Not exactly sure why this time of year makes me feel all blah-ey, but here I am again, in the blah-zone. *sigh* Seems it doesn’t take much to funk me out lately. Perhaps I should stop thinking. :\

Ok, I’ve been meaning to do this for two weeks now, so prepare for a long read! Life has been busy lately with doing things away from the house, especially working. The buzz(saw) of Xmas carols has started, and the twinkly lights and decorations are everywhere you look, and the crowds are-a-starting to become too large for comfort. I don’t mind crowds if they are all going the same way, but in a mall there are those who stop to look at every little thing, those who decide they want to walk in lines rather than in smaller groups, those you are sure are reading your mind as they can consistently get in your way no matter which way you try to go, and then there are those like me who are just trying to get from one end to the other in the fastest time possible. There has been so much to do these past couple of weeks, but I’m happy with the work I’ve done and it has been stressful but oddly fun (I’m a poet, dont’cha know it!) Anyway, here are some pictures of the projects I’ve been working on. The Display Attic team has been fun to work for. Would I do it again next year? Perhaps … for a little more money (I’ve got experience now, yanno!) 🙂

The Swarovski Crystal Wish Tree

This thing is a beast! 32 gargantuan feet, a tonnage of metal and bristly green fibers with large green balls, and 5,000 Swarovski crystals hung so delicately and just so, twinkling and sparkling like nothing you’ve ever seen before. It’s magical! It’s soooo beautiful! Well, it better be cause it was a helluvalotta work to get it there. 🙂 It took lots of people up day and night, fluffing and primping, unwrapping and hanging the close to 5,000 crystals (I think the tree has something like $350,000 worth of crystals on it), getting up from the basement to the 3rd floor, building the revolving stage that it’s on, putting it together without breaking too many crystals (4 levels all 8 ft high, weighing hundreds of lbs), pleating yards and yards and yards of fabric to create a skirt around the aforementioned revolving stage, putting up 50 foot curtains to hide the terrific tannenbaum, lights to create the magic, and a team of guards sitting around the perimeter 24/7 until it is once again, stripped and returned to the warehouse to live it’s life out in the dark. It’s ok though, after all that excitement, I think the tree will need a bit of a break. It’s alot of work, but in the end it’s always worth it. The Swarovski tree is sponsored by the Children’s Xmas Wish Foundation, so make your wishes on the tree. May all your wishes come true!
PS: Mouse over the pictures for an explanation. 🙂 PPS: Only if you use IE!

My job in all this was to keep fluffing and primping the trees, looking for broken crystals or fixing bare spots on the green beastie’s sparkly fur. Seeing the daylight break over the glass roof of the Eaton Centre was pretty cool. There was just enough light for the crystals to start twinkling. I think I may go out to the unveiling on Thursday night (if I’m not already working!) Either way, I’d love to be there to see it. 🙂

Santa’s Castle

Putting up Santa’s Castle was a fun project! I think we made it look beautiful and magical, and hopefully Santa’s red suit won’t clash with the colour scheme (purple and gold mostly, with some teal coloured trees with green lights, and blue rope lighting all around the fence). It shouldn’t – purple is half red already, right?! Santa arrived at the castle this past Saturday, and already hundreds of families have had their children’s picture taken with Santa. It kinda baffles me that we put up so much fuss for just a few days of the year. People overspend, overindulge, and overstress, when we should all just be taking it easy and spending time with friends and family before the winter sets in. In pagan times, people got together and celebrated Yule, the winter solstice, because they weren’t sure who would make it through the winter and they wanted to celebrate their survival so far, but also to know that they’ve seen their loved ones one last time before the long cold winter. People shared what they had, and some exchanged little tokens with the specials ones in their lives. For me, that’s what makes this time of the year. I’ve always been a little stressed around Xmas, but Yule makes me all shimmery and warm inside. Could it possibly be days getting longer? Could it be the return of the light? Could it be all the yummy food and good times with friends? Probably! 🙂 Ok, picture time!

Sherway Gardens

I only worked at this mall 4 or 5 times, and while I enjoyed it (the mall is gorgeous!), I also felt as though I was out of my element a bit. Sherway is definitely a rich people mall. They put HEAPS of money into maintaining the mall, and the Xmas budget is much bigger than at the Eaton Centre. They play classical music in the mall, which is quite nice, but all the stores are slightly upper crust (the flakiest part right?! *grin*), so I don’t even want to go into them. These people want Xmas and they want it in style! *sigh* Santaland is pretty cool though. If I was a kid I think it’d be quite cool to go and sit with other kids for story time with Santa. I think they have a photographer to take pictures of the kids interacting with Santa, but it allows the kids to be able to play a little and hang out with interactive Santa. The parents had to pay $4 for each child for story time, and I think the money is going to some charity or other. Beats just sitting on his lap!

