Ill fate

The signs were there. 

My lips have been chapped.

I got to bed at a decent hour last night, but felt like I'd only had a few hours sleep.

And on the way to work, I stopped at Tim's for a hot chocolate – a large one.  Hot chocolate in the morning is not a good sign.  Needing it even before I get to work is a really bad sign.

Add to that, I got in to the office at the same time as my boss.  The same time!  That has never happened.

 

In hindsight, I know I should have been much more cognizant of what was coming, that dark cloud that was looming on the horizon, that ill fate that was about to befall me.

Literally, ill fate.

 

But still, I find myself unprepared.  By halfway through the workday, I am down to four tissues.  Four.  Even my most carful rationing can only take me so far, and I tremble for the moment when that meager supply runs dry.  I'm sneezing at the office, and it's not a good thing.

 

My boss already commented on it.  A friend said I sound like I'm coming down with something.  I contradict them, I am not getting sick.  It's allergies, it's dust.  Cat dander.  The fact that there are no cats at the office makes no nevermind.  I'm not getting sick.

 

And yet, I've sent off an email to let the group know that I will not be attending our book club meeting tonight, after all.

I have plans to stop at the grocery store tonight for tissues.  And maybe soup.

And I want my large, warm sweatshirt really, really bad right now.

 

But I'm not getting sick.

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Inventory was a mistake

We're in the middle of a fabulously gorgeous autumn. Cold, yes, and a little rainy, but freaking beautiful. The view off my balcony is made up of all my favourite colours, and looks like it belongs in a magazine. Ironic, since the last time I went to buy my favourite magazine (a bead mag called Bead & Button), instead of a bright orange cover and projects that celebrated this very colourful time of year, it was all full of purple (meh) gold (ick) and crystal (ugh). I left it in the bookstore, and ended up buying Real Simple, which I've never read before, but the cover was very orange, so I decided to give it a shot.

And while I would be pretty disappointed that my newest bead-fix has been denied me, I'm not sweating it, cause the end of this month is the semi-annual Toronto Bead show (woot)! Not only is this an event I look forward to every day of the six months since the last show, but this time, I get to introduce a friend to the quietly wild bead show atmosphere. Victoria and I will grab brunch and then walk to the show from there.

In anticipation (and preparation) for the show, I decided to sort through my stores, take a note of what I have and what I'm lacking, and make up a shopping list. This, I believed, would solve two problems that I have run into before in my shopping: avoiding getting two or more of the same thing (what am I going to do with three vials of scarab-green beads, seriously?), and making sure that when I get home, I have everything I'll need (avoiding the I can't work on that project cause I'm out of freaking glue! moment).

This was a mistake. What started as a shopping list turned out to be surprisingly long, and evolved into something of a wish list as well. The result? Come next weekend, I'm likely to be broke.

Happy as a kitten in a yarn store, but broke.

Nuit Blanche - gone

This weekend was pretty good. I went to the market (it's well into autumn here, and the apples are amazing), then I went out to Nuit Blanche.

I ended up seeing five exhibits (I'd planned out a route that covered twelve, knowing fully that I wouldn't get to all of them), and only three of the five were actually on my list. I started at the Bata shoe museum, where they were taking pictures of people's shoes and doing an art-installation based on the photos. There was also supposed to be poetry, I thought, but maybe all the poets were on a break while I was there. Anyway, because there were no poets (just an empty microphone where the public were being encouraged to 'share their stories - and no one was), and because there wasn't a large group of people together (they were letting in small groups at a time, and there was no main large gathering place), the atmosphere was kind of hum-drum. Basically, what I had thought was an intriguing idea was executed disappointingly.

So after that, I figured I'd head straight downtown where more of the action would be. Lucky me, on the way back to the subway I passed by the ROM, and there was a street performer out front. He was great - nothing shockingly original performance-wise (a basic sword juggling routine, a really tall unicycle, and a bit of fire eating thrown in for flavour), but his showmanship was fabulous - he had the crowd laughing like crazy. He was good enough that I stayed until the end of his show, and I put money in the hat he held out.

Downtown I went to see a giant silver bunny balloon by Jeff Koons that was set up inside the Eaton Centre - very cool. On the way there I passed by this woman wearing a dress that was made out of an igloo-looking tent, doing a performance piece that seemed to be about waking up, though I didn't stay very long to see it.

Then I got in line for Massey Hall. There was a sound installation there called Space Becomes The Instrument by Gordon Monahan. I stood in line for 90 minutes- UGH. It was cold, we were standing on the sidewalk, which was decidedly uncomfortable, and there was nothing going on around us to take our minds off the wait. Clever me, I don't leave the house without a book in my purse, and it doesn't matter if it's 4am, in downtown Toronto, there's always enough light to read by, easily (for the record, I am against light pollution, but just this once it worked well in my favour). On the other hand, once I got in, it was pretty much worth it. The audience all sat in a group, on the stage. Just getting to see Massey Hall from that perspective, to be able to say "I've stood on that stage before" was neat. The performers were all in the orchestra and balconies. They had piano wires strung up, right to the ceiling and across the entire space from left to right, and there was a microphone attached to the point where all the wires crossed. Then one girl grabbed one wire, and dragged the mic along the wires, jiggling them and waving them and increasing and decreasing the tension on them, and the mic picked up all these weird tones and variations. That noise was combined with techno sounds and pumped into speakers all around us, with the sound moving from one to the next, so it seemed to come from different directions. It was very neat sounding, and kind of reminded me of the thunder storm we'd had earlier that day.

Then came the second part of the performance. Three people climbed up in the balconies, and held speakers that started emitting steady tones - each one different. Then they started swinging the speakers around their heads, at different (and changing) speeds. The sound was eerie, and it got more eerie when all the lights went out, and the three swinging speakers each lit up. The ceiling of Massey Hall is scalloped, and the lights made the shadows oscillate- it kind of looked like waves. The effect worked well, since the sounds made me think of Sirens (the mythic kind, not the ambulance kind). All of it was strange - I need a work halfway between music and noise, cause that's what this was. I liked it a lot.

By the time I got back outside, it was about 5am, and I decided that I was tired enough (and had enjoyed the sound installation enough) that I would end on a high note (no pun intended), and headed back home. I got in at about 530, took a little time to wind down (and eat something; by then my circadian rhythms were screwed up enough to leave me starving), and then I hit my pillow, hard. For about four hours, when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. I was just trying to decide if I wanted to attempt doing anything (no), when Kev called - he'd been at a house party the night before, and was about as beat as I was. We decided that the best thing to do was as close to nothing as possible. So today Kev and I ordered in Thai food and watched nine hours of Boy Meets World.

Awesome weekend. Awesome.

Nuit Blanche - going

Ever heard of Nuit Blanche? Its this all-night modern art thing that fills up Toronto streets once a year, and it's tonight. Its very strange to be getting ready to go out at midnight, but here I go. Check out the webpage for the basics, and I'll blog tomorrow (after sleeping in, of course) about all the things I see.

http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca

Fresh look

So, I spent the greater part of the weekend painting my apartment, and I'm super pleased with how it turned out. Check it out:

My tools

My intrepid helper
Getting started
Final result - gorgeous!

So, I hope you don't mind the image-based blog, but frankly, I can't think of anything else to say about a now-brown wall. Shockingly, watching paint dry doesn't make for scintillating commentary.

I bought paint!

I've decided one of the walls in my apartments needs to be a different colour, so today after work (last day of summer hours, so I took advantage) I went to the bead store and found a fabulous citrine to wear to a friends' wedding next week, and then I went to the hardware store and got paint! I'm so excited!

Stupid Tuesday

Everything at work blew up in my face today.

This morning I had to peel myself out of bed, and I knew it would be nice outside, and I have laundry to do and my apartment needs cleaning and I am very eager to start painting that one wall in my place that I've decided needs to be different, and I thought about all the things I could do that weren't work, and then I told myself to go to the office like a good girl, even if I do have plenty of paid sick days that I haven't taken yet this year.

I should have stayed home.

I had minor questions - minor!- about the process for using this new system the US is using, and what should have been very, very simple answers ended up being the openings of multiple cans of worms, which result in very very much more work for yours truly (and others). None of this is my fault, so there's none of the guilt I would have if I'd actually screwed something up, there's just that feeling of naivete that comes from weeks of people telling me that this would be 'simple to implement' and me blithely following, ignoring the voice in the back of my brain that was trying to tell me 'this will be harder than you think'.

I should listen more to my inner voices. More the one that whispers 'stay home' than the one that tells me new projects are destined to be nightmares.

We saw a tempest, not The Tempest

Last week, several friends and I came up with the lovely idea of going to Shakespeare in the Park after work. We decided to meet right after work and have a pot-luck picnic before the show. I made pasta salad. We left work, and the sky got a little darker. We got to the park, and the sky got a little darker. We took out our picnic, and the sky got real dark, and started growling. We ran to the nearest gazebo (don't think round, arch-roofed romantic 'you-are-sixteen-going-on-seventeen' structure, think barn roof on stilts with lines of picnic tables beneath), and the sky opened up and...well, 'rained down hell' is only slightly melodramatic. Winds raged, rain came in sideways, lightening crashed like mad. We screamed a bit, laughed a lot, and once the winds calmed enough to let the rain come down more vertical-like, we shrugged our shoulders and unpacked our now slightly damp, but just as tasty, picnic, and finished our adventure...and dinner. By the time we were done eating, the storm was finished and the sky was orange and calm(ish), and we all went home- damp, kinda cold, and with a good story (bad decisions often lead to those).

Weekend at the Cottage

So, late last night, we got back from the cottage. I love that place. It's very relaxing - I love not having any clue (or care) about what time it is...or what day it is. The weather was better than it called for (meaning that it didn't rain every minute)- we actually had some nice, sunny days. There was swimming and tons of reading, we played several games of Trivial Pursuit, great (and very plentiful) food...

I brought a chunk of soapstone with me (yes, the one I maimed myself with- see previous post), and the plan was to work on it a bit each day and have it done by the end of the weekend. Well, I kind of got into it, so I carved the whole thing in one, several-hours-long stint. It was great, especially as I had Steven (hereby known as my carving guru) sitting with me, showing me techniques and telling me what tools I'd need and such. Check out what I made!

I hope you all had a great long weekend like me!

Who knew preparing for the cottage was so hazardous?

I'm a freaking genius! (The English language really has to come up with punctuation that denotes sarcasm).

Tomorrow the brother and I are off to the Robins' cottage. Sweet! Though the weather hasn't been the greatest, we have high hopes. But, just in case, I'm also bringing along a lot of things to do- I bought beading magazines, I'll have a pile of sudoku puzzles with me...you know how much a brain weighs? That's how much candy I bought.

Also, I have some new pieces of soapstone from my trip to BC, and I wanted to bring some along to carve. I don't want to tote along ALL my tools and stuff, though, just a set of files and some sandpaper, so I was trying to do everything to prepare the stone ahead of time. Thus, I figured out (last night, in my head, in my bed, while I was supposed to be sleeping), that it needed a hole. Skip forward to this morning, which found me freshly showered and dressed for work, using a towel as an apron, and drilling into a piece of stone.

It's not a huge thing- I didn't need to get out my whole Dremel set or anything - I've got my grandfather's drill, this awesome, ancient hand-crank thing.

So, I'm trying to carve this hole, trying not to get dusty, and trying to not be late for work. I'm changing drill bits, which you do by either a) holding the crank still while you twist the chuck at the top open, or the reverse, by holding the chuck still while turning the crank. Now, you see those gears on the drill? See that space between them that doesn't exist? Yeah, that's where my pinkie finger went.

I spent all day at work doing my best to avoid typing 'cause it turns out I use my pinkie a lot when typing. Ow. I also stopped to buy band-aids on my way home - I'd used my last one.

Poor pinkie. On the other hand, now the damn stone is ready for the cottage!

Peas!

Isn't it beautiful?! It's one of my first batch of sugar snap peas that I grew all by myself! Seriously, these started out as seeds and now I have something edible, people.

I'm thinking of becoming a farmer.

Away too long, and not long enough!

Don't hate me because I'm busy!

Between friends moving, friends starting new businesses, friends getting married (not to mention my own venture across the country), I've been a busy girl!

Yes, life is busy happening in the big city. Unfortunately, the big city is also featuring a city workers strike that means all Canada Day celebrations were cancelled, not to mention that the trash is starting to pile up good n' high. Let's just say it was a good time to get out of the city.

I managed to do Canada Day in Victoria, which was lovely and sunny and had that small-town feel. There was a street festival and free watermelon and a nice dinner with friends, and it all culminated in a fabulous fireworks show (we're convinced that Toronto shipped its unused explosives to the coast).

The Mom and I also participated in a glass class, and made beautiful plates! This one is mine (forgive the awful photography, and for the record, that's a piece of white paper behind it- the plate is clear, and therefore REALLY hard to get a good picture of. I'll try to do better tomorrow). I'll try and get the Mom to send me a pic of hers for me to post...except I still have her memory card...sorry the Mom.

There was a lot of shopping (I seem to be surprisingly enamored of umbrellas lately...) there was a trip to Botanical Beach (while the tide was coming in..."JUMP, Mom, you can do it, you just have to get a running start!"), obligatory pickle-boating, lots of good food and a couple of really great markets. The markets there are different from most Toronto ones I've been to- here's it's mostly food featured, with some stuff (like art, hand-made items, etc.) There, it's mostly stuff with a little food thrown in, mostly for munching on there, while you browse. I got some great hand-spun wool for my knitting guru, a suitable appropriate bridal shower gift for my bride-friend, something called ice-wine tea for my tea-loving artsy friend, and piles of chocolate for piles of others. I also hit the museum there- it's a wonderful little museum, and right now it has a really fabulous show on loan from the British Royal Museum. REALLY worth going to- I had a great day.

But now (sigh) I'm back, and suitably recovered to get back into the proper swing of things, including blogging. I'm a little behind on all sorts of projects, which I will let you know about in time.

You may have noticed a new link to the right- Sonnet & Mayhem. This is the truly inspiring artsy endeavour of the above-mentioned tea-loving friend. She's opened up her own business making hand-carved and stamped cards, postcards, etc. She's got very much talent, and she's pouring it out into these lino prints, and they're turning out beautifully. I happily point you in her direction - go explore her blog, and her shop on etsy.com. Her stuff is great!

The cat killed my hairdryer

The Mom is visiting.
She says I'm not allowed to make fun of her on my blog, so I won't.

My pillows got soaked with water last night, but that was because of the cat.
My hairdryer is dead, but it was probably the cat.

Also, the cat can't answer my cell phone reliably and can't read without its glasses.

But seriously, we're having a great time. We went to brunch and the zoo, then we went to St Lawrence Market and shopping and to a BBQ at the Robins'. Then we drove to Jordan and Niagara-on-the-Lake. The weekend was wonderful, but exhausting!

And the visit goes on- tomorrow we're going to the movies, and then at some point we have to go shopping again...I need a new hairdryer.

I am my mother's daughter

So, the Mom is visiting at the end of the week. I am very excited, and I have a lot to do - stocking up on groceries, doing several loads of laundry, cleaning everything, yadda yadda yadda. So, the minute I get out of work today, I rush off to (of course)...go shopping.
Whatever.
So I'm in Winners and I find sheets for a very reasonable price. And since I've needed new bed linens for some time, and especially since I'm soon to have a house guest, I consider this a fortunate find.
However, I also find shoes.
They are the same price as the linens. And they're great. And I can't splurge on both.



Sorry, Mom.

Call it Vitamin P

Summer hours at my office started this week; that means working an extra 45 minutes every day until Friday, when we get to leave in the early afternoon. And while I'm very much looking forward to Friday, right now, all I'm feeling is a full week of extra-long days piling up. This, together with the stressingly difficult Pilates class I just went thorough (I'm pretty sure this damn class is supposed to be getting easier, not harder as I go along) has left me decidedly drained; I didn't even have the mental fortitude to steer myself away from temptation tonight and so am having a dinner that is very much anti-diet. I bought something I've never purchased for myself before, ever: one box of Lucky Charms. I justified that if I was craving it so badly, then maybe it contained something my body needs that I was lacking (you know how sometimes you out-of-the-blue want a steak if you're low on iron?)
However, looking down at the remains of my 'dinner', I find it doubtful that my body was lacking in vaguely purple-tinted milk.

Spring things

So, it's officially Spring, and the weather has become acceptibly spring-like, even if 'April's showers' seem to be spilling into May.  I've cleaned my house (to a degree, anyway), I've started my garden, I'm cooking with vegetables from Canada (as opposed to South Africa) once again!
This year, I've planted sugar snap peas (these didn't work last year, but I like them too much not to try again), red peppers, tomatoes, and spring onions.  Good luck to me, though I already have sprouted things poking out of soil, so I'm off to a good start!
 
I also went back to the Farmer's Market with a friend last weekend.  It's been a while since I've been there- winter doesn't make me want to get up early on a Saturday to trek across town to a large cold building that's probably mostly filled with withered carrots anyway- but now that there is sunshine in the mornings, it's great to go.  Which, for the record, everyone else seems to be thinking as well, cause it was friggin packed.
But I'm glad we went.  It always feels good to go to the market.  I feel very grown-up and sophisticated to buy things like fiddleheads and smoked paprika.  I also bought a large pink chunk of Himalayan rock salt, which I currently think makes me very cool in the kitchen.
I made fiddleheads with shrimp over cauliflower mash- and damn I'm good!
 
And I'm buried in the extra-curricular projects right now.  I'm knitting two things at once (scarf for the brother and messenger-style bag for me), I just loaded up with new beads at the Toronto Bead Show, it's finally warm enough for me to start stonecarving again, and I even picked up new sketching pens...and then went home and sketched...and then remembered why I don't sketch things...I suck at sketching.
 
In my down time (of which I have little left, after all that), I'm reading a book that has no real story; no character development, no antagonist to speak of, no rise or fall of action...believe it or not, it's not even fiction, it's NON-ficition (which I never, ever read), and it doesn't even have a plot, unless you consider the alphabet a plot, and even if you did, I doubt you'd find it a very compelling one.
And I tell you now, this is one of the most ticklingly wonderful reads I've ever read.
Ironically, it's a book published by Penguin that's all about an Oxford publication, but what can I say, sometimes the publishing lines get blurred.
It's called Reading the OED, and that's all it is, a book about a guy reading a dictionary- and its GREAT!  Seriously, people, go out and get this book.
I freaking love words.  Favourite new word so far: Cellarhood (n.) The state of being a cellar.  WHY DOES ENGLISH HAVE A WORD FOR THIS?!

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Yay week

Why is this a yay week? Well, we had Friday off cause of Easter, and long weekends are always good. Also, last Tuesday, I'm sitting at lunch in the cafeteria, and the head of my division, along with the CEO come and sit at our table. We make pleasant conversation...a one point, the CEO asks if anyone is taking Thursday off work. I reply, jokingly "Well, if you're offering..." and he gives me baseball tickets! Four seats at Rogers Centre to watch the Jays beat the Tigers. Awesome. So, I get Kevin and the brother to take the day off work as well, and we (and the brother's roommate) go to the game, which the Jays win, so everybody's happy.
That night the brother and I have Passover dinner at the Robins (very tasty- fabulous lemon cheesecake), which goes on till 4am (all the best evenings do). While I'm there, I show off my first properly completed and successful knitting project: a short green scarf in variegated green and cream, done in straight knit stitch. Embarrassingly basic, but I'm so proud. I expect to be razzed for my geeky new hobby, especially by the brother. The family dutifully raves over my gorgeous scarf- and the brother asks me to make him one! I have a commission- how cool am I?
So I spend a good chunk of Saturday trekking to the good wool shop (which is all the way down in Queen West). I get wool for the brother's project...and more for a new project of my own. I also stop at the grocery store and make a slowcooker-full of curry that night. Sunday I have brunch with book club friends, then home for knitting and curry. Knitting goes fine. When I try to transfer the ceramic dish full of curry to the fridge...well, there's the fridge door, and the curry pot, and me juggling them, and for the record, I suck at juggling. Result? A very predictable shattered ceramic pot, curry everywhere...floor, fridge, cupboards, me. Super ick, and a waste of perfectly good food! I'm crushed as thoroughly as my slowcooker pot.
Whatever; it was a cheap slowcooker anyway.
Monday I have a vague idea to go to Victoria. I mention it to the Mom over the phone. She says 'anytime'. Today (tuesday), I find a seat sale on airline tickets- and there's 4 seats left. No time for thinking, so I book my travel (whirlwind; I usually think these things to death before going forward with plans like this). But its done, the tickets on my credit card...but when I get home, what do I find? My tax return?! Why thank you, government, you just bought me a flight to BC.
Like I said, its a yay week.

Spring Snow

Its snowing in Toronto. It's spring, it's Easter...and its freaking snowing. Not mostly-rain-its-almost-frozen-if-you-squint snow, but big, fat, cover-the-grass, stick-to-your-felt-coat, Merry-Christmas-Everybody SNOW. Ugh.
Tonight I made really good burritos for dinner. This week is Passover, so we're supposed to eat unleavened bread, and I figured tortillas were unleavened. The brother and I are going to the Robins' for dinner on Thursday, too. I'm looking forward to it, especially since there's no work the next day (three-day weekends are sweet!)
...that is, they would be sweet, if I could get motivated to do something with them. I don't know what the deal is, but the last couple of weekends I've been rather lumpish. Admittedly, I had a book for book club to get through this weekend, but it's annoying to have a couple of days free of the office and to spend the entire time inside. I think I have to start planning better for my time off.
Not that all my free time lately has been wasted, mind you. Three weeks ago the brother and I went to Ikea so I could buy a shelf unit that was on sale. Ikea was all out of the shelf unit, but I was with the brother (who loves to spend my money), so somehow at the end of that weekend I had a four-foot palm plant, several kitchen tools, a DVD player, and a new kitchen floor. For the record, stick-down tiles are fun- for the first four rows.
There's not much more of note right now- knitting and beading are fun for me, but not to talk about...so I think I'll go do that now.
Happy Passover, Everybody.

Belated Mexico

So, winter was brutal in Toronto – we broke the record amount of snow fallen, dangerous cold warnings went out, a lot, and we were just getting to the part of the winter where everyone’s aching for some sunlight, and yet they all know there won’t be any for another month, at least.
And that’s when I got to go to Mexico.
Sweet.

Everything about it was wonderful. Even the flight out was, like, the best flight I’ve ever been on- with snacks and food and wine and champagne. (Though the movie did suck, and they played “When the moon hits your eye” when we landed – classic Italian songs are the ideal way to welcome visitors to Mexico, I guess).
We made it to the resort, and saw the Mom, which was, of course, great.

The resort was large, but it didn’t feel huge. It was horseshoe shaped, facing the beach, and had three pools in the centre, with a ‘river’ connecting the pools, and a swim-up bar, and two restaurants. There were wild iguanas and cats and peacocks that all made the hotel their home (very cool – guests of the hotel would pick hyacinth flowers and feed them to the iguanas). That night we had dinner in an open-walled restaurant overlooking the ocean.
All the rooms face outdoors, so when we went to bed that night, we could hear the waves, and the sound was so perfect that we actually wondered if the sound was being piped in. (It wasn’t.)

We spent the next three days by the pool. The brother made fun of me for bringing four books, but we burned through those pretty quickly. Fortunately, there was an informal book exchange at the towel hut, and we got some more reading material there.
We spent some time on the beach, but I liked the pools better. Lounges everywhere, a little music, and guys in white who wandered around bringing us drinks and food and drinks and frozen towels and drinks…

There was a marina about ten minutes’ walk from the resort, and we went there one night for dinner. There were a couple of cool art places, a tequila boutique with free tastings, and a lot of restaurants, including where we went – Victors. I loved Victors!!! That place had the best tortilla soup I’ve ever tasted. And the tequila was free, and flowed like water. The brother had warned me before our trip that I was not, at any point, to turn down any offers of free stuff (this stems from the last flight we took together, when I was offered both a newspaper and a glass of wine that I didn’t want, and was later lectured for turning down). So you can imagine what it took to have the brother, by the end of the night, pleading not to be brought any more tequila, LOL!

We also took the hotel’s free bus tour of the city, which included time to shop and explore the city. The area we were in was busy and bright and there was too much to look at. This is also when I found a shop full of Huichol art – beaded art done by the Huichol Indians. We took some pics there, and I bought a Huichol owl to take home with me!

Then there was a ride up through the foothills of the Sierra Madres to a fabulous seafood restaurant. The Mom and the brother shared a drink made up of several different alcohols – including moonshine – which was served in a coconut decorated with flowers and straws…and a carrot. We never really figured out where the carrot came in.
We went back to the pool some more, and on our second-to-last day, we went on a real adventure, with speed boating and whale watching and horseback riding and snorkeling and a private beach with a catered lunch. That was an incredible day- we saw three humpback whales, and dolphins.

When we went riding, well, I think my horse on the way up to the waterfall was named ‘Glue Yesterday’, but I got a different mount on the way back, and he was minimally more ‘lively’. At the waterfall was a restaurant with drinks and munchies, and a swimming hole. Then we rode back and got back in the speedboat, to go to our private beach. Snorkeling was cool – I saw a tiny little jelly, and a blowfish and some long-nosed fish, and small sharks all in a group, and bright little tropical fish, and stingrays and sea urchins. Very cool!

By then we were tired, and starving, but the meal on the beach was so good (there was really delicious steak – I’m going to try and recreate here). Afterward I laid in a hammock strung between two palm trees drinking a pink drink out of a coconut, and knew it was heaven.

That evening we went to the upscale restaurant at the hotel, which was specializing in gourmet Mexican food. It was great, and we ate so much, and after we were stuffed, then the staff started singing and I tried to sink into the floor cause they were singing at me. They brought me a birthday cake, too, which was delicious, but we were so full that we mostly just picked at it. I should have brought it back to the room, in retrospect.

And the next day was travel day again. The Mom flew out early, and the brother and I spent the day by the pool before going to the airport. The flight back was a little delayed, and again the movie sucked, but was otherwise fine. The brother leant me his noise-cancelling headphones for the whole flight, which was very sweet of him – those things are amazing.
And then we were in Toronto again, where it was cold, and later, snowed. And all three of us looked back fondly on our trip…
…and decided to do it again, next year.

Too cold; must think of Mexico

My balcony looks like the Stay-Puft marshmallow man exploded all over it; giant mounds of fluffy whiteness everywhere. This fact, combined with my desire to try and save money made the decision to stay in today pretty easy to make. On the other hand, I'm bored as hell.

The holidays were quiet at home, busy at work - the usual. The brother went out west again, and I spent a lot of time at the office getting ready for the national sales meeting in Orlando. But the quiet was kind of a needed break, and I did all sorts of indulgent things (like ordering in Chinese food just for me) that I don't usually let myself do. Also, I got a ton of time to bead!

Gearing up to the business meeting is always a ton of work, and the meeting itself is kind of surreal; especially this one, which included the US side of the company, and a bit of the international side, as well. The days were long and crazy busy, the hotel was expansive, and there were no windows where we were, so the only daylight I saw all week was on the way from and to the airport. On the other hand, I got to room with a friend, so that was fun, and the food was really good. Still, there were so many of us (something like 1800 people), and the meeting is always like taking a break from your real life. It's interesting - challenging, exhausting, fun, stressful, all rolled into one- but I'm always happy to get home at the end of it. Especially this time; I flew home on Friday and then took Monday and Tuesday off, so I had a lovely four-day weekend.

And the Mom booked our Mexico trip! We're leaving in just a few weeks, and I'm pretty excited. I've already gone online for information on bead stores, local art, culture, food, and safety (all the things I find important!) Apparently Huichol art is a feature in Puerto Vallarta, and it's gorgeous! I can't wait. Especially when I look out the window, and know that I won't be able to play hermit tomorrow. Out into the cold and snow for me - for a few more weeks at least :(

Busy month

So, I had the company holiday party two weeks ago, and it was a lavish affair. The ballroom was impressive, the meal was decent, and though I didn’t win anything, people did keep coming up to me and giving me drink tickets, so that was nice. I’m trying not to read into the fact that my bosses gave me lots of drink tickets.
The borrowed necklace got a lot of praise, and everyone looked great. Also, the company continued its habit of holding the holiday party on the first bad snowstorm of the year, so the roads were bad enough that we got there late. Much thanks go to friend Dani for the ride she gave me, no thanks at all go to her GPS, which can’t navigate its way out of a paper bag.
All in all it was a good night, and unlike last year, we didn’t stay till the bitter (overly liquored) end; I was home before the wee hours, and got enough sleep to avoid being a zombie the next day when another friend and I went to the ballet (and also the mall and out to lunch). That was great, though the ballet had a lot of kids in it, and was a different version of the Nutcracker than I remembered. I hadn’t known there were different versions of that play until I got home and googled it to make sure my brain wasn’t making up Christmas stories.
Since then there’s been book club (we’re watching the most hilarious version of Jane Eyre I’ve ever seen), shopping with the brother (spread out over two days cause there’s only so much you can get done before the shops close, and it isn’t helped by the fact that he doesn’t rise from his bed until afternoon). Also, there was a rowdy meeting with one group of girl friends that also involved a Secret Santa gift exchange- I got pretty purple earrings, a mini picture frame that is studded with beads, and a magnet that keeps track of when to feed the cat. I made a pair of earrings for my giftee, along with a Starbucks gc for a splurge; she was quite pleased, I think.
Then last night was a holiday get-together with the boys. Kev picked me up from work and we picked up my potluck contribution, then headed to their place. Hugh and his sister brought in a real tree, and I ate and played games and helped the gentiles decorate their pine. We had tacos with homemade tortillas, meatballs, bacon sweet potato soup, and more cookies than twelve of us would need (and there were only five there). It was a great night…
…that did not end when I got home, cause tonight I’m having another set of girl friends over to my place, and the apartment needed a lot more than a lick and a promise. I stayed up late and then got up early, but I got *most* of what I needed done. I’m meeting friends at the grocery store (wild plans, hun?) and we’re shopping for tonight, then crashing at my pad.
And the crazy month continues! I have Jane Eyre, part two tomorrow, along with a regular book meeting (Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein), Egg grooming and then holiday dinner with the brother on Saturday, Hanukkah dinner with the Robins Sunday…and then nothing except work until those few blissful days off that we have coming up.
I love December, even if all the snow has melted already. Thanks, global warming.

