HA! I found a wireless source that doesn't cost anything and I don't have to be in a Fivebucks and support that crazy corporate-coffee shop-gobbling company.
How can this be?
We got a MAC (environmentally evil and corporate...you get the picture). Hmm. So I guess I'm supposed to feel better for being at my local coffee shop that supports fair trade organic tea and coffee growers and yet...environmentally evil computer made of PVC (a product I stopped buying ages ago) and if you check out Greenpeace's campaign against apple you can learn more for yourself.
All right...anywho...I feel victorious to have found a great cafe with great teas and free wireless. We just need to figure out what we'll do at home for a connection. All in good time. Last night we were picking up a signal, but today...nothing. We also had no satellite connection for a while because of all the snow.
It's been crazy here. We arrived in summer like conditions in October and then it started raining and flooding, we had a water advisory and then the temperature dropped considerably and I had to dig out the extra heavy winter boots and the big winter coat. Not only did we get snow, we got dumped on! Yesterday I was even sent home early from work because no one was in the store and everyone was leaving early to beat the new round of flurries that was about to descend.
I have to say it's been quite beautiful and we've been lucky so far with power etc (our lights flickered a bit last night). I took photos that I'll try and post, but for those of you who live in a full east coast or prairie winter it won't astound you since "snow, big deal." However, nothing really gets cleared so the snow just sat and people dealt with it and struggled along. After the initial storm, the sun came out the next day and there was an incredible view of the mountains.
I heard via D. that my stepdad, P., is not faring as well as we are. He's on the island and they got a lot more snow. He and a neighbour have been shovelling their road! The road is not a little street but rather quite a hill and a long one to boot. Anywho...I hope he's doing okay.
My sis is on her way to BC., to the Haida Gwaii to be more exact. She's having a bit of a time getting herself and four cats across the country and then north to the Queen Charlottes. She's managed to make all her plans and it looks like she'll be staying a couple of days with us so that will be great.
Next visitor red jane? I'm not sure if her apartment will be ready by her landing date so we may have her visiting too. I'm sure her place with be ready by then though. I'll have to check in on her blog and see what's up.
It's so great to have access to the world wide web again! It does feel like a victory.
More to come sooner than I've been posting as of late.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Back at the library
This is not my preferred way of communicating. I cram computer time into my busy day off so I can catch up on things on line.
We were supposed to have our computer by now. We went on Sunday to pick it up but alas sold out and that's not the first time we've been told that. However, the teenage sales clerk offered us a whopping five percent off the display model. Well I was overwhelmed by the generous offer of the much played with display model, but turned it down after thinking about it for uh...two seconds. So then...the very clever and resourceful D. did a little research and discovered that the updated version of our computer is about to be released. The store failed to inform us of this (how else will they sell that display model even with the generous discount?). We're now waiting for the new version to arrive and then we'll pounce. It's basically the same computer for the same price but with a few modifications and more life to it and something about an improved battery life (at least that's what D discovered). Our old computer's battery lasted four years and I was happy with that. I really wish I didn't have to go back to that store and buy it though.
anywho...patience. I'm trying to find my patience today. I did spend the better part of my morning writing which is much success for me, but I can't help but feel anxious about what's not getting done. Have you experienced this? What is that about? It's absurd because writing is exactly what should get done. D would probably tell me that I put too much pressure on myself. Maybe. However, there is only three minutes remaining in my half hour session, the warning signal at the bottom of the screen is flashing red (it's very annoying) so I'm signing off before I lose everything to time. Now warning signals are popping up on screen. I'm really pushing it so I'd better press "publish post" before all is lost....
We were supposed to have our computer by now. We went on Sunday to pick it up but alas sold out and that's not the first time we've been told that. However, the teenage sales clerk offered us a whopping five percent off the display model. Well I was overwhelmed by the generous offer of the much played with display model, but turned it down after thinking about it for uh...two seconds. So then...the very clever and resourceful D. did a little research and discovered that the updated version of our computer is about to be released. The store failed to inform us of this (how else will they sell that display model even with the generous discount?). We're now waiting for the new version to arrive and then we'll pounce. It's basically the same computer for the same price but with a few modifications and more life to it and something about an improved battery life (at least that's what D discovered). Our old computer's battery lasted four years and I was happy with that. I really wish I didn't have to go back to that store and buy it though.
anywho...patience. I'm trying to find my patience today. I did spend the better part of my morning writing which is much success for me, but I can't help but feel anxious about what's not getting done. Have you experienced this? What is that about? It's absurd because writing is exactly what should get done. D would probably tell me that I put too much pressure on myself. Maybe. However, there is only three minutes remaining in my half hour session, the warning signal at the bottom of the screen is flashing red (it's very annoying) so I'm signing off before I lose everything to time. Now warning signals are popping up on screen. I'm really pushing it so I'd better press "publish post" before all is lost....
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Roaming
I'm moving around. Red jane has kindly loaned me her computer and I'm parked at Fivebucks (Starbucks), as a friend of ours calls it, and I'm using up my precious time trying to figure out what is going on in film out here on the very very wet coast.
...and it is wet today. The ferries stopped running because of the stormy conditions and that's always a bad sign. However, being further inland we haven't been hit too hard with high winds, just a lot of rain. So, i've invested in some rain boots and my feet are staying dry (finally!).
Film? Well, I'll find my way. I'll work my way into this industry one way or another. I can't apply for internships until I have so many credited hours (this isn't uncommon). I can at least become a "friend" of the women in film and t.v. out here. Since I'm not working in the industry I can't become a member. There doesn't seem to be a LIFT type place (see my sidebar if you're not sure what that is). Victoria has a co-op that I use to belong to, but I don't think that commute is realistic nor desireable.
Writing? Not much lately as is evident here on my blog. I'm desperate to get at it though. Stupid work gets in the way. Don't you hate that?
There are still little things nagging me about our apartment that I would like to finish because the longer we put stuff off the more involved we get in our day to day and the less likely those things are to get done. D. achieved a lot when he had Remembrance day off. I'm the master procrastinator though so...you know how that goes.
Red jane and I did hit the gym pretty early this a.m. at the local aquatic centre. It was nice to be in a gym today. There was a treadmill nazi who was managing who was getting on what machine and when. She actually stopped her own treadmill at one point to directly talk to someone who had stepped out of turn. Whew. Is it worth putting your energy into that? She doesn't work there. Really? Worth it? I'd rather get my work out done. Tomorrow we're going to check out the local "ladies fitness" and see what that has to offer.
Sis got a great review in the Mirror as did the play at the Centaur. I'm so proud of her and I cannot believe how far away she is right now and the impossibility of me seeing her play. C'est la vie.
I just realized that my connection has stopped identifying how long I've been on line which means I'm probably way over so I'd better go. There's a free connection at the fivebucks down the street so I'll head over there. Gotta keep moving.
...and it is wet today. The ferries stopped running because of the stormy conditions and that's always a bad sign. However, being further inland we haven't been hit too hard with high winds, just a lot of rain. So, i've invested in some rain boots and my feet are staying dry (finally!).
Film? Well, I'll find my way. I'll work my way into this industry one way or another. I can't apply for internships until I have so many credited hours (this isn't uncommon). I can at least become a "friend" of the women in film and t.v. out here. Since I'm not working in the industry I can't become a member. There doesn't seem to be a LIFT type place (see my sidebar if you're not sure what that is). Victoria has a co-op that I use to belong to, but I don't think that commute is realistic nor desireable.
Writing? Not much lately as is evident here on my blog. I'm desperate to get at it though. Stupid work gets in the way. Don't you hate that?
There are still little things nagging me about our apartment that I would like to finish because the longer we put stuff off the more involved we get in our day to day and the less likely those things are to get done. D. achieved a lot when he had Remembrance day off. I'm the master procrastinator though so...you know how that goes.
Red jane and I did hit the gym pretty early this a.m. at the local aquatic centre. It was nice to be in a gym today. There was a treadmill nazi who was managing who was getting on what machine and when. She actually stopped her own treadmill at one point to directly talk to someone who had stepped out of turn. Whew. Is it worth putting your energy into that? She doesn't work there. Really? Worth it? I'd rather get my work out done. Tomorrow we're going to check out the local "ladies fitness" and see what that has to offer.
Sis got a great review in the Mirror as did the play at the Centaur. I'm so proud of her and I cannot believe how far away she is right now and the impossibility of me seeing her play. C'est la vie.
I just realized that my connection has stopped identifying how long I've been on line which means I'm probably way over so I'd better go. There's a free connection at the fivebucks down the street so I'll head over there. Gotta keep moving.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Quick notes
I'm at an internet cafe in London Drugs and time is running out. I have to eat too!
red jane is visiting and has found a place to live! She'll be living nearby soon. Yay! She's off meeting agents right now.
It's been rainy yes, but not unbearable. I'm adjusting and plan on buying rain boots today. I ran in the rain and it was totally fine in my new running waterproof jacket. If you've got the right gear, go for it.
