Festive Apartment a la Hermit

I was all ready to come here with a cautionary tale and a pretty picture to back it up, but my bruising capabilities let me down. Suffice to say, vamoosing around in your apartment living room rehearsing Spanish-style turning and jumping is not the wisest plan, particlarly around a steel-framed futon.

In other news, I am fading fast here, two more days before my biology final exam and I am SO over studying, but there is a ton of information and nasty super specific stuff that needs to get jammed into my brain before then. Bah. Ah well, after that, two days and I am home! :) Can't believe it's almost Christmas already, this year has really flown by.

Since I need to have a festive house for festive times, I have holidayed up le apartment. I took pictures for all to see so I have some maybe kind of interesting things to share. Enjoy!

Le Tree. I am pretty proud, found this on half price at Canadian Tire and then used moocho Canadian Tire moneys (which was kind of embarrasing, since counting out $17 worth of money in things like five cents takes a while) so it really wasn't a huge expense and let me have a tree! :) I would have gone with a live one but apparently they aren't allowed in my apartment building, lame, I know.

A wreath that hangs in the middle of my sliding doors. This be all free. Greenery stolen from our float once it was taken apart. Base was an old wire hanger and I was given the Nutcracker. Hooray, now lets just pretend it is actually round and evenly shaped...

More theived greenery. I didn't have anything to stick in the middle, so used the Christmas card mere sent me. Note the strategic cropping out of major disaster in the bookshelf underneath it.

A topper on top of this cabinet I have in my living room. Cedar, lights that I had from home and some ornaments that I didn't put on my tree. See, I had this issue with the ornaments; they don't come with hooks attached and I had a tough time finding any but I was getting impatient to decorate me tree so I started improvising. This involved cutting the wire out of those twist ties you get at the grocery store for your bulk food and bending it into hooks, so my ornaments were limited to the number of ties I had. Thus, the extras get to live on my cabinet.

Oh, and some randomness to finish up here. I occassionaly peruse the blog of a romance author (however, I have never read any of her books, found her through her daughter's site, who has interests much more in tune with mine) which is often a good read. I also figure that maybe if I read a bunch of stuff my talented writers, some of it will rub off on me. Here are two posts of hers that I have really enjoyed and thought you might too: Literary Insults and one on her process of developing realistic characters and the inadvertent trauma of her local library volunteers in the process. Actually, Jo and Kes, you folks and your mom might like her stuff if you haven't read it already... although beats me really, but I figure #1 New York Times Bestseller has to count for something, no?

Hermit

P.S. I need a male name that is on par with Grizelda and I am coming up short. My party parent self has been christened that and my husband needs an equally charming one, anybody?

Winter Storm Warning

Projected snow accumulation for the day: 5cm
Seriously.... uh, this is Canada, not Florida folks. Can't wait to return to the land of true igloo-living Canucks!
Hermit

Missing my brood

I was looking though the pictures on my laptop the other day in search of old christmas photos and came across a folder of creature christmas photos. I miss my babies and I want to have a big brood of critters again. :(

Missing my inthewoods brood aussi...

Don't have much to blog about, I am trying to be less whiney/ self centered (haha, that indicates wonderful things about my character).

No snow here yet, which makes me grumpy but I have a christmas tree! This is a very happy thing. I also have a bunch of cedar boughs (currently lying all over my living room floor- kind of looks like a forest vomited in here) that I am planning on making into garland and wreaths. Shall get on that and maybe take pictures for you to see.

Have been doing some knitting- making me mere a scarf for christmas, and possibly gloves but that depends on when I finish the scarf and if I can translate the idea in my head to a real thing with my menial patternmaking skills.

Still trucking away with the correspondance schoolness. I found out yesterday though that I have been accepted into the Nutrition program at Mount St. Vincent (out in Halifax) for next september. Nothing to get too excited about though, I am definitely not sold on what I am doing next year at all.

Anyways, enough blithering. I am majorly looking forward to seeing you all in a few weeks (hopefully) and catching up, even if it is only for a little bit.

Hermy

A decade of bunny love

So, ma boonay is 10 now! (His birthday is either october 28 or 31-originally it was the 31st but then I changed it because we were always too busy but really all we knew is that he was born in october, aaaanyhow) I am sad I wasn't home for his birthday but I did get to see him not too long before and I gave parents strict instructions for maximum spoilage. I can't believe its been that long, my goodness how time flies (haha, likewise, how the heck is it already NOVEMBER!!??)

So, a picture for yous:

Hermit

Vegan Slippers!

