I like my job!

OK, so the new place is gooooood! These people actually care what I think and they want innovation. Rock on! And I get to do some instructional design! Rock on and on!

On the flip side, the commute is really getting to me. We need a car. We need it now. Today we had to take Alex to the doc for his six month visit with shots and all (sniff, sniff) and now I need to make up the time at work and the thought of being home so late... OK, it breaks my heart. I just want to be with my husband and baby! All you stay at home moms, you have it so good! At least in that respect. When I leave here, it's an hour and a half commute. :( Speaking of which, I better pack up.

Back to work!

I can't believe it's been six months. Leaving Alex at home all day will be the hardest thing in the world. Luckily, he will be with Arthur. I wonder how many times a day I will call home that first week.

Also luckily I will work shorter hours at my new job. Now here is the downer. We are all sick, sneezing and coughing and I can't even take anything for it because I am still feeding Alex. Also, must go to work Monday no matter what because it's my first day at new job. And Wednesday is my birthday. There, I said it. And it's got a five in it, so I suppose it's kind of important. And because of new job and everything, I can't take a day off or anything. I might buy myself a piece of cake at lunch though. Chocolate. So there.

Je le savais!

Your Inner European is French!

Smart and sophisticated. You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so.

Who's Your Inner European?

Got a new job!

Woohooohooo! I don't have to go back to Evil, who frankly lay people off every quarter and generally treat them like slaves. I will still be in the same geographic area though, the ends of the earth.

How appropriate is this!

I knew there was a reason I came here!

You're Canada!

People make fun of you a lot, but they're stupid because you've
got a much better life than they do. In fact, they're probably just jealous.
You believe in crazy things like human rights and health care and not
dying in the streets, and you end up securing these rights for yourself and
others. If it weren't for your weird affection for ice hockey, you'd be
the perfect person.
Take
the Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid

Hmm, not quite sure I agree...

You're Anne of Green Gables!

by L.M. Montgomery

Bright, chipper, vivid, but with the emotional fortitude of cottage
cheese, you make quite an impression on everyone you meet. You're impulsive, rash,
honest, and probably don't have a great relationship with your parents. People hurt
your feelings constantly, but your brazen honestly doesn't exactly treat others with
kid gloves. Ultimately, though, you win the hearts and minds of everyone that matters.
You spell your name with an E and you want everyone to know about it.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

A sad day

The Pope is dying. What sadness.

Goodnight sweet prince,
There is no sweetness in the sorrow of this parting.

Oh, no, they're on to me


congratulations. you are the kiss my ass happy
bunny. You don't care about anyone or anything.
You must be so proud


which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I know, I know!

Yes, where have I been? My son had his second round of immunizations and cried very little, though in my heart I cried a lot. Then a couple of days later, he had a very bad day, was unable to nap and as a consequence super tired, so much so that he cried and cried and my heart almost broke. So, am now bleary eyed after having emerged from that little treat. It turns out that four hours of sleep a night is not enough after all.

Saw the "Truman Show" for the first time a couple of days ago. LOVED it! OK, I know that the rest of the world has seen it many times before, but my natural aversion to Jim Carrey has prevented me from seeing it hitherto. My husband praised it though and knowing his good taste, I gave it a shot and rightly so! Of course, I really do like JC now, after seeing "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind" and "The Mask", but I did not for a long time before.

Made arrangements today to stop my maternity benefits when I go back to work. SIGH! This will be hard. I am already dreading it. Wish Evil was closer so I did not have to spend so long on the TTC, 'cause every minute out of the house is a minute away from my little boy! Who would have thought I'd be such a mommy!

Once again, with feeling

OK, now this time I did follow the rules.

I am from the bookshelf, from Cheerios and Vim.
I am from the second floor, from laughter and tickles.
I am from the tulip bed, from roses warmed by the afternoon sun, from the sleepy buzzing of bees.
I am from cupcakes for holidays and brown hair, from Seweryna and Krystyna and the Ebels.
I am from praising one's own cooking at parties and folding hands on your lap.
From your face will freeze that way and a cherry tree will grow in your stomach.
I am from crowded churches and shouted amens. From the smell of incense and the chink of money on the collection tray.
I'm from Warsaw and Toronto, from potato pancakes and red wine.
From the young mother leaving a suitcase with almost all she had in the world on a streetcar that goes round and round the town, the suitcase that came back with the driver on the next pass, and the cousin who dumped a whole bathtub of water on the kitchen floor in an effort to clean up.
I am from faded sepia photographs of ladies in stiff necked gowns artfully arranged on chairs in a suburban wood, precious pictures and mementos lost in two wars and countless moves until all that was left were words.

I am from

Thanks once again to glacia for the inspiration. Here is my feeble attempt. Now, I did not follow instructions, rather just went with the flow.


I am from snow and ice
I am from empty store shelves and line ups,
from grey crowds with expresioneless faces
who push ahead and dare not look behind.

I am from storks and larks and nightingales
From Slav melancholy and delirious happiness
I am from black eyes and piano plonaises
From floor polish and the smell of baking on a Christmas morning.

I am from rainy summers and cold sea waves, from sharp rugged mountains and fertile valleys
I am from veined hands and the clicking of knitting needles in front of incessant newscasts of party aparatchiks
I am from white bark of trees and sandy soils and cold river currents
I am from hard wood of train seats and sobs of streetcars on cold days.

I am the salt of the earth and the wind in the air
I am the bubble of the water playing in the fountain
I am the whisper of the leaf on the tree.

She chose Jerry!

Reminds me of a line in the movie Labirynth. These huge tree roots catch Jennifer Connelly as she falls through a hole and ask her which way she wants to go. She says down and they say "She chose DOWN?" "Is that wrong?" asks Jennifer. "Too late now!" the roots reply. That about sums it up for this season of the Bachelorette.

Abby's household is a stressful place these days. Arthur is sick, very much so and I am freaking out both about that and that he might make the baby sick too. Also am taking care of them both and just running ragged. My idea of a great time right now is to sit down with nothing to do.

Let my hockey go!

Enough already! I am not a hockey enthusiast, but even I am sick of the constant cancelled/not cancelled talk. Real fans must be really suffering. And absolutely have no sympathy for the players. A bunch of multimillionaires! Yeah, I know that your hockey careers are short, but when they are over, you can get jobs like the rest of us. Really, it won't kill you.

Bugs Bunny Anime?

I saw the proposal for the new, crime fighting Bugs of the future. He looks like a character from a Japanese cartoon. Please, please, leave Bugs alone! We love him the way he is!

Weird

So here is my take on the whole governor general issue. They better bloody apologize for throwing that kid out of the mansion! All he did was question her spending, which in a democracy he has every right to do! After all, she is spending our money, not her own! OK, maybe a bit rude to criticize her in her own house, but that's another matter and it certain;y did not merit a three day suspension from school. If I were the school's principal, I'd be pretty proud that my student is interested enough in his own country's politics to know about the issue in the first place. You go, kid!

Missed it!

I missed the Bachelorette. I got bored. I am not a reality TV junkie after all, so I cannot regale anyone with my impressions of Jen frolicking with her three guys. I am quite curious though which one she cut. My prediction is that John Paul and Jerry are still in the game. The funny thing is that I don't think she's really serious about either of them.

Instead of the B, I watched Cutting Edge, a really cute movie about a hockey player turned figure skater. Well, that might happen more often what with the NHL lockout and all. Heh, heh. Interestingly enough, the movie was directed by Paul Michael Glaser. Good ol Starsky, or was it Hutch. I confess, I don't remember which one was which. Sorry Jacquie. Anyway, the movie starred D.B. Sweeney, who I saw just recently in a sci fi thing. Never saw him in anything else other than that.

Tonight another movie is on that I really liked, Only You with Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. That was back in the days when he was not in jail for drugs. I saw that movie on a very mediocre date way back in university days. I have long since lost touch with the guy, but I still like the movie!

Valentine's Day!

Aww, yes the love fest. My hubby and I ecxhanged pressies this morning. We both got each other Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Great minds, what can I say. Besides that my honey bear got me a gorgeous locket in the shape of a heart. Ah, he knows me so well. I got him a Stargate SG-1 t-shirt and keychain. Thank God for shopping online or I don't know where I could have gotten them. He liked. :) So, life is pretty good and we'd have a night of hot amour if he didn't have to work. :(

Happy Valentine's Day, all you lovebirds out there. And you single folk, don't forget to treat yourselves to something fabulous!

Aww, God, sleep!

Though Alex will be three months old tomorrow, he still has not started to sleep through the night. And so at one in the morning last night I was confronted with a child with huge daytime eyes who wanted to play for a couple of hours. Ahhh, Gawd!

Too windy to go out and am consequently stuck at home once again. Tonight though one of my fave movies is on! Woo hoo, it's Amelie time!

More mushy stuff

...about my baby.

I just realized that I am totally crazy about someone who has teddy bear faces on his feet. Whose face totally lights up if you shake a rattle in front of his face. Who kicks his feet over his bum with gusto.

