(DA) Halloween

Today's the day that it is socially acceptable to gorge on excessive amounts of junk food.

(It's not good for you, but everybody understands)

And I am proud to say that I am putting this understanding to good use with my costume this year.

Part of my costume requires me to have mentos, doughnuts AND whipped cream as munchies throughout the night... yum!

If you've ever seen the show "Archer", which I describe as a cartoon for adults, I am going to a party dressed as Pam Poovey. In the latest season she gets addicted to cocaine (in a hilarious way- not the life ending, terrible way it actually affects you) and she sneaks cocaine into her favourite treats.

There are no drugs in my treats, but it made for a very yummy costume!

No,I'm not Barbie or a Politician's wife- but I know why you think that. (Hint: It's the earrings)

Pam Poovey from 'Archer'

The night is young. 

"IT'S COCAINE!"- Pam Poovey (it's not actually cocaine)

 The night is a lot older. 

-Brandolyn

(DA) Halloween is coming!

Last year Jason and I were just getting back from our Honeymoon on Halloween, so costumes, parties and candy weren't on our minds at all.

This year is 'slightly' different. We've been planning our costumes, and anticipating the party we were invited to, but we haven't decorated the house, and haven't bought candy to hand out to trick or treat-ers.

Actually, it's a really nice way to go about it.

We don't have an abundance of junk food stored at home, taunting us to open it and indulge.
We don't have decorations that will have to be stored for another year before we use them again.
We don't have to worry about running out of candy before 'the big kids' come to the door.

It's all very low stress and low maintenance. Just the way I like it!

(I do miss pumpkin carving though)

-Brandolyn

(DA) Absorbed

Last night I tried to use music to soothe myself to sleep. Instead it woke me up and inspired me to write. And now I can't stop, or rather, refuse to.

I have stories to build, tales to spin and adventures to tell and I'm trying desperately to get them down on paper, because the next few days are going to be very crazy and I won't have much time for writing or blogging.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Quiet Day

Work has been quiet lately.

It's a blessing and a curse really. I love opening the restaurant because I get to clean everything and get it all set up so that I know everything is ready, clean and prepped for the rest of the day. It is a great feeling and a wonderful use of my time, focus and fixation on details.

But when people only trickle into the restaurant for lunch I feel like I'm hovering over tables, just trying to pass the time. And because I opened the restaurant, I've already completed my cleaning checklist, and don't have much left to do.

Love/ Hate relationship. It'll pick up soon. Apparently we're in a bit of a lull, but business will pick up during the day in a few weeks (so I'm told).

-Brandolyn

(DA) Be Proud

Every day I beam and dance around happily when I find out a new stranger has favourited my writing.

Then, when I go to tell someone how proud and happy I am that someone likes my work I get very shy when I admit that it is my FanFiction that's getting all the attention. Why do I feel like this writing is less worthy of praise? Why do I feel embarrassed to admit that my FanFictions are well received and have a dedicated following? Why can't I see it as. just more of my writing? It's not special, other than someone else came up with the world and I writing stories in it. 

I have so much confidence when I think of my FanFictions, and yet, when I think of my novels I often fall on self doubt. I think that I'll never get published. Or that people won't like the story, or that it won't be as good as I think it should be. 

But why do I think this? I already know that people love my writing style. Obviously everything I write isn't perfect, or even good, but there are people who like it when I put a lot of effort into my writing. There are people who LOVE my stories. There are strangers reaching out to me, begging me to write more. 

So why can't I be proud of my stories, and believe that there will be people who will love my novels just as much. if not more, than my FanFictions? I spend more time and effort on my novels, so it makes sense that it should be better received. 

Have confidence. Be proud. 

-Brandy

The Literary Qualities of Music

Music is one of those concepts that I have a hard time grasping and recreating, but am very fond of.

My collection of music is not anything intimidating and is far from a Library, but I am proud of it none the less. My collection, which continues to grow, is a purely instrumental based collection, focusing on the music coming from a variety of sources; excluding any lyrics, but including some forms of verbal intonation.  I have recently found a deep rooted admiration for well composed music, specifically in the film industry. I have collected scores of music from a variety of movies and plays and have started to study them on my own.

