We've enjoyed two days of jam packed fun and visiting with great friends and family.
Highlights so far:
1) Seeing that our house is in great shape and finally getting to see the finished product. Getting sad that I can't live in it for a few more years.
2) Visiting our old workplaces, getting lots of hugs, and eating delicious foods.
3) Yara and Lyle's gorgeous wedding.
4) Bumping bellies with Lisa on the dance floor
5) Amazing times with the girls
6) Drinking one celebratory beer.
7) Borrowing Steve's old VW Golf
8) Realizing again what an amazing life we had here and what great friends we have...it's like not a moment has gone by.
9) Breakfasts with Susan & Jorge & Tiago
10) Riding the rocket like a tourist
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Insomniac
There are eight more work days until my summer holidays which will last eight work days. That's a depressing thought.
I woke up at 3:44am, my mind whirling with work. I always thought that being the boss would be so great. You could create the work environment you want, change things for the better, and tackle priorities the way you see fit. And there are many days when it actually works that way.
There are other days when you are broached with HR problems that seem insurmountable. Or when your deadlines and workload is so huge (workloads that only seem to grow during the summer "off season") and someone comes in to complain about how a colleague said something insulting to them and asks what I am going to do about it. Full grown adults, old enough to be my parents...who don't stop to think that their problems might seem ridiculously trivial when compared to the other immediate challenges facing the organization. I understand that their problems are the biggest in their own mind and I treat each issue with the most possible attention I can pay to it, but carrying the responsibility and weight of other people's worlds is weighing down on me.
I'm not running a hospital or an organization that deals with life or death issues and try to remind myself of that. But it is an organization that people care so deeply about and if things go awry I will be remembered as the scapegoat for years to come as so many Arts Administrators get blamed for the downfall of their organization when it's a more complicated mess of other factors (primarily a constant lack of funding...and those who take the greatest thrill in the scapegoating have not been spending their spare time advocating for more arts operational grants...and not enjoying the results of special projects grants that are so popular and take up hours and hours of time of already over-exhausted under-staffed organizations for an event that only caters to the elite on one evening)...argh. Am I getting too specific? Ha.
When you run an organization you are so open to judgement from community, audience members, volunteers...most of whom wouldn't be able to start to understand the complexities of running a charity, but are sure from the outside in that they could do a better job and aren't afraid to tell you so. Some of them, very smart who run for-profit companies give suggestions that are so out of whack, "couldn't you just save some money and have a season without guest artists...." Some days I'm really proud of what I've accomplished and fought through this year, but other days it feels like the weight on my 30 year old shoulders is too heavy and it would be really easy to move on to another job that I could do in my sleep. It's so tempting.
And then I switch back and think about everything I gave up in Toronto to take this opportunity. A great job, a fantastic house, hilarious intelligent like-minded friends, neighbours, family, live music, food, people who think going to see AC/DC is funny and not the best thing that has ever happened to their city, TIFF parties, my work spouse, great shopping, six months with my husband, dealing with six months of stress and loneliness on my own (it's amazing how many more events you get invited to when you are a couple again...and remembering how slowly last summer went)...it goes on...was it all worth it for this? I better make it so.
I need that holiday now...I could use some sleep...and a green bin, drivers who don't piss me off, some decent sushi...and an evening of champagne with my girls...sigh. I love living here and there is no place like Saskatchewan (I missed it so much for the 7 years I was away) and yet it frustrates me daily.
I take no responsibility for blog posts written before 7am and blame them entirely on my evil alter-ego.
I woke up at 3:44am, my mind whirling with work. I always thought that being the boss would be so great. You could create the work environment you want, change things for the better, and tackle priorities the way you see fit. And there are many days when it actually works that way.
There are other days when you are broached with HR problems that seem insurmountable. Or when your deadlines and workload is so huge (workloads that only seem to grow during the summer "off season") and someone comes in to complain about how a colleague said something insulting to them and asks what I am going to do about it. Full grown adults, old enough to be my parents...who don't stop to think that their problems might seem ridiculously trivial when compared to the other immediate challenges facing the organization. I understand that their problems are the biggest in their own mind and I treat each issue with the most possible attention I can pay to it, but carrying the responsibility and weight of other people's worlds is weighing down on me.
I'm not running a hospital or an organization that deals with life or death issues and try to remind myself of that. But it is an organization that people care so deeply about and if things go awry I will be remembered as the scapegoat for years to come as so many Arts Administrators get blamed for the downfall of their organization when it's a more complicated mess of other factors (primarily a constant lack of funding...and those who take the greatest thrill in the scapegoating have not been spending their spare time advocating for more arts operational grants...and not enjoying the results of special projects grants that are so popular and take up hours and hours of time of already over-exhausted under-staffed organizations for an event that only caters to the elite on one evening)...argh. Am I getting too specific? Ha.
When you run an organization you are so open to judgement from community, audience members, volunteers...most of whom wouldn't be able to start to understand the complexities of running a charity, but are sure from the outside in that they could do a better job and aren't afraid to tell you so. Some of them, very smart who run for-profit companies give suggestions that are so out of whack, "couldn't you just save some money and have a season without guest artists...." Some days I'm really proud of what I've accomplished and fought through this year, but other days it feels like the weight on my 30 year old shoulders is too heavy and it would be really easy to move on to another job that I could do in my sleep. It's so tempting.
