61 posts from 2009

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.  -- C.S. Lewis

I do not function without my tea. I wake up, and put the kettle on. All else comes second.

I get cranky if someone else makes my tea--did they hot the pot? Did the kettle truly boil? Did they put too much water in it? I get crankier if I can't have my tea.

Hot, strong, with skim milk. No sugar. The first two mugs are the best, but I drink the rest.

I like weekends, because I've got time to drink a whole pot of tea, and then make another. Weekdays, I have to stop at two large mugs. Any more than that, and I won't make it through the morning commute. Tea does make me have to pee.

Nothing fancy, just Tetley orange pekoe. Oh. Only Tetley orange pekoe. I took it up while breastfeeding--my mother smoked and drank tea, and I do the same.

I'll quit the cigarettes before I quit my tea.

I love my mug of tea. Fiercely.

This is my favourite month ever...  now, if only I weren't sick.

My husband bought me a LAPTOP LUNCHBOX!

Now I will have to make cute and healthy lunches. No, this could be good...

I only finished 11 books this summer. I started a lot more. I was hoping to have a longer, more impressive list.

"The Stand", the extended version, was really long, though.

I have to go "sweep broom" at Mill Hill Park in 20 minutes. I am heavily doubting my physical ability at this point. I will be the fat chick, huffing and puffing her way up the hill.

I think I will take a few pre-emptive aspirins now.

Goal: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy red dog." Repeated, in an effort to achieve the sentence.

Result:

New sentence ..  New sentence

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1.            Golden September...morning commute like being caught in a surging herd of elk. With backpacks.7:19 PM Sep 11th from txt

   

2.            ...I am trying to remember to post something at 9:09 09/09/09. I will probably forget.8:45 PM Sep 9th from web

   

3.            I petted a pig this last weekend. Now I’m wondering if I just increased my chances of catching H1N1 to a remarkably high degree.8:44 PM Sep 9th from web

   

4.            I feel I have to hide the cauliflower. It's a long story.10:54 PM Sep 8th from web

   

5.            Trying to convince myself that working out made it possible to enjoy a nutrious dinner of potato chips & Nutella. I only wish I was joking.8:48 PM Sep 8th from web

   

6.            And I'm just ticked that I don't get to go back to school. New binders, notebooks, and pens! Damn and blast.7:01 AM Sep 8th from web

   

7.            Also, it's Monday after Labour Day. I do dread the morning commute. The studentia population will have returned.7:01 AM Sep 8th from web

   

8.            No wonder I stink at accounting. To me, "Journal Entries" start "Dear Diary..."7:00 AM Sep 8th from web

   

9.            Regretting what I just did to my hair. Oops. Is it a full moon? Change in the weather? The end of summer?9:11 PM Sep 3rd from web

   

10.          These potato chips are disappointing. I'm really going to go to bed. This time I mean it.10:54 PM Sep 2nd from web

   

11.          'People of Walmart'. I got two pages into the site, & poof! It vanished. I sit, foundering, wishing for more. Guess I'll have to go to bed.10:52 PM Sep 2nd from web

   

12.          Don't name your child "Orion". On most fonts on most computer screens, it looks just like "Onion". Thank you.6:45 PM Sep 2nd from web

   

13.          The other day, my husband accidentally stuck his toothbrush up his nose. He said it was an extremely minty experience.6:29 PM Aug 30th from txt

   

14.          Watching "Hoarders". And throwing away the contents of my house.11:37 AM Aug 29th from txt

   

15.          Listening to the sound of rain and a strange, high-pitched squealing from my laptop. Quite odd, definitely disturbing. The rain's okay.6:48 AM Jul 8th from web

   

16.          Going to bed. There might be sleep-talking. No sleep-walking, though.10:42 PM Jul 6th from web

   

17.          If I bring in a plant, it will probably live because there is LIGHT. From the WINDOW. With a TREE outside it. It’s GREEN. I am pleased.8:46 PM Jul 6th from web

