It is snowing like crazy out there. Luckily I can handle it because I'm a tough Northwestern Ontario girl, used to getting frostbite in under ten milliseconds (Although this still doesn't inspire me to invest in a winter coat. Mainly because what is the point? There is no way in hell that I will go for a leisurely stroll in below anything weather, so I will mostly be going from a heated house to a heated car, and everything in between can be handled by a full on sprint while screaming "OH MY GOD IT'S COLD." Because stating the obvious in all caps tends to help when encountering brutal winter weather.)

Tonight was neat. I am still mastering coffeemaking, and in my excitement, I kind of forgot that you shouldn't drink an entire pot of coffee at 11 p.m. I am now jittery and paranoid and seriously considering mopping the downstairs tile followed by alphabetizing my bookshelf while finally pulling out my Taebo DVDs. Like, all at the same time. I am pretty sure I have a third arm lying around here somewhere.

Also, I was tagged by Amy, and if I don't obey her I am fairly certain she will set me on fire. With rhythm, so here are Eight Random Facts About Me:

01) I don't have much of a temper. I get mad about things, because I am not a robot (although that would be so awesome! I would like to have giant lasers in my eyes.) but I try not to snap or freak out or over-react. I hate the idea of losing control like some screeching crazy woman because, say, I accidentally bought the writer I keep imprisoned in my farm house typewriter paper that smudges. Because I haven't yet turned into She-Hulk, Jamie is on a mission to totally piss me off, just to see what happens -- but he hasn't tried the methods that usually work best: Pull my hair. Wake me up in the morning by yelling at me or using loud, obnoxious alarm clock beeping. Insult Bruce Willis.

02) I hate things that come canned or frozen. I am just not going to do well when the Zombie Apocalypse comes, and I am forced to live off the dangerous bounty of John Leguizamo. On the other hand, I love using fresh ingredients and new and interesting herbs and spices. I would really like to start planting my own food, probably because I have these vivid, comforting memories of picking vegetables with my grandparents in their gardens, and watching my Grandma pull carrots straight from the ground, brush them off, and eat them. Seriously, the dirt makes them taste better.

03) My absolute dream job of all time is being a Ghost Hunter. Seriously, I would be so good at this. I would even invest in a uniform. And fun, descriptive hats.

04) My favourite part of going to see a movie is when the lights go out.

05) Someday I hope to become a crazy old woman, who still has all her major marbles, but gets away with doing completely unbalanced things because she's old and deserves respect. Even though she's traipsing around town wearing layers of old pearls, and bright red feather hats and randomly bursting out into Billie Holliday songs, while handing out sage and colourful advice about men and attacking would-be muggers with an oversized handbag full of pills.

06) I hate Entertainment Tonight, game shows and most cable television. The more I'm around them, however, the more I find myself paying attention to them. This is frightening.

07) I sometimes get little attacks of wanderlust. I love exploring new places, especially if they are strange and vaguely creepy - like isolated graveyards and abandoned houses.

08) I make awesome sandwiches. Sandwiches are probably my favourite food ever, and I love doing weird things with them .... like adding in sprouts and red peppers, different sauces and spices and meats. I'm pretty sure anything can be made especially delicious when brought all together and surrounded by carbs.

Labels: Surveys

This is an incredibly late survey I started in the beginning of January, after lifting it off the beautiful and awesome Amy Nieto. Like, I am on Island Time these days.

1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
I successfully parted my hair into half decent pigtails, only to pull them out ten minutes later when I realized what pigtails look like on me. Oh, and then I like, moved across country and whatever. Yawn.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I have no idea what my 2006 New Year's Resolutions were but I'm going to say "Quit smoking". Quitting smoking was like, so easy. I have no idea why so many people have such trouble with it. Like, 1 second after midnight and I was DONE. FOR LIFE. SUCCESS.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yep! Jamie and Becky had this adorable reddishly-haired baby named Connor. He has all his appropriate fingers and toes. I checked.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
You're morbid, 2006 Meme.

5. What countries did you visit?
Canada. Lots of snow, some rabid wolves, small towns featuring Windmill Museums whose entire population consists of a rusted out truck and a handful of doublewides. I also journeyed a few times to this other country... what was it's name again... oh right. AMERICA.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
I'd like to meet a nice boy who can form complete sentences and appreciate my sense of humour, which borders on ... mentally unbalanced. I'd also like to learn to drive standard, so I can feel ten times more manly. Boys like that.

7. What day from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 18! The day I left Thunder Bay in a super packed 2003 Nissan Sentra!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Beyond successfully wrapping on entire leg around the Pantsless Voyageur and then licking his pasty, potentially Hep C laden plaster thigh for picture taking awesomeness, I also left Thunder Bay! This was hard due to the people I was leaving behind, but also because my apartment had about a million years worth of stuff inside it. Which is kind of surprising because I'm fairly certain no one in my family has lived for a million years.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Oh, I don't even want to talk about it.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Only to my heart.
I'm sorry. That was emo.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Oh, where to begin. I got this handmade photo album from Queen Charlotte City, covered in firefly embroidered red silk and made from natural paper. I also bought a green and gold fine china teacup from Tlell and also, that life affirming caramel latte I purchased earlier this afternoon.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My best friend Melissa Scaffeo. She is so strong, and awesome and wonderful, and I am totally thankful to have that sort of person in my life. Also, she sings a mean Africa. Like, you should hear that girl belt out some of those lyrics like she wrote them from the womb YEARS before Toto even thought of them. In fact, she owns those lyrics so hotawesomely I'm kind of positive she telepathically like, SENT them to Toto and the Toto lead singer, who I can't look up now because I'm on DIAL UP was like, "Those lyrics are amazing. Oh my God. Maybe years from now two hot blonde chicks in an Acura will ride down the highway singing them with their eyes closed."

