"And just look at what you've won!!!"

Yesterday at the end of my workday I was called up to a meeting where I was given a shiny letter of offer - yes indeedy! I got the job I interviewed for last week! I have to pick a start date, but it will be much sooner than expected. Likely mid-november. Meep! I'll be quiet about it at work until I can hand in a proper letter of resignation so I don't offend anyone, but hot damn! I did it!
I really did it. I
t wasn't until I walked up to get the news that I realised how much I wanted this new job. How I would have been so terribly disappointed to not get it.

*grin*

To celebrate, J and I went out for El Salvadorian food at a favourite local place. Mmmm...I had cheese stuffed peppers and rice and beans and horchata and one damn fine mojito to toast my brilliance :). THEN, as luck would have it, J scored tickets to a play, so we took the night off to celebrate. The play was FANTASTIC. We saw Nevermore -It's a morbid musical on the life of Edgar Allen Poe by a theatre company from Edmonton. Creepy and dark and very Tim Burtoney in costume style with dark humour. I absolutely loved it. Perfect Halloween entertainment.

Now today begins the handing in my resignation (I've never done that before...) and then picking a start date and then adding the craziness of a new job and closing down the old to the pile of nustofaction already in place for November. I'd prefer to start December, but after meeting with them I can see why they need me as soon as possible. Sooooo I have to make sure I give myself enough time to finish up here, but not go crazy, what with all my school stuff going on now too.
Heh. Heh.
Ahem.

My dad is coming to visit on his way through to BC tomorrow. We'll likely go out for supper for my birthday a bit early and definitely celebrate the new job. I can't really afford another evening off, but I'll figure it out.

Yeah. Busy crazy few days it's been and will continue to be.

This AM I was a ball of excitement and got up for boot camp class and was NOT disappointed. She did a whole class of cardio intervals interspersed with many many tabata sets of things. Oh yes...it was as evil as it sounds. Tabata sets...of lunges. All on one leg...then on to the other leg...then Tabata sets of other compiled exercises. Then more cardio. Then more tabata. I pushed myself...muscles burned...I swore...I now feel like jello.
It was brilliant :)

I am truly grateful for everything right now.
I am trying not to think about the fact that I now must add in closing down my job and winding up things for the department now. Update inventories. File documents. Finish up all the little things I've left to do in "spare time" which will now need to be finished up sometime. And a few experiments to finish up too...heh.
*gulp*
All the things on my "to do" list have to get done in a few weeks. If you don't hear from me in the next while, rest assured...that shiny whizz you see fluttering about is me, getting things done :)

BAM!

:D

Easter rocks

Mmmm...my fantabulous Easter weekend included:

-2 whole days off
-sleeping in both days
-muffins!
-LOTS of wine and cheese
-hugs from my Dad
-napping and reading in the sunshine with J
-Cat snuggles
-giant omelete
-pewter mugs full of ale
-couch cartoons
-homemade apple crisp with iced cream (Yes I made it. Yes it was the best thing ever)
-canoodling of the highest order

Ah yes. Geo saw it all...and it was good.
I feel positively normal :)

Days like this make me understand morning people a little bit

It's hardly even started and today is fantastic.
The bonus about getting up at stupid o'clock all week is that it makes getting up at 7AM quite nice. J got up with me and we had a quick breakfast and got in to the recycling depot when it opened to see no lineups and happy laughing workers and customers, with no grumbling, no rushing. Then we took our well earned bottle and can money to the farmers market and picked up some delicious wild boar apple and spice sausages along with some pear butter, 3 kinds of scones (mmm), lettuce and fresh potato bread. Best of all, I found the cute old mitten lady and got a replacement pair of warm fuzzy knitted mittens to keep me toasty warm through the rest of winter.
Now I have coffee and tasty snacks and I'm in to work all day Saturday on my MSc.
But you know what?
Today I really don't mind. Today has been good, and will be good. Oh yes :)
Tonight we'll hopefully be out to see some live music and tomorrow? No work at all.
I can hardly wait :)

Have a wonderful day everybody.