Blog drought over

Okay, so I haven't blogged in a while, and maybe 5am on a random Saturday in December is an odd time to get back in the habit, but then, odd is something I've never claimed to be.
For awhile I couldn't really blog because the only big thing going on was work stuff that I couldn't write about online. Then I just kind of got out of the habit for awhile, you know?
Anyways, fair readers (if there's still any of you out there), you want updates, and I plan to go back to providing them from now on.
So, here goes:
About three weeks ago we laid to rest Tripawed, a.k.a "Little Cat" "Three-legs" "Fat Girl". For those of you who knew her, she was a very soft, sweet little runt who grew to the size (and shape) of a basketball with three legs. She was quiet and meek and dumb as a post, and we loved her. She will be missed.
Also, we had a weight-loss challenge at work, and I totally won. Big $ for me, plus permanent bragging rights at the office. Not that I would brag, though. At this point I'm actually wishing my coworkers would stop mentioning it; I appreciate the kudos, but a month later, its just making me feel guilty for every cookie I might have (and 'tis the season for cookies, don't ya know).
And I went to the ballet with the Robins in my new sweater dress, both of which were lovely. The dancers wore tennis shoes, so my favourite part of the night was playing dress-up with Robins purses and make-up and jewelry.
There's been other stuff, but a lot of it is work and oughtn't be mentioned at this time (nothing bad; work is busy but good), and I'm probably forgetting a lot cause the clock is just rolling toward 6am, and this is a stupid time to be awake blogging.
Anyways, I'm going back to bed now cause I have a very big weekend ahead of me, folks. I have the dentist (big fun) in about 5 hours, then the company Holiday party is tonight, and tomorrow, hopefully, the ballet ('hopefully' because the possibility of ticket acquisition is yet to be seen). Will let you know how it all goes, but for now, goodnight, everyone.

UK adventure, Part 2

Our first day officially back in England was pretty tame. It involved a walk with the dog to rent movies, and a lot of lying on the couch. We were tired! But the rest was well-earned, and it set us up for the next week.

Monday Richard had to work, so Mer and I wandered Oxford. We hit the covered market, a walking tour of the colleges, and a tour of OUP (don’t let the people I work with know that)! It poured rain on the way back, but that doesn’t matter because we stopped for chocolate.

The next day we went to London. London is amazing- so busy, but there’s stuff to see everywhere, literally! Toronto is very spread out, compared to London. In London there is something to see every ten feet! We took a bus tour cause I wanted to see as much as possible, in passing. We drove past Big Ben, the parliament, tower bridge, The London Eye, The Tower of London, the queen’s house…
Then we walked through Covent Garden, ate Cornish pasties, went to a stinky cheese shop…it was a good day! We even went on the London Eye, and saw everything from above.

Wednesday and Thursday I was on my own, cause both Mer and Richard had to work. I spent one day in Oxford (it rained…a lot). And one day in London (it rained, a little). Oxford was cool, even in the rain. The architecture was amazing, and there are gargoyles everywhere. London on my own was crazy- I went north to Camden market (nuts), east to Brick lane (bought baigles), south to the Globe theatre (saw the lobby), and the Tate Modern (saw one FABULOUS exhibition), and west to Harrods (shopping!). At the end of the day I was weary and footsore and felt so accomplished. It was a great day. And my trip wasn’t even over!

It was over the next day. Mer and I discussed going on a day trip again, but instead we toured Oxford one last time. We bought cakes (not for us this time, I brought them home for various birthday celebrants), visited the Bodlean giftshop, and wandered a bit more. Then we rushed back to their place, changed at record speed, left for Stratford on Avon, and went to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The play was hilarious- a little over the top, in parts, but definitely the funniest version I’ve ever seen (and at this point, I’ve seen a lot of those). We splashed out at the giftshop and loaded up on last-minute souveniers. It was a great end to a great trip.

UK adventure, Part 1

So, my excuse is that it’s been a summer of doing, seeing, going, tasting- and not of writing. Now there’s writing. Yay!

So, starting from when I SHOULD have written: I flew to England at the end of June. The flight was shorter than I had expected, but not quite short enough, because of the cold I was fighting against and the very talkative youngster I was seated beside. No sleep was had on that flight, despite plans to the contrary. In any case, the plane landed, and I was in England! And there was a terminal and a real British guy put a stamp in my passport! (Okay, so that looks pretty lame in type, but at the time it was very exciting!) Uncle Richard picked me up (cause Aunt Mer doesn’t do mornings), and we drove to Oxford. I like the highway between London and Oxford. There’s this one hill on the right (if you’re heading away from London) that has a path winding up it, and there’s always sheep on it. It’s lame, but by the end of my trip I’d decided that that was my favourite hill. Anyways, we got to Oxford and Aunt Mer, and had breakfast. Please note that due to extreme tiredness and some jetlagginess, the first day was a little bit of a blur. There was reading and walking Levi, and there was purposely no napping. They took me ‘punting’ which doesn’t involve chucking stuff, as I’d originally assumed, but instead involves a long, shallow-bottomed boat that one pushes down a river with a big stick. Uncle Richard punted while Mer and I sat with Levi, and we went all the way up the river to a pub for lunch. I punted on the way back- and I did well!

First thing the next day we left for Ireland. Mer and Richard teased me cause I had less luggage than Levi. The drive through Wales was long, and I slept, though I didn’t mean to. The first thing we did in Dublin was break the law! Mer and I decided to go downtown even though it was evening already, so we bought tickets for the tram (called the ‘Luas’- Irish for ‘speed’), but we didn’t pay to go far enough (by mistake). But, we just stayed on the tram a little longer to get where we were going. If we’d been caught- well, we’re just helpless tourists, now aren’t we? The first evening in Dublin was great- I walked over the river Liffey, on the Ha’Penny Bridge! That was awesome. That was, pathetically, one of my major reasons for wanting to go there. And I did it! Yay! Then there was random shops and Temple Bar, street performers and drunks and ice cream for dinner and screaming soccer fans. Like I said; awesome. Two days in Dublin and we had the city core down. Tram to St. Anne station, walk north and cross the Liffey. Northeast is Temple Bar, northwest will get you to Trinity College (I saw the Book of Kells! It was amazing- but apparently, dangerous; there were signs everywhere warning tourists about pickpockets. Mer fell in love with the library upstairs. It was wonderful, and I cursed the lack of photos- but understood it. Further north and you get to the Museum block. The National Museum of Ireland is very interesting, but it needs lessons on labeling from the ROM. Mer and I had to keep a list of things to look up on the internet when we got back to the hotel. We saw a W.B. Yeats exhibit at the National Library (I liked the poems read by famous Irish people at the entrance best). There’s some shops across the street, which is where I got Lauren the Claddagh ring she wanted.
Walking along the shops, Mer and I ducked behind them when something colourful caught our eye (the magpie Atos gene strikes again). There was this gorgeous mosaic along a huge wall- of a parking lot. Amazing. I took many photos.
…but not as many as I took later, at Tara. Tara of the Kings, I was there! It was perfect. The long drive down along stone-walled winding roads, the lack of ticket booths and operating hours, the emptiness and the light at the end of the day. It was empty and desolate and magic. Tara is probably pretty lame to everyone who isn’t me. It’s a field with lumps in it, and one hollow hill with a locked gate on it. But it’s amazing because it was considered the spiritual, religious and royal center of Ireland. The Lia Fail is there, which is a large stone that screams if the future king of Ireland touches it. (We tested it; I’m not the king of Ireland. Neither is Merilee. Or Richard. Or Levi.)
I saw the Mound of the Hostages, which the past king used to use to keep the sons of his liegemen prisoner, to keep them under control. Scarily cool. It’s also a hugely significant archaeological site- experts believe that there are still up to 150 bodies buried under the mound. Tara was my favourite part of Ireland.

The next day we went to Newgrange. No one seems to know what that is but it’s a grave mound that is over 1000 years older than Stonehenge. It’s huge, and amazing, and surrounded by hand-carved curbstones. Very cool. And unfortunately, you can only get there with a guide, and that drives me nuts, in the bad way. Ugh. Still, we got to see it, which was great.
Then we drove to Clonmacnoise, which is the actual center of Ireland, where a monk built a church forever ago, and then they built another church when the first fell down, and then another, and then another. Now it’s this amazing religious site with a cluster of falling-down churches, and a very cool watchtower, and a castle that looks like someone smashed it with a hammer (mostly cause someone pretty much did, when it was invaded). It was cool. And we got chased by cows!

A long drive to Blarney, and then a long walk up a winding staircase through a crumbling castle, and Mer and I kissed the stone. (So, it took me like a month to write this blog; that doesn’t make it any less eloquent, does it?) After vague deliberation we decided to pass Cork up for Kilkenny, and we drove on. Kilkenny was neat, but there were supposed to be artsy shops that weren’t there (most notably a hand-made bead shop that had moved to a new town). Still, we did some great shopping, ate some great pastry, and laughed about the fact that pedestrian signals in Kilkenny sound like heart monitors. Halfway through our Kilkenny day Mer got a call that our ferry was leaving six hours earlier than scheduled, so the side trip to the bead shop was cancelled, and what was supposed to be a leisurely trip back to Wales became a sleepy early morning one. But we got there, and were exhausted, and hungry, and full of amazing memories, and pictures.

So ended the first half of my UK adventure.

Bon voyage to me!

Okay, I'm calm again. Excited, but calm.
After finally getting my boarding pass last night, I went out with some old friends to have dinner. Hugh, Kev, Laur and I haven't done that in a long time (its been quite a while since we were even in the same place at the same time, and I loved it). There was good food, talk, and lots of laughing. It was a fantastic send-off.
And I even convinced Laur to stay over last night, netting myself a free ride to the airport, which is hugely appreciated. I've got a boarding pass, I've got a ride, I've got a friend with me- this all adds up to a totally unstressful travel day.
In any case, I should get on with it.
Bon voyage to me!

I'm on my way!!!

Dear Friends,

Please kindly disregard previous blog. Apparently, the Continental website online check-in requires a minor freakout in order to complete boarding pass registration successfully. This requirement was easily met, and the process has been completed to the satisfaction of everyone involved.
Twenty four hours from now, I will be twiddling my thumbs in a Newark airport, waiting to board the big plane.
One hour from now I will be meeting my friends for dinner, so I gotta go get ready.
Wish me a good trip, and I'll blog if and when I can from abroad!

B.

Freaking out

I'm packed.
My work is done.
My out-of-office is on.
The on-line check-in won't let me print a boarding pass. It keeps telling me to 'proceed to the airport'. If I had my own car, I'd already be on my way there. I'm aware I'm freaking out.
After being left behind from my flight to Florida last year, I feel the freaking is mildly justified.
I will retry the online check-in in half an hour.
And half an hour after that, and half an hour after that, if I have to.

Ignoring the rational in favour of excitement

Bethany's rational mind to Bethany: "It's 6am, go back to sleep... It's 6AM, go back to sleep... I know you're excited about Europe, but that's on Friday, and this is Tuesday, and you have to work, so let's sleep now... please sleep... OH FINE, I give up, get up, write a blog, pack, whatever you want, just leave me out of it."

So, for the past few days I've been mildly funked out. Not sure why, but now I'm back in my super hyper, get-me-outta-here mindset. Woo! Hopefully this won't mean work will suffer, cause the office is pretty spinney these days. Meh- I'm going to Europe!!!

Things are coming together. I've got everything I need to bring with me either purchased or washed, listed, and set out. I still won't let myself pack yet, but I also couldn't bring myself to put away things that were new and coming with me (mostly toiletries), so now the shelf beside the tv looks like a drug store aisle- a million travel-sized bottles all lined up and on display. Some people might call this a mess- NOT ME!!!

Okay, so I said that things were coming together (I'm a little scattered this morning, please blame this on the time, as I'm not supposed to be awake for almost another hour). The brother came over last night. I gave him CD's for the Mom, we fixed the Egg's nails, we had Shwarma (I found him a new place for his list, he said it ranked fifth. That's pretty good!) And he fixed my Mp3 player, so that's just awesome. I still want to get a bigger one, but now I think I can wait for it and put that on my Hanukkah wish list.

And last night, the best friend called me to see if maybe we could do dinner the night before I leave. I love this idea (I haven't seen her in a while, I'm going into withdrawal), and on the phone with her, I parlayed dinner into a possible overnight/airport drop off, meaning more time for us to gab, help for me with luggage, and a hassle-free (hopefully) ride to the airport. Woot!

And this had great repercussions, too: if I'm out with friends on Thursday, that means I get to pack a day early!!! I'm gonna go jump the gun and start now.

Have a good day, all.

One week

Have not been sleeping well, hence the early morning writing. I woke up super early (not on purpose), after a relatively late night last night. Tried reading to make myself sleepy again, but by the time I felt like I could crawl back under the covers, it was time to get up and get ready for work. Argh.
And I don't want to go to work, cause I have to tackle a project I've been avoiding, which I feel guilty about avoiding in the first place.
And also, there's an opportunity at work that I have to talk to someone about, but it takes guts, and when it comes right down to it, I can be pretty cowardly, especially when it comes to change.
So you can see the allure of calling in sick and spending the day in bed.
I won't do that- I just really want to.
Besides, even if unfun things await me- work, the dentist AGAIN tomorrow, cleaning my apartment, huge amounts of laundry, stocking up on uninteresting things like cat food and litter- I can do it. And you know why?
CAUSE I LEAVE IN A FREAKING WEEK!
ONE WEEK
ONE WEEK
ONE WEEK
That is my mantra for the rest of the day. One week, and I am gone, and all those things that seem to plague me now will be as far away as can be.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see whether I even come back.

Psychologically advantageous haircuts, etcetera

Wanna know how excited I am about Europe? This excited: I have Tuesday marked on my calendar, because it’s the day that I am going to the drug store to buy stuff like travel-sized toothpaste for my trip. I also have the following Wednesday marked, because I’m not allowed to start packing before that. 16 sleeps! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Not that shopping for pint-sized toiletries is all that I have to look forward to between now and the moment the plane takes off. Recent days have been packed with dog-centric city festivals (it’s called ‘Woofstock’ and it’s a little insane, but the brother, the Robins and I, along with Eggroll the leashbound enjoyed it), book club nominations (much sharing of fries and opinions occurred), and seeing of friends and movies and shopping. Upcoming, I have the symphony Saturday (selections of Romeo & Juliet, Gershwin something, and something else), dog sitting, several dinners out with friends, and also the new Coldplay CD comes out next week.

One of my responsibilities while housing the Egg is going to be grooming him. The brother leaves for a visit with the Mom in two weeks, and for the first time ever, Eggroll will be taking to the air to come along. That is, if the airline officials say that he’s slim enough (seriously, they’re as bad as modeling agencies and gymnastics trainers!) So the brother has me clipping the Egg down to a buzz cut in order to make him appear cleaner, sleeker, and cuter- in J’s words, “to give him a psychological advantage”. Hopefully, this tactic will work, and Egg will get to be a mile-high dog. I wonder if he’s afraid of flying?

I am not afraid of flying. The flight to England is, like, 12 hours, and I plan to sleep through most of it (after the square little unidentifiable meal they’ll give me, that is). Some people are not afraid of flying because they have heard statistics like ‘you’re more likely to die in a car crash on the way to the airport’. Or statistics with actual numbers.
I believe, however, that it is impossible for the plane to fall, simply because it is impossible for the thing to fly in the first place. I know some people claim there’s physics or some such nonsense holding the thing up, but nerts to that. Really, it’s just this giant metal thing doing the impossible, and there’s no reason for it to stop doing it once it’s started.

Hey- bees aren’t supposed to fly, either.

Getting manic over Europe

So, in about a month, I’ll be in Europe for the first time ever. I am so excited by this prospect that I have (more than once) been in fear of the top of my head actually blowing off. Local paramedics have been informed, and the brother’s number, saved in my cell phone, is now labeled “ICE” in case of this occurring.
The second symptom of this approaching adventure is that I cannot seem to stop gushing about it, to anyone in my nearby vicinity who seems even moderately likely to listen. The other day I was approached by a nice bible-thumping boy with pamphlets on letting Jesus into my life, and I told him I didn’t need one- I am going to Europe instead. I think he was confused, but then the bus came and I escaped.
I am worried, however, about over-saturating my friends with talk of my trip, as they are those most often in my vicinity, and those I consider most likely to keep listening to me go on and on about things they don’t care about. If I was a very good friend, then I think I would make a chart of every friend I have, and ensure that I only see each one once from now until I leave, in order to spare them from the agony of my excited gushings. However, I am not that good a friend. Besides, it’s too much fun discussing these things ad nauseum. I have already gotten into a heated discussion (the fun kind of argument) over whether kissing the Blarney stone is too touristy to warrant doing, and is in fact an activity so stereotypical that it should be actively shunned, or whether it is a very much clichéd act so deeply ingrained in Irish tourism that it cannot be missed, lest one risk a less than completely authentic Irish tourist experience. Please note that Blarney is indeed on my list, though I will add that I am interested in the entire castle, as well as nearby Cork, where we will be staying, which is supposed to be beautiful and have a pub that was once owned by a witch.
Blarney is just one of the five castles on my list, six if you count Newgrange as a castle, which you shouldn’t, but my gushing has unearthed the interesting fact that far fewer people have ever even heard of Newgrange than I would have thought. This fact is a vaguely mind-boggling one; it’s older than the pyramids, people!
Another facet of my excitement has manifested itself in an old classic (for me); the infinite and detailed planning bit. You’ve already heard about the minor wardrobe freakout (to leggings or not to leggings; this issue has been finally resolved by the sage advice of one of the Robins: keep everything, buy more). Leggings crisis averted, it has been followed by a myriad of further queries: do I need a money belt, do I need a dress, do I need an electrical adapter, do I need two pairs of shoes (or three, or four?), do I need an umbrella…do I need to pack light, which bag (or bags) do I bring…this list has quickly become endless. I went researching online (my tried and true method of preparing for things), and I found what I thought was a very good site. It gave what sounded like much practical advice, including: pack light, only take a carry-on so that you don’t have to wait for the luggage to come off the plane, there is less risk, your stuff is always in your sight so it’s safe, and nothing will hold up your adventures. This site also suggested leaving space in your bag for souveniers (always a good idea in my book). Then it suggested bringing, along with clothes and toiletries, everything from ear plugs and electrical adapters to corkscrews and candles and window cleaner. Thank you for nought but added confusion, o contradictory website!
My list-making phase has begun. The Mom will readily agree that I am an avid list-writer, especially when planning an away-from-home adventure. I currently have three lists on the go, though I am proud to say that the lists are all still on paper, and my manic-ness has yet to progress to the insanity that is excel spreadsheets…though I know I will get to that point, I always do. (It’s moments like this that I admit that that person in University who called me anal was right. At the time the claim was incomprehensible: anal? ME???)
I did keep reading the list of ironic and contradictory tourist tips. It said one thing that rang true:
“The biggest mistakes that tourists make: packing too heavily, relying on outdated guidebooks, not wearing a money belt, and taking other people's opinions too seriously. Happy travels!”
I’m probably going to ignore at least two of the first three items in that list. But the fourth is pretty good advice, I thought.

Postscript on a totally unrelated subject: I got the new Death Cab for Cutie CD on Friday. It is painfully awesome, and if you have not laid hands or ears upon it, you should. You, in fact, must.

Somehow, Ireland turned into leggings...

So, I'm going to England, and Ireland.

Been talking to the England Aunt and Uncle, and promised them I'd do some research into where to go, particularily when it comes to Ireland.

Okay- big woot! So, I plan the busiest of days Saturday, first buying stone to feed my new carving habit, then hitting the Toronto Bead Society spring show (one day only), then burying myself in a bookstore (literally- I was there for more than three hours). After reading for three hours, about driving tours and hiking paths, and cities and several dozen monasteries, churches, burial sites, ritual sites, yadda yadda, one's mind starts to wander. Mine wandered onto the subject of what to wear in Ireland (must be comfortable, though I really ought not to live my entire life in jeans, no matter how much I might want to). And then I look up and there's this girl in leggings...and even though I thought I hated leggings, I'm suddenly remembering how Laur told me they were the comfiest things to wear...

So I'm still a little unclear how, but now my Ireland research has become a hunt for leggings. I'm in a mall, so I go down a level, and leggings are surprisingly easy to find. I also find a piece of clothing that can't quite be called a shrug- it's more like sleeves, attached in the back. And it's good cause it means I can wear that to dress up (and make warmer) tank tops for the office, etc. Buy those and then meet friends for dinner...whatever, the day ends, you get the gist.

So then it's Sunday, and I'm hunting though the pile of packages from the day before, and I have a bag of stones, a bag of beads, and leggings and sleeves- not anywhere near a wearable outfit. Not to mention, I check my closet, and sure enough- the sleeves that are meant to go with tank tops are going to be pretty lonely, cause I have no tank tops. And the leggings that are supposed to go with...this is when I realize I not only have nothing that leggings go with, I actually have NO IDEA what leggings go with.

So tonight I drag my friend Dani out shopping. We turn the eatons centre upside down. Nothing that goes with leggings falls out. I'm seriously starting to doubt my leggings revelation.

Planning to give them one more try, at another mall, tomorrow. If it's a no-go then, well, the store I bought the leggings from is in that mall, too. I'll just return them, and go back to reading about Ireland in the bookstore. Maybe my next revelation will be about capris or something.

Broken promises and second-rate ingredients

Dear TTC,

Thank you for ruining my day.

That was how I was intending to start this blog, several hours ago, when I had just found out that the TTC union (which had averted a strike last week by finding a deal they said was acceptible, and which had also promised Torontonians 48 hours if they were to strike), had started a stike at midnight, giving about a half hours' notice. This meant that there was no chance that I would be able to get to St Lawrence Market, would not be able to meet my friend, would not be able to purchase the ingredients for the dinner I'm making (for another friend) tonight...and had no need to wake up early, which I hate doing on a Saturday, but the market is worth it. The unreachable market.
Anyways, I walked to the usual old (boring) grocery store and got 'instead' ingredients for dinner (as in, 'instead of the good stuff'), and trudged disappointedly home, along the quiet, bus-free street.
But then I did some work on my balcony, and have watched one good movie (and another is in progress behind me as I type this), and I guess missing the market isn't the worst thing in the world...it's just what I wanted to be doing today. So yes, I'm pissed at the irresponsible TTC, which certainly has a right to strike, but which also should stand by its promises...but it's another gorgeous day outside, and my pea sprouts have a soily new home, and I have a friend coming over, for replacement-ingredient dinner, so that all sorts. And now I have to go start dinner. Have a good day people- for all those stuck at home like me.

Rollercoaster month...is hopefully over

Life's been pretty busy, hence the absence of blogging. Also, this means I have a lot to catch you up on. Starting from the beginning is probably the most wise, but I've never claimed to be that. Besides, since today is freshest in my head, I'm going to start there and walk you backwards through the last month or so.
Just came home from dinner with a pile o' work friends. It was a farewell dinner for Helen, who is leaving us to go work at the Penguin office. Kudos and bonne chance to her. H and I were in publishing class together- once upon a time, I had my blog linked to hers, but like so many others, she stopped updating it, so I let the link die. I hadn't seen her for a good long time when she showed up at the workplace one day, and since then I've had me a new friend. No intention of letting that die though, despite the fact that now she won't be swinging by my cube every morning.
The dinner was good, but a little bittersweet for me; H and I had spent all the last month interviewing (and waiting on tenterhooks) for jobs we both wanted; she for the Penguin position, me for a job in editorial, working with humanities texts. I said bittersweet, so you can guess what happened; H got her glorious call up, we planned a great dinner out to celebrate her send-off, and this very same day is the day I'm told that, sorry, there were many candidates and blah blah blah, editorial experience blah blah, future opportunities blah <let me out of your office please, I got the point after 'sorry' and I'd rather just go now> blah blah blah...
I didn't say any of this at the dinner- the last thing I wanted was to mix the happy atmosphere with my disappointment, or steal H's rightful spotlight, tonight. And it's not like this is that terrible or anything- I still (of course) have my job, so I'm not desperate or anything, and I'd known there were a lot of candidates up for this one...but I did want this one; I feel very much like it's time to make a move from what I've been doing, and this felt like the right move.
There are a couple of other opportunities open- two more editorial positions (the same as what I'd interviewed for, but working on hardside books, which means subjects like math and science and engineering, etc.). The deadline for applying is Friday, but I haven't decided if I want to yet. I probably should; it's close to what I wanted to be doing, and I can recognize that a lot of my hesitation at the moment comes from the demoralizing aspect of job hunting (and lost opportunity), and I'm trying really hard not to act like the kicked dog right now. And yet I've vented about this for two paragraphs now, when I meant only to mention it in passing.
So here's the passing mention it should have been: I applied for a job, didn't get it. Life goes on, though I haven't decided in what direction, yet.
Other topics are going better for me. Friend Kevin moved in with me at the start of March- he had a new job, yet no apartment in the city, so I agreed (saint that I am) to provide a hat-hanging place while he searched for housing of his own. Kev claimed this would be a one-week arrangement. A month later, he'd found an apartment of his own; he's lucky I like him that much. No, honestly, it was okay- living quarters were a bit tight, yes, but Kev and I have lived together before (university), and we work well together. Besides, it was kind of nice to come home to someone else making dinner some nights, not to mention I've been wanting more of my close friends to be closer (and therefore more accessible for hanging out with), and now I have what I want. Yay, and welcome to the big city, friend.
And as for the rest of my free time, I've been on a huge artistic upswing. Like, a month ago, I went out with the Robins and we stopped at this art gallery/shop in Yorkville (The Guild Shop), and I talked to them about getting some of my beaded things in the shop. The woman I spoke with was pretty enthusiastic (she put real emphasis on 'original art', and worried when I said I worked with beads, trying to gently tell me that they had enough bracelets, tyvm, but then I told her I made 'non-wearable bead art' and her eyes kind of lit up; I'm not sure she'd ever heard of such a thing), and she gave me a lot of information to take with me. I'm kind of fired up over this idea, now, so I've been beading up a storm. One roadblock I ran into, though, was that my beaded things (still don't know what the f to call them; I detest the label 'spirit dolls' as much as ever), they have faces, and I wanted to start making my own faces instead of using bought ones. So a couple of weekends ago, the Mom calls me, and says she found an ad for a 'rotary tool accessory set', on fabulous sale, so get your butt to Canadian Tire, I'm buying you a present (thanks, Mom). Got me some drill bits (500, actually), finally plugged in the dremel (thanks, Uncle) and carved into that block of soapstone that's been gathering dust on my bookshelf. I'm a stone carver! Made me three faces so far, and one of them actually doesn't look like a joke! The only problem I've got now is that the chunk of soapstone I have is black, and I need some lighter colours to work with. Anyone know where I can get some square-inch sized soapstone chips, preferably in a variety of colours? And/or, what stone is soft like soapstone, but comes in light colours- and where can I get that???

Frozen moon

So, today at work friend Helen mentions that tonight there will be a lunar eclipse. Very cool, and I make a mental note to Google it when I get home and check it out when it happens. Leave work, and stop on the way home to buy really good ice cream (fried ice cream flavour; highly recommended- and contrary to the Mom's claim, NOT a carb!). And thus, mind clouded by ice creamy goodness, all mental notes, moon related or otherwise, are thoroughly forgotten.
Until the Mom text messages me, and alerts me to the celestial awesomeness that I am missing. Happy to have been reminded (and not wanting to miss this very cool event), I run to pull on boots, and then wander around my balcony, looking for the moon (cause I'm not one of those who keeps track of where it's supposed to be). I finally find it- if I stand right at the corner of the balcony, face the building, and crank my head back I can see the moon over the edge of the roof. And it's almost totally this ruddy brown colour, with this sliver of white at the edge, and I'm thinking, 'cool, I came at the best part'.
So I stand, in boots and jeans and a turtleneck, with my arms wrapped around myself, waiting for this eclipse to progress. And it's taking a while, so I reach in and grab a blanket off my bed to wrap around me, but standing outside on my balcony at 11 at night in February is redonculously cold even with a blanket, and I'm thinking 'come on, how long does this thing freaking take?'.
I call the Mom to let her know that I'm not missing the event, and my teeth are chattering as I talk to her, and when she realizes I'm standing out there freezing and staring at the moon, she chagrins me with the information that the stupid eclipse will take several hours, actually started at 5pm, and won't be done until several hours from now.
I'm an idiot. A frozen idiot. And one with no intention of staying up to see an eclipse that is taking its sweet time. I'm putting my frozen butt to bed- the moon can do whatever it wants.

Happy Birthday to Me...

