Christmas Spirit

I had salsa, taco chips, and cheese left over from my friend's Christmas get-together earlier this week for dinner. Basically I am not in the Christmas spirit at all and I think that's fine. It doesn't help that it rained like crazy today either. I have not decorated yet but I am thinking I still should this evening. I have a visitor later this coming week so I want to be a bit festive when they arrive and it seems silly to wait to decorate. A little Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer may help me feel something. At the very least a fondness for Christmases past.

The business stuff is coming along and I even got my first customer, a Christmas gift. Unfortunately I discovered Bloons Tower Defense 5 was out so I have been wasting time with that since Thursday. Luckily most of the major business-related tasks were done before I found out. That's a very good thing. My business cards are set to arrive by December 30th so once I get those I can really get going with the rest of my promotions. Wish me luck!

Jet lag

I am totally messed up and have not been able to sleep properly yet. I didn't sleep well in Africa, or at least not long enough, and I didn't sleep well before I left. However, I still consider 'normal' 7-8 hours in a stretch, preferably 11pm - 7 am. So far I have been falling asleep in front of the T.V. by 8 or 9 p.m., waking up at 11 or 12 to go to bed properly, waking up between 2-4 a.m., and either watching movies or staying in bed till 6 to 'rest my eyes'. I really want to sleep properly like the good old days. I will try to stay awake till 11:00 p.m. if I can today and see if that helps. But, if I wake up at 2 a.m. I am going to be super pissed.

I went on a hot air balloon ride!!! Woot woot!!!

Read more on my African blog: http://jenclyde-myafricanadventure.blogspot.com/

Birthday in Africa

Today is my b-day and I was up well before my 4:15 a.m. alarm went off. We had coffee and Rusks (yummy biscuit things like biscotti) and then were off on our morning drive through Kruger National Park. I saw rhinos which is possible the best birthday present ever. I have had some awesome birthday presents mind you, but seeing a wild rhino 10 feet away really takes the cake. The guide, Simon, gave me a box of chocolates and card and we had sparkling wine with our brunch as my special birthday meal. It was lovely. I have to say this is one of the best ways to spend my birthday and it was a frickin' awesome day. We´re having a traditional BBQ for dinner so that should be great.

The only draw back is the 4:30 a.m. start again tomorrow...

Buttons

It took my Mom & me 1 hour to sew on a button and snap on thing to my Capri's... a whole hour. We were so frustrated and couldn't help laughing through most of it, in between poking our fingers with the needle and intense swearing (mostly from me). However, it's now securely fastened and luckily still fit. We both said that it would have been done in 5 minutes if my Dad was still there. He was a great sewer. But, we did it with team work and may or may not pop off mid-trip.

Guns

I went shooting with Cousin Mikie today. I was so nervous! My hands were sweaty and I was shaking like a leaf. I couldn't work the cartridge release button thing...and the cowboy gun (as I call it) scared the shit out of me (almost). I wouldn't do another round with that one. I went back to the easier gun. I understand the draw, because it's a little exhilarating when you get going but I can't see myself doing it as a hobby. I was too scared to do it again. At least not on my own. I also have no hand strength at all which was embarrassing. And, there were guys watching from the window which made me slightly more embarrassed.

I now have to pack but I think I'm ready for the big trip. I got the extra camera battery today at Don's Photo - thank goodness for Don's, they were my last hope. So, now I'm kind of set. Kind of...

Moderate progress

My week off did not go quite as planned. Due to external delays with things like the mail service and other people, as well as my continual overestimation of my abilities I just could not do all the things I had hoped. BUT, I did manage to get some critical things done so it's not a complete bust. I finally got my certification exam done and it took 4+ hours! I have to say I was in quite the panic about it, since I really haven't taken a proper test in over a decade. So after 2 1/2 days of cramming I tackled it and it was pretty intense. My friend was my 'proctor' (a supervisor so I can't cheat) and she fed me potato salad and made me chocolate chip cookies so that really helped. I think I did okay, it was open book, but there were some questions that were a bit tricky so I am not sure if I got every question correct. Hopefully I did well enough to pass. I definitely don't want to take it again, but I suppose it would be a bit easier the second time.

I had my pet first aid course as well this week. I was very nervous about it as well, not being particularly inclined to handle gory things and emergency situations. But, it was actually great and helped reinforce or understand some of the course material regarding pet first aid I had for my test. Reading about first aid is really hard to get, until I actually see it in action. I can now, assuming I don't panic, muzzle an animal (long snout, short snout, and no snout techniques), split a broken leg, bandage a cut, treat shock, perform CPR... I also got one of the kits. It was only $25 so a good start. The one from the pet-sitting organization I belong to was more, plus shipping. I highly recommend the course, through St. John's Ambulance, if you just own pets. It's really helpful info, and very practical.

I have a bunch of stuff still to do, but I have finally accepted the fact that the majority of marketing, website, and other businessy things will have to wait till I return. It's just not possible, and I guess that's ok.

4 days left

Another wonderful long weekend so I am relatively relaxed and content. As of this coming Friday I am on a leave from work officially which means 4 days of work to go! 4 days to go out of 7+ years...I have to say I'm more excited about that then anything else going on. Ideally I would be done already but I need the extra money desperately so I'll just have to make due. Technically I'm not unemployed, just 'on leave' and then when I go back in January I will be working part-time. This means that assuming I can make a success out of my business plan I will never have to work for 40+ hours a week there again. This is beyond liberating and I hope I can pull it off. Ideally if I work at least 12 hours a week there I can have enough money for rent and maybe car insurance which are the 2 big bills. Ideally I would like to phase it out completely by the summer so I do not have to be involved in the chaos of the 'busy season' ever again, but my contingency plan is to continue working part-time through the summer if needed. I have had a mixture of reactions as I keep telling more people, but most people seem to actually care & are happy for me. I am hoping that after 3 months I may not be a miserable pile of crap when I go back - and even perhaps enjoy my hours there. But, that may be way too much to hope for. I will settle for simple indifference.

