Seismic Twitch

Dutchess’s Tailings from dykewife dykewife on Vimeo.

I swiped this from Sorted Lives who had posted it on December 9. I’ve made a few changes (like removing all the Thanksgiving questions in November since we don’t do Thanksgiving, let alone in November) to make it less American-centric.

JANUARY

1 Who kissed you on new years?
Probably Bran, I don’t generally go around kissing people.

2 Did you have a New Year’s Resolution this year?
No, I don’t like to set myself up for self-flagellation.

3 Does it snow where you live?
Yes, yes it does.

4 Do you like hot chocolate?
Yes, yes I do.

5 Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop?
No, the thought of the crowds don’t do a whole lot for my peace of mind.

FEBRUARY

1 Who was your Valentine?
If I were to celebrate the heterosexist, monogamy biased, binary insistent holiday, it would be with Bran.

2 When you were little did you buy Valentine’s for the whole class?
Yes, that old double edged sword of getting valentines from people I knew hated me and being forced to give them to people I disliked…though I know that it would have hurt a lot to get none, as an adult I’d rather get none than be forced into the hypocrisy of the “holiday”. I think that valentines should be banned from schools totally.

3 Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not?
No, I think that people should leave the poor rodent alone.

4 What did you receive for Valentine’s Day?
Nothing.

MARCH

1 Are you Irish?
No, nor is my heritage Irish.

2 Do you like corned beef and cabbage?
I like cabbage, I don’t like corned beef.

3 What did you do for St Patrick’s Day?
I have no idea.

4 Are you happy when winter is pretty much over?
Those aren’t words said here…that doesn’t come until nearer the end of April.

APRIL

1 Do you like the rain?
Not in April, generally that means an ice storm. I don’t like ice storms.

2 Did you play an April Fool’s joke on anyone this year?
No.

3 Do you get tons of candy for Easter?
We don’t do Easter, we do the spring solstice, and I didn’t get candy for that either.

4 Do you celebrate 4/20?
What’s 4/20? I did a Google search and came up with the Highway 420 Anti-prohibition rally held in Niagara Falls for the legalization of marijuana. Is that it?

5 Do you love the month of April?
I actually like April because this is when spring actually starts to evince itself here. I don’t much like the mould and dust of the month before the city gets the leaves and gravel/salt swept up, but otherwise it’s a fine month of trees sprouting leaves and the earth coming to the promise of growth and green.

MAY

1 What is your favourite flower?
Nasturtiums…pretty and edible.

2 Finish the phrase “April showers…”
…makes driving slippery because it nearly always freezes after falling.

3 Do you celebrate May 16th: National Piercing Day?
I didn’t know it exists, but next year I think I’ll get something pierced.

4 Is May anything special to you?
That’s the month that Boy was born. From 1992 onwards, May was a very special month.

JUNE

1 What year did/will you graduate from high school?
Long time ago…1978

2 Did you do anything fun during this Month?
Learned more and more about work. I also let my school brain atrophy.

3 Have a favourite baseball team?
Just…ewww.

JULY

1 What did you do on the 1st of July?
Bran and Boy went to watch the fireworks…I was either at home or else at work.

2 Did you go to the fireworks?
No.

3 Did you blast the A/C all day?
Possibly.

4 Did you go on vacation?
No, but I wish we could’ve.

AUGUST

1 What was your favourite summer memory of ‘08?
I don’t have one.

2 Did you have a sunburn?
No, that would assume I spent time in the sun. I avoid that.

3 Did you go to the pool a lot?
No.

4 Were you ready for school at all?
No.

SEPTEMBER

1 Are you attending school?
yes.

2 Do you like fall better than summer?
Yes, and no. I like the cooler temperatures, but dressing for days that start really chilly and then get really warm is a challenge.

3 What happened this month?
I had an enormously difficult time getting back into the swing of actually reading for classes.

OCTOBER

1 What was your last Halloween costume?
A hat.

2 What is your favourite candy?
Oh! Henry! bars.

3 What was your favourite thing(s) about this month?
The temperatures were balmy and the month was generally nice.

NOVEMBER

1 Anything special in this month?
No.

DECEMBER

1 Do you celebrate Christmas?
No, I celebrate Yule.

2 Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe?
Yes, but only when I didn’t realize I was standing under it and had a kiss forced on me….ick!

3 Get anything special last year?
Everything I needed and pretty much wanted, but not at Christmas or Yule, instead throughout the year.