Also, it's incredible how difficult certain tasks are that previously I thought easy, like holding one's head up or sitting.

Must dash now as have squirming child in lap. Child is trying to eat my blouse.

Ah, the post Fabrice blahs...

I have to say I miss that crazy Frenchman. Last night's episode was truly uninspired. They tried to make an issue out of the fact that Wendell's family had a bit of wine to drink. Hey, if my son felt it necessary to take part in a reality show to find a wife, I'd be boozin too! Other than that, I still don't think Jerry is sincere and I think his family didn't like Jen. I like John Paul's house, but not him. All in all, I think she cut the best men out.

On to more important stuff. I have decided to cut chocolate for Lent. Let's see how long I last. That is with the exception of Valentine's Day choccy, 'cause it woudl be rude not to eat that.

Now must dash before my son drools all over my left arm. :)

Bye bye, Fabrice

I was quite surprised that Fabrice decided to call it quits, but must admit that I liked what he said. "I don't want to marry you and I see no reason in continuing." Jen looked like she might cry any second (though why?) . Poor Ben was the only one who was cut as a result. Not that I would have kept him. It is not fair though that he was the only one who did not get to spend time with her. I was glad she kept Wendell, the nicest of all of them, IMHO.

Next episode they are going to visit the men's families. Hmm, if Fabrice was still around, would she have gone to France? Would have been nice to keep him even just for that. Ah, la belle France!

Bachelorette update

Quite frankly, most of these men are bizarro, with Fabrice leading the pack. I think it was obvious to everyone, except maybe for Jen, that he was doing his best to score with her. The whole "I loved before but was hurt" act with the tears thrown in - oh puhlease people! And then he was all hurt and angry at the rose ceremony for being picked last? What was that? Hey, dude, at least you got a rose! And btw, only because you are willing to snitch on the other guys.
He does make things interesting though.

I'm glad Keith got cut. He weirded me out a bit. Really, the only guy I would pick from the bunch was the one she liked as a friend. His name eludes me unfortunately, so so much for being memorable, but he seems like the nicest guy of the bunch. I'm afraid though that she will go for Jerry.

In baby news... Alex is 9 weeks old now. He is sooooo cute and everyone says that, not just me. Of course, maybe they're trying to make me happy. He has his little cooing sounds now and said 'yeti' the other day. Maybe he's going to be a scientist.

Snowed in

OK, people, it's COLD! Yesterday about 25 centimeters of snow fell on Toronto. My balcony is totally covered, despite my efforts to keep at least a small area clear. Today it's sunny but damn cold. With the windchill, it's -34 C. Ouch!

I have been trying to keep my New Year's resolution of eliminating the clutter from the apartment and going through stuff to throw it out. I got rid of all the STC magazines I had. Thank God for electronic copies online. Also am throwing out all my cassette tapes. I never listen to them and already have a pile of CDs that I don't listen to. VHS tapes will be next. I must say that it feels cleansing to be shedding all this stuff. Unfortunately, I still don't see a major improvement space wise. All the surfaces of our home are still full of stuff.

I have discovered the major fear of motherhood. It's that somehow you will make a mistake that will affect your kid for the rest of his life. I swear, I never worried so much about someone as I worry about Alex. Every rash or every time he coughs, I worry. I suppose we should have another baby because if not, the poor guy will hardly have any breathing room with his mother worrying over his every step. I don't relish the thought of being pregnant again, however. Also, the birth experience is still pretty fresh in my mind and I have to say, erm, NO THANKS! Those were the longest 24 hours of my life.

Am actually anticipating watching the Bachelorette tomorrow. Oh, shudder. And the Supernanny after that. I have come to the conclusion that we are a generation plagued by helplessness. It seems there are reality TV shows about everything these days - from decorating to selling houses, from weddings to births to parenting. Can we not do anything ourselves? There are even shows about people who have such a mess at home that they require someone to come in and clear it up for them! (Neat, Clean Sweep) No wonder Dr. Phil is so popular. We actually have to re-teach people to solve their own problems. At some point there will be a mentality of giving up and waiting for someone to come in and fix your life. You look bad, have a TV makeover or even plastic surgery. Can't find a date, go on Matchmaker. Kids are out of control, call the Supernanny. It's the new era of talk shows. Instead of talking about it, you actually watch it. I suppose it's even more voyeuristic than Jerry Springer. I am not saying that I have not fallen into the trap because clearly I have. I would love Debbie Travis to make over my living room. I would love to be snatched off the street for a makeover. Most likely though I will have to do it all myself and I think I will enjoy it!

Bachelorette update

Sorry it's a little late. OK, Keith, the guy chosen by her friends seems nice. Other than that, there's a bunch of sad guys there! I mean, the one who gave her a pendant that was his mother's? What the heck was that about? You just met her! I would have given it back if I were Jen. Maybe she did. And the one who insisted on telling her he was a virgin! Bud, that was not an issue at the moment! I liked the way Fabrice acted when she gave him a rose, he was very typically French. I hope she does not choose him unless she doesn't mind being cheated on. He's a total player.
The cops being called in because the guys were being too loud was just bizarre. This promises to be quite a show.

In preparation...

for the Bachelorette tomorrow, let me just share my impressions from last week. The guy who asked out her best friend who he thought was a waitress - well, clearly hedging his bets there and can't say I blame him. Also, am I the only one to notice that Jen and Michelle look like they could be sisters? Same hair, similar figures, I mean, hey he went for the next best thing and did not have to compete with 24 other guys to get it. Make sense? Think so! Having said that, would I have given him a rose, um, NO!
David, the guy who fainted was totally hot! I mean, those steely blue eyes, the black hair... he looked like he should be on the cover of a romance novel. I was so disappointed that she did not pick him. Definitely glad that she did not pick that lush of a hairdresser. All in all, it looked like the guys had a lot of fun just by themselves and sometimes it seemed like Jen was de trop.

Yes, ladies and gents, I have fallen to the depths of bad TV and intend to follow this show to its bitter end. It won't be pretty, but someone's got to do it. Wonder if there'll be a wedding a la Trista and Ryan at the end.

Just shows how sheltered my life has become. Trips to a nearby Shoppers and to the doctor are the highlights of my week. Pretty soon the weather will be colder and I won't even be able to take the baby grocery shopping. Sad, sad. And that is why I pay homage to the little box with the glowing screen.

#&^%*( doctors!

Not only do they poke my baby with two needles in the legs, they want to do more. More needles, that is. OK, immunization is very important, but with today's technology, can we not come up with something that hurts my baby less? With all the cherry and bubble gum flavoured Tylenol and syrups, you'd have thought that there would be no need for shots with horse sized needles. And about the cherry flavoured sweet goop that passes for medicine, how is that for getting kids hooked on sweets? sigh

Lesson time

I get these epiphanies late at night while I am feeding the bebe. One of them is that true love is only loving someone when they are being crabby to you. Arthur is tired and hates his job and that makes him a cranky boy sometimes and as I am exhausted and emotionally vulnerable, I make a little too much of it. Ah, well.

Life really really changes after baby. I would have never thought that I would be able to sit for hours, holding someone's head on my arm, arm feeling crushed and losing all feeling and would be glad to do it. Or that I would get up at four am and feed and not feel resentful about losing sleep. Or that I could rock someone to sleep for half an hour, with pain in the back and aching arms because he weighs 14 pounds. It's a whole other world. All of a sudden what I wanted before is not exactly what I want now. Before ideal life: bohemian life in the city. Ideal life now: house in the burbs. Who woulda thought.

Well, I must dash on that note. I hear him crying for mommy and that's me! :)

Baby time!

Baby is here! I know all mothers say this, but he really is the cutest baby in the world. No, really! And birth was hard. I don't suppose I will forget how contractions feel for a while yet. They SUCK! And pushing for an hour and a half and still having a c-seciton sux too! But of course I forget all that when I look at Alex. Mind you, I remember when I touch my tummy, which is still swollen and tender around the incision. And now hello sleepless nights and four a.m. feedings.

I have to say that I was a little worried that I would feel the baby became the most important person in my life rather than Arthur after the baby came, but I find that I love him more still than before. He came through for me like a trooper through all this. He helped me through the delivery, sat by my head during the c-section, held the baby beside me and talked to me when I was almost unconscious and shaking uncontrollably. Then at seven in the morning, he went off home to get some sleep and then went to work in the afternoon.

We've been getting packages lately. One from each of Arthur's sisters with things for the baby and today a gift basket from Evil Corporation. It's got some clothes and toys. Looks pretty nice. Well, at least I got a basket if not my four grand. Hey, maybe the four grand is in there somewhere? :)

Baby watch continues...

OK, baby was supposed to be here by now! Where is baby? There is still a lot of wriggling going on in my tummy though. I guess that means he's still not ready. Grrrr!

Totally jealous of glacia now. She gets to do the literary woman thing yet again. Me wanna wrimo too! Instead I even have to wait for the mommy thing!

