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