movers: booked

54 days from now, at this time, i'll be fully moved in to my new home.

done deal: i bought a condo

SO much has happened in the last seven days, and it's all kind of been an overwhelming whirlwind. in just 36 hours, i went from browsing MLS listings to putting in an offer on a property, to having that offer accepted outright. no signing back and forth, no negotiating on price. just: done.

about 72 hours after that, it was signed, sealed and official. i secured a mortgage, the lawyer OKed the building and i waived those two conditions.

holy crap.

no, seriously.

O

M

G

since then, i've been a knot of jangled nerves. i haven't really slept properly in more than a week -- i wasn't sleeping well when last weekend arrived, and this past week hasn't helped matters -- and my stomach has been jittery since sunday. my appetite isn't great, and i feel like i'm w-I-R-e-D all the time.

mom and trix are both very excited, but it's odd -- both of them, independently, cautioned me against painting using my trademark palette (i.e., bright and cheerful) "in case you have to sell it suddenly."

????

what kind of thing is that to say? i told both of them that i'm going to paint it in the colours i want, because i need to treat this as someplace that's MINE and someplace i plan to live in for a long while. why would i paint it in a way that i hope will appeal to buyers? why create a self-fulfilling prophesy?

if, worst-case scenario, i suddenly find myself needing to sell, THAT'S when i'll repaint in pale, muted tones. until then, it's going to be bright and cheerful and vibrant. i'm not talking about purple ceilings and doors covered in fun fur, but i need colour.

today, YB and i went window shopping -- paint, furniture, appliances. the place really needs a new washer and dryer, and those are items i'd really like to buy new. the stove is also pretty old, and the range hood has seen better days, so they may also be replaced. we'll see.

paint-wise, i picked up a pile of paint chips in a crayola-like array of colours. i'm thinking of painting my kitchen cabinets a light lime green, or maybe a bright (light) orange. we'll see.

and in terms of furniture, i only want to buy the essential pieces. the kitchen could use an island because there isn't a lot of counter space on which to work. i need a new stand for my mammoth tube TV, because the one i have now is 13 years old and showing it. i haven't yet decided whether to put a real bed (or a roll-away bed) in the guest room. we'll see.

i have about nine thousand things i'll need to get done in the next four weeks, and about eight hundred and twenty six decisions to make. for now, i would LOVE to just get a solid 8 hours of sleep.

i definitely have blog-worthy thoughts on this condo situation...

... but i don't want to write about it until it's a done deal.

right now, it's about 70% complete. that last 30%, that last hurdle, is the mortgage. i thought i'd know tonight whether i'm approved (and for how much and at what rate), but i don't.

my broker has until 6pm tomorrow to nail down a mortgage or the condo purchase is voided and the unit goes back on the market.

she feels confident everything will be fine, and that she'll have my mortgage tomorrow morning... but i don't want to count any chickens too soon.

i have spent the past three days as a bundle of knotted nerves and anxiety and stress, and i won't start to unclench until that mortgage is signed, sealed and delivered.

so, more later. for now, my appendages are all crossed.

holy crap

i bought a condo.

oh, hi!

* the landlord of my building has applied for a substantial rent increase. the hearing is on march 28th. tenants are slowly organizing. i'm torn between focusing on this place and directing my energy to finding a new place. this is causing inner conflict. a lot of it. i feel guilty for not wanting to overextend myself. i fear for the tenants (the elderly, the immigrants) who may not have the means to endure a rent hike, but i also know i need to focus on a solution for me, not for the building. my therapist has asked me why i feel the need to "save" my neighbours, and why i think it's not okay for me to concentrate on what *i* need (and to put myself first), and i don't (yet) know the answer.

* i've been doing semi-regular tae-bo workouts. i like the fact that i get up, work up a good sweat to get rid of toxins, and then take a cleansing shower to wash them off immediately. i've also continued to have spinach salads at least three times a week. i've discovered that raw, hulled hemp hearts are delicious (and very good for you), so i sprinkle those on my salads, along with raw sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and ground flax.

* the oscar nominations were announced this morning. i was pleased that all my holiday-time filmgoing turned out to be worthwhile -- i've now seen almost all of the nominated films and performances. though, i have no interest in "the wolf of wall street."

* on january 1st, my new hourly rate kicked in. i remind myself of this new rate every day that i'm at the office late.

