My 2008 Resolutions

I don't usually make resolutions at the start of the New Year because it seems sort of trite and goes against my anti establishment tendencies. However this year it does feel appropriate, considering that 2007 was a very messy year and I am more than happy to leave it behind me. I am also trying to "be more yoga", so it seems a good time to dive in. I will follow the "It's Yoga" philosophy of "write it down, and all is coming." I have written it down in THREE places already, and this is my fourth, just to make it clear to the universe that I am particularly determined about these things. I will also see the list staring me in the face everywhere I turn, thus making it unavoidable. I'll probably make charts, too, because I'm analytical like that.

So without further ado, here is my list of 2008 Resolutions (with additional commentary for the benefit of the reader.)

In 2008, I will:

- Drink eight glasses of water a day (not because I've been told to, but because I feel better when I drink more water, and it's better to have a specific amount to keep on track.)

- Do Yoga six days a week (again, because I feel better when I do Yoga, and sometimes I slack off and feel guilty. I'll also start up my yoga journal again, so I can keep track of my progress, because it's interesting!)

- Get my own place. (Might rent or buy, depending on where I get a job and what's available. I'm not convinced that being on the property ladder in Nova Scotia is a good idea, despite what I've heard. Houses stay on the market here for way too long, and I'm non-committal in that respect.)

- Get a good job that makes me happy! (Must, must, must be with a company that shares and respects my values! Must, must, must not dread going into work every day!)

- Get a nice boyfriend. (Nice is key. He will love to spend time with me, be positive and considerate, tell me I'm pretty and make me hot chocolate when I'm sad. In return, I will love him, bake him cookies and entertain him with my scintillating conversation and sparkling personality. Not a bad deal, I think! I make pretty good cookies!)

- Learn the Samba Line Dance. (Usually I can pick up new dances pretty quickly, but the Samba Line Dance eludes me at every corner!!! It is also fun and very cool to watch, but can I get it? no no no!!! But I will, darnit. I will.)

So that's that! I think they're all reasonable and achievable goals, and I have twelve months to come out a more balanced and confident person! I'm excited about this!

How about you? Do you have any resolutions for 2008?
Lots of love and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Gillian

And this was supposed to be our week off!

This morning on my way downstairs I ran into my dad who was running up the stairs with his flute case. "This," I speculated, "does not bode well."

When my dad came downstairs again I asked what he was up to. "I'm about to tear out the fireplace in the study." WHAT?! WHAT?! "NO!" I shouted! "You can't do that!"

The fireplace in the study is one of those charming original features of this house that some misguided fool already defaced. At one point it was a wood fireplace, but someone tore out part of the chimney to put in a bathroom vanity on the other side of the wall. If you tried to light a fire in there now you'd burn the house down. HOWEVER, the fireplace mantel is still pretty and it could easily be converted into a propane or electric fireplace, hence my concern. At any rate, my dad explained to me that the study was now going to become their bedroom, and the dining room would be their private sitting room (for when guests start arriving.) The study is small, so the fireplace would have to be torn out for the bed to fit. I did not approve of this plan.

My parents NEVER stop, but when they do they plant themselves in front of the fireplace in the current living room and watch television. The fireplace is key. It's on most nights from September to May. But THAT room is turning into the guest dining room, and I had this horrific vision of my mum spending the rest of her nights sitting sadly in front of the dining room fireplace. How upsetting!

SO I collected my parents and encouraged them firmly to leave the fireplace alone, turn the study into their sitting room and the dining room into their bedroom. We measured, speculated, spent the entire day moving furniture and guess what? The new plan worked, and the fireplace is still there and my parents now have a bedroom where the dining room used to be. PHEW! Are you confused? Here, I drew diagrams:


And THAT is the story of how Gillian saved a fireplace and inadvertently spent her day off moving furniture. I suppose virtue comes at a price ;) Unfortunately my parents figure that they can't afford a propane fireplace insert without having to get jobs at Tim Hortons, so if anyone is looking for a lovely "Bed and Breakfast Warming" present... might I suggest a propane fireplace insert? ;)

Love,

Gillian

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Well it was a very quiet but nice Christmas here in Nova Scotia. We all got thoroughly spoiled by Santa, we went for a little drive, I cooked my first turkey and we had a lovely dinner. I admit that I tried to ignore Christmas a little bit, because whenever I started to think of it I got really sad that the rest of the family wasn't with us. It was a nice day, but it just wasn't the same :P

As promised, I've put together a little Nova Scotia Christmas slideshow. This way you can pretend that you had Christmas with us. Midway through is a picture of a young golden Eagle, which will seem completely non-cohesive to the rest of the slideshow, but we saw it on our Christmas drive today, so it is henceforth The Christmas Eagle and actually does belong.

