I Don't Have a Lucy

This is Lucy.

I was talking to Colin earlier via web cam and he had his neck pillow (one of those pillows that looks like a horseshoe) cuddled under his chin.

"Why are you cuddling your pillow," I ask.

"I don't have a Lucy, all I have is my neck pillow," he says.

I think I better get him a stuffed animal for his next birthday...

My Skating Adventure

This story really starts a couple of weeks ago with a few of my coworkers going ice skating at the Metro Centre and asking me to go with them.

I chuckle and say, “One: I haven’t been ice skating in about 17 years and Two: I don’t own skates.”

I think that settles the matter on this ridiculous notion but no! One of my coworkers chimes in: “I have 2 pairs of skates. I’ll bring a set in and you can try them on.” Seeing as I’m new at the job and don’t want to alienate any of my coworkers, I say “Sure!” thinking she’ll forget and that’ll be the end of it.

She doesn’t. She has a very good memory. Two days after bringing the skates in, she (we’ll call her C), the originator in this plot (K), and I go skating.

I’m a wee bit nervous. I was exaggerating when I said this will be my first time on skates in 17 years. I was 11. I lace up my skates and leave all my coats, scarves and gloves on despite the heat in the Metro Centre. I figure I’ll need all the extra padding for all the falling I’m doing. My only consolation is that C hasn’t been on the ice in a few years so she’s rusty too.

I get out on the ice and cling to the boards for dear life. My body seems to remember how to do this but my mind doesn’t trust my body. Yes, I’m just that paranoid. I keep one hand on the boards as I make my first lap around the rink. To his credit, K is a patient person. He was very understanding and not at all mocking when C and I made our way on the ice. It’s only been about 4 years since C was last on the ice so she catches on quicker than I. It’s about lap 3 that I finally get enough confidence to let go of the boards.

My body wants to skate faster; my mind keeps thinking I’m likely to break a wrist if I fall. My mind keeps winning these arguments. K takes off once in awhile but always comes back to check on us, although C has left me in her dust too. I keep to the outer rim of the rink because the fast, confident skaters are closer to the centre. Even so, some of them venture to the outer rim and ruin my confidence by whizzing by me and weaving between me and the boards.

Those are the people that are going to burn in hell.

So, we’re there for an hour and I didn’t fall! I couldn’t believe it. I’m nowhere near as smooth or graceful as I was when I was younger. Maybe I was never that smooth or graceful when I was younger and only remember it that way. I did end up having fun and I will go back. So I’m glad C and K made me go. But I doubt I’ll ever be brave enough to go towards the centre but it was nice to be back on the ice.

Time for an update

I knew it had been awhile since I last posted. Things got crazy in December and stayed crazy until recently, and I haven't had a chance to update my blog.

I got a job in Halifax. So I had to spend December packing, tying up loose ends, and finding an apartment. Packing took forever, tying up loose ends took a long time, and finding an apartment took me until the middle of January.

But I'm in Halifax, I'm in my new apartment, and the job is going well. I don't recommend moving during Christmas. It's hectic and stressful and you don't enjoy the holiday. I hardly remember what was going on then. I still can't find a few things I got for Christmas. Lord knows where they are.

I'll try to be a little more dilligent about keeping up with the site now. I hope.

Been Awhile

Yeah, so I haven't updated in a few days. Lots going on. Can't say too much yet because things are stil a little shaky. I should have more to report in a few days. Monday or Tuesday most likely.

My back door is STILL leaking. But, I don't see what else can be done about that at this point. This morning I'm coming in my front door after putting out the garbage and I put my hand on the wall next to the door to take my shoes off. When I take my hand away, it's wet! There was water running down the wall! It must have been coming from the ceiling because there aren't any windows above that spot on the wall. My ceilings are very high in the entry way (maybe 13 feet or so) so I couldn't be 100% sure that's where the water was coming from but I don't know where else to look.

No wonder my apartment is bloody freezing.

In other news, I'm nearly done xmas shopping. Just a few more gifts to get and then I'm done! Wuhoo! And all the gifts I have bought are already wrapped. Life is good that way. 'Course my apartment is still quite messy so that still has to be done. Messy as in clutter, not dirt (dust and red hair do not count as "dirt").

There, I've updated. My conscience is clear. :)

Colinism - Hieroglyphics

On Saturday, the boy and I were watching HBO's Rome (excellent series btw) and the opening credits have a series of drawings coming to life and moving across the screen (it looks cooler than it sounds).

Colin: Wow, those hydroglyphs are really cool.

Me: Hydroglyphs? Don't you mean Hieroglyphics?

Colin: (Long pause) Don't envy me my ingnorance.


Sad side note: I couldn't remember the real term for hieroglyphics, I had to go look it up. All I could hear in my head was Colin's voice saying "hydroglyphs." And I knew it was wrong but I couldn't remember the real name! His Colinisms are rubbing off on me! Help!

Not again!!!!

I cannot believe this is happening again!

I get home from work and go into my bedroom and my bloody back door is leaking! Again! This is after it was supposedly fixed and the water is just flooding down the walls. I can barely get a bucket under it because you can't catch what is running down the walls. There's a huge puddle by the door and my rug there is SOAKED.

Great. So the walls are destroyed (the paint is just flaking off) and the mildew is back. This is bloody nuts! And since I've just paid my rent for the next two months, I probably won't be able to get my landlord to look at it until January! Although the last time I had a problem with the door, he fixed it immediately. We'll see.

