Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Another busy day at work.  So much to do.  At least I'll never be bored and clock-watching, right?

I went for a walk at lunch to soak up some sunshine.  I'm really appreciating how hot and beautiful the weather's been here in Calgary since I arrived.  It's been wonderful and a nice change to the first half of the summer in B.C.

After work, I came home and did a few things around the apartment.  Then I called Lurline to see what time she was off work.  We decided to meet for dinner and a drink at a local pub - I think it's called Union Station.  It was a little expensive, but it was literally full of guys.  There was a football game on and it was amazing how many men hang out in pubs to watch sports.  Well, I knew that happened for hockey, but football?  Really?

Anyway, we stayed and chatted for a couple of hours, then we both headed home.  Work early in the morning - 7am actually.

This is a picture of the purse decoration that my mom made for me.  It's got an emergency ring with bling, a whistle, a stainless steel octopus, and glass beads.  You're supposed to put a key on the hook, as well.  I really like it and think she could definitely sell them.

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

I was very tired when I headed to work this morning.  It was a full, long, busy day at work.  I put in some extra time to catch up - which seems to be the trend - usually leaving an hour later than I should.  It was so hot and sunny outside that I really wanted to go somewhere to enjoy the weather, but when I got home, I was exhausted.  I had only managed to get a few hours sleep last night, so I just needed to shut my eyes for a bit.

I had a very short nap on the sofa, then decided I needed to re-arrange some furniture so I could set up my bedroom, at least.  So I dragged the bookshelf and a dresser into the other rooms, and proceeded to shift everything around so I could get the pieces of my bed in the right places.

I tried to take a picture of the spare bedroom that is full with boxes and other stuff ... this is about half of the room.  The other half is just as full.  Ugh!  I'm going to have to move all this stuff again.

I took a break to eat some dinner, then I delved back into the bed situation.  After some struggle, I did manage to get everything together.  Ahhh!  Beds are the best!

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

Got a call bright and early from the movers.  They arrived at the apartment at 7:20 am (6:20 in the time zone I was in), and they were just waiting for somebody to let them into the place.  I guess Dave met them there and gave them the key, their money and some instructions, then he headed off to work.  The movers finished by 9:30am.  Much faster than the loading on the other end!

Dad went to work, and mom and I decided to head out around town in search of beads for mom's craft project.  I still need to take a picture of it.  We hit every thrift store in town, and came up with a few little things.  Then we went to Zeller's and had lunch in the cafeteria there.  I won't eat there again.  That's all I'm going to say about that.

When dad got home, we ate some corn on the cob, watched the news, then off we went to the airport.  The WestJet computers had all crashed just as I got there (with my cat in tow).  So after some time, they decided to do manual boarding passes.  I was handed my pass, then I dropped my cat off at Security, and my oversized cat scratching post, then headed to security myself.  When I got to the front of the line, they looked at my boarding pass and sent me back to check-in because the attendant forgot to put the date or flight number on my boarding pass.  

Got that resolved, then waited for our plane to show up.  I took this photo through the window at the airport - it's of Mount Baker.  We were late boarding, and there was a problem with the plane.  When we finally landed in Calgary, we were over 1/2 an hour late, and so Lurline was waiting for quite a while.  I got my cat, scratching post, luggage, and carry on, then Lurline drove me home.  It was probably 11:30pm by the time I got home, and when I walked in, my bedroom was full of furniture, so I couldn't set up my bed to sleep.  

More importantly, my cat hadn't eaten all day because I didn't want her throwing up or going to the bathroom in the carrier during the car rides or the flight.  She was starving and traumatized when I got her out of the carrier.  I went in search of the one box that had food and cat litter.  It took me over half an hour to find that box - it just happened to be buried in the back at the bottom of the stack of boxes in the spare bedroom... 

Once she was taken care of, I got my pajamas on and crashed on the sofa in the living room.  Sleep at last!

Monday, September 5th, 2011

We picked up grandma this morning to take her to the pharmacy to get some medication for an ear infection.  Sometimes she tells me some interesting stories.  First of all, she believes that when the seagulls are back then that means it's the end of summer.  It's some sort of sign, apparently.  What I don't understand was where she thinks the seagulls went?  I've been seeing seagulls all summer long... but maybe that's just me.

Then, she told me how Absorbine Jr. might be the cure for skin cancer.  She said that she had a sore that wouldn't heal, and she used Absorbine Jr. on it, then the sore healed and disappeared.  Then my dad tried it on a sore that wouldn't heal, and he had the same result.  Somehow I don't think I'll be going back to my cancer research job next week and telling them that my grandmother thinks that Absorbine Jr. cures cancer.  I don't think it would go over very well.

