omnibus update

It's been a month, so I going to try to cover off on the big stuff. If you know about it, great, if not, consider yourself newly in the know!

Had an alright Christmas. I had the 25 & 26 off, and worked the rest of the week. You can put the fact that I work in quotations, as all the bosses were away, so the mice did play so to speak. Not much was accomplished. Over the Christmas holiday I made some decisions though - I am not at school right now. I had been kind of leaning that way anyways, but when Lindsay took the plunge, it made me think about it again. I haven't stopped my degree, but I will not be attending at UVic anymore. Working full time and trying to finish a degree there is almost impossible. The Gardens are being very flexible with my schedule, but unfortunately the English department offers almost nothing in the evening.

So I am taking the semester off, then transferring my credits to Thompson Rivers and finishing by distance education. I know I had a bad run with that in the past, but I figure I am much more mature now, and this is actually something I want to do. And let me tell you, taking this semester off has been a great idea. I do what I want, when I want. I read books when I want to. I don't have to juggle things. I think that 2007 was incredibly trying (I actually know that it was), and that perhaps I was pushing myself too hard. 2007 saw a lot of good, but it also saw a lot of stress. The cancer scare, followed by the medical things, stress about my car, buying a new car, getting myself rear-ended, ongoing medical treatments, surgery, then an extended recovery, a course I hated, breaking up with Eric, getting my wisdom teeth out... it was all a bit too much. I am calling this my sanity-semester!

In the exciting news category, I am off to Paris to visit Ella. I am very excited about this. Air Canada had a seat sale, and I got return tickets from Victoria to Paris for $1000. A great deal. I leave in April, and am spending 10 days there. Ella and I might go to the south coast of France, or Monacco for a weekend, we'll see how the $$$ work out, or shall I say how the the €€€ work out? In any case, I am very excited about that. I will bring you all a corny gift!

I am thinking about moving - this apartment is just about finished for me. I desperately desperately want a kitchen! You know how much I love to cook... and this is just not working. I buy food to cook, and get so frustrated that I don't cook, and then I end up wasting a lot of food, and spending even more money buying lunch at work and eating out at night.

But now, it is a new year (has been for almost a month) and new things are going to happen!

nothing to do

And it is a good thing...

I am up in Nanaimo, have been since Wednesday night. I am having an excellent time doing absolutely nothing at all. After the last few months, this has been a welcome respite. Because of my various health issues, and the fact that Liz and Chris' town house flooded out in September, I haven't had much of an opportunity to visit with them, so I have been happy to be here. We've watched movies, drank wine, and are heading out to the pub tonight with a bunch of people. Good times had by all!

I am feeling a lot better about myself in the last few days than I have been. Just taking things in stride. My mouth feels tonnes better now after the wisdom teeth, and my persistent, constant headaches are gone. It's a good thing. And I have a lot of fun to look forward to tomorrow. Drinks & a Christmas soiree at a coworker's house, and then off for a Christmas movie night with friends. Then back to work on Monday. My friends are destressing now that exams are winding down, so my social calendar is getting quite busy.

Here's to fun times in the coming days!

how green is my life?

Claire's recent post about the green-ness of her workplace made me think about how green I am at work, and how green I am in general. The thinking process was good, the result was bad:

UNGREEN

- I print numerous emails, and hang on to the digital copy as well. My manager is a "paper person" so there is no way around this.
- My water at lunch is always served in a styrofoam cup.
- The pitcher of water that is kept in the fridge tastes bad, so I get mine from the tap... I run the tap for about 45 seconds before it is cold. That, I can fix.
- My printer frequently malfunctions, spewing sheets of paper and envelopes with one single character on them.
- I drive 32kms to work in my car alone, then another 32kms back at the end of the day.
- I specifically use an incandescent desk lamp - the fluorescents hurt my eyes.
- I pack my lunch in a plastic bag every day, and throw it away when I am done.
- I use two caustic chemicals in my bathroom - the biodegradable ones don't work well enough, and I am lazy, so I use the nasty stuff instead.

GREEN

- When shopping for a new car for my 64km/daily commute, I got the most fuel efficient car I could afford.
- I do all of my errands on the way to/from work, so that I am combining trips.
- I signed up for SPUD.ca to have vegetables delivered to my door every week in a reusable container. The veggies all come from with 800kms of here, so they are relatively local.
- I use biodegradable cleaners when I can.
- My lights at home are all low-energy fixtures.
- I only launder once a week, and only with full loads, and a biodegradable soap.
- I try not to buy individually-packaged things like yogurt.
- I am very conscientious of recycling. Paper, plastic, glass, all that is recycled, both at home and at work.
- I take short showers.

I am sure that this is nowhere near a comprehensive list. I know there I things that I have forgotten from both sides. I applaud any and all efforts to minimize ones impact on the earth.

And Claire, as far as New Year's Resolutions go, I applaud that you make any, even if you do feel like you do not accomplish them. I don't even try. Maybe I'll see what I can do this year. Maybe 2008 will be different.

and I'm out.

weekend of social

whew! Big weekend! So much happening, now I am tired. I'm having breakfast for dinner... yum.

Sat: Computer lab working, then off to see "Glorious!" at the Belfry with Liz. It was an amazing play. So funny, and very well executed. Look it up. I love going to the theatre, and I haven't seen Liz since September, so it was nice. After that, off to Cheryl's house for a Christmas get-together. I had a lot of fun, and I am sure everyone else did too. The potluck was great.

Sun: Slept in, then went a Christmas party at a co-workers house, and that was a great time. One of his guests is a professional chef, and he did the food, so it was all amazing! And the drinks just didn't stop coming. I met a lot of people, and had a lot of great conversations. Then I was off to the lab for more work.

And here I am, at home now, realizing the weekend has drawn to a close, and it was good.

I'm out.

omelette

Went work today, and finished prepping all the Christmas cards that we have to send out. No small task, let me tell you. 368 cards, with varying quantities being signed by up to seven different individuals. Hundreds of envelopes printed. Most of the cards are signed, so I can start sending them out tomorrow. But before they can get mailed, they have to folded and stuffed into their envelopes, then sorted as domestic, US, or International for postal reasons. AHHH!!!!

In other news, I ate my first semi-solid food that required chewing. Best omelette ever, with little chopped up, pre-cooked veggies in it. It was yummy in my tummy. However, I have started to develop a dry socket (no pain) so I have a dressing that tastes likes cloves. All the time. All day. Every hour. Cloves. I am already sick of it.

Wrote my final, it went okay, but as per my previous post, I don't really care. I bought some Christmas lights today, and put them up in my apartment. And I have also busted out the Christmas music. 'Tis the season!

puffy face and funny colours

I went back to work today. Man, this fall has been an absolute whirlwind. I am most definitely looking forward to the end of 2007! That being said, don't wish your life away, right?

Last Wednesday, I had my wisdom teeth removed. I only had three to begin with, so I guess I got off 'easy.' No dry socket, and an amazing doctor to do the procedure. I just have to say, thank god for extended health benefits, or I would still be trying to dig up the roughly $1,300 this procedure will cost! What are you supposed to do if you don't have money, EHB, and your wisdom teeth are causing you pain? Answer me THAT, healthcare system.

The procedure went okay. For the first time though, coming out of a general anesthetic, I was very disoriented, and had a mild panic attack. I calmed down after a few minutes, but I am man enough to admit that I was bawling when I woke up. I was confused, in pain (until the put something in my IV), and all of the events of the past few exciting months just seemed to sort of pile on me all at once, and I lost it. Had a good cry, talked to a very sympathetic nurse, and then went home. I feel so much better for having had these teeth out though, both mentally and physically. Having them out has been weighing over me for about 2 years now, and it feels good to have it behind me. Not to mention, my persistent headache... is gone. And, since my diet is restricted, I have already lost 5 pounds! That being said, my kingdom for chicken strips right now. I am tired of canned/pureed goods. Hopefully at my follow up tomorrow I will get some more advice re: diet.

I am writing my one and only final tomorrow. Then, this horrible course that I have been hating will be OVER! For good. I still don't know any of my grades in the course at all, and frankly, I don't care either. Que sera sera!

Anyways, to bed with me. It is late, and I have a lot to do tomorrow!

And a quick welcome back to Claire. It's nice to have another blogger re-born to join us.

