Reports from the Dewey Decimal Zone

Working hard, or hardly working?

2010-07-12T19:58:00.002-04:00

For the last several years, I've been focusing on other things in my life besides work. I have a good job, that I enjoy very much, but I have been content to coast along, enjoying the security of my permanent contract with the federal government, learning lots and making some good contacts, but not really giving much thought to any sort of career path or advancement. Now other things have fallen into place (relationship, marriage, social circle, etc.) and at the same time some interesting and exciting opportunities have opened up at work, and my thoughts have turned to a longer term focus for my career. I don't necessarily want or think it's wise to stay in my current position for the rest of my working life, although I do very much enjoy what I'm doing at the moment. I have a fear of stagnating, though -- I think it has started to happen a little bit already, and I'd like to keep that from getting worse.

A couple of months ago a call was sent out for someone to start working with our rare books librarian, who will be retiring next year and, is so often the case with someone with such specialized training, has a lot of knowledge and skills she would like to pass on before she leaves. I lept at the chance (seriously, I had my email sent to the division chief within five minutes of the announcement), and anyone who knows me well will understand why. I have a great passion for history, and a great passion for books, and so what better than to combine the two? That training hasn't started yet, but I'm expecting to begin any day and am really looking forward to it. This wouldn't replace my current duties, but is more something that I would do part time ... maybe one or two afternoons a week. It would mean a change for me, a different skill set (and one that is extremely valuable and portable should I decide one day to move on from my cushy government job), and I could make some connections with people in other parts of the institution. As much as I hate the concept of networking, it really is true that in many ways it's not what you know, it's who you know, particularly when it comes to employment, particularly in the government, particularly in Ottawa. So I see this as a huge step forward for me.

And then a few weeks ago I was approached by my team leader and asked if I would be willing to give a presentation to the division on the new international cataloguing rules that will be coming into effect next year. I sort of got myself into this mess by not keeping my mouth shut at a division meeting recently where I ended up spokesperson for our group (we had to break into groups, brainstorm, and then report back), and apparently I impressed some management-type people with my public speaking ability. I agreed to do the presentation for a couple of reasons. Number one, of course, is that when your team leader comes to you and says "how would you like ...?" the answer pretty generally is "I'd love to," whether you would or not. But beyond that, I see this as a really great opportunity for me. For one thing, the new international cataloguing rules are coming, whether we like it or not, and I have to learn them. This gives me a kick in the ass to get started on that (up until now I'd been kind of ignoring them and hoping they'd go away), and an opportunity to talk to people who have been involved with the development of the rules and standards from the start. I think it will help to have some understanding of the philosophy and structure behind the rules, rather than just being told "put a period here, where we used to put a comma." Also, if I can establish myself as an expert on and on the leading edge of the new rules in the division, I'll probably be first in line for training, and then on tap to train others. Which I think I would enjoy and be good at.

And, again, this is a good networking opportunity. If I do well on this presentation I expect to be asked to repeat it (our division chief is talking about a series of these sessions as we get closer to implementation next year). It's an opportunity to get my name out there, not only in our division but perhaps higher up the chain and in other divisions, and establish myself as an asset to the institution on a broader scale. It's also another extremely valuable skill set that looks great on my resume.

So, in summary, some interesting and potentially important doors are opening for me at work. I'd be a fool not to go through, eh? Stay tuned for further developments.

Feeling pampered

2010-06-04T11:14:00.001-04:00

The following comes off as a paid advertisment, but nothing could be further from the truth (although if someone ever decides they want to pay me to blog ...). Just a great experience that we had and I wanted to tell the world about it.

Back in January I had the opportunity to bid in a silent auction on two nights at a B&B in Vermont. Since we have sort of developed a tradition of going on a mini-getaway for Serdic's birthday, I thought this would be a nice way to do it. So I bid (there's a convoluted story about how I got someone else to bid so Serdic wouldn't see my name on the bid sheet) and won. We booked it for the Victoria Day long weekend, and were very much looking forward to it, as the friend and fellow choir member who had stayed there and received the donation for the silent auction could not stop raving about it.

So we went. And I have to tell you, dear readers, I have never enjoyed a mini-getaway weekend more. The Belding House is an absolute gem. A 200 year old farmhouse, set in the rolling mountains of Vermont, with two of the finest and friendliest innkeepers you will ever meet. And the food. Oh my heavens, the food. You kind of expect breakfast to be included (it's, you know, in the name) but they also do afternoon snacks (brie, crackers, grapes, sausage, bread, etc. -- all of Serdic's favourite things) and when you come back from dinner they put dessert out -- the first night it was a divine carrot cake, the second yummy yummy creme brulee. And the breakfasts were stunning -- from the slight hint of cinnamon in the coffee to the freshly squeezed juice to the cream cheese stuffed bourbon infused blackberry french toast. Mmmmmm. I'm drooling again just thinking about it.

Our room was lovely, comfortable and quiet. My favourite little touch was when we came back from dinner the second night the bed had been turned down and our books, which we had left on the dresser (after spending the afternoon lounging about on the porch reading and drinking freshly brewed iced tea!), had been placed on our pillows. Hee!

But really, what made the Belding House so special was the inkeepers, Clif and Larry (I don't think they'd mind me putting their real names here, as I'm about to say very nice things about them!). They were so welcoming and warm from the first minute, so attentive to the finer details of hosting, extremely talented in the kitchen, and just so much fun to spend a weekend with. I can not say enough good things about these two gentlemen, and what wonderful things they have done with their establishment. Particularly because they donated this weekend to the auction, so they weren't making a cent on us being there. Yet they treated us like honoured guests the entire time. They didn't owe the choir anything -- it's not even like we're part of their local community. But they're just really nice guys who support and love the arts, and they wanted to support our choir. And I'm returning the favour by getting the word out to as many people as I can that a weekend at the Belding House is an experience not to be missed. The only problem is that it'll ruin you for any other B&B.

Go. You won't be disappointed. Just don't go in October, because that's when we're going back. ;-)

Pictures are here.

Arundel

2010-05-21T13:55:00.001-04:00

This is my last England related post, I think. All photos from this trip can be seen here.

I first visited Arundel in 1995, as part of the Singer Family European Extravaganza, an amazing five weeks during which the SingerParents, PetDoc and I rented a motorhome and did a grand tour of Europe. That trip was an amazing experience, a great family bonding exercise, and something we still talk about on a regular basis, and remember with great fondness.

However, that trip was a long time ago, and my memories of seeing Arundel were hazy. I remembered a really cool castle, but the details weren't there anymore. As well, the first time I visited Arundel I didn't know the context and history, and as I have learned more about British history, particularly the medieval and Tudor time periods, Arundel and its occupants have come up time and time again. So now with the castle more firmly placed in historical context for me, I wanted to see it again.

The most important connection Arundel has to British history is that it is the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk, who have traditionally held great power and influence (interestingly, they are one of the few aristocratic families in England to have remained Catholic after the Reformation and retained their position in the aristocracy). Perhaps the best known is the 3rd Duke, who was the uncle of both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard (2nd and 5th wives of Henry VIII) and a major force in the political manoeuvering and manipulation of the Tudor court. Even today the Duke of Norfolk is one of the most important peers in the country, and holds several (mostly ceremonial now) posts.

A more minor connection, but one that is very interesting to me, is the one with the Empress Matilda (or Maude, as she was also known). In the last few years I have done a lot of reading about medieval England and the pre-Tudor period, and Matilda is one of the most fascinating stories I have come across. In a nutshell: she was the daughter of Henry I, granddaughter of William the Conqueror. As her father's only legitimate child, she was named as his heir and intended to take the throne when he died. However, the Middle Ages being what they were, many of the barons felt a mere woman would not be able to rule the country properly (Elizabeth I, Victoria, and Elizabeth II would beg to differ, but I digress) and when Henry I died a cousin of Matilda's, Stephen, seized the throne. Matilda fought for her crown, and the country endured fifteen years of bloody civil war. Matilda briefly gained power but only for a few months and she was never crowned. Eventually a compromise was reached after Stephen's son and heir died, and he agreed to name Matilda's son, Henry, as his heir. Henry became Henry II, most famous for his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Plantagenet dynasty (including Richard the Lionheart and Prince John of Robin Hood fame), and the martyrdom of Thomas Becket.

What does all this have to do with Arundel, I hear you asking? Well, when Matilda first landed in England in 1139 to begin the long fight to regain her throne (she had been living in France when her father died) she stayed at Arundel castle. And the room in which she stayed is still there, and you can go and stand in it. Nine hundred years later. If you know me, even a little, you know how much and why that gives me chills.

The castle is about 90 minutes from London on the train, and a quick ten minute hike from the train station at Arundel village. Unless you're like me, and you hike up the wrong side of the castle first and have to go back down and hike up the other side to actually get to the entrance gate. Oops. Once I reached the (right) entry gate, a lovely gentleman volunteer approached and asked if I had visited Arundel before. "When I was a girl," I replied. "So you've come back to see if we've moved anything around, have you?"

The funny thing is, it kind of felt like they had. Even though I had been to Arundel before, nothing felt familiar. But that was ok, it just meant I got to explore it as if for the first time! Although I of course enjoyed seeing the state rooms and fancy furnishings, the part I enjoyed most was climbing up to the keep, which is the original part of the castle built in the 1100s, and just breathing in the history surrounding me. I am always taken aback when I encounter something this old on my trips to Europe ... the mere fact that I can be standing where people stood a thousand years ago and seeing the exact same thing they saw is mindboggling to me. (I know there were people standing where I am here in Canada 1000 years ago, too, but the landscape has changed so much since then that it doesn't evoke the same connection for me.) It always kind of feels like I've stumbled onto a movie set or something, and I have to remind myself that no, this is the real thing.

Speaking of movie sets, I lingered in the great hall to listen to one of the (very helpful and friendly) guides tell a group about how a scene from the movie The Young Victoria was filmed there last year, with Arundel standing in for Windsor Castle. Having just visited Windsor, and having seen the film, and being a royalty buff in general, this of course caught my interest. The guide was also an extra in the scene, although he said you can't see him in the final cut. But he told some stories about filming and pointed out that at one point over the king's shoulder you can see a glorious painting of a distinguished churchman ... unfortunately the painting was painted several decades after the scene in question was supposed to take place (and of course doesn't belong at Windsor Castle at all, since it obviously belongs at Arundel Castle). The film was one of my options on the flight home the next day, and having just visited so many of the places that feature prominently in it (Windsor, Kensington, etc.) it was fun to rewatch it with new eyes.

So that was my trip to England. I'd like to think of it as my annual Easter trip to London, having gone last Easter as well, but with PetDoc and Noise heading home in a few days (yay!) I think the chances of me spending next Easter in London are slim. But never say never, I guess! Who knows what next year will bring?

Wonderful Windsor

2010-05-19T14:42:00.000-04:00

A couple more England-related posts, although a bit later than I intended.

Apparently while I was away, Serdic was asked what his wife was doing in England, and his response was "seeing as many castles as she can possibly get to, I think." And it's true that this trip was particularly heavy on the "big piles of stone that used to house famous people" portion of the itinerary. Besides the previously mentioned excursions to Hever and Kensington Palace, I did two day trips by myself (while PetDoc and Noise had to work) -- first to Windsor Castle, then to Arundel Castle. I had been to both castles before, on previous trips to England, but for a variety of reasons I decided I wanted to revisit both.

I had actually been to Windsor twice before, once on my very first trip to England when I was in grade 10 (it was a school March Break trip), and again five years ago when SingerDad and I did a trip to England and Ireland. On that first trip, we only went into the chapel, but didn't tour the castle itself. And I was too young to appreciate the history of the chapel, or its place in British royal history (I certainly didn't realize that Henry VIII and Charles I were buried there, among other illustrious rulers and consorts!). On the second trip, SingerDad and I toured the castle, but unfortunately we chose a Sunday as our Windsor day, and the chapel (by this time I was more acquainted with its history) was closed to visitors. So I decided to give it one more shot, and see if I could have the complete Windsor experience.

Windsor is an easy trip from London on the train, and the castle is only a few minutes by foot from the train station. I had made one miscalculation -- this was Monday, Easter Monday to be exact, and a bank holiday in the UK. Imagine my surprise and chagrin when I rounded the corner of the castle to discover the line to enter stretched for blocks. I briefly debated how badly I wanted to do this, but decided that I was already there and going back to London and making a Plan B would take longer than waiting in line. So I took a deep breath and plunged in. I waited approximately 45 minutes and the line seemed at times to be barely moving, although I did eventually figure out that part of the problem was that they were changing the guard inside the castle and limiting entrance until that was over. Once the guard had paraded away, the pace of the line picked up a little. (I nearly cried a little, though, when I finally, finally got up to the "tickets" hut and discovered that inside there was one of those Disneyland-esque winding layouts that added a good fifteen minutes to the wait when you thought you were almost there!)

Once I had my ticket and was through security (I still find it a little strange to go through a metal detector anywhere other than an airport, but I understand why they are becoming more common, even if it does make me sad), things picked up considerably. Despite the long line the crowds inside were not too bad, and I was able to wander and explore as I chose. I decided to do the state apartments first, followed by the chapel. Both were open and so I finally felt like I got my full Windsor experience.

I love Windsor, frankly. It has the perfect mixture of historical and contemporary -- I think mostly because the royal family still lives there, so it still feels like a living, working castle, even though it is also one of the oldest in the country. It brings together all those things I love about England -- the pomp and circumstance, the history and tradition, the royals, and the very essential "britishness" of the place. And in a very silly sort of way, I also feel an affinity for Windsor because I grew up on Windsor Street, so the very word evokes all those good associations of home and family and happiness and all that jazz. So it was a really cool day, and I'm glad I didn't turn around and go back to London when I saw the line to get in!

Next post will be Arundel, and I promise it won't take me another month to get to it!

Love Never Dies

2010-04-13T10:20:00.000-04:00

First, a clarification: it has come to my attention that Noise feels he comes off poorly in my previous post, what with the making a scene with the manager in the pub and whatnot. So, to clarify, his behaviour was completely appropriate and the manager was a total wanker, and there are times when making a scene is totally necessary. I respect and admire people who can stand up for themselves and say "this is unacceptable" -- I don't do it nearly as often as I should, although I'm getting better at it.

Anyway. On to the subject of today's post:

I have loved musical theatre all my life, and have been going to shows for as long as I can remember. And if you asked me to name the shows that define my "really obsessive theatre freak" days, Phantom of the Opera certainly ranks among the top two or three. I wouldn't list it as my favourite show, but it certainly sparked a love of spectacle in theatre (who can forget that chandelier rising from the stage as the overture soared?) and introduced me to some performers who remain favourites to this day, and the show remains a sentimental favourite even if I have seen many others since that I can objectively say were "better" shows. Love him or loathe him (and there are many people on both ends of that spectrum), the impact that Andrew Lloyd Webber has had on the musical theatre of the late 20th century cannot be denied, and while he and his shows are not without their faults, I have great affection for both, and gratitude for the hours of enjoyment his music has given me. One of my favourite evenings, ever, was the night PetDoc, Noise, Serdic and I went to Andrew Lloyd Webber's 60th birthday celebration concert in Hyde Park. Standing in a crowd of 30,000 people singing Any Dream Will Do (from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat) and then Happy Birthday to the man himself ... it was a really special night.

So when PetDoc emailed and asked if I wanted to get tickets to the new sequel to Phantom that ALW has just opened in London, what could I say but "of course!" We figured it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up -- a little bit of theatre history and we wanted to be part of it.

The show was, honestly, almost exactly what I was expecting. Definitely bombastic and over the top in places (just like Phantom!) but also with moments of great beauty and thrilling music. I was a bit disappointed in the actor playing the Phantom during the first act, as he seemed to be straining for the high notes and having trouble with the props, but when I finally broke down and bought a program at intermission (don't even get me started on having to pay 3 pounds to see a cast list!) we discovered that we were actually seeing an understudy, which explained a lot. As the show has only been open a month, this was probably his first (or among his first at any rate) performance in what is a challenging role both physically and vocally, so instead I say bravo to him. We also saw an understudy for Madame Giry, and she was having prop issues as well (maybe the props are the issue?), but all in all the performances were very good.

I did have a couple of issues with characterization, especially compared to the original Phantom. My inner feminist hated the dramatic climax, where the Phantom and Raoul decide between themselves who will "get" Christine, and don't even bother to tell her. I felt like standing up and shouting at the stage "How about you let her choose, m'kay?" Christine is not exactly a paragon of 21st century feminist thinking in Phantom, either, but she does take action in the final scene and make her choice, and I was really irritated by the removal of even that little bit of autonomy for her.

A bigger issue for me was the characterization of the Phantom himself. In the original, he is a monster, haunted, tortured, and dangerous, redeemed only by his love for Christine and his music. He kills on a whim, he kidnaps and threatens, he extorts money from the opera house. Yes, you are supposed to feel sorry for him, and reflect on the society that has made him what he is, but you are also supposed to fear him, and believe him capable of great cruelty and evil. Every actor I have seen play the Phantom has brought that out in voice and, more importantly, in movement and body language. His is a twisted soul, and his body reflects that. There was none of that in this Phantom. Even allowing for the fact that we were seeing an understudy in the role, I think the problem is in the conception and production, more than in the performance. This Phantom walks and talks like an ordinary gentleman, albeit one who wears a mask. He goes out and about in Coney Island, he receives visitors freely in his lair, and you don't believe he would be capable of killing anything more than a fly. Even when the mask comes off and his deformity is revealed, most of the characters show nothing more than mild discomfort, if they notice at all. I don't know if this was an attempt to make the show lighter in tone than the original (there are several "vaudeville" type numbers and things like that) but it didn't work for me. I'm also not sure why they had to turn Raoul into a raging asshole, but that's a minor point.

All in all, though, what the show really did was make me wish I was seeing Phantom again instead. And I thought I was done seeing Phantom, as I saw it many, many times during my aforementioned theatre freak days. But that residual affection is still there, and there are a couple of times during Love Never Dies where musical themes from Phantom surface, and that music is so familiar to me. It moved something deep inside me that of course the music from Love Never Dies, being unfamiliar to me and not loaded with so much emotional baggage from a different time in my life, would not.

So, to sum up, worth seeing, and an enjoyable evening at the theatre. Nothing like the original, though.

Street where the riches of ages are stowed

2010-04-07T14:06:00.000-04:00

A technical note first: blogger is being a pain in the arse about photos, so those will have to wait until I'm home and on my own computer.

So, this is my 7th trip to London. And every time I've come (with the exception of the last time we were here, which was just a one night stopover on our way home from our honeymoon) I have had Portobello Road on my list of things to see, and I've never made it there. I wanted to go there for only one reason -- because of the song in Disney's "Bedknobs and Broomsticks." On Saturdays Portobello Road is a huge antiques market, but during the week the shops are still open and you can still get a sense of the atmosphere. We didn't make it there on Saturday (we were navigating the mudpits, er, I mean, footpaths of Hever that day) but PetDoc and I finally made it there yesterday. We wandered the length of the street and had lunch (and our first glass of Strongbow of the day!) in a pub. Unfortunately, while my meal was fine (nothing special, but fine) PetDoc's was nearly inedible due to the amount of pepper that had been added ... and little did we know that it was merely setting the stage for our pub experiences for the day.

After lunch PetDoc and I headed over to Kensington Palace. I had been there before, several years ago, but thought I would enjoy a return visit and PetDoc had never been, and then we decided we would treat ourselves to afternoon tea in the Orangery. I had seen on the palace's website the night before that the state rooms are currently hosting a modern art exhibit that sounded like it could either be really interesting or really wierd -- with the idea being that you search through the different rooms to find clues about seven different princesses who have lived in the palace. When we arrived at the palace we didn't think it was a good sign that we were greeted by a volunteer who explained the installation and warned us that we would see no historical information whatsoever about the state rooms (you couldn't even buy a guidebook with information about the rooms). He seemed extremely apologetic and spent several minutes making sure we knew what we would be seeing. After we went through the palace I hovered in the entry/exit hall waiting for PetDoc to visit the loo and overheard this poor man have several groups turn away because they wanted to "really see a palace" (he was sending them to Hampton Court) and when he asked people coming out what they had thought, to a person they expressed disappointment in not "really getting to see a palace." So I would say this experimental installation is not a smashing success.

What did we think? Well, the installation was interesting, but we would rather have gotten to see the palace. And we thought the 13 pound entry fee was a little steep for half a dozen rooms where you couldn't even see the rooms.

Tea in the Orangery, on the other hand, was worth every penny, and absolutely delightful. We enjoyed it immensely. Finger sandwiches, eclairs, and, of course, a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam. I had an Indian Breakfast tea, which was delicious -- light and flavourful.

Continuing on the tea theme, we needed to make the usual pilgrimage to the Twinings tea shop on the Strand, so we took a bus down Kensington High Street, past Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, and down the Strand to the tea shop. Having made our purchases we had about an hour to kill before meeting Noise for dinner, so we decided to find a pub and have a pint and then order dinner when he got there. Well, the best laid plans and all that. We did have our pint, and a bit of entertainment as we watched an episode of Law and Order: UK being filmed outside the pub (the leading actress apparently used to be on Dr. Who, and she drew quite a crowd of admirers as filming went on). And then Noise arrived. And while I don't like to blame him, that's when things started to go downhill. ;-)

We ordered our meals at the bar, as you do, and I guess we threw the waitress off when we placed two different orders for the same table (something we have done before in many other pubs with no problem). We were chatting and watching the filming and didn't realize how long it was taking to get our food until half an hour had passed. We were just getting ready to ask someone about our food (we had theatre tickets and were starting to worry about the time) when the manager must have noticed our unhappy expressions and he came over. He promised to take care of it and bustled off, and came back several minutes later to assure us that our food was "in the lift" and would be "right up." Five minutes later (so much for "right up") two of our three meals were delivered to our table (PetDoc and Noise's) ... cold and congealed. We waited a few more minutes for mine (in case the lift could only handle two meals at a time) but when nothing appeared Noise went looking for the manager. And caused a scene. The manager insisted it was our fault, as we hadn't told him there were two different orders at the table (from which we deduce that our order had never made it to the kitchen and he had resubmitted it, but he missed the second part of the order). He had no good reason for why what was delivered was cold. Noise insisted on a refund (we had prepaid for our meals, which is standard in British pubs) and was told no, as we had received food and were going to eat it. Noise returned to our table and we decided we didn't have time to go elsewhere (we were now about 20 minutes from curtain, although the theatre was just down the street) so we started to share out the two meals between the three of us. A minute later the manager appeared at our table with a third plate and put it down in front of me with a flourish ... too bad it was the wrong dish (fish and chips -- I had ordered bangers and mash). But on the plus side, it was hot, so I told him to leave it. He ended up refunding my meal and PetDoc's (continuing to claim there was nothing wrong with Noise's), and we gulped down the edible parts of the food in front of us and dashed down the street to the theatre.

We had tickets for Love Never Dies, the Andrew Lloyd Webber penned sequel to Phantom of the Opera, but my review of that is a blog entry all its own, and this one is already long enough. To be continued ...

It seemed like a good idea at the time

2010-04-03T16:33:00.009-04:00

Famous last words: "It doesn't look so wet."

PetDoc, Noise, and I went to Hever today, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn and an important site in Tudor history. One of the things that appealed to us about Hever was that the castle is about a mile from the train station, and it's a lovely walk through the village and along the public footpaths across the fields. For a fair chunk of the way you can choose the footpaths or the roads. Obviously the major difference is that the roads are paved and the footpaths are,well, not. Upon leaving the station we were soon confronted with the first choice between paved and not, and PetDoc uttered the fateful words above. So we set off across the fields, baa-ing cheerfully at the sheep who came racing over the hill to greet us.

But pretty soon the scene looked like this:

Although today was a beautiful day with bright sunshine, the spring rains had taken their toll. At times we were ankle deep in mud -- I though I had lost a shoe at one point. However, we pushed on (after a certain point it made more sense to keep going than try to go back) and eventually came out on a blessed, blessed road. After a quick stop at the local pub (not surprisingly called the Henry the VIII) to wash our shoes in the bathroom and enjoy a much-deserved pint of Strongbow, we arrived at the castle.

Castle is a bit of a misnomer, as Hever is really a country house (albeit a large and luxurious one!). We very much enjoyed our visit, trooping through the Tudor era rooms and imaging the events that much have transpired in those very rooms. This, to me, is the fascinating thing about England ... that you can go to these places where important events happened and interesting people lived hundreds and hundreds of years ago, and the places are still there! And in many cases, they haven't changed at all. For a history buff like me, there's nothing like it.

We followed up our castle visit with a walk around a section of the beautiful gardens. Then we headed back to the train station ... via the roads this time!

A few more pictures of a lovely day, spent with my favourite sister and her favourite husband:

On health and fitness and not going to the gym

2010-03-22T10:40:00.004-04:00

Item #1: At some point in the near-ish future, Serdic and I are planning/hoping to at least start talking about starting a family (how's that for vagueness?).

Item #1a: This will not be until at least after he finishes school in August, and is gainfully employed again. However, as I am rapidly approaching my mid-thirties (I will be 34 this summer) it is something that we do not want to put off forever, even if we are not quite ready at this particular moment.

Item #2: I am not at this point in time healthy enough to consider pregnancy (in my own mind, I have not discussed this with a doctor or anything, just I know that my weight and general fitness are an issue and of course I want to be as healthy as possible not only for myself but for any hypothetical baby). I'm not even so much interested at this point in numbers on the scale or weight as general health and fitness. So taking items 1 and 1a into account, I have a few months here to make my health/fitness/weight a priority, and focus on getting myself into the best health possible to be ready when Serdic is done school to start talking about the next step.