I do have to say that being at home is quite nice sometimes. I get to catch up on my junk TV watching. Mind you, I still have not gone down to the level of watching Maury yet, but if this baby waits any longer... I am at the stage of the Cosby Show and MASH reruns now. I have never liked soaps, so no danger there, but Oprah is starting to look awfully good. Speaking of TV, ER will be on in a moment and I must not miss it! Hopefully I can finish the sleeves of my sweater to some of these shows. The front and back are done, I just have to finish the sleeves and they are taking an inordinately long time. I don't understand why because they are narrower than front and back. Then comes the dreaded sewing of the sweater together and I want to finish the neck and sleeve cuffs with furry yarn for fun. If only I can finish these damn sleeves, that is!

Damn, damn, damn!

Nanowrimo is almost here and I can't participate! I had so much fun with it last year too. Well, killing off Dick felt really good, even though it was just on paper. Aw, I miss it!

In knitting news, I almost finished the back of my sweater and bought wool for my husband's sweater though I doubt it that I will be able to finish it before the bebe comes. This is OK, he says, as he is always hot and sweating anyway.

Spending time alone while Arthur's at work lets me catch up on TV viewing. I watched the "Biggest Loser" and I suspect that this is the kind of routine I will need to subject myself to after the baby comes to lose the weight. And also, ahem, has anyone noticed that Caroline Rhea, lovely woman that she is, is not exactly thin? Now I am torn. I think she's lovely as she is and there is no need for anyone to be stick insect thin, but on the other hand, perhaps someone like Tyra Banks might be a better person to host this show? That is if she can tear herself away from The Next Top Model. I don't even consider Kate Moss a good choice, because at the sight of her, nobody would participate in the show, I mean impossible standards and all. Besides, who wants a pre-pubescent body anyway. OK, now I am craving ice cream. Pardon me as I raid the fridge.

Freedom

Here it is, Tuesday and I don't have to go to work. Hah! Yes, you guessed it, bored out of my tree. I just don't deal well with not having stuff to do. I did the laundry today and made lunch for Arthur before he went off to work. And now here I am, with the sink full of dishes, in front of the computer, searching for a meaningful way to fill my time. Sigh.

In knitting news, my scarf has made marvellous progress. Just last night as I was waiting for Arthur, I must have added ten centimeters to it. The sweater has fallen by the wayside. I have to ask glacia how to make socks. I also have to get more yarn because I promised a sweater to Arthur in a fit of knitting enthusiasm. Actually, come to think of it, I should get a move on with all those projects because once little one arrives, there will be very little time for anything.

Watched Gosford Park for the third time last night. It's one of those movies that you don't fully 'get' the first time you watch. Even last night, I noticed details I had not seen before, but which add to the overall story. And of course, Derek Jacobi is always great, even though here he has but a minor role.

Well, off to see what's on the tube now.

Last day

...at Evil before mat leave. Am totally bored because I was stupidly efficient and finished all my work yesterday. Ah, well.

Had a lovely call from Australia yesterday, from Lorena who is also preggers. Now, after talking to her, I truly appreciate having this baby in Canada. She has to pay for her health care because she is still not a permanent resident and also they have a two tier system and the private part is way better than the public. So, she has to pay three grand for the birth and hundreds more for blood tests, ultrasounds and the like. Sheesh! She also said that women on maternity leave do not get any benefits from the government at all. I asked 'what about single mothers' and she said 'don't even get me started because my blood pressure will go up.' I guess it really is a country where men are men and women are too.

In knitting news, I am taking a break from my gray sweater to make a new scarf. The scarf is coming out really nice. The yarn is a little fuzzy and I am using the seed stitch, which gives it a lot of texture.

I know this day will drag though it's a short one (I have to leave at two to go to the doctor). OK, five more hours to go...

Now hear this!

Let me explain something to all the people that were weaving in and out of my lane on the DVP this morning. If you all merge into a lane that seems to be moving faster, it will immedately slow down! The best and fastest way of getting out of a traffic jam is to stay in one lane!

I'm turning into a driver! The horror!

Have a cold and am feeling rather misreable. :(

Ahh, the open road...

Or in my case, the jammed up Don Valley. I like driving, I do, but really trucks that carry sand should have their own lane and not spill sand all over small vehicles that are trying to follow at breakneck speed of 40 km/h. That's my early morning frustration, which I have to say is not bad, considering what idiots drive in Toronto.

I took advantage of having the car and went to Michael's at lunch yesterday to see if they had some cheapie wool. There was lots of neat yarn, but there was nothing cheapie about it. I really want to make a poncho, but I also really don't want it to cost me $80! Especially since I suspect that they will be out of fashion by spring. I ended up getting a skein of cool boucle sort of thing for a new scarf (yes, yet another one). Am making a sweater for me now and last night, I realized (two rows later) that I dropped a stitch. There'll be some taking apart to do today!

I can't believe next week is my last week at Evil before mat leave. It just doesn't feel real. And a month from today is my due date! That of course does not mean that I will have the baby then, but it does make me realize that I better get a move on with getting diapers and stuff. Ah, the fun of it!

No more fruit?

It seems that in an effort to save money, Evil Corporation stopped buying fruit for the employees. OK, danger sign. I remember when that happened at SS and things went down hill from there down to missed pay cheques. Not that I think that would happen here, I think they would lay everyone off before that. Still... it's worrisome.

Prenatal classes on the weekend. Can't say that I feel any more confident now, actually, feel less confident. It looks bloody hard and it's not like I can opt out of doing it. My mom helpfully supplied details from my birth where she says she only pushed for about ten minutes. Ha! I should be so lucky!

I just want to say that Toronto in the fall is one of the most gorgeous places. After the prenatal birth videos extravaganza, Arthur and I walked up to Bloor through U of T campus. Picture this: golden and red leaves, old stone buildings and azure blue sky. What could be lovelier!

Baby watch begins

Officially starting ninth month. Of course, thought I was going into labour this morning, but appears to be just a bit of tummy upset.

I have not written in a while because things have been SO hectic at work, that after I leave here, I don't even want to look at a computer. Not that things will slow down any in the next few days. Today after work Arthur and I must take my dad to the airport. Most likely will be home at ten-ish, which means another late night. Then tomorrow must be up early to go to the hospital for pre-natal classes. I really don't know what could possibly take two full days to teach, but maybe they'll be very thorough.

On the knitting front, have begun a sweater for myself finally. Now also want to make a poncho, but must go get some cheapie yarn for that, which may mean a possible visit to WalMart or Michael's. Hoping to go to Michael's sometime next week as will have car and can drive there at lunchtime.

Last night Arthur and I waged a war on fruit flies. For some weird reason there were tons of them in one corner of the living room. We investigated any possible sources and came up with squat. They could have come from the plants, I suppose. Finally Arthur had enough and went to the store to get some bug spray. We then had to spend the next half hour on the balcony, waiting for the lethal stuff to do its work. Luckily it was a lovely night and we enjoyed it. Came back to a fly free apartment and watched the new Stargate episode. Christopher Judge still gorgeous!

More hats!

Made another hat for BBB. This one is SOOOO cute, has a little round ball on the top. Arthur loved it. This baby will have more hats than anyone.

Counting the days left at work. Oh, are there really so many? Mind, we need the moulah. We got the crib for the little critter on Sunday, so at least he has a place to sleep. I also got some pacifiers, baby shower gel, baby nail clippers. We had gotten the baby bath a couple of weeks ago. So now the baby has a place to sleep, a place to bath and a place to rock (courtesy of the baby rocker my parents got me). OK, shopping for this stuff is fun!

Being pregnant in the last weeks of pregnancy - less fun: hip pains, huge belly, can't turn around in bed, blues and lots of other woes. Oh and stretch marks. :( Booo hooooo!

They're out in full force!

The TTC weirdos! Yesterday I felt very sick so I left work early. Well, on the Steeles bus a lady got on, a few stops after me. Now, I've seen her before and I know that there's a syndrome with her name on it, but yesterday it was just rampant. She sat down and would not let anyone else sit beside her by actually stopping them with her hand. There was a Chinese gentleman sitting two seats away from her, reading a Chinese real estate brochure. She grabbed it out of his hands and started to look at it. He says, smiling, "How can you read this, it's Chinese!" She ignored him for a while, then tossed the brochure back at him. Then a lady across the aisle took out a bottle of make-up and started to show it to her friend. Well, this slightly different but yet so interesting woman stretched her hand out to take the bottle from the lady! "Can I see?" she asked. Um, NO! Then she began gazing at me. Well, I was very close to throwing up as it is and must have given that impression because she left me alone. I made sure I got on a different subway car from her.

Geez! I think maybe these people travel outside of rush hours. Mind you, in rush hour you can still see a bunch of weird stuff.

Am working on 2nd baby hat and it's half done. Yay! I am knitting this one. Way faster than crocheting. We got the baby crib and mattress on the weekend. I can't believe there's only six weeks to go! Blows my mind.

On the minus side, I got new stretchmarks on my tummy. Sigh. What we won't do for the future generation!

