It All Catches Up

The last couple of weeks have been amazing and crazy, and all this running around, trying to do a billion things at once has made me sick.

I didn't want to miss work so soon, having just started about a month ago, but I know me, and when I get sick, I need to take a day off to get better, otherwise I will just get worse: I woke up Monday morning with a swollen and soar throat, but other than that, felt ok. Yesterday my throat felt worse, and I felt a bit feverish.

What should you not do when you have a soar throat? Call Bingo. I work in the marketing department, why the heck was I playing the role of caller? The marketing team (which consists of me and the marketing manager) have been setting up booths at local events to attract new customers. This past weekend we were at the Dragon Boat Festival (I went Saturday, and she went on Sunday). Yesterday was Aboriginal Day: we headed out to Trout Lake and set up a booth and ran mini bingo, the winner receiving Planet Bingo merchandise.

I thought being outside, in the fresh air, would help, but by the time I got home I was wrecked. I didn't end up calling most of the games, because my throat couldn't handle it and by the evening I was achy and feverish. I decided to see how I was when I woke up this morning, but I am still not feeling 100%, better than last night, but I decided to stay home because I know that is the only way I will make a quick recovery, and with my wild wedding weekend coming up I need all the energy I can get (I will explain in a moment).

So What of Whistler....

Remember I went to Whistler a couple of weekends ago? A trip away with Colin and our friends - well it didn't exactly end up as I anticipated, but that wasn't such a bad thing. For six weeks the wool had been pulled over my eyes and an intricate web of secrets had been created to keep the fact from me that the weekend in Whistler was my stagette...

Poor Colin had to take me being mad at him for not wanting to miss martial arts so I could leave Vancouver after work - he was never coming up in the first place. He offered to have someone else take me up and meet me there later... little did I know that Devon was planning on taking me up the whole time.

Vicky and Anita were late leaving Vancouver so Devon had to stall getting me up to Whistler. First, we didn't leave my office till almost 6pm. I wanted to head out before 5:30pm as there are only 3 people in on my Fridays I have to work and they were gone by 5pm, so I was itching to leave work.

I thought I had it all figured out by Lions Bay, however: I had taken my car to work so I could go out and shop for prizes for upcoming promotions. Around lunch time I returned home and Colin dropped me back at work. I had lots of luggage to bring up with me (as I usually do - you think with all the traveling I do, I would have learned the fine art of packing lightly...) and I didn't want to take it all to work, so I asked Colin to bring it up later - he said he couldn't. Now that was odd. So by the time we hit Lions Bay I started to think about Colin's strange behaviour and then it hit me - he wasn't coming this weekend. But by Squamish I had changed my mind back...

It took 4 hours - 4 bloody hours - to get to Whistler. Devon had to stall at all cost, and I guess, lucky for her, some idiot had been speeding southbound down the Sea to Sky, crashing into a guard rail, which stopped traffic for about 30 minutes.

When we arrived in Squamish we first went to the liquor store: we were actually IDd and Devon had left her's in the car. The women eventually let us buy our alcohol, but then Devon ran back into the store to show her license - one thing to buy time. Usually I go to Taco Bell or Timmy Ho's for a quick bite to eat, but Devon suggested we go for a sit down meal at White Spot.

We took our time at dinner and Devon even asked me about bingo to buy more time, but half way through the conversation I realized how stupid it was and suggested we leave, but she had to make a pit stop first. She was in the bathroom for 10 minutes - when she finally came out, she said that some woman has been throwing up and she was helping her - she was actually on the phone with Lisa, who was already up in Whistler. Then it took forever to get out of Squamish: First, Devon needed to fill up her car, eventhough there was enough gas in it to get to Whistler and back to Squamish. Second, we had to pick up ice, which, for the life of me, couldn't understand why: Lisa's cabin is in Creekside, about a 30 second drive from the Husky station. Of course it was all part of an elaborate plan to stall me. We finally left Squamish, but we forgot the ice; Devon wanted to turn around, but I insisted that we keep on going.

