moving

September is finally here and now it seems like there's not enough time to do everything that must be done before the move. I still haven't arranged for any of the utilities to be transfered over. I have no boxes at all. The only progress I've made came after watching several Clean Sweep–type shows today. I went through my clothes, books and toiletries deciding what to toss, keep, and give away. So now I have big piles of books and clothes to sell/give away, but I have no clear idea where to take them. I have stacks of beautiful brand new books that have barely been glanced through. One of the perks of working in publishing is more free books than you know what to do with. And when most of your friends work in publishing too its that much worse. I wish it didn't cost so much to mail things. I'd send all of these lovely books across the country. I guess the next best thing will be to find a decent used book store.

I also need to decide what colours I want my new apartment painted. I've pretty much settled on a soft green for the bedroom, but I can't decide whether the living room should be a very light buttery yellow or a creamy beige. Not too different from each other, I guess, but any opinions are welcome. I also have to decide what to do about the incredibly tiny kitchen and the bathroom. Do I just leave them white or paint them in slightly darker or lighter shades of the colours in the living room and bedroom?

Too many things to think about. Is it any wonder it's taking me hours to fall asleep each night? Well, that may also be a result of the emotional fallout of moving backwards in my romantic relationship. Things have been going fairly well there for the last couple of weeks, which is good but bad because it makes me realize how much I'm going to miss him and then I get all sad and weepy. I am looking forward to a more stable emotional life once this is over and I've got my own space again and can get back on track. Fingers crossed that I won't just get all depressed and lonely.

Okay, bedtime now.

endings

This week has been all about endings. Today was my last day as a proofreader. It seemed like there should have been more fanfare or something. My boss made cupcakes at least, and everyone signed a card. I guess if I'd been leaving the company there would have been more ado. It was a reasonably pleasant day, though, and certainly my work life is better than my home life right now.

There are endings there, too, it seems. I can only say "it seems" because there's not much communciation happening to help define things. I guess it was too much to expect that we could carry on as a couple once we'd decided not to live together anymore. It sucks that we have to continue like this for another month and a half. It looks like he may be planning to go camping next week, though, which would be a nice break for me.

I'm ready to start fresh with my new job and new apartment, but I'm stuck here in this relationship limbo. I'm hoping that starting my new job on Monday will distract me from my home situation for a while. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to learn things.

Thanks to those who responded to my last post. I felt inspired to post again in a more timely fashion. Thanks for taking an interest in my crazy little life.

New Beginnings… Are there any old ones?

In response to Jenn's suggestion that I'm overdue to post something here, I'll get on it. Seems a bit silly, though, since I think she's my only reader. Let me know if you're not Jenn and you're reading this post. Maybe then I'll update more often. Of course, maybe if I updated more often more people would visit my blog. Hmm… Food for thought.

So a lot has happened this month. Some good, some bad, some undecided. The good news is that I got the job I wanted. I had applied for an Editorial Assistant position with the same company I'm at now. I'd previously applied for an almost identical position but hadn't gotten it despite being short listed etc. There were a lot of editorial tests and interviews involved and I almost gave up on the second job part way through the test, but I decided to stick with it and I'm obviously glad I did. Woo hoo for new jobs!! It's a bit of a promotion, as it will mean a bit more pay and a higher target bonus. The pay's still not great, but it's publishing so the pay's rarely great. Most importantly, this is the job that sets me on the right path to becoming an editor some day down the road.

In not-so-good news, my boyfriend and I have decided that we'd prefer to live separately. Our living together just isn't working out and it's time to give up the ghost. So now I have to look for a new apartment—I can't afford the rent here on my own and I'm tired of the whole roommate thing. I'm looking forward to having my own space again, but I'm worried about trying to find something new. I have a very specific idea of what I'm looking for and what area I want to live in, so I hope I can find something that fits the bill. I'm obsessively checking all the places where rentals are advertised. I need to try to relax a bit and not panic. We had to give two months notice, so I've got plenty of time to find something. Imagine having to live with someone for two months after you've decided you no longer want to live together. Fun times. It's actually been all right so far.

Well that's a rather long post, I think. If you're still with me, thanks for reading and remember to let me know you were here.

Happy Friday!

wah

Well, I didn't get the job I was trying for. I really, really wanted an editorial assistant job that came up recently. I tried so hard and worked so hard on the tests I had to do for it and I made it to the short list and was apparently really close to getting it. But I didn't get it :( And it kinda sucks because I spent about five hours of my vacation working on the last test. It was supposed to take 20 minutes, but of course I couldn't stop until it was as perfect as I could make it. Maybe I overdid it?

