Knock on Wood / I'm the Fool

Those dead branches on the Mountain Ash are doing some good: they're attracting more wildlife.

Today: "Dit-dit-didi-dit-dit..."

Followed by massive giggles for the bird that hits his head against the tree (AKA: Woodpecker, Downy?), and the Mama who tries to imitate the sound (though sounding more like Morse code).

Paul was momentarily fooled today by the announcement of the UTP (Toronto and Texas) merger.

Not so much fun for me.  Year End sucks the potential April Fools fun out of everything.  Olivia did try a morning opening gambit, declaring to me and Lorena, "There's no work to do today."  (May have been more effective if it was Lorena who said it to us, if cruel :P).  Though, it's probably best not to playing jokes at work. 

But, I guess I am still the fool: I believed James when said he would be "good" if I let him walk home...  And that that slide was would be the last slide...

And that he wouldn't stick something else from the ground into this mouth.  Ew. 

(I finally did strap him back in.) 

Nominated!

Yee!  I've been nominated for a Campus Sustainability Leadership Award! 

Um... but what did I get nominated for? 

Worried it is (hoping it isn't) for any of the embarrassing (slightly gross / uncouth) things that I do at work:
- Wearing the same outfit the most times without washing
- Going to the most clothing swaps (and probably bringing in and taking the most items ever)
- Taking the office leftovers using reusable containers (that I bring from home)
- Most days without washing one's hair (14)

Paul is trying to be supportive and nice: "It's a good thing."  And reminds me a bunch of those people won't even know. 

But, really, I feel like such a fraud.

Before going on mat leave I did so much more... and used so much less.  Now I own a car and drive more.  I eat more meat (though slightly more organic and less out at restaurants).  And, there's all of James's disposable diapers! 

Anyway, I guess I'll just have to wait a month (19-Apr) to find out. 

I am sick

I missed out on office Xmas party.  Le sigh.  I just hope they managed to present my slideshow -- it was so much work!

Actual work I'm not so worried about now that we have 2 new FAs to deal with setups, and (my?) student Annie can upload journals.  The day to day is covered.

I got a hint of what a vacation day could be like... except I needed to be near the bathroom, and I'm feeling weak. I guess this is what James had 3 days ago?

Will I lose some weight?

No appetite at all yesterday, but this afternoon, feeling better, tentative to eat again.  Maybe I'll feel stronger, maybe it'll all run through me.  UGH.

I try to do some basic household chores.  Woah, is this laundry basket always so heavy? Is this what my Mom means? (She complained even that our plates are too heavy.)  Is this what I have to look forward to as I get even older?

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This is what I missed: 

- Pass-the-parcel with fork and knife:

- an awesome ugly sweater contest. 

Look!  My slideshow is playing the background!

I'm back!

... and surprisingly on time at 8:30 AM! 

Between good weather, a quick drop off with James ("Have-fun-I-love-you-kiss-kiss-goodbye!), I was at the bus stop at 7:51 AM.  Can I do it again (and again, and again...)?

The view on the commute.

I was overwhelmed by the warm welcome.  Figured since people didn't email me or respond to my photo updates that maybe they've forgotten about me... nope.  There were hugs and so many questions.  I didn't know what to say.  Most of my co-workers are moms so I figured they knew (the tough early months, the lack of sleep, the sad feeling of leaving him, being scared about coming back and knowing nothing, the peace of the commute [finally no demands]...). For the non-moms, how to compress it all into an interesting, thoughtful, sound bite that's not scary or ridiculous?  I end up going generic: "We're fine."

Olivia kept my plants happy.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.— ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

Anyway, just so many things. 

Things I've forgotten:
- I wear glasses (for the computer).
- It's cold in the room (need more sweaters / more layers)
- Snacks!  (Need them to keep going)
- What it's like to have to share a bathroom and kitchen with co-workers

So clean and tidy - because everything is packed in storage.

New things:
- So many new people
- There's now a protocol for using the water coolers
- The Social Committee has completely disbanded and started anew 


Lorena's kind and starts me off easy.  My current tasks:
- Go through emails and read the Finance meeting minutes
- Go through the boxes of my boxed work stuff -- but they're currently in storage TBU (to be unearthed)

Paul picked up James, and both were waiting for me when I make it home (about 5:30 PM).  James whines a bit, but then we're all hugging on the couch and it's a great feeling... and then we're back to rushing.  James: bath, food, put to bed.  Then me: food, make lunches, pack... eventually, bed. 

Mom-ish (Me) Visiting the Office

Gloria: You look like a mom.
Me: ... Thanks?

