On the Rocks.

This would be fantastic if...

2010-06-07T21:34:00.002-04:00

...I didn't already have a full-time job. The photography thing, that is. Wow. I am having a blast with it but it's a lot of work!

In the past two weeks I've had three shoots - two portrait shoots and one event photoshoot which lasted 4 hours on Saturday afternoon. By the end of it, I had a callous on my thumb and nearly 1000 shots to go through. The final cut for the clients was about 400, but let's just say...the editing took care of what was left of Saturday and my entire day on Sunday. I love the process and time flies by while I'm in the middle of it, but when I finally stood up just in time to see the late afternoon light, I realized just how much time it really takes.

Regardless, I was able to turn the photos around and deliver them to my clients today, which they were thrilled about.

I don't really know what my plans are for this business. While I'm very attracted to the idea of doing this full-time, I'm not sure how to get comfortable with the idea of sporadic income. I love my dependable monthly paycheque and to just *not know* what kind of income I would be bringing home? Scary thought. For me, anyways. I am charging a bit for photoshoots now, but still treating this mainly as a portfolio building exercise, so that if I do decide at some point that this is what I want to do, I'll have the experience I need to get it up and running quickly.

Anyhoo...I've made my first investment into this little side business. Besides the gigantic investment of time, which I hadn't really previously given much thought to. My relationship with my Dell Inspiron 1420 laptop are numbered because...I bought an iMac. It was totally an impulse purchase. A few Saturdays ago, K and I wandered into the local Apple retailer and I walked out 15 minutes later with a receipt in my hand. The idea of purchasing a desktop for my photography had been in my head for awhile, but I hadn't thought a lot about what make/model I wanted, other than the fact that I wanted a screen at least 20" wide. I have never had a Mac, and had never seriously considered getting one, but I played around with the iMac model in the store for less than 10 minutes before deciding that it was The One. I know I have a learning curve ahead of me with the whole PC to Mac thing, but I'm up for it. And I'm SO excited to pick it up! It was ordered the day I bought it, so I'm expecting a call in the next day or so to bring home my new baby.

Stay tuned. I will be holding on to my laptop until I've mastered the Mac, for emergency purposes.

In other news, we are gearing up for our trip on Saturday! The countdown is on. At 5:01 p.m. I will officially be in vacation mode. Actually, who am I kidding? Friday is going to be a write-off.

Remember me?

2010-05-30T21:41:00.003-04:00

Every once in awhile, I'll get a totally subtle nudge (not) from a certain someone (Heather), on a certain social networking site (Fbook) which casually (not) reminds me that I do, in fact, still even have this blog. Sad, sad, sad. Not the Heather nudge. The need that I have to be reminded of this blog, which I was once so loyal to.

I don't have any of the classic excuses, either. I'm working hard, but I'm home by 7 and spend my evenings doing whatever I want. I don't have kids. Kids seem to be a great excuse for not doing things, but since I don't have any, I can't play this card. I can't even blame my absence on a dog, or a long illness or anything, really.

The real kicker is that so far, 2010 has been one of the most blog-worthy years of my life and most, if not all, of the blog-worthy events have gone unblogged, and some even un-discussed with even my closest of friends. It's not an intentional oversight...it's just that life has gotten in the way, it seems, and on my constantly expanding "to do" list, the blog has moved from "to do" to a "to don't" for no reason at all.

SO.

What HAS been going on on the Rock?

Well, in no particular order...

We sold our house. I am no longer a landlord and I no longer have any need to spend a precious vacation day selecting a furnace for a home I don't live in. The house, needing approximately $25K in upgrades like...immediately...was a constant sore spot for us. As of April 30th, we unloaded these issues. We are absolutely over the moon. As lovely as it was to be "in the market", I am thrilled to be back out of it again. Opening my Canadian online banking to see a balance of $0 on the mortgage is, in a word, fantabulous. Later, debt.
I started my own business. It is going amazingly well and I'm actually having to turn down photoshoots because, well, I have a real job. And a guy who I occasionally like to spend time with. But it's an excuse to build my portfolio quickly and gain experience and who knows...maybe sometime down the line, this could actually be my full-time job. God, I would love that. I'm having a blast with it. I'm booked solid until our vacation in June, and have bookings throughout the rest of June and into July. YES. As for the name...it is not just a shout-out to the lovely Beacon Hill Park, a stone's throw from the home I used to live. It's also the name of the neighborhood in Ottawa where Kurt grew up, AND the name of the neighborhood on the Rock where we ended up when we first moved here. Isn't that weird? It's like it's haunting me. In a good way.
We're going to Ottawa, in less than two weeks. 10 days of visiting, relaxing and hitting up our favourite spots...I seriously can not wait. I love Ottawa!
I got another promotion. I don't talk about my real job on this blog for obvious reasons but the short story is...office life is good. My secretary is still pretty much the most hilarious person alive, the best part being that she doesn't mean to be funny at all. She starts every sentence with "Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirlll..." and there is normally a lot of finger-snapping involved when she's making a point. I love her. Last week, she told me that her nickname used to be "Rumpshaker". Awesome.
Tourist season has officially begun. I'm not really sure why anyone would believe the reports that tourism is down because every time I try to wedge myself into my favorite coffee shop, it is literally swarming with tourists...Americans, mostly, and specifically of the New Jersey variety, with a smattering of le Quebecois mixed in for a bit of variety. It makes for an interesting combination. They seem to be enjoying themselves, which I love to see, but the weather has been less than stellar so far this year, so they probably aren't leaving with the tans they were hoping for. Oh well. That is what spray tans are for.
I've finally figured out how to get to Victoria this year...thanks to the timely announcement of the wedding of one of my favorite cousins. Nothing is booked, but the plans are in place for August!
Another favorite cousin - and friend - and I are going to be experiencing the sweltering heat of NYC for a weekend in July, for no reason at all other than we're both turning 3o this year and thought it would be fun to meet up and do something a bit different. And really, there aren't many things that I think are more awesome and different than NYC. Four days of wandering, eating, wandering some more and oh...an outdoor MIA concert...no big deal. Oh, and the hotel we're staying in? Madonna used to live there. Hello...awesome.

So, there has been some stuff going on. There is other stuff too, but it's 11:05 p.m. on a Sunday night and I am exhausted and going to bed.

Night, y'all. That means you, Heather.

2010-04-22T20:45:00.002-04:00

Ummmm...where did April go? I logged onto my bank account this morning and realized that I'd been paid, which meant that the 20th of the month had passed. What? When? Must have been while I was at work. It feels like I've been there a lot lately. This time of year is kind of crunch time for us, and I'm feeling the crunch, big time. To the tune of at least 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, for the past month or so. Blech. I'm not complaining, but I'm pretty tired.

In other news, 8 days from now I will no longer be a homeowner. I think I'll do a sentimental flashback post when the big day comes, because I distinctly remember blogging when we bought the house. It wasn't something we'd been planning on, but the opportunity came up to sell the house and we jumped on it. To be perfectly honest...it was a headache and a major stressor for us both. Besides the annual paperwork, worrying about whether the furnace would fail, or how we were going to arrange to have the windows replaced, was getting to us. We're just simply too far away to deal with it without help on that end and even though our tenants are fabulous, it was always still in the back of our minds. Bye bye, house. Bye bye, mortgage!

That's probably our biggest news right now.

Besides work being insane, life is pretty good. The weather is getting fabulous, which is exciting. Happy hours have started up, and it's light out until almost 8:00. We planted a tiny garden on the weekend - just tomatoes, salad greens and some herbs. I haven't had a garden since the tomatoes we planted in pots in our backyard the summer before we moved to the Rock. According to the little information sticks in the seedlings, we will have salad in about 50 days. Awesome.

The next trip off the Rock is in June when we're headed to Ottawa for 10 days or so. We don't have a lot planned. Without the house to deal with, our social calendars are much more open than they would have been, had we been shopping for, say, a furnace. We plan to spend time catching up with friends, sleeping in, and hitting up all of our favorite Ottawa spots. I miss Ottawa a lot. More than Victoria sometimes. It's funny...but there are just a LOT of happy memories for us there, and it's such a great city. Can't wait to get there!

I have a few other exciting things happening right now, but not ready to say too much yet, so stay tuned!

Concrete Jungle.

2010-04-12T17:36:00.002-04:00

{a view of the Plaza, from Central Park}

I have said it before and I'll say it again: NYC is awesome.

As we did in 2008, Kurt and I met up with our good friends EAP and Mugsy for a fabulous time over the Easter long weekend. Only two weeks after our mini-trip to CayMAN, this made us a bit more jet-setting than usual but we've been talking about going back ever since 2008 and the deals from the Rock to NYC are pretty incredible. It is actually cheaper for us both to fly to New York and spend three nights in a 4 star Midtown hotel than it is to buy two return tickets to Ottawa. While going home is always appealing, something about the Chrysler Building was calling my name, so we decided to jump on the deal and spend 4 days enjoying the sights and sounds of the City.

Mission: accomplished. Once again, we had an AMAZING time. Captured in a few of the many shots I took over the weekend:

{New Yorkers, enjoying a sunny Saturday in Central Park}

{blossoming trees, everywhere we looked}

{looking up...waaaaaay up}

{the most amazing sandwich ever, courtesy of the Amish Market (45th & 2nd)}

Yeah...I fell in love again. You could spend months there and never run out of things to do or see. I just can't get enough.

4 days is definitely not enough (though better than 3).

But...it was packed with quality time with two of our favorite people, including a fabulous and memorable meal at a great little Brazilian restaurant (with great little Brazilian drinks...), another fabulous memorable meal at Monte's Trattoria in the Village, and an evening wander through SoHo, wearing summer clothes, enjoying PinkBerry frozen yogurt while people watching.

Love, love, love.

Yet another repeat performance is in the works for 2011...

Caymania.

2010-04-12T17:06:00.004-04:00

A few weeks back, we had ourselves a lovely little vacation to Cayman. Affectionately known as CayMAN, because that is how it is pronounced on the island, by the locals, in their lovely Caymanian lilt. After the two weeks I spent there last year, I was looking forward to showing Kurt a different rock and now that we have friends who live there, a cheap vacation was in the cards. As far as timing goes, the weekend kind of picked us. We were thinking March, and then we found out that good friends of ours from Victoria, the lovely Heather Anne and her husband James, were going for her March (and landmark) birthday...and that settled it. We booked and flew out of here on Thursday the 9th, cruised through the glorious(ly awful) Miami International Airport and arrived in the CayMAN heat in the early afternoon.

After living essentially like mushrooms, in the wind, rain and gloom that has hung over our little rock for the past few months, my natural SPF factor was approximately 2 and my Vitamin D count was close to nil. The sun felt fabulous, to say the least.

We stayed for a long weekend, and left Monday morning with sunburns, mild hangovers, and an overall feeling of satisfaction. Between the delicious meals (CayMAN has awesome restaurants), the great visits with our friends, and the full day cruise and BBQ on our new friends' amazing dive boat, it was a pretty fun-packed weekend. Of course, it wasn't all perfect. A few too many drinks on Saturday resulted in at least FIVE SOLID HOURS in the pool, which my skin is still hating me for, just a bit.

Those drinks also, apparently, morphed me from my normally polite and even somewhat reserved self, to some sort of mannerly-challenged person who drunkenly asks people how old they are, repeatedly, for hours. When I found out about this the next day, I was horrified. I don't even know exactly how old some of my closest friends are, because I just. don't. ask. Because that is how classy people (ahem) operate. But give me a margarita or two and I will mine through your personal stats ASAP. And then I'll wait a few minutes and ask you again. Loudly.

I have no recollection of this, incidentally. This means that I still don't know how old they are.

Besides that, it was all good. We had a blast. I think a 2011 repeat performance is in the works!

It's all fun and games...

2010-03-03T18:39:00.002-05:00

...until you rear-end an imbecile who slammed on their brakes WITHOUT brake lights, end up sprawled all over the road, discover that your scooter has died and, to top it all off, tear ligaments in your foot. THAT is definitely one way to start a Thursday and guess what? It's how I started mine. Now I'm home, with an air cast and a freakin' cane, and I'm hobbling around that way for the next two weeks.

I know the rear-ending thing is on me, though the guy riding next to me also hit her because she stopped so quickly and neither of us were expecting it because there was NOTHING in front of her. No car, no person, no chicken...nothing. She just stopped, in the middle of rush hour, allowed two people to slam into her, and then drove off. It was like bang...bang...bye bye. What? The other guy was OK and helped me up off the road and helped me to get my bike back into an upright position, but I knew something was very wrong with my foot. I managed to get my bike further up the street by a block or so before it died, and then I called my knight in shining helmet (Kurt) to come and help me out.

The end of the story is that I'm home on the couch after 3 hours at the hospital and the very good news is that nothing is broken. The bad news is a) the 2 weeks of air cast, b) taking the air cast to Cayman, and c) my poor little bike, parked downtown, dead as a doornail.

I'm a careful driver, and I was paying full attention to what was going on...I didn't even hit the car very hard, because I had reacted quickly enough to hit my brakes too (and could not conceivably have been going more than 10 km/hr anyways...I just could not have anticipated her stopping like that.

Laaaaaame.

Cheering from Afar.

2010-03-01T17:31:00.003-05:00

I have no problem admitting that I don't fully understand the full rule book of hockey and can likely count on one hand the number of hockey games I have watched live, in their entirety. I am also fine with admitting that until approximately a week ago, I didn't know (or care, really) who Sidney Crosby is. And while I had high hopes that Canada would win the gold on our own turf, I was skeptical after the ass-kicking we endured last week.

Well.

Wasn't that just the best game ever?

We took our red mitts over to a friends house and enjoyed the game with 3 fellow Canadians, 4 Americans and a British friend who proclaimed herself the Switzerland of the occasion, for obvious reasons. We drank Portugese beer, ate hummus and listened to the wind rushing through the palms outside as we watched the NBC broadcast (our only option) of the game. We figured out fairly quickly that there is a 5 minute delay on the NBC broadcast, because the pub up the street with satellite TV would suddenly go crazy with cheering so loud that we could hear it inside the house, and then we'd be in agony until our broadcast caught up and we could figure out who scored.

It was a tense situation with our crowd being split down the middle and the game being...well, intense. I felt like I was going to vomit through most of it. Sometimes I covered my eyes because I couldn't watch. It was just SO EXCITING. Every minute. And especially those overtime minutes.

Watching our flag raised and hearing our anthem sung by the crowd made me tear up, just a bit. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Actually, I looked around the room and realized that I wasn't. I can't even imagine what it would have been like to have been there.

To my home and native land, yesterday left me with a glowing heart, for sure.

Favorite Things Right Now...

2010-02-24T21:33:00.003-05:00

Podcasts. OK, so I'm a bit late on the Podcast scene. Does everyone know how awesome they are?? Because I sure didn't. Sure, the last time I checked out the Podcast section in the iTunes store was approximately 2006, when the offerings were less than stellar, but 4 years have done wonders. Now, when I'm trying to drown out the sounds of my colleagues, or my phone, I just put my ear buds in an let Rick Steves take me on a wild adventure through Armenia, or discover why magnesium is a good supplement to add to my diet. Excellent. So I can work on things that aren't interesting whilst listening to things that are (and yes, nutritional supplements are fascinating to me...no judgment, please). Anyways, the best Podcasts I've found so far are Travel with Rick Steves (I love his books, so it makes sense that I'm into his Podcasts), Sex with Emily, Dishing up Nutrition, Savage Love (as in, the Dan Savage newspaper column), The Moth and Sound of Young America.

The local farmers' market. Again, a bit late to this scene. I've only lived here for over two years, no big deal. There is a fantastic farmers' market on Saturdays not far from where we live, so for the past month I've been dragging Kurt to it bright and early and loading up on fresh, organic vegetables and eggs at a fraction of the cost of their half-rotten, overpriced, supermarket counterparts. It has made a huge difference to our meals and our grocery bill. Not only are we now eating local and organic, which are both so important in my opinion, but we're eating seasonally as well. This is a huge, fantastic step forward for our life on the Rock, since produce has been such a huge downer for me since pretty much the first time I ever set foot in a grocery store.

Getting OFF of the Rock! We're going to Cayman in just over two weeks, which is going to be a.w.e.s.o.m.e. Not only will we be reunited with Ash and Andy, our much-missed pals who left this Rock for that one, but we will also get a chance to hang out with Heather and James, who are going to be there at the same time to celebrate Heather's birthday. I sense some mayhem approaching. There might be stingrays involved. And boats. And rum. And a lot of food. Good times!

Two weeks or so after we get back from Cayman, we're off again - this time, to NYC. The main components will be similar to Cayman...a chance to visit with our much-missed friends, EAP and Mugsy, fine dining and general good times. I can't wait. We're staying a bit longer than our first trip in 2008, trying a new hotel (still in Midtown), and I'm mostly just looking forward to exploring, night and day. My camera will definitely be the first thing I pack.

We're also planning a bigger trip for late in the year - likely November. We've got the general idea mapped out but still need to work out a few details, so more to come on that later.

Dreaming up home-based business plans. It's always been my dream to work at home, for myself. After years of having no really good ideas for how to accomplish this, 2010 has presented me with three totally different ideas, all very do-able with a bit of business training and some experience under my belt. One would require about two years of course work, but it's something I'm really passionate about, so I'm thinking I would really enjoy the schooling anyways. Anyways, after the madness that is my work life, it's really nice to think that working for myself at some point is more feasible than I had previously thought.

Happy thoughts, indeed.

Cloud of Shame.

2010-02-22T21:03:00.004-05:00

Remember when I blogged? Wow. I'm pretty embarassed about this.

Five years ago (!!), I started my first blog. It was kind of the lead-in to this blog, which I started when we moved to the Rocks. Anyways, I was a pretty formidable blogger, back in the day. Sure, I still only had like...6 loyal readers but I was blogging regularly. Sometimes even more than once each day. Imagine. Anyways, I went from being a blogger extraordinaire, to an OK blogger, to a shamefully delinquent blogger. Ouch. How the mighty have fallen. Or, how the moderately adequate have fallen, rather.

So, what is up with you, my 3 remaining readers? Are you still out there?

I'm still here. I'm still on the Rocks, lost at sea.

I spent two and a half glorious weeks in Victoria over Christmas, soaking up all of the comforts of home. It wasn't originally supposed to be such a lengthy trip, but when the time came for me to start packing to come back to the Rock, I decided that I wasn't ready yet, so I somewhat randomly decided to have a tooth pulled. Not a random tooth, mind you, but that devil tooth that started giving me trouble about this time last year, while I was working in CayMAN. To make a long, gory story short, I managed to weasel my way in to see the same specialist who yanked out my wisdom teeth when I was 16. This guy is THE guy to see in Victoria, should you ever require any tooth yanking services. In 20 minutes, my troubles were gone. And now, two months later, my mouth is finally back to normal, after a year of pain. Oh, the lengths I will go to for extra time at home. Sad. But can you blame me?