I know, I know, it's been a while

But my silence as of late can be explained by my new desk at Evil. This is situated right across from a director who has a clear uninterrupted view of my screen. Yuck.

Went to a lovely stich and bitch at Glacia's. Had to leave early because I was exhausted, but still, had lots of fun. She and Mitzi walked me to the bus stop, which was lovely.

Evil held a breakfast yesterday morning for the Dev group, of which tech writers are part. It was pretty BORING! The food was good though. They made us play these silly games where we had to discover relationships between members of our groups. For example, find a person who has a relative with the same name as your relative. Eh? We drew a blank on that one. Or see who has the most legs in your houes. What? Needless to say, my team did not win.

One month to go to mat leave. Wooohooo! I will be shot of this place for at least a few months. That is certainly something to look forward to.

Giant baby

I not only finished the baby jacket, I finished the hat too! I followed the directions to the letter and the hat turned out enormous! I don't think he'll be wearing it at least until he's fifteen. And then a blue and yellow hat might not be to his taste. :) I don't have the strength to take it apart though. My mom said she'd do it. I have some yarn left over so I decided to make another (smaller) hat out of that.

Weekend was pretty uneventful. I watched Jeopardy last night to see what the fuss was about with that little genius Ken. Well, he's pretty fast, but most of the questions I got as well. His skill might be in not answering questions where he doesn't know the answer, but I need to watch a little more to be able to tell. The other two participants were left far, far behind though normally they would not have done badly. Perhaps now it's some sort of psychosis - they all know he's good and are subconsciously conforming to that.

We are so lucky

...in this city weather wise. I know a lot of people have been complaining about the coolness of the summer this year. Personally, I have loved the cooler weather. But at least we have no hurricanes! I just read what some people on my Lone Writers List are doing to get ready for Frances hitting land. It's all so far removed from us here in Toronto, but these people have to stack up on water, food, batteries, medications, supplies for their pets. And I guess worst of all they have to face the possibility that they will have to leave their homes and these homes may not still be there when they come back. It really puts things in a perspective. Give me cool summers any day! I don't have to stuff my most important posessions into one bag and look for a shelter and wonder if everything I own was just wiped out. We were so unprepared for the blackout last year. We barely survived one day with no power and we still had water. My heart goes out to people in Florida and the Carolinas. Hurricane Frances, go away!

On married life...

I just love being married. OK, love being married to Arthur. He's such a great guy. He's so hardworking too. If I were at home most of the time, I'd most likely just veg watching TV, but he re-works his websites and does his laundry and washes the kitchen floor. He even moved the fridge to clean under there. OK, I know this is getting boring, but I adore my husband. :)

Well, it turns out that I put on a slutty outfit today completely unconsciously. Both my pants and shirt are see-through. Anyone who wants to look, can find out easily what colour underwear I'm wearing. So, today I'm a prego who's coquetting everyone with the view of her sports bra. If at least I had thought to wear a sexy bra!

Yay me!

Yes, I finished the baby jacket. All I need to do now is put buttons on it. I even began the bunny hat already.

I also cleaned out about six months worth of old bills. I have a problem. Bills seem to take over various surfaces of my home. They're all paid, so I don't really pay attention to them anymore. I swear, they multiply. Yesterday I cleaned all of them out (sorted and put away into appropriate places) and a whole empty bookshelf emerged from underneath! This was very exciting because I had been feeling guilty that Arthur doesn't have enough space for his things. And voila, a whole shelf just for him. At least I won't be tempted to put new paid bills there.

I tried to dye a couple of shirts with Kool Aid. The colours were nice and intense until I rinsed them out and they became pastel-y and wishy washy. Maybe cotton doesn't take Kool Aid as well as wool. Anyway, now I have two t-shirts that smell intensly of cherry and grape flavours. Hee hee!

Some people are just weird...

Yesterday on my way back from the doctor's I got groped in the subway. OK, now I am in my seventh month of pregnancy. I am not thin. I don't wear sexy stuff, just comfy clothes and yet it still happens. The guy was standing behind me waiting for the door and I felt a distict hand on my behind. I turned around and looked at him in utter amazement and he had the audacity to give me a knowing smile. I was so stunned by the whole thing that I didn't say anything, just walked out of the subway car and went on my way.

Baby jacket is nearing completion! I sewed the shoulders yesterday and made button holes. Today I have to sew the sleeves and that will be it! Yay! Now mind, I made this jacket a little bit big. Arthur asked me if I was expecting our child to be chubby. I followed the stupid instructions and I think the baby will be wearing this at six months old and no earlier. Well, he'll grow into it.

What goes on!

Now people are being taken hostage at Union Station! There was a nut yesterday who first tried to shoot his wife and then when she got away, took a young woman hostage. There was a 40 minute standoff and in the end, the police gave the go-ahead to one of their snipers to take him out when he got a clean shot. That is what happened. Geez. It's like something out of Law and Order. One thing I like is that Julian Fantino was on the scene immediately. That man is such a great police chief. He gets his hands 'dirty' with actual police work. I think that's fantastic. I can't believe Miller is so petty as to not renew his contract just because of personal grudges.

In other news, the baby jacket is almost finished! I just have to sew it together and finish the edges and voila! On to the hat and then other projects. Yay me!

Ga ga over KoolAid

Glacia has me completely enamoured with dyeing wool with KoolAid. Who knew! The results can be totally funky, as proved by the many people who actually do it! And what a better way to go for something unusual and done by oneself. I need to try it! I am dying to try it. In fact, I am dying to dye it! :)

The snag is that it has to be real wool, which is pretty expensive. But I figure that I would not want a KoolAid sweater anyway, will go for the KoolAid scarf.

All this will come after I finish baby jacket, of course. Just half a sleeve to go now!

Never pass up a chance to educate

I went to the little crappy mall near Evil at lunch and saw a funny thing. There is a Jamaican woman there who has a little kiosk in the middle of the mall selling jewelry, quasi African paintings and pottery. Some Portuguese ladies were looking at the amber she had and asking for prices of things (very inflated). They touched some pendants, then some rings and then reached for bracelets and the owner actually slapped their hands away! "We don't grab the bracelets with our hole hand!" She exclaimed. "We touch gently with our fingers." I could not help but smile. I was close to the whole thing because I was looking at the chains she had. Too funny! The Portuguese ladies began commenting to each other in Portuguese, but I did not stay to see how the whole thing finished lest I get chased away for fingering a chain.

Quite cool for the dog days of summer.

In my newfound home diva role, I have taken to pickling cucumbers. I put them in on Sunday and because it has not been that warm, they are taking a little longer to pickle. Poor Arthur asks me about every five minutes if they are ready now.

My life in my own office is about to end. We are moving down to a floor with cubes and I will be a cube dweller shortly. I used to sit on that floor and had a cube neighbour who would whistle "Rule Britannia" over and over all day long. That is of course aside from listening to everyone's conversations. There is no privacy in cubes. That was the time I was planning my wedding, so I'm sure I also drove everyone nuts with calls to the caterers and the flower shop. Not to mention the hours I spent looking at dresses and veils on the net. It's a wonder I did not get told off for surfing too much. Oh, yes, that happens here, at Evil. But really it won't be for long. I only have a month and a half more before mat leave.

My lunch date cancelled our lunch today, which is bad because that means I can go and satisfy my McD's craving. Bad, bad! Evil McD's!

Ah, how I love long weekends!

Had a lovely lunch with Emma on Friday and then went shopping for panel pants. I love days off. Also love Thai food which we had for lunch at Spring Rolls. Emma looks good and you can tell she lost weight. I'm jealous. It seems like the time for me to diet will never come. Mind you, when that time does come, I bet I will be way too tired to diet or exercise. Such is the way of the world.

Baby jacket is progressing nicely. Have started the second sleeve! Once that's done, I can sew it together and it will actually resemble a jacket. Am knitter extraordinaire!

Arthur and I saw "Pay it Forward" last night. We stayed up until 11:30 watching it but it was worth it. I still don't like Helen Hunt though. Luckily she seems to have fallen out of favour in Hollywood. Well, probably not lucky for her.

Zzzzzzz....

Oh, to sleep! The further along I get in this pregnancy, the sleepier I am.

Belatedly this morning I realized that I put on the wrong clothes altogether. Stripes are not good. Am looking huge, in manner of beached whale. What will happen in two months!? I will look colossal. Baby is being very sweet and kicking up a storm. This is good. I'm supposed to monitor his movements.

Went to Mandarin for dinner with Arthur last night. We ate way too much, but it was yummy and his only chance to eat seafood. I can't stand the smell of it otherwise. Even tuna is iffy.

My friend Ewa in Poland had her second baby, another boy. I swear, people in Poland have no clue about communicating. She sent me an email yesterday saying 'sorry I have not written in so long but I just came back from mat leave.' That was the gist of her message. Nothing about what she had or what she did before mat leave. I have not heard from this woman in a year! I wrote back asking for some crucial pieces of info and today she wrote again with a little more. And this is not just her, I always get emails like this either from my aunt or my sister. Absolutely no pertinent info, just little earth shattering bits. Sigh.