So, it's my birthday for another 51 minutes, and I should really be heading to Somniaville, but instead I'm going to write.
I had a good birthday. The day started out a little rough, with mountains of snow (especially along all the sidewalks between home and work) thanks to yet another large snowstorm yesterday. Which resulted in cold wet socks all morning in the office. But the day only went up from there, with friends taking me out to Mongolian Grill for lunch, much accomplished at the office by end of day, Hugh making me Pad thai from scratch for dinner, and then individual little cakes, and then watching Across the Universe (quickly making it's way onto my list of favourite movies) with Hugh. It was a damn good night. And also, I started a good new book; Neverwhere, by Gaiman. Damn, can that guy write a story!
Speaking of, I'm back on the lit train myself, quill in hand. There is a short story assignment for book club that I fully intend to pen (long story how we got there, but the gist is we each have to write a story titled 'The Dirty Minister'), and also, I've got some ideas of my own flowing. We'll see if anything comes of that.
Also, I've got some sketches in my head that I think I might take a shot at getting onto paper, despite well-proven facts regarding my lack of prowess when it comes to sketching. What can I say, it's a creative time for me I guess. Next thing you know I'll be sounding out my first symphony on the back of restaurant napkins, and hiring actors for my one-woman film debut.
But until the premier, I'm going to be a recluse. In my bed. Cause it's calling.
I shouldn't have taken the time to write this- I'm overtired, and it's showing. This makes no sense. Happy Birthday to Me.

Apparently Mother Nature reads my blog

So, I wrote last time complaining about the cold without the benefit of any pretty snow, the ground being all bare and ugly.
And the next day it snows! And snows and snows, until they close the office early and we all get to go home. Hooray! (Not to mention my performance review gets put off till Monday. Yay! But it went fine, when it happened.)
And then yesterday (less than a week later), it snows again! And snows, and snows, until they close the office and everyone obediently leaves. Hooray!
At this rate, it's going to become a weekly event.
Well, thanks M.N., but this is plenty, really. I have some plans for my birthday next week, and it would be good if the city wasn't at a standstill for them.

Big plans for this weekend; I'm finally getting around to the lasagna day with the brother, and then it's Laur's birthday, so we're dining out Sunday night (locale undecided). I was talking to her last night, and we've also decided to do a long weekend in New York, but that's not until May. Still, we're very excited. Lauren wants to do cheesy tourist things, and I can't see anything wrong with that. I have to make a list of where to go and what to see!

And planning for Britain continues. Dates have been suggested, and as soon as England Aunt confirms, a flight will be booked (a flight! It's really real!). And Mom's taken over the Mexico research, but she's keeping me posted. At this rate, I'm thinking about so many vacation spots, I'm starting to feel like a travel agent.

Anyways, I gotta get to work. Have a good day, all!

Anyplace in the world is warmer than here

It is obscenely cold outside, and today I suffered the indignity of being made to go outside in that twice, first to work, then back home again. There isn't even any snow on the ground to make the cold worth it, there's just freezing blowingness that stings. And no snow means no hope for a snowday of any kind. I vote we institute Cold Days, when work is called off so you can stay home and cozy, hopefully with fuzzy socks on your feet and a blanket around your shoulders. It would do wonders for morale.
Another thing that would help with morale would be to not have performance reviews. Mine's on Friday and I don't want it. I really wish this was the sort of thing I could opt-out of. Just let me keep my head down, do my work, and pay me, and everyone will be happy.
Anyways, because of the review coming up, and the cold, my day (which wasn't terrible to start with), didn't leave me feeling stellar, so I stopped at the store and splurged (perversely) on ice cream.
But there are good points. The Mom is talking about going to Mexico, and now that I have my vacation planner for this year, I can start really planning my Britain trip. I'm not really sure how I'm going to make both of those work, but I'm gonna try. Besides, planning for them both is FUN! I researched Mexico (cause I know NOTHING about it), and have floated the idea of going to the Yucatan to the Mom and brother. I like the beaches and the archaeological sites nearby, I think the Mom agrees, and when I looked up 'Yucatan' on wikipedia, it said this:
"Queso Relleno is a "gourmet" dish featuring ground pork inside of a carved edam cheese ball served with tomato sauce"...which I used to get the brother interested. Do I know how to spark his interest, or what? More foods should be cooked inside of hollowed-out cheese balls.
Anyways, I gotta go draft an email to England Aunt...and research England, and Ireland. WOO HOO, I'm finally breaking the chains North America has had on me! Escaping to the big blue!

Playing Nigella

So, a couple of weeks got in my way, and even though I found some time to draft a blog, I forgot to post it, so here is it, a little delayed.

Last weekend I took home work from the office (again) and buried myself in that. I had planned to have a couple of friends over on Wednesday (I had a recipe I wanted to try), so I was looking forward to that, but I figured I had enough time in the evenings Monday and Tuesday after work to prepare for that.
Then Lauren called, and said she’s coming into the city on Wednesday. Yay!
Yay, but it means a change of plans. Okay, so move the dinner to Tuesday, and make Monday the one day that I have to go grocery shopping, start cooking, clean the entire apartment, wash the sheets for the pullout couch, and do more work I’ve brought home from the office. Go to bed very late.
Tuesday rolls around and I make it through the workday, then friends come over and rave about my Nigella Lawson skills, and we eat and watch DVD’s and talk and it’s all good, and at the end of it I’m full and happy and very tired. But the house needs tidying, cause I’ve got more company coming the next day, so I clean a bit…and go to bed very late.
Wednesday is not a great day at the office, but I’m looking forward to Laur being there after work, so I get through it, and meet Lauren, and there is talk about going out, but she knows what it’s like the Wednesday of a busy work week, so we decide to be lazy and stay in and order thai food. We talk a lot and it’s great. But we also talk very long, and I go to bed very very late.
Thursday I slog though work, meet Laur briefly afterward, before she jets off to her next destination, and I grab some quick dinner, and then sit down in front of the computer, to finally blog like I’ve been meaning to. That was at 6:30pm.
At 7:05pm I woke up, curled up in my desk chair (which is NOT a comfortable way to nap), and decide that instead of blogging or beading or any of the other things I’ve had in mind to do this one evening to myself this week…I’d rather just climb in bed, and watch TV.

And that was great.

2008's already got me spun...

First, the back story. I haven't blogged for months because, every time I've been at a computer (for months), I've been working...even at home. The office has gotten incredibly busy, there aren't enough people to cover all the work to be done, and there isn't enough time in the day (workday or daylight) to fit everything in. So, I've been doing at the office what can only be done at the office, and taking home what I could do here. It sucks. I've been frustrated at how my work life has bled into my real life, frustrated that I'm always focused on/worrying about/making time for work, and add to that the fact that this is the most money-tight time of the year, and there is no such thing as overtime pay...let's wrap this up and say that I've been a little stressed lately. I've thought about blogging, but even when I had the time, it was hard to think about spending more time in front of the computer, even if it was for my own stuff.
But things are looking up. With some judicious sacrifices of my free time, I'm nearing the top of the 'to do list' mountain, and with the winter break behind me, I can pretty much breathe again. Workwise, anyway.
That's not to say I haven't had a life. Socially, November was beyond busy...it was actually a little nuts. Two thirds of the days of that month were taken up by something. Family visiting (that was great; our own mini family reunion- Aunt from England it was wonderful to see you), dinners with friends, pottery class (it's over now, but I had a blast; I will do that again, when it's financially viable), bead shows, farmer's market, gathering Hanukkah gifts for the Mom, book club friends getting married, the list goes on. By the time December rolled around, I was exhausted. I purposely kept my calendar pretty clear, having only the company holiday party (food was decent, music was sporadically okay, none of my friends won any prizes, and that night was the first big storm of the winter), and a couple of visits from friends to take up my time. The best part was that Lauren came home! Yep, my best friend is back in the country, and she came to visit, which was great. We haven't had much time to hang out yet, but I'm looking forward to when we can spend some real time just hanging out again, doing nothing. I miss nothing. With fake cheesecake.
Then the holidays (blessed time off!), and the Toronto branch of the family gathered for finger food and gifts and movies and games. It was a great night; we had a ton of fun, and I got home at 4am. Unfortunately, I was supposed to meet some friends at noon the next day, and totally forgot, but after one short phone call, and one quick dash to the bus, I made it downtown by one and we got to shop a little.
Christmas eve the Robins and I did the predictable Jewish thing and went out for Chinese food and a movie (Juno is awesome).
There was more to my winter break, but I'm skipping ahead to this past Sunday, when my friends half kidnapped me to Blue Mountain to go skiing. I haven't been skiing in, like, four years, but I had a great time (and paid for it the next day- ouch), and then NYE we went out for a great dinner and then hit up a med-student house party. Spent New year's day having brunch with the friends, and cleaning the apt.
Then came today.
Got to work ready for a busy day (everyone leaves for the national sales meeting tomorrow, so all the last-minute stuff had to be done by today), and instead started the day with a call from my bank letting me know that my account had been hacked and someone in Montreal withdrew all my $. Woo hoo. So I spent a very busy day running around the office, then rushed off to the bank after work, where they cut up my bank card. Yeah.
So, I came home, called the Mom for some venting, and then called the student loan office to get my payments put on hold rather than bounce one. While I was on the phone with the osap lady, the pizza I had in the oven turned into a cinder, and I spent five minutes with the osap lady on hold while I opened the patio door (letting the snow in), and waved a blanket at the smoke detector to make it stop screaming.
Got the finances triaged, salvaged enough of the pie for dinner, then thought I'd make a batch of cookies to make myself feel better and to take to work tomorrow (a little 'while the cats are away' celebration). So I'm getting out the ingredients and I can't find the brown sugar (and I know I have brown sugar), so I get the desk chair and climb up to look for it (yes, make fun of the short girl now, go ahead, ha...ha), and there's no brown sugar, but there is aluminum foil, and a whole unopened bag of peanut butter kisses, so I call that a win. Put away the cookie ingredients, and sit down to stuff my face with chocolate and peanut buttery goodness and finally blog again. The Mom said not to take today as an omen of the year to come, but it's hard not to.
But then, stolen money versus unexpected chocolate...I guess this year can go either way.

I'm always sick on Hallowe'en!

So, I haven't blogged in a while, and here's the reasons:
First, I had one hell of a busy week, which started out with a totally fun trip to St Lawrence Market, from which I came home laden with the most wonderful things, including veggies, prosciutto, balsamic mustard, pasta sauce, lavender, and various other lovely sundries.
Then I had one Sunday to get everything I needed for the next week done, because from the first minute of my Monday, there was no stopping for over a week. From book club to pottery class, birthdays and bridal showers, the only time I was at home that week was to sleep and shower.

I guess it's no wonder that the week after, I came down with a wicked cold. I tried to take it easier last week, and this past weekend I literally stayed in- didn't leave the apartment once- trying to get this virus dealt with and gone, but unfortunately things don't really work that way.
I'm getting better now, but it's been a struggle to find the right decongestant so I can keep functioning at the office (mom keeps telling me to take a day off, but I'm too stubborn for that).

So, that's where I am now, though I'm in the middle of another busy week at the moment, having spent Monday evening with my aunt Laura, pottery class again, dinner with some of my girls tonight, and a mini family reunion this weekend. Add on to that the continued busyness of my job, and things are a little stressed- right now I should not be blogging, I have work I've brought home that I should be working on. But, I wanted to check in before I disappear again. I'll try to blog again this weekend, after seeing the fam. Until then, I wish you all a Happy Hallowe'en, and I'll finish with a joke I got off of a piece of Hallowe'en candy at the office today:

Which is faster, hot or cold?
Hot, of course, anyone can catch a cold!

Ha ha ha...seriously, I wish you all good health (at least, better than mine, lately!)

Anonymity restored

Wanna know what I just did? I just spent an hour going through old blogs to change a name. Happy little brother???

Effectively kuglish

So, thanksgiving was this past weekend, and the brother and I made our own turkey dinner with all the usual trimmings on our own for the first time (with Mom's help in printed-out-email form). It went rather well, I think- the turkey was moist and not pink in the middle, the stuffing tasted the way I like, and the kugle was effectively kuglish. Extra kudos to the bro for choosing brussel sprouts (good call), volunteering his kitchen, and running out for last minute supplies.
Other than the fact that it was 33 degrees on Monday (and after watching An Inconvenient Truth with him, that was doubly as uncomfortable than it would normally be), it was a great weekend.
The week, though, has finally learned its manners and turned into a decent autumn- I even got to wear my orange sweater today. It went very well with my nails, which I had to cut off because of the pottery class I'm taking, and to make myself feel better about losing all my lovely long nails, I bought new nail polish and painted them dark chocolate brown, and that made me very happy.
And I voted today, the way I wanted to, which wasn't actually the smart way (as Lauren says, some people say there are only two parties in Canada, and it's better to vote for the one you dislike least), but I can't do that. As I told her, I'd rather cast my vote into the obscurity I approve of than give the little power I have to someone I don't truly believe in. And that's all I have to say about that.
After voting, I stopped at the grocery store to grab ingredients to make my own Asian Chicken Soup (recipe to follow), and Colin Mochrie was in my grocery store (click the title of this entry if you don't know who he is). He smiled at me, and that was kind of cool, but then I had to walk home in the rain, and my hair got all puffy, and then I made soup.

Bethany's Loaded Asian Chicken Soup

2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
tons of chicken broth (I used about 11 cups, plus one of water)
ginger
garlic
sesame oil
soy sauce
green onions
red pepper
bok choy (I used baby)
sugar snap peas (or snow peas)
bamboo shoots
water chestnuts
carrots
mushrooms

Cook the chicken in the sesame oil and soy sauce until it's not pink in the middle (duh), while you gently boil the broth and water with the ginger and garlic (don't cut up the cloves or ginger chunks, so you can take them out later). Cool the chicken while you cut up all the veg. Put the veg in the soup and simmer it while you cut the chicken. Add the chicken and taste the broth, adjusting it as necessary (ie., add salt, soy sauce, lemon or lime juice, red pepper flakes for some kick...whatever you think it could use). Enjoy!

P.S. I found a blog you should go to. It's http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

The continued piled-on-edness of my days

I’ve been having a pretty good week. Last week was tough; work really got me down, I was having some serious issues with my job, and then someone gave me a reason to really question whether I wanted to stay in my job (yes, I’m being deliberately vague). But this weekend was particularly effective for stress relief, as Kev came into town and spent a couple of days hanging out with Hugh and I, and as it was Hugh’s birthday, we went out Saturday night with him and his med-student crowd and had a great time. By Sunday I was calm once more, thinking a lot more clearly, and knew that I couldn’t leave my job just yet. I still have stuff to do there.
Which is even more true this week, as my long-term projects list continues to grow, making my to-do list (which usually covers a couple of days at a time) huge- right now I know what I’m doing at work well into the new year.
But, despite the continued piled-on-edness of my days, the week’s been good. I’m taking a pottery class with a friend that started on Tuesday, and I’m so excited about it. The class is all female, and not heavily octogenarian, which I’d worried about. The teacher seems to know his stuff (he’s maybe a little rambly, but that’s okay), and the class has great supplies to work with, which is good, because all my experience comes from high school, where we had all of three glazes to work with (unimpressive). This class has more slips and glazes and other things that I’d never heard of than I can count, and it makes me super excited to get my hands into the mud. The first class, I make a set of sake cups. Regardless of the fact that I don’t drink sake.
And I’m totally looking forward to this weekend. The brother and I are going to try and do our own Thanksgiving (wish us luck), and then Sunday we’re hanging out with the Robins, who are moving into yet another new temporary place on Friday. And Monday I think I’m being made to groom Eggroll (the brother’s dog), since I stupidly did a really good job on him last time, and now the brother has decided that I’m going to be the one to do that from now on. Oh well- I have yet to tell him what I charge!

Go to bed

Just a quick post, as it is actually too late for me to still be out of bed, let alone on the internet and blogging- I have work tomorrow (which hasn't been going well lately, so I really should be getting my rest so I can put in a good showing tomorrow, but hey, tomorrow's going to suck no matter how well rested I am, so I might as well do whatever I want before bed). I am certainly tired enough to sleep now; there's a new girl at work and today we went to the gym together. It was the first time I've ever worked out with someone else, and it went okay (which kind of surprised me). But we were there for longer than I usually go, and we did more than I usually cover in one visit, so I'm tired and a little sore.
Nothing else is new- this weekend I have to scout out a locale for next weeks' book club meeting- I need a nice restaurant, not very expensive, where a group of seven or more people can sit and discuss for a long time, comfortably and without screaming, in the Y & E area. Anyone with suggestions, please write in.
Oh, and of course, this weekend is also Hugh's birthday, and though plans are still up in the air, at least I know we'll be doing something, with Kev who is coming into town, and with the docs, so that should be fun.
Now, I'm going to be good and get to bed. Goodnight, people.

Hoarded topics

I hoard up topics to write about here, gathering them like Easter eggs, and then when I go to write them, I feel like I don’t do them justice; a quick mention to things that I thought I had a lot to say about. (Forgive the atrociousness of that grammar- I’m going a little stream of consciousness, here.) Combine this with the fact that a) the last time I blogged I was on the other side of the country, and totally meant to blog again while I was there, and b) this past weekend I got burned by my cousin for not blogging enough (and here I was thinking no one was reading!), and this all adds up to another of my resolutions to blog more often. Not sure when I’ll find the time to do that- work is stressful and busy and exhausting, I have book club and dinners out with friends, I signed up for a pottery class that starts in a few weeks, and since my return from the coast, I’ve renewed my efforts at the gym, and am there twice a week (at least- yay me).
So, lets work backwards, shall we? This past weekend was the Queen’s West Art Crawl, which featured none other than my cousin Mark (please refer to his comment left on the previous post to this one). I was duly impressed that one of the artist in our family (and there are more than you’d expect) was not only showing but successfully selling their art (to my knowledge, he is the first to have done so, though my cousin Steven may have done that already- but if he did I don’t know about it). But beyond the impressive public quality of showing his pictures, it was great just to see his work- his work is varied, and (being totally honest) I love some of it and appreciate all of it. Some of his pictures are very geometric, almost to the point of being mathematical; very Mark, but it doesn’t wring the emotional pull in me that I get in a piece of art that really gets me (I would never say something as cheesy and clichéed as ‘moves me’). Transfiguration I is without a doubt my favourite. I’d seen it on his web page (I’m adding the link to my blog, if I can wrap my head around the necessary HTML), and liked it then, but at the show (which was outside, in a park, on a gorgeous cold day- autumn is here!) he had a large blow-up of it, which made the impact that the image on the computer screen could not.
After the park, we (myself, the brother, the brother’s roommate, and the Robins, that is), grabbed dinner at the Green Mango (yum), then went to see the Beatles music movie, Across the Universe, which I’ve decided I very much liked- and poo on the critics who said it was bad.
Last weekend was actually the second time I’ve seen the Robs since BC- the brother and I get together with them fairly regularly, now, which is great. I like to think we’re expanding each others' horizons- they introduced me to Dim Sum, my brother is now addicted to the Green Mango, and the weekend before last, when Robin insisted we go to Sugar Mountain (bulk candy palace), I bought Every-Flavour Beans, and everybody tried them. (For you few unfortunates who are yet to be indoctrinated into the Harry Potter universe, this is a candy which is featured in the books; jelly beans in every flavour, and they mean every flavour.) Of the gross ones, the brother ate a dirt flavoured one (and others, though I don’t remember what they were), and I tried booger, ear wax, earthworm, and grass willingly. I also had sardine, but that one was an accident, as I thought it was butter popcorn flavour. Grass I found to be not unpleasant. Aunt Robin disagreed. Steven smirked as he chewed on an earthworm bean, claimed it was good, but when pressed, admitted it was disgusting. Robin was the bravest, having tried one of the vomit flavoured beans, so hats off to him. It was more than I was willing to do!
How was the last of my BC trip, you ask? It was amazing, in all ways. Mom and I took a road trip (with many stops) to Tofino, which also explains the lack of blogging for the rest of the trip. Cathedral grove was amazing, though Mom and I agreed that we wanted all the other tourists to go away, so we could be tourists there alone. It was restful, except the part where Mom almost fell into a wide, shallow stream, and a group of guys (male bonding tourists) made a plethora of jokes at us. Then we got to Tofino, which was a quiet, sleepy little town…with nowhere to sleep. Meh. We made our own way, found respite at an ironically named restaurant (Shelter), slept in the car, and were caught by neither cops nor bears. How very adventurous of us; it was a terribly bohemian thing to do.
The next day we got a hotel room first thing, crashed for a few hours, then went whale watching (orcas, a grey and a humpback whale), nature watching (baby bear, eagles, sea otters), and hit the hot springs (a highlight of the trip- if you’re ever there, stake out the last section, where the hot springs flow out into the ocean, and the ocean waves come in…waves of hot and cold…soooo good!)
By the time we got home we were happy but exhausted, so cancelled Salt Spring Island (something to do next time) in favour of Buchart (gorgeous but busy), and then I flew home. I had a great trip, and it was good to see Her. I really must go out there again, though my next trip isn’t planned until Christmas 2008- urgh. Oh well; I have England to save up for before that!

Busy summer

Okay, so it's been way too long since I blogged, so I figure a quick catch-up is in order before I really get rolling.
July was Harry Potter month, in all it's glory. The movie came out on the 11th, and believe it or not, I wasn't lined up at the theatre at midnight to see it. Hugh was in the middle of his last med school rotation of the year (and therefore way too busy to go to the movies with me), Lauren's in Australia (back from Thailand, but still not close enough to go to the movies with), Mom's in BC, the brother would just laugh at the mere suggestion...you get the gist. Anyways, the book club had planned to see the movie on the 21st, so I figured I could wait. That didn't last, though, since both my cousin and I get off work early on Fridays, so he called me and we went to see it on the 13th, then met my other cousin for dinner. So, that was the first time I saw the movie.
Then I saw it, as planned, with the book club, on the night that the book came out. There's a huge theatre next to an Indigo downtown, so we went to see the movie (in Imax 3D - awesome), and then went next door to line up for the book. It was a great night.
Anyways, I got the book and read that night...and the next day...and the next day...and had it finished by Sunday at about 3pm (I took my time). I loved it, though the ridiculous epilogue was, well, ridiculous. Meh.
And then the next week, Hugh was finally done with that rotation, so we went to see the movie. Yes, I saw it three times. Yes, it's that good.
And then I had one solid week of craziness at the office, getting ready for the Summer Sales Meeting in Collingwood, and spent the weekend packing for two back-to-back trips. Last week was Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood for the SSM (informative, hard work, interesting but exhausting), and I got home from it on Friday around 4pm; about 12 hours prior to when I'd leave again to go to Victoria for a week to visit Mom.
...and now you're caught up, and here I am, in BC! My flight left at 7am and landed at 930am, which was pretty good for a six hour flight (time change trips me out). Mom picked me up from the airport, though not my luggage, as that was, apparently, left in Vancouver. So instead of going straight to Victoria, Mom and I bummed around the town the airport is in (don't remember the name right now; I was REALLY tired), did some shopping, went into a bakery and went a little nuts, and then had lunch at a Swiss bistro- yum. Then we checked the airport (still no luggage), and drove back to Victoria, where we did some sightseeing by driving around, since my energy level was in the negatives. Oh, but we did stop at the marina, where there are seals, and I fed them- very cool. Then, after running some errands, and looking at furniture cause Mom is still decorating her place, we went back to Mom's house, which is really nice. I met her cat, and the airport delivered my luggage, and then Mom made me spaghetti, and all of that was great.
Yesterday was pouring rain in the morning, so we tried to go to the Museum, but it was crazy packed, and we didn't want to spend the day in a lineup, so we did the museum gift shop and then left, and by then the rain had stopped. We went through the Empress hotel, and the Dragon boat festival, and shopping downtown. We did Mexican for dinner.
Today, Mom has to work, so I'm going to walk downtown and hit the bead shops (because I need beads, and also cause I'm hippie-hunting), and maybe the Museum too cause it won't be busy now, then Mom and Jerry will meet me downtown after work and we'll do dinner (probably Thai). Can't wait.
Anyways, that's long enough I think. I'll write more later; I'm using my blog as a travel diary.

Motorcycles and leeks

I had the best weekend!
The weather was a little cooler, which was a nice break from the constant, unleavened heat of the past few weeks. I met Hugh for lunch after work on Friday (summer hours at the office means I get off work at 1230 on Fridays), and we decided to eschew our movie-going plans in favour of a concert that was happening north of the GTA. We took Hugh's motorcycle! I love the ride up (it stopped being scary after just a couple of minutes). Yeah, I'm awesome. The concert was great- good music, kind of small townish (it reminded me of Bayfest back in the Sarn), good food, and, for some reason, apparently every cop in the greater York region. We think they were trying to justify their budget or something. They even did a fly-by with a helicopter. There were like, 200 people there; I've seen bigger weddings, seriously.
Everything about the night was great, except it got kinda chilly once the sun went down, and since Hugh and I had to take the bike all the way back, we left early, before it could get even colder. And, as fun as the bike was on the way there, it was not as fun on the way back. See, you can't wear glasses with a motorcycle helmet, and while I can see okay in daylight without my glasses on (things are fuzzy, but I can still tell what I'm looking at), this is not the case at night. At night, without my glasses, I am much closer to blind. This makes for an uncomfortable ride on a bike. Regardless to say, as fun as the day was, I was happy to get home.
Saturday I met up with an old friend (like, from elementary school), who is living in the city for the summer. We had a great time; we met up at St. Lawrence Market, where I learned that I cannot go to a market and not buy something. So I ended up with something random (leeks) hat I'd never cooked before and had no idea what to do with. Then we went out for lunch, talked for several hours, and agreed that we'd have to see each other again, soon.
Sunday I did domestic things, including making Mushroom and Leek risotto (had to do something with those leeks) that turned out awesome.
I'm terribly pleased with how my weekend turned out- now, if only the week will follow this trend.

Good times

It's annoying; I sit on the bus, or at my desk at work, or somewhere, and I think of blogs I want to write, or emails to family or Lauren, and then when I'm home there's always some other thing to do that steals my attention away, like the beading project I'm thisclose to finishing, or the chores I have to do or the books I'm reading or whatever. Suffice it to say that when I'm not writing, I'm often thinking about it. Which isn't much good to you, I understand, but there that is, nevertheless.
I've had a busy month. I've spent a lot of time out with friends, like movies and shopping with the girls from work, and book club, and dinners, and nights out with Hugh and his medschool entourage. I made a new friend in Hugh's roommate's girlfriend, and tonight I was out at a restaurant/lounge downtown to celebrate Andrew (from book club)'s birthday. There were about twenty people there, and when the night started, I knew four of them. It was interesting, meeting all those people from different parts of this one friend's life. Kind of mindboggling to think of the networks of people you're linked to by association (like if everyone got together twenty of their own friends, how huge that group would get, fast). It's a little pyramid-schemey to think about, but it also makes that 'nine degrees of separation' thing seem infinitely plausible.
I'm being weird.
Tonight was fun, though one of the best parts of the night was complaining about the restaurant in the car on the way home. The places downtown are largely like this one was; badly verbose prose-y menu that's trying too hard to be snooty, overpriced food whose quantity and caliber is not worth the cash you lay down for it, unaccommodating wait staff that aren't worth the gratuity you're strapped to cause they included it on the bill, and as soon as 10pm hits, the music gets jacked up so loud you can't hear yourself scream, and suddenly the place is 'standing room only' and the entryway is clogged with a cloud of smokers who are loitering out front, having conversations with their girlfriends and gesturing wildly with lit cigarettes in their hands. We had fun joking about how fun it would be to get lit on fire on the way out of the restaurant, too.
Not to mention, as soon as you go downtown, everyone is nuts. Walking to the restaurant (in daylight), some guy growled as me from the bushes beside the sidewalk. Full-on snarled. I would have been scared except there was another group of guys right beside at the time. Consequently, as I passed said group of guys, one of them asked me to rate one of his friends' ass. I gave him a six. I told you, everyone downtown is crazy.
Helped Mom pick out a couch today, made possible despite distance by cellphone and Internet at once. It was fun, and she likes that we've found a way to make it possible for me to help her shop. I'm looking forward to being there in August. Actually, that's where a lot of my focus is going these days. I'm making plans and trying to get things organized. It's still a ways away, and a trip like this really doesn't take much planning anyway, but I think I'm getting the jones to get out of the city again, and that's why I'm focusing so hard on this BC trip. I've found that while I like Toronto, it's good to get out of the city periodically; it keeps you sane. I would try and find a weekend to go to Orangeville, except Kev's pretty busy these days. This weekend he's off camping, and kiteboarding with Mark. I hope they're having fun- it's a great weekend for it, nothing but clear, warm weather for weeks now. I would have gone with them except I've put myself on a $ spending diet for the moment. Irregardless that the act that brought on this sudden urge for me to clamp down on the wallet was the splurgey, somewhat extravagant purchase of a gorgeous, wonderful, had-to-have-it Matt&Nat bag. We'll also ignore the fact that it's my second M&N bag bought in as many months. No more!
Anyways, tomorrow is another minor errands and cleaning day. It's annoying how much stuff you need to do when you're on your own, just to keep everything going. Like, when I was living with Mom, she did most of the grocery shopping, and I'd do most of the laundry, and we kind of shared the cleaning (I'm taking poetic licence here, Mom). But on your own, you have to do it all; the shopping, the cleaning, the laundry...everything. It's friggin tiring, man!
Anyways, as always, there's more to say, about how Laur's doing- she's in Thailand, now- and dinners and Cranium tournaments with Steven and the brother and the Robins (I've created a set of monsters, I swear), and about how the brother is doing (redid his kitchen counter, promptly ruined it, then fixed it and now everything's cool)...but I have neither the energy nor the time. I'm going to go have a peanut butter sandwich, to fill me up after that $20 undressed salad I got downtown, then watch IronChef and head to bed. Good times.

