5 Things

I've been tagged by Flossy-p with a fun little game called "5 things" which means I must now share 5 things about myself that I haven't left on my blog. Well, what a great way to get my butt in gear and post something already. Thanks Flossy! It is no secret that I have been in a funk for quite awhile now and I just haven't wanted to post anything since I figured I'd be moaning and complaining the entire time and who the heck wants to read about that! Well, here is a nice format for me get back into the groove, it is also a fun way for me to make my BIG announcement, so please, read on!

1.) Ok, don't know how else to tell you, so here we go : I'm Pregnant! That's right folks, knocked up and getting ready to pop out a baby in mid July. I suppose that is the main reason for the uncreative rut I've been in lately. Between the fatigue and constant nausea, it was difficult to do more than eat, sleep, and pray that I wouldn't lose my lunch on the sky train. Even work was becoming unbearable! Also, if I have had any energy, I've been consumed with pregnancy books, references, and anything related to baby this and baby that...wow, never thought I'd get to this point in my life! But here I am, and holy cow, are we ever excited! (I'll be blogging more on this soon!)

2.) I grew up playing the violin and if my audition had been good enough to be accepted to Western, I would have majored in music. Currently my violin is in the closet, strings loosened, gathering dust. But I do miss playing and hope to one day revive it and join a string quartet. There is something truly magical about playing an instrument in a larger group!

3.) I secretly wish I could be a boxer. I'm not really one to spend the afternoon watching boxing matches on tv, but ever since I read Bryce Courtney's The Power of One about 5 years ago I have been quite interested in the life of a boxer. When The Contender reality show aired in 2004 (you know, the one with Stallone and Sugar Ray), I wouldn't miss a week - I was so caught up in the individual fighter's lives; the glory of the wins and the tragedy of the losses. And let's not forget about Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood's finest achievement. After seeing that movie, I searched all over our neighbourhood to see if there were any boxing gyms where I could train...of course I totally chickened out and decided I'd live vicariously through Hillary Swank.

4.) I work as an artist in video games, but I have to admit that I absolutely can't stand video games...Yes, I know... What am I doing in this industry? I absolutely despise talking tech shoppe away from the office and I have a hard time explaining exactly what I do when someone asks. I suppose it's one of those careers where you wake up one day and ask yourself, how did I get here anyways? Especially when I had studied traditional animation and fine arts for 4 years. I'm not complaining, it is a great job and I love the people here. But I dream of a day where I can work from a small studio and create my own art and actually make a living from it.

5.) The last one..On the subject of jobs: The worst and toughest job I've ever had was working in a greenhouse during the hot humid Ontario summers to make money for school. Everyday for 4 months my best friend and I would leave our comfortable air conditioned homes to face the 100 degree Fahrenheit oven called a greenhouse. We'd cart around bedding plants and load them onto racks for shipping all over Ontario, Michigan and Ohio. The worst part of the job was that we'd arrive each morning with no clue when we'd leave. Early summer was so busy that we could end up working until 10pm or even midnight 7 days a week. And all this fun, for minimum wage and no over time pay. Good times! We were zombies and completely unaware of what day of the week it was. I did this for 3 summers and was so so happy to land my next job at a paint-your-own ceramics studio. It was less hours and crap pay, but I have never taken air conditioning for granted ever since. It sounds cliche, but I think every person needs a job like this to truly appreciate all the future careers/jobs they will have. I know I do!

Well, that's it folks. Now it's time for me to tag some others:

Babelfish from CrustStation (however, I think you've done this already...)
Julie from Little Cotton Rabbits
Hubby hubberson
Ken

..I'm not sure if anyone reads my blog anymore, but if you read this post, consider yourselves tagged as well. Have fun!

Stuck in the 90's

Happy New Year everyone!...yes, I know it is quite a bit overdue. But, hey, better than never, right? I have to admit, I am still in quite a rut as far as my creative activity is going. I wish I could say that Christmas was the rejuvenating break that I was expecting...Unfortunately a long plane ride to Toronto brought a dreaded cold and more exhaustion. Gotta love recycled air! It was wonderful to see the family and I did get a ton of rest while I was home. Even my Dad was concerned with the amount of time I spent crashed on the couch. So, here we are back on the west coast awaiting yet another wind storm and I feel like the break was some sort of dream and here I am back at life. I do believe I need to pick up the Artist's Way again and get a kick in my creative pants. This is getting ridiculous.
But before I dig that out again, I'd like to share with you one of my Christmas gifts. My ever so thoughtful brother and his wife were kind enough to buy me this Natalie Merchant CD which has been on my amazon wish list for about 4 years now. Don't ask me why I didn't ever just pick it up myself, I have no idea...perhaps it's because I get music amnesia every time I walk into a CD store. But I was so excited when I opened this gift because it brings back sooo many memories. My first apartment, roomates, college papers, art projects and all those years of dating Mr. Hubby. Yes, reliving the late 90's all over again :) This is the part of my life I like to remember. Forget high school, it was awkward, painful and filled with horrible decisions. But leaving home and embarking on a new beginning, new friends, and of course, no money. Sigh. Those were the days. So, off I go to listen to it again. Have you all heard of this CD? I think I am a bit stuck in the 90's , but it really is one of my faves.