Valiant Effort

Yesterday was supposed to be Mark's first full day back to work.

It didn't really work out like that.  He spent the morning with a man, learning about our septic system.  See, we've been living with our septic system for just over a year now but really, we're city folk who are trying to figure out things that you never have to concern yourself with, when you are attached to a sewer.  In any event, it was time well spent, probably should have happened last year but, the main thing is we now know a lot more about tanks and fields and Waterloo Bio Filters than we did before.

The septic meeting ate up his morning but he got into work for the afternoon and put in a few hours.  Overall, he was pooped at the end of the day but enjoyed being back at work.

Today was to have been his first full day at work.  It seems that he has injured himself, getting into a car this morning.  That stitch he was talking about last week became VERY painful when he had to try to get into a car he doesn't normally drive (he's a taxi driver).  The pain took his breath away and he actually had to go home.  He was pretty disappointed about not being able to work but honestly, I'm so glad he just went home to deal with his pain instead of trying to soldier through.

Fortunately, he has an appointment tomorrow with his GP so she'll be able to tell us if he has a hernia, or a popped staple, or an infection... whatever it is, I hope he doesn't have to go back for another surgery.  Right now, he's feeling better, he's taken some tylenol and kept his feet up all day.  He agreed to stay home from work until he sees his doctor tomorrow.  Thank goodness for that!

Happy Pi/Pie Day

So Mark is a few days past 4 weeks post-op.

He's feeling better every day although he continues to be disappointed by his energy level.  Napping is a pretty typical thing for him these days, although this week he tried to stay up all day, just take it easy.

It seems like he's pushing himself a bit more than I think he should be but he assures me that he is okay and not overdoing it.  Next week, on Tuesday, he goes for his follow up appointment with the surgeon.  At the moment, Mark hopes to return to work, at least part time, next week.  We'll see what the doctor has to say about that plan.

Overall though, he's come through the surgery ordeal pretty well.  Still not sure what the chemo stuff will look like but I think he has to heal a bit more before we know more about that.

In other news, it's Pi Day today so we marked the occasion by having some tourtiere for our dinner tonight.  Any pie counts on Pi Day I think!

have a day

I really wanted to write something today and post it here. I'm trying to write more and post more, even if it's boring or silly, it's a habit I'd like to establish.

So today was bananas. I just got home about 10 minutes ago and normally I'm home by 4:15. Work was busy and I'm happy to help out but, this cut into my serious writing time.

 So, alas, I shall share a video with you instead, in keeping with the theme of "it was twenty years ago today" from Friday:

It's impossible to frown while you're experiencing the Spree and once again, I'd like to remind you about their Kickstarter projoect. I wrote about it last month and would encourage you to check them out and support them if you can.

It was 20 years ago today

On November 2, 1992, I started my first, continuing appointment position at Queen's.  Today, I am celebrating 20 years of working for the same employer.  I know that isn't something that is very common these days.  I have not spent the entire time in the same department and that's helped keep things interesting.

My first continuing job at the University was at CFRC Radio.  I had been working at Queen's for a while, temping in different departments and applying for any jobs that were posted to external folks.  I had applied for the CFRC job in April but didn't get called for an interview until October.  If I'm honest, I think I'd forgotten I had even applied.  I probably thought that it had gone to someone else and they didn't bother to loop back to me.  This photo is me with the woman who hired me, former station manager, Maureen Plunkett.  I think this was taken in the summer of 1995 by Jane Mundell, host of the awesome, "Careless Memories" show which aired on Saturday mornings in the mid-90's and featured all of our favourite cheesey 80's songs.   

The position at the station was half-time so I filled in the rest of my time temping in other departments.In late 2000, almost 8 years into my gig at the radio station (which I LOVED), an opportunity came my way to take on a full-time position in the area I'm currently working.  I'd been temping there since 1996 so it was a good move for me and I would move into a job full-time which I'd been doing part-time for a while.
 
Looking back, it's hard to believe that it's been 20 years.  20 years! If I'm really lucky, I'll get to stay on campus for another 20.  It's a good place to work, I'm surrounded by amazing people who are doing exceptional things and I feel priviledged to be a part of it.

