the excitement continues...

Someone just got taken into police custody in my parking lot. Good morning to you, sir!

it's a crazy night at the lofts...

1) There's a medical transfer van sitting out front of my building which means that someone has a medical issue. I'm getting bored of sitting and waiting for the person to come out, but since I live here I figure I have the right to know what's going on--this is official loft business.

2) To keep me from being too bored I'm being entertained by the fact that someone called by-law to report some illegal parking. That'll learn maroon car!

3) One of the tenants from a loft I always stare into is walking around in his underwear. I have to say I'm enjoying the show--he's a very fit man. What I like most is that he's on my floor, so if I ever run into him in the hallway or on the elevator I can use "so I've seen you in your underwear--nice work" as a conversation starter.

4) In watching the guy in his underwear I noticed that Honey, the guy who always sits in front of his window and puts ridiculous amounts of honey on everything he eats (to the point where I often see TWO bottles of honey out on his desk-table thing), has moved his desk-table thing, which means I don't get to watch him eat honey at the window anymore. Sad. Also, he may have purchased a stationary bike...I'm not sure, I can't quite see into his bedroom as well as I'd like.

Who needs TV when you've got a view like this?! Also, I love people who don't have blinds.

thinking of less snowy times...

It's a snowy day in the K-dub (that and my knees feel like they are one misstep away from an embarrassing walking incident ala April 2007), so I decided it would be a good morning to finally blog about my trip to California in November.

My dad decided to celebrate his 60ith (wowza!) at my aunt and uncle's new property in LaQuinta (which will be known as Palm Springs from now on...there are way too many cities all crammed together to keep them all straight). My presence was requested and I obliged--you don't say no to the Old Silver Fox on his 60ith! Plus, it's been a long time since I've seen my aunt and uncle. Oh, and I had about a billion banked hours to use up. And it was California. In November. It was a tough sell.

Because flying and I get along so well, wouldn't you know I arrived on one of the only "rainy" days of the year. And by rainy I mean cloudy with a few drops of rain. Seriously, this would have been a nice summer day by our standards. But the people of Palm Springs were not happy. They don't enjoy the 5 rainy days they have each year (and, really, why would they...so many things are built to take advantage of the lack of rain--for example, the airport seemed more like an outdoor cafe than a traditional airport, complete with full size palm trees near the boarding area).

Anyway, the first thing I noticed as the plane descended into the Palm Springs area was all of the golf courses. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. But the closer we got, the more I noticed that many of the golf courses were surrounded by houses and located in gated communities. Indeed, there were a lot of gated communities around (which gave the community psychologist/City employee in me a lot of think about...I'm still not sure if I think gated communities would be good or bad for a sense of community. I'm also not sure how, as a City employee, I would go about building community in a city full of gated communities. Luckily no one from the Palm Springs area is banging down my door to get me to work for them, so I have some time to figure it out). To my surprise (although I really shouldn't have been surprised), my aunt and uncle's place was in a gated community. To think that armed security was on site 24/7 was weird, and seemed really unnecessary, but I got over it.

My aunt and uncle's place.

The backyard where I spent A LOT of time, especially during the first half of my trip when my parents spent a lot of time golfing with my aunt and uncle.

The outside of their gated community.

The view when you exit their community...

I have to say, despite the fact that there was a heat wave while I was visiting, it was pretty exciting to be somewhere and not to ever have to wonder what the weather was going to be like. It was just a given that it would be sunny, clear, and 30. Loved it!

I also have to note how well landscaped/manicured everything is there. It's actually kind of scary. Everything is perfect...a little too perfect. Oh, and for the most part, they don't waste their time with eyesores like street lights. Instead they like to put light the palms. It looks very cool, but doesn't provide much light (which made the community psychologist/City worker in me wonder about safety issues and concerns).

I was also shocked that I heard more Spanish than English while I was out and about (most fliers were in Spanish and English). It was very cool and made me wish I spoke Spanish so that I could practice.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the trip for your viewing pleasure...

the Living Desert...

Our first major touristy outing after my aunt and uncle left was to hit up the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens. It was a great way to spend a day... We saw all kinds of African and North American desert wildlife exhibits, got up close and personal with hummingbirds and butterflies (one of the hummingbirds tried to attacked me...and I liked it!), toured the wildlife hospital, went on a desert hike, took in the Wildlife Wonders show (lots of very fabulous animals and birds or pray), and learned a lot about the desert and desert plant life from a volunteer who was clearly a desert fanatic.

We also got to feed the giraffes. I learned that you don't feed them like a horse. You have to drop the food onto their tongue. I was also reminded of what I learned in Japan--those giraffes have LONG tongues. It's almost scary when one of them is coming at you!

There was some serious necking going on and it almost made me explode with happiness!

We're smart and decided to go on a desert hike around noon-ish. It was a lovely hike but I have to admit I was excited when it was over and we went inside for lunch. It really wasn't supposed to be that hot...

The Old Silver Fox enjoying the little bit of shade we found.

I learned that palms that aren't tidied up are kind of ugly. But at least they provide good hiding spots for animals, birds, and insects.

There were some pretty huge palms!

Tahquitz Canyon

The next day we headed out to Palm Springs to visit Tahquitz Canyon. We decided to get there as early as we could to try and beat the heat, but since it didn't open until 10 am, it didn't really work. Regardless, it was very beautiful and it was a great hike.

Some much needed shade...

The money shot! Tahquitz Falls is seasonal, so I'm very thankful that I got to experience it. It's about 60 feet high--amazing! I could have sat here all day and enjoyed the fabulousness...

A mortar used by the Cahuilla Indians.

After the hike we watched a video that explained how the canyon got its name:

The canyon's name is rooted in Cahuilla lore. Tahquitz was a legendary Indian shaman who was banished to the canyon when he used his powers selfishly. The tribe believes that his spirit lives within the canyon walls and that it can be seen as a green comet sweeping across the sky. According to the story, Tahquitz is still searching for the souls of those who venture too near his lair.

So, yeah, apparently people die in the canyon and they blame Tahquitz...that would have been nice to know before our hike! Luckily, we made it out alive!

Palm Canyon

The next day we decided to check out Palm Canyon:

Fifteen miles long, Palm Canyon is one of the great beauty spots in Western North America. Its indigenous flora and fauna, which the Cahuilla peoples so expertly used, and its abundant Washingtonia filifera (California Fan palm trees), are breathtaking contrasts to the stark, rocky gorges and barren desert lands beyond.

There were lots of canyons and parks we could have visited, but I'm very glad we chose Palm Canyon. I mean, look at that! Also, palms = shade, and that's very important when it's 30 degrees and you're in a desert.

I'm sure we're probably not supposed to touch that, but no one tells the Old Silver Fox what to do!

Awww... I would like to take a moment to thank the sponsors of my trip. Thanks parents!

We're probably not supposed to do stuff like that either, but, what can you do? One thing I've learned from my job is that seniors (aka: older adults, adults 50+, adults 50 and better) are set in there ways and there's no sense in trying to make them change. At least I think that's what everyone has been telling me...

Oh shade and water, how you make a hike on a hot day more bearable!

How awesome to see palms in the middle of the desert--it was really breathtaking!

as close as we got to the Andreas Canyon...

We opted out of visiting the Andreas Canyon after Palm Canyon because it was just so darn hot. Silly unseasonably warm temperatures...it's like you wanted me to just sit by the pool reading all day!

Anyway, we drove close-ish to the entrance, just to check it out a bit and this is what we saw...




...so lovely! And bonus points for more shade!!

So the hikes were definitely the highlights of the trip. Other highlights included eating at amazing restaurants, shopping, chillaxin' by the pool with a great book. I hope my aunt and uncle know I'll be back soon...hopefully with friends...I'm sure we can find some sort of desert murder mystery that would justify a trip out.

thanks Other Me!!

Best housewarming gift EVER!!!

wedding dress shopping...

Chelle is getting married and has asked me to be in the wedding party. This is my first wedding party experience and I just have to say that I'm SOOOOO thankful that Chelle refuses to be ridiculous about her wedding.

While I was home for Christmas we did some wedding and bridesmaid dress shopping. Terrible dresses were tried on by all (with some nice dresses in there for good measure). Wouldn't you know it, it was the first bridesmaid and the first wedding dress tried on that ended up being the winners!

You can just tell how much she loves this one!

To know Rach is to know that she never turns down an opportunity to cop a feel!



It's a little on the low side...

This one was the clear winner! [photo removed :( ]

Hotness! [photo removed :( ]

Here's the winner of the bridesmaid dress... Picture it in red (sans flowers) and a little shorter.

hello from Palm Springs!

A girl could get used to this... Who knew November weather could be so fabulous! Yay for fabulous sun!

Montreal!

