wearer of many hats

On top of my day job, I've acquired three additional freelance gigs:

1. Identity/logo re-design for a well established flower distributor
2. Point of sale and marketing material for a newly developed board game
3. Copyediting web content for a start-up translation business

How I'm gonna find time to keep my head above water, I'm not sure. But it should prove to be an entertaining juggling act. At the very least, I've got variety. And can finally put my English degree to good use!


blaring
While driving home today in my stylin' new ride, I popped in my Scissor Sisters CD and cranked up the volume. The better to dance to, of course! The shoulder was bobbing, the head was bopping, and good times were being had. When I finally slowed to a stop in rush-hour traffic, I realized just how loud my stereo was blaring...triple bass and all. I promptly rolled up my window, acutely aware of the obnoxious volume coming from my new sound system. I'm embarrased to say that I've joined the ranks of those young hoodlums that blast the beats from their shiny new sports cars without any regard for the people around them.

To be perfectly honest though, I kinda got a kick out of it. Tomorrow, I'll return to being embarrased.


Filthy/Gorgeous :: Scissor Sisters

clap, clap, clap...

After years of driving Xander, a white Dodge Colt handed down by my older paternal cousins, then Betsy, the old family station wagon, I finally went shopping this weekend and purchased my very first official, non-hand-me-down car.

Xander was a good car, but broke down unexpectedly on me one day. He just pouted and refused to move, even after being propted by those Roadside Assist guys. He was getting old and it was time to put him to pasture anyway.

Every inch inside of Betsy was full of memories of family trips across the Rockies and down to Seattle. But she's wheezing uncontrolably these days, her age is starting to show, and her internal organs are showing signs of wear and tear.

The new car is a '94 Acura Integra, purchased from a friend who treated her like a princess. It's immaculate! A two-door four-seater, very sporty and new - not at all something I would have pictured myself driving, but I love it just the same. If I had my digital camera back from the Service Centre (Dammit, Kodak! Work faster!), I would post photos.

She's sleek, sexy, and a fiery red. I shall call her Stella. Stella Ella Ola.

I'm going to the garage to kiss her goodnight now.


Open Road :: Bryan Adams

parental units

Went to a friend's place to run errands and got myself invited over for dinner. A birthday dinner, at that! Roasted rack of lamb, jumbo prawns, steamed asparagus stalks with dijon mayonaise, and steamed rice. Mmmm...

There, I also met Caleb, the cutest three-year old in the world.

After being told he was such a smart little boy, he was quiet for a second as a big grin spread across his face. Then he said, "God made me so."

Awww...

Then came potty time. When he was finished, we heard him call from the bathroom in a sing-songy voice, "Parents... Parents... Parents?"

Awww...gotta love cheeky kids!


The Birthday Song :: Various (sung off-key)

out on a limb

J and I were chatting earlier today while we were performing surgery on my printer and somehow, the topic of us starting our own little design firm came up. I treated it as one of those passing ideas at the time, but dude, I hope you realize that the wheels in my head are spinning like crazy now thinking of the possibilities...


The Mambo Craze :: De-Phazz

race to the finish

Shout out to Chip and Kim for winning the Race! It was a tight race and my eyes were glued to the set as the final minutes played out. When they stepped on the red carpet, I was hooting and hollering as loud as Chip in celebration of their victory. If anyone deserved to win, it was them...followed closely by the not-as-likable, but fiercely competitive Colin and Christie.

If anything endeared me to Chip & Kim, it was their awe and wonderment everytime they reached a new destination. More than anyone else, they soaked up every experience and celebrated the completion of each task with a renewed appreciation for each other. Everyone else was "I love my partner if they suceed. If they fail, I"m giving them the silent treatment!"

My favorite clip from the Race has got to be Brandon and Nicole snowshoeing up the Continental Divide in Calgary. Tired from the hike, Nicole is prodded on by Brandon shouting at her, "Picture Jesus at the top of the mounatin! He's right there in the clouds! Picture yourself running into his arms! Come on! Go! Go! Go!"

Not that I'm trying tobe irreverent or anything, but you've gotta admit, that was pretty freaking hilarious!

I just about peed my pants laughing.

