Alas, "monthly" has apparently degenerated into "annual" - but I'm sure nobody will mind; it's less to read, really! :D
January - Aside from the stupidity of the City of Calgary, not much really happened this month. Just to be clear, I like calm times. Calm = predictable, and predictable keeps me from having anxiety attacks. I dislike having anxiety attacks. I'm rather glad that I only had one this year (and it was in March). Roy got spayed and survived the shaving of her belly, and I retrieved my flash drive from my friend, happy to have nearly all of my files back (see December 2008 for details on that).
February - Mostly calm around the home front. At work, we started getting sorted out for the Spring Conference, which is held in April every year. This year it was in Kananaskis. And then Juniper got a job, and life got crazy. Juniper is now working for Vecima Networks, in software development. He applied for a job in hardware design (his degree) but the software people got to him first! Taking the job required relocating to Saskatoon, so that's where we are now living.
March - Juniper had to start work in Saskatoon at the end of February, so I was left to pack up the house by myself (hence the anxiety attack I mentioned earlier). Not fun! My mother came out and helped a bit at one point, and my family also helped here and there. I am eternally grateful for their assistance, especially to my Calgarian brothers, who kindly helped Juniper load up the U-Haul on moving day... twice. We left over half our things in a storage unit in Calgary, packed the guinea pigs into the back seat of my car and the cat into a carry case in the passenger seat of my car, and headed off to Saskatchewan! Roy meowed most of the way.
April - We have a nice house in Saskatoon! It's a decent size. Two bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom. It's the main floor of a house; we share the laundry with the woman who rents the basement suite. One of the bedrooms is our shared office. The cat took a while to get things figured out, but quickly adapted to hopping out the window to explore the outdoors. In addition to all of this, I won Script Frenzy for the first time! Yes, that's right, people, I wrote 100 pages of the script for a graphic novel in the month of April. It needs some editing and I need an artist, but the story is decent, if I may say so myself. ;)
May - We found a church! We attend All Saints Anglican church, which is a Prayer Book Society church. I have volunteered to do the leaflets each week, so the priest, Dan Hughes, e-mails me the details on Thursday and I put things together and e-mail the finished document back to him on Friday. It doesn't take too long, and as this was a large part of my job when I was working for Christ Church in Calgary, it's not too difficult, either. Juniper volunteered to design a web site for the church, as we only found All Saints by chance. A web site would have made it much easier to locate them when we were conducting our search!
June - Well, June was largely uneventful, so I'll take this opportunity to explain what the heck I'm doing now that we're settled in Saskatoon. When I gave notice to my manager at ACDS, she decided that she didn't want to have to lose my editing skills completely, so she decided to keep me as a contractor. I edit the survey reports, which are e-mailed to me by the Coordinator, and occasionally I complete other work as I am asked to by my Manager or other staff at ACDS. I have also started a (very) small business, doing writing, editing, and desktop publishing from home. And, of course, I try to keep the house clean, I cook good food, and I look after the animals.
July - I believe it was July when I took up knitting. My maternal grandmother taught me how to do a basic knit cast on and garter stitch when I was a child, but she never taught me to cast off, and I hadn't even looked at a knitting needle in years. But necessity is the mother of invention (or something), and I needed something to do with my hands while watching TV, because I was picking at the skin on the bottoms of my feet. I decided on knitting because it's something I can often do without looking, unlike cross stitching, and it really does keep my hands busy enough that I don't put holes in my feet anymore!
August - I think it was August when I agreed to be Municipal Liaison (ML) for Saskatoon for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November. Saskatoon needed a new ML this year, and I obviously have plenty of experience! My friends Nikki and Josie took over in Calgary, and from what I could tell they did a splendid job with events and whatnot, so hooray! My job as ML includes PR (difficult to get press, but we'll get there eventually), events, and various other fun things.
September - Juniper got a week off work, so we headed to Calgary for a bit of a holiday. We stayed with his dad and celebrated Juniper's 31 birthday while we were there. Also in September, I turned 33! Where has the time gone?!?
October - I published the first issue of AutistiConnections, a bit of an e-zine I'm trying to get off the ground. The next issue was supposed to come out on January 1, but since I need more content I'm going to push it to April instead. Oh, also, October 15, 2009 marked two years since Juniper and I met!
November - NaNoWriMo! Being ML in a new city is difficult, but not awful. I met some awesome people and made new friends, and I wrote a book! Yep, that's right, I won again! I even finished early - a first! Hooray for me! :) I also continued to moderate the Character & Plot Realism Q&A forum (which is going to change to being called The Reference Desk in 2010). I had to deal with some weird people and some odd requests, but overall I had a lot of fun. I also continue to run chatnano.net, which provides chat rooms for different regions during NaNoWriMo. I spent a lot of time hanging out with the people in the Cambridge chat room, and I crashed the one for Melbourne, too (they don't use my services for their chat room). November is also when Juniper's insurance claim finally went through. It took several years, which was silly since it was definitely not his fault that the driver of the other car was not sober and hit several stationary vehicles, including the one in which Juniper was a passenger. That accident buggered up his shoulders and affected his schooling as well as his ability to work. He needs at least two more surgeries to get them back to somewhat normal.
December - Mad knitting took up most of the month - everyone in my family got a piece of knitted goodness! I also got into baking, so everyone got some yummy goodness, too. The best gift I received this year, however, came in the form of a lovely gold ring with an emerald set in between two trinity knots. It has found its home on my left ring finger - yes, that's right, everyone, Juniper and I are properly engaged, and planning a wedding for June 2010! You can read about it at the blog I've set up for wedding news.
Plans for 2010 - I'm not going to make normal resolutions this year. I have one big goal, and that is to actually finish a number of my current stories (short stories, novels, and scripts) and start sending them out into the world, in hopes of getting published. Maybe the 2010 Redux will include a list of publishing credits... who knows what the year will bring?!? :)
Oh, and of course, there is a wedding to plan. So plans for 2010 include getting married. But that's a whole other subject! :D
Friday, January 01, 2010
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Newsletter #10 :: December 2008
December seems a very long time ago now, though it just ended yesterday.
We spent Christmas in BC, at Juniper's mother's farm outside of Winlaw. That's sort of near Nelson, pretty much IN the pass, in case you're trying to find it on a map. We drove out on Christmas Eve and returned on New Year's Eve. The drive wasn't too bad on either day, which was good!
The house is basically a little cabin with additions (one unfinished at the moment). They have electricity and some indoor plumbing, so we could take a bath indoors and do dishes and everything (they have hot water), but the toilet is in an outhouse. Exciting adventures at Christmas! *grin*
Our own pets are all doing well. Roy will be getting spayed sometime soon (during January), and then we're thinking about adopting a mama cat from the Humane Society. People are apparently unable to teach Roy manners, so we're hoping that an older female will be able to help us in that department. Plus, she really does need more company.
Isabella never did drop any piglets, so she's definitely just fat. The guinea pigs will both be going to the vet in either January or February for a checkup, and we'll deal with Guido's operation then.
New years mean new plans, and my main goals for 2009 are to stay on track with my writing, to stay on board with my elimination diet and exercise plan, and to get the house cleaned, tidied, and presentable. I know I can do it, I just have to stay focused and not freak out if I stumble once in a while!
Speaking of my writing: at the beginning of December, my desktop computer decided to eat my flash drive. This meant that basically all of my writing disappeared! I was heartbroken. That was three years of my life that I no longer had access to, and Juniper wasn't able to make it readable. (The information wasn't erased, it was completely garbled.) Luckily, one of the guys who did NaNoWriMo this year is a programmer (doing his masters), and he has been able to salvage some of my files. Here's hoping we can get back most of it and I'm not as far behind as I think I am!
