5 days of excitement to go

in five days' time i will be on a jetplane, heading to heathrow to transfer to johannesburg and then on to cape town!  i have no idea how long it will take to get there, but i am well prepared with three books and a little bit of work that i have committed to finishing while i am away (not so much work as copy writing for a friend).  my books of choice include the first two in Stieg Larsson's series, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire.  everyone and their dog keeps talking about them, including that there is an element of human trafficking to the story line, so i am jumping on the literary bandwagon and will read them as well.

i also purchased The Help, which i kept picking up at the bookstore and finally bought it online (say what you will about amazon taking away sales from local booksellers, i love the convenience and the process of looking forward to and then receiving a package in the post).

i thought i would have to go on a wild goose chase for shoes to wear to the wedding where i will be a bridesmaid, but i managed to shop in my own closet and find a pair of black, strappy sandals that i got last year in thailand and haven't worn very often back at home.  dressy and sassy?  no, but they will do for a wedding i am travelling halfway around the world to attend to wear with a dress i have never seen?  why yes, yes they are.

as i have mentioned, we've got a few great places to stay already booked and i have noted with asterisks in my lonely planet and rough guide the sights i would like to show my mom in cape town and cape point, wineries i would like to visit in and around stellenbosch, and a whale watching tour out of hermanus.  we are also planning on getting to the sleepy town of bredasdorp so i can show my mom where i lived over 5 years ago and i am crossing my fingers that i will see the woman that i lived with while i was there.  it might be a bit strange walking up to my the half door of the house and knocking.  if she remembers me, i might give her a bit of a heart attack!

i am certainly ready to take a break from the daily grind and the tidal wave i seem to have created.  i spent a lot of time this past week getting on top of my To Do list and feel as though i am leaving all my projects in a state that will not spontaneously combust without regular attention - my volunteers have tasks to take care of, my meetings and workshops are all set up for when i returned and my prep work for them is nearly done, i have someone looking after the nest in my absence, and i have tentative hallowe'en plans and a group of girls thinking up a costume for me.

so all that is left is 5 days of excitement and counting down!

what a week!

monday - pretty average day, a decently productive smattering of work at my day job and a nice evening hanging out with a friend in town from overseas.  who is sort of in love with me.  but only just sort of.  i think.

tuesday - chair a monthly meeting on trafficking.  pick up a package at the post office of leg warmers and fingerless mitts from the lovely lady over at Yarn is My Metier, beautiful and so comfortable.  every girl needs a pair of leg warmers.  american idol watching with my neighbour/guy i dated a year ago.  a failed hill run - 8 hills turned into 4 miserable hills.

wednesday - teaching high school for the morning, which is almost as exhausting as teaching junior high school, but not quite.  the first screening of the film What Are We Doing Here? that went really well, including the panel discussion on aid to africa that i participated in.  i was proud to have addressed people's questions with intelligent answers.

thursday - drafting of a project proposal for funding to do my own research in the province.  the second screening of the documentary followed by another panel discussion, where i wasn't nearly as articulate as wednesday night's event.  beer and nachos with my ever supportive friends afterwards.

friday - a half day workshop on temporary foreign workers in alberta and the challenges and successes of the programme.  met the nephew of my nairobi chemist by chance in calgary.  handed out tonnes of my cards, networking, networking, networking.  running around the city getting wedding gifts and cards.  a gorgeous wedding with great people that ended with me and the best man shooting tequila at the bar.

saturday - a touch of the hang over.  catching up on adminstrative work for my evening/weekend job.  watching ufc fights, which i swore i would never do and will never do again - boring and disgusting at the same time.  an early night.

sunday - a good 12km run, but with frozen hands.  a hot bath.  some shopping.  sushi.  roast dinner with my parents and one bro (my other bro is in tanzania!).  traffic fines paid.

a simple request

all i am asking for this week is a few more hours in each day. 

not hours that can be used for sleeping, but hours that can be used for preparing presentations for high schools, visiting with friends in from out of town, time to fit in all of my runs (and all of those hills...). 

i would really appreciate some extra time to collect my package from the post office, to attend all of the meetings i have scheduled for my day job, to mentally prepare to be on the panel discussion following both screenings of What Are We Doing Here? this week. 

i need hours for thoughtful wedding gift shopping, for shoulder season hikes, and for attending a workshop on temporary foreign workers in alberta, and for paying those parking and red light ticket.

i also wouldn't mind some time to sort out if i am interested in dating my neighbour.  it should be so simple, but it never is.

