Ryan J. Allen

I broke another glass due to my dirty dishes buffer overflowing. But I saved a plate (the two are related).

UPDATE: I actually broke two glasses. Again, related.

A very strange thing happened to me last night.

Shortly after 10 p.m., whilst chatting to a couple of friends online, I suddenly started to feel sick to my stomach. It is not a feeling I normally get, so it was particularly odd to come after consuming only some fish and chips (ie, I didn’t have an obscure meal that is new to my body). The sickness then amplified to the point where I thought I could have thrown up. I even got up from my chair to walk towards the washroom in order to throw up if necessary.

At this point my nose instantly stuffed up and all breathing had to happen via my mouth. My skin became unbelievably itchy. I went to lay down in bed. It was becoming difficult for me to breath.

In bed I couldn’t stand the itchiness any more. I immediately had a shower, and took a Gravol. I went to bed again–still itchy but not quite as much–breathing through my mouth, trying to get comfortable and relax enough that the drowsiness side-effect of the Gravol would be enough to help me to sleep.

Thankfully, it worked. I woke up this morning at 6:30 to my alarm feeling normal-ish. I don’t feel quite at 100%, but I can breath through my nose, I’m not itchy, and my stomach feels okay (actually, full right now because it’s just after lunch). I was a bit groggy when I woke up, but I’m better now. I am tired but that could just be the course that I’m in for work (it’s moving a bit slow for me).

Some good news (I think): MK is not “officially effed” in his school stuff. I say I think it’s good news because I haven’t actually spoken to him, and his wording is a bit ambiguous as to whether or not this is a good thing to have come out of his supervisor meeting today.

Dinner at Evan’s tonight.

I just received my HDTV cable receiver. Tonight I will get to enjoy some HDTV programming on my new tele.

I am excited.

I received an invitation to Grandma Amodeo’s 90th birthday in March. It’s a drop-in thing, from what I understand, although that’s not written on the actual invitation. There is a remark at the bottom of the invitation that reads “best wishes only”.

I happen to know that these invitations were sent out by the lovely Aunt Ellen. Her sense of humour is such that she might write something like that to suggest that people should not come if they do not plan on coming with best wishes. This made me laugh out loud, both to myself and to Cathie when I spoke to her about it. Apparently I was very wrong in my interpretation, though.

For the benefit of many other young people, and/or social retards (like myself!), reading, the phrase “best wishes only” is a polite way of saying “no gifts”. I’m not sure how enforced the rule is, or what happens if you break the rule. I’m not sure it’s even a rule, for that matter. I will probably not test it; I don’t want to rock the boat on Grandma’s 90th birthday.

I am so proud of my many friends and family members who had their say by voting in Canada’s 39th general election. While the results aren’t exactly what I was hoping for, I am hopeful that this increase in voter turnout (measured nationally) is a sign of increased interest in how our country is governed. An increased interest in our government is healthy, and a natural next-step in our nation’s growth as a modern nation.

I still think cutting the GST is stupid.

Aside from a new party forming government, the big news of the night is Mr. Martin stepping down from the role of Liberal leader. I personally think it’s a shame that Mr. Martin had to bear the weight of the Chretien government’s sponsorship scandal; I believe Mr. Martin has the skills required to lead this country forward, and the courage to bump heads with people who want to alter the way our nation develops. Let me join the many is saying Thank You to Mr. Martin for his service as our Prime Minister.

Naturally the question now is “who?”

From some bloke who edits the Metro:

“Those who did not become engaged in the political debate during the campaign still have an opportunity to make their voice heard through their vote.

“Voting remains the single best way for citizens to make a clear statement about their visions of Canada.

“That opportunity remains open to them until 9:30 p.m., at which time the polls will close.

“So make time today to cast your vote–because there’s no sense in wading into a debate once the outcome has already been decided.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, START YOUR BALLOTS!

Seriously, get out and vote today. Visit Elections Canada to find your polling station. If you’re not registered to vote, take your photo ID w/ signature (driver’s license) and a quasi-official bill (telephone, cable, insurance, etc.) with your mailing address or periodical publication with your mailing address to your polling station and register with the registrar there. If you’re not familiar with the issues grab a copy of a newspaper, or visit CBC’s Canada Votes website for the cheat sheet to get you started. Or spend a few minutes to talk to a friend or family member about the election (be prepared to take what he or she says in a partisan way).

Your vote is going to be the winning one for your candidate in your riding.

Dinner tonight was good. Feta pate, Kirkey salad, rosemary and garlic chicken served with gravy, mashed potatoes, and steamed green beans, and a peach pie for dessert. It seems that the many beverage options were appreciated, with all of Coca-Cola, ginger ale, Dr. Pepper, San Pellegrino, milk, water, coffee, rye, and Bailey’s being consumed (side note: WOW. That’s nine different beverages!). Kate even teased me by asking for peach juice, which was thought to be an obscure option. One that I could have satisfied! Katelin helped with the serving and the dishes, as did Kate, as did Evan.

The only caveat to the evening was the lack of Adam. Due to a computer file related problem he was unable to make it, as he had to dedicate time to redoing a school assignment. Certainly school takes precedent over a dinner with friends. I hope he gets caught up okay!

Now, with only a few dishes left before restoring complete order to my apartment, I am excited for Monday. Election night. I hope the Libs will pull through with another victory. I’m not about to get in a big shouting match with anyone about it, though. I would, however, encourage everyone to go out and vote on Monday, regardless of who you’re voting for.

Oh, another highlight of my day: I did laundry for the first time since moving here. It went very smoothly.

Evan might buy a Mac. Sweet.

I came home to a new countertop in the kitchen. It’s not that exciting. Everything has been loaded back on to the counters and into the cupboards underneath. I’m too lazy to take a picture now, sorry.

I had a great visit with Adam J. tonight. We had some delicious pizza. We played NASCAR. We watched Die Hard with a Vengeance. Because Adam’s internal workings have difficulty in digesting dairy products I am committing myself to having some lactase pills on hand for future food consumption events (including this weekend, with feta pate).

And speaking of this weekend, Adam plans on cursing in my apartment. It sounds like an attempt to lighten the atmosphere of my apartment. I’m still digesting what that means, exactly. I understand on a general level, but I’m exploring the deeper impact.

Tomorrow will be a Costco day, I think. Hopefully I’m up to it after my “class” tomorrow.

I haven’t seen Evan since before I began work. It seems longer than it has been in real time.

And I finally, thanks to Adam, have some change to do laundry with! I may have taken all of his laundry change in the process. He’s good like that, though. Tomorrow night I hope to do some laundry. Although I will have to plan it strategically so that the most critical garments get washed in priority sequence.

I cannot even blog anymore. Or maybe I’m just not allocating enough time to it.

I came home to a new bathtub and tile today. That was great. The old tub and tile sucked. Very…70’s. I received a message when I got home stating that I have a new kitchen countertop to be installed tomorrow. This was news to me. Because of this I have had to clear my countertops and some cupboards, which is why I am up at 1:14 a.m.

No. It has nothing to do with my new TV.

This weekend is shaping up to be a good one. Katie may be in town visiting Evan and, as a result, visiting me. Mr. Keeves is planning a chicken roast that I have dubbed the “experimental chicken”. There will be a shortage of chairs.

So much is new, I don’t know what to share and what to leave out. I don’t even know what I remember. Scary.

I am still waiting for an opportunity to get some loonies and quarters. I am seriously low on clean clothes.