Beautiful Tangent

Olympic Flame The one for this year is beautiful.  I love how it is made up of mini flames representing all the different countries.  Too bad that the only way you can see it live is to buy a ticket to a stadium event.  I guess you are ridiculed if you do and ridiculed if you don’t.  Vancouver got slack for having too much fencing around it, but in a public place you have to.  This year's beautiful flame is safe, if unseen.  Well not really unseen, as on TV you can see it just fine.  What did we do before TV?

Defined Muscle The human body is amazing.  All the things that have to work together so you can accomplish a certain simple task.  Athletes take it to another level and their bodies are that much more defined and beautiful.  I will take strength over skinny any day.  Watching the Olympics is inspiring but also humbling.  I think I am in good shape and perform well in sports, however I am not, nor will I ever be in a shape that lets me compete for gold.  Unless I am still good at archery.  Hmmm I wonder…

My City  It took a tourist to take pictures for me to realize how beautiful my City is.  I guess I always thought it, I mean why else would I choose to live here.  I’m sure my job can be done elsewhere.  There are some really nice angles of my City and I’m sure there are more I don’t even know about.  More discovering and paying attention is required.

Key A key can mean so much, but in the end it represents possession.  You have something that is yours.  They key could be for your mailbox, your house or your heart.  The last one doesn’t have a physical key, but it is something you own.  Giving someone a key is a big deal, they have permission to access something of yours that not everyone gets to do.  You unlock yourself and become open the minute the key is exchanged.  It is beautiful to have someone to give a key to, even if it is just a key to a bike lock.

Backyard Pool Add another item to the “what I can have when I marry rich” list.  I’m sure this would not get used as much as I think it would, but looking into your backyard seeing the calm water inviting you to jump in...nothing beats that on a warm, summer day.  You also do not appear silly lying on a towel, getting sun when you are poolside.  Lying in the middle of your backyard, with no pool...a little odd.

Snake Skin The skin that is actually attached to a living snake. As much as I think snakes are evil (I blame Harry Potter), I do think they are beautiful.  Real skin that is used in accessories loses the beauty, unless I know that the snake just shed the skin and it wasn't killed for it.  Does this make me a hypocrite?  I wear leather and don’t think twice about the animal the hide came from.  I’m a picky PETA member. Ivory bad, leather belt OK?

My Old Running Shoes They might be smelly and no longer new looking, but I feel beautiful when I run and these were the shoes that got me hooked.  They carried me and my worries as I ran.  I think best when all I have to do is put one foot in front of the other while avoiding bikes, dog leases and erratic children along the canal.  When my mom was fighting cancer I ran and thought about her.  I would keep repeating to myself if she can get through treatments I can run 10 minutes longer.  I am still running, but now it is beside this survivor and beautiful inspiration.

Put Together Woman There is a girl at my work that dresses so well.  Simple clothes done well.  I know if I wore that same piece I wouldn’t look half as good as she does.  Today it was a simple neon belt, which I never would have thought to wear, but now I want one.  I would be a copier.  It looks so effortless on her.  I would worry about how I looked all day if I did dare to wear neon.

Carbonation The random bubbles dancing in the glass, livening up when a straw or ice is introduced.  The bubbles appear so free.  They go where they want.  They make a drink that much better.  People like these bubbles, as you can now buy a machine that will “bubble” at home. I see these in the stores and wonder if people really do buy them, but yesterday I saw one at a friend's house and again at a small restaurant.  I tied it, and the water was good.  Not sure I want one though, counter space is at a premium.  I prefer less clutter, so where would I put it?

Phone Screen OK, so you can’t actually read this (drunk scribbles), but a phone screen with a message is awesome

Dock This is another reason to marry for money, so I can have access to a cottage with a dock. Nothing better than dangling your feet off the edge of the dock while reading a book, with a cold drink nearby.  If I don’t get a dock of my own, I should make friends with docks.

Lighthouse So what if they are no longer needed because of technology.  They are still important icons. A lighthouse to me symbolizes safety and home.  It is very fitting that it is a Canadian image.  I wanted to say it is on our change, but that is not right.  I was thinking of the sailboat on the dime, both are water related.  I love the leaf on the penny, so iconic.  What will happen with the image when the penny is done? I vote that it gets reused elsewhere, the maple leaf is beautiful and should be re-etched on a coin.  Too bad I do not work at the mint, everything would be leafed.

Lace When I was young I remember going to my Nonna’s, having dinner and then learning how to knit and crochet.  I couldn’t have been more than 10, but I got it.  To this day I still remember some stitches.  The only issue is I could never start a project, never learned the first stitches. Perhaps the internet can help with that?  My Nonna didn’t have the internet, she had knowledge based on folklore and traditions.  Now we get all this from the internet.  How sad is that?  No wonder the old are lonely, no one needs them to learn anymore.  At a click of a mouse all the information is there.  Our wise elders are now confused and skeptical of the technology of the word, leaving them behind.  I would be too, if when I was younger the telephone was something attached to the wall, with a cord and a rotary dial.  This would have been something only a few could afford.  Now phones are not phones at all, and we can check in on our Nonni...

Sunflower Such a happy flower, reminds me of summer.  I find that buying cut sunflowers is a good investment, unlike other cut flowers, these ones last.  They do not die right away.  I don’t think you can get them in the winter, but even if you could they would look silly as an accent in your house with the snow falling outside.  It would however make you think of summer, only to be brought back to the cold reality.  The winter sunflower is a tease.

