i haven't forgotten...

i'm just really, really busy! i swear!

ok.. soo... new job, back in NL, and riggs is a happy camper with two new kitties to play with!

pictures of group kitty fun will be posted! I SWEAR!

miss you folks,
a.

and, without further adieu...

riggs : scrabble master:

right, so... i obviously lied.

i wasn't back. and no pictures of riggs came to the surface of the interweb. i'm an arse.

but..... i'm back in NL, and that's really all that matters! you have to forgive me based solely on that!

even though fredericton was lovely, life kind of opened up a porthole back home, and so now i'm the campus librarian at the seal cove campus of the college of the north atlantic. who knew??

anyone know anything about powerline technicians or oil burner mechanics? yeah.. me neither! got A LOT to learn, but it seems really cool! yay!! :)

and i promise this time that riggs photos will actually be in the future! i swear!!!!

<3

all apologies..

it's been too long, and i'm sorry!

i have one of those jobs where you need to detox from sitting and from computers when you get home, so i've been avoiding my laptop like the plague!

ok.. so i'm living in fredericton, new brunswick now! being a soldier in the army of librarians! i like it all just fine - cool peeps, cool digs, and cool boy that has just relocated! yay!

so.. be prepared - riggs is definitely due for a photoshoot or ten!

i loves you folks, and i miss you all like mad! come visit me!!

a brief photo summary of a roadtrip to fredericton:

jamie, driving handsomely.

















attempting to find our way...














bird holdings!! just too funny!!

photo shoot: riggs playing scrabble

guess what?

i'm done!

i'm done!!

i'm DONE!!!

degree # 3 = finished!

andrea = happy!

bring it on, librarianship!

nevermind.

my existence is back!

i.
have.
lost.
my.
jump.
drive.

i, therefore, have lost my entire existence.
i am not exaggerating.
i swear.

ugh.

me and my kitty

problems, queries, quandries.. but not issues.

right.

so one week left (ish).

i have left to accomplish:

• 1 presentation
• 1 database
• 1 year end party
• 3 assignments

after that, i must:

• lease a car
• find an apartment
• pack my stuff
• get over first job nervousness
• be a real person

oh sweet baby jesus.

oh, and i swear i'll post something real at the end of this hell!

outside!!

so, taking advantage of the awesome weather, an outside excursion (to the front step) was the highpoint of today.

a pictoral synopsis of the outing:

tallypants and cat of the year

on a skew

the sarge, philosophical

me and my kitty

long awaited:

we're all still alive: proof

p.s. real post later!

knowledge manager:

things that have been learned within the past 4 days:

• as shitty as things may seem sometimes, i haven't lost two siblings in 3 days like my uncle-by-marriage has this past week. let's say it all together, people: perspective. somehow the looming projects just don't seem all THAT important.
• new brunswick is slow at getting back to peeps: nail-biting extravaganza.
• first year undergraduates cannot tell APA from a hole in the ground.
• the mic mac tavern is delightful.
• silver jeans are not just for the 1990s.
• and last but not least: robaxicent is a lovely drug.

pictures of the sarge soon; hold yer horses!

addendum:

happy (a few days ago) birthday, jennifer!
march 05, 1981 was perhaps the most wonderful day in the history of the known universe!

has the scarring dissipated? ;)

ooh.. oooohh.. .

happy birthday jana!

hurumph.

i spilled peppermint tea all over my ass.
how do these things happen???

p.s. i also left my lunch either at home or in j.'s truck. i even made a sandwich. i'm sorely disappointed in myself.

database update 2.0

so.. you know.. good use of my time, no?

let's open this up a little: what situational hilarity/cuteness would you like to see sgt. martin riggs engaged in for future photographic genius?

we are completely at your whim.

i really am alive.. i swear!

i know, i know.. it's been an age and a half. forgive me? i'm cute... you'll forgive me. people always forgive me ;)

ok.. what's new? been sick. not fun. had an interview for a ya/adult librarian position in new brunswick. would _love_ to get that job! have no idea when they'll get back with a yea or nay, but when i know, you'll know. and you can either celebrate or console as necessary :) um... other than that, nothing ever really changes. it's definitely the super busiest time of the year.. only one month left! gotta get a whole lot of stuff packed into these 4 or 5 tiny weeks.. eep! stress = beginning to become obvious. ummmmm... what else?? no wardrobe malfunctions, although getting to the conference yesterday almost resulted in a vehicular malfunction. but all was well and my function+F5 skills were badass.

so yeah.. boring existence, etc.

right.. so... um.. ooowwww!