I have realized that I have to buy the crib next month! Thank God IKEA delivers!

More shuffles at Evil

Chrissie left on Friday. We got an annoucement to that effect Monday morning. Luckily Pointy Haired One did not mention that fact at all in my one-on-one. I worried that he might ask whether I knew about it. He seems to be calming down (knock on wood).

The whole QA moved down to another floor and we are to follow. That means bye bye own office, bye bye window and plant. Sniff. I really think it's unfair! They will stick me down in a cube somewhere. Aargh!

Baby jacket has not progressed but I did buy materials for a sweater for me. I didn't start it yet though, promised myself that baby jacket needs to get finished first.

Had best time with Emma and her little monster on Saturday. He pretended to be a dinosaur and ran around the apartment going 'arrrggghhhh'. When asked what he was, he said 'arse, arse'. Clearly that meant dinosaur. Then we went down to the butterfly park where he consumed a whole orange popsickle making everything orange in the process and then looked at butterflies (buh-buh). Emma and I had a good girl talk. Love friendship! It's so renewing!

Oh, Fridays, Fridays...

And on top of that it's the 13th too. Would be kind of nice to have a mini blackout and get to go home early, but not to have the whole city blacked out. With my big belly, there'd be no walking home!

The Chrissy/sheikh saga is continuing and there is speculation that she will leave today rather than next week. That's if HR plays ball. Can't say I blame her. I'm sure with her thoughts she's already in the new job and doesn't want to deal with the crap being served here.

I am making progress on the sleeves (well, the one sleeve so far) of the baby jacket. There is hope that it will be finished by the time BBB comes. Can't promise the hat will be the same. Maybe the hat itself, yes, but don't know about the bunny ears decoration. Of course, I plan to keep this hat and when he grows up, will show him what he used to wear. Ha! Also the sleeper with the little pink giraffes.

Which flock do you follow?

Got through last week! Yippeee!

The reviews were over on time and we covered everything, to my utter amazement. The sheikh had said he had ever sooooo many comments and things were soooo wrong with the docs and yet, often Dev would say, well no, she's correct. Hah! I am not the stupidest person on the planet!

Was going to go to Glacia's stich and bitch but I felt sick on Monday. It must be the constant pressure and my body had had enough of it. I finished the baby jacket back and have started on the sleeves. Feeling very proud of self. Also, I finished the doomed hemp bracelet and by the time I was putting in the last knots, I realized that I actually learned how to do it. Now I must make another one and hopefully that one will look like it should.

Chrissy is leaving the Evil Corporation so the sheikh is breathig fire, but has to be sort of nice to me because he piled lots of extra work on me.

I'm reading the weirdest book by Anita Shreve. I realized that she has a thing about betrayal. Maybe she thinks it's interesting. Well anyway, the book is called "Where or When" and I almost stopped reading it because I find it very fanciful. Maybe looking at it from a happily married person's perspective, it just doesn't hold any charm. Anyway, I keep reading it to see how the lunacy will end.

Ah, wish it was Friday...

Oh, God, oh, God...

Another day of Abby-bashing. It begins at one and will last until 4:30! Arrrrghhhh! And the sheikh already warned me that I might have to schedule follow-up bashings. He's got that many comments. I remember once a guy from QA asked us why the sheikh makes so many irrelevant comments in these meetings. Hee heee! All we could do is shrug.

Evil Corporation is finally coming up with some sort of plan that might bring about success. How they went on as before for so long... Well, if this plan works, this may become a much better company to work for. It might even become a Less Evil Corporation, but I won't say that too loud so as not to jinx it.

Right before the bashing, there is a vent lunch with the girls, so I should come from that nice and confrontational. Dream job still is being on assignment for the National Geographic. Paris sounds like a good place to be on assignment. :)

Why, why do I work for dumb people?

The sheikh is on a war path. He seethes fire whenever he breathes. He doesn't even acknowledge people when he sees them in the hall. Of course, I found out yesterday that I have no clue about format or terminology and my style is completely different than his. Quite frankly what I wanted to say to that was "Eh?" I wrote the damn docs according to his formatting and tried my best to follow his stupid style. Clearly I failed because my style is different - better! But what I did say was "OK, I'll change it." He wants "an immediate turnaround on this", but he did not give me his comments, so I have to wait for today's 'axing' as our review meetings are affectionately called, for him to humiliate me in front of everyone. Then he'll give me the comments. It just makes me more and more stressed to think of it all.

In happier news, our weekend in the States was nice. It rained all Saturday, but Sunday was sunny and we went on the Arcade-Attica Rail Road, which was this historic train ride. The coaches on this train date from 1910 and the engine from 1947. The track is from 1867, so the train has to go very slowly and it wobbles a lot. It was lots of fun.

Ah, the joys of imminent motherhood...

I got a real taste of it last night - the swollen ankles, the painful back, the painful hips, it all hit me at once.  I realized how lucky I was up to now.  I think junior may have shifted position and is sitting on my kidneys.  I just hope he moves himself and soon! 
 
Things have been quiet at the Evil Corporation.  Salespeople went on a trip today.  I saw a bus at the front door and they all piled into it.  For a moment I considered pretending I was one of them and going too.  Rumours are that if heads will roll, it will happen Tuesday. 
 
Meanwhile, for me, it's dreams of the open road.  We're off tomorrow to NY and I can't wait.  Wish I could just take today to rest, but I fear pointy haired has other plans.  I am going to get creamed by him at the review meetings next week.  I can just see it now.  Sigh.

Pointy haired boss rears ugly head
 
Oh, yes, yesterday it was strongly implied that I don't know how to do much, possibly because I do nothing at all.  I smell a rat.  As Emma said I should print out the emails the sheikh sends me and then tell him, "I was asked to do this so I proceeded to do it, you stupid git, do you now wish to change your mind?  If so, I need directions by email, cc'd to God."  'Evil cackle'  Anyway, the rodent is that we have a new VP, a progressive new VP who wants to make changes.  I'm thinking someone was told to show more initiative and since most of the ideas that have surfaced in this department over the last year were mine, someone must either take credit for them soon or discredit me and make me look like a fool.  Well, he succeeded in the latter yesterday, though it was only in my own eyes.  Yeah, makes me want to rush right back from mat leave.  The other thing is that the new VP is not stupid and I think he can judge people pretty well and he got a good look at us all at the department lunch.
 
In other news... there is no other news.  My dad is going to Poland and I wish I were going too.  I would really like to show Arthur 'my fatherland'.  Alas, I have to contend myself with Belmont, NY for the weekend.  Hey, better than nothing!

Ahh, weekends...
 
I love them.   No need to go to work and stare endlessly at a computer screen.  Heaven. 
 
Poor Arthur had a very sore neck all day yesterday, so it wasn't much fun for him.  He had to put a hot watter bottle on his neck and there was a lot of massaging of the neck as well.  I crocheted while my poor love napped.  I finished the front of the baby jacket.  Ha!  Now I have to do the back, but I have to say the directions confuse the heck out of me.  Clearly this was NOT written by a tech writer.  Now, here's a thought, to write the directions for knitting patterns, does the writer have to knit the article him or herself first?  I mean, I always try to go through the procedure before I write it.  And chefs who write cookbooks have cooked the dish before so does that mean that knitting instruction writers have all the stuff knitted before they write?  Neat.  Where can I get that job?
 
The sheikh gave me more work to do, which is good because I was getting bored last week.  I handed out my docs for review and while that is happening was at a bit of an odd end.  I even started the third novel out of desperation.   I see now this will have to wait at least until the end of August.
 
Glacia is in BC and I am very happy for her and not at all jealous.  Arthur and I are off to see his dad on Friday and we're not back until Monday and I can't wait.  I only wish I was not this broke.

Cool site
 
Just found this cool new site with free knitting patterns.  There is definitely something for Glacia here, the doggie sweater.   Totally adorable, though somehow I don't see Mitzi as a sweater kind of dog.  Anyway, enjoy:
http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/lionbrand/index.fcgi?page=http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/

Adios, Rodrigo
 
Rodrigo is the one that asked me if my husband was happy that I am pregnant and whether I am afraid of labour and all kinds of other stupid things.  He's also the one that would come to my office and complain endlessly about the fact that he has no future at the Evil Corporation.  Well, turned out it was true.  They canned him yesterday.  And apparently a replacement is starting next week, so it's not like they got rid of his position or anything.  I am sorry that he lost his job, but I do have to say (and yes, I feel totally guilty about it) that I am relieved not to have to see him anymore. 
 
Getting totally addicted to Sex and the City.  Yeah, I know, I only notice a trend when it's passed.  But really, it's quite clever.  I always thought I'd like Charlotte the best because I would most like to look like her, but now I realize that I like Miranda best.  She's funny and smart and most like me in character, I think.  I am totally not like Carrie and though I did have some Samantha days when I was younger, well, those days are long gone.
 
Cannot wait for the long weekend!  Yesss!  We can get away.  If only we were not so broke...