Back to the meaningless drivel;

So at dance one of the junior apprentices moms has been making all of the company members a pair of knit slippers. The rule is that they have to be hideous though, so several have been made with clashing colours, one of the boys had big orange tulle pompoms on them etc. Anyhew, a bit ago she completed mine which were customized to be vegan-most excellent! So I present you my amazing vegan slippers:

And now a close up of the amazingness:
Hermit

Watch and you too can become a conspiracy theorist...

I have been debating posting this for a few days now but I have been convinced. Here's hoping it doesn't land me on some government blacklist...

Anyhew, thought it would be a nice change from the meaningless drivel I usually spam you all with on here.

Hermit

P.S. Sorry to folks with slow machine for continuing to post videos... I am such a good friend!

Must Watch Video

This is such a lovely video, almost made me get teary (and no creatures involved, quite the feat!!) Stupid Americans...

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

P.S. How was everyones first weekish at school?
Hermy

Planet Earth

If you haven't already, you must see Planet Earth, the BBC documentary series. The pictures are phenomenal, seriously, and they have a swell British fellow narrating. Next time we are all home, I am forcing you all to come over to my house and watch it. I have also decided that I want to become a National Geographic photographer.

Hermit

P.S. Did you know that elephants swim? (Best clip ever of elephants swimming in Planet Earth!)

I love me some quizzes!

I Am - curious as to what the future holds

I Want - to be done my school courses

I Have - amazing friends, I just wish we all lived in the same city again

I Wish - I had more answers and fewer questions, or see above

I Hate - feeling inadequate

I Fear - failure

I Hear - birds chirping and somebody walking down the hall in flip-flops

I Search - on Google! For everything and anything!

I Wonder - what other people think

I Regret - not a lot, other than really stupid things I have done (but those are all quite a few years past now)

I Love - my creatures!!

I Ache - when I mangle myself doing things

I Always - breathe

I Usually - am polite/nice (or so I think)

I Am Not - outspoken

I Dance - pretty much all the time

I Sing - badly

I Never - swear

I Rarely - do things outside of my comfort zone

I Cry - sometimes

I Am Not Always - upfront with what I think/feel

I Lose - at games, a lot

I’m Confused - about choices/decisions people make

I Need - folksies to live with me!! (I would settle for creatures too)

I Should - do schoolwork with more conviction

I Dream - that someday I will be pulled together and have direction

I hope- I don't dissapoint others too much

I feel- a strange thing in my throat

I appreciate- good vegan food

Hermit

More Plants

I am pretending you are all terribly interested in the progress of my balcony garden so I am here with more spieling and pictures!!

Since my last post things have been growing away at quite the pace! I am pleased. Hopefully I veel be procuring more pots and soil because I am rather wanting to grow peas and beans as well.

Anyhow, the tomatoes on my beefsteak plant are getting nice and plump though I think they are still a fair ways away from being ready to harvest.

The other tomato plant has blossoms now too which is most excellent!

My parsley, lettuce, spinach and swiss chard are now all quite easily identified though I think the spinach and swiss chard are needing to be thinned out here soon so that they can have space to grow nice and big! Sadly I think tis about the end for my spinach, we had a massive heat wave a week or so ago and I think that caused it to go into flowering mode, so methinks I might harvest it all and replant, poop to the heat!!

The basil is grood, although rather in need of a larger pot, the picture here is it post-harvesting - yum, pesto!!

My yellow squash plants, so much bigger than last time! They have these little buds right by the stem right now but I have yet to determine if they are leaf type buds or flower type buds.

Spaghetti squash! This is growing speedylike as well, although methinks it will soon be wanting to not have a small shared pot between two plants. Bleh, I am having major plotschemes of trying to build some kind of big standing soil holder so I can grow lots of big things!!

Lastly, lettuce and wee parsley! I have another pot of lettuce but it is in segregation at the moment. I spied aphids on it the other day so it is undergoing the oh so sophisticated treatment of dish detergent mix being sprayed on it.

Sorry some of the pictures are fuzzy, I made a mad dash taking pictures before the camera battery ran out. I really need a battery charger...

Anyhew, hopefully you are all well and employed.

Hermy

Do you see what I see?

Time to meet my plantfriends!
Meet Mr. Beefsteak tomato plant. He is my friend, especially if he is as prolific as he is purported to be. But do you see them? No?...

How about now? Yuppers, those are leetle beefsteak tomato-to-be's, how grand and exciting! There are also more flowers and buds. This makes me very happy!

This here be one of my long trays; spinach and swiss chard or beets (I dont know yet because in my infinite wisdom, I opted to forego labels. However, I prefer to think of it as adding an element of anticipation and excitement into my life.) Lookee the little true leaves coming up!

Clockwise from the top are two yellow squash (the ones like zucchini but yellow) plants and in the white pot are two spaghetti squash plants (that are going to need to be transplanted at some time. I have serious doubts about plants that grow large squash appreciating that size of pot to be shared between two of them...)

