I went to the mall last night to buy a pair of pants.
After much frustration, I came home with 5 pairs of underwear, 3 pairs of socks, two books and a yoga for dummies DVD.
No pants.
On the bus on the way home yesterday (before going to the mall) I read this post by Crazy Aunt Purl, as well as a good portion of the 325 comments. She talks about struggling with a bajillion different diets and methods of losing weight, all guaranteed to work...yeah. It struck a chord with me. According to those BMI thingys I am obese. I don't look obese (unless I'm naked in my bathroom), but I certainly am overweight, and the last doctor's visit revealed cholesterol that's a titch too high. I've had pressure from family members for years to lose weight, and I've put pressure on myself. When I started university I was a curvy 125 lbs and was dancing 6 days a week. In my head I'm still 125 lbs so it's often a shock to me to catch sight of myself in a reflective surface. But I've been resistant and resentful and stubborn, and I haven't used all the tools I know about because "losing weight" is hard. Reading CAP's musings and the comments of all those people who have been struggling with similar stuff felt really, really good. 'Cause it's not just me.
So when I couldn't find pants that fit me properly I picked up YOU: On a Diet by Drs. Roizen and Oz (and a book of erotica, but that's neither here nor there), and a yoga DVD. The quitting smoking is sticking, so it's time to throw the next part of my loving of me at the wall and wait for it to stick too.
Today I will start not dieting. Today, I will start being more mindful.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Thursday, January 11, 2007
It's a CD! We made a CD! And also a website!
I used to have the best job in the world. I got to spend seven weekends every summer for seven years dressing up funny and running around in the woods at the lost and lamented Ontario Renaissance Festival. And they actually paid me to do it! Crazy!
At the festival there were a group of women who sang together called TLC (the Trillingham Ladies Chorus). They decided they wanted to keep singing together even though they were without a home faire to do it at. A year and a half ago they needed a fill in for one show, and asked me to join them; I was thrilled to do so since even though I'd been in a band of my own at the festival, I'd been yearning to sing the pretty (and sometimes pretty dirty) songs that TLC did. After that one show, I was lucky enough to become a permanent member of the band.
We've since gone through another lineup change, changed our name and kept on singing.
Now, we're embarking on the next stage of this quest to do something we love and get paid for it. Please visit the Nero's Fiddle MySpace page (the music will start almost right away, be aware), where you can read a bit about us and hear four of our songs!
The CD itself still has to be mastered, and we're still hammering out the cover and stuff, but we've come so far from where we were already.
I'm very, very proud of us.
At the festival there were a group of women who sang together called TLC (the Trillingham Ladies Chorus). They decided they wanted to keep singing together even though they were without a home faire to do it at. A year and a half ago they needed a fill in for one show, and asked me to join them; I was thrilled to do so since even though I'd been in a band of my own at the festival, I'd been yearning to sing the pretty (and sometimes pretty dirty) songs that TLC did. After that one show, I was lucky enough to become a permanent member of the band.
We've since gone through another lineup change, changed our name and kept on singing.
Now, we're embarking on the next stage of this quest to do something we love and get paid for it. Please visit the Nero's Fiddle MySpace page (the music will start almost right away, be aware), where you can read a bit about us and hear four of our songs!
The CD itself still has to be mastered, and we're still hammering out the cover and stuff, but we've come so far from where we were already.
I'm very, very proud of us.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
I've only rubbed my rock twice today!
As part of this quitting smoking thingy (please see Quit Tracker installed at bottom of blog) I did me a ritual Sunday morning. Lit a candle, burned stuff (note: that insense holder wasn't actually meant to hold a charcoal briquette, also, inhaling burning ginger, chili powder and cinnamon will make your lungs hurt more than a John Player Special), invoked and devoked, and imbued a pretty piece of amethyst with positive energies. Then I stuck a nicotine patch on my arm. Spirituality and faith is good, but that doesn't mean a little drug therapy isn't also a good thing.
This little piece of amethyst is now going everywhere I go. It's got an awesome groove on it that is just the right size and shape for my thumb, and I'm using it as a worry stone/transference mechanism whenever the craving takes me (it's also got enough heft and pointy corners that I can fantasize will make a good thunk and leave a nice mark if tossed at someone's head). Yesterday I had it in my hand almost all day. And there was a lot of deep breathing. Today, although there is still a lot of breathing (because people have the dumb and they cannot brain), I've only reached for the stone twice.
There may be progress!
This little piece of amethyst is now going everywhere I go. It's got an awesome groove on it that is just the right size and shape for my thumb, and I'm using it as a worry stone/transference mechanism whenever the craving takes me (it's also got enough heft and pointy corners that I can fantasize will make a good thunk and leave a nice mark if tossed at someone's head). Yesterday I had it in my hand almost all day. And there was a lot of deep breathing. Today, although there is still a lot of breathing (because people have the dumb and they cannot brain), I've only reached for the stone twice.
There may be progress!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Now *that* would have been funny.
But very, very bad.
I'm sending an email to someone at work with a link to the area of our internal website where they should be setting up client/project folders.
I almost sent them this as the link. As in "The part of the site you should be using is this: link".
I have just spent two minutes laughing myself silly at this.
Ah, Monday.
I'm sending an email to someone at work with a link to the area of our internal website where they should be setting up client/project folders.
I almost sent them this as the link. As in "The part of the site you should be using is this: link".
I have just spent two minutes laughing myself silly at this.
Ah, Monday.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Who does that?
I like lists. Lists for grocery shopping. Lists for Christmas shopping. Lists of the knitting/other crafting projects I have on the go. Lists of home improvement things I want to do. Lists of what I need to get done at work. The list could go on (groan).
Partly, I need the lists so that I can keep everything straight and I don't forget the cat food, or that the dishwasher has clean dishes in it. Partly, I keep lists so that I am motivated to do things (at least in theory - "Paint the kitchen" has been on my home improvement list for about a year and a half now). My third reason for list-keeping is the satisfaction I get when I can cross something off the list. It's like saying "Look! See what I accomplished? Somebody praise me already."
Sometimes (especially at work) I will add something to my daily list that I have already done, just to have the satisfaction of having another item on my crossed-off list.
I am sincerely hoping that I am not the only person in the world who does this....
Partly, I need the lists so that I can keep everything straight and I don't forget the cat food, or that the dishwasher has clean dishes in it. Partly, I keep lists so that I am motivated to do things (at least in theory - "Paint the kitchen" has been on my home improvement list for about a year and a half now). My third reason for list-keeping is the satisfaction I get when I can cross something off the list. It's like saying "Look! See what I accomplished? Somebody praise me already."
Sometimes (especially at work) I will add something to my daily list that I have already done, just to have the satisfaction of having another item on my crossed-off list.
I am sincerely hoping that I am not the only person in the world who does this....
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
51 Things About Me
These things go 'round and 'round the internet and while I love 'em they also drive me a little crazy, since you get them over and over again. Instead of sending it on, I'm posting it here. Steal or don't as you please.
Oh, and I'm going to take out the "who is most/least likely to respond" type questions, so there will be less than 51 questions, but I'm leaving the post-title as is. Because I can.
1. FIRST NAME?
Angela
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Nope. My parents deliberately chose a name that no one they knew had.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY?
Monday night. I really, really didn't want to come back to work.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
It's a neat combo of my mom's writing and my dad's with my own flourish on it. So, yes.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Vermont-style ham, but only with cheese and other nummy stuff.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOURSELF?
I think so.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL?
There's the blog here. I haven't written in a long time. It's one of the things I want to start doing again.
8. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Sometimes
9. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes.
10. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Goodness, no. I would really like to try hang gliding though.
11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
PC's Granola (no raisins, thank you).
12. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Only when I wear shoes with laces. ;-)
13. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY???
Yes and no. In that order.
14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Mint chocolate chip
15. SHOE SIZE?
Six wide.
16. RED OR PINK?
It depends.
17. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Inability to let go of old stuff, both physically (you should see my basement) and emotionally.
18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Cat. She's in Malta.
20. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Brown cords and brown houndstooth checky booty things.
21. LAST THING YOU ATE?
What was supposed to be turkey soup, but turned into more of a mushy rice with turkey and vegetables thing. I burned my tongue on it, but I'm very full.
22. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The dulcet tones of the cube farm.
23. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Sunburst Orange
24. FAVORITE SMELL?
Spring rain or freshly baked bread.
25. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Someone from Corporate Voice Services.
26. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO?
Eyes
28. FAVORITE DRINK?
Milk. Goddess help me if I ever turn up lactose intolerant.
29. FAVORITE SPORT?
Knitting
30. EYE COLOR?
Blue
31. HAIR COLOR?
Your guess is as good as mine. Somewhere in the red/brown family with bits of blonde. And roots.
32. HAT SIZE?
Tiny. I have a stupid tiny head.
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Sometimes
34. FAVORITE FOOD?
Food.
35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING?
Both
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE MOVIE THEATRE?
I think it was Superman Returns.
37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Blue sweater with brown bits.
38. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Neither. Spring or Fall.
39. HUGS OR KISSES?
Yes, please!
40. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Cheesecake
43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING?
Ancestors of Avalon, Domiknitrix
44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Blue wavy things
45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV?
Did not watch tv last night. There was a Scarface video game on when I got home (Fred had an extra day of vacation), then I went to Becca's house for yoga and tea and knitting.
46. FAVORITE SOUNDS?
Rain, bagpipes, kitty purrs.
47. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Meh. Indigo Girls or Sarah McLachlan, now that's a question.
48. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME?
France
49. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT?
Herding cats.
50. IF YOU WON A ROUND TRIP TICKET TO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
The UK (that way I get more countries).
51. WHEN & WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
October 4, 1973 in Victoria Hospital. Then mom's doctor went duck hunting and forgot all about us so she had to throw a temper tantrum to get us out of the hospital. That doctor was a dork. We got a new one.
Oh, and I'm going to take out the "who is most/least likely to respond" type questions, so there will be less than 51 questions, but I'm leaving the post-title as is. Because I can.
1. FIRST NAME?
Angela
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Nope. My parents deliberately chose a name that no one they knew had.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY?
Monday night. I really, really didn't want to come back to work.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
It's a neat combo of my mom's writing and my dad's with my own flourish on it. So, yes.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Vermont-style ham, but only with cheese and other nummy stuff.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOURSELF?
I think so.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL?
There's the blog here. I haven't written in a long time. It's one of the things I want to start doing again.
8. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Sometimes
9. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes.
10. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Goodness, no. I would really like to try hang gliding though.
11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
PC's Granola (no raisins, thank you).
12. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Only when I wear shoes with laces. ;-)
13. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY???
Yes and no. In that order.
14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Mint chocolate chip
15. SHOE SIZE?
Six wide.
16. RED OR PINK?
It depends.
17. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Inability to let go of old stuff, both physically (you should see my basement) and emotionally.
18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Cat. She's in Malta.
20. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Brown cords and brown houndstooth checky booty things.
21. LAST THING YOU ATE?
What was supposed to be turkey soup, but turned into more of a mushy rice with turkey and vegetables thing. I burned my tongue on it, but I'm very full.
22. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The dulcet tones of the cube farm.
23. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Sunburst Orange
24. FAVORITE SMELL?
Spring rain or freshly baked bread.
25. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Someone from Corporate Voice Services.
26. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO?
Eyes
28. FAVORITE DRINK?
Milk. Goddess help me if I ever turn up lactose intolerant.
29. FAVORITE SPORT?
Knitting
30. EYE COLOR?
Blue
31. HAIR COLOR?
Your guess is as good as mine. Somewhere in the red/brown family with bits of blonde. And roots.
32. HAT SIZE?
Tiny. I have a stupid tiny head.
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Sometimes
34. FAVORITE FOOD?
Food.
35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING?
Both
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE MOVIE THEATRE?
I think it was Superman Returns.
37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Blue sweater with brown bits.
38. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Neither. Spring or Fall.
39. HUGS OR KISSES?
Yes, please!
40. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Cheesecake
43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING?
Ancestors of Avalon, Domiknitrix
44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Blue wavy things
45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV?
Did not watch tv last night. There was a Scarface video game on when I got home (Fred had an extra day of vacation), then I went to Becca's house for yoga and tea and knitting.
46. FAVORITE SOUNDS?
Rain, bagpipes, kitty purrs.
47. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Meh. Indigo Girls or Sarah McLachlan, now that's a question.
48. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME?
France
49. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT?
Herding cats.
50. IF YOU WON A ROUND TRIP TICKET TO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
The UK (that way I get more countries).
51. WHEN & WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
October 4, 1973 in Victoria Hospital. Then mom's doctor went duck hunting and forgot all about us so she had to throw a temper tantrum to get us out of the hospital. That doctor was a dork. We got a new one.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Let me sum up.
It was a good Yule/Christmas/New Year season.
I knit five scarves and a steering wheel cover, gave away a bunch of stuff, visited relatives and some friends and made a crazy big Christmas dinner.
Somewhere I have photos of Sabre and Callie under the tree. Nova won't sit under it, and Zoe wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a picture.
I didn't get as far as sending cards this year, so to all of you out there who sent me one, I'd like to say thank you. The lack of cards doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about you all, it just means that I was terribly disorganized this year.
There were pretty lights and yummy desserts and some Christmas music, and a little bit of crying (mostly due to shopping stress). On the whole it was a fantastic couple of weeks.
Happy New Year! May we all have goodness in our lives in 2007.
I knit five scarves and a steering wheel cover, gave away a bunch of stuff, visited relatives and some friends and made a crazy big Christmas dinner.
Somewhere I have photos of Sabre and Callie under the tree. Nova won't sit under it, and Zoe wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a picture.
I didn't get as far as sending cards this year, so to all of you out there who sent me one, I'd like to say thank you. The lack of cards doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about you all, it just means that I was terribly disorganized this year.
There were pretty lights and yummy desserts and some Christmas music, and a little bit of crying (mostly due to shopping stress). On the whole it was a fantastic couple of weeks.
Happy New Year! May we all have goodness in our lives in 2007.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
End of the Year Baaa!
Bunches of people have gone before me. Possible one or two will follow. I've never really been very good at keeping up with fashion. ;-) I liked Leone's take on the organization of it, so I'm stealing her idea.
1) Harken back to your archives.
2) Collect the first sentence you wrote every month for the whole year.
3) Entertain us.
Please note: started this on the 28th. Yes, I'm slow. Added my noirbettie award (squee!) and re-added a weight-loss ticker majiggy down there at the bottom. As I was driving in to work this morning I heard on the news that another Canadian soldier was killed in Afghanistan this morning. Stolen from The Spawnkitty and Chuck. OK, so it's time to get the unhappy post off the top of the blog. Yesterday Fred's cat Sparkie died. There has been a flurry of career activity lately in the little cubefarm where I spend my days. It's been an interesting few weeks. Jeff is a soldier. Which makes me thirty-three today. Today is day three of riding the bus. I am eating a sammich.
Well, that wasn't very interesting. Let's see what happens when I put together the titles of the final post of each month.
Gettin' knitty with it. Ninja name generators. More responsibility. What's the opposite of Spring Fever? Better. Joss Wedon's Speech at Equality Now Awards Ceremongy. Ten days of freedom. My chin hurts. I'm tired of crying. Sweet lethe. Much better, thank you. End of the year baaa!
Only marginally more interesting, aside from my inability to spell. Wedon? Ceremongy? Oy. Somebody get me some Bailey's.
1) Harken back to your archives.
2) Collect the first sentence you wrote every month for the whole year.
3) Entertain us.
