During my missing streak, when I didn't post on Always Standing from June to September there was so fairly big things that happened - aside from starting a small businesses (though frequently related.)
Here are some things that happened...
- Got to Long Point a bit, but not nearly enough
- Summer Solstice Event involved a full road closure and wasn't as tiring this year
- I had a big team at the office with three students hired for the summer
- Kristen, Noah, Jason and I went on a road trip, got to do some white water rafting
- Mom and I went to Las Vegas, she did five posts about it on her blog
- We got our driveway re-paved and the roof done at Casa Verde
- Had an awesome day at Wonderland with Jeska, as is tradition
Showing posts with label Student Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Student Living. Show all posts
Friday, 9 November 2018
Thursday, 15 June 2017
The Lost Summer
I ran across a video on Facebook called 25 Years of Summer Songs and all of them brought brief flashes of life back to me, except one. It was so strange to recognize each one, remember the song, reflect on my time during that year and then be confronted by a blank. It was jarring but I assumed it was probably an American list and that song wasn't popular here.
Then I thought about the year - 2004. I don't know if I would say it was the worst summer that I have had but it was a rough one: staying in Ottawa after my first year at Carleton in Engineering, to take summer courses. Working at a minimum wage job across the city that took over an hour and half on transit to get to. Dealing with a long distance serious relationship. Not many friends around because so many people return to their hometowns during that first university summer. However, that minimum wage job was at Extreme Pita, so that is full-time radio listening and I am surprised that the song didn't stick in my mind from that.
The song, Burn by Usher, seems to be pretty universally agreed to be the main song for the summer of 2004. While I recognize other songs from that same album, that one just isn't in my memory. I don't totally agree with all the picks each year, in 2001 I can remember Drops of Jupiter being a major summer song, but that might have just been personal experience. I might not be big on music but songs are still often a serious memory link.
Then I thought about the year - 2004. I don't know if I would say it was the worst summer that I have had but it was a rough one: staying in Ottawa after my first year at Carleton in Engineering, to take summer courses. Working at a minimum wage job across the city that took over an hour and half on transit to get to. Dealing with a long distance serious relationship. Not many friends around because so many people return to their hometowns during that first university summer. However, that minimum wage job was at Extreme Pita, so that is full-time radio listening and I am surprised that the song didn't stick in my mind from that.
The song, Burn by Usher, seems to be pretty universally agreed to be the main song for the summer of 2004. While I recognize other songs from that same album, that one just isn't in my memory. I don't totally agree with all the picks each year, in 2001 I can remember Drops of Jupiter being a major summer song, but that might have just been personal experience. I might not be big on music but songs are still often a serious memory link.
Sunday, 1 May 2016
Moved By Dad
Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A Sunday post about my Dad, named after a song that he loved.
Jason and I moved into Casa Verde last weekend. I was very thankful for the friends and family who helped out - I had never moved a whole house before. It was always just 'a room' in Ottawa when I was a student moving to a new place every couple of years. Here is a bit of a comparison:
All previous moves (in Ottawa):
- Parents brought the trailer (first the brown painted wood one, then the upgraded metal one)
- Dad wore his 'I'm moving things' back brace and sometimes socks with sandals
- Extra long twin bed separated easily into four pieces
- Had to unscrew the mirror from my dresser
- Wrapped the glass top of my desk in sheets
- Only had about 5 items of furniture, 4 boxes of stuff, and 2 suitcases of clothes
- Multiple loads driven around the block or down the street
- Took 2 to 4 hours of work
- Spent the weekend hanging out with my parents in Ottawa
This move:
- Full house of furnature and stuff
- Rented a U-haul truck
- No Dad
Jason and I moved into Casa Verde last weekend. I was very thankful for the friends and family who helped out - I had never moved a whole house before. It was always just 'a room' in Ottawa when I was a student moving to a new place every couple of years. Here is a bit of a comparison:
All previous moves (in Ottawa):
- Parents brought the trailer (first the brown painted wood one, then the upgraded metal one)
- Dad wore his 'I'm moving things' back brace and sometimes socks with sandals
- Extra long twin bed separated easily into four pieces
- Had to unscrew the mirror from my dresser
- Wrapped the glass top of my desk in sheets
- Only had about 5 items of furniture, 4 boxes of stuff, and 2 suitcases of clothes
- Multiple loads driven around the block or down the street
- Took 2 to 4 hours of work
- Spent the weekend hanging out with my parents in Ottawa
This move:
- Full house of furnature and stuff
- Rented a U-haul truck
- No Dad
Thursday, 7 April 2016
TB - July 2007
Throwback Thursday - Scroll to the bottom of the month and read up. Or click on the earliest post in the month (to view the post and the comments) then keep clicking Newer Post until you finish the month.
Oh to be young in July again! This seems like such a nice period of happiness after a long stretch of depression. I am not manic and sad things seem to still happen - I mention a crush that wasn't panning out, I think that was a colleague at Subway. In general though going through this month is a lovely read where I seem to have really found myself. Definitely immature, very 'newly independent' and living the student life-style. However, you can see the early stages of my friendship growing with ERin and Kristen. Also Steph and Teri left lots of comments and get mentioned in posts. It just looks like it was such a nice, easy, fun month. Makes me excited for summer this year!
