Blogs that are NOT Musie's

In case any of you are new readers to our blog, we recommend you click on "What's going on here" under the photo of Elgin Street, top right hand corner. Our original mission was to metablog the 5th Muse . We loved her, but she loved us less, we think. We suspect that we freaked/creeped her out.

Since she went offline, I have been diligently searching for her, and have found blogs that I thought may be hers, but weren't. Here are some of them:

Metamuse: I thought that the 5th Muse might start calling herself Metamuse in honour of us. When I typed in METAMUSE , I ended up finding this woman with with sexy legs, claiming to be from Pluto, who writes in both English and Chinese.

Unreliable Narrator: I was certain that Musie would give this name to her new blog. This was a dead-end blog, written by some American whose last posting was June 17 (Martin Luther King Day), 2005.

Unreliable: By accident, I ended up at this delightful blog . I was instantly drawn to the young poet, Annie, but her blog also ended in 2005. Check out this sweet little poem about a broken vase.

Metablog: I thought that perhaps in honour of us, Musie would call her new blog, metablog. I ended up on some lazy-ass professor's blog who made blogging into an assignment. There are some scarey comments on there, so don't click on any wierd links. Maybe one of the students didn't like the assignment. Yikes.

6th Muse: I thought maybe Musie was ready for a number change. So, I ended up here. When I saw the header, "I bear no resemblance to anyone living or dead," I was sure I had found her. But, no. It's not her. Musie wouldn't post a picture of George and Laura.

I think I may be on to something with one spot, though. I simply typed in ESI, thinking that perhaps Musie misses us and gets all nostalgic sometimes. I ended up here. I'm sure it's Musie, trying to communicate with us.

A pleasant goosing

I awoke rather early to the sound of honking the other morning. Strange, I thought, there's rarely traffic on my street at this hour.

Then it dawned on me - Canada Geese were gliding through the darkness above, returning from their winter sojourn.

I glanced over at the clock: 4:56 a.m. But I didn't mind.

I drifted back to sleep knowing that in a world of constant change I could count on at least one tradition to remain comfortingly the same.

Audrey's Weekend in Rehab Update

Here's a progress report from Audrey:

Just before I fell asleep on Sunday night, I figured out what my addiction was and why I needed rehab.

The weekend started off much as planned, although I started rehab late on Friday night, after going to a book sale (6 books and 12 house magazines for $8) and the movies (Hot Fuzz - funny but too violent!). I watched my favourite house show - Relocation, Relocation and read 2 of the house magazines.

I thought that I would have trouble sleeping, because I'd only had popcorn for dinner, and because most of my friends seem to be having trouble sleeping these days (why? is it the male menopause?) but no, I slept soundly all night.

I think my friends were surprised to see me acting normally at the BBQ on Saturday afternoon - drinking my favourite cocktails, making movies of them, singing. They knew I was "in rehab" for the weekend and maybe they expected that I would be different - more subdued? Maybe they thought that I wouldn't drink in rehab?

After the BBQ, I lounged on my couch, watching hockey (too sad) and reading 2 more of the house magazines. Canadian House and Home is my new favourite magazine! (FYI: The new trends are: chandeliers, bold patterns, flower gardens, and small homes.)

I didn't see the Independent Observer on Sunday. Instead, I sat in the sun in the backyard and read another 4 house magazines. Had to force myself to read the Us Weekly (tabloid) that I'd bought on Thursday night. (Yes, some of the movie stars are too thin, beautiful dresses are always in style, and Reese looks happy again.)

In the bath on Sunday night I was thinking about: pink nail polish, the massage I had on Saturday afternoon, cupcakes (where can I get some in Ottawa?), flowered sheet sets, planting flowers, searching the MLS for homes for friends, travelling with friends, and antique armoires. And then it occurred to me: I wasn't thinking about celebrities - I don't really care about the lives of the celebrities; I care about the lives of my friends. And, I like to read house magazines. So, I think my addiction is house magazines.

In case you were counting, I have 4 house magazines left to read. Now that I know I have a problem, should I put them aside?

Being the helpful guy I am, I have found a number of helpful links for Audrey:

• Meet others who want to end their similar addiction at 43 Things.
• Information on the related condition of bibliomania.
• Hope for Audrey - the anti-addiction pill!
  
• Learn more every month about how to tackle the problem with Treatment Magazine.

Hang in there, Audrey! They say the first step is recognizing that you have a problem.

People in their lounging robes

I love Le Nordik, the scandinavian spa just 20 minutes from Ottawa. It is amazing, and reasonably priced. Much cheaper than therapy, and you come away feeling refreshed and rejuvenated without having to talk to anyone. In fact, they encourage silence there. I loved everything about the place, except for one thing: people wearing lounging robes, robe de chambres, morning dresses, housecoats, bathrobes, wrappers, yukatas -- whatever you happen to call them.
I was trying to explore what I dislike about them, and I think it may all come back to the intimacy problem. I feel strangers are getting too intimate with me when they are wearing those things. On the other hand, I love people in their bathing suits. No problem there. I think I might be ok with them naked, too, if it were a nudist scandinavian spa. But, there was something about seeing that silver-haired devil in the bar area in his red terry cloth robe that freaked me out. Maybe I need to discuss this with my therapist.

Let's all have a good thought for Audrey

Earlier today, Audrey sent out this email:

I just wanted to let you know that I've decided to enter rehab. Just for the weekend, of course.

Like Britney, Lindsay and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, I don't have any specific problem. However, I like to keep up with the latest trends.

Even Michaëlle Jean is taking a little break.

Of course I will leave rehab briefly to attend a Saturday afternoon BBQ.

And I might be persuaded to watch hockey out on Saturday night.

And, too, I might leave rehab to have breakfast out on Elgin Street on Sunday morning.

Maybe the Independent Observer will want to visit open houses with me on Sunday afternoon.

However, I will be in rehab the rest of the time.

Hopefully, during my stint in rehab I will get to eat lots of chocolate, will take long naps, and will read all the tabloids.

Maybe, if I am lucky, I will have a massage.

You will still be able to reach me, since I will be at my usual location - it will be an "in-house" rehab session.

I will keep you informed of my progress.