Friday, December 22, 2006
Friday Feast #123
Appetizer
What is one of your Christmas traditions?
Spend time with my family.
Soup
Who is the easiest person on your list to buy presents for?
It's a toss up between my mom & dad.
Salad
What is your favorite Christmas scent?
Cinnamon.
Main Course
If you could give a fellow blogger a Christmas gift, who would it be and what would you give them?
I'd give Lisa some magical solution to get her blog working again (I miss your posts!)
Dessert
What's something on your Christmas wish list this year that you need (not just want)?
A new mattress. Sigh.
Posted by Dre at 3:50 PM
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Thursday, December 21, 2006
Catching Up
I took a much-needed nap after work yesterrday and caught up on some sleep. I then headed out to a planning meeting for Cabaret as I'll be doing the set design, and then we headed to Churchills for a beverage (& supper for me.... the oh-so-tasty and affordable traditional burger!)
After hanging out for a bit I headed over to O'Leary's with Kizzy where they were having a fundraiser open mic night and where she would later be singing with Opa. There were a ton of people there and all sorts of great bands came out. I was glad we found a not-so-crowded and not-too loud spot. I didn't last for too long, but I'm glad I got out for a bit.
Now I just need to get through the work day today and then I'm off for Christmas Holidays. I can't wait!!
Posted by Dre at 8:04 AM
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Wednesday, December 20, 2006
A Cheesy Survey
Now I don't think I look like any of these people, although I suppose there are some small elements - similar tilt of the head, etc.... I guess I can see what they're trying to do.
Posted by Dre at 2:01 PM
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4:00 AM
I finally finished Shannon's paintings at 4:00 AM, so I'm a wee bit tired today, but I'm glad I'm done. Shannon is pretty please with them - I've brought them into the office. They are 2 feet by 3 feet each...
Posted by Dre at 7:57 AM
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Monday, December 18, 2006
Too Cute
At lunch to day I went and got groceries. Usually my cats greet me at the door, but Hunter was in a pretty deep sleep on the top of the fridge. I couldn't resist snapping a photo of him....
Posted by Dre at 12:57 PM
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A Festive Timewaster
(Thanks for finding this, Mare!)
1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
If there was a lactose-free version of eggnog that would win. Hands down.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
The presents are wrapped. Part of the fun and tradition of Christmas is the time spent while each family member takes a turn and unwraps a gift and we all get to see their reaction to it.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
I still like colored lights on a tree. It feels mroe Christmassy. I have some white lights over the litchen counter that I use all year round. They look romatic and they provide extra light when working in the kitchen. If I had a house I'd probably decorate it with white lights.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No. It's poisonous for cats.
5. When do you put your decorations up?
I normally decorate on the first weekend in December, and I normally start listening to Christmas music in December. this year, however, I've been too busy and I haven't decorated yet. Since I'll be visiting my folks for Christmas, I think I'll pass on decorating at all this year.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
When my mom makes turkey, she makes an awesome stuffing.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child:
Aunt Jessie celebrating Christmas with us when I was a child. I remember one year, dad had made a gold pendant for her and decided to wrap it in box inside of box inside of box... each one fully wrapped and decorated. There must have been 15 layers of boxes and wrapping. We got a good chuckle out of that. :-)
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I'm not sure. I do remember one point when I dclared to my mom that I didn't think Santa Existed. Her reply was that if Santa doesn't exist then I don't get gifts from him. I still believe. :-)
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas eve?
When I was a kid I'd get to open one on Chirstmas eve.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
I have a 6' artificial tree and I begin decorating it with a ton of coloured (non-flashing) lights - making sure they wind up and down each branch. Then I add the andgel at the top of the tree (she actually holds two candles that light up so she needs to be plugged in to the lights.) I then add a string of cream and gold ribbons that warps around the tree like a garland. Then, in between this string, I add rows of iridescent icicle garland. Next are the ornaments. I don't think you can have too many. I have a ton of old glass ornaments that my parents got in Germany in the 60's and I have a large collection of unique ornaments that have lots of character. And last but not least I add the tree skirt.
