Okay, so I’ve been in a bit of a pissy mood over the last couple of days and haven’t had the energy to even get my thoughts across to myself, let alone the dozen or so people who actually look at this blog, thus the delay in posting anything. To tell the truth, I’m not that sure that I’ve really anything to say today however, I just felt that I needed to do something here. So, here goes… no promises though.

Could it be the weather? Or that I’m just tired from challenging my tolerance to sleep deprivation? Maybe I just need to drink some more water… I’ll try to work on the last two but I really don’t have much control over the weather. Perhaps it's just the essence of drag queens in the air...

Sunday is Canada Day. There’s sure to be some lame-ass fireworks display that night but I’ll be looking more forward to the Marcus Tipton Memorial Drag Ball game which starts at noon. This annual event pits some of the area’s more outrageous drag queens against each other in baseball. You’d think they’d have to be careful running in high heels but these “girls” certainly manage. Oooh, and as it’s Pride Week here, there’ll be Drag Queen bingo as well. For more events, you can check out the Pride Society website here.

I went to the new MAC pro shop at one of the malls here over the weekend. I was happy to see one opened here and, having had some schooling & experience in make-up application, I was kind of drawn to it. I love MAC and that’s probably because I have a wee bit of drag queen in my psyche. I was thinking that maybe I should apply for my pro status and see what I can do. The only challenge here in Victoria is that people are just way too conservative and they just don’t feel comfortable outside of their boxes.

The funny thing is that, while I am not entirely comfortable being out of my element, I really do like to try new things and then I can make my decision. I believe that I am the only woman in my office to wear glitter eyeliner and will not bend to the school of thought that age limits a woman’s ability to express themselves in their hair, makeup and dress (the one exception is the no panties thing – NO ONE should be doing that and sharing it with the world).

Speaking of age, I’ll be turning 44 at the beginning of August. Who’d have thought?

I’d also like to thank those people that I have reconnected with for their love & support. Gosh knows, I’ve needed it. However, I am trying very hard not to be afraid to recognize my strengths – something which I was reminded of in a recent email. This one friend said that it was time that I saw in myself what others have been seeing for years. (Lacking in self-confidence is something that has trouble me for years).

Anyway, I think that I’ll end here. Have a great week everyone and I hope to hear from you soon.

I apologize for the lack of posting activity.

When I get my head around it, I will take the time to post again. Right now, I've not much to say and little energy to type. I'll get back to it sometime in the near future.

In the meantime, I hope that you're all having a good week.

Wow! I just read that there will be a Spice Girls reunion! I can't wait!

Yes. I admit that I was a fan but that was when Geri was a part of the band and she had this drag queen-like presence. (As you know, I LOVE drag queens) Even though I've lived through the age of Bananarama and the SG's, I'm still one of those British girl group fans that's not really afraid to admit it. Can't say that I really liked any since the breakup of the Girls though... I just like the whole have fun and sing kind of thing.

For those of you who may be disappointed by this admission, I just want you to know that you shouldn't be. I detest being "pigieon-holed by my music, my style or personality. I just love to dabble in many different things.

And that, is all part of what makes people interesting!

Late Addition: It appears that DNA tests prove that Scary Spice's baby was actually fathered by Eddie Murphy. Read more here.

Last weekend, some friends and I went out to one of the local tourist attractions outside of Victoria and while we were there, we took some pictures. I thought that I would share a couple of them with you. (Thanks MM, for sending them to me) If you so desire, and you think you know where we went (if you're familiar with Victoria), please leave your "guess" as a comment.

Even though it wasn't really that cold, one of our group had to check out the hot chocolate. This is not unusual for her to try the hot chocolate. After our tea break and our meeting with another friend who is working there, we embarked on our walkabout.

Here are a few of the things that we encountered along the way...

I found this one extremely fascinating. The colours were so different and the picture turned out really nice. There is also a restaurant at this place that has the same name as this one to the left.

And here is something we didn't really expect to encounter. We couldn't really figure out if it was real or a reasonable facsimile and it would have been difficult to get any closer to where it was resting.

