Sore neck

After an exhilarating belly dancing class & a sleep on my squished pillows I couldn't move my neck to the left yesterday. This is the price I pay for wiggly my hips too much. I went to my Chiropractor but within a half hour it was sore again. However, after some stretching & pillow fluffing it's a bit better today but I will need to go to my massage therapist for sure this week.
Other tidbits: I went to see Ratatouille yesterday & it was quite entertaining. They're cute, fuzzy, & boy can they cook. Today I got to hold Squeezer the Colombian Boa Constrictor during Meet a Reptile at the Zoo. I have never held, or even touched, a bit snake like that before & she was surprisingly really smooth, and incredibly muscular. My Mom would freak if she saw it so don't mention anything to her...

Post Harry Potter

I finished the new book yesterday, at precisely 10 pm. After 3 and a bit days of heavy reading, some tears, and a sore back I finished it & now feel a little lost. Friday I did the whole Van Dusen Gardens H.P. Party geekfest, minus a costume (and by the by I seriously need to invest in a cape - there have been endless events where I need one & I don't have one...) which was great, got to walk through the magical Quidditch tent to get my book, spent all of Saturday exhausted from lack of sleep (had to volunteer Sat. am at 7:00 so I slept maybe 5ish hrs), and finally started ready Saturday night. After about 20 pages I fell asleep so my first hardcore day of reading was Sunday. Monday was difficult because I just wasn't in a work mind frame - I was obsessing over the story all day and couldn't wait to get home to read the next part. Tuesday - repeat of Monday, just farther along in the book. I didn't even answer the phone Tuesday evening because it was just too intense. Then it was over and life continues...I can't go into details, just in case you haven't read it yet - but, wow! and wow! I guess all I can do now is start reading the series over again.

Shimmy

This is me shimmying!

My favourites from the Folk Festival

Bitch and the Exciting Conclusion, she's frickin' awesome: http://www.bitchmusic.com/bhome.htm
Allison Russell of Po Girl & Salt (soon to change their name to Sophia) - she's also the Samuel L. of the Folk Festival, ie. makes an appearnce in almost every show: http://www.pogirl.net/
Geoff Berner, check out his song "The Rich Are Going To Move To The High Ground": http://www.geoffberner.com/mp3/index.htm
Ndidi Onukwulu, she's VERY entertaining & dancing so much there's holes in her socks: http://www.ndidi.ca/
The Fugitives, spoken word & accordian genius all roled up into one group: http://www.fugitives.ca/index.php
Rae Spoon, funny & sings about the Great Lakes: http://www.raespoon.com/
Hawksley Workman, very entertaining if a bit forgetful: http://www.hawksleyworkman.com/
The Wailin Jennys, originally from Manitoba & politically conscious: http://www.thewailinjennys.com/
The Sojourners gospel group are FANTASTIC, and if Church was all about the singing & dancing all the time I'd be going every day: http://www.myspace.com/thesojourners

Mosquitos!

I am currently covered in mosquito bites, I think it rivals even a good old fashioned Manitoba summer amount of bites. They just started itching last night and this morning I feel like I want to rip my skin off. On top of that I also have a sun burn - fooled by the overcast sky on Sunday, but never again! We had a ball game yesterday at 6:30 and lucky for me, and everyone really, the other team had to forfeit because not enough players showed up. Thank goodness! I would have died if I had to actually play, I'm sure. Today we have a game at 9:30 so I'm anticipating a slightly more tolerable amount of heat, but then the mosquitoes will be out in full force. I just can't win.
One funny thing, some hardcore B.C. friends of mine - meaning they have lived here all their lives - say "skitters" rather than "mosquitoes" or 'skeeters". It's crazy!

Snap

Today was my first Belly Dancing class. Yep, me, belly dancing. There are about 8 or so of us from work going, which makes it a little less uncomfortable, and a little more uncomfortable. We learned or at leasted attempted the hip lift, the shimmy, the snap, snakearms, the roll. I'm sore and I figured out that it's best to do belly dancing on an empty stomach. Then at the end we yelled in a circle. It was really fun, but I have to practice!

Kale balls

spent my Canada Day at the Zoo, and after a brutal week of work I really didn't want to go BUT I said I would so I went. I treated myself by going 'late', so lazing about till 9:00 & then doing some chores before I left. It was a beautiful sunny day so that helped with my lack of motivation. I spent the day face-painting & the most difficult request was a Marmoset face but I persevered & it looked ok, though not specifically Marmoset-like. At about 2:30 or so one of the Keepers came by & asked for help so I went because I was getting a little bored -short attention span. This is where the Kale balls come in. The Zoo has a project where they breed Oregon Spotted Frogs, which are endangered, so the Kale is used to feed the tadpoles. The crazy part is that they have to make these things every other day or so. The crazier part is that they boil the Kale, blend it to a smooth soupy texture, squeeze the water out via cheese cloth & make little melon balls out of the semi-dry Kale. The insane part is that the blender broke, well specifically someone dropped it - not me! So, we borrowed a tiny little food processor, the kind you used for just onions having maybe a 2 cup or less capacity. So, three pots of Kale took a long time. After an hour & a half of blending, squeezing & balling the Keeper came back & we did it assembly line style so it went a bit faster. I got Kale on my shirt, in my eye, all over my arms, my toe & the kitchen area. Luckily someone else cleaned up for me. So, now I have an open invitation to be the official Kale ball helper. I have mixed feelings about it but will probably do it again. I don't mind getting a little Kaley, and as long as they get a new blender I think it will go faster.
Now I'm off to work.