Monday Monday

Today I've been in a whirling dervish putting together an air conditioner. It began after rising at 1 pm, as the heat had kept me awake and turning all through the night. It was, somewhat of an impulse buy. I must say, so far, I feel nothing of great note from this expensive monster in my window. Unless I stand in front of it...I realise at this moment, I could open the fridge door and it would have the same effect.

The other purchase today was an air pump as it took Heather two hours to pump up the air mattress the other night with "the built in foot pump". Pah to that. Camping starts Friday night and will speed away the weekend until my beloved returns. I can not wait! I have her on a frenzy about us moving to a better part of town for her commute, so watch this space.

The day is 30 degrees and this body is fit to drop. Off now, to sleep in the fridge. A chest freezer would come in really handy right now . . .

Internet Dependant

This will probably be either my last or second last post until I get back home. I'm 99% sure that my aunt does not have internet access or a computer for that matter. How strange that I'll be going that long without it... it's kind of embarrassing to think about how dependant I and a lot of people in the world are of the internet. There's the blogging I do, the posting boards I visit, the games (Pogo addict, I have to admit), banking (LOVE online banking), e-mail of course, shopping and best of all, INFORMATION. Looking up a restaurant for the menu, looking up a company for what they sell, looking up directions to some one's house... imdb.com for just who that blond was in that movie with the guy, etc. What the heck did we do before to get all this information? Lots of books... books that ended up outdated within a year. I remember getting that Leonard Matlin (at least I think that's his name... I'd have to go look it up online to see if I have the spelling right... see?) Movie book he'd put out every year that had the brief description of what all the movies were and who the top two or three people starring in 'em were. Wow. And encyclopedias... people would sell them door to door and kids would receive them as gifts from their parents. It was a huge investment! Now a days? I don't know anyone who owns a set of encyclopedias... even the school libraries have outdated sets. Do they even make them anymore? Or does the information change so fast that they can't keep up? Anyway... my point is that without the internet, I wouldn't know anything anymore. Hell, I don't even own a dictionary... that's what spellcheck and dictionary.com is for!

So yeah, now I remember what I was saying... not having a computer or the internet for the next week will be a little hard, even if I'm supposed to be on vacation and relaxing. Ah well... I did it before I owned one (15 years ago), I'm sure I can do it again.

You Don't Have To Be Mad To Work Here But...

In the Salvation Army, one of the workers who looked like Lily Tomlin, maybe about 45 or so was getting a kick out of H' and I. I was making H' sit in this chair she eventually bought, and I went around the store finding wee tables, a TV, a lamp, gaudy ornaments etc, a bad Danielle Steele novel...and made a make-shift living room all around her and the chair, so she could, 'get a feel for the chair'.

WORKER: Ah look at you! Are you from Glasgow? That's the neatest Scottish accent you have!

I did the usual, "No it's a hybrid of accents" thing. But Glasgow I was from and she would not budge. In the end I was saying, "Glasgow IS amazing, yup" (I have never been and know nothing of it).

Then she gets real excited as I look at a CD tower, I ask, "How much?". However, she hones in on the old school HiFi beside them..."Yes, let me see, how much..oooh, no price, mmm, you are lovely dear....this would be perfect for you, ...oooh, that accent...yes let me see, where-where...oh look here, it has VHS here for your music..(she demonstrates the music cassette buttons as if it's advanced technology)..look now at this round bit...you get things from around the world...what is that dial...oh of course, the citizen band..." No HINT of humour, she was genuine as the day is long. So I look at the 'citizen band dial' and then I look at her....and I just smile from ear to ear, "Yup, that citizen band is pretty cool, huh". This woman, she is seven shades of oddness, but wow, she is great.

When we went back later, she gushed all over me again. It was this beautiful, quirky interaction both times...and I just thought, how much joy do people miss by dismissing people like this as "nuts" or "whacked"?? Why not meet people where they are at when you sense something in that so called realm?

Funny though, as I left, I just knew in ten years or so, that would likely be me. Ah, shucks, now there's something to look forward to Jenny-kins (What do you mean you are extending your stay???????? Smile)

Tired

I had such a good sleep last night... nine hours of peaceful slumber, uninterrupted by cramps or flights to catch or work to go to. Unfortunately, I'm still in a major sleep deficit... I only got about four hours of sleep on Wednesday and then a couple of hours on the plane on Thursday, after which I managed a nap of almost two hours later in the morning. Thursday night I only got about four total when the cramps hit... so no wonder I feel like a zombie!