To know me is to know that I have a slight (or not-so-slight) obsession with Montreal. If Montreal were a person I would have a hopeless crush on it, even though I would know in my heart it was out of my league. It's just so dreamy!

Luckily for me, Rach is living in Montreal, so I took the first opportunity for time off that I could get (I'm no longer working 2 jobs! yay!) and I hopped on the train.

I got to spend some time alone in the city while Rach was working, which was lovely, because I spent so much time alone when I lived there (I could count the people I knew on one hand) that it was great to reconnect to that. I started my morning by visiting Old Port and then pretty much walked non-stop for the rest of the day, visiting all my favourite places from back in the day. I even stopped by my old apartment to say hi. So many memories.

Here are some shots of Old Port...

On Sunday we did what everyone who's anyone does--we went for brunch at L'Avenue! You're guaranteed to stand in a line, but it's sooo worth it (especially when there is a manequin to entertain you).


I was a little sad that they didn't have my favourite (caramelized bananas with English cream crepes) on the menu anymore--maybe it's just a summer thing?--but the banana and nutella crepes I had were delicious!

Once I was finally able to pay our bill (I think it took about 4 tries...thank goodness our waitress had a good sense of humour!), Rach and I did a little birthday-engagement shopping for Chelle.

After that we headed over to Mont Royal for some Tam-tam/Duck Tape Warrior action. Rach snapped a few pictures of her boy-crush but, for some reason, waited until he started to get dressed before she decided she wanted to take pictures of him. Can you spot him?



After that we walked around for a bit (always searching for more birthday-engagement presents) and, of course, took some time to play in the snow.

I'm worried that these are coming back. I've seen way more than I'd like to admit in the past few months (although some of them are braided, not everyone is rocking such a perfect ringlet). KM, as if you don't want to start working on one of these!

so...many...lanterns...

Monday evening we headed over to the botanical gardens to check out the Chinese lantern celebration. I have to say that I was pretty impressed! i had no idea lanterns could be so fabulous!

We simply had to take a jumping photo. Of course, it took a few tries to capture us in all our glory.

This is my interpretation of a lantern, as expressed through a jump. I apologize for the tummy. No one needs to see that.

Yeah, this is the best we can do.

Another interpretation of a lantern...stunning, I know.

We wrapped up the evening by going to one of my new favourite places in Montreal, Rockaberry for dessert. It's so good it's dangerous. It's so good we went there twice in the 3 and a bit days I was in Montreal. So good!

Finally, a sign for a restaurant I'll have to hit up next time I'm in town. Who doesn't love taste-free food?! Dear, sweet Montreal!

i grew a mini pineapple...

...but by the time I finally got the guts to try eating it, it was too late. I live a life of regret.

happy birthday to me!

I recently celebrated my champagne birthday (with actual champagne--aka bubbly--thanks 70s Snowsuit and Gids!). I thought it was going to go by pretty much unnoticed given that Chaz wasn't around and I'm not one to make too big a deal out of my birthday, but it actually turned out to be a very fabulous birthday (probably because all the sweet gestures were so unexpected). My supervisor brought me a card that confused everyone at my community centre (they were convinced that it was not my birthday...and it took 3 people to figure out that it was, which obviously makes me insane with happiness, because that's so them), The Landlords brought me flowers to work (and when I wasn't in the office they used their spare keys to actually leave them in the Madison--it was pretty confusing), Other Me The DCC Edition made me this fantastic card (that will become a t-shirt!) and got me a kick-ass Flight of the Concords calendar, peeps from City Hall brought me a cupcake from the most amazing cake store ever (for reals, if you come visit me I am taking you for cupcakes...I'm a little hooked), we had a work potluck in celebration of me (read: because we do staff socials every once in a while and it just so happened to fall on my birthday this year), tonnes of people called and e-mailed their love...it was a lot of goodness, I tells ya!

Because I couldn't let the good times end, I also planned a painting/birthday/quesidilla/fire party chez The Landlords. How great are The Landlords? Not only did they come and help me paint, they also opened up their home for a party...I am seriously way too luck to have them in my life. As if all that goodness wasn't enough a certain someone made a special guest appearance...I was so thrilled I didn't know what to do!

Oh Chaz, you are always so full of surprises! I'm not sure how you coordinated all of this without even so much as dropping a hint that you would be in the K-dub, but good on 'ya! Best birthday surprise ever!

I wasn't the only one who was super happy to see Chaz!

In true Chaz form he didn't waste any time grabbing a drink and one of Fabia's books to entertain his fans.

Fabia just couldn't stay away from Uncle Funtime...who can, really?

Chaz and Mrs. Landlord posing near the fire (that, despite our best efforts, lacked Funky Coloured Flames).

Chaz just loves fires!

Mr. Landlord and Chaz chillin' by the fire. Everyone was so excited to see Chaz they just couldn't keep their hands off him!

This is the part where I think Chaz had a little too much to drink...

farewell, sweet Chaz

Well, Chaz has officially moved to Saskatoon. Life is a little less exciting around here now that he's gone, but I have to say everyone in the K-dub has really stepped up to ensure that I'm doing ok and that's I'm never bored. Thanks everyone!

As a tribute to the lovely Chaz and how much I will (and do) miss him, please enjoy these photos that were taken while he was cleaning out the closest before he left.

Also, please note our fabulous bedroom wall colour. Photos of the painted loft coming as soon as I actually finish painting...who knew it would take so long? Seriously!

*kisses*

the Falls

I'm sick. There's too much work to do to actually be sick, but here I am, feeling like crap anyway. I cleared my morning so I could stay home and sleep it off but because it's me, I was up extra early and haven't been able to fall back asleep. So, it seemed like the perfect time to make a triumphant (yeah, that's right, this is what triumphant looks like) return to blogging.

What's really prompted me to get back to blogging? The glory of Niagara Falls, of course--the most amazing muse ever. For realz. If haven't gone, you must. It really is a wonder to behold and words can't really describe it how, um, busy the landscape is.

Chaz and I headed down there last weekend to catch up with Mo, Jay, and Mac. Despite being so busy with work and with Chaz's upcoming move, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to hang out with them, as visits with Mo are few and far between these days. Stupid BC, why are you so far away?

Below are some of the highlights for you to enjoy... I know you'll all be planning trips out this way once you see the glory that is Niagara Falls!


One of the first things we saw...dino mini-golf that was so clearly a Jurassic Park ripoff.



I asked Chaz to skip down the pathway to Niagara Falls. Because he loves me, he sucked up his pride and did it. Unfortunately (for him, not me) the first picture didn't turn out so well, so I instructed him to do it again. Apparently what I asked him to do was so embarrassing it troubled a man who was walking down the path so much that he begged me not to make him do it again. As you can see by the above picture, I ignored the stranger's request. There was skipping to be had!



Haunted houses are very popular in downtown Niagara Falls. You would probably never guess this on your own, but this BK was right next to Frankenstein's house.

Here's us trying to be all artsy with the big ferris wheel thingy that has an impressive name that I can't quite remember at the moment...





Tee hee!


We tried a few times to get this shot right, but it wasn't working. Also, I was in a skirt kneeling down on the ground and there was an older man (some might call him an adult 50+) who was watching us very intently whom I didn't want to flash. So, yeah, we gave up.

So many photo ops, so little time...

This is what fun looks like...didn't you know?

This is me doing my best GSP (who is not with the WWE, I know, I know)...the belt will be mine!

Cosmic mini-golf! It had been a while since our last game (the courses kind of suck in the K-dub) so I was a little rusty. Luckily Chaz really messed up one hole, so I didn't lose too badly.

If you enlarge this you will see some interesting (unintentional) hand placement.

The actual falls...

The line up for the Maid of the Mist, a boat ride that takes you right up to the falls. I seriously can't believe how long the line-up was...this is the end of the line-up (near the walkway that you take to see all the Falls and get to all the Falls attractions). The line-up continued below us on the stairs all the way to the water. There must have been thousands in line and somehow the people just didn't stop lining up. It was really gross.

This picture makes me laugh. There was this man who seemed to know a thing or two about photography, with his fancy camera in a plastic bag (mist protection...there's so much mist!). It turned out that we were kind of following him around and taking the same pictures as him. We finally joked about it with him and then decided to maybe let him get far enough ahead of us that we wouldn't be creeping him out too much. But then somehow we magically caught up with him again, and that's when this picture happened. For the record, I think THEY were copying US in this picture. Gold!

In case you actually wanted to see the falls without us standing in front of it (how boring!). Also, that's the Maid of the Mist.

Chaz likes to take any opportunity he can to let his inner kid out, so he and Mac got along swimmingly. They couldn't help but strike some mad poses and put on a cart-wheel show, among other things.

