10/29/2003

halloween shmalloween

I've always had a hard time getting into it. Pretty much since the year I was 13 and my parents told me that I was getting a little old to be dressing up, oh that and having to coerce them into taking my brother and I out every year. Kinda took all the fun out of it for me.

...sigh...

How sad. I kind of just want to sit by the fire and watch movies all night and crochet.

10/27/2003

i love my grandma

Update about my grandma's italian pension nightmare:

Last Wednesday we successfully twisted the arm of the broad who kept giving us a hard time into just getting the damned thing done. I called my dad almost in tears the night before, not wanting to have my grandma deal with any more crap from those fuckers. He told me the only way to deal with those self-important blowhards is to intimidate them. So, when we showed up, I pulled out a pen and a pad and laid it on the desk, making a big production out of it so the person "serving" us could see that I was going to take notes - and it worked.

I suppose I could have offered to bribe her to get it done.

i spoke a little too soon

PHEW!!! Looks like I won't need to get another job after all.

Last night I subjected Kirk to the joyful process of doing our personal and business budgets (ick). It looks like we'll be ok...we'll just have to tighten our belts a little.

Thank goodness. I was really starting to freak out, and in turn freak Kirk out - which is never a good thing (sorry poops!!!).

I guess I was worrying that our new heavenly retreat would end up being some kind of massive albatross, which is the LAST thing I wanted.

Now I can relax (as much as someone like me CAN be relaxed) and be as happy as a REN.

10/24/2003

The party is officially over.

I'm having a hard time letting go of that "go-go-go" stressful bullshiat I've been living with since we decided to buy the cottage. Part of me feels like it isn't real - even though we spent 2 days there. I think it's probably the fact that I have to WAIT until next spring to actually DO the stuff we've been planning to do with the place.

...deep breath...

Well I guess it felt pretty real as I was post-dating cheques for our mortgage payments. Man, I'm going to have to get another part-time job now. I know it's not the end of the world, considering I've had it pretty easy workload-wise since my accident last summer. ICK...Time to check out the want ads.

10/21/2003

devil's lake ROCKS

Kirk and I spent the weekend at our new property on Devil's Lake...it's actually named Salerno Lake but the name was changed years back. I guess they had a leetle trouble selling lots.

It's the most amazing place. Seriously.

There's no running water, an outhouse and the cottage leans a little but there IS hydro so I have NO COMPLAINTS...plus it's fuggin' beeeootiful.

See?

10/20/2003

CBC News: B.C. hit with more rain, flooding forces 800 to flee homes

Dear Universe,

In the last year alone, Canadians have suffered asian insect infestations, SARS, BSE, hurricane Juan, drought, forest fires and when we look for something good to take us into the annual SAD season you give us floods?

I think you can do better than that!?!?!?!

(btw - the recent election of the Liberals in Ontario doesn't count)

10/19/2003

sine yo piddy on da runny kine

Note to Ren:

While you wait for my next posting, watch this.

It's just sitting there...waiting...

c'mon!!!!

It won't change your life...but it will make you giggle.

10/16/2003

i vow to blog more often

Grandma and I went to the italian pension office again yesterday. Once again, they told us that we didn't have enough information to process her paperwork.

I understand that this information is needed to ensure that she's still eligible for her pension next year but COME ON. I love my grandmother and am getting sick and tired of useless government workers treating her like a second class citizen. Just because she's old doesn't mean she is deaf, dumb and blind. Christ, her mind is just as sharp as it was when she was 50, but these arseholes talk to her like she has the intellectual fortitude of an infant.

We're going to have to go back sometime next week.

...sigh...

On the bright side, Kirk and I finally closed our cottage deal and are just waiting to have the keys sent to us. As long as they get here by tomorrow, we're heading up there on the weekend. YAY!!!!! I am SOOOOO STOKED!!!

BUT...I'm starting to feel icky now...I think my poor body was just hanging on for dear life during the stress of this closing...now I'm paying for it with intense reactions to every allergy I have. yay.