6 bits and bobs

thanks to the fine lady behind this blog, i now have to tell you 6 random things about myself.  this couldn't have come at a better time as i haven't been in the writing mood much this week.

get ready for SIX PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN THINGS ABOUT ME!

1 - i recently got another, my sixth, tattoo.
2 - when i get stressed, i like to bake.  i baked a toffee/butterscotch square tonight.
3 - i spend far too much time on facebook and i don't think anything productive comes of it.  i need to cut back on my wasted online time.
4 - i like to grocery shop.  but i think the grocery shopping more enjoyable in the uk.
5 - i love a good cheeseburger.
6 - i was invited to a wedding today and i am really looking forward to it.  it'll be in a restaurant on a friday evening and full of interesting people.

i don't really know many of the people on the www, so i am going to skip the part where i have to tag other people.  if you feel like doing it, please do and leave me a comment so i can come and check out your 6 tidbits!

my bags are packed...

well, not quite.  and i am afraid of the packing challenge that lies ahead of me.  one of my flights has a weight restriction of 15kg for checked baggage and i am not quite sure how i am going to manage this one.  i am not one who is known for their ability to pack lightly, no matter how i try.  but i am going to do my best to be economical with my space and weight and not overpack.  the key is going to be neutrals, laundry, and key pieces of clothing rather than 'options.'

almost all of our accommodations have been booked in ireland so far and i am really very much looking forward to spending christmas at the fitzwilliam hotel in dublin.  our other hotels/bed and breakfasts include:

• skeffington arms hotel
• the rafter dempsey's
• redwood country house

it seems that as the irish are serious about eating breakfast, that will be the most important meal of the day and if we play our cards right, we won't need to eat again until dinner!  i am sure that pints of guinness will keep us full too!  at least once we park our little rented mobile at each location and head out to the pubs to enjoy the local flavour of each place.

my concern is that we will be driving A LOT and not have the chance to spend as much time in each place as we would like.  but this is typically me and i am not terribly surprised at the way i have planned it.  but i will take as many photos as is possible so i can remember my favourite spots in case i ever want to return.

i am sad to be leaving my fam for the holidays, but i am very lucky to have a dear friend awaiting me at the airport in manchester.  we have years to catch up on as well as a wedding to attend!

live vicariously through me, please

where to go?  where to go?

i am heading to england on december 19th for a friend's wedding that will take place on december 23rd and i am most excited for the whole event and to be back in the uk.  but i want to take a trip somewhere after the wedding, somewhere that is relatively easy to get to from england so i can hop on a cheap flight.  but there seem to be so many options!  and the weather is not particularly grand anywhere at that time of year so i am having trouble deciding where i want to go.

have you travelled in europe, north africa, or the middle east in december?  where would you recommend going at this time of the year?  any places that you would go to in a heart beat, regardless of the time of year, if given the opportunity?

help me find a place to travel!!

a mid autumn night's update

i have wanted to post all week, but somehow life kept getting in the way. i promise a post that does not include bullet points will be forthcoming.

here are things that are new since we last spoke:

• i have put together more furniture and loved the problem solving of it
• i rid myself of a boyfriend that i had managed to acquire these past few months
• during and after the Break Up, i felt absolutely ok about it all. my life did not crumble. my spirit did not take a hit. i was a little disappointed so i took a nap.
• then i scheduled 3 dates for this week. because i can. 2 down, 1 to go.
• i went to a luncheon where $60,000 was raised to open a shelter for victims of human trafficking (but none of that was my money as i didn't like their world vision-y style of fundraising)
• i made a delicious dinner for my first dinner guest at the nest - salmon with caramelised leeks was the centrepiece and i invented a berry crumble for dessert
• my company is a major sponsor of the honen's piano competition and i had the pleasure of spending over an hour today listening to a previous winner play a grand piano at my office (and i love the design of this year's programme so go over and take a look)
• i was given tickets to tonight's flames game, but couldn't find anyone i wanted to spend a few hours with who wasn't already busy so i gave them away to a summer student who then asked me if i wanted to go with him. the guy's got guts!
• one of my closest friends invited me to her wedding. it will be in england. in december. i hope i can wear a hat!
• i obtained a lucky lady deal from the shop where i bought my bookshelves and i will now have them delivered for free. yay for not having to find someone to carry them up the stairs to my front door!
• speaking of that front door. it happens to be right beside the front door of a rather dapper young gentleman. i know nothing about him, but my friend did suggest that i look at his mail and see if i can find out his name and then i could google him. because that is totally not crazy at all!

