ziggy_b's Journal
[Most Recent Entries]
[Calendar View]
[Friends]
Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in
ziggy_b's LiveJournal:
[ << Previous 20 ]
| Friday, December 25th, 2009 | | 12:32 am |
Ho ho hold the happiness
What a night. I guess that it is technically now Christmas day. Yippee. It's more distant but still shitty - Jo's friend has awful news that her cancer is back and she doesn't have long to live. She's living every day as well as she can, which is great for her (brings to mind one of my favourite expressions: "I spent a lot of my life being miserable. Then one day I thought, I'm here for the day, I can enjoy the day or not. I decided I might as well enjoy it." - Sean Connery). As with most death... it will really be shitty for those affected by this woman's death (i.e. while it is a shame that the world loses such a wonderful life, it is those around her that have to do the mourning). A relatively smaller complaint, but one that has been aggravating me for some time. Tomorrow will be spent with my family. There's nothing distinct that they do to drive me crazy, but I'm not enthused about spending the day with them. While it would have been nice to go elsewhere, unfortunately I have no enthusiasm for travelling right now because I recently did a lot and I'll be going away again soon enough (all I want to do is curl up on the couch with the cat) so I couldn't escape them that way. Plus I'll be away for the next number of years as I will live out of town and that works out well. "Sorry, can't come home for the holidays as I'm busy and... well, I can't". I wish Jo the best of luck on her travels (she's road-tripping right now) but as I hear the details... I realise that I made the right choice as I definitely don't have the travel bug. I love hearing about her trip, but this time I'm not wanting to be there. I guess I finally hit my 'travel bug' wall. Although I do occasionally do too much travel, and the bug always comes back so I'm not worried. Plus I think that I'm less reluctant to leave town because I feel like I have a limited time here. My family drives me crazy, but I chose my friends well! My last nagging fear... little kitten. One of them was looking ill tonight, and I suspect it's because I gave her wet food (it's the only thing that's different in her routine, and she seemed reluctant to eat it but I had no reason to think that it would make her ill but I'm so worried for her). I think that she'll be fine once she has some dry food in her gut once again, but I don't know. Although now that I think about it, she would often meow at me and want to be held and played with. This isn't a guarantee of anything, but these are the actions of a cat that doesn't feel well. She is the runt, so maybe there is an underlying problem. Argh, I hate it when the kittens get ill! Sometimes I'm lucky, but the odds aren't in my favour... they come off the streets so they don't have all the advantages of health and a happy kittenhood. Ah well, the family gatherings will be over by the end of day tomorrow, and I'll know more about the kitten before then (speaking of which, I should go check on her). At least Hillary is being his adorable and snuggly self, and my coworker's cat has finally overcome his desperation and is really friendly :) | | Thursday, December 24th, 2009 | | 12:24 am |
Fail
I'm trying to improve my mood by reading silly websites. Here's a good one:  see more Epic Fails | | Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 | | 11:31 pm |
Politics
I was going to rant a bit about work, but then realised that I check LJ at work (although they restrict me from commenting which is weird but unavoidable) and this could be a problem. I've never worried about it before, but for now I'll have to postpone my comments. I'll keep them safe, and post them in a few months... I won't mind making them public then. If you feel that your life isn't filled with enough silliness and you're curious to hear more... you know where to find me! | | 11:21 pm |
This is a list of my travel for this year: * Tanzania and Zanzibar * Kandahar * Dubai * Cyprus * Quebec City + * Cold Lake/Bonnyville * Halifax + * Quebec City * Norfolk * road trip to Hamilton, Chicago, Sturgis, Devil's Tower and the Badlands + * Petawawa * Kingston * Victoria * Jacksonville, North Carolina * road trip from New York City through Kingston The slightly disturbing part? Work paid for some part of my travel to all these places, except for the ones with a + (and during both of my personal trips within Canada I visited coworkers in town). | | Monday, November 30th, 2009 | | 6:42 pm |
Another visit out of town
