jette stream of thought

Day of Awesome

2008-08-17T11:05:00.002-07:00

*pokepoke* Does this blog thing work? It's been so long, I can't remember...

First - Friday was my two year BC anniversary. Yay for choosing to move back. My current job is incredibly fabulous and nothing like it existed at my old company. The family thing is good, the friends thing is good, I love my apartment. I love that I can go hiking in the woods in the morning and kayaking in the ocean in the afternoon. Still a good decision, no regrets.

As for the rest - I had an amazing day yesterday! Rod's getting married in exactly 4 weeks so we had a micro-mini bachelor activities day, just him and me. My original plan had me flying us out to Edmonton and meeting up with the guys, going to WEM, playing mini golf, bowling, having dinner at Julio's, and getting drunk on Whyte. Once I priced it out though, my wallet informed me it was a no go. So, instead I planned a similiar day out here. The theme of the day: Things we used to do in Edmonton. We started out by going into Vancouver to see a matinee of X-files (used to watch it EVERY Sunday, and I even flew out to Edmonton to see the premiere of the first movie) and, in the bizarrest move of the day, got caught up in the annual Zombie Walk. Yes, that sounds like it is - a parade of zombies walking down Granville, moaning and wanting brains. Some other person's pics are posted on flickr. So weird. So cool. After the movie (I give it 3 stars, if you were a fan. Less if you weren't), we went to play laser tag. We played three games, and the first was the best as it had 35 players including other adults. The last game only had 5 other players, all kids, and they basically ganged up on us. Rod placed 2nd in the second game, 1st in the last game. I did not. Only problem with laser tag was it was DAMN HOT in there - thankfully I had specified a change of clothes because we both needed it. After laser tag, we had dinner at a thai restaurant that a friend had recommended. Excellent. Tiny little place, great food. We then went to Bankshots and played 5 games of pool. Rod = 4, Jette = 1. As per usual. Afterwards, it was off to Xcalibur for some Xtreme bowling (kind of like cosmic, but not with black lighting) and air hockey. Bowling - Rod = 4, Jette = 1. Woohoo! I won one! Air hockey - Rod = 2, Jette = 0. Although I got two goals, if you count the one Rod scored on himself, and I do. We ended the evening at a sports pub in New West that I like, sharing a giant plate of beef nachos (Julio's - how I miss you) and watching both the Olympics and UFC. Rowing on one screen, men pummeling each other on the second. Fun times! Actually, it was. Awesome day. 12.5 hours of funness. :)

It was lots of driving though - According to google, and not including the drive to and from my house, it was about 74kms and 2 hours of driving. Rod only got nervous once that I noticed and it was on the way to Vancouver, so that doesn't count *L*

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The Summary

2007-11-21T02:32:00.000-08:00

Long time no post. Which is a bit odd since lots has been happening. So in point form, the following has occurred:

* Fancy and I briefly checked out Best Man dresses and I tried on one that made me look smokin'. You may or may not see it next year, we haven't decided yet.
* I had a housewarming tea at my not so new apartment for my family followed by a housewarming dinner for a few friends. Things went well - except where my cousin's gorgeous red corduroy jacket leaked dye onto my tan couch (got it out with much Folex and scrubbing) and where S and I spilt 3 times between us on my white tablecloth (also came out with bleach).
* Rod came back from Australia and brought me a super cool hat!
* I went to a conference in Merritt for work (and where I wore my super cool hat to a barn dance). It was pretty good. Attended various seminars, mostly on transplants and forensics, and made some contacts. I also drove the Coquihalla Hwy for the first time.
* Cooking lessons with my grandma continue and we held Thanksgiving dinner at her house. I made cranberry sauce from scratch and actually liked it. So much better than the stuff from a can.
* Lori and her family came to visit! Had lots of fun playing with the babies and visiting with her. We even had a board game night at my house - first time since January. Roddie got his fix. Pics.
* Birthday Festivus commenced on Oct 27 (I took the week off work) and Angie and I went to Rocky Horror at the Ridge theatre. Both of us dressed as Magenta, from different scenes in the movie. Had a blast.
* Angie and I went to Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sing A Long. Two episodes of Buffy, with the second one being a subtitled version of Once More With Feeling. And yes, the whole theatre sings a long. I love geeks like me. Angie only went because she knew I wanted to go as part of Birthday Festivus and she was quite surprised by how fun she found it.
* Hallowe'en! Woohoo! My favourite holiday. Dad decorated the house and this year we dressed up as Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. I handed out candy and Dad scared medium sized children. My fav moment all night was when a neighbourhood kid, about 3 yrs old, took a half hour to come up the driveway because he had to look at absolutely everything (including the 11 jack o'lanterns from the pumpkin carving party). Pics.
* 30th birthday. arghblah. It was less painful than I thought. Actual birthday was spent at a family dinner, followed by drinks with Rod and Fancy. The next night, S threw me a party at her house. I discovered I lurv raspberry vodka and seven.
* Somewhere in here, I applied for a maternity leave position at my company in the business dept. I land an interview and then a short list interview and then the job! Starts December 10 and is all days. First time in nearly 8 years that I'll be working days. I wonder how I'll cope..... It will be pretty weird though - totally different than my last few positions that's for sure.
* Roddie and Fancy gave me a Buffy calendar (ymmmm, Spike....) and a ticket to the Oilers/Canucks game. The other ticket became Rod's Christmas present. The game itself was a bit slow (unlike the one in Edmonton tonight!) with a 0-0 score. Ends in a shootout, and ends badly for this Canuck fan. Yes, that's right. I converted!!
* I went to speed dating again - and had a blast. This story continues, but trust me, I'm having fun.

Best Weekend Ever

2007-09-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Spent the weekend camping in Elaho Valley, which is past Squamish. Something like 20 miles on bad road, plus 27 miles on gravel/pothole road. My car never would have made it, so I'm very glad S and C were willing to give me a ride. Got there quite late on Friday night, about 1030pm. Put my tent up by headlamp which was a first for me. Right on the sand, by the river. Spent the nights hanging out by the bonfire and the days just lounging around. Skipped some rocks, froze my hands washing dishes in the river which killed any possible ideas I had of swimming, took some naps, read a bit. I took some of those peanut butter blossom cookies with me, and they were quite popular. A dozen was not enough. Really, it was the perfect weekend. Got back around 7pm Monday and was just hated the whole work return thing. Pics if you are interested

Recipe post

2007-08-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

1) Had a really good time during my weekend in Shuswap. Spent most of Saturday on White Lake, sitting on a barge. I'd swim in the lake, dry off on the barge while reading my book, and swim in the lake. The drive back was loooonnnggggg. Construction, plus rain = argh. And I was a sleeping passenger so I had it easy!

2) Dating. I've gone out with several guys as of late, but the only thing I have to say about any of my recent dates has been - "It's fine." Fine. And I don't mean, woohoo, he's fine, I mean, it didn't suck. They were all nice, easy to talk to, seem okay. But...... Something lacks!

3) I baked like crazy last weekend and froze most of it for the housewarming/tea party I plan to have in late September. And before you mock my tea party, most of the invitees will be family members and it's an afternoon thing. There will be the odd beer, but mostly Coke and cookies. And the whole point of this point is the following recipe, so amazing! It's on the back of the hershey mini kisses bag. And apparently it's warmer in my apt than I thought because I just got out the bag of chocolate and it's slightly mushy.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

* HERSHEY'S Mini Kisses
* 1/2 cup shortening or butter
* 3/4 cup creamy Peanut Butter
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 3 tablespoons milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* Granulated sugar (for rolling at end)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. 2. Cream together shortening, peanut butter in large bowl, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. 3. Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. 4. Bake 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 9 dozen cookies.

4) Going camping again this weekend. Probably the last trip of the year. Should probably get organized tonight, but I sense I won't.

Two in a row

2007-08-16T22:16:00.001-07:00

1) I saw my first real skunk today. I tried to get a picture, but it ran away, and I do know enough to know not to chase anything that has the potential to stink that bad.

2) I mentioned I joined a new gym. Got in a couple of good workouts and did weights yesterday. Apparently overdid it as the muscles connecting my arms to my body HURT and so do my quads. Turns out I lift my arms a lot at work. A lot.

3) My grandma is so cool. I really mean that. I love hanging out with her. Tonight, my family had dinner with her and she told the following story (it's about 1942, England, and my great-grandfather was a policeman): On Saturdays, my little sister Gwen and I would go into town to attend the village dance. After the dance, our two soldier friends would walk us home and it was just walking. No funny business! In fact, I think they were married, but they liked to dance. One night as we were walking home, Gwen whispered to me, "Father is behind that tree!" I looked over and there he was! My Father, the bobby, was on duty and following us home! That night when I got home, I wrote in my diary that Spy Number 1 had followed us. The next day, my diary disappeared and it was never returned.

She laughed so much as she recalled that story. I love hearing stories about her growing up, working during the war, living in London during the Blitz, meeting my grandfather, moving to Canada....

4) Weekend!

Happy Move-iversary!

2007-08-15T22:39:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been one year to the day that I moved to Vancouver. It doesn't feel like a year, it feels like forever. My ten year hiatus in Edmonton is kind of dream sequence really.

So was this a good decision? Yes, clearly. I like my job (most days anyway!), I love love love my apartment, I like being near my family (dinner with Grandma tomorrow), and it's been great picking up where I left off with my high school girls. Am I 100% happy? Of course not. A certain something (someone) is lacking from my life, but this was the same situation in Edmonton (I'm working on it though, perhaps there will be good posts in the near future. Lots of "learning experiences" though. Although this will most likely only be a revelation to me, turns out I'm not at all attracted to guys like me, by which I mean techno/science geeks. If at any time on a date, I think "wow, we have a lot in common", it pretty much seems to mean he's doomed.). Am I happier than I was in Edmonton? Yes. I have trees and mountains and frequent hugs.

Do I miss Edmonton? No. Except sometimes I dream of the mall. And I do miss certain people and certain things. Post workout Booster Juice with Erin and Kim (Oh hey, I joined a new gym, more like WHC. Open late and only 2 blocks from work, so no more excuses.) Chats over tea at Cargo and James. Game nights at Lori and Rob's. Pool at BPs. Julio's nachos and margaritas. Anytime Jay tells me I missed pie night, I get wildly jealous - which is odd since I never went when I lived there. I think Edmonton people should roadtrip to Vancouver. I have a sofa bed!

This weekend is a big birthday party fest for 2 friends. I think I'll pretend it's an anniversary party for me!

The Camping Post

2007-08-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

My only excuse is that I was on vacation. Well for part of the last month anyway. To make up for it, a Friday post!

Edited entries from my camping journal

July 28 - Got to the campground early, but our site was ready anyway. Tents went up fast, but the tarp was difficult as the trees refuse to cooperate. After lunch, we explored the trails around the campsite for about an hour. Dad and I went for another walk in the afternoon through the interpretative area (with no signage) and the Trail of the Fallen Giants.

July 29 - Officially a family camping trip now as it rained. Walked from the campsite at Gold Creek to Lower Falls, wearing our rain ponchos. Basic trail, fairly popular, the falls were nice. Probably about 6.5K return. Back by lunch. Went for another afternoon walk with dad to the Tiarella Nature Trail, about 1.5 hours.

July 30 - Hike planned to Lake Beautiful today, starting at Mike Lake. First part of the trail called Incline Trail - 1.2K UP. And up and up... We then walked along fire access roads and short cuts through forest, including old growth. We got to the final turnoff to Lake Beautiful, after about 2.5 hours of hiking, to discover it was completely overgrown. We had lunch in a mosquito filled clearing (quickly!) and headed back. About 12K since we didn't go all the way up.

July 31 - Dad and I went kayaking in Alouette Lake in the morning. I had serious steering issues on the paddle out, and zigzagged my way along. It was way easier on the way back, even though it was into the wind and waves. Ended up with blisters on both hands! We walked back to camp via the Alouette Valley Trail and Menzies Trail. About 6K.

Aug 1 - Last full day. Did the East Canyon Trail from the Lower Falls parking lot to where it connected with Gold Creek. Very pretty. Had lunch on a rock/sand beach. Decided to go wading and discovered it's glacier fed! Managed to slowly work my way up to my knees over a 30 min period and it didn't seem so cold anymore. So I went swimming - for about 3 seconds. It was so cold, I practically forgot how to make my limbs work. Dried off in the sun and hiked back to a connecting trail (ie goat trail) that linked up with Lower Falls. Until today, had only seen a couple of people on the trails, but when we got to the Lower Falls trail, there were lots. We had only been spared them on the first day by the rain.

Had a really good trip. Couldn't believe how close to the city we were (about an hour from my parents' in light traffic), and yet it's all 80 year old forest. Beautiful.

So if this works, you should be able to click this link and see all my photos (44).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11483&l=efe6b&id=551746582

Want to go kayaking?

2007-07-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

Just in case you care, my latest version of my bedroom curtains turned out fine. I don't love them, but they work.

I had a nearly perfect weekend - the only thing that would have made it better would have been having Friday off. Saturday, I met up with an old college friend (Jen) for coffee. We probably hadn't seen each other in 3 years, but it's been 7 since we spent any quality time together. We spent a couple of hours together catching up and before I left, I met her new girlfriend who seems very sweet. We completely intend to get together again. That night, I went kayaking for the first time. I now have a new love and can't wait to try it again. Since I had zero experience, I went in the front of a double kayak, so I didn't learn to steer with the rudder pedals and really want to try that. I've got to figure out when I can go again. We finished around sundown, about 9pm, so I spent the rest of the evening hanging out with Rod and Fancy. My kind of day - social and active!

This morning, I climbed the Grouse Grind again and am amazingly impressed with my new time. I felt slow, although I only stopped to let people pass and to take a water break at the 1/4 marks, so I was shocked to discover my new record was 1 hour 21 minutes. Shaved 9 minutes off! My goal of breaking 1 hr 15 seems actually possible. Afterwards I drove to my parents to borrow their driveway and hose to wash my car. I wanted to save a whole $10 by not taking it to the drive thru carwash, but I think the amount of effort I expended and the quality of the wash I did has proven to me that the $10 I spend is well worth it.

ohhhh - I know what I wanted to blog about! I parallel parked for the first time since buying my car last August! And it worked on the first try! Woohoo!! (Of course, when I had to parallel park again later the same day, it didn't go as well, but I'm still basking in the joy of my first one.)

Darn it, only 15 minutes until Monday.

Point by point

2007-07-10T23:30:00.001-07:00

Point 1. I made curtains for my bedroom on Saturday. It looked terrible. 288 inches of hemming times 2 and it sucked. Remade them over the last two days and I am going to go hang them up after I finish writing this. If they suck as well, I'm giving up.

Point 2. I made cushions for the chair to match the ones that came with the couch. They look great. And they should. $59 of fabric = 2 cushions!

Point 3. I swallowed a bug while running tonight. I hate that.

Point 4. I saw Transformers on Sunday with my sister. Highly recommend it. 4 stars, easy! But I would like to know why in the hell the only washroom at the Strawberry Hill cinema is at the far end and up the stairs! Practically a marathon when you are missing a movie you like.

I feel like I should have a Point 5, but it's too frickin' hot to think anymore.

Happy Belated Canada Day

2007-07-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Busy long weekend - especially since it started Thursday with my dad's birthday. Had supper at my parents and treated my dad to Pirates 3. Pretty good, definitely a fun movie, but it could have used tighter editing in the beginning. It did not need to be 168 mins long.

Friday, Rod, Fancy, Holly and I went to the Richmond Night Market . It's kind of a giant flea market, but with new goods instead of used, and fairway food. Fancy bought a Winnie the Pooh wallet and a scarf. Rodney bought lamb on a stick. :)

Saturday was a great day - Pitch n Putt in Stanley Park (I suck! Par 3 and I averaged 5 strokes per hole. My best was a 4) followed by a walk on the seawall. Dinner and drinks on the Milestones' patio, watching the sun set over English Bay. I don't associate Vancouver with the water for some insane reason (mountains, trees, yes, but I forget about the ocean *L*), so it was a big reminder to why this place is so beautiful.

Sunday was a productive day. Caulked the bathtub (way messier than I ever thought possible! I knew the caulking tube was old - from the Edmonton apt - but it had been properly sealed. The caulk itself was perfectly fine. Too bad the plastic making up the tube was not. As soon I started squeezing, the back seam burst open! I managed to get enough caulk to finish the tub, but I was covered in Gloss White). Painted behind the toilet (somehow got missed when the room was done originally and every time I had a bath, I could see it). Patched the kitchen ceiling from when we changed the light fixture (still need to paint it, maybe Thursday). Patched and painted the bedroom window from the damage caused by jamming a too big blind in a too small space. Fixed my desk drawer so now it doesn't open by itself. Finally hung all my paintings. I'm actually getting moved in around here. Most of the stuff left on the to-do list requires help. Finished off the night hanging out with Rod, Fancy and Holly at BPs.

Today I went for a walk on Bowen Island with my family. To my shock, the non-rain continued (I think it's called sunshine) and we went for a 3 hour stroll along Killarney Lake. I took my pack with about 20 lbs in it, just to make things slightly more challenging. Should have added more weight, since I really want to get used to my centre of gravity being off when I have a full pack.

There is a meme going around that I think sounds fun. If you are interested, I will make a picture post. Ask me to take a picture of something/anything (ok, within reason, it's got to be something I'm willing to post on the net) in my world and I will post it here.

So in the spirit of Canada's 140th birthday, I will end with some useless facts. Canada Day was originally called Dominion Day and the name wasn't officially changed until 1982. Red and White became our official colours in 1921, but we didn't get the maple leaf flag until 1965. Aren't you glad you know that now?

Update

2007-06-27T23:21:00.000-07:00

Oops. Two weeks since my last post. I swear it's not my new addiction to facebook, but the incredibly lousy internet connection I've been suffering from. It's been so bad that I've been doing other things. I spent a large amount of time on the phone with my service provider last night though, and it appears (fingers crossed) to be fixed.

So - weekend one. Cooking lessons! My grandmother taught me to make bread. Sooooo yummy. I'd made bread on my own before, but it was always heavy and non-fluffy. I learned some tricks (scald the milk and let cool) and how to knead properly, which is what makes the real difference. Darn it, I shouldn't be typing about this. I know I still have two loaves in the freezer. On Sunday, Rod and I did the Grouse Grind, his first, my second. It was much easier the second time, as the mental energy was there. I knew what was ahead and I knew I could it. Rod had a difficult time though. I waited for him at both the 1/4 and 1/2 marks, but once he made the 1/2 , I knew he'd be able to finish and arranged to met him at the top. My total time was 1h 33min, slightly slower than before, but that includes my wait times. I don't want to just minus the time I waited because I was more rested for the next sections when I started again. Later that day, my sister and I made dinner for my parents for Father's Day. Peanut chicken skewers and roasted veggies. Poor dad - had to watch us kids use his bbq :)

Weekend two - went camping with various people. So much fun. I love being outside. I used my new backpack and carried most of what I needed - 43lbs on my back. Didn't have a cook stove though or a water filter, as I borrowed those. Got to use my new sleeping bag - so warm, thank god, as it hailed our last morning. Went for a nice hike on Saturday and we really lucked out with the weather. Most of the weekend was dry.

