Xmas List 2018

Two
- Treats (Temptations Dental)
- Little mouse toy
- Litter deodorizer (Arm+Hammer)

Joint
- Gift cards
--- Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Cineplex
- Travelling coffee mugs, not plastic
- King Sheets (100% Cotton)
- Help installing kitchen faucet
- Animal safe sidewalk salt
- Shower curtain liner
- Kitchen scissors
- Super large bath towels
- Foaming hand soap
- Steak knives
- Strong fridge magnets

Jason
- Gift cards
--- XBox, Amazon (for Kindle Books), MEC
- Coffee beans
- Sour candy
- Coke in glass bottles
- Craft Beer, not hoppy
- T-shirts, size Med
- Socks, shoe size 10.5
--- black dress, white athletic
- Sunglasses
- Spray sunscreen
- Dove for men shampoo
- Bar soap
- Clear glass coffee mugs
- Franks Red Hot Sauce

Me
- Gift Cards
--- Ricki's, Dollerama, IKEA
- Books (used is fine)
--- Fiction, William Gibson, Jasper Fforde, Gail Vaz-Oxlade (Never Too Late)
- Boardgames
--- Ticket to Ride: Expansion Maps
--- Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It
- Epsom salts
- Soap and Glory: Flake Away
- Canned corn
- Martin's Apple Chips
- Compact over-ear headphones (with cord)
- Android smart watch
- Kitchen scissors
- Potting soil
- Basil plants/seeds
- Chap stick
- Black no snag hair elastics
- Bath bombs
- Stud earrings backs that clip
- Travel toothbrush

Summer Solstice

Today is the Winter Solstice, so I thought I would talk about the event I ran exactly 6 months ago! (Though I also ran an event earlier this month, but the summer one was a much larger task.) For 2018 we did a full road closure and at the same time cut almost half the budget. R and I worked very hard and I am so happy with how it all turned out. 

Even though last year I said I had thought the event went well, this year was much much better! I was depressed through most of last summer and part of that was set off by how disappointed I ended up being with the 2017 event. This year's event led into a happy, healthy and enjoyable summer! I am very proud of the 2019 Solstice event that we ran in The Junction.

Jason and Noah were big help as volunteers!

June 23, 2018 - Junction, Toronto

Beginner Drawing - Class 4 of 4

I have been sick and I missed class tonight. The past three nights have really opened my eyes to the joy that pursuing a hobby can bring to my life. That making art and learning, meeting new people and participating in something like this really elevates my day. I am so sad to miss this last class and though my new business will take up too much time to continue with more courses at this time, I hope I don't stay away from art for too long.

Some Of The Things We Missed

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

Beginner Drawing - Class 3 of 4

We worked with charcoal tonight and it was really interesting to try the different types. I was scared because you don't have the safety of easy erasing. But I enjoyed it and am happy with my results. Next week we get to pick which medium we want to work it, I think I will return to pencil but this was a nice experiment.

No Time To Spare

I mentioned that I am working towards opening a mini-donut businesses, well from April until September that was done in my spare time. Starting in October I went down to part-time hours at The BIA and I plan to leave that job completely at the end of January.

Since getting a confirmed (purchase agreement in place, but haven't yet officially closed on it) location the workload has really increased. I have chosen to buy an existing business allowing me to skip a large part of the renovations needed for a raw space, and it also comes with some equipment.

I think I naively thought that working part-time in the office might leave a little bit of time to do more writing on Always Standing - but it turns out that starting a small business is more than a full-time job!

Time To Share

I haven't given an update on what is happening in my professional life. Basically I have spent the last 6 months or more working towards opening a mini-donut business. This added element into my life is probably a major component as to why I haven't been posting as much on Always Standing.

I did so well in October, with the intention of spending November sharing information about my new enterprise publicly on this blog. But time slipped away and I didn't know how to explain to the world - using this medium - what was going on. My groups on WhatsApp and close friends over texts get lots of updates. I have sent emails to friends, family, acquaintances and work colleagues. I am using Facebook to share details. But writing about this donut venture here has been escaping me. (I am sure that most of my audience - that is even still around - duplicates from those I speak with more intimately.)

I realize that for me now Always Standing is a bit of a journal. A public repository of what is happening in my life. I don't want to stop writing because I don't want to lose the ability to look back at this time in my life, I love doing TB posts and the chance to see my thoughts from years ago. So the blog is going to continue as a means of documenting my life. There is over a decade of writing, can't stop now!

Beginner Drawing - Class 2 of 4

So I spent Halloween drawing objects, learning how to measure and more accurately reflect sizes and distance between shapes. I am very slow, didn't come even close to completing the shoe last week and this week I was really enjoying the challenging shapes in the second composition but hadn't even finished the vinegar bottle by the time class ended.