Question for you

I have a question for you, oh avid readers of my sporadically-updating blog. What are you interested in?

I realize that's kind of a broad question, but it serves a large purpose.

I'm trying to wrap my head around getting the Town's blog up and running, but can't for the life of me figure out what to write about. Obviously, the official Town Blog (the ToFBlog ^_^ - no, that's not its name) can't contain rambling about how pretty Gary Sinise's eyes are, or how badly I look after my greenhouse, or any of the other staples that make up Here Right Now.

So, I ask you - what would capture your attention in terms of a Town Blog? Would it be history? Updates of ongoing projects? Local guest bloggers?

I need you assistance, internet!

Frenzy

I'm heading in to Whitehorse tomorrow. (What!? I can hear you saying. Weren't you just in WH, like, two weeks ago? What's wrong with you?! And, under normal circumstances, you'd be right. But I digress...)

I have to pick up all the food and the remaining supplies for the Canada Day festivities taking place on Friday. I could have done a day trip on Thursday, I guess, but the idea really didn't appeal to me. So, I'm driving in Wednesday, in a calm and leisurely fashion, getting supplies in the morning and food in the afternoon on Thursday before heading back to Faro.

I will also be working a long-overdue massage in there, as well as some highlights. I'm worth it.

This means, though, that I have to do a massive pre-WH cleanup. As I said on Facebook, "what if something happens to me and Crime Scene Investigators/co-workers/friends & family have to come into my house?" Is it significant that my first thought was CSIs?

Anyhoodle, I haven't decided if I'm going to bring the laptop with me, or if this is going to be an internet-free trip. I guess you'll know when I do ^_^

"My friends call me...Ahkbar."

No, they don't, but I watched Romeo Must Die again last night, and that's all that came to mind.

I'm heading out of Faro today, on my way to the Association of Yukon Communities Annual General Meeting in Haines Junction. (That's a mouthful, ain't it?) I'm still not 100% sure why I am going, but I will try to take advantage of the opportunity to see another community, network with folk from the various communities, and really try to wind myself down after the Crane & Sheep Festival.

That last one is proving difficult. But hey, at least I haven't turned to the bottle ^_^

I'm really hoping to sit down and write a proper entry about the C&S, both for this page and for the Town's official (but as of yet, unwritten to) blog. Michael of Michael's Meanderings has some great posts about his family's trip up here this weekend, with great photos! I only got a few photos, because I was running around so much (Anxcitement!) so it's nice to see what other people saw.

In other news, instead of going to bed at a decent hour, like a normal person, last night I stayed up to make a new quilt top. I'm hoping to have enough time before I leave for WH to piece together the backing, and then to take it with me to work on during the brief times when I am not required in meetings. I need to start selling some quilts!

When you've drawn blood, you've exfoliated

I've decided that, from now on, all of my blog entries will have titles drawn from the vast collection of TV quotes I have amassed over the years. Today's is drawn (haha, you see what I did there?) from an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It's also topical, because I totally over-exfoliated earlier this week, and wound up with scabby arms. It was my OCD tendencies taking over - I kept going, even after I could feel that my arms were scratched. This is not the first time such a thing has happened.

Oh, no - we're getting to the bit in Eragon where Brom (Jeremy Irons) dies. Oh, sorry if you haven't seen it already - that was a total spoiler. I'm not going to lie, I'm weeping. Predictable and derivative as the movie/book can be, I always cry when Brom dies.

Life progresses, here in Faro. My work on the Festival continues, there are Council meetings and special meetings and sometimes I wonder if there will ever be a day without a meeting, and summer is approaching rapidly. Will the cranes come? Will my keynote speaker be well received? Will I have to flip moose-burgers at the Wild Game BBQ when what I'd prefer to be doing is having a nervous breakdown? Only time will tell.

Sleep is the next item on the agenda. Not enough time, really, but it must be taken when the chance exists ^_^

Work, Veg, Sleep

I haven't really done much in Whitehorse, other than attend my course.