Noted Post: I still love the post comparing Hamilton to Mordor, thanks to a funny comment made by ERin during lunch at GeoConnections.
Oh to be young in July again! This seems like such a nice period of happiness after a long stretch of depression. I am not manic and sad things seem to still happen - I mention a crush that wasn't panning out, I think that was a colleague at Subway. In general though going through this month is a lovely read where I seem to have really found myself. Definitely immature, very 'newly independent' and living the student life-style. However, you can see the early stages of my friendship growing with ERin and Kristen. Also Steph and Teri left lots of comments and get mentioned in posts. It just looks like it was such a nice, easy, fun month. Makes me excited for summer this year!
Noted Post: I still love the post comparing Hamilton to Mordor, thanks to a funny comment made by ERin during lunch at GeoConnections.
Wednesday, 17 June 2015
Physically Too Old To Game
The problem is that I am now addicted and can play the game happily on my computer, in my own little world, for hours. I haven't felt this way about a game in a long time. Lately the games that I have been into have been on my phone (or Jason's tablet): Theme Park, Pet Shop Story, and Trivia Crack. I can really get into these games but I don't feel that absorbed and each time I play it is only for a short period of time.
My love of Prison Architect reminds me of playing games like World of Warcraft or The Sims. Staying up too late. Wishing I was playing instead of being at work or school. Long stretches of time focused on the computer. And in true game addict style I was up until 1am last night, stretched out on the couch, laptop in my lap, designing my prison for hours. When I finally decided to go to bed, standing up was painful. My lounging position had cramped a bunch of muscles. I definitely don't have the energy or stamina to game like I used to, or I need to find a really comfortable/ergonomic position to do it in.
Friday, 22 May 2015
University Is A Fight
---------- from Facebook
A very accurate three-part comic about life in university, grad school, and the workplace. I like the idea that post-secondary education is a daunting battle/fight - I totally felt that, especially in Engineering and during my Masters.
CHECK OUT the "Truth About College and Getting a Job" by Oliver Coakley from Insert Life Here
A very accurate three-part comic about life in university, grad school, and the workplace. I like the idea that post-secondary education is a daunting battle/fight - I totally felt that, especially in Engineering and during my Masters.
CHECK OUT the "Truth About College and Getting a Job" by Oliver Coakley from Insert Life Here
Thursday, 16 April 2015
TB - November 2006
Throwback Thursday - Scroll to the bottom of the month and read up. Or click on the earliest post in the month (to view the post and the comments) then keep clicking Newer Post until you finish the month.
It was a different time - almost 10 years ago. There are hints at the changes a decade has given us. (Not in my life, those changes are very obvious when reading these posts - I was newly single,, writing a lot of poems, working on university essays, and living the student life with roommates at Le Manoir). I mean changes in technology over the last 10 years: There was a comment from Teri in one of the posts that said, "I tried calling u earlier this week but nobody was home." A land line! There was also something about missing the start of a TV show because I didn't make it home in time, no such thing as PVR yet.
There are quite a few mentions of my dad too! A post about him saying I had a "million dollar smile" and another about him editing movies when I was a kid. Also, a comment from Mom about me renting a scooter in Portugal and Dad riding it.
Noted Post: I really like my post of questions about Leisure Time. I work now for a company that designs 'leisure environments' so spend all day connected to the industry of entertainment. Separate from my work life and on more of a personal level, I think that the thoughts I wrote back in 2006 are still relevant.
It was a different time - almost 10 years ago. There are hints at the changes a decade has given us. (Not in my life, those changes are very obvious when reading these posts - I was newly single,, writing a lot of poems, working on university essays, and living the student life with roommates at Le Manoir). I mean changes in technology over the last 10 years: There was a comment from Teri in one of the posts that said, "I tried calling u earlier this week but nobody was home." A land line! There was also something about missing the start of a TV show because I didn't make it home in time, no such thing as PVR yet.
There are quite a few mentions of my dad too! A post about him saying I had a "million dollar smile" and another about him editing movies when I was a kid. Also, a comment from Mom about me renting a scooter in Portugal and Dad riding it.
Noted Post: I really like my post of questions about Leisure Time. I work now for a company that designs 'leisure environments' so spend all day connected to the industry of entertainment. Separate from my work life and on more of a personal level, I think that the thoughts I wrote back in 2006 are still relevant.
Monday, 14 January 2013
Danielle Kubes - Freelance Journalist
Friday, 14 December 2012
An Expensive Day, Everyday
The benefits I was getting as a Ryerson student ran out in October. Even though I was only a student until December 2012, the benefit package runs from October to October so I have been covered for a while. It is a tough bit of reality to have to pay full price for all of my medications - literally hundreds of dollars. Here is a normal day for me:
Birth Control -Cyclen - $0.90
ADHD Meds - Adderall - $3.18
Morning Anti-Depressant - Effexor - $1.49
Evening Anti-Depressant - Wellbutrin - $1.75
That is a total of $7.32 everyday, and $219.60 every month!!