On the last leg up to Whistler, Devon began to drive very slowly and let a tonne of cars pass us, including ones that were way behind us that would not have been incovenienced by our slow driving. Then I saw Anita's car drive by. How did I know it was Anita's? I can't imagine there are too many blue jettas out there with a fuzzy worm coiled around the rearview mirror - but luckily this didn't spoil the surprise. By this point I was back to thinking it was going to be a regular weekend in Whistler and that it was pure coincidence Anita happened to be heading that way too - luckily I didn't see Vicky in the car with her.

For one last stall, we ended picking up ice from the Husky and finally made it to the cabin by 9:30pm. When we walked in the door, I was met with my surprise - Lisa, Thalia, Vicky and Anita - it was my stagette weekend.

That night we drank and painted our nails (a good girls' night) and on Saturday Anna, Tracie and Kerri joined us for an "Amazing Race" in Whistler that Lisa and Devon had put together. It was awesome. That night we headed to Garf's for some partying and to see me do some crazy stagette stuff, all within reason, though. I wasn't too wild about the "penis" crown, but donned it for a little while, but Anita was more than willing to wear it for most of the night (I believe she wore it on her stagette).

All in all it was good weekend, but I was exhausted by the end. I did eventually catch up on my sleep, but I guess the new job and being busy with the wedding finally took its toll.

The Weekend Ahead
So, I mentioned that this upcoming weekend is my wild wedding weekend: what on earth does that mean? This friday I will be attending Thalia and Todd's reception. They were married in Greece in May, but are holding a reception here for local family and friends, many who could not make it to Greece (including myself). On Saturday, we are attending a wedding of one of Colin's fraternity brothers. And on Sunday I am attending the first of two wedding showers. This one is for my family and Colin's family (females only), thrown by my aunt and cousin. I believe the one with my friends is taking place July 23.

Hopefully it won't be such a long break between now and my next blog entry, but we shall see.

Time

Well, I am officially jumping on the bandwagon for more hours in the day: Since I've started my new job, I've barely sat down. Now, if you know me, you know this is a good thing, and it has been unbelievable to see how much energy I really have. But with less time in the day, things have become more rushed, and I haven't been able to do some of the smaller things, like writing my blog.

This week has been as crazy as last week, but I feel less tired and run down after work: On Monday I was in the door and out to go to Curves, and then decided to go to Safeways afterwards to pick up some ingrediants for a taco salad, so by the time I got home and made dinner and sat down it was 8pm. Tuesday was also a scramble: went to Curves, then headed out to Metrotown, as it is the only mall open late on Tuesdays. Colin and I went to Thomas Cook travel, but they weren't that helpful - looks like we've gathered all the required info needed to book a honeymoon in Hawaii or New Zealand.

Then yesterday, my boss called a meeting at the end of the day - so I didn't leave work until 5:45pm - usually not a problem, but in order to keep up going to Curves three times a week, I absolutely had to go last night. Only problem is, they are only open to 7pm (at least the Marpole Curves is) and the latest you can start you workout is 6:30. I got in the door around 6:15 - amazingly, I didn't speed and was back out again, just in time.

Last night was far too rushed - I love to be busy, but I hate being rushed.

So why can't I go to Curves today, tomorrow or Saturday? Today I have a dress fitting, and tomorrow I am heading up to Whistler for the weekend... hopefully a relaxing one...

Time to Breathe

Wow! What an insane week it has been. I started my new job on Monday: once I get used to it I think I am going to have a lot of fun. I decided to take the flex hours, so I have every other Friday off (starting with today) by working an extra half hour a day. A pretty sweet deal. Working till 5:30, however, is tough. I am hoping I will be able to come in at 8:30 and leave at 5:00pm, but we shall see.

On top of starting a new job, I think this has been one of my busiest weeks since I left BCIT. Because I work till 5:30 I don't get home till 6pm. On Monday I had a VAPA (Vancouver Alumnae Panhellenic Association) meeting at UBC at 7:30pm. Tuesday I went to Curves and then out for a Sushi dinner with Colin and his dad. Wednesday Colin and I went over to my parents' house to celebrate my birthday. Yesterday I went to Curves then Colin took me out for a wonderful birthday dinner at the Boathouse. Originally, he had planned on taking me to Dem Bones, which we were both looking forward to since we haven't had ribs in a long time. But it was closed for renos. What's up with us going to restaurants that are closed? Before we went to dinner, we went to Richmond Centre to pick up a christening gift for Mylene and Colin looked at some gifts that he could give as attendants gifts. After dinner we returned to Richmond Centre and saw Madagascar - very cute and funny.

