Orchid on the Metro

You Make me Feel....

2010-04-19T14:50:00.000-04:00

You bring me out

2010-04-15T15:30:00.004-04:00

I love you!

xyoux

I want a pygmy marmoset!

2010-02-26T09:39:00.003-05:00

Can we have one, please? I promise to take very good care of it. xyoux

Trombone...

2010-02-17T10:35:00.000-05:00

if only the horn section took breaks more regularly!!

An alpaca attacker!

2010-02-13T13:58:00.003-05:00

They're cute, but deadly.

xyoux

Llamas with hats... TWO!

2009-12-29T14:25:00.003-05:00

An orchestrated raid on the cupcakes!

2009-12-17T12:31:00.002-05:00

xyoux

Yarn!

2009-12-16T18:37:00.001-05:00

What Love Is....

2009-11-12T17:02:00.001-05:00

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, ‘What does love mean?’ The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined See what you think:

When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love..’

Rebecca- age 8
‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’

Karl - age 5

‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.’

Chrissy - age 6

‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’

Terri - age 4

‘Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.’

Danny - age 7

‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.'

Emily - age 8

‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.’

Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.’

Tommy - age 6

‘During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.’

Cindy - age 8

‘My mommy loves me more than anybody You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night..’

Clare - age 6

Adolie Day

‘Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’

Elaine-age 5

‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.’

Lauren - age 4

‘When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.’ (what an image)

Karen - age 7

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.’

Mark - age 6

‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.’

Jessica - age 8

And the final one:

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

‘Nothing, I just helped him cry’

Faucet Cat

2009-09-16T10:20:00.001-04:00

Trailer 3!!!

2009-09-14T18:25:00.000-04:00

*insert smiley face here*

xyoux

Hooray !!!!

2009-09-11T10:25:00.002-04:00

Short Week+Date Night=High Fives!

2009-09-09T09:49:00.001-04:00

Carlos is amazing : )

I can't wait for date night tonight!

xyoux

Can't wait to see this!

2009-08-26T09:30:00.001-04:00

This film looks awesome! Cera finally being badass.

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You.....

2009-08-11T12:52:00.003-04:00

Julie Loves....

2009-07-23T10:20:00.003-04:00

I've begun a little photo file on my work computer for pictures of things I'd love to have in our home! Here are some of those images:

I love this awesome chunky knitted rug, although I suspect the cats would destroy it:
I love this simple yet functional chairs and table arrangement, although I do not like the chairs:
I love, love, LOVE this chair! I foresee a dining set that has a great old fashioned wooden table, but these awesome translucent chairs:
I love the giant and simple scissor painting on the wall, and want to try to do something similar.
A simple ball of yarn for art- muted colour palette, something personal, blow it up to huge proportions- win!
I think a white background and watercolour goldfish would compliment the orange scissor painting:
And this would look good framed on the back of the patio door in the kitchen:
And of course, we have already begun working on this dramatic wall:

Penguin Fail and Real Canadian Food!

2009-07-13T10:12:00.002-04:00

Good morning, love!
xyoux

Twi-bunnies!!!

2009-07-09T15:32:00.000-04:00

Watch THIS.
xyoux
J.

Got there First!!

2009-07-07T15:15:00.004-04:00

Darwin, the kitteh from downstairs, enjoys a visit to Chez Crawford...

RoboCat

2009-07-06T10:20:00.000-04:00

Pssssst....

2009-07-03T15:39:00.000-04:00

Wanna have a try?

xyoux

YES PLEASE!

2009-06-30T12:20:00.001-04:00

Although....... Mischa Barton?

Pixar vs Dreamworks

2009-06-30T10:18:00.001-04:00

Ain't it the truth.

Keep being AWESOME!

2009-06-26T09:00:00.003-04:00

Hahahaha, perfect. Click for the full scoop : )

To- Do: Romance on the Cheap

2009-06-22T15:35:00.003-04:00

In the many blogs I follow, there is a trend towards cheap date ideas- who says romance needs lots of money? Not I. So, may I present my dream Guy & Julie Romantic Date List:

- picnic in High Park
- strolling around the beaches
- explore a new area of Toronto we haven't been to yet
- try a new cafe and whatever different treats they have
- have an arts and crafts weekend of making things
- go to the AGO on Wednesdays after work
- go to a fancy restaurant just for dessert
- people watch from a patio and make up stories about their lives
- build a fort in the living room out of our blankets and pillows
- staging funny photos in various locales

Let's see how many we get accomplished by the end of the year.....

Nom Nom NOM

2009-06-20T11:58:00.003-04:00

NOM!