Item #3: My eating habits have greatly improved over the last couple of years -- I still make some bad choices, but not nearly as many as I used to make. It helps that we are so rarely eating out these days, and sticking to the meal plan -- it makes eating healthy a lot easier!

Item #4: Where I really need to make some improvements, therefore, is in exercise. I sit all day at work, and now with the car I'm not even walking to and from the bus stop anymore. I have finally admitted to myself that I'm not going to get to the gym regularly. It's just not going to happen. I have a membership at Goodlife Fitness, which is a perfectly fine gym and one I would happily recommend to anyone, but when we moved to this part of the city we moved away from any convenient Goodlife locations. When I lived downtown there was a Goodlife where I changed buses during my commute, so I had no excuse and was pretty good about going on my way home from work two or three times a week. Now, not so much. Even with the car and the shorter commute, there just isn't one conveniently located. And I guess I could find a different gym that is more convenient, but paying the hundreds of dollars in start up fees that a new gym would want just isn't doable right now, especially since, honestly, I probably still wouldn't go often enough.

So, taking all the above items into account, what's a girl to do? Well, I can do little things like taking the stairs at work, or trying to go for a walk in the evenings, but those aren't the kind of major changes that I need to make to be more active (they don't hurt, of course, but I need more than that). A couple of weeks ago, however, a friend started posting status updates on Facebook (yay Facebook!) about these great online workouts she was doing. Being the curious type I am, I decided to check it out. What I found was a site called Goodlife Fitness at Home. You don't have to be a Goodlife member to use the site, but it's linked to them somehow, I guess. (Not sure how, as I believe Goodlife is a Canadian company, and most of these instructors appear to be based in, of all places, Denmark.) The site has dozens of exercise videos, about eight different varieties (pilates, yoga, aerobics, kick boxing, dance, etc.) and different lengths (5 mins up to 45 mins) and intensities (beginner, advanced, etc.). It's completely free, although the site is crammed with advertising (which is ok with me, given how much content is available that you would have to pay for elsewhere, and the videos themselves are ad free ... unless you count the Nike swoosh on the instructor's shirt!). You do have to sign up and make a profile, and there is a whole community aspect as well -- you can post pictures, give status updates and goals, "friend" people, etc. I've locked my profile down to completely private, as I'm not interested in that aspect of it, but it seems very Facebookesque for those who are interested.

So I dug out my old work out clothes and gave it a try. I do like the videos very much -- I like the instructors (not too perky!) and the kind of movement, particularly in the aerobics section. I also really like the convenience of doing it at home. I have settled into a routine of doing two of the five minute videos in the morning before work (usually aerobics and dance or kick boxing) and the longer videos a couple of times a week after work and on the weekends. I tried the 30 minute aerobics video for the first time yesterday, and was quite pleased with how well I kept up (it was the first time I had tried that length all in one go, although I had tried two different 15 minute ones back to back, but that included warm up and cool down in both, so it wasn't as intense for 30 minutes straight). Doing the short ones before work is particularly great for me, as I am never, ever, ever going to go to the gym before work, but a quick kick in the ass to get moving and get the blood pumping is perfect. I am finding a difference in my energy level -- after the mini-workout, coffee, and a shower, I'm ready to go in a way I wasn't before. (I'm also trying to eat breakfast regularly, which helps as well, I know.)

A side note -- we live in a top floor apartment with creaky floors, and one of the things that has stopped me from working out at home before was an awareness of our downstairs neighbours (not that they would have the same consideration for us, but two wrongs don't make a right). I have discovered, however, that the floor in the kitchen is not nearly as creaky, and is actually better for working out on than the hardwood elsewhere in the apartment, so with my new laptop I am able to do my workouts in the kitchen and everyone is happy. I did kick over a bag of potatoes the other day, though.

I haven't noticed any change in weight or fit of clothes, but it's only been a couple of weeks and a fairly slow start. Also, my scale is an old one and varies wildly within a ten pound range from hour to hour, so I think I may need to invest in a new one. I'm definitely feeling it in my legs and core, though, so I know the muscles are working and, hopefully, becoming stronger. And I feel good mentally -- excited and hopeful about making some changes and doing something about an issue that has been on my mind more and more over the last couple of years.

Food, Glorious Food

2010-03-17T11:36:00.002-04:00

As mentioned in my previous post, I am taking on more of the cooking responsibilities at home. Serdic still does the majority of the cooking, but I'm trying to branch out a little bit. I am not a very imaginative cook -- I can follow the recipe and recreate the dish competently, but I'm not good at improvising, or coming up with a meal without a recipe (something at which Serdic excels, by the way). One of my other issues is that I used to be a very picky eater, and while I still am to some extent I have really broadened my horizons in the last few years. A big part of that was when I lived in Denmark I forced myself to eat everything as I didn't want to be rude or difficult (and I am quite proud of myself that the only dish I didn't finish that entire year was the jellied eel), but also in the last few years I have been pushing myself to try new things, including things I didn't think I liked when I was a kid, and while there are of course still things I don't like it's surprising to me just how much is out there that I do like.

I have also realized that when I used to cook for myself before I met Serdic, I would cook very bland meals and rely on the salt shaker to make them taste better. Not exactly the most healthy choice! I realized after a few months of eating Serdic's cooking that I was rarely reaching for the salt anymore, and that was because he cooked much more flavourful meals to begin with. I still like my food salty (and chips remain my biggest weakness, while chocolate can sit on the table for months before it's eaten!) but I rarely add salt after the cooking process anymore. We also have discovered the joys of sea salt, in all its varieties, and use it almost exclusively now. A little pinch of that will do more to flavour a meal than a tablespoon of table salt!

So all that is just the lead in to what I really want to blog about, which is the fantastic meal I cooked (with Serdic's help as sous-chef!) for our dear friends Jay and Dee this past Sunday night. When Serdic left his job in January to go back to school several of his coworkers gave him a going away gift which included a nifty new cookbook: Bite Me. One of the recipes in there seems to have been crafted just for me, given how many of the ingredients are things I have learned to love over the last couple of years -- pasta with spinach, feta, sundried tomatoes, parmesan, and carmelized onions. I made it for us a couple of weeks ago and we loved it, so I decided it would be a good thing for a dinner party. It's not an easy recipe, as it involves a lot of ingredients and several steps, but the end result is worth it. I improvised (!) and added some chicken breasts (just baked in the oven with minimal seasoning as there are so many flavours in play already, then chopped up into bite sized pieces and added to the rest) to up the protein. I did a spinach salad to go with it -- kept it simple (again because I didn't want to add too many flavours) with spinach, dried cranberries (wanted pomegranate seeds, but no pomegranates to be had anywhere in Ottawa this week!) and red onion.

Dessert was planned based on the dishes. As a wedding gift Serdic's Grandma gave us a set of crystal trifle dishes, which are lovely, but not something we use on a daily basis. So I decided to choose a dessert we could serve in said dishes, as they're too pretty to just sit in the cupboard. I settled on chocolate mousse (this recipe, to be exact) and it was DELICIOUS. So yummy. Fresh raspberries and whipped cream to go on top, and had planned to drizzle Bailey's over the whole thing, but Serdic suggested instead mixing a splash of Bailey's into the whipped cream as it was whipping. Divine. Two thumbs up on that idea, let me tell you.

So by the time it was all said and done, I was pretty proud of that meal. The best part, of course, was getting to spend the evening with fantastic friends and having a nice long visit, something we have not been able to do a lot of recently. But the food was pretty damn good, too.

Still alive out there?

2010-03-07T21:11:00.003-05:00

So all the cool kids appear to be blogging again, and I am nothing if not a wannabe cool kid. So let's see ...

As usual, I haven't been blogging not because there is nothing to say, but because life moves so quickly these days and when I finally get a chance to stop and take a breath it feels like I've blinked and two months have gone by. So how has 2010 been shaping up so far? I guess the biggest change is that as previously mentioned Serdic has quit his job and gone back to school full time. So far we are coping pretty well on one income with not much adjusting -- there's a little less left over in the bank account at the end of the month, but we're not suffering too much (knock on wood).

We have been making a real attempt to rein in the spending in one area specifically -- we are not eating out very often and making a real attempt to make a weekly meal plan and stick to it. A lot of the time when we ate out or got take out before it was a "so what do you want to do about supper?" "oh, I don't feel like cooking, what do you want?" "let's just get Swiss Chalet" kind of exchange, and now we are challenging ourselves to stick to the meal plan. So far we are doing pretty well, I have to say. Part of that challenge is that I'm taking on more of the responsibility for cooking -- Serdic is such a good cook and I enjoy the food he prepares so much, so it was easy for me to get in the habit of just letting him take care of all the meal prep in our house, and get take out if he didn't want to cook. I have never been an adventurous or gifted cook (I would term myself "adequate" or perhaps "competent") but having been with Serdic for just over three years now (can it be?) I have broadened my horizons quite a bit and discovered a new enjoyment in being in the kitchen. I'm branching out a little bit, exploring some new ingredients and cooking styles, and I have to say that I'm pleased with the results. Serdic isn't complaining, either -- or at least I'm taking the nights he licks his plate clean as a good sign.

In other news, the belt hasn't been tightened all that much, as I will shortly be winging my way across the Atlantic for one last visit with PetDoc and Noise before they leave London for good in June. It's hard to believe that their two years are almost up, but I have to admit that I am thrilled they are coming home ... although losing the free place to stay in London is too bad! (I can't really complain, I have after all been to visit them three times in two years!) But having them home again with us will be even better. I'm really looking forward to this trip as I've done most of the really touristy things in London I want to do, so this time I can just relax and explore a little bit and, most importantly, spend some quality time with two of my favourite people in the world.

So that's a quick update on how things are going at Casa Double S. Life is grand, spring has sprung (knock on wood), and there are lots of good things to look forward to in the next few months. I'll try to keep more on top of the blog as the good things happen.

Ring out the old, ring in the new

2009-12-31T12:10:00.002-05:00

The end of the year is always a time for reflection, a time for considering what has been and our hopes for what the new year will bring. The end of this year is particularly poignant for me for a number of reasons. 2009 was one of the best, and certainly most eventful, years of my life, highlighted of course by our wedding and the beginning of the shared adventure that is married life. 2010 brings a lot of changes, some of them scary. Just this morning I said good bye to one of my closest friends at work, a woman who has been a mentor and guide for me for my whole career. She is off to a well deserved retirement, but we will miss her dreadfully and the department will have a huge hole in it that it will be hard for anyone else to fill. Early in the new year Serdic will finish up at his job and become a full time student again. An exciting path for him, to be sure, and one I wholeheartedly support him starting on, but it's a big change for us, and a scary one.

This is also a particularly interesting year to look back, as it is the end of the first decade of the millenium. It is hard to believe that ten years ago tonight we were in the throes of Y2K panic (and what a bust that turned out to be!). The last ten years of my life have taken some interesting twists and turns, and if you had told that 23 year old me then where I would be in ten years, I wouldn't have believed you. I was on the verge of graduating from Queen's (being the class of '00 was kind of fun, I will admit), with no idea where I was going or what I would be doing when I got there. I had no idea I would become a librarian, and certainly not that I would end up in Ottawa working for the most prestigious library in the country. I didn't know I would be in Ottawa at all. I definitely didn't know that ten years after leaving my hometown I would meet and marry a boy from that hometown, and find more happiness with him than I knew was possible. There were so many good things in store, not only for me but for members of my family (living in other countries, Olympic medals, trips and jobs and awards and weddings and all kinds of things) and I'm glad I didn't know they were all coming, but have been able to enjoy the ride and each surprise and celebration as it comes. The last decade has brought some amazing people into my life, not just Serdic and his family, but so many dear friends who have become so special to me.

There was loss and sadness, too. The greatest of these was of course the loss of my beloved Grandad and Grandma, and their absence is felt every day. Pets have died, friends have drifted away or moved. Things have changed and time marches on. Just yesterday I received the news that the father of a friend had died, and I will be part of the group singing at the funeral on Saturday. This is a friend who came and sang for Serdic and me at our wedding two months ago. Life and death, love and loss, happiness and grief ... at the end of the year it is appropriate to reflect on these things, and be thankful for all that we have received, and hopeful for what is to come.

I hope for more adventures for all my friends and family in 2010, and only good things and happiness for us all. Happy New Year, everyone.

2009 wrap up

2009-12-18T09:23:00.003-05:00

Last year I did this a couple of weeks before the end of the year, and then Serdic surprised me by proposing on New Year's Eve, changing a lot of my answers to these questions! I'm assuming that this year I'm safe from that kind of surprise. :-)

1) What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? got married, bought a car, visited Spain and Malta
2) Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't really make New Year's resolutions, other than I always resolve to be a better person, lose weight, etc. Sort of ongoing things.
3) Did anyone close to you give birth? No
4) Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully.
5) What countries did you visit? England, France, Spain, Italy, Malta, the United States
6) What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? nothing was lacking ... more money, maybe
7) What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? October 24, 2009 -- the day I married my best friend and love of my life
8) What was your biggest achievement of the year? Planning a kick ass wedding without killing myself or anyone else
9) What was your biggest failure? not losing any weight
10) Did you suffer illness or injury? nothing except the common cold
11) What was the best thing you bought? my car!
12) Whose behavior merited celebration? The many people who did so much to help us make our wedding so beautiful and special
13) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? various public figures
14) Where did most of your money go? wedding and honeymoon, car payments
15) What did you get really, really, really excited about? the wedding
17) Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? happier
- thinner or fatter? about the same
- richer or poorer? about the same
18) What do you wish you'd done more of? weight loss
19) What do you wish you'd done less of? complaining
20) How did you spend Christmas? with the family and Serdic's family
21) Did you fall in love in 2009? over and over again ... always with the same guy!
22) How many one-night stands? none
23) What was your favorite TV program? I didn't really watch a lot of tv this year
24) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Can't think of anyone
25) What was the best book you read? to tell the truth, I can't think of anything. I didn't have a lot of time for reading this year, and I revisisted some old favourites but didn't make any new discoveries
26) What was your greatest musical discovery? I Gotta Feeling, by the Black Eyed Peas
27) What did you want and get? To be loved
28) What did you want and not get? to be independently and fabulously wealthy
29) What was your favorite film of this year? Up
30) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? worked, went out for dinner with Serdic, was showered with love and affection by family and friends; I was 33
31) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Can't think of anything -- it was an incredibly satisfying year
32) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? I'm lucky to make it out the door in the morning with my clothes on right side out and matching socks ... does that count as a fashion concept?
33) What kept you sane? family, friends, love, music, faith ... all the good stuff
34) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Colin Firth, as always
35) What political issue stirred you the most? can't think of anything
36) Who did you miss? my grandma, my grandad, my sister
37) Who was the best new person you met? a great new family of inlaws who are warm and welcoming and fun
38) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009: good things come to those who wait
39) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Come my love, I'll tell you a tale
Of a boy and girl and their love story
And how he loved her oh so much
And all the charms she did possess
My love is like a storybook story
But it's as real as the feelings I feel
My love is like a storybook story
But it's as real as the feelings I feel
It's as real as the feelings I feel

Musical musings

2009-12-07T13:22:00.000-05:00

The morning of my wedding, as we were getting ready at our parents' house, PetDoc and Noise decided on a "theme song" for the day, and put the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" on a loop on the laptop. They and Jay sang and danced around the living room, and we must have listened to the song a dozen times over the course of the morning. Later, at the reception, Noise requested the song from the DJ and I got to dance to the song not only with my sister and brother-in-law and dear friend, but with the love of my life and all of our nearest and dearest, on the happiest day of my life. As Serdic and I toured Europe on our honeymoon we heard the song everywhere we went, up to and including in the taxi on our way home from the airport when we finally got back to Ottawa. I have since found out that this is because that song is, like, the #1 song of the year (I hardly ever listen to the radio or contemporary music, so my knowledge in this area is sadly lacking), but for me it will always be "my" song, and the minute I hear the opening phrase I think of that day, and those people, who are so, so dear to me. I know PetDoc and Noise didn't set out to give me the song as a gift, but in a way that's exactly what they did, and it was one of the best gifts I received that day, because the memories and associations it evokes will always be there, and it will always make me think of them, and that day, and the happiness and excitement and anticipation and love and celebration and all those great and beautiful things that were part of that day. It's amazing how a song can do that, isn't it? There's a lot of music that I associate with our wedding now, music that I always knew I wanted to be part of the day -- the song I came down the aisle to, our first dance, etc. -- but I never expected this one!

On another musical note (no pun intended!), I attended the annual Come Sing Messiah! on Friday night. I went last year for the first time, and swore to myself then that I would never miss it again. What an incredible evening of music. The more familiar I get with Messiah, the more I become convinced that there has never been and never will be a work written to equal it. I've sung major sections of it several times now, and I never fail to be moved by the power and beauty of the story it tells, and the glorious, glorious music. I have not been looking forward to Christmas this year, finding it more of a burden than something to be excited about, which is really upsetting to me as Christmas has always been my favourite time of year. This year I think it's just the post-wedding let down and trying to get life back on an even keel, plus we've been dealing with a number of changes since we got back to real life, and I don't handle change well (who does?). But after singing Messiah Friday night I am feeling much more in the spirit of the season, and reminded of what is important and the reason for the season, to break out an overused and worn out phrase.

Of all the things in the world that give life beauty and grace, I think the one I am most grateful for is music.

Slow down!

2009-10-14T11:13:00.003-04:00

Ok, so, from ten weeks to ten days in the blink of an eye. Hard to believe the big day is almost here. This blog has been shamefully neglected in the last two months, but so has everything else in my life not related to the wedding. The "to do" list has been lengthy, but it seems to be under control at the moment, and everything is on track for the Best. Wedding. Ever. Gifts and cards have been pouring in, and starting on Saturday the guests will begin to arrive (yay for PetDoc and Noise!).

Things are good. Life is good. We are exceedingly blessed. Watch this space for photos and updates.

Another year older and deeper in debt

2009-08-14T09:13:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all who sent birthday wishes in various ways yesterday. They were very much appreciated. I had a fairly low key birthday, which is not surprising given the hoopla surrounding other events this summer. Serdic took me to a lovely restaurant for dinner and we had a fantastic evening, and I was showered with love and good wishes from friends and family. We're heading to Hometown this weekend and will do some celebrating with family then as well.

Speaking of being showered with love and good wishes, we were the grateful and overwhelmed guests of honour at a wedding shower hosted by three of my dearest friends last weekend. It was really great to have so many of our friends gathered together in one place, wanting to celebrate with us, and we received some very beautiful and generous gifts. I know I say this often, but it's something that should be said often and never taken for granted -- we have wonderful friends and they are such a blessing in our lives. This is a very happy time for us, and we are really lucky to have so many people who want to share it and are happy for us.

It's been a fun week, wedding wise, in general, as the response cards are starting to arrive. Every day this week there's been a little treat in the mailbox ... it feels kind of like Christmas, when there are cards in the mail every day instead of the usual junk and bills. It's the little things, sometimes, that really brighten the day.

So the invitations are out and the countdown is really truly on. The next 10 weeks are going to be a whirlwind, but everything is falling into place and it's going to be perfect. Knock on wood.

Where did July go?

2009-07-29T15:15:00.003-04:00

A few tidbits for your reading enjoyment:

We did have a lovely weekend in Montreal the weekend before last. We deliberately went with very little planned or on the "must see" list, we mostly just wanted to wander and be "somewhere other than here" for a couple of days. Not that there's anything wrong with "here," of course, but there are too many interesting places out there not to try and explore them all! We did do a couple of tourist-y things, including visit the Biodome and wander the old port. We also took a drive up the mountain for the obligatory photo op. And the nicest part was that we had some of the nicest weather we've had all summer -- very little rain, lots of sun and warm (without being too hot!) temperatures. There are some photos here.

The trip also gave me a chance to play with my birthday gift from Serdic (yes, a month early, but yay for birthday gifts) -- a new lens for my camera (which, you may recall, he gave me last year for my birthday ... I sense a theme). This lens has a much better zoom and is just in general that much sharper and more powerful. I love it, but I continue to be intimidated by this camera in general. I know I can get so much more out of it than I am currently managing. I am hoping to get some practice in over the summer and early fall so that I can take the best pictures on our honeymoon. I'd love to take a photography course at some point, but for obvious reasons that's not going to happen this fall!

Wedding planning continues. I've had a couple of fittings for my dress now, and I am happy to report that it is as beautiful as ever (perhaps even more so now that it actually, you know, fits me!). Both my and Serdic's wedding rings have arrived and are safely tucked away. I am hoping to get the invitations in the mail sometime next week, which will be a big job. I of course had to choose the ones that are "some assembly required," which makes it a little more daunting. Fortunately I have lots of lovely friends who have offered to help me with that task. The pre-wedding festivities are starting, too, with a shower scheduled for next weekend and another for two weeks after that. We are very blessed to have so many people who want to wish us well and be part of this happy time, so I am really looking forward to sharing the next little while with them.

I continue to love my car more than I have ever loved an inanimate object. And the 20 minute commute doesn't hurt, either.

Zoom zoom

2009-07-13T10:07:00.002-04:00

So it's been just over a week since we picked up my new baby. I have to say I am absolutely delighted with her. She's a sweet, zippy little car, and a lot of fun. And I have shaved 30-40 minutes off my commute (for a total of over an hour each day), which means more time at home in the evenings and a lot less stress -- just not having to stand on a street corner downtown in the rain and exhaust fumes and crowds and noise for up to 20 minutes at a time, twice a day, is doing wonders for my mental health. It's taking me a little while to adjust my thinking, though -- I still find I tend to try to work out the logistics of stopping to run errands on the way home, or panicking when the clock hits that magic time when I have to leave or risk missing the bus, and I'm still in the middle of something. My brain still runs on bus schedule time a little bit, but I'm sure that will change soon enough.

So I'm zipping around the city in my shiny new car quite a lot these days. Keeping busy, as usual. It's been a nice mix lately of wedding related stuff, time with friends, and the usual day to day errands. Wedding planning continues to occupy most of my thoughts, if not my free time. I'm having a mild panic attack about being nearly three months from the big day (Serdic spent most of Saturday reminding me we have FIFTEEN WEEKS), but honestly it's for the most part under control. The big stuff is all in place, and now we need to buckle down on the smaller details.

And now I have something else to look forward to -- a spur of the moment road trip to Montreal this weekend. Toyota sent me an email survey last week and because I wanted to sing the praises of Hawkesbury Toyota, the dealership where I bought the car, I went ahead and filled it out. And at the end there was this "hey, here's a discount code for 20% off any Delta hotel in Canada!" message. We had been talking about getting out of the city for a couple of nights for awhile, and we recently had to admit that a more major trip we were tossing around for the August long weekend was not going to happen for a variety of reasons, so this is a little treat for ourselves. We got a good deal on a luxury hotel right down in the old part of the city and we're going away for a couple of days of R&R. Can't wait!

2009-07-01T13:45:00.004-04:00

Happy Canada Day to all!

A little update on the car buying saga. I mentioned in my previous post that we got a really bad feeling from the first dealership we visited, and they didn't make it better by calling us five times in the last six days -- they never got ahold of me, so I just had a lot of messages on my machine (home and work!) full of really insincere "Just wanted to say hi" nonsense. I suppose I could have called the saleswoman back and put an end to it all, but, frankly, I've had more important things to do and I didn't feel like putting myself out. Also, I had told her we would make a decision "the end of next week" so I resented her being so pushy when I had given her a date when I would call her. But eventually she got ahold of me yesterday afternoon, and I thanked her for her time but said that we had decided to go in a different direction. She berated me for not trying to negotiate with her, and then hung up on me as I was in mid-sentence. So, you know, no second thoughts about going with the dealership we went with.

And on that note, I was approved for the financing, the car is here, and we're picking it up after work on Friday. So, so, so excited.

You never forget your first

2009-06-28T20:24:00.003-04:00

I decided this week that I must, despite appearances to the contrary every now and then, finally be a grown up. This realization came as we were heading back into the city, having just signed my life away (or for the next five years, anyway) to a car dealership. And earlier this week, I ordered my wedding band. A car and wedding ring, in the same week? Feels pretty grown up to me!

So, the car. I have been admiring the Toyota Matrix on the roads for a couple of months, and had pretty much decided that unless a test drive revealed major problems, it was what I wanted. Wednesday we went and test drove one at a local dealership, which shall remain nameless. We got a bad feeling about them from the start -- too smarmy -- and while I loved the car I didn't particularly want to buy it from them ... especially when the saleswoman quoted a final price $1000 higher than the figures she was adding up in front of us would indicate. Not sure if she couldn't do math or was deliberately padding the price, but either way, not something to give us great confidence in that dealership. And when I received a phone call from a "customer service representative" from the dealership not 12 hours later, pushing me to make a decision, I knew this wasn't the kind of company I wanted to deal with. Meanwhile, Serdic had been in contact with another dealership about an hour's drive out of the city, and they offered us the same car for $3000 less. We decided the $3000 was worth driving out to see them, and so yesterday morning we did.

I had a better feeling about this place right from the start, and the sales representative we were meeting with seemed to be on the up and up. I thought to myself at one point: "He's going to play fair." I did a second test drive and still loved the car, and so decided to go for it. Gulp. It's not a cheap step to take, but I have a sizable down payment and financing it over five years makes the payments manageable. Of course, now comes all the other expenses that go with owning a car -- parking and gas and insurance and all the rest of it. But this is hardly a decision I made lightly or spontaneously, so I know it'll work out. They didn't have the colour I wanted (electric blue) in stock, but one is expected in on Tuesday so they promised they'd have it ready for me Friday after work. I am SO excited, I can't even tell you. Also a little scared. But mostly excited.