Like I said, I had today off (and so did Colin) so we had a lazy morning in bed, then headed over to West Van to have lunch with my Grandparents and go to Park Royal. We went to the Bay to buy a wedding present for Thalia and Todd. I hate the Bay!!! You can never find a damn thing. So why did we register there too? Probably to repay the hell our friends have put us through over the years trying to find a gift... The Bay is good when you are the one putting the registry together, but good luck trying to find anything.

Colin was taking his time at HMV (and bought 5 CDs), and realized I hadn't returned from the Bay yet; so he came to find me all pissed off and flustered. I had gone in knowing exactly what to get them, but they didn't have it (and neither did the Bay in Richmond). So I bought something entirely different and wasted an hour at the Bay.

So at this point, I haven't really sat down in 5 days...

In order to keep up going to Curves three times a week (which I have been doing since I joined in February), I went after we arrived home. After that I walked up to the library to pick up some travel books I had reserved. Then I decided to go for and eyebrow wax, and then decided to go to my tanning salon.

When I got home I put away the laundry, did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen and bathroom and vacuumed the whole apartment.

Then I made dinner.

And then I sat down... for the first time since Sunday...

And now here I am, writing this Blog entry

I am sure things will get a little less crazy as I get used to my new schedule. I am a little concerned, as we head into the last two months before the wedding, that I might go crazy though. My next flex Friday I will be working at the Dragon Boat Festival, and will be working the Saturday and Sunday as well. And next weekend I am up at Whistler.

Life is busy, but it is good.

Ending and Beginnings

I have to start off by saying wow is it ever hot outside today. This comment has nothing to do with the rest of the impending post, but I just thought I'd share with everyone how happy I am about this weather; dare I say maybe it's a bit too hot... Ah, who cares... I love the heat, but I am one of those people who has a very high tolerance for heat (and a very low tolerance for the cold...).

Summer weather aside, today is my last day at WPGA, or is it? No matter how many times I leave this place I seem to end up back here. I just hope the next time I end up back here it will be in the advancement office putting my marketing skills to good use.

But, for now, this is the end of my employment at WPGA and I am looking forward to starting my new job on Monday. It is more than starting a new job, however, it is the start of my career. The more I think about the things I am going to be doing and accomplishing, the more excited I get. I am looking forward to moving forward, moving up, putting my marketing skills and ideas to work... Can you tell I'm excited?

In other news... I had the best tropical drink last night. Colin and I were trying to figure out where to go for dinner. Both of us wanted to be outdoors and enjoy the warm evening, but English Bay and the North Shore weren't really an option. So we headed into Richmond to go to Doc Marlins... turns out it has been shut down for two years. We ended up going for Korean BBQ, but were indoors.

After dinner we decided to go for coffee, but it was getting quite late. We then decided to drive into Steveston, however on the way there, as we were driving over the 3 Road bridge, I yelled out, mid conversation, the Elephant's Arsehole... This is my mum's lovely name for the Elephant and Castle... We sat out on the deck and ordered drinks. Like I said, I had this amazing tropical conconction: Pina Colada, Banana, Orange, Mango and coconut rum - a Tropicalada - God, it was tasty :).

Relationships

Recently Tina commented in her blog on the fact that I enjoy doing my own things as well as doing things with Colin. But it wasn't always like that: I was only 20 when I first started dating him and I wanted nothing more than to spend all my time with him. I would opt not to hang out with my girlfriends in order to be with him... but that was (almost) seven years ago.

In the past few years we have moved in together, recently become engaged, and in about 2 months, will be married. Our relationship is strong because we are each others' companions, but haven't lost sight of who we are as individuals. We have learned over the years the importance of having our own time to do our own things, to be able to spend time with our friends - maintaining other relationships as well as our own.

