Ten Bucks And A Headstart

I just got back earlier this week from a trip up north. Dom and I started with a long weekend at the cottage, and then headed north from there. Destination: Kenora, ON. I have a friend from Calgary that lives there, and another gf from Calgary was having a small family reunion so I took the opportunity to turn it into a reunion of our own.

Monday we headed towards Wawa, stopping only at the Big Nickel in Sudbury (and for gas and food). We actually brought a small cooler of food to start and save on money. But after the first day our use of pre-bought food dropped. I had a sandwich on day two, but it was pretty nasty. By day three the whole cooler and all of its contents smelled of rotting sandwich meat. We defaulted back to crackers and licorice for on-the-road sustinance. The second night we stayed in Ignace which was no big todo. They had not much to do, and a place with overpriced burgers. Who charges $6 for a burger, and then $4 for fries and coleslaw, and then another $2 for a soda. A place that should be considered a big old boony rip-off is who.

Wednesday morning we headed towards the Manitoba border. I mistakenly thought the border entrance had a big old Manitoba province cut-out, but that was at the MB-SK border. We stopped at the two tourist centres. I asked the Ontario guides if there were any cool falls along the way. They pointed out Kakabeka Falls, but we had already caught a glimpse from the hwy on the way through. They said no, but the answer should have been "I don't know." I found out a day or so ago there was a falls right next to a town we stopped to eat in. http://gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/aguasabon.shtml Nothing earth shattering, but I would have liked to have seen it. Oh well. Don't know if I'll be up there again any time soon, or ever again.

Kenora was a blast. I went out for dinner with Jenn on Wednesdsay, and then the three girls got together on Thursday night, and Dom came with. We stopped at DQ and then hung out in Jenn's basement for a while. She's staying with a friend in a really nice house. She also gave us a quick driving tour of Kenora, including the "Bermuda Triangle" which turned out to be a small patch of grass maybe 10-12 feet on each side of the triangle. A supposedly very troubled patch of grass.

On the drive back Dom and I stopped again in Wawa and on the way down made a few stops at some pretty lake side parks. Old Woman Bay, and Katherin's Cove were the two stops we made. I had taken notice of Katherine's Cove on the way up and noted the name for a Southern stop. The rock beaches were just gorgeous, and we happened across this neat inukshuk. There were actually two, but this one was just perfectly proportionate, and stunning (in my opinion). Then it was back into the car just in time to miss the start of the rain. And it rained almost all the way back to the cottage. It felt good to do almost nothing on Sunday. I even took a mid-afternoon nap while Dom prepared a delicious pasta sauce from scratch for us.

And that was that. Back to life. And really, it's time to get a job.

Woooof

I had a project this weekend that required me to be in our downtown office from 9am-5:30pm on Saturday and 9:30am-7:00pm on Sunday. I'm beat. I actually went to a silent auction with my mother on Saturday night, and followed that up with a trip down to Cherry beach with Adam. The MC at the silent auction was unbearable. After each time she opened her mouth I would turn to my mother in disgust and remark about how terrible she was. That didn't leave much time for rest, but I didn't want my entire weekend to be wasted.

Two of my coworkers and I took the subway home together. One headed to the West end, one to North York, and me to York. As soon as we all sat down I said, "This is where I pretend to ignore everyone else, so there will be no further talking." Funny thing, we all sat in silence until about St. George and the West ender left us. I made some small talk with the last guy. He was the team lead for our Data Specialist team. He should really be the manager but our company decided to eliminate middle management and put all of the pressure on team leads. I like his style so it was nice to spend a weekend getting to know him better. Him and my old manager are both pretty cool. What really upsets me about this weekend is that I probably won't get OT pay. The 18 hrs will be added to my clocked hours, and only when it goes over 88hrs will it turn into pay and a half. Eff that noise, and that is all I have to say about that.

It's been a pretty busy week. Between dinner at home, to coffee with an old friend, I've been busy. Adam came over on Wednesday and we watched a movie. It was nice. There was no spastic cat to lure with nimbly tapping fingers, but that's ok. We had another midweek night trip to Cherry beach. It's kind of where we go when we're not sure what to do. It's not too busy late at night. And it's extra nice in the Summer time when you can walk up and down the beach, maybe blind skip a rock or two.

I have a few places to add to my new things in Toronto list. Next time.