Christmas Party

Went to the Butchart Christmas Gala last night. Had a good time. However, this is the first gala where I haven't danced. Not one dance. I felt weird, and kind of old...

Many thanks to Hannah for the companionship!

Pictures below:

when will it stop?

My god, this has been quite the stretch.

Sat down for lunch yesterday, having bought myself a chicken caesar wrap, and a bowl of soup. I took a couple of bites of the wrap, then ate my soup. Went to continue with the wrap, and out of the corner of my eye, saw some pink. I thought "gee, that is some awfully pink chicken" then realized that I was currently devouring a shrimp wrap. Not good for me at all.

I threw the wrap down on my plate, told my co-workers to give the cafeteria heck, and called emergency first aid. I spent an hour in first aid, had a mild reaction (instead of anaphylaxis), and went back to work, so drugged I could barely stay awake.

How did I get a shrimp wrap, you ask? They were wrapped in exactly the same tortilla as the chicken, and on the same shelf where the chicken wraps have been for the last 2.5 years! The girls in the cafeteria gave the kitchen heck, and the kitchen said "We told you there were some shrimp ones in there with the chicken." Not good enough. No labelling, absolutely no indication that these wraps were different at all. They should have been cut in half so it was completely clear what was inside them.

While I was in first aid, one of my co-workers told the director of Food Services what had happened, and his response was "If it would happen to anyone, it would happen to Dave." I then saw him myself on two separate occasions later that afternoon. Not one "I'm sorry" or "How are you feeling?" or "That was awful!" It was business as usual.

This is the second time an unlabelled substitution has caused me grief... On Monday, I am going to go to the Food Services director and just be polite but firm: What is going to change? What can I watch for? Because, quite frankly, this shouldn't happen. Yes, the onus is on the allergy-bearer to be careful, but a wrap on a shelf labelled Chicken should not be full of shrimp!

Anyways, the Christmas Gala is tonight at work, so that is something to look forward to.

I'm out. Off to the clinic!

morning

My throat really hurts, a lot. More than it has ever hurt. I grimace every time I swallow. I have to try and convince the clinic doctor to talk to me about it today. You are only allowed to see one physician a day under BC Medicare, and I use that visit every day for my dressing change. Perhaps, the doctor will be able to cover off on two issues.

My wisdom teeth are coming out on Wednesday. My research paper and project are due on Tuesday. I start every day lined up outside the walk-in clinic 30 minutes before opening.

I want company.

And yes, I am feeling a little bit melodramatic lately.

happenings

Things that have happened to me this year:

- Met Eric
- Got great new job
- Travelled to London and Berlin w/Eric
- Took a Web Design Course and did well
- Moved out of a house and in with Eric
- Went to Edmonton for Eric's birthday present, saw Eartha Kitt Live!
- Developed medical problems
- Medical problems turned into cancer scare (briefly)
- Cancer scare turned back into medical problems
- Waited 5 months for surgery
- Spent the equivalent of days at the doctor's office
- Bought new car
- Stretched my credit cards
- Joined the pension plan
- Moved out of Eric's place to my parents
- Moved into my own apartment
- Got into car accident
- Started payments on my student loan
- Travelled to Kelowna with Liz, toured wineries, and visited friends in Nelson and Vancouver
- Went back to school
- Taking a history course that I absolutely loathe.
- Got my surgery date
- Surgery failed, must go to clinic every day.
- Wisdom teeth acting up, must come out NOW.

I am not sure what kind of year this has been... and it isn't over yet!

fragile

So here I am. Lindsay and I made a commitment to each other to restart our blogs, vowing that we would keep it completely separate from our Facebook lives.

I feel really fragile right now. The last few months have had a lot of good, and a lot of challenges. I am definitely looking forward to the year being behind me. To get back into the blogger groove, I have been looking back through my previous posts... and I miss me. Does that make any sense? I look back, and I seemed so much more, stable or level, a little while ago. I don't know.

I think I am going to have to think for awhile.

My new car!

HMCS Ottawa

Hi all,

As mentioned in one of my previous posts, here are the pictures from my day aboard the HMCS Ottawa last week.

HMCS Ottawa

the week goes on

so I moved last weekend. I now share an apartment with Eric. Not that he is ever here... he is busy shooting a movie in Vancouver monday through friday, and so he is away all the time. But now the apartment looks like it exploded. Stress levels run high.

The job is super stressful right now. Really stressful. Like, missing sleep stressful. I don't know what happened this week. But work is definitely work right now, if you know what I mean. But each day is a new one, and so thing should be fine pretty soon.

I spent a day at sea on board the HMCS Ottawa on Monday. It was pretty freakin' sweet, if I may say so. Those boats can MOVE! A huge frigate that can go from zero to thirty knots in 30 seconds, and then stop in it's own length. Carving figure eights was definitely cool. Pictures will follow pretty quick.

Anyways, that is the latest update. I am off to Vancouver this weekend to see Eric, and so it should (hopefully) feel like a minivacation. Here's to relaxing!

And i'm out...

man, i feel like crap

So, you know how I was bitching about upholding family obligations that my parents planned? Well, the obligation was to transport my Grandma Anderson to the last youth orchestra concert of the season, which I didn't want to do, and wasn't planning on attending in any case.

The good news was that I didn't have to do that. The bad news is because Grandma Anderson had a massive stroke at some point on Friday night/Saturday morning, and passed away early this morning.

I feel like such a selfish scumbag. I mean, she wouldn't have been able to go to the concert anyways as a result of the stroke, but I still feel crappy for not doing something differently, even though there is nothing that I could have done that would have affected anything.

Luckily, she went quickly, and she was comfortable. Now, we wait for news from her son about funeral/memorial arrangements.

Geez.

family responsibility

I don't where my responsibility lies with regard to my family. My mom called and wanted me to go to the Youth orchestra concert. But I don't want to go. She needs me to run to the carehome and ride back with Grandma Anderson in the HandyDart. The home is not well staffed enough to actually make sure that she gets on the right HandyDart. They simply park her in the office.

I feel really selfish right now. I don't want to go to the concert, I don't want to ride in the the HandyDart, and it isn't up to me to cover the staffing shortfalls of the provincially-funded carehome.

God, I feel like such a loser right now. I am just tired of having to help the parents cope with plans that they make and expect me to help them fulfill on some level.

Ah well. I am off to bed. I start the Corporate Rowing challenge tomorrow, and I must get my stuff lined up.

the blog

Between Facebook and my blog, I don't know what to keep updated. Each has it's advantages... so stay tuned.

That is the extent of my blog creativity at the moment.

Berlin

Berlin

London

London

Exeter

Exeter

organic cotton

So, I am feeling a little bit better this morning. I think the fact that we are finally getting some sunshine is helping loads. I am so tired of dreary days. I mean, it is cloudy today, but at least it isn't dark. I got so sick and tired of it being dark all the time. So yay for good weather!

For the first time, about a week ago, I was able to open the sunroof on my car. A true sign of warmer weather. And higher spirits. But allergies, good lord! 'Tis the season. My hayfever has been going nuts for about 10 days. It is pretty annoying. Having to stop and sneeze when driving because you can't stop sneezing is pretty annoying.

But I love having fulltime work. I have to watch my expenses, but not as tightly as before. And I can try and save some money too. I am thinking about purchasing property in two years, and so I need to be responsible AND take care of my student loan debt.

I went to MEC the other day and bought some great new polo shirts. They have released a line of organic cotton clothing. I know, we've all seen it before, but it is pretty cool that MEC has priced it so that they are accessible. Organic cotton Polo shirts for $19? Tshirts for $12? That is pretty darn good for ANY shirt, never mind organic. Not mention, I really enjoy the colours. :-)

I have been trying to be a little more aware of my 'cunsumptiveness' with regard to the environment. That being said, I drive to work everyday in a single-occupant vehicle. I could take the bus, but I am LAZY. I would have to get up much earlier to catch the bus, and my laziness/desire to sleep overrides my environmental sensibilities. But I do what I can.

Speaking of the environment, in the last week I have watched An Inconvenient Truth and Who killed the Electric Car? Both are excellent films, and I would reccommend them both to everyone. An Inconvenient Truth is by far the most depressing of the two, but who every claimed that climate change was supposed to be uplifting?

