Canadian Down Under

Monday, April 30, 2007

I'm upset

I've been watching Gilmore Girls lately. Been watching like an addict. I don't know how it started, but I've watched Seasons 1 through 5 on DVD and now I'm watching Season 6.

(Please note - the debate as to whether this classifies as crap tv is not relevant here. An addiction is an addiction and the quality of the drug is moot.)

So I have to say - I was so happy that Luke and Lorelai got together. I really liked the way Luke looked at Lorelai. Perhaps its the state of my woebegone love life - (is it possible to have a less than non-existant love life?) that has hooked me. Imagining that maybe one day some guy will look at me like that seems to be sustaining me.

Wow - how sad is that?

But I'm upset. Know why? It seems like their relationship has hit a few bumps. I was so worried about it I looked up the episode synopsis for the rest of the season - discovered that indeed its true, they DO break up. In fact, in the next season Lorelai ends up married to someone else.

Married!!!!!!

How could that happen? They were meant to be together!!! If it can't work for them, then there really is no hope for me.....

I'm upset.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Bye Bye Baby

So I have a confession to make.... I may have named my kitten Monster (I thought it was pretty cute) but she was so little.... so tiny... and it felt kind of mean to call her Monster (unless she was trying to steal my food)... she was little as a baby...so Monster evolved to Baby Monster..

then I dropped the Monster.

She's been baby for a while.

I'm going away today - up the coast for a mini-holiday - so I needed someone to look after Baby while I'm gone. Last night I dropped her off at my friend's house and it was very traumatic.

For me.

I hung out there for far too long, to make sure she'd be okay, gave her a big hug goodbye, and followed up with a text message this morning just to 'check in'.

I am pathetic. I think we should all be thankful I'm not responsible for a little human being.....

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Imposter!!!!

So this morning I was walking into a shop and almost literally walked into this woman.

I stepped back - and when I stepped back, I noticed this woman was wearing a Canada sweatshirt: white jacket with big cherry red letters C A N A D A. I couldn't help myself - being the Canadian that I am - I smiled and asked "whereabouts?"

She looked at me blankly, so I asked again "Where in Canada are you from?" (My Canadian accent meant to be an instant communing tool between me and my fellow Canadian.)

My answer? "Oh I'm not Canadian, I'm from the States." Then she brushed by me and walked off.

Isn't that breaking the rules? Hey - I don't go to some other country wearing American paraphernalia!!!!

Lovely

Not once, not twice but at least three times this week people have - completely out of nowhere - told me what a lovely person I am.

How nice is that? Seriously! How nice is that?

And you know what? I'm lapping it up. Lapping it up like the first rainfall for the drought stricken! Now I know I have a bunch of friends that have given me personal pep talks before, but for some reason - perhaps its the randomness of it all - I think I'm actually hearing it this time.

Let's hope it doesn't go to my head.....

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

I am SOOOO domestic

Tonight as I was getting stuff ready for work tomorrow, I decided that perhaps a few of my shirts needed a little ironing. (This is momentous - as I am SERIOUSLY allergic to ironing.)

So all noble and self-righteous-like I get my laundry underway after I've pulled out the ironing board and plugged in the iron. I mean - hey - if you're going to iron you might as well make an evening of domestication..

First shirt out of the block? I iron the sleeves, the collar, the two fronts without incident. But then it was time for the back and you know what happened? I burnt a hole in it!

I BURNT A HOLE IN IT!!!!

How did that happen? I barely touched the shirt! I didn't change the temperature setting. I didn't add steam. In essence - I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT!!

Ughgh. Luckily it was the shirt that I've been debating for months as to whether I should keep it or give it away. However, instead of being donated to the Salvos, its now sitting in the bin.

So I got out my old iron - the one that barely works - because I decided that the one I was using is possessed. The rest of the ironing was finished grumpily but sans incident.

Domestication is sooo not for me.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Ex-Boyfriend-itis

I went out for a run tonight and I discovered I'm suffering ex-boyfriend-itis.

Ever heard of it? It's when you're going down the street and you keep passing guys who look like your ex-boyfriend.

Every boy.

And even though he lives half a world away.... you still do the double take.

Everytime.

Ex-boyfriend-itis.....

The train wreck I can't stop watching.....

The pussycat dolls search for a new doll.

Have you seen this? This is crap on a whole new level.....and yet.... I still watched.

Twice.

Two weeks in a row.

I need psychotherapy.

Saturday, April 07, 2007

The dangers of hair salons....

My hair is burgundy.

I'm not kidding.

Cat for sale

Okay - I just told you about my cat's latest trick - bringing in cockroaches from the balcony (it's Sydney - every balcony has cockroaches...)

Well, the last few nights I've been coping with different strategies - most centre around the dustpan as scooper when the almost closed door trick isn't working. But tonight it all went to hell.

See, tonight TONIGHT she brought in the HUGEST cockroach ever. EVER. It made all the others from earlier this week look small enough to be the dwarf children of tonight's catch.

As I said: cat for sale.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

The nicest No

Over the last month or so, I've been interviewing for a new job. It's within my current company - and was done with the knowledge and support of my boss - so there's no problem telling you about it now.

This all came about as a result of discussions about career planning. I've been in my current job for over a year and a half now and it's at a company I quite like and expressed my desire to start building a career. (For those of you who don't know me - that last statement is quite profound....) As a result, when an opportunity came up in another area of the business, I applied.

Long story short, it came down to me an an external candidate. After weeks of interviews and waiting I was told that last Wednesday a decision would be made. By early Friday when I hadn't heard back, I pretty much knew what the answer was.

Late Friday afternoon, the woman whom the role reported called me with the news that they had offered the position to the other candidate. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but how she said it and what she said made it so easy to hear.

She started off with thanking me for applying, then proceeded to tell me how difficult I had made it for them to make a decision. Apparently they chose the other guy because he had 15 years experience in the exact job (my background is actually quite diverse) and that he was CA qualified (I'd rather sit at home and stab myself with forks than try for an accounting designation....). So the rationale for the decision made it easy to accept - but she went above and beyond that.

I asked for feedback - what I could do better or differently - and she said 'nothing'. That I'd interviewed well and that they really liked my style and if they had had two jobs they would have hired me. She promised to keep me in mind should another opportunity arise and actually offered to meet up for coffee should I ever have any questions or want any kind of advice or info about the company.

How nice was that?

Then she went further and told me that when talking to people around the bank that all of the feedback she'd gotten was really good.

I don't think I could have asked for more. My only disappointment really was not working in her team - I think it would have been quite a good atmosphere and I think it would have been a really good working relationship.

But all in all? It was the nicest no I've ever had.

Probably the only time in my life that rejection made me feel better about myself.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Why Monster is a good name...

I kinda thought that perhaps a kitten/cat would actually help to reduce the number of bugs I see. (Hey - this is Sydney - no way to get rid of them completely....) Although not the only nor main reason I got the little MONSTER (it's capitals tonight, let me tell you), the idea that she might capture/kill/scare off bugs held a certain appeal for me.

Boy was I wrong!

What I've discovered this week, that instead of getting rid of bugs, what she actually likes to do is hang out on my balcony, catch some live suckers and bring them in!!!!

We had a little discussion (her and I) about this just last night, but apparently the message didn't get through the curly whiskers. Because tonight, it wasn't just that she brought in a bug - she brought in the hugest, most hideous cockroach.

I nearly had heart failure. (For those of you who may have been reading for a while - you don't need for me to explain why....)

Apparently I named her well.

No amount of curling up on my lap and cutely purring is going to atone for this one tonight....