Monetary Mitosis

I've been rubbing two pennies together all night to see if I could witness the miracle of penny creation, but no such luck. My plans to reign in spending for the rest of 2010 have gotten off to a rough start. I have an especially large challenge since one of my paycheques this month will only be for half time. If I can get by on 75% pay then I know I'll be in a good spot when it goes back up to 100%. I've considered getting a second job, but perhaps I will wait until the new year to see how my cost saving plans work out.

Nuit Blanche was pretty fun. We got off to a late start, but I wouldn't have looked forward to the crowds for the first portion anyhow. Adam and I hit up Yonge & Bloor, and then traveled to Dundas Square and walked the main downtown core. Then back up to finish the night at Casa Loma. Surprisingly, the whole night took 4 hrs. I was put to shame by my colleague who lasted until 5:45am and yet started well before 6:00pm. Good for him. A lot of people have spoken negatively about the night, and perhaps I just don't have a good point of comparison, but I enjoyed myself. I am kicking myself for missing the human clock. We arrived at 4:15am and it wasn't back on until 5:00am so we left. A coworker says it was his favourite of the entire night. I also missed a self mourning experience just south of my house, out of pure laziness. I should have just walked down on my own at some point earlier on.

I finished the book Old City Hall last night. It was written by a top criminal lawyer in Toronto. I did enjoy the city references, which is one reason I picked it up in the first place. But overall it just wasn't my cup of tea. Ending several chapters with, "I can't believe I didn't think of that before, how could I have missed it?!" got annoying after a while. And with a constant multiple narrative running through out the entire book I was happy for it to be over. He also left the ending completely unresolved leaving multiple plausible explanations for how the murder could have happened. With 4-5 main characters all with rich character development, I often found myself flipping to the early chapters of the book to remind myself who was who. In the end it felt like a drawn out 400 page episode of Law and Order. I would suppose maybe mystery just isn't my genre but Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood is one of my favourite books, and it even has a cliffhanger ending. Perhaps because Alias Grace was based on a true story it resonates more with the reader.

As annoyed as I may sound, I feel the fruits of my frugality shall pay off in the near future. I've always had enough money to get by, but I want better for myself now.

We Have Crashed The Party

I'm listening to Strung Out On OK Computer. A great classical rendition of perhaps one of the greatest albums every composed. A really nice way to start my Saturday. I was a little bit late rising this morning, but I spent the greater part of the morning in bed finishing The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It makes you think about the times we live in and how fortunate we are. Even in war times we are not deprived of anything.

I went up North with Adam last weekend. The weather was a bit unforgiving but we did manage a trip into Bobcaygeon and an outdoor fire on Saturday night. We watched a lot of 30 Rock, and drank a lot of beer. We ate like royalty (or at least like cottage royalty), and spent spare hours in our respective corners reading. I'm pleased as punch that we have set ownership of the cottage. Although it's no longer my weekend playground paradise available any and all weekends on a whim, I'm pleased to see it turn back into maybe what it once was. With constant feet traveling through it perhaps it will regain the confidence it once had to operate as a full-time summer home.

It's been a pretty quiet week for me. I've been working really hard at the office. For the first 3 days of the week I felt pulled in a hundred directions. That's an exaggeration but even being pulled in 5 ways can be stressful enough. I have 13 projects on my plate right now, and I just finished 3 but then I gained 2 back. And it's always the weirdest problems that arise. It's hardly my responsibility to ensure our scripts are properly written to ensure file transmissions from DOS to Unix are successful. How did I even find out that was the problem you might ask? Dumb effing luck. Rant at just the right time and you might find yourself sitting next to a networks genius who is more than eager to solve your problem.

Last night on my way home I swung by the Fringe tent to see A&D. While in the driver's seat I somehow lost my wallet. At a stop light with one foot diligently on the brake I reached around with my other foot to see if it had fallen to my feet. And as some person was walking past my car I accidentally tapped the gas and revved my engine. I'm such a complete dork sometimes.

I guess that's all for now. I did sweet nothing on Canada Day, so now I really must clean. The other day I was by chance browsing some photos I took of this place before I moved in. So clean, so crisp. I want to go to there.

SHUT IT DOWN

I'm wearing an old faded custom tank top right now. When it gets really hot in here there's no choice but to wear as little as possible and wait for the air to cool. My mother has offered to purchase an AC but I refuse, for now. I made an exception for the space heater that only gets used 3 months out of the year, but an AC would be much larger and more wasteful. Today the heat wasn't as bad as the end of May. I did get a little bit reflective and thought that it's sad when all that you have left of someone are some ancient memories, a faded tank, and some sour grapes. But that's life.