Happy News Year

Double Rainbow Saturday
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I feel like I start almost every post with an apology for not having posted recently. This time, I'm not apologizing, I'll just acknowledge it. It's been a while, hasn't it?

I decided that it may be easier to do a category driven update, it'll be easier for me that way and I'm all about keeping things easy / simple for me.

Work Stuff
Just before the Christmas break, I moved into a new office space. It's so nice, I can't get over what a difference it is making. The room my office mate and I were in before, was an “inside” room – we did not have windows which opened to the outside and lacked fresh air. The building I'm in was constructed in 1837 and has been added onto a couple of times. The room I had occupied previously was next to a stair case which had been added sometime (likely) in the 1960's or 1970's when the building stopped being a home and became offices. Our windows faced into a stairwell and thus needed to be sealed shut for fire regulations. My new space is gorgeous and features a large, deep window (I love large window sills!) and a view of Lake Ontario. Our old space has been turned into a meeting room and we've been working at getting organized.

Last week, I returned to work on Tuesday. It was very quiet around here because most of my colleagues with school-aged children took the week to be home with them. It was quite nice to ease back into things last week

Home Stuff
We had a really lovely holiday season this year. I convinced Mark to take the few days off between Christmas and New Years and stay home with me. Normally he works that week and business is so slow that it turns him into a miserable grump. We spent the week doing very little. Visits with some family and friends, vegging out, sleeping in and watching all four seasons of "Sons of Anarchy" is how we spent our holiday. By the time it was over, we both felt well rested and recharged for the new year.

Pet Stuff
Unfortunately, poor Sammy fell ill last week. Thursday night, his bottom seemed to be bugging him and I was a little concerned about him as we went off to bed. Through the night, he woke us all up, pretty miserable. Eventually we were able to get him into bed with us and he seemed comfortable. He'd never had a problem like this before and I thought that he may have been constipated. He wouldn't let me get anywhere near his bum so I couldn't see if anything weird was going on (with two long-haired dogs, we're very familiar with back-end clean ups or “dingle-berry-ectomies” as we like to call them – they're more “fun” that way!). We got him an appointment to see the vet on Friday afternoon and discovered that he'd had an abscessed anal gland. Once they expressed it and packed it full of antibiotics, he was like a whole new guy. Fortunately, the wound wouldn't require sutures/drains but we did need to start him on a course of oral antibiotics and pain meds and try to keep him away from his butt! Not easy if you know anything about dogs. The drugs were easy to disguise but helping keep the wound clean was difficult. The first time I applied the cold compress to it, he yelped so loud that I thought my heart would just break. Last night, for the first time, he didn't make a sound when I did it (although he did flinch a bit). I can tell that it's healing nicely and he's done with the pain meds. He's going back to the vet for a follow up on Friday and he'll be taking the antibiotics until Monday but it's over the worst of it. Thank goodness. I have to say, the only thing I HATE about dogs is their inability to tell us when they are not feeling well.

Sam's butt aside, we're starting the new year off well. We've got some goals and plans for 2012 but I wouldn't call them resolutions. They are really more like projects. I hate resolutions because I never keep them. Projects though, I can do!

out of the house

today I went outside.

I also got dressed (in something other than pjs or sweats) and went to work. I was at work all day!! AND we did errands after that.

We got home quite late and I'm pretty tired at the moment but still, tired is terrific because I'm not sick. I know I'll feel a little weak and tired for a few more days but the difference between today and last Monday, well I can't describe it.

Being healthy is so much better than being sick. I'm going to try to not get sick again and stay as healthy as I possibily can because I never want to go through that again.

/whine

sunny daze

sunny sammy
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I know that many folks around our little corner of the world complained about how cool and wet the July weather was. I wasn't one of them. I don't complain about cool weather because I cannot function when we get stuck in one of our humid heat waves.

Right now, we're in the middle of a doozy. It's been going on for several days now and the air quality is absolute crap at the moment. Last night, I was outside with the dogs before bed and I couldn't get over how hot it was, at 9:30 p.m. I dumped out their little doggie pool which Mark had filled up earlier in the day and this morning, there was still water on the deck where I'd emptied it. There is so much moisture in the air right now that the water was not evaporating. The outside of our house was dripping from condensation this morning, it's just nasty.

