Yesterday I introduced Nick to Ikea.

I'm a bad, bad woman.

If I move to Cranbrook, we'll definitely be making a return trip to Calgary with a pickup truck and a bucket of money.

Okay, So I may have been told by a couple people that it's been too long since I've made an lj update. Let's fix that.

- I was finally hired on with the company I've been temping contracting for for the last year and a half. The transition was pretty smooth (I'm doing the same job I've been doing since March), and I'm quite happy with my new salary and benefits. It's very nice to have some stability.

- Just got back from ashes_no2's wedding and my first trip to the North Eastern US. The wedding was fantastic, I liked the area a lot, and I'm mourning the lack of Wawas in this city.

- Health is what it is. I haven't exactly been great, but I now have a kick ass drug plan, so I can get the pricy medication that works and actually afford it. If my endocrinologist doesn't shoot me when I see her in a month, anyway.

- Expansion comes out soon... I'm trying to figure out if I'm excited or dreading it. I know I'll feel better when I sit down and spend some quality time with the EJ Healadin page - I'm just the type who's better at learning by doing, so trying to figure out how my performance is going to be affected by the class changes is giving me a headache. I think I've decided to just sit back and wait until they're actually implemented and then run the hell out of things until it's all second nature again.

(Yes, I realize that most of you reading that last point have no idea what I'm talking about, and those who do probably talk to me on a daily basis).

- Finally... I NEED ANOTHER VACATION!!! Not right now, necessarily, but I've got lots of vacation time next year, and I need to have something to look forward to. Anyone have any suggestions for fun things happening next year or interesting areas of the continent to see?(We'll keep it to North America, unless one of you suddenly decides that you also have this unexplained desire to trace your family's roots back to Norway)

My co-worker's computer is dinging. It's exactly the same ding that Bigwigs plays when you have a successful cube click in the Mags fight. Now every time Melissa gets mail, I'm expecting to hear a voice yelling "NOT AGAIN!" from the next cubicle.

I need to go home.

You hurt my brain: WTF?

Love, Christina

Okay, went on a drawing binge tonight and (mostly) finished the current project. I'll probably let it sit a couple days before going back in to fix up some stuff that's bugging me, but for the most part I'm happy... especially since my first thought when I started was "Oh shit, I have no idea how to draw a dragon".

Clicky for the piccie

You know, the fact that I feel guilty rating songs on iTunes less than three stars because it's not their fault they ended up on my computer might mean that I'm just a little too sensitive.

Several years ago I had just moved out to Calgary and was working for Pacific Linen. We got a memo from the mall saying that some British pop star was going to be performing, and to expect crowds. I wasn't terribly impressed. It wasn't a name I recognized, and it seemed like yet another Britney clone (And there were sooo many of those in 1999). I popped out on my lunch break to take a look, and I don't remember anything about her music and I didn't actually see her since she was surounded by kids. I got back to work and completely forgot about the whole thing until fifteen minutes ago.

That's when I looked up from the random Wikipedia clicking I've been doing (while waiting for the crack to downloand) and suddenly realized that it was Billie Piper who had performed in the Sunridge Mall food court back when she was a fluffy little pop starlet who just went by Billie. I need to get a note back to myself telling me to be more impressed.

I discovered a book store today. It wasn't a completely new discovery, since I knew it existed, but in the seven years that I've been working downtown I'd never been inside. It was amazing, and it was honestly the first bookstore I've found here that felt the way a bookstore should. Now, I love Chapters (Which is the Canuck version of B&N), but it all has a very corporate feel to it. If you were abducted by aliens and dropped naked and unconscious in the middle of the store, you'd know exactly where you were when you woke up. I love little hole-in-the-wall used book stores, but most of the ones around here are too small to spend much time in.

My new book store (McNally Robinson, btw. There are a few of them across Canada, and they all look very different) just feels... grand. It's busy and warm and inviting and classy and whimsical. Hardwood throughout, and every book looks like it's important, like it deserves to be there. The store is in an old sandstone building, so you get exposed sandstone walls in the interiors to go along with the natural wood (julieoh knows how I feel about that *G*). It's three levels, with a huge staircase in the middle and a twinkling tree growing along side it from the bottom level. Under the tree, stuffed animals and pillows for the kids to curl up and read. I only had a few minutes to grab what I needed and run back to work, so I didn't see the cafe on the third floor or really explore the store itself, but I know I'll be back as soon as I have money to buy something (I need an excuse to put off reading the DaVinci Code again *G*).

Places like this remind me of why I'm choosing this particular path in design. As much as I like designing my own living space, the idea of doing residential for other people leaves me cold. So does the idea of designing office spaces. I want to design for the public. I want to create an environment that sticks in someone's mind when they walk in, even if they don't realize it. When you're designing retail or hospitality spaces, you can go a little further in what you do. Take your concept and expand it more than you would for someone who was going to be spending every single day in living or working in that space. It's for the customers, even if it's something as simple as having someone say "Hey, I saw the neatest little shop the other day".