It was such a beautiful and amazing weekend. Not counting the fact that I once again locked myself out of my house everything just seemed to come together. I got to see a lot of family, I went to Frank's housewarming and saw Tamara down at the Skydome for 10 minutes between her buying tickets and entering the stadium. I sat off to the side in the shade and read for a while. Guernsey is getting really good.

Sunday night I went to Adam's on the way home. After a failed attempt at a harbourfront coffee, we went down to Cherry beach and skipped stones in the dark. Knowing your after hour coffee locations that are parking accessible is key. Unfortunately we failed and had to rely on good old reliable Casa Loma Timmy's.

It was a really enjoyable weekend. Perhaps the funniest part was picking up my keys at Sim's place. After about a 15 minute chat Sim goes, "So how are you planning on getting back into your place??" I paused for a second as my brain ran triple checks for sarcasm. "...Ummm, I'm going to get my spare keys from you?" I also had to remind her where she had stashed them, which I found very amusing. With the allergy medicine in an envelope marked "Julie's keys".

Now, to find the solution to neck acne and life will be perfect.

Where Fore Art Thou Rhino

I went out last night for a drink in Parkdale at a bar called The Rhino. Son and I went down and then two of her roommates and their significant others showed up. The last time I traveled West of Dufferin on Queen was in 2006 to go to the Cadillac Lounge. So it's about time I rediscovered Parkdale. We each had a pint of the house beer, Rhino Lager. I think I've developed a pretty good taste for beer, but this one I did not like. The after taste of the first sip was like Rhino excrement. And although the after taste weakened as the drink continued I don't think that will be an experience I will be duplicating anytime soon. Maybe in 2 years when I find myself back at Rhino I'll think to myself "Didn't I once say this tasted like Rhino ass?" and I'll order one more just to prove myself right. But until then, no way Jose.

One couple left early, but the four of us went back to their place to watch Romeo + Juliet. That has been a long standing favourite Soundtrack of mine. I ended up leaving before the movie was over as the power went out and I was suddenly feeling very sleepy. Interesting end to the evening. All in all, good times.

Also, I need to kick myself for looking down on someone at work who didn't know Juliet's last name. Me: "Well I doubt it's Juliet Capulet so it has to be Montague."

Life And The Art Of Honda Maintenance

I got off work early on Friday so I could get home at a good time and head out for the weekend. I mean it's no big loss for my employer since I don't get paid for a second more than I'm in the office. God I hate being on contract. Nik showed up at my place shortly after and made last minute preparations for our trip. She had picked up a bunch of treats from the bulk barn, including the candy necklace featured in the picture. It was strange heading out and arriving at our destination so soon. Short trips rock.

So we stayed the first night in Belleville, north of the downtown in a Choice Hotel. It was fine, but we should have taken the ground floor smoking room just so we could have opened the door to get a breeze. We were blasting A/C on full and it was still hot. Woke up bright and early so we could get breakfast and have good time to check out. First we stopped at a craft show at the community centre. There were a few cutie things, but we didn't stay for too long. Then it was off to Picton to check into our next location.

Prince Edward County is a cute little place to drive around, and everything is so close. We took the hwy down through Bloomfield and stopped there. Again we went into a small church craft sale. There was a lot of knitted and crocheted items. Which were nice, but just not for me. There was a rescue kitty there that was up for adoption. I put my hand into the cage and she came right over and let me scratch her head. If I wasn't so allergic and poor I'd be interested in a furry bundle of joy of my own.

Then it was back in the car and off to Picton. I almost pulled over on the way to get a soda from the trunk (ice cooler) but we were there in less than 10 minutes. We stopped at the information centre, which turned out to be completely useless, but we picked up some pamphlets for later use. We headed to the motel to check in and were pleasantly surprised with the way the place looked. We approached the desk clerk and asked for a room for the night. She asked if we had reservations and we said no. Then in a completely snarky unsatisfactory tone of voice said something along the lines of "Well good luck getting a place in town, there's a fishing tournament on." Who does that? Isn't customer service your JOB. Ack.

To hell with Picton, we carried on with our PEC adventure without it. Up the road and around the corner we stopped at Lake on the Mountain to check out the view. Got some neat photos of both Lake Ontario and Lake on the Mountain. And also saw some old cars who were there to, as we learned later, participate in an old car show. The skies were starting to grey and the humid air accompanied with burst of winds we knew the rain was a-comin. Back in the car for us.