The highlight of my trip? The family Christmas dinner, hosted at my parent's house. 20 persons of varying levels of Swede gathered in our living room for a feast. No roast beast, but a formidable spread anyways.

I came back to warm, sunny, beautiful weather and, of course, my lovely man. The warm, sunny, beautiful weather gave way to the Rock's "winter" about mid-month, leaving us with miserable torrential rain and gale force winds pretty regularly since then. Can I complain? No. It's not cold. I work indoors. Some rain and wind is not the end of the world. It just means that I haven't had a good hair day in awhile.

My job went from being 8:59 - 5:01 to more of a 7:01 - 6:30 kind of situation. I'm not making excuses, but coming home and blogging was pretty much the last thing I wanted to do. And then I got a secretary aaaand...back to 8:59 - 5:01, for the most part, which is absolutely fine with me. As an added bonus, my secretary has also made it her personal mission to save my soul and to assist me in finding Jesus. We get along great, but if I get annoyed, all I have to do use some mild profanity or casually yell "JESUS CHRIST!" and she gets all quiet as she undoubtedly contemplates just how effed I am, spiritually. I love her.

At the beginning of February, Kurt and I celebrated our six (6) year anniversary. What? When did six years go by? Amazing. We celebrated with a "staycation" at one of the resorts at the other end of the Rock. We just went out for a night, but had a great dinner, watched some Iron Chef, ate some ice cream, and fell asleep to the sound of the crashing waves (it was one of those gale force winds weekends). Good times.

We're not into the Olympics at all. I've shocked a few people by saying this because they all think that because I'm from Canada, I should be really into Vancouver 2010. I was in Vancouver at the beginning of 2010 and saw just about everything I wanted to see...and yes, I'm aware that the Olympics didn't start until February. I'm not into winter sports at all. If it's on, I'll watch it, but I'm not going to go seek out a TV so I can watch the luge finals. I've watched clips of the opening ceremony, read all about the protests (lame!), and if I were there I'd probably be all excited about going out with friends and being a part of it, but I'm not sad that I'm not. However, we did get some Olympic mitts in the mail last week, which we're proudly wearing whenever appropriate. Which, in this climate, is not often.

Obviously, we are very excited about them. They are pretty awesome. GO CANADA!

The Rock has some representation in the Olympics, believe it or not. One guy. We were cheering for him too, but he was disqualified on, like, the first day. Kind of like the idea of a Jamaican hockey team, winter Olympians from the Rock are...challenged. Though, I understand that he is quite the luger. Lugist? Whatever.

By far, the Olympics were trumped for us by the appearance of George last weekend! Our 30 year old tortoise came out of hibernation last weekend for an hour. He ate half of a ham sandwich and then went back into his igloo for a few weeks. I don't think we'll see him regularly until the end of March, but it was nice to see his smiling face for a little bit, anyways.

Kurt & Kristmas

2009-12-20T07:07:00.003-05:00

Because we're both flying out of here (hopefully) this week, we decided to celebrate mini-Christmas this weekend. This is our 6th Christmas together and we have a few traditions that we didn't want to miss out, just because we weren't going to be together on the actual day. So, we got our shopping done last week and I cleaned the apartment so it would be ready for a weekend of Christmas movies, Christmas baking, Christmas music and general Christmas merriment. It didn't disappoint...and it's not even over yet.

Yesterday, I made (way too many) Christmas cookies - chocolate mint (my favorite) and ginger molasses (his favorite) and we had a dinner of snacks...cheese, crackers, pepper jam, chips, dip, prosciutto and olives while we sipped our black rum and ginger beer and giggled to Elf. This was after our afternoon movie rundown of Charlie Brown (can you believe that this was the first time I'd ever seen it?) and A Muppet Family Christmas (Muppets + Sesame Street + Fraggles congregate at Fozzie's Mom's farmhouse...Swedish Chef tries to cook Big Bird), and before we ended the evening with a viewing of the original Grinch and exchanging a couple of gifts. I got a very timely new watch, as my other watch (which Kurt gave me for my 24th birthday) died during the longest meeting ever a few weeks ago. It was like it just gave up...and I sat there wondering if the day could possibly tick by any slower. Turns out that it couldn't.

So, the first half of mini-Christmas was pretty awesome. And we didn't even feel bad about being couch potatoes because the weather was TERRIBLE. It was probably the worst day, weather-wise, that we've had on the Rock this year. Gale force winds, reports of a tornado (I'm skeptical), and a LOT of rain. Our dehumidifier had a field day. We lit candles and enjoyed the show from the inside. We enjoyed the movies from the comfort of our couch boat - an invention we came up with a few months ago when we realized that our living room set up allowed us to push our matching gigantic couches together in front of the TV to make one huge bed-like couch to cuddle up on. It's great but it's almost too comfortable because I always end up drifting off during movies. Elf kept me awake though.

We have a bunch of friends who were set to fly out of here yesterday to various spots and they shut down the airport after the Air Canada flight left, so a lot of them are stranded until Tuesday or Wednesday because the flights are so booked up for Christmas (and there's normally only one each day to each destination, except New York). I feel so bad for them. Travelling at Christmas is awful when the flights are relatively normal, so any kind of interruptions really dampen the spirit. I will never forgive Air Canada for the time I sat on the tarmac in the plane from Ottawa (which had landed on time but didn't have a gate available for it) and watched my Victoria flight take off without me. On Christmas Eve.

Please keep all of your fingers and toes crossed for us. I fly out on Wednesday and Kurt leaves on Christmas Eve. We've got confirmed seats, and Air Canada is pretty good about flying in less-than-ideal weather, but I'm hoping for clear days in Toronto and Ottawa next week. Victoria...I'm not too concerned about. They can always land in rain.

Today will be much the same as yesterday. I've saved my two favorite Christmas movies (A Christmas Story and Love Actually), I have a new book to get into, and Kurt's making his famous traditional codfish and potato breakfast. It's a Rock thing. And it is DELICIOUS. Until then, I'll try to stay out of the cookies.

My Christmas spirit was a bit lacking until this weekend. Now I'm feelin' it. I love this time of year.

Spoiled.

2009-12-17T20:56:00.003-05:00

Today is my birthday. In my head, I am 23. In reality, I am 29. Yiiiiikes.

I was totally spoiled today. First of all, my amazing mother sent me a birthday present which arrived last week and has been staring at me from the dining room table. I was good though. I waited until this morning to open it up and found a new pair of super cute shoes and a kit for this new form of art called Zentangle which is 100% addictive doodling.

At work, I was spoiled too. One co-worker made me a cake, some friends took me for lunch, and then there was some singing....it was fun. And tonight I was spoiled by my man, who took me for a birthday date to one of my favorite restaurants.

Fun day. So far, 29 is pretty awesome.

2010 is my year.

Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

2009-12-09T19:27:00.003-05:00

That's the sound of our new dehumidifier, dehumidifying. Thank effin' God.

I told a few people at work about the Mould Incident and they all asked why I didn't have my dehumidifier on, because obviously I wouldn't be having any mould issues if I did. When I told them that I didn't own one, there was a lot of finger wagging (whilst snapping) in my face and "Giiiiiiirl, why you don't have none? You out your mind!"

In other words, I got told.

I acted quickly and we just plugged in our new (to us) appliance. Which may send our electricity bill to the Moon but really...my Frye's are worth it.

Dear Mould: Don't eff around. Regards, Me.

2009-12-07T20:08:00.005-05:00

For most of the year, the humidity on the Rock is very high (it hit 98% in the summer). For my skin and hair, this is fabulous. My hair has never grown faster and I hardly ever need to use moisturizer. But it's not all good news. With houses made out of coral and rock, that means that dealing with dampness in the home is just a regular part of life here - a fact which we have recently become acutely aware of.

Our previous apartment, which was in a 400 year-old building, was framed and drywalled, much like a house in Canada. There are probably 3 houses like that on the whole island...it is VERY rare. I'm guessing this is because moisture + drywall = eventual disaster. But, our apartment was dry as a bone, all year round. It was fabulous. Besides the lovely floors, it was pretty much the best thing about the place.

Our new apartment is less than a year old. However, it is a regular-style house, made out of coral, cinder blocks and cement. No moisture barrier. No drywall. Not dry.

I noticed it shortly after we moved in...a bit of a coldness in the sheets tipped me off one night and then the fact that it took 3 days for a pair of jeans to dry on a hanger sealed it for me. We are now officially living in a regular house and now we have to deal with what everyone else is dealing with: the War on Mould.

Mould...is gross. I'm not a fan. Up until now, my experiences with mould have been confined to the food variety - leaving an open juice box in my locker for weeks on end would normally sprout something pretty, and there has been more than one container of forgotten leftovers in my fridge that was "discovered" to be a greener shade than necessary. I'm not messy...it happens.

But when mould sprouts on my SHOES...everything changes.

This evening, Kurt and I were having a casual conversation in the closet (our closet is huge - larger than our bathroom) and I randomly pulled my beloved Frye sandals out of the shoe organizer to discover this:

Oh, hell no.

Yes, that is a crop of mould on my lovely sandal. A tiny green forest of gross.

Disgusted, I pulled out all of my shoes and discovered that The Mould had invaded another favorite pair, my Born sandals (you will probably note how similar they are to the Fryes...at least the Mould has good taste):

I said some words that I don't feel comfortable repeating on my blog, gathered up my beloved sandals and every bottle of shoe product that has ever been hawked (successfully, apparently) to me by shoe sales people, and got to work in the kitchen.

30 minutes later, my pulse had gone back to a regular pace and my sandals were looking as good as new. Some shampoo and conditioner were all it took to bring them back to life. However, I'm now freaking out about everything else in my closet. Like...my clothes. My luggage. My PURSES. My pashmina collection. What else is quietly becoming a home to The Mould? I don't really care to find out.

We got some closet heaters from a co-worker of mine and installed them immediately. They don't heat up much - just enough to zap the moisture from the air. Hopefully that's enough to prevent future invasions. Until then...daily inspections.

Ahh...life in the tropics. Always a pleasure.

Latest Discoveries.

2009-12-02T20:08:00.004-05:00

1) Hoarders.

Is anyone else watching this brilliant show? Well, maybe 'brilliant' is a strong word, but it's downright entertaining. And interesting. And yes, parts of it may make you dry heave, but for the most part, you'll just feel like washing your dishes when it's over. I don't know if it's on TV now, but it definitely aired this year and it is about people with compulsive hoarding disease. Gone are the days where we call chronically messy people "lazy slobs". They are now classified with a mental disorder. Actually, from the few episodes I've watched, these people on the show are in a league of their own. Multiple rotten pumpkins on the dining room floor...congealed meat byproduct pooling in the fridge...10,000 teddy bears...astonishing collections of shampoo caps and broken picture frames...it is wild. What happens on the show is that you "meet" the Compulsive Hoarders, and then the show sends in a Certified Professional Organiser (who knew THAT was a job?), these Saint-like people who come in with masks and a truckload of patience (and at least 4 dumptrucks) and they work with the Compulsive Hoarder to get rid of the junk. But they can't tell them to get rid of the junk...they have to work with them to hope they make the decision on their own. Some of them don't, and the show ends with this kind of sad "update" on how they got evicted, or their children stopped speaking to them, or some other depressing ending.

I've watched 4 episodes and I'm totally hooked. It really puts my slightly untidy coffee table into perspective. Some of these people can't see the floor...in any room, hallway or stairwell of their home. Fascinating.

2) DailyLit.

Totally deserving of the 'brilliant' label, The DailyLit is a brilliant website. If you don't already know about it (I only just discovered it through a blog I read), it used to be a subscription-based service but is now free. It's kind of like an electronic library, where you go, find a book you want to read and sign up (this involves entering your e-mail address), and then they will send you the book by e-mail in segments over...well, however long it takes you to read it. For instance, I signed up today to read Little Women. I've been wanting to re-read it for awhile and lo and behold, DailyLit has a fabulous selection of classic books. So, I opted for 'longer' installments and received my first two today. I read them during my lunch hour (about the equivalent of 2-3 pages of the book) and tomorrow at Noon, they'll send me the next two. Or, if I'd had the time today, I could have asked for the next two right away.

I think this is SO smart. So many people have such limited time to read books, but this way you can read on your BlackBerry when you're in a waiting room, or like me on a lunch hour, or anytime you want, really. You can pause your book if you're going on vacation, or ask for it only to be sent on Mondays...it's very customisable. I am very impressed. I currently have three books coming to me from DailyLit: Little Women, The Count of Monte Cristo, and one which I can't remember the name of right now but it was on the homepage and looked good and Diane von Furstenberg recommended it so really, how could I go wrong?

December!

2009-12-01T16:28:00.002-05:00

Welcome, friend. December is my absolute hands-down favorite month of the year. First of all, it involves my birthday. A tad less exciting than when I was turning ages that didn't make me think "no effin' way am I that old...", but exciting nonetheless because right around the corner from my birthday is...Christmas! Obviously.

And to celebrate December 1st, and because I have zero imagination today, a Christmas MeMe. Stolen from Heather's blog. Thanks once again, HAO.

To celebrate the 1st of December, here is a Christmas meme for you all!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Gift bags wherever possible, but normally wrapping paper for the bulk of the presents. I'm a pretty decent wrapper, 50% of the time.

2. Real tree or artificial? Currently, the most artificial of artificial. And by that, I mean that it's only a tree in that it's shaped like an inverted cone, but it's made out of sparkly gold wire and has little gold beads here and there. It's festive...but it's not really a tree. At the homestead, where I'm spending actual Christmas, we have an artificial tree.

3. When do you put up the tree? Thanks for the reminder! I'm going to go get it out of the closet right now and plunk it on the coffee table. Decorating...CHECK.

4. When do you take the tree down? My family was of the variety that put the tree up late and took it down before New Years. In and out, no muss, no fuss. And then we'd drive around and laugh at people who still had their tree up on January 15...because THEY are the ones who are weird, obviously. Don't get me wrong...no one gets excited about Christmas like my Dad...we just contain our excitement to a smaller window than others.

5. Do you like eggnog? In small quantities.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Every Christmas had a special gift (Santa has always been very good to me), but the one that is standing out at the moment was the year that my parents decided to get Kelsey and I FIVE turtles of varying sizes and a gigantic turtle tank. The largest was the size of a dinner plate and the smallest was the size of a toonie. They met varying fates, but I believe one of them can still be found at the Beacon Hill Park Petting Zoo. By the way, turtles are really boring and stinky pets. The novelty for my parents wore off on or about December 26th.

7. Do you have a Nativity scene? I do not.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My Sister.

10. Worst Christmas Gift you ever received? The year I didn't make the connection in Toronto and spent Christmas Eve at YYZ. Worst. Day. Ever.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? MAIL!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story ("you'll shoot your eye out, kid!" never gets old)

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually sometime in November.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Anything from my Mom's kitchen. She is a-freakin-mazing.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song? "All I Want for Christmas" - Mariah Carey. No joke.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home, but I have to travel to get there. Christmas doesn't feel like Christmas on the Rock.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, dancer, prancer, vixen, comet, cupid, donner and blitzen, Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star. Or, in the case of my "tree", a glittery bead. Glorious.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Present from Dad on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas Morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People...everywhere.

From the Trenches...

2009-11-30T21:39:00.002-05:00

I'm coming to you from the frontlines of H1N1, the bug that stole the past 5 days of my life and ruined what was supposed to be a romantic weekend getaway with my man. Eff you, Swine.

Last Tuesday, I went to bed with a tiny tickle in the back of my throat. I woke up Wednesday morning with an aching body - the kind where even your hair hurts - and a persistent hacking cough. By the next morning, it was clear that I was man down. Or, woman down, really.

And enter...Swine Flu.

As a survivor of the dreaded H1N1, I have a little secret to share with you all. This is pretty hush hush...you're not going to find this on CNN or Fox News, so read the next sentence very. carefully.

The Swine Flu is....

...THE FLU!

My only tip-off that this was likely H1N1 was the cough. The cough that kept me up for an entire night (incidentally, the night spent in a super swank hotel in 800 thread count Egyptian cotton). The cough that went away for hours and then returned with such a venegeance that I thought I was going to literally hack up a lung. The cough that even Buckley's wouldn't touch.

My hair has hurt before. I've hacked until I gagged before...this was nothing new. Of course, I've been lucky enough to avoid the flu for awhile so this was a longer span than usual away from the office for me, but that was just good sense. I'm not one of those people who tries to look like a hero, or a really dedicated employee at least, by showing up at the office sick as a dog and hacking all over their co-workers. I loathe those people. Those people are why the rest of us get sick! At least, those of us without ~~tiny germ-mongers~~ kids.

I did not get the vaccine. I wasn't planning on getting it, even if I were allowed to get it, which I'm not (not being a child, pregnant or elderly). Me and my iffy immune system took it on and we won.

The romantic getaway was a bit of a bummer. We had a great afternoon/evening and an AMAZING room to lounge around in (photos will be forthcoming), but as soon as I tried to go to sleep, the cough kicked in and did not let up until 5:30 a.m. Awesome. So, I spent the night on the couch in the living room, watching The Shopping Channel (I hate Snuggies) and trying not to wake Kurt up from his peaceful slumber. Oh well. We have another little getaway planned for the weekend before we both fly home for Christmas, so fingers crossed that Kurt will remain Swine-free and we'll be able to enjoy that one a bit more.

So, I survived the Swine. And I'm better for it. At least, my immune system is.

I really hate Sunday evenings.

2009-11-22T19:31:00.002-05:00

They can be such a downer!

We had a super relaxing weekend. Did a bit more unpacking (yes, there is STILL unpacking to do), had a nap, hit up the driving range, paid too much for mediocre Indian buffet, had a friend over for dinner, made some pumpkin muffins...you know. Standard weekend stuff.

I'm starting to get very excited to go home for Christmas. I hate travelling at Christmas time, but I'm not even sure I'll mind this time around. I just can't wait to get there.

In my unpacking today, I re-discovered a number of purses I haven't used in awhile. Don't you love that? Especially when you leave money in the pockets? Brilliant. One purse in particular has been out of the rotation for far too long, so I'm thinking I'll ease it back in tomorrow and see how it does. My lovely mustard-yellow fall purse (scored at Winners in September) is about ready for a break.

I'm about ready to head off to bed, but I have a phone date tonight with a good friend from home who I haven't talked to since August. We obviously have a lot to catch up on. After that, I plan to curl up with some Bengal Spice tea and my book in my fresh sheets. Ahhh.

Maybe Sunday night isn't SO bad after all. It's Monday that's the bitch.

Etsy Love.

2009-11-08T20:24:00.004-05:00

I've made a few purchases lately. I "discovered" Etsy back in 2006 but haven't bought anything from the site since before we moved to the Rock, since PayPal hasn't always been cooperative with internationally-based credit cards. However, that changed. And so I was able to surf through my (extensive) list of favorites and pick out a few things that I decided I couldn't live without.