11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
I like snow but it's a pain. Especially when you park uptown and have to deal with the snow ban. Ideally, if it snowed jsut before Christmas and stayed for a few days before melting then didn't snow again all winter (except outside of uptown), I'd be a happy camper.
12. Can you ice skate?
Yes. I took figure-skating when I was a kid and used to do some basic jumps until I grea and my center of gravity changed. I don't skate much anymore.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
The one that stands out is from my childhood. I was 7 or 8 and my folks got me a barbie-type house. The brand was Cyndy-doll and the house was a levelled apartment that was taller than I was. My folks also got me all of the furniture for it - there was even a full set of silverware and china for the dining room!
14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Spoiling friends and family. And Christmas music. :-)
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Thumb-print cookies. Mom made some for when I go home this year. Mmmmm... I can already taste them!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
The extended Christmas day routine. Begin in the morning with coffee and orange juice and gather together in front of the tree. We unwrap the gifts one by one and ooh and ahh over each one. If there are candies or chocolates in the mix, we usually open those and enjoy them with our coffees. This usually takes a good couple of hours. Then we tidy up and make breakfast and get started on the dinner. A lot of times we'll do a puzzle of play crib or Rummoli. A nice quiet day in.
17. What tops your tree?
I have an angel. She has a ceramic head and hold a couple of candles (mini-lights).
18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
I prefer the giving of gifts. Not that I don't like the getting. ;-)
19. What is your favorite christmas song?
I'm a fan of the classics but my all-time favorite is Carol of the Bells.
20. Candy canes:
Hmm.. yeah. I used to decorate the tree with them, and certainly I grew up with them on the tree. But I'm not a huge fan and think it's a waste to get them and then wind up throwing them out. So I no longer get them.
21. Favorite christmas movie?
I don't think I have a favorite. Usualy around Christmas I'll watch A Christmas Story.
22. What do you leave for santa?
When I was a kid I left milk and cookies.
Posted by Dre at 8:07 AM
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Weekend of Painting
Still trying to finish the paintings for Shannon. They're taking longer than I'd hoped. Ah well. Another couple of evenings and then I should be done.
Here's part of one of the paintings:
Posted by Dre at 8:03 AM
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Friday, December 15, 2006
Friday Feast #122
Appetizer
What was your very first job with a paycheck?
I spent 3.5 years as a "Certified Coffee Expert" at a Second Cup in Winnipeg.
Soup
Did you ever lose something really important to you?
When I was living in Trenton, my aunt Jessie gave me a wonderful pearl ring. I was saving it for special occasions and didn't wear it regularly. We soon moved to Winnipeg and when I went to wear it soon after the move, it was gone. Along with a number of other items, it had been stolen by the packers. Since then, whenever we moved, I made a point of doing my own packing and hanging onto anything of value to me. Still, in the next move, we lost two remote controls and gained a cardigan.
Salad
What is the best Christmas present you ever received?
The one that stands out is from my childhood. I was 7 or 8 and my folks got me a barbie-type house. The brand was Cyndy-doll and the house was a levelled apartment that was taller than I was. My folks also got me all of the furniture for it - there was even a full set of silverware and china for the dining room!
Main Course
Tell about a favorite "hang out" place for you and your friends when you were in high school.
We were big dorks and we spent our lunches in Mr. Edwards English room instead of the cafeteria.
Dessert
Name something that always brings a smile to your face.
Hunter and Grace. My cats. :-)
Posted by Dre at 8:06 AM
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Thursday, December 14, 2006
Yankee Gift Swap
Last night was Lynn's annual yankee gift swap. I think there were 18 of us there- which was a good crowd. There wasn't too much swapping going on, except for a certain scarf that got traded a handful of times. I wound up with a Lemongrass scented candle and a package of chocolates (which contain milk products so I'll be re-gifting them). I was feeling a bit worn out so I left early and was home by 8:30. I had intended to get some painting done but wound up with a nasty headache so I layed down on the couch and was thankful I live in a quiet building.
