Who's that girl?

Soooo..... this happened!

Why are there so many songs about rainbows...?

I walked into our apartment after work yesterday and noticed a surreal light coming from outside. The sky was lit up with the most amazing rainbow. it was actually a double rainbow and I could see the whole thing, just so beautiful. Pictures don't do it justice really but I tried. The view is one thing that I will miss about this place. It's really very nice, but I have taken so many pictures of it over the last year.
The packing is going pretty well, I think. I am always dismayed by how much stuff I have, especially in my closet. I am moving to a smaller closet in the new place so I will have to purchase plastic bins to store my off season clothes in. I started packing up one of my dressers and then I moved on to the top shelf of my closet, it took me two bins and I only packed up about 2/3's of my bags and purses. It's not that I'm obsessed with buying purses or even clothes for that matter but in my line of work I certainly do acquire it.
When we moved into this place I got rid of 8 garbage bags worth of clothing and I feel like I could do that again. If I haven't worn it in a year, it goes. Unless it's special or something I want to save, then I will just have to figure out how to find a home for it in the new house.
I won't lie to you, I'm feeling the pressure to have everything done for Sunday's move. I feel like I have so much to do still. The pressure comes from me, since we are moving on the 1st I will not have an opportunity to come back and clean this place so it needs to be a situation of following the movers out the door with the last load, vacuuming to the door as I lock it and leave for the last time. It's so worth it to do that because there is nothing worse than having to go back to your old place and clean when all you want to do is set up the new place. I'll let you know how that goes.
My head is full of "to do" lists and my body is sore from working out. Last night a COLD SORE tried to erupt on my lip but i think I caught it in time with my new remedy, Vicks Vapo Rub. I know it's strange, I discovered it when my lips were really chapped and I looked it up online. I kept seeing Vicks Vapo Rub as a cure for severely chapped lips. I tried it and it worked. Last night when I got the tell tale funny feeling on my lip I put some Vapo Rub on and this morning it's gone. This could be a huge discovery for me and especially my poor Mom who gets horrible break outs of cold sores. I'll let you know.
I'm skipping my workout this morning. I need to go to work, get some stuff done and then home again to pack more.
Wish me luck!

Be it ever so humble?

When we first moved into this apartment we didn't know the pigeons had already claimed their space. I shooed them away and tried to scare them with a big plastic bobble-head owl. It didn't work and I knew I was in trouble when I saw a female doing the "let's do it" dance for the big plastic owl. With Spring almost here and the weather getting warmer, the little guys are getting ready to roost and make babies and these two think they have found the perfect two story "fly-up" just outside our window.

She sits in the abandoned flower pot thinking about how great it's going to look as a nursery and he sits above her, on the second floor looking so proud of himself for finding such a safe, protected home for his mate. I don't have the heart to shoo them away. I understand how great it feels to find the perfect home. I'm going to be moving into mine in 5 days and that old, crappy shelf isn't coming with me. As I move into my new home I will be ripping away their new home and putting in an alley for someone else to find and use and I feel kind of bad about that. Hopefully the new tenants will have something roost worthy that they will replace it with, otherwise Walter and Penelope are shit outta luck. (I'm pretty sure that's their names).

Hey, it's a tough market out there...

Where've you been?

Yesterday was B***** appreciation Day! B is the manager of our shop and Lorna and I wanted to give her a special day to show her how much we appreciate what she does every day to keep our business booming. She is more than an employee, she is a wonderful, talented woman who does her job better than anyone else could. We love her.
We popped over to The Sunshine Coast and had yummy baked french toast at Lorna's new house. After brunch we headed out for some sightseeing and boy did we have the perfect day gor it. Spring is springing up everywhere you look around here and the sun was shining on us all day. We walked on the beach, went to the pub overlooking the harbour for nachos and beer and had an exciting little shopping trip in the village. We were having so much fun we decided to take a later ferry home than we had originally planned. Some days are special from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. Yesterday was one of those days.
I hope your day is great!

What to do?

Life is coming at me these days. Not that I feel like I'm not handling it but I wonder how and when it's going to catch up to me and take a bite out of my ass.