* soon, mom and i will have to start planning for florida. if you recall, when i returned from last year's southern sojurn, i said that the condo was falling into further disrepair with each passing year. i'm doing my best to convince mom to either question the owner of the place we rent about whether he's made any improvements (does the toilet now flush properly? have you painted all the water stains on the walls? have you bought new mattresses? do any of the TV remotes work yet?), or to opt for another (pricier) unit in the same building. the price difference is about $200 per week... but we'd get an extra bedroom, an extra bathroom, a corner unit and, one would hope, a toilet that doesn't require you to hold down the handle until the bowl is empty.

fitness!

one of the things i wanted to do in 2014 is so hugely unoriginal that i hesitate to even write about it. still. after six months in my high-stress, high-volume job, my body was starting to tank. over the past few months, i'd noticed increasing pudginess in my midsection, and increasing lethargy overall.

in late november, and with the holiday season looming, i decided to limit the excess sugar i consume while at the office. there's always candy at the ready, junk food nearby and the daily afternoon pangs for something sweet unrelenting. but i decided that i would save the fat and calories for the really good stuff -- homemade christmas baking -- and say no to store-bought cookies, bowls of M&Ms and bags of gummy peaches. i thought it would be hard, but i love streaks -- more to the point, seeing how long i can keep a streak going.

thus far, it's been about six weeks!

but, over christmas, i also read that getting in shape is about 30% exercise and 70% what you eat. so, i decided to also ramp up my fitness regimen. i'd been walking to and/or from the office almost every day, weather permitting, and it's a 40-minute walk each way. thing is, perform any exercise long enough and your body adjusts to it so that it's no longer an effective way to burn calories or get any kind of effective cardio going. plus, at least on the to-work journey, i didn't want to work up a sweat, so i wasn't really challenging myself.

then i remembered: youtube.

you can find any workout you like on youtube. long ones, short ones, cardio, yoga, stretching, warm-ups, cool-downs, intervals, whatever. and, with the weather outside (and very-late sunrises) decidedly non-condusive to power walks before work, a 30-minute youtube workout seemed like the perfect fit.

and it has been!

about a week and a bit ago, i started doing tae-bo workouts in the morning. they're great! years ago, when they were all the rage, i did them often and had progressed to the advanced-level workout. then it started to build a lot of muscle in my thighs, so i stopped. i'm back to beginner, but it's definitely a challenge. and i sweat a lot (goodbye, toxins! goodbye, cortisol!). and, so far, i love it.

i get up at 6:30am to drink some water, then go back to bed to "wake up" for another 15 minutes. i have my workout clothes out, so i just put them on and warm up a little while i make the bed, put out my vitamins, get my breakfast fixins ready and the like. and, by 7:00am, i begin. i'm done by 7:30, showered and ready for breakfast at 8, out the door by 8:50.

and then i feel like i've done something for myself before even really beginning my day.

plus, i still walk to work.

my meals at home have improved, as well. i made the most amazing smoothie -- almond-coconut milk + chilled banana + 2 tbsp almond butter + 1 tbsp chocolate syrup. OMGSOGOOD. i've had pre-dinner spinach salads a few nights this week, and made healthy faux-stir fries (wherein the vegetables are steamed instead of fried, then coated with marinade).

don't get me wrong, i still love candy. i'm just sticking to the good candy. the kind i REALLY REALLY love, not just whatever happens to be handy when i get a craving. same goes for cookies and cake -- still eatin' it, just not eating it whenever it crosses my path.

and you know what? i have more energy. my brain feels a little clearer. and i'm looking forward to increasing my stamina and strength gradually to see what i can do.

stuff! also... things.

* it is COLD in toronto tonight. by dawn, the wind chill will be -41ºC (-42ºF). frostbite can set in within five minutes. i will NOT be walking to the office. i kind of want to work from home, since my apartment is actually toasty (22ºC!). the winds are from the west and south, so they don't hit my windows directly and, as such, my place stays warm.

* i will, however, go to work tomorrow because i have to return a DVD to the library en route. i'm on episode nine of ten of the first season of The Newsroom, which i am LOVING. season two won't be on DVD until june or july, so i have a bit of a wait before i get to see the next nine episodes. but it's an excellent series with some brilliant writing. here, look at the season-one trailer to see what i mean:

* tonight, i made baked ginger tofu for dinner. it was okay, but not my favourite. i still have 1/4 of a block of tofu to use, so i'm hoping to find a more palatable recipe.

* in keeping with my health and fitness goals, i've been eating better. my mom gave me a salad spinner for christmas, so i can finally buy and wash (and spin dry) my own greens at my place, rather than having to buy them and then either wash and spin them chez mama, or wash and pat them dry... which is a huge pain. so, i've got a full container of (washed and cleaned) organic baby spinach in the fridge, and have been having spinach-salad accompaniments to dinner the past few nights. tip: raw sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds makes for excellent salad toppings.