Work continues apace; I go back to the office on Monday and will be hanging out with LM again on Thursday next week. It feels really good to have this sort of thing settled and organized.
...and that seems to be it for now. Nothing earth-shattering to report, really. Well, aside from my data loss and partial recovery. *wink*
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2009 is a good one for you all!
We spent Christmas in BC, at Juniper's mother's farm outside of Winlaw. That's sort of near Nelson, pretty much IN the pass, in case you're trying to find it on a map. We drove out on Christmas Eve and returned on New Year's Eve. The drive wasn't too bad on either day, which was good!
The house is basically a little cabin with additions (one unfinished at the moment). They have electricity and some indoor plumbing, so we could take a bath indoors and do dishes and everything (they have hot water), but the toilet is in an outhouse. Exciting adventures at Christmas! *grin*
Our own pets are all doing well. Roy will be getting spayed sometime soon (during January), and then we're thinking about adopting a mama cat from the Humane Society. People are apparently unable to teach Roy manners, so we're hoping that an older female will be able to help us in that department. Plus, she really does need more company.
Isabella never did drop any piglets, so she's definitely just fat. The guinea pigs will both be going to the vet in either January or February for a checkup, and we'll deal with Guido's operation then.
New years mean new plans, and my main goals for 2009 are to stay on track with my writing, to stay on board with my elimination diet and exercise plan, and to get the house cleaned, tidied, and presentable. I know I can do it, I just have to stay focused and not freak out if I stumble once in a while!
Speaking of my writing: at the beginning of December, my desktop computer decided to eat my flash drive. This meant that basically all of my writing disappeared! I was heartbroken. That was three years of my life that I no longer had access to, and Juniper wasn't able to make it readable. (The information wasn't erased, it was completely garbled.) Luckily, one of the guys who did NaNoWriMo this year is a programmer (doing his masters), and he has been able to salvage some of my files. Here's hoping we can get back most of it and I'm not as far behind as I think I am!
Work continues apace; I go back to the office on Monday and will be hanging out with LM again on Thursday next week. It feels really good to have this sort of thing settled and organized.
...and that seems to be it for now. Nothing earth-shattering to report, really. Well, aside from my data loss and partial recovery. *wink*
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2009 is a good one for you all!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Newsletter #9 :: October & November 2008
Well, October kind of got away from me, what with all the preparations for NaNoWriMo 2008! So you get two months for the price of one in this entry. :)
Personal stuff first, as usual.
Juniper and I spent Thanksgiving (in October, of course, as we're Canadian) with Juniper's father. We had lamb for dinner, and I made the mint sauce - my first time ever, and I actually did a decent job! I'd say the highlight of that visit was playing Carcassonne with Juniper's six-year old brother and the four-year old boy who was visiting that day. The four-year old won the game, and I lost, but I was helping the children! Go figure that one out, people. :P
And then, of course, NaNoWriMo events took over my life. Juniper is a NaNo widower. (More on NaNo later, I promise.)
The guinea pigs are both doing well and are as greedy as ever. I don't know if Isabella is actually pregnant, though. She really should have had the babies by now, if she is. I'm thinking a vet appointment is in her future, because she really is a strange shape if she's just fat. Guido is doing exceptionally well, and I'm hoping to get him neutered in the new year.
Roy is currently in heat. She's going to have to be spayed soon, too. I just need to find a good vet who won't charge an arm and a leg, you know? We got her some toy mice - those ones that are small but furry-ish - and she loves chasing them. We also have one on a fishing line, and that is hilarious to play with while we're watching TV. Oh, and then there's the catnip... Roy high is really funny. (Am I evil for enjoying that?)
Moving right along... I managed to lose about fifteen pounds during September and October. My diet thing fell by the wayside during November (NaNo will do that to a person), but I did manage to maintain my weight, which is great! I fell off the exercise bandwagon, but I plan to start again tomorrow (December 1). The diet will come back into play in January.
As for NaNoWriMo, well...
This was quite the year, both for me as ML and as a writer. We had two weekly write-ins, tons of online write-ins in our chat room, three parties (well, the last one is on December 5), two 12-hour write-ins (a first for Calgary), and a couple of unofficial write-ins (which I didn't go to). I have also been keeping track of the progress of all of my local participants and granting them points for certain things (e.g., attending parties and write-ins, putting Tim in their novels, reaching word count goals), giving out prizes to the winners of word wars at our write-ins... it's practically its own full-time job! I even did an interview for an article (in FFWD, a local entertainment weekly) and a radio interview (on AM770)!
And... I won NaNoWriMo this year! I am so proud of myself, people! This is my second win, and the book I wrote is the sequel to my other winning novel (from 2006). The 2006 novel is about a thirteen-year old girl who makes her first friends when she starts attending a school for kids who don't do well in a regular school environment, and this one takes place a year later and is about her best friend testifying in the trial of the man who molested her (the best friend) in the first book. It needs to be edited and rewritten, but I think it's a pretty decent story, and I like the characters.
As I write this post, I am attending the final online party for our Calgary "Wrimotaurs" - tons of word wars to help people make that 50,000 word goal.
I am still working at ACDS, and just passed my three-month performance appraisal with flying colours! I'm doing all kinds of things there now, including designing some marketing pieces for the department and for the standards. Apparently the other departments might use me, too. It's kind of weird to think about, but it's cool, too. I really like doing design work, and they seem to think I do a good job, even though I have no formal training, so I guess it's okay...!
Working with that fourteen-year old girl is still a regular fun thing in my life. We have a good time together, I think. (Well, I enjoy my time with her, at least.) We usually go to the library or a coffee shop, and sometimes we go shopping for things. One day we went to Zellers and bought bubble bath and lip gloss; another week it was Indigo for a book. I also babysit and do respite here and there, on a semi-regular basis (by which I mean that I have some regular families I work for, but not a regular night that I'm there). It's all good.
That ladies' night event at church went really well, and I think everyone had a great time. The next event is, unfortunately, on December 5, so I can't be there since I have to host a NaNo party that night. The church is going Christmas caroling!
Speaking of Christmas, Juniper and I will be going to BC to visit his mother for Christmas this year. Also speaking of Christmas, I am somewhat saddened that we have now entered the time of year when I can't listen to the radio anymore because the stations will all be playing Christmas songs constantly, and I can't stand it. It's not Christmas, it's Advent! Play winter songs, play Advent songs. Don't play Christmas songs until Christmas Eve at the earliest! Please!
Okay, rant over.
And so is this update. I'll try to make my December post on time, but may have to post late depending on when we come back from BC.
Personal stuff first, as usual.
Juniper and I spent Thanksgiving (in October, of course, as we're Canadian) with Juniper's father. We had lamb for dinner, and I made the mint sauce - my first time ever, and I actually did a decent job! I'd say the highlight of that visit was playing Carcassonne with Juniper's six-year old brother and the four-year old boy who was visiting that day. The four-year old won the game, and I lost, but I was helping the children! Go figure that one out, people. :P
And then, of course, NaNoWriMo events took over my life. Juniper is a NaNo widower. (More on NaNo later, I promise.)
The guinea pigs are both doing well and are as greedy as ever. I don't know if Isabella is actually pregnant, though. She really should have had the babies by now, if she is. I'm thinking a vet appointment is in her future, because she really is a strange shape if she's just fat. Guido is doing exceptionally well, and I'm hoping to get him neutered in the new year.
