Never Reason

Here I Am!

2010-01-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

If anyone is even still listening. No matter, here I go!

So, I'm going. In just over a month! There's a lot to organize before then (booking a flight, for example), and I'm taking more shifts to prepare for my time of no income and higher expenses. In the moments betwseen, I'm going to try to buckle down with the mandarin, and also just enjoy the hell out of Vancouver (thankfully I have a free pass to most things).

In that spirit, when given the perfect gift of a gloriously sunny day this weekend, I went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge with a friend. I hadn't been in years, and I'll admit, I was impressed! BC doesn't hold back on the showy scenery, that's for sure. We explored the new(ish) treetops canopy, which was fun (going on a rainforest canopy is still on my life list).

I'm not sure what'll happen in Taiwan; I may start a new, Taiwan-centric blog for my travels. I'll keep y'all posted!

2009-10-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned I was planning on moving. It's looking more an more likely that I'll be following through with this (basically, it'll happen unless something huge comes up). I'm planning on moving to Taiwan. Specifically Taipei, though that may change.

It's been a long time coming, my leaving Vancouver. If I'd gone ahead with grad school, leaving would have been implicit. I decided not to go, which was the right choice, but that meant I stayed here, which wasn't. The timing seems pretty ideal, all told; I don't own property, I don't have a boyfriend, or a career track I feel wedded to. All those things sound like negatives, but the silver lining is that I'm completely untied. I can't imagine a time when I'll feel so untied again, so I want to take advantage of it when I can.

It's not that I've regretted my time here at all, it's that...I feel like I've grown as much as I can here, for now. I don't know what I'm looking for, but I know I'm not finding it here. The last time I went away for any sustained period of time was in 2006, and there's something about coming back better than you were when you left that I need to do again. So, I'm going, and hopefully will come back better than I was before.

2009-10-21T12:03:00.001-07:00

Oh my GOD, I'm so sorry.

Remember when I said I'd try to post more? That went well, didn't it? Sigh. It's not an excuse, but in the intervening time, a lot has happened, including:

My dad had surgery
My mom had surgery
My work ran out of work for me
I decided to (probably) move
Oh, and today I turned 26

That's the point-form version. So far the surgeries seem to have worked out (we get word on my mom's in a week). I received my last paycheck from work, and am now bracing myself for the inevitable decrease in my hard-won emergency fund (I knew there was a reason I made it so big!). 26 has been pretty alright, for the past...12 hours. So hey; busy, but generally okay. Not so bad, right? Ok, so I've been boring too. I can't help it, what do you people want from me? Oh. Semi-regular, half-decent blog posts. Yeah, that's reasonable. Sigh.

New Computer!

2009-09-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

This is my first entry with my new laptop, OshTosh B'Gosh. He's a 16-inch Toshiba, and so far he's lovely. He was a steal of a deal, too! As an added bonus, he's EnergyStar certified, and is currently running on Toshiba's "eco Utility" mode (weird capitalization part of the trademark) which reduces power usage even more. Way to go, Osh!

In other news, I lunched at Market by Jean-Georges Vongerichten today, with a dear friend. They have a great deal for lunch, three courses for $28. According to our server, what Jean-Georges did was canvas all his restaurants and create a "greatest hits" list in this menu. Based upon my two meals (so far!) his guests have wonderful taste. Here's a head to head (and in some cases, to head) matchup of the dishes I've sampled.

Appetizer Round
Steamed Prawn Salad vs. Calamari vs. Fontina Pizza with Frisee and Truffle Oil
Winner: the pizza. The other two were exceptional (the calamari especially), but the pizza...yum.

Entree Round
Burger vs. Hangar Steak
Winner: hangar steak. Man oh man this was delicious. Next time I'll have to order something different, but it will be tough to leave that one behind.

Dessert Round
In-House Sorbets and Ice Creams vs. Chocolate Pudding with Whipped Cream and Lavender Sugar
Winner: sorbets and ice creams, hands down. Those were incredible. My lunch date and I both fell in love with them. Even the vanilla was the best vanilla ice cream I've ever had.

Weddings!

2009-09-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

I've always loved the idea of weddings. Everything is pretty, people are happy, and any celebration is wonderful. There's something magical about them, and the different ways people can personalize them are always fun to see.

This summer I've attended two weddings, and am helping a friend prepare for one next summer. The two I went to had staggeringly different aesthetics. One was at a winery in the Okanagan, while the other was at the Empress Hotel in Victoria. Both had the most essential ingredients for a great wedding, namely a bride and groom in love, surrounded by friends and family.

But now, helping with the preparation for a wedding, I can't help but be shocked at the entire process. Once it's stopped being hypothetical, the cost is staggering. Put the word "wedding" in front of something and the price doubles. Use the word "bridal" instead, and it jumps three times. Then there're all the things that need to be bought, made, sent, written, booked...it's insanity. It's fun, but keeping costs down takes serious planning. Ing is doing a fantastic job (this is by far the most bang I've seen someone get for their buck), but it's a little daunting to see. Now I understand why eloping is such a popular idea (if rarely followed through on).

But if they eloped, I wouldn't be able to be a bridesmaid! And that would be awful; I'm so excited!

...I'm late

2009-08-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

Very late. Sorry.

In the past 3 months (yikes) I've:

taken several cooking classes (woo!)

gone to LA (more below)

asked for a full-time position at my job (scary!)

was going to be offered a job I wasn't ok with taking, so gave my notice at the job (MORE scary!)(but I'm still there for the time being, under contract which is great)

attended two lovely weddings

read some books

taken a kayaking course

made 437 dumplings (for reals)

celebrated a friend's engagement (eee!)

gone wedding dress shopping - with success!

bought a new laptop

signed up for sewing classes, more chinese classes, and more cooking classes. Momma's gonna LEARN.

So, LA. I went with a friend we'll call Med, who had a medical licensing exam to take. The planning went something like this:

Med: Hey, can you get me a hotel deal in LA?

J-Bird: Hmmm, it's about $140/night.

Med: Dammit. Motel 6 it is.

J-Bird: Huh, if I go with you it'd be $49/night.

Med: Each?

J-Bird: Total. So, hope you're cool with having a roommate!

It was a lovely trip; while Med studied, I read/worked/tanned, and after her exam we went shopping, sightseeing, eating (oh, the eating), and one night, she watched while I drank most of a bottle of champagne (that I'd bought for her, natch) and then acted the fool as a result. But in a more culinary vein (because we know where my tastes lie), here are the highlights.

In Manhattan Beach, I recommend the Rock n' Fish (particularly the Oak-Grilled Artichoke. If you're lucky and they're on special, just get 4 and have those for dinner). Afterward, if you have room (I did, but Med was aghast that I even entertained the notion), head just up the road to the Manhattan Beach Creamery for some ice cream.

In Santa Monica we had a lovely meal at Trastavere (website seems to be down), an old-fashioned Italian place.

In Pasadena, head to Marston's for breakfast, and have the French Toast (it is a revelation). For lunch...I don't remember what it was called. Look, go to the Westin Pasadena, and ask the concierge (an older black man) about his favourite Mexican place, and then go there. But don't eat too much, because for dinner at Madeleine's you want to have room. That one was a splurge, and highly worth it.

When we weren't stuffing our faces or shopping at Anthropologie (so much love), we were checking out Huntington Gardens and the Getty Center, which were both incredible. Be sure to check out the desert garden at Huntington, and just go walk around the Getty. We didn't go even go in, the architecture is so amazing. Come to think of it, Huntington has a library and museum we also didn't check out. But who wants to be indoors when it's so gorgeous outside? Remember to pack drinks, though. It gets hot!

And of course, you can't go to California without visiting In n' Out (Med had never been!).

All in all, a great (and filling) trip.

YUM.

Updates! Well, One.

2009-05-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

I've updated the count to the right; numbers aren't as high as I'd like, but not too bad.

In other news, I owe several updates (and that's not counting the ones which in the past, were promised, but then cast off and forgotten like used kleenex. I'm not a very conscientious blogger, it seems), so here's one. The tale of Legoland, Moppet and Me.

I went to California, as mentioned previously, to visit Moppet. While we were still in the planning stages of the visit, she kindly asked me what I would like to do. I had only two requests: Hillcrest Farmer's Market, and Legoland. I'm very happy to report that she humoured me in both these requests (Hillcrest was less of a chore, in that it led to delicious edibles including Cherimoyas, Guavas, and Lamb Stuffed with Goat Cheese).

Legoland, though not actually in San Diego (did you know California has a Carlsbad? And it isn't through a vortex to WarCraft, it's a real place!), is a fantastic land full of these magical little blocks that they call Legos. They have historic parts of American cities made of legos. They have dinosaurs made of legos. They have Caroline Rhea made of legos (no, really). They also have rides (why yes, I will go on the lego version of "It's a Small World"! Thank you for asking!) and games (And the gold medal in stamping-the-face-on-the-lego-head is...Moppet!) and demonstrations of how these blocks are made. It is all in all, a grand place full of joy and laughter, where all is right in my heart.*

We wandered the country for an astounding 4 hours, far surpassing our projected stay of 1-2 hours, and it was totally worth it. We came, we laughed, we left. Best amusement park ever.

*almost all is right. They are severely lacking in lego-food. Wherefore your Mickey-churro, Legoland?

In Which I Suck At Updating

2009-05-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

...Oops.

This is going to be a quick recap, because the J-Bird, she is tired.

California was perfect.

I've started my Chinese classes, and they're great.

I have now made english toffee successfully from scratch. Twice.

Bezzer is back in town.

I've decided to think about buying a place, which means I have to save money like there's no tomorrow.

More later, it's sleepytime.

Movie Review - Monsters Vs. Aliens

2009-04-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

I loved this movie. That being said, the posters really ought to have "Warning: this film is best consumed by nerds" plastered on it. References to Star Trek, The Fly, Darwin, and other such things fly at a mile a minute; I loved it, but if you aren't even a little plugged in to all of that, it'll dampen the experience big time (also great; the quiet reference to Legally Blonde). Also skewing my opinion was the cast. Reese Witherspoon, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Colbert (!!), Rainn Wilson. To my mind, this movie was practically guaranteed to be hilarious.

The plot is pretty straightforward: a "normal" girl Susan gets...irradiated...by meteor on her wedding, turns giant, is taken to a monster compound, saves the world from aliens, and realizes her now ex (he dumped her because she'd get all the attention) is a loser, and lives happily ever after saving the world from other monsters and aliens. This isn't particularly deep stuff, and it doesn't seem like the makers were aiming for a particularly affecting experience, either. Susan's development is far less involving for the audience than Reese's Elle in Legally Blonde (and love that movie as I do, I don't claim that it deserved an Oscar by any means). But it's the first movie in a long time that kept me consistently and completely entertained throughout the film. No lulls, no long monologues, no thinking about what I needed to do the next day. AND Stephen Colbert voices the President. Amazing.

A note on the 3D: it was fun, but besides one extremely well-done scene involving a ball and paddle, wasn't that noticeable. Going to see it in normal format would by no means kill the film. It would however prevent you from seeing rad people like myself, XC and her boyfriend all wearing sizable 3D glasses over our glasses. Sexy.

Fully Loaded!

2009-04-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

My emergency fund is now at $10,000, which is where I've decided to hold off funding it any further for now. $10,000 is a comfortable cushion, and the money that would go there can now go to my apartment fund and toward my retirement savings goals. The retirement savings is particularly important, as that's flying at the low low sum of zero dollars right now (yikes). I'm hoping by the end of the year I can get it to $10,000. If I can stay employed, then I think I can do it. If not...well, it'll be tough. But hey, anything is better than zero!

I feel like I should redefine my goals, since where I am now, financially, is so different from where I started out. So here they are:

Retirement Savings (not including TFSA)

(2009) Goal = $10,000

Now = nothing

Apartment

Goal = $7,000.00

Now = $4,668.91

Travel

This one I handle a bit differently. It's definitely a short-term savings account, in that I save for specific trips. My goal is to have saved (and travelled) about $2,500 worth per year. Right now it's at $1,000, but I go to California in a week, so it'll be nosediving soon. But that, at least, is guilt-free!

And the new one....Down Payment

(Lord knows when) Goal = $30,000 at least (sigh)

Now = zippo (SIGH.)

I have a long way to go. But I'll never reach a goal I don't set, so hey, 1 step's already done!