So it costs me almost 10% of my income to just to stay sane, functional, not pregnant, and making sense.
The good news is that my current work is arranging for me to have a benefit package, which they will pay for, in 2013. I am going to look at packages next week to discuss which one would be best; I know that I would like dental and obviously I need prescription drugs covered!
Birth Control -Cyclen - $0.90
ADHD Meds - Adderall - $3.18
Morning Anti-Depressant - Effexor - $1.49
Evening Anti-Depressant - Wellbutrin - $1.75
That is a total of $7.32 everyday, and $219.60 every month!!
So it costs me almost 10% of my income to just to stay sane, functional, not pregnant, and making sense.
The good news is that my current work is arranging for me to have a benefit package, which they will pay for, in 2013. I am going to look at packages next week to discuss which one would be best; I know that I would like dental and obviously I need prescription drugs covered!
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Needing To Photocopy
I try to avoid doing this but today I found myself comparing Carleton to Ryerson. I hate judging the two universities against each other. It is like comparing x-boyfriends; of course I do it, but I always feel bad about it afterwards since I loved them all once and our time together should probably be viewed as special or unique or something. It is the same with school; different universities have different values, administrative styles, campuses, and provide different experiences.
Today I needed to do some photocopying for class. I can tell you without even thinking twice about it that Carleton was way way way way better in terms of copy facilities for students. They were everywhere, they were manned by people who could help you, they were good quality machines, they were open all the time, and they weren't that expensive. This seems like an insignificant thing to start judging universities on, but sometimes the small things count too - it all adds up to the general experience.
I pretty much only spend time on my department's floor at Ryerson. While it has what appears to be a good photocopier it won't accept student cards, as it is reserved for staff and faculty. I went looking everywhere for places to do photocopying at Ryerson. There aren't many. They just group a few machines together in random locations. The entire library only has about 8 machines total and only one of them has the feeder at the top, which I needed, and this single machine was broken. All of the ones at Carleton had feeders. Printing and photocopying were things I did on campus without a second thought, never having an issue or worry. Today was a headache and stressful two hours running around trying to get stuff together for my class. I ended up paying for the actual printing shop to do it for me, thankfully it wasn't expensive but it did take a while, is situated across campus, and was just in general annoying to do.
Carleton - 1. Ryerson - 0.
Today I needed to do some photocopying for class. I can tell you without even thinking twice about it that Carleton was way way way way better in terms of copy facilities for students. They were everywhere, they were manned by people who could help you, they were good quality machines, they were open all the time, and they weren't that expensive. This seems like an insignificant thing to start judging universities on, but sometimes the small things count too - it all adds up to the general experience.
I pretty much only spend time on my department's floor at Ryerson. While it has what appears to be a good photocopier it won't accept student cards, as it is reserved for staff and faculty. I went looking everywhere for places to do photocopying at Ryerson. There aren't many. They just group a few machines together in random locations. The entire library only has about 8 machines total and only one of them has the feeder at the top, which I needed, and this single machine was broken. All of the ones at Carleton had feeders. Printing and photocopying were things I did on campus without a second thought, never having an issue or worry. Today was a headache and stressful two hours running around trying to get stuff together for my class. I ended up paying for the actual printing shop to do it for me, thankfully it wasn't expensive but it did take a while, is situated across campus, and was just in general annoying to do.
Carleton - 1. Ryerson - 0.
Friday, 10 December 2010
My Life In Pasta
I am up late and plan to be up all night. I have too many things due tomorrow, all of which I left to the last minute. I am hungry so have found a box of Presidents Choice White Cheddar Macaroni. I don't even know how I have that, I should not eat it as I am still trying to avoid all starches. However, it is good stuff and I'm hungry and I need something to keep me going for the rest of the night.
I stand at the stove and think, "I'm 26 years old. What adult is up at 2am on a Thursday making Kraft Dinner? Certainly not the type of adult I thought I would be. Am I even an adult? I certainly thought I would be an adult by 26."
And so I think about my life in terms of pasta...
Parents - Growing up my parents would make pasta using the dried bags. The kind you get at the grocery store for a couple of dollars, there would always be a few floating around the cupboards and pantry. This was easy and could be paired with homemade cream or tomato sauce, either made that night or brought out from the freezer. I had this same type at friend's houses as well. A great thing to feed a pile of people in a hurry, off to soccer practice or dance class, easy to throw leftovers into tupperware for work the next day.
Grandparents - My grandparents have a pasta maker, it attaches to the end of the counter and you use it to stretch and then cut pasta that you have made from scratch. Granny would make the dough and Pa would help the kids with the little metal machine that we got to crank. A slow and delicate process. I don't even really remember how the pasta tasted just the joy of making it.
Students - Kraft Dinner in all its varieties. A solution because I had just left home and didn't know how to cook. No time, no money. Writing papers all hours of the night, sleeping in computer labs, and eating the pasta right from the pot. A box was never enough to share between two people but eating the whole thing yourself is difficult and leaves you uncomfortable full. The dishes stay dirty for a long time, but the colour never fades.