Please note: started this on the 28th. Yes, I'm slow. Added my noirbettie award (squee!) and re-added a weight-loss ticker majiggy down there at the bottom. As I was driving in to work this morning I heard on the news that another Canadian soldier was killed in Afghanistan this morning. Stolen from The Spawnkitty and Chuck. OK, so it's time to get the unhappy post off the top of the blog. Yesterday Fred's cat Sparkie died. There has been a flurry of career activity lately in the little cubefarm where I spend my days. It's been an interesting few weeks. Jeff is a soldier. Which makes me thirty-three today. Today is day three of riding the bus. I am eating a sammich.
Well, that wasn't very interesting. Let's see what happens when I put together the titles of the final post of each month.
Gettin' knitty with it. Ninja name generators. More responsibility. What's the opposite of Spring Fever? Better. Joss Wedon's Speech at Equality Now Awards Ceremongy. Ten days of freedom. My chin hurts. I'm tired of crying. Sweet lethe. Much better, thank you. End of the year baaa!
Only marginally more interesting, aside from my inability to spell. Wedon? Ceremongy? Oy. Somebody get me some Bailey's.
Friday, December 15, 2006
The Return of Sammich
Aka - I Have an Awesome Boyfriend.
Fred and I are on opposite work shifts. I have a nine to five office job, and he works as a shipper from 3:30 to midnight so we rarely see each other during the week. Fred also suffers from insomnia, which is very crappy.
Right now he's in the grips of an insomnia attack, so he was still awake when I got up at 5:15 this morning to go to work. While I took a shower and got dressed, he cooked me eggs for breakfast (he hates eggs, even the smell of them, so this is a pretty big deal), made me coffee, made me another one of those wonderful sammiches with the cheese and ham and green tomato pickle, and took out the garbage. It made my morning so much nicer to have that stuff done for me, and to have a chance to spend a half an hour with him today.
He's gone to bed now, and I hope that he's sleeping. My wonderful man.
Fred and I are on opposite work shifts. I have a nine to five office job, and he works as a shipper from 3:30 to midnight so we rarely see each other during the week. Fred also suffers from insomnia, which is very crappy.
Right now he's in the grips of an insomnia attack, so he was still awake when I got up at 5:15 this morning to go to work. While I took a shower and got dressed, he cooked me eggs for breakfast (he hates eggs, even the smell of them, so this is a pretty big deal), made me coffee, made me another one of those wonderful sammiches with the cheese and ham and green tomato pickle, and took out the garbage. It made my morning so much nicer to have that stuff done for me, and to have a chance to spend a half an hour with him today.
He's gone to bed now, and I hope that he's sleeping. My wonderful man.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Sammich
I am eating a sammich. It's on flax seed bread. It's made up of butter, mayo, romaine lettuce, marble cheese, green tomato pickle (like home made Branston Pickle for anyone that knows it) and Vermont-style ham (smoked with maple syrup).
It is sooooo yummy.
I very much wish that I had more than one to eat today.
It is sooooo yummy.
I very much wish that I had more than one to eat today.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Much better, thank you.
After careful application of antibiotics, eyedrops, fancy soft food and extra tuna juice, Sabre is feeling much better and no longer has to wear The Dreaded Cone.
This morning I watched her lay the smack down on Zoe and bat the kitten down half a stair case (Zoe is fine. She got up and raced around the living room seven times, then had a bath).
Life is back to normal at Casa de Furball.
This morning I watched her lay the smack down on Zoe and bat the kitten down half a stair case (Zoe is fine. She got up and raced around the living room seven times, then had a bath).
Life is back to normal at Casa de Furball.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
So humiliating.
Last week I was fighting with that stupid kitten, and even though the girl had just clipped all our toenails, I still managed to get scratched just under my right eye. It was ok for a couple of days, then it started to bug me and it's been leaking and being itchy and making me squint and the girl says that I look like a pirate and keeps saying things like "Yar!" and "Ahoy, matey!" to me.
As if all this wasn't bad enough, this morning she stuffed me into that stupid crate and put me in that stupid moving vehicle thing and took me to the v-e-t. That's right, the bad place. It was awful.
To add insult to injury, once she brought me home again she wrapped me in a towel and put stuff in my eye. I heard her tell the boy that they have to do that SIX times a DAY, and also give me 2 pills a day in addition to the every-other-day aspirin I have to have because of that whole leg thing in the summer time.
But the worst part? The very, very worst, most humiliating part of all of this?
That's right. They stuck me in a radar dish.
And then they laughed.
As if all this wasn't bad enough, this morning she stuffed me into that stupid crate and put me in that stupid moving vehicle thing and took me to the v-e-t. That's right, the bad place. It was awful.
To add insult to injury, once she brought me home again she wrapped me in a towel and put stuff in my eye. I heard her tell the boy that they have to do that SIX times a DAY, and also give me 2 pills a day in addition to the every-other-day aspirin I have to have because of that whole leg thing in the summer time.
But the worst part? The very, very worst, most humiliating part of all of this?
That's right. They stuck me in a radar dish.
And then they laughed.
Send Tuna!
Sabre is sick again. This time she's got an infected scratch near her right eye. I've taken today off so that we can go to the v-e-t and get it looked at. Send tuna and headbutts for her, and wishes for me that this isn't going to send our already precarious financial situation spiralling out of control.
*sigh*
*sigh*
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Because I can't actually SAY this to anyone here
People, the purpose of a template, especially one that is copyrighted, is that all documents you want formatted with that template are supposed to follow it! It's not there for you to muck with so that it looks the way you want it. If you don't want it to look like the template, then don't make me format 17 documents using it then ask me to make your changes.
Gah!
At this point, I just don't give enough of a rat's ass to fight them on it.
Gah!
At this point, I just don't give enough of a rat's ass to fight them on it.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Sisters are doing it for themselves
With apologies to Annie and Aretha.
I know, big election just south of the border. Municipal elections here on Monday. Remembrance Day this weekend. Global warming, poverty, AIDS. All very important things. People have complained that in the face of all of this, who cares that Britney left her husband? Is it really all that important? Well, no. Not really.
But.
Please understand, I am not saying that Britney and Whitney are excellent role models here. Or that they are even marginally ok role models (Reese is a pretty good role model though, I think). However, they have gone and gotten out of situations that (as portrayed by the media at least) were very unhealthy situations to be in.
Over here in real life I've known bunches of women who have been in similarly unhealthy situations. I rejoiced for each and every one of us when we figured out that we were on the wrong path, just like I'm rejoicing for these public figures.
May y'all find some strength and some peace in the getting on with life.
I know, big election just south of the border. Municipal elections here on Monday. Remembrance Day this weekend. Global warming, poverty, AIDS. All very important things. People have complained that in the face of all of this, who cares that Britney left her husband? Is it really all that important? Well, no. Not really.
But.
Please understand, I am not saying that Britney and Whitney are excellent role models here. Or that they are even marginally ok role models (Reese is a pretty good role model though, I think). However, they have gone and gotten out of situations that (as portrayed by the media at least) were very unhealthy situations to be in.
Over here in real life I've known bunches of women who have been in similarly unhealthy situations. I rejoiced for each and every one of us when we figured out that we were on the wrong path, just like I'm rejoicing for these public figures.
May y'all find some strength and some peace in the getting on with life.
Friday, November 03, 2006
I heart Greyhound
Today is day three of riding the bus. So far I have slept, read and knit in my extra 3 hours a day that I have to myself. I've got some mediation music (waterfalls and wolf calls with classical music, that kind of stuff) to add to Emmeline over the weekend. My stress levels have decreased dramatically, even though my work load has gotten much, much heavier. I haven't taken even half a sleeping pill since Monday night and although I'm still waking up once or twice at night, falling asleep is no longer an issue, and I don't feel like death warmed over in the morning. Plus, since I'm getting some extra sleep on the bus, I'm finding that I can stay awake later at night, and get more stuff done at home.
Whee!
Whee!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Sweet Lethe
OK, so I'm sleeping again. The new sleeping pills work: I go to sleep right away and only wake up once a night. The couple of nights I haven't taken a pill (actually half a pill, because the one time I took a whole one I slept for 11 hours, had breakfast, and then went back to sleep for two hours) I've been a bit longer going under (but not as long as before) and only woken up twice in the night, rather than the previous three or four times.
So we're getting there.
As of Nov. 1 I will be commuting by Greyhound. It means we're going to have even less expendable cash than we already do, but it's going to lighten my stress load, allow time for napping/knitting/reading and save me the immediate out-lay of winterizing my car. Plus my mother will worry less.
Work may get worse. It may also get better. I'm getting more event planning requests thrown my way, which is stuff that I really love to do. I've finally been heard on my request to get rid of my laptop and get a desktop computer. This will lessen the chances of me having to take work home. Now that we aren't doing the same job and soon will not be trapped in a car together any more, the relationship with the former best friend has lost all stressful overtones. We're actually laughing together again. And we hugged. It will never be what it was, because I will never fully trust her, but I'm pleased that we've gotten this far again.
That's the good.
The colleague that went to Rome whose job I did and the website blew up and I got stressed out and stopped sleeping, remember her? Yeah, well, she went and found another job. And they don't plan to replace her. Uh-huh. Oh, yeah. I've had a bit of a talk with my manager and will have a bit more of a talk tomorrow. At this point it could go either way.
Also, a different colleague has gone on stress leave, dumping all her work on ex-bfriend, which puts work fall-out on me as well. Three hours this morning were spent doing the work of the woman on leave. Oddly (or maybe not so oddly) this has been one source of the returning easiness between ebf and I.
So the bad may not turn out to be so bad after all. We'll see.
So we're getting there.
As of Nov. 1 I will be commuting by Greyhound. It means we're going to have even less expendable cash than we already do, but it's going to lighten my stress load, allow time for napping/knitting/reading and save me the immediate out-lay of winterizing my car. Plus my mother will worry less.
Work may get worse. It may also get better. I'm getting more event planning requests thrown my way, which is stuff that I really love to do. I've finally been heard on my request to get rid of my laptop and get a desktop computer. This will lessen the chances of me having to take work home. Now that we aren't doing the same job and soon will not be trapped in a car together any more, the relationship with the former best friend has lost all stressful overtones. We're actually laughing together again. And we hugged. It will never be what it was, because I will never fully trust her, but I'm pleased that we've gotten this far again.
That's the good.
The colleague that went to Rome whose job I did and the website blew up and I got stressed out and stopped sleeping, remember her? Yeah, well, she went and found another job. And they don't plan to replace her. Uh-huh. Oh, yeah. I've had a bit of a talk with my manager and will have a bit more of a talk tomorrow. At this point it could go either way.
Also, a different colleague has gone on stress leave, dumping all her work on ex-bfriend, which puts work fall-out on me as well. Three hours this morning were spent doing the work of the woman on leave. Oddly (or maybe not so oddly) this has been one source of the returning easiness between ebf and I.
So the bad may not turn out to be so bad after all. We'll see.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Less crying. Still not a lot of sleeping.
So the co-worker came back from Rome (best birthday gift ever!) which means that I am back to having a normal (well, for around here anyway) workload. Less stress = less crying.
Unfortunately, my body still hasn't figured out that in order to function as a normal (or what passes for normal in my life) human being I need to go to sleep. And then I need to stay asleep. The sleeping pills my doctor gave me a month ago help with either one or the other. I drift off with no problem, but then I wake up at midnight, 2:30 and 4:30 before having to get up at 5:15. Or, I'm still awake at 12:30 when Fred gets home from work.
So I went to see my lovely doctor today (her name's Angela, who wouldn't love her? *wink*) and she's given me something else to try.
Wish me sweet (and unbroken) dreams tonight.
Unfortunately, my body still hasn't figured out that in order to function as a normal (or what passes for normal in my life) human being I need to go to sleep. And then I need to stay asleep. The sleeping pills my doctor gave me a month ago help with either one or the other. I drift off with no problem, but then I wake up at midnight, 2:30 and 4:30 before having to get up at 5:15. Or, I'm still awake at 12:30 when Fred gets home from work.
So I went to see my lovely doctor today (her name's Angela, who wouldn't love her? *wink*) and she's given me something else to try.
Wish me sweet (and unbroken) dreams tonight.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
October 4, 1973
Which makes me thirty-three today.
In my early twenties I had a much different vision of what my life would be like ten years down the road.
I certainly didn't expect to be living in Guelph and spending my free time knitting, cross-stitching, pickling with my girlfriends and doing yoga while swearing meditatively.
I'm glad I'm where I am. Overall, it's much better than what I had imagined.
In my early twenties I had a much different vision of what my life would be like ten years down the road.
I certainly didn't expect to be living in Guelph and spending my free time knitting, cross-stitching, pickling with my girlfriends and doing yoga while swearing meditatively.
I'm glad I'm where I am. Overall, it's much better than what I had imagined.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
I'm tired of crying
I went to my doctor yesterday. She's put me on a low-dose, non-addictive, take-as-you-need sleeping pill. The idea is that if my body can get used to sleeping again, instead of this lying around in bed for two hours then waking up once an hour crap (and I don't even have a baby to show for it!) under control, I'll be better able to handle the stress and anxiety I'm having during the day. Which would be really nice because this crying at work thing? Gotta stop.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
I feel pretty, oh so pretty!
Today I am wearing a new outfit.
A couple of weeks ago Value Village had an everything for 50% off sale. I got a new outfit and a book for $16. The outfit is a black and red dress and long jacket, and the jacket has flowers embroidered across the bust line. I'm wearing my boots with it, since the weather is starting to turn autumnal.
I even managed to put my hair up in something other than a scrunchie, and put some make up on my face.
I feel all growed up!
A couple of weeks ago Value Village had an everything for 50% off sale. I got a new outfit and a book for $16. The outfit is a black and red dress and long jacket, and the jacket has flowers embroidered across the bust line. I'm wearing my boots with it, since the weather is starting to turn autumnal.
I even managed to put my hair up in something other than a scrunchie, and put some make up on my face.
I feel all growed up!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
My friend Jeff
Jeff is a soldier. He is a Master Corporal in the Royal Canadian Regiment out of Canadian Forces Base Petawawa. I don't know much about what he actually does. It's something to do with reconnaissance, but I only know this because of the jokes that are made about a 6' 5" tall man doing sneaky stuff. "It's a bush, it's a bush, it's Jeff, it's a bush."
When I first met Jeff I'd already heard stories about him. He's a crazy guy, who has a bajillion stories of his own, and when he tells them he always starts with "So there I was...". The first time I spent time with Jeff was at a May 2-4 weekend bash. He took his clothes off and did cartwheels in the rain. He told his famous Edmonton Strangler story and used me as a prop. I am afraid at the time I didn't see what was so great about this guy. I didn't understand why three of my friends were sleeping with him (we're a pretty liberal bunch, if you have a judgement, kindly keep it to yourself.) Sure he was funny, but he was also crass, and didn't understand personal boundaries.
Over the few years since then I've gotten to know Jeff much better. He is the crazy, crass guy with the stories, sure. But he's also a deeply intelligent and sensitive guy. When you get to talke to him alone, or in a small group, you learn things that you didn't know; about him, about yourself, about the world at large.
On August 8, 2006 his company was deployed to Afghanistan. As anyone following Canadian news will know (I'm not sure what kind of news US/UKers get) the NATO forces in Afghanistan haven't been having the greatest time. Yesterday, while knitting a sock for Jeff (we've been working on a care package to send to him) I saw the news about the friendly fire attack. Half an hour later I had one friend on the phone and two at the door.
Jeff is going to be ok. He's in a Dutch Front field hospital and will be moved to Germany soon. He'll be back in Canada in about two weeks (as soon as he's cleared to fly) and then he'll have a couple of weeks of reintegration training (code for talking to a bunch of headshrinkers). With any luck he'll be back in our area around mid-October. We don't know exactly how injured he is, but they offered him the option to go back to active duty after he's healed up. He took the option to come home, which makes his friends and family very happy.
