I’ve uploaded a few of our pictures from this weekend.

Of course, you’d have already seen them if you subscribed to my flickr stream…

Home again, home again.

We all slept like the dead. I got up around 9, which is pretty early for me, especially considering we were all in bed before freaking midnight. We had yet another delicious meal (croissants, fruit, cheese, apple turnovers, grapefruit, and some chocolate cake for G and I). While nuking our turnovers, G found a piece of chicken pie that had been left in the microwave since the last people left, about a week ago. Now, it was green curry chicken pie, which made it hard to tell if it were moldy or not…but since it was hermetically (not really; I just like this word) sealed in the microwave it didn’t appear to have rotted, but nonetheless thoroughly disgusted C. We all decided that this weekend shall henceforth be referred to as the mummified curry chicken pie trip.

After eating, peeing, packing & cleaning we were on the road by noon. Ash didn’t want to leave as she had unfettered access to sunbeams, but she must’ve felt particularly conflicted when G stuffed her into her carrier while simultaneously kneeling on her tail. That was one of those times when I bet cats really wish they could talk.

After a quick stop at a nearby general store where we got fudge & some pies, we beat a hasty southward path to Toronto, where we got back just in time to veg and recover from a weekend of vegging. All in all an excellent weekend, rotten pie and purgatory-Wendy’s notwithstanding. We’re glad we got to join G&C on the farm, and sad that it was too short a trip.

Aaaaaaaaaand that’s basically it for us until the end of June when we leave for Europe. Egad.

We’re old and tired. We’re cold, and there are wolves after us. And I don’t like the look of those teenagers.

Tonight was a much earlier night than last. By 11:30 we were all bagged and went to bed. Throughout the day we’d made a couple of feeble attempts at competition, mainly via board games, but even that seemed to tire us. After making our own pizzas and eating the cake that C so graciously made to celebrate my wife’s recent birthday, we watched Collateral and called it a night.

I feel like we just got here (and, in fact, just 24 hours ago we were still unpacking the food); we need another day. But alas, 12 hours from now we have to be on our way back.

One other thing: something in the air at this farm is causing us all to urinate constantly. I must’ve used the washroom 10 or 12 times today, and so has G. I don’t know what’s going on.

Baby it’s cold outside, but it’s warm in here. We all slept in ’til 10 or so, then had a delicious breakfast (bacon, fruit, C’s awesome banana pancakes). After a morning of laying about, reading, playing C64 games on G’s laptop and watching the girls snowshoe around, we had a quick lunch and set to work: napping and playing more C64 games while scarfing Doritos.

A few minutes ago we spotted 4 deer outside the window, just beyond the pond, munching away.

It’s almost dinnertime, but it doesn’t feel like it. C’s making a cake. I’m thinking about asking these two to be our personal chefs in return for unlimited DVD access and music snobbery advice. I’m not sure they’ll go for it.

Made it.

We loaded up the minivan last night, including the cat, and started up north toward G+Cs farm option (it’s not theirs, but they get to use it sometimes). We had a few issues while searching for a Wendy’s, not the least of which was that we hadn’t turned the headlights on, so we’d driven down the 401 with just running lights. That must’ve freaked people out.

Speaking of freaked out, we stopped at some kind of highway feeding trough in Vaughn that was ripped from some unfinished Milton work. It was lousy with suburban kids and greasy food. We survived only to get slightly lost in the parking lot (SO not kidding) and then got back on the road.

C picked a new nickname based on a nearby region: GOMA. Don’t ask. Ash (the cat) crawled up on my lap and stayed there for the remainder of the trip, which apparently is a rare event, as she’s usually a cranky old thing.

After some extended driving stretches in snow squalls and blowing wind we found the farm and unpacked. It was after 11 so we didn’t have enough energy to do much more than unpack, pour some drinks, make a fire, and talk until 2:30 in the morning.

Having been citi-fied for so long, I almost forgot that in the country it gets incredibly dark at night, enough so that I had to put down an urgent bladder insurgency until the dawn came so that I didn’t break my neck locating the bathroom.

We’re off to Collingwood for a few days with G&C. Clean country air, a good book, some shoes fit for hiking and some Cardhu.

Get in.

I watched Dog Day Afternoon (imdb | rotten tomatoes | amazon) earlier this week. I shouldn’t have waited so long; it was such a good movie. Pacino’s just…so on for the whole thing. I gotta say, it was weird to see he and John Cazale on the screen together in a non-Corleone way. Also weird: just as I turned off the DVD player, the TV channel that came up was showing The Princess Bride, just as Chris Sarandon was on the screen. Anyway, highly recommended, if only to understand why people occasionally yell, “Attica! Attica!”.

By the way, should I ever quit my job and be escorted from the office, that’s how I plan to leave the building.

1. She doesn’t own a computer
2. She’s dead

from The Globe and Mail

WHO FUCKING CARES?!!!?!?!!?!

Happy birthday Nellie!!!