The weather is making Mark sick too. He had two migraines last week which, according to the doctor (and we really already knew this) were caused by the crazy weather. Today, he's sick with a horrible stomach bug. He was up all night last night and we're not entirely sure what caused it but I'm sure that the weather has at least something to do with it.

The only upside to this is that we caught up on some tv watching over the weekend (thank you A/C). We're completely up to date on our Coronation Street watching - although we found Steve and Becky's wedding a little hard to stomach and watched some movies we've been wanting to see.

Today, I'm back at work, slowly getting through 2 weeks worth of email. I may get through it all by the end of the day if I'm lucky. If I'm not, it may take me until sometime tomorrow. The break away was nice but honestly, if I'm hiding inside in the A/C, I might as well be at work, right?

/stupid rant about the weather

never miss the water

hey!

this has been a busy week and a particularly crazy day is going on right now.

I'm working at getting everything cleared off my desk because I start my vacation this afternoon. When I arrived at work this morning, we couldn't access our network files - not good.

Fortunately, it was resolved mid-morning so I'm now just in the home stretch of my last-day scramble. Should be able to leave on time so it's not totally horrible.

In lieu of a proper post, I'm going to leave you with a live version of one of my favourite Chaka songs, enjoy!

what a weekend!!

Queen's University Spring Reunion Weekend 2009
Originally uploaded by Julep67

The inaugural Spring Reunion Weekend was held on campus over the weekend and it appears to have been a huge success. I would have been surprised if it hadn't been though. Kingston and campus are at their very best, at this time of the year and many grads have never seen either in full bloom. Lots of neat, new events were planned and a good time seemed to have been had by all.

I'm feeling a little tired today after putting in some extra hours over the weekend but I should be back to normal by tomorrow. Slept very well last night and had yesterday off, sort of. Because I'd worked on Saturday, and Friday night, my chores all fell to yesterday. I did about 6 loads of laundry and finally packed away the sweaters and pulled out the capris. I have another couple of loads of laundry to do but the lion's share of it is done and that feels good.

The rest of the week will be spent trying to get the house cleaned up again. Between the dogs and the deck construction and just everything else that's been happening lately, the house is a bit of a mess and I'm not thrilled about it. We had to do a bunch of cleaning (unplanned) yesterday because both of the dogs were throwing up. They both ate different things that they shouldn't have (in Sam's case, some garbage from the bathroom - kleenex and a piece of foil; in Gracie's case, some stuff from the basement - drywall and some rubber from a floor mat). I would never have imagined that two tiny stomachs could hold so much vomit, but there you go. Gracie started in the basement and then we got her up into the kitchen where she was sick a bunch more times. She also threw up on our bedroom carpet. Sam barfed on the deck and in the flower bed. It was a lot of puke and they both slept a lot afterward. They seemed to have it out of their systems by last night. After lots of water and a bland, small dinner, they were both find this morning. Fun huh?

The rest of the cleaning will continue. We're just going to putter, a little bit every night this week and hopefully have it all ship-shape by Thursday. We're having friends over for dinner on Thursday. Nothing inspires a clean house like impending company does, does it? I'm quite excited about it too because these are old friends who we don't see nearly enough of and I miss them like crazy.

skeptical

skeptical
Originally uploaded by Julep67

This morning on my way to work, the town in general, and campus specifically, felt spookily quiet. not sure if the nice weather has folks playing hooky and heading to the cottage today or if it was just me thinking it was quiet. Either way, it was pretty peaceful.

I say was because that stopped at around 9:30 a.m. when some guys showed up to weed whack the area outside my office window. Ever since 9:30 a.m., there has been some mechanical hum happening, at varying levels. Nice!