Beyonce is a Goddess

2009-04-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

I even forgive her for this "Sasha Fierce" conceit. I went to her conert last night, and it was incredible. Apart from the fact that she can sing, she has great stage presence, the costumes are amazing (I want her jaguar/wonderwoman ensemble. I would wear it while hosting dinner parties and doing laundry and any time I feel an injection of fabulousness would be helpful. ie. All Of The Time), and damn but she can dance. She also had a great band backing her, made up completely of women, and her backup singers "The Mamas" were an utter joy. I want to be best friends with all of them.

Now all I want to do is blast Beyonce and dance.

Friday the 13th

2009-03-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

The second in a row, thanks to the lovely calendar! So far so good, knock on wood and so forth.

It's been a relatively stressful week, I have to admit. Things will probably stay that way for at least a couple of weeks, barring some extremely unexpected surprise. But my emergency fund is rapidly approaching my "stable" goal of $10 000, which is great; I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to hit the target before my current contract came up. I'm not planning by any means to leave the job, if they still want me, but in light of the state of the economy (which according to media is somewhere between "anarchy" and "apocalyptic") it's reassuring to have a cushion to land on.

In other news, I'm going to Beyonce! I'm pretty excited, and even though it was kind of pricey, I've already paid for it. Come to think of it, I think my spending is finally starting to mesh more with my values. I've been spending more on experiences and less on objects.

Tonight I'm headed to the Recession Party, at Pacific Theatre to watch a friend perform. I don't have much of an idea what the show will be like, but I'm looking forward to the mystery!

Kayak, Here I Come!

2009-03-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

I registered for kayak lessons today. I'm a bit nervous; I have upper body strength of a T-Rex, and now I'm meant to propel myself using only my arms? Terrifying. Nonetheless, I'm excited. I've always wanted to do it, since reading a story about family who kayaked down (up?) the Amazon in a Ranger Rick magazine, back in elementary school.

My ticker tests came back normal, which things most assuredly are not, so that's a bit of a concern; I'll have to go back in to try to sort it all out. The issue has gotten a bit better, and seems to be mostly anxiety-triggered, but I'd still like to know why it's just started; I don't think I'm more stressed than I was before the plaguening, so what gives?

I've been more into gardening lately. So far only the theory of it, as it's still too cold to be adding anything in right now, but hopefully I'll be able to try to get a handle on something this summer. Of course my mum has the entire space completely packed with all sorts of cool things, I may have to come up with some space of my own...

And Then, There Was The Plague

2009-03-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

So, I was struck by...something. I don't know what it was, but it went something like this:

Feel slightly off.

Feel violently ill.

Vomit.

Lie in bed.

Vomit.

Repeat above 7 times.

Lie in bed in agony, wishing for a break from consciousness but unable to actually slip into dark.

Spend entirety of next day in bed or on couch with pedialyte, friends and Arrested Development.

Finally falling asleep about 36 hours after it all started.

Waking, feeling weak as a kitten, eating a tiny bit, and then noticing that your heart is...doing things.

So the heart thing is still going on; went for an ECG late last week, and am waiting for the results. The bright side is that so far I'm still alive, so I'm hoping this is nothing too dangerous.

In other news, I've bought a ticket to San Diego for Easter Weekend, to go see the Mo (woo!). We're going to shop, beach, eat, and go to LEGOLAND. I'm pretty excited.

I also registered for Mandarin classes. It's something I've wanted to do forever, but never got around it. Since I've been feeling so down lately, I decided that I'm just going to go and start doing all these things I keep saying I want to do. So: chinese lessons. And later, I'm planning on taking kayak lessons (this is all pending my continued employment, of course).

So to sum up; I was violently ill, there's still something going on, and I've spent a lot of money lately, putting a crimp in my saving rate. But hopefully I can catch that up reasonably quickly. Even more importantly, I hope to have this health thing figured out and resolved asap.

Restaurant Review: db bistro moderne

2009-02-05T22:37:00.000-08:00

Last night, Pretty and I ventured to db bistro, the replacement restaurant where "Feenies" once stood. We'd decided at the last minute to try it out, but had both forgotten that Dine Out is still running. Luckily, packed though it was, they managed to seat us.

The room is quite nice; dark, sleek and modern with unobstrusive music playing in the background, and from what I can tell, conversation-friendly acoustics. Service wasn't quite impeccable; it took a good five minutes before menus were delivered, and another 3 for water to be offered. Thereafter it was spotless, however, so the delayed start can be forgiven.

The kitchen offered us some sort of cheese puff (um, it was far more refined than that, but frankly I was exhausted and hungry, so I don't remember what they called it) which was delicious, and then Pretty and I got down to the serious business of ordering, followed by the even more serious business of eating.

I had the moroccan tuna tartare, which was great. I'm partial to Gyoza King's maguro yukke, followed closely by Boneta's tuna tartare, but db's was gunning for a different target, with a yogurt dressing and chickpeas to garnish. The charcuterie platter was divine; I even liked the ham! There was also a wonderful duck pate, an air-dried beef, a (I want to say French) prosciutto, and a pate en croute. It was a smorgasbord of cured meats, in the best of ways.

For dessert, Pretty had the apple tart, which was perfect. Everything i want an apple tart to be. I ordered the Floating Lime Island. I wish it'd been a bit more lime and a bit less floating; it was akin to eating a wet meringue, and held only the tiniest hint of lime. It was the only real strike of the evening as far as I was concerned, but considering i like my citrus punch to be substantially more forceful than most people, that could be more my palate than their execution.

Next up: Salt Tasting Room, which will try to exceed db's performance with cured meats.

Two Months

2009-01-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

Those two months were not fun. For no particular reason; I can't blame it on terrible things happening, or even a lack of wonderful things (Obama! Europe! I'm still, beyond expectation, employed!). I suppose this is what is termed a "quarter-life crisis". I am not enthused. As a psych major, I recognize that this is normal, and that it's something that can be dealt with. As an individual with a deep affection for logic, I completely reject the idea that I could be this overwhelmingly unhappy when I have so much to be thankful for. These two views don't really reconcile.

And so, after too many weeks of trying it my way, I'm going to try it another way. Less logic, more frivolity. I'll let you know how it goes as it happens.

Whoops! That was a long break!

2009-01-21T16:37:00.000-08:00

A quote from yesterday's Daily Show, to ease us in:

STEWART: Washington was, so, crowded today. There were so many people. You as a bishop were sort of doubly handicapped in that situation because you are only allowed to move diagonally. How is that negotiating the crowds?

ROBINSON: John, you have to understand; there's a queen on the board as well.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Obamaday!

Obama, Europe, Job Fears

2008-11-25T06:47:00.000-08:00

Or, Yay, Yay, Boo.

So, Obama is the new President-Elect (wooooooo!), I went to Europe for 15 days (woooooo!) and have come back to probably not a job after December (YIKES). This scares the bejesus out of me. I've emailed a contact to see if I can get any advice from her, which is good, and I'll definitely start scanning the jobs boards, but the market is hell, which is why I probably won't have a job (not enough work for the company to merit hiring me). Oh, the economy. Long story short; I have to start searching, and I have to start clamping down on expenses. Good news: I have almost $4000 in savings for emergencies, and can also dip into the moving fund if necessary. Bad news: that would be moving backwards financially, which I'm not keen to do. Argh.

Will write about Europe later, as it was amazing.

This Time To Our Neighbours

2008-11-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

If you care about your country, prove it. Vote.

Two Score And Five Years Ago

2008-10-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

A J-Bird was born. Well, plus 4 days, I'm a bit behind here.

This is going to be quick, because I'm a bit tied up at the moment. But re: nothing at all:

I (kind of embarrassingly) am quite enjoying both Katy Perry's Hot n Cold and Pink's So What. I know, but I can't seem to help it.

I've had many many Lee's donut holes this weekend. Powdered donut hole, thou art the sweetest poison.

30 Rock starts up this week. I'm SO EXCITED. I've decided that's my birthday present from the universe, and even though the universe is a week and half late, it's such a good gift that I can't help but forgive it.

And Now, to the Americans...

2008-10-17T22:37:00.001-07:00

It's your election, and your country, but it's everyone's planet. So please, please don't elect a an elderly man who chose as his running mate a woman as entirely unqualified as Palin to be President.

These elections are just so stressful.

All Quiet on the J-Bird Front

2008-10-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

Booked my ticket! I am definitely going to Europe, I leave on the 7th. Woo! I still have to book all my intra-Europe flights, but hey, now I'm guaranteed to make it to the continent. Score!

Go check out Mindy Kaling (Kelly from The Office)'s blog, Things I Bought That I Love. It lists adorable things, and is also consistently amusing, with just enough "made me choke from laughing" to keep me reading for about 3 hours today. Amazing.

And that is actually it. I'm boring, y'all. Bedtime for J-Bird.

Election Day

2008-10-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

I hope all you Canadians voted today; I sure did, and though the election isn't going my way, I at least feel like I have the right to complain about it.

It's a Pretty Tight Summary

2008-10-11T00:12:00.000-07:00

"Nineteen people flew into the towers. It seems harder for me to imagine that we could go to war enough to make the world safe enough that nineteen people wouldn't want to do harm to us. It seems like we have to rethink a strategy that is less military based in general"

Jon Stewart, speaking with Tony Blair

I May Be Getting Old...

2008-10-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

Because I've started to think further in the future than the next 3 months.

Don't get me wrong; I've had plans in my head of things I'd like to accomplish and experience "one day" for as long as I can remember, but I never planned anything out in specific terms. Until now.

Today, I thought a bit about where I want to be in 5 years. Not things like "I want to be on a beach, sipping a mojito with a hot cabana boy fanning palm fronds over me" (though that would be nice), or even "I want to be doing X job in Y city" (since as I wrote earlier, I have no idea), but financially, where I want to be and where I'd be comfortable being. And then I priced it out, to see if I could do it. And I think I can. So here are the goals:

In five years, I'd like to

Have saved up at least $30 000 for retirement
Have saved enough to put a downpayment of at least 20% on a home (I've priced this at $60 000 for now. In light of today's market in Vancouver, this is a pretty optimistic idea of 20%, but I'm also hoping that the market drops a bit. Plus, as discussed in an earlier post, I don't know where I'll be living; however there aren't too many places that are more expensive than Vancouver, so while this number is up for revision I think it's as accurate as it can be for now)
Save $2500 a year for traveling
Donate $500 a year

That's the "big picture", at least for now. Assumptions I'm making that may not apply to others: that in five years I'll still be single, and I won't be having any kids. With some quick calculations, it means I would need to save $18 000 a year. That's a lot of money. But hopefully I'll be making more money as I get older, and will be able to save more. Is it daunting? Yes. But I'll never be able to meet a goal without having one in the first place, so here goes.

(oh god, help)

LOOOOOOOOO!

2008-10-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

At the Canucks game last night:

T: Why does the crowd boo every time Luongo makes a save? Do they not approve of him being captain?

J-Bird: I...don't know? I'm sure it's nothing, you must be misunderstanding.

T: They're doing it again! I hate them!

J-Bird: Okay, I'm asking Pretty. Hang on. [Texts Pretty]

Pretty's response: It's not "boo", it's "looooo". As in Luongo. They're cheering for him.

J-Bird: See? I told you you were-

T: LOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Flashback to April

2008-09-28T10:17:00.001-07:00

I just found a "plan" I'd jotted down in April, tallying my financial status and goals. April was a bad time in general; I'd been dumped, was dealing with reactions to my decision to not go to grad school, and those were not the worst things afoot. In addition to all this, the travel mess that was grad school interviews had included a last minute flight cancellation and re-booking, so I was also carrying a balance on my credit card and had zero savings.

I had been smart enough to save up for the flights and everything that I knew interviews would require. But I hadn't planned for the mix ups and adjustments I was going to have to make, and by the end of it all, I was about $1200 in the red. Not a huge amount, but when you're also making a pittance...yeah.

I hated it. I hated knowing all my disposable income was spoken for, I hated having to figure out exactly how much I needed to throw onto my credit card, and most of all I hated paying Visa so much of my money in interest. And in the midst of everything else that was terrible, I started to grasp for something, anything that I could do to make things better. Could I get un-dumped? No, and I think do-overs are generally a bad idea anyway. Could I change people's views about my career choices? Nope, not until they just dealt with it. Could I fix the terrible things that had happened to my friends? No, that would take time and healing I had no control over. I realized that this, this money thing, was the one stressor in my life I could immediately work on fixing. So I did.

I made a spreadsheet to track all of my expenses. All of them. If I spent a penny, it was on that sheet (and I did, once. I needed a one-cent stamp). I tracked the day I spent it, what I spent it on, and how I paid for it. Just by paying attention, I started being motivated to Not Buy. Did I want it enough to put it on the sheet? If not, I didn't get it. As a result of this, I started bringing my lunch to work more often. I love food, but what I love most is the social aspect of food. My ideal night out with friends involves a great meal over a few hours of conversation. But sitting at work alone? I may as well save that delicious sushi lunch for when I have the company to merit it.