Yuppies - I heard on the radio this morning, "Yuppies like to serve their dinner guests fresh pasta." Of course they do, and I'm sure they picked it up at some cute little store in Little Italy on the commute home from the office. After such a busy day it is nice to have a few friends over to have dinner and discuss important issues. Talk about wine parings while worrying about who is trying to contact you on your Blackberry.
I don't know which of those I want. I don't know where I want to be in life. However, I do know that I wish I wasn't awake right now.
I stand at the stove and think, "I'm 26 years old. What adult is up at 2am on a Thursday making Kraft Dinner? Certainly not the type of adult I thought I would be. Am I even an adult? I certainly thought I would be an adult by 26."
And so I think about my life in terms of pasta...
Parents - Growing up my parents would make pasta using the dried bags. The kind you get at the grocery store for a couple of dollars, there would always be a few floating around the cupboards and pantry. This was easy and could be paired with homemade cream or tomato sauce, either made that night or brought out from the freezer. I had this same type at friend's houses as well. A great thing to feed a pile of people in a hurry, off to soccer practice or dance class, easy to throw leftovers into tupperware for work the next day.
Grandparents - My grandparents have a pasta maker, it attaches to the end of the counter and you use it to stretch and then cut pasta that you have made from scratch. Granny would make the dough and Pa would help the kids with the little metal machine that we got to crank. A slow and delicate process. I don't even really remember how the pasta tasted just the joy of making it.
Students - Kraft Dinner in all its varieties. A solution because I had just left home and didn't know how to cook. No time, no money. Writing papers all hours of the night, sleeping in computer labs, and eating the pasta right from the pot. A box was never enough to share between two people but eating the whole thing yourself is difficult and leaves you uncomfortable full. The dishes stay dirty for a long time, but the colour never fades.
Yuppies - I heard on the radio this morning, "Yuppies like to serve their dinner guests fresh pasta." Of course they do, and I'm sure they picked it up at some cute little store in Little Italy on the commute home from the office. After such a busy day it is nice to have a few friends over to have dinner and discuss important issues. Talk about wine parings while worrying about who is trying to contact you on your Blackberry.
I don't know which of those I want. I don't know where I want to be in life. However, I do know that I wish I wasn't awake right now.
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Christmas List - 2010
It is December 1st, which means it is time for my annual huge Christmas list! I always wait until after Mike's birthday, which was yesterday. Happy Holidays everyone!!
Big Ticket Items
-Small digital camera
-Cord/Cordless drill
-$ for clothes
-$ for travel
Clothes
-Socks (Shoe size 7)
-PJs (L/M)
-Sweaters (M)
-Black Leggings (L)
-Pretty Winter boots
-Moccasin slippers with fur
-Tank top camis (M) Black & other colours
-Zipper sweater/sweatshirts (M)
-Running Shoes (7)
-GD for Smart Set, Rickis, Sears, Le Cheateau, Aldo, etc.
Binx
-Cat brush you wear as a mitten
-Pet cleaning wipes
-Cat Attract Litter
-Cat litter deodorizer
Games
-Sims 3 Expansion packs (PC)
-WoW Game Cards (PC)
-Card Decks
-Bridge Set of Cards
-Puzzles
-Taboo
-Scattergories
DVDS
-Season 1 - Volume 2 of Glee
-Season 5 of How I Met Your Mother
-Boondocks Saints
-Cutthroat Island
-Inception
Books
-Freud collection/anthology
-Eyewitness Top Ten for New Orleans
-Easy instruction book for Bridge
-Anything by William Gibson
-'Classics'
For The House
-Cordless phone
-Bookends
-Small watering can
-Kitchen Knives with stand
-On Counter Paper Towel Holder
-On Counter Cooking Utensil Holder
-Oven Mitts
-Screwdriver with all the ends
-Large bath towels/bath sheet
-Hardware to hang pictures
Other
-Simple sports watch
-Nice dressy watch
-Post-its and tabs for research
-Milk chocolate
-Gin
-Cool snowboarding helmet
-Cream corn
-French-cut green beans
Big Ticket Items
-Small digital camera
-Cord/Cordless drill
-$ for clothes
-$ for travel
Clothes
-Socks (Shoe size 7)
-PJs (L/M)
-Sweaters (M)
-Black Leggings (L)
-Pretty Winter boots
-Moccasin slippers with fur
-Tank top camis (M) Black & other colours
-Zipper sweater/sweatshirts (M)
-Running Shoes (7)
-GD for Smart Set, Rickis, Sears, Le Cheateau, Aldo, etc.
