Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2013 Wrap up

I started thinking about what I was going to write tonight as I was driving home from the 10th Annual Family New Years Eve party at the Complex where I work.  I've only missed one of these events, when I was on disability after my second hip surgery.  I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.  It's definitely consistent.

And if I can say anything about this year, it's been consistent.  Nothing has really changed.  I've developed some sort of strategy for finally losing weight that I've wanted to lose for years, and I do have a bit of a budgetary plan, though I do still have a serious book-buying addiction.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

What I would tell my 16 year old self....

People always talk about what they would tell their 16 year old self if they got the opportunity.  I've never really known what I would say; there were too many options.

I had a conversation with a couple of high school friends last night, and it was mentioned what I was like in high school, and then on the way home I heard this song.  And I know I've posted it before, but I think it perfectly says what I should tell my 16 year old self, if I ever got the chance.  So I'm posting it again.



Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Who You Love



I'm never particularly thrilled by Katy Perry, but John Mayer can make almost anything bearable.  The song is super-pretty though, and someone pointed out to me that Katy actually sounds quite a lot like Kelly Clarkson (in the album version anyway... when you can see Katy singing, it ruins the illusion.)

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

It doesn't pay to be optimistic.

I had a second interview for a potential new job on Saturday. I was hopeful. Things went well.

Turns out they didn't go well enough. No new job for me.

Back to the drudgery that already exists, devoid of new challenge or excitement.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Watching Gilmore Girls

I've decided, I want a "Luke".

Not a Dean, or a Christopher.  Just a Luke.

Friday, November 29, 2013

I did it! And it's not even the end of the month yet!!

I am officially a NaNoWriMo 2013 winner!



For the first time since I've started trying (approximately 7 years now) I actually finished a 50,000 word "novel" in 30 days.  And I actually did it in 29.

Now, I'm not going to start claiming that what I've written is even remotely publishable.  But it's got enough words, and it's somewhat, remotely cohesive, so it could at some point in the future, if I put some effort into it, be an actual logical, readable story.  Maybe.

I'm just happy to have actually finished it.  Yey me!


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Halfway point

Still on track halfway through NaNoWriMo.   It's been tough.  Some days are a struggle to hit the full number of words I need.  But I'm still working my way through.  There's not a lot of coherence, and I'll definitely not end up with a completed novel at the end, but that's not really the expectation anyway.  I just want to feel like I can still write, like I can do this.  Even if what I end up with is just a whole bunch of random stuff that might never actually be a novel, I know that I've written some scenes and created some characters, and that's good.  It's been a while since I've managed to do a decent job at that.

And now I go back to saving my words for NaNo.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Remix

Because it's so much fun!



Monday, November 4, 2013

Tiny update

Not to jinx it or anything, because we're only 4 days in, but for the first time EVER I am actually on track for NaNoWriMo.  Still.  Usually I've already had a day that's put me totally behind, but if I write as much as I've written these four days I could be done by November 28!  That's impressive for me.  Usually it's telling me I'll be done in March.  Then I get frustrated and I quit.

So yey!

We'll see where I am in another week.

Friday, November 1, 2013

It's that time again...

It's November.  You know what that means?

It's time for me to again say that I'm going to do Nanowrimo.

And for me to get about halfway through (if I'm lucky) and give up, because that's what I always do.

BUT

This year I'm already ahead.  By noon today, I already had more words than I needed for the day.  And I kind of feel like I might have another thousand or so in me today.  And it's the weekend, so I'm hoping I can get a ways ahead.  Something is different with my inner censor.  She seems to have gone on vacation, so I'm just typing a whole lot of stuff that kind of applies, and not worrying about how good it is.  That's what Nano's supposed to be about, but I've never been able to do that before.

So this year, might just be the year, when I actually get more than halfway finished!

How's that for a goal?!?

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Back to blog part 3 - Backstreet's Back, Alright!

Nick & AJ at sound check
And to round out the vacation, the Boys came to Toronto with the "In a World Like This" tour (August 7, Molson Amphitheatre).  My friend  decided to do the soundcheck, and I caved as well, mainly because I'd never been to soundcheck with Kevin as a part of the group.  It was a long and disorganized wait for soundcheck but it was awesome to see all five of them back together again.

Five Boys together again
Our seats for the show were far from the best we'd ever had, but hope for a second leg of the tour makes it all better.  (Plus a really good camera.)

