Happy to be home

I am currently sitting at home on a rainy and grey Sunday evening. I had a super fun vacation which included time at the cottage, and partying in both Ottawa and Montreal. I jaunted to Montreal to surprise a dear friend for her birthday but as great as this week/weekend was, I think I need a vacation to recover from my vacation!

I am happy though to be hanging out in my new condo, watching the West Wing while I eat dinner. A dinner I wanted and paid for - single life (living alone) at its best.

I was happy to hang out in my old apartment over the weekend but realized it is no longer mine. And honestly, I'm much ha

ppier with my own shiny new place which has bathroom doors that actually close ;).

I'm fairly settled in but for finding a roommate for the other room, or turning it into an office, we'll see what happens. I do kind of miss having roommates around but at the moment, wandering around in my underpants whenever I feel like it is also pretty fun.

(More pictures to come...)

Whoops... an update

Sorry y'all about running off for so long.

Life has changed a lot in the last couple of months for me. I have settled into my new job and really enjoy it. Most (yes most but hey I'm pretty junior) days I am intellectually stimulated, busy, and am always working with great people. Beyond my immediate co-workers, I've made great friends with people hired through the same process as me. At the moment, while a PhD is a tempting set of letters to have behind my name, the working life seems to be keeping me for a while.

On the home life, family dynamics have changed a bit. I lost my grandfather in February, whom I adored. I still miss him terribly but know he is in a better place. It has resulted me in taking more time to appreciate my family and wonderful friends. Next weekend I'm taking my grandmother on a lovely trip to Stratford! (Though the train trip going through the T-dot during the G20 weekend is going to suuuuuuuuuuck. I will be drinking.)

In further family news, both of my parents are now retired and are around all the time, the cue for me to MOVE OUT. I have bought my own condo! I move in a week and a half and am currently writing this post to procrastinate from packing, but that's OK. Looking for a place was a bit of a process but with the help of a great agent, I found a spot for myself where I think I will be really happy. I will definitely keep you updated on decorating - having more time on my own will hopefully result in more blogging. We'll see I guess!

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.