Despite the noise I'm having a good day, getting lots of stuff done, feeling organized for the weekend. these are all awesome things. What's not so awesome is the news I read this morning about Archie Andrews. Other than the obvious (trying to sell more comics), why would they marry off Archie? I'm thinking it could be a dream thing, like they do on soap operas. He'll not actually ask Betty or Veronica to marry him, it'll be a silly plot that doesn't go anywhere.

where's my nap?

nye wrestlemania
Originally uploaded by Julep67

The world outside my window this morning looked a lot like a skating rink. Getting to work was slow but safe, walking from the car to the door of my office was probably the most dangerous part of the journey. I was happy to get inside without falling.

Right now, the sun is shining and the sidewalk looks dry. This is good. I hate ice. Hate. I feel sick to my stomach whenever freezing rain is in the forecast.

The weekend was nice. We went out for a beautiful sushi dinner on Saturday night, yesterday we watched some movies: The Wrestler and Slumdog Millionaire. Quick reviews: Mickey Rourke is amazing, the Wrestler is okay. He's the best part of the movie, in my opinion anyway. Slumdog Millionaire is easily the best movie I've seen in a very long time. Period.

We're all of us moving a little slower than we'd like to be moving in our office. I think it's that 2 week break, you have to stop and think about stuff before you do it. Stuff that normally you just do, without thinking. It's weird but it'll be all back to normal tomorrow I'm sure.

Please don't be alarmed if, at some point later today, you hear feet stamping and me whining about wanting a nap. I think one of the things I liked best about my holidays was the napping. I'll miss the napping, in a big way.

warmed

beaming gracie
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I almost typed "warned" just now but my toes are not warned, they are warmed.

In my office (where I am right now) I have laminate flooring. I keep my office door closed when I'm not home (to keep the puppies out, they do love to chew on cables and my office is full of them) and it's a small room so it warms up quite nicely on days when the furnace is running. It must have been running just before we came home because the floor under my desk is toasty right now. It feels good.

I haven't been spending any huge chunks of time in my office just recently and as you can tell, I haven't been posting here either. Between still feeling a little under the weather and playing with the dogs, my evenings and weekends just fly by.

It's hard to imagine but I'm still feeling less than normal right now. After my second course of antibiotics, I had some horrible side effects and they really left me feeling washed out. Over the weekend I turned a corner and feel like I'm on the other side of that nonsense now. 'Bout time too, I've been "sick" since the end of September.

Friends keep telling me I sound congested, I still cough every once in a while and my lung capacity is still no where near where it should be but I am feeling better. Mark's feeling better too. His health has definitely improved and he's much happier after having changed jobs last week.

He's still driving cab but is working for a different company. The company he was working for was okay, he'd been there for 7.5 years. The problem he experienced (and he wasn't alone) was the day shift dispatcher. This guy can barely function as a human being, much less as someone who needs to have a knowledge of the city and decent short-term memory to do the most basic part of his job. This guy feeds calls to the drivers he likes and he jerks around the guys he doesn't. It's affecting business and was causing Mark to come home frustrated every day.

The new company Mark is working for has a dispatcher but the calls are sent out to cabs via a computer system. The calls are assigned based on where the gps says that your car is (at the other place, guys will bid on calls which they are know are going out of town, to the airport, whatever - when they are on the other side of town). The only time he talks to someone at the switch is if he's having a problem or needs direction. So far, Mark's really enjoying it. Learning the new system is challenging and fun for him (he's figuring out tricks and short cuts every day) and because the system is fair, he's making more money.

So, in a rather rambling nutshell, that's where we've been the past week and a bit. Working, playing with the puppies and sleeping. I don't think it's a bad way to be spending our time.

summertime

gracie and the pig
Originally uploaded by Julep67

The temperature rose above 20 degrees here today. Walking back to my office from a midday evening, I was hot. I had black pants and a black jacket on and was wishing I'd worn sandals this morning. It was really weird. I'm not complaining at all, just saying.

I had a wacky day at work. Was not at my desk until 1:45 because of meetings on the other side of campus. I normally don't like being away from my desk that much but I was up in the area where I used to work and I saw a lot of folks who I miss so that was nice.