ARGGHHH!

Please let it be a squirrell...

So early this morning (about 1:30 a.m.) I get woken out of a deep sleep for some unknown reason. I realize I've only been asleep for a little under 2 hours and I'm annoyed that something woke me up since I had to teach this morning.

Took me 30 seconds to find out exactly WHAT woke me up.

I heard scrabbling sounds going along the wall of my bedroom that faces the courtyard. Like something scurrying along the wall. I'm thinking it's a squirrell. This gives me quite a scare because I couldn't quite tell if it was outside or not. I realize it must be outside because it runs back along the wall towards me. But then I HEAR IT DIRECTLY OVER MY HEAD!

That stopped my heart. I was beginning to think something was in my wall when it hit me that nothing in my wall could be above my head at the same time. The walls just aren't designed that way. So I feel better and realize it's probably a squirrell running along my back wall and maybe my upstairs neighbour has a cat that heard the squirrell and is trying to chase it.

Then at the office, Val tells me that some buildings do have gaps where the wall and ceilings meet so it is possible that something was in my wall and scurried up to the ceiling. (Thanks Val, thanks ever so much). This sounded like a big thing so I'm losing hope that it could have been a mouse.

I'm still maintaining my hope that it was a squirrell on the outside of my building (one of those big, grey, evil squirrells), but I'm not so sure now and I'm not sure how calmly I'll sleep tonight.

Dammit!

A Colinism

I was telling Colin about this wierd Jericho/Lost hybrid dream I had. I was on a plane to escape the nuclear bombs when an EM bomb went off and my plane crashed on this strange island where the inhabitants kidnapped some of the people from my plane and did experiments on them. It was fairly long and involved but I just gave Colin the highlights.

After hearing my dream he says: "Are you sure you don't need psychotic help?"

Me (trying not to laugh): "Wouldn't that make it worse?"

Colin: "Uhh..."

Me: "I think you meant psychiatric help."

Colin: "Yeah....that's it."

Purging

Since I've been off work I've been trying to purge my life of clutter. It's amazing what you can accumulate in just a few years on this earth. My beloved book collection is approaching 500. That's a lot of books. Especially during moving time. So last year I decided to get rid of some.

By purging, I mean selling, giving away, whatever. I would never throw out or recycle a book. I just can't do it. My first choice is to sell. Money is good. Second choice is to trade. Some second hand book stores give you store credit. Which isn't bad except it encourages me to buy more books and I'll be in the same boat within a year.

I tried to look at the purging practically. I have books that are from younger years that I most likely will never read again. I have books that I've had FOR years that I have never read a second time. My rule is that if a book is over 2 years old and I haven't read it a second time in the last two years (if ever) then it must go. Quite a few of my books have been read 2, 3, and 4 times. I think I've read my Harry Potter books 8 times each. Now of course, I have series of books where I didn't like an installment. I'm not going to get rid of one of THOSE books and break up the set. So that's an exception. One of the harder parts is when I have a book that I never read. Or started to read and just couldn't get through it (like The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice...horrible book). I don't know what to do with those books. I don't want to purge them when I've never read them. Or never finished. It feels like a failure. So far, I'm keeping those ones.

I've been steadily going through my books and categorizing them into books I'll read again or will never read again and my uncertain books. Sorting turned out to be easier than I thought. It's the actual "taking the books away to a second hand store" that is the problem. I CAN'T DO IT!!!! I just don't have the courage to get rid of my babies. But my books are taking over my apartment.

Then there are the books that I'm a little embarassed to say I have (no, they are nothing dirty). These are novelizations of movies I had seen and now I realize I'm a little too old to have them. But I'm embarassed to take them anywhere to sell. Plus some of them....I don't want to get rid of because I have fond memories attached to them. So I can't really get rid of them.

I think I'm fighting a losing cause. There are other things I want to get rid of but I can't until the books are gone. (Although I've been mildly successful in getting rid of old clothes and some papers). But I still have a lot to do. If anyone could see what is in and on my desk....

I think I'm going to need help. I think I'm going to need someone to literally push me out my door with bags of books in hand and force me to get rid of them.

Any takers?

Favorite Childhood Memory

I blatently admit that I stole this idea from Jenn (http://jennlynnpei.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!3038F2845815F0C9!1066.entry?_c=BlogPart) but it's a good idea so the theft is justified. (Actually, it's not theft...it's recycling)

She was asking if someone asked you what your favorite childhood memories were, what would they be? Now, if you had a happy childhood (like me), then this should be an easy exercise. My problem is narrowing the list down.

So, here's my short list in no particular order:

• Playing dinky cars in front of the trailer at the lake with Amber, Mark, Mike and a slew of neighbourhood kids. We had entire countries mapped out, complete with swimming pools, stores, malls, etc. We should have been architects.
• Raft wars at the lake. (Ok, I was a teenager when these wars took place but they are memorable and happy)
• Playing Nintendo (Mario Bros, Battle City, Circus, Galaga, etc) with Amber on Friday nights and eating LOTS of cinnamon toast while doing it.
• I vaguely remember going snow mobiling with my brother.
• And I have to mention the number of Monster Mashes that took place and all the shenanigans that took place during those.

I have lots more memories but these are the ones that stand out the most. Or any memory involving the lake. Most of my childhood memories come from there.

Anyone have a memory to share?