gold digga

I am not sure if blonds have more fun but I had a great time as a blond at a Halloween party this past weekend. Some think Halloween is just for kids but I can attest to the fact I have more fun as an adult for this "wicked" holiday.
This year, I went as a gold digger. Dressed all in gold (thank you Nicole for the skirt - it made the outfit) and carried a golden spade. I walked around all night and asked men how much they made. Unfortunately, with the stock market crashing, there was no gold to be found... :-)

Below: My friend Lynn and I - Both puns: Gold Digger and Black Mail.
We had a great night.

the beauty of imperfection

For some reason, there is a strange desire within to show the world that my life is together...that I am together. In fact, reality is a much different thing. I don't have it together. I am struggling to find out why I need to show the world this crazy ideal. I don't want to be perfect...perhaps it is a control thing but whatever it is, it needs to stop.

After some contemplation of this realization, here are my learnings:

- Allow myself the grace to make mistakes such as showing up a day late for the 10K race as I did in September. No one died due to this oversight.
- Share triumphs and failures with my confidantes...even if that means breaking down and losing the plot at a wedding.
- Be real and vulnerable. Ask for help or cheerleaders when I need them.
- Have friends over even when my house is untidy - they are coming to see me...not my cleaning abilities.
- If life takes a detour and I can't complete my 101 things in a 1001 days, that is okay.
- And most importantly, in the words of Anne (or was it Miss Stacey?)..."Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it." I love a do-over, a new start...or a redemption.

In other news, I attended a un-church this morning and enjoyed the non-churchiness of it. I may go back next week. It is definitely in the emergent church realm...relational and relevant or as Brian McLaren calls it "A Generous Orthodoxy". The sermon topic involved the Robert Plant/Alison Kraus musical collaboration "Raising Sand"...definitely not normal church.

fall cleaning, sorting, organizing and re-arranging

There is nothing like your family coming to visit that spurs you into a cleaning frenzy. I should have people visit more often because my house would be somewhat cleaner. However, the unfortunate thing about cleaning is that when you clean one area of your home, the other areas that look worse than ever.

Oh well, I used the opportunity to purge and organize which are two of my favorite things to do. Did my recycling, took a few boxes of goods to charity, framed some pictures and re-arranged my furniture in anticipation of the "new" antique secretary desk that will be arriving shortly. Due to the new furniture layout, I will have to get rid of my old-school TV...and I will have to buy a LCD screen to fit the space. Oh, shucks! I also may have to splurge and purchase the macbook because my desktop PC just isn't going to fit on the antique desk. Oh shucks!

There is a satisfaction that comes from everything in its place. Since my October will be insanely busy with work trips, events and weddings, it is just nice to start the month in an orderly fashion.

Also this weekend, I tried to clean up Canadian politics by casting my vote at the advanced polls. However, I don't think it is really going to make a difference as I am in Stephen Harper's riding and he is a shoe-in to win his parliament seat. But since I am an ordinary Canadian who supports the arts and believes poverty issues should be addressed both nationally and internationally, I voted for a change in candidate. When it is all said and done, the important thing is that I voted.