Lobby trees, etc

We also lit, fluffed, and decorated 17 trees of various sizes and 4 wreaths for the 3 main entrances into the Eaton Centre. There are trees at 20 Queen St. W., 250 Yonge St., and 1 Dundas St. W. At the main entrance at Yonge and Dundas we hung these giant silver stars (that look very much like giant silver sea urchins). They look pretty neat if I do say so myself, and I can report that no eyes were lost in the installation of this Xmas decoration. Hopefully, they’ll all stay right where they are!

Ok, I tired now! Back soon!

My beautiful friend Vanessa sent this to me today and it made me laugh! Having had dogs and cats over the years, I can totally see this!! *hee*

Excerpts from a Dog’s Daily Diary:

8:00 am Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm Wow! Watched TV with my master! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat’s Daily Diary:

Day 683 of my captivity: My captors continue to taunt me with
bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat,
while the other inmates are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.
Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I
nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.. In an
attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the floor.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their
feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since
it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely
made condescending comments about what a “good little hunter” I am. The
audacity! There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices
tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of
the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I
overheard that my confinement was due to the power of “allergies.”
I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of
my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try
this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and
snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly
released –and seems to be more than willing to return. He is
obviously retarded! The bird has got to be an informant. I observe
him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he
reports my every move. The captors have arranged protective custody
for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe……. for now….

New Zealand – the place where two very special people travelled from over a year ago, and the place where these two very special people have gone back to. It’s an absolutely breathtaking place, and when I travelled there (0ver 10 years ago now!) I fell in love with the land, the people, the culture, the Maori, the sea, the sheep, the hills, the valleys, the trees, the plants – just about everything. I cried for days when I had to leave, it felt as though part of my heart had been torn out. Mind you, I think I did leave a piece of my heart behind, if only in hopes that I would have to go back there one day to get it. Such a magical place, unlike any other place in the world. A small piece of land with so much energy and beauty, a place that I will indeed visit again one day.

When I first met Ash and Elisa, I knew we would quickly become friends. They were interesting, talented, fun, funny, intelligent, beautiful inside and out, had the best accents, and knew how to have a great time despite anyone’s attempt to hinder it. I was well aware of what I was getting into when I met then, what I was unaware of however, was how much I would miss them once they were gone.

Ash’s deep and intuitive nature is so apparent when it comes to making his music, it completely fills me with feeling and visions from this far away place – I can feel his native land coming through in the beats, I can feel the pulse of his lifeforce in his music, I can connect to the place, the time, the beauty of the Land of the Long White Cloud, and in an instant of closing my eyes and opening up my inner vision, I am there with him. Thank you Ash, for opening up those beautiful places within me. I will truly miss you, but I know that I will see you again one day, and I look forward to hearing your crazy laugh and seeing your wonderful, knowing smile.

Elisa quickly became an awesome friend that I know I don’t want to live without. Her positive attitude, beautiful smile, uncanny ability to make one feel better just by being there, and amazing organizational abilities were a constant inspiration to me. I felt as though I could do just about anything with her by my side, and I know that she’s but an email, phonecall, or thought away, however, I still wish she was closer. I look forward to the day when we can just be our happy-go-lucky silly selves again, dancing up the sun, watching the dogs at the park, sharing music and pictures, or just talking until the wee hours of the morning. I will truly miss you girl, but I know I will see you again one day.

Both Ash and Elisa have touched my life in so many ways, I can’t even begin to count them. They are both truly beautiful people and I am truly blessed to have met them. I wish them HEAPS of love, happiness, and success in their lives, and will wait patiently until we can meet again! (the sooner, the better!)

Well it’s late, and for some reason I’m still awake. I was hoping to have an early night tonight, but my brain just doesn’t seem to want to co-operate. It just doesn’t realize that I’ve been up all day and I need my beauty sleep! I am physically tired, but my mind still doesn’t seem satisfied with the amount of work it’s done today. I’m not sure why it wakes up sometimes, after everyone has gone to bed, just to remind me that there are things that I still need to do – like laundry, or dishes, or reorganizing directories full of random stuff. I wish I could just turn it off and take it out, then put it into a recharging unit beside the bed so that my body could rest, and then in the morning, I could just snap my well-rested, recharged brain back in and get on with the day. But now, I will go lie down and attempt to lull myself to sleep with visions of Poe the Stray Sheep running around on the back of my eyelids. Wish me luck…

I got the awesome opportunity to babysit my niece for a few days while my sister and brother-in-law took some well earned time for themselves. At four months old, she sings (tho doesn’t really know any words), sleeps through the night, eats joyfully and then poops pantloads, she loves anything with bright colours (following in my footsteps!), and can charm any crusty old grump with that smile of hers. I had such a wonderful time with her! Can’t wait until the next time! Boy, are we gonna be friends!

Here are some pictures!

Enjoy!