I told my Mom finally - minus some details of course. I had it planned in my head and thought that it would end up being best if I segment the announcements. First - I'm visiting! Second (while visiting) - I'm going to Africa and here's my itinerary, and I'll be completely safe & don't worry! Third (after Africa) - I'm working at Christmas, sorry I can't visit! I love you, etc.! Fourth - I am running a successful pet-sitting business on the side so will only be at the office a few days a week and I'm making a crapload of money...!

Then last minute I opted to take the enforced furlough route since everyone has to take 3-4 weeks unpaid before the end of the year anyways. However, this was a major tactical error and I ended up blurting out that I would do some traveling when my Mom asked what I was doing with the time off, and then she kind of flipped out and then I said I wouldn't be back for Christmas and then she was upset. Luckily I managed to reign it in and not mention the business/work scenario. I am determined not to say anything about it at all until it's mid-January and actually happening. After a few brief and angry questions my Mom hung up. Then called again with a question and then hung up. And, then called again with another question and hung up. I was so pissed off, despite the fact that I know how she is I still wish for a more logical and supportive conversation which is crazy and unreasonable on my part.

Despite the rocky start she's actually dealing quite well now, though I get a call every day with another question. She called before work one day and asked if I had my passport, the next day was if I had my shots, that sort of thing. So she is processing it all in her own time. I am very thankful that she is doing okay with it and being moderately supportive. What I had to lie about was the full cost - I did not tell her the cost of the Safari (just the amount of my first deposit) because I don't want her to freak out. She has the most important details so that will be enough. I am not mean, I just have a strong sense of self-preservation.

Anyways, 4 more days and then crunch time. I was writing my to-do list for the next couple of weeks and it's massive so I am hoping I can pull it all off in time.

3 weeks and counting

Things are really happening. It's kind of exciting and kind of unreal but I am planning my last day of work to be October 14 so only a few more weeks. My supervisor was understanding and is willing to give me part-time when I return in January so I will have 2 1/2-3 months off. This fills me with such joy I can't even believe it's really happening. I have felt so terrible so long, and now that's really coming to an end. The great relief was being allowed to come back part-time, which gives me a secure paycheck but also allows me to focus my time on growing my business. I got my business licence in the mail this week which by the way was incredibly easy. I expected more questioning or something I think. Anyways, it's all official and when I get back from Africa I will be able to go full force & start generating business. It's a bit unreal, but I feel really sure and good about it all, which is a new feeling for me. I still have a tonne of stuff to do but I should get most of it done before I go. Then I can just finish everything else when I get back so I'm not completely panicked (notice I say not completely...). I can't wait to start!

An update, cooking, and SYTYCD Canada

It's the finale of this season's So You Think You Can Dance tonight so I won't be long but one of my goals this weekend was to add a post so here I am. I have to vote so I have to pay attention.

Anyways, they're just talking about the judges now and the usual so I can be distracted. It's always nice to have a long weekend and I always end up getting just enough relaxation & domestic time in since I have 3 whole days off.  I even cooked for the first time in MONTHS and MONTHS! I have warmed up, assembled, baked, fried, and cut food, but that's not really cooking. I made the yummy casserole (chicken & broccoli) so I will have lunch for a couple of days. It was delicious. I cleaned the kitchen, swept, vacuumed, did some laundry, tidied...I feel like a normal person. And, it's nice to be in reasonably clean environment.

Ok, I am totally distracted so I'll have to wrap this up. I think I'm going to start a special trip blog to document the progression of my plans. That way I can try to 'monetize' it and see if I can make a few bucks back. Everything has cost just a bit more than I had expected so I am over budget significantly now. But, the good thing is everything is pretty much paid for, including food and lodgings, so I will be completely broke but well taken care of there. The problem is when I get back, but if all goes well I will have a super busy Christmas break and financially ok. Wish me luck. I will try to post sooner this time.

At the Kennel

Except for the bug bites, aches and pains, and no HGTV, W, or Food Network I was happy to be at the Kennel! Really! I got lucky and the dog-walkers came on Saturday and Monday morning which makes it much easier to deal with everything else. I did walk all the dogs Sunday though which took me almost 4 hours! FOUR HOURS!!! That almost did me in, but after resting for a bit with my feet up I got enough of a second wind to get all the Kennels cleaned in the afternoon so I felt very accomplished for the day. There were A LOT of dogs this weekend.

The biggest nuts so far are Zara and Diesel - crazy crazy dogs. They're some sort of Boxer type dog and go CRAZY with other dogs. They also occasionally fight with each other inside their Kennel which has resulted in several water dish spills and puddles of water. We also broke one of their dishes - and I say 'we' because I was there getting jumped on and pushed around and one of them knocked their dish in the mayhem and it rolled and shattered....The good part was that they stopped jumping long enough for me to pick up the pieces because they were so startled.

Amie is here too which is awesome because I LOVE her. She's the beer commercial type dog I met one of the last times I was here. There's also Abby and Zeta (both Schnauzers) but they're not together, just side by side, so I kept worrying I would mix them up...I think I haven't.. Hopefully. Then there was Willow, a sweet little willow of a dog who left Saturday. Misha and Bella (a wee dog and a large retriever or lab) took her spot. Then there was Deacon and Sarah.The owner was very worried Deacon would be too vicious but he was actually totally nice to me. Sarah and him were always barking like mad at the other dogs, particularly Zeta. Not sure why her more so that the others. Siska is a really funny one, she's one of those super furry medium sized white dogs (you know the ones, they look like large Arctic Foxes) and she pees and poops by standing on her front paws with her back paws up off the ground. HILARIOUS. Cody, a large dog, liked to gnaw on my arms affectionately. So he was really great, even more when he had his orange ball in his mouth so I was not gnawed on at the same time. Then there is Jersey who has endless energy and won't stop playing or pulling his blanket into the middle of the yard. Keiko was an Akita who also loved playing endlessly and was a real cuddler. Romeo, a yellow lab, was a real nut and very lovable. He loved the belly rub and jumping and running, and so on. Boone is a runner, and runs and runs and runs and jumps and then runs some more and jumps some more. Cesar and Ruby are really cute too. Cesar is a bit of a suck, but really quite charming. Ruby is a jumper and LOVES dinner time. Max and Summer left Saturday, and were really funny. Summer was a massive dog and a barker, but as sweet as can be with me. Max was a huge chub of a dog and super furry so he was more like a bear. He was good to hug. Emma is a real cutie too, a bit nervous of the Kennel door but really nice. Her and Ruby did not get along so well though, or at least got into barking matches, but not all day luckily. Misty just came today and is a cute grey and black Sheltie. Then there's little Max. He was smaller than the Kennel owners kittens - seriously. He was really adorable though, and loved running and playing. I kind of cheated and let him run in the home's backyard which he was super excited about. The kittens were less excited, but at the very least curious about it, despite the occasional hissing.