and there's more!

my sis' photographer, kristy reimer, has posted more photos of their wedding day!

preoccupied with sickness

i should be writing about how AMAZING my sister's wedding was, how she looked like a princess in her dress, how much fun we had throughout the whole day, and how happy i am that everything worked out perfectly to result in the best wedding ever.

or i could be writing about how excited i am to be going to the caribbean tomorrow to lay on a beach, drink cold beer, and read books all day.

but instead, i am on day three of a sickness that is taking over my life at the moment. fever, congestion, shivers, clammy, achey, coughs, and general ickiness. blah.

sneak preview of the best wedding ever

a few photos can be seen here.

what the photos don't show you is how cold we were!

nerves of spaghetti

there is a most important wedding coming up this saturday. one in which i am the maid of honour. one in which i need to deliver a toast that i have not yet written. one in which i am sure will be a wonderfully fun time. one that i am rather nervous for!*

all this primping and preparing and planning (and i didn't even need to do most of it!) is making me nervous. more nervous than my sister is, i think. i am feeling overwhelmed with the enormity of this day and how important it is for so many people, including me.

the bride seems to be completely calm, cool, and collected and it is me who is fretting. but my dress is altered, my 3 pairs of tights have been purchased (i am not sure which will be the best colour), my nails have been filled, my pedicure is booked, my wedding gift has been purchased (but not yet wrapped!), my hair has been coloured, my jewelry has been picked out, my coat has been drycleaned, my pearly whites are pearly and white, my shoes have been selected, and my skin has been exfoiliated. so i should be good to go, right?

now, just that toast...

* i tried to rewrite that sentence so as to not end with a preposition, but my brain is a little too overworked and full of excitment and stress at the moment to do anything but end with 'for.' oops, and i just did it again.

a full dance card

i am dealing with a titch of the overwhelmption* this week. having two jobs is starting to tax my time and energy levels; this week i had to juggle my commitments to fit them all into working hours. i am enjoying both my jobs (or contracts, i suppose i should say) for very different reasons and i am seeing a future for myself in both these roles. one of my priorities when i was searching for a job was to secure something that would allow me to segue back into the international (development?) world one day and i feel confident that i have managed that.

this week i also started my spanish classes and was told that i read like a mexican! which i am taking as compliment considering it was in spanish. i liked the way the language felt in my mouth and even caught myself thinking in spanish this morning.

tomorrow is the first run in my running clinic and i am worried for a few reasons. one being that i have been off the running scene for over 4 months and the other is that it is colder than a witch's tit outside and i am going to freeze my own off. whose idea was a running clinic in january anyways?!

contributing to the overwhelmption is my rather full social schedule. last night i went to the hockey game and i know that this particular complaint would fall on a lot of deaf ears, but what ever happened to respect? people booing for the american national anthem?? not cool, not cool at all. it was the first time i had seen a shootout live and that was rather exciting, but i was really embarassed that the whole saddledome booed for the other team's players when they were shooting. and the fighting, oh the fighting. i know that the gm of the flames says that it is an integral part of the game and you can't change it (the same line that don cherry throws out there too), but i just don't buy it. it is getting ridiculous and i feel as though i am at a ufc fight when i go to watch the good old hockey game.

and to round off my list of activities this week, i have also had a bridesmaid dress fitting, lunch with my banker/new top chum, coffee with a colleague of a colleague who is heading to kenya to volunteer, friends' birthday party, a jack and jill bridal shower, and a movie date with my sis!

