Scribblings of an inquisitive mind. I'm either an optimistic pessimist or a pessimistic optimist. I can never decide.
For Richer or Poorer, Better Or Worse
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)4 Jan 2009 at 2:51 pm
(a Sunday Scribblings prompt and the continuing saga of Debra) "Deb, it is you. What are you doing here?" Charles took Debra's hand and yanked her to her feet. As she busied herself with brushing sand -- yet again -- off her clothes, Debra couldn't help but see Charles shaking his head in his annoying, can't believe she's done it again manner. She could feel herself bristling. "What?!!" " ... read more
Post-Christmas
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)30 Dec 2008 at 12:49 am
This may have been the quietest Christmas we've had in a long time. We only had our immediate family for dinner and it was so much less stressful. The snow kept falling through most of Christmas week and except for a couple of forays to finish shopping, I remained ensconced in front of my fireplace. Our older son and girlfriend came on Christmas eve and stayed until this a.m. (the 29th). ... read more
A Walk In Bonaire - Part 2
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)28 Dec 2008 at 1:24 pm
I took this picture because it reminded me of the courtyard at the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome. It looks like a military garrison (complete with cannon in a corner), but is actually the entry to government buildings. There was a huge gate but nobody around, so I snuck around the corner and took a quick shot. A small local craft market: Lovely little house: I could have spent hours ... read more
A walk in Bonaire - Part 1
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)21 Dec 2008 at 2:57 pm
To make it easier to load, I'm splitting up my pictorial (the lazy writer's travelogue) into separate posts. As previously mentioned, I loved our little stop in Bonaire. We didn't have much time, so decided to spend it strolling along the waterfront area of Kralendijk, Bonaire's capital. I'm not much of a shopper, so avoided going into "town" and the shops. For those unfamiliar, Bonaire is ... read more
Oh the weather outside is frightful . . .
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)21 Dec 2008 at 2:05 pm
This just isn't right: The snow accumulation where I live is already around 10cm and the wind chill last night was around -20C. Winters in Vancouver are supposed to be mild, a balmy 6 to 10 Celsius (40s to 50s for those using Fahrenheit), occasionally dropping to zero. Instead, we've had a week of sub-zero temperatures and snow (which is still falling, by the way). This has coincided ... read more
Alive and well
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)4 Dec 2008 at 8:52 pm
I feel a tad bit guilty saying this, but I am alive and well and cruising in the Caribbean. Today, we were in Bonaire, a lovely, small gem of an island. Some might say it's boring (very little shopping, few shops and restaurants), but I loved it. The water is crystal clear, teeming with colourful fish and great coral reefs for snorkeling and diving enthusiasts. It's been a great trip and I ... read more
Freebies that aren't
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)6 Nov 2008 at 7:03 pm
'Tis the season for unsolicited gifts in the mail. In my neck of the woods, it starts after Halloween runs straight through Christmas. I'm sure I'm not the only household that gets unsolicited freebies from charitable organizations. You know, stuff like Christmas cards, note cards, calendars, notepads, and enough address labels to plaster my entire house. Given that I hardly ever send ... read more
I'm Hopeful
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)6 Nov 2008 at 4:18 pm
At some point someone will put up the worldwide numbers about who and how many people followed and watched the US election night results. I suspect the numbers will be unprecedented. What I do know is that on election night, Canadians were more than slightly interested in the outcome. Almost everyone I know was either watching TV coverage or following the election results online. My son ... read more
Halloween Scrooge
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)31 Oct 2008 at 2:27 pm
We are not doing Halloween this year. There, I've said it for all to see and now will have to follow through (I'm a brown-noser that way). When our boys were young, Halloween was a big deal. There were Halloween parties at school, costume parties at the rec center and the annual neighborhood haunted house to visit. We'd put a flying witch on the door, carved pumpkins on the steps and ghosts in ... read more
Another If the world could vote . . .
