The List - December 2006

possibilities, opportunities, situations with potential
wentworth's webcam
just a short editorial to write
jumping over that rock at the end of the park
jumping up the wall behind the scotia bank
jumping over that concrete fence by grabba movie
finding all the beads when my necklace broke
having a real good book that you just cant wait to get home and read
not sweating the small stuff
pulling a story out of thin air for the front page
"i'm cautious. hee hee hee"
left over christmas desserts
holiday stir fry
(Dec. 30)
1.5 days to do the paper...
a warm apartment
unpacking all the xmas goodies
a perfect boxing day meal - and desserts and im stuffed
another christmas nap
she also made meatballs and a whole bunch more - sharp as a tack
yummy perfect lobster sandwiches made by a 97 yr old wman
all the way round lake pisiquid
running in the freezing rain
sleeping in yet again
testing out larry and sharon's new mattress and sheets - soft and warm ZZZzzzzzz
chatting with larry who is so interested in my job
robert's sandwiches - he's is the god of leftovers
the calm after the storm
a hearty "you gonna chase me" from will
the human spinning top using my lap as her occassional resting spot
unbridled sugar fueled energy
complete and utter chaos
five kids under three and two under ten to stir them up
entering a house full to the rafters with life
doing grammie's dishes ("I dont know another man who could do a job like that")
grammie's hugs
cooking turkey with the oven off
real Scotch toffee (with grampie)
Grampie talkative and joking
a warm fire, buffalo burger, and a great nap at mom's
finding a new angle to shoot the lighthouse
watching the surf at Peggy's
beautiful rich red santa playing sax on spring garden
laughing over coffee and brunch looking down on spring garden
beautiful friendly efficient waitresses
(Dec. 27)
sleeping in until 11 AM - woot
lunch dates with hippy
shower with lots of water
talking to people from a warm and friendly past
huffing up hill
running down hill
chocolate milk in my coffee
singing carols in the kitchen
you know that bit from the song "no crying he makes" - yeah
(Dec. 24)
done :)
i actually made $ on the boys' gifts ? :)
shopping with the girls
brunch - mimosa - french toast - and yummy
shel's Christmas at the office stories
chasing will
entering into the beaitufl mayhem
bridges- beautiful, exciting,practical, functional, glorious design - and the energy!
penetrating, getting what i want, withdrawing (im talking about shopping people :)
(later Dec. 23)
a new subtitle for this list
hearing from Hobbbes that her list of smiles makes her smile
finishing my updates
hearing that brian is as crazy whacked as me
plans
vacation
breakfast with brian
being smart about alcohol and drugs and driving
laughing with friends
a connection between my mouth and brain
goodies
scanning the dial for whatever
having no idea where you are if you're going the right way - just driving
hitting the road
warm laundry
two sausage burgers
team coffee breaks
spring in my step
gettingup at dawn and discovering urban wildlife
the towns xmas tree lights mixed with the sunrise
looking down on the harbour from second ave - hight tide- wharf full of boats home for the holidays
morning run becomes a habit - an addiction
decorating a bachelor's hovel
a tidy apartment
being okay with missing a day
(Dec. 23)
ronnie in a santa's hat
in the creative zone
who knew the deadline was today?
a half hour bird watching and taking photos of the sunrise (when im sposed to be working)
early morning digby bustling and waking up
2 weeks of running and still smiling
yummy warm mornings
(Dec. 21)
warm sweaters
gentle snowfalls
paying the rent
yet one more crazy dream
yet one more creative outlet
left overs ( i must be cooking if i have to use up left overs - yeah)
a pretty smile
chatting socially
it even makes me smile that everyone wants to chat newspaper talk with me - as kierans taught us - they less we say about ourselves the more we win :)
free lunch
2 bags of clothes to the bethany bin
arts and crafts
(Dec. 20)
all oatmeal
oatcakes
long johns on a cold day
a clean kitchen
sore calves - i been running
the thick yummy bottom of a bowl of stew
more free heat through the floor from the jewellry stores thanks to xmas hours
long long sleeps
(Dec. 19)
i've got to go for a run
Rob and Shel's warm spare bed
a drive home with no "empty" light
beautiful low mid-December light
The Wonder Burger
Jony's knee is healing
everything is win-win
(Dec. 18)
a burst of enthusiasm
no one answered
thoughts and thinking
breakfast of a western and coffee
not being paralyzed
chewing down trees
that's big cat
meeting new folks
being smart
being foolish
that first sip of whiskey and coke - "tastes like O'Brien street"
christmas lights (in Bear River)
moose stew in all its yumminess
finishing up
(Dec. 17)
piles, literally piles of work
patience - whereever it comes from
feeling like I'm on the edge of a big peace - maybe just the other side of Xmas
Ennis Sisters' "I'l be there Christmas Eve" - makes me cry everytime - a good cry
Gabriel's message - one of my fav xmas carols
(late alone in office)
the quiet office = space to write
cheeseburger and strawberry shake's also come with a fortune cookie
mine said"You will be invovled in a social activity"
word that hippy is coming for a Digby retreat
havent turned the heat on yet
warm warm december
a Tim's breakfast sandwich - crunchy and soft and sweet and yummy
laughing
running fast
black and white
(Dec. 15)
calls from the judge - he makes me laugh (and is reading print-outs shirley gives him of our paper - I will know im doing something right when he starts using the computer himself)
warm out as a son of a gun
cool cops (the digby corporals are both really cool guys)
talking spam and computers and airplanes and life and cool shit over coffee at the irving
lessons in parking
pearl barley in my soup
submarine santa
hugs from kids i have no idea who they are
cute crazy off-the-wall kids
calling the ferry captain and asking him to just wait a sec
waves splashing on my windshield
moose stew
(Dec. 14)
confidential reports landing on my desk
jube jubes
I have a friend whose name is "hippy"
so i get to tell stories like "hippy said..." or "then hippy started singing..."
