Moving On

I have decided to switch blog servers. I have been thinking about it for a little while now, but finally made the move today. You can continue to follow my banterings here.

Quarantine

I woke up Monday morning with a nasty sore throat. I decided the best course of action was to stay home, get better and not pass it on. And it's a damn good thing I did. Later that morning I started feeling feverish and every muscle and joint in my body ached. A cough, sore throat, fever, body aches - all symptoms of H1N1.

I felt ever worse Tuesday, but by the evening I was starting to feel a lot better; and starting to get antsy from being stuck at home. Not knowing what I had I thought staying home Wednesday would be smart. And in order to go back to work I needed an all-clear from my doctor. I went to see him Thursday, positive I would be able to return to work Friday, and break my house arrest. No dice.

My doctor cannot confirm if I had H1N1 because I didn't have severe enough symptoms to be tested. But I had all the classic swine flu symptoms: I'm the right age, right sex, and it is the prevalent strain of flu floating around right now. So I needed to be treated like I had H1N1. Which meant another day at home, going totally batty since I have not ventured out, seen anyone, exercised, or been to work for an entire week. And for an ENFJ/Gemini that's hell on earth.

Endings and Beginnings

Yesterday was my final workout at Marpole Curves. It was bittersweet and surreal. As I worked out and chatted with people it didn't seem like that was it. All the Halloween decorations and usual decor were still on the walls. I noticed a few boxes had been packed, but to look at the place, you wouldn't know it was shutting down. The only thing gone was the water cooler. Not sure if the owners returned it to the water company or had moved it over to Kerrisdale.

Tomorrow will be strange. I've already packed my gym bag and will have to remember to take it to work with me. I will have to remember to detour to the Kerrisdale club on my way home from work. Strange days lie ahead; of course what seems strange now will eventually become the norm, and my days at Marpole Curves will be a distant memory, lost in the cobwebs of my brain.

Fortunately, a lot of the trainers from Marpole Curves, including the manager, will be working at Kerrisdale. The trainer who used to work Monday nights at Marpole will now be working Monday nights at Kerrisdale. That means there will be a familiar face tomorrow to show me the ropes of the new club. And that is very comforting.

Time to say goodbye. Time to say hello.

The Bad and the Ugly

Lately my life has been filled with bad news. And worse news.

I wrote last month that DPhiE was not invited back to UBC. While disappointing, things appear to be status quo. Following that news, I learned earlier this month that Marpole Curves is closing down and is rejoining the Kerrisdale location.

Now this is not an end-of-the-world, earth-shattering thing, but it is disappointing. I have been working out at the Marpole location for nearly five years. It has really become a part of my life. I enjoy the other members and have gotten to know some of them really well. For the most part, I enjoy the walks to and from and the gym, especially my Saturday morning forays to Marpole. But things happen in life and you just have to go with the flow.

And while this is sad news, I am trying to look at the opportunities and advantages of working out at Kerrisdale. I literally have to pass it on my way home from work, which means I start my workout earlier and will have more time at home in the evenings. It’s a new environment; as much as I love Marpole, the change will be welcome. Kerrisdale has more machines and the Curves Smart program which I have wanted to try out. I will have the opportunity to meet new people, but there will be some familiar faces from Marpole: both staff and members.

But DPhiE not returning to UBC and the closing of Marpole Curves is nothing compared to what Colin and I are dealing with right now. And what we are dealing is going to stay underwraps - at least in the blog.

Nobody's sick or dying. Relationships aren't ending. I have no problem sharing with you what we are dealing with right now. But the blog just isn't the best place. At least for now. All I can say is it's stressful, scary, and a royal pain in the ass.

I need something good to happen, because lately it’s been bad news all around. If that good news is what we are currently dealing with is total bullshit, I’ll take that. Gladly.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

No, it's not Christmas. And, as Staples would have you believe, it's not back-to-school either. It's the start of the hockey season!

Despite a loss to Anaheim last night (in OT mind you) the Canucks are on fire this pre-season. And I was fortunate enough to see some live pre-season action, as boring as it was.

Last Saturday, around 7:00 p.m. Colin and I were at the future shop in Lansdowne, looking for a new t.v. series to pick up. I received a call on my cell from my brother's girlfriend - we have connections to Canucks tickets once again. She had some extra tickets (free!).

