I am Sasha: Kung Fu Bratz Princess

Christmas Day - Awaken to sounds of mini explosions. Yes... James Bond - the spirit of Christmas :P

The day was pretty uneventful until I showed up at my sister's place with Christmas dinner. Dad out-did himself again, not only did he watch the James Bond movie, he also cooked a big turkey and ham dinner and had it packaged up by 4 p.m. I heaved the box of food into the house and found... the kids playing a computer game. Agh! How was I supposed to influence them if they're playing games and ignoring me? :P

Well, things got better. The computer was turned off, and I played my Nelly Furtado CD (thought Sarah Slean and Ella Fitzgerald might be a bit too heavy... then I realised that there were swears in the lyrics, ack!), while we flipped through National Geographic magazine (super cool!). We ate dinner, played half a game of Monopoly Junior (attention spans too short for a full game) and moved to dolls.

Celina doesn't like Barbie. I'm glad since I've harboured a dislike for "her" for ages, and was cheering when I read that it was "normal" for children to destroy their Barbie dolls (as opposed to being proof of agressive behaviour). The alternative: Bratz. I'm not sure they're sending the right message either. The basic Bratz doll has an oversized head sporting big eyes and lips, and long flowing hair (o.k. it's pretty cool hair, some even come with elaborate braids). The tiny body has double jointed shoulders (increased arm flexibility and range), a relatively realistic figure (as compared to Barbie), and removable feet for when you want to change shoes (a commentary on high heels and other impractical footwear if I ever saw one :P). But the outfits... Britney Spears-esque? O.k. if you're a latin dancer? Too much turkey to really argue about it - just as long as Celina doesn't start wearing clothes to match.

My Sasha doll earns her Kung Fu title soon after battling Kevin's rabid robotic rabbit, and excuting a double reverse back flip - in stilletos no less. I think with Kevin as a brother, things will even out. She wants to be a doctor / rock star. He wants to be a shark. I think it works.

To support her music aspirations, the next day I went to her Christmas Concert / Piano recital. Never before has "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" given me such anxiety. But she did a great job (despite nerves), and managed to sit still for the next 30 or so odd performances following. Um... Kevin... not so much. He looked like a minature gentleman in with his silver vest and bow tie. But he hopped from pew to pew (we were in a church), kept reshelving the Bibles and Hymn books in the slats, and making laps back from his dad to his mom. He looked so cute! I was quietly laughing - his mom was not. At least the antics were quiet (other kids were making a racket)... - I'll be the stern one next time. Really.

Happy Winter Solstice!

Longest night of the year passed yesterday without too much trouble. The days are subtlely getting longer. Yay! And then this weekend is Christmas. Happy Christmas everyone! Hope to see you soon.

"Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know....the birth of Santa..." Bart Simpson

Sunset on Saturn

Life is short – make fun of it.

Only a day more of work before heading into a lovely, lovely 4 day weekend. Can hardly wait. Sleep!

Another work week that’s been fairly quiet. I’ve been running more errands for Christmas related stuff (delivering treats to clients, picking up gifts for employees). At least I’m still here!

I glossed over Chris’s birthday party, thinking I would write about it at a later time. But Chris insists it wasn’t that important – probably was worried that I would write it into something trashy like a Harlequin :P Well, I won’t go into too much detail, but there was an EXTREME game of Pictionary going on, while another group watched the hockey game. The baby did steal the show for the first half… and then… yes… there was karoke. Liz indulged me by singing “Barbie Girl” as a duet with me. Thanks guys for being patient – with two cameras in hand, the “Lanarazzi” was in full force (really, really hope the pictures turn out).

Margarita Monday! My first ever! And it tasted like cough syrup. But Anne was very nice and traded my Sunset on Saturn with her lime. The rest of the night was a good catch up with the Circle K gang. I had missed them so much. And I remembered exactly how silly we can be all together. Star Trek trivia was flying around Steph’s apartment as we tried to find out who was the “geekiest” of us all. Val and I left the apartment thinking we should start a board game – GQ: What’s your Geek Quotient? :D

Found this wonderful blog online: http://sherrypg.blogspot.com/ I have no clue who she is, but she’s brilliantly funny. Here was one of her ideas:

Post a comment with a completely fictional memory of you and me. It can be anything you want– good or bad, silly or stupid, believable or not – but it has to be fake.

So, what false memories will you plant in my head? I'm looking forward to it! Oh, forgot to mention – mystery revived! Val denies being the Phoenix… so who’s our next guess?

The Furry, the Fuzzy, and the Decapitated...

Hello peoples - the Christmas season is here! Can hardly wait to see you all!

Please forgive my slightly tipsy state. I've once again consumed way too many brandy beans after almost no food. The world is friendly, and I have so much tell!

Thursday was my day off and yes Andrea and I got to meet up to get measurements done for the bridesmaid dresses. Unfortunately neither of us were too energetic - she had just finished a whole day being on call. But she's almost done! (Good luck girl!) Very surprised to actually see my measurements on paper... but that's another story.

Everyone seems to be a new mummy! Machaela got a golden retriever puppy in the past week. We were all gathered in reception talking about it. She's so happy. I can hardly wait to go and play with it. The conversation shifted to the Golden Doodle and the Labourdoodle - cross breds with poodles, which have the benefit of being non-allergic. So now what we need is to cross breed the poodle with some cats so that I can consider having a non-allergetic kitty.

Bug though did try to solve this allergy thing by getting me a "Perfect Petzzz" siamese kitten for Christmas - it's battery operated! And is curled up in a sleeping position all the time (which the brochure insures is perfectly normal, and that the cat is active when the owner is sleeping). Sweet idea. (I got him fuzzy pink socks... bonus points if he wears them!)

The cat got me some attention on the LRT. One gentleman thought it was real. Another lady started talking to me about cats... then about her children... and then I found out she had her Masters in Library Sciences. What luck! Someone who could let me know what it was really like! But her only advice was: Don't do it. O.k. something more to think about.

Friday was great - I headed to the mall half asleep and bumped into Amanda. Together we wandered and tried to cross off a couple more items off my Christmas list. She was so fun to shop with! Both of us loved feeling out all the different kinds of fabrics. I think I have met my match in someone who gets distracted by fuzzy and or sparkly things. And she loves singing songs from musicals!

Yikes have to head out for formation practice! Going to be late. Hope everyone had a good weekend. Bye for now.

N.B. The other mummies in the list include Liz who got a real kitty and Namah who brought her baby to Chris's birthday party. So cute! Sure hope the pictures turn out. (Thanks Chris and Liz for letting me have free reign on the cameras!)

Oh, almost forgot the decapitated part - I've been doing Christmas wrapping for the Bissell Centre at the Bay downtown City Centre. If you have something that needs wrapping come down and Circle K'ers will do it for you. So that's the plug. The decaptiation part - I had to wrap a purse that was in the shape of Elmo's head... I hope there won't be more of those. What's with disembodied heads and Christmas? (I guess I'll have to rant more about that at another time).

Last Day?

Maybe I had it all wrong, here when I thought gargoyles were desirable, what I should have been seeking were pooping reindeer! Well, thanks guys, you've given me a good clue for your Christmas presents :)

Well, I'm again at work and yes, I'm allowed to return for another day! Jennifer the temporary receptionist has likened my stay to Wesley's experiences on the pirate ship in the Princess Bride: "Good work, good night, I may kill you tomorrow." Or something like that. But really, it's nice. I have a good home base at the moment in which I can get calls from agencies, all the while having precious connection to the internet!

I spent most of the day filing and packing up boxes to be sent out to Winnipeg. Lorena said she had started a rumour that Ryan and I were "making out" in the file room. (I'm going to miss her so much! She's such a fun boss. ) In reality though, Ryan was trying to teach me the proper technique on how to put together the cardboard storage boxes. (I of course was doing it all wrong.) And then when I got the hang of things, we got competitive. All in all a good day.

At lunch I got to see Stewart McLean! The host of Vinyl Cafe is on tour and he's in Edmonton. He gave an interview on CBC (right at the station downtown), and I was part of the audience. He seemed really cool, despite using works like "dig"... as in he would see seven-year-olds and 70 year olds at his concert, and everything in between, and they could all dig something in his show. I found it funny that he said he's been getting letters from high school teachers asking about "symbolism" in his stories. He said to forget all that "high school crap", his stories were for entertainment, not for analysing :P

Andrea had called last night (good luck with the on-call). Yes, we're finally going to start on the bridesmaid dresses. Her fiance's sister is helping us make them. After tomorrow, I should finally know my measurements! *gulp* Being a medical student must be trying, but trying to fit a wedding into things too! Amazing.

Anyway, tomorrow I get a day off and then back to work here on Friday. And then... well, I guess we'll see. Bye for now.

Wanted: Gargoyles

Welcome back to Canada, Anne - hope you're doing well! And it's a birthday weekend - Happy belated to Chris and Nick!

