meet your new managing editor (acting)

so, the mat-leave situation at work has been hashed out, and the whole of the managing-editor job has been offered to me. or, more accurately, my boss said he would like me to do it and asked if i would.

if you recall, the previous idea was that i'd share the job with one of my colleagues (not leonard!), but he apparently asked for a ridiculous amount of money. the department can't afford it, and my boss was a little peeved that my colleague would ask for so much... so, he withdrew the offer altogether from my colleague and slid all of it over to me.

apparently, the woman in charge of our department (my boss's boss) is all over this idea, citing my organizational abilities and what a natural transition this would be. and, given that i do love an organizational challenge, this is sort of right up my alley. the job would basically entail overseeing the editorial content of two magazines. that will include assigning stories, tracking progress, managing freelancers, copy editing and proofreading, as well as all manner of client-relations stuff. even though the latter portion of that job description isn't tops on my "stuff i love doing" list, i'm also enough of a grown-up to know how to conduct myself with clients, no matter how ridiculous their demands.

on the upside, this means i'll be employed full-time for at least the next four months. my boss said they may get the go-ahead to hire someone on contract (for the remaining seven or eight months of the mat leave) if the hiring freeze is lifted in the fall, but let's be honest: if i'm kicking ass in the job by then, they're not going shove me aside to have someone brand new try to step in at that point. and my boss said the decision as to whether to extend my filling in to a full year would actually be up to me. "if you wanted it to," he said when i asked about it.

on the further upside, it also means a pay increase. i'm not sure what it'll be yet (they're checking with accounting to see what the salary range is for a managing editor), but it'll certainly be more than what i make now. and i'll be working more hours: instead of a three- or four-day week, i'll probably be working five-day weeks most weeks. i have a new hourly rate in my head -- a figure that would be great if i could get it -- and a "no less than" number, as well. i'm not interested in the added work and responsibility if i'll only get an extra dollar an hour more.

either way, i go back to the office starting on tuesday, and will be stepping into a new, bigger role. as reluctant as i was to take this job a few months ago -- i believe my exact response when someone floated the notion of me filling the position was "HELL, NO!!!!" -- i'm actually kind of excited about it.

futurescapes

lately, i've been thinking more about the future. specifically, my future -- where i want to be, what i want to be, how i want to be living... that sort of stuff. not thinking hard, mind you, but pondering it in that "i wonder..." kind of way.

it started back when i began my home hunt. imagining myself living somewhere other than where i am now was simultaneously exciting and terrifying, hopeful and frustrating, promising and stagnant. in fact, it's become quite stagnant over the past few months, and i've begun rethinking my plans.

the condo market has been very quiet, with hefty price tags and few units that pique my interest. [note: remember the pepto palace? it's STILL ON THE MARKET. they've dropped the price again, painted the pink (presumably) and installed new carpets, and it's still sitting there. i don't want it, but i'm very curious to see when it sells and for how much!]

anyway...

as time has marched on and renovation noise in my building has died down, i've put the home hunt on the back burner. most financial experts are saying now is not the time, and money-conscious folks would be wise to keep renting for the time being. save money. build up an even bigger down payment. wait for prices to (hopefully) come down. though it has its flaws and shortcomings, my apartment is big, cheap and in a fantastic location. i know my neighbours, i love my neighbourhood. we'll see what happens when the unit above me is finally rented -- if a noisy asshat moves in, i probably won't stick around -- but, for now, i'm staying put.

i've also begun exploring the rental market in the city, and in targeted neighbourhoods that are as nice or nicer than where i am now. i'm relieved to see that there are options out there, even though i know i'd be paying at least $200 a month more were i to move. so, that's another point in favour of my current pad.

sometimes, i get these fleeting impulses to put all my stuff in storage and make a dramatic change in my life -- something that would really take me out of my comfort zone and give me experiences i haven't had before. you know, like taking off to travel around europe for two months. or renting a small house somewhere else in canada for six months. or... who knows. inevitably, though, my mind snaps back into logic mode and a dozen reasons not to do those things immediately reveal themselves. or, i'm suddenly hit with a wave of panic, which is equally effective in erasing fanciful thoughts.

