I am having some crazytime at work. AJ has gone on mat leave so the workforce is down to three from five. Busy does not begin to describe it. On top of that, because the budget has been cut, my acting position is gone, so I'm back to my base position. I have been, well, not exactly demoted, but what? De-promoted? Un-promoted? Remoted? Only with fuckloads more work than ever. And a paycut. I am pretty sure my supervisor was playing dumb when she told me she didn't know what was going on with staffing as I nervously tried to advocate for my career earlier this week. A pointless exercise.
Such is life. At least I have a job in the wake of these 'tough economic times'. (I wonder when people will stop saying that? When the next recession comes around, say in two years, will there be a different phrase?)
I allowed myself a day's worth of distracted bitterness, but I really feel over it now. I don't even feel tempted to call AJ to complain. I will, though. Tomorrow.
For tonight, it is episode two of this piece of fantastic-ness. B and I were laughing, gasping, clapping and pointing at the tv last night in sheer amazement.
Friday, 30 April 2010
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Hi, B.
B's coming up to his six-monthiversary of unemployment. One of the (few) benefits of joblessness is the opportunity it affords to keep up with the latest internet trends. The past month has been all Merton and chat roulette, trolling and equals three, piano cats and endless teabagging jokes. I have never felt so in-touch with my culture.
B just announced that his favourite instrument is the vocoder, but he's just trying to be cool. In fact, it is the ukelele.
We are going to the Bahamas on Friday. B suggested for a laugh that he bring along a ukelele. I agreed that this would be funny, so I found one for him online. Unfortunately, it is the cheapest piece of crap ever and I'm embarrassed to have bought it. I am suggesting he leave it behind when we return from our vacation.
Our flight leaves at 5:00 am. I thought the security desk didn't open before six so I'm curious to see what happens. I got a big, fat book out of the library for the flight. It's practically War and Peace, it's so enormous, but it's a thriller. I don't normally read these things but it's kind of fun to have a page-turner on a plane.
This is a family effort. We are meeting the parents, Em and B-i-L there and we're all going to share a house for a week and snorkel. I can't wait, but B has pretty much had it with relaxing so he's not looking forward to it much.
I think there will be internet access at the house but no computer, so my intimacy with pop culture will be short-lived. For B's sanity's sake, I hope it stays that way.
B just announced that his favourite instrument is the vocoder, but he's just trying to be cool. In fact, it is the ukelele.
We are going to the Bahamas on Friday. B suggested for a laugh that he bring along a ukelele. I agreed that this would be funny, so I found one for him online. Unfortunately, it is the cheapest piece of crap ever and I'm embarrassed to have bought it. I am suggesting he leave it behind when we return from our vacation.
Our flight leaves at 5:00 am. I thought the security desk didn't open before six so I'm curious to see what happens. I got a big, fat book out of the library for the flight. It's practically War and Peace, it's so enormous, but it's a thriller. I don't normally read these things but it's kind of fun to have a page-turner on a plane.
This is a family effort. We are meeting the parents, Em and B-i-L there and we're all going to share a house for a week and snorkel. I can't wait, but B has pretty much had it with relaxing so he's not looking forward to it much.
I think there will be internet access at the house but no computer, so my intimacy with pop culture will be short-lived. For B's sanity's sake, I hope it stays that way.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Oh I do love you, One Great City!
I'm not avoiding the blog anymore. I just seem to have nothing to say. I had 56 posts in six months the first year I started this. I know the trick is to write anyway, because really I always have something.
Here goes.
Since the killer hockey final - where I was secretly cheering for the US after hearing a not-entirely-discreditable prediction that Canadians, blinded by golden patriotism, would hastily vote Conservative were an election to be called shortly following the Games - I have developed a renewed interest in a game that really hasn't captured much of my attention since 1986. Hockey fan WorkerB fills me in on the changes since then.
Fortunately, this is a good place to live should one want to know more about hockey. The NHL site is helpful, but last weekend, there was a live game, outdoors: old Jets vs. the media. Jets were better.
And then 'Death By Popcorn'. Violating all forms of copyright, this movie has been hard to come by, but thanks to the wonders of the interwebber, you can watch it right now if you want. I wouldn't call it a great movie, but it captures something about this place that is bang-on: that (almost?) indomitable spirit of the underdog. This is why I wanted to live here (but I tell people it was because of the quality of the planning school).