   

18.          Teaching myself mail merge and emailing Selene. The wind is blowing, and crunchy arbutus leaves are everywhere. Hints of fall!8:41 PM Jul 6th from web

   

19.          Pondering: mail merge is bringing the headache right on back. Perhaps a hammer would help.8:05 PM Jul 6th from web

   

20.          Teaching myself mail merge in Word 2007. Recovering from a blistering headache. It feels weird, starting all over again. No slacking!8:05 PM Jul 6th from web

   

21.          Pondering growing Himalayan blue poppies. I fear this packet of seed may require more care, attention, and vermiculite than I possess.5:13 PM Jul 5th from web

   

22.          I already hated Internet Explorer--now I associate it with vomit. Great marketing...4:39 PM Jul 5th from web

   

23.          The neighbour's sea captain statue is stalking me--complete with spyglass. It's getting slightly eerie.4:14 PM Jul 5th from web

   

24.          But really, it's amazing what you can use baking soda for. Brushing one's teeth, cleaning one's shower, baking a cake. It's marvelous stuff.4:10 PM Jul 5th from web

   

25.          Applying a paste of baking soda & water to bug bites. I am under the impression will soothe itching. Where this idea is from, I don't know.3:54 PM Jul 5th from web

   

26.          I miss Diet Vanilla Coke. The only Coke product I liked.3:49 PM Jul 5th from web

   

27.          Last day at the job; inbox not cleared. I can't do anything about it now, must learn to let it go. I hope the new girl can cope!7:53 AM Jul 3rd from web

   

28.          What should I wear today? I don't want to frighten anyone at the office. Casual Friday is so daunting.7:23 AM Jul 3rd from web

   

29.          Made vinegar really fast. Lunch fruit left in car for several days. It was like this: solid liquid wine vinegar. In about 4 days. Who knew?7:23 PM Jul 2nd from web

   

30.          I am worried by how light traffic has been on the way to and from work. I fear it will completely spoil me.7:12 PM Jul 2nd from web

   

31.          It's hot. I'm going to drink water and tidy up the house. Tomorrow is my last day at work. Scary|Good|Scary. Good.7:07 PM Jul 2nd from web

   

32.          @badbanana Canada Day was invented by Pierre Trudeau to bolster the fledgling poutine industry in 1972. I read it in MacLeans.10:27 PM Jul 1st from web in reply to badbanana

   

33.          For Pete's sake, if I surfed the web 10% less, I'd have finished three novels by now.10:25 PM Jul 1st from web

   

34.          ...or 3) decide that it's acceptable to mix vodka into the lemonade now. It's a holiday, after all. And I did vacuum.3:57 PM Jul 1st from web

   

35.          Going to go outside & 1) read my strata binder 2) stare at the zucchini plants & wonder where the hell to put them3:57 PM Jul 1st from web

   

36.          Enjoying Canada Day, puttering around. Glorious weather. Off to garden. I shall NOT be the only Canadian who fails to grow zucchini.2:37 PM Jul 1st from web

   

37.          Napping from 9 to 11 p.m. is just going to confuse my body. Wake up! It's time for bed.11:44 PM Jun 30th from web

   

38.          ...so I think I will go sit in the back yard and contemplate this. Besides, there is no laundry needing to be folded out there. Crap--weeds.6:57 PM Jun 30th from web

   

39.          It's so much easier to type things on my to-do list than to actually, you know, DO them.6:56 PM Jun 30th from web

   

40.          Wondering if it was a Steller's sea cow.... or was it trying to get to Cattle Point?12:01 PM Jun 30th from web

   

41.          Wondering when the city will get the dead cow off the beach. Giggling at the city's dogs' reaction to it.6:56 AM Jun 30th from web

   

42.          It's sort of cute, and sort of disturbing. So much for nap.10:24 PM Jun 29th from web

   

43.          Difficult to nap when the dog wants to play with her stuffed bear. First savagely attacks it, then rapes it. And we have to play with her.10:23 PM Jun 29th from web