Still no sign of the missing package, but hopefully... maybe... I hope?

Love to everyone!

Gillian

Christmas Rage!!!

AUGH! I am so mad right now!!! Canada Post has somehow managed to lose the Christmas parcel that we sent to Nathan & Sheila. It was allegedly "successfully delivered" on the 14th, but did they get a package? NO! NO THEY DIDN'T! And I'm MAD! I'm FURIOUS! I'm ENRAGED!

I have my fingers and toes crossed for a Christmas miracle, that it might suddenly appear at the mail depot or something, but for now let me leave you with a little advice:

1. When you send a package, you should insure it for the appropriate amount, and not just say "yes, the $100 insurance coverage is fine."

2. Did you know that you can request a signature to confirm receipt? You can and you should, or some postal jerk might just leave the package on your front porch for some OTHER jerk to steal.

3. Just because you track a package and it says that delivery is confirmed, don't necessarily believe it.

Well, wish us luck that we get this sorted out.
Having a blue, blue Christmas :(
Gillian

Disneyland Slideshow

Better late than never, here's a slideshow from my trip to Disneyland this summer with Josh, Susan and Caspian!

It was so much fun, I'm tempted to move to California! Good weather, good food, great shopping, lots of fun! Hmm... too bad about that pesky Green Card issue.

I'm working on putting together a little Nova Scotia Christmas slideshow, so keep a look out after Christmas for that one. I'm also putting together a rather large list of resolutions for 2008, which I will post on here too! Nothing like exposing your resolutions to the masses to keep you on track, right?

I'm a sentimental schmuck right now with Christmas around the corner and most of the people I love so far away. I love you and miss you all, dear friends and family!

Happy Christmas, Hanukkah and Yule!

Gillian

The Truth Is Out There! and It Involves Aliens!

Sometimes when I'm feeling a little edgy and my mind is going on and on about unpleasant things I start to crave a little escapism. Usually this means that I hunker down with marathon episodes of The X-Files and play solitaire. I have to play solitaire while I watch The X-Files or else I get too scared and have to sleep with the light on. Solitaire helps me keep my distance, and gives me somewhere else to look when yucky things are happening :P I love The X-Files. I think it's smart and interesting and often quite funny. It's also neat because it was filmed in Vancouver, and sometimes I see familiar places and go "OOH! OOH! I've been there!" It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling to think that I stood in the same spot as David Duchovny ;) haha! Anyway, I know I've been watching too many episodes of The X-Files when I start to think that everything is a government conspiracy and I'm surprised when the lights go on when I flip the switch. Today has been one of those days. I think I need to cut back a little bit before I start wearing a tinfoil hat ;)

I'll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from season 5:

SCULLY: Have you thought seriously about dying?
MULDER: Yeah, once, when I was at the Ice Capades.

Lots of Love,
Gillian

My Latest Project

As many of you know, lately I've been applying for jobs in Halifax and Calgary. Most of these jobs are boring and I'm not excited about them, but I'm ready to head back to the work force and settle back into my own life again, so I have to take what I can get and go from there. Right now any answer is a good answer, as long as it resembles forward motion.

However, yesterday I found a job posting for a Junior Art Director that got me pretty excited. You may recall that Art Director is one of my Top 5 Dream Jobs! I think I'm almost qualified for this job, so keep your fingers crossed that they see it too! The job involves a lot of liaison work with photographers, and a knowledge of photography, so I put on my resume that I do freelance portraits (which is true) and that I've assisted photographers (which is also true, despite the fact that I don't really speak with said photographers anymore, which might make references on that front tricky.) At any rate, my parents thought that having an online portfolio of my "work" might be beneficial. I let my other photography site fall off the web-o-sphere a while ago because my confidence in my photography "talent" was quite shaken (and still is, I guess.) But I agreed that it might be good to have something up in the event that the company did call me and wanted to see what I was about. We'll see what happens with that!