I come back to the hotel, do my homework, watch TV, and sleep. By the time I'm finished the course, it's all I can do to get the homework done. School is exhausting - now I remember why I slept so hard for four years.

All the homework assignments are building up to Saturday's presentation of a business plan for the CRIC. It's not necessarily the actual plan the CRIC will be following, since I'm the only one with input, but for the purposes of the course, it's the real deal.

Ugh, I will have to stand up in front of the class and present it...double ugh.

My goal is to have the presentation finished Friday before class ends, and then I am heading over to Bear's Paw Quilts for a little fabric therapy. I'm on the lookout for cheap flannel, northern batiks, and anything else that catches my eye. Oooh, maybe even some thread!*

Saturday evening will be shopping for non-perishables, and Sunday morning is perishable consumables. Then I'm on the road and back to Faro...and I probably won't be back to WH for another two months. I may have hit my WH limit for the year already ^_^


*Thread nerd ^_^

Back to School

So, I'm heading out to Whitehorse in a couple of hours. I'm wavering between excitement and anxiety. (That is an almost daily waver, by the way.)

I'm taking a course on Financial Management in Cultural Organizations, which is supposed to help me with the parts of my job that are related to the Interpretive Centre. All I know is, there are a bunch of readings to be read, and some prepatory assignments to be handed in, and I need to get them finished before I leave town so I can print them out when I stop at the office. (Again. I swear, by the time I go I will have spent just as much time in the office this weekend as I did on Friday.)

So, exciting, right? Yeah, totally...except for my feelings of panic re: all the other stuff I need to be doing at the moment, which I won't be doing when I'm in WH. Or worse, that I'll be trying to do while I'm in WH, while simulatneously trying to pass my course.

In the middle of all this anxcitement (excienty? there isn't a really good mashup word yet), there had better be some shrimp sushi, is all I'm saying.

The Procrastinatrix Strikes Again

So, I've got this proposal that is due tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow.

Until last week, the deadline wasn't a problem, because we weren't applying for funding. The application we put in last year was cancelled, and I figured why apply for the same thing that we will just end up cancelling again?

But last week, I figured out a different position we could apply for, through a slightly different agency, and BOOM! A proposal needed working on, STAT.

But I was away for a good portion of last week, and put off looking at the file, because I am a moron like that. That's what comes of being "smart" in high school. Not the kind of smart that studied and had good work ethics and stuff...no, I mean the kind of smart that could bullshit an English essay the day before it was due, having only skimmed the source material. The kind of smart that crammed like crazy the night before a test and always got good marks.

I mean, I should know better by now. I got my ass handed to me in university - I didn't have the foundation needed to actually study, to plan ahead and work on things in advance. Plus, I was studying Classics, Queen's very own joke-major. I think I wrote 3 essays in first year, and 2 in my final year. That's it. I'm lucky I graduated.

The thing with proposals is - you need to be good at talking things up. You need to sell the proposal without exaggerating too much. And I am not great at sales. (Ask Dianne for many examples during my time at Lindor.)

What it boils down to is this: we need someone to come and help us out. They can probably stay in my basement. Give us money.


Okay, break time is over. Back to writing.

Oh, hey, I do have news

I'm going to be in WH for a few days next week!

There's a Gas Tax workshop on the 27th, and because Faro is so far away, they're springing for a hotel for two nights instead of one. I'll be driving in on Wednesday and coming home on Friday. I've already been assigned a number of work-related errands (office supplies, etc.) and I've arranged to drop my truck off at the dealership for servicing.

I'm pretty excited about the workshop, to be honest. My job involves more funding applications than I was prepared for, and Gas Tax is a big one. Anything I can do to advance my knowledge so that I'm not constantly bugging our Community Advisor is a good thing. And I figure that some of that knowledge will translate to other proposals, right?

Okay, you got me. I'm super excited to go to the quilt store, too ^_^

Wordy Wednesday

I got all riled up about how I was going to do a Wordy Wednesday (all words, no photos) post to counter all the Wordless Wednesday (all photos, no words) posts out there, on account of me not having any photos to share.