This made me consider how I wanted to be using my money, in the greater scheme of things. I wasn't willing to give up everything I spent money on, but I did want to learn to spend it in the ways that made me happiest. I discovered that when it came down to it, I would rather spend my money on experiences than things. Birthday dinners out? Absolutely. Attend an art show? What night is it? Go away on an international vacation? Let me sign the dotted line PASS ME THE PAPER SO I CAN SIGN THE DOTTED LINE. Latest model of cellphone? Um, pass. Figuring that out has saved me a lot of money, and also allowed me to go out and do more of what I truly love.

I also decided that I would do everything in my power to avoid getting into my situation again. I started to replenish my emergency savings. I started a savings account for traveling. I thought of my long-term security, and made a plan to start saving for retirement (though this was put on the back-burner until the visa was paid off and the emergency account was funded).

So this was my position at the end of April, when I finally picked myself up and decided to do something:

Visa card: $644.01

Emergency Fund: $395.50

Retirement Goal: $5000.00 (balance $0.00)

Travel Goal: $1000.00 (balance $0.00)

And I would guess about $200.00 in my checking account. All in all, I was down about $50.00 not exactly ideal.

Almost 6 months later, thank goodness things have changed! (more about that next time)

Egg Goes BOOM!

2008-09-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

So it turns out eggs explode in the microwave. I know this from experience.

At this juncture, I'd like to mention that I didn't just stick an entire egg in the microwave; I even broke the yolk and everything. It was a (too) soft-boiled egg, that had been opened (to ascertain its insufficient level of cookedness) and muddled about. However, at about second 18 of the 20-second cycle, it, for lack of a better phrase, blew up. Leaving a crater of shell and an inverted volcano of white and yolk on the ceiling of the microwave, as well as bits of egg all over the rest of the chamber.

It was easy enough to clean up that this was funny rather than irritating.

Learning Time!

2008-09-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

Subject - Celiac Disease and Two Religions

Sufferers of celiac disease can't eat wheat. This can cause problems during religious customs, such as the Christian Communion (wheat-based...cake thingys) and Jewish Passover (wheat is in matzo).

Most Christian churches have okayed substitute cake thingys for celiac sufferers, but the Catholic church hasn't. In fact, in 1994 the Catholic church basically banned celiac sufferers from being ordained, because they were unable to take communion (and in a stunning act of relational brilliance, they included in this same proclamation the banning of alcoholics, b/c of the wine, thus a little bit implying that celiac sufferers should in fact be able to eat wheat and their celiac disease was a result of their SIN). Later, in 2003, they downgraded this ban to a "great caution". And then in 2004, proving that all those sinning celiacs have been pardoned by God, some nuns made a wheat based low-gluten cake thingy that was approved by the Vatican.

Now to the Jews. Matzo is key to their passover dinner; you HAVE to eat it. Made of a mixture of grains including wheat, this has caused problems for observers who have celiac disease, especially the Ashkenazi Jews, who also avoid rice (thus cutting one of the common substitutes). So how do they deal with this? Well, it turns out that way back when, someone very reasonable included a clause in Jewish law that no one should ever endanger their life to fulfill a commandment. So it's fine, no one was or is banned from anything, the end.

(Disclaimer: The Author is not a follower of any religion. She is, in fact, a Heathen. She's sorry if this distresses anyone, but would like to add that she means sorry in the "condolences" sense of the word rather than the "apology" one.)

Guidance, Please!

2008-09-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Would you look at this frequency of posting! You ought to be proud as punch, this does not come easy. It was a pretty quiet day; fall has arrived here in Vancouver, and the rain came in to officially open the season. I don't mind the dreary weather at all when I'm at work. Especially when work provides unlimited tea.

I need to start thinking about what I want out of a career. This job has been great as far as gaining experience and seeing what the "9 to 5' (or 8:30 in this case) is like, and I've certainly learned a lot, but I'm not sure if the industry has enough complexity to keep me engaged, when it comes to the long-term. It's definitely a viable career option as far as sustainability of lifestyle goes, and part of me wonders if that could be enough. Assuming I'm working with people I like, doing a job that keeps me busy and can support myself to a level I'm happy with, is that enough? And what is this "level I'm happy with"?

Truth be told, I'm not really sure. I may be less sure than most people my age. I don't know if I want kids (frankly, I lean toward not wanting kids). And because of that, I feel like my likelihood of getting married is maybe a bit shaky, too. Most people, male and female, picture themselves with kids down the road, in the same way I...don't.

I do know I love to travel. Going down to two measly weeks of vacation a week would hurt (Oh! To live in Scandinavia!). Financially, I want to be able to buy a home, live a reasonable lifestyle (I don't think I'm that extravagant, really), travel (see above), and save a lot for retirement. I want to have time to hang out with my friends and family, and I hope to fall into love with someone.

That pretty much covers what I want outside of work, which unfortunately I wasn't that confused about in the first place. I'll have to ponder more to figure out what I want to do with the other 40 hours of the typical waking week.

It's right about now that I wish I had just one blinding talent and passion. Everything would be so much simpler.

So, I'm boring.

2008-09-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

There are a couple things I should be doing, but...I don't feel like it, and they aren't due right now, so I'll do them later (clearly a winning life philosophy, but everyone can have a break once in a while, right?). I've been fairly boring lately; I made bread on Saturday, and in my opinion it turned out splendidly. You can look at the picture on the sidebar (at least for now) and judge for yourself. It was the first time I'd made real, has-to-rise-twice bread, and even though I had to add an entire extra cup of flour to the recipe to make it a dough rather than a batter, it tasted delicious and looked just like in the recipe.

And that was really the extent of my weekend. I had plans to go out both Friday and Saturday nights, but instead passed out on my bed by 10 pm both evenings. I am a rockstar. The bright side: it was cheap, and what with the planned travels I'm definitely trying to save. Every little bit counts, right?

How'd We Get To September 20th Already?

2008-09-20T22:05:00.001-07:00

Oops, sorry y'all. It's been a while. Let's recap, shall we?

I've impressed my bosses at temp job enough that they've asked that I stay on until the end of December (woo!)

I asked for a raise (go, ballsy me!) and got it (go raise!)

I went to on a weekend trip to the States and spent a lot of money (but it was totally worth it), but since it didn't touch my savings, and I'd just been given a raise, I figure it was my present to myself. We went up the space needle, had a lovely seafood dinner served by an appalling waitress, and, as is apparent, shopped our faces off. It was also the first time in a looong time that I'd gone away on a true holiday, and...I should probably do that more often. It was lovely.

And in that same vein, I also asked for 2 weeks off, and got it, so I'm going to EUROPE! Most of my savings will be focused on my travel fund for the next little while; I'll still be adding a bit to the emergency and apartment funds, and hopefully gifts, but I have some big catching up to do so that I can pay for my trip rather than pay visa to pay for my trip (which is not an option). I've set up a "count" of my savings on the sidebar there. Hopefully I can have the travel section there be $2000 by the time I leave. Here's to tangible goals!

Miss Mranda got Married!

2008-08-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we all got together to celebrate my dear friend's wedding. It was wonderful and everything a wedding should be, full of lovely people and a bride and groom so excited to be married they were shaking. Best wishes to them!

In less exciting news, I've been plugging along at my savings plan, and am pleased to say that I managed to put just under $1500 into savings this month! that's all I'll save in August, but it's not too shabby, I don't think! I did realize along the way that I also need to be saving up for gifting-season, so I've opened another account for that, as well as deciding to add another $50 to my emergency account every two weeks. That way when my circumstances do change, I'll have slightly less distance to go to reach full funding again. So until I figure out where to get the counter bar-graph graphics, here are my balances (rounded):

Mutual Fund - $3400.00

Emergency Account - $3050.00

Moving Account - $1475.00

Gifting Account - $50.00

Total - $7975.00

Not too bad! The mutual fund will eventually get rolled into an RRSP/TSFA, so I won't be counting that from now on, as it's in the "don't ever touch it, ever" category (I think of it as the tax I pay myself), but I'm pretty happy with it all so far. And my temp job has been extended a bit, so that's great too. All in all, things are going pretty well on most fronts. Just have to work on those others....

Financial Update, And The Setting Of Goals

2008-08-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

As I recounted in a post waaaay back (ie the last one), I've been putting together an emergency fund. Well I am proud to report that in (slightly) less than three months, I've managed to save (just) over $2600, making my emergency savings account fully funded! Granted, this is fully funded for now; if anything big changes in the way I live (like say getting a car, or a new apartment) then I'll have to adjust accordingly (the goal is to have 3 months worth of expenses in the thing). For now, however, I'm good to go. I would like to thank my tax refund, my new (but temporary) job, and my own self for not spending as much.

This being done, it's on to new goals. It'd be lovely if I could say "well, now that that's finished, I can spend away!" and be done with it, but it makes more sense to build on the momentum, for a couple reasons. One: falling behind is a lot easier than clawing back on track, and I don't want to go through that all over again, and two: there are things I want to do. Things that are not free, and that I don't want to have to pay Senor Visa extra for. So, to commit it to...screen so I can't take it back, my next goal is to save up three thousand dollars for what I will call "apartment supplies". I want to move out, and I'm going to need furniture. And flatware, and kitchen supplies, and basically everything that doesn't come with the apartment (I'm planning on renting, so there's no talk of a down payment just yet. Phew!).

Just to make things a bit more complicated for myself, I'm embedding another little goal. I have several dear friends who are, for one reason or another, no longer living in my hometown. I also, due to a snafu by one of the grad schools way back when, currently have a small but not insignificant credit to an american airline that needs to be redeemed by January. Again, it's not a huge amount; realistically, if it covers my fuel taxes and whatnot, I'll count myself lucky, but it's there, and I'm going to use it. So while saving up for moving out, I'll also be trying to leave myself enough to go on at least one trip before 2009, to visit one of my friends. I don't have a strict deadline for when I want to have the apartment fund complete, but I don't want it to be too much longer than by 2009, which presents challenges of its own.

I'm working at a new job. It's been great, and I'm learning a ton, but it's a temp position and ostensibly will be over by the end of August. This means that to save enough (or indeed, anything), I need to find myself a new position that pays (at least) as well as this one, and right quick. So there you have it, everyone: my goals. Ladies and gentlemen, here goes nothing.

The Big Recap - Finances

2008-07-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well. Let's see here...

Part the First: The Debtening

Once upon a time, there was a girl named J-Bird. She was planning on applying to grad school, and having been told how expensive this was, had been dutifully socking money away for months and months, in that automated way all the finance gurus suggest. When it came time to apply, she was very relieved she had, because it was pricey, like the eggs of faberge and the chav bags of LV. Then came interviews, which were even more pricey, because they required J-Bird to not be at work. And immediately after the interviews came the 90th birthday of J-Bird's grandfather, in Taiwan, a far away land full of mystery. When J-Bird returned and looked at her finances, she was In The Red, and now indentured to Senor Visa.

Part the Second: The Paying

J-Bird was sad to be broke, and spent many a week working away her indenture and paying evil evil interest to Senor Visa. Also occuring in these weeks: J-Bird's bestest friends had terrible, awful things happen, J-Bird got dumped, and some people decided that since J-Bird had opted out of grad school, she had Ruined Her Life and was doomed to be a Failure. This is the part of the story where you feel sad for J-Bird.

Part the Third: The Sorting of Affairs (Monetary, not Romantic)

Having realized that owing large sums to Senor Visa was not the best option, J-Bird thought of ways to prevent this from happening again. After reading some books by wise people, who go by the names Orman and Bach, she decided to start tracking her spending, some might say obsessively. She found herself spending way, way less this way. She also kept socking away money, this time for an emergency account. All extra monies went into this account. When J-Bird's minimum goal is reached, some of the extra monies will go into more fun savings accounts, like Travel and such. Jbird is working for herself, and not for Senor Visa. And those people stopped telling J-Bird she had Ruined Her Life, and good things started to happen for her bestest friends, and even though J-Bird was still dumped, life was full of champagne and everyone lived happily ever after.

The End.

I'm back, yo

2008-07-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

Lots has happened:

I applied to grad schools, got accepted to 6 of 8 (better than I expected) went to interviews for three, and decided on...not going. That's right, I'm staying here. Some took this news better than others.

I learned about wine, and to love wine, and now I'm wine buyer. There's a switch, huh?

I was dating someone for a few months, then that ended.

