Just an update to say that I've already started work on my beastsofyore project. The initial sketch has been completed, since I've already decided what direction I want to go in. I don't have a scan of the image at this time, as my scanner is not yet connected (I don't have a place to put it, and putting it on the floor with two cats around isn't always the best idea), but I'll try to hook it up tonight and upload it for all.

This really is a fun project and it's nice to be getting all sorts of ideas for art (oh how I needed that).

Gosh. I wish I could say why I've been absent from my journal for so long, but suffice to say my life in the last month plus has been tied up in "bore" with interspersals of "interesting", the highlight of which can be found in my attempts to kickstart my artistic instincts (it's been stalled slightly, but otherwise on-track).

Which is good news, as I'm going to need it to help me with my project for beastsofyore project.

But first I need to open my sketchbook and set free the paper moths...

(The original version is here, but the page is currently down for the time being.)

Town considers ban on some dogs.

( Read on. )

And to think, this attack could've been prevented if the parents had bothered to supervise their child and keep him away from a mother dog who was clearly defending her brood from what she saw as a threat to their safety...

But now the dog and pups are likely going to be put down and, if the chief has his way, pretty soon no Pit or Rottweiler (even though a Rott wasn't involved) will be welcomed here.

It's not hard to see where laws like these start - people not bothering to keep their animals under control or to watch their children when they interract with animals.

Rick Mercer on traditional marriages (and other things).

If you haven't seen this, watch it. If you have, watch it again.

This is great.

( ...but naturally... )

Aside from all that we've got a new cat here at the townhouse.

He's not mine of course but my roomie's.

A red and white male; about eight years old and kinda shy, but then, he is in a new place after all.

And according to what we were told when he was brought over Sunday, his former owner had died and he was left without anyone to look after him. An elderly couple took him in but as they had two dogs and a cat already taking in another cat wasn't really an option. And since roomie had decided he wanted a cat when we moved into the townhouse, he got the cat.

The cat's name is Bullet, and it's good to see him get a new home.

He just needs to adjust to the changes and for Brett to stop hissing and swatting him every time he comes upstairs (poor fellow he doesn't even try to retaliate but there's no point mediating that they need to work it out on their own).

Maybe I'll even have pictures of him who knows?

He's a nice cat after all...

Of course, summer is the season when Canadians wished their country was "the Great White North".

No really.

Summer wouldn't be so bad if there was perma-ice in our waterways so going for a swim to cool off would make the season of heat, haze and humidity - and bad hair days brought on by summer-sensitive hair spray - a lot easier to take.

But then again, if we had perma-ice in our water; if we really were the "Great White North" it would take away one of the many prominent traits that makes Canadians Canadian (aside from being polite except during Question Period): whining about the weather.

When it's cold we want it to be summer. When the snow and the sleet and the hail and the windchills hit we want it to be summer. We want all the snow to melt away so we don't have to wear bulky clothes that really do make us look fat even if we're not.

But when June rolls around suddenly all that wintery stuff actually seems rather pleasant. We want ice and snow and sleet and hail and windchills so much that we made ice capochinos one of Tim Horton's top selling menu items.

Face it, when it comes to Canadians and weather we're like the three bears - only without the "just right".

It's always too hot, too cold, too rainy, too dry, too something for us. And naturally we whine about it.

Which is what I'm doing right now.

But I'm done, so if you'll excuse me there's a locked pool with my name on it.



(Or a sink with a tap with a perma-ice feature on it to dunk my head under. Now that would make me feel a lot better.)

OK where's that storm they keep telling us there's "a risk of" anyways? Oh sure there was lightning and I swear there was thunder but...

It's bloody hot here and it'd be nice to get a little rain to cool things off for a few hours or so.

Enough with the percentiles; either there's a storm coming or not.

Quit shitting us already.


I could also do with an air conditioner, but roomie says it "costs too much money" as we pay hydro now.

Huh.

Like running four or five fans (the probable equivalent to one AC) non-stop 24/7 for three-four months is gonna make a difference.

I live with a moron...

EDIT: Well sometimes you get what you want. It didn't storm but it did rain, which is always nice.

Especially in summer.

Finally after much preparation I am in my new townhouse.

Currently I'm upstairs in what is my designated livingroom, and so far things are going just fine. It may have been mad yesterday, what with movers and cleaners and unloading (oh my!) but all that's left for us to do is to get settled and this place will be home.

Even for the cat, who is still a tad nervous about the whole deal (this being her third move - I count the move from one room to another at the group residence as a "move") will eventually see this place as her new home and will be eternally grateful for more space to move about. (I will be too - stairs mean she has to walk up and down and hopefully that will trim her waistline at last.

And I hope to have photos soon to show everyone where I live and what the general area looks like too.

Anyways, that's that; I have to head down to the bus terminal to get my bus pass for the month and then it's off to Sears to pay the bill (*sigh*).

And on a different note...

[spam moment]

In order to get the free iPod mini I applied for, I need to sucker refer five people to the free iPod site so they can get their own and turn iPod into iHydra, thus fulfill my last requirement before I receive it.

[/spam moment]

Y'know, I've just realised something.

In two weeks' time I'll be in the new place.

In two weeks' time I'll be living in a townhouse and not an apartment unit.

And I will be a lot closer to one of our malls too.

That means when the new Harry Potter movie comes out, I can go see it without having to worry about buses and transfers and such - I can just walk there and back.

Which is great, really.

Despite still having to live with what I deem the most idiotic person on Earth I can hike over to the mall and dally there for the day.