I couldn't get over how many wax museums there were in Niagara Falls. And they all looked really awful. I don't get what the appeal is, but to each their own, I guess.

We couldn't help but take more pictures with the dinos.

Just like a bad amusement park, Niagara Falls has it all.

This made me a little disgusted to be part of the human race. You pay $2 and you get to pretend to fry someone in an electric chair. The crowd that gathered around this was alarming and the whole thing made me feel a little sick to my stomach. What I also found to be not-so-cool was the wax museum dedicated to criminals. Why we want to celebrate sexual predators and murders like that is beyond me...

Journey Behind the Falls...

This is quite possibly the most terrible tourist attraction I have ever experienced--I feel like a chump for paying money for this. If you do go to Niagara Falls I beg you not to get suckered in by this one. The name makes it sound so cool, but the reality is that you walk through tunnels with two look-out points that let you see behind the falls. Awful, awful, awful.

As least I'm not the only one who got duped. Good, old Aqua!

So much poncho action!

This is me before I knew what a rip-off this "journey" was.

This is the view from behind the falls. Glorious, right? Stupid Niagara Falls!

actually pretty happy...

And our Internet is hooked up again. Yay! How I've missed being online! And how I feel bad for leaving you all hanging after such a negative post.

Thanks to everyone for your support and kind words over the past week! Chaz and I have been in The Madison (our loft has a name, didn't you know?) for a week now, and, now that we've moved in, I think we're both feeling a lot better. There's much more space than we thought--this girl is all potential! So yay to that!

Below are some pictures of Maddy all empty to tide you over until we can actually get the furniture we need to set her up the way we want to.

Big thanks to The Landlords (as in Other Me and Mr. C's ex landlords) and 70s Snowsuit and Gids for being available all day to help us with the move. I don't know what we would have done without you--you are all true friends! Also thanks to our ex landlords for being so amazing. They made us sandwiches for lunch, brought us pop to get us through the wall cleaning, and gave us a lovely parting gift. I've said it before and I'll say it again: How lucky are we?! We find amazing and supportive people where ever we go, and for that I am truly grateful.

Ok, time to do some more unpacking (it feels like we haven't made progress on the unpacking, but I suppose that's what happens when you move during your busy time at work. As an aside, I don't recommend working 7 days straight right after you move. Especially if your co-worker is on holidays at that time as well. Is anyone surprised that I'm now sick? I know I'm not!). Anyhoodle, enjoy les photos and bask in the glory that is The Madison!

The view from the living room into the bedroom. How fun is it that we have a floor to ceiling window in our bedroom?! I love it! The light is AMAZING!

Our kitchen. The space is bigger than we are used to, but definitely less storage space than our last place. Oh well, we didn't need all the stuff we had anyway!

Some (but not all) of our living room windows! No more SAD for us!

Our bathroom. I LOVE the bathroom (minus the tiles that should be gorgeous gray--I'm sure I'll forget about that someday), it's big and fabulous!

Our bedroom.


Our glorious walk-in closet! Oh how I've been waiting to have more space. It scares me that we've already pretty much filled it. However did we make do in our last apartment?



The pillar in our closet. It takes up precious space, but I don't mind because I actually think it's pretty fun. And, really, there are worse places for a pillar.

Our laundry closet. It's so fun to not have to leave the apartment to do laundry!

Of course it had to snow on the day we moved. Thursday: gorgeous. Friday (move-in day): snow. Saturday: gorgeous. Sunday: gorgeous. Etc. It pretty much fits with everything else that happened around this whole process though, so it wasn't really surprising.

The King of Ping takes one for the team. Thank you!

The rest of the moving team! Have I said thank you enough yet? I should probably say it one more time: Thank you!

Chaz and I saying goodbye to Brunswick. We'll miss you!

oh so very disappointed...

That's not what I wanted the title of this post to be, but that's what it is because that's how I feel. We just got back from seeing the loft for the first time. I feel pretty stupid, actually, because I'm not sure how we convinced ourselves that it was going to be big enough (I blame the show room and the floor plan for being very misleading, but I know it's totally our fault for being silly). It's so small, in fact, that Charles and I are both kind of embarrassed to have any of you see it because I don't think you will be able to see it without wondering what we were thinking. And that feels pretty crappy. I think my quote that sums it all up is: "I wouldn't rent a place this small, how did we just buy one?" But, there you have it. It's ours and I'm determined to make the best of it. Just don't expect any house parties, as I'm not sure where we'd put more than 5 people. Le sigh.

We're moving...

...on either April 4th or April 9th (still under negotiation)! We just found out today! Wheee!!!

I work with the most entertaining youth ever...

If it weren't for the youth I work with, the workload and the hours (during peek times) might have killed me by now. But the youth keep things exciting and, to be honest, I miss them when I don't see them on a regular basis. They always remind me that fun comes first--which can be easy to forget when you get caught up in the crazy adult world--and for that I am so grateful. Case in point, check out the e-mail that my youth council members got a city councilor to send to the mayor this week:

[Mr. Mayor],

Here's a message from [Youth Council]:

"We think you are sick and off the chain"

From: [Youth Council]


Sincerely,

[Kickass Councilor]


How great is that?! I tell you, if you want to make your life better, volunteer to work with some youth in your community...it will make your life better, for reals!

I can't believe I actually made it...

Sunday was a gong show. I feel that's the only way to adequately describe my experience trying to fly from Toronto to Saskatoon during the crazy storm that just happened. Let me start from the beginning...

Even though I knew they were cancelling flights left and right, mine seemed to be the little flight that could, so we decided to give the drive a shot with the understanding that if it was terrible we would turn around and come home. I have to say that I can't believe how many people were on the 401. Seriously, people, stay home! I also can't believe we actually made it to the airport. It was pretty scary--our windshield wipers kept icing up, which meant we had to pull over often to clean them off, we drove about 60 the whole way (instead of our usual 130), and some people were driving like big jerks (surprise!)... It was pretty intense, but after almost 2 hours on the road we finally made it. I was a little over an hour early for my 12:15 pm flight, so I felt like I was doing well. I got in line and I was in semi-disbelief that my flight was actually going to go. Little did I know this would be the first of 14 lines I would stand in that day. Yeah, I basically stood in lines ALL DAY on Sunday. It was awesome.

My baggage had been checked, I had my boarding pass, I made it through security without any problems, and all was well--until I actually left the security area and looked at the screen to see that might flight is cancelled. Yes, that's right, unless the flight was cancelled 5 minutes after I checked in, the person at the counter totally checked me onto a flight that was cancelled. Awesome. So I found the customer service desk and waited well over an hour to find out what my options were. After some kind of big ordeal (I'm still not sure what happened, but it involved a lot of typing, some consultations with two other people behind the counter, and many phone calls to the help desk), I was able to get on the 4:20 pm flight to Saskatoon that was still scheduled to take off. I went to reclaim my baggage, which I found pretty quickly despite the fact that it looks exactly the most of the hundreds of other bags that were there. From there I learned (through sarcasm that I didn't catch at the time...oh luggage guy, you're so funny!) that I had to go back to the departures level and basically start from scratch by checking in, getting a new boarding pass, and re-checking my luggage. Oh joy! The line was longer than it was the first time I went through the check-in process, but it still wasn't too bad...I felt like I was doing well...

I went through security again, confident I would get through quickly because, well, I had just gone through a few hours earlier with no problems. Only this time there was a problem. Thinking that I was about to get on a flight, I had filled my Nalgene with water and then, in the stress of trying to get my plans changed, I had forgotten to empty it. So the security personnel is standing there, holding my bottle, and I'm apologizing for being an idiot and trying to explain why I'm a little frazzled. Naively I asked if I just needed to dump it out so that I could be on my way. She scoffed and stood a couple seconds, considering her options. This made me nervous. Finally she told me she would be right back, and she took the offending water bottle into some little room. I had no idea what was going on. Was she telling on me? Was I going to get searched and questioned? Surely this was what was about to happen given the kind of say I was having. Luckily a few minutes later she came back with my empty Nalgene. She explained that their normal procedure is to make people exit the security area and get rid of whatever contraband item(s) they have so that they can go through security again, but she decided to make an exception for me. I immediately felt a little guilty, as I knew that had it been a racialized person (that's the PC way to say visible minority now, if you didn't know) I probably would have been questioned and searched. Oh white privilege, you always have this way of catching me off guard.

I proceeded to buy a phone card so that I could let my parents and Chaz know about the change in plans. After my calls were made I went to check on the status of my flight. To my surprise (or maybe not so much), it was cancelled. Awesome.