Another crazy busy weekend. Friday was the office Christmas party - Catherine dahling accompanied me as the superior date, and we ate lots of good food (Thanks for coming with me, Catherine!). Saturday some of the old Sorefeet gang got together for dinner and a gift exchange. Highlight of the night must have been Amber's gift to Grace (this is where it gets surreal peoples): a pooping reindeer. Yes, we're mature people... that's why a plastic reindeer that felled brown jelly beans when you press down on it lead to uncontrollable giggling / laughing for about 5 minutes straight. Clarence has it on video somewhere. The look on Trevor's face though was probably the most priceless: incredulous and questioning (our sanity) :D

Sunday - that's when I realised I wanted / needed a gargoyle. If the Hughes could have 5 stone griffin / garoyles perched on her house, I think I should be allowed one. Maybe not so big... maybe not in the front of my house... but definitely something. This was another surreal moment, driving past all these modest homes and coming to a cul de sac to find this rose marble and glass monument (?) of a house. It was stunning. Stepping inside only increased the feeling that we were in some fairytale / Hollywood mansion. Big chandeliers, a whole wall made up of windows, marble and hardwood floors, a baby grand piano in corner nook with professional piano player and jazz singer, a little terrier dog following behind people's heels, huge flower arrangements, and lots of artwork.

Christiana and I sat in front of the wood burning fireplace sipping champagne (me) and punch (her), while chatting to other ladies from the dance club. The occassion that we gained entrance to this other place? Delphine's bridal (lingerie) shower. It's my first bridal shower ever, and Christiana said I better make notes, because this is exactly what she wants for hers :P We had tea (yes Chris, it was all about the goodies, yum!), played a game with Delphine (she had to take shots of tequilia for every wrong answer she had for questions about her fiance Chris), she modeled one of the lingerie pieces we collected for (Holt Refrew no less), and then to more chatting, and singing Christmas carols.

Before the mesmer wore off, we headed out. This time to formation practice. Followed by our TA Christmas get together. This again was giddying fun. We had a gift exchange that involved a lot of "stealing" from other people... somehow we started offering Cheryl as one of the prizes... and then realising that "licking" it meant it was yours... you know where this is going. That threat didn't seem to stop people from stealing Bug's gifts, it seemed like everyone was against him, but he took it good measure. Darren was good natured too when I took his Moulin Rouge CD (Thanks Darren!). Eventually though, our fun had to end, and we all headed out. And face the consequences of the next day - food poisioning! Ugh. I wasn't just me. Big email went out to all the TAs. Hope everyone is recovering quickly.

Oh, and Ryan says I just have to mention him in the blog - guess he hasn't made an appearance in a while :P

O.k. I've got to head out. I'm still at work right now - and they decided not to kick me out just yet. So I have another day to pack, boy do I need it!

Triple D

... Daring dos, Depressing news, and Dinner...

Got hair cut yesterday. Finding head so light it feels like it will float away (Space Cadet indeed). Also developed uncontrollable urge to turn head so that hair swishes around as in shampoo commercials.

Discussed again with finality: Last Day. Made final push to Lorena so that I have the weekend to continue with de-nesting. Monday is it. This is sad. Practically lived here for the past year and a half. On the plus side, I didn't realise I had this much candy stashed away.

Also yesterday, shared another meal with Bug. Surprisingly less nervous than previous attempts at eating within eye contact, despite increasingly personal questions as topics of discussion. But also getting more confused.

Brain tired.

I Don’t Do Pyramids

Darren and I were sitting in the car after last night’s formation practice… and we decided that fundamentally, we had to get back to the fundamentals… I guess for me, that means: I don’t do pyramids. Especially if it means I’m at the bottom – which is where D & D decided to put me for our ending in the Paso Doble. Not that I’d be comfortable at the top either… squishing the other girls wouldn’t be good… Zug. Must remember that pain means we’re actually doing something. (Hm… another part of the TA brainwashing, Chris?)

But most of this aching I know is because I’ve been bad again, and had way too much planned for the weekend. Friday was the NLC Volunteer Appreciation at Jim & Theresa’s. Darren picked me up after work and we headed to the place that our cravings were calling us: McDonalds. I know! It’s so bad! But we loved every moment of it… right up until Lana decided she had to check the paper placemat for the nutritional breakdown of our meal. My favourite Filet O’fish sandwich had 400 calories! Ack! When we got to Jim & Theresa’s, found that they had amazing munchies for us, including celery, and baklava. Much more eating later, (with someone trying to convince me that wine would improve my dancing), we headed downstairs to watch highlights from the competition and the promo we did on City television. First time to see myself dance – not a good moment. But all in all a really fun night.

Early Saturday was about preparing for the winter UADC social. Andrew and I went over to Amy’s house, cut up a lot of fruit – this time without injury. And then we arranged cookies and chocolates on trays. After much effort on Danny’s part in separating all the chocolate balls, and Hershey Kisses into different colours (all the while keeping me away from eating them), Amy dumps everything together for the natural mixed look. *laugh* They make a good couple, oui? In the next couple of free hours I manage to do some Christmas shopping. And then it was off to St. John’s with a very big surprise. Can you guess? The result was much cell phone use in the next hour while we sat inside our cars in the parking lot, trying to find a last minute dance venue on a Saturday night. It had a happy ending as the executives pulled through. We headed to Dance Central to convert our usual practice space into a party. A mirror ball makes all the difference :D

Meanwhile back in another dimension, Rosario’s was heating up with the TAs’ get together. I got carded! And then instead of starting a riot, we waited patiently for the hockey game to end. But really, who cares about hockey when we could be karoke-ing?! But we made the best of things – lots of pictures, and we got plenty of time with the song binders. Not that that helped in my case – they didn’t have any Sarah Slean! :P Anyway, I don’t usually sing crowd pleasers (and I can’t make a decision), rather it’s those depressing numbers better left for the bus stop. But I made sure we got up to dance. Dominic can definitely “rock it out”, but Delphine can hardly hold a tune! But she grabbed all the girls up for a rendition of “Don’t Cha” by the Pussycat Dolls, probably knowing that eye candy was the important part to karoke ;) Darren and Christiana sang Elvis’s “Are you Lonesome tonight”, Albert got us dancing with “Let’s Twist Again”, and someone from another group sang “Rock Lobster” – what a bizarre song.

Sunday was definitely not a rest day. I did sleep in, but then I rushed back to work to start packing some stuff, and to find directions to St. Albert from Dance Central. My first drive out there by myself! Um… it didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped. Sure I had the directions, but I was also tired from formation practice, and it was dark… and yeah. I missed my turn off. But it was all worth it since when I finally got to meet up with Chris, Steph G., Simony, Steph L., and Josh, they fed me and made me laugh. It felt really good to see all of them again. (Welcome back again, Stuffy, and thanks guys!) I guess I should have guessed from the way we sat (girls on one side and guys on the other – with Lana in the middle :P) that some taking of sides would happen. But considering we were eating large amounts of candy… I don’t think we were making much sense… The guys were just trying to provoke the girls into an argument of the “yes it is” and “no it’s not” variety. *shaking head* University graduates can be so peculiar.

O.k. rambled way too much this time. But I still have side notes! Ryan pulled up all the blinds in order to battle S.A.D. not sure if it’s working, but I’m going to miss the view so much! Bug might be trying to learn Cantonese. Can hardly wait for the weekend… though Friday might be my last day… things are still up in the air. Keep warm peoples!

It's Month End...

... And I feel fine!

Friday and the accounting department is very quiet and slow. I'm working on a cut and paste project, while people are zooming by me... wait a sec... it's month end! I flipped the calendars without really even thinking about it. And you know what? It feels good :D

No more late nights... actually being able to make plans after work... but no more taxis either! That's one of the luxuries of working late that I think I will miss the most. I have ridden in only a couple of Canadian taxis before starting the job. And all of sudden it seemed every month end there would be 2 or 3 chances for me to sit back while someone else drove, and I got to snoop (though without touching anything).

I had wondered if the stereotype of taxi drivers - immigrants with degrees and or professions in their home countries - was true. Many of them told me they were originally from another country. One of them was a computer programmer (who we tried to get to apply with our company.) Then there was the older East Indian looking gentleman who suprised me by (very loudly) listening to club pop / dance music and dancing along at the stop lights. I always smile when I recognise the driver is listening to CBC Radio One. I watched as a little book on a chain swung from the review-view mirror - the driver told me it was symbolic of the Koran. And then there was the sweet Polish gentleman (he seemed like the fatherly type), who had a travel brochure of Europe in the front seat with him... it was probably close to one o'clock in the morning, and before my credit card authorized, told me to "hurry, get home and get to bed".

Well, at least people at work are getting into the "Chris-mas" spirit (despite the gloom from more layoffs earlier this week). Darlene from design and Machaela Dahling got us together for some major decorating around the office. I went all out tacky :D Darren's been complaining about the Christmas music that's been blasting through the malls for the past 2 weeks. But now it's December - it's expected!

Yikes, better head off it's another fun and busy weekend ahead of me. Again, peoples stay warm!

Charmed, charmed, charmed...

"Boycott shitty culture!" ~ Sarah Slean with more on Paris Hilton

I'm still on a bit of high from the concert. I'm listening the CD (Universe) and in a great mood. Part of it is the music, the other part... *big smile* I talked to Boy on the Bus! Yes! I finally did it... um... o.k. maybe he talked me to first. We made eye contact, there was the smile, and then he said "Cold outside, isn't it?" :D Maybe not the kind of conversation that predicts a long and happy life together... but it's a start. He even has a name! Question: Who are you? Answer: Adam. We shook hands. He gave me a closer look and asked if I worked at Shoppers Drug Mart... (Thinking to myself: I have twin out there?) I go to pull out my card and remembered that I don't carry them any more since the information would be out of date in a couple more weeks. Dang. Oh, well. Contact was made, and I wasn't too, too awkward (I hope). Must catch him again on the bus and... actually tell him my name? I can't remember if I told him *smacking forehead*. But I was practically skipping to the elevators.