As I layed there, I managed to come up witha character name and a few more specifics to my new D&D character. I'm pretty excited about her! I'll be heading out to Jay & Lisa's tonight to spend a bit of time fleshing out the character class and stats. I can't wait! Once I have it fully figured out, I'll probably blog about it :-D
Posted by Dre at 8:05 AM
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Wednesday, December 13, 2006
For a quiet evening, it turned out to be a pretty full one!
Yesterday evening started with a trip out to the vortex to get some more acrylics for Shannon's paintings. While I was out that way I popped in to FutureShop and picked up a Christmas gift for the folks (the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I can post that here because my folks don't have access to the web!) and the new Loreena McKennitt album Ancient Muse for myself. It has been a long while since she's put anything new out. I saw her at the Rebecca Cohn auditorium in Halifax some years back and her voice was so incredible it sent shivers up my spine.
I then had to take the cats to the vet for their annual shots & checkup. I took the carrier downand put it on the floor in the kitchen. Grace was curious about the smells and sniffed around it. Hunter, on the other hand, remembered their last trip in it (last February when they got fixed) and immediately took off. It took a good 15 or 20 minutes to get him and get him into the carrier. And of course they yowled the entire way there. They hate the car. Poor things. The visit at the vet's was nice and quick. The cats were pretty scared but they did well. They were pretty happy to get home and I made sure to give them a few treats for doing so well.
Another little treat I found for myself was a used and inexpensive copy of Tomb Raider: Legend for the Xbox360. I played that for a while before settling down to work on Shannon's paintings. I mixed up some new paint for the backgrounds and finished a nice solid second coat for both paintings. I also added some snow spray from the snowboard. Bit by bit it's coming along.
I also got a call from Richard last night, He offered me a part in the small film he's doing (I auditioned for it last week). It's an entertaining story and should be fun to do. I'm looking forward to working on it!
Posted by Dre at 7:29 AM
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Tuesday, December 12, 2006
More Painting
I spent last evening working on the paintings for my cube-buddy. Kristi came over and got a lot done on her first painting. And that was about it. I forsee more of the same tonight. Terribly exciting, non?
Posted by Dre at 8:04 AM
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Monday, December 11, 2006
Weekend Update
Friday evening Joanna stopped over for a bit and then I headed to Ann Keery's b-day dinner. A handful of us went out for a couple more drinks after dinner - all in all making for a fun evening. I started to fade at around 11, at which point I headed home.
Saturday I'd planned to paint but the day managed to get away from me. I got a little bit done in the morning and did a bit of puttering around my place until Ann called and asked if I could pop over with some advice for the painting she was working on for her friend Dawn. From there, I picked up Lisa and we headed over to the hospital to visit Anthony. He had been patiently waiting on standby for a few days to get his gallbladder removed, and he wound up going in to get it out soon after I left the hospital. I got some groceries and headed home to have dinner and then pop out to the SJTC Christmas party at the Somerset Pub. There was a good crowd there and it was great to see everyone. Once again, I started to fade by 11, at which point I headed home.
Sunday was a quiet day in as I spent the day alternately napping and working on the paintings for Shannon (my cube-buddy at work). Once they're done, I'll post photos. I finished watching Firefly (the series) and watched Serenity while painting. Great series. Too bad it isn't still going. I wonder what Joss Wheadon has up his sleeve for his next project.
Posted by Dre at 8:03 AM
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Friday, December 08, 2006
Friday Feast #121
Appetizer
Which language would you like to learn and why?
It would be neat to know Mandarin. English is my native language, and I have a decent grasp of French (enough that I can read it, but not enough that I'm comfortable coming up with stuff on my own) and a very very basic grasp of Spanish and given time and energy I'd be able to figure that out. But I would have no idea where to start with Mandarin. And I do think it'd be handy to know.
Soup
What's the funniest thing you've heard or read so far this week?
I can't think of anything in particular. There have certainly been a few lines and situations while watching Firefly that I thought were amusing or made me chuckle, but nothing really stands out to me.
