these iron bars can't hold my soul in
Okay, final post before we pack the computer. I'm already listening to music on the dinky computer speaker 'cause the fancy speakers are disconnected. We're really down to the odds and ends for packing - some kitchen items, some papers, etc. UPS came yesterday to pick up the first fifteen boxes. They will arrive in Ottawa next Wednesday, so that's reasonable travel time. I keep going back and forth on whether we should leave today or tomorrow. Might be tomorrow morning, might be this afternoon - depending on how things go with the final packing and clean-up.

Poor Salsa is a little confused about where to hide. She's resorted to climbing up on the little shelf underneath the bathroom sink. No more beds or couches to tuck under. She's in for a bit of a shock when we load her up in the car and don't let her out for three days or so. Eep!

Time to shut things down. Not sure when I'll have internet again to post updates, so could be a week or so. Everybody try to play nice with each other. Talk to you from the other end, people. And to keep things exciting, here's a picture of me with a balloon on my head, and looking pretty amused with the whole thing.  | ¶ 12:36 p.m.

  I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly I'm busy packing today, so here are some videos from Jamie's birthday party to entertain you.



  | ¶ 2:05 p.m.

  I'm standing here until you make me move I'm tired.

But I, along with some family assistance, made some good progress on my packing today. There are boxes crowding my livingroom, all ready to ship, and the bulk of my furniture is gone. I had this ambitious plan that I would get rid of everything that I wasn't bringing to Ottawa with me, but there are things I'm not prepared to mail out, but also not willing to give away yet. So once again, Keri and Gina will provide storage for my possessions that aren't needed immediately.

It's hard to plan for the contingencies when you're not sure what the long-term plan is. Hell, if I make it successfully through one semester, I'll consider that a good start. Since Devin's been on the other end scoping and settling, I haven't let myself worry too much about the Ottawa end of things. I have a place to live, I'm registered for classes, and I have some money coming in - those are the basics I need to get up and running.

I'm tired.  | ¶ 12:14 a.m.

  I thought I'd seen it all, 'cause it's been a long long time As previously mentioned, my "little" brother Jamie turned 30 on Friday. Persuade and I were a bit late getting to the compound for the family dinner (I was milking the free drinks at my going-away party), but we got to enjoy the awesome salmon cooked by Mom (it had cheese on it - that equals great in my book). That's Persuade with her puppy Pepper.

It was a nice family meal. We were technically doing my send-off, too, since Mom will be away when I leave next week, but I don't like all the fanfare, so mostly it was a celebration of Jame joining the 30 club. After some dessert of scrumptious carrot cake and the consumption of more beers and wine, we headed down to Kensington to meet up with some of Jamie's friends. They were enjoying the warm evening on the rooftop patio at Molly Malone's. Keri even joined us, so that was fun since he doesn't come out with us very often (too busy taking care of his three kids and training for marathons and shit - sheesh!).

Okay, so this is where this becomes a cautionary tale. I remember Matt talking about "Jager bombs" one other night, but he decided this would be the night to order some. TWO ROUNDS. For those who don't know, this is when you take a shot of jagermeister and drop it into a bigger glass of RED BULL, then chug the whole thing back. Holy shit. It started hitting me when we switched venues - next door at Reggie's. I was feeling strangely flushed and both overly alert and still kinda mellow. When I looked at my face in the mirror, I thought something was off. It was later I realized that my heart was racing so much that I likely wouldn't be able to sleep. I conked out for four hours only and spent most of yesterday feeling exhausted but too caffeinated to sleep.

I'm not sure if this reaction is typical, but I was doing some reading about Red Bull and learned a bit more about its ingredients and what they know about how these react on the body. Potentially dangerous and rather scary. And oh yeah - you're not supposed to mix it with alcohol. Some countries won't sell the stuff, others require kids to show ID when attempting to purchase it. Yikes.

At Reggie's Jamie and I played some pool. The girl "dominating" the table had a very special technique involving plunking her jean-skirt-baring ass up on the edge of the table where people were shooting. Her underwear was on display for the general viewing public numerous times. And she wasn't "hot", but this was a distracting method nonetheless. She was completely ignorant about pool rules and etiquette - when we told her she couldn't kiss off our ball without calling it, she said she had never played that way or heard that rule before. Whatever honey. Since it's been AGES since I've played pool, my game wasn't so great and we ended up losing.

