putin

back in 2008, when i had a carpooler named paul, i tried to learn to crochet. it didn't go well, and i packed it in halfway thru my second coaster. crafting with a single stick was just too weird and i decided i wasn't cut out for it. since then i have picked up a crochet hook once or twice to graft together knitting projects. i found that wasn't TOO bad so i was slightly more open to it, but only slightly. but for this blanket i'm making for nana i really wanted to learn to crochet because it's faster, uses less yarn, provides opportunities for mixing colours, is two-sided, etc. on saturday brendan arrived home with andrew to find me watching crocheting videos online. b was quick to point out that just earlier in the day i'd remarked at how odd it is that he watches videos about how different guys set up their guitars. i have to admit, we're probably even. anyways, i gave it a try and still failed to grasp it. BUT last night, i found an extremely basic video explaining how to make a granny square and it all came clear in my head. I GET IT!! FINALLY! in hindsight i wasn't understanding what a double crochet was, or how to make a shell. anyways, i'm extremely pleased now. and part of me is tempted to rip out my knitted squares and crochet them all for nana's blanket. i dunno. last time i was at her place i saw that she already has a crochetted blanket, so maybe she doesn't need one. BUT at the same time, i kind of feel that there's no harm in having more than one.

i set an email of two months notice to our landlord over a week ago and i didn't hear back from him so this morning i called. his wife answered very sleepily and kind of grumpy. at first she just told me that he wasn't there but didn't offer to take a message or anything. finally, after me waiting silently for her to say something she did, and i told her who i was and that i'd sent him an email with my 2 months notice. she was surprisingly and oddly excited to hear i'd bought a house. it almost made me wonder if they'd been waiting for me to leave - i know there's been some talk about converting the maxipad into a 2 bedroom apartment (insulating the back porch to become the living room). anyways, while i was kind of taken a back by her unexpected enthusiasm, i'm pleased that they're happy and not feeling put out. it makes me happy when things work out for everyone :)

while i'm very excited about living at the exile, and i think it will be a great investment for us. i'm finding all the up-front expenses of home-buying (or simply moving) really annoying! argh! and to make matters more complicated... cogeco made a mistake and has already started billing us for phone and internet service at our new house even though we don't move in for another month and a half! the mistake has been corrected and will be credited to our account, but it means we're out at least $200 in the meantime. we're definitely feeling the pinch. i'll just be glad when things balance out again in december.

 

people get ready, there's a train comin'.

cowgirl/bank robber

i haven't had a tootsie roll in years, but i could go for one right now. good thing it's nearly halloween.

the problem that i have with may projects, whether knitting or decorating, is that i'm so excited for the finished product that i rush and sometimes don't pace myself enough. it's like i'm running to stand still. i'm very excited about getting set-up at the exile that i almost started rearranging things at the maxipad last night. thankfully b was able to divert me by pointing out that the slopped floors will not support the tall shelf unit (it would tilt over) and i should just wait til we move. so i conceeded. i have a month and a half to mentally prepare myself to walk instead of run.

i haven't told you yet about brendan't birthday adventure! well...

• without telling b, i took the day off from work. i got up in the morning when my alarm went off as usual. when he got up i told him that i wasn't going to work. he was still sleepy so was confused and thought i was sick or something.

• i cooked him breakfast

• he went to school in the morning for a test and i picked him up at 11

• for his birthday i gave him a wooden shoe polishing kit. he was really puzzled at first because he had no idea what it was! so i showed him where the shoe goes and he was extremely delighted. he got his shoes and started polishing them right away.

• went to the chien noir for lunch

• bought a house (signed the final paperwork to make it official)

• then went bowling! (btw: each activity was a surprise, i'd just tell him where we were going next)

• when we got to cloverleaf there was some kind of senior's bowling league playing so we played two rounds of pool until there was a lane available. b shot two great games, i had difficulty finding a ball weight that was suitable for me (they were all either too heavy or too light with small finger holes)

• then we watched bridesmaids (i'd picked up pumpkins to carve and roast the seeds while we watched the movie, but we ran out of time)

• we met up with a group of friends at the brew pub that evening and stayed quite late chatting with ben and josh.