Until then, if you want to take a look then go for it, just keep in mind that many of these shots are quite old and that it only took me about three hours to throw this site together, so it's definitely NOT fancy. However, it is full to the brim with really adorable babies! The site is a sub-directory of the Delcourt House website, so there is NO "www" in the url (who knew?!) The site is http://gillianbell.delcourthouse.com if you want to check it out.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Gillian

Oh Christmas Tree!

Yesterday we went on a little excursion to cut down a Christmas tree at a tree farm! It was oh so cold, but a fun experience. Flip the Tree Farm dog was very helpful in showing up the perfect tree, and he and mum became fast friends, of course!

Mum and Flip :)

This is our tree (before we cut it down.) I'm just posing with the saw, trust me, I left the sawing to dad.

Here's our tree all decorated! Isn't it pretty?

Lots of love,

Gillian

More Killer Robots!

This blog of mine seems to have an underlying theme of weird and sometimes creepy music videos involving robots. I don't know why this is, but I find them sort of fascinating and disturbing at the same time.

There was this one, and this one (the first video). However, I think THIS video wins the Creepiest Robot award:



I love the song... so bizarre! But there's no question in my mind that this robot will absolutely kill you while you sleep. As we learned in the first video: NEVER TRUST ROBOTS.

On the theme of creepy mechanized things, openroad.tv made a little video tour of the Musee Mechanique in San Francisco. I posted about the Musee here, and their video tour is here. Laughing Sal is more nightmare material, so it's entirely possible that you'll have horrifying dreams about being chased by robots tonight. Don't say I didn't warn you. Sleep with the light on tonight!

Love,
Gillian

Our Neurotic Dog

THIS is exactly why we never leave the dog home alone...

Those used to be the blinds in the bathroom... until we went to Bedford without Belal today! I don't think that's going to happen again, ever. I guess you can look forward to more pictures for the Waiting art installation.

We love you Belal, but yikes!!!

Love,

Gillian

My Favourite Christmas Memories! Part 1

These videos are dedicated to my dear brother Nathan, who shares my problem of not being able to listen to The Carol of the Bells without thinking of The California Raisins. Now you can show Sheila ;)

Merry Christmas :)

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Love,
Gillian

Waiting: Day 13

It certainly doesn't take long to get back into the swing of things after a vacation, does it?

Oh well, it's been a while since we've had any waiting pics (I forgot for a while, but they're back by popular demand!)

Man, that coat washes me out :P All of that tropical Calgary sunshine, right? I'm so pale that I glow! haha.

At least this time we had a huge mountain of snow to look at while we waited. I suppose this is what I get for my lofty comments back home that "it's hardly snowed at ALL in Nova Scotia." If you zoom in to the picture, you may notice a red flag on top of the fire hydrant... they all have those, for when the hydrant is completely covered in snow. Sakes Alive!!! I do miss the prairies after all.

Much Love,

Gillian

Ahhh, Airports

I am presently sitting at gate B22 of the Toronto Airport, contemplating life and drinking my ba-jillionth coffee of the past... many... hours. My flight to Halifax is delayed, and I'm seriously sleep deprived. Why did I choose the overnight flight?! WHY?!?! So I'm punchy as all get-out and I payed the darn $10 for wireless access, but I'm soooo tired that I need something to keep me entertained. Lucky you, that means that you get to enjoy all of the nonsensical drivel that my sleep-deprived brain can come up with. Like is Sleep-Deprived hyphenated? WELL IT IS NOW!

Leaving Calgary was haaaaaaaaard and it took absolutely everything in me to NOT cry when I said goodbye to Nathan and Sheila. I met up with my friend Kenny at the airport and it was soooo hard to say goodbye to him too. Saying goodbye is really very hard, and I'm really hoping that everyone is on board about moving to Tahiti or, alternately, Halifax! I don't want to say goodbye to anyone else! So if anyone out there is contemplating a goodbye then I'm just going to tell you that now is not the time and I'm not going to listen.

God I'm tired... I want to sleeeeeeep... I don't know how long I've been awake but it's been a long time. I need a shower. I need bed. I need to stop whining but I'm so TIRED!!! I have a semi-frozen Christmas pudding in my suitcase that I need to get back into a freezer ASAP. I need to stop yawning and not fall asleep on my keyboard.

Hmmmm. What else can I write about to stay awake? Iiiiiii... um.... er..... Let me think. Hmmm.

There was just an announcement that our flight would be boarding at 8, which I was very excited about until I realised that it's only 7 here. D'oh. How, HOW will I stay awake for another hour?!

