usually, my weekends consist of one day which seems to last forever & one day which goes by far too fast, then i end up back at work on monday morning wondering just where the heck the weekend went. this was not one of those weekends. this weekend was chock full of all the awesomeness i could handle!
because i want to rant about something, i’ll conserve narrative keystrokes by just listing the awesomeness for now:
– my new couch (yeah, i know, but it deserves mention again. and again. and again.)
– meeting up with the boy after work friday night and wandering around downtown until i got a blister
– waking up early saturday and being able to drive all around the north shore running errands
– finding new throw cushions, curtains (for half price!) and a side table to match my tv stand (for cheap on craigslist!)
– seeing Hawksley Workman perform outside the VAG for free & dancing. in public!
– putting out all my xmas decorations & really feeling the spirit of the season
– seeing meghan, having her love her birthday presents & making plans for a big day out
– getting my adorable coat fixed and my awesome new pants shortened
pretty much everything about this weekend was fantastic. i’m crazy joyful today and i feel like i would run around hugging everyone if i don’t control myself. my humour is so good today, even my boss’ craptastic mood and forgetting my cell phone at home aren’t getting me down.
this wednesday, christopher is going to become an uncle for the ninth time (tenth, if you count his great-niece). how do we know the baby will be born on wednesday? well, his sister-in-law is going to have her labour induced. this seems to happen a lot these days. i know my friend rick’s wife was induced so that he and his first-born son would share a birthday. i understand it makes it very convenient to know exactly when and where your baby will be born, with none of that embarrassing “oops! my water broke” messiness while out shopping or visiting a friend for tea, but it seems to me that it kind of goes against nature’s design. you’re supposed to let the baby incubate for as long as it needs, not say “hey, i’m sick of being pregnant” or choosing a designer birthdate for your offspring for whatever reason seems necessary. babies should be born when they’re ready to, not at the whim of your particular lifestyle.
this also goes with women choosing to give birth via cezarian section when it’s not completely necessary for the survival of the mother or child. i know it may sound really callow, but i think there’s a reason women were built to squeeze out their babies: it’s a test of the infant’s hardiness. if they could survive that first, stressful experience, then they were more likely to survive life. personally, i’ve never thought that passing a bowling ball with shoulders through my vagina was an activity i wanted to particpate in, but i like to believe that sharing that particular kind of trauma with your baby bonds you in a very special way that having a surgeon opening and closing your abdomen like a ziploc bag can’t.
don’t get me wrong, i don’t begrudge inducements or c-sections in cases where either the mother or child’s health or life is at risk. i’d also be a hypocrite if i spoke against medical intervention during childbirth seeing that if it wasn’t for a quick-acting doctor either, or both, my mother and i might have died on that monday in july thirty-four years ago. i just think that it’s kind of odd to opt for the easy path when it comes to bringing your child into the world. it’s not easy to raise them and nurture them into being healthy, happy, productive adults, why would you start their life with a shortcut? it just seems like you’re starting them off on the wrong foot.
update: it’s been several hours since i wrote the above. my boss’s craptastic mood got to me. grr. i’m going to go put my earphones in and file. maybe that will make things better.
holy crap! it’s december! when did that happen? yeah, smartasses, at midnight. thanks. =P
so, my superawesome, grown-up, big girl, red, leather couch arrived yesterday. i wasn’t entirely sure the two middle-aged gentlemen (one of which, i’m pretty sure, was a newfie) were going to a) arrive efore five and b) manage to get it up the stairs and around the tricky corners; but, they did, with apparent ease even. *sigh* it’s so big and sturdy and soft and squishy and sexy and RED! it makes the room look so different than when the futon was around.
after photos were taken and uploaded to flickr, christopher (who’d come over to await the delivery with me – what a sweetheart) and i quickly popped out to fetch dinner (memphis blues!), then we settled back on the new sofa to break it in while watching the last movie in our star wars trilogy marathon. it’s absolutely perfect for movie-watching. lots of room for us both to get comfy and i’m loving the padded armrests — it gives me something else to lean up against rather than my boyfriend’s hip.