2009-06-16T09:22:00.003-04:00

Random animal picture of the day!

LoafLlama? Followed by one of the funniest yet most awkward falls I've seen in a long while...

List for today-

Finish Julie Chapman's Website
Boodle
Burgers
Poster
Clean and Tidy!
Get rollerblind.

xyou!x

2009-06-15T11:53:00.002-04:00

So we're back! And blogging again. Specifically, we're Monday Lunchtime blogging. How long since the orchid last saw a post? October 27 long.

Goals for this week-

Find an Internship
Finish Julie Chapman's Website
Heal properly
Share an amazing birthday with the love of my life
Create a new morning playlist
Plant the zucchini
Talk to our neighbour about cat playdates.

I think that's attainable.

xyoux

All power to the Wii!

2008-09-25T09:19:00.002-04:00

Enough said, I think : )

Love. This.

2008-08-15T13:49:00.001-04:00

One day I'd like to have a little writing nook that has the walls done just like this. I already have the deerhead! ; )

Our Cats Will Rule the Apartment From a Cardboard Throne

2008-08-14T15:59:00.003-04:00

We have more than enough cardboard to do this! Let's build one for the kittens. Instructions can be found here. We could build them a little cardboard treehouse, too!

Snickers + Mr T = all kinds of awesome

2008-07-31T09:08:00.004-04:00

In the UK, Snickers in a stroke of genius have embarked upon an alternative approach to marketing their chocolate bars. Happy to be completely chauvinistic, Snickers put the chocolate bar back to where it belongs- in the ham-sized fist of a REAL man.

Good work, Mr T... Kind of reminds me of this:

i can haz...

2008-07-22T17:05:00.004-04:00

The Epitome of Walrus Cool

2008-07-15T12:25:00.003-04:00

A Tom Selleck Birthday cake! Maybe not for beginner-cake-decorators. Or the faint-hearted.

One Month and One Day

2008-07-14T11:26:00.003-04:00

The first minute of static is actually code! When you record it onto an audio tape and play it in your Spectrum pc, it allows your computer to play along with the song! All kinds of awesome sauce : )

Upgraded to "could cook if he could be bothered"

2008-07-10T10:20:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I was determined to cook a proper meal for J before she got home, so with my face buried in the Nigella Express cookbook I began cooking the buttermilk-marinated chicken drumsticks I'd prepared the day before (thanks to J for the peppercorns -above the cooker in plain sight, whoops!) and made my first attempt at eggplant cookery, which turned out to be a resounding success! J came home and prepared a delicious garlic eggplant dish to go with our meal and the end result looked like this:

I'm really liking this cooking malarky, I'm regretting not having started sooner!

Haircut!

2008-07-09T10:06:00.004-04:00

First post in aaaages... mostly I've been finding my feet so here goes with a bit of an update- To begin:

Haircut and beheading!

So there we have it- less hair! Hooray... maybe I can get an even tan on my forehead now ; )

Secondly Julie and I decided we would take it upon ourselves to try something new to eat once a week, in an effort to expand our horizons. Being that we came upon this idea whilst in Chinatown, it was only fitting that we begin with something completely random but relatively tame:

Taro biscuits

Completely delicious! I can't speak for Julie but I would definitely seek them out again : )

Finally for this little update I wanted to post a picture of the Margarita Ice Cream I made this week- I can't believe I made it, it tastes so good : D

I shall strive to post more frequently.

It's a Little Anticlimactic now, But....

2008-07-02T16:11:00.013-04:00

I dare you not to tear up.

Toronto Raccoons

2008-06-24T13:03:00.004-04:00

The local wildlife welcomes you!They really do look like this. They also make an adorable sound that is a cross between dolphin clicks and a cat purr. I can never be mad at raccoons- they are just too darned cute. The Annex raccoons are excited to meet you!

Kids Are Quick!

2008-06-24T10:28:00.000-04:00

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America.
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria.
____________________________________

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________
TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
____________________________________________
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________

TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________

TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
_________________________________
TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
______________________________________

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________

TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.
___________________________________
TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

USA! USA! USA!

2008-06-23T07:47:00.005-04:00

I don't think this one really needs a lot of work... They've pretty much nailed it already : )

The Final Throes and some Blow by Blows

2008-06-20T13:02:00.008-04:00

The great day cometh! and with haste aplenty I find myself sat at my desk with four hours to go before I leave this cursed place for the last time. Orange has proved to be the turning point of my life although I'm sure it would be far too humble and bashful to attempt to state such a claim to my face. I arrived at Orange on the back of a Pro career in tatters, the skate industry dying and another ill-fitting relationship falling apart despite my best efforts.