Binx
-Cat brush you wear as a mitten
-Pet cleaning wipes
-Cat Attract Litter
-Cat litter deodorizer
Games
-Sims 3 Expansion packs (PC)
-WoW Game Cards (PC)
-Card Decks
-Bridge Set of Cards
-Puzzles
-Taboo
-Scattergories
DVDS
-Season 1 - Volume 2 of Glee
-Season 5 of How I Met Your Mother
-Boondocks Saints
-Cutthroat Island
-Inception
Books
-Freud collection/anthology
-Eyewitness Top Ten for New Orleans
-Easy instruction book for Bridge
-Anything by William Gibson
-'Classics'
For The House
-Cordless phone
-Bookends
-Small watering can
-Kitchen Knives with stand
-On Counter Paper Towel Holder
-On Counter Cooking Utensil Holder
-Oven Mitts
-Screwdriver with all the ends
-Large bath towels/bath sheet
-Hardware to hang pictures
Other
-Simple sports watch
-Nice dressy watch
-Post-its and tabs for research
-Milk chocolate
-Gin
-Cool snowboarding helmet
-Cream corn
-French-cut green beans
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
And So It Is Named
I like to name my houses. It tends to happen naturally, when you listen to people talk about places they live they tend to have a name for the house, though it is often related to the address. I find that a tad boring and in Ottawa, stepped it up a notch. Especially moving into my second house, which was an epic mansion (may it rest in peace) that was falling apart but totally worthy of a great name. So far in my life, these have been my houses...
1984 - 1985 - Cambridge - I was born in Cambridge, Ontario. I lived with my parents in a small house until I was one and a half. I obviously don't remember it, though they have shown it to me a few times since.
1985 - 2003 - Paris - So, the first two are named for the towns. I only lived in one house in Paris so instead of calling it by the street, I always just say Paris. The house was sold this past summer.
2003 - 2004 - Rez - While I was living in residence, Glengarry House, at Carleton Steph, Em, and I called it Glen, to distinguish it from the other residences on campus. However, after moving out it just gets referred to as Rez.
2004 - 2006 - Glen - This house is named after the street and even though it could get confused with my residence house, especially as I was living with the same people, it never was.
2006 - 2008 - Le Manoir - It was this mansion that inspired the need for awesome house names. I wanted to make it sound ostentatious, so picked to name it in French. It means The Mansion, however we have always pronounced it so horribly that it would make anyone who speaks French cringe in pain. It seemed like an ever revolving door of roommates there (including Ami, Em, Anna, Wes, Jake, Jer, and a few others) but they all called it Le Manoir.
2008 - 2010 - Die Höhle - Following in the foreign languages vein, Jer, Em, and I decided to name the next apartment in German. This was because the outside of it was very ugly, a big grey 1960's box of a house in a beautiful Victorian neighbourhood. It look like a German war bunker. Translated it means The Cave and again we mispronounced it terribly, much to the dismay of the one friend I have who speaks German. During the second year Linds lived with us and later on JennB, they both called it Die Höhle.
2010 - 2010 - The Cottage - We got the cottage when I was 16, so sometime around 2000. About 4 or 5 years back my parents tore down the original building and set about building a house on the beach that they could eventually live in full time. Well, the time has come. They sold the other house and live at The Cottage, though the name remains. I have never really lived there, but I would consider it an important residence in my life.
"So what about the new Toronto apartment?" you ask. After about a week, Kristen and I set about coming up with a name. Our landlord is Jewish and we live in a fairly Jewish neighbourhood. (Though there is a Catholic Church right down the street from us that plays its bells all the time and I have seen actual nuns there. However, I don't know where our closest Synagogue is.) We are basing this assumption about our neighbourhood on the number of people we see in yarmulkes walking on the streets, that the local grocery store has a huge kosher section, and the ice cream parlor sells kosher brownies. It seemed fitting that the language we pick for naming this one be Hebrew. This was easier said than done!
Hebrew uses different letters, not just some fancy two dots above the 'o' like in Die Höhle but a totally different thing all together. Hebrew does not have an Alphabet it is instead considered an Abjad. (This means it is a segmental script containing symbols for consonants only, and the vowels are optionally written with diacritics or 'pointing'). We decided that we wanted to called it Grown-Up Apartment. We are working hard on this place to make it nice and to avoid that student feel. But, even with all the online translating sites out there, we couldn't find out how to say that in Hebrew. We had to settle for Adult House (which has some funny connotations on its own). I'm sure, like the other houses I have named in languages other than English, I am screwing this up horribly, but we have called our place...
Which seems to be spelt in the Latin (or Roman) Alphabet, which English uses, as something close to Rrunuv Bayit. Obviously pronouncing it is also challenging. The 'Rr' is rolled but then the rest of Rrunuv sounds like it is spelt and Bayit is more like 'buy-it'. Though I'm sure this is wrong. When in a rush, we will sometimes refer to it as just Bayit, and that is currently our wifi name. Now, I need to go and finish painting, unpacking, cleaning, and in general settling in, so that Rrunuv Bayit can live up to its name and truly be a Grown-up Apartment.
1984 - 1985 - Cambridge - I was born in Cambridge, Ontario. I lived with my parents in a small house until I was one and a half. I obviously don't remember it, though they have shown it to me a few times since.
1985 - 2003 - Paris - So, the first two are named for the towns. I only lived in one house in Paris so instead of calling it by the street, I always just say Paris. The house was sold this past summer.