Laughter Genuine, fall on the floor laughter.  The one where you don’t care how ugly you look doing it.  Sometimes you laugh when you want to cry, because life is not that fair and the laugh comes out of nowhere because you are with your best friends and that is the reaction.  For context, think of the Sex in the City movie when Carrie is left at the alter.  She is super sad, but then Charlotte does something super gross, which makes Carrie laugh again.  She makes that ugly face and lets herself go, that is beautiful.

Bubbles You can’t help but smile when you see bubbles and in most cases it is accompanied by a childlike voice that says “bubbles”. Then the popping starts.  No matter how old this is just what happens.

Sprinkler On a hot day a sprinkler is the most beautiful thing, all the better if you can jump through it.  To the organizers of the tournament today, thanks for spraying us.  The spray also created a rainbow.  Spray rainbows are hard to predict, I don’t think you can plan for them.  They just happen.  The type of spray, the angle of the sun, the location of the viewer all factor into seeing one.  So if you see one, it was a gift meant just for you.

Cargo Print Ok, it was really a cargo print on a cute boy, a boy in a hat.  My weakness.  Don’t know how old this hat wearing boy was, but his shorts were beautiful, and the bum in them.  I can't believe that is the item I am deciding to write about. Has this journal become the diary of a pre-teen?  Like that pre-teen, I have an ear to ear smile when I think of cargo boy, and just now a school girl giggled when I thought about me smiling. It feels good to smile.  Thanks cargo print.

Paisley I have a shirt with this pattern and every time I wear it I feel like I should own a ranch.  Owning a ranch would be a lot of work and I imagine quite smelly.  I don’t even really like horses that much.  I would like the space but not the work.  If I had money and could hire staff, that is a whole different story.  Could I enjoy it if I knew that my pleasure was at the expense of someone else's hard work?

Draw Bridge I saw this bridge, but I really am too drunk to write about it. This is a waste of an entry.  Yes, it’s Wednesday and I should be sound asleep, but when a hot guy asks you to drinks you say "yes". So, what if he is dating someone else...it was just drinks.  I don’t think that makes me a bad person.  I took a cab home alone and now dislike my writing.  The gym tomorrow morning is going to suck!

Basketball Tracing the black line along the ball I realize it is continuous.  I never knew it was connected that way.  I also didn’t know it would intrigue me this much.  I guess the same is true for the tennis ball, but I like orange better, so I pick the basketball.  Tennis is a bit too snobbish for me.

Skinny Jeans Only on certain people and I’m not convinced that includes me.  I think the right shoes are also needed.  Speaking of skinny jeans, I think I did buy a pair...where are they?  Do they look good?  Hope so, because I’m sure it’s past the exchange date.

Canoe A quintessential Canadian image.  I think all kids should paddle a canoe at least once.  To do this they would have to spend some time outside.  Outdoor time is super important, both in good and bad weather.  Perhaps not paddling in bad weather, but dancing in the rain...so much fun.  Bring on the rain.

Wedding Dress Not mine.  Who knows if I will ever get to wear one.  It’s more about the party.  I would be OK with a quick wedding, with little lead time.  I should be able to find a dress in a hurry.  I have no idea what this dress would look like, but after tonight I do know it will not be strapless, unless a perfectly molded corset.  I think those are expensive, so not only do I have to find a husband, but also I need to start the party budget saving.  That mission starts tomorrow.

Fish ...not the ones you eat, they are dull coloured and grumpy looking.  I was upset when I saw the "Fish of Ontario" swimming in their display, not one resembled Nemo.  I guess the bigger the fish the less pretty they are, but I do think it has more to do with the environment.  If they have to blend into their surroundings, fresh water is less beautiful than salt water coral reefs.  I don’t eat fish, but if I did I would feel bad about eating Nemo or Dory.

Engine Part Well what I assume is part of an engine. I did see it in a mechanics shop after all.  There was this piece of metal, which was really interesting looking. A bunch of knobs and whats-its to me, but to someone else it is much more.  It’s a good thing there are people out there that know the difference between looks and function.  It’s these people that make my car work.  If I was left to my own devices, I would be getting newer cars, more frequently, which would lead to me having less money.  Less money, less vacations.  Less vacations, grumpy me. Who wants that?

Pink Cloud Looks like cotton candy, which led me to think about the process of making cotton candy.  Who thought of that?  Heat up dyed sugar, spin it and then rot your teeth.

Night Stand So important, where else do you put your alarm?  Even if it is just your phone, it has to go somewhere.  Unless you are my Nonna and have your alarm in the kitchen.  There is no “snooze” option in that case, well technically there was, but if you already are up and the coffee pot is right there, might as well start the day. 

Ice Cream Cone In Italy they defy gravity and basic laws of physics.  The scoop was too large to stay on the cone, but it did.  8 years since getting that cone, from a place outside of the Vatican I still think about that “feat”.  It was larger than my head it seemed.  I don’t remember the flavour, just the size.  I wonder if that place still exists, or because of how much they gave they didn’t make enough profit.  It was insane.

Pride Not rainbow/gay pride, but pride of country.  Walking around on Canada Day makes it easy to see how great this country is.  The array of different people, from different backgrounds, at differing ages at different levels of sobriety.  The sea of red and white was awesome, I wish we showed how pound we were everyday - like when the Olympics are on.  I will never grow tired of hearing the national anthem, no matter how badly sung.