Singing with your eyes closed while driving, incidentally, is the epitome of safe driving practice.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Tim Horton. He knows why.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Getting down to the Queen Charlotte's. Diner food gets expensive, especially health-wise considering any minute you could eat like, herpes. Possibly from the waitress who almost dropped your straw, caught it in her hands, pawed it a few times with her finger grease, and then dropped it back in your drink. By your, I mean me. Contaminated coke is delicious.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Visiting the Gleensheen Mansion, uploading Muninn to the Internet, Melissa coming down in March for my birthday to help me and the Etts devour CAK and then... Sarah E and Melissa getting engaged!! , Sarah Harmer in concert!

... not to each other, of course, but to uhm, Kevin and Duncan. Not at the same time either. Anyways. More on this later.

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
There are a few ... from "I Touch Myself", to "Mad Tom Of Bedlam" to "Little Bird" and the entire CCR catalogue.. there are just way too many.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. Happier or sadder?
Much, much happier. Or ... I don't know. Much more ... satisfied and positive about my place in life at least.

ii. Thinner or fatter?
Thinner. Observe the no pants!

iii. richer or poorer?
I'm pretty much the same. But I'm doing better at the saving part. Which is great considering I have to buy that plane ticket TWICE THIS YEAR FOR TWO MARRIAGES!!!!!

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Rocking out. Painting. Studying. Reading. Blogging. Writing.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Less avoidance. I wish I'd said a proper goodbye to some of the people I left behind. I wish I'd done less hair cutting. Those bangs... ouch. I am no Rory Gilmore.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent Christmas in the 'wack in a house that was covered in every single Christmas decoration we have ever owned since 1975, and in some cases, even earlier.

21. Did you fall in love in 2006?
I rekindled my love affair with the ocean. Also fell in love with Stephen Colbert (just like Amy! No way! This sooo goes back to our Gil Grissom fascination.) and Nathan Fillion and Latte's with an English Toffee swirl.

22. How many one-night stands?
Oh, I don't do one night stands, and there was never enough alcohol consumed in 2006 for me to even mildly reconsider that stance.

23. What was your favourite TV program?
Gilmore Girls! Stephen Colbert! Almost anything that wasn't homemade by distressed emo kids on YouTube.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
"I let hatred cloud my heart for too long, ended up hating myself for who I was becoming. " -- that is DEEP Amy Nieto. You are DEEP.

25. What was the best book you read?
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, read in a mall food court in Chilliwack. Lord only knows what took me so long.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Jolie Holland, Leadbelly, Joanna Newsome's "The Book of Right On", The Be Good Tanyas, Ani DiFranco's "School Night".

27. What did you want and get?
FREEDOM. the OCEAN. Road trips across Canada. The realization that my world is comprised of some of the most remarkable people... ever.

28. What did you want and not get?
Nothing.

29. What was your favourite film of this year?
Slither. I want to marry you, Nathan Fillion! And Little Miss Sunshine. I'm not going to say City of the Living Dead... but good try, Fulci. A for effort.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
We were forced into having microwaved asparagus for my birthday dinner. Seriously, forced. I thought they were going to bring out meat cleavers and demand we give our thanks in body parts. When they slapped that reheated roast and peeled those mysteriously wet asparagi off of their microwave safe plates I thought I was going to vomit. If they'd caught me a few years younger I might have flung the food straight at them and yelled for my parents to run while I held them off with the fighting skills I've gleened from continuous viewings of Annie. Also, I was 23. My plan to remain 21 forever is just not working out as well as hoped.

31. What is one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A nice boy with a score of interesting thoughts in his head, who understands my bizarre brand of sarcasm and realizes that a girl is made up of more than just a hot pair of glasses.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Old Navy! Mostly black accessorized with one of my million purses. There were some really bad jacket choices, but ... I'm trying to move on.

33. What kept you sane?
Fresh, fresh air, the ocean, and rainforesty awesomeness.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Nathan Fillion!

36. Who did you miss?
Everybody.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Amy Nieto! And not just because she went on and on about my hotawesomeness in her post. That girl is one talented, hilarious, hotly awesome -- as Mellers and Sarah E and I would put it -- beesh. Of course, there is also Jules!, who was kidnapped by Laura, Patrick and I one cold winter's night and forced to watch me order an entire plate of mashed potatoes at the Husky Diner. I also met Sandwiches. We made a Snowman! His name was Senor Pedro Espalande, and he was incredibly, ridiculously good looking. (Sandwiches gets a hearty slow clap for remembering his name.) And lest I forget, the talented and zombie apocalypse ready Josh!

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006:
I need to stop planning and start doing, or something that would look more attractive on a mug.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Keep it light enough to travel,
Don't let it all unravel,
Keep it light enough to travel
... I love the Be Good Tanyas.

Labels: Surveys