Join me at Popculturedivas for my nostalgic look at Canada's Second National Anthem - The Hockey Theme that CBC gave up to TSN.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thursday Thirteen - 110 - 13 Things I'll Enjoy Now That I've Got My Computer Back
I'm sitting at my desk in my living room, basking in happiness in front of my newly-restored computer. Sigh. It's been a lo-o-o-ong week-and-a-half while it was in the shop. And there's so many things I can do now!
1 - The first sign of trouble came when the latest Flash Player upgrade came up. I couldn't install the new version, no matter what. I suspected that a run-in with a virus a few months previously had corrupted some of my hard drive. And that is precisely what did happen.
My best friend's husband has rescued my computer and my sanity. He's got Flash Player installed and now I can watch video on the computer again. 
2 - Before we handed our tower over to Mark, the little blue bar showing available memory on the C drive was the complete opposite of this new one. We had no memory to speak of. Yay! Thanks Mark!
3 - I can get back to my Robbie story. Haven't been working on that since the computer went into the shop. Instead, I've been concentrating on my Scorpius story, collecting pictures for a collage I'll be making on Saturday at the all-day writing workshop. 
4 - And while I'm working on my Robbie story, I can listen to my YouTube playlists. Oh, how I've missed those!
5 - At last, at last, at last I can watch the third season of BBC's Robin Hood!! I've been watching bits and pieces at work while I kill time waiting for the bus at the end of the day. But now my husband and I can settle in and watch the whole thing!! Here's a preview.
6 - We can watch DVDs on our computer media player. Our regular DVD player bit the dust a while ago, so we watch movies on the computer. The computer is across from the couch so it's comfy, and we get a really good picture on the computer.
7 - I can visit racier blogs and sites at home than I obviously can at work. Yay, me! A writer needs a little inspiration...
8 - I didn't bother saving the image files I'd made up of my fictional characters. I figured they could all use a bit of housecleaning, so now I'll be on the hunt for new ones. I find it very relaxing to gather pictures.
9 - I can visit all of my favorite blogs again! My blog-hopping was down to nearly zero, as I attempted to continue posting from work during my breaks and lunch. That was only marginally successful, because it's been very, very hectic at work. I couldn't push my break times too hard - sometimes I needed a rest from it all.
10 - Considering that I went to film school, you would think I would have posted some video on my blog by now. Well, that lack of memory was definitely a deterrent to that idea. But we've got lots of new memory. Now, to figure out the whole uploading thing.
11 - The endless research - do you know how many times I thought 'Oh, I'll go look that up on the computer' and then realized I didn't have access to the internet? For curious need-to-know people like me, it's such a relief to be able to google again.
12 - I'll be able to Twitter again - not too much of that this past week-and-a-half, since I don't have a cell phone or a blackberry.
13 - And I can update my Facebook, too. That's been pretty haphazard lately. A break and a lunch goes by awfully quick if you're trying to blog, Twitter and Facebook. Ah, the luxury of not having to check the clock, check the clock...
Alice Audrey says I have a sudden urge to back up my files.
Carleen says I can't imagine life without a computer anymore.
Chris says I recently experienced a week without my computer and it was hard!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Poetry Train Monday - 104 - I Can't Handle It All
My computer's still in the shop, so my blog schedule is a bit of a challenge right now.
Here's my latest found poem, taken from a diary entry from 1980 when I was in grade ten, my first year in high school. All through the school year I'd had a crush on Philip, a guy one grade level ahead of me. We were both in choir together.
This poem follows a memorable moment for me, one which helped me to decide that he was perhaps as interested in me as I was in him.
I Can't Handle It All
I can see it in his eyes
Can sense it when I'm next to him
So much happened to me today
I can't handle it all
While walking to Math
He saw me
Backtracked through the crowd
Told me he'd see me
The last two periods in the afternoon
At the beginning of Study
He came right out to
The Music portable
To work on Romeo and Juliet
With me
Fate must have been with me
I learned from Mike
That I'd be getting last period off
Phil had last period off
I forgot Romeo and Juliet at home
We got our books and walked
To my house
I didn't have the key
I had to crawl through the window
And run to unlock the door
To let him in
He'd had to carry his sax
All the way to my house
The saxophone is heavy
We listened to Dave Brubeck
He got out his own saxophone
And played along to the record
We went in the kitchen
And worked on Romeo and Juliet
It's going to be funny
I can't wait
My sister came home
He helped her clean the fishbowl
He made himself and me
Some good British tea
He asked me to come see him perform
With the jazz band at 7
So Connie and I went
We came in just as
Phil was doing a solo
The movement caught his attention
His eyes flashed
As he looked around Mr. March
At me
His excitement to see me
Danced all over his face
Over the top of his music
When I waved at him
He gave me a wave back
When the band finished playing
He hurried over
To sit beside me
It's so wonderful
- Julia Smith, 2009 / original text June 6th, 1980
Ride the Poetry Train!