Kevin
I had wondered how they'd deal with the songs Kevin hadn't been a part of.  Unfortunately, the answer to that was to not do any of those songs.  I missed a few of them, but it was really kind of a celebration of their longevity as a group.  They're 20th Anniversary.  I can get over the loss of a few songs.

Set List:
The Call
Don't Want you Back
Incomplete
Permanent Stain
All I Have to Give
As Long as You Love Me
Show 'Em (What You're Made of)
Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely
Breathe
I'll Never Break Your Heart
We've Got it Goin' On
Safest Place to Hide
10,000 Promises (Accoustic)
Madeleine (Accoustic)
Quit Playing Games with My Heart (Accoustic)
The One
Love Somebody
More Than That
In A World Like This
I Want it That Way
Encore:
Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
Larger than Life

It was really nice to see the chemistry and interaction of all five is still the same, even through separation and so many other things have happened in all of their lives.

Post script: I have, since the concert, read Nick Carter's book "Facing the Music, and Living to Talk About it".  The book was interesting from a fan perspective because it shed light on some some timing of events, and relationships in the group.   Seeing all five of the members together at the concert, and having a better perspective of what they've been through together, makes it mean that much more.  If I were to never see them perform together again, I could be okay with that.  It would be really disappointing, but this concert could be a good closer.
Jesse McCartney

Post Post Script: Jesse McCartney was the Opening Act.  He's fun.  And I probably wouldn't have appreciated his set had he opened for the Boys any sooner than now.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Back to blog part 2 - what I did on my summer vacation

I don't think that I have ever had two weeks of vacation at the same time since I started working.  However, that's exactly what happened this year.  And since I had two weeks I felt like I really ought to be doing something with it.

My dad came to Canada from Holland when he was five years old, entering through Pier 21 in Halifax.  Pier 21 is now a museum, documenting the stories it saw during it's years of service.  My dad (and mom) have been there a couple of times, but I never had, and in an effort to appreciate my heritage, we made plans for an east coast vacation that included Pier 21.  I felt fairly strongly that if I was going to see Pier 21, it really should be with my dad.

J. Dawson grave marker
So, we drove east as far as Halifax and started the actual vacation (though not the travel) there.  Pier 21 was first, then the Halifax boardwalk and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic where they had a Titanic exhibit.   Then we went to one of the cemataries where they buried most of the Titanic victims.  Kind of creepy, I know.  But strangely, even though there is no connection at all, there is a stone there for J. Dawson, as if they've buried the character from the Leonardo DiCaprio movie.  They didn't.  It's an extremely different person, named Joseph, not Jack.  And Joseph actually existed, not just fictionally.

lighthouse at Peggy's Cove
We went to the Citadel, a historic fort in Halifax, and then headed to Peggy's Cove to see the lighthouse.  We had heard that they may be shutting the tourist portion down because of lack of funding.  That's unfortunate.  It's quite a sight.  

From there, we headed to PEI, travelling to the island by ferry.  It was a great day to be on the water.  Charlottetown was first on the agenda - Province House, the place of Canada's Confederation and where PEI's legislature sits to be specific.    We also wandered a little in Charlottetown before we headed to Summerside.    They have an adorable boardwalk there.  Our hotel was across from the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts, so despite my dad's aversion to the pipes, we went there in the morning.  It was quick, lucky for my dad.  

Confederation Bridge from a distance
We drove a little bit further in PEI before heading back to the mainland, this time coming across the Confederation Bridge.

boardwalk in New Brunswick
We spent several days in New Brunswick with relatives before we headed home.  It was a nice trip; hectic, but relaxing at the same time.  It was nice to be away, but I think we were all happy to get home as well.



Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Back to Blog part 1 - nostalgia

I've missed a while.  It's funny, when I actually have stuff to write about, I don't write.  But when I have nothing going on is when I make time for it.  I'm on vacation this week, so I'm going to make time to update the things I should have posted months ago.

Carlos Delgado - the smile is amazing.
Anyway, July 21 was Carlos Delgado Day.  Let me explain - the Toronto Blue Jays inducted Carlos Delgado into the Level of Excellence at the Rogers Centre (I still think of it as SkyDome.  Probably always will.)  And since Carlos was a big part of my baseball history - and a special love of a friend of mine's mum - we took our mom's  to the game.  

Despite an eventual loss (nearly heartbreaking!  I have to say because they almost came back in the bottom of the 9th) it was a great time.  We saw Carlos up close, my friend's mum shook his hand, and Alex Gonzalez and Shawn Green were also in attendance, a special treat for my friend and I since they were our favourite players.  
Alex Gonzalez, Shawn Green & Jose Cruz Jr.