still, i feel like i need to do something to challenge myself. thanks to my job at the publishing company -- which, btw, looks like it will be quite profitable for me in 2013 -- i've built up my confidence alongside my portfolio. i know better what i can do and how well i can do it, and i feel like i'm ready for more. or different. or new. i'm not sure what that thing might be -- it might turn out to be something small, just to get the ball rolling -- but there's a nagging in my gut that i should be taking a few steps forward towards... something.

curiosities

* i returned to the office today, opened my top desk drawer (in my metal filing cabinet) and found a mess. a sealed granola bar had, apparently, been chewed open at one corner and enjoyed by something very small and furry. there were little shards of wrapper strewn amid scattered oats, and there was an array of teeny tiny mouse poops. i'd been in the office on friday and the drawer was fine, so this obviously happened over the weekend or yesterday. i should note that i'm as much a neat freak at work as i am at home, and i never keep any open food anywhere in/at my desk. i applaud the mouse's determination and nose for snacks... but i nonetheless sent a group email to everyone in the department to notify them of its presence. (aside: i named the mouse "leon.")

* i've been on vacation and haven't had any work in the past four weeks. like, not even a hint of stuff to do. on friday, i went in to work to get my schedule for the coming months and suddenly i'm being inundated with assignments. feast or famine, i tell ya.

* i'm still waiting to find out whether i'll be job sharing with another editor when my managing editor goes on mat leave. seems my colleague is asking for huge amounts of money, which the department can't afford (and won't pay). so, my boss is going to put forth a take-it-or-leave it scenario and see what happens. in the meantime, i'm the one who said, "sure, what do you need me to do?" pretty much right off the bat. thankfully, i will be seeing an increase to my hourly rate.

* remember my post about people asking for your opinion but, really, just wanting praise? the owner of the condo mom and i rented in florida has emailed her with a jovial "how was your trip?" message, asking after our stay at his place. i've drafted a very gentle but honest reply, citing all the things we found to be dirty/broken, for mom to send. we'll see how he responds. not that we really care, since we don't really intend to book his pad again... unless he makes a ton of improvements.

five highlights

* i made rocky-road bars for the first time this weekend. though the recipe called for a 9x13" pan, i feel it should have gone in an 8x8 or 9x9 because the crust was thin. otherwise, though, they were delicious!

* i spent all day sunday working in gardens. first, my parents' yard, then YB's. i pruned many bushes and shaped a few shrubs. i also got to prune trixie's 8' bonsai tree, which was my favourite part.

* today, i decided to fix the decaying window ledge in my apartment. it's about a three-foot stretch of my 21-foot window ledge, but it's been slowly disintegrating for the past couple of years (presumably because there was water damage over which the previous tenants just painted). so, i chiseled all the blistering paint off last week and let the ledge dry out fully. today, i gave it two coats of super-thick, super-fancy primer and wound up filling all the cracks along the ledge's 21 feet, as well. then, feeling buoyed, i took down all eight curtain panels, washed them and re-hung them (while wet, so as to reduce wrinkling). i am very pleased with the results, all around.

* this evening, i went to a screening of This Is The End, the new frat-boy-humour comedy from seth rogen, james franco and all their pals. it was, as expected, juvenile and crude and not my cup of tea, but seth rogen was in attendance, so that was different.

* tomorrow, i'm heading into the office because i have some work to do. more importantly, there's going to be cake in the boardroom in the afternoon... and you know i love cake in the boardroom.

today's film recommendation

the documentary Bill Cunningham New York. a fascinating portrait of a fascinating photographer. i watched it last night after having missed its theatrical run, and it was so worth the wait.

non-florida updates

* this morning, i took an hour-long walk to the lab at dr. textbook's offices so that i could have a two-month follow-up blood test to make sure my thyroid is still working as it should. when i arrived, the waiting area was packed and i knew i was staring at the business end of an hour's wait. so, i turned around and walked back out. i'll try again early next week.

* this afternoon, i have to have my driver's license and health card renewed. i managed to book a last-minute appointment for the only slot available today, so i'm gathering all the necessary paperwork in the hopes of being in and out in 40 minutes or under. apparently, booking an appointment (as i did) dramatically cuts down wait time and gets you to the front of the line when you arrive. otherwise, you're looking at at least and hour, most often two. fingers crossed!

* tonight, i'm meeting up with one of my oldest friends for a dinner of desserts.

