Archive for June, 2008

Happy Birthday Meara!

Meara Olive McDonald was born at 3:08am on June 12th, 2008. She weighs 7lbs 10oz and is a precious little girl. I especially like her when she is cozy and all swaddled up in blankets; she looks like a wonderful little jellybean. In fact, I think that is what I will call her. Little Jellybean. I’m a very proud aunt and sister. Frankly, I don’t know how Katie did it… gross, man. But the end product is more amazing than words can describe. The O’Meara clan is certainly growing. I met my parents at the hospital this morning, to meet little Meara. My Dad brought with him an old silver coin to fulfill the old Irish custom of having silver cross the palm of a newborn for good luck and a blessing of fortune. It was the same coin that crossed the palms of myself, my brother, my sister, and my nephew when we were all born. Today is a very happy day, and I’m so happy that Meara is finally here. She’s a fine lass.

the beach is that way.

So Toronto is in the midst of a wee heat wave. We’re melting, and frankly, I like it… especially since the one and only Andrew of my dreams installed my air conditioner yesterday. I’m sitting in icicles at the end of this wonderfully busy weekend. Freaky Friday involved a day of photo blogging with Conor, followed up with some paths of no good and an over-cooked burger. Saturday brought the beach… or at least brought us to the beach. The east end of Toronto sometimes seems very alien to me, a west-end sort of girl. Andrew and I shook off our preconceptions regarding the elusive east, and hit up the area known as The Beaches. It was fucking hot, and every second of frisbee-throwing fun felt like walking on hot coals. To ease the scorching heat, we dipped our toes in icy Lake Ontario. The sand was so hot, and the water was SO cold. Very bizarre, but that’s Toronto for you. This heat wave makes us all want to charge our nearest body of water, ripping off clothing as we approach the coast… but to our dismay, it’s far too cold to wade in farther than ankle-deep. We gave up on risking the thermal regulation of our feet, and read aloud while resting on a towel and taking in the beach volleyball tournament. I’ve started reading ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, even though it’s been bastardized by the stupid Opera Book Club sticker of doom. The artistry of language is beautiful, and I was happy to read such a romance on the beach in the sun.
“He recognized her despite the uproar, through his tears of unrepeatable sorrow at dying without her, and he looked at her for the last and final time with eyes more luminous, more grief-stricken, more graceful than she had ever seen them in half a century of shared life, and he managed to say with his last breath: ‘Only God knows how much I loved you.’”
Whoa.

open up, open up, baby

A little rock goes a long way. I’m going to be feeling the frenzied guitars of Eric’s Trip for at least a week. Even though they technically broke up in 1996, Eric’s Trip still delivers the frenetic angst and tender disquiet of the early to mid 90s in a most excellent way… and it still seems relevant, even to this post gen Xer, who was still only twelve years old when they disbanded. And even though their guitarist and drummer look like someone’s crazy grandparents, they fucking rocked their hearts out. Julie Doiron was adorable as usual, and has inspired me to only ever dance with my hair. In the midst of the crowd of 30-somethings, who wanted to mosh but couldn’t bring themselves to actually do it, I turned to Andrew and ever so seriously said “We should start an Eric’s Trip cover band”. Follow me back down.

The Gone and The Going

The end of a particularly sunny Monday ends with loneliness. I’m holed up in my shabby apartment thinking about my absent and the soon-to-be absent beloved ones. As it happens, many of my favourite people seek their fortunes all over this crazy dimension, and every so often, despite my happiness for them and their adventures, the spacial differences really get to me. I miss them, and I am going to miss the ones who are leaving soon. I’m starting to feel a little bit left behind, insomuch that perhaps and maybe I’m just not seeking my own fortune in a place where I’ll be able to find it. Making sense? Making no sense. Just stay with me here.
I may be thinking about a career change, a change of environment, and a change of lifestyle. I may, however, just be stuck in a stint of idle daydreaming and ‘easy way out’ analytics. Maybe this is just my tax return talking. Whatever it is, I miss the ones who are off in British Columbia, and on planes to Austria, and grabbing the big whigs in Washington D.C. by the balls. And I know that quite soon, in a matter of months, I will miss the one who I never want to have to miss ever again. OK. I know. This is sad-bastard MP being all sad-bastardy. This is what you would probably say to such a girl: “You can’t dwell on the absence of others, for you, too, are absent to them. Absence is what makes all things wonderful. Absence is what we work to bridge. Absence is the very muse of all dealings, creations, travels, and goals. So shut the fuck up, and give’r.” And if you were to say that to me, I’d listen. I’d listen and nod, and really think about displaying open and positive body language while you were saying it. But frankly, after such a beautiful sunny day and a rather quiet evening at home, I don’t like absence, and I wish everyone could be here now. It would be grand.