I can't wait to hear him say "So there I was..."
When I first met Jeff I'd already heard stories about him. He's a crazy guy, who has a bajillion stories of his own, and when he tells them he always starts with "So there I was...". The first time I spent time with Jeff was at a May 2-4 weekend bash. He took his clothes off and did cartwheels in the rain. He told his famous Edmonton Strangler story and used me as a prop. I am afraid at the time I didn't see what was so great about this guy. I didn't understand why three of my friends were sleeping with him (we're a pretty liberal bunch, if you have a judgement, kindly keep it to yourself.) Sure he was funny, but he was also crass, and didn't understand personal boundaries.
Over the few years since then I've gotten to know Jeff much better. He is the crazy, crass guy with the stories, sure. But he's also a deeply intelligent and sensitive guy. When you get to talke to him alone, or in a small group, you learn things that you didn't know; about him, about yourself, about the world at large.
On August 8, 2006 his company was deployed to Afghanistan. As anyone following Canadian news will know (I'm not sure what kind of news US/UKers get) the NATO forces in Afghanistan haven't been having the greatest time. Yesterday, while knitting a sock for Jeff (we've been working on a care package to send to him) I saw the news about the friendly fire attack. Half an hour later I had one friend on the phone and two at the door.
Jeff is going to be ok. He's in a Dutch Front field hospital and will be moved to Germany soon. He'll be back in Canada in about two weeks (as soon as he's cleared to fly) and then he'll have a couple of weeks of reintegration training (code for talking to a bunch of headshrinkers). With any luck he'll be back in our area around mid-October. We don't know exactly how injured he is, but they offered him the option to go back to active duty after he's healed up. He took the option to come home, which makes his friends and family very happy.
I can't wait to hear him say "So there I was..."
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
My chin hurts.
Sometimes kittens are fun.
Other times they think your skirt is a toy, and that biting your feet is a good thing. Then when you bend over in the dark bedroom to extricate the kitten from your skirt, you bash your chin on the metal frame of your laundry hamper. Then you cry because it hurts and you've only had about four hours of sleep because the kitten kept bringing you her toy with the bells on it while you were trying to fall asleep, and when you shut her in another room all you could hear was the kitten crying like someone was killing her.
*sigh*
Companies should let people take leave when they get kittens. They could call it 'cat leave'.
Other times they think your skirt is a toy, and that biting your feet is a good thing. Then when you bend over in the dark bedroom to extricate the kitten from your skirt, you bash your chin on the metal frame of your laundry hamper. Then you cry because it hurts and you've only had about four hours of sleep because the kitten kept bringing you her toy with the bells on it while you were trying to fall asleep, and when you shut her in another room all you could hear was the kitten crying like someone was killing her.
*sigh*
Companies should let people take leave when they get kittens. They could call it 'cat leave'.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Crazy? Very likely.
It's been an interesting few weeks. I warn you now that this is going to be a long post...
My step-dad's mother died on the Saturday before I started my vacation, so there was no trip to the farm that day and no field-trip to the guild meeting. Also, no alpaca. Instead I drove out to the farm on the Monday after my job interview to take care of all the animals so that they could take care of the visitation/funeral business and not have to drive the two hours each way from their home to the town Frank's mom lived in.
My mom and Frank have about 17 head of Texas long-horn cattle, plus a couple of calves, two grass cattle, five horses, three big dogs and somewhere in the neighbourhood of 17 cats. They bought this farm after I was grown and gone, so I am not a farm girl born and bred. As I said to my mother, I'm a good pinch-hitter, but I'm no professional.
Some of the cats are barn cats, some are indoor-outdoor cats, and some are indoor cats. With so many of them (and many of them being out of the same parents), I have a hard time telling some of them apart, never mind remembering who can go out and who can't. Since I would be arriving after the humans left, Mom said that she would make sure that all of the cats that are allowed outside would already be out there. Around dinner time I was letting a cat in when one of the ones inside escaped! I sat outside on the porch for over an hour with a can of Pounce hollering "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!", since I didn't know the cat's name. I thought it might have been Carmelita, but wasn't sure. I just knew it was one of the white/tabby patched cats. Finally a cat fitting the description wandered up to me. I gave it treats and scooped it up, and inside we went.
Two hours later I'm outside with one of the dogs when a white and tabby patched cat comes bounding through the clover... Inside we all went. Around midnight I spoke to Mom on the phone. I told her about the escapee, and my later confusion. Mom's response? "Oh, there are four kitties who look like that. I told Snuggles that if he didn't go out before we left, he might not get out."
I come by my crazy naturally.
After attending the funeral on Tuesday I headed home with a headache. Lack of sleep (it was very, very hot and one of the cats gives you love by bodychecking you while you sleep. Seriously.), stoopid heat and crying combined will do that to me. I took a nap for a couple of hours, but when I woke up my head still felt like it had been steamrolled, so the two hour drive to Aurora to see the Yarn Harlot was nixed. I was very sad, but she lives in Toronto. Technically, I could just show up on her doorstep all stalker like...but I won't. *grin* Instead I took some painkillers and worked on my sock. I have one and three quarters of another sock done. I'm looking forward to being able to wear them.
I did not get the awesome job that I really wanted. When the HR lady called me back she told me that I was by far the best candidate they had interviewed and would have had the job, except that they decided to change the job description. Argh. They're unlikely to find (in my opinion) what they're looking for in the salary band they are offering, or at least unlikely to find someone who will stay very long. I will be working on certifications so that when the job is posted again in about a year, I'll have more of what they are looking for. And in the mean time, I'm back to the resume-tweaking drawing board.
We took Zoe in to the vet to be spayed on the Wednesday of my vacation. They told us to call around 2:00 that afternoon to find out how the surgery went, and when to come pick her up. When I called the nurse said "Um, well...it went well, and Zoe's fine except...Zoe's a boy." What? Yeah. Zoe's a boy. A neutered boy, but a boy nonetheless. Fred has decided to be in denial. Her name is still Zoe, and we still use the feminine pronouns to refer to her. Fred wanted a girl kitty, and as far as he's concerned, that's what Zoe is.
I'm not just descended from crazy, I live with it too!
On the holiday Monday, the day before we were to return to work, Fred noticed that Sabre wasn't using her right rear leg. She was dragging it behind her or knuckling over on the foot. It was colder than the other paws. She wasn't withdrawing it when tickled or grabbed. No movement. No feeling. Very scary. The emergency vet we called said that it didn't sound like a "true emergency", as in, the cat wasn't dying. So we waited and took her to the vet on Tuesday. By this time we'd noticed that her tail, which is usually straight up in the air, was hanging to the right and that she wasn't moving it either. After a 3-day stay at the vet and a bill large enough to negate our vacation plans for October, she came home somewhat improved. The was able to tell us what it wasn't: fracture, major neurological issue, blood clot/stroke. It's probably not cancer, although there's still a remote chance of that. So we still don't know what it is, but she is improving daily. The tail is almost back to normal. The leg is still stiff so she limps a bit, and although she still doesn't seem to have feeling in her paw the circulation is good. Which is good, because in a household that already has a trans-sexual cat, do we also need a 3-legged one?
See? Crazy.
My step-dad's mother died on the Saturday before I started my vacation, so there was no trip to the farm that day and no field-trip to the guild meeting. Also, no alpaca. Instead I drove out to the farm on the Monday after my job interview to take care of all the animals so that they could take care of the visitation/funeral business and not have to drive the two hours each way from their home to the town Frank's mom lived in.
My mom and Frank have about 17 head of Texas long-horn cattle, plus a couple of calves, two grass cattle, five horses, three big dogs and somewhere in the neighbourhood of 17 cats. They bought this farm after I was grown and gone, so I am not a farm girl born and bred. As I said to my mother, I'm a good pinch-hitter, but I'm no professional.
Some of the cats are barn cats, some are indoor-outdoor cats, and some are indoor cats. With so many of them (and many of them being out of the same parents), I have a hard time telling some of them apart, never mind remembering who can go out and who can't. Since I would be arriving after the humans left, Mom said that she would make sure that all of the cats that are allowed outside would already be out there. Around dinner time I was letting a cat in when one of the ones inside escaped! I sat outside on the porch for over an hour with a can of Pounce hollering "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!", since I didn't know the cat's name. I thought it might have been Carmelita, but wasn't sure. I just knew it was one of the white/tabby patched cats. Finally a cat fitting the description wandered up to me. I gave it treats and scooped it up, and inside we went.
Two hours later I'm outside with one of the dogs when a white and tabby patched cat comes bounding through the clover... Inside we all went. Around midnight I spoke to Mom on the phone. I told her about the escapee, and my later confusion. Mom's response? "Oh, there are four kitties who look like that. I told Snuggles that if he didn't go out before we left, he might not get out."
I come by my crazy naturally.
After attending the funeral on Tuesday I headed home with a headache. Lack of sleep (it was very, very hot and one of the cats gives you love by bodychecking you while you sleep. Seriously.), stoopid heat and crying combined will do that to me. I took a nap for a couple of hours, but when I woke up my head still felt like it had been steamrolled, so the two hour drive to Aurora to see the Yarn Harlot was nixed. I was very sad, but she lives in Toronto. Technically, I could just show up on her doorstep all stalker like...but I won't. *grin* Instead I took some painkillers and worked on my sock. I have one and three quarters of another sock done. I'm looking forward to being able to wear them.
I did not get the awesome job that I really wanted. When the HR lady called me back she told me that I was by far the best candidate they had interviewed and would have had the job, except that they decided to change the job description. Argh. They're unlikely to find (in my opinion) what they're looking for in the salary band they are offering, or at least unlikely to find someone who will stay very long. I will be working on certifications so that when the job is posted again in about a year, I'll have more of what they are looking for. And in the mean time, I'm back to the resume-tweaking drawing board.
We took Zoe in to the vet to be spayed on the Wednesday of my vacation. They told us to call around 2:00 that afternoon to find out how the surgery went, and when to come pick her up. When I called the nurse said "Um, well...it went well, and Zoe's fine except...Zoe's a boy." What? Yeah. Zoe's a boy. A neutered boy, but a boy nonetheless. Fred has decided to be in denial. Her name is still Zoe, and we still use the feminine pronouns to refer to her. Fred wanted a girl kitty, and as far as he's concerned, that's what Zoe is.
I'm not just descended from crazy, I live with it too!
On the holiday Monday, the day before we were to return to work, Fred noticed that Sabre wasn't using her right rear leg. She was dragging it behind her or knuckling over on the foot. It was colder than the other paws. She wasn't withdrawing it when tickled or grabbed. No movement. No feeling. Very scary. The emergency vet we called said that it didn't sound like a "true emergency", as in, the cat wasn't dying. So we waited and took her to the vet on Tuesday. By this time we'd noticed that her tail, which is usually straight up in the air, was hanging to the right and that she wasn't moving it either. After a 3-day stay at the vet and a bill large enough to negate our vacation plans for October, she came home somewhat improved. The was able to tell us what it wasn't: fracture, major neurological issue, blood clot/stroke. It's probably not cancer, although there's still a remote chance of that. So we still don't know what it is, but she is improving daily. The tail is almost back to normal. The leg is still stiff so she limps a bit, and although she still doesn't seem to have feeling in her paw the circulation is good. Which is good, because in a household that already has a trans-sexual cat, do we also need a 3-legged one?
See? Crazy.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Ten Days of Freedom
I am going on vacation next week. If I count starting with tomorrow, that's ten whole days that I don't have to do the 1 1/2 hour plus drive to and from work. Ten days that I don't have to answer smart people when then ask me stupid questions. Ten days that I don't have to talk to, see or listen to...someone. Ten days in which I can do whatever the heck I please in my own car (as long as it's legal).
Woohoo!
We aren't going away anywhere due to lack of funds. Instead here is what I'm doing with my week and a bit:
1. Kicking butt on that interview and getting myself a new job.
2. Going to visit my mom at the farm and joining her at her Weavers and Spinners Guild meeting. They need more knitters to join, so I'm taking my knitting as an example. The most exciting part is that my mom is going to buy me enough hand-spun alpaca to knit myself a scarf. I'm thinking something lacey. Whee!
3. Going to see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (www.yarnharlot.ca) speak at the York Region Knitters Guild in Aurora Tuesday night. It's ok that it's a 2-hour drive each way, because I'm choosing to drive it. Plus, famous knitter person.
4. Learning how to knit socks.
5. Breaking away from the knitting theme, and sewing my self a chemise so that I have a girly-looking shirt to wear at the next singing job. I may even sew a skirt too, if I can find fabric that looks hand-woven enough. I'm too much of a scaredy cat (and not enough of an accomplished sewer) to try it with real handwoven.
6. Possibly (finally) painting my kitchen.
7. Paying bills and arguing with the government. Ick.
8. Sleeping in.
9. Spending time with Fred and with all the kitties.
10. Whatever the heck I feel like. I'll be on vacation, after all.
Woohoo!
We aren't going away anywhere due to lack of funds. Instead here is what I'm doing with my week and a bit:
1. Kicking butt on that interview and getting myself a new job.
2. Going to visit my mom at the farm and joining her at her Weavers and Spinners Guild meeting. They need more knitters to join, so I'm taking my knitting as an example. The most exciting part is that my mom is going to buy me enough hand-spun alpaca to knit myself a scarf. I'm thinking something lacey. Whee!
3. Going to see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (www.yarnharlot.ca) speak at the York Region Knitters Guild in Aurora Tuesday night. It's ok that it's a 2-hour drive each way, because I'm choosing to drive it. Plus, famous knitter person.
4. Learning how to knit socks.
5. Breaking away from the knitting theme, and sewing my self a chemise so that I have a girly-looking shirt to wear at the next singing job. I may even sew a skirt too, if I can find fabric that looks hand-woven enough. I'm too much of a scaredy cat (and not enough of an accomplished sewer) to try it with real handwoven.
6. Possibly (finally) painting my kitchen.
7. Paying bills and arguing with the government. Ick.
8. Sleeping in.
9. Spending time with Fred and with all the kitties.
10. Whatever the heck I feel like. I'll be on vacation, after all.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Updates!
Update #1: Cats.
The three big kitties are still none too pleased with the little one, but they aren't running away from her any more. Well, except Nova. *sigh* We'll get there.
Yes, Laurie, four cats. They are all indoor cats. We live in a 3-bedroom townhouse though, so they don't all have to be in the same place at the same time.
Kim: I totally agree that there is a biological clock for kittens. One of the reasons we got Zoe is that while my clock is ticking away for babies, Fred's is only at kittens. We're working on aligning the alarms. *wink*
Update #2: Interview
I have a 2nd interview on Monday morning, when I will be tested on my Word and PowerPoint skills and meet the CEO and the Director of Client Services. I think this is a Good Thing (apologies to Martha). Keep crossing those fingers! This job would mean, in addition to working for an organization I can get behind, a half hour drive to work, instead of an hour and a half.
Woohoo!
The three big kitties are still none too pleased with the little one, but they aren't running away from her any more. Well, except Nova. *sigh* We'll get there.
Yes, Laurie, four cats. They are all indoor cats. We live in a 3-bedroom townhouse though, so they don't all have to be in the same place at the same time.
Kim: I totally agree that there is a biological clock for kittens. One of the reasons we got Zoe is that while my clock is ticking away for babies, Fred's is only at kittens. We're working on aligning the alarms. *wink*
Update #2: Interview
I have a 2nd interview on Monday morning, when I will be tested on my Word and PowerPoint skills and meet the CEO and the Director of Client Services. I think this is a Good Thing (apologies to Martha). Keep crossing those fingers! This job would mean, in addition to working for an organization I can get behind, a half hour drive to work, instead of an hour and a half.
