明けましておめでとう！

Akemashite omedetou! Happy New Year!

A new year dawns, complete with the promise of new blog entries, full of apologies about not writing ^_^

In looking back over the past year, I'm pretty grateful for all my experiences. It wasn't the worst year ever, it wasn't the best year ever, but everything I experienced has put me on the path to becoming a more awesome person.

I'm thankful for coming to terms with my depression. When I think of how many years I have been wandering around in a fog, I'm amazed that I made it out of bed every morning. Since beginning treatment in September, I have made great strides toward becoming a fully functioning member of society ^_^ Okay, maybe not great strides, but some little baby strides.

I'm glad I took Aki in. He's a handful, and when he destroys things I often wonder if he's worth it, but when he leans in so I can skritch his chest and lets out a big sigh, I know I did the right thing. Also, he gets me out walking, which helps with the whole "too depressed to exercise" thing.

I sold some quilts! Quilting has been a hobby for me for many years now, but it's never been something I thought I was good enough at to make any money. I love doing it, and am happiest when my quilts find a home where they are enjoyed, but to think that I can earn some of the material cost back is pretty awesome.

I have a great network of family and friends. My parents and sisters are awesomesauce, and I am looking forward to seeing them all in June for Hezz's wedding. My friends in Faro who look after me, my friends back in Ontario who remind me of my roots, and my friends overseas who remind me of who I have been and will be again...I wouldn't be myself without them.

But, this wouldn't be a proper New Year's Day post without some goals for 2012, so here they are:

1. Be furiously happy. I discovered this concept earlier this year via The Bloggess's presentation at Ignite Evo - this video right here. If this means taping pictures of velociraptors all over town, gluing rhinestones to my truck, or taking a half-day every Wednesday to play with the dog, I want to do it. My parking spot is marked with a "Beware of Velociraptor" sign, and it makes me smile every morning. Do ridiculously silly, stupid things.

2. Work harder at failing. This is self-explanatory to me - as much as I want to just be automatically good at new things, statistics show that there is a correlation between practice and perfection. Note - I am not interested in perfection, per se, but in proficiency. I know that I need to fail at things in order to become any good at them. (Right now, I'm thinking about the free-motion quilting aspects of my life, but I'm also signed up for archery at the Rec Centre on Thursday nights, and I'm just letting my fellow students know in advance - y'all should probably be standing behind me when I let the arrows loose - just sayin'...)

3. Forgive more. I know that I am carrying around baggage from years ago. Sometimes, it feels like I've been carrying things around for centuries. This year, I want to release more of those suitcases of guilt and anger and hurt feelings and hopelessness. I don't want to be bent under the weight of things I haven't faced and haven't forgiven. (This may require some wine, though. And chocolate. And Kleenex.)

4. Leave my main bad habits behind. This one doesn't need to be expanded on in public ^_^

5. [REDACTED] Sorry, this one is personal, too.


So, that's what 2012 had better shape up to be - furiously happy, full of failures, and free of past hurts. Woooo!

In Which Our Heroine Gets In Touch With Nature

Long time, no talk, internet.

I'll be honest with you, friends - it's probably a good thing I didn't blog anything last week. I was miserable. The frenzy of Canada Day preparations made me crazy. My trip in to Whitehorse last Wednesday/Thursday, which was supposed to be work-related yet relaxing was ... well, not relaxing.

I learned some important lessons about ordering food for next year's CD Festivities - mainly to stress the importance of packaging the food in such a way that it can fit in a cooler, for the love of Zeus, people, Faro is a four hour drive away! - had a great deal of stress, and had the day redeemed by the kindness of Louie and Bobbi at the KEBABery. You may never know how much that chicken shwarma meant to me ^_^

Today, I rode back into WH with H. I know, I know, three trips to WH in a four week period - I'm exceeding my limit. But my grocery situation was dire. I was out of almond milk.

...

I need my almond milk. Without it, there can be no breakfast smoothies. Without smoothies, there is no breakfast. Without breakfast, I become a monster.

