Happy Leap Day. :) It has definitely been a productive one -- got up just after 9, spent a couple of hours cleaning, met with a web client, went for a walk. Debating whether or not I need to go to the grocery store -- I'd rather not, but then again, when do I ever really want to?
I'm in the process of cleaning out my apartment to make some room... yesterday I tackled the main part of the computer room closet, I just have to go and empty out the top cupboards of it. From what I recall, there is a defunct printer and scanner up there. Those can go or be relocated to the basement; I've got two other working printers and another scanner. I forget what else there is, maybe a box of network cables and extension cords.
I also cleaned out my bedroom closet and drawers yesterday, and brought a whack of old clothes over to a Salvation Army clothing drop-off, along with a blanket and comforter that have been sitting in bags for about the last four years. Next up is the kitchen cupboards and closet, and after that, the basement. You may never hear from me again. The cardboard box mountain is very much out of control. I think, somewhere in the bottom half of the mountain, there are a few boxes of things that aren't mine. That creates a whole other set of issues, but whatever.
Right now I'm in one of those strange in-between moods, where I feel like I might just want to laze around for a bit, but at the same time, feel like maybe I should be doing something.
Or maybe I should just make myself start on the basement now... If I don't post again within the next 24 hours, send help.
As the season finale of The Bachelorette drew to a close, the four of us in my living room just stared at the TV and echoed what Matthew best expressed: "This is insane."
Here's hoping he is the next Bachelor after the Jesse Palmer season!
And it would knock me to the floor if I wasn't there already...
I have had the strangest day (or hour) in the history of me. Holy cow. I'm sitting here, completely stunned, for various reasons.
I will share the absolutely amazing, wonderful news though: I got accepted into the M.A. program!!!!! I will be starting an M.A. in English at Carleton! I'm hoping I can begin in the spring/summer term.
(My calendar says it starts on March 20, coinciding with the New Moon.)
Spring, spring, spring! I think I've got spring on the brain. :) There is the best spring coat at Jacob, light blue, that I am eyeing up. They said they have their spring dresses, but they won't be put out until the first week of March. I refuse to buy anything else for winter, at this point.
It is mild again today, I think it may have snowed more again last night? :P Not cool, I just shovelled the driveway and steps yesterday and because the snow was the wet, heavy kind, my mid-back is definitely feeling it today. MELT!
Since it is so nice outside, I'm trying to decide if I'd like to take a walk up to Sassy Bead Co. and get some wire for my broken necklace that the wire finally snapped on (it is the coolest necklace, ever, since I got it last April I can't even tell you the number of comments I've gotten on it, so it's sad that it's temporarily out-of-commission), and maybe find some beads to make an anklet for spring and summer! Who can't wait til it's sandals season?
Oooh, talk about taunting weather and false hope! Yesterday I was so happy and excited that I might soon see grass again (even through clumps of snow), as it was super mild and the snow began melting! This morning, woke up to the radio weather report telling me we're under a heavy snowfall warning -- 5 cm this afternoon, 10-15 tonight, another 5-10 tomorrow, more snow on Sunday. Ahhhh.
Could be worse, though. We could be Halifax. They've had 95 cm of snow since Wednesday and it just keeps coming. I've experienced a freak weather system like that once in my life -- early 1996 (Jan. or Feb., I can't recall) when a Colorado Low dumped 90-something cm of snow on Thunder Bay, and gave us winds that created 12-foot snowdrifts. I have a video somewhere of those two days, my favourite parts are when my dog was let outside into the backyard and he started *swimming* in the snow (he was a 55 lb. Beardie :)), and the pan to a house across the street that had a snowdrift on one side up to its roof.
I would like to add that those are the only two snow days I ever got from school. This is why I cop an attitude when Toronto shuts things down over 5 cm. Slightly more south though it may be, it's still in Canada and far from the tropics! Doesn't mean you can't complain about the snow -- we all know that *I* do (repeat after me: "Not a winter girl... not a winter girl...") but you should know how to plow it!
All this makes me want to do is find a last-minute tropical destination and hop a plane after work before it all starts. Have passport, will leave country for warmth and sunshine. :)
Apparently I have a Carleton University fan club today (and yesterday). Seven visits since just before 8 this morning, all from the same computer with anywhere from 1 to 7 page views? The hell?
Guess what? There are two versions of Penguin Batting -- and you can play a higher-scoring version here. My high score of the morning: 555.1. (Of course I've only played it for 10 minutes because I really need to go get ready for work!)
Just because we all need another source of procrastination...
