Best Sunday morning tv ever

I was half-watching Coronation Street but then went to have a shower - when I came back out, the Canadian documentary expose show W5 was on. It's on the mob in Montreal. Anyhow, the part that is cracking me up is that they are playing surveillance tapes and phone taps and giving subtitles for everything. This is beyond hilarious - if you're not involved that is, If you are involved with the mob, the threats are quite terrifying - but seeing Sunday morning tv with a huge caption reading "I'm smarter than you. I'm not fuckin stupid" and "She was fuckin hot" is making my day. Admittedly, as I acknowledged above, the whole realizing that people are saying things like, "Who am I? I'm the guy who's going to cause you to drink out of a straw for the next six months," and not starring in an HBO sitcom is somewhat terrifying, but for tv - this is wild.

One month and counting

I have been low-level sick for a month now. It's very draining spiritually but whatever - people live with worse. I'm just frightened that I'm going to develop pre-eclampsia which can be life-threatening for mother and child. If that happens the only solution is inducing delivery which I'm too early for right now. Ah well, I have an appointment next week with my OB so I'll see what's up then.

Meanwhile, our new mayor is an embarrassment. His whole platform was 'stop the gravy train' and wanting to stop the 'war on the car' (because, you know, a true world class city like NYC which builds bike lanes or Montreal and London which have the Bixi program in place don't know what they're doing...). That's an okay platform for a local councillor, but it's hardly an inspirational vision for a mayor.

TM and I are doing okay as far as our finances go. Sure, we could be doing better and we need to pay off some debts which we foolishly each allowed to grow in single life, but we are pretty much the taxpayers that Mayor Ford wants to protect. Yet we don't feel hard done by. I'm happy to support low-income projects. Also, what war on the car? TM and I own two cars (and 12 bikes...) but we are all for more bike lanes, better public transit, and pedestrian areas.

He was voted in by the 'burbs. The original Toronto before a bunch of amalgamations resulting in the Greater Toronto Area voted solidly for a more left-leaning candidate. I see this as being the issue from now on. The 'burbs will get more voters and will generally get in their candidate of choice, and the city dwellers will be stuck with a city built for commuters. I mean, the 'burbanites should get the candidate they want, but it just seems to me that amalgamation is not always the best thing.

Who needs codeine?

Apparently pregnancy is giving me the same crazy dreams. Mind you, that may be because I'm waking up all the freaking time (thank you pregnancy for putting my mild sleep apnea into overdrive) - and I'm remembering them. The other night I had a dream that I met blogger Stewie (he blogs "A Perfect Example" and writes reviews of horror movies). We ended up going to watch his favourite horror movie, but somehow ended up IN a horror scene instead. It was some sort of bizarre wild west/demon thing. Anyhow, I was distraught throughout the latter part of the dream saying, "I don't want to be here". I ended up deciding to walk 100 miles through a desert to safety. With no water. No idea how that turned out. I likely died but I was getting the hell out of that scene before the demons started fighting.

This has been something that has happening with all my dreams recently. I am cognizant enough to realize that something frightening is going to happen and that i need to get out of the scene, but somehow I don' realize that I'm dreaming, or can't get to the point where I can stop it.

My most recent and terrifying - to me- one was walking with a friend through London. It was deserted and I was remarking to my friend, "Isn't this odd that we don't see anyone? I mean, London has millions of people..." My friend casually remarked that everyone was inside and hiding before darkness came and the vampires came out. I remember clearly thinking, "What????" and then saying, "but...but ... why aren't *we* inside then?" At the same time in the dream, there was a very dramatic sun sinking down in the sky and distant howling was heard.

People, I was having a heart attack. It seems I ended up convincing my friend that since all the buildings were locked to us, that we should take the subway back up to Scotland. Because Scotland had no vampire issues and there was a convenient subway which ran directly on an overhead track to Scotland... At one point the subway went over some sort of recreation centre/gym where a bunch of vampires were playing basketball/killing things and they realized that we were in the subway. Then the vampires were in a frenzy trying to claw their way through the roof into the subway car. Stupid, right? Yet even now I can hardly type this out without being terrified.

I woke up and was too scared to go back to sleep. I actually called TM to come to bed. I think he was playing video games or something. I think my dreams/nightmares in the following nights were a bit tamer but I'm still scared to sleep. Unless of course my beloved little ALF is actually Rosemary's baby or something and beginning to take over my body...

More little loves

Today I feel like crap and so am back in love with Bird's custard. My mum used to make that for me and my sibs when we were kids, especially when we were ill. It's still completely soothing to me and is one of the few foods that appeals to me right now.

I also am craving beans on toast but I have no beans, and worse, no bread. This will necessitate a trip to the grocery store later on today. I just hope my throat stops feeling like it's on fire. Still, I've managed to avoid the flu/plague that seems to be felling many friends and coworkers. Thank you Ontario's universal flu shot program! I took advantage of you early on and am reaping the rewards.

I was sick all last week-end too. Majorly run-down and slept 14 hours a day. This was followed though by about the most productive 3 days I've had at work in ages. Also, I have started reading Robert Fisk's book The Conquest of the Middle East.

I'm on page 80. Only 1000 more to go. Fisk is a long-time and particularly articulate foreign correspondent. This is part of my goal this year to work on my mind. I'm tired of reading about moronic movie stars. I do follow some gossip blogs though and decided that I was just going to put equal time (at least) into non-fiction reading. Honestly, I don't consider myself some uninformed degenerate, but already I've learned so much more about the middle east.

And now, back to my custard.

Gratitude

Welcome 2011!

There was so much that I had to be grateful for in 2010. Topping the charts would be family and friends, my in-laws, my new family (TM and growing ALF), the miracle that I was even able to get pregnant, still having a job, and the most awesome family doctor ever.

Yet there are other smaller items that keep me going and deserve their own little shout-outs.

Cipralex: Thank you little happy pill. Without you I would likely be dead. Thank you for getting me through the hormonal ups and downs of pregnancy as well.

My local Starbucks: Thank you for being a part of my morning routine. Wake up, take the dog out, stop at Starbucks for my blessed solo espresso in the building right across from us, then continue on to the parkette so that the dog can have her morning pee. Starbucks, you don't make the best espresso in the world, but it's decent, does the trick, and your staff are unfailingly pleasant.

Roots hip-hugger black trousers: omg I love you. I'm past five months of pregnancy and can still wear these because they sit below the ever-expanding belly. Also, thank you for having designed trousers that truly are hip-huggers as opposed to the ass-crack-exposing crotch-huggers that sadly were in style for years.

Mount Sinai Hospital: Thank you for giving an obstetrician who is realistic and who after my first visit told me that having a coffee was fine. Thank you too to your physicians who wrote Canada's Pregnancy Care Book. Unlike the fucking horrific paranoia of What to Expect When You're Expecting (seriously, don't EVER buy this book for someone unless you want them to believe that having Doritos during pregnancy will cause irreparable harm to the fetus), this book actually lays out the medical facts of pregnancy without touchy-feely unproven stupidity.

And last but not least... Toast. Toast, you are my friend. Covered in butter you make my world. Thank you.

Best of 2011 to everyone. I am having family over for a New Year's meal today. Last night I stayed in and prepared the steak pie. TM went out to visit friends but came home in time to ring in the new year with me. A very good way for us to start the year.