T's health has taken a turn for the worse and I'm starting to think of time with her in terms of "the last time..." , the last time we'll share a meal or go somewhere together even though it has only been medical appointments for the last while. Yesterday was to be my day with her but she asked me not to come and her husband came home from work to care for her. He gets 3 weeks of compassion leave. Three weeks. That's all I can say about that.

I started boot camp again yesterday. I was nervous because I felt like I had really lost the plot over Christmas and was feeling achy and out of shape. Surprisingly I was able to keep up just fine and although I feel pretty sore today it also feels familiar and good.

Because we are in such a rush to get ready for our move I decided to go on the advice of my moving company and rent plastic stackable crates to move with instead of trying to find boxes. I used a company called Say No To Boxes and these guys are fantastic! They have package rates based on the size of the home you are moving out of. I chose a one bedroom package because you get to keep the crates for a whole month. That means we can start taking crates over to the new house and emptying them in the next two weeks meaning there is so much less for the movers to deal with. I got 15 75 litre crates a wardrobe box and a huge coffin like container for lighter big things. The nice guy who delivered them also brought me packing paper a big roll of bubble wrap and labels for the crates and a brand new Sharpie. All of the crates are just stacked in the corner of the apartment until I use them and as I fill them they get stacked on a wheeled dolly that comes with the whole deal and soon we'll start moving all our shit from this pile to the new pile. The last time we moved I used rolls and rolls of packing tape and by the time it was all said and done my hands were raw from all of the layers of skin the tape had pulled off. I figure all the time saved by the movers will offset the cost of renting the crates. I hope I'm right.

All that being said am still trying to figure out what's going to happen with our wedding. That's where my obsession also lays and really it's all about figuring out how to do it without spending a lot of money. Right now I'm just doing research. It keeps me busy in my head.

Yes, there's stuff going on with work too. I'll let you know how that's going when the time is right.

Tomorrow I am off to The Sunshine Coast with our store manager for a bonus day and lunch with Lorna at her new place. I hope the sunsssssssssssshines. Ha! that happened by accident but I think I'll leave it.

Soon?

Yesterday we went over to the new house and signed the final lease agreement and chose what furniture we wanted to stay in the house and what should go. I managed to get a nice look at the back yard and discovered a little herb garden and a very mature bunch of shrubs, trees and flowers that are already budding. I can't wait. I wish I was there now because today is just one of those days when you want to be outside. That yard is screaming for a badminton set, don't you think?

Covered parking for two cars and lots of parking on the street for when you come to visit.

I'm keeping this chair. I love the feel in this room, the master bedroom.

I am also in love with this chandelier, it has white porcelain roses sproinging out of it.

Let the obsessing begin!!

Love

I didn't really do much for Valentine's Day but it started in the lovliest way.
Superman made coffee in the morning and then went into the den and came out with a card and a hilarious red pen that has water and sparkles in it and a heart that lights up when you try to write with it. He explained that that was why the card looked like it was signed by a small child. It was very sweet. After that he told me he wanted to play me my Valentine's song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FT5QF4JZUA
We danced a little and we cried a little and it was pretty special.
Happy Valentine's to you and those who love you.

Who do you love?

I saw this at the grocery store and I just had to get it.
Man, I love noodles. I got this for all of you, and me, and the man I love.
Happy Valentine's Day eve everybody!
I'd eat noodles with any of you.
I decided to tart my blog up like a bordello for you too. Thanks Denise for turning me on to thecutestblogontheblock.com, I have a feeling things are going to be changing a lot around here.

Are you feeling lucky?

I don't really believe in luck. Not luck that can become bad because of the number on a calendar or when you say it's nice it's not raining and someone tells you not to say that because then it will start raining. I don't believe I'm that powerful. I do, however believe in the power of positive thinking and visualizing what you want or need and believing it can be achieved. I believe someone recently tried to capitalize on this idea by releasing dvd's and books called "The Secret". Now, even though I think I already knew how to do it, I call it "secreting", it's really just hoping and wishing and knowing that it could come true. That's how I feel about our move and the new house. Now I'm secreting a solution to our issue of having to rent out the basement suite and making that all work out. And the money, I'm hoping that works too but I believe it can and I am opening up my mind and wallet to any money that's coming my way. Now would be a good time... Any time now would be good...just come on down. I really do think it will all work out.