Tutus and hotdogs

I've been working on my Robot Parent Mom costume and just finished it for the Doomfest this weekend. I now have overalls, purple tank top, yellow gloves and a bright red ridiculous tutu. I can be Invader Zim's robot Mom. Yup...tutus are fun to make, even with 2 cats helping...
Yes we specialize in the obscure here at Geo's Costume Emporium.
Geek likes the tutu. I cannot keep him out of it now that it's finished. I've wrapped about 7 m of red toulle in 4 inch strips around a ribbon to ties around my waist. Pooftastic. It is utterly ridiculous. Perfect.
Me? I like the Natalie Dee shirt my brother got for my birthday. It just arrived!
I, and it, are both equally awesome.
That is all...

Squeeeee! Squeeee! For Mobeleeey!

Well then.
I have just purchased tickets to see Moby .

This is most excellent news.

I just found out about the concert a few minutes ago, but thanks to his consideration at coming on a weekend to a city near me and the wonders of the interweb I am pleased to say I can go...I've like Mr Mobley for a long long time, and he's on my list of people I want to see live...he ever so kindly makes all sorts of musics like ambient, rock and electronic...and all in a way I like...so me hee. Play will still be my favourite album of his...but I'm glad he has a new album out as it means I'll get to see him live.

A fine end to a day :)
I leave you with a favourite remix of mine that he did of the James Bond theme...

Fireflies

Last night I worked late. LATE. LAAAAAAAAAAATE. 15 hours all together... BUT the world gave me a present in return...so it's all good.

I biked home from work about 11:15 last night. It was a hot day (~31) and a bit muggy, as there had been a thundershower in the late afternoon...it cooled to ~20 degrees by the time I headed home. And on the way home with J I saw something I've never seen before - fireflies. LOTS of them. Honestly, they were everywhere you looked - by the grass after the train bridge and the marshy area on the right of the path on the way home. J biked to work to meet me and we biked home together - and it really was magical. We stopped a few times to just watch them fly all around us...there must have been over a hundred in total, with 7 or 8 lit up at a time all around us, up close and in the distance. J says he's never seen so many before. I've never actually seen ANY before and I've wanted to...such an amazing experience. I felt like a kid again...:)

Fireflies are beautiful. They're like little flickering embers flitting about in the sky...

Yay life :)

After a long sunny walk to work this morning, I am quite happy about all things at all places everywhere all at once. Yup...it's all good.
Here's a snip of what I listened to walking to work this morning...and, yes that's Tammy Wynette in the KLF song...AWESOME yes? :)


Have a great day!

Now we're cooking with gasoline

My new stove comes today...I hope it will be my friend.
It'll be a little while before we can have it installed, but I can't wait. It has to sit in the corner of the living room until we run the gas line and have a few things done to the kitchen (tiles and such) but it's all that more real knowing it will actually BE here soon and I can hug it and squeeze it and I can call it George :)
Gas...convection oven...So. Cool.

AND it's friday.
AND I'm getting my hair cut.
AND you're cool...:)

Cockadoodleydoo!

image source

Due to some odd administrative cockup, I just learned that I have 10 holiday days I didn't know about that have accumulated up for me over the last year and a half. Since I can't use them up by the end of the month I carry them over to this upcoming year...giving me SIX FREAKING WEEKS of holidays to take this year!


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hot damn and hallelujah.

Just call me Lemonball

Well, it's all over and done. Hooray!

The recital went well. It was, quite possibly, the longest recital in history (there were some audio problems and costume delays making it about an hour longer than it was supposed to be) but all the pieces went well. I had a shiny costume and bindi and had a fun time. All the group numbers were done properly and my solo went off very well. I am pleased. A few of my family members were there to cheer me on and J was taping it for us so we can have a DVD for a keepsake. The batteries on the mic feed are only supposed to last for about 3/4 of the length of the recital, so the end audio may be a bit crackly, but you don't plan on things being an hour longer than they are scheduled to be, so he can't be faulted for that. Luckily he popped in a spare tape (just in case) so he had enough to record it all :)

On Sunday I got to visit with some old friends I haven't seen in ages...that was nice. Hi Cindi. Hi Kristi :) I even got to go for a long walk in the rapidly melting paths in my yellow rubber boots and watch the world start to melt into spring. I made experimental jalapeno cornbread biscuits...they were yummers.

