it’s been a busy week! it was filled with fabulous friends, awesome parties and a wee bit of travel. not to mention all that normal work/life stuff i have to do every day.
i got spoiled beyond imagination, reconnected with two very special friends, celebrated with my mom, played the slots, snuggled cats, ate too much and saw killer whales.
not bad for seven days, huh?
it’d be talk like a pirate day, ye skalliwags! walk with a swagger and pinch all the wenches as they pass.
in less pirate-y news, it’s wednesday. i’m having an ANTM premiere gathering tonight. i’m going to victoria for my mom’s big 70th birthday weekend.
yeah, that’s about it. now, on with the grog!
i have a new tooth.
got the window fixed. that $245 i saved on the headlamps, plus $30 more, went to the nice people at Speedy Glass for the effort.
after picking up the car, i went to the doctor to have the chest pain i’d been experiencing all week diagnosed. looks like the cartilage connecting my ribs to my sternum is inflamed. don’t know why, but it’s damn sore. unfortunately, there’s naught to do but take anti-inflammatories and ice it. fun!
i’m seriously considering an apartment sale – i don’t have a yard or a garage, so what else should i call it? i need to raise funds to pay off my recent visa bill and it’s always good to purge stuff you haven’t used in several years. i have a linen closet full of such things. who knows, maybe someone would even give me money for them! i think today is all mine, so maybe i’ll sort and photograph. then again, maybe i’ll just sit on the couch and sulk ’cause i’m in pain.
after having dinner with christopher’s parents, we went out for a post-meal drive. unfortunately, we mostly got stuck in traffic, so i suggested we go wash my car for the first time instead.
while scrubbing the driver’s side front window, the back side window just… exploded. seriously. i’d finished washing it with the foaming brush, moved onto the one beside it and then there was this soft “oomph” and the sound of shattering glass. i wasn’t even touching it at the time!
so, now i’ve got a yard trimming bag taped over the window and hopes that i can get it replaced during the day tomorrow.
i can’t even muster up enough emotion to cry about it right now. i’m so overwhelmed with expenses and money stress i’ve begun compiling a list of things worth offering for sale to raise funds. at the very least, i’ll have to cancel my week off at xmas. i just can’t afford to give up that week’s pay the way things are going.
i’ve been driving my new car around, trying to get a feel for it. the passenger side window broke; i’m kind of glad it’s getting cooler out, so that i won’t have to feel guilty christopher can’t cool down. i found replacement headlamps from a guy on a local VW forum for $25 — that’s $245 cheaper than retail, which should be enough to pay to fix the window.
i haven’t been feeling very well the last week or so. non-specific pain and discomfort makes the hypochondriac in me rear her ugly and anxiety-inspiring head, which just makes the un-well that much worse. i think it was just two very late nights this weekend which did it, actually. the doctor wouldn’t give me a prescription for an oral anti-fungal after i discovered the ringworm had re-appeared in a new location. i go to the dentist next tuesday to have my fake-fake tooth replaced with my new fake tooth.
i’m obsessed with finding a pair of chairs to replace my huge comfy chair, not that i have the money for something like that. something like these would make me happiest. i found a cute little chair at a thrift store near work for $5; it needs re-upholstering (it sports lots of cat-claw holes), but i don’t have a clue as to how much that might cost me. actually, i’m obsessed with looking for things to buy in general. i don’t know why, since i spent all my money on the the new car.
i finally get to go back to my job tomorrow morning. i’ve spent the last two and a half weeks filling in for my officemate. i love the 3:30pm end-time, but hate the 5:00am alarm clock. doing his job is a nice break, but i’ll be glad to get back to my desk. the new manager is taking us out for lunch tomorrow — his treat. maybe i should have told him how much i liked the shirt he wore today.
i made a giant fruit salad tonight. i had a sudden and urgent need for fresh fruit. my diet over the last couple of weeks has been just abysmal. i was practically frantic for a salad by sunday. funny how that happens.
i’m not dead, but i’ve been pretty damn boring. you really weren’t missing much at all.
and to help pay for it i hope to win this contest…
Over at Ashwin’s blog, you will find one crazy blog owner!! You can win $2500!! To enter just copy this text and paste it in your blog!! But hurry, this competition will not last long! So get posting!