It's weird to be approaching my mid-thirties and buying my first car. It feels like something I should have done by now. The financing guy at the dealership was a little taken aback that I didn't have a previous car loan on my credit report ... is it really that strange? But in a way I'm glad that this will be my first car -- exactly what I want, and something I am finally in a position financially to afford. I think this is the beginning of a long and prosperous friendship, me and my car.

Pictures to follow once the car is actually in my possession. It's going to be a long week!

Not dead yet

2009-06-08T19:58:00.004-04:00

I know, I know, I've been a very bad blogger. It's not from a lack of things to talk about ... on the contrary, I don't know where to begin! It's been a very busy few months. Some updates are in order.

Vroom, vroom

First of all, as a follow up to my last post, I have not yet bought a car, although the decision has definitely been made to make the purchase. See above about how busy it's been ... I've been trying to find an evening or Saturday afternoon to go test drive some vehicles, but the days are slipping away from me faster than I can keep track! It's on my "to do" list for June, though.

Wedding plans

Wedding planning continues fast and furious. The dress is here (and it's GORGEOUS) (no, you can't see photos). The invitations are printed, and now need to be assembled and readied to go in the mail. We are starting to come up with a cohesive vision of what the decorations and flowers and colours will look like, although I know I am driving Aunt C crazy with my inability to articulate clearly what I want (i.e. I am being difficult by being TOO agreeable!). But I think we're on the right track now and everything's going to be beautiful.

Perhaps most exciting of all, we booked the main section of our honeymoon last week ... a 7 day Mediterranean cruise. It departs a week following the wedding from Barcelona, so at the moment the plan is to fly out the Monday after the wedding, spend three nights in Paris, then a couple of nights in Barcelona and on to the cruise, returning to Ottawa the following Monday. So we'll be gone two weeks. It's going to be awesome.

Music in the air

I was particularly busy in April and May with concerts and assorted choir stuff. I made a big step towards relieving that stress by getting myself voted off the board of directors of one of my choirs, and refusing to commit to anything for the fall (it's so easy when you have a wedding as an excuse ... all you have to do is say "well, it's going to be a busy fall" and everyone immediately says "oh, of course, you've got the wedding, don't worry about a thing, of course we couldn't expect you to commit to anything" -- give it a try some time!). I do very much enjoy my choirs and the friendships I have made there, but I'm looking forward to the summer break all the same.

Savour the moment

I read a very interesting editoral in the paper recently about the need to stop and savour the moment you are in more often, and I'm really trying to put that into practice in my own life these days. It's so easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of day to day life, and the little stresses and frustrations that crop up every time you turn around. And so often we are in a perfect moment, and we let it pass unnoticed because we're thinking/worrying/stressing about something else. So I am really trying these days to stop, take a breath, and acknowledge the little perfect moments. It's especially true with the wedding planning -- these are supposed to be such happy days, and the anticipation and excitement of planning should be part of the fun. Someday I will look back on these days and remember, for example, the day I put on my dress for the first time, or the way my hand shook a little bit when Serdic put the engagement ring on my finger. And while having those memories is important, I also want to acknowledge those moments as they happen, to fix them in my mind and savour them, and not let them pass too quickly.

And finally ...

Could someone please let Mother Nature know to check her calendar? These little glimpses of spring/summer weather, followed by multiple days of cold and wet and grey are not cutting it. Thanks.

My only hope is that if spring and summer are later getting here this year, the nice weather might hang on a bit longer into the fall? Like, say, maybe until the end of October? Wouldn't that be nice?

There are straws, and there are camels, and there are backs

2009-04-21T13:38:00.002-04:00

When I first moved to Ottawa, I made a conscious decision to pay more in rent and live downtown, and not buy a car. I wanted to try the "big city" lifestyle for awhile and since my shiny new apartment was mere steps from several different bus routes, including one that took me to work in less than ten minutes, a car seemed an unnecessary expense. I didn't mind taking the bus and Ottawa's public transit system was pretty reliable and got me anywhere I needed to go, and, sure, it was a pain in the ass sometimes to rely on the buses or the kindness of friends who offered me rides, and I *really* didn't enjoy carrying groceries several blocks, but I coped quite happily for five years like that.

But over those five years a number of things happened. First, I joined a couple of choirs, both of which rehearse and perform all over the city, not just in the downtown core. Then my workplace moved, to a building about 35 minutes from downtown on the bus. And then I met Serdic, and we moved in together, but we moved out of downtown and that extended my commute by another half an hour, meaning I am now spending about an hour each way on the bus to get to and from work, and that's if I make the connection downtown smoothly (which isn't as reliable as it used to be). It also means having to go into downtown to make the connection, which can sometimes be a pain given traffic congestion issues (like the 25,000 Tamil protesters on Wellington Street as we speak, for example), whereas if I was driving I could avoid downtown completely. Now, Serdic does have a car, and I'm able to use it to get to my choir and social activities, but I'm still commuting by bus.

Then we had the 53 day bus strike this winter, which eliminated a lot of good will I felt for OCTranspo, and changed things in some undefinable way. I can't really explain it, but the mood on the buses and at the bus stops is different now. People (bus drivers and passengers alike) are still angry, I guess. Plus, I got used to the 20 minute commute that came with driving (a colleague was kindly giving me rides). The buses have steadily gotten less and less reliable, and the one I take home from downtown after work regularly doesn't come.

And then this week, we encountered that proverbial straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. OCTranspo announced that they are eliminating service on the route I take from our apartment to downtown -- now I will have to get another bus to the closest transitway station and transfer to another bus to get downtown, where I will transfer to yet another bus to get to work. And I decided that I'm done with public transit (and sent a scathing email to OCTranspo to that effect, which was cathartic, I have to admit).

I had been tossing around the idea of buying a car for awhile already. For the last couple of years, to be honest, definitely since we moved to the new apartment. And after I finished paying off my last student loan last month and became (briefly, knowing me) debt free, it's now something that is financially feasible as well. I had pretty much decided to put it off until after the wedding and we buy a house, as parking two cars will be a little bit of an issue at our apartment, but the idea is becoming more and more tempting and I'm really not sure I want to wait another year.

So all that said, the real question is, what kind of car should I get???

There's a first time for everything

2009-04-16T09:56:00.002-04:00

So we have returned to Ottawa safe and sound. And sick. I am actually home from work today, as I have come down with a nasty cold, which is honestly not all that suprising ... I always get sick when I travel. A combination of being run down (not enough sleep, too much walking!) and being stuck on an airplane with people who have all kinds of bugs (I swear the guy behind me flying home had tuberculosis). Anyway, what follows is a list of things I did/experienced for the first time on this, my fifth, trip to London:

-- visited the National Portrait Gallery

-- visited the Temple Church, which dates from 1185 and is the church associated with the Knights Templar, the crusading knights

-- had my carry on bag inspected by a drug sniffing dog (you'll be glad to know I was cleared to continue)

-- racked myself spectacularly tripping over air on the sidewalk, stumbling for nearly half a block and finally taking out a garbage can (and narrowly missing several innocent bystanders) before crashing to the ground -- awkward!

-- found my way to the center of the maze at Hampton Court

-- took a photo of Henry VIII in the flesh

-- encountered a chatty customs agent who wanted to discuss the shopping opportunities in London (when we said we were bringing home purses, shoes, and dresses he nodded sagely and said "yes, they tell me London's where the good stuff is")

-- was on a plane where a medical emergency was declared and a doctor paged (I have no further information -- the doctor went into the first class cabin and returned about half an hour later, but that's all I got)

-- had my suitcase removed from the carousel at Heathrow on the other side from where I was standing, by a tour group who were "helping" by pulling off the suitcases of everyone on their flight, whether they were part of the tour group or not ... we stood there for ten minutes fearing my bag had been lost before the tour group leader announced their "helpful" gesture to those still waiting

-- breezed through check in and security at Heathrow in *less* time than it took us to check in and get through security at Ottawa ... I don't know where everyone was that morning, but they weren't at Heathrow!

-- went shopping on Oxford Street

-- had "typical" London weather ... grey and rainy, all except one day

-- touched an actual genuine Louis Vuitton bag (PetDoc's bday gift from Noise)

Photos are here. There aren't all that many, as this wasn't a sightseeing trip as much as it was a visit with PetDoc and Noise, but we did go to Hampton Court on Monday, which is where most of the photos are from. It was a great trip, mostly because I did get to spend so much time with PetDoc and Noise ... they were both off work most of the time we were there and we had a blast bumming around the city. When do I get to go back???

Mind the gap

2009-04-11T12:45:00.005-04:00

So we are at about the mid way point of our visit to London. It has been most successful so far. Perhaps the best news is that we accomplished our main goal for this visit, which was to find bridesmaids' dresses for PetDoc and J. Not only did we find the style we wanted (strapless, tea length, simple and classic), in the colour I wanted (chocolate brown), we bought off the rack (no having to figure out how to order one in London and one in Ottawa) *and* we paid 80 pounds (about $150 Canadian) for each dress. So I got both dresses for less than I was dreading having to pay for one! The girls also found the cutest shoes to match and we are all set. The girls' dresses were a big part of the puzzle, design-wise, so now that we know the colour we can start choosing flowers and other decorating elements to complement them.

But wedding planning isn't all we're doing, of course. Not in one of the greatest cities in the world. J and I had a fairly uneventful flight over, although the turbulence was quite bad at times (bad in the "flight attendants please strap in" sense, as that announcement was made more than once). We had sweet seats, though -- first row of economy, lots of leg room, room to stand and stretch without being in the aisle, and fed first! I'm spoiled now. We have the same seats on the way back, too! Our arrival was also easy as pie -- not like when Serdic and I arrived in September and spent three hours in the customs hall. This time we landed exactly on time and within half an hour we were through customs, had collected our luggage, and were heading out into the arrivals area where PetDoc was waiting. A slight hiccup on the way out, as we managed to leave J standing on the tube station platform when she got her luggage caught and didn't make it on the train, but we got off at the next station and waited, and she was on the next train, so crisis averted.

Thursday we did some basic sightseeing, taking the train to Westminster and walking up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, then down the Strand to St. Paul's. A walk I have taken several times now, but J hadn't seen any of those places so it was a good way to really feel like we were in London. We were quite proud of ourselves, as we were operating on less than an hour's sleep in two days, but the travel adrenaline was flowing, I guess. We crashed pretty early, though!

Friday was our shopping day. We had set the whole day aside because we really had no idea what to expect or how long it would take, or even if we could find what we were looking for at all. But as I said above, we had great (and quick!) success and were able to spend the rest of the afternoon wandering the shops Oxford St (I got a gorgeous new purse!). Friday night's dinner was at one of our favourite spots in PetDoc and Noise's neighbourhood -- bangers and mash at The Old Suffolk Punch. Yum.

Today I had the great fortune to meet up with RJA and his friend K, who happen to be visiting London this weekend as well. RJA is a friend from home, but he has been living and working in Germany since the fall and so it was really good to see him and have a chance to catch up. We lunched in the cafe in the crypt under St. Martin in the Fields, and then retired to a local Starbucks for coffee and to continue our visit. We also decided to raise the cultural level a bit and made a quick visit to the National Portrait Gallery. It was a fascinating trip through British history, but unfortunately I had to bow out after just over an hour (we spent too much time visiting!), to head back to PetDoc and Noise's flat, so we could celebrate PetDoc's birthday. Dinner is pizza and champagne, and then the rumour is we are going to play some Wii. Sounds like a great evening to me!

On the road again

2009-04-08T09:57:00.002-04:00

Not much posting these days, for which I apologize. Basically it's been a whirlwind of Serdic being away, Serdic coming home, car trouble, work, wedding planning and preparing for today ... the day my dear friend J and I fly across the Atlantic to visit PetDoc and Noise. All of PetDoc's special requests "from home" are packed (I have to take a bigger suitcase than I normally would for a six day visit!), confirmation emails are printed out, passport has been located, and I think I am ready to go.

This is going to be a fun trip for several reasons. The biggest, of course, is seeing PetDoc and Noise. Add in that we're going to one of my favourite cities, and one of my best friends in the world is going to be there too. What could be better? Oh, and PetDoc and J are my bridesmaids, so we're going to shop 'til we drop finding something that will make both of them look gorgeous on the big day (not that that'll be hard, since they're both of the "gorgeous in a paper bag" variety).

Watch this space, hopefully I'll have lots of pictures and stories in a week's time. Until then!

The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things ...

2009-03-22T13:29:00.002-04:00

Money Matters

Debt free. Two little, simple words, but loaded with meaning nonetheless. And as of yesterday morning, they are two words that apply to me. Three years ago I was drowning in approximately $15,000 of debt, much of it from my student days, but I have to be honest with myself and admit that a great deal of it was simply my own poor spending choices. I sat down with a financial advisor and got myself on a repayment plan, and have diligently made payments and cut credit card use ever since. I've been helped along by three unforseen (at the time of the plan making) events -- an inheritance from my grandmother, moving in with Serdic and splitting bills/expenses and having money available to make larger than "minimum amount due" payments, and then this month my bargaining group at work signed a new contract with a slight pay increase, and as the increase is retroactive to the end of the last contract, 18 months ago, I got a nice chunk of change in the form of backpay. I only had the one debt left, a student line of credit that I was aggressively paying down and planning to have gone by the wedding, and the amount of the backpay cheque was miraculously almost exactly what I had left on that line of credit. So I went into the bank yesterday morning and wrote a cheque for the entire amount. And just like that, I am debt free. It seemed so hopeless not so long ago, and with patience and diligence and a little bit of sacrifice, here I am. And it feels good.

Road trip (with a slight wedding planning update)!

Serdic and I made a flying trip home yesterday, mostly to meet with a photographer I had a lead on for the wedding. We had just enough time to have lunch with his parents and tea with my grandmother and Aunt C (my parents being on a Caribbean cruise, the lucky buggers, and therefore not available for visiting), and then we met with the photographer. I had really been taken with his work when I had looked at samples of it online and we got a really good feeling about him in general ... he seems like he'd be good to work with and has a similar philosophy to mine about what this day means and what we want to get out of it with the pictures, so I think we'll be quite happy with him. So that is booked and a load off my mind. Things are really falling into place!

Unfortunately, our return trip to Ottawa was not as smooth as one would have hoped, as about half way home the car seemed to be threatening to give up the ghost. We got pulled over in a rest area and Serdic called the wonderful and life saving SerDad, who headed out in the dark and cold to our rescue. He brought some tools and jugs and various things, and the two of them popped the hood and muttered and poured things into various slots and paced and, eventually, got us back on the road. I, obviously, understand only the very basics of how cars work and what happened, but she seems to be running just fine now and I am told the car had gotten low on "coolant." We are up and running again now, though, and the car is behaving normally, so I'm glad it was that easily fixed and all it cost us was a couple of hours sitting on the side of the highway.

The Bachelorette

Serdic left this morning for two more weeks in Texas (you may remember he was there for two weeks before Christmas). So I am bach-ing it for a little while again. Last time he was away I found I got really lazy about meal preparation and eating properly, so I am hoping to not make that mistake again. We'll see how it goes. Other than that I've got a lot planned for the next little while so I'm hoping the two weeks will fly by and he'll be back before I know it. And then he's back for four days before I'm off to London for a week to visit PetDoc and Noise! Woo hoo!

This and that

2009-03-09T13:31:00.002-04:00

Not enough on any one thing to make a substantial blog post, so instead a few tidbits in no particular order.

Mother Nature giveth, and Mother Nature taketh away. After a weekend of beautiful, balmy, spring-like weather, we woke up this morning to snow. It was a double whammy, because with the clocks going ahead this weekend it was dark again as I waited for the bus -- I had just been getting used to leaving for work in the light and coming home in the light. So we got a couple of days of spring, and then wham. Back into the dark and cold and snow. Sigh.

Speaking of the weekend, the Wii had a nasty little feature where it will tell you how many hours you've spent playing on any given day. The total time spent playing Tomb Raider in the last two days? Approximately 14 hours. Oops. We had great intentions for this weekend, for things like running errands and going to the gym and getting out and enjoying the sunshine. Instead we took turns running Lara Croft off cliffs. The worst part is that with the Wii you have to actually make Lara do the actions, like throwing a grappling hook or punching a bad guy. My arms are sore today. How pathetic is that?

But oh my goodness, we had fun.

Wedding planning is coming along. My thanks to those who have emailed with suggestions and support. I know I haven't replied to all the emails yet, but that has nothing to do with not welcoming the suggestions and everything to do with there not being enough hours in the days. (Of course, the 14 hours spent playing Tomb Raider might have something to do with that, she said sheepishly.) There are no big developments to report, just turning a lot of ideas around in my head. Serdic did rebel last night when I sat down with pen and paper and wanted to draw up a preliminary seating chart. I think the fact that no one has actually been invited to this wedding yet, so there is no one to "seat," was tripping him up. He's such a boy. :-)

And, finally, happy birthday to SingerMom!

Yes Wii Can

2009-02-21T23:29:00.005-05:00

So Serdic wandered into the living room shortly before dinner this evening and announced "I'm bored." This was followed up with "Let's go buy a Wii." Five minutes later we were in the car headed for Future Shop, and within the hour we were the proud owners of a brand spanking new Wii gaming console. Plus an extra controller (we don't share very well), some fun games, and all the rest of the paraphernalia one needs to be a true Wii expert.

This was not quite as out of the blue as it sounds. I've been saying for ages I'd like to get a Wii, and Serdic has been making noises about a new gaming system for awhile, although he's been talking about an XBox360. I hauled out the old school Playstation (not even a Playstation 2 -- a Playstation 1!) this afternoon to play some Tomb Raider and I think that decided him that we needed to upgrade. But it was still a pretty spur of the moment decision.

But, oh my, was it the right one. We have had a blast this evening, and I have kicked his ass in a number of sports. He'll tell you he was the one doing the ass kicking, but he's lying. My arms are sore now, though!

Anyone out there have a Wii? What games can we simply not live without?

My funny valentine

2009-02-14T12:03:00.010-05:00

So we are inundated with Valentine's Day stuff, right? Everywhere you turn, cards, flowers, candy, hearts, chocolate, etc. So what do you suppose are the chances that on two separate nights in two different locations, Serdic and I would independently choose the same card for each other?

Greater than you'd think, apparently.

And since it was obviously a sentiment that spoke to both of us, I'm going to put it here as my Valentine's entry, instead of writing a bunch of other goopy stuff about how much I love him and how much I'm looking forward to spending my life with him.

A chance meeting
became a smile
became a conversation
became a touch
became a kiss
became a knowing
became destiny
I'm so glad we found each other

And here are a few photos of the floral arrangement that was just delivered. My boy has good taste, I will say that. Happy V-Day to all my loved ones, family and friends alike.

Random mid-week updates

2009-02-11T07:42:00.004-05:00

I've had a series of interesting "customer service" encounters this week.

1) A couple of weeks ago my cell phone died -- it simply would not turn on. So I took it into the fine folks at Telus, where they tried the same things I had, with the same result. Pronouncing herself "stumped," the girl working at Telus said she had to send it out for repair (and when she gave me the repair request to sign, I was delighted to see that under the description of the problem she had used the phrase "but to no avail," making me a fan of hers for life). They gave me a loaner phone in the meantime (one that, interestingly, hadn't been cleared of the contacts and text messages of the last person to use it before me -- I made sure to wipe it clean myself before I returned it!) and life continued as normal. Monday afternoon I got a call on said loaner phone, that went something like this:

"Hello?"
"TheSinger, how are you today?"
"Uh, fine, thank you. And this is?"
"This is *mumble* from Telus. Your phone is back from repair."
"Oh, great. Thanks very much."
"So, uh, when are you coming in to pick it up?"

And I know it's hard to express tone on the interwebs, but this was said as if I had left it there to linger for six months and it was taking up all their storage space. So I kind of fumbled around and said I thought I could come in that evening but I wasn't sure, and suddenly he was all "Oh, whenever you can is good, just wanted to let you know it was here." Very weird.

2) My problem with making phone calls is documented in other entries, but to sum up briefly -- I hate making phone calls, and find it very stressful to the point where I will work myself up into severe anxiety and put off calls that need to be made for weeks (which, of course, feeds back into the anxiety because then I have guilt about not taking care of something, which makes me want to put it off even further, etc. etc. etc.). However, Tuesday I gave myself a stern talking to and determined I was being silly, and picked up the phone to call the medical clinic I use in order to book my annual check up, which I have put off for as long as possible but now needs to be done. After waiting on hold for ten minutes I got a real live person. I asked if I could book said check up and she said "We don't do bookings over the phone. You have to go to the website and do an online booking request," and hung up. I rolled my eyes, but headed over to the website and dutifully made the online request. Yesterday I got home from work to a message on the machine, "Yes, this is Medical Clinic, please give us a call." So I give myself a stern talking to and screw up my courage, and call. They would like to book my appointment. Over the phone. Me: "Um, I called yesterday and was told you don't do phone bookings." Them: "No, you have to do it online." Me: "But I'm talking to you now, am I not?"

And you know, fine, whatever, I have an appointment for next week and it's all good, and my phone issues are not their fault or problem, but I was just left shaking my head at the end of it.

In other, more exciting, less rambling and weird news, I have a couple of wedding updates. The biggest and best is that I ordered my dress on Saturday. I still have trouble comprehending that statement -- I ordered a wedding dress. For the wedding I am having. Because I am getting married. It's pretty damn cool. The dress is gorgeous and I knew right away that it was The Dress, and I can't wait to wear it. No, you can't see pictures. It's a secret. :-)

Other bookings include the DJ for dinner music and dancing, and PetDoc and Noise have booked their flights to come home for the wedding. Woo hoo! I went and looked at invitations last week and while we haven't ordered them yet (still tweaking the wording) I think I have a style picked out. We still haven't done anything about a photographer, which is the next big thing on my list and something we have to do asap. If anyone out there reading this has a suggestion for either an Ottawa or Kingston based photographer they can recommend, I'm all ears. I'd really like to get that taken care of in the next week.

And the list goes on. 36 weeks to go!

Here Comes the Bridezilla

2009-02-02T10:43:00.003-05:00

I made a promise to myself, back when it first became apparent that Serdic and I would likely be heading down the aisle together, that I would not be The Bride for the whole year leading up to our wedding. I don't want to be The Bride who can only talk about The Wedding, who can only think about The Wedding, who expects every person in her life to make their lives revolve around The Wedding for the next year. I told my friend (and bridesmaid!) J this recently and she said "Yeah, every bride says she's not going to be The Bride. Good luck with that." And honestly, the fact of the matter is I'm getting married in less than nine months (eek!) and it is a Big Deal for me. But I am trying very hard not to insist that it be a Big Deal for everyone else. So I was going to try to keep wedding blogging to a minimum.

That, of course, means I haven't blogged in weeks, because about all I think and talk about is wedding stuff! So much for that resolution!

The planning is well underway. Serdic and I spent this past weekend in Hometown, where the big day will take place, meeting with our reception venue and various other interested parties. I have the music for the ceremony well in hand -- anyone who knows me will not be surprised that I have very definite ideas about what I do (and don't!) want, particularly when it comes to music, and we have some very generous and talented friends who have offered to share their gifts with us and our guests, which I am really excited about. I am particularly blessed to have my Aunt C, who has a wonderful eye for the more creative side of things (something I don't have AT ALL), and she is hard at work designing floral arrangements and organizing the multitude of little creative details that we have all come up with. We all have the ideas, Aunt C is the one who actually brings them into being. She was the unofficial wedding planner and decorator for PetDoc and Noise's wedding, and it was seriously the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to (no, I'm not biased, why do you ask?). We are very lucky and grateful that she is willing to take on this gigantic task again for us.

Let's see, what else? Preliminary guest list is drawn up. Church and reception venue are booked. Wedding party has been asked and all have accepted (well, in fact, I don't think I ever asked PetDoc ... I think it's just assumed!) -- it'll actually be a nice parallel, as Serdic and I are both having one sibling and one close friend stand up with us. Nice symmetry there, and nice symbolism of having both our friends and family there to support us.

There are a couple of major things that need to be crossed off the list in the very near future -- top of that list is my gown. My mom and a few other important women in my life are going to accompany me on a dress hunting expedition this weekend -- I can't wait! I've done some preliminary looking online and I definitely have a few dresses in mind, but of course until you start trying things on it's hard to tell what will work. So that will definitely be very exciting.

J and I will also be crossing the Atlantic soon, to have a bridesmaid dress shopping adventure in London with PetDoc. So I am very much looking forward to that. It is strange to be planning a wedding without my sister here, and while of course I can keep her involved through this wild and wonderful thing called the internet (email is a beautiful thing) it's not quite the same. So I'm really looking forward to some "in person" time with her in April, to share everything we've been working on.

So that's where the wedding planning stands for now. Lots of lists, lots of decisions to make, lots of planning still to come. I promise to blog about other things between now and October, though!

Six things

2009-01-13T09:06:00.003-05:00

Kiy tagged me in this meme, wherein I am supposed to list six things that make me happy, and then tag six other people to do the same. I don't really tag people when it comes to these things, but if anyone out there is reading and would like to play along on their own blog, let me know you did so in the comments!

So, here we go. There are, of course, a lot more than six things that make me happy, and I decided to try to go with very specific moments and things, instead of the more overarching concepts ("family," "friends," etc.).

1) Sitting in a theatre as the lights go down and the orchestra strikes up the overture.

2) A lazy Saturday morning snuggled in bed with Serdic, followed by coffee and breakfast sammiches and not having to go anywhere or do anything for a few hours.

3) A big family dinner, with everyone gathered around the table and good food, good conversation and lots of love circling around.

4) Reading the last chapter of a really fabulous book, trying to stretch the last few words out as long as possible because you just don't want it to be over.

5) Making music in my two choirs with many of my dearest friends.

6) Getting on a plane and going somewhere, anywhere, for a new adventure.