One of these purchases arrived on Friday. EcoChicHandKnits organic hand-crocheted nesting bowls.

I'd been trying to find something for us to put sunglasses and keys in, by the door, so that we can avoid the classic morning scramble for these vital items. So, I contacted the seller to see if she would ship internationally (yes) and whether the shipping costs would be reasonable (yes) and the adorable little package arrived on Friday, all wrapped up with a little card, thanking me for my purchase. Delightful. And the bowls are just as cute in person as they are in the photo, and perfect for what I wanted them for. The large one is for sunglasses, the medium-sized one is for keys, and the small one sits on my nightstand as a safe place to put jewelry before bed.

I love buying handmade and think it's more important now than ever. Etsy = Awesome.

Check out the EcoChicHandKnits storefront...definitely a seller who is staying in my Etsy Favorites!

Crippled by Flat-Packed Furniture.

2009-11-08T18:59:00.002-05:00

On Friday, we picked up most of the huge order of IKEA stuff we put together before we moved into the new apartment. The order was mostly dressers and shelves, so quite a bit of our unpacking has been strewn about in boxes and bags waiting for it to arrive. A few things were sold out (apparently, the 'Walnut' finish is the colour de jour), but we got our MALM, ORGEL, SKUBB and small BILLY. Yesterday morning, K went out to run some errands, so I put on Season 1 of The L Word and got to work. I decided to tackle the MALM six-drawer dressers first (we bought two, because we can't share) and figured I could bang those together in an hour or two, tops. No problem, right? Gong. I started at about noon...and finished just before 6:00 p.m. During that time, I'd taken, cumulatively, one half hour break. It was a nightmare. The dressers went together beautifully...they just had a lot of extra steps and they are actually kind of huge, which made putting them together alone a bit of a challenge. Anyways, we got them moved into the bedroom and (finally!) emptied our suitcases out and filled the drawers, had a friend over for dinner and went to bed early.

When I woke up this morning, I felt as though I'd been hit by a truck. My back and legs were killing me and my arms felt like I'd been toting around a huge watermelon or a heavy child for hours. Turns out, assembling MALM on your own is harder work than I thought. It was a workout. But the results were worth it, because I woke up this morning and dressed without having to dig through suitcases...an amazing feeling after 4 weeks of living like gypsies. Gypsies with Samsonite.

The house is really coming together. The cookbooks are shelved (thanks, BILLY), our BBQ is in place and had it's debut last night, and in about two weeks, the last of our furniture should arrive from New Jersey.

I was looking around last night and realized that this apartment is definitely the nicest place that we have lived together so far. Our house was great, but this place just suits us. Maybe it's the fact that the front patio always smells like rosemary, or that the apartment is so quiet when a car does creep by on the crescent, it's noticeable. Unlike the old apartment, where quiet periods on the road would have us looking at each other like "what's going on? Where is everyone?" It's lovely. I had a two hour nap in the middle of the day with my sleep mask and it was heaven.

Love, love, love. I'm going to take some photos this week and update the Facebook album, now that we're moved in and it's looking more like ours.

November!

2009-11-01T19:18:00.003-05:00

My favorite month, next to December. I'm not even sure why, but I expect that it has to do with being the start of the lead up to Christmas...my absolute favorite time of year. The other great thing about November? November 1st means that October 31st has passed. I really do not love Halloween at all. This year, we spent all of Saturday scouring our old apartment and came home feeling so tired and annoyed by it all that we ended up being those assholes who FOR SURE will get egged at some point. We closed our blinds and turned off all of the lights and pretended that we weren't home. Oh yes, we did. And then we snuck out for Indian food. I will take baigan bhartha over teenagers dressed like vampires (because every. single. teenager. was dressed as a vampire) anyday.

The little ones though...I'll make exceptions for them. When did kids get so damn cute?

We kicked November off quietly, just how I like it. We did a bit of unpacking around here and I'm happy to say that our house is starting to look a little bit like we actually live here! Not that we've spent any time here at all, other than to sleep, until this weekend. Now, finally, we've had some quality time in our new digs, just hanging around, and we are loving it. It's quiet, always has a nice little breeze, and our landlords are probably the nicest people on the planet. I think we'll be happy here for awhile. How long awhile? I have no idea.

This weekend marked our anniversary on the Rock. Two years. Amazing...especially since when we first moved here, two years was the plan. Get in, get out. And now, two years in, it still feels like we just got here. So, I went back to the beginning of this blog and found this post, written just a few days after we moved into our first apartment. I like to look back on what my initial thoughts were, back when everything seemed so new and we felt like we were on a permanent vacation. Back when I apparently hated those little frogs I love so much now. Before life set in, before the noise of the street below our apartment started to get to us, before we'd figured out that life is just life, no matter where you live it. That being said, it's been a pretty interesting two years.

If you had asked me back in November 2007 what I would be doing in November of 2009, I would have absolutely predicted that we would be back in Canada, preparing to buy a house in the city we plan to "settle down" in. Without question, that was the plan.

Seriously though...how long has this been my plan, now?

I moved to Ottawa in 2002, planning to return to Victoria in 2004. Didn't happen.

We bought our house in 2005, planning to sell and move to Victoria in 2008.

Before that could happen, we moved to the Rock in 2007 with a two-year plan.

Those two years are up and we're still here, and have no plans to leave anytime very soon.

Maybe I should take a hint. MAYBE...if I really wanted to be in Victoria, I would have found a way to be there by now. This is me, getting introspective. I'm getting deep here, people. Seriously though...wouldn't we be there if that's where we were supposed to be? As much as I complain about rude people and how much a leek costs, some very big part of me must have fallen in love with the Rock. I know I like it. I like my job, I love the weather, I like the freedom we have and I like that we now have the means to do a lot of things that were out of our reach before we moved here. Of course I hate being away from family and friends, but I have been away from my family and a good chunk of my friend base for a very long time now. I'm used to missing people. And the thing is, is that being in Victoria doesn't mean that I'll have everyone I love around me. One crappy thing about having three homes is that there are people to miss in each of them.

OK, enough depth. Back to shallow blogging.

I made vegetable soup tonight. No recipe. I just noticed that we had an inordinate number of red peppers in the fridge and a bag of shredded carrots that looked as though it was considering a turn to the dark side. So, I tossed them into a pot with a diced onion and some broth and spices, boiled up a storm and then blended the works and served to my (obviously very impressed) man. It was delicious. Made me feel clever.

This time change has left me sleepy at 8:57 p.m. How sad. Probably great news for my body though, which has been craving sleep like no one's business.

Bed time!

Life.

2009-10-28T21:43:00.002-04:00

The past week has been, in a word, EFFING CRAZY. OK, two words.

We have officially moved. And I am officially in love with the new apartment, despite the boxes and bags all over the place and the fact that many of my clothes are in suitcases awaiting the MALM dressers coming from IKEA on the weekend. The move itself was probably my best move yet. We weren't necessarily more organized, but we did have a lot of time to move so we were pretty relaxed. This means that we were not killing each other over little things. We even tried to enjoy the process, to the extent that moving can ever be enjoyable.

There were a few touch-and-go moments. The first was when I got caught trying to throw some items out that had not officially been designated as trash. By him. Busted. The second, and more serious, incident was when we finally arrived with our movers at the new place - a 40 minute drive from our old place - and I realized that I had brilliantly left the key to the new apartment in the old apartment. Idiotic. Luckily, our landlords were home and helped us out. More serious than that was when our "professional" movers announced that our 37", 7.5 foot long couches would not fit through the doorways or windows and that there was no way that they could get them into our apartment. I nearly barfed. Because the couches were WHY we hired movers. We could have moved most of our crap ourselves but the couches are huge and require a truck. So, we paid them to drop the couches off in our driveway and leave, leaving us standing there wondering what to do with two 7.5 foot long couches that won't fit in the house when our landlord comes over and wants to try fitting them through the back entrance. The entrance that the movers didn't try because they said that it was mathematically impossible to get the couches through the door and around the sharp corner they'd have to turn to get into the living room. They know this because they are "professionals".

Well, EFF YOU "professionals"! Because not 15 minutes later, K and I were arranging our couches into our preferred formation in the living room. It does make absolutely no mathematical sense that they made it into this room but they did and we are ecstatic, because they are a part of the family.

And because selling things sucks.

So, we're here. We have a lot of unpacking to do, but it's a work in progress. It's so quiet that it's almost eerie at night. Just frogs and wind.

I love me some frogs and wind.

Drama.

2009-10-28T21:27:00.002-04:00

So, I read this blog on a semi-regular basis...I'd say 2 or three times a month. She usually blogs more than once a day, but I enjoy watching her bump her net worth up and she's sent me in the direction of some good deals. Plus, she's from my beloved hometown, so I feel like we have something in common. A kinship, if you will. Whatever. I like her blog. Anyways, her blog is all about personal finance, though she's pretty real and honest and talks a lot about her life, hobbies, plans, etc. as well and last week, she decided to buy a car. A car that is worth approximately what her net worth was calculated to be prior to the purchase, with a difference of about $5K. While I was surprised at the purchase (I started reading the blog back when she was clawing her way out of heavy student debt and wouldn't spend a penny on herself without overanalyzing every other possible use for said penny), that's about the extent of the thought I gave it. She bought a car. Good for her. While driving a brand new car off the lot isn't really my bag, I can see the allure. She's worked hard to save money and really, who cares?

OH...a lot of people care. She posted about the purchase and was greeted with a shitstorm of comments about how irresponsible a purchase she had just made. Comments from complete strangers under the impression that their opinions, somehow, matter. And then she responds back with a well-worded post that essentially said PFO without saying PFO to the trolls and explained, though she didn't have to, that her blog is her blog and her money is her money. And THAT illicited another shitstorm from people who have way, WAY too much time on their hands.

What a bunch of morons.

I think about this sometimes - this whole blog thing. What is it really about, and why do we do it? I started my blog, my original (more fabulous than this blog) blog to stay in touch with friends who are far away, and share pictures and random thoughts. Then I felt like it was too general, so I tried to make it more specific, about a certain aspect of my life. Then that got boring, so I made it general again. And then I stopped blogging altogether for a long time, and then I revived my blogging self by starting this blog when we decided to move to the Rock, expecting to document the many fascinating aspects of our new adventure.

And then we realized that life on the Rock is just life...on a rock.

And now I'm back to a general, rambling blog that no one can really learn anything useful from, other than my occasional product reviews and why I love sleep masks (very useful) and how homesick I get sometimes (even more useful).

Honestly, I blog because I like to write. And if no one ever reads this...I'm OK with that. Writing is something I have done, in various forms, since I could hold a pencil. I wrote stories about ponies and Indians (seriously) when I was a kid because, for whatever reason, I felt like ponies and Indians were a story that needed to be told.

This blog is my story. INCREDIBLY BORING at times, but a story, nonetheless. I can look back at my old blog, which started in 2005, and remember what it was like when Kurt and I were a brand new couple. When I still thought I would be back in Victoria in 2008. What it was like to have a difficult time scrounging up rent money, and what it was like to live with mental roommates. I can remember the bitter cold of Ottawa winters and the excitement leading up to holidays. The turmoil surrounding our move to the Rock and the period of uncertainty before we were both settled into jobs. It's all there, still, just where I left it.

Sometimes, that creeps me out. But mostly, I like it.

Reasons why this week is complete horse shit.

2009-10-22T20:41:00.002-04:00

Movers arrive on Saturday. Totally not ready.
Unable to drive car for most of the week, which was dedicated to moving stuff. Why? Oh, because we got a $1,750 traffic fine for driving unlicensed, unknowingly. We have to go to Court. FML.
I ruined my new purse by getting caught in a torrential downpour on Monday.
The tooth I went to Toronto to have fixed is not fixed. Back on another 2 rounds of antibiotics AND...back to Toronto very soon. FML. I'm on the verge of saying "pull it".
I look like a chipmunk (refer to #4).
I'm starting a new job on Tuesday and am about 3 weeks away from wrapping up my current job.
We got our first tax penalty. Not a lot, but enough to annoy me.
Stressed to my breaking point.

FML. Seriously. Everything about my week has been astonishingly horrendous.

What?

2009-10-19T18:45:00.002-04:00

Someone sent me this today. Three runners, two marathoners and a half-marathoner died during the Detroit marathon on Sunday, at ages 26, 35, and 65. They say it's a fluke and likely related to heart disease, in all three cases.

What?

I knew it was no walk in the park, but never seriously considered that it was something that could kill you if you had properly trained and were ready for it.

The quote that bothered me the most, besides the tragic news itself:

"In general, somewhere between 1-in-50,000 and 1-in-75,000 people who finish a marathon will die from it. So three deaths at an event with 19,000 registered runners is high, but not necessarily off-the-charts, statistically speaking. "

Depressing. Puts me off a tad.

In unrelated news, I now have a learner's license, which means I am officially a driver in training. It was a minor production, much like every other simple, mundane errand which somehow becomes infinitely more complicated by simple virtue of being HERE, but it's over and done with and my test is next Tuesday.

Better start practicing those figure eights...

Out of Touch.

2009-10-18T19:44:00.002-04:00

The past week has been kind of nuts. On Monday night, I bought a scooter. I got it for a great price (secondhand) and since I was planning on buying one when we moved anyways, I figured might as well jump on a deal now and learn to ride before crap weather descends upon us. It's like the one below, except a year older. Very cute. Very easy to ride...apparently. We went to practice on a friend's bike this afternoon (a.k.a. The Bike Formerly Known as Ashleigh's) and I did OK. I zipped around through some cones and, after figuring out that turning right is similar to turning left, except the opposite, I was OK. I have to go get a learner's license and then the actually driving test and THEN...watch out. I'll have wheels.

Another item we accomplished last week was the ordering of overpriced IKEA furniture from the local overpriced IKEA furniture ordering place. Actually, it's not terrible. It's a bit much to see the catalog price next to the price with the surcharge, but we're pretty much covering the cost of the new stuff with the money we're making from selling off a bunch of our old stuff so really...who cares? It's a wash. Except we like the new stuff and the old stuff...not so much. So far, we've sold the dresser we hate, the headboard we hate, the TV cabinet that weighs 1000 pounds and a lamp that irritated me from the moment it came through the door. It came as a package deal with some other things we'd bought and now, two years later, I finally kicked it out. Into the loving arms of a girl who had big plans for refinishing it. Game on.

Besides all of that, we've just been packing, loading up the car, driving to the new place, dropping off, and then starting all over again. This has been a pretty stress-free move, really. Our furniture is being picked up on Saturday morning, so this time next week we should be all settled. Maybe not totally unpacked, but getting there. I'm so excited. I love love love the new apartment.

In other news, I am totally addicted to lime Perrier.

Saturday.

2009-10-10T08:30:00.002-04:00

That was a LONG week. The kind of week that takes three weeks to finish and, by the time it's actually over, you're so wiped out that you can't think of anything better to do on Friday night than watch a movie and use as few brain cells as possible. Mission accomplished.

After a solid 8 hours (thank you, sleep mask and earplugs), I'm ready to face the weekend. Today, we're taking our first load of "stuff" to the house. A random assortment, indeed. Bikes, golf clubs, yoga mat, bedding. You know, the basics. Actually, while it is fantastic to have a month to move, it's also difficult to figure out what you're not going to need to continue to function daily. Sadly, I can live without my yoga mat because it hasn't been used in months.

We're also going to check out scooters today because I need one, STAT. I had one, which I never used, but I sold it back in February. The location of our new place means that we're scooting to work, so unless I want to be up with the roosters to go with Kurt, I'm going to have to suck it up and learn how to drive one...on the left.

Another errand for today is to select/purchase some necessary occasional furniture. Bookcases and dressers, namely, from the one place on the Rock that offers IKEA furniture, at a mere 175% mark-up over US retail. Awesome! Eff.

New Discovery.

2009-10-06T06:15:00.002-04:00

Does anyone else sleep with a sleep mask on?

Our room is huge and very bright during both day and night. There are two large windows on two different walls, one of which faces a streetlight, and the other faces a building with security lights. So, at any given time in the night, I can totally count the number of pashminas that I have stacked up on the dresser. Bright.

After a year or so of living here, I realized that I am constantly "foggy". Most days, I wake up with my head full of cotton and it takes me ages to bounce back (and a double-shot of espresso) to jolt me to life. I have blamed this on everything I can think of. At first, I thought it was our bed. Then, I blamed allergies. Next, I blamed Kurt. Finally, it occurred to me that while I get plenty of sleep, it's probably not of the highest quality.

Besides the brightness of our bedroom, there is also quite a bit of noise from the street. Regular traffic, yes, but also the lovely noise from morons who pull over to use the bank machine and leave their stereos going full blast, windows down, doors open. Every night. And while it doesn't always wake me up completely, I'm guessing that the noise, mixed with the light, probably has me up multiple times each night and I don't even know it. Meaning that the really deep sleep that we all need (but which requires no interruptions and complete darkness) was probably not even happening, most nights.

Any new Mom would probably say "big effin' deal". But considering that I have lived here for two years, I've potentially gone a very long time without regular, proper sleep. So new Mom's can stuff it. I may not be waking up because of a screaming child, but is Tupac any less annoying at 3:00 a.m.? And again at 5:00? On a Sunday?

The last time I flew home, I purchased a $3.00 sleep mask at the airport, thinking that it might help me actually sleep on the redeye. And it did. So, I tried it at home during a formerlly impossible afternoon nap and guess what? It worked wonders. So, combined with earplugs (which I have slept with regularly for years, on and off), I brought it into the regular bedtime routine and I can't even tell you what a difference this has made in only one week. ONE WEEK. I wake up after fewer hours of sleep, feeling better. The cotton is gone. The IBD diet doesn't allow for caffeine, so I've been going without my double-shots for 11 days now...no problem. I don't wake up until the alarm goes off (an hour before I normally get up, but Kurt leaves early), and today I felt so good that I got up with him (again, ONE HOUR before I would normally get up) and we made breakfast together.

I'm going to invest in a "real" one because I'm not positive that my $3.00 wonder will last much longer, but I am so thrilled that such a simple thing can make such a difference.

Our new place, by the way, is much, MUCH quieter. When we visited on Sunday, I stood in the backyard and just listened and all I could hear were birds, frogs and wind. Lovely.

Home Sweet Home.

2009-10-04T12:48:00.002-04:00

This morning, we went over to see our new place and take some photos. It is just as adorable and gorgeous as we remembered and now I'm even more excited to move in. It's hard to imagine what it will be like because it's totally empty now besides our bedroom set, but once our furniture is moved in and set up, I think it's going to be a very happy little home.

Awesome News.

2009-10-03T17:07:00.003-04:00

I just spoke with our new landlords and they told us that the previous tenants moved back to the U.K. at the beginning of the month and that we can start moving our stuff in anytime. But our lease doesn't start until November 1st. So, we pretty much have a month to move. I'm so happy about this because the week that we were supposed to move, I'm starting my new position and doing a handover of my current job, so it's going to be a stressful week at work. Now, we can start taking car-loads of stuff over a few times a week and hopefully that last week, we'll just have to arrange to have the bigger furniture moved and have it cleaned.