Roy is currently in heat. She's going to have to be spayed soon, too. I just need to find a good vet who won't charge an arm and a leg, you know? We got her some toy mice - those ones that are small but furry-ish - and she loves chasing them. We also have one on a fishing line, and that is hilarious to play with while we're watching TV. Oh, and then there's the catnip... Roy high is really funny. (Am I evil for enjoying that?)
Moving right along... I managed to lose about fifteen pounds during September and October. My diet thing fell by the wayside during November (NaNo will do that to a person), but I did manage to maintain my weight, which is great! I fell off the exercise bandwagon, but I plan to start again tomorrow (December 1). The diet will come back into play in January.
As for NaNoWriMo, well...
This was quite the year, both for me as ML and as a writer. We had two weekly write-ins, tons of online write-ins in our chat room, three parties (well, the last one is on December 5), two 12-hour write-ins (a first for Calgary), and a couple of unofficial write-ins (which I didn't go to). I have also been keeping track of the progress of all of my local participants and granting them points for certain things (e.g., attending parties and write-ins, putting Tim in their novels, reaching word count goals), giving out prizes to the winners of word wars at our write-ins... it's practically its own full-time job! I even did an interview for an article (in FFWD, a local entertainment weekly) and a radio interview (on AM770)!
And... I won NaNoWriMo this year! I am so proud of myself, people! This is my second win, and the book I wrote is the sequel to my other winning novel (from 2006). The 2006 novel is about a thirteen-year old girl who makes her first friends when she starts attending a school for kids who don't do well in a regular school environment, and this one takes place a year later and is about her best friend testifying in the trial of the man who molested her (the best friend) in the first book. It needs to be edited and rewritten, but I think it's a pretty decent story, and I like the characters.As I write this post, I am attending the final online party for our Calgary "Wrimotaurs" - tons of word wars to help people make that 50,000 word goal.
I am still working at ACDS, and just passed my three-month performance appraisal with flying colours! I'm doing all kinds of things there now, including designing some marketing pieces for the department and for the standards. Apparently the other departments might use me, too. It's kind of weird to think about, but it's cool, too. I really like doing design work, and they seem to think I do a good job, even though I have no formal training, so I guess it's okay...!
Working with that fourteen-year old girl is still a regular fun thing in my life. We have a good time together, I think. (Well, I enjoy my time with her, at least.) We usually go to the library or a coffee shop, and sometimes we go shopping for things. One day we went to Zellers and bought bubble bath and lip gloss; another week it was Indigo for a book. I also babysit and do respite here and there, on a semi-regular basis (by which I mean that I have some regular families I work for, but not a regular night that I'm there). It's all good.
That ladies' night event at church went really well, and I think everyone had a great time. The next event is, unfortunately, on December 5, so I can't be there since I have to host a NaNo party that night. The church is going Christmas caroling!
Speaking of Christmas, Juniper and I will be going to BC to visit his mother for Christmas this year. Also speaking of Christmas, I am somewhat saddened that we have now entered the time of year when I can't listen to the radio anymore because the stations will all be playing Christmas songs constantly, and I can't stand it. It's not Christmas, it's Advent! Play winter songs, play Advent songs. Don't play Christmas songs until Christmas Eve at the earliest! Please!
Okay, rant over.
And so is this update. I'll try to make my December post on time, but may have to post late depending on when we come back from BC.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Newsletter #8 :: September 2008
September was a great month.
Juniper's birthday was on the fifth, which (amazingly enough) is the same day as Bethany's fiance's birthday! (The number of "coincidences" that I've found with my family and Bethany is rather astounding.) Juniper is now an "old man" of thirty, though he has decided to remain twenty-nine forever. (Reminds me somewhat of a certain uncle...)
My own birthday, of course, was on the fourteenth, which fell on a Sunday this year. Alas, I am not thirty-one, though one of my cards said I was! *cough* Matthew *cough* I am now thirty-two. It was a nice day, though we didn't celebrate with a lot of fanfare. I don't throw parties often, and haven't had an actual birthday party since I was fifteen or something. I did, however, receive gifts: Mom and Dad gave me the first season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show on DVD (it was my favourite TV show when I was five or something) and one of those little keychain digital cameras (see below for some photos I took with it); Michael gave me a car emergency kit, which includes a set of jumper cables - something I've been saying I should own for several years now; and Jonathan and Cindy gave me a talking pedometer, which I have made good use of in the past few weeks! My gift from Matthew arrived that week - The Essential Dazzler, a graphic novel collection of every appearance she's made in Marvel Comics (well, the first volume, anyway).
Both Isabella (top photo) and Guido (bottom photo) are gaining weight apace, which is a good thing for both right now. Isabella weighed in at 1146 grams tonight, and Guido is now 1022 grams. This is a great increase for both, especially for Guido; since I brought him home, he's gained close to 200 grams! They're still a bit flipped for what I'm used to, though; typically, a male is 1100-1200 grams (at least), and a female is 800-1000 grams.
Speaking of weight, I'm losing some! In September, I lost about seven pounds. I'm looking forwards to continuing this trend through October!
How did I do it, you ask? Simple: I put myself on an elimination diet (as an experiment, not in order to lose weight) and started exercising regularly. I'm currently not eating milk products, wheat etc. (i.e., no gluten), carrots or corn (both disagree with me), or preservatives and other chemical additives. It's a good thing the Bowness Health Food Store is right across the street!
I've started going to an aquacize class twice a week. Shouldice pool is nearby, and I go there on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m. It's a solid hour of water aerobics - a great workout. I've also taken up walking, which is where the new pedometer comes in! So far, I have learned that I can walk just under one kilometer in about ten minutes, and I take just over 100 steps in that time. I listen to music while I walk, rather than using a workout tape; the tapes don't always go at a pace that works for me, and I'm able to maintain a quick pace even when the songs I'm listening to are a little slow.
Roy went into heat for the second time in her life. She'll be a year old soon, so I'm giving her a mix of kitten chow and adult cat food. She's also getting half a small tin of wet food every night at dinner time (this keeps her from trying to eat our dinner). She's a rather vocal little thing, but I suspect she's part Siamese, so that would explain much about her personality.
NaNoWriMo begins in one month, and things are already feeling a bit crazy! I have lots to do with the chatnano.net web site to get it ready, plus I volunteered to moderate an extra forum this year. It's not as busy as my main one, but it's still extra work! Sometimes I think I'm a tad insane...
I have now been working at ACDS for just over one month. It's a good place to work, and the people are a lot of fun! I also still work with the 14yo girl once a week, of course; I'm a very busy person! With the election coming up, I'm thinking that I should write to the candidates in my riding (and CC the PTB in their parties) with some questions and information about the things that are important to me and mine - in particular, disability services (particularly autism-related), the silly copyright bill, and the ridiculous herbal bill. I'm sure there will be more as I look at the parties' web sites to acquaint myself with their platforms - something I always do, so I can see what they stand for!
Our first ladies' ministry event at the church will happen on October 9; a dessert night that I designed the invitation for! I really like this design thing, and I seem to be somewhat talented at it.
Band is fun, of course, and I love the people I sing with. Someday soon, I'm going to bring my clarinet to practice and play it! Haha! *grin*
I don't have any other photos to share right now, as I haven't taken those rolls in to be developed yet. Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later; be on the lookout for photos!