Some say they're coming back. Others say, never. It's all about money now and that's one thing that One Great City! does not have. But it sure has loyal fans.
--
B took a video of that outdoor game which I haven't got around to uploading to the computer. This entry has been waiting for that upload to happen, but as it seems to make sense without the video, I will go ahead and post this now. Two weeks after the fact...
Here goes.
Since the killer hockey final - where I was secretly cheering for the US after hearing a not-entirely-discreditable prediction that Canadians, blinded by golden patriotism, would hastily vote Conservative were an election to be called shortly following the Games - I have developed a renewed interest in a game that really hasn't captured much of my attention since 1986. Hockey fan WorkerB fills me in on the changes since then.
Fortunately, this is a good place to live should one want to know more about hockey. The NHL site is helpful, but last weekend, there was a live game, outdoors: old Jets vs. the media. Jets were better.
And then 'Death By Popcorn'. Violating all forms of copyright, this movie has been hard to come by, but thanks to the wonders of the interwebber, you can watch it right now if you want. I wouldn't call it a great movie, but it captures something about this place that is bang-on: that (almost?) indomitable spirit of the underdog. This is why I wanted to live here (but I tell people it was because of the quality of the planning school).
Some say they're coming back. Others say, never. It's all about money now and that's one thing that One Great City! does not have. But it sure has loyal fans.
--
B took a video of that outdoor game which I haven't got around to uploading to the computer. This entry has been waiting for that upload to happen, but as it seems to make sense without the video, I will go ahead and post this now. Two weeks after the fact...
Monday, 15 February 2010
Winter weekend
This weekend is a long one. Wa-hoo! Bad timing, though, as I realised Saturday morning that I only have one day (Tuesday) to finish an at-minimum two-day (Monday and Tuesday) task for work. I am gearing myself up to going in early tomorrow. That never seems to work. Perhaps I will surprise myself.
B and I started this LW with a fabulous skate on the fabulous winter trail, then went to the pub to watch the Opening Ceremonies. The sound was mostly off. I am generally not into that sort of thing, but also, deep down, very much into it - especially when it comes to the Olympics. I am nostalgic for the Olympics, coming as I do from Cow Pie.
My favourite part of any Opening Ceremony is the introduction of the participating countries. I think this is the only time when countries are referred to by their official names, so the orders are wonky, what with 'People's' and 'Islamic' and 'Democratic' prefixing the standard.
This set of introductions was particularly fun with all dancing that was going on in the meantime. Most of the dancers were pretty consistently energetic (one guy in particular was really into it, punching his fists in the air, bouncing his knees around non-stop - exactly why I love the Olympics), but you could see the odd individual growing weary - bored, even - as they drifted inward, forgetting where they were, much as I used to do after dancing my 11th song in a row at The Republik, beer in hand, concentration on slick dance moves sliding out the window to be replaced by sloppiness. I think if the stadium weren't covered, that phenomenon would have not manifested.
Otherwise, the event was relatively under-whelming, I thought. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, though. There was a lot to laugh at - often because of the squashed human form on HDTV. And I wish the sound had been on for K. D. Lang.
B and I are planning to go cross-country skiing today. There is a golf course in town that has very nicely-groomed trails in the winter. It's windy, though. I am fine with a still -21, -40 even, but the wind! Its relentless nature brings out my weenier side.
What to do, then? Watch a vid? Tidy? Bake muffins. I have a book that I need to finish in time for the second-ever meeting of the Planning Book Club which two friends and I started. The book is called Planet of Slums and I recommend it. A bit statistics-heavy, but eye-opening.
Screw it. The Olympics have inspired me. Skiing it is.
B and I started this LW with a fabulous skate on the fabulous winter trail, then went to the pub to watch the Opening Ceremonies. The sound was mostly off. I am generally not into that sort of thing, but also, deep down, very much into it - especially when it comes to the Olympics. I am nostalgic for the Olympics, coming as I do from Cow Pie.
My favourite part of any Opening Ceremony is the introduction of the participating countries. I think this is the only time when countries are referred to by their official names, so the orders are wonky, what with 'People's' and 'Islamic' and 'Democratic' prefixing the standard.
