my quarter-of-a-century weekend draws to a close...

"quarter of a century isn't old... compared to the universe." -- bikin

"you're a quat-ury!" -- edmond

leave it to my male computer engineer friends to make a girl feel *really* special on her 25th birthday. still, i suppose it's the thought that counts, right? :o)

a weekend of non-stop festivities and celebrations has finally come to its end, and finds me happily stuffed and perusing through the glossy pages of the J-14 magazine that was gifted me by tess, who thought it would help me feel a little less... "old". but to my dismay, flipping through the myriad of celebrity pin-ups and an unnecessarily overwhelming amount of jesse mccartney has actually made me feel somewhat outdated; considering the sad fact that i don't seem to recognize more than half the faces on those pages ... i must say though, it's rather drole that i can still be amused by a good "what's your ideal date?" quiz once in a while. ;oP

what a maahhhvalous weekend - from the seemingly endless feasts spent with amazing people:


me, livi, and esther (who is behind the camera) in complete fondue euphoria at the apricot tree café


can't let all that go to waste... :oP


dinner with the entire household (+ dwayne :oD) at the pickle barrel

to experiencing the sensational jazzy-goodness of the lori cullen quintet at the montreal bistro (where the food is good, but the jazz is *MUCH* better) with some of the most fabulous women i know:


quarter-of-a-century girls' night out (we missed you, bev)


a long overdue reunion, indeed!


just ain't a party without you girls... (bev, where are you?)


... joannie, i couldn't help it ;oP


with the wonderfully talented jazz singer/songwriter/DOODLER, lori cullen


so happy i got my birthday mousse ;o)

and of course, to the people who were so kind to contribute to the abundance of phone calls, text messages, e-cards, msn messages, friendster testimonials, e-mails, post-mail, other well-wishes and presents galore... i am so richly blessed, and so very thankful for it all. i couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate and welcome the thrill of now entering the mid-20's.

so yes. i'm 25 now - and the 4 days that i've been been able to experience it thus far have been nothing but simply exhilarating.

and now if you'll excuse me, i have quite a lot of J-14 to catch up on before i hit the hay :oP

24, you've been very kind.

it was quite nice while it lasted.

Twenty-four oceans
Twenty-four skies
Twenty-four failures
Twenty-four tries
Twenty-four finds me
In twenty-fourth place
Twenty-four drop outs
At the end of the day
Life is not what I thought it was
Twenty-four hours ago

Still I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You

...I'm not copping out.

-- from "24" by Switchfoot

sitting in front of my laptop in between work shifts, it finally dawns on me that i'm going to be 25 tomorrow.

wow. 25.

bring it on :o)

2 ways to a girl's heart: shoes... and chicken.

this morning my mother sent me on a quest for chicken, groceries, and other practical errands - which originally wasn't supposed to include taking a not-so-random detour to dixie outlet mall and purchasing a smokin' pair of green stilettos at the aldo outlet store... oops. :oP

but for $16.02, how could i possibly resist?!

suffice it to say, i was delirious with joy. however, my excitement was short-lived after i unveiled my new-found treasure to my mother when i got home. instead of sharing the same delight over my new shoes, she nonchalantly responded with "they're pointy...where's the chicken?"

yeesh.

edit: charlene, if this further develops into a habit, i blame you... :oP

memoirs of another kind...

The heart dies, a slow death, shading each hope lightly, until one day there are none. No hopes, nothing remains. She paints her face to hide her face. Her eyes are deep water. It is not for geisha to want, it is not for geisha to feel. Geisha is an artist of the floating world. She dances, she sings, she entertains you, whatever you want. Their rest is shadows, their rest is secret.

-- from the movie, Memoirs of A Geisha

sweet, sweet morty's, how i've missed you so... oh yes, and you waterloo folk too ;oP

once again i found myself wandering the streets of waterloo, where a hoard of us alumni and 6th-year folk (+ tess, the sole laurier rep.) managed to beat the odds of getting a table for 13 at morty's on their ever-so-fabulous thursday wing night. two bites into those succulent morsels of medium and dry cajun goodness (of which i am proud to say that i successfully devoured not the usual 6, but 10 wings in a matter of minutes; meticulously cleaning each one to the very bone), i was in complete and utter bliss - especially since it's been 8 months since my last morty's fix. to say the least, the hour and 15-minute wait was worth every bite!

of course, what *really* topped the night was the great company i was reunited with. :o) 'twas wonderful to laugh and reminisce with such great people, even despite the ongoing glares from a slightly neglected mr. bojangles* who eerily remained silent in the far corner of the room. :oP

funny. each time i return to the place of my alma mater i tend to arrive with slight hesitance, but always leave with an abundant load of warm fuzzies all over and glad i made the trip.

'twas a great night - 2006 is off to a lovely start.

sidenote: mr. bojangles ("mr." added for emphasis) is joyce and joannie's pet chinchilla... who always seems like he's conspiring to take over the world.

here's to you, 2006!

i greet the new year embracing the beautiful mystery awaiting to unfold, with the perseverance to endure new challenges ahead, the desire to teach and learn; and just for kicks, poetry from Robert Frost:

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

here's to a new year full of opportunity to take the road less travelled.

happy new year, everyone!