I leave here a changed man; Equal parts strong, confident, sure of myself, patient, impatient, quiet, caring, tired, energetic... a conflicting mix of elements that are far greater than the sum. I feel that I have somehow been forged in the fire of the workplace at last and have emerged a smarter, savvier, more complete person for the experience. I found the love of my life; the single most perfect lady I've ever met who captivates me completely with the swing of her hips, the turn of her phrase, the silk of her touch and the smile in her voice.

I am one lucky so and so but its not always been easy; Orange has been at times a cruel mistress- denying holiday, demanding my evenings and producing some of the most fist-poundingly-frustrating days of my life.

Three years past, lessons learnt... Ready to emerge phoenix-like from the ashes of a crumbling call centre to a new future steering towards the light of the brightest star in the sky. x

Some email memories...

From: CLARKE, Joseph
Sent: 31 August 2005 17:10
To: BROOKS, Suzanne
Subject: Compliment from customer
Hi Sue, I receieved a call from Mr Hodgson who wanted to pass on a praise for Guy Crawford. Customer said he was very helpful and wanted him congratulated.
Cheers, Joe

From: Judy Hole
Sent: 24 July 2007 11:16
To: CHAFIK, Mehdi
Subject: thanks
Dear Mehdi, Many thanks for the work I believe you have done through Guy Crawford on my Broadband & telephone connections. Wonderful to have them both working again after a frustrating few months. With regards, Judy Hole

Why some men are still single:

Funny Notepads

26/07/2004 20:41:01 Helpdesk NT1
Applied £10.00 GW Good Will Credit adjustment to account. Gave customer £10 as he likes Will Young, I do too, he is smashing, customer wished to buy his latest CD so thought I would help him out with the cost.

27/07/2004 23:37:54 Helpdesk NT1
Applied £3.00 GW Good Will Credit adjustment to account. Me and customer both agreed that the non dd charge is a rip off, so credited back. £3.00

28/07/2004 17:41:51 Helpdesk NT1
Applied £16.63 GW Good Will Credit adjustment to account. Customer had called premium number to find love but got a tramp so agreed credit. £16.63

29/07/2004 00:42:12 Helpdesk NT1
Applied £10.00 GW Good Will Credit adjustment to account. Cust rec bill with odd pages missing, pointed out these were on the other side, credited 10.00 as he gave us a laugh.

30/07/2004 17:23:27 Helpdesk NT1
Applied £12.00 GW Good Will Credit adjustment to account. My team leader took eleven minutes forty seconds to come and talk to me so credited customer a pound for each minute she made him wait

30/07/2004 17:45:27 Helpdesk NT1
Applied £30.00 GW Good Will Credit adjustment to account. I am about to be sacked in 10 minutes so credited customer 30 as prize for being the last customer I speak to.

You will never crush the indomitable human spirit, no matter how much you micro manage the people out of the equation the geeks of the world will forever exist, filling company servers with their personalities and personal touches.

And that, as they say, is that. I have a very important phonecall to make in about twenty minutes and then comes the gradual slip and slide to 10pm... one final walk out through the revolving doors and the start of a new life.

Thankyou Orange and your employees for everything you have taught me, may each and every one of you find the happiness that I have discovered.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

2008-06-18T10:20:00.008-04:00

Hopefully little kittens have been bringing you birthday cupcake after birthday cupcake, and catering to your every whim!

Or maybe you are feeling low, weighed down by lack of family festivities and the heavier issues of the birthday paradox. Note: kittens cannot help you comprehend the magnatiude of this sort of thought process. Their solution to most problems is to lay down and get a tummy rub. More peanut butter jelly beans might help, too.

So, since I can't be there, here's a star that first became visible when you were born.

And an Audi R8. Wish I could get you a real one!

Happy birthday, my love.

More Pictures

2008-06-09T13:16:00.002-04:00

The sky at night... Can't quite get over it being this light at 10pm yet!

And my call centre manager just tapped me on the shoulder (I hid the internet guiltily) then gave me a bag of goodies! Talk about kind... She knows how much I love the party dips and sausage rolls : D

Mmmmmmmmmm : )

Ah, Sacriledge!

2008-06-08T12:51:00.003-04:00

Dex's Love Cycle

2008-06-08T11:09:00.002-04:00

Oh, thats COLD. Yet chillingly accurate!

Picture Post!

2008-06-08T06:19:00.007-04:00

Soooo its been ages since I posted any pictures. I've been pretty hectic of late and I'm starting to mistrust the camera on my phone, so I'm taking less shots. Couple this with hours of overtime and you get a lot less photos than you should be taking!