There were also 3 cats, Tigger (came with Ruby and Cesar), Misty and I can't remember the 3rd one's name. Oh, yeah, Muggles. Misty growls a bit at the other kitties. Muggles is the shy one, though I think she's gotten use to me. They all want to be in the big play area, so don't like me putting them back in their Kennel to let the next cat out. But, what can I do? Fair is fair.

I think I am partially recovered now, back at home. But, I kind of miss them. However, Hal was very cuddly when I got back so I shouldn't complain.

New family member

Elwood & Jake playing. I AM SO EXCITED!!!

Lame

So, Saturday I took Little Car in for some much needed love due to the scary grinding metal-on-metal break noise I was hearing. When the service guy inspected it he mentioned I did not have my renewed insurance label on the licence plate. Why is that? Because I DID NOT RENEW MY INSURANCE! F%$&! When was it due? June 10! When did I take my care in? July 30! JULY 30!!! AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! My friend picked me up and we went to a farm animal auction of all things. It was a little hard to watch some of the man-handling of the animals but interesting overall. And, of course there were goats. Anyways, I got the insurance and had a bit of a hefty bill, $750, so no laptop yet...

Yesterday I went hiking to Lindeman Lake near Chilliwack Lake. It was pretty intense and my legs are very sore today. About half way up, and I mean Grand Canyon kind of up, I thought I would never do it again and would not recommend it to anyone. Then we got to the top and the lake and well, I would totally do it again and recommend it to anyone who loves to hike. It was totally worth the pain. You can also camp up there which I think would be just fantastic. My legs were very wobbly on the way down, but I managed it. The hardest part was getting my friend's dogs over the crazy tree bridge - but luckily we had a few people in the group so we got them all across and then back again. But ladders and dogs just do not work well.

http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/lindeman-lake/

Today is Cowboys &. Aliens - Daniel Craig in his full rugged cowboy glory. Plus explosions and cool alien stuff. I can't wait!

Some progress

I am still coughing and feeling lousy - though part of the lousy is the normal kind, so it's not all the cold's fault. However, I feel I am making progress, as I hardly pee my pants anymore. And, a little progress is better than nothing.

On a more exciting note I am almost finished my business plan for my grant application, and since I'm on my last and final extension I kind of have no choice. Did I not mention this before? Sorry - I'm trying to get free money to cover my start-up costs for my pet-sitting business. Anyways, I have been working on this damn thing for a month and a half and it's making me crazy.I finally got in touch with this service that helps writing business plans to help steer me in the right direction but it was quite pricey. I have gotten the writer people down from several thousand for writing the whole thing, to $650 for a thorough re-write, to only $250 now for a sprucing up (which I finally agreed to). I have received some other constructive feedback and compliments as well and I think I may actually be successful. Which would be nice. Also - please do not mention anything to my Mom yet...I will tell her about the time I tell her I'm going to Africa and quitting my job. Better to go for the big bang altogether to get it over with right at one time. Hopefully she'll just be happy to see me and won't care as much. We shall see, since I guess I will have to tell her eventually.

Anyways, I actually can take the evening off from the plan so I'm going to watch T.V.

Recovery

My nose is scaly like an alligator, there's a huge grocery bag full of used Kleenex to be thrown out (3 boxes worth). I took Friday off work, Saturday off the Zoo & Cousin Janet, Sunday was luckily a cancellation, and back to work today. My ribs are sore from the hacking coughs, and I had to use the feminine protection due to unexpected pee shooting out of me every time I coughed up bits of lung. On the way home I treated myself to a Chai Latte at the Wired Monk (which by the by is FANTASTIC to have so close to home!) and it was delicious. I am hoping the cough won't last very long so my sides will recover by the end of the week. Anyways, it appears I have survived, which is nice. Hopefully I will be healthy for another year because this sh$% sucks total a$$ if you know what I mean.

Quality time with Maru

I laughed so hard after watching the last month of Maru videos that I almost vomited.

http://youtu.be/NAhQKayAt1k

Share the joy that is Maru. Now I should maybe consider doing dishes or something productive. Or perhaps just watch T.V.?

Yay Canada

Thanks for the holiday tomorrow Canada! AWESOME! 3 whole days off! In a row!

The tub

No hole! Also no shower curtain...

Long rainy weekend

I worked a bit extra on Friday to try to catch up on my e-mails and I did manage to get through about 100 so left at 8 pm with 279 in one mail box and about 40 in the other. Only 300+ to go. No problem...especially if I just delete them all & say 'FU' and not show up next week.

Which of course I won't do. However appealing.

I technically have my first customer, my friend's 2 dogs in a week and a half. I'm not charging them fully because I agreed to do it as a friend, but I will get some money, and I'm hoping to get some pictures  and a testimonial about how awesome I am for my website. We had a quick walk around the park yesterday and I have to help one of the dogs up into the SVU (arthritis) and I couldn't do it! Luckily they both forgave me. We're going to go again Monday morning so I'll have another shot at it. One of the biggest perks is their T.V. it's huge and beautiful and they have a crapload of channels. A dream come true. Maybe I'll be 'sick' all week and stay there and watch T.V. & hang out with the dogs. It would be awesome.