And a bonus number 7) talking about, thinking about, planning a special event coming up in October! :-)

Addendum to 2008 wrap up

2009-01-01T15:59:00.004-05:00

Last week when I posted my 2008 wrap up Serdic said "but the year's not over yet ... what if something else happens?" Little did I know when I laughed him off that he was planning to make New Year's Eve the most special night of the year, and possibly of my life (so far!). So consider some of my answers to the questions in the previous post adjusted to take into account this little development:

Happy New Year to all my dear friends. We have been showered with good wishes today and I'm feeling very humbled and blessed by the love we feel from so many. 2009 promises to hold many good things for us, and I hope for all of you as well.

2008 wrap up

2008-12-27T09:54:00.005-05:00

1) What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before? locked my keys in the car ... too prosaic? How about saw the Scottish Highlands
2) Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't really make New Year's resolutions, other than I always resolve to be a better person, lose weight, save money, etc. Sort of ongoing things.
3) Did anyone close to you give birth? Several dear friends.
4) Did anyone close to you die? My grandma.
5) What countries did you visit? England, Scotland
6) What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? nothing was lacking ... more money, maybe
7) What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? September 10, 2008 -- we flew to England
8) What was your biggest achievement of the year? Substantially paying down debt and getting on top of my credit card usage
9) What was your biggest failure? not losing any weight
10) Did you suffer illness or injury? nothing except the common cold
11) What was the best thing you bought? a trip to the UK
12) Whose behavior merited celebration? my sister and her husband, for having the courage to move to a new country and for the wonderful life they are building for themselves there
13) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? various public figures
14) Where did most of your money go? travel, Christmas presents, debt reduction
15) What did you get really, really, really excited about? trip to England
17) Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? happier
- thinner or fatter? about the same
- richer or poorer? richer
18) What do you wish you'd done more of? saving money, weight loss
19) What do you wish you'd done less of? complaining
20) How did you spend Christmas? with the family and Serdic
21) Did you fall in love in 2008? over and over ... fortunately always with the same guy!
22) How many one-night stands? none
23) What was your favorite TV program? Dancing With the Stars /shameful admission
24) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I try not to hate, but the head of the Ottawa bus drivers' union and the mayor of Ottawa are climbing the list
25) What was the best book you read? The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
26) What was your greatest musical discovery? honestly, I have to say it was a new appreciation for some Canadian classics, like Gordon Lightfoot and Anne Murray
27) What did you want and get? To be loved
28) What did you want and not get? to be independently and fabulously wealthy
29) What was your favorite film of this year? I'm a little ashamed to admit this, but probably Mamma Mia, just for sheer fun
30) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? spent the day with my family, went to choir, was loved and celebrated ... I was 32
31) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? to be independently and fabulously wealthy
32) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? I have a personal fashion concept?
33) What kept you sane? family, friends, love, music, faith ... all the good stuff
34) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Colin Firth, as always
35) What political issue stirred you the most? bus strike ... grrrrrr
36) Who did you miss? my grandma, my grandad, my sister
37) Who was the best new person you met? a new member of one of my choirs who has become a good friend
38) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008: patience
39) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Hallelujah

Deck the halls

2008-12-15T21:35:00.011-05:00

Inspired by Kiy, I thought I'd share some photos of our Christmas decor this year. One of my favourite things about setting up my own household has been developing and expanding my collection of Christmas decorations, incorporating some favourites from my childhood and adding in some new things that are just me! The first Christmas I lived in Ottawa my "big" purchase was my tree -- growing up we always had real trees and some day I'd like to go back to that, but living in a highrise apartment on my own it didn't make sense, so for now I have an artificial one. I didn't pay a lot for my tree (I can't remember how much it was but it can't have been too expensive, as I was pretty broke that first year) but it is one of the prettiest I have ever seen. (And so easy to put together -- it's in four pieces and prelit, so all you have to do is put the trunk together and plug 'er in. Simplicity itself!) Since then I've made a big purchase every year -- my nativity scene, the Advent wreath, etc. -- and this year my new addition is a set of embroidered Christmas linens I picked up in a tiny little town in Scotland. So pretty!

I started to upload the photos to the blog, but I find I always end up fighting with Blogger for hours with formatting issues when I try to upload photos, and it was getting to be quite a lengthy post, so they are in a Flickr album for your viewing pleasure.

Maybe tomorrow I'll post the story of why I'm now CAA's biggest fan. /sheepish grin

Weird week

2008-12-11T12:56:00.002-05:00

So, it's not been the usual kind of week around Casa Double S. First of all, Serdic is in Texas for work (he left Monday morning), so I've been "bach"ing it for a few days, and will be until the end of next week. It's funny that before Serdic I had lived on my own for the better part of ten years and loved every minute of it, but now all I can do is count the days until he comes home and I don't have to be alone in the apartment any more. Not to say that I'm wallowing in loneliness or anything -- I have my choirs and my friends and work and all the rest of it, and I'm definitely keeping busy! -- but there's just something really fundamental missing right now. And I'm not even talking about the fact that I have to make my own coffee in the mornings and cook my own dinners! ;-)

The other big news this week, of course, is the bus drivers going on strike. Since I use the bus to commute to work, obviously this affects me greatly. At first I thought it would be ok, as with Serdic away I have the car at my disposal for the next little while, but there is absolutely no place to park it at work. We actually are a little annoyed here in general, as emails went out earlier in the week encouraging us to carpool and reminding us that we are expected to report to work as usual, but we are a) not allowed to use the email system for carpool/ride requests (understandable, as they don't want the email clogged), b) unable to use the intranet carpool site that was set up a couple of years ago when they moved us out to the godforsaken wilderness (the "functionality" of the site is "compromised at this time"), and c) not provided with any temporary accomodations for additional parking (I emailed parking and accomodations to ask if they had any suggestions for parking within walking distance and the response was, and I quote, "Not really." You could almost hear the virtual shrug echoing through cyberspace.). So carpooling sounds great in theory, but is a little shaky in execution.

I am lucky in that I have a colleague who has offered to include me in her rounds (she is picking up another colleague as well) for the duration of the strike, and she already has a parking spot here. So it's working out pretty well for me, although my colleague does start work more than an hour earlier than I usually do, so it's been some pretty early mornings for me this week. However, we get to leave earlier than I usually do, too, so I'm enjoying that. Maybe my internal clock will reset and I'll be able to keep this schedule once I go back to the buses?

And to top it all off, we got 30 cm of snow this week. Just to keep things interesting.

Come sing!

2008-12-07T21:11:00.006-05:00

Yet another fun filled and jampacked weekend is over. I'm definitely in the Christmas spirit now! Friday night I participated in my first ever "sing a long" performance of Handel's Messiah. What an event! This is a very popular and beloved Ottawa tradition, featuring nearly a thousand singers of all abilities and levels of experience filling one of the big downtown churches and singing Messiah together. There were professional soloists and a conductor and orchestra, but the choruses were all us, baby. I've never gone before, but I said to my friend Pixie as we were leaving that I'm never missing it again. Uplifting, glorious music, and inspiring fellowship with friends and fellow lovers of music ... what could be better?

Last night Serdic and I hosted our first joint Christmas party -- I usually host one, but we didn't last year as we had just had our housewarming and a big milestone birthday party for my friend D, and we felt it was a bit of overkill to have a third party in two and a half months. But this year we really wanted to get back to the tradition. And what a party it was! We had about sixteen of our nearest and dearest pass through at one point or another in the evening, and the general consensus seemed to be that Serdic and I give good party. And the food. Oh, the food. Serdic spent two days baking and cooking and chopping and prepping and there was something to tempt every palate. A good time was had by all, I think.

Today we did some shopping and I finished addressing my Christmas cards, so I'm hoping to drop them in the mail tomorrow. And now Serdic is packing, as his work is sending him to Texas for two weeks, starting tomorrow. Miss Bella is "helping" him pack.

Stop and look around

2008-12-01T22:58:00.010-05:00

As that modern philosopher Ferris Bueller once said, "life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Serdic and I agreed at the beginning of November that life was moving pretty fast these days, and only going to get crazier the closer we got to Christmas, so we made a pact that the last weekend in November we would do nothing. Accept no invitations, make no plans, agree to no commitments. As all the other weekends in November and December filled up we stuck to our pact and left this one completely free (not quite true, as we went curling with Nail and his lovely wife on Friday evening and my muscles still have not recovered, but that's another story). At first we thought we might try to get away for one of our infamous minibreaks (one of our favourite things to do) but we eventually decided that that would add stress and expense to a weekend we were trying to keep lowkey.

Eventually we decided that what we would like to do was just get out of the city for the day on Saturday, and we settled on Manotick, about a twenty minute drive from downtown. I have a soft spot for Manotick, as my Grandad was minister at the United Church there for most of my childhood, so we spent a lot of holidays in this pretty little village, but I hadn't been back there in years. So we headed out late morning and spent a lovely couple of hours wandering the streets and in the shops, and then grabbed a late lunch. There was also a Christmas market going on in the old mill (see photo above) so that was a nice treat. We did a drive by of some of my childhood places, too, including Grandad's church (photo to the right) and the house my grandparents lived in on Rideau Bend. I may or may not have teared up seeing the house and remembering all the fun family holidays we spent there. A very special place. We were also blessed, as you can see from the photos, with the most beautiful day we've had in weeks -- blue skies and bright sunshine. It was a delightful treat.

Sunday we lounged about until late afternoon, when we decided we should really bring the tree in from the garage before it got dark and the forecasted winter storm hit. After dinner we put it together and spent a lovely couple of hours decorating. I had put up most of the non-tree things through this week, so the tree was the finishing touch. It's twinkling away in the corner of our living room now, and it makes me smile every time I catch sight of it. A bit early, perhaps, but I'm truly in the Christmas spirit now, and looking forward to December, even as it promises to get crazier and crazier. I tried to take some pictures of the tree and other decorations, but I haven't gotten any really nice ones yet. I'll keep trying. I love my new(ish) camera, but I'm still figuring it out!

Instead of a real update ...

2008-11-27T08:19:00.007-05:00

Stolen from Kiy. You're supposed to bold the things on the list that you have done. Lessee.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band if a high school and military concert band count
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain I've stood on the top of mountains but I've always gotten there by cable car, so I'm not sure I can bold this one
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies We call 'em Girl Guides, but it's the same thing
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in Arlington Cemetery
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House if by this they mean seen it from the outside; I've never been inside
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox At Christmas, no less!
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Urban Encounters

2008-11-19T09:17:00.002-05:00

I've noticed a higher than usual percentage of people in the last few days who don't understand the universal "I don't want to talk to you" signals ... namely, if I am sitting on the bus or at a bus stop and I have iPod earbuds in my ears and am reading a book, I am not interested in having a conversation with random strangers. I don't mind exchanging "good morning"s or smiles, but beyond that I'd really rather read my book. And no, talking to you about what book I'm reading is not the same thing. I must have a friendly or unthreatening face or something, because I often have people approach me for directions, information, or just to have a friendly chat, even when I'm in an unfamiliar city. Two nights ago I was waiting for my bus home after work and a lady at the bus stop struck up a conversation about how it is the time of year when the buses start getting unreliable and as soon as the snow flies you won't be able to count on anything running on time and did I know what time it was because it was getting late and so on and so forth. I smiled and nodded and commiserated and checked my watch for her, all the while watching two of the three buses that service that stop pass by, exactly on time. Then my bus, the third of three, arrived (also on time) and I got on ... and realized she was still standing at the stop. So I don't know what bus she thought she was waiting for, but I don't think the unreliability of the buses was the biggest issue.

Yesterday morning on the bus the guy sitting next to me wanted to know what music I was listening to, and did I enjoy that kind of music, and he thought he should get an iPod and would I recommend them, and did I often listen to my iPod on the bus, and wasn't it getting cold, and he felt like we were the bad kids at the back of the classroom (we were sitting in the last row of seats on the bus) and on and on and on. I smiled and nodded and made non-committal "mmmmm" noises and avoided eye contact (not able to bring myself to actually be rude to someone who was just trying to be friendly), but he didn't get the hint. Sigh.

In other news, J and I did very much enjoy the production of Midsummer Night's Dream we saw last week. It was stunning visually, with lots of acrobatics and dance and vivid costuming. I have seen the play several times and studied it in university so I wasn't worried about following the story despite large chunks performed in other languages, but J wasn't familiar with the story so I was a bit worried about her. However, she said while she missed a few of the details she had no problem following what was happening, and it was kind of like going to the opera where even if you don't understand the language the picture being painted is more important. We are lucky to have such a wide variety of theatre in Ottawa (one of the reasons I chose to move here), and I'm really glad that J and I have subscribed to this series for the last two seasons. Some plays have been duds, sure, but I'm seeing a lot of very interesting theatre, and a lot of shows I wouldn't have bought tickets to on their own, but will see as part of the package.

It was a busy weekend, what with a dinner party at S&V's Friday night (very yummy Indian dishes and a cute baby to play with -- what could be better?), a performance by one of my choirs on Saturday night, and hosting the-always-a-blast girls' night on Sunday. As always, I am reminded that we have wonderful friends and are blessed to have so many people in our lives that we enjoy spending time with.

And now J and I are just in the beginning stages of planning a "girls' trip" to visit PetDoc and Noise in April. I just finished paying off the last one!!!

I know I always say this, but never a dull moment around here. And that's the way we like it.

Oh, and that music I was listening to on my iPod that I mentioned at the beginning of this post? Christmas music. I have a sickness.

Sunday night musings

2008-11-09T21:07:00.003-05:00

Why is it that I am 32 years old, living with the man I plan to marry, I'm working a good, stable job, I hold two university degrees, I have savings in the bank and a retirement fund ... and it's when we're making a trip to Costco that I really feel like a grown up??? So weird.

It's been a pretty quiet weekend, after the excitement of last weekend (my mom was up for a visit and we had tickets to Skate Canada which was hosted this year by fair Ottawa -- I have a blog entry half written on that subject but haven't had time to finish it yet ... hopefully this week!). Serdic and I did make our inaugural visit to the gym ... wow, I'm out of shape. And wimpy. But the first step of any journey is the hardest, right? I can report that I went shopping yesterday (I spent way too much money but I couldn't resist the cutest coat!) and am back down to my "normal" size after moving up one size a few months ago. So that's a good sign. Now the next step is to have a new "normal."

We had a fun evening on Thursday -- our last set of tickets in the Broadway series at the NAC was for Spamalot, which is described as "lovingly ripped off" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. What a hoot. I've never seen the movie, but I have seen a (highly illegal) video of the Broadway production (don't tell anyone!), plus I own the cast recording and have listened to it countless times, so I knew we were in for a rollicking good time. And it was. Very well performed by seasoned professionals, and it's hard to go wrong with that material! I was saying to Serdic as we were leaving that men like John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, etc. are funny enough on their own, but how lucky the world is that they found each other and were able to create the things they did together. Good times.

So now we're at the beginning of another week. This one is a little less normal than usual, as I'm off on Tuesday for Remembrance Day, and singing in a concert that night. I also have plans for every night this week, including seeing yet another play at the NAC on Thursday, this time with my friend J. Crazily enough we were supposed to it this past Thursday but, as the last paragraph states, Serdic and I already had tickets to Spamalot for that date. What are the chances that I would end up with tickets to two different productions at the NAC on the same night? Fortunately J was able to get our tickets changed. This is a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream which looks just fascinating -- it's an acting troupe from India and the performance will be in English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali and several other languages. Good thing I already know the basic plot!

And after Remembrance Day we can officially start the Christmas countdown. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't started my shopping already, and just today I picked up wrapping paper and cards at Costco. Woo hoo! My favourite time of the year, coming up. I wonder if I can wait until the end of the month to break out the music and decorations???

Not dead yet

2008-10-24T10:26:00.003-04:00

Ok, ok, so I know I've been a bad blogger. It's just really easy to slip out of the habit and hard to get back in. But here I am. Some updates and information that might possibly be of interest, in no particular order:

1) I got my Visa refund this morning for those Zoom airlines tickets I had bought for our trip. It's awfully nice to see the Visa balance back at $0.00. I have had a longstanding issue with my credit card and overspending with it, and spent nearly ten years drowning in credit card debt, so last February when I inherited the money from my grandma one of the things I was determined to do was pay off my outstanding balance and keep it under control from now on. And I was very proud of the fact that I have paid off my Visa in full every month since. So it's been strangely upsetting for me to see that couple of thousand dollars sitting there on my statement, even though I knew it wasn't my "fault" and the refund was coming. I was actually really surprised by how much it bothered me, given how long I spent with a much higher balance than that being what seemed to be permanently on my statement. I think it bodes well, though, for my financial future if I can keep that "no outstanding balance" mindset!

2) I am officially down ten pounds since the autumn started. I am pleased with this progress, although of course I'd like to take off more (that would actually involve doing something about it, instead of just cutting back on the chips a little bit and taking the stairs once in awhile!). Serdic and I have agreed that starting November 1 (that's when his membership kicks in) we are going to go to the gym together at least twice a week, which I am really hopeful will be a good step for both of us. My major problem with getting to the gym is one of convenience, and it's really easy to talk myself out of it when there's so much else going on in my life, but the only time I worked out consistently was when I had a workout partner (in my case a personal trainer who I was paying a LOT of money!), so I think knowing I'm supposed to go with Serdic will help me get my butt in gear, and will actually give us some "us" time which sometimes seems in short supply, even though we live in the same apartment. This is something we both know we need to do, so I think together we can keep motivated.

3) Autumn also marks the beginning of the choir season, and things are in full swing with both choirs, which keeps me busy! As always I don't promote all of my concerts on here, but I do want to highlight the next one coming up, a Remembrance Day concert. It's a program of all Canadian composers and arrangers, and there is some absolutely gorgeous material on the program. Here are the details:

Lest we forget.

Picture this

2008-09-21T17:02:00.001-04:00

So, uh, I took a few pictures.

Journey's End

2008-09-20T20:51:00.001-04:00

We have returned to Ottawa safe and sound. Also, exhausted. But I just wanted to post briefly and let everyone know that we are home. Our trip home was uneventful and straightforward, just the way we like them.

We both loved Scotland and have many stories to tell. In total (the whole trip) I took just over 1100 pictures. I will share SOME of them asap. But right now I am going to crash. I may sleep all day tomorrow.

Great Scot!

2008-09-16T16:54:00.002-04:00

Just a very quick post tonight to say that we are off to Scotland bright and early tomorrow morning. I don't think we'll have internet access while we're there, so don't worry if you don't see a post from either of us for a couple of days. We'll be back Friday evening, and then back to Ottawa on Saturday.

Today we went to Greenwich and stood on the prime meridian, one foot in the west hemisphere and one in the east. Pretty cool.

Full reports and details coming soon. Hope everyone is well.

It's a henge! Made of stone!

2008-09-15T15:27:00.002-04:00

Today PetDoc and Noise had to go back to work (suckers!) so Serdic and I decided to get out of the city for a day, and we did a side trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge. I had been before, but not for nearly 15 years, and Serdic had never been, so we decided it would be a worthy way to spend the day. We took the train from London to Salisbury (a journey of about an hour and a half), then caught the "Stonehenge Tour" (of course) by bus to Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is a really interesting and awe-inspiring place. I know many people who say it's just a pile of rocks, but I find it endlessly fascinating. Why is it there? What were the people who built it like? What did it mean to them? They obviously put so much effort and care into building it, but what was it for? Whatever it means, it is a striking sight and we spent a lovely hour circling the stones and examining them from all angles.

We caught the next bus back to Salisbury where we found a 13th century pub for lunch, The Haunch of Venison (gotta love those Ye Olde British Pub names). We had a fantastic lunch -- I had shepherd's pie and Serdic had a chargrilled pork loin with bubble and squeak (!) and a cranberry jus. Delicious.

After lunch we wandered down High Street to Salisbury Cathedral. The cathedral is famous for having the tallest spire in the UK, and it certainly is a beautiful building, situated in a large green space that sets it off to perfection. We spent a lovely hour exploring the church, including the chapter house where one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta is displayed. Eventually we wandered back to the train station and caught a late afternoon train back to London, arriving back in time to have take away fish and chips with PetDoc (Noise had to work late). All in all it was a lovely day. We have been blessed with wonderful weather so far (knock on wood) -- sunny and warm (without being too hot) nearly every day. I even have a bit of a sunburn on my face -- funny that I had to come to England to get too much sun!

I am also told that it is my responsibility to blog about the concert we attended last night, as Serdic fears he wouldn't be able to do it justice. I think that will have to wait for my next entry, as this one is long enough, but let's just say that last night we stood in a crowd of 30,000 people and sang Happy Birthday to Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was awesome.

The Buckingham stops here

2008-09-13T14:39:00.003-04:00

I'm really kicking myself for leaving my camera cord at home, as I'm taking some really lovely photos and wish I could share them. I guess that'll just have to wait until we get home. I promise not to post more than 500 or so.

We had a lovely day today, and got to spend the whole day with PetDoc and Noise, which was of course the best part. We started with a tour of Buckingham Palace, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was really neat to see all those places I'm familiar with through tv and photos, and to really take in the grandeur of the place. The set up for a grand state dinner was especially interesting ... PetDoc asked me how we get invited to one of those!

After leaving the palace we took the tube over to London Bridge, and walked across the bridge (Noise sang the song for us) to the south bank of the Thames. We found a fun little pub (The Bunch of Grapes) where we had DELICIOUS steak and ale pies, then wandered the Borough Market for awhile, seeing lots of fun things for sale. We also popped into Southwark Cathedral for a quick visit -- I was interested in the cathedral mostly because it's where Shakespeare attended services, but it was also a beautiful building and an oasis of quiet and peace in the middle of the very busy market.

Then we walked a ways down the south bank of the river to the Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian bridge across the Thames. We crossed the river on this bridge, giving us a stunning view of St. Paul's at the other end, and up and down the river to all the sights. The sun had come out at this point (it was grey and cool earlier) and it was just a beautiful, interesting walk. PetDoc and Noise hadn't been on the bridge either, so it was a first for them! I didn't want them to spend the whole time we were here "re-doing" stuff, so I'm glad they saved some stuff (like Buckingham Palace this morning and the Tower of London tomorrow) to do with us!

So now Serdic is cooking dinner in PetDoc and Noise's little flat, and I think we're going to eat out in the garden. So I'd better get going. Hope everyone is well!

Rule Britannia

2008-09-12T17:51:00.003-04:00

Just a short note to say that we have arrived safely in London. Our trip was slightly more eventful than hoped, as our flight was delayed two hours leaving Ottawa and therefore late getting into London, and we had to wait in line at customs for ninety minutes, but once we collected our bags and made it out into the arrivals area where PetDoc was waiting for us, things picked up considerably. We had a quiet day yesterday, just hanging out with PetDoc and Noise, exploring their neighbourhood a little bit, and having our first meal of "pub grub" (bangers and mash).

Today Serdic and I did the big London tour, starting at Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, and walking to St. Paul's, via Trafalgar Square. Lots of walking, lots of quintessential London sights and moments. We are a bit tired tonight, but it was a lovely day and we really feel like we're in London now.

I unfortunately forgot to bring the cord for my camera, so any photos will have to wait until we get home. But rest assured, I have taken many! :-)

Tomorrow we are touring Buckingham Palace, and then going wherever our feet take us. Hopefully it won't rain!

Counting down

2008-09-03T11:03:00.003-04:00

Well, the countdown to our trip officially begins today -- we leave one week from tonight (and the Air Canada replacement tickets appeared on my visa statement today, so I guess we really are booked!). I am getting very excited, although I still have a lot left on my To Do list! I am most excited, of course, about seeing PetDoc and Noise. I have missed them dreadfully over the last few months and am very much looking forward to having some time with them and seeing their new "space." This will also be the first major trip Serdic and I have taken together (we have had long weekends in a variety of places, but this will be our first real vacation together) so I am very much looking forward to the experiences we are going to share in one of my favourite cities in the world.

This trip is deliberately being planned to not be planned, if that makes sense. Usually when I go on vacation I have a schedule and an itinerary mapped out for each day, and while I'm a big fan of allowing time for serendipity to take hold and going with the flow, I also like to have a basic idea of what I want to see and where I want to go in order to make the most of my (usually very limited) time in any given city. This time, though, we are planning very little in advance and instead are hoping to each day just pick an area of the city and explore. I have been to London several times and so have done all the big "touristy" stuff, and that's not the stuff that interests Serdic anyway (he much prefers getting off the beaten track and wandering) so we're hoping to really sink our teeth into the city and not be typical tourists.

We do have a couple of things booked and planned. On the Saturday morning all four of us (me, Serdic, PetDoc and Noise) are going to take a tour of Buckingham Palace. I'm a huge royalty buff (although I prefer the history, not the current lot) so I'm looking forward to this. I have, of course, seen Buckingham Palace from the outside several times, but this tour is only available a couple of months a year (usually when the Queen is elsewhere) so this is the first time I've had the chance to go inside.

I think the thing I'm most looking forward to, though, is the concert the four of us will be attending Sunday evening. There's going to be a celebration of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 60th birthday in Hyde Park, complete with performances by some of my favourite theatre people and followed by fireworks. Andrew Lloyd Webber's shows were in many way responsible for sparking my love of theatre and so I have great affection for him in all his wackiness, and the concert should be a grand time.

We also are planning a couple of nights in Edinburgh later in the week. Again we don't have a long list of "must see" items, we mostly want to just wander and get a feel for the city. We do have a day trip booked to Loch Ness ... not so much to look for the monster but because we wanted to get out of the city and see the Highlands, and this tour was an economical and interesting way to do that without renting a car. Also, Rick Steves recommended it, and anyone who has traveled with me knows that I always do what Rick tells me. So I'm really looking forward to adding a new city to my list, and I have my suspicions it will become one of my favourites.