I went to Taiwan with my family, for my Grandpa's 90th birthday, and ate 'til I exploded.

I started to fall into a mini-cycle of carrying a balance on senor credit card, and since I'm reasonably good at math, was instantly horrified at the amount of interest I'd been paying, and therefore started to buckle down on controlling my finances.

I ate a delicious meal on Friday night at Boneta. Seriously, it was true love in my mouth.

In things that haven't changed, my friends are all still awesome and make me laugh at every opportunity.

More detail to come, first I have a picture of the now to update!

Huh

2007-06-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

"Watch Age of Love, in which a bachelor chooses between cougars, or kittens. Does age matter?"

Just when you think tv can't get more repulsive...

(does anyone else feel like that should have ended with "next, on Sick Sad World!"?)

Two Years

2007-05-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

It's been two years since K was killed in a car accident. It still seems like it could be yesterday.

I remember exactly what I was doing when I found out: I was working at the cafe, and it was a Saturday. An insanely busy Saturday, and I was in the middle of squeezing oranges for orange juice when my boss pushed the phone at me, understandably frustrated that someone was insisting that they talk to me in the middle of our rush. And when I picked it up, Peek was in the other end, and she told me that K, her very best friend, had been driving home with another friend, and that her car had been hit by another. And K was killed instantly.

I didn't believe her. I think I actually asked her if she was kidding.

And then I didn't know what to do. I think I squeezed another two halves of oranges, in shock, on autopilot, until Mel saw my face from the till and asked me what happened. And then I told her, and I told my boss, and I called my house and bro picked me up to take me to Peek's house.

And now she's still gone, and I can still remember her face, her smile, the sound of her laugh. I remember meeting her in October of 2002 and being intimidated by her force of personality, and then years later, talking to her on the phone when she had somehow contracted chicken pox and was quarantined at home, her telling me how much her pox itched, and me forbidding her to scratch them, especially the one on her forehead. And then 10 minutes later, she called back and said "I scratched it, and now I kinda wish I hadn't" and then laughing that laugh of hers that told you she didn't really wish she hadn't at all. She never got herself into any trouble she didn't think was worth getting into, and I wish so much she was here, but since that can't be, I can only love that I still remember.

Perilously Close To A Food Journal

2007-05-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

But seriously, look at what and where I've eaten in the past 9 days:

Sunday: Gyoza King
Monday: Cat's Meow, Lee's Donuts, Richmond Sushi (all you can eat)
Tuesday: Pendulum
Thursday: Dim sum, Oysi Oysi
Friday: Tomokazu Sushi (all you can eat)
Saturday: Pho, Guu
Sunday: Oysi Oysi, Guu
Today: Provence Mediterranean Grill

The only day not on the list is Wednesday, and I'm fairly confident that that's only because I can't remember.

In conclusion, I should be fat, and I am poor.

Dialogues

2007-05-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

R, L, JLo, and I watching A Walk To Remember
R: So, what's wrong with Mandy Moore?
L: She has cancer.
JLo and I, in unison: ...And overalls.

Showing his apartment
McBeal: It's a murphy bed, so [past roommate] used to flip it up so he could have the maximum space to hate me in...

At Richmond Sushi
McBeal: So, A, this is Richmond...the multicultural gem of Vancouver...
J-Bird: Hello, and welcome! I will be your other-culture guide for your time here...

Getting in McBeal's Car
McBeal: And if you were going to ask if we'll be listening to Carrie Underwood, the answer is yes!
J-Bird: I was going to ask!

At Dinner
JN: God, it's a good thing I'm not a man...no woman would have me.

May!

2007-05-01T00:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to May, everyone! I mention this, because today, it felt spring-y. I loooove spring-y.

Today, I sampled Stephen Colbert's Ameri-cone Dream Ice Cream (imported by McBeal, whatever would I do without him?). It is possibly the best non-gelato ice cream I've had. Of course, Colbert would say that gelato is Italian, not American, and therefore doesn't count. So congratulations on your successful foray into the world of ice creams, Stephen Colbert!

I also went to Granville Island and had some of Lee's Donuts (by far the best in Vancouver), and also to Richmond Sushi, where we had the Deluxe All-You-Can-Eat Menu (as opposed to the inferior "regular" menu, and the mind-boggling "Superior Deluxe Menu") and ate so much sushi my brain nearly exploded.

Good times.

Making Up For Lost Time

2007-04-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Since writing my exam, I havent been terribly productive. This is not to say that I've been doing nothing. I've actually been quite busy. But most of it, rather splendidly, has been for fun. I've read books, watched movies, and generally just been having a grand old time (which, by the way, is far more costly than just studying day in, day out). Book-wise, there's been a lot of Anthony Bourdain lying about the house, and I have to say, I'm all for it. An author who would never succeed in hiding his voice behind the writing, and fortunate in that his voice is interesting enough that you don't want it to. You aren't looking to lose yourself in the world he creates, because you're having enough trouble keeping up with the world he perceives. Also, the guy knows his food, and as we are all aware, I love food. So if you get a chance, pick up Kitchen Confidential, A Cook's Tour, or Nasty Bits. You won't regret it. Although any of them may well convince you to drop a bucket of money on a flight to Asia for eating purposes alone, so keep that in mind.

I've also been procrastinating up a storm because of all the books lying around; I need to clean my room? Eh, after this chapter. Okay, after the next. Oh look, the sequel is right here. How can I rest without knowing what happens next? Luckily, my room isn't in state of complete disrepair, and most of the mess is not surprisingly, books. But eventually I know I'm going to have to stop this chain-reading habit I seem to have picked up, and get back to the real world. I do still go to work. I went to dim sum today. I'm easing my way back in.

Peek leaves in 3 days (2 days? I'm in denial) for medical school. This makes me sad, but also proud. It's rather shocking to see that we're all growing up. When did that happen?

I Suck, Y'all

2007-04-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. My bad.

You'll be glad to know lots has happened. I know, really, I should be recapping everything, but I'm going to cop out and make a list. Cause that's how I roll. In the past month (give or take) I have:

Been hit on by the little brother of a former good friend. It was uncomfortable.
Been asked out by a sort-of-coworker who is older than I am. Considerably older. I-went-to-the-bar-last-night-and-met-someone-more-age-appropriate-would-be-a-viable-if-harsh-excuse older.
Studied my brains out for an exam, and yet still don't feel ready, which is daunting as I write it in 4 days.
Been accused of stealing. No, really.
Bought pretty, pretty things, while still managing to cut down my spending. Whoo money management!
Not eaten dinner (mistake number one), had two drinks (mistakes two and three), gotten pretty blasted from aforementioned drinks, run into my Lapse Of Judgement (mistake negative 46, that was a while ago), and then danced with my friend's coworker for two hours (possibly a mistake, the jury's still out on that one).
Started shopping for holiday packages. Whoo!

The Stars Align (or, how Pretty D50-II came into my life)

2007-03-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

Christmas 2005, I became the ecstatic owner of a brand new Nikon D50. I named her Pretty, and Pretty she was.

July 2006, Pretty was stolen in India. I was not pleased, and vowed to replace her with either another D50, or something even prettier.

Soon after, Nikon came out with two new DSLR cameras, the D40 and the D80. The D40 is fun, kicky, light and (relatively) cheap. However, it isn't compatible with my zoom lens. The D80 is bigger, better, but sadly, pricier. Considerably. The D80 could not be mine for many months to come. As a result of the new cameras, D50's were being discontinued "spring/summer 2007". This meant most stores were no longer bringing them in; after all, there was the D40! Or the D80! Buy the new ones! They sparkle! Meanwhile, I kept a close eye on camera reviews and prices. All in all, the D40 and D80 were getting great reviews, much like the D50 had when it first came out.

So, last week I started to research prices and specifications in earnest. Which camera would be best for me? Which could I afford? Finally, what with the D50 being on clearance, I decided that Pretty in her original form was the best fit. So then I needed to find one.

I called every camera store in Vancouver. Kerrisdale, Broadway, Dunne & Rundle. No one had it. Finally, I called Lens & Shutter. They did not have any, but according to the computer there were a couple in Victoria. They would call me back and let me know if it was possible to bring one in.

They didn't call.

Hours later, on my way home, I decided to stop in and at least check to see if any progress had been made. I found a very helpful salesguy (Hi Michael!), who asked just about everyone on the floor if they'd been the one I had spoken with. No one had any idea of my call. So then he decided to look into it, warning me that it may not be possible to bring any in from Victoria, since the shipping cost could negate their profits, what with the clearance rate. Overhearing "D50", a passing sales guy exclaimed that one had just arrived from Victoria for a customer of his, to be picked up on Tuesday. Michael informed me that my chances at an imported camera were looking up, and continued punching away at his computer. Then the manager of the store walked by, asking what we were doing. Michale began to explain my plight ("this young lady is looking for a D50, so I'm looking at Victoria's inventory") when the manager cut him off with "I just took a D50 off the hold shelf a couple of hours ago! If no one's bought it yet, we should have one in the store!" (very jovial man, this manager). I held my breath. Michael asked if the manager had the keys to the storeroom. He did not. Michael went to find the keys. I resumed breathing, out of necessity, which was a good call as it took Michael five minutes to find the keys, and another five to emerge from the storeroom holding my camera in his arms. I whipped out my poor, tired Visa card, and walked out with my pretty pretty D50. In a few moments, the "Picture of the Now" will be one of the first taken by her.

Welcome home, Pretty.

Happy International Women's Day!

2007-03-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

Go here and here for more info.

Accident Prone

2007-03-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

I've never thought of myself as a particularly clumsy person. I don't tend to drop things, or break glasses, and apart from the occasional stubbed toe, am generally quite injury-free. That being said, I'm not a terribly graceful person either. Of the T-Jan friendship, T clearly got all the dancing skill (and years of training), and if I can manage to not look like a total fool next to her, that's just fine.

Today, however, I was walking to the cafe to study, after a training session at the other workplace (and therefore in heels, although they are admittedly only like 1 inch). I was walking along the sidewalk, when suddenly out of nowhere I tripped, on...well, nothing, it seems, and fell. And scraped the crap out of my chin. And mouth. And luckily did not chip any of my teeth, since sidewalks are more tooth-friendly than basketball opponents' foreheads. So I walked into the cafe, looking like I'd just gotten into a fight with some sandpaper, and bleeding slightly, and then tried to clean it all up as best I could. One of the guys working kindly made me an icepack, while the other, who had met me all of once before, for about 3 seconds, just tried not to make it too obvious he thought I was crazy. It's highly likely icepack coworker thought I was crazy too, but he has more evidence to base this on, so for some reason that's better.

Anyhow, J came and met me for lunch, and as she was marveling over my injury, I started to think of all the other strange things that have happened. The aforementioned basketball game (cost: chip out of tooth and toenail), this battle with gravity (cost: skin from chin/lips, pride, and a pair of shoes since I choose to blame the ones I was wearing), two battles with seagulls in my first year at UBC (cost: ability to ever eat outside on campus ever again), slipping in a -clean, thank god- bathroom in india after wearing newly purchased pants (cost: the white toilet seat becoming purple from dye transfer), a mosquito biting me on my lip (cost: my "I don't look like i've had two lips worth of collagen injected into only one lip" appearance). Considering the least recent of these incidents was 6 years ago, and the most recent was 6 hours ago, I think it's fair to say that I am more accident prone than I had thought. Sigh. There's another self-perception that just been downgraded.

Sittin'. And Snow!

2007-02-28T23:38:00.000-08:00

Just got home from babysitting for a family that I've been with for yeeeears now. It's kind of fun, watching the kids grow up. The oldest is in Grade 8 now, and she's going on a date in Saturday! Clearly way ahead of me at that age. The two boys have grown up too; one's a little less out of control, and the youngest is turning out to be a very chill little guy...if I were make predictions, I'd say the older boy will be surrounded by girls who think they love him, while the youngest will be the one that girls really fall for. He's gonna be a heartbreaker, that one.

Babysitting, even at the ripe old age of 23, is nice every once in a while. A calm night, hanging out with the kids, watching TV and reading. It's like alone time, but you get paid.

It's snowing! Pretty hard, too. It's a little strange, considering that in 15 minutes it will be March. The snow has been a frequent visitor, this year (relative to other years here, as opposed to other cities. This is Vancouver. Snow's like fairy gold here). It's pretty though, and I got to walk the block home from babysitting alone, in the dark, in the snow. A nice way to end the night.