SO. Excited.

I love the new apartment. We're going over to see it tomorrow and take measurements, so I'll get some photos.

Fall TV.

2009-10-02T22:39:00.003-04:00

We don't have cable. That does NOT mean that I haven't checked out nearly all of the offerings of Fall TV 2009. And because I'm sure my opinions are valuable to someone, here are my reviews:

NEW SHOWS...in no particular order:

Cougar Town: I love Courtney Cox. It's 21:00 minutes of Courtney Cox being neurotic, eccentric and fairly hilarious. So...Monica. Incidentally, my favorite Friend. I've only seen the pilot but I'd like to see more.

Glee: Again, only seen the pilot but I'll watch more. I was fully entertained and the tunes are catchy. It's kind of High School Musical (shudder) meets Election meets Summer Heights High without Mr. G. I like it.

Melrose Place: No. Thanks. I watched the first episode and thought that the hour could have been better spent doing laundry. Not surprising, seeing as I wasn't a huge fan of the original either.

The Beautiful Life: Gossip Girl meets Eighth & Ocean meets America's Next Top Model (in the sense that the models live in the same house). I got totally hooked on this after only two episodes only to find out that they pulled it off the air before episode 3 aired this week. What? Apparently due to low viewership. A quick Google search proved that I was not the only one enticed into this one, despite the main character being Mischa Barton who ranks slightly behind Miley Cyrus on my list of people I harbour unkind feelings for. I'm sad to report that she didn't spend the years since she infamously died on The O.C. learning to act.

The Good Wife: Good Show. So far. The wife of a politician caught up in some sort of prostitution/embezzlement scandal has to go back to work as a lawyer to support the family while hubby (Mr. Big) is serving his sentence. Politics, scandal, a side of legalese...what's not to like?

The Modern Family: Brilliant. Documentary-style show about three (related) "modern" families. This is probably my favorite of the new shows this Fall. Definitely a keeper. If they pull it before episode 3, I'm going to be pissed. Watch it!

Hung: This has been on for awhile now (10 episodes into the first season), so it was new this summer and it is really, really good. High school gym teacher's house burns down so to make the extra cash to rebuild it, he becomes a male prostitute with the help of his "pimp" - an ubernerdy female friend. This is one of K's faves too...so funny.

RETURNING FAVORITES...

Weeds: I love Weeds. It might be one of my favorite shows ever, and one of the few shows where each season is better than the last, unlike so many other shows (cough...O.C....cough). Ahem. Weeds is delicious.

Gossip Girl: I don't even need to verify why I'm back for Season 3. I've been an avid fan since Season 1, Episode 1, watched in the Forgetful's TV room while I was waiting to move to the Rock. So. Good. I love Blair. And Chuck...but for very different reasons.

30 Rock: Again, don't really need to explain. If you have any questions, please consult the Emmy's. I (heart) Tina Fey.

The Hills: The bitch is back...do you think I would miss that for anything? No. I would not. And she didn't disappoint in the first episode. The season looks like such a trainwreck...Lauren is lucky she got out when she did.

The City: I watch this to see that idiot Olivia make an ass of herself and guess what? She nailed it on the first episode and threw a hissy fit on her first day of her new job at Elle. Pathetic. Can't not watch it.

Entourage: Season 6 is almost over, I think. I'm a big fan of Vinnie and his gang of merry men. I didn't like that troll who dated E in this season though...she looked too much like a 12 year old to make me not feel uncomfortable with the whole thing. But the show is still one of my all-time favorites.

This list makes it seem like I watch a lot of TV. I really don't. I just know what I like. And a lot of these will just be saved to load onto my iPod to entertain me during ferry rides, flights, etc.

Fall TV 2009 = mostly good stuff.

Thinking about 2010...

2009-09-29T17:24:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that I'm already planning out 2010 vacation time, but here I am...carefully mapping out my vacation days over a year, trying to figure out how to make the most of them. And how NOT to spend them all in Canada, like this year. No offence, Canada, but I can get to London for the same cost as going home. Um....yeah.

So, that being said, I do need to kiss the soil of my Motherland at least one time next year. We don't know what we're going to do about our postponed wedding, but I do know that I'll be in Ottawa at the end of May and that K wants to be there for the CHEO BBQ in June, so there's a good possibility that those weeks will be our Great Canadian Adventure for 2010. Other ideas we're tossing around:

NYC for a long Easter weekend at the beginning of April. This is all but a done deal. We've been dying to go back since March 2008.

Boston for a long weekend in the Fall. Boston is a city that I have wanted to go to for years, even long before I moved to the Rock, where it is one of the primary destinations for island feverish Rock-dwellers. I hear it's best in the Fall, so the Fall is when we'll probably go. The deals from here are phenomenal if you book early.

NYC in November so I can kick some marathon ass. This is totally up in the air and obviously totally dependant upon me actually training for a marathon. I have a friend here who is running the marathon in DC this November and who had some words of advice for me that made me believe that the training here isn't as impossible as I thought it might be. I'd still really love to do this and it's still very much in my plans.

All of those trips together will still leave me with a week of vacation days left. Hmmmm.

I live for vacations.

Unstoppable Duo.

2009-09-27T20:25:00.002-04:00

I got some exciting news on Friday. Shan and I got hired, officially, to shoot a wedding in Ottawa at the end of May, 2010. Well, Shan wow'd the client, and then she hired me to work with her. I'm so excited. I've been the "unofficial" photographer for a wedding before, but I was like the back-up for the back-up. This time around, it's just us, our cameras and someone else's magical day. I'm intimidated, but confident that we're going to make an awesome team.

SO. Excited.

Simple Salads.

2009-09-27T09:54:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago, I came across this brilliant article from the New York Times, listing 101 (very) salad recipes using unique and fun combinations of ingredients that are easy to find and simple to put together. If you haven't done so already, I would print a copy to keep in the kitchen for those times when you're feeling uninspired. Like most days for me, recently. I went through it on Friday and marked the ones that worked with the IBD diet we're currently doing and found lots that will work as is, or if modified just a touch here and there, and whipped up #2 and #3 for dinner on Friday night, to serve alongside our favorite chicken sausages. I added a bit of avocado to #2. Easy, delicious. Perfect.

I'm going to keep working (and blogging) my way through the list.

Ugh.

2009-09-24T18:32:00.001-04:00

I finally returned to work today, after two weeks away. It wasn't pretty. I finally finished going through my e-mails at 3:00 p.m. Plus, I still feel kind of like crap. OK...a lot like crap. I have a head cold, on top of my annoying tooth issues...this week kind of sucks.

Photography Fun.

2009-09-23T21:00:00.000-04:00

One of my New Year's Resolutions for 2009, which I am just getting to now, was to use my camera more and really take on the learning I need to do if I'm ever going to make a real hobby, or even a business, out of photography. I love taking photos and always have. This is perhaps best evidenced by the four Tupperware crates full of photos in my parent's basement, mostly taken during high school and the first two years of college. Lots of winners amongst those shots. But when I got my first digital camera and really started to play around, I stumbled into something that I really love to do.

I've had some encouragement lately to get more into it, to develop it further and to see where it can go. Where it absolutely can NOT go while I'm on the Rock is a real business, because that would be illegal. But it's a great time to build my skills and start to put together a portfolio and I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by all kinds of people, going through all kinds of exciting things in their lives, and who want those moments captured. And who are generous enough with their moments to let me attempt to capture them.

A few weeks ago, I photographed a couple I know who are expecting their first baby later this week. We went out one evening and took advantage of some amazing light (and strategically placed sunbeams) and I was really happy with how they turned out. It helps that the couple are beyond photogenic and the backdrop was seriously gorgeous, but they were thrilled with the photos, and that's all the encouragement I needed.

While I was in Ottawa, I had the chance to photograph my friend and her new baby boy. We didn't have a lot of time, so we just went up to the Hill to snap some shots and even though he slept through the whole thing, it was fun and we got some good ones. There were one or two moments where I considered a babynapping, but she was right there, so it wasn't a well developed plan at all.

I have two more "photoshoots" booked for the coming weeks - an engagement shoot for some friends who are getting married in 2010, and a one year-old's birthday photos. And, I was invited to help a friend shoot a wedding in Ottawa next May, which is pretty exciting. A bit intimidating, but I'm looking forward to them. I have a LOT to learn, but I'm inspired and lucky to have talented friends to call upon for guidance, if I need it!

New Look.

2009-09-23T09:09:00.000-04:00

Every time I looked at my blog in the previous template, I would cringe. Something about it just wasn't right. Like those little blank purple boxes where the date was supposed to be. And that weird letter A above the first post. So, I changed it again and lo and behold, this template worked on the very first try. It's a keeper I think. For now.

Reading List Update

2009-09-23T09:02:00.003-04:00

How am I doing on my "to read" list for summer/fall?

- ~~Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates~~
- ~~A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick~~
- The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
- Canadians, Roy MacGregor
- Daughter of Fortune, Isabel Allende
- ~~My Life in France, Julia Child~~
- ~~Julie & Julia, Julie Powell~~
- Making a Literary Life, Carolyn See
- The Food Revolution, John Robbins
- Possession, A.S.Byatt
- The Tenth Gift, Jane Johnson
- The Post Office Girl, Stefan Zweig
- Hey Nostradamus, Douglas Coupland
- After the Crash, Garth Turner
- Europe Through the Back Door, Rick Steves
- The Hotel New Hampshire, John Irving
- Life is a Verb, Patti Digh
- 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women, Gail McMeekin

Hmmm...not so good. I had ambitions of doing a lot of reading while we were on our trip, but that didn't happen at all. I didn't even crack the spine of a book, much less make any real headway on the list.

I'm home sick today from work, meaning that I will have been out of the office for two full weeks by the time I return tomorrow, assuming I a) no longer resemble a chipmunk (I am less chipmunky than yesterday) and b) the prescription painkillers and antibiotics combo no longer makes me want to barf up anything I ingest.

Have I mentioned that I HATE teeth?

Back.

2009-09-22T21:11:00.004-04:00

Well, we're back from our trip to Ottawa and not super happy to be, to be quite honest. We had an awesome time. Last year's trip to Ottawa was so rushed and busy that we hardly had any time to enjoy ourselves. This year, we made a point of enjoying every day and spacing the annoying stuff out enough so that we could fit in all of the things we wanted to do and, with a few exceptions, we got it all done. It was great.

The whole time I lived in Ottawa, I was missing Victoria. And now that I'm on the Rock, I miss both. Sometimes one over the other, like now. And surprisingly, it's not my lovely hometown that I'm having a hard time being away from. Ottawa is full of so many happy memories for me, and most of our memories as a couple...special spots, favorite restaurants, stuff we used to do together...I guess after everything that went down this summer, I'm finding myself feeling nostalgic for those times. Not that the Rock doesn't have it's high points. But we had a blast doing "normal" stuff, like wandering around Chapters with hot pumpkin spice lattes, and driving down the Queensway listening to music. Sounds pretty blah, but seriously...it felt so familiar and nice to be able to live our old lives for a week or so.

We wandered the Market, ate Beavertails, shopped for beads (ok, that was me), did many, many laps of the Rideau Centre, sorted through boxes of stuff from our house that we left behind, had pho at phive (or mid-afternoon, anyways) with Shan and Jaia, BBQ'd some salmon, visited friends, caught up with the ladies of LUNLF over Thai food, photographed KKB and her new main man, Myles, and topped it all off with Mike and Krystal's wedding in Quebec. All in all? An amazing trip. And now we're back, moping around the apartment and wistfully making comments about what we might be doing if we were still there.

We are so geographically challenged. Sometimes, it's just too much. TOO MANY MILES. I'm so bored of airports. I wish we could just have our roots down somewhere and have our families and friends close by. Unfortunately, this is impossible.

I can see us going back to Ottawa, sometimes, if I think really hard and forget about everything that happens in Ottawa between December and April. Our Ottawa friends are a special bunch. I'm hating that we're missing out on so much of their lives, but happy that we're able to get there in 4 hours if we need to.

Anyways...I digress. I'm going to move on from my Ottawa love fest. The goodbye is still somewhat raw.

Speaking of raw, remember my root canal retreatment? Well, that was fun. Yesterday morning, I made my way downtown from the Toronto Airport on the subway (an experience all on its own), found my way to the endodontic specialist I was referred to, and spent 3 glorious hours in the chair, having my tooth fixed by the best of the best. Or so I've been told. And according to the internet. I felt pretty confident, but woke up today with a chipmunk cheek so I'm feeling sorry for myself now. Mostly because I look like I took a punch to the jaw. But, I suppose it was a pretty big infection and I'm not in any pain, so I'm feeling pretty good about it all. I'm hoping that this is the last I hear from this effin' tooth. If I have to go to work looking like this tomorrow, I'm not going to be very happy.

OK, I have to get to bed ASAP. I had a fab sleep last night in the most comfortable bed either (thank you, Hilton Toronto Airport), but it was cut short by my flight back to the Rock, so I'm more than just a little bit exhausted!

2009-09-01T21:32:00.000-04:00

See that little purple box next to this blog post? Yeah. The date is supposed to be in that box. And I can not, for the life of me, figure out why it's not there. I have exhausted Google. I've tried to translate Spanish instructions. I'm stumped. And annoyed.

September 1: FML.

2009-09-01T21:10:00.003-04:00

I went to the dentist this morning. It was a lukewarm affair. On the bright side, one of my three hygienist friends cleaned my teeth and did a great job. Now I will have to compare her to my other two hygienist friends and see who is the best. Even though I'll have to fly around a bit to conduct my comparison. On the negative side? The dentist suggested, nicely, that perhaps I should be hesitant to return to the dentist in Canada who did the work in the first place. Yes, THAT dentist with the last name that rhymes with "Doctor" and with the office in the bottom of the large complex with many law offices and such located within, who is so NOT desperate for work that he skimped on my root canal and did a fantastic job...of effing it up. Royally. I repeat: that dentist is crap.

And the specialist on the Rock is backed up until next June. Or maybe not that long, but long enough that waiting for an appointment isn't really an option for me. So, I've been referred to a specialist...in Canada. FML.

On the negative side, this effin' tooth will cost me an extra $500 (non-reimburseable) in plane ticket change fees and hotel charges to do an extended stopover in Toronto on my way back to the Rock. Fine. Annoying, but fine. This on top of the $2.5K that it's going to cost to have the work done (mostly reimburseable). Fine. FINE. What are my other options?

On the plus side, I should be out of the chair by noon at the latest and since the office is right downtown, I should be able to drool my way around the Eaton Centre before heading back to the hotel to sleep it off and fly back to the Rock the next day.

OK, enough about this horrible tooth, the bane of my existence. I think it has just ousted Miley Cyrus from the role of my nemesis and installed itself, in all of it's infected, abscessed, aching glory.

To add trial to tribulation, K had an appointment with my naturopath last night and was put on a diet to try to combat the horrible headaches the poor guy has suffered from 24/7 since March. Before the appointment, and without much thought, I told him that no matter what he was told that he had to do, I'd do it with him to make it easier. I did this thinking that he would be taken off of gluten and/or dairy, which I've gone through before. He forwarded me a copy of the diet this morning....check this:

- no grains of ANY kind (including rice, corn, etc.)
- no dairy at all
- no tropical fruit (fantastic, since K is allergic to all non-tropical fruits except berries)
- no sugar, in any way, shape or form including maple syrup, agave, honey...
- no salt
- no alcohol
- no caffeine
- no potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, or starchy vegetables
- no cooked carrots (?)

...and a variety of other no-no's. I honestly am stumped over what is left, besides meat and some vegetables. Especially for a guy who doesn't eat eggs, is allergic to nuts and can't eat most normal types of fruit, like apples, peaches, pears, plums, nectarines, etc.

This should be fun. I'm so glad I agreed to join him. For a month. I mean, I want to be supportive, but this is VERY restrictive. Yikes.

2009 has been FULL of annoyances, troubles and stress...both of the small and large variety...and I, for one, am done with it.

Effed.

2009-08-31T21:12:00.002-04:00

I logged into my blog the other day to find it totally effed up. Apparently, the photo-hosting site for all of the graphics on my fun, fancy blog got clogged up and so I was going to have to copy them all over to a NEW site and go from there. And then I got lazy and just deleted the whole template. Which I now regret. So now I hate my blog again. I have to find a new template to use but I'm too lazy at the moment, so this boring blue is going to have to do. For now. Give me a few days.

In other news, I am going to be spending at least one day of my upcoming trip recovering from an emergency root canal, to be performed on a tooth that has ALREADY HAD A ROOT CANAL. WTF. Why me? FML. I hate teeth. I am lucky to have a few hygienist friends, one of whom made it not seem like the worst effin' thing ever (which is what I equate everything to do with teeth with), and the other...did. I think she even used the word "disastrous". I'm not sure whose bedside manner I prefer but between the two, I got a pretty graphic depiction of what I'm in for over the next few weeks. I should know more tomorrow. Fan-freakin-tastic. At least I'm going to have the opportunity to have the dentist who actually did the original work get back in there and fix me up. After I punch him in the face.

August 26: Reading Material

2009-08-25T19:44:00.003-04:00

I'm starting to think about packing and our upcoming move and as my eyes drifted over the ridiculous amount of stuff that we have accumulated during our nearly two years in this apartment, they came to rest on my bookshelf. Formerly the home of 8 books. Now the home of many, many books. And, after my last trip to Canada, many, many more.

What is with my obsession with books?

Even before moving to the Rock, I was an Amazon junkie. I'd buy books constantly, anxiously await their arrival, devour them, and then put them on the shelf. Like art. I love the way books look, all lined up in neat rows. And if you ever set foot in my parents' house, you'd see that I come by it honestly. They actually have an entire room devoted to books, along with built-in bookshelves all over the house, all of which are filled with just about every type of book you could think of. Every time I go home, I do a tour and grab whatever I want...it's awesome.

So, after lugging another 11 books home, here is what my "to read" list currently looks like:

- Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
- A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick
- The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
- Canadians, Roy MacGregor
- Daughter of Fortune, Isabel Allende
- My Life in France, Julia Child
- Julie & Julia, Julie Powell
- Making a Literary Life, Carolyn See
- The Food Revolution, John Robbins
- Possession, A.S.Byatt
- The Tenth Gift, Jane Johnson
- The Post Office Girl, Stefan Zweig
- Hey Nostradamus, Douglas Coupland
- After the Crash, Garth Turner
- Europe Through the Back Door, Rick Steves
- The Hotel New Hampshire, John Irving
- Life is a Verb, Patti Digh
- 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women, Gail McMeekin

And still, my virtual Amazon shopping cart is full and ready to be checked out. I'm doing everything within my power not to give in, since I've got an expensive few months ahead of me but seriously...it's hard. I crave new books almost as much as I crave Baskin Robbins peanut butter and chocolate ice cream.