Happy Victoria Day!

I'm sitting in my apartment watching the tree line off my balcony, where I can see no less than seven sets of fireworks going off. Most are pretty far away, given, but still- this is a pretty sweet deal I've got here.
I had a great weekend. Got off work early on Friday, went shopping. Most of Saturday was spent cleaning my apartment, then the brother came over (with Eggroll) and we went grocery shopping (nice to have some help carrying everything home). Then I made dinner - the last of Mom's spaghetti sauce. He stayed over at my place for a few days, despite the fact that I had a date with my friends and left for most of Saturday. We went to the zoo- always a great time- and then out for Japanese food (yum).
Meanwhile, my brother was very, very productive on my behalf this week (big thanks, bro). He put stuff in my storage locker that had been taking up valuable closet space, he put up my curtain rod, he put shelves up in my bathroom, he built me a floating bedside table, and he WD-40'd every moving item in my apartment.
And, he left me with homework. Apparently, I'm now assigned the following tasks: to sort through my books and dispense those which are not needed, to buy wood filler and finish the shelf he built, to get rid of the two VCR's I'd been storing, with their accompanying VHS tapes (obsolete), buy fabric for that curtain rod I mentioned, and talk to my super about getting new closet doors, a new stove, and whether I'm allowed to have a barbecue on my balcony. Also, I need to buy soil and pot plants and re-pot the Jasmine tree and the Phil cuttings I took. Whew.
But in the meantime, I'm just gonna go chill on the deck and watch the pretty lights go off.
Hope you all had a good May 2-4!

Me in the Sea

Ignore this- I just wanted to get myself a profile picture.

Things are coming together

Today was a long, standing-water kind of day.
A lot of days this week have been like that (at work, at least). But, things are good, too. Like my apartment. Last weekend Ikea finally got my bookcase in, and Robin (to whom I owe a HUGE debt for this) helped me go get it. It took a little maneuvering, but eventually, he and I got it in the car. We picked up my brother, and after dropping the box at my place, we went to the Robins', along with my favourite boardgame, Cranium, which I had promised them all would be the best game they'd ever played.
Thankfully, they had no reason to call me a liar. In fact, I think I've created a monster...or three.
The plan had been to have dinner, play the game, head home. Simple. Neat.
Reality saw us laughing till we cried, yelling challenges, making one hell of a bloody mess, and finally crashing after dinner and four very long games of Cranium, around 4am. Then a game at breakfast. Then a game before dinner, after visiting Aunt Rose (she's doing well, btw; we took her out in the sun, it was a gorgeous day). Another game after dinner. I got home just in time for bed, more than 24 hours after first heading out. See what I mean about monsters?
Anyways, bookclub on Monday, which was great, but would have been greater if I'd remembered my umbrella (wet slacks suck). Tuesday I FINALLY found time to take my bookcase out of the box and knock it together. And it's PERFECT. I love it, totally. My place is clean, it has some vague notion of style...I'm finally starting to feel like this is 'the place I live', not just 'a place I'm staying', if you know what I mean. I feel like a grown up.
It feels good.

Winter's colouring outside the lines

I’m actually quite a big fan of winter. I love layering clothes, I like hot chocolate, I even have a necklace with a snowflake on it. But I don’t like it when winter colours outside the lines. In Toronto this year, Easter weekend was colder than Christmas. That’s colouring outside the lines, and I am greatly unimpressed.
This weekend was supposed to be putting the winter coat in storage, let the cats out on the balcony, wash the windows, change to canvas shoes weekend. Not bundle up in your thickest sweater, where did that glove go, what do you mean I’m out of milk I’m not going out into that weather again weekend! It sucked. No one was around, I was dogsitting for the brother, and it snowed, off and on, for all three pointless days of my weekend. I did go shopping, though it wasn’t nearly as pleasant as I wanted it to be. I wanted to wander up Yonge street and investigate the shops there (my main goal was Ten Thousand Villages). Instead, I took a bus straight there cause it was too cold to walk. And when I got there, they didn’t have what I wanted! Now, that doesn’t mean I went home empty handed; I bought a cute little grey stone box that is perfect for the thumbtacks I need for my bulletin board. And the prices there are better than I remembered. But I wanted a mortar and pestle (I’ve wanted one forever), and they had two, but they were both made out of rose-coloured stone, and I don’t do pink. I’ll go back there again when they get more stock.
I know, it’s a little weird, why do I want a mortar and pestle? In my brain, cooking will be more fun that way. It makes putting spices together like potion-making! Also, I have this idea in my head that I want to create some new kinds of cookies and things (ideas nipping me in the heels are Red Chili Pepper White Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Key Lime Blondies with Cream Cheese Icing), and for that, I need a mortar and pestle. I’m going to create my cookies, and if they turn out, I’ll pass on the recipes.
What else is going on? I spent five days in Niagara-on-the-Lake on business, though I did manage to come home with Greaves jam (yum).
I went to Pesach dinner at the Robin’s, which was REALLY good, though a little embarrassing, cause when it comes to Jewish customs and well, basic knowledge, I’m a bit of a dough head. We’re blaming my mother. Maybe I can find myself a book; “Judaism for Dummies”.
I’ve been talking to Laur a bit more now that she’s settled in her classes in Oz. She sounds like she’s having an incredible time, and she’s been accepted to a placement in Thailand! I’m so freaking jealous. I’m seriously thinking of going to teachers college just so I can do something like that (jk, it would be cool, but I’m much more likely just to save up or hope to win the lottery and go on my own). But it does sound amazing. I emailed Mom to email Jerry to suggest some places where Laur should visit. I can’t wait for more pictures (hint hint).
And speaking of pictures, I just printed off a pile of mine from Florida, and others’ from various places, and have put them up in my apartment. It’s not done yet, but it’s getting there. One conspicuously missing piece is that #%#$& bookcase I’ve been wanting forever. I’m not sure I’ve mentioned it, but there’s a bookcase from Ikea I’ve wanted forever, but alas, as I’m carless, it’s really hard to get it to me. Well, last week my dear, generous, helpful friend Emily offered to take me there in her pretty and very blue car, and after much shoe shopping, we made it, only to find them…tragically out of stock. I was shocked speechless, caught between hilarity, tears, and a full-blown tantrum worthy of a two year old. Ever since, I’ve been checking the online stock availability every day, and as soon as it shows up…well, I’m not sure what I’ll do, but if you spy me walking down the street with a large box strapped to my back, you’ll know why!

Jealous?

Okay, so I had a post that I wrote a couple of days ago, but for some reason this computer refused to publish it for me, and I got frustrated and walked away from it, so that's my explanation for the long silence. My post was short, just a quick update on how busy I've been having fun down here, doing a ton of stuff like kayaking, hiking, boating, bike riding, shopping, eating, fishing and more. We've been out in the gorgeous sun every day and my skin has lost that mid-Canadian-winter pallor, and I think I've also successfully undone the month-and-a-half's gym time I've put in so far (the food here is amazing, and the fam reunion has always been a time for indulgence- it just usually only goes on for a couple of days).
Though, believe it or not, I'm not totally horrified at the idea of going home. Don't get me wrong- I love this place, and my aunt's condo is fantastic (with many, many thanks to her for letting me stay here), and spending time with Mom again is great- but I'm also starting to miss my own bed, my own computer, my cats and my apartment, not to mention my friends.
Things I'm not missing? Keeping track of days (I know it's Wednesday, and I know March starts soon, but I get a little fuzzy if you ask me for anything more specific than that), the slushy streets, the salt-stained pant legs, and lugging home large heavy groceries like cat food and pop in -20 degree weather.
As for now, I'm going to leave the soft glow of the computer screen...to go lie beside the pool.

In Florida

I'm here! It's wonderful!

My S.O.L vacation

Okay, so yesterday I meet the brother at the bus station, because we're taking a bus to get to the airport to catch a plane to Florida for a sweet sweet two-week vacation in the sun.
I say to him, "Happy vacation!", and he says to me "My vacation doesn't start until I get to my destination; everything up until then is just a hassle."
My brother is a wise, wise man.
So, we get to the airport and meet my Aunt, with whom we're checking in, in hopes of getting seats together on the plane.
Well, she got a seat, at least.
Did you know that Air Canada purposely overbooks their flights? See, there's this 10% chance that people won't show up, so they overbook in order to ensure that the planes are always filled. But if everyone shows up for their flight, then someone is S.O.L.
Guess who?
So, then the customer service people (my aunt has flown away by this time), plan to send us to Fort Lauderdale that night. The plane would get in at midnight, so the bro makes them confirm that we'll have a hotel room for the night.
Smart move- Fort Lauderdale is having a boat show and there are no hotel rooms to be had.
So, we end up at the Airport Hilton in Mississauga on Air Canada's dollar, and we're flying out today, a day late.
We're tired, we're annoyed, the brother is sick (and I'm doing my best not to catch it), and unlike us, our luggage made it to Florida- so we've got nothing with us. No toiletries, no changes of clothes...
I know my last two posts were titled 'Florida can't come soon enough'. Well, at this point, it's overdue.

Florida isn't soon enough!

So tired. So happy.
It's kind of crazy how crazy things have been (and continue to be). Tonight I was at book club (a total indulgence, especially seeing as how I didn't read the book for this week). I (finally!) got to see Catherine's place (bachelor apt, smaller than mine, but somehow less cluttered), and she made us some awesome carrot soup, and we fried up perogies and potstickers to go with it (a random mix, to be sure, but it was goo-ood!) Then they made me hide in the bathroom while they got my birthday cake ready. Andrew treated us all to ice wine, and we had a great time together.
Yesterday (I've decided to work backwards) I went out for dinner with Hugh and Kevin- it was wonderful to be out with my boys- and before that, in the afternoon, Hugh and I did the Science Centre. That morning Robin made me his fabulous brie omelet for breakfast, because I'd spent the night at the Robins' after watching Garden State with them.
And that is only the tip of the iceberg. Tomorrow I have dinner out with the work girls, then Wednesday Hugh is coming over for birthday stuff (he won't define that any better for me), and Thursday Cath and Mary are coming here (though they've promised not to hold it against me if I pack while they're around!) I've reserved Friday for pedicure and packing, and Saturday we leave! I am so excited, because it will be great to see Mom, and the whole family, but also that with life this crazy, and work right now is wild busy, I am so in need of a vacation!
I'm sorry I'm being so brief- there are other things to cover here, like all the stuff that's going on with Mom and my friends, and other stuff that I'm into, but I'm just so tired from it all that I need my bed. Goodnight until next time!

Florida can't some soon enough

I was very pleased when I found this apartment; I like the location, the layout, it's clean... I know that older buildings have their problems, but I like the thick concrete walls they have, too. And the rent was decent, and utilities were included, so I don't have to pay for water, or electricity, or heat. Sure, I don't have to pay for heat- yeah, right.
The whole back wall of my apartment is one big patio door and window. A very old window, with a metal frame...that lets so much wind in there might as well not be any glass in it. I was very proud when I realized this might cause a problem, so I went out and got one of those plastic film insulator kit thingies, and put it up all by myself.
But, see the thing is, with the wind blowing in through the cracks, the plastic would bow out, bloated-belly style. Last night it was so bad it almost knocked over my lamp before finally tearing off the tape that held it down. Combine that with the fact that the temp here has dropped in the last week (and is just going to keep on falling), and my place was more than a little frigid. I was online with Laur and Hugh, and it was hard to type. My bed is right under the window, so I made up the pullout and slept there, under every blanket I own, wearing my new yoga pants (thick sweatpants) and a huge fleece pullover I stole from Lauren a million years ago. And socks, and slippers.
First thing this morning (well, noon at least, when I could finally convince myself to crawl out from under the warm covers), I bundled up and walked to the hardware store, and bought $20 worth of duct tape, something called 'weather shield crack seal' (think grey silly putty for windows), and another plastic film kit. I brought it home, tore the remaining old plastic off my window, and pressed that grey plasticine into every side of the window. I even used kleenex in the big spaces. Then I got out the new plastic film kit, and put that up as well as I could.
And when I pressed down the last corner...the whole thing bowed out like a bloated belly, and tore off the tape that held it down. I was so frustrated I could have cried. My hands were freezing, I hate it when my nose is cold (and it is), and I'd just wasted more of my money. In a fit I tore into the duct tape I'd bought (as a last resort, cause duct tape is, first of all, ugly, and second, a man's way of solving a problem). I attacked the window, covered every edge completely, along with most of the sill. I *think* I might have finally got it all. Tomorrow I'll go get another plastic film insulator kit. In the meantime, excuse me- I have to go cover my patio door with duct tape. Brrr.

Busy weekends

Hi All,

I just got told by my friend Lauren, who has taken herself away to Australia for a year (in case I haven't mentioned it), for not blogging enough. Which, I admit, I was aware I was neglecting. With Mom in BC now and Lauren on the other side of the world, I really should be updating now more than ever, but life's been getting in my way.
It kind of surprises me, that I'm this busy. When I was living with Mom, most of the things I had planned for after work on a weekday had to do with what she and I were doing, having for dinner, or where we were shopping. I kind of expected, once she was gone, that my life would be even more quiet, more sedentary. It's not.
I joined a gym (urgh). A few weeks ago I would have thought that 'urgh' was an automatic inclusion- it had to be there- but now I hesitate to include it. Other than a rocky start (cause I wasn't prepared for bubbly gym personel to reveal themselves as used-car-salesmen in disguise), I'm actually not minding the gym. Enjoying it?...I don't think I'd go that far. But, it's definitely more okay than I expected it to be. I go at least twice a week (except for last week, when I didn't go at all cause I twisted my knee), and the only problem I'm having right now is that when I'm there I work hard, till I'm sweaty and gross and my muscles are all jelloey, but the next day I don't hurt, and if I'm working hard enough...well, shouldn't I? I talked this over with kev, who said I should do more reps with the same amount of weight, which I've been trying.
Speaking of which, I went to visit Kev a few weekends ago. The plan was to go up Friday after work, but he was working late (again; it sounds like work is really a bitch for him, lately), so I went up Saturday morning. One major reason for going was to get my tattoo touched up (by my very cute tattoo artist, Sean), which I did, and I must say, Sean does beautiful work. Then Kev and I bought food and rented movies, and then spent the rest of the weekend mostly asleep. It was a great recharge-of-batteries weekend, for both of us.
Which was great, cause work is crazy right now. I'm kind of the administrator for a huge division-wide projecty thing right now. It's not as impressive as that makes it sound- this is actually part of my regular duties- it's just a ton of work, and a big headache, and I hate having to tell higher-ups what to do, which is part of what it entails. You want me to direct people who are lower than me on the workforce totem? Sure. Co-work with a peer? No problem. Tell a superior what to do...that's what gives me pause. And sweaty palms. Never thought of myself as that authority-oriented, but there it is.
Last weekend (getting back to the list of things that have been taking up my time), I went with the brother to my aunt's house, for dinner and a movie. Me, her fiancee, her brother and mine got together, and while we only watched half the movie, we did scarf down a ton of thai food and talk for- no kidding- the whole night. Seriously; my aunt picked us up at 7pm and dropped me at home at 7am. It was awesome, and it makes me super pumped for Florida, which is my family reunion that is coming up. I love staying up late with my Mom and her sisters and cousins, talking for hours. Also, we're talking about going to the beach, and on a boat, and fishing and a bunch of other things that I cannot wait for. Not to mention that it will be right over my birthday, so for the first time since I was, like, 16, I get to have lobster for my birthday, which rocks (he he, 'Rock Lobster!'- Lauren is ROTF). Plus, Hugh was over tonight, and VERY KINDLY (can you tell I'm grateful?) agreed to come and take care of my cats while I'm away, which is awesome of him, and it means that I have nothing more to worry about!
Everything lately seems to focus on this trip- last week I bought and hung (all by myself!) a full-body mirror, so that I could take a look at the summer clothes I have to bring with me and figure out what I need to buy. I went to the mall today and had some capris hemmed and got my hair cut (I usually go to the cheapy places, cause my hair is way too basic to need that expensive treatment), but the place I wanted was full, so I went to check out the price of another place (and this one was a salon/spa place), and then faster than I could figure out what was going on, I was getting into one of those hair-resistant, armless raincoat getups they make you wear, and this nice fellow was washing my hair (with a head massage thrown in- amazing), and then this girl was clipping away, and it was a little more than I'm used to paying, but was still doable, and I'm pleased enough with the outcome that I think I'm going back there. Hugh even called my hair 'sexy', which was pretty cool to hear. And come to think of it, I spent the same amount on my hair as I did on my new sandals, so maybe that is okay after all (don't you love how I justify spending money by spending the same amount of money on other things? That logic totally works for me...)
Anyway, there's other things going on, but it's all litte stuff. My apartment is still making baby steps towards being 'complete'. I decided I hated the couch cover I bought, and am going to exchange it. This means I am overhauling my entire blue-and-brown design for my livingspace- yay shopping! I would be dropping the brown completely (I'm actually very into black-and-white right now), but I'm still in love with the giant brown pillows I got for the ugly couch, so the new design is to be green, with brown highlights. Next week I'm going to get the new bookcase that my TV is going to be going on, and then I need the new couch cover, and then a duvet with cover, new pillows, and throw blankets. This is going to be so much fun! The only hard part about it is fighting with myself to hold off doing any of it (much of it) before I go on my trip. I should be waiting until I get back, to make sure the $ works out okay...but you know what it's like- you want to have your place the way you want it, asap! Well, at least I have a plan.

Happy New Year, Everybody

Good morning. It's very early and I'm a little dopey, though not hung over and sick, like Hugh (yeah, just needed to razz him a bit for that).
Last night was great. The clique (Kev, Laur, Hugh and I) went out to the Keg, had drinks at the bar while we waited for our table (hour and a half wait; double what they old us it'd be) and then had the best meal.
Then we rushed off to Hugh's place, cause he was supposed to be having a party and he was already late.
The party was great; there were lots of sweets, drinks, and music...we watched the ball drop and played Guitar Hero, which some of the med students said ruined the party, but med students are cracked, cause Guitar Hero rocks.
I called both Mom and the brother at midnight, which is a little awkward now as my midnight happens at their 9pm. But I figured I'd rather not have them call me at THEIR midnight, so it was a preemptive strike, so to speak (though as it turned out the party was still going here when the west coast was celebrating, so they could have called after all).
As for the rest of the holidays? (I'll go chronologically backwards); Hugh and I and his friend Veronica (med student) went out pubbing then came home to watch Talladega Nights (which wasn't as excruciating as I'd expected).
Laura and I got together for dinner, which turned into dinner and shopping and a movie. We went to see Night at the Museum, which was fun- lots of laughs, though it was kid-friendly humour.
The Robins and I went out for dim sum (my first time doing dim sum, but damn, that was good!), and also shopping and a movie...so, basically I did what all Jews do over christmas; I watched movies and ate Chinese food.
It was good, though- a nice break from work and I've enjoyed the rest. Am I ready to go back to it tomorrow? Ask me in a few more hours, I have to go back to sleep.

Experimental Cookies 101

So, cooking is fun when your kitchen is not stocked! I like making cookies. I did it at Mom's place a few times. It was fun because all you had to do was pull out the ingredients, pull open cupboards and drawrs to find the tools you need, drop the tasty little globs on the baking sheet and pop them in the oven. Chewy goodness in less than an hour.
But, I just moved into my own place.
That does not have the fixings for cookies.
So, I bought them. They were expensive, and heavy to carry home. My arms are an inch longer.
Now, I have begun making the cookies. I have the flour, the sugar, the eggs...
I have a bowl. I have a spoon.
I have no juicer, so I just squished my fingers into that orange until its guts came out.
I have no zester, so I cut chunks of the peel off and put them in my hand-held parmesan cheese grater (no explanation as to why I have one of those and no zester). That actually worked okay.
I have no baking sheets, so I bought one of those tin ones at the grocery store, but again, I was carrying everything home, so it bent in the wind. It kind of looks like a hubcap.
I have no measuring spoons. So, my philosophy is, just shake the box of whatever you need, and probably the right amount will come out.
I have no cooling rack, so I'm using my cutting board...this does not work.
Also, does anyone know why cookies come out bready? I wanted chocoalte-chip cookie consistency, not these doughy things.
But they taste damn good.

Rainy blowy dirty

A couple of days of lousy weather hasn't made me the happiest person in the world, but I've gotten a lot done lately. Work ended early on Friday (1130) with a momosa toast with the CEO in the caf. Then I went to the bank, where I opened an RRSP (been meaning to do that), and a savings fund for vacations (it's amazing that most of my life I've been dreaming of going places and never got there, and now I'm planning so many!), I've mailed packages to Mom and Laur and Kev, I've been grocery shopping twice, I finished my holiday gift shopping (a little late, but no one's around till after the holidays anyway!), and I've learned a few things. What have I learned? Well, for one, if you have to buy everything to make cookies from scrath, then cookies are expensive! And also, the makings for cookies are heavy if you're carrying them home. On the upside of that, though, is that soon I should (hopefully) have another recipe or two to add to my collection (I'll publish it here if the prevailing opinion on them is positive). Why am I making cookies? I'm going to go have dinner and watch movies with the Robins tomorrow. So looking forward to that, but there's so much to do! They're picking me up here, which means I definitely have cleaning to do, in case they come up to my apartment. It's not that this place is completely filthy, it's just that it's small enough that even a little mess is really bad looking. And I want my first place to make a good impression. Well, as good an impression as it can make, without curtains (I'll get to that soon). Also there's cookies to make, gifts to wrap, and laundry to do, and I'm dogsitting Eggroll while the brother's in BC, so I have the dog to take care of, which I don't really mind, except that it means we keep having to go out in this horrid weather (eew). Oh well. I'd better get to the cleaning if I'm to have everything ready and presentable tomorrow. Later!

Busy holiday thought-process blog.

Hello.
I've a feeling that it's been awhile since I last blogged, though I'm a little unsure because there has been at least one blog that I've written and not published, because halfway through writing it I realized it was unbelievably boring.
Which is strange because life lately has not been boring at all. I've been to two book club meetings, once where we all discussed The Secret of Platform 13 and stuffed our faces with Swiss Chalet, and once to spend a surprisingly un-torturous eight hours watching a BBC movie of a Charles Dickens book (Our Mutual Friend). Officially there is another meeting tomorrow evening, to discuss Day of the Triffids and stuff ourselves with Greek food, but I'm going to skip this one in order to spend the evening with Hugh before he takes off to Montreal for the holidays.
I went to Ikea last week and spent an inordinate amount of money, however much of it (most of it) was on curtains, which are kind of essential, so I don't feel too bad about it. The one regret is that as I have no car, I couldn't get everything I'd wanted at once, and thus I am still mirrorless, and my tv continues to rest on an end table that holds it just high enough for me to see half the screen from my bed.
Thursday I went to the mall with a friend, where we lighting-speed shopped for presents and then went to see Happy Feet, which was very good, and made even better by the Harry Potter 5 trailer which preceeded it.
And then friday there was a party at Lisa's new apartment that was quiet but fun, and funny when we realized that of all the people at Lisa's "Christmas Party", she was the only one there who celebrates Christmas.
And the brother was over here today. I gave him his Hanukka presents (well received, I think), and we went out and bought me a showerhead and a toolbox and sticky things with which to hang things on walls, and we bought him a fan for his house and we bought a fuzzy blue toy and pig ears for Eggroll and a ball and some catnip for the cats. Then we came home, inhaled subs for dinner, and got the cats all spaced out on kitty drugs. Even now The Three Legged One is wrigging around my desk chair so I have to be careful not to move anywhere on fear of flattening a tail, and the other one keeps periodically going into frantic searches for the tub of catnip that was formerly left on the bed, until I caught him trying to knaw his way into it.
So, that's the brothers', Eggrolls', and the cats' presents out of the way. I have presents for Mom (to be sent off with the bro on tuesday), but I want to see if I can find more. She's being unusually unhelpful this year with gift ideas, which are always harder to come up with when she's not around. I have part of Lauren's gift, and I know what I want for the rest, I just haven't found it yet. I have books for Kevin, but a) he knows about them, and b) I got them through work, so I'm not sure they count. So, even though I've felt like I'm behind in my shopping lately, I think I'm doing better than I'm giving myself credit for.
But does anyone have any advice on whether I should get something for my bosses, and if so, then what???

She's BACK!

Oh my god I'm online! It feels like I can breathe again.
Okay, so, first, that was a shitty way to leave off news-wise before my move, but as Mom can attest, the sudden absence of my internet connection was, well...sudden. And earlier than expected. So sorry for the lack of 'goodbye for now' email that I had totally intended to write.
But now I'm here! I'm sitting in my own first apartment, which is unbelievably cool, and I actually have internet and cable and power and heat and all those cool things that real, living-on-their-own people need.
The move was...well, moves are always hard,not to mention that I moved on the same day that Mom left, which, for the record, I don't recommend. Mostly it was hard and exhausting, and by Sunday night I was not the happiest of girls, but Hugh came over (friends are great things) and brought chocolate and popcorn and ice cream (which I am still eating- honestly, if you need calorie-fueled help, Hugh is the man to go to, people. Nothing like a doctor to help you clog your arteries!)
And ever since then I've been slowly setting up my place. First I moved the pile of my junk into the corner, then I moved it to the hallway, then I moved it to the middle of the floor, then I moved it in front of the bookcase, and now it's partly in the kitchen, and partly on the couch. But each time its moved, it's gotten a little smaller, which is good.
So, the place isn't perfect yet, but it's getting there. I still need the blue couch cover (though unearthing the couch from the boxes on top of it first would be best), and yes, I forgot to buy the juice jug I needed, so when I was desperate for lemonade, I mixed it up in an empty ice cream container (a little ghetto, but my undergrad days seem to be kicking in).
I could go on, but at this point I'm probably getting boring (you don't want to hear about me putting that plastic stuff on my window, no matter how proud I am that I did it all on my own, or how I figured out how to hang the chandelier in my bathroom, etc, etc...)
Mom got to the Vic okay. She said her flight was hell- delays, fat businessmen, drunken seatmates and multiple layovers- and when she got to the island it was (ironically) covered in snow. Apparently the once-every-twenty-years snowfall that Victoria gets fell, and the city ground to a halt; no plows, schools and businesses closed, and people wasdering around wondering what to do. I thought it was hilarious- Mom moves to the one place in Canada it's not supposed to snow (she hates winter), and it snows on her. Not to mention, it was unseasonably warm here that week.
...though our heat wave copped out last friday. Having lived in my new place for five days, I decided I wanted a break (not really, I just wanted out of the city awhile), so I went to visit Laur and Kev in Orangeville. Where Lauren bought me my Christmas/Hanukkah present- I got inked! I'm very pleased, even though this thing itches like crazy right now, and I'm going to have to have it touched up cause I think I got a crack (tattoos want to dry out while they're healing; if they do, your skin can split and what you get is a very thin break in the ink of the tat). Oh well- going to Orangeville to see my tat artist is just another good excuse to go visit Kev again...cause by then Lauren will be long gone (cry, cry) to Australia for a whole year. And yes, I should be getting more and more worried/sad/upset that my best friend is taking off to the other side of the world for forever, but honestly, the closer she gets to her trip, the more excited I get for her. I can't wait to hear what she sees and does out there. Have fun, lady!
In Orangeville there was also a blackout and a kick-ass game on Monopoly (and by that I mean Lauren and I got our asses kicked...Kev's scary-good at that game), and I watched Kev in the christmas parade, which was small-town cute.
And there's more...I joined a bookclub and I want to the TSO this week...so much, and I'll write about it all, I promise...but right now I have brand-spankin'-new cable tv callin my name!

The Calm Post-Storm

(For the record, Lauren did me the HUGE favour of posting this for me. Thanks!)


So, am I okay? That seems to be the question I’ve been getting, from everyone, lately. The proud part of me wants to get angry at the people who keep asking me that. But most of me feels that the question is rather justified. Mom left- she moved away, and I moved to my first place of my own on the same day. For the record, I would not recommend this to others. If you must do these things, do not do them in one day. It is rather difficult.
Not that the move was overly difficult. With a day’s hindsight I can see that, as moves go, it wasn’t one of the more Mission:Impossible-esque ones. I had lots of help- I don’t know what I would have done without Kev and Laur and their wonderful, beautiful car- and the brother and his roommate were both movers extraordinaire on my behalf. Despite the expected (and inevitable) bumps along the way (the wait to sign the lease, the painting not done in my new apartment, the missing storage-locker key), I got myself, my stuff, and my cats into the new place, and by the end of the night even had places for my friends and I to sleep.
Sunday was spent moving stuff around. Really- there was some minimal unpacking, there was great consumption of munchies, there was an interesting diversion figuring out how to work my new ancient stove. But mostly it was just shifting the clutter from place to place- the painting is going to be finished this week, but that means I can’t have stuff in the ‘to be painted’ places. I’ll wait till that’s done before I even TRY to get organized. But the beauty of it is, all the stress of the last month was because everything was on a deadline. Now, no deadlines. I can live in a pile of clutter for as long as I like!
I currently don’t have cable or internet at my new place, so this is being written by me and sent to Lauren, who is publishing them on my behalf (thanks Lauren- friends to my rescue again). It’s a good thing she’s agreed to do this, too; with no blog, not even a computer at home right now, I’m suffering. Seriously- I wrote this letter to my aunt last night that was really random. I should not be allowed to write things while ‘Garden State’ is playing in the background. I think I came off sounding like a spaz. Meh.
Anyways, as usual there’s more to say but I’m word-blocked, and much of it is boring (do you really want to hear about my victorious hunt though box jungle for my umbrella this morning?), so I’m going to leave off here. Best to all!