* work is still ridiculous. fin.

okay, 2014, let's go...

it's the second day of a brand new year, and i'm a bit late with the annual reflection/look forward, i know. but there wasn't as much introspection this past year's end. instead, more of a "hey, that was a pretty good year" mental overview, with a few moments of "i can't believe it" thrown in.

2013 was a pretty good year. i stayed healthy, had fun, laughed, worked hard and made a very robust living. i was promoted and spent the latter half of the year meeting new colleagues, taking on new responsibilities, learning new skills and realizing i'm actually very good at what i do.

sure, there were a few bumps in the year -- for reasons unknown to me, a number of friends dropped me in 2013. there was a time where that would have consumed me... or, at the very least, preoccupied me to the point of distraction... but this past year? i didn't bother. we're all adults; if someone chooses to end a friendship without explanation, so be it. i no longer have the patience or inclination to go poking around for the whys of things like that.

in 2013, i was also amazed at the power of thought. at the start of the year, i put out to the universe what i wanted to earn in the coming 12 months. it had worked in previous years, so i chose a figure i thought would really test the limits of willing something into existence.

and then the universe completely outdid me, and exceeded my figure by a good 20%.

i was not, however, able to will a new home into existence. as much as i tried, and as long as i've searched, there was no condo or house for me. and, most days, that's okay -- i really like where i live and, when the upstairs neighbours are quiet (or, better yet, away on vacation), it's almost perfect. except for the drafty windows... and the lack of laundry... and the old electrical... still. living here for another year, and walking to and/or from work almost every day, i've grown to love my neighbourhood even more. to the point that i'm reconsidering my must-have criteria for a new home. "my own laundry" may be stricken from the list, along with air conditioning -- there are some beautiful old condo buildings around here, and most don't have either. what they do have is character, charm and a kick-ass location.

so, maybe a unit in one of those will be a part of my 2014. we'll see.

i know my job will continue to be a challenge, both good and bad, until at least june. but, with those challenges comes an hourly-rate increase, effective yesterday. so, while i toil at the office and deal with ridiculous client requests (all olympics stories have now been killed, btw, even though they were all assigned and written -- good times!), i can rest easy knowing my bank account will kept happy.

to that end, i also plan to see more movies for pleasure in 2014. used to be, i couldn't afford to go -- when one is earning nothing, shelling out $13 for a film is off the table. but going to movies over my recent christmas break reminded me how much i love doing it. plus, it's a good way to refuel my creative brain, which has been sorely neglected since, oh, this past june.

in terms of goals or plans for the year, i don't have too many. i could say i'd like to blog every day, but i'll be happy if, for the foreseeable future, i manage it two or three times a week. i do plan to revise my eating habits, though -- i successfully cut down on sugar towards the end of 2013, then lapsed for the last two weeks of december, so it's time to pick up that baton again. i've also started pre-work workouts (as of today, anyway). my body needs a stress release AND a way of burning all the calories i consume, since sitting at a computer for 10 hours a day makes for a poor cardio regimen.

i'd like to be more patient in the months to come, and to remember to nurture myself as much as i do other people. i'd like to try for more reasonable hours at the office, and to schedule a day off each month to let my brain exhale. i'll probably go babysit larry on occasion, since cat therapy and YB's quiet house are effective stress relievers, and mom and i will likely head to florida in may, per usual. there's also a part of me that wants to go on a fall trip somewhere -- maybe back to seattle, maybe chicago... or maybe somewhere that pushes me out of my comfort zone a little. like sweden. or ireland. dunno yet.

but i'm not starting 2014 feeling overly apprehensive about what's to come, or regretting anything from the year that's passed. and i'm taking that as a good sign.

happy new year, all!

the yule log

* on christmas day, around 11am, i headed to my parents' place. YB and larry had been there for a couple of days already, and mom and dad's cable had been out since sunday morning. so, everyone was a little on edge. but, we had a lovely meal, opened presents and dad did not act like an asshat, which was a huge relief.

* larry and george continue to get to know each other, but the dynamic has shifted between them. george is now the dominant one, chasing poor larry like a bat out of hell. which, to be fair, is the way the dynamic should be between the resident cat and a guest cat. thankfully, larry's got a "safe room": trixie's bedroom. that's where his food, water and litter box are, and where he sleeps and relaxes (with the door closed so george can't get in). so, when he's scared, he runs right back into that room. they have supervised visits a few times a day, and – for the most part – george behaves. sometimes, he'll even flop down on the floor in a passive pose. but then... BAM! he starts chasing larry, who flees. we suspect this is george's idea of "play," because he's not actually aggressive (no claws or hissing or biting, just chasing), but it scares the bejesus outta YB's schmoopy feline.

