Gloryfades.org

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words and sympathy for Diefenbaker’s passing. He was an awesome bunny and he will be missed dearly.

Just wanted to leave a quick note to say Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and all the best in the new year for everyone who passes by my little spot on the web. I will be gone from December 23 to January 12. I will see you when I return!

I’m very sad to say that Diefenbaker passed away yesterday in the afternoon. He had to be put down due to a very sever neurological illness that hit him very, very quickly. Suffice it to say, not a very happy surprise on the eve of my trip.

Three days left until I leave for Central America. Things aren’t going as swimmingly as possible. Right now I’m trying to just breathe cause if I don’t I’m liable to rip out hair or scream or something. Too much to do and I feel like I’m not getting anything accomplished. Not even my million and one To Do lists are helping me feel any more organized.

Part of the problem is that I’ve got a mini-emergency on my hands. My bunny, Diefenbaker, is injured.

Three nights ago I let the bunnies out to do some bonding in my room thinking it would be ok while I wrapped presents. The night before I did the exact same thing and it went swimmingly. I have the photos to prove it! I didn’t think anything bad would happen but apparently something happened beneath the bed that made them want to fight. I managed to pull them apart rather quickly.

Coleslaw is fine. Just dandy. Nothing broken, not even a scratch on his head. Two nights ago I noticed that Diefo wasn’t looking to good, though. He wasn’t moving much and when I opened his hutch so he could play around my room (alone) he didn’t bother coming out. I got worried and decided to go to the vet yesterday morning. The doctor couldn’t find any broken bones so he assumed it was just sore muscles and stress from the fight. He gave me some anti-inflammatory medicine and sent me on my way. He did mention, though, that it could possibly be a dislocated hip. Seeing as he wasn’t worried, though, I decided not to worry either. I assumed everything would be fine.

Well, after I came home from work yesterday I noticed he wasn’t doing much better than he was the previous day. In fact, he looked a little worse. His food hadn’t been touched, it looked like he hadn’t eaten his cecals, and when I gave him some lettuce I became alarmed. He appeared to want to eat the lettuce but after taking a few bites he stumbled and couldn’t seem to find it again or perhaps didn’t have the energy to go back to the leaf. When he became startled he hopped towards the corner of the hutch and knocked into it.

This is not the behaviour of a healthy bunny!

G. convinced me that I should go back to the vet this morning and so I’ve taken him in again. He’s a very unstable bunny at this moment, even after I gave him his anti-inflammatory meds. I’m worried that he’s got a dislocated hip which might require surgery.

I’m trying not to blame myself for this because I let them play together. Frankly, this was not something that I could have foreseen. I thought I was acting under the best judgment; sometimes bunnies just get into tiffs. There’s nothing I can do about that. Hopefully, though the doctor will be able to fix Diefo up well enough so that he won’t be in any pain for the next three weeks. I’ve found an experienced bunny-sitter for him while I’m gone, thankfully. If he’s going to require mucho attention for the next while he’ll certainly get it from her.

I sure wish it hadn’t happened, though!

SNOW DAY!!!

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. ~ Susan Heller

Oh how the time flies, doesn’t it? Two nights ago I did a lot of Christmas shopping. In fact, I’m nearly done! I have a few more things to buy in Toronto tonight and I think I’ll be all set for the holidays. You know, for a day that I’m not even going to be in the country for, I’ve really gone all out. I certainly don’t regret spending the amount of money I have spent but it’s a little mind-blowing just how quickly it adds up.

As for the trip planning, I still have nothing new to report. I do have a list of things I aim to have completed by mid-week:

- Traveller’s cheques purchased.
- Hiking boots purchased.
- Hostel for first night booked.
- List of things to take created (and possibly packed).

G. is dead set on going with only one backpack, which means creative packing skills. I’m really good at packing light and making it stretch for a long time. My pack weighed a grand total of 10 kg when I left for Italy last year. I spent a grand total of 16 days reusing my clothes. Of course, it was a bit heavier on the way home but that was because of the souvenirs. I have a much larger pack this time around (did I mention it only cost me 25 whole dollars?) but it’s still not as big as G.’s.

If he expects to take only one pack it will probably be only his and I’m not certain I’ll be able to carry that thing. It will be heavy and, although I have been going to the gym for three weeks now to gain a little muscle strength for the journey (I aim to get to the top of Tikal even if it kills me!), I’m probably not going to be able to take it for long stretches of time.

I know it’s going to be hot and it’s going to be difficult trying to find a hostel when you’ve got thirty pounds on your back. However, relying on only one backpack still means that thirty pounds will slow one of us down.

G. is on a business trip right now but when he comes home we’re going to have a chat about this. It doesn’t worry me too much (not much does when it comes to travel. C’est la vie!), but I don’t want us to get snippy with each other due to one backpack. Plus, if we’re both frugal with the things we take we can spread the weight through two backpacks making it easier for both of us.

Similarly on the topic, would anyone be interested in a photo post of how I pack my backpack? Like I said, I’m quite good at making very little stretch for a long while. Maybe I can inspire someone to cut the amount of stuff they take on their next vacation!