After motoring around for a while, we ate lunch and then ventured to the gift shops. There are a couple of them and we checked them all out however, in the upscale one, we found this really cool water feature that was made from musical instruments and other interesting items. Not only was it beautiful but it also inspired me creatively. I've come up with some ideas but need to develop a few skills before I can work on them.

Funny, the idea of a creative co-operative came up in discussion again.

Anyway, besides the exorbitant admission fee, I think that the three of us can agree that we had fun and a good part of it was that we got there really early and avoided the throngs of tourists. There was one annoying part and that was the guy who spent a good chunk of time while we were paying for stuff at the gift shop chatting one of my friends up in Japanese. He assumed that he was the only one who understood but all three of us knew what he was saying. So I ask, what is it with these white guys who spend their time trying to impress Japanese girls with their attempts at speaking the language? I believe that usually, these types of guys are latently homosexual and they figure if they get involved with girls that are kind of androgynous and they're actually female then the guys can continue to live the lie. (This guy definitely fit that mould.)

It was a great day and fun was had by all. Except for the ones that got a little carsick on the bus. I'm so glad that I don't have that trouble.

Thanks M & S! It was a great day.

Have a great weekend everyone! (Oh, and any guesses where we were?)

A few days ago, I was reading about the birth of a baby giant manta ray in an aquarium in Japan. First, I was interested to hear about the first birth of this type in captivity but as well, I wondered the physical impossibilities of delivering a baby that was 1.8 metres in size. It must have been a tough one. Luckily for the mother, the youngster basically unfurled it's large wings after leaving her mother's body.

However today I learned that the ray was found dead in the bottom of the tank. Experts believe that the death was the result of harassment and injury by the father. You can read about it here and also get access to the video of the birth. It was also in this article that I learned about the actual birth process as did the keepers at the aquarium.

It was also interesting, yet quite sad, that the death resulted from the behaviour of the father. I suppose that this happens with many animals in that one or both of the parents caused the death. Nature can be beautiful but can also be cruel, I suppose.

Is anyone out there going to or is interested in holding their own Live Earth Party on July 7? AVAAZ & Al Gore are hoping that you will! If you do, there's a website where you can sign up and you'll get access to a special video by Al Gore on the day.

However, just to put a down side to this, I wonder if these events are powered by alternative, and non-harmful power sources. And, are they using lorries to move the equipment around? Are the artists flying in on airplanes? Are they using air conditioning instead of opening the window? Hmmm? Will people be doing something other than plugging in their computers when they could be outside listening to acoustic music and talking?

What do you think? Do we need huge concerts or could we do more on our own?

You be the judge.

I watched the first episode of the last ever season of Doctor Who last night and must say that I really enjoyed it! Sad to see that the series will end after this but I suppose that it's been on for eons and even good things must come to an end.

And I know this will make me sound like a total geek but I think that, as the Doctor, David Tennant is really hot. There's something about a quirky man with an incredible brain that makes decisions in no-time. Also, he looked quite cheeky leaning back against the Tardis with that "come hither" look of his at the end of the show last night.

Oooh. I'm such a geek...

With yet another Monday upon us, I am still pretty groggy. The weekend seemed to fly by...

It was a rather normal weekend except that I didn't get enough sleep. Went to a local tourist site, surprised someone, watched Ocean's 13 in the theatre and Queen of the Damned on telly on Saturday as well as having the last (for a while) of a favourite drink at one restaurant and bubble tea at another (yet another attempt at getting the caffeine monkey off my back). I even made a lunch for work today.

Let's just say that I could have used another couple of days sleep.

I hope that your weekends were fun!

Oh, and welcome back to Matt of TAG. Good to see you posting again. I hope the other guys are doing alright!

I'm so glad it's Friday.

Not because it's the end of the work week but because, I'll get a chance to sleep in. You see, this past week has been much busier than I've been in a long time. It's not because I've been doing lots of creative work either. It's because during this past week, my social calendar has been extremely busy.

I'm not complaining either. It's more because, when I get distracted by the social, I tend to lose my good judgment and end up not getting enough sleep and inevitably become tired and my focus disappears. Some of you may know me to be strong in opinion and constitution but to be honest, it's all a facade. I am truly weak.