The cats are doing well. I've been emailing for the last hour so if this sounds more letter or email like then my apologies. i'm not in blog writing mode. or am I? Anywho...i want to write more, but we've been computerless still. However, P. is helping us to upgrade to something flashy and fast so I'll be bag to blogging in no time.
Work is work. I can't even begin to go into the commuting. It's a challenge. Love the short bus though.
Food glorious food. We went to the Mt. Pleasant area which is all veg friendly places, great film rental places and Italian groceries and bars. Shouldn't D. and I be living in that neighbourhood? I think so. We'll see what the year brings.
More later. i've got to meet red jane at the library.
The library wouldn't accept my whoville library card. Hrumph!
red jane is visiting and has found a place to live! She'll be living nearby soon. Yay! She's off meeting agents right now.
It's been rainy yes, but not unbearable. I'm adjusting and plan on buying rain boots today. I ran in the rain and it was totally fine in my new running waterproof jacket. If you've got the right gear, go for it.
The cats are doing well. I've been emailing for the last hour so if this sounds more letter or email like then my apologies. i'm not in blog writing mode. or am I? Anywho...i want to write more, but we've been computerless still. However, P. is helping us to upgrade to something flashy and fast so I'll be bag to blogging in no time.
Work is work. I can't even begin to go into the commuting. It's a challenge. Love the short bus though.
Food glorious food. We went to the Mt. Pleasant area which is all veg friendly places, great film rental places and Italian groceries and bars. Shouldn't D. and I be living in that neighbourhood? I think so. We'll see what the year brings.
More later. i've got to meet red jane at the library.
The library wouldn't accept my whoville library card. Hrumph!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Adjustments
The clocks changed this past Saturday. We shifted back one hour which meant I was up an hour earlier in the morning because my physical clock doesn't not shift as easily and it takes a few days for me to adjust to dark at five o'clock and bright in the morning when I get up.
The past two weeks have been a series of adjustments for me. I don't think I've ever taken the time to really consider how much moving takes out of you emotionally and physically. I've moved 20 times in my life and i've always just rolled with it I suppose, but they've been smaller moves to new apartments in the same city often. The big move as in when I moved west in the 90s and moved back east in 99 and now I'm west again are much more dramatic, life altering changes. I really need time to think about how it feels. I'm like that though, I can't just jump in and here we go, i have to over think many things.
The move feels like a delayed jet lag that keeps prodding at me during some point in the day reminding me that it's time to...oh no wait we're in another city and you're not walking to the corner for the paper because the corner is now a ten minute walk. Where am I? I know I'm still at LV, but this building has no windows and my sarcasm is being taken too literally. I've stopped being sarcastic which is probably a good thing in the end.
It's all a period of adjustment until eventually I'll roll with it again and a bus schedule with feel natural to me as opposed to something restricting my movements. After all when you go from a city of millions to one of the "tri-cities" of hundreds of thousands you can't expect everything to be so easily to come by.
Every morning when I get up i look out our bedroom window at the view of the valley and the houses rising up the mountain opposite us. It's really a hill compared to the mountains that exist out here, but to speak to those more easterly reading this blog, it's a mountain. I marvel at having this view every day and every day it is different in some way (the sky is pink and clear, there's a light strip of cloud hovering over the valley, the lights are still on because it's gray or the sun casts shadows as it rises). I hope I always marvel at the view. i hope I never adjust to it becoming merely the background scenery. Of course that never happened to me when I lived in Victoria so why should it here?
Anywho...my library visits continue as far as computer availability is concerned so this is a brief post and there will probably be another gap of time before i post again. i haven't made any blog rounds so I can't wait to catch up with you all. I also haven't been in touch with any friends I said good-bye to before i left so hello everyone and I'll be in touch soon.
Until next time.
The past two weeks have been a series of adjustments for me. I don't think I've ever taken the time to really consider how much moving takes out of you emotionally and physically. I've moved 20 times in my life and i've always just rolled with it I suppose, but they've been smaller moves to new apartments in the same city often. The big move as in when I moved west in the 90s and moved back east in 99 and now I'm west again are much more dramatic, life altering changes. I really need time to think about how it feels. I'm like that though, I can't just jump in and here we go, i have to over think many things.
The move feels like a delayed jet lag that keeps prodding at me during some point in the day reminding me that it's time to...oh no wait we're in another city and you're not walking to the corner for the paper because the corner is now a ten minute walk. Where am I? I know I'm still at LV, but this building has no windows and my sarcasm is being taken too literally. I've stopped being sarcastic which is probably a good thing in the end.
It's all a period of adjustment until eventually I'll roll with it again and a bus schedule with feel natural to me as opposed to something restricting my movements. After all when you go from a city of millions to one of the "tri-cities" of hundreds of thousands you can't expect everything to be so easily to come by.
Every morning when I get up i look out our bedroom window at the view of the valley and the houses rising up the mountain opposite us. It's really a hill compared to the mountains that exist out here, but to speak to those more easterly reading this blog, it's a mountain. I marvel at having this view every day and every day it is different in some way (the sky is pink and clear, there's a light strip of cloud hovering over the valley, the lights are still on because it's gray or the sun casts shadows as it rises). I hope I always marvel at the view. i hope I never adjust to it becoming merely the background scenery. Of course that never happened to me when I lived in Victoria so why should it here?
Anywho...my library visits continue as far as computer availability is concerned so this is a brief post and there will probably be another gap of time before i post again. i haven't made any blog rounds so I can't wait to catch up with you all. I also haven't been in touch with any friends I said good-bye to before i left so hello everyone and I'll be in touch soon.
Until next time.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
I'm back
Well, we made it. The journey itself with three cats on the plane was quite awfully stressful. They recovered beautifully by the end of the day. I was mostly worried about Svetlana who howled for more than three hours. What fun. Red Jane was on board as well (as some may already know). She was a great help on the weekend we settled giving us decorating ideas and making sure we did things like eat.
My step-dad, P., met us at the airport which was fabulous and helped the transition. He also helped us with the unpacking and setting up. God love family and friends. It made everything so much the easier for us and we had the pleasure of their company for the weekend.
I'm using the local library computer to post so I'm going to be brief because I have a ton of emails to respond to and other business to take care of using my allotted time. I just got my library card. I had to wait for mail to arrive with our address on it. Of course my first day in the library last week when I was a little more disoriented and new at being in this town, I ran into someone from way back when. The librarian recognized me after I gave him my name, asking "did you go to Concordia?" My reply, "yes, but ages ago." I was thinking that he was far too young to be in my age bracket and I do tend to get that "your look familiar" comment a lot. He then asked "did you take a poetry class?"
Me: "Yes."
Librarian: "You were in Mary's class."
Me: "Oh my god yes. I can't believe it." (or some such expression).
What are the chances? I admit that I wouldn't have recognized him beyond thinking that he looks familiar to me. There is no way I would have pin pointed a classmate from fifteen years ago. Yikes. That's life in whoville though isn't it? You're never far from home, you're always home.
Other news? Our place is shaping up nicely. We're still trying to decide on a suitable colour for the living room/kitchen area. We're getting closer. We're kind of not far from my whoville page colour. It's just for one wall so don't panic. I think we need something warmer though. D?
Our house/suite is on a bit of a hill so we have quite a view from the bedroom. The yard also on a hill means that the garden is on different levels and sloped and there are all kinds of shrubs and trees I don't know or didn't know they could grow so huge. We've got rhododendron trees for god's sake! We've got a lovely dogwood that isn't really being viewed properly. The owners/landlords are very open to us gardening so hurray. However, I'm a little intimidated.
We're close to all the amenities we could need. The bus literally stops across the street and also stops right in front of work for me. That's pretty lucky. The commute isn't great. It takes me longer to get home than it does D and he's travelling much further than I am. D. is thrilled because a new Italian grocery store just opened next to his work. He's got his favorite tomatoes and olives are reasonably priced so he's in heaven. I found planet organics that is just down the hill and has all of my favorite products so I'm happy. I also discovered a great running route if I just run further up our street. In other words, if I run up the mountain, there's a great descent that is long and fun. It ends up or meets up with a park and the trans Canada trail.
That brings me to the running terrain. Help! It's crazy out here. It's the toughest terrain I've ever run. I love running out here though, everything is so green and the air feels so crisp and clear. I know there is some illusion to it all, but it's such a switch from running in the "big city."
Anywho, must get to my emails. We're in the process of getting another computer so until that happens i won't be posting regularly, only on my days off from work.
Until then...
My step-dad, P., met us at the airport which was fabulous and helped the transition. He also helped us with the unpacking and setting up. God love family and friends. It made everything so much the easier for us and we had the pleasure of their company for the weekend.
I'm using the local library computer to post so I'm going to be brief because I have a ton of emails to respond to and other business to take care of using my allotted time. I just got my library card. I had to wait for mail to arrive with our address on it. Of course my first day in the library last week when I was a little more disoriented and new at being in this town, I ran into someone from way back when. The librarian recognized me after I gave him my name, asking "did you go to Concordia?" My reply, "yes, but ages ago." I was thinking that he was far too young to be in my age bracket and I do tend to get that "your look familiar" comment a lot. He then asked "did you take a poetry class?"