Books make me happy. I'll let you know which of the above are worth checking out.

August 25

2009-08-25T06:20:00.004-04:00

Well, as you have probably guessed, Bill was a bit of a pussycat. We got some pretty crazy wind and rain late Friday night, and our car got covered in a layer of salty slime, but other than that...Bill was a non-starter. Which, of course, is good news. We chickened out and went to a friend's house to spend Hurricane Bill drinking, playing games and watching movies because she had power and we lost ours at around 6:00 p.m. But, seeing as her landlord didn't close her shutters and they banged against the side of the house ALL NIGHT, we probably would have had a better sleep at home. Oh, and our power apparently came back on right after we left the house, so we even would have had A/C if we'd stuck around. Next time!

A special thank you to our CayMAN correspondent, Ass, who kept us up to date with all pertinent storm announcements.

The photo above was taken the morning following the "hurricane". The water was insanely angry and dangerous and the hurricane washed away most of our favorite beaches. The sand will be back soon...but it's weird to see what beaches look like without it. Mostly rocks, actually. Who knew?

I got up early today for the first time in a few months and went out for a brisk walk with my former running buddy. We figured that we should ease back into our runs, given that a) we haven't ran in at least 8 weeks; and b) it's approximately 40 degrees out there, PLUS 94% humidity. HOT. We leave early enough that the first part of our walk was pretty OK, but the sun had come up by the time we were headed back home and we were both dying. Good times! I love fitness.

2.5 weeks from now we're headed to Ottawa for a week ending with a very large wedding. I've been pretty busy organising our "to do's", which so far include the following (in no particular order):

- Rideau Centre, St. Laurent & Place D'Orleans (I need to shop)

- IKEA (I need new cutting boards)

- Mama/Baby photoshoot with my friend and her brand spankin' new son, Myles

- Haveli (I need Indian food)

- Lunch and/or drinks with the ladies of LUNLF

- Kurt and Kris day. We don't know what this means yet, but so far it includes a morning at Le Nordik

- Pho at Phive

That's it for now. The list will probably be a bit longer by the end of the day.

August 21: Well, this is fun...

2009-08-21T16:37:00.002-04:00

We're home from work, safe and sound. The ferries stopped running mid-day, so my co-worker gave us a ride. I'm glad, because the backup "plan" was to ride the scooter home. Terrible plan, actually. So far, the Rock is getting lots of rain, lots of dark clouds and the air feels very electrified, like something is coming. The waves are gigantic, splashing up over the roads in some areas already, and Bill is still hours and hours away. However, we're safe inside, shutters closed, supplies handy, ready to take this on...whether it's just a lot of wind, a lot of rain, a lot of both, or - worst case scenario - a full on hurricane. They suspect that the storm will pass us in the wee hours of Saturday - somewhere between 4:00 and 7:00 a.m.

Bill is still rated a Category 3 hurricane, which means that he hasn't regained the speed that they thought he would. I suppose anything can happen, but I'm taking this as good news.

I'll keep you posted if things get interesting.

August 20: Um.....

2009-08-20T20:18:00.002-04:00

DEFINITELY should have stayed in Canada for an extra week because I'm back just in time for...MY FIRST HURRICANE! Did that sound excited? Because it should have had some serious FML undertones.

Category 3 is serious. Category 4 is extreme. Category 5 is catastrophic. Bill was a 4 yesterday, downgraded to a 3 today, and expected to be back up at a 4 again overnight. And expected to pass by these parts in the next 48 hours. Unimpressed. We've bought all of the supplies on the list (including chips) and we're closing our shutters tonight and I guess all we can do is hope for the best? Sure am glad I don't own a boat...it would get tossed around for sure.

Wish us luck! Eff tiny islands in the middle of the Atlantic. EFF THEM ALL.

August 18: New (Old) Hobby.

2009-08-18T16:52:00.004-04:00

When I was in Grade 7, our class had to fundraise so that we could go on a class trip to Strathcona Park. It was a big deal because it was a SLEEPOVER trip, which meant that most of us were hoping to do some sneaking around and making out in the bushes when our teachers and chaperones weren't looking. Because, when you are 13 (12 in my case), planning to sneak around and make out in the bushes is as good as it gets. Besides cherry-flavoured LipSmackers and getting to dance with the guy you like to Stairway to Heaven at the school dance.

My friend and I decided that instead of doing a lame car wash or bake sale, we were going to make jewelry and sell it at school. I had a stash of beads and we pooled our meager savings to purchase all of the necessary supplies and we got to work. We effin' cleaned up. Two lunch hours selling our wares and we were $230.00 richer. Which, by the way, is a FORTUNE when you are 12 (in 1994). And far more than we were making with our after-school paper route, which netted approximately $0.02/paper. We made (and shared) about $4.00 a week delivering those stupid papers. What a gargantuan waste of precious worry-free pre-teen time.

Unfortunately for our bank accounts, our venture as entrepreneurs was short-lived. We made enough to get ourselves on the bus and into the room above the boy's room and enjoyed a week of PG fun and jewelry hit the backburner. In fact, my bead box of tools and supplies was sold at a garage sale a few years later and I forgot how much fun it all was until I moved to the Rock and met a VERY talented jewelry-making Australian named V, whose fabulous, sparkly creations I wear almost daily. She's inspired me over the past few years and on this last trip home, I took a course with my Mom and my sister. I have to say...I got into it. Very into it. And while the course was more about the techniques, I got a chance to do some designing and found a new love in wire wrapping and gemstones. So. Much. Fun.

I think I'm going to claim a corner of our new apartment and do some playing around. I'm going to have to order supplies from the States because (surprise!) there isn't any kind of supply store on the Rock, but I'm kind of pumped to start fiddling around and to see what I can come up with.

August 17: What I wish I was having for dinner tonight.

2009-08-17T17:21:00.002-04:00

Half-order of salmon sashimi, expertly prepared by Tamami. Amazing.

What I AM having for dinner tonight? Whatever I can put together with whatever is in our cupboards, since we haven't gone grocery shopping yet. Do artichokes and KD go together?

August 16: Home Already?

2009-08-16T21:48:00.003-04:00

That week went by shockingly fast. I feel like I was just sitting here, uploading TV shows onto my iPod for the plane and mentally going over my packing list (while procrastinating actual packing). However, I spent the last 7 days in my lovely hometown. It was slightly chaotic, but we packed a LOT in. In point form:

- Tamami Sushi (I drool for their salmon sashimi)
- Cowichan Bay/Merridale Cidery/City of Totems
- Saltspring Island
- Moka House almond milk lattes
- Velvet Wednesday
- Jewelry-making course (I am now going to become a famous jewelry artist)
- Heron Rock (x3). Pickled Caesars were spot on.
- Quality time with Dan/Shan/Bean. I am so in love with that kid. And SO loved hanging out with them and showing them some of my favorite spots!
- Quality time with Christa, a good friend of mine from Ottawa, and her boyfriend Alex. Fun times.
- Quality time with my Victoria people. All of them. I miss you all TONS when I'm not there.
- Driving on the right.
- Beacon Hill Drive In.
- Brunch/lunch with my ladies on Saturday morning.

I love home. And I'll be back in 4 months or so, so I don't even have to be sad and gloomy about leaving it all behind.

Next up, Ottawa in September. Excellent.

August 5: Loves.

2009-08-05T20:43:00.004-04:00

Frozen organic raspberries with a bit of dark chocolate. Pretty much the greatest dessert ever.

My first order from anthropologie.com arrived today and not only did everything fit perfectly, but I am totally in love with the newest additions to my wardrobe, including a very classic denim jacket that I have been wanting, like, forever. So in love that I logged right back on to populate my wish list.

Victoria in two sleeps. Including tonight's sleep, which should have started an hour ago, so it's pretty much a write off, meaning that it's really only one sleep.

The most amazing sashimi ever approximately 45 minutes after we land. YUM.

I had confirmation today that my paperwork for my new position has been sent on to Payroll. Cha-ching.

Night!

August 4: A Boat or Two...

2009-08-04T09:27:00.000-04:00

Sunday was the end of the Rock's annual four-day long weekend, and is always the day of boating. There are races, live music and events, all in the little bay behind our house, but mostly it just means that there are a LOT of boats. Check this out.

We weren't out on a boat this year, because I had a badly-timed haircut and by the time we got home, it was WAY too hot to think of tracking down someone to come in to the beach and pick us up (and the whole bay was a boat parking lot so no one could move easily anyways), so we just watched from the shore.

I love boats. I've managed to get on one every weekend so far this summer...and there are lots of weekends left before the boats get moored for the winter. Good news for me...bad news for my perpetual raccoon eyes tan.

August 4: Uh...

2009-08-04T07:53:00.001-04:00

Actually, it's four sleeps. I can't count. NOW it is three sleeps.

August 3: Monday, Monday.

2009-08-03T21:11:00.002-04:00

Not my favorite day. This is especially true after a long weekend spent doing pretty much nothing. Relaxing, sunning, a cold beverage or two, some time on a boat...that was about all we had on our agenda and we fulfilled our (two) obligations nicely. One being the boat, and the other being a hair appointment for me yesterday. Besides that, we just enjoyed ourselves. And we might have done some casual stalking around the new neighborhood, in a totally non-creepy way of course.

Anyways, back to Monday. It kind of sucked until about 3:00, when I was called into a meeting and told that...I GOT THE JOB. OMFG. It was all I could do to hold it together and muster up "professional" until the meeting was over, but as soon as it was...totally unprofessional. There might have been some squealing (concealed behind closed doors). It is just a really awesome opportunity and means good things all around.

I start at the beginning of September, though the actual start date is a bit fuzzy since I'll need to do a proper handover of my current position, which will be advertised soon.

YES!!! Anyways, that was GREAT news. It's an awesome promotion that I fought tooth and nail for, and won. Happy happy.

I didn't do much in the way of celebrating tonight, though I did indulge in my favorite pinot with my favorite guy, while watching one of HIS favorite movies, Swingers, which is actually a pretty decent way to spend a couple of hours. Now it's off to bed with The Poisonwood Bible, which I am finally reading and wondering...why did it take me so long to take this one off the shelf and get into it? It's fab.

Three sleeps.

July 29: Yessssssssssss.

2009-07-29T06:22:00.003-04:00

Remember how the Rock has a four-day long weekend at the end of July? To celebrate...cricket? Yes, well, it does. And it starts today, when the work day ends at 5:00.

I'm not into cricket at all, and I certainly am not into snow cones (which seem to play a major role in the celebrations), but I am into a four-day weekend with hot, hot weather and maybe a tiny bit of boating thrown in for fun. That's pretty much all we have planned for the four days but I'm looking forward a lot of down time. I'm hoping to start taking photos of all of the stuff we're going to sell before we move...time to get rid of a lot of random furniture we never sit on/eat off of/look at. I'm also looking forward to sleeping in and eating some chips. Because that's what holidays are for.

I'm going to try to take some photos this weekend, because I haven't been doing a lot of that lately and think I should be trying to capture some summer shots. The weather has been great lately (hot though...our apartment is over 30 degrees when we get home after work) and not too humid yet, so that will probably set in while we're away and we'll come back to the greenhouse I remember the Rock being this time last year. Awesome.

In other news, I'm now a week and a half away from a plane ride!

July 28: Blonde dot com.

2009-07-28T10:00:00.001-04:00

Please check out my link to Blonde dot com, the Internet's latest addition, written by the soon-to-be-famous-for-blogging blonde friend of mine who shall remain nameless for the time being. But who's name you should be able to figure out by referring to her blog. She's so funny she makes me pee.

July 27: So.

2009-07-27T19:53:00.003-04:00

Major accomplishments today:

1) Secured our fabulous new apartment! Yup...it's all ours. At the end of October, which seems SO far away and especially so, since I'm SO excited to move now that we have such a great place to move in to. And yes, there is room for houseguests, so come on down. Just don't all come at once.

Can't. Wait.

2) Secured second interview for the job!!! And subsequently began freaking out obsessively over the interview, which is with my other boss. Who is the most lovely person in the world, and who I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for, but perhaps those are the reasons why I'm so nervous about the interview. I interviewed for my current position with only the other boss (and this one via conference call), so I don't really have a point of reference for interview style, but it's at 11:15 tomorrow morning, so I don't have to freak about it for that much longer.

YES.

We celebrated the above with a lovely dinner at the Lighthouse tonight, out on a patio overlooking...everything. You can see both ends of the country from up there and it was a beautiful, sunny, clear evening. I had caesar salad and the piccante pizza, and K had a mozzarella and tomato salad with a pizza topped with prosciutto, arugula and parmesan. Yum.

Hopefully we'll have even more to celebrate later in the week. My fingers are crossed, but I saw the calibre of candidates and so I'm trying to keep my expectations in check.

July 27: Mememememememe...

2009-07-27T18:53:00.002-04:00

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30...had to catch the early ferry in this morning to get all the work done I was supposed to finish on Friday but didn't. Because it was Friday.

2. How do you like your steak? Alive. Or very occasionally medium.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? What the eff is a cinema? The last movie I saw in a theatre was "He's Just Not That Into You" in Grand Cayman with Ash and Andy...in February. I obviously don't get to the cinema very often.

4. What is your favorite TV Show? I'm enjoying True Blood and Hung (HBO, HBO). Other favorites include Entourage (HBO), Big Love (HBO), and my all-time favorite, Sex and the City (HBO). I am sensing a theme.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Right now, I am A-OK with the Rock. But my home Rock will always be #1 for me.

6. What did you have for breakfast? Breakfast? Terrible...I know...

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Malaysian. It's like a glorious mixture of Indian and Thai.

8. What foods do you dislike? Watermelon.

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Heron Rock and Haveli in Canada. Rustico on the Rock.

10. Favorite dressing? Champagne viniagrette.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? No vehicle.

12. What are your favorite clothes? My weekend wear...shirts, tanks, flip flops.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Barcelona.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full, actually.

15. Where would you want to retire? I think I'd try to spend part of the year somewhere warm, so maybe a Victoria/Rock combo would work out.

16. Favorite time of day? Early early morning, if I'm awake in time to see it.

17. Where were you born? Victoria.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Gymnastics.

19. Who do you think will not tag you back? No one, since I won't tag anyone.

20. Person you expect to tag you back first? like I said

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Mine.

22. Bird watcher? Sure, if there is a bird around, I will watch it.

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? I love early mornings but I am a night owl. This rarely works out.

24. Do you have any pets? Yes, Harley the cat who now lives with my parents.

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? I rented a new and FABULOUS apartment today!

26. What did you want to be when you were little? A lawyer. Nerd!

27. What is your best childhood memory? Playing with my sister and the cousins at Hornby.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? 100% cat.

29. Are you married? No. That was awkward.

30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes, I like to arrive alive.

31. Been in a car accident? Yes, I drove into the back of a fish and chips delivery vehicle in Cook Street Village circa 2001 and it cost my Dad a fortune because they had a flippin' Echo (boo) and we had to replace the whole back end. Thanks again, Dad!

32. Any pet peeves? Ignorance and when people spell my name wrong. IT'S NOT HARD!

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Capers and spicy stuff.

34. Favorite Flower? Pink oleanders. And yes, I know they are poisonous and deadly.

35. Favorite ice cream? Chocolate peanut butter.

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? No fast food on the Rock.

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Zero.

38. From whom did you get your last email? From myself...reminding myself to do something.

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Anthropologie.

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Hmmmm...no, I don't think so....

41. Like your job? Mostly.

42. Broccoli? OK.

43. What was your favorite vacation? Spain/England 2006.

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? My man, just this evening. We sat on a patio overlooking the whole country and toasted to our new fabulous apartment.

45. What are you listening to right now? Myself, typing.

46. What is your favorite color? Emerald green.

47. How many tattoos do you have? None

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? is this a test?

49. What time did you finish this quiz? 8:10 p.m.

50. Coffee Drinker? Soy lattes.

July 26: Lazy Sunday.

2009-07-26T20:33:00.002-04:00

Today we had a bit of a late start. I kept waking up last night...at 2:00 a.m., 5:00 a.m., and then at 7:00 a.m. because some CRAZY rain was beating down on the roof so hard that it actually woke me up. I took a peek outside and couldn't even see across the street. And then when we headed out this morning, at around 10:00, there was not a cloud in the sky and everything was dry, dry, dry. I love weather like that. Things get watered...but I don't have to get wet. Plus, I love the sound of rain when I'm all cozy in bed. The best.

We saw another apartment this morning and I, for one, fell in love. Head over heels. It had absolutely everything on our "wishlist", minus a pool, but it had so many extras and bonuses that we never thought we'd be able to find in our price range, that I think we're going to go for it. I'm more of an impulse shopper, while Kurt likes to mull things over, so in fairness to him...I'm waiting out the mulling. I hope he's done mulling soon though, because I can't wait to call and say YES. I WOULD like the apartment with the gorgeous views, private backyard, granite and stainless kitchen and biggest closet ever. I would like that. And I would even like the pet it comes with - a 30 year old tortoise named George who lives behind the house in a little igloo. He reminded me a bit of Harley...about the same activity level. Anyways, it was amazing.

After we drooled all over the apartment, we headed to Melrose Place for an afternoon swim and BBQ. Melrose Place is what we call the complex that Sarah lives in, where we looked at the apartment last week. We spent the day floating around, evening out tan lines (where appropriate), and sipping on cold drinks. Not a terrible way to spend a Sunday, I have to say.

Tomorrow kicks off a three day work week for us, which is awesome. So, tonight is more like a Tuesday night than a Sunday night. I love that.

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. Hopefully I'll have some big news this week...job or house related...or both!

July 24: OMGOMGOMGOMG

2009-07-25T01:17:00.003-04:00

The interview went well. Really well. Like, I'd be surprised if I didn't get a second interview well. It is a huge leap from what I'm doing now, in every sense of the word, but it sounds perfect for me and something that I know I could do well. It would also mean a very hefty raise...which would be amazing. My fingers and toes are all appropriately crossed, but now I'm going to have a hard time keeping myself from obsessing about it all weekend. The good news is that I know that they're going to make a decision quickly, so I shouldn't have to deal with my nerves for long. One way or the other, I expect to be put out of my misery by Tuesday or Wednesday.

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG.

Kurt went out tonight with work, but I stayed home and watched a Lindsay Lohan movie on my own. Saddest story you've ever heard, right? Well, it gets worse. The movie was the worst. movie. ever. Shocking, I know. At least she could have surprised me with a decent flick but no...the Lohan hit a new low with her latest. Ouch.

July 23: Yikes.

2009-07-23T06:45:00.002-04:00

I have an interview at 4:00 tomorrow afternoon. With my boss. For something fairly big. And I am freaking out.

Details will be forthcoming.

July 23: FML.