But, like I said, in the beginning, I would give up a night with the girls to be with Colin... Now I wouldn't break those plans, because I enjoy spending time with my girlfriends, doing girl things. Colin enjoys his nights out with the boys.

But to each their own. What is strong and works in our relationship may not work for someone else. But I am happy to know that someone out holds my relationship with Colin in such high regard - I am very humbled by that :).

May 2-4

So, my Victoria Day long weekend left much to be desired; especially since this was the first one I had the freedom to enjoy in the last two years. The past two May long weekends have been warm and sunny; friends have made the trek to Whistler to kick off the summer season; and where was I? I was stuck indoors, in the city, studying.

Yes, that's right, it's not as if BCIT tortured us enough during the school year with insane work loads; no, they set finals AFTER the May Long weekend. So, I was really looking forward to this one, but the weather was crappy and no one went anywhere. Going to see Star Wars on Saturday was the bright spot of my long weekend. C'est la vie, I guess...

A Little Bit About Me

I first saw this on Jovo's Blog and since then, have had a few friends email it to me - so I thought I would post it in the Watering Hole for friends and strangers alike:

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Siobhan
2. Shiv
3. Fibo (for Andrew's use only...)

THREE HATED NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1. Chevron - I am not a gas station
2. Chiffon - I am not a fou fou piece of material
3. Fibo - I may go by it, but I don't like it

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My eyes
2. My loyalty
3. My weird sense of humour

THREE THINGS YOU HATE/DISLIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My insomnia
2. Panic attacks
3. lack of self assuredness

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. Canadian
2. British (Scot-Welsh-English)
3. Irish

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Death
2. Creatures with 8 legs
3. Being alone

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Tea
2. Chocolate
3. Social interaction

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WOULD LOVE TO DO RIGHT NOW:
1. Go away somewhere tropical
2. pay off all my debts
3. Go shopping

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS :
1. Dogs
2. watching movies
3. spending time with family and friends

THREE NEW THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS
1. Marriage
2. Water Skiing
3. Photography

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP (love is a given):
1. Humour
2. Loyalty
3. Trust

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SE X (or same) THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
1. eyes
2. height
3. red/strawberry blonde hair

THREE THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T DO:
1. Give up junk food
2. Sleep through an entire night
3. face my fear of spiders

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Curves
2. Reading
3. Shopping

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Buy a house
2. Buy a new wardrobe
3. Go on a vacation

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
1. Stay at home Mum
2. Marketer
3. Wedding Planner

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. New Zealand
2. Italy
3. Carribean

THREE KID'S NAMES
1. Aidan
2. Patrick
3. Ciara

LAST THREE PEOPLE YOU KISSED
1. Colin
2. Mum
3. Grandma

Finally...

My career starts on May 30th. Yes, if you haven't heard, I finally landed myself a job in marketing. I will be taking on the role of Promotions Coordinator for Planet Bingo, a division of BCLC (BC Lotteries). It is a cosmic bingo hall, and the simplist way to describe my job is that I have to get bums into seats...

The best thing is, I finally get to put my BCIT schooling to use. It has been almost a year since I graduated, and I am feeling a little rusty, but I am sure I will be fine once I get into the thick of things.

In some ways it is hard to leave WPGA, even after my great desire to no longer be a secretary and put my talents (and intelligence) to some good use. It has been a fun place to work; the students are cool; and the staff is a lot of fun to hang out with. But, Planet Bingo seems like a lot of fun as well. It appears to be very laid back and casual - hell they are giving me all the time off I need for the wedding, and time for the honeymoon. They also have the choice to work flex hours: I will be working 9-5, but if you put in extra hours here and there you get every other friday off - every other weekend, a long weekend? Sounds like a good deal to me.

I have gone from feeling really nervous, to excited, but I am sure the nerves will return on May 29th.

So no more bitching or ranting allowed about how bad my job is (unless my new job really sucks, but I don't think it will)... I am now in a position where I am getting paid more (always a bonus) and launching my career.