My coworker insisted this was a good thing -- a certain confidence I have now that marked me as no longer "a little girl".  I asked her if she wasn't just mistaking tiredness for gravity / seriousness, because I feel, if anything, less confident of what I'm doing every day...

As predicted, people wanted to know where James was and why I didn't bring him.  I was saved by Maria -- she rolled in with pram and baby Carter.  He's 4 weeks old and pretty cute.  Their baby-cuteness appetite redirected: my chance to escape!  
To my original goal: recovering my stuff from the office.  Lorena had packed up my desk, splitting and boxing work from personal stuff (apparently several minutes at the end of each day).  Ian, Olivia, Esther, and Andrea helped me move them to Dad's waiting car.*  It almost didn't all fit. 

I tried to catch up on what's been going on: Esther got a longer contract; many more students hired, and now housed in another area; Andrea is now in my space (hired on for summer and co-op );  Olivia got a nice chic hair cut... 

It was a mixed blessing that Lorena mixed up my visiting time / date.  Fewer people, (slightly) longer talks.  Jenny asked if I've been taking videos -- she's been videoing her baby (no longer a baby, now a toddler terror :P) a few times each month.  Dang, forgot: Colour, moving and still.


I gave out packages of the red eggs and candies.  Wanted to stay longer, but knew Dad would be impatient. And, though sad I was to go,  I knew, already I didn't quite belong here.  And I was exhausted.


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* Dad still won't let me drive, even though there's been no driving restrictions from my OB-GYN (because I'm healing well).  He's pretty sure I don't get enough sleep for it to be safe.  He might not be wrong, but it means if want to run my errands, I have to listen to the lectures.

Potluck Potlaw

"Do you think a chef can just say "It's OK"?"

Ian was making fun of my lackluster response.  What am I supposed to say?  I'm not a chef, so what I made for the work potluck was good enough... Though I knew what he meant: The Potluck Potlaw.  I've brought shame to my name. :P

Gloria, Ursula, Slavica, and Me.

But though my dish wasn't very popular (black bean salad), and I wasn't a huge part of the planning of this event, I felt really welcomed back into the Social Committee fold.

The four of us ran like clockwork, transporting all the supplies using the file carts (left), setting up the room in record time, and even having a moment for a selfie and some dancing.

The program was really simple this time around (food, door prizes, a few speeches), but it was all really appreciated.

And here I thought it would be awkward coming back.  I should really worry less.

Day One

"Smile!  Big smile!"

I do so thinking about all the other times I'm not allowed to -- for passports, for driver's licenses... And it turned out pretty good.  They spelled my name right!  But got my department wrong.  Tee-hee.  Looks like the security people can't keep all the re-organisations and name changes straight either.    


Two weeks to settle everything after the official announcement.  One week of more office drama than I would have thought could be crammed into one.  And finally, I'm here downtown.

The funny parts:

1. I've been back to the main campus twice since!  I should have just stayed... but then I'd have forfeited a whole lot of steps.


2. It turns out the IT department has the oldest and slowest computers.  At least, our area... Um... the one they gave me.  The person setting it up for me gave up and went to scavenge for another.

At 3:30 p.m. I had a working computer and phone, and lots of reading to do.  The overhead lighting is horrible and I'll likely need my glasses here. But somehow, I lucked out with one the closest things to a window cubicle.

One floor down and across the atrium, there's a little green oasis. 

Moving Down

"You're only getting one trolly, Lana."

Yes, but I can also use boxes...

It's official moving day at the office!  For our team, it means packing up to go down one floor.  We're losing space and our own kitchen... but for the reorganization to work (members of the same team sit near each other) it had to be done.  The people moving up are happy though. 

I was contentedly chugging along with my packing, but it seemed people thought it would be funny to come visit and hassle me about my stuff.  Just leave me alone! 

... But, I do have a lot of stuff.  And my office was always kind of crazy. 

Before

By the end of day, this is what it looked like: Ta-dah!

After

Things I discovered and threw out:
1. A pair of old dance shoes
2. First pair of "real" (office approved) shoes*
3. Four empty peanut butter jars (less than usual annual count)

* Elsie and Sharon were disappointed, "You should have bronzed them!" 

After days of back and forth, I finally also confirmed the start date for my job downtown!  But The Bosses have said there will not be an official announcement just yet -- there's too much stuff to finalise first.  Does that mean it might not happen? 

Oh, well, that's thinking for another day.  Bye-bye old office!  Bye-bye!

I got the call!

Feeling a little guilty that I've been so lucky.
But my co-workers (even the one who applied for the position too) seemed happy for me. 
Everything is going to change!

