This may or may not have been in an Oprah Magazine...

"Every one of us

is called upon, probably many

times, to start a new life.

A frightening diagnosis, a

marriage, a move, loss of a job...

And onward full tilt we go,

pitched and wrecked and absurdly

resolute, driven in spite of

everything to make good on a

new shore. To be hopeful, to

embrace one possibility after

another - that is surely the basic

instinct... Crying out: High tide!

Time to move out into the

glorious debris. Time to take

this life for what it is."

-Barbara Kingsolver, from High Tide in Tucson

Devastation.

The worst has happened.

Andrew - the man previously thought of as my (and my lap top's) hero - called from the computer place. My hard drive is toast; all files on it are irretrievable.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! (Cue thunder crashes, and perhaps a strike of lightning for dramatic effect.)

Farewell to hours of library time and thousands of words (aka my university research/papers/projects).

Seyonara to background melodies, pump-up tunes and the wannabe soundtrack of my life (aka my entire music library).

And a final, tender goodbye to hundreds of happy and wondrous moments collected in close to 10 different countries and on who knows how many celebratory occasions (aka all of my photos from the past 4-5 years).

What a colossal loss. (Which I say without an ounce of sarcasm or bravado). Back in the good old days I would have mix tapes, handwritten first drafts, and negatives to console myself - but not in our fantastically modern digital age! Oh no... instead I have facebook photo albums and a selection of graded papers buried in a box in my basement. Small consolation indeed.

However a lesson was learned today: one must BACK UP ONE'S WORK. A seeming nuisance, like paying insurance premiums, but like insurance, sure as hell comes in handy when the unthinkable happens.

ah, the Good Old Days

So my friend Tessa is quite possibly the coolest person I know. Don't believe me? Check out her blog. She rocks. Her blog also rocks because I often discover wonderful things on it - such as myvintagevogue. I don't know how these pictures have been found, but they are stunning.


I so often wish that my life was more glamourous - and not just in the typical jet-setting, cocktail parties, fabulous people with fabulous wealth kind of way, but in an everyday, 1950s glamour kind of way. Of course I write this while lazing on my bed wearing shorts, a t-shirt, no make-up, damp unstyled hair and mocassins that are a half size too big.


And so to get that horrid image out of your mind, and gently guide your imagination towards idea(l)s of a more glamourous nature, I will share these:

Loser Alert!

Soo I am kind of obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance (and may or may not have gone to see the Canadian tour last winter?) Basically this show is awesome. And if you don't believe me, watch this dance.





..and/or this one.

9-1-1

Brought my beloved computer to the shop today. The kind gentlemen at the service counter said he'd save all he could, take a look at my poor little laptop and give me a call. Fingers crossed all goes well!

While I hold my dear laptop in my heart and prayers, I have a confession to make: I still can't get a certain Hp designer netbook out of my head. Oh Vivienne Tam Mini 1000 how I covet thee..

...judge all you want but who would not want to own one of these beauties:


I rest my case.




(PS. I love you Inspiron 6000 - Get Well Soon! And please don't devour all of my music, files and photos!)

Here's to the Internet Explorer

Ahh internet, glorious internet.

I've been away for the past week sans computer (as my laptop was unable to come with due to its current malady) and it was rather lovely. I was surrounded by family, the weather was warm, I saw some amazing music - Stewart Park Festival = awesomeness - did some Ottawa touring and had a fantastic time.

Now that I back home, where life is much less exciting, I realize just how much I rely on the internet to entertain me. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing although I think that I feel much better about spending X amount of time reading, writing, researching and learning online than sitting like a zombie in front of the television. So here's to the internet! Welcome back into my life dear friend: you, your blogs, search engines, video clips, and infinite wealth of knowledge have been missed.

While I have missed the internet (and continue to miss my laptop) dearly, there are some perks to brief online separation. It's like putting on a top found in the depths of one's closet and discovering that it fits like a dream and looks fabulous.
Par exemple:

• Was treated to a hefty amount of friend requests, posts, messages, event invites, new photos, and all other creepster things on facebook when I logged on this afternoon
• Felt immensley popular when greeted by a myriad of email messages in my inbox [Note: This feeling of popularity and slight elation only occurs when checking personal email accounts. Arriving at work after vacation to 275 emails, the bulk of which are spam and scams, the rest of which are mainly obnoxious queries is quite ghastly.]
• Am pumped about the undoubtedly wonderful things which have been posted on the many blogs/sites I reguarly visit. How exciting to have so many wonderful things to read!

Only con when venturing back online after vacation:

• Online Bank and Visa Statement. This ain't gonna be pretty my friends...

A Horrible Turn of Events

My computer has broken.