Me: "Yes."
Librarian: "You were in Mary's class."
Me: "Oh my god yes. I can't believe it." (or some such expression).
What are the chances? I admit that I wouldn't have recognized him beyond thinking that he looks familiar to me. There is no way I would have pin pointed a classmate from fifteen years ago. Yikes. That's life in whoville though isn't it? You're never far from home, you're always home.
Other news? Our place is shaping up nicely. We're still trying to decide on a suitable colour for the living room/kitchen area. We're getting closer. We're kind of not far from my whoville page colour. It's just for one wall so don't panic. I think we need something warmer though. D?
Our house/suite is on a bit of a hill so we have quite a view from the bedroom. The yard also on a hill means that the garden is on different levels and sloped and there are all kinds of shrubs and trees I don't know or didn't know they could grow so huge. We've got rhododendron trees for god's sake! We've got a lovely dogwood that isn't really being viewed properly. The owners/landlords are very open to us gardening so hurray. However, I'm a little intimidated.
We're close to all the amenities we could need. The bus literally stops across the street and also stops right in front of work for me. That's pretty lucky. The commute isn't great. It takes me longer to get home than it does D and he's travelling much further than I am. D. is thrilled because a new Italian grocery store just opened next to his work. He's got his favorite tomatoes and olives are reasonably priced so he's in heaven. I found planet organics that is just down the hill and has all of my favorite products so I'm happy. I also discovered a great running route if I just run further up our street. In other words, if I run up the mountain, there's a great descent that is long and fun. It ends up or meets up with a park and the trans Canada trail.
That brings me to the running terrain. Help! It's crazy out here. It's the toughest terrain I've ever run. I love running out here though, everything is so green and the air feels so crisp and clear. I know there is some illusion to it all, but it's such a switch from running in the "big city."
Anywho, must get to my emails. We're in the process of getting another computer so until that happens i won't be posting regularly, only on my days off from work.
Until then...
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
I'm supposed to be cleaning the fridge according to the list I made last night. I'm supposed to be cleaning the bathroom and tidying up. Ugh. After spending the morning running around doing errands (thank goodness I rented a car for today) I'm ready for a nap. However, the phone keeps ringing and since I've been playing phone tag with a couple of people, i have to keep answering.
This is the last minute dash to the finish line. I've packed up my sister's things (all except a few odds and ends that I will have to leave in a box. I've arranged to drop off our keys with a neighbour. Cat food has been picked up as has D's poster money (finally! I panicked when the store was closed during it's open hours and we couldn't reach the guy with our posters and we'd yet to be paid). I loaded up the car with one more drop off to Value Village. Goodwill wouldn't answer their drop off door so I scooted around the corner to Value Village. I don't have to lift anymore boxes of books. Someone is coming to get the bed this evening. While I've been running around, I received the results for Svetlana's thyroid and the levels are high, meaning new medication to be dispensed. That I will have to pick up????later today? Hopefully my vet is phoning it in as I write.
Last night I said good bye to more people. Three very talented women who I went to graduate school with. They're all doing such interesting things in their lives and keep moving forward. It really inspires me to be around them. Very cool women. I'm glad to know them and will have to keep in touch. Hopefully they'll visit the blog. I know julia visits regularly. Hopefully the others will stop by too.
Coincidentally, I just got an email from another incredibly talented woman who was also in our program the same year. Last night we were trying to recall people in our program who are still in the city. I think just the few of us seated around the table were the only ones left in this city. We wondered what happened to several other peers from those two years we spent in the program. We forgot all about this woman who moved back to India after finishing her degree. She's a fabulous filmmaker and had just sent notice that she's returned to India after spending a year in England. (It just occurred to me that we would have been in England at the same time last year. Oh well. It's a big place and i was there so briefly). I haven't heard from her in ages and now this. So, I will have to contact her.
Now, the after school stragglers are making their way through the alley. One last time I have to listen to their screaming voices. I won't miss the noise at all. I hope our new street isn't too noisy. The house seems to be set back a bit so this may help.
Oh yes, that reminds me that I also won't miss whoever has been dumping their garbage in with our garbage. This happens after hours either very very late or very very early. We've always suspected a neighbour across the street who is absolutely crazy obsessive about his house and car looking perfect all the time. My sister even caught him once crossing the street to leave a garbage bag next to our house. She confronted him and told him if he ever did it again she was going to dump garbage all over his front yard (which you should see it's hysterically bizarre with figurines and pruned shrubs that are shaped into little round balls all over the place. It's weird landscaping. I don't know who offers such a service...). Anyway, he stopped for a while and then occasionally another bag would appear. This morning I saw D. move two bags across the street to buddy's house where there was no garbage in sight. So it happened again. Then when I left the house, the bags were back! I dragged them next door. It was yard waste in big heavy garbage bags. All of our yard waste is in the paper bags as required. I went out, came back, went out and came back again. Our garbage had been collected, but not those bags. I was ready to dump them on his yard, but when I went out again, I saw that they were gone. I don't care who took them as long as they're gone. What kind of disorder is that? Anywho...I'm not going to miss him, his ugly house and his stupid car that he cleans with windex and paper towel. Okay now that I've gotten that off my chest....
I'll write again from the other side of the country.
This is the last minute dash to the finish line. I've packed up my sister's things (all except a few odds and ends that I will have to leave in a box. I've arranged to drop off our keys with a neighbour. Cat food has been picked up as has D's poster money (finally! I panicked when the store was closed during it's open hours and we couldn't reach the guy with our posters and we'd yet to be paid). I loaded up the car with one more drop off to Value Village. Goodwill wouldn't answer their drop off door so I scooted around the corner to Value Village. I don't have to lift anymore boxes of books. Someone is coming to get the bed this evening. While I've been running around, I received the results for Svetlana's thyroid and the levels are high, meaning new medication to be dispensed. That I will have to pick up????later today? Hopefully my vet is phoning it in as I write.
Last night I said good bye to more people. Three very talented women who I went to graduate school with. They're all doing such interesting things in their lives and keep moving forward. It really inspires me to be around them. Very cool women. I'm glad to know them and will have to keep in touch. Hopefully they'll visit the blog. I know julia visits regularly. Hopefully the others will stop by too.
Coincidentally, I just got an email from another incredibly talented woman who was also in our program the same year. Last night we were trying to recall people in our program who are still in the city. I think just the few of us seated around the table were the only ones left in this city. We wondered what happened to several other peers from those two years we spent in the program. We forgot all about this woman who moved back to India after finishing her degree. She's a fabulous filmmaker and had just sent notice that she's returned to India after spending a year in England. (It just occurred to me that we would have been in England at the same time last year. Oh well. It's a big place and i was there so briefly). I haven't heard from her in ages and now this. So, I will have to contact her.
Now, the after school stragglers are making their way through the alley. One last time I have to listen to their screaming voices. I won't miss the noise at all. I hope our new street isn't too noisy. The house seems to be set back a bit so this may help.
Oh yes, that reminds me that I also won't miss whoever has been dumping their garbage in with our garbage. This happens after hours either very very late or very very early. We've always suspected a neighbour across the street who is absolutely crazy obsessive about his house and car looking perfect all the time. My sister even caught him once crossing the street to leave a garbage bag next to our house. She confronted him and told him if he ever did it again she was going to dump garbage all over his front yard (which you should see it's hysterically bizarre with figurines and pruned shrubs that are shaped into little round balls all over the place. It's weird landscaping. I don't know who offers such a service...). Anyway, he stopped for a while and then occasionally another bag would appear. This morning I saw D. move two bags across the street to buddy's house where there was no garbage in sight. So it happened again. Then when I left the house, the bags were back! I dragged them next door. It was yard waste in big heavy garbage bags. All of our yard waste is in the paper bags as required. I went out, came back, went out and came back again. Our garbage had been collected, but not those bags. I was ready to dump them on his yard, but when I went out again, I saw that they were gone. I don't care who took them as long as they're gone. What kind of disorder is that? Anywho...I'm not going to miss him, his ugly house and his stupid car that he cleans with windex and paper towel. Okay now that I've gotten that off my chest....
I'll write again from the other side of the country.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Two days to go
Our departure is getting closer. So much is going on. I'm trying to ditch all of our bits of stuff that have for one reason or another been left behind in our house. We've sold and donated what we could and now I'm scrambling around to try and find anyone who will take our few things. I couldn't find anyone to pick up our bed as a donation so I posted it on craigslist and had a phone call within a half hour. Gone. Yesterday I put out two boxes of books on the sidewalk. Somone took a whole box and the other box was left with two and a half books remaining. My sister's furniture will remain in our place until she's ready to move. I'm packing up a few things for her.
