Spring Fairy, She's done! okay,

okay, I hunkered done tonight and got her finished. I like how she turned out, very young and fresh looking just like spring. If you want to see her closer, please just click on the image above.

I have already uploaded her to my etsy shop, if you are interested in purchasing her.

My etsy shop

More more done, finally

Please click on the fairy to see her actual size I uploaded and probably clearer. :-P


well, I've been a bit lazy, but finally last night I did get to work on my fairy a bit more and then chatted with Judy. Judy is a friend of mine and she lives in Hawaii. She's in the process of knitting all these woolen caps and scarves. Apparently it is very "in" right now to wear them, even though they live in a tropical paradise. In my mind, the heat and the wool should make their heads explode but Judy says it's not so bad. She's using a kind of a loom to knit and it is going very fast. Way faster than when I made a scarf last fall that took me a while week! and that is several hours a day. Anyways, she is going to try to see if she can make baby booties and stuff so she can sell them on etsy or at the local hospital. She's not trying to get rich or anything, but extra money also means she can afford some camera goodies. If she does start to sell online, I'll give you all a link here to check out her stuff.

As for my fairy.. well.. I hated her hair, but after fiddling with it and continuing to draw it, I rather like it now. I didn't want her to look too old, because she's my spring fairy, so I thought it would be appropriate to have her have hair like a young and innocent type of teen (are they any more of those around?) Anyways.. this is fantasy, right? I've also added most of the stamens for the flowers and some of the leaves. I'm in no hurry, so no pressure.. an hour here, an hour there.. and soon it will be done. I really would like to create a book or fairies and/or fantastical beings.. so I need to be more prolific if I want that to happen.

I am also trying to sell my wares at etsy.
etsy.com/shop/chezeury
chezeury.com (my website)

ok, that may be it for today.. unless I work on her some more and post again. We'll see.

second post in one day.. oh my! fairy continued

okay, well, although I did play around with the hands this morning, this evening, I took about an hour or so and played around with the flowers mostly. Made them more defined and added some light and shadows. I filled in her wings, but they are not done yet.. and still really unsure what I'm going to do with the hair.. :-P

Remember if you want to see it larger, you have to click on the image above. I have no idea why I can't post it larger, I have checked the large box but still it is showing up quite small.

If you are interested in seeing or buying any of my artwork or photographs

etsy.com/shop/ChezEury
Chezeury.com

update on my fairy

well, I have changed my fairy scene... she is no longer holding a flower, she is now playing a flute. I then got really lazy because doing the fore-shortening of the hand behind was driving me a little nuts . Anyways, this morning, I worked on the hand behind and I think it is pretty much the shape I want. I may have to make the fingers slightly longer, so I've not completed the coloring of the hands yet.. this is just so I can ponder the shape.

I've also changed the branches position so her butt would be sitting on it more properly and included lots of spring blossoms, simply because this is what the concept was about, how this fairy is sitting in a tree amid the blossoms and nobody would notice her as she looks just like another butterfly if you don't really come close.

The hair was also for me to resize the head.. it may or may not be the final color or cut.. since I am not on a schedule, I'm taking my time and hopefully it will turn out nice.

Oh, and if you want to see it closer, just click on the image, for some reason I can't seem to make the image in the post any larger :-P

Progress on my pixie fairy

Well, I did a tiny bit of work on my fairy today. You might even call her a pixie, I guess, right?

Well, I did more of her skin and drew her hands so they were the proper shape. I set her on a branch with blossoms, like cherry blossoms, something that feels like spring time. I also made her lips a pinker shade, I think she needed to look fresher for spring, but I still like the big pouty lips. I may still change her face a bit. I had made her nose very tiny and upturned for that fairy, pixie type of look, but I may have made it too small... I still will adjust.

I do think I like the basic composition though and that it will turn out looking quite ok. Right now she is Sans Clothing, but I may at some point add something translucent and ethereal over that area... or I may just keep her as is.

Until next time, hope you enjoy watching my process.

New work started

Last night I started a new sketch for a fairy. It's all about spring blossoms. I guess all this nice weather we are getting is really getting to me.

hope you like it, I'll update my progress as I go.

Hey .. it's been ages

Well, I 've decided to try to sell some of my art and prints online.. so I'm going to be using this as a way to show what is new in my shop. At the very top of this blog, you should be able to see a window that you can scroll through my works that I am offering through etsy. If you cannot see it, you probably have some adware filter activated in your browser, but you can allow just my website in the preferences.

If you would prefer to go directly to my shop to browse, here is the link:
etsy.com/shop/ChezEury

Maybe once in a while, in between all the promoting myself.. (rolling eyes, as I hate to do this) I may actually blog a bit.

