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A final post for the year.

So today I will attempt to blog from my tablet PC. It's been a wonderful little rig for me. I think I love it. I have been having a great time here with my family and friends. I hope everyone else is also enjoying a happy holidays. One thing is certain though; I miss my Eli quite dearly. At least life sent him a little snow.

I would like to thank everyone for everything this year. I loved the fondue and crafts. Our tree is extra pretty this year. Susan felled a redwood for her tree, I think. Some trees are so big they need a health bar and boss music. That tree is one of those trees.

Merry Christmas and have a nice final few days of 2007!

Did I skip November? Nobody liked that month anyway.

I think there was a holiday in November. We didn't do much. I think we ordered in some Thai. I was thankful for it.

Moving on to Christmas. I get two Christmases this year because I wanted to spend some time with Eli, then with my family. I will then shift my visits home to more pleasant times like when it's too hot here. I can stay there longer that way. I love Christmas with my family, but the traveling is pretty bad during the holidays. We shall see though. Maybe next year I will be near that delightful San Francisco airport again. It's all about how many plane changes there are. I have 3 this time around. I hate terminals. Flying is fine, despite my walnut sized bladder and tendency to panic when theres a baby beside me. Staring at me. With it's eyes.

It's just the terminal changes. Sorting out where to go and when.. wading through a sea of people so a man can run my shoes through a scanner. If I was going to blow someone up I sure as hell wouldn't go through all the crap to do it at an airport. I wouldn't do it at all obviously, but I'm just saying... why would I drag 30 pounds of crap along with me. See you in hell, wonderbra? Yeah, sure. I never liked you anyway, bra.

So it was barely even December first, and we splurged on a very nice fake tree from Sears. The sears trees were prettier and cheaper than Target. I don't know why but that's how it was. It's a very convincing tree. We decorated it that night as well, save for the topper (Hard to find a pretty topper anywhere) and candy canes. We since got candy canes and placed them on, and I would take a picture if Eli hadn't already yanked half of them off and ate them.

So I'm going home. I'm very very excited to go home. It's been almost a year now. I miss my family, the cat, the dog.. the hills, the trees. I miss Pizza Delight. I miss drive through coffee that doesn't taste like brewed arse.

I wish I could take trips back in time to when I would run around flipping over boards and gathering up all the snakes to play with. I guess I could do it now, but I think snakes bite people when they aren't viewed through rose colored goggles.

A bit overdue? Hell no!

So it occurs to me I haven't updated since I got my green card. Well. I got my green card. The interview went swimmingly. Since then I also got myself a SSN, and a joint bank account with Eli. I finally have some nice roots here. It's likely time to put up curtains or something. I want to decorate, but with an insane cat and a temporary home, it seems silly to even try.

When I do decorate, I would like to use a warm clay color. This is all I know.



Moving on, our beloved stray cat from a few months ago has been placed in a new home. We did not find the original owners, and I think we never will. The place looked like a good home, so I feel our work is done. I give it 3 weeks before Eli finds a box of kittens for us to rehome.

Since last post we have encountered a few things. For one, there was an accident just below our balcony in the bushes. We heard a crunch sound followed be a flurry of yelling and swearing. I don't know the whole story, but I believe there was drinking and they just missed a turn and wrecked the car.



I did a painting for a benefit. You just filled out a form and got a little 6 x 6 canvas and painted on it. I'm fairly happy with it. I did it in a single night, and if you ignore the color scheme, I'm sure it's worth every penny of 'free'. They intend to take the paintings and auction them off to raise money.



I am envious of the life some people have as artists. Nitty gritty hands on art. I wish I was more immersed in the community like Eli's brother. While I'm envying, I wish I weighed as much as his brother too.

Moving on. I had my hair cut off and colored a sort of reddish purple. Like wine maybe. I would show a picture, but I currently have a single all encompassing pimple that could be best described as 'unholy'.