Juniper's birthday was on the fifth, which (amazingly enough) is the same day as Bethany's fiance's birthday! (The number of "coincidences" that I've found with my family and Bethany is rather astounding.) Juniper is now an "old man" of thirty, though he has decided to remain twenty-nine forever. (Reminds me somewhat of a certain uncle...)
My own birthday, of course, was on the fourteenth, which fell on a Sunday this year. Alas, I am not thirty-one, though one of my cards said I was! *cough* Matthew *cough* I am now thirty-two. It was a nice day, though we didn't celebrate with a lot of fanfare. I don't throw parties often, and haven't had an actual birthday party since I was fifteen or something. I did, however, receive gifts: Mom and Dad gave me the first season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show on DVD (it was my favourite TV show when I was five or something) and one of those little keychain digital cameras (see below for some photos I took with it); Michael gave me a car emergency kit, which includes a set of jumper cables - something I've been saying I should own for several years now; and Jonathan and Cindy gave me a talking pedometer, which I have made good use of in the past few weeks! My gift from Matthew arrived that week - The Essential Dazzler, a graphic novel collection of every appearance she's made in Marvel Comics (well, the first volume, anyway).
Both Isabella (top photo) and Guido (bottom photo) are gaining weight apace, which is a good thing for both right now. Isabella weighed in at 1146 grams tonight, and Guido is now 1022 grams. This is a great increase for both, especially for Guido; since I brought him home, he's gained close to 200 grams! They're still a bit flipped for what I'm used to, though; typically, a male is 1100-1200 grams (at least), and a female is 800-1000 grams.
Speaking of weight, I'm losing some! In September, I lost about seven pounds. I'm looking forwards to continuing this trend through October!How did I do it, you ask? Simple: I put myself on an elimination diet (as an experiment, not in order to lose weight) and started exercising regularly. I'm currently not eating milk products, wheat etc. (i.e., no gluten), carrots or corn (both disagree with me), or preservatives and other chemical additives. It's a good thing the Bowness Health Food Store is right across the street!
I've started going to an aquacize class twice a week. Shouldice pool is nearby, and I go there on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m. It's a solid hour of water aerobics - a great workout. I've also taken up walking, which is where the new pedometer comes in! So far, I have learned that I can walk just under one kilometer in about ten minutes, and I take just over 100 steps in that time. I listen to music while I walk, rather than using a workout tape; the tapes don't always go at a pace that works for me, and I'm able to maintain a quick pace even when the songs I'm listening to are a little slow.
Roy went into heat for the second time in her life. She'll be a year old soon, so I'm giving her a mix of kitten chow and adult cat food. She's also getting half a small tin of wet food every night at dinner time (this keeps her from trying to eat our dinner). She's a rather vocal little thing, but I suspect she's part Siamese, so that would explain much about her personality.
NaNoWriMo begins in one month, and things are already feeling a bit crazy! I have lots to do with the chatnano.net web site to get it ready, plus I volunteered to moderate an extra forum this year. It's not as busy as my main one, but it's still extra work! Sometimes I think I'm a tad insane...
I have now been working at ACDS for just over one month. It's a good place to work, and the people are a lot of fun! I also still work with the 14yo girl once a week, of course; I'm a very busy person! With the election coming up, I'm thinking that I should write to the candidates in my riding (and CC the PTB in their parties) with some questions and information about the things that are important to me and mine - in particular, disability services (particularly autism-related), the silly copyright bill, and the ridiculous herbal bill. I'm sure there will be more as I look at the parties' web sites to acquaint myself with their platforms - something I always do, so I can see what they stand for!
Our first ladies' ministry event at the church will happen on October 9; a dessert night that I designed the invitation for! I really like this design thing, and I seem to be somewhat talented at it.
Band is fun, of course, and I love the people I sing with. Someday soon, I'm going to bring my clarinet to practice and play it! Haha! *grin*
I don't have any other photos to share right now, as I haven't taken those rolls in to be developed yet. Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later; be on the lookout for photos!
Monday, September 01, 2008
Newsletter #7 :: August 2008
It's been quite a month, busy with all kinds of wonderful and crazy things.
August began with a lazy long weekend. Then, after two days of work, Juniper and I headed off to BC for a wedding! We left after work on August 6. The wedding was on August 8, on Vancouver Island (the north tip - Qualicum Beach). I took photos of our trip and have posted them to Facebook (eventually they'll be on Flickr, too). Since I had no photos to share last time, though, I'll post a couple of my favourite shots (there's one roll of film yet to be developed, and I have another roll I've taken since we got back, so I'll have more pictures to post in September's issue).
The sun, setting behind some trees at the beach.
I had a lot of fun playing with exposure times and stuff using the camera I had with me.
It's a Minolta 35mm camera, and it has a manual-focus lens on it and stuff.
A mountain on the way home. I love the way the clouds hang in front of the peak there.
That fuzzy bit in the back is a tunnel for the railway. It's not focused because I was playing with my focus and got the flowers in the front in focus instead. This is a little small for you to be able to tell that, unfortunately.
Now, what else can I tell you about August...?
August saw my joyful acquisition of two new guinea pigs; however, they are not both males as I had planned.
I adopted Isabella from some people in Airdrie. She'd been needing a new home for at least a month (listed on Facebook Marketplace), and I learned that she had had a cagemate, who had died. Isabella is pregnant, so I will be looking for homes for her babies in a few weeks; I estimate her to be about six weeks or so, which gives her another six weeks to go. I could, of course, be wrong; only a visit to the vet will tell for sure.
I took in Guido from my friend Jen, who is moving and can't keep her pets (anyone want a declawed calico cat who is a good mouser?). He's a small little man, but likes people well enough. We're all still getting used to each other; I'm hoping to get him neutered within the next few weeks, so that he and Isabella can live together once her babies have found their new homes.
Of course, we still have the cat, who is as mischeivous as ever. I need to get her into the vet soon, too, for a checkup and her shots and a deworming. Oh, and to be spayed. She needs all that if she's going to be allowed outside (something she desperately wants). Roy's favourite things to do seem to include scratching at things that can't be scratched (pieces of plastic, windows, etc.) and lying on top of Guido's cage.
Family has been around a lot this month, with Mom & Dad out for Adriana's birthday on the 20th and Aunt Kath and Uncle Chuck out for a wedding this past weekend. We've had family lunches, family dinners, and family brunches! On August 23, we went out to Lake Louise and hiked all the way up to the Tea House at Lake Agnes. I seriously felt like I was going to die, it hurt so much. That's how desperately I need to get in shape. But I made it, in 2 hours 20 minutes, and I'm planning to work hard so that I can try again next year - and hopefully make the hike in much less time! (Pictures from the hike are on an as-yet undeveloped roll of film.)
My writing continues to move slowly, as always. I am nearing the ends of my current projects, however, and I hope to be able to finish my current drafts by the end of October, so that I can focus solely on my NaNoWriMo novel! Well, my novel and all the other things I do in relation to NaNoWriMo - I moderate a forum, act as ML (municipal liaison) for Calgary, and run the new chatnano.net web site.
I was let go from LEAD at the beginning of August. This was somewhat disappointing, but I had already begun looking for something else, so it wasn't the worst thing in the world. I was jobless for a couple of weeks, but on August 25 I began my new position. I am now an Editorial Administrative Assistant in the Standards and Accreditation branch of the Alberta Council of Disability Services (ACDS). ACDS develops the standards and certification program for agencies that provide services to individuals with disabilities in Alberta. Basically, if an agency wants to receive funding from Persons with Developmental Disabilties (a government funding body), it has to comply with our standards and maintain certification. Every three years, we perform a survey and create a report detailing agencies' certification. Our focus is on quality of life for the individuals receiving service - something I am very much behind!