I'm trying to take a two-day course that is offered through work. I have been told that the dates are 'the weekend before the 8/9 of January'. Soooo.... New Year's? I can't imagine that the course would have me in Kingston for New Year's but I might be there the next day. The next weekend ("the 8th and 9th") I am likely going to Toronto for a fun time! Tim and Eric are confirmed to be in town, and now I have to call Lena to see if she can host me :) ETA: Same place, different course... I'm definitely going out of town the first week of March. Those are currently my only plans to be out of town between now and end-April/early-May. | | 12:52 am |
Weekend summary
I'm finally becoming productive on the weekends again... in other words I'm recovering from being out of town for a long stretch. If only that productivity would extend to my work week! Friday I had some friends from work over for dinner. It was a bit stressful because I haven't had anyone over for a while and my place is a bit of a mess (until I finish my project), although mostly it was because I have never socialised with either of these people outside of work (an occasional coffee). It was nice, and I hope to do it again, but maybe not too often. I like these people, but they're just a bit different which is good but requires more thought. Saturday I did some shopping that was needed for my project. I met up in the evening with a good friend and had what was probably the first relaxed visit that I have had in a while. No criticism on other people, but the familiarity was much appreciated. Sunday I managed to finish almost all of the sewing required for my curtain project. I have two that are complete except for hanging them, and one that needs the plastic loops to be sewn on before I hang it. The loops are a pain but I'm comfortable with them now (each curtain requires 8, so 16 finished and 8 to go) and I should be done those tomorrow. Then all I need to do is hang them. I have one successfully up, but I need to adjust its height so I'll hang/rehang all of them, probably on Tuesday. Worst-case I might need to do them during daylight in which case I'll be recruiting Jo when she visits on Friday. Best-case... she'll arrive and be able to gush about my sewing skills :) Oh, although I guess that I also need to do the wooden dowels for the last two curtains but those are easy and I enjoy that. So either tomorrow or Tuesday I should be done. After that all I have to do is clean up as I have all sorts of things on my tables (sewing machine, iron, saw, drill, etc) and there are threads on the floors that need sweeping. I've been meaning to wash/mop the floors so this should be a good opportunity. After that, all I need to do is have the carpets downstairs cleaned professionally and do a few touch-ups on the walls so that the place will look just about perfect. Well, I'd be happy to rent it out once all those things are done. Oh, although I also need to get light-bulbs that fit my lamps (more of a problem than I'd expected) and get the yearly check-up for my furnace (not that I've done it yearly, but... ) So, here's the list for the house, hopefully to be done this week: * sew curtains * hang curtains * put away extras and clean up tables/surfaces * mop floor * get lightbulbs * clean walls and paint over nicks in walls * get furnace checked * have carpets cleaned (to be done between January and April, depending upon my cat fostering) Grateful for: * feeling productive at home, with the potential to carry this through to work * being honest with my manager and getting some clarity as a result * cat spasms during sleep, which are cute in kittens but not as comfy with a 6.5 kg cat on my lap * cashews with chipolte, yum * good night's sleep last night | | Monday, November 23rd, 2009 | | 3:27 pm |
Official notice
I'm going to Halifax. For those who aren't clear on details... this will be for approximately four years, and I will be returning to Ottawa (there is a slim chance that I would move to somewhere else first, but I will inevitably come back to Ottawa). I received an email this morning with a list of potential places to be moved, and the one out east had my name in the Status column rather than Available (all the ones that require moving house had people allocated). I emailed my contact and essentially asked "Is this official notice?" and got back the reply "Consider it official notice. But don't believe me until you're sitting in the Lower Deck." So, all I have left to do is tell my parents (and maybe mention at some point that I'm taking an indirect flight through Kandahar, as I haven't even mentioned that as a possibility to them). Oh, and I should celebrate somehow, sometime :) | | Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 | | 7:23 pm |
| | Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 | | 5:09 pm |
And they wonder why we mock them...