This set of introductions was particularly fun with all dancing that was going on in the meantime. Most of the dancers were pretty consistently energetic (one guy in particular was really into it, punching his fists in the air, bouncing his knees around non-stop - exactly why I love the Olympics), but you could see the odd individual growing weary - bored, even - as they drifted inward, forgetting where they were, much as I used to do after dancing my 11th song in a row at The Republik, beer in hand, concentration on slick dance moves sliding out the window to be replaced by sloppiness. I think if the stadium weren't covered, that phenomenon would have not manifested.
Otherwise, the event was relatively under-whelming, I thought. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, though. There was a lot to laugh at - often because of the squashed human form on HDTV. And I wish the sound had been on for K. D. Lang.
B and I are planning to go cross-country skiing today. There is a golf course in town that has very nicely-groomed trails in the winter. It's windy, though. I am fine with a still -21, -40 even, but the wind! Its relentless nature brings out my weenier side.
What to do, then? Watch a vid? Tidy? Bake muffins. I have a book that I need to finish in time for the second-ever meeting of the Planning Book Club which two friends and I started. The book is called Planet of Slums and I recommend it. A bit statistics-heavy, but eye-opening.
Screw it. The Olympics have inspired me. Skiing it is.
Friday, 29 January 2010
Carry on, ostrich
I'm cooking a chilli. Chili? Chile? I put in a few red pepper flakes, sprinkled straight from the jar. I did not taste the chili, however, my lip feels like it's puffing up. The left tip of my tongue is burning, the burn spreading over to the middle and the other side. The corner of my left eye is warm and feels bigger than it should. It's amazing how the heat hones in on a particular point on the skin. I only have to think about opening that jar and I feel its effects.
This has been a strange week - very work-focused. I have been doing a bit more traveling; this week, to a few small bilingual municipalities nearby. I am the project officer for these communities because allegedly I speak French. I did get some practice last night. I love speaking French and will take any opportunity to do it. But it's not strictly French that is spoken in The Friendly Province. They speak Frenglish, what we called Franglais in junior high. It's quite charming. And they like their meetings long, so I'm glad it's the weekend.
In one of these towns resides just about the nicest CAO you could meet, one of those people after whom you wish to model yourself. Self-assured, unassuming, comfortable, grounded. One day, people will see me and think that. They will think, Yellowbird = Zen.
Not quite there yet. I despise being video-taped. On Tuesday, I watched a four-second video of myself that presented me with the horrific realisation that I pull not only my mouth over to the left side when I speak, but my entire body. When did I develop this undesirable habit? God. You mustn't remember this the next time you talk to me or you won't hear anything I say, so distracted will you be by this silliness.
This reminds me of Boyfriend #1 (not to be confused with #1 Boyfriend) who realised, after watching himself on camera, that he was less cool cucumber and more gnat - that was precisely the word he used to describe himself, which is pretty hilarious. I spend way too much time thinking about how I carry myself. I imagine acting would be a useful skill because one could believably shift away from gnat-like behaviour and toward something smoother, more poised, like dolphin, or cat, or ostrich.
I wish the weekend were longer. Maybe I'd be bored with three days off but I don't think so.
This has been a strange week - very work-focused. I have been doing a bit more traveling; this week, to a few small bilingual municipalities nearby. I am the project officer for these communities because allegedly I speak French. I did get some practice last night. I love speaking French and will take any opportunity to do it. But it's not strictly French that is spoken in The Friendly Province. They speak Frenglish, what we called Franglais in junior high. It's quite charming. And they like their meetings long, so I'm glad it's the weekend.
In one of these towns resides just about the nicest CAO you could meet, one of those people after whom you wish to model yourself. Self-assured, unassuming, comfortable, grounded. One day, people will see me and think that. They will think, Yellowbird = Zen.
Not quite there yet. I despise being video-taped. On Tuesday, I watched a four-second video of myself that presented me with the horrific realisation that I pull not only my mouth over to the left side when I speak, but my entire body. When did I develop this undesirable habit? God. You mustn't remember this the next time you talk to me or you won't hear anything I say, so distracted will you be by this silliness.
This reminds me of Boyfriend #1 (not to be confused with #1 Boyfriend) who realised, after watching himself on camera, that he was less cool cucumber and more gnat - that was precisely the word he used to describe himself, which is pretty hilarious. I spend way too much time thinking about how I carry myself. I imagine acting would be a useful skill because one could believably shift away from gnat-like behaviour and toward something smoother, more poised, like dolphin, or cat, or ostrich.