By the skin of their teeth

Well, the budget passed and so did the ammendment. BC isn't looking so insignificant anymore in the world of Canadian politics is it. It's quite funny really: the fate of the Liberal government was in the hands of an MP from Surrey... Actually, I guess it was in the hands of the Speaker of the House, but his job is to vote for what is best for the country (but not necessarily along party lines), so there was really no suspense there... all eyes were on Chuck Cadman.

This whole thing is quite a dilemna; who do you support? A government that is corrupt and using our tax dollars for their own purpose; or, an opposition that has hopped into bed with a party whose soul purpose is to tear Canada apart? It really is the lesser of two evils...

BC Elections Commentary

The Liberals won another majority - yeah! The NDP gained back a tonne of seats; I didn't think they would get more than 20, but it should be a good balance - The Liberals still in power with a majority should ensure a strong economy, but with so many NDP seats that should make the Liberals accountable for putting money back into areas and programs, such as Health and Education.

And that's my commentary - ok, so not much of a commentary, especially for someone with a minor in Canadian Political Science, but in my defense, I never took the BC Government course, wished I had though...

And now on to the Federal Commentary...

I would be much happier with Stronach's decisions to cross the floor if she didn't pick up a portfolio along the way...

But I concur - Stephen Harper is a nut job... The Liberals are looking crooked, but I sure as hell don't want Harper running this country...

Who's the Dumbass at Canada Post?

I have never had a problem with Canada Post before, until yesterday. Mind you, this isn't a big issue, just an odd little mess up:

I mailed out the wedding invitations on Monday (no turning back now); when I came home from work yesterday and checked the mail I noticed one of the invites had been returned. My first thought: we had the wrong address or accidently typed the wrong address. But, there was no return to sender sticker on it. No, some genius at Canada Post mailed the invite to the return address not the mailing address. The distinction between mailing address and return address seemed fairly obvious, at least to me... The mailing address was on the front of the envelope with the stamp placed in the upper left-hand corner; the return address was on the envelope flap (doubling as a extra way to keep the envelope closed). But somehow, it was sent to us... go figure.

By the sounds of things, however, the other invites have, so far, made their way to their correct destinations. Hopefully this was a one time, weird occurance.

And that is my Canada Post Rant...

Where did it go???

For the most part when I put my contacts in, it is uneventful. Every now and then a speck of dirt makes its way onto the contact, so I just blink my eye, pop it out, clean it and pop it back in.

This morning, though, my left eye started to sting like crazy. I reacted by shutting my eye tight, but when I opened it there was a hazel eye staring back at me, not a green one (I wear green tinted contacts). My assumption was that the contact had popped out of my eye, as is common when you close it too fast.

This is wear it pays to wear coloured contacts - when you drop them, they are easy to find. But I couldn't see my contact anywhere: It wasn't in the sink or on the edge of the sink; it wasn't on the floor. I began shaking my clothes to see if it was stuck on me, but to no avail. I then checked to see if I put the plug in... I did. So where the hell was my contact?

I remember someone telling me once that contacts could go to parts of your eyes where they weren't supposed to go; someone else told me that just doesn't happen. But the upper part of my eye felt irritated - it couldn't have...

I gently lifted up my eyelid, and again it pays to wear coloured contacts - I saw the edge of the contact poking out; after a split second of feeling completely grossed out, I blinked my eye and the contact popped right into place.

So, it is possible to loose your contacts to unknown parts of your eye - I just hope it isn't a frequent occurance!

...Yes, I have a message for Paul Martin

...you see Bono told me to give him a call...

I was very happy and fortunate to be one of the chosen ones. That is one of the U2 fans lucky enough to get tickets for their Vertigo tour. Two nights in Vancouver sold out in about 15 minutes. Granted I was behind the stage, and way up in the nosebleeds of GM place, but it still rocked.

I don't think I can even describe the excitement and anticipation in GM Place on Friday night, and the stage set up - well, you just had to be there. I was dancing up a storm (and there wasn't much room, sandwiched between Andrew L. and Colin) to Vertigo, Elevation, Sunday Bloody Sunday and the list goes on.

The one thing I noticed was the number of generations present at the concert, different generations for different albums. There were some young kids in front of us who seemed to know everything off of "How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb," and then there was my crew, the Achtuang, Zooropa generation, and so on.

