Lightning bolts, in bullet points:
- My time with the Darth Vader mask has been extended for another 2 weeks.
- My follow up appointment to talk about the additional 2 weeks? Is in mid-September.
- The additional 2 weeks is necessary because of a data reporting error. Not because of anything I did, not because the Darth Vader mask is a feasible treatment option, but because the clinic needs a full month's worth of data.
- I finally went out and bought running shoes and started running. Things were going really well and I felt good so I (stupidly) pushed myself harder than I should have and now I have a stress fracture in my foot. Moral of the story: I am old. I should not exercise. Real moral of the story: I have no business running on concrete.
- My accounting final is on August 7th. Between now and August 7th I need to finish my 9th assignment, do all of the reading for the 10th module, complete the 10th assignment, and study for the exam. I am so behind and I have no one to blame but myself. Lightning! Bolt!
- Shawn and I have both been really busy lately and it's starting to affect how we treat each other. We've both been snappy and impatient and I'm not sure how to break the cycle. It's our anniversary on August 4th and I would love to go away for the weekend but my final is on the 7th and he's got a gig on the 6th and we work different work schedules (me: Monday - Friday, him: Tuesday - Saturday) so it's difficult for us to get away. August is going to be ridiculously busy for both of us and I'm worried that we're facing a bickery, hostile month.
- Shawn installed a dual-flush converter on our toilet so now there is a "small flush" button and a "big flush" button where there used to be a lever. We're going to conserve so much water and we're going to save the environment and aren't we fabulous people?! Except that I hate the dual-flush converter. You can't just flush the toilet anymore, you have to stand there and hold in the button until the toilet is finished flushing and I know, I KNOW, poor me having to spend 7 seconds flushing the toilet. I just hate it. I won't be shamed by this.
- Unbloggable family shite. People are crazy. That is all.
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Monday, 19 July 2010
We Should Try A Little Harder In The Tedious March Of The Few Every Day's A Different Warning
I want to write about sunshine and barbecues and hikes with the puppies and days at the beach. I want to write about the fun that I'm having with Shawn and the big plans we have for our second anniversary in just a few weeks. I want to write about summer and watermelon smiles and sangria nights but I can't because all of those things exist only in the corner of my brain labelled "what summer should be" and not in the corner of my brain labelled "reality: of the stark and cold variety."
I admire people who write about the tough times as well as the bright times but I hesitate to admit it when I am having a dark day (or week, or month, or season as the case may be.) I don't want to be a whiner. I don't want to be negative. I want to throw positivity out into the universe so the universe will bounce some positivity right back at me. Right now I kind of want to punch positivity in the ear, unfortunately. My attempts at positivity have failed and a tantrum is brewing. It's sunny and warm but my eyes are lightning bolts.
I admire people who write about the tough times as well as the bright times but I hesitate to admit it when I am having a dark day (or week, or month, or season as the case may be.) I don't want to be a whiner. I don't want to be negative. I want to throw positivity out into the universe so the universe will bounce some positivity right back at me. Right now I kind of want to punch positivity in the ear, unfortunately. My attempts at positivity have failed and a tantrum is brewing. It's sunny and warm but my eyes are lightning bolts.
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
The Outlook Was Decidedly Blue But As I Walked Through The Foggy Streets Alone It Turned Out To Be The Luckiest Day I've Known
I try to be an efficient person. I make lists and I plan and I think of possible outcomes and different scenarios. I spend a lot of time thinking. I scheme.
I keep myself busy. I spin from one project to the next, barely allowing myself time to take a breath. I often don't finish a project before I hurl myself into the next, leaving a trail of inefficiency and unfinished projects in my wake. The unfinished projects pile up until I am paralyzed at the thought of how much time they would require to complete. It's silly. If I just buckled down and completed the tasks, I could check them off my list and move on. Instead, I avoid my old / incomplete / difficult / uncomfortable projects for new! fun! exciting projects like painting the bedroom or reading the Stieg Larsson trilogy. Which is why I have three weeks to complete two modules and assignments before my accounting final but I could talk in depth about Lisbeth Salander and my bedroom walls are the perfect shade of dove grey with a deep turquoise accent wall.
It's something I struggle with - the self-discipline and willpower to accomplish the boring stuff. I'm trying to find the balance between the mundane and the exciting. I'm not always successful (clearly) but I am getting better (says the lady who is blogging instead of reading her accounting textbook. *sigh*)
Like Gravy To Potatoes Luke To Darth Vader I'm A Souped Up Sucker And I'll See You All Later
In one week, I will (hopefully) be able to return the Darth Vader sleeping mask. I don't think the sleep specialist or respiratory therapist will recommend that I continue using the mask - the quality of my sleep has not improved. If anything, the quality of my sleep has declined because of my inability to adjust to sleeping while wearing the mask.
I'm not complaining about my lack of sleep again, I promise - just sharing a picture of Stella being ridiculous. For some reason she's drawn to the continual flow of air from the mask. Weirdo pup. Either that or she wants to be a Star Wars villain. I smell next year's Hallowe'en costume!