Woohoo!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Introducing....
After much discussion over the past few months, we decided to add another furball to our family. Here's a better photo:
She's named after Zoe from Firefly. Not just because we like the name, but because this tiny girl knows no fear!
This is what the rest of the furballs have to say.
Sabre: There is no stinkin' way I'm letting that thing down my stairsl
Nova: No, I will not come out. Get it away!!! GET IT AWAY!!!
Callie: Touch my toys at your own peril you tiny, crazy thing.So it's maybe a little rocky at the house of the many cats right now, but we've had wee Zoe for all of 24 hours, so I'm not too worried.
The purrs will rise again!
Zoe: "Stay still?" What do you mean "Stay still"? Hellooooo! I am a kitten. There is no "still". Pffft.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Hm...You Get What You Wish For?
Remember when I said that I'd be turning the job search in a new direction?
Tomorrow morning I have an interview with a non-profit organization that " cultivates the potential of children and young adults who have developmental, physical and communication disabilities". Definitely something I believe in. Plus, it's in the area and pay range I'm looking for!
Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Tomorrow morning I have an interview with a non-profit organization that " cultivates the potential of children and young adults who have developmental, physical and communication disabilities". Definitely something I believe in. Plus, it's in the area and pay range I'm looking for!
Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Friday, July 14, 2006
Yesterday I got to dress up like a boy!
After work yesterday I met Steve and Dana at Cairngorm Scottish Imports. Scott couldn't make it, sadly, and I missed him because it's been way too long since I've seen him. But he's busy being a pirate and a ghostbuster and meeting new girls, so I suppose he's forgiven. Unless Dana wasn't just being a smarty pants when he said that S and D had killed an eaten him. That would be unforgivable, since Scott knows how to use a sword. Well, a prop sword at any rate. *grin*
But I digress.
We were at the scottish shop (complete with Scottish accented manager) to book our wedding outfits. You may remember (or not, I don't know) that Steve (Annika, he's the one that does the B-movie card games) asked me to be in his wedding party, on the boys side. I believe that I jumped up and down and squealed a little bit. It seems this is not the proper way to accept an invitation from a boy to be in his wedding. Ooops.
As it turns out, being a boy is harder than I thought. Men's kilts aren't made for people with hips; the only way the vest with the Prince Charlie would fit over my boobs was if the jacket was miles too big; the store doesn't stock rental shoes in my size. D'oh! So I'm wearing the kilt with a white shirt and black bow tie (anyone know where I can get a women's tuxedo shirt that won't cost me an arm and a leg?), a belt with a big, shiny silver buckle, the PC jacket, boys' kilt hose and shoes that I have to go find somewhere and they'll give me buckles to go on my shoes. Steve is fine with me not looking exactly like the rest of his boys, so the outfit is fine by me. We will all have a matching tartan, jacket, Sgian Dubh and sporran. Oh, and the sgian dubhs are advertised as being "safety" sgian dubhs, which is probably a really, really good idea, given this crowd. Not because we're a violent bunch, but because we're all a bunch of extroverts who like to play with sharp pointy things. And some of us are accident prone.
My one concern is that with all the buckles I'm going to wind up looking less like a highlander and more like a leprechaun.
But I digress.
We were at the scottish shop (complete with Scottish accented manager) to book our wedding outfits. You may remember (or not, I don't know) that Steve (Annika, he's the one that does the B-movie card games) asked me to be in his wedding party, on the boys side. I believe that I jumped up and down and squealed a little bit. It seems this is not the proper way to accept an invitation from a boy to be in his wedding. Ooops.
As it turns out, being a boy is harder than I thought. Men's kilts aren't made for people with hips; the only way the vest with the Prince Charlie would fit over my boobs was if the jacket was miles too big; the store doesn't stock rental shoes in my size. D'oh! So I'm wearing the kilt with a white shirt and black bow tie (anyone know where I can get a women's tuxedo shirt that won't cost me an arm and a leg?), a belt with a big, shiny silver buckle, the PC jacket, boys' kilt hose and shoes that I have to go find somewhere and they'll give me buckles to go on my shoes. Steve is fine with me not looking exactly like the rest of his boys, so the outfit is fine by me. We will all have a matching tartan, jacket, Sgian Dubh and sporran. Oh, and the sgian dubhs are advertised as being "safety" sgian dubhs, which is probably a really, really good idea, given this crowd. Not because we're a violent bunch, but because we're all a bunch of extroverts who like to play with sharp pointy things. And some of us are accident prone.
My one concern is that with all the buckles I'm going to wind up looking less like a highlander and more like a leprechaun.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Goings on
There has been a flurry of career activity lately in the little cubefarm where I spend my days. Two colleagues are getting chances to do some work overseas; one has changed departments and gotten a promotion, another is moving into a new role that means she will one step futher along on her chosen career path.
And I? I am thrilled beyond belief for all of them. Also, not in the least bit jealous that I am a secretary (albeit with a longer title) and destined to likely remain so for the forseeable future, while they are pursuing and globetrotting and the like.
I wondered why this is, and I poked around on some stranger's blogs and I've come to a conclusion: this job just doesn't matter to me. I like my job, on the whole. There are, of course, stupid days and stupid people and stupid bosses, but on a day to day basis, it doesn't suck. It's just that the purpose of this company is to make money. Not to help people, not to educate people, not to make the world a better place, just to make as much money as possible for the people in charge.
So the ongoing job search may now take a different path. Rather than "well, I can do that" my mantra will be "well, I'd like to do that".
And I? I am thrilled beyond belief for all of them. Also, not in the least bit jealous that I am a secretary (albeit with a longer title) and destined to likely remain so for the forseeable future, while they are pursuing and globetrotting and the like.
I wondered why this is, and I poked around on some stranger's blogs and I've come to a conclusion: this job just doesn't matter to me. I like my job, on the whole. There are, of course, stupid days and stupid people and stupid bosses, but on a day to day basis, it doesn't suck. It's just that the purpose of this company is to make money. Not to help people, not to educate people, not to make the world a better place, just to make as much money as possible for the people in charge.
So the ongoing job search may now take a different path. Rather than "well, I can do that" my mantra will be "well, I'd like to do that".
Friday, June 23, 2006
Joss Wedon's Speech at Equality Now Awards Ceremongy
*cross posted at The Watcher's Diary first*
On May 15 Joss received an award from Equality Now "for his outstanding contribution to gender equality in film and television."
His excellent acceptance speech is available now on youtube.
If you want to be able to help out the organization and see an awesome movie at the same time, check out this link for info about showings of Serenity to benefit EN.
Just one more reason to love the man.
On May 15 Joss received an award from Equality Now "for his outstanding contribution to gender equality in film and television."
His excellent acceptance speech is available now on youtube.
If you want to be able to help out the organization and see an awesome movie at the same time, check out this link for info about showings of Serenity to benefit EN.
Just one more reason to love the man.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
It's been Tuesday long enough...
I don't actually have much to say, but I was tired of the last unhappy post being up at the top and all unhappy-like.
So...um... Yeah.
Oh! Happy Beltane yesterday.
I'm feeling all listless today. I have work to do, I'm just not interested in doing it. This morning was spent in a boring and seemingly irrelevant meeting. Well, it's relevant for some people, but wasn't for me. Which got me off to a not-caring-so-much start. It's now almost three, and I still haven't managed to accomplish much, except to discover that I don't remember my login for my photobucket account, and it doesn't recognize any of my email addresses. Good think I still have that webshots account!
I leave you with an old photo of Nova and Sabre biting each other. Nova's gotten a little fatter, but other than that (and the fact that I left the ugly couch with my ex-husband) not much about this photo is different now.
Click for big.
So...um... Yeah.
Oh! Happy Beltane yesterday.
I'm feeling all listless today. I have work to do, I'm just not interested in doing it. This morning was spent in a boring and seemingly irrelevant meeting. Well, it's relevant for some people, but wasn't for me. Which got me off to a not-caring-so-much start. It's now almost three, and I still haven't managed to accomplish much, except to discover that I don't remember my login for my photobucket account, and it doesn't recognize any of my email addresses. Good think I still have that webshots account!
I leave you with an old photo of Nova and Sabre biting each other. Nova's gotten a little fatter, but other than that (and the fact that I left the ugly couch with my ex-husband) not much about this photo is different now.
Click for big.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
And it's only Tuesday...
Yesterday Fred's cat Sparkie died. He got her as a kitten before he started high school, and she was a lovely, sweet, talkative girl who loved to sit on laps and beg for chicken at the dinner table. She was somewhere between fifteen and seventeen years old and had been going downhill since Christmas, so this wasn't a surprise, but it is still very difficult.
When I got home yesterday I got a call from a friend telling me that another friend has kicked her husband out. There is hope for reconciliation, but he screwed up large and it will be a long road back. And there's a possibility that there won't be reconciliation, which means a whole different set of difficulties, and an entirely different long road.
When I got home yesterday I got a call from a friend telling me that another friend has kicked her husband out. There is hope for reconciliation, but he screwed up large and it will be a long road back. And there's a possibility that there won't be reconciliation, which means a whole different set of difficulties, and an entirely different long road.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Borrowed from The Bears:
Sabre:
Callie:
Nova:
Hm. I don't like the sound off all that treason. Maybe this explains the de riguer 3 a.m. fighting? Callie and Nova are staging an uprising!
Sabre:
| In a Past Life... |
 You Were: A Friendly Viking. Where You Lived: Saudi Arabia. How You Died: Dysentery. |
Callie:
| In a Past Life... |
You Were: An Insane Alchemist. Where You Lived: Australia. How You Died: Hung for treason. |
Nova:
| In a Past Life... |
You Were: A Banished Dancer. Where You Lived: Texas. How You Died: Hung for treason. |
Hm. I don't like the sound off all that treason. Maybe this explains the de riguer 3 a.m. fighting? Callie and Nova are staging an uprising!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Better
Thanks to every one who said nice things. It made me smile!
Today is better. Yesterday was a pms day, which didn't help matters. I'm also still adjusting to Fred being on afternoons, which makes me pouty. It'll get better, I know.
I'm still tired, but the scare I had last week when I found a lump in my right boob has passed (turned out to be an infection of some kind, and is clearing up nicely with antibiotics), and I'm looking forward to getting back into doing some physical activity.
Off to a branch meeting soon, which means getting home late, but also means free food.
Can't wait to hug my kitties and do some knitting.
Today is better. Yesterday was a pms day, which didn't help matters. I'm also still adjusting to Fred being on afternoons, which makes me pouty. It'll get better, I know.
I'm still tired, but the scare I had last week when I found a lump in my right boob has passed (turned out to be an infection of some kind, and is clearing up nicely with antibiotics), and I'm looking forward to getting back into doing some physical activity.
Off to a branch meeting soon, which means getting home late, but also means free food.
Can't wait to hug my kitties and do some knitting.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
*sigh*
One more job interviewed for, one more "thanks, but no thanks" letter.
This morning (after driving for 2 hours) I had a construction worker swear at me for attempting not to run him over while he was crossing the street against a red light.
It's 8:41 and I've already cried once.
Can we not have today, please?
This morning (after driving for 2 hours) I had a construction worker swear at me for attempting not to run him over while he was crossing the street against a red light.
It's 8:41 and I've already cried once.
Can we not have today, please?
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
I am frustrated.
I keep trying to donate to things, like Knitters Without Borders. And trying to help people out with their Million Dollar Cat Fund like Crazy Aunt Purl while also getting a neat-o messenger/knitting bag.
I went out and got myself a Paypal account, and transfered some money over. I've been waiting for over a week for the transfer to take effect. Finally today I got the email! Rejoicing!
Then...swearing. Because those places I want to give money to/buy things from? They only take credit cards. I can (and will) still donate to Buffyguide and I can toss some money into the Million Dollar Cat Fund without getting a fun, new messenger bag. But I'm still pretty frustrated.
I went out and got myself a Paypal account, and transfered some money over. I've been waiting for over a week for the transfer to take effect. Finally today I got the email! Rejoicing!
Then...swearing. Because those places I want to give money to/buy things from? They only take credit cards. I can (and will) still donate to Buffyguide and I can toss some money into the Million Dollar Cat Fund without getting a fun, new messenger bag. But I'm still pretty frustrated.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Just when you think....
....that life is settling down a bit....
So we got our house back. The room mate and boyfriend moved out last Saturday with a minimum of fuss.
Fred and I have started to settle back into a routine and re-work chore responsibilites, etc, etc.
Then on Tuesday Fred was told that he's being switched to straight afternoons. Monday to Friday 3:30 pm to midnight. While I get up at 5:15 am. So there will only be nation of two time from sometime Saturday morning after I finish at the Farmer's Market and when I have to go to bed Sunday night.
That fortress of solitude joke? Not so funny now.
*sigh*
I am looking for the positive in this though.
Since I will have no reason to run home after work, I can drop Amanda off and go straight to the gym, every night. That's five gym days a week. Much better than my current one to two days.
I will get plenty of alone time for reading, knitting, catching up on Oprah, meditating and taking long hot smelly baths.
After going to the gym I can come home and putter. I putter better when I throw on some Indigo Girls or other folksy, feministy kinda music and sing along at the top of my lungs. Since the cats will be the only other people home, and they have no opinion on folksy, feministy singers one way or the other, I'm good to go.
I am certain that there is a point to this. That there is something for me to learn here, just as there was with the Great Room Mate Debacle of '05. 'Cause if there isn't a point? If this is just the universe fucking with me? Wow, that would make me cranky.
So we got our house back. The room mate and boyfriend moved out last Saturday with a minimum of fuss.
Fred and I have started to settle back into a routine and re-work chore responsibilites, etc, etc.
Then on Tuesday Fred was told that he's being switched to straight afternoons. Monday to Friday 3:30 pm to midnight. While I get up at 5:15 am. So there will only be nation of two time from sometime Saturday morning after I finish at the Farmer's Market and when I have to go to bed Sunday night.
That fortress of solitude joke? Not so funny now.
*sigh*
I am looking for the positive in this though.
Since I will have no reason to run home after work, I can drop Amanda off and go straight to the gym, every night. That's five gym days a week. Much better than my current one to two days.
I will get plenty of alone time for reading, knitting, catching up on Oprah, meditating and taking long hot smelly baths.
After going to the gym I can come home and putter. I putter better when I throw on some Indigo Girls or other folksy, feministy kinda music and sing along at the top of my lungs. Since the cats will be the only other people home, and they have no opinion on folksy, feministy singers one way or the other, I'm good to go.
I am certain that there is a point to this. That there is something for me to learn here, just as there was with the Great Room Mate Debacle of '05. 'Cause if there isn't a point? If this is just the universe fucking with me? Wow, that would make me cranky.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Leone, your sister turned me on to Robin McKinley, and I ADORE Sunshine. I am also a big fan of the Anita Blake books, Allison. Sadly the book I read last week was neither, and not particularly well written. I can't remember where I am in either the Blake series or in the Gentry series, so I haven't picked any up in a while.
This week I'm back to driving. It's only Tuesday and I'm already pooped. And have only managed to read about 20 pages of Kathy Reichs' Grave Secrets.
I was at Lewiscraft today (local-ish craft store chain that has been bought out and is closing down). I was trying to get stuff to knit a yoga mat bag and a cabled newsboy cap from the Stitch 'n Bitch Nation book. Unfortunately, when it's a store closing down sale you take what you can get. Instead of 100% cotton and a 50/50 alpaca/merino blend I got more Bernat Soft Boucle in Richest Red, bringing my stash total to 6 skeins, with which I am going to attempt a tubular shrug.
