A Stiff Upper Lip

I am slowly going mad.

While I realize that the house has only been on the market for a month, I desperately wish it would sell. I am sick of living in a pristine environment with a husband who is living in a hotel 45 minutes away. I'm sick with a sore throat I can't seem to get rid of, and a bad attitude. Perhaps the end of winter might help.

I went to the Toyota dealership today that will be near our new house. It was an enlightening and uplifting experience. Seriously. It showed me what Toyota service can be like! I am a complete Toyota devotee, from my 5-speed Corolla that I traded in for my 5-speed Matrix. And while I loved my car with a bit of a creepy devotion, I am not nearly as enamored with the service center in my local dealership. To make up for the fact that they're not open on Saturdays, they're open late on Thursdays. Which is as completely inconvenient as not being open Saturdays.

I phoned the dealership here (I have some free oil changes from buying a new car last year), and was told that I didn't need a Saturday appointment, and they were open until 4:30 on Saturdays. I arrived, and my car went right into the bay. They gave me a coupon for a free coffee and cookie at the cafe located in the dealership to enjoy while I waited. They even washed my car before bringing it back. I have found a dealership worthy of creepy Toyota devotion.

This week at school was career day, which was a rousing success. I also was the administrator on site when one of our students broke not one, but both wrists at the end of basketball practice along with her right arm further up. I have learned to navigate the world of Ontario Labour Law and School Policy. While I know that this is all stuff I need to learn, it's not really lessons that I want to learn.

I keep thinking that I want to learn more about jazzing up my blog. If I was around, it would make even more sense. To this end, I'm looking for a new background. Any suggestions on where I should look?

Always Look On the Bright Side of Life

I'm finding it hard to commit to the blog right now. There is a lot going on, and I'm trying to process. I just don't know if public processing is best with all of this.

J leaves tomorrow to start his new job. While I'm thrilled that he has work after 11 months of my being the breadwinner, I'm not thrilled with the fact that he won't be here. We went up and looked at the one bedroom efficiency suite that his work has reserved for him until March 25. It's a little larger than what I'd been thinking, and has a separate bedroom and living/eating room with a tiny kitchen in the middle. The kitchen is big enough to make breakfast, and that's about all. He'll only be a couple of blocks from work, which is fatastic. We need time to learn to navigate the bus system. We found his bank, and the drug store, and a few eateries, and navigated around the hotel so he'll know how to find his way.

I have been yearning for J to not be here so much for the last little bit. In fact, one of the reasons that I was happy to go back to work was that he wasn't there. I don't change my views on that. We had 2 weeks where we were together. All. The. Time. It was too much for me. But now as I pack a laundry basket of toiletries and snacks, and look through closets to find the things that he can't seem to locate, I have become very aware of how much I'm going to miss him.

The good thing, we realized as we were sitting in a coffee shop during our open house this afternoon, is that he's about an hour from here: close enough that I can go up whenever I want. My work is partway between the two. J was also good about getting 2 keys. Even if he's working, I'll still be able to come and go from the room as I wish. I like that.

In other news, we had an open house today. Now that J's job is officially starting, and we have a conditional offer on a new house, we want to be done here. Despite the crappy weather, our agent was thrilled with the number of people who came through (almost 20), and thinks that we may get an offer out of all of this. That would be fantastic too.

I can't wait for what's next.

La Vie En Rose

I seem to be losing my perspective at the moment. It's an elusive thing, this being happy and on an even keel. I no longer know what that is. There's a lot going on here on the mountain, and I'm sooooo close to being able to spill about a lot of it. With J's profession, he wants all the ducks in a row before giving me the ok to say anything. Despite the fact that I want to. Despite the fact that it's making me crazy. I'm good with secrets, but this is exciting, and it affects me...AND I WANT TO SHARE!!!

Part of the secret is out. We're moving. There's a big Century 21 sign in the middle of our front lawn at the moment, and there have been a couple of viewings, and I hate keeping my house clean. But without the point-blank question, we're just moving. People aren't being told where, or when, or why.

The other exciting that I can share at the moment is that the work permit showed up on Friday. Hallelujah! We mailed the paperwork for that in October, and it just came. That just goes along to prove once again why you should marry domestic. Not that I regret J's moving here...but it's a huge hassle that I could do without. BUT - he could now go to Tim Horton's and get a job if he wanted one...not merely at the place he left last March.

I've been thinking a lot about the year I lived in France recently. It's come up in conversation, and as I've been decluttering for listing the house, I've been finding bits and pieces from my time there. I don't know if it's the time of year, or my own lack of control over anything, or what but I miss Paris. It's been a long time. But for now, I'll stick with Edith Piaf and search for the balance that seems to elude me at every turn.

Colour me in love...

Okay, so while I don't want this colour, J and I found the perfect sofa for us yesterday.  