Hot muggy days
 
Oh, those yucky days of humidity are upon us!  Here are the days of sweat and sticky clothes and frizzy hair.  Poor Arthur will suffer in out hot apartment all day and so will the ferret, though she will suffer even more because she doesn't like showers and she doesn't sweat.
 
I made progress on the baby jacket last night.  Yay!  I wish I had a digital camera and could share pics of how it's going, but alas the next major purchase will be the crib, not a camera.  So you'll just have to take my word for it that I began making one of the fronts.  Now it's actually beginning to look like a jacket.
 
Uncharacteristically for me, I imagined that I would do something better than I did it in real life.  I was talking about this with Emma once and she said that in her head, she's always perfect while I said that in my head I don't know how to do anything.  Well, I took her example, albeit in a very small matter.  I bought myself one of those hemp necklace making kits.  (Of course, Emma would say) In my head I imagined myself making it and then maybe applying the technique to another medium (silk chord, for example) and making gorgeous pieces of my own design.  Well, I failed misreably.  The stupid hemp does not want to look like the picture at all.  The knots are flat and small and not nice and puffy like in the instructions.  Damn.  There goes my foundation for building an international jewelry empire.  Back to tech writing.
 
Rumblings at the Evil Corporation are not good lately.  Apparently the sales numbers are once again disappointing and as quarter end approaches, what does that mean?  Say it with me: 'lay offs'.  And I don't even have a hemp jewelry making operation to fall back on. :(

Interminable Fridays
 
Feeling distinctly 'off' today.  Whatever that means.  Symptoms are: falling asleep at desk, staring into space, fantasizing about beaches, not giving a damn about system parameters or C/C++ programs that a user can call to do all kinds of things.  Can they clean my house, do dishes, go grocery shopping?  No!  Well then, they're not that good, are they?
 
Oooh, thoughts of running away... If one could just pick up one's husband and a bag of carry on luggage on the way to the airport and then take the first international flight available...  Wonder where we'd end up, maybe Paris or Bali?  Reise fiber should not be the worry and excitement of travel, it should be what you get when you don't get enough travel.  That's what I have!
 
Had a boo at Topshop yesterday.  Oooh, nice!  Quite a few items I would like to have myself.
topshop.uk
 
Then in my travels today I found a website for two women who make stuff out of hemp and sell it. 
http://www.hempjewelryshop.com/
They make bags, hats, jewelry.  How very cool.  They have a gorgeous tapestry with the tree of life, which I would love to have, but will not buy because they don't list the measurements.  It might turn out to be a 5cm square!  I should mention that I bought myself a hemp necklace kit yesterday, hence the interest.  OK, new vision, Maggie, the environmentally friendly jewellery designer.  I could walk around in long batik flowing dresses and grow my hair long.  On the other hand, I'd rather do the minimalist black look, with just one stunning accessory, designed by me, of course.

Did I mention I need a creative outlet? 

Women's Lib

Something I read in glacia's blog has made me stop and think. And I warn you now that none of these conclusions are startlingly new or original. She quoted a line from the Brady Bunch movie Women's Lib means we get everything we want. Or words to that effect. Excuse me, what idiot came up with that? This is what I have: a full time job where the manager needs to 'put me in my place' at every opportunity, a 3 hour commute every day and a bun in the oven, which though magical and fabulous, will mean a slash in my finances. This is what I want: a house, enough money to be able to take a year off to write my next novel, a holiday in Europe and booze, damn it, booze 'cause I miss it! I want to sashay in Prada boots through the best streets of the world. I want to be in Paris one day and London the next.

So, what does one do with such disparity between reality and dream? Well, strangely enough, I consider myself one of the luckiest women on the planet. I have a wonderful husband, a roof over my head, a place of safety in the world, and so far, food a-plenty (we'll see what happens when I go on mat leave). I am up on at least 80% of women in the world. My country is not at war. My largest political concern is to complain that McGuinty added OHIP fees. I have it great.

This is about the place where I start losing sight of my point.

Oh, God, what did I let myself in for???

Saw Emma on Saturday with her husband and offspring. The child (a boy) is almost two and pretty spoiled. Emma is a very loving mother and I can only aspire to be this dedicated to BBB once he comes into the world three and a half months from now (really, is it that soon?!). The child is bent on self destruction. During the four hours we spent with them, he hurt himself three times and one time required ice and the mopping up of some blood droplets. I only hope they are not all like that. Emma's boy is as cute as a button and pretty smart. But, OMG, I just don't have the strength for a child like that.

Baby jacket has not progressed and I am officially blaming the heat. I can't crochet if my hands are sweating!

Had team lunch on Friday and Evil Corporation picked up the tab, which was nice, but it also meant that we had to stay and listen to the sheikh and the VP discussing work processes until five! The waitress had given us a bill and did not show up again lest we ask for more drinks/food. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and in one of the rare moments when one of them drew breath, I said 'well, on that note, shall we...?' My dear colleagues must have agreed heartily because they all jumped up in unison as the sheikh was checking his watch and expressing surprise that it was almost five. Oh, my friend, I've been watching the painful progress of time for the last two hours! So much for leaving early. Good thing these events are quarterly.

Blog...interrupted

I was rudely interrupted while blogging yesterday by the fact that all power at Evil Corporation was about to go off. We were told to turn off our machines and wait. Later it turned out that water was also shut down and then even later, the phones. At one, the CEO took pity on us, trapped in a stuffy building in the dark, and sent us home. Yippeee. I like unexpected early days. You feel like there's all this freedom.

Just read my friend Jacqueline's blog. Too funny.
Glacia blog

I have to totally agree, Britney is an idiot.

We should all trust President Bush. Especially those of us like me, with no brain in their heads.

Thank you, Britney, for that sad comment on North American pop culture.

Oops, I put 'poo culture' by mistake at first. Well, yes, Freudian slip there.

Trekkies and Bush tales

The Toronto Trek Convention weekend.
Got to the hotel at about 11:30 on Saturday and first thing I did was stumble on a photo session with Christopher Judge. Got in line like a good girl and came away with trophy photo of said Christopher and moi. How cool is that? Then ran into him once again in the hall as he was being escorted back to his room. He's a real fun guy too. Even his step was bouncy.
Chris Judge
Hooked up with Arthur after that and we lunched and hung out. There was little to see this year, and nothing to buy (horror!), but I did get a couple of cute woolly piggies made by one of the dealers. I would have liked to buy a Stargate keychain but the woman wanted $17.00 for it! No way, man! Not for a keychain.
We stayed until the end of the masquerade (had to, Arthur was working in the Green Room) and then at nine we got a cab to come home.

Fahrenheit 9/11
Wow is all I can say. I wonder what kind of reaction this film is getting south of the border. The theater was full on Sunday when we went to see it and people clapped at the end. One begins to wonder how different Bush is from the Saudi royal family, with his nepotism and waging war for his own interests. It's scary. Our own icompetent PMs suddenly look very attractive.

Ah, Canada

The first Canada Day with Arthur as permanent resident. We took a walk to the lake and I realized just how much being pregnant takes it out of you on a hot day. Whew! This really is the toughest physical thing you can do. More and more I feel like I am carrying an extra person, which of course, I am.

I get to go to TorontoTrek this weekend. Get to see people dressed as Klingons. Now these are about the ugliest aliens ever. It beats me why someone would want to dress like them. There is even a Klingon language which these weirdos, um, I mean fans, learn and speak.

But Christopher Judge is supposed to be there, woohooo! That man is soooo gorgeous.

Needless to say I am bringing a book with me to read when I have had my fill of Trekkies. Arthur is going to be busy with his activities there and he says he will put on his Jaffa costume as well. Emma was supposed to come too and I wish she would, but I think they are going to Ottawa this weekend. She came a couple of years ago and we had quite the time. Mostly we shook our heads sadly at the 'regulars' and at the actors peddling their own photographs in the dealers room. We attended a Mars landing presentation, which turned out to be one big sales push for the company that produces one little part of the landing gear. When people started asking questions and the presenters addressed them BY NAME, we slinked away. Then we had a lovely lunch and that was pretty much our day. Watching Klingon Karaoke is just not the same when you have nobody to turn to and laugh your head off. :(

Election

Well, the election has come and gone and Martin went from a majority government to a minority one. I sometimes wonder why people call elections. Look at Eves. He gets into power and almost immediately calls an election, thus losing himself power. Now unfortunately we are stuck with McGuinty and the Fiberals for the next whole term.

Beats me why Martin did not ask McGuinty to hold off on announcing that we would be paying for OHIP and that he would slash services anyway. He might have had a majority government if McGuinty had waited and announced it after the federal election. I don't get politics.

On the home front, baby jacket is not really progressing and that's because mommy read her book last night instead of working on said jacket. Poor baby is going to be born and have no jacket! I have to hurry up and finish it.

Stupid developer now claims he didn't provide info because the release is not actually on Monday. Well, nice of him to tell me that. Here I was busting a gut to get things done by Monday. Ah, well. Four more months to go! ... and counting!