although, i wonder how long it’s going to take me to get used to it being there. every time i would look around the livingroom, i was suprised to see it. not in a bad way, though. definitely not in a bad way. *dreamy sigh*
of course, now that it’s finally here, i need to go out and buy new throw pillows to put on it and new curtains to compliment it and i’m even thinking about getting an area rug to tie the whole room ogether. i guess i know what i’m doing this weekend! well, that and looking for a wii. ;)
while i sat at work the other morning in the dark with no coffee or computer i started composing some lists: xmas gift list, xmas card list, xmas baking list, photo printing list. i’ve got a lot of stuff i need to do. i think i’m going to have to take one of the weekend days off from socializing just to get some work done on crossing items off my lists. plus, i need to put up my dorky little xmas tree and decorations. i better put that on a list or it probably won’t get done.
plus, it’s potluck season at work, which means i need to start baking and thinking of things to bring to feed my co-workers. there’s one scheduled for the day after the decemberists show, so i’ll probably bring chips or cutlery to that one since i forsee a late night and not much sleep.
so… what’s happened so far this week?
it snowed. it dipped to double-digit negative temperatures. i took public transit to and from work each day. i ate sushi and drank sake with my superawesome boyfriend. i arrived at work to find the power out, my computer was broken and a complete lack of coffee in the building. i bought fresh vegetables at lonsdale quay for dinner. i got cut off from the internet while at the office. i got stuck in a massive system failure on the train home, but found co-workers who go my way, so i arrived on my doorstep ninety minutes late but probably over an hour earlier than i would have if i’d stayed on that train. i slept in and drank a pot of coffee on a thursday which actually feels like a saturday because i’m home waiting for my new red leather couch to be delivered.
yeah, i think that’s about it. how about you?
SNOW!
over a foot in a lot of locations around the city. panic! chaos! armageddon! gotta love it when winter comes to vancouver.
work is a ghost-town. even my boss is absent, which makes my getting up at 5am and spending two hours on transit feel like a waste of effort. oh well, if i’d called a snow day christopher would never have let me live it down.
so, with the coming of the new sofa, i’m inspired to make other decor changes to my apartment. first up will be new curtains. the burgundy stripey thing i’ve got going on will probably be too clashy with the red leather sofa (oops! i let it slip!), so i’m thing of finding nice warm brown curtains in a soft fabric – ultrasuede or velour, maybe. ideally, something to balance out the coolness of the leather.
then, of course, i’ll want to either replace or recover the comfy chair. it’s got the right colours, but it is something like twenty years old and, thanks to having spent half its life with feline accompaniment, is pretty ratty. while i’d love to put an equally cozy leather chair in its place, i’m thinking that a custom slipcover might do just as well. i once found the website of a local company which does such things; i should look for it again and get a quote.
the least likely change to my main rooms will be the wall colour. i’m a poor judge of what will look good without actually seeing it up and about. give me a photo and i can say i like or dislike a completed room, but i can’t seem to visualize from paint swatches and photos of accessories. plus, while i really enjoy painting, it’s such a hassle: all the moving of furniture, sanding, taping, drop sheets and, worst of all, clean-up. although, i am motivated to change the wall colour in my bedroom and will probably attempt that in the new year.
what i’d love to do is get someone like lori andrews to work up a colour palette for me. i’m a huge, huge fan of her work as displayed on flickr. when you look at photos of a designer’s home and drool a little, you know that’s the designer you should hire. too bad i’m poor. i wonder if she does free consults over the internet…
if you have a weblog, you should be required to post at least twice a week. by law. or you lose your right to have an online presence. don’t mind me, i’m just annoyed by how BORING the internet is today. again. grr.
my stir-fry last night was practically perfect in every way (even though the preparation was rife with fumbles and spillage and swearing and minor burns). there was just enough for a big bowl while watching ANTM and lunch today. yay! i totally forgot to add the peanuts, though. oops. ever just crave veggies? yeah, that’s me these days. i do enjoy the pizza and the butter chicken, but sometimes you just gotta eat a salad.
