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Hello Universe!
I bet you've been wondering where I've been these past few months. No? Well, I've certainly been wondering where I have been. Life has been pretty good lately, so I can't complain but in general I've felt rather lost. Work has changed rather drastically since the summer, with changes in hours, duties, and the people I work with day-to-day. There are aspects that are frustrating as hell, but other aspects that are a great improvement. I'm torn as to what sort of direction I want to go with my life (in terms of career and education) and right now I feel like I've reached an impasse. I have no idea where I want to go and what I want to do.
September was a fairly quiet month (besides work related chaos). Josh and I went to the Zoo one fall afternoon with some friends and we had a nice time wandering around. It's a little bit sad that the Zoo hasn't changed much at all since I worked there. It's also horrifying to think that I started working at the Zoo over a decade ago now. Holy shit! My summer job at the Zoo was my first real job and while it was certainly a good summer job (who can complain about being outside all day during the summer?), I definitely would not want to go back to that. I've certainly come a long way in ten years.
Last month was my 26th birthday. (Happy belated birthday to me!). I mostly took it easy and didn't worry about it to much. I had some friends over and took it easy. Josh and Michelle piled my desk with tonnes of t-shirts, books and candy for my birthday which was totally awesome. They were more anxious to have me unwrap my gifts then I was (so much so that they had me open them a day early!). I also went out to dinner with co-workers to celebrate the birthdays of three of us (all born within 3 weeks of each other). Overall I had a great time and was certainly glad for something a little low key.
My parent's gift for my birthday was getting Josh and I tickets for Mamma Mio! which is currently playing at Celebrations. We sort of picked what day to go at the last minute but we went and had a great time. The last show we had gone to was almost a year ago (for Josh's birthday) and we were pleasantly surprised to recognize a few of the cast from that last performance. We both got pulled up on stage to dance at one point to some great ABBA music and overall had an awesome time. :-)
Halloween this year was a lot of fun. Last year Josh and I didn't really get into the Halloween spirit and we only ended up having four kids come to our door. This year with both Michelle and Josh around the enthusiasm was much greater. We went all out, and I mean ALL out. Josh and I decorated the front steps, we packed goodie bags (including ones that were peanut free) and Josh carved some amazing pumpkins. I tried to help with the pumpkin carving, but I was so exhausted (and creeped out by the texture) that I was pretty much useless. We had two pumpkins out front, Boo from Super Mario Bros, and an awesome looking dragon. I wore my new Boo shirt that I got from Teefury.com and we were set!
You can check out a bunch of the Halloween photos Here.
After the high from Halloween was over and I got passed the massive sugar rush, Josh and I tried to sit down and once again do NaNoWriMo. For the past few years I've been trying to match and surpass the success of my first attempt and so far I'm failing miserably. I have a lot of great ideas, but as soon as I sit down to type my brain shuts down. I have ideas and know what I want to write, but the grand descriptions and my excessive usage of various forms of "darkness" just isn't coming to me. I'm not sure if it's a side effect of work related stress, a variety of other distractions (Heroes, Bones, Warcraft) or if I'm just completely out of practice. Whatever it is, it's frustrating as hell! I know that it'll come to me eventually, but I'm resigning myself to the fact that I'm not going to reach my goal of fifty-thousand words by the end of our month. I'm glad Josh has tried to push me to write again though and that he's offered to write with me in order to encourage me. I think I just need to lock myself into a room in the basement, disconnect the internet and tune out the world for a month or two...maybe then I'll be able to write more than a page. Maybe?
I'm by default not naturally inclined towards karaoke and as such was initially hesitant about going. By the end of the night however I had loosened up a fair bit and sang a bunch of duets with Christine: Bust A Move (Young MC), Baby One More Time (Britney), I Love Rock'n'Roll (Joan Jett), All That She Wants (Ace of Base) to name a few. I totally butchered Bust A Move and probably got less then a third of the worlds...and I think Simon got video of that...