Geez louise, days are short!

Okay, so couch dyeing was a bust, but I'm over it. And as much as I love my bf (yes, I'm a 13 yr old), her taste in all things shabby-chic is not one I share (very often), and the couch falls into that category (sorry, Laur). Therefore, I have decided to bite the bullet and go back to Ikea for the blue couch cover. This follows a moderately fruitful shopping pilgrimage today which produced many things, including the perfect giant brown pillows for the couch, sheets for the pull-out (I feel like a grown-up; I have sheets for guests to use!), and an actual decorating plan for the (1920's? 1950's?) bathroom, which is a minty-seafoamish green colour with very deco tiles. For the record, I've decided it just SCREAMS kitschy-cool, and thus am now on the hunt for a black and crystal chandelier, black and white towels, and the most kitsch-fantastic wall art to be found. Suggestions are welcome!
Meanwhile, the aforementioned couch is turning out the opposite of what I'd had in mind- the brown couch with the blue cusions is now the blue couch with the brown cusions. Or, it will be, whenever I find the time to go back to Ikea. Which, I have no more of. Time, that is.
I move in four days. Frightening.
I have packed four boxes of books, plus one of books that will not be coming with me, though where they will be going is still airborne. I'll find them a good home.
And speaking of books, I joined a book club! Yes, I know, anyone whose ever known me is questioning why this didn't happen a very, very, very long time ago. but this group is really good. They're fun and young and eclectic, and they're real readers! Some of them are even sci-fi's and fantasy fanatics like me! I think I'm going to have fun. I'm sure I'll talk incessantly about it here.
So, yes, bookclub on monday and shopping tonight, and the weekend was spent (wasted) errantly trying to turn my couch brown, and also I went to Hamlet with some friends, many of them bookclubbers. Oh, and Hugh and I had dinner monday, too. So, basically, with three days before I move, I'm still wasting time and not packing! I love how I do this.

Insert scream of frustration here.

So, I bought a slipcover for my couch.
It was the wrong colour, but Mom suggested we dye it.
We spent lots of $ on dye, cause it takes a ton of dye to dye a couch cover. I used black and brown, becuase I wanted a deep espresso colour.
It was very very hard to do. We had to go out and buy more supplies three times. the thing soaked in our bathtub for two days. It was heavy and messy and it took forever.
But, then it was an okay colour. Not espresso, but I could live the with chocolate colour I'd achieved- I was proud that I'd done it on my own; that made me like it more.
I followed the directions. At the end, it said 'rinse with cold water until water runs clear, then wash separately in hot water to remove last of dye.'
I put it in the wash. I put the washer to 'hot'.
Now my slipcover is the colour of old pea soup.
I have spent too much $ on it already, I'm too exhausted to try and dye it again, and I'm so freaking disappointed...
Why is everything lately ending up like this???
Everything's a gong show. This sucks.
I'm going to go buy myself the damn blue slipcover. What a freakin waste of money.

Pack some books.

...written Thursday.

I slept well last night, but goings-on lately have been so wholly exhausting that I’m still tired today.
I know I haven’t blogged lately- trust me when I say that I’ve been busy. Short summary:

-Mortgage no, looked for apartment, ate deli, found apartment- 2nd floor, bach, a little rough, but good price.
-The brother moved! New condo is GORGEOUS.
-Sold Royal Doultons online, made me some bucks. Sent off three.
-Went to Hamilton with friends, hard-core partying, tired but good next day.
- Piano in old apartment taken away to reside with Laura until further notice (officially it’s my brothers’), large pile o’ boxes shows up to replace it.
-Packed some books.
-Went back to new apt building to drop off Confirmation of Employment letter, found out they had another bach. open, went to see it, switched to that one- 5th (top) floor, same layout, better kept-up, balcony…going to re-label #5 button in elevator to say ‘PH’.
-Packed some books
-Went shopping with work-friends Mary and Catherine. Hunt for mittens was fruitless, bought books.
-Chose colours for paint in new apt- blue kitchen, beige everything else.
-Found out two of three Royal Doultons arrived smashed, have little brother taking care of my problems!
-Packed some books
-Mom sold dining room table, table taken away. Notable lack of chairs in old apt.
-Whirlwind adventure in search of the perfect slipcover for ugly ugly couch that three-legged cat ADORES, found one of perfect shape and near-perfect size (we’ll just tell the couch to suck it in)…wrong colour. Purchased anyway. Upcoming events: Adventures in couch-dyeing!

All I have time for right now. Gotta go…well, guess.

Busy week (though, aren't they all?)

Hi People,
I am writing from Hugh's place (again). This has been a big week (they're all pretty big lately), and I'm rather tired. Though that could also have something to do with the fact that we were out till 230 last night (this morning, technically), and it's 9am and I'm already awake. I'm odd that way- give me a weekend at home, and prying me out of a bed requires a crow bar and a corkscrew (yeah, I didn't get that one either), but if I'm at my friend's place, I'm always up early in the morning. And it's not because I'm uncomfortable or the place is unfamiliar- I've been on that futon at least a million times- it's just a quirk, I guess.
Anyways. I went to see that apartment I mentioned (I think I mentioned it- the beautiful one). You know that thing they say about when something seems too good to be true, it usually is? Yeah- they're right. The apartment that was listed online, with the beautiful pictures, well, the beautiful pictures were of some other apartment. Grrr.
And my bankerfrriend totally came through. I had an appointment at the bank yesterday, and they were really nice and promised they'd get back to me right away (which is already more than I got from the first guy- jerk). So, it's by far not a done deal, and there are no guarantees that I'll get what I want, but at least they're trying for me. Combine this with the fact that banker is also the one helping me get a passport, and I've begun calling him my own personal Santa. Btw, Santa...I want a brown leather purse.
And it's not all been boring busy house stuff! Mom and I got unexpected tickets to Stratford last weekend, and saw Twelfth Night. It was great. Then on thursday, Hugh calls me up and asks if I want to go see Wicked with him and some med school friends? Yeah, I do! The show was really, really good, which was great since I really disliked the book. Admittedly, the week was also filled with a buttload of housecleaning (they're starting to show our apartment- annoying), and stress, and work, and stupid everything-that's-going-on stuff, but at least I'm enjoying the moments in between.
Now, I should get off Hugh's computer, cause I totally snuck on in the first place (Hugh's asleep- I couldn't ask!), and I want to watch a Scrubs episode or two before I jet home. Mom and I have a lot to do this weekend, and I have to go mess up my room- it's really really clean, and that's freakin me out.

Forthing

Please to imagine a giant pendulum, upon which I cling tenuously, being pulled through the air. Yup, that is my life. I’m up, I’m down, I’m back, I’m forth. Have you ever forthed? It’s very tiring.

Okay, so at the last check point my mortgage app was dead in the water, and I was wrestling with yet another Change In Plans. Since then I had regained my even-keeledness on the subject, and was moving forward with the revived plan to rent an apartment, and was actually starting to like the idea, in all its simplicity and lemmingness. Especially since I discovered (online) a place that looks pretty darn good (again, I’ve only seen it online- I’m reserving final judgement).
You’ll notice I said I had regained my equilibrium (see, here’s where the forthing comes in).
So, I blog about the stuff that goes on (the more I need to wrap my head around it, the more I blog about it), and Lauren reads the blog o’ Bethany, and (as it turns out) shows said blog to boyfriend (who is big-time banker type; tres impressive), and I get an email; do I want banker friend extraordinaire to help with the on-its-last-legs mortgage app? HELL YES!
There was also an extended phone convo with the across-the-pond aunt, which culminated in the tentative plan to (finally) get me over there for a visit circa 2008. This most excellent news was forwarded to the best friend, which (telephone-style) was also passed along to the banker, though (again with the telephone reference- we’re referring to the game here, people), was wrongly interpreted. Apparently, the grapevine now has me moving to Ireland next year. Wrong-o, friends. Not quite yet.
Anyways, so that’s the gist of it. I find myself (once again) in the waiting game, trying to see what is going to end up happening to me, one way or the other. Mom did have a point, the other day, though; I won’t be ending up homeless. It’s a comforting thought.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia

It might be because it's Friday the 13th. It might be because of some cosmic convergence of the planets. All I know is, I don't know how much more of this upheaval I can take.
I had a plan. It was a plan thought up by my brother (which makes it reasonable), approved by my mother (which makes it comfortable), and which I had definitely started to feel good about. I'd get a mortgage, buy a condo, have a place to live when Mom moved away. It was a good plan; I was starting to look forward to having a place of my own, a place to live.
That was probably my mistake. I should know better than to feel confident about something like this, to start to think about doing things like buying chaise lounges.
I called my mortgage guy (again) today- he's a little hard to get hold of. Know what he told me? That because I'd only been at my job for ten months (as opposed to twelve), I can't get a mortgage. Basically, this means that I have to find some hole to live in for two measly months, not even bother to unpack my stuff, then apply for a mortgage all over again and move a second time in a three-month period.
This sucks.
I hate moving. Hate it. I moved six times in five years in university- it was supposed to stop when I graduated. I finished school, I have a real job, I live in a big city- what more do they want?
I'm at Hugh's right now- this is one of the first times I've blogged away from home. I'm just glad I went to see friends tonight instead of going home. I don't like saying that- Mom's leaving, and I should be all cuddly and taking advantage of her being around and stuff, but everything's so crazy and high-strung right now (with both of us) that at home I'm either going crazy getting buried in all this stuff, or else I'm holing myself up in my room trying to avoid it all. Neither of these is a good option.
I vented for Hugh for, like, two hours over dinner tonight. It helped- talking to my own private impartial parties always helps strighten things out- but there is only so much better this situation can get, I guess, which is probably why I'm still feeling the need to vent by blogging.
Anyways, I should get back to said friends. Besides, Hugh's laptop is hard to type on.

Book bitch

You know what's a bitch? Books. Books are a bitch to box up. Books are a bitch to move. Books make moving a bitch. Moving is a bitch with books. Moving is a bitch, and I'd rather just read a book. Ha!

A little scattered.

Wrote this at work (on my break)

There are napkins in my shoes, and it is very uncomfortable.
Today kind of sucks. Its raining out; the kind of raining that makes you think that nature has something against you, personally. My slacks are wet (as if having to wear slacks wasn’t bad enough), and my pretty shoes are squishy.
The brother was over again last night; he needed to send away a thing he sold on ebay, and Mom has all the packing tape. But I’ll get to that later.
I was surprised to see my bro cause he’d been over all weekend (it was Canadian Thanksgiving, for you ex-pats and non-pats and such). He came over on Friday and announced that he’d heard about the most amazing thing.

The brother: It’s a turkey that’s stuffed with a duck, that’s stuffed with a chicken!
Mom: I know what you’re talking about; it’s called ‘tofurkey’…wait, no that’s not right…
Bethany: Those are going to be some pissed-off vegetarians at your table, Mom.
Mom (laughing): Shut up, you always make fun of me! ‘Turducken’, it’s called ‘turducken’.
The brother: Well, then I want one of those for Thanksgiving- let’s have trefucken.
Mom: dies laughing.
Bethany: I have to get home and blog this.
Mom: Don’t blog this! You always make me look silly!

…Sorry, Mom.
I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Other than a big meal, my family (The brother, Mom, I and the Robins) got together and went to the movies. We saw ‘The U.S. vs. John Lennon’, which was very good.
I can’t seem to really grab on to any one subject today. Forgive me.
I said I’d come back to the packing tape thing. Packing tape, of course, refers to packing, which has begun. It’s official; my mother is moving across the country. I need to find me a new place to live. I don't know where that will be yet. And I'm working onthe money thing. I'm looking onto getting a condo, cause the prospect of renting is frankly depressing. Also, Mom and the bro are pretty convincing with how the whole money thing works (I never paid that much attention to it; I don't care for it, I never had, it's just not really who I am). So, I'm trusting them, and already told the brother that if something goes wrong with this plan, I'm moving in with him.

Now, I know there's a lot more to say, and my days are so busy (you have no idea how much is going on right now- changes upon changes, and we're trying to keep everything straight; that's impossible), but I'll try to blog again soon. Hopefully, more coherently. I'm not going to stop writing anytime soon, that's for sure.

I'll plant my tree in the middle of the spinning world

I kind of feel like the world around me is spinning really, really fast, and I'm standing in the middle of it, all still, just watching it speed past me. You know when you're in a car, and the scenery outside is moving, but you're not, and your eyes try to see what's out there, but you can only focus on one thing at a time, and so you miss things in between? I feel like that...
The fact that this is New Year is just terribly appropriate- new beginnings and whatnot.
By the way, I hope your new year is happy, and I wish you all the best. I got a really nice email from my Chicago cousin- we really ought to correspond more than we do.
I got the job; the one I mentioned before? I'm now a permanent employee of my company, with salary and benefts and real responsibilities and things. It's been a fast two weeks, learning the job, trying to get the hang of things, and trying to get everything that needs doing done, cause having to learn everything from scratch slows me down, so at the end of the day (even if I've learned a lot) I feel like I haven't accomplished much, because project-wise, I only finished one or two things. It's frustrating, but I'm coming along. And I'm really happy about the job thing.
And now I'm looking for my own place to live, which is this whole big thing, and kind of sudden, but that's because of something to do with the Mom I live with, and if she had a blog then you'd read about that there, but I won't put it down here. Suffice it to say, I need me a place to live.
I'll admit it was a little sooner than I anticipated (I know, I'm 25, and shouldn't be talking about STILL living with my mother), but I'd kind of been thinking that I'd have some 'saving up' time between getting the big job and moving-on-up. I think fate is holdning a rug and laughing at me on my ass. I'm okay with the moving out- I am- it's just a little sudden, and I'll admit, I'm not quick with the whole 'giant responsibility' thing. I'm processing.
So, we went out and looked at a few places, and I will say this; this is a bloody expensive city to live in. It kind of sucks. Really.
So, what I can afford is probably a bachelor apartment, an idea which I am not entirely comfortable with, and which, a week ago, I was dead-set against (there have been 'discussions' with Mom; I'm coming around). But I'm thinking now that if I can find something that is marginally more than a box, I might be able to do something with it. It's just the idea that if I invite someone over, I'm inviting them to my bedroom; that wigs me out.
On the other hand, I am liking the thought of having my own place. I told Mom some of my plans- I'm going to paint it blue and beige, there's a chaise lounge at Ikea I'll be buying, etc., and her comment was something along the lines 'aww, you're nesting', which I found rather distasteful and gross. I'm not laying a freaking egg, I just want my own damn house for the first time in my life (I'm almost 26, I figure it's about time).
So those are the two major things that have been chewing my brain, and a good reason why I haven't blogged in so long (a lot of the 'before' part of what I'm writing here had more to do with my mother than with me, so I was censored. BOO!)
There have been other things, though. Hugh's birthday is next week, and for it he wants to get a tattoo, which is something I have been thinging about (on and off, seriously and not) for years. Lauren, too, is up with this idea, and I wouldn't have been (Mom's pretty adamantly against them, her main argument being that when you get old, they sag and it's gross, and also, that you're doing something permanent to your skin that you might not want later.) My response to that is that a tattoo is something you get at one point in your life, and for the rest of your life, you can look at it and REMEMBER that point. Who cares if, when you're sixty, you're not the type of person who would go out and get a tattoo? You can look down at that whatever on your whatver and think of how, when you were 25, you were that type of person. Also, I kind of like the idea (warning, this is morbid) that when I die, and end up on some table in a morgue, that there will still be something there of me. It's like tying something of your self to your skin, which is otherwise kind of empty-vessel-like.
Anyways, like I said, despite all this, I wasn't really up for a tattoo, because I do work in a corporate world, so I'd like to be able to hide whatever I had on me, but I don't like the idea of tattoos that are in private places, because then if you want to show someone, you have to show your whatever, or else you can't show them at all. And I also don't like something like, on your back, because what's the point of getting something on your skin of you can't see it without a mirror and contortions? However, I've thought of the perfect place. It's private but not private, always hidden unless I don't want it so, and even if I was in the middle of the cafeteria at work, if I wanted to show someone, I could, and I wouldn't get fired. The only problem is, it would hurt a lot, and be really, really hard to heal. So, I have some thinking to do. I also have to settle on a design. I'm thinking a tree. Trees are permanence, they are roots, they are growth and life, they are solidity, knowledge, the balance of good and evil...they have a place in (just about) every religion, in every mythology. So, I'm thinking a tree. But, I'm open to suggestions.
There's more to write- we went to Rosh Hashona dinner last night with the Robins, and it was really nice, and their new place (yeah, everyone is moving) is great- oh! and my uncle gave me a piece of his artwork (he does wood carvings), and I am so jazzed about having one, this thing is awesome)...but I'm tired right now, and there's beading to be done. It's Sunday, and I have a great big day of bedsurfing planned. Wahoo.

Unintentionally wonderful

Forgive me; I wrote this blog on paper (old school) on the bus on the way home from work a couple of days ago...so, it's already out of date. But here you go, anyways.

I feel spun. Totally dizzy. Ever have a day that's just so beyond good- and none of it your own doing, like "I went to Disneyworld and thus had a good time", but an unintentionally great day, like "I tripped on a diamond on my way to work this morning" type of day. I just had one of those.
It started out normal. Then I got a call to go to one of the marketing managers' offices. We talked about a job for me. Then I talked to another mm- about a job for me. Then I talked to a third mm, who'd talked to an editor about me, for a job. Then I got called back to the first mm's office for a 'follow up', that included lines like "Your salary will be..." "You get full benefits and bonus...", and, "Your start date is..."
YAY!
Then, (like that's not enough), the prez of the division walked into my cubie at the end of the day, and asked me if I could help him with something. (This is a guy I never have contact with, he's so far above me. I didn't know he knew my name.) He leads me into his offie, sits down at his computer and says "I messed up my font, can you fix it?"
For a moment, the voice in my head is like, (dripping sarcasm) 'No, why would you think *I* could do that?' But then I saw what it was he'd done, and I totally fixed it. For the prez!
And I'll go on, cause there's just so many reasons why life is great right now. Like, guess what I'm typing this on right now? My new compy.
Yeah, the brother came over a couple of weeks ago and tried to reformat my computer, and it laughed at him and then lost it's brain. Within the same day, he had convinced me (and helped me) to order a brand-spankin-new computer! (You know my brother; the one who can talk a cat into water.) Now my new computer is here and it's wonderful! Its fast and un-bulky and shiny...I feel a little guilty, cause my old monitor was sort-of a birthday present from my aunt. But I used it and loved it well, plus it was kind of huge, and if I ever move my butt out of my mother's house, this new one will be much easier to move.
Also, last weekend the brother came over and he and Mom and I went kayaking, which I'd never done before, and it was very fun. Relaxing and natureful in the middle of Toronto; we saw herons and cormorants and ducks and minnows and dead carp and blackflies and lost tennis balls and shopping carts and a subway train. Then we went home and inhaled a pizza.
Anyways, I can think of a bunch more good things right now, but this is getting kind of long, and I've gotta go. Hope you're all doing great, too!

Life keeps getting in the way of beading

I don't really know why (it wasn't a deliberate act on my part), but in the past three weeks or so, every new jobn posting at work has looked really good to me- so I've applied. Its a good thing, ostensibly, except that three in three weeks (and all ther interviews are, like, now) is making it seem like I'm kind of eager to get out of there (except they're all positions within the company, so that's not exactly true). All I know is, work right now is busy, and therefore stressful, and I pretty much don't have time for all these interviews.
Except that they're a great excuse for buying new clothes. Which is great, except that my whole plans for yesterday were to park myself at this great beadstore I found (not as good as Deb's, but nothing is) and bead for hours at their 'free bead' session (basically just a bunch of beaders getting together). Its nice cause you get to meet new people, share techniques, show off your work, and get ideas for new stuff. But instead I got an interview scheduled for the next day, and had to forego beading in lieu of interview prep. Not that I'm complaining about having an interview- I just really wanted to bead.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get dressed- I have an interview!

Her as a mother can be an adventure

Know what's illegal in our building? Barbeques. Know what she has? A barbeque. Know what she did with it tonight? Made burgers. Then, an unintentional campfire, out of a bag of potting soil, that was next to...the propane tank! We finish our dinner, and she goes, "What's that smell?" Then, "Oh, shit", then, "Get me water!" "I need towels!"

Me: What did you do?
Her: I started a fire! Ssh!
Me: What do you mean, you started a fire, and also, 'ssh' does not logically follow the words 'I started a fire!'
Her: Just be quiet and get me water!

Yeah, so now I smell like a campfire (that has been put out, don't worry!), and she can't stop laughing about it.
"You know, I thought, when I put that stuff under the barbeque, that it might not be the best idea. I was right!" she says, and then accuses me of going off to blog in the middle of a crisis. The crisis was dealt with by the time I started this, though, and besides, as Lauren's blog states, Isaac Asimov once said, "If the doctor told me I had six minutes left to live...I'd type a little faster."

Long-awaited update (and it's not up-to-date!)

I have three types of mornings at work: there’s the bright, happy morning with work that involves activity, and a clock that goes extra fast. These mornings, I have an English muffin, if I remember and have time to go to the caf.

Then, there are quiet mornings, which involve the usual English muffin, and a cold pop or juice. It wakes you up, especially in warm summer days.

Then, there are hot chocolate mornings. Even in summer, they arrive. They’re the days better spent in bed, the days when, given the chance, you *might* have had a shower and got ready for the day…around three.

Monday (Today) was a hot chocolate morning.

I feel I need to recover from the weekend. We went camping, though honestly that doesn’t really cover what we did and why it left me feeling roadkillesque.

There was the trek to Orangeville, to Laur and Kev’s shiny-new grown-up residence (have I mentioned that?), which in itself is a marathon of public transportation: a bus, a subway, a train, an inter-city bus, and then a car ride. We met Hugh at their place (he’s just made purchase of his first motorcycle, and wanted the practice the drive up would give him). Dinner, then a bunch of laying around, including a movie. Late night.

Saturday morning saw us moving slug-like, until we got on the road (oneish?) and drove two hours to the campground. The site was nice- trees and everything- but this was pretty bare-bones camping on our part- we had a tent. And that was about it, in terms of camping gear.

We bought a pie-iron. Know what that is? It’s an iron square, that flips open and fits two slices of bread and filling in it. You put it in the fire and it makes pie-like concoctions. Think rustic sandwich-maker. We had grilled cheese for two days!

That night we went down to the beach around midnight. It was incredible- I don’t really think of myself as a city girl, but I certainly felt like one then. There were so many stars! I forgot that you can actually see the Milky Way. Now I remember.

Sleeping was…well, is camping sleep ever very good? Use your imaginations.

And then there was a day on the beach (mucho sun), and a LONG way home, with A&W for dinner. Not the best choice, but we wanted something fast and…fast.

The upshot? I don’t want to eat anything but salad for a week.

There’s a way to blog through email. I have to look into that. I keep thinking about stuff that happens and thinking “I’ll blog that”, and then I get distracted, or busy, or whatever, and forget about it. And then I feel guilty, which is not something I want from my blog.

This has been one busy summer, but it has definitely been a summer (there have been years when the friends we so spread out that we rarely (if ever) saw each other, and the only thing (it felt like) I did was work. Those were not summers. Those were days with a hot commute, and you enjoy none of it. But this summer is good, with beach days and 48 hour parties and, believe it or not, baseball games (the brother took me! It was fun).



But that doesn’t mean that this summer’s been nothing but wildness. Work is okay. They put me back down to part-time hours (for budget reasons; I’m still doing well there). I don’t like the lack of hours to get stuff done, and I’m definitely disappointed with the less money thing, but I’m not really railing against the ‘Fridays off’ thing as much as I could be. As for the whole deal with doing something other than being an intern? Well, as most already know, it’s pretty obvious I never went for that Calgary thing; it just wasn’t right, either the timing or the place or something amorphous and ephemeral that I couldn’t put my finger on, but that was there. My instincts haven’t steered me wrong before, so I trust them.

I have, however, put my name in the hat for another position. In BC.

Yeah, I know. I doubt I’ll get it- there’s lots of competition to go out there, and I’ve got to be the most inexperienced applicant there is, but once I thought about applying for it, things just kind of rolled that way, which is usually a good sign for me. Mom went out there last year, and when she came back all she said was “You’d love it out there; it’s where you belong.”

Princess and the pea

Today, I spent more money, in one day, than I ever have before in my life.
No, seriously- I've paid for places to live that cost me less than what I spent today.
I had to call the bank and get them to raise my limit (for the record, the bank is very helpful with that, and quick too!)
I bought a bed. And shoes, but the big thing was the bed.
Hooray, I have a new bed! It's gigantic and fluffy and brand-spankin-new and mine-all-mine and I'm happy and proud (and a little jittery about spending lots of my money, cause it's kind of precious stuff, and I don't have oodles of it).
But I'm glad I did it.
Bed shopping has got to be one of the most rediculous things you can do in public, legally.
You just walk into the middle of a store and lie down repeatedly. You bounce and you twist, and you make Odalisque poses and you say things like "Mushy isn't good, but I like the one with the bumpies" or "This one is too sinkey", while Mom prattles on about back support. Forget back support; I'm sleeping on cloud nine! (Maybe I'll name my new bed that, get a little sign for it...)
And the cats'll be happy.
Too bad I can't just put a kaibosh (sp?) on all spenditures from now on to let my wallet recover; I've gotta buy new sheets! And covers, and pillow cases, and more pillows...
And I think I'm going to get out my green beads, and bead myself a little green pea, to put underneath the mattress- for luck.

The world is one intimidating oyster

Okay, so I just (read: Tuesday evening) got back from a business trip to Montreal that my company sent me on. Yes, yes, it’s terribly cool that an intern got flown to Montreal, put up in one swank of a hotel (I’ve decided that swank can be a noun if I want it to), and wined-and-dined on the company dollar.

Speaking of which, man, was that food good. Montrealers and business people sure do know how to eat! Even the wine was good, and for me, that’s saying something.

But the thing to pay attention to here is, I was eating with the big businessman, namely my boss’s boss, the VP of marketing.

And what did we talk about? Well, among other things, what I was going to do post-internship.

Now, it isn’t like this snuck up on me. I knew this dinner would happen, I knew this is what we would talk about. I even knew what I was going to say.

See, my boss is a coordinator. She’s already said that I’m working ‘above an intern; you’re doing the job of a coordinator’. And frankly, that suits me just fine. My ideal was, come end-of-internship, change my title, and my pay, and leave everything else alone. I can be Bethany the marketing coordinator, in my familiar desk with the good locale, doing the job I know, and am good at, and like.

So this is what I say. I say, “I like marketing. I’d like to stay.”

And he says “What about sales?”

I try to say no politely. I think I need practice with saying no politely. Not that I wasn’t polite. I said something about wanting to be stationary for a while, having not had roots (or, for that matter, even my own pot of soil) for, like, ever. (If you follow my metaphor, that is. Lauren says I use too many of these, and that they’re often incomprehensible. She claims the need for a metaphortress to guard herself in.)

But yeah, so I’m like, ‘sales isn’t for me’, in different words, of course.

But see, my boss, he’s a salesman. And I think he kind of wants to sell me on sales. So he starts ‘selling’. (And it goes without saying how cool it is to have the big boss trying to talk you into a position.)

The money- wow.

The perks- wow.

The moving to somewhere I’ve never been- wow.

The never being home- ow.

The stress- ow.

And yes, I’m, as I said myself, fairly rootless. And it’s true that I own, like, next to nothing, and could pick up an move with about 30 seconds’ thought. But do I want to? I don’t really feel done with Toronto yet.

And sales sounds (and as far as I can tell, is) fairly exciting. But do I like exciting that much?

It may paint me with the fuddy-duddy brush to say so, but I kind of like the quiet life. I like sitting in front of the television and beading for hours. I like laying about on a Sunday with nothing to do, cause you’ve got time to do those errands later. I like staying in bed long hours after waking up, with the very very good excuse that I’m doing it ‘because I can’.

On the other hand, debt has a stress all its own. And sales is (pretty undoubtedly) where the money is. It would be good to get rid of those student loans before I hit my forties.

And it’s pretty damn cool to have my boss’s boss talking to me about moving not just into a full time place in the company, but way up there on the chain. You know what sales reps who are done being out in the field do? They become marketing managers. And marketing managers become VP’s. And then they do whatever they want, cause they’re just that impressive.

And yet, and yet.

There’s still the thought of Britain that haunts me (literally like a spectre of a Union Jack that floats though my brain at odd moments). If I’m so rootless that sales seems such a possibility, then why do I hesitate with the idea of moving over there? Well, for one, it feels like I’d be abandoning my student loan, which is ridiculous and I know it, I could pay that from England just as easily as I could from here, but part of me still wants to feel FREE…

And I haven’t even tried editorial yet. I don’t want to do another internship after this one, really, I’m ready for the real-thing job now, but going into sales means going for that whole marketing career thing, and I’m still not sure I want that.

Also, I wonder what happened to the trade dream? (Real lit books, like you find in Chapters, not textbooks). That’s what I got into publishing for, wasn’t it? And, if I don’t even try to go there, am I following the money? That’s not like me…

See, I knew I was looped on this subject, and now I’m sitting here typing endlessly, and it’s painfully obvious how looped I am.