Today is another stamp collecting day for the Tourism challenge. I actually have a friend going with me which will be nice. However they did not want to go to Capilano or Grouse so we'll just stick to the city stuff I guess. I need 4 more attractions + the Zoo to complete the minimum so if I can get 3 today for sure I'll be in a good position for next weekend. Then I'm done!

Progress

So don't tell my Mom BUT...I now have an officially registered business name, and reserved the domain name, AND I am currently awaiting a certification program through petsit.com. Yeah! And, OMG! ACK!

On a more immediate front I now also have 7 stamps out of 12 for my Tourism Challenge card. Last weekend I went to the HR MacMillan Space Centre, the Vancouver Museum, and the Vancouver Maritime Museum. Of course I didn't get out of the house till after lunch so I was in a bit of a time crunch. However, it was still really interesting and I would definitely take the kids (well, with parental assistance) to the space centre. The question was about what kind of food the astronauts eat - which was kind of gross really, but cool if you know what I mean. I certainly would not want to be in space for long if I had to eat like that. The Museum had a new exhibit on Bhangra music and the change over time. It was AWESOME!!! There were videos, the musical instruments, ipods to listen to with the music featuring the hot spots in Vancouver, the UK, etc. which was great. There was even a room where you could watch or participate in a dance lesson. It's open till the fall so I will definitely go back. The Maritime Museum was nice to visit again - I had to find a female pirate name & the name of the vessel featured in their exhibit about Roald Amundsen's voyage into the Northwest Passage which was really interesting by the by. Also, Pirates!

Yesterday I went to the Museum of Anthropology, the new Beatty Biodiversity Museum and the UBC Botanical Garden. I found a whole new area at the MOA that I didn't even knew existed. The Biodiversity museum was really great. They really have an amazing collection of specimens and I can't wait to go back to have another look. It was raining so the Botanical Garden was a really quick stop - the answer was a Douglas Fir as an FYI. I wanted to do their Canopy walk but because of the weather I scrapped that. Hopefully sometime in the summer I'll get there again and I can do it then.

2 more Sundays so if I can get 3 next weekend, plus the Zoo, I only need 1 more to get the minimum so I feel like I'm on track. I'm hoping next weekend will be Maplewood Farms, Capilano Suspension Bridge, and Grouse maybe. I guess we'll see. The weather's been against me lately.

着るねこ。-Maru's new fashion.-

Some kind of crazy miracle

My landlords got a notification from the city that their water consumption has quadrupled so they may actually fix the toilet & bathtub. I say 'may' because it has not happened yet & it's been 6 months since I told them about the tub so there is some intense skepticism on my part. However, I appreciate the intention and it would be AWESOME if it actually happened. I can't even imagine what joy it would be to have a nice pleasant bathroom. I probably shouldn't get my hopes up.

Taxes and stuff

So, I procrastinated like the maniac that I am but I finally got my taxes done and I am still getting a bit back. Yay! It's such a relief. One of the things I puttered around with was a business name. What do you think of "Furry or not" petsitting or petcare? It's available as a business name & as a domain name. I wanted something to indicate a variety of pets - not just dogs. Other than that  I am trying to get motivated to hit one or two tourism challenge spots today but I really just want to relax. So, we'll see how that goes. The Sewell's Marina tour was awesome last weekend, but I'll probably do something local today - maybe Fort Langley or the long house in Mission. I have to get at least 12 attractions to get the pass but I only have till the end of May so I must be diligent!

more manly stuff

I also got the broken cd player in my car replaced. Thanks Mikie!

We saw Scream 4 - and it wasn't actually very scary at all. I think a little too bloody, without the actually fright, made it loose a little bit of intrigue for me. But, it was entertaining, just not as good as the previous ones. Also watched the Killers (Katherine & Ashton) and it was surprising entertaining. A decent rental, but definitely not hard to see what's coming.

Manly stuff

Cousin Mikie's been here less than 24 hours and already has helped me get the glass shelf things pulled out of the cabinet, figured out my oven issue, made eggs benny for breakfast, cleaned up my kitchen counter, done a load of dishes in the dishwasher...Of course don't mention that my kitchen counter needed cleaning to my mother please ( the story to her is all things are sparkly clean & ready for my visitor in advance - whether she believes me or not). And, it's only 10:07 a.m.

Lets see what else will get done by tomorrow! Exciting!

SNOW!

It's actually snowing ALOT. Huge fluffy flakes are just piling up and it's April 14. April 14! I have to admit as all the prairie folk have complained about the random snow storms the past couple of months I kind of rolled my eyes and thought "yeah, you're in the prairies what the hell do you expect?". Now, it's payback for my lack of real sympathy I guess.

On a positive note I have finally finished the massive $5 Smucker's jam jar (which took me almost 5 months by the by) and have just had my Mum's jam this morning. It was delicious.

Puppies!

Another day at the Kennel - which of course was fun. I got lucky and Morley was there again so I made sure not to forget my camera so I could get a picture of him. Isn't he cute?

 This is dear Morley. He is the perfect dog for me.

Morley in the kitchen - he was not too keen on photo time.

These two were hilarious - their names were Goda & Argos but I never could figure out who was who. The little one on the right liked to jump up and put her front paws on my shoulders - so needless to say my clothes are covered in muddy paw prints and I even got mud in my ear.

The one on the left reminded me of Elwood - he was much taller but the exact same head and furrowed brow. He was really into chewing his pink ball.

 This is Sadie - she got very muddy paws yesterday. She likes barking ALOT. This is the third or fourth time caring for Sadie and she really likes me now. She was pretty nervous with me the first few times.

This is Dream - very reminiscent of my friend Brenda's Marley & Bella - a complete curly haired nutball.

Dream & Toby - Toby was so calm and quiet, kind of like a tolerant older brother with the crazy little brother.