You scored as III – The Empress. The Empress is a maternal symbol. She is the mother figure who loves, nurtures and protects. She will protect you, she will always be there when you are in trouble. When you fall over and graze your knee, the Empress will kiss it better. Yet she is not a weak figure. Her compassion is strength. If her children are threatened she will stop at nothing to protect them. If well aspected in a Tarot spread, the Empress can symbolise security, protection and unconditional love. If badly aspected it can represent over-protectiveness, fear of risk taking and refusal to face the real world. II – The High Priestess 88% III – The Empress 88% XIII: Death 81% VIII – Strength 75% IV – The Emperor 69% XIX: The Sun 69% X – Wheel of Fortune 63% I – Magician 63% XI: Justice 63% XVI: The Tower 56% VI: The Lovers 56% 0 – The Fool 44% XV: The Devil 25%

Which Major Arcana Tarot Card Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

Wow, I can’t believe it’s July already and it’s been over a month since I’ve done any writing or blogging – I guess I’ve just been busy with parties and renovations and pets and people and camping and summer in general. Real life just has a way of getting in the way sometimes – it has been dynamic for sure, always lots of changes, always moving forward, always finding new things to pique my curiosity, and always having chores to keep me busy. I’ve been feeling pretty positive lately and find that if I can keep my mood happy and light, I don’t seem to get bogged down by my own negative thoughts. It’s been a battle for me at times, dealing with my depression, being confused by it at times, as I really don’t have any good reason to be depressed – I have a wonderful life filled with wonderful people – it’s just those darned brain chemicals playing tricks on me! In the meantime, I’m trying to eat better, get more exercise, and attempt to relax more, get better sleep and spend less time feeling stressed out about nothing. So far so good!

In a few weeks we’ll be attending the Eclipse festival which is going to be an absolute blast! So many excellent friends will be there to share the vibe with – it’s going to be awesome! Anyway, something to look forward to! Better get to work on some fun stuff to wear and play with! *wee*

A friend of mine sent me this a while ago and of course, it made me chuckle. I definitely believe that my clown chakra is open, as I take every opportunity to see the light side of reality, and to laugh as much as I can. So laugh a little, will ya!

THE CLOWN CHAKRA

The clown Scientists have found that all our problems can be placed under one heading: SERIOUSNESS. Seriousness is the leading cause of everything, from Cancer to Re-incarnation.

Scientists from the Clown Academy have already discovered a new source of healing. It is a psychic energy point located between the heart chakra and the throat chakra: it is called the Clown chakra. If people are feeling miserable, if they have financial problems, if their relationship situation is in the pits, if they are in ill-health, if they need to sue people, if they find fault with their brother, then
obviously their Clown Chakra is closed.

When this happens, the Scientists have observed under high-powered microscope that the cells of every organ display a sad face 🙁 and when the Clown Chakra is open and functioning normally, the cells display a happy face 🙂

The Scientists realised that if a person is ill, it is because his mind has projected guilt onto the cells and his body has forced out the love that is normally found within each cell of the body. The cells are therefore saying “I Lack Love”, or ILL for short. The scientists also discovered that all disease is due to the fact that the cells are out of ease, or dis-eased.

When the Clown Chakra is open and working (or rather playing) properly, the psychic mechanism sucks up the misery, pain, or anger, resentment, grievances, unhappiness etc. and converts the energy into tiny heart shaped balloons. The red, heart-shaped balloons contain Love and Joy. These balloons are directed to the dis-eased cells or situation and a happy face appears instantly. When the light enters the darkness, the darkness is gone. Sometimes these red, heart-shaped balloons are called endorphins, due to the fact that when anyone experiences them, the feeling or separation ends. They experience being back home with All That Is and hence are no longer an orphan. This is the well-known end-orphan (endorphin) effect.

So if you think someone is attacking you, Clown Scientists recommend that you visualise sending that person red, heart-shaped balloons filled with Love and Joy.

Remember to keep your Clown Chakra open, and remember to laugh!

SERIOUSNESS CAUSES REINCARNATION.

We’re throwing a party and we have Magikal Intentions! On June 10th, 2006 Metamystix will be transforming the upstairs floor at the El Mocambo into an immersive and experiencial black light environment filled with unique and original artwork crafted by the Mystchix and friends. Join us in our magikal moonlit forest filled with strange creatures from near and far. This is an intentional gathering of individuals coming together to celebrate the life and diversity on our planet and to look to the skies for inspiration and ideas for the future.

Metamysitx is a collective of friends who are dedicated to creating intentional spaces for magik to happen, transforming the typical party experience into more focused event. People are encouraged to dress up in costume and explore their creativity to bring out their own magikal persona.

With the moon full and bright and the sun gaining strength, we will dance and transcend our bodies and minds, drawing up energy, and making way for growth in our lives. The music will guide us and we will succumb to the beat and there, we will find our own inner rhythm.

I think this is going to be a very special occasion! Hope to see you all there!