And there’s more. I was about to type that I need to talk to Lauren to help me figure all this out (she’s a touchstone), but she and Kev are leaving for the tropics in a couple of days. Good for them, but now I’m thinking of how Laur’s leaving for Australia in a remarkably short time, and that’s just one less root I have holding me..anywhere.

Mom’s the same.

Heck, Kev doesn’t even live in this city, and Hugh’s busy all the time and that’s only going to get worse. The few times he does get off, he likes to go traveling- I’d probably see more of him if he was coming to visit me somewhere else than if we were still living in the same city.

So it comes down to a position, that pays well, comes with som e damn good perks, on my very own silver platter...but, with a lifestyle that I'm not sure is what I want, with a lot of risk of nothing going the least bit well, and with a choice that doesn't really feel like mine.
The world is my oyster, but I don't even know if I like oysters.

Contacts, contact, cat, and coat

I can’t decide whether this is a good thing or a bad thing; you wear glasses every single day, and it’s fine. Then one day (for very little reason), you wear contacts…and nobody notices. What I can’t decide is, does that mean your glasses are particularly good, that they allow your face to be focused upon and don’t distract others, or is it bad, that your frames do nothing for you? Would it be better to keep wearing them, since the added hassle of contacts seems to hardly be worth it, if wearing the contacts makes so little difference?
I can’t decide whether to feel pleased or put out.

That was yesterday. Yesterday was also the day that Mom and I had the brother over for dinner (breakfast for dinner; ham and eggs and hashbrowns and beans…mmm…). I should mention (so that this makes sense), that for the lazy everyday, Mom and I eat at the coffee table in the living room, in front of the tv (yeah, we’re unmannered plebes- bite me). And three around that table is a lot more crowded than two. Result? My plate sliding off the beveled edge and flipping over before hitting the floor. Do you have any idea how much mess that makes? Or how disappointing that is? It started out so tasty…
And then my snobby-assed cat stuck his nose up at it. We tried six times, he was disinterested. He stole the leftover ham off Mom’s plate and attacked that, he licked the brother’s plate clean. He wouldn’t touch mine. Jerk.

And we spent the night talking about what was new, including the plans Mom has to go back out west at the end of the summer. She keeps being so conflicted; she so excited about going, but at the same time she keeps stopping herself and saying ‘but this can’t continue this way…’ I get her conflictedness, cause she’s right, but she’s happy too. So boo to confusion, do what feels good (my everlasting philosophy).

Speaking of doing what is good and not always ideal, I bought (another) coat. Long ago (read: highschool), I had an addiction to buying coats that was less than good. I think I had five. Or six. For one season.
Anyway, I broke myself of that habit, mainly by refusing to buy a coat, any coat, for, like, a couple of years. And by then none of the old ones fit, but I was averse to buying a new one, and then it was a chore…
I’ve wandered off track here. My story is, I needed (desperately) a coat for spring, and couldn’t find anything nice or well-fitting. I didn’t think my demands were that bad- I didn’t want black, I didn’t want a trench, I didn’t want a belt, and I didn’t want to pay more than a certain amount (a big certain amount; I was frustrated, and that drives up what I’m willing to pay) for it. (This was weeks ago, btw). What did I end up getting? A short, black, trench with a belt. That I like ok. It did the job.
And now the weather is gorgeous, with tons of sun, and every afternoon is so hot that you can’t wear a coat. A coat is definitely no longer what I need.
So, of course, I found a beautiful, perfect, everything-I-wanted coat, and (unwisely, pointlessly, foolishly, indulgently) bought it. I love it. It’s green and white and long…it looks a little more like a Lauren coat than a me coat, and I want her to try it on, but she can’t have it.
It’s mine, as impractical as it is. And it will stay in that closet as long as it bloody-well has to, until I get to wear it. Even if I am forty by then.

Oh joyous day, kaloo, kalay!

My shopping drought seems to be over! I’ve been to three malls in three days, and I’ve got a ton a great stuff (purses and skirts and hats, oh my!). I adore spending money. Hard-earned money that I’ve willingly given up (from Vivah) to spare myself further aggravation. Yes, folks, as of a week today, my tenure at the jewelry store is through. Huzzah!
Actually, everyone’s had a good week this week. Lauren got accepted to teacher’s college, and has decided to fly away to Australia for a year, come February (cry, cry), and her program includes a short practical placement in Africa, which just couldn’t be any cooler (Bite your tongue- I can hear that bad pun about the weather in Africa that you’re dying to give voice to. Squash the voice, lest ye be judged, and found nerdly.)
Also, Laur recently did a job (she works for a company that does graphic design for ads and stuff) for the Royal Ontario Museum, for some symposium thingie on dining (of all things), and they gave her free tickets to the first night of the symposium, and she took me, and the keynote speaker turned out to be one of my old art history profs from Mac! She did a lecture on dining in the Roman ages, complete with slides, that was exactly like being back at school. It was very neat.
And Hugh and Lisa were (very randomly) offered a free movie at one of the most expensive Silvercity’s (great big movie theatre) in the city, and it was all about gymnastics (Lisa’s a gymnast, so- appropriate!), and Mom and I (after one good shopping blitz on Friday after work) went out for dinner, where we got great service from a cute waiter, who gave us three entrees (Mom’s first one was disappointing), and then they asked us some questions and gave us everything for free (how cool is that?).

And other big things have been happening. Jerry recently visited. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned Jerry, or maybe I have, but only in passing. See, the whole Jerry thing started right around the time that Mom was getting all up-in-arms over my putting stuff about her on here, and I was pretty sure I’d lose my head if I mentioned him online, so I trod lightly.
But here come the stompin’ boots!
Okay, so for the record… Jerry and Mom dated in highschool (think flowerpower), and then left their hometown and went separate ways. This was forever ago, and now they’re back together. It’s a totally strange, but kind of simple-in-a-full-circle kind of way. Meh. She’s happy, the details are moo (a cow’s opinion).
And he came to visit! (This is a big deal- Jerry lives on the other side of the country, and hey, it’s a big country.) He was nervous about meeting the brother- that was cute. And he’s, like, freaky smart. He’s a good guy. (Jerry, don’t let this go to your head, though).
So, Mom was all ridiculous for a couple of weeks (lol). It sounds like they had a good time.
And what has she done since he left? She cut off all her hair. (Had it cut off by a stylist, that is. It wasn’t some freaky scissor-fest a la Royal Tenenbaums). Very risky, but I think it’s good.

What else is new? OH! Work is totally awesome (at the publishing place). They’re sending me to Montreal! I get to go to fly up all by myself (I sound like a four year old when I say that, don’t I?), and go to a conference, and have dinner with the boss and stuff! Plus, I got to book my own flight times, so I totally get some free time, which is cool cause I’ve never been to Montreal, and the company is paying (but it’s not like I’m doing anything wrong or anything- they approved it!). I’m so freakin’ excited!

Anyways, I think that’s all I can think of for now. I’ve been checking out this site called the Brick Testament that Jerry told me about, but honestly I have yet to get through it, or form a solid opinion of it, so I’ll hold off comment till later. Hope everyone’s week’s been good like ours, even if it rained.

The winds of change are a-blowin’

I’m going to quit my job at the jewelry store, I think.

I’m pretty sure.

I’ll know by Saturday.

I hate it there. I ranted to Lauren, wanna see?



God, I hope you check your email today.
I have been thinking, for three days, of quitting my job (at Vivah). I'm sick of their corporate bs, managers who don't know what 'management' means (or 'corporate responsibility', or 'responsibility' at all, or 'equality'...)
And the pay sucks ass and I'm barely making anything there and I'm sick of it.
But, it's not like my internship is stable or long-lasting or secure or anything. And I liked having a backup.
But then, jobs like the jewelry store are all over the place, and if I really needed another I could probably find one really easily, in a better mall, with a better company.
At the very least, it couldn't be worse.
Yeah, I know I haven't asked you anything yet, and I'm not really looking for you to tell me what to do here. I know this is my decision- I'm just working through it, I guess.
But the thing is, I have a shift on saturday, and theres some bs 'staff meeting' during it (and it's a good thing I'm aready scheduled, cause if I had to come in for that on my own time...), and the manager will be there, and I'm really thinking it's the best time to hand her my letter of resignation. I don't know why I have this feeling of 'now or never', but I do.
And I have no idea what to do. The fact that this job isn't a lot of effort is still true...but everyone else moves on, and I'm the only one who hasn't, and it's rediculous that I'm working at an internship that pays a third more than the manager makes at Vivah, and I'm still dealing with their crap.
And I know I'm rambling.
I've never left a job for a reason other than I was moving away for school. Except once, I left the ice cream place for Nordia. But that was a lot more money, and a permanent job, and a long time ago, when the only thing my money was going towards was candy and magazines.
Now I have bills and stuff.
Am I asking you for backbone? Is that what this email is about?
See, even I don't know.



Yeah, so that’s what I ranted to Lauren. And it’s true, about my ‘now or never’ feeling. I’m not sure where this idea came from, but I just know that if I’m not done with that place, officially, by Saturday, that I just won’t leave.

I want to leave, that much of my scattered thoughts have been nailed down. And I’m really not getting anything out of it anymore. And I’ve been there longer than anyone else, and my sales are good, but they neither notice, nor care.

My manager is nineteen, and was hired as a seller four months ago. And they made her a manager. I can't even ask for a reccomendation from that place because there's no one whose been there as long as I have, and no one I'd want one from anyways. Heck, I'm the oldest one there!

Mom says (truthfully and rightly) (is rightly a word?) that jobs like that are a dime a dozen. If I need another one later I can get one.

Hopefully I won’t have to. I love my publishing job, and want to stay in it (or at least have the option to) for the next thirty years.

But as for the jewelry store? Stick a fork in me, I’m done.

No guilt (gilt, gelt...)

Gosh, it's been an eternity since I've blogged, and I hate feeling guilty about something that I actually really like doing. On the other hand, I'm aware of the fact that last year I would be writing almost every other day, and that averything that happened would have me working out phrasing in my head, itching for my keyboard. I think it's similar to a diary or journal; I have several of those, and I make a point of never feeling guilty about not writing in them, because I figure you write, especially about your life, when you need to (or at least, I do). That doesn't mean that when I write it's always a bad time, it's just a time when there's a lot going on, either in the world or in my head, and I need to get stuff down. But it still bugs me that I'm not blogging as much as I did. And it's a waste of time to promise to try and do better. I'll write when I write, I guess.

Stuff has been happening, though.
My job is going very well. I'm still an intern, but they've increased me to full-time hours (have I mentioned this already?), and they seem to like me and really like my work. They let me write the back cover copy (that info about the book that's on the back? Yeah, that.) And I got to make some marketing materials that were professionally designed and sent out, too...it sounds lame because it is, but it's still neat for me to be doing this stuff. For me it is, anyway.

And home is good. My room is cleaner than it's been in a while (still trying to figure out how that happened), and Mom's happy (I made juice come out her nose the other day). My aunt had a scare recently, but it sounds like everything is going to be fine (knock on wood) (do only Christians do that?). And I have been writing (just not here) (chagrin). Lauren and I had wanted to take a writing class, but neither of us had the money, so we decided to be independent together. We're both writing (or making an effort to), and evaluating and editing each other's stuff (we've done this for each other off-and-on for years, so we're really comfortable discussing our stuff with each other). It's interesting what comes out of it (even if Laur's stuff far outdoes my own- I love editing anyways), and it's good to be... not forced, but pushed into writing something, especially at a time when the words aren't really flowing (nor the impetus to make them do so). She makes me write something, which is good.

Tonight was fun. Laur came over and them the brother and Shad (his roommate) showed up, and Mom made a chicken and we all had dinner. We played Scrabble, and there must be a blue moon out tonight or something because (Laur's going to kill me for writing this) the boys won. Wow, that hurt to admit. It was the first time Shad had ever played (ooh, beginner's luck, that must have been the strange power affecting our game!), and my brother's first time winning. Good for you, bro. And Kevin showed up in time for pie. It was fun, but I think I'm going to buy Cranium sometime this week, cause it'll be better to have more to choose from than just Scrabble, and besides, that's the best game there is anyways.

And it'll be good to set out to buy something and actually be able to. My aunt Mer send me this great magnet: "There is money. Spend it, spend it; spend more;" from Merry Wives of Windsor, and my message to her is this: I'm trying! In three weeks I've been through (through, not to) four malls, and I have yet to make a purchase. The options out there suck right now. All I'm saying is, things had better improve, and soon, or so help me... (shakes fist)...

And here I shall end my tirade of the inconsequential, for though there's more to say, this is neither the time, nor the place. I will be back; I always am, and if I see you to your face before my words are updated here again (that Wives quote hath affected me), then I'll have much to say. Goodnight!

A/N: I may have lost that Scrabble game, but I am not completely shamefaced. The words cited and jaded (not to mention finery)were mine, they just didn't get into very good scoring places. So there. Yeah, yeah, I made the word pie, too, but whose counting? Hun?

Cold roses

Life is fucking fantastic.
I got a great job. It's and internship, and it's paid, and after just UNDER a month working there, they're promoting me to full-time. Not permanent, still an intern. But a FULL TIME intern. Yeah, I rock, and soon I will rule.

And, I'm still bumming it at the jewelry store on evenings and weekends, which makes me a tired girl, but also, hopefully, a rich one. (Not gonna happen.)

I love the office. I have office clothes and office shoes, and office people. They could market little plastic dolls of me; 'Corporate Bethany', new version on shelves today!, which is a thought I haven't had since my firends took me skiing last year, and 'Ski Bunny Bethany' made her first appearance. And even if I feel a little like a tigre wearing stripes when I'm there, they seem to like my spotted tigre. Did I mention I was getting promoted?

And all around me, people are UP! The brother just got a raise (way to go, and tres impressive, little brother), Laurie's made the decision to Teacher's College in New Zealand, the heavy that Hugh was dealing with turned out a little more perfect than anyone could have predicted, and during a slew (sp?) of birthdays (Laur, me, Kev in less than a week), I've actually got the chance to SEE MY FRIENDS, in the SAME ROOM, at the SAME TIME.
It really, really sucks that at this point in my life, that line is actually worthy of capital letters.

"What did you get for your birthday?" I hear you ask.
Boots, a little over three months ago. And a LOT of food, and a gift certificate that I haven't spent yet, tyvm. I was terribly pleased, and bloated. Three gourmet dinners in the space of about five days, and you'd swear you'll never eat again (except there's always room for chocolate).

Anyways, I get to hear about my promotion on Monday, get to go shopping with Laurie (hopefully) tomorrow (and it won't be a bust, like the last time), and I'm writing again, and things are coming up roses. Cold roses- it's snowing again.

Checkin in

I got a job (watch me do a jig). No, actually, I celebrated my job the BEST way (note for readers: "BEST" is to be read dripping with sarcasm); I got a job the same day I got a cold. A really nasty cold. Trust me, the best way to prepare for your first career-type impressive office job does not involve cold meds and tons of tissue. Not to say that I didn't go out shopping for new clothes...three times...

So, that's my big news, and what has been taking up my time for the past while. I start tomorrow, which I'm bot excited and nervous about. I hate the fact that I have to wake up at 6am. I really, really resent mornings. But hopefully all will go well- I'll tell you all about it later.

Other than that, nothing huge has happened lately. I got together with Lauren a couple of times this week, which is always nice- she's talking about doing teacher's college again. There was a time that that was my plan, too- now I'm glad I didn't do it. I knew back then that it wasn't for me.

I voted! It's not something I've done for a long time- I always felt really sheltered while I was at University- it was such a bubble of a world- that I didn't feel confident in making that kind of decision. Now I do. Not that it helped much. Anyone know I nice, quiet country I can move to for a few years?

And at some point, I HAVE to get back to Hamilton. I was talking to Shesh the other day (friend from Mac and my old job), and she totally (justifiably) got on my case for not being around. I want to plan one good weekend, where I can go, see Shesh, see Mark, visit the toy store, spend all my money at the bead store (MAN, do I miss that place), and eat at Mai Thai. I've eaten Thai food in countless locations by now, and that place is still, hands down, the best. If you live in Hamilton, GO THERE, it's on John I think. You must have the Cashew Chicken. Bet you're hungry now, hun?

Okay, so this blog was a little more scattered than most, but at least I got some words in. I would like to take a brief opportunity to send out a 'Hey ya' to my aunt, who has made me jealous by discovering the ferret tree (watch the newest Harry Potter movie again, you'll see it).

Now, I have to get to bed- I have a big day tomorrow.

She's back!

I could go on for a line or two about what a bad, bad blogger I've been, but chances are that after a month and a week of pure silence from me, any readers I once had are long gone. Out of sight and out of mind, and I've been hiding for awile now. But see how I persevere? Forge on into the depths of cyberspace bloggerdom? Meh...back to my show.

Yeah, I have neither forgotten nor abandoned my blog, if that's what you're thinking. I just got through a busy (and lazy) period. Hopefully it's over.

So, what's new with me this past month? Well, the job hunt continues, with prey in sight- it just takes time to see if my shots have hit the mark. I've been volunteering (have I told you this?) at an old, illustrious independent press in the city, which is fantastic and I would happily stay there- if I ever got paid. Oh well- it's a great resource and stepping stone for me regardless. Plus, they give me free books, which totally rocks.

And I may have just been offered an internship at another independent press (never thought I was a magnet for the indie connection, but there that is), but more to come on that later; at this point, I haven't got the details myself.

The holidays are wonderful. Little brother is here and staying with us for a few days, which is always fun, and we've done the gift thing (mine were a hit- both what I gave an received). I gave the brother gloves (which he WEARS, tyvm), and Mom got a very cool painting we spotted while shopping, as well as Janis Joplin's 'Pearl' cd. She's such the hippie.

And I got an mp3 player! Yep, my life has sound. Actually, that thought occurred to me the other day. I was walking to work with my headphones in my ears (trying to remember not to sing sloud), and it occured to me that this was like my life's soundtrack, like on tv. Then I felt like people were watching me, and it freaked me out. I put the tunes away then. But I still love them!

And I got some other pretty cool stuff. I hope all you out there got what your hearts desired this year.

And...that's it. Family's good, friends are good (Lauren's leaving for some tropical destination this week, and it's going to be a cold, lonely New Year's without her), pets are good. I promise not to go away for this long again. Believe me. Please!

Book tangent

I know I've been a bad little blogger, and there's no excuse, especially for someone who's not only home, but planted in front of her computer this much. The truth is, life is a lot more full than one would expect without a full-time job.

In the past two weeks, I've been to the ROM with Mom and the brother, to the Royal Horse show, which was incredible, even though I was solo cause Mom had work take over her life, to the symphony, which was so much fun, cause Mom and Laur and Hugh were all there, and I love spending time with all of them, but I hadn't seen Hugh in forever, so that was great, plus I always love listening to live music with Hugh because it's so obvious how wrapped up he gets in it (Hugh's a violinist, and fiddler, and bassist, and pianist, and the list keeps going...).
(Apparently I'm a little stream-of-consciousnessey tonight, I'll try to curb the impulse, but once the comma jones gets it's claws into you, it's hard to shake loose the impulse.)

Laur took me to her boss' art show opening, which I enjoyed immensely. His art made me think of Edward Gorey, but more plastic; very bright, flat planes, with twisted content that was effectively tongue-in-cheek and didn't take itself too seriously-- definitely my cup of tea.

And I've seen Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire twice already, and won't be able to say that after friday (lol)! Honestly, this one is so freaking good...I'm not going to let myself get started, it'll never end, but just, go see it okay? For me? (With me?)

I know some people couldn't imagine (or bear) to see a movie more than once, or more than many times. Mom refuses to buy DVD's because she's so dead set against watching something more than once. She doesn't get how I do it. I have a tendency to read my favourite books (usually the not-so-literary ones) over and over, too. I'm also that way with music; listen to a good song, if it gets you groovin, then there's nothing wrong with listening to it again. And again. Okay, I do have a point here. What I'm driving towards, is that I'm wondering how, or why, or something...about how much comfort I get from these things. Okay, not the music so much. But the movies to a lesser extent, and the books, hugely. I LOVE rereading my old books. The first fantasy book I ever opened was called The Hunter's Moon, by O.R. Melling, which Mom bought for me for Christmas when I was nine or so, back when we still did Christmas, and it was in my stocking. I still have it. And I've read it more times than I can count (now I wish I'd had the foresight, at age nine, to make a mark in the cover each time I read a book). Seriously- I can recite the first chapter. And Dragon Bones, by Patricia Briggs, I bought her book...I think I was in highschool, but I'll sometimes pick that book up, like, three times a year. It's a thin little paperback, takes me two days to read, and I know every twist of plot and most of the best lines, but I keep coming back. I love it. I mean, I like the story and her characters and stuff, but it's not the book, really, it's what I get out of it, I guess, that I keep coming back for. Like I said, it surprises me how much comfort I get from these simple, familiar stories. When I was in class, be it Mac or publishing, and was really stimulated by what I was doing for so many hours every day, then it would never occur to me to pick up one of my old books. When I'm up with brainwork every day, those are the times when my 'book instinct' kicks in. This is another quirk, and I've mentioned it to Mom before. I have moments, where it's like my brain's on autopilot. I would be walking through the student centre at Mac, on my way to class or on my lunch break or something, and without making a conscious decision to do so, I'd deke into the bookstore, look blindly at a shelf and just grab, faze my way through the checkout, never with one clear thought in my head. Sometimes I'd be unpacking my schoolbag hours later when I got home, and would find shiny new paperbacks with receipts tucked in their covers, and have no recollection whatsoever of having bought them. It's not a bad thing, just odd.

But now I've tangented myself into left field.

It's when my life is not so stimulated (and I know I just talked all about going to the symphony and stuff, and yes, that was stimulating), that I feel the urge to crawl into my old familiar stories again. Maybe part of me is worried that periods like this (I wouldn't go so far as to call them ruts, just...moments of calm. In the boring sense.) will continue too long, and I'm, what, afraid of that? Worried? Numbed? Yeah, 'numbed' works (call me Largeman). So, what sense does it make that I would only read the stimulating, challenging, literary, autopilot-purchase books when I'm already stimulated? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Meh...I think this is a night of overanalysis, and without Lauren here I've talked myself into a corner. Besides, my book calls- and I know exactly what happens next.

Something Special

Know what I saw today? Snowflakes.
In their honour, have a story:

He was born in the south, and not very long ago. Fair-haired and golden-skinned, he was a child who shone in the sunlight. He was bright and full of laughter and energy, and could never be persuaded to sleep until after sunset, though his parents knew if they waited until then, he would be good, and even easy to lull to sleep.
He loved to be outdoors. Rainy days always left him less enthused, quiet and lethargic. On one sunny day he was playing in the backyard, swinging on the jungle gym and rolling around with a stuffed puppy named Bruce. He stopped rolling, sitting on the warm grass, squinting at the bright sky. His mother asked him what he was thinking. “I have a secret,” he told her, but would say no more. She fed him hot dog pieces with ketchup, and he went back to his playing.
That night, while being tucked into bed, the boy whispered to his mother that he wanted to tell her his secret. “What is it?” she asked, and he told her, “The sun shines just for me.” The mother smiled at her son, enjoying his odd comment. She kissed him goodnight, and he fell asleep quickly.
She didn’t forget what her son had told her, though it was only a passing comment that he never repeated.

That winter the family went on a trip to Canada, where the father had a business conference and thought his son would like to see snow for the first time. There was no snow when they arrived, though, just many clouds and cold wind.
It was the last day of their visit and the mother and son were walking along the sidewalk, hand in hand. They passed a young woman walking in the opposite direction, and as she passed by, the boy looked at her, and she smiled back at him.
She was older, but not so old that she’d lost that magic that belongs to the young. She was more quiet than exuberant, she smiled much but seldom laughed, her hair was dark but her eyes were bright. She liked the summer and reveled in the colours of autumn, but she waited all year for the winter. Since she was young, she’d always been able to smell the snow that was ready to fall.
She stopped walking when she saw the boy looking at her. She leant down, level with him, as he approached, his mother watching pensively from behind. “I have a secret,” the boy told her, just as he’d told his mother so many months before.
“I know your secret,” the girl quietly smiled as she said it. His mother’s brows dipped in curious confusion- what was this stranger going to say to her son?
“The sun shines just for you, doesn’t it?” the woman whispered. Before the mother could register her shock, the stranger continued, “Do you know my secret?”
The little boy smiled and looked up at the slatey clouds overhead. “It snows just for you.”
And as the first flakes the boy had ever seen started to float down over the city, the stranger-who was not at all strange to the boy, nor he to her- smiled back, and nodded her head.

Lemony Snicker (the pie is laughing at me)

Today is my brother's birthday, so Happy Birthday Brother. In honour of this momentous day, I was going to blog my mom's recipe and secret tips on how to make his favourite, Lemon Meringue Pie. Alas, this is not to be, cause apparently even with the recipe and secret tips, I cannot make Lemon Meringue Pie.
Lemon Meringue Soup I'm great at.

I refuse to accept defeat. There will be pie...someday.

I am a human firework.

Oh. My. God.
Oh my God.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.

I got a call.
It was for an interview.
For me.
At MCGRAW HILL RYERSON PUBLISHING.
To be a SUPERVISING EDITOR.
E-D-I-T-O-R.

Oh my god.

Infinitely Simple

Today I graduated for the last time. It was a good day, one of those days that you expect in advance to be momentous, then get to the moment and think 'this is stupid', and then experience and realize that it's just a day. I don't mean that in a depressed way or anything. It's just that sometimes life gives you these moments when you're totally aware of being alive, and it's not biblical or earth-shattering, and it's not pointless biology or tiny-specs-in-space insignificance, it's just you, and the people around you, experiencing stuff, and making thoughts and decisions and other stuff out of it. And I like that. There is no quest for the meaning of life, but it's not just empty, either. On days like this everything is just infinitely simple.
It was cold and rainy all day. I wore my new blue shoes which got compliments and wet. The ceremony at Humber was uncomplicated, and the comedy class graduating with ours was funny, and I hate pantyhose. Some college guy I never saw before made an awful speech, and they handed me a certificate, and I was happy and had a headache.
The brother was there, and that made me pretty happy, too.
It was good to see my classmates again, and we all planned to get together and keep in touch, then Mom and the bro and I drove around for an hour before heading home and eating pizza and boston cream cake.
Tonight we went to see a Qubecois film called C.R.A.Z.Y., which is worth seeing, if you can deal with subtitles. I liked it, and was proud that I got the title before the end of the film. It had a cute actor and really good music.
Now I'm home and really tired, and I think I'll go to sleep. It really was a good day.

Bethany's Praline Apple Bread

Well, it's autumn, and gorgeous, and apples are in season. I made this for my family last week, and it was a hit, so I'm passing it on. Try it out, trust me.

Bethany’s Apple Praline Bread

1 cup sugar
8 oz carton of sour cream
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups chopped, peeled tart apples
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar

Beat together white sugar, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla on low speed, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir together the dry ingredients and add sour cream mix, beating on low until combined. Stir in apple and ½ cup pecans.

Turn into greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining chopped pecans. Press lightly into batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. (Don't skip this step- mine regualrly takes over an hour to cook). If necessary, cover loosely with foil for the last ten minutes to prevent over-browning. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar and cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 1 minute. Remove bread from pan, drizzle top with brown sugar mixture. Cool completely. Makes 1 loaf.

Some brief notes:
Feel free to add more apples than this calls for (I do).
Walnuts taste just as good as pecans.
Make sure the brown sugar is dissolved in the butter at the end, but don't burn it.
And something I discovered while making this again tonight: Do not touch the spoon you use to stir the boiling butter and sugar mixture. When this burns you, run cold water over said finger. While cold water is running, DO NOT assume spoon is now cool enough and attempt to LICK yummy sugar off it. Ow.

Happy happy thanksgiving

This is a wonderful day.
I went to Yonge and Eglinton to meet a friend, and the TTC was almost empty because of the holiday. It was almost...peaceful.
I met Lisa, and we went to the bookstore, had lunch, talked about publishing and school and things...
We went to see a movie (Serenity), which was very, very good, but don't go see it, because space cowboys takes a certain palate, and most don't have it. But it's a Joss Weedon film, which is awesome, I love his stuff, and it's about time someone gave him the funding to do it! (Or maybe he just saved up all his pennies from Buffy, who knows). Either way, I liked it.
But the best part was the Harry Potter trailer that came on before the flick. I stopped breathing for a minute. Lisa said she almost peed her pants. I swear, I'd pay just to see the trailer again! I can't wait till November 18th.
And seeing an old friend is always good, and it's finally really, really autumn here, which I love, and there's leaf colours and new sweaters and cold snaps in the air which is wonderful.
I took the subway home, and the city is running this "Live with Culture" ad campaign, and I love good ad campaigns, and Eglinton station is covered in these posters of art, and one series is a bunch of dancers by Cylla von Tiedemann which is utterly fantastic (seriously- go see Eglinton station). I was walking along, swingin my purse and looking at these fabulous contemporary dance stills, and this guy passes by me in baggy clothes with his hood up and dirty nails (the type of guy who you usually try not to look at), and as he passed he muttered, "Living is life, and life is worth living." He made me smile.
I skipped most of the way home, and there were happy people, and fathers running with their kids, and I love being in a good mood.
But there were supposed to be people here when I got home. Mom and the brother and the Egg, and (and I don't want to sound selfish or demanding here, but) dinner on the stove! Okay, so it's thanksgiving and we're cheating and having chicken, but still...
Where is everybody?!