They played a ton of stuff from the new album, more so than most stops, I believe. Why? Well, they are using the Vancouver (and I believe Seattle) concert for the Tour DVD. Pretty cool!

Then, during One, the UN charter scrolled across the big screens, and so did Paul Martin's phone number. Bono asked everyone to get out their cell phones and call PM-PM and tell him that Canada is the best nation to put a stop to poverty in 3rd world countries - these were Bono's words.

During One, everyone had their cell phones open, swaying to the music and the blue and green glows lit up GM place - it was an awesome effect. Very powerful.

The next evening, while at dinner with friends of ours, we decided to see if this phone number actually connected us to Paul Martin - we were connected to the Prime Minister's Office and then to the Prime Minister's voice mail... Bono told us to give you a call, we support his cause and want Canada to take a leading effort in ending poverty in 3rd world countries.

The Nature of Blogs (or an agreement with Tina ;))

Blogs are neat, little things. There are no rules to them, except just write. Write whatever comes to mind and share it with your friends and with the anonymous faces in cyberspace.

I have come across blogs that are dedicated to a particular pasttime: one that comes to mind is crocheting. Yes, I actually found an entire blog dedicated to crocheting.

Then there are the blogs that offer social commentary and have even been used as serious news articles. Yes, breaking news through the world of Blog.

But mostly, blogs seem to be about our lives: sometimes it is an exact account of our day; we often talk about our feelings good and bad; we offer our opinion on things; and for some, it is a way (whether they think it is, or not) to show us that they have an enourmous chip on the shoulder. Everyone has bad days and runs of bad luck, it happens. But some people think the whole world is out to get them. It's only out to get you, because you let bowl you over.

I enjoy my friends' blogs, it's a great way to keep caught up with one another, especially in this hectic day and age. But there are some who's blogs make me feel rather depressed and sorry for those people, that they can't seem to focus on the good parts of life: "you take the good, you take the bad, and there you have..." Yes, I did just quote the facts of life, but it's true. People know my gripes, we all have them, but I also try to offer up some of the fun things in my life as well. For instance, tonight, I am going to the U2 concert. I am so excited about it I woke up at 6am this morning (after going to bed at 12:30am). God what I am going to be like the day before my wedding...

So for all you bloggers, share your woes, but also give us the good times, because, quite frankly, I have no time and energy for those in a perpetual state of gloomy gusiness. (That last word looks a bit like Guiness, doesn't it? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more, say no more).

4 hours until Vertigo...

Endings

Usually when we think of endings, we become sad. An ending is often a closure we don't want to face. But as we have learned from fairytales and Hollywood movies, there are also happy endings...

My writer's block is coming to an end. I have had writer's block for almost 9.5 years! I have managed to put words on paper and develop some interesting characters and story lines, but the last time I produced a finished piece was Janaury 1996. That story won me an Honourable mention in the BCTF writing competition, in rthe category of Grade 12 Prose.

Let me correct myself, it has been 9.5 years since I have completed a piece of prose; it has been many more years since I have written a poem.

Yet, today, as I sat in Trimble park, munching on my sushi lunch, my muse returned to me. Here is the result, and please let me know what you think:

View from Trimble

Azure skies and sapphire ocean meet,
joined together by blue-green mountains.
The cityscape reaches high,
the familiar copper green roof,
5 Sails,
revolving restaurant,
the mushroom cap that shelters outer space.
Sun seekers nestled in the sands of Jericho.
The Inukshuk stands tall in the Bay,
a symbol of us
an Olympic spirit too.
Sailboats and cruise ships drift
in and out of the lnlet,
taking their crews on unknown journeys.
While the Lions,
peacefully perched atop the mountains,
proudly watch their city below.

A Matter of Taste

I have a new addition to my bathroom - no I did not get lucky and finally get a vanity or a sink that is any other colour than pink. I now have a second shower curtain.

There has always been one leak in our bathroom that has persisted for years: For those who know my apartment, you know that the bathroom window is in the shower. Everytime we have a shower, whether the window is opened or closed, water runs down the outside of the apartment building, causing some small water damage.