It was nice to see that the friendship we had seen so many years ago was true and still carried on beyond the team, and the game.  My friend and I agreed that while it was nice to see them, it did make us miss those days.  In a sad way.  And for a number of reasons beyond the obvious.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

New Boys!!

Friday, July 12, 2013

purging

I've begun to purge things that I no longer feel like keeping.  The problem in this, is that I also feel the need to look at it all, and then I get nostalgic and then I don't want to get rid of it anymore.  I have to make myself realize that having a memory to go along with some piece of something doesn't mean that I have to forever keep that particular piece of something.

But most of what I keep isn't of any particular use or value to anyone but me, so I kind of feel like getting rid of it devalues it.  And it's not got a whole lot of value to start with.  So then I feel pity for the poor item of whatever it is, and it goes back into it's box, or bag or wherever it came from and goes back under the bed (or on the shelf, or whatever.)

Purging feels good though, once I convince myself that's it's time.   So far, a huge stack of magazines have gone.  Ones that once were adorable, or cute, but are now just trite and useless.  And so, they sit in a garbage bag in the hallway.  Too heavy for me to lift in their current form, so I'll have to rebag them.

I hit the boxes of baseball paraphernalia most recently though, and I'm having trouble.  I don't want to get rid of any of it. I haven't seen any of it in so long, and a lot of it was stored out of the fear that I would never seen the old logo again.  But it's mostly back.  I really need to go through the box more objectively and realize that I just need to keep things that are particularly useful.  Or important to me.  Autographed things, or game used balls, or bats.  Maybe by morning, I'll have gotten that through my head.   That's my next step.

The goal is to make space for storage that I desperately need.  And I will do it.  I have plans, and I feel the urge to purge.  And it rhymes, so it has to work, right?

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Monday, June 3, 2013

As of this moment, I have been in the same position for slightly more than 9 years.  In that time, I have seen 3 full-time Program Coordinators (my "companion" position in the office) and 18 co-op students (mostly University, one College and a couple of high school) rotate in, and back out, of the office.

This could indicate several things: 1) that I'm loyal and not given to floating in and out of things, 2) that I'm in a rut that I can't get out of.  Mostly, it means that every 4 months I have to retrain the only other person in my office.  And by the time most of them are actually useful as support in the position, they leave.  And the process starts all over again.  The few who have stuck around, stay long enough for me to get into a comfortable synchronicity with them before they go and leave me to the pattern again.

I'm tired.  And I dread going to work.  And I think what I said above is the main reason for both things.  I'm in a constant state of uncomfortableness with the newest additions and they're never around long enough to get out of it.  I've got no one I can rely on, to know that if I'm off one day, they'll pick up the slack.  I have no peer.  It's lonely.  And frustrating, because I'm also mostly surrounded by people who only kind of get it.  It's not that I physically have too much to do, though I can't say that I don't hate having to do parts of the Program Coordinator job as well as my own, but it's mentalling taxing having to adjust to and remember what these new people do and don't know all the time.  Trying not to expect too much at the beginning, or expect too little later on.  I don't know how to keep straight where they are at any given moment in time.

And I want them to ask questions when they don't know something, but I often feel as if I'm always answering the same questions.  It's not usually their fault; I just can't remember who has asked what, or when.

Like I said, I'm tired.   Part of me is proud that I've managed to weather all the crap that's been ongoing in the job for the past 9 years.  Another part of me is screaming "Why won't someone just help me get out?!"  But it's all mental, right?  Take a few deep breaths.  Remember that it's not the co-ops fault that they're here and they're learning, and try not to snap their heads off.  Eventually I will get my due.

Or maybe this is it.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in it's own way.
  - opening line of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Interesting thought.  Does it apply to individuals in the same way?  Maybe what makes each person an individual is his or her own unhappiness and in our happiness we all become alike.  Does it mean happiness is universal?  Does that explain why depression is isolating, but people look to gather during the happiest moments?

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Father’s Day Walk/Run

I'm walking in the Annual Father's Day Walk/Run to support Prostate Cancer Canada again this year.  I'd very much appreciate it if you'd consider sponsoring me.

