24 Hours in Columbus

Yup, that's how long I've been here. Surprise! No dying on the way here. Which makes me happy. PS: My brother? My current favourite person ever.

This afternoon, I took a little wander around the neighbourhood. Wanna see what outside looks like?

Here's where I'm staying temporarily:


Across this bridge...


Is my office building:

It takes less then a minute to walk from one to the other.

There is such a thing as being too close to work.

However, there's no such thing as being too close to the North Market.


I also wandered into the Short North, and picked up a Chocolate candle from Paul Robinett. But didn't take pictures. Because I become shy with the camera in crowded conditions.

In Which I...

Contemplate being debt-free...

It's liberating, it is. I'm the kind of girl who always, without fail, pays off the complete balance on any bill the day she receives it. I hate being beholden. Last year, I paid my car off. Student loan payments? Over and done with. And yesterday, my condo closed, leaving me without mortgage, and with a fist full of cash that I am trying very, very hard not to spend.

Debt-free = excellent.


Wonder at the lengths parents will go to in order to get back home...

For the past two weeks, my parents have been vacationing in Italy. I got back from the gym this morning to a voicemail from my mom, and an email from my dad. Long story short, their Rome-London flight had been canceled, causing them to miss their London-Toronto jaunt. They were rebooked, but were told that they wouldn't arrive back in Canada until Saturday at 6PM. Which meant that I wouldn't be able to see them before relocating to Columbus.

A couple of hours ago, I was able to talk to my parents on the phone. My mom cried at the Air Canada ticket counter at Heathrow. And Air Canada was able to find them space on a flight coming in at 10:40 PM tonight. My mom is a champion.

I'll get to see my mom and dad, and hug them both goodbye, before I leave the country myself. I wouldn't admit how important that was to me to myself until I heard that they'd be able to make it home today. Because when they told me they'd be coming in before I left? It difficult to hold back the tears of relief. Also, they got me loot in the form of a leather purse. Which is also very, very important.


Think about how awesome my big brother is...

He just is. You should marry him. That is all.



I tell you my traveling plans...

Car leaves here at 6AM tomorrow morning. Hoping to arrive in Columbus in the early afternoon.

Until then, kids.

I Am a Bandit

Or, at least I make out like one.

And by make out, I mean run away from people that I love, gifts from them in hand.

Today was my final day at work. For those that have been wondering, for the past five years, I've had the joy - and I seriously mean that - of working on the E-Business team at Petro-Canada as Senior Coordinator, Interaction Strategy and Design. Yes, it was my plan to have the longest title in the department. It's the little (long?) things, you know?

Thinking back, I really can't believe that it's been five years. Or that I really had the opportunity to work with such amazing, smart and funny people.

I found myself on the verge of blubbering like a two year old a few times today. But, like a Buckingham Palace Guard, I managed to keep my composure. And I wasn't even wearing a silly hat. But it was hard. Very, very hard. At times, I wished I had the silly hat to hide behind.

Guys, I know you're reading this, and I know I've already said it to your faces, but I really do mean it. I'll miss you. You're all talented, beautiful people. And I will hunt you down and kill you all if you don't keep in touch.

TOO MANY DECISIONS

Regarding television shows, of course.

This week is absolutely lousy with the new and returning series. And as I'll be crashing out at my parents' place from Wednesday to Friday, and they have no DVR (NO DVR), I'm actually faced with the decision - even with their satellite provider's time shifting option - of which shows to watch, and which to...to...to...not.

GAH.

And so, I give up on Life so I can see Dirty Sexy Money. I give up on Private Practice so I can watch Bionic Woman. I give up on My Name is Earl and Survivor China so I can watch Ugly Betty. My favourites from seasons past are safe, so far.

This concerns me too much, I know. And the next month should be good for me, I know that too. But I can't wait until I set up my own cable account and get my ass all DVRd-up again.

Confidential to Kate: You must find a way to get me Project Runway Canada!

And It Echos

In Which I Become all Legal-Like to Work in the USA

Apologies for not paying as much attention as I usually do to you all. And by you all, I mean (a) this here blog that I tend to anthropomorphise, and (b) you lovely people that take the time to read it.

I've been all wrapped up in wrapping up things here, before heading down to the US next week.

One of those things saw me driving to the border to apply for work status this morning. And I'm really glad that I did, before the final crossing that I have planned. I had to wait a good hour before I saw an immigration agent before getting involved in a five minute application / payment / hand-over of TN Status card process.

Had I waited to apply until next Saturday, I couldn't even imagine how anxious that kind of wait would've made me.

Sometimes, there are benefits to being a planner.

I Watched a Couch Fly Through the Air

And an armchair. And then another armchair.

When I bought my condo, I stole my parents' old family room set. The only way the overstuffed and unwieldy pieces could make it into my place was by having them hefted over the balcony and through the extra-wide patio door.

One thing that I didn't get around to this year was replacing that couch and those chairs. So, instead of moving them down to Columbus with me, I called up JustJunk.com and had them come in to take care of those suckers.

Reminiscent of MuchMusic's yearly Christmas Tree Toss, those babies flew through the air like nothing I've ever seen before. And the 12-year-old boy that lives inside my brain shouted with glee.

My place looks so empty, and is almost all packed up.

It almost doesn't feel like my home any more.

I guess that's a good thing.

Baby Monkey + Grown Up Pigeon = Sweetest Family Ever

From The Daily Mail:

The abandoned monkey who has found love with a pigeon

They're an odd couple in every sense but a monkey and a pigeon have become inseparable at an animal sanctuary in China.

The 12-week-old macaque - who was abandoned by his mother - was close to death when it was rescued on Neilingding Island, in Goangdong Province.