I'm not complaining about my lack of sleep again, I promise - just sharing a picture of Stella being ridiculous. For some reason she's drawn to the continual flow of air from the mask. Weirdo pup. Either that or she wants to be a Star Wars villain. I smell next year's Hallowe'en costume!
Monday, 12 July 2010
Popsicle Toes Are Always Froze
Summer finally arrived last week and it is capital-h-Hot. I'm not complaining, though, not one bit. Summer is a short season here in Vancouver so I will gladly welcome the heat and humidity.
The puppies have been less than impressed with the heat, however. Our neighbourhood is all cement sidewalks and gravel-filled dog parks - not very nice for rolling around in when it is hot and steamy - so I packed them off to the suburbs to spend the day in my parents' tree-filled backyard.
The puppies love my parents' backyard. It's big and shady and comes complete with a puppy! Toby's actually not much of a puppy anymore; he's old and arthritic and his hips are slowly twisting the wrong way, but he lets the pups crawl all over him and kiss his face. He's afraid of cameras (and has figured out that my iPhone is a camera) so I can only snap sneaky shots of him.
Since Stella's raspberry eating incident, my parents have erected fencing around their vegetable garden. When Stella discovered the fence, she was displeased. She spent a good portion of the day balanced on the edge of the garden wall, trying to decipher a way into the garden.
I didn't want the puppies to get overheated so I made them puppy popsicles. I mixed up about a cup of plain yogurt, a big spoonful of natural peanut butter (don't use the sugary stuff or you will end up with a sick pup), a mashed banana, a grated carrot, and a handful of chopped cranberries into a gloppy mix and then used my mini-muffin pan as a mold. They took a few hours to freeze into pucks of puppy popsicle goodness and then I popped them out of the pan and stored them in a bag in my freezer. The yogurt keeps them nice and chewable. The pups approve.
After hours of fun in the sun, I brought the pups home for a much needed snooze. Stella crashed for the entire afternoon, giving me a nice uninterrupted stretch of time to work on my accounting course (boo-urns to working on homework when it is nice and sunny outside.)
The ear draping over the side of the bed? Kills me. She is very easy to love when she is like this (you know, quiet and immobile.)
The puppies have been less than impressed with the heat, however. Our neighbourhood is all cement sidewalks and gravel-filled dog parks - not very nice for rolling around in when it is hot and steamy - so I packed them off to the suburbs to spend the day in my parents' tree-filled backyard.
The puppies love my parents' backyard. It's big and shady and comes complete with a puppy! Toby's actually not much of a puppy anymore; he's old and arthritic and his hips are slowly twisting the wrong way, but he lets the pups crawl all over him and kiss his face. He's afraid of cameras (and has figured out that my iPhone is a camera) so I can only snap sneaky shots of him.
Since Stella's raspberry eating incident, my parents have erected fencing around their vegetable garden. When Stella discovered the fence, she was displeased. She spent a good portion of the day balanced on the edge of the garden wall, trying to decipher a way into the garden.
I didn't want the puppies to get overheated so I made them puppy popsicles. I mixed up about a cup of plain yogurt, a big spoonful of natural peanut butter (don't use the sugary stuff or you will end up with a sick pup), a mashed banana, a grated carrot, and a handful of chopped cranberries into a gloppy mix and then used my mini-muffin pan as a mold. They took a few hours to freeze into pucks of puppy popsicle goodness and then I popped them out of the pan and stored them in a bag in my freezer. The yogurt keeps them nice and chewable. The pups approve.
After hours of fun in the sun, I brought the pups home for a much needed snooze. Stella crashed for the entire afternoon, giving me a nice uninterrupted stretch of time to work on my accounting course (boo-urns to working on homework when it is nice and sunny outside.)
The ear draping over the side of the bed? Kills me. She is very easy to love when she is like this (you know, quiet and immobile.)
Friday, 9 July 2010
Tiny Little Hands Clapping
Shawn has his solo music project but he also joined a local band (Black Betty) a few months ago (side note: I love the new band. They kind of sound like Soundgarden + Ozzy.) 
Two days ago the band got a call from Live Nation asking if they would be interested in opening for Steel Panther at the Commodore. The Commodore Ballroom is somewhat of an institution in Vancouver. I would go so far as to say that it's the best place for live music in the city. It feels large - and attracts big name acts - but can actually only hold 900 people. It's a stepping stone - a step above playing in bars but a step below (albeit a large step) playing in arenas. Coldplay played their first North American gig at the Commodore. Lady Gaga played the Commodore in March 2009 and a year later returned to Vancouver to play at GM Place (tangent: GM Place was renamed Rogers Arena this week and ... no. Just no.) U2 played the Commodore in 1981. Playing the Commodore is kind of a big deal.
Last night I watched Shawn fulfill his dream of playing on a big stage to a packed house of rowdy fans.
It doesn't matter that it was a rowdy crowd of Steel Panther fans. It doesn't matter that Black Betty was a last-minute fill-in for an opening band that bailed. All that matters is that all of his hard work paid off last night and I am so very proud of him.