Sneaky ads

Minor housekeeping. I'm fed up with these stupid auto-comment ads that are showing up here, so I've turned on word verification for comments. This means that when you want to comment (and please don't let this discourage you- I love comments), a window with letters and numbers (odd-looking ones) will appear, and you'll be asked to type in what you see. Go with it, the function won't bite. But please tell me if this causes you grief (you can email me if you can't comment).
Hopefully this will keep me from pulling more of my hair out!

Happy New Year!

Wow, I don't know why I keep putting off blogging for so long, cause things just keep piling up for me to write about, and I end up with these silly catch-up monster blogs. Well, here's another.

First, some general greetings. Happy New Year all those that apply, I wish you a healthy and productive 5756! (Let's party like it's 5699) (That was very lame)
And Happy Birthday Aunt Mer! Hope England's treating you right.
And one bit of housekeeping. My last blog, focussed on placating my mother, seems to have come out much more squicky than I intended it to. She read it and said 'it brought a tear to my eye'...I had to control the impluse to rush to the computer and delete said blog immediately. If you know me, you know how much I detest being wiggly. I wasn't being wiggly. There was no intended gooiness, I was stating facts. Learn it well, people, there ain't no jello here!

And now, on with the show.
For a girl who's unemployed, I'm deceptively busy. Sunday Mom and the brother and I went for a hike. A really, really long hike. It probably wouldn't have been so much except that no member of my family should be relied upon to:
1)know a direction...ever
2)be able to find a path
3)be willing to follow rules of most kinds.
The result? We spent two hours tromping through cross-country, totally uncharted territory (that led to someone's backyard, given, but I prefer to imagine us as true explorers). Apparently, I'm still the adventurous one in my family (who'da thunk it?). The brother and I scrambled up some rocks, and the entire time he muttered repeatedly in my ear 'Is this a good idea? This is not a good idea.' And when we went off-trail, Mom kept insisting we go back to find the path! Bah!
Anyways, it was gorgeous, even though it was too warm for fall (I love fall, and Mom's going to kick my ass for insisting, again, that it's time for the warm weather to vamoose.) (Yeah, that's right, I said 'vamoose', you wanna make something of it?)

Monday was dinner at my great aunt's house, which was very tasty. It's always good to see family, and I got to talk shop with my uncle (technically cousin) who teaches me all sorts of stuff about arts and craft. I've been carving this block of soapstone he gave me, and he promised to score me some super-fine drill bits so I can make what I'm carving suitable for my beadwork. I can't believe I'm actually reaching a point where having a room in my future house be a 'studio' would amount to more than just an empty desk with a selection of never-used pencils. I'm psyched about those drill bits!
(I KNOW I'm a geek, stop telling me old information.)

And then there's work, where we're training our new manager (yeah, that's right. I'm training my boss. What kind of messed-up system is that?) She's not bad, but there are always a few bugs to work out. I only worked a couple of shifts this week, but sales are good again, and I'm left with more time for job hunting, which goes on...and on...

And I think my social life is making up for lost time, or something. I go to Lauren's tomorrow, it's the holiday over the weekend (enjoy that turkey, folks), Monday I'm meeting an old Mac friend for a movie, tuesday and wednesday I work, thursday I was invited to lunch but that's Yom Kippur, so I'd suck as a luch date (no it's not a 'date'), which makes a week from tomorrow my first available day. Not to mention that a friend from pub. class has been trying to arrange a night for us to get together for dinner for, like, three weeks (which is reaching a state of rediculousness, this oughtn't be so hard). This is very odd for me.

Oh! And Mom and Aunt Laura (who's another not-my-aunt-Aunt, but who is also not a cousin) and I went out for Japanese and I totally ate sushi! It had no fish in it, but it was...well, not 'great', but edible, and certainly not bad. I figure if someone I need to impress wants to take me out for sushi ever, it's just easiest for me to become temporarily vegan. Chickens grow on trees, right?

Oh, and Mom and I ate Swiss Chard tonight. Kale was better.

And now it's late and I can't think of anything else, so I'll say goodnight folks.
Goodnight, floks.

Teasing my mother

Okay, so I don't get how or why people buy jewelry. Last week, the store loved me. I swear, I was so on, I could have sold a thumb ring to a duck. This week (and I haven't changed anything about my selling style), I can't give this stuff away if it were sugar-coated. It's as if, last week, the collective unconsciousness was in a spending mood, and this week, the world is being frugal. I guess I'm just baffled by the trends.
Our manager, Melissa, was sick all last week, so I all but took over the store, working every day. It wasn't too hard to do, which I'm hoping lends credence to my idea of owning a bookstore someday. I could totally do that.

Nothing new to report on the job hunt. I didn't get much done last week cause I was stuck in the mall so much, but yesterday was good, productive, and I have a plan for today too. It's just hard to do, draining, and it's times like this when socialist communism starts to sounds appealing.

My socail life is starting to have a little 'life' again, though. Last weekend I got together with Laur, Kev, Mark, and Kristen. Kristen is Lauren's sister, and it was the first time I'd seen her and Mark together. He seemed really happy. Kev was sick but it was good to see him too- it sucks that we're all so spread out. It's been much too long since Laurie and I have spent any decent time together, and I think my wit and personality are suffering from the lack.
The five of us went to Playdium, which is a big dark room filled with video games (the kind you put quarters in, except they use cards). I suck at driving games, but I'm pretty good at shooting things. No real surprise!
This weekend I went with Laur and Kev to see Kev's place in Shelburne for the first time. Shelburne is...quiet. It was relaxing, but I get why Kevin spends so much time gaming. (Sorry, Laur.)
Also, Laur and I have been invited to dinner with David (a friend of mine from publishing class) and his girlfriend- it'll be fun if we can ever find a day when we're all free! I'm looking forward to it despite avoiding David's email because of the very very overdue article I still owe him for his website. I'm still working on it, I swear!
And I've (strangely) been invited to the Mac Humanities formal, which is on a boat in Toronto this year. It's probably too much money right now, plus there's my lack of a good accessory for my arm (which usually doesn't bother me, but it would help with my excuse for being there). Not to mention the fact that I no longer have a vaid connection to either McMaster or Humanities, and I'm left with very few good reasons to go. It would be nice to see Shesh and Lunchbox and Kat and all the rest again, though. But I really don't want to be one of those much-older-than-everybody losers who still hang around despite having graduated years before a la Dazed and Confused.

Then there's Rosh Hashonna next week, where it'll be good to see family, and I can wear my new skirt that hasn't gotten much play since I bought it. And I'll bake- I've got the best recipe for apple bread- I'll blog it later. I'd bake today (it's a good day for it) except Mom made chocolate banana bread the other day, and I have to wait until that's gone. (Which I kind of hope is soon.) (Sorry, Mom.)

I shouldn't have said that. I recently got reamed out by her for...well, I think the gist of her opinion is that I selectively blog things about her that, when read together, make her seem foolish. Which I totally take issue with. It was she who didn't want me to write about her life, so I keep my comments about my mother light, and it's not my fault that she's really funny sometimes. I don't blog untruths. And I don't really get how being over dramatic about kale vilifies my mother.
But, in an effort at peace offering, here;
My mother is clever. She's taught me more than any other person, ever. She's much cooler than a lot of other moms out there, probably most. She's one of my best friends, as well as being my Mom. I wish to hell I could have known her in the sixties and seventies, the wildchild. She's got more balls than most, and even though she's hilarious sometimes, she's never really foolish, and almost never foppish. (Mom, if you wanted to never have been foppish, than the rendition of 'We are family' should never have been 'jived' in the car. No, you will never live that down.)
But no matter what, she's still funny. Okay, so she doesn't even get some of her own hilarity (re: the coversation in Chapters), Oops, I didn't tell you about that, here it is:

I found her in the cookbook section, flipping through vegetarian recipies, looking for a mushroom stew recipe she 'remembered reading once'. No, she didn't know which book it was in. No, searching on the internet would not be easier, quicker, and more smart, stop teasing your mother.
Mom: (reading out recipe titles) "Autumn vegetable stew, served in a pumpkin"
B: (dubious) In a pumpkin?
Mom: Yeah, vegetarians do that. They like to serve things in other things, cause they think that makes them taste better.

I lost it at that. She doesn't get what was funny.

Oh, and I would like to make it clear that neither my mother nor I are in any way against vegetarians, or against 'putting stuff in other stuff'. Really. I had an uncle who was a vegetarian, for a while. Long story.

Anyways, I guess all I really wanted to cover here was that, she's not just a clown running around in my life, if that is the way that she has been (inadvertantly) portrayed in my writings. She's cool. Really.

Maybe now she won't be afraid to share the address with Jerry. ;)

Help meeeeeeee!

The horror. The horror.
Mom went shopping...for dinner...and brought back...kale.
*shudder*
And that's not the end of it.
She's threatened...she's promised...after this, we're moving on to Swiss chard.
She's evil, man. Pure evil.

Meet Burning House

Look, I got pictures! And I'd like to introduce you to my group from the final project of my Humber class: Tracey, Fiona, Morgen, Allen, Chris and I.

A boring week

Well, I've been out of school just over a week, and things are still going okay. My resume has been overhauled (or more accurately, demolished and re-built from scratch, stronger and better- I have the technology), I've actually applied for something (kind of a feat for me. For some reason, I always hit a speedbump at this point), and even though I have neither interview or job on the horizon yet, I HAVE spent money I shouldn't be spending on outfits for them! Yeah, this past week has been a bit of a shopping spree (two skirts- and I barely ever wear skirts- some kick-ass shoes, a suit jacket, a poncho-ey thing that I had to fight my mom for, a new purse...this list goes on).
Friday was a party at Laur's new place- to warm it up- which was a fair success. I love Laurie's friends, they're hilarious, and I wish I could have stayed longer, but circumstances conspired against me. On the other hand, my driving record is getter better in leaps and bounds (I had the car that night, and my newest vendetta is a war against my mother's opinion on my driving skills. She thinks I suck, which I do not. My record is CLEAN, baby.) So yeah, I left the party early, but then I went driving downtown Toronto on a friday night, and took the HIGHWAY home. Who can't drive now, hun?
Other than that, life is boring. My room is clean, my sales at the jewelry store rock, and I have to make a foray soon back to the Ham, cause my bead supply has holes in it. (Heh, heh, I just realized what a very, very lame joke that was).
There wasn't much to say in here, but I'm making an effort to blog more. I hope your lives are more interresting, but only in the good way.

Goodbye Humber, how I will miss thee...

Wow, so it's been, like, half a month since I last blogged and there's a lot to catch up on. I know that I haven't been the most reliable updater this summer, but that should soon change, seeing as how today is my second-last day of school. This news is kind of mixed good and bad, since I'll be blogging more thanks to free time (yay), but have free time thanks to no job waiting for me (boo). I shouldn't say that- there is a job waiting for me...I just have to find it. The prospect of doing so, however, is...terrifying is the word.
I keep waffling between this surreal sense of over confidence ("I just finished the best course out there, I have so many contacts, I did so well, blah blah my greatness blah...") and nail-biting paralysis fear ("Oh god it's so hard to find something and my resume isn't done and I suck at interviews and why would they ever even consider me for this they won't even look at me they'll see my cover letter and probably laugh, I suck suck suck...")
Thankfully these seem to balance each other out, so far, so I have not yet talked myself into a pile o' goo. The goo does loom, however. It's a thin line I walk.
I'm also aware that I'm one of about twenty people in my class feeling this way. Wow, how we all fit in one room together, I don't know.
But that's what's happening now, and you all have about a month in the Life of Bethany to catch up on. Ready? Go.

The final month of my program was us creating our own (fake) companies. By the end of the month, we were exhausted, the companies were way more real in our minds than we ever anticipated them becoming, and we were proud. My group, whom I love with all my heart, named our company Burning House, and we publish non fiction, socially relevant, controversial titles (both illustrated and not).
The final presentation, which included a panel of very distinguished judges bent on chossing a winner, picked...us! I'm still in shock.

Following that, there was about a year and a day of sleeping, one helluva party (monday), lots of picture-taking and even a cake with a story.
(You want the cake story? Fine. There was a long, drawn-out discussion over things to have written upon our cake. We didn't want it to say 'goodbye', and felt that 'good luck' was just as bad. 'Revolutionize the Industry' was suggested, but I think there was resistance about taking orders from baked goods, plus, we'd need a bigger cake for that. In the end, no decision had been made, as the only thing we could agree on was that we'd all be happy to eat it. With that in mind, my classmates got to the store and asked to have the cake read 'Yeah, cake!' Simple enough, right? Apparently, no. The lady writing down their order wrote 'Yay cake', and in a room full of now-editors, this was not good. But hey, it's only icing, right? When they picked up said cake, and opened the box, we ended up with a blue cake that said 'Yay'. Not even an exclamation point. It was the sardonic, final-day-of-publishing class, blue cake. It was tasty.)

...And that was the end of my class (yeah, I took two days to write this post). I got home, changed, and went to help Lauren move (goodbye ghetto, hello...well, I think it feels English there, mostly because of the roundabout att he end of her street, but I think Laur thinks I'm nuts). Then we drove for ever and ever looking for food. We found it, in the end, but it was a near miss.

Anyways, I have to go now- work to be done. Oh wait...no there isn't. But my room's a friggin mess.

My brain hurts

Hello all,
I'm at school right now, and ought to be working, though I'm finding that it's basically a useless attempt right now. Ironic, since the project I'm working on is titled "Useless Design", heh heh.
This month is completely devoted to one big project, where we divide into groups, create a company, a list of books, and all the financials, and then pitch it all to a panel at the end of the month.
I love my group. I really like our books. I'm having fun. But I'm also so freaking tired. Being creative all day is like cross-country skiing or something.
But now I gotta go- there's a grindstone waiting for my nose.

The Best Bad Movies

Sometimes it’s the worst flicks that seem to speak to you. Not in those powerful, undeniable messages that you get from the very good films, not in the too-loud voices you get from the too-good films, and certainly not in the screeches that blast most commonly out of cinema doors. No, sometimes it’s the ones that are just bad- the teen flick that uses shampoo as a metaphor, the chick flick that was written entirely in clichés- that seem to get you. You can’t understand why you like them. Why is it that you seem to find it okay to watch them over and over again? You know that they aren’t good. You know that they are badly written, filled with heavy-handed symbolism, and that parts are so abashedly cheesy they make you cringe. But you always go back for more. The next day when it’s a rerun. The next month, when you spy it at the video store. The next year, when your best friend asks ‘what do you want to do tonight?’, and you know that, once again, it’s time. There must be something valid in them. Buried under the scrap, there must be something worthwile that pulls you back. The idea. The image. The concept. I like to think that, whatever it is, it's there, and instead of it being the driving force it was supposed to be, the message is hidden. It's been buried, often under a lot of crap, but it's there, and you go back to it over again. There are reasons to love those bad movies. It makes them valid. It makes us valid for watching them.
Do you know what I’m talking about, or am I totally out in left field? I’ll admit, I’m writing this in the afterglow of one such great bad movie.
Do you have one (or a few?) What are they?

Pottermania

I love Pottermania.
In the US, more than 6.9 million copies were sold in the first 24 hours of the book's release. In Canada, somewhere in the vicinity of 700,000. At one release party in Britain, over 800 copies were sold in about 40 minutes- that's 20 copies a minute, and three copies every second.
And who's reading? Click the link!

Running to catch up

First, no- I haven't died. I'm just very, very busy.
I know what you're thinking, and no, I wasn't forgetting about, or not intending to blog about my family reunion. I just got a little out of order, that's all.

First of all, the big news this year belonged to my cousin. A huge kudos to him for having the guts to walk into a room full of family and say “you all remember my wife, don't you?” (It should be pointed out that he got himself hitched about three weeks prior to then, under a veritable veil of secrecy.) I could NEVER have done that, but it was obviously what they both wanted, and they're both really happy with the way they did things, and so, props and congratulations to them for doing what made them happy. More people should do the same!
The rest of the weekend was pleasant and restful- there was shopping for art glass for one aunt, talking books with another. Mom even managed to stop being so manic…a little…near the end…(no, really, she had a good time). And there was plenty of food!

Honestly, though, my aunt looking for art glass ought to have stayed an extra week- the following weekend, I spent all of Sunday with Laur, walking around downtown Toronto (so much sun- such a good tan!) and there were two street festivals, one of which was an amazing art exhibition. They had great glass!
We went out for lunch at a fantastic place called 'Everest', on Queen street, that had food from all around Mount Everest. They had a clever 'Free Tibet' platter- Tibetan dumplings surrounded by Chinese Chow Mein. It was witty but I didn't order it, so I don't know if it's tasty- we'll have to go back.
Then we went bead shopping, had dinner, and went to see Batman Begins, which was not a total waste of time, but would have been if I hadn't been a comic book kid once-upon-a-time. At least it was dark and air conditioned. It was a good day!

That week following (wow, this is like, a month I'm catching you guys up on- sorry!), my class had a surprise guest speaker, and it was His Excellency Sir John Ralston Saul! (Famous Canadian, five-time author of international acclaim, political commenter and modern-day philosopher, and husband to Canada's Governor General.) He came to talk with us, which was pretty cool- he had a guard and everything- and then (after getting into a fight with one of my classmates in the washroom), called Cynthia (head of my program) to tell her that he was very impressed with us (and there might be a job with him for one of us)! I'm stoked. I just have to do some reading, and brush up on my French…

La visite de Moniseur Saul etait une evenement que je n'oublierais pas beintot. Il faut que je donne mes mercies a Cynthia pour cette cadeau!

Wow, yeah, my French sucks.

And then one of my classmates got hit by a bus. Okay, so I'm being dramatic. Morgen had bike accident that landed her in the hospital, but she's okay now (she actually typing beside me). I went to see her in the hospital. I'm glad she's better.

Work is the same as always. I got a bad evaluation that said I wasn't selling enough, and then, two days later, I made the top five sellers list in the GTA. It was satisfying at the time, but I'm getting sick of both the mall and the corporate stuff that goes with this job. Good thing I interviewed at a bookstore last week. It might be awhile before I start, but I can wait if I have that to look forward to!

Friday rocked. Mark and Kev came up for a visit (we've barely seen them all summer!), and we went to a K-Os concert (think folk rap, with morals. Good guy.), which was a great show! Immediately after which my friends dropped me at a bookstore, where I was in time to get in line for the midnight release of HARRY POTTER! I am overjoyed at the arrival of this book. I have read it twice, but have yet to finish formulating my opinion. As I told Laur last night, I'm still in 'process' mode. It was very…there was just so MUCH!
Mom wrestled it away from me his morning, but I'm getting it back (and reading it again) once she's done. Thankfully, soon I'll have more people to discuss it with.

And the blog just keeps going!

Last night I got a book in the mail from my aunt. Thank you aunt! (Yeah, I'm gonna write a better thanks soon, and a whole lot more privately than this). Its such a pretty book! I need some more time to look it over before I bring it to class and let these guys paw all over it (ha ha) though…working so much this week!

Also went to a friends' gig this week. Chris, a classmate of mine, is in a band called the Salingers, and I really like their music. I'm gonna have to go to more of their shows. Maybe I'll be a groupie…

Anyways, we've come to the (disjointed) end. I apologize profusely for my recent not-here-ness. I'll do better. At least we have something to look forward to- I'm (hoping to) go to Cedar Point next weekend. Hooray for roller coasters…

Stolen Survey

TWELVE MOVIES (in no order):
12. Garden State
11. Hackers
10. Billy Elliott
09. Empire of the Sun
08. Harry Potter
07. Romeo & Juliet
06. Run Lola Run
05. Down to You
04. Amelie
03. Empire Records
02. American Beauty
01. The Royal Tenenbaums

ELEVEN GOOD BANDS/ARTISTS:
11. Coldplay
10. Anyone from the Garden State Soundtrack
09. The Clash
08. U2
07. Collective Soul
06. Moby
05. Prodigy (props to the past)
04. Our Lady Peace
03. Dido
02. T-Rex
01. Iron & Wine

TEN THINGS ABOUT YOU:
10. I have a dark sense of humour, and think a lot of disturbing stuff is funny.
09. I love just about all pets, but want a cat.
08. I consider changing my name on a regular basis.
07. I want to live in England.
06. My favourite colour is green.
05. I love my bad choices.
04. I love noticing things that others don't.
03. I can spend an entire day in bed with a book, not moving.
02. It bugs me if the volume on the tv (or similar thing) does not end in 5 or 0.
01. I'm odd, and I like it.

NINE BOOKS:
09. Harry Potter- JK Rowling
08. Motherless Brooklyn- Jonathan Lethem
07. The Time Traveler's Wife- Audrey Niffenegger
06. Jabberwocky- Lewis Carroll
05. Dragon's Blood- Patricia Briggs
04. The Gashleycrumb Tinies- Edward Gorey
03. A Complicated Kindness- Miriam Towes
02. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams
01. Good Omens- Terry pratchett and Neil Gaiman

EIGHT FAVOURITE FOODS/DRINKS:
08. Thai food
07. Apples
06. Mom's brisket
05. Mocha mocha frappaccinos from William's
04. Baguettes
03. Juice boxes
02. Balsamic dressing
01. Chocolate

SEVEN THINGS YOU WEAR DAILY:
07. Several rings
06. Bra
05. Deodorant
04. Underwear
03. Four earrings
02. Shirt
01. Cucumber Melon body lotion

SIX THINGS THAT YOU HATE:
06. Closed-mindedness
05. Sticking my foot in my mouth (and I do it often)
04. Drivers who don't make way for emergency vehicles
03. Judgement
02. Condensation on cold drinks
01. Intolerance

FIVE THINGS YOU DO DAILY:
05. Brush my hair
04. Read
03. Wash
02. Go on the internet
01. Feel guilty or worried about something

FOUR SHOWS YOU WATCH:
04. Gilmour Girls
03. CSI
02. Scrubs- at Laur and Hugh's
01. Six Feet Under

THREE PLACES YOU'VE LIVED:
03. Sarnia
02. Hamilton
01. Toronto - dear god, I need to improve that list before I die.

TWO THINGS YOU WANT:
02. Enough money to live a reasonable life (I'm willing to work for that- I'm not looking for it to fall from the sky)
01. More time

Summer storm strike

Today is one of those days when the air is thick with moisture, and the world is so humid it seems like the sky is pressing down on you. The sun is strong but looks watery, and also seems to be doing it’s best to lay itself directly on your shoulders.
When the afternoon is getting tired, the sky, in that strange way it has in summer, gets bluer and greyer by degrees, storm clouds gathering disguised as clear air, so the sky itself seems to be thickening.
Then comes that stretched-out moment, when the world gets still, when the wind dies down and even the plants seem to hold them selves stiff and ready, until the tension breaks, and the first, fat drops hurtle down.
Traveling along, the air gets thick with that smell particular to mid-summer; that sharp, hot smell of overheated asphalt sizzling in the rain. Then the rain pounds down into soft skin still warm from summer sun, instantly passing through layers of cloth, and clothes get heavy and clingy and seem so much a bother.
Ears ring from almost constant thunder, and laughter bubbles up in response, growling playfully back at the sky, trying to out-do each other.
Standing on the balcony above, looking down, goosebumps from unseen breaths of air ghosting across wet skin. There is so much rain beating the world that the air itself is dark with it, the treetops whipping through the wind like seaweed through rough waters.
Lightning strike, sudden and violent, breaks through the wind and rain and thick air of summer, hisses with power, heat and burning light like screaming, like rage, like prayer, pulses down, a fist pounding the earth, and the tree across the way shudders in its own weakness and succumbs, splitting jarringly, falls as though floating, struck and spent, to earth.

A long day

Hi all.
My class is spending the whole day in computers, so this might just turn itself into a monster blog.
Class is good, great, very challenging, and backbreaking in turns. This past month has been just as intense as the last one, and the upcoming week is going to be very busy. I think a lot of stress, frustration, and lack of sleep kind of came to a head yesterday. Basically, as much as we've been learning, and as great as it has been, a lot of us are still worrying about marks and working really hard on our assignments (a little too hard, we've been told, but it's hard to break the habit), and trying to juggle our time and our nerves is...hard. Yesterday a lot of people were feeling very frustrated and stressed, and I guess we kind of lost it a little.
Cynthia came in and we were talking about assignments and tests and things, and there was a lot of discussion about what we as the students need and what the teachers are doing and saying. Cynthia is really good at calming people down, and she's fantastic at explaining things, which I think helps a lot. The talk yesterday helped, but I think we maybe need more of those talks. I might suggest it to Cynthia, for the next class.
Part of what's taking up our time these days is extra stuff outside of class. Tonight is a wine and cheese for the Children's Writer's Class that we're invited to, and I want to go, but there is SO MUCH WORK to get home to (besides, I promised Mom I'd be home for dinner- she's making fish).
But you get the gist, with the busy and the crazy making.
There is one thing taking up my time this weekend that I'm so happy for, though. In I'm Telling You for the Last Time Jerry Seinfeld talks about hearing of Hallowe'en when he was a child;

"What? Someone's giving out candy, who is giving out candy?...EVERYONE WE KNOW is giving out candy?! Wah-I- I have got to be a part of this, I'll do anything they want- ...I can wear that!"

Now. Replace the word "candy" with "books", and you've got my EXACT attitude about the Canadian Book Expo, this sunday, to which I am most definitely going! (No, I don't have to dress up in costume, but if they wanted my left arm in payment, they could have it. (I need the right one- it's the one that writes and turns the pages).
I'm sure I'll have gushes to say about it after sunday.

Okay, and here's a little thing that will make you go "What?! Why in hell is this the first time I'm hearing about this?"
So, what happened? Well, I was at work last week, and there was about a half hour left until closing, and Melissa and I were getting antsy to go home, despite our low sales. So, when we got a 'high roller' in, who wanted to spend a pile, we were kind of stoked that our sales would go up. But these two guys came in, and they were all not-nice (to say the least), and they we're getting a very large pile together. The one guy kept wanting suggestions from me, saying "What do girls like, what do you like?" Everything I handed him just went in the pile- he didn't care what he was buying.
That was when Melissa and I started to get nervous. Those guys weren't acting right.
As soon as they were done, Melissa rang everything up, and it took her forever- they had over $1500 of stuff. When she told them their total, the guy pulled out a bunch of very obviously fake cards. She hesitated to take them, and the guy started muttering threats, so only we could hear. We were afraid, and there was no way to call security (there's no place hidden from view where I work, and no emergency button like there should be), so she ran the cards through. They were all accepted. Just before the guys took off, the one grabbed a handful of stuff from the bag and set it back on the desk, and said "Here, these are yours." so, what, we were getting paid off? Fat freaking chance! We locked the stuff in a drawer, closed ten minutes early, and ran home!
The next morning we'd calmed down and called head office and the police. Everyone said it wasn't our fault, and our jobs are safe and there's nothing for us to worry about. We still feel bad about it, but what can you do?
The only question is, what happens to the stuff they left behind? We're waiting for a decision from head office. I should find out saturday- I'll keep you all updated.
Meanwhile, I'm not as upset as I was. When it happened, I was like, "I don't like the big city anymore! I'm moving back to Sarnia!" Now...well, trust me, Sarnia is no an option. But I hate working in a freaking MALL! I'm fully looking forward to burying myself in the nice, safe world of publishing.

Oh! And I've recently confirmed that there is no more training or certification needed for publishing in other countries. When I finish this course I can get a job in Canada...or Britain, the States, Australia...ANYWHERE! Bah ha ha! World, you are my playground.

Yeah, this blog was a little random.

One thing I love

So, Laur's at my place and we're putting a frozen pizza in the oven, then going to turn on a movie. Mom's oven has no timer. Worried that we'll burn the place down, or at least be eating char for dinner, Laur asks how we'll remember that something's in the oven.
"I'll get Phil to let us know," I say, distracted with the putting of the pizza on the hot rack.
Laur is slient for a moment, then,
"How will a plant let us know when our pizza is ready?"


...


So, what do I love?
I love that my best friend not only knows that I have names for both my plant and the microwave, but that she knows which one is which.

Revel in Gore

"The world is full of beautiful stories...you're not going to hear any of those tonight."
So began the fabulously disgusting reading I went to last night, featuring CHUCK PALAHNIUK! I can't believe that fate had him in Toronto and doing that same reading about which I've been reading just a few days after I discovered it. Destiny looks after me again! (And, I love living in the big city.)
Let me start by saying that no one fainted. Apparently, Torontonians are a tough bunch. But residents of Calgary aren't- his publicist told the crowd during his intro that they'd lost no less than five people at the last reading. I'm vaguely disappointed that no one went down, especially since the author was obviously doing his best.
Let me explain; the reading occurred in Indigo, which is a big place, but could barely contain the four hundred (at least) people who crowded in. It was hot and cramped and there weren't any seats unless you got there two hours in advance.
He handed out air fresheners. He handed out three hundred meat-scented, steak-shaped air 'fresheners' that he insisted we open and swing around. Eew. REALLY.
He was a fantastic speaker who was extremely talented at taking hilarious, disgusting, sad and sadistic stories and never allowing his audience to see them as abstract in any way; he was very good at keeping a human face on his characters. He spoke (even before he started reading) about the sick things people did, and told him about. He spoke about a guy finding out he had HIV, a guy who took pictures of dead people, and teenagers who commit suicide by accident.
Then he started reading. He told "Guts". This is the story about which the article I linked was about, the story, apparently, that he had 'retired' in view of the reactions he was getting. I was thrilled when he announced it.
The story was just as gross as the rest of his talk. It was great.
The crowd was good, too. It was a very young, kind of anti-establishment type crowd- very rock.
He took questions after, though he'd already made a point of talking about the rediculous comments and questions he usually got. For instance, those people (in the States), who ask him "Do you want to come to our fight club?" To which he sarcastically responds; "Yeah, like what I really want is to do this, and then go get punched."
He got some great questions, but was also a clever enough speaker that he made what would normally be mundane answers into interresting responses. For instance, the question "What do you aim to do with your writing?" to which he answered, "I aim to amuse myself. [These readings are] like sex; I want you to be there and be quiet until I'm done."
He was funny, and he gave out prizes (other than the air fresheners). He had us rolling when he spoke about being scheduled for readings following Erin Rolston, who wrote his true story about being caught in a rockslide and having to amputate his own arm with a swiss army knife. This was funny because the prizes Chuck had were rubber severed arms, which the bookstore workers kept unpacking beforehand, and thinking it was all a very distasteful joke. LOL!
All in all- man, was that a good night! He was a great speaker, and I'm glad I went. And, since I'm sure you're wondering, no, I did not even get woozy. In fact, I think I was one of the few who were laughing at the parts that few others were finding funny. What can I say? My mind has sick depths which boggle even me...
I'll leave you with a last memorable comment by the author;

"How we digest our lives is by making stories out of them, and retelling until we wear them out. We write to control our stories, and not be controlled by them."