I could blame Janice and her book for this however, if anything, she helped me to realize that I should never compromise myself to an extreme in any relationship. I should stand my ground and not be afraid to ask for what I want or need. I should never fear rejection when I actually ask for what I think I deserve.

However, this week has not been about dating. It's been about reconnecting with people that I haven't seen in a while because I was distracted by something else. And, to tell the truth, despite me feeling a little exhausted today, it has been great! It's great to renew one's passion in the important things but also not be afraid to be a little "out there".

I'd like to take the time to thank SE, EQ, J, SH & R for sharing their time with me. I had loads of fun!

With that said, I will bid you all adieu for today. Have a great weekend and hopefully, I'll talk to you all next week.

Did you know that the Americans proposed inventing a bomb that would turn the enemy gay?

This stuff makes me laugh... While they didn't get around to it, the proposal was to create a non-lethal chemical that, when released was really just an aphrodesiac that would be even more advantageous if it could cause homosexual behaviour. The problem is, what would the Americans do then?

Was the purpose to create more opportunities for the US servicemen to be "serviced" in the absence of women in combat situations? Or were they just looking for a few "flaming" individuals to entertain troups? You be the judge of a comment issued by the Pentagon...

"The department of defence is committed to identifying, researching and developing non-lethal weapons that will support our men and women in uniform."

Things like this never cease to point out the stupidity of governments and military regimes. In our enlightened times, this would never happen. I mean, how long have we known that being gay is genetic and not something that can be created?

Today, I am reminded that caffeine is not my friend.

This is something that I should write on post-it notes and stick it everywhere that I might be tempted by the fates. Let's just hope that I manage to make it through the day. I hope that everyone else has a better one than I am having so far...

What does a drag queen & tupperware have in common? Apparently both have quite a presence in a new off-Broadway play entitled Dixie's Tupperware Party.

The actor in this play, Kris Andersson, has been selling this plasticware - as Dixie Longate - since 2001 and has made a play out of the experience. To take full advantage of the opportunity, Tupperware products are available for sale at all of the perfomances.

No wonder she's one of the top sellers of the product!

I just love Janice Dickinson. I picked up a copy of her latest book which is entitled Check, Please! Dating, Mating & Extricating over the weekend and haven't put it down since I started reading it yesterday (oh well, while I was sleeping, I did...). It's just plain hilarious!

I cannot say that I agree with everything Janice does but I certainly think that her candid insight on the whole dating thing certainly brought more than a few smiles to my face at a time that I was wallowing in self-pity and allowing a "boy" to make me feel unhappy because he doesn't call. Actually, from this book, I realize it's me making myself unhappy instead of getting out and doing something that makes me feel good about myself. So, I've decided that there's not be any more waiting around. (By the way, thanks EQ for giving me the pep talk on Friday night... let's get together this week, alright?)

Anyway, I recommend this book for anyone out there who wants to laugh and also get a good dose of medicine as well. I learned a lot about myself and also learned a few tidbits on some of the men Janice says she's dated.

Who would've known that John Cusack was well-endowed?

Apparently, he has a bit to learn about not trying to be the "comedian" all of the time but, hell, who knows, it might be worth just looking him up for. Maybe he should be the next one on my "to-do" list...

Have you ever thought about what the Seven Wonders of Canada are?

Last night, after votes by over one million Canadians as well as the final decision by three judges, these seven wonders were unveiled on the CBC. The network posted the question to Canadians and there was such a huge response which was not surprising being that we all have strong opinions about our country. The final decision was as follows:

The Canoe
The Igloo
Niagara Falls
Old Quebec City
Pier 21, Halifax
Prairie Skies
The Rockies

Okay, so I admit that I agree with some of these, I was a bit disappointed by some of those cut by the panel. Firstly, was Haida Gwaii (otherwise known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), a rainforest of epic proportion which is made up of some really ancient trees (another symbol of Canada - for me anyway). Cathedral Grove is another one of those symbols.

Some of the fun choices were people's parents' houses and even more interesting is Wreck Beach more well known for it's clothing optional policy than the nature.

I think it very interesting what came out of this and, more importantly, the discussion that will continue because of it. Geographics, proximity to government and people's interests are so vast here that it would be difficult to get everyone to agree. But at least it's sparking a sense of unity.