2003 - 2004 - Rez - While I was living in residence, Glengarry House, at Carleton Steph, Em, and I called it Glen, to distinguish it from the other residences on campus. However, after moving out it just gets referred to as Rez.
2004 - 2006 - Glen - This house is named after the street and even though it could get confused with my residence house, especially as I was living with the same people, it never was.
2006 - 2008 - Le Manoir - It was this mansion that inspired the need for awesome house names. I wanted to make it sound ostentatious, so picked to name it in French. It means The Mansion, however we have always pronounced it so horribly that it would make anyone who speaks French cringe in pain. It seemed like an ever revolving door of roommates there (including Ami, Em, Anna, Wes, Jake, Jer, and a few others) but they all called it Le Manoir.
2008 - 2010 - Die Höhle - Following in the foreign languages vein, Jer, Em, and I decided to name the next apartment in German. This was because the outside of it was very ugly, a big grey 1960's box of a house in a beautiful Victorian neighbourhood. It look like a German war bunker. Translated it means The Cave and again we mispronounced it terribly, much to the dismay of the one friend I have who speaks German. During the second year Linds lived with us and later on JennB, they both called it Die Höhle.
2010 - 2010 - The Cottage - We got the cottage when I was 16, so sometime around 2000. About 4 or 5 years back my parents tore down the original building and set about building a house on the beach that they could eventually live in full time. Well, the time has come. They sold the other house and live at The Cottage, though the name remains. I have never really lived there, but I would consider it an important residence in my life.
"So what about the new Toronto apartment?" you ask. After about a week, Kristen and I set about coming up with a name. Our landlord is Jewish and we live in a fairly Jewish neighbourhood. (Though there is a Catholic Church right down the street from us that plays its bells all the time and I have seen actual nuns there. However, I don't know where our closest Synagogue is.) We are basing this assumption about our neighbourhood on the number of people we see in yarmulkes walking on the streets, that the local grocery store has a huge kosher section, and the ice cream parlor sells kosher brownies. It seemed fitting that the language we pick for naming this one be Hebrew. This was easier said than done!
Hebrew uses different letters, not just some fancy two dots above the 'o' like in Die Höhle but a totally different thing all together. Hebrew does not have an Alphabet it is instead considered an Abjad. (This means it is a segmental script containing symbols for consonants only, and the vowels are optionally written with diacritics or 'pointing'). We decided that we wanted to called it Grown-Up Apartment. We are working hard on this place to make it nice and to avoid that student feel. But, even with all the online translating sites out there, we couldn't find out how to say that in Hebrew. We had to settle for Adult House (which has some funny connotations on its own). I'm sure, like the other houses I have named in languages other than English, I am screwing this up horribly, but we have called our place...
Which seems to be spelt in the Latin (or Roman) Alphabet, which English uses, as something close to Rrunuv Bayit. Obviously pronouncing it is also challenging. The 'Rr' is rolled but then the rest of Rrunuv sounds like it is spelt and Bayit is more like 'buy-it'. Though I'm sure this is wrong. When in a rush, we will sometimes refer to it as just Bayit, and that is currently our wifi name. Now, I need to go and finish painting, unpacking, cleaning, and in general settling in, so that Rrunuv Bayit can live up to its name and truly be a Grown-up Apartment.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Times In Toronto
I have been in Toronto for a few days now. Kristen and I now have internet and a land line. We are hopefully getting our TV and cable set up tomorrow. We have been painting the apartment and, of course, are no where near done unpacking all our boxes. I am loving Toronto! I have been riding the subway, I bought tokens and everything. I spent a couple of days wandering around Ryerson Campus, it feels great to be a student again. School starts on Monday.
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Extraordinary Canadians
Penguin’s Extraordinary Canadians. John Ralston Saul, Executive Editor of the series and newly elected president of PEN International leads the discussion on three Canadian titans on the world stage: Adrienne Clarkson on Norman Bethune, Mark Kingwell on Glenn Gould, and Douglas Coupland on Marshall McLuhan.
So the Ottawa's Writers Festival event schedule said the above. I jumped on the chance to go as a student for only $15. The event was last night and the two Jenns came along too. Thank goodness I got our tickets weeks ago because the event was sold out, packed, and had a group of people outside trying to buy people's tickets. Now, it is a sad day as a Canadian when I, a fairly well educated English major, only knew 3 of the above 7 names. (That is a fail in fact.) However, a quick google/wiki search and I figured out who the rest were. It was so not what I was expecting! For one, Extraordinary Canadians is a book series, I didn't really figure that out from the above blurb. The authors were talking about books they had written for the series, biographies about famous Canadians written by famous Canadians. It really was an amazing event, I was much entertained and very glad to have seen these people speak.
