8:10 PM

Ten Little Updates

I haven't updated in forever. I keep starting and then closing the window. In order to get back on the wagon, I must present ten little updates.

(1) The loft is mostly set up. We still have to buy a coffee table, another living room chair, and some artwork, but it's pretty peachy. I can't get over how lovely and quiet it is here -- no jerky upstairs neighbours screaming at each other, no crack pipes in the backyard. Ah, this is the life, baby.

(2) Pam came to visit! The triumvirate of fun -- gossip, libations, and sneaky cigarettes -- came together fabulously for her trip to the city.

(3) Jen and I went to 'ho school (or at least that's what my charming boytoy called it). Please note: that is not -- I repeat, not -- us in the picture to the right. In fact, however, those women are effectively the other twenty or so women who were in our class. You know the ones. They're the professional dancers and athletes who -- instead of making silly faces and doing stupid dance moves when they can't do a flying backwards spin around a pole with one leg gracefully out in front of them -- have the instructor come over to show them said move more carefully, then proceed to practice it for two minutes only to master it as if they'd been on the pole for ten years. I don't think I've ever felt more deflated or taken more of a self esteem beating in my life, but the stories were worth it. Despite the humiliation, I managed to heartily entertain my husband with a few flashy moves when I got home, after which he couldn't stop laughing for ten minutes then followed up with a request that I never, ever, under any circumstances bring these moves forth in the boudoir. Mission accomplished?

(4) We had to replace our new mattress with a second, less fluffy new mattress. The original mattress was pocket coil + memory foam pillowtop. This sounded dreamy, and felt altogether cozy in the store. However, upon getting home, we discovered that said mattress was altogether delicious for lying in, it was not at all made for sleeping. After waking up about ten times every single night for a month then finally sleeping soundly the two nights we spent on a mattress from the 70s at the cottage, we knew a switch was in order. The new baby arrived yesterday and our whole sleeping situation is now conducive to the sweetest of dreams.

(5) I finished my first year (apparently the toughest of the three, in terms of volume and intensity) of my dastardly MBA. It may make me crazy, but I am a sucka for the madness. Last semester was a complete bitch, as our poor little group had dwindled down to three. By some miracle, we still completed everything (no thanks to a boatload of bullets) but I'm relieved to know that the school has reorganized all of our groups so I'll be back in a decent sized lineup next semester.

(6) We booked our trip to London to see a fun band in July. I don't know what we'll do the rest of the days, but I'm pretty sure we'll think of something. I haven't been to the UK since I was fifteen, which was a distressing thirteen years ago. I spent so many years of my life not being able to afford travel, it's just thrilling to finally be able to jet around when I feel the urge.

(7) My sister's wedding shower is in a few weeks, and I'm making the trip home to enjoy gossip, delicious dips, and mimosas. Strangely, this will be the first trip to Cape Breton since Christmas 2004. My parents have painted my old bedroom for the occasion. My sister and I plan to recreate our famous Three Pub Crawl on the Saturday night.

(8) My beloved little Mini uses just over half a tank a week. Hah! In a world of ever-increasing gas prices, this makes me want to kiss that car every time I get in it. The Saab used just under a full tank a week, and I really felt that was effing awesome. I do a lot of driving (to work, home, to work, to school, home, to work, to meetings outside the city, to warehouses, to suppliers, to meetings downtown, to work, to school, home, etc.) so this freaking rules.

(9) I started meditating to reduce potential for emotional responsiveness. I am generally not someone who responds emotionally, but given how stressful things are with work and school (and given the fact that my MIL -- who has meditated religiously since the 70s -- looks ten years younger than she is), it has to be worth something. Serenity now!

(10) I've worked out for 60+ minutes every day for five weeks. I haven't lost an ounce, but am down 1.5" each in the waist and hips, and 1" each in bust, arms, thighs, and calves. I can't really tell via the eyes, but for every four weeks of commitment, I am nonetheless rewarding myself with a decadent purchase. This time, I won myself a pair of Fidelity jeans.

PS: I should've made it eleven little updates, as I just changed the visuals of this blog. I know you're mocking me in your head, but I think my fourteen-year-old-girl-style rules.