Father’s Day Walk/Run

Random Odds & Ends: A study of me

I'm shorter than average.  Maybe petite.
I think I need to lose 20-40 pounds.
Maybe then I'll be petite.
I read.  A LOT.
I sing to the radio in the car. (And at home.  And ... )
I remember nearly every lyric to nearly every song I've ever known.
I like movies and TV.  Even the cheesy stuff.
I'm an only child.  But I wasn't really spoiled.  There were just advantages to having no brothers/sisters.
I have some really good friends.  Most of whom I don't actually see often enough.
I'm a homebody.  It's easier to read that way.
I like to write.  I had some talent at it in school, but I haven't practiced enough as an adult.
My inner critic/censor is far too outspoken.
I'd like to write a novel that gets published, but doubt that will ever happen. (see above.)
I talk back to the TV.  And to DJs on the radio.
I talk to myself.  And I answer.
I watch entertainment television, but mainly for the moments that prove celebrities are just regular people.
I'm not quick to jump on trends, but when I decide I like something, I'm loyal.
If I can't respect a person or their actions, I probably can't respect their art.
I'm almost 40.
I feel like that can't possibly be my age.
My favourite book is Gone With the Wind.  The movie's good too, but only because of the book.
I'm blonde.
I'm partially bionic.  Or ceramic, it depends on who you ask.
Sometimes I'm a bitch.
I'm not really a people person.
I work in customer service.
I don't dislike children, but I can only take them in small doses and small groups.
Babies are cute when you can give them back.
I'm partially Dutch.  And I look it.
I'll never achieve most of my dreams.
Whatever.  No, seriously... Whatever.
I'm Canadian.  That means I'm unnecessarily polite to most strangers.
Unless you're stupid.  Then I'll grumble about it under my breath which you hopefully won't hear.
I'm non-confrontational.
Unless I can send you an email when your customer service is crappy.
I've never punched anyone.  But I've wanted to.
I've been depressed.
I'd never commit suicide.  There are two reasons for that.
I'm very opinionated.
If you reason with me, I might change my mind.
I'm observational to the point of being shy.
My musical taste is eclectic and varied.
I like history.  But not my own.
I have some self-image issues that I've never gotten over.
But I fake it, so most people can't tell.
I'm usually pretty smart.
Sometimes I play dumb.
I like the sun.  But I burn really easily.
Choco-holic.  That's me.
I don't really swim.
I love the stars, but I can't point out any constellations.
I have a tattoo.  Most people will only ever see it accidentally.
I might not tell you what I'm actually thinking.
I don't like to make decisions unless I feel really strongly about one of the choices.
I'm probably a geek.  Or a nerd.  Or a dork.  (What's the difference anyhow?)
Maybe I'm adorkable?
I like Star Trek.
I'm not opposed to Star Wars.
If I were Penny, I'd probably date Leonard in a second.
Most of the time, I don't really like my job.  Not the work, the job.
I do like my coworkers.  Most of the time.
I'm perpetually single.  Mostly, I'm okay with that.  Except when I think about the way, way future.
I like my independence.
I'd like a new career.  Anybody know anyone?
I'm good at what I do.
I generally don't like to talk about myself, which makes interviewing difficult.
I like blue/black/purple.  And yellow.
I like spring.  And fall.
Thunderstorms are fun when I'm safe at home.  Same with snowstorms but add a fireplace and a good book.
I figure skated as a kid, but I've only been on skates about twice since I quit taking lessons.
Knitting is one of my hobbies.
I have a cat.
The two things above put me on the road to being a crazy cat lady.
I love the scenery of Scotland and Ireland, but I've never been there.
I admire people who are brutally honest because I care too much what people think of me.
My handwriting sucks.
I wish I had to hand write things more often.
I talk to the computer as if it can listen to me and do what I tell it to do.
Spell check is making us all illiterate.
I h8 txt speak.
I believe that if we didn't sanitize everything people would have less allergies and illness.
I wish I was calmer.
My favourite food is chicken.  Or pizza.  Oh, who am I kidding?  It's chocolate.
I'd like to take yoga more regularly.
I'd like to be good at it.
I wish my life was something other than mediocre.
I shouldn't complain; it might not be fabulous, but it's also not horrible.
I don't like roller coasters.  Or heights.
I've only flown 8 times (4 trips.)
I enjoyed Las Vegas and want to go back.
I have many travel plans, but no money to enact them.
I don't like math, but I was good at it in school.
Seeing people I knew in high school makes me feel awkward, as if I need to be the person I was then.
I don't like the person I was then.  I've changed.
I'm not a girly-girl.
I like getting my nails done.
I've been to Europe - Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France and England.
I really want to go back.
I've never been farther west in Canada than Ontario.
I've never been to the West Coast of the US.  But I've been to every state on the East coast.
I used to be totally afraid of scary movies.  But now I love them.
English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh and Australian accents are awesome.
There are some people who could read me the phone book and I would be happy just to hear them speak.
I like old movies, but it's a relatively new things, so I have a lot of catching up to do.
I'm bad at creating healthy habits for myself.
I like to wear skirts/dresses, but often feel uncomfortable in them.
Skorts were an awesome invention.
I have 8 holes pierced in my ears.
8 is my lucky number.  So far it hasn't been that lucky.
I'm the only person in my extended family who still has naturally blonde hair as an adult.
I own my car and my condo.  They're not much, but they're mine.
I like trying to fix/build things.
My biggest fear is dying alone.
I've never smoked a cigarette.
I have a BA and a college degree.  Neither of them seems to do me much good.
I'm creative, but not very artistic.
Sometimes I stare at nothing.  It freaks people out.
I like words.  The bigger the better.
I'm good at spelling.
I don't know how to properly structure a sentence, I just know how to make them sound right.
I used to be a pop culture junkie.
I hope there's something great waiting for me.  Sometime.
Compliments freak me out.  I never know how to respond.
At work I regularly thank people for things that don't require thanking.
I have an addictive personality.
All of my grandparents (including one step-) have passed away.
Sometimes I envy people with big families.  Most of the time I don't.
I almost always have a book with me.
I don't have a favourite flower.  Should I?
I don't like salad, but I eat it because it's good for me.
It regularly confuses people that I work in an arena, but I don't like hockey.
I don't really get current politics, because it's not really about politics.
I almost always (one exception) think the book is better than the movie.
People who post nothing but inspirational quotes on Facebook are annoying.
Sometimes I get so attached to characters in a book, that I feel extremely sad when it's over.
I say I'm tired, but I'm usually just bored.
When I'm bored, it's probably because I'm too lazy to do anything.
I try my best to be good to the environment.
I need to drink more water.
I doubt anyone will actually read this.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Gatsby ... the great?