4 What do you want next year?
The winning lottery numbers before the draw.

5 What do you love most about December?
The promise of a new growing season to come.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
~ Worked in a half-way house for federal offenders on day parole;
~ Finished post-secondary school (as opposed to flunking out) and getting my Baccalaureate;
~ Began Grad school;
~ Studied before I absolutely had to.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t make any to break, and I’m going to continue with that fine tradition.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, no one close to me died.

5. What countries did you visit?
I didn’t leave Canada…again.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Well, a lottery win comes to mind first. Other than that, time to actually get some reading done for my thesis would be really nice.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory,and why?
I don’t have dates, per se, just memorable events…
~ Obama’s election – self-explanatory
~ The coalition attempt by the NDP, Liberals and BQ

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
That’s definitely graduating university. I never thought, in my wildest dreams, that I would actually succeed in getting that diploma, let alone one with honours that would allow me to continue on into graduate school.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Hmm…I’m not sure. Not that I haven’t failed at something this year, it’s just that the successes have finally managed to overshadow the failures and made them hard to think of.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No real injuries and no illnesses as such. I think my knees are getting arthritic but it could just be that I’m too fat and losing weight would help that out.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I didn’t buy it, Bran did for the family, but the Jeep. Of course I wrecked it…I guess that would be my failure of the year…totalling the Jeep.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Lots of people. This is a silly question.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
All the states and countries that insist that other people are less human, less worthy, of having the same civil rights as others…or in some cases such as Iran and Pakistan, who have mob rule killing gays and lesbians, the very right to life.

It saddens me greatly that hatred runs so deeply that killing other people because of who they love is considered noble and desirable.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Food and school.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I made that “squee” noise when Bran showed me he bought some of those glowy bracelets.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
None that I want to mention here lest I get their tunes caught in my head because the most memorable songs are generally ones I dislike intensely.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier, I think.
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter, but I’ve not gained any more fat since getting off meds.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer, more in debt to the government than is desirable or wise.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Studying.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I don’t know about this one. Anything I occupied my time with I generally liked.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Sleeping during the day, working at night.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
I love Bran deeply and I’ve been in that mother-love thrall with Boy for many years…does that count?

22. How many one-night stands?
I read this and laughed out loud.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Only one? I guess that would be The First 48 with Midsomer Murders following closely behind.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No…well, there are a few politicians that I think would be better off unemployed.

25. What was the best book you read?
I only read text books this year. However, Gender Trouble is proving to be an interesting read.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Bran made the discoveries. I followed along because they were good. Top of the list right now is Lily Frost, a Canadian singer. One of her albums is Billy Holliday songs…very smooth.

27. What did you want and get?
Into grad school.

28. What did you want and not get?
The winning numbers on the lottery.

29. What was your favourite film of this year?
I didn’t see any current films this year.

30. What did you do on your birthday?
Studied…I think. I know I didn’t work because I avoided the birthday fuss there.

31.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I still haven’t gotten the final marks for my single term class so I don’t know if I passed it yet, but passing it would be immensely satisfying (not to mention relieving).

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
“Early Frump” with an edge of not quite fashionable.

33. What kept you sane?
Not what, who, and that would be Boy and Bran.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Same-sex marriage

36. Who did you miss?
A couple of distant friends.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Hmm….I guess that would be two people, and one was a re-meet since I’d taken a class with her…the two other grad students I spend my day time with at school.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
We’re all just one or two poor decisions away from being a person residing at a half-way house or in prison. The playing field is not equal and many people don’t have the same skills and opportunities that I have had. It’s up to me to walk with them and point out areas they can change if they want to and support them in making changes by being a good example of how to live life without preying upon others. Not just doing that, but doing that with respect for who they are as people and honouring their experiences and knowing how privileged I truly am that they might allow me into their lives and help, even if it’s just a little bit.

Bran found an integral side-bar option in “view” that gave me back my sidebar in Firefox. I had been using the “All-in-One” sidebar that is an add-on to Firefox but it was screwed up the last time an update happened. It took up a full 1/3 of my viewable space. The integral side-bar can be shrunk way down to take up very little space allowing me to have lots of page viewing space.

I shall be going in to work tomorrow to do up my month end reports for Friday. I’m sure my bosses will find that handy as they have to have them for Friday. I hate it when I’m told one thing one day and then another another day. Nertz

Bran referred me to a new person to read. She’s seriously awesome, but don’t expect an easy light read. She requires readers to open their minds and actually think about, not just what she’s saying, but about what you think, perceive, and assume. It’s an awesome challenge to read her blog. If, however, you find that having your assumptions about gender, ethnicity, race (which I think is a colonialist construct meant to oppress anyone who isn’t a white European [preferably English] male), heterosexism and more, to be too much work in your life, then you might not want to read Dark Daughta’s blog. I think, however, that anyone who reads my blog, knows my politics and some of my attitudes, would enjoy being challenged.