And those are my thoughts for the day.

life just keeps rollin'

I had a really bad day at work today. I mean, like, crawl under a bush and die kind of day. But all ended okay, and I headed off to the Brentwood Bay Lodge for a drink with Dave, which was great. Both of our work days were less than stellar, so it was nice to have a couple of pints to relax. Then I spent 30 minutes arguing with VISA about my card... and got treated like garbage by the rep. Long story.

I was feeling a little pissed at this point. Bailed on my parents, and headed back to Eric's house (he's away in Van for the next 3 months). I thought that I would take it easy, do some tidying, laundry, and assemble the bookshelf he bought at Walmart.

Trust Walmart to sell a book case where the screws strip the allen key. What the fuck is that? So now there is a half-assembled (not even) bookcase sitting on the living room floor, and I am angry!!!!

And drinking beer. Beer solves all problems... which is mildly concerning. I miss Eric...

I want him to come home.

But life, keeps on rollin'

gah

and gah to the world too.

Geez, social engagements at the parent's house are so stressful.

Always.

last minute change of plans

Off to Poco tonight to hear the Creddence Clearwater Revival band with Eric and his dad... I love being spontaneous! This weekend is looking up!

and yes, I know this band is really me.

kinda

So, I feel kinda like I've checked out a bit. I have a lot of good in my life right now, and a lot of promising perspectives. But I don't know why I feel so detached from all of it. I really don't like where I live. The house smells, and we ran out of heating oil, so the house is always cold, and smells really dank. I never see my roommates, no body ever cleans, and I am tired of living with people. I haven't prepared a meal in months. No joke. The fanciest thing I have produced in my kitchen is tea. But I also don't feel much like doing anything about either, since we are all moving out at the end of April.

I have to find a place for May 1. Which seems like a really daunting prospect. I don't even really want to get together with friends. Everything feels like an effort. Since I got back from my trip I have been so exhausted all the time. It is starting to worry me, that I am so tired all the time. I'm told that it can actually take your body a couple of weeks to get over the westward time difference, but I dunno.

Blah. I just feel a little bit blah.

But like I said, I have a lot of good. I really like my new job, and am finding it pretty rewarding. Definitely a steep learning curve, but enjoying it nonetheless. Eric and I are getting along famously, and just celebrated 2 months together this past week (no small feat for me, conidering I have never been in a relationship).

Anyways, I'm just ranting. Things will look up. Maybe some sunshine would help. Cause good lord, I am SICK and tired of it being grey here all the time. It really blows balls.

I think I'll go to Nanaimo this weekend and chill at the sister's place. I dunno.

i'm out...

blah

Samara left today... moving back to Nelson.

Dave is sad now.

whew...

Well, after bring up for 24 consecutive hours, I am home. I think next time I would plan the flights a little differently. We left Berlin at 1pm (4am PST), then had a layover in London for 3 hours before getting on the flight to Vancouver that left an hour late at 5:45pm GMT (8am PST), then were on the plane until 6:45pm PST when it landed in Vancouver. We had a semi-long wait at passport control, and kind of got grilled a bit (Eric more than me) and then a really long wait for our bags. So we missed the PCL coach from the airport, and we had to take a taxi to the ferry ($$$). Then we caught the 9pm ferry. Simon and Kira met us at the ferry terminal, and we drove Eric home and then I got home, at 12am PST, which is 9am Berlin time, precisely 24 hours after I woke up.

I think I would have a longer connection maybe. Either at least a day in London, or perhaps a connection in Toronto. I know it sounds crazy, who actually asks for connections? I do. I spent far too long on an airplane yesterday.

But I had a great time over there. I saw a lot of sights that we don't have over here, ate some different foods (some of which disagreed with me, but all of which tasted good). I even saw an English-language version of "The Queen" in Berlin. All of our hosts (Hannah in London, Miriam and Tara in Berlin) were very gracious, and full of good sightseeing ideas, as well as some more obscure, not-quite-on-the-map sights, like the East Side Gallery in Berlin.

Anyways, I have more then 700 pictures to look through, so I will have some to post shortly!

and I'm back.

enough

The trip has ended...

Almost. We are just about finished here in Berlin. And I have to say that I am ready to go home. I am craving my own things. My bed, my pillow, my food... I am kind of tired of having to 'figure out' everything, you know? I got a little bit lost on the transit systems today (Berlin has three different kinds of trains operated by 2 different bodies, but one schedule) and I had a little freak out when I couldn't find a map of the system in the largest station on the network.

But that aside, I have had a good time. We went out to Sansoucci today, which is the Versailles of Germany. It was beautiful, it is this huge park with 5 palaces in it. The park itself was beautiful, but it was kind of cold and windy too. Eric and I went to Potsdamer Platz on the way back for dinner, and ate an Australian bar. I had a burger, but I could have gotten kangaroo meat if I wanted to! Eww!! I couldn't imagine eating a little kangaroo!

It is Sunday night here, we are planning to watch the Oscars tonight (live, which is 2am-6am Berlin time), and then Eric and I have Monday in Berlin before flying out Tuesday afternoon. 1pm flight from Tegel Airport, we will layover in London for 4 hours, and then back in Vancouver at 6ish on Tuesday night. 9pm ferry home, a gracious ride from the ferry courtesy of Simon and Kira, and then off to my own bed.

I'm out for now!

Ich bin in Berlin!

Hi all,

I am in Berlin now, and have been since Monday night. But internet access here isn't as cheap or frequent as North America, so here I am at Tara's place, finally catching up on email and dropping a note to the bloggers.

I had a good time in London. I really enjoyed spending time with Hannah and Eric while we were there. I will admit though, that I had a little breakdown on Monday. Hannah had gone back to Exeter for class the previous night, and Eric and I were spending our last day together in London. We went out to Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum, but it was too long of a queue, and the admission was £25.00, which is too much.

I wasn't feeling well, kind of nauseous. I went to a chemist and got a drug that I had never heard of, and then got nervous about taking it. So I decided to get some food. I saw a Subway (I know, we can get Subway at home, but it really appealed) and I got lunch. Eric left me there and walked up the street to see where the Sherlock Holmes museum was. I decided that I wanted to talk to Liz, so I called her, and got the answering machine. I left the weirdest message ever, and then hung up. I don't know what did it, but all of a sudden I just had the uncontrollable urge to cry. I kept it back for a little bit, then the floodgates opened. So I had a quiet little cry sitting on Baker Sreet in London, and Eric came back and found me weeping into my sandwich. Well, I had realized that I was a little tired and overwhelmed by the city, and a little bit homesick. But after my little cry, I felt a lot better. My nausea was gone, and I have been enjoying myself since. Even the language barrier in Berlin isn't really bothering me that much.

But I must go. We are going to watch a movie and drink Radlers. It is this gross-sounding drink that it half-beer, half-orange Fanta, but it is freaking delicious! Everybody here drinks them.

We are seeing the sights, and I have tonnes of pictures to show when I get back. I will try and post again before I head back.

Tschuß aus Deutschland!

from the UK

Hi everyone,

I arrived in Exeter late last night. Travel was a little bit of an ordeal, but here I am. I STILL don't feel like I have arrived though... Exeter looks a lot like Victoria. I mean a lot. For one thing, there are seagulls. Another thing: it is pouring rain, grey, and overcast. Third thing: everyone is carrying an umbrella. Fourth: the university architecture is almost identical. I could be writing this on a grey, rainy day in the Craigdarroch residences at UVic.

But, I am sure that will change later today. Hannah has her Chaucer class until noon, and then we are off into Exeter itself to see the cathedral, and the rest of the sights before catching a train into London tonight. I think when I get to London I will really feel like I have gone somewhere.

Travel: Flight leaves at 8.30pm. Must take 1pm ferry to ensure we are at Vancouver International soon enough. Get there early, at 3.15pm. 5 hours before our flight. Wait one hour before the check in desk even open. Check in. Discover the plane was late leaving London, so our flight is delayed until 9.35pm. Clear airport security. YVR has embarked on a massive reno project, meaning there are 3 cafes, 1 duty free, and a pro shop open. Can't even buy a book. Waste many hours sitting in terminal, getting increasingly cranky (sorry Eric!). Plane arrives, excitement builds. Then all of a sudden "British Airways is paging the following passenger: Would David Ross please report to gate D52 for a message." Heart leaps into throat. Go to D52, turns out that they were concerned they had lost my bag: both of our bags were checked under Eric's name. No problem. Finally board aircraft. Oops, they have to run tests. Sit on the tarmac for ten minutes. Finally take off, at 10.40pm, more than 2 hours late.