Management seems doomed to irritate the minions that work for it, no matter where you go. Still, I have some fun examples from around here (can you tell that I'm writing up my yearly review?). One of the review assessment points is Impact. Has your work had any effect on the world? I recently heard of someone whose work has changed legislation and his senior manager came back with "Not significant enough impact for promotion". Well if that isn't good enough then I'm definitely in trouble! I have decided to go with 'national expert' on a couple of my subjects as nobody else in this country knows as much as I do. Ha! *sigh* Back to work... | | Thursday, November 12th, 2009 | | 3:42 pm |
A girl's first lust
You would think that after all these years my heart wouldn't skip a beat when I get even the most vague and mundane email from him. I suspect that this will never change as my brain seems to enjoy the feeling :) | | Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 | | 6:57 pm |
Improving mood
I was in a seriously foul mood today at work. I've been grumpy about several things recently but there were two things that just about sent me over the edge. One was my laptop not working. It was an exercise in frustration, but I finally managed to get all the files that I needed from it. This is a big relief, which did greatly help to improve my mood. There's nothing worse than worrying that all your data may be lost. And don't suggest that I should have backed it up... I was on exercise and didn't have much of a choice in the middle of a field. The other problem was that I found out that someone hadn't taken the advice that I gave. I wouldn't normally care, except that they pressured me quite badly for a week to get me to help them. So after all that work... grrrr. I'm going to have a very interesting conversation with my fearless leader when I'm back at work in a couple days. I had offered to do them another favour by doing some work that I'm not thrilled about, but I'm seriously tempted to try and get out of it now. It's keeping me from doing something else that I'd much prefer, so perhaps we can even come up with a compromise. I'm really glad to have the day off tomorrow. Sadly, I will be using that time to catch up on cleaning the house and work. Of course I'll still have time to go to the ceremony and visit with friends! | | Monday, November 9th, 2009 | | 11:38 pm |
Life v091109
Let's see... I'm home. Happy to be here, enjoying my cat's company and home-made food. My bed is familiar and appreciated. All is good that way. I had a fun trip. I feel slightly traumatised after spending all that time with a bunch of gun-toting, cat-killing, Molson Light-loving weirdos but they help make a person really appreciate being home. At least the Canadian and Australian guys were awesome (the Aussies had some fantastic stories, for example they could only get them a hotel at the last minute and it was teeming with prostitutes, and on Halloween they went to a bar where these girls wearing Union Jack shirts tried to pick them up with a fake british accent and the line "Hello y'all"). I'm happy I went to do the work, and the trip went well, so all is good that way. On the way home I stopped by New York City for the night. I went to Times Square for 10pm and was amazed at the number of people walking around there at such a late hour. The next morning I went through a bit of Central Park on my way to the train station. Quite impressive! I then spent much of Saturday and Sunday morning with some people that I knew from online for years. Oddly enough they all matched my expectations, more or less. The creepy old man really is a creepy old man (I kept feeling the need to take a step backwards), the adventurous former teacher really is a neat and kind lady, and the lovely family really is a wonderful family. In fact the family lives close to Kingston (just the other side of the border) and said that they wanted to visit Ottawa for Winterlude so I offered them my place. On condition that the kids are willing to bring sleeping bags, but if they're willing then it would be convenient for them to stay at my place (downtown) and they could be flexible if the weather is too warm one weekend. They really want to come to go skating so if the weather is bad one weekend then we could change the plan. It's a 2-hour drive for them, which gives a lot of flexibility as they could do it as a weekend trip if we're stuck for time. So yeah, I go along well with them :) Work today was somewhat interesting. They have not yet confirmed my posting out east and they won't do so for at least another month as everything has been delayed. They are trying to be more transparent in their admin work which I would normally appreciate except that at this time it is working against me. Still, I know there are no guarantees and yet I can remain hopeful. Apparently the Crazy