Haven't blogged in awhile

I haven't blogged in ages. I'm either tired, busy, stressed etc., but today reading MeanMrMustard's Musings I've been inspired by Larry to write some little tidbits that I thought about blogging and just never did.

To start off with, my divorce is not final. simply because my hubby wants to re-negotiate the terms of our divorce including wanting my camera since he says it's his cause he bought it. It was a birthday present to me, and I'm the only one that has used it (and he has his own, he must have dropped it... therefore :-<). Since then I've had evaluators in the decide how much every piece of furniture is worth and another evaluator in to decide what my house is worth. Nevermind that the house was mine before.. apparently it doesn't matter if he lived rent free, it only matters if he put money on the house and it's worth more. Grr..

Ok, that out of the way.. some of the quirkier things that have happened

well, as you know we have a cat.. Chiana. She's gorgeous and she's a little weird. She won't drink water beside her food. I've tried in ceramic bowls, in glass plates, in regular drinking glasses. She just leaves it there. She started trying always to drink my water that I had at my computer. So, now I have a regular human glass of water on my desk just for her. I fill it with fresh water all the time... and every time she eats, she comes around, jumps up and drinks. I'm quite happy that I finally can see her drinking but now she sort of thinks that whatever I have is hers.

Case in point: I often have cereal in the morning and sit in front of my computer and read the forums ... read up in chat what I've missed and as soon as she hears me crunching on my cheerios.. she's here.. she gets up on the desk.. and puts her big googly eyes in front of mine... and looks all sad, like "If only I could have a small sip and a little cheerios or two, I'd be a happy cat! " so, I say.. no, Chiana, it's mine..not yours. She continues, puts a paw on my hand.. "but, but.. look how sweet I am.. surely you can see that I could use a small sip of milk.. a tiny bit of strawberry ... please, purty please?" ...which ends up with me leaving her the bottom of the bowl.. some days she eats it all.. some days she has 2 cheerios and that's enough. Last week, was one of those 2 cheerios and I'm outta here days, so I continue to read the forums and of course the bowl with left over cheerios and milk rests on my desk while I do so. Hey.. don't look at me that way, I know I'm not perfect! :-D

Anways.. so I'm reading and all of a sudden my connection has gone wonky and I'm not connecting anymore. I restart my browser, click my repair net connection etc., and it still doesn't work. At this point, it's usually my router that has crashed. So, I pull the plug on it for a few seconds and reenter it.. still nothing. Ok, so now I'm on to my external modem (it's a cable thing) I unplug the router again, and then the modem and while I'm unplugging the modem ... of course the cable from the router falls underneath my desk. So, now I have to try and get the cable back up from underneath with one hand and pull it up with the other. This is not going well... my body is kind of all squished against the desk.. and my arms feel like I've been dangling from them from some torture system for hours.. it hurts. Finally I get the plugs back in.. and straighten up.. to feel something trickling down my neck. Yep... you got it.. milk, with a cheerio stuck to my hair too. Yes, yes, I know.. Very Elegant. :-P

Then there was the time a couple of weeks ago that I made some really great homemade stew. I cut up the meat and fried it with flour and onions, added carrots and celery, some red pepper, turnip and potatoes.. bouillon etc., it was going to be fabulous. Throw in some spices ... and a few bay leaves.. heck in a few hours, this will be SO good. Then I think.. hmm.. I should have put a bit of garlic in this (in my opinion, garlic makes just about everything taste better) so I take my garlic press .. and right on top of the stew pot, I squish those handles with all of my might and the whold bottom of the garlic press explodes.. garlic and apparently 5 metal pieces.

I look around and find 4 pieces. I can see there is a pie shaped piece missing. I look at the stew.. oh, man, if someone breaks a tooth eating this, I'll never forgive myself. If I break a tooth on this, I won't forgive myself. I cannot afford a trip to the dentist... and I hate going to the dentist anyways.

So, I spent the next half hour meticulously going through the whole stew, carrot by carrot, potato by potato to find the missing piece. Nothing. Day before yesterday, I find the piece.. lodged behind an old wooden platter I'd got from my mom ages ago.
Can you believe it? I crush the garlic right over the pot, and not one piece landing in it. LOL :-D

oh.. and another cat story. Chiana is female and has been having bursts of heat. Doesn't seem to matter to her if the temperature is -30C, she still gets them. At Xmas when the tree was up.. she's walk under the branches, rub her cheeks and then flip on her back and spread.. she's such a slut.. hehe.