Just a little eye candy while I organize my thoughts.

Dear Santa...

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Despite my beliefs, it is always important to take some time this time or year and ask for my wish list. It isn't long. I promise. 1. Please send my husband his work permit. Then we can actually tell people he's looking, as opposed to he's waiting. We realize that you'll need to lean on the government. But you're Santa. If they'll do it for anyone, it's you. 2. Please let me sleep for a long, long time. During the fall, I have been busy with school. Now I have a husband who demands my attention. I want to stay well. I want to be relaxed. Make everyone go away. 3. Please send a personal assistant. My house needs cleaning. I need to buy groceries when we're running low on food. Not when we're out. And have been for a couple of days. I would also like someone who makes sure the bills are paid on time every month and cooks dinner. So is well aware when the above problems exist. As well, there is a husband who demands attention. See #2. 4. If you happen to see the shreds of my sanity, please return them. And a set of knitting needles. I'll need to repair it somehow. 5. If none of the above is possible, in the words of Sally Brown, "Please send money. Preferably in tens and twenties." Thanks Santa, any and all of those would be swell. Big Smoochies. Me

It's a Marshmallow World

I have now been teaching for 10.5 years.  Working for a residential facility, the kids live at school.  There are no snow days.  They're there, so you should be there.  The first and only quasi snow day I know of was last year, when there was a Professional Activity day, and so there were no students.  It wasn't that the school was closed; we just didn't have to be there.

Today is my first official snow day ever as an educator, and not just a consumer of the system.  It's blowing pretty good right now, and I'm glad to still be in my pajamas at 10:20 on a Friday.  I'm not looking forward to the shoveling later, but J will help.  I think he's as excited as I am that we've found this day.  There isn't a whole lot that we have to do other than be here.  

In preparation, we went to the grocery store on Wednesday, and don't need to leave the house at all today.  Apparently, our car is on vacation too.  

I'm hoping to get a good portion of our baking/sweets done today for the holiday.  We're going to J's family's on Christmas day, and I need to take a dessert.  I don't mind helping, but we're leaving here on the 23rd for our present to each other and staying in a hotel.  It doesn't make the whole dessert thing as simple as it could be.  So I'm making cookies and truffles, and that will be good enough.

If I don't make it back here, a wonderful holiday to you all.  J and I have enough to do that we're going to come back on the 29th.  It's going to be a funny New Year's.  The first I've ever spent at the house here.  I've always been away.  But there's too much to be done to go for 2 solid weeks.  And 1 will be a nice change.

Look at that.  The vacation starts, and I'm already more positive.  Go figure.

The Variables Rear Their Ugly Heads

There is only 1 week until Christmas.  This thrills me to no end, seeing as I'm exhausted, tired, and completely out of inspiration with my classes.  I see a whole lot of rocking out to Christmas carols happening this week.

J and I have finished our shopping, and now I am left with the wrapping...and figuring out what exactly to buy the man I live with.  Everything he could use right now is just too expensive.  We'd both like an external hard drive that we could hook up to the router and network for us both.  He'd like a lap top.  I'd love to get him one or both, but they're just not in the cards right now.  We'll see what happens.

We are, however, going to see Irving Berlin's White Christmas at the Fox Theatre in Detroit as a gift to both of us.  That will be fun.  He's all for making plans on the 24th as we'll be spending the day in Detroit before going to see his family for Christmas.  I'm pretty sure it would be fun to sleep, watch TV and order room service in the hotel.  We'll see what happens.

As for the rest of my life, a lot is happening.  I'm just not allowed to talk about it.  We work on the house in the hopes of selling, but where we're going to end up is a bit of a mystery.  So far, we've bid on 2 houses, and neither has worked out.  Ours is still off the market, a concession to my having a desire for a Christmas tree.  And the problem is, only a small group knows what's going on.  We'll see what happens.  

In terms of work, I'm busy, I like it, I plan to resign from the job I'm on leave from, but I'm in this ambiguous state where I have no real control.  The target keeps moving on me, and I'm shooting as fast as my water pistol will allow.  I'm not soaked yet.

I've been thinking a lot in terms of New Year's resolutions recently, and I don't know what I want to work on.  I would like to resolve to sleep 12 - 15 hours daily, frankly.  And then cook at home and see no one.  I'm not thinking that's the best of resolutions.  We'll see what happens.

In exciting news, I have a friend who is a photographer.  That's not the exciting part.  What is is that she's building her portfolio of live subjects at the moment, and J and I will be posing for her in the new year.  More when it comes about...if I'm happy with the pictures.  I can't believe I won't be.  I sent her an idea for a shoot, and she loved it!  Then I approached J, and when I told him that he would be clothed, he went for it too.  It's something to look forward to.  And that's good in my current wait and see mode.