* tomorrow, i begin my holiday movie-going. i'm seeing "american hustle" and "her," back to back and each with a different friend. then, on monday, probably "philomena" (with mom) and "gravity" (solo). i've also got "august: osage county" on my "see before i'm once again swallowed whole by work" list.

* speaking of, and though i am technically "off" work until jan. 3rd, i have work to do over the holidays. stuff i know i won't have time to do at the office – namely, all my writing. i've got an article on 2014 films we can't wait to see, midseason replacements we're psyched to watch and a couple of olympic stories that i've decided not to write (because i know they'll be vetoed by legal).

* best news of all so far this christmas, though? LARRY NO LONGER SMELLS!!!!!! at ALL!!!! the neutering totally did the trick, and his blindingly smelly pee is no more. i could not be happier!!!!! (and, since he's been staying chez mom and dad for almost a week now, so is mom!)

merry christmas!

i'm spending christmas eve at my place because YB is still without power. she and larry -- who's recovering from his recent surgery (and doing very well!) -- are bunking at my parents' house, so i'll be heading over there tomorrow. apparently, larry and george have had a couple of very brief, but very civil, face-to-face meetings. we'll see if that continues.

though i normally spend christmas eve with trix, i've enjoyed being on my own today. i went for a big walk, took a slew of photos, wrapped presents, attended mass and made dinner (vegan sausage with roasted potatoes). now, i find myself watching a Long Island Medium marathon.

despite the chilliness of my apartment (which hasn't gone above about 55ºF since sunday morning), it's been a really nice, relaxing day.

hope everyone has a merry christmas! wishing you happiness and peace and, of course, CAKE*. :-D

[*but not fruitcake, because fruitcake is not cake.]

careening into farcical

today, we were given an update from the client, preceded by, "this isn't good."

we were then informed that, due to legal restrictions, not only can we not use the word olympics, olympian, winter games, games or any permutation thereof in our olympics stories, but we can also not use any stock images from the olympics.

or of any athletes.

or of anything having to do with the olympics, winter sports, sports, medals or canada.

not even a hockey stick.

not even a maple leaf.

not even a figure-skating skate.

we also can't use illustrations of anything having to do with the olympics, winter sports, sports, medals or canada.

not even a hockey stick.

not even a maple leaf.

not even a figure-skating skate.

then we were told that any tweets we plan on sending out DURING the olympics (which start on feb. 7th) have to be sent to the legal department for approval.

by jan. 10th.

for.

REAL.

marshmallows

* tomorrow, larry goes in for his surgery. we're all hoping it's quick and (as) painless (as possible), and that he makes a speedy, problem-free recovery.

* for reasons unknown to me, we did not have a department christmas lunch this year. or drinks after work. nuthin'.

* i have not finished my christmas shopping. in fact, i only started today.

* my therapist feels my father has a very pronounced anxiety disorder, and that it's the cause of his often infuriating behaviour.

* i will be on holiday from dec. 24th through to jan. 2nd... maybe even jan. 3rd. i plan to see many movies while i'm off.

* speaking of movies, Grave of the Fireflies is screening in toronto on friday night, and i'm considering buying a ticket. it's supposed to be one of the best animated films ever made, but it's also apparently absolutely devastating. so, i'm on the fence.

* work continues to be a massive amount of work... and it looks like nothing will change until, oh, june. but i *am* getting a raise starting in january.

* i cannot believe it's already dec. 18th.

christmas baking 2013: a few glimpses

half-and-half cookies.

nut kipfls, before.

this thimble is, mom figures, at least 120 years old. it belonged to my great-grandfather, who was a tailor.
now, we use it to cut holes in tiny butter cookies.

tiny butter cookies.

an update to the larry update

test results are back.

larry's junk is hidden on the inside, so he has to have surgery next week to officially be neutered.

blood, urine and kidney function: all normal. PHEW!

YB is nonetheless worried, as any pet parent would be, but the surgery is already scheduled for next friday. larry will stay one night at the vet's and be home on saturday afternoon. trix is off for two weeks starting that friday, so she'll be home to care for him as he recovers.

and, once he's recovered and the remaining testosterone works its way out of his body, his pee should take on the normal smell of cat pee.

we are all relieved. :-)

cloud wave

this photo was taken this past saturday, as YB and i were out on a shopping jaunt north of the city. we pulled off the highway just before 8:30am, and saw this freaky-looking cloud formation.

though the picture doesn't quite capture it, the cloud looked like an enormous wave cresting to the west.  it was SO cool.

a larry update

so, larry is having a little bit of trouble. he's lovable and snuggly and cute and very smart, but something's up with his metabolism... and his... junk.