so, after three weeks of stress, stress and more stress, it’s mostly over.
my old car is gone. the insurance company gave me a cheque. i emptied my savings accounts. i looked at car after car. i asked the same questions dozens of times. i drove more cars in 15 days than i have in 15 years. i got advice. i read websites. i learned that people will screw you over, even if you’re a good person. i love my dad. i’m thankful for all my supportive friends.
i have a new car. well, it’s new to me.
it’s a 1991 VW Golf GL. it’s white, has four doors and an aftermarket CD player. it’s got some dings and rust spots. it’s got a squeak here and there. there’s half a page of little things which need fixing, but… it’s mine.
it doesn’t quite feel like mine, though. my license plate looks weird on a different car. really, really weird.
i love that it’s mine, though. i’ve always wanted a Golf. i used to wish i’d gotten one instead of my Geo, if you can imagine. i love that it’s got four doors, so i don’t have to feel bad when i have people to haul. the fact that it can actually accelerate up a hill is just amazing to me. i like that it’s German, even if it was built in Mexico.
now, i just have to get used to all its smells and sounds. i knew exactly what was going on with my Geo just by the vibration. this car… it’s a mystery to me. i wonder how long it will be until i understand it as i did my first.
i probably won’t really consider it mine until it’s been through the shop and had it’s insides bathed. i wish to get it to a certain point where i can say that from then on it’s all mine. my maintenance, my dirt, my car.
i’m glad i got this experience. i didn’t want it, but it definitely was good for me to go through. next time, though? next time i buy a car, i want to walk onto a lot, point and say “that one, in blue, with air” and be driving home half an hour later.
if the owner has to phone someone else to find out if the timing belt has ever been changed, you don’t want to buy that car.
bonus: if he answers “uhh…” when you ask if the car has an alarm – duh – you don’t want to buy that car.
always get your prospective purchase inspected by a mechanic you trust.
even though it’s nice to look at, drives really well, feels good and you talked the guy down to a reasonable price for your pocketbook doesn’t mean that bumper isn’t held on with chewing gum and the centre console isn’t about to explode.
*sigh*
i was sitting at the computer sunday morning, checking my email and catching up on my rss feeds when i started to read the story about Travis’ new kitten, Maggie. the poor little thing is only 11 weeks old and already she’s had to deal with a lot. which includes an infection which has caused one of her eyes to not develop properly, which turns out to be an incurable case of cat herpes. she’s an adorable little pure-bred Abyssinnian, bus she was deemed unsuitable for show and given away to the lovely Smith family.
unfortunately, they weren’t informed of two things before they brought Maggie home. first, was the cat herpes. second, was the case of ringworm she had and consequently shared with everyone in their house.
upon reading that, and Travis’ description of what ringworm looks like, i got up from my chair, picked up my camera, took a photo and emailed it to him with this message:
hi travis,
just curious, but does ringworm look anything like the attached photo?
thanks,
heather
just curious, but does ringworm look anything like the attached photo?
thanks,
heather
an hour or so later, my phone rang. when i answered, it was Travis. a very apologetic Travis, too.
two weeks ago, i was over playing Magic with Travis and a few other friends. i was so happy to get to play with a kitten again, i was crazy for the little orange ball of fluff. i picked her up and nuzzled her a lot. she climbed all over me and i loved every second of her tiny, needle-sharp claws digging into my shoulder as she perched there.
sometime around the middle of last week, a small patch of skin on my neck started to get red and flaky. i thought maybe it was a pimple gone bad. then another spot started appearing beside it. i thought maybe i’d eaten something which didn’t like me. Sunday morning, there was another one. that’s when i read about the ringworm.
now, Travis is an extremely nice man. i like him a lot, and have done so since we first met. he’s funny and smart and generous. i just didn’t think he’d one day share with me his fungal infection.
during his phone call, he apologized. a lot. but, eventually we got to the point of laughter and talked about how in medieval times people didn’t have anti-fungal creams to treat things such as this. instead they slathered themselves with mustard poultices which didn’t really do anything except stink to high heaven. i hypothesized it was like a warning system:
Lady: oh, that Travis, he doth smell most offensively of mustard.