Ginny and Natalie at the church, Iain doing all the work in the background.
Natalie was completely captivated by the vicar and behaved very well throughout the service; she's a different baby recently and fills the family with joy : )

The desserts... Lemon tart, Strawberry mousse and Boodles! My mum takes great pleasure in making puddings and always has- it balances my dad's love of cooking main meals perfectly.
Once for my birthday she made me a chocolate biscuit cake in the shape of a rollerskate, balanced perfectly on top of cake wheels with red sweet laces... I was the coolest kid in the world that day.

Is this not a picture of perfection? Spirally pasta salad with white sauce, red onions and walnuts matched with a massive slab of gammon and two pineapple rings, complemented finely with a locally crafted gin and tonic! Ahhhhhhh..... : )

Smartie goes fishing for frogs...

Lastly- I was in front of the tv last night eating the aforementioned splendid dinner when Polly gave me this classic photo opportunity...

I love my cats and I'll miss them, but I know that Gatsby or Yarn! will fill that space effortlessly.

Green Mangos with Salt

2008-06-07T03:11:00.003-04:00

Today I stumbled upon Crunchable (Thanks wholly to Michael R. Duck) and began to read. After exploring some funny little stories such as this, this and this I stumbled upon a post by Dennis Wilson that was so vivid, so poignant that I felt compelled to share it. Having stumbled bleary-eyed to my desk for overtime and started wandering through the Crunchable site I clicked on Mr Wilson's writing. I felt like I'd had a bucket of cold water scooshed into my face. Life is so unpredictable, I can't wait to stop wasting time and share it with you.

Michael R. Duck

2008-06-06T12:11:00.007-04:00

Michael R. Duck is an inventor and entrepreneur living in Nova Scotia. Working out of his basement in 1985, he created a machine that puts a precise amount of cream in a cup of coffee. Today, his company sells his “SureShot” machines throughout the U.S. and Canada; anyone who’s bought coffee at a Starbucks, McDonald’s, or 7-Eleven has probably used his invention.

"It began as a hobby, for almost five years. … I had a great job at the dairy, making great money, but I was making more money selling my machine. … I decided after five years of doing both, I was holding somebody else back at the dairy, and it was time to give one of ’em up. …"

"So by then, by 1990, I was still working out of my basement. I had one employee with me, part time. And we were probably doing $400,000 worth of sales out of the basement."

"Around late ’96, I started really formalizing the company, bringing in the office workers [and other employees.] By ’97, I was probably up to 11 people working out of the basement of my house, using 30 tons of machinery. We were doing a million dollars worth of sales out of the basement of the house."

Interview courtesy of another Mr Duck at Crunchable. So now you know! x

Googley Eyes

2008-06-06T10:42:00.006-04:00

Such range! Such charisma! Such Googley Eyes!

Someone give that man an oscar! Oh, they did already : D

Shameless Meme!

2008-06-06T03:11:00.002-04:00

1.) What was I doing ten years ago?
I was 18 (just) and carelessly failing my way through a series of exams on Biology and English. The summer before I'd discovered how much fun losing skin was through the medium of rollerblading and from that point onward my education took a serious turn for the worse.

2) What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?
Mail out a Mac wifi card I sold on eBay, eat something, call Julie at 11am (6am her time), talk to my buddies about skating tomorrow, call the garage about my car and call Bill to make sure he's okay.

3) Snacks I enjoy?
Cold chicken breast slices, cheddar cheese, white chocolate and raspberry cookies, Peanut butter and jam sandwiches and chocolate of any denomination!

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire?
I'd make sure that my closest friends and family were all comfortable, then I'd set about travelling, living modestly and soaking up cultures. I'd take my girlfriend and my skates with me.

5) Places I have lived?
Cardiff, Bristol.

6) Jobs I have had?
Pot washer (mushroom issues stemmed from here), teeshirt printer (not allowed to sit down despite being the only person in the store), complaints line staff (shouty welsh people -did we cut you off instead of your neighbour? oops), envelope stuffer (at least I didn't have to lick them), technical support (the geeks shall inherit the earth!).

&) Do you still sleep with a stuffed animal? We won’t laugh!
No, but I sleep with a rolled up teeshirt next to my face.

Q: Did you ever watch a scary movie that frightened you so much you were afraid of the dark afterward? I mean like you’re lying in bed trying to sleep, but you have to pee, but you’re scared to get up. It doesn’t have to be recently; could be when you were a kid. So what movie was it?
The Monster Squad. They blew up a werewolf with a stick of dynamite!

Q: What’s the last book you read that you thought was really super, inspiring, you’d recommend it to most anyone?
Actually nothing springs to mind- I've been churning through so many fiction titles recently but nothing really stands out.