One thing that I would like to add it that there were all sorts of references to hockey mostly due to the fact that people thought it has always been Canada's national sport. Actually, it wasn't until 1994 that hockey was added as an official winter sport. Until then, it had been lacrosse which has been played here for somewhere around 500 years. While it doesn't hold the same profile as say hockey, it is just as exciting if not more.

I used to volunteer with the local lacrosse league here in my younger days and it was always surprising to me that this sport didn't get more support. There is a part of me that believes that it would have had more popularity if it were created by someone other than First Nations people in Canada. In a way, it's just one more discrimination against the original people of this great country of mine. Even though the game is no longer an exclusive sport for the aboriginal people of Canada, it still seems like hockey has the higher profile. To me, I'd rather watch a fast, exciting game that didn't involve me freezing my ass of in a cold hockey arena.

Nevertheless, I will continue to love this sport - along with basketball, which was also invented by a Canadian. I'm not a really big sports fan anyway, however, I love to watch lacrosse and you can occaisionally catch me on the court at my old high school with my basketball.

Have a great weekend all. I hope that, if you have anything to add about the Seven Wonders, that you will comment on it.

I've decided I'm going to create a list of people that I want to "smack up side their head". So far, it goes like this.

GWB (actually, this should just say all small-minded, power-grubbing politicians)
Andrew Speaker (arrogant TB-infected loser)
Paris Hilton (she's just askin' for it)
People who smoke in bus shelters and other public places
People who drive cars (& especially SUVs) with no passengers
Land developers (we all know they're just in it for the cash. They don't care about the environment or quality of life)
People who don't return phone calls
People who lie and don't take responsibility for their own actions

Hmmm. Looks like I'd better give it a little more thought. There's so many and it's challenging to think of them in any sense of order.

If you've got any ideas, feel free to add them...

On the subject of disease once again today, I can't help but continue to be pissed off about this whole TB-infected traveller Andrew Speaker that I posted of a few days ago.

It seemed like every channel was reporting on it last night because of the Congressional investigation into the events related to his escapade. All I could think of was how arrogant this guy is. He spent all night blaming the authorities and the doctors and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) like they were the ones that were entirely at fault. In my mind, yes, these organizations did drop the ball in some ways however, he was the one that was sick and he was the one who travelled. From what I understand, the CDC could not legally hold anyone until they were sure that he was a threat. And in this case, it looks like they didn't have the results but knew that they had that time because of this idiot's travel plans (that he changed...)

Come on. Isn't TB a deadly disease? If you went to the doctor or the CDC and they recommended that you don't travel, would you then get on an airplane? If they knew of your itinerary and that they had an extra few days to wait for tests to come through before you left and that if anything was wrong they could then confirm the results and tell you not to travel, would you then change your plans and leave for your vacation early?

If they then contacted you on your holiday and ask you to check yourself into a medical facility, would you then take the most round-about way of getting home so that you wouldn't be flying into your own country (because you knew that they would detain you)? This guy is full of crap. He knew that he would be in trouble so he didn't take a direct flight and flew on airlines that aren't big names? And then he drove into the US via Canada. Surely as such a successful and intelligent man, he would have the funds to take any airline...

I'm sorry but for all the blame he and his family are throwing at the authorities, he needs to stand up and say what he should. And that should be "I'm an arrogant and thoughtless human being and I am so sorry for not listening to the medical community and exposing people to a deadly virus. I deserve to be in this postion."

This kind of thing happens precisely because people aren't willing to take responsibility for their own decisions. It's too late for Mr. Speaker because he's already proved that he is a selfish and irresponsible human being.

It looks like the Japanese may be paving the way for Creutzfeldt/Jakob-like disease in goldfish.

Check out this slideshow that has images of a deep fryer that has goldfish living in the bottom of it. This is supposed to demonstrate how this new fryer uses water to catch the falling batter in order to keep the cooking oil clean. They also show that the goldfish can also munch on the "droppings" which, in this photo spread demonstrates what happens while they are cooking squid tempura.

What I want to know is whether goldfish eat meat or not? If not, isn't that the same as feeding animal products to cows? And isn't that one of the factors of cows contracting mad cow?

