Borders / Boundaries

Daisy and Suneil are getting married! Unofficially there's some cousins calling the pairing: Sunny D. *giggle* Their save-the-date card was on the counter when I got home, and it made me do a double-take. It's a minature passport with the Canadian crest on the cover subtlely altered to include hearts and their initials. Very fun and appropriate. They're doing a destination wedding and cruise in Mexico! My parents and their grandparents have already said they won't be going. All the more incentive for me to go! Except... um... except... I'll be in the middle of a course by then (nephew Jeff, being all responsible, reminds me). And I do need that course since I managed to wait too long and all the equivalent classes for this semester were filled. Dang. Well, I'm still going to apply for a passport. It's time. And it could come in handy...

Margaret and Morgan were in town yesterday and the day before. And we got our act together to throw a barbeque at Simon's house. I showed up later than anticipated and missed out on the tour, but was in time to catch up with the people who made it out. It was quite the little reunion. Nader was there! Thomas remembered, and gave me a turtle (I have to say was pretty sweet).

The temperature dropped quite quickly, and we migrated inside for a slide show of all the photos of Margaret and Morgan's wedding. Now that was pretty sweet too. So many pictures I had not seen from other people's cameras. And video evidence of the hoe down.

Afterwards we migrated back downstairs to start on the chocolate fondue. Very tasty. And even though my camera wasn't co-operating in taking photos, it worked very well as a conversation piece. Thomas and Simon had some very creative ideas on what should be done to convince me to get another camera: falling, landing on and thus breaking the old one, or "accidentally" spilling water on it. Almost as good as Chris's old suggestion of giving me a camera coupon. How could one resist a "$200 off" coupon, on a camera... even if the camera price was marked up by the same?

Theresa had a terrible allergic reaction to some Chinese herbal soup on the weekend and went to Emergency. She's slowly recovering now. I think there is more serious thought about drinking these cure all soups in our family now. I think this is good practice. Herbal does not mean safe! Feeling slightly guilty though about not spending more time with Celina and Kevin. Mom reminds me they need me. And not just because Theresa's sick right now.

I also being challenged at work where things are getting fuzzy. I'm scared of becoming cynical, but don't want to be naive or a fool in this situation. A co-worker asked to borrow more money. His first request was about a month ago for an emergency and he paid me back in a couple of days as promised. I felt awful when lending the first time, but also elated that things turned out when he paid me back. You'd think I'd have learned something from Shakespeare (Hamlet, I.3) Lidia has. But she's not sure what she would do either.

Live and Let Fringe

Lana learned:

1. Don't play Scrabble with Welsh people (Rainer Hersch’s Victor Borge)
2. Embelishments are snacks that ruin the dinner of facts (Marty Chan's God's Eye)

3. A one-star rating does not mean your show will die. Instead, word of mouth can shock your FOH volunteer with sold-out shows, and massive line-ups in the rain (Waiting for Grimm)

4. Even if it's your first shift, people will think you're the team captain if you can stay calm and wear a radio set well.

5. Whether German, European or American - Haagen-Dazs is delicious! (Volunteer Head Quarters)

6. Maggie Now has Parts 3 and 4!

7. Mark Meer and Belinda Cornish smoke! (And it is possible to resist Lanarazzi urges)

8. She has a big head. (right)

Work week mumblings

Finally it's Friday. I'm still at work though everyone's cleared out. Part of it makes sense - there's another 2 hours before Maggie-Now's Part II, and I really need to get some of my thoughts organized.

It's been an interesting work week since every day has felt like a Friday. People have been funny... in a "uh-oh" kind of way.

After many, many emails back and forth with one researcher and his staff, the researcher concluded an email with: "Hope this will be the last straw." I personally hope that it was a mixed metaphor gone wrong. You know, rather than a blantant attempt at irritation. I'm not entirely sure.

Boss Michael and I sometimes joke through Facebook. A recent "friend" addition prompted him to ask when he will start seeing me in the news... Greenpeace... protester bootcamps... I told him to look for me in a mask. Not really. Though I'm very curious about it all.

Today's change management meeting had me thinking back to some organization theory from so long ago. I think we were all trying to be positive, but there were hints of weariness showing. There's just been so many changes.

Susan: This team is good at rolling with the punches.
Andrea: Yeah. We get punched all the time.

Maybe it is a full moon, too.

They asked about the monkeys

"That's loser talk!" ~ Erik

The plans for prior bloodletting outtings were postponed because we couldn't get our schedules together. Erik and I finally decided to just go, and drag Steph there another time.

Wasn't sure what exactly to expect after a year break. But things were mostly the same. After filling out the first half of the questionaire, I was ushered into a little closed cubicle to answer the second half. If these questions weren't so over the top, I would have probably felt slightly offended. Instead, I marvelled with the nurse at how they're finally recognising SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus) as a risk issue.

Erik had given me a head start, and I was already "plugged in" when he emerged from the cubicle. I saw the nurses rush to be the one to give him the needle. Other nurses rushed to me to watch my machine that was alternately blinking between red (warning!) and green (fine). Hm... this was slightly disturbing. Even if it wasn't a race... I continued to read "Lean Mean Thirteen" figuring this would help to get the blood flowing.

Finished slightly, slightly ahead of Erik, and met up with him in the rest area. They fed us cookies. Yum.

No one could find tweezers... so I pulled out scissors, a pen, some tape... That little corner of paper stuck in the photocopier wasn't going to get the best of me. And about 15 minutes later, I pulled it out feeling gloriously triumphant. I had achieved something. Others had failed, or even failed to attempt. The little square should be framed... or at least added it to my work wall of fame. But then, it went downhill. Stupid photocopier. Its paper jam light still blinking when I knew the truth. It was just being spiteful.

I'll just have to drown my defeat with my other little amusements and distractions. Such as finishing off an old post, reading Basic Instructions by Scott Meyer(a comic recommended on the Dilbert Blog), and bloodletting. We'll see how that last one goes tonight.

Finally got the nerve to check my CGA exam mark. And was almost frustrated to tears. How is it that the score sheet would be so hard to read? Why can't they just put in big red letters "PASS" or "FAIL"? Instead I had to search around, and finally call in Grace, one of my co-workers in the program, to interpret the results. I can be so incompetent sometimes. But in the end: I passed! Yay! I did a little happy dance in my office. Then came the realisation: I need to plan for the next one. Dang! Oh, well, I guess after so much "play" for the summer it is close to time to buckle down. At the very least - updating my adventures! More to come!