I'm going to go surf the web I think... wish me *yawn* luck!
Gillian

Homeward Bound..?

All through my Calgary vacation I've been suffering through a Location Identity Crisis. I forget which city I'm in, which province... even which country I'm in. I wake up in the morning and go through the list: "I'm in San Fra... no... Nova... Calgary? Hmm." I had a dream that I bought a house but didn't know which city it was in! Is that weird or what? So as for gaining insight into where I belong... hmm... still thinking on that one.

Tonight I fly back across the country so this morning I'm putting stuff off, like packing and re-filling the rental car with gas. Part of me wants to go back and part of me doesn't. All of me wants coffee right now, and none of me is willing to go brush the snow off the blasted car again (again!!!) and drive to Starbucks. I do so loathe and detest this city in the winter, but oh do I miss my family and friends. All that's left for me to do is hunt for pirate treasure, become rich and then forcibly remove my family and friends to a decent climate! I WILL hire goons. You HAVE been warned.

Thanks to everyone who made my trip so lovely :)
Gillian

Good Grief, Charlie Brown!

Just a quick note, because I type sooo slowly on ergonomic keyboards and get really irritated at my fingers ;)

I planned my trip to Calgary during the dreary wintery months as a test. How would I feel about Calgary in the freezing and the snowing? The answer is: YUCK!

So here's the new plan. Everyone is now moving to Halifax! Yes, dear family and friends, you're coming back with me! Isn't that exciting? Inexpensive property, humid air, relaxed pace, ocean views! All of this will now be yours, so let's get packing, I'll make the arrangements for you, in fact!

Really! You'll love it! All that's missing is YOU!

Alright, I'm going to try to not get myself killed on those roads now... *gulp*
Love,
Gillian

Halifax Weekend!

My friend Kirsten and her husband and baby were in Halifax this weekend, so I went into the city to visit them. It was so much fun! I met some of their friends and we went out for dinner and had a lovely time. Then Kirsten, Tara and I tried our luck at the Casino and listened to a band play. It was SOOOOO nice to get out :) On Sunday morning I got a chance to explore downtown a little on my own, and I have to say that I'm fairly enamored with the city. There are so many neat old buildings and fun shops (although most were closed on Sunday.) I've only driven through a few times and caught glimpses of things that I wanted to visit, so I was delighted at the chance to explore.

I started off the morning at Cabin Coffee, which was a dear little romantic cafe. I had breakfast and wrote a letter to a friend, enjoying the atmosphere thoroughly. I was very sorry to leave it behind, but The Old Burying Ground has been calling to me since we drove past it in September. The Old Burying Ground is an old cemetery in downtown Halifax which dates back to the 1700s. You can read more about it here. Unfortunately the gates were locked, but I wandered around the perimeter and took a few pictures.

Isn't this... charming? I wish I could have seen the rest of it!

On Sunday I came back to the Valley with Kirsten, Brad and Claire. They stayed the night with us last night, which delighted my parents. Claire is just the sweetest little girl and this morning she modeled for me so I could take some naked baby pics. What a little doll :)

It was great to see you guys! I'm coming to Calgary on Wednesday, so I'll see everyone soon!
Love,
Gillian

The Way I Am

You probably know this pretty little song from various commercials, but it's just so lovely you should listen to it the whole way through.



Isn't that lovely?

Meanwhile, things here are crazy and stressful. I will be so glad to be in Calgary in a few days and see familiar people and go familiar places. I'm going to go to Williams.Sonoma and go for dinner with friends. Why? Because I CAN!

When I come back to Nova Scotia it will be time to get ready for Christmas, and then come January? I'm going to draw the name of a city and an occupation out of a hat and dive in blindly... because that's the best plan I can come up with, really. So there.

If anyone has anything positive to say about me to cheer me up, now would be a good time for that. Even if it's "Gee, you have great taste in shoes." I'll take it. I need to feel loved.

Feelin' Blue (still! good grief!!!)
Gillian

Cupboard of Happiness

A decade or so ago I was hanging out with a friend of mine and we were sharing a mutual suffering of blues. I declared (I'm prone to declarations) that it would be wonderful to have a Cupboard of Happiness where you could keep a store of everything that makes you happy. This way when you were sad you could just fling open the cupboard and you'd be cured. Of course not everything that makes me happy could technically be put into a cupboard, so I made a list of things that make me happy instead. I wrote it down in my journal and then started to collect lists from my friends. The purpose of this was to not only make them think about what makes them happy, but also to gain some insight into how to cheer them up on a sad day (sneaky!!!)