So lots of excitement and planning going on. Given the airline drama of last week I will still worry a little until we are actually sitting on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic (and until I am actually in possession of a refund for the Zoom tickets!), but so far, it seems like everything is a go. And I can't wait!

Changing gears

2008-08-29T14:11:00.002-04:00

So this morning my horoscope said "Sudden challenges present themselves. Be prepared to change gears at the drop of a hat." Which is funny, if you know that I spent most of yesterday afternoon dealing with the sudden and complete collapse of Zoom airlines ... the airline upon which Serdic and I had booked our flights to and from London (leaving in less than two weeks). It was a bit of a scramble, but I was eventually able to book flights on the same dates with Air Canada (for $200 more per person!) and I think we are still all systems go for our trip. I was not expecting to have to spend an extra $2000 yesterday, and I am very fortunate that between us we were able to make the snap decisions and do the financial juggling necessary to make it happen (cell phones and online banking with joint accounts -- what a world!*). It really brought home for me how much my financial situation has changed in the last year ... there was a time not so long ago when coming up with $2000 on the spur of the moment would simply not have been possible, and we would have had to cancel the trip, or at least postpone it until the refund from Zoom was processed (Visa promises me that they will get my money back, but it will have to be after the scheduled dates of travel, after Zoom "fails to provide the service," so things will be a little tight until then, but it's doable).

*On a side note I am constantly amazed by how much money passes through my bank accounts every month without ever actually physically being money. My paycheque is deposited automatically, all bills are paid online, 99% of the shopping is done with debit/credit cards, my savings accounts are all automatic contributions online. I try to imagine sometimes what life would be like if we were still bartering livestock for services rendered! Now I go whole weeks without even seeing any physical, tangible money. (If only I could go whole weeks without spending any!)

So, as always, never a dull moment. This Zoom thing is a hiccup, but it seems to be sorting itself out and we are fortunate that we are in a position where we can make alternate arrangements (and are not stranded in another city trying to get home). Many people are less fortunate than we, and I try to remember that. Even as I was cursing and throwing things yesterday.

But I sure hope no more "sudden challenges" are on the horizon.

A picture's worth a thousand words

2008-08-23T18:15:00.002-04:00

We've been enjoying some beautiful weather here in fair Ottawa (finally, after what has been an extremely rainy and cold summer) and Serdic and I have been trying to get out for walks as much as possible, both to take advantage of the nice weather and to get in shape for England (lots of walking!). Also, I want to play with my new camera. So here are some photos I've taken over the last couple of weeks ... click on the "all sizes" option above each photo to see it larger, and you can get a good sense of the clarity and quality of photo this camera takes. I am very pleased with it so far, and I don't even really know how it works yet!

Check them out here.

Random thoughts

2008-08-17T13:57:00.016-04:00

So Serdic tagged me in a meme. 6 Random Things, huh? Let's see.

1) I believe in ghosts. Not to say I necessarily believe in white sheet draped creatures swooping through haunted houses, but I believe that the spirits of people who are extremely attached to a certain place for one reason or another can continue to inhabit that place after the person has died. Someday I'll have to tell the story of my own encounter with a ghost! (I keep trying to turn it into a novel, but that's still a very nebulous dream at the moment.)

2) One of the great loves of my life is musical theatre. Not as a performer (my last appearance on stage was at the age of eight, in a production of The Sound of Music) but as an audience member. There's no place on earth I'd rather be than in a theatre as the lights go down and the orchestra strikes up the overture. Heaven on earth. Next February will mark the tenth anniversary of my first trip to New York and my first Broadway show (also The Sound of Music, coincidentally) but I love theatre in all its forms, from tiny little high school productions to community theatre to professional big budget spectacles. On one trip to NYC in November 2001 my friend Stacy and I saw five shows in 48 hours (Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m., Saturday 5 p.m., Saturday 8 p.m., and Sunday 2 p.m.) and on Saturday as we literally ran from theatre to theatre I remarked to Stacy that I thought this is probably what heaven is like. You get up from one show, run down the street to the next theatre, settle in and they perform a fantastic show for you, then you get up and run down the street to the next theatre and do it all again. I have very fond memories of that trip, and of every show I've ever seen.

3) I'm having trouble coming up with six things, so I asked Serdic what I should say. "What do you find random about me?" I asked. "Everything, dear," was the reply.

4) I can never answer those "what's your favourite book" questions. I always have sixty-two answers, depending on my mood. I have lots of old friends that I come back to time and time again, but I can never choose just one. At this time I have four books on the go, three I have never read before, and one old friend. Oh, and also the People magazine that I picked up yesterday.

5) I am a very bad packrat. I keep EVERYTHING. It is a sickness.

6) I present six random photos taken with my new camera yesterday (have I mentioned how much I love my new camera? Because I do. A lot.):

I don't think I have six people to tag, but I'll tag Cupcake, PetDoc, Noise (they share a blog but they can make separate entries!), BluffDwellers, and Charlotte. Feel free to play along if you like, and if you don't, that's ok too!

Defy gravity

2008-08-15T21:24:00.013-04:00

Well, it's been quite a week. Thanks to everyone for their birthday wishes on Wednesday -- I had a perfect birthday and felt showered with love and good thoughts. I am very blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life, and it was a nice day to remind me of that. My parents were up for the day, as they were flying out of Ottawa that evening to visit PetDoc and Noise in London (we go in 26 days! wheee!), and my grandmother (whose birthday I am honoured to share) and my Aunt C came along as well. We had a lovely lunch out at one of my favourite restaurants, and Serdic was even able to slip away from work long enough to join us for lunch. After lunch we retired back to our apartment for cake (Serdic's famous cheesecake) and a visit, then I took the folks to the airport and saw them off to London. After dinner I went to a choir rehearsal (one of my choirs is singing at the Ottawa SuperEx next week, so we had a quick rehearsal to brush up some of last season's repertoire) and got to make music with my friends, one of my favourite things in the world to do. All in all, a great day.

I was also spoiled rotten, as usual. My big present this year was a joint effort between Serdic and my parents -- a digital SLR camera. It is quite a camera, I have to say. Definitely a huge step up from my old one, and, I'm not ashamed to admit, more than a little daunting. There are just so many dials and buttons and numbers that don't (yet) mean anything to me. Serdic decided I needed a better camera after I had those photos noticed online for the Quebec exhibition and the online travel guide. I do think, without blowing my own horn too much, that I do have a fairly good natural eye for photography, and I definitely enjoy it, and so Serdic decided it was time I had better equipment to work with. This camera is definitely that, and very intimidating, but I'm really looking forward to figuring out all the bells and whistles and learning how to take even better photographs. I'm hoping to get out and about a lot over the next few weeks so I can figure this thing out before we go to England!

I was given lots of other generous and thoughtful gifts, of course, and I am grateful for them all, but I just want to mention one other one. It is well known in my circle that Strongbow (English cider) is my drink of choice when we go out, and everytime we go to a pub where they serve it in Strongbow branded glasses, I lust after them and wonder if I can get away with smuggling them out in my purse. So my friend Pixie called around (by which I pretty sure she meant badgered and pleaded) all the pubs in Ottawa until she found one willing to sell her four. So now I have my own set of Strongbow glasses. Isn't that cool?

The festivities continued last night as Serdic and I attended a performance of Wicked at the NAC. I have wanted to see Wicked for at least five years now, so I was very excited when it was announced it was coming to Ottawa, and even more so when we got tickets for my birthday week. And the show last night did not disappoint. For those who are not familiar with it, the show is based on a novel by Gregory Maguire which presents an idea of what the Wicked Witch of the West's side of the story might be, and how she came to be "wicked." The score is one of my favourite scores written for the theatre in the recent past, and it was performed beautifully last night. All of the actors were strong and the production values were top notch. The act one finale, "Defying Gravity," was for a long time a sort of theme song for me (I particularly liked the line "And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free") and last night it blew me away. The special effects in that number (I won't give it away) are stunning as well. All in all I loved it and never wanted it to end, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys theatre (it's playing here for the next two weeks).

I'll leave you with a few photos taken with my new camera, a couple of Miss Bella, and a few of the lovely flower arrangement Serdic's parents sent me for my birthday (isn't that sweet?).

Further Traffic Follies, and other adventures

2008-08-11T14:28:00.002-04:00

Would you believe I was involved in a second fender bender last week (on Thursday)? This time I was not driving, I was on the bus, but the bus bumped the car in front of him at a red light (the bus driver appeared to think the car driver had an opportunity to turn right, and didn't take it, so he laid on the horn and then inched forward bit by bit until ... bump). The car driver was (rightfully so, I think) irritated by this (there was no damage to his car, but it is the principle of the thing) and insisted on having a supervisor and the police called, so we all had to pile off the bus and wait for the next one.

The kicker? When I got off the bus and took a good look at what was happening, I realized that the guy in the car? Was our downstairs neighbour! What are the odds? I stayed out of it at the time, and haven't seen him since, but I am dying to ask him how the situation was resolved.

I offered to stay home on Friday, as I felt it was only right for me to stay off the roads, as my traffic jinx appeared to be extending to my friends and neighbours. It was suggested here at work that we could have a new national holiday, and call it The Singer National Safety Day. Everyone stays off the roads, and we all win. Good plan, no?

In other news, thanks to everyone for their support and suggestions on my recent weight loss/get in shape resolution. I am happy to report that I have lost four pounds in the last two weeks. I realize that the first ten pounds are the easy part, with the water weight and all the rest, but it's a step in the right direction. I have been taking my lunch every day, taking the stairs at work, and making some different choices in the grocery store/restaurants. It's starting to pay off, at least a little. I am now on the hunt for suggestions for exercises I can do at home -- I bought an exercise ball and a set of resistance bands, and while they came with suggested exercises I'd like to mix it up a little bit as well. Any thoughts?

Four weeks until we leave for England! Woot!

It must be Monday

2008-08-04T09:21:00.002-04:00

So it's been a hell of a day already, and it's not even 9:30. Sigh. Where to start? Perhaps with the cats and other beasts who kept us up all night ... not our cat, but the one(s?) from next door, who are allowed to roam free. Last night they got into it not once, not twice, but at least three times with something else (I think it was raccoons, but I'm not sure), apparently over garbage can rights (they were knocking the cans around). Every time I had just drifted off to sleep the caterwauling (what a perfect word) began again, driving our own cat crazy (she was plastered to the window for most of the night, begging us to let her out) and making us come awake with a start. Then I would just get settled back down and my heart would stop racing and I would drift off to sleep and ... again. Our next door neighbours appear to be trying to turn their backyard into some kind of nature reserve (I think it just looks overgrown and messy, but what do I know?) and they have a backyard full of wildlife, birds, and their own cats (at least two different ones I've seen, there may be more). One night recently my friend S dropped me off after a girls' night and as we sat in the car chatting we saw both a skunk and a family of raccoons waddle across the road and disappear into the wilderness of the neighbours' backyard. So, you know, enjoying nature and wildlife is not a bad thing (although I would have more respect for their efforts if they weren't doing serious damage to the earth in other ways, like the vehicles they have rusting away in their backyard, but I digress) but if you want to establish a wildlife preserve in your backyard perhaps downtown Ottawa isn't the best place for you to be living?

Anyway. So I finally rolled out of bed this morning and headed out to work. Serdic is off today (the Ontario civic holiday, but as I work in Quebec I don't get it off) so I had the rare pleasure of taking the car (driving instead of taking the bus slashes my commute by 40 minutes, so it is a nice treat). And I was enjoying my drive immensely until I was rear ended at a red light -- I was turning right, stopped to yield to oncoming traffic (since I had, you know, the red light), and the guy behind me didn't stop. Sigh. Fortunately, no damage was done to either car, or driver (although I'm feeling a bit stiff and sore now, but I imagine that's just the tension), so we just got back in our cars and went on our way.

Arrived at work still a little shaken and spent ten minutes looking for parking -- the city has been slowly chipping away all the available parking around our building. The closest municipal lot has been closed (and is being torn up), the next closest has been changed to a park and ride for the bus system, and is by monthly permit only. All of the street parking is by permit only. Our building doesn't provide any day use parking, it is all by monthly permit as well. I finally found a municipal lot a ten minute walk away, where the meter ate up all my available change (usually those things have a credit card slot, but this one didn't). Fortunately it's a nice day and I can use the exercise so the walk is not really an issue, but it was just one more frustration this morning (and one more frustration in general about working in this location, but that's a rant for another time).

So I got to my desk, called Serdic to tell him about the car (like I said, no damage, but I wanted to check in with him), and promptly burst into tears as soon as I heard his voice. Sigh. After a good cry and chat with him and another cup of coffee, though, I'm feeling a little better and ready to start work. And the best news? Is that Monday only comes once a week.

When I was little, one of my favourite books was Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Poor Alexander has a terrible day where nothing goes right, and he keeps threatening to move to Australia. At the very end of the story his mother reminds him that "some days are like that, even in Australia."

Just call me Alexander today.

Time to face the music

2008-07-30T09:24:00.004-04:00

It started slowly. A pair of pants with a snap that wouldn't stay done up, a little tightness here, a gaping button there. I wasn't going to the gym regularly. I was eating out too much. I was snacking too much (on the wrong things) at home. I knew all these things, but I was in denial that it was actually making that big a difference. Then I went shopping with my friend D this weekend. And everything I bought had to be a size larger than the last time I went clothes shopping. And this morning, I got on the scale, for the first time in months. And had to come face to face with the knowledge that I have gained 15 pounds in the last year, and am now officially at my heaviest weight ever.

Sigh.

So I can no longer ignore or deny the facts. I know what happened and why. I know what I need to do to start fixing it (eat less, move more -- it's not rocket science). But it's easier said than done, of course. Anyone who has ever struggled with their weight knows that. One of my biggest issues with losing weight is that a lot of my identity is tied up in the weight. I'm the fat girl. It provides me with excuses, it provides me with justifications, it provides me with reasons for behaviours and attitudes. I think about it every day. It's always with me, every time I look in the mirror. I've been big for so long, I don't know who I am without the weight. So as much as I'd like to lose it, I always find myself sabotaging efforts to do so, because it's about more than the weight. It's about who I am, and who I want to be.

So we start small. Change one thing at a time, Serdic tells me. I have a couple of goals in mind -- we leave in six weeks (yay!) for our visit with PetDoc and Noise, and I want to be in better shape by then. I want to be able to climb hills in Edinburgh without needing half an hour to recover after each one (I am informed that Edinburgh is very hilly). So I am taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator, and going for a walk at lunch time. I bought some exercise equipment so I can do light work outs at home in the evenings (getting back to the gym regularly is not something that is going to happen right now, but it is in my long term plan once some other things settle down). My other more long term goal is a hypothetical totally-not-being-planned-yet happy event that might happen sometime in the not too distant future. I want to enjoy that time, and feel and look my best. I know I will no matter what weight and size I am, but it's something to think about.

I'll never be skinny. I'm not built that way, and I enjoy food too much to count every calorie that goes in my mouth. But I make a lot of unhealthy choices, and I need to make fewer of them. Break some of those habits and form new ones. That's really want it boils down to. Skinny is not my goal. Healthy is.

Random updates

2008-07-23T10:32:00.003-04:00

As I keep saying, never a dull moment around here. As you may have read elsewhere, Serdic was offered a new job last week and has accepted it. He will finish out this month at his old place of employment and will be starting up the new job after the August long weekend. To say that we are delighted would be an understatement. I'm very proud of him -- this is something he really wanted and he went after it with determination and confidence, and he got it. It will mean some changes for us, but life would be boring without change, no? And knowing he is somewhere where he is happy and challenged and valued will make all the difference.

We were down home for a quick visit this weekend, to celebrate my Aunt C's birthday and have some time out on my parents' new (to them) boat (purchased last fall at the end of the boating season). The boat has been the source of some worry lately, as it needed some repairs and a great chunk of the summer (prime boating time!) has been lost with the boat sitting in the shop, but she's running beautifully now and my parents are making up for lost time. We had a beautiful afternoon/evening out on her on Saturday, and I even got a swim in the river (that's how I really know it's summer!).

I also discovered the joy that is skype this weekend, and got to spend some time talking to PetDoc and Noise via webcam. Wow. What a wild and wacky thing that was. We even rigged it up so that they could be part of Aunt C's birthday party, with PetDoc looming in the corner of the family room on Mom and Dad's big screen tv. Freaky. It was my first time "seeing" them since they moved, though, so it was pretty awesome. We are definitely counting the days until our trip to London (49!).

And coming back Sunday night I was attacked by a vicious cold and have been, in Serdic's words, Sicky McSickerson ever since. I'm back at work today, but moving slow and my coworkers are giving me a wide berth. Blergh.

So I think that's all the news that's fit to print. For now, anyway.

Busy weekend

2008-07-13T18:59:00.004-04:00

This has been a great weekend. I would hesitate, however, to say it has been a relaxing one. ;-) After a long week at work, Friday night we went down to Bluesfest (Ottawa's largest annual music festival, although they really lost the "Blues" part a long time ago, so they really should look into changing the name) to hear my beloved Great Big Sea boys perform (see above -- GBS are most decidedly not "blues" -- not that I'm complaining!). This was my 5th time hearing GBS and they never fail to delight. They have so much energy and so clearly love what they do, and that translates into a wonderful experience for the audience. The thing I love the most about GBS's music is that it is always hopeful. It's not always happy, but it's never angry or unpleasant. Their message is always one of enjoying the day you've been given, counting your blessings, and taking pleasure in the simple moments in life. Sometimes life is hard, but there's always something to be grateful for and the hope that it'll get better. That's an attitude I try to have in my own life and so their music really speaks to me.

I have to admit that this was not my favourite time I've seen them ... not because of anything the boys did (other than that they were promoting their new album, so some of their songs weren't as familiar to me, but they played all the classics as well, and the new stuff is great) but just because of the set up of Bluesfest. Serdic and I both might have been overheard to remark more than once that we're too old for this. 50,000 people in a field, with beer cheap and plentiful ... not my favourite way to attend a concert. It has to be a band I really, really want to see and hear (GBS fits that criteria, obviously) but I'm not good in crowds -- I find the pushing and shoving and drunkeness very distracting, and it takes away from my enjoyment of the music. We met up with a friend who has been "Bluesfesting" all week and she said that Friday night she would be seeing her 29th, 30th and 31st bands, and all I could think was "why would anyone want to do that?" Of course, I do lots of things that I suppose other people think are crazy, so if she's enjoying it more power to her.

Saturday morning we had a bit of a late start (and I had no voice until noon!), but after a late breakfast we packed up the car and headed to Wakefield, Quebec, for a mini-getaway. SerdMom and SerdDad had stayed at the Wakefield Mill inn recently and really enjoyed it, so we decided to do the same. Wakefield is great in that it's only a 40 minute drive from downtown Ottawa, but you really feel like you've gone somewhere different. It's a little community with the usual artists and cafes and gift shops you find in a "tourist" town, in a beautiful setting right on the Gatineau river. We were only gone from Ottawa for 24 hours (we came back after lunch today) but it really feels like we went "away" for a longer time than that.

The highlight of the whole excursion was definitely dinner last night (included with our package at the inn). The dining room was lovely, overlooking the falls that used to power the mill when it was in operation, and we had a two and a half hour culinary feast. It started with an "amuse bouche" of wasabi sour cream over julienned cucumber with toasted sesame. Then as an appetizer I had cream of asparagus soup and Serdic had breaded goat cheese with a yam and roasted almond chutney. Both were yummy -- the soup was divine and I was glad Serdic ordered the goat cheese as I love it, but a little goes a long way for me (it's so rich!) and this way I could just have a couple bites. After this course they brought us a shot to cleanse the palate -- cranberry juice, coconut juice and rum. Yum. The main course was beef tenderloin with a herbed bread pudding in roasted shallot sauce for me, bison shank wrapped in endive (and we weren't sure what all else) for Serdic. The tenderloin was perfect ... I could literally pull it apart with my fork and barely needed a knife, and Serdic all but licked his plate clean so I guess he enjoyed his meal as well. ;-) Dessert was a chocolate mousse cake type thingie, with a banana rum puree, and fresh fruit. Throughout, the service and presentation were impeccable, and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute. As, it was clear, everyone else in the restaurant was doing. It's always great to sit in a room where you know everyone is enjoying themselves and their meals. It's a great atmosphere.

The room at the inn was the weak point in our stay, as it was quite small and under the sloped roof (we both hit our heads repeatedly, and neither of us is all that tall!). I would suggest to friends and family members wanting to stay at the inn to request a room on the 2nd or 3rd floor, not the 4th. However, it was the last room they had and considering we booked it on a Wednesday for the Saturday of the same week in the middle of July, we weren't expecting the best room in the house. We have stayed in nicer rooms for less money, though, so we were slightly disappointed. The dinner, and brunch this morning (also included in our package, and a fantabulous feast), made up for it, though.

So now we are back in the city, getting ready for another week at work. We are hoping to get home next weekend, to have some time with our respective parents and celebrate my Aunt C's birthday with her. Never a dull moment around here, that's for sure!

C, eh, N, eh, D, eh!

2008-07-01T22:34:00.009-04:00

It's official. Serdic and I throw great parties. This evening we hosted a Canada Day party for a few friends and it was a great success, if I do say so myself. I was a little worried because a lot of the people we had invited hadn't met each other before, but everyone clicked very quickly and seemed to enjoy themselves immensely. We decided to take advantage of our new BBQ and so that was the starting point for the meal -- Serdic grilled chicken, salmon, and portobello mushrooms, along with some veggie skewers. I was responsible for the "inside" portion, and made a potato salad, a broccoli salad, and tzatziki as an appetizer. Rounding out the meal were the dishes our lovely friends brought (a pasta salad, strawberries and whipped cream and chocolate chip cookies for dessert, lots of fresh veggies and fruit) and we all stuffed ourselves.

I was particularly proud of the potato salad, as it was my first time attempting such a thing. It has been a long standing family tradition that I ask for my grandmother's potato salad at any meal taking place between May and October, and it is understood that I get the first helping and have first dibs on any leftovers. So when we decided to host a barbeque I knew I had to try to carry on the tradition. I called her last night and got the recipe, and was surprised by how simple it was. I was expecting some grand secret ingredient (Serdic tells me that ingredient is "love," but he's corny like that) but it was surprisingly easy. I won't say that it was AS good as my grandmother's, but I was very pleased with it all the same. That recipe is definitely a keeper.

It was a little weird not to be downtown, in the heart of the action so to speak, for Canada Day, as I have been for the last four years. There are times when I really miss living downtown and today was one of them. Although I don't miss the crowds and the noise. But I did miss standing out on my balcony watching the fireworks. We talked about going downtown to watch them but by the time our guests left we were pooped. A long day of cooking and cleaning will do that to a person! We're definitely getting better at this dinner party thing ... we have our timing down to a science now, and we are even learning how to share the kitchen (a hard fought battle)! This was our first time actually serving dinner to this many people at once and it went surprisingly well. We're lucky in that we both enjoy entertaining and we like to share the tasks involved. It's something we do particularly well as a couple -- we were both good at it individually, and we're even better at it together.

Happy Canada Day, everyone!

BBQ Fever

2008-06-24T09:30:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year. All across the country BBQs are getting hauled out of storage and fired up. A friend commented recently as she arrived for movie night that our "entire neighbourhood smells like BBQ." It's one of the rituals of summer, I guess. There's just nothing that says summer quite like the smell of grilling meat and charcoal. Yum. We've certainly been invited to several parties recently that centered around food grilled on the BBQ, and thoroughly enjoyed each one. This past weekend both of my choirs had their end of season parties (fortunately on different days!), and we were particularly lucky in that the weather cleared for a couple of days. It rained every day last week and both parties were in doubt for a little while, but it was beautiful all weekend. The rain started again last night and today is grey and blah, but we had two days of sunshine, which is exactly how you like a weekend to be.

This year Serdic and I have joined the ranks of Those With Barbeques, as we inherited PetDoc and Noise's BBQ when they moved. Before we both lived in apartments where we weren't allowed to have them, but in the new place according to our landlord if we placed the BBQ in one specific corner of our deck, it met the codes and regulations. I have to say, we are enjoying it immensely. Serdic already has grand plans for all the different things he is going to try to cook on it -- I suspect our stove won't be turned on again until Thanksgiving! That is not a complaint, btw. ;-)

In other news, this past weekend would have been my Grandma's 94th birthday. I remembered her by going and getting the brightest pink plant I could find (pink is a colour I will always associate with her) and putting it in the basket that held the grandchildren's floral tribute at her funeral. It is currently brightening our dining room table and it makes me smile every time I see it and think of her. Happy Birthday, Grandma. You are missed.

Friday the 13th

2008-06-13T11:40:00.002-04:00

So it's Friday the 13th, which didn't even occur to me until I just got an email from a friend that referenced it. I'm not all that superstitious (about this, anyway) so the date doesn't bother me. As a matter of fact, I'm kind of fond of Friday the 13ths, having been born on one. Someone told me once that people who are born on Friday the 13th are supposed to have good luck on that date instead of bad, but I can't say that my luck has been any better on Friday the 13th compared to other days -- but it hasn't been any worse, either!

I've had a couple of emails from people asking if I'm feeling better after my self-pitying down in the dumps post of last week. The answer, of course, is yes, much. It's been a nice, relaxing week. Serdic and I had date night on Tuesday and took in a movie (Prince Caspian), I got together with some friends on Wednesday for pizza and beer, and last night I sat and did absolutely nothing. It was perfect. This weekend is looking pretty relaxing, too -- only one engagement, my friend C's annual Lobsterfest on Saturday night. Considering neither Serdic nor I eat lobster it seems a little silly to be going, but there will be lots of other food to enjoy and, more importantly, great company and music and laughter.