Salad
Which movie was so bad you couldn't watch the whole thing?
Time Bandits. For starters, the previews were incredibly misleading. I went with my parents and we found it weird and disjointed and disturbing. That was the first movie I ever walked out on.
Main Course
If there were a holiday in your honor that didn't use your actual name, what would the day be called?
Creativity Day.
Dessert
Name one movie which is coming out soon that you would like to see.
Blood Diamond. I think it hits the theatres here this weekend.
Posted by Dre at 8:06 AM
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Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Perestroika
Last night was the reading of Angels In America. Part Two: Perestroika. We had about a dozen people come to the reading, which was pretty good. It was awfully chilly in the loft, so most of us kept our coats on throughout the evening. It was great to hear it out loud and everyone did a great job! Thanks to those of you who made it out!
Posted by Dre at 8:10 AM
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Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Great news for uptown Saint John!
Last night I headed over to Common Council to help support the Saint John Theatre Company's bid for funding from the city. It was a fairly long evening as we waited for our presentation to go before council, but it was worth the wait. They agreed to give the SJTC $50,000 right away! This means that the theatre company can get started on construction on the new old building! It's going to be such a pleasant and welcome change to that block of Princess Street.
I was really impressed at the great turnout of folks who came to support the SJTC last night. It was a good crowd. Many kudos to those who have been involved with the "Setting the Stage" campaign. Your hard work and time and effort is really making a difference!
John Mazerolle wrote a nice clear article about it in today's Telegraph Journal.
Posted by Dre at 8:06 AM
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Monday, December 04, 2006
Weekend Update: socializing/Christmas Shopping/drawing/book club
Friday night was a relaxing evening. I met up with Ann and a few of her friends at the Ale House for a drink. We headed over to Churchill's for a bite to eat (it was very crowded) and then to Happinez for a bit of wine. It was a full evening even if it wasn't a late one. It had been a long while since I'd been out and about like that.
Saturday I wound up running errands and getting some Christmas shopping done. I have a difficult time dealing with crowds and the mall was full of people, so even though I tried to make it a quick trip, I was pretty tired by the time I was done. I had been hoping to get a bit of painting done on Saturday but the day just got away from me. That evening I caught up with Jason for a bit and then headed home to read. I'm currently reading The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay.
Sunday was a very productive day. I spent most of my day drawing out what I'm going to be painting for Shannon L. (my cube-buddy at work). He has asked me to do two paintings of his children for them for Christmas. One is on his dirt bike and the other is snowboarding. I'm pretty happy with the results and I can't wait to get painting! I also finally started watching Firefly - the series. Lisa lent me her box set. I'd never seen it or the movie Serenity before, but I'm a big fan of Joss Wheadon's work. So far I'm really enjoying it. I'm about half way through the series.
Sunday was also our first book club meeting. There are about a dozen of us in the book club and we read and discussed Luck by Joan Barfoot. It was an interesting read and one that I wouldn't have normally picked up. Her style of writing is pretty unique and it took a bit to get into the book, but once I got into it, it read very quickly. I'm glad we chose a Canadian author. We've already decided on our next book. We'll be reading Alligator by Lisa Moore. She's going to be coming to Saint John in January for the Lorenzo reading, so we'll make our next book club meeting an outing to go and hear her read. I'm looking forward to it! (And again, we've chosen another Canadian author!)
Posted by Dre at 7:45 AM
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Friday, December 01, 2006
Friday Feast #120
Appetizer
Have you ever flown in a helicopter?
Yes.
Soup
What color is your warmest coat or jacket?
Black.
Salad
What is your favorite rainy day activity?
Painting or drawing while half watching old movie favourites.
Main Course
Describe your hands.
My hands are long and slender. The fingers are the same. I've been told plenty of times that I should play piano.
Dessert
If you could eat only one nut for the rest of your life, what nut would you pick?
Almonds. They are good for your heart (16 grams/day is recommended).
Posted by Dre at 7:56 AM
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