Note to Ren: I lurve you too, you dirty whore.

10/14/2003

no moooooooooore

Dear Turkey dinner leftovers,

Why must you tempt me with your deliciously intoxicating tryptophan?

Sleepily yours,

zzzzzz........

10/13/2003

uuuuuuughhhhhh....

so full.

spending the holidays with both Kirk and my families means 2 HUGE meals within a day of one another.

i have eaten turkey for the past 3 days...ENOUGH I SAY!

10/06/2003

i am a lazy blogging biatch

Here's what happened last week.

Monday
1. Went to work.

2. Went to see Queens of the Stone Age at the Koolhaus with Missy and Melissa. Bumped into an old co-worker, Scott. We worked together at a company that shall remain nameless (I try to NEVER mention their name in ANY context - I prefer to forget as much as I can about that period of my life). He was one of the few who made working at that shiat-hole tolerable. Anyway, we got there just in time to catch the 2nd opener The Distillers. They rocked out pretty hard but I wasn't blown away by them. Maybe it's cause the singer (who is HOTT!) sounded too much like Courtney Love who is a scary, scary lady. The Queens were amazing. They have lots of energy and are toight, ass-kicking musicians!

Tuesday
1. Went to Katrina's Studio. I'm worked on a pencil drawing of some tchatchka carved horse that one of Katrina's other students brought in. When I'm done I'll upload some photos of it to my art web pages.

2. Visited my Grandma. I took her to the Patronato Acli office which is supposed to provide information and assistance with Italian pensions. My Grandma's a landed immigrant and is still an Italian citizen so she gets a small pension from the Italian government. Basically every few years they do a survey of all pension recipients to make sure they're still alive. Apparently there's a BIG problem with people dying but still recieving their pension cheques.

So, Grandma had to bring all the requested documentation and ID in to the office to submit everything to the Italian government. They were fairly rude and unhelpful, as we had expected (I've taken her there before). Turns out my grandmother's most recent photo ID is an Italian passport that was issued to her in 1965. The person who was "helping" us told my grandmother she needed to update her ID (which makes sense). That means a new passport, which will probably cost her about $200. Needless to say my grandmother wasn't happy and proceeded to give the woman behind the desk an earful, who dealth with it by excusing herself to go to the washroom and not coming back. Man, my Grandma's a fiesty biatch. Now I know where I get it from.

Anyway, now we're going to have to go back there sometime soon or Grandma won't be getting any pension next year.

Wednesday
1. Went to Katrina's Studio. Worked on an oil painting that I'm just not liking.

2. Picked my mum up at the hospital. She had laser eye surgery to remove a cataract on one eye. Spent the afternoon with her and my brother (who is a chef and personal trainer) and we watched Daddy Day Care. I finally bit the bullet and asked my brother to help me get into shape. I'm so tired of being sore all the time from the accident last year when I was hit by a car crossing the street. I get repetitive stress injuries like mild carpal tunnel over a few days instead of over the course of weeks like most other people. BLECH. Marc's going to kick my ass into shape starting this week. I'll keep you posted. Oh, and my mum can see better now without her glasses for the first time EVER since she was 12.

Thursday
Was supposed to work but was sick. Stayed home and crocheted.

Friday
Still feeling like crap, but good enough to go for my regular therapeutic deep tissue massage. Genevieve has MAGIC FINGERS. But I was pretty useless for the rest of the day.

Weekend
Not much to tell. Originally Kirk and I were going to go up to the cottage this weekend, BUT since we haven't closed yet (GAHHH!) we couldn't go. There was also a DigitalEve Toronto board meeting (I'm a member of their Advisory Committee) that day that I missed (DAMN!). It was a meeting to help transition in the new board of directors but I just couldn't get it together to go. I was still in pretty bad shape. Basically all I managed to accomplish all weekend was some cleaning, grocery shopping, tea with my friend Kathleen, napping and crocheting.

And today I have wicked cramps. YAY!