So the Ottawa's Writers Festival event schedule said the above. I jumped on the chance to go as a student for only $15. The event was last night and the two Jenns came along too. Thank goodness I got our tickets weeks ago because the event was sold out, packed, and had a group of people outside trying to buy people's tickets. Now, it is a sad day as a Canadian when I, a fairly well educated English major, only knew 3 of the above 7 names. (That is a fail in fact.) However, a quick google/wiki search and I figured out who the rest were. It was so not what I was expecting! For one, Extraordinary Canadians is a book series, I didn't really figure that out from the above blurb. The authors were talking about books they had written for the series, biographies about famous Canadians written by famous Canadians. It really was an amazing event, I was much entertained and very glad to have seen these people speak.
Sunday, 6 December 2009
Christmas List - 2009
So I'm A Big Kid Now
-nice winter coat
-warm socks
-external hard drive, compact in size
-Moleskine 2010 Large Weekly Planner Horizontal
-a set of 2 or 3 connected cordless phones
-Rickie's GC
-anything to with learning/speaking French
But Still Feel/Live Like A Student
-Sims 3
-pouch for bike handlebars
-tea towels
-cream corn
-french cut green beans
-Chef Boyardee with tab on top
-foaming hand soap
Travel
-small travel umbrella
-wheelie luggage
-Eyewitness Top Ten for Beijing, St. Petersburg, Moscow
-Trans-Siberian Handbook by Bryn Thomas, 7th Ed
-anything to with learning/speaking Russian or Chinese
DVD's
-Mighty Ducks Trilogy
-Boondocks Saints
-The Saint
-HIMYM Season 4
-Stardust
-Cutthroat Island
-10 Things I Hate About You
Doesn't Need To Be New
(Used Would Be Awesome)
-toaster
-good quality vacuum
-BOOKS!!!
-nice winter coat
-pretty but warm winter hat
-leather gloves-warm socks
-external hard drive, compact in size
-Moleskine 2010 Large Weekly Planner Horizontal
-a set of 2 or 3 connected cordless phones
-Rickie's GC
-anything to with learning/speaking French
But Still Feel/Live Like A Student
-Sims 3
-pouch for bike handlebars
-tea towels
-cream corn
-french cut green beans
-Chef Boyardee with tab on top
-foaming hand soap
Travel
-small travel umbrella
-wheelie luggage
-SD memory cards for camera
-plug adaptors (Europe, Russia, Mongolia, China)-pre-paid picture printing, Blacks
-Backpacking backpack-Eyewitness Top Ten for Beijing, St. Petersburg, Moscow
-Trans-Siberian Handbook by Bryn Thomas, 7th Ed
-anything to with learning/speaking Russian or Chinese
DVD's
-Mighty Ducks Trilogy
-Boondocks Saints
-The Saint
-HIMYM Season 4
-Stardust
-Cutthroat Island
-10 Things I Hate About You
Doesn't Need To Be New
(Used Would Be Awesome)
-toaster
-good quality vacuum
-BOOKS!!!
Sunday, 27 September 2009
And Then We Were Awesome
I bought a cheap little bathroom set over 6 months ago; towel rack, hand towel ring, and toilet paper holder. We don't want to use the towel rack so gave it away a while ago. We just need to put two things up. But, I don't own a drill to install them. Eventually I asked our landlord to borrow his. Jerrica and my first attempt didn't go well. Basically it was a total disaster. We abandoned the project for a couple of weeks, leaving some sizable holes in our nicely painted bathroom walls. Today we tried again. Success!! It was a struggle still and at times we were both shaking pretty bad, worried that more things would go wrong. However, we got the hand towel and toilet paper things up, I have never been so proud!!
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Very Nice
I am having a great Saturday in bed with...
--five blankets
--Grey's Anatomy on ctv.ca
--my purring cat
--The Wars by Timothy Findley
--Facebook
--Photoshop and my BC pictures
--a bowl of Cheerios
I don't want to get up, this is the life!!
--five blankets
--Grey's Anatomy on ctv.ca
--my purring cat
--The Wars by Timothy Findley
--Photoshop and my BC pictures
--a bowl of Cheerios
I don't want to get up, this is the life!!
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
I Love It
I bought a bus pass. It is the greatest thing. I had a few monthly ones a few years back but I just got an annual student pass that goes until the end of August. Someone had told me that it doesn't save that much money, that it is just easier than waiting in line and remembering to go and get a new one every month. It turns out that it is a big savings almost like the last month is free. I broke the bank to afford all that money upfront but it is worth it. Especially because now I feel super bad taking a cab as I can take the bus as much as I like. I even brought my groceries home on the bus tonight, which I never do.
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Mini Diary
TIME: Night
I am sleeping in Taylor's bed. I normally sleep on the couch when I stay over at TKH's apartment but since Taylor was away I slept in her bed. The bed is amazing! It is the softest, most comfortable bed in the whole world, even better than my own which I have now decided is the second most comfortable bed in the world after sleeping in Taylor's.
TIME: 7:00
The alarm goes off. I want to sleep more so I set the alarm again for 8:00 and think to myself that I can be in my own bed sleeping at 2:30.
TIME: 8:00
Wake up, pack my things, and get ready to head to work. This does include brushing my teeth with toothpaste and my finger as well as sitting on the bed staring blankly and for no reason at the clock for 6 minutes. I am thankful that it is only 6 and a half hours away from 2:30 when I can sleep.