I guess my big news since yesterday is that we booked our trip to visit PetDoc and Noise in London in September. I am so excited! We're going for ten days and I already can't wait. We've decided to sneak a side trip to Edinburgh in there in the middle, and other than that we're going to bum around London and see what there is to see. I'm particularly looking forward to getting to know PetDoc and Noise's neighbourhood, so I can picture them in it when I hear about their adventures.

So, yes, lots of good things going on. I hope everyone has something fun planned for the weekend!

Sing, Sing a Song

2008-06-12T10:09:00.002-04:00

I am going to try this embed a video thing. Bear with me.

This is one of my choirs rehearsing a piece we recently commissioned from a very well known and respected Canadian composer. I still find it hard to believe sometimes that I am part of a group that performs at this level.

This video was taken shortly before we performed a concert on Sunday. Readers who live in Ottawa may recall how hot and humid it was in this fair city on Sunday. The church in which we were performing might charitably be termed an oven. I will refer you to the video to see our standard concert dress -- long sleeved black shirts, black skirts or slacks, closed toe black shoes. Sweltering, is the word. It's the only time I have sung in a concert where the director has said "I want you take water bottles on stage with you, and I want you to drink from them between movements."

All that said, the concert went smashingly well. We had a full house and the music was wonderful. This was a joint concert with another Ottawa choir and we were performing a Requiem that a local composer wrote for her son, who tragically passed away from cancer about a decade ago. The concert was a fundraiser for a palliative care home named after the composer's son. It was a great honour to perform with her (she played piano) and it was a good challenge for us as a choir, performing a multi-movement lengthy piece, with another choir. In the first half we performed a number of other pieces, including the one in the video linked above.

So now both choirs are done for another season. I'm looking forward to having my weeknights to myself for a little while, although I know by September I'll be chomping at the bit to get back into it. The next concert coming up for me is one I don't have to sing in -- my beloved Great Big Sea boys are coming to Ottawa in July!

The Funks of June

2008-06-05T12:41:00.002-04:00

You've heard of the Ides of March, right? Well, I feel like I'm in the Funks of June. No particular reason, really, just been in a bit of a funk lately and not sure how to get out of it. I think it's a combination of a) having to say goodbye to PetDoc and Noise last weekend (wow, that was hard, no matter how excited I am for them), b) my complete inability to say no to anything, therefore packing my weekly schedule way too tightly, and c) a few little stresses in a couple of areas (work and one of my choirs, mostly) that have come together to just make me feel exhausted and blue. I'm finding it harder and harder to get out of bed in the mornings, and most days I feel like I'm just slogging through to the end. It'll pass, it's not like it's the first time I've overextended myself and needed some down time to recover, but I'll admit to feeling a bit blah these days. Once I get through this weekend (scheduled events include a yard sale, helping my friend J move, a party for a colleague's wedding anniversary, singing in a concert, and a choir executive meeting!), things should calm down a little bit. One can hope, anyway!

There are, of course, lots of good things going on. I always kind of feel when I whine about being too busy with good things and friends and family and music and laughter and all the rest that Chandler Bing is going to pop out and say "yes, yes, your wallet doesn't hold all your fifties and your diamond shoes are too tight."

For example, we had a lovely baby shower for my friend H on Sunday. I think she was very touched and pleased and we had a great afternoon with friends. I gave her a selection of children's books, of course. *grin* My friends in general are one of my life's greatest blessings, so it was really nice to take the time to celebrate this happy event in H's life.

I guess the biggest news is PetDoc and Noise's move. They are settled in in London now, and starting to explore the city and all the adventures it holds for them. PetDoc is doing an awesome job of sharing the details on her blog, so check it out. I miss them dreadfully already, but I'm so excited for them (and, yes, more than a little jealous!). Today is also their wedding anniversary -- I can't believe it's been four years already! So happy anniversary to them. Serdic and I have to get cracking on booking our trip to visit them in September -- I think their vacancy calendar is filling up at an alarming rate!

So, as always, things are hopping around Casa Double S. It keeps us out of trouble at any rate, right?

Anniversaries

2008-05-25T17:32:00.003-04:00

So it has been brought to my attention that the first anniversary of this blog came and went this week. Oops. It's just been one of those crazy weeks -- out every evening and a weekend chock full of everything from errands to socializing to parental visits. There's another week just like it coming up and we've already got something on the calendar for every weekend in June. Sheesh. But I digress. Although I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like, I think the blog has been a good exercise for me, a good way to keep in touch with friends and family, and a good way to get some thoughts down and "out there," so to speak. It's been a great year, that's for sure. Eventful, happy, fulfilling, full of many of the good things life has to offer. Sure, there have been some difficult times as well, but in those days the support of my friends has given me great strength. I've really enjoyed sharing my life this way for the last year, and am looking forward to continuing the blog. Maybe I'll even post entries occasionally! *eye roll*

We had a great visit to Tremblant and the cottage (which was actually in Val-des-Lacs) last weekend. Serdic's birthday was, I like to think, well celebrated (he didn't seem to have any complaints, at least!). You can view some pictures here. Lots of quiet time, hot tub time, "us" time. It was perfect. We didn't even mind that it rained all weekend. ;-)

And, finally, I'm just putting my friends on notice. If that happy day should ever arrive where I put on the white dress and walk down the aisle and throw a big ol' kick ass party afterwards, I will be very disappointed if something like this does not happen: best toast to the bride ever. Just sayin'.

Running away for the weekend

2008-05-16T09:49:00.002-04:00

Just a short post to update, since it's been a couple of weeks. We are off today for a few days at a rented cottage (or "chalet" as the paperwork keeps calling it) near Mont Tremblant. Hot tub, fireplace, mountains, lakes, peace and quiet ... a few days of that is just what the doctor ordered, for both of us, and we've been looking forward to it for weeks. It's also my birthday gift to Serdic, so that makes it a little extra special as well.

Other than that, things are normal around here. Busy, as usual, of course. One choir is done for the season, the other is in the home stretch (three more weeks). J and I have an NAC date next week, and Serdic and I have one the week after. Lots of good theatre. As you may have read on Serdic's blog, we also got home last weekend to see a friend play the lead in Beauty and the Beast, which was a lot of fun. I'm always happiest when I'm sitting in a theatre, listening to the orchestra tune, waiting for the lights to go down and the overture to start, so I'm excited about all the theatre I'm getting to see this month.

And finally, happy Mother's Day to my Mom and grandmother, and happy anniversary to Mom and Dad. We got to spend Mother's Day with our families (both of them, which is one of the things I love about dating someone from my hometown!) and as always it was a treat.

I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and has something fun planned!

Sunday morning musings

2008-04-27T10:10:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a milestone in our relationship ... we, for the first time, made a joint purchase of something major for our home. (We've been sharing bills and groceries and that kind of thing since we moved in together, of course, but this was the first time we went out and invested a fair amount of money in something permanent for the apartment.) We bought a little bistro set for our back deck, so that we can have morning coffee and evening meals and all sorts of things out there. So cute!

This is another musical weekend for me. Last night we saw a friend and colleague of Serdic's in a performance of La Boheme. This afternoon one of my choirs is giving our spring concert, which I am very much looking forward to, as it is a selection of Canadian folk music, which is exactly the kind of music I like to sing. I have to say that I'm rapidly reaching the point I do every spring, where I am very burnt out and exhausted from the two choirs and all their demands, but the end is in sight -- this weekend and next are the two final major concerts for the season, and then I have some time off. I love my choirs, but I reach a point every spring where I've had enough and need a few months off. This year has been particularly busy, as one choir alone has had ten engagements, or averaging more than a concert a month (our season is October to June)!

In other news, Serdic and I have just started to plan our first (of many!) trip to visit PetDoc and Noise once they're settled in London. I think we'll be going for ten days in September. We're actually looking for suggestions of things to do in Edinburgh, if any of my faithful readers have been there. We're going to try to do a side trip to there from London, and we know what the guidebooks say to see, but I'm always interested in "off the beaten track" suggestions from people who have been there ... "Don't miss this!" or "We had the best meal of our lives in that restaurant" kind of things. Anyone?

Spring is in the air

2008-04-17T10:15:00.002-04:00

Ah, yes. Spring. That lovely time of year. And you know how you can tell spring has arrived in fair Ottawa? Half the streets in the bloody city are already torn up with construction. That didn't take long.

However, I'm not complaining, as we've been enjoying absolutely gorgeous weather this week. This is exactly the time of year I love, when you can sleep with the windows open, but still snuggle under the covers. When you still need a jacket, but you don't necessarily have to do it up. The snow is finally (almost) gone, the green things are starting to bloom again, and everywhere you look you see signs of the world coming back to life. It's been a long winter this year and I'm really enjoying this glimpse of spring.

I have a busy weekend coming up -- a performance at a local retirement home with one of my choirs Saturday afternoon, then a girls' night at my friend H's house (always a great time, we get together, eat too much food, have a few drinks, play board games and gossip). Sunday I have a sectional rehearsal for my other choir, then Serdic and I are accompanying my friend Pixie (as Serdic dubbed her several months ago) to the NAC to hear Gordon Lightfoot perform. It's not every day you get a chance to hear a living Canadian legend sing. I'm very excited about it.

Tonight Serdic and I are meeting downtown after work to fulfill our Flat Stanley duties. I agreed to do a Flat Stanley adventure for a little girl in my mom's class. I'm an old hand at the Flat Stanley thing, as I had a visit from one made by my friend Cupcake's son a couple of years ago, so I know all the places to scope out. We have already had an abortive attempt at showing Stanley around Ottawa, as we went downtown on Sunday to take some pictures of him at the parliament buildings. Only to discover when we arrived there that there was this little pro-China rally going on, featuring tens of thousands of protestors. Perhaps you read about it? So although political action on the Hill is part of life in Ottawa and would have made an interesting backdrop for the pictures, we decided all in all it was better to try again when things were a little quieter. Fortunately today's weather is even nicer than Sunday's, and now that it is light until nearly 8:00 in the evenings (woot!) we'll get some nice pictures in after work.

And, finally, this is a special time of April for me, because it's bookended by the birthdays of two people who mean the world to me. My sister, PetDoc, had her birthday last Friday, and SingerDad's birthday is tomorrow. I know I talk a lot on this blog about my family and how much they mean to me, and it does start to sound like a broken record after awhile, so let me just say that my sister is my best friend, and my dad is my hero. I'm blessed to have them both. Happy birthday, youse.

Keeping up with the Joneses

2008-04-13T19:10:00.010-04:00

It is a well established fact that Serdic is The Cook in our household. He does 90% of the cooking and every meal he has ever prepared for me has been delicious. But every once in awhile, I feel the need to prove that I can cook, too, and so I take over the kitchen for a night. The major difference in our styles, I think, is that Serdic is constantly trying new recipes or adjusting the ones he has based on what we happen to have in the fridge, whereas I have my few specialties that I do very well, and I don't tend to stray too far from them. One of these specialties is a vegetarian manicotti (although I've been known to make it with Serdic's famous spaghetti sauce as well, so it doesn't have to be vegetarian). It is the first meal I ever cooked for Serdic, back when we were first dating, and it's a dish he still requests on a regular basis. It's a bit time consuming and fussy, but the end result is definitely worth it. It also helps us with our resolution this year to take our lunches more often, as we get seven generous servings out of it, so two for dinner and then five lunches for the week ahead. I often try to make it on a weekend and then we have the leftovers in the fridge ready to go for Monday morning. You see tonight's meal pictured, along with garlic bread and a green salad.

I received the recipe as part of a fat loss program I was doing once upon a time, so it's also quite healthy. You can adjust as you like -- obviously full fat cheeses and/or sauce and such make a difference to taste and texture. I also play with the amounts of sauce and mozza, as I like my pasta very saucy and cheesy (just like me!). Of course, this has an impact on the calorie count. *sheepish grin*

The recipe is as follows:

1 box manicotti shells

1 15 oz container low-fat ricotta cheese

Whites of two large eggs

1 cup drained thawed frozen spinach or 2 cups fresh, chopped

1 cup grated peeled carrot

1 small onion

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried

1 tbsp minced fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried

3 cups marinara sauce (I tend to cheat and use store bought, my favourite is Healthy Choice 'Garlic Lovers', or if there is a container of Serdic's spaghetti sauce in the freezer we'll use that)

1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and cook the shells for 3 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and put them in a bowl of room temperature water. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, combine the ricotta with the egg whites, spinach, carrot, onion, basil and thyme.

3. In a 9x14 baking dish, place about 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce, enough to cover the bottom. Drain the manicotti shells. Stuff each shell with the filling and place in the baking dish. Spoon over the remaining sauce. Cover with foil and bake 35-40 minutes, until the shells are fully cooked and the sauce is bubbling.

4. Remove the pan from the oven and uncover. Sprinkle evenly with the mozzarella and return to the oven for 10 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and slightly golden. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 14 shells. A serving is 2 shells. 320 calories; 10 g. fat; 41 g. carbohydrates; 18 g. protein; 4 g. fibre.

Picture this

2008-04-08T10:55:00.006-04:00

So we had our trip to Quebec City (see some photos here) last weekend. It was a great weekend in several respects -- we had a lot of R&R and great meals (we definitely highly recommend the hotel and will be staying there again), spent a lot of time just wandering the city and enjoying some quality time together, the train is a great and relaxing way to travel, and the highlight, of course, was seeing my photo in the exhibition at the museum. I had prepared myself to be disappointed, as they had told me the photo would be in the "interactive area," which I suspected meant that it would be manipulated beyond recognition or part of a collage or mosaic or cut up and put back together in a weird way, or something. But as soon as we walked into the exhibition I could see it across the room, in all its glory.

It was on a flat screen set into a display case, and part of a series of scrolling photos of different cityscapes. So while Serdic acted as my accomplice and stood between me and the guard and blocked her view, I quickly snapped off a couple of photos of my photo (how meta!). The only disappointment was that instead of using my name as the photo credit, as I had been told they would, they gave the source instead, the URL for my Flickr account. Still cool, but not *as* cool as seeing my name there would have been. But it was still a pretty awesome moment, to stand there in the museum and see my photo scroll by. Several times, of course. And then we went back to see it again before we left. *sheepish grin*

So then we came home, thinking it was a once in a lifetime event and weren't we glad we had made the effort, and so on and so forth. And two days later I got an email, via Flickr, from an editor at http://www.schmap.com/, which is an online travel guide run by Yahoo! (who, not so coincidentally, also run Flickr), asking if I would grant permission for one of the photos I took in Italy last spring to be used in their latest publication. I did, of course, and it appeared online on Friday. (Here's a screencap.) This time they used my name in the credit line. ;-)

So, interesting times. As I said before, I've always thought I took nice photos, but I never thought other people (besides friends and family) would be interested in them! It's not like I'm ready to quit my day job (hell, no one's offered to pay me for anything yet!) and take up photography as a career, but it's still been a nice little ego boost in the last few months. In both cases, interestingly, the photos selected have not been the ones I would have chosen, or ones that I would rank among the best pictures I've ever taken. But I guess in both cases they were an unusual angle and not the stereotypical "tourist" shot (I mean, I took some gorgeous photos of, for example, the Rialto Bridge in Venice, but everyone who has ever visited Venice has the same shots in her photo album!). Either way, it's been kind of fun.

A picture's worth a thousand words

2008-03-26T14:52:00.004-04:00

So as you may remember, in August Serdic and I had a long weekend in Quebec City. For a number of reasons, it was an excellent trip, our first real getaway together as a couple, a beautiful city, great meals and sightseeing, fabulous weather, etc. etc. etc. And I took a lot of pictures, as I tend to do when I'm travelling -- as anyone who has ~~been forced~~ enjoyed looking at my photo albums will know. Now, I don't claim to be a fabulous photographer, but I do have a good quality camera which takes a pretty nice picture, and I have found with digital cameras and the advances with screens and settings and such (and especially the ability to know right away if the photo will turn out or not and take another one if necessary) that I tend to take a lot of nice pictures. And then I like to share them with people. So when we got home I put my photos of QC up on my Flickr account, sent the link out to friends and family (and posted it here), basked in their admiration for a couple of days, and went on about my business.

Fast forward to mid-December. Sitting at my desk at work one afternoon I got an email via Flickr from a woman who works for the Musée de la Civilisation in QC. She had found my photos on Flickr and was wondering if I would grant permission for them to use one of them in an exhibition they are putting on this spring at the museum. At first, I thought it had to be some kind of hoax, as it just seemed so random. But I did some investigating and googling and she seemed to be who she said she was, and we exchanged several emails over the course of the week about the exhibit and I sent her the high resolution copy of the photo and so forth. She told me that the photo would be used in the "interactive" portion of the exhibit, and they wanted to use it because it was exactly the right angle and perspective of the city's skyline that they were looking for. So it won't be framed and hanging on the wall, but it is apparently in the exhibit, with credit given to me as photographer.

Obviously, Serdic and I decided we needed to go see it. It's not every day this sort of thing happens, after all. So we are off this weekend for a flying trip to QC to see the exhibit and have a couple of days of R&R and pampering. We are splurging and taking the train down and staying in a hotel in the lower part of the old section of the city, just across the street from the museum, in fact. I anticipate some great meals and a lovely soak or two in the hotel room's jacuzzi tub (we upgraded our room when we found out that for $10 more a night we could have a jacuzzi!). And the photo thing is still too cool for words.

What's funny about that particular photo is that it was a random snap out the window of the car. I had been trying to get a shot of the city from that angle as we came back in on the highway, but it's hard to take pictures out of a moving vehicle and they were all blurry. Then as we were bombing down the highway all of a sudden we came upon a stoplight. In the middle of the highway. And it was red. And we were saying to each other "what the heck is up with this stoplight in the middle of the highway?" when I turned to look and the city was perfectly framed in Serdic's open driver's side window. I threw the camera up and grabbed a shot just as the light turned green and we took off again. So we decided that stoplight was there for photo ops. Little did I know that it would be the photo that would bring me glory and riches. Well, glory at least. Well, for a moment or two, anyway. :-)

Easter musings

2008-03-24T22:07:00.004-04:00

This has been a strange Easter for me. Usually Easter follows a very specific and well-established tradition ... I go home, we have church Friday night and Sunday morning, big turkey dinner at my grandmother's house, blah blah family traditions blah. As a family we're all about traditions, and doing things the same way every year. Minor variations, sure, especially as we've grown and the family has been enlarged with inlaws and such, but the fundamentals are the same.

This year, not so much. My parents were out of the country until late last night, so I didn't go home. And Easter came so early this year, and with the snow still on the ground and with only the barest hint of spring in the air, I think it caught a lot of us still hibernating. It just didn't feel like Easter this weekend. At all. And that's a shame, because Easter is one of my favourite times of the year, I love the awakening that spring brings, and the message of Easter is a very powerful and hopeful one for me. I really feel like I missed it this year.

On the other hand, I did have some lovely moments this weekend, bookended by two fabulous meals. On Friday we had my sister and brother-in-law over for dinner, and Serdic cooked a DELICIOUS meal of tilapia, rice, and veggies. He really is a genius in the kitchen, and I knew half way through the meal when my sister turned to me and said "We're just going to have dinner here every night from now on" that I'm not the only one who thinks so. Today my parents returned from their trip and joined the four of us for a full on Easter dinner, cooked by yours truly (with lots of help, of course!). This was my first time taking on responsibility for a holiday dinner, and it turned out rather nicely, if I do say so myself. All the dishes were even finished at (approximately!) the same time! I did my famous glazed ham, mashed potatoes, spinach sauteed with sesame seeds, sugarsnap peas tossed in lemon butter, and steamed carrots. Serdic contributed his fantastic caramel flan with fresh fruit for dessert, and everyone all but licked their plates clean. It was great to see the folks again (they've been out of the country for two weeks, touring Scandinavia) and hear their stories and see the pictures. And have that quality family time I crave so much, and was really missing this weekend.

I also made it out Sunday morning for a sunrise service of hymns and choruses from the Messiah. Rolled out of bed at 5:15 which nearly killed me, but once we started singing and watched the sun come up over the river it was worth it. I didn't quite find the inspiration and fulfillment that Easter morning services usually bring me, but I did get to sing some glorious music and have some time with some very important friends in my life, so it was a good way to spend a few hours.

So now all I have to do is get ready to go back to work after four days off. Somehow I find I'm lacking the inspiration to do so. ;-)

Mixed Feelings

2008-03-21T23:12:00.002-04:00

So my sister and her husband are moving to England, effective June 9th, for what looks like probably a couple of years. We've known this was likely for a few months, as they have been actively pursuing it and it was really more a matter of "when," rather than "if," but it became official this week when he was offered a transfer within his company to the London office. This is, of course, very exciting, although I don't envy them the HUGE amount of work they have to do over the next couple of months to get ready to go ... sell their house and cars, arrange storage for the things they won't take with them, pack, get the dog's papers and such in order, get their own papers in order, and the list, I'm sure, is endless. But what a grand adventure! I had a year "away" in Denmark, once upon a time, and it changed me in so many ways, all of them good and meaningful. And, of course, it is not a bad thing for *me* to have someone I can crash with in London. *grin* I intend to make as many trips over as finances and vacation time will allow.

But it is with mixed feelings that I wish them Godspeed and good luck. I will miss them dreadfully. My sister has been my best friend from the day she was born and my brother-in-law has been a close friend and member of the family for more than a decade. I have *loved* having them here in Ottawa for the last three years, and they are going to leave a big hole in my life when they go. We're a very close family and we've always been within arm's reach of each other, or at least within a couple of hours of travel time. It'll be really strange not to have that. Also, London has always been one of my favourite cities in the world, and I feel a little (very selfishly, I admit) jealous that my sister will know it in a way I never will, that it will be her home and her city now. Wonderful for her, slightly bittersweet for me.

The good news is Sis has decided to start blogging about their adventure, so those of us left at home can follow along. So she's been added to the blog roll on the left hand side. I was thinking today about how far technology has come since I was in Denmark 13 years ago. All of my communication with home was done by snail mail and a weekly telephone call. If I had had email and blogging and the interwebz then, how different it would have been!

51 cm

2008-03-09T20:29:00.004-04:00

Friday Fun

2008-03-07T13:24:00.004-05:00

Winter Storm Watch, part 622. 30-50 cm in the next 36 hours. On top of the 30 we received this week already. Awesome! [/opposite day]

We just got an email from the head of our building's health and safety committee, reminding us that the path to the bus stop and all sidewalks are property of the city, and as such it is the city's responsibility to maintain them, and all complaints should be directed to the city. In other words, STOP EMAILING HER ABOUT THE PATH. That was the subtext, anyway.

Had a great experience on the bus this morning. A young man seated towards the back was holding forth about, basically, how awful his life is. He was directing this diatribe in theory towards the poor woman who had the misfortune of sitting next to him, but he was speaking loudly enough that the whole bus could hear him. He seemed to think that he is the only person in Ottawa who has to deal with the snow, and roommate problems, and financial difficulties, and an overbearing mother, and so on and so forth. This would have been bad enough, but he was also extremely foul mouthed, and while I am all in favour of the occasional naughty word, this was really a bit much for the time and place. The two older ladies sitting next to me were quite bothered by this behaviour, and I smiled sympathetically at them and rolled my eyes. Then one of the ladies turned around and told him to keep his voice down. The following exchange ensued:

Him: Screw you, lady. I barely have any voice. (One of his complaints was that he was sick with a cold and sore throat.)
Her: Then maybe you should be resting it.
Him: And maybe you should mind your own business.
Her: You made it my business with your broadcast. I don't want to hear it anymore.

She turned back around, he grumbled a bit and then was mercifully quiet for the rest of the ride. This delightful lady and I got off at the same stop downtown, and had to climb over a snowbank to get to the sidewalk. I gave her a hand over the snow, then she smiled at me, said "You have yourself a lovely Friday," and walked away.

Awesome.

And, finally, happy birthday to the wonderful SingerMom. I am blessed to have a mother who is not only a great parent, but a great friend as well. She has set a shining example for me in all areas of life, and I can only hope to follow in her footsteps. Thanks, Mom. For everything.

March Madness

2008-03-03T11:31:00.006-05:00

A variety of tidbits for your reading pleasure on this fine Monday morning.

White Witch is Pissing Me Off

I keep thinking of dear Mr. Tumnus in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, when he describes conditions in Narnia as "Always winter, never Christmas." We did have Christmas this year, yes, but it feels like it was at least three years ago. I am so tired of winter. There's been snow on the ground since mid-freaking-November, people. It has snowed and/or freezing rained (yes, I know that's not technically a word) nearly every day since. I think I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of days it hasn't snowed since November. It really starts to weigh you down after awhile. I feel like I don't know what it's like to live in our apartment in any other season -- we were only in a few weeks when it started to snow. I want to sit on our little back porch and enjoy my Saturday morning coffee. I want to be able to pull out of our driveway without having to peer around the snowbanks. I want my commute to be straightforward and take the expected 45 minutes, instead of the hour and a half I'm currently averaging. I want to be able to just pull on a jacket and go, instead of having to spend five minutes deciding which coat I need based on the forecast and then tracking down and layering on gloves, hats, scarves, etc.

I know I'm whining, and it's no more than everyone else in this part of the world has to deal with right now, but enough already, Mother Nature. Go pick on a different part of the world for awhile. I know we Ottawa-ians pride ourselves on not complaining about the weather (unlike other cities; yes, I'm looking at you, Toronto) but seriously, enough is enough. Time to overthrow the White Witch and get on with spring. Where's Aslan when you need him?