Boat cruises

Evil Corporation took us on a boat cruise last night around TO harbour and into the lake for a bit. There was food, which was so-so, there was booze, which I could not have and then there was dancing. So, here are my observations.

Some spouses really do look alike. I swear, if you separated these people, I would still know who belongs with whom. There was a couple of beak noses, a couple of long sticks with glasses, a couple of rotund red-neckers. It was bizarro.

People who have had some booze look really goofy when they're dancing. As I was absolutely and completely sober, I was able to observe everything very clearly and some people just look plain funny when they dance.

Door prizes donated by our clients are really pathetic. There were maybe two things I would have liked, but not the hand blender (got one) or the cheese board (got two) or the Xerox bag and t-shirt. We won nothing, so it's a moot point.

The best thing was when it stopped raining and the sun came out making a lovely double rainbow and washing downtown in waves of orange light. It was quite gorgeous out on the water albeit chilly.

Now I have to suffer through the next seven hours trying not to fall asleep and hoping yesterday's ass of a developer condescends to give me some information so I can finish the documentation of his product. Joy.

Just like the good ol' days

It always amazes me that developers think that tech writers will learn things by osmosis or something. They can put down minimal information about something and the tech writer will just guess from that what the new feature does. And guess correctly mind you, or else they get in a huff. It reminds me of the old SmartSales days when developers saw me as the 'girl writer'. More and more I think that Joe was right and freelancing is the way to go. That way if they don't provide information, it's clear that they're only hurting themselves. And the new VP wants shorter development cycles. Yeah, right.

The thing is that I don't feel confident as it is, so I blame myself that I did not read the dev mumbo jumbo correctly. Luckily I remember that Chrissie had the same problem where she wrote stuff and they crossed it through and said 'wrong'. Well then, tell me what's right! There's always Starbucks, I guess.

I need to quickly publish a bestselling novel or three or five. Basically, I need to be J.K. Rowling.

Nice government

Yes, yes, the government came through and Arthur got his permanent resident card yesterday! Oh, there'll be dancing on the streets and champagne flowing! That is there would be, if we didn't have a prenatal class today.

I am now telling all and sundry that I'm pregos. I am still not really showing though. I am 20 weeks, that is half way there!

The little jacket and hat I am making is not really progressing. I have about 3cm. Sigh. Good thing I bought green yarn and not pink, as we're having a boy. I hope he won't mind that one sleeper with pink giraffes. :) I suspect that he will spit up on it just as well as on blue bears.

Bad day for riding the subway yesterday. I swear, you can't make this stuff up! When I got on there was a gentleman already there who was very overserved, but was generally quiet, that is until a woman got on who used a small raisin box to whistle. She emitted these extremely high pitched whistles in frequency of about every two seconds. Well, the man, in a clear effort to quiet her, whistled as well, but very loudly. The woman, ecstactic that someone was playing along with her, whistled all the more. They whistled to one another like that for two stops and then the man got fed up and got off. Well, she continued to whistle until another woman asked her to please stop. At this point Whistler's sister, started to sing at the top of her voice and clap her hands. She got tired of it after about ten stops and went back to whistling. Luckily it was time for me to get off.

Rodrigo is really starting to bug me. This morning he asked me to correct cover letters he will write for himself when he applies for other positions. OK, that's not unreasonable in itself, but he creates such an atmosphere of panic when he talks about 'the future here is so uncertain and there are no new projects coming up.' OK, bud, I know it, but I don't necessarily want to hear about it! I do not need the stress right now. I think I will do my best to avoid him from now on.

Arthur is now a permanent resident. Yippeee! I am strongly hoping that this will lead to a job for him soon. Oh, boy, that would be good.

I did not gain any weight in the last month and that's good. Mind you, I'm sure that I will gain some soon enough. Monday is the ultrasound to find out if it's a little boy or girl. I'm excited and can't wait!

Turns out Lorena is pregnant too. She sent her wedding photos and announced she's due in mid November.

People are exercising in the parking lot of the TD bank across from us. Hm. Wondering if these are TD bank employees and if not, why in heaven's name are they exercising here?

Power Rangers Movie!


What movie Do you Belong in?(many different outcomes!)
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Hee heee!

Yesterday's loooong meeting just confirmed the fact that marketing big wigs have no clue. At least here at the Evil Corporation they don't. Sat through an hour of endless discussion on the superiority of RIMs over phones and how POP mail is impossible to get on a RIM and is a messenger even a feasible thing. Let me just clarify, Evil Corporation does not make RIMs. As the initiator of the discussion was a Senior Director, nobody dared change tack, though I was sorely tempted to say, 'yes, but the REASON we're here is to discuss specs!' And put that damned Blackberry back in your pocket, we all know you have one, stop showing off. I bet he has a big car too.

Watched season finale of West Wing last night with its requisite cliff hanger. How refreshing it would be if a major show opted to end a season without a cliff hanger! OK, I know all about having expectations met, but sometimes I could go for a little originality.

Finally someone realized I'm pregnant based on my belly! Maybe he was tipped off before, but he clearly pointed to the belly and said, 'oh, I didn't know because you didn't show before.' Yay! Of course, I was sliding off the chair at the time, which always makes my belly look bigger, but it counts all the same! How do these women do it that only their tummy looks pregnant and not the rest of the body? I have pregnant calves! Guess I'm just extra special.

I think ultrasound machines are the best invention of the century! We went to see our little one on Friday and actually got waved at. OK, OK, sceptics would say that's impossible, but hey, I saw it!

Major layoff at the Evil Corporation last week. It took them three days to finish it.

I should really take example from Glacia and start knitting things like little socks for example or little hats. I would not have the first idea what size to make them though. :)

Had a nice chat with Emma today. Her work environment is even worse than mine. I guess I should not complain too much. Occasionally the sheikh talks down to me (like yesterday) and he's all serious and displeased with me (like lately), but at least I can have a telephone conversation with someone without the whole office hearing it. Are there no good places to work?

Having a low confidence day yet again. Feeling very blonde, which is not like me. Also am not blonde. I think in this job I've had more days like this than in any other job I've had. Mostly this must be because I am finding it hard to muster up enough interest to do what I need to do. I've been with Evil Corporation for over a year and I still feel new.

OK, also finding it hard to concentrate when it's hot and sunny outside and I have the prospect of shopping later. To tell the truth, I'm bored!

Finally, a sunny day! Yesss!

I really think that mothers to be should also be celebrated on Mothers' Day. Are we not mothers? Do we not carry the next generation? I was told by my own father though that this did not count and that Mothers' Day is to be celebrated by children for the mother, not by husbands and other family members. Hmph! I think only Emma agrees with me. Mind you, on TV, it's all about expectant moms as well as those who already have their children.

Waiting patiently for meeting with the Sheikh. Tu du du du du du du, tu du du du du, tu du, tu du tu du... Jeopardy tune.

So, probably like most people I have mixed feelings about the last Friends episode. How predictable that Rachel did not go to Paris after all! And why oh why did she come back to be with that loogan who has to mention 'unless we're on a break' at the moment they reunite. Turn yourself right around, honey and head to Paris. After all, it's a city filled with Gunthers. ;)
It was quite sweet to see Courtney Cox so obviously pregnant. She looks so much better when she's not skeletally thin. All in all, the scene in the hospital stole the show.
Anyway, that's my take on it. I also predict that "Joey" will be cancelled after the first season.

As birthdays go, yesterday kinda sucked. In retrospect however, I realize that it's because I had such impossibly high expectations. I suppose that mature and adult people realize that being showered with presents and affection just because you happened to be born on a certain day, is rather unrealistic. People have their own lives and your birthday is not as magical to them as it is to you. So in that light, expecting people to show up with cakes and baloons is just nuts. Certainly, bawling incontrolably because it did not happen makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Must be the baby hormones. I swear, I can be happy as a clam one minute and totally misreable the next with no apparent reason.

Anyway... found all the forms Arthur needs online and the poor guy will have to fill them out now (something he loathes) and then go and stand in line at the various government offices. At least most of them do not require fees with the notable exception of the drivers' license.

Christopher Judge is coming to Toronto! And we are going to see him. I better procure a photo asap. I am counting on the fact that I'm pregnant to be able to sneak in past the long line of authograph fiends. That man is just so gorgeous. I realize that it's not him, it's the whole persona of Teal'c, but hey!

I wonder how Glacia would take it if I asked her to knit a blankie for baby. :)

I do not understand why my hips and thighs are getting bigger. Well, OK, the bagel, muffin and ice cream may have something to do with it. But really, there is no baby on my hips. No need for them to get bigger! Of course, tummy is not far behind. In fact, I am sad to report that I am losing my waistline.

The sheikh has gone for the afternoon so I guess it will be zzzzzzzz time for me. I was worried that he took only the afternoon off because in the morning there might be firing squads. Perhaps there were, but I heard nothing.

Trying hard to come up with a way of taking a vacation and not spending any money. It's proving very difficult. Damn hotels are SO expensive! I wanted to go to Halifax or even Ottawa. All hotels are about $100 a night. B&b's are about the same. Damn!