During her last heat, she did something really odd. I was in bed sleeping on my side.. but I could feel her get on my feather blanket. So there I was, dozing and I could feel her walking up my leg as if she were climbing the ramp on a stairway... then down off my hip to my waist. I could feel her sitting there. I thought to myself, oh.. that's so cute! :-) ................... then she got off and sat behind me. I move my hands on my belly and I feel sweaty.. hmmm.. odd, how come I'm so sweaty.. heck, I'm not sweaty, I'm WET!! I get up and open the lights.. she's peed on me. When you hear people say they don't like to get 'crapped' on.. believe me being peed on is No Laughing Matter... well, not when it happens anyways.

Anyways, today it is raining. Literally raining cats and dogs, or at least if you watch Chiana, you'd believe it.. She's been running from window to window everytime a car passes trying to figure it all out. It's kind a cute, kind of annoying. :-P

Besides that, with help, I'm setting up a website for my photographs and art (both real and digital) and also another website for restoration and colorizations of images. Hopefully I can make myself a bit of extra money. Right now, the photo site is ready except not really if you browse with Internet Explorer.. so perhaps in a few days, still a couple kinks to work out. As for the other... still at the mock-up stage. I will be posting here when they both go officially live. I do hope you all come and visit and leave me a comment or two while you are there.

Ok, that's it for today, if you stop by, let me know.. :-)

Buffy

When Buffy - the Vampire Slayer played on t.v., I missed it. Never saw one episode.

At the end of last year, a friend coaxed me into watching the series. At first, I was hesitant...we started watching, I was not that impressed. The shows obviously lacked money to create anything that looked scarey or thrilling, but I was told, you have to give the show a chance, things get better in season 2... and they did.

And then as each season progressed the show just kept getting better and better, albeit sometimes the monsters were a little fake looking the story lines were very interesting, intense and very well written.

Each episode had it's share of angst, drama and humor.

I just couldn't get enough of it.. I'd watch several episodes one after another culminating this past sunday with a 4 episode finale.

I just have to say, Buffy was a fabulous series... it made me laugh, it made me sing, and it made me shiver and cry. Cry, heh.. ball my eyes out is more like it. They weren't afraid to go places many other shows didn't go, they didn't always go for the obvious cliché. I was pretty good at figuring out many outcomes, but still often the show managed to surprise me.

So, now it's over. For television anyways.. just when I was feeling that it's too bad that there isn't a season 8, this comes along: Buffy Season 8, in a new and different way!

I can't wait!

a promise is a promise

yes, I promised I'd upload some pics I took this winter.

This picture is taken across the street from the elementary school. It's just beside a small local baseball field. It was a very cold frosty morn, and all pictures shown on this page were taken the very same morning.



This picture was taken in the mining village. I love taking pictures there in the winter as the homes are all log cabins and they just have a xmassy feel to them.



This picture was taken in someone's back yard. The bench is a quiet resting place in the summer but becomes so much more beautiful in the neurtality of the snow instead grass.. I wish I had a better camera, but I still like this pic.



Now isn't this a cute little snowman? I love the frost shapes that are happening in the windows too.



I was so cold that morning, I have a sensitivity in my fingers to cold but I just couldn't go home, there were just too many pretty things that the frost had touched like this lanterns that look like giant upside down icicles.



One thing about frost is the way it dresses up the branches of trees. Here it almost looks like infrared photography..



For the birds, literally! The frost on these berries coupled with the almost desaturated look of the branches just was too pretty to pass by without photographing.



Again with the frost, I couldn't help myself.. I must have taken at least 60 pretty wonderful pictures that day. I've learned a valuable lesson this fall. When you live in a pretty ordinary place like I do, no cityscapes, no wonderful vistas, you sometimes think there is nothing to photograph. But then the weather turns odd.. it's foggy and humid.. or very cold and crisp and frosty, when you feel like you should stay in the comfort of your home.. well, it's actually the time to go out and shoot. That weird weather also makes for very moody pictures. Here you can just see the frost and cold swirling in the sky. 2 hours later I was frozen stiff, but had the hugest smile on my face when I uploaded the pics to my comp. I wish I could show them all here.. there are just so many, I had a hard time picking which ones to show.



oh.. and on another snowy day.. some of you may have seen this one at Worth1000.

it's just a tryke.. in white.. At first I was looking to take pictures of the berries on the tree... the red against the white is so xmassy and pretty... with the snow and so much white around I hardly even saw the little bike.. but when I did.. oh, yeah... I just knew it would be a beauty.



I'd love to hear your comments if you have a moment :-)

Been a while!