Yesterday I was in a meeting with Lorna looking at a leather purse line for next season. I was sitting on an office type chair with wheels and reached down to grab my purse that was a few feet away from where I was sitting. Do you know what happened next?? Yup, the chair rolled out from under me and I was deposited firmly on my ass. Our host was mortified, she felt terrible, the young apprentice student who was sitting in on the meeting also looked horrified, Lorna didn't even laugh. They were all worried about weather or not I was hurt and if I was okay. So I said, " You can laugh!" but they didn't. I wasn't hurt so I got back in my chair and the meeting continued. After the meeting Lorna and I went to use the bathroom and that's when we started to laugh and laugh. I have a bad habit of doing strange things in business meetings (mostly in bank meetings, like stealing office supplies when no one's looking or the one time I involuntarily made a fart noise with my mouth and then said to the banker that it was "just my mouth", who does shit like that?) so she was wondering what I would do at our next scheduled meeting at a business enterprise association. I managed to behave myself.

I have a gig tonight with Boomchix, it's right across the street from our place. I will miss the convenience of this apartment but I am ready to go. It'll feel great to Rock Out tonight.

Wish me luck! Or whatever...

Got gas?

Well here we go. We are moving in just over 2 weeks. Yesterday I booked the movers and set up all of our utility accounts. I had to think really hard to remember that I would be paying for a gas account and electricity. We haven't had accounts with the hydro company and the gas company since 2003 and it was like not a day had gone by. Luckily we left those accounts in good standing so we didn't have to pay any huge deposits or anything and the customer service agents seemed surprised when they asked if Superman was still on the accounts too and I said yes. It's been six years of worry free apartment living, three different apartments in that time, we've only been at this place for 14 months.
In remembering some of the places we have lived together, and so far there have been 5 in the last 20 years, we realized that they were all great. We moved into every one with a feeling of excitement and anticipation and hope for new beginnings. We didn't always leave feeling that way, sometimes we were more than ready to go and other times , not so much. I always figured that if you are a renter you should explore many different types of lifestyles until you find out what really works for you. The great thing is being able to move when you feel like it. Try another neighbourhood, another type of home. I admit , I find it exciting and I love moving. Not the physical act of packing and carrying boxes but setting up a new household and making it a home and figuring out how to fit it all in and make it work, I love that.
The other day SM said to me, "I love you because you are a girl who likes adventure and if it weren't for you I would have always just stayed in the same place." I love the fact that he still wants to go on adventures with me and by this time he knows we will make it work no matter where we end up. That's trust.

Guess What?

We're moving!!

On Sunday we went to look at this house in our neighbourhood and we fell in love. The owner offered us the whole house for a reduced charge and we have a suite downstairs to generate some revenue and it has a huge beautiful back yard and, and, and...
it has the best music room/rumpus room I have ever seen. It even has a built in bar down there so we can serve them up in style. It has a huge, beautiful yard just perfect to get married in and it is on a pretty street about 4 blocks away from here so we can both walk to work if we want to. This house has a dishwasher and a nice washer and dryer as well as a cold cellar and a built in bar in the "den".
The house is about 2 blocks away from Queen Elizabeth Park and the Olympic curling rink. That means we may be able to get some Olympic goers to sublet from us during the games so we can go live in Mexico for a month and miss the whole fracas.
I haven't had a yard in about 7 years, I'm excited about gardening and sitting on the grass and barbecuing and hanging my clothes on a clothesline. The house is in immaculate condition if not a little dated inside. I think I will go with the decor and stick with a retro look, that's the type of stuff we have anyway. That wallpaper in the kitchen is in perfect shape and it really matches the hanging light fixture. Or maybe I'll rip it all out and paint it white.

The front of the house.

Living room.

Dining room into kitchen with "saloon" doors!

Big eat in kitchen with almost cool again wallpaper.

Stairs to downstairs with built in bar.

Soon to be the rockin'est rec room in town!!

Big News ????????

I have some big news that involved our living arrangments but I can't tell you yet. Hopefully I will have clearance by the end of the day and then I will spill all the beans.
I feel like me head might explode.

Wish me luck!

Suck it up.