It’s not just said with testicles…

Not a single comment about my “say it with testicles entry”! Geesh!

I’ve done work for the week. At 8 am this morning I was cut loose and now I don’t work again until the 3rd of January. Right now I feel like I deserve my time off.

Last night a pipe burst in the north wall of the building. It was a big pipe that burst judging from the spewing of water from the wall. Luckily for me I’ve got at least one person who has their spit together when it comes to dealing with stuff like this. One of the residents turned the water off at the main while many others shooed the water to the women’s washroom where the pipe burst, but also where the drain was.

It was finally cleaned up, the high and mighty mucky-mucks left. The main floor was without cold water. That’s ok. The important part is that the residence area has both hot and cold. We didn’t have to close the facility which could have left some people without any place to go other than the Salvation Army shelter. That’s not good.

Otherwise the Christmas shifts were quiet. I like quiet. I got some school reading done for the new year. I also watched some lovely murder and mayhem while doing my reading and note taking.

Bran left me to sleep until about 5. Since that time I’ve gotten the vegetables prepped for tomorrow’s curry squash and cauliflower soup. It’s going to taste good…at least that’s the plan.

That’s about it from here. Remember…say it with testicles (I think that’s going to become my new tagline).

Ta-Ra

First, let it be known, I dislike the sound of my voice. Really, I do. The comment about making thongs, that comes from the Midsomer Murders episode “Death of a Hollow Man”.

Anyway, here’s Dutchess De Claw’dia having a bit of a play time.

…should be a weekend off. However, I was stupid enough to agree to be on-call. I got a call on Friday night because one of the men wasn’t in at curfew. The weekend news had him out on pass but the board didn’t. I told her to call the counsellor since he was the one the particular gent had spoken to about it. Then tonight, I got a call just as we pulled up to Future Shop to see about a rice cooker/vegetable steamer and a game for Boy. There was no one to work the graveyard shift because the regular staff was ill and couldn’t come in at midnight. I was lucky. The woman who worked graveyards this weekend agreed to work the shift, but she needed to get some sleep. I filled in the 4 hour shift and she came on at midnight.

This is what happens when there are no casual staff AT ALL!. I am so unimpressed. I shall be talking to the boss on Tuesday about this.

I very much need Bran to get a job. I’ll be in a much better bargaining position when that happens.

Anyway, after I got off work Bran told me that he and Boy had gone to SuperStore after they dropped me off. Apparently that store is open 24 hrs during the holiday time. So we went there and got a vegetable steamer and a rice cooker (separate beasts) and a bunch of LED indoor/outdoor lights. I’m going to have my cheer lights (red and white in the livingroom)! One set, the one going up in the bedroom, change colour from white to blue. All we need now are those 3M hang up things that can be removed easily. I’m so looking forward to having my cheer lights up and running.

I made a wonderful supper. For several years we’d done a vegetarian feast to welcome back the sun on the beginning of its journey to summer. However, since being diagnosed with diabetes, many of the dishes simply can’t be done. So, out went the couscous salad and roasted vegetable pie and in came Bran’s choice. I told him to buy something he wanted to have as an entree centre. It was his choice since he was the one going out and getting it.

He brought home a 17 pound turkey. So that’s what I cooked today, along with butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes (for Boy and I). Bran made the gravy (it rocked!). I didn’t do a fancy-schmancy rub like I’ve done in the past, just salt and pepper. I also didn’t stuff the bird. It still took nearly 5 hours to roast. It was a spectacular meal. While I was out reluctantly working, Bran put the bones and stuff into a pot and is now making stock. Some of it is going to be made into a nice curry squash and cauliflower soup.

So now I’m home. I’m somewhat less grumpy than I was a little while ago (while I was pouting at work). Boy is having a large mug of tea (extra-large A&W root beer mug), Bran just turned out the overhead living room lights (I really don’t like them at all, but he has this weird attachment to them which I’m hoping will be broken with the advent of the cheer lights) and I’m contemplating a turkey sandwich.

Joyous Yule to all my friends who celebrate it. Happy really early Monday morning to those who don’t. I truly am a lucky woman.

Ta-Ra

It’s -31C. That means -23.8 F to my ‘merican friends. The windchill is -43 (about the same in Fahrenheit). Oh the joys of winter on the prairies.