Long weekend approaching! Holly is coming to Vancouver for the weekend. I also want to work on my To-Do list that I've been ignoring for months. We'll see what happens.

June, part deux

2007-06-14T00:27:00.000-07:00

Spent the last three days sleeping, so no time to blog. Can't believe how unconscious I wanted to be all the time. Hard to type when your eyes are closed. Started Sunday night, after my family went out to celebrate my sister's college graduation. Clearly, they slipped some serious knock out drugs into my food because I went to slept at 930pm and over the next 36 hours, I slept 30.
Up until that point, my weekend had been okay. Spent most of it with S, my friend of 25 years or so (and last weekend's bday girl).
Saturday morning, S and I climbed the Grouse Grind. My very first time. It's hell I tell you, sheer hell, and yet I'm already planning to do it again. It's a 2.9 km (1.8 mile) hike, straight up. 853 meters (2800 ft) gain in elevation. The closest thing to flat you experience is maybe 2 or 3 steps in a row, and I think that only happened once. The trail is marked into quarter sections. The first quarter is evil incarnate. I kept thinking I was going to die. I started wheezing 30 seconds into it and never stopped. How and WHY do people do this? S was waiting for me at the quarter mark and told me it was the worst of the four, that if I could do that section, I could finish it. Thankfully she was right, because if any of the following sections had been like the first, I might have considered trying to roll back down the mountain. The second section was probably the easiest, the third the prettiest (although hard to tell as it was pouring rain), and the fourth required me to activate Monkey Mode and use all four limbs to get up stairs/rocks. Some sections are log steps, some sections are rock fall, some are (muddy) dirt path, but they all involve serious incline. More than a few times I wasn't sure my stumpy legs would stretch far enough. My time - 1 hr 30 min. Apparently the average time. I'd love to get that down to 1 hr 15. The gondola ride back down the mountain was great, I see why it's a tourist thing (even in the rain).
That night we went to a friend's 30th birthday party in Burnaby. After the party ended, we went to a bar in North Van, one that I had never been to before. As S put it - always make sure you are drunk before going there. Eep. To those you know me well, I can best describe the situation by telling you I started drinking beer. Vile stuff, but required.
The following pic was taken at my sister's grad dinner on Sunday. So either I was definitely getting sick or I've recently died and no one has notified me. I like the pic itself, but I had no idea how pale I am. Ok, yes, I knew I was pale, but Anne Rice material? Admittedly, my dad has a tan from working outside, but still.....

Really, June?

2007-06-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

The weekend summary: Friday, I worked but got off early enough to do some baking. Rod and Fancy came over and kept me company while I cooked and I got to admire her bling. Her engagement ring is very pretty and almost made me like diamonds.

Saturday was possibly one of my weirdest days ever. I got to be both a hard core geek and a party girl in the same day! I drove to Vancouver (for only the third time since I moved here, it's scary!) to pick up JDG for our second date. He picked something that I was totally, completely, utterly into (and all my Vancouver friends have mocked me hard for). A friend of his runs an independent video store and was hosting an event at a local theatre - a showing of 2 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer including a sing-a-long to the Once More With Feeling musical episode! Ok, stop laughing now. I own the soundtrack and love it! To his surprise, the 200 tickets had sold out, but we managed to buy a pair off someone whose friends did not show up (first really perfect summer Saturday, why be inside unless you are geek). We watched Doppelgangland (hmmm, telling a guy you own the Evil Willow costume on a second date... good idea or bad idea? *L*), had a trivia intermission, followed by Once More with Feeling. JDG hadn't seen it before, but I had, numerous times. Singing along and laughing with 200 people is such an amazingly weird good time. Almost Rocky Horror like, but less objects thrown. I hadn't realized there were going to be 2 shows, so when it ended, I had to hurry to get to my evening plans and drove him home.

The reason I was in a hurry was Saturday night was a surprise party for my best childhood friend and I had details to take care of! It was being held at her house, so we had to decorate while she was out for dinner with her boyfriend. He gave us the heads up call just before they left the restaurant, blind folded her, drove her home an indirect route with lots of turns, and piggy backed her down the driveway so she wouldn't realize where they were. She really had no idea because we could hear her talking as they came around to the back of the house where we hiding - "I can't believe you are making me wear a blindfold in public, what if someone sees me!". We were really dying from the effort not to laugh, but as he took off the blindfold, we all yelled surprise while she did the classic double take and started hitting him. The rest of the evening was nice, presents, pie instead of cake, a few drinks (just a few, really, I swear!). My weird looking appetizers that I baked Friday were apparently tasty as there were just a few left - Savory Cheddar Cookies with Jalapeno Jelly. Sound weird, look weird, but they are basically baked cheese balls rolled in crushed pecans with hot pickle centers. Okay, they really sound weird. I'd make them again though, I liked them. Had an odd moment somewhere after midnight. If you had told me on June 2, 2006, that one year from then I'd be in Vancouver, I would have told you that you were crazy. If you had told me that I'd be in Vancouver listening to ALAN JACKSON, I would have told you to stop taking drugs. It was bizarre. Bizarre, yet fun.

Had my first Starbucks frappucino in years yesterday when us girls met for coffee. Soooo good. I want another one. Now.

Oh - and happy birthday wishes go out to Kirsten who also had a birthday on June 2. Hope you had a good time!

First Hike of the Season

2007-05-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

Finally went hiking this year! Three of us have new packs and decided it was time to break them in and do some training for more serious hikes later in the year. We went up to Lynn Headwaters (near my parents' place) and hiked up to Norvan Falls. About 15km round trip. It was absolutely perfect. The sun couldn't quite break through the clouds, so it wasn't hot at all. Tshirt and pants weather. Only put on my fleece jacket while we had lunch in the shade, sitting next to Norvan creek. Took us about 5 hours, including 3 generous snack breaks. My legs were a bit sore coming back on the gravel road, but not too bad. My pack was about 18 lbs so next time out I'll add maybe 5 more lbs. My sleeping bag for starters, got to figure out how to stuff that thing properly so it fits in the designated spot for it. I also want to buy a camera case that I can attach to the front of my pack. The only suitable pocket for my camera isn't accessible when the pack is on, so I hardly took any pics since I had to take my pack off first.

Spent Saturday night in NV as my complex had a sewer back up in the building across the lot. I wasn't affected at all, but no flushing allowed! It was pretty lucky actually - my parents had picked up my refinished coffee table (it is absolutely amazing! Looks brand new with a gorgeous dark red finish) and drove it out to my place. They were the ones who discovered the note explaining the situation and called me on my cell to tell me not to bother coming home! When I got back Sunday afternoon, all was well. Spent the rest of the day playing with my music on the computer, ripping CDs and trying to sort it all out. I need new music for the car, for those evil rush hour days.

Random!

2007-05-24T00:07:00.000-07:00

Facebook, baby. It's where all the cool internet addicts are these days. Join, so I can tag you in photos more easily!

Why do all my fav shows end on a cliffhanger?! I promise, I'd come back anyway. I love you, TV. And *cries* - Crossing Jordan and Veronica Mars have been canceled. At least I still have a bunch of VM eps sitting on my computer still to be watched.

I tried putting this product called Soft Claws on Fuzzy tonight. They are like nail covers that grow out with his nails and last about 4-8 weeks. They keep his nails from doing any damage and are supposedly very very safe. It's been about 15 minutes and he's managed to remove at least 3. We'll see how it goes. I like my new couch and would prefer to not keep putting double sided sticky tape on it to keep him from scratching. Totally my fault though, I let him claw the 1970s couch to his heart's content, so teaching him that the new one is off limits is quite difficult. He's doing pretty good so far, just despises the sticky tape and avoids it.

And...... I have a date tomorrow. I leave you with that tidbit.

Weekend

2007-05-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

Weirdly nice long weekend, considering that I had to work. Friday, after work, I went to my friend's house, where we amused ourselves by watching the guys drink and by baking cookies. Even though her oven sucketh (who has ever heard of an oven that is 350F on the dial, but 400F on the thermometer and the temp goes up when you turn the dial down??), the cookies turned out mostly okay. They looked good, but watching 3 drunk guys devour cookies is no indication of the tastiness. I had to try one for proof. For future reference, always make your cookies with chocolate chips and skor bits.

Working Saturdays would actually be great, if it wasn't Saturday. Super busy, followed by gentle lulls where you can take a relaxed break, followed by super busy. After, Rod and I went out for Thai food.

Sunday was spent at the Vancouver Aquarium with my old roommate, Heather, and her friend Sarah. The aquarium is seriously cool - although my favourite had to be the jellyfish. And the belugas. I could watch both for ages. The jellyfish make better pics though. I loaded them on my facebook account since there were just too many for my geocities account to bother.

I think there should be places where you can order chocolate for delivery.

Oh - and valuable lesson learned. My smoke detector is RIGHT outside the kitchen and it's super sensitive. I was making fajitas and heating the tortillas. I saw no smoke, smelt no smoke and suddenly the alarm was wailing. Open windows, open doors, stick the frying pan on the balcony, stand on chair and wave fresh air. Goodgod, it's loud. It eventually turned off thankfully, but why in the world would it be right out the kitchen door?

Month long summary

2007-05-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've been a lousy poster this past month. I blame facebook. Stupid addiction.

Where to begin? It's only been a whole month....

Ah yes, did you know hell froze over? Yes, that's right. Rod and Fancy have set a wedding date! September 2008! Congrats you two and many hugs! (You know I'm mostly kidding about hell freezing over *g*)

My couch and entertainment cabinet have arrived and are in place! I just need my coffee table back and maybe an area rug to complete my living room. I need to put up my blinds (I intended to do it tonight, but my drill wasn't charged!) and my last few paintings as well.

What else - my parents returned from their month long cruise/trip to Italy with a fantastic souvenir for me. White wine glasses from Murano, Italy. They are hand blown glass, all in one piece, with a smooth goblet and a twisted stem. To me, the top of the stem sort of looks like a dragon claw holding up the goblet.

May 4 was my sister's birthday and we decided to have a birthday weekend. Friday, I had to work, so she went out with my parents to a greek restaurant. Saturday, we had dinner at my parents with cake and presents, followed by a SINGLES pub crawl in Gastown. About 40 people, mostly in their late 20s/30s. Blarneystone, Lion's Pub, Steamworks, and Shine. The first three were more or less pubs, but Shine was a dance bar. I had a blast. I think she did too. She was drinking and dancing anyway :) By the end of the night, there were about 6 of us hanging out together and I actually asked one of the guys for his number. I eventually got up the courage to call him and asked him to do something. He said yes, but we are having some scheduling difficulties. I get the feeling he's "just not that into me", which is fine. Much easier to ask out a guy you've only known for about 4 hours than someone you actually know and like! No feelings to get hurt yet.

*L* I'm going through my pictures trying to figure out what I did this last month.

Last weekend was crazy busy. Friday was my mum's birthday. She went to her mum's for dinner first, which worked for me, as I got to go watch my friend's softball team. I'm kind of a sub, but that was the first game I've been able to go to due to my work schedule and they didn't need me. I got to score keep though. Went to my parents for cake and presents and as soon as my mum mentioned her need for sleep, I went back to my friend's house for the post-softball beers. Saturday was May cooking lesson day and we put together dinner for my mum's bday/mother's day. Seared scallops, salmon or beef wellington, veggies, with apple crisp and strawberry mousse for dessert. Sunday was actual mother's day which meant dinner at my parents' with my grandmothers. Basically, I used a lot of gas money!

Heather's coming out to Vancouver this weekend, so perhaps there will be a story or two coming soon....*L*

I promised trip details didn't I?

2007-04-14T09:30:00.001-07:00

First off - to any Vancouverites who read this: We do not have any potholes in this town. I've heard some whining, even did some myself, but then I drove in Edmonton again and remembered what real potholes are like. Compared to those, we only have the occasional dent in the road. At one point, I thought I was driving on an unpaved road but it was a university side street that I clearly recall having pavement before.

Driving in general in Edmonton was odd. I so rarely drove when I lived there that I was quite proud I knew where I was going at all. I found Southgate, Toys R US, Erin's and Lori's without getting lost once! A major achievement as you know. When I first left the airport in my rental, I thought something was wrong with the alignment of the car as I was fighting it constantly to stay in my lane. Nope, nothing wrong with the car - it was the wind pushing me around! The bitter COLD wind. I left +20 C Vancouver to spend the weekend in -8C with wind chill Edmonton. Seriously people, if you needed proof I missed you, it's that I picked April to come visit.

Friday night, Erin and I met up with everyone at BPs for a standard night of drinking and bullshit. A lot of fun because pretty much everyone showed up! Kim even played me a game of pool. Saturday, a couple of us had brunch at the replacement for Keegan's - Route 99. I spent the afternoon with Lori and baby Jacq, who is super cute in that baby way. That night, Erin and I went to Julio's for supper and spent the evening on Whyte, browsing through Chapters and having tea at Cargo's. It was a bit cold to keep walking so we rented a chick flick and watched that as well. Sunday, we did a bit of shopping on Whyte and then I spent the afternoon with Lori again, playing with Mason and ahhh-ing over Jacq. Lori and I have decided to have a girls' weekend - possibly next year :)

For me, it was a great trip. I did everything I planned, except West Ed Mall and I didn't actually need anything from there. What I did find odd was how at home I still felt there, like I hadn't really left, like it hadn't been seven months since I had seen these people. But I feel so at home in Vancouver as well, like I've always been here. It just seems strange.

Home Sweet Home

2007-04-09T22:27:00.001-07:00

I fully intended to write a long detailed post tonight, but you'll have to settle for the following:

I've been told my blog is boring. I know. But I really am this dull and I really am obsessed with the colour of my walls. I promise to try harder to find a life. :)

Edmonton was fantastic. I had a great time. There are many pics over at my main page.

Tomorrow - motivation starts. The plan - to run a 10K run this summer. It's now official as I'm telling the world.

Ok, bedtime.

Off to see the Wizard

2007-04-05T23:43:00.000-07:00

I am beyond excited for this weekend. Pics and post on Monday I'm sure!

A belated birthday message to Roddie - hope 31 treats you well. For his birthday we went to Anton's in Burnaby - absolutely amazing food, should be shared between 5 people *g*. We had dessert in Vancouver at Tru Confections and I highly recommend a drink called Vancouver Fog - vanilla, Earl Grey Tea and steamed milk.

Only 2 more games until playoffs!! Yes, I'm cheering for the Canucks. I'm even hoping to get playoff tickets this year. We shall see.

Happy Easter to all.

My living room is naked.

2007-03-30T17:57:00.001-07:00

By that, I mean I lack furniture. It looked sad before, with only a day bed and a tv sitting on top of a coffee table, but now it's down right pathetic. My parents came today and took the coffee table away with them. This is a good thing as it's off to be refinished, but now my tv is sitting on the floor. It will be another 4-7 weeks before my entertainment cabinet, my sofa and my chair show up to make my living room look like it's lived in!

My parents were extremely helpful this morning and we got lots done. The china cabinet is stable and full of china (although my mum stole a drawer so the furniture guy can try to match the stain for the coffee table). My towel rods are up, the kitchen shelf is up, I can watch tv in my office, and the majority of my pictures are hung up on the wall (only ones left are the living room ones which can't really go up until I have furniture).

I love days off.

Productive Day

2007-03-25T01:26:00.001-07:00

I love highly productive days. I really need to remember how I love this feeling of accomplishment and keep having this kind of day. Woke up at a decent time (for someone who works late!), went to my appointment, came home, did two loads of laundry and washed my hair while waiting for my sis. We went out to Ikea and found the nightstand lamps I've been wanting. We also bought a shelf for the kitchen, but I can't find a wooden wall mount paper towel holder anywhere! We then checked out the various furniture stores and I confirmed my desire for the Michigan sofa at Couch Potato. I took home some fabric swatches and will be going back tomorrow to order the queen sofabed and chair in Jessie Linen (a light tan/khaki) with pillows in Jupiter Flagstone (stripes of 3 shades of green ranging from celery to dark sage and one stripe of dark tan/camel). Here is the sofa, in similar green to the floor model. I considered green, but figured neutral beige is a better choice. Easier to change the walls down the road than the couch!! It's weird - I'm looking at the pic and never in a million years would I have picked this style out of a catalogue, but I love the way it feels when I sit in it. Tall people will most likely feel awkward, but it's MY couch!

After the couch shopping, we installed my laundry room shelves (finally!). Took way longer than I thought, but there was more thinking involved than I planned on. We rented The Guardian (actually good, 3.5 stars. 4 if I push it) and as we watched it, Angie painted the kitchen shelf and I workedon a sewing project.

Tomorrow - productive days continue, starting with a gym trip!

This is my 100th post.

2007-03-23T22:53:00.000-07:00

First off - Lori had Baby Two yesterday! Baby Two is officially called Jacqueline, weighing in at 8 lbs. I can't wait until Easter when I get to see her and her big brother!

In other news - I can't believe I didn't write about the weekend earlier, although it did seriously exhaust me. Saturday was cooking lessons with my grandmother with appetizers as the theme. My sister and I were assigned pastry as we have never made that before. I made the pastry for mushroom and bacon quiches, my sister for crab puffs. We also made spicy beef turnovers (kind of like curry beef perogies). My cousins made Imperial cheese onion/olive balls, sweet and sour meatballs, and chicken wings. Nearly 7 hours of cooking! We made an insane amount of food, and my sis and I took our share to a cocktail party for a friend's 30th birthday. Appetizers, cocktails, and chocolate cake although by the time the cake showed up, I was way too full.

Sunday, I went shopping for a bit with my family and then required a nap. I might have accomplished things around the house, but the nap is all I really remember! Things are mostly organized around here, but I still have a long To Do list. Tomorrow, I plan to go couch shopping. I found an entertainment cabinet last weekend, but I can't have it until May. I really need seating though. I don't want to hang up my pictures until I figure out where the couch goes!

Happy Birthday to Baby M!

2007-03-16T00:02:00.001-07:00

I actually made progress tonight, first time all week. I was just exhausted this week and between work and sleeping, I had enough to do. I did make it to the gym - once. I'd get home from work, look at the boxes, and go have a bath. My alarm would go off in the morning, I'd get up, I'd turn it off, and I'd go back to bed. I had clothes, soap and forks. Who needs anything else? A pen would have been nice though. I even opened the box labeled 'Desk', but no luck. Turns out it was in 'Sewing Room/Supplies'. Makes sense as my sewing room and office are the same thing. Anyway, the sewing room/office/whatever is now unpacked, just a few odds and ends to put away. TV stand to install, but I don't have a clue as to how it goes up. Need to buy bendy curtain rods for the bay window and then I plan to cut down my old living room curtains.

Tomorrow is my day off - Home Depot time again! I've decided to spring for the cool cast iron towel rods for the guest bathroom. What else - sewing, eyebrow waxing, making shortbread at my mum's, shopping with my sister, maybe a movie. Busy day.