When our bathroom was being repaired after the pipe burst, our landlord wanted the window looked at to see if anything could be done about the leak. The plumbers applied a water seal, but the landlord also wanted to put a curtain over the window for double protection from our shower water.

I assumed it would be just that, a small curtain across the window. Oh how wrong I was. I came home from work last week to find this hideous, translucent, plastic shower curtain that not only covers the window, but the whole back wall of the shower.

I love taking showers, I find it very relaxing and rejuevinating. This is no longer the case. I feel like I am trapped in a room where both walls are moving towards me to squish me (a la Scoobey Doo or Indiana Jones). My showers should not be a claustrophobic experience.

My landlord asked me the other day how I found the new shower curtain. I wanted to say it's horrible and ugly and completely ruins my showering experience. But I didn't. I just gave the old smile and nod and said it was great. She then proceeded to go on about how wonderful it is, and its nice isn't it?

I suppose if you like pink bathroom porcelin, you will also like fugly, transperent shower curtains. I guess it's just a matter of taste.

A Rose By Any Other Name...

What's in a name anyways? Sounds cliche doesn't it? But it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately, as I enter my last few months as a single woman.

I have decided to take on my husband's last name. I decided that a long time ago, but as the day draws closer it is starting to seem a little sureal, a little scary.

For the past 27 years I have had the last name Poole, but in a few short months I will take on the name Blackstock. A name which I will carry for the rest of my life (which is hopefully longer than another 27 years). While my married name seems strange and foreign now, I will have that name a lot longer than my present name.

In a way it feels like I am changing my identity. On paper I will no longer be Siobhan Poole, but be Siobhan Blackstock. However, I will always be the same person, I will always be a Poole, I will just be a Blackstock too.

My bestfriend is also getting married this year, in fact, she is getting married in 2 weeks. She hasn't decided what she is going to do with her last name - her situation is opposite of mine. She will be going from an extremely original name, to a more common last name. Whereas I am going from a more common name to an uncommon last name. Through our many conversation we uncovered the fact that we have googled ourselves and our married names.

Try it: there are a few "Siobhan Pooles" that show up, including a women who owns a Riding Club in Britain. Google "Siobhan Blackstock" and what turns up - nothing. Yes, as soon as those metacrawlers pick up my married name, I will be the first in the land of Google.

This is the opposite for my best friend. Currently she is the one and only on Google, but there are a few others out there with her married name.

So are we making our decisions based on being the one and onlies on a Google search? Hardly, but it is just one of the many things you unearth as you discover your married name.

The strangest thing I have found are people's reactions to my married name. Almost everyone has told me what a strong, powerful name Blackstock is... it is a strange experience, it feels very enpowering.

But it isn't the power of the name, or its place in the world of Google that will make me change my name - it is just something I want to do. It just feels right.

Have I Kept You in Suspense???...

Have you been dying to know how this past weekend and the final stagette turned out? Well, I am happy to say, no drama here. I think I was dreading it so much that everything went well. The maid of honour actually got some fun things for the stagette (like she originally said she would): the bridal party wore leis, and the bride wore a veil. In general, it was good times all around at the Blarney Stone.

And I have to say, I looked pretty good. I had been to the hairdressers earlier that day and had a hair cut (first one since November) and had my highlights touched up. But for once, in my photos, my face wasn't shiny - I actually nailed the night time look - I will have to post those when I get the damn hello! thing working.



I had a bit of a fright on Sunday evening. I was sitting at home, channel surfing when a news story on CNN caught me off guard. A cruise ship in the Carribbean had been struck by a giant, freak wave - the cruise line? NCL. The one my parents were on at that moment in time, in the Carribbean. The newscast wasn't broadcasting much info, so I checked out CNN.com to find out the name of the ship - it wasn't my parents - thank god! A couple of days later I got an email from mum, saying that as we probably gathered by now, it wasn't their ship - gee... But they are having a good time, enjoying the food and hot weather! Not that it isn't hot here...

Stressed... about someone else's wedding...

Do you remember my post about having low, to no stress levels about my wedding - well that still stands; but my best friend's wedding, now that's a different story, but it certainly has nothing to do with her, just the events surrounding her wedding.