So back to customer service I headed. This time the line was MUCH LONGER. It was gross, actually. But, whatever, there were 4 people working, so I figured I'd have a new flight booking ASAP. Except then I noticed only 3 people were working. And then two. And then one. And then zero. Seriously. There was a point where the one woman who was working left and we were, hundreds of us, standing in line waiting to be helped by, well, no one. Finally the employee came back and announced that every person was taking a minimum of 20 minutes to re-book, and suggested we use some courtesy phones to try and get our flights re-booked. I decided to take her advice, if only for a change of scenery (I had been watching the phone line and it wasn't moving very quickly, but, at least it seemed like the more promising option, given the lack of staff at the service desk).

Once I moved to the phone line, I was very happy I did. Not because it was faster, but because the other people waiting in the phone line were all kinds of fabulous. We kind of had a big party in the phone line and I have to say it brought some much needed humour to my day. We eventually even started working as a well-oiled machine: there were 6 phone and we realized that if someone actually got through to an operator (which took about 45 mins) they could just keep them on the line when they were done their booking and pass the phone on to the next person in line so that that person wouldn't have to get in the queue...how smart are we?! So, anyway, when I eventually got through the operator I got was fabulous...I really wanted to be anywhere other than Toronto, so I asked her to check out flights to Calgary and Edmonton (because at least I'd have people to stay with if needed), but she was convinced that my best bet was to go through Winnipeg and that, if that flight was actually able to leave there was a connection that would still get me into Saskatoon that night. I wasn't so convinced that was the best idea...I KNEW that the flights to Calgary and Edmonton had been leaving all day and I knew that if I could get on one of those flights I would more than likely be able to at least get out of Toronto. You know how when people are trying to book their flights on the Amazing Race they get all crazy and stressed out trying to find the best flight like their life depends on it? I totally make fun of those people when I'm watching the show, but, yeah, that was me. How embarrassing. So I was going back and forth trying to decide but then the operator got really excited and informed me that the Winnipeg plane was huge and that if any plane was going to be able to take off it was going to be this one. That sealed the deal.

I passed my phone off to the next person in line (and gave this awesome guy I had met in line who was also trying to get to Saskatoon my flight information so he could try to get on the same flight...so much sharing!) and went on my way to reclaim my bag. Again. As I passed the customer service line I ran into some of my friends from my first time standing in that line. I told them the phones were moving pretty well given that we had mad teamwork going on. I also told them about my new flight and they informed me that the other Winnipeg flights were being cancelled (they were right by the information board, so as they were standing in line they were just watching flights get cancelled one after another). My heart sank. I had another Amazing Race moment where I questioned what I had done and beat myself up for not taking the "safe" flight to Calgary even though it would have meant an over-nighter. But, what was done was done, so I sucked it up and off I went.

Reclaiming my baggage wasn't as easy the second time as it was the first time--you could barely move there were so many bags waiting to be claimed. I've never seen anything like it. I did a few walk-arounds and couldn't find my bag. I waited. Then I did a few more walk-arounds. Still nothing. The bags kept coming though. There were so many bags on the carousel that it kept getting overloaded and shutting down. I ended up standing beside a guy who had been waiting for 2 hours and his bags still hadn't come. To entertain himself he was finding all the bags from his flight and putting them together in one location. He was all kinds of quirky and was one of my favourite single-serving friends of the day. We also started removing bags from the carousel to try and de-clog it. We did our part to help because we're nice like that. Eventually the poor guy gave up...Air Canada had hooked him up with a train to get him where he needed to go, but the tragic thing was that he had packed his winter jacket and all his gear in his checked baggage. So I wished him well, and off he went to face the storm in a sweater.

Eventually I ran into one of the people I spent a lot of time with in the first re-booking line-up who was also trying to get to Saskatoon and she couldn't find her bags either, which was somewhat comforting. She had re-booked to a Calgary flight that was leaving before me, so she went to talk to the baggage people to see if they could help her locate her bags. She came back and told me they had radioed to try and get someone to find her bags so that they could get them onto her new flight and she recommended I do the same. When I tried to do the same, the guy who was supposed to be helping me was, well, less than helpful. Dude kept his arms crossed the entire time and just kept saying that he couldn't do anything for me. And when I couldn't point out which baggage customer service person had radioed to try and find the other person's bags he just gave me a look that said "you need to leave now". So I gave up and accepted that my bags were lost in the Toronto airport despite the fact that they hadn't left the airport. Awesome.

In case it hasn't come through yet, this whole experience was a fairly stressful one. I hate not knowing what's happening and it totally sucked to feel like people were booking me onto flights that they knew were cancelled just to get me out of their hair. Once I left the baggage claim area, though, my stress levels increased exponentially. Why, you ask? Well I saw the taxi line-up, that's why. It almost filled up the whole lobby. This is when I realized that leaving the airport, let alone finding a hotel, would not be easy if this flight got cancelled. I tried not to stress out, but I couldn't help it. I NEEDED this flight to go.

When I got upstairs to the check-in my stress level increased even more. The line-up was INSANE. And there were only 4 people working! After waiting for an hour I got moved to a priority line so that I wouldn't miss my plane. I waited. And waited. And waited some more. My flight was leaving in 30 minutes and still I waited. When I finally got to check-in the customer service person made a call, asking VERY NICELY if I could still get on the plane and I think the fact that I my baggage was "lost" actually saved my butt because as soon as she mentioned that I didn't have any checked baggage I had my boarding pass in my hand and I was running to security. I got to the gate with enough time to go to the bathroom, fill up my water bottle, and wait for a few minutes before boarding. I was in disbelief that we were actually boarding. I was trying not to get too excited, but I couldn't help it. Then things got better...I looked at my ticket and realized I had been bumped up to executive class. Oh yeah!

So, after a bit of a delay and tonnes of de-icing (which is super fun to watch from inside the plane, by the way), we were off! I had accepted that I would miss my connection, but didn't care at that point, as I was just happy to be out of Toronto. I also comforted myself with the free (and insanely delicious) executive class meal that I didn't know I'd be getting. This was a life-saver given that I had been so busy waiting in lines all day that I had forgotten to eat (or drink, for that matter). I didn't realize how hungry I was until the food was in front of me...I wolfed it down so fast I was finished before they came around with the buns. Oops! I also comforted myself watching various on-demand TV shows--so good. All in all, it was a great flight.

It got even better, though, when they announced that they were going to hold the Saskatoon connection for us in Winnipeg, despite the fact that we were over an hour late. How amazing is that?! We landed and walked right off the plane and into the line for the next plane, boarded, and then we left. Apparently the people on the Saskatoon flight were very upset over the delay (and I don't blame them), so the crew explained that they held the flight because the next available flight to Saskatoon would have been on Wednesday and they wanted us to all get home for the holidays. Yay for Air Canada actually being considerate for once!

I've never been happier to be in Saskatoon...I was so overjoyed when we landed I could hardly contain myself. When I got off the plane, I hugged my parents and then immediately got in line to report my lost luggage. Luckily I was at the front of the plane so I was first in line, because no one else who came from Toronto had any of their checked baggage either, so there was quite the line-up.

Anyway, despite all the craziness, I think I would still do it all over again. Why? Because of the people I met along the way. I definitely saw some people at their worst, but I saw (and spent significant amounts of time with--for an airport, anyway) more people at their best. There were the people who slowed down on the 401 to see if we needed help when we were pulled over, all the people who helped one another with flight information, the people who shared phones so that we could all re-book our flights faster, the guy who ran to where his daughter was doing homework to get a pen for me so I could write down my new flight information, the people who had been stranded at the airport since 2 am who bought donuts for everyone on the flight to brighten their day, the guy who was sorting the luggage so it would be easier for others to find their bags... Believe it or not, this whole thing kind of made me like people a little more...and that's pretty good for a Sunday...

Sweet corn! More excellent videos!

The poodle-people!

The crazy butt-shaking!

The faces (sweet corn, the faces!!)!

The English lesson!

The offensive comments!

The GOLD!

here's a shocker...

...our loft is delayed again! Whoo! Yeah! Alright!

Our new date is March 11, 2008. And I'm sure this will be the actual date...forget about it...you'll know we've actually moved once I've posted pictures of us living there.

Stupid loft. That I can't help but still love. Even though it drives me crazy.

FOUND! in my mailbox...