Hi all,

It's been a long time since I've blogged and I should thank Imagicreator for kicking me in the butt a little by tagging me with the Move Meme. You answer the questions then tag someone to get them to do the same.

Well here goes:
1. Name a movie that you’ve seen more than 10 times.
I don't think I've seen any movie 10 times, but multiple times - Amélie

2. Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theatre.
none.. I live in a small town and rarely get to go to the cinema.. I know it's sad. :-(

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
There are quite a few but just off the top of my head:

Hugh Grant - never seen a movie with him I didn't like
Kevin Spacey.. he's smart and I like that
Hugh Jackman, warm and very very cute ;-)
Kate Hudson - sweet and likable
Ashley Judd - again very smart. Actually, If I were a guy, this is the kind of girl I would
go for, talented, smart, well-spoken and of course, beautiful.


4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Adam Sandler.. he just gets on my nerves

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
I know everyone is just great with this, but I'm really horrible at it, I can't quote myself out of a paper bag.

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
All? None. Most?
A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady and Fiddler on the Roof

7. Name a movie that you’ve been known to sing along with.
See above ^^


8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
Oh, man.. this is hard, cause there are so many great movies that I think people should see:
The seduction of Doctor Lewis (La Grande Séduction, a little French Canadian movie.. funny and very sweet)
A history of violence (a David Cronenberg movie, probably his most commercial endeavor, but I thought it was awesome and probably one of the best movies I've seen this year)
Night on Earth ( just because it's really funny, yet makes you think)
Hero (for it's sheer beauty)



9. Name a movie that you own.
Love Actually, Serendipity

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
I'll have to think about his one.. get back to you.

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
No, again.. live in a small place.. Do they even have drive-ins anymore?

12. Ever made out in a movie?
maybe a bit, nothing notable or worth mentioning.

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it.
If this was asked 6 months ago, I would have said, the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but I have finally seen it. Now.. let's see... well, as much as I've heard about it, I have never seen "Clockwork Orange" so I guess I 'll say that to see what all the fuss was about.


14. Ever walked out of a movie?
no.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
don't see lots of movies in the theatre..but plenty of movies have made me cry at home.. heck..give me a good commercial that pulls the heart strings and I could shed some tears.

16. Popcorn?
If at the theatre, yes. If at home, if someone else has made it.. yep..otherwise, no.

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
Very rarely.

18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theatre?
gosh... it's been so long, but if I were to see a movie that I would love to see
either House of Flying daggers or Hero, because they are just so jaw-dropping beautiful.

19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?

I'm a softie, so romantic comedies would be my first love. I want to smile and have a happy ending. I know it's unrealistic, but I'm a dreamer and a optimist. I also like other kinds of movies but, again.. I think the light-hearted get away from crap in real life movies make me feel the best.

20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing the theater?
I'm with Imagicreator here, probably E.T.

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?
oh.. perhaps Alfie.. gah, horrible movie... there are others, of course, but this one was the first that came to mind.

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?

Heh, I've seen a few weird but cool movies, this year though:
Pi (very black and white, hard to watch but fascinating and brilliant in my opinion)
Nothing (very funny, very different and unique...again, Canadian... what can I say, we're odd)

23. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen?
I think the first Aliens movie.. man I was so scared.
---
24. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen?
hmm... probably the Shrek movies

And I'm going to tag Elbradenabra simply because like me he hasn't updated his blog in forever!

Well, I guess while I'm here I may as well put up a few pics and let you know what's new with me.

Well, nothing really new... still have lawyer stuff to work out and it makes me very nervous and
anxious but I try to keep it in control.

Xmas was very very quiet. This is the first year that I didn't go out and be with the family. It was good though, I didn't have lots of money to spend and I guess staying home and not having to prepare a bunch of stuff made it much less stressful than it would have been otherwise.

Oh, and Chiana is growing bigger and crazier and more lovable.

I have a few pics to show you:
I sent a small xmas gift to a friend. In the package I was going to include a bunch of cookies I made..I go into the kitchen to get them and when I come back, this is what I find:



She's in the box, looks at me as if to say: What?... and doesn't want to get out. It was hilarious!

She also started her first heat.. and besides wanting to get out all the time, she does this little soft cry mixed with a purr.. so it sounds like brruuppp! She fell in love with the xmas tree.. and would walk under it.. rubbing her face and body and then lay on her back underneath it hoping to be taken. :-D Then she learned that she could climb the tree...

Oh, Yeah!


and again with the face that says "What?!"



I was a little worried how she'd react to the tree, so i had only put in inexpensive little baubles that were tough and wouldn't break, which turned out to be very smart as she knocked most to the ground and they became her xmas toys.