remember when YB first adopted him, and i said his pee STIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINKS? well, it still does. i mean, it's eye-wateringly strong, and smells like the pee of an unneutered cat. more worrisome is how much he drinks and pees -- cats aren't big drinkers, and a normal pee schedule would be once or twice a day.

larry drinks water ALL the time, and pees five times a day. that, for a cat, is excessive and can be the sign of diabetes or, worse, kidney damage.

and trix was, rightfully, getting increasingly worried. so, she took him back to the vet for another once-over and brought along a small sample of his clumped litter (so the vet could assess the smell of the pee).

well.

the vet took one whiff and said that it definitely smells like larry hasn't been neutered. testosterone is what causes the extreme pungency of male-cat urine -- get rid of the testicles, the smell goes away. thing is, larry has no visible testicles... which could mean they never descended and are tucked somewhere inside. or, less likely, it could mean he's the victim of an incomplete neutering and somewhere there's a tiny piece of tissue still producing enough testosterone to cause the stink. they shaved a small patch of his nether regions to look for an incision scar but couldn't find one.

back to the pee stink: the vet said the smell was so strong that he couldn't take it, so he asked one of the assistants to remove the BAGGED sample clump from the exam room. that's how intense it is. did i mention that YB is unable to smell skunks? so, to her, larry's pee "isn't that bad." :-|

anyway, the vet took blood and urine samples, and larry's being tested for all manner of conditions. it's sad, though, because trix is now so worried that she doesn't want to get too attached to larry (too late for that, i think) in case he's got something seriously wrong. she doesn't want to buy too much food or too many more accessories, because she doesn't want to jinx his prognosis. the kidney damage is the biggest concern -- that's irreversible and, ultimately, expensive and terminal.

best case scenario: an ultrasound will reveal larry's hidden junk, which can be easily removed. his metabolism slows down to normal, the pee smell becomes normal and he and YB live happily ever after for the next 20 years. in the meantime, larry continues to be stinky but insanely cute.

what i thought would solve my blogging deficit

last week, i had an idea -- why not combine the long-defunct photo blog with this one so that, on days when i don't have time to write or don't have anything worth writing about (i mean, how often can i complain about work before it just becomes redundant noise?), i would post a photo i'd taken that day and quickly write a few sentences about it.

i even carted my point-and-shoot along with me every day last week. and do you know how many photos i took? ZERO.

so, you know, so much for that idea.

BUT, today i DID take a couple of photos, including the one above. it was my lunch -- a delicious sandwich i made. it's black forest ham, emmenthal, spinach, avocado (with pepper) and hummus, on a multigrain baguette. it was very very good. note: though the sandwich looks fairly small, that baguette was easily 8 or 9" long, so it was FILLING.

we'll see how the coming week fares, photo- and blogging-wise.

new approach to blogging -- coming very soon!

because, really, these once-every-two-weeks entries blow. so, i'm going to try something new!

this is actually part of my job

the client has asked us to produce, among 40-ish stories, 10 articles involving/revolving around/about the olympics for january.

BUT...

we are not (legally) allowed to use the word "olympics."

or winter games.

or games.

or olympian.

or any permutation thereof of any of the above.

SERIOUSLY.

five things on a monday night

* this weekend, i did two loads of laundry. i pride myself on brilliant custom blends of detergent and fabric softener, so that my clothes or bedding or towels or whatever i've washed smells uniquely amazing. yet, for some inexplicable reason, i decided to "just try" a new fabric softener my mom had purchased. i took of its cap, smelled it, and it seemed okay. cut to an hour later, as i took my fluffy and dry clothes out of the dryer to discover they all smelled like cologne. UGH. because my parents' washer and dryer are very large, i was able to launder a LOT of clothing all in that one tragic load. and, now, i have nearly a month's worth of shirts that smell like a dude.

* this coming weekend, YB and i might make homemade pasta and sauce. we haven't done that in nearly two years, and there's nothing quite as delicious as from-scratch pasta.

* i had my meeting with my boss this afternoon, and everything is still up in the air. my role, my hourly rate, an ETA for a new editor for the tech magazine. he did, however, thank me for everything i've done over the past five and a half months, and said i've been doing an amazing job, which was very much appreciated and (i think) deserved. he said he'll make a case (to the powers that be) to up my fee as much as he can... but he'd also spent the hours before our meeting hearing about budget cuts, so there will likely be a limit to what's feasible. or, more to the point, approve-able.

* of the new crop of fall shows, the only one i've enjoyed enough to keep watching beyond two episodes is The Blacklist. i like james spader.

* it's time to get my flu shot.