I've decided that my particular brand of knitting is called Commando Knitting. Although not in the underwear sense. Here's how it goes: I see a pattern that I like, or some yarn that makes me happy, or I have a device or other thing that needs a cozy; I say to myself "You know, I think I'd like to change that and make it different/better/more suited to be exactly what I need."; throwing caution to the wind I swatch using different sizes needles and a different weight yarn than is called for in the pattern, and I may fix the pattern a little too so that the lace is more visible or something (there's usually a lot of frogging involved in this step). Then I knit. And wind up with pretty good stuff on the whole, at least so far.
It's a similar to the attitude I've always taken towards my hair. Bad dye job? Horrible perm? Silly looking cut? Bah! It grows back, just shave it down to about an inch.
Crazy Aunt Purl calls it Living Out Loud. Natasha Bedingfield calls it living life with arms wide open. I'm not sure which I like better, but I'm having lots of fun.
This week I'm back to driving. It's only Tuesday and I'm already pooped. And have only managed to read about 20 pages of Kathy Reichs' Grave Secrets.
I was at Lewiscraft today (local-ish craft store chain that has been bought out and is closing down). I was trying to get stuff to knit a yoga mat bag and a cabled newsboy cap from the Stitch 'n Bitch Nation book. Unfortunately, when it's a store closing down sale you take what you can get. Instead of 100% cotton and a 50/50 alpaca/merino blend I got more Bernat Soft Boucle in Richest Red, bringing my stash total to 6 skeins, with which I am going to attempt a tubular shrug.
I've decided that my particular brand of knitting is called Commando Knitting. Although not in the underwear sense. Here's how it goes: I see a pattern that I like, or some yarn that makes me happy, or I have a device or other thing that needs a cozy; I say to myself "You know, I think I'd like to change that and make it different/better/more suited to be exactly what I need."; throwing caution to the wind I swatch using different sizes needles and a different weight yarn than is called for in the pattern, and I may fix the pattern a little too so that the lace is more visible or something (there's usually a lot of frogging involved in this step). Then I knit. And wind up with pretty good stuff on the whole, at least so far.
It's a similar to the attitude I've always taken towards my hair. Bad dye job? Horrible perm? Silly looking cut? Bah! It grows back, just shave it down to about an inch.
Crazy Aunt Purl calls it Living Out Loud. Natasha Bedingfield calls it living life with arms wide open. I'm not sure which I like better, but I'm having lots of fun.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Enough of that.
OK, so it's time to get the unhappy post off the top of the blog.
Things are better. We're at t minus 4 days until the move-out date. *dances* Since the soon-to-be-ex-roommate has been on vacation while doing house stuff, I have been taking the bus for the better part of the last two weeks. What a difference it makes! Sadly, paying for a car and taking the bus, just not an option right now. Depending on how high gas prices get, I may reconsider, we'll see. And no, I'm not willing to get rid of my car. It gives me the independence to get up at oh-my-goodness-it's-early o'clock on a Saturday and go to the farmer's market, the chiropractor and the grocery store, and be home and back in bed for a snuggle before 10 am. Not giving that up, no sirree bob. Still, the chance for some extra shut-eye in the morning (on the bus!) has been lovely. Plus, I've managed to read 4 whole books! In less than two weeks!
Work is feh. Which is a combination of 'meh' (apathy) and a bit of annoyance. The previously mentioned exciting project is really just a big pain in my tuchuss. But! I get to spend some time over the next couple of weeks assisting with planning a client appreciation/milestone celebration event. Which is a tiny step towards my "someday I want to be a wedding planner" dream.
Whee!
Things are better. We're at t minus 4 days until the move-out date. *dances* Since the soon-to-be-ex-roommate has been on vacation while doing house stuff, I have been taking the bus for the better part of the last two weeks. What a difference it makes! Sadly, paying for a car and taking the bus, just not an option right now. Depending on how high gas prices get, I may reconsider, we'll see. And no, I'm not willing to get rid of my car. It gives me the independence to get up at oh-my-goodness-it's-early o'clock on a Saturday and go to the farmer's market, the chiropractor and the grocery store, and be home and back in bed for a snuggle before 10 am. Not giving that up, no sirree bob. Still, the chance for some extra shut-eye in the morning (on the bus!) has been lovely. Plus, I've managed to read 4 whole books! In less than two weeks!
Work is feh. Which is a combination of 'meh' (apathy) and a bit of annoyance. The previously mentioned exciting project is really just a big pain in my tuchuss. But! I get to spend some time over the next couple of weeks assisting with planning a client appreciation/milestone celebration event. Which is a tiny step towards my "someday I want to be a wedding planner" dream.
Whee!
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
What's the opposite of Spring Fever?
Usually around this time of year I get a burst of energy. Days are getting warmer and sunnier and longer. Things are starting to grow. Birdies are happily twittering all over the place. The kitties are turning into kamikaze furballs. Even Fred is a little perkier than usual.
I am not. I am tired. And sad. And having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, nevermind getting excited about getting out of bed. It's not every day, and it's not all day long on the days that I feel like this, but there's getting to be more not-wanting-to-get-out-of-bed days than not. I'm still getting out of bed, but that's mostly because I need the paycheque. Oh, and some days (again, not every day) I just can't stop eating. Not always stuff that's bad for me, but still, it is possible to eat too much celery.
Maybe I'm depressed? I don't know. I've been treated for it in the past, and it felt different than this. This is more like extreme boredom with my life. Except that aside from my job/commute (didn't get that last one that I interviewed for, by the way), my weight and a couple of things that will take care of themselves in about 19 days, I quite like my life. I have a home that I have plans to make into a lovely home. I have a boyfriend and cats and family and friends who all love me and I love them all back. I'm still looking for a job and still going to the gym. I go for walks and I do things I enjoy like going to the farmer's market, and singing, and having tea with my girlfriends. So why, when I have all of this wonderful stuff going on, do I just want to pull the covers up over my head and snuggle with a kitty while knitting things and watching Oprah?
I am not. I am tired. And sad. And having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, nevermind getting excited about getting out of bed. It's not every day, and it's not all day long on the days that I feel like this, but there's getting to be more not-wanting-to-get-out-of-bed days than not. I'm still getting out of bed, but that's mostly because I need the paycheque. Oh, and some days (again, not every day) I just can't stop eating. Not always stuff that's bad for me, but still, it is possible to eat too much celery.
Maybe I'm depressed? I don't know. I've been treated for it in the past, and it felt different than this. This is more like extreme boredom with my life. Except that aside from my job/commute (didn't get that last one that I interviewed for, by the way), my weight and a couple of things that will take care of themselves in about 19 days, I quite like my life. I have a home that I have plans to make into a lovely home. I have a boyfriend and cats and family and friends who all love me and I love them all back. I'm still looking for a job and still going to the gym. I go for walks and I do things I enjoy like going to the farmer's market, and singing, and having tea with my girlfriends. So why, when I have all of this wonderful stuff going on, do I just want to pull the covers up over my head and snuggle with a kitty while knitting things and watching Oprah?
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Fantastic!
I need help! Last night I finally watched The Christmas Invasion and now I need more of The Doctor. Please give me your favourite Doctor related links, especially if they have episode transcripts. Feeding my new mini-obsession will also help to keep my mind off that job I still haven't heard anything about.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Scattered!
I'm just all over the place today, be warned!
Waiting sucks
I am waiting to hear back from an interview I had earlier this week. It's almost 3:30 on Friday afternoon, which means that I'm unlikely to hear anything today, and that I will have to continue to wait through the weekend. My tummy is kinda knotty and I just want to know what's going on!
I am waiting for the room mate to move out. Thirty days. It's not very long, not much longer at all as a matter of fact, but I'm impatient. Then end of the tunnel is right there and I can see the light, but it's not enough to read by.
Best Lunch Ever
Today I treated myself to lunch. I went to Sammy's in the food court downstairs and got a spinach salad with dried cranberries, walnuts, fresh strawberries, salmon and strawberry dressing on it, and a can of V-8. It made me very, very happy.
I [heart] My iPod!
Fred surprised me with an iPod (financial obligations be damned! Damned, I say! *whimper* But this is not going to be complainy, this is going to be about how much I [heart] my iPod). Mine is white and her name is Emmeline. Don't ask me why, that's just the name that came to me while we were getting to know each other Wednesday afternoon. She helped me knit, she helped me do laundry and we danced around while we hung up shirts, she helped me do the dishes and empty the dishwasher. Yesterday we went for a walk together to the grocery store to get some sushi, and tonight we're going to the gym. I am going to knit her a cozy with a trap door on the front to get at the control wheel thingy (like those jammies with feet!), and a pocket to keep her earphones in, and a place to put an armband through when for when we're pumping iron. I am also going to knit her a cord cozy to keep her earphone cord from getting all tangly and chewed by cats. I love her so very, very much. Right now I have about 180 songs on her, some of which have to come off, and then a lot more need to go on. We still have some getting-to-know-you stuff to do, like learning how to make a playlist, but I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Singing on Sunday
This Sunday we're off to Burlington for singing and spending time with friends. Yay!
Waiting sucks
I am waiting to hear back from an interview I had earlier this week. It's almost 3:30 on Friday afternoon, which means that I'm unlikely to hear anything today, and that I will have to continue to wait through the weekend. My tummy is kinda knotty and I just want to know what's going on!
I am waiting for the room mate to move out. Thirty days. It's not very long, not much longer at all as a matter of fact, but I'm impatient. Then end of the tunnel is right there and I can see the light, but it's not enough to read by.
Best Lunch Ever
Today I treated myself to lunch. I went to Sammy's in the food court downstairs and got a spinach salad with dried cranberries, walnuts, fresh strawberries, salmon and strawberry dressing on it, and a can of V-8. It made me very, very happy.
I [heart] My iPod!
Fred surprised me with an iPod (financial obligations be damned! Damned, I say! *whimper* But this is not going to be complainy, this is going to be about how much I [heart] my iPod). Mine is white and her name is Emmeline. Don't ask me why, that's just the name that came to me while we were getting to know each other Wednesday afternoon. She helped me knit, she helped me do laundry and we danced around while we hung up shirts, she helped me do the dishes and empty the dishwasher. Yesterday we went for a walk together to the grocery store to get some sushi, and tonight we're going to the gym. I am going to knit her a cozy with a trap door on the front to get at the control wheel thingy (like those jammies with feet!), and a pocket to keep her earphones in, and a place to put an armband through when for when we're pumping iron. I am also going to knit her a cord cozy to keep her earphone cord from getting all tangly and chewed by cats. I love her so very, very much. Right now I have about 180 songs on her, some of which have to come off, and then a lot more need to go on. We still have some getting-to-know-you stuff to do, like learning how to make a playlist, but I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Singing on Sunday
This Sunday we're off to Burlington for singing and spending time with friends. Yay!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Notes from the evil one, the helper-cat and the pretty one.
Stolen from The Spawnkitty and Chuck. Us kitties got to stick together, yo. Solidaritoo!
Comments from Callie:
2. That 1/10th is because you people keep opening that door that we can't get out. It's not my fault the wild calls to me.
5. Try to wear me. Just try it. You'll wind up with a lot more piercings than you have now, pinky.
9. That should read "this is a mistranslation of let them eat ribbon".
Comments from Sabre:
3. Unless you have milk. Then I will climb your leg to get to the bottom of the cereal bowl.
6. Unless you are Callie or Nova. Then the chances go up exponentially.
Comments from Angela (because Nova is busy being pretty. And sleeping.):
1. In fact, Nova has a lot of toes that she cleans very loudly when I am trying to watch tv.
5. This is true. She can be a tiny, adorable ball of white fur curled up on the back of the couch in the afternoon, then that night she is a gigantic, heavy, stretched out bunch of white fur, crushing my chest and cutting off my air flow.
10. Nova has a reverse blink. She keeps her eyes closed most of the time, and opens them every once in a while to make sure that she's still being suffciently adored.
Ten Top Trivia Tips about Callie!
- All of the roles in Shakespeare's plays - including the female roles - were originally played by Callie.
- About one tenth of Callie is permanently covered in ice.
- Callie is often used in place of milk in food photography, because milk goes soggy more quickly than Callie.
- Callie was named after Callie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life'.
- A bride should wear something old, something new, something borrowed, and Callie.
- Callie can fly at an average speed of fifteen kilometres an hour!
- There are 336 dimples on Callie!
- The liquid inside Callie can be used as a substitute for blood plasma.
- Marie Antoinette never said 'let them eat cake' - this is a mistranslation of 'let them eat Callie'!
- Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are Callie.
Comments from Callie:
2. That 1/10th is because you people keep opening that door that we can't get out. It's not my fault the wild calls to me.
5. Try to wear me. Just try it. You'll wind up with a lot more piercings than you have now, pinky.
9. That should read "this is a mistranslation of let them eat ribbon".
Ten Top Trivia Tips about Sabre!
- Michelangelo finished his great statue of Sabre in 1504, after eighteen months work.
- Sabre is the world's smallest mammal.
- Sabre has little need for water and is capable of going for months without drinking at all.
- Sabre, from the movie of the same name, had green blood.
- A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find Sabre.
- The risk of being struck by Sabre is one occurence every 9,300 years.
- Four-fifths of the surface of Sabre is covered in water!
- Research indicates that Sabre will be attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.
- Sabre can pollinate up to six times more efficiently than the honeybee.
- The Eskimos have over fifty words for Sabre.
Comments from Sabre:
3. Unless you have milk. Then I will climb your leg to get to the bottom of the cereal bowl.
6. Unless you are Callie or Nova. Then the chances go up exponentially.
Ten Top Trivia Tips about Nova!
- Nova does not have toes.
- Nova cannot jump!
- In Japan it is considered rude to talk with Nova in your mouth.
- Nova can drink over 25 gallons of water at a time.
- Nova can grow up to three feet in a 24 hour period.
- Influenza got its name because people believed the disease was caused by the evil "influence" of Nova.
- In 1982 Time Magazine named Nova its 'Man of the Year'!
- It takes 8 minutes for light to travel from the Sun's surface to Nova.
- Over 2000 people have now climbed Nova, with roughly ten percent dying on the way down.
- On average, women blink nearly twice as much as Nova.
Comments from Angela (because Nova is busy being pretty. And sleeping.):
1. In fact, Nova has a lot of toes that she cleans very loudly when I am trying to watch tv.
5. This is true. She can be a tiny, adorable ball of white fur curled up on the back of the couch in the afternoon, then that night she is a gigantic, heavy, stretched out bunch of white fur, crushing my chest and cutting off my air flow.
10. Nova has a reverse blink. She keeps her eyes closed most of the time, and opens them every once in a while to make sure that she's still being suffciently adored.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
More responsibility!
Excitement! Terror! Confusion!
In the past day and a half I've been handed a whole bunch of stuff to do. Most of it formatting, not much of it requiring huge amounts of thought. It's stuff I like to do, but not stuff that challenges me. The challenge comes in when I have to juggle multiple deadlines and multiple managers with entirely different ideas of what my priorities should be. The joys of assisting a department rather than a person...
Anywho, just now I've been handed another project. It will only require about 2 hours of my time a week, so it's not huge in terms of fitting it in with what I'm already doing. The intimidating part is that it's important! It's not just formatting a resume or report for someone, or making sure that they have food and room for a meeting. No! I am now responsible for updating the spreadsheet that tells everyone what the status of the projects one of the departments is working on. This is a job that usually falls to a Project Coordinator, and yet me! The lowly Admin Assistant has been given this. I get to talk to the manager in charge of the practice, and go from there. It's mine to run with; I own it.
Gah!