I'm also trying to get the garden ready for the winter, but it keeps blooming! We have such a long gardening season here. I wanted to take the dahlia tubers but their still in full bloom. I will collect some seeds in paper bags to take with me. Afterall, if I can grow a beautiful coneflower or valerian in a peat pellet and transplant isn't that all the better? Recently, I took a gardening seminar at LV and that encouraged me to go ahead and gather those seeds and cut back the hostas now. If I get a small bag of mulch I should be able to pile up a little around the plants that will need it over winter. I'm tempted to leave a list of notes for the new owners, reminding them to water and also identify the plants for them.
Emotionally, I'm all over the place. I'm excited and anxious to get to our new place and see what it looks like and start setting up home. I'm also sad and nostalgic for our old home that we're about to leave. It's been such a good home for us. With my sister owning the house has made it all the more enjoyable since we all worked on the house together. It's been a good space for the cats, bright and spacious with stairs and ledges for them to climb on. Part of me doesn't want to leave. When you're happy in a place why leave it? However, it's time to leave this city. I always said I would re-examine by fall 2006 what I've accomplished in the last year and if I need to remain in this city to continue on the road I am on. It would seem that it is time to go.
* * *
It's been a week of good-byes -- good-bye to family, good-bye to work, good-bye to our beloved housecall vet, good-bye to friends, good-bye to my favorite haunts. D's parents were here last weekend. There was some minor drama, but all was sorted and we had a nice time in those quieter moments of moving chaos. Work overwhelmed me with a beautiful going away present of wood-turned fountain pen from Italy with five different tips. I can't wait to use it. I bought a caligraphy book from LV with my gift card they gave me. They baked a vegan chocolate cake that was divine with a ginger marmalade filling and orange glaze icing. Everyone enjoyed it. There were ridiculous pictures taken that I hope I never see and people were very kind with their parting words. I got weepy which really surprised me. We went to dinner with a good friend and I can't even think about him not being in the same city with us without getting teary-eyed. Hopefully, he'll join us west one day. I'm so glad red jane is flying out with us because I'm really not ready for that. I've said good-bye to my mom, but really we're just a few provinces more away and it only feels far, but I know we'll see lots of each other.
Mum came for the Thanksgiving weekend and we had a really nice time. I found the whole weekend quite relaxing. Saturday, she treated us (as she always does) to a delicious meal at little tibet restaurant. Mum loves the place, as we all do. It has a very calming atmosphere, so you feel very relaxed in the dining room. The food is lovely and fresh. It was a good choice to start our weekend.
Sunday I even made time for a run through the park. It was glorious. I had a great run. We cooked and had a nice dinner together with red jane. We had tofurkey, kale, garlic roasted brussel sprouts (recipe courtesy of bunnyfoot), roasted root veg, cranberry sauce (I found a package of frozen fresh cranberries in the freezer from one of our fresh boxes last winter), salad with pomegranite seeds, and two pies (pumpkin with candied pecans and mock cherry that red jane made). Earlier in the day Mum and I went for a walk. We did the same on Monday and visited a friend of my sister's who lives close by. We cut through Dufferin Grove Park which mum had never been to and really loved. It does have so much to offer as a park.
I saw mum off at the train station in that huge long line of people bound for Montreal and we had to say good-bye there while the line moved forward. I wish there was a way to make it easier for all of us. I know she'll be out to visit on her winter break and I think once she comes out it will be easier and we'll all see that we're really not that far away.
So, back to today. Another person just called about the bed. I'm starting to wish I'd asked for a few dollars for it. Oh well. It doesn't really matter. I'd rather someone who really needs it get it for free. D's waiting for some news on some remarkable movie posters he collected when he worked in a cinema in the 80s so maybe that will be good news.
I'd better keep moving on this day before it passes me by. i've got a long list of chores and i'm on foot with no bike and no car so I'd better use my running skills.
I'm also trying to get the garden ready for the winter, but it keeps blooming! We have such a long gardening season here. I wanted to take the dahlia tubers but their still in full bloom. I will collect some seeds in paper bags to take with me. Afterall, if I can grow a beautiful coneflower or valerian in a peat pellet and transplant isn't that all the better? Recently, I took a gardening seminar at LV and that encouraged me to go ahead and gather those seeds and cut back the hostas now. If I get a small bag of mulch I should be able to pile up a little around the plants that will need it over winter. I'm tempted to leave a list of notes for the new owners, reminding them to water and also identify the plants for them.
Emotionally, I'm all over the place. I'm excited and anxious to get to our new place and see what it looks like and start setting up home. I'm also sad and nostalgic for our old home that we're about to leave. It's been such a good home for us. With my sister owning the house has made it all the more enjoyable since we all worked on the house together. It's been a good space for the cats, bright and spacious with stairs and ledges for them to climb on. Part of me doesn't want to leave. When you're happy in a place why leave it? However, it's time to leave this city. I always said I would re-examine by fall 2006 what I've accomplished in the last year and if I need to remain in this city to continue on the road I am on. It would seem that it is time to go.
* * *
It's been a week of good-byes -- good-bye to family, good-bye to work, good-bye to our beloved housecall vet, good-bye to friends, good-bye to my favorite haunts. D's parents were here last weekend. There was some minor drama, but all was sorted and we had a nice time in those quieter moments of moving chaos. Work overwhelmed me with a beautiful going away present of wood-turned fountain pen from Italy with five different tips. I can't wait to use it. I bought a caligraphy book from LV with my gift card they gave me. They baked a vegan chocolate cake that was divine with a ginger marmalade filling and orange glaze icing. Everyone enjoyed it. There were ridiculous pictures taken that I hope I never see and people were very kind with their parting words. I got weepy which really surprised me. We went to dinner with a good friend and I can't even think about him not being in the same city with us without getting teary-eyed. Hopefully, he'll join us west one day. I'm so glad red jane is flying out with us because I'm really not ready for that. I've said good-bye to my mom, but really we're just a few provinces more away and it only feels far, but I know we'll see lots of each other.
Mum came for the Thanksgiving weekend and we had a really nice time. I found the whole weekend quite relaxing. Saturday, she treated us (as she always does) to a delicious meal at little tibet restaurant. Mum loves the place, as we all do. It has a very calming atmosphere, so you feel very relaxed in the dining room. The food is lovely and fresh. It was a good choice to start our weekend.
Sunday I even made time for a run through the park. It was glorious. I had a great run. We cooked and had a nice dinner together with red jane. We had tofurkey, kale, garlic roasted brussel sprouts (recipe courtesy of bunnyfoot), roasted root veg, cranberry sauce (I found a package of frozen fresh cranberries in the freezer from one of our fresh boxes last winter), salad with pomegranite seeds, and two pies (pumpkin with candied pecans and mock cherry that red jane made). Earlier in the day Mum and I went for a walk. We did the same on Monday and visited a friend of my sister's who lives close by. We cut through Dufferin Grove Park which mum had never been to and really loved. It does have so much to offer as a park.
I saw mum off at the train station in that huge long line of people bound for Montreal and we had to say good-bye there while the line moved forward. I wish there was a way to make it easier for all of us. I know she'll be out to visit on her winter break and I think once she comes out it will be easier and we'll all see that we're really not that far away.
So, back to today. Another person just called about the bed. I'm starting to wish I'd asked for a few dollars for it. Oh well. It doesn't really matter. I'd rather someone who really needs it get it for free. D's waiting for some news on some remarkable movie posters he collected when he worked in a cinema in the 80s so maybe that will be good news.
I'd better keep moving on this day before it passes me by. i've got a long list of chores and i'm on foot with no bike and no car so I'd better use my running skills.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
A trip to the vet, puzzles and vegan cheese
Poor little GiGi went to the vet today to get spayed. She's there now and will spend the night there. I miss her. She's such a sweet and loving kitten. As I walked part of the way home from work today (in the rain -- the weather was very west coast today) I wanted to stop in and see her, but I wasn't sure if it would upset her more or not. Would she think she was going home? She would see me (or not, depending on how dopey she is) and then I'd be gone. I made the decision to let her be in the capable hands of the staff at Queen West.
Tomorrow I can pick her up while I drop Svetlana for blood work. Then we can all travel home together. The price in cab fair rises rapidly!
We also got our travel bags for the kitties in the mail today. We ordered them from West Jet so as to be sure to meet their specifications for carry on kitties. They're nicer looking than my own luggage. At least they all have suitable carriers for the trip now.
It's been another busy day. Work flew by. I didn't even notice the time passing and it was a slow day. Somehow I always had something to do. There was a puzzle on the counter when I arrived at work. It was partially assembled for display in the showroom. Obviously, it's a puzzle we sell and it was amazing how everyone wanted to stop and peck away. People rearranged other work to come and work on the puzzle. I spent very little time with it, but got a kick out of watching others work on it , each in their own way and be focused on the puzzle, but also talk about all sorts of things. As one co-worker said to me this morning, "you can learn a lot about someone by how they work on a puzzle." It's not just the way the person works, but as in any situation (except when working with Dina -- never mind what that means) you talk and it's on that level that much more is learned.
Back at home, I was restless and a little keen to get cooking. I made dinner way too early, but hey...better early that too late (which I've done many times). I tried out this vegan cheese recipe from one of my favorite sites, post punk kitchen. I added my own flavoring to it, including, veg broth, sour supreme (tofuttis faux sour cream), spike, and a little red wine for good luck. Time to take it out of the oven. Yum.