Yesterday I was sitting on my porch in the sun, (as I like to do) browsing the web, and ripping some cds when my laptop froze. Ok fine, no panic - perhaps it's just had a bit too much sun - I just shut it down and gave it a break. Later that afternoon I open up and turn on my faithful companion and am greeted by a blue screen with a bunch of numbers the words 'UNSURMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME' and a message telling me an error has occured in Windows, due likely to recently installed hardware or software.

First thought: Karma. That's what I get for downloading cds I haven't paid for. Then I realized music files are not hardware or software so this must be a temporary glitch in need of a simple rebooting, as the lovely white font tells me. So...

>>REBOOT

Blue screen re-appears. Damn. Notice instructions for starting Windows in 'Safe Mode' so

>>REBOOT (Safe Mode Please)

Blue screen re-appears! Aargh! As frustration kicks in I attempt to restart my computer several more times....all in vain. Blue screen is not cooperating and seems to be here to stay. So I give up. You want to be stubborn Mr. Blue Screen? Well that's fine; I am a patient lady and I will outsmart you.

Time passes and last night (after a few more unsuccessful start-up attempts) something occurred to me: Technical Support! Eureka! The computer-savvy folks at Dell will tell me exactly what needs to be done to banish this evil Blue Screen. So to the household desktop I go.

Dell.com - enter!
Technical Support - click!

As the page loads, I cannot believe I have never thought of this before! How easy this will be - just a simple click on the "What to do if your laptop has a blue screen and refuses to start-up" link and voila: simple answers to all of my problems!

However

Dell.com/support does not work that way, oh no. Simplicity is not a word or mantra they employ. Words they are fond of include HAL.DLL, NTDLR, PBR Descriptor and debugger. ?????

Apparently technical salvation is not that easy to achieve. (Not unlike personal or religious salvation I suppose...) No matter, I shall persevere! My darling laptop is counting on me! So this morning I resort to the dreaded last resort: the 1-800 number. (dun dun dun...)

Tea in hand, frustration in check, I dialed 1-800-WWW-DELL. (Not because I believe this is the correct number to call, but because it is the only phone number I could find on the Dell website.) Five minutes and several menu selections later a perky woman named Danielle informs me that I have indeed called the wrong number and kindly points me in the right direction.

"Thank you for choosing Dell, have a great day!"

The second phone number puts me in touch with an overly soft-spoken man whose name I believe was Raif but I cannot be sure. He asks me for my Service Code, my phone number, my laptop edition, my name, my postal code, my email address and then tells me that he thinks that my hard drive is the problem. Unimpressed, I ask him to quantify "think" and am told that yes, blue screens usually signify a faulty hard drive, and if I would like to run some tests to be sure that is the issue he can give me (yet another) phone number where - for a nominal fee (?!!) - I can get further customer support.

"Thank you for choosing Dell, have a great day!"

Infuriating.

I asked if this means I will lose all of the information on my hard drive (a Bachelor's degree worth of papers and essays, 4 years worth of photos from trips to half a dozen countries, etc.) and Raif says "maybe, it depends". That and "your warranty expired September 2008 so you will have to pay for your new hard drive."

DEVASTATION.

Mr Blue Screen appears to be winning this battle. He is a far more worthy adversary than previously thought. I cannot describe how upset I will be if all of my items are irretrievable. If this has ever happened to you, I am dreadfully sorry because it truly is a horrific ordeal.

Hang in there, my little laptop! Hang in there! We can get through this!

Something to think about:

"

On-demand services can rarely satisfy our old-fashioned desire to sometimes be surprised. We’ve read too many reviews and PR quips about the show before clicking to download it - we know exactly what to expect. What’s lost in this process is the joy of stumbling upon something new and exciting—the accidental discovery. Lost, too, is the thrill of the chase for that elusive something that, in ancient history, led members of our species to many a dusty shelf or bin in an old fashioned brick and mortar store.

On-demand media exerts conflicting pressures on us. It draws us away from our co-workers and neighbors while simultaneously connecting us to a global community thousands strong. It dilutes the dwindling pool of cultural touchstones we share, but in doing so, exposes each of us to a vast ocean of possibility. It gives us virtually anything we could ever want at our fingertips, but threatens to overwhelm us with such abundance.

"

— We Are United in Our Digital Isolation, PopMatters (via somethingchanged)

My friend Tessa, who is a much more adept blogger than I, posted this on her site yesterday. I like it. It is interesting and quite true. I am curious as to what else this person has to say...