Then I realized I don't have a lot of words to share, either.

I'm working as hard as I can, and that's stressing me out a little. I can't seem to get in front of my eating problems, and that is definitely stressing me out. My house is still not unpacked, because I don't have furniture to unpack things to, which isn't as stressful as you'd think.

On the up side, I started quilting something for a pretty special guy yesterday, and I think this quilt is going to be amazing.

Try to tamp it down

The anxiety, that is.

I'm a naturally anxious person. I worry about stuff that I have no control over, and I worry even more about things I have even the slightest amount of control over. I worry about things that didn't happen but might have happened (example - the time I nearly got hit in the face with a taiko drumstick while the PE teacher was pounding out the accompaniment to the Nen-cho class's Sports Day display - I still wake up in a cold sweat about that).

It's hard to let go of anxiety when it feels like it's the reason you exist. This job doesn't help that. The job itself is great, but all the uncertainty surrounding it makes it very difficult to know what I am doing from moment to moment. And, naturally, my already high anxiety-levels skyrocket.

I'm having breakouts. My hair is falling out again. I eat stuff I know I shouldn't. And it just builds on itself.

But there are nice things, too. Yesterday, Bernice made me a BLT and Caesar salad for lunch, and Kara had me over for moose stir-fry. (Kara also let me use some of her photos for a new sekrit project which I hope will bring in some tourists - yay Kara!) I had a delicious peach for breakfast.

I guess I just need something around that reminds me not to let anxiety get the best of me. Perhaps it's time for some new tattoos ^_^


EDIT - And then I read this entry from Celia McBride, and I remember to notice the sun shining on the mountains.

Signs things might not be working

1. When the thought of returning to the office after lunch makes you want to barf and/or cry.

2. When the phone ringing makes you want to hide under your desk.

I'm not saying I'm going to quit, I'm just saying that, sometimes, I really want to quit.

Where have I been? (again)

Working, working, almost running out of gas on the way in to Whitehorse, having horrible experiences with my tonneau cover at the Superstore with $400 worth of meat in my shopping cart, working, and trying to move things over to my new place. Whew. That's where I've been.

Nothing super exciting to report on the personal life front. I finished the quilting on the red quilt last night, which means binding time! This will be my first quilt started and completed in the Yukon, which is pretty dorky to mention. Hurray dorkiness!

My Friday Night crew are packing up for Ross this week, so I will be all by myself. That's okay, though, because we'll be showing a movie at the Rec Centre as part of the Fireweed Festival, and I'll probably be busy with Festival stuff. And then Sunday is supposed to be the day of moving furniture to the new place. Because I've been forgetting to phone Northwestel, I might not have phone and internet hooked up right away, which is kind of a bummer, but I'll survive.

So, there you are - caught up on the life and times of Erica.

Happy Discover Day!

So, to celebrate the Yukon, on the statutory holiday (Suck it, everyone in Ontario who gloated at me two weeks ago when I was at work and you were at a BBQ or the beach!), I got called over to the CRIC to meet with a lady from the Yukon Heritage and Museums Association. Hurray.

Seriously, I was ticked off. I was in my PJs, trying to work up the energy to put my painting clothes on and head over to the new place to do more painting (my arms and back hate me so much now), when S called to ask me to come over. I hadn't showered, because, really, what's the point when I'm just going to get sweaty and gross over at the new place? But I put on my Big Girl Panties and said I would be over in half an hour.

The upshot is that there is a bunch of funding available to us, so yay! There's a social media seminar coming up in Whitehorse in October, and I could get that paid for, which would be super. And I got a cup of coffee out of the deal - wooo!

It turns out that my painting pants aren't dry yet (I washed them last night because they were totally disgusting), so I am having lunch and watching a little SPN before I head over for more painting funtimes! Perhaps I will check out eBay for more saris for decorating purposes ^_^

Freezing

So, when I got to work this morning, it was like walking into a freezer. And I worked in a freezer at Schneider's for four months back in 2004, so I feel qualified to judge.

