Good Summer.

The. Best.

Today's "free" newspaper advertised an A-MA-ZING weekend kitchenware sale at a major downtown department store.

One of the ticket items was the Jamie Oliver T-Fal 11-piece stainless steel cookware set....at$525 off the regular price!!!! UNHEARD OF!!!

I was on the bus heading to work and texted Nat to tell him the exciting news.

We are heading out of town this weekend to his friend's cottage, so I figured we would miss the sale. No big deal, as we aren't exactly in need of any new kitchen stuff.

He texted back with a completely unrelated matter, about where we were going to meet our ride to go up north. Talk of the wicked cool J.O. magical cooking set never happened, and it drifted to the back of my mind.

Then at the office, while getting settled into my Friday, I see that Nat is calling my mobile. I figured it had something to do with this weekend, so how surprised was I when he said he was at The Bay (above mentioned department store)!!!

He said he was going to surprise me, but he wanted to make sure he got the right one:

"STAINLESS STEEL OR HARD ANODIZED, DARLING?"

I. AM. SPOILED!!!!!!!

Now I get to cook fabulous meals for family and friends with my INCREDIBLY SEXY pots and pans!!! I am SOOOO wickedly excited for this!! Nothing makes my day better than coming home from work and cooking dinner for Nat and myself. Having proper tools makes it all the more fun!!!!

Heather?! Are you FEELIN' ME?!?

Anyway, I wanted to share this bit of happy news with you all. No proposal. No baby. Just cookware.

P.S. Nat is now uploading pictures onto his shiny new Macbook, so I will be able to get back to posting them!!! The good news just keeps on coming!!

These Dog Days.

Summer is fast coming to a close, much to my chagrin. Seasons are never the same once you enter the 9-5 working world...or has it's become in the last few years, the 8:30-6 working world.

The weather has been pretty crap for the most part, but mother nature has recently cranked the heat to 11, leaving most people bitching and moaning about it. Me? I will take it. GLADLY. I love hot, hot, hotness. Hate air-conditioning. Would rather roast than freeze any day of the week! If I never saw another winter again it would be too soon!

I spend most of my days dreaming of being outside in the heat, and of my impending trip back to London.

It has been nearly a year since I left, which blows my mind to think about! How does a year just slip by like that?!

Anyway, I leave on the 11th of September with Nat for a shorter-than-short visit. The trip takes me to London Town and then to Poland for Kieran and Julia's wedding, which will no doubt prove to be the event of the CENTURY.....or at least of the season, guaranteed to leave me recovering for days and days.

What is MOST exciting about this leg of my travels, is that Heather is able to attend the nuptials BABY-FREE!! Don't get me wrong, Fred and Rocco are two MAJOR reasons for my visit. But having Heather footloose and fancy-free for 3 days is BEYOND wee-in-my-pants-with-glee worthy! We even get to TRAVEL THERE AND BACK TOGETHER!! No doubt holding each others hair back on the early morning return Sunday flight. Normally not cause for excitement, but everything has an exception.

Unfortunately, Nat can't come with me to the wedding (boooooo). As it turns out, he has a good friend getting married on the exact same day as Kez and Julia, back in Toronto. Lucky for me, he agreed to come along for the London stretch! Wooohoooo!! He knows how much I love my London family, and he wants to meet them and get to know them...which means more to me than he knows (*sigh*).

I am savouring the days leading up to this trip. Because it is such a ridiculously small visit, I must treat the next 3 1/2 weeks as if they are an extension of it. I languish in thinking about every.single.part. From take-off, landing, train ride to Heather's, extended love-in with her and the fam, walking, eating, drinking, laughing, eating, drinking....I have to get as much out of it before I even step on that plane.

Because my departure date will be here before I know it. And then I'll blink, and be back in Toronto.

I almost already feel sad.

But then I think about all the fun times to be had with all my loved ones..., and it fills my heart with more love and joy that it can hold.

Oh, happy, happy days.

Okay.

I'm having serious problems uploading pictures.

It's really freaking me out.

The last thing I need right now is a big huge bill to fix this.

SO!!

In the meantime, let me introduce you to Lorene.

The Captain is away on business for 10 days, and I am drunk waiting for him to come home. A friend told me to listen to Lorene as a distraction...and I cannot stop listening to her. Especially the song "28". She is awesome.

Now. For those of you who don't know (which I think may be only a few), The Captain has been in my life in a big way for months now.