It was a fun night. More pics here.  | ¶ 12:48 p.m.

  a helping hand to make it right Off to Carleton, the developments:

• I finished up at work on Friday. I spent the week deleting personal emails and training my temporary replacement (they haven't hired a new person yet). Strangely, even though I knew the end was coming, every single day was still a massive struggle to get up and get myself to the job. They had a little going-away party for me after work Friday. It wasn't as lame as I thought it would be, but those expectations were pretty low, so it was still pretty dumb. The good part was the parting gift: a $100 gift card from the Future Shop. I might get myself a printer for my next round of paper-writing. Yay me.


• Fred was adopted. A nice man came over with his daughter on Tuesday to take Fred for a test drive and they decided to buy almost instantly. It will be her first car and he thought it would suit her fine. They came back the next evening with cash. That was good to have taken care of. I have to admit I was a little sad to see Fred drive away, though. He's been my faithful friend since 1998, you know! The funny part is that I bought him for $1300 from an old boss back then. I sold him for $900 this week. Not bad eh.


• I keep posting items and perusing the wanted ads on Freecycle. I've managed to find homes for a microwave cart, dining table, futon and cat carrier so far. I also tried a new approach for some items and posted them on a Google group, Calgary. forsale. I also sold some old CDs to a second-hand shop. I've got more books and CDs to get rid of still.


• I have one box packed. It's mostly Devin's stuff. Whatever...

Is it just me or does moving get more stressful and frustrating the more you do it? I would've thought I'd be good at this by now, but I can confirm that I'm having as much difficulty with it all as I ever have. The procrastinating, the mulling over what can stay and what can go - it's exhausting..!  | ¶ 10:22 a.m.

  Happy 30th, Jame!



  | ¶ 1:32 p.m.

  she says you're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
We can't quite pinpoint it, but we're kinda bummed out this week (is it Pluto, the former planet?). That is why Persuade and I decided to remedy the situation with some wine this evening. Good girlfriends and good chat can never hurt.  | ¶ 2:58 a.m.

  it's not always rainbows and butterflies Here's something you don't see here in Alberta. froo took this photo today over there in Moncton.
  | ¶ 10:34 p.m.

  you would be surprised at all the places you have been I didn't go to work yesterday. I knew it was my last chance to take a "day off" before my last day on Friday (crazy work ethic, eh), so I emailed in sick. I have this list of things to get done before I leave next week, and some of those involve shopping and visiting practitioners who keep office hours similar to my work day. It's all about using the benefits while I have them - that's why I visited the chiropractor yesterday afternoon.

It's also why I bought these lovely Asics running shoes - we have a "wellness account" and I needed to spend mine or forfeit the dollars. These were not the prettiest shoes at the Tech Shop, but they were the most comfy - they have gel in the heel. Kinda makes me feel like I should get a bit more serious about my running..!

I spent today playing manager to the temp who will be warming my seat until they hire a new person next month. It's good that they finally got me some help, because you know how busy I've been..! Well, the truth is that I'm giving her the tasks that were never a huge priority for me - like filing. She's a good sport about it.

Last night I ate an apple.

Potentially good news: I got a call about Fred. A man and his daughter came to take him for a quick test drive and decided to buy. They're supposed to come back tomorrow to complete the transaction. I'm not counting it complete until I have the cash in my hand, so cross your fingers for me.

Guess I have no excuse for not learning to drive Red (the name I've assigned to my Sunfire) (guess what colour it is).  | ¶ 1:04 a.m.

  I'm all dressed up for Prague, pack my suit in a bag I turned off my computer early tonight so that I could go to bed early and get a good night's sleep. I have to go to work a bit early the next few days because I'm training my replacement, and she's been told that I work 8:30 to 4:30. Officially, I should work longer than that, but my job and I don't have such a great relationship and I'm barely inspired to give it that much of my time.

I seem to have been hit with some kind of insomnia tonight, though. I am pretty wide awake at this late hour, so I have made myself some tea and put on some Damien Rice to serenade me. I love that guy.

Maybe it's the power of suggestion. I went to the chiropractor today and heard his staff mention his "new technique". When I went into the treatment area, he some information about his new technique posted up on a reading board. I remember something about, "retracing may occur; this is when old physical and emotional hurts are brought back to the surface..." Or something along those lines.

Now I know a lot of people are suspicious of chiropractic treatment. Some chiropractors are definitely more effective than others. I like the guy I see now because you just get a sense when he puts his hands on your head, neck and spine that he knows what he's doing. He has a reassuring demeanor and touch.