Lady at work will be retiring soon. Funny note: One of my coworkers was sent the news in an email that included the comment "Reminds me of a Wizard of Oz song". I could only think of "We're off to see the wizard" but someone came up with the answer "It starts with Ding Dong". If you don't know it... the song then goes 'The witch is dead'. I'm giggling even now as I think about it. After returning from my long trip overseas (so 9 months ago) I was told that I had to meet with this guy who is responsible for us when we are there (not the guy I often refer to (R), this is kind of his boss). Let's call him V. So before we meet V wants me to provide him with an honest assessment of his group's support for me while I was away. It took me a while but I finally wrote it up. I hadn't heard anything from V in several months so I went to see R today. He said that V now wants to provide a written reply to my comments before he meets with me. Nobody knows why he's decided to do this (could be good or bad). I then pointed out that I have to meet with V before I go over again in May, and I thought it was likely that I would be meeting up with him for the next trip's pre-deployment check before he manages to finish writing up a rebuttal to my previous trip. R gave me a look that suggested he agreed that it's a reasonable guess :) The guy who replaced me is supposed to have his meeting next week so that would be even funnier if I was 'lapped'. I shouldn't be so cynical, but they make it so easy! Plus I mentioned that V had visited us last week - on the trip that I referred to above with the right-wing americans. In theory it is all good except for the fact that he complained to someone that he didn't get to meet myself or my colleague. I totally don't get this mentality as we were actually working and couldn't go to meet him. We even invited him out to where we were working, because we had time but we couldn't leave the work area, yet he didn't come visit us. Harumph. And they wonder why we try to avoid management?! That's enough cynicism for today... I should go get some sleep! Grateful for: * this little MP3 player that I bought while on the trip (like the iPod but $40). I also bought one for my mom as she really wants one to listen to CBC podcasts and I'm glad that I've found something that she'll like. * meeting that family, and the other friends that I've known online for years * kitty snuggles * coworkers and a few good managers with a sense of humour * optimism, against all odds :) | | Saturday, October 17th, 2009 | | 1:50 pm |
Decision making
I haven't made an absolute decision, because I have made a complete turn-around in such a short while so it's hard. The thing is: 1. Little girl is smart, and much smarter than Clark. He's sweet, but I taught her about treats (not eating out of the food dish is an oddity for them), coming for treats when I whistle, and how to use the spare room swinging door all in a few minutes. Clark still hasn't figured any of them out after several attempts. 2. I was worried about Robyn's washroom habits as I had problems when she was younger, but thank goodness she seems to have completely grown out of those. Three weeks and no problems. 3. She's about as sweet with Hillary as Clark is, so there's no big differentiator there. 4. In an unlikely turn of events, she isn't clingy like Clark. He's always glued on me, whereas she amuses herself while I'm in another room. This has changed since they were young. She loves to be picked up and loves a good snuggle, but doesn't seem to *need* it the same way. So yeah... a little girlie cat it may be... | | Friday, October 16th, 2009 | | 5:51 pm |
Decisions, decisions
I have to decide between Clark and Robyn kittens. They both have advantages and disadvantages, but overall they are very sweet and lovely kittens that I feel I have to adopt one of them. I can't adopt both, because that would make me a crazy cat lady (and would cause me logistics problems, so it's not just an image thing). What I want is a cat to keep Hillary company that I can enjoy as well. So, primary is Hillary and I am secondary. So far, I can't really tell which one would be 'best' with Hillary as they are both really good with him but he is big and they are slightly afraid so they don't play with him. So far I have left Clark alone with Hillary (he was the front-runner) and while there are no complaints Hillary continues to seem needy so it's obvious they aren't interacting a lot together. This isn't surprising, and would very likely improve over time, but I'm going to leave Robyn alone with Hillary for a couple days to see what happens. I suspect that she will interact more with Hillary as she does seem a bit more 'social' towards her siblings. Still, as all the siblings get along so well they don't feel the need to interact as much with Hillary which makes the decision harder... So my needs