Ribs, Raises and Sore Abs

Part One

Last weekend Toronto's own gay pride weekend. There was a parade, some beer tents, dancing and stuff that I didn't go to because I was too busy stuffing my face at Ribfest. What, you might be asking yourself, would such a delicate flower as myself be doing at such a redneck event? I just told you: stuffing my face with ribs.

It was unbelievable. As the boy and I parked, I saw where the action was: the corral full of people lining up to sample the wares of the various vendors. The signs advertising the different rib sellers went up as high as four stories with quirky phrases and boastful promises that their ribs would be the best I would ever taste in my life, and everyone displayed their trophies and lauded themselves for every single little award they ever won with their ribs. There were the sexy rib girls in cowboys hats and tiny t-shirts, sweating over the grilling racks as they sang and cut meat in front of drooling men. There were the guys who rang a cowbell every time a customer ordered a full rack of ribs...and that bell never stopped ringing the whole time I was there. I just stood there and smelled the aroma of roasting meat and when I couldn't stand it anymore I selected a line and went to it. The boy and I stood in line for what seemed like forever and all we did was talk about what we were going to eat first. There was something called a vegetarian's nightmare consisting of half a chicken, half rack of ribs and a pulled pork sandwich. Fantastic. We were going to get that but then realized there were at least a dozen other rib places that we felt compelled to eat at so we should just start small.

Once we got our first round of meat, we found a place to sit. The first bite brought tears to my eyes as the meat fell off the bone and melted in my mouth. As I sat there, drunk with rib goodness, my boy went and grabbed me a beer. So there I was, rib in hand, boy at my side and I thought this just can't get any better. Then he came back with more ribs. And beer. And then more ribs. With more beer. And then a funnel cake topped with apples, cinnamon and vanilla ice cream which happens to be my kryptonite. After all this, I found a place to lie down on the grass and watched our friends play with their baby girl. Screw Pride, I thought. This weekend is all about ribs and funnelcake.

Part Two and Three (because I am lazy)

Having recouperated from that, when I went back into work yesterday after the long weekend, which for me lasted five days because my boss is awesome, I had my 3 month review and was granted a hefty raise. Which I completely and totally deserve. So now I have a new title, new responsibilities and a much better salary to go along with it. When I got home, the boy had set up our WiiFit so I could try it out. Let's just say best workout ever. Seriously. I love this thing. I love it so much I worked out for over an hour without realizing it. And that is why today my abs are sore. I am going to do it again though becasue apparently the boy has unlocked some new thing called rhythym boxing that sounds intriguing. And then maybe some ribs.

Board Games are the New Dance Clubs

My guy has a tradition. Every Wednesday night after his show ends, he and a few of his fellow cast members sit backstage and play board games. While I have always been invited, I have never been able to actually go because of my part time job bartending at the strip club. That all changed last night and I'm afraid I may have a board game problem.

We played this game called Eketorp. Check it out and then try to tell me you don't want to quit your job and play this all day. What's so great about this whole gaming experience though is the fact that this particular group of people were all into the game. There were battles left right and centre and no one was upset or angry when they lost a round and had to give up a brick. Well, just that one guy but he's part Viking so I guess that's okay.

Can't wait to see what we play next week. I have heard rumblings of a Twilight Imperium marathon that is making me twitch...

One of the Best Days

This day started out great. I slept in a little bit, was woken up very nicely and then driven to my office job. Once there, I sent in an invoice to a magazine that I freelance at and asked if there was anything they wanted me to do for them. They responded with a very vague sort of description of what they wanted and I said sure. I don't really know music very well and since this is a music based article it would be good for me to cut my teeth and get into that genre. And then I was told what the article is about and pretty much shit myself at my desk.

The article is all about bands that use their fans to make videos and gain exposure through Youtube and other video-based stuff that fans send in. Along with that are a bunch of contests and various other publicity things set up by various marketing geniuses. This was all very intriguing to me as I remember NIN doing something a few years back that involved a track on their cd that was open for editing. Fans were encouraged to fiddle with the track and then send it back to Trent who would select his favourites and then...do something with them. Look, I'm really excited right now and I can't think straight. Shoot me for not getting it all right.

So for this article I have to interview various people, both bands and marketing gurus who thought up all these neat ways for record labels to save money. These people include NIN, The Offspring and Placebo. That's right; you heard me. I have to interview three great bands plus their marketing people for my article.

And I'm being paid for it. All you who said I'd never make it: Eat it.

Demo Days

Took a bit of a trip back into my childhood this weekend. Growing up in a small town means town fairs every summer and with those town fairs come the demolition derby. My father was a mechanic and every year he would build a car from parts of other cars that he'd scrapped. Each year my brother and I would help him put pieces together to form a new car that he would crush in the derby, or as us townies called it: the 'demo'. Each year my brother and I would hang off the iron bars surrounding the sand covered area where the cars would smash into each other and not once did we ever think anything would happen to Dad. He was completely indestrucible, and his winning the demo every year he entered was proof of that.