Quote of the...Nowabouts

2007-02-21T23:20:00.000-08:00

“I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stumped by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say, “Hi.” They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word.”
- Augusten Burroughs

Acquisitions

2007-02-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

Last post I told you about five shirts I'd purchased, and I'm sad to say (well, I'm not, but my bank balance is) that the purchasing? Hath not ended. But once again, it's all been the amazing sales' faults. Once I've told you the story, I'm sure you'll all agree.

Yesterday I was finished at the lab an hour early, thereby giving me time to burn before my shift at work. Since work is downtown, I figured hey, why not burn my time doing a little browsing? So I went back into Off the Wall, home of three of the five shirts the last hunt procured, because who knows? I could have missed something the last time! And you know what? I did! This time I came across a Triple Five Soul zippy, which was over 50% off, and really cute. I've never owned anything by them before, mostly because (at full price) their itens are exorbitantly expensive. I've always coveted a few of their things, especially when I see how good they look on my friends, but I refuse to spend over $100 on a sweatshirt, if only for the principle of the thing (one hundred dollars? For a sweatshirt? Are you kidding me?). However, on sale, I can have the beautiful zippy, guilt-free (well, almost)!

After buying the zippy, I still had a good twenty minutes to burn, and decided I'd go to MAC, as I seem to have lost my eyeliner. On the way, I passed The Source: Circuit City which was advertising a 50% Everything! sale. I have to admit, I didn't entirely believe them; a sale that actually applies to the entire store, no exceptions, is hard to find. But, since I'd been wanting new headphones for quite some time, I decided to take a look.

And walked out with a new digital camera.

Now to be fair, I've been needing a camera for a while now. as many of you know, my Pretty (Nikon D50) was stolen on my trip, which is still a source of ill feelings. Luckily, I had another camera with me, my trusty old Canon A70. Here, "old" is the crucial word; it got me through my trip, but died on me a couple of weeks after I got home. So I went from having two cameras to having none. An unpleasant situation, to be sure, but not so unbearable that I was running out to drop hundreds of dollars on the first cameras I saw. Instead, I bided (bode? please advise) my time, waiting for the right moment to strike. And yesterday, it did. The Canon A510, for a mere $120.

"But wait!" You cry, "It's only got 3.2 megapixels! It's not waterproof! It doesn't fit in a cardholder!" Well, yes. But the A70 was also only 3.2 megapixels, and frankly, unless you're blowing things up bigger than 8X10, it doesn't matter. And from my "going out with the girls" camera, I never blow things up bigger than that. I also don't tend to take photos in swimming pools (no nerve-wracking bikini photos) or torrential downpours (the photos don't turn out well, and the lens always gets splashed), so the waterproof thing is not an issue for me. And I don't carry a cardholder. I carry a purse. That the A510 will fit into perfectly. And people. $120. For a perfectly usable camera.

I also got the headphones, by the way. $10. I love sales.

Concerts and TV Shows and Shopping, Oh My!

2007-02-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

Well, the title pretty much sums up what I've been up to. But hey, let's add some detail, shall we?

It was Evi's birthday last week, and she and I, after eating large amounts of sushi (mmmm), we went to the Barenaked Ladies concert (my second concert! Hurrah!). It was a great concert, fun, energetic, and interspersed with random little improvised ditties ("Bald Parade" sung to the tune of "Barbara Anne") and dialogue. It was a pretty full house too, and other than one section of weirdly rowdy fans (who I suspect may have accidentally come to the concert at GM Place, rather than the MonsterTruck Rally at BC Place) everyone seemed to be having a great time (to be fair, the rowdies were having a great time too; they were just bugging the crap out of everyone near them as they did it). Anyhow, it was a great concert, and a great time.

Early this week a TV pilot was being filmed at the cafe. A coworker and I stayed on-site throughout the process, so I got to see at least some of what goes into shooting a TV show, and I have to say, it's not that riveting. It's slow, repetitive, and so detail-oriented it made me want to scream. Each scene was shot so many times that my coworker and I could re-enact them at will, and a couple of the people on the set may have leaned a little too far toward the obsessive-compulsive side of the scale for comfort. But it was kind of interesting to see how it all works, and all the shooting gave me some time to get some studying in.

Yesterday T and I went shopping, and made out like bandits! I got 5 really cute shirts, and would have paid over $140 if they'd been full price, but instead spent less than $65 (hurrah sales!). T got two pairs of earrings from Blue Ruby, expanding her collection of "the most beautiful earrings ever". I also spied a necklace and a pair of shoes that I covet, but am waiting for them to go on sale, because they are pricey, and the Jan, she is broke. Sigh. But new shirts! Hurrah!

Restaurant Review: Bridges

2007-01-30T00:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight a friend of mine and I partook of the annual event Dine Out Vancouver. For all y'all that don't know, Dine Out is an event in which different restaurants offer three course meals for a discounted rate. It's done every January, and I presume it's a (clever) marketing ploy, to up numbers in a traditionally slow month, restaurant-wise. Anyhow, it has been a rousing success, on the whole, and I've been happy to enjoy the benefits.

Bridges is on Granville Island, with (according to the website) several different dining areas, most of which seem to be open only during the summer (example: the patio). Their Dine Out menu was mainly westcoast-style cuisine, with a good variety of dishes on offer. Our server was hysterical; he seemed to be under the impression that we were two children playing dress-up in adults clothing, and talked to us as if we were ten years old. Each time he came by, I found myself struggling to keep a straight face.

I had A Bosc Pear with Rocquefort Salad to start, which was quite nicely done; fresh, interesting greens, all of a similar texture, a nice dressing, and the rocquefort had that spicy kick to it I like in a Bleu. My friend had the Sauteed Tiger Prawns, which were also quite nice, however I remember less about them. The presentation of both were lovely, it should noted.

For the entree, I had a Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni (very nice, although the presentation was a bit too edgy for me...cannelloni will never appear geometric, nor should it try), while my friend had the Pan Seared Monkfish, which was also a success. It came on a bed of rice with some vegeteables, and as a whole was great; the flavours blended fantastically.

My dessert was a Citrus Creme Brulee, and I think this was the weakest link in my meal; there was no discernible "citrus", and the creme was far too sweet. It was however "brule'd" very nicely; a crust that snapped when you tapped it, but still paper thin and crucially, never burned. My friend had the Dark Chocolate Semi Freddo, which I didn't try, but she enjoyed it. The entire meal was accompanied with the Sandhill Pinot Gris, which was surprisingly pleasant. The dinner was great, and very improved by the great conversations we had over it. Good food and good company are indeed all you can ask for.

To Whistler!

2007-01-26T11:59:00.000-08:00

We're all going to Whistler for the weekend, to celebrate J's birthday. I'll catch y'all on the flip side, with a longer post, I promise!

Wine & Oyster Night

2007-01-17T15:20:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to the 13th Annual B.C. Wine and Oyster Festival, a charity event put on by Liberty Wines for the Children's Hospital. It was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, in the ballroom, and was basically a (large) room with different wineries offering tastings around the perimeter, and different restaurants offering oyster bars in the middle. I'd never tasted raw oysters before, and I have to say, I quite enjoyed them. I, forgoing the cocktail sauces, the tabascos and worcestires, liked them best with a little (okay, quite a lot) of lemon juice squeezed directly into the shell. L, who I was with, gamely tried them twice, but wasn't a huge fan, saying it was "like having a mouthful of ocean". As if this was a bad thing!

As for wines, we tasted quite a lot, but here were my highlights (note that these are basically all whites. By the time we got to reds, I was too drunken to take notes)

Garry Oaks Pinot Gris 2005 - smells like pineapple and passionfruit (mmm), and is really smooth, not at all harsh.
Arrowleaf Bacchus - light, fruity, cheerful
Gray Monk Ehrenfelser - very sweet but bereft of tartness, I liked it a lot but it was too much for L, almost caramel-y with a lingering taste.
Mt. Boucherie Semillon - easy to drink, not at all sharp.
(This is about when the wine started getting to me. The notes get a lot shorter, and on my program are no longer even trying to be in straight lines.)
Wild Goose Vineyards Gewurztraminer - sweet but still quite crisp, not at all cloying.
Tantalus Old Vine Riesling - Amazing, tart, one of my favourites.
Elephant Island Framboise/Apricot - Fruit dessert wines, my overall favourites, especially the Apricot.

That's about all I can make out from my notes; there are a couple where I just put "+" or crossed them out, and a couple where I was clearly unimpressed (one I described as "onion-y"! Mmmm!), but all in all, a good night. Til next year!

Do's and Don't's for Housesitters

2007-01-15T16:47:00.001-08:00

Written on behalf of a friend:
Do
Feel free to cook meals, watch TV, surf the net
Use the bathroom facilities
Sleep in the bed (see how I put in new sheets, just for you?)
Use what's in the fridge

Don't
Break my dishes. One or two I understand - accidents happen. More than that and I just wonder if I've somehow made you angry. Learn from your mistakes!
Not clean up after yourself. This is not a hotel.
Wear my clothes and not wash them. At least try to hide that you wore my clothes.
Bring someone into my bed. You want to have friends over, fine. But have someone over for the night? Not so much. Especially when you...
Leave a condom in my garbage can, fom which you have so kindly removed the liner. Really? Actually? Come on, now. Now I'm wondering who you did what with, whether or not it was localized to my bed, and if you were wearing my clothes when you started. All of which I wish ever so much I didn't have to wonder. Now excuse me as I throw out my damaged property, wash everything with hydrogen peroxide, and burn the (unwashed) bed sheets.

Bbbbrrrrrr!

2007-01-12T22:20:00.000-08:00

It is coooold here. I mean in comparison to our usual climate, and not in comparison, with, oh, let's say...Winnipeg. Where my friend D lives. Where, he's informed me, it was -43 last night. Celsius. Godspeed, D.

But it is cold. Cold enough that my closet full of coats and jackets is seeming slightly inadequate, and I'm left wishing I had a pair of mittens. Also cold enough that when I walk into a store after being outside for a while, my glasses fog up. Which I'm sure is quite funny for the people in the store at first, but I'd imagine that it becomes less charming after I've bumped into and upset your neatly stacked pile of magazines.

The good news is, I'm home, our furnace works, and even though my digestive tract seems to have declared war on my nervous system (or vice versa - these disputes are hard to understand), I'm going to retire to my warm bed and read a good book before falling asleep.

Whoops

2007-01-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

So, I've been gone a while. Sorry! I got distracted by...life. Happy New Year! I hope you rang it in in a less car-accidenty manner than I did. No injuries though! Just a weaker bank balance. I don't have any big thins to say, but here are some disconnected thoughts:

When you can't download music (argh), YouTube is a godsend. Just "watch" the music video of the song you want with the window minimized. Genius!

The weather here is bizarre. First, huge windstorm (again), involving spats of rain, sleet, snow and hail. Then yesterday we get snow blanketing the city. Then today? Blinding sunshine. Weather's mission? To boggle.

Christmas was great, because everyone came home to visit meeeee (and alright, I suppose there were other reasons as well, if you insist upon being that way), but now they are all gone again, and it is sad.

I need to start getting on the GRE horse. Blast.

Med-errific!

2006-12-30T19:29:00.000-08:00

Hey, thanks for the comments everyone! I loooove comments. And I looove you! I also may be on painkillers right now. It happens! And also, makes J-Bird a very, very happy girl (wooo no pain!).

I feel like I should explain. For the past...hmm, week, say, I've had increasing discomfort because of something that has not officially been diagnosed. I'm pretty sure I know what it is, but I haven't been to a doctor yet (I know, that is ridiculous, but seriously people, do you have any IDEA how hard it is to get a doctor over the Christmas/New Year week? Do you? I promise I will go to one soon. Also, what I have does not look to be horribly evil. Excuse me, I must knock on some wood.). During this time, I have also come down with a cold/flu/pain in the ass, all of which have combined into demonic choir that sings "Jan gets tired after two hours of light activity and, irony of ironies, Jan cannot sleep properly! Oh no, sleep will not be thine! Ha! Suffer, suffer!" To which I respond by metaphorically cowering in a corner and whimpering.

But today, today I decided I would take pills. I am not normally a fan of pills, I generally figure my body should be able to take the pain, since I am young and in good health (generally). But today, I was wise enough to throw that crap to the side, and swallow me some meds. And can I just tell you, meds are fantastic. I would almost marry them. I really almost would. I looove meds. And they love me. Well, pain meds. Not malaria meds. Malaria meds make me have awful, scary dreams, where everything is crazy and I am doomed. Doomed! So the malaria meds are bad.

Any good/bad medicine stories from you guys? Tell us!