Anyway. I'm not aware of any old hurts resurfacing. I feel a little stiff today, but I think that's related to assisting "Gwen" when she came to freecycle my microwave cart. We awkwardly carried it down the stairs of my apartment building together and equally awkwardly shoved it into her Plymouth Acclaim. But it's not the stiffness creating agitation tonight; it's some mental restlessness.

Lately I've been feeling off. It's a lot of apprehension and an aggregate feeling of unease that I attribute mostly to spending these past ten months biding my time in a position that I felt resigned to. My choice, yeah. The net result is something I suppose I did not anticipate, though. My confidence is shaken and my sense of self-worth is diminished. I can't quantify any contribution I've made to my life, my job, my sense of progress. And that bothers me a lot. I've come to doubt myself and I question my decisions. Maybe I've always had this tendency, but I'm acutely aware of it lately, so it seems pronounced to me. Coming away from a year when I was filled with some brand new confidence and optimism, it definitely feels like I took a wrong turn somewhere.

Something occurred to me recently. Because I'm overly attuned to people's reactions and what I perceive as their judgment of me, I notice this: that people declare in one way or another, you're foolish to worry. When I express my doubt, my worry, or my uncertainty, I'm not looking for outright validation, but for people who express fearlessness and some unwavering sense of confidence, I wonder why they can't accept my lack of confidence. Why is it that they can accept everything except those who don't accept everything...? Even if you think it's silly, my uncertainty remains.

How can I be excited to go to a place I've never been? To me, that would be silly. Right now I'm not sure about my plan and right now I have some doubts. But I'm going to move forward and trust in the plan that I once had confidence in. One foot in front of the other, and I know I'll get there, wherever it is I need to be. In the same way that I know that if I just lie down and close my eyes, eventually I'll fall asleep.  | ¶ 1:38 a.m.

  what do you do, where do you go when nowhere feels like home?
On Friday Persuade, Jame and I went to Ceili's for a couple beverages. The music was disappointing - some band playing terrible cover tunes. We prefer Brent Tyler (the giant who was there last week), but it was still a nice evening.

I wasn't terribly productive this weekend. I was enjoying having my apartment to myself a little too much, I think. I slept in, watched movies, turned on loud music, danced around a little (!), and exhibited general laziness. I've slowly been tackling the random tasks that need to be completed before the 31st, though. Going through clothes and putting lots in the giveaway bag, preliminary box-packing, and the big one - figuring out how to get rid of stuff.

I'm excited about this tool I've discovered, actually. It might help me immensely. You see, last week a commenter on Kristin's site mentioned a webpage called "Freecycle Calgary" for getting rid of unwanted items, so I logged in to Yahoo Groups and joined. For the past couple days I've been perusing the ads, which are either "offered" or "wanted" or "taken". One of their rules for joining is that your first posting must be an offer, and since I have lots to get rid of, I'm on board with that. I posted my old 12-inch (or smaller!) Compaq computer monitor, since I recently upgraded to a sweet nineteen-inch flat panel. Devin and I were planning to pay to recycle the monitor at the City of Calgary recycling place, so hopefully somebody out there can use it and I won't have to dish out dollars for that.

The other development in freecyling is this: I scanned a bunch of the "wanted" ads and saw several that I could fulfill. A woman came immediately when I called her and told her I had a microwave cart for her. I emailed somebody about a desk, another about a kitchen table, and yet another about my elliptical trainer. These are all items that are still perfectly usable, but not really worth selling and definitely not worth the trouble of carting them across Canada to Ottawa. I hope this scheme works out..!  | ¶ 1:10 a.m.

  tap on my window, knock on my door froo is down there in New Brunswick visiting our dad and his family. Dad and Barb have a great little spot on the beach with a trailer just behind the sand dunes where they spend the bulk of the summer. Here's a glimpse of some lobster cooking:
  | ¶ 3:00 a.m.

  you stand in the line just to hit a new low Too funny.

"Did you have trouble at the airport this week? I had to throw away all my make-up. They said it's because of this terrorist plot they foiled over in England. I believe it's an elaborate ruse perpetrated by the big cosmetics industry. Maybe it's not terrorism. Maybe it's Maybelline."

~ Jimmy Kimmel

  | ¶ 3:14 p.m.

  now you'll be alone when the sun comes up
Since Devin is already in Ottawa scouting things out, he has been my virtual tour guide and recon man for the past couple days. Sitting here in my cube I was able to get a glimpse of what my life will look like when I move to Ottawa. He even took the train to Carleton and got a shot of that route. All of these photos were taken with his camera phone. Turned out pretty good!  | ¶ 1:56 p.m.