are a cat that is friendly with people, relatively quiet, not clingy (would be able to handle my travel), and able to handle other fosters. Clark *loves* other people and runs up to greet everyone, whereas Robyn will gladly cuddle in anyone's arms. Both of them are relatively quiet, although Clark has more of a tendancy to play quietly by himself. Females are often more critical of new-comers as it is a matriarchical society, but she's used to other cats and still young so I can keep introducing new animals to make her more social (this is routine with dogs). My initial biggest problem with Robyn was that she seemed to be less healthy as I had problems with her (which made me less favourable towards her) but those seem to have resolved themselves as she grew up so that's why I'm seriously considering her now. The other big concern is that Robyn may be more clingy and less tolerant of my travels, but we'll see how she does with Hillary in the next couple days. Ideally he would be enough of a play-mate for her. Any outside advice on the topic would be greatly appreciated. Obviously I'm quite conflicted right now! Small bonus... One of my coworkers has a brother who recently lost his cat. The coworker met the kittens at the picnic and made it quite clear that I should let him know if/when Clark became available for adoption. He's willing to concede that I can adopt him, no problem, but the personality would suit his brother perfectly. | | Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 | | 2:47 pm |
So this is influenza
I rarely get sick, and when I do it is not much of an illness. When others get a cold I get the sniffles for a few hours, and when others get the flu I might get a slight sore throat. Not so this time... I feel miserable! I spent the last 3 days curled up at home with a sore throat and a fever (not quite sure how high, as today was the first day that I felt inclined to go get the thermometer and it said 101.6F so it was likely higher than that). Now my nose is starting to run which I am thankful for because this means that I am finally progressing out of the sore throat. I have barely eaten in days (yoghourt and ginger snap cookies only) so I came in to work only to get out of the house and to get a substantial meal (made-to-order pasta, yum). I have tried to avoid everyone so that they don't get sick. I seem to have all the symptoms of the swine flu but that doesn't mean much as all flus have similar symptoms. Either way, I'm glad to see the back half of this one... I can see the advantage of getting the vaccine if your immune system is compromised as I have essentially recovered after 3 days but I wouldn't want to spend two weeks in this state. I did miss out on all the family meals as I didn't want to get anyone else sick and I wasn't really functional (I wasn't able to eat and I was sleeping all the time). My maternal grandmother really appreciated the gesture as she's older and more inclined to illness (she packaged up some bubbly bake and had my mother drop it off on her way home), whereas my father seemed to take it as an insult that I neither wanted his help nor was I willing to visit. I told him at first that I likely had the flu as I was feverish and sleeping so he offered to come over to take care of me. I don't like having people nearby when I'm sick (are they going to help me sleep?) and I explained that I have lots of cans of food in the cupboard so I don't need anything. He seemed insulted by this as he started saying that I have a cold and if I felt better in time for dinner then I should try to make it over. I slept soundly the whole time they were together and can't imagine what he was thinking. Ah well, that's pretty normal with him. Time to return home and get some sleep... | | Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 | | 10:33 pm |
Keeping my head above water
I feel like I am wound up really tight. Partly with good, and partly with stress. The good is the coolness of the trips that I will be taking in the next 5 weeks. The bad is the fact that I have 4 trips which require me to be out of town for 33 of 42 days. So in a span of 6 weeks I will be home for 9 full days (of those 33 days I am hoping that 4 of them will be mostly at home with a bit of travel). So far I have been to Petawawa, which was surprisingly fun on the Monday evening. The weather was miserably cold and wet, and the course was a repetition of something I had taken earlier (but required), but on Monday night I had dinner with a couple friends from KAF and their families. The dinner was delicious (home-made pumpkin pie!) and the company was lovely. The host is a great guy and it should come as no surprise that his wife and baby son are both genuinely good people (not just superficially happy, but his wife was nice to talk with which is even more impressive because we would have been fine for conversation if