I'm trying to be optimistic because there's another openning for the same kind of job that I've applied for, as well. But I really wanted the one I didn't get. Oh well. At least I already have a job I like. So can't really complain, right? Still, boo hoo!

laundry soap

is a useful item to add when washing one's clothes. We had so much laundry this weekend that we decided to hit the Laundromat (can you believe that's a trademarked word that you're supposed to capitalize?) rather than do one load at a time in the apartment laundry room. So I did four loads of laundry (and still had a closetful of clothes). I realized later that day that I hadn't added a drop of detergent to any of the machines. I have a lot of slightly cleaner clothes. I may be somewhat smelly this week. I hope my boyfriend and coworkers will be understanding.

all good

Well I found out today that I'm going to be made a full-time employee at my job. Don't get me wrong, I was working full-time before, but now I'll have benefits and holidays and stuff. No more contract! My first stop will be the dentist. One of my crowns fell off over a month ago and I've been living with half a tooth missing since then because I was being cheap. I think my next stop will be the chiropractor— It's been a while. After that I'll stock up on meds and maybe find a massage therapist. Ooo…I almost forgot the optometrist. There's a fuzzy brown spot I'd like to look into. Well, actually, I'd like to stop looking into it. And maybe I can get some glasses that are better for reading from the screne. I already know where I'm going to go for my vacation, too. Croatia and Turkey! Can you tell I've had a long time to think about these things?

long overdue post

OK, so I'm becoming more and more slack about posting. I think it's partly because I have no homework to procrastinate over anymore. When there's a due date looming it's always important to spend as much time as possible blogging etc. Also, I found that I was writing a lot about my love life and not everyone really felt comfortable reading about that stuff, so I tried to cut it out a bit. Well, I'm gonna fill anyone out there in on what's been going on in my life lately, and there will be lovelife progress mentioned, so stop reading now if you don't want to know.

I'm still working as a proofreader and I'm pretty happy with it. I wish my job were closer to home (1 hr. commute each way), but I really like my boss and coworkers and I work for a great company. They just extended my contract another three months and if all's well after that they'll make me a regular employee, which means I'll get benefits and vacation time and such. I'm already planning my vacation.

My roommate told me at the beginning of January that she's moving out. I wasn't too thrilled about that because I really like our place and I didn't want to move, but couldn't keep it alone. After much pondering, I decided to ask my boyfriend if he wanted to move in. Yes, that's right, I said boyfriend. He's someone who was a friend for sometime. We used to play basketball together. He's really sweet and thoughtful and funny and supertall (6'9"). He said yes, so that's kind of scary but exciting. We went to Ikea to check out some furniture yesterday. All of the furnishings outside of my bedroom belong to my roommate, and my boyfriend's sofa and dining set are not in the best condition, so we'll be needing some new stuff. Hopefully everything will work out there and I won't be writing a sob story here in a couple months' time.

Winter in Toronto has been surprisingly mild this year. I'm loving it. Still feels like winter to me. The Torontonians seem a little dazed, though. We have had some cold weather and a few snowy days. I experienced the kind of snowflakes that look like those ones we used to make as kids. They were so intricate and beautiful. I didn't think snowflakes ever actually looked like that. I felt like I was a child again I was so in awe of the beautiful snowflakes.

Well, that's a rather large post and now I have to get going. We're going to see Brokeback Mountain tonight. Bye for now :)

Laura

Purple Mittens

Purple Mittens
Originally uploaded by Eunoia.

I must be the luckiest person in the world when it

comes to friends. One of my friends and coworkers is a

fantastic knitter and she volunteered to knit some

mittens for me. I bought the yarn, which is wonderful

soft alpaca (sp?) wool and she made them up for me,

taking careful measurements along the way so that

they'd fit perfectly. I think these are the first pair

of mittens/gloves that have ever fit me properly.

Those who know me can attest to my having crazy long

fingers. I have smallish thumbs and pinky fingers

compared to the rest, so this causes problems too.

Anyway, enough about my fingers!! These are the most

wonderful mittens I've ever owned. They're soft and

warm and purple, which is my current favourite colour.

