go into Bellis Fair for a little while (where we made a couple of purchases as Victoria's Secret). We had breakfast at Denny's this morning and away we went. The line up to get back across the border only took about 5 minutes, which was nice. We declared about a third of what we purchased, so technically speaking, we are guilty of smuggling ;-)

Meet my new Hollywood boyfriend

His name is Sendhil Ramamurthy. He can currently be seen on "Heroes". Need I say more?

My Spidey-Sense

Last night I saw Spiderman 3. It was good, but not as good as the previous 2. The theatre was packed so I had to sit quite close to the front, but I didn't mind. What I did kind of mind was the fact that the two kids next to me wouldn't stop talking! Their parents would shush them once in a while, but not often enough for my taste. I think they were probably too young to be at an evening movie (though it wasn't really late - it started at 7) since about halfway through the movie they started asking to go home. The other thing I didn't like was about three-quarters of the way through the movie a guy's cell phone went off. The man actually answered the phone and had a five minute conversation right in the theatre!

Anyway, I thought the special effects with the Sandman villain were superb. The other villains, I'm sorry to say, were a little disappointing. The black goo that takes over Spiderman for a while made for some very interesting personality changes in Peter Parker though. His "new" personality made for some of the funniest moments of the film. The other funny parts came from Bruce Campbell's character and Ted Raimi's character. On a scale of one to ten, I'd rate Spiderman 3 a solid 6.5 to 7.

Movies

I ended up renting 4 different movies yesterday evening. Each was different from the other, and each was good in its own way. Here are my thoughts on each:

1. Notes on a Scandal
This movie was initially recommended to me by a friend at work. This movie, more than any of the others I rented this weekend, resonated with me. I felt very sympathetic to both characters, but more to Judi Dench's character. I can easily imagine how the loneliness of the years impacted her enough to make her an obsessive woman with only her cat and fantasies for company. On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate this movie a 9.

2. John Tucker Must Die
This movie was just a little bit of fun for the weekend. It actually was a bit better than I expected. The plot is fairly predictable, but it's still cute. I find it a little hard to believe that the female lead can be "invisible" in school given that she's blonde, cute, has a good figure, and is smart, but whatever. On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate this movie a 7.

3. Scoop
This movie was the most unexpected of the 4. Having seen Match Point, which was another Woody Allen movie starring Scarlett Johansson, I was expection something a little more slick and mysterious. This movie was a little bit more like a comedy - particularly the scenes with "death". I also couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that Scarlett Johansson's character was a bit of a nerd. On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate this movie a 7.

4. Freedom Writers
This movie was probably the most predictable of all 4 in terms of what the ending was going to be. Anyone who has seen Dangerous Minds, Stand and Deliver, or even Mr. Holland's Opus knows where this movie is going to end up. But that's not really a bad thing given the movie's subject matter. The only "complaint" I had with this movie was the pointlessness of Patrick Dempsey's character. I guess he serves the purpose of illustrating just how dedicated Hilary Swank's character was becoming to her students, but really, was that 100% necessary? Anyway, it is always inspiring to see a teacher make a difference in the lives of her students, so I enjoyed the movie anyway. On a scale of 1 to 10, this was an 8.

Ways in which I am like MacGyver

Okay, so there's really only one way in which I'm like the character MacGyver - I was able to fix a problem with a single paperclip (and no, the problem wasn't that I need to hold some papers together)! The zipper on my jacket broke and for now, I'm using a paperclip to operate the zipper. This is only a temporary fix until I can buy a new jacket . . . but I can live with it for now.

Just came home from seeing the movie "Fracture" with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. Wow! It was a very, very compelling courtroom drama. I'm impressed with the Canadian boy, I must say. The whole time I was watching all I could think of was "where's the gun?" Now I know. I also saw a preview for a movie that I want to see. It's called "Martian Child" and it stars John Cusack. It looks like a really touching story. The premise is a little goofy - single man adopts a young boy who thinks he's from Mars - but I have a feeling that the Mars bit is really only an opening into a deeper discussion of the importance of being yourself. At least, I hope so.