It was too perfect. Other than late-night sushi, we had no real plans, and I had been gunning to try out the Canada Line. What luck that there should be a stop at Lansdowne, and since we were planning to return to Richmond for sushi, it made sense to hop on there.

We arrived at GM place halfway though the second period. But we didn't miss too much, since all the action happened in the last seven minutes of the game. It was fun, just chatting away, hanging out in the rafters (very back row!). I was half watching the game, and half imaging what it's going to be like in GM Place for Olympic Gold medal hockey! And we won't be in the rafters either. We don't have our exact seats yet, but they're lower bowl, between the bluelines...

But I don't have to wait until February for more hockey at GM Place. I got the other money hockey ticket too... Canucks versus Leafs!

Even if the Canucks bite the big one, this personally will be an awesome hockey season for me.

Oh yeah, I just handed in the work hockey pool picks today...

Shut In, Shut Out

I've been meaning to write this entry for a week or so. But the fact that I haven't written a single entry for the entire month of September mirrors how my September has been: a roller coaster of business and emotion.

I say this every month, but really, where has September gone? Maybe it's the extended summer weather that's making it hard to believe that the calendars turn over to October next week!

But let me tell you about my September - it's been an interesting one.

From the outset of the month, it was destined to be busy (both work and personal) and emotionally trying.

A good friend of mine got married over the Labour Day weekend. It was a time of great excitement and stress. Last week, we had two major events at work. It is only September, but I have already skipped many lunch hours and have stayed late, including working until 11:00 p.m. last Thursday and 7:30 p.m. last Friday.

The week before the wedding and the weeks before that I had been pouring my time, energy, and heart into preparing a presentation (along with other sisters) to re-charter Delta Phi Epsilon at UBC.

They chose another sorority...

My initial reaction was utter disappointment. But this whole time I have not felt sad or shed a tear. I have mostly felt anger. Anger that the young women making the decision didn't understand the countless hours over the past five years our alumnae have put into our return. Our unwavering support to the UBC Greek system in both a volunteer and financial capacity meant absolutely nothing at the end of the day.

Had this decision been made months ago, however, I would have cried. Like a baby. Which was my reaction when the chapter closed down five years ago. I cried at the news. Cried every time I thought about that hole left at UBC. So why didn't I cry this time?

During my month off this summer, I had a lot of time to spend with... me. Something I'm not usually interested in. I thought a lot about myself, my life, my relationships with others, how I react to and deal with things.

I suppose my "epiphany" came while vacationing in Osoyoos. During that time I read the latest book club pick: Eat, Pray, Love. Now you know I don't believe in God or religion, but there was something to the whole theme of the journey of self discovery. And so I started to change things about myself and the way I look at life. I was sick and tired of being so critical about everything and everyone. So I changed that. And it has made a difference. It's been difficult being so positive, especially when times seem not so positive. But it has certainly helped me get through the last couple of weeks.

Anger aside, I thought back to when the chapter closed and where I was in my life. I was newly engaged and recently graduated from BCIT. I was not married. Our alumnae chapter was in it's infancy. I had not been through my dark period (aka my Planet Bingo employment). I had not yet joined curves. I had not yet started Polynesian dancing...

The chapter closing was a very hard pill to swallow, but it also lead to new opportunities and adventures. Things I may not have had the time or need to do if I was still a chapter advisor.

The chapter not returning means things are status quo, but it also leaves an opening for other opportunities. Other opportunities for me, my sisters, and our alumnae chapter.

With the news of the chapter not returning and the craziness of work, and an annoying cold that won't go away, I became a hermit. Over the last two weeks I have avoided friends, not felt much like socializing. Living the life the opposite of me.

I felt so tired when I got up last Saturday, but went to Curves nonetheless. About halfway through my workout the burdens of September went away. I felt light, happy, excited, energized. I have never experienced a 'turnaround' like that before. Dare we say, it was almost spiritual...

The Underlying Theme

Whether you've been following my blogging for the past few months, or the past few years, you will have probably noticed something - I am one busy bee. But that's how I roll.