It was all a very nice weekend.
Tonight is my last tribal belly dance class. We're combining with the intermediate class and having a bit of a dance party/lesson/snack time. It'll be nice. I'll miss the slow down of belly dancing now that classes are done for the summer. My one class is being extended for a month as there is enough of us around who would like to keep coming, but my crazy schedule for the recital prep is over. I'm glad - it was getting to be a bit much to tell the truth. Luckily I have some DVDs I can keep training with until the fall when classes startup again... and I'm sure I'll find enough to do to fill in the time...

Have a great day everyone :)

No turning back now

My nephew is getting married this summer. I'm having trouble not feeling extremely old about this, but what can you do? I'm the youngest by far in my family, so he was born when I was 11...and now my little buddy is all grown up and going to marry a fantastic girl. I'm very happy for him. And her. All round it is a good thing.

My sister her family all live out in Ottawa now and I haven't seen them in a long time...so J and I had planned to fly out for the wedding and visit no matter what, but were cringing at the costs. Luck is on our side it turns out. I have enough air miles to fly me out, and there is a seat sale on until the end of today for Air Canada, so we've both booked ourselves out on a flight out and back. Mehee. As luck would have it, we can actually afford to go this way - the world seems determined that we go, and I'm delighted that we are all booked to go. As a bonus, we'll go out a few days early to visit some old friends of ours that moved to Toronto years ago...we miss them dearly and it will be great to spend a few days with them. Then it 's off to the wedding outside Toronto on the weekend. As a super extra bonus, I have a few more days holidays than J so after he flies back I can stay on for another 4 days and visit the family back in Ottawa, and do things with the family (like see the national art gallery) for a few days and relax...then get back before the weekend and have a few days home with J before going back to the real world.
I'm so excited I actually made a little squeaky noise when I confirmed the booking...I can't wait :)

Sometimes, life is good. This is the best Christmas present life could have given me at the moment. 3 cheers for good things :)

Congratulations! It's a Zoe!

My little niece Zoe was born a few minutes ago. (8 Lb 12 oz for those of you who like to know that sort of thing...)
My sister in law Jen had a rough time of it - in labour since about 6 yesterday, and then after the baby being face up and not delivering they eventually gave her a c-section late this morning. Ouchy...but in the end, the safest thing for Zoe.
Zoe and Mom (and much relieved Dad) are doing much better now. I just popped up to say hello to them and say welcome to the little widget on my way to work...I'm so glad the maternity hospital is the one where I have my lab, so I can pop up and see them all while they are in the hospital recovery over the next few days...she has so much hair!!

Welcome little one! :)

Casa Geo - for all your vegging needs...

Here at Casa Geo, we strive to give that comfortable, relaxed feel of home. We strive to be the place to lounge about and drink champagne and nibble caviar, er, I mean sip beer and coffee and eat muffins, and feel as though it is our place to call home...

We've been up to a lot as of late...with a strange interlude, and I was going to wait for my reno update until all was back in place. I'm now coming to realize that knowing us and our insane lives it will probably be a while until it is all together...so I decided to give you a little pictoral report on the updating of Casa Geo.

First...the summer project of over a week of solid painting (and an unfortunate injury to a blind saleswoman) that turned this into this:
Spiffed up living room/front entrance
Again...ze living room...
And dining area...with a new light fixture. I'm almost more excited about it than anything else about that room reno :)
Here's a close up. Why? It rocks! Here at Casa Geo we will never speak of the old ugly brass glass thing that hung there ever again...