 

it was a fun day :)

 

you know that all the rope's untied.

feet

if experience has taught me anything it's that there is no sense in becoming despondent when something doesn't work out, because new opportunities come along. sometimes quite quickly... today i found out that i'm going to berlin in january. see? i KNEW another opportunity would come along. and mid-january is much better timing than in december before we move and in the midst of christmas busyness. plus, i'm going for a meeting that will interest me more than the other one.

our upcoming move is really inspiring and invigorating me in ways i have not felt in years. when i lay in bed at night or when i'm driving in the car i'm mentally going around rooms in the maxipad and imagining where they will belong at "the exile". that's right, the working title of "the twoplex" has been replaced with the official title of "the exile on main street" - a gentle nod to the rolling stones :) (thank you boys...) anyways, i'm already quite pleased with my mental home decorating. i'm trying to make the best use of space while not overcrowding the place. i'm hoping that a well arranged home will help reduce my mess - fewer places to pile stuff means fewer piles of stuff, right?

before san diego i was developing a cold. i used some cold medication that helped it go away without developing into anything real. but starting yesterday i've had a scratchy cough. maybe it's not gone after all.
 
ramble in the roots.

strike three

well... it's official... my trip to berlin has been cancelled. that's ok, i'm not sad. i'm moving that week so it's better to be in this country rather than another country. another reason why i'm not sad is because i'm certain i'll some day get another opportunity. this is the 3rd or 4th time a trip to berlin has come up, then be cancelled.

 

stay and the night would be enough.

predictable

ah-ha! after doing some digging about top gun on wikipedia, i've discovered...

 

1) the producers WERE approached to do a sequel in 2010 but they turned it down saying they'd rather do a new movie instead of a remake.

 

2) the original film is going to be re-released in 2012 after being converted into 3D.

 

she's lost that loving feeling.

dial

when joanne moved to ottawa, a group of knitters and crocheters from next worked together to make her a lovely blanket to remember us by. i found that project fun and quite easy to do, so i decided to knit something similar for brendan's nana for christmas. things are coming along quite well, although i'm afraid i may run out of yarn. i'm considering learning to crochet so that i can save yarn and mix scraps of yarn. this 'learning to crochet' thing feels like a bigger step that it should. i feel a little like i'm turning my back on my knitting roots. which is silly. i can do both, may people do. i looked up some directions for making a granny square and it looks pretty simple. i'll continue with my knitting til i reach 10 squares then will probably make the next 10 by crochet.

i surprised myself last evening by doing some housework before sitting down to watch top gun (my pick - also surprising). when i grocery shopped i decided to bring home 2 boxes. i've decided to bring home 2 each week with the intention of packing both boxes before grocery shopping the following week. this way i can start making progress early. i packed the unused contents of our bathroom cupboards and was plesantly surprised by how much i simply threw out. this will be a great opportunity to purge the things i haven't used over the last few years. while i was at it i also cleaned the bathroom. good stuff :)

top gun is an odd movie. while i was watching it alone (brendan was out with his brother) i was struck by the fact that it was released when the states (to my knowledge) was not involved in active combat. it's such a testosterone filled film that i'd expect it to have been released when they were hoping to recruite more soliders. part of me wouldn't be surprised if they released a sequel in the coming years. that being said, i almost wonder if it would have the same kind of appeal if it was released today. it seems that male protagonists in films these days are quirky underachievers or gritty rebels/con men. i don't think the young clean maverick of top gun who ruffled feathers by knowing his limits and taking calculated - yet seemingly safe - risks would capture today's audience.

i told our neighbour ruth last night that we bought a house and will be moving in december. i'd been dreading that since they're great neighbours and i don't relish the thought of not sharing a block with them anymore. she was disappointed but understanding. she said she knew it wouldn't last forever. b and i were talking to rod the realtor outside our house a few weeks ago when ruth's family returned home and they wondered if we were in the process of buying a house. at least it didn't come as a surprise. she did say "i'm sure you'll enjoy having a shower you can stand up in!" which made me laugh. the sit-down shower of the maxi pad is not something i'll miss :p it's those types of conversations that make moving bittersweet. more sweet than bitter, but still hard.