  I had a dream I was your hero In an effort to purge and prepare for packing and mass transport of all my worldly possessions, I have started tackling the piles of paper that represent my life. One folder for taxes, a filing system for all financial matters, and a recent addition, the folder that shows the paper trail of my year at Bishop's. I reviewed it tonight - the letter of "acceptance", my notes regarding a potential apartment, my two appeals to the student loan people to give me more money. And I felt that spark again - I remembered how I felt that year, and how I still feel about my experience then. Apprehensive, excited, frustrated, challenged, independent, proud.

And now I rush back to school again, in an effort to re-create my most recent positive experience. Or something.

People always want to know, "what are you taking?" and it's always followed by "so where will that get you?"

Dude, I don't know. As one co-worker was quick to point out, "political science is a useless degree". Hmm, since I already have one useless degree, why not add to the pile, eh.

A friend of mine is angry about something - she participated in a relationship where she now realizes she sacrificed too much of herself and tolerated too much disrespect. So now she's angry and doesn't feel ready to forgive the person she was involved with. But she also realizes that she is partly to blame, and feels the guilt associated with that. How do you hold another person responsible when you were a willing participant?

I feel the same about my job this past year. I have been miserable - unchallenged and directionless - but I feel partly responsible, as though if I'd come to work more days with blind enthusiasm and energy, maybe things could have gone differently. My boss is a super-nice man who is just a little oblivious to his role as manager. So I've never had any real feedback on what I should do on a daily basis, and rarely any follow-up when I get assignments. It makes me feel like nothing I do really matters. I remember when I was at BW I realized that "if everything is urgent, then nothing can be urgent". Here it's the opposite. Nothing is ever urgent, so nothing ever feels urgent. I have no idea what my priorities are supposed to be. And yes, I've asked from time to time.

It's a failure on both sides, you might say.

The reactions to my plan vary a lot. Some of my friends give me a look that says "you're crazy". Others support it whole-heartedly. Co-workers and ex-co-workers express a certain envy, but comment that they "could never afford it". It's about priorities, I suppose. I can't really afford it either, which is why I'm grateful that we have a student loan system in this country that gives you the benefit of the doubt. What I won't have for a while is any fancy vacations or shopping expeditions. I have chosen to become something of a starving student, and as much as it sucks sometimes to not have money to splurge on random feel-good items, the bigger picture is that I will find a day-to-day satisfaction that money doesn't currently (and probably would never) bring to me.

That is where it will get me.  | ¶ 1:01 a.m.

  if you can look in my eyes and tell me we'll be alright, you just might make me believe

"Individuals who, when confronted with conflict situations, allow themselves to experience the anxiety inherent in these situations and elect to realistically face and resolve the conflict are on the threshold of a powerful personal learning experience... Psychological learning is the inevitable result of facing conflict openly, realistically, and nondefensively."

~Scott Peck, The Road Less Travelled

  | ¶ 8:57 p.m.

  more than anything I want to see you go take a glorious bite out of the whole world

"List consciousness is a state of mind that is entirely future-oriented. With a subtle but constant quality of rushing, it operates on the premise that life will happen once everything is crossed off The List... When you are in list consciousness, you are leaning into the future and completely missing the present. Practicing presence punctures the fantasy that somehow life will begin when the kids' soccer season is over or when I lose ten pounds or even when I take that meditation course and learn how to be more present! Practicing presence is bringing ourselves to the recognition that life is happening right now - and it is inviting us to wake up and notice."

~ Abby Seixas, Finding the Deep River Within

  | ¶ 12:57 a.m.

  you either got it or you don't, you either stand or you fall Things have started to change. I'm still grinding it out at my job (eight more days - argh). But froo flew away to Moncton last night, so work is back to lonely again, without her around to chat and eat lunch with. After work I'll make another trip to the airport to deposit Devin, who flies to Ottawa tonight. He's starting work early there - getting trained on the job before his buddy departs. My apartment will be both gloriously and eerily quiet for the next couple weeks.

I'm looking forward to having the time to get my life in order, though. I've been starting to panic lately at the number of tasks I need to tackle -fast- to be ready to move to Ottawa by the end of the month. There is furniture to dispose of, dishes to pack, school details to finalize, a car to insure and register, oh and that minor little issue of learning to DRIVE my new car. Eep.

Last night I went for a nice long bike ride. I find after sitting all day in this still-mind-numbingly-dull position I have some serious energy to burn. Helps to clear the head, too.  | ¶ 2:44 p.m.

  through all these cities and all these towns, it's in my blood and it's all around Fred is for sale!