I've often commented that a movie will never, and can never, be better than the book upon which it is based.  But, in one particular instance, I have been proven wrong.

To start at the beginning, I never had to read The Great Gatsby in school.  I'm not sure how I missed it, or it me, whichever, but somehow it was never required reading in my English classes.  So, a few years ago, I decided to try to catch up on all those books that somehow I managed to avoid in school, Gatsby obviously being on that list.  Considering the general reception the novel is greeted with, I understandably had expectations.  I don't think that I've ever heard anyone say anything against it, never mind finding someone who didn't like it.  That, it seemed, would be almost like heresy.

As I read though, I became more and more frustrated.  Nothing about the characters made me like any of them.  And the language made them all so ... I don't know, pretentious?  I understand that there is a point to that impression, but I felt at least the narrator should have gotten some favourable impression from me.  Thankfully, the book is short, and I finished it with relief, becoming the only person I know who could say they honestly disliked it.  I felt it was a waste of my time having read it, except to be able to say that I had.  Even with a fluffy romance novel, I end up with a feeling of having enjoyed it, even if I don't take anything meaningful away from the experience.  I couldn't say that for Gatsby.  I was actually so disappointed, that I struck F. Scott Fitzgerald from the list of authors that I ever wanted to read.

Flash forward about a year, when I learn that Leonardo DiCaprio is starring in an adaptation of the book.  I enjoy Leo - I have since his first appearance on Growing Pains, with only a minor pause during the Titanic trend.  (I liked the movie, but not the hype and freakishness that went with it.)  Anyway, I believe I probably audibly groaned when I found out about the Gatsby movie, knowing that I'd have to see it, considering the star.   I guess my only hope was that I might get a little more something out of the story than I had initially.

So, this past weekend, I saw the film. In 3D.  In typical Baz Luhrmann fashion, the images were breathtaking, the colours and spectacle made perfect sense in the framework of the story. (The music was a bit incongruous and out of time, but dealable.)  Everything was that bit over the top that excellently illustrated the excess of the lifestyle being portrayed, and I walked out of the theatre with a much better understanding of the character of Gatsby than I expected.  From the book, I just felt the behaviour was selfish and self-indulgent, but from the movie, I grasped something else, a vulnerability, a need to please that I hadn't noticed before.  All the roles were well-played, and made much more sense for me in the movie than the book, perhaps because I could see the emotions (or lack there-of) where in the book I had to make it up for myself.  With no sense of relation to any of the characters, I found that impossible.

