Cripes. The seasonal menu at Starbucks changes (eggnog? in MY latte?) and I realize it’s been far too long since I updated. It feels as if I’ve not had time to breathe in the past month or so, so please forgive me. We now have wireless in the apartment so I’m able to internet anywhere (yes, ANYWHERE) and do not have to combat the boyfriend during his poker sessions for computer time. Is it a burden or a blessing? I have yet to decide.
It’s a cool November evening, snow has only fallen once this month and it went away quickly, save for a huge snowball near the house that some children rolled that my father pointed out today. Kind of like the dumps Zambonis leave in the heat of summer surreptitiously behind arenas…they never quite melt.
But I digress. I’ve managed to stay on at work on a ‘real’ contract, which is nice because a few weeks after that happened they announced they needed 20 people to take buyouts. There was no mention of what would happen if they did not get 20 people, but I fully expect to get thrown under the bus if it comes to that. Luckily, it does not seem to have done so…yet.
My boss is leaving, changing my department radically. I’ve also extended my tentacles to other departments, completely my plans for complete media domination. Well, I’d actually just settle for happiness at the workplace in the next 3-5 years, but don’t tell them I’m that easy. I continue to work at the photo desk, with brief forays into the web world, which is conveniently in the centre of the newsroom. More on that later.
I went to visit the brother at his new condo in Kelowna just before Hallowe’en, driving 11 hours with mother to get there. You might remember my end of summer trip through the mountains and all the wildlife spotted… again, we saw huge beasts lumbering about. Bears, moose, elk…pretty much all the majors. Thrilling!
Kelowna is lovely, and my brother seems incredibly happy. I scooped a hotel for cheap on Priceline and my brother, his partner Bruce, my mom and myself drove down and stayed at the Hyatt in Bellevue (‘burb of Seattle) for an incredibly low price. All the more to spend on clothes at outlets!
I was most thrilled by the “Container Store” which was horrific in it’s attention to the anally retentive Oprah watching moms out there. They literally had a container for everything. Yes, even other containers. I got some for spiders, of course.
Now back, and onto Minneapolis at the end of the month for a personal trip. There were whisperings of a trip to Vegas for my birthday as well, but I may have to stay and work while my U of A crew heads down to stay in some ballin’ condo.
Possibly the most exciting (for many reasons) is the trip that was booked stealthily last week, amidst rumors of people getting canned and leaving at work, I informed them I was taking seven weeks to do Tokyo, Bangkok, Phuket and possibly Sumatra and Hanoi. No one seemed worried, they just asked that I please return.
So yeah, I’m happy. In January I’ll be another year older, deep sea diving again, this time with my great leading man and with little but opportunity on the horizon. This whole retirement/flexwork/jetsetting thing is really working out so far.