To fix this problem, I would have to call Public Works to come and adjust the boiler. By the time that happens, and by the time the boiler finally makes everything better, it will be time to go home, and then when we come back on Monday it will be too hot.

I have a wool coat that's been in my office since February. I might just toss that on. Or make several cups of tea and rest my hands in them.

I'm all alone in the office today. That means MUSIC TIME!

[EDIT] Turns out the cooling system had not been shut off last night, and so K came in and adjusted it for me. I am typing much faster now that my fingers are not in danger of shattering on the keyboard.

Eight Months

That's how long I've been in the Yukon now.

I know, it barely seems like any time at all. I guess it helps that I've been so busy at work, pretty much from day one.

I'll try to return with a more interesting post later, but I'm running late, the photocopier is out of toner, and tonight is a Council meeting. I've got issues today.

Belonging

There is a quotation I found on a community planning website shortly after I came North. It reached into my chest and touched my heart. It seemed to encapsulate my feeling toward this new place in which I had found myself, and it spoke to me of hope.

"When people feel they 'belong' to a neighbourhood which is theirs through their own efforts, then it will become a place which is worth struggling to retain and develop. People will safeguard what they have helped to create."*

I feel that way about this place most of the time - I want this town to continue, I want this town to thrive. I want to promote this town to the world outside, to say, "I came here, and look! I became part of something - not because I want to take over and tell people what to do, but because I want us all to develop and retain this place to which we all belong!"

It's a bit lofty, I know, but it keeps me going.


*Lord Scarman and Tony Gibson, The Guardian, 11 December 1991 [emphasis mine]

Dear schmo,

When going over to someone's house for "a glass of wine," be sure that their glasses are not approximately the size of decorative fishbowls.

I'm just sayin', there's a reason you're so slow today.

Heartburn...

So many delicious pancakes for dinner + delicious chocolate cake = heartburn that won't end.

Such a sad ending to a delicious meal chez Went. They're getting ready to go away for two weeks, and I will be on my own again. I will have to occupy myself with painting the new house ^_^

In other news, there's a big public meeting in town tomorrow, and guess who gets to take the minutes? The girl who plans on getting all dolled up for it and wearing her stompy red sandals, that's who! Red skirt, black sweetheart-neck t-shirt, and crazy shoes - they'll have to pass a bylaw to get me dressed down!

I'm kind of tempted to buy these gold platform shoes with red rhinestone flame decals, just so I can wear them to meetings. It would be a kick, really ^_^

Time doth fly

Goodness, is it Tuesday already? Where did the weekend go? Where did the time go?

My parents will be arriving in Whitehorse tomorrow. Tonight is a Council Meeting (hurray, hurray), so I will not have much time in the evening for doing the remainder of my cleaning. I have Kara's vacuum, so I guess that's what I'll be doing at lunch.

I'm excited for M&D to get here, and for my fuzzy mens (Rodney and Pakuchi) to finally be here. I'm excited about time off, although I think I will be coming to work on Friday anyway because of meetings (if so, I am taking a day in lieu after my parents go).

I need to chop more firewood at lunch. That'll be pretty - me in a sundress and Sketchers, wielding my trusty axe. Too bad no one will be around with a camera ^_^

The other reason I'm excited is that I enrolled in the Social Media course over at Tourism Currents to help me figure out how to use social media to help promote the town. I'm paying for it out of my own pocket, because I don't want to sit through endless meetings trying to explain why I think it's important.

The ladies who run the site are amazing - I was having trouble registering myself after I had paid, so I dropped an email off to their admin address. Within ten minutes, they had contacted me, fixed the problem, and thanked me for helping them fix the bug in their system. One of them even gave me her cell number in case there was a problem and I couldn't contact them by email. That, my friends, is a class act.

So, in the near future, I may be able to promote Faro to the max with mad social media skillz. Look out, Internetz!

Punchy

Man, I hate how a person can be in a great mood, ready to be productive, and loving life, and then have that mood completely destroyed by some jerk.

I am just an admin assistant - I don't have any power to make things happen. Stop trying to pressure me!