   

44.          Proving my dog is the cutest ever. http://bit.ly/jBkzS9:52 PM Jun 29th from web

   

45.          Keeping an eye out for Ziva. http://bit.ly/vhdt96:52 PM Jun 29th from web

   

46.          badbanana is so worth following. What an odd sentence to type.6:50 PM Jun 29th from web

   

47.          Contemplating eating seven-layer dip for dinner. I think it's a sensible choice. Also, more vodka.6:50 PM Jun 29th from web

   

48.          Vodka. And I refilled the hummingbird feeder with new nectar. Quite soothing, both things. I love having a back yard. Bring on the birds.6:49 PM Jun 29th from web

   

49.          I thought I could clear my inbox this week, & leave the desk all pretty & organised. I am beginning to doubt now. Also my feet are hot.3:11 PM Jun 29th from web

   

50.          I do not have the patience to be a receptionist. I can't do 2 jobs at once, either.12:20 PM Jun 29th from txt

   

51.          Good lord. Wondering how it got to be Monday again. Four more workdays (Canada Day is Wed) 'til I say goodbye to the office & start new one.6:59 AM Jun 29th from web

   

52.          TWITTER HAIKU: Summer, Sunday night. | Dusk brings a cool breeze, softly | Damn, I hate Monday.10:12 PM Jun 28th from web

   

53.          http://twitpic.com/8q66x - My husband AND the snake we met today. She was bigger than she looks in this picutre.8:13 PM Jun 28th from TwitPic

   

54.          ...my husband AND the snake we met. My husband is not a snake. Or much snake-like, even.8:09 PM Jun 28th from web

   

55.          http://twitpic.com/8q66x - My husband the snake we met today. Her name is Amanda. I regret not holding her when I had the chance.8:07 PM Jun 28th from TwitPic

   

56.          Sunday night. What's left on the to-do list for the weekend? Who wants to clean out my garden shed? Bonus: spiders!8:03 PM Jun 28th from web

   

57.          Wondering why the dog went and hid in the basket of clean laundry last night after her bath. She's never done that before.5:52 PM Jun 28th from web

   

58.          Checking email. I want email. But then I have to reply to it, and I worry I am not interesting in my replies.5:42 PM Jun 28th from web

   

59.          Arrived home from the park. We saw a man wearing a Viking helmut. A boa constrictor. But we did not see a cow washed up on the beach. Good.5:40 PM Jun 28th from web

   

60.          I was not expecting to see my husband holding a Columbian boa constrictor today.4:55 PM Jun 28th from txt

   

61.          Langford Costco gas bar very busy. Trying to get to a park...2:55 PM Jun 28th from txt

   

62.          Wait, what? A cow? Washed up on the beach?2:32 PM Jun 28th from web

   

63.          Going to the park. Some park, any park. It's summer, sunny, and Sunday.2:31 PM Jun 28th from web

   

64.          It's a perfect Sunday afternoon--stay in the garden and read about stratas, or take the dog on an amble? I do need to garden and read...1:16 PM Jun 28th from web

   

65.          Sitting here, grateful I never got tattooed.12:46 PM Jun 28th from web

   

66.          It doesn't take long for a flower bed to turn weedwild. Rhododendron flowers bloom & drop so quickly. Ants in the hummingbird feeder again.11:22 AM Jun 28th from web

   

67.          Tweeting from bed. Novelty is all. Mundane indeed, no revolution here.11:51 PM Jun 27th from txt

   

68.          This is just a test. Armadillos trundle after sunset. It smells like rain.11:18 PM Jun 27th from txt

   

69.          Thinking that if I'm thinking about going to bed at 10:55 p.m. on a Saturday night--somewhere along the way, I got old...10:56 PM Jun 27th from web

   

70.          Saturday night. Gave the dog a bath. Closed workTweet account. Smelling rain. Should be writing. Contemplating haiku--short forms abound.10:45 PM Jun 27th from web