This is Lilly - waiting for me to go back to the house. She's the biggest, but cutest, suck ever.

running from giant spider attack in winnipeg beach

sleep

I slept till 11:30 a.m. today. Technically it was 10:30 with the time change, but either way it's a miracle. A beautiful, amazing, fantastic miracle!

Busy busy

The last few weeks have just flown by and it's now mid-March. I have been busy with volunteer stuff mostly, and the usual routine. I had a whole week off but it felt like a long weekend more than a real vacation. I volunteered 2 additional days at the Zoo to help get their artifacts catalogued & organized. I went to Kelowna as well, which was very very fun. I laughed so much my cheeks were sore. There was this funny incident with the luggage carts that ended up with bleeding and pain but luckily I was not the injured party, just the cause of the injury (or at least partly the cause, it's not my fault they crashed into the door first!). You may be able to see pics on Facebook, but if you can't I'm definitely not sorry about that. I didn't drink alot by the way - except for Saturday morning, I was tipsy at 11:00 and then decided to ease off the rest of the day. So the cart incident was fully sober, just an FYI.

Yesterday I went to this event to honour the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. It was put on by the WRSFV (Women's Resource Society of the Fraser Valley) and my coworker who is involved with another local women's group was helping out & invited me to go. It was by donation so I gave $10 but then we had this huge amazing dinner and the entertainment was amazing and I felt like a super cheap-ass jerk. Anyways, there were very inspiring speakers and stuff like that. There was a silent auction and door prizes, etc. The dinner was buffet style, with Indian food, quesadilla, cabbage rolls, Greek Salad, chicken, pasta...and each table got it's own dessert plate with hand made marshmallows, chocolate tarts, candied peaches...It was awesome. There was a folk singer, a First Nations singer/drummer, a wicked electric fiddler from the Island (Kytami), the Fae bellydance troupe (who use to take classes with my teacher), and an Indian dance troupe from UFV. It was really fun and entertaining. I wish I could look like the Fae, but I'm still not comfortable showing my belly at class so I have a ways to go before I can perform. They did this really cool thing with swords which was fantastic. Anyways, I am so glad I went!

I may have a job interview Monday. I'm kind of hopeful, but it depends on the wage, so hopefully it will work out. Though, at the same time I'm kind of afraid of the change. It will be so hard telling my supervisor & then training someone if they can find a replacement...but we'll see. No use getting ahead of myself. I am looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow. Hopefully Hal will let me sleep in a bit, the little bugger.

Shoes

I left the house yesterday with 2 different shoes on. Ha ha! The funniest is I didn't catch it until I got to my class...Slightly embarassing.

DOGS!!!

I have one more day at the Kennel & though I will be happy to go home I am also kind of sad to go. The most stressful thing is dealing with people's inquiries and trying to hear them while the dogs are barking - i.e. NOT STRESSFUL AT ALL! I did almost have an incident with 2 dogs fighting today because I did not close the door fast enough, but it turns out they are actually friends anyways. I am always a little worried that a dog will get hurt or something but so far so good. It's also been sunny for the past 2 days which is miraculous. Usually it is raining like crazy when I'm here. There was a threat of snow and it has been quite brisk but no snow or rain. It is a bit of a drag when it rains all day even here. Mainly because the dogs do not even want to go out. Most of them still enjoy the walk as long as it's not a complete downpour, but it's hard to get them to go pee when it's pouring out.

Anyways, the dogs this time have been hilarious. Amie is the cutest thing - she's a bit older and chubby & has a bad front leg so she walks a little funny. She is surprisingly spry though and will almost bowl me over when I let her out. She can't get enough petting, though that's true of most of the dogs! Kona is a beautiful chocolate lab. He likes to go between people's legs so you can scratch his butt - now if you were to say that about a human being it would sound very rude but Clyde was also an in between legs kind of dog so I consider it quite normal. However Kona takes it to a new level, where he will actually go in circles around one leg so goes in and then back through the legs repeatedly. It's really crazy but super adorable. Then there's Bella, a boxer. She's very spunky and runs back and forth on the walk in the morning like a maniac. She loves to cuddle but gets a bit rough so I have to be careful not to get a paw in the face. She makes me laugh ALOT. Sadie is here again, this is the barker of the group. She was nervous of me at first so I guess she didn't remember me but it's all good now. Her whiskers get so dirty though I have to refill her water all the time because her whiskers get it all yucky. Today Buddy & Flower came (they were here last time I was working) with their new family member Molly. I think they recognized me right away which made me feel loved. This is apparently Molly's first time but she's adjusted very well & is a real sweet-heart. Oreo is also here again, he's such a funny little thing. He always crouches down onto his belly so I will pet him and he runs around like a maniac in the yard. Moochy just came today as well. Very dainty little dog, but he has a bit of an obsession with overturning his food dish. I don't quite get it yet but we'll see how that goes.

I should go. It's Oreo's & Kona's time out in the yards. Later.

Turtles, lizards, resumes, and animal rescue

So the past few weeks have been busy. I have found Sudoku to be a soothing form of meditation in this difficult time. Work continues to suck complete...well you can imagine. After all the drama & suffering I went through over the holiday situation we got an e-mail that we no longer have to take all our holidays by April. This was just after I finally got used to the idea of having long weekends. It's really a big frickin' joke. But, I am still taking next Thursday & Friday off to work at the Kennel & then a full week off the first week of March assuming I'm not laid off or fired before then. Ah, positivity. We have a new boss though which makes my comment more realistic than pessimistic. She's quite a force to be reckoned with and she has yet to even speak to me (though admittedly I have made no effort on my part except or a smile that I think was more grimace...). From what I have heard she does not tolerate lateness and I anticipate some major flack eventually. She's been kind of like a little tornado in the office and it's giving me an ulcer. Luckily there's alcohol and chocolate to ease my pain.