I am already beginning to feel tense in preparation for my flight home again. I don't mind the 'in the air' part. It's the damned terminals. I get lost and scared. I swear I walk out of this house into any social situation and I lose my ability to interact with anyone like a normal human being.

I've been thinking I should start my own business. Doing what, you ask?

I'll get back to you on that.



Have a great Halloween!

More dogs, and a pig attack

Tomorrow we go speak with our lawyer for our preinterview to make sure we're all set. We need proof our marriage is true and not just a ploy to sneak into the United States to find work. I don't work online or anything. I guess it was neat seeing a palm tree for the first time. I just can't respect a country though, that doesn't have shreddies or milk in bags. Really though, the two countries are pretty much the same. It all comes down to the fact that one country had Eli and one didn't.

Strangely, a lot of the evidence they asked for were things like joint bank accounts, shared bills, me on the lease. These were things I was unable to get without a social security number. I can't get a SSN without a green card. I need the SSN to get the account to make proof for the green card. I would like to describe my frustration with this humorous picture of a pig attack.



They were so peaceful, and as soon as I went for the photo one just went for it. Maybe it stewed for weeks. Maybe it was premeditated. Maybe pigs are just mean little bastards.

I do have to thank you all for the cards and gifts you sent us. They even went above and beyond because they count as evidence. The envelopes addressed to here with both our names, and containing pretty cards with genuine loving wishes certainly helps. We shall see next week if it's enough. Most our 'courting' was done online in a game, though so failed the 'love letters and dates' section.

We just aren't a very conventional couple, are we?

"So how did you first take notice of Eli?"

"Oh man, I was defending Tarren Mill on my tauren hunter and he fireball critted me for like, a billion. Then he danced on the mailbox over my corpse."

Somehow it lacks the same magic as eyes meeting across a crowded room.

I will now post a series of pictures I call 'Dogs in Motion' taken at the dog park. Featured among them is a picture of Cody's first public bark since we got him. He's really opening up.









I went to the zoo alone today just to try it out. I like to take my time and sometimes my company likes to rush over to the food stand then out the door. It was alright. It was seniors day and I figured it would be packed, but they let me in and I wandered through the zoo. Now I'm not sure if I did it wrong or something but I was literally alone in there for the first hour. I saw a security guard once, but otherwise it was just me. I've DREAMED of a visit like that. No kids.. nothing. I could hear the wolves walking. I will never ever get a time like that again.

The wolves were interesting all alone. I heard the zookeeper call them with a whistle once that sounded like a howl, so I figured "Who's gonna know?" and tried it out. One immediately came over to check me out but he seemed fairly concerned the whole time. I got him to make about 3 passes until he no longer fell for the whistle trick.

So here's the images of the cautious wolf. I love his eyes.

Dog parks and cat fights.

So Othercat and Meep don't think much of each other. Since day one, Meep has been harassing this poor animal at all chances. This cat seems mildly old, so I end up visualizing a teenager chasing an elderly woman around a room and poking her over and over. Naturally this elderly woman spits and cusses at Meep. I'm thinking we may have to give up our status as temporary home for Othercat and find her a family without spotted demons.

This video sums it up pretty good.




On a more friendly, but less humorous note, we have begun taking Cody to the dog park. We've discovered that he is naturally great with other dogs and is neither submissive or dominant. The first time we went he instantly picked a little dog at the gate and hung out with him. He seems to be particularly fond of other vertically challenged fellows.



We have also discovered that eight year old dogs with 5 inch long legs can still become airborne.



Thus ends this installment of 'people talking about their pets'. Have a pleasant evening.

A time for updates!

I have updated greypaper.com with some new art. Mostly card artwork I have been doing. Please enjoy. New art always will be at the top. I like my werewolf though. He can stay in first place.


I decided to showcase a couple pictures I was particularly proud. Also! I am telling you about my interview coming up! It's late in the month of September. If all goes well and we act like normal married people, I will have my green card. I will then have a green card party. Maybe do the green card dance. Looks kind of like the crab dance.... with a green card.