Chaz and I found this little gem in our mailbox the other day. It took us some time to figure out what the note meant, but, after some discussion and decoding (thanks to living in Japan I think we have some semi-developed skills in this area) I think we got it. The problem, it seems, is that there's no apartment indicated in the mailing address and, since there are three mailboxes chez moi, the poor Sears Catalog Delivery Person has no idea which mailbox it belongs to. Isn't that cute? I mean, I would imagine that if I were delivering a Sears catalog I really wouldn't care that much. This individual clearly deserves a raise seeing as how they are going above and beyond the call of duty in order to ensure the catalog gets to the person who requested it. The problem is, I'm not sure who the catalog belongs to (nor do I feel like asking the people upstairs if they should be getting the catalog...who has the time to walk upstairs and then talk to the people who live there?! I would clearly never cut it as a Sears catalog delivery person.). I actually think it might belong to Chaz and I (I think I remember Chaz getting tricked into giving our address to someone at Sears when we were walking through one day, but I may have made that up in order to explain why we suddenly started getting a Sears catalog on a semi-regular basis despite the fact that neither one of us shops there). So I'm not sure what to do seeing as how I don't actually want anything to do with the catalog... If I don't leave a note it will clearly break the heart of and/or frustrate this individual, who is so clearly dedicated to excellence in the workplace, and I certainly wouldn't want to be responsible for that! But, leaving a note facilitates the process of this catalog making it's way into my mailbox, and I certainly don't want to be responsible for that! So maybe I can leave an note asking to be removed from the mailing list? But what if the delivery person takes it personally? That would surely be devastating for him/her, and I wouldn't want to devastate anyone over a catalog. I also must admit that part of me wants to keep this person in my life...people who are so committed to excellence are a rare breed, and, I'm not going to lie, those are the people I want to be associated with, you know? I mean, I might be able to hire this person for Youth Drop-in someday or something...you never know! So maybe I could just keep getting the catalog in order to save our relationship with the delivery person? I was also thinking I could leave a note indicating that the catalog belongs in one of the other mailboxes at my house, even though I'm pretty sure it doesn't. That seems like the most "me" way of dealing with this obviously difficult and sensitive issue, especially since I would have to be stealth-like in order to make this happen in such a way that the other people who live in my house don't notice that I'm signing them up for a Sears catalog, which ups the fun factor significantly. Yay for a new mini-project!

I am hours away from having a shower in comfort of my own apartment...

...and I know that doesn't seem like breaking news, but it really is! The last time I had a shower in my apartment was on November 5 and, even then, I shouldn't have been using the shower. But I'm defiant like that. Allow me to explain...

You see, back when my parents were visiting for Thanksgiving* I started to notice a strange smell every time I stepped in and out of the shower. I didn't think too much of it at first, but it kept getting worse and worse, so I finally decided to take two seconds to actually assess the situation. I noticed that the paint on the wall was bubbling and that the shower liner was actually detaching itself from the wall. Not good. I also noticed my neck was starting to get rashy again, and my neck is my mould detector, so I knew something big was going down. Extra not good.

Needless to say we had a serious mould problem in one of our bathroom walls (due to crappy pipes that misted the wall every time we showered) that needed serious work. People were finally able to come in on Nov. 2 to knock down the wall. We were assured that the levels of mould weren't dangerous** but, I'm not going to lie, I found it a little annoying that they tore down the wall a full 4 days before anyone else could come do anything to the bathroom. This is where my defiance reared its ugly head and we put up some plastic over what was left of the wall so we could shower anyway. If they are going to be dumb, so am I. Take that, wall people.

My neck exploded with rash.

They put a stop to my showering when they came in on the Tuesday and did this:


We had this dehumidifier and an air purifier (which you can't see) running 24/7 for 4 days. They were loud. So loud that you could hear them outside the apartment. They also created insane amounts of heat. This was nice for midnight bathroom trips, but otherwise it was like being in a sauna.

The next two weeks were a blur of people coming in and out of the house making a big mess pretty much everywhere...it was awesome coming home to a new mess almost every single day, let me tell you! At first I tried to stay on top of the cleaning, but after a week it broke my spirits and I gave up.

Now, in case you're wondering how I managed to not offend people by being stinky, you should know that I mostly showered at the gym (me and the gym showers got to know each other pretty well, actually), which was an entertaining experience as it gave me insight into the showering habits of other women. I can't believe how many people shower in their underwear. Seriously! I mean, I'm not one to run around naked all over the place, but it would never occur to me to shower in my underwear so that no one would be able to see me naked at the gym. Wowza! We were also able to use the landlords' shower and, when necessary, I resorted to washing my hair in the kitchen sink (our landlords don't really get up before 8:30 or 9 in the morning, so it was a little hard to shower at their place before work).

Anyway, I'm happy to report that I have to wash my hair in the sink NO MORE! Oh man, I can't wait to have a shower...I'm going to be in there FOREVER (I'm like Cramer in that, if I could figure out a way to live in the shower, I totally would) and it's going to be SO GOOD!





*Check out the meal I made for my family!*** Yummy!


**To be fair my landlords offered to put us up in a hotel, so don't hate on them please. They are good peeps.

***And by made for my family I really mean that my mom helped me make.****




****And by that my mom helped me make I really mean that my mom made for us. Thanks mom!!!

you MUST watch these video clips...

because I think they are so darn fun...

I was fortunate enough to get to hang out with X-tina in Toronto a couple weeks ago. Good times were had by all, except maybe X-tina, as she was coming down with a cold. I had fun though, and, really, isn't that what it's all about?

I'm very pleased with how well this one turned out...nice work with the photo-taking, X-tina!

X-tina wanted to go to the top of the CN Tower because, well, she's touristy like that. Here we are on our way to the TOP OF THE WORLD!!!!!

Sadly, going to the TOP OF THE WORLD!!!!! is pretty darn expensive, so we opted out of the madness.

Could I look more ridiculous? I promise that I don't think I'm actually hot enough to pose like that! I must have been playing things up for the random stranger who was taking our picture...yeah, that's what I was doing.

I enjoy that X-tina made the random stranger take TWO pictures of us in front of Lake Ontario. Silly girl!

lock update...

I just spoke with the peeps upstairs and they have called a locksmith. In doing so they learned that apparently deadbolts like to wear out. What does that mean? Well, I think it's pretty safe to say it means the deadbolt lock in your apartment or house is pretty much a ticking time bomb, just waiting to wear out and thwart your attempts to go to the gym, work, or wherever it is you would like to go that's not in your apartment or house. Are you ready? Do you have a Plan B?

Think about it.

This could be you.

I have a sexy friend!*

You know when you have a friend who is so hot you're like, "Damn, Friend! You should be recognized by the CBC for your hotness?" Yeah, me too.

Well, believe it or not, it actually happened! For real. My friend Maygen is up for a CBC Radio 3 Bucky Award in the Sexiest Canadian Musician category.

So go to http://radio3.cbc.ca/ and vote for Maygen from the Bloodlines. I mean, why wouldn't you? She's my friend. And she's hot! You can vote once a day, so, what are you waiting for? Go! And don't forget to tell you friends. She could beat Rufus, people. Rufus!

Also, while you're at it, you might as well check out her band, the Bloodlines (http://www.myspace.com/thebloodlines). Rocking out to their music from time to time will make your life better, I guarantee it!**




*I have more than one sexy friend, just so you know.

** I cannot actually make that kind of guarantee.



As an aside, I can hear the peeps from upstairs trying to open the door. Suckers! Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks body slamming a door is an important deadbolt unlocking strategy.

Oh no! I failed to consider that they have access to a BACK DOOR from their apartment!

Crap!

I hear a serious lack for door fixing and a disturbing amount of their car driving away.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

locked in?

Let it be known that I tried to go to the gym this morning. I really, honestly did. My bag was packed, my jacket and shoes were on--I even had my iPod going (James Morrison, how did I ever live without you?). I was SO READY.

The problem? I couldn't get past the front door. Yes, that's right, I have no idea how to unlock the front door right now--the deadbolt is stuck in the "lock" position. And don't think I didn't try to fix it. I did everything I could. Not only did I try turning the knobby-thing back and forth about a million times, but I also tried to pry the bolt part with a butter knife. A butter knife, people! That's serious stuff!

Really, I blame Chaz for this. I mean, he was able to make it to work somehow. Does that seem a little suspicious to you? Yeah, me too.

The good news is that, since I don't have to be into work until 11, I took this as my apartment's way of saying that I should blog again. So here I am. Thanks deadbolt!

only in the K-dub...

Chelle and Big Red came down not too long ago, and it was lovely to finally have them come out this way for a visit. It was a pretty low-key weekend because, well, work likes to suck the life out of me during the summer, but they pretended not to mind doing nothing all weekend and that's really all I needed. Thanks guys! *waves*

On our way to one of the many great restaurants in downtown K-town, we stumbled upon this, which is quite possibly one of the greatest random finds ever:



Luckily Chaz had the camera on him to capture that little gem. I enjoyed that as Chaz was taking the picture a couple women walked by and asked us what we were doing. We just pointed to the bike, thinking they'd understand as soon as they saw the gold on the ground, but we were wrong. They smiled a bit, I guess, but still seemed confused. Some people!