On a happier note I get to feed the snapping turtle every Saturday now which I love. Yesterday I had to catch up the plated lizards for the Keeper so that was a challenge. I ended up shaking like a leaf but I am also very pleased that he has enough trust in me to give me that task. The scariest thing for me would be if they were so scared that they would drop their tail. If they felt at all as nervous as I did...But, they are all well, tails intact, though it took a couple tries. I have also started the Twitter page for the dog rescue place and that's been going really well. The Zoo's newsletter is done finally. My dishes are all clean. The Christmas decorations are finally put away. I have applied to several more jobs as well - wish me luck!

Happy Valentine's Day as well: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9391000/9391059.stm

Hand shimmies and scarves

On Friday I went to see Bombay Bellywood (for free thanks to my co-worker!!!). It was CRAZY! The Bellydance Superstars group tours quite often but this show had an Indian Bollywood influence and some of the routines were all Indian dancing. I can't help but want to smile & jump up and dance when I watch Bollywood performances too, but the bellydancing was what was really spectacular. The most amazing routine was the scarves - one of the dancers spun around for what seemed like forever (I think maybe 5 minutes...to be realistic, but maybe longer) and used scarves, which looked beautiful. But, then the other dancers would go by and throw another scarf into the mix. It was crazy. I think at one point she must have had at least 6 or 7 scarves. The other amazing thing was the hand shimmying...the only male in the troop, Samir, did all this crazy stuff with his arms and can actually shimmy his fingers. I looked on their website and apparently he has a background in Cirque du Soleil. I was so in awe I think my mouth kept dropping open. I wish I had gone to see them before. I really need to frickin' practice ALOT, but I can do some of the moves, just not as fast and I definitely don't look that hot.

Check it out:
http://www.bellydancesuperstars.com/content/article_3435.html

Update on the job search

I have applied to 3 jobs and received 2 call backs which are significantly better stats then the last time I was shopping around. I had 1 interview last week which I thought went well but I did not get the job unfortunately. I cried some bitter tears, but then I got to feed the snapping turtle again yesterday and see the animals and I felt better. I may have another interview this week, the time is still to be confirmed, but at least it's something. The good thing on the current work situation is that my office is trying to resolve some of the crap happening in the company so I still have at least 3 weeks of vacation from last year as well as whatever I accrue this year for my trip. And, for the next 2 months I am down to 3 days a week (using up 19 vacation days, 2 furlough days, & 2 banked days) so maybe I'll get around to cleaning my house & stuff. At the very least I will have more time to keep up the job search & play Sudoku.

Angel's Animal Rescue

If you have a chance please go to www.angelsanimalrescue.ca. I'm going to start volunteering for this place myself & they really need all the help they can get. They are currently in an online contest through the Pepsi Refresh Project. If they can get the most votes they will win a large grant to help expand their facility.

Sign in and vote everyday til February 28: http://www.refresheverything.ca/angelsanimalrescue

Thanks!

Hal - Little Kitties for Big Cats

I donated to this cause (part of the Cause an Uproar campaign) & posted a photo of Hal:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/big-cats/little-kitties/entries/33873/view/

Please vote for him!

Problem

I am addicted to Sudoku.

Plan Burkina Faso

I'm super excited so I thought I would share this right away. When I was on holidays I went out shopping in Van & was feeling good, etc. and I ended up signing up to sponsor a child through Plan 'Because I am a Girl' campaign. Now after I did that I had what I call 'buyer's remorse' - a feeling of regret and worry over how much I spent. I also was worried that I was being conned because I spent a long time in retail and became a very suspicious person. However, I have been thinking about contributing to something for years now, I just wasn't sure what I should do and I made no effort either. So, this guy was standing around near Kids Books and then voila! When I got home I looked this up online and I tried to convince myself it was legit. But, really, until today I felt like maybe I really was an idiot. One of the things that appealed most to me was that it was not religious based, which is why I have not been keen on some of the other organizations that advertise on T.V. so often. I am by no means opposed to their work, but I would personally rather contribute to something secular.

The proof is now here though and I am ecstatic that I'm not an idiot and I'm helping others at the same time. I got a pamphlet about the 'ambassador' child who's name is Hairata. She lives in Burkina Faso. They also provide some info about the community and provide pictures of Hairata and her brother, as well as more detailed info about how Plan uses sponsor donations.I had never heard of this country but it is just north of Ghana & Cote D'Ivoire (they were in the 2011 World Cup, though their main striker plays for a European team professionally - if you even care about Soccer, which you should). The money I donate does not go directly to the child, but the whole community. It's used for improving their schools, access to clean water, sanitation, and healthcare (which includes things like providing mosquito nets, vaccinations, etc.). It's $35/month which is why I had the buyer's remorse - but it's really just the cost of a dinner & a movie or a pair of shoes which I can definitely do without. I can also claim it on my tax return so that will help a bit.

They encourage the sponsors to write to the child which I feel a bit weird about. I think About Schmidt is kind of in the background of my mind. But, I suppose it would be interesting for Hairata & her family to see pictures of where I live. I really have no idea what to say exactly but I suppose if I muster up enough umph to do it I'll just keep it pretty simple & not blab on about my problems. I will likely send a picture of Hal too though, because he is really cute.

Snow day

No work today! I am snowed in and only 1 person showed up at the office this morning so I don't feel any guilt.

The drift outside my door - I know you prairie folk will think we're a bunch of pussies but really, do you want to slide off the mountain and to your death? Not me.

This looks worse! Too bad it will melt soon...

Hal looking cute

The plunge - do NOT tell my Mother!

My first week back was...Well, work, you know...Hmmmm. Um, well, I was in tears by the end of day 1. This is actually a fairly typical occurrence at my job so on a more philosophical level it's 'just the way it is' there. However, after a month off it's all really much more dramatic and painful than it would be if I had the same thing happen my last day. That would have just been the pinnacle of lameness and sorrow. And, then I maybe would have recovered or adjusted my plans accordingly. But, no, in true corporate fashion the crap hits the fan at the most inconvenient and harshest time possible.

