With Thanks and Gratitude

I have decided this will be my very last post... and if you've followed this blog for any amount of time, I realize we've already been down this road together a time or two... but let me assure you this time it's for real!

Blogging has been a joy and an obsession for me. Unfortunately, it has also felt like a waste of time and an 'obligation' and chore for the past 6 months. The truth is that I'm much happier and more productive when I'm not blogging -- or thinking about blogging. Or visiting blogs on a daily basis - much as I enjoy them.

Blogging had infiltrated every part of my life - everything was looked at as a potential post - and I no longer seemed to simply enjoy experiences for what they were - be it a trip, a movie or a conversation with someone in line at the grocery store - without feeling like I should at least run it through my blog filter... "Hmmm... is this blog-worthy?" "Should I be taking a picture?" Lol!

So, to all of my faithful followers, I bid you a fond farewell. It has been wonderful having your support and interest these past few years, and I have in turn, truly appreciated your musings - be they amusing or thought-provoking. 

I will miss you all, but a special shout-out to a few of you who are most near and dear to my heart:

Martha: Keep Plowing. Your blog is probably the most upbeat place on the whole internet!

Debra: Keep Seeking. Hopefully we'll bump into each other again someday.

John: Keep Remembering.
As far as Punk goes, I'm a lost cause... but at least we'll always have Prog Rock :)

Dianne: Tell Duffy & little Lanny I said "Hi"

Sulky: Keep up all that Sulking and Exposéing!

Francie: Keep Speaking Out

Em: Take care xx

Dezzy: Keep Spying Mr. Hollywood

Diane: Always Crave Cute

Dorothy: Give Ms. Wilma a kiss from me :)

Kay: I hope to visit Arabia Mountain someday.

Victoria: Keep Creating. You are an inspiration.

And to anyone I may have missed, please know I have appreciated you as well.



This is an amazing video on Gratitude.
I hope that you take the time to watch it someday soon.

Love and blessings to all,

Jane

(Just an fyi that I am not going to delete this blog from the net because I plan to continue to add to my Middle Earth page for my own enjoyment - and hopefully yours as well :)

A Night On The Town

We went to a concert over the weekend with friends and at one point in the evening, this was the view from the row directly in front of us, lol!!! Have you ever been in a situation where you feel like you should tell someone something, but you hesitate to do so? You just never know what kind of reaction you might get nowadays... it could be a grateful "Thank you" or more than likely a "Why don't you mind your own f%#'n business!" Seeing as the lady plumber was in her twenties and probably drinking, we all opted to (try to) ignore the obvious and a little while later the problem thankfully rectified (:p) itself. 

Don't leave home without it!

Then just when we thought we were safe, the sex kitten to our right was 'feeling the music' so much, she could scarcely contain her enthusiasm. It was of no consequence that she didn't have her pole with her - she managed to improvise quite nicely, nonetheless! Pathetically amusing - till she spilled her drink on JJ Hubby. Mercifully, she and her 'old man' eventually wandered off, more than likely in search of refreshments... probably worried she might begin to sober up!

The rest of the night also proved very entertaining. The band was great, but they certainly had some stiff competition for our attention from the audience itself! I don't think I'd ever seen any of these creatures outside their natural habitat: Walmart!

Being the good introvert that I am, all this excitement leads me to ask the obvious:

* All butt-cracks have been changed to protect the clueless.

Rooting For the Bad Guy

If you read enough books or watch enough movies, you'll soon recognize that you often end up rooting for the bad guy - at least I know I do. A few weeks ago, I finished the last (of 5) Thomas Ripley books by Patricia Highsmith. When necessary, the protagonist Tom quietly and efficiently murders anyone who threatens his (illegal) business interests and the very comfortable lifestyle he now enjoys in the countryside of northern France. He much prefers gardening, classical music, antiquing and learning to master the harpsichord - but knocking off nosy meddlers is sometimes simply in his best interests. And even though he's obviously a sociopath, he's actually quite charming and likeable - his neighbours all love him!

Written in the first person, Highsmith very masterfully draws the reader into the mind of Tom Ripley and before long I found myself almost willing Tom to eliminate certain characters and thoroughly enjoying it when he inevitably did. Hey, they were getting in the way! I began rationalizing and justifying his behaviour - and if I'm honest, it was a little unsettling. 