* and before you go freaking out about how that is not a word, which i totally would, i completely and utterly acknowledge that i made it up, remember you are reading the person who cringes when they hear 'impact' used as a verb.

for the ladies

on this last day of the year 2008, i do not even feel badly that my professional productivity has gone to pot since my personal productivity has hit an all time high and i am busy planning a non stagette stagette. to make it more professionally ethical, i am getting help from my colleague so at least that is something to ease my conscious.

things are coming together (as they always do) and it is shaping up to be a stellar night. not for a few more weeks though. first i have to survive new year's eve, a wine drenched ladies' night christmas regift party, and another week of work.

perhaps my upbeat mood is the result of the most generous gift i received this morning. everybody loves a student loan repayment!

update, schmupdate

i have been home nearly 2 weeks and have been relaxing and dealing with allergies. i haven't felt compelled to update so i will give you a recap that will probably not be very exciting to read, but will make me feel less guilty when i check my blogomatic and bore myself with my own lack of news.

i am sad that the hockey night in canada theme song is going to go to tsn/ctv now. it goes hand-in-hand with the cbc and cherry's antics for me. but what was cbc thinking? i am pretty sure they can afford the $500 per play.

that wasn't much of an update. i will try again.

the soldier and i have a flat to move into in germany, which is rather exciting and makes things feel more 'real' even though i keep getting ahead of myself by thinking about the autumn and future jobs, houses, and life back in calgary.

but yay for a new nest! i wonder how you say 'nest' in german?

back to those allergies - they are kicking me in the ass. i am not sure if it is allergies or a cold, but i am sleeping way too much, i wake up with headaches, and my eyes are itchy far too often. blech.

i have eaten more red meat in the past few days than in the past 6 months, but i have come to expect (and anticipate) that. i loves me some alberta beef. i also love red wine and my mom's red wine dispenser (otherwise known as a box of wine conveniently placed so you simply place your glass under the spout and voila!).

it seems when you leave your job, people seem to think you are rather valuable, but i guess that happens anywhere in any field. or so i am told. but no bother, i like the compliments and the requests for my cv.

speaking of my cv, i met with a recruiter and i am feeling positive (for once!) about my career. nothing concrete, just a good meeting full of good ideas.

ordering at starbucks is STRESSFUL. here is what i want - a latte, the medium size, with skim milk, and maybe, just maybe, a fancy flavour shot or a fancy drink like a caramel macchiato (but not very sweet and none of the no-sugar syrup). but you need to be able to say that in the fancy coffee shop lingo in a matter of seconds. who can do that?! well, probably you. but i am used to putting in my order at nairobi java house and just crossing my fingers that they get it right and enjoying whatever shows up on the counter. often, to get the drink how you want it, it takes a short diatribe and a few baseball hand signals, but i am little out of the loop.

the mass consumption and marketing in this place is also stressful. not to mention the serious leaps in technology that make me feel like an 80 year old (maybe even 90 year old) who has lived in a home for entire technology revolution. in saskatchewan (ok, maybe a stereotype, but i would imagine that if you lived in a home in saskatchewan, it might be even less technologically current).

i am learning a lot about wedding dresses and weddings. i am glad i get to be a spectator at this one (well, an active chief bridesmaid spectator) so i can learn the ropes.

other than that, adjusting is and will be tough, i miss parts of life in africa, but i am excited for a lot of upcoming things and nothing beats that.

i am ready for this

(may 4, 2008)

wow, that was perhaps one of the best holidays i have ever had. it was as much about being in south africa as being with a certain someone who managed to organise the best trip that included just enough road tripping, sightseeing, relaxing, eating, and visiting. amazingly, we never felt too tired (except for those times that we had had a few too many glasses of south african wine or namibian beer and had to eat steak or éclairs in the morning to remedy the problem) and paced all of our mini adventures so we kept busy and time managed to slow... right... down, which pleased us just fine.

i got back in the early hours this morning and found my kitchen infested with bugs, including ants making a new hill in my sugar bowl (you give your housekeeper a week off in the rainy season and the bugs just take over) and you know what? i don’t really care.

i don’t care because i have approximately 4 weeks left in kenya and am ecstatic not about my departure (although a change is definitely in order) but about my arrival. if my plan stands, i will be making a brief stop in the hometown for wedding dress shopping (not mine, before you get your panties in a knot), hanging out with the fam, and general june enjoyment then heading to europe where i will be summering in germany.