I must be delerious. Despite yesterday being a rest night, I didn't get that much rest (again). Finished reading "What Casanova Told Me", and started up with "Steel Beach". The book is so interesting that I completely skipped out on working on my scrapbook. There's the weekend... maybe.

Body is feeling a little bit better. We had a very intense formation class on Monday. This new section boasts a little "test of trust" between the dance partners. There is a little bit of falling involved in the move, and the guy has to hold on to the girl's hands, while her head is extremely close to the ground. Yikes! Nigel hasn't failed me yet... but I'm still nervous about it. I was gripping his hands so tightly that my hands hurt afterwards. But I'm getting all tingly about trying it again. It looks so cool! (At least when D & D demo it ;) ).

For Anne - hope you're feeling better soon. You definitely had an eventful weekend. annabeth.diaryland.com
For the rest of us - stay warm! And stay amused: www.virtual-bubblewrap.com/popnow.shtml

Age of Aquarium!

Congratulations to Jazzy girl on her UFE pass! She has acheived competency - which we suspected all along :)

It's been another weekend filled with dancing and I'm going to be surprised if I can get out of my desk here without cringing. So glad that I took Friday off to just sit at home and not move.

Saturday was when UADC invited Jean Marc Genereux to come into town for workshops. I think I can describe him as a cross between Pepe Lapeu and Robin Williams. :D He made car noises as he demonstrated proper "driving" action in Standard. He told us "lovely young ladies" that we had to be like a "ferrari" in tango; in rumba the man was our "superman" so we can do our thing and be sure he'll be there for us. There was a lot of physical humour. But it made sense - he described the body as 4 packages that had to be stacked a certain way or else the whole pile would topple over. I was imagining vector lines as he was moving across the floor and describing the moves. I might be in science withdrawal. Anyway - it was overall very enjoyable. I just hope some of this technique sticks!

Sunday was OPDS practice. I managed to fall in the first 10 minutes of arriving. Not while dancing, rather while trying to get revenge on Slywester for tickling me. Ah, I should have known that no good would come out of trying to get back at someone. Big bruise now on my knee. But Vienna made sure to make him feel guilty about it.

After OPDS a group of the TA formation team went to Tim Hortons across from Dance Central (our current practice site). We started talking about karoke. Sylwester belts out "Aquarium!" *blink, blink* I start laughing hysterically, the others had puzzled looks. Wow, Lana knew the pop reference! Anyway, then we headed off for formation practice. Bug managed to ram his face into Mel's foot. I bunny hopped backwards knocking butts with Nigel. And more people ended up on the floor. This is getting to be a lot more painful and dangerous than what any of us thought. Finally about 2 hours later we decide to call it quits and start packing up... and we find Grace had locked herself into a closet!

Darren and I then zipped over to Amber's place for a "Photo swap" party. Can't believe how young we all looked less than 3 years ago. And we tried to place exactly when each of us met. This was "pre-Darren" and this "after-Darren" (something like that). There were pictures of Mark when he at least looked happy... Brad in his coconut bra and grass skirt :D... ah the memories.

Must head out for TA class. Happy Monday peoples!

Lucky Me!

Tired and achy, and feeling like I spent too much money – but it’s all worth it! Yesterday Chris and I went to Sarah Slean’s concert at the Myer Horowitz theatre. Didn’t get home until close to 12:30 in the morning. And yes, Mom was waiting for me. But I didn’t care, my head was still buzzing from Sarah’s amazing voice and her commanding piano. Definitely, definitely have to see her live again. I was completely mesmerized. To think of it, she was faerie like… tiny over all with large piano hands, barefoot, big blue eyes… anyway, methinks I’m totally hooked – I even bought a CD there. Her music delights me, and makes so sad at the same time. So, the song Lucky Me describes the “existential wasteland” left in the gap between science and faith… and Bank Accounts is a protest against Paris Hilton (she got the audience to do the trumpet solo part)… I’m just in awe. Visit her site: www.sarahslean.com/main.html and look under "Vitamins" for her inspirations and things she loves.

The side show was also interesting. Chris bumped into a friend of a friend – James. James came and lined up with us with his (possible) date, Liz. Craziness ensued when I recognized her as the girl on the bus who Boy on the Bus was smiling at. When I brought it up, she immediately recognized who I was talking about! And things got even weirder… such as the fact that she’s from Rocky Mountain House (she knows of both Anne and Margaret’s families). James proved to be a lot of fun and full of musical knowledge. And for some reason, he likes talking to people in the washroom… Chris nudged me when ever something noteworthy came up in the conversation – and I dutifully wrote it in my trusty notepad. This was happening to the point that James remarked – “Why get a palm pilot? I need to get me a Lana” :P He was cute – I don’t think I would mind sticking around to be a scribe.

Other items that ended up in my notepad that night – lyrics from the opening act “Chad” (just Chad). He was a one man band who played guitar (or banjo), had both feet on pedals for drums, and employed the occasional song with harmonica. I had to laugh when in the middle of a couple of his songs he stopped, and said he was going to start over, or that he had a better song for us. Notable lyrics: “Chew me like a stick of gum, I want to loll around your tongue all day”, “He got reincarnated as a Corvette, drove himself crazy looking for the perfect driver”, “You’re going down the same track, never coming back again. You left a lot behind, most of it in my mind.” I think I was mostly puzzled by him – he sang a song about 100 year old beer… and another about people hooked up to a blood machine located under a city.

All in all a great night. Though there was an awkward moment. Saw Mark while buying dinner in SUB. I waved and smiled – he half-waved and turned away.

More dancing this week. I think Friday night will be my rest night - can hardly wait.

To Cede... or not to Cede

A very busy and exhausting weekend. Starting with going over to Bug's on Friday to hang Christmas lights, followed by Winter Waltz on Saturday, another meeting with Bug on Sunday, and big news today. My nephew has decided to cede from the family. I believe I'm in shock... though in a way it makes sense. I think we all wondered for a while about things - me constantly being worried about being disowned... while he was almost always enraged by Chinese family expectations. I'm also a bit baffled - is it for real? Is he just in the rebellious stage of something? I can't imagine my parents not telling me if it was for certain... And in the big picture - what would it all mean? He'd still be my nephew, right?

In work news - I have become a case study and George is back from Vancouver sporting his "brand new technology from BC that is all the rage." Um, yes... this "hot new technology" is a regular sized monitor and computer tower set up on a trolley. As he put it, it's so much easier to read and type in than a palm pilot, it has a multiphasic power distributer (a power bar), and it's portable! :P Very, very quiet here in the accounting department. I am literally an island surrounded by empty cubicles. Almost makes sense to just yell to talk to Ryan, rather than using MSN. And with D and Z gone, I have to know stuff again! And I find, I don't know what's going on.

Winter Waltz was a beautiful affair. It was different working with this new Social Committee. I'm again amazed by how fun it is to work together - and what ideas that they came up with. Thanks guys for helping me out with centre piece ideas. In the end, the director came up with a poinsetta flower arrangement. A little disappointed that my design wasn't picked. But I made up for it by being extra creative with my little jar of silver sparkles - if it wasn't sparkly, it needed sparkles :P I think that worked. Photos off of Darren's camera. I had 3 with me... but of course, I'm still awaiting the film results.



Left: Linda, Ryan, Dexter, and Brian

Below: Darren and the girls :D (Christiana, Lana, Amanda, Linda)

Below: Clarence (with centre piece), Kelly, Eric, Kristen, and Maria

Watch the Dust Bunnies Run!

Ingredients for some afternoon fun: motivational meeting from boss, pictures of co-workers' super cute babies, stickers, and a can of pressurized air. Oh, and of course a good dose of green tea.

I'm super giddy right now after all of those things coming together in the last hour. Ryan and I went on scavenging mode when we saw Jordan and John cleaning out S's old office. (I think we'll go into that mode again come Monday since D will be starting a new job, and Z is going on mat leave - all factors that mean Ryan and I have to stay motivated at work.) Who knew he had cool stuff like stickers and pressurized air?! O.k. technically that stuff is called "Pressurized Duster" - and there's a warning label on it. But I'm having fun using it to chase the dust bunnies on my desk. Hm... guess that motivational meeting didn't quite work the way L had wanted it. But morale is up!

Or maybe this is just a whole bunch of nervous energy? Less than one hour before I head out to pick up my project with my mark... *biting nails*

Atleast Paso turned out o.k. last night. Very glad that Delphine started the class by telling people that we had just learned it! Managed to "fake it" for the demo. And of course burst out laughing once the music stopped. Didn't manage to get the ceiling shot I had hoped for. Next time I guess. Must remember camera for this Saturday's Winter Waltz!

The Edmonton Sun's cover story: Woman Jailed for bizarre, obsessive stalking of man she met on a bus. (Sigh of relief from everyone that this wasn't me? :P)

Mary Kay Hands & Goji Goodness

Looks like I’ve been found out on my “little” fib. But despite that, Stephanie has returned. Welcome back! And for Anne – Happy Birthday!