Fun with Gadgets

Joined the 21st century this weekend and got me a cell phone. I have resisted having one, for a couple of reasons, mostly because I didn't feel it was necessary and I had other monthly expenses that had to be higher priority. I've always said that I have a phone at home, and I have a phone at work, and if I'm not at home or at work I'm probably out doing something fun and don't want to talk to you anyway. Now that things are very different for me financially (love that "dual income household" thing!) and I can handle the expense better, and I have someone I need to check in with from time to time, including sometimes when I'm running late and not at home/work (see above about my stupid commute these days), and I'm doing more driving, including on the highway, and might need to be able to call for help, etc. etc. etc. ... I just decided it was time. Plus, you know, shiny! And fun! And something new to play with! Serdic is already regretting my decision, as I have texted him approximately 862 times since this time yesterday. I still intend for this to be very much for *my* convenience, and I won't be giving the number out to a lot of people as I do not intend to be one of those people who is constantly texting/on the phone, but it is nice to know it's there if I need/want it. Plus, you know, shiny! (Did I say that already?)

Sing Out

The concert went quite well Friday night. We were pleased. I have to admit that fifteen minutes before show time I was a little nervous, as getting three choirs, two soloists (one of whom was double booked and wouldn't be there until about twenty minutes after the concert started!), guest percussionists and more all organized did not go without any hiccups. But once the show started and we actually got to perform everything went smoothly. The audience seemed to enjoy it, at any rate. And I had the great ... ah ... pleasure of seeing my pasty white face and six chins on tv as part of CJOH's coverage. Great that we got the publicity, not so great that the world had to see that. Seeing yourself on video is always a humbling experience, no? But the music was great.

Self-pimping

2008-02-28T09:25:00.002-05:00

Just a quick reminder to my faithful readers about the fabulous concert that's going to happen tomorrow night. I'm working on building up my own set of groupies ... it's what all the cool kids are doing these days. And it's not everyone who can say they sang on the same stage as Hanson, after all.

You'll kick yourself if you miss it, is all I'm saying.

It's just an ordinary day

2008-02-25T13:36:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was what one might call a perfect day. We lingered over coffee and getting ready to go out, then went to our favourite local spot for breakfast (which was more like lunch by the time we got moving, but that's a moot point). After that the day was so beautiful with the sun shining and warm temperatures (relatively speaking) so we decided to not waste it (it was one of those days that makes you think that maybe spring really is just around the corner and it won't actually be winter forever). We went downtown and made our way over to the Rideau Canal, which bills itself this time of year as the World's Longest Outdoor Skating Rink. Serdic and I have lived in Ottawa for seven and five years respectively, and neither of us has set foot on the canal in that time (I have been skating on the canal in the dim, distant past as a child, but not since I moved here permanently). We didn't skate, but we spent a lovely couple of hours walking along the edge of the canal, watching the world go by and sharing a Beaver Tail and hot chocolate. We were apparently so disgustingly cute together that a lady passing by in the other direction stopped and offered to take our picture. Yes, friends, we are just that cute. Even perfect strangers recognize it.

After our jaunt on the canal we ran some errands, then picked up a rental movie and went home. Watched the movie cuddled on the couch, then napped, then dinner. Then I settled in for the annual orgy of self-congratulation that is the Oscars, one of my favourite guilty pleasures. Serdic disappeared into his office but he poked his head out every now and then, wanting to know what the score was. Smart ass.

They're all pretty good days these days, but this one was just a little extra special. Mostly because it was so ordinary, in the best possible sense of the word. My favourite song by my favourite band, Great Big Sea, is called Ordinary Day, and I think that really sums it up.

And I say way hey hey, it's just an ordinary day
And it's all your state of mind

Musings on love; followed by some shameless self-promotion

2008-02-14T10:21:00.003-05:00

One of my favourite things about my relationship with Serdic is that we're both really sentimental. We like to celebrate anniversaries, to remember the little things, to create memories that have meaning for us. We say "I love you" on a regular basis, and even more than that, every day we find ways to *show* each other that love. So I don't need to wait for Valentine's Day to hear the words, or, more importantly, know that they're true. I have daily proof of that.

When I was single, I grumbled about Valentine's Day. I still do, a little. I do think it is a, for lack of a better term, Hallmark holiday, and I don't need a specific day set aside to show my partner that I love him or wait for him to prove his love with red roses and chocolate. Love is about a lot more than that. I have issues in general with how our society sees couples as "normal" and singles as "abnormal" and Valentine's Day just reinforces that. On the other hand, though, I feel much the same way about Valentine's Day as I do, for example, Mother's Day. I shouldn't wait until Mother's Day to tell my mother that I love her or make her feel appreciated. I should do that every day. But is there really something all that wrong with taking a day to specifically honour her?

Where the trouble comes in, I think, is how the commercialism takes over and ruins a perfectly good idea. Taking a day to tell the person I love that I love him and maybe making a little extra effort to recognize that? Not an issue. Being told by society that my relationship can only be validated by a $1000 diamond bracelet and two dozen roses? Not so much. I've already had a wonderful Valentine's Day -- I've heard the words and I've had some quality time with the one I love. After 31 years of spending Valentine's Day alone I admit it, I'm enjoying having someone to celebrate it with. It's more important to me to celebrate our anniversary, each other's birthday, other moments that are specifically important to us and our relationship, not a day arbitrarily designated as "sweethearts' day," but Valentine's Day is one of those things I've never really gotten to be a part of. This is our first together (we were dating last February but not in a place to celebrate V-Day together) so it's extra sweet.

Love is a good thing. Love, in all its forms, makes life brighter and better. I don't just mean romantic love, but the many many varieties of love that fill our lives, from family to friends to life partners. Tell someone you love them today, and every day. Celebrate love in all its forms.

In other news, I have a concert coming up at the end of the month that I'm really excited about. One of my choirs does an annual Black History Month concert and this year's is going to be FABULOUS. We are partnered with a local high school's "World Voices Choir" and the energy and enthusiasm that these kids (and their fantastic teacher) bring to the music just takes everything up about twelve notches. We'll also have some guest soloists, a vibrant and exciting percussion section (including drummers from the NAC orchestra), and lots of great, roof-raising music. The concert is on February 29th, at 8 p.m., and it's at the Bronson Centre downtown (211 Bronson, I believe). Tickets are $15. I don't promote all the concerts I participate in on here, but I really think this one is going to be fantastic and I strongly encourage everyone to consider checking it out. Music is another of those things that makes life brighter and better, and making beautiful, joyous music with my friends is one of my favourite ways to spend an evening. Join us, won't you?

Unexpected gifts

2008-02-12T12:09:00.000-05:00

One night a couple of weeks ago when I arrived home from work there was a letter from my Grandpa on the kitchen counter. This struck me as a little odd, as Grandpa is not what one would call a prolific letter writer (that was always Grandma's department, and, oh, what letters she wrote!), but given the events of the last month it is not inconceivable that Grandpa would have a reason to contact me. But when I opened the envelope and a cheque fell out, I was not prepared for the result. It turns out my Grandma left me a substantial amount of money. Money that she had quietly been setting aside for years with the intention of leaving it for her grandchildren after she was gone. It's not enough to quit my job and spend the next fifty years travelling, but it is enough that I can make some real and noticeable changes in my life, and put some aside for future changes. I have mapped out a basic plan that involves some investing so that there will be something there for future "life events," some immediate reduction of debt left over from my student days, and some "play." Sure, I'd rather have my Grandma back, but with this final very generous gift I will be able to honour her and have her continue to be part of my life for some time to come.

The most interesting part of that little story is that my Grandpa mailed cheques to all three grandchildren on a Wednesday afternoon. All three of us received them the next day. Someone was watching over the mail that night and making sure nothing went astray.

Other moments of light recently:

This morning on the bus not one but two men offered me their seats. Now, I don't for a minute expect to be offered a seat because I'm a woman or out of some outdated sense of chivalry or whatever. I am ablebodied and healthy and I can stand, and I am thankful for that, and I don't get offended if I am not offered a seat. In fact, I have much more often offered my seat to someone else than I have been offered a seat, and that's as it should be. But I have to say that this morning it was nice to see more than one person offering to do something nice for someone else, especially when that someone else was me! ;-)

Had a lovely, albeit brief, visit to Hometown this weekend. My dad and some friends were giving their third annual "Songs in the Key of Love" Valentine's concert and we were able to get down to enjoy it. Also had a great visit with both my and Serdic's families, which is always a treat.

We are now on our third day in a row of sunshine! I had almost forgotten what sunshine feels and looks like. It's amazing the way the spirit lifts when the sun is shining. Now, we've also plunged into a deep freeze that would have even polar bears saying "Wtf?", but I'm not focusing on that because ... hey! Pretty sunshine!

Dug out the old Playstation this weekend and have spent several happy hours playing Tomb Raider over the last couple of days. Don't ask me why I got it in my head to do that, I just did. I'm not a huge video game girl, but for some reason Tomb Raider has always been a favourite. There is a lengthy story about the SingerFamily and various versions of TR and a few Christmases spent sitting around the living room watching each other play and ~~heckling~~ yelling encouragement. Just seeing the Playstation is enough to bring up those memories and make me laugh. Good times.

Happy Valentine's Day. Take a minute to tell the people you love that you love them, not just on Thursday but every day.

What a difference a year makes

2008-02-01T11:33:00.000-05:00

One year ago today, it was a normal day. I worked, I goofed off on the internet, I probably emailed my friend J (we generally do email back and forth every day), I likely did some daydreaming/planning for the Italy trip I had coming up in a few weeks, I probably bitched about the cold weather. But that evening I did a less usual thing ... I went on a date. If you had told me as I was getting ready to go out that I was about to completely change the course of my life, I'd have laughed at you. I wasn't even really thinking of it as a date -- I was meeting an old friend, someone I knew for a brief time a lifetime ago, for coffee.

Who would have thunk that a year later here we'd be? Living together, planning a future together. I can't imagine my life without him in it now, and I'm grateful for everything we've shared over the last year, and looking forward to everything we will share in the years to come.

So the lesson learned? Be open to every opportunity. Smile and be friendly to everyone you meet. Because you never know when five years down the road someone might see your picture on a dating website and think to him or herself "I remember that person -- she was cool" and ask if you want to get a coffee and catch up. And it'll turn out that that person was the one you were waiting for after all.

Happy anniversary, honey.

This and that

2008-01-16T11:26:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone for their kind words and support over the last little while. It is greatly appreciated, and I am reminded yet again that I have wonderful friends and am greatly blessed by the number of awesome people in my life. Grandma's funeral was Saturday and it was, I think, a fitting tribute to her. Simple and elegant, lots of laughter and fond remembrances, full of comfort and acknowledgement of a life well lived and that she had come to the end of her days in peace and surrounded by love. I was honoured to participate in the eulogy and I think I did well -- SerdMom told me afterwards that we painted a beautiful picture of her and helped everyone who was there to know her a bit better, which was exactly our goal. We will miss Grandma dreadfully, but I am thankful that we had her as long as we did, and I know that her influence will journey with me through the rest of my life.

Other random life observations:

Is it ever appropriate to say to someone, in public, "Excuse me, ma'am, but you appear to have forgotten your pants?" Like, say, on the bus? When she is all bundled up in a coat, hat, gloves, knee high boots ... and tights? (I should add that her coat only came to her waist, so I can say with some certainty that she was not wearing a dress. She appeared to have some sort of sweater on that covered her bottom, barely, and then ... tights.)

People who allow their cell phones to ring repeatedly and loudly at the theatre should be shot on sight. Just sayin'.

J and I saw Macbeth at the NAC last night. It was a fantastic production. Macbeth is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays, mostly because there's a lot of action in it (unlike, say, Hamlet, where he spends the majority of the play standing around dithering) and the themes are so universal. This production is set in WWII Scotland, and the director envisioned Lady Macbeth as a Wallis Simpson type, which was an interesting take on the character. The production values were top notch and the acting was superb. Sometimes these "updated" adaptations of Shakespeare are difficult to pull off, but this one worked beautifully. It also included one of the best moments of "we're live, dumbass" theatrical shenanigans I've ever seen ... during the banquet scene as Macbeth was soliloquizing down front in the background someone opened a bottle of champagne and managed to spray it across the entire stage and a number of the other actors. It was fascinating to watch their reactions as they fought desperately to keep it together and clean up (while staying in character), without distracting from the very tense scene that was supposed to be taking place. The carefully blank faces as each actor passed his or her napkin (thank goodness it was a banquet scene!) down the table were hysterical and the whole thing was just a perfect example of the joy and excitement of live theatre. Macbeth, by the way, never so much as blinked and continued on with the scene beautifully. I would have loved to have been backstage during intermission, though!

And finally, is it the weekend yet?

The circle of life

2008-01-08T10:26:00.000-05:00

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal ... a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance ... a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to lose and a time to seek; a time to rend and a time to sew; a time to keep silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Congrats to Null and Britgal on the arrival of their new precious bundle of joy. Welcome to the world, little one. May your stay here be long and happy and filled with only good things.

My Grandma died Sunday night, after a short illness. She was 93, and had lived a happy long life filled with many good things. We are blessed that her final illness was brief and her passing was quick and peaceful, but we will miss her dreadfully. I am lucky and honoured to be able to say that I see a lot of her in myself, and that is a legacy I will carry proudly. She was the original Madame Librarian and a really, really cool lady. I remember when I was living in Denmark she would write me faithfully every week, and her letters were always just like sitting down and having a wonderful conversation with her. She was clever and witty and always had a great story to tell. In the last few years her body failed her bit by bit, but her mind remained sharp and clear to the end. My sister and I were able to get down Sunday afternoon to see her and say goodbye, and while she was no longer able to communicate with us she smiled at me and reached out her hand for me to hold and I know she knew I was there. I take comfort in that.

To everything there is a season.

2007 Wrap Up

2008-01-01T15:11:00.000-05:00

First of all, he liiiiiiiiiiiiiives. For those who had given up checking Serdic's blog out of despair, he blogged last night. Just doing my bit to keep the world informed.

We had a blast last night, and went to my friend J's for a rockin' party. Good friends, good wine, a good year to celebrate, and someone to kiss at midnight. What could be better? J is one of my dearest friends and has seen me through good times and bad, and there's no one else I would have rather celebrated the end of 2007 and the promise of 2008 with. I just hope her head doesn't ache too badly today (at least no more than mine does -- in the cold hard light of day that last glass of wine was probably a mistake).

Someone sent me this survey a little while ago and I thought it was a good way to wrap up the year. It's a bit long, but bear with me. Feel free to post your own answers to some or all in the comments or on your own blogs.

1) What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? Fell in love.
2) Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't really make 'em, other than the generic "be a better/thinner/richer person"
3) Did anyone close to you give birth? No, although friends adopted and we're waiting to hear on some other friends who are anticipating a birth very soon
4) Did anyone close to you die? No
5) What countries did you visit? Italy, the US
6) What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? I can't think of anything that was really lacking this year; more money, maybe
7) What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? February 1, first date with Serdic
8) What was your biggest achievement of the year? maintaining a healthy relationship and all the big changes that came with it
9) What was your biggest failure? not losing any weight
10) Did you suffer illness or injury? nope
11) What was the best thing you bought? my iPod Nano
12) Whose behavior merited celebration? can't think of anyone in particular, my friends and family in general are worth celebrating pretty regularly
13) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? so many people, mostly politicians and celebrities; I don't have a lot of people in my real life who disappoint me
14) Where did most of your money go? travel, moving
15) What did you get really, really, really excited about? trip to Italy, moving in with Serdic
16) What song will always remind you of 2007? Hallelujah, the k.d. lang version
17) Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? happier
- thinner or fatter? about the same
- richer or poorer? richer
18) What do you wish you'd done more of? travel
19) What do you wish you'd done less of? complaining
20) How did you spend Christmas? with the family and the boy
21) Did you fall in love in 2007? God, yes
22) How many one-night stands? none
23) What was your favorite TV program? Amazing Race
24) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, in fact I am trying to reduce the "hate" and have reached out to a couple of people I left things on bad terms with
25) What was the best book you read? Innocent Traitor, by Alison Weir; it's a novel about one of my favourite historical figures, Lady Jane Grey, who was queen of England for nine days
26) What was your greatest musical discovery? Jim Cuddy
27) What did you want and get? love
28) What did you want and not get? can't think of anything
29) What was your favorite film of this year? Stardust or Enchanted
30) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? family celebration; I was 31
31) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? having more money, I guess
32) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? discovering my inner hottie
33) What kept you sane? friends and family
34) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Colin Firth -- the answer to this question is always Colin Firth ... yum
35) What political issue stirred you the most? war in Afghanistan
36) Who did you miss? my Grandad
37) Who was the best new person you met? duh
38) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007: Don't put things off, saying you'll do them later ... later isn't always there. Live while you can.
39) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: I'm who and where I want to be

Another year over ...

2007-12-29T12:25:00.000-05:00

So I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. If yours was even half as wonderful as mine, you're doing well. I commented to someone this week that I'm not sure I could claim that this was the best Christmas ever, as there have been lots of fabulous Christmases in my life, and the absence of someone still sorely missed and never far from my heart does make itself felt, but it certainly ranks in the top five. Good family time, good food, time to remember once again the gift that is Christmas and all it means. A lot of it, of course, has to do with Serdic and sharing our first Christmas together, but it was a wonderful holiday in so many ways. And, of course, I was spoiled rotten. Which is as it should be.

So now Christmas is over, and so, nearly, is 2007. As always, this is a time for reflection. 2007 brought a lot of changes and growth for me. I grew as a singer, as my confidence and skill improved in both choirs and I found my place in the "musical community" of Ottawa. I visited Italy for the first time, and saw things and places I have dreamed about my whole life. I took a photograph that will be displayed in an exhibition in the Museum of Civilization in Quebec City next month. I moved to a new neighbourhood. I tried General Tao's Chicken for the first time and (much to Serdic's chagrin, as now he has to share it!) discovered I love it. I became the trainER, not the trainEE, at work over the summer. I found a whole new circle of friends who have welcomed me with open arms. I started blogging.

And on top of all that, I have had the joy of finding someone to share it all with. Obviously, that is my biggest story of 2007 and the thing that shapes most of my memories and experiences of the past year. I have so many blessings in my life, a loving and supportive family, many precious friends, a job I love and am good at and which allows me to support myself, music, laughter, books, faith, travel, and many opportunities too many women around the world are denied. But for several years I have felt like one piece of the puzzle was missing. Now the puzzle is complete, and I couldn't be happier. Life was good in 2007, and I have no reason to think it won't be even better in 2008.

Wishing you all health and happiness and good fortune.

2007-12-17T09:11:00.000-05:00

Our back deck, December 3:

Our back deck, December 16:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2007-12-16T10:21:00.001-05:00

So we're in the home stretch now. Shopping is done, wrapping is on the list to be done today, I believe Serdic is planning to do some baking today as well. Sadly, the Christmas concert I was supposed to sing in this afternoon, which I have been looking forward to for ages and which was going to be extremely awesome, especially when we sang the Hallelujah Chorus with the brass ensemble, has been cancelled due to weather (we are currently under a Severe Weather Warning and it is pretty nasty out there).

So instead I bring you the Christmas survey I just received by email. Feel free to play along in the comments or on your own blogs.

Wrapping paper or gift bags? For Christmas, I prefer wrapped gifts. I'm usually a gift bag girl, and I haaaaaate wrapping, but the gifts under the tree need to be wrapped.
Real or Artificial tree? I prefer a real tree, but I currently have an artificial one. Living in an apartment on my own (up until this year!) there was no way I was going to be able to maneuver a real tree in and out and artificial ones have a lot of pluses, but I still prefer the look, feel and smell of a real one. We always had real ones growing up and if/when I have kids I'd like to go back to having a real tree.
When do you put up the tree? Usually the first weekend of Advent. This year it went up the weekend before that.
When do you take the tree down? Sometime in early January.
Do you like eggnog? Yes.
Favorite gift you received as a child? I don't think I could come up with just one. Probably Joey, the doll my mom made for me when I was very young (2 or 3, maybe?) and who I still have, and who has moved with me to every new place I've lived (yes, he is here in the new apartment, although I think he might still be in a suitcase somewhere)
Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. It is from Willow Tree and I love it
Hardest person to buy for? Probably my Grandma and Grandpa. They are just at a stage in their lives (they're both in their 90s and still live in their own home!) where they don't need anything (everytime I visit them they are trying to give stuff away). I love them dearly but I find them very hard to shop for!
What was the worst Christmas gift ever received? I don't really have an answer for this one, either -- my family and friends are generally really really good about gifts. Maybe the year I received a pen with a calculator in the end of it from a distant relative -- the idea was sound, but the calculator was too small to be any good. The funny part of the story was that my sister received a similar box, but hers was empty (we believe that to be the fault of the store, not the relative who gave us the gifts!). After she saw what was in my box she just tucked hers away and thanked the relative for thinking of her.
Christmas Cards? Love them. Love sending, love receiving.
Favorite Christmas movie? Probably the original Grinch (the cartoon). Or Charlie Brown Christmas -- it chokes me up every time. More recently I love Love, Actually or The Polar Express.
When do you start shopping for Christmas? Early November, generally.
Have you ever 'recycled' a Christmas present? I don't think so.
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My maternal grandmother's turkey dinner.
Clear lights or colored on the tree? Coloured.
Favorite Christmas Song? Too many to list. I can't pick just one. I prefer the triumphant carols, like O Come All Ye Faithful and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Quieter ones I love include Do You Hear What I Hear? and I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day. O Holy Night and Silent Night have special significance as well.
Travel at Christmas or Stay Home? Fortunately don't have to travel too far, just about 90 minutes down the road. Will be going to my parents'. When we were kids my parents had a very strict rule that we woke up Christmas morning in our own beds in our own home, and any travelling could be done after that. I intend to institute the same rule for my own children, but for now I go home to my parents.
Can you name Santa's Reindeer? Of course. Can't everyone?
Do you have an Angel or a Star on top of your tree? An angel.
Open the Presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Christmas morning. Stockings right away when we get up, then breakfast and clean up, then tree gifts. Tradition dictates this very firmly.
Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The commercialism and the fact that Christmas has become very "in your face." Why do stores need to start decorating the day after Hallowe'en? Also the fact that the weather can play havoc with your plans.
Shopping...Mall or online? I love the convenience of online shopping, but there's nothing like wandering a mall with your hands full of bags. A lot of my shopping is impulse, too, especially for stockings, so the mall is better for wandering and being struck with the right idea.
Do you decorate outside for Christmas or just inside? Just inside right now, as we're in an apartment building. When I have a house there will be lights outside as well.
Favorite Christmas cookie? my grandmother's marshmallow squares. Not that I ever get to eat any, as they're also my mother's favourite.
Do you own Christmassy clothing or jewelry? A few red sweaters and a Santa hat.
Do you believe in Santa? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.

Still alive

2007-12-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

So we have been poked, virtually speaking, by various people wanting to know if we are still among the living. The answer is a resounding yes, but unfortunately we have been keeping such a hectic schedule lately that it leaves little time for either of us to blog. I am also hampered by a new "acceptable use" internet policy at work, which is where I did the majority of my blogging (hence the need for an "acceptable use" policy -- fear not, I see the irony). So I need to blog from home, but this is the first evening I've had at home with nothing to do in weeks.

Since last we spoke, Serdic and I have, separately and collectively:

-- hosted a 40th birthday party for my dear friend D (who is in no small way responsible for Serdic and I finding each other again, as she told me about plentyoffish.com)
-- decorated the apartment for Christmas -- I will try to get some pictures up this weekend, but rest assured it looks awesome, and we really enjoyed putting the tree up together for the first time
-- had a 10 month anniversary dinner at a fabulous restaurant (called Isaac's -- unfortunately they have no website) where I had what I would rate one of the top five dinners out (beef tenderloin in a balsamic cream reduction, roasted potatoes and veggies) of my life -- Serdic made all the arrangements and would tell me nothing more than "dress up" and "our reservation is at 8," which made the anticipation of the evening that much more enjoyable, and the final result did not disappoint (not that I was worried it would!)
-- attended a wonderful Christmas party hosted by my sister, Doc, and her husband, Numbers (I'm trying out new nicknames, but I'm not sure these will stick), which meant meeting some cool new people and getting into the Christmas spirit. It was nice for me to meet some of my sister and brother-in-law's friends and colleagues, and put some faces to the names I hear so often
-- hosted game night, which was a new experience for me, although my role consisted mostly of serving some kick ass garlic bread (if I do say so myself) and then staying the hell out of the way
-- been snowed in (neither of us worked on Monday, as I knew I wouldn't be able to get to work on the bus and Serdic was not sure it was safe for him to be driving either, so we had a snuggle at home day instead -- "I'm going back to bed, are you coming?" are some of the sweetest words in the English language)
-- had more than one hellish commute this week, not related to the weather but related to the stupidity of both companies that provide public transit to the "National Capital Region" -- those rants are pretty much a blog entry in and of themselves, so perhaps that will be elaborated on later in the weekend
-- lost my good winter hat, the only hat I have ever owned that looked (dare I say it?) cute on me, during one of the aforementioned hellish commutes. Serdic and I are going to go to the STO headquarters tomorrow to see if it has turned up in their lost and found, but I do not hold out great hope. Sigh. I loved that hat.
-- cursed the snow that has fallen EVERY FREAKING DAY for the last two weeks. I love snow, I love Christmas, snow gets me into the Christmas mood, but we passed "too much of a good thing" about five days ago. Enough already.

Add to that the usual weekly rounds of choir rehearsals, chores, work, and all the rest, and you find me one busy beaver. And the rest of the month will just get crazier. Four more parties, I'm singing in two concerts (concert pimping to follow in separate post), Christmas lunches at work, trying to get my shopping finished (Doc and I have a blitz planned for Sunday -- I pretty much know what I'm getting for everyone, I just have to track everything down) ... the list feels endless. However, I'm really looking forward to everything, and this is my favourite time of year. I'm also really looking forward to getting home and spending some good quality time with my family. I am very blessed to be able to see time with my family as one of the highlights of the holiday season, not one of the reasons to dread it, and I fully intend to celebrate every minute of that. Plus this is my first Christmas with Serdic. I can't wait.