I wear them everywhere. I'm knitting a scarf to match

but, not being much of a knitter, it's pretty slow

going. Maybe I'll work on it tonight. If you notice

the quilt underneath the mittens, it was made for me

by my lovely sister. I'm clearly blessed by the

amazing and generous people in my life who keep me

warm and cozy in body and soul. Thank you all for

everything you do.



Kisses,

Laura

URG!

So it's 1:10 a.m. and I'm up and showered and ready to start the day…except it's the middle of the freaking night!!! I swear I remember hearing my alarm and turning it off. It must have been a dream. Why can't I just dream about sex and beaches and things? And, of course, it's always dark when I get up these days, so that didn't tip me off.

Now, here I sit with wet hair, wanting to go back to bed but not wanting to disturb anyone by blowdrying my hair at 1:00 a.m. If I go to bed with it wet, it's going to be a real treat in the morning.

Oh dear, now I hear my roommate in the shower. I wonder if my being up and about made her think it was morning, too.

K, my eyes are getting heavy. I think I have to go to bed now, wet hair or no. Let's hope for the best.

g'night!

Happy Laundry Day .... ah, I mean Thanksgiving

First of all YAY THE INTERNET IS WORKING FINALLY!!! Can you believe it took 3 months? And no explanation whatsoever of what the problem was. Bell Canada is the worst excuse for a SERVICE provider in the history of the world. Anyway, rant over now.

Just so you know, I now feel inclined to communicate in incomplete sentences thanks to reading romance novels all day every day, and having to leave well enough alone for the most part. Wouldn't want to mess with the author's style. Lord forbid we should improve the quality of what we're producing. Last week I had to put an accent on a word that shouldn't have one just to appease the uninformed author. Still, it's a decent job and I don't have to deal with bitchy customers or screaming children. So I guess I'll be thankful for my job. It's a great company to work for, and my coworkers are fantastic. Proofreading is a pretty young crew, and we have a lot of fun. I also enjoy being able to pay the rent, purchase the odd item, and go out for dinner with my friends. It's a good life.

So today is Thanksgiving. I've decided to celebrate by tackling the enormous pile of laundry that has taken only a week to accumulate. I'd like to know who wore all those clothes. It just doesn't seem possible that I wore them all in one week. And, how can I have so many articles of clothing, but still have nothing to wear? A common female plight I know.

I'm supposed to go to a friend's place for turkey dinner tonight, but haven't heard from her since Saturday, so am wondering if it's all going to come together or if I'll be sitting at home working my way through the pumpkin pie I made for to take for dessert. Not as great as it sounds because I accidentally put in three cups of pumpkin instead of two. Plus, I don't think I cooked it long enough. mmm... delicious. I'm usually such a successful baker. Oh well, I'm trying to beat my perfectionistic self into submission and just accept my failure instead of running around to every grocery store in the vicinity to see if they're open on Thanksgiving day so that I can buy more ingredients and try again. The perfectionist may yet win that battle.

If there's anyone still out there after three months of silence, I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving. May your turkey be moist and may your pumpkin pie be cooked through.

Hugs and kisses,

Laura

keeping busy

Well, I don't really know what to write, but I feel the need to post something so I don't lose you guys. I don't have much left to do at work today, so I thought I'd say hi. Things are going fairly well. I still play basketball on Tuesday nights, but will have to bow out of tonight's game as I have a swollen ankle from practice on Sunday. I think I'll spend the time shopping for basketball shoes in hopes of avoiding further ankle injuries.

I'm meeting friends for Korean food tonight. Tomorrow I'm going to see a friend's play and then maybe to watch The Wizard of Oz outside on the big screen. Friday, I leave for a friend's cottage for the weekend. Living in the city is sure a lot busier than living in the country. It's good, though. It's great to have some good friends here and fun things to do.

I think it's just about time to go home now. Take care everyone!

xoxo

Laura

Romance is in the air

Or on the screen as it were. That's right people, I've officially accepted the proofreading job at Harlequin! I'll be able to pay my rent and buy food! They're supposed to be a great company to work for, so I'm sure it'll all be good. One of my friends told me that they have a gym in the building, so that'll be nice. Well, I'm sleepy. It's very hot here :P Goodnight all.

heat wave

I'm dyin' here people. I'm at work and everyone else has left, because they can. It's disgustingly hot in our office. My little office must be up around 36 degrees because it's sweltering compared to the main room, which as at a "lovely" 29 degrees right now. I have wireless on my work computer, so I've relocated to the sofa. I'm chain-eating jelly bellies and putting in my time. I don't have any pressing work to do, and it's too hot to do anything anyways.