So How's that Ebaying Going?

2008-06-05T23:29:00.001-04:00

For the discerning Palm-lover in your life...

2008-06-05T12:22:00.002-04:00

For your perusal- the Trio 800... big brother to the 750 : ) Available this summer? x

Another great reason to live in Toronto!

2008-06-04T12:14:00.003-04:00

You hold events like this. How incredible?!?

My Me Mosaic

2008-06-04T11:43:00.005-04:00

The Questions:

1. What is your first name? Guy
2. What is your favorite food? Rare Steak
3. What high school did you go to? Sidcot School
4. What is your favorite color? Blue
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Natalie Portman
6. Favorite drink? Gin and Tonic
7. Dream vacation? Russia
8. Favorite dessert? Boodles Orange Fool
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Together
10. What do you love most in life? Julie_Darling
11. One word to describe you: Bold
12. Your flickr name: twoceeveeandme

1. Lemon, 2. Friday Night Steak, 3. Sidcot lawn, 4. wham:a different corner, 5. The cast of Star Wars, 6. Toledo, gin-tonic, 7. April Snow in Red Square, 8. dessert, 9. Two at the evening sun, 10. Julie Darling, 11. bookshelf spectrum, revisited, 12. us

You are my choice for 10. Skating isn't really anything more than another part of myself with plastic boots on... so you're what I love most in life.

Me Mosaic

2008-06-03T07:28:00.004-04:00

On the many knit blogs I stalk, this little game is currently making the rounds. It's basically making a photo mosaic of the things that visually represent who you are.

The Concept:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name? Julie

2. What is your favorite food? toast

3. What high school did you go to? Sudbury Secondary Schoool for the Performing Arts

4. What is your favorite color? green

5. Who is your celebrity crush? Clive Owen

6. Favorite drink? gin and tonic

7. Dream vacation? The Dalmation Coast

8. Favorite dessert? creme brulee

9. What you want to be when you grow up? Writer

10. What do you love most in life? Everything*, can't pick just one

11. One word to describe you: catalyst

12. Your flickr name: teamknit

1. Happy Birthday Julie!!, 2. toast bed (double divan), 3. DSC03094, 4. Nant Ffrancon and Glyder Fawr, Wales, 5. OUT903958, 6. Gin & tonic, 7. Life Is Beautiful, 8. Crème Brulée, 9. writer's teeth, 10. Go get your morning bean, 11. Cisco's One Millionth Catalyst 3750 Switch, 12. Julie Darling

* how do you pick? I love you, and weekends, and late nights, the sparkly ceiling, and laughing, and being silly, and thinking about the big stuff, thinking about little stuff, and knitting, and music, and driving. I love my life. I've got no complaints, expect that it would be better if you were here.

Lock up your (grand)sons...

2008-06-01T13:07:00.003-04:00

Wow, kind of puts things in perspective a bit, doesn't it? I personally believe the lady should have quit the game after "Ray of Light"; I think she should maybe consider putting a bit more time into being a mum instead of being frightened of letting go of her youth. There's something incredibly unattractive about a senior citizen working out 8 hours a day to keep her physique. I'm happy to grow old gracefully... my parents are doing it, my grandparents have done it- its kind of a family tradition, you know?

Also a certain someone had a SATC party the other night... I've yet to see the film but I think that it'd have to work pretty hard to dispell my unshakeable opinion on the matter!

How to spin a pencil around your thumb

2008-05-30T15:35:00.003-04:00

THIS is what has been motivating me at work for the last few weeks. At the international school I went to all the Japanese kids could do this, and I remember spastically spasming the pen across the room much to everyone's amusement the first few times I tried this. As the years have rolled on I've toyed with the concept from time to time but my attempts have been laughable at best and awkward and uncomfortable at worst.

FINALLY I have found the answer- Here.

Hold the pencil between your index, middle finger, and thumb. Your index and middle finger should be spaced about the width of your thumb apart (Your thumb should be able to fit between your index and middle fingers). Your fingers should point upwards about 20-45 degrees. Your middle finger should be against the center of gravity of the pencil (towards the middle, slightly closer to the eraser).

Simultaneously fold your middle finger in (at the joint closest to your hand) and extend your index finger. Your middle finger should end up resting with the inside of its last joint on the thumb.

Catch the pencil after it wraps around your thumb and hits your middle finger, by moving your index finger back to its original position.