2009-07-23T06:40:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I spent 40 minutes walking around outside in a black dress in sweltering heat, trying to purchase revenue stamps. This involved going to three different buildings, dealing with numerous unhelpful people, and discovering that addresses on one side of the street IN NO WAY correspond with the addresses on the other, to the extent that they are even marked. So, #51? Practically miles down the same street from #50 and #52. WTF. I finally got what I was looking for, after a run in with a broken pay phone or two, and I trudged back to the office totally defeated. A 10 minute mission had taken me nearly an hour, through no fault of my own. Just because THAT IS HOW IT IS.

Sometimes, I truly have to restrain myself from jumping into a cab to the airport and throwing myself into the baggage compartment on the next plane out of here. To anywhere. FML.

July 21: Apartment Hunting.

2009-07-21T06:51:00.002-04:00

We went to see the first apartment of our apartment search yesterday evening. Our lease is up at the end of October, so we're looking for something for either October or November 1st...which means that there's not actually a lot for us to look at just yet.

The apartment we went to see was in the same complex that a good friend of ours lives in, and has a pool and little outdoor area that is not only really cute, but really private and hardly used by the tenants, which is kind of nice. So, it would be kind of like having our OWN POOL. Kind of. The apartment itself was smaller than what we have now, but it's much closer to town and would force us to get rid of some of the excess furniture we have accumulated over the past two years...like the mini bar fridge that we've never even opened, much less used. It came free with our bed.

If it were up to me, and only me, we would have signed a lease last night and been done with our search. But Kurt is more methodical than I am and wants to "look around" to see other places before making a decision. We don't have a lot of time to think about this one, since I know she's eager to rent it.

I hate moving.

July 19: F My Life.

2009-07-19T21:10:00.004-04:00

I love that website, by the way.

Today was the perfect Sunday. A late start, a bit of brekkie, beach time with lots of swimming, a beverage or two...maybe some ice cream. Perhaps.

We headed out to the beach at around noon. Kurt was showing us (us being myself and our friend Amy, of last night's date) a "secret" beach that he had only just discovered via another friend who has only been on the Rock for 6 months and yet seems to know about absolutely everything cool that we have never heard of. Like this beach. It is gorgeous. Secluded. Deserted. Clean. And not ghetto, like the other beach we tend to spend time at, mostly because it's the island default. It's also the beach that all of the cruise ships send their passengers to en masse, meaning that it is a sea of pasty-skinned tourists, yelling at their sulky teenagers and letting it all hang out. Literally. It's not gorgeous.

So, I guess my point is that the beach we went to today was a diamond in the rough. It WAS gorgeous and we are so going back, like every Sunday.

I did the obligatory application of SPF prior to getting on the bike this morning, thinking that I'd had so much sun already this year that if I missed a little spot here or there, or didn't re-apply directly after coming out of the water, I'd probably still do OK. My skin tends to get pretty dark and once it's past a certain point, I know I'm not going to burn anymore. I still like to cover up, but I don't fret about it too much because honestly, we don't get to the beach as often as we'd like to, and I don't spend hours and hours baking in the sun. Anyways, we got to the beach, I took a quick dip in the beautiful blue waves, stretched out on the towel and fell asleep.

Mistake #1.

I woke up feeling pretty hot and bothered, so I got back into the water to cool down. I spent about half an hour bobbing around in the waves, dodging fish and trying to keep my bathing suit bottoms on, before getting back out and spending another hour or so reading on the towel.

Mistake #2.

Both mistakes being, of course, the absence of even a half-assed attempt at re-applying sunscreen.

Now, shortly before bedtime, I am facing the distinct prospect of waking up tomorrow looking like someone who had a terrible facial done by someone who hated me. Burned. Nose, cheeks, forehead. Awesome. Oh, and the backs of my legs, my lower back, my stomach and my chest. FML. I know it's no one's fault but my own and can't for the life of me imagine what would make me so irresponsible as to believe that my skin is invincible to harmful UV rays.

The worst part? I commute to work every day with my dermatologist, a women who takes such care to avoid any iota of a UV ray that she has the complexion of a corpse. She is a lovely person, and (as you can imagine) a fantastic dermatologist, but I know there will be disapproval in her eyes tomorrow morning when she surveys the UV damage I have sustained this weekend. Awkward.

July 18: Three weeks minus one day...

2009-07-18T11:37:00.003-04:00

...until we're on the plane! I'm seriously getting so excited. I'm like a kid before Christmas when I have a trip home looming...all of the things I miss the most packed into a fun week? Pretty much nothing better than that, in my opinion.

We've finally decided to drag ourselves outside into the sweltering heat and make something of our Saturday. It's so ridiculously hot here. Not even a good "let's go to the beach hot". It's more of an "oh my god my skin is melting" kind of hot. Blech.

We're going to go find ourselves a nice lunch and a cold drink somewhere, preferably in the shade. Tonight, I have a "date" with my friend Amy. We're going to find a bite to eat and then go and get a bit artsy by joining the art gallery and checking out their latest exhibit. Apparently, members can showcase photography, so this might be something I can do down the road, when I get my shit together and actually start taking some photographs again. Luckily, Amy is also into cameras and such, so maybe a future "date" could be to go out and take some photos of the flowers, the water, the fried chicken...you know. The cultural stuff.

K is going out with some guys from work to play poker, which is funny since I know for a fact that he does not know how to play poker at all. I'm glad he's taking his own money.

OK. Procrastination needs to stop...time to get OFF the COUCH and ON with the DAY. Because it's already half over! Happy Saturday!

July 18: SaturDAY.

2009-07-18T10:46:00.006-04:00

It's almost noon and I'm still lounging around the house, looking a bit "unkempt" (my hair is a disaster these days - haircut booked for August 2), and feeling a bit lazy. I don't feel unproductive though, because I just finished July's Book Club book and now I'm ready to discuss it with the ladies this week over some wine. Verdict? I liked it. It was a heavy read - easy TO read, but difficult to take in. Mostly because many of the stories are written by women who are still serving their sentences, so you finish reading these experiences that I, for one, can not even begin to imagine, and then you start wondering about then and realize how flawed the justice system is. Which is pretty much the reason behind me finishing my criminal justice degree early and opting to do a double major in political science, to get away from the feeling of hopelessness that comes from reading or learning about the people in the system, not just the crimes.

Sad. Good book. Light summer reading? Definitely not!

Up next?

Title: The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women by Dawn Dais

This will either inspire me or convince me that I'm insane to even think about doing this. I'll let you know.

July 16: Detox.

2009-07-16T19:34:00.005-04:00

I'm not going to lie to you...I've been doing a bit of cooking again. Nothing crazy...nothing fancy...but my stove HAS been used three times this week, which is probably more than it was used in May and June combined.

Last night's meal was particularly scrumptious. It was also anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants, protein and healthy fats. And, most importantly, it tasted good. Because if it tastes like shit, why would the rest of that matter?

On my lunch yesterday, I walked down to the most overpriced of the overpriced grocery stores and splurged on organic salmon filets. Nice and local...from the waters of Scotland to the Rock. Seriously? But, I suppose salmon aren't that into the local waters...probably too many of those nasty sea slugs we saw earlier this week and the salmon are a sophisticated fish. I can't see them mingling with the riff raff. Anyways, the butcher (fish monger) cleverly didn't post the price, so I had a minor heart attack when he handed me the wrapped package and it said $44. When I asked for four portions. Seriously...I almost handed it back. But I sucked it up, took it home and found out that he had chopped the filets pretty large, and that I could halve them easily, meaning that I got 8 servings for $44, which works out to what...$5-something apiece? For gorgeous organic salmon? In actual fact, I think I might have scored.

I wanted to keep it pretty simple because when it comes to good ingredients, the last thing you want to do is eff them up. I removed the skin, gave them a few quick sprays of olive oil from the Misto, a quick grind of sea salt and black pepper and sprinkled chopped garlic over them before putting them under the broiler. 8 minutes later, I was arranging the filets next to a big mountain of kale, sauteed with olive oil, onion and garlic, and a fresh tomato, and squeezing fresh lemon all over the whole plate.

YUM.

July 15: Making a list...checking it twice...

2009-07-15T20:43:00.002-04:00

I've already started my packing list for our trip to Victoria next month. I'm going to try to take home some of my book collection to pawn off on various readers, so that should weigh me down a bit. But, I'd rather bring them out there than leave them here to rot on the shelves. How can I possibly have this many books? Oh right. Because I have a PROBLEM. Amazon should ban me.

So far, my list includes the following:

- my good friends, Nikon and Canon. Canon fits in my purse.
- my journal, for any general reflection and/or insights I may have. Or to doodle in on the plane.
- iPod Touch, loaded with a season of a TV show (TBD)
- iPod charger
- Kurt
- cell phone, for international text messaging purposes (hi, Ash!)
- Canadian SIM card so I can actually use my allegedly international cell phone
- my local debit card, which is cleverly disguised as a VISA (and therefore accepted everywhere)
- a necklace which needs repairing
- August's Book Club Book: Middlesex

Oh, and maybe some clothing. And toothpaste. And my favorite earrings.

That's as far as I've gotten, but seeing as I'm still 3 weeks out, I think I'm doing OK.

The Mexican Egg.

2009-07-15T18:52:00.006-04:00

Required:

- egg whites (I wimp out and use EggBeaters egg whites because who has the time to crack an egg? Not me.)

- diced onion

- salsa of your choice. My favorite is salsa verde.

Saute the onion. Add the egg whites. Scramble. When scrambled, add a titch of salsa...say, 1/3 cup. Continue to scramble. Transfer to bowl. Add hot sauce, if desired.

Enjoy.

When I moved to Ottawa with the lovely half-Mexican, Kathie, I instantly found myself in the presence of a culinary master. Nothing Kat made was particularly difficult, or time consuming, but it was all delicious. For students, we definitely ate far better than most. It was probably during that time that I started getting interested in cooking...we whipped up some pretty great meals.

But my favorite "take away" from that tiny kitchen was Kat's Mexican eggs, which she made as often as we could get our hands on salsa verde. She was a bit fancier with hers - she used whole eggs and added cheese and other tasty add-ins to the final product, but the basics were there - onion, eggs, salsa.

Over the past few months, I've found myself heading towards the coffee shop/bakery on the way to work more often than I'd like, mostly because of the lack of quick breakfast food in the house, paired with the fact that I kept sleeping in too late to make anything. So, instead of my healthy green smoothies, I was having muffins. And by eating a muffin, I would find myself starving again by 10:00...not good. And, it was hurting my wallet a bit. Once I got into The Hormone Diet (buy it, buy it, buy it), I realized just how much harm this was probably doing. So, I took the hint, spent 5 minutes at the grocery store, diced up an onion and stored it already chopped in the fridge and now I get up and make myself a delicious meal in approximately 7 minutes. A meal that is so packed with healthy protein that it keeps me full until lunch time. I've brought back the Mexican Egg and now it's my new breakfast staple.

My jar of salsa verde is almost empty. But there is some chipotle salsa following hot on it's heels...

July 14: Tuesday...done.

2009-07-14T20:48:00.003-04:00

I love checking off the work days. Wednesday is up next and it's almost my favorite (Thursday is my absolute top favorite work day). Though, for a Tuesday, today was pretty OK.

I am LOVING the post-work swim. Tonight we decided to wait out a thunderstorm (to avoid possible electrocution). So, we had some dinner - my famous "clean out the fridge" salads, topped with whatever vegetables I could find, some of my favorite capers, leftover teriyaki ginger chicken sausage and broiled asparagus, watched another gory episode of True Blood (is anyone else watching this awesome show?), and then went for our swim just after the sun had gone down. I did some "laps" out to some boats and back and K spent his time in the shallower water, checking out the many, many fish who are very interested in these new intruders. I swear, no one swims there. Ever. The fish are not amused, but they are trying to act casual and disinterested. It's not working. We also saw a gigantic sea slug that I could have done without...it wasn't your standard colorful coral reef creature. Nemo would have puked if he had seen this thing.

Just over three weeks until we're on the plane, heading to Victoria. I can't believe that it's already half-way through July. We didn't have much planned for this trip (well, we DID, but obviously the schedule eased up significantly when we postponed the wedding), but now in the last week the days have started to fill up with dates, dinners, a junior high school reunion (more on that later), and a jewelry-making class that I'm pretty excited about. I think it's going to be an awesome trip. And then, a month later, we're heading to Ottawa for another week, though that will be more of a working trip, I think. We've decided to go through the tiny mountain of belongings we left behind, pare it down, and bring back quite a bit of it to the Rock. It's time to move here, I think. And by that, I mean that it's time to bring all of the GOOD kitchen stuff that we left behind thinking that it might get ruined by the INSANE HUMIDITY AND MOULD that everyone was talking about before we got here and which we have yet to experience. Kitchen items, a few of my favorite hats, my journals, and I'm sure we'll find other odds and ends to pack up and bring back with us...I'm kind of looking forward to seeing what we crammed into those bins in our mad rush to leave in '07.

...and kind of worried that we might have accidentally thrown in something that perhaps wasn't supposed to spend two years in a bin in a basement...it might not be pretty.

We also have to purchase a gas insert for the fireplace in our house, since our lovely tenants had to deal with a broken one last year. I have never purchased a gas insert before and have absolutely no idea of what is involved, but hopefully it's as simple as buying a couch or a lightbulb, because that's about the amount of effort I feel like putting into it.

July 13: What took us so long?

2009-07-13T20:36:00.002-04:00

After work, we walked home from the ferry stop in some VERY intense heat. The Rock has gone from being tolerable to being ridiculously hot in a very short period of time and by the time we got to our door, we were pretty much gasping for a breath of air-conditioned air. Sad. So, we threw on our bathing suits and headed back out for a quick dip in the tiny bay behind our house. We've lived in our apartment for a year and a half and tonight was the first time that we've ever actually swam in our backyard, though we have swam nearby. It was awesome. The water is still cool and refreshing for another month or so and we were back to normal body temperature in no time. I think this might become a new evening ritual...I really can't think of a better way to end the day.

July 11: Blah Saturday.

2009-07-11T17:36:00.002-04:00

Seriously...after an awesome weekend last weekend, I had high hopes for this one. These were taken care of today when we both woke up snippy, grouchy and just generally feeling blah. Despite a gorgeous day and a decent night of sleep. I suppose that happens sometimes.

We went to one of our favorite restaurants for a light lunch and for a little drive and really accomplished very little besides that. Oh well. There's always Sunday.

Some friends back home have mentioned that their employers, in an attempt to cut costs, have offered staff 4 day work weeks at a pro-rated salary. Interesting. On one hand I'd say no effin' way am I giving up a day's salary. ON THE OTHER HAND...I would love a standard Wednesday off. Who wouldn't? I could handle two day work weeks. Especially if I had kiddos running around, since it's unlikely that I will be able to be home with them otherwise, especially if we happen to live here, in the land of the $8.99 cereal.

In other news...I am devouring a fantastic book by a fantastic (and Canadian!) naturopath, Dr. Natasha Turner. She is brilliant. I ordered her book, The Hormone Diet, to see if it would give any tips on how to reduce cortisol levels, since I suspect that both Kurt and I are suffering from some fairly extreme stress, just with everything that has been going on, etc. Anyways, it's a really interesting book, VERY well researched and well endorsed by medical professionals from all over, and it's already given me some very good insight on other things I've dealt with, health-wise, throughout my life. Fascinating stuff, and a really easy read. It has a slight slant to the weight-loss side of balancing hormones, but is generally about achieving total wellness...and who doesn't need a little of that? Highly recommended.

July 10: Mail!

2009-07-10T18:02:00.003-04:00

Package #1: A little gift from my Mom, who sends the best mail of all.

Package #2: Bridesmaids gifts. So pretty!

Package #3: Two books I ordered on running a marathon when you wouldn't actually consider yourself to be a "runner".

Package #4: A necklace I've been waiting for forever, which apparently was shipped all over the USA before making its way to me.

I love mail. Even mail I pay for. Enough shopping for now though...Canada is looming and Canada has malls.

July 10: Postal Excitement.

2009-07-10T06:11:00.002-04:00

So, normally my mailbox gets a weekly dumping of bills and junk mail and that's about it. Yesterday, however, I came home to a happier mailbox than normal. Not only did I get a lovely card from one of my aunts, but I also got TWO parcel notifications, neither of which were expected. When I shop online, I have a U.S. address that I use to send the goods to, and from where they are shipped to me on the Rock. Many stores won't ship international and with a U.S. address, I can normally get free shipping deals as well, which is aweseome. The shipping between the U.S. and the Rock is not free, but it's not terrible and they take care of all of the duty charges, etc. so that all I have to do is pick it up and pay my Visa bill. All in all, a pretty decent deal and has helped enormously when I've tried to get my hands on a book or something that I can't track down here.

Anyways...I wasn't expecting anything to be delivered to my apartment, so the notices are a bit mysterious. What could they be? The only idea I have is that one of them is a shipment of gifts I'd purchased for my bridesmaids that I couldn't cancel in time (well, maybe I could have, but I didn't want to) and that they shipped it directly to my billing address instead of my shipping address in the States. I'm leaving early today to hopefully get to the post office before making my 8:20 ferry. I can't wait. I really LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to get mail that isn't bills!

July 10: Annoyed...

2009-07-10T06:01:00.002-04:00

Apparently, I am not clever enough to figure out how to have the date post as a header on the new blog template. I was sure there would be a "fix" somewhere on Google but my search has turned up empty-handed so I'm just going to try to remember to include the date in the post title for now. HTML = sucks.

Impulsive Shopper.

2009-07-08T21:29:00.006-04:00

Today on my lunch hour I decided to spontaneously pop into to a store that always has fabulously dressed mannequins in the windows. Seriously, they change them twice a day and every single time I walk by, I see something I want. However, their stuff is usually priced out of the realm of what I will pay without vomiting. I don't mind paying for something that's good quality, that I know I'll get a lot of use out of, and that I'll have for a long time. When I see a t-shirt with a $98 price tag on it for no apparent reason - in that, there is nothing remarkable about the t-shirt except maybe the name on the label - I get annoyed.

I took a chance today and for the first time ever, I didn't walk out empty-handed. I found a hemp fiber ivory wrap sweater with fun sleeves, a sundress with some ruffly flair and a silk Karen Kane shirt for 50% off. Sweet. I haven't bought many things for myself since I was home in April, except maybe some books, so I feel like a few cute things for summer were well deserved and a tad overdue.

I love summer clothes, but I'm just a *tiny* bit excited about what the Rideau Centre might have in store for me during the time I'm in Ottawa in September. I do love a back to school special.

Hmmm...maybe not.

2009-07-08T21:27:00.002-04:00

On second thought, the likelihood that plane fares will go down for that weekend is very, very slim, so the trip to Miami will be postponed until September...or maybe October. Some time when American Airlines is NOT taking advantage of Rock-dwellers gasping for dry land every time a long weekend rolls around. Seriously. The weekends on either side of the long one are each about $200 less per fare. They take advantage of our desperation. Not that I blame them.