less than a week until the couch arrives! also, less than a week until november is over. holy crap! where has this year gone? i know i’ve been busy, but the time sure has flown. i wish i could slow down the good stuff and speed up the bad. well, if i’m wishing, i would want to eliminate the bad entirely, replacing it with all good all the time.
christopher spoils me rotten. so lucky, i am.
i’m utterly obsessed with obtaining a Wii. if you know of anywhere in the lower mainland i can find one, please let me know. i’m sure they’re all gone, but i continue to hold out hope. i wish i’d been clued in to how awesome they are before the launch on sunday. i’d probably have been one of those dorky-dorks standing in line at 6am in front of future shop.
okay, off to find more coffee. have a good friday!
argh. i forgot how boring the internet gets during the american thanksgiving long weekend. ugh. BORING!
suddenly struck with a desire to avoid flickr for a week (or more). sometimes looking at other people’s photos stops inspiring and only intimidates.
also consumed with hermity impulses. avoidance of all things social. oddly, this doesn’t include christopher. who knew? although, i think it might just be the weather.
want to go home and clean out the bookshelves and storage closet. like, now. also want to go buy new jeans and cushion cases to go with the new couch.
i think i’ve forgotten how to write on a topic for more than one paragraph. just call me “blurbgirl”.
screw leftover pizza, i need to cook me up a veggie stir-fry for dinner tonight. with peanuts. and basmati rice. yum.
happy turkey day to all you americans down there, okay? send me some pie if you think about it, please.
after dragging christopher along to wal-mart last night to pick up my dad’s birthday present, he’s now said that if i ever feel the need to go there again because something is cheaper he’ll just pay me the difference. my poor boyfriend, he suffers so much for me.
so, thanks for those of you who voted for me in that blog award thing. i’m not even being sarcastic since i didn’t make it past the first round in either category. le sigh. i suppose i’m just not awesome enough to warrant fame. that’s okay, i couldn’t afford to pay for more bandwidth to handle the increased traffic anyway.
i wonder if spamming actually makes money. i could use a new, more lucrative, less time-consuming career, which allows me lots of time to surf the internet and hang out on my new couch (7 sleeps!).
speaking of the couch, i’m starting to get used to the big, empty space in my livingroom. of course, it currently has two camp chairs in it, but i kind of like that it could be completely empty in less than three minutes. i should get over that. i know that once the couch arrives, i’m going to be so happy it has. i can’t wait! can we just fast-forward to next thursday? please?
my favourite part of the day is between waking up and getting out of bed. i’m comfortable, warm, relaxed. my sheets feel good against my skin and i’m totally safe in my cocoon of cotton. unfortunately, this is followed by the worst part of my day: actually getting out of bed. life is so unfair.
last night i dreamt that i overslept until close to 11 o’clock and then went to the pub, where i spent the rest of the day. when i finally looked at a clock, it was well past 5pm and i realized i’d totally ditched work without even calling in.*
it’s only 8:30 and it’s already looking to be the kind of day i really should have skipped and spent at a pub. i’m working on a serious case of the mean reds and if one more person does something to annoy me, i might just have to explode. literally. kaboom. hessiebits flying all over the place. it seems like it might feel good.
the whole futon-selling experience has filled me with a nagging desire to just sell… everything. reduce my dependence on stuff. but, i find i’m too lazy to even start the process of sorting, listing and posting. how ironic is that?
i’ve seen three fully-decked xmas trees in apartment windows already. the first, i saw before remembrance day. wtf? trees don’t go up until after december 1st. smarten up, people! sheesh.
yeah, i’m cranky and frustrated. i knew yesterday was too good. tuesday fooled me. it saved up all its yuck for today. *sigh*
*then, when i went out into the parking lot, there were five different competition blue geos/sprints, none of which was mine. just as i was starting to get concerned that it had been stolen, meghan drove up in a four-door black geo, with my crazy aunt and dead grandmother inside. the surprise of seeing gran made me forget that i still didn’t know where my car was. until now, of course.