What's going on you ask? Well let me tell you! As well as a bunch of crack-downs on various activities and expenses through the company we also have to take another week unpaid and ALL of our vacation time by the end of April. Now, if I was 'towing the company line' as I have heard at the office I would go 'okay, I would love 8 weeks off now, fantastic. Thanks for the offer. I love working here. Yay' and so on. However, after approximately 3+ years of saving for Africa I am now forced to use all the vacation time I have been stock piling now and will not have any left for my planned trip this fall. This is what affects me the most. The only reason I am at my current job and have put up with the last 2 insane years is so that I could save up and have enough money and holidays set aside to do this trip. That's it. If the company policy was to always use up my holidays every year I would have. But, the alternative to not using them in the next 3 months is to forfeit them. So, the 7 weeks of paid time will be lost. I can't even see how this will help the company cut costs - short of having all the books clean and all their employees having to forfeit their holidays because they can't take that much time off. Which, actually is probably what they're hoping for, the bastards. The other thing that really bothers me about this is that our busy season starts at the end of March/early April and if half of the office is forced to take all of their vacation before then we will have nothing prepared and will not be ready for anything. The result of which will be an even more stressful summer than the last one, more unhappy clients, more late deliveries and an even worse financial outcome than this past year. On top of all this my direct supervisors have been busy with holidays, meetings, and other responsibilities so I have no one to turn to. Though, even if they were more available I do not think there is anything that they could do to help me. Many co-workers seem to be just hunkering down and will try to see it through. Others are looking elsewhere. The idea of another summer like the last one is what's really pushing me to the next move. If I have to endure the same difficulties as last year I will have a nervous breakdown, and I am not in any way joking or over dramatizing. I have barely just gotten over last summer emotionally. I can't survive another one like that. But, that's exactly how it will be if these new rules are enforced.

The result of this insanity is that I have been forced to finally get off my butt and start looking for alternate employment. It actually makes me sick to my stomach to face the fact that I can no longer do my job under these conditions. The though of leaving my co-workers and possibly my home brings me to tears. I may find work here but most likely I would have to commute far and last time I applied to at least 200 jobs before I got one. I have to be open to the possibility of moving if I can't find anything here. But, if I were to move far away I would have to give up the Zoo, which would be devastating. The idea of moving eventually was fine, because in a few years I would be ready. After the big trip I was intending to save up for a year or two and then pursue the Kennel business. But, I can't deal with all this corporate bull-sh$%. And, even if I could I may be fired anyways.

Really, I could just go on and on so I'll stop. Needless to say if you mention any of this to my Mother I will never speak to any of you again. And, I'm not even joking. If she hears about this she'll freak out. I tell her work is fine, and it is dammit!

The good thing is I found my old resume this morning and have spent the day updating it and doing some job searches. I hope to apply for the few that I found tomorrow if the finally editing goes well. So, wish me luck!

I forgot about Maru!

I almost forgot to mention Maru. You must watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=mugumogu#grid/uploads

and more Maru

http://sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com/

Thanks to Julie & Eric for introducing me to Maru, and the joy of mash-ups!

Trip pics

Hal before I leave with his new Christmas toy & some catnip.

Phoenix, not Phynix.


ORANGUTANS!!!!


The Mom & toddler together.


Freaked Tracey out but beautiful colours.

GIBBONS!!!!

A person, starts with a "T".

The elusive silverback Charles & the youngest of the group. This scene was followed by the baby rolling around in the leaves. It was hilarious.

The youngest of the group. Too cute.

Red things in the trees. Pretty. Do you know what these are? We didn't.

Burrowing Owl!!!

Notice the two behind the big guy (or girl).

Great Polar Bear exhibit. There was quite a large area, lots of little nooks for the bears and viewers. There was even an underwater area.

The Komodo Dragon. It was pretty chill for a supposedly scary and vicious lizard.

Wine tasting. I believe this was the Chateau - very fancy.

Phoenix really really loved me. This is her wondering why I have to leave.

Mom's lovely tree & the excess of Christmas manifested in gift bags.

Who is this wacky kid? Sugar does weird things to people.

Oddball. Image snorting, lots of it and then running, jumping, licking. She's awesome.

Bella & Marley at the dog park, still with most of their booties here I think. We left with only 2 or 3 between the 2 at the end.

This is Elwood playing frisbee with us on the PS3. He kept running to the next room to try to catch it. It's the biggest tease really, I felt a bit bad.

Cousin Mikie lighting stuff on fire. Happy New Year!

So you may notice that there tend to be way more animals than people, though technically people are animals too. This is just how it is. I try every year to take amusing people shots but I always end up with scenery and animals. Scenery and animals. I tried to incorporate some actual friend & family this time just to represent. And if you don't see yourself it's either because you're just a hand or foot, or I forgot my camera that day, or I replaced you with a picture of an orangutan or lizard. Sorry! I love you, hopefully you can forgive me.

The evidence

Vacation and post-vacation my style

I'm home. Sweet, wonderful, slightly musty smelling home. Hal was so lonely that he actually let me pick up up (purring yet) and cuddle him for several minutes. This has never happened before. It's apparently below zero but really after minus 28 or whatever it was in the Peg this weather is like a warm spring day. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the mountains look amazing today (especially on the descent into Van). I have rotting veggies in the fridge (don't tell my Mom because I said I had food & milk, etc. - lies!), cat hair all over everything, things tipped over but nothing visibly broken so overall not too bad. I've already partially dusted and lint brushed things, the sheets are even in the washing machine. I had a shower because I was quite smelly already (why will come later) and the plants are watered too. I still need to unpack the rest of my stuff but I wanted to go online as soon as possible and get all this sh$% down before I forget anything.