Flight over OK. Dinner and drinks served after takeoff. Chose a movie, fell asleep. Got woken up at 5am PST for breakfast, which was nasty. Delays at Heathrow. Holding pattern for 15 minutes. Land. No free gates. Wait ten minutes. Finally get off the aircraft. I feel like garbage, and my cough is coming back at this point. Get through Passport Control pretty quickly (20 minutes) then off to the Arrivals level. Bags claimed no problem. Take Eric to the Heathrow Express station to get him settled on his way to London. I go the National Express desk to pick up my ticket for the Bus to Exeter. I pick it up at the Terminal 4 desk, as instructed on my online confirmation. The lady says "The bus leaves from the Central Bus Station at Terminal 1. Go take the Heathrow Express (no charge) but you will probably miss your bus." Run back to Heathrow Express. Run down the esclator. Run into Eric on the platform. We get on the train. Train gets to Terminal 1 at 5.15, bus leaves at 5.25pm. RUN down the worlds longest corridor. Follow sign to Terminal 1. Take a long escalator ride. Get off escalator. Go around corner, another escalator. Ride it. Another corner, another escalator. RUN up it with my bag. Go around corner: long hallway. Start running. Completely don't see the travelator, so ran next to it. 5.20pm. Arrive in hub where 4 corridors meet, no more signs for the Central Bus Station. Finally spot an elevator with a paper sign on the door "Temporary Lift to Central Bus Station." Take it. Get to bus station. 5.23pm. Run to info desk, go to platform... Bus is 30 minutes late.

Got on the bus, and slept, slept, slept. 3.5 hours later, arrived in Exeter. Hannah met me, we walked back to her flat at the school, and was finally able to relax. Took the best shower of my life, and went to bed.

I suppose it could have been much worse. It actually isn't that bad. I just wanted to document that part of my trip before I forgot.

I can't wait to get to London tonight!

and I'm out for now!

Europe, here I come!

I'm off to Europe tomorrow! I'll see you guys later!!!

here i go...

I am enjoying my last two days off before I leave for my trip. Today is Saturday, and I leave on Wednesday! I am getting very excited. But my goodness, I have had a lot of work to do in the meantime.

Every time I do something to get ready for the trip, I am reminded of just how close it actually is. Today, I went to the bank and bought some pounds sterling so that I have a little cash when I land in London. I asked for £50, and it cost me $116 Canadian! But I am trying not to think about the expense of the UK, I'll worry about the VISA bill when I get back.

But yes, preparations abound. I need to make arrangements to get to the ferry terminal on Wednesday, go to my parents to get the suitcase I am using, I need to do laundry, get my carry-on bag prepped with the bare essentials (apparently British Airways has been losing a lot of luggage lately...) I have so much to get done!

But it will all happen. Speaking of which, I need to go. I'll try and post another update before I leave!

and I'm out...

more info

Okay, for those of you who were not in the know on things, the aforementioned position that I got hired for today was:

Administrative Assistant to the Director of PR at Butchart Gardens.

Yes, it is a full time position. Yes, I have had to drop out of school. Well, not completely. I have dropped three of the four courses that I was taking. The schedule at this job is such that I can continue with my English 401 Web Design course.

I am not quitting school. I want to make that clear. What I am doing is restructuring my education. Right now, I am a third-year English student with two years left, and $25,000 in debt. And so, I have decided to get a job and PAY my way through the rest of my degree with real money, not student loans. Yes, it will take a little longer, but this was an opportunity that I could not refuse. So I took it.

And that is all. Tomorrow, I have an appointment with a financial advisor to determine the best bet for my pension benefits, and then I am off for a fantastic haircut. To that end, I am posting a 'before' picture tonight. I will post an 'after' picture tomorrow... And yes I know I look like a creeper...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!!!!!

I got the job!! WOOT WOOT!!!

Not really able to communicate how happy I am right now... not at all...

Just imagine me jumping up and down in excitement at the bus loop at UVic when I found out... perhaps that image will help you!

weeping...

AHH!!! So MacBooks are supposed to be indestructible, right? Right? I even double checked on Apple's website, and found this direct quote:

"And since MacBook is sure to become your constant companion, a durable polycarbonate shell keeps it ready for the rough and tumble of everyday life."

So since my MacBook IS my constant companion (it goes to school with me every day), how in god's name did THIS happen?

And Apple wants my computer for THREE WEEKS to repair it?

Did I drop it, you ask? Throw it across the room? Oh no, I was simply typing merrily along, when I lifted my wrist and this little plastic edge started to peel away. So now my beautiful MacBook has a piece of scotch tape holding it together...

Boo...

academia

To loosely quote Eric, I feel like I am losing my passion for school. I don't know what it is, but with each passing week, my courses become duller and duller. This semester, I am taking four courses: Conversational German, Early Victorian Lit, Copy Editing, and Web Design. I am only enjoying one of those courses. The others just feel like work.

I am disliking German a LOT!! It seems like no matter what I do, I am incapable of succeeding in that course. There is homework due every single day. I hate it! And with Copy Editing, I just don't care, I really have no desire to go an sit in that classroom and listen to a lecture on the construction of adverbial phrases. Several times I have been in WebReg for one reason or another, and it has struck me that with two mouse clicks, that course could be out of my life forever. Really. It would be that simple. Web Design is okay, except that we are moving at a snail's pace. Early Victorian Lit, on the other hand, is amazing! Dr. Surridge is so passionate about her subject. Her lectures are engaging and varied, and really promote discussion and questions from the class. I would definitely take courses from her again.

One of the reasons that I feel so discombobulated lately is that I have an incredible employment opportunity that has come my way, which I applied for. I got shortlisted and interviewed (today, actually), and think that I have a decent shot. I should find out by Friday whether I got the job or not. Monday at the latest. I just kind of want to know, you know? I have so many projects coming up in the next 10 days, but do I need to apply myself to them or not? If I get the job, the answer is no, as I will be dropping those courses. But I need to apply myself in case I don't get the job.

Why is life so complicated some times? lol

But ah well. Life is not so bad! School aside, I feel a little more 'balanced' of late. Maybe Eric has something to do with that? I dunno! And yes, Eric, I know you are reading this too. But I really enjoy spending my time with Eric, and thinking about him, and waiting to talk to him at night, and becoming a clingy, overly-obsessed boyfriend. I just hope I don't scare him off!

On that note, I am going to bed. I have finished reading Wuthering Heights, and now I need to start reading Cranford. Yay!

sitting in the computer lab...

life goes on...

so much homework to do...

and i don't want to do any of it.

laid off

I got laid off at the Gardens again...

Little does Payroll know, I start there tomorrow in a different department! AH-hahahahahahahah!!!!!

Take THAT, unnecessary paperwork!

I can really be an ass sometimes!

Eric

Here it is, as promised. A picture of Eric. I hope this works out!

a BIG update!

Well, this update isn't big in quantity, but it is big in substance.

As some of you know, I have had myself out there on a few online dating sites, inspired by the success of Claire. Well, after a few coffee dates and some odd moments, I think that I have finally met someone. I don't mean to be cliched, but we really clicked when we met the other day, and have been spending a lot of time together. We are very similar in nature, and both enjoy each other's company. I am very happy, but also very cautious. You know us virgos, there always has to be a barrier of some sort!

Anyways, his name is Eric, he's 29, and a boom operator (he holds the big fuzzy microphone over actors on tv sets). I'll post a pic later on when I get a chance.

That being said, I am off to school (and lunch with Eric!!)

updates are in order

So it has been a ridiculously long time since I last updated my blog. Several times over the last *gasp* 8 weeks I have thought of updating, but have just never gotten around to it. Other things to do I guess.

So what has happened? Well, I got my cast off in mid-November, and my ankle is healing well, although the physiotherapy is a royal pain in the rear. I can only seem to go early in the morning, and I feel like I keep doing the same excercises, only to have little progress actually made. But the good part of all this is that my fitness levels are increasing. I managed to gain a little bit of weight while my mobility was resticted, so I am happy to be a little more active. I am now walking at least one way to school every day, usually both ways, so things work out pretty well.