After we dropped grandma back off at home, mom, dad and I went back to Vancouver.  It was a crazy plan considering it was the Monday of the long weekend and the highway is usually a nightmare.  When we got to Vancouver, we met Lisa and Scott at the Knight and Day Restaurant.  I was worried I wasn't going to be able to see my bestie while I was visiting.  Phew!  After brunch and a chat, we went back to the discount store to pick up the chairs that they wanted, since the movers took too long and the store was closed by the time we headed out the day before.  This time I noticed that they had a large selection of Dish brand clothing - one of my favorite brands!  I resisted, though.  I didn't buy anything.

Then, we went to Value Village in Burquitlam.  I only bought a couple of books.  I was proud of myself.

Back in Chilliwack, I waited for the sun to go down a little, then I went to take pictures of the corn fields.  They are something to see when they're at their tallest, and when the sun is setting, it makes the tops of the corn rows glow.

That night, we finished watching the movie from the night before.  The movers called because they were supposed to unload all my stuff in Calgary around 4pm, but when they called it was closer to 6pm and they were still 3 hours outside of Calgary.  So, we sorted it out so that they will move the stuff into the apartment in the morning instead.  I told Lurline and Dave they didn't have to wait around, and just to give the keys to the movers in the morning.  It was a little stressful, to say the least.  I hate it when a plan goes awry.

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

Dad and I got up very early to start loading up the trailer with all my stuff from the house.  We're meeting the movers in Vancouver at the storage unit sometime between noon and 2pm.  When we got to Vancouver, the movers were still quite a long distance away, so we decided to go to Ikea in Coquitlam to kill some time.

On the way there, we drove by a big discount store on the corner of Lougheed and Willingdon.  Of course, we made a quick turn - there'd be no passing it by!  It was filled with an array of goods - household stuff, furniture, food, bedding, clothing ... I think we all ended up buying something.  I bought a beautiful feather mattress topper for $50.  Dad and mom wanted some chairs that matched the table in one of the B&B suites, so we decided we'd come back later to pick them up.

None of us bought anything from Ikea - except hotdogs and a drink.

When we got back to the storage unit, the movers showed up shortly afterwards.  They got started at around 2:30 and weren't done until around 6:30pm.  He was meticulous about how to load and pack the stuff, and I think it was frustrating my dad a little.  I'm sure he would've just thrown everything in there without concern for potential damage.  For a while, I wasn't sure the stuff was even going to fit inside the 16 foot truck.  It barely did!

Once that was done, all four of us headed home.  It was exhausting and hot.  We dropped off the UHaul trailer on the way, picked up some corn for dinner, then once again made ourselves comfortable at home.  Monica left to go back home to Langley.  She was exhausted - as you can see from the photo.   The rest of us ate pasta and corn on the cob - an interesting combination, but so scrumptious!

We started watching "The Falcon and the Snowman", an old movie starring Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton, but mom went to bed early and I was nodding off and missing parts of the storyline.  So, we didn't finish it.  We all went to bed early again.

Saturday, September 3rd, 2011

We went in search for a U-Haul trailer today.  We couldn't find anything at all in Chilliwack, so we headed to Abbotsford and got lucky.  That ate up a large portion of our day, but mom did get to go to Michael's and a Bead store, as well.  She's looking for some supplies to make these purse decorations (which I'll take a photo of in the next few days if I can remember).

When we got back to Chilliwack, dad picked up a few groceries for the guests that were checking in and I picked up a bottle of red wine.  Afterwards, dad and I went to a garage sale around the corner from their house and he bought some very powerful speakers.  They're large.  Very large.  I think he's planning on scaring away some neighbours.

Mom and Monica went into her scrapbook room and were working on the purse decorations that she's planning to sell.  She made a very nice blue one for me ...

When evening rolled around, we ate some snacks and watched the movie "Noises Off", even though we'd all seen it before.  It's one of those movies that's fantastic every time you watch it.  I think we were all asleep by 11pm or so.  Big moving day tomorrow so I wanted to be well-rested.  Moving is always so stressful, even when you hire movers.

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

Boarded a plane bound for Abbotsford today.  No, I wasn't in the air show like in previous years (kind of an inside joke).  What a gorgeous summer day in BC!  I guess they've been having great weather since I left there.

Mom, dad, Monica and I headed from the airport to go get some dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory.  It was busy there, and we waited a long time for our meals, but it was worth it.  Delicious.

When we got home, we were all pretty tired after a long day, so we decided to chat for a while before heading to bed.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture with my camera, despite having it with me for most of the day.  I did, however, take this shot from my iPhone - not the best, but at least it's a picture!

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

Brrrr.  Six degrees this morning.  Fortunately it warmed up to around 18 or 19 celsius, so the summer's not over yet!

Felt good about work today.  I'm really starting to get a handle on things, as far as I can tell.  That's all I'm going to say about that.

After work, I had a quick nap - although with the music blaring downstairs and the kid running around upstairs, it was more like a rest - no actual sleep took place.  I've been browsing through some condo listings, just to see if that's an option for me.  If I could buy something rather than rent, then maybe that's what I should try to do.  I contacted a mortgage broker, so I guess he'll be able to tell me if it's feasible or not.

Then, I went to the bank to get some money that Lurline needs to pay the movers when they arrive here on Monday with my stuff.  She and Dave are going to be at this end to watch over the unload process since I won't be back from BC until Tuesday night.  I fly out tomorrow after work, and the movers load my stuff in Vancouver on Sunday.

I met up with Lurline at the Regal Beagle - it was rib night.  Delicious!  I had the salt and pepper ribs with a side of Ranch.  And a beer.  We stayed for a couple of hours before we both headed home.  I stopped to take this picture downtown of one of the new buildings that was just being built the last time I lived here.  Looks all done now... and a monstrosity it is!

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

What a rainy and cold day.  I actually turned on the heated seats in my car on the way to work.

Really not much to say today, as I didn't do anything exciting after work.  I got home, made some dinner, then watched a movie.  It was a dumb movie - "Brave New World" based on Aldous Huxley's book, which I read a long time ago.  It was filmed in the late 70s or early 80s based on the outfits and the terrible "futuristic" effects.  It was three hours long, too!  So I stopped it midway through the movie to refill my wine glass and get myself some cherries for a snack.... hence the picture.  That's one of the things I miss when winter comes along - less variety of fruit.  I love cherries, watermelon, plums, grapes, nectarines ... and although it's not a fruit, corn on the cob.  Oh Calgary winter, please give us another few weeks, okay??!

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

A little chilly this morning.  It rained overnight and a little bit today.  We needed it.
Anyway, I managed to figure out something very important at work today... it's taken me a week to finally resolve it, and so I'm a little proud of myself for not giving up.  The photo below is the view from the back windows of Holy Cross, where I work.

I met the girl whose job I have for coffee today and filled her in on all the staff and things going on.  I didn't bring my lunch to work today, either, so I grabbed a Subway sandwich.  I can't start eating out ... it's too expensive.

When I got home, I started wondering if I'd be better off to purchase a home, rather than rent.  There are some serious considerations to make before I go down that road, but it might be the smarter move in the long run.

I just finished eating dinner, and now I think I'll try to call my bestie, then delve into a movie or something. Doesn't sound exciting, but it was a long day at work, so it fits perfectly with my plan to relax.

Monday, August 29th, 2011

Got a lot done at work today, but still struggling with a few tasks that I can't understand.  I'm in the process of hunting down some answers.

It was a hot day again today - when I went out for a walk at lunch time, it was scorching.  It would've been a nice day to go floating on the Bow or Elbow.  After work, it was over 30 degrees when I got into my car.  I went home and did some re-organizing of my clothes.  I realize I need more hangers.  Have you ever heard of Jane's Addiction?  Well the picture below is actually my Jeans Addiction.  Yep... those are all my jeans (and there may be more in the laundry hamper, too)!  I realize I may have a problem.  Is there a support group for that, do you think?

I probably should've gone somewhere since it was so nice outside, but truly I'm exhausted.  I had a short nap (while a kid ran and stomped around upstairs), then talked to Lurline on the phone.  She and Dave just got back from a short staycation at Pigeon Lake.  Apparently she was very ill with some kind of bug.  That sucks when you're supposed to be enjoying a summer holiday!

I also sent another email to my landlord stating that I'm now going to give notice on September 1st - with a litany of reasons why he'd better accept it and give my damage deposit back and let me break my lease.  I'm awaiting his reply.

I'm watching "Friends With Benefits" online before I go to sleep.  Wow!  It's quite risque at times.

Saturday, August 27th, 2011

My mom and dad celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary today.  Wow!  Good for them!  They must be doing something right.

I woke up pretty early after getting a good sleep ... it's been too long since I've actually said that.  I met my boss for complimentary breakfast downstairs and we did a little catch up.  Then we wanted to get a "real" coffee, so we went downstairs to Starbuck's - fortunately they have one attached to the hotel.  We sat there for a few hours and chatted about work stuff.  Check out was noon, so we went back to our rooms to pack up and then check out.  Afterwards, we went to "The Pint" (obviously my new favourite pub in Edmonton), and we sat in the gorgeous sun and had a drink and some lunch.  We talked about a variety of things and really got to know each other.  We seem to get along well, so that's fantastic.

We were going to head to the ball game around 4:30pm, so we rushed to find a car wash to clean all the dead bugs off the grill of the van.  When we got to the venue, we started to set up, and then the rest of the Calgary team showed up with more supplies and the second van.

We got all set up in three locations, got out our new Tomorrow Project T-shirts and marketing materials, then went to work to drum up some interest.  At about 6:30pm, one of the staff members went out to the field to hit the first pitch and "run" the bases while the fans learned all about the Tomorrow Project.

We worked until about 10pm, then headed back to Calgary.  I didn't actually walk through my door in Calgary until about 1:30am.  It was a long day, but it was a lot of fun.