I know that I can do this. In fact, one of the things that's had me dissatisfied in this job is the lack of responsibility I have. So on the one hand, I'm very excited about this. On the other hand I'm terrified because the scope of most of my projects is much, much less than this. Like ordering business cards for people. So I'm also terrified, because I've been doing stuff that a potted plant could do for most of the past year and my running-things skills are out of practice. I'm also confused. I've been looking for a new job. I'm very, very tired of driving for 3 hours a day, and this job has been getting to the point where it's just not worth it anymore. But. What if this is the start of something? What happens if I decide I *like* my job? Oy.
Deep down I know those are rhetorical questions. I doubt that I will ever love what I do here enough for it to be worth the drive, and the exhaustion, disconnection and lack of personal time that goes along with it. Still, I'm hoping that I'll stop dreading getting up in the morning while I look for something else.
On a completely random and unrelated note, I use exclamation marks in my titles. A lot!
In the past day and a half I've been handed a whole bunch of stuff to do. Most of it formatting, not much of it requiring huge amounts of thought. It's stuff I like to do, but not stuff that challenges me. The challenge comes in when I have to juggle multiple deadlines and multiple managers with entirely different ideas of what my priorities should be. The joys of assisting a department rather than a person...
Anywho, just now I've been handed another project. It will only require about 2 hours of my time a week, so it's not huge in terms of fitting it in with what I'm already doing. The intimidating part is that it's important! It's not just formatting a resume or report for someone, or making sure that they have food and room for a meeting. No! I am now responsible for updating the spreadsheet that tells everyone what the status of the projects one of the departments is working on. This is a job that usually falls to a Project Coordinator, and yet me! The lowly Admin Assistant has been given this. I get to talk to the manager in charge of the practice, and go from there. It's mine to run with; I own it.
Gah!
I know that I can do this. In fact, one of the things that's had me dissatisfied in this job is the lack of responsibility I have. So on the one hand, I'm very excited about this. On the other hand I'm terrified because the scope of most of my projects is much, much less than this. Like ordering business cards for people. So I'm also terrified, because I've been doing stuff that a potted plant could do for most of the past year and my running-things skills are out of practice. I'm also confused. I've been looking for a new job. I'm very, very tired of driving for 3 hours a day, and this job has been getting to the point where it's just not worth it anymore. But. What if this is the start of something? What happens if I decide I *like* my job? Oy.
Deep down I know those are rhetorical questions. I doubt that I will ever love what I do here enough for it to be worth the drive, and the exhaustion, disconnection and lack of personal time that goes along with it. Still, I'm hoping that I'll stop dreading getting up in the morning while I look for something else.
On a completely random and unrelated note, I use exclamation marks in my titles. A lot!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Pickles and knitting
Today is a better day. Thank you to everyone who gave me support and hugs and advice. I've been trying to go to bed earlier and I've been playing my Valentine's Day gift (Green Day's Bullet in a Bible live CD) in the car pretty much non-stop because it's hard to be sleepy when you're resisting the urge to headbang. Which, like sleeping, isn't a really good thing to do while you're driving.
Today I went out at lunchtime. My friend L. and I went to Chapters then to Subway. I picked up the second SnB knitting book, the SnB Project Journal and the new O magazine. I can't wait to get home and figure out new knitting stuff to do. Last weeked I knitted so much that I got a bump on one of my fingers. I just love this knitting stuff.
At Subway I got a footlong chickenbaconranch sub, and I got pickles on it.
So today's betterness is brought to you (and me!) by pickles and knitting.
Today I went out at lunchtime. My friend L. and I went to Chapters then to Subway. I picked up the second SnB knitting book, the SnB Project Journal and the new O magazine. I can't wait to get home and figure out new knitting stuff to do. Last weeked I knitted so much that I got a bump on one of my fingers. I just love this knitting stuff.
At Subway I got a footlong chickenbaconranch sub, and I got pickles on it.
So today's betterness is brought to you (and me!) by pickles and knitting.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Sick, tired, frustrated.
Warning: there's gonna be some self-pity. I've been torn about making complainy posts here because I know people who are much sicker, much more tired and likely much more frustrated than I am. I am reminded, though, that my world is mine and other people's worlds are theirs. In my world I'm sick, tired and frustrated.
Almost two weeks ago the roommate caught a cold. She was working at a conference for a couple of days and stayed in the city. On the Friday of that week, instead of staying home and getting better, she elected to come to the office which meant a grand total of 3 hours spent trapped in a car with me (this was how she once described our daily commute. Yes, I'm having a hard time letting go of that one.) Last Monday I came down with the cold: sore throat, headache, chills, fever, etc. I spent two days at home (until the fever went away) and have been steadily getting better since. Except for the coughing. It's not bad during the day as long as I keep up a steady supply of water and don't let my throat dry out. Nighttime is another story. I cough if I lay down too flat, I cough if I don't lay down flat enough, I cough if I get too warm, I cough if I get too cold. I've been through 3 different cough remedies, and I'm still waking myself up coughing at 2 am.
This brings me to #2, tired. I. Am. Exhausted. This morning I was fighting sleep while driving the 401. Biting my tongue to shock myself into alertness, that sort of thing. Highly dangerous. Not the first time either. I don't know what to do about it. The roommate doesn't drive, and usually falls asleep herself. Even if she doesn't, there's little to no conversation so it's not like I get any stimulation from that area. I do listen to the radio, and change to cd sometimes, loud stuff like Blink-182 and Green Day. I have a coffee with me every morning. I have tried going to bed earlier at night, but at some point I need time to have life and getting home at 7 or 7:30 at night doesn't leave much time for relaxing. Last night there was laundry to do, dinner to make and clean up from and lunches to make. Fred does help me since he knows how tired I am, so it's not like I'm doing it all alone. Still. In order to get anything at all done on an average night (never mind one on which I want to go to the gym) I rarely sit down to relax before 10. Which, when I get up at 5:30 in the morning is technically past by bedtime. I'm burning out.
Which brings me to #3: frustration. I feel stuck. I don't have time to do things I really want to do. I'm looking for a new job close to home, which would certainly help with the situation, but I can't take a job just to take a job closer to home. I had an interview at a place in Kitchener, but I turned down a second interview because while it was only a 1/2 hour drive from home, it was a large pay cut, a contract with no guarantee of a job at the end of 10 months, and what promised to be pretty boring work. I've spent every day since I turned down the second interview wondering if I made a mistake, but I don't want to take a job just for the sake of getting a job. I want to do something that I won't hate; I don't have to be in love with it, I just don't want to hate it. I'm not challenged at work right now and as a result of that (plus the exhaustion) I've started to make mistakes. I don't like making mistakes. I get upset and embarrassed. Then it flows into my personal life and I make mistakes there, and I get more upset and more embarrassed. While I was trying in vain to fall asleep last night I relived over and over again the embarrassment I felt when I mis-read an email from a member of a group I sing with, and sent an answer out to a whole bunch of people, which showed I obviously didn't read the first email very carefully, and I felt like a numpty.
Another part of feeling stuck is that I'm waiting. Waiting to get my house back, waiting for everyone to be ready to move on to the next part of our lives, waiting for there to be enough time, enough space, enough money. Waiting. I'm taking control of the things that I can (going to the gym, job searching, stuff like that). Some of the waiting will be done soon (about 2 months at this point). Some of it (like the money part) likely never will be, since really, how much money is enough?
I'm all over the map, here, I know. This is a peek inside my brain these days, and it distresses me because it's not what I'm usually like. *sigh* If anyone's looking for me, I'll be napping under my desk.
Almost two weeks ago the roommate caught a cold. She was working at a conference for a couple of days and stayed in the city. On the Friday of that week, instead of staying home and getting better, she elected to come to the office which meant a grand total of 3 hours spent trapped in a car with me (this was how she once described our daily commute. Yes, I'm having a hard time letting go of that one.) Last Monday I came down with the cold: sore throat, headache, chills, fever, etc. I spent two days at home (until the fever went away) and have been steadily getting better since. Except for the coughing. It's not bad during the day as long as I keep up a steady supply of water and don't let my throat dry out. Nighttime is another story. I cough if I lay down too flat, I cough if I don't lay down flat enough, I cough if I get too warm, I cough if I get too cold. I've been through 3 different cough remedies, and I'm still waking myself up coughing at 2 am.
This brings me to #2, tired. I. Am. Exhausted. This morning I was fighting sleep while driving the 401. Biting my tongue to shock myself into alertness, that sort of thing. Highly dangerous. Not the first time either. I don't know what to do about it. The roommate doesn't drive, and usually falls asleep herself. Even if she doesn't, there's little to no conversation so it's not like I get any stimulation from that area. I do listen to the radio, and change to cd sometimes, loud stuff like Blink-182 and Green Day. I have a coffee with me every morning. I have tried going to bed earlier at night, but at some point I need time to have life and getting home at 7 or 7:30 at night doesn't leave much time for relaxing. Last night there was laundry to do, dinner to make and clean up from and lunches to make. Fred does help me since he knows how tired I am, so it's not like I'm doing it all alone. Still. In order to get anything at all done on an average night (never mind one on which I want to go to the gym) I rarely sit down to relax before 10. Which, when I get up at 5:30 in the morning is technically past by bedtime. I'm burning out.
Which brings me to #3: frustration. I feel stuck. I don't have time to do things I really want to do. I'm looking for a new job close to home, which would certainly help with the situation, but I can't take a job just to take a job closer to home. I had an interview at a place in Kitchener, but I turned down a second interview because while it was only a 1/2 hour drive from home, it was a large pay cut, a contract with no guarantee of a job at the end of 10 months, and what promised to be pretty boring work. I've spent every day since I turned down the second interview wondering if I made a mistake, but I don't want to take a job just for the sake of getting a job. I want to do something that I won't hate; I don't have to be in love with it, I just don't want to hate it. I'm not challenged at work right now and as a result of that (plus the exhaustion) I've started to make mistakes. I don't like making mistakes. I get upset and embarrassed. Then it flows into my personal life and I make mistakes there, and I get more upset and more embarrassed. While I was trying in vain to fall asleep last night I relived over and over again the embarrassment I felt when I mis-read an email from a member of a group I sing with, and sent an answer out to a whole bunch of people, which showed I obviously didn't read the first email very carefully, and I felt like a numpty.
Another part of feeling stuck is that I'm waiting. Waiting to get my house back, waiting for everyone to be ready to move on to the next part of our lives, waiting for there to be enough time, enough space, enough money. Waiting. I'm taking control of the things that I can (going to the gym, job searching, stuff like that). Some of the waiting will be done soon (about 2 months at this point). Some of it (like the money part) likely never will be, since really, how much money is enough?
I'm all over the map, here, I know. This is a peek inside my brain these days, and it distresses me because it's not what I'm usually like. *sigh* If anyone's looking for me, I'll be napping under my desk.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Remembering isn't just for November
As I was driving in to work this morning I heard on the news that another Canadian soldier was killed in Afghanistan this morning.
It made me think of one of my friends who is currently serving in the Canadian armed forces. He's in Canada right now, but has been told that he can expect to be deployed in the Spring.
When I got to work this morning I had an email from that friend that had this tribute link in it. Warning, it made me cry. Then again, I'm a giant mushball at the best of times. Still, the fact that another name has been added to the list of our fallen soldiers is a sad thing.
I know that the numbers of dead U.S. soldiers is far, far higher, and that the civilian deaths in the Middle East are also off the charts. I guess it's just that this feels so much closer to home for me, and is certainly closer to my heart.
It made me think of one of my friends who is currently serving in the Canadian armed forces. He's in Canada right now, but has been told that he can expect to be deployed in the Spring.
When I got to work this morning I had an email from that friend that had this tribute link in it. Warning, it made me cry. Then again, I'm a giant mushball at the best of times. Still, the fact that another name has been added to the list of our fallen soldiers is a sad thing.
I know that the numbers of dead U.S. soldiers is far, far higher, and that the civilian deaths in the Middle East are also off the charts. I guess it's just that this feels so much closer to home for me, and is certainly closer to my heart.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Ninja Name Generators
For Ryan!
And thanks to Kim. [thumbs up]
From Ninjaburger: Hansuke Hidari -san
From rumandmonkey.com:
And for lots of other Ninja info (be aware that it makes noise as soon as it opens): RealUltimatePower
I'd still rather be a Pirate. Yar.
And thanks to Kim. [thumbs up]
From Ninjaburger: Hansuke Hidari -san
From rumandmonkey.com:
My Secret Ninja Name is Transexual the Retarted Ninja.
Take The Secret Ninja Name Generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.
And for lots of other Ninja info (be aware that it makes noise as soon as it opens): RealUltimatePower
I'd still rather be a Pirate. Yar.
Stuck!
Ever been in one of those positions where you have too much you want to say?
There are about a bazillion things I want to write about but they're all kinda half formed and incoherent. It's even affecting my ability to coherently comment on other people's blogs, beyond cute one-linery type things.
I need unsticking.
There are about a bazillion things I want to write about but they're all kinda half formed and incoherent. It's even affecting my ability to coherently comment on other people's blogs, beyond cute one-linery type things.
I need unsticking.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Gar, mateys!
My pirate name is:
Mad Anne Bonney
Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!
Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Breakthrough!
Conversation at my house just before I had to dash off to Ioga Friday night:
Her: I'm really glad that you're excited about the singing.
Me: Yeah, I need this kind of stuff to keep me going.
Her: I mean I'm really glad that you're excited about it.
Me: *quizzical look* Okay...
Her: *wells up* We're going to be able to fix us, right?
You could have knocked me over with a feather. I'm just so happy that she has acknowledged that there is a problem with our friendship. I told her that I miss her and I miss us and that I am perfectly willing to work on fixing us. I did say that it may still be difficult with us spending so much of our lives together, and she agreed.
On Sunday I got her a little something while grocery shopping, and it made her very happy. She came and hugged me and we had an actual conversation.
I know that this will never be exactly the friendship it used to be. I can't completely trust her for one thing. For another thing, I've changed. I'm not the same person I was for most of our friendship. I don't think she is either. So we'll see. I'm just pleased that I am no longer alone in knowing that there is something wrong.
Her: I'm really glad that you're excited about the singing.
Me: Yeah, I need this kind of stuff to keep me going.
Her: I mean I'm really glad that you're excited about it.
Me: *quizzical look* Okay...
Her: *wells up* We're going to be able to fix us, right?
You could have knocked me over with a feather. I'm just so happy that she has acknowledged that there is a problem with our friendship. I told her that I miss her and I miss us and that I am perfectly willing to work on fixing us. I did say that it may still be difficult with us spending so much of our lives together, and she agreed.
On Sunday I got her a little something while grocery shopping, and it made her very happy. She came and hugged me and we had an actual conversation.
I know that this will never be exactly the friendship it used to be. I can't completely trust her for one thing. For another thing, I've changed. I'm not the same person I was for most of our friendship. I don't think she is either. So we'll see. I'm just pleased that I am no longer alone in knowing that there is something wrong.
I got tagged!
Tagged by gomalley of The Pirate's Pen! Whee!
Five jobs I have had in my life:
1. Retail
2. Fast Food Worker
3. Waitress
4. Actor
5. Secretary
Five movies I would (and do) watch over and over again (in no particular order):
1. Ever After
2. A Knight's Tale
3. The Princess Bride
4. Boondock Saints
5. Dodgeball
Five places I have lived:
1. London, ON
2. Milton, ON
3. Windsor, ON
4. Toronto, ON
5. Guelph, ON
Five TV shows I love to watch:
1. Buffy
2. Angel
3. Firefly
4. All the CSI shows
5. Wedding shows
Five places I have been on vacation:
1. France (high school French exchange)
2. Canada East (as far as Cape Breton)and West (as far as Banff)
3. Disneyworld
4. Las Vegas
5. Maryland
Five websites I visit daily:
1. The forums at Buffyguide.com
2. Craftster.org
3. Various LJ and blogs
4. Work related websites
5. cuteoverload.com
Five of my favourite foods:
1. milk
2. cheese
3. chocolate
4. peanut butter
5. bread
Five places I’d rather be right now:
1. At home.
2. Visiting friends.
3. Driving down the west coast of Canada/US.
4. Taking a cruise to Antarctica.
5. ORF, summer of '04
Five songs you like but are embarrassed to admit:
1. Anything by the Backstreet Boys. I own their last 3 cds. But I'm not really embarrased by it, and I can't think of anything else.
