New commute, new sights

I got this new job, yeah? And the commute is completely different. Now, instead of seeing things like this on the way to work:

When frog stuffies go bad!

I see things like this:

Political squirrel side walk squirrel!

Apparently, you can find out more here. And,

Lost little Hello Kitty glove. Cold fingers are occurring! Right now! Oh, the humanity!

Beautiful little snow drops! Spring is coming. No, really. It is. Further proof of spring? Fine, I’ll show you!

That little whitish nub to the right? That is an onion seedling just struggling to live and thrive and survive!

IMMA GONNA EAT YOU! Snicker.

Gardening can be creepy. Which is why I got involved, to be perfectly honest.

Definitely spring time

How can I be sure?  Here was my best hint yet:

Still not convinced?  Here, look at all this green & growing stuff:

Please ignore the small squatting dog.  Sigh.  So classy. 

It was almost 17 degrees today.  Crazy warm.  The dogs were also feeling springy.  Lots of barking and attempts to interest anyone in chasing them.  Why do dogs so love to be chased?

And all was watched over by matriarch Jane.

She’s going to be 13 next week.  I can’t believe how fast time is flying by.

I also got an award at work today.  Sort of a recognition for being the go-to human.  The problem solver, I guess.  Felt kind of bad leaving early to go to a job interview afterwards.  Awkward!  The interview went really well, but I won’t know for a couple of weeks or so.

Okay.  It’s Friday.  Must rest up before tomorrow’s festival of yard fun.  Gonna cut the lawn with the new mower, dontcha know!  Happy Friday y’all.

Did you know…

That it’s like 43 days to Christmas?  Oy, right?

Anyway, I did a little tidying up on the old blog, so if y’all could have a peak around and let me know if everything looks okay for you I would greatly appreciate it. 

The main thing I’ve added is a link to Kaleidotrope, a very cool print publication that has rapidly become one of my favourite things to read.  If you like to read stuff that’s a little bit off of centre, have a wander over there and check it out.

In other news, I’m almost 50% done my super secret Christmas swap present.  It’s so pretty that I’m going to have a difficult time giving it away.  I may make one for me.  Then my swappee and I could be extra cool when we’re out together!  LOL.

I’m going to Quebec for 3 days and Ottawa for 1 day next week.  I’ve never been further east than Edmonton, (and I was 9 at the time, travelling alone, and they would let me off the plane!), so I’m just a scoach excited.    I so hope it snows there between now and then.  They have sleigh rides and dog sledding available at the hotel I’ll be at in Quebec.  Um, cool?  YES!  Don’t worry, the camera is already packed.    It’s a work trip, but come 4:00 pm each day I’m let loose on a province that has never seen me before.  So cool.

Now, I just need to finish my Iliad readings and my 3rd paper for the semester before I go and all will be well with my world.

 

Friday Eve! Friday Eve!

Whew, we’ve almost made it to another weekend.  Thank all that’s holy for that.  The full moon is coming up on November 2 and it seems to be affecting people much more than normal.  Work has been, shall we say, interesting.  Not nearly a strong enough word for it but this blog tries to stay pretty PG. 

I think I’ve talked to more people in serious need of mental health assistance in the last two weeks than in the entire 18 months previous that I’ve worked at my current job.  Just wild stuff.  I don’t work in a mental health agency, so it’s sometimes really hard to keep  the needs of these people evened out with what our agency actually does.  Kind of a balancing act.  Most days it’s pretty easy, lately, not so much. 

In knitting news, it’s secret, I can’t show it to you.  I know that my swap buddy comes over here once in awhile so I can’t show you until after December 5th.

Oh, wait, Mr. Beentsy stopped at the store on his way home today and picked up a little Hallowe’en candy.  Okay, not a little, a metric tonne of the stuff.  But he did get Rockets:

Love the bad quality cheezy photo of the handful of Rockets while hubby hits the mouse to take the picture.  Thank you modern technology, you sometimes make me so very happy.

 

I blame Maslow, and me too, but only a little bit

So, I think I’ve got a bit of a problem, and I’m laying it all at Maslow’s doorstep.  Well, him and every motivational speaker who’s ever given a seminar (I’m looking at you Tony Robbins!) on how to ‘MAKE HAPPY EMPLOYEES!’  Okay, wait, some background would be helpful here.

I used to be one of those really driven people who would take on any task at work and git ‘er done!  Almost always under time and well under budget.  It’s what I did, I was proud of it, I was young and stupid.  This included things like staying at work until 3:00 am with a sick server and an IT person, cancelling one week of my holidays during my honeymoon because of staff shortages,, getting to work 2 hours before the rest of the staff to run backups – for three years – and on and on.  After 16 years of being ‘that person’ I stopped it.  Found a new job and decided to be a new me.

Turns out, I did a super bang up job and got myself all kinds of praise and so far it’s been working out great.  I was cruising along under the radar, doing my job, being helpful, etc. etc.  But now, and here’s where the Maslow comes in, my bosses decided that if they want to keep me happy and therefore keep me with them, (seriously, throw a cider and some yarn at me and I’m happy.  Put cheese on that baby and I’m yours!), they needed to ‘challenge’ me.  With new (who thought of this crap?) and interesting (impossible) tasks/projects/blech.  See, damn Maslow, they think I need my Self Actualization Needs met.  Umm, yeah, I don’t, really.  I can completely take care of my own self actualization needs.  That’s what the cider, yarn, and cheese are about.  And books, always with the books.