Ah sunshine, thank you for joining us

My favourite thing to do on sunny afternoons (and something my current lack of employment graciously allows me to do) is to sit on my back porch with my lap top, an iced drink (today's choice: iced latte), and music playing out of my living room window. It is glorious. I am near all household amenities, I don't have to worry about feeling self conscious in the various states of undress that inevitably happens as the sun heats up, and it is perfectly, blissfully relaxing. Whenever or wherever I end up having my own humble abode, I will have a patio/porch and I will take full advantage of it on sunny summer days.

Gotta love Greeting Cards

My half-sister gave me this card for my birthday. I think it is hilarious - she knows me well.

Song of the Day

I just discovered this guy this morning while watching In Fashion. He was on the show for his impeccable sense of style but I love the Motown quality to his music. Nothin' like a golden oldie, and Saadiq has the look and feel of classic soul...and I LOVE it. Check him out.

New Beginnings

New Blog Title = New World.

Out with lame-o sunsets and in with a predictable pun!

When I was first toying with the idea of a blog, this is the first title that popped into my head so here's hoping it's a better fit.

Also, on the subject of 'New Beginnings', I bought a necklace for myself today. It has a lotus on it, which in the yogic tradition symbolises renewal, transformation and new beginnings. It being the eve of my birthday I thought it was a fitting purchase, and especially pertinent given the current state of flux I find myself in. I am searching for the next chapter of my life, and I like the idea of having a reminder that just as the lotus embodies infinite potential, so do I.

(As an aside, check out Satya Jewelry. Beautiful stuff...)

I know I said I wouldn't talk about daylights or sunsets but this photo just begs to be shared. (And if kicks my sunset photos' arse if you ask me).

If you're looking for some stunning photography to brighten up your day check out Aronaeveryday - I recently stumbled upon it and quite like it; Blognote knows what he's doing. (And may just be living my fantasy life - Italy? Isles of Rhodes?! YES PLEASE!)

Another good option for great photography is Daily Dose of Imagery which I like to browse through every so often. The photographer apparently lives in Toronto - yay Canada!

Blogs like these are great reminders of the beauty in every day.

Someday I will live in a house like this... (or not..)

I'm sorry but this house is gorgeous...and also bears striking resemblance to the Cullen home in Twilight. Yes? No? Maybe so?



Big dig house

Shared via AddThis

Tales of a Hermit

I have not left my house today.

Okay fine, I have barely left my house all week. I can actually list the number of times I have left my house since last weekend:

• Dinner at grandmother's house (me preparing, her trying to eat with one hand as other is broken and in cast)
• Playdate with niece all afternoon
  
• Lunch with Grandfather
• Shopping downtown - bought dress and jeans as was aforementioned
  
• Gym twice - once for yoga class, once for half-hearted cardio workout
  
• Pity dinner date with mother and her friend
• Daily walks with Toby, man's best (and apparently my only) friend

That, sad to say is about it. I may have run a couple of errands (bank, drug store, etc) but I have essentially adopted the hermit lifestyle. I managed to do productive things like clean, dust, organise and re-arrange my entire room as well as read a book (Tuesdays with Morrie - an inspiring yet somehow overrated classic), do some writing and general contemplating about the state of my life / future which I suppose is good. I also feel very up on current affairs as I have read each daily paper front to back - save the Sports section which I always skip - as well as this week's Coast.

What I am trying to say is that I am bored off my rocker. I had intended to go to Toronto this past week which makes my incredible inactivity that much more unbearable. The other fact that makes my 'current state' unbearable is that it is of my own making. All I need to do is leave my house. If I want activity in my life all I have to do is take a deep breathe, step outside and be active. One of my weaknesses is that I too often wait for life to happen to me instead of voraciously seeking out life adventures.

I've been finding it hard these past few days because I don't really feel like there is anything for me in Halifax. All of my friends are away for the summer, I am living at home which I truly resent, I'm not really working, save for the occasional catering shift, and am no longer inspired or excited by this place. My plan has always been to do something amazingly wonderful in a far off place come autumn, and to take the summer to prepare for that. Only trouble is haven't yet figured out what amazingly wonderful thing it is I want to do. Sorting through a world of opportunity is no easy task and I feel kind of like I'm treading water with no sign of dry land. BUT I suppose all I can do is suit up, swim for some alien shore and hope the locals are friendly. (That will be the end of the poorly writ swimming/treading water analogies, I promise).

Next week it's back to what has been my mantra as of late: Forward Motion. I will be better - you'll see.

Finally!

As I know I have complained about on more than one occasion, it has been foggy, cloudy and humid beyond belief for the fast few weeks.

Today it is raining. Raining!

The humidity is finally leaving the sky and falling unabated to the ground. While this doesn't bode well for the Virgin Music Fest happening today I could not be happier. Here's hoping that once the clouds have emptied they'll clear off and let the sun come out.

"Who in the world am I? - Ah that's the great puzzle."

- Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll