Thursday, July 31, 2008

A few changes to life.

So two weeks after starting Bacon (which I really enjoyed btw), I'm not working there any more. Why? Not sure. Not important. I still love the place and the people to death and it was a fun two weeks.
Coincidently, my design world was reawakened by a new job at Carbon Busters (designing, 3D and architectural modeling) and by good ol' priMED. Those kids just can't get enough of me. They're even sending me to China for 10 days. I will most likely leave the day after Dana leaves me for the Netherlands and get back, flying in through Calgary, the DAY BEFORE I have to hike my way up a mountain with a large backpack. Fuck. I had planned this backpacking trip for quite a while now, priMED springs a trip on me, and Bossman acts all irritated about my time constraints. Here is what transpired:
"When are you available to go?"
"Well I have to be back for the long weekend, I have this backpacking trip planned, deposits paid, everything. So I want to be able to have a day to recover from the flight inbetween and drive to Calgary, then we hike out on the Saturday."
Annoyed face from bossman
"How about we fly you to Calgary on the Friday?"
"Thursday would be better. I would really like a day to rest."
Still annoyed look.
Other people sitting with us chime in "One extra day in China isn't that big of a deal"
"Yeah, and I need to be hiking up a mountain, carrying all my possessions Saturday morning."
"You're strong. You'll be fine."

Sigh.

I also have a feeling that I didn't ask for a high enough wage from them. They jumped too quickly on my offer (I hadn't even finished my sentence... I gave them the industry standard for my skill level, and got interrupted before I could say "But since this is a two month contract I would like more than that"). I'm not going to worry about it though because what's done is done.

Friday, July 18, 2008

lately!

So I got a job! I'm serving at Bacon part time. I love it so far. I get to interact with people and be on my feet (I realized I need some comfier shoes) instead of in front of a computer. Since it's only part time I'm still looking for design work but I think there's something around the corner.

I've recently developped a cold. I blame the weather and my staying-up-too-late. I think my body is telling me to stop drinking till the wee hours of the morn. I think I will.

I have two boxes in my place full of stuff that I don't use but can't throw away. Things like journals, sketchbooks, postcards, plane and concert tickets, etc. The past few days I've been going through these boxes and trying to do something creative with the contents. It's a very interesting process.
Today I made a box out of these notebooks that my friends and I shared in grade six to write notes to each other in class. I read through these notebooks, and man, we created some serious dramatics out of every day life. Boys, broken hearts, betrayal, lies, wow. I think it takes a certain amount of creativity to be able to create such dramatics. The perfect storm of childhood imagination and pre-pubescent emotions.
I also found an old journal of my mom's which made me get all emotional. It's weird to have this sort of insight into her. She has a very analytical approach to difficult situations, I've discovered. There's all sorts of lists, charts, rating systems, etc to help her express and deal with stress. It's a little sad, I wish she shared more of these things with me when she was going through them, but I don't even know if I would've understood. There were good things in there too, so I cut out the bad. The bad is in the past, and as it's helped shape who she is now (which is a better, happier person than before), it's of benefit to no one that is remains existing. I also stuck in little other notes and sketches she did that I found. It's now my record of her. Maybe some sort of gathering of forensics, sort of, because she's a tough one to figure out.

My apartment's in bad need of reorganizing and redecorating, so I've been quite addicted to these sites lately for inspiration.

Any suggestions from those who've been to my place?

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Just when I think it can't rain any harder...

... it rains harder.

And I'm inside!! HA HA! Not today rain! You won't get me this time!!

Monday, July 7, 2008

fire and water

How cheesy does that sound? Ha!

But it's true. The past few days have been filled with both.
I had an interview at Bacon on Friday, but the manager had to run out so I had to talk to some other girl and I don't know if I've got the job yet. I'm calling them today. I also scorched the front of my neck (prime hickey territory) with a curling iron minutes before I had to leave for the interview as well, which was awesome. Now I have an "acute triangle" on the front-right side of my neck.

Friday was also Dana's birthday. I got him a journal, some pictures that I had ordered from a professional photographer taken at the Vancouver 1/2 marathon, and a double flask resembling binoculars. No more sock beers for us! Only binocubeers!
We invited a bunch of people over for a fire but got rained out for a while at the beginning, so Dana and I took his skate downstairs and I tore up my shoe (a little black flat) doing ollies. This impressed me because a) I haven't skated in about... three years? and b) I was in girly shoes.
Once the skies cleared up we rocked a fire in Dana's mobile fire pit (a drier drum on a retired lawnmower), and burned anything wood we could find. We even took it for a walk down the alley (against Jeff's incoherent protests, haha).

The next day Ruth and I had a lovely time at the downtown farmer's market, eating cupcakes and tacos and any free samples we walked by. Right as we parted ways the sky decided to open up and unleash a monsoon on top of me as I walked home. I scurried for shelter but still managed to get soaked. Like, SOAKED, as if someone sprayed me with a firehose. It cleared up as quickly as it came on and I made it home to dry off.
Then yesterday I managed to get caught in the rain AGAIN, but this time it was in the middle of a 9k run, right after I turned around to head home. This time there was no where to hide, and the rain wasn't as had but I still ended up dripping wet.

I'm really glad today is sunny.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

A nice day and the joys of unemployment and maybe too much drinking

A great thing about not having a job is that I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. And today was spent sleeping in then strolling along Whyte ave with Beck and her incredibly adorable son Felix. It was the first time I've seen Felix (and Beck for that matter) since a few weeks after he was born and it was nice to chat, catch up, and drink some booster juice. Felix is four months and already a lady killer with his coy little grin and smiles and giggles. It's neat to see Beck as a mom too, she loves her boy so!

Yesterday I pulled a disturbingly long shift of patio-sitting at Earl's, different people just kept coming and going yet I was there throughout the whole thing. Then we went to Jacqueline's and watched fireworks on her balcony. We could see both Millwoods' and Downtown's fireworks. It was one of those perfect moments, listening to the right music with the right people and the right scenery with everyone in a good mood and enjoying the night. I've been feeling a little bummed lately about not having a job, computers not working and people being lame, and last night picked up my spirits.

Friday is Dana's birthday and we're having a fire in his backyard. I hope we get good weather and for it to be another night of good conversation and good times. Although the next few days I need to dry out (so to speak), I'm a little boozed-out. Let's see: Thursday we saw a caberet/play/musical thing called "Pig" in the basement of Chez Pierre (yum!) and had a few too many beers afterwards at Martini's. Friday Dana and I went to his friend Mike's place to look at his recording set up, play instruments, watch old Think Not Think videos and sit by the fire. Dana had to drive home but I felt fine the next day. Then Saturday, following a nice day at the market with some girlfriends (and not enough food) we went to Dana's friend Brad's birthday where I drank WAY too much and splashed around in his pool. Good fun, but I was ILL the next day.

Poor liver of mine.