We had a luncheon for a colleague who is leaving us. Her last day is tomorrow. She's moving a to a new position on campus so she's not going to be too far away but it's in a unit that isn't really connected to our group so I'll not see her at meetings and stuff like I normally would. It was the second time this week that I got together with this particular group of colleagues. We all work in positions which support folks who do similar kinds of jobs so we try to get together every couple of months as a way of checking in on what everyone's doing and to share tips and ideas.

There is a lot of change happening in our area at the moment and I think some folks are coping with it better than others. I tend not to get too worked up by change because it's been a constant for me over the past 16 years. Others I guess, either haven't been around as long and haven't learned to roll with the punches like I have or they are just more sensitive to change. We had a couple of great meetings this morning with our new ED and I think things are going to be good going forward. I just hope that my colleagues can feel as good about it and not worry too much. I know that with the economy in the tank (temporarily) it's easier to say not to worry than it may be not to worry but I do think it's the smartest thing to do right now. Worrying about stuff you can't control never did anyone any good!

yawn

Saturday Sam
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I wish I could say that this week has been a yawn but it's been gosh darned busy!

It's "that time of year" again at work and it'll be sort of crazy for the next couple of weeks but after that, it should settle down a bit.

Unfortunately, when it's that busy at work, I don't have a lot of time to write stuff so the posts become less and less frequent.

In lieu of a proper post, I leave you with a short list of random observations/complaints I've had in my head recently:

1. How come it takes forever for my office to air out whenever someone walks past my window with a lit cigarette in their hand?

2. I had no idea that the smile cookies were THAT big.

3. Our gravel stealing neighbours are still total, complete, douches.

4. Sam is the cutest dog ever especially since he stopped eating the furniture.

ethan

ethan
Originally uploaded by Julep67

All day yesterday, I suppose because of the anxiety I'd felt for the few days preceeding, I was exhausted. We slept in a little bit but I wanted to get up and get going with my chores because I was heading back to work.

In the mid-afternoon, chores done, Mark and I sat down to veg out and watch "The Big Lebowski." About 10 minutes into it, I fell asleep for about 5 minutes. I forced myself to wake up though because I thought that if I took a nap, I'd be up all night. I was so wrong!! I not only didn't take the nap, I didn't sleep last night. If I did, it was in 10 minute increments. Not fun.

Saturday wasn't a whole lot of fun either. My cousin's funeral was at 11 a.m. The day turned out to be sunny and warm which was nice for those of us who had to travel from out of town. The whole thing was just really really sad. I mean, I know that funerals generally are sad but there is a difference between attending the funeral of someone who lived to a ripe old age and someone who lived too short a life. My mum told me that the funeral home guessed that 700 to 800 folks visited on Friday. The church was packed on Saturday morning. I think that there very few people in the small town who didn't either know my cousin directly, or who knew her folks or brother.

The only really "good" thing I can think that came out of it was that it became a mini-family-reunion (as these things to). My 88 year old Great-Uncle Herbie (and he's not just a great uncle, he's an awesome uncle!) was there, my cousin Dave flew in from Calgary, I saw my Great-Uncle Jack and Great-Auntie Muff... I'd not seen any of these folks since 1997 when my grandmother died.

I hate how it happens that folks only gather like that during a funeral. Fortunately, next month, this same branch of the family will gather in Quebec for a wedding. It'll be good to see folks under happy circumstances. I hear that there's even going to be a dance contest with a 5lb Hershey bar as the prize for the first place couple. Hell, if the possibility of 5lbs of chocolate can't make us all feel better, nothing will!

andy and sam

andy and sam
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Right now, I'm waiting for the office mover guys to arrive. My colleagues have finished their packing and have moved up to the "castle" as we call it (the central office). There are a lot of changes going on in our organization right now. The changes feel really good and they are the kinds of things that a person can get excited about. It is so nice to be participating in planning exercises that are actually moving forward and to be working in an amazingly supportive environment. Moving into this job was really one of the smartest moves I've made in a really long time!

Last night, I suggested to Mark that this weekend, we do much napping. Napping and doing nothing. I just want to veg out and do as little as I can get away with.