   

 

Summer reading 2009, books in progress:

Spook
20th Century Ghosts - Joe Hill
Outlander - Diana Gabaldon (nope, still not into it...)
Property Management Pre-licensing Course Manual
We Were the Mulvaneys - Joyce Carol Oates
The English: A Social History, 1066-1945 – Christopher Hibbert
She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb
That Singing You Hear At The Edges - Sue MacLeod
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
Quartet - Jean Rhys (poor Jean, haven’t touched this one for a while)

Summer, 2009, read:

1.      The Last Juror - John Grisham
2.      The Girl, The Gold Watch, and Everything - John D. McDonald
3.      Good Faith - Jane Smiley
4.      The Hour I First Believed - Wally Lamb
5.      The Stand - Stephen King
6.      The Private Patient - P. D. James
7.      World Without End - Ken Follett
8.      Little Black Book of Stories - A. S. Byatt
9.      Dead Souls - Ian Rankin
10.    Menace - L. R. Wright
11.    Off Season - Anne Rivers Siddons

So I have a new job, and that is great. But I have to learn new things, ask questions about every task, no matter how seemingly simple, take copious notes, and be the new girl. And be on my best behaviour. It’s tiring.

It’s like getting a divorce and dating again.

It’s also odd to have an hour for lunch. I don’t know what to do with my time. Eat, pee, smoke—it only takes me about twenty minutes. And if I could—and should—and want to eliminate the “smoke” portion of the festivities, that would leave me forty minutes of lunch hour. I suppose I could start going for walks. Then I’d be all healthy and non-smoking and stuff.

I want to write on my lunch hour again, but where? And I don’t want any questions about what I’m scribbling away at…

I have a six-minute walk from where I can park my car to the office. It’s down a nice residential street, and I get to admire everyone’s front gardens along the way. There is one house, alas, that has a front yard with zero appeal. It really sticks out like a sore thumb among everyone else’s green thumbs. Next to it is a house for rent.

This is the current ad for that house: Oak Bay area. Vinyl floors in kitchen, hardwood in living room and bedrooms. Washer, dryer, fridge, stove. Seperate (sic) garage. Furnace protection plan. Fire place in living room. Oil heat.

This is the ad that I would write: Charming character house on quiet street in Oak Bay. Only steps to grocery store, shopping, doctors, restaurants, and more, yet nicely situated on an established residential street. Easy walk to bus stop. Lovely garden and nice yard, with picket fence. The house features hardwood floors in the living room and the two bedrooms, and has a cosy fireplace. Four appliances are included (fridge, stove, washer and dryer). Separate garage. Oil heat, and a furnace protection plan is in place for the furnace. Sorry, but no pets or smoking permitted.

I quit my job.

Doesn't everyone dream of doing that some days? Some days, more than others? We don't, usually. Familiar is good, and safe is good. The known, the predictable. But obviously, I wasn't happy enough in my job to stay, despite everything. So I quit.

But that’s okay, I got a new job.

It all seemed to happen so fast. It was Friday, and I was sitting in at reception for the shoeless receptionist’s lunch (one hour) and then mail run (additional twenty-five expletive minutes) and perusing Craigslist, looking for another job, when I saw one that I thought I could do.

So I arrived home from work, crafted up a cover letter, and attached my newly revised, quite revamped, and thoroughly critiqued and improved resume. I applied, via email (didn’t have spend a penny for stamps, envelope and nice paper) for the job on Friday night, got a call on Saturday. I interviewed on Sunday, and accepted Sunday night. On Monday, I gave my notice.

I didn’t throw up, either. In fact, I was quite numb for the two weeks I stayed to finish at the old job. Quite calm. Unfazed. Except I had trouble sleeping at night (and I never have trouble sleeping at night) and was exhausted during the day. And also, was eating everything I could find that wasn’t nailed down, mouldy, or entirely unappealing.

I had been with the same company since March 2001, so it has been a big change for me.

But sometimes change is good.