Now all I have to do is practice. I give it one day before I'm banned!
Thanks to WikiHow for attempting to teach me new tricks : )

Julie's Secret Obsession

2008-05-30T13:44:00.004-04:00

I am addicted to Ah Caramel! Cakes:They are absolutely horrific for you- they are factory made white cakes, with caramel and thick confectionary icing on top, and the whole thing is covered in chocolate. They come two in a plastic pack (of course they come in plastic- that's how ghetto they are!), which means you can never have just one. Well, you could share the second cake with someone, but then you'd resent them for eating your second Ah Caramel Cake. You might begin to plot their untimely death.

I hadn't realized it, but they are only available in Canada. canadaonly.ca is, as you might guess, a site that sells only Canadian food products. They are willing to ship them anywhere in the world. I never really thought the food I was eating was so regional. These are also Canada-specific:The reason being it was a marketing idea from an intern at Ogilvy Advertising in Toronto. Although shreddies are everywhere, Canada is the only place they are being marketed like this. Hooray for cleverness and irony!

Before you ask...

2008-05-28T10:10:00.005-04:00

No, honey, just no.
I don't care how much you try to pout or beg, the madness ends here and now- no wigs for cats! How am I supposed to look little Gatsby or Yarn! in the feline goggles in good faith knowing full well that I sanctioned such a ridiculous item of petwiggery? I couldn't live with the guilt and frankly you should be ashamed of yourself for even considering it. Oh, I know you are.

Yesterday was a very trying day at work. I've mentally left the country already so remaining focussed on great customer service is difficult while all around me the department descends into chaos... so I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow to cheer myself up!

I also am very excited because I just went shopping in the 2cv...Where I bought the following items of guilty pleasure...

Which magically became this delicious medley of indulgence!

My girlfriend has gotten me addicted to G & T's so badly its not even funny, I feel like I'm cheating on Jack Daniel's... I can't even look him in the eye when I see him now. Only time will heal that rift- and in the meantime Gordon is here to pick up the slack! (BTW the creme egg in a stick is GENIUS!)

Bad Day at Work?

2008-05-27T17:29:00.002-04:00

Well, there are really only two choices.

Option one:
Or option two:
The first is the most practical. But the second is the most entertaining!

Inspiration, the Magazine

2008-05-27T09:58:00.005-04:00

Design for Mankind is such an amazing site, and routinely go above and beyond the standard design blogs-- They put out regular e-zines of designer inspiration. Basically, they pull together different designers who work in different mediums and have them do up a page of what turns them on, gets them thinking, gets them working. They've just put out issue number 5.
A cup of tea, and this. Ah, I can feel the universe getting exponentially better.

Is this you?

2008-05-25T03:40:00.002-04:00

If this is you, proceed directly to bed. Do not pass go. Do not forget toast and tea. Come out again when the world has stopped spinning!

In a bout of flagrant hypocrisy (do as I say, not as I do) here is a photo of Dex, Sam and I at the pub last night, bitching about our jobs.

My camera is deteriorating really very quickly... The flash has stopped working altogether now and it just won't stop blurring every photo I take! I can't wait to get a decent digital camera in the summer.

Thoughts on the impossible

2008-05-24T10:49:00.007-04:00

When I tell people I meet that I'm moving to Toronto at the end of next month (June 25th, 32 days time) I've become increasingly perplexed by how many times I hear "Oh, wow! Thats a HUGE step!". Is it really though? Personally I think it was one of the easiest decisions I've ever made and I'm surprised at how much emphasis others have placed upon it.

Here is a slide from GMail creator, Paul Buchheit’s presentation at Startup School 2008:

I like this idea; as much as it trivialises the opinions of my friends and co-workers it speaketh the trutheth; besides... I look at all I stand to gain and I know that impossible is really just something people say when they're too scared to try.

The Perry Bible Fellowship

2008-05-23T17:14:00.007-04:00

The Perry Bible Fellowship is drawn by Nicholas Gurewitch, who writes-

"The Perry Bible Fellowship" is amusing to me, as a name, because it's probably the worst name for a comic strip ever."

I agree.

I spent the afternoon working my way through his entire back catalogue and chuckling evilly into the phone, much to the confusion of whichever esteemed customer I was talking to at the time.

Seriously, I LOL'd, more than once! Is that a bad thing? I can't decide if the majority of his work should outrage me or not. On the whole I think its pretty bloody funny.

One of Julie's Secrets

2008-05-23T11:06:00.003-04:00

As much as it pains me to admit it, I do this at least twice a day, every day, Monday through Friday......
Although for some reason, I take the weekends off. Mentally sorting out the best way to take down bad guys while remaining relatively unscathed is exhausting.

Maybe this is what's wrong with the MR2....