It was like pulling teeth to meet with the bridal party to organize a shower and stagette. I finally got that opportunity, but I was the one running the show. I knew neither of them had been part of a bridal party before, but they hadn't really been to a wedding shower either, and didn't know how to organize one - it ain't rocket science people...

So, we managed to set up dates and places and activities for the shower and stagette(s), but that was a pipe dream: Originally the sister of the bride was going to be hosting the shower at her parents' home, prepare the food and one of the shower games. Well about a week before the shower, I was informed by the bride that her sister wasn't doing anything at all. So my stress level rose slightly.

Then, five days before the shower, the bride calls me in tears. Her mum doesn't want it at her house, because some of the groom's family is attending the shower, and she doesn't want them in her house - WTF??!! Of course the bride is so stressed (and now so am I); but I felt really bad because the bride's finals started the very next day...

I decided to host the shower at my apartment, not much room, but it was a location. I worked out a menu, and the bride (yes the bride) joined me for food shopping! I bought all the prizes (my initial responsibility) and luckily organized ALL the games, since the bride's sister showed up with nothing at the shower.

In the end, the shower was a lot of fun, despite the drama - oh, by the way, the mother of the bride didn't attend - nothing like adding salt to the wounds.

So on to the stagette - Part 1: Bowen Island. A small group of us headed up to other the bridesmaid's cabin for a girl's weekend away. We decided that just the bride and the bridal party would go up Friday night and then have everyone else join us Saturday, early afternoon. Sounds fool proof right? Wrong (a la Jon Stewart voice).

I knew by thursday that the bride's sister wasn't coming up till Saturday and that the other bridesmaid was driving. But I was waiting to find out if I was being picked straight from work, or if I was going home first. Well I didn't hear anything that night, so I decided to take all my stuff to work with me and have Colin drop me off. If we weren't leaving right at 4pm, I could get a ride to my parents and hang out there until we left. By about 3pm the bride still hadn't heard anything, so she decided to pick me up at 4pm and we went back to her house. The other bridesmaid finally showed up around 5pm and we were able to make the 6:30 ferry to Bowen.

Saturday was a pleasent day. The three of us and dog in tow, went for a hike around one of the regional parks. But before that, the bride called her sister to find out when she was coming over to Bowen. She wasn't - again, WTF? The bride offered to call her friends who were driving over that day to pick her up - she still refused to come.

If anyone acts like this come my shower/stagette time this summer, some serious shit is going to hit the fan.

So we are off to the Blarney Stone (Part 2) this Saturday, but something interesting has come up. Before heading downtown, we wanted to meet at someone's house for a bit of pre-partying and go down in a group. Of course, the bride isn't sure if we can meet at her place (due to the parental units), so the other bridesmaid offered her house as a meeting spot (both are close to downtown, whereas I am out by Richmond, so it doesn't make sense to meet at my place). But, as we are driving back to town this past Sunday, she mentions that she wants to pick up a shift till 9pm and hopes that the Blarney has a guest list so she can get in - and again WTF??!! Didn't she offer her house as a meeting place before hand??

Well, there is no guest list, so we all have to be there before 9pm. I guess we will have to see how this weekend goes...

Murphy's Law

If there was ever a case of Murphy's Law, this was it. Like I have said, the plumbers never showed up on Tuesday, nor did they come Wednesday, Thursday, and so on.

Our landlord called us late Sunday morning to tell us that the drywallers were coming at three to patch up our wall. You have got to be kidding me. The plumbers and the drywallers don't come by all week, and the one day they do decide to come by is the worst possible day. Why? Because I was hosting a wedding shower (another story) at 3pm. I had a few choice words for Murphy's Law at this moment.

Colin explained to our landlord that any other day would work, but not today. She understood completely and rescheduled them for Monday at 5pm. So, did they show up yesterday? No. Of course they didn't. And to top things off, I am no longer getting a nice, bone coloured sink with a vanity. GRRR! My landlord found an extra pink sink in our building for our apartment.

Now it's not so much the colour of the sink; I can tolerate the pink. But I was so looking forward to having a vanity. I guess I will carry on using the top of the toilet as bathroom counterspace.