* tomorrow, i have a meeting with my boss to hash out my upcoming work schedule -- namely, when i'll have to return to the office and what my duties will be when i do. see, our managing editor is going on maternity leave in two weeks, but there's a hiring freeze at the company so she can't be replaced at the moment. that means her duties will likely fall to me and another freelance editor. this is all something that, in reality, really should have been worked out a long time ago and, to be honest, i'm not especially interested in absorbing many of her duties (more than a few of which are essentially client relations). i'm most interested in finding out what happened when my boss met with leonard, and to find out what (if any) changes have been made to his working arrangement.

* over the weekend, i decided to buy a tub of earth balance coconut spread. i'd sampled it on numerous occasions in the past, and always enjoyed it, so i treated myself. and you know what? is it ever DELICIOUS on cinnamon-raisin toast! so, so good. it's got a mild buttery/coconutty flavour, with just a hint of salt.

floridories #3: foodstuffs

as anyone who knows me knows, one of my favourite things about trips to the states is the food. more specifically, the junk food. and one of the best benefits of spending a week in a condo with a full kitchen is the opportunity to sample foods that require a fridge, freezer or stove -- namely, stuff i wouldn't be able to eat (or store) on a day trip or short visit at a hotel.

and florida did not disappoint. one of the first things i picked up was a bag of the new "sweet & spicy BBQ" flavour of sun chips. never heard of that flavour? neither had i, until i stumbled upon it on day one of our trip. i really like sun chips, and the chips seemed like they would make for the perfect mid-afternoon-while-we-watch-ellen snack. (and they did!)

next up: starbucks ice cream! we don't have starbucks ice cream in canada (WTF?), so we always try to grab at least a pint whenever we're in the U.S. my all-time favourite flavour, mocha cookie-crumble frappuccino, wasn't available, so we settled for a pint each of caramel macchiato and mocha frappucino. the caramel one turned out to be meh (too much vanilla), but the mocha was delish. the perfect snack-time accompaniment to the sun chips.

though our experience with target popcorn was not great on our last florida visit -- one batch had been doubly salted, making it inedible; another bag seemed to be microwave popcorn -- we tried again. we had better luck this trip, but the quality still wasn't quite what it used to be years ago. and it was still quite salty.

know what goes nicely with target popcorn, though? sweets' orange sticks and raspberry sticks (another product we don't have north of the border). mom would routinely eat one stick of each flavour before our morning walks, just to boost her energy and prevent low blood sugar. chilled in the fridge, they are a refreshing and delightful treat.

on a healthier note, i opted to try a kashi frozen dinner one night. now, kashi and i have never had a great relationship -- every product of theirs that i've tried, from cereal to granola bars, has been akin to tree bark and lawn clippings. dry, flavourless, harsh. but something about their array of frozen entrées (again, not sold in canada), and their "mayan harvest bake," drew me in. in hindsight, it was likely the promise of consuming something moderately healthy amid the ocean of crap.

anyway...

that frozen dinner was the first kashi product i've eaten that i didn't hate. it was essentially a vegetarian chili on polenta, with chunks of sweet potato and sprinkled with pumpkin seeds. its major misfire, though, were the plantains. much too sweet and with flavours that didn't complement the rest of the slop in the serving tray. (unfortunately, the meal looked gross and very slop-like when cooked. nothing at all like the photo on the box!)

we didn't dine out often but, when we did, it was at chain restaurants. the olive garden for their amaretto tiramisu, the cheesecake factory for their cajun chicken littles, IHOP for their pancakes and syrup carousel. all good.

and i must point out that we did eat healthy things at least one each day. we had a slew of FABULOUS mangoes, some great avocados, apples, bananas, organic yogurt, and deliciously spicy scrambled eggs with even-more-delicious king's hawaiian rolls (yes, i know those aren't "healthy," but they're not overly UNhealthy).

an interesting epilogue: when i returned from florida, after having eaten as i always do in florida but without having gone swimming most days, i'd put on three pounds. (before you scoff, ask yourself how you'd react if you stepped on the scale and had suddenly gone up three pounds.) my mom, on the other hand, ate far more crap than i -- remember, she was there for an extra week, and often had pie for dinner! -- actually lost a pound.

floridories #2: skimmer zen

there were two flocks of skimmers and terns on the beach by the condo. 

they sit, and groom, and chat. 

and are always, always cute.