Anyway, not sure how I’m going to deal with this.  I’m pretty sure it’s in bad corporate form to say to your bosses “Yeah, hi, I really don’t want to be a better/smarter/more useful person.  I’m actually really happy doing exactly what I’ve been doing for the last year for the next few years so I can finance my stash.”  Then you’re labelled slacker.  Huh, maybe that’s it?  Maybe I’m just a 40 year old slacker!?!?!?!?!   LOL.  Hey mom, you must be so proud!

Anyway, in far less self absorbed navel gazing news (okay, slightly less self absorbed), I finally signed up for the fall semester.  Decided to fulfill my Humanities credit requirements and signed up for Classical Mythology.  I put in a request at the local library for Homer’s Odyssey so I could have a little sneak peak before my books get here.  Seen here with a half eaten cheesy bacony biscuit.  Hey, Mrs. Quimby, when you coming for breakfast girl?

I also took Thursday and Friday off work this week.  Gonna knit and read and knit and read and then go watch Harry Potter on Imax and then eat some Olive Garden and then knit and read some more.  Hmmm, that sentence probably could have used a comma or two. 

Hubby also booked those days off.  He says he wants to go on a mini cruise.  He means take the ferry to Victoria and have the breakfast buffet.  Oh yeah, we’re very high end.  At least you don’t need a passport.

On the mend

Thanks for all your well wishes guys!  Y’all are so sweet.    The Poppa is slowly on the mend.  He’s off life support, out of ICU, and in a regular ward now.  The doctor says he’s getting better so, really, it’s all good news.  Now he just needs to rest and beat this pneumonia.  We just keep nagging him to eat all the food they give him (whether he likes it or not!) and to get well enough that he can go home to his beloved dogs.  At least he’s finally considering retirement now.  I think at almost 73 it might be time to take it a bit easier.  Workaholics!

Not much else going on really.  Plenty of knitting for reduction of stress levels.  You know how it is.  I did go and write two exams for a couple of permanent work positions with my old department.  I’ve been offered another one year contract at the department where I’m on assignment but I’m not sure if that’s okay enough for me to sleep at night.  You know what I mean?  I’ve got to stop watching the news and reading the papers again.  It makes me get all nervous and fearful about the ECONOMIC FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY!  At least that’s how I feel they are saying it.  Fear mongerers, the lot of them.  I’m sure another one year contract would be fine and then I’d probably get rolled over to indeterminate but there’s this little voice in the back of my head saying,”What about 13 months from now?  Will we still be able to buy yarn and books and chocolate?”  Yes, it really does say that.    I’m a simple woman with simple tastes.

Speaking of which, I’m going to go have a Crispy Crunch and knit a bit.  Keep warm and take care everyone!

That’s what I’m talking about!

An August FO is done.  Okay, yes you’re right, it is October, but it is still done. 

Super dog action shot:

This is the obligatory blinded by the sun shot:

I’m pretty happy with it too.  It’s very comfortable, the fit is great, the colour is good, and I’m even pretty happy with how my set in sleeves look.  About the fit, that whole “make it to match your actual size, not the size you think are”, brilliant.  I did this in the 44″ size and it fits so right it’s the porridge that Goldilocks ate.  That’s bigger than the sizes given in the book, you can go here and email for the extended sizing for the pattern.  You need the original pattern as well, of course.

As an additional bonus, this is in a bunch of crosswalks downtown:

How brilliant is that?  My mom actually taught me to look before I entered a roadway but apparently not everyone’s mom was quite so kind!  Makes me giggle every single morning.

Oh, one last thing, you must go view this cartoon if you have cats.  Brilliant.  Shamelessly stolen from Sarah Hope at whatifknits.  Make sure you turn up the volume, the sound is half the joy.

Have a great night everyone.

The view from up here

I finally took some picis at work this week so without further ado,

My cubical, which is actually quite huge.

View from my desk including glare.

The rest of these are from the 19th floor, which is our lunchroom & outdoor patio/smoke pit.

Our old court building which became the art gallery when this was built:

Some gargoyles on the hotel next door:

A pretty pink building I walk by everyday:

And a couple more views from up high:

And that is where I spend my weekdays now. I’m starting to get the hang of the job, I think.

Work continues on the Mr Greenjeans. I’ve got about 3 inches of the cabling on the body done new and the Cottonease looks good in the cables.

I’m wicked I tell you! Wicked!

I ordered the yarn to make this today.  Someone take away the Visa, please, for the love of Pete.    I went with the rainbow colourway.  If all goes well I might do a more sombre/monochrome on for the fall.

On a more positive note:

1.    I have been called for testing for not one or two but three federal jobs.  Huzzah!

2.    I have an interview  tomorrow and next Friday for a couple of very fine provincial and federal jobs.

3.    I had an interview/testing session at SFU yesterday.

4.    My contract got extended again.  This time to July 20.

So it’s not all gloom and doom.  As long as I keep working the yarn will flow like wine!  Sorry, got a bit odd there.

And, I joined this exchange.  Sounds kind of fun eh?  This is who I’m spoiling.  And this is who’s sending to me.  How cool is that?  I’m going tea cup shopping this weekend. 

My mini summer vacation v 2.2 & v 2.3

I got a cold.  Then I slept on the couch and blew my nose.  Bummer.

On a more positive note, I talked to my manager yesterday and I’ve had my contract extended and I’m moving to days!  Whoo Hoo!  7:30 – 3:30, thank you very much.  Effective Monday, I will be rejoining the human race.  At least that’s how it feels.

I’m going back to the couch now, with my juice and my kleenex.