So, first of all, THE TRIP. I kind of feel like I've been away a few months but it's only been 2 1/2 weeks. The Toronto/Hamilton trip was nice. It was pleasant, fun, a bit on the cool side downstairs due to the 1920s windows I think, but tolerable. There were Zoo animals, wine drinking, Harry Potter, recycling, sleeping in, relaxing, Carcassonne - so a good solid mini-vac with my dear friends Tracey & Andy. So Monday I head to Winnipeg and I've already been a bit antsy to get going and just be 'home' so I was relieved to get there and all is well. My Mom's ecstatic to see me, I get chili and there's Gailies in the fridge so I am content. But, then why my Mom and I cannot live together starts to manifest. It was about 10:00 or 11:00 on Tuesday (so almost 1 full day there) and my Mom starting nagging me about reading too much. I'm not doing crack or beating up kids, I'm reading but somehow this is a major issue. Everything goes in the garbage including cardboard and drink cans. It makes me frickin' crazy. Anyways, after some friend-time and much deep breathing I manage to control my anger and not act like I'm 14. Though really I feel 14 there - zitty, red and blotchy, fat, ugly, a bad daughter, no boyfriend. The only thing that's really changed is that I have stretch marks and my hair is much more manageable thanks to curly/frizzy friendly hair products. It really kind of sucks. I guess the other thing is that my Mom & I don't yell at each other anymore either. We're both too mature so it just does not escalate to that point, but the tension is sure still there.

So I make it till all the holiday events are through and get some more friend-time in. There are some difficulties with not having Internet access though so I am not able to fully plan things & miss out on seeing certain people. It's also difficult after spending about 4 months on Twitter to suddenly go cold-turkey. Very very difficult, though I think I'm stronger for it. So, there's the traditional Dim Sum, breakfasts, lunches, dogs (lots actually, and lots of cats too - Milo, Zach, Zoya, Max, another Max, Tabitha, Marley & Bella), etc., and it's really fun and I feel happy to catch up and spend time with people I care about. I have a few more days to cram everything I can in and then I get some wacky flu. The frickin' flu. Like I have time for sickness. It was total garbage. Basically I woke up feeling unwell and I managed about half a piece of toast and then there was diarrhea and I almost puked while I was on the toilet. Now, I don't remember if I've ever gone on about how much I despise puking but I honestly would rather die than voluntarily puke. I absolutely despise everything about puking and I will not allow myself to puke. There are times when I cannot stop myself and that's maybe why I hate it so much but really it's the most revolting thing. So as I'm gagging and fighting to keep it down the plan for the next couple of days sort of unravels and I slowly come to the realization that I am not going to be able to do all this stuff. I had to cancel a few things and leave my mother's basement in disarray. I did go out for a beer that afternoon since there were previous plans just to meet my friend Warren (from Abby) downtown and I couldn't just bail. However, I could barely sit up and almost fell asleep (in the Kings Head) and I couldn't make it through even half the beer. I got a cab back home and slept the rest of the day.

By Friday afternoon I just had a headache mostly so thanks to the bully that is Cousin Mikie I drank up a storm on New Years Eve and actually pulled a 'nighter'. After the snacking, PS3 connect games, laughing, and very unpleasant shooter development project (though apparently I'm the only one that had any issues with the taste, just to be fair) I thought there may be a chance for a nap but then there were Cousin Mikie's neighbours. So from about 3:40 till 5:20 I met the cute male neighbour. Really, Mikie went on and on about how cute his neighbour was, which was unsettling in and of itself since he's usually only like that about tits & other bimbo parts. But, really his neighbour or neighbours, since there was an almost twin or maybe actually twin brother, are cute. I entered and did a jagger bomb and met more dogs (Rudy? I think, and Bella or Candy? these are the most recent names, yes, but, I have also had a long day as you can see!) and then we tried to counsel their drunk friend about drunk texting his girlfriend. This somehow took almost 2 hours. Then we went back to Cousin Mikie just in time for the car to pull up so I grabbed all my stuff and went out. I realized half-way to the Airport that I left my pillow, my wonderful amazing side-sleeper pillow, at Mikie's which depressed me and really should have been a sign.

There was a huge line-up at the Airport so I ducked into the washroom, changed my shirt & undies in the stall, and headed to the check-in thing. Luckily I got pulled into the shorter line and made it through security relatively okay (though there was a very thorough search through the carry-on - we found the other energy drink Mikie but nothing else luckily!). Here's the clincher. So, the plan was to meet up with Warren and his girl-friend on their way home since we were on the same flight. But, they were not on my flight. In fact as it turned out there were 2 separate 7:00 flights leaving from Winnipeg to Vancouver. I happened to be on the Air Canada one and they were on the Westjet one. So, I was about 20-30 minutes later than them, and therefore missed them at the Vancouver end since they could not find me on the flight they thought I would be on.

I had realized this possibility but had this visual of us all meeting up at the baggage area happy & laughing and then me going home...So, as the reality hit and all the people from their flight were leaving from the baggage area I calmly got my luggage and went and asked an Info person to direct me to some info about the Greyhound bus or West Coast Express since those had been my other options. But, it turns out the West Coast Express never runs on a Saturday (I guess that was just for the Olympics) and she wasn't sure about the Greyhound schedule. Since I'm not so great with travel issues I proceeded to tear-up and start crying like a big baby. So I tried to calm myself and went to use the phone to try to see if my White Rock friend was home. If she didn't answer then I would just find my way to the sky-train station and try not to fall over at the bus station due to the excess Christmas chocolate and cabbage buns in my luggage. Luckily she answered and she picked me up. I have to say I cried the entire time I waited though. I occasionally broke out of my self-pity and would think about funny or pleasant times from the trip but my mind always ended up back at the here & now & how lame I am. This has sealed the deal on owning a cell phone. With a cell phone none of that would have happened - at the very least there would have been contact, perhaps actual confirmation of airlines maybe and less crying at the very least. The highlight is I got Borscht (good Ukrainian borscht - not weird Menno-borscht which is really just soup with beets in it, no offense but it should just be called 'soup' then, that's all I'm saying) and I was able to totally bitch and have a pity party on the drive back which was therapeutic.

On the home front, I have discovered that Hal now goes on top of the kitchen cabinets. This is what will happen with approximately 2 weeks of boredom. Pics of my adventures to follow!