Now that is my idea of a place to live.

Close to a mall; close to conveniences...

Yeah it's all good.

(And if I get me a decent digital camera I can take pictures of the general area too.)

Where have I been all last month?

Getting ready.

What for you ask?

I'm moving. With my roomie. To a townhouse. Three bedrooms.

And we leave at the end of this month.

Which means I've gotta make sure everything I've got is packed up and ready to ship out on the 31st.

In other words there won't be a lot of activity on this end.

But then, that seems to be the norm as of late. :P

My journal is called ____ because ____.
My subtitle is ____ because ____.
My friends page is called ____ because ____.
My username is ____ because ____.
My default userpic is ____ because ____.

( Meme (ful)filled out. )

( More vital stats. )

Gods I hate people who cannot keep their germs to themselves.

First roomie had a cold; now I've got the bluddy thing. Which meant nasty cough and sore throat not unlike what I had last year when I got laryngitis. Thankfully there was still a bit of that gargle from last year, and though I shouldn't've taken it without doctoral advice, and despite the fact it's as noxious now as it was then, a couple treatments of the stuff seems to have driven off the worst of the sore throat.

Unfortunately the cough did not disappear.

And last night, I swear, I spent at least a half hour or more (probably more) coughing.

And coughing.

To the point where I ended up vomiting.

Which is not something you want to have happen to you when you're on your back.

So today is laundry day (I was supposed to do it today anyways, so it all works out) because of that.


Damn you roomie next time you're sick stay in bed.

I don't want what you've got.

Ugh.

Still alive.

The CD burner has eaten my brain though...

(No, it's not the one I ordered off of eBay, but one I had to pay $114 to get and have installed on my system.

I hate that man...)

*grumble*

Stupid Ebay twat hasn't sent me my refund yet.

Time to nag him. >:[


Also, I get the feeling I'm not being told something here.

Basically, something's wrong, someone is upset about it, and I'm not being told about it even though I have the (probably foundless) assumption I'm involved in it somehow.

*sigh*

I hate Januaries...

For anyone out there interested in the status of my CD burner here it is.

Apparently Mr. I-Can't-Follow-Through is having family issues.

Namely, his wife is sick.

"Hello, I have just recently gotten back on eBay to check my emails and feedback and its obvious you and a few other members thing that i've left you in the dust. My wife has been in the hospital for the last month, i've honestly wondered if my wife would be with me any longer... and im still praying she will. This has affected our family to no measurable amount, and i apoligize for the delay of your item. I did not mean to inconvenience you or any other eBay member that has bought from me, i try to be as fair as ia possibly can... and i apoligize that i have ruined your transaction. I would like to issue a full refund asap.. for the item. If you would like to do a mutual feedback removal that would help my rating out tons.. but if you dont out of frustation, i totally understand. Again.."

Yes, well, I'm sure we all have had/will have a family crisis to deal with. Family members in the hospital are no fun to deal with, and I can understand how harrowing it can be for someone.

However, this excuse falls flat considering I've heard some not-nice things about my dealer and his inability to follow up on his dealings.

My response (I'm trying to be as nice as I possibly can here):

"Not to sound cruel or uncaring at such a hectic, emotionally-trying time, but as I've heard from other eBay users you tend to have a habit of not being forthcoming with your half of the deal. If it wasn't for what I'd heard about from other users I'd be tempted to cut you some slack. It's been three months now since I sent out my money and I expected it [the CD burner] to be sent on time. It wasn't. Which meant I spent the last two months plus waiting for something that did not get here when it should've. I'm sorry but I'm not interested in helping you "look good" for the eBay community, not when you've been tardy in the past. Just send me my refund and I'll buy my own CD burner. My computer is overloaded and is in desperate need of cleaning-out. If you're not intending to be prompt then I'm not interested in helping you save face. Sorry but I have been more than patient. I expect to see the refund within the next week or so; no delays. $50 is too much to spend on a dealer who can't be prompt."

Mind you, the item did not cost me $50 in total. The CD burner was $15; the shipping cost was $16, and the insurance for safe shipping was $2. The total cost of the item - all in US dollars - was $35. After fees and exchange rates it came to around $50 approximately. I think it was more, but that's not really important. What's important here is that it's $50 I cannot afford to spend on people who cannot be forthcoming with their ends of the bargain.

Now I like to think that, despite my tendency to be acerbic, bad-tempered and nasty, that I do have a compassionate side. That when people are having a rough patch that I am understanding of their troubles and am willing to give people a bit more time to carry through their end of the deal.

However, this was not something I was told about 5-6 weeks ago when I asked him on my item's status, and then three weeks later asking him if he'd found out anything yet. I don't want the gory details; I just want to be told that "I'm sorry but your item is going to be delayed due to something personal within my family. I hope you understand" so I can give them the time extension requested.

I don't want to be told "My wife is sick in the hospital and has been for the last month" after I filed a complaint with Square Trade to resolve this matter (something that makes this doubly suspicious - the fact that it took a third party to get a response from Mr. I-Use-Disgusting-Excuses-to-Explain-My-Lateness so I could get in touch with them).

In short, if you've got time to put items up for bid on eBay you've got time to fire off an e-mail to tell your customers about their orders.

I just hope I get my check, otherwise things will turn ugly...

LiveJournal.

Why DeadJournal was invented.

StupidLJIsignedinthreetimesandyoushowedmeasnotbeingsignedinatalldienowkthnx.

OMGImustbereallymadifImusingAOLspeakLJisreallygonnapayforthis...