2006 In Review

2006-12-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah, y'all! Hope you had good ones. I stole this year-in-review quiz from...somewhere, I forget, but here goes:

1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? I went to India, Malaysia and Singapore. I graduated from University. I asked for a guy's number and called him.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't really do New Year's Resolutions.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? A coworker did, to a tiny adorable girl!
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, and I'm very thankful for that.
5. What places did you visit? Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and if you count airports, LA.
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? A happy healthy relationship. If it doesn't happen though, I won't cry over it.
7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 24th - Walked across the stage of the Chan Centre for Graduation Ceremony.
June 28th - left for my trip
July 10th- 14th - Anna and Dieter's Wedding
September 2nd - landed in Vancouver

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? God, I graduated, travelled Asia, and developed a backbone, and you want me to pick one? You choose!
9. What was your biggest failure? Um...not hanging on to my camera? And also not growing a backbone earlier. I mean, hell, took me long enough.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I chipped a tooth and lost a toenail because of stupid basketball. Oh, and I wasn't all that mobile after climbing Kinabalu either. No serious illnesses though, thank goodness.
11. What was the best thing you bought? ...My plane ticket.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Lots of people! Anyone who made a decision they knew was a long time coming, including me.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? They know who they are.
14. Where did most of your money go? To Taiwan, India, Singapore and Malaysia.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? My trip!
16. What song will always remind you of 2006? Ugh, I hate having to pick just one. Sadly, probably "Promiscuous". It was everywhere.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier (whooo!)
b) thinner or fatter? maybe a little fatter? Not sure.
c) richer or poorer? poorer (boooo)
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Saving money
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Spending money, stressing over stupid things.
20. How did you spend Christmas last year? Christmas Eve at Girly's, Christmas Day with the fam.
21. Did you fall in love in 2006? Nope, sadly.
22. How many one-night stands? None. Not my thing.
23. What was your favorite TV program? Why do I have to pick one?! Scrubs.
24. What did you do for your birthday in 2006? Hahaha, me and T had a pole-dancing class with the girls!
25. What was the best book you read? Hmmm...nothing's sticking out.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? That the Scrubs website publishes an episodic songlist
27. What did you want and get? For Christmas? Well the shirt Girly made me was pretty sweet, even if I didn't know I wanted it.
28. What did you want and not get? A winning lottery ticket.
29. What was your favorite film of this year? Um...favourite as in "best" or "most enjoyed"? Cause...most enjoyed = She's the Man. My head hangs in shame.
30. Did you make some new friends this year? If so, who? Yep! They know who they are.
31.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I had a pretty satisfying year so I'm gonna go with nothing.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Same as the year before...relatively simple, nothing too flashy. And since my trip, more pashminas are involved.
33. What kept you sane? Good friends, good books, and YouTube
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Fancy like have a crush on? Jim Halpert, from The Office (US)
35. What political issue stirred you the most? Oh god, so many. In Canada, Gay Marriage and Environmental Conservation
36. Who did you miss? Everyone who left me: J, Girly, Shakey, L.
37. Who was the best new person you met? Ask me again in a month
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
That not doing something because you're scared you won't get the ideal outcome is stupid. Simple, I know. I'm working on it.

One More Push

2006-12-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

There's something about hanging out with new people, or people you don't get to see often enough. It's fun listening to new perspectives and new personalities, watching the dynamics in different groups. And different groups have different bonds, different ways of being supportive. I could not ask for a more perfect core group of friends; they're supportive and understanding and loyal; everything friends should be. I feel safe with them, and I know that I can tell them anything ask them anything, without worrying about what they think of me.

Christmas time, though, is when everyone comes home, everyone sees each other again. It's when you get to reconnect with friends you haven't seen in months, maybe haven't even talked to in so long. And you catch up on each other's lives, make up for lost time.

I don't know if it's because I've forgotten what this is like, it having been so long, or if there's just been something about the past few months, but I have loved this lately. The commiserating, the agreeing, disagreeing, advising from "new" sources, I come away from each brunch, party, and dinner energized. I think it's because these people push me in different directions than the people I see on a more regular basis. They have different priorities, and that bleeds into their personalities, and into me. They force me to look at parts of my life and myself I've been neglecting, push me to get over the fear and just. do. it. I'm terrified of jumping over a cliff, and they're all "look, it's not a cliff. It's like a curb. A tiny one. I do it all the time! It's easy! Just do it, you'll see! Seriously."

Somehow it doesn't seem so scary anymore. I think I will.

Recap: Serious Philosophical Discussion

2006-12-19T09:53:00.000-08:00

So, as I mentioned, last night was L's welcome back party. We started out at the Cambie, the site of many historically significant conversations, and P and I had one of our own. It went something like:
P: So you look like the type that would get in fights a lot. Have you gotten in a lot of fights? (I should add that P is a hilarious guy, with a cute Aussie accent, and we are both joking. JOKING. We don't condone violence, or me getting into fights. Hi mom!)
J-Bird: All the time! It's like I'm a conflict magnet!
P: Really?
J-Bird: No. Actually, I've never been in a fight. Except you know, with my brother, but that doesn't count.
P: You haven't lived if you haven't been in a fight! You know, if you were to get in a fight tonight, I'd have your back. Just let me know who it is we're fighting.
J-Bird: Oh, yeah, well we wouldn't want you to accidentally hurt an innocent bystander.
P: Exactly. So, as it's your first fight, you want to make sure it's someone you feel confident you could beat.
J-Bird: Good point...let's scout for candidates.

Here are the stipulations we came to:
Not L (I felt it would be rude to beat up the guest of honour)
No couples (the other person might step in...always bad news)
No old guys. On the one hand, they have a lot of life experience. Some of it may be in ass-kicking. Also, if I should actually beat one up, they could need a hip replacement or something! Those are not cheap.

However, fitting candidates include:
People who wear berets unironically (and are not mimes or Green Berets)
Guys who wear disconcertingly fitted, looooow-cut vneck shirts (ew).
That dude that kept bumping into me on the dance floor. What, can you not see me standing right next to you???

I didn't actually get in a fight last night, we started dancing to awesome 50's and 60's music at Shine. But next time, my friends. Next time. After all, I haven't lived yet.

Time Management

2006-12-17T22:07:00.000-08:00

Oh god, who ever thought Christmas was a "break" was clearly insane. I'm definitely busier now than I was in November. For example, this is a fairly accurate (but not exhaustive) view of my next week:

Monday: Go out for L's welcome back party
Tuesday: Hang out with one or more of Girly, C and Kaisha
Wednesday: Christmas party
Thursday: dim sum w/ L, and then family Christmas dinner
Friday: lunch and shopping w/ Shakey, and then hang out with Jojo
Saturday: pick up Tessa at airport, hang out, and drop her off at ferry terminal
Sunday: work. I know, it's Christmas Eve, and a Sunday. I'm about as impressed as you are.

Now I just need to figure out how to find the time to buy 2 more presents, sleep and shower, and I'll be all set! Yeesh. Stupid Christmas.

Note: All Christmas Shopping Will Be Done on Weekdays

2006-12-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

I haven't actually tried to do any of my shopping on weekends yet; what with my "I work all weekend, every weekend" schedule, I haven't really gotten the chance. However, having tried to bus home from work over the weekend, I now know that shopping is out of the question. Buses are packed, with cranky, been-pushed-around-all-day shoppers lugging 12 bags apiece, all foaming at the mouth to get home. Bus drivers seem to be bearing it relatively well, although I think that's because they traded "packed with students on weekdays" for "packed with shoppers on weekends", so mathematically they've won.

Holiday Shopfest 2006 has affected the cafe though; for one thing, people tend to come in later, which results in me having to stay in longer. More annoyingly, people tend to be more stressed, which means shorter fuses and more complaints about nothing (seriously. Had one lady ask us why our tables were never clean. To which I - rather diplomatically, I thought - did not ask why she insisted upon sitting at the one table that hadn't been cleared, the previous occupants having left 30 seconds ago). On a brighter note, we had three of the happiest babies come in today; they were literally all smiles, and adorable. I love a happy baby.

There's another storm warning for tonight; hurrah inclement weather! Not. Time for me to finish up some wrapping. Catch y'all later!

Holiday Hodgepodge

2006-12-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday L and I went to Ikea, to pick up some Christmas-y things. L was trying to find a tiny Christmas tree, and while there weren't any to be found at Ikea (other than a Christmas tree-shaped plant that wasn't even a conifer), across the street at Home Depot, we found a little Norfolk Island Pine (my favourite tree, no less!) that would do the trick. We also found tiny little lights, which along with the tiny Christmas balls that we found at Ikea would go a long way into making the tree festive.

On the way home, we decided to make a project of it, and after picking up L's friend M and some popcorn, we headed back to L's where we made some hot chocolate and proceeded to get crafty. We made snowflakes and popcorn-garlands, and a tiny paper chain. By the end, the tree had a distinctly Christmas-like feel to it, which was exactly what we were aiming for! L dropped M and I off at home, after making plans to go snowshoeing today.

So at 10 am, we drove up to Cypress Mountain and went snowshoeing, which was really fun. Everything was white and winter wonderland-esque. The saplings that were bowed down with the weight of the snow looked like horses or dolphins or anything you wanted them to, and we even had music, thanks to L's phone. As long as we kept moving we were toasty warm, which just goes to show that Columbia snowjackets are efficient at conserving heat, since we were never going faster than a walk. But it was nice to be outside doing something active, and feel kind of like the outdoors is our friend again, as opposed to this thing that just makes us cold and wet. Hurrah for nature!

Wintertime!

2006-11-28T11:13:00.000-08:00

It snowed. A lot. This being Vancouver, the entire city is somewhat incapacitated; buses were running on altered routes so as to avoid hills, cars were getting marooned in roads, and trees were splitting or just coming down wholesale because of the weight (yes, even our trees are ill-suited to snow).

The good news is: snow! Pretty!

I have to admit, the snow has made things more difficult for me; it made getting to the Stones concert difficult, getting to work (and home again) difficult, and getting to Laura's to make cookies (lemon-poppyseed, so tasty) difficult. But I still love it. The world is white, and clean, and so long as our furnace keeps working, I'm warm and toasty inside, looking at it all. Plus, it just feels like winter. I've gotten out my old Christmas CDs, and am listening to Mariah, Britney (I like it) and Bing Crosby Christmas songs. Once I find the Charlie Brown CD, I'll be listening to that. Christmas! Snow! Weee!

Incredible

2006-11-27T00:35:00.000-08:00

I went to the Stones concert on Saturday night, and it was spectacular. More later, when my brain works. Just know that I had no idea, and that I may now love Mick Jagger, even though he's really really really old.

Banking Relief

2006-11-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got a crash course in RRSPs and investing (thank you Tom of TD), and feel slightly more grown up, knowing how things work. I've also started saving up money, although it's not going into an RRSP, which after my concentrated learning session, now makes perfect sense.

I love going to the bank and actually getting something constructive out of it (and also not getting yelled at for being in debt. Ah, solvency!). Numbers are so straightforward, there're no surprises so long as you understand the terms. It's so...organized. When I walk out I feel like a part of my life has just been uncluttered, and I can just leave it to take care of itself (within reason, obviously). It's a great feeling. Now I just need to get more money so I can feel it more...

Faster or Slower

2006-11-20T20:14:00.000-08:00

I used to babysit quite a lot. Now, most of the kids I babysat are getting to the age where they don't really need a babysitter. They're certainly beyond the age of needing a story for bed. But I remember one girl, who I used to babysit once a week; her "favourite" book would change up about once a month. I expect that for that entire month, she heard that story at least once a day, because when I read her her story, she sometimes knew what was coming before I'd even flipped the page. But she loved the book, no matter what it was. She wanted to turn every page, faster and faster, even if it I hadn't gotten the words out yet, and sometimes she was turning them in the wrong direction. And when I got to the last page, if she didn't think it had ended conclusively enough, she'd try to turn the page that wasn't there, and she'd ask "And then what?" She was chasing the end of the story.

I feel like I'm chasing the end of the story sometimes. Maybe it's just time to slow. down.

Water Issues

2006-11-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

We're no longer allowed to drink tap water, here in Vancouver. It's a boil-only zone. Thankfully (for compliance rates, anyhow) it's easy to see why; turn on your tap, and a murky, brown-tinged liquid spouts forth. It's pretty clear that this would be an excellent time to travel away from Vancouver; sadly, I suffer a lack of funds. So instead I will trudge through the rain and cold here, waiting for the day when I'm not wondering if a shower will result in me being more dirty than I started. Although come to think of it, it's funny that I'm so concerned about all this; while I was in India, monsoons created rivers of what I can only call...not water in the roads calf-deep, and having no other option than to wade through it, I barely batted an eye. So how bad can this be, really?