just as background for this little story: i'm a cat lover. i truly, truly am. the little beasts are just plain great. i like the fur and the attitude and the kitty kisses, etc. i just eat them up.

so, onto the story: i'm looking after laura w.'s cat while she's away for reading week. for those of you who attended the biblio-halloween party, you may remember him? although his name is rocky, let's call him church, from pet cemetery, for the purposes of this tale.

he. is. evil.

i have never before IN MY LIFE been afraid of a cat. today, i sadly admit, that i was damn scared. he yowls and hisses and growls and ATTACKS! i have bloody stumps of legs left, i kid you not. i even have a hole in my pants. church is just not pleasant.

the first day he was lovely. gave me some rubs, even purred. the second day, he was a wee bit perturbed that this human was not HIS human. yesterday, i sent j. because i was sickish, and church was vocal, etc. today.. today he's the reincarnation of the capitán from pan's labyrinth. jesus h. christ.

there were actual tears in my eyes i was so angry/afraid that this beast would attack my head as i cleaned out his friggin' kittybox. he sat at the top of the basement stairs and made like he was going to jump attack. screaming at me. SCREAMING, i say! then attacked my legs again as i ran past him to the upstairs.

i have never, ever, ever been so happy to have such a pleasant, delightful, wonderful cat as riggs. sure, he's a biter.. but it's not like he's really out for blood. he's just playin'. church, on the other hand, is a feline manifestation of satan.

in light of my reinvigorated appreciation of riggs, a brief photoshoot:

i want a snowstorm!

my mom is sitting under 35 cm of snow, and we have NOTHING!

my sister and her husband, after 25 years of marriage, decided to take their first real vacation together, a honeymoon-type trip to the dominican republic. their flight was, of course, last night. and with 160km/h winds and enough snow to kill a fragile human, they had to sleep in the st. john's airport!!! happy freakin' honeymoon! oooohhhhhh, weather. hopefully they get out this afternoon so they can start having some fun!

speaking of fun, i've contracted the sickness. sweet honorable jesus, there is no need! i think it may mean a postponing of the cole harbour craft day, as i'm not the only individual in my house who is feeling under the weather. damn winter! we'll have to find another appropriate day to craft it up in the comforts of a sick-free house.

oh, and a riggs photoshoot is in the making.. keep to the edges of your seats, folks! :)

woooo!

it's friday!
next week is midterm break!!
sunday = pan's labyrinth at the oxford at 4pm if you're interested.
next wednesday might be craft day in cole harbour.. anyone have another preference?

yay!

love, etc.

riggs, sushi chocolates, and a valentine!

i feel minimally guilty...

...for updating in databases class.
but only minimally.
wow... boring!

so, even aside from this class, my life is terrifically boring. this is, obviously, the major reason behind the lack of updates. forgive me.

the weekend at a glance:

• learned how to crochet
• made a gift and 1/3 of another out of yarn and my own sweat and tears
• found a job that i think i might want and/or am qualified for
• danced around my bedroom because said job is in st. john's, NL!
• yay!

i have a week of correcting, presentations and assignments coming up, then a week OFF! excited? yes i am.

so, yeah.
boring.

:*(

penchants is no more.

a moment of silence.

due to popular request:

ok, ok.. perhaps systemskitty alone doesn't add up to "popular request," but one request is enough for me! i present for your viewing pleasure, the nick tripdic. (ok, so i can't seem to make it actually format horizontally. just pretend!)

old skool photo shoot

the fam, 2004

jamie at gros morne

nick, circa 2003

the count (and zane in the rear), 2003

photo shoot!

moving car shot #01: trees

moving car shot #02: bridge to nowhere



moving car shot #03: church

jamie, skating?



me (notice the coat of coats)



two geeks on a walk

notice: no cat pictures. this will be rectified in the coming days!

it's early in the morning..

..and things are pretty good.

a sampling:

• becky and ronnie are healthy and happy
  
• i'm at school, so getting over the sick
• it's cold, but not too cold outside. the kind that makes you happy you have mittens, but doesn't make your eyes tear up - very pleasant
  
• the common room is strange and quiet and altogether enjoyable early in the morning. sometimes i feel like it's a big secret and if more people knew, i'd not get to be here all alone. then i think logically, and realize that most sane people are still in bed by the time i get here. and that kind of makes me happy, oddly enough
• it's almost the end of january, last semester of school (for a while, anyway). scary but good
• tomorrow is market day
• therefore, today is friday!

oh.. and the bridge has apparently been crossed; enough is enough, so they say. i promise i'll post pictures of something OTHER than the cat. at least once. maybe. tee hee!