I continue to work once a week with that 14yo girl I mentioned before, and I am of course available for the odd babysitting or respite shift.
Church is quite the family affair, with myself, Michael, Juniper, Cindy, Adriana, and (of course) Jonathan there every Sunday. Mom & Dad were here for church on August 24, and I was on music, Michael was on projection, and Juniper was on sound; Jonathan presided over the Eucharist that week, as Stephen Hambidge (our senior pastor) has returned to work after his six-month sabbatical.
We are beginning a ladies' ministry at the church, and I'm supposed to be helping with the leadership of it. Unfortunately, I have yet to attend a meeting. I was unable to be at the first one because Mom & Dad were here, and I had to miss the second one because I forgot about it and we only had one vehicle with us. They are occuring after church, which is a great time, but if we only have one vehicle at church on a Sunday morning, Juniper & Michael have to wait around for me or I have to call for a ride after we're done. That's less than ideal! Next week, we'll definitely have two vehicles with us, though, as I will have to go early since I'm on music, and Juniper isn't doing sound.
So, that's a bit of an update for everyone who wants to know what's going on with me. Next month, I might have more pictures to show off; we'll have to wait and see!
August began with a lazy long weekend. Then, after two days of work, Juniper and I headed off to BC for a wedding! We left after work on August 6. The wedding was on August 8, on Vancouver Island (the north tip - Qualicum Beach). I took photos of our trip and have posted them to Facebook (eventually they'll be on Flickr, too). Since I had no photos to share last time, though, I'll post a couple of my favourite shots (there's one roll of film yet to be developed, and I have another roll I've taken since we got back, so I'll have more pictures to post in September's issue).
The sun, setting behind some trees at the beach.
Juniper's brother's house in Courtenay. We slept in the tent (that big orange thing to the left).
I had a lot of fun playing with exposure times and stuff using the camera I had with me.It's a Minolta 35mm camera, and it has a manual-focus lens on it and stuff.
A mountain on the way home. I love the way the clouds hang in front of the peak there.
That fuzzy bit in the back is a tunnel for the railway. It's not focused because I was playing with my focus and got the flowers in the front in focus instead. This is a little small for you to be able to tell that, unfortunately.Now, what else can I tell you about August...?
August saw my joyful acquisition of two new guinea pigs; however, they are not both males as I had planned.
I adopted Isabella from some people in Airdrie. She'd been needing a new home for at least a month (listed on Facebook Marketplace), and I learned that she had had a cagemate, who had died. Isabella is pregnant, so I will be looking for homes for her babies in a few weeks; I estimate her to be about six weeks or so, which gives her another six weeks to go. I could, of course, be wrong; only a visit to the vet will tell for sure.
I took in Guido from my friend Jen, who is moving and can't keep her pets (anyone want a declawed calico cat who is a good mouser?). He's a small little man, but likes people well enough. We're all still getting used to each other; I'm hoping to get him neutered within the next few weeks, so that he and Isabella can live together once her babies have found their new homes.
Of course, we still have the cat, who is as mischeivous as ever. I need to get her into the vet soon, too, for a checkup and her shots and a deworming. Oh, and to be spayed. She needs all that if she's going to be allowed outside (something she desperately wants). Roy's favourite things to do seem to include scratching at things that can't be scratched (pieces of plastic, windows, etc.) and lying on top of Guido's cage.
Family has been around a lot this month, with Mom & Dad out for Adriana's birthday on the 20th and Aunt Kath and Uncle Chuck out for a wedding this past weekend. We've had family lunches, family dinners, and family brunches! On August 23, we went out to Lake Louise and hiked all the way up to the Tea House at Lake Agnes. I seriously felt like I was going to die, it hurt so much. That's how desperately I need to get in shape. But I made it, in 2 hours 20 minutes, and I'm planning to work hard so that I can try again next year - and hopefully make the hike in much less time! (Pictures from the hike are on an as-yet undeveloped roll of film.)
My writing continues to move slowly, as always. I am nearing the ends of my current projects, however, and I hope to be able to finish my current drafts by the end of October, so that I can focus solely on my NaNoWriMo novel! Well, my novel and all the other things I do in relation to NaNoWriMo - I moderate a forum, act as ML (municipal liaison) for Calgary, and run the new chatnano.net web site.
I was let go from LEAD at the beginning of August. This was somewhat disappointing, but I had already begun looking for something else, so it wasn't the worst thing in the world. I was jobless for a couple of weeks, but on August 25 I began my new position. I am now an Editorial Administrative Assistant in the Standards and Accreditation branch of the Alberta Council of Disability Services (ACDS). ACDS develops the standards and certification program for agencies that provide services to individuals with disabilities in Alberta. Basically, if an agency wants to receive funding from Persons with Developmental Disabilties (a government funding body), it has to comply with our standards and maintain certification. Every three years, we perform a survey and create a report detailing agencies' certification. Our focus is on quality of life for the individuals receiving service - something I am very much behind!
I continue to work once a week with that 14yo girl I mentioned before, and I am of course available for the odd babysitting or respite shift.
Church is quite the family affair, with myself, Michael, Juniper, Cindy, Adriana, and (of course) Jonathan there every Sunday. Mom & Dad were here for church on August 24, and I was on music, Michael was on projection, and Juniper was on sound; Jonathan presided over the Eucharist that week, as Stephen Hambidge (our senior pastor) has returned to work after his six-month sabbatical.
We are beginning a ladies' ministry at the church, and I'm supposed to be helping with the leadership of it. Unfortunately, I have yet to attend a meeting. I was unable to be at the first one because Mom & Dad were here, and I had to miss the second one because I forgot about it and we only had one vehicle with us. They are occuring after church, which is a great time, but if we only have one vehicle at church on a Sunday morning, Juniper & Michael have to wait around for me or I have to call for a ride after we're done. That's less than ideal! Next week, we'll definitely have two vehicles with us, though, as I will have to go early since I'm on music, and Juniper isn't doing sound.
So, that's a bit of an update for everyone who wants to know what's going on with me. Next month, I might have more pictures to show off; we'll have to wait and see!
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Newsletter #6 :: Better late than never!
This newsletter has three sections: personal, professional, and spiritual. It’s not really split up using headers, but it was easier for me to write something that made sense across the board by making myself follow a flow of topics. If you know me at all well, you know that I can get rather tangential at times.
**This issue has no photos, but I will make up for it later, I promise!**
I've moved a lot in the last year. In October, I moved in with a family I was going to nanny for. Then, at the end of January, I moved to share a house with my boyfriend (more on him later). And in May, we moved into Bowness. Hopefully we're settled and will remain so for a while!
The house we're in now is a 1950's style bungalow with a developed basement. Upstairs there is a large living room, a huge kitchen, and three bedrooms (oh, and a full bathroom), as well as a front entry way and a back entry way that is so large it doubles as a dining room! Downstairs there are two rooms we're using as offices, a bathroom with a shower, and a rec room - as well as the wonderful laundry area. The house is on a double lot, so we have tons of parking. The back yard is also quite large, and there are hedges all around it for privacy. Not to mention the fire pit! Oh, and there's also a shed that's attached to the house, but you can't get into it from the house - you have to go outside.
Alas and alack, I am currently without guinea pigs. Katonia died of pneumonia just before we moved, and Napoleon seemed to just waste away without her to chat with. I will be getting two new males mid-August, however, and I am quite excited about it - as I'm sure you can imagine!