… it was the margarita mix.
ugh, my head.
i had jamie and colene over last night to celebrate jamie’s birthday. actually, i really wanted to throw him a big party, but he didn’t like that idea, so i didn’t. since i’m couchless, it was probably a good thing. as it was, meghan came over with some fold-out camp chairs for us to park our butts on (thank you, meg!).
we drank a lot of margaritas, ate a lot of pizza, played ‘truth or dare’ without the dare, took silly photos and enjoyed home-made creme brulee for dessert. it was a good, laid back birthday evening. i think jamie had a good time. at least i hope he did.
today, i hurt. i wonder how the birthday boy is feeling…
– the futon is gone
– the new couch is ten days away from filling the hole in my living room
– tichý was a dirty, dirty old man
– my tummy hurts
– birthday dinner tonight
– the 80s was an ugly decade
– granville island lions winter ale is so very yummy
– the internet will be my downfall
– white hot chocolate isn’t all that
– i miss clear tap water
so, as a commenter so kindly suggested, i posted an ad for my futon on craigslist last night. as of this moment, i have received six replies. two of which have offered to pick it up today (but one of them asked if i’d be willing to knock $25 off the price – uh, no). i’m not sure what the etiquette for this type of selling is. do i give the first responder first crack, then if it falls through, the second, third, etc? what i’ve done is emailed all the interested parties with a “yes, it’s still available” and i think whoever shows up first with cash in hand will be the lucky winner.
holy crap, while writing that paragraph, i’ve gotten a reply and some guy is coming by tonight to pick it up. wow!
hm… i wonder if i can get the couch delivered sooner. i was so worried it would be a big hassle to get the futon gone i got the very nice people at sears to hold off delivery for two weeks. i don’t want to be couchless for that long, though. maybe i’ll call nice norma the saleslady and see what she can do for me. but, i won’t do that until there’s actually an empty space in my livingroom. just in case.
since i got nominated for ‘best photo/art blog’ i figured i better put up a photo. i actually scanned a roll of film last night. somebody call ripley’s! i really need to catch up on the scanning. i still have something like ten rolls to do before i can get the five rolls of exposed film sitting on my desk developed. two of those rolls are from the pinholga and my newest camera, the brownie hawkeye, which i’d really like to see. i guess i better get a move on. le sigh.
in other, more serious news, do you or anyone you know need a futon? i wanted it to be a surprise, but i found myself a big-girl couch on the weekend! yay! it’s superawesome and i can’t wait to get it (delivery is on the 30th), but before that happens i really need to get rid of the futon. it’s still in really good shape and i only want $75 for it. please, if you know of anyone who might be interested, let me know or give them my email address. it has to be gone by the 29th or it’s taking a midnight trip to the back alley. photos available upon request.
most of the men in my life are sick right now: my boyfriend, my dad, my officemate. i’m wondering if this particular strain of plague only attacks those of the y-chromosomal persuasion. wouldn’t that be evil (where evil means “really, really funny”)? because i’m awesome like that, on my lunch break i’ll take christopher the tea i bought for him last night. i offered to bring dad some soup last night, but he refused. sean’s back at work today, which is good because i really didn’t want to do his job again.
the weekend is filling up! friday night is an exhibit opening at the presentation house gallery. saturday is the decemberists show at the commodore. sunday, i’ll have to do all the stuff i didn’t have time for on friday or saturday. seriously, why are weekends so damn short?