If I ever do the Amazing Race (and boy, would I love to!), I'd either do it with Katija because she's fearless and would whip my ass if I wasn't pulling my weight, or with Terry, because he's full of seemingly useless and random bits of information which would probably come in pretty handy. And he'd allow me to whip his ass if he wasn't pulling his weight.

...and the geeks shall inherit the earth!

I usually don't have the patience to do online quizzes, but this one caught my eye, and the fact that it was short predicated that I had to complete it. On thefirst go around, I was declared a jock (which is so far from the truth), so I went back, changed an answer, and was correctly declared an unabashed geek. To be perfectly honest, this probably would have offended me back in high school. Since then, however, I think I've grown more comfortable in my own skin and can celebrate and bask in my utter geekiness. In my friendster profile, the "who I'm looking for section states: Dorkiness, nerdiness, geekiness and general idiocy are all welcome and encouraged.


....now that's more like it!

I need to make myself a "geek" t-shirt. I have a "nerd" one that I made several months ago, which I loved. Got either blank stares or appreciative chuckles every time I wore it out - reconfirming my belief that it was the "popular" kids were the ones struggling more with identity and insecurities than the rest of us. Or maybe I choose to believ this in order to make myself feel better. Whatever works, right?


My Little Corner of the World :: Yo La Tengo

a river runs through it

Just when I thought suburbia was all planned subdivisions and paved parking lots, I stumbled upon a little piece of paradise this afternoon while on my run. Beyond the beaten trail, a grove of trees which opens up to a babbling creek. Branches reaching down to the coolness of the crisp, clear water that glides over the smooth stones at the creek bed. The tree bark scarred with declarations of love from young lovers, each of whom have made this small parcel of perfection their own, if even for just a few minutes.

And just yesterday I was lamenting the fact that there were no interesting places to go for a run here in the heart of suburbia. I take it back.

Now, if only those fiends at Kodak would get on with it and finish repairing my camera so that I can capture paradise on film before all the leaves fall and the air turns cold and nippy.


It Don't Matter :: Donovan Frankenreiter

and the award goes to...

Got sucked in by yet another awards show tonight. I keep telling myself not to watch them because they last for like, forever and I can just as easily get the results from my good friend, the Internet, and see highlights on Entertainment Tonight. At least it wasn't horrible. My favorite acceptance speech (aside from that of Elaine Stritch - who the hell is she anyway?) was Meryl's:

"There are some days where I, myself, think that I'm overrated...but not today!"

I seriously need to read the Kushner play that has been on my bookcase for months now, or at least rent Angels in America from the video store.

So, this weekend has pretty much been a write-off. I didn't start any of the logo designs that I should have been working on, organize my finnacial documents like I had planned, hem the way-too-long pants that I wear to work everyday, or respond to the growing number of e-mails left unanswered in my inbox. And I also fell asleep too early on Saturday evening and missed Sharri's big birthday bash/no-quite-a-rave-but-almost-a-rave party. I blame it all on the weather - apparently the rainiest day in Vancouver history. *sigh*

But enough of what I didn't do. Here's what I managed to squeeze in:

• laundry...finally!
• picked up a gift for a friend's upcoming birthday. They're gorgeous. I kinda want to keep them for myself...but I won't.
• bought a few new CDs (none of which satisfy me as much as my Scissor Sisters album).
• ....as well as a pair of these babies to add to the burgeoning collection. I need to find a cheaper hobby!
• watched two movies that I've been wanting to see for some time now: Far From Heaven and The Shape of Things, neither of which disappointed. Shape was like watching a theatrical performance - probably somewhat intentional, since it was adapted from the stage - but I think that was part of the appeal.

The Libertines :: What Katie Did

blue

Now that we've gotten the recap out of the way...

I walked into my office this morning, only to be greeted by a stack of creative briefs on my desk, a tonne of new e-mails in my inbox begging for something or another, and an abnormally large handful of stupid messages on my machine. What a way to start the morning! I guess it serves me right for calling in "sick" yesterday.