In the middle of October, I went to Vancouver to see the "Body Worlds 3" exhibit at Science World, now unfortunately named the Telus World of Science. The exhibit was okay, but after awhile it was pretty tiring, and somewhat absurd. I was expecting it to be cold, hard science (no pun intended) but there was an element of the theatrical which I found perturbing. Not to mention the fact that one body looks a lot like the next. There was also a somewhat-disturbing focus on the perfect body: none of the bosies on display were overweight, they were all perfect specimens, and the ones that still had skin were all caucasian. It was a little weird. Factor in the $21 admission rate (yes, that was the student rate!!) and the exhibit wasn't worth the price. All in all, I can say that I went, but I wouldn't reccommend the exhibit to anyone who wasn't an anatomy student.

While I was in Vancouver, I met up with Lindsay and Ryan and saw their new place, and spent the night with them. It was really nice to see Linds, as we hadn't been chatting much because of school. We walked up to a Starbucks near her house and had a good chin-wag. It was good.

In October I quit my job with Cinecenta, and applied for a position with the Student Facilities Group to work in the Clearihue Computer Lab. I got the job, and it has been working out pretty well. It is definitely lacking in some areas, but the wage certainly makes up for it. I do miss the people at Cinecenta, and the set schedule of hours, but it was a good move, financially at least.

For the November Reading Break I went to Nelson with Ella to visit my friend Samara's parents and drop Ella off at her mom's house. It was a great couple of days, spent hanging out with Samara and her family, doing very little, and eating a lot of amazing food! Samara's dad is a coop owner of the Kooteny Coop Bakery, and there stuff is amazing! The Baker's Breakfast on a spelt pizza bun? Definitely yummy! And the coffee from Oso Negro was delicious as well. I just wish we had more time, it didn't seem like long enough. My car did pretty well through the mountains. Road conditions were favourable, and Samara and I shared the driving. The drive up with Ella was fun, but we had to spend the night in Hope at the Alpine Motel because there was a blizzard going through the mountains. On the way home, Samara and I got caught in that dreadful storm that swept through the lower mainland. Incredible winds, power outages, no traffic lights. It was a nightmare! It took us two hours to get from Langley to the ferry terminal. But the trip was good, and I had a good time. I will really miss Samara when she moves back to Nelson in February, but I guess it will be one more excuse to go visit her!

In late November, I picked up a new job. Chris's parents bought a coffee shop downtown, and they brought me on board to help them out as a managing consultant. I also get to work the bar ocassionally. It is a great opportunity, and one that I wouldn't pass up, but it is job number three for me! Between three jobs and school, I have been stretched pretty thin this last little while.

Speaking of school, classes wound down last week, and I just finished a run of exams. I had German 200 on Monday afternoon, which I suspect is a disaster, and then I had my oral exam for German on Wednesday. It went alright, but the TA kept interrupting me and it through me off, so I made a few mistakes. But they can't be expecting too much, it isn't like we spoke German in class very often. I wrote my Shakespeare final last night, but it was pretty good. I felt reasonably confident coming out. I will interested to see what my final mark turns out to be.

Finally, I put myself on Lavalife and Plenty of Fish, and have had a couple of interesting leads. In fact, I even have a date tonight!

I think that this pretty much sums up what has been going on in the last little while. Not to mention, the longest blog post in awhile. Hopefully I get some pictures up soon.

And I'm out...

update

So I don't have much to update on, except that ENGL 353: Introduction to Medieval Literature is a freaking hard course! The prof assigns a LOT of work. Next week, we have two hours of reading for each class, a five page assignment due on Thursday, and a translation quiz on Thursday as well. And that is a typical week.

And, in typical Dave fashion, I have been procrastinating quite badly. I am going to rearrange my room, do the dishes, go see a movie, go for coffee, do ANYTHING except my schoolwork. Add to that, I started up on MySpace. So there is a few hours out the window right there.

Speaking of movies, I went and saw Little Muss Sunshine. It is one of the best movies I have seen in years. Well executed, and absolutely hilarious. I have now seen it twice, and laughed my ass off both times! If you have an opportunity, I would strongly recommend seeing this film. Not to mention, the soundtrack is so cute!

And I'm off to my German class...

I'm tired, cranky, and sore. My ankle hurts, and now my arms and hands hurt from the crutches... life's a bitch.

But it could be much worse. To quote Monty Python: "Always look on the bright, side of life"

So yep, my ankle is broken. I broke my fibula in 2 places, and have to get a cast. I'll be on crutches for the next 4-6 weeks, and in my "AirCast" for 6 weeks, followed up by more xrays. Oh well.

The bad thing is that the cast is approx $300 dollars, and it might not be covered under my health insurance, which is super shitty.

So I had people from work over for an end-of-year party last night, and everybody had a great time. The clincher? I have likely borken my ankle. We don't know for sure, I am going in for xrays tomorrow morning, but it sure looks/feels broken. How'd I do it? I fell the down the last half of the stairs from our deck to the backyard...

Oh well, shitty things happen. Maybe people will pay alot of attention to me if I am temporarily crippled. The bad news is that I had to cancel a shift at the Gardens, cause I can't really work a standing canape reception with a broken ankle, can I?

My house is pissing me off...

Sitting in Nanaimo

Alright, so here I am in Nanaimo popping in on Liz and Chris' place. They are getting back from Europe in about a week. Hopefully they will have brought something for me with them. I just wanted to include some pictures from my Okanangan visit. So below, here they are!


A view from the top of Knox Mountain, looking across the bridge over Okanagan Lake.


The view from Cedar Creek Estate Winery


The view from the patio at NK'MIP Cellars, where we ate lunch.


The Grotto at NK'MIP, where they age their red wine in oak barrels.


The view into the vineyard at Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland. It used to be the fairway for the first hole of a gold course, before Sumac Ridge bought the course and started the winery.


This is a picture of the Barrel Cellar at Mission Hill Family Estate Winery. It is underground, and quite a dramatic site. It was just a little too polished for my liking, like a "Disneyland of Wineries." The Barrel Cellar is stunning, but you just know that there is a warehouse somewhere stacked high with barrels and lit with fluorescent lights, where they actually make wine. It was stunning there, but a little fake.


Above ground at Mission Hill. They have a stunning site. The entrance to the Barrel Cellar is underneath the bell tower.


This is one of the cutest dogs I have ever met. His name is Tux (for Tuxedo) and he is on the sweetest dogs ever. I wanted to take him home, but Rowan's mom wouldn't part with him.

so much wine...

So I have been up in the Okanagan for the last three days, and man, have I tasted a lot of wine. Rowan's parents have been gracious enough to let us stay with them in Kelowna, and we have been running around. On Sunday, we went to Summerhill Pyramid Winery, and Cedar Creek Estate Winery. Monday, we went down to Osoyoos, and went to NK'MIP Cellars, where we had lunch. I had caribou sausage and bison steak. It was really quite good. On our way home we stopped at the Golden Beaver Winery, which was an experience in and of itself. This morning, we went to Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland, then on to Mission Hill Family Estate Winery. After Mission Hill, we stopped at Quail's Gate. Needless to say, I have purchase 6 bottles of wine for myself.

Anyways, I am on a borrowed internet connection, so pictures and details will follow later!

And I'm out...

BaratsandBereta.com

These two guys make this videos, among others, and they are all pretty darn funny. From what I can gather, they attend Gonzaga University, a Jesuit university in Spokane, WA. Visit their website at BaratsandBereta.com and prepare to laught your ass off. They are also posted on YouTube.com

omg

I don't know where these people come from...

long time no blog

So, as usual, it has been a long time since my last entry. Here we go in a nutshell:

We had our Corporate Challenge Regatta on June 3rd: My team took the championship in our division (Challenger Quad). It was a lot of fun, Claire dropped by to watch, and a great time was had by all at the party afterward.

I bought my ticket to go to London/Exeter/Berlin/Munich/wherever Tara will be living in February. Quite exciting, now that I actually have the ticket. Although I have some supreme jealousy. Liz and Chris are going to Europe for three weeks this August. I hope they have a good time, but they better bring me something!

I am settling into a routine at the new house. We are coming up on two months now, and so far there haven't been any roommate clashes, so we are doing pretty well, considering that there are 6 people living in the house.