Somewhere along the way I stopped asking people about the contents of their Cupboard of Happiness, but I still like the idea and think I ought to start again. So I think you should send me your lists. Whaddaya say? Keep in mind that it doesn't have to be an object. It can be absolutely anything that gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling.

To get you started, here are a few of the items one might find in my Cupboard of Happiness.

- The Ocean

- Pretty, delicate tea cups

- Laughing babies (do a search on YouTube! Instant happiness!)

- Salsa dancing

- A shelf full of books and a toasty fireplace to curl up beside

- Letters from friends

- Old fashioned typewriters

- Favourite cozy sweaters

- Baking a cake for someone special

- Hot weather

- Big, fat, fluffy peonies and lilac blossoms

I can't wait to see what makes you happy!
Love,
Gillian

More Videos...

I'm kind of down right now so rather than talk about unpleasant things, I'll just post some more videos. That way you can come up with your own creative interpretation about why I'm sad. Hopefully it involves ninjas who have been abducted by aliens or something cool. Haha! Watch, and go from there, just come up with something interesting :)

I'm not going to give you hints this time.

Good Times Gonna Come - Aqualung


Amelie - Trailer (if you haven't seen this movie yet, you need to)
"Tu Connais... dans tes reves."


Fragile - Sting


Ain't There Anyone Here for Love? - Jane Russell, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"


Sunrise - Norah Jones

Figure me out yet?

Love,

Gillian

FAME!!!

I had a bit of a surreal experience yesterday.

My friend Kirsten has loaned me the first season of Grey's Anatomy on DVD. I was watching a few episodes last night and at one point I thought "that song sounds awfully familiar." A little research showed me that Tegan and Sara have songs in almost every episode of the first season. This is incredibly exciting because I went to high school with Tegan and Sara and we were in drama society together. I knew they were doing well for themselves, but a song on almost every episode? That's awesome! YAY for them :)

Just a few hours before that I had finished a really beautiful, original, fabulous book called "Wonderfull" by William Neil Scott. I also know him from high school drama society. I used to dye his hair for him ;) And now he's a published author of one of the best books I've read in a long time! (I've gotten copies for a bunch of people for Christmas already!) This is so fantastic! I can't wait for him to write more!

It's a little strange to think of these people as adults, let alone published authors and featured musical artists, although it's not really surprising since their talent was apparent even ten years ago (yay drama geeks!!!) I'm so proud of them and am curious to see what the rest of the drama crew comes out with in the next few years.

Here's a Tegan and Sara video for you to enjoy!



Love,
Gillian

You Could Cut The Tension With a Knife!

Things have been a little intense around here lately. I think the residents of Delcourt House are all a little stressed out right now, and the air is practically flammable it's so thick with harboured resentment and strain. Don't light a match, please!

My parents are stressed because we're really behind on the renovations, mostly because we have to wait and wait for contractors and inspectors before we can move forward. My mum has a frayed tendon in her wrist, which doesn't help. I'm stressed because I feel house-bound and am having my own personal dramas sprouting up all over the place. I'm not one for personal drama and I just want it to go away. But it's not going anywhere and eventually I'm going to have to deal with it. Yuck.

This evening I have thrown my hands into the air and am hiding in my room to work on a "Christmas Project." I realise it's early November and a lot of people think that's too early to think about Christmas. But I defy those people to live here for a week and feel good without the aid of Christmas music. Go on, I dare you. We're running low on optimism here, people!!!

So for now? I'm dreaaaa-ming of a whiiiiiiiiite Christmassssssss...
Love,
Gillian

Yay Electricity! (now with pictures!)

Just an update that our power has just come back on! YAY! Quite the storm last night, but we're all fine :) There wasn't a lot of damage around our property, just a few dead branches that broke off the maple. I'll admit I was a bit freaked out about the CRACKS in the middle of the night, as this tree is directly outside my bedroom window.

We went to Hall's Harbour this morning to check out some of the waves. The pictures don't really do the waves justice, but they were really, really big! It was so windy by the water that I was blown over a few times and had to brace myself against the car. It was also really cold, so I didn't take many shots. Here are a few, though!

Lots of love,

Gillian

Storm's a Comin'!