I'm asking $900 for Fred Festiva. He is a 1993 model with automatic transmission, new muffler and new rear brakes. He's a great city car but doesn't have a working radio. Fred has seen 163,000 km in his life. Any interested Calgarians?  | ¶ 1:50 p.m.

  I took your words and I believed in everything you said to me On Friday froo, Persuade and Devin and I met up at Ceili's for some beverages after work. When I selected our table I was a bit worried that if they had a live band that night it might be a bit too loud since it was pretty close to the music area. We realized that it was actually the perfect spot when Brent Tyler started singing. He performed solo with just a guitar to accompany his great voice, and we were happily entertained. Brent performed mostly covers of artists like Blue Rodeo and Jack Johnson, and took requests.

The crowd was small (it's not the super-trendy Ceili's, but the other one just down the road), so Brent chatted with people in his audience quite a bit, and when he took a break between sets, I told him to come chat with us. He was super-nice, and you can see from this pic that he is quite the giant - he told us he's seven feet tall! Persuade isn't a tall girl, but she looks positively puny compared to Mr. Tyler. Funny.  | ¶ 9:22 p.m.

  you move your hand across my knee, turn me into some novelty Betcha didn't know this:

Rosé wines, long disparaged as too sweet, too pink and too cheap, have improved in quality in recent years and been embraced by food and wine connoisseurs. But a new collection of fans have emerged: club-hopping hipsters and tastemakers, who lay in a stash of rosé for parties and ask for it when out on the town.

At Union Square Wine and Spirits in Manhattan, the demand for rosé has increased about 30 percent over the last year and 100 percent to 150 percent over the last four years, said Jesse Salazar, the wine director. "A lot of younger people are buying rosés," he said, adding that many men are no longer embarrassed to be seen drinking a pink wine.

  | ¶ 5:35 p.m.

  have you ever seen Caia looking kinda shy-a, down by the bay? It was a busy weekend for camping in the Shuswap region. Our chosen campground, the Sandy Point Beach Campground was completely filled when we arrived, but Keri had secured us a spot three doors down from his site, so we were a quick skip down the road. Luckily, the next day the space next to his opened up and we arranged a transfer. With the way they build tents these days, you don't even need to take them down to transport them. We just unpegged the flies and carried all three down the street to our new home.

It was fun to have the two sites side-by-side for a night - we had a joint barbecue dinner of steak, chicken, corn on the cob, baked beans, roasted red peppers, and buttery barbecued potatoes. This video shows the set-up, with Keri and Gina's trailer on one side and our little "tent city" on the other. I recorded this clip just before we sat down to eat - you see Persuade checking the chicken, some people chilling by the campfire, and Gina and Ella wrestling in the camper.

One thing we weren't quite prepared for was the drastic change in temperature at night. I should have brought a couple extra blankets and a little toque for sleeping, because we were positively freezing that first night (colder than the successive ones). After that first night, we mostly slept with double-socks, double-pants, and many shirt layers. That picture above is one of me trying to warm up in the morning, wearing just about everything I'd brought with me, and guzzling some hot coffee. BRR! Every day commenced and ended with a campfire - not just for roasting marshmallows (or creating marshmallow torches, right Kyle?) - but for actual warming purposes.

But during the days it was scorching hot, so that balanced things out. The lake was a nice temperature for swimming, and the beach was crowded but not annoyingly so. We spent some quality time lounging on the sand, cooling off with some laps to the end of the roped-off "swimming section" - the lake is also crowded with boats, so you must remain in the ropes for safety. It's a pretty deep lake, so we got a good workout doing those laps - no cheating by putting your feet down!

We all had a nice time. Highlights include playing in the water with the kids, swimming, rafting (minus getting hit with the "perfect storm" when some dude in his massive motorboat decided to circle us pretty closely, sending big waves at us from both directions - yeesh!), preparing and eating some nice family meals together, sitting around the campfire and singing silly songs, the spectacular scenery and weather, and mostly just getting away from "real life" for a while. I added a few more pics to the slideshow last night - they're here (at the end of the set).

One more video clip:
  | ¶ 1:59 p.m.

  I wonder how long it'll take them to notice that I'm gone
After a spectacular camping weekend in Salmon Arm, I'm having a hard time getting myself ready to go to work this morning...