When I say study, I actually mean I am exploring the music for, what I call their "Literary Qualities". Music's LQs are to me, the picture the music paints or the scene the music writes while it is being listened to.

I started off using musical scores as a meditation tool, using it to help myself relax into a calm focused state but I soon realized that instead of relaxing myself, the music was invigorating me. The music was like a power source I could tap into whenever I needed a creative boost.

I first started using music to kick start my creativity, however, now I have compiled several long playlists that accompany a few of my stories; much like musical scores in movies, which help the audience to feel what is coming. The playlists I have compiled for each story set the tone, mood and pace of the story. My Literary Playlists consist of music that encompass elements of my worlds; from characters, worlds and adventures.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Motivation

How can I be so motivated at work? I don't sit for a second, even if it's quiet I look for something to do. But the moment I get home, small tasks like laundry feel overwhelming and get put off in favour of procrastination.

It's because I've built up the habit.

I don't deny that I like to unwind after work with a bit of TV or computer time, but I let that bit of TV turn into a habit of too much TV.

Instead of getting home, unwinding and then getting back to life, I get home, unwind, and spend the rest of the night in a constant state of 'unwinded'.

I'm going to make an effort to break this habit. Maybe I won't be good every day, but I'd like to break the habit so that when I spend a lot of time in front of the TV it's a conscious choice, instead of habitual action.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Where am I?

I juggle many jobs, but there are 3 I work consistently where I have to answer the phone.

It's difficult to figure out where you are in the seconds between a phone ring, and the moment you say "Hello, thank you for calling...." Recently I've gotten stuck trying to get out the proper place of work and had a few callers chuckle politely with me.

At least I'm aware enough to get myself to the proper jobs on the right days, and at the right times; even if I can forget where I am the moment I hear a phone ring.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Chores

A wise man (my husband) once said that if we build a habit to clean little bits at a time, when it comes time to do chores, they won't seem so overwhelming.

And as true as that statement is, I still hate doing dishes. It doesn't matter if it's 1 dish, or a dozen. I hate touching food, and cleaning dishes is a very up close way of touching food.

But I have discovered that if I distract myself: i.e play my music, doing the dishes doesn't bother me in the slightest.

So I'll keep up doing the little cleaning "pre-chores", and then I'll just have to remember to turn on music before I actually focus on chores.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Helping Others

I can barely focus on writing today.

One of my staff confided in me that she's been harassed at the bus stop after leaving work lately. When she told me this, a big, scary monster inside myself was set free and I started 'mamma bear-ing'.

I listened to her story, supported her, and told her I would do whatever I could to avoid this happening to her again. I've offered her rides home, and informed the other supervisors at work of the situation.

After she had calmed down (and was thrilled for my concern and compassion) I called the police tip line with the information she gave me. Unfortunately they couldn't use 3rd party information and when I told my staff member, she said she'd call them herself.

Today, I was able to help someone find the courage to call the police themselves and write a report.

What she told me was: This could be happening to someone else, and I could help stop it.

So proud!

I feel like a warm and fuzzy mamma bear rage monster (it's a very confusing time for me)

-Brandolyn

(DA) Dust

I'm not very good at writing poetry- which is kind of what Duelling Amateurs is about- and I've always been amazed by the beauty of dust. But today won't be a poem, but a small blurb about how beautiful dust can be. Dust in the air, floating through beams of sunlight seem to dance, while dust that has settled on a surface and started to gather tells a story. Here's what I mean;

In the early morning sun, glowing golden like autumn leaves, an old woman stood on the tips of her toes and reached up to the top of the book shelf.

Her hand skips over old trinkets, discarded nearly a lifetime ago; a doll, a compass and a broken jewelry box, before her knobbly fingers close around the soft leather spine of an old book. Careful not to lose her balance she stepped away from the shelf. She looked at the book amazed. It was old, and like her reflection; worn with age but still beautiful. Through the thick layer of dust that had collected on the jacket she could still make out the engraved word 'Diary'. 

She sauntered nearer the small attic window, sitting on an old trunk without bothering to wipe off her seat. In the golden sunlight she trailed her hand across the cover. A trail of dust clumps fell from her hand and landed at her feet.