TIME: 8:45
I arrive at work and check my e-mail. I eat a Crunchie chocolate bar for breakfast that I randomly had stashed in my desk. I read the Daily, an e-mail that updates the high level activities for the different areas of the department. I reply to and send a whole bunch of e-mails to people in preparation for the three articles that I have to write over the next week. The research stage is nearly finished. I can sleep at 2:30.
TIME: 9:30
The admin assistant tells me that I need to tell her what days and hours I intend to work in April. My boss isn't going to be in until later so I discuss the issue with the acting manager and then my editor. We decide on full days Tuesdays and Thursdays. This entire process takes much longer than it should. It is either because I'm very tired or because I work for the government, one of these things will be fixed at 2:30
TIME: 10:30
While riding the bus I do some last minute studying on the way to campus. For the most part I just daydream about 2:30 and being in my bed sleeping.
TIME: 11:00
I sit outside the class room to read my study notes again. I can't wait for this 3 hour class to be over. Then I realise that the class actually ends at 2:30 so it will even later before I get to be home in bed.
TIME: 11:35
Class starts and the midterm is handed out. I recognize all the questions and am not surprised by them. I do however not know or have forgotten about half of the answers to them. I start to fill in what I know. I am happy to hear that the midterm is for the full 2 hour lecture, we can leave when we are done, and that our 1 hour discussion group that usually starts at 1:30 is cancelled. Maybe I will get home and be sleeping by 2:30.
TIME: 12:15
I finish the midterm really quickly and I will definitely fail it. I'm glad to have at least gone to class, put the effort it, and done some studying. I will have to pick it up more in this class though. I decide to take the bus home instead of the 5 minute walk. I'm just so tired and can't wait for my 2:30 bedtime
TIME: 1:00
I have settled into bed after making it home and changing into pajamas. I call Jerrica to see how she is feeling and find out that she is working the long shift today so I won't see her until much later. I check my e-mail, Facebook, and post on my blog. I intend to probably watch an episode or two of 30 Rock online before going to sleep around 2:30.
TIME: 2:30
S-L-E-E-P-I-N-G
I am sleeping in Taylor's bed. I normally sleep on the couch when I stay over at TKH's apartment but since Taylor was away I slept in her bed. The bed is amazing! It is the softest, most comfortable bed in the whole world, even better than my own which I have now decided is the second most comfortable bed in the world after sleeping in Taylor's.
TIME: 7:00
The alarm goes off. I want to sleep more so I set the alarm again for 8:00 and think to myself that I can be in my own bed sleeping at 2:30.
TIME: 8:00
Wake up, pack my things, and get ready to head to work. This does include brushing my teeth with toothpaste and my finger as well as sitting on the bed staring blankly and for no reason at the clock for 6 minutes. I am thankful that it is only 6 and a half hours away from 2:30 when I can sleep.
TIME: 8:45
I arrive at work and check my e-mail. I eat a Crunchie chocolate bar for breakfast that I randomly had stashed in my desk. I read the Daily, an e-mail that updates the high level activities for the different areas of the department. I reply to and send a whole bunch of e-mails to people in preparation for the three articles that I have to write over the next week. The research stage is nearly finished. I can sleep at 2:30.
TIME: 9:30
The admin assistant tells me that I need to tell her what days and hours I intend to work in April. My boss isn't going to be in until later so I discuss the issue with the acting manager and then my editor. We decide on full days Tuesdays and Thursdays. This entire process takes much longer than it should. It is either because I'm very tired or because I work for the government, one of these things will be fixed at 2:30
TIME: 10:30
While riding the bus I do some last minute studying on the way to campus. For the most part I just daydream about 2:30 and being in my bed sleeping.
TIME: 11:00
I sit outside the class room to read my study notes again. I can't wait for this 3 hour class to be over. Then I realise that the class actually ends at 2:30 so it will even later before I get to be home in bed.
TIME: 11:35
Class starts and the midterm is handed out. I recognize all the questions and am not surprised by them. I do however not know or have forgotten about half of the answers to them. I start to fill in what I know. I am happy to hear that the midterm is for the full 2 hour lecture, we can leave when we are done, and that our 1 hour discussion group that usually starts at 1:30 is cancelled. Maybe I will get home and be sleeping by 2:30.
TIME: 12:15
I finish the midterm really quickly and I will definitely fail it. I'm glad to have at least gone to class, put the effort it, and done some studying. I will have to pick it up more in this class though. I decide to take the bus home instead of the 5 minute walk. I'm just so tired and can't wait for my 2:30 bedtime
TIME: 1:00
I have settled into bed after making it home and changing into pajamas. I call Jerrica to see how she is feeling and find out that she is working the long shift today so I won't see her until much later. I check my e-mail, Facebook, and post on my blog. I intend to probably watch an episode or two of 30 Rock online before going to sleep around 2:30.
TIME: 2:30
S-L-E-E-P-I-N-G
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)