A bunch of my co-workers really impressed me. Maridel and Marielle both have really amazing voices (though Maridel couldn't focus on a song long enough to finish it). Marielle stuck to ballads, which were all very impressive. Simon is apparently very southern when he rocks out and does his country music. It was weird hearing him sing instead of mumble softly. Impressive, but still a little weird. Dana had a very soothing voice and was totally not what I was expecting. It'll probably be a few more years before I do karaoke again, but I can admit that I had a blast. :-)
I'm going to end my rambling now and leave you with the video for a song I'm completely addicted to right now. I totally blame Josh, but it's really just because I <3 Katy Perry. :)
Hubble Image Credit: NASA
Cataclysm Image Credit: Blizzard Entertainment
Yesterday I attended an ethical discussion at work which touched on the idea of "when does the end of life begin?" I've never had a strong interest in ethics in the past but I found the discussion topic fascinating and decided to check it out.
Our conversation veered rather quickly away from the topic of the "end of life" and more towards the difficult decisions that need to be made as an individuals life is coming to an end. The question: when do you know that it is the right time to allow for someones passing? Unfortunately the discussion tended to be vague because as we all accepted early on, you can't make any blanket statements and assume that it will apply for every situation. The right time for one person may be vastly different then another. But how do you know? Is it when there are no other options left, when you are just too tired to fight, or when a medical professional tells you it's time?
The discussion only ran for an hour and in that time we only touched on a few parts of the issue. The biggest discussion was based on how one person or a collective can make such a decision for a person who is non-verbal and can't communicate their own wishes. It is at that point that you have to ask yourself what is best for this individual, and make a decision that is well informed yet free from as much bias as possible. However, even armed with as much knowledge as possible, and being completely free of emotion I don't know that I could make that call on someones behalf. I would never be able to say I had decided with 100% certainty. If the individual could communicate, would they express wishes contrary to the decision I had made?
I have been wondering these things for a little while now, especially with the operation Lana recently underwent. Some might say that the situation with Lana is different because she is a pet and not a human being...but I beg to differ. She is still a member of my family, someone I had to make a difficult decision for. We appear to have made the correct call, but still I have to wonder what she was thinking during the whole thing.
Attending the debate certainly opened my eyes to new questions. I'm glad that I attended and even expressed my own opinions. At points I felt a little bit out of my element being in a room filled with physical therapists, nurses and managers, but none-the-less I am glad I went.
I pose this question to you now, how do you know when it is time?
Hello Universe!
It's been almost a year now since I started my new job, and as such it's been almost a year since I wrote my last blog entry. For shame! I don't have any readers to really disappoint, but the fact of the matter is I need to focus on writing. I've gotten out of the habit from my days of daily writing with ACTD...and now I barely write at all.
My last blog entry was fifty-one weeks ago, the first week of my job at St. Amant. Life overall has improved greatly since I started my position there, but even so it's been a chaotic ride. I've changed jobs within my department, recently changed offices and dealt with a lot of crazy days. I'm loving my new Office Space (except those damn TPS reports Marlo keeps harassing me about); it's nice having a space that I can call my own again.
Outside of work, life has progressed nicely as well. Josh has been helping me a tonne, trying to turn my place into an actual home. The basement finally has furniture and there are plants growing and photos on the walls. The next goal is the yard. All in all it's a slow work in progress - but at least we're making headway on it. Last week I was even handy and we hung a painting in my bedroom. As long as it doesn't involve drilling, I can do it!
Sadly though, my hobbies have sort of fallen to the way-side. Josh and I have been burning through DVDs pretty fiercely over the cold and blistery winter. We've watched through all of Buffy, Bones, Battlestar Galactica, and Farscape. Now we're onto watching Angel and Michelle has gotten us pretty addicted to Doctor Who. Over the past few weeks we've watched through all of NuWho and I'm tempted to buy all of the NuWho seasons on iTunes one of these days...