My latest addictive waste of time: Penguin Batting. Started playing half an hour ago. Need to stop to go to bed now, before this gets out of hand. ;) Current best score I've gotten: 319.1. This needs some working on!
I am so not patient this week. The proper phrasing of that should probably be "I'm so impatient this week" but that conveys something just a shade off of what I'm feeling. It's not that I'm impatient, I'm just lacking some in patience. It's like being a kid and waiting for a trip to Disneyland that's been hinted about, yet there are factors involved you have to wait for before you even know if you'll be going in the first place.
I may have to start waking up to a different radio station. I don't even know which plays what anymore, since the mass changeover a few weeks ago. My clock radio is set to The Bear, but when I wake up to The Song That Should Not Be Heard By Me, Ever (hereinafter referred to as "TSTSNBHBME"), and it's a Monday to boot, this hints that perhaps I should try changing the dial. Because they've been on a constant rotation between this song and maybe two or three by Nickelback for the last year or so, it's not likely they'll ever stop playing TSTSNBHBME. Not that they should, as it is a good song (though Hootieized entirely by this point), and I'd like it, too, if it didn't just creep me right out.
So I sound like a paranoiac walking X-File. If I am at all superstitious, it is only about this song, and we'll now leave it at that! :)
On a brighter note, I just made some carrot muffins (with apples and raisins, and without refined sugar) for breakfast tomorrow! Desperate times called for yummy measures after having half of half a bowl of oatmeal this morning. (For all you math majors out there, yes that works out to a quarter of a bowl.) I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to do that, save for a lack of cereal bars.
I think my kitchen is telling me to go clean it.
I should add here, for everyone's amusement... although my teeth are quite white naturally, I decided that trying Crest Whitestrips wouldn't hurt me... and they didn't, until this morning. I'm 10 of 14 applications into them (they're Premium Whitestrips, 7 days instead of 14 days) and about to add #11 to that, but it wasn't until the application this morning that I began experiencing the temporary side effect of teeth sensitivity.
I spent the entire day wishing all food and drinks were room temperature. And that it wasn't -5397510975109751°C outside, cos let me tell you, do NOT let the air out there hit your teeth. Keep your mouth firmly closed. Holy cow.
However, my teeth are even sparklingly whiter now. :)
I woke up this morning, saw the sunny, clear blue sky, and for one brief second thought that it was a day where I could go for a 7 or 8 km walk. It looked like it could be a really mild day outside. The reality? Not so much, to the shivering concerto of -23°C. Exercise bike it was, then.
I miss my walks, though. I haven't been able to do those since October, when it started raining nearly every day -- eventually turning to snow -- and it started getting darker at an earlier time each night.
I went to see 50 First Dates this weekend -- very adorable movie! I love Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler acting together. I own the Wedding Singer, and am going to have to get this one on DVD when it comes out.
Also ventured downtown yesterday afternoon, in perhaps the most ultimately nutty move of the weekend. I was fully aware that it was Saturday; I forgot, however, until I was halfway there that it was also a Winterlude weekend. (This is the point where I should have dropped my head to the steering wheel and whimpered! Just kidding. :)) I left downtown with an entirely cute bikini though, so it was worth it. Now I just hope I get to use it!
A side note: I'm listening to Iceberg Radio, the Canadian Pop station, and Ryan Malcolm's single "Star of All the Planets" just came on. I like it! :)
Now, a cheer for spring: Gimme an S! Gimme a P! Gimme an R-I-N and G! Now give it to me soon, damn you.
This weblog halftime show brought to you by my all-consuming love for green grass and warm temperatures. How I miss thee.
I love people. They really can rock. :) Just now a friend at work gave me a "Grow a Pet" -- yup, the pet that you can grow! Isn't that awesome? I love it! It's the landlord-approved pet that you can take anywhere! (If you're reading, thank you again! :))
Last night at our weekly girls' night, there was a new addition -- a miniature schnauzer named Higgins that Kashmathla is baby-sitting. Oh my lord! Sooo cute! I wanted to take him home! He is just way too adorable! The funniest thing was when he spotted the fish tank. I have never seen a dog actually follow the fish swimming back and forth with his head and eyes. He was completely transfixed. Eventually, he walked up to the table the aquarium was on, and stood up with his paws on it, face pressed up to the glass, eyes completely glued to the fish as they swam around. Too funny!