I was feeling kind of doldrummy yesterday. The weather probably had a little to do with it - it's been raininy and cold ever since I got back from Philly and New York, so I pretty much went straight from the dead of summer to a cold, wet fall without much of a transition. Aside from that, however, I've just been feeling very disconnected from everything around me here.

My job is starting to bore me silly, and this scares me. Of all the jobs that I've had, this has been my most favoritest to date, but the mundane aspect of the day-to-day grind is starting to wear on me a little and makes me feel like I no longer want to be there. The politics annoy me. I get irritated a lot more easily by stupidity, and it's starting to show. The only thing that keeps me there are the handful of people that I work with whom I love, and the hops of relocating with the company very, very soon (more on that another time).

I'm still living with my parents and beginning to resent it more and more on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but it's tough to still be living at home at 24, especially if you've lived on your own for a few years and gotten a taste of independence. When I moved back, after graduating (so I could pay off my loans and not be forever in debt), I promised myself that this would be a temporary arrangement. I gave myself until my 25th birthday to find a place of my own, and now that my birthday is around the corner, I'm feeling the itch to fly the coop, but not nearly motivated enough (because of aforementioned impending move) to go apartment hunting again.

Earlier this evening, my mother and sister barged into my room with a hanger draped with a variety of scarves, shawls, and pashminas. They proceeded to sit on my bed and waltz around my floor-length mirror tossing things over their shoulders and striking poses. "It's our Friday Night Fashion Show," they informed me matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes and politely asked them to entertain themselves elsewhere, to which I was told, "you're no fun!" Re-confirming my belief that I do not belong in this house.

My sister has also recently become betrothed to her boyfriend of several years (don't ask me how many, I haven't kept track). Their engagement wasn't a surprise to anyone, not even my sister. She was already planning the wedding moths ago. Even though she's older than me, and I expected that she would get married before me, it's strangely disconcerting knowing that she's moving on and taking this very adulty step before me. Not that she's immature or anything, but this is my sister who just graduated, is currently unemployed, is constantly borrowing thousands of dollars from me to cover her loans, and has always been kind of sheltered. And now she's getting married, moving to California after the wedding, and will probably start popping babies soon after. I'm not entirely sure why this makes me feel weird and depressed, but somehow, it does.

Oh, and my litle red station wagon is starting to die a rather painfully slow death, which saddens me and also makes me a little trepiditious to wake her up and drive her out of the garage every morning. I'm tempted to get a new set of wheels, but not really sure I want to be making such a big purchase with the possibility that I might be moving Stateside in a few months looming over the horizon. My fingers are crossed that Red Thunder will hang on through the winter, just enough time until I move to the US and get a new car there.

Oh gawd, what if this relocation things doesn't materialize?

a dose of inspiration?
I asked boss-man if I could accompany one of my colleagues to Seattle on Monday for what we like to call Inspiration Day (basically a cross-border shopping day disguised as 'compasion shopping' and 'field research'). He reminded me that my former intern was coming back to work with me on Monday to finish off his contract, so I should probably stay. Somehow, the topic of going to Calgary for some field research came up (I think I brought it up jokingly), and he seemed to buy it. Said he had actually been considering sending me and another of my collegues for a few days. I was surprised. We'll see if it actually happens, but it may be a possibility. It's Calgary, but if nothing else, it'll be nice to get away, visit some friends and see my Mo, who's there for six weeks on a project right now.

the remedy
Blasting on the CD player: Scissor Sisters. Pure campy, psychedelic fun - a perfect cure for the mood I'm in. Although I'm kicking myself for not snapping up tickets to their concert when I heard that they were going to be in town. Now the show's sold out and I'll be somewhere else the night of the concert, wishing I was the one getting jacked up on cheap champagne...

Gonna take your mama out all night / Yeah we’ll show her what it’s all about / We’ll get her jacked up on some cheap champagne / We’ll let the good times all roll out / And if the music ain’t good, we’ll it’s just too bad / We’re gonna sing along no matter what

responds to unresponsiveness

Usually, the ping announcing a new message in my inbox excites me to no end (because I'm a copmlete and utter dork). This time, however, it was from an ex-girlfriend, which always kind of weirds me out. We haven't really been in contact for about two years (aside from a brief encounter at an alumni function this past year), and now random e-mails. I responded really briefly to the first one she sent and took about a week or two before actually responding (more than anything, just out of sheer laziness), but now she's sent another e-mail in response to my response. And she's included further questions for me to respond to. Oy! Do I really want to get into this again?