Moved in!

2007-03-11T22:00:00.001-07:00

To say that I am tired does not even begin to describe my condition. I took a nap today because if I didn't, I truly thought I'd fall down.

The move yesterday went very well, although I have been informed that a truck would have been a good idea. The parking lot is apparently much longer than I thought, especially when you have to carry a large heavy object over and over again. It certainly didn't help that monsoon season hit yesterday. I'm completely finished at the old place, and semi-organized at the new place. Unpacking continues and will for awhile!

I'm just too tired to post. My eyes are closing while I type. More info to follow. Maybe.

Update: Just finished organizing my bathroom. It looks great! I replaced the old silver towel bars with white ones, and added a white mirrored medicine cabinet. My green towels go well with the original pink/grey swirly tiles and my honeydew walls. One room organized.... My bedroom is almost done. Most importantly, the white roller shade is up. I screwed up on the measurements and ordered a 70" wide blind when I really needed a 69.75" blind. Huge difference. HUGE. But dad and Rod managed to jam it in there and make it functional - although I now need to do some patching and painting to the window frame. I love having a blackout blind in my bedroom, a massive improvement over the crappy horizontals I've had for the last six months. Slept last night on my new bed frame that my aunt gave me - it's black walnut and really tones down my bright blue walls. Had to get rid of my box spring though as it wasn't designed for one. Poor guys carried it up and then back down. Ok, back to working on the bedroom and then bedtime.

2007-03-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

How weird is this? I have phone and internet service through the same company (the same company that sent me my cell bill 183 times, I might add!). My phone has been disconnected, but the internet still works.

Probably won't have my computer hooked up at the new place until late Saturday/Sunday so you will have to learn to live without my fascinating updates again :)

Carpets cleaned, windows steamed

2007-03-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

I should not still be awake, but I really wanted to finish packing the kitchen before bed. It's not done. I clearly have accumulated more stuff in the six months I have been living here. And really, how important is packing when I can just carry individual items over? Except I don't want to make sixty seven trips a day for the next 5 days.

I cleaned the carpets at the new place tonight and want to do the old place in the morning. Like everything, it took longer than I thought it would. But it looks nice. Ok, no more functioning thought process. Bed.

I think I taco'd my spine

2007-03-07T23:15:00.000-08:00

I just checked my email and Telus had sent me my e-bill for my cell phone 61 times. And counting. I just got 3 more. I tried calling them, but of course they are closed. And it's one of those no return email addys. Just checked their website and it seems fried. I keep getting "missing content".

Do you know they don't make entertainment cabinets any more? At least that's what it seems like. Why would you need a cabinet when you can either mount your plasma tv on the wall or put it on top of a small sofa table? But I have a CRT and it needs room!! I did find one at Canadian Tire, oddly enough, that I will probably get.

As for the apartment - door jams and getting ready to clean the carpets. My new bed is in pieces. Half in the bathroom, half in the kitchen. I just have to drag the big box of leftover bits (old light fixtures, shelves etc that my dad is planning to reuse/recycle) into the bathroom and I can start. Must remember to actually rent the rug doctor after work.

And yes, my back hurts. I think it may be permanently bent after all that baseboard work.

Day Something

2007-03-06T23:27:00.000-08:00

First, I had a major episode of dorm deja vu tonight. I was cutting across the parking lot between my two apartments while wearing plaid flannel pj pants, a man's workshirt and a parka, and eating a piece of cheese. This caused a serious flashback - not sure if it was the pants or the cheese...

Next - My back HURTS. I finished the baseboards tonight but apparently 4 plus hours of crawling around the floor taping, painting, untaping is not my back's idea of a good way to spend an evening. Got to listen to the hockey game while I worked - good game. Go Cowan. The baseboards look good, although there are a few touchup areas to do. I'm glad I decided to do them as the contrast between the pure white boards and the unpainted almond door jams is amazing. I also bought a light fixture for the kitchen on my lunch break today. It's an oval fluorescent light with brushed nickel trim, about 3 feet long.

Ok, I need bed. Should have gone 30 minutes ago.

Day 4 - Slow Progress

2007-03-05T22:45:00.000-08:00

I had to work today so I only had this evening to work at the new place. In my head, the plan was to spend Monday and Tuesday doing the baseboards and door jams so I could clean the carpets on Thursday. I hoped to have half of the baseboards done tonight. Not a chance. Maybe an eighth. Of course I did do other things on the list. I fixed the grout in the tub. I touched up the ceiling where, in my aunt's words, the passing trucks caused the ceiling to jump down on her brush. That wasn't the only spot of course. Then I finally started the trim. I started in the second bathroom as I need the floor in there to store my new bed while I clean the carpets. And that's all. Got lots taped for tomorrow though, so hopefully it goes much better!! Maybe I'll skip the door jams for now and just do them when I do the doors.

I need to shower! I have white trim paint in my hair.

Day 3 - The Work Continues

2007-03-04T22:31:00.001-08:00

Note to self: Wear pants tomorrow. The last thing I did tonight was wash the baseboards so I can paint them tomorrow. Crawling around on the carpet has given me rug burn on both my knees.

Lots done today! Second coats on all the walls, ceilings done. All the light fixtures up except the kitchen one as I want to look for a new one. Once the old one was down, I really really didn't want it to go back up. The place looks good and the colours have really grown on me. The light green wasn't quite what I was aiming for but it works. It's very bright and sunny, but in a green way. Man, my feet hurt.

I have to go back to work tomorrow which means I can only work on the place at night. There's lots on the list to be done, but really the only things I really HAVE to do before the weekend is paint the baseboards and clean the carpets. The window trim can wait, shelving can wait, the cat door can wait. I want to stop at JYSK or something tomorrow on the way home to buy towel bars and other items, but again not a priority. Except a plastic scraper. I need one of those.

I hope I sleep all night tonight! Fuzzy keeps waking me up. He knows something is going on.

Day 2

2007-03-03T22:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I think I'm only wearing 2 colours of paint and since I used 3 colours, we'll consider this a reno miracle. We started pretty early this morning, a little after 8 am. Both my dad and sister came out then, my aunt at 9 and my mum at 10. My dad spent the entire day removing lighting fixtures and painting the popcorn ceilings. We patched, sanded, and painted the first coat on almost all the wall. There are only 3 very basic walls left in the dining room, but that's where we stashed the kitchen appliances. When my aunt opened that first can of Yucca White, I was very very unsure. It's been growing on me all day and I really liked the contrast once the Woodland Mystery went up. Spent the day trying to figure out what colour Yucca White is though! Iced Mint? Lemon-Lime Sorbet? The Woodland is more of a sage/olive colour. If your monitor and my monitor are the same, on this site, check out Honeydew (close to the Yucca), Sea Green Dark (close to Woodland), and Cornflower (close to my bedroom colour). It's not quite, but in the ballpark. You get the idea. Too bad you can't just see my hands. The Yucca White went up in the bathrooms, kitchen, front hallway, and closets. The Woodland is in the second bedroom. It was the dining room and living room that confused me. Some are light, some are dark. Trying for that accent wall thing, I guess. Had to make one trip to Rona today for more paint. We were seriously short on the light colour. I need to go in the morning again as we are now out of blue and could use some tape. I really underestimated paint, but then we didn't choose to prime. tomorrow, second coat! And then all the hardware has to go back on....

Day 1 - The New Place

2007-03-02T18:46:00.001-08:00

Day 1 - pretty good I think. My aunt is a workhorse! I got the keys around 1030am and did a walk through with my realtor. My aunt showed up just as I was wheeling my dolly over. We removed all the wallpaper (the master bedroom just pulled off, but the kitchen roosters were torture. If we peeled off more than a quarter inch at a time, we were thrilled. While I removed all the hardware and drapery stuff, my aunt washed most of the walls (wallpaper glue everywhere!) and removed closet doors. So far I've patched the master bedroom and I'll probably go back tonight and patch a bit more. Right now I'm taking a supper break and then heading to Home Depot to buy lights!

Today's the Day!

2007-03-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

I woke up early, but forget going back to sleep. It feels like Christmas! There's even snow! I get my keys in only a few hours. Yay!!!

I know there are other things to blog about - the Ryan Smyth trade, the Oscars, the weather, my search for a couch (my taste is so not 2007 apparently), but that implies I can think about other things. I might blog later about the joys of wallpaper removal though. *g*

Snap. Crackle.

2007-02-25T00:28:00.001-08:00

I was going crazy a few minutes ago, which is why I'm taking a net break. I'm using all the same boxes as when I moved out here so I'm trying to use the box that is already labelled correctly. A box that says DVDs gets DVDs etc. So I know darn well there's a big box labelled China/Linens for my big plates, but I CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE! I look, I look, I look. I even went down to my storage locker thinking maybe that's where I saw it. Not there, although I brought up some more boxes while I was at it. I went through all the boxes again. Nope. I finally saw it as I went into the kitchen for something. I'm using it to store all my painting supplies. Bah, it's been right next to the stinking china cabinet the whole time!

One week to go.

2007-02-23T23:21:00.000-08:00

That's it! Just one week to go and it will be mine. One week. eep!!!

In other news.... nope, don't got any. It's all about the move. Haven't packed much, should really work on that. Trying to keep the place clean for prospective buyers and pack at the same time is a bit of a challenge, but really I'm just using that as an excuse. I just am too lazy to pack! I have organized the first load of stuff though - everything I need to remove wallpaper and paint. I've got some people organized to help that first weekend, so it should go okay.

Ok, need to go clean something. Or pack something. I'll try to blog if my brain ever comes up with something to say other than EEP!

Happy Move-iversary!

2007-02-16T00:16:00.000-08:00

Today is the six month anniversary of The Great Move. I really have a hard time believing it. On one hand, I feel like I've been here always and the whole Edmonton thing was a dream. I had my performance review today, the one that marks the end of my probation. It went very well. This whole thing is still moving so fast though. Buying my own place. Possession of the new apartment is in only two weeks. I can't remember if I've already said this but I can't help thinking about the speed in which I make major life decisions. Have I always been like this? Just... jumping.. and hoping it all works out? That's what this past year feels like. How did go? My letters to the labs in Vancouver, asking for tours, are dated June 23. I had job offers by July 7. By July 12, I had given notice at my old job, sold my apartment (in about 6 hours), and started looking for a place to live in BC. I had always planned to buy a place out here - in the New Year, I said. When I spoke to my realtor, I very very clearly said I was in no hurry, that I wanted to want until I found the right place. My soon to be new place was the second apartment I viewed (although I did go on to view all the other ones she had set up for that day). Seriously. It's just crazy. And just in case you are wondering - my new paint colours will be from Rona A29 - Yucca White (90YY 83/107, light yellow/green creme?) and Woodland Mystery (90YY 52/138, sagey green?). My bedroom will be the same blue as when I repainted in May (E47 - Aristocratic). Can't find online paint chips.

It's Mine

2007-02-12T00:08:00.000-08:00

It's mine. All mine. Well, the bank's really, but they let me call it mine. I'm not freaked out, but I'm definitely on the squirrel-ly side. I think I'm going with green this time, instead of yellow. Same blue for my bedroom. Possession is the beginning of March so I have a LOT to do. Packing. Again. And at the same time, I'll need to keep my current place clean and tidy as my landlord will be showing it. There's other stuff to say but it escapes me now. Bedtime maybe.

Things are moving so fast!

2007-02-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

I think I mentioned before that my plan was to look for a new place to live, one that I'd own, in the New Year. Well, in mid-January, I started that particular ball rolling and spent today with my realtor looking at various apartments. I found one that I really really like and we are the process of putting an offer in. The current owner is an older lady and doesn't want any offers presented until the morning. So now I have to wait!! I'm excited about this place. It's in the right area, upper corner unit, great layout, and in great shape. This is just bizarre though. It's weird how fast things move.

My mind is a bit blank for the rest of the previous week. Let's see - hung out with Rod and Fancy Friday night for a little boardgaming and a little drive. Saturday, my sister and I had lunch with my grandma and then I watched the Canucks lose to the Flames at Shivauna's house.
In an effort to boot kick my own ass into exercising more, I've decided to get competitive! I've scheduled a 5K run with Rod for the end of the month, with the goal of not dying when running with a guy who 13 inches taller than me. I'm now writing down all my exercise sessions and showing my trainer when I see him every second week. I've made a schedule for myself! No hoping it's going to work - - It's going to work.

Ok, really, all I can think about it the apartment.

Happy Birthday Robbie Burns

2007-01-28T21:08:00.000-08:00

I had my cousins over for a Robbie Burns' (Scottish poet, in case you don't know) dinner last night. I went full out, like I usually do! I even made a kilt this week :). I used the internet and my grandma for recipes and served Cock-a-leekie soup (kinda bland, but i liked it), Bannocks (dry!!), Collops of Beef (marinated steak basically, liked it), Clapshot (mashed turnip and potato, quite excellent), Haggis (seriously yucky to look at it and I didn't like it at all), Black Pudding (soooo digusting), peas and carrots, and Floating Island (red currant jelly meringue on sherry laced whipped cream - yummy). We read the Selkirk Grace and Address to the Haggis. I did an immortal memory (basically, a history of Burns and why we bother celebrating his birthday). And we also read random poems and songs - including Auld Lang Syne which in probably the most well known. My favourite poem is On My Own Friend And My Father's Friend, Wm. Muir in Tarbolton Mill. It's an epitaph/elegy and it reminds me of my scottish grandfather who died when I was 15.

As for the kilt, my grandma gave me some plaid fabric so I could make a scarf or something, but she bought quite a bit. I decided to attempt a kilt and googled "how to make a kilt". Using this website, I got this result:

The pin you can't see in this pic (near my left hand) is a silver scotty dog that I gave to my grandfather for Christmas one year and that my grandma gave back to me after he died.

And in the news - I've been reading about the Tory attack ads on Stephane Dion. I despise attack ads. I think they are the lowest form of politics. I don't care what you think of the other side, I only want to know what you will do for me. Or at the very least, what you would like to promise me for the now that you probably won't be able to fulfill later. Lie to me about yourself, don't diss your opponent! Ahhhh, the faith I have in politicans.

unrelated thought bubbles

2007-01-21T21:45:00.000-08:00

Great news! Booked a flight to Edmonton for Easter weekend. Hopefully, people will be around.

I am seriously addicted to West Wing. I'm downloading the next season as I watch the one before. I can't stop. I'm near the end of season four and can't get over how so many of the issues are still current. And the now obvious foreshadowing (I don't know if that's the right word though. Sure, it would be foreshadowing in a book where the author knows the end, but in a tv series, do they have any idea how it will end?). But anyway - there are at least two references to making Leo vice-president during Barlett's reign, so now it makes complete sense that Leo's on the ticket later. Mostly I just want to skip to season 7 and watch Donna and Josh get together.

I'm having a Robbie Burns supper next weekend for my cousins and me. I drove out to Langley to pick up the haggis and black pudding I ordered on Saturday morning. I hate Langley! The drive out was very pretty as I took highway 10 and got to see the sun trying to break through all the morning fog. But once I got to Langley, I got very confused in the miles and miles of big box stores. Why can't we just have a really big mall with a directory?! I finally found the little shop I needed and picked up my order. It smells. And it's frozen! Dear god... I have to cook this.

So I'm reading Eat, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. Turns out I'm a fan of a thing called the Oxford comma. When I edit things, I tend to add commas. When my dad edits the same paper (this happened a lot, my sister always wanted two opinions and then went her own way), he takes them out. Turns out both methods are legit. An example: my way - 'The American flag is red, white, and blue.' My dad's way - 'The American flag is red, white and blue.' The extra comma is called an Oxford comma. Haven't you always wanted to know that?

My car is going in this week for its first scheduled tuneup since I bought it. Since I didn't want to go through the angst of finding a trustworthy mechanic near where I live, I'm using my dad's mechanic. This means I had to leave my car up there and borrowed my dad's old car. It's old. It's huge. I want my car back! And it's weird driving it. My dad bought it when I was in high school. I was never ever allowed to touch it. It was the "good" car. Now it's nearly 15 years old and in rough shape. Please don't let it snow until I get my car back.

I seem to have lost interest in Canadian politics. Even the liberal leadership conference didn't really spark anything. But wow, I'm interested in the Democratic presidential nomination. And it's like a year away! Very, very, very interesting, so many possibilities. Of course, I can't vote there, so it doesn't matter. And the only news story here starting tomorrow morning will be the Pickton trial. I may have to start listening to music again, instead of the all news station. Music... I wonder what they are playing this year.

Interview Questions

2007-01-14T20:06:00.000-08:00

What a crazy week. The weather is just insane. I heard rumours that Vancouver was warm and rainy in the winter, but they lied. Wednesday was the day of the big snow storm. I worked an afternoon shift, so when I went to work the roads weren't too bad and the traffic was just slightly higher than normal. The snow got heavier and heavier throughout the afternoon and evening and the city went nuts. At supper, four hours after I started work, I went out to move my car from the outside parking lot to the underground parking lot. There was about a foot and half of snow covering my car. People stayed quite late at work, trying to avoid the incredible tangle of traffic. I know of one guy who took over 3 hours to drive what usually took 30 minutes. When I finally got off work, it only took me an extra 10 minutes, but it helped that there were almost no other cars at that time of night. More snow in the forecast for this week!

Onto a meme - In case you haven't seen the interview meme before, someone asks you 5 questions and you answer them. Very simple. If anyone wants to ask me more questions, I'd love it. And if you want me to ask you 5 questions, let me know.

Questions I've been asked:

1) What are some of your favorite healthy snacks?

Veggies, I love veggies. I try to cut everything up when I get home from the grocery store so that it's ready to snack on when I get the munchies. A couple of things I like if I want to make them slightly fancier than plain veggies - steamed broccoli with ginger spice and garlic salt, fake nachos (a plate full of red/green pepper strips and tomatoes with shredded cheese), using lowfat/low cal salad dressing as a dip, dill pickles (nice crunch, lots of taste). I also use veggies to increase the volume of all my meals - having salads with everything, using bean sprouts or coleslaw (the bag stuff, not the mayo stuff) as a base for stirfrys instead of rice or pasta, etc. Fruit is also a a great snack, especially melon or berries. Fruit is a great alternative for dessert, it's nice and sweet. And even if you want something sugary with it, you can add a bit of chocolate topping or sugar (fake chemical stuff if you like, I use a packet of splenda sometimes). Suddenly I have a craving for a pita pizza - pita pocket used as a pizza crust with either tomato sauce or hummus and veggies.

2) How has the hockey been this year?

It's been fun. The Northwest division is super tight and teams keep trading first spot. Last time I looked, only 5 points separated first from fifth. It's more tragic when you look at the Conference as a whole, because then you discover the whole Northwest division kind of sucks. But it's been fun cheering for two teams (the Canucks and the Oilers) who are in the same division and frequently play each other. I've been to more games this year (4 so far) then I have in the last 10 years. I have a friend who throws hockey parties, so it's even been part of my social life. Good season! As for predictions - playoffs usually surprise me, but it really really looks like Buffalo and Anaheim have a lock on the final round.