Green card.


Have some pictures!

Look at the cat that got dragged in.

So I'm up in my loft, minding my own business. I see the time and become happy because Eli comes home from work soon. I hear him come in so I descend the spiral staircase. He smiles in a friendly manner then informs me there's a cat in the bathroom.

No, not our cat, a stray he found.



Apparently she looked like an indoor cat in an outdoor cat world, and he felt the need to take her inside. Now call my a cynic, but as of late I'm learning to not see stray animals, lest they come home. This one passed under the radar and made herself quite at home. I can't toss her out now, because then it's us abandoning her and not her previous owner.

Not to say she's been abandoned of course. We have made some fliers to tack up, hoping she simply escaped. When we asked at the office though the lady was aware of the cat and said there's a chance she knows who owned her. There is also a chance this person has vanished and is not answering phone calls.

So we'll give it a week or two, then try to rehome her. Really I don't mind her all that much. All she does is crawl up high, goes out of sight, then sleeps.

I am noticing that every view of the house is occupied by an animal. They're in my loft.. in my linen closet... in the fridge.

I had a nap midday after this cat came home. When I awoke again I was informed that Eli had lost my dog. For about an hour he must have roamed the area, sniffing and peeing in blissful ignorance. Eventually he was retrieved at the same office we reported the cat to that morning.

We're just amazing pet owners I guess.

A little friend

Already toilet rained, walks well on leash, comes when called, low energy, doesn't bug the cat, sooks endlessly. I gotta remember the secret magic that is older dogs.

His name is Cody (I may change it) and he is a pembroke welsh corgi we found at the shelter. He needs a bit of a haircut because he underside is matted with crud, but I brushed the top out until his groomer appointment tomorrow.

Finally made it to the zoo!

We finally made it to the zoo after trying every day since my birthday. The key is to get up really early before the school buses can arrive.

We actually got tired out before seeing the whole thing this time and crawled back to the car without seeing the big cats. We can have another trip for them later.



The sky was actually this blue. I did not adjust this image at all. I can't believe how beautiful Oregon is. I imagine the entire west coast is like this.

I always enjoy when the polar bears lay next to the glass. You really get a feel for just how large they are. If a polar bear ever wants you dead, I don't think you have too much say in it. Well, I suppose you could say "Oh sweet Jesus, N!!-" followed by meaty crunching.



There was this alligator.. caimen.. thing. Reptile! There was a reptile. I swear it was dead. It just sat there. It allowed me to take a rather nice shot.



They also had the butterfly exhibit up. They check you as you leave to make sure none hitch a ride. Apparently it's been a problem because some love to land on folks. While we were there one of the door sentries was armed with an ostrich feather duster to remove these stowaways. Unfortunately one of the butterflies decided this shimmering beast was the ideal mate. I have a nice picture of her trying to chase the persistant fellow away, a look of exasperation her face. I'll be kind to her though and just show the bug.



I give you the mighty mammoth. It's a replica, but the effect isn't lost.



I do enjoy that we go from eating these guys to having them paint for us. (Video below.)



He really is just blowing paint on a canvas, but at the end the man moved the canvas up to him and he smeared with his trunk and smacked it with some paintbrushes. They actually look kind of nice in a simple way. They sell them, but I can't afford what they ask. They use the money to help elephants.

You know what's kind of like an elephant but not at all? A hippo! I had an image leftover I wanted to show. here he is! The mighty hippo!



That is all!

The apartment!

Since we moved here with a pile of boxes, we've been playing a perpetual game of tetris with the junk. Today at about 7:30 pm, we beat the game. The apartment was clean.

So now I can finally show you my humble abode. As you know, I'm living the sweet life with a balcony and loft. My loft. Not anyone elses loft. Mine!