Meanwhile, life is made interesting by the kitten we adopted in November. Roy is a female tortie, full of mischief and desirous of attention. The story goes, there were mice in the old place, and I convinced my boyfriend that he should get a cat to get rid of them. We knew there were at least two mice, so I named one Fred and he named the other Sigfried. Of course the cat had to be Roy, regardless of its sex.
My social life is as unbusy as ever, especially since I moved in with Juniper. I met him in October 2007, at the autism meetup group I attend, and we became fast friends. It didn't take long for us to figure out that we belonged together, and I have sported a lovely promise ring on my left finger since the end of November. Juniper works for a fireplace installation company, but he is a hardware engineer (he designs computer circuits and the like); as soon as he has a job in his field and we are a little more stable financially, we'll be getting engaged. (Things are looking good, so keep your fingers crossed!)
I haven't seen my best friend since she was up at Christmas, but hopefully I'll get to see her again soon. I know she's loving it in San Francisco, and she's pursuing her dreams, so I'm glad she's happy. She's even met someone - hopefully I can meet him someday!
My little niece, Adriana, will be turning one year old on August 20. She's been walking for almost two months already, and is quite dexterous. Words are coming a little less slowly, but she's making purposeful sounds, so I'm not concerned. She's also quite good at communicating non-verbally, so it'll come when she's ready. (And if you thought I wouldn't be on the lookout for delays etc. you don't know me very well.)
I went off my Dexedrine in October and dropped the Cipralex in May, which was a good thing as I don't want to be on medication for my whole life. It was dicey there for a while, though, as withdrawal was decidedly not fun, but I came through it okay. Now I'm dealing with the odd depressive episode, but I'm tracking my moods online, so hopefully I'll be able to find a pattern.
NaNoWriMo 2007 was another no-win situation for me. However, I seem to have come into my own as Municipal Liaison, and am now running twice-monthly writers' meets for the locals who participated in the event. We're gearing up for October (mainly because that's when the site will be ready for this year, and when we need to have lots of advertising out and about), and I'm excited! I'm also excited about my novel this year, which will be the sequel to the one I wrote in 2006. Stick with what works.
I also participated in both NaNoEdMo and Script Frenzy this year, and lost both. Ah, well, there's always next year!
Of course, the best thing I've done with regards to NaNo this year is the development of the chatnano.net web site. I provide web-based chatting for various regions there, and now there are blogs available, too. This service is something I'm really excited to be able to provide the community.
At the end of January, I quit working for Christ Church and began working for the LEAD Foundation, which is an organization that provides 1:1 in-home support services for developmentally disabled children. There've been some ups and downs with that over the last few months, as with any new job. It's very different to be working for an agency after spending so many years as a private contractor.
Private clients are primarily respite and babysitting now. I still work with the girl I mentioned in my last newsletter; she'll be 14 on August 20. She's a lot of fun, but of course we have our moments.
My article for Calgary's Child was, in fact, accepted and printed in their September-October issue. I've also since done a book review (solicited - and I have another one coming up) and written a booklet for parents of newly-diagnosed autistic children. For more about what I'm up to writing-wise, you can check out my newly-redesigned web site and blog!
Michael, Juniper, and I attend Holy Trinity on a regular basis. Juniper (who was a Christian before we met but wasn't attending church) helps out with the sound board occasionally, and Michael handles the demands of the projection ministry on a semi-regular basis. As for me, well, I did end up joining the music team, and I sing with them once or twice a month. I've stepped down from chalice and nursery duties for now, but I may rejoin those teams after Christmas.
Cursillo was very interesting for me. I don't know if I'll work another weekend, though. I'm not against doing so, but I don't know that these retreats are really what I'm meant for. I am involved with some TEC renewal right now, but I don't know if I'll work TEC weekends, either.
My prayer life is still in the works. Carving out time for things isn't my strong point, it seems. Hopefully I will begin to get a better handle on this.
Please don't hesitate to e-mail me, comment to this blog post, drop me a line on Facebook, phone me (assuming you have the number), or come by and visit (if you know the address). I look forwards to hearing from you - time with friends is something I consider to be a priority!
**This issue has no photos, but I will make up for it later, I promise!**
I've moved a lot in the last year. In October, I moved in with a family I was going to nanny for. Then, at the end of January, I moved to share a house with my boyfriend (more on him later). And in May, we moved into Bowness. Hopefully we're settled and will remain so for a while!
The house we're in now is a 1950's style bungalow with a developed basement. Upstairs there is a large living room, a huge kitchen, and three bedrooms (oh, and a full bathroom), as well as a front entry way and a back entry way that is so large it doubles as a dining room! Downstairs there are two rooms we're using as offices, a bathroom with a shower, and a rec room - as well as the wonderful laundry area. The house is on a double lot, so we have tons of parking. The back yard is also quite large, and there are hedges all around it for privacy. Not to mention the fire pit! Oh, and there's also a shed that's attached to the house, but you can't get into it from the house - you have to go outside.
Alas and alack, I am currently without guinea pigs. Katonia died of pneumonia just before we moved, and Napoleon seemed to just waste away without her to chat with. I will be getting two new males mid-August, however, and I am quite excited about it - as I'm sure you can imagine!
Meanwhile, life is made interesting by the kitten we adopted in November. Roy is a female tortie, full of mischief and desirous of attention. The story goes, there were mice in the old place, and I convinced my boyfriend that he should get a cat to get rid of them. We knew there were at least two mice, so I named one Fred and he named the other Sigfried. Of course the cat had to be Roy, regardless of its sex.
My social life is as unbusy as ever, especially since I moved in with Juniper. I met him in October 2007, at the autism meetup group I attend, and we became fast friends. It didn't take long for us to figure out that we belonged together, and I have sported a lovely promise ring on my left finger since the end of November. Juniper works for a fireplace installation company, but he is a hardware engineer (he designs computer circuits and the like); as soon as he has a job in his field and we are a little more stable financially, we'll be getting engaged. (Things are looking good, so keep your fingers crossed!)
I haven't seen my best friend since she was up at Christmas, but hopefully I'll get to see her again soon. I know she's loving it in San Francisco, and she's pursuing her dreams, so I'm glad she's happy. She's even met someone - hopefully I can meet him someday!
My little niece, Adriana, will be turning one year old on August 20. She's been walking for almost two months already, and is quite dexterous. Words are coming a little less slowly, but she's making purposeful sounds, so I'm not concerned. She's also quite good at communicating non-verbally, so it'll come when she's ready. (And if you thought I wouldn't be on the lookout for delays etc. you don't know me very well.)
I went off my Dexedrine in October and dropped the Cipralex in May, which was a good thing as I don't want to be on medication for my whole life. It was dicey there for a while, though, as withdrawal was decidedly not fun, but I came through it okay. Now I'm dealing with the odd depressive episode, but I'm tracking my moods online, so hopefully I'll be able to find a pattern.
NaNoWriMo 2007 was another no-win situation for me. However, I seem to have come into my own as Municipal Liaison, and am now running twice-monthly writers' meets for the locals who participated in the event. We're gearing up for October (mainly because that's when the site will be ready for this year, and when we need to have lots of advertising out and about), and I'm excited! I'm also excited about my novel this year, which will be the sequel to the one I wrote in 2006. Stick with what works.
I also participated in both NaNoEdMo and Script Frenzy this year, and lost both. Ah, well, there's always next year!
