goodbye, sweet girl.

we lost our beloved phoebe last night.

i hope there's lots of treats in heaven, sweet girl.

a hermit's tale.

i'm in one of those weird time warps where the days are long, but the weeks seem to fly by ... but at the same time, last week feels like it was 7 years ago. forget about the crazy time travel on lost ... give unemployment a try for a couple of months.

and my greatest recent accomplishment ... i didn't leave my apartment for 5 full days. yes, seriously. in my defense, i wasn't feeling well for a few days ... and it's frigging cold here (-12c at the moment ... winter sucks.) ... and going out in public requires me to wear a bra and clothes that aren't pajamas (and if any possible future employers are reading this ... i'd be happy to strap the girls in place and leave my pajamas behind for an interview, let alone a job).

i mark the hours with my daytime television friends. meredith and matt on the today show ... regis and kelly ... bonnie hunt ... the (really annoying) ladies on the view ... dr. oz ... steven and chris ... oprah ... and (sweet baby jesus, help me) dr. phil.

keep in mind, i am usually doing other things while the television drones on ... i'm almost finished a (really time consuming) project i've been working on for a friend ... my marketing course keeps me busy (i'm doing really well so far, btw ... but i have a test next week and i'm freaked at the idea of studying) ... and i started designing the layout for the kidney foundation's newsletter this afternoon.

one thing i haven't been doing ... going to the gym. i promised myself i would, but the cold and the lazy and the general sense of "what's the point" were my excuses for the past few weeks ... i really need to just start moving, even if it's just a walk down the street ... i fear i'm starting to sprout mushrooms and moss in odd places.

i have to admit, my hermit tendencies are getting the best of me ... and my ennui-laced personality is running amok. i think people who refer to it as "funemployment" are either crazy or eating rainbows for breakfast ... and by rainbows, i mean bullshit.

blick.

i've spent the better part of the past 2 days hiding from the light with an awful headache ... yet, the self portraits must go on!

into the darkness.

last week was an exciting one ... i ventured across the harbour to dartmouth (aka "the darkness"), not once but twice. given my intense panic at the mere thought of driving over the bridges, this is actually a really big deal in my world ... which, after reading that statement, i realize is really kind of sad.

anyway, thursday was #halifaxchicks at nectar social house ... a dozen fabulous twitter-loving girls and some tasty food ... you really can't go wrong! fellow chick, michelle, was kind enough to pick me up and transport me over the evil bridge ... and we were early enough that we had the time to pop into two if by sea, a much buzzed about new café (i only had hot chocolate ... but i've heard that their croissants are to die for), to chat.

friday and saturday i retreated to my hermit-esque pajama-clad existence ... but sunday was podcamp halifax (which was actually in dartmouth ... thanks again to michelle for the ride!) ... basically, a big social media love-in.

it was such a great day ... sharing of information and ideas ... chatting and meeting people in real life i'd previously only known as user names ... lots of laughs and happy happy geekery.

i have to admit i really miss the social aspect of working ... you know, having actual conversations with people ... as in actual people in the same actual room. it was so nice to just talk to people ... i need to make the effort to do that more often, or seriously, by the time i finally get around to having a job interview, i fear i may be reduced to grunts and snorts.

brrr.

it's january. still.

cinéma vérité.

in addition to my self portrait project, this year i would like to grow as a person through cinema ... as in, watch more movies. there was a time when, come awards season, i had seen most of the movies nominated ... now, there are films from 2007 i haven't gotten around to seeing yet (mainly because they haven't been on tv on a sunday afternoon).

so, on this post i will keep a running list of the commercial-free movies i watch in the next 12 months ... my goal is to hit 100, but we'll see. to help the cause, i've joined zip.ca (the canadian version of netflix), and, once i have more disposable income, i'd like to go to the theatre at least 3 times a month.

and here we go ...

1. sunshine cleaning (dvd)
2. up in the air (theatre)
3. capote (dvd)
4. revolutionary road (dvd)

cuppa.

i start my day with a cuppa peppermint tea.