Not too bad eh? The painting turned out well, and the blinds are great...they match the beam perfectly. And then, thanks to my amazing Dad...there are some new friends in the house:
The Dishpig:

And The Twins:


Yes...Geo saw it, and it was good. So, to try and earn my above rewards, today I have done laundry, taken in the recycling, gotten a sexy new haircut, and am now waiting for J to be done work (boo saturday sports mobiles). I've made some experimental cookies (not bad actually), and tonight I am making some homemade pizza with some tasty sauce sent to be by none other than the lovely Baglady. Yes...I opened my front door the other day to find a parcel from Her Bagness (I do mean that in the kindest possible way :) ) In it were some tasty looking home canned goodies. A little gift box of goodies, all for guessing her photo quiz. Lucky me :)
Thanks a million! (Note to all - if you answer a trivia contest for the Baglady, she is DEFINITELY good for it !)

So there you have it.
What I've been up to when sanity allows.
I'm off for some pizza and coffee...bye! :)

I love the smell of biru in the morning...smells like victory!

(Sing with me to the tune of "I am Evil Homer")

I'm the queen of biru!
I'm the queen of biru!

Yes - finally the strawberry nectar that I've been brewing for the last while has been bottled. Last night I did the final racking off leaving the scunge behind and with the help of my biru minions (aka J and Magnus) it was primed and bottled.
I now have 37 500 mL bottles of beer. Squeeee!
I did lose about 2 litres during the brewing from the crazy yeast blowoff and about 1.5 each time I racked due to all the strawberry sludgy stuff I had to leave behind. Then there was the bottle or two worth I spilled down the front of myself trying to lift the pail full of beer up onto the kitchen counter by myself before bottling... (he heh - I smelled grrrrrrrrrrrreat!). In the end, I was left with a nicely cleared, pleasantly red coloured beer. There was part of a bottle left at the end and we shared the warm, uncarbonated dregs between us as a bit of a taste test - not too bad if I do say so. It is a mild flavour, but good. A few weeks of aging should carbonate it up and fill out the flavour a bit.
I can't wait to try some...
Now I have to finish up the labels...and then get geared up for my plan for my week off next week - paint my whole living room and hallway, ceiling and all. But, when I'm done THAT I can celebrate with a glass of my very own brew.

The White Minstrel brewery has successfully bottled their first batch! :)
Kewl.

S'nice

Sooooo...I'm still full the next day.
Love that. Get people from all over the world bringing food and man - good stuff. You have to try everything and me and food are always best of friends...

I walked to work this morning and it was beautiful...the rain had just ended so there was this crazy sparkling mist over everything, and the pelicans and geese were on the river by the weir looking for breakfast. Me? I was sauntering along with a mug of coffee and some music and thinking "This is a great start to a day".
It was...and is.

I'm off to it.
Have some cake and a stroll - trust me. It'll do you a world of good.
Ta!

It's alive! ALIVE!

Indeed.
I am going declare myself officially well.
Hot damn.
It's been a long LONG week of nastiness but I think I'm back...baby....honey lamb...honey child...oh my sweetness.
Food has flavour and stays where I put it.
I have energy. I can wear fitted clothing and look at bright lights.
It's a whole new world out there!
Tomorrow I'm even going to go for a run...it's been a week off my training for the 10K and I'd like to get back at it so I can actually *d0* it in June.
Nothing like feeling horrid to remind you how fantastic it is to feel normal.

Normal - babe, I salute you.

Bwahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Blinds and falling down.

Well...it's been a good day...except for nearly maiming and crippling the interior designer.

To order wood blinds they have someone come by your house, show you all the woody bits and then measure and give you a quote. And with them being half off right now we can actually afford them...only just...but I've always wanted wood blinds. And they'll even put them up for us (which is good as I have no idea how to). They're just so freaking expensive I never thought we could afford them for a long long time. But we noticed the deal in the paper...so we thought we'd at least have them come by and give us a quote. There's a lot of wood in the house, with the doors, trim and a big wood beam across the main room so we've picked a nice warm teaky shaded wood that matches everything as best we could. We picked hte warmer richer shade over the slightly more dull and boring shade that also kind of matched...I am very excited. I love having real wood all about the place, and this is just so cool. They're lifetime warrantied, so we'll have them working forever. Yay. Income tax rebates are awesome. :)

It all went well with the appointment and such, except for when the decorator left to go home with her things and then at the sidewalk, after our yard (which can be a bit tricky with the stairs and railway ties) she somehow rolled her ankle and fell in front of her car. Rather spectaculartly it would seem...samples falling about on the walk. I ran down to help her up and a nice doctor who was out walking his dog checked here and said she should be OK...but should have it Xrayed just in case.
Eep. It wasn't our fault but I feel bad. If we *hadn't* bought blinds I'd feel like a huge tool :).
We helped her up and she drove herself off so she'll be OK...I imagine she felt as silly as I did. Hope she is alright.