But she is beautiful too and what can I say, she matches my furniture :-)



Well, hopefully in a few days, I'll post again. I have some cool winter pics I want to show you. It's cold where I live, but in winter, it can also be very pretty!

bringing them back to Life

As you know I'm restoring old photographs. Most are just re-cropping and color correction but some are take a little more intense work but the results are well worth it.

I thought I'd show you a few just to show off a bit :-)

This:



now is



and this:



is now this:



and this:



is now this:




So, what do you think? Pretty cool, huh? :-)

and the fog rolls in...

Wow.. has it already been almost a month since I've blogged? I just get busy doing other things and then I think there really isn't much to say.

But a few things. After my dad died, I decided I would take all his photographs and make copies so that all the kids and grandkids could have them. There are so many photographs that are quite old and I'm not even sure who the people in them are since they are from the old country... but I'm going to restore them as well as I can. I have also taken to color correcting and recropping all the snapshots. It's incredible to see how a bit of cropping to help composition, fixing of crooked horizons etc., has really turned some really boring snapshots into pretty cool photos. I have about 1500 photographs to work on... not a small task. I will probably put a few pics up here once in a while to show you what I'm doing.

The cat... Chiana... well, I'll say she's a handfull and doted with multiple personalities. I've never had a cat before and she always surprises me. She's can go from loving and wanted to be petted to, in the flicker of an instant, Xena... warrior princess or something or other hunter. She can run so fast, from one sofa to the next in the blink of an eye. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes... she can be annoying, yet we love her all the same. We made a little shelf under the window so she can sit, and now she gets all excited watching the birds in the trees... she tries to climb up also and sometimes gets caught in the side windows because of the screens; that's when I have to go and get her down.. she just hangs there!

Although she loves to run around, most of the time, she's sleeping. And she will sleep anywhere. The other day, I saw her sleeping on the dining room chair, her back legs simply dangling off. I took her picture, but as you can see, she caught me...

it's like she's saying "Whatcha looking at, Willis?" .. Look how much she has grown! Yes... right now she's growing quickly and a bit skinny, but she eats a lot so I'm sure she'll fatten up soon enough. ;-)

The day before yesterday there was fog outside. I thought it would not last, as usually it comes and 5 minutes later it is gone... but went out to take pics anyways.
All I can say is that the fog creates some really great mood... here are a few pics I took:












I think I got really lucky that not only was there fog, but the leaves are turning, so I also got color. I hope you enjoy them. If you've come by don't hesitate to say, hi! :-)

dealing with kitty

Chiana is adorable but a handful. I asked for some suggestions and did get a small water bottle to spray her when she started biting things.. especially computer cables and cords. I think cats have no concept of what punishment is, well, this cat anyways.

Here is how she reacts. She gets sprayed, so then she goes under the couch.. and goes into hunting mode... looks to see if you are watching then pounces on the cables, then runs away again. I've also tried doing this in bed when she pounces on my hand as if to attack it. She just tries to attack the water bottle instead. lol.

Now, it may seem that she is a devil-cat, but actually she's very soft and cute and cuddly. What I've found works well when she is trying to bite is to pick her up... turn her on her back.. let her nibble her own tail a bit... just to distract her for a moment..and then start gently rubbing her hind paws. Well... she just falls into kitty heaven... she stops everything and leans back and gets really quiet.. sometimes she purrs.. and often just falls asleep... It's like I've found her kitty g-spot... she finds it quite pleasurable. At first I thought this was just a fluke..but I've done it at least 5-6 times now.. and each time I've gotten her to completely calm down and softens up.

She also likes to suckle my arm.. or the top of my chest.. or sometimes the crack at my underarm. She'll come and climb me and then nuzzle.. and I start to hear the purrr... purrr.. and the slurp! slurp! .. her eyes close and she gets very into it. She looks so young like that. I pet her softly and she usually ends up going to sleep.


Now, next step is trying to figure out how exactly to take pictures of her and have her stay still.

New Family Member

Here is our newest family member. We've had her since the last 2 weeks.



We have called Chiana. She is named for the lovely, very feline, very grey, very feisty girl in Farscape . As you can see the only other color than grey that you can see is the interior of her mouth which is pink. This is just like our cat.

I've never owned a cat before and it's quite an experience. To start off with, she is very loving.. and sleeps with us all the time... she purrs and often even suckles on my skin as I believe she had to leave her mom a little too early. There was nothing to be done though, the mom was a stray that friends picked up and tended to while she had her babies, but she was also sick.