2.
3.
4.
5.
I tag Helen, Jenn, Curly Girl and Meghan!
Five jobs I have had in my life:
1. Retail
2. Fast Food Worker
3. Waitress
4. Actor
5. Secretary
Five movies I would (and do) watch over and over again (in no particular order):
1. Ever After
2. A Knight's Tale
3. The Princess Bride
4. Boondock Saints
5. Dodgeball
Five places I have lived:
1. London, ON
2. Milton, ON
3. Windsor, ON
4. Toronto, ON
5. Guelph, ON
Five TV shows I love to watch:
1. Buffy
2. Angel
3. Firefly
4. All the CSI shows
5. Wedding shows
Five places I have been on vacation:
1. France (high school French exchange)
2. Canada East (as far as Cape Breton)and West (as far as Banff)
3. Disneyworld
4. Las Vegas
5. Maryland
Five websites I visit daily:
1. The forums at Buffyguide.com
2. Craftster.org
3. Various LJ and blogs
4. Work related websites
5. cuteoverload.com
Five of my favourite foods:
1. milk
2. cheese
3. chocolate
4. peanut butter
5. bread
Five places I’d rather be right now:
1. At home.
2. Visiting friends.
3. Driving down the west coast of Canada/US.
4. Taking a cruise to Antarctica.
5. ORF, summer of '04
Five songs you like but are embarrassed to admit:
1. Anything by the Backstreet Boys. I own their last 3 cds. But I'm not really embarrased by it, and I can't think of anything else.
2.
3.
4.
5.
I tag Helen, Jenn, Curly Girl and Meghan!
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
New Stuff!
Added my noirbettie award (squee!) and re-added a weight-loss ticker majiggy down there at the bottom.
I've finished the scarf (it's amazing what 3 days at home sick can get you done when you only have just enough energy to sit up in bed and knit). It will be modelled for photo purposes (by me when I'm not looking quite so warmed-over) then given to the wee girl for whom it is intended. Now I'm having a little conversation with myself about all of the cross-stitch projects I have to finish before I can start stocking up on knitting stuff. I think I'm officially addicted.
Right now I'm working on the ritual for Imbolc (also known as Candlemas and Groundhog Day [wink]) for this weekend. Instead of doing a craft as we usually do, we're sharing poetry (either our own or something that speaks to us). It's the first time I've been the lead on a ritual. I'm pretty darn excited, let me tell you.
I've finished the scarf (it's amazing what 3 days at home sick can get you done when you only have just enough energy to sit up in bed and knit). It will be modelled for photo purposes (by me when I'm not looking quite so warmed-over) then given to the wee girl for whom it is intended. Now I'm having a little conversation with myself about all of the cross-stitch projects I have to finish before I can start stocking up on knitting stuff. I think I'm officially addicted.
Right now I'm working on the ritual for Imbolc (also known as Candlemas and Groundhog Day [wink]) for this weekend. Instead of doing a craft as we usually do, we're sharing poetry (either our own or something that speaks to us). It's the first time I've been the lead on a ritual. I'm pretty darn excited, let me tell you.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Gettin' Knitty With It
I did it! After 32 years and many attempts to learn, I have finally figured out this knitting thing. I was inspired by bettie and Fuchsia, the neat projects over at craftster.org and my desire to make the really, really cool things in Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n Bitch books. Plus, people I know keep getting pregnant, which makes me want to knit things for them. I asked for the first Stoller book for my birthday (back in October) and didn't get it. I put it on my Christmas list, and didn't get it. So I went and bought the sucker, borrowed some needles and yarn from a friend and went to town.
I've been a crafter for years. My first solo projects included dresses sewn for my dolls and coasters stitched on that plastic canvas stuff, somewhere around the age of 8. Before that I'd been making Christmas ornaments and Mrs. Tiggywinkles and helping my mom card, dye and spin her wool for years. I also wove myself a scarf in there somewhere, on a floor-loom, no less. As a teenager I progressed onto cross-stitch and have amassed hundreds of patterns since then, and have a good ten projects on the go at any one time.
Knitting always eluded me. Three female relatives tried to teach me. Friends sat me down with needles and yarn. I just found it to be too frustrating, so inevitably I'd give up on it. I don't know what twigged this time, whether it was (like bettie) jealousy that friends could do something I couldn't which made me stubborn enough this time around; or whether it was the way Stoller writes her book with not just clear but also fun instructions; or whether it's because there are tiny babies arriving in the world soon, and I feel the need to help keep them warm and snuggy. Or maybe the universe just decided that it's my time. Whatever it is, I'm addicted.
And now I'm gonna show off!
First swatch in garter stitch! I had to pull it all out about 3 times before I wound up with this.
First swatch in stockinette.
First attempt to change colours.
First project! It's the Windy City (tm) scarf from the first Stitch 'n Bitch book, but I decided to change the colour more than once. It looks like the width is less than the picture in the book, but that's just fine because it's for my friend's 3-year old daughter and she has a little neck, being three and all. [grin]
I'm very, very proud of me!
I've been a crafter for years. My first solo projects included dresses sewn for my dolls and coasters stitched on that plastic canvas stuff, somewhere around the age of 8. Before that I'd been making Christmas ornaments and Mrs. Tiggywinkles and helping my mom card, dye and spin her wool for years. I also wove myself a scarf in there somewhere, on a floor-loom, no less. As a teenager I progressed onto cross-stitch and have amassed hundreds of patterns since then, and have a good ten projects on the go at any one time.
Knitting always eluded me. Three female relatives tried to teach me. Friends sat me down with needles and yarn. I just found it to be too frustrating, so inevitably I'd give up on it. I don't know what twigged this time, whether it was (like bettie) jealousy that friends could do something I couldn't which made me stubborn enough this time around; or whether it was the way Stoller writes her book with not just clear but also fun instructions; or whether it's because there are tiny babies arriving in the world soon, and I feel the need to help keep them warm and snuggy. Or maybe the universe just decided that it's my time. Whatever it is, I'm addicted.
And now I'm gonna show off!
First swatch in garter stitch! I had to pull it all out about 3 times before I wound up with this.
First swatch in stockinette.
First attempt to change colours.
First project! It's the Windy City (tm) scarf from the first Stitch 'n Bitch book, but I decided to change the colour more than once. It looks like the width is less than the picture in the book, but that's just fine because it's for my friend's 3-year old daughter and she has a little neck, being three and all. [grin]
I'm very, very proud of me!
Friday, January 27, 2006
Why do we do that?
Women, I mean. We devalue ourselves. I have a whole whack of awesome, intelligent, beautiful, amazing women that I count among my friends. Each one of them is unique and wonderful. And yet, we all downplay our good qualities. At the solstice gathering for my circle we each talked about how we had grown and what we had learned in the past year. Each of us has done some fantastic things and we were all able to say "Yay me!" about something. Then each of us said "But..." Yes, it is a good thing to continue to grow and change; to recognize that we're never really "done" and that we all have challenges to face and things that we would like to improve about ourselves, and I recognize this.
I just wonder why it is that we can't ever just say "Yay!" without adding the "But...".
I just wonder why it is that we can't ever just say "Yay!" without adding the "But...".
Monday, January 09, 2006
IKEA, knitting, emotional release and an invitation
What a weekend!
Spent Friday night doing a whole lot of nothing, which was very nice for a change. Fred wasn't feeling well so he'd stayed home from work. We went to bed and snuggled while we watched a movie, and it was fantastic.
Saturday we spend a whole bunch of money that we really couldn't afford to part with. We started at IKEA. Went in to get a small storage chest, came out with the chest, a camoflouge computer chair (3 guesses who wanted that [grin] ), a bedside lamp, an overhead LED decorative majiggy (can't call it a light, since it doesn't give off enough of the stuff), an orange towel, a black wastebasket, a drying rack and fun clothes pins, and an orange kitchen brush with a suction cup on the bottom of it. Fred and I really shouldn't be allowed to go shopping together. We also priced stuff that we will need to get to replace furniture that will be going with Amanda when she moves out. We so need to start saving.
After IKEA we went to the mall to use up the last of the Christmas gift certificates and discount coupons. I picked up Stitch 'n Bitch by Debbie Stoller and I am excited beyond belief. I'm reading the book through first then next pay I'll be picking up some yarn and needles and tackling the task of learning to knit. Very, very excited! I've already got a mental list of who I can knit stuff for. I feel an obsession coming on!
Sunday morning I got up bright and early and went to my new gym for my first aerobics class. It was something called Basic No-Bounce, so you get a good cardio workout, but it's pretty easy on the knees. There I was in my brand new workout clothes (black pants, that I need to shorten, and bright orange top) bopping away to cheesy 80's remixed music. I lost the tempo, and had to stop using my arms because at points it just got too hard for me; I got out of breath and red faced; I wound up facing the wrong direction more than once. Through it all I had a giant grin plastered across my face. It was so much fun!!!! Then, just as we were finishing up the final combination, about 18 minutes into the cardio section I felt like crying. Not sad crying you understand, or crying because I looked like a great, flabby, orange numpty. Crying because I felt so good. Crying because I haven't had a moment that happy, just for me (i.e. completely independent of any of the people in my life), in what feels like forever. I can't wait to go back.
Sunday afternoon found us in the Big Smoke playing our monthly
Buffy-based RPG at our friends' house...where I was asked to be a groomsman in their wedding this October! More welling-up, lots of hugging and discussions about whether or not I really want to go to a stag party and watch women take their clothing off. I am so touched and excited that I've been asked to share in their wedding this way (I was already asked to sing, so this is an added bonus). Also, I get to wear a kilt. Whee!
Spent Friday night doing a whole lot of nothing, which was very nice for a change. Fred wasn't feeling well so he'd stayed home from work. We went to bed and snuggled while we watched a movie, and it was fantastic.
Saturday we spend a whole bunch of money that we really couldn't afford to part with. We started at IKEA. Went in to get a small storage chest, came out with the chest, a camoflouge computer chair (3 guesses who wanted that [grin] ), a bedside lamp, an overhead LED decorative majiggy (can't call it a light, since it doesn't give off enough of the stuff), an orange towel, a black wastebasket, a drying rack and fun clothes pins, and an orange kitchen brush with a suction cup on the bottom of it. Fred and I really shouldn't be allowed to go shopping together. We also priced stuff that we will need to get to replace furniture that will be going with Amanda when she moves out. We so need to start saving.
After IKEA we went to the mall to use up the last of the Christmas gift certificates and discount coupons. I picked up Stitch 'n Bitch by Debbie Stoller and I am excited beyond belief. I'm reading the book through first then next pay I'll be picking up some yarn and needles and tackling the task of learning to knit. Very, very excited! I've already got a mental list of who I can knit stuff for. I feel an obsession coming on!
Sunday morning I got up bright and early and went to my new gym for my first aerobics class. It was something called Basic No-Bounce, so you get a good cardio workout, but it's pretty easy on the knees. There I was in my brand new workout clothes (black pants, that I need to shorten, and bright orange top) bopping away to cheesy 80's remixed music. I lost the tempo, and had to stop using my arms because at points it just got too hard for me; I got out of breath and red faced; I wound up facing the wrong direction more than once. Through it all I had a giant grin plastered across my face. It was so much fun!!!! Then, just as we were finishing up the final combination, about 18 minutes into the cardio section I felt like crying. Not sad crying you understand, or crying because I looked like a great, flabby, orange numpty. Crying because I felt so good. Crying because I haven't had a moment that happy, just for me (i.e. completely independent of any of the people in my life), in what feels like forever. I can't wait to go back.
Sunday afternoon found us in the Big Smoke playing our monthly
Buffy-based RPG at our friends' house...where I was asked to be a groomsman in their wedding this October! More welling-up, lots of hugging and discussions about whether or not I really want to go to a stag party and watch women take their clothing off. I am so touched and excited that I've been asked to share in their wedding this way (I was already asked to sing, so this is an added bonus). Also, I get to wear a kilt. Whee!
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Unresolved
I have never been one to keep a New Year's Resolution, and I see no reason to start now. That said, there are some things I'd like to do in the coming year.
1. Get healthier physically. I've quit smoking, which is a great first step. I started South Beach last year, but found that to be too much of a change right then. I'm going to give another look at it this year, once I have more control over my kitchen. I've also got an appointment to check out a gym tomorrow night, and went today and bought workout clothes that aren't from the early 90's. I'm FIRMASSing it over at the WD and attempting to be mindful about what I put in my body. So yeah, one goal started.
2. Get healthier emotionally. The past few months have been exhausting for me emotionally speaking. I'm tired of it. I've been working on my spiritual health with my circle and by myself, and that's been a help but I'm still spending far more time than I want to complaining about my life and wallowing in negativity. It's a very difficult thing that I hope will get better once May rolls around and Fred and I have our home to ourselves again. In the meantime, I am working on having more time to myself, and doing some self exploration. I've got a good handle on who I am now, it's time to work on the parts of me I don't like a whole lot.
3. Cultivate patience. There are good reasons why my life isn't going at the pace I want it to. I know this from past experience. I just need to keep reminding myself of it.
4. Have fun! Not to say that I don't already. It's just something I'd like to keep on doing.
On the whole things are really good. I have all my basic necessities taken care of and a whole lot of extras. I have my health and the health of my family. I have lots of wonderful people who give me love and support. Parts of 2005 were difficult, but more because of what was going on around me, and happening to people I care about than because of anything happening directly to me.
My wish for 2006 is that everyone I know, and everyone I don't have a healthy and happy year that is leaps and bounds above the last one.
1. Get healthier physically. I've quit smoking, which is a great first step. I started South Beach last year, but found that to be too much of a change right then. I'm going to give another look at it this year, once I have more control over my kitchen. I've also got an appointment to check out a gym tomorrow night, and went today and bought workout clothes that aren't from the early 90's. I'm FIRMASSing it over at the WD and attempting to be mindful about what I put in my body. So yeah, one goal started.
2. Get healthier emotionally. The past few months have been exhausting for me emotionally speaking. I'm tired of it. I've been working on my spiritual health with my circle and by myself, and that's been a help but I'm still spending far more time than I want to complaining about my life and wallowing in negativity. It's a very difficult thing that I hope will get better once May rolls around and Fred and I have our home to ourselves again. In the meantime, I am working on having more time to myself, and doing some self exploration. I've got a good handle on who I am now, it's time to work on the parts of me I don't like a whole lot.
3. Cultivate patience. There are good reasons why my life isn't going at the pace I want it to. I know this from past experience. I just need to keep reminding myself of it.
4. Have fun! Not to say that I don't already. It's just something I'd like to keep on doing.
On the whole things are really good. I have all my basic necessities taken care of and a whole lot of extras. I have my health and the health of my family. I have lots of wonderful people who give me love and support. Parts of 2005 were difficult, but more because of what was going on around me, and happening to people I care about than because of anything happening directly to me.
My wish for 2006 is that everyone I know, and everyone I don't have a healthy and happy year that is leaps and bounds above the last one.
Right, that meaning thing.
Please note: started this on the 28th. Yes, I'm slow.
