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. :(