Hanging with Aj'a

Aj'a is definately one of the most interesting, creative people I know. She is so committed to everything that she chooses to do, that when she had a hunch to give me a shout, she tried my house phone, my cell phone and eventually my blog before she tried my house again. The hunch turned into going for a neighborhood coffee to catch up and then spending the weekend at my house (there's always an extra bedroom at my house).
She accompanied me to Mike's where I had to drop off his rent before going to Neal's for some veggie-wraps. Along 16th I saw a big white sign with Yard Sale painted in red. Aj'a is notorious for finding urban treasure so I pulled over. At first all we found were some infant items - games, clothing, shoes. But on the corner of a rough blanket were a bunch of small metal items - zippos, cigar cutters, jewellery. I picked up a fake pearl necklace when an old man with long white hair, cracked scotch-tape glasses and a great chest wearing torquoise and green tattoos. He told us how he buys crates of old books and sells the good ones, but that he has to buy boxes of trinkets as well. From a plastic box, I picked up a silver ring with a white stone in it. Looking at it a little closer, the stone turned out to be an opal. I bought it for five bucks. The strange old man talked about his art - Decoupage - layering imagery from books and magazines on furniture. I asked if I could see some of his work and his lead us into his little house - his significant other on the couch to our right, pet dog on a long chain outside. He showed me his prise cabinet - one he would never sell. The imagery was amazing - cut to fit every curve and turn on the woodwork of this piece. The man said he sells more downtown. We walk out of his house to find that his dog loves our allergetic Aj'a. I toss the ball for the pup a couple of times before we head to the car.
From there, we pick up some groceries to dine with my friend Neal - he cooks for us and we have a good time hanging out before we fail to make it up Burnaby Mountain. We headed to Burnaby North High School to view the dooming viking bust to compensate.
The next morning Aj'a accompanies me to pick blueberries with good friend Rebecca and her friend Yasmine. I'll do anything with Rebecca - anything she suggests, but I know if she's coming it will be interesting. And I did have a lot of fun berry picking - the orchird was overrun, Rebecca and I had to practically dive into the bush. In the middle of it, you could loose the direction you came from - with branches over your head causing you to walk hunched over. Then to read high out of the bush into the sun to pick the big plump ones that roll from the stem through your fingers and into your hand. We were picking for a hot hour and a half before heading back. Jasmine and Aj'a stayed on the outside of the orchird. A young goat, a kid, accompannied the fellow who weighed our buckets.
My Sunday became quiet when Aj'a left to go to a family dinner - her nephew is in town. Life is more colourful hanging out with Aj'a. Even if we're doing bland things, she always finds ways to make them more interesting. I look forward to hanging out more with her and seeing her around Dougie this fall. In the theoretical movie of my life, she would be played by Cyndi Lauper.

Personality Test

You are dependable, popular, and observant. Deep and thoughtful, you are prone to moodiness. In fact, your emotions tend to influence everything you do. You are unique, creative, and expressive. You don't mind waving your freak flag every once and a while. And lucky for you, most people find your weird ways charming!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

Is this a real frog?

Mom and Aerin see Herbie

My friend Aerin used to live at my house for a while - she's one of the few people we consider an Honorary Inkpen. Last night she wanted to sleep over at my house in order to spend some time with Catherine. I had plans and since my mom has been wanting to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for a while, she treated Aerin to a movie. My friend Tristan said to me last night, "So your mom hangs out with your friends and doesn't invite you along." Well, my mom can be a lot of fun from time to time.
I expected them home around 9:30pm which never happened. Aerin convinced my mom to sneak into a second movie. They hid in the handicap washroom at the end of their movie, and Aerin rearranged her outfit before they snuck into Herbie: Fully Loaded. My mom is definately more fun when she doesn't have to think that she has to adhere to that idea of being a good role model as a mother.
One time she went to see one the Harry Potter movies by herself to escape from the summer heat and decided to sneak into the Spiderman movie afterwards. She had a really disciplining, scary father so it's good that she's finally gotten around to doing some mischeif.

This one is from Nathan.

Sarah Is Alive and Well!

Sarah!, originally uploaded by sinkblue.

I headed down to the Lantern Festival (Illuminaries) at Trout Lake with friends Julie and Kenton. We joined Catherine and SARAH! along the way.
Sarah was the only one among us with a Lantern, and what a brillant lantern it was! A metal rod, plastic forks, gelati cups and duct tape - there couldn't be a better lantern! (Except for that guy with a real blow fish that had been dried out and lit up with a candle on the inside).
We met up with Ryan near a squirrel tail stand (with a giant squirrel on top) and then frolicked with the hand drumming parade. It was so much fun. We saw 'Spectacular Theatre' - a live 'freak' show. And while attempting improvisational dance in the lantern labyrinth, I face-planted and bruised my knee - there's a red horizontal oval on my kneecap. So much fun!!!

