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. :(