After being taken to an animal hospital his health began to improve but he seemed spiritless - until he developed a friendship with a white pigeon.

The blossoming relationship helped to revive the macaque who has developed a new lease of life, say staff at the sanctuary.

Now the unlikely duo are never far from each other's side, but they aren't the only ones to strike up an unusual friendship.

Earlier this year a pig adopted a tiger cub and raised him along with her piglets because his mother couldn't feed him.

And in 2005 a baby dear named Mi-Lu befriended lurcher Geoffrey at the Knowsley Animal Park in Merseyside after she was rejected by her mother.

Ha and Gah

Ha!

• This morning, I found an email from my current company in my Inbox. It congratulated me on my forthcoming 5 year anniversary, and invited me to select an award of recognition for the time that I've spent at the corporation. My last day there? September 28.

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

• I had to pick up a dead bird from the walkway leading up to my front door and throw it (in a plastic bag in a plastic bag) into the trash this afternoon.
  

I Have How Many Pieces of Crap On My Walls?

I swear to God, it took me more then 3 hours to wrap up and pack the things I had hanging on my walls - some my own art, but mostly things by other people.

3 hours! That's crazy. Especially since there were walls in here that I hadn't hung a single thing on. Okay, not many. But still. I have a problem.

I am going to have to practice much restraint when I arrive in Columbus. Renting = not much of an opportunity to hang a mess of things on the walls.

In Which I Tell You a Tale of Real Estate

I've been hesitant to say anything for fear of jinxing the deal, but remember when I told you that you should by my condo? Well, you snooze, you loose.

My condo went on the market the evening of August 23. The morning of August 25th saw me weighing two offers, and deciding on one of them. Last week, I received signed waivers that the buyers were able to secure financing, and that the building inspection made them happy enough to not ask for anything to be fixed or funded.

Today? Today, the final condition was met, as their lawyer went over the condo's status certificate with them, and they signed off on the agreement as a whole.

Closing date: September 27
Date on crossing the border to make Columbus my new home: September 29

Sometimes, things really are just meant to be, I think.

I Don't Know What To Tell You

I'm just so focused on getting my act together with the up-coming move to Columbus, I feel like that's all I've been doing, and all I've been thinking, and all I've got to tell you. And that's already tired, I'm sure.

So. Soooooo. Hey there. You're looking good.

Yeah, that's not gonna cut it. So here's a stuffed felt doughnut from Sewdorky instead. Enjoy.

A Perfect Couple

Motorcyle Boots at the Beach + Broken Doll Eyes = Tru Luv 4Eva

God, I love The Hills.

The Best Thing About Moving Is the Decluttering

For a while, there, I seemed to move every year or so, and it let me really get a handle on all of my stuff. It also helped me deal with my pack-rat tendencies, as seeing things spread out before you that you never had any intention of using again lent to ruthless chucking out and/or foisting on others who were near and dear.

You may already know that I'm a planner. And with a pending move date on the books, and yes, it is a full month away, I've already begun to sort through my things, and start to fill up trashbins and recycling containters in the garbage hut with massive amounts of "what the fuck was I thinking?" objects. Three years in a single place = amass a bunch o' crap. Hopefully, the sorting will be done by this weekend, and the packing can begin.

I think when I settle down again, I'm going to force myself to do a bi-annual purge. It just makes things so much easier in the long run.

Updates Will Be Even More Erratic Then Usual

What with the plans with the move and all. Just a heads-up.

In Which I Spend $0.31

Given my fondness for tracking things (the Dell computer construction process? Genius. Packages of lovely things shipped from there to here? Brilliance. My workouts? A part of my day), I can't believe I haven't purchased a heart rate monitor before yesterday.

Thankfully, a $100 gift card to Sportchek put an end to that. With an in-store 20% discount, total layout for the Polr F4: $0.31. Which, I think, just might be the best $0.31 that I have ever spent.

I've been thinking about wearing it to meetings that I know are going to be difficult. Because I am an ass.

I Have a Great Condo. You Should Buy It.

I know, I've been pretty silent over the last couple of days. That's because I had something brewing that I needed to tell people in my offline world about first, before telling everyone else.

I was offered an excellent job. In Columbus, OH. And I'm taking it. My start date is October 1, and, holy crap, do I have things to do. In fact, I'm just awaiting the arrival of my real estate agent.

So, buy my place, please. It's your duty to make my life easier.

Oh, So Pretty

Everyone likes a pretty picture, right? Well, the kids at Notcot.com have set up reader-contribution based sites based on amazing pictures of cool stuff. Each image links to the webpage where it lives. Check it:

• Notcot.org - General Aesthetic
  
• Notcouture.com - Fashion
  
• TasteSpotting.com - Food
  

Because We Covet

A Photo Essay dedicated to Brent.



From Kara Janx' Fall 2007 Collection - the Tuxedo Dress




I am an enabler. SoyQuick's Soy Milk Maker.



The (International) Noise Conspiracy to play Toronto, again, right quick. Because, Brent, Capitalism Stole My Virginity.

Today Has Been A Good Day

• Former co-worker(s?) and always friends Kate and Rose are over from the west coast for a few days, and they're slaving away in my workspace.
• And talking about former co-workers and still friends, June Li from ClickInsight also made sure to show her lovely face in our office space.
• Current co-worker, currently on maternity leave, Lucy came in for the first time since starting her leave and introduced us to her new little man. He's an adorable flirt already.
• PUFFERFISH HAS ARRIVED. Ellen from Bonspiel has an amazing talent. Review written and posted to ChickAdvisor.com.
  
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