Yesterday I met Superman for lunch at this fabulous little diner that is close to his work. It seemed I woke up hungry after my little dinner accident the night before. This diner is one of those places where they know who you are after the first visit. When I told the waitress I was waiting for someone the owner had to remind her that I was waiting for "Soup and Toast", that would be Superman.
I had to do some running around for work stuff and then came home to pick up my broken vacuum cleaner to take to the repair shop a block and a half away. I have an almost knew Bissel upright bag less vacuum that I don't like. It turns out it had a broken belt so for $10 they will fix it and then I will sell it on craigslist. The old guy in the repair/sales shop was totally flustered especially when I told him I wanted to buy a new vacuum. He kept on muttering that he didn't know anything about anything and that he didn't know where everybody was and that he only worked 2 days a week and he shouldn't be dealing with this stuff because he had a lot of repairs to do. He did show me a little canister vac that he said they sold a lot of, it was cheap but super powerful and nice and small so I can store it in my tiny apartment. I told him I would take it but he told me he didn't know how much it was so he couldn't sell it to me. ummmm. I was hoping to come home and clean my filthy floors soooooo, can you find out? Sure enough someone else eventually came out from the back and told me the price. The thing I thought was weird was he said."The best price I can give you is $50." Like I was asking for a deal, or was trying to negotiate a better price or something. I wasn't sure if I should feel like I was getting a deal or getting ripped off. As it stands I checked the internet when I got home and I thing I might have paid a little more that I should have. Not much, just a little. It was worth it for the convenience and I do believe in shopping locally so I don't really mind.
I was finally able to vacuum and I steam cleaned all my floors and I just feel so much better about myself as a person now.
I threw the leftover spaghetti sauce in a casserole with macaroni and lots of cheese and baked it till it was yummy. Dinner was good too. Then we watched a movie , Zack and Miri Make a Porno, I thought it was pretty funny. One or two jokes crossed the line for me but still pretty funny and cute.
That was my exciting Wednesday!!

Tuesday's gone with the wind.

Yesterday Lorna and I had our cover shoot for Today's Vancouver Woman magazine. We went to a studio, had our hair and make up done, had people dress us and accessorise us and then the shooting began. They started out with what they called a fashion shot, trying to keep to the formula of fashion magazine photos. The photographer was literally telling us to move your toe that way and bend this knee, not that knee and there wasn't a lot of smiling involved either. Did I happen to mention that we aren't models? I'm only going to say this once--Modeling is hard!
The shoot lasted for 4 hours and when we left the studio I was tired and my face was done up like a $10 whore. Of course Superman told me not to wash my face until he got to see my false eyelashes so I kept them on and took the picture above to prove it. I can't believe how normal the make-up looks in the photo because it looked really dramatic and dark to me. I just had to trust in this process and let the professionals tell me what to do and hope for a good result. The issue comes out in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know.

SM was heading out after dinner so I got to preparing some spaghetti with spicy Italian sausage and marinara sauce. It looked good and smelled good so I took a picture because I liked how quickly the meal came together and I was so looking forward to it.
We sat down to eat, I filled my plate and then wished out loud for a glass of wine thinking we didn't have any. SM told me we had some wine and then jumped up and got me a glass. I was feeling pretty happy and just as I was reaching for the wine, this happened.

It just happened so fast. I knocked the glass into my plate and it just smashed. There was glass in my food and glass in that pasta that you see above my plate too. It was funny, neither of us said a word. SM grabbed me the roll of paper towels and I cleaned up the wine running across the table, still not a word was said. When I was done cleaning up SM said "You should take a picture so you can blog about it." Then we started laughing.
After he went out I ate a bowl of granola. Oh well, there's still sauce left over for tonight maybe I'll try again.

Do you see what I see?

I spent Thursday night on the 29th floor of a swanky hotel in the heart of downtown Vancouver. My good friend Chrissandra was in town for a visit and we met up for some wine and catching up. The room was very nice but imagine my surprise when I saw this telescope in the room. The funny thing was, the telescope wasn't really that powerful and the only thing that you could really focus in on was the apartment building directly across from where we were. We took a little walk around the hotel later in the evening and we realized something, the rooms in the tower we were in had smoked windows so no one would know if someone were standing there looking in on you as you went about your business in the apartments across the way. As you may have guessed a lot of the apartments had their curtains open too.
I just wonder if they know? Is it just a voyeur/exhibitionists dream?
I just wonder...
We didn't really see much.
Not much.