Windy! And Money.

2006-11-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

Here in Vancouver we've been having, as Pooh would put it, a blustery day. Honestly, I haven't noticed that the wind has been all that intense, but several downed trees, power outages, and one in-construction building-collapse indicate that it has indeed been quite the storm. As such, I will be sleeping on the couch tonight, so as to distance myself from the potential tree of death that stands outside my bedroom.

Well, I've dealt with the windy, now let's move on to the money. I'm 23. Being 23, I know that retirement is a long, long way off. That being said, I'm far too pragmatic to not be thinking about RRSPs. However, I know basically nothing about them. I know far more about the (irrelevant to me, because I'm not American) 401(k) plan, which, thank you Oprah, should I ever move to the US I know that I will benefit from your guestspeakers' tutelage. However, Canada has no Oprah, no one explaining to me how our retirement plans work. I've read some online, and I think I have the basics, but how does one choose? Is one bank better than another? Because sadly, the chances that the BMO website is going to tell me that TD is better are pretty slim. And can the bank make me contribute without really noticing? I know you ca do that whole "automatic monthly deduction" thing on a certain day of the month, but you know what? That doesn't really work for me. What I need is for you to automatically take out, say, 10% of every deposit I make. That way the money goes in, and I don't have the risk of pulling it out at an inopportune moment, like, say, right before that day when you're about to make your monthly deduction. And then I NSF. And yes, I did have a horrible experience with your deducting when I was 12, why do you ask? That red, negative number on my bank statement scarred me for life, and I blame my strange banking neurosis on that experience. And I hate you.

I have an appointment to discuss all this with a financial advisor next week. We'll see how that goes.

Long Weekend

2006-11-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

Remembrance Day has always been a strange one for me. I love that everyone wears poppies, although this year it seemed like there were less out and about...maybe what with the gross weather, more are getting lost? And I love that we have this holiday, because I definitely think it's important to acknowledge it. But you can't really say to someone "Happy Remembrance Day". It seems disrespectful. So what I want to know is how do we acknowledge the holiday in casual conversation that day? Other than wearing the poppy, going to a ceremony and observing silence, what is there? I feel like we need something a little less formal, something everyone can do within their family life.

This weekend has been rather successful. I've partied with friends, made dinner with friends, had several fun long distance calls, and today, I had coffee and hung out with a friend who just got back from Ethiopia (how cool is that?), and discussed books and movies, and also my apparent inability to notice other people's weight fluctuations (seriously, I am so, so bad at that game. It's pretty appalling).

I've also been reading a lot of quotes from Scrubs, The Office, and Arrested Development, while bored with nothing to do, and god do I need to watch all the episodes to those shows, right now. So, so good. Sigh. For an endless expense account.

Weather, The News, and 3 Birds

2006-11-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

I'm thankful I'm not working today, because frankly, it is disgusting outside. Raining and cold in the most awful way. My brother is working, but I don't feel too bad for him, because he suckered me into giving him a ride there.

This week has been full of good news, especially South of the border; Democrats won both Houses (woooo!), Rumsfeld stepped down (woooo!), and Britney has turned back towards the light, somehow escaping the black hole of suckitude that is KFed (WOOOOOO!). Considering the headlines that have been running on this topic ("Britney Files for Divorce, Fans Weep with Joy"), I almost feel bad for him. No, wait, I really really don't. And yes, the Britvorce gets the biggest cheer; US Government may have a larger global impact, but the Britvorce is proof that you can change your mind on even the biggest of screwed up decisions.

A friend of mine is having a turducken (a chicken, stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turkey), and I'm very excited to hear about it next week, because
a) I have no idea how one prepares a turducken
b) I'm even more confused as to how one carves a turducken
c) Until now, I always thought a turducken was just a myth. It's like seeing a dragon! Without the part where I get burnt to a cinder.
Anyhow, as a turducken consists of three fowl, when asked my "expert" (hers and my quotation marks, so I can't be offended) opinion on what wine to serve, I went with a Pinot Noir. Because even while trying not to drink the stuff, you pick up a few things.

Book-itis

2006-11-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

I have a problem. Every time I put a book back on my shelf, I take at least one off of it. More often, I'll take two or three books off. By employing the basic math we all learned in elementary school, one can see that this leads to the number of books off my shelf growing with each interaction.

Now, to be fair, my bookshelf benefits from this greatly; it's been overflowing for months, and that's with a large number of the books being...elsewhere. However, the space of floor directly next to my bed (I lack nightstands) gets the short end of the stick. It rarely sees the light of day, thanks to my seemingly uncontrollable behavioural pattern. And does this make me want to get rid of my books? make some attempt to control the clutter? No! All I want is more books!

That being said, I've just finished reading Lost in a Good Book, by Jasper Fforde. It's a great romp (I'm not a huge fan of the word, but it does fit best, here) of a book, although I'd recommend reading the prequel, The Eyre Affair, first. I didn't know there was a prequel, so now I'm going to have to hunt it down; nonetheless, Lost was a very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

Oh. My. God.

2006-11-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Finally. Please let it be true, please let it be true, please let it be true.

Sigh.

2006-11-06T14:37:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or is this incredibly romantic?

Uh Oh

2006-11-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

"...His mother, Vivian, noticed that whenever something upset him, Bob would head for the safety of his room in their modest, two-bedroom bungalow on Neva Street and immerse himself in books."
- excerpt from The Bureau and the Mole

According to this book, I'm well on my way to becoming a double agent, handing out national secrets like Domino's flyers.

Life of Late

2006-11-05T21:15:00.000-08:00

Mom and Dad: Bye kids! Have fun at home for the next three and a half weeks while we traipse across Australia and New Zealand!
J-Bird and Bro: Bye!

four days later
J-Bird: Hey bro, do you smell gas? Can you call the gas company and have them test for a leak?
******
Bro: So the gas guy came. The smell? Less gas, and more the smell of meat one of us left out of the freezer, which the gas guy found. So...that was embarrassing.
J-Bird: Ha! I can't believe I missed that! Uh, we may want to keep this whole episode quiet, then. Mom'd freak if she knew we did that.
Bro: Not so much an option, you didn't let me finish. The gas guy decided to test our furnace anyway, and when he fired it up, it shot a two-foot long jet of fire out, right at the door. It was kinda scary.
J-Bird: You screamed like a girl, didn't you?
Bro: Maybe. That's not the point. Basically it was going to burn our house down, so the guy cut the gas off. We have no heat, and we need a new furnace. Oh, and mom and dad don't get home for three weeks.
J-Bird: Dammit!

intermittently, throughout the next three weeks
J-Bird or Bro: It's so freaking cold!

J-Bird: Hi C! Can I ask you a HUGE favour? ...can I use your shower?

Bro: I've decided to use the open oven to heat the house.

Bro: I'm going to [Girlfriend's name]'s house tonight.
J-Bird: I HATE that you have a girlfriend with a heated house.
Bro: You're just jealous cause you don't have a boyfriend with a warm house.
J-Bird: Yes. That was my point.

On my birthday
T and J-Bird: Everyone, we're taking pole-dancing classes!

Instructor: Hi everyone! Get yourselves settled, and then we'll get started!
Peek: Just so you know, I'm awkward.
Instructor: ...

Zelly: Does anyone else feel like our instructor is over-qualified for us?
Peek: She's my hero!

Robot Chicken
Dragon: I hope you can asexually reproduce!

On the phone, with Tessa, tonight
J-Bird: We just need to find a guy who can penetrate her shell!
Tessa: (snicker) Interesting choice of terms.
J-Bird: Huh? Oh. I'm tired! And also, I can't believe you caught that, I wouldn't have noticed at all if you hadn't said anything!
Tessa: What can I say? I'm twelve.
J-Bird: A twelve year old wouldn't even know what that meant. You're a frat boy.
Tessa: Well you should know.
J-Bird: Sigh. I know.

...Toooo Meeeeeee!

2006-10-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

I turned 23 yesterday! And so far, 23 is awesome.

Mine and T's birthdays are two days apart (although not of the same year), so we had a joint event, which involved the usual activities like dancing and drinking, but also pole dancing lessons. Which are too much fun for me to try to explain. Just know that it would take far more than one hour to make a proficient dancer out of me. We all learned some new moves (well, they were all new, really) and had a blast, though. Definitely the most-fun part of the night.

Pole dancing classes. I highly recommend them.

Thanksgiving rehashed

2006-10-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Half an hour before both Kaisha and I are meant to be at LM's for thanksgiving dinner:

Me, covered in flour, pumpkin, and other baking materials: Hello?
Kaisha: Hey, what are you and Peek bringing to LM's?
Me: Peek's bringing wine, and I'm bringing pumpkin pie. How bout you?
Kaisha: What? I have to bring salad! How come I'm the only one who has to do any work?
Me: Work? I just baked two pumpkin pies! From scratch! I made the crust and everything!
Kaisha: Oooh, you baked the pies. I thought you were just buying them. I feel better now. Sorry.
Me: Heh, whatever.
Kaisha: So how's the baking going?
Me: Apparently if the radius of the pie is one inch bigger than it says in the recipe book, it more than doubles the baking time.
Kaisha: Lame.
Me: Yeah. Hey, when you get there, can you tell Laura I might be a little late?

Dammit!

2006-10-04T00:49:00.000-07:00

There are too many books coming out that I need to own! Forever in Blue! Folio's entire line! Mislaid Magician! And now, Wintersmith! The sequel to The Wee Free Men and Hat Full of Sky, two of my favourite books. And this one comes out in three weeks!

Heh, I just realized that all of the books I just listed (with the exception of the Folio ones) are actually "teen novels". Arrested development much?

We Interrupt You for This Important Announcement

2006-10-01T23:42:00.000-07:00

Forever in Blue, the fourth Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book, is due out in January.

That is all.

Food Review: Bleu de Bresse

2006-10-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

Today I went to my favourite local cheese shop, Les Amis du Fromage. Twenty minutes of harrowing decision-making later, I walked out with three never-before-tried cheeses, all from France: a double cream brie (I never turn down the opportuniy to have brie), a firm/semi-firm Tomme de Montagne, which I will taste tomorrow, and a soft creamy blue cheese, Bleu de Bresse, which is of course the subject of my review.

It should be known that I love blue cheese. I know, it has mold, blah blah whatever-cakes, but it is delicious. The blue cheese my mum and I (the only two blue cheese enthusiasts in the house) usually have is a firm, crumbly and very strong specimen. It has some serious bite to it, and you only need the tiniest bit of it, unless you're looking for a flavour overload. Which I sometimes am, to be fair.

Bleu de Bresse, in contrast, is soft, creamy and smooth (other than the blue bits, I mean). As opposed to my "standard" blue, which collapsed into crumbles when you cut it, BdB is more spreadable than cream cheese. This is an advantage, since I'm far less ervous about eating a coveted cheese if I'm not terrified that that the cheese-gold could fall off my cracker and be wasted. The taste itself is quite nice, but a lot milder than my standard (which I have decided to call Crumbleu). It has the same blue taste, but it's a lot more subtle than the Crumbleu. If cheeses were, say, cocktail bar patrons trying to pick you up, Crumbleu is standing on the table, all "Hey, look at me! I am HOT. Wanna go home with me?", while Bleu de Bresse is more subtle, making eye contact and smiling at you from the opposite end of the restaurant before actually approaching.

Of course, I don't put cheeses and (in my case) guys throught he same selection system. The Bleu de Bresse is dreamy, but my Crumbleu isn't getting the boot by any means. It's just lucky it's a cheese, and not a guy at a bar.

Random Thoughts from a Sinus-Addled Mind

2006-09-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

I covet the soundtrack for The Last Kiss. Oh Zach Braff, why don't you come and be my personal DJ? And bring along a copy of said soundtrack, because I have no spare money with which to buy it.

Can you imagine how much that would cost? At this point in his career, more money than I've ever seen.

Sinuses suck. What do they do, anyway?

According to Wikipedia, lots of things.

I've been playing my entire iTunes Library, and am now listening to "Santa Can You Hear Me?" by pre-Fed Britney. And I'm not changing it, because I love this song. Oh pre-Fed Britney. If only you knew.

The Folio Society's new prospectus for the year includes Pride and Prejudice, and Cold Comfort Farm. I also covet these.

The Girls are going for drinks tonight, and I don't even have the energy to go downstairs.

I have a sneaking suspicion that I may have to wear a "uniform" shirt tomorrow. I have seen the shirts, and am dreading having to wear them.

My skin has been drier since returning from Asia than ever before. Household moisturizer use has hit an all-time high.

