January 2009 Archives

the lovely doctor-to-be jen tagged me in this meme. i'm not sure if i can come up with more things to say about myself -- i pretty much blew my wad with the 25 things kimli tagged me with. oh, what the hell. here goes!

The Rules
- Link to your original tagger(s) and list these rules in your post.
- Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
- Tag seven people at the end of your post. (uh...)
- Let them know they’ve been tagged. (hrm...)

1. i have a very bad memory for things i've written. for example: once i've written a letter or email to someone about something specific, it's gone from my brain. if you reference the content in that missive later, odds are i won't have a clear recollection of it. it occasionally makes for some awkward moments. strangely, i retain scholastic information best when having to write or re-write something i'm learning -- just so long as i'm writing to get it IN, not OUT. yeah, my brain, she be screwy. i will forget the details of this post as soon after i click "publish".

2. i rehearse conversations, out loud, while i'm trying to fall asleep at night. it's probably just my means of unloading stuff from the day so i can shut my brain off, but it's kind of embarrassing to admit to.

3. i'm a fantastic salesperson for your awesome creative creation, but when it comes to my stuff, i lack the confidence to market myself. i've been making magnet sets and photo cards and selling them (surprisingly well, actually) to co-workers, but i have absolutely no idea how to expand my market. i don't want it to become a HUGE production because start-up costs are not in my budget, but i'd sure like to figure out how to sell a few every month to raise a little extra cash.

4. i feel guilty that i haven't put nuts out on my balcony for the big fat squirrels all week. i hope i will remember to do that tonight (see #1).

5. the idea of spending one-on-one time with people makes me nervous. unless you're my parent or boyfriend, there's a chance i've had an episode of anxiousness before we meet to spend time together alone. i don't know why, but i'm worried that if it's just me and you, i won't be able to hold up my end of the conversation.

6. i've had a crush on just about everyone i've ever met. sometimes they last for years, but usually only a minute or two.

7. if i can stick to my "money plan" (budget is a dirty word, even though used it up there in #3), i'll pay off the bank 21 months early. twenty-one months! that kind of blows my mind.

sorry, this one was so tough i can't bring myself to tag seven people to do it themselves. i'm just not that cruel! ;)

i know i tweeted about this earlier today, but i don't think y'all took me seriously.

on Saturday, February 7th, i want to go lose my blood donation virginity and i want ALL of my geographically-compatible friends and acquaintances to do it with me.

i also know that this will take more wrangling than a Project Runway premiere/sushi-making party, but this... this is all for the greater good.

plus, there is all the juice and cookies you can stand to consume! and a pin! and knowing you're saving up to THREE LIVES! and, if you don't already know it, your blood type (so you can finally fill in that "blood type" box found, oddly, on lots of Japanese paper products marketed to teens).

and, you can hold my hand because, frankly, i'm scared to death.

not of the needle (thank goodness i'm finally over that teenage phobia). or the blood (c'mon, i have a uterus). what i'm really afraid of is passing out in front of all those strangers. i'm fairly certain, intellectually, that won't happen; but, my own issues with public humiliation are still great enough to insist on my nervous system quivering at the mere thought. will you be my security blanket?

today, i got the skinny on how the whole blood donation thing goes by a lovely lady from Canadian Blood Services. it's all very thorough and medical with lots of questions about where you've been and who you've slept with, but it's also entirely confidential and safe.

i've been wanting to give blood for years and years, but my ignorance of the procedure combined with that nagging fear mentioned above kept me away. i feel like it's my duty to carry on the family practice of being a prolific blood donor. my dad donated regularly for decades (until he got cancer (he's fine now, thanks!) and they took him off the list).

so, my awesome grand plan is for us all to gather in North Vancouver for a nice big brunch (they want you to be well fed & hydrated), then head over to St. Andrew's United Church and get our blood drawn together! afterwards, who knows? the sky's the limit!

who's with me? who wants to save some lives?! if you're reading this and can get to North Van without aid of a plane ticket or passport, i really hope you will consider joining me.

no wonder i'm broke (sorry, jen).

i had a big, long, thoughtful post written about how i'm feeling confident about money and my financial goals for 2009. then, i suddenly had an overhelming sense i was tempting fate by broadcasting my optimism and freaked out a little about posting it.

so, you get this sucky post instead. sorry.

kimli tagged me with this meme about 25 random facts about yourself. i didn't think i could come up with 25, but it was a slow afternoon at work. ;)