And how hot does that water actually get?

Good news! No crazy dreams last night. I suppose that I was just too tired. In fact, I slept through the alarm this morning...

Anyway, I screwed up at work yesterday by forgetting to be somewhere important. I hope it's not a sign of how the rest of the week is going to go. I'm going to remain optimistic that I will get through it unscathed. After all, if I can't change negative into positive, then no one will be able to do it.

I am, after all, in charge of how things go in my life.

Have a great week everyone!

Not much is new today. I'm still having strange dreams and last night was no exception. (It's funny because, since my beluga dream, I've seen beluga whales in the news almost every day...)

I wonder what's causing them...

Hi folks! Welcome to Monday!

Actually, I can still hardly believe that it's June. In fact, yesterday was exactly two months away from my 44th birthday. I cannot believe how fast the time has passed.

To tell the truth, I had so many things that I had intended to finish way before now and just haven't gotten around to them. Mostly because I thought that I had more time that I actually did. I should have been more aware because when one gets to their 30's, they realize that time passes quite quickly - something that when we are in our childhood and our teens that we are not experienced enough to know.

For the most part, I really have no regrets. Mostly because regretting things is useless. Time has passed and so one must take responsibility for the way their life has gone so far. However, I do wonder when it will be that I become smarter with money and when I will actually "grow up". The trouble is that I have so many good people looking out after me - especially my mom - so while I have all of these wise tidbits about life and nature, I am actually still just a really old kid. Perhaps I've just had it too easy.

Anyway, I guess I've just come to the conclusion that I have to follow through on things and stop just flitting my way through life. I have to redevelop the skills I've had in past on setting goals and completing them. That way, I can stop being so hard on myself...

Have a great week everyone. I'm going to do my best to do the same.

Okay, so since I wrote this, I was taking a much closer read of Phil Gardner's multi-faceted site and came across a personality test that I took the time to complete. It pretty much fits into why it's so tough for me to get things done sometimes. It appears that I am an Idealist.

Here's what the test results said:

Idealists, as a temperament, are passionately concerned with personal growth and development. Idealists strive to discover who they are and how they can become their best possible self -- always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination. And they want to help others make the journey. Idealists are naturally drawn to working with people, and whether in education or counseling, in social services or personnel work, in journalism or the ministry, they are gifted at helping others find their way in life, often inspiring them to grow as individuals and to fulfill their potentials.

Idealists are sure that friendly cooperation is the best way for people to achieve their goals. Conflict and confrontation upset them because they seem to put up angry barriers between people. Idealists dream of creating harmonious, even caring personal relations, and they have a unique talent for helping people get along with each other and work together for the good of all. Such interpersonal harmony might be a romantic ideal, but then Idealists are incurable romantics who prefer to focus on what might be, rather than what is. The real, practical world is only a starting place for Idealists; they believe that life is filled with possibilities waiting to be realized, rich with meanings calling out to be understood. This idea of a mystical or spiritual dimension to life, the "not visible" or the "not yet" that can only be known through intuition or by a leap of faith, is far more important to Idealists than the world of material things.

Highly ethical in their actions, Idealists hold themselves to a strict standard of personal integrity. They must be true to themselves and to others, and they can be quite hard on themselves when they are dishonest, or when they are false or insincere. More often, however, Idealists are the very soul of kindness. Particularly in their personal relationships, Idealists are without question filled with love and good will. They believe in giving of themselves to help others; they cherish a few warm, sensitive friendships; they strive for a special rapport with their children; and in marriage they wish to find a "soulmate," someone with whom they can bond emotionally and spiritually, sharing their deepest feelings and their complex inner worlds.

Idealists are rare, making up between 20 and 25 percent of the population. But their ability to inspire people with their enthusiasm and their idealism has given them influence far beyond their numbers.

Hmmm....

Have you ever got up to go to work and then think all the way along that you're in the wrong place?

That's what happened to me today. I left the house late, transferred buses and then found none of the usual passengers were there, got to work feeling a little shell-shocked and then proceeded to just wish that I could start the day again. And, today's going to be another scorcher...

Someone, please tell me the weekend starts at the end of today!