Tomorrow I can pick her up while I drop Svetlana for blood work. Then we can all travel home together. The price in cab fair rises rapidly!
We also got our travel bags for the kitties in the mail today. We ordered them from West Jet so as to be sure to meet their specifications for carry on kitties. They're nicer looking than my own luggage. At least they all have suitable carriers for the trip now.
It's been another busy day. Work flew by. I didn't even notice the time passing and it was a slow day. Somehow I always had something to do. There was a puzzle on the counter when I arrived at work. It was partially assembled for display in the showroom. Obviously, it's a puzzle we sell and it was amazing how everyone wanted to stop and peck away. People rearranged other work to come and work on the puzzle. I spent very little time with it, but got a kick out of watching others work on it , each in their own way and be focused on the puzzle, but also talk about all sorts of things. As one co-worker said to me this morning, "you can learn a lot about someone by how they work on a puzzle." It's not just the way the person works, but as in any situation (except when working with Dina -- never mind what that means) you talk and it's on that level that much more is learned.
Back at home, I was restless and a little keen to get cooking. I made dinner way too early, but hey...better early that too late (which I've done many times). I tried out this vegan cheese recipe from one of my favorite sites, post punk kitchen. I added my own flavoring to it, including, veg broth, sour supreme (tofuttis faux sour cream), spike, and a little red wine for good luck. Time to take it out of the oven. Yum.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Chip away at the list
Yay! I made headway on the list. Even though we have nothing in our place now, I still have to get rid of stuff. Red jane helped me with the Value Village drop. Wow did that feel good to get rid of so much, so quickly. There were many boxes, some golf clubs, tennis rackets and a few bags. Whew. Fortunately, I live really close to a Value Village so we didn't have to spend much time in traffic. Red jane seemed at the end of her driving rope. She'd just returned from dropping off sis and the cast of characters in Montreal and she drove back very early this am.
I also got the box of wool to julia. She requested and I delivered. I hope she had a good ride on the streetcar home with her new/and some used box of wool. I'm glad it's going to a good home.
My old bike went to D's brother. I don't know if I mentioned that earlier. The garage is looking downright roomy now. It's really just R and sis's stuff in there along with some wood and old paint cans.
I did a few change of addresses and I've started sorting through the books to sell, dividing them into subject categories (that can be debatable with some things). I'm leaving the poster sales for D since they're his. He's got quite a collection of promo posters and movie posters from when he worked in a Montreal cinema. I presume that some are fairly valuable like the Return of the Jedi original poster and a few others. They're in mint condition because he's just been storing them forever.
I made the calls I needed to and sent a few emails. I'm almost caught up to where I want to be at this stage before we depart.
I also got the box of wool to julia. She requested and I delivered. I hope she had a good ride on the streetcar home with her new/and some used box of wool. I'm glad it's going to a good home.
My old bike went to D's brother. I don't know if I mentioned that earlier. The garage is looking downright roomy now. It's really just R and sis's stuff in there along with some wood and old paint cans.
I did a few change of addresses and I've started sorting through the books to sell, dividing them into subject categories (that can be debatable with some things). I'm leaving the poster sales for D since they're his. He's got quite a collection of promo posters and movie posters from when he worked in a Montreal cinema. I presume that some are fairly valuable like the Return of the Jedi original poster and a few others. They're in mint condition because he's just been storing them forever.
I made the calls I needed to and sent a few emails. I'm almost caught up to where I want to be at this stage before we depart.
Move, movers moving, moved
The word becomes more ridiculous the more I say it. I am quite tired of thinking about those words in my title and now I feel like the worst is truly over. There are no boxes sitting half packed or stacked and in the way of our living space. The stress level is going down. This morning I even went for a run and felt no hurry to get home and get back to work. I just relaxed and enjoyed my run.
The weekend came and now it's gone. My in-laws drove into town Friday, the movers arrived Saturday, and then my in-laws drove out of town Sunday. Most moving for me was my sister left the house on Sunday. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) it's been an emotional weekend.
We still had so much packing to do on Friday. D's parents took us out to dinner along with D's brother. We went to
Ferro after a friend recommended it, but we arrived too late and the line up had begun. Plan B led us down the street to one of our favorite places Mezzetta. D's parents don't often get to eat from a tapas style menu so it was a new and fun experience for them. They seemed to really enjoy it. The best part was being out of the house and not thinking about the above title related subject at all. We just sat back and enjoyed our food. There was a jazz quartet playing and it was all nice. D met the owner because he was intrigued with the coffee machine. They exchanged information and it may be a new account for Saeco. You never know.
Back at home, we packed until midnight. D's parent and brother helped out which was really nice. It saved us a lot of time. I slept a deep sleep that night.
Saturday we finished up the last minute stuff. The movers arrived on schedule and the day began. We took the cats up to my sister's while the movers tagged boxes and began to empty our apartment. It's quite amazing to see the boxes built up into a wall on the truck. I couldn't believe the organization of it all. It's quite a task. A bit of an art really. D. was truly appreciating their use of space being a shipper/warehouse/inventory guy. We both had a bit of a moment in the backyard when the stuff started going out. It was a bit of a realization that this is really happening. Something that we joked about in June is actually happening.
Even now as I think about the garden, leaving the garden behind, I'm getting a little misty-eyed. I love our garden and it's wildness and all that it has given us. I love watching the squirrels and cats pass through, the plants bloom where I had forgotten they would. The dahlias are still going strong (I may not get to take the tubers with me if they don't start to finish their cycle!) as is the lavender. I've never had lavender grow so strong and full. But i'm getting distracted.
Back to Saturday. After the truck pulled away, we headed to ikea to select a new bed that we could pick out in Coquitlam. It's no easy task. The latex matress really is astoundingly comfortable, but far out of our budget so we've found something else that will be comfy. After ikea we headed back to town and stopped at John's Classic Pizza to pick up a few large pizzas. I got a vegan one for sis and I. I started to see that we were coming full circle. When D and I first arrived in town and were exhausted from moving and setting up our place, we went to John's classic because it's close and really good pizza (unlike the chain gooey bland dough and tomato paste sauce pizza delivery places). We also spent our first week in this apartment sleeping in the living room and now we were doing it again since we gave our bedroom to D's parents and had brought a bed into the living room for us to sleep on. Anywho...we had a nice dinner with some of our homemade wine and again it was just great to have family around.
My sister left yesterday morning for Montreal. She's doing an English version Michel Trembley play called Assorted Candies at the Centaur theatre. I can't believe I won't see it. This is the second play she's done at the centaur and I've missed it. Red jane drove her to Montreal with the four cats. D and I helped her load the cats into the van. I said good bye to the cast of characters and Ruggles was the only one to really hear me since he was the most relaxed. I can't even put into words what I felt saying good bye to my sister. We've shared this place for the last seven years and have been through a lot together during that time. The last two months have been so insanely busy that we never had time to digest what's really going on and that we're both taking our lives in new directions. We'll still be in the same province and I'm going to make a huge effort to see her as much as I can.
So...the house is somewhat empty. I've borrowed some furniture from my sister. And now red jane is on her way over to help me get rid of the stuff for the garage sale we never had. That will be one trip out of the way. Value Village here we come.
The weekend came and now it's gone. My in-laws drove into town Friday, the movers arrived Saturday, and then my in-laws drove out of town Sunday. Most moving for me was my sister left the house on Sunday. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) it's been an emotional weekend.
We still had so much packing to do on Friday. D's parents took us out to dinner along with D's brother. We went to
Ferro after a friend recommended it, but we arrived too late and the line up had begun. Plan B led us down the street to one of our favorite places Mezzetta. D's parents don't often get to eat from a tapas style menu so it was a new and fun experience for them. They seemed to really enjoy it. The best part was being out of the house and not thinking about the above title related subject at all. We just sat back and enjoyed our food. There was a jazz quartet playing and it was all nice. D met the owner because he was intrigued with the coffee machine. They exchanged information and it may be a new account for Saeco. You never know.
Back at home, we packed until midnight. D's parent and brother helped out which was really nice. It saved us a lot of time. I slept a deep sleep that night.
Saturday we finished up the last minute stuff. The movers arrived on schedule and the day began. We took the cats up to my sister's while the movers tagged boxes and began to empty our apartment. It's quite amazing to see the boxes built up into a wall on the truck. I couldn't believe the organization of it all. It's quite a task. A bit of an art really. D. was truly appreciating their use of space being a shipper/warehouse/inventory guy. We both had a bit of a moment in the backyard when the stuff started going out. It was a bit of a realization that this is really happening. Something that we joked about in June is actually happening.
Even now as I think about the garden, leaving the garden behind, I'm getting a little misty-eyed. I love our garden and it's wildness and all that it has given us. I love watching the squirrels and cats pass through, the plants bloom where I had forgotten they would. The dahlias are still going strong (I may not get to take the tubers with me if they don't start to finish their cycle!) as is the lavender. I've never had lavender grow so strong and full. But i'm getting distracted.
