I was watching American Idol. It was their sentimental show about feeding the hungry, world peace and all that other stuff that makes people feel they are doing something to solve the problems of the world.

I wish someone had done Hero, by Mariah Carey. That song has made me feel better at all kinds of times.

And then a hero comes along With the strength to carry on And you cast your fears aside And you know you can survive So when you feel like hope is gone Look inside you and be strong And youll finally see the truth That a hero lies in you

I don't know if she wrote the lyrics herself. But she did a great job finding the words.

Why does it take so long to do laundry? There are other things that take a long time but I can at least enjoy something about them. Like taking the bus to get somewhere. It can be kind of bland when you do the same route each day, but there is the hope of the journey being interesting in some way. Tonight on the way home a guy was babbling away on the streetcar. He sounded less than intelligent but at least this time it wasn't me he had latched onto. (I seem to attract crazy people who want to talk to someone). Anyway, one thing he said made me laugh though quietly so he wouldn't notice me and come on over.

First he said about what a great job the streetcar driver was doing. How it was hard work and very complicated. Which is debatable, it's not brain surgery after all. Anyway, then he looks outside and says something like, "Look at all those guys over there, just lying around like they're dead." I thought he was looking at a couple of teenaged boys who were slurping down slushies while they played around with their skateboards, waiting to cross at the lights. But, I was wrong. Cause crazy guy elaborates a minute later. "Oh, they are actually dead." I think you had to be there but "they" were graves in the cemetery which I pass each day on the streetcar a block from where I get off. It was pretty funny in the moment. I did wonder if he was trying to be clever but he had been so anti-clever for so long before that I just can't believe he suddenly grew a really sharp sarcastic wit.

On goes the laundry tonight. I had four loads cause I got ambitious and decided to wash all the sheets first. Even the new ones I had not unpacked yet. But, I decided not to wait for them to dry and used my old red ones (my favourites even though a pillow case got lost when I was still stuck with taking everything to the laundry matt). So I have a fresh bed when ever all that laundry is finally done so I can curl up into my fresh bed with it's soft and comfortable cotton jersey sheets. Mmm.

I like getting those packs of sugar, salt, pepper, ketchup and vinegar from restaurants. Often I bring a few home from those fast food places that have them out for everyone to help themselves. I don't take coffee creamers (past really bad experience with one of those quietly breaking, being forgotten and then really stinking up my purse). But, I take the others and I'm careful. Sometimes I still forget them for awhile, weeks even. But all those condiment things are really made to last now. I bet they will give that famous Twinkie and the cockroaches a run for their money eventually. Of course, that just makes you wonder why we eat them. (No, not the cockroaches, unless you like them in that way).

Anyway getting those little packs of condiments saves me buying the big containers for things I almost never use. I did break down and buy pepper though cause I have been going to town on tuna wraps and they just NEED pepper. But, I don't use salt or sugar. Once, long ago, I was addicted to salt but that was when I could count my age on two hands. Nowadays I keep a bottle of ketchup in the fridge and a jug of vinegar in the cupboard cause they are good for somethings, not just edible things. Vinegar is an eco safe/ green cleaner and much cheaper than the other fancily packaged stuff. Ketchup... well ketchup is good to torment your brother with. Also handy for really sick April Fools jokes once a year. Not that I'd do something like that.

It's not that I'm cheap entirely. I like that bit of the vagabond lifestyle. The idea that I'm living like someone who doesn't have a lot of things tying them down and could pack up and move with just a moment's notice. I think the best example of that was Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan. That's about all I remember from that movie, the lifestyle of the Madonna character.

Anyway, that's about it for my thoughts for the day. I'm turning my brain down to low early tonight. Painters are supposed to be starting early on the upstairs and I plan to avoid being here for the aroma. I hope it is mostly dry and not so smelly when I get back. I'm allergic to fresh paint. I'm sure I wouldn't care for having it wedged under my skin dry either but the fresh stuff really does mess me up. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. But, I hope it will be ok. They say it should dry quick cause it's latex. I've heard that story before.

I will be away Thursday sometime. My Mom needs me to fix her computer. I wish she would try to learn how to run it herself. She does try for short periods of time but forgets everything by the next day. I don't mind helping her but I feel guilty cause I'm not there to help her right now as if it's all partly my fault. Crazy but that's how it is.

I was at an Interview Skills Workshop this afternoon. One of the interesting things I can remember was about researching the company before the interview. I already knew about the researching part but two new things were researching the competitors and researching market and industry trends. I think I already knew those too but had forgotten them. Funny how your brain stops stopping on a dime once you get old-ish.