She opened the book with anticipation, her hands shaking in her excitement.The cover creaked slightly, revealing the first faded page of the book. Her glasses lightly perched at the end of her nose as she read the first line written in her old, curly script describing the man of her dreams. 

She read, with rapt attention, as her younger self documented all the ways this man made her happy. She read about their fights, and their adventures. She read about their dates; flowers, and drive-ins, surprise plane rides and trips to the farm. She read about surprises and chores, Holidays and birthdays. And through it all, she's happy because this book contained the best of 'him'.

One page bore a scrap of paper that looked like it had been torn from a news paper. The writing on the scrap was brisk and sloppy, the opposite of her beautiful script. It read,

Even in absence, I love you

 Light refracted off the particles dancing around the pages in her hands, filling the tiny room with wonder. She smiled up past the ceiling rafters toward the heavens and remembered him fondly. 

When the moment was over, and the dust had settled around her, she stood up slowly; her joints refusing to behave after sitting on the trunk, and lay the book down, open to the ceiling.

She brushed the note affectionately with a fingertip and left it there, for him to see the next time that he looked down on her from heaven. 

***

Well that turned into a longer story than intended. And not quite as much about the beauty of dust as it was supposed to be, but I liked how it turned out. So I'm keeping it!

-Brandolyn

(DA) Boardgames

I love games.

I love sports. I love games. I love card games and board games. The only games I'm not crazy about are computer games. But board games are GREAT! Jason and I have a linen closet full of different board games and our collection is a small portion of some of our friends' collections. And recently one of our friends got a a job at a board game cafe as a "Game Guru".

Yes. Game Guru is a real job. And for this job he has a HUGE list of games he has to learn and memorize so he can teach the games to customers at the cafe. Fortunately he already owned a LOT of the games on the list; so understood how to play them very well, but there were a few he still needed to try. So we spent the afternoon  at a rival Games Coffee shop and played a wonderful board game called "The Lords of Waterdeep". It's a game with lots of pieces, lots of rules, designed by the makers of Dungeons and Dragons, and WE LOVED IT.

It was a very fun afternoon in a shop that had wall to wall shelves of games. There were 5 different kinds of 'The Game of Life" on one wall!

Overwhelmingly exciting for a fan of board games.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Reunion

Today we were reunited with an old friend; not the friend from Ottawa who's been studying in France, but the TARDIS which my dad sold shortly after our wedding.

There's a traditional English pub downtown that bought the TARDIS to house their ATM. My family has known that this pub bought the TARDIS, but today my parents surprised us with a "belated anniversary dinner" at this pub and we took some great 1 year later photos!

It was a lovely time, followed by a late night birthday party with more old friends and even more catching up with the Ottawa/ France friend that's staying with us for the weekend.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Already exhausted

It's the second night of our friend's visit and I'm already exhausted, and we still have so much planned for the weekend!

I can't even think what to write because all I want to do is sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. At least I did a little journal writing this morning.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Visitor!

We have a great friend from University who has been studying abroad in Europe, then completing an internship with NASA in Texas, and we haven't seen him in over a year, and he's coming to town!

Jason and I have offered him our couch for an extended weekend and I'm so exited that he comes into town today!

I've got to work 2 jobs today and a VERY busy weekend ahead of me, so hopefully I can squeeze in as much catching up and partying AND survive the weekend!

Looking forward to it!

-Brandolyn

(DA) Blogger/ Internet Bugs

Been having some computer issues lately, so Jason and I have been having trouble loading our writing. So it's been a lot of journal writing lately. And if we don't post in time, please forgive us.

I've been trying to finish up the "King of Dragons" short story, but I've lost my momentum on it. I'll get there, it'll just take time.

I've also been trying to focus more on my visual art skills, which is definitely cutting in to writing time, but it's tough to prioritize which one to do because they are both very important to me.

-Brandolyn

(DA) If I stay

I haven't written a review in a long time. I'm getting back in to it here.

HERE

-Brandolyn

(DA) Impaired driving

Impaired driving is not only driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol,  but also encompasses distracted driving and falling asleep at the wheel.