There ya go -- your happy thoughts for the day. :)
Three things I never thought I'd find in my fridge: tofu, ginger root and organic applesauce (regular applesauce, yes). It is entirely possible I have lost my mind. ;) One of my yoga instructors brought her The Green Door cookbook to class for me last night and raved about the tofu stir-fry, so I thought I'd try it. I just made it for lunch tomorrow, minus the broccoli though. I changed my meals around a bit last week when I didn't have time for dinner, now lunch is a more main meal; dinner very light, if at all. You know how some people don't eat breakfast and don't need to? I'm that way with dinner, so long as I have breakfast and lunch. Holdover from j-skool TV terms I think.
I'm diggin' the applesauce. However, I may have overcooked the tofu a little as it's a bit dry -- oh well, first time I've tried cooking it, not bad. I'll see how much I like it: if not so much, then from now on I'll just make the rest of the stir-fry with the sauce it has and either substitute egg or just more veggies.
Yeah. That's enough "Cooking With Jenn" for one night. :)
Last night, I had a very happy moment. After yoga, I had to fill up my car with gas and when I pulled in to the station, it was 68.9/L. Yay, under 70 cents! I was mid-way through filling up when I saw the sign change... 74.9. The guy at the pump next to me started getting all excited, pointing to the sign and exclaiming, "Look! Look! It's changing!" He had a big grin on his face, having won this round of our national sport, "Beat the wildly fluctuating gas prices."
Sarah McLachlan summer tour dates. That just made my morning. :)
I didn't watch the Grammys last night. I'm not really sure why, I just didn't make it into my living room to turn on the TV! Instead, I was reading, answering e-mail and doing a Meraudio site update. Anyone know when the Junos are? I'm imagining April, although CMW is in March. I suppose I could just go look this up but I'm still half-asleep!
Welcome to a brand-new week! Now, gotta go do something with this hair...
"I'm alive, I can feel the blood rushing through my veins..."
Laws of the universe, people. Laws of the universe. In the vein of "Your wallet's too small for your fifties, and your diamond shoes are too tight." (Anyone get the gratuitous Friends reference? :))
It has been a really exciting week, in so many ways!
Saw some good friends this weekend, went to a friend's housewarming last night. Her new apartment rocks!
Back to my usual sort of day today. :) The last three days have been so busy I didn't even have time for dinner! It was fun though, so good! Tuesday night was pretty funny, driving around for two hours in a snowstorm trying to track down a video camera!
That's a lot of exclamation marks for 7 in the morning... ;)
We're supposed to get a ton of snow today, we're under a "winter storm warning." In other words? More shovelling, especially after the street plow comes around, or I'll never get out of my driveway. That's okay though, keeps the arms in shape!
Now, time to finish my strawberry tea and start my probably busy day. It's Friday!
Further evidence of my body's lifelong revolt against conditioning out of being a night person (at least on weekdays)
Mehhhhh... Those nights when I just can't sleep? Yeah. There was actually no apparent reason for it, got up at a decent time yesterday, was out and about, didn't have any caffeine after noon, wasn't stressed out about anything. It was just one of those nights when I slept for three hours. I think I'm going to blame it on Mars entering my sign (and whatever energy burst comes along with that) because really? It's as good of explanation as anything else!
Sleepy, but I have yoga tonight. Maybe a quick nap as I wait for some hard-boiled eggs for my salad to cool...
What I'm looking forward to: a night of relaxation (activity with the yoga, but once the relaxation and meditation part commences, all is good), watching The O.C., reading a book. Gotta do it tonight, R&R is going to be hard to come by over the next few days.
My site and e-mail are back! (They'd been down since Friday afternoon.) This should end any problems with e-mail from Hotmail and Yahoo bouncing. Also included in the deal, another 1000 MB of webspace. The other 1000 MB for starfirepromotions.com will end later this month so I think I'll just make that a pointer domain. Okay, boring tech talk. Geeky web girl! I am no different now with that than I was at 15. ;)
For those of you who followed along through all that (and maybe even understood it), big props to you!
Who else doesn't want it to be Monday in just a few hours? Raise your hands. I seriously doubt this is just me. :)
It was a pretty peaceful weekend though. I got some writing and editing done, saw some people (managed to scorch my tongue on risotto while out for dinner :P), got some new books. I'm now reading One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez -- cracked it open an hour ago and am 52 pages into it), Azur Like It (Wendy Holden -- got this at Christmas and am well into it) and Astrology for Beginners (William H. Hewitt). Just shush on that last one, people, no I'm not cracked. I truly love star stuff, astronomy or astrology, so I wanted to learn how to make and try to interpret charts. I realize this is a long process -- just reading up for now!