Back to Saturday. After the truck pulled away, we headed to ikea to select a new bed that we could pick out in Coquitlam. It's no easy task. The latex matress really is astoundingly comfortable, but far out of our budget so we've found something else that will be comfy. After ikea we headed back to town and stopped at John's Classic Pizza to pick up a few large pizzas. I got a vegan one for sis and I. I started to see that we were coming full circle. When D and I first arrived in town and were exhausted from moving and setting up our place, we went to John's classic because it's close and really good pizza (unlike the chain gooey bland dough and tomato paste sauce pizza delivery places). We also spent our first week in this apartment sleeping in the living room and now we were doing it again since we gave our bedroom to D's parents and had brought a bed into the living room for us to sleep on. Anywho...we had a nice dinner with some of our homemade wine and again it was just great to have family around.
My sister left yesterday morning for Montreal. She's doing an English version Michel Trembley play called Assorted Candies at the Centaur theatre. I can't believe I won't see it. This is the second play she's done at the centaur and I've missed it. Red jane drove her to Montreal with the four cats. D and I helped her load the cats into the van. I said good bye to the cast of characters and Ruggles was the only one to really hear me since he was the most relaxed. I can't even put into words what I felt saying good bye to my sister. We've shared this place for the last seven years and have been through a lot together during that time. The last two months have been so insanely busy that we never had time to digest what's really going on and that we're both taking our lives in new directions. We'll still be in the same province and I'm going to make a huge effort to see her as much as I can.
So...the house is somewhat empty. I've borrowed some furniture from my sister. And now red jane is on her way over to help me get rid of the stuff for the garage sale we never had. That will be one trip out of the way. Value Village here we come.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Check out this posting
I recommend visiting red jane's blog and visiting this post. She sums up how disgusted I've become with the events I've been catering and the complete ignorance and refusal for people to confront what is going on.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Writing again
I did a full day at LV today and whew retail days are long days, arent' they? It didn't help that I wasn't fully rested from the weekend catering for Rosh Hashana, more retail, a late night Saturday (probably too much to drink, I admit it) and a wild chase just to get my ride to the catering gig early Sunday morning and later that day another rush home to drop my bag and dash off again to meet with a filmmaker about a script.
By Sunday evening I wasn't at my best to meet with this filmmaker, but I tried to be as clear as possible when trying to discuss his work. In the end, I'm actually writing a segment for his film and I will get an actual living writing credit! I am elated. I am thrilled that he wants to work with me. If all goes well there will be potentially more collaboration. It'd be better if I was staying local, but with email et al it should work out. It's been over a year since we first talked about this film he's working on now so...these things take time. Anywho...he's a wonderful filmmaker and I'm so happy to be writing again.
In other news...
The Packing Continues
The crunch is on. The entire contents of our house must be sorted and packed ready for the movers to load the truck on Saturday. With my stress level rising, I'm trying to keep it together and stay positive that it will all get done. And it will.
By Sunday evening I wasn't at my best to meet with this filmmaker, but I tried to be as clear as possible when trying to discuss his work. In the end, I'm actually writing a segment for his film and I will get an actual living writing credit! I am elated. I am thrilled that he wants to work with me. If all goes well there will be potentially more collaboration. It'd be better if I was staying local, but with email et al it should work out. It's been over a year since we first talked about this film he's working on now so...these things take time. Anywho...he's a wonderful filmmaker and I'm so happy to be writing again.
In other news...
The Packing Continues
The crunch is on. The entire contents of our house must be sorted and packed ready for the movers to load the truck on Saturday. With my stress level rising, I'm trying to keep it together and stay positive that it will all get done. And it will.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Notes from NOW
NOW Magazine is a local freebie paper that I don't read every week but I pick it up occasionally to get another point of view on whoville. At work people bring in the two big papers that are quite awful all around and I end up in the arts section every time and always spend the most time on the crosswords. It's not compelling journalism, unless you like to get worked up and feel compelled to write letters to the editor. Of course I'm generalizing and there are good components or articles now and then, but mostly I get my news from the radio in the a.m. and t.v. in the p.m.
Anywho...back to NOW. In light of the recent shooting at Dawson College, Susan G. Cole has written an article inviting the reader to inquire about yet another side of the problem that I haven't seen addressed yet. You can read here article here.
* * *
Continuing with NOW, I read my horoscope as I always do when I pick up the paper. It reads not only for how I'm feeling for this week but how I'm feeling towards the next few weeks and months actually.
"For years, I lived 13 miles from the top of Mt. Tamalpais, the highest peak in the San Francisco Bay Area. Every day I gazed at it from afar through my window or while riding my bike in the hills, marveling as it glided through its ever-shifting relationship with the sky. It was a remote yet familiar beacon, an awe-inspiring touchstone against which I could measure my own undulating rhythms. Now I've moved to a new home at the foot of Mt. Tam. I feel as if I've become part of it--am embedded in its protective and majestic aura. It's no longer an objective gauge, but rather an intimate tone and texture in my subjective experience of myself. I predict that you will soon undergo a comparable shift, Cancerian: from being there to being here; from outside to inside; from strength absorbed at a distance to power felt up close."
BTW I've been to the foot of Mt. Tam (as it's called) and driven around it, it's a beautiful area. My uncle lives not far from there.
* * *
Tonight we're going to see Natasha Atlas as part of the Small World Music Festival. D. introduced her music into my life and I became a devoted fan. I saw her once before in Montreal at the Spectrum and it was an incredible show. Seven years and six albums later I can't wait to see her performance. She sings in Arabic, French and English and has combined both Arabic and Western music, making it her own unique sound. I can't wait!
D. bought tickets for all of us (me, sis and R.) as a way to thank everyone for getting the house into shape for the recent showing. Now we can also celebrate it being sold and all of us taking directions in our lives that we've all wanted to do for so long.
p.s. If you want to hear her music from the latest album, click here
Anywho...back to NOW. In light of the recent shooting at Dawson College, Susan G. Cole has written an article inviting the reader to inquire about yet another side of the problem that I haven't seen addressed yet. You can read here article here.
* * *
Continuing with NOW, I read my horoscope as I always do when I pick up the paper. It reads not only for how I'm feeling for this week but how I'm feeling towards the next few weeks and months actually.
"For years, I lived 13 miles from the top of Mt. Tamalpais, the highest peak in the San Francisco Bay Area. Every day I gazed at it from afar through my window or while riding my bike in the hills, marveling as it glided through its ever-shifting relationship with the sky. It was a remote yet familiar beacon, an awe-inspiring touchstone against which I could measure my own undulating rhythms. Now I've moved to a new home at the foot of Mt. Tam. I feel as if I've become part of it--am embedded in its protective and majestic aura. It's no longer an objective gauge, but rather an intimate tone and texture in my subjective experience of myself. I predict that you will soon undergo a comparable shift, Cancerian: from being there to being here; from outside to inside; from strength absorbed at a distance to power felt up close."
BTW I've been to the foot of Mt. Tam (as it's called) and driven around it, it's a beautiful area. My uncle lives not far from there.
* * *
Tonight we're going to see Natasha Atlas as part of the Small World Music Festival. D. introduced her music into my life and I became a devoted fan. I saw her once before in Montreal at the Spectrum and it was an incredible show. Seven years and six albums later I can't wait to see her performance. She sings in Arabic, French and English and has combined both Arabic and Western music, making it her own unique sound. I can't wait!
D. bought tickets for all of us (me, sis and R.) as a way to thank everyone for getting the house into shape for the recent showing. Now we can also celebrate it being sold and all of us taking directions in our lives that we've all wanted to do for so long.
p.s. If you want to hear her music from the latest album, click here
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Tired Vegan
Vegans can have low moments too right?
I'm tired of being idenitified and associated with what I eat and wear. I'm tired of answering all the questions about what I eat or what I don't eat and "Why?" I'm tired of taking stupid meat jokes in good humor or stupid jokes about how I go home and secretly tuck into a big steak. I'm tired of having to talk about the choice I made to be vegan if people don't want to discuss it in a mature way. I'm tired of being looked over and scrutinized for signs of being unhealthy. If my dark circles are showing then it must be because I don't eat meat and not because I'm working on three of four hours sleep. My distraction is due to not having enough meat. I lift something heavy and someone makes a joking comment: "Oh that big piece of beef you had did the trick." I'm tired of people trying to break down my choice to be vegan with comments like, "well the air is polluted so that's probably more damage." I try and say "I live as healthy life as I can. I realize that there are always environmental concerns." I'm so tired of people commenting that my shoes might be sweatshop even if they are vegan.
What are these people afraid of? Why must fun be poked? Am I really so different? So alien to the rest of the world? Do people not see the veg selections on menus, the restaurants popping up, the fact that there are many many people who have chosen to be vegan, be heathy and live compassionately?
