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This afternoon, while browsing through Netflix for an interesting movie to watch, I came across the film Singles. I immediately added it to my streaming queue and watched it. Singles was a movie that came 1992. Directed by Cameron Crowe,  Singles is an ensemble film about the dating lives of young twenty-somethings in Seattle.

The plot of the movie is fairly standard and nothing extraordinary or awful. It’s the movie’s setting that resonates with me.

In 1992, I was just entering high school. Grunge was huge, the the world that was captured in celluloid is burned into my memory was one of the better times in my life. Here’s why:

Kyra Sedgewick played Linda. Notice anything? Need a hint? Even though her hair is styled, it’s a completely natural color. No artificial coloring to be found. Her eyebrows aren’t immaculately plucked. Her makeup is extremely minimal. She is a complete 180 from extremely manicured and made up look today, and yet she looks just fine. I would even say she looks pretty.

The clothes. The women in the film almost always wear pants. Why? Because they are more comfortable than skirts. The clothes are loose fitting and comfy looking;  not the short, tight, bullshit “aspirational” crap that gets shoved down your throat today. Even the shoes are comfy, and I will still take a pair of boots over heels any day. Again, I would say Bridget Fonda looks perfectly find and cute in these clothes. In such a movie today, only the women deemed unattractive could get away with pants and flannel.

The world before mass-market chain coffee establishments. Don’t you wish you could go back in time and slap the person that thought it would be a good idea to rename small, medium, and large?

The music. Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden versus Justin Beiber and Jonas Bros? NO CONTEST.

It occurred to me while writing my last post, that I’ve neglected to mention THE BIRDS. Yes, birds. Plural. I’ve been wanting a pet for a while. My apartment doesn’t allow cats and dogs, which limited my options to the caged variety. Originally I had considered a lizard or turtle,  but eventually decided on a bird. I had never had a bird before, and feathers are closer to fur than scales.

Bird #1 was a common parakeet, or budgie,  whom I named Beryl because of his bright green coloring. Once he got adjusted, Beryl became pretty friendly, eating out of our hands and sitting on fingers. Shortly after getting Beryl, Scott got a job, so to keep Beryl from being lonely we got him a companion.

Bird #2, also a parakeet, was named Little Bird. Little Bird got her name due to the simple fact that she is even smaller than Beryl, and I really couldn’t come up with a better name. Typical of her species sex, she is less social than Beryl. For a long time she seemed to be afraid of us and still somewhat wary of humans.

A rare photogenic moment

I was happy with two birds. They keep each other company and get along, as well as providing song and entertainment for us. Scott on the other hand, really really wanted a bird that he could interact with more. Something, as he put it, that would sit on his shoulder and hang out. This of course meant a larger bird.

Bird #3. After some debating and some searching for breeders, we eventually added Paddy to the house. As the name might suggest, Paddy the Turquoise Green-Cheek Conure was born on St. Patrick’s Day.  Typical of larger parrots, he is more friendly, playful, and willing to be handled.

After that, I said NO MORE PETS. Don’t get me wrong, I love animals and would be happy to have more, but in a small apartment, space is at a premium and I’m already feeling claustrophobic as it is. I have to admit, I was tempted by the parakeet sale at the pet store the other day, but I had to force myself to keep walking.

Overall, having birds as pets is pleasant. They don’t need to be constantly entertained. They are easy to feed and maintain, their messes are confined to a small space, and they’re fairly predictable. As in, they will almost always go to sleep when it gets dark.

There are some downsides of course. Birds are very delicate, and must be handled gently at all times. The do have personalities, and will sometimes express themselves by squawking or being overly loud when you would prefer them to be quiet. Paddy likes to be outside of his cage when people are around, and will follow you wherever you go, even if that’s to the bathroom.

Yes, I know the photo isn’t displaying correctly. No, I don’t know why that is.

Time flies. I wanted to avoid large gaps in posting but life generally has other plans and then before you know it the leaves are falling then the snow, and then it’s New Year’s Eve and you’re saying to yourself “Wow, here already? Where did the year go?”

