more lyrics to songs not yet composed

Here's a song about the memories contained in pocket trash:

Laundry Day Archaeology

There’s a receipt in my pocket
From the last time I wore these pants
It is from the post office
So maybe I bought some stamps

In the pocket of this jacket
There’s a tissue that looks quite old
Maybe I wore this jacket
The last time that I had a cold

There’s a wrapper from a band-aid
In the pocket of this shirt
Oh, now I remember-
It’s from the day my knee got hurt

In the pocket of this blazer
There’s a wrapper all shiny and green
It is from a candy I ate
The day after Halloween

There are things in this outfit
That tell tales of things that have been
I’d better empty my pockets
Before I wash these clothes clean

Cat Etiquette

One thing that I like to do is write words for funny songs. Hopefully one day there will be tunes to go with these words. Then these little ditties could be sung to entertain small children forever and ever. Until that day, there are only words. Here is one about cats:

Cat Etiquette

You might find it amusing to tease kitty with a string
As she chases it across the floor, you think it’s just the thing.
But cats aren’t here to entertain, and so I urge you pause
Before your hand falls victim to tiny pointy claws.

Chorus:
Sometimes cats get cranky when you play with them too much.
That is quite annoying, since they’re awful nice to touch.
It can make you feel like yelling:
“You’re a mean old such-and-such!!!!!”
Whenever cats get cranky ‘cause you played with them too much.

It might seem enchanting to dress kitty in a cape
No matter how he protests and struggles to escape.
You might think it makes him handsome, that it makes him look quite chic
But the sour look upon his face tells me he thinks you’re a creep.

Chorus.

When you want to pat your kitty, there are some simple rules
For if you do it wrong, your pet will think you’re cruel.
Do not use so much pressure that her eyes start to bug out
This will make your kitty grumpy, and she’ll begin to pout.
If you pat your cat too quickly, all her fur will stand on end,
For in your quest for affection you have upset your friend.

Chorus.

It's been a long time

Wow. It's been forever since I posted anything in this electronic public diary. Might as well get back to it....

Getting you totally updated on my goings on would be too too heavy a job, so I'll just let you know that I'm back at school, I'm doing an internship in an elementary school working with special needs children (not something I ever intended on doing) and I sometimes suffer from debilitating migraines.

My life has taken a turn for the quiet. I rarely ever go out, but I find many, many ways to fill up my days. School consumes most of my time, but I am a straight A student, so it's worth it in the end. I've also got my craft projects- still making jewelry and collages and I've taken up weaving too. All in all, I'm busy and happy. Well, as happy as anyone can be at the tail end of winter. Truly, it will be grand to see the wretched snow melt!

I will provide some slightly more detailed highlights of my recent exploits soon. Thank you for your patience, dear readers.

When worlds collide

Although being in a new place is fun and meeting new people is exciting, it is still nice to remain connected to those who live elsewhere. Last weekend, the parental unit motored down from capital city to see the new digs, have a spot of lunch and wander around the new neighbourhood. It was ever so lovely. Today, I am once again being blessed with an out of town guest, this time in the form of miss Boo herself. It will be nice to see her- the last time she was in town, I was in the thick of the move, so this visit will be more good times, less painting/ lifting heavy objects. In fact, I am guessing that the heaviest object Boo will need to lift this time around is a glass of wine in a triumphant toast to long-lasting friendship.

To be truthful, the constant, unrelenting "newness" of this city is rather exhausting. I was so comfortable in my old city- when I had nothing to do, I could always plunk myself down at the bar of one of the many watering holes where I was friends with the staff and chat away while they pulled pints. Not so anymore. When I go out alone, I'm really alone. Little by little I'm finding out where to go for nice food, reasonably priced drinks and comfortable ambiance. Still, I do feel a tad out of my element. Not quite a fish out of water, but a fish still getting used to the miniature sunken pirate ship and faux seaweed of the new aquarium.