1. i sleep with earplugs in most nights because i live in the central lonsdale ghetto, i like to keep the window open for fresh air and my neighbours are crazy loud & obnoxious. not to mention the traffic noise and sirens.
2. speaking of noises, if there's a barely audible hum, whir or whine in an appliance, air system or broadcast, i can hear it and it becomes all consuming. i don't quite know what it is, but white noises are utterly penetrating to me and i lack the ability to tune them out.
3. once i find a new food i like i want to eat it ALL THE TIME. i recently tried steamed barbeque pork buns and now i can't stop thinking about them. hm... i have my car today, i could go get some! see? like that!
4. after i've had a shower, the shower curtain must be pulled closed and be wrinkle-free. i don't care if this means the shower doesn't try out as quickly. it does mean that the plastic won't get mouldy and slimey where the wet pieces have been touching each other. ew.
5. whenever i dream of "home", it's the duplex my mom & i lived in just before we moved to vancouver island. always. as yet, it's the place i've lived the longest amount of time, which is why i think its claimed that role.
6. i don't like phoning people when they aren't expecting me to call. i always assume they're busy or don't have time/want to talk to me. it's irrational, but undying. i'm sorry i don't call.
7. i always leave the microwave door open for a few minutes after i've used it. i hate hate hate the stuffy smell of old food when you open the microwave door; therefore, i make sure its fully aired out after each use. this annoys my co-workers to no end.
8. i would rather work through a task from start to finish in one sitting than break it down and stretch it out. even yucky tasks.
9. i hate interruptions.
10. i am a crappy multi-tasker and i'm not ashamed to admit it.
11. but, i am dogged in pursuing the completion of something once i've started on it. i will not stop until you yank it away from me or i've finished it to my satisfaction.
12. during a telephone conversation, there's a 95% chance i'll be lying down on the couch, bed or even floor.
13. if you decline an invitation i've sent you, for whatever reason, i'll assume you hate me and be sad.
14. about a year or so ago, my sense of smell suddenly got really acute. i immediately assumed this meant i was pregnant and freaked out. now, it's just slightly annoying to be able to smell the cigarette of the guy two cars in front of me.
15. i've driven a submarine.
16. just once in my life have i driven a vehicle with a manual transmission. i was 12 years old and my neighbour took her twin sons and i down to the sand flats to let us drive her volkswagen van. when i let go of the clutch, the van lurched so badly a huge fountain of sand was kicked up behind the vehicle and scared me shitless. i've never wanted to try again since.
17. if i'm bored or nervous, especially in meetings or classrooms, i push back my cuticles. it's a tick i can't seem to break.
18. i'm a hypochondriac whose mother was a nurse. this combination means that every little physical weirdness sends me into a state of panic that i have a fatal condition that's going to kill me in a matter of hours. this has meant i sometimes sleep with the phone in the bed with me, just in case i have to call 911.
19. i've never lost my keys; but, i've locked myself out of my apartment and car -- one time each.
20. i sometimes eat leftover rice with ketchup & pepper. it's yummy.
21. i've been in the newspaper, on tv and on the radio.
22. i chew the inside of my cheeks.
23. i started smoking the second time because the movie Trainspotting freaked me out.
24. i still don't have a clue as to what i want to be when i grow up and this worries me sometimes.
25. i've found a lot of similarities between myself and the other people who've done this meme. each time i find an item i relate to i think "me too! we should be BFF!".

i don't know 25 people to tag, so i refuse to tag anybody! nyah!

let's see... what sticks out about 2008 (in no particular order)?

• i worked out a lot more than the year before.
• i learned i really like to run and want to do more of it.
• then i borked my knee.
• i went to physiotherapy and massage therapy. a lot.
• my new-to-me car developed mystery problems i spent a few thousand dollars trying to repair.
• my boss quit and i cried.
• my boss came back and didn't give us his present back.
• i splurged and got really good sneakers (Nike Vomero+ 3's FTW).
• i made pies! yum.
• i turned 36.
• i finally, finally! got a firm handle on my finances so, even though i'm still fairly deep in consumer debt, i feel more optimistic about money than i have in many years.
• i drove in the snow. and didn't die.
• i spent a lot more time with my friend colene (whom i miss).
• i discovered the best sushi in Vancouver -- but, i'm not telling you where so it gets too popular for me to get my fix.
• there was a lot of purging of physical things i owned but didn't need/appreciate/want. it was liberating!
• i got orthotics for my shoes because my physiotherapist told me i have ridiculously flat feet.
• my friend, whom i've known for over 12 years but not yet met, came to visit and...
• we went to see REM!
• i sold a bunch of stuff i knitted/crocheted/crafted!
• i attended a mini highschool reunion and learned it's true you can't go home again.
• i broke my fake tooth on a piece of Dove chocolate.
• i cut off all my hair. well, a lot of it, anyway.
• i had a photo displayed in an actual art gallery.
• i turned into a clean freak (aka my grandmother).
• i lost some friends.
• i realized, thanks to facebook, that i don't really care to rekindle a lot of relationships from my distant past.
• i had an MRI!
• i went to see a couple plays.
• i let myself try a whole bunch of new foods and liked most of them! but, i still refuse to eat mayonnaise.
• i went to two fantastic weddings!
• two hard drives crashed. one was recovered, the other died and took 14 years of net.memories with it.
• became dejected regarding my photographic abilities and hardly shot anything at all.
• i hope i learned to accept gifts graciously.
• there was a lot of being spoiled by christopher evans, my amazingly generous and sweet boyfriend.
• i went to Victoria and hung out with my lovely friend mrs. boo.

2008 sure went by fast, though. even with all the trauma and stress (car, teeth, money, knee), i seem to have ended the year on a pretty positive note. i feel fairly optimistic about my self and my life. sure, there are things to be worked on (and be sure they will be), but nothing seems unsurmountable right now.

it's taken me a long time to reach this place in my life. i sometimes feel i was a very slow learner that way, that people my age reached this level of maturity sooner than i did or, maybe i just think *i* should have reached it sooner. i suppose it doesn't matter when you get there, just so long as you eventually do. it's a much calmer place to be within yourself and the world at large and i highly recommend it!

him: i love you!
her: why?
him: you're the only person who ever brings me coffee!