I'm not trying to be perfect. I know I'm far from it. I walk this line of not wanting to reveal my vegan choices to wanting to let everyone know that this is who I am. I'm not striving to live some unrealistic life. I chose to be vegan because I couldn't live with myself any other way. The decision was made after being veg for a long time and really confronting information that I knew was out there. I knew the suffering was going on and I had to confront it one on one. After reading, hearing personal stories and listening to my heart, I made the choice.
Have I consumed sugar without knowing if it's vegan or not? Yes. Have I had wine from a bottle without knowing if it's fining process fits with my vegan lifestyle? Yes. Have I accidentally consumed some animal product without knowing? Maybe. What if I do? Why do people delight in that so much? Why do people delight in the fact that I may have participated in the suffering of animals by feeding my cats cat food? What's wrong with this picture?
I'm tired of being idenitified and associated with what I eat and wear. I'm tired of answering all the questions about what I eat or what I don't eat and "Why?" I'm tired of taking stupid meat jokes in good humor or stupid jokes about how I go home and secretly tuck into a big steak. I'm tired of having to talk about the choice I made to be vegan if people don't want to discuss it in a mature way. I'm tired of being looked over and scrutinized for signs of being unhealthy. If my dark circles are showing then it must be because I don't eat meat and not because I'm working on three of four hours sleep. My distraction is due to not having enough meat. I lift something heavy and someone makes a joking comment: "Oh that big piece of beef you had did the trick." I'm tired of people trying to break down my choice to be vegan with comments like, "well the air is polluted so that's probably more damage." I try and say "I live as healthy life as I can. I realize that there are always environmental concerns." I'm so tired of people commenting that my shoes might be sweatshop even if they are vegan.
What are these people afraid of? Why must fun be poked? Am I really so different? So alien to the rest of the world? Do people not see the veg selections on menus, the restaurants popping up, the fact that there are many many people who have chosen to be vegan, be heathy and live compassionately?
I'm not trying to be perfect. I know I'm far from it. I walk this line of not wanting to reveal my vegan choices to wanting to let everyone know that this is who I am. I'm not striving to live some unrealistic life. I chose to be vegan because I couldn't live with myself any other way. The decision was made after being veg for a long time and really confronting information that I knew was out there. I knew the suffering was going on and I had to confront it one on one. After reading, hearing personal stories and listening to my heart, I made the choice.
Have I consumed sugar without knowing if it's vegan or not? Yes. Have I had wine from a bottle without knowing if it's fining process fits with my vegan lifestyle? Yes. Have I accidentally consumed some animal product without knowing? Maybe. What if I do? Why do people delight in that so much? Why do people delight in the fact that I may have participated in the suffering of animals by feeding my cats cat food? What's wrong with this picture?
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Bottle caps and Churchill
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." -Winston Churchill
Don't get excited I don't have a theme to this post. There is no thread, no through-line to carry us all through to the last period of the last sentence. I'm going to ramble stream of consciousness as always. That's my way. That's how I speak and think and that's how I blog (mostly).
The quote came on the inside cap of a Kashmiri chai cold tea I purchased on the way to my doctor's office. It's fair trade organic tea and didn't contain honey so I decided to try it. It was delicious and once home I discovered this quote on the inside cap. The bottle has since been recycled, but the cap sat on my desk for a day and I wondered what to do with this piece of information. I use to store this stuff in a drawer or stuff it in a notebook, but now I have the blog.
Of course if I put the quote on the blog and toss the cap I lose the design of it. There's something in the design that I appreciate. It reminds me of coke caps (on the real bottles when they were mass produced here) and how you could work your fingernail under the rubbery gray insert and peel it away from the cap to uncover if you'd won a free coke or bag of chips or something (sorry mom, I drank coke when you weren't looking. My teeth didn't rot either). Sometimes an imprint was left behind on the silver cap. You had to make an initial purchase in order to reap the benefits of a reward (assuming you won). You felt like you had really won something, but there's a price right? You have to buy the coke or fanta or one of their products. Is this cap working under the same principal? Will I start to seek out these teas so I can find other quotes? I really have no desire to try and hunt another one down. Fair trade organic? That's a limited purchase here. You have to hit the right store and they might not even carry the same products as another store. Oh those small businesses with their individual thinking! Where would we be without them? Loblaws I suppose.
Don't get excited I don't have a theme to this post. There is no thread, no through-line to carry us all through to the last period of the last sentence. I'm going to ramble stream of consciousness as always. That's my way. That's how I speak and think and that's how I blog (mostly).
The quote came on the inside cap of a Kashmiri chai cold tea I purchased on the way to my doctor's office. It's fair trade organic tea and didn't contain honey so I decided to try it. It was delicious and once home I discovered this quote on the inside cap. The bottle has since been recycled, but the cap sat on my desk for a day and I wondered what to do with this piece of information. I use to store this stuff in a drawer or stuff it in a notebook, but now I have the blog.
Of course if I put the quote on the blog and toss the cap I lose the design of it. There's something in the design that I appreciate. It reminds me of coke caps (on the real bottles when they were mass produced here) and how you could work your fingernail under the rubbery gray insert and peel it away from the cap to uncover if you'd won a free coke or bag of chips or something (sorry mom, I drank coke when you weren't looking. My teeth didn't rot either). Sometimes an imprint was left behind on the silver cap. You had to make an initial purchase in order to reap the benefits of a reward (assuming you won). You felt like you had really won something, but there's a price right? You have to buy the coke or fanta or one of their products. Is this cap working under the same principal? Will I start to seek out these teas so I can find other quotes? I really have no desire to try and hunt another one down. Fair trade organic? That's a limited purchase here. You have to hit the right store and they might not even carry the same products as another store. Oh those small businesses with their individual thinking! Where would we be without them? Loblaws I suppose.
Be bear aware
On line I'm reading about our new whovillian hometown and come across the bear aware info. Really? I grew up in rural NB but we never even thought about bears, but I guess we were a few house scattered here and there. We may have seen a bear once at the dump (we transported our own garbage then). I keep reading since all the points are important to know (pick up fallen fruit from trees, don't leave pet food outside, etc) and then read a bear alert in a creek area. It sounds familiar so I keep reading and lo and behold it's in our neighbourhood! I find that amusing actually. What a change. We're going from worrying about crack addicts in the alley to bears in our backyard.
I'm off to work. More later...
I'm off to work. More later...
Monday, September 18, 2006
Sold
The house sold today. I'm relieved for sis and everyone who has been focused on this house lately. She put a great deal of work into it and I hope she feels like it was worth it. I'm also relieved that we don't have to inconvenience the cats and our lives anymore. I'm relieved because now we can just put our energy into our move which is coming upon us rather quickly.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Cater waiter no more.
The end is near. My catering days are numbered and I think the timing is perfect since I'm very ready to go. Summer isn't so bad when you're outside in people's gardens, but when the fall comes, HR starts doing lots of events and our staffing service provides most of the catering staff for almost all of the events. These HR events all full of pointless work for us, lots of waiting around with nothing to do and finally serving clientele that are being lured in to pay for over priced "fashion" that is all about label. Who cares. Well, HR does.
When I started doing these gigs I was curious and interested by the overwhelming amounts of wealth and waste that I saw around me. Now I've done enough of these events to just be irritated by the complete absurdity of such displays of wealth. I view HR as a place that is all about celebrating the culture of the rich and works to remind that culture that they are loved because they are the upper echelon of society. Yes, I know it's a store and they want to sell, sell, sell but some events seem so fabricated and false, especially when they conceal their marketing scheme under the title of "thanking the shopper."
Today's event was no better. Once again HR had transformed a corner of the store with a mini runway and little soft cube chairs for a kiddy fashion show for one of the designers. These poor kids were trotted out, some of them quite reluctantly, all trussed up in designer kiddy wear. Did I mention that by that point they were full of sugar from the cupcakes, cookies and rice krispy squares. Parents? Most parents didn't care how much sugar their child consumed. There were sandwiches and fresh veg, but they were barely touched. The parents mostly ate the non sugared food. So...here were these kids on a mini runway approaching the photographers flashing bulbs and the ecstatic smiles of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and who knows. They were all vying to get their little darlings attention as s/he shuffled down the runway. It reminded me of Donnie Darko for some reason. I suppose the importance placed upon the moment of the show so that it comes off like everyone is happy and having fun, but few really are.
Me? I was stuck behind the sandwich cart. Yes, the crusts were cut off and I haven't felt this ridiculous since the lemonade stand this past summer. The cart was just an inch too short for me so I had to stoop a little in to push it. At least we could wear a black t-shirt today. I'll give HR credit for that, sometimes they let us wear t-shirts for the more "casual" events. Anywho...after several rounds around the parents and after dodging children, watching them break into tears for what seemed like nothing, I parked the cart and stood their like an idiot. Do they really need me to stand next to the cart? Their finger sandwiches! Grab and go. I could tell that the events manager was distressed by seeing us like this too, but it wasn't her feeling bad for us but rather irritated by our presence. I had little patience for her since I had gotten up at 6:30 this morning for this kiddy show after having worked until 1 am last night for another overblown party that didn't have to be so...so...over the top.
