got no time to take a picture, i’ll remember someday

Moving provinces is like moving countries.

Never in all my moves (and there has been a lot) have I encountered so much trouble and expense, then in this move to British Columbia. Which is scary considering my move home from the UK cost thousands.

A lot of it has to do with my car, but there are other little (and not so little; so long free health care) annoyances that keep cropping up, and well,  I want my Ontario back. Never thought I’d say that.

On the plus side, I did find that dining set that perfectly defines me.

Its plum.

Jury is still out on the flatware.

mini donuts rule all

I’m off to the lower mainland.

Its about a 16 hour drive, so estimated time of arrival is tomorrow morning.

Estimated time of arrival of my furniture, about noon tomorrow.

Its always good to have a fire under ones ass while traveling.

We got to partake in fair activities last night. Which I can only describe to you as rodeo-meets-lumberjack contest-meets ploughing match-meets farmers market-meets fair with rides. I will upload pictures soon. For now, just the one below. Which has been captioned by Ali…

You look like the runner up for Daniel Day Lewis’ role in There Will be Blood

i wanna do bad things with you

I’ve just started to watch True Blood.

I know, I’m behind with the rest of the world.

Do you watch the show?

I’ve always had a penchant for the subject matter in literature, and so far so good, the show is living up to its hype.

I find the credit sequence here interesting, this clip includes a clip from the pilot too.

at war with the sun

I cannot believe that I’ve been here six months. This year seems to be flying by at lightening speed. It was just a year ago this week that I started saying my goodbyes in Newcastle, and was typing away at my dissertation from my leaky flat. If you had told me then I’d be sitting at the keyboard in the middle of Northern BC, I wouldn’t have believed you. Heck, when I applied for this job, I had never even heard of the place. I looked it up on the map after applying.

I remember the night before I started my trip out west talking on the phone with my Gran. She was so happy that I’d found a job in my field, and recounted a story about her own cross country trip when she was younger. Much like everything else in her life, it was down on the spur of the moment. She had a few days off and decided in the middle of the night with friends to drive to Vancouver from Toronto.

Isn’t it strange when someone leaves your life you tend to notice – perhaps more fully – the affect they had on you? If I ever thought I was the original nomad of my family, these past few months through stories and pictures have wiped that idea away. Who knows where I’ll be this time next year. I can only know where things are pointing me, one cannot tell specifics.

And well, that’s exciting.

On a completely unrelated note, there is a “Fall Fair” in town this week. Where prizes are given out for such things as “Best Tomato” and “Best Homemade Pie” and I’m thinking of putting in a potato that I just found in the pantry from this winter, which I believe has the longest sprout on it. I feel there should be a market for best misuse of a vegetable…no?

Had this song in me head all day thanks to Blip…

dynamite walls

Are you tired?

Me too.

I just wrote  the second step-by-step instruction guide on how to import photographs into our database for the admin staff to use when I leave. The first, with 30 steps wasn’t detailed enough, apparently. Would you believe it now takes over 40 steps? To import a photograph. One. Writing computer instructions is such a tedious job, I’m glad I don’t have to do it daily.

I have two more manuals to write this afternoon and then I get to run another workshop tomorrow on how to accession artifacts.

My boss keeps telling me I’m very patient when dealing with luddites, but I fear I’m at the breaking point. You know when you can see the end to something (cough, next Friday at 2pm, cough) and everything in between then is just an annoyance?

I think I need more happy go-to music to listen to at the office.

Tonight, I’m going to go a little hike to this place. On the weekend, going to hike this one again. I did it in the winter, but I’d like to make it further this time.

What’s everyone else up to these days?

and you dance like sparks from a muzzle

welcome

it wasn’t the police tape, the dozen officers standing down the block, the ambulance or the even helicopter and tv crew that made me pause before entering into the building. it was the billowing cloud of smoke rising a few hundred yards away from the chaos that made me ponder…perhaps this isn’t the flat or area for me.

my thoughts were reinforced by the Boy’s saucer-like eyes, as if to say, there is no way in hell we’re leaving the car. however, i met the saucer eyes with a gentle eye roll of come on, it can’t be that bad. i mean i’ve lived in sketchy places before, downtown. how could the burbs be worse?

all this was communicated without speaking as though we were some type of undercover operation. i knew if i didn’t exit the car immediately he soon would insist on hand signals in case we stumbled into something worse than what was greeting us.

thankfully it never came to that. in fact, the place was already taken. so we ran walked back to the car and continued on.

i did manage to find a cozy place without bars on the windows, very close to my new place of work, which is awesome by the way. i have my own office overlooking the fraser river and a proper desk chair and new computer (handclaps). more stories of my weekend adventures in metro vancouver to come…

and then the puck went flying

What’s your favourite board game?

I have a few but my favourite go-to still remains Trivial Pursuit, and I am very surprised that it did not make the list here – the top 8 classic board games that destroy friendships.

In short:

8) Mouse Trap

7) Cranium

6) Battleship

5) Risk

4) Monopoly

3) Scrabble

2) Candyland

1) Checkers

In my early university days we used to play drunken Risk, and that got so heated I vowed never to play again. However, the Boy is a board game junkie and convinced me to we play. So we did. Once. Needless to say that was the last time. There is something about that game and the male brain that just does not make it fun for me. Although I’m sure he’d say the same about me. Still I enjoy word games more, like Scrabble or Apples to Apples.

Oh, and has anyone actually ever ended a game of Monopoly?

Now this…this is game I want to try.

lemon poppyseed

la la la…la lo

I’ve had ‘Ask’ by The Smiths lodged in my head for a week now.

Because if it’s not Love
Then it’s the bomb, the bomb, the bomb,
the bomb, the bomb, the bomb, the bomb
That will bring us together

There are worse things to get stuck in ones head so I shouldn’t complain. Despite the fact its making me into a bobble-head at work. (Note: the bobble-head shake is the most dance I can do in a non swivel chair without drawing too much attention).

I always order a large tea, but can never drink the last inch or so. Yet if I order a medium, its not enough. Like shoes, drinks should come in half sizes, don’t you think?

I’ve been on a tomato and cucumber kick all summer. Well, this can perhaps be best described as being a lazy salad maker. I just like slicing them up, adding a dash of salt, perhaps a slice of cheese, or two and then presto – snack!

What’s been your favourite snack to make as of late?

Oh, and this made me laugh today…a poke a those ‘There’s an app for that’ ads.