stretching
pragmatic geographically climatically driven architecture
learning something new
breathing space
hearing, remembering, buying, giving that little thing people want for xmas
barley toys
sunrise from Third Avenue
Digby's steep hills
(Dec. 12)
churning it out in a hurry
cheap books at the library
jumping over boulders
kicking a little ball of snow up the street
running
(Dec. 11)
focus, discipline, order
it aint so bad
i am the 650,167,316th richest person in the world
free passes to hockey games
the come back win at home
the good ol' hockey game
my juicer
my blender
realizing the similarities in chris and crys (haha!)
letters from chris and crystal
ski tracks on the ski hill web cam
opportunities to practice patience and calm
a christmassy plaid and a wool scarf
a real rich agonising torturous god damned frustrating writers block
a good yummy breakfast
(Dec. 10)
I LIVE IN NOVA SCOTIA
the bottom of a coffee where the sugar lies waiting (or maple syrup)
the sharp line of white/ black on the shore after a snow storm and the tide drops
(Dec. 9)
christmas carols :D
patience
(unbiased - hahahaha) praise for my puss peters piece
a phone call from Florida and the words "I have very much enjoyed talking to you."
my coffee cup is home
seeking order
not blabbing it every where
reading about the Digby Courier soap opera in another media
stopping on my run to bug colleagues already at work
catching Nicole's first kick as a joke, then reflexes catching her second in self-defence, meaning she had no legs to stand on and watching her swing onto the flimsy cubicle divider - yes we have a very professinal office here
a bagel instead - yeah
escaping without saying a word
listening in awe to a very funny laughy happy guy
discovering there aint no hidden agenda - altruism yeah!
the people you need to make the story work calling you up because they just read last week's story online
more snow
food at restau as good as Mom's (don't tell Mom please)
(Dec. 8)
food
the sound boiling water makes when you pour it in your cup
listening and saying nothing
"we get drippy" - aha i knew it
a cuppa summat wa'm oon a culd d'y
a warm bed and a good book
stories creating themselvs out of nowhere
cold wet damp freezing rain, chill your bones kinda of yuck
this from Chris Shepherd in Fort St. James, B.C. - planning a straw bale home with your sweetie
(Dec. 7)
indoor shoes/ outdoor shoes
home fries yum yum yum
a blue rabbit fur coat
connections
an example in the neighbouring county that proves everyone here is wroong
Everyone in the story turns out to be a good guy
Random Act of Snowman Kindness
talking about the wood
talking about woodpiles
woodpiles
a junker-splitter on a tractor PTO like i never saw before
big white curly beard full of wood chips and sawdust
a great garbage tour guide who likes to pose for photos and likes "direction"
Neck Wrinkles accented by snow on the hills
finding the place even though i barely listened to the directions
snowmen
Weymouth road trip listening to CBC
holding doors for people and seeing them smile
two loads of clean laundry
cool air on my cheeks
An early morning run round a snowy town
surviving
(Dec. 6)
silliness
an open box of chocolate cookies
Shirley's orchid
a road trip for tomorrow
dya want that? as she takes the last bite out of my fingers
warm blankets
the first beautiful snowfall
(Dec. 5)
an inkling of a plan
feeling somethin like peace
smiling
moving on
feeling good
Alistair MacLean novel about a place I visited
buying Jony's xmas presents
a happy giddy bubbly Pearl
lunch with Pearl
the first snowfall
deer steak and onions with A1 sauce
bread from Oliver's - yum
"repercussions in Ottawa"
Digby winning 8-4
Junior C hockey
waking up half drunk and thus avoiding the hangover
Erica tucking my cold feet into her jacket as I slept upside down in a chair
Caleb, Eric, Carole, Trish, Hippy, Anthony, Mark and Melissa, Colin, Simon, Jeff, Erica and me
lightsabers
singing til my voice is raw
celebrating hippy's BDay with two kegs and all the gang
big hugs from great friends
remembering who they are
hugs from young ladies who say"Skip! Finally someone i know" and i dont have a clue who they are
Hippy's warm little house
Great Big Sea
Randy Backman's vinyl tap
listening to the radio in the car
(Dec. 4)
thinking
eight months' rich rich catching up
heavy heavy rain
Nicole bringing coffee, both hands full and a coffee cup in her mouth
turning over the calendar
(Dec. 1)