floridories (florida stories) #1: the accommodations

mom's been renting units at the same beachside condo in florida for about 11 years. she's been renting the current unit every year since about 2005. it's always been a little meh -- decorated sometime in the late-1980s and then never updated -- but, in recent years, it's really started to show its age.

we rent directly from the owner and, because we've been renting from him for so long, he's cut mom a pretty good deal: about $450 per week, plus a $90 end-of-stay cleaning fee. most other one-bedroom units in the complex rent for $600 per week and up, with some renting close to $1000 per week, so we know we're getting a bargain.

thing is, we're also getting a bargain experience. which is to say: there's a lot of room for improvement.

the "cleaning" done between guests is cursory, at best. so, we usually spend a few hours cleaning and rewashing linens upon arrival. the "white" towels are typically grey until we launder them with bleach. (magically, they return to white. shocking!) i disinfest every surface -- table- and countertops, light switches, remotes, door knobs, etc. -- with disposable wipes that, inevitably, reveal the sub-par "cleaning job" done by the seriously sketchy-looking cleaning crew responsible for the building.

and the floors. oh, the floors. they are tiled and are FILTHY. last year, i was so fed up with the soles of my feet turning black from the filth that i actually attempted to mop the floors... but they need a hardcore, industrial cleaning. the grout in the high-traffic areas is black; the grout closer to the walls (where no one ever walks) is a light beige.

now, we're used to all this. again, for $450 a week, on the beach, we figure we have to make some concessions. but the condition of the unit itself is now slowly deteriorating.

the shelves are all sway-backed from the weight of the ancient, heavy dishware. the area under the sink is the stuff of nightmares and, this year, we found two containers of roach killer inside the bathroom vanity. i immediately searched the unit for: 1. bugs, and 2. further roach killer.

i found a pile of the roachicide behind one of the couches, along with a roach trap. behind the other couch? another roach trap. now, it's entirely possible that these are preventative measures -- the building is inspected monthly by a pest-control company, and we've never, ever seen a roach.

still. it was enough to give us pause.

the vertical blinds in the east-facing living room were broken this year. they were stuck in the "open" position, meaning we were blinded by light and baked by heat each morning... until i fashioned a super-classy "curtain" using a bedsheet and some clothespins.

the vertical blinds in the bedroom had also been broken since our last stay. they were sort of half-open... problematic, given that the bedroom window looks out into the common hallway/atrium of the complex. i fashioned another curtain.

the remote control for the living-room TV had obviously had something sticky spilled on/in it, because the volume and channel buttons frequently became "stuck" when pressed. the remote for the TV in the bedroom was held together with scotch tape and had a dead battery hermetically sealed inside.

the furniture and area rugs are dirty and worn, and the mattresses look they're original to the construction of the building, they're that old.

for only about $1000, the condo unit's owner could really jazz up (and clean!) the place, but another resident in the building says it won't happen. "he's cheap," she told my mother, adding that he (the unit's owner) doesn't want to spend any money on updates or improvements.

so, this year might have been our last in that unit. yes, it's super-familiar and we know exactly what we're getting when we book, but i also pointed out that, for about $200 a week more, we could have a nicer unit in the same complex, with two bedrooms (instead of one) and two bathrooms (instead of one)... and, presumably, furnishings from this century.

we'll see.

editing 300+ photos takes a while

so, in the meantime, i offer this one. it's a paddleboarder waaay out on the water.

back!

flo-rida was great.
i have many stories.
and 300+ photos.
more later!

adieu for a spell

moe's, olive garden, CPK, target, auntie anne's, pool, beach et al.? here i come.

quick updates from the front (of the) line

* leonard has asked to meet with the boss today. i was asked (by the boss) to submit a detailed list of leonard's shortcomings. we'll see what comes of this.

* i have made some fun new friends in the hot docs lines. it's always nice when you accidentally stumble upon like-minded people. especially when it comes to having favourite seats, dealing with volunteers and getting in line early.

* i have discovered a fantastic new spot for between-screening, between-scotiabank-and-lightbox meals: melt grilled cheese. it's across the street from the scotiabank, has been open just over a month and serves great big designer grilled-cheese sandwiches. yesterday, i had cheddar, mozzarella, tomatoes and pesto on multigrain bread. for $3.99, plus tax. filling and delicious!

* as i wind down with my final few screenings at hot docs, my brain is getting ready for flo-rida.