I’m with anxiety again. *big bite out of chocolate bar* Just got an email from Nora – the very nice professor that was administrating my BC2 project – saying that she had marked it and I could pick it up this Thursday. Ack! I was trying to repress the whole thing. Two weeks of not thinking about it was really nice. And now, this anxiety is only blanketing the anxiety I have for tonight’s Paso Doble class. O.k. start deep breathing… everything will be fine… *deep breathing*

Well… at least I have soft hands. Turns out Charles at work sells Mary Kay. He’s having demos in the boardroom today and now I have sparkles on one cheek, super soft hands (let’s see if it’ll handle a washing), and an arm that smells floral with a vague hint of musk. I guess the Avon lady inside of me should have put up a fight. But everyone knows I have no brand loyalty (it’s the “free” gift that matters, right Catherine? :P) And when it comes to makeup and beauty, I figure natural is good – but “If it Makes You Happy – it can’t be that bad”. As long as it helps people feel good about themselves. Might be why I didn’t do so well at that interview with the cosmetics counter at Sears… they actually want me to sell stuff!

I guess my mother’s right… again. Scary thought. Along with the Mary Kay products, there was also a lady there promoting a juice made from “Goji”. These little, tear-shaped berries may have originated from Himalayans and part of the Tibetan longevity secret. But they’re the exact same berries that used to grow on a bush in the back of our garden. Mom and I crouched under that bush and scrambled around trying to harvest the berries before they got too ripe and burst. I got nasty mosquito bites, scratched by thorns, and had to navigate around bees. And the reward was the soup that these berries were made into. Mom made me drink it because it was good for me. How good? Well, the lady’s brochure says there’s “34 reasons why you should drink Goji juice every day”. Among them are better sleep, improved memory, and alleviation of anxiety and stress. Hm… I seem to remember being less stressed and sleeping better when I was younger (or is that selective memory? :P ) I guess this means I should take more of what Mom says to heart. Her current advice is that I need to eat more, sleep more, and rest more. It’s a thought…

Spectacular, Spectacular!

Mom and Dad have taken the next plunge in technology. They own a DVD player. Wow… our side of the family has always been slow to adopt technology (I still have Siew Chui’s old computer and my dad is still listening to cassette tapes). But my sister Angela brought it over thinking it would be a good idea. I’m not so sure yet. All of a sudden I’m fumbling around with a new remote controller trying to figure out how to work the thing so that Dad can watch his James Bond movies with Chinese subtitles. Not that he really needs them. It’s James Bond after all! The explosions and the sex scenes speak for themselves. :P And he didn’t need them when he watched them in the Hong Kong theatres with Sean Connery acting / being the part.

So I returned home from what felt like a disastrous TA class to find Dad getting his dose of pop culture, while Mom was fuming. Great. At least they’re not angry at me this time. The nice surprise in the chilly reception was finding that Margaret wrote! (Thank you Margaret!) I read her letter while trying to use more of that muscle rub. Agh! It hurts! It was the second choreography night for the TA Formation Team. Our theme is Moulin Rouge and our main goal is to have something of performance quality ready for Top Hat and Tails of 2006.

The girls have put a foot down on wearing lingerie as our costume (though having La Senza as a sponsor would cut down our costs…) Delphine assured us that she won’t make us dress like whores… instead she’ll be making us look like “high-class whores”. The difference of course is in the “class”. *shaking head* What did I get myself into? *laugh* And we probably gave Dominic a migraine when we weren’t getting it together. And he decided that one of our poses was “not sexy enough” and now we have a new pose. New muscles are being used and they are not happy!

I realised that I made an error in my last post. (Chris had told me that if we keep telling people how cold it is in Edmonton, no one will want to come back!) So, Lindsey and Stephanie, global warming has caused water levels to rise so much that the whole province of BC is now no more. Alberta is now the coastal province… and this stuff that I think is snow… well, it’s actually sand from our sandy beaches. I get those mixed up all the time :P Must be the scarf tied too tightly around my head… oops.

Back to Monday

I was informed that I might have broken a record for no updating – a whole 7 days! This is further testament that I’m not living at the office anymore. Instead, I’m going home (or to dance) at the appointed times, and the weekends are all to myself. Well, actually I have been trying to post some pictures from the competition throughout the week, but blogger keeps giving me errors. Oh, well.

It's Monday after a fairly satisfying long weekend. I enjoyed some guilty pleasures: Having lunch with Bug (he now knows some of my weirdness towards food, and I found out he just as bad - Char you're not alone on the tomato thing :P); I got a roll of film developed and I have even more photos (which I can't post here); McDonald's lunch with Chris; Book club meeting with Shauna and Catherine; and more dancing :D I also broke my over 6 week spell of not driving by zooming around the city getting lost - surprisingly therapeutic once I stopped fantasizing about car accidents.

Unfortunately I return to work today apathetic and aching (new appreciation for models who have to hold poses for a long time). I do not envy the team in Winnipeg that is picking up our work load. Not only does it sound like they're understaffed - there's no real process right now for how things should be transferred to them. D and I have small (and growing) "things to send off" piles that we're holding onto until they figure out who should be getting it on the receiving end. And here I thought I would get the release of burning all my excess papers... the pyromania will have to wait another day :P On the baby side of things - C gave birth to a healthy 7 pound boy! He remained nameless until the parents finally decided to compromise with "Evan Matthew". Baby, baby, baby... O.k. got that out of my system for now.

Been lurking on Moo! again. I miss the people so much that when I read the posts I feel like crying. Another snowfall... predicted low for tonight is minus 17. Winter is... here? Put batteries in new camera - hope to have pictures of ceilings to post here. Time head out for TA class. Paso Doble... eek!

Photos from NLC 2005

For that awesome Saturday at the Nisku Inn, we also had some great friends on site taking pictures and cheering us on. Big thanks to Clarence, Amber, Dianna, Maria, and Brad. Here are some of the photos from Darren's camera (Thankyou Darren for uploading them so soon).

Left: Rong and Mel. Delphine met up with us newcomers very early in the morning (my appointment was at 6:45 a.m.) and she did us up all proper in makeup and hair. She said we're her "mini-Delphines".




Right: Christiana and Dexter in their first competition together. They're looking good and they made the Standard Newcomer finals - with only 6 hours of practicing together!


Left: Slyvester, Vienna, Lynn and Albert take a break during the social dance portion.



Right: Dominic and Nigel

D&D did marathon dancing that day. Their students (Jeff and Marie) competed against each other in the ProAm categories. They each did over 62 dances - and didn't even break a sweat!

Left (photo that I can't seem to post): MelMel and David, Lana and Darren, Amanda and Brian - Adult Newcomer Latin - TA Lockout

Brian had predicted that the TA's would take the Newcomer Latin category... so the deck was a bit stacked (there were only 2 non-TA couples with us), but we were still happy with the results.

It's over?

Darren probably described it best - now that the last Jive has been danced and the whole floor pulled apart... it's over. The Northern Lights Classic that was our first big competition - is part of the past. I think I'm suffering from what people feel after the Christmas and New Year's rush. The January blues, but in November... doesn't help that it started snowing yesterday too. But there is some good news from this. Darren and I did well :) We placed 3rd in Newcomer Standard (Waltz), 2nd in Newcomer Latin (Cha-Cha), and made it into the finals for Bronze Standard. There must have been some cosmic forces supporting us - we were couple 42! I hope to have pictures soon (and you can play "Find the mini-Delphines"). Thank you so much all of you who wished us luck and cheered us on. And as Jim Jenkins said - we've caught the bug. We want to do another one, and soon.

But before that my body definitely needs some time to recover from all of last week. I fell asleep at today's meeting / training... Ryan did too :P Lorena was nice enough to say "Must have been the projector fan bothering your eyes." And D says the most exciting part of the whole thing was watching the two of us doze off :P I hope I wasn't twitching *blush* Really, what I need is more sleep and less thinking.

The office feels so empty now. C went on maternity leave, and there was as tearful goodbye on Friday. Lorena the sweetheart got us all gifts as "the beginning of the end" kind of idea... I'm now the puzzled owner of a beanie baby (I still don't understand the craze, but he is sort of cute). C promised she'd tell us the truth about labour when she comes back to visit. I'm not sure if I'd be able to handle it...

For Steph, Chris, and Char - Thank you guys so much for your resounding support of me not growing up :P I am feeling better this week. So, what's next? (Aside from guilt-free eating of Hallowe'en chocolate?)

I'm looking forward to dancing tonight. And then going bed. Bug was trying to tempt me with clean sheets. And my sister was tempting me with a trip to Beijing. I know they're both teasing... but they both sound very delicious... probably means it's time to change my sheets.

Fire Escapes and Hockey

Ryan and I were waiting at the bus stop, when I noticed a flicker and a lot of smoke coming from across the street. "Um... is the garbage can over there on fire?" Both Ryan and the other guy waiting there said "Yes." So what does one do when a garbage can is on fire in the middle of the downtown? We called 911. So this was the excitement. Technically there wasn't an emergency... but there was more and more smoke billowing out, and what if there was something explosive inside? We got on the bus and craned our necks out of a window. Not long after we saw a firetruck stop, firemen climb out and poke at the bin for a while, and then taking the whole bag with them, they drove off.