her husband hadn't shown up :) Pleasant surprise of the evening: we were all country music fans! I could finally say "I could give or take Toby Keith but I'm such a fan of Tim McGraw" in conversation! Tomorrow afternoon I leave for Kingston. That trip should be a lot of fun, but there will be long days, a lot of work, and some strange emotions. I will be working with my friends from Kandahar for a week. So... the strange emotions have to do with seeing all those good friends again, in this new context. I haven't seen most of them in Canada. Nor have I seen them in a non-work context as we were always 'on' in Kandahar. Apparently the last trip involved a lot of fun nights in town. I am totally looking forward to this trip, although it would only be perfect if I could load up a couple cats in the car and have them come with me. I return on Thanksgiving weekend which is nice, because I have the extra day to relax and reconnect with the cats. Speaking of which, I am more and more likely to be keeping Clark kitten. He's such a dear around Hillary, and he's relatively independent (can entertain himself) yet he does snuggle with you if he's in the mood. Fat Bastard is too independent and aggressive, whereas Robin (the little girl kitten) is a sweet-heart but she's more dependent on company and I don't think that she would like my travelling. Clark seems to be just about perfect, as far as I can tell. Oh, plus he's definitely the healthiest of the bunch as the rest of them seem to have all sorts of small problems but he's been solid throughout everything. If I continue to foster then he'll continue to be exposed to things (as Hillary is right now) so that's an important thing to keep in mind. I think that I'll decide officially on the Thanksgiving Monday as I'll plan to return the other two that week. I'll be home for a week then. The next trip is from the Sunday to the Wednesday of the next week. I go to Victoria to present the results of a study that I did in Cold Lake. So there are benefits to freezing my ass off in the prairies :) It should be fun as I will hang out with my favourite sailors and some new air force friends, and I get to add 'presented results at international conference (technically "Interoperability Council Working Group")' to my annual review which needs to be done when I finish up all these trips. I kinda like the thought of knowing that my work will directly influence very tangible things, as they specifically asked me to go because they want to know how to change things for next year. So, the final trip. Next year: I do have more info although I can't remember what I have written and what I have mentioned. I may have said nothing at all, which seems to happen more often than not these days. Of note in that category... I haven't told my family about returning to Kandahar next summer and my father still seems to think that moving to Halifax is my own little delusion, but I will admit that the latter one is far more his problem than mine. Well, I told him that they won't confirm it for me until November and he's taken that as "very likely not to get it". Ah well, what can I do. I should have complete confirmation of timelines in November, so I plan on telling them everything all at the same time. This is what I have so far... Halifax is pretty much guaranteed, but they make all the decisions on who moves where in October, and announce them in November. At that time negotiations start between bosses for the timelines of moves. Mine is more guaranteed because they are talking about these finer details, and projects and courses and so forth. I have suggested (unbeknownst to my boss) that I can go to Halifax for a couple months in February and March to work on a particular project as they need the help. I told them that they have to ask my boss, which is why I'm not worried about writing it here, because I won't. Essentially, I can afford the time away from my current work but they have to do the work in convincing my boss. So, that's Halifax. I'm very likely going for a couple/few months this winter, with plans to move there permanently when I return from Kandahar. So yes, Kandahar is pretty much guaranteed as well. I might yet do something to piss someone off, but it'll take a lot for them to rescind their offer to send me over so I don't care :) Plus I'm not that worried about going over. I'd like to go, but it wasn't like the first time where I *really* wanted to go. It's probably a semi-dangerous position to be in, where I know that they want me so I don't have enough enthusiasm to be nice to management. The fact that they tend to be idiots is the reason that I'm likely to not make an effort to be nice. The best example of this is the big meeting in January where I will likely be presented with a certificate of thanks, and my medal. I feel like saying that it is appreciated but making some derogatory