I have started re-reading the novel now, while the film images are still fresh in my mind, because I hope to be able to take something more from it than I did the first time.  But I do need to applaud Baz Luhrmann for the interpretation/adaptation that has created an appreciation of this story in me.  And for casting Leo in it because with another actor, I may not have made the effort of seeing it.  He will likely always be the image of Jay Gatsby that I see.


Monday, March 18, 2013

It's official

I am a horrible blogger. And I can't follow an easy resolution to improve myself. Wow.

So, it's the beginning of my 39th year, and ouch, does that seem old.  It's not bad enough that the number is scarey, but the day after my birthday, I wake up with the most painful pain in my elbow that I have ever felt in my life, inclusive of my hip pain from a few years ago.  You do not know how much an elbow can hurt, until it does.  And you don't realize how important elbows are until they're so painful you can't use them.

But, after two days of heat and cold, that seems to have worked itself mostly out, and now my new year begins.  I don't have a lot of time left until I'm forty, and I want to make sure that I make myself healthier before then.  The years on the down side of the hill need to be my best, not the lazy slide into whatever lurks at the bottom.  So, with that in mind, I've begun another exercise routine.  It's not really any different than last year, but I'm going to try it again.  And I'm tracking my food, so maybe that will make the difference. I've been doing the tracking for a while already, so I already have that habit, now I'll just be able to see how the exercise affects the food intake as well.  And maybe something will trigger a change in how things have been working.

In other news, I'm more than half way through my Human Resources course, and after achieving 85% on my midterm, and suffering through a group project, I think I should come out the other end fairly well.  The next thing is to figure out where the money is coming from to take two more classes in the next semester.  If I can take two classes for each of the next 3 semesters, I can have earned my Human Resource Management Certificate in a little bit over a year from now. That's pretty exciting.  But I have to find the money...

I'm doing well with reading this year, well on pace to reach my goal of 45 books.  Depending on the books of course.  And since one of those books was actually a series of 9 books, I'm actually well ahead of the goal.  I'm trying to mix contemporary books and classics, fiction and non-fiction, fluff and substance, but I think I tend to be a little more toward the contemporary, fluffy fiction than anything else.

And so, I think this post is probably well over-long enough and I'll stop now.  I will try to put a few thoughts in here on a regular basis.  But I've said that before.  We'll see how long it lasts.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

tiniest of tiny updates

Home sick today.  Wicked headache and throwing up feeling, so called in.  Slept 'til noon, then watched tv and basically did nothing.

Work tomorrow.  Blech.

New breadmaker to make bread on this weekend.  Yey.  Bad for carb intake, but happy because a favorite smell is that of bread baking.

Lots of book-reading to do.  Also, tv to catch up on.  Which are contra-indicative.  It's hard to read while paying attention to tv, and actually understanding what's going on.

Nothing else exciting.  Work is still work, life is still dull.  Planning to cut off my hair once again.  Tired of it always being on my shirt collars and getting all wavy and annoying from scarves and winter coats.  Also, just tired of it.  Hopefully next week that will be done.

And that's the update for today.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

There goes that resolution

So apparently blogging more often is a bad resolution - it's pretty much already broken.

Last weekend, I worked my last shift at my seasonal part-time job, and then Sunday went to spend the day with my favourite one-year-old on his birthday.  He's sort of, kind of, like a nephew, since I'll never actually have any biological ones, and his mom has been my friend since we were in grade 2 (with a few minor breaks in the middle when she or I moved away from the other.  She tried to give me her little brother - yes, literally, give him to me.  I was halfway down the school hallway before her mom noticed!) during the first month that we knew each other, so somehow it was definitely going to be a lasting friendship.)

I spent this past week training a co-op student because my boss was out sick (the flu is crazy - crazy!! - this year), and working an additional half hour/night because we can't leave the co-op student alone yet, and then sleeping when I got home.  Oh, and my Human Resources class started this week, so there was homework and reading in there too.  Ridiculous.

I had to clean this weekend because I've been really, really slack on that, and I have the post-Christmas party for my seasonal part-time job tonight.

I did get to spend some fun-time on Friday night with a good friend and her sister-in-law, knitting (we're making infinity scarves) and drinking, chatting.  That was lovely.  And I'm addicted to another TV show (Sons of Anarchy, in case you're wondering) so there's that.

Beyond that, I don't think there's anything else to report.

There might be a post on the weight loss blog later (nope, no actual weight loss, just an observation that I might find time to make) but I don't have anything else to put up here for the moment.