 

i remember when we used to sit...

domain

sorry to leave you hanging. i returned to ktown just after midnight thursday night (so i suppose that means friday morning). on the whole, i enjoyed the trip and found it to be a positive experience. i went to work the next morning, and since then feel like i'm operating more and more in zombie mode. i'm pretty worn and lethargic today - mentally stuck between wanting to tidy my house and wanting to lie on the couch doing nothing. my hope is that if i rest this evening i'll get some housework done tomorrow.

the weather is colder here and i miss my early morning swims. it's weird traveling without b. it made coming home more tricky than i expected. partly because i was all jet-lag cranky and he wasn't, and partly because he'd gotten into the groove of me being away and it felt (to me) like i was interrupting his new rhythm. so it was an adjustment for both of us.

i haven't had a good cup of tea in several weeks. i don't know what's wrong with my palette. they all just taste bland. *sip* no flavour, i'm telling you!

in less than two months we'll be moved into our new digs. which is very exciting. we picked out colour swatches on saturday and looked at backsplashes. the upstairs unit needs some work done, but it is eligible for a grant from the CMHC. i gave them a call, they asked some preliminary questions and are now sending us an application in the mail. it's both exciting and surprising to find ourselves homeowners AND landlords all at once. yesterday we popped into an open house on our street and ended up concluding that we like our place much more. i feel really good about our decision. it is just a little place, but less space means less stuff :) i'm really looking forward to this new step.

nancy taught me out to listen to audio books from the library online. but i'm getting a security upgrade error message and can't get it to work. it's very annoying :S

 

from the daily press, the deepest nest, in keeper's keep.

slingshot

i'm currently waiting for the sun to come up so i can go swimming. i was also told that there are some seals along the ocean shore so i'll probably walk down there as well.

 

after a sunday full of people, monday had room for more alone time. it was a relief. in the afternoon i went out to the hot tub and just sat there, not thinking, not talking, not reading. just sitting. i didn't have the mental ability to do anything but sit.

 

**several hours later**

 

i had a fantastic time in the pool this morning. it's a great way to start a day. i didn't see any seals sadly, but marilyn and i will go out tomorrow because we have some free time then.

 

i've been pretty effective with networking and am enjoying getting to know colleagues from different sites. it's interesting seeing cultural differences between canadians and americans. growing up i thought our two countries were very similar but the older i get i see our differences. at the opening session yesterday the one speaker referred to us as "the more liberal canada". i liked hearing that.

 

it's nice having my room freshened up each day by a maid. i felt kind of badly today because my room was messy and i'd left underwear on the floor. no doubt they see some embarrassing stuff as maids.

 

the light is softly low as our hearts become sweetly untied.

hornblower

things are very busy here. yesterday i enjoyed a delightful swim in the pool first thing in the morning, but after that it was go go go for the entire day. i'm afraid that being around so many people all the time is going to eventually wear me down. i find it especially difficult to hangout socially with my 50-something colleagues. i don't mind having meals together, but standing around talking while they knock back drinks until midnight is not how i want to spend my time. they like to give people (especially younger people) a hard time if they can't keep up with them. needless to say that's annoying because it's not that i can't, it's that i don't want to. i'm really hoping to have this evening to just hang out alone to re-energize. i'm going to try to explain to them that i function at my best when i get enough time by myself. not sure if that will make sense to them, but i want to articulate that me spending them evening in is more a matter of necessity than anything else. i suppose i'd be able to spend time watching them drink if i wasn't craving some alone time. i'm definitely in the minority in this regard.

 

oh will you take me as i am?

fossil

i'm writing to you from san diego california!

 

i'm pretty excited to be here. local time is 7:26 am.

 

i flew with marilyn. on our way here we stopped in chicago. it was a really lovely city to see from overhead. all the neighbourhoods are set up diagonally and there are big mature trees filling the whole city. i liked that there were also so many baseball diamonds. we were there for 2 hours. i picked up a book (that i've been looking for for a long time) and a chicago magnet at the airport and am high way thru the book already!

 

the flights were fine, only they didn't feed us at all (we ate well at the airport though). we flew over the rockies which was really beautiful. i think mountains are my favourite things to see from a plan. it was around 5:30 when we arrived in san diego. it was also a really beautiful city to see from above. so hilly and neighbourhoods and areas are built up into the hills, it's pretty neat. it wasn't hot when we arrived, but i did read that it gets chilly in the evening. i think it's going up to 21 C today. i'm planning on going swimming in the beautiful outdoor pool after i'm finished here.