After catching up over at the WD and seeing Simon's post, as well as reading the P@'s blog about it, I want to do a companion post to the Post-Wishlist. So, um, I am.
What I gave:
To my Dad:
- an engraved manicure set (The one he had is older than me. Really.)
- a jar of Robertson's Lemon marmalade
To my Mom:
- a flannel shirt
- her yearly unicorn, which this year was a book by Carson Kressly. I like to change things up so that she doesn't wind up with a lot of dust collectors. Last year I gave her a colouring book. [grin]
To my Frank:
- an anthology of Elmore Leonard stories
- a bucking bronco Christmas ornament; the cowboy looks exactly like Frank!
To Mom and Frank together:
- a 3-jar combo of food/cooking stuff: chocolate sauce, roasted garlic and onion jelly and bumbleberry jelly
To Fred:
- a Zboard with a World of Warcraft overlay
- a funky purple dress shirt with a matching tie
- new nipple rings
- some bath stuff
- a cross-stitch kit (this one, and the one above really are for him, not me!)
- some chocolate and stocking stuffers
- a mini-Robosapien
- a 365-day wolf calendar
To Dave:
- a goblin wall calendar
- a crystal skull with led platform
To Amanda:
- tiny resin bears dressed as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion
- an Alex Ross calendar
- a joystick you plug into your tv so you can play Pac-man without a computer
To various other relatives/friends:
- book about the mythological history of N. Ireland (Uncle Jimmy)
- celtic pin (Aunt Betty)
- cauldron (Becca)
- date book (Iona)
- HBC gift card (Jo)
After catching up over at the WD and seeing Simon's post, as well as reading the P@'s blog about it, I want to do a companion post to the Post-Wishlist. So, um, I am.
What I gave:
To my Dad:
- an engraved manicure set (The one he had is older than me. Really.)
- a jar of Robertson's Lemon marmalade
To my Mom:
- a flannel shirt
- her yearly unicorn, which this year was a book by Carson Kressly. I like to change things up so that she doesn't wind up with a lot of dust collectors. Last year I gave her a colouring book. [grin]
To my Frank:
- an anthology of Elmore Leonard stories
- a bucking bronco Christmas ornament; the cowboy looks exactly like Frank!
To Mom and Frank together:
- a 3-jar combo of food/cooking stuff: chocolate sauce, roasted garlic and onion jelly and bumbleberry jelly
To Fred:
- a Zboard with a World of Warcraft overlay
- a funky purple dress shirt with a matching tie
- new nipple rings
- some bath stuff
- a cross-stitch kit (this one, and the one above really are for him, not me!)
- some chocolate and stocking stuffers
- a mini-Robosapien
- a 365-day wolf calendar
To Dave:
- a goblin wall calendar
- a crystal skull with led platform
To Amanda:
- tiny resin bears dressed as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion
- an Alex Ross calendar
- a joystick you plug into your tv so you can play Pac-man without a computer
To various other relatives/friends:
- book about the mythological history of N. Ireland (Uncle Jimmy)
- celtic pin (Aunt Betty)
- cauldron (Becca)
- date book (Iona)
- HBC gift card (Jo)
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Post-Wishlist
Since I never got around to posting my Christmas wishlist (sorry bettie!), I thought I'd do a list of what I did get!
From Dad:
- a pretty sweater
- socks
- stripy mittens
- a CD/DVD combo that I already have, so I'm giving it to a friend who doesn't have it and wants it badly
- a datebook
- my yearly angel (I've been getting an angel from my parents every year since I was born. Since they split up, I now get one from each of them. And other people have gotten in on the act. I'm probably the only pagan with a collection of angels.)
- lots of chocolate
From Fred:
- Hipeponymous
- a Buddha board
- a Gamecube with Mario Party 7 and Piglet's Big Game Adventure (I'm just getting into the whole video game thing, and kid's games are just about all I can handle right now.)
- a beautiful candle holder
- an orange mobile with a cat on it
- a Bad Cat 365-day calendar
- the South Beach Diet companion book
- 2 Christopher Moore books Practical Demonkeeping and Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
From Amanda and Dave:
- the anniversary edition of A Nightmare Before Christmas
- a couple of nifty angels
- 2 wall calendars (one calico cats and the other monthly beading projects)
- a dance card from a witches' gathering in New Jersey from the early 1900's
From Mom and Frank:
- a teddy bear that is also a heating/cooling pad
- a Robin Hood Flour cookbook
- my yearly angel
- 4 sunflower drawer knobs
- a perpetual calendar for keeping track of birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
- Fred got a beautiful dart board, the kind that comes mounted in a cabinet and has the chalk boards attached
From Fred's family:
- a crocheted afghan
- a beautiful purple and blue mohair coat
- a 6.5 litre slow-cooker
- a 4-slice toaster
- a photo of Fred and I from his sister's wedding
- home-make Bailey's
From various friends:
- a jar of cookie mix
- home made jam
- the 10 3/4 anniversary edition of the Pressed Fairy Book
- gift certificates for a restaurant and a movie theatre
- home made hair sticks with orange skulls and purple bats on them
- kitty cat tree ornaments
Yes, I am very, very spoiled. Even with all of that, there are 2 things that I wanted very, very badly and did not get. I asked for the Stitch 'n Bitch books, but I will be able to get the first one at least for my self in January with my sale thingy from Chapters.
Mostly, I wanted Fred to propose. I would have been over the moon if he had given me nothing else but that. Since I can't buy that at Chapters, I just have to keep waiting.
From Dad:
- a pretty sweater
- socks
- stripy mittens
- a CD/DVD combo that I already have, so I'm giving it to a friend who doesn't have it and wants it badly
- a datebook
- my yearly angel (I've been getting an angel from my parents every year since I was born. Since they split up, I now get one from each of them. And other people have gotten in on the act. I'm probably the only pagan with a collection of angels.)
- lots of chocolate
From Fred:
- Hipeponymous
- a Buddha board
- a Gamecube with Mario Party 7 and Piglet's Big Game Adventure (I'm just getting into the whole video game thing, and kid's games are just about all I can handle right now.)
- a beautiful candle holder
- an orange mobile with a cat on it
- a Bad Cat 365-day calendar
- the South Beach Diet companion book
- 2 Christopher Moore books Practical Demonkeeping and Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
From Amanda and Dave:
- the anniversary edition of A Nightmare Before Christmas
- a couple of nifty angels
- 2 wall calendars (one calico cats and the other monthly beading projects)
- a dance card from a witches' gathering in New Jersey from the early 1900's
From Mom and Frank:
- a teddy bear that is also a heating/cooling pad
- a Robin Hood Flour cookbook
- my yearly angel
- 4 sunflower drawer knobs
- a perpetual calendar for keeping track of birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
- Fred got a beautiful dart board, the kind that comes mounted in a cabinet and has the chalk boards attached
From Fred's family:
- a crocheted afghan
- a beautiful purple and blue mohair coat
- a 6.5 litre slow-cooker
- a 4-slice toaster
- a photo of Fred and I from his sister's wedding
- home-make Bailey's
From various friends:
- a jar of cookie mix
- home made jam
- the 10 3/4 anniversary edition of the Pressed Fairy Book
- gift certificates for a restaurant and a movie theatre
- home made hair sticks with orange skulls and purple bats on them
- kitty cat tree ornaments
Yes, I am very, very spoiled. Even with all of that, there are 2 things that I wanted very, very badly and did not get. I asked for the Stitch 'n Bitch books, but I will be able to get the first one at least for my self in January with my sale thingy from Chapters.
Mostly, I wanted Fred to propose. I would have been over the moon if he had given me nothing else but that. Since I can't buy that at Chapters, I just have to keep waiting.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
A new toy, and the long and the short of it
Item 1: New toy! It lights up and makes noise and vibrates and makes me smile!
That's right, I got a new cell phone. [grin]
Fred and I decided that since he had no cell phone and mine was worn out and we both drive relatively long distances for work that it would be a good investment to make. We have matching Sanyo 3700 phones that use the 10-4 system, so they double as walkie-talkies. This means that I can be in Toronto and Fred can be in Arthur and we can talk to each other without long distance charges. Yay! Plus, pretty screens and ringtones. I'm working on getting some Buffy hooked up.
Item 2: The long and the short of it.
Today is the first day of winter. It is also the day with the least amount of daylight, which means that from now on the days will start to get longer. It's often called the Winter Solstice, or Yule and it marks the return of light to the world and a time to look forward to spring. Some pagans will tell you that Christmas is just a co-opting of pre-Christian traditions, but I figure, like so many other things you find when comparing religions, it's simply a good time to celebrate life, and love and the good things we have, regardless of what may or may not have gone on thousands of years ago.
So be you Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Pagan, Athiest, Agnostic or anything else I may have missed, I wish you the best of this time of year: love, family, friends, wonder and awe, remembrance and beauty. Feel free to tell me what your "best" is.
Blessed be!
That's right, I got a new cell phone. [grin]
Fred and I decided that since he had no cell phone and mine was worn out and we both drive relatively long distances for work that it would be a good investment to make. We have matching Sanyo 3700 phones that use the 10-4 system, so they double as walkie-talkies. This means that I can be in Toronto and Fred can be in Arthur and we can talk to each other without long distance charges. Yay! Plus, pretty screens and ringtones. I'm working on getting some Buffy hooked up.
Item 2: The long and the short of it.
Today is the first day of winter. It is also the day with the least amount of daylight, which means that from now on the days will start to get longer. It's often called the Winter Solstice, or Yule and it marks the return of light to the world and a time to look forward to spring. Some pagans will tell you that Christmas is just a co-opting of pre-Christian traditions, but I figure, like so many other things you find when comparing religions, it's simply a good time to celebrate life, and love and the good things we have, regardless of what may or may not have gone on thousands of years ago.
So be you Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Pagan, Athiest, Agnostic or anything else I may have missed, I wish you the best of this time of year: love, family, friends, wonder and awe, remembrance and beauty. Feel free to tell me what your "best" is.
Blessed be!
Monday, December 19, 2005
The stockings were hung by the entertainment centre with care...
A week away from Christmas I have finally mailed the cards to people who live in the same country as me! Also done: all shopping for friends and family, with the exception of four of Fred's relatives that I have never met, and one of my friends who already received the gift I bought for her from someone else, but hey, I get a new yoga mat out of the deal. I have finished all the shopping for Fred's gifts except for a couple of stocking stuffers. Almost all of the already-bought presents are wrapped. All cards are written, except for the fancy ones for my parents and Fred. I get you could say that my Christmas preparations are exceptional. *ducks thrown fruit*
So my ramping-up-to-Christmas schedule is as follows:
- stop at the mall on the way home tonight for replacement gift for friend and stuff that room mate/co-worker needs to pick up
- after dinner, hide in room and finish wrapping what I have already bought
- go to friend's house tomorrow night for our Yule ritual and chocolate making
- do solitary Yule celebration at home on Wednesday, also take bath and paint nails, call my mom 'cause it's her birthday
- I think I actually get Thursday night free! I may do laundry.
- Friday (after I get paid) pick up last few things for Fred's stocking and wrap them, do grocery shopping so that I have something to feed my father for lunch on Christmas eve, and a gift for the kitties on Christmas
Whee! *jingles bells*
In related news, I am vying for the title of Best Girlfriend Ever (TM). The only thing Fred and I have a serious difference of opinion on is the amount of time he spends playing WoW (World of Warcraft, for those of you lucky enough to have missed this phenomenon). So there's this thing he pointed out called a ZBoard that is designed specifially, along with the various accessories, to make video game play that much better. He's been wanting this for months. In trying to come up with a gift for him I looked at a lot of different things, but decided that I should get him something he will truly enjoy and use on a daily basis. He's gonna be suprised for sure, and hopefully very pleased. I can't wait!
So my ramping-up-to-Christmas schedule is as follows:
- stop at the mall on the way home tonight for replacement gift for friend and stuff that room mate/co-worker needs to pick up
- after dinner, hide in room and finish wrapping what I have already bought
- go to friend's house tomorrow night for our Yule ritual and chocolate making
- do solitary Yule celebration at home on Wednesday, also take bath and paint nails, call my mom 'cause it's her birthday
- I think I actually get Thursday night free! I may do laundry.
- Friday (after I get paid) pick up last few things for Fred's stocking and wrap them, do grocery shopping so that I have something to feed my father for lunch on Christmas eve, and a gift for the kitties on Christmas
Whee! *jingles bells*
In related news, I am vying for the title of Best Girlfriend Ever (TM). The only thing Fred and I have a serious difference of opinion on is the amount of time he spends playing WoW (World of Warcraft, for those of you lucky enough to have missed this phenomenon). So there's this thing he pointed out called a ZBoard that is designed specifially, along with the various accessories, to make video game play that much better. He's been wanting this for months. In trying to come up with a gift for him I looked at a lot of different things, but decided that I should get him something he will truly enjoy and use on a daily basis. He's gonna be suprised for sure, and hopefully very pleased. I can't wait!
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
'Tis the season to run around like a crazy person...
I tried to write my Christmas cards last night. I managed to get through a whopping nine out of over 30. At least the people in the UK and US might get their cards before 2006.
Instead of sitting down with a nice cup of tea and my cards, and enjoying the Christmas episode of Corner Gas, Frosty the Snowman and The Worst Christmas Jobs in History I talked to:
- my mother, to arrange when we are seeing her at Christmas
- my father, to arrange when we are seeing him at Christmas
- my uncle, to arrange when we are seeing them at Christmas
- my father (again), to re-arrange when we are seeing him at Christmas
- my boyfriend's sister, to ask more questions about what to get for her kids
In theory, none of that should have taken very long. In reality, I saw about 20 minutes of television total and wound up with very cold tea.
However, this means that my Christmas Visiting Schedule (TM) is now set and I can get to planning the rest of my life. This coming weekend I have to:
- bake bread for a Christmas Tea on Sunday
- take a friend shopping for a sensitive item (whee!)
- finish the shopping for friends and family
- have dinner with friends on Saturday evening
- get all the gifts for my boyfriend
- go to the Christmas Tea on Sunday
- regular stuff like grocery shopping and laundry
Then I work for five days and wrap gifts at night after dinner.
Starting on Christmas Eve morning I have four straight days of running around the provice to visit family. Then I work for three days. Then I cram a lunch visit with more family in on New Year's Eve day before going off to a party at night.
I'm going to need a vacation from my Christmas vacation.
*hums "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"*
Instead of sitting down with a nice cup of tea and my cards, and enjoying the Christmas episode of Corner Gas, Frosty the Snowman and The Worst Christmas Jobs in History I talked to:
- my mother, to arrange when we are seeing her at Christmas
- my father, to arrange when we are seeing him at Christmas
- my uncle, to arrange when we are seeing them at Christmas
- my father (again), to re-arrange when we are seeing him at Christmas
- my boyfriend's sister, to ask more questions about what to get for her kids
In theory, none of that should have taken very long. In reality, I saw about 20 minutes of television total and wound up with very cold tea.
However, this means that my Christmas Visiting Schedule (TM) is now set and I can get to planning the rest of my life. This coming weekend I have to:
- bake bread for a Christmas Tea on Sunday
- take a friend shopping for a sensitive item (whee!)
- finish the shopping for friends and family
- have dinner with friends on Saturday evening
- get all the gifts for my boyfriend
- go to the Christmas Tea on Sunday
- regular stuff like grocery shopping and laundry
Then I work for five days and wrap gifts at night after dinner.
Starting on Christmas Eve morning I have four straight days of running around the provice to visit family. Then I work for three days. Then I cram a lunch visit with more family in on New Year's Eve day before going off to a party at night.
I'm going to need a vacation from my Christmas vacation.
*hums "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"*
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