If you refer to my last post you may note that Canning is on the Bay of Fundy, right in the path of HURRICANE NOEL! Alright, it's not a hurricane anymore, it's a "Post-Tropical Storm." My verdict? Things are getting stormy here. The satellite dish is losing the signal but the power hasn't gone out yet. I'm a little more worried than I was a few hours ago. We are in King's County, which is not surprisingly under both a heavy rain (100mm) warning and severe wind (100km) warning. I'm a little irritated that this is happening overnight, because a) it's too dark to see anything and b) it's going to be a little too noisy/scary to sleep tonight.

At any rate, we should be fine. I expect that our power will go out (that wind is awfully strong and I would be surprised if it didn't.) We have lots of water and food and flashlights and I'm sure all will be well!

Love,
Gillian

Mmm, Maritime-ey

I've been re-reading the Anne of Green Gables series and I have to say that they are even more charming than I remembered them to be. It's quite amusing, really, because a lot of the things that I used to think were so "quaint and old fashioned" are things that still happen in the Maritimes. The books also make more sense now that I'm here. The local colloquialism's ("I was some anxious" or "I never heard tell of it!") and references to Gravensteins (which are apples) and "Hauling dulse" (which is a seaweed that the locals eat like snack food.) It's both cute and strange and I am enjoying the books immensely. I find myself smiling as I read... silly!

I've had a few people ask me recently where Canning is located, if it's really that small (yes, we don't have a gas station), if it's close to the ocean, etc. So I thought I'd include a map of the Bay of Fundy/Minas Basin area. I've circled Canning, so you can see it's quite close to the ocean, although the closest beach area is Kingsport. Also, Woodside appears to be quite close to us on the map, but I can't say I've ever seen or heard of Woodside before... I'll have to research this.

During my recent obsession with making slideshows my parents encouraged me to make one for Nova Scotia. I obliged, although I have to qualify it by saying that I still don't plan on staying in the valley!!! It's pretty, but much too quiet for me. At any rate, enjoy!

Lots of love,

Gillian

Happy Halloween and A New Take on Waiting

BOO! I finally guilted mum and dad into taking an evening off to carve pumpkins the other night. We all decided that the Bat theme was pretty appropriate ;)

Belal and I have been waiting in an entirely new way as of late. I've been working on my resume (long story) and my parents have been tearing out plaster in a small room, so often Belal will be shoved into my room with me to be out of their way (or the way of contractors, which is the case at this moment.) He is unhappy about this and cries, scratches at the door, barks, leaps on and off of my bed and makes resume-writing a real challenge. Good thing I love him. Today it occurred to me that this is really just another form of us waiting, so I took a picture for the art installation. Let us out of here!!!

Happy Trick or Treating!

Gillian

...Call Me Old Fashioned...

Many, many moons ago when I was in high school a friend and I discovered "Those Old Radio Shows" on CJ92. Every night at 11pm we would eagerly tune in and listen to old broadcasts of "Suspense!", "Jack Benny" and any number of old mysteries, comedies and detective shows. We both had an enormous crush on "Richard Diamond, Private Detective", who was just smooth as glass in any situation, with a charming voice to boot!

I was pleased to find that one of the Sirius Satellite radio channels was all old radio shows, but unfortunately our subscription is in the vehicle radio only, and even worse, they neglected many of my favourite shows, such as "Richard Diamond", "Our Miss Brooks" (I idolise Eve Arden) and "Father Knows Best."

Well, the other day my high school friend emailed me about a goldmine website of old radio shows available for free download! WOW! This site is amazing!!! Each episode is in MP3 format and downloads in less than a minute for your listening enjoyment. Over the past few days I have been madly downloading my favourites and plan to put them on CD and my iPod for that long flight to Calgary and back.

I hope you'll go check it out and enjoy some classic comedy or edge-of-your-seat thrillers!

Love,
Gillian

Another Slideshow!

Well that first slideshow was too much fun to make, I just had to make another one! This slideshow features another song that I love ("Dream a Little Dream of Me" by Doris Day) along with my favourite photos from my month in San Francisco.

I think I have a serious addiction to this, but it's so much fun :) Anyone need any slideshows??

Wishing everyone California dreams!