3) You have 48 hours with unlimited funds and total free time. What do you do? (You can't just withdraw the money and move it to your savings account, it has to be spent within the 48 hours)

Wow. How wrong is it that my first thought was I'd stay in my pjs and never leave my house. Reading, sewing, soaking in the bath tub. I'm currently on a weird schedule that doesn't involve more than 1 day off at a time (this weekend, two days!). But the unlimited funds things, hmmm.... I want a spa day! The full package deal, massage, facial, haircut, mani/pedicure etc etc. Shopping spree. And a fabric shopping spree. Followed by another massage I think. I want to be pampered, can you tell?

4) Would you ever consider becoming a foster parent?

Actually, yes I would. My grandmother was a foster parent to babies back in the 50s and 60s and three of my aunts and uncles are adopted. One of my cousins is technically a foster kid, but he's been part of our family for at least 6 years now. Hopefully one day I'll be stable enough with decent enough hours to be able to offer a good home to someone who needs it. I actually plan to look into becoming a Big Sister this year, but I have to figure out the time commitment. I'd love to get involved in something like Girl Guides, but I can't commit to evening week hours.

5) How are you liking your new job? Are you no longer on night shift?

I really really like my new job. It's got lots of variety - running instruments, looking at slides, miscellaneous testing. I no longer work traditional nights like I used to, but I now work mostly evenings. I don't really care during the week, but it sucks on Fridays!

owie

2007-01-07T22:27:00.000-08:00

Oh, I am in so much pain. I was super motivated on Friday and went for a major workout. Several hours, doing both strength training and a run. Apparently I either did too much weight or too many reps. I swear I stretched. A lot! But egad the pain.... I knew Friday night it was going to be bad. Saturday morning was horrifying, especially since I had to go to work. Sitting for 8 hours didn't help. It still aches this morning. Saturday morning it was my qlutes, but by late last night it had migrated down to my calves. That's what still hurts the most. And tomorrow, I'm supposed to go back to the gym!

Friday night, Rod and I went to the Canucks vs Oilers game. Pretty good game, even though the Oil lost in OT. 3-2. Saturday, I worked my first weekend shift. It was a good day, even though it was a Saturday! Shouldn't have to work another one for 3-4 months so that's pretty good. After work, I went to a movie with my sister - The Pursuit of Happyness. Not bad, not great. Today was sheer laziness. A little sewing, a little cleaning, a lot of reading and sleeping. Only one day off in a row is weird, I don't feel like getting stuff done. Especially since it would have required moving my aching muscles. Bah, work tomorrow again.

Welcome 2007

2007-01-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year all!!

As usual, I made some New Year's resolutions last night. 25 mins into my first morning of the New Year and I'm still holding strong! *L*

First the review of last year's resolutions -
1) Reach and maintain Target Weight. Unfortunately no. But I do weigh less than last year and I did pretty well at going to the gym. It's part of my lifestyle now, and that's the real accomplishment.

2) Blog weekly! Well, definitely not weekly, but not too bad until the last few weeks.

3) Become a better listener. This has been a resolution of mine since I was probably old enough to understand what it meant. I really really want to do this, but I have no idea how!

4) Be debt-free for at least 4 seconds. I actually succeeded in this and it is still currently true!!

And now for 2007 -

Most importantly - 1) Reach and maintain Target Weight. I'm doing it this year. I'm setting up a bribe system even! For every pound I lose, I get to buy a book :) And when I get to my goal - a tailored leather jacket, leather boots and a tattoo will be MINE!!!! I'll be setting up a gym schedule later today and I've joined a Saturday fitness class that starts on the 13th.

Really, that's my only one. There are things I want to do this year, but it's more of a to-do list, rather than a resolution. Blog weekly, finish my 2006 scrapbook, start a 2007 one, sew more, get caught up on my millions of project ideas, quilt more, go talk to the bank about getting a mortgage (and see if what I can afford and qualify for actually get me the kind of place I want), throw monthly dinner parties since I love to host things, maintain the socialness, be open to new people (finding a new relationship would be nice, but I'm not yet in a speed dating frame of mind), make a point of seeing my grandmothers.... You get the picture.

Best wishes to you and yours for 2007! *hugs*

Hello Again

2006-12-29T22:34:00.000-08:00

I was planning to title this post The Dead Rise Again, but after just reading that Saddam Hussein was executed, I felt a need to pick a different title. I had a very odd sensation when I read that news article that I can't quite describe - but I do certainly wonder how it will affect the war.

As for why I haven't posted in a month - man, it's not been that fun. First, it started off with a nasty nasty cold. Then the death of a long time family friend of ovarian cancer (which let me tell you is NOT a good way to go. Less then 2 months from diagnosis to death.) Add in massive snow and wind storms, with power outages. My bedroom gets cold with no heat! Then there was the usual pre-Christmas rush, with pre-Christmas secrets and sewing projects. I made several sets of napkins and placemats, a nightie and a pair of boxers. The boxers were for me though. I didn't even bother putting up my tree this year, although I did put out my other Christmas decorations. My cold returned even worse than the first time around, probably due to lack of sleep, and I missed a day at work.

As Christmas approached, I was feeling better and my spirits were lifting - I was in the Christmas zone. I was really excited about most of the presents I had bought or made (especially the pantsuit I bought my mom). The week before Christmas, I went to my dad's side's family Christmas that I hadn't been to in 3 years. Much fun - although my 90 year great auntie didn't believe me when I said who I was. Not sure who she thought I was, but apparently I am not me. Christmas Eve at my mom's mom's house was really nice, although one of my uncles' family did not come because they were sick. My three year old cousin had "recovered" so his mom and he came. Christmas Day was great! Presents were lovely (books! happy books! A new hiking pack and sewing stuff!). The suit I bought my mom fit! My dad laughed at the note I included with the tool I had got him (he'll need it to fix something at my house). Our usual Christmas Day open house was nice and there were 10 people over for turkey dinner. Unfortunately, about 9pm that night, the PLAGUE that my little cousin had supposedly recovered from hit me. And my sister. And I later heard that it also got my parents, 3 uncles, 1 aunt, 2 cousins and my grandmother.... And by plague I mean a norwalk like virus. Ever had it? Then you know... If not, I don't wish this on anyone, not even my worst enemy. The only positive thing I can say - I didn't gain any weight over the holidays. The weird thing - that damn cold is back! It's a super-cold.

I have minor plans for the New Years, all depending on how I feel. I still get tired very very easily. I'm thinking dinner at my parents for their annual New Year's Eve dinner (cornish game hens, so yummy) and possibly followed by a house party if I'm still awake.

Best wishes to all of you for the New Year!

2006-11-20T23:28:00.000-08:00

So that massive storm we had last week led to the largest boil water advisory in Canadian history. My area only had the warning for a day, but it's still ongoing where my parents live. I was up there on the weekend, and it's just nasty looking. Somewhere past tea coloured and heading towards coffee. Blech. I tend to drink a lot of pop when I'm at their place anyway.

My weekend was full of craft fairs again. Three actually, including a 'Swedish Christmas Market' that my dad got a big kick out. Lots of things that reminded him of his childhood apparently. There were definitely quite a few things that are part of our family's Christmas - straw reindeer, winter gnomes, angel candle chimes, rye bread. No hardtack though, but we did share a bowl of rice pudding.

Went to the Canucks game Sunday night with Rodney - the ticket was my birthday present. Great game - 2 to 1 for the Canucks. I wore my 1990-ish Canucks jersey and cheered for the home team. I kinda want a Trevor Linden jersey :) I wonder how conflicted I'll feel at the January game when the Canucks play the Oilers.

Rambleness

2006-11-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

Poor Fuzzy, I think he's had a very hard day. I came home to find him huddled on the kitchen counter, in the corner between the knife block and the cutting boards. The Lower Mainland got hit with a massive rain and wind storm and it was crazy loud. On top of that, my building was testing all the fire protection equipment. When I left for work, Fuzz was hiding under the bed where he had been since my apartment alarms were tested. He's currently sleeping next to my office heater.

I had a really nice long weekend. 4 days off! A friend from Edmonton was in town, so we made plans with him. Friday night, we went for drinks at a bar near my place. We were hoping to play pool, but there was only 1 pool cue for 2 tables. We did get to play a few games though. Saturday, my sister and I went to the Circle Craft fair at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibit Hall. There were a lot of amazing things there - it was more of an artisan fair than a traditional craft fair. We bought a teacup shaped clay clock for my parents' as a gift for their anniversary (my mum is a tea junkie) and we each bought another item for Christmas gifts. Saturday night, R/F and Marc (the friend from Edmonton) came over for some board games. Sunday, my sister and I hit the gym together and had tea with my grandmother (what can I say...it runs in the family). That night, we took my parents out for dinner. I have no idea what I did Monday...I think it involved reading, sleeping and being lazy.

Last post, I mentioned a singer named Shawn Hlookoff. Turns out there is also a guy who sells real estate in my area by the same name! Never heard that last name before and now I've heard of two different guys in one week with it.

Ah ha! I finally remembered my reason for posting mid-week. Today is the three month mark for my moving to BC. Three months. It feels longer. But the nice part is... three months! Benefits kick in! Woohoo!

One last thing - I have a date on Saturday :)

Remembrance Day

2006-11-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

In Flanders Fields
By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918), Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

This poem was written the day after one of McCrae's closest friends, Lieut. Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, was killed.

Today I remember my family: Len G., Eddie J. and Bob D., who all fought in World World II and were fortunate enough to come home.

And today I think of my friends: Alan R. and Todd M., who have chosen to stand up for us now.

And I remember the 42 Canadian soldiers who have given their lives in Afghanistan. The 516 Canadians that died in the Korean War and the 27,000 that served. The 45,615 Canadians that died in WWII and the 1.1 million that served. The 68,260 Canadians that died in WWI and the 620,000 that served. And the 116 Canadians that died on peacekeeping missions and the more than 125,000 that served and still serve.

Thank you.

Lest we forget....

If you would like to hear a modern day tribute to soldiers, check out Shawn Hlookoff and listen to his song titled Soldier.

2006-11-05T23:47:00.000-08:00

Great week, although I spent a lot of it in traffic. Glad I decided to live closer to work because I could not do a long commute every day.

I went to up my parents on Hallowe'en and handed out candy to the 45 trick or treaters that came to their door. One little girl really stood out - I was wearing my old witch/vampire/Hades dress from 1995 and she was so excited that we were both dressed as witches. Some of the pumpkins did not survive a weekend of shrinkage but my dad put most of them out in the yard and they looked great. He got a lot of compliments on his decorations.

On Thursday, I went to my parents again for a birthday of chinese food and ice cream cake (sooo yummy). It was great having a birthday dinner with my family and my grandmothers - first time in 11 years. I got lovely presents too, several books and videos and a 19" LCD monitor!! Anyone need a perfectly functional 16" (I think. Is that an actual size?) old style (CRT?) AOC monitor? It would help a lot if you were in BC though... *L* Rod also gave me his old cd drive to replace my broken one so my computer is actually in complete working order for the first time in months. And there is space on my desk!

Saturday, I went to a party at Shivauna's house, met some more new people. Yay, socialness! Much fun was had.

I start my sessions with a personal trainer (decided I needed someone to yell at me, motivation is currently lacking) in the morning so I should go to bed.

Pumpkins!

2006-10-30T00:23:00.000-08:00

I had an absolute blast this weekend. Yesterday, I had people over for a night of pumpkin carving.... at my parents' house. *L* So why there? My dad really, really, really gets into Hallowe'en. His yard is decorated to the nth degree. The last few years my sister has carved several pumpkins herself to add to his collection and she didn't want to do it alone. I thought it would be great to make an evening of it. I asked my parents if they would mind if I invited some people over for dinner (hamburgers on the BBQ, made by Dad) and pumpkin carving. They said it was fine. I sent out a few emails, invited some cousins and some friends, told them to bring their own pumpkin if they wanted to carve one and my dad would gladly adopt it if it needed a home. I honestly did not think everyone would say yes. Most people seem to roll their eyes when I mention pumpkin carving, but this year people got into it. Although apparently the chance to have one of "Uncle Ron's" burgers was a huge draw. 15 people! I had tons of fun. Before people came, we covered the floor with tarps just in case, put up two long tables and every chair in the house. We had burgers first (soooo yummy) and then cleared off the tables for the pumpkins! Some people used stencils, some people went classic and Rod went highly creative. He made one pumpkin look like two hands clinging to the bars of a jail cell and he peeled a second pumpkin to make this glowing orb/disco ball thingie. Very odd. I carved three (my dad bought 7 pumpkins and I bought 2, so there were lots as most people also brought one or two), two classics and one using a stencil of a skull. I think 17 pumpkins got carved and my dad was left with almost all of them! I can't wait to see how he's added them to his display. And yes, there are pictures. You know where.

Today was just a quiet day of running errands, going to the gym, sewing. The usual. I'm looking forward to this week - Hallowe'en and my birthday!! Really, it's my favourite week of the year. I get to have ice cream cake!

Oh yes - earlier this week, Fuzzy's friends came visiting him again. My poor little indoor kitty gets taunted by these two outdoor kitties who just want him to come play. Well, one does anyway. I think the white fluffy one is spoiling for a fight. Anyway, I got a great pic of one of the visits!

Bowen

2006-10-23T01:08:00.000-07:00

I had an absolutely fabulous day. I met up with my family, took a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Bowen Island and spent the day outdoors. Amazing weather! It was the perfect fall day - the sun was shining, there was very little wind, and it got warm enough that I didn't even need a coat for most of the day (I was wearing a light sweater). We spent about three hours walking along the trails on the island, from the ferry dock up Alder Grove Trail to Killarney Lake Loop and coming back through the Meadow Trail. We had our brown bag lunches at the end of Killarney Lake, about our halfway point. I'm guessing about 8km, but I'm not too sure. We ended our hike with the ritual ice cream before we boarded the ferry back to the mainland. I took some really great pictures I think, as usual posted on my website . There is this really cool pic of a dragonfly, who was too wet to fly away while I took his photo.

I went back with my parents to their house and helped my dad with his Hallowe'en decorations for a while before supper. To say my dad gets into the Hallowe'en thing would be an incredible understatement. I haven't seen it in person for years obviously, so it was cool to help him. Can't wait until it's done and I can check it out. I wish I wasn't working that night, it would be a lot of fun to hand out candy.

Saturday was a pretty slow day for me, but nice anyway. I spent the day cleaning and chatting on the phone. Got to talk to both Erin and Lori and it was very very nice to catch up. I want to congratulate Erin again for finishing her half marathon earlier this month, with the fantastic time of 2:09:07. Just in case I haven't made it clear, I'm very impressed. 21 km. Eep. I also want to share the exciting news that Baby M has added both crayon and table to his vocab! It sucks not getting to see him grow, but I have to admit that this Vancouver thing is working out for me quite well.

Trying to think if anything else happened this week that I can share - sewing? Did some. Work? Yep, I went. Have stories, can't tell them as usual. Gym? Still there.... Going to try to crank up my work outs this week and I plan to get a personal trainer. My motivation has been lacking and I think I'm going to need someone kicking my ass through the Christmas season.

Delayed post

2006-10-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

Oops, forgot to post last night. I was very very sleepy if that will serve as an excuse.

I had a great week at work as it was only 3 days long. My favourite kind of work week! I have now officially finished all my training. Very cool.

I also had a really nice weekend. Spent a relaxing Friday pretty much doing nothing. Had a massage, sewed a lot. Saturday, I had lunch with my sister, my cousins and Shivauna at a really nice sushi restaurant. We ordered a bunch of different rolls - a yam roll (very very tasty), a caterpillar roll (based on appearance, not contents - it has layers of avocado across the top), a spider roll (again on appearance - it has crab legs sticking out of each end, very creepy but tasty), california roll, and something else that I can no longer remember. Later that day, Shivauna and I went up to a party in Squamish at her friend's house. I had a great time, met some new people, went hot tubbing. We stayed the night (we had brought sleeping bags), and drove home in the morning. Even with the low clouds and rain, the view up there is just amazing. Lots of construction taking place on that road, but it has improved since the last time I remember going up there. Sunday, I had lunch with Rod and Fancy at a restaurant near their place.

Almost finished the first of my Christmas projects. This one is for me, so I don't know if it even counts. I have bought so much fabric lately. I need to ban myself from fabric stores again.

Andrea gave me some books to lend to Rod - Belgarath and Polgara. I decided to read them first *L*. I read the Belgariad and the Mallorean (I think I got those right), but never had any urge to read any more. But I have a very low TBR pile right now, and these just fell into my hands.

Ack, forgot to put my laundry in the dryer.

food is tasty

2006-10-09T00:17:00.000-07:00

Should have typed this earlier, I'm too tired now. I love long weekends. I don't have to go to work tomorrow!

And... it's Turkey Weekend. On Saturday, I had people over to my house for dinner. My sister came over early and we cooked the meal together. 5.85 kg turkey, bread stuffing with onions, celery and carrots, yams in a brown sugar and orange juice glaze, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, buns and salad. For dessert, we made apple tarts in phyllo pastry. Shivauna also made a great peach and blueberry cobbler. A nice basic dinner for eight :)

Sunday night, I had a big family dinner at my grandmother's with even more dishes. There was a pureed yam and apple side dish and a pineapple fluff dessert that I really need to get the recipes for. Yummy.

I could type about sewing and going to the gym, but now all I can think about is food.

Kudos go out to Erin today. I haven't talked to her yet so I don't know how it went, but today was the Victoria half-marathon. I'm sure she did great, but in any event, congrats for being ambitious enough to even contemplate it!

Wow, October First already.....

2006-10-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty nice weekend. Friday, I had a little adventure. I drove to Langley. Ok, so it's just the next community over but a big deal for me as I hate to drive places I haven't been. I needed to hit fabricland and it was the closest one (I think....) I had to turn LEFT across Hwy 10. *whines* People are scary. Construction zones are horrifying. I like being a passenger better, but I love being able to go when I want to go. I spent the rest of the day sewing and figured out how to heat my apartment this winter. Using the iron and the halogen lamp in my sewing room makes that room darn hot. Hothothot. I worked on pillows for my couch/day bed thingie. I only had enough scraps from the curtains (which I finished earlier this week) to make one 18" pillow. I also made 2 22" pillows and another 18" one, using the same fabric as the old 16" cushions I have. I need so many pillows to make the day bed narrower so I can actually lean against the cushions and have my feet on the floor.

Saturday, I met up with friends and went to the Telus World of Science. We saw an Imax movie on Greece and went to the Body Worlds 3 exhibit. If you haven't heard of it, it's an "stunning exhibit featuring almost 200 authentic human specimens preserved using the extraordinary method of Plastination". Donated human bodies. I know it sounds really morbid, but I found it hard to remember that they were real and not just incredibly detailed models. Although I found it really interesting, I only spent an hour looking at the exhibit. It was really crowded and I didn't find that part enjoyable. I think I would have spent more time if I had gone on a Wednesday instead of a Saturday. I also thought it was over priced. If it had just been the regular Science World price, I would have been fine, but it was an extra 10 bucks for the special exhibit.