And this is my basil. Lovely and bushy although I feel bad stealing leaves (Eve and I have decided that this is the perfect vegan tale of woe! *cackle*) but I am determined to steal them in a manner that doesn't kill the plant. We shall see how that goes, so far so good.

I also have another long tray that has carrots and swiss chard or beets (I am pretty sure that one has the swiss chard; I recall being all smart and putting root veggies with leafy veggies so that they wouldn't be so crowded) but the carrots are still very small and sparse looking so I dont have a picture of them. Three pots, two of which have parsley plants in them and a third that has mystery plant (I don't remember planting anything in it that wasn't parsley, but the little fellow sprouting doesn't look like parsley. Maybe it's lettuce, beats me!) but again, not too spectacular so no pictures yet.

Alrighty and that is all. Someday when I manage to de- 'gahexamsandstudyingandchemlabsandmoving' the main areas of my place, I shall take pictures. But right now it really is quite atrocious so I shant subject you to that.

Hope you are all good (alive, beats me since I never HEAR from any of you *hinthint* you should blog!!) and finding of jobs and whatnot (specifically including the planning of trips to visit lehermit, I promise I will clean up if you come, and I will bake you tasty things!!).

Hermy

No formal pictures of my place yet but here is a teaser. This is my kitchen table, avec foodsles and flowers. Nice and sunny here, me likes.

I haven't been up to much lately, have this week off dance which makes for lots of school-time. Or Hermit procrastinating time. Anyhow, I have actually been getting some schoolwork done, however if the internet didn't exist I think I would have a lot more done (and probaby be crazy, but anyhow) ...
Anyhew, courtesy of the internets, I have learned many a thing including that in the middle of L.A. there is/was a 14 acre garden! Which is fantastic, except that a developer came along to build a warehouse on the land, and was given permission. Anyways, there is a documentary coming out, or maybe is already out, about it that I really want to see. So interesting.



Speaking of gardening, my little plants are coming along. I will have to take pictures for you all. Have been doing some reading up on it though and methinks that I should do a bit of remodelling for maximum growth and harvest. All this research makes me want to ditch school in favour of becoming a vegetable farmer. Well, a specific kind of vegetable farmer. This is courtesty of internets again; this woman in California grows veggies and herbs and whatnot organically for a bunch of restaurants, how fantastic is that!!?
Alrighty, and off. Hope you all are well.
Hermit

Back again

Howdy folks!
I is moved into my new place, should take pictures for ye (after I un-tornadoify it!) and I have a leetle balcony garden started which makes me tres pleased! Hurrah!
So I really want to volunteer at this wild animal SPCA thing they have here http://www.wildarc.com/ but to be a volunteer you have to sign up for minimum 4 hour shift twice a week for six months and I am nervous about that kind of commitment. Bleh.
Came across this video, am rather muchly a big fan (although yes, that one song is awfully overused right now) and have determined that I rather appreciate Jon Schmidt's work in general.



Anyhew, time for Hermit to stop procrastinating on schoolness, hope ye all are well.
Hermy

Don't judge a book by its cover

Ha, all those judgemental people got a nice slap in the face!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Hermit

TV show spoilers

Stink!!! I clicked on a link talking about House and found out information that I don't want to know! Splerg. I know terrible things that happen in the next episode kes.....

Also, just have to say, toilet paper is an underappreciated commodity...

And lastly, yay home!! If you are in zee city, pweese let me know, I wants to see you!!!
Hermy

Is it possible?....

I have been thinking about things I dislike about self recently and I have decided an overhaul is a novel plan, but is it possible?
-I talk about myself to people close to me far too much, nobody wants to know all that and they shouldn't have to listen to me whine 24/7. I am surprised I still have friends, that you don't go running for the hills as soon as you get wind of a rant.
-I am generally quite judgemental and easily jealous, not good things to be. I think I am generally not too bad at keeping it to myself but them thoughts should be stopped.
-Stop being so wishywashy about everything, if I truly want to do something or change something or whatever, DO IT and don't forget about in a few days.
-Let things go, this kind of goes along with number two.
So really, is it possible to do a huge personality type overhaul like that? We shall see. I think I maybe need to write notes to myself everywhere so I dont forget.
Anyhow, this post runs along the lines of #1 but I am hoping having it here will remind me.
Hope you all are well and alive (since I never hear from lots of you *hinthint*)
Hermy

Random Musings 2.0

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez.
Trying to find inexpensive accomodation in this year city is proving rather difficult.
Needing of some schoolrelated motivation, anyone, anyone?...
Muscle ripping off shinbone type feeling=not so pleasant.
Me is not knowing much of other folksies lives, would like to... *hinthint*
Ernesta is the most excellent name ever, in fact, methinks I need a new blogpet...
Over and out
Hermit
P.S. Please give Ernesta a brushing, that is seriously the best thing ever!!! *grin* Makes me faar too pleased...