It's 9:00 PM, and I'm falling asleep.

Gah

2006-09-29T05:55:00.000-07:00

It's 5:48 AM, and I'm awake. Not because there's something I needed to get up for, mind you. There's no fun early mornin plan, or even some sort of sadistic early morning work out regime. No, I'm awake because sometime between 12 midnight and 5 AM, while I was sleeping, my sinuses (my maxillary sinuses, specifically. Those are the ones on either side of the nose) have staged a coup, in a bid for total body domination. Actually, it's really only my right maxillary sinus. The left one is calmly waiting, ready to strike when needed. My sinus (and nose) actually hurt enough that I woke up at 5 AM. I don't think I've ever been woken up by getting sick. I've woken up at the usual time and found myself sick. I've also gone to sleep sick and woken up in the middle of the night feeling like crap and needing a cold cloth for my head, etc etc. But this is a definite milestone in the saga of illnesses in the life of Jan. I'm sure there's a party going on somewhere.

Possibly in my right sinus.

Kettle's boiling. I'm making tea. Wish me well.

Tales from a Wine Store

2006-09-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

"Do you have Castilla di [something Italian-sounding]?"
In my head - That sounds Italian. God I hope it's Italian.
"...All our Italian wines are just over there"

(Myself and Coworker) "Whaat the hell is this thing?"
"Oh, they're supposed to stop the drips from going all the way down the bottle to the table. Basically they're drip stoppers"
"What a stupid unnecessary $15...thing."
"Yeah"
(Customer picks one up) "Oh my god, what a great idea!"
(Us) "I know, isn't it?"

"Have you tried this one? Do you know what it's like?"
"You know, I haven't had a chance to try that one yet, but I've heard great things." - Huh, so we have a red wine with a butterfly on the label. Noted.

"So, how's it going selling wine?"
"Well apart from the fact that I know nothing, have tried about 1% of the wines we carry and have no inclination to try anymore of them, fantastic."
"...Good times."

Phew

2006-09-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

Now I'm watching CSI:NY. This show is waaay more chill. At least as chill as a show that features people dying can be. Ugh, why is nothing funny on on Wednesday nights? Why isn't The Office on on Wednesdays? Who does Pam CHOOSE?!

Eeihh

2006-09-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

Say that word out loud, and you're making the same face I am as I watch the season premiere of Criminal Minds (I'm typing this during the commercial breaks). Seriously, I'm switching to Numb3rs, another crime-y show, to calm my nerves every once in a while.

Asia 2006, Part One - Taiwan

2006-09-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

After gliding smoothly through my flights and connections on the first leg of my trip, I arrived in Taipei International Airport at the absurd hour of 6:00 AM. Immediately after stepping off the plane, the sher humidity of the air hit me. It was also quite warm, considering it was barely daytime, but the humidity was like walking in a wall of steam.

After going through Taiwan immigration and collecting my bag, I went outside and met with my aunt, who I would be staying with. She was happy that my flight was early, since it meant we'd be able to skip rush hour (a way bigger deal than in Vancouver, I later learned). The drive from the airport was kind of fascinating to me; it was the first time I'd been in Taiwan since I was four. It was surprisingly green, with palm trees and huge lush ferns, the size of my bedroom. And morning glories everywhere, but not white like in the endowment lands. Here, they were mauve running into deep violet. Temples seem to pop up almost randomly, bursts of colour with grand curving sculptures of dragons and lions. The occasional abandoned highrise crops up. Slowly, the green countryside fades into gray cityscape.

And this is one hell of a city.

Taipei is everything you expect from a large asian city; street markets, food kiosks, huge shopping malls, and absolutely teeming with people. Cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, scooters, it doesn't seem like any of the road is empty. The whole city is packed with things to look at and smells seem to radiate from every alley (thankfully, a good portion of these odors are at least not unpleasant. Some of them smell so good you want to chase them down). It's only gotten hotter out, and it's cloudy today; I can't imagine what it would feel like under open sunshine.

After eating as many lychees as my post-flight stomach will allow (my aunt had very thoughtfully bought crates of them in preparation for my arrival), I take a nap. It's only 10 AM when I wake up; it feels like I slept over night. I'm told to get ready; we're going to lunch with my aunt's friends.

Home Update: Week 1

2006-09-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

I arrived back in Vancouver on Saturday the 2nd, at about 10 pm (well, I arrived at 8:30, but certain events meant that it was 10 by the time I got out of the airport). Since then, it's been a marathon of me seeing almost everyone I've missed over my trip, and trying to get a handle on my new job, as a retail associate at a specialty wine store. Because no one knows more about wine than I do. Except maybe everyone. Seriously, could I be less qualified for this job? I think I need to take a wine tasting course, because thre is no way I have a clue what is going one. Shiraz? Merlot? Cabernet Sauvignon? I can spell them without looking them up, but that (and the fact that they are reds and not whites) pretty much encapsulates me knowledge of them. Oh well. Here's to learning about something new!

Here goes nothing.

I May Be The Last One To The Party, But...

2006-09-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

If you haven't yet, go see An Inconvenient Truth. Trust me, it is absolutely horrifying to see how glaciers have receded, lakes have dried out, and rainfall has changed and moved. But you need to see it, we all do. And while you're at it, go to www.climatecrisis.net. Things are changing, and faster than any government, newspaper or television newscast seems willing to admit.

HOME!

2006-09-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

After 66 days away, I am finally back home. The trip was amazing, and since I enjoyed pretty good health the whole time, I have now come down with the flu/intense allergies/malaria. Only time will tell. I'll write more later, but right now I'm a little tired. But people, call me! I'm home, and my phone has lost a lot of your phone numbers!

Delhi!

2006-07-24T04:18:00.000-07:00

So our group of 4 arrived in Delhi yesterday, and were greeted by the cool bliss of air conditioning. I'm not a huge heat wuss, but after being out in the beating sum the entire day, and then being plastered by bug carcasses on the train ride over, the mere idea of cold air and closed windows was somewhat akin to heaven.

After dropping off my entire backpack of laundry (seriously. I realized this morning I had nothing to wear), I went to bed. In the cool, bug free environment of the room. Sadly, it was a little too cool, and I woke up freezing. Goddamn temperature!

So far today it's just been shopping. And shopping. I now have way too much stuff, but it is beautiful, so hey who can complain? Possibly the airline people. Tomorrow we're sightseeing and the next day Linds and I are off to Chennai. Til next time, have a great week!

In India!

2006-07-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, still around, but internet is sloooow here. Have to go get ready for a hike up a mtn, I'll hopefully write more soon, but leave a msg, I want to know what you've been up to!

Eeeeek

2006-06-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

I leave in three days. Three days. I have so much to do. I have to buy a backpack. A headlight. I need toiletries. I need a money belt. I need...someone to just follow me around my whole trip and make sure I don't screw up/offend anyone/get robbed/forget anything/get hurt. I need to get the whole world's mailing addresses. I need to pack my yet-unbought backpack. I need to get my prescriptions filled. I need to say goodby to everyone. I need to see Peek. I also need to breather, because I am perilously close to self-inducing an anxiety attack.

But I'm still excited to get there. Yeee!

Miscellany

2006-06-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

While working at the cruise port handing out brochures on Wednesday, I offered a passenger a booklet, to which she responded "I grabbed one from the kiosk. God helps those who help themselves." In short, I offered her a coupon book, and she gave me a religious platitude. I responded with a surprised "...Right. Have a great trip!"

I was lifted from a blue mood yesterday by the discovery that I get my own tv screen on most of my flights this trip. And I get to play videogames! I love asian airlines!

I received my third and final innoculation against Japanese Encephalitis on Tuesday. Signs of an adverse reaction include swelling of the face and tongue and extreme itchiness all over the body. If I have extreme itchiness that is localized to the site of injection, should I be concerned?

I leave in 6 days.

Peek gets back in 6 days.

That is an example of impeccably awful timing.

I've eaten a ridiculous amount of food in the past few days. Much of it has been eaten with Cel (woo eating buddies!)

I've been watching lots and lots of Scrubs, and I love it.

Girly's gone, and I miss her. But then, I'm leaving soon too.

At dinner the other night (happy birthday miss j!) I realized that I probably went to the same chinese camp as my friend's boyfriend. Ah Chinese camp...I learned to play the chinese flute, to cook, to sew, do the fan dance, the ribbon dance, make the lion's mane for the lion in the lion dance...a weirdly low level of Chinese was learned, come to think of it.

Oh my god, I leave in six days.

World Cup Fever

2006-06-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Currently, the lovely internet is blocking me from both of my email accounts, which is irritating at best. Thankfully th World Cup is here to dull the pain. And can I just say how much I love the Jose+10 adidas ad? I love the music, it's perfect. Whoever found it/wrote it for the ad deserves a promotion. Seriously though, love the ad.

Loving My New Lens

2006-06-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hungry Bee, originally uploaded by Never Reason.

I have a new obsession; photographing bees and ladybugs. I knew my mom's intense flower garden had it's purpose! Click on the photo to see more (I dare you!)

Why My Friends Are Great

2006-06-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

Because both A and I are more chatty in writing than in person.

Because Tessa is the epitome of rationality, and reminds me that usually I am too, and that maybe the fact that I'm not just now means I should get a grip (all in a very sweet way).

Because T tells me the truth unsimplified, even if it only confuses me more, and then patiently listens to me work through it.

Because Kaisha is always up for a dim sum, and loves the dessert tofu. And because she will fiercely defend her friends, and tells me what she really thinks, no holds barred.

Because Girly...well, read this. If you don't get it, then I can do nothing for you.

Because Cel and I can run into each other completely unexpectedly, and then make a day of it, going shopping, getting manicures, and having a very fun, relaxing time without planning a whit of it.

Because Peek is in Africa, having the time of her life. I miss the crap out of her, and can't wait til we have our "how was your trip?/have a great trip!" lunch/dinner at the airport.

Case of the Lost Lens

2006-06-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night, I stayed at Girly's house. I wasn't expecting too, and while they fortunately had contact solution, a lens case was not to be found anywhere, so I put my contacts in cups with a bit of contact solution overnight. The next morning after breakfast, I go into the bathroom, where one of the cups is now half full of water and upon cloer inspection entirely unfull of lens. Upstairs, the investigation begins:

In the kitchen, with Girly and her dad
Me: I have good news and bad news. The good news is, my right contact? Good as new. The bad news? I think someone drank my left contact.
Girly: It wasn't me, I knew those were your contacts!
Girly's Dad: I don't drink water.
Girly: ...I'll go ask mom. (goes upstairs) Hey, did you drink out of one of those glasses? Jan's contacts were in them.
(pause)
Girly's mom: How much do I owe her?

Case solved.

Graduated!

2006-05-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

5:58 am
cellphone: beepbeep! beepbeep! beepbeep!
J-Bird: Oh god.

5:59 am
cellphone: beepbeep! beepbeep! beepbeep!
J-Bird: Shut up.

6:00 am
J-Bird: Hey. It's six. Get up.
N: I hate you.
J-Bird: I hate me too.

7:15 am
N: Oh god, do you think they reuse the hats? I did not pay $20 000 for my degree and another $40 to rent my regalia to wear a hat someone else used.
J-Bird: "I graduated and all I got was lice!"

7:30 am
N: How's my gown look?
J-Bird: ...Voluminous?
N: It's so early! I want to take a nap.
J-Bird: Good thing you're wearing that comfy nightgown, then.

8:00 am
Marshall: ...and for all you ladies wearing higher heels than you ever have before. we have, at the bottom of the exit stairs, a gentleman known as a catcher, in case you should fall. This happens every ceremony at least once or twice, but we've never needed an ambulance.

10:00 am
President of University: I present you the May 2006 graduates!

Home Cooking

2006-05-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

My mom is unable to waste food. Leftovers are always eaten. Every part of a vegetable/fruit/cut of meat that is remotely edible is eaten. There are no exceptions, and should there ever be, we would probably mark it down as the first sign of senility. This...tendency, coupled with her hyperopia, resulted in one of the funniest meals I'vee ever eaten at home. See, my brother moved back in after his surgery, and as my parents did the actual moving, my mom cleared all the pantries, the fridge, the cupboards, and then went straight into planning how to use the new ingredients. Two nights ago, she made pasta to go with some chicken and broccoli. However, her previously mentioned farsightedness kept her from being able to read the label. And so, with our lovely (and otherwise wholesome) meal, we were served none other than penis-shaped pasta. Which I have to say, was very surprisingly...faithful in its representation. It didn't taste too bad either, although I may have been slightly unable to tell, having accidentally eaten a chili pepper while I was laughing hysterically.