Saturday night, Rod and I went to a pre-season hockey game at GM Place, Canucks versus the Oilers. It was so strange to be cheering for the away team! Nice game, with the Oilers taking it in overtime. Today was a quiet day. I had tea at my grandma's, went to the gym, and finished the last of my couch pillows. Onto the next project! Well, tomorrow anyway....

I feel like complaining

2006-09-24T23:31:00.000-07:00

If you are one of the very few people who read this and have been to my house, you know my toilets are very very hard to flush. You have to push hard on the handle to an effort to defeat the vacuum seal in the tank. Earlier this week I broke the handle off! I can still flush, but I have to lift the lid to do so.

Bah.

Saw Gridiron Gang last night with my sister. I give it 3 out of 5, but I admit to liking sports movies in general. Even when they star The Rock. But the movie led to other things that bug me:

People who think their views on the movie DURING the movie will add to my entertainment experience.

Morons who can't disconnect for two whole hours and text message throughout the movie. Although I actually think this particular guy was perhaps recording the movie onto his cell phone because he kept holding it above his head. The blue light from the screen is so distracting!

And my popcorn was really salty!!

Things that bug me as a driver:

Peope who don't use stop lines and like to drift out into traffic!!! Rolling stops are one thing, but dude, you nearly plowed into me and I'm the one on the main street. Used my horn for the first time.

Pedestrians who jay walk. I think I should be allowed to hit them. Especially the old lady with the WALKER who decided to jaywalk!!!

People who actually do 50 in an 80 zone. Seriously. On the highway. And no, there wasn't any traffic in front of him, just behind him....

I'm sure this list will grow....

Best rumour of the week, with a strong likelyhood of being TRUE since it is in offical court documents - Belinda Stronach, Liberal MP, and Tie Domi, Toronto Leafs enforcer, having an affair! Man, I laughed out loud....

blahblahblah

2006-09-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

Excellent news - I finally finished my living room curtains! I think I like them, but I'm not 100% sure yet. I still have to make the matching roman shade for the patio door and possibly some cushions for the couch (aka the spare bed...). Then I'm moving onto my Christmas projects! Yes, that's right. I have a long list of things I want to make and a large number of them involve my favourite thing of all - hand sewing.

I had a really nice weekend. I had Friday off and spent it running errands and I went shopping with my mum. Friday night, my high school girl friends and I had a sleepover. Very old school, much laughing involved. Saturday, my sister, Rod, Fancy and I tried an Italian restaurant near my house. I thought it was quite good, but when they warn you of large portions, they really mean it. I think I could share a pasta dish with 3 people. We played a few board games after dinner and my sister stayed over. This morning, we went for a workout and a swim and then I spent the rest of the day sewing.

So I must say after a week of being a car owner, I'm loving it. The fall weather is settling in and it was very sweet being able to get groceries without having to walk in the rain. No twenty five minute waits at creepy bus stations! No two hour ride to see my parents. Of course, I haven't filled up the tank yet, so we will see how much I love it after that.

Random points

2006-09-10T23:48:00.000-07:00

I desperately need a break from sewing my curtains. I'm currently trying to turn a 15 foot long tube of fabric right side out to make curtain tabs and it's very boring. These curtains are taking forever. So much fabric! One panel is mostly done, except for the tabs and the bottom hem, but the second panel still needs side and top hems. I can't believe how much thread I'm going through.

I had a nasty moment this evening. I was walking into the kitchen when I saw a dark spot in the corner. At first I thought I had dropped something, but then it moved. Another damn spider - this one about an inch and a half wide. And bulky, not delicate like a daddy long legs. I used my boot to kill it. Why doesn't my cat torture and murder them like most pets I've had before?

Vancouver weather hit on Saturday for the first time since I moved here. I actually took my umbrella when I ran my errands. It felt like fall - a light rain, crunchy brown leaves beneath my feet as I walked. Of course, today was summer again, gorgeous and warm.

I had a nice weekend, even with the little bit of rain. I spent Saturday cooking for my first dinner party in my new place. I had my grandmothers, a family friend, my parents and my sister over for salad, homemade dinner rolls, roast chicken with rosemary, thyme and lemon, roast potatoes and carrots, green beans, and pavlova with strawberries and blueberries. First time I made a roast chicken, but since I've made turkeys, I figured it had to be pretty much the same. I think everything turned out well and I was especially proud of the pavlova since I rarely bake. Today I made chicken stock from the leftovers so I can make soup sometime.

I went to the gym this morning and had a good workout - in addition to my usual, I went swimming and swam slightly more than the distance needed for the sprint triathlon in March. I need to half my time though, so I will have to really concentrate on swimming. I'm thinking about taking adult swim lessons so I can actually learn to do it properly. Maybe in October or November as I'm already taking a weight training class starting later this month. I did learn something valuable today - if I go for a run first, I need to stretch before going in the pool, otherwise the cold water results in hideous leg cramps. Much ouchie.

Ah yes - my big news. You may have noticed my whining about the transit system. I gave in to convenience (seriously, 2 hour bus rides?) and safety worries (25 minute waits in the dark, in crappy neighbourhoods) and got a car! It's a 1998 Ford Escort, in green. It's in really great condition, with only 97000 kms on it. I really like it and it's very comfortable to drive. Funny that I got an Escort though - my first car was a 1993 Escort in blue. I thought I'd maybe like something like an Echo or a Focus, but out of all the cars I test drove (I only drove cars in my price range, no point in dreaming), the Escort was my favourite. Now I just have to be careful not to turn into one of those people who drive to the corner store.

Long Weekend

2006-09-05T00:05:00.000-07:00

Phew. This long weekend actually felt long. This was probably my first real long weekend in years since I was working part time before and frequently had several days off in a row. When I was working nights, I worked every second weekend no matter what. So technically this weekend was a three day break. How come I don't feel rested?

I woke up on Saturday almost an hour earlier than my usual workday as I had an early morning appointment (after staying up to 330am reading Time Traveler's Wife - great book!). When I got home, I spent a few hours cleaning before hopping on a bus for the two hour ride to my grandmother's - a bus, the skytrain, the seabus and another bus. Oh the joy. It was worth it though, as I had a lovely cup of tea (what can I say, we're British!), a piece of chocolate cake and a long chat with her. My parents and sister picked me up from there and we went to the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). It's a lot like K-days - rides, a midway, exhibition halls and performers. We wandered around for hours, had supper listening to some mandolin players, watched the Superdogs (way more amusing than I thought possible), resisted spending a fortune on useless junk, and ended the night with an ice cream cone.

My sister came home with me and spent the weekend at my house. We went for a workout and a swim Sunday morning, checked out the mall, had Rod and Fancy over for some board games, and watched Hidalgo. Monday morning, we took the bus back to my parents (AGAIN) and met up with them and grandmother for a walk through Lynn Valley Headwaters - a really incredible area. We went for about four hours, and had lunch in a sunny spot in the middle of the forest. Lots of people on the trails as the weather was gorgeous.

I've been trying to make curtains for my living room but haven't got very far. So much fabric to fold and iron and hem. I want to finish them by Saturday though as I'm hoping to have my first dinner party. I'll have to make a serious effort!

Fuzzy is famous!

2006-08-31T23:24:00.000-07:00

I submitted a pic of fuzz to a comedy/pet website and it got posted.

Hopefully this link will work - Stuff on my Cat .

End of My Second Week Here

2006-08-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it's official. Today was the end of my first week at my new job. Good news - I think I like it. (This is where I typed a bunch of job stuff, remembered my confidentiality agreement and deleted it. I'm sure it was fine as there was no patient information or mention of company policy, but hey, you never know.)

So the only thing that sucks about my job is the getting there! The bus system out here is not good at all - it takes at least 2 buses to get anywhere. On my very first day my bus got stuck in a traffic jam due to an accident and I ended up missing my connection. So I decided to take a cab to make sure I wasn't late. Not on my first day! Coming home is very annoying as I have a 20 minute wait for my second bus. Not that it would make a difference, but I should write translink and ask them to run that bus every 15 minutes instead of every half hour. Every time I take it, it's packed full, barely any standing room left.

I haven't done much else this week, just a few things around my new place. Tomorrow I plan to join the gym and get a library card. Buy some curtain rods to make living room curtains. Still need to get my bike tire fixed. I'm also planning to visit my grandmothers as I haven't seen them yet. Sounds like a thrilling weekend!

The Long Blog

2006-08-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm more or less settled in and thought it was time for an update! So much has happened in the 9 days since my last post....

Last Saturday, I spent the day running around Edmonton, getting a bunch of last minute things done. One of which was getting a haircut - I loved my stylist and I hate the thought of trying to find a new one who knows what do with my thick wavy hair that does not like humidity. That night, I went to BPs on Whyte for one last gathering. Most of my friends managed to make it and I spent the night chatting away. It was really great seeing everyone before I left, although I was so tired from packing that I went home not long after midnight.

Sunday was full of last minute packing and taking apart furniture to have it all ready to go in the morning. Dad and I went out for supper on Whyte as I had a craving for Julio's nachos. Yummmm. We also went for a walk through my old neighbourhood before heading home.

Monday morning, I woke up at 430am, ready and raring to go. We couldn't pick up the truck until 8am so there wasn't a lot I could do at that point!! The loading up went really well, as Rob, Lori and Baby M came over to help. Baby M was so cute. He walked up and down the hallways with us as we took down carts of boxes for my Dad and Rob to load. I honestly didn't know how it was all going to fit into a 16 foot truck but somehow my dad figured it out. I can't imagine what he would have done if I had kept the ancient couch!

We were ready to go about 1230, and after a few almost tearful hugs and the stuffing of one cat into a cage, we were on the road. We had lots of healthy and unhealthy snacks for the road - sandwiches, fruit, cold pop, water, licorice. What it is about road trips that give me the munchies?? Fuzz cried for a little over an hour, mostly while we drove out of the city. He didn't take long to settle down after we got on the highway, but he was clearly sulking. He sat right at the back of his box with this attitude of "If you're going to ignore me, I'm going to ignore you too". Our first stop was in Hinton, after about 3.5 hours on the road. Just a quick washroom break and a diesel fill up. The weather started getting crazy after that and we went through some very very very heavy rain. After another 3 hours or so, we stopped in Blue River just to get out of the truck and use the washroom again (must.stop.drinking.liquid). As we were driving out of there, a lightning storm started up. It was amazing, although quite freaky. We actually saw a lightning bolt strike the side of the mountain and start a fire. We would have called it in, but no cell service of course. From there, the weather got even crazier. Even heavier rain and large hail. It was so bad at one point that we couldn't even see the front of the truck and my dad had to pull over. It looked like the road was flooding out in spots. Once we got going again, we drove through a section that had had so much hail, it looked like it snowed. We pulled into Kamloops around 10pm Alberta time, so roughly 9 hours of driving. Fuzz started crying when we got back into the city, I think because of the stop and go motions of the truck. We got diesel so we wouldn't need it in the morning and it took two tries to find a vacant hotel. We stayed over night at the Best Western and Fuzz was very excited to get out of his cage. He explored the room for a bit and settled in pretty well. The next morning I was up by 5am BC time. We had decided to have breakfast at the hotel's restaurant before leaving and it didn't even open until 6, so once again I was awake too early! After breakfast, we went back to our room and I was surprised by how easily Fuzz went back into his cage. He clearly didn't like it, but he hardly fought at all. Once back in the truck, he didn't cry for the first half hour and then he got really cranky. He kept crying and sticking his paw out the bars at the front, which he hadn't done at all the day before. At one point when I leaned down to check on him, I realized the floor was really hot. We were going through a really mountainous area and the engine was obviously working too hard. For the next 4 hours, I kept his cage on my lap. We drove straight through to the Lower Mainland and my new apartment!

The first thing I did when I got here was find a good place to put Fuzz's litter box and let him out inside the laundry room. After that, I actually got a look around. It's a really nice place - 1083 square feet, 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, a breakfast nook, a galley kitchen and a long living room/dining room with a gas fireplace. Only problem - smells like cat pee. The previous renters clearly had pets with problems. The first time my dad viewed the apartment, the carpets were being cleaned so it smelled like rug cleaner. The second time they were painting. Not much I can do really, although I've spent the last few days using stain remover, odour remover and carpet deodorizer. I think I've weakened it, or perhaps I'm just adapting. If I invite people over for supper, I'll just make really strong smelling food to drown it out :)

The unloading went great as one of my uncles helped us. 6 days later, everything but my china is unpacked and that will be finished tonight. My dad's helped me with a bunch of things like putting my furniture back together, hanging pictures and extra shelves, and a few little fix-its. My landlord is away for a few weeks so I haven't met him yet.

I've also explored my neighbourhood and it looks really great - lots of shopping and restaurants within walking distance. I've found the bank, the library and the gym (although I haven't joined yet, it's on the list of things to do this week). I took the bus to my new job to make sure I know how to get there. Long ride, but not really that bad. I like to read anyway.

I've already seen my friends a couple of times - Rod and Fancy stopped by Wednesday night to check out the new place. There was a party at Shivauna's house Friday night so I got to see the girls and meet some of her friends. My sister came too. Saturday I had dinner at my parents' house and my sister and I went to see Snakes on the Plane. Honestly, it was the most entertaining movie I have seen in a long time. Five stars. Worth every penny. I'm mildly scared of snakes, although I wouldn't freak out if I saw one here since we basically only have garter snakes. So I jumped about a million times during the movie, screaming and laughing at the same time. I highly highly recommend seeing it - no, it's not a classic in sense of Gone With The Wind, but I think it will definitely be a cult classic along the lines of Rocky Horror Picture Show.

My new job starts in the morning! Nervous. I think it will be what makes this move feel real though. It doesn't yet. Sure, I'm in my own place, but it feels a bit like a vacation still. I have this feeling of "i'll be going home soon". I'm sure I won't by 5pm tomorrow though!

Live From Edmonton

2006-08-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well amigos, I have a feeling I'll be packing up my beloved computer tomorrow so I thought I should make one last blog post from Edmonton.

I had a really nice day today, my last day at work. When I came in this morning, there were some signs posted around saying Good Luck/Farewell etc. I also had a vase full of carnations and baby's breath on my bench! I spent the day training my replacement and then we had an afternoon coffee break with cake and lots of treats. My co-workers gave me some cards, a company water bottle, a company bag, a HBC gift card and a really nice wall plaque. It was lovely. I got a bit teary as everyone was saying goodbye. I worked there for 6.5 years as I started right after I graduated from university.

Can't help reminiscing about all my time here in Edmonton. It will be just two weeks shy of 11 years. I moved here at the end of August 1995 and moved into Lister Hall. I remember the first person I met (Donald, wearing a white and purple bathrobe) and my first Edmonton bar (BPs). I remember Lori insisting we had to go to MH to met those cute guys. My obsession with checking my messages. The time I shaved my eyebrows. And my head. Manson's fish killing spree. The Goddard-Baydak Discipline Centre. My first real apartment with the weird stain on the kitchen floor, but so conveniently located across the street from BPs. My first big move when I moved downtown, where for the first time everything I owned didn't fit into the back seat of a car. I love my current apartment, can't believe I've lived here for almost 6 years. Kind of odd that it finally looks like I've always wanted it too, and I've sold it. But it's time to go home. I only meant to stay for university, but when I graduated, I wasn't ready to leave the life I had built here. All my friends. I really loved my years here in Edmonton, but I just feel a need to be closer to my family. When they were here in April, I almost left with them then. I tried to get to them to move out here, but my mother has serious issues with Alberta weather.

It will be nice to be home, but it will be weird too. 11 years gone. Glad I have my own place and I don't have to live with my parents!! I just can't believe there is only 2 full days left....

one new thing done

2006-08-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

I have an announcement.

I, who willingly admits to being the greatest yellow bellied chicken in existence, finally overcome my fear and rode Marc's motorcycle tonight.

Yeah, I'll probably never do that again.

All we did was ride around the parking lot and my little side street, but any time he got over 30, I had to yell at him to slow down. My hands still hurt from clutching at the little handhold bars.

Can't believe I rode a motorbike.

As for the rest - packing still continues! ARGHHHHHHHHH! Only two more days left work. 4 days to go...

An Unexciting Update

2006-08-07T19:36:00.000-07:00

Really not much to say, unless you want me to go into detail regarding my packing. It's painful! I don't consider myself to be a packrat at all, so how do I have so much stuff? And I gave 2 boxes away to a garage sale this past week, and quite a bit to charity when we did the renos. It's going okay, but there is still a lot to do. But now I'm at the point where I wonder if I can pack the object in question. Will I need this lamp in the next week? How many plates/glasses/items of clothing should I leave out?

And then there was the exciting moment when I couldn't find my thick black marker and I realized I had packed it in the box I just sealed....

In other thrilling news, I finished my antibiotics. Yeehaw.

Went for a long walk with Erin and Kim today. From Whyte and 109 Street down to Hawerlak (hmm, that looks wrong, apparently I've never looked at the sign) Park for a wander through the Heritage Days tents, across the river and up Victoria Park hill and down to 110 St. They split off to go have supper (and then walk back), but I had an appointment in Oliver Square. Almost 3 hours. And I went to the gym this morning. Good girl.

Ok, enough boring news. Make me pack more.

Happy News!

2006-07-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

I got an apartment!!!!! I haven't seen it obviously, but my dad viewed it and said it was really nice. I found it through an online ad in the Vancouver Sun. What I know about it - 2 bedroom, 2 bath, ground floor condo apartment with a patio, insuite laundry and dishwasher. Takes cats! It even has two parking spots which will be nice for visitors. It's available for the 15th so there will be no awkwardness with the move. Just leave here on the 14th and take my stuff straight there.

*happy dance of joy*

If you want my new contact info, just send me an email!

Two weeks to go

2006-07-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a long two weeks. A couple of days after Erin's stagette, I started feeling achy and tired. At first I thought it was just a summer cold, but it was very unpleasant. I went home early on Wednesday because I so tired. Worked Thursday, but called in sick Friday because my throat was so sore I could barely swallow. On Saturday it felt like I tried to swallow a golf ball and it got stuck. I thought about going to a medicentre to see a doctor, but on Sunday it seemed to be getting a bit better. Besides, I figured it was probably viral and there was nothing they could do for me. I went to work Monday because I didn't feel sick - my throat was still a bit sore but other than that, I thought I was fine. An hour after I started work, I started feeling dizzy and passed out. We have an employee nurse on staff and she came and took me to the first aid room. Apparently, my blood pressure was 88/56. Pretty low. After I recovered enough to walk, I went to a medicentre. Had my throat swabbed since it still hurt, my pressure taken again (98/60, coming up!), and blood collected. They called me on Tuesday (I stayed home again) and told me I had an infection. Yep, figured that out. Wednesday they called (I went to work that day) and it turns out I had strep throat. Never had that before, never ever want to again. I started antibiotics that day and my throat stopped hurting Thursday. Antibiotics are wonderful!!!