On the employment search front, Harlequin seems to want me. I haven't been hired yet, but they've moved on to the reference checking stage. It's hard for me to imagine sitting at a computer reading Harlequin books all day, every day, but it's easy for me to imagine being able to pay my rent. Plus, it sounds like a much nicer way to get into the industry than the incredible hours some of my friends are doing in their new positions with the big publishers. I've never been a workaholic and I don't intend to start now. I work hard (most of the time), but I think 8 hours a day is plenty thank you very much. I want to have a life outside of work. Ugh, I think I'm crashing from too much sugar. Maybe a little chocolate will help. OK, this is too much work. I'm gonna go read a book now.

And I seemed like such a nice girl

Ok, I almost punched out this woman last night on the basketball court. In case I didn't mention it, I've been playing every Tuesday night. It's supposed to be a fun, recreational league, but some people get a bit serious about it. It seems like every game I'm getting fouled on and banged up, and I'm getting sick of it. Well, last night we played against the most intense and unfriendly team in our league and the woman who was guarding me was just all over me with the elbows and the hands. I swear, everytime I had the ball she started smacking me. She was a great player, but she was super aggressive. At one point I actually told her to F**k off. She didn't appreciate that. I just got angrier and angrier and eventually had to take a time out even though I wasn't tired, just to keep from hitting her. I just want to have fun! It's supposed to be fun! I feel like I'm back in highschool. Well, that was our last game of the season and we should have at least a week or two off before summer season starts, so hopefully I'll be over it by then. I wish I had some way to get rid of all this pent up anger. Maybe I need to take a kickboxing class.

dry spell

Sorry I haven't blogged anything for quite some time. Sadly, we still don't have the internet properly hooked up in our new apartment, so the only time I get to do anything on line is when I'm supposed to be working. I've actually had a fair amount of work to do lately, hence my silence. I'm doing this while eating lunch today.

So, a quick update. I've had two interviews so far. The most recent one was at Penguin. It seems like everyone wants me to start right away, though. And I'm supposed to be at this job till the end of July, so I'd have to at least give some notice. I think they don't want to piss off my boss by stealing me away, either. She knows a lot of people in the industry. So, it may be hard to land another job until closer to the end of my time here. I do have an interview this Friday for Harlequin, so we'll see how that goes. I'd be proofreading romance novels all day, every day. Hmm... well, better than math textbooks.

My lovelife has hit a highly sucky stage. I stopped seeing the guy I was dating because he was obsessed with a previous relationship. Then I became interested in one of the guys I play basketball with, who seemed to be interested in me, only to find out that he has a girlfriend who lives in another province. I give up! If they're not mentally or physically available, I wish guys would just leave me alone.

Well, that's all for now. Better get back to work. Take care all :-)

the new place

Well, I just thought you should know that I love my new place!! The move went well and we're slowly getting settled in. It's so nice and clean and cheerful. I liked the last place, but it was pretty dilapitated. Most of the rooms are a soft, buttery yellow. The kitchen is kind of celery green (very bootiful). I'm still zonked from the move. Last night was the first night all week that I actually stayed in and just relaxed. I had been planning to go out, but I just couldn't do it. Tonight it's Thai food and then drinks with some of my former classmates. Should be fun and pretty low key. This weekend I plan to pump up my bike tires and oil the chain so I can start riding it to work on Monday. Taking transit in rush hour bites. It would take me about 15 min. to get here on my bike, but it takes 40 to get here by transit and costs $2 each way. Well, I could write more, but I'll save it for the next post. I don't have the internet hooked up at home yet, so it's after work on a Friday and I'm ready to go home. Kisses to all my faithful readers who have, hopefully, hung in there through the recent dry spell. Have a fabulous weekend!

Rats, I've been tagged

the list


Tagged by Zooey, who was tagged by Spawnkitty


Behold, the Caesar’s Bath meme! List five things that people in your circle of friends or peer group are wild about, but you can’t really understand the fuss over. To use the words of Caesar (from History of the World Part I), "Nice. Nice. Not thrilling . . . but nice."

Well, OK, I'll give this a try. It tends to be the actions of younger people that really baffle me, but I'll stick to my own aged peer group.