This cat seems to have multiple personalities... one moment she is loving, the next she wants to chow down on my toes... My biggest problem has been keeping her away from my computer cables. She is fascinated by them. Dolly told me she thinks they are snakes and it's instinctive. I am going to try and find something that she'll not like but that will not be harmful to her to deter her from doing it. She already chomped through my microphone cord and I had to splice the wires back together. I've heard that there is a product called bitter apple spray. I'll try and find some in a pet store here, if not, I'll try and get it online. I'm not happy about the cable chewing because, of course, not only could she ruin my computer and accessories, but also because I'm very afraid that she may also electrocute herself. Everything with a cord or wire seems to interest her.

She is the sweetest thing though, don't you agree?

Dolly also told me to put aluminum foil where you didn't want her going or chewing. Since she is so attracted to the coils of cables behind my computer, I got down on all fours (now, who's the animal! ;-) ) and put up sheets of tin foil taped at the back and underneath my desk. She doesn't seem too afraid and goes there all the time. The foil reaches to the ground but I've taped it there... so she can't get behind without making a bunch of noise... The deterent seems to be that I can hear when she's there and get her out before she does too much damage.

I know some of you have cats... I would really appreciate any tips and hints you could give me because this seems like a hopeless cause. HELP!

Bike Tour

This week, in my town, there is a bike tour called "La Tour d'Abitibi" 2006. It is a tour for juniors, but it is important in the fact that it is the only tour in North America where the points count towards ranking you for the Tour de France.

Luckily for me, the race against the clock brings the bikers right in front of my house. The best place for pictures, though, is at the top of the street. The bikers start the race at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft and must climb close to 400 meters on a 17% incline. It takes powerful muscles to make the climb, and often the riders with heavier leg muscles seem do do better in this race. The wire-thin guys tend to do better in the long distance races.

Look at how cool this bike is:



Imagine how this guy must feel. Every biker leaves at 1 minute intervals... you have one kilometer to go before getting back and the person that left behind you is already on your tail!



A biker from Sweden... you can tell by his socks! ;-)



And what kind of race would it be if there weren't some Canadian rider sponsored by Tim Hortons Donuts! :-D

a movie, the weather etc.,

Last post here was "Eternal Sunshine" and yesterday, I finally saw the movie that everyone was talking about 2 years ago. Now, I understand the well-deserved hype.

Now, don't ask me why I haven't seen the movie that probably just about everyone that has access to a movie theatre, to a DVD store or even a VHS machine has seen. I just didn't and now I have and I loved it.

So many times you see a movie that tries to do something in a different way ... but just for the sake of being different and often leaving the audience confused and not sure what's going on. Here, they took an interesting approach and kept us interested during the whole movie, without for a moment having to scratch our heads and go...whaaaatttt???? I felt that they guided us and glided us through the movie in a way, where we were surprised, delighted but always intrigued and interested.

Clementine, Joel's girlfriend is very different from the quiet and overly polite Joel and after a fight, impulsively decided to get all memory of him deleted by a company called Lacuna. Joel, after finding out what she did, has a knee-jerk reaction and does the same... but while unconscious... realizes that he actually loves her and does not want to erase her from his mind. He wants to keep small bits that were emotionally fulfilling to him, and then goes on a journey mostly in his own mind of how to hide her from the data deleting machine..which we really are not sure how it works, but we don't really care, we don't need the explanation ... just know what the outcome is.

We then see the couple when they refind themselves later and realize that both have erased the other and why. Joel for being boring and Clementine for being too outrageous and crazy. They made me think about 2 magnets, how at a certain point (when they are very close, but not quite touching) you can feel the tension almost pushing away but ultimately they cannot help but end up attached to each other. It makes us wonder what attracts us to certain other human beings... especially when we find out that the Lacuna receptionist, (Kirsten Dunst) after also having her memory of an affair with her boss erased, still finds herself extremely attracted to him. Without knowing what will happen in a relationship, we can be eternally optimistic, and even knowing, we may not care. It's part of the dance.

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Remember last week when I came home and felt horrible because of being out in the sun too long? Yesterday morning, I left home on my bike to go to the bank. On my way, I met up with Soni... a girl that used to live at the corner of my street. I had not seen her for perhaps 2 years, and we just stopped a few moments to chat. All of a sudden she started feeling badly..and sat down on the curb. She said she was feeling very hot and light-headed.

I told her about my sun-stroke and she brushed it off, saying she would be fine... but she wasn't and was getting worse. I saw a man across the street and asked if he could bring some water. His wife, very bronzed (ok, too bronzed and wrapped in a teeny tiny towel) came over and brought her a glass. She drank very little and kept splashing it over her face.