So other than being sick, I haven't much to say. Was mildly social with Erin and Kim on Friday - we went to the gym, out for coffee and then visited the boys who had a Starcraft tournament. It tired me out though and I spent Saturday sleeping. Apparently I wasn't quite all the way well yet. Felt okay today though and went to the gym again with Erin.

Haven't got much packing done since I felt so horrible. Most of my books are packed though and that's a decent dent. My 1970s fabulous couch and matching chair are gone now. I donated them to a friend's garage sale and they were picked up on Thursday. I think they were the very first thing I bought when I moved out of rez, but I'm not sure. I can't remember if Nancy (my first roommate) had a couch when we lived on Whyte. I do remember that I got the couch, the chair, a coffee table and 2 end tables for 100 bucks though - what a deal :) I have my Ikea day bed/spare bed in the living room now so I can have somewhere to sit. It looks quite odd, but it works for now.

Oh, and the condo has been sold. Had three offers the night after the first sale went through, all very close to each other. Accepted one and it was final that week. Good news. Still working on the place to live part, hoping to hear good news tomorrow.

Only 2 weeks left before the move. Eep.

The One Where Erin and Todd Get Married

2006-07-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

This post is just to send out my best wishes to Erin and Todd, who are getting married this afternoon. Congratulations to both of you!

A health to you,
A wealth to you,
And the best that life can give to you.
May fortune still be kind to you.
And happiness be true to you,
And life be long and good to you,
Is the toast of all your friends to you.

moving details update

2006-07-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

I ache absolutely everywhere. I'm hoping it is just tension and that I'm not getting sick. Tension? Why tension? A million little details of course, and a few major ones.

First, the condo sale fell through yesterday. My realtor told me at 5pm and by 730pm, there were already 3 showings lined up for today. Which meant some frantic cleaning (ok, my place is pretty good, but I'd been shredding documents and had confetti everywhere. Not to mention the ol' litter box.) I think there was 5-6 showings in total and I had 3 offers again tonight. I accepted one of them so hopefully it's taken care of it for good this time.

I still don't have a place to live in BC yet, but my mum filled out a rental application for me today. I think it was a place I found in Vancouver Sun and she viewed it today. First place she's liked out of the ones I've had her go to, so hopefully they pick me! 2 bedroom apartment in New West, takes cats. That last part is all that really matters to me!

In the good news category, I won Cracker Cats tickets at work. My first and last Cracker Cat game will be Thursday. I haven't been to a baseball game since I was a kid. My poppa used to take us. Trying to remember if I liked it...

I think I'm going to be lame and go to bed before 10pm.

The Weekend

2006-07-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Wow - what a weekend. Friday night, Lori and I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. I really enjoyed it but I hate when a Part II movie ends on such a note that you forced to see Part III (and spend a year waiting for it!). It was really great hanging out with Lori and I hope we get to hang out a bunch more in the next couple of weeks. Before the movie, she came over and raided my Wee Book Inn and garage sale boxes. I'm being absolutely ruthless with what I take with me. It must serve a purpose.

Saturday night was Erin's stagette, arranged by her friends Jamie and Anne. Great night out. We started out at Erin's house where they gave her a hot dog toaster as a gift! I had no idea they even made those. They then gave her the traditional stagette gifts to wear - tiara, beads, blowup doll etc. First, we went to Pub 1905 for a few beers and burgers. Then off to Cook County! We had a stagette package so the price included quite a few free drinks and a bottle of nasty champagne. I danced to the few non-country songs they played, but Erin two-stepped quite a bit. Lots of fun.

The weekend before we had a kind of bridal shower/girls' day out for Erin. Erin, Kim, Kate and I went for a 3 hr hike in the Elk Island National Park, followed by a picnic. We then wandered around the interpretive area, and joined a bunch of kids in a lakeside program where we caught some water life - minnows, leeches, snails and various bugs. It was strangely fun! We drove back to the city (it's about an hour from my place), had showers at our individual homes to get rid of the layers of sunscreen and bug spray, and then went out for supper on Whyte. Just a casual, lovely day.

Pics are posted as usual :)

The Camping Entry

2006-07-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

All pics are posted on my website, check them out if you feel like it.

The following entry is my nightly journal typed up.

Thursday, June 29

Left North Van this morning only a bit after our intended target of 9am. It was funny though - we stopped to get Shivauna and we all got out while S finished getting things. AJ and I got back in the car with dad and he pulled away - without Shivauna. She'd gone back inside for a last minute bathroom break.
It was about a 2.5 hour drive to Lightning Lakes in Manning Park. Nothing eventful. Got spot #30, looks very nice. After setup and lunch, S, Dad, AJ and I went for a bit of a walk around the parking lot to Lone Duck Beach and then to Lightning Lakes Day Use Area and back. Very pretty. Lots of hoary marmots.
After supper, S, Dad, AJ and I drove to the Rein Orchard Trail and went for about a 20 minute walk. Had hot dogs and marshmallows around the campfire and went to bed about 11pm. Rained during the night.

Friday, June 30

Hiked Heather Trail to just before the First Brother/Third Brother junction. About 9.5km in/9.5km out. Drove to the upper parking lot, hiked down to Buckhorn Wilderness Camp and then UPUPUP to the Bonnevier junction. Then from the junction across the meadows to just before the First Brother junction and had lunch. Then back, downdowndown and a little bit more upupup. I spent a lot of time looking at flowers - western anemone, glacier lily, red indian paintbrush, yellow cinquefoil, blue lupine and others I can't identify. Million pics. Took us about 5.5 to 6 hrs. Fell asleep on the drive down.
Just being hanging out at camp since. Going for a walk around camp after dinner.

Saturday, July 1

Hiked around the Lightning Lakes Chain. From Spruce Bay, down the west side to Flash Lake, around Flash, up along Lightning again to Lone Duck. Didn't see too many people until we got close to the Lightning Lake Day Use area. Tons of people there. We also saw deer.
I actually went for a run after dinner! About 1.5km I think, so not very far, but I did go at least.

Sunday, July 2

Today was Strawberry Flats/Three Falls. About 9km. The first section through Strawberry Flats was very flat with lots of flowers. Shadow Falls was okay, then downhill to Nepopekum Falls (which was across the river, so fairly far away), then more downhill to Derek Falls (nice!). Had to cross 2 talus slopes (rock falls). We had lunch at Derek, sitting on the rocks, then back uphill to Shadow and through Strawberry Flats back to the car.
Just spent the afternoon reading and lying in the sun. The squirrels and marmots got very brave and were running up to us.

Monday, July 3

Did Skagit River trail today, starting at the Sumallo Grove to the 6km marker. We took 2 side trips, one to see an old cabin,Ford truck,mine entrance and waterfall. The other was about 10-15 minutes along a very unmarked trail, uphill, to see the rhondrodren grove, but the rhondrodrens we passed were not in bloom and we decided to turn back before reaching the heart of the grove as the trail was becoming very narrow and very uphill. Lots of logs to go over or under. Most of the main trail was quite flat, except between the 5-6 km markers. Had lunch at Delacy camp on the way back. On the way in, we saw a deer at Delacy. Dad got very close. Total bear country too, but we never saw one. We did see old scat and markings though. Found some ripe salmonberries. About 13km in total, 4.5 hours. AJ didn't come on this one as her knee was really bothering her.
I saw a shooting star just before bed. I'm taking it as a omen that this is the right decision.

Tuesday, July 4

Got off very early today, before 9am. A little rain storm just as we were waking up, but it didn't really bother us as we packed. Time to go home!

All Hands, Abandon Ship

2006-07-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of entries lately, but I've been on vacation. I spent about 6 beautiful days camping with my family in Manning Park, BC, and I stayed a few more days in Vancouver. I took a million pictures, which I am currently working on and will upload eventually. I've just been way too busy to do it lately as there are so many things going on!

While I was in Vancouver, I went on 3 job interviews. I have since accepted a job in a lab in Surrey, working in their hematology department. It starts in late August which really isn't that far away. There is so much to do! I have been frantically chipping away at my to-do list. So far, I've given notice at my current job, listed my apartment for sale, sold my apartment (in about 6 hours), and started looking for a place to live in BC. And those are just the big things, never mind all the little picky details. Frankly, I've been going nuts! I can't believe how fast all of this is going. It's pretty exciting though!

Nice week

2006-06-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

Can't say I did very much this week. I was very lazy. I'm slowly crossing things off my to-do list, but it is a very very slow process. Mostly I just went for walks and took naps. Can't complain though, it's been lovely!

Had a great time last night. I had both a friend's birthday and a friend's stagette to go to. Luckily, they choose bars that were only 9 blocks apart. I went to Steve's birthday for 8, hung out with him for an hour and then walked down to the Iron Horse to meet up with Sarah and her friends. That was a lot of fun for me, mostly because of the ego boost. Several of the people I knew there hadn't seen me since 2003 and even the ones I currently work with hadn't seen me in street clothes in a very long time. I got many many compliments :) I stayed there for about an hour and a half, and then walked back up to Steve's party. By this time, pretty much the entire crowd was there, so we spent the night chatting away. I had my usual difficulties in calling a cab, so just about everyone walked me to Whyte to flag one down and we actually got one very quickly. Posted some pics already.

I went for a walk with Erin today and I met her new baby hamster, Giselle. She's a sweetie. I held her and I even liked it! (I'm not a hamster person, previously the hamsters always made me a bit nervous.) She's very tiny and quite cute.

Thanks for all the fish

2006-06-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it's the morning after Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. I'm a bit sad, but mostly I'm just impressed. Really, no matter how diehard a fan you are, who would have predicted we would have made it so far? The Edmonton Oilers were the eighth seed team in the Western Conference. I remember the talk about whether or not they'd even make the playoffs. Then that eighth seed spot meant we were facing the Detroit Red Wings, their 124 points to our 95. But somehow they pulled it together and pulled it off, making the Oilers the only eighth place team to get so far. To all the players, especially Fernando Pisani, Chris Pronger, Ryan Smyth, Dwayne Roloson, and Jussi Markkanen, thank you for giving us a ride to remember.

As for Fernando - I had to work both game 6 and 7. But it turned out to be quite fun as my coworkers keep singing a version of Abba's Fernando but keep using Pisani instead of Fernando. Then yesterday I heard the Bear's (a local radio station) version, which amused me greatly. The lyrics had been changed to reflect hockey and the playoffs. Just tried to find a version online, but couldn't.

Congratulations also go to Cam Ward - the 22 year old rookie goalie from Sherwood Park, Alberta who won the Conn Smythe MVP trophy. He's only the fourth rookie to win it and the second youngest after Patrick Roy.

In other odd news - Jenny Craig's just been bought by Nestle. Maybe they will provide more chocolate treats!

Thank you hockey gods

2006-06-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

Had a nice weekend. Watched the hockey game with a friend (go boys go!!) and then we went to see Prairie Home Companion. A cute but odd Robert Altman movie. Some weird, out of left field twists. The Bad Joke song with Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly was very very funny. I only gave it 3.5 stars out of 5, but mostly because it left me wanting more. I just felt there was more story that could have been told, a little bit more detail needed.

I'm really proud of how I did this week, sticking to my diet/exercise routine. I actually worked out every day for the last 6 days! I can't believe how hard running is again, after a 3 week hiatus. It's just brutal. I'm hoping the improvement will come quickly since my body should know what to do. My endurance just lacks this week though. I still got in good workouts though, just not continuous running.

I finished an interesting book this week. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. It talks about the effect fast food chains have had on America's culture, economy, diet, and landscape. The sections on meatpacking were very detailed and disturbing, although I mostly knew that already. I very rarely eat fast food, and I won't eat it any less than I currently do, but I admit that I was very grateful that I was already planning to eat vegetarian that day. It was a really great read and I recommend it.

06/06/06

2006-06-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

I listen to a late night talk show called Coast to Coast AM. The show's themes are conspiracy theories, alien abductions, paranormal subjects, etc. I love it. Sometimes I take it seriously, sometimes I find it very funny. So after several years of listening to this show, I was eagerly awaiting today's date - just in case. June 6, 2006. 6/6/6. Well, the whole world didn't end, but my little world took a major beating. I woke up this morning to discover that Dwayne Roloson, the Edmonton Oilers' star goalie, is out of the rest of the Stanley Cup Final series with a sprained knee. That sound you heard was an entire town screaming. Losing Roli is our worst nightmare! Our backup goalies haven't played since March. I still have faith, but it's shaken. There's going to be some serious on the edge of my seat watching over the next little while.

Phew!

2006-06-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

Wow - talk about a couple of crazy busy weeks!

First, my sister came for a visit and we had a blast. I attempted to budget for the weekend, but completely blew it as we moved into the malls. We went to West Ed on Friday, Southgate on Saturday and City Centre on Sunday. We also saw two movies (Over the Hedge and Kinky Boots). Saturday night, we had a little pub crawl down Whyte. It was an odd night on Whyte as there was a game the night before and the night after and it seemed like people were home resting up. Add in some rain and Whyte was just dead. Nice for us though - we ended up going to 6 bars as there were no lines! BP's, Thirsty Turtle, Funky Buddha, Hudson's, Wooly Bully's and Pub 1905. We had a lot of fun and got along great - not having to share a bathroom probably helped a lot :)

Shortly after my sister left, my dad showed up for some serious work around the place. It's too bad the work required me to pack up my computer because I had some great blog thoughts while I was working. I learned some valuable lessons like when someone asks if you need a shower, never answer "later". When "later" arrives, one bathtub will be full of packing boxes and the other will be blocked by large furniture items. Also, five minutes after both toilets are removed, you will need to use them! We (and by that, I mean mostly my dad) accomplished a lot. New carpets, new vinyl, new doors, new casings, new baseboards, painted ceilings, painted walls, plus a million fix it jobs. I think my place looks amazing!

Everything is back where it belongs finally, although I still have a few touch-ups to do. I intend to do them today, I really do. If you are interested, I posted pics of the place and of my sister's visit on my home page.

Summer already?

2006-05-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

It seems so strange that it is still light out and it's after 9pm. Even weirder that it's 24C. How did it get to be summer so early this year?

So first off - Congratulations go out to Heather, my old roomie. She submitted an abstract to a conference in Spain in hopes of doing a poster session and got picked for a full presentation! In case I haven't told you lately, damn girl, you are smart! I'm so proud of how you are doing! Heather was visiting for a couple of weeks and I had a great time. We went shopping, watched playoff hockey, played board games, played frisbee, went for a walk on Whyte and eventually ended up at Julio's. Yummy nachos. There are a couple of pics of her visit on the main page.

Next, congratulations go to mememememememe! I ran my first 5k race on Sunday. My goals were to run the whole way, which I did, and to do it in less than 35 mins, which I did. 34:50 to be precise. I placed 108 out of 285, and 22 out of 50 in my age/gender group. It was a lot of fun and I'm currently trying to decide if I want to sign up for another 5k at the end of the summer and concentrate on my speed or if I want to do a 10k and work on endurance. Hopefully, there will be pics from my race as well. Heather and Erin were at the finish line and Heather took some. There was also a pro photographer taking pics that haven't been posted yet.

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted so I'm trying to remember if there was anything else exciting. I attended a cool conference on May 6, but the topics were things like patient safety and cardiac markers. I had fun anyway. I sewed a present for my mum for Mother's Day/birthday but she hasn't seen it yet as she's been away on a trip. I'm reading a really fascinating history book about smallpox in the 1700s called The Speckled Monster. It's a great read, more like a novel than non-fiction.

Can't wait until this weekend as my sister is coming for a visit! I might actually blog again next week since I'll have something to write about :)

The world continues turning...

2006-05-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

I am currently feeling a giant sense of accomplishment right now. I finally made my running goal at the gym today - 30 minutes of running. Non-stop. So with my warmup/cool down walking, I did 40 mins and 3.4 miles. Pretty darn proud I am. Now I just have to keep it up for 12 more days as my run is on Mother's Day.

My goal for May is to be active - gym or outdoor run/rollerblade everyday. I've completely flatlined in my weight loss again and I need to do something about it. My sister is coming out for the May long weekend and we'll be going bathing suit shopping! EEEK. I've done well so far, but it's only May 3. Must. Keep. It. Up.

This past week was quite nice. Fancy stayed with me for about 5 days before she left for BC and it was really good. Saturday night, I went out for Jay's birthday to Devlin's. I then met up with Fancy and Holly for a night of wild drinking. We went to three bars - Thirsty Turtle, Funky Buddha and The One on Whyte. Lots of fun. We played pool at the Turtle and did a little dancing at the Buddha. We then moved onto The One where we did a lot of dancing. Nice music - both retro and more recent. Good place to ...errr.... met people. Lots of great pics from that night up on my main site.

Fancy left Monday morning and I seem to be coping well. Or it's still denial, not sure. It probably won't hit me until it's longer than the average vacation. Or the first time I get bored and I have no one to play with. Good thing May is looking super busy.

The dating thing continues. I've gone out with four guys now. I have another second date coming up this weekend. Looking forward to it.

I suck at the hockey pool. I picked a lot of players from Dallas and Detroit. I'm in dead last. Still have players from Ottawa and Carolina though so maybe it will pick up. My wishful thinking pool is doing much better. If Calgary can pull it out (currently losing 0-2), it will still have potential. A Calgary vs Edmonton series will be extremely interesting, but I can't even imagine how bad the Red Mile and Whyte would get. Fans from here going there and vice versa. Eep. Would be nice though - a real Battle of Alberta.

Heather is visiting this weekend so I feel a need to clean my apartment. I must maintain my neat freak reputation.

April update

2006-04-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been forever since I posted. Lack of postage is partly due to a case of the blahs and partly due to evil shifts at work. May and June are looking sweet though. I am available to be social - call me!

Speaking of socialness, I'm back in the dating world. EEP. I've had two dates in the last month. One that was horrid and awkward, mostly awkward, and I ended it quite abruptly because I couldn't take it anymore. The second one was quite nice. It was actually too bad I scheduled it with a valid excuse for leaving because I would have liked to stay longer. So we shall see.....

Trying to think of other events that have happened in the past month. My parents came for a visit and we (and by we, I mean mostly my dad) replaced the doors and window casings. Mostly I pulled off trim, including the baseboards, to prepare for new flooring which we will be getting in May. I love the new doors. They are white four paneled doors and I think they make the place look bigger and brighter. It was great having my parents here for a visit. We went shopping, out for supper, and my mom and I went to the gym three times together. I worked almost everyday they were here though, so I didn't spend as much time with them as I would have liked. My dad's coming back in May though.

We had Rodney and Fancy's going away slash Rodney's 30th birthday party way back at the end of March. It was a great party. Tonight, a few of us are going out for one final supper to the Olive Garden. I really only have one thing left to say on this particular issue - BASTARDS! Don't LEAVE!