Moments later: "The only thing worse than being a woman is being a shy guy..." this was Ryan dispensing some grandmotherly advice and explaining to me why he's glad he's a man in the dating world. Women may have wait until the guy gets the hint (knock on the head) to ask them out. But the shy guy... he suffers from "100% of the shots you don't take don't make the goal" (I probably misquoted - the original is from Wayne Gretsky). So where are the woman in this hockey analogy? "She's the goalie... *big smile* her job is to make sure no one scores until she's got a ring on her finger..." *laugh* O.k. hockey more sense now. Maybe the dating world too... I hate playing goalie.

25 going on 21

Had a sobering epiphany on Monday. Finally acknowledged that I can't go back in time and change the way things were, and that I should grow up and stop thinking I am 21... And 2 days later I said to heck with that. (Ryan, are you groaning?) Yes, the smart thing to do is to start thinking about settling down, and making some real decisions. But I don't feel like I can give up having fun... it seems like I just started. It feels as though I just recently got to stop worrying / panicking about where I have to be right now in order to be where I want to be in 50 years. I can be the brat I am... I can be silly. It feels a bit like relief... And it's most likely avoidance. I know I'm good at that. I just don't want to feel panicked again... and it makes me so sad everytime I have admit that not everything is possible. I don't like where my brain is heading with this... maybe this week is taking it's toll. Will update later.

In the meantime semi-inspiration quote included with our daily office newsletter. Makes me miss volunteering.

It is not enough to be busy... the question is: what are we busy about? ~ Henry David Thoreau

Rabbi Tuckman proudly presents:

... Robin Hood - Men in Tights ...

Yesterday was a whirlwind. I visited the posh dentist again (this time to pick up a splint) and was tempted to take their mould of my teeth home with me. It was strange realising I was holding a replica of part of my head in my hands, and I didn't want to part with it (or to know they were going to throw it out). But I couldn't think of any practical justification in taking it home... and I'm sure my parents wouldn't have been happy. So, with some difficulty, I gave it up. Then I rushed off to NAIT to have my 2 hours with a professor regarding my project. This woman simply exudes goodwill and calm, despite having a cold. Within seconds I was feeling better about what I was doing - and she even caught a couple of my mistakes in time. From there I went back to the office unloaded all my books and packed for the evening - the UADC Hallowe'en Social. I know I promised myself no fun unless I got more work done, but this was important - I was to "roam around the forest looking for fights". How often do I get to do that? I had to get into character which involved dressing up in the costume, and spritzing on some men's cologne. And of course concentrating how to act like a man.

So this is us. I was told that I looked good with a moustache... which I guess was a compliment... kind of? And we had so much fun doing our dance number. We got good reviews despite not winning the group costume competition. I still hear the song in my head... "We're men in tights... (la-la-la)... " And I can hardly wait for Clarence's idea for next year. (Thanks Clarence for getting it all together).

Also sandwiched into the day, right before the social was D & D's class "Ballroom Competition Ettiquette" for us newcomer competitors. There was some discussion on strategy, keeping your cool, and looking good on the floor. It's good to know that if my shoe were to fall off (or more likely in my case to fall apart), it's up to my partner to go retrieve it and put it back on my foot. Just like Cinderella :P Chivalry exists in this world. And so is an attempt at an airbrushed reality. We were coached on tanning - it has to look like a real tan, but no one in reality is that tanned. (I tried some fake tanner for the first time last night - now one knee is darker than the other :P). And I went this morning in search of false eyelashes... which had me creeped out (some said they were made of real human hair), and laughing at the same time (I bought a pair called "Natural").

There was practice today, and after being in the dark in the office for so long... my brain is a bit befuddled. Adding to it was the long MSN conversation with Bug today. Warning bells should be going off, but instead I'm intrigued... I'm not sure what to make of him... and I'm drawn to find out more. Is he a psychology student who's love life is a self proclaimed soap opera - or is he an axe-murder? (I've got to stop automatically thinking new people I meet who are nice to me are closet axe-murders.) He's even more "huggy" than I am... that should be sign... :P If someone is interested in you... they wouldn't be telling you their sorrid affairs... right? Someone hit me with something. Must concentrate on project.

The Sun’s cover said an “Alberta" ticket won last night's $ 54 million lottery... which means I didn't :( I’m pretty sure if that I had won, they would have at least pin-pointed the ticket location to Edmonton, if not the office where I’m practically living :P Oh, well, guess Elmer will have to cancel the party he had scheduled when he got all of us to join in the lottery pool. That’s o.k., money isn’t everything. And I wouldn’t want be tempted to prove just how stupid I am, like the lottery winner “Jimmy” from 1982 who spent his half a million in 6 weeks mostly on drink. That tidbit came from CBC’s short interview last night with a writer who researched the lives of lottery winners (wonderful that I can’t remember the names). I love CBC :) Though to be technical, Jimmy’s case was more a problem of addiction rather than stupidity, but I wouldn’t want to be given such resources to develop an addiction either.

Yesterday’s class was a lot of fun. Considering this weekend is the Hallowe’en social we dressed up to get into the spirit of things and to encourage the students to come. I almost wish we could dress up every class – I could act outrageous and be silly. But then again, we all are in costume and disguise to some degree. I’m sure we’re not as happy and smiley as we all portray when we’re all on duty. And off-duty is when we get to complain about aching joints, blisters… all that fun stuff :P

Anyway, this is us. Delphine insisted to the class that instead of doing her hair, she just let it be natural, and this is the result. Both Delphine and I had this strange compulsion to follow Christiana around – her bunny tail was just so cute! In case you couldn’t tell, Albert’s the one in the mask. His outfit looked a lot like Star Fleet issue, but he was actually a devil (with killer gams ;) ) Darren and Lynn were supposed to be a generic cowboy and cowgirl, though I think they could be dead-ringers for Garth Brooks, and Shania Twain (the Asian version :P).

I think things at work are finally sinking in. Tomorrow is Day One of our very last month end. No more pushing things to next month to deal with. I have to face the “junk drawer” of accounts, and invoices that I’ve saved up. But tonight and tomorrow are reserved for the project. Wish me luck!

Blogging per Scott Adams

So I'm part of the DNRC (Dogbert's New Ruling Class). The latest newsletter showed up, and instead of trying to tackle Task 7 of BC2, I read the newsletter. I bought new erasers for this task... so I'm really optimistic! Anyway, here's Scott Adams's (creator of Dilbert) view on blogging - it sounds just like my thought process :P :

When I see news stories about people all over the world who are experiencing hardships, I worry about them, and I rack my brain wondering how I can make a difference. So I decided to start my own blog. That way I won’t have time to think about other people.

People who are trying to decide whether to create a blog or not go through a thought process much like this:

1. The world sure needs more of ME.
2. Maybe I’ll shout more often so that people nearby can experience the joy of knowing my thoughts.
3. No, wait, shouting looks too crazy.
4. I know – I’ll write down my daily thoughts and badger people to read them.
5. If only there was a description for this process that doesn’t involve the words egomaniac or unnecessary.
6. What? It’s called a blog? I’m there!

Earl Grey, Butterbabes, and Towels

So the coffee room has run out of green tea and I've been drinking Earl Grey for the past 2 days. This is definitely a more serious tea. Green tea makes me giddy (that's my excuse for the manic moments at work) and tastes... raw? Like energy? I don't know how quite to describe it. Contrast this to Earl Grey, which makes me think of Jean Luc Picard, fireplaces, and cuddling up in a blanket (Hm... I wouldn't mind that combination). It makes me feel lonely. It makes me think that maybe true love is when you give someone a ball of lint at the beginning of TA class, and by the end of it they show it to you to prove that he indeed cherished it, and will do so forever. Or that could be desperation talking :)

TA class went well. People were not in a serious mood and we talked about Hallowe'en costumes. We get to dress up for class! But you won't see any "Butterbabes". Darren and I coined this term while searching for costumes on the weekend. Ever notice that if you're buying costume a girl can be a butterfly, but as soon as you're a woman you have to be a "Butterbabe"? This transformation translates to: A fully covered body suit and wings - to said wings paired with bikini top and short-shorts. Or various versions of that. We saw "babefied" sailor suits, devils, cats, witches, and even angels. (And from Chris's findings: a Bo Peep). Men still can be Superman or Spiderman and fully covered. Doesn't seem quite fair. But then there's always a couple of guys who will end up in a low cut dress for Hallowe'en... and maybe that evens things out? Note: "Butterbabes" not to be confused with "Butterball".

David Sedaris is a witty writer. It's because of him that I've been consistently late to work again this past week. I've been listening to his book "Naked" in the mornings, and I'd find myself forgetting that getting to work on time requires dressing and leaving the house at a certain hour. (Alas, despite being late, have not caught Boy on the Bus). His stories / essays are mostly about his family, and growing up gay in Raleigh, North Carolina. And I get this sick sense of relief from hearing about them since my family is not as dysfunctional. In "Ashes", he talks about how he and his mother can only communicate through complaining - take that away and the two of them prattle on about the weather. From another collection he talks about trying to find a good apartment in France - which leads him to imply that the reason Anne Frank's family was ousted / betrayed was because their neighbours coveted their awesome apartment. And the title story of this collection talks about his visit to a nudist colony. There seems to be this obsession about towels. Which only made me laugh all the more since listening to this coincided with my mom decision to give me a talk on how to properly use the bath towel. To think I've been taking showers and baths independently for over 20 years now, and this is when she decided I needed towel lessons. I don't know if I should be more worried about me or her.