I had the Father's Day from hell. Mom mad at Matthew, Liz and Chris trying to get back up the island to take care of their pug, and mom angry at me for having the gall to make breakfast plans, even though we agreed that I would go to their house at 12:30pm, so suck it up Mom. But Chris' parents came as well, we had a barbeque (although we ate indoors), and it ended up pretty well. I also found out that my Mom is certain that I was molested by the janitor at my elementary school, who was arrested on molestation charges last year. I found this out from my siblings. Thanks a bundle, mom.

Work is work. I am not really enjoying it this year. They are cracking down on expenses, and management is riding everybody really hard. My director has me terrified to take a lunch break or 10 minutes to have a glass of water, cause he always comes down to check on the outlet when i am on my break, and has this impression that I am never there. Add to that chronic understaffing, and it is a pretty stressful place.

What else...

I had breakfast with Mera on Sunday at DeDutch. It was good, but not quite what we were looking for. But Mera treated, and we had a good time.

I think that is everything I can come up with at the moment. I'll post some pictures later!

new house

Here I am two weeks after my move. Everything went pretty well. I am really liking the new place, and looking forward to getting settled in even more. I just have this to say: Hardwood floors need a lot of cleaning. And I mean a lot. It seems like they are always dirty!

But I have had a very productive day. I walked up to UVic this morning and declared my program, English Major with a Minor in Professional Writing. I also picked up the new Academic Calendar for next year, so I can start choosing my courses for next year. Except I have a late registration date (July 5) so we'll see what I actually get in to. I also mowed the lawn today! House looks a lot better for having a tidy lawn!

Anyways, back to domesticity. The bathroom needs a good cleaning.

I'm out.

new home, new bed

Well, after two days my move is complete. I, however, am entering one of my world-famous, "I don't care anymore about anything now fuck off" funks.

And it's pissing me off.

But Keenan is making Kraft Dinner, and we are going to veg out in front of the TV tonight. So I should try and cheer up.

elk lake isn't warm in april

Oh, dear lord.

So we were all rowing merrily along this afternoon on Elk Lake, when all of a sudden, two of our rowers got out of sync, and got their oars caught in the water. We started to tilt to starboard. So, being the "experienced" rower that I am, I decided to compensate by depressing the flat side of my oar against the surface of the lake in order to counteract the forces pulling us to starboard.

But there was one thing...

My oar wasn't squared against the surface of the water. Oh no, it was perpendicular. So what happened? I too got my oar caught, and contributed to the forces pulling us over. The boat started to slowly tilt, and I though "Well, we've tipped this far before, and we always recover." Except we didn't. All of a sudden, Elk Lake was filling our boat over the starboard gunnel, and we swamped the boat and flipped.

That's right, we flipped the boat, dumping all of us rather unceremoniously into the lake. The cold, cold lake. And when you are rowing, your feet are velcroed into shoes that are fastened to the boat. So as we started to swamp, someone yelled "FEET!" and we all tried to pull the emergency release on our shoes before we went right over. Luckily, we did. Another bit of luck: the coach boat was following us, and they have life preservers.

So there we are, beaching ourselves over our capsized boat, and we are thinking "the coach boat will pick us up, and we'll go back to the boathouse and dry off/warm up." Except that when you flip a $15,000+ boat, its recovery become fairly important. And so we had to STAY in the freezing lake, remove all of the oars from the boat, and pass them into the coach boat. Then, we had to flip the boat back to upright. Then we got to climb into the coach boat. But wait, we have to tow the boat back to shore. Well, there is nothing more exciting than freezing your ass of in wet clothes, with no shoes, while leaning out the side of the coach boat to hold a swamped/sinking rowing shell beside you as you creep back to the boathouse.

Once we got to shore, we all got to shower, which was fortunate. It was also fortunate that I had brought a towel in my backpack today. It was unfortunate that I had no change of clothes. So off with everything (including skivvies), a hot shower, then putting on the wet swimsuit (ick), and helping bring the submerged boat back up to the boathouse.

Needless to say, an eventful day.

Now my warm, cozy bed is beckoning. I think I shall heed its call.

kinda fitting, eh?

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Night Glider Your Superpower is Radiation Your Weakness is Vince Vaughn Your Weapon is Your Strobe Club Your Mode of Transportation is Seahorse

What's your Superhero Name?

whoa

so it's been more than a month. but a lot has happened, and will be happening. Pictures, updates, text, and rants will follow shortly.

because I am done exams, I now have more time to spend on my blog...

which isn't necessarily good.

german, party, and news

So I have been out of touch for the past couple of weeks, simply due to school overload. But most of that is behind me now, so I can focus and relax a little. I know, they sound like two things that shouldn't go together, but being able to focus coherently brings order to chaos, which eases stress/causes relaxation.

I got my German midterm back, and I didn't fare too well; 53%. But the test was grossly oversized for the 50-minute timeslot it was scheduled for. Only two people left the room ahead of time. 8 of the marks I lost were for mis-spelling words, or forgetting to finish words completely, which got worse towards the end of the test, and was caused by lack of time.

I went to a St. Patrick's Day party on Friday at Michael's house. An amazing time was had by all. I drank too much (way too much), smoked some weed (big mistake) and tottered home at 3:30am in the morning. I then got four hours of sleep, because the sun came out and woke me up, and Samara's mom made the three of us poached eggs on toast, which was exactly what I needed before heading to Cinecenta to work a split 8-hour shift. Needless to say, Sunday was pretty much a write off, except for a great walk that Mera and I went on. I hadn't been to Witty's Lagoon in a long time, and it was great to go there. I forgot how beautiful Metchosin is.

But something else happened at the party on Friday that is worth mentioning; I met someone. Someone I want to spend more time with and get to know. We had coffee today at the school, just sat in the sun on the Quad and talked. It was great. He has to bury himself in some papers over the next couple of weeks, but we are going to do a couple of movie nights (hopefully) once his work load eases a bit.

Anyways, I am off for another walk downtown with Mera, maybe I'll buy her a coffee, and then off to Paboom to buy a journal.

Cheers all!

random

so...

i was going to clean my room, and then I was like "I need to change the background on my blog."

So i did...

You are now looking at a picture of the MacLaurin Building at Uvic. Ain't it hot?

I have been really into architecture and photos lately. I need to buy a book on it. Speaking of books, Mera loaned me "Magical Thinking" by Augusten Burroughs, which is probably the best book/collection of short stories I have ever read. Really a hoot. Maybe if I keep it long enough, Mera will forget she owns it. I also recently read "Brokeback Mountain" by Annie Proulx. It was amazing, movie hype aside. It actually opens up the movie, if you get what I understand what I mean. I also need to read "Rise of Rome" by the ancient Roman historian Livy. Not exciting, in the slightest.

Anyways, I think I will finish cleaning my room now.

and I'm out.

worst job ever

This guy has a terrible job. Mind the langauge in the video...


Click here to view

lack of activity

Rachel was right, there has been a lack of activity around here lately. I had a crazy, crazy week before reading break. I did indeed write the midterm that I had stopped caring about, and it was indeed something i should have been caring about. The exam was uber specific, so I don't know how I did. I also wrote my History midterm, with what I am sure are to be good results. The Prof scared the bejesus out of the class with the proposed content on the exam, but it ended up being 10 multiple-choice and an essay question, so it went really well.

On Sunday I headed up to Nanaimo to hang out with Liz and Chris, and did absolutely nothing. Lindsay drove up the island with me, and we hung out in the afternoon before dropping her off at the ferry back to Vancouver. I came back down on Wednesday, worked, and then went to Vancouver with Keenan on Thursday. We took care of some business, and then hung out for the rest of the day. We went to Mountain Equipment Co-op and I got a man-purse (they call it a travel satchel) and a new mug for work. We hit Metrotown and IKEA in the afternoon after having lunch with Lindsay, had dinner and went to the ferry. All in all, it was a great day, good to hang out with a friend on a little mini-holiday.

But I gotta stop blogging and get back to work! I have a research paper due next Monday and I haven't started at all!

not good

it is really bad to get a case of the "i-don't-care-anymores" the night before a midterm in a course that you haven't done any of the required reading for

here i am

here i am, after cleaning the bathroom at my parents. I am tired, and my arm is sore from scrubbing. Matthew isn't able to clean the bathroom anymore due to his back, so no one does it.

Which reinforces the fact that I could never move home until they got a cleaning lady and kept her. Sad, but true.