Who's your favourite villain of all time & why? (Not counting Grumpy Cat!)

Do you feel even slightly conflicted when you cheer them on?

Space Babies!

Lord of the Rugrats?

Did you watch the Superbowl? I missed it (darn, lol!) Actually, I wouldn't know a chip-shot from a false-start if it bootlegged me... I do however, appreciate a good tight-end when I see one ;p

This didn't stop me from watching all the incredible ads created for it, though. Here's my favourite by a long yard. Which one was yours?

A Thank You

I recently won the Poe 'n Raven giveaway hosted by Debra from She Who Seeks :)

Here is The Raven, my new foul-feathered friend keeping a keen eye on me from his appointed perch, high upon my bookshelf. With all his croaking, Nevermore shall I have a moments peace it would seem!

As well, my gift included this attractive theme box & little book 

containing Edgar Allen Poe's celebrated poem The Raven.

For me, the best part of winning this giveaway was the added opportunity to meet Debra for coffee (& a muffin ;) at the Wild Earth Bakery & Cafe here in Edmonton. 

Many of you may be wondering what Debra is like. Down to earth and soft-spoken are the first words which spring to mind. I even managed to sneak a photo of her for you when she wasn't looking :DDD

It's amazing -- she looks exactly like she does in her profile pic!

Thanks again for everything Debra, I had a great time meeting you and Love my prize :)

3,200 Hairballs and Counting

I waited all week to see if any of you Crazy Cat Ladies out there (you know who you are :) 

were going to profile this story... 

'My Strange Addiction'

15 years ago Lisa began eating her cat's hair as a way to feel closer to her pets. 

Every day she consumes the equivalent of 3 quarter-sized hairballs, which she gathers from around her apartment, including off the floor and the back of her sofa, but says "the best ones are right off the cat."

"Sometimes they do get stuck in your teeth..."

"Needless to say, I am not amewsed."

Looking For Friends In All The Wrong Places

I noticed I had a new follower when I logged on this morning. Like everyone, I'm always excited to meet new people in the blogosphere and will almost always follow back. I'm not sure what criteria you use when deciding to join another blog. If it's about sheer numbers, then I guess any ol' blog will do.

Some people have very specific interests (like mountain-climbing or stock-car racing) that aren't of interest to me. Can't see myself randomly joining a bowling enthusiast's blog just for the sake of picking up a new Jewel either. Often though, it's more about the feeling or impression I immediately get when I first open their page, than the content. Humour is an important quality that jumps out at me right away. So is love of family, friendship, furry animals ---- and fully-clothed individuals...!! 

Imagine my surprise when I tracked back to my new follower's blog. I suppose my first indication should have been the content warning, but I plunged in anyways, silly me. My bad - and oh my eyes!!! Wasn't ready for that. X-rated for sure. And disgusting to boot.

While I don't consider myself a prude, I would like to think a quick glance at my content would be all the information someone with an x-rated blog trolling for new followers would need to determine we're not 'into' the same things. 

I'm not sure if it was the kid's books, those ridiculous knitted mitts from a few days ago or perhaps this pic of my first poppy of the season I posted way back in July, but something must have indicated we shared some common interests. Or maybe it's simply that this guy has a complete lack of common sense. Either way, I feel quite insulted. So thanks but no thanks, buddy. 

The (Big) Kid in Me

 

A teeny-tiny vignette from one of two terrariums I will eventually get around to showing you.

You may recall I made a total of four last summer and had profiled two at the time. Here & here.

I was recently given the Leibster award by Rachael over at Letters from a Mermaid. Although I do appreciate it, I'm not going to follow through on all the requirements of the award - instead I thought I'd just share one random secret about myself with you:

I'm still a big kid!

(and suspect many of you are as well :)

To get myself through the winter, I tend to read and watch a lot of movies. After sci-fi and fantasy, my favourite genre is the Children/Young Adults section. Whenever I find myself at Goodwill (which is quite often) a certain portion of my time there is spent perusing the kid's books.

         

I've either recently read, am reading or plan to read the above.

I've watched these movies in the past few weeks and each was a visual delight. 

I think it's important remain childlike (though not childish ;) throughout our lives. Children's literature and movies help me to stay in touch with the magical, whimsical and fantastical possibilities in life as seen through more innocent, wondering eyes. 

