Silent Hill in a Noisy Theatre...

...you know you live in a city when....

You don't know your neighbors.

Ain't it true? When you live in a small town and your nearest neighbor is 2 miles away, you still know everything about that person, but when you live in a city with your nearest neighbor 10 feet away, you don't even know the person's name. I suppose I like it that way, that's why I live in a city..but in a strange happenstance, we met our neighbor where he works (video game store). He knocked on the door yesterday and gave us 2 free passes to see Silent Hill. Was GOOD! Not a good movie, it was good because it was like the video game and that's how it should be.

But man, it was crowded. You can read more here about our experiences with annoying people in the theatre.

Fame and punk rock..

Ooo, so I'm famous...in my own mind, maybe...

I did a google search of me, well actually "Natalie Marsh Calgary" was the search I did, and I'm the first few hits. It's fun to do that. I did that before I was married a "Natalie Zorn" search and I only had one hit and it was me...only it wasn't. I was quoted in the Michigan Daily, the U of MI student newspaper as saying a quote about a class I was taking...only I never said the quote. I was never interviewed by anyone about my practical botany class and I don't remember saying what they said I said. Well, my friend mentioned to me a few days ago that I had said a nice quote.

"Quote? What quote?"

So I did the search and came up with me saying a quote about a mural contest I judged a few weeks ago. Only, once again, I didn't say that. It's a nice quote, but I didn't say it. Maybe I said something to that effect, but not that quote exactly. When is it ok to quote someone in a newspaper? Do reporters/writers have to say "I'm going to quote you on that?" Do I have to start saying every sentence with "this is off the record, ok?"

It's just weird to have the google hits in my lifetime BOTH be me quoting saying something I didn't.

But the other hits were my about my artwork being featured on my friend's CD. That's good press and valid, at least.

Last weekend, Steve and I hit up an old-school punk rock show and what a show it was. When I left I was sweaty! deaf! and had funk all over my Converse! It reminded me of going to dirty Detroit parties and coming home with socklines on my legs from the dirt my phat pantz kicked up. I have to say that I *heart* punk shows for more reasons than the music. Even though it looks like a rough, tattooed, pierced, mohawked, scary crowd to the outsider, most punks are quite nice, politically aware of human rights, and generally mindful of the human race.

For example, you fall down in a mosh pit? 10 big dudes pick you in a one second flat! You get the wrong guy mad and he wants to fight? You have 10 big punk dudes, holding you back and chillin' you out. The music is political to the point of just being rational. Like the Iraq war was wrong and Bush was/is an idiot, or recycle muthafuckas and hug the Earth, or legalize marijuana, or the death penalty is wrong, etc. You know, basic human rights...don't kill people and treat resources and others with respect. I like how punks have a bad rep of being evil and wrong because most people considered "punk" (can never speak for a group as a whole) have quite nice, friendly dispositions.

The show made me happy.

Check out my new...

...Skellie Scarf! Now I can be warm and cute. :)

Ayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

For the funnest, cutest time, I DARE you to click here

I wan.

I wan it all...I mean a bag...that looks like TOAST! Holy shit that's cute.

Stinkiest Animal EVER!

Hands down, humans are the stinkiest creatures on Earth. I would much rather sit in a pig pen in the middle of July on the hottest day on record than have to sit next to the guy that sat in front of me on the bus today.

He was STIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINKY!

I mean GROSS!

Like feet!...like 10,000 feet.

Come on buddy, I could also smell that you were a raging alcoholic, but take a shower or something! Ok, so maybe he's homeless, fine. But, a shower is a thing everyone should be entitled to. Maybe we can be like the Romans and have public bathing houses again. You don't have to use them if you have a bath at home, but they can be there for others to use. That would probably cut down on the amount of smelly people.

Hooray!

I got the job!

I'm now School Programs Coordinator/Educator! (well at least until the end of June, when the contract ends)

HOOOOOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year!

..and it's already a crazy one. We had lots of fun in Florida with the family. We went sailing, to a hockey game and we ate WAY too much food. I need a detox and a lot of pilates.

Also, I got a call from my old boss at the framing shop, not the crazy lady, but her ex-husband/co-owner. Apparently, crazy Haddie is no longer working there and he offered me my job back. Hmm...since he wants ME back, doesn't that mean I can ask for a raise?

But I'm not sure about it because I'm still working at the museum but that job too could be changing...nothing definite yet, but my supervisor at the museum left at the end of November on an indefinite medical leave (due to stress). No one has filled his position yet...so a co-worker and I are working on a plan to job share the position. That way we could still do programs with the kids, but also get more responsibility and more money (and share the stress of the job)! We have a meeting with the VP on Thursday morning. Everyone we've talked to at the museum is really excited for us and hopes that it works out. I'm preeeety sure we'll get the job, but ya never know...if it doesn't work out though, I guess I could go back to the store...but I'd rather work at the museum. At least I'd be working towards a career and less of just a job.

Evil octopus of glum.

It's cold here. Really cold. I mean -18 cold. Hurt your lungs, freeze your snot cold. (hooray North Face Arctic Parka for Christmas) Along with it being cold, work has been feeling a bit awkward. Like an old favorite pair of jeans that just won't fit over your new holiday gut uncomfortable. I squeeze to fit in, but it just pinches in the wrong spots. Things will work out, I'm sure, but in the meantime, I just have to suck it in...err up, as the case may be.