The running thing is going really well. This week my goal is to do 10 mins run/2 mins walk/repeat. My run is on May 14 and is for the Stollery Children's Hospital here in Edmonton. On the off chance you have extra cash floating around, you can pledge me!! Email me or call me and I'll give you the info. Odds are, if you reading this, you are probably going to get a PLEDGE ME!!!! email in the new few days anyway. :)

So far, good news in the play off world. Oilers and Wings tied 1-1. I entered my work hockey pool twice. One my "realistic" pool where I have Detroit, Carolina, Ottawa, and Dallas as my four picks and my "wishful thinking" pool where I have the four Canadian teams (heavy on the Edmonton/Montreal guys). We'll see which one does better. I did half decent last time, because I actually picked Tampa and Calgary. I had to listen to one game at work, and watch one game at home. I'm really hoping to get together with people for some of the other games this week as I love watching them with people. I like sports bars too for playoff games. I love hockey, but other people are funnier.

Well, it's my day off and productive-ness would be a good thing. So I'm off to do something that doesn't involve my computer. I do have new pictures to post from Todd's weekend visit (very fun, nice to see him and everyone) and I'll try to post them tonight.

2006-04-03T22:55:00.000-07:00

I would post in more detail because things happened. I have political comments, social life happenings and more! But right now, all I'm going to say is my hard drive crashed. My last backup is dated January 16, 2005. Stupid me. I'm currently installing programs I need/want and getting it back to normal.

Many, many, many thanks go to Rodney for trying to save my old hard drive, taking me to purchase a new one and installing it. And then coming back over when I told him it still "looked funny".

Just one thing.

2006-03-26T17:11:00.000-08:00

Single again. Six months and over.

and yeah, i'm okay.

Oops, missed a week

2006-03-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

Ack! I forgot to blog last week. Looks like you survived without it though. :)

Mostly I've been working so there isn't too much to say. We saw Walk the Line last weeekend and I highly recommend it. Really good movie and a very untraditional love story. Of course, if you don't like Johnny Cash's music, you might want to skip it. A lot of great songs are played during it and I had several of them trapped in my head for days.

This weekend, Rod, Marc and I had a little mini-pubcrawl down Whyte Ave. The Attic, Monkey Island, the Armoury and BPs. It was a really fun night with too much money spent as usual. The only down note was the attempt to get home. Trying to find a cab after the bars have closed, on St. Paddy's day, in a blizzard - really really hard! We walked from 109 St to 103 St before we found one.

Yesterday, I went to Baby M's first birthday party. I can't believe he's a year old already! There were several other little kids there and lots of family members. It was your standard birthday party - presents and cake, with about a million pictures taken. Good fun and excellent cake.

My big accomplishment this week was I finally cleaned my sewing room. It had become the room of doom, the place where I threw everything I didn't know what to do with. Took me ages to get it all sorted again and I have one giant bag and one box of stuff that either needs to be donated or taken to the eco-station. Anyone need an old bubble jet printer (i have 2 extra ones...) or a laptop without an operating system? Yeah, I didn't think so.

i say....sleepy.

2006-03-06T18:33:00.000-08:00

Well, it was Oscar night last night and I didn't care. Normally I get into it, but not this year. I think part of it was my work schedule. I'm on nights again and I'm super tired. My motivation for most things has completely disappeared. I also haven't seen any of the movies nominated this year, although there are a few I've wanted to see, but just never did (Brokeback Mountain, Walk the Line, Crash...). I'm not even into the dresses this year, and that's just strange! The few I have seen on the news I'm not incredibly impressed with. So far the only one I've gone wow over was Salma Hayek - what a gorgeous colour.

In other movie news, we saw Ultraviolet this weekend. It sucked! I wasn't expecting a decent plot or acting, but even the effects didn't impress. I think I like my cgi so believable that I end up wondering if it was digital effect or stunt work. As for the plot, it kind of had one, but it was so fragmented. The highlights for me were the opening credits and her purple hair. When we left, I said I couldn't decide if it was a 1 or 2 star movie. Ian said it was a crap star movie *g*, so it didn't even get the guy vote.

I finished the history book I was reading - Hitler's Scientists: Science, War and the Devil's Pact. It was excellent. Depressing in parts obviously, but extremely interesting. One funny thing from it: The technology chief of the Luftwaffe apparently objected to research on radar because if it worked, it would mean flying wouldn't be fun any more. Oh, I also read about the WWII Tokyo Bat Bombs. I certainly had never heard of those before, so an internet research was required. Turns out that the Americans were discussing the possibility of attaching small incendiaries to the wings and feet of bats and then dropping them from airplanes over Tokyo. The idea was they would fly into chimneys and the like and Tokyo would go up in flames. An amusing version of this can be found at Useless Information. See what you can learn from reading non-fiction books? Fun fun facts!

It's called streamofthought for a reason

2006-02-27T07:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, what an amazing Olympics for us Canadians. The COC predicted a total medal haul of 25 before the games started and a top three finish. I was personally hoping for a top five finish. What do we get? 24 medals, including 7 golds, and the number three spot in the standings, behind Germany and the USA. We also had 13 athletes place fourth in their events. Just outstanding! We did absolutely amazing. Leading the pack was Cindy Klassen, who won 5 medals in speed skating. That brings her total Olympic medal count to 6, a Canadian record. The 24 medals were a new record, beating our previous high of 17 in the Salt Lake Olympics in 2002. The COC is planning for 35 medals in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and we might actually be able to do it.

On a side note - anyone else think the Torino medals were ugly? They look like discarded CDs.

In the interesting factoid section, the world's population hit 6.5 billion at 7:16pm EST on Saturday night, using estimations/projections. An average of 4.4 people are born every second. When reading about population growth, I always see mention of improved health, economic development, urbanization etc. For the first time, I read an interesting comment about fertilizer in my current book - Hitler's Scientists by John Cornwell (more on this book later). Apparently if Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch (or someone else) hadn't discovered a way to fix nitrogen from air, resulting in a vast supply of artificial nitrogen fertilizer, the world's population would have only been around 3.9 billion in 2000, instead of reaching 6 billion.

This book I'm reading - Hitler's Scientists: Science, War and the Devil's Pact by John Cornwell - is a discussion of the ethics and morality of science during war, specifically German scientists in the first half of the 20th century. I bought it for about $9 in the bargain section at Chapters and so far, it's an excellent buy. I'm not even 100 pages into yet, but it has me captivated. Haber, the guy I mentioned earlier with regards to nitrogen fertilizer, was also a key figure in the first use of poison gas in April 1915, breaking the Hague Conventions. I'm starting to get into the chapters on racial hygiene and eugenics and it's just bizarre reading the social interpretations rising from both valid science and crackpot "science".

One of the reasons I'm so far into that book already is that I'm sleeping horribly. Last week's nights have really screwed me up. I'm tired all the time, but I seem to be able to only sleep for 4 hour stretches. I somehow managed to be social though, although I wasn't feeling my best. Friday, I had a couple people over for dinner and games - Battle of the Sexes and my new game Artifact. For dinner, I made stuffed mushrooms (good, but more cheese next time), roasted veggies and baby potatos (yummy), chicken provencal (blah), and peaches with berry sauce and vanilla ice cream (died and went to heaven). On Saturday, I went to another friend's house for more games, playing Conjecture (a game based on the sculptorades section of Cranium) and Clue, a game I haven't played since the 90s.

Since I have been awake so much, I've been wasting time on the internet. I did a two question Ennegram test, which doesn't exactly imply accuracy, but some of it seemed to match what I understand of me. I'm apparently an Adventurer - "happy and open to new things". One statement I really agreed with - "Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories." Listen to them over and over again too, while you are at it!! Oh, and thanks to those of you who filled out my Johari window. The validation was lovely. :)

One last thing: Sunday's For Better or For Worse comic really had me laughing. Just picture a grey kitty instead of a bunny and string instead of an extension cord and you've got my sweet yet psycho Fuzzy.

It's really Monday

2006-02-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

Darn computer just errored and rebooted, eating my post. I thought about just going to bed, but it's technically Tuesday already which means it's a day late in my attempt to post every Monday. In my world though, it's still Monday. I just survived a week of both evening and night shifts and it's not Tuesday until I wake up later. Turns out the autosave feature restored my first two paragraphs anyway. Better than nothing!

This week was a bit of a write off with the return of my old shifts. My sleep schedule was pretty screwed up and I didn't do much. Managed to get some great workouts in though and met the goals I set for Jan/Feb. Need to plan out my next 8 weeks as I'm trying to keep it fresh and challenging. I did get a bit of socialness in as well, although I was definitely not my usual perky self - my apologies to those of you who got caught in the whiny crossfire. I went out for coffee on Friday, a friend's birthday on Saturday, saw Ian for a bit on Sunday and I went out for dinner last night. Hey, I was more social than I thought. Since it was all pre-work stuff though, it just didn't feel like much.

One nice thing about working nights is that I get to listen to my favourite talk radio show - Coast to Coast AM. When I'm not working, I occasionally download it on my computer, but I rarely listen to the whole thing. I don't often work at my computer long enough to listen to a 4 hour show. This week has been nice, catching up on the latest in the world of global warming, space exploration, ghosts and time travelers.

As I said earlier, I was suffering from a horrific case of the emotional blecks this week. I know why (hormones are an evil evil thing) but there was nothing I could do to get rid of that black cloud. I tried working out nearly every day, which often works for me, but not this time. Apparently all I needed was a 10 minute hug. I'm not kidding about that length of time. It went on for so long, I needed to move and re-hug. A hug can really make you feel better, especially the kind of hug where you just know the only thing the other person is thinking about is this moment, this hug. The only other person I know who gives that kind of hug is Todd. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I highly recommend getting one from him next time he's in town.

One final thing - Go Canadian Women! Congrats on the gold! Hopefully, it will help motivate the men...

Random News

2006-02-13T05:45:00.000-08:00

YAY!! We won a gold at Torino! In women's moguls. Very very exciting because Jennifer Heil is an Alberta girl. Cindy Klassen also received a bronze in the 3000m speed skating. I'm pretty into the Olympics this year. Not in the glued to the tv set way, but I do keep checking the CBC Olympic website. I think part of it is that the next winter Olympics will be held in my hometown.

It turns out I was right when I said that Steven Harper's cabinet picks would be a hot topic. The Fortier appointment seems to have died down (at least out West it sure has), but the Emerson defection is all over the news! There was a rally held on Saturday in his riding calling for a by-election where he would run as a Conservative. 700 people showed up. On Sunday, there was another protest in front of his Vancouver office. I really understand their anger. He won as a Liberal with 43% and only 18% of the people voted for the Conservative candidate. People are saying that they feel like their vote didn't count. There is no formal federal recall legislation but someone has started an online petition. The comments are just crazy on it. Some are aimed at Emerson, some are aimed at voters, and some are downright vicious. I couldn't figure out how many people actually signed the petition at that site, but 15,032 had signed the petition at petitiononline when I checked this morning. I should also point out that the rally was organized by the NDP, the party that placed second in that riding with 34%. A by-election would probably be quite favourable to them, depending on who ends up running in the now empty Liberal spot.

In more amusing news (well, at least for me), Dick Cheney, US Vice President, accidentally shot a fellow hunter with birdshot while hunting quail. Thankfully, the guy is fine, so I'm allowed to laugh. Apparently, he didn't see the other hunter (who was wearing a bright orange vest) when he swung around to shoot at the birds.

I also did a Johari window for fun - if you don't know what it is, you get to pick 5 or 6 words to describe me and then they get mapped against words I picked and others picked. If you are interested - go here.

And just because my cat is so darn cute (also psycho - yesterday he bit Ian several times and decided it would be fun to step on my eye with his full weight) - a picture of the month:

New Prime Minister

2006-02-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here watching Steven Harper and his 26 cabinet members (27 total) get sworn in as the official government. Prime Minister Steven Harper *tiny shudder*. It's a minority Conservative government, everything will be ok... Breathe! He's restating all his promises right now. Small cabinet, which I like. 9 from Ontario, 3 from Alberta (including an Albertan as environment minister - oh, the irony). Only 6 women. Peter MacKay (who I like and was deputy leader of the party) got minister of foreign affairs but Stockwell Day (who I don't like) got minister of public safety which is apparently quite important and deals with the US a lot. Jim Flaherty, Mike Harris' former provincial finance minister, is now the federal finance minister. That one scares me, I think. Gordon O'Connor, a former general, is now minister of defence. That certainly implies increased military spending. Oddly, Harper didn't appoint a deputy Prime Minister.

Strangely, I remember reading Harper wanted to go to an elected Senate (currently Senators are appointed), but he appointed an unelected person - Michel Fortier - to the cabinet. This implies he will be appointed to the Senate and wait for an MP by-election or the next federal election. Fortier didn't even run in the election! Ok, he just got called on this. He said he considers this a "temporary" appointment until the next election and considers it worth it because it's important to have a cabinet member from Montreal. He also appointed a Vancouver Liberal - David Emerson - as minister of international trade, which confuses the heck out of me. How do you switch parties within 2 week of an election? Vancouverites voted Liberal! Looks like both of these appointments will be hot topics for a while.

Can't say too much has happened this week. I finally crossed two things off my to-do list - I cleaned out my file cabinet and shredded that giant stack of paper. Still need to clean the sewing room of doom. Probably not today though! I started reading the Prehistoric America series by Michael and Kathleen Gear. So far I've read People of the Wolf and am working on People of the Fire. While not a fantasy series, they do contain certain elements - an unknown society (prehistoric Native Americans and as the authors are both archaeologists, this part is done well) who use the spirit world and "magic". So far, so good! Had a nice weekend as well. Friday was quiet with just a trip to West Ed Mall. Saturday, I went to a pub with friends.

As for the weight loss campaign - it goes well! I lost 4.3 pounds this week which is freakin' amazing. Partly because I weighed in the morning instead of the evening, but the rest is me. I had a really good week working out and sticking to my diet...err....lifestyle change, I mean. :) I had my measurements taken at the gym earlier this week and I'm really proud of how I'm doing. Since I started this whole working out, eating healthy thing, I have lost: 24cm (9.4") off my gluteus, 7cm (2.7") off my right thigh, 12cm (4.7") off my waist, and 15cm (5.9") off my upper abdomen/ribcage. This gives me a waist to hip ratio of 0.8, which means low risk for lifestyle related diseases, assuming this particular indicator means anything. But assuming it does, this is important to me! My motivation for losing weight was completely health related as I come from a high risk family history. The body image stuff is just an added bonus! My BMI is still high, but my total goal will put me in the normal range. Other fun facts (well, for me anyway) - I've lost 39.36 lbs of fat and increased by lean body mass percentage by 8.9%. *happy dance of joy*

Before/Current Pictures

yay me, goal

2006-01-30T21:33:00.000-08:00

Sleepy. I should have posted earlier, but my new printer/scanner distracted me. New toys are so much fun. I was very busy scanning in polaroid pics of me and playing with the quality. I reached my latest weight loss mini-goal so I needed new pics to play compare and contrast. I might post them later, but I'm having problems with yahoo right now.

I had a pretty cool week. I got to cover in my old department - urinalysis - which was fun. Back on my regular duties this week though. Had another nice weekend as well. On Friday, I went out with Rod and two of his coworkers to a blues bar. Great band, but I was so sleepy that I had to leave early. In bed by midnight! Saturday, I did the usual housework/trip to the gym and then met up with Ian for his birthday. He's not a fan of birthdays and just wanted a quiet night. We made supper together - Hawaiian Venison (ie venison stew meat with veggies and pineapple over rice) in the slow cooker and then watched King Arthur on DVD. I also gave him his gifts, which I think he liked. He spent a large part of Sunday working on the puzzle while I read and kept checking out the Tiger Woods game. Sunday night, we went to his parents for his birthday supper.

Wow, really I have nothing to say, do I? I need a rant. Too sleepy for one though. Maybe I'll get irritated later in the week.

Election Night

2006-01-23T21:07:00.000-08:00

I'm currently watching the election results come in, even though I really thought I didn't care very much. That same weird urge that makes you stare at a car accident makes me watch it though. So it looks like it will be a Conservative minority government with a strong Liberal opposition. Pretty much how I thought it would turn out. NDP (the really left party) got about 29 seats, which I'm happy about. I think this is really the best case scenario. Guess we'll have to wait and see how it all turns out. Kind of strange though - this is the first Con government since I was old enough to vote.

But there is way more to life than politics, thank god, and in case you really wanted to know, I had a pretty nice week.

I saw The Matador with Pierce Bronson and Greg Kinnear on Monday. I enjoyed it, but it is a very odd movie. I guess it qualifies as a dark comedy, and not a thriller. I love the tagline for it: A hitman and a salesman walk into a bar... I'm trying to decide if it's worth full price (13.95). Not quite I think, but that's because I'm cheap. It would be an excellent choice for half price Tuesday (if you still have that) or a matinee. I'm glad we had free passes, it was most certainly worth that! We also saw Underworld Evolution yesterday. I gave it 3.5 out of 5, although Ian probably gave it 5 out of 5. He enjoyed it a lot. The effects and the action sequences were really good.

I interrupt my typing to announce that Paul Martin is resigning his leadership of the Liberal party. I'm not surprised there will be a new leader - but I'm surprised he's announcing it tonight....

I tried a couple of new recipes this week. Last night, I made Dilly Beloved Chicken from the cookbook I got for Christmas - maple syrup, lemon and dill marinade. I liked it a lot, Ian didn't think it was anything special. I'm going to try it again though, and leave it in the marinade a lot longer. Like all day, instead of barely an hour. I also made venison ribs with hickory bbq sauce, beef broth and some veggies in the slow cooker. After 11 hours of cooking, the meat just slid off the bones and tasted amazing. Hmmmmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about them. I wouldn't add the veggies if I did it again, just the onion and garlic for flavour. BBQ sauce flavoured veggies are not tasty, although it would have been okay if I had served the veggies and sauce over rice I think.

I finished a really really great book this week and I highly recommend it to anyone, particularly if you are into medicine, biology or World War I history. By John M. Barry, it's called The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History. I really liked the angle he took as he didn't just write about the 1918/19 pandemic itself (although he covers that in detail). He really got into the people involved in medicine and science at the time and you get to know the men who were desperately seeking a solution, any solution, to the crisis. He looked into the links between public health and politics. Although it was 99.9% a book about the United States, it was still really fascinating, especially all the parts about the WWI war machine, how it just consumed all resources, how the censorship affected health reporting and so much more. I now want to read a book about Tammany Hall and books about World War I. I also want to read John M. Barry's other book: The Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 which is not something I think I would be usually interested in, but I really enjoyed his writing style. The Great Influenza was a non-fiction book that read like a novel in the sense that I always wanted to get back to it to know what happened next.

I have a few more non-fiction books in my stack to read (The Pagan Christ and Hitler's Scientists are up next I think). I also have a new box of books from Wee Book Inn which is a very happy thing for me. Mmmmmm, books...

titles imply purpose

2006-01-15T21:19:00.000-08:00

Woohoo - another weekly update! Too bad there's nothing exciting to report.