Today is overcast and rainy (was earlier and probably will be in the afternoon) for the Dyke March. That's about all I have to report... oh, I finally found my camera in my suitcase. I haven't taken a single picture though and am not sure when I will. I should have brought my British photographer with me... :/

36 Hours in the Life of a Warrior Princess

Last night, after work, I loaded Jenn's nightmares (my old furniture) into her car, taking it to H' who was moving to a new place, getting her keys at 6pm or so.

We packed boxes in her old place, driving the loaded cars to the new one. The second we arrived? A text message from her ex-gf. She, "wanted to talk" (after 3 months of nothing). I insisted she go, assuring her I'd take care of her move. It was a great workout! Got it all in her place, unpacked everything, assembled tables etc, hung all the curtains, sorted out the kitchen, cleaned like a demon (the bruises I have today though!). Given she had had no furniture but that which we had given her, I wanted to make the place look like home asap (See pictures) as this was such a big event and with this text msg....ouch. The look of sheer gratefulness and relief when she got back was needless but touching. It had been a rough evening for her: she was very tearful and shaky.

We retired to her balcony for the mandatory ex-gf-meeting talk.

Then, at 10 pm, an awful thing:

I saw a dog stray into the road. I panicked, but then dog found the pavement. I was mad an owner was nowhere near. Five minutes later, I looked up, right at the wrong moment. I saw a car hit the dog and the dog was thrown high and helplessly in the air. I felt a cold sickness inside and involuntarily screamed, "No!". It was just horrific. The dull thud heard, when hitting the car is still making me emotional. The car kept going, it didn't stop. This alone makes me fill with horror. The whimpering cries of pain that followed were heartbreaking. I was about to call the police when a woman stopped her car mid traffic; she ran to the dog put it in her vehicle, driving fast away with flashers blinkering. You know - NO ONE on the street did anything when it happened...no, it took a woman veering off her journey and blocking traffic. Bystander apathy is NOT apathy, it is sheer inhumanity. Bystander inhumanity. We do this to people too, not just animals. It makes me feel helpless and defeated. Are we THAT disconnected??? I had a nightmare of all the above last night. It is still deeply unsettling for I doubt the dog could survive such a terrible thing.

This morning, we went to a funky breakfast place and walking back, I made H' check out the Goodwill...ended up carrying a blue chair and a cute footstool (pictures) back with us, among other things! It was sweltering heat and this thing = heavy! Inspired, procrastinating about the 100 boxes left to pack at her old place, we hit Dykea. Loaded with accouterments, we headed back finally packed more stuff driving it to the new place. After unpacking her books, H' just had to get a bookshelf from Goodwill ..off we went with 20 minutes till closing....and wearily carried one back on foot. Given she had NO furniture/rugs etc at all , you can see the place scrubbed up okay for less than $40 and under 24 hours!

Arrived back at Jenn and my home to load up more things Jenn and I had no use for, and after H' had tea, checked email and loaded her car anew, I bid her farewell....

In all of this, acutely, I miss my girl. I hope she is proud of me parting with the junk I have accumulated :). See baby, the pink bin is just a garbage memory for us now!

I miss you J' but I am so excited about your trip and all the adventures you're having!

We're like a piece of paper

with words written on both sides.

I would do anything,

right now,

to just sit,

back to back

- with you -

so we that can read our pages,

together, out loud.

H A P P Y

P R I D E !!

From Ontario w/ Love

It took almost a whole 24 hours until I finally felt like I was on vacation. I spent yesterday with a work colleague and her husband and I must say my eleven days are off to a great start. I received my very first ride in a corvette yesterday afternoon - very awesome, I must say. In the morning I had a two hour nap which helped with the exhaustion from barely getting any sleep on the plane. By 10 pm last night though, I was ready to pass out. Unfortunately my good night's sleep from sheer exhaustion was interrupted by the arrival of frickin' cramps from hell. I'm STILL in agony after four Tylenol 3 tablets and it's almost 3:30 pm! Needless to say, I laid around most of the morning, trying to find any sort of semi-comfortable position I could.