Some stories later, but for now pics are here if you want to see.  | ¶ 9:29 a.m.

  go away, give me a chance to miss you And we're off! People are packed, coolers are stocked, van is loaded. Oh, and the forecast looks fantastic. We're going camping - yay! Back on Monday...
  | ¶ 11:42 a.m.

  standing at the backdoor, she tried to make it fast Yay, it's the weekend! Okay, we're starting early, since we have our Salmon Arm Camping Expedition this weekend (the SACE, heh). Keri and family drove out this morning hauling their borrowed camper-trailer, and I hear he's arrived safe and sound and claimed some spots for us at the campground, the last TWO sites...! Eep. Good thing he went before the crazy long weekend really got started.

My crew has gathered at my apartment to review our menu, grocery list and dishes list. They've gone out to pick up some food items while I organize the home front. We've got three tents (for four people!) already loaded into our borrowed van, some boats, sleeping bags, etc. We'll finish packing up the rest of the food tonight and get a good night's sleep before tackling the six-hour drive first thing tomorrow. The weather forecast looks good, so I'm excited to visit the beautiful BC interior again.

My brain really needs this holiday - for some reason this week has been rather stressful for me. Silly, since my job isn't demanding, but the looming resignation date was weighing on me. Hopefully this weekend it sinks in that I'm nearing the end of the monotony and quickly approaching a new chapter of shiny new adventures and challenges.  | ¶ 10:55 p.m.

  I'm not here for your entertainment Okay, so I announced my resignation this morning. I'm not feeling very good about things today - too much stress and drama and non-resolution of various issues, I suppose. So I resorted to reading old emails to make me laugh. I like this one:

A blind man walks into a bar, makes his way to a bar stool and orders a drink. After sitting there for a while, he yells to the bartender, "Hey, you wanna hear a blonde joke?"

The bar immediately falls absolutely quiet. In a very deep, husky voice, the woman next to him says, "Before you tell that joke, sir, I think it is only fair that you should know five things:

Number One. The bartender is a blonde girl with a baseball bat.
Number Two. The bouncer is a blonde girl.
Number Three. I'm a six-foot-tall, 175 lb blonde woman with a black belt in karate.
Number Four. The woman sitting next to me is blonde and a professional weightlifter.
Number Five. The lady to your right is blonde and a professional wrestler.

She concludes by smugly asking, "Now think about it seriously, mister. Do you still wanna tell that joke?"

The blind man thinks for a second, shakes his head and mutters, "Nah, not if I'm gonna have to explain it five f*cking times."

  | ¶ 3:31 p.m.

  it's gonna take a long time to love; it's gonna take a lot to hold on Well, here is August. Big things will happen this month.

"Are you excited?

Not exactly. This whole process of complete upheaval and starting over is an overwhelming one, and even just sorting out the details in my head takes all my energy and focus, you could say. Plus, I don't really want to get all apprehensive and put pressure on the situation. It might suck, you know. I mean, I want it to be as awesome as I think it can be ('cause that's why I'm doing this, duh), but I like to be prepared and have a realistic point of view. So there will be no great excitement expressed just yet. We'll see how things go this month.

Step one: I dropped off the letter giving notice on my apartment to my landlord. Good day for it, too, since Devin seems to have had a verbal altercation with the dude earlier yesterday. Ah well...

Step two: Last night I commenced my "driving lessons". You see, froo's car, which I'll be driving to Ottawa, is a standard. And although I took some lessons on a standard in second year university (so, umm, TWELVE years ago), I haven't driven one since. Luckily, Jamie lives nearby and said I could practice on his little car, so Devin coached me through the beginning steps. I drove round and round (and round!) the parking lot of a high school in the neighbourhood. The verdict: not bad, but I need a lot more practice time.

Other developments: Salsa visited the vet this weekend. Since, at twelve years of age, she's now considered a "senior" cat (my baby!), I need to make sure she stays in tip-top shape. Other than her teeth needing a cleaning, she seems to be doing fine. Apparently most cats end up developing some type of kidney failure or diabetes, so the vet also recommended some special low-protein food for her. I'm happy to make that investment for her. Now if only the teeth-cleaning business wasn't such a costly one - I'm not sure we have that in the budget. I might get a quote from another vet.

Step three: I will be resigning on Thursday. I'm a little nervous about that, because I know my boss will be disappointed / irritated. So be it, eh.

In lighter news, we are planning a fun camping trip this weekend in Salmon Arm, back at the same campground we visited mid-July. This time Keri, Gina and the kids are joining us (and maybe Jamie), so it will be a good little group adventure.  | ¶ 6:20 p.m.