i intend on finding some new hobbies, reading a lot of books, and getting used to living with a soldier who has to wear the scary uniform to work every day. somehow, i think it will be doable.

clickity click click

• i am writing this on my brand spanking new laptop that is silver and very fast (fast, i am sure, because of its shiny silver exterior) and is the product of a lot of generosity and kindness and the help of the geeks at best buy who are indeed geeky as well as helpful (except for the doorknob who tried to sell me a laptop bag by suggesting the selling feature of being able to hold my make-up for when i travel... clearly he doesn't know a thing about the variety of different kinds of women out there and hence, works as a geek at best buy)
• since when does shipping with amazon.ca cost $6?
• i am ultra super glad that the stampede is over. i am also very smart even though you can't tell from the sentence i just constructed
• i get to be a bridesmaid for the first time this weekend and i luckily found a pair of shoes that match perfectly, thank you winners
• my only complaint about my very fabulous ultra super fast laptop is the clicky-ness of the keys and the fact that i keep missing them and misspelling things
• i bought the book What Colour is My Parachute and i really hope it helps me figure out not only what colour my parachute is, but what to do with this career i am attempting to build
• i have a dentist appointment today, which is about as appealing as a swift kick in the junk would be if i had any junk

wear socks

if i have to eat the cheese pizza on a trans-atlantic air canada flight one more time... but at least it was better than the chickpea curry!

i am home and calgary decided to welcome me here with english weather!! what is going on? i have been bragging about how warm and sunny my hometown has been while it has been grey and rainy in england and now i am eating my words.

so far, i have bought some lovely shoes to go with a dress named pheobe and had my toes taken care of at yet another vietnamese pedicure assembly line they call a nail shop. (here is some advice, when it is hot in london and you are taking the train to a job interview and you do not want to arrive hot and sweaty cause you've had to walk from the station, wear socks. even if you think that by not wearing socks you might actually be less hot and sweaty. even if the only socks you brought are thick, sports socks because you were not packing smart. wear them. because otherwise you cut your feet so badly in your black boots that you have to stop and buy socks!! and they will only come in packs of three and will cost far more than a pack of three socks should because you are in london paying for them in pounds, but you will have to buy them and go out on to the bridge over the river thames and put them on, looking a bit silly. it will also be at this time that you will look at your own feet, notice the open flesh and cringe at the damage you have done.)

for some reason, it is easier to come home when i know when i am leaving again and this time it will be mid-october and instead of going back to london, which was the original plan, i will be going to kenya! i have been offered a 6 month internship there and will be working with the international orgnization for migration's health and human trafficking programme in east africa. i am looking forward to going back to africa, seeing the eastern part of the continent, and actually working in the field that i have been studying for years! i have no idea what to expect at this point, but i do know that i need to make a doctor's appointment, get chest x-rays, have a TB test, book flights, get a visa, do some shopping, learn as much as i can about my new home and my new place of employment...

but first, my cousin's wedding and lots of laughter and fun country times!

a dress named pheobe

i love september, it has always represented the beginning. the beginning of school, of the 4 seasons, of new jobs, of new clothes, of new pencils, of new colours, of new friends, of new experiences. a few years ago my best ladies and i decided that the labour day long weekend would signify the new year. since things seem to change like the leaves and the school year in september and not january, like the calendar would have you believe.

each year we have made resolutions for the 'real' new year. once it was to Do More Things and another year it was to Where Ever You Are, Be There. this past year, i think mine was to Make A Home and this coming year? i haven't quite decided yet. but since we celebrate the new year with the labour day classic football game (go stamps!), i still have a few days to come up with this year's resolution but i will let you know and at the same time, give it to the universe to help me take care of.

in the meantime, i will celebrate the autumnal new year with my newest purchase that put me over my month's clothing budget (and it is the 1st of the month!!) and i wouldn't normally share such a silly thing on the www, but i love it and i am going to wear it to my cousin's wedding in a few weeks and i even bought some new golden gems to wear with it. i don't think i've ever seen a piece of clothing that represents the new year quite so well!

happy new year to one and all.