Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

Posted by Xine at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Found at Red Garnier’s blog. Won’t you play along?

What is your favorite Christmas gift? The gift of time, time spent with loved ones. One of my favourite quotes from The Little Prince sums it up best: “One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”

What is your best memory of Christmas? Truly? We confirmed my pregnancy on December 6, 2004, the feast day of St. Nick and on what would have been my father’s name-day. Growing up this always marked the beginning of the Christmas season. More recently: spending the first Christmas without my beloved Mama with my uncle and our extended family up island. I could feel my mom and dad’s presence around us. EM was in heaven running around with all her older (mostly male) cousins.

Depending upon where you live, do you have a hot or cold Christmas? We live on the west coast of Canada. It’s mostly cold and rainy in December. We don’t usually get snow until mid-January.

Would you prefer to try the opposite weather at least just once? Absolutely. Close friends of ours will be moving to Australia in Spring 2008. We plan to experience a tropical, warm Christmas in the next two years.

What do you prefer in a tree? Fake or real? Even if it has to be a Charlie Brown tree, real please!

What is your favorite carol?

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.

What is your favorite Christmas dinner? I’m a traditionalist: turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, you get the idea.

Do you wear a Santa hat at Christmas? Can I plead the fifth, even tho’ I’m Canadian?

Have you ever seen Santa delivering gifts? Are you kidding me? Did you know that Norad tracks the sleigh? Can’t wait to share the magic with EM!

Posted by Xine at 7:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

We have a saying here at work: EMBRACE THE SUCK

It helps keep us laughing and motivated through our 12 hours days. And there have been a lot of those 12 hours days these past two weeks. Things should get back to normal by mid-October. (Fingers and toes crossed.)

And the photo above? WELL IT’S MY HAPPY PLACE. It’s where I’d rather be RIGHT NOW.

Well, things will eventually get better because Dev, the chicken and I will be heading off to the lush, tropical, pampering paradise that is KAUAI. And, did I mention where we’re staying?

So, if you’re participating in Thursday Thirteen, drop me a note and I’ll visit you in the coming days! I’m always interested in learning new things and catching up with my blogging buddies and friends.

Posted by Xine at 6:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

My life-style change has begun. No more drinking spirits or diet pop. No more processed carbs or refined sugars. Lots of veggies and lean protein. We’re four weeks away from our trip to Hawaii. We’re four weeks away from me being comfortable in public, wearing a tankini. Enough said. Wish me luck!

Posted by Xine at 5:55 PM | Permalink

Just wanted to introduce y’all to the talented and superfabulous (who knew that you could trade-mark words?) Carollyne. Artist. Web-designer. Entrepreneur. Social Commentator, and dear, dear friend and now blogger. She’s new to the world of blogging, so please, don’t be shy, drop by and say hello. Tell her Xine sent you.

Posted by Xine at 7:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I stumbled across Ozge’s blog, a daily journal of Ordinary Things in comic form. Struck by their beauty, sense of humour and keen attention to detail, I wanted to share my discovery with you.

Posted by Xine at 8:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

EM’s vocabulary and understanding of the world around her is growing by leaps and bounds. My resolve and desire to integrate Greek culture, customs and language into our lives also grows stronger with each passing day. My most recent aquisition to assist me with these loftly goals - flashcards from Greekbaby.com

Posted by Xine at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Create your own visitor map!

While I’m not yet convinced that chicken-scratch needs another widget, I do think the visitor map is spiffy.

Posted by Xine at 9:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

How many of these were you familiar with?

1. AGLET - The covering on the end of a shoelace.

2. ARMSAYE - The armhole in clothing.

3. CHANKING - Spat-out food, such as rinds or pits.

4. FEAT - A dangling curl of hair.

5. FERRULE - The metal band on a pencil that holds the eraser in place.

6. HARP - The small metal hoop that supports a lampshade.

7. JARNS,
8. NITTLES,
9. GRAWLIX,
10. and QUIMP - Various squiggles used to denote profanity in comics.

11. KEEPER - The loop on a belt that keeps the end in place after it has passed through the buckle.

12. MINIMUS - The little finger or toe.

13. SCROOP - The rustle of silk.

Posted by Xine at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)

We’re sleep training EM. At 25 months old, it’s time.

Tired of the protracted routine that is considered normal for bedtime, our household has decided that EM must learn to put herself to sleep. After 10 days of tears and cries for “help”, EM is settling in nicely to her 4-step routine:

1. brush teeth
2. pick out 2 to 3 books to read
3. kiss mommy & daddy good-night and,
4. say good-night & sweet dreams to the (real) fish

Yes, we’ve bribed our 25-month old with an aquarium. Not just any aquarium, but a leopard painted pink and gold one that’s similar to the one pictured below (minus the goofy antennas):

While EM is dreaming of electric fish, we’re all catching up on our own much needed zzzz’s.

Posted by Xine at 8:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Call for submissions: Greek Artists/Greek Themes

A note from the organizer Jay House ~

Greetings:

I’ve been invited to curate a Greek Cultural Festival at Queens Theater in the Park (QTIP), an indoor theater located in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, NY, from January 23-27, 2008.

We are interested in work of any genre - from classical drama to modern dance; from a poetry reading to a film screening; from a children’s puppet show to a nightclub singer!

Work should relate to Greece in one or more of the following ways:

• New or old work by a Greek or Greek-American artist/company;

• “Classics” of Greek origin, by artists of any ethnicity;

• New work dealing with Greek themes by artists of any ethnicity,

QTIP features three stages, a 464 seat proscenium stage theater, a 99 seat black-box theater and (in construction now) a 75-100 seat cabaret space with kitchen/bar. There are larger venues available at LaGuardia Community College (750 seats) and at Queens College (2,000 seats). There is also some workshop and exhibition space available for hand-crafts demonstrations and the like. Add-on workshops (dance, crafts, etc) will also be considered.

How to submit:

Email a one-page document that describes the intent of your piece, how it relates to Greek culture, and your technical requirements. Include a budget on a separate document that shows the cost to mount
your production.

Email submissions to [email protected] .

Submissions are due by Friday September 21st.

Please contact me if you have questions, and of course, pass this on to artists who may be interested!

Visit: Aegean Cultural Project for more information.

Posted by Xine at 8:14 PM | Permalink

Your Vocabulary Score: A

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

Posted by Xine at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)