I don't feel well rested right now, I haven't all week actually. Neither of us has slept well and I am going to blame the weather but I think that we're still getting over feeling shitty last week. Apparently, the other night I was dreaming and I was talking and wimpering in my sleep. At one point, I grabbed onto Mark's arm and woke him up. I have no recollection of this but I have a vague rememberance of some strange dreams.

Hopefully, getting rested up and watching season 2 of my new favourite show (Kathy Griffin's "my life on the d-list") will allow me to recharge my batteries and stop crying in my sleep!!

stacked up

stacked up
Originally uploaded by Julep67

The office packing continues today. I did a little bit yesterday for a colleague who is moving and is not able to be here this week. Another colleague is packing up her office and keeps finding stuff for me. I'm glad to have the stuff (primarily promotional type material that I keep on hand) but it's pretty amazing to both of us, how quickly stuff can pile up. I don't think that they've been in this particular space for 3 years yet and there's a tonne of stuff to move!

Other than just getting caught up again after my vacation, there's not much news to report. Yesterday, Sam did not chew up any more of my sofa so that's always a good thing. Last night, while I was doing some shopping, Mark took Sam to a soccer field to run around on. He let him off the leash and Sam ran the length of the field, back and forth, 2 or 3 times until some other dogs came along. He had a great time apparently - which doesn't surprise me. I've noticed that he's much better about new dogs and people lately and I also know that part of this is just maturity and being socialized more and more. I can't help but feel ridiculously proud of him though, he's made a tonne of progress in the almost 4 months since we've had him. I know he's "just" a dog but he's one of the coolest folks I know!!

working it

napkin
Originally uploaded by Julep67

After a quick week's vacation (technically though, I only had to book 3 vacation days), I returned to work this morning. Since I changed jobs back in January, I don't mind coming back to work. I can remember in my old job, when I would be away for any length of time, I'd start to feel sick to my stomach a few days before having to return. That doesn't happen anymore which is just one of the many things I love about this job.

I guess because of the holiday last week, my voice mail box and email inbox weren't over flowing (which is nice). Fortunately, I had my shit together enough before I went off on break to make myself a schedule for the next four weeks. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered it this morning (rather than feeling stupid for completely forgetting that I'd done it).

One big thing that I hadn't factored though were a couple of moves that I'll be helping with this week. Two of the amazing women I work with have recently received promotions (absolutely well deserved) so they will be moving back into the central office from out here "in the colonies." It's a bitter sweet thing. I'll still be working indirectly with them but it won't be quite the same as it has been. It'll also mean some new folks to get used to. I don't mind that but it is a little scary when I think about the terrific balance we have on our current team.

I guess because the environment I work in is ever changing, the change doesn't bother me like it used to. I try very hard to just go with the flow and keep a good attitude about it all. It's not a Pollyanna thing, and I'm not being an ostrich, I have just learned that the changes are usually good in the long run so why fight it? Also, it keeps things from getting boring which is also, always good.

touristy

JDUC Information Centre
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I'm a little pooped at the moment.

We had a professional development day at work today, a retreat I guess. We played tourist in our home town and it was really fun.

I took a butt load of photos while on a trolley tour and a boat cruise. I'll post more of them over the weekend.

I'm really lucky though, I work in an awesome place. Today is one of those days when I just LOVE my job!!!

countdown

catching a breeze
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Today is my last day in the office until July 7th. I'm taking next week off for vacation (because of Canada day, I can take a whole week but only use 3 vacation days) but I'm out of the office doing professional development stuff tomorrow and Friday.

I'm happy for the opportunity but I feel a little pushed for time, being away for two days before my mini-break. I shall survive though, worry not.

Last night was obedience class #2 for the three of us. Last night, the lesson was taught by the female instructor at the centre (it's a husband and wife team). He husband met with us last week but I think I liked her more (they are both awesome though). I really like her technique and general approach to things.

I think I learned more last night than Sam did. I was holding his leash wrong for one thing and I'm not very good at hand signals. I know I'll get into the swing of it eventually but so far, it's not coming to me naturally. Sam was totally stubborn with the down command. He would not do it. We practically had to stand on his collar to get him to do it. Of course, this morning, on first try, he does it for Mark. Last night though, he would not let the instructor see him do it. Weiner.