2008-05-21T14:37:00.002-04:00

Nanobot Football

2008-05-21T10:15:00.004-04:00

And by football I mean the proper english use of the word, and not the "soccer" to which other societies refer... I found this while trawling one of my favourite guilty-pleasure technology sites (Engadget) and it made me smile so much my next caller commented that they could hear me grinning! (Full disclosure- from time to time this blog is written from my desk in a callcentre)

Nanorobot Football!

Imagine an entire football league in a stadium the size of three grains of rice! I, for one, welcome the arrival of our robotic overlords. I bet they're still better than Chelsea; how long before their billionaire manager considers replacing his team with nanobot-constructed replacements?

Book Art

2008-05-21T09:18:00.003-04:00

In Melbourne, Australia, there is a book artist named Nicholas Jones.
He carves paper. He folds pages. He is is, oddly enough, a book sculptor.
He even looks the part of the reclusive, crazy-haired artist, doesn't he?
I'm utterly entranced by these sculptures. And feeling pretty good that I live in a world where someone can make a living by creating and selling them.

(courtesy of The Design Files and Dlish Design)

Habi-Kat!

2008-05-16T17:16:00.008-04:00

Finally, cat stuff for people with tiny apartments:

I love this concept. Instead of those giant carpeted cat trees, these are made from industrial felt and are wall mounted (with endless possibilities on the shaping and layout) so that your kitty can have all the fun of their own cozy place to curl up, without sucking up half your floor space. And this picture just clinches it: Look how much those kitties love habikat!

More of her work (and some seriously detailed mock ups that show the whole design process) can be found here, courtesy of design sponge .

Next up under the category of things I saw today and loved:

Those wall teacups are awesome! I would love to have several all in a tidy row.

And finally, a cartoon:

A party, some kittens and a trip to the pub

2008-05-16T13:57:00.008-04:00

Work gets you down from time to time... Here, my colleague Derrick finds a way to alleviate the boredom, 2D style:Derrick's girlfriend Rachel had a birthday party recently, and I got to hang out with some pretty cool kittens, or at least have them climb all over me!

Rachel got a Little Mermaid snowglobe for her birthday! She's in her early twenties, but I think she deserved to be over the moon about this little gift.

Will Wolf clocks ever go out of style?!? I suspect not.

Lastly here's a photo of Bill and I staggering home from the pub after a few too many drinkees!

The Sheep are Calling

2008-05-15T19:13:00.005-04:00

I'm willing to bet you haven't seen this before: Yeah, that's right. Sheep made out of telephones.
I wonder if they are fully functioning- I'm not saying I'd get a telephone sheep (Hello, Habitat? Are you selling telephone sheep yet?), they are pretty big, but I'm not ruling it out, either. I love how the hooves are made out of receivers!

(source: some spanish site of which I can't make heads or tails)

Chandeliers

2008-05-15T03:42:00.014-04:00

Did you know that the hitherto unknown (at least to me) Tord Boontje designs items for Habitat? I didn't, and ended up looking mighty foolish in the aforementioned retail outlet (Ikea's sleeker, classier cousin) a couple of weeks ago when confronted over the gap in my knowledge.
For my sins I had no idea who Tord was and I was grateful for the lesson. I do however know that Julie likes chandeliers. I found these examples during my daily trawl and thought I'd add them today to give her something pretty to look at.

Designed by Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn and consisting of 364 LEDs on 94 copper tubes, this Constellation Light is flexible, creative and just darned cool.

I love the idea of moulding the chandelier 'just so'.

The second chandelier is the donkey's armpits- Neues Licht's UFO Chandelier consists of strands of fibre optics arranged above a floating ring, which give off a colored glow depending on whatever light source you attach to it. You can pump sunlight into this thing from another room through a catching mirror and optical cabling- so you can have the glow of sunlight (or moonlight!) in any room in the house... a totally cool idea in my book.

Yay for designer Simon Bruenner!
via Engadget

2008-05-13T13:06:00.007-04:00

Guy already knows this about me (and lucky for me, doesn't think it's odd) but I regularly stalk about 15 design blogs a day (more if I'm procrastinating), which is why, although I have no formal education on the subject whatsoever, I know a frightening amount of useless information about design and designers from all over the world. Case and point: When I was in the UK , we had a wander in Habitat one day and I bought this...

I was so excited, because I have been in love with Tord Boontje designs for the last couple of years. And when I was having my overly excited fit in Habitat, Guy had no idea who Tord Bonntjet was. I think TB is awesome. It's the fairytale aesthetic, really. They way he swings completely in the opposite direction from minimalizism. It's lush, it's visually complex, it's all laser cut textures and the feeling that you wandered into a Brothers Grimm story.