I have phoned the police a handful of times on impaired drivers, two of which were in the evening of Thanksgiving Monday. 

It's important to report impaired drivers for the driver's safety and the safety of everyone around.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Thanksgiving

Today I give thanks for my family.

Today Jason and I are going to visit his family for the holidays. We have relatives in from Denmark and we are having a big dinner together. I`m really looking forward to seeing everyone, it`s been a long time.

At the same time, we are missing spending the holiday with my side of the family; some of whom are in town from the states.

Today I am giving thanks for such an amazing family. I am fortunate to have such a wonderful family to miss, and such a great family to visit. My family is a blessing, and I am thankful for everyone in it, even if I don`t see them today.

-Brandolyn

(DA) 1 Year

This time last year Jason and I said "I do" to a life together and celebrated our union with our loved ones. If you were there, you remember laughing all the way through the ceremony and dancing along in the seats with our musicians.

Our stunning wedding party

Life would be boring without these lovely people

We had our best friends at our sides and our families at our backs. It was such a happy celebration that turned into a fantasy forest when the sun went down, filled with the nerdy qualities we are both known for. We loved every minute of it and thank everyone who continues to celebrate with us, wish us well, and have helped us throughout the past year.

My Boys

My Girls

Our wedding, much like our marriage, was a celebration of love and friendship, and the year since has been incredible; full of ups and downs, quiet days and adventures. It has been an incredible (and exhausting) year, and I can't wait for all the years ahead.

The love of my life, my best friend.

-Brandolyn

(DA) A long Day

I knew today's double shift was going to be long, but I didn't anticipate being at the restaurant for over 12.5 hours. I opened the building, arrived before the Kitchen Manager and left after him. I've never done that before.

My legs ache, my brain feels like jelly and all I can think of is: people do this all the time. They work longer hours, harder jobs and people do it frequently.

My heart goes out to them because although this was doable, I'm exhausted and can't wait to snuggle up in bed.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Editing Day

I worked two back to back shifts at 2 jobs today and I'm finding it hard to concentrate.

Work wasn't particularly challenging, but now that I'm home I feel like I'm out of creativity, so in lieu of writing, I'm editing my novel this evening. It;s every bit as important as writing and about 100 times more challenging; staying focused is one of the hardest parts.

So I should get back to it, otherwise I'll have nothing to show for my long day.

Tomorrow will be much the same, except longer hours in my back to back shifts. I hope I have enough energy when I finally get home to write something.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Consistency

When I was little my life had consistency.  Bed time, school, gymnastics on Thursdays,  homework rules, TV rules and visits to my grandparents' every weekend.

It was easy. I imagine it was probably tough on my parents, but I thought it was easy.

Then high school hit and my life was less predictable. Team projects, spare classes, swimming competitions, skiing competitions, plays/rehearsals, work. But some things stayed the same: homework rules, TV rules and visits to the grandparents' on weekends.

Somehow University,  with all its work and complexities got closer to consistent. Same roommates, same neighbours, same teachers, same kind of courses.

Once University finished all semblance of consistency in my life faded. New jobs, new houses, new neighbours, new responsibilities.

Nothing feels consistent, except that this past year I have had the pleasure of falling asleep beside my best friend.

My jobs and hours change daily. My responsibilities change all the time. My expectations for myself change too. The only thing that has stayed consistent is Jason. He grounds me, he empowers me, he drives me, he pushes me and he stays by my side.

I am so blessed to have him in my life.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Last Day of Vacation

Today was much like yesterday, slow start, local hike and a quiet night.

We went out for dinner instead of cooking at home to celebrate the end of our vacation and called it a night early.

We've been so active the last few days that I feel like I could have gone to sleep at 3pm. It's been a pleasure, an adventure, and an absolute blast to have these days just myself and Jason. I have no idea how I'm going to get up for work tomorrow. I have no desire to return to the real world.

Who knew you could miss your partner so much, even when you live together?

-Brandolyn

(DA) Early Return

We're still on Vacation, but we were tired of the rain and sleeping on the ground, so we've returned to the dry of our apartment, and the warmth of our own bed.