In time, everything will make more and more sense. I love my new home and the city that surrounds it. In no time I'll become more comfortable with my French grammar, more accustomed to the speed of living here and more securely rooted into a new social milieu. Until then, it's nice to see some familiar faces from time to time.

p.s. in the spirit of existing in the odd duality of my new life and old, I've set up an archive of photographs over at Flickr. If you'd like a more visual, less text-based way of charting my every move, go check it out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zstonyk/

At Long Last

Darlings,

I know it's been a hundred thousand years since I last posted anything, but life has been so chaotic and I've only just started to be able to take a rest and a deep breath and a moment to update you on my life. The move is now over. I am safe and sound in my new pad, which is far superior to and of the pathetic hovels I formerly called home. (Actually, I've lived in some quite nice places, but all pale in comparison to this.) I won't bore you with the details of my move. I'll only send out tremendous exes and ohs to Ian, the champion behind the wheel of the startlingly large truck that transported all my worldly possessions from there to here. And also to Boo, who came down to aid in the painting of walls and general calming down of nervous, overwhelmed lil' ol' me.

I'll tell you more about my fabulous new life later. I just wanted to let you know that I am here and that things are as they should be.

hooray for me!

I just got into school! Oooh, it's so exciting. I don't know what else to say.

Now my life has some direction.

Hooray!

Busted Paw

Did I mention that my mum’s foot is broken? A few weeks prior to my arrival she got herself tangled in a messy incident involving a patch of black ice and a pair of small dogs while getting out of a taxi. I love my mother dearly but, and she will readily admit to this, she does not exactly possess great nimbleness or solid sure-footedness; no one is likely to mistake her for Martha Graham any time soon, to be sure. Not to say that she isn’t graceful in her own stiff and exacting way, she just likes to do things in her own sweet time in her own precise fashion. This works just fine, so long as nothing out of the ordinary, such as ice or dogs, crosses her path.

Well, be this as it may, she is now sporting a cast on her foot and is moving at a drastically reduced pace. This means that much must be done on her behalf. For the first week of my time back at the homestead, mum way confined to her bed under doctor’s orders to stay off her foot. This required a multitude of trips up and down the stairs with cups of tea, all the day’s meals, things to read, loads of laundry etc, etc. Now she is able to put some of her weight on her foot, so she is able to get from a to b, slow as a tortoise, but at least she can get out of bed. She’s even gone back to work. Mind you, she works from home so her office is actually adjacent to the bedroom, pretty much just a glorified alcove in the hallway. But it’s progress…

Now, I hate to complain about someone who has been served up a big steaming plate of misfortune, but it is a smidge tiresome to be the one on hand to deal with the majority of dearest mama’s needs. Perhaps I’m a bitch, but so be it- this is my bloody blog and I’m going to kvetch. I’m stuck in the house with this poor woman who is so darn depressed about her foot. She’s a real trooper and complains less than most would in her situation, but it’s still frustrating to listen to her moan about something none of us can fix. Oh, she’s so bored. I do what I can and rent movies, make runs to the library (please note: it is rather difficult to guess what someone other than yourself would like from the public library. If at all possible, do not volunteer to get things for people without a specific list of preferences) and so on, yet still she is gloomy. I don’t mean to sound like a rotten and ungrateful daughter, it’s just that my mum and dad are the only people I have any real live face-to-face conversations with now that I’m here. I am already a little on the not-feeling-so-good-about-life side, seeing as I just left behind a whole city-full of my nearest and dearest buddies and have no friends here in town. Having one of the only two humans in my home be depressed and needy (and depressed about being needy) is un peu trop for my stressed out brain. Plus, she’s ALWAYS HERE. I am used to living on my own, spending many, many hours a day all by myself. Now, I am either at home where there’s Princess Sadness requesting another cup of tea, or I’m out and about and all by myself. Shopping by myself, having lunch by myself, reading a book over coffee by myself… There are constantly, simultaneously too many and too few people in my daily life. It is maddening! I am frustrated! And how!

The good news is that my old pal Jesse will be in town for the weekend. I will have someone to talk to. His conversation shall be like a calm harbor after days sailing the choppy seas of discontent, like a poultice of joy on my feverish, melancholy
brow… oh yes, and happy Easter!