You can see that the move is very conveniently lifting me out of that world. I hear the catering state of affairs on the lower Mainland in BC is quite pathetic and the pay is awful. A co-worker once lived there for a year and worked in catering. He said I'd easily get hired since my "training" has been here in whoville and they'd know I was good, but he also told me that the wages are bad and there is a lot of extra heavy work to do that we would never do here (like unloading trucks, picking up rentals, and working way understaffed). He had to negotiate a higher wage for himself and it still wasn't even close to what we're paid here. So bye bye catering life. It's been swell.
When I started doing these gigs I was curious and interested by the overwhelming amounts of wealth and waste that I saw around me. Now I've done enough of these events to just be irritated by the complete absurdity of such displays of wealth. I view HR as a place that is all about celebrating the culture of the rich and works to remind that culture that they are loved because they are the upper echelon of society. Yes, I know it's a store and they want to sell, sell, sell but some events seem so fabricated and false, especially when they conceal their marketing scheme under the title of "thanking the shopper."
Today's event was no better. Once again HR had transformed a corner of the store with a mini runway and little soft cube chairs for a kiddy fashion show for one of the designers. These poor kids were trotted out, some of them quite reluctantly, all trussed up in designer kiddy wear. Did I mention that by that point they were full of sugar from the cupcakes, cookies and rice krispy squares. Parents? Most parents didn't care how much sugar their child consumed. There were sandwiches and fresh veg, but they were barely touched. The parents mostly ate the non sugared food. So...here were these kids on a mini runway approaching the photographers flashing bulbs and the ecstatic smiles of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and who knows. They were all vying to get their little darlings attention as s/he shuffled down the runway. It reminded me of Donnie Darko for some reason. I suppose the importance placed upon the moment of the show so that it comes off like everyone is happy and having fun, but few really are.
Me? I was stuck behind the sandwich cart. Yes, the crusts were cut off and I haven't felt this ridiculous since the lemonade stand this past summer. The cart was just an inch too short for me so I had to stoop a little in to push it. At least we could wear a black t-shirt today. I'll give HR credit for that, sometimes they let us wear t-shirts for the more "casual" events. Anywho...after several rounds around the parents and after dodging children, watching them break into tears for what seemed like nothing, I parked the cart and stood their like an idiot. Do they really need me to stand next to the cart? Their finger sandwiches! Grab and go. I could tell that the events manager was distressed by seeing us like this too, but it wasn't her feeling bad for us but rather irritated by our presence. I had little patience for her since I had gotten up at 6:30 this morning for this kiddy show after having worked until 1 am last night for another overblown party that didn't have to be so...so...over the top.
You can see that the move is very conveniently lifting me out of that world. I hear the catering state of affairs on the lower Mainland in BC is quite pathetic and the pay is awful. A co-worker once lived there for a year and worked in catering. He said I'd easily get hired since my "training" has been here in whoville and they'd know I was good, but he also told me that the wages are bad and there is a lot of extra heavy work to do that we would never do here (like unloading trucks, picking up rentals, and working way understaffed). He had to negotiate a higher wage for himself and it still wasn't even close to what we're paid here. So bye bye catering life. It's been swell.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Away from home
We're at a friend's house because our own house is being viewed today by strangers who might want to buy it. This week what seems like a huge for sale sign was planted in the front garden next to the rhodo with the real estate agents info. We've been cleaning, tidying, de-cluttering for weeks now. It's been weeks right? I can't remember. It's exhausting. I can't even imagine what my sister is going through since it's her house that is for sale.
This morning we put the cats in their respective carriers and trucked them over to a friend's place close by and here we are. Sis and R. went to a movie. I'd do that too if my cats weren't here. I also have to work later today so...
Anywho...our place is empty and full of echoes. It looks a bit bland to me but whatever works to sell that house. The description on-line is quite lovely. It sounds so beautiful and it really is. I'm going to really miss the house and I haven't even had time to process that. It's been such a good home to us for the last seven years.
We found a place in Coquitlam and it sounds amazing. The person who viewed it for us really loved it and we saw a couple of pictures on line so I know we'll be fine. We'll have a garden which is a HUGE bonus. We did have to sign a year lease but whatever. Most places are listed month to month out there, but really I'm ready to settle into the new place. If anything "odd" comes up like psycho landlords or something then we'll deal with it accordingly, but I'm sure it will all be fine. I'm just anxious to get there and start getting settled.
I'll be transferring to the L.V. in Coquitlam which means I don't have to panic and look for something hastily. I hope to get back to a script that I've been toying with but haven't had the time to sit down and write! We've been far too busy.
Last night I surprised D. with a birthday dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Grappa. We've had some great meals there over the years. It's fine dining so it's always been a special occasion place for us and his birthday and I thought a little farewell to our town would be just what we needed. We also needed to get out of the house and take a night off from preparing for the viewing. It's a splurge but well worth it. We had a gorgeous Chianti (a wine we never buy and rarely have when we go out so D. chose something very fine. It was amazing) to go with our meal. I had the crispy arugula salad with fennel shavings, toasted almonds and a white truffle vinaigrette. The crispy part was butternut squash finely sliced and lightly fried to just crispy, but still soft enough to really enjoy the squash flavour. D. had a rolatini (I think it was called) which was pepper filled with fontina cheese (he's veg not vegan) in a rose sauce. Then we shared a spinach salad with warm portabello and shitake mushrooms and a balsamic vinaigrette. That is one of my favorites. For our main course we had Linguine Campagna which is another mushroom laden dish with a full bodied tomato sauce that clearly had a strong mushroom flavour as well. I was in heaven since I love mushrooms (can you tell). It's the only thing on the menu I can eat being vegan. When I was veg there were more selections. Since I booked last minute I didn't have time to make requests with the kitchen (I know how they love that). We didn't stay for desert because I had already baked the famous vegan chocolate cake with a chocolate glaze. It turned out superbly as usual. It's moist, rich and dark. Ahhhh. High quality cocoa makes such a difference. I like the cocoa camino brand (fair trade organic). So at home we had espresso, cake with lemon granita and blueberry grappa. I pretty sure D. enjoyed the birthday dinner.
Our hostess for the day has offered us some lemon lentil soup that she is known for so I'm going to have a bowl of that and just take it easy today. It's all been very stressful for all of us today.
This morning we put the cats in their respective carriers and trucked them over to a friend's place close by and here we are. Sis and R. went to a movie. I'd do that too if my cats weren't here. I also have to work later today so...
Anywho...our place is empty and full of echoes. It looks a bit bland to me but whatever works to sell that house. The description on-line is quite lovely. It sounds so beautiful and it really is. I'm going to really miss the house and I haven't even had time to process that. It's been such a good home to us for the last seven years.
We found a place in Coquitlam and it sounds amazing. The person who viewed it for us really loved it and we saw a couple of pictures on line so I know we'll be fine. We'll have a garden which is a HUGE bonus. We did have to sign a year lease but whatever. Most places are listed month to month out there, but really I'm ready to settle into the new place. If anything "odd" comes up like psycho landlords or something then we'll deal with it accordingly, but I'm sure it will all be fine. I'm just anxious to get there and start getting settled.
I'll be transferring to the L.V. in Coquitlam which means I don't have to panic and look for something hastily. I hope to get back to a script that I've been toying with but haven't had the time to sit down and write! We've been far too busy.
Last night I surprised D. with a birthday dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Grappa. We've had some great meals there over the years. It's fine dining so it's always been a special occasion place for us and his birthday and I thought a little farewell to our town would be just what we needed. We also needed to get out of the house and take a night off from preparing for the viewing. It's a splurge but well worth it. We had a gorgeous Chianti (a wine we never buy and rarely have when we go out so D. chose something very fine. It was amazing) to go with our meal. I had the crispy arugula salad with fennel shavings, toasted almonds and a white truffle vinaigrette. The crispy part was butternut squash finely sliced and lightly fried to just crispy, but still soft enough to really enjoy the squash flavour. D. had a rolatini (I think it was called) which was pepper filled with fontina cheese (he's veg not vegan) in a rose sauce. Then we shared a spinach salad with warm portabello and shitake mushrooms and a balsamic vinaigrette. That is one of my favorites. For our main course we had Linguine Campagna which is another mushroom laden dish with a full bodied tomato sauce that clearly had a strong mushroom flavour as well. I was in heaven since I love mushrooms (can you tell). It's the only thing on the menu I can eat being vegan. When I was veg there were more selections. Since I booked last minute I didn't have time to make requests with the kitchen (I know how they love that). We didn't stay for desert because I had already baked the famous vegan chocolate cake with a chocolate glaze. It turned out superbly as usual. It's moist, rich and dark. Ahhhh. High quality cocoa makes such a difference. I like the cocoa camino brand (fair trade organic). So at home we had espresso, cake with lemon granita and blueberry grappa. I pretty sure D. enjoyed the birthday dinner.
Our hostess for the day has offered us some lemon lentil soup that she is known for so I'm going to have a bowl of that and just take it easy today. It's all been very stressful for all of us today.
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