Of course, the best thing I've done with regards to NaNo this year is the development of the chatnano.net web site. I provide web-based chatting for various regions there, and now there are blogs available, too. This service is something I'm really excited to be able to provide the community.
At the end of January, I quit working for Christ Church and began working for the LEAD Foundation, which is an organization that provides 1:1 in-home support services for developmentally disabled children. There've been some ups and downs with that over the last few months, as with any new job. It's very different to be working for an agency after spending so many years as a private contractor.
Private clients are primarily respite and babysitting now. I still work with the girl I mentioned in my last newsletter; she'll be 14 on August 20. She's a lot of fun, but of course we have our moments.
My article for Calgary's Child was, in fact, accepted and printed in their September-October issue. I've also since done a book review (solicited - and I have another one coming up) and written a booklet for parents of newly-diagnosed autistic children. For more about what I'm up to writing-wise, you can check out my newly-redesigned web site and blog!
Michael, Juniper, and I attend Holy Trinity on a regular basis. Juniper (who was a Christian before we met but wasn't attending church) helps out with the sound board occasionally, and Michael handles the demands of the projection ministry on a semi-regular basis. As for me, well, I did end up joining the music team, and I sing with them once or twice a month. I've stepped down from chalice and nursery duties for now, but I may rejoin those teams after Christmas.
Cursillo was very interesting for me. I don't know if I'll work another weekend, though. I'm not against doing so, but I don't know that these retreats are really what I'm meant for. I am involved with some TEC renewal right now, but I don't know if I'll work TEC weekends, either.
My prayer life is still in the works. Carving out time for things isn't my strong point, it seems. Hopefully I will begin to get a better handle on this.
Please don't hesitate to e-mail me, comment to this blog post, drop me a line on Facebook, phone me (assuming you have the number), or come by and visit (if you know the address). I look forwards to hearing from you - time with friends is something I consider to be a priority!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Newsletter #5
This newsletter has three sections: personal, professional, and spiritual. It’s not really split up using headers, but it was easier for me to write something that made sense across the board by making myself follow a flow of topics. If you know me at all well, you know that I can get rather tangential at times.
I moved again, at the end of February of this year. My new roommate, Christine, is an old friend with whom I had recently reconnected. We are living in a gorgeous two-storey townhouse that has a garage as the 'basement'. It is quite spacious, has a fireplace in the living room, and it's all... white.
I don't have tons of photos, so I can't really take you on a "tour", per se, but I can certainly show you what I've got!
This is one end of my bedroom. The bedrooms are upstairs, on the second floor. I love my "tower windows"! The room is really long but narrow-ish, so it's good I still sleep in just a twin-size bed.
Christine's room is on the other end of the house from mine, and in between there's a small bathroom with a bathtub/shower combo (my bathroom) and a closet that contains the washer and dryer. There's a counter on the other side of the hall from the bathroom and the closet (basically above/along the stairs) that has cupboards underneath it for linens and stuff. Christine's room is more square than mine is, and she has an ensuite bathroom with a steam shower!
This is where the guinea pigs lived when we first moved in. Until Christine's dog was going nuts trying to get in their cages with them, saying hi, and whatnot! The stairs to go up to the bedrooms are over to the left in this picture, so when you come downstairs in the morning you see those three windows right away. There are some really nice trees outside the windows.
Here's the lovely fireplace in the living room! It's really nice to sit in front of when it's cold outside and you're watching TV or reading a book, let me tell you!
And this is the kitchen. Yay! There's so much room in it, and the fridge is huge!
Sadly, my darling Princess passed away on January 21, 2007. She was my darling baby, of course. I came home after church that day, and she was lying in the door of the igloo she shared with Katonia, struggling for breath. Poor Katty was trapped inside the igloo.
I held Princess for the last hour of her life, and when she finally died, I cried - it was awful. I took her body to the Humane Society the next day for cremation.
Napoleon and Katonia continue to kiss through the bars of their cages, wishing they could just be together. Katty is quite the little scaredy-'Kat', and the slightest motion will send her into her igloo. But she's also really smart and will show me what she wants when I ask her what she's yelling for in the morning! Napoleon is all about the girl, of course, and continues to think that he can fly. It's amazing how fast he can go when he really wants to - he almost does fly!
It's been killer hot here, of course, so I got creative and started putting frozen water bottles in the piglets' cages for them to cuddle up with when they get too hot. Katty, as you can see, fell in love with hers almost immediately! They do look different now, as I made fleece covers for them so the guinea pigs wouldn't get frostbite.
They are absolutely the cutest little critters in my life right now.
As for important people in my life, well, my best friend is moving to San Francisco in a couple of weeks for school. She is following her dream of being an illustrator, and I know she can do it! I had a boyfriend for six months last year; it was long-distance and definitely wasn't the right time or combination of people, though it was very good when it was good. I also had a two-week romance with someone else this year, but that wasn't meant to be, either. I figure, when it's the right time and the right person then it'll be obvious. So until then, I'm doing my best to be happy with what I have - friends, family, work, etc. I do have quite a full life!
Jonathan & Cindy are expecting a baby any day now. I'm excited to become an Auntie for the first time! The baptism will be later this month. (Oh, and if the baby's already here and nobody told me, heads will roll!)
On top of that, Matthew is getting married in October! Jennifer is a great young woman, and I'm happy that I did get to meet her at Jonny's wedding, which is when I met Cindy for the first time...! So, it's quite the year for big events in my family. I'm kind of hoping next year is a little calmer...
As for me, myself, and I: I was diagnosed with moderate clinical depression in September of last year, and am currently taking 20mg Cipralex every morning. Having that happen was seriously amazing; I'm finally - for the first time in my life - experiencing actual emotions, instead of the extremes of "omygoodnessit'stotallyamazing", "omygoodnesstheworldisending", and basically neutral/nothing. I don't get the extreme highs or the extreme lows anymore, and overall I'm happily content with things as they are. It's seriously amazing to see how beautiful the world really is, and to be able to actually enjoy it!
I'm also back on Dexedrine; the Strattera I was taking gave me dyslexia and nearly destroyed my reading comprehension - neither of which is ideal for a writer and a reader!
I'm also working on my time management and organizational skills, and I just had my first meeting with a woman who is going to help me get my finances under control.
I won NaNoWriMo 2006, which was an amazing triumph for me! I also found my niche in the realm of being Municipal Liaison, and I'm really looking forwards to this year. Of course, I wouldn't be me if I wasn't also moderating forums on the NaNoWriMo web site and working behind the scenes for some of their other projects.
Work has been impacted positively by my meds adjustments and the time management work I'm doing. I'm accomplishing a lot each day, even when I have tons to get through (like I did today!), and it feels SOOO good.
Client-wise (as in, children I work with), I now babysit regularly on Tuesdays (6yo twins and their 10yo brother; I went to preschool for two years with one of the twins when I first moved back to Calgary). I also have a new client for the 1:1 work I used to do full-time. She's 12yo and I work with her on Mondays. Then there's a family with a 7yo autistic boy whom I babysit occasionally, and another family with a 7yo autistic boy and a 4yo non-autistic boy whom I babysit even less often. And, of course, my 12yo respite shift, which is on break for the summer. I was working with him on Wednesdays and the occasional Saturday during the school year; we'll see what happens in September.
I wrote an article for Calgary's Child and hope to hear shortly about whether or not they are accepting it for publication. If they do, there will be clippings available, trust me!