Knight: verily, that is a vile odor. he must have a pox.
Lady: aye. thou must avoideth him completely!
so, yeah. me’n’Travis (and Susie and Aimee and Maggie) are now fungus buddies. i’ve never felt so close to anyone before. thanks, Travis!
back in April, Jen wrote a piece comparing her experience with the Co-operative Auto Network (CAN) with the new kid on the car-sharing block, Zip Car. now that i’m in the unfamiliar position of being carless and my hunt for a replacement set of wheels is going less well than i would like, i’ve been giving serious consideration to the idea of not buying a car at all and becoming a car-sharer (or “Zipster” if you fall for marketing lingo).
after yet another disappointing experience looking at used cars last night, i went to bed with the blissful idea of calling up CAN and signing up asap. i had calculated all the money i could save each month just in gas and insurance premiums and it made me slightly giddy. it was also a lovely idea to think that i could put the few thousand dollars sitting in my chequing account back into my high-interest ING accounts and have it continue to grow. it was quite liberating to consider a life without a car. i live in a central area with two big grocery stores, two major drug stores, two butchers, three small produce markets, a fish monger and zillions of restaurants all within a 10-minute walk of my apartment. i could easily, with some changes to my current m.o., convert my habits into that of a non-driver. even the biggest obstacle to my relinquishing my vehicle, my commute, could be solved with a one-hour shift in my start time — which my boss has already mentioned would be totally doable.
it was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. i didn’t HAVE to buy a car! i could almost hear the chorus of angels singing.
then i read the CAN website:
With your first call, we’ll ask about your driving history and establish whether your membership is a good fit with CAN criteria. These are:
– a good credit rating;
– at last 3 years’ driving history;
– 3 or fewer traffic violations in the last five years;
– a BC driver’s license;
– NO at-fault accidents in the last three years;
– NO criminal convictions under the Motor Vehicle Act.
– a good credit rating;
– at last 3 years’ driving history;
– 3 or fewer traffic violations in the last five years;
– a BC driver’s license;
– NO at-fault accidents in the last three years;
– NO criminal convictions under the Motor Vehicle Act.
yeah, see that fifth one? that’s where i’m screwed. even though i have 16 years of accident-free driving; even though i have had exactly ONE speeding ticket and ONE parking ticket in all of those 16 years; even though i will continue to argue that my accident wasn’t 100% my fault (despite what that stupid letter from ICBC says), that smoosh i had last week will impede me from being a responsible urbanite by becoming a car-sharer with CAN.
this brings me back to Jen’s post, in which she wisely stated “The biggest advantage to using Zipcar is the very low barrier to entry.”
proving that statement, Zip Car’s criteria is much more flexible:
To be eligible, you must:
– Be at least 21 years old
– Have a valid driver’s license (from any country) and have been licensed for at least one year
– Have had no more than two “incidents” (moving violations PLUS accidents) in the past three years and no more than one incident in the past 18 months
– Have had no major violations in the past three years
– Have had no alcohol violations in the past seven years
– Be at least 21 years old
– Have a valid driver’s license (from any country) and have been licensed for at least one year
– Have had no more than two “incidents” (moving violations PLUS accidents) in the past three years and no more than one incident in the past 18 months
– Have had no major violations in the past three years
– Have had no alcohol violations in the past seven years
at least they allow membership to someone who has had one “oops” in the last year and a half. not all of us are reckless drivers who get into accidents and there’s no “i ran into an SUV because i couldn’t see through it” clause to negate an at-fault incident.
in addition, the lack of a $500 buy-in definitely opens more doors for people to start using Zip Car as opposed to CAN, not that that would have stopped me.
part of me is tempted to at least make a plea to CAN and hope they take pity on me, but i don’t have a lot of faith that there’s a chance they will capitulate. if any of you CAN members reading want to make a case for me with them, feel free, though!
when the salesman mutters “head gasket” when the car you just started is billowing exhaust, you don’t want to buy that car.
when the person selling the car quickly gets in and drives away after he sees you writing down the VIN, you don’t want to buy that car.