Currently Reading...

2009-07-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Couldn't Keep it to Myself: Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters
Author: Wally Lamb (other titles include 'She's Come Undone'...one of my all-time faves)
Why am I reading this? Book Club book for July.

Basically, Wally Lamb started a writing group at York Correctional Institution and assembled various submissions into this book, wrote a wonderful forward, and then let the stories speak for themselves.

Verdict: Only a third of the way through at the moment but so far...it reminds me of some of the stuff I read during the final two years of my criminology degree. But with far better writing. Wally's touches are everywhere but the stories stay true to the women's voices, which I like. They don't talk so much about their offences...it's more about their lives, both inside and outside the prison walls. Good stuff.

Possible trip...

2009-07-07T21:01:00.004-04:00

A very good friend of mine recently moved to another rock. It's a rock I've spent some time on and I know she's enjoying it so far, but this Rock hasn't been the same since she left.

I'm debating a possible mini trip over our upcoming 4 day long weekend to meet her in Miami for a couple of days of mayhem with a side of shopping. The airfare is pretty high right now, so I'm hoping I can find a deal online in the next couple of days and if I can...I'm so there. It's a quick flight for her and we would finally be able to experience Dolphin Mall (pretty much the greatest place on Earth) together.

I think I blogged about Dolphin Mall before, after the weekend where I stumbled upon the entire mall having the biggest sale imaginable. People were walking out of the Coach store with gigantic sacks of purchases...it was quite a scene. Anyways, amidst the chaos I was able to do some fairly serious shopping of my own in a fairly short time frame and I have been dying to go back ever since.

Fingers crossed for a seat sale! A shopping trip in Miami with one of my favorite people? Just what I need.

Some boats and such.

2009-07-07T20:18:00.006-04:00

For the past three weekends, we've been lucky enough to finangle our way onto one boat or another to spend a day, or at least a long afternoon, out on the water. We swim. We drink. We dance (so long as someone remembers the iPod). We eat chips. Sometimes hummus. It's fairly blissful. We all get off the boat hours later with a bit of a sunburn, a bit of a buzz, and a bit of dehydration. It's awesome.

My Dad always had a boat when I was growing up and I wish now that I'd spent more time on it than I did. I love being out on the water, catching glimpses of shoreline you can't see otherwise. This is especially the case here, where so much of the shoreline is inaccessible by roads, can't be climbed to and so, you can only see it from the water. You can also see quite a bit of cool stuff in the water itself...fish and assorted wildlife that have no issues at all with shyness and come right up to the side of the boat, hoping that some Doritos will make their way over the side. For the record, I didn't throw that Dorito in the water...I know better.

And, when it's calm enough, we can go hang out with the shipwrecks. Tell me that isn't the coolest thing you can do with a Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday, a bunch of us went out on a glass-bottom boat. I've seen these things cruising around since we moved here and always thought that they were kind of tacky-touristy, but then again I am the #1 fan of hop-on-hop-off bus tours in large cities, since they are the hands-down best way to see a lot of stuff in not a lot of time. So, when our friend suggested that we charter one for an afternoon, we hopped onboard (literally) and were so glad that we did. When we pulled up the floor covering to look through the glass panels underneath, we were sitting right on top of a shipwreck, wrecked in very shallow water. It can't be more than 20 feet down (and the bow is actually sticking out of the water - please refer to the photo below), but the part we were on top of was just below the surface. It's been down there since 1897 and coral have made the most of it, but you can still make out the smokestack and some portholes. If you can see through the millions of fish who call it home.

So. Cool.

2009-07-07T20:14:00.001-04:00

P.S. I love free Blogger templates.

2009-07-07T20:05:00.001-04:00

I am so clever I can hardly stand myself.

I'm an idiot.

2009-07-05T19:12:00.002-04:00

At about 11:00 last night, I decided to fiddle around with my blog. In doing so, I managed to eff it all up and lose my crafty header, which I apparently never saved (or kept) on my laptop.

WTF.

I suppose it was a bit outdated. We sold the Vespa and I retired those running shoes last May. Time to get the creativity flowing...

Saturday.

2009-07-04T17:59:00.004-04:00

Today, K took his mountain bike and our adorable Puerto Rican friend and the two of them went off for a guys afternoon on the Rock. It is HOT today, so I'm sure there was a beer stop along the way, but I think they rode all the way from our house into town, which is fairly impressive. And about half the length of a marathon (though they would have taken the long way, along windy biking paths). The Rock is the length of a marathon. As in, running a marathon is the equivalent to running from one end of this country to the other. Maybe I should rethink my tentative goal.

I had the afternoon to myself and what did I do with it? A beautiful, HOT, sunny day? I spent it indoors, cleaning our apartment, tackling laundry, making (and eating) guacamole with the avocado that looked like it was about to take a turn for the worse, and watching the L Word in between. I just adore those crazy lesbians. If I could pick just one of them for a best friend, I think I'd have a hard time choosing but it would probably come down to either Shane or Alice. I loathe Jenny.

I used to feel guilty about spending nice days indoors. But this was when I lived in a place that didn't have sunny days back to back for months on end. Now, I actually relish a day at home - the apartment that we spend a fortune on each month and feel like we rarely have a chance to enjoy it.

I have been a bit book crazy on Amazon lately. It happens once or twice a year and it can get a bit out of control, like now. I'm waiting for my third order of books, which should arrive next week. Summer always seems to demand light, easy reads but I've been going for 100% non-fiction - books on writing, photography, cooking, health, fitness...just trying to get inspired, I guess. And there's pretty much nothing better than a big stack of books waiting to be read, so I think I'll start chipping away at them tonight. The question is which book to dive into first...

Anyways, K just texted me from the ferry, on his way home. Maybe we'll go find dinner somewhere, if he's still able to walk after a whole day on his bike.

2010: Finding my 30th Year OMFG Moment.

2009-07-03T22:27:00.005-04:00

In about a year and a half, I'll be celebrating my 30th birthday, and I've been thinking that I need to do something to mark the occasion and make 2010, my thirtieth year, somewhat remarkable. Here is what I know about 2010 so far:

- I am fairly sure that I will still be living on the Rock.

- I have 20 days of paid vacation. So...Rick Steves' 'Best of Europe in 61 Days' itinerary is out.

- I will be attending a wedding in Victoria in July. Not my own. (is it too soon to be making wedding jokes??...testing...testing...ummmm....only minor internal turmoil. Wedding jokes are a go).

Those are my tentative plans for 2010 so far. None of which, save the Rock and perhaps a new wedding date for K and me, are particularly remarkable.

There have been a few moments in my life where I've been able to detatch for a second and think to myself "wow...I can't believe I just did that". The first night we spent together in our apartment here on the Rock was one of them. The frogs were beeping up a ruckus outside and we were laying there on a partially-inflated air mattress listening to them when it just kind of hit me. A mixture of "oh f#$@" and "this is the greatest thing ever". The Rock, not the frogs.

Another moment was the first night I spent in my apartment in Ottawa, nearly 7 years ago. That was more "oh f$#@", because we didn't have air conditioning and it was approximately 40 degrees in our living room.

Like I said before, a major trip is out of the question, really. I need to space those days out over the course of the year and we've got tentative plans for Barcelona and Napa next spring and November, respectively. Plus, a trip would be for us both and I want my 30th Year OMFG Moment to be all about me. Not to sound selfish but seriously...I want to ring in my 30's like no one's business. I don't want 30 to wash over me in a lukewarm way, the same way my past few birthdays have.

I was a bit stumped but then today I found myself lunching with my favorite Aussie who casually mentioned in between bites of her panini that she was going to run the New York Marathon in November. A light went on, I have to say. So, when I got back to work I spent the remainder of my lunch hour researching a bit and...I found myself just a little bit inspired. Could I run the New York Marathon in 2010?

Back in Ottawa, I was getting very into running. I was loving it, actually, and ran my first races the summer before we moved. My times weren't fantastic (I blame this on Ottawa Race Weekend '07 being the hottest ever), but I had fun and the sense of accomplishment at the end of it was exhilarating. And that was just a 5K.

Running is kind of a big deal on the Rock. It's not the safest thing to do on the roads here, but there are running clubs, lots of road races all through the year, and lots of people always looking for someone to train with.

I might *might* might have found my 30th Year OMFG Moment. It might be the finish line at Tavern on the Green in Central Park, November, 2010.

Might.

I would have 16 months to train...MORE than ample time. Far more. But enough to fit in a lot of practice.

I wonder if I could do it.

New neighbors.

2009-07-02T12:00:00.002-04:00

Two of the apartments in our four-apartment building have been empty for awhile and now, as of today, we have two sets of new neighbors. I hope they aren't assholes.

I can't wait to move. I mentioned in my previous post that we are planning to move in the fall. As much as our apartment is lovely, I can't wait to live in a place that feels like a house and not...well, an apartment. We have two rooms, really. And if I'm not in one, I'm in the other. Where's the surprise? Where's the separation? When K wants to watch a movie that I'm not into (like, say, Mall Cop), what do I do? Do I go in the backyard? No, because we don't have one. So, I go into the bedroom. But the good lighting is in the living room, so it's not a great place to read. Anyways, the main issue really is that we have no outdoor space and we're dying to have a BBQ and a place to sit outside when we get home from work and want to lounge around with a cold drink and talk (or not talk) about our day. I really miss that awesome deck that we left behind...the deck that K built with his Dad while I was in Spain in 2006. It was, in a word, fantastic.

Another reason to move is to be closer to town, because we are about as not central as you can get on a tiny island and, believe it or not, the commute is tedious. We can't have a big night out without having to think about how we're getting home, etc. and it's annoying. A cab ride from town to our place would easily set us back $50, so that's not really an option on a regular basis.

So...yes. Time to start apartment hunting...

Happy for a friend.

2009-07-01T19:37:00.003-04:00

This is Shan's first week at home with L'il J. I'm happy for them. What a great set-up. I miss her e-mails during the days...my work inbox is decidedly less interesting since she left...but I hope her and her little lady are enjoying their days together.

Well, June pretty much sucked.

2009-07-01T18:23:00.003-04:00

I was reading some Interpretive Stance today and saw my blog listed in her blogroll with an embarassing "5 weeks ago" under the title of my last post. Five weeks? Pardon?

Well, in my defense, I have had some "stuff" going on.

The biggest news from the Rock is that two weeks ago, K and I called off our wedding. Hands-down, the most difficult and agonizing decision either of us have ever had to make, making the year and a half of planning and anticipation a bit redundant, to put it mildly. The decision itself was made at the end of two of the worst days of my life so far but, and this might sound crazy, came with the biggest (internal) sigh of relief imaginable, so it was obviously the right decision, as hard as it was. Anyways, that's that. No wedding. No white (ivory, actually) dress. No party. No speeches. No walking down the aisle on my Dad's arm. Well, not in August, anyways. Right now, the important thing for us both is to concentrate on getting back into the great place we've been in since the beginning - to find whatever seems to have been lost over the past little while and put it back into its rightful place. We know we'll get there. But moving ahead with the wedding when we're going through a rough patch? Not ideal.

So...yeah. That's where we're at. The love and support sent our way in response to our sad news has been overwhelming. Both of us feel so lucky to have the family and friends that we have, even though our news has been inconvenient to many of them and we're all working out how to make this as easy as possible for everyone involved.

It's amazing, but calling off our wedding has made me feel brave. Both of us, actually. It would have been far, far easier just to suck it up and deal with it but in the end, we're both hoping to come out ahead, better as a couple, better as individuals...just better. The best, even. I don't think we're on the same page yet, at least not completely, but we're at least in the same chapter, when I'm not even sure that we were in the same book before.

Life on the Rock is hard. It seems like a paradise, and it is in a lot of ways, but it comes with some challenges that we didn't expect. Intense loneliness. A strong sense of isolation. A depressingly high level of racism and race-based issues that are ongoing and completely exhausting. Stress levels beyond anything we'd ever faced back home, related to all of these issues, our jobs, managing finances, managing the house we left behind...just everything. Not knowing when our next move will be, or where we'll end up. Spending all of our vacation time cramming in visits with family, because we miss them so much. A constant stream of incoming and outgoing friends, moving to the Rock for a new job or leaving because their permits are up or they've been made redundant. It is not as idyllic as the photos make it out to be. Are we lucky to have had this opportunity? Of course. Do we regret coming here? Not even a little bit. But we are not on vacation.

On the other hand, after a year and a half here now, things are slowly getting better. We have a number of friends now who plan to remain here for as long as possible, so our group is a bit less transient than before. We're planning to move in the fall into a bigger place (with a spare room for the houseguests that we are trying to lure our way...), which will probably help to make us feel a bit more stable here. We've both gotten through the learning curves of our jobs, which makes a big difference. And, most importantly, we're starting to take time for ourselves - we realized that we were spending so much time together that none of it was quality time anymore.

This is all good news. Considering that just over two weeks ago I was finishing the design of our invitations and planning what to do with my hair, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm not going to be a bride this year, but that's OK. It will happen one day. And when it does, it will be perfect.

Ow.

2009-05-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

Oh, hi again. This was such a momentous occasion that I thought it deserved it's own post.

I went for a run on Sunday, for the first time in months. MONTHS. Like, 6 months.

Last fall, we were going to the gym all the time. Every day, for 3 or 4 months, we'd get on the early ferry and head straight for the treadmill. We were doing so well for so long and then, as the weather started getting worse and it started getting super dark outside, we stopped getting up when the alarm went off, voting to slam the snooze and cuddle up instead. To stay warm, of course.

So, now that it's like...25 degrees out there AND in our house and the sun rises before the roosters (they are on island time), we really have no excuses. Kurt has been back in the gym for about a month now, but me? Not so much. I've been more focused on getting better, sleeping better, eating better (another FAIL lately) and, unfortunately, have let the feeling better part of the equation slide. On Sunday, on a whim, I dragged my running shoes and intervals watch out of where they had been hiding and took them for a run. And you know what? It wasn't so bad. Considering that I have done basically no physical exercise since late November, I was surprised at being able to run at all. I made it through about half an hour of running/walking and felt OK by the time I got back to the apartment and even felt pretty OK that night.

And then today I wanted to kick the yesterday Me's ass, because my legs are KILLING ME. It was even painful to sit in a beach chair and tan, because even when they aren't moving, my legs are hurting. I'm being punished for months of slothy behavior and I know it.

Ow.

Loong Weeekend.

2009-05-25T20:52:00.003-04:00

It's almost time for bed...the long weekend is officially over. Bummer. Luckily, we only have about three weeks or so until the next one. They "cancelled" the June long weekend last year because the Powers That Be decided that the Queen's birthday is no longer something to celebrate. Instead, they offered a long weekend in October to recognize national "heroes". And then a few weeks ago they realized that Tall Ships is coming for the long weekend in June, and so they reinstated the national public holiday and took away the one in October. And then they made it very clear that the national public holiday in June formerly known as the Queen's Birthday is now going to be known as National Heroes Day. Of course. Effin' retarded, but whatever...I'm all about extra days to tan and frolic on boats, so I'm not complaining.

We had a great weekend. On Saturday, we were invited out on a new friend's boat, which was a great way to kick off summer. With two 150's on the back, we were flying around, wind in our hair, sun on our skin, various rum drinks in our hands. It was awesome. I came back a tiny bit sunburned on my shoulders but all in all, a perfect summer day. It also made me want a boat...until I remembered how much work they are and how much it would suck to own a boat during a hurricane or tropical storm. It was a short-lived dream.

Sunday was gorgeous...the whole weekend was, actually. Sunny, hot, calm waters, and the occasional breeze. Just enough for you not to realize that your skin is burning. I went for a run in the morning (more about that painful mission later) and then we went for lunch on a sunny patio, and for a walk around the local 18th century fort, which was teeming with tourists who had spilled off the largest cruise ship that I have ever seen. It was ridiculous. Straight from New Jersey to our shores, they piled off the thing, mostly inappropriately dressed and mostly wearing fanny packs. I am 100% sure that you will never, ever see me on a cruise until I'm old and rich enough for one of those world cruise things where you see the whole world in 109 days for somewhere in the region of $50K. But to spend $800 on 4 (or, shudder, more) days on a floating amusement park with the fanny pack/Hawaiian shirt crowd? This is about as likely as seeing me at Disney World. Never going to happen. I suppose you could say that it's just not how I roll.

Anyways, after the walk, we went our separate ways, as I had a "girl's night in" with some new friends and Kurt was going to a BBQ where males were more than welcome. I had fun. We watched a seriously weird movie (Happy Go Lucky), ate some junk food and had some girl talk. Pretty standard girl's night.

Today was HOT. Maybe hotter than the other two days, which made me feel very sorry for all of the half-marathoners who had to chug through the heat on their way to the finish line this morning. Suckers. We went to the local beach for a couple of hours and I sat there and wished that I had thought to bring my camera to do my own sociological study like Heather, because it would have been phenomenal. Pitbull puppies on ropes, a six-foot man with dreadlocks down to his knees, some homeboys drinking from paper bags and yelling at some other homeboys about drowning their dogs (they were kidding...I think)...local action everywhere. We didn't stay long.

And then, the icing on my long weekend, a dinner date tonight with my favorite dude. We went to one of our new favorite restaurants and had some Italian food and a bit of cheeky rum punch. The perfect way to end a Monday.

Sometimes I get so caught up in the day-to-day that I forget about the actual fact that I live here, on this little Rock. And then I'll find myself sitting at a restaurant and I'll see a GECKO run across the floor and think holy eff...I live here.

Book Club.

2009-05-21T20:51:00.002-04:00

Tonight I had my very first book club meeting, since my VERY first book club meeting in Ottawa which also turned out to be my last because the book club seemed to kind of disband shortly after I joined. I've always liked the idea, but was always just a little bit intimidated by the idea of discussing books after I've read them. It's not that I have nothing to say, but I wonder if there is some big message or theme to the books that I've totally missed. And then to have to have that "OH!" moment AT a book club meeting? Hmmm. Awkward.

However, I had nothing to fear. My first book with them, The Piano Teacher, pretty much left all of us with the same taste in our mouths. Great book. Easy read. Entertaining. BUT...it ended too abruptly and some of the chemistry between the characters seemed to be a little off, and none of us were sure if it was supposed to be off, or if it just wasn't written that way. Anyways, it was a success. Our next book is Katherine by Anya Seton, so I'll get started on that this weekend.

Seen on the Rock:

2009-05-20T17:28:00.002-04:00

Dog sunglasses.

I know the picture sucks. I was trying to discreetly take it out the back of our car by trying to steady the camera on Kurt's shoulder, but really...there is just no good way to get a clear photo out of the back of a moving car without being totally obvious about it.

Yes, that is a daschund strapped into what appears to be a Baby Bjorn on the front of that girl, and yes...it is wearing tiny dog sunglasses.

Happy Hour.