oh, speaking of, mom and i both survived her trip over from the island. she got to meet christopher & jen and a whole bunch of my co-workers whose names she’ll never remember. we ate indian & thai food, shopped at daiso and had a busy, but good visitlet (30 hours doesn’t really make a proper visit). surprisingly, the weather fully cooperated with her time on this side of the water, too! now that she knows how easy it is to make the trip, i think she’ll want to do it more often. eek! ;)
someone must be a little bit crazy out there. seems my little website has been nominated in not one, but two categories in the 2006 Canadian Blog Awards:
Best Photo/Art Blog & Best Personal Blog
if you’re so inclined, feel free to go vote for me multiple times to ensure my winning not one, but both, categories. ’cause, you know, i’m totally awesome like that.
actually, i’m really kidding. there are a lot more talented and deserving people on the nomination list. do go and vote for any one of them, they’re all fantastic and deserve many accolades.
rain. wind. pain. cold. bloated. work. wet. dull. ow. blech. poor. fat. sleepy.
depsite all that, i’m cuter than usual for the second day in a row, and i’m still feeling pretty optimistic. i just wish i wasn’t so puffy and in pain. there’s a four-day weekend ahead of me which seems to be filling up in the very best way. what could be wrong with that?
i wish i could find a place to go in the area which would serve me a big bowl of fat-free veggie broth with noodles and a huge salad with seeds in it for lunch. that’s what i’m craving today.
last night, my boyfriend, the man who professes to be able to burn water and inflict grievous digestive distress with toast, cooked dinner for me.
christopher cooked for me. let that sink a moment…
not only was it dinner, it was a good dinner. nay, scratch that. it was a GREAT dinner. a seriously yummy, “why can’t i get MY chicken that tender” dinner. the basmati rice was perfect, the chicken melted in my mouth, the sauce was spectactular.
he even put candles on the table. i’ve never put candles on the table for any of our dinners at my apartment.
i felt kind of bad i hadn’t had the chance to get all de-workified for such a special occasion. i thought we were just going to rummage around in the fridge for leftovers.
chris thought i was losing it, i’m sure. i spent most of the night with a big, dopey grin on my face ’cause it was such a good evening. seriously, it was just so good. probably because it was such an unexpectedly awesome end to my dreary day of depressing drudgery. it felt like i found a $100 bill while walking home in the rain with a broken umbrella and soggy feet.
i’m still a little giddy, actually, which is good because today is going to be a long one what with the working and then what’s probably going to be a very long and very rowdy union meeting i have to attend. oh well, one more day until my four-day weekend. i think i can make it… especially if i keep thinking about christopher cooking last night.
*or he was hungry, but didn’t want to spend money on pizza.
meh. i forgot to put my rings on this morning. i hate that. it never bodes well for the day. i suppose i should be glad that the biggest decision i have to make today is where i’m going to get lunch.
had a superfun time at music bingo last night. the peeps mustered at chez hessie for bevvies and chitchat then we headed down to the pub where we were treated to a symphony of feedback, pops & squeals as we suffered through the audio system’s technical difficulties. after that got sussed out, it was all golden. jen kept up the first-timer’s streak, winning first place on the second game while i snagged second. yummy food, lots of drinks and much singing was the order of the night.
oh, and there are a bunch of polaroid photos forthcoming, thanks to christopher’s joycam which came along for the ride. i just need to scan them. teehee — can you say “blackmail”, boys and girls?
ever have a moment of panic when you can’t remember if you put deoderant on that morning? i just had one. one subtle sniff-test later and it’s all good. phew.
my mom is coming for a visit early next week! i have monday-tuesday off work, so she’s going to make a rare trip across the pond and have a sleepover at my place. she’s only been to my apartment once, just after i moved in, and she’s yet to meet christopher (or any of my friends on this side, actually). it’ll probably be a little weird to have her in my space and experiencing my life, but i’m still looking forward to it. i think i’m going to bring her by work and show her off, even. i’ve only been working here for nine years, i think it might be time.
ooh… and i totally have to take her to daiso!
oops… sorry if you’ve tried to comment in the last week or so and been confronted by the “denied for questionable content” message. i got a little carried away with the blocking of the spam. everything is back to working now, so feel free to comment ’til you pass out. or something.