Look at that carpet of leaves. Seriously. It's like a forest floor, in your living room. Looks like it would be a bitch to vacuum, though (so don't worry, love, I don't want it : P):

But I'll admit, he got commerical, started doing stuff for Target, and unleashed these ugly dishes onto the world:

Blegh. But I guess we don't always have great days at work, either. But the item below has brought me the most amusment today:

It's a coffee cuff. It's a bracelet AND a reusable coffee sleeve. It claims to be made from "reclaimed architectural veneer offcuts" (whatever those are....) and can be yours for $68. Seriously. It's the ongoing trend of pretending to save the world by buying over-priced cool stuff. Awesome.

HoverGator?

2008-05-13T07:30:00.011-04:00

Haha, this reluctant reptile caught my eye and I thought I'd pass her on... I know they're warm-blooded, but who'd have thought they'd feel the cold so badly? Maybe no-one taught her how to swim ; ) or she's just pulled off the most impressive Jazz Hands of all time.

TaDaaaaa!

As for this picture, I don't know what to think. I'm really not a rodent person; my sister had several mistreated hamsters and the lasting impression they left me was one of utter pointlessness and a musty odour... but this lil fella? I defy you not to want to coax him out of his palace of cheese and hug him!

Maybe our kitten-to-be can be trained to bring cute mice to me for hugs? Having said that, all of my hugs will be reserved for the blog co-owner and the kitten-to-be, so I think the mice of the world will have to survive without my affections.

...and just to reclaim my testicles here's a sneak peek from http://www.jalopnik.com/ of the 2009 Ferrari California.

*swoon*

Grrr, cars! I feel much more manly again now... Its not Jap, but its still very pretty : D

Knock-Knock Jokes

2008-05-12T09:34:00.001-04:00

Traditionally reserved as the last bastion of the working mens club comedy circuit or the preserve of small children (who typically chirp them out parrot fashion for hours at a time on long car journeys... sorry mum), the noble Knock-Knock joke stands proudly in the annals of joke history. Who honestly doesn't laugh at the "Doctor Who" punchline? I mean, honestly, who? I laughed so hard last time I heard it that I gave myself a hernia.

Today's second post is all about the top 5 Knock-Knock jokes of the afternoon and a quick passing around of the hat has heralded some real gems:

"Knock Knock!"
"Who's there?"
"Police."
"Police who?"
"Police let us in; it's cold out here!"

Genius! I mean, if only beggars and street children had paid attention at joke school they could find doors opening everywhere they turned, for warmth and a meal.

"Knock Knock!"
"Doris."
"Doris, who?"
"Doris locked, that's why I had to knock!"

This Knock-Knock is actually used fairly often and is generally commandeered by attention seekers and the more forgetful sections of society. Popular among old people and drunks.

"Knock Knock!"
"Who's there?"
"Norma Lee."
"Norma Lee who?"
"Normalee I don't go around knocking on doors, but do you want to buy a set of encyclopedias?"

Ah, the travelling salesman gag! If I had a penny for every time I'd heard this Knock-Knock, I'd have a penny.

"Knock Knock!"
"Who's there?"
"Tank!"
"Tank who?"
"You're welcome!"

Often handy when running low on self-esteem, this Knock-Knock is the equivalent of a comedic Mars bar and perfect for that mid-shift pick me up. "Coffee?" "No thanks, but Knock Knock!"

And last but by no means least, the heavy hitter of all Knock-Knock jokes...

"Knock Knock!"
"Who's there?"
"Aardvark."
"Aardvark who?"
"Aardvark a million miles for one of your smiles."

Its true, too. x

First Post!

2008-05-12T04:00:00.001-04:00

My first blog post ever... I can't believe I made it to 28 without blogging? Hi, I'm Guy and this is Julie. We met in Toronto in March.

My cool friends, the amazing city and our great moments together led to me planning to move there, which led to Julie coming to visit me, which led to an idea for a blog that our friends and family can read to see all the cool stuff we'd been up to.

For the next month and a bit I'm still based in the UK so until the end of June I'll be contributing from this side of the water, while Julie will write from her amazing basement in Toronto.

To begin here are a couple of photos I took yesterday on my phone camera. We were blessed with incredible weather all day. My friend Bill and I (Bill is the gent with cider in hand, not the duck) went on a drive to Bath together where we sat by the river drinking cider and slowly pickled in the sun.

It turned out to be a nearly perfect day! Great company, an exciting job lead, cider and an amazing skate... Just missing one element ; )

Oilseed in full bloom

QUACK!

Pickled Bill

I hope your weekend was amazing too : )

-Guy