2009-05-19T17:17:00.003-04:00

One of our more civilized pastimes on the Rock, not to be confused with the uncivilized pastimes in which we also partake occasionally, is Happy Hour. Every Friday night through the summer (starting in April and ending in October - yes, that is summer), us working folk shut down our computers, turn off the BlackBerrys (or at least ignore any work-related calls) and enjoy a cheeky drink or two (or eight) together at one of the local designated Happy Hour spots. For the most part, Happy Hour happens at one of two major hotels and for the past few weeks, we've been making our way to the other one. It involves a 5 minute ferry ride on a tiny catamaran, $5 drinks ($2 cheaper than the original Happy Hour) and...it has an amazing view of the sunset.

A little live music...a cold drink in hand...good friends and a great view...what's not to love?

Cold Food.

2009-05-14T20:06:00.005-04:00

The days are getting hotter and hotter around here. The other night, in fact, we had to turn on our A/C for the first time, to get rid of some of the humidity in the air so that we could sleep. I didn't think it was that bad until I noticed that the cover of a book I had laying on the table had curled right up, and that my glass of water had a small lake of condensation underneath it. Last year, I don't think we turned the A/C on until July, so we might be in for a HOT one. Or maybe we had a cooler winter, and now our bodies are having trouble adjusting. I don't know. I just know that my coconut oil has liquified, I don't like wearing long pants anymore, and my pashmina collection has retired for the season.

At this time of year, my diet changes drastically. I think most people experience that longing in the spring/early summer for fresh fruits, vegetables - lots of salads and icy cold drinks. I never get bored of fresh, cold meals when the weather is warm. Plus...they tend to be super easy. This, in itself, makes them awesome. My ideal summer diet would consist of sushi, salads, fruit and smoothies. Maybe some prosciutto and melon...because that is delicious. Or some antipasti - olives, cold grilled vegetables...mmmmmm.

For the past few weeks, we have not been eating very well. Between being busy, overly social (for us), and having guests, there have been a lot of restaurant meals. As a result, I feel like I'm retaining 10 pounds of water right now (I'm probably not that far off) and with our wedding almost exactly 3 months away, it's time to get down to business in the eating healthy department. I would hate to wake up on my wedding day having a proverbial "fat day". THAT is the worst.

Tonight, we got home late, talked about doing our taxes (we have yet to start) and forgot that, again, we hadn't planned our dinner and before we knew it, it was 8:30 and we were still looking at each other, willing the other to come up with some genius, quick, delicious, healthy, brilliant meal idea. Nothing. However, a quick trip to the store and a few dollars later, we each found ourselves with a healthy serving of fresh, homemade guacamole, a stack of "dippers" (chips for him, celery for me), some jalapenos for the side and a couple of chopped mangos waiting for us in the freezer. I love frozen fruit.

Delicious, simple, filling, healthy, satisfying. I am back on the summer food train for sure.

If you have never made guacamole...shame on you. It's the easiest thing ever:

- mash an avocado, or two, or four, up in a bowl.

- add the juice of a couple of limes (maybe only one if you're using one avocado)

- add a diced tomato

- add 1/2 an onion, finely chopped

- add a dash of cumin

- add as much or as little cilantro as you want (fresh, chopped)

- add a sprinkle of sea salt

Done. I added a sprinkle of kelp granules to mine, just for a little extra greens in my otherwise nutritionally lacklustre day.

Delish.

Dear CRA: Eff Off.

2009-05-14T17:11:00.002-04:00

So, guess what I get to spend my evening with? Pencils, Tax Form 45X1123590277-A (and corresponding schedules A through Z) or something like that and a big calculator. Why? Because I made a whole $300 in Canada last year and Canada WANTS TO KNOW ALL ABOUT IT. Talk about overkill. Seriously. I would make more money running a lemonade stand in a prime location. If we owned a whole bunch of houses that made $300 per year, I can see why CRA would care. But we own one. We make X amount of dollars off of it in rent, which we offset by claiming the mortgage interest, maintenance fees, how much it cost us to put a dishwasher that holds wine glasses in...a whole bunch of stuff. And then we end up with our total income...$300 each. Give or take $2. And then we have to spend a few precious evenings working out all of the above (stated simply enough, but Form 45X1123593050277-A (or whatever) doesn't actually allow for things to be stated simply) into complicated equations and honestly...I would just about kill to have one of those H&R Block nerds knock on my door right now and offer to do it. I would even pay them the full $300, just to take this off my plate.

Literary Beach Bum.

2009-05-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

Beach season has officially arrived, and I'm already two down on my standing Sunday beach date. These involve me, a chair, a towel, a good (or at least mindless) book - the current pick is Under the Tuscan Sun, my SPF arsenal, artistic tan-line avoidance and, hopefully, a friend or two. Or 10. Last Sunday, just three of us braved the elements, which included a bit of a breeze, which made the sand fly around. We left with a nice coating of it on pretty much everything, so it's now all over the floors in the apartment, which will need to be swept AGAIN. Beach season means that the broom never sleeps. We came home, showered off and settled in to watch Slumdog Millionaire, which was every bit as good as everyone said it would be. I'll have to add the book to my summer reading list. Currently in the works/in the queue?

- The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee (a book club pick, and I'm loving it)

- Katherine by Anya Seyton (another book club pick)

- The Amazing Adventures of Kavelier & Clay by Michael Chabon

- Trading Up by Candace Bushnell

- Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

- Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes

- Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland

- My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler

- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

That's a lot of beach hours.

Estrogen Overload.

2009-05-12T17:10:00.006-04:00

Sometimes, living on the Rock is extra-challenging when I'm feeling like hanging out with my girls. Or, just girls, in general. Kurt doesn't "get" how fun it is to paint nails and watch a shitty movie while gossiping and drinking wine of a rosé variety and eating crap. He just can't get into it. Believe me, I've tried. So, over the past few months I've made a real effort to squeeze in some girls time, where these types of activites can happen on a semi-regular basis and I'm happy to say that my mission has been successful.

A few weeks ago, two of my girlfriends here on the Rock found themselves celebrating their birthdays on the same day. Actually, I'm fairly certain that they find this to be the case every year, but this year was special, being a "landmark" birthday for one of them. And for the other, her first birthday on the Rock. What's not to celebrate? We used this as an excuse to sign up for a swank "girl's weekend" at a local five-star hotel, one which I would probably never stay at otherwise because 1) I live here and 2) the rooms range between $450 and $1,200 a night. Ummmm...no. But on a special offer, four of us signed up to go spend a weekend there together, doing girly things like drinking mimosas, wandering around in fluffy robes, ogling the hot "chaperone" we were assigned to, and teetering around in heels after a few too many of the aforementioned girly drinks. It was awesome. Observe:

I left with a hundred photos, freshly painted nails, some golf drills to try out on my own time (right), and some great stories. Some of which we still talk about daily. The room was amazing too. I had thought that they might put us somewhere in the back, away from the tourists who might not actually enjoy us singing about apple-bottom jeans on our balcony at 3:00 a.m. but guess what? We were front and center. This was the view off our balcony:

The room was totally luxurious...I wanted to move in. The best part of the night? When I won the grand prize...a free night's stay at the hotel, including lunch and the spa. Yes. Please. I never win anything...but all that waiting paid off that night. I think I'll save the free night until the fall, after the wedding, when we'll just feel like sleeping and wandering around in fluffy robes. I might squeeze the spa in before that though...I do love the spa. So, that weekend was fairly fabulous.

And THEN...my best friend Izabela and her husband, Kris landed on the Rock for a week of fun, sun and rum. We had a blast with them. Even though we have to work (usually), it always feels like a bit of a vacation when people come to visit. We tend to eat at home less, try new restaurants, and get to see the Island through a new set of eyes. It's refreshing...we always find things we didn't know about before, and it's nice to mix it up and make the effort to go to parts of the Island that we wouldn't normally spend a lot of time. We finally tried an amazing little pizzeria that we've been hearing about for...oh...since we arrived, and had one of the best meals we've had since we moved here.

Also, Izabela was fortunate (?!) enough to attend my second bachelorette party, hosted by my good friend Ashleigh, who's leaving the Rock soon and wanted to do it before she left. It was...messy. I'm not a good drinker in the best of circumstances, but add Jell-O shooters and malibu (UGH) to the mix and bad things happen. I was SICK. Very sick. Most of the night has been pieced together by unflattering photographs and eyewitness accounts and let's just say...I know that every girl has to go through it once (or twice, in my case), but once (twice) is more than enough. Wow. But I survived...and from what I can remember, it was a fun night! Here is the before shot...and the after...and then the final shot of the evening: Kurt and Iza, propping me up on the way to a taxi. Yes, Kurt was in attendance for (part of) the festivities...which just made it that much more interesting, really. For him. I don't remember it.

We spent the rest of the weekend taking it easy, working on tans, golfing and BBQing with other friends. Very, very relaxing. And then they left...which sucked. I hate goodbyes. Though, I'll be seeing them in 3 months, so it wasn't too teary this time around.

All in all...good times around these parts, lately.

When God yells at me.

2009-04-27T22:20:00.002-04:00

Today I walked past a lady and knocked her purse slightly as I tried to avoid someone coming the opposite way on the sidewalk. I said "excuse me", but clearly I should have shouted it at her instead, because as I continued down the sidewalk, the following was shouted at my back:

"JESUS DON'T LIKE NO PUSHY PEOPLE!"

Fair enough. But I don't think he likes bad grammar either. It was all I could do not to correct her...but in the interests of NOT being thrown off the Island, and because living here for 1.5 years has granted me the ability to take a LOT of SHIT, I just continued on.

Business as usual.

What I am loving RIGHT NOW.

2009-04-27T20:25:00.006-04:00

1. The beach! Yes, beach season has officially begun. I spent a few hours yesterday afternoon sleeping off a minor hangover in the sand, the rays beating down on my back. The tricky part? Avoiding tan lines. My wedding dress just will not allow for it. Must. Remember. This. And there is nothing better than that post-shower feeling after a day on the beach. The downside? Parts of my body that have not seen UV rays since 2008 are the colour of steamed chicken.

2. My new book club. In an attempt to become more literary, I have joined a book club. I tried this once before, in Ottawa, but it was kind of short-lived. Luckily, this time around I seem to have teamed up with some VERY KEEN READERS (I don't actually know them....they are friends of friends), so maybe their constant barrage of Fbook messages will actually get me reading regularly again. OR...piss me off and make me quit. Either way, I'm excited.

3. The fact that I haven't heard a peep from my tenants in months. Excellent. I guess that means that the windows didn't blow in during the winter.

4. Visitors! Our first visitors of the year, my best friend Iza and her husband Kris, are arriving on Wednesday for a fun-filled (and hopefully sun-filled) week of scootering around, some golf, some bachelorette fun (Rock-style), and lots of quality time. So. Excited.

5. My new glasses. I had no idea how much I was NOT seeing until I put these on for the first time. Trees and signs are no longer blurry and I can finally read work presentations. The bad news? I can finally read work presentations.

6. An extra hour of work. Seriously, it sounds weird, but going to work an hour earlier has made a HUGE difference to how much I can get done in the day. Arriving minutes before my boss means that the barrage of work coming out of her office starts pretty much as soon as I log into my computer and gulp down my banana. Now, I spend one luxurious hour going through my notes from the day before, attacking my inbox like a crazy person and chipping away at the steadily climbing pile of work. I feel like I've just learned to swim. We'll see how long this lasts.

7. The word "barrage". I have used it twice so far in this post. Let's see if I can squeeze out a magic number 3.

8. Salads. At this time of year, I stop making my weekly soups and switch to salads. For the past month, I have been very into coleslaw. Not the creamy kind...I make healthy versions, in mutiple varieties. I have probably eaten more cabbage in the past few weeks than in the entire past 5 years, but I'm not sick of it yet. I suppose you could say that Kurt has survived a BARRAGE of coleslaw. Yessssssssssssssss.

9. Fitness goals. The wedding countdown is ON and I calculated that I have already wasted nearly $160 on my yet-to-be-used gym membership. Time to get cracking. Or running.

10. Green smoothies. I go to bed dreaming of my morning green smoothie. So much nutrition packed into one delicious glass...tomorrow's will have bananas, blueberries, an orange and a multitude of add-ins, like spirulina and coconut. Maybe a stalk of celery, if I'm feeling wild. They keep me going until almost lunch time and give me as much energy as a cup of the (revolting) office coffee. I'm trying to eat raw for breakfast and lunch and then have a partially cooked dinner because it just feels good...especially as the weather gets hot.

Sneaky Buggers.

2009-04-22T20:44:00.003-04:00

In the weeks leading up to my trip home, there was some talk amongst my bridesmaids and maid of honour and myself about getting together while I was in town, since I'd be there over Easter and the two who live in Vancouver, Iza and Kathie, would be home in Victoria with their families for the long weekend. And then, abruptly, I heard nothing more about it. I chalked it up to the fact that I am a terrible communicator and hadn't been checking in, so I figured I would just sort it out when I got to town. After a surprise brunch with the four of them on my first day, I figured that was it for fun bridal party activities for this trip BUT...they fooled me. Lai told me that her and Heather were picking me up for a morning at the spa, which they did the next day. What they didn't tell me was that one by one, all of my amazing Victoria girlfriends would be showing up to join us. I was sitting there getting my pedicure when Iza walked in...and then Kathie...and then Alayna...and then it was like a steady stream of all of my favorite Victoria people, one after the other, including Tricia, who flew up from San Francisco.

I've known Lai since birth. Kelsey and I shared a bedroom...and parents. Izabela and I shared junior high sleepovers and ridiculous amounts of note-passing. Both Heathers, Tricia and Alayna I've known since late junior high/high school. Eliza has been a part of my extended family since Lai and Dal got together 11 years ago and Kathie and I met in college, moved to Ottawa and lived together in the Byward Market.

It was quite the partay.

After manicures/pedicures, we moved on to my sister's new amazing house in James Bay. Her and her Swede have rented a gorgeous heritage house that I would gnaw off my right arm to own (or just live in) and she volunteered her living room (and kicked out her four male roommates) for us to drink wine, eat snacks, gossip and catch up. It was awesome. Especially because when I looked around the room, I noted that the group of us were never all friends...I was the only connection between most of them. Many of them hadn't seen each other since I left Victoria and what was so neat was that it was SUCH a fun group to hang out with. I guess there are certain qualities that all of my friends possess...they are all hilarious in different ways and they are all very laid back.

From there, I was taken to an "adult entertainment" store, where we were treated to a rundown of the top ten sellers in various types of adult entertainment paraphenalia, including (but not limited to) games, costumes, edibles, apparatus and a lot of things that require batteries. It was fairly hilarious.

After that gongshow, we moved on to a local nightclub (which will quite possibly be the scene of the Kris and Kurt Wedding Afterparty...because that would also be fairly hilarious) for some Velvet, a wicked Victoria band which includes my beloved cousin in-law, Dal. We danced. Had shots. I tried to pass off the boa but it kept coming back. Kathie fell off a couch. Just your standard Sunday night.

I finally left when I lost my voice, just before 1:00.

I'm still so surprised and touched that so much planning went into this, and how much work it would have been to round everyone up and coordinate everything. Everyone had such a great time...especially me. It was such a treat to be surrounded by my girls. Even though, in a perfect world, there would have been a few more faces around me (namely Shan, Deb and my girls here on the Rock), I'm looking forward to a certain evening a few months down the road when this might be the case...

I really couldn't ask for a better group of friends. Or a better LOOKING group of friends.

The whole day/night was planned and coordinated by Kelsey and Laila. My sister and cousin, and built-in best friends. Thanks ladies! You're both amazing.

Love, me.

Back to the land of the living.

2009-04-22T20:21:00.005-04:00

I woke up this morning feeling roughly 70% of my normal, well self, and so decided that that was enough to warrant an attempt at a workday. I did OK. I left an hour early because I was fading quickly and didn't want to spend tomorrow re-doing work I did today. All in all though, not terrible. It's nice to have a job that I don't dread going back to after a vacation. Even though it's busy and crazy and my inbox is a total nightmare, I like the people enough that I was looking forward to getting back into the game.

So, I went off to work in some new clothes (thank you, Hudson's Bay Company) and sporting my new glasses which not only make me look, like, so much smarter (I was actually told this...and I'm not sure yet if that's a compliment)...but they have proved just how blurry my world has been for the past few years. I can read signs. And nothing has a fuzzy edge. No wonder car rides started making me nauseous...my world was fading out and I was just too lazy to get my eyes checked every year. Mind you, my prescription is not strong at all...just enough to help me differentiate a 3 from an 8 or an S. It's like a whole new world.

Now that my brain is no longer focused on mucus reduction, I can reflect on my trip home.

What trip? Oh right...that week I spent buzzing around Victoria in my Mom's SmartCar, planning our wedding. Did I mention that we planned the entire event in essentially four days? Right. I am totally in the wrong line of work. We cupcaked and flowered and dressed and sampled and decorated...total pros.

It was so nice to be home and Victoria was at it's finest. The cherry blossoms were out all over the city and, while they started falling near the end of my week, I had plenty of opportunities to stop and stare and wonder why I never noticed how beautiful they are when I lived there. The trees line the street my parents live on and it has to be the prettiest street in the city when the blossoms come out.

Besides the frantic wedding planning, I also managed to have an awesome full day/night stagette (post to come), attended a New Kids on the Block concert, got to most of my favorite stores, saw most of my favorite people, and spent some quality time with the abandoned cat. It was a busy week, but it was so, so nice to be home.

100% Illin'.

2009-04-21T13:04:00.003-04:00

I woke up on Saturday, my last day in Victoria, with a wicked cold. Sore throat, some post-nasal drip....it was coming on fast. Unfortunately, my flight home was a redeye, meaning that I knew ahead of time that I would be missing a night of sleep. Not ideal in the best of times, but definitely extra crappy when you're sick. Of course, I was also seated next to a couple of 18 year olds who insisted on making out from Vancouver all the way to Toronto, occasionally bumping me with an elbow or a knee...it was unpleasant. I fell asleep as soon as I walked in my door at noon on Sunday, and have pretty much been in bed ever since. Yuck! I hate being sick. It's been a long time since I've caught a bug that I haven't been able to shake off (or sleep off, rather) in a day or so.

I haven't felt much like eating, but I have fired up the blender a few times to try to force some nutrients down. My elixir of choice? Green smoothies, packed with nutritious ingredients and immune boosters.

See how green that is? We didn't actually have any fresh greens in the house, so this smoothie is fortified with a teaspoon of organic raw spirulina powder, which is derived from blue-green algae and is GREAT for your immune system and full of good stuff. It's the darkest green you can imagine...almost black...and doesn't add any flavour to the smoothie, just good stuff. The other ingredients are 1.5 bananas, a fresh tangelo, some frozen blueberries, a scoop of chia seeds, some raw organic shredded coconut and a tablespoon or so of organic hemp seeds, with a sprinkle of raw organic cacao nibs on top. Delicious. It's no chicken noodle soup, but I think my body needs this stuff more anyways.