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.