Wood blinds. I'm very excited.

Meep.

Welcome little one

My new niece Lily Pearl is coming to be with us today...and my sister in law and brother in law and little niece Elliott are so very happy to welcome her to their family...and so are we.
Lily is so very small.
And squeaky.

Yay.

Life is Good

I just found out that my friend Pete and his lovely wife Deanna just had a cute little (well OK 10 lb 10 oz) baby boy Nicholas late sunday night.
YAY!
Mom and the baby a re doing great and the twins are excited at this new squeaky little guy that's come home to be with them.
Congratulations Pete.
That is WONDERFUL :)
I am so very happy for you.

If you play defender I could be your hyperspace

"Now let me get some action from the back section
We need body rockin' not perfection
Let your back bone flip but don't slip a disc
And let your spine unwind just take a risk
I wanna' do the freak until the break of dawn
Tell me party people is that so wrong
The ship is docking inter-lockin
And up-rockin' electro-shocking
We're getting down computer action
Do the robotic satisfaction
Now all of y'all ah get off the wall
Have a ball and get involved with

Body movin' body movin'
A1 sound' sound so soothing
Body movin' body movin'
We be getting down and you know we're crush groovin'

Flame on, I'm gone
I'm so sweet like a nice bon bon
Came out rapping when I was born
Mom said rock it 'til the break of dawn
Puttin bodies in motion 'cause I got the notion
Well like Roy Cormier with the coconut lotion
The sound of the music makin' you insane
You can't explain to people this type of mind frame
And like a bottle of Chateau Neuf Du Pap
I'm fine like wine when I start to rap
We need body rockin' not perfection
Let me get some action from the back section

Body movin' body movin'
A1 sound' sound so soothing
Body movin' body movin'
We be getting down and you know we're crush groovin'

Mike D with the master plan
I said ooh my my and thank you ma'am
And when I grab the mic you scream ooh, goddamn
The creme de la creme is who I am
MCA where have you been
Packed like sardines in the tin..tin
So kick off your shoes and put on your swim fins
'Cause when it comes to quarries I'm known to swim
And Adrock light up the place
And if you pull my card you pull the ace
And if you ask me turn up the bass
And if you play defender I could be your hyper space so

Body movin' body movin'
A1 sound' sound so soothing
Body movin' body movin'
We be getting down and you know we're crush groovin'

Mee hee.
Had this song in my head when I woke up...and it fits my day.
I worked out today for the first time since before christmas insanity began...man do I feel great! Perhaps it's part of getting back to it all...:)

On the eve of good things

It's Christmas tomorrow.
Meep!
I love Christmas.
Today I can break out the Christmas music (I try not to inflict too much of it on J) and finish up the few homemade gifts. Then it's over to my brother's for pizza and eggnog and Carsicona for the evening, and then to my in-laws Christmas day to relax and nibble and watch my 2 year old neice enjoy her first real Christmas. Can't wait..
It's been a very nice Christmas time so far...lots of time to relax, not too much food (yet) and plenty of time to relax with J. And the snow is fluufy and beautiful...there's beena full moon lately and the river has been all misty and glowy...s'nice that.
We even made giant a gingerbread North Pole with my neice, complete with many trees, a Santa's cottage and a big gingerbread train full of candy...it's covering my sister-in-laws table at the moment...quite elaborate and a whole lot of fun.

Well I must be off to finish my recipe jars and muffin of the month club card (membership has it's privelidges...)

A Merry CHristmas to you all!