So we drove in to have a meeting and do some grocery shopping. We stopped at Riverside Grocery, where I proceeded to go crazy buying an assortment of flours and seeds. I'm looking forward to experimental cooking with garbanzo bean flour and coconut flour. I'm getting ideas.

On the way back, we stopped at the Coal Mine for milkshakes. H's husband had gone out for a ride on his motorcycle, and we just happened to meet up there. We took our shakes down to the river and watched the Yukon float by as we filled each other in on what happened during the day. My trivia for the day? The Yukon River flows at a rate of 7m/hour.

After milkshakes, we headed on our way back. H decided we should stop at their friend's place out on the Magundy to see the horses. We had a long, bug-filled walk up the driveway (which makes me feel less guilty about forgetting to go the gym yesterday), and spent a very pleasant half-hour with the horses. I couldn't remember the last time I had been near a horse (I'm thinking it was back when Amy and I were friends, which would be about 17 years ago, which makes me feel very old, so I'm going to stop thinking about it), but these guys were quite calm and friendly and put me at ease. They were particularly pleased to see H, who provided them with bug-spray.

I think horses might have an even more soporific effect than cats, and I may have to go out there again.

In Which Our Heroine Lets Down the Internet

Hello, Internet.

It's been a while. I know, I know, I haven't exactly been keeping up my end of our bargain - namely, that you provide me with trivia about background extras on TV shows, information about funding services, and M*A*S*H quotes, and in return I give you more than a crummy little update saying that I'm not frozen. Sorry, Internet.

It's just that I don't think you want to hear about my struggle with the cycle of dirty/clean dishes (How do I create so many dishes when Kara cooks dinner for me 5 nights a week?), why I let my laundry pile up until I am wearing heavy wool socks with a tweed skirt, or how I haven't had anyone in to fix the upstairs toilet even though I've been in my current house since September. I want to be interesting, Internet. I know you understand.

Be honest, Internet - would you still respect me if I told you that I watched 2.5 seasons of NCIS in one weekend while quilting? That the only times I got off the couch were to feed the woodstove or get another cup of tea? Because I've done that. (Sometimes the DVDs are different, but you get the drift.)

I did do one interesting thing in the last little while, though. I did an interview for Sharing Travel Experiences. Poor Andy - he sent me the questions in December, and it took me just short of forever to get them back to him. You know how I get, with the need for everything to be just so. The questions were easily answered, but I got hung up on the photos, and the longer I debated about the photos, the more embarrassed I was at how long it was taking. It was like a shame spiral.

But it's done, it's up, and I've had a number of people tell me they liked it, so I'm happy. And I was ordered by someone who is in the office frequently to get busy and update my blog, so this one's for you, Harold ^_^

Where have I been?

Let's see...lounging, having a headache, working, working, having a stomachache, taking a sick day, and that brings us to today.

One thing I like about this town? People notice if you're not where you're supposed to be. Kara noticed my truck wasn't in front of the office yesterday, deduced I was sick, and she and Matt and the kids brought me dinner (and visited briefly because it was pouring buckets outside). Back in London, no one would have noticed a thing like that. Or brought me delicious cabbage-roll things.

Unfortunately for me, my landlord had made arrangements for some guy to come look at my house yesterday - without letting me know. The guy turned up, and I'm in my sweatshirt and fuzzy pants, definitely not expecting company. I asked if he could give me half an hour, and I tidied up the kitty litter and threw several bags of garbage in the garage. The house wasn't perfect, but it was okay.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more pissed off I get with my landlord. I thought maybe he had tried to email me at work, but when I got here this morning, there was no email. I was home all Tuesday night, so I don't want to hear him say he tried calling. That is bull cookies.

Also, if I hadn't been home sick, there wouldn't have been anyone home to show the guy around. Did you think about that, landlord?

Whew. Sorry, that got a lot rage-ier than I meant it to. I need to summon back the calm of last night - headache gone, belly full, overdosing on Supernatural. Life was good then.

Colour me surprised

That was the shortest Council meeting we have had since I've been here. Surreal.

Then I hung around talking to people until 9, which kind of negated the finishing early part, but still, good work!

Now I'm going to watch some Ashes to Ashes, because I don't have to do anything else tonight ^_^

Hurray!