Sarah is now talking about having a 'Sports Day' with a bunch of friends. I suggested racing while flipping pancakes on wooden paddles. I loved that one. Ooooh, and of course at the end there has to be a huge tug of war.

In a week or two I plan on going to the corn maze for fun so anyone who wants to come should let me know.

At the end of August, I'm having my birthday early - a potlock and bbq in my backyard - things will get too busy in September when school starts.

On August 27 - Mars should be the closest it has ever been in the last 5000 years - and ever will be for another 5000 years. We should all have a Mars party - head out to where we can see the stars, start a campfire - have fun. It would be great.

Minnekheda

, originally uploaded by sinkblue.

Mike and I have been hiking at Minnekheda as much as we can and it's been a hell lot of fun.
Mike, also known by many women as 'Good Friend Mike' - reminded me how much fun it can be just to watch the sky move by while lying in dust - especially after an intensive hike.

Suspected Terrorist Found in Suitcase - Thanks Meg for the pic!

Finally!

The frustration of working a dull clockwatching job has coerced me to return to school - even if I'm risking the loss of more money into classes that don't take me anywhere better. With just my UVic transcript in hand, the academic advisor assured me that at least six classes can be transfered to the Associate of Arts Degree through which I plan on taking sociology classes and then get my Bachelors of Sociology at SFU. We are sure that once I get my Emily Carr transcript, more can be transferred through.

Last Thursday I swam across White Pine and back with Sam - my body felt awesome for two more days! Exercise is awesome!

I took the book quiz - and this is apparently my personality.


You're Love in the Time of Cholera!

by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Like Odysseus in a work of Homer, you demonstrate undying loyalty by
sleeping with as many people as you possibly can. But in your heart you never give
consent! This creates a strange quandary of what love really means to you. On the
one hand, you've loved the same person your whole life, but on the other, your actions
barely speak to this fact. Whatever you do, stick to bottled water. The other stuff
could get you killed.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Last Call . . . a post-nuclear cabaret

Ryan got free tickets to see this play and invited me out - Mike fortunately didn't hold me to our plans that night so that I could go - I owe him a couple of beers or something.
What could be better than a post-apocolyptic play with an upbeat musical score! Two men, one blind and being held hostage by the other, a mentally disturbed convict, put on a cabaret to entertain 'the masses.' I laughed, but some of the humor was so vulgar I had a difficult time deciding how to react. The subject matter, post-nuclear Vancouver, presented through humor made it more disturbing and pungent. Of course I loved it! I recommend it to everyone.

Dewdney Trunk Road

I like driving down Dewdney Trunk Rd on the way to Port Moody - as if for a moment I'm miles away from suburbia and I'm surrounded by wild trees. That is why it didn't seem out of place that a young guy, with green spiked hair, was walking along the right side of the road towards oncoming traffic. He was singing and playing his guitar as he saundered.
It also didn't seem out of place, at least, until later when I gave it more thought, that I pulled over and offered him a ride regardless of the fact I was driving in the other direction.
He pauses, momentarily interupting his grin, before he replies, "No thanks, I'm good." And his rubber lips are smacked back into his original, wide smile.
From the driver's seat, I shout, "You're just walking along singing and playing your guitar?"
"Yep." Now he's showing off his teeth.
"That's rad!" I exclaim.
"Thanks!" And I step back on the gas to continue my drive realizing that I would have loved to talk to him longer. But lengthening this occurance would only exhaust the incantation that teases my mind every time I have driven the Dewdney Trunk Rd since.

Dead Rat

Who knew, that at 8:30am Tuesday morning, a fat, dead rat lying behind the building where I work made my day. Before coffee, before reading emails and even before unlocking the building, someone had to get rid of a rat whose body was as long as my foot and fatter than my fist. When I walk around my neighborhood with my dog JJ, I occaisionally pick up the dead rats I find using the plastic bags I carry with me because we have so many children in the neighborhood. These rats are as big as a man's thumb so with this in mind, I volunteered to go and clean it up. Getting rid of a rat should negate me from having to clean up vomit if another child gets sick. So I grabed a plastic bag and headed out to the field.
When I finally found the rat, I laughed and cried out of horror at the same time. I had to return with a garbage bag and a shovel - only to find that the shovel could only slide the rat around a bit. With my knees bent preparing my body like a rocket for take off, I plunged the bag over the rat and scooped it up. To my disgust - the rat was definately heavier than I thought. It took me a couple of swooping movements to get the fat, black tail in with it. In my mind, nothing worse could happen that day. When all the horror was over, I realized that that was an exciting day at work - something DIFFERENT happened, something that provoked many stimulating emotions I don't usually have. And, none of the guys took on the job.