No movement on the mould front. I want to go back to my house. This is day three at the parents, and I am going a little stir crazy here right now. I want my bed, my music, my books, my notes, my life, my food, and I really miss socializing with the roomies in the evening. Much as I love the family, everything in my family is always so sensational, and it can be trying sometimes. I am going to call the landlady tonight and give her and update (she is back from New York) so we can get this issue resolved. I like living where I am, and I want to resume that.

Now that the schock has worn off, I think I can approach this from a more level-headed space than before. I knew about mould on the windows and the bathroom ceiling, and I could handle that. Single-pane wood-fram windows do get extremely wet and mould as a result, and the bathroom fan isn't great, so the ceiling gets mouldy (Crystal graciously cleans it) but I wasn't awaere to what extent there was mould in the house. Samara had a small run-in with mould behind her bookcase, but that was one time. What got me was the shock of finding it, and finding it all over my stuff. That was really upsetting.

But on to greener pastures. I went to the BC Archives yesterday and found the public inquiry I was looking for, and Greek and Roman studies was cancelled today, so I got home early, so all is pretty good. Chicken for dinner, and then on with the evening!

i feel like a bag of all-sorts

meaning i feel out of sorts, sort of. I found a LOT of mould in my closet today, and it was disgusting. Anywhere that something was touching an exterior wall, it moulded. About 12 of my ties are at the drycleaner now (covered in mould, that may not come off), along with 3 sweaters, including lambs wool from my late grandpa and my dad, that are worth a lot. I hope that they come clean. Not too mention the dry cleaning bill...

Most of my uniform is mouldy, except the shirts, all of my bedding (except what was on the bed), along with all of my expensive microfiber shirts I wear in the summer, as well as my rowing gear. My goosedown slippers are ruined, and I had a throwcushion that was actually green with mould on it, not just spotty.

Part of me feels like I am over-reacting. But I have respiratory allergies anyways, and so I am not going to subject my lungs to the mould unneccessarily. I have been having "allergies" all winter, and I was just chalking them up to odd weather we have been having this season, but maybe it was the mould all along. And the mould was/is gross. I called the landlady, who is in New York, and she told me to call someone in to look at the mould and see what needs to be done to fix the problem, and to let her know. She also wants the roomies to look for mould. Mould removal is expensive. Sure, you can wash it off the surface, but it is still in the wall itself. I am worried that the landlady is getting in for an expensive repair, but one that has to be done nonetheless.

In the meantime, I have uprooted a compact version of my life and am residing at the parents place for now, washing the mould out of what washes, and waiting to hear from the mould man. But the guest bed is not MY bed, and it actually takes longer to get to UVic from here (3 kms away) than it does from my house. I dunno what to do...

Oh well, in the meantime, beddy bye for Dave. Below are a couple of pictures for your delectation...

Mouldy shelf! Mouldy wet wall!


Mouldy ties!

i don't heart junk mail

I am so sick of junk mail in my mailbox. I got the most ridiculous subject line today:

"If your penis looks like an old shrivelled banana under the bedsheets, use Super Viagra!!"

I want these people to fuck off! Get out of my mailbox!

On any given day, I get approximately 50 junk mails, to an account that I never give out on the web. It is bloody ridiculous. They should do some market research before sending these things to 22 year old men.

Even if my penis DID look like a shrivelled banana under the bedsheets (which incidentally, it doesn't) I wouldn't consult my junk mail box for advice, I would go to a DOCTOR!!

JEEBUS!

On a positive note, at least the junk mail filter in Outlook is good enough to catch every, single one of these emails and divert them out of my inbox. Thank god. I just hate deleting these things.

GAH! AGH! and an ARGH! for good measure!

i heart the sound of music

I forgot just how much I love "The Sound of Music." That movie makes me spontaneously smile, a giant plus.

Part 2 to be watched in the coming days!

one down, twelve to go...

So, first week of classes is over. My professional writing course is going to be a snap. Today, the prof couldn't show up, so he sent a TA instead to supervise an in-class assignment. The task? Write a memorandum on how to write a cover letter. Then leave.

It wasn't difficult. And he cancelled class for tomorrow. So I can SLEEP IN!! YAY!

Tomorrow is going to be a great day. The 8.30am class is cancelled, and German (at 11.30) is only an orientation in the CALL Facility, which is moronically simple, and then I have Greek and Roman studies at 12.30, then done for the day.

I shut down my wireless network, aand now have a 50ft cable running into the kitchen for network access. It aint pretty, but it does the job. The wireless network kept booting my computer off the network, usually in the middle of downloading my latest purchase from iTunes, and then wouldn't let me back on. Several times a day. I bought a new wireless router to replace the old one, but that didn't work either, same problem. And before you all say that it is my computer causing the problem, it uses other wireless networks without a hiccup.

Technology: they say that it is great, and that it is supposed to help us, but there are times when I doubt that.

First day...

Today is the first day of classes, and the fun begins once more. 4 classes
this term, and so far, it's looking
pretty good. At most I'll have 2 finals, but I have a LOT of writing to do. I
am in an Introduction to
Profession Writing class, and we have to write a bunch of memorandae (sp?) and
a final report worth 35%
of our grade. But all will be well.

Best of luck and fun for the new semester!

All the best

Happy New Year!!!!

A yank on your ear for the first of the year!

and Tara knows what else I will say i f she doesn't say it first...

And so the update begins

You know what was really sad? I had to go and read my own blog to figure out what I last wrote about, in order to not repeat myself. So sad...

Alright, so I finished my exams on the 13th, and got a couple of my grades in. I got an A- in my German, and a B+ in my English Lit course. I'm still waiting on a grade for the other English course, but in due time it will arrive.

Shortly before the holidays, Liz, Chris, Felicity and Amber threw their 50s Ultra-Lounge martini/cocktail christmas party. It was much much fun to attend, but so many people didn't theme themselves! This was a THEME PARTY! Only a few people brought things for the kitschy gift exchange, and only a few of us bothered to dress up, meaning that we ended up looking slightly ridiculous in all the photos. Chloe came over from Vancouver for the party, and it was great to see her again. I just was completely unable to get drunk at this party. But it was great to get away to Nanaimo before the week of work began. Below are a few pictures from the party.





I had a pretty good Christmas, but I worked A LOT. 7 days in a row, with Boxing day being the last one. I don't think I will work on Christmas Day next year, it was just too hectic. I went to the family house, Liz and Chris came down from Nanaimo, so it was good to hang out with them, albeit briefly. On Boxing Day, we had our usual "Stair Gang Christmas" with the high-school friends at Butchart Gardens. It was the best possible visit this year. We went for drinks in the Dining Room, and a grand time skating, and then wrapped up the evening with our gift exchange. A great time had by all.

A belated Merry Christmas to everyone, and Happy New Year!!

And what a season

I had a great holiday season, as great as good expected under the supreme-amount-of-work circumstances.

But all is well. I had a day off, did very little, and thought all day about the enourmous blog post that I owe everyone, but without actually doing it. Hence, this short post before bed.

The weather outside is frightful, but my bed is so cozy, and I;m off to beddy-bye. More to come in the days to come.

there are days...

..at work when I feel like I am beating my head against a brick wall…

maybe I could transfer

beer is my therapy

Holiday hilarity

I just thought I would post this. I found it hilarious...

Yet another change

I changed the pic to something a little better, in my opinion.

I did actually take this picture, while visiting Lindsay and Ryan in the July. It is taken along the seawall walk, right near English Bay. (Linds, correct me if I am wrong).

Oh the fun is coming!

Well, I wrote my last exam on Tuesday afternoon, and I have absolutely no idea how well I did, but at least it is over. It was my German exam, and so things are a little hard to gauge, but I am reasonably sure I passed by a fair margin.

On Sunday night, I had the UVSS Christmas Party at Felicita's. It was pretty cool, definitely a laid-back affair. I got absolutely wasted on beer though, and that is NOT a good thing to do. But it felt really good to get out and temporarily escape the heavy thoughts about Keenan. On that note, I haven't heard anything further yet, but I am assuming that no news is good news. He should be getting out of the ICU at any point in here.

Now that I have had my last exam, I am feeling like I can really get into the Christmas spirit. I am listening to more christmas music, and am thinking about decorating my room (which consists of one strand of lights, but hey, you gotta start somewhere). I am going over the parents' place on Thursday to put up the tree, and I am really looking forward to that.