Should I even bother to unpack my stuff? 

Ridiculous!  I know, I first need to pack my stuff for the move before even considering that :P

March Madness

Esther: I wasn't sure if you wanted me to wait until August to post...

We were both in Lorena's office to get her signed approval on various transactions.  Embarrassed, she whited-out the month and wrote...

Lana: Psst... it's not February either. 

I left the room as Lorena, even more embarrassed, whited-out the month and started writing again. 

Later, back at our desks:

Esther: She wrote "April". 

Oh the joys of year end. 

Tricks and Treats

A surprising number of people dressed up for work!  Gloria's Minnie Mouse coordinated perfectly with Pat's cat... and with Krista's Scientist (who gave our Director a good ribbing). 


People brought in themed treats and were even game to play "bobbing for doughnuts".  The laughing and smiling made the extra effort we put in organising really seem worth it. 


Though Lorena didn't dress up, she shared some of her kids' great ideas*:

- A garbage bag cape with the words "Low Budget Man" (indeed a super hero)
- A white T-shirt with the words: "Error 404: Costume not Found".


Clever, but definitely a far cry from when Lorena made their costumes: 

So cute!

* I should probably consider these next year, as my attempt this year again caused more confusion than not. 

Campus Trees and Water Features Tour, Part 2

On recommendation of the participants of the July lunch time campus tree tour, they organised a part two.  It was another beautiful day and another almost full hour lunch time walk on campus.

Wayne led us first west then north and back to see different trees and water features.

For areas that overlapped with the first tour, it was amazing to note the difference a couple of months makes: All this colour!  And there were also interesting fruit and nut shapes. 

I managed to resist the urges to taste the colourful berries...

One tree sticks out in my mind, once it was pointed out to me.  It looks normal, but from one particular angle (photo below right) you can see just how compromised it is.  Planted much too close to the building, over the years it was severely pruned and trained to its "half a tree" state so that it didn't have to be completely removed.  It's healthy, but oh, all the work that went into it!

It's a very good living reminder to plan for the full size, stature, and shape of a tree before planting.  

New building developments are also a challenge.  A curving path can avoid trees head on, but still in digging and paving it much of the root system could be destroyed. 

Just how much The good work Wayne's department does is reflected in how much we don't notice it.  A tree that looks healthy (so that it blends in as normal), all these green lawns mostly leaf-free (machine raked and mulched)...

He said there were flower beds that they tried to devote to native plants (which are touted for being easy: suited, drought resistant), but it turned out to be too much upkeep to weed out non-native plants.

He also suggested that one day a catalogue of all the trees and their locations would mean people could do self-guided tours and maybe turn into a virtual tour.  It would be so cool!  But of course, it would all take some funding. 

Ready? Steady? New-school-year-go!

Oh, I am so graceful.  I managed to fall while walking up the escalators (again) and (because I can't remember the last one) was sent for a tetanus shot.  Ouch and ouch some more. 

The plus side of all this: I got to see campus on its first day.

So many people!  And cookies!  I snacked on one of the later while checking out the display for classes at St. Joseph's College.  I'd mistakenly thought they only offered religious studies.  Among their fall line up: Business Ethics, Tolkein, and The Ethics of Hunting ("The professor is really cool, he's over there in the armour").

I made it back to work with another surprise: People (well, a specific person) aren't back from vacation!  Meaning I'd have to do their month end stuff on top of my own.  Ugh, that's just the way things work sometimes...

I'm glad once I'm back at home.  Paul chose one of Bill Bailey's shows to watch and I laughed and forgot for a while about being tired and injured.  I guess we're back to the (fall term) "normal".

U of A Campus Tree Tour

The weather was beautiful yesterday and perfect for a walk around campus.  Admittedly, it was a little rushed as Wayne (of Landscape Services) tried to show us all the interesting trees on campus along with new landscape features. 

We didn't make it. 

(Right: Two of my co-workers also on the tour.)

But we did see (and touch) the cork tree located between Triffo Hall and Cameron Library (below). 

And the Ginkgo biloba (one of three) gifted from Japan, in the "Education Quad" (below right). 

Wayne told us these trees and some others on the tour are not actually hardy to zone 3, but the buildings release heat and provide shelter creating good micro-climates. 

This gets me thinking / day dreaming a bit of what I could potentially grow... if I created a micro-climate.  But I stuck to something a little more realistic, asking at the end of the tour for some advice about our "problem" trees. 

The water features were also impressive.  I thought I had stumbled on all of them by now, but there were more.  And picnic benches nearby make almost every one of them a nice place to pause and sit.  I should really get out of the office more. 