I think maybe tomorrow I will walk over to the video store and rent a few movies that I've been meaning to see. I haven't actually rented any videos in a long while (can't really remember the last time I rented a movie) and it will keep me busy while I'm stuck at home doing chores.

Hello out there in blog land!

Hello fellow bloggers (or at least the ones not currently too addicted to facebook to keep up with blogging)! How is everything with you? I'm fine, but pretty tired these days. No specific reason I guess, just life catching up with me. My students have been fine, work is fine, blah, blah, blah. I'm closer to choosing my paint colours, but I was rather disappointed today when I stopped by Home Depot for some sample paints and discovered that it would cost me nearly $50 to get the 3 colour samples I wanted. FORGET IT! I picked up some more paint chips and plan on taping them up around the room in order to make my final decision.

Went to a re-gifting party last night hosted by my lovely sister. The basic idea was that people brought over stuff that they no longer wanted (either new or gently used stuff, not garbage) and had the opportunity to take other people's stuff. The stuff that was left over at the end of the evening was being donated to charity. It was a really cool idea and worked quite well, for the most part. There weren't a ton of people, and the stuff that people had brought was good stuff. I think in the future though, there should be a few "rules" or procedures set up so that choosing items is fair. There weren't any problems or anything last night, but I could see problems arising if more than one person really wanted one particular item. Anyway, I got rid of the stuff I really didn't want anymore, and came home with nothing. There were a couple of things that I would have taken if nobody else had wanted it, but the items were taken after all.

Last night before the party my purse strap broke. Has that ever happened to you? It happened to me about a year ago, which is what prompted me to buy the purse whose strap broke yesterday. Had the fabric not been so thick, I probably would have been able to sew the strap back on, but I didn't have the best needle for the job and there were about 4 layers of fabric to sew through, so I couldn't get it back together. The purse was starting to get a little worn (it wasn't overly expensive to begin with) so I decided to use the opportunity to get a new purse. I ended up splurging and getting two purses - one black and one brown. Both are Roots purses, and the black one is really similar to the one I was replacing, so I'm happy.

Back to work already again tomorrow - yuck! I love my job, I really do, but I'm looking forward to having a week off next month! Anyway, I'd better get back to those paint samples.

Reality Roundup

I'll admit it, I'm addicted to reality tv. I just finished watching America's Next Top Model and now I'm watching The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll. On Sunday's I watch The Amazing Race and The Apprentice. On Mondays I watch The Bachelor (but not as regularly as the other reality shows) and on Thursdays I watch Survivor. Here are my thoughts on what's happening on the shows:

The Amazing Race: What can I say? I actually really did like Rob and Amber and I'm sad that they're gone. Of the teams that are left, I think I like Oswald and Danny the best (Oswald is soooo cute!!). Charla and Mirna are growing on me, but I honestly don't care at all for the Beauty Queens (Dustin and Kandice) or Eric and Danielle.

The Apprentice: What a lousy season! I can't believe Trump moved the show to L.A. It seems to have lost its edge. The business tasks, for the most part, have seem rather uninspired. This business in the last episode of having the final task being done by the final four was just lame. The task was just like any other task and it sucked! Trump had better get his act together and move the show back to New York or I'm not watching again next season!

The Bachelor: Can't say I have many strong opinions about the show right now. Andy is cute, that's for sure. He seems like a genuinely nice guy too.

America's Next Top Model: Kinda glad that Jael just went home. She takes awesome photos, but she really doesn't do well when she has to talk. I went through a period of not liking Rene, but I think she's getting better so I kinda like her again. I still like Brittany too. At this point I'm not really sure who's going to win.

The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll: I like Melissa R. She's so cute . . . Chelsea has an awesome voice though. Melissa S. is just a b*tch. She looks old too. Asia annoys me when she sings, but when she talked about her daughter during the interview I saw a new side to her. I still don't know who should win.

Survivor: Some interesting twists this season. I really like Earl and Yau-Man. I liked Michelle too, but she was voted off last week. I'd love for Yau-Man to win!

Sun Run!

Edit (April 16, 2007): My official time, according to the Vancouver Sun newspaper, was 1 hour, 57 minutes and 31 seconds. Woot woot!