Ah plans, the best laid plans of mice and men. I’ve learned long ago to avoid long term plans because as soon as I had laid the groundwork, life comes in and throws the switch to send me flying in another direction. So anyway, LIFE. Between two jobs, three birds, and a side project has been keeping me busy. What is this project you ask? Can’t tell you yet. Add in the sweltering heat of summer and a mostly not air-conditioned apartment, leaves my free time trying to generate as little heat as possible. This involves sitting in the dark, in front of a fan, mostly watching movies.

But, do not think that I am some person without goals, who casually goes wherever the wind takes me. I still have my goals, they just exist in a short-sighted format. The below list, in no particular order, are my goals for the next 12-15 months.

1. Save up for a house (air-conditioning IS.A.MUST.)
2. Take some semblance of a vacation that involves travel beyond a 3-hour radius of home.
3. Pay off school loans
4. That’s it.

Small and extremely vague. But hey, you can’t deny they are easy to accomplish, and any accomplishment is a win! Now, back to watching movies in the dark and not thinking about how in a few weeks I’ll be saying “Holy crap, I’m 32! How did that happen?”

Right now in Toronto, Ontario the G20 summit is going on. The G20 is, if you haven’t been paying attention:

A group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 economies: 19 countries plus the European Union, a forum for cooperation and consultation on matters pertaining to the international financial system. It studies, reviews, and promotes discussion (among key industrial and emerging market countries) of policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability, and seeks to address issues that go beyond the responsibilities of any one organization.

In the week leading up to the event, much has been made of Toronto’s preparation for the out-of-town dignitaries and protesters expected. A massive fence with concrete barricades was placed. Trash cans were removed, as were some outdoor sculptures. Police and security were brought in by the thousands from outside the city and province. The pre-event price tag was around 1 billion dollars, an amount many found staggering and excessive.

I admit, I was one of those people. 1 billion dollars is a huge sum by any account, and even more so when you take into consideration it’s for a 3-day event. I agree that heads of state and other important dignitaries should be protected, but I thought the security measures were extreme; that the dignitaries were so far removed and protected from the general public it felt almost insulting. God forbid they come close to the common man. I see know that line of thinking was wrong, and they should stay away from the common man.

Today, on the first official day of the summit, there have been multiple protests and riots. Public and private property has been vandalized, and there has most likely been some looting. As of this writing, two police cars have been stolen and four have been set on fire. It’s unknown if the stolen cars were part of the arson. Tear gas and rubber bullets have been used to disperse crowds. 33 people have been arrested, a number that seems small.

Toronto is a wonderful city. It’s clean and beautiful, and it’s people are friendly. I have many friends and family that live in and around the city, and they are just as shocked at the destruction as I am.  My husband commented that it couldn’t possibly be Torontonians causing this damage and chaos. I’d like to agree with him, but I’m not as convinced. Comments I’ve seen today from other Canadians have expressed similar sentiments; freedom of expression and speaking your mind is a good thing. Protesting against injustices is a good thing. Random and wanton destruction only serves to hurt everyone involved.

I can only witness these events from media reports, but I’m sickened and saddened all the same.  This so-called police state is a result of cause and effect. As long as these vandals- they ceased being called the more respectable protester, keep destroying and wreaking havoc on Toronto, then I fully support any means Toronto Police Services use to protect and serve the people of Toronto not acting like they have lost all sense of reason and order.

Update: 75 people have now been arrested. I also wanted to add that during the week, much was said from the Toronto and Ontario governments about how the G20 would be good for Toronto. Not only would there be the media attention from the event, but added revenue to the city from the extra spending over the weekend and long-term benefits from tourism.

It seems the vandals are too busy breaking things to spend money and the visitors and citizens of Toronto are staying out of the core to avoid everything that’s been mentioned above. The above photos certainly aren’t painting the city in a positive light. At least they got the media attention right, but I’m sure by now they’re wishing the summit never came to Toronto.