The "Education Quad's" waterfall incorporated the cube-y sculpture that had been there for years. The two combined feel a little sci-fi and surreal.  It would have been a cool place for some of our wedding photos. 

 

 

Work and Recreation

We followed up Shakespeare with something a little less challenging for me: Parks and Recreation.  Somehow, this American series made it across the pond and has Andrew and Beccy's enthusiastic endorsement.  Paul and I are giving it a try and so far, I like it -- The Office, with better lighting, and Pollyanna as the main character, and plenty of wackiness.  But, you know, not like real life. 

In real life, in a real office, my auto-pilot was on and I ended up on the wrong floor -- certainly not surprising (eyes are open, but awake?).  But, it did reveal an unexpected new-office-benefit: An extra flight of stairs.  Yay, a bonus bit of exercise I don't have to plan!

Once on the proper floor and the right office, though, an unexpected new-office-guilt appeared: Olivia's office ceiling leaks. 

Office, Sweet Office

After months of speculation, we've moved!

Over the past two weeks, I threw out (some) stuff and dumped (most) stuff into boxes.  On Tuesday, I loaded the boxes onto bookshelf-like trollies. 

Then Wednesday, we were to forgot about it all.  Our team was booked for an all day meeting and training session and thus very conveniently out of the way when the professional movers were to do their thing.  But then there was a knock on the meeting room door...

Should have known: My stuff caused a problem. It was embarrassing, but was eventually sorted out. 

Now, with a couple days here, I'm really enjoying having a window.  I hope people visit.

Today.

Good news: Paul's got an editing contract position!

For me, there was a meeting downtown.  It had such levels of boring I only stayed awake by concentrating on IT guys' clothes.  Their dress shirts were in bright colours and striped.  They wore jewelry (gold rings with jewels, gold chain necklaces).  The older ones had more.  They practically glittered against the beige walls, concrete grey carpet, and all the black the rest of wore.  I don't think anyone could mistake them for local business and IT guys.  India must be a colourful place.  

Slugs: 6
Dandelions: 10

The Final Countdown

Started vacation yesterday, but had to come back to work for one thing: The Summer Bash! 

Slavica had the Ukrainian main courses catered through a friend and we only had to do some minor transport.  My main worry: The air band competition.  Yep.  We decided to go there. 

It might have even been my idea those months ago in the planning stages, but I quickly regretted it: Boss Michael immediately thought it would be great and signed up all of us for it.  For a while it seemed like our team was going to be the only ones.  But it turned out better than I could have hoped: Three entries! 

Meticulously labelled "Dijon Ketchup" packets and a "fridge" full of "Pre-wrapped Sausage" in the staging area gave me enough clues to figure out T.F.C.'s grand plans.  And then the music started. 

Paula, Heidi, and Megan ferried the items around as Gloria, Lorraine, and Kris lip-synched and played.  It ended in a flourish of monopoly money - which Jamie then swept away. 

Yikes!  What an act to follow. 







I'd missed out on our air band practice so wasn't really sure what to expect.  With crazy sparkly sunglasses and dollar store instruments, our band, "Analyse This", stepped up and rocked out to Europe's The Final Countdown. 






Slavica took centre stage to mime playing the familiar synthesizer notes.  I pounded on a garbage can with the drumsticks someone had handed me.  Boss Michael leapt into the air with the microphone stand.  Oksana stepped into the middle for the guitar solo. 

All I could think of was how ridiculously long the song was.  Finally, the countdown was over. 

Last up, were The Twisted Blue Keys with their version of The Black Keys' Lonely Boy.  Pat showed us what a real kit drummer looks like in action.  I loved their song and their super coordinated look. 

In the end, the audience voted by applause making T.F.C's re-creation of The Barenaked Ladies' "If I had a Million Dollars" video the winner. 

Everyone seemed to like the event.  Many who were too scared to sign up a band came up after wards to say how they wish they did.  Taking people out of their comfort zones with something different can work. 

I still didn't feel that great about my performance, but I guess it really was something considering how our team is pretty much made up of introverts (who were peer pressure into it / not sure they could decline). 

I was really glad though, after all that great food and so much fun that I didn't have to go back to the office and work as though it was a normal day.  Instead, back home there was a different final countdown: Jackie will be here in a few hours!  So, time for some last minute cleaning.  Let's see if I can get Europe's Final Countdown out of my head and replace it with Lonely Boy while I do it... but I'm not going to count on it. 

* Picasa: Making questionable air band photos look extra cool.