Stacey picked me up after lunch and now I am making use of her computer before I go pass out for a (hopefully pain-free) nap while they go looking for curtains sold by some guy standing in the middle of the street (we'll see how that turns out...).

It's so nice to be relaxed (aside from the damn cramps!)...

I miss my girl though. I really wish Jules had been able to join me on this trip. :(

I really cannot believe she posted about my adventures in the airport sports bar though... And by the way, the bartender's hair was only a little tiny bit longer than Hillary Swank's in Boys Don't Cry... otherwise I'd swear it was her... she looked like her twin. Anyway... it's nice to feel attractive and get attention when you don't expect it! But, like I told my girl... not even remotely interested in anyone but her. I know what I have and I know how lucky I am!!!

Off to pass out now... can't wait....

From Lusha With Love

I was driving home after dropping my beloved off at the airport (thereby helping to deliver her to some of you reading), and I suddenly became quite aware, that for 11 days, I would be J-Less. I was not home for more than ten minutes, when "great joy" . . . beloved J rings me from the airport. Wistful and terribly sentimental I start to tell her how much I miss her and how 'coming home' was an oxymoron, for home is where-ever she is....indeed, when she rang, I was literally staring at our bed, wondering how to get in it without her to snuggle up to against for the night. I am not sure if I am 'a romantic spirit' or 'a pathetic lesbian' but that's not for here....

"Well, I'm drunk" (she says, inserting the appropriate, "I miss you too, baby" comment). I laugh. How can she be, it was less than an hour ago I kissed her goodbye.

"Yup. I am loaded and I love you baby, because the number the bartender left me on the napkin under my umpteenth drink...well she's no you, so that's in the garbage".

I laugh again.

"I do not know what it is about me at airports, baby . . .".

Jenn is not one to continue a jest after a certain point.....

And so....

I stop laughing and throw in my,"Noooooooo way", a la Valley Girl in training.

Ascertaining that within the one hour I had left her, she had checked in, gone through security and placed herself in the only place open late, a sports bar, she began her tale:

The bartender was, "Hilary Swank in Boys Don't Cry...but with longer hair..so cute, I mean really cute". The free (FREE! They fire Walmart employees for less), drinks our lush was provided included a shooter that, "tasted like Dr Pepper". And well (she mused), this was all very flattering but, "I have you and I know and love what we have". She also said something about some guys being very impressed as Jenn was left the wee-baby-dyke's number on a napkin that she had, "put under this over sized pint I ordered...the only drink I actually bought I think".

FLIPPING HECK! COR BLIMEY! STRIKE A LIGHT!

I am in obvious awe of my babe. This kind of thing never happens to me. I do, however, seem to be attracted to women (neigh SIRENS) to whom this occurrence is the norm rather than the exception. I think that is because I am oblivious to their being sirens until one day I wake up and realise, "Jeepers! People actually dream of being me??". I must say, Jenn looked incredibly beautiful this evening...but good grief people....11.30pm on a school night, and lesbian bartenders are all over her in a straight bar in a place of business and travel. Vote for John McCain, watch more Nancy Grace....enough of this liberal hogwash y'all....the country is going to hell in a handcart...

You see, this, this is why she rents bad movies...because the good movies are too much like her life. When we gasp, "Oh that would NEVER happen", Jenn is the one saying, "That is just like that time when I...".

So I go to bed with a little smile on my face. My baby - she got it going on. It's really something to know she had that moment tonight. I mean, truly, being serious...what a wonderful way to start a holiday! I also share this with you in order to begin a barrage of relentless teasing when Ms 'back-snap' Thang is comfortably ensconced in the des-les-res (that is the "desirable, lesbian residence" of S and A....the new kitchen...mmm!).

It is now hour two and I miss her, I miss her, I miss her. I am sure at some point before I turned 55 years old (or whatever that number was last Sunday) I was a lot cooler than this.

Anyway my lovelies, Jenn is now on a plane to Toronto, "Sleeping one off". I was informed she had packed her Blockbuster card. Which is odd as she didn't pack anything else (see Jenn's last post). I think at one point she actually WAS doing her taxes.

Good night and God bless - although clearly, for some of you, GOD HELP YOU!

Jules