And I do love him. And because of this, I would like to introduce him properly to you all.

Everyone, please meet Nathaniel Barnes. AKA, Nat.

Nat, please meet all my friends.

All the love in the Universe.

- ME.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!

6 months in...

...and it's everything I could ever wish it to be.

We just finished dinner at Jamie Kennedy's restaurant here in Toronto, and nothing could really ever compare.

Back home now, and I'm being sweetly serenaded by The Captain; full of wine and giggles...just the way we should be.

I wish us all to be so full of happiness.

xoxo

I apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you for your patience.

Blogging can be hard. Especially when you are in apartment-limbo.

I have been spending more and more time at The Captain's pad over the last few months. This means having spent many days wearing a variation of one outfit with shoes that don't quite match. The best is when it would rain and all I had was my flip-flips (a.k.a. thongs), or when it would be sunny and warm and all I had were my Wellies.

So.

After much consideration and discussion, we have decided that I am going to move into his place. Which is great! We are both very happy and excited, and I can't WAIT to expand our little balcony garden.

Now.

The reason I have not been able to post pictures lately - of the apartment or our fabulous mini-garden - is because along with the majority of my wardrobe, my laptop is at my soon-to-be-old place. I could easily dump my plethora of pictures onto The Captain's computer, but I really just want them on my own.

That being said.

I am bringing my laptop to my soon-to-be-new place this weekend (which incidentally is also mine and The Captain's 6-month anniversary...swoon), and will have another "PICTURES I DIDN'T WANT TO POST ON FACEBOOK" post up and ready-to-view by Sunday night.

And on another note.

I am very happy about all of the blogging going on by you all, from all corners of the earth!! SO very exciting!!! Let's keep it alive people!!

And welcome back Patricia!! You have been missed!!

xoxoxo

What is it with H8??

I'm very disturbed with the passing and upholding of Proposition 8 in California.

I know nothing about politics, especially American, but isn't there supposed to be a separation between church and State? Isn't that written in their Constitution??

It seems to me like this is still all about how God created men and women for procreation, to create and build families naturally. And that's why marriage should be between a man & a woman...?

Can't couples of the same-sex, regardless of not being able to procreate "naturally", bear or adopt, and raise a healthy, happy family too?

These fanatical, right-wing fuddy-duddies in the Government are stating that they have passed this law to keep marriage "traditional". What does that even mean??

What's so wrong with starting a new tradition? Being the World's greatest Super Power, and allowing ALL people - regardless of sexual preference - to be entitled to the exact same rights as everyone else...

...it really makes me angry, and there's just nothing I can do about it.

Which is an utterly frustrating feeling.

I need a hug.

Ten Years.

It's official. I am old.

My ten-year high school reunion has been creeping up on me for, well, ten years. Every May that's passed, I thought, "sheesh! My ten-year reunion is in (insert number) years! God, I'm getting old."

Ahem.

This weekend is sure to bring drunken debauchery at its finest: High School Styles. There are the expected culprits who I am sure will provide endless amounts of crazy antics that will turn into Trinity Reunion Weekend lore. There are those who I am looking forward to seeing...and those whom I am not (she shall remain nameless).

Now that this weekend is finally upon me, I can't help but look back on the last ten years and take stock on all that I have accomplished. In fact, I believe the whole point of celebrating any reunion is to do this, no?

I don't have a house. I'm not married, and haven't been blessed with children. I have never had a job where I made what would be considered an enviable salary. I don't have any savings, or stocks. I don't have a fancy car, nor do I even have my drivers license.

These are the things I can imagine people will be casually talking about over lunch, about what they've GAINED...besides the weight, of course ; )

I won't lie. I won't stretch the truth. I am fully prepared to breakdown the last decade of my life openly and honestly. And it will go something like this:

• I have traveled across the world and back.
• I have been brave enough to live abroad.
  
• I have made incredible art, in all forms.
  
• I have made great friends.
• I have lost great friends, both tragically and by choice.
• I have worked hard.
• I have loved hard.
• I have lost hard.
• I have laughed hard.
• I have lived hard, and have the scars to prove it. Visible and invisible.
• I have stayed true to myself, and have no regrets.

And now, I have amazing memories and stories to look back on and pass on to family and friends in the future. I also have a love in my life like no other, who I hope to have in my stories and memories ten years from now.