Methinks 'no.' But how does one get out of a situation like this tactfully?

so...

I’ve taken a bit of a vacation from posting. I actually kept a journal while I was in Philadelphia and New York, fully intending to get it all online once I got back home, but as the weeks went on, I found that I took a different approach to journaling than I do to blogging. It’s different, I guess, writing just for oneself and writing on a media that the whole wwworld can access. After getting back from my trip, I simply got plain lazy and debated whether or not I wanted to keep up with the blog. After all, as far as I know, only a small handful of people actually read it. But after thinking it through, I decided that if nothing else, it’s a good form of release and it’s certainly cheaper than paying someone to listen to my blabbering. (Blogging: therapy for cheapos.)

So here I am. Again.

Since I haven’t posted in a while, this has the potential to be either a really short, dry post, or an overbearingly long one that goes on all sorts of tangents. (Personally, I’d count on the latter.) I warn you now, so as not to disappoint anybody in search of quick-witted humour or, god forbid, gossip. *gasp* Okay, well maybe there’s a little of that.

Where to start? How about picking up where I left off?

[Ubiquitous Voice-over Man]:
In the last episode, viewers were left hanging on the edge of their seats as they wondered what kind of mischief their hero would get involved in while on his business trip to the City of Brotherly Love. Would he make it across US Customs in one piece? Would he survive the sweltering heat and humidity of the East Coast, as well as the incessant chirping of the cicadas? Would he survive the long hours and gruelling work on the project site? And what of his planned trip to the Big Apple for a week of rest and relaxation? Would he make it to New York to see the bright lights of the big city, or would his workaholic tendencies take centre stage and keep him grounded in Philadelphia?

the terminal
Philly was great! Getting there, however, was a nightmare. My flight left Vancouver at 0800 on Monday morning and was scheduled to arrive in Philadelphia that same evening at around 1800 or 1900. Well, the folks at the US Customs & Immigration office in Toronto weren’t quite as friendly as I thought they would be. I arrived in Toronto at 1530, and was supposed to clear Customs and catch my flight to Philly at 1705. Plenty of time, right? Wong.

I was in the Customs office for three hours. Lots of waiting in line, plenty of attitude from the overly flamboyant and condescending officer that waved me into the waiting room, followed by more twiddling of thumbs in the waiting room line-up, finally followed by lots of questioning in a small office, where, after long last, I got my work visa approved for multiple re-entries. At least I won’t have to deal with that nastiness again for another three years! The greatest thing about the US Customs waiting room were the pictures on the walls – framed photographs of the Twin Towers of the World Trade buildings, flanked by imposing photos of Bush and Cheney – a warning to would-be terrorists, perhaps? And above them, a sign that read “All activities and conversations in this room are being video and audio-taped.”

Once I cleared Customs, I realized that I had long since missed my flight and would have to re-book it. After half-an-hour of waiting in yet another line, I finally got booked standby on a flight to Philly which was scheduled to leave at 2130. So, with 2.5 hours to kill until my flight, I grabbed my first meal since breakfast that morning to ease my neglected, and by now, furious stomach before waiting at the gate for the plane to arrive.

The clock ticked slowly, and by the time 2130 rolled around, we found out the flight was delayed until 2220. When they finally started boarding the flight, I found out, along with four others, that we had been bumped because the flight was overbooked and everyone had indeed shown up. A commotion ensued between the other bumped passengers and the airline staff while I watched from the sidelines, bleary-eyed and tired.

time is an invention
When the dust settled, we were carted off to a hotel room in Mississauga and told that we would be booked on the 0830 flight the next morning. Good thing I didn’t check all of my luggage, or I would have been a very unhappy and a none-too-pleasant-smelling man the next day. Since I was in Mississauga, I thought about calling my friend Jennifer, who I stayed with when I was in Toronto last May. But glancing at the red lights of the alarm clock telling me that it was past midnight, I thought better of the idea.