But the crown jewel in my weekend is Saturday night. I am off to Nanaimo for a 50s retro ultra-lounge christmas martini cocktail party. I plan to have the best of times, and am counting the days. I work one shift tonight, then off to Nanaimo for the party, which is gonna be great, simply because Chloe is coming! YAY! I haven't seen Chloe since the summer, and I miss her.

I am going to get my laundry out of the dryer and do an insane amount of ironing, but I promise to post pictures of the party as soon as they are ready.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Dave

Oh thank god...

My friend is out of the woods. He got another liver, and is off the respirator. He is fully conscious, and should be out of intensive care in about 2 days.

YAY!!!

I am so happy! I wasn't prepared to deal with the death of a close friend, and am so pleased that he will be well once more.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!!

Thoughts and prayers...

Everyone…

Please think positive thoughts for my friend Keenan. He is in Intensive Care at Vancouver General right now. He has been waiting more than a year for a new liver; the transplant failed and he is undergoing kidney failure. He in now number one in North America on the transplant list.

Please, put your thoughts towards him.

Clean room means less stress...

... or at least less stepping around and walking over things.

Well, one exam down, two to go (one tonight). I cleaned my room today, I’m gonna put up my string of Christmas lights, and get in the spirit. Yay!

And I have a new template for my blog, if you hadn’t noticed already. There is still some tweaking left, but it looks good so far. I took the background picture! (Truthfully, Tara took it. But I was there!).

Anyways, best of the season until the next post!

My favorite month

December is here! To quote a friend, and beat her to the punch (no pun intended):

“A pinch and a punch for the first of the month!”

Dec. 1 is significant. It is the first day of the twelfth month of the year. The month of cold weather, warm drinks and good times with good friends. It is also the season of great food.

Dec. 1 is also the second-to-last-day of classes. That’s right folks. It is the month of exams. Luckily mine are over on Dec. 13. December is also the month of going back to work, and having an income once again.

And one last thing…

CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!!

Time to dust off the favorites, and to buy some new music too!

Happy December everyone!

TBG Christmas PAR-TAY!

So the TBG Christmas Party happened, and it was a blast! Everyone looked great, the dancing was good, and a great time was had by all.

The embarrassing and incriminating photographs have been posted below for your delectation.

Now I am have to go start writing the 1400 word paper due on Friday that I haven’t started writing yet…

I’m soooooo smart…

Early in the party, before too much drinking. This is Katie, who I haven't seen in ages, and her fiance Travis, who has the innate ability to actually fit in at a TBG event, even though he doesn't work there. Good catch, Katie!

It's like he is looking right into your soul...

This was the cutest couple at the party, all thanks to Kate. Couldn't beat us! No way, no how. If you try, I'll hurt you with my ENORMOUS SHOULDERS!

Whatcha' gonna do with all that junk, all that junk up in your trunk?

Pictures of people dancing are always so awkward...

clearly, I know the truth

Drew so crazy

Mera too

This was an attempt at a self pic of Jay, Steph, and I. Can Jay ever take a normal picture?

nope...

Finally, we left the party on the "Safe Ride Home." Wait, let me re-write that: "Safe Ride to the bar so we could keep drinking, go back to Dave's house, drink some more, leave Sarah on his couch, and get home at 3:45am." I don't have any pics from the fabulous breakfast that we all had the next day, but thanks to the roomies for the preparation!

Coming excitement

So excited!

TBG Christmas party tonight!

Lots of fun, good people, good food, good drinks… and lots of DANCING!!!!!

Hehe, I’m getting loaded tonight.

Actually not, ‘cause I am a student and I’m broke.

Oh well, doesn’t mean I can’t have a good time! Pictures will be uploaded tomorrow…

The fabulous life and times...

So an update, eh?

Hmm… Working, school is busy and slowing down at the same time (those of you who are students will understand), my room is clean, my car needs expensive work, and I want to go into a corner and sleep sleep sleep, and then sleep some more.

I am going to Nanaimo again this weekend to take care of Louis the Pug, because Liz and Chris are going to the mainland for a surprise birthday party. My car is going in for a timing belt, new water pump, oil change, and more. This is the sound of $600 dollars disappearing…




Okay, so it doesn’t make a sound. But it should. That is a lot of money!

Speaking of money, I went through my finances back to the beginning of August, and I have spent approx. $900 on dining out and having lunch at school instead of making it myself. That is also a lot of money! With the trip to Europe coming in the spring, I am going to have to crack down and watch my spending. Liz and I will have to quit the gin martini habit, or at least settle for Bombay Sapphire Gin instead of buying Tanqueray No. 10. But it is so hard to go back!

School is humming along, and I have only one paper left to write. Our living room has turned into a yarn repository and knitting factory. Matthew bought a new cell phone. I bought flannel sheets.

Now you know all about the latest life and times of Dave. Oh yeah, the Christmas party for work is coming up next Friday, and I am getting my hair done on Thursday. Gotta look great!

And, in my true obsessive style…

Tag, und viel Gluck! (bye and good luck!)

The weekend, she's a comin!!!

So I got over the car thing. And I have finished the German mid-term that I so dreaded.

Now I have the weekend to look forward to!

I am off to Galey’s Cornfield of Horror tonight with Claire, Cheryl and Crystal, and it should be a great time. They added a new section, called CarnEvil this year, which is so scary that anyone under 13 has to be escorted by an adult.

Lindsay is coming over to the Island today to celebrate her graduation from Camosun College in the spring. I have been invited to a shin-dig at her family’s home following the ceremony, and am thoroughly looking forward to it.

Anyways, it should be a great time. I’m gonna clean this weekend, and carve a pumpkin. I just need some costume ideas.

Anyone?

Virus definitions

STEPHANIE,

Click here to download.

Memories are so poignant

Some of you may recall a post from last year that began with the following:

"To the little f*ckers that broke into my car last night...F*CK YOU!"

Well, let me repeat my sentiments…

To the fuckers that broke into my car today in BROAD FUCKIN’ DAYLIGHT and went through everything, congratulations, you finally got the balls to actually steal my stereo.

Except you know what I have on my desk? The FACEPLATE! That’s right, you morons! I have the faceplate, not you! It wasn’t even worth your fucking time! I’m not a car thief, and even I know that a STEREO DECK IS USELESS WITHOUT THE FACEPLATE!

AMATEURS!!!

But you accomplished your goal of chaos. Oh but wait, you aren’t actually smart enough to think of that as a goal. So no credit is due.

I have to say though, thank you for not breaking my window. At least I don’t have to make an insurance claim.

But I have spent $600 dollars today replacing the stereo and buying an alarm system. This is the third time that my poor car has been broken into since I got it, and I am sick and tired of it. But in any case, I shouldn’t have this problem anymore.

Oh, by the way, you forgot something else while you were in the car: The speakers. Good Christ, I could have done a better job than you.

Let me close with the same words I used on the post from last year:

"If I ever catch you, I'm gonna twist your balls, rip them off, and ram
them down your F*CKIN' THROAT!!!"

And I have finished for the evening.

Good times for all

Well, I have had a great couple of weeks. I did indeed go to Nanaimo, and did exactly what I planned to… nothing. School is going pretty well, I just had two mid-terms last week and they both went alright. I don’t have marks yet, so things may change, but so far, feelin’ pretty good.

Last week I went to go and see Feist at Sugar with Samara, Crystal, and ran into some more people there. The show was running late, but Feist is absolutely amazing live. I haven’t been to many shows, but I really enjoyed myself. And the funny thing is, I had been surfing around iTunes looking for some new music and I stumbled across this artist I had never heard of, called Jason Collett. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he was one of the opening acts, which was pretty cool.

On Saturday, Lindsay and Ryan were over from the mainland for the Thanksgiving weekend, and so we all got together for a “Get-Drunk-at-Claire’s” night. Claire provided her apartment for the occasion (graciously, I might add) and we all had a great time. I know, Lindsay, I promised to bring you your books, but I forgot. I will send them in the mail.

I went to work for the first time in a couple of weeks yesterday, and it was a great day. I just had to sort of get back into the groove there. Lots of email to read and the like.

Anyways, there are some new picture below, so enjoy!

This is a beautiful tree, just down the street from my house. And Tara is trying to be a tree...

The 'stair gang.' Are we ever going to leave high school behind us?