1. Reality TV: I just don't see the thrill. I mean, hasn't it just been done to death already. Apart from Clean Sweep and What Not to Wear, they all just seem like a total waste of time to me. Fear Factor .. .blech!! Survivor, no thank you. The Bachelor, Bachelorette or any of the copycat shows are just lost on me. Sorry people, that's just the way it is.

2. Low carb diets: OK, one last time. You lose weight if you burn more calories than you consume. It makes no difference what form those calories take. You could be eating a diet of ice cream and french fries, but if you exercised enough, you'd lose weight. I know, I know, the protein makes you feel full so you don't eat as much. Fair enough. But, do you really think it's healthy to almost completely exclude a main building block of the food pyramid from your diet? Balance people, it's all about balance. If I see one more "Atkins friendly" product ....

3. Yoga: It's apparently very healthy and wonderful and everyone is addicted to it, but I just don't get it. When I want exercise I want to run around and be active. I don't want to relax. I know it's good, but I just don't get it.

4. Going ga ga over hot guys: What's the thrill? It's just a guy. Sure, he's cute, but he knows it and every other woman in the place knows it. I just don't feel the need to buy into the whole giggly, school-girlish thing.

5. Winter sports. It's freezing out there! Wouldn't you all just rather sit inside by a nice fire with a cup of tea and read a book? I don't find any joy in flying down a mountain on thin planks only to land on my arse at the bottom and get yelled at by the little kid I ran over.

Well, that's it for me. I'm not sure who to tag. I guess I'll tag The Bears, Julia, and Allison. I'm looking forward to hearing what the bears dislike about their peers interests.

filling the void

Ok, I've been having blog guilt pangs lately because I haven't posted anything in so long. So, I'm determined to write something even though I might not have much that I want to say right now.

I'm supposed to be trying to get a job, but I haven't sent out a single resume. The whole process of writing cover letters and updating the resume seems daunting to me. Every day I determine that I'm going apply for a couple of positions, but I don't. I feel bad about that.

On the bright side, the place where I was interning gave me $500 as a thank you. Very sweet :-) Now I can pay my June rent. Yay!!

Even though I don't have much money, I bought five new scarves today. They're gorgeous, and were only $6 each, regularly priced at over $30 each. They're all pretty colours for spring and a couple can be used as belts.

We're moving to the new apartment in two weeks. I'm mostly packed already. I don't have much stuff really. It feels good to have a handle on it, though. We went to talk to the landlady at the new place today and give her the paint chip of the colour we are hoping they'll paint the place. It's a really soft, champagne yellow. I think it would really help to brighten the place up a bit. I'm really looking forward to just being able to relax in my home.

Well, that's all for now. G'night all.

it's never the cute ones

OK, so I had an interesting outing last night. It was my roommate's friend's birthday and she invited us to a party and then out to an event at a dance club. The party was uneventful except for a guy taking his pants off (luckily he was convinced to keep his underwear on). The dance club was a whole other story. I didn't know anything about the event they had going on and neither did my roommate. It turned out to be a queer celebration called Vazzeline. I was happy enough to go along and see what it was all about. Well, it was quite an experience! The place was filled to the brim with men, none of whom were the least interested in me and my friends. I felt like I was at Babylon in Queer as Folk. As time went on a few women joined the party. But, the thing that I'm truly writing this post to tell you about, was that there were a couple of guys dancing buck naked in the crowd. They weren't dancing together, or doing anything risque apart from being starkers. Let me tell you, that's one way to get a little space on the dance floor, especially when you're clearly enjoying yourself. It's too bad they weren't a little more pleasing to the eye. I was mainly focused on not dancing too close to them. You just never know what you're going to end up doing on a night out in Toronto.

I gots a job!

Before you get too excited, it's only for two months. But still, it's a job, a real, paying job in the book publishing industry. The place where I'm doing my internship just asked me if I wanted to stay on for a couple of months after it finishes. Yay!! It will provide a nice buffer while I'm looking for a longer-term position. I'm so happy and relieved. Money has been getting pretty tight lately.

Also, I should tell you all that #2 and I have found a new apartment. I'm not crazy for it, but #2 loves it, and I'm sure it will be lovely once it has a new coat of paint and some personal touches. It's in a really nice area and is close to town and the subway station anyways. It'll just be so nice to be able to come home and relax and not worry that we're unknowingly pissing someone off.

Well, I'm off to bed. I think I'll have a happy sleep tonight.

*kisses*

L