Down the street and around the bay we headed towards the Black River Cheese Company to take a look around. We both picked up some cheese and fudge, delicious. Across the road was a kitchy type gift shop so we stopped in there to see if anything tickled our fancy. I did get a good chuckle from the sign that said, "All unattended children will be given an espresso and a free kitten." Back in the car.

Up and over we headed towards the Sandbanks. As we were driving the rain started. And even though I really wanted to see them, I didn't want to pay a $10 admission fee to walk around in the rain. No thank you. So we turned around and left.

We headed back to Bloomfield as Nik found a Gluten Free store on her phone in the neighbourhood. Turns out we had already passed it once before but missed the giant "GLUTEN FREE" banner. Most of the Gluten free goods were frozen but the guy had a fresh loaf just cut and he sold it to her. Then it was back into Picton so we could walk around and check out the city. I bought a few books, we checked into another cafe advertised as being gluten free (they had a handful of gluten free snackies and that was it - disappointing). After a stop into Giant Tiger we decided we needed to find a place to stay for the night. It was between Trenton and Kingston (or maybe Bath - but only for comedic purposes), we settled on Trenton. Unfortunately, like Belleville, the hotels are off the hwy and not in the downtown core so we didn't get to walk around Trenton as we wanted. I was pretty pooped though so I didn't complain too much. We got some dinner, checked into another Choice and called it a night. Nik slept while I got drunk and watched The Life of David Gale. But I too eventually could not keep my eyes open anymore.

We couldn't find a single thing to do on the way home. Even most of the PEC attractions we went to came recommended, we didn't just find them. Last time I made a random stop on the way home from Ottawa it was to see the Marmora Quarry, but that came recommended by Nik so we were fresh out of ideas. I even went through a list of 30 ghost towns but none were on route. Though it has given me ideas for future weekend trips. Possibly just day trips. And now I need to do that house cleaning I never did, and get ready for work tomorrow.

Doings, etc.

I picked up a copy of I Mother Earth - Scenery and Fish last night from The Beat Goes On in Guelph. I also got an older Pearl Jam for $2.99. I Mother Earth was $1.99. I was out visiting with a friend, and trying to help with some Economics homework. I haven't flexed that muscle in a really long time. I thought it would be a lot easier for me to jump right back into it, but often there were things I just didn't know. I guess I can't beat myself up, since it has been almost 5 years since my last instructed class, and almost 9 years since I struggled through MicroEconomics myself. I say struggled but I did end up loving it in the end. We went out for an all you can eat sushi dinner. I definitely ate my money's worth, but felt not so good after. Vaguely reminiscent of an attempt to eat $15 worth of sandwiches and snacks at a conference in Ottawa.

I barely slept a wink last night. I think I finally got to sleep at about 5am. My mistake in the morning was turning off my buzzer alarm and thinking that holding my phone so I could snooze for 5 minutes was actually going to work out. I finally awoke at 10am and rushed to log on. Last night when I pulled in I thought, "Fuck it, I'm leaving my laptop in the car so I don't have to take it back and forth." So of course this morning would be one of the only mornings I actually needed it up here.

I took a power nap for lunch. I felt better at the time, but I'm going back to feeling completely wiped. I'm working from home today to avoid the commute and the feeling of being at work completely exhausted. I wouldn't have been able to power nap at work, that's for certain.

I'm heading to the Thousand Islands this weekend with the same friend. We don't have anything really set in stone yet, but it should be fun. My mom recommended visiting this lake on the top of a small mountain. I believe it's called - Lake on the Mountain. Real original guys, real original.

Also - Into the Wild - really good movie.

The Informant

I saw The Informant! last night with Adam and Dawn. There was a not-too-great reaction, and a mediocrely-good. I on the other hand found the humour spot on. My knee actually got a few good slaps out of the whole thing.

I love Adam's cat, though I would like her more if she had trimmed claws. I don't think she knows the power of her own nails. We set up a little trap where I would lure her over to the couch with a series of nimble finger taps, and then Adam would lurch forward in attempts to grab her. It took her about one go around to figure us out, and instead of jumping up to play with my hand she would jump up as if to feign interest and then immediately bolt away before Adam could move in. She was like a swimmer twisting underwater to prepare for the next push-off. Except not underwater, and she's a cat.

I have some long neglected house chores to get to tonight. And tomorrow I'm going to see my great auntie in Newmarket. We're going to go for lunch and then cruise Chapters for hot reads. She's 89 and she's awesome. She kind of reminds me of my mom's mom, in the way that she's so delicate and classy.

C'est tout.