These are some accounting jokes from Ryan who survived a car accident yesterday and decided today that if he was going to claim mental anguish these are some of things he would say to prove it: "Accruals are mean to you." "If you can't reconcile the bank account, you have to get a divorce - due to irreconcilable differences. "

Until next time.

No more Bananas today...

... Cha-cha-cha

It's Sunday, yes back at work and slowly moving forward in the project. I'm still easily distracted and today I'm thinking about Notre Dame des Bananes. I'm still on their mailing list even though it's been over a year since I sang with them. David is the computer guy who handles the mailing list. This is what Jay wrote to him regarding "Bayesian spam filter":

My guess is that you have all your e-mail messages sent down to a bay where there is a herd of specially trained dolphins. It is these dolphins which detect the spam, thanks to their training. But how they get back to you -their messages of what is spam I can't imagine. Oh yes, I also wonder about the under-water video screens for the dolphins to view the messages. Don't you risk electrocuting the dolphins with these?

David's response was pretty technical, but he added that dolphins would probably do a better job, but they were too expensive. Now imagine that kind of thing put to music! Ah, I miss singing about our "Druken Premier" and "All ye who Walmart Love", and other traditional songs with the lyrics changed for the right affect. And there were our banana songs: My name is Chiquita banana... Um... yes... *blush*

Ever notice that people will rarely think that they have bad musical taste? Me included! There are some days at work that I truly feel like I'm doing a public service by turning up my speakers. Probably the same thing that the person on the bus with the blaring earphones thinks... But how could you object to my jazz / classical / rock / pop / broadway / opera / Chinese mix? It's wonderful! Simply marvelous! And probably worse than just playing one type of music - I have the chance to offend everyone's sensibilities. I have to remember that there are actually people out there who do not appreciate Elle Fitzgerald's scattin' or Sarah Slean's somewhat operatic pop. I know! How could that be?! *sigh* At least I have some sense to choose songs that don't have too embarassing subjects. I guess the right thing to do is follow cubicle ettiquette and use earphones. But while I'm here at work on the weekend - it's all up to me! And I can be the DJ and turn it up!

I need some dolphins to check the comments that I get on this blog... though that one about dating might actually be for real :P Anyway, I should get back to work and try to ignore Ryan as he scavenges L's old work space. I'm annoyed because he managed to call dibbs on her new adding machine. Everyone knows I need a new one. Grr...

Deep-Fried Dance Divas

I'm missing a Deep-Fry Party right now. That is if it's still a go. Simony had such a compelling agrument yesterday - this may be my only chance, the people who do these parties are going to die off before I know it. I told him I'll eat a corn dog in his memory. He then told me he should get his whole body deep-fried before being buried... that's when things got silly.

I thought more yesterday (I'm sure no one's surprised about that!) and realised that maybe my body and brain are acting like Catherine's old car... She told us a story once that basically one of the warning lights went on and they ignored it, kept driving, and one day the light went off. What if my brain is like that? Basically things are so beyond the point of bad that the things that tell the warning lights to go off have been damaged too? Ugh. Too much thinking!

That didn't stop me from heading to yesterday's Tango's dance practice. The studio was hot and I was amazed by the dancing I was seeing. D & D were there, and I literally stood there staring as they praticed and went through their routine. That was until Darren reminded me we were supposed to be practicing too (and Delphine joked that it cost $ 10 to watch the show). We practiced, I got something fixed, I got something else completely messed up, and that was that. And I was reminded how lucky I am to have Darren as my dance partner. I couldn't believe the abuse one woman doled out on her partner - nothing seemed right. Her voice rang above the music "No, no, no, it's all wrong". Darren and I rehashed this afterwards - is that what was needed to become a good dancer? It certainly didn't look fun anymore, and I can't imagine sticking around with someone who would be so diva-esque. I guess that's with all things in life, you can rely on luck, or actually consciously weed out the people that don't impact it positively. Char, I guess I should take your advice on that and apply it to boyfriends too ;)

I really can't believe that I'm at work again today trying again to do the project. The whole day has been about dance. There was the private with Delphine, and then we headed over to Brad's to plan our Hallowe'en dance number. My body aches and hurts all over. Delphine told us today that dancing is unnatural and those who win are usually those in the most the pain. Yikes! I guess that explains why each dance in competition only last a minute or two.

I constantly want to take pictures of D & D. Today Delphine came to the practice holding a Tim Hortons' cup, and I immediately thought: Product Shot. It's probably because they're sexy and beautiful, and they move so nicely. But I have to remember that they're human too (I really sometimes forget.) They had lives before all this glamour. One of them studied psychology and worked as a stockbroker. The other was an accountant! (I still have hope!) The violet mints Catherine got me from Germany (made in France ;) ) reminded Delphine of her late French grandmother. She said she felt like crying. And I saw that Dominic had a couple of grey hairs. That makes me sad. *shaking head* I guess Sarah Slean isn't helping.

Really, really need to get back to work. More tomorrow!

More Nothings from the OddDuck

Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity. I would almost consider myself the eye of the storm simply because I wasn't too moved (what I also call denial). Ryan paced around for the first hour of the morning, and then excitedly told us all that his number one firm had given him an offer. Congrats, Ryan! L weighed several offers in the morning and then packed up everything into a box by afternoon, and said goodbye. We knew she was going to go, but I think we all thought she would give 2 weeks. Anyway - that was the storm.

While all that was going on, I found out that I'm a Seal! The description is *blush* fairly accurate. Here's what Animal Quiz said:

"Though many try to imitate them, the noises you make are uniquely your own. You've been known to juggle, to perform balancing acts, and to clap your hands just a bit more than the rest of us might like. These wacky antics make you a fitting match with a circus or variety act, but you wish someone would perceive it as real talent instead. Most of your favorite places are just big rocks. Whatever it may mean, you've been kissed by a rose on the grey. "

For one, I do happen to clap alot (I hope the other noises I make are good ones...) and secondly there was a time when I wanted to run away to the Cirque du Solei... but that was a long time ago *wistful sigh* (What does "kissed by a rose on the grey" mean anyway?)

So, how do the rest of you fare? Go to the site bluepyramid.org/ia/aquiz.htm (thanks Steph for posting it) and in 7 simple questions you'll know. And in 6 questions you'll know what book you are... this is slightly additive, non?

Also on the much distracting and non-productive side of things Chris caught me on MSN today and let me know that I'm an "OddDuck". (Thanks Anne for reading - I know he got that from you.) This is his portrait of me. I managed to colour in the lines :)

My one accomplishment today was to do another cheque run - and I found that my tape looked surprisingly empty. Mr. Adding Machine has decided that the number 3 need not be printed - ever. Great. But then I'm thinking, maybe if I threaten it with less violence, it'll be nicer to me too... maybe. I'll consider a reconcilation on Monday. (I'm so bad *laugh*)

But work really is prety much a wash. After we celebrated Z's birthday no one wanted to go back to their desk... so we ate German chocolate (yum) and chatted. Then the Big Boss showed up - he's doing this "beer raffle" for United Way. He donated a beer fridge and set a challenge to guess how many beers (and what brand) he's hidden inside. I started talking about "Schrodinger's Beer" (as per Bob the Angry Flower)... and everyone gave me this look. *blush* Ryan told me I'm a geek. I'm alright with that, but I threatened his "bonsai in progress" anyway. He knows I wouldn't hurt it - but I do want to play with it.

And it's off to dance practice with me. I should panicking now, right? Two weeks to competition, two weeks to the BC2 project due date, and only 1 week to The Very Last Month End Ever. The internal switch must be broken - I'm feeling o.k.

Posh Dentists and Little Mysteries

So I stepped into my new dentist's office yesterday and was struck. What happened to the bad lighting and uncomfortable waiting room? Admittedly it's been a while since I've gone (about 3 years) and for the longest time I was going to the U of A dental clinic, but this... this looked more like a posh resturant, or a lawyer's office. Soft lighting, dark wood with naturalistic stone walls, and nicely placed almost "zen-like" plants. Mounted into the ceiling were televisions! I couldn't help thinking... so this is where the money goes... since the goop they put in my mouth tasted just as bad as I remembered :P

Afterwards I headed to nearby shop to check out dance clothes for the upcoming competition. A fellow TA recommended it. She said it was reasonably priced and things were already "glammed" - meaning that the minimum rhinestone / sequins threshold for latin costumes have been met or surpassed (and that any attempt at adding more may destroy the integrity of the article of clothing). She lamented that her Latin skirt "just" covered her butt... apparently to the disappointment of her dance partner ;). I'm glad to report that I held off from any crazy purchases, despite the shop owners demonstration / miming. He was about 6 feet tall and fairly well built... and his way of trying to convince me to buy something? He picked backless halter from the rack, drapped it across his body and mimed that this would nicely show off "assets", while he did a couple of shimmies. *laugh* If I head to the clubs, I'll have to consider it :P

Today, I think is characterized by excitement and little mysteries. The "Where is my pen?" mystery lead to a flurried pat down of my desk. The "Why the HECK am I out ten cents?" mystery was followed by a couple of slams on the adding machine (I was trying to balance the cheque run).