As I stood there, twenty years later in someone else's hometown watching their town demo, I was struck by just how dangerous it is. Spectators are mere metres away from the cars as the whirl around and spin into each other. I think the close proximity of the beer tent pretty much took care of any uneasiness on the parts of the crowd, though. For myself, I was too busy drinking in the atmosphere of the place; hearing the sounds of the midway, smelling the saltiness of the various meats being cooked at diferent stalls and watching the glee on a little girl's face as she watched her daddy compete in the demo.

I'm not going to lie, it was an emotional weekend for me. I miss my hometown desperately but would never go back simply because of all the horrible memories I have of it. What I long for isn't that particluar place per se; rather, a small town where I can be my own person without having to explain where I've been all these years. Somewhere I can set up my own business and write my books and make a bit of money while avoiding all the bullshit that I am encountering right now. I don't consider it running away, I look at is as making a positive change. After all the crap I have been through lately I am really looking to make some changes in my life.

I have a two year plan that will hopefully see me in the position I want to be in, both professionally and personally. I have good people around me and a partner who loves me the way I need to be loved and all that's missing is...

Well. I'm not quite ready to talk about that yet. Sit tight.

Well, Well, Well...

I do not have time to recap the entirety of the past couple of months. Let's just say that I am in a great place; not only with my career but also with my personal life. Things are exactly the way I have always wanted them but was too scared to take the plunge for.

My new job has the potential to be perhaps the best job I have ever had as long as things pan out the way they are supposed to and one person retires when they say they will. Last night marked the end of my madness as an event that I have been planning since I started three months ago wrapped and I now have time to actually assess the job itself. While there are administrative aspects to it, most of my job is dealing with media-related issues. For example, last night's event was an awards show for a specific group of people within the magazine publishing sector. Not a huge show, but very frantic with trying to get all the people who were to present specific awards up to the podium on time. Not to mention the fact that I don't know any of them, so I had a bit of a challenge on my hands. One person stepped up and tried to help me wrangle these people and it's because of him that I am able to post today. Because otherwise, I would be in a metal institution curled up in a ball in the corner of my room pissing myself.

I am very lucky that I have this job. It encourages me to be creative, and the woman for whom I work has given me opportunities to flex my writing muscles by letting me write copy for press releases and website reports. It might not sound huge, but to me it's everything. Plus I have a very special person in my life who has always been by my side encouraging me where others have not and loving me consistently when I wasn't able to love myself at all. I will not kiss and tell at this point simply because I am going through a very nasty divorce and I know my ex will read this but suffice to say that I am very happy and surrounded by people who love me and encourage me to follow my dreams rather than tell me why I can't achieve them.

And that's all I got right now. Perhaps Monday I will tell you all about a demolition derby...

How Do I Fix This?

My husband and I have taken a bit of a break. I hate doing this to him because I know it's hurting him, but he needs to know that what he has done to me is unacceptable. the beginning of February, he told me to pack my things and go stay with my best friend while he 'thought things through'. This was because while out with the girls, I had forgotten to put my ring back on and there was a picture taken showing that. She (his friend) called him and told him I wasn't wearing my ring the whole time we were out, and that thanks to me, she didn't have to buy a single drink because guys were buying them for us due to me flirting. If he had stopped for a second and thought about it, he would have known that not only is that not behaviour typical of me, but that the ring thing was probably a mistake. he didn't ask me, just told me to get out. I have been harbouring anger and resentment about this ever since it happened. He took what she said and threw me out of my home without even talking to me first.

Because of this, he told me he would never talk to her again. Not once did I ever ask him to stop talking to her; he made that decision on his own. Imagine my surprise then when I find out that not only is he still talking to her, he broke her and her boyfriend up by sending her boyfriend pictures of her from our night out. Pictures that I had originally shown him to prove that she was the one causing so much trouble while we were out. Shameful that I had to prove myself to my own husband. It should be my word that he takes as gospel, not hers. Yet time and again I find myself having to fight and prove that I'm in the right.

I called a time out. I need to decide whether or not to continue this marriage based on how he has treated me. There is obviously so much more that I'm not saying but based on what I've been through I need to figure it out on my own. He needs to understand that I am his wife, and if he's going to side with another woman who has designs on him and has told me that, he might as well be with her and not me. Because I refuse to be second.

Waiting and waiting and waiting...

I hate waiting. Doesn't matter what it's for; buses, subways, people, I just hate waiting for things to happen. Like this new job that hopefully I have. I'm waiting to hear if I do in fact have a new job. And the waiting is killing me.

Being a Sagittarius, I am not used to having to rely on others for anything. And that includes waiting to hear about a job I really want. Not knowing when I want to know is a really difficult thing for me to swallow. I reckon it's why my husband and I are having such a hard time right now. He is completely loving the fact that I have to rely on him for everything right now because I am not working. If I need money for something, I have to ask him for it and he gets to decide whether or not he'll give it to me. I have never been in this position before and I've gotta say, it really sucks.

I contacted the strip club I used to tend bar at to see if I could pick up a couple of shifts. I didn't tell D I was doing it; hopefully it won't cause too much of a hassle. I just can't keep waiting around to see if something is going to happen. I'm going crazy sitting here waiting for an opportunity to present itself. Time to take the bull by the horns.