 

so, you might be wondering... "what are you doing there anyways?" well i'll tell you. i'm at a conference and exhibition. bbd will have a booth about its train to plane solutions, and we're having a customer event on tuesday evening. i'm excited because i've been designing all the booth graphics for the last 8 years and it will be neat to see what the finishe product looks like in real life and to have a better idea of how things work. it's also a great opportunity for me to get to know colleagues from different cities. last night marilyn and i went out for drinks and dinner with 3 people from pittsburgh. it was really fun. we went to this italian restaurant that serves homemade pasta - SO GOOD! it was quite possibly the best pasta i've ever had. delicious! unfortunately that was at 9:00 here time, and 12:00 home time. to be honest, i'm not feeling quite so "bikini body" this morning for swimming. it's going to be challenging to monitor my eating while i'm here. i should've brought some rice cakes :S

 

our hotel is very lovely. the bathroom is great and i enjoyed lying in my comfortable sheets watching my big screen tv last night. i tried to stay up to a regular time so i wouldn't wake at 4 but it didn't work. 

 

last night on the way home from the restaurant we stopped at a 24-hour grocery store. i bought some chapstick because my lips always dry out when i travel and i left mine at home. (that reminds me, i also left my toothbrush. i packed it but then took it out to use it and must have forgotten to repack it. i'll ask for one at reception, they usually keep things like that in stock) i handed over my american change and it turns out there were a few canadian coins (4 pennies 1 dime) and the woman refused to take them. we regularly use american change at home if it gets in the mix. how weird! she said to me "these are canadian", so i said "sorry about that, i'm canadian".

 

i'm looking forward to exploring a bit more. apparently our hotel is right on the ocean. on the way here in the taxi we passed the marina and i saw a massive naval ship the size of a large city block with planes and helicopters on it. it was surreal.

 

when i flew into chicago i had sufjan stevens stuck in my head. and we arrived in san diego i had pedro the lion.

 

arizona curled up with california, then she tried to hide the whole thing from new mexico.

forgot

i'm leaving for san diego first thing in the morning so i only have time for a short short note.

everything went well with the house and we reached an agreement. we signed the paperwork on brendan's birthday! we take possession on december 16 and we move in on MY birthday – december 17 :)

i took the day off work yesterday and surprised brendan with a fun birthday adventure. i'll tell you about it soon.

someway, baby, it's part of me, apart from me.

galvanized

well... the deal may still fall thru! we're putting in a revised offer based on the home inspection and it doesn't seem likely that they'll go for it. i feel ok about this. i'll be disappointed but i don't have all my hopes invested in this spot. it might actually be more annoying than anything else. BUT stranger things have happened and i feel our counter is very reasonable.

sees them off with a small kiss.

zurbarans

thanksgiving is one of the best times of the year for many reasons. i really dig that it's a time set aside to thankfulness. being thankful is pretty underrated these days and i have the impression that it's not a holiday that would be implimented nowadays. i think that's why i felt especially grateful for thanksgiving this year. we visited beck at her cottage, ate turkey with my family, ate turkey with my in-law family. i baked two birthday cakes and ate leftover cake for breakfast. it was pretty super.

in the story of brendan and lesley buying 79 main street, i feel that this evening is the climax. the home inspection will either result in the final stamp of approval or it will pull the plug on this whole experience. it should be interesting. we've invited our clan to come check out the place. b and i often go by and peak in the windows of the unoccupied main floor. no one lives there so we visit and plan a little bit. i'm often surprised by how small the place is. i really love it and feel that the size isn't a problem, but i do feel little self-conscious about what other people think. obviously i want others to like it and feel excited for us. but just like with all things in the before stage - everyone is more likely to give their honest opinion before you've commited to something, afterwards they're more polite and simply accept whatever you've decided.

sometimes when i lie in bed at night i think about how we'll arrange the rooms and what layout will provide both the best use of space and the best feeling of home. i'm bringing my measuring tape tonight so i can take home specific specs to aid with my daydreaming.

saturday i leave for san diego. i'm pretty psyched about that. i hope i don't feel homesick. it's just for 5 days and i'll have a lot to do. this is a great step for me professionally and i hope i rise to the new challenge with ease.