Akelamalu says Ah a poem about a first crush - sweet.
Marinela Enjoyed your poem :)
Summer Stock Sunday - 2
For my second Summer Stock Sunday, I've got the opposite of many people's idea of fun - dressing up.
I'm a casual person who dresses casually most of the time. But I do enjoy the excitement of going somewhere formal and dressing up every once in a while.
Summer is usually filled with opportunities to go to a performance and out to dinner. Which I have to say I prefer to barbeques. Barbeques are fun, don't get me wrong. But getting all fancy-shmancey, being seated by a waiter, opening the menu, waiting for the delectable dinner to arrive - and all with a show to look forward to, or talk about if dinner follows the show - well, there's nothing better, as far as I'm concerned.
For more Summer Stock Sunday, go to Robin's blog, Around the Island.
Ms Snarky Pants says I would probably like dressing up more if I didn't always feel like I'd made some horrible fashion faux pas.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Thursday Thirteen - 109 - 13 Things I've Been Doing While My Computer's in The Shop
My computer has needed an overhaul for quite some time. So I had to surrender it into the care of my best friend's husband, who is an IT guy. He already performed heroics on a previous computer when my current WIP was trapped on the hard drive of a tower whose battery went dead.
So what have I been doing in the meantime?
1 - Well, I did try to stay on schedule with my book review for Stella MacLean's Baby in Her Arms. However, that will have to be pushed back to next week. My day job work schedule has been very grinding of late. Over the years, I've gradually learned to put balls down when my juggling act gets too ridiculous. That has been a lifetime lesson, I assure you.
2 - After work, once I've finished my daily visit with my mom upstairs, I generally head downstairs and hop onto the computer. But every evening this week I've headed into the garden instead. Sigh. That's been nice.
3 - I've had way more Pack Time on the couch. Because we are two humans and a dog, we are a Pack. Pack Time is my favorite time of day. We all pile onto the couch, where my dog and I fall asleep curled up together and my husband watches TV. Bliss.
4 - I've headed over for Pack Time much earlier than I do when I'm writing. So I've gotten way more sleep. This morning I woke up at 4:00 because my body is used to waking up with only 5 hours of sleep. But I realized I could go back for two more hours. Mmm.
5 - I watched the hockey game. Stanley Cup play-offs on Tuesday night, game 3. Lots of woo-hooing in our Cole Harbour house for Sidney Crosby!
Normally I would be at the computer with the game on TV to my left, which I would glance at in between writing. What luxury to simply sit down and watch the whole thing.
Photo by Peter Diana
6 - Listening to a whole bunch of CDs that we haven't heard in awhile. We usually use the CD player in the computer to listen to music. With that gone, my husband pulled out the big ghetto blaster and stacks of CDs that have been collecting dust and we've been enjoying some favorites. Like this one:
7 - As often happens, when I'm in the middle of one WIP, I start getting ideas and scenes for another WIP. So instead of thinking about my early Victorian gardener, Robbie (who resembles Ewan McGregor,) I've been doing some heavy-duty thinking about my dark fantasy and the Chamberlain of the Keep, Scorpius (a dead-ringer for Richard Armitage.)
8 - Doing some pre-planning for the mega collage event at my writers' group Book in a Day all-day workshop on June 13th.
9 - Tending to my husband's erupting cyst on his neck. Good times. Three bandage changes a day. Yay.
10 - Mowing my enormous lawn. I actually find it relaxing, in a sweaty sort of way.
11 - Visiting over at my best friend's house when we dropped the computer tower off. Such luxury!
12 - Doing overtime at work to try to get caught up on a huge backlog of scanning. This actually makes me feel like I'm getting somewhere instead of digging a hole in mud, just to watch it immediately fill in again. Added bonus - no one to interrupt.
13 - Taking a tiny chip off the clutter mountain that is our apartment. Yay me!
Janet says You've sure got a lot going on!
Alice Audrey says Even if I'm supposed to be working on one WIP, another keeps cropping up.
Anthony North says I always keep a cheap back-up, so this doesn't happen to me.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
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