The heavens ring, while the angels sing
Peace on earth and goodwill to men
They are singing of God's gift of love
It is Christmas in Bethlehem

Urban Observations

2007-11-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

What is it about the first snowfall of the year that turns people into such idiots? Have they forgotten how to drive in snow between last winter and this one? The same thing happens every year around this time, people. It's not a difficult concept.

J and I went to a play at the NAC the other night, and I arrived a bit early so I got to hang out in the lobby for awhile waiting for her. Our appointed meeting place was near the box office, which is right at the main doors, so nearly everyone who arrived for the play came in right past me. After awhile I noticed just how many of the new arrivals were bickering as they came in. I have known couples who bicker a lot, and as much as you tell yourself that it's just their way of communicating and they don't mean anything by it, it always makes me a little uncomfortable. I just thought it was sad how many people would get dressed up and come out for an evening of great theatre, and spend it bickering.

Btw, the play? Very well done, and we enjoyed it very much. It also had possibly the weirdest final ten minutes I've ever seen on stage. As we were leaving J said to me "I'll let you know tomorrow whether I liked it or not; right now I need time to digest it" and I thought that pretty much summed it up.

There has been a bit of a kerfuffle here in Ottawa lately over the failure of the bus drivers to announce upcoming stops on their routes -- it's getting a lot of publicity right now because of a blind passenger who asked to have his stop called out and was ignored, and therefore ended up lost in a different part of the city and unable to make his transfer. OCTranspo's proposed solution was a multi-million dollar automated system that would announce the stops, and they wanted the city to pay for it. As budgets are being slashed around the city and transit fares are already among the highest in the country, the reaction of just about everyone else was "or, you know, the drivers could use the already installed microphones or even, shockingly enough, raise their voices to call out the stops." OCTranspo has promised to try this. So in my very scientific survey of the bus routes I ride regularly, I have discovered that just like every other time when you require a group of people to do something, some drivers are refusing to do it, some are doing it grudgingly, some are doing it half assedly, some are doing it cheerfully. And some are doing it with their own ... shall we say "unique" style? I encountered one such driver one night this week on my way home. He was providing a running commentary much like you might receive on a tour bus, announcing each upcoming stop and also providing information about the services, landmarks, and stores you might find around each stop. The twist was, he was delivering it all in the most Eeyore like monotone I've ever heard. A sample: "Next stop, Bay and Albert. Last chance to transfer to the transitway. If you want. I certainly don't care. It makes no never mind to me. I'll just be driving the bus. It's up to you. Transfer if you like. Also, you might want to stop into the Quickie and pick up a Krispy Kreme donut. They're carbalicious. If you like donuts, that is." Later he provided a "weather" report ("Currently, it is dark. It will remain dark for several hours, at which point it will likely not be so dark. Until it gets dark again."), commentary on other routes ("Here you can transfer to the #2 to Bayshore. The long way to Bayshore. Bring a book." Anyone who has ridden the #2 will know how true that comment is!), and helpful reminders ("Please remember to take all your belongings with you, hats, scarves, purses, small children, packages, etc."). It started out amusing, quickly circled around to irritating, and by the time we reached my stop it had cycled all the way back around to amusing again.

City living, b'y. Nothing like it.

A Short Play, in one act

2007-11-21T11:22:00.000-05:00

The scene: A dark, quiet bedroom in a cozy little apartment somewhere in the frigid Northern tundra (a.k.a Canada)
The time: 6:45 a.m.

The alarm goes off. A weather report on the radio echoes through the bedroom.

A woman, still half asleep: Did he just say 'snow'?
A man, looking out the window: No.
The woman: You're lying to me, aren't you.
The man, after a pause: Yes.

End scene.

Too hot to Handel

2007-11-20T10:14:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Serdic said to me, "You like Handel, right?" When I answered in the affirmative he said "there's some kind of Handel recital or something going on in a couple of weeks ... would you like me to get tickets?" I needed a bit more information than that so we turned to my trusty friend Google, and with the information Serdic had we were able to figure out that one of the Anglican churches downtown was presenting Handel's Messiah. So the answer to "would you like me to get tickets" was a most definite "yes!" Messiah is, for me, one of the most glorious works ever written, and it has been years since I've heard the whole thing performed live.

So Sunday night, we went. And I am still speechless, and riding the high that only such glorious and well performed music can give me (see the quotation from Plato that sits at the top of this page -- the man was smart). It was breathtakingly beautiful from beginning to end, the soloists were all in top form and the chorus had a full, rich sound that just soared. And that music! There is a reason the Hallelujah Chorus still brings people to their feet, no matter what their faith or belief system, 250 years after it was written. It is quite simply one of the most incredible pieces of choral music ever written.

As the daughter of a church organist and choir director, music has always been a huge part of worship for me. My favourite part of all the different seasons (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc.) is the hymns and music, and I feel closest to God when I am lifting my voice in praise. So this performance of Messiah was also a very moving experience for me, as the glorious music told the story and made it fresh and new again. It was a great way to prepare my heart and soul for Advent, which is just around the corner.

And, you know, it was just some kick ass music. I'm always in favour of some kick ass music.

Blow-vember

2007-11-16T08:50:00.000-05:00

Among a certain group of my friends, this month is often referred to as "Blow-vember." The idea being that November, well, blows. The weather turns cold and nasty, the days get unbearably short (it was dark before 4 p.m. here the other day), we're not close enough to Christmas yet but we're past the lovely part of autumn, and it just generally is a month with not much to recommend it. I know I've certainly been in what one could term a Blow-vember slump for the last couple of weeks. In my case one of the major symptoms is an absolute inability to haul my arse out of bed in the morning (it doesn't help that I now have someone else who is consistently getting up, making the coffee, and bringing me a cup in bed ... what incentive do I have to leave my cozy little nest???). I didn't even hear the alarm this morning, that's how dead to the world I was. I am sleeping later, making a later bus, which means a later transfer downtown, which means getting to work later, taking longer to get settled and productive at work ... blah blah blah.

I'm not complaining, really. Life is still pretty damn good. I've just not been feeling 100% lately, and I think I'm mostly just run down. Serdic and I decided to stay in last Saturday with pizza and a movie, and when we started really thinking about it we couldn't remember the last Saturday night we were both home with no plans ... I think we had to go back to July to find one. So that's definitely part of it. Good things are happening, but sometimes it's too much of a good thing. So I think we're planning to spend this weekend laying low and recharging the batteries, and then before we know it we'll be fully into the swing of Christmas. I've always loved Christmas, but this one is going to be particularly special, as our first Christmas together, so I'm really looking forward to it.

But I need to get some sleep first.

Catching up

2007-11-13T11:44:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so, it's been awhile since I posted, eh? There's really no reason -- it's not like I have a lack of things going on in my life to talk about! I guess it's mostly that so much has been going on recently that every time I sit down to blog I don't know where to start and get rambling. So here, in bullet form, is what's been going on with me recently, and then I'll be all caught up and can (theoretically) start blogging regularly again.

-- had a lovely weekend in Pennsylvania with assorted members of my family, watching a cousin pursue her athletic endeavours (she did very well). A SingerFamily road trip is always a riot -- lots of laughter and good family time, and never a dull moment.

-- my dear friend T and her new husband R were married in a beautiful Renaissance themed wedding last weekend, complete with swords and costumes and the whole nine yards. What I loved about the entire day was that it was so T and R. Everything was obviously exactly as they wanted it, and they didn't have anything because her mom wanted it this way or "everyone says" it has to be done that way. It was also, on a personal note, a nice evening for me, as it was the first big formal event Serdic and I have attended together, and it was so nice to have someone to share the evening with. Someone to take turns getting drinks and food with, someone to help me with my wrap (and go get the car and pick me up at the door when I couldn't walk any further in my new shoes *blush*), someone to hold hands with during the ceremony. And, of course, someone to dance the slow dances with. :-)

-- one of my choirs had our first big concert of the season this past Friday night. It had a couple of hiccups, but for the most part I think it went quite well. I love making music, that's for damn sure.

-- started my Christmas shopping on the weekend. Did what I do every year, and took care of the people who are always the easiest to shop for on my list. Every year I claim I'm going to get a head start and not leave it all until the last minute, and every year I end up running around on Christmas Eve saying "does anyone have any ideas for ____?" I love Christmas, though, and can't wait to get our new hall decked. It's a bit early yet, right? (I will never forget the look on Serdic's face on our first morning in our new place, surrounded by boxes and unassembled furniture, when I asked him where he thought we should put the Christmas tree. I think he nearly decided to abort the entire project right then and there.)

-- had one of my bestest friends J and her boyfriend D in for dinner Sunday night. So nice to see them -- J and I don't get nearly enough time together these days. Serdic did a pork roast and potatoes, I did the veggies and appetizers. J brought a strawberry rhubarb crisp for dessert. Much wine was consumed, and the total lack of leftovers seems to imply that everyone enjoyed their meal. Yum.

-- speaking of food, I have lost six pounds since moving into the new place. What a difference actually sharing the preparation of balanced meals with someone else can make, eh?

I think that covers the highlights. Like I said, not that I don't have anything to blog about, more that I have too much to blog about! Never a dull moment at Casa Double S. And that's the way we like it.

Contentment

2007-10-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

Yet another lovely and busy weekend has passed. Serdic commented on his blog last night about how time is flying by, and he's absolutely right. I don't know where the summer went, and it does not seem possible that we are into late October. Life has been a whirlwind in 2007, that's for sure, and while it's been wonderful and I've never been happier, I'm hoping to find some time to catch my breath!

We had a wonderful housewarming on Saturday ... I think when we added it up we had a total of 27 guests pass through over the course of the evening. Everyone was extremely generous -- I had avoided calling it a "housewarming" in the invitations because I didn't want people to feel that they needed to bring gifts, but most people brought at least a token (and some brought much more than that -- I am definitely going to enjoy spending the Pier 1 gift certificate!) or a card, and we felt very loved (we also have at least twice as much alcohol as we started the night with, so we'll probably be planning a wine and cheese or something in the near future!). It was clear that our friends are very happy for us and excited about the new place, and we were reminded yet again what great friends we have. We are very blessed.

So yesterday morning we slept in a bit, then got ready and headed out to our favourite spot for breakfast. As we were driving along the canal on the beautiful fall morning, admiring the trees as the leaves turn, off to enjoy breakfast, still basking in the glow of a successful party and our awesome friends, knowing that we have started to build a lovely home and life together, I was struck by just how wonderful and precious life is. And the word that came to mind was "content." Which seems a bit bland to describe how full of happiness my heart is these days, but it also really sums it up. There's a song in the stage version of Beauty and the Beast (bear with me) where Belle sings about the changes in her life, and one line keeps running through my head these days: "For now I love the world I see, I'm who and where I want to be."

I'm who and where I want to be. And I am content.

Food, friends and fun

2007-10-15T11:37:00.001-04:00

We finally have internet at home. Woo to the hoo. Serdic will understand when I tell him I kissed the Rogers guy after he hooked the modem up, right?

We hosted our first joint dinner party in our new home Saturday night. A good time was had by all, I think. The Greek and You Look Like A Nail and their lovely wives were our guests (thanks for coming out, you guys!) and they were gracious enough to ignore the still unpacked boxes stacked in the dining room and elsewhere, and we all enjoyed the evening. Serdic and I were especially relieved to discover that we can share a kitchen and work together to have all the dishes ready and on the table at the same time, without killing each other. So that was a good sign. I made a glazed ham, which is apparently quickly becoming my specialty, and also made some tzatziki as an appetizer. Serdic contributed scalloped potatoes, asparagus, carrots, and a caramel flan with fresh berries for dessert.

I have been asked to post the recipes, so here they are (you'll have to wait for Serdic to post the recipe for the potatoes):

Tzatziki

2 1/2 - 3 cups plain yogurt
1 firm cucumber
salt
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Place a coffee filter in a sieve. Spoon in the yogurt, and set it in the sink to drain.

Peel the cucumber, grate it coarsely, and put it in a bowl. Mix in 1 tsp salt and let it stand for 10 minutes to draw out some of the liquid. Transfer the cucumber to a colander and with a spoon press out as much liquid as possible. Mix it with the drained yogurt in a bowl.

Peel the garlic, push it through a garlic press, and add it to the other ingredients in the bowl. Stir in the vinegar and oil, and add more salt to taste. Optional: add chopped mint leaves to taste.

Baked Ham with Marmalade Mustard Glaze

8 lb semi-boneless ham
1 cup Madeira, port wine or white wine
2 cups orange juice

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp dijon or grainy mustard
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

Remove skin and fat from ham and place fat side up in roasting pan. In saucepan bring wine and orange juice to a simmer; pour over ham. Bake in 325 degree oven, basting occasionally, for 1 hour and 45 minutes for fully cooked ham, or 2 hours and 15 minutes for cook-before-eating ham.

In small bowl combine sugar, marmalade, mustard and soy sauce. Brush one-third of the glaze over the ham. Cook for 45 minutes longer, brushing with remaining thirds of glaze every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

TGIF

2007-10-12T10:43:00.000-04:00

Scenes from a relationship
Serdic and I are cuddled on the couch watching The Office last night. On the show, Jim and Pam are bantering about something, eventually deciding that their disagreement ends in a tie. Pam: "Tie always goes to the girlfriend."

Serdic: "Oh shit."

Best Boyfriend Ever
Arrived home from work last night. Serdic is in the kitchen and says to me all serious-like, "I think there's something wrong with your computer. Can you have a look?"

I stomp over to the computer, ready to cry, as it's been a very long day. Sit down and see a request to accept the registration for the new iTunes. Look up, and Serdic is watching me with a shit-eating grin. "There's nothing wrong with your computer. I burned the new iTunes to CD and installed it for you so you can sync your new iPod."

Is it any wonder I love that boy?

And in case you were wondering, the new iPod? Is the best thing EVER. Love.

An Open Letter to Elections Ontario
To whom it may concern,

I consider voting one of the most important things I can do as a citizen. I take my responsibility to vote seriously and appreciate that it is a privilege many people in the world do not share. So please do not make it any harder for me than it absolutely has to be. I knew it would take me a bit longer than usual this time since I have just moved to this riding and needed to register and so forth. I did not anticipate that the lovely lady working my polling station (who I am sure is a delightful lady otherwise) would be a) elderly, b) senile, and c) so tired from working all day that her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't write my name on the voters list. There were four polls at my polling station ... the one I had to use had a line up of about 12 people at it, while all the others were operating as normal (walk up, get your ballot, mark it, drop it in the box ... total time: 45 seconds). I stood in line for well over half an hour to vote, and while I wouldn't mind doing that if it was necessary, this was so, so, so unnecessary. I understand it's hard to find people willing to volunteer at these things and I appreciate the hard work of all the volunteers who make this very essential part of our democratic process work, but when people are walking out without voting because of a situation like this that is so very fixable? Not good. Offer the poor lady a cup of tea and a break, and get someone else in there. Maybe one of the ten other people sitting around doing nothing.

Sign me,
A Disgruntled Voter (who also thinks you blew the referendum by failing to get the necessary information out there about what, exactly, we were voting on, but that's for another post)

Running Away for the weekend
We really enjoyed our little getaway to Merrickville last weekend. It was only for one night, but it was just the right thing to recharge the batteries. And get away from the still unpacked (gah) boxes for a night. The inn was lovely (yay for jacuzzi bathtubs!), we really enjoyed dinner in the dining room, and we got to get out and do some wandering and shopping and just enjoy each other's company and the quiet small town feel of Merrickville. I would highly recommend the inn, and especially their getaway package, for anyone wanting a night or two away.

Then we continued on home for Thanksgiving, our first shared holiday. As long as shared holidays continue to mean I get twice the turkey dinners and twice the family time, I'm good. It still blows my mind sometimes that I ended up with someone from my hometown, but it is especially nice for the holidays. My family has been spoiled for so long because my sister's husband's parents also live in the same town, so we've never had to go without them at major holidays as they can split their time very easily, and I think there's always been this fear in the back of my mind (and probably my mother's) that I would end up with someone whose parents lived in British Columbia or somewhere, and we would always have to choose where to spend the holidays. Just another sign that it was meant to be, maybe.

A little internet is a dangerous thing

2007-10-11T09:14:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning when I came into work I had "1 missed call" on my phone, but no message. Now, I rarely get phone calls at work, and even more rarely are they from someone I don't know or am not expecting, so I was really surprised to see this random call from a number in the 709 area code. Something about the 709 area code niggled in the back of my brain all morning, and I finally was curious enough to google it to figure out where I knew 709 from. Turns out 709 is the area code for Newfoundland and Labrador, which is, of course, why it was familiar. As my mom grew up in St. John's and we still have lots of family in NL, it was not inconceivable ("I do not think it means what you think it means") that someone in the family would have tried to call my work number, so that got me curious.

So I did a reverse phone number look up on Canada411, and got two hits, both for names and addresses in St. John's. Neither name was familiar to me, so I googled them both. The first turned out to be an apparently fairly well known folk singer in St. John's (but not someone I had ever heard of). The second name was even more curious, as it appeared to be of Russian extraction, which is not all that common in St. John's, b'y. That google search turned up a bed and breakfast in downtown St. John's, run by this Russian gentleman (who I am sure is quite lovely, but is still not someone I know). I googlemapped the two addresses and they are only a few streets apart, but don't appear to have any connection.

Neither of these people would have any reason that I know of to be contacting me in my work capacity, and my number is not exactly the primary number for the library, and neither is someone I know in my personal life. So now I am more curious than ever. I know it's just a wrong number or misdialed or something equally mundane, but I'm still extremely curious.

And that, me son, is today's lesson on how sometimes the internet makes things worse. *eye roll*

Giving thanks

2007-10-08T10:31:00.000-04:00

I bumped into someone on the elevator at work last week who I hadn't seen in some time. "How are things?" he asked me. "Oh, pretty good," I replied. "No complaints." "Oh, surely if you thought about it long enough you'd be able to come up with some," he said.

I got off the elevator then so my response was just a "oh, you're probably right" over my shoulder and a wave, but I kept thinking about that exchange. Because, really, why should I come up with some complaints? Shouldn't I be grateful that I am at a place in my life where my first response to the "how are you?" question is a genuine "wonderful"??? Yeah, sure, his point is valid ... there is no shortage of little irritants in my life that I could bitch about (and I do, on a regular basis, on this very blog). But I really like being in a place where those are secondary, where in all things that matter life is good.

I started keeping a gratitude journal a few years ago. I don't do it every day, and I don't do it as often as I used to, but the idea was to just end every day by writing down three things I was grateful for that day. Some days it was really hard to come up with three meaningful ones. Other days it was hard to pick just three. But I found over time that it really did, corny as it sounds, change my outlook on life. I have really been trying in the last couple of years to focus on my blessings, and to be grateful for them. It is so easy to get caught up in endless rounds of bemoaning what we don't have, what we want, what we think we have been denied. We always want more than what we have, that's just human nature. Taking time at the end of each day to remind myself of all I have to be grateful for instead of focusing on what I was lacking really helped me to be more at peace with myself and be in a more positive state of mind in general.

This weekend is a time when traditionally we are supposed to give thanks for our blessings. And I have so many, it overwhelms me with gratitude sometimes. My beautiful, beloved family and the love and support they have always shown me. My dear friends who surround me with laughter and music and all things good and fun every day. The fact that I work at a job I love, where every day I feel useful and challenged and supported, and where I get to do something I really enjoy with people I really like. I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food in my stomach. I have never truly known want or hunger. I have access to clean drinking water. I live in a country where I can vote for my representatives, practice my religion openly, and walk the streets freely and without fear. So many of those things, particularly the later ones on the list, I too often take for granted and forget that the vast majority of the world's population can not say the same.

And this year I have a new blessing to add to my list. If you had told me last Thanksgiving, or even last Christmas, that by this Thanksgiving I would be living with a partner, someone who every day I became more sure I was going to spend the rest of my life with him, I would have thought you were crazy. But yet here he is, and the love and support and humour and so many other things he shares with me every day are among my greatest blessings.

The answer to the question "how are you?" is clear. My answer is, and always should be, "Blessed." Or, perhaps, "Grateful." For I am both.

This and that

2007-10-05T11:16:00.000-04:00

Went to Future Shop last night to have a couple copies of this photo made. Total anticipated expenditure: 43 cents.

Actual expenditure at Future Shop last night? $324. I may or may not be the proud owner of a brand new shiny green iPod Nano, with accessories. I larve it. It's so tiny! I promised myself when we moved and my commute was lengthened that I would buy a new iPod to make up for it, as my old one is not all that fond of holding a battery charge for much longer than thirty minutes any more. And so when we happened to be in Future Shop last night, and they happened to have the Nano on sale, well, fate cannot be denied.

I, apparently, can be denied, however, as when we got home and I went to update it I discovered that it wouldn't interact with my outdated version of iTunes. And as we still don't have internet at home (Serdic promises me it will be this weekend), I was unable to update my iTunes. D'oh. So the shiny new Nano sits silently on my desk, mocking me.

In other news, I renewed my online subscription to one of my favourite sites this morning, and the cost was $30 US. The last time I renewed that worked out to be about $45 CDN. This morning? $30.70 CDN. Wow.

Busy month coming up, what with Thanksgiving this weekend (happy turkey day to those who live on this side of the border), a choir concert next weekend, our housewarming the weekend after that, and then a trip to Pennsylvania with my family to round out the month. Lots of good stuff. Oh, yeah, and we might want to unpack the rest of the apartment at some point. (I hear Serdic saying "What mean 'we'?" right now, as he's being doing a lot of the heavy lifting this week while I've been gallavanting around to choir rehearsals and such.)

Having someone to come home to is one of the nicest things in the world. Life is good.

We're in!

2007-09-30T13:16:00.001-04:00

So we are in the new place. Yesterday was a very long day. (Made bearable and fun by our lovely family and friends who did so, so, so much to help out. Thanks, guys!)

We have snuck into Serdic's work so that we can both satisfy our internet addiction ... having no internet in the new apartment for a few days is going to be a trial. Although it's not like we don't have enough to do in the apartment ... being without internet means we might actually get it done before we go back to work on Tuesday!

Leaving my old place was very hard (there may or may not have been tears). I have been extremely happy in that apartment for nearly five years, and I've grown a lot and figured out a lot about myself. I think I truly for the first time became a happy person, comfortable in my own skin, while living in that apartment. So it was hard to leave. And I'm going to miss Serdic's apartment, too -- a lot of my favourite memories of the beginning of our relationship are in that apartment. But onward and upward ... the new place is gorgeous and spacious, and I think we're going to be really happy there. It's feeling a bit claustrophobic at the moment, with the piles of boxes and nothing where it's supposed to be, but the potential is there to make a really lovely home. We're really excited about that part, and hopefully by this time tomorrow we'll have made a good start at it. This is the fun part!

T Minus Nine Hours

2007-09-28T22:47:00.000-04:00

Packing is nearly finished (we are nose deep in my ~~shit~~ belongings). Moving about to commence.

Pray for us, faithful readers.

Odds and ends

2007-09-26T12:08:00.000-04:00

T minus 2 and a half days until The Move. Gah.

We received the new editions of the Library of Congress Subject Headings yesterday (this is perhaps my most frequently used daily tool in my job). Perhaps you have to be a librarian (or a cataloguer?) to understand how exciting that is. But everyone can understand the delicious smell of new books, fresh off the press. Yay. And I didn't even spill coffee on my copy on the first day which is, you know, unusual for me.

Saw a production of The Penelopiad at the NAC last night. Adapted from a story by Margaret Atwood, one of Canada's greatest and brightest literary lights, The Penelopiad tells the story of what Penelope and her twelve doomed maids were doing while they waited for Odysseus to come home from his Odyssey. Not exactly an uplifting story, which is par for the course with Greek myths, but beautifully presented and performed, with clever, inventive and moving story telling, capped off by a brilliant performance from the leading lady. Highly, highly, highly recommended. It plays at the NAC through next weekend, I believe.

People who are on my nerves today, in no particular order, include but are not limited to:

1) The lady who, during "rush hour" lunch time in the coffee shop, took several minutes to decide which biscuit she wanted to go with her soup, and had to be told the choices six times. They're biscuits, lady. Five minutes after you eat it you won't even remember what flavour you chose. Get on with it, or let the rest of us go ahead while you debate your options.

2) The bus driver who insisted on having the heat on high this morning, for some reason known only to him, as it was approximately 30 degrees (celcius, which translates to "too damn hot for the end of September" for my American friends) outside. Meaning a) I couldn't rest my leg against the side of the bus because the heat was burning right through my pant leg, so I had to sit in an uncomfortable position for the entire ride, and b) people started opening the windows, even though it was raining, which meant everyone got wet.

3) Gatineau's urban planners.

4) The lady who just got on the elevator with me who tapped her foot, chomped her gum, and obsessively pushed the button for her floor over and over and over. I get it, lady. You're in a hurry. You are very busy and important. Bully for you.

On a better note, the people I love today include but are not limited to:

1) Serdic, who while I was at the play hauled load after load of garbage and recycling out of my apartment. And for a multitude of other reasons.

2) My friend J, with whom I went to the play last night. I always love spending time with her.

3) My favourite coffee shop girl, who remembered I don't like tomato and so picked it all out of my tossed salad, making sure I got lots of peppers and cucumber instead.

4) All of our family and friends who are going to help us with The Move. We are very blessed when it comes to friends.

So it all balances out.