I do have to admit that we were a little confused too (but not regarding why Chaz was capturing that on film)...there was a clearly a very good story behind this and it was killing me that I didn't know what that story was. What on earth could have possessed someone to do that? I mean, it's amazing, and I'm so glad they did, BUT STILL. They actually saw the frame and thought they would get the last laugh by taping that sign to it? Genius! Anyway, so before I could make a story up in my head (ok, I can't lie to you, I started making up a story the second I saw the bike), we stumbled upon these (make a document once and save it in case you need it again, people, it's really that easy!):






It was all starting to make sense, and the story was better than anything I could have imagined. It makes me laugh that I know exactly what tree they are talking about because there were seriously10 or more bikes chained up to this one tree for the longest time and now they are all gone. Apparently only one of them was stolen though? I also enjoy that the bike was stolen over 4 months ago and this is the first time I've seen any of these signs (and I walk this route often) or any kind of stolen bike-related drama. That's good stuff right there!

Every time I walk by now I look for new developments in the story, but sadly I have none to report. I do have a hard time walking by without laughing though, so this all keeps making my day over and over again, which is nice.

delayed!

Well, it looks like we won't be moving in the fall after all...sigh.

But Feb 12, 2008, that's not so bad, right?

more important breaking news!

Chaz and I finally got to meet Fabia on Friday, and boy is he cute! I totally dig how he's all about having his mouth open all the time--so precious! Congrats to The Landlords! Every one's doing fine, but unfortunately they have to keep mom and baby in the hospital, probably until Monday, until they can see a specialist just to make sure Fabia's all good.

Here I am with Fabia at the hospital last night...I like how crazy I look, especially with the red eye. I think people like me are the reason they keep the newborn ward locked at all times. I was a little scared to hold him, because, you know, I'm afraid of kids and all, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly, despite my complete lack of mother's instinct. I don't think I've ever been in the presence of a baby who wasn't even 24 hours old before...he's so tiny!



PS - Fabia isn't his real name, I promise, so don't go thinking The Landlords are terrible parents (we all referred to him as Fabia before he was born because, well, it was really funny). His real name is very masculine, not to worry.

now on Facebook...

Well, I've done it. I've gone and joined Facebook.

I think Rach said it best when she said about Facebook: "I didn't need a new Internet addiction, but lucky for me, I got one."

But how could I not when I got this e-mail the other day:

Hello my lovely,

Can you join facebook please? It's a really good idea and not addictive at all, I promise ;)
[...]

Love ya, miss ya,
Mo

So, there you go, I blame Mo, asking all nicely and stuff. I mean, really! Any good friend would have done it. And I am a good friend!

is anyone sick of hearing about my knees yet?

I'm proud to say that my knees are arthritis free! Is it sad that I feel like this is a major accomplishment? Because I really do.

You see, I've been told since I was, oh, let's say 16, that I would have arthritis by the time I was 30 (a randomly chosen age, sure, but still, I won't lie that it's been in the back of my mind, especially in the last few years). So to have the doctor look at my x-rays last week and tell me there weren't even any signs of arthritis in either of my knees filled me with so much pride and relief. The doctor even admitted he was totally shocked by the results, as he totally expected to see me on my way towards the big A. Now it's like a challenge: How long can I delay the arthritis? I'm optimistic and motivated; the longer I delay the arthritis, the longer it will be before I have to get my knees replaced. Aren't I too young to be talking about stuff like this?

Seeing my x-rays was pretty crazy. I mean, I knew I had screws in my knees, but, for some reason, I didn't expect them to look like, well, screws that you would use in some kind of home repair project. But there they were on the x-rays, all holding my knees together and stuff...I'm wondering if they just get their supplies from Home Hardware...so weird. It was interesting to learn that they stopped using screws like that in Ontario in the 80s/early 90s. Yeah, I guess we're a little behind in Saskatchewan...

We also went over all my knee-related files that were sent from Saskatoon, and that was SO STRANGE. It felt like he was reading my diary (even though I didn't write any of it) and commenting on my old life. It brought back so many memories and emotions, it was out of control. He commented that I went through a lot for a 15/16 year-old and, you know what, he was right. It all seemed normal at the time. He also commented on how much time I spent in physio, and he was right on that one too. My physiotherapist watched me grow up and I spent so much time in the Kin lab at the university (where he worked) when I was a teen that the guy who oversaw the lab recognized me at Chaz's grad. I can't even guess how many hours I spent with Bruce over the years, but I don't know what I would have done without him. How lucky was I to have such a strong and consistent support system?

So, anyway, I'm going back to see the doctor on Thursday so he can see my brace and possibly prescribe a new one. I was a little confused as to why he was bringing up the brace thing (especially one that might cost almost 2 grand!) so I was challenging it a lot. I kept insisting that my goal wasn't to ever play sports again, just to get back to the gym. He kept insisting that a brace would likely be useful for things like going to the gym, going for a hike, etc., and he was showing me pictures of the arthritis braces (you know, because I will have arthritis some day). Finally I realized that he was trying to tell me that my knee might never actually be stable again...what a painful moment that was...I was crushed. How depressing is it that my knee might keep giving out randomly for the rest of my life? I prefer to just focus on getting my legs crazy strong in hopes that will help keep my knees in place, but still...yikes!

So, where does all of this leave me right now? I've started physio and it's going well. I feel like he's going pretty easy on me, since he only gave me 4 new exercises to do, but I guess since I was already doing pretty much everything he would normally tell someone in my position to do, I made his job pretty easy. What I'm enjoying is the eletro-stimulus-thing he's got going on. I've never had it done before, but it's pretty fun, and I'm hoping after a few treatments it'll make a huge difference in increasing my muscle strength and reducing this pesky swelling.

Ok, that's it. I won't update on my knee for a while...this is more knee-related content than any blog needs.

could we please not give people more reasons to confuse their pets with children?

my new favourite picture of The Peps...

too cute...

A while ago we went to The Landlords (not our landlords, but Mr. C and Other Me's ex-landlords) for a random BBQ. It was ever-so-fun! I was very impressed at their ability to just pull off a BBQ of such massive proportions with zero notice or thought. Thanks The Landlords! There was even a great game of BANG that broke out. And anyone who saw me in Saskatoon over the X-mas holidays knows how addicted to BANG I am.

Despite all that goodness, I would have to say playing dress up was the best part. It was good for a variety of reasons, including that I had nothing to do with helping the kids dress up, and yet still got to enjoy all of their cuteness. And there was a lot of cuteness going on, some of which was captured in picture form. I dare you not to explode with happy when you look at these.

Can I opt out of the poop option?

I think the birds might be out to get Jimmy this year, and I'm not sure why. We totally didn't have this problem last year. And, really, who could hate Jimmy? He's so cute and polite and sweet. Admit it, you all love him. Yeah, I thought so.

So given that I just determined no one could be out to get Jimmy, that's clearly not what's going on here. It must be Karma. You see, I totally make fun of Flow with a Silent G for getting crapped on all the time, so I suppose I deserve this. But still, Karma, don't you think you've gone a little far? I mean, it's gotten to the point where I'm a little embarrassed to drive around now. No one has a poop mobile like this. NO ONE. I've been checking.

Check it out:


There are two alarming things I want to note. First, these photos don't even really capture what's going on here. You must see it in real life to really understand how badly Jimmy is getting bombed. Second, this all happened in less than two days. Chaz washed it late Saturday afternoon (to get the crap from last week off) and by Monday morning this is what Jimmy looked like. I'm a little worried and I'm considering investing in some sort of protective tarp. Or a cat.

eww...

We're in the midst of our second smog advisory here and it's not even June yet. Gross.

This whole air quality thing could be a real deal breaker for me. How much longer do I want to live in a place where the air is so awful?

i survived!

Well, you'll all be happy to know that I survived TV. It was actually a very enjoyable experience and I'm glad I went. I won't post it for you because, well, I don't have a copy, nor do I want to see a copy, nor would I even know how to post it if I did have a copy.

I am dwelling on a few of the things I said, but I don't think anyone will call the mayor over anything that came out of my mouth, so all is well. I guess I must have said some good stuff, because during the commercial break right after my interview the host was all compliments and he said after the show that he would like to have Youth Services on more regularly to do good news stories. You really can't ask for a better connection than that, and it totally just fell into my lap! Oh life, how you reward me for overworking myself in such fulfilling and exciting ways.

Now I'm all scheming about the different ways I can make some good stuff happen here and make the most of this connection... I never expected to leave the show being too excited to sleep. And it's all because I forced myself to face my fear of being an idiot on TV.

knee update...

So I went to see a doctor on Thursday and he was great, I really liked him. I was happy to hear him say that he would be totally shocked if I had re-torn my ACL by walking. Good news!