Washburn seemed SO HAPPY to be home. He went straight into his bed and curled up and ignored us for most of the day.

We had a slow, relaxing morning before we forced him (and ourselves) out of the house for a hike around forested trails in our neighbourhood. We're still on vacation so we took advantage of the time off and continued our adventures- just a little closer to home. When the rain came back we returned to the shelter of home for some tea and TV.

Couldn't ask for more.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Pack Walk

Last night we were joined by two of our friends and their dog. Today we went for a nice 2 dog, 4 person Pack Walk and mother nature blessed us with nice, sunny weather for the duration of our hike in the trees, along the river and through the town near our campsite.

Next time I got for a Pack Walk I'll have to remember to slow down. Wasburn and I are used to hiking and walking a lot and Jason had to remind me that we were going too fast. Apparently the rest of the Pack, although not necessarily in worse shape than us, weren't used to our pace.

It was a delight for us to have more people to explore with and Washburn especially loved having another canine companion to walk with.

We made lunch on our camp stove in a gazebo near the trail head, and made it back to camp right as the rain decided to return. It was a cold, and wet night again, but that didn't stop us from spending the night huddled around the campfire.

-Brandolyn

(DA) In Awe of Nature

Waking up to the sounds of nature is one of the most relaxing ways to start your day. I woke up to the sounds of leaves rustling in the wind, birds chirping and then my dog barking at nature to be quiet. 

Actually it didn't seem to be the sounds of nature that bothered him, rather the noises of trucks pulling in to or out of the camp hauling their trailers. And although waking by dog bark wasn't ideal, the beauty I found once I left the tent was worth it. 

The trees had already turned all the colours of Autumn and a dusting of bright leaves covered the campsite. 

After a breakfast admiring the camp grounds we went on a Waterfall tour. Our campsite gave us a map of all the local Falls and we got to admire the diversity of the falls of the Niagara Escarpment. 

We had a clear day at Waterfall #1, and got to take a bunch of pictures, but at Waterfall #2 it started raining. But the falls were so exciting we refused to be deterred from our adventure. We went on the explore 3 more Waterfalls in the rain. Hiking in the rain was challenging sometimes; slippery and cold, but the experience was incredible. 

There aren't many things I would hike in the rain for; apparently Waterfalls are one of the few, and I'm glad we did. 

-Brandolyn

(DA) Wet and Cold

Well I knew I would forget something.

I didn't bring a rain proof jacket on our rainy camping trip, but I don't own one, so I don't feel too forgetful about that one. What I forgot and have sitting at home is gloves and a hat. It is so cold that I shivered all night. I had to put socks on my hands like mittens and sleep with my head wrapped in a towel because it rained while we set up the tent and my hair wouldn't dry.

Even Washburn's so cold that he slept curled up in a Snuggie. It was very cute to see him wandering around the tent draped in his Snuggie wearing it like a long horse blanket.

Next time: gloves, hat and a onesie PJ set so my PJ pants don't ride up my legs or have to be tucked into my socks.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Away

Jason and I are going away on a week long, pre-anniversary camping trip with the dog.

While we're away I will be writing in my journal and will post them when we come back- since I won't have internet access while camping.

We've been 'planning' this as quite a seat-of-the-pants trip; which is against Jason's nature, and right up my alley. It's been great to plan a broad idea of the trip and be confident to see how the rest of it falls in to place.

We haven't had an uninterrupted weekend alone since we got married; social engagements, work and other plans have kept us busy, so I've really been looking forward to getting away with just him.

Jason, the dog and I will have many adventures to tell when we're back.

-Brandolyn

(DA) Little Efforts

Today I was 1 of 3 servers who went out of their way to attend a Bar meeting at work. It was mandatory for Bartenders, but the servers were encouraged to attend.

I like to know as much as I can about different aspects of my job and memorizing the new drinks on the menu is a lot easier for me when I've watched the Bartenders make them (I also get a crash course in making these delicious drinks at home).

I learned a lot and the team seemed very pleased that I had taken the time out of my day to attend. It was nice to know that my small above and beyond effort was noticed.

-Brandolyn