Mostly I seemed to go to work, go the gym, read and watch tv. It's a thrill ride a minute I tell you! My hips were still bothering me for most of the week, so I didn't feel like doing much. Still got my workouts in though, and I finally did weights today. Up to 58 minutes of cardio now. As for reading, I finished Kage Baker's Graveyard Game and The Life of The World to Come. I really like the Company novels and I need to find the one I haven't read yet. I should also look for Anvil of the World, her non-Company book.

This weekend was mostly relaxing. Friday night, Rod came over and watched a movie - Big Trouble - with Ian and I. Saturday, Ian and I went out to his friend's acreage and I did something I've never done before - moved hay bales! We loaded 153 bales into two pickup trucks (which means the hay was at least twice as high as the truck) and took them back to the farm where we unloaded and moved them into the barn. I somewhat helped load the trucks and helped unload and place them on the conveyor belt. I know I didn't work nearly as hard as Ian and his friend and his friend's girlfriend, but dammit I was still tired at the end. Those things got heavy around 125..... Afterwards, we had lunch and just hung out for a while.

I'm trying to think if there is anything else to add.... nope. Hmmm, I remember when I started this blog and how I needed it to rant about the world. You would think with the election only one week away that I would be full of rants. Instead, I'm apathetic and disillusioned and resigned. On the positive side, it's so much more efficient to watch taped tv instead of "live" tv. I think I might just keep doing this.

Weekly Update! Only 1 Day Late!

2006-01-10T20:31:00.000-08:00

This past week was not a favourite, I tell you. First off, Fuzzy (my 5 year old cat) decided that kitchen twine was really tasty and ate about 18 inches of it. I didn't know about this until he had a lot of difficulty getting rid of it about 2 days after he ate it. I'll spare you the details, but it did involve a trip to the vet's and the blowing of my budget. He is my baby though (yes, I'm one of those people) and I didn't even think about the cost at the time. I also seemed to have screwed up my legs somehow and my hip muscles are killing me (hip flexors? I don't know, it starts in one thigh, wraps up through the hip, across my lower back and down into the other thigh - whatever, it sucks). The weird thing is if I'm walking, it's totally fine. I've been able to work out on the elliptical and the stairmaster (and it doesn't hurt while I'm doing that), but I don't want to bend over at all. Bah, I'm old.

Other than that - it really wasn't too bad. I got trained on a new bench at work which was cool. Went out with the campus crowd for Todd's going away gathering on Thursday. Had an absolutely boring night at home on Friday after my workout and it was great! Sometimes you really need those kind of nights. Saturday was quiet as well, although Ian came over with the perch he had caught and we had a really great supper.

Oh - no more live tv for the next two weeks. I'm only watching things I can fast forward. Election related commercials make me insane, and it doesn't matter what party. I get the urge to throw things at my television . Is it wrong that I want to scream "I hate you all" at them??? Weird thing is.... I'm a decided voter. Ugh, I'd hate to be a undecided voter. How do you pick between Vile 1, 2, 3 and Independent Guy? Hmmm, there's a Marxist-Leninist candidate.... I wonder if she's a viable alternative?

First of the Year

2006-01-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's day two of 2006 and it's still looking good. As long as I avoid all news sources, all commercials, and all references to the elections, I'm sure January can be an excellent month.

Managed to keep my resolutions so far (woohoo! Two whole days!) - I'm actually down one pound from before the holidays which is fairly amazing. I worked out both today and yesterday. You are reading my weekly blog entry right now and I think I listened well to a friend today while we shopped. Of course, the shopping didn't help me meet my debt-free goal, but I only used cash, no credit! And the nightie was only $12, I swear!

The real point of this post is to show off the new super cool pic of me. It was taken New Year's Eve and I lovelovelove it. We had a semi-quiet New Year's Eve, as only 7 of us gathered at a friend's house for a typical night of board games. There was more drinking than our usual game night, but not by much. I liked it though, as I wasn't feeling incredibly social and my other invite had been for a gathering of 15-20. As much as I would have loved to see those people, I just wasn't in that kind of mood.

And now for the amazing, fantastic pic - - -

eek...giant head... :)

End of the Year

2005-12-31T07:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, if you don't know me (and seriously, if you don't, why the heck are you reading this? You can't possibly be bored enough to read these rambles.), I love to read. I mean, I read like most people breathe. I always, always have a book on the go, and most often have a book with me. So, on the assumption I'm not going to read any new books today, I present to you my book stats for 2005. I didn't count rereads of old favourites and I didn't count any of the trashy romances I read.

Grand Total: 131 (compared to the grand total in 2004 of 130 - I think that's kind of weird that it's so consistent!)

Mystery/Thriller - 65 (49.6%) (2004 - 45)
Fantasy/Scifi - 52 (39.7%) (2004 - 67)
Fiction - 5 (3.8%) (2004 - 17)
Non-Fiction - 9 (6.9%) (2004 - 1)

I rarely hand out 5 amulets/stars - this year's winners go to Jessica Snyder Sachs for her non-fiction book Corpse, Greg Iles for his WWII mystery Black Cross, Tamara Siler Jones for Ghosts in the Snow, JK Rowling for the latest Harry Potter, and George Martin for the long awaited A Feast of Crows. If you haven't read Ghosts in the Snow, it is the one I recommend the most. A murder mystery set in a medieval fantasy world.

I gave 2 amulets/stars to 5 books, all mysteries/thrillers by authors I've never heard of. My next lowest was a 2.5 to Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond, a non-fiction book. While I loved the ideas in this book and the thoughts it generated, I hate this man's writing style. I really really want to read his new one, Collapse of Societies (I think), but I just can't subject myself to his grade 9 essay format.

Most read authors included Suzanne Brockmann (4), Sara Douglass (6), Katharine Kerr (5), Jane Lindskold (4), and Tamora Pierce (4).

As for that other End of the Year Stuff - New Year's Resolutions. To my shock, I have discovered I have actually kept last year's resolutions!!! They were:

1) To Be Healthier
2) To Be More Sociable

In the To Be Healthier category, I joined a gym, worked out almost regularly :), and with the added benefit of diet, I managed to lose almost 60 pounds!

In the To Be More Sociable category, I think I did very well. I got a day job, joined the world of sunlight, and went out more. And then I did the unthinkable and tried Speed Dating. As you know, it worked out quite well for me. No more details are necessary at this time :)

2005 was a very very good year for me.

So - 2006's Resolutions:

1) Reach and maintain Target Weight.

Ok, that's the only one I'm really truly serious about, but it would also be nice to:

2) Blog weekly!
3) Become a better listener. (errr, how do I go about that?)
4) Be debt-free for at least 4 seconds.

Best wishes to you all in 2006!

Christmas Post

2005-12-30T04:36:00.000-08:00

I had a great time over the holidays and I hope everyone else did too.

As per usual, I went back to BC for Christmas. Another very short trip this time, only 4 days. I arrived late on the 23rd, just in time to frantically wrap presents and decorate the Christmas tree with my family.

Christmas Eve day was spent at the gym with my mom and sister, followed by the usual madhouse referred to as Christmas Eve at my grandmother's (my mom's mom). She lives in a tiny bungalow now, instead of the big house, so trying to cram all my relatives in there doesn't work all that well. Good thing that out of the 46-ish possible relatives (not including extra boy/girlfriends that the really brave and/or insane occasionally bring), only 31 showed up. Mostly the island people didn't come and they are the largest branch anyway. It was nice though, roaming around, visiting with various people.

Christmas morning was spent opening presents with my immediate family. As usual, I was greatly spoiled. My haul included new blue sheets, cooking dishes, a china serving platter (woohoo!!!), china bowls, new towels, many books and a subscription to a sewing magazine. My favourite moments that morning were when my sister and mom opened my gifts. I gave my sister a bright red and white nightgown and matching robe. My mom got pyjamas and a nightgown made out of jogging fleece (I think she's insane, but that's what she said she wanted, although she might have been joking...) and a satin robe.

After presents, my dad's mom came over for brunch and the rest of the day was spent getting ready for dinner and visiting with various relatives who dropped in. Christmas dinner was the smallest in years and it was wonderful - only 9 people! After dinner, I went to visit one of my best friends from high school and it was really great to see her.

Boxing day was sheer insanity as it was spent shopping with my sister. Great prices though and I found lots of things. Jeans, a bra, 5 blouses, 2 sweaters, a golf shirt and a skirt for about $250. All very very much needed as due to the shrinking me, I had NO clothes. Ok, some, but not much! My sister bought tons of stuff. She says she loves shopping with me as I go through all the racks and just toss things I like at her. She hates looking for clothes, doesn't mind trying them on. After shopping, my family went out for fish and chips out in Horseshoe Bay. I then met up with my high school girlfriends for drinks. I loved seeing them and catching up!

It was a good holiday as I got to see all the people that mattered to me. My friends, my relatives, and I even had time to visit with each of my grandmothers and have a cup of tea. I had to leave a few of my presents at my parents since they didn't fit in my suitcase, but they are planning to come for a visit in the spring so I'll get them then.

I have a million pictures which I haven't got around to posting yet. Eventually, I swear.

December

2005-12-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, perhaps one of my New Year's resolutions will be to update this thing more frequently - but I doubt it.

I had a great time this weekend as I threw my annual (ok, two years in a row!) tree decorating party on Saturday. 17 people again, so it was definitely a full house. I made all the food I consider part of Christmas, as it's the same type of food that was served at my grandmother's Christmas gatherings. Swedish meatballs, cabbage rolls, potatos au gratin and ham, plus the usual veggies, salad, and dinner rolls. The only real difference between my menu and what my family ate at my aunt's this year was the bread. My cousins baked all the traditional breads - hardtack, cardamon buns, cinnamon rings - that I don't know how to do. Besides, there was tons of food already! For dessert, I served various kinds of Christmas baking - marshmallow squares, peanut butter bonbons, butterscotch haystacks, date squares. By the end of the night, my tree had ornaments, the gingerbread house had been decorated, and I had We Wish You A Merry Christmas as sung by three stuffed mice trapped in my head. I had a blast.

I've also been going to the movies a lot recently. I highly recommend King Kong, although I do think the first hour could have been cut a bit more. I only give Chronicles of Narnia 3 stars out of 5 as it dragged in places and I thought the soundtrack was really pompous and distracting. Hmm, I know I've seen more. Oh, Just Friends. Very funny, particularly if you like physical comedy. I also saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - it is one of my favourites. I'm currently on a Christmas video kick and I've watched the Muppet Christmas Carol twice in the last week. I love that movie!

As for other activities - I've been sewing a lot. Some items are top secret until Christmas, but as Lori already opened her gift, I can tell you I made my second quilted item. It is a snowman table runner and I think it looks quite nice. With the exception of one gift left to sew, all my shopping/sewing is done and I can relax until Christmas! Hmmm, I should really go work on that last gift....

If you want to see the new pics, head to http://www.geocities.com/jette_16/pics/thumbs.html

Birthday Week

2005-11-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a nice two weeks since my last update. I sewed like crazy to make my hallowe'en costume - not entirely sure what possessed me to want a leather and velvet corset. Too many Buffy reruns? It was based on Vampire Willow's outfit from season three, not that anyone knew that. It was just kind of goth, I guess, but I knew! *g* It was really hard to make and I didn't even use real leather or velvet. Just some kind of pleather and this stretch fake crushed velvet. The sewing wasn't that hard - even though it was thick! Pleather, interfacing, lining, velvet... Broke 2 needles and I was using special leather ones. It was the eyelets that nearly killed me. 38 of the little devils I think. And to get them to go through so much fabric I was using a full sized hammer and swinging hard! Hit my thumb more than a few times.... I think the end product looked good though and I wore it to The Thirsty Turtle for a night of Hallowe'en bar-ness. My compliments go out to Scott, Erik and Kate for their very good Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach costumes!

This past Wednesday was my 28th birthday. Being in the middle of week, I didn't do much. Booked a table at a restaurant called Flavours that I've been wanting to go to for ages. I wanted to go there specifically for a dish called Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken. I ordered it and it was good, but not nearly enough tomatos. In fact, if there was one piece of tomato, I couldn't taste it. The service lacked though. One waiter, who spent a lot of time hanging out at the bar. Good thing we weren't in any hurry! The coolest part of the night was when we ordered dessert. 6 of us, 6 options on the menu. When the waiter came, we said "one of everything". Who hasn't wanted to say that?? Most of us tried all the dishes - mocha java mousse (Yum!), flourless chocolate cake (too bitter), apple-berry crumple (tasty), triple chocolate bread pudding (a meal in itself, whoa), creme brulee (never tried that before) and vanilla cheesecake (also Yum!). My friends paid for my dinner, which was very nice of them. They also gave me Knife of Dreams (finally, I have it!!!) and a Spike calendar *g*. After supper, we went back to my house and opened the gifts my family had sent. More books (I'm reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes right now, very very good), and a memory card for my digital camera.

Last night, it was a birthday double-hitter. First, I went out for supper with Joey, Rod and Fancy as it was Joe's birthday. After supper, I went over to Pub 1905 to celebrate Todd's and my birthday. It was really great seeing everyone last night as there were a few people there I don't see too often. I spent the night just chatting with everyone - my favourite thing to do! *g* It was a really great night and a nice cap to my week.

Visit!

2005-10-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

For the first time since I moved out here ten years ago, my grandma came out to visit me this weekend. My mum also came with her. It was a great weekend as I don't think I have ever spent so much time with my grandma before. It was nice having a girls weekend, just the three of us.

They came in Thursday around lunch. I was very mean and made them take the airport shuttle downtown where I met them at a local hotel. That afternoon we went to West Edmonton Mall for the start of some serious shopping. We managed to complete about 40% of the mall before we got sick of it and went home. I can't even remember what we bought that day! I remember buying wool as mum had forgotten hers at home and can't live without something to crochet. That night we had supper at a nearby fish and chips shoppe. Every time my mum comes out we eat there, which I find funny. She comes out from the coast to eat fish on the prairies *g*.

Friday morning, we went to the Muttart Conservatory, which is basically a giant greenhouse built in the formation of four glass pyramids. Each pyramid is designed around a different landscape - Arid/Desert, Temperate, Tropical and "Show". The show pyramid had a dreamcatcher theme this time and was pretty cool. I really liked this topiary (I think that's the right word) shaped like a giant fish. After the conservatory, we went back to the evil mall for more shopping. This time we covered Phase III and bought quite a bit. My grandma found a really pretty blue coat and certain birthday gifts were purchased for me. We also saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the cheap theatre. We had supper at Tony Roma's, which officially had the slowest service I had ever experienced in my life. Not pleased at all.

Saturday, we walked down Whyte Avenue and went to the Old Strathcona Farmer's Market. I should really go more often, everything looked so great! That afternoon we went to Southgate mall so I could buy jeans (WEM was out of stock) and my mum also bought a sweatshirt. By this point, we were all very sick of shopping!! That night, I made supper for a change - salmon with lemon, baked potatoes and veggies. Basic, but tasty.

Sunday, we just puttered around and walked over to the little shopping plaza by my house. And then it was time for them to go back to the airport. Just a short visit! I had lots of fun though. It was really nice to have them both out here.

Pictures can be found here.

Just Because?

2005-10-19T04:14:00.000-07:00

Man, you know you haven't posted in a while when you get complaints!

My apologies to my loyal fan base. *snicker*

I have no rants lately. It is strange. Apparently I'm satisfied with the world. Unless I think too hard, and then I just get depressed. I think the end times are upon us. If you are religious, pray for your soul. If you don't believe in an afterlife, I recommend high levels of partying.

So in the what's new with me department - you may or may not know that I'm really working on losing weight. It's going quite well. I set 5 mini-goals to make it more manageable and at each goal, I give myself a reward and a challenge. The challenges are somewhat like punishments really, but they are meant to get me out of my rut in life. I'm all for trying new things this year. When I hit my first goal, I got a massage and asked out a friend (it was a no). Second goal - great new clothes and my high school reunion (punishment!). Third goal - more clothes (otherwise I was going to have a nakedness issue) and a really new thing - Speed Dating aka six minute dates or whatever version you have heard of.

I officially recommend speed dating to anyone who is looking. How else do you meet so many people at once? I chose one that was for people aged 23-32 and aimed at "young professionals", whatever that means. It was held at a pub near my house, so I just walked over. I also called Rod for a last minute pep talk. His advice? Don't forget to let them talk too! I had a lot of fun that night. There were 13 guys and 10 girls. We started with a little ice breaker session while we waited for everyone to arrive. It was just one of those little sheets that say "Find someone who has a pet", "Find someone who likes hockey", etc etc. Then time for the dates. The girls were assigned tables and the guys rotated through when the bell rang. I only had one date where I was struggling to find something to talk about. Out of the guys I met, I think I circled interested for 7. I was trying very hard to not be picky. One guy I circled solely because as he was leaving he said he liked my red hair (wash out colour btw, normal now).

Later that week I got an email with my matches. I matched with five guys! (I circled them, they circled me....). I decided to be brave and call them and I set up dates with all 5! Crazy me, but it was fun. One was fun, Two bailed on our coffee date but called me several times, Three turned out to be significant, Four was nice but older, Five was young and hot. Although I had fun with the four guys I went out with (and One I went out with twice), Three (who shall now be known as Ian) was by far the most interesting. And turns out he likes me back. We are currently dating and he's even met some of my friends. It's happy fun.

And in other news - my mum and grandma are coming for a visit this weekend. I am so excited! My grandma has never visited me in the ten years I've lived here so this is cool. Hopefully, I'll have pics to put up soon.

Happy Birthday, Alberta

2005-09-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

On September 1, 1905, both Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces of Canada, making today our 100th birthday. For the occasion, I present you with fun and useless facts about Alberta!

The Official Bird is the Great Horned Owl.

The Official Flower is the Wild Rose.

The Official Tree is the Lodgepole Pine.

The Official Stone is Petrified Wood. (I find this hilarious!!)

The Official Mammal is the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep.

Our Motto is Fortis et Liber (Strong and Free).

At 61,185 square km or 255,303 squares miles, Alberta is the fourth largest province.

Our population is approximately 3.2 million.

Alberta was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta of Britain, daughter of Queen Victoria and wife of a Canadian Governor-General.

Alberta is the second largest producer of wheat in Canada.

Alberta is Canada's largest producer of petroleum and natural gas.

We usually have more hours of sunshine than any other province.

We have the world's largest shopping and entertainment complex - West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton (the capital city).

We have the world's largest Ukrainian Easter Egg (Pysanka) in Vegreville.

Goodbyes

2005-08-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I am officially sad. Heather is leaving today. Although she plans to come back for Christmas, I always go home at that time so I have no idea when I will see her again.

We spent a lot of time together this week which was very very nice. Thursday, we had lunch together, went downtown for a walk, stopped for coffee, went for another walk, that kind of thing. Tonight, another friend, her and I went for tea on Whyte Ave (the place to people watch) and then walked around. There is a festival going on down there so lots of people, lots of buskers and vendors. After Kim went home, Heather and I had appetizers at one of our favourite hangouts and just chatted.

This is just soooo weird!!! *sniffles*

An old picture of the two of us, I'm guessing 1998 or 1999.