These are the photos from today's Sun Run. My mom, step-dad and me!! We walked it in approximately two hours - my best time by a good half an hour. I felt great during and after the walk. I actually really felt like I could turn around and walk the whole thing again by the time we were done :-)

Sweet Dreams

Okay, so I had a very interesting dream last night. It started on the skytrain, heading eastbound. I was crossing one of those pristine landscapes that you only get in BC: snowcapped mountains, a clear blue mountain lake, etc. Somehow I knew I was heading towards New West station. For anoyone who doesn't know about the skytrain, snowcapped mountains and a clear blue lake are NOT what you cross to get to New West station. Anyway, when I looked down at the lake (and it was most definitely a lake), I saw a bunch of whales! At first I saw blue whales and humpback whales (a lot were lying on little islands and not moving - not sure if they were dead, or just not being "used" at the moment. You'll see what I mean in a minute.) After another minute or so, I saw a bunch of killer whales frolicking and playing in the water. As we approached the station, I looked to my left and saw a killer whale "shaking" it's head (think "Free Willy" style). You think that would have tipped me off in my dream, but not yet! Anyway, we got close enough to the station to see people lined up waiting to board the train. That's when everyone on the train saw a killer whale jump up high enough to start trying to eat the people standing in line at the station! Everyone on the train and at the station started screaming! Then there were a few men who jumped out and tried to act like heroes, including the man above (Terry O'Quinn). When I saw him, I suddenly knew that we were in the middle of filming a scene from the show "Lost", except that nobody on the skytrain knew what was happening. All those whales? They were trained animals and props. In the next heartbeat, I was at work in the staffroom of the school. I was lying in bed (no, in real life there are no beds in our staffroom) in that near sleep state where you are aware of what's going on around you, but your eyes are closed and you don't care what's going on. There were only a few people in the staffroom, and they were in the kitchen area looking at a staff shopping list I had written. One of the other teachers was trying to take credit for it and it was annoying me, but I was too tired to say anything about it. A few seconds later I was walking out the door with one of the "Three Stooges", and I realized that she'd gotten a haircut. I knew it was a Thursday afternoon because she said "see you on Sunday morning at the Sun Run!" and I said "aren't you coming to work tomorrow?" and she explained that she was taking the day off to deal with a car payment problem she was having. That's when I commented on her haircut. I had to lie and tell her I thought it looked good, when in reality, short hair does not suit this woman at all! A few seconds later, we were both on the skytrain together, heading westbound. In reality, neither one of us takes the skytrain to get home. Anyway, she got off at a stop (don't know which one, it didn't look like any of the stops I'm used to) and was walking along a path parallel to the skytrain tracks. I looked over at her to wave when I saw that she had a tell-tale baby bump and was in fact pregnant, but nobody at work knew it yet. That's when I woke up. So. Weird.

Paint, paint, paint

Have to decide on paint colours. I would do like Dianne did and post my options, but I'm not feeling so technical right now. I have taken the enormous step of taping up some paint chips to the wall to see what I like. I took the chips to work yesterday to get some advice from some of the lovely ladies I work with (well, those still in the building past 3:30 anyway). They had a multitude of opinions, particularly after I showed them some pictures I had on my e-mail of what my place looks like. They were so curious to see what my place looked like that they crowded all around me and my computer. Discovered that I'm still claustrophobic . . . I thought I was going to die at one point when all 5 of them were standing around me! Luckily the feeling passed quickly. Unfortunately their opinions were very diverse and didn't bring me any closer to a decision! Laurie did suggest taping up the samples I liked the best, which I was planning on doing anyway, and that was about as helpful as it got.

I thought I may get some more guidance last night when my mom came over. Yeah, not so much. I mean, she did have lots of ideas, but they didn't really involve paint colour. One thing she suggested which I liked was to paint the dining room area a darker shade than that living room area to define the two spaces. Still no closer to choosing actual colours though. All my life I've had trouble making decisions about what colour to paint things. It's happened every time I've had to choose colours for my bedroom when I was younger. Luckily I have a little bit over a month to decide. If I stare at these paint chips long enough, I may actually make a decision!