The Balcony has a tremendous view. I can't believe how lucky we got to have this place, top floor, right on the corner of the complex, looking out towards the center of Beaverton. Portland is actually less than a ten minute drive away. This is why I sometimes say 'moved to Portland'. I have all the benefits of being close without being in the middle of metropolis hell. Beaverton is about the size of Saint John, less a harbor.

Another glory of the apartment is the washer and drier in the closet. Now when I gloob food on myself, my shirt isn't out of the running for a week. I can just wash it. I don't even need to put on pants. That's the ultimate joy. Washing every single pair of underwear without having to venture out into public al la commando.

Good times.

Greypaper

Greypaper is updated. I like the new layout. It was too dark and round before.
Please let me know what you think. :)

Time to settle down.

For those who don't already know, I am getting married tomorrow. Yes, you heard right. Eli and I, who have been discussing this move since we came to Oregon, have decided we enjoy each others company above all other. I am happy, and a little nervous. I imagine girls are born for this day. It lies dormant like a hereditary disease, then suddenly your being proposed to and a squealing little girl comes busting out of your chest like in those alien movies.

The suddenness of the wedding is due to the fact I have to leave soon because my time here is up (The time flies sometimes, doesn't it). I want to stay here. I want to put down roots, raise a family... well.. a dog anyway. We all know how I am with children. A story for another time!

Portland area is a great place for an artist as well... and there's a zoo 5 minutes away. There's also a strip club one block over, but it seems pretty subdued. It's one of those 'gentleman's clubs' which means they leer in fancier clothing I guess.

I think I just want the day to be over. My brain keeps telling me it's late at night, but it's only 6:30 here. Ah well. Time seems nonexistent when I'm up in this loft.

For the record. I am not wearing a dress, I am not wearing white, I'm keeping my last name, and Blue Bunny will be attending the service. Likely afterwards we will go out for pizza. I'm classy like that.

I updated Greypaper.com again for your looking perusal. Enjoy!

A turtle of a dove

So as you know I am in America and dealing with all the process of living here. Finally I decided to do the thing everyone dreads. I called a lawyer. Well.. Eli called a lawyer, because phones make me fearful. So anyway, he calls and she tells him that the process is fairly simple because I am Canadian. It a combination of things apparently, all stemming from the 'I came to America and fell in love' thing.

The lady is asking some pretty girthy fees, but she says it can speed it up and make sure there's no mistakes done. I'm thinking we will pay her, because while the process is underway, I can't leave. It takes about 3 months without mistakes. God knows I will make enough mistakes. I want to be able to leave to come home for Christmas. Let's face it. Christmas is not Christmas without clementines, apple cidar, Roger, Kenny & Dolly, family, and the christmas tree light domestic dispute.

So I don't need to worry anymore, and I don't need to return to Canada to renew anything so long as the application is out there. This takes a load off my mind. It means not paying off certain debts as fast, but by god it's peace of mind.

In the unlikely event it all goes sour, who cares! I can slink back to Canada with Eli and my tail between my legs. All I care about is that it's out of my hands and immediate worry zone. I could digest a car with my worry filled stomach acids!

Anyway. Mom says I don't update enough. She says I should update once a week. I will try to do this, and include more of my work. I will also update greypaper sometime. Honest.

A long overdue post

Yes, we are in Portland. To be more precise I live 6 minutes outside of the city in a place called Beaverton. There's plenty here, like movie theaters and the like, so it's not like we're skipping much. I actually find it ideal. I can have a more sprawling leafy city as my home, with Downtown Portland not far off. I can also take public transit to the zoo if I want :)

There will be a separate zoo posting after this. I do so love zoos.

But the trip. It was a long haul. 12 hours about, not including the stop in Redding. We got that far which was only 3 or 4 hours by my memory. We lost some sleep to packing and worrying though, so the rest was welcome.

I only have these 3 images of my adventure to share. They are my top picks once more.
The mountain you see is Mount Shasta, and it's huge. The final image is Portland, to show how awesome and clean it is.