I tried to get her to give me the number of her boyfriend, so he could come and pick her up... but she was not being very cohesive and wasn't answering. I then got her to move off the hot sidewalk and unto the cooler grass. We ultimately called an ambulance and they came by and checked her out.

The weather here had been very hot for a week without any let up in the humidity at all. Seems that people were falling like flies all over the place. They got called twice while attending to her. They took her b.p. which was 89/50 .. pretty low, but after a general check up said it was heat stroke, to get her home and to get her to drink...and rest and she'd be fine. I supported her across the street, and the tanned lady brought her cookies and milk and we called her sister who came with a shiny red truck to pick her and her bike up.

It was now later and much hotter than when I left, but I really needed to go to the bank, but I assure you my experience from the week before was on my mind and what happened her too.. so I stopped at a store and got myself a bottle of fruit-flavored water and made sure I drank it. I wasn't going to take any chances.

When I came home it had started to rain, but not hard and I could hear some distant thunder. Later that afternoon, we had a couple pretty strong thunder storms. Really helped cool off and lighten the air which is a very good thing because this week we have the "Tour D'Abitibi" where bicyclists from all over the world come to race here.
On Thursday, there is a race against the clock where they each leave from under the mine at 1 minute intervals. These racers pass in front of my house and I will (weather permitting, of course) take pictures and post a few here.

Idiots!

I'm not one to easily call people idiots, especially a whole group of people...but today is the exception.

Many of you may not realize this, but when American Idol ends in the U.S., Canadian Idol starts here and carries us through summer. I must admit I had not followed it before, and this, the fourth season of the show was my introduction to the Canadian version of it.

To my surprise, there were some very interesting contenders and I and my guy would download and watch it a day or two after it aired. They started the whole the shebang pretty much the same way the American version does, showing us the cream of the crop and, of course, the deluded bottom of the barrel.

They quickly whittled the list of contenders down to 22. These were now separated into 2 groups (male/female) from which they would ultimately choose the final 10. It was really fun watching the process and we got to really root for certain singers that not only sang well but had a quirky fun side that made them capture our hearts.

This morning we watched the last elimination that let to the final 10 players.

Of these 14 hopefulls, 3 in my mind really were awesome talents and deserved to not only be in the 10 finalists but I could easily see them as the last three standing.

Chad Doucette is one of the three I really liked. He's this small guy with jet black hair and always clowing around, making funny remarks etc., When he auditionned he said: I like to sing in the bathroom, I want Canada to be my toilet. It sounds cheesy, but from this guy it was cute. He did surprise us though, by singing with such sincerity and a truly gorgeous voice. He has a really unique timber and tone which makes him sound very different.

He made the final round and is the only reason that I would continue to watch the show, hopefully to see him blow all the others away and get the final prize... a recording contract.

Keith MacPherson is a red-headed, a bit geekish looking young man that just seemed to always get it right. He seemed very down to earth and smart. I'm no music expert, but my boyfriend says it's called unpretentious singer/songwriter pop and I think that's a great label without trying to actually put a label on this guy. He just has the skills, is laid back and so pleasant to listen to. He also projects a sincerity when singing, as did Chad, that I really appreciate when listening and watching someone sing. Well, here is where my feelings about the Canadian Idol voters start to get shakey. He was voted off! Yes, these people are idiots. The only thing that I can say is that at least people got to hear him and will look him up on the net.

Several years ago he created a duo with Renée Lamoureux called Easily Amused. I strongly suggest you follow this link and discover this talented pair for yourself.

Last but certainly not least, Nancy Silverman. Here's is where I want to call all Canadian Idol voters IDIOTS (yes, in capital letters, no less). Quirky, smart, unique but most of all, the most kick-ass talented female singer I've heard in a long time.
She was certainly my favorite and my boyfriend's also. She was perhaps the judges pet also, but with good reason. She was simply fabulous! She had her own groove, exuded confidence without being arrogant and I just loved how she moved her body... no fakey moving around the stage and pandering for the camera.... it is more like the vibration is moving throughout her body looking for an outlet!

Here's a link to a Nancy Silverman My Space.com webpage. There are 4 of her songs there that you can both listen to and download. Please, please go and get these. You will not regret.


The judges on the show, who I would say always gave very fair and although sometimes not easy to hear advice to the singers, would often tell them to try and choose songs that they could actually see themselves singing. With all this advice, we've seen everything from 40's musical songs to country-western remakes... but these 3 always had their act together. They have a good sense of self and projected this when they sang. No hokey-pokey songs from them... only the real deal. Unfortunately, for Keith and Nancy they will not go on to the finals.