Ways To Enjoy Winter More, #3

I grew up in northern Ontario :)
This is what happens when cabin fever kicks in around mid-January!

Pet Peeves

If you're in North America, you've (likely) very easily deciphered what's on my 'To Do' list! The modern trend of shortening company titles is one of my favourite pet peeves. For some unknown reason, I find businesses getting all trendy with their names extremely lame and annoying - even though I am obviously lazy enough to fall in line myself!

I distinctly remember snorting in derision when The Royal Bank and Boston Pizza started referring to themselves as RBC and BP's in commercials. For a while there (a few years ago now) it seemed like there was a new name being rolled out every couple of weeks. I used to feel the same way about Kentucky Fried Chicken's change to KFC, but interestingly enough, it turns out they actually had a very 'good reason' for their abbreviation - and it wasn't to hide the fact that their food was fried - or to be more hip (as I'd always suspected :p) So they now get a pass!

The other day, I drove past one of my favourite Edmonton restaurants, the Sicilian Pasta Kitchen, and imagine my surprise disgust when I realized they'd rebranded to Sicilian PK or S.P.K. for short. WHAT!!! I'm certain they must have heard me howl as I went past. "I am so blogging this," I promised them, ha!

They went from this...

To this :( 

S.P.K. sounds like something I hope I don't find in my food...

Pet peeves are purely subjective and don't always make a lot of sense to other people. For example (and I apologize in advance if you have one) but don't get me started on vanity plates for vehicles!

What are your favourite pet peeves?

Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These

"Strange days indeed -- most peculiar, mama"
~John Lennon

Seeing as today is 'Peculiar People Day,' I though I'd share a few pics from

Men's Fashion Week, which kicked off this past Monday in London!

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word peculiar as: 

Different from the usual or normal

Curious

Odd

Special

Eccentric

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Women's runway fashions have always been a bit peculiar and quite often unwearable ---

I think it's high time the designers started picking on the guys!

Ways to Enjoy Winter More, # 2

Debra's most amusing 'Crop Circle Fun!' on Thursday, reminded me that I've had this post in draft for a couple of weeks now. 

Complain if we must - but there's nothing quite like the sparkling beauty of a fresh snow. The above and following geometric marvels were created by artist Simon Beck, using of all things, a simple pair of snowshoes!

A friend emailed me these pics a few weeks ago and I was astounded by their intricacy.

Working up to 10 hours per day, each "Snow Quilt" is typically the size of three football fields;

and like their close cousin, the Crop Circle - they are best viewed from on high.

So fragile and fleeting... 

Simon first began crafting these wonders solely for the purpose of getting some exercise! His foot problems no longer allow him to run and he finds plodding about on level snow least painful.

Photographing them came next -- now he's considering buying a better camera. What an inspiration!

  

Happy New Year Everyone!

Many people look forward to the New Year for a new start on old habits. 

~Author Unknown

I have a confession to make: I'm a secret slob. If you saw me on the street, you'd likely think me well put together. My clothes would be clean and stylish, with no buttons missing or threads hanging. If you came over to my home and looked around, you'd find it very neat and well-ordered; a place for everything and everything in it's place. Same with my car. 

My purse however, is a completely different story... This is what my wallet looks like all year - and not because we just had Christmas. The only time I ever seem to empty it out is right before a trip.

Yesterday, while I was ruminating out loud about what my New Year's resolution should be (I also happened to be rummaging through my purse at the time), a voice from the peanut gallery (JJ Hubby) piped in with, "Why don't you start by cleaning your wallet..?" 

Truthfully, I'm not sure I would even want to resolve to keep my wallet clean - I kind of like it the way it is. If I need a coupon, an old receipt or list - I always know where to look. And granted, sometimes I have to search a little, but often I'm also rewarded by coming across something, maybe a stub from somewhere I've been and had forgotten all about. It's like an archeological dig!

I think instead of a resolution, I'm going to go with the 'Word of the Year' theme I've been seeing on so many blogs lately. A beacon of inspiration for 2013, so to speak. The word I've decided on is:

ACCEPTANCE

This year, I will try to be more accepting of myself: foibles, vices, weaknesses and all. Actually, so far, I'm finding this SO easy, I'm now wondering if maybe I should also work on accepting the weaknesses of those around me... No, on second thought, I think I'll save that one for 2014, lol!

Do you have a WOTY or Resolution made for 2013?