Nostalgia

From time to time I miss living in a house that was cold, dirty, in a eenie-weenie room with no overhead light. I miss having an ambulance bay across the street, with weird hobos hanging around and smoking. I miss running out of money way before the end of the month, but feeling like I couldn't ask my parents (I know, I'm spoiled) for more before the next month, and so living on toast for days on end. I didn't always sleep well, I had a minor nervous breakdown there, but that falling apart house (we called it the Slanty Shanty as you could quite easily propel yourself across the hall between our rooms due to the pronounced tilt in the floor) will always have a dear place in my heart. Because of the girls who lived in it with me.

I lived with five amazing roommates for the quite awesome upper years of my undergraduate career. There really is no dirt they don't have on me (or me on them). We say fairly awful things about each other, but generally to our faces, or terrible jokes and references to their Mom. We once all dressed up as Disney Princesses for Halloween and sing their theme songs at the top of our lungs every chance we get (like driving down the 401).

I had the joy of reuniting with those girls this weekend, in the Tdot and it lived up to all my expectations as being thoroughly hilarious. Watching one of my eeny weeny friends (not a former roomie but was a member of an allied house, no we weren't in Sororities but it's hard to explain), tell a massive guy hitting on our engaged friend to 'F off' is a highlight of my life. Though there were days I would have merrily murdered them for not doing those dishes, those girls have made the last 7 (7!) years of my life so much more fun than they would have been otherwise, and I can't wait to see what's next.

So this holiday season love and adore your family, be nice to them, bite your tongue when they say things you wholly disagree with and appreciate them. But take a moment to tell your friends how much they mean to you too.

It's beginning to look a lot like....

... CHRISTMAS!

Despite us being walloped by a snow storm in the middle of this past week, it wasn't until I was tramping around in a light snowfall this afternoon to buy Christmas ornaments and presents that I truly started to feel the season. Christmas Day is less than 2 weeks away! I then went home and wrapped presents, and after that went to help my Grandparents set up their tree. Tomorrow on the way to work I'm going to be singing Carols at the top of my lungs.

I do however really need to keep moving, I still have a few presents to buy, baking to do and next weekend is basically a wash since I'm heading to the T-dot with my former housemates to party it up. If anyone wants to be my own personal elf for free, do let me know.

If you're not yet in the mood though, check this out, I'm sure you'll feel it right away:

Winter time

It actually snowed today! We had gotten a few little flurries here and there but today was the first day that there was snow on the ground in the morning and it stuck around all day, with even a few additions here and there. I'm finally starting to feel like Christmas is indeed coming.

Unfortunately my cat is really not so happy about this, we're sitting on the couch and she is definitely sulking. She doesn't like snow on her paws and we're not quite crazy enough to buy her booties.

I have new booties - er, boots. I've finally come to senses and kicked the Ugg knock offs I've been buying (and rebuying) every year to the curb. They are just not suitable for winter in places where you get actual snow and salt laid down to try and reduce your chances of slipping and falling in said snow. I might buy a suppppper cheap pair at Old Navy or something to wear on very specific occasions but the boots I got instead are actually quite cute as well so maybe not.

I feel as though I'm settling into work, they've started giving me actual assignments and I'm pretty happy with how its going and the real world. Though of course I spent part of my lunch harassing - ahem, reminding my old supervisor to maybe take a look at the paper I sent him nearly 3 weeks ago? Some things take a little longer to change..... like the seasons.

Whew

This working full time this is exhausting. I worked full time doing my Masters, and even during the summer but as a student, you feel quite free to take breaks, sleep in some mornings (when a grad student), gossip with your friends.... I need to make a good impression now! So I will get promoted and make more money!

Why do I need money? Beyond buying purses and work clothes (less on the cle-vage and more on the office appropriate. Yoga wear/fleece is also not to appropriate alas)? Well, I'm not going to live with my parents forever and so come the spring I need a place to live. Hopefully will buy something, but as those who are near and dear know, I'm kind of spoiled about where I live. I've grown up in the downtown and whine profusely about having to go out to the suburbs, though I will to party. Or if you're going to feed me. So, living downtown I'm going to have a pay a little more for the new yet charming place that I will of course decorate beautifully, with lots of geeky art. Trees! I actually would love to buy this xkcd comic as a print but its not currently available! Le sigh.... Anyways, any one with real estate leads in town, let me know!