The past two weeks seem to have flown right by. Only sixteen more days until I’m lying on a beach in Mexico! I’ll be honest; planning for my trip hasn’t been on the forefront of my mind. With Christmas only seventeen days away the focus has definitely been on the impending holidays. It’s weird. I don’t feel like I’ll be missing Christmas but you can be sure that once I’m in Central America on Christmas Eve I’ll definitely feel differently. About a week ago I was hit with a sudden wave of sadness as I was making my way through the mall. I think it’s beginning to sink in that I won’t get to spend my holiday with my family.

However, that isn’t to say that I’m not excited. I’m really, really excited! There’s always next year to spend Christmas with my family, after all.

Right now I’ve got two other projects I’m trying to work on at the same time as well. I haven’t had much time for the computer lately but I hope I’ll get a good chunk of work done this weekend. Hopefully, I’ll be able to announce at least one of them next week!

Literarily (literally?) speaking, I’ve zipped through Sarah Gruen’s Water for Elephants which tells the story of a young man who joins a second string traveling circus after his parents die unexpectedly during the height of the Great Depression. It’s an interesting book that is set in a part of history that I don’t particularly know much about. No doubt everyone thinks the life of a carnie is wild and exciting. Unfortunately, it’s often tough, especially in an era when bread lines attracted more crowds than circuses.

It reads very much like a film, though. It would make a great film, which sort of detracts from the quality of the book itself. It lost me just before the climax. I don’t think it’s the book, though. I think it might be me.

Truth be told, I’m not much of a romantic. Schmaltz doesn’t do it for me. Which is strange because I’m breathless every damn time I watch Dirty Dancing. That movie’s the schmaltziest of the schmaltz. So, maybe I’m just picky with my schmaltz? It has to come with an airlift at the end and a promise that no one puts baby in a corner, I say!

In any event, this book would make a great movie. It’d be right up there with The Notebook, I’m sure – especially if they get someone as cute as Ryan Gosling to play the hero. It has animals, a long journey, and a great part for Billy Zane (is it wrong that I think he should play the same guy he played in Titanic? That’s what I pictured when I was reading the book. I think Billy Zane just plays a good asshole. Plus he’s cute. Anyway!).

Good news, I just Googled the book title and “movie” and found this. Apparently someone had the same idea I did - they’re going to turn it into a film. I hope they hire that cute Billy Zane. He needs to be in that film.

Meme Time! Carolynne has tagged me. Check it out below the link.

Continue Reading »

I have been keeping track of the books I read for about a year now but it wasn’t until around midpoint this year that I decided to actually track the month and year the book was read in. I was inspired by the extensive collection of Art Garfunkel. Whether I can keep a record for thirty + years of the books I read is debatable but it’s worth a shot to keep it going as long as possible.

One of the reasons I chose to keep a record was because I often forget a book that I’ve read years ago. One day it pops up in my mind but I have trouble recollecting the plot or the characters. Take for instance The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I know I’ve read most of them but I can’t remember which book I have not read or what happened in the books that I did read. Or take for example the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell. I know I’ve read most of the books apart from her newest works. However, I can’t for the life of me recall what happened in them. I don’t even remember where I stopped reading! It’s a bit frustrating.

The problem could be that I have a bad memory, that’s true. Still, I’ve found it much easier to record each book that I’ve read on this website and I think it has helped. Each book on my list I recall reading. I know the stories, I know the plots, I know the characters. Maybe it’s too early to tell but I think it’s helped a lot.

I thought about making the same kind of list for films because I have the same issue with movie plots, etc. I don’t know why, but it doesn’t feel as though it would be as rewarding. Maybe I’m just a book snob?

On an entirely different note, I’ve just found out what a po’boy is and I’m anxious to try one. They look both filling and comforting at the same time. Plus, they come in a variety of seafood-y goodness.

In fact, I’ve discovered recently the wonderful goodness that is the food blog (flog? blood -pronounced blue-d?!). I don’t cook a lot at home but boy, do some of these websites make me want to start! It’s hard having a mom who’s also a caterer. No, seriously! For all of my life she has been the one to make dinner every night and it’s difficult to get out of that mindframe. I find myself thinking things like she’d be upset if I tried cooking dinner or she’ll just meddle if I try and make anything (which she actually has but not too often).

You know, I bet if I asked her, though, she’d be more than happy to give up the right to cook for a night. It must suck eventually to have to cook every single night.

Another obstacle in my way is that I don’t really know what is in my mom’s kitchen. It certainly isn’t my kitchen. I bet if I asked her where everything is she’d be able to tell me lickety-split. It’s like my study - I’m sure she wouldn’t know where to find a book but if she were to ask me I’d be able to find it without a problem. When I enter the kitchen with the intent to actually make something larger than a sandwich or a glass of egg nog (oh yeah, it’s that time of the season, people!) I’m kind of mystified. AND, if I ask where she keeps x, y, or z, she often just makes me move and finds it herself.

I’m making excuses, I know. If I really want to start cooking for myself I should just do it. Case in point, I made chicken quesadillas two nights ago. While they weren’t the fanciest quesadillas (no guac, unfortunately. L) they were pretty tasty!