But the two "fun" mysteries of my day are still nicely simmering in my head... "Who is The Phoenix?" and "What does Boy on the Bus do?"

Now, Phoenix, if you're out there - thanks for commenting. I do like the comments, but I can't seem to figure out just who you are. Any hints?

And Boy on the Bus? I saw him today again, and this time noted he had nice shoes: Black, leather, and polished. How does this match up with the "Nintendo" lanyards? And I fell into giggles when I got eye contact. I think he thinks I'm nuts. He's probably right.

"Pagination", "Interpretive Parking", and Greeting Cards

I can't do samba, but at least in my state of pain / delerium, I have great friends who can make me laugh.

So what exactly is "pagination"? Yesterday I thought must not be a real word, but rather something concocted by Microsoft to make things "interesting" while you wait for the pages to number on the document. But under Darren's insistance... I looked it up, and yes, "paginate" means "to number pages" and "pagination" is "the system of numbering pages". So he's right. But that doesn't mean it wasn't funny as we sat in the car talking before TA class (I'm still getting some giggles - must be the green tea).

But still woke up today feeling blue. Memories with Mark have been in the back of my mind again. When Catherine and I had lunch together and we talked about "Interpretive Parking" (it's probably what you think it is ;) ), my brain thought of the time Matthew, Mark, Michael and I were in Calgary for Christmas. On the way to a pool hall and Matthew decided to park across several (including handicap) parking spots to reach a bank machine. It was a crazy fun time. :D There's a part of me that misses that (what ever it is that you call "that"). I haven't driven in over 3 weeks... I do like Catherine's ideas on "intrepretive parking" and when I start up again I might have to consider taking that up. :P

And then in the afternoon my nice little break was going to pick up a card for Z at work. Her birthday is this coming weekend, and for once, I think we won't be last minute on it! It was so funny going over the greeting and birthday cards. "For a Special Man on his birthday" (Definitely not for Z.) Could imagine someone (anyone?) saying "special man" without cracking up? Or is this the tea working again? *puzzled* I didn't quite notice if there was a card for everything (as other people have claimed). But there certainly are a lot of cards out there with the main goal to have as little internal white space as possible so that the sender does not have to write anything aside from their name. All right, I know I'm being cynical. But after reading so many cheesy verses, I think just "Happy Birthday" would have been nice. Having said that the muses are going to punish me I'm sure, by striking me with writer's block for the next 7 years, and I'll have to resort to one of those cards!

Oh, and for those of you who aren't a part of Moo! - apparently woman and men differ in the shower! Here's the article: http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/study-comes-clean-on-sexes/2005/09/27/1127804476070.html?from=moreStories Brilliant!

*shaking head* Must be the tea...

Quiet Saturday

I can't believe that it's dark outside already. I need the daylight-savings time to kick in just so that I can wake myself up in the mornings, and not fall into an unintentional nap at this hour. But good thing is that I'm at work, and I have my candle to keep my spirits.

I managed to survive yesterday by taking on the Financial Statement Duplication Project... hm... using capital letters doesn't really make it that much more glamourous. It is what it is: photocopying for 2 hours. But eventhough it isn't glamous, I think it was just what I needed. The copy room seems to be the only place that's warm enough in the office. And as soon as people stopped coming in to try and do their stuff - I could fondle my warm copies in peace. I got to leave my desk, and the whole project kept me upright and running around. When I was done, it was almost time to go home. Nice.

D and I were the only ones left and she told me about how stressed she was with all the interviews she had to go to. I guess I was jealous, I didn't exactly have that problem (not that I've been trying that hard at applying for jobs, mind you). But I was definitely not envious of her other stressor - her common-law boyfriend / fiance had told her she had to move out if she didn't have a job. Yikes! I couldn't imagine being in a relationship like that. Makes me scared about dating and relationships. Eventhough I wish I wasn't living with my parents, at least I didn't have to worry about shelter if I didn't have a new job to jump into. The only thing is Mom and Dad are already planning for all the free time I'm going to have. First on their list - a massive room cleaning. Ugh.

All in all it's been a drab kind of Saturday. I got up, hit the alarm clock and went back to bed... and then I remembered I wanted to meet Chris at NAIT for their open house. So I dragged myself to the NAIT campus... only to find that it was cold, my cellphone had relapsed into thinking it was a broadcast radio, and everyone there looked too young! O.k. that's not entirely true, there were the obvious parents leading their kids around from table to table. That didn't stop me from feeling old.

I visited the Business centre to check out their Marketing program (nothing for library sciences, alas). After I explained to them that I have my B.Comm from the University, a Management presenter said I should have been their earlier, he could have used me as an example... um... o.k. He said I illustrated what happens when you go through the university program, often you get streamed into a certain area, and after 4 years you find out you're not doing what you want to do and at that point it's tough to change / switch into another area. Great... *shaking head* those were inspirational words, mister.

Well, to home, to dinner, and to tackle the homework thing tomorrow.

"Women are Like Waves"

... and "Worst-Case Scenerios"

Catherine reminded me yesterday of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus", our book club pick from almost a year ago. Peter Gray came as close as one can to describing PMS without actually saying it. Basically: "Women are like waves" So, I guess that's what it is... It's Friday, my boss approved the rest time I requested, work hasn't been crazy busy, and I didn't have to fight for my multigrain bagel this morning - Things should be good. Instead, for the past couple of days I've been grumpy, achy, tired, and basically wanting to hide in a hole. According to the Wave theory I have to hit rock bottom before things start looking up. Must be bad if I'm thinking Peter Gray has all my answers ;P But at least he's optimistic - things will bounce back up. And the Magic 8 Ball says: Most Likely. Oh, and apparently I will find true love one day... that's good. Too bad the Magic 8 Ball can't tell me when... but I'll stop asking before it starts to recind the original answers.

In attempts to quell / or aid my wanderlust, I've started to read "Worst-case Scenerio Survival Handbook: Travel". The introduction says it can be used as my "passport to survival", emergency toilet paper, or "good information and entertainment to the armchair survivalist". And while I've read the sections thus far on "how to control a runaway camel", and "how to crash-land a plane on water", I'm pretty sure you don't want me doing those things, unless we have the book with me. I can also look forward to learning "How to foil a UFO Abduction" and "How to Cross a Piranha-Infested Waters" - though I seriously hope I don't come across those situations. Hm... I wonder if showing my parents that I have this wonderful book they'll be more open to me travelling. :P At least to Melfort ;) (N.B. This is a library copy, so "hint, hint"!) What they don't apparently teach you is "How to sneak away to far exotic locations by hiding in luggage." Which would have been particularly useful since Andrea's off in Ottawa, Machaela's headed to Winnipeg for the week, and Bryan was in Las Vegas (you're back now, right?). Agh! I 've got to leave the city... or at least leave my desk. I'm going for a short walk.

Hope the rest of you are having a good Friday with a fun filled weekend ahead!

Tango Pains II

So, Blogger just might hate me and thus cutting off my entries. This was the last part of 11-October-2005 entry:

Anyway, my dazed out morning was the direct result of not getting enough sleep last night. We had another TA class and we got reamed out for a bad tango. A very bad tango. We kept doing the steps over and over again. D&D did their tough love speech – how did we expect to inspire and teach when we were doing it all so badly? And that they were giving 100% and they weren’t going to accept from us anything less than that. And then when we hit the Latin section, I found out I’m also bad at the Cha-cha. Ugh. Well, I have another day to get it all sorted out... and then to demo in front of the class *gulp*

When I finally got home, I turned on my CD player and was again engrossed in “Dracula”. I thought the whole book was cheesy when I read it back in junior high. Truly some things are better enjoyed in certain mediums... such as Shakespeare’s plays, which should be studied as theatre, I’m enjoying this book a lot more through audio. And it conveniently leaves my hands free for stuff like stretching out and using muscle rub. Needing to stretch is another sign of getting old, isn’t it? Oh, well. Zug. Back to work.

Feeling Old - Boy on the Bus & Tango Pains

It’s afternoon, I’ve downed many cups of green tea and a whole chocolate bar and finally I feel like I’m starting to wake up. I don’t think this whole idea of getting work on time is actually worth it. For one, I’m leaving the warm house for the dark and cold outside. And when I get here, I’m basically non-functional for the first hour or so (don’t tell my boss) I end up doing the things that don’t require brainwork... such as filing, or emptying my recycle bin. And to top it off, I have to usually stay late anyway. My work ethic was much better a year ago – back when for some strange reason my body thought I was a morning person. :P

And there are advantages to sleeping in and making up the hour at another time. Work-wise: I bump into fewer walls during the day, I’m more productive when I can turn off the air conditioner (and not be freezing cold), and I actually make more sense (to myself). Other-wise... well, if I sleep in and catch a later bus, I also stand a better chance of seeing this cute guy on the bus *blush* Things have progressed so far that if I smile at him, he smiles back! Amazing, eh?! And he even opened the door for me once (we go into the same building). I know this is fantasy. For one, he’s way too young for me. He looks *gulp* 18 (barely). (Chris, I hear you groaning inwardly – I know, I know, I should look for more “mature” romantic interests). And according to that little algorithm for calculating minimum dating ages... carry the one... he has to be at least 20. Boy, I feel old.