I would talk more about work but while I've been geeking out a tad doing research on a brand new but quite interesting field, I've really just been reading. I was excited to get to google stuff to update a report today. Once I get more into things I'll let you know more about it and how I'm dealing with the transition from academia

(My dear x-ine is taking a break from her blog to finish up with academia right now and I wish her the very bestest of luck! Will be there to drink and celebrate whenever you're done!)

Workin' 9 to 5

So I had my first day of work today! I wore nice pants, a collar shirt, a sweater vest (hells yeah) and nice shoes. My feet kind of hurt by the end of the day but I looked pretty cute and fit right in. After years of hanging around academics boasting socks and Birkenstocks (shudder), I am surrounded by people in suits. It'll be a bit of an adjustment but hey, its a reason to go shopping.

I spent most of the day doing HR stuff, signing various documents about being a good public servant (which of course I will be), and enjoying the easily available coffee bar. I'll start researching my issue tomorrow, I am at least incredibly familiar with a whole whack of reading. Will let you know how things are going soon, but tomorrow after work I am gleefully going to go see New Moon. Am way too excited.

Working girl

Well, as I established in my last post, not THAT kind of working girl.

I start my new job on Monday! As much as I've enjoyed these last few months of relaxation, sleeping in, leisurely breakfast and many coffee dates, daytime TV.... I am actually quite ready to get started. I think all my paperwork is all lined up, I have lunch makings for next week, all I have to do is figure what to wear out of my almost completely untouched 'work' portion of my closet (except for that it will involve argyle).

I just want to make clear to you, dear readers, that this is my first job ever. I worked all throughout undergrad during the summers, but a summer job is very different from one that could possibly be the start of a thirty odd year career. Up to now, the jobs I have held include:

• Babysitter (started when I was 13, and actually took it up again this fall)
• Drama camp counsellour (drilling kids in lines and putting up with 8 year old divas)
• Hospital x-ray clerk (putting up with 38 year old divas)
• Political party fundraising clerk (learned quite a bit about how the Canadian political system works, putting up with 24 year old temp divas)
• Research assistant in a University lab (awesome, but for Friday afternoons that neveeeeer ennnnnnnnnded, making bird DNA)
• Research assistant in a government lab (also awesome, watched MTV while cutting up tiny pieces of paper or tiny little flies to make bug DNA)

You may have noticed a bit of a diva theme. I have found while working that the most diva-ish people you work with are those with the LEAST career prospects, and so wield their highly limited power in the absolute worst way. I'm aware that there are difficult people in every office and so perhaps I will have new diva stories to tell but I'm trying to be positive.

I will miss my Regis and Kelly though.

On my not so secret shame

I've been quite intrigued by the news this weekend that the formerly anonymous 'Belle de Jour', who authored a blog and a number of books about her secret left as a call girl, has exposed herself to be a scientist in England. Why exactly she came out now seems to be under debate, but reading articles about her and her perspective on her experience has been really interesting. She started working as an escort because she ran out of money while writing her dissertation, and while acknowledges that she was very lucky to have not had many negative experiences with her clients, seems able to analyse her time as a prostitute and what is means. It's been pointed out that her 'luck' is likely in part due to her being white and middle class, with a strong support network (even though they didn't know what she was doing) allowed her to access a different sort of clientele from women who end up on the streets, who are more likely to be working as a prostitute not because they prefer it to computer analysis (really, she said that), but due to addictions or other calamitous life events. I suppose I'm interested in this both about hearing what some people have to do to get a PhD (!) but also as a moment to think about women and choices.

So I'm obviously not a prostitute. But I have made a choice that some of my friends bewail.

I have read Twilight. I held out for a very long time, until it was lent to me while recovering from surgery last year. I devoured the first book and swiftly after the other three. I saw the movie. I laughed myself silly through a lot of it.

Twilight is really terrible when you think about it, especially from the feminist perspective. As I saw someone point out, Bella starts the series as a cynical girl who likes being different and ends up a teenage mother who names her child Reneesmee, whose entire life is defined by her husband, and will likely never go to college. However much a number of the premises of the books apall me (the evils of pre-marital sex, abortion absolute anathema), I can't help but be so amused by it, and honestly, while working on my own thesis, I was all about the brain candy.

I will definitely be going to see New Moon when it opens next week, but I hope to sneak some rum in to pour into my diet coke so I can get a really good chuckle out of it. Honestly, I'm almost more amused by other people's reactions to it, or their biting analysis (check out this page for the best summaries and responses to Twilight ever, by Cleolinda Jones. She also has a series involving multiple Edward dolls and My Little Ponies.... I can't describe it, just read it!).

Anyone else have a secret or not so secret shame they want to share?