There's also the psychological aspect that I love. How can I make my design make money for the store? What subtle little things can I do to influence customers? This is why I'm running a store right now instead of working an office job: I get to play with that idea and test things out in my own space. The trip to the bookstore today really clarified how I want my own store to feel, and while I don't have a whole lot of freedom (There's nothing I can do to get rid of the gynecologist office colour scheme, unfortunately), I can sit down and deconstruct what I saw and figure out how to translate it into something I can use with the tools I have. I have a new project *eg*.

Anyway, one thing this really taught me was that I need to get out more. I live and work downtown, but I haven't even scratched the surface. I haven't explored Chinatown or the design district or the galleries along 11th ave. Hell, the bookstore was two blocks away from work and I know I've passed it several times without ever noticing it. I need to pay attention. So now my new project is to go for a walk every saturday and find a new place to explore. Not tomorrow, of course. Tomorrow I'll be exploring several new bars at a bachelorette party, and I doubt I'll be paying attention to design after the first few drinks *G*.

It's shortly after midnight, and any minute now we'll get to join the cool cities like Toronto and Vancouver in having a seven digit population. After looking at stats and figures, they've decided that the first baby born after midnight today will be declared Calgary's one millionth citizen. Just shows what the latest oil boom has done... last year they weren't expecting to hit the 1,000,000 mark until 2008 - 2009.

Go little cowtown, go!

So, who wants to throw a few bucks to a worthy cause? My little sister's doing Drop Zone Victoria for Easter Seals. If she earns $1500, she'll rappel off of Victoria's tallest building dressed as Lara Croft. This will give me many years of ammo amusement, and it'll make a great video for the wedding she's itching to plan with said X-man superstar. If you're interested, you can donate through her profile page.

Heh.

Hehehehehe.


This? Is my sister's boyfriend.

He was an extra in the new X-men movie, and apparently he was one of the few who was given an actual 'role'. I can totally see it.

It's parade day!

For those who don't immediately think 'mmmm, Wranglers' when they think of July, the Stampede is Calgary's biggest event. More than just rodeo events, it's a two week party that the entire city gets into, and that's all kicked off by a huge parade. Parade day is actually a semi-official holiday (Most workplaces give the morning off, or give a half day off in lieu of it), and last year 400,000 people turned out to watch. I wasn't among them - and haven't been since I was about nine - but this year I'm not only living right above the parade route, I'm also kick starting my summer holidays by taking the day off and watching the whole thing from my balcony. Tomorrow I fly to Victoria, and then I have a week of not working. Sweet.

I just spent a lot of money at the grocery store. I tend to be the queen of big shopping trips, which is stupid since I don't have a car, but I think this is the most money I've ever spent on food without doing a massive once-a-year costco stock up. Actually, I think it may have beat out my biggest costco shop by thirty bucks.

Ouch.

Okay, it's not quite as bad as it seems. A good chunk of that was spent on girly stuff (Why, oh why do we have to pay $16 for the privilage of keeping my legs hair-free?), and I also did a lot of stocking up, which I haven't done since I moved. With the portions I'm eating, a lot of this food should last for months. I don't think I'll be spending another forty bucks on spices any time soon. Still, it's a bit depressing when it's soooo cheap to eat badly. I could have picked up seven boxes of kraft dinner and eaten for a week for under ten bucks. There's a reason I picked up bad food habits in the first place... eating properly takes a lot of effort and money and I just don't like food enough to do it.

Anyway, the real test will be next week, when I'm just doing veggies. And I need to keep reminding myself that my health is worth more than kraft dinner.

Pass it on.

I have one properly artistic picture of my new place. Other than that, 'home' will have to mean 'balcony' until I get the rest of the boxes unpacked.

( Don't look down... )

Poll #723838 fibonacci parrot
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5

A parrot saying "1 -1 - 2 - 3 - 5... Eureka!"

From jjloa

Using the candybar doll maker (http://elouai.com/doll-makers/new-dollmaker.php), make a doll of me from what you remember of my looks, or how YOU picture me, and post it here in the comments. once you've posted here, ask the same in your own journal and see what your friends think you look like!!!

(there's a button under the image you make that generates the html code so you can copy and paste it here)

It's a friday and the sun is shining. This morning as I was crossing the pedestrian mall to do a Tim Horton's run, I was treated to organ music playing the Hockey Night in Canada theme down the street and surrounded by people in red - Jerseys, t-shirts, business casual in red, ties, hair. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves. It's good to be Canadian *G*.

Go Flames Go!




I need to find me a Flames icon.