...oh and speaking of iTunes and online content - I've fallen madly in love with Felicia Day (creator of The Guild). If you don't know what The Guild is, go to their website and watch it. Go! Now! Did you watch it? Isn't it awesome? Yes, yes it is. Don't deny it.
Besides my serious addiction to DVD/online Television, I've slipped back into the Warcraft addiction. No surprise there, but at least it gives me something to focus on while Josh and Michelle fondle their yarn. As my yearning for Azeroth grows, so too does their need for crocheting.
I have to say though, they've both been making some amazing things. Michelle made me a Meta-Knight as a late birthday gift. He's now my mascot at work and you can see him in the background of my office picture. She gave him wings and a cape...which is, like, totally awesome! Now I just need to get a Kirby and I can have them doing Smash Bros style battles at work.
That's pretty much a quick summary of my life over the past year. I shall endeavor to update this blog on a more frequent basis. I must continue to write and am going to try at least on a weekly basis now.
Must...replace...WoW...with...writing. Or so my conscience tells me. Until next time, I leave you with an awesome video done by the Communication students at Université du Québec à Montréal. Enjoy!
Theme Song: "Voulez-vous" - Mamma Mia! Soundtrack
Life Outlook: Sick, but Good
Current Weather: 10°C, Showers
I've finally started my new job, and so far its been great. Like any new job of course there is a great deal for me to learn and adapt to - including new coworkers and group dynamics. So far everyone seems great, and I look foward to learning more about my job in the coming weeks.
Of course, as is my usual luck, it hasn't been entirely smooth sailing this week. Yesterday I had the pleasure of contacting my boss on my second day and letting her know I would be late. Due to some cruel twist of fate my bus decided to break down - and not anywhere near any other bus routes...but a block from my house. We had to wait until a new bus came, which was unfortunately not very quick, seeing as it was all the way out in St. Norbert. I'm certainly looking forward to moving closer to normal civilization. I can't imagine what people outside of the city must deal with on a daily basis if they have to commute into the city.
I have my own personal space and need to start making it my own. Any suggestions? What pictures should I put up? The last time I put up pictures at work I constantly had people asking if Michelle was my girlfriend and if Jackie was my sister. I can't say I see the resemblance. :-) Photo suggestions are more then welcome!
Alright, time to start a new and exciting day at work. Wish me luck!
September was a fairly quiet month (besides work related chaos). Josh and I went to the Zoo one fall afternoon with some friends and we had a nice time wandering around. It's a little bit sad that the Zoo hasn't changed much at all since I worked there. It's also horrifying to think that I started working at the Zoo over a decade ago now. Holy shit! My summer job at the Zoo was my first real job and while it was certainly a good summer job (who can complain about being outside all day during the summer?), I definitely would not want to go back to that. I've certainly come a long way in ten years.
Last month was my 26th birthday. (Happy belated birthday to me!). I mostly took it easy and didn't worry about it to much. I had some friends over and took it easy. Josh and Michelle piled my desk with tonnes of t-shirts, books and candy for my birthday which was totally awesome. They were more anxious to have me unwrap my gifts then I was (so much so that they had me open them a day early!). I also went out to dinner with co-workers to celebrate the birthdays of three of us (all born within 3 weeks of each other). Overall I had a great time and was certainly glad for something a little low key.
Halloween this year was a lot of fun. Last year Josh and I didn't really get into the Halloween spirit and we only ended up having four kids come to our door. This year with both Michelle and Josh around the enthusiasm was much greater. We went all out, and I mean ALL out. Josh and I decorated the front steps, we packed goodie bags (including ones that were peanut free) and Josh carved some amazing pumpkins. I tried to help with the pumpkin carving, but I was so exhausted (and creeped out by the texture) that I was pretty much useless. We had two pumpkins out front, Boo from Super Mario Bros, and an awesome looking dragon. I wore my new Boo shirt that I got from Teefury.com and we were set!