Two days ago the band got a call from Live Nation asking if they would be interested in opening for Steel Panther at the Commodore. The Commodore Ballroom is somewhat of an institution in Vancouver. I would go so far as to say that it's the best place for live music in the city. It feels large - and attracts big name acts - but can actually only hold 900 people. It's a stepping stone - a step above playing in bars but a step below (albeit a large step) playing in arenas. Coldplay played their first North American gig at the Commodore. Lady Gaga played the Commodore in March 2009 and a year later returned to Vancouver to play at GM Place (tangent: GM Place was renamed Rogers Arena this week and ... no. Just no.) U2 played the Commodore in 1981. Playing the Commodore is kind of a big deal.
Last night I watched Shawn fulfill his dream of playing on a big stage to a packed house of rowdy fans.
It doesn't matter that it was a rowdy crowd of Steel Panther fans. It doesn't matter that Black Betty was a last-minute fill-in for an opening band that bailed. All that matters is that all of his hard work paid off last night and I am so very proud of him.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
We'll Design A Clever Disguise Or Retreat To The Bottom Of The Sea
I make a mean guacamole. I am good at recommending books and bands. I bake really delicious pies. I make excellent playlists. I am good at some things is what I'm saying.
However.
There are many things that I am not good at and for those things, I have my people. When I need to sound smart, I have Turtle. When I break my computer, I have Turtle's boyfriend. When I need to know what accessories are appropriate for a certain outfit, I have Robin. When I need someone to listen to my crazy without judging, I have Cat. When I have an accounting question, I have my dad. I have no problem finding help when I am unable to do something by myself.
A little while ago, I started to hate my blog. I still loved my bloggy people, I just felt like blogging was becoming a bit of a chore. I decided that I needed a blog redesign. I needed to approach blogging differently and in order to do so, I needed to change the look of my blog. I know absolutely nothing about the technical side of blogging though, so I needed a person.
I'm not sure how it happened (I'm guessing it was a combination of her kind heart and my blatant desperation) but Kyla became my bloggy person. A few emails were exchanged and it became painfully obvious how limited my technical skills are. Yada yada yada, I hired Kyla to redesign my blog.
My fancy new blog, twitter background, and etsy banner are all products of Kyla's brilliance. She did it all. The only thing I did was send bizarre emails with statements like "I like colour. Not like COLOUR colour. But colour. You know?" And she did know. Or at least she pretended to know what I was babbling on about and still managed to wrangle my thoughts into a cohesive design. Working with Kyla was an entirely positive experience - she listened to me, she gave me exactly what I wanted, and she suggested things I didn't even know that I wanted.
I'm excited about blogging again. I have ideas and plans and intentions. I still have a few things to finish (my about page and blogroll are currently sad and empty) but I'm excited to show off my blog. I removed the BlogHer ads - I have nothing bad to say about the program, it just didn't feel like a good fit for me. I dislike Blogger's inability to respond to comments (the "noreply-comment@blogger.com" makes me want to stab my computer) but I didn't feel comfortable learning a new blogging platform so I am going to start responding to comments in my comments section. Blogging is going to be fun again. Mark my words!
However.
There are many things that I am not good at and for those things, I have my people. When I need to sound smart, I have Turtle. When I break my computer, I have Turtle's boyfriend. When I need to know what accessories are appropriate for a certain outfit, I have Robin. When I need someone to listen to my crazy without judging, I have Cat. When I have an accounting question, I have my dad. I have no problem finding help when I am unable to do something by myself.
A little while ago, I started to hate my blog. I still loved my bloggy people, I just felt like blogging was becoming a bit of a chore. I decided that I needed a blog redesign. I needed to approach blogging differently and in order to do so, I needed to change the look of my blog. I know absolutely nothing about the technical side of blogging though, so I needed a person.
I'm not sure how it happened (I'm guessing it was a combination of her kind heart and my blatant desperation) but Kyla became my bloggy person. A few emails were exchanged and it became painfully obvious how limited my technical skills are. Yada yada yada, I hired Kyla to redesign my blog.
My fancy new blog, twitter background, and etsy banner are all products of Kyla's brilliance. She did it all. The only thing I did was send bizarre emails with statements like "I like colour. Not like COLOUR colour. But colour. You know?" And she did know. Or at least she pretended to know what I was babbling on about and still managed to wrangle my thoughts into a cohesive design. Working with Kyla was an entirely positive experience - she listened to me, she gave me exactly what I wanted, and she suggested things I didn't even know that I wanted.
I'm excited about blogging again. I have ideas and plans and intentions. I still have a few things to finish (my about page and blogroll are currently sad and empty) but I'm excited to show off my blog. I removed the BlogHer ads - I have nothing bad to say about the program, it just didn't feel like a good fit for me. I dislike Blogger's inability to respond to comments (the "noreply-comment@blogger.com" makes me want to stab my computer) but I didn't feel comfortable learning a new blogging platform so I am going to start responding to comments in my comments section. Blogging is going to be fun again. Mark my words!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