i'm crazy, no?

most of you will probably think i'm insane, but i've started in on a new regime (tee hee!). this consists of andrea's body being:

• coffee free
• refined sugar free

not really 100% certain that i can do this. not really 100% certain that i WANT to do this. but i think my body wants it, so i'm going to see where that takes me.

today = day 3 of coffee-free and day 1 of the sugar-free attempt.

perhaps i should have only announced the regime after i had lived it for a while. after the first three months, mayhaps? too late. long road ahead, mates. loooooooooooooooong road.

so, green tea is now my new friend, as it is reportedly good for me and has some amount of caffine, so i'm not a total cow (as h.b. would say). the thing is, i really LIKE coffee. i'll now have to deal with just the lovely scent (waft towards your face with your hand, don't sniff directly) of the delicious beans. i've tried this coffee-free bit before. i'm like a smoker: i know it's bad for me, but i just keep falling off the wagon. keep me on the godforsaken wagon, would you, people??

the sugar thing is a different story. i. love. chocolate. i. love. candy. i. love. sugar. gimmegimmegimmegimme! this is gonna be BRUTAL!

my body better love this, or i'm out of here!

photo shoot!!

blurry shot posted specifically for dob: tee hee!

i'm so boring.

yep. you got it.. boring.
BORING.
boring.

been sick, so not doing anything but reading ya and considering doing other school work but never quite getting there. ya is so much more enjoyable. just finished a fabulous book, house of the scorpion by nancy farmer. will be eventually writing about in in ya library, but the bottom line is: read it!

oh, and i just started reading lamb, christ's childhood according to his friend, biff. apparently, biff's responsible for the invention of sarcasm and hosts of other interesting things! i think i can make this a ya crossover selection, maybe.. so perhaps ya library will also be graced with joshua and biff's adventures.

on a side note: i take way too many pictures of the cat. he's so much of a better subject than other people, and random things are only interesting for so long. granted, cats are probably only interesting for so long as well.... but we'll cross that bridge eventually. what does this mean for you, dear reader... a photo shoot is in the making, that's what that means!

on a second side note: i'm a complete idiot when it comes to electronic items and i cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to watch a VHS instead of a DVD. i wanted to check out yoga tape thingies that julie has, and no go. i got so frustrated that i ate and now cannot do yoga at all, taped or otherwise, until i digest my mini-wheats. sigh.

new digital camera = photo shoot

me and jamie

jamie, pensive



jase and julie



sgt. martin riggs

riggs

and you guessed it: riggs!

:)

it's my birthday :)

and it's only lunchtime and i've already gotten great cards (thanks afg and my seester and kat and momma!) and great gifts (kudos, j.) and great hugs and i've even been sung to! shaping up well!

so.. anyone want to celebrate next week? pan's labyrinth is apparently coming to halifax on january 26th and it looks amazing.

yay!!

p.s. i swear i'll actually start saying something other than birthday related things soon. january's a hot month ;)

and the birthday award goes to:

katherine f. k. p. !!

hope you have a wonderful birthday, sweetie!
you're great and i loves you!

not to be a complete arse, but..

..this dude in the computer lab on his cell phone talking french REALLY loud is driving me nutty!

oh god!! he hung up!!!

YAY!

p.s. afg: birthday pressies are completely unnecessary! so there!

kelly, it's your birthday!

happy birthday kelly!

one of the most amazing, funny, brilliant, beautiful and inspiring women in the known universe is, today, celebrating her day of birth!

i loves my seester :)

poetry corner:

apparatus

two moths pitched on the white
of a page left under lamplight,
sleek and symmetrical
in the margins of the text
like components of some apparatus
ancient and esoteric as poetry,
stilled antennae and the long
dusk-coloured cloak of wings,
both so watchful they seem
almost inanimate

touch the paper and they're up
storming the bare light,
nearly translucent against the glass
and fierce
fierce

michael crummey

right..

so i'm at school.
no snow day.
meaning no magic.
*sigh*

i knew it was too good to be true.

i think i'm magic.

last wednesday i politely asked the gods of weather to supply me with a snow day on tuesday, january 16.

it is currently monday, january 15 and a winter storm watch is in effect.

i am, therefore, magical. perhaps even godlike.

revel in my majesty.

or, you know.. go make a snowman!

be prepared:

sooking will commence NOW:

• i'm sick.
• i'm cold.
• i haven't gotten even 20% of the things done that i should have.
• i want my momma.
  

on a brighter note:

tee hee!!