Love,

Gillian

Waiting: Day 12

Alright, it's been a while since I've posted any waiting pictures. This is mostly because I haven't been getting out much, but is also partially due to vanity on my part, as I've feeling really un-photogenic lately. Luckily Belal and I had a good hour and a half in the Home Depot parking lot today, so we managed to take some pics for y'all. Enjoy :P

Love and Grande Non-Fat Vanilla Lattes to all!

Gillian

I Heart This Song

I recently re-discovered this song called "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You" by Colin Hay and I love it so much that I had to share it. Was there a music video? Of course not. So I just threw together a little slideshow of some random photos of mine from Alberta and Nova Scotia. Most of them are pretty bad, but at least you get to hear the song, right? I'll also post the lyrics below. Some songs just say exactly what you can't put into words.
Thank goodness for that.

I drink good coffee every morning
Comes from a place that's far away
And when I'm done I feel like talking
Without you here there is less to say
I don't want you thinking I'm unhappy
What is closer to the truth
That if I lived till I was 102
I just don't think I'll ever get over you
I'm no longer moved to drink strong whiskey
'Cause I shook the hand of time and I knew
That if I lived till I could no longer climb my stairs
I just don't think I'll ever get over you
Your face it dances and it haunts me
Your laughter's still ringing in my ears
I still find pieces of your presence here
Even after all these years
But I don't want you thinking I don't get asked to dinner
'Cause I'm here to say that I sometimes do
Even though I may soon feel the touch of love
I just don't think I'll ever get over you
If I lived till I was 102
I just don't think I'll ever get over you

Love,
Gillian

A Glimpse Into My Mind Through Video

I don't have a lot to say right now on my blog, so I thought I'd offer up a few videos instead. If you want a glimpse into my random, flighty thoughts then this is a good place to start. Be afraid. Be Very Afraid.

I need one of these...



I LOVE this... oh I love it. I can't even begin to explain why.



One of my favourite Sesame Street skits EVER!!! I finally found it! The "what what hmm?" part cracks me up every time (and I've watched it about 20 times in the past two days!) Also, "hey there lamp, that's a nice shade." ROFL!



SWOOOOOOOOOOOON!



This is a frou-frou, truly bizarre, kinda creepy and English version of my favourite song from my favourite opera :) This might give me nightmares with those weird clown-doll things...



I might have officially gone crazy ;)
Love,
Gillian

My Artsy Attempt

My mum has requested "artsy" shots for the B&B website rather than your typical "this is a hotel room" picture. This afternoon I decided to make an attempt at "artsy" photography (me, the least artsy person in my family!!!)
Still not sure I'm completely there, but these are my attempts so far :)
Hope you like them!

Guest Room

A few autumny shots from outside

Love,
Gillian

Kim Comes to Nova Scotia!

I'm a pretty spoiled gal that my friend Kim chose to spend her work bonus on a trip to visit little ol' me this past week! The weather was a bit chilly and rainy, but we had lots of fun anyway :) Here are a few pics from her trip!

Kim kissing a Pumpkin Person in Kentville!

Me with the Johnny Cash Pumpkin Band!

Me with some more Pumpkin People!

Peggy's Cove

Dad standing way too close to the water!

Kim at Peggy's Cove

A lovely, happy warning at Peggy's Cove. It sounds a bit piratey to me!

Kim and Me at Hall's Harbour

Kim, about to eat her first East Coast Lobster!

More Peggy's Cove. So cool!!!

Baxter's Harbour

Mum with a 600lb Pumpkin!

Pretty fall colours

More pretty fall colours.

Thanks for visiting, Kim! It was great to see you!

Love,

Gillian

Nathan and Sheila Come to Nova Scotia

Nathan and Sheila just spent the week with us in Nova Scotia, which was so much fun. It was wonderful to see them and share all of the harvesty, Valley Pumpkin Festival goodness with them, not to mention a delicious Thanksgiving dinner! Yum!
Here are a few pictures from their visit :)

Pumpkins at Noggin's Corner

An Eagle at the Grande Pre gardens. SO gorgeous!!!

Lunenburg Harbour, with the Picton Castle in dock.... my mum's favourite tall ship!

A little seal friend that we met on our Whale Watching tour. No Whales, unfortunately.

Sheila, Nathan, Belal and mum at Risser's Beach. Yes, in the water! In October!

Nathan and Sheila eating their first lobsters!!! Mmmmm, complicated food!

Sheila and Nathan with some of their creepy new friends in Kentville!

It was so nice to see you guys! I hope you had fun :)
Love,
Gillian