He suggested it could have been super old scar tissue that broke, which is a pretty exciting idea that I had never considered...there's nothing wrong with that, unless, of course, it never works its way out of my joint and I need to go under the knife to get it out of there, but I don't even imagine that would be that bad, so here's hoping that's the case. He was also thinking it could be torn cartilage, especially if I'd had cartilage issues in the past, but after I showed him where it hurt he thought it might be meniscus. So, yeah, in sum, he has no idea, but that didn't surprise me because that's how knee injuries work...until you see what's going on inside it's super hard to know what the problem really is.

Given that he rules and is very thorough, he requested all of my old surgical records for both of my knees so he could know exactly what was done in the past. He also sent me to get both my knees x-rayed because he said I should be checking on the bones regularly to see how they are doing, given all the trauma my knees have experienced to date. I really like that he's going to check out both my knees, it'll be good to see how the left one is doing too. Maybe this knee injury was a good thing after all!

I'm going to see the doctor again this week, and I'm really looking forward to it. He really wants to send me for an MRI as well, but he wants to have all the information before he sends me for that (e.g., I think I have metal pins and screws in my knees, but I'm not 100% sure). He'll also be sending me off for physio, but not until he can check out all my records and x-rays and stuff. As he was leaving the office he was listing off some of the things I should be doing on my own for rehab. I nodded with each thing he listed, letting him know I was already doing it all, so he just laughed and said I clearly had things under control and left...it's nice to hear that from a doctor!

So, yeah, things are looking up for me. I'm walking better and better every day, although I'm still pretty slow and it still hurts. I kind of enjoy driving Chaz crazy by making him walk at my terribly slow pace though, so I might keep that up for a while just for fun.

I'm going to be on TV tomorrow...

...and I'm a little scared (even though it's just Rogers). Please hope that I don't make a fool of myself.

The dude promised it would be painless (can I trust a TV host?) and that I would be talking about the good things young people do, the City's youth services, our recent youth awards, and youth engagement, which are all things I think I can handle, but still. Can I really represent the City on TV? TV, people! TV!

I'm slightly terrified and I really don't want to do this. But, of course, because it's me, the fact that I don't want to do it is why I'm making myself do it. You see, I've noticed that I usually dread things like this because I'm afraid of them, which I realize is a silly reason not to do something, so my new thing is to recognize that, call myself on it, and then force myself to do it so that I'm always pushing myself to grow.

Damn me for valuing reflexivity and self development so much!

Project Marla

Wanna up your profile at the office? Wanna get on everyone’s radar? Wanna make sure everyone knows your name, takes an interest in your life, and has something to talk to you about? Well if you do, I’ve got just the thing for you…consider hurting yourself in a very dramatic way at work around a lot of your coworkers!

It works like a charm, especially if you play your cards right. For example, to up the drama, and therefore increase people’s emotional investment in your injury, make sure do it in such a way that you make as many of your coworkers as possible part of the injury (e.g., have a part of your body make a terribly loud and awful noise that haunts people for days; have some coworkers fill out forms for you, others get you ice, others call your boyfriend, others get you your purse so you can get some Advil, and others to lend you a wheel chair from their program…people like to help out in a time of need, so make sure you let them!). Also try to ensure that your injury is serious enough that you need miss a high profile offsite meeting so that your supervisor needs to receive an urgent Blackberry message informing her that you need to seek medical attention, as this also increases the drama and ensures that even more people are emotionally tied to your injury (no one likes to worry!). Also make sure that your injury is serious enough that people are reminded that you hurt yourself every time they see you for weeks (e.g., use crutches and/or limp for as long as possible). You might also want to consider introducing a villain into the mix so that people can band together with you in hating some kind of evil that no one has any control over (e.g., let everyone know that you need to wait and see whether or not you are approved for worker’s comp before you can see a doctor—that really makes people angry!). Most importantly though, return to work after your injury with a really positive attitude…it makes people think you’re brave, tough, a fighter, etc., and that’s the kind of person people really want to support! Oh, and if you’re a really good planner, make it all happen right before your busiest work week of the year so that everyone can see that you’re so committed to your job that not even pain and swelling will keep you from getting your stuff done.

All joking aside, hurting my knee at work (of all things) appears to have been a really good career move for me. I know it sounds silly, but all these people that I didn’t really have a strong connection to before are now super invested in me and my recovery. People that I didn’t think even knew my name now stop me every time I’m at City Hall and ask for the latest update. Most people can’t resist adding a line to their e-mails to wish me well, ask for an update, and/or let me know that I’m walking faster and better each time they see me. I mean, the GM of my department finally knows who I am now and goes out of her way to say hi to me…even the mayor stopped me at the Youth Awards to ask what happened and to find out how I was doing! It’s magic! And the whole needing crutches thing has really helped the seniors at my centre see me in a different light…I’m not the invincible, intimidating young person anymore…now they can relate to me and talk to me about aches, pains, and injuries. I, and my knee rehabilitation, have become everyone’s pet project—Project Marla, if you will—and I’m kind of enjoying it. I’ll use my pain and suffering to bring people together, if I must.

it's mail time again...

Chaz and I really hit the jackpot a couple of weeks ago--we got three more parts of the calendar and a note explaining why it's been so long since we've received anything.

Man, I love this calendar! Thanks whoever you are!

Enjoy!

March

April

May

Easter wasn't that long ago...was it?

Chaz and I decided to have a non-traditional Easter this year—there would be no turkey with all the trimmings anywhere in sight! On the Friday night we had Mr. C, Other Me, and Secret Weapon over for Easter quesadillas. It was the right thing to do. Our quesadilla maker sure makes mean quesadillas!

On the Sunday Chaz and I decided to try making gnocchi for the first time, since we had some old, gross potatoes to use up. It took pretty much the whole afternoon and, as you will see from the photos posted below, the dough (is it dough? Who knows?) was a little out of control in the sticky department, but the texture was pretty close to perfect, so I had no complaints. Sweet lord I love gnocchi! We should really forget about potatoes more often…so delicious!

gnocchi-tastic!

Chaz, the Master Potato Masher. Don’t mess with him when he’s mashing, trust me!

Who knew that would end up being so delicious?!

It really shouldn’t be that sticky…I don’t think…but I don’t really know because I’ve never made gnocchi before…but I’m pretty sure the cook book would have said something if it was supposed to be that sticky…or maybe not…it’s hard to know, really.

I just walked somewhere!

Sure, it was only, like, 2 blocks (if that) and, yeah, it took me about 20 mins, and ok, a senior who wasn't walking very well herself totally passed me, and I'm not going to lie, my knee is pretty tired and sore, BUT I did it sans crutches, so go me!

I really miss walking and feel pretty lazy driving to work, the gym, etc., so I’m happy to report I’m making progress on that front (even though I’m sure it’ll be a few weeks before I can handle walking to work, the gym, or the grocery store).

I finally kind of got the WSIB stuff figured out. I talked to a dude on Friday and, while they haven’t made a final decision, he told me they likely won’t cover my injury (I didn’t really expect them to), so I’ve gone a head and made an appointment at the original clinic I was referred to. I’m going to see a doctor on Thursday, so it’ll be interesting to see what he/she has to say. Here’s hoping that nasty surgery word will be absent from the conversation! Keep your fingers crosses for me!

Youth Week tried to kill me…

So this past week was insane. For those of you who don’t know, the first full week of May each year is National (or international? it’s hard to know, really) Youth Week. This means a week of sheer and utter madness when you’re a Youth Coordinator. Of course, it’s all fun and exciting and stuff, but it’s still pretty crazy, especially when your knee hates you.

This week I planned and/or helped out with a youth appreciation night/b-ball competition for 12 -17 year olds, a fairly large youth awards ceremony, a 2-ball competition for 18 - 25 year olds (which Chaz almost won…we like to pretend he’s still 25), and a band show featuring young, local musicians, all on top of all my other regular work for the week. I’m happy to report everything went off without a hitch! After the 12 hours straight of standing/running around that was the youth awards I seriously felt like I used to feel after playing a huge soccer tournament (read: every single muscle in my body ached), but the next day my knee was feeling pretty good, at least for a while, so apparently it thrives when pushed to the limit. I’ve made a mental note.

I also attended a Justice Dinner (aka the Justin Dinner) where Justin Trudeau spoke about working with youth. Justin was ok, and I support his message (that we need to respect and listen to youth…there was another point in there that I can’t remember…oops!), but he sure didn’t say anything that inspired me. I was hoping for some kind of nugget that I could use in the future to really get people motivated to do positive work for youth, but it wasn’t there. Thanks for nothing, Justin! Apparently he inspired many, many other people though, because the next day at the Youth Awards the councillors and mayor where all quoting him and stuff. It saddened me a little that people were so blown away by the idea that young people aren’t just the leaders of the future, they are also the leaders of today. I mean, at least they got the message and it might change the way they think, but still. Did they really not know this? Is this really a new concept? Sigh.