And then I switch back and think about everything I gave up in Toronto to take this opportunity. A great job, a fantastic house, hilarious intelligent like-minded friends, neighbours, family, live music, food, people who think going to see AC/DC is funny and not the best thing that has ever happened to their city, TIFF parties, my work spouse, great shopping, six months with my husband, dealing with six months of stress and loneliness on my own (it's amazing how many more events you get invited to when you are a couple again...and remembering how slowly last summer went)...it goes on...was it all worth it for this? I better make it so.
I need that holiday now...I could use some sleep...and a green bin, drivers who don't piss me off, some decent sushi...and an evening of champagne with my girls...sigh. I love living here and there is no place like Saskatchewan (I missed it so much for the 7 years I was away) and yet it frustrates me daily.
I take no responsibility for blog posts written before 7am and blame them entirely on my evil alter-ego.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Hairy's House
Ever had one of those moments when you looked in the mirror and realized..."shit, I really am pregnant!"
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Depot
In Toronto, Steve & I spent an inordinate amount of time shopping at the Home Depot at Keele & St. Claire. It was always packed unless you went in at around 10pm on a Monday night. Renting a tool on a long weekend - forget it. One of the highlights was the Second Cup inside the place and The Harveys. We even had a Valentine's date at that Harvey's once.
The Home Depot on Vic East in Regina is a little different. You can almost always get a spot near the door (in TO near the door was as far away as the furthest spot in the Regina parking lot). We usually had to squeeze by people speaking any number of languages in the aisles to get what we needed. In Regina it almost always seems empty even in the middle of a Saturday afternoon.
In Toronto we knew all the clerks within a few weeks and they remembered us as the young couple that bought all the cement. The plumbing aisle guy was great friends with Steve by the end and planned out all the plumbing in our house. He was used to me coming in and asking if he had pipes in hot pink. Here we have yet to bond with any of the staff - they are often very difficult to find.
Yes, better Customer Service and friendliness in Toronto is not what you might expect...but the coffee is really what I miss. ;)
The Home Depot on Vic East in Regina is a little different. You can almost always get a spot near the door (in TO near the door was as far away as the furthest spot in the Regina parking lot). We usually had to squeeze by people speaking any number of languages in the aisles to get what we needed. In Regina it almost always seems empty even in the middle of a Saturday afternoon.
In Toronto we knew all the clerks within a few weeks and they remembered us as the young couple that bought all the cement. The plumbing aisle guy was great friends with Steve by the end and planned out all the plumbing in our house. He was used to me coming in and asking if he had pipes in hot pink. Here we have yet to bond with any of the staff - they are often very difficult to find.
Yes, better Customer Service and friendliness in Toronto is not what you might expect...but the coffee is really what I miss. ;)
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Pixies - Black Francis
Frank Black of the Pixies played a solo accoustic show in Regina last night at the Exchange, and although not huge fans we thought this might be a cool show to check out. We went with our co-Toronto immigrant friends, Arlynne & Todd, so the company was grand and we got to do some people watching of the Regina alternative elite (everyone else was already at Craven). The music, however, was not meant to be either solo or accoustic. Luckily we have the folk fest to look forward to in a month!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Baby Pool
Take a guess! Let's see who is the most psychic of all....
http://bebepool.com/go/?a=boodlini&view=list
http://bebepool.com/go/?a=boodlini&view=list
Monday, July 6, 2009
Gravelbourg Has Some Image Problems?
We were fortunate enough to have been invited out to Thomson Lake for a weekend of friends and relaxation. The closest town to Thomson Lake is Gravelbourg, which I was very excited to visit because it is listed on my passport as my place of birth...and I've never stopped there before.
We drove through the town and by the hospital and I re-told my Dad's story of dining in a little French restaurant on a cold January evening while he was waiting for me to be born.
Afterwards, we hit the next obvious tourist destination, the Liquor Board store (in Saskatchewanese - "The LB"). Stephen chose some beer and when we got to the counter the man asked Stephen if he found enough beer (he only had 16 in hand). Stephen replied, "yes, more than enough." When the man started packing the beer into the bag Steve told him that we didn't need a bag.
The man said, "oh yes you do, we don't want that kind of image in town."
Our car was the only car in the huge parking lot, the downtown almost deserted on a Saturday afternoon...hmmmmmmm...image.
We drove through the town and by the hospital and I re-told my Dad's story of dining in a little French restaurant on a cold January evening while he was waiting for me to be born.
Afterwards, we hit the next obvious tourist destination, the Liquor Board store (in Saskatchewanese - "The LB"). Stephen chose some beer and when we got to the counter the man asked Stephen if he found enough beer (he only had 16 in hand). Stephen replied, "yes, more than enough." When the man started packing the beer into the bag Steve told him that we didn't need a bag.
The man said, "oh yes you do, we don't want that kind of image in town."
Our car was the only car in the huge parking lot, the downtown almost deserted on a Saturday afternoon...hmmmmmmm...image.
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