Finally arriving in Philly, I hopped a taxi to my apartment, dropped off my stuff, and hopped another cab to the project site wearing my TIME IS AN INVENTION t-shirt. Perfect for a ‘this-is-my-first-day-on-site-and-I’m-two-hours-late’ kind of occasion.

And when I arrived in the office, guess who was there? Jenn. Turns out she just flew in for the day to check out the site, go over some of the plans and sort out some details. I guess it wouldn’t have mattered if I had called her the night before when I was stranded in Mississauga. She wouldn’t have been in town anyway.

brotherly love (and all that other good stuff)
The rest of the project went pretty well. I can say without a doubt that it was the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life (including a few fifteen-hour long days), but was probably also one of the best times I’ve had working. Lisa, the graphics project leader, was the best, and if it wasn’t for her, I would seriously have lost my sanity early on. The two of us are so alike in so many different ways that it’s almost scary. It’s rare that you meet someone and have one of those ‘separated at birth’ sort of experiences, but when you do, it’s a total ball! If we weren’t laughing at each other, or tripping over everything in our paths (a story for another day), we were laughing deliriously to keep from crying. I *heart* me some Lisa.

And of course, there was Auntie Gwen, who’s actually the aunt of one of the guys that I work with here at home, but ever since I’ve known her, I’ve called her that as well. She was like my family away from home, inviting me over for a delicious barbecue in exchange for lifting and moving heavy things around her house, and playing mom, making sure that I was prepared for my trip to New York. I miss her infectious laughter and bitingly sharp sense of humour everyday.

As much as it seemed like it at times, not all my days were spent at work. I managed to get out and see the city as well. Because my apartment was literally smack dab in the middle of Center City, everything was pretty much in walking distance. Museums, restaurants, stores, theatres…all just a few steps away. Thanks to my godbrothers Gene and Jonas, I also got to visit New Jersey, New York Chinatown, as well as some sights around town. It was so great to have them to hang out with, especially on nights when I was too lazy to make dinner for myself. Like Gwen, it was totally like having family away from home.

big apple adventures
I stayed on Saturday to wrap up my work on the project and Lisa had to push me out the door to make sure that I went to New York for a much-needed vacation. After church the next day, Jonas and I headed back to my apartment so I could pack. (I’m such a procrastinator – it’s not even funny!) Had a quick lunch in Chinatown, then went to the bus depot. I had planned on taking the Amtrak to New York, which would have set me back $100 or so, but Gene told me about a bus that goes from Philly Chinatown to New York Chinatown for just $20 return, so taking that bus, I managed to save a wad of cash (more money to shop with!).

I slept for most of the bus ride, so once in the city, I was such a disoriented tourist. Luckily, my hotel was located on the edge of Chinatown, near Little Italy and Soho, so I was only a short walk away. The hotel turned out to be better than I expected. For $79 a night in New York, it was pretty great. Small, mind you, but clean and well situated. Everyday, I grabbed a cheap breakfast from one of the bakeries in Chinatown and in the evenings, I would sit on one of the outdoor patios on Mulberry Street with a plate of pasta and a cold beer. Couldn’t have asked for more!

I did the usual touristy things – taking the double-decker bus tour to get acquainted with the city, shopping along Fifth Ave. and Broadway, and every H&M that I spotted, exploring the Met for hours, visiting Ground Zero and listening to the strains of Amazing Grace being played by a scruffy looking man on his flute, buying tickets from the TKTS booth for The Producers on Broadway, wandering around Times Square, among others. Highlights included visiting Harlem with Sharri, who was on vacation with a friend in New Jersey and visited for the day and watching the black and white Manchurian Candidate on a big screen in Central Park.

Gene came up to hang out with me on my last day in New York as well, and we hooked up with his other godsister. Turns out that one of her other godsisters is a good friend of mine. Confusing, I know, but it turned out to be one of those great It’s a Small World After All moments when you half expect the little wooden children from Disneyland to come out from their little cuckoo clock doors and burst forth in song. Along the same lines, I also bumped into family friends while hopping on the hop-on-hop-off double-decker bus tour, and walked past some old friends that I hadn’t seen in years one night in Times Square. Only in New York!