How I feel, a demonstration by Madam Meepus of Rosa.

The packing is slowly getting there. The big stuff is done anyways. Just this computer and some crud on the floor. if everything goes right tomorrow I will be seriously impressed. I will not reach Portland until Friday morning sometime, possibly later depending on pit stops for naps. Mother has my number if you need to reach me.

Mom... some call it 'Mum'. Mom preferred it and tried to train us from a young age. The pragmatic side of me kept deviating back to 'Mom'. Logically it would be 'Mom' off mother, not 'Mum' off muther. Muther looks like it would be pronounced 'Moother'. To this end, my mother is not a cow.

If I were a cow, I would be one of those big horned shaggy ones that kill things. I would be such a cool cow that the four horsemen of the apocalypse would fight over who got to swap their horse for me. Flame snorting from my huge notrils, I would usher in the end of the world!

Oh yes. I would be a very cool cow indeed. I am certain my muther would agree.

Winter in California

Hey, I ain't complaining!

The great Pacific!

So one morning Eli says we should go to the ocean and watch the sun rise. So off we went! (You don't need to romance me twice) The drive was very dark and we bought some hotdogs, marshmallows, and a vast amount of lighter fluid. So back to the drive. We saw some deer so I got out of the car and took a night photo.

Then off again! Once we arrived, I'm going to be polite and say we got the fire going and this image isn't just 2 minutes of pure lighter fluid.


Eventually the sun came up over the beach. It's odd how much secure we feel when we have light.


I would like to say that I was mildly let down by the sun. I anticipated it to rise over the ocean presenting me a beautiful photo moment. Then it you know.. rose in the east.. away from the ocean. Everything is backwards, I say!


That was my best ocean shot I got, in my opinion. I got many nice waves, but this one pleases me the most. Eli at one point found this rusted backhoe or something.. who knows. It was interesting anyway.

It was quite an adventure, and I conked out in the car on the way back.

Looks like we're moving to Portland after all. Likely next month sometime. I will keep you posted. Hope everyone is doing well!

The end in sight.

Tomorrow we will be going into town and finally paying off the ast of our lease. After that, the world is our oyster. Still looking at Portland for the next move. Got some friends there.

I'm excited but kind of scared to move again.

Cindy and the Zoo monster!

So a couple days ago we get a mail from our power company informing us that they needed to cut the power on Tuesday from 8 am to 5 pm. This understandably left us gaming addicts with an empty schedule. So like all normal people, we went to the zoo.


I gave the camera a very grueling test. I dare say any mistakes in the images are my fault and not its. I got a couple amazing shots, thanks to the zoom as well as glass viewing rooms.


But we didn't just see lions, oh no. We also saw tigers...


..and bears.


Oh my. I managed to see a few thing I hadn't ever seen before.


As well as some things we all see too much of already.


These birds are learning too fast. We got some food and went to eat outside at a table and they gathered and watched. Eli decided he needed more ketchup so he got up. At this point I had to stand up and fend them off as they snuck closer. Finally one made a lunch at me, as as I charged forward to scare it, another ran behind and stole a slice of pizza. I turned to chase it and the previous seagull stole a chicken strip. By this time Eli was back and they all backed off again. At some point during the meal, my arch nemesis known as 'human child' came along and spent the time happily chasing the birds away from the table for sport. I wanted to pay her for her services, but I think the parents would have felt it strange.

As we were leaving I decided to grab one more corn dog for the road, and as I came outside, the flock of seagulls on the roof suddenly took to the air and attacked me. I wish I was embellishing. They swooped and screamed and circled me. I showed them though. I held onto that dog like it was my own child. Then the male of our pack chased them away once more. I can't believe how ballsy some of those birds have gotten over time. I imagine they learned that some people scream and drop their food when assaulted. It's only a matter of time before they break into our homes and eat our leftovers in the fridge.