Stuttery whales in design class

Okay, so I'm in design class and trying not to sound like a kindergarten student; "Scott, the tail of my whale is all messed up...again..."
We're trying to make a book cover (a duplicate of the teacher's), for practice. We're supposed to be learning graphic design, but I (and I'm not alone here), kind of, well, suck at it.
It helps that what we're doing actually takes, like, years of study, but that only helps us feel better, not do any better. My whale keeps going all stuttery.
At least he still has fins, though, unlike those of some of my classmates.
We're an odd pod.
And on that jabberwockian note, I'm going to sign off...I don't think I'm terribly interresting today.

I've gotta read this!

I know I just blogged, but then I surfed, and check out what I came across.
Damn.
(Click the title for the link).

Call this a recap

So busy. *Sigh*
Okay, a quick recap (and I do mean quick) of the past weeks:

I saw a deer. In Toronto. And I wasn’t hallucinating, either- Eggroll saw it too.

I spent a great couple of days crashing at Laur’s and Hugh’s place. Fun, not long enough, and I (regretfully) had to flake on the last day, so many apologies to them, though honestly I had started to feel like I was neglecting the Mom by then, so it was with mixed feelings that I dragged my ass home. Especially since she was making me do work(!)

Class rocks. Finance is the bane of my existence, but I live for fieldtrips. We’ve been to House of Anansi, (small, independent, very metro-funky-chic), Random House (the hugest, very cool, money and power, baby!), and today, Goodman and Goodman law offices (literary and entertainment agents- very who’s-who, totally connected, impressive). The information is fascinating and plentiful, as are the perks! We keep getting food, stuff, BOOKS even, plus the use of these very corporate-cool boardrooms all day- I feel so professional in them. Random House and G&G were actually pretty similar, in looks, anyways, but some of my classmates said that that was where they felt the ‘belonged’, and I didn’t agree. Random House was just as corporate and professional and posh, but there was a different air about the place. No matter how corporate it was, they were still a bunch of book geeks like me. The lawyers weren’t. Passionate, given, which was great to encounter (the head guy we were talking with told us all about ‘nurturing’ his author clients), but it wasn’t just books for him (he handles others, like Kim Cattrall, which spins him once again into the realm of super coolness, but I digress).

Work is fine. I was down about it for a week or two there, but I think things are improving. They just hired a new girl who seems really nice, and having someone to depend on (or, more accurately, take advantage of), and give me a little slack will be awfully nice. I’m looking forward to having at least one day that I can CHOOSE what to do with, even if that does turn out to be things like homework and cleaning the house. At this point, so little that is needing to is actually getting done, that I’m actually relishing the idea of even getting to do that much.

I went to the doc this week- first time I’ve met her, and she’s nice, and now I’m getting an Epi pen (as in epinephrine, so’s as I don’t do that dying thing if I get stung by das bees). I’m glad to finally be getting one, not that I’m going to let down my guard or anything (hey, a 16/17 year record is not one I’m looking to break!), but seeing as there’s an apple orchard in the middle of my school campus, I thought it would be adviseable to have the escape route just in case. Clever me.

The family reunion is coming up. Totally looking forward to it, dying to see everyone and to talk to people…we do this a lot less often than we ought to. Mom has given me a deadline for getting my room together in anticipation of being invaded by Atos’s, and then there’s the not-so-subtle hint she gave me the other day; “We can start baking any day now, you know.” Maybe I’ll make some extras and take them to class- make me some friends.

Arrgh, what else?
I bought the new Coldplay CD today (X&Y). It’s friggin FANTASTIC. Seriously, people, go buy.

As for books, there’s nothing new up my sleeve; I’m back on my favourite drug- Harry Potter. In anticipation for the next big release (37 days, 4 hours, 31 minutes, 11 seconds as I write this), I have begun again. Going slowly- I’d like to say because I’m relishing them, but the truth is, I’m just struggling to squeeze in any decent reading time. I still plan to be done the fifth by the night before the new release, though. Determination!
I’m also happy to announce that my publishing class is just a wrapped up in this as I am! (Well, maybe not *quite* as much as I am, but it’s hard to reach my heights). (Yeah, even I ROFL at that one.)

In any case, there’s a dirty kitchen, a pile of homework, and a brand-spankin-new CD waiting for me- I’m out, folks. Talk to you all, sooner or later, though I have design class…tomorrow?.. maybe friday…one of those…blog then.

Design class again

Okay, so it's very pathetic that the only time I can find to blog is during breaks in my design class, which is sadly only once a week (I enjoy it so), but I'm tired of saying I'll blog more, blah blah blah.
So I won't.
Friday was awesome. Lauren was back in town, along with Kevin and Mark, and we all got together and went out for Indian food and watched movies and basically got as relaxed as possible. Much needed vegging occurred.
Saturday I worked, then sprang my frinds on my Mom (oops), and everyone crashed despite the best of intentions to watch all three Starwars movies.
Sunday, work again, then Michael, Mom, the brother and I went to Buffalo for shopping. That was fun, though I am ashamed to admit that I was actually out-shopped by my brother. He did VERY well indeed.
I did okay. There's always room for more shopping.
Speaking of which, my fingers are itching for the new Coldplay CD. Anyone heard it? It's the first thing other than a book that I've really wanted sinse I started this class.
Oh, and about books. Read 'The Time Traveler's Wife' By A-something Niffenegger (I think that's the name). VERY GOOD READ. (Mostly for the ladies, though).
Anyways, I've slipped, once again, into rambling mode, so despite the lack of usual or consistent updates, I'm logging off, folks. Hopefully I'll have earth-shatteringly interresting news later, though honestly there ain't much on the horizon.
Except the family reunion, over a month away, which I am eagerly awaiting. And the fact that Mom has threatened to evict me if my room isn't clean and unpacked in two weeks.
Hello homelessness! My new address: cardboard box, crap-filled alleyway, Toronto Ontario.

Thank Goodness for Hassles and Screwups

Okay, so the other day I'm at school, and I have no money on me, and the ATM is broken. No big deal. I try to call Mom at lunch, on the pay phone, to make plans for after school. I use my credit card, I dial her office, no answer, I hang up before the answering machine answers. I call her cell, same thing. I cease and desist trying to get in touch with my elusive mother, go to the college bookstore and buy a couple of books for class. Then I go to class. During break, I attempt one last time to contact Mom. My card gets turned down by the phone. WTF? I'm miles from my limit, it worked an hour ago, and it's the same phone. What's the deal? I get pissed, go home at the end of the day and call the bank.
They froze my card. They thought it was stolen. (The books I bought weren't THAT expensive!)
They have me confirm my recent charges.
Books? Yes.
Phone calls? Yes.
Monthly deposite to an internet service provider [I'm worried it might not be right to put the name down]...wait. No. Nooooooooooo.
They say I've been paying said internet company for many months!
Thank you for informing me.
(Eventually) I get in contact with Internet Service Provider Extrordinaire. Hello, why are you taking my money?
Blah, blah, mistake, blah, blah, confirmed inactivity, blah...refund.
REFUND, BABY!
I'm aware that technically it was already my money, and that it's not free, and it's not really a pleasant surprise, whatever. It still feels like an unexpected windfall. Yay me.
So, I guess the moral of this story is...thank goodness for hassles and screwups.

Found a moment to write

I can't believe I've been reduced to this, but I'm blogging on a campus computer during a break in my design class. I guess a busy girl's gotta do what a busy girl's gotta do, but the fact is that I really am getting fed up with the disconnectedness this schedule is beginning to instill in my day-to-days.
I got an angry email from Shesh this morning for being unreachable girl lately, and I had to cut a phonecall with Hugh short the other night, and have yet to get back to either of them.
Okay, so I'm busy, you get the gist.
On the other hand, I'm learning a lot, (like, supersized learning), and I'm getting everything done (so far, and at the expense of some, very small but vital, amount of sleep).
My classmates and I are getting long well, still trying to remember each others names (I think I'm losing the race on that one, but so far no one seems to be holding that against me), and the teachers and guest speakers who've been coming to see us continue to be really interresting and positive about our future. It's not like University, where, if they spoke about future profession at all, it was always in amorphous might-happen-but-probably-not-for-most-of-you terms. Here, it's always "when you're out in the world doing this...", or "When you get a book that you want to look like this...", or "when you're publishers...", or (from a particularily optimistic speaker), "when you're the head of the company..."
I love it. It's like it's real. A career.
I didn't mean to make that sound so cheesy.

I'm trying my best to keep school from becoming my whole life.
The job is going well (have I mentioned the job?). A jewelry counter in the mall, small but apparently profitable, fun so far, easy going, and they give the a great friggin discount- Mom's doing flips. (So am I).

Oh, I just remembered something I've been waiting to blog about for the longest time, but have been waiting to do- my masterpiece.
I made this little beaded thingie (doll, objet d'art, whatever), and I gave it to Hugh (the first one, anyway). It stared out simple, and kind of just grew. It turned out kind of...impressive. I feel weird writing that, like, prideful or whatever, but people seem to like the thing, that's all I know. We (the fam) went to my aunt's house for passover and I showed it to my uncle, who was pretty jazzed about it. We talked art for a god long time, which was pretty damn cool. My uncle (cousin, technically, or second cousin, whatever) is a woodcarver. He gave me a block of soapstone- I'm going to try and make my own faces for my next spirit dolls. Though I already have two other faces waiting to be worked with. That'll take some time. Right now I'm working on a strand of lime coloured pearls.

Anyways, my time is up here. Blog more if the chance ever presents itself! Love to all!

I guess it's a whole new life...

Toronto is intense.
I moved here exactly a week ago (go me!), and this week has been SOOO long! I would have blogged about it much sooner, but…
Okay, to start at the beginning- the move went well, smooth and not too terribly long, and the only casualty was my keyboard, which was promptly replaced, hence the wordage you’re all now receiving. (P.S; R.I.P. my keyboard, which died untimely of a Vanilla Coke drowning).
Great big thanks to Mom and Michael and most especially to Hugh, couldn’t have done it without you. Now if only I didn’t have to do it ever again…
Spent Saturday recovering energy (not very successfully, blamed mostly on my mother, who seems to think that 9:30am is sleeping in), and trying to sort/unpack boxes. Also not very successfully, as I am right now sitting surrounded by, you guessed it, boxes.
Sunday we went shopping. Desperately needed, and I actually got some nice stuff, stuff I needed (as she keeps reminding me), though I mourn the spending of that much money, which could have bought…so…MANY…books…
And Monday was the beginning of school! (Yeah, great summer vacation for me, right, two days? *Laughter sodden with sarcasm*) (I want to know who decided that sarcasm was a liquid. Now there’s a leap I wouldn’t have made on my own.)
My new program (four months of the Creative Book Publishing Program at Humber College in Toronto, for those of you who can’t keep up here), is well, let’s just say it accounts for a lot of that ‘intense’ comment this entry started with. Eight hours a day (give or take), with an hour lunch, lots of classes, tons of teachers/lecturers and guests, and an amazing amount of information. I have no doubt that this will be hard, but so far I am Really enjoying it; it’s interesting and the people I’m meeting are amazing. My classmates are the most diverse, eclectic group I could never have imagined, and we’re getting to know each other and everyone is friendly and we’re having a lot of fun (or at least, I am). It’s fantastic to get to spend time with a very large group of people…just like me.
A true biblioholist may encounter another, maybe, once every long while, and usually only in the context of a bookstore. The meeting is most often a fleeting one- generally we’re lone nomads of the darkest aisles. But here, oh, here I have found an entire fleet of us, a pack, a… a band of biblioholists. (Forgive me, I’m very tired).
Talking books all day is fucking fantastic.
Sorry.

And that’s where I’m going to end this, even though there is much more to this week that I intend to enter here at some point, I’m afraid it’ll have to be a second part to this entry; I’m beat, and there’s still much to do…

Oh, I strongly suggest you all go listen to the Garden State soundtrack (trust me, and simultaneously forgive me for not telling you this earlier!), and read…something. Always.

Cheesy Goodbyes

The end.
Today I wrote the last of the last of my exams. I have no more. I have no more essays or tests or anything. University is done.
That feels really big, but right now I’m feeling pretty big, too. Like, it’s over, and that’s okay. I can swallow the fact.
Okay, enough of me being up with the cheese-wigginess.
Tonight I went out to dinner with Shesh (girl I worked with at the Pond, who was also in a class of mine- new friend), and a group of her friends. Then we went to a house party. They’re a great bunch of people and I can’t believe this is the only time I get to meet and spend time with them. It’s a downside to leaving- I would have liked to be part of their group. I’m planning on trying to stay in touch with them, through blog and messenger and email and all things electronic, but it won’t be the same.
To Kat, Kait, Farhide, Lisa, Lunchbox, Kelly, Doom, Shesh especially, and all the rest, I’ll miss having class with you, I enjoyed spending what little time I had with you, and I hope you remember my face.

To those, like myself, who are emerging, fresh-faced, into the world post-University, remember that we didn’t learn everything in those classrooms, the graffiti we left on the desks won’t be our only mark left on life, and that it’s normal and most especially okay to be aimless after college.
And apparently, I can’t escape my own cheesiness tonight, so I’m logging off while I still have a shred of dignity left. No more yearbook-esque-isms for me.

A busy week, to say the least

Sorry for the drought in blog updates-exams, you understand.
Laur came over last Sunday and we spent a couple of days relaxing, hanging out, catching up, and starting to pack up my room. I owe her a big thanks for the help.
Finished work at both my jobs this week, too. Leaving is intense, but I’ve known for awhile that it was coming, so it’s not that bad. At the bead store Deb gave me a gift certificate as a bonus and going away gift, which was super sweet of her, and I’ve decided to save it till I can come back there- it’ll be my excuse to visit.
Wrote one exam on Saturday, it went fairly well, and then trudged through the VERY cold rain to meet Mom and Michael, who drove me to Toronto so I’d be able to make it to Passover dinner at Aunt Rose’s. That was a wonderful night, and I had the best time.
Sunday was cutting fruit, a rock and gem show with Mom, and dinner with Michael’s family, which was only terribly awkward at first. No, honestly, it wasn’t that bad.
And then two interviews for jobs in North York on Monday, one of which looks pretty promising. I’ll tell you more if something comes of it.
Came back to Hamilton that night, which was strange- Toronto is really starting to feel more like ‘home’, I think because of Mom’s new place, and the knowledge that everything in I had in Hamilton- school, jobs, friends, house- is all ended or ending.
Studied a little and had my final exam early this morning.
I have two days left to pack, and I move on Friday. Mom is renting a truck and Michael will be coming with her, but neither of them is very good for the lifting and loading stuff, so I’ve sent out a cry of ‘help!’ to my friends. It’s difficult getting organized- everyone is so scattered and busy this time of year, it’s a huge production just to get two of us together in the same place at the same time. Hopefully we can all work something out by Friday, and that’s all I’m going to write, because otherwise it’ll sound manipulative, and a lot like begging, which is not my intention.
Anyways, I’m going to dinner now, talk later!

Have a Proverb

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.
~Unknown

Not Strangers

Want a story?

He was born in Georgia, and not very long ago. Fair-haired and golden-skinned, he was a child who shone in the sunlight. He was bright and full of laughter and energy, and could never be persuaded to sleep until after sunset, though his parents knew if they waited until then, he would be good, and even easy to lull to sleep.
He loved to be outdoors. Rainy days always left him less enthused, quiet and lethargic.
On one sunny day he was playing in the backyard, swinging on the jungle gym and rolling around with a stuffed puppy named Bruce. He stopped rolling, sitting on the warm grass, squinting at the bright sky. His mother asked him what he was thinking. “I have a secret,” he told her, but would say no more. She fed him hot dog pieces with ketchup, and he went back to his playing.
That night, while being tucked into bed, the boy whispered to his mother that he wanted to tell her his secret. “What is it?” she asked, and he told her, “The sun shines just for me.” The mother smiled at her son, enjoying his odd comment. She kissed him goodnight, and he fell asleep quickly.
She didn’t forget what her son had told her, though it was only a passing comment that he never repeated.
That winter the family went on a trip to Toronto, where the father had a business conference and thought his son would like to see snow for the first time. There was no snow when they arrived, though, just many clouds and cold wind.
It was the last day of their visit and the mother and son were walking along the sidewalk, hand in hand. They passed a young woman walking in the opposite direction, and as she passed by, the boy looked at her, and she smiled back at him.
She was older, but not so old that she’d lost that magic that belongs to the young. She was more quiet than exuberant, she smiled much but seldom laughed, her hair was dark but her eyes were bright. She liked the summer and reveled in the colours of autumn, but she waited all year for the winter. Since she was young, she’d always been able to smell the snow that was ready to fall.
She stopped walking when she saw the boy looking at her. She leant down, level with him, as he approached, his mother watching pensively from behind. “I have a secret,” the boy told her, just as he’d told his mother so many months before.
“I know your secret,” the girl quietly smiled as she said it. His mother’s brows dipped in curious confusion- what was this stranger going to say to her son?
“The sun shines just for you, doesn’t it?” the woman said. Before the mother could register her shock the stranger continued, “Do you know my secret?”
The little boy smiled and looked up at the slatey clouds overhead. “It snows just for you.”
And as the first flakes the boy had ever seen started to float down over the city, the stranger-who was not at all strange to the boy, nor he to her- smiled back, and nodded her head.

David Suzuki ruined my day!

This sucks, today sucks, everything sucks!
Stupid landlords and worker guys who take my stuff!
Stupid jeans that rip and wear out and become unwearable!
Stupid buspass in my other jacket pocket, does me no good when it's at home!
Stupid sneakers, unworn and sore-foot-making cause I have to walk because of the stupid buspass!
Stupid class that is cancelled for a guest speaker that we weren't even told about!
Stupid David Suzuki!

This day had better start shaping up, or I swear to god I'm gonna go mental on it's ass.

Joy and invasion and craziness!

Okay, I know I've only been providing snippets (at best) lately, and I'm sorry for that, but so much has been happening!
I mentioned before the program at Humber College in Toronto that I was applying to? Well, a few weeks ago I was invited to an interview at the campus. The place is pretty nice, right on the water, and lots of small, older, stone buildings scattered about. Apparently, it used to be an asylum. (!)

The interview went well, I met the head of the program, and we talked about all sorts of things- well, all sorts of book things. Anyways, I left the campus feeling pretty good. I even bumped into Hugh on the subway on the way home, which was a nice surprise.

After chewing my fingernails for about a week, I finally got a call from Mom- I'm in! Yay me!

That made this past week crazy. I had classes, in which the profs are all getting frantic because the term is almost over, and they're cramming the last bits of their lesson plans down our throats faster than we can chew. I had one and a half exams to write, and a presentation (last minute, but that couldn't be helped), to do, and then a hurried trip to Toronto to help Mom move and to fill out my acceptance forms (yay!). That trip was super quick, but taxing- so much work, so little time!

I got back and had to work all weekend, and I found out (no, we weren't informed of this beforehand) that the new landlord just took ownership of the house. That shouldn't have been a big deal, except that apparently he went into my room and toured people through it while I was in Toronto. I am super pissed. I don't even know his name, he's never introduced himself to any of us, and he made no attempt to contact any of us before he did this. From now on I'm making sure I lock my door, and I've written Article 20.3, item c of the Tenant Protection Act (A landlord may enter the rental unit without written notice to show the unit to prospective tenants if, before entering, the landlord informs or makes a reasonable effort to inform the tenant of the intention to do so.) on the message board on my bedroom door. He wasn't around this weekend, but as soon as I see him that ass is losing some skin.
I'm so sick of dealing with the sh*t this house comes with.

Not to mention that after a few lovely, true spring days, I woke up to a blizzard Saturday morning! I swear, the weather was better in December. Oh, and to top it all off, last night was daylight savings time, which I completely forgot, and so I'm getting dressed this morning, and about to do my hair, when I get a call, and Shesh is like, "Are you coming to work today? Cause you have the keys to the store..." And I was freaking late and we opened like, a half hour late and it's all my fault. At least there's nothing they can do about it. I mean, what'll they do, fire me?! (Ha ha, gone in two weeks!)

Oh, not that everything is going to hell in a handbasket. I worked the last several weeks at the bead store without taking much stuff home, specifically to save up some credit so that I can fill my beading needs completely before I leave there (having to leave the bead store is definitely one of the worst things about being done with the Ham), and on Friday I did the first of my splurging. That was and is SO MUCH FUN! Even if I don't get to go to a bead store for a good long while, I have plenty to keep me occupied for awhile at least.

Oh, and one of my housemates is gone. Apparently, Krista has moved out (I say apparently, because she has yet to come and talk to me at all). I feel a little snubbed. I mean, she likes me- she brought me a shirt from the Bahamas! I took care of her cat! (Okay, so he turned a little pink, he was still healthy!) Maybe I'll see her later.

Anyways, there's more, but I'm tired and I'm afraid this'll start to turn into me rambling. I have a good movie to watch, and a whole lot of beads to go play with. Have a good night all!

I love that I love this so much!

Okay, so if you've looked at my blog at all lately, I'm sure you've noticed that I added a *working* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince countdown. Totally aside from how cool it is to have something so visual on my page (since I'm a no-pictures kind of blogger), it's no secret that I'm a Potter fan.
I just found out that the Scholastic marketing plan for this book begins on the 100th day before release (it boggles my mind that they're even bothering with marketing; this book is selling itself really well already), but as a fan who plans to reap all the benefits she can out of this promotion, I'm not complaining.
What I'm looking forward too most? There's going to be a Harry Potter crossword in the New York Times- I've gotta get my hands on that!
Anyone know where I can get the Times in Hamilton?

Great easter weekend ingredients:

Fresh groceries,
sunshine,
pile of kids movies,
pile of books,
almost no work,
a friend or two.

I'll be leaving Kingdom Come

When I was little, my family used to take long car rides up from the Sarn to StKitts to visit my grandparents. We would drive along the 403 and we had certain landmarks. One of the best was the 'waterfall', a pitiful small drainage-pipe flow over the rocky top of the Hamilton 'mountain'. Mom would call, 'here's the waterfall guys!' and we would ooh and ahh over the trickle, which had a habit of drying up to nonexistance in summer and freezing to icicles in winter.
On one trip, Dad didn't come with us, and so one of the kids got to take the front seat. The brother won the toss, so he rode up front the whole way there (I read in the back). When we got to Hamilton, Mom pointed out the waterfall, and I lowered my book briefly to ooh and ahh on cue, and then we went back to our carride activites; Mom silently driving, me reading, my brother laying back, carsick. This particular trip (bro was maybe four or five), he was staring out the window, and when we drove through Hamilton, he started to get really really worked up. You know that state kids can get in, when they're excited and scared and focussed all at once, and they just get super aggitated, like a speed freak on three double espressos? He was like that. It took Mom a while to get him calmed down enough to talk. Finally, little brother managed to turn around and point out what he had seen- his all important find.
Did you parents ever tell you that if you weren't good, they would 'kick you all the way to Kingdom Come'? It sounds bad in text, but Mom usually said it in jest, when she had to fulfill the 'Mom role' by punishing us, but when she really didn't want to.
Apparently, for years the little brother had been imagining 'Kingdom Come' (which I think is actually a reference to the bible). He found Kingdom Come in Hamilton. Officially, it's the 'Cathedral of Christ the King', and it's built on a small hill that overlooks the highway. (I linked it- click the title).
I've kind of always liked living in Kingdom Come.

My attitude was fine up till now...

Fifteen minutes to midnight and I am so tired and my head aches (not to mention the self-inflicted bruises I've got leftover from Friday, a.k.a the day all coordination left me) and this essay is already overdue and everything I write is crap. I don't want to take another day to finish it, I want it over and I want my friggin life back aready, but that's not going to happen. I'm so sick of this. I feel like everything that I do, that I enjoy and that makes me me to the outside world (everything that keeps me human) gets put on hold when I hole-up to write essays like this, and yes, I can hear you all out there shaking your heads and muttering things about "well, if you'd only planned better...", but right now that's pretty useless. I got out two huge essays this week, plus worked four shifts at two jobs and look after the roommate's cat...that's friggin enough for right now.
And yes, it's only midnight and I could probably stay up the seven hours until class starts and write something, but if what I'm getting down in type right now sucks ass, then how can I hope to continue, let alone finish something worthy of being handed in?
This is the kind of thinking that leads me to conclude things like 'taking an extra day to write this (and making it, therefore, better) will probably save me more marks than I would lose in late penalties'.
Well, my mind is useless now, so I guess I'll just go to bed and get some (probably stressed and therefore restless) sleep. I'll finish the damn thing tomorrow. I promise.

I can't wait!

Always the bad balanced with the good…

First, Mom and Dad and the brother and I lived together.
Then, Mom and the brother and I lived together.
Then, Mom and I lived together.
Then I went to live in an all girls dorm, but I spent most of my time with Kev and Hugh.
Then Mom and the brother and I were back together!
Then it was Kev and I and Hugh, then just Kev and I, then Kev and Hugh together with me with two girls, then Hugh and I (with Laur and Kev back in the Sarn).
Now it’s Hugh and Laur living together.

So, what is this confusing and altogether tiring tirade heading toward?

This summer, what was supposed to be Mom and the brother and I together, just turned into Mom and I- and possibly Lauren!
Way to make a full circle of it. I know this is ridiculously preliminary, but I love this idea. I’ve been looking forward to bunking with Mom again, and I’ve always wanted to live with Laur (heck- I’ve tried everything else)!

Oh, and a great congratulations goes out to the little bro for finding himself a place to live- it sounds like it’s going to be a veritable bachelor pad! Good times!

I think I used my sanity as a bookmark... and lost the book

Trapped in my bed
And losing my head
Molehills of work
Are drowning me dead

Mountains of stress
Make sanity less
Nothing gets done
And my room is a mess

Because all of these papers
Are barring my capers
All of these tests
Are stealing my jests
All of this stupid essay
Is making me cray-zay
(Yeah, I know that was weak)

Just get this week done
And free time will be won
Hand the crap in
And then have some fun!

Master of the funny-walk

I have two tests and three term papers due in the next week, which super-sucks. I have actually started working, though, which is a good thing. Spent four hours today, on my bed, lying on my stomach, feet up in the air, reading sociology books, only to rise, my spine going snap-crackle-pop, and both feet all pins-and-needley. Not pleasant. Funny to watch though.
Just let this week (and all it's necessary accomplishments) be done soon!

Bustin out all over

Okay, so I've been hesitatey-girl with this news, cause I am painfully aware of my history of musical career ideas. Doctor, writer, artist, bookstore owner, chef (I don't know what I was thinking that summer) and, following a much longer list than I have here transcribed, there was teaching (which stuck for a surprisingly long time). (Yes, that was past-tense).

Basically, I think the teaching idea was 'safe'. Mom certainly liked it, probably because (I think) she could imagine me actually making money that way (a luxury many of the past ideas didn't afford her). I should have realized that teaching wasn't really what I wanted to do when...oh, let's pick one: when I freaked out about leaving McMaster at all, when I failed to do any of the mandatory volunteer work, when I buried all the teacher's college brochures under dirty laundry, when I completely ignored deadlines for applications...I am one of the best people out there for avoiding things I don't want to do, I swear.
In any case (after that shameful admission that I can't quite believe I'm putting online for all to see, but then I guess that I didn't really make this blog to tell you all about my day-to-days, as boring as they are. I wanted to take risks here, I wanted to be honest and real. So, take a deep breath, and forge on, girl), I have found what is right for me. (Really!)

I want to be a publisher. Isn't that perfect?! Anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm all about the books. I'm that girl who hovers in the puffy chairs in the student centre always with her nose buried in the pages. I'm the one who won't buy a purse that's too small to hold a paperback (or the Order of the Pheonix, if you've ever seen the purses I carry). I'm the classmate wearing the eau-de-library cologne, the one with all the papercuts, the one whose walls are papered with post-its of book-release dates. I can navigate any Chapters in the southern Ontario region with my eyes closed.

So, I decided that being a publisher would be good, and I'm almost scared about how excited I am about this idea. My first plan was to go cold-calling all the publishing agencies I could find in the GTA after graduation, which was, let's face it, a flimsy approach at best. But, thankfully, I have a best friend who often takes better care of