Oh too funny, Chrissie just left too. You can tell when the sheikh is not here!

Being sick sux. Not being able to take anything to make yourself feel better sux even worse. It all puts me in a foul foul mood. I can't even have a hot toddy to warm myself up. Pregnant people can't do anything! Grrrr!
I was all miss grump last night. Arthur offered to make me chicken soup and I told him not to put any weird vegetables in it. Last time he put in some sweet potato. He's so sweet. I love him so!

Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting older, but increasingly I notice how tactless people are. Yesterday Rodrigo asked me if Arthur minded that he's not working and not able to contribute financially. No, Rodrigo, he loves it! What do you think? Obviously he hates it! What is wrong with people? I mean do I go around asking him if he likes the fact that his wife couldn't 'stick it out' with him and left after eight months? Grrr!
I also don't make sure I enumerate to Gina all of her problems and keep saying 'you must be so stressed' all the time. But then that one is a regular little ray of sunshine. No matter what she says, it come out negative.
OK, done griping for the moment.

Italian scientists have discovered that the reverse side of the Shroud of Turin also contains an image of the face and hands of Jesus or whoever was wrapped in the shroud.

http://www.iop.org/EJ/news/-topic=735/journal/1464-4258

Interestingly, some say that this can be proof that the Shroud is authentic. It is sure to spark more debate.

No enlightened answers emerged yesterday. Obviously things like the queen of England and the most read writer in the world are not options. I wonder who is the most read writer in the world. Hm.

The search continues.

Sometimes I have the irresistible urge to run away. Then I come to the question - who would I be if I were not me. Suppose that there was an accident and everyone thought I died in it, but of course I didn't. Would I go back to my life? In the end I think I would because I would not want to live without Arthur. But let's just suppose that I didn't. I could start my life from scratch. Who would I be?
Or what if I got amnesia and could not remember any of my past including upbringing and childhood. I could become someone completely different. I would have no ingrown fears and inhibitions because everything would be starting anew.
I guess what I'm saying is that I want a new start of some kind. I want a change, a good change. There are some patterns in my life that are bringing me down and I want to get rid of them. Running away would be a lot easier though.

Manners are officially a thing of the past. All the farty people in this city were riding the subway with me today. Whatever happened to holding it until you get to a bathroom?! No, instead they regale everyone with their essence.
Of course, on the other side from farty boy on the Bloor line, sat a lady who had an accident with a perfume bottle. Clearly all the contents of it had spilled on to her and she had no time to shower to get the stink off before she boarded the subway. So, here were my alternatives, breathe in the human aroma or the concentrated flowery sticky sweetness of some knock off perfume, which made me sneeze uncontrollably. I tried to breathe in the small area of space between the two pungent passengers and prayed for Yonge station to come soon.

Three days of training. My brain is about to ooze out of my ears. The trainer, Jumba was from Nigeria and had a very interesting accent. Sometimes I could not quite catch what he said. It took me a while to realize, for example, that Elia Vachon, whom he insisted on talking about was in fact 'earlier version'. It kept making me think about Prescious Ramotswe. On top of it he kept referring to certain processes as 'this thing' and that made me think about "The Gods Must be Crazy". All, in all, quite pleasant reminiscing there. But of course I could not do that for three days. Am quite tired now. Learning is a very energy consuming process. Maybe will take a snooze at my desk...Zzzzzzzzzzzz

Been feeling sick like a dog. Riding buses is especially challenging, with all the smells of people around and the sudden breaking. This morning I thought I was going to throw up then and there. Ah, the joys of impending motherhood!

Something is falling outside, hard to say snow or rain. It's yucky.
Been reading about the dogging and toothing trends in the UK. Weird. OK, these people must be seriously bored with their lives and reckless. I bet occurence of STDs has jumped. I may have the odd fantasy about the sheikh or two, but hey, I would not actually act on one.
Have no idea why I do have fantasies about the sheikh, btw. He doesn't have blue eyes, which I love and his nails are a little long, which I detest. And he has pudgy fingers. This is the first time I see pudgy fingers on a man aside from Bary. But Bary was very pudding like all over. The sheikh is certainly not pudding-ghy. And he's tall, so that's a definite plus. He has big arms too.

Watched Austin Powers 2 last night with Arthur. Well, I started it, but got so sleepy that I had to go to bed at 9:30. Anyway, found it sad and boring. Dr. Evil is still the best character. Austin himself totally not funny. And for this I missed Frontline!

Saw "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind". Loved it. Arthur didn't like it that much, probably because it did not beautify everything. Things were not pretty, and even the people were not so much either. Kate Winslet really did not look good in blue hair, but that was not the point. She was good in the role. Jim Carrey ditto. He's quite an attractive man when he's not making weird faces.
Anyway, it was a concept that kept me thinking for a while, being able to erase certain memories. That makes those events disappear. After all, how do we know something happened to us except by our memories of the event. And then interesting observations about love - the love was not erased though the memories were.
Had lunch with Ned and his girlfriend. They are so cute together. When she comes by, he just completely changes, even his body language does. I bet he doesn't even know. They've been together longer than Arthur and I too.

Met an interesting woman on subway today. I see her at the bus stop every day and met her through the lady from the community center. She has quite a different point of view on the work world as she works in HR for a large company, one that actually does business with Evil Corporation. They're both a client and a service provider. I guess I've been in IT for too long now and forget that people work differently. That is, they don't stare into a computer screen all day. Must be nice. And of course, being in HR, she wants to find everyone jobs.

Can't wait to get away on the 26th. When has the five o'clock world become the six o'clock world? I guess I really had it good at LightSpeed. Is anyone actually more productive because they work longer? I bet it's the reverse. It is in my case! :)

Wept while listening to a Chieftains song today. These hormones, man, they make you crazy!

Emma told me to call her if a kitten commercial makes me cry at three in the morning. Well, looks like that just might happen. She said 'be sure to say kitten' and then she would know.

Also, I could do without these damn headaches. Oh, and why do people have to have the stinkiest food around here. It makes me want to gag.

Well, fight with Evil Corporation is over. They offered me a more decent raise. I was a little shocked at how fast they acted. They didn't even call me in, just made an offer, which I took. No need to piss them off unnecessarily. I would have LIKED more (especially in present circumstances), but let's not be greedy. What they offered was a raise and not a slap in the face this time.

Just came back from the mall and boy it's cold and windy! Good thing this is not supposed to be spring yet, 'cause it doesn't feel like it!

OK, people just have no clue about sensitivity. Not only do they keep asking me about having a baby ("so, anything yet? how about now? how about now?") they tell me I should colour my hair 'because it's starting to look grey'. Yeah, what else? Do I look fat? Can you see my wrinkles? Grrr!

A pea in the pod.

What Finding Nemo Character are You?
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Got sucked in to watching the Oscars on Sunday. Mind you, I only watched the red carpet thing and then half an hour of the ceremony (Billy Cristal is losing his touch). Then Arthur wanted to watch Stargate. I have to say that Christopher Judge gets cuter with every episode. Good thing they did not kill his character off or I'd be seriously upset. Anyway, as I looked at all the gowns and jewels, I realized that it no longer has the same excitement as ten years ago.
I am making progress. Today I went to J-town after lunch and did not buy any jewelry. Of course, the fact that my new ring came yesterday as well as my new Burberry pouch may have had something to do with it. I stuffed the envelope it came in into my closet. It's not that Arthur would disapprove, I'm sure he would not, it's more that I'm ashamed that I can't control myself.
Oh, this day is going slowly!
Watched "Awakenings" last night for the nth time (that is until Arthur came in and we watched Airline). What a great person Oliver Sacks is and how terrible that the encephalitis patients re-lapsed. I saw an interview with one of the patients a few years ago. It was a woman who had the Parkinsonian tremor and it was so strong that she could not even comb her hair. Makes me wonder what good I am doing. Here are all these people who need help, who are trapped in their bodies and minds. I do provied help, I even provide Help. Just not to the needy.
Glacia and I had a discussion about the Niagara short story contest. Neither of us has any ideas for a story, but I say I am not going to participate on the grounds that you have to pay. I mean, if it's a contest, you should not have to pay to take part. She saw through my rather thin charade.

Grey Monday. Have done dick all all morning though I had the best intentions to be productive. I did have the best intentions to come up with lots of ideas, but all I came up with was a lame-o checklist.
Emma is doing a Clara on me. I have e-mailed her several times last week and called and got no replies. It's Clara's birthday on Wednesday. Mind you, after the lack of communication from her after Christmas (no card or even a thank you for the present we sent), I really don't see why we should send anything. I'm a big softie though. Even if Emma doesn't get in touch, I will send Clara an e-card.
The battle plans for more pay are raging. I found on monster that I should be making 48K. I'm afraid that the company will just ignore my requests. After all, they ignored the sheikh's recommendation that I be paid more.
Did get a Burberry cosmetic bag after all. Hee hee! It's coming to the house. I am really a shopaholic!