Michael and I continue to attend Holy Trinity on Sunday mornings. We both have a few friends there (some of them are mutual), which is really nice for us. I help out in the nursery once in a while, and continue to serve on the chalice team on a regular basis (as well as nearly every Sunday during the summer). Anthony Packwood, our music director, has recently stepped down from his position at the church, and Scott Fallows, who is replacing Anthony in the role, has asked me to think about joining the team in September. Another thing my new time management skills will help me decide!
And, of course, just because I simply wasn't busy enough, I've agreed to work the Women's Cursillo weekend in November. I'm the backup speaker for "Laity", so I'll be in the conference room participating in the discussions all weekend. I'm really looking forwards to it - I've worked TEC a lot, but never in the conference room, and there is definitely a different feel to Cursillo.
I have finally gotten around to asking someone to act as my Spiritual Director, and she is taking it under advisement and prayer. I'm working still on my personal prayer life, but I'm confident that - again - my new time management skills will come in quite handy for making sure that (and my God-type writing) happens!
I can, of course, be reached via e-mail at janna@thehoskincentre.com, and my web site can be found at http://jannalouise.thehoskincentre.com. My other blogs are linked in the sidebar here.
I moved again, at the end of February of this year. My new roommate, Christine, is an old friend with whom I had recently reconnected. We are living in a gorgeous two-storey townhouse that has a garage as the 'basement'. It is quite spacious, has a fireplace in the living room, and it's all... white.
I don't have tons of photos, so I can't really take you on a "tour", per se, but I can certainly show you what I've got!
This is one end of my bedroom. The bedrooms are upstairs, on the second floor. I love my "tower windows"! The room is really long but narrow-ish, so it's good I still sleep in just a twin-size bed.Christine's room is on the other end of the house from mine, and in between there's a small bathroom with a bathtub/shower combo (my bathroom) and a closet that contains the washer and dryer. There's a counter on the other side of the hall from the bathroom and the closet (basically above/along the stairs) that has cupboards underneath it for linens and stuff. Christine's room is more square than mine is, and she has an ensuite bathroom with a steam shower!
This is where the guinea pigs lived when we first moved in. Until Christine's dog was going nuts trying to get in their cages with them, saying hi, and whatnot! The stairs to go up to the bedrooms are over to the left in this picture, so when you come downstairs in the morning you see those three windows right away. There are some really nice trees outside the windows.Here's the lovely fireplace in the living room! It's really nice to sit in front of when it's cold outside and you're watching TV or reading a book, let me tell you!And this is the kitchen. Yay! There's so much room in it, and the fridge is huge!Sadly, my darling Princess passed away on January 21, 2007. She was my darling baby, of course. I came home after church that day, and she was lying in the door of the igloo she shared with Katonia, struggling for breath. Poor Katty was trapped inside the igloo.I held Princess for the last hour of her life, and when she finally died, I cried - it was awful. I took her body to the Humane Society the next day for cremation.
Napoleon and Katonia continue to kiss through the bars of their cages, wishing they could just be together. Katty is quite the little scaredy-'Kat', and the slightest motion will send her into her igloo. But she's also really smart and will show me what she wants when I ask her what she's yelling for in the morning! Napoleon is all about the girl, of course, and continues to think that he can fly. It's amazing how fast he can go when he really wants to - he almost does fly!It's been killer hot here, of course, so I got creative and started putting frozen water bottles in the piglets' cages for them to cuddle up with when they get too hot. Katty, as you can see, fell in love with hers almost immediately! They do look different now, as I made fleece covers for them so the guinea pigs wouldn't get frostbite.They are absolutely the cutest little critters in my life right now.
As for important people in my life, well, my best friend is moving to San Francisco in a couple of weeks for school. She is following her dream of being an illustrator, and I know she can do it! I had a boyfriend for six months last year; it was long-distance and definitely wasn't the right time or combination of people, though it was very good when it was good. I also had a two-week romance with someone else this year, but that wasn't meant to be, either. I figure, when it's the right time and the right person then it'll be obvious. So until then, I'm doing my best to be happy with what I have - friends, family, work, etc. I do have quite a full life!
Jonathan & Cindy are expecting a baby any day now. I'm excited to become an Auntie for the first time! The baptism will be later this month. (Oh, and if the baby's already here and nobody told me, heads will roll!)
On top of that, Matthew is getting married in October! Jennifer is a great young woman, and I'm happy that I did get to meet her at Jonny's wedding, which is when I met Cindy for the first time...! So, it's quite the year for big events in my family. I'm kind of hoping next year is a little calmer...
As for me, myself, and I: I was diagnosed with moderate clinical depression in September of last year, and am currently taking 20mg Cipralex every morning. Having that happen was seriously amazing; I'm finally - for the first time in my life - experiencing actual emotions, instead of the extremes of "omygoodnessit'stotallyamazing", "omygoodnesstheworldisending", and basically neutral/nothing. I don't get the extreme highs or the extreme lows anymore, and overall I'm happily content with things as they are. It's seriously amazing to see how beautiful the world really is, and to be able to actually enjoy it!
I'm also back on Dexedrine; the Strattera I was taking gave me dyslexia and nearly destroyed my reading comprehension - neither of which is ideal for a writer and a reader!
I'm also working on my time management and organizational skills, and I just had my first meeting with a woman who is going to help me get my finances under control.
I won NaNoWriMo 2006, which was an amazing triumph for me! I also found my niche in the realm of being Municipal Liaison, and I'm really looking forwards to this year. Of course, I wouldn't be me if I wasn't also moderating forums on the NaNoWriMo web site and working behind the scenes for some of their other projects.
Work has been impacted positively by my meds adjustments and the time management work I'm doing. I'm accomplishing a lot each day, even when I have tons to get through (like I did today!), and it feels SOOO good.
Client-wise (as in, children I work with), I now babysit regularly on Tuesdays (6yo twins and their 10yo brother; I went to preschool for two years with one of the twins when I first moved back to Calgary). I also have a new client for the 1:1 work I used to do full-time. She's 12yo and I work with her on Mondays. Then there's a family with a 7yo autistic boy whom I babysit occasionally, and another family with a 7yo autistic boy and a 4yo non-autistic boy whom I babysit even less often. And, of course, my 12yo respite shift, which is on break for the summer. I was working with him on Wednesdays and the occasional Saturday during the school year; we'll see what happens in September.
I wrote an article for Calgary's Child and hope to hear shortly about whether or not they are accepting it for publication. If they do, there will be clippings available, trust me!
Michael and I continue to attend Holy Trinity on Sunday mornings. We both have a few friends there (some of them are mutual), which is really nice for us. I help out in the nursery once in a while, and continue to serve on the chalice team on a regular basis (as well as nearly every Sunday during the summer). Anthony Packwood, our music director, has recently stepped down from his position at the church, and Scott Fallows, who is replacing Anthony in the role, has asked me to think about joining the team in September. Another thing my new time management skills will help me decide!
And, of course, just because I simply wasn't busy enough, I've agreed to work the Women's Cursillo weekend in November. I'm the backup speaker for "Laity", so I'll be in the conference room participating in the discussions all weekend. I'm really looking forwards to it - I've worked TEC a lot, but never in the conference room, and there is definitely a different feel to Cursillo.
I have finally gotten around to asking someone to act as my Spiritual Director, and she is taking it under advisement and prayer. I'm working still on my personal prayer life, but I'm confident that - again - my new time management skills will come in quite handy for making sure that (and my God-type writing) happens!
I can, of course, be reached via e-mail at janna@thehoskincentre.com, and my web site can be found at http://jannalouise.thehoskincentre.com. My other blogs are linked in the sidebar here.
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