When work gets busy, that isn't really by choice. I did, however, choose the career I'm in, knowing it would keep me on my toes. My life outside of work and all that I do, that is 100% my choice! But it often seems that everything happens at once. Like August! I don't where the month has gone and I don't know how I ended up with so much on my plate. Between weddings, sorority life, and dancing August has gone whizzing by and this past week and next week have been and will be beyond insanity.

But, like I said, I choose it. I choose to dance, to volunteer, to be a bridesmaid, to be a friend, to be a wife. My busy, crazy schedule has always been part of who I am. It's one of the ingredients that makes me, me.

As I get older I find that I have slightly less energy and therefore find it slightly more difficult to juggle everything, but I am not about to give up one of the many things I love about myself to age. I've been told time and time again that as you get older it is very important to keep physically and mentally active.

I guess that's why nap time was invented!

Ask for a Millimetre, Take a Mile

I am back and forth about this entry, since it is about work. I usually try to refrain from blogging about work (especially anything negative), but this week has tried my patience.

I am following a new mantra in life: to be less critical/judgemental and to be more positive. I have tried and tried to look at the positive side of what has been expected of me at work this week, but it is very hard when you feel like you are being taken advantage of (even on a very, very small scale).

What I am going to complain about here may seem petty and small. And in the grand scheme of things, it really probably is. But it's the principle.

My director was approached in the spring and was asked if I could cover one or two days at most in front reception in August. Not the whole day, just an hour. I'm not supposed to being covering reception at all; but, for whatever reason, all the people who do normally cover reception all had been granted vacation at the same time. My director said that this one time would be fine. But I'm sure they'll ask again.

The reason I am not happy with this is twofold. They see this 'favour' as only 3 hours of my time. But it is three hours of my week where I cannot get my own work done. I can't access the programs I need, and the things I can bring down with me to work on, well I don't get very far because I am constantly interrupted.

I was told it would be two days maximum. But someone was granted an extra vacation day during the week that everyone else was away. And no one asked me or my director if I could do a third day. They just assumed and scheduled me in.

The other issue came up yesterday, during a week when I am already giving up my own work time to cover others. Again, I question the vacation scheduling. There is a big project that needs to be done this week. The person in charge of this was allowed to take their vacation at this time. Initially, I was simply asked to put an order through for printing. Of course, it wasn't that simple and it began to snowball. What should have taken 10 minutes of my time has taken hours and hours out of my last two days.

I don't want to seem selfish. I don't mind helping others. But I have work and deadlines too. Something that was never once taken into consideration this week.

Thunder Bolt and Lightning

Last night was probably the craziest weather Vancouver has ever seen! And you see some crazy weather living in this city. But I certainly don't recall ever seeing anything like this here before.

The weather forecast had been calling for thundershowers over the North Shore mountains, but that usually means this: maybe a storm that lasts all of thirty minutes, if that, with a few lightning strikes lighting up the sky, and a few claps of thunder.

For anyone who isn't from Vancouver and has experienced a Vancouver thunder storm, well it's down right piddly. But not this one! Fours hours! Fours hours of thunder, lightning, hot, humid, wet weather. Black sky. Orange sky. Lightning forking down and hitting buildings. Lightning streaking across the sky like a crack on a windshield getting bigger and bigger. And I was outside for the whole thing!

I got drenched. The electricity from the storm actually had a few strands of my hair standing on end. It was crazy. It was fun. None of us Vancouverites had never seen anything like it here before.

And I wasn't at the fireworks. I was at a block party in Tsawassen, mere feet from the boat launch at Centennial Beach. So I stood at the boat launch watching lightning rip across Boundary Bay.

After we left the party in Tsawassen, we headed into Richmond to visit Colin's parents, and continue watching the storm. And pestilence was upon us!

We were driving fairly slowly down Gilbert, watching the storm, when Colin noticed something hopping across the street. It was a frog. We stopped and I noticed that there were frogs (and frog parts) scattered all over the road. I guess the storm and humidity drove them out of the ditches. It was biblical!

The amazing show continued as we sat on the patio at Colin's parents'. You could hear people oohing and aahing all along the dyke.

It was so hot, and muggy, and wet I felt like I was in Hawaii out on the lanai.

My only regret. I didn't have my camera.