And last, and certainly not least, I have known Heather Anders for 10.5 years. One of the greatest friends and loves of my life, who I will cherish until the end of my days.

Yep. I'm pretty proud of my accomplishments.

And I cannot WAIT to brag.

Embarrassing?

Daniel Day-Lewis.

The Captain.

Discuss.

Pictures I didn't want to post on Facebook....

In light of my current job situation, I have become hesitant about posting (even more) personal pictures on Facebook.

You see, I am now working as a talent agent for some of the best comedic actors/stand-up comics in Canada. Facebook has now become a networking site, with local and international comics adding me as their "friend" daily.

You're right when you say, "Buff, you don't have to accept their 'friend request'". I know this.

I accept them because I can then bombard them with emails and messages about my clients, and get them to come out to the shows we produce and pretty much just sell, sell, sell anything my company has to promote.

Anyway, I have a bunch of pictures that I wanted to post, but have decided against it because I would much rather share my personal/private fun times with my REAL friends, and not the 400+ I really could care less about! Is that harsh...?

So, Friends. Please enjoy!

Kendra and Me in the nosebleed section at the Blue Jays game. BOO, YANKEES

Jacob checking out his picture on Alicia's sweet camera.

Cutie pie Jacob.

Jacob with his mummy, Nikki

Jemaine & Brett

"Too Many Dicks on the Dancefloor"

My bro Ryan and his lovely lady, Sarah.
Taken for his and mom's combined belated birthday dinner.

Birthday girl enjoying her dessert.

"Is the leaf edible?"

"Uh, uh, uh!! Don't even think about it!"

Mom & Meredith.

Gorgeous ladies.

Dad enjoying my present to Ryan...

...kitchen magnet. Awesome.

You can't really see the card, but it said "Fuckers" on it.
Hilarity ensued.

Me, looking rather unfortunate, and my gorgeous date : )

CUUUUUUUUUTE!!

Me and Shaun Majumder on the night the Raising The Roof charity fundraiser we organized.

Eagles of Death Metal.
Yes, that is their name.

Enjoying Jack Daniels. It's how you roll at an EODM concert.

Valentine's Day.

The G-Ram.
He signed one of those for me, you know!

The Captain & Ebrahim, rocking out!

"TRAMPS LIKE US, BABY WE WERE BORN TO RUUUUUUUUUN!!!!"

Me and Nug, one of my awesome clients.

Me and Sean Cullen, another client.

à la Jamie...

à la Buffy.

Waiting for a friends comedy show to start.
Reserved seats. BANG!

The hilarious Ron Sparks, happily taking your coin at the
Altdot & Sketch Comedy Lounge for the last 6 years.

The Rivoli backroom, where I spent my Monday and Tuesday nights.
This is where the magic happens.

Ian Lynch, bartender and AWESOME comic!
Love. Him.

Anneliese, Me & Candace.
London girls reunion!

Does anyone else notice...

...that the only thing strangers say to one another in the lift is, "going up/down?"

Easter in The Valley...The Ottawa Valley, that is.

Enjoying the first beer-on-the-balcony day of the season.

He knows what I just said....

Road trip.

Trekking through the gorgeous back-woods, behind the home where The Captain grew up.

Yep. Country boy.

Comfort over fashion.

Unidentifiable animal tracks

Insert "Rocky" theme here.

Breaking the rules.

The Elephant Trunk tree

Unidentifiable animal droppings.

The Captain, poking it with a stick.

Boys.

Birch.

Happy....but slightly chilly.

Probably bunny tracks.

Yep, gots me some Hunters.

They be approved by the Queen, don't you know.

Adventure.

Nature's first green is Gold.

The hardest hue to hold.

Did he make it? Did he??

Fungi.

We did not trespass here. It was a very ominous gate.

The Captain stabbed the tree....

...and out came maple syrup!

Nature is yummy.

This will be a glorious pool soon.

B-ball time!

Yep. That's how I do it.

Both above shots went in.

Swear.

I don't wear heels as often as I should.....

Eganville awesomeness.

Those be "bucks"....coutry-slang for "deer".

This store used to be: A buck or two bucks.

A couple years later, the Captain went back and noticed they had added, "or three bucks".

Now, they have added two more on the end. Making this store the:

A buck or two bucks or five bucks: The Ultimate Discount Store.

No doubt in my mind.

Especially now that I know what they sell....

....puf?????

Discuss......