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. :(