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)29 Oct 2008 at 2:47 pm
Here's another poll with very similar results to the one I previously posted, but with a larger number of respondents: If The World Could Vote I know the results are meaningless in regard to the actual outcome, but I think they show something meaningful in another sense. I've been reading comments from (mostly) Americans in various forums and blogs that discount the results. The comments ... read more
If the World Could Vote in the US Election
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)25 Oct 2008 at 7:04 pm
I know it doesn't mean a darn thing, but I voted at The World For. It made me feel better - sort of. If you want to cast your "mean nothing" vote, you can do it on this ballot: ... read more
Inspirational
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)23 Oct 2008 at 3:23 pm
If I had one wish for my life's journey it would be to inspire someone, anyone - whether my children or complete strangers - at least once in a lifetime. I looked up the following poem by Walt Whitman after reading this post on Berry Blog (Charlie is a former teacher). I remember only two teachers in my life who inspired such depth of feeling. O Captain My Captain O Captain my Captain ... read more
New Look
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)23 Oct 2008 at 2:28 pm
I've finally changed to a 3-column layout. I've been meaning to try it for some time, but the previous customizations seemed too time-consuming and I was too lazy. The other day, I found a quick, easy customization using Blogger's "Layout" functionality. The instructions are clear and simple, and for those of you who are intimidated by tech talk, you don't need to understand html. If ... read more
Completely frivolous and the not so
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)20 Oct 2008 at 2:06 pm
For a change of pace from all the election news I've been following and to indulge in my favourite pastime of procrastination, here's a Blogthings query (thanks to Joy from Babble On). What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning? What Ellen Means You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people ... read more
(no title)
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)8 Oct 2008 at 2:22 pm
Even though I've been back for awhile, it's taken some time to get back to blogging. It seems like so much has happened both in the world and on the home front that I've been feeling overwhelmed. I even stopped reading my favourite blogs and forums. I forgot how blogging can be therapeutic at times like this. So here are some odds 'n sods that have been on my mind lately. I seldom post ... read more
Q is for
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)5 Oct 2008 at 7:17 pm
Quietly contemplating Quixotic causes And the Quintessence of life. Or in short: Quietly questioning. ... read more
Slow Dancing
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)5 Oct 2008 at 1:51 pm
I found this video while searching for something else. It is beautiful, sensual, and rivetting. I just couldn't resist posting it. Some of you may recognize this as a routine danced by Katee and Joshua from Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance. They did an abbreviated version of this on the show and as much as I love Katee and Josh - and they did a wonderful job given the short rehearsal ... read more
Just one more thing . . . K. D. Lang
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)19 Jul 2008 at 4:43 pm
I had to add this video of K. D. Lang from her performance on the 2005 Juno Awards. It's my favourite version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah and makes me cry every time I see it. ... read more
Aloha
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)19 Jul 2008 at 3:09 pm
In 1 day, 6 hours, 35 minutes, 40, 39, 38, 37, 36, . . . seconds, I will be flying off to Hawaii (see this earlier post --> from February). I meant to put up a Sunday Scribblings post about the continuing saga of Debra, but, alas, between procrastination and the inevitable bill-paying, mail-canceling, arranging for someone to take the hanging baskets lest they die a horrible parched and ... read more
P is for Procrastination
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)19 Jul 2008 at 2:42 pm
I am the queen of procrastinators. I can procrastinate with the best of them. I could be a professional procrastinator. From outward appearance, I don't look like a procrastinator. Most people think I am very organized, detail and goal-oriented – accomplishing what I plan - and a glutton for hard work. The thing is, I fool people. Whereas it's true that I am organized, detail-oriented, ... read more
To play without the pain . . .
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)13 Jul 2008 at 2:48 pm
They seem to me amazingly carefree. They have saved up for this trip and they are damn well going to enjoy it, despite the arthritis of one, the swollen legs of the other. They're rambunctious, they're full of beans; they're tough as thirteen, they're innocent and dirty, they don't give a hoot. Responsibilities have fallen away from them, obligations, old hates and grievances; now for a short ... read more
Confessions of a dance junkie
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)10 Jul 2008 at 8:25 pm
I love watching So You Think You Can Dance. There. I've admitted it. I not only love watching it, I think I'm more than a tad addicted. These past few weeks, I've planned my Wednesday and Thursday evenings around the airing of both the performance and results show. Not only do I watch the original broadcast, but I watch the numerous re-runs throughout the week. If that weren't enough, I ... read more
Chance Encounter
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)5 Jul 2008 at 2:31 pm
(Continuation of a previous SS story). Not your usual pick up, that's for sure. But who said Prince Charming had to come on a white horse? Besides, she'd always wanted a ride in a hot-air balloon. As soon as the gate snapped closed, Debra had a brief moment of self-doubt as visions of a news broadcast flashed through her mind, Witnesses said it looked like a giant fireball as the balloon ... read more
Multigenerational home or boomerang kids - Perception is everything
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)30 Jun 2008 at 5:55 pm
Along the lines of rambling and thinking out loud (my disclaimer regarding any coherent conclusion to this post), I was reading Rhea's post on The Boomer Chronicles, Lets Ponder Adult Children Who Move Back Home, where she says: I remember as a young adult going back home temporarily after I’d already gone away to college. It was murder for me. It sort of forced me back into ‘child’ mode. ... read more
What's so funny?
by noreply@blogger.com (ell)28 Jun 2008 at 8:54 pm
“Look at those bear feet! They’re bare!”He's looking at me like I'm nuts. He doesn't get it. Not even a groan. He really doesn't get it. Maybe he'll never get it – my weird, off the wall, blurtings - what I think is funny. But he's so nice! Nice guys don’t come around all that often; or if they do, the rest of the package ain’t so hot - the package with wife and two kids. Let's see. ... read more