spent an hour on the phone with jeremy last night catching up and such. we don’t often talk on the phone, but whenever we do i’m guaranteed to laugh a lot and our chat didn’t disappoint. our friendship suffered a lot this year, but i’m glad that we seem back on track. i missed him, even though i was too stubborn and stupid to say so.
tonight is music bingo night at the pub. yay! it’ll be jen’s first time both at the pemby and experiencing music bingo. jamie & maja are coming along since maja loved it last time and, well, jamie just likes the fish’n’chips. even col, whose first experience was less than stellar, is joining us. i think her reason is just to spend time with us since she doesn’t really seem to like the pub or the music bingo so much. then there’s christopher, who hates that pub and has an allergic reaction to the word ‘bingo’, suffering though the experience because “it’s what a boyfriend does”. how awesome is he? *schmoop*
so, yeah, i’m working for the music bingo today. i will pass most of my day listening to toshiro (my mp3 player) while filing. whee! my life is so exciting.
first off, i must wish a very happy 9th birthday to miss rowan of worcester, mass. happy birthday, beautiful!
i’m turning into a houseproud homebody. yesterday, instead of going out and enjoying what was left of the non-wet weather, after my dad stuffing me with pancakes, i went grocery shopping then came home to cook and clean. christopher & jen came over and we had a yummy sit-down meal and i didn’t even really mind doing the dishes i was so content to be the hostess. so weird.
why don’t people use their turn signals? seriously, drivers, it’s the ONLY means you have of communicating to your fellow road-warriors what the heck you’re thinking of doing. nothing perturbs me more than someone just changing lanes or making a right-hand turn without singnaling their intention. gah. even just thinking about it makes me sputter. GAH!
while wandering the maul saturday evening in a vain attempt to cheer me up, i think chris & i found a very likely candidate for my new couch. it looked nice, it was comfortable, and, if i buy it before the 20th, i don’t have to pay for it for a year! i will probably go back sometime this week to just double-check its butt-worthiness. i just have to remember to wear slip-on shoes so i can quickly remove them for proper tv-watching positioning.
btw, i just have to tell the internets how amazingly awesome christopher is. really, i’m so very lucky. to paraphrase ‘the sound of music’, somewhere in my wicked past i must have some something good.
i was going to sign up for that nablopomo thing that everyone’s doing, but even the lure of awesome prizes isn’t going to be enough to get me to blog something every day for an entire month. c’mon, people… i have beer to drink and hot sex to have, that’s got to take precedence. it’s all about priorities.
i was halfway done a list for you to read yesterday, but i inadvertantly closed the tab. sorry. it was kind of good, too. in it i mentioned the dog i nearly ran over the other night, that i had my halo on at work (which made all my co-workers snicker for some reason) and how i carved a pumpkin for the first time in well over a decade and it was AWESOME. there was probably more to it, but i have the retention of a three-year-old after a bag of halloween candy. again, sorry.
christopher & i went to The Brick last night to sit on couches and lay on beds. i’d printed out the specs of four sofas i wanted to butt-test. we sat on three of them, but the fourth (which is the one i REALLY wanted to try) is a special order only style. fuckers. sorry, but i’m not going to buy a couch un-tested. that’s just asking for disaster. i guess it doesn’t matter if you only care about what it looks like, but i’m in search of a delicate balance of comfort and attractiveness. *sigh* i may never find a couch.
i do think i found the mattress i want. alas, it’s over $1200. just for the mattress, not even with a boxspring! wtf? when did mattresses get so disgustingly expensive? i’m feeling very lottery lucky this week, so maybe i’ll be able to afford it soon.
phew! i very nearly lost this post-in-progess while looking for a photo to put up top. that was close! i better quit while i’m ahead.
oh, just one more thing… i know it’s november now, but it still felt like early september less than two weeks ago and now my car is covered in frosty stuff in the morning. i’m not adjusting well to this sudden onslaught of cold temperatures. i want more warm, please. i had to put on a scarf and gloves this morning. this is inhumane! someone fast-forward me to spring, please.