Random Musings with Hermit 1.0

What is this I hear about some spring thing? It snowed here today....

5 seasons of a television show in 2 months is perhaps not something to be overly proud of...

Hot pink sheets = hot pink dryer lint = happy happy hermit

Hermy

Good Times...

So Kes and I watched our beautiful Ceremonial Wedding video again and I just thought you all needed to be reminded of its greatness!




Hermit

Random Stuff

I have a fun list of random stuff I have seen on the internets.A fancy device that covers your cords and at each curlique end has an outlet: Wirepod

A most excellent looking book, super fancy 3-D origami stuff. Probably death to make, but sure looks impressive! Advanced Origami

Fantastic stuff with paper! I wish I was that skilled. Paper Art

A most excellent UK house, that has several components that slide around allowing you to completely change the place!

Okay, and enough internet slime, time for Hermit to get cracking on the schoolage!

Hermy

Animal pelts

Another tale from the life of Hermit:
I was on le bus today coming home from rehearsal and on stepped this individual (along with many others, the bus was crowded) whom I paid little attention to (actually that is a bit of a lie, but what I did pay attention to has no bearing on the story- she had bangs, then a headband and then a head full of dreadlocks so I was trying to figure out how she managed that, but I digress...) until she turned around a bit and I noticed a furry tale and two limp legs hanging over her shoulder. Then she began to stroke the tail and I realised it was some kind of grotesque scarf, that was basically the skin of some dead animal sewn up. This was/is entirely repulsing to me and a moment later when someone left their seat and she ended up sitting facing me I am sure I had a charming look of disgust on my face. At this point I could also see the other end of it, which had a head!! I don't understand how people sell things like this, or purchase them for that matter. It was some kind of fox, and the face/head was all intact; ears, snout etc. Which kind of made me get teary. Ha, I am pathetic! Basically the entire time she was stroking the tail, fondling the legs, rubbing the feet against her face/mouth etc. and I had to majorly restrain myself from having some kind of outburst. But honestly, how can you be fondling and rubbing the de-boned skin of a dead animal!?
Ok, end rant.
Hermit out.

The Best Laid Plans...

So I have a fun story for you all:
Me mere and me brothers birthdays fall on February 5 and 6 and I have issues remembering which date belongs to each person. This is bad and makes me feel like a bad kid, so I try to avoid it at all costs. Knowing I would be away this year I had great plans for mailing gifts, however when that failed (I need lessons on good gift ideas for family members, anyhow) I opted for phoning on the day etc. Now in order for this to happen with minimal embarrasment of the 'Idontknowwhichofyouisgettingoldertoday' sort I formulated crafty plan: Eve's mom and mine share the same birthday, so presto, I figure out the meres is the 5th. Now there are also evening type plans for the 5th so I plan it all out to get up early so I can phone in zee morning and avoid not being able to at night. Yay me for planning my life out etc.
So this morning (we are pretending that I am not writing this blogpost at the cutoff for the day) I am zee phone with mere, wish her happy birthday and then after a bit of a pause inform her that I really hope I don't have the wrong date. Sadly, she informs me that yes, it is in fact my brothers birthday today and not hers. She then goes on to tell me how I can keep them straight by saying that brother was born the day after her 35 birthday. (the age she decided she wasn't having kids after) Great, except that I know that it is the 5 and 6, which would make her birthday the 4 which makes me an even more horrid kid than I thought. However I express my confusion, asking if brothers birthday is the 5th. No, tis the 6th I am told. So then it is your birthday today!? No, today is the 6th.
Epic fail!
I had the date and everything right, minus the fact that I am apparently an idiot and completely lost track of the days. *bows
So much for my great plans...
Hermit

Our Apartments Pet

Alo all, has been a long time.

I thought you would appreciate this so enjoy.

Before christmas Jo built some soup and decided it would last over the holidays. Upon returning, it was determined that no, it had not however it remained in the fridge for some time until it was removed to make room for edible food products. At that time it took up residence on our kitchen counter, awaiting its demise. Fortunately for it (and unfortunately for us) this did not occur in a timely fashion, allowing out kitchen mascot to develop and grow into a beautiful, odiferous thing.

And here, for your entertainment, is our kitchen mascot:

Whats that you say? You can't quite see him well enough? Okay...

Better? But wait, what is that in the upper left corner?

Yum!
Hope you weren't eating!

Hermit