i’m no longer a car owner.
not quite three months after i wrote about celebrating our 15th anniversary, i may have to say goodbye to her forever.
around 7:30 this morning, the black range rover i was following up the hill came to a sudden and unexpected stop. i wasn’t going very fast and i wasn’t too close, but i was close enough to not have enough room to bring her to a stop before this happened:
i slammed on the brakes, i tried to swerve to avoid impact (into oncoming traffic, so it’s probably good i didn’t succeed). instead of a near-miss, i heard an awful noise and saw a whole lot of blue hood where there shouldn’t have been any.
the car’s been towed away, i’ve been to the doctor because my leg and arms are sore, i’ve picked up a rental car and i’m just about to leave to go meet with the insurance company. i’m petrified of what they’re going to say. absolutely petrified. all the horrible ICBC stories i’ve heard during my life are coming to mind as i anticipate this meeting.
i’m still a little shocky and prone to unexpected tears. thank goodness my boss let me go home and christopher is being his wonderful, supportive self while i alternately break down and then swear a blue streak.
well, at least it’s sunny out. *shrug*
it took me 12 hours to read ‘harry potter and the deathly hollows’ today. i was bound and determined to finish it before returning to work tomorrow morning as i know a co-worker will be chomping at the bit to talk about it.
poor christopher was a potter widower through most of it. i took breaks just short enough to eat dinner with him and be of no help whatsoever in his trying to match my progress in ‘super paper mario world’. i felt more than a little bad about abandoning him so, but really… sometimes you just gotta read.
yeah, that was fun. i haven’t read a book in a day in a very, very, very long time. usually, i’m lucky to get through a book in three months of lunch-time reading. i miss the good old days of reading ALL. THE. TIME. audiobooks are starting helping fill that gap for me, i’ve found. in the last few months i’ve listened to the ‘eragon’ books and ‘wuthering heights’ on my mp3 player and i have a queue of several more taking up space on my external drive just waiting for me to get a-listening. a friend recently pointed me towards librivox and i can’t wait to dive into that catalogue. yum!
by the time you read this, i’ll be back at work. at my desk. for another fifteen years of forty-hour work weeks before i get three more weeks off in a row.
good thing i enjoyed this one, huh?
my boyfriend just called and sang ‘happy birthday’ to me. i’ve a freshly-made giant-sized latte in front of me. my dad’s taking me out for lunch. the aforementioned awesome boyfriend is taking me out for a very fancy dinner tonight. it should be a good day.
i’m thirty-five years old today.
there’s not quite the sensation of trauma i expected, but i am feeling it more than any of the last few birthdays. i’ve mentioned it to several people over the last month or so, but in my mind thirty-five has always been the age at which you should have it all together. you’ve got a career, a relationship, a home and you’re just… adult. the problem is, i don’t feel like an adult yet. well, maybe in some ways, but not entirely. certainly not in the way i perceived adult-hood as a six-year-old looking up to them around my parents’ house.
this last year has been a complete blur. honestly, it’s gone by far too fast and i kind of wish i could go back and do some of it again. not to correct any mistakes, but just to enjoy it a little more. i hope this coming year won’t be quite so quick to slip away from me. i have several goals for my thirty-fifth year. they’re pretty big and will take a lot of effort on my part to achieve, but i hope i’m up to the challenge.
here’s to me… all growed up. who knew it’d look like this?
where’s my damn cake?
they say that one of the real tests of a relationship is when you travel together for the first time. seems christopher and i better study up because we’re leaving for victoria tomorrow!
this’ll be the first time we’ve ever gone away together. we’ll be spending three days & nights in the capitol city and then heading up-island to visit his brother on the way up to parksville to spend a couple nights at my mom’s — oooh… scary (which must be read with a Count Floyd accent).
p.s. i know i’ve been really anti-communicative with people this week, so please consider this my far-sweeping apology. i took my first week of holidays solely for me (you should see how clean my apartment is!) and rejuvinating my mental health. i’m trying very hard not to feel guilty about it, but i know that there were a few phone calls or emails which should have been returned but weren’t. once i get back from this trip, expect to be hounded for audiences with me! i want to party it up!!