Either way though, seeing him definitely gives me an added boost of energy for the rest of the day. And people have been giving me some interesting insights into how to “lure” a guy. Nick and Marc took me out for Dim Sum yesterday (thanks guys – especially for not picking Happy Garden), and after laughing at me for being a “cougar” and “robbing the cradle”, mentioned the “drop something and pick it up” method. Now we all know how well that worked in Legally Blonde. Their other suggestion (sticking my phone number down his pants) lacked subtlety... just a little.

A cultural thing or is my family just nuts?

My boyfriends have never understood my family. I remember reading passages of Amy Tan novels to them - expecting them to be moved or burst out laughing at the similarities. But they usually just stare back at me with blank eyes and shake their head. Amy Tan understands! She writes for me. Her crazy Chinese families full of superstitious traditions and suspicious looks to the western world, could be an echo of mine. But of late... I'm starting to think there may be even more to my family, that goes beyond just cultures being displaced.

Such as yesterday, after Thanksgiving dinner. My parents were fighting over who was going to do the dishes. I'm pretty sure in a most other families it would be a shove of the responsibility from one person to the other. And then probably the duty given to the kids. For us? Both of them wanted to do it. They were actually fighting for the right to do dishes. You may have seen Chinese people fight over the bill - it's an honour thing. But dishes?

I think we're the only ones... and I don't think I escaped this weirdness either. Boyfriends' mothers loved it when I came over for dinner - I'd be the one slogging away with them at the dishes. And this made me happy *shaking head*

I also remember Chris's confusion to the lexicon of approved and not approved behaviour at my house. As Chris was a guest, it was inappropriate for my then 4 year old nephew to climb all over him and play. But ramming food into Chris's mouth: an applauded action. I wonder if I should place a warning sign for visitors:

Agressive hosts within. Refuse food & drink at own peril.

Agressive hosting... I laugh now, but just wait until I get my own place and I know I'll be the same. But I solemnly promise I will not try to ram food into your mouth. Promise. Well... as long as you promise to eat. :P

Happy Turkey Day!

It's Sunday, I'm back at work again attempting another task in BC2. Good thing Ryan showed up after an hour or so. I probably would have gone insane without him. Things were actually starting to make sense!

We easily took up an hour playing games on MSN. Very addictive considering I can actually win in a couple of the games, the redeeming factor is that whole thing crashed before we played too long. Will be back again tomorrow with more attempts at the assignment. I'm seriously questioning again what I want to do with all this. School used to be easy (well, easier), but now the temptations are getting harder and harder to ignore. Char, I would almost have to agree with you. Only that if my schooling involved interactions with real people - I may not go insane as quickly. But that's only conjecture. I'd then probably be complaining about how group work was impossible since my schedule is so filled ;) Hang in there!

Anyway - Happy Thanksgiving to people reading this. (Which I'm guessing is nominal since I have yet to email the link to my friends ;) But, just to provide some feedback / confirmation - post comments so I know who's visiting!) My parents call today Turkey Day/Festival, eventhough they already told me our dinner tonight will be roast beef. They know the idea is to give thanks, but I know it doesn't really register as a holiday for them. First they're retired, second they're still very much Chinese, and I guess thirdly (related to the second note), our big day for celebrating the harvest was over a month ago - the Mid-Autumn Festival.

I can still hardly believe that September is over. Especially since this assignment of mine requires me to date everything February 2002!

O.k. back to attempting something productive. 'Til tomorrow.

Office Antics: The Stapler

I just came back from the bank and found that the Big Boss had put an expense claim on my desk. I burst out laughing and had to show my co-workers: Four pages of regular paper held (smushed) together with 2 large binder staples. The staples themselves had doubled over so that the long ends were sticking out of the front. O.k. this might not be big office humour for you. But it got us laughing. How many people do that?! Did he really think that those 4 pages really needed that big of staples? And two for good measure?

And then... he walks by... and he recognised the expense claim in my hand. "Oh dang!" I thought, as I shrunk away to my cubicle. I tried to calm down and he comes over and says "What's wrong with my staples?" We couldn't help it, we all burst out laughing then. Someone made the crack that if he kept doing that, we'd have a worker's compensation case in our hands (those long ends can give some nasty scratches :P). Anyway, he ended up smiling too.

Big sigh of relief when he went. I guess he does have a sense of humour. But I guess I should have known that when he laughed at my latest "graceful" moment (inspired by my new pedometer). The moral of the story: watching your pedometer while walking (or dancing) can be very dangerous and should not be attempted while anyone of import may be watching... oh, and while cubicle walls may have some give to them, they still hurt if you hit them head on.

Anyway, in conclusion - staplers are good for fastening things together, getting rid of stress, and when it's a Friday afternoon: good office fun. Really, we're not on drugs - we're just accountants.

Food Fight

When it comes to food - people get weird. I'm not saying that yours truly is an exception (most of you know my thing with ham, *ugh*), but some really take it just a little too seriously.

Just like last night's tasting at the Shaw. After leading us through a labrynth of halls, finally we reached "The Chef's Table" That's another point for marketing ;) - in reality it was a long table covered with a black table cloth in the middle of one of the kitchens.

After doing a short round of musical chairs, we started the tasting. Quite civilly I might add. We're technically grown-ups (o.k. University students actually fall in a whole different category), but that didn't stop us from wearing the coloured napkins as the most stylin' hat. We looked at plates, commented on presentation, and after a couple of mouthfuls, handed the plate off. We knew how to share - but decision time came we obviously did not know to compromise! *laugh*

"No one has beef in November!"
"Lavendar is for grandmothers, not dessert!"
"To the goat!" Gregory toasted.

The Law students started showing some of their colours - talking legalese and introducing strange motions to rule. Poor Darren (thank you again for the After Eights) stood alone on some of the more "exotic" dishes :P . Mild-mannered Adam, who was quiet-spoken (usually about everything) even attempted a coup: "I'll walk!" if we didn't choose the carmel cheese cake. I'm sure there were fists thumping the table. I really wasn't that much better - who would want to drink a chicken broth that tasted like soya sauce? And beef in the winter - because people need the iron!

With these crazy dynamics, maybe Roberts Rules of Order might have been a good idea... Though on the flip side it probably would have been really fun to see some of those salads worn rather than eaten. Lana's Rules of Disorder?

Bridget Jones - Lite

Weight: 8.5 Stone (or something like that)
Cigarettes (lifetime total): 0
Drinks: 2 mugs of tea
Potential Boyfriends: 0
After Eight Mints: 10 and counting

I'm at work today, busying myself with the CGA assignment I should have started over a week ago. So far so good... only took me over an hour to install a patch and download the data. But during that time, of course, I managed to pay my bills, eat breakfast, check my daily comics, find out how to convert pounds to "stones", and listen to my favourite Sunday radio show on CBC (the Vinyl Cafe if you were wondering). Truly work is the home away from home... well, that's more true now that Angel and I have split up. But that's o.k. Why should I be distressed just because I've developed a wild magnetism toward self-help books, chocolate, and the bathroom scale? I'm not completely falling apart. No, of course not.

I'm doing fine. In fact I'm spoiling myself... or rather people have been spoiling me. Starting with last week - Thank you Bryan and Stephanie, I loved the postcards. Getting two in one day was simply fantastic! And Friday was a night with the TC girls: Catherine, Jasmine, Shauna, and Charlotte all in the same city. We indulged with dinner at L'azia followed by some shopping downtown. Their powers of restraint helped to save a little black dress from the oblivion that is Lana's closet. Jasmine, in turn appeased the gods by casting some of her dresses in that direction (Thank you so much). And of course the best part was the chatting... the moments when I could forget things have changed since the last time we were all together.

So, exactly what is different? I'm closer to being unemployed (definitely not nice), the University dance season has started up (yes, exercise good - feet hurting bad), I've started the CGA course Business Case 2 (giving me lots of anxiety), one of my calendars at work now shows a delicious fruit tart which replaces the horrible ham sandwich of September (the other shows another cute David McEnery cat - overall this is good), and my two pregnant co-workers are even closer to having their babies. Oh, yes, and the thing with the Boy.

Well, back to the assignment... and then to dance practice... and then Monday with "real" work at work. It is month end afterall. But before I get ahead of myself - an After Eight. Yum. And really, reading a little more on the web couldn't hurt...

"Eating at a Vegan restaurant is like watching a movie." Ryan said as he came back from lunch. In his big annoucer's voice: "Tofu starring as Chicken in Tofu Chicken Burger..." What could we do but laugh? Ryan's not your typical accountant... or maybe it's just monthend and we're already out of it. This is the time of the month that relatively sane and mild-mannered people decide that the bane of their existence is the adding machine that won't print properly, and the only way to deal with it is to pound on the keys... repeatedly. Yes, that was me. Date stamping and G/L stamping the mail may provide moments of venting - but really it's the acts of violence towards office equipment that's most satisfying. Maybe they should start making them out of rubber. No, I do not need an anger management class.

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

~ William Blake, Auguries of Innocence