I wish the weekend were longer. Maybe I'd be bored with three days off but I don't think so.
Monday, 18 January 2010
The hub of the north
I went to Thompson for work. It is like a big suburb with a big-box power centre for a downtown. The roads are designed to accommodate F-250s. People's back yards are stuffed with quads and snowmobiles and speedboats.
I flew there - yes, I work for a climate change program. Unless there are several people making the trip, it is not worth the time to drive. I would have liked to have taken the train but I think that takes 24 hours. I make no excuses. The flight was noisy as hell but a lot of fun. The airline served not only a free meal and coffee, but candies to munch on as we descended. The sun was beginning to rise on the way up, a bright pink-and-orange stripe, but I was sitting on the other side of the plane. Below, all was green and white - trees and lakes, forever. I started The Road.
I had a driving tour around town, including the mine. The sun was up over the horizon.
Later that afternoon, the sun was shining through a snowstorm.
After work, in the common area of the B & B, I read more of The Road . I took myself out for delicious pizza at the local 'institution'. It was quiet outside because of all the snow. I watched bad cable, and allegedly good cable, but even that was bad. Still, watching tv is fun in a hotel. I knitted - my hobby for the new decade. I read more of The Road.
The next morning, my reason for going there and I were booted from her office on account of an unannounced meeting. Her office and the board room are one and the same. This happened two more times. We managed to get some work done.
The flight home was dark. More food, sweets and the end of The Road.
I flew there - yes, I work for a climate change program. Unless there are several people making the trip, it is not worth the time to drive. I would have liked to have taken the train but I think that takes 24 hours. I make no excuses. The flight was noisy as hell but a lot of fun. The airline served not only a free meal and coffee, but candies to munch on as we descended. The sun was beginning to rise on the way up, a bright pink-and-orange stripe, but I was sitting on the other side of the plane. Below, all was green and white - trees and lakes, forever. I started The Road.
I had a driving tour around town, including the mine. The sun was up over the horizon.
Later that afternoon, the sun was shining through a snowstorm.
After work, in the common area of the B & B, I read more of The Road . I took myself out for delicious pizza at the local 'institution'. It was quiet outside because of all the snow. I watched bad cable, and allegedly good cable, but even that was bad. Still, watching tv is fun in a hotel. I knitted - my hobby for the new decade. I read more of The Road.
The next morning, my reason for going there and I were booted from her office on account of an unannounced meeting. Her office and the board room are one and the same. This happened two more times. We managed to get some work done.
The flight home was dark. More food, sweets and the end of The Road.
Thursday, 7 January 2010
I haven't forgot you, blog
Hi! I'm still here. Not giving up on the blog is one-half of one of my three New Year's resolutions. The other half of the one is to do stuff - like, wholeheartedly, not in a half-assed way. Whole-hearted blogging.
The other two are to chill out and be nicer to B. I am nice on-line but a real meanie at home. OK, I'm not that bad, but everyone can be nicer.
I admit to being into facebook. It is like a mini interactive blog, but with a wider audience and more pictures. Perhaps that explains the thin blogging.
Another factor was the virus on my computer. B, Mr. Computerscienceman, installed kubuntu so that's what I'm using now. The fonts are all funny. It's affecting my writing. It's harder to be serious with this font. Akin to writing a sympathy note in comic sans.
Well, this is a start, but I've been at work all day, it's really snowy which means heavy boots, and I went to a yoga class this evening so I'm tired. And there's not much time left to squeeze in an episode of The Sopranos, which I have just discovered. Good night. No retard jokes.
The other two are to chill out and be nicer to B. I am nice on-line but a real meanie at home. OK, I'm not that bad, but everyone can be nicer.
I admit to being into facebook. It is like a mini interactive blog, but with a wider audience and more pictures. Perhaps that explains the thin blogging.
Another factor was the virus on my computer. B, Mr. Computerscienceman, installed kubuntu so that's what I'm using now. The fonts are all funny. It's affecting my writing. It's harder to be serious with this font. Akin to writing a sympathy note in comic sans.
Well, this is a start, but I've been at work all day, it's really snowy which means heavy boots, and I went to a yoga class this evening so I'm tired. And there's not much time left to squeeze in an episode of The Sopranos, which I have just discovered. Good night. No retard jokes.
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