We had to write four interview questions. One was something you would ask if you were the interviewer. The second was something you hate to answer when you are interviewed. The third was something illegal to be asked, such as demographic information. The fourth was something unusual/ wacky just to throw people off. I asked, "Is it ethical to flush goldfish?"

So your question for the day... is it ethical to flush goldfish? I mean not just the dead ones or those barely living. What about all those goldfish which are flushed just cause people are tired of watching them do nothing but float around, puff out their cheeks and poop. Excitement is not a goldfish.

Two interesting issues in the news lately: banning cell phones from schools and banning plastic grocery store bags from cities entirely.

On the cell phone thing I am comfortable with them being banned or at least restricted. Do we really need to tell everyone we are on the bus and thinking about stopping to get milk on the way home? Is that really important communication? No. People talking about boring stuff on the bus should be banned. If you can't talk about something interesting just shut up or get off the bus and bore someone walking home.

Also, it is possible all that boring and useless cell phone use has begun killing off the bees. Think about your last call. Was it worth killing a bee for? Of course, it's not just the bees. Bees are essential for pollinating plants. Next time you want to eat something from the plant world consider the bee who let the plants have sex so they could make little plants so you could eat them. Now, how do you feel about killing bees and causing plants to lose all the excitement they really have. It's not like they can just walk over to another plant and buy them a drink.

As to the plastic bags... I wonder what will happen to everyone working so hard to make all those bags now. What about the oil producing countries who will see their income lost due to plastic bag banning. To each action there is a reaction. Yes, it's good for the environment not to have those bags blowing in the wind but someone else will suffer for it. Wildlife won't get stuck in bag handles. How will they amuse themselves? People won't have a lifetime free supply of small sized garbage bags. I even have a garbage can thing which was created just to use those plastic grocery bags, the handles slip over the slots in the side of the can. What about that! What about the person who created that idea and patented it? They are going to be out of a vast fortune. That hardly seems fair.

Still, I do think the plastic grocery bags should go. It isn't an easy decision for me. I have considered how I will need to buy an even bigger purse to hold all my non-flimsy (yet still some form of plastic) grocery bags. I have a nice one from M&M Meats which they gave me for free last time I shopped there and bought a ton of frozen stuff. I will have to get at least one more of those I think. However, it is a struggle to get even one folded and smushed up into my purse along with all the other necessary junk I cart around everyday. Something else will have to be sacrificed if I am going to fit in two of those. Don't think that will be an easy choice to make. Or, that I only need to bring bags when I'm going grocery shopping. I never know when I will end up picking up a few things, along the way home or as I see a store when I am out wandering around doing important and vital things. I will always need to keep at least one bag in my purse for non-planned grocery shopping.

Yet, I put the environment first. If the plastic bags are banned here in Toronto I will manage... somehow. It's for the turtles after all. Think of the turtles who have to live with those blasted bags sinking down into the wetlands once they blow away in some parking lot or other. Those bags never compost, they just stick around forever. The poor turtles have to live with them longest since none of the frogs and fish and other creatures live long enough to really care. So, if they ban grocery bags in your area, think of the turtles who you'll be making very happy.

Outside I can hear the wind rushing past the house. Dorothy and her little dog too should be flying past any time now. I guess that is one bonus of living in a basement apartment. As long as I can hang onto something down here the foundation isn't likely blow away when the rest of the house goes.

Inside I'm a mess of germs. Just stick some of my cells on a petri dish and find all kinds of interesting new diseases. No doubt it's the Canadian Maple Sap flu that is making my eyes burn holes in my head. It's the Torontonian Grunge that has infected my head and is causing my brain to rebel and want to split off from the rest of me, much like Quebec. Soon I will begin speaking French even though I thought I had forgotten almost all of it once I escaped high school. The rest of my body isn't really here any more it's just an illusion.

I have an appointment at 10:00 tomorrow morning. I have to make my body obey and actually arrive there. I think I'm even going to have to use my brain. This isn't going to be pretty. On top of that, I wish I had cash to order a pizza and scare some poor delivery guy with how attractive I look right now. I have avoided talking to myself today, trying to keep my voice functional for tomorrow. I really am not looking forward to hauling my zombie carcass around to be there. I wish I had a self propelled thing of some kind, something that uses a system of pulleys and bungee cords. Just splat my zombie self against the side of a nearby building. I will peel off and not even notice if a few parts are left behind. Likely I never really needed them anyway. I'm really tired of my nose, eyes and lungs right now.

Happy Day out there, remember to wash your hands, avoid zombies - we are out there.