bren always says that if you make your need known it will somehow be filled. at book club last week i was sharing about my desire to get a used sewing machine so i can practice slowly become a passable seamstress. only a matter of days later rach, while visiting her inlaws, came across an old sewing machine equiped with classic desk that was free for the taking, and she offered it to me. so i will soon have my own sewing machine and hope to find easy and simple sewing tasks to develop some sew legs :) i have a small sewing project in mind for a christmas gift so the timing of this gift could not be better. jill tells me that sewing is just the kind of thing that takes practise, so i will commit to learning to walk before i can run. i'm sure that by setting the bar low for myself i'll gradually get better :)

 

fall is coming soon, a new year for the moon.

day

i like bon iver. he reminds me of a boy version of tegan & sara.

 

i'm not naturally a very organized person. i feel at my best when i'm organized (prepared, ready, well and at ease), but it's not my default behaviour. sometimes when i'm thinking ahead b will say to me "you're going to make a great mom some day", which makes me smile because i've never thought of myself as particularly maternal. he thinks our relationship, the permanentness of it has triggered my maternal instinct. he might be right for all i know. anyways, despite my disorderly natural, i seem to be maturing into someone who is organized. i gather that its a learned skill - like cooking or accident prevention. there's a lot of house details that i need to collect all together and avoid losing. for the sake of my mental health i've developed a paper trail so whatever i need is easily accessible. downloading my mental tasks onto bits of paper is soothing.

there was a fire drill this afternoon. while everyone grabbed their coats and headed outside, i took a few extra minutes to get myself a cup of tea. i was beautiful outside. that short afternoon recess was exactly what i needed.

i'm easily jarred by unexpected things.

 

at once I knew I was not magnificent.

legible

our offer has been accepted!

we've reached a tentative deal with the owners of 79 Main Street. it's a newly renovated 85ish year old home, which was converted into a duplex. each unit has 2 bedrooms and storage space in the full-height basement. we have until october 14 to finalize our finances and to have a home inspection. this will be a great starter home for us :)

i'm hoping that when we do the home inspection our families will be able to come and that i can do a bunch of measurements - things like closet space, height of cabinets width of hallway, etc. things not included on the specs. we're pretty excited. brendan was actually really blown away when we got the news. i think he was storing things under the surface more than i realized.

some day we'll come up with a fun and applicable name for the main street house, but until then... the working title will be "the twoplex".

 

at arm's length
i will hold you there.

my so-called lice

john and joanne's wedding was a fun celebration. i think the main highlight for me was the group of friends we spent the day with. a gang of 12 nexters filled two pews and two tables. we were the rowdy guests, cheering and applauding at every and any opportunity. in the ceremony brendan and jase performed 'sigh no more' during the signing of the registry. i was a little bit nervous since they hadn't practised together in advance but being freakishly talented musicians it worked out perfectly. one of the more memoriable moments of the evening was when jase paid me one dollar to eat cat food at the table. i did it am now one dollar richer :) j+j make a great couple. it's a shame they now live in ottawa because they would've enriched our lives greatly. i would love to see them grow and change thru this experience. i'm hoping that they'll eventually move back to town.

with things looking promising with the house on main street, i happened upon a website about landlords in ontario. it was rather unsettling to read that duplexes are wolves in sheeps clothing and that landlords have no rights. i was already getting the impression that landlords had no rights, so that part didn't surprise me. it's our desire to rent to people we know (ideally friends) and to be able to enjoy a shared living situation. in theory it should be any more challenging than having housemates. that being said, we don't know what the future holds and it would be prudent to be cautious and mindful about any prospective new upstairs neighbours.

we should hear back from the owners today or tomorrow if we've got a deal. then we have until the 14th to fulfill the conditions. it would be funny if everything is finalized on brendan's birthday since right now the plan is to move on my birthday.

it turns out one of the owners' last name is mcknight. funny coincidence. i don't have any family locally, so i don't think we're related, but it's still funny.

we won't stop running 'til we get to the lights.

*****************************************
ADENDIUM:
i just found a website called www.iboughtaduplex.com that gave a much better review of duplex living. i think the previous site i came across was written by a very pessimistic person, while this person is more light-hearted and shares our mindset. if nothing else, this experience has taught me that real estate boils down to personal opinion.