*sigh* overeducated, underappreciated, underpaid...

23 days until Florida...2 luxurious weeks in palm trees. I can't wait to get sand up my butt.

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Chinooks!

The weather in Calgary has been GREAT the last few days. Record temperatures (mid-60s) and sunny. It's like summer. The chinooks rule...and they make for neat skies too. This is a view from my balcony the other day. You can see the mountains WAY far off like little points.

Crazy clouds.

Happy American Thanksgiving!

Sprawl-Mart

We went to see the Walmart movie a couple of days ago. I don't think it has a public release in all theatres, but is being shown via private showings and I recommend seeing it if you can find it. Brings up lots of other reasons to not shop at Walmart. I don't anyway, but after hearing that the Walmart heirs donated a whopping $6000 last year to charities (with record earnings in the billions) I REALLY don't want to contibute to their evil company.

Boo on Walmart. I guess it brings up the question, should large corporations have a social responsibility? I would say yes only because it seems fair that you treat your employees they way you would want to be treated (fair wages, health care, vacation...) but that's just my opinion.

Halloweiner.

Costumes and fun.

I got the sick.

I feel like crap. Head, throat, cough...sore...BOOOO! Probably from all the fun on Halloween. It was pretty fun. Some good costumes and some lame ones too..who goes to a Halloween party and doesn't wear a costume? I can tell you this. It is not fun to teach kids while sick.

Going to Bad Religion show tomorrow.

Trading Spouses rules.

Feel the phatty beatz yo.

My friend called the other day and said "i know you listen to electronic music, bring some scary music to my party (for Halloween, of course)."

I started listening to some of my old cds...

I miss the jungle/drum and bass I used to listen to a lot. I wish I had some clubbing friends who wanted to go see DJs...hell I wish there was a club scene here. I noticed that Ritchie Hawtin came here last week. That might have been fun. I've had lots of fun seeing him spin. I need to get out and do that more often. I'm turning into an old married.

Flock of Seagulls.

Yesterday while waiting at the bus stop, I noticed all the people looking left. It was during rush hour so there were a few dozen people waiting for one of many buses and they were looking left because that's the direction the bus would be coming. It reminded me of seagulls. If you've been to the beach, you've seen groups of hundreds of seagulls (even if you've been to a parking lot you may have witnessed this behaviour) ((wow, I just have to remark on that remark...I put a U in behaviour without thinking....the Canadians are brainwashing me)). I've always found it funny that aside from a few, the vast majority of seagulls always face the same direction. Much like humans at a bus stop. I laughed.

Another thing that happened yesterday...though it's not quite as funny. I was teaching a program at the Glenbow. A fun program called Landers and Builders. The students create a "landers" culture by exploring artifacts...it's a long complicated explanation that I won't get into too much detail over...but I start the program by discussing what makes a culture a culture. Holidays, clothing, religion...all that stuff. I asked "when do you celebrate Thanksgiving". Some idiots said June, but most of them said "OCTOBER!". I said, "well I celebrate it in November because that is my culture" trying to show a difference between 2 similar people....well that opened Pandora's box of the "oh great, you're an American..." See, these kids are homeschooled. I'm not sure what their parents' deal is, why they decided to homeschool their kids, but I gather that the parents have strong opinions about many things, including Americans. I've tried to keep an open mind about homeschooling. I know that there are religious and geographic reasons for homeschooling, but I've always felt that the kids don't get the socialization other "regular"-schooled kids get. I guess I never thought about the completely ridiculous opinions the kids are fed from their parents. The KIDS even were "yuck, Americans are bad...they kill people". ARGH! I've never heard this from kids. Only idiot adults who are too ignorant to not believe stereotypes and the media. Teachers in public schools, no matter what their opinion, would not be allowed to teach kids that "(insert group here) are bad people and we Canadians are better, this is fact". But homeschooled kids have no choice. These kids are told what their parents want to tell them and never exposed to other types of people. Yet another proof that homeschooling is bad. Yet another proof people are just a flock of seagulls.

Asian Invasion.

These disgusting things are infesting my house. They are crawling all over screens and outside walls. They aren't ladybugs, though they resemble their helpful cousins. No, these things are Asian beetles. From our friends to the East, they have no known enemies other than me, therefore take over the inside of houses across North America in the early fall to find refuge from the cold winter.

Oh, and they bite.

Snow on the windshield!

As I was on my way to the dentist's office this morning (2 fillings, YUCK! apparently, I have deep, deep crevices in my teef = cavity breeding ground), I drove past cars with snow on their windshields! Imagine that! SNOW! ...ick. I do want to buy a new winter coat. This one to be exact. I guess that's something fun about the leaves falling and the snow not far behind.

In honor of the end of summer. I post a picture of the pretty flowers I had on my balcony.

le premier jour d'automne

It's fall. Gee, when was summer? The weather this summer was awful and the Farmer's Almanac says that October is going to be:

1st-3rd. Rain and squalls. 4th-7th. Fair and quite chilly, then very unsettled. 8th-11th. Cold turkey? Unseasonably chilly. 12th-15th. Rain. 16th-19th. Fair and quite chilly weather. 20th-23rd. Squally weather and heavy precipitation spreads east. 24th-27th. Clearing skies, followed by colder temperatures. 28th-31st. Wet, then slow clearing.

GROSS!

Oh well, at least October is a fun month. Turkey at the beginning and costumes at the end.

A few photos from summer