So..yes, I'm sorry but to all the Canadian Idol voters who by-passed these unique gems, you are all IDIOTS!

If I had a note to give the producers of the show it would be change the way that you allow people to vote. Do not make them vote for their favorites. They may think one person is safe and vote another that they wish to see go onto the finals. The smart way to do it would be to get people to vote for the singers they want to leave... this would always leave the cream of the crop until the end.

/rant

eternal sunshine or sunny side up

The day before yesterday, I decided to go to the duck pond and take pictures. The day was looking good, it was about 16C out... not hot, not cold, but nice for biking.

I usually take a certain route that passes partially through town and the rest beside a railroad track. I decided to hit the railroad tracks at an earlier point. Bad decision. I entered the route and everything seemed fine but then the craggy rocks started appearing. I thought it was surely just a short distance, but they just continued coming. There were also places where tree branches were down, that I had to get off my bike and lift it over them. There were bits of old railway tracks here and there, left over from a sloppy repair job. This new route had put me on an obstacle course. I finally got to a point where the path was hard packed sand and it was again as before.

There were 4 Amerindians just along side of the tracks having a morning beer and cigarettes.. They called out.. hi, miss! Good Morning. I'm not sure if they ride the trains and just drop off here and there... this was not anybody's backyard and there was no patio.. we were out in the woods. I felt a little apprehensive, but I guess the early morning hour sort of gave me confidence and I smiled, said hello and said the path was really bad. They laughed and said there was a different road I could have taken... went all the way to Chibougamou... yeah, like 200 miles away. They had really interesting faces, burnt by the sun, and my photographer's eye wished I could have sat with them and taken their pics... but even at this early hour, just me and 4 strange guys drinking in the wild... not the best idea.

When I finally got to the duck pond, I decided to go a bit further and visit the Maison Gabrielle. It's a home our town built a little over a year ago for people who were about to die. Yes, the only criteria for getting in, is that you must be diagnosed as terminally ill and going to die within the next 3 months. It's on the pond.. with the ducks etc., and trees. I thought I'd go and look at the small waterfall they have there. It is not really a waterfall, it's a tiny water drop... it's man-made and the water is deviated there and then passes into the woods. I took some pics and then went back to the duck pond.

Usually when you start throwing bread into the pond.. they come rushing over, but today was very quiet... very few ducks, even the gulls were rare. There were a couple of kids there with someone who appeared to be their grandmom, but then an even older lady arrived and they called her granny too, so who knows. They didn't have lots of bread, and I had tons of it. I freeze all left over ends from sandwich bread that everyone leaves in the bags and brought them all. They are still fresh when defrosted and it was cute to see the younger of the little boys ( a 15 month old) eating it instead of throwing it in the water.

There were a couple owners with dogs running around and I took my time and watched the kids, ducks, dogs and just relaxed. At one point I just took my sandals off and sat with my feet up on a bench and took in the sun and the pretty day.





After a while though, it started getting extremely hot. There were no clouds in the sky and I was starting to feel a little light-headed. I decided it was probably a good time to leave. After riding up the hill, I started feeling worse and met Martin, a guy I know. He was on his way to the Maison Gabrielle because his mom had died a couple of weeks earlier and he wanted to thank them properly. I was really not feeling good and hopefully not too rudely, told him I really had to go... I was now feeling even worse and by the time I got to town I was starting to feel nauseous and jittery. I just couldn't wait to get home. I was breaking out in a cold sweat and by the time I got home I had to lay down as I now was shivering from the top of my head all the way down my body. I lay covered in a blanket and still was shivering and felt absolutely horrible.

Lots of water and 2 hours later and I was feeling fine. I guess I had a touch of sun-stroke but I'm fine now. I had brought a bottle of water with me, but had already drank it earlier and it went by quickly.


Yesterday was very hot and warm... and today is even worse... it's crazy, stifling hot.

Cutesy Barcodes.

I love it when you take something that is normally boring, necessary and practical and give it a whimsical spin. It doesn't stop it from being practical, but can be a sweet surprise.

What's this all about? Barcodes! Yes, pain ol' boring barcodes. Well, boring no more if this design firm has it's druthers.



I was just reading this article on Springwise.com and thought the idea was very cool and wanted to share it with you.

There is a design firm in Japan called Design Barcodes that just won the Titanium Lions award in Cannes this past week for innovative thinking in Advertising.

Imagine, buying ramen noodles..and the barcode is chopsticks with noodles folded over... or an umbrella with the barcode raining on it.



I just think it's very clever and I think it's the kind of thing I would actually collect.