Anyway, so, as much as I love Youth Week, I’m glad it’s over for another year. Now I can focus on getting ready for summer youth drop-in, which will start consuming my time come June 11. Bring it, I say!

crutches are good for more than you think...

Other fun uses:

Poking kilometres

Tripping kilometres

why do the good ones always move away?

This weekend was a pretty sad one. No, not because I was stuck inside on the couch with a sore knee and sore hands (stupid crutches) when it finally decided to be beautiful and spring-like outside (although that was kind of sucky). No, instead the sadness was because Other Me, Mr. C, and Bru-dog, moved away to PEI on Saturday. I’m still in denial, I’m not going to lie, so it hasn’t quite hit me yet that they are gone. It is starting to sink in though...there was a moment on Sunday where km, Chaz, and I were going out for gelato and I thought, “We should call Other Me and Mr. C, they would totally be down for gelato!” only to then remember they were no longer around. Sigh.

People as good as Other Me and Mr. C don’t come along very often. And, while I’m happy that they will still be in my life, even if only from afar, I am profoundly sad that I won’t be able to hang out with them on a regular basis anymore. They made life so much more fun and rich in all kinds of subtle ways and I loved that they were always up for anything…I keep wondering if there’s some way I can convince them to move back… Double sigh.

So best of luck in PEI, you crazy kids—everyone there is so lucky to have you. Please come back and visit soon…we’ll be out your way as soon as we can.

Here we are with bellies full of all-you-can eat sushi. From left to right: Papa Other Me, Momma Other Me, Mr. C, Chaz, Secret Weapon, Moi and Crutchy McCrutcherson, Other Me, and KM (aka: Chrisopher, Male).

Some mandatory zombie action. I'm not sure what's going on with my face there, but I'm going to blame my knee because that seems like the right thing to do.

Ever the performer, Bru-dog (my most entertaining nephew) decided to “kill” this old racquet (he usually kills a stool, but that had already been packed away, so he had to get creative). Oh how I’m going to miss his crazy Bru-tricks. *sniff*

for km...

Dear Kilometres,

Best of luck on your comps. I know you’re going to kick some serious ass! Please know that I’m thinking about you and sending positive comps-vibes your way.

*hugs*

bag marla

not so stealth-like...

I’ve found a lot of interesting ways to hurt myself in my day. I mean, how many people to you know who have thrown out their back while hiccupping, strained their neck while putting on a sports bra, and destroyed their knee (again) while playing a friendly game of kickball? Gooooooo me!

I have to say, though, of all the stupid ways I’ve hurt myself, Tuesday’s injury takes the cake.

Tuesdays are typically pretty crazy for me (I usually work at least 11 hours, if not more), and last Tuesday was exceptionally busy, with something ridiculous like 4 back-to-back meetings. During one of the aforementioned meetings, I decided I should sneak out a little early, so as not to be late for my 3:30. I was doing pretty good, not being too disruptive…I didn’t run into a chair or slam my bag into the back of someone’s head…I was just flying out of that meeting, I tells ya! I was flying, that is, until I got out the door. Because once I got out the door my right knee decided it would have no more of the walking and proceeded to give out on me. Now, those who know me know that I have pretty terrible knees that give out on occasion, but it’s never anything too serious. Usually it just hurts for a little while and I can walk it off and get on with my day. This was not one of those times, however.

This time my knee meant business. It meant so much business that, in giving out, it made a noise loud enough for EVERYONE in the meeting to hear. It also meant so much business that it kept slipping out every time I tried to step on it after it went out. The thing was, I was in so much shock that I didn’t really understand what was going on. So there I was, standing in the doorway, everyone from the meeting looking at me, wondering what was responsible for the crazy noise they had just heard, while I was repeatedly trying to take steps with a leg whose knee was refusing to support any weight what-so-ever. It wasn’t until one of the front desk staff asked if I was ok that I realized I wasn’t, so I hopped over to a chair in the Tuck Shop and started realizing just how hurt I really was. Of course, everyone filed out of the meeting to see what had happened. Everyone had their theory as to how I was able to injure myself so terribly while leaving the meeting… Had I rolled over on my heel? Had I banged my knee on the door? Had I somehow twisted my knee when I stepped (surely that must have been it!)? No, no, and no. I had nothing to tell them. I had blown out my knee simply by walking. No, turning, no twisting, no banging, no rolling. Now that’s talent, my friends!

So everyone at the Community Centre was great and stopped what they were doing to help me out. I think because they all heard the noise they felt invested in the injury—I mean, they were going to have to live with the haunting sound of bone grinding on bone, after all. They helped me with the forms and paperwork (good, old workplace injuries), got me ice, got me my purse so I could drug myself up, and called Chaz to take me to the Urgent Care Clinic. The fine folks from the Seniors’ Day Program even hooked me up with a wheelchair (who knew that wheelchair access would be one of the perks of working at a senior’s centre?) so I could get to the clinic. So much love!

So I got to the clinic right before it closed and was able to see a doctor pretty quickly. He wasn’t sure what was wrong (surprise! no one ever seems to know with knees), but guessed maybe some loose cartilage was the culprit. He filled out my paperwork for me, prescribed some anti-inflammatories/painkillers, and referred me to another doctor (the real reason for my visit…I knew he wouldn’t be able to tell me what was wrong) and sent me on my way.

So the next day I called the sports medicine clinic the doctor referred me to so I could make an appointment to see another doctor for follow-up (and because the pain was pretty excruciating, I was pretty worried and wanted to see what another doctor had to say about me hurting myself so severely while walking). Everything was going well on the phone—we had found a time that worked and everything seemed good to go. Then the receptionist ever so casually asked me whether or not this was a workplace injury (WSIB). I told her I wasn’t sure because it happened at work, but that didn’t necessarily mean that it would be covered by WSBI so I had to wait and see if they approved the injury or not. It was at this point where she stopped being so friendly and helpful. I was informed that the clinic did not accept WSIB cases, so I would have to see a doctor somewhere else. I was a little taken aback, as I sure wasn’t expecting to be turned away from the clinic I was referred to. I asked her what I was supposed to do (I needed to see a doctor after all) and she gave me the name of another clinic. I was a little sceptical that I could just randomly call this place up and make an appointment without a referral, but the woman on the phone assured me I could.

So I called the second clinic and explained my situation to the receptionist. She explained to me that they did indeed accept WSIB claims however, I could not make an appointment with one of their doctors unless I had been referred by my family doctor. I explained that I didn’t have a family doctor in the city and she basically told me I was SOL. I asked her if she knew what I could do and, because I’m sure she was sick of talking to me, she passed me off to their WSIB worker.

The WSIB worker didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know (the take-home message was the same: I could not see a doctor without a referral), but I did learn that they would accept a referral from an Urgent Care clinic doctor and not just a family doctor, so that felt like some progress.

So basically now I get to play the waiting game to see if my injury is a WSIB case or not. If it’s not, I can go a head with the referral I already have and if it is, I will have to go back to the Urgent Care clinic so that I can be referred to a clinic that accepts WSIB cases. How silly is that? I mean, I understand why referrals are important, but I have a slip of paper that says a practicing doctor thinks I need to see another doctor with more expertise in the area of sports injuries (walking’s a sport, didn’t you know?) for a follow-up appointment, so why does this need to be so difficult? Thank goodness I’ve had so many knee injuries in the past that I have a really good sense of what I need to do to get my knee moving again while I’m waiting for all of this to get sorted out or else I’d be in some serious trouble. The longer you wait to get things working again, the harder it is.

So, if anyone has some connections with the local WSIB peeps, can you put in a good word for me? I don’t really care what they decide, just so long as they make up their mind either way ASAP. I’ve got rehab to do!

I'm an auntie...

...kind of.

I've decided that since Bro-home gets called daddy, that makes me an auntie. So, like any proud auntie, I have to show off some pictures from my first meeting with Kix (so named because of her mad soccer skillz). I highly enjoyed my time with Kix, she's good times for sure.



Check out the wicked nap hair--isn't it stunning? I might have to start sporting something similar.


Kix loves playing with her 'ba'. She's also obsessed with Papa P. And, really, who could blame her? He's totally insane amounts of fun. Frankly I don't know where he gets the energy from, but Kix ate it up. And then came back for more.


The old full body ball push. Brilliant!


I just love this shot. So much happiness, all because of Mouse.


Kix's other claim to fame is dancing (and by dancing I mean leaning side to side to music). Here she is working it with Papa P. She was so into it she eventually had to put her hand on the dresser so that she wouldn't fall over. She was on fire!

more random mail!!

Here's the latest random mail that Chaz and I received. I'm pretty happy with it, especially because now we finally know who Jack Wood is! I sure can't wait to see what the month of March brings our way!!