comment about how it doesn't mean as much as when I was given my medal over in Kandahar. Oh, I know! This is very honest too - "At first I thought that getting the medal wouldn't matter, that it was just something flashy, but as I stood there during the medals ceremony a few days before we left Kandahar I had to work so hard to keep the tears from streaming down my face. And I never cry. I'm not quite as emotional this time but I will always appreciate what this bling symbolises to me and to the wonderful people that I had the privilege of working with. At every opportunity I was impressed with the intelligence and compassion our forces are capable of, and I very much appreciate the opportunity that I was given." I like it. It sounds very altruistic, but yet I also get that little 'thanks, but I got this already from someone who cares more about me' dig. Because yes, that's how I feel. /rant The final trip - at the end of October and start of November - will be to a field in North Carolina, for two weeks. I plan on having fun during that trip as I will be visiting with army guys and they will be bringing their toys. Plus I am hoping to see some fighter planes, and if I am *really* lucky then I will see these planes fly really close. I will be there during Halloween so I am thinking about bringing a pile of chocolates and a costume. I think that that's about it for news for now... | | Monday, September 14th, 2009 | | 11:42 am |
Awkwardness at work
I spoke with my most knowledgeable coworker about my potential for working with an irritant, and he said not to worry about it. I have some mitigating strategies that he agreed with (e.g. show up earlier than the other guy to get the project that I have been working towards) so I should be good. On another note... I ran into someone who used to work with us full-time but left for a while when she got married (he lived in another town) and then had returned for one day per week but was working mostly from home in that other town. So she mentioned that she was returning full-time and I was quite happy and said that it would be good to have her back and... that's when she started crying. Apparently things weren't going well, and she's happy with her decision to split with him but obviously she's emotional and I felt so badly. I mentioned this to the 'most knowledgeable coworker' and he was quite happy to have the news so that he could be unusually careful about what he says to her when he sees her next. He mentioned that he had the same problem last year when someone returned from leave and he casually enquired about their spouse and next thing you know he's trying to be sympathetic and yet wanting to flee from the situation. In my case she said that she wants to reintegrate into work but she doesn't look forward to all the innocent questions from coworkers so as I meet up with mutual friends/coworkers I'll mention it briefly to them. She doesn't mind that people know, it's just the emotional roller-coaster of having to explain it to everyone all the time, so I'll help her with that. The funny thing is that some might call it gossip, but in this case I'm doing it for her and I'm not giving details, in fact all I know is that it didn't work out for her and that's all we really need to know. | | Saturday, September 12th, 2009 | | 1:40 am |
Fuck
Well, that didn't go as well as planned. I found out who they plan on having as my 'boss' if I were to go to Halifax and it's probably the worst answer that I could have expected. I'm not exactly sure what to do now, although I'm tempted to start by mentioning my concerns to management. Not that they'll likely listen to me (heck, they can't have listened to *anyone* if they went ahead with this plan) but at least I'll feel better for having said something. Ngrrrr..... | | Friday, September 11th, 2009 | | 3:31 pm |
Update v090911
Conversation at work this afternoon: Both: "Hey, how are you?" Both: "Good" Me: "So, any updates?" Him: "Nothing specific. I haven't seen them this week. Although, everyone seems to be okay with you going. In fact... we won't be able to officially confirm until November, but assume that you are going. Halifax too." Me: "Cool! So... research and plan for it, but don't commit to anything until I hear more in November?" Him: "Yep." So assume that I will be moving to Halifax, and visiting Kandahar in May. I also know of some vague rumours about the details and timing for these, if anyone is interested and wants to contact me offline/privately... | | Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 | | 10:52 pm |
Astrology (links are the same as Jo's)
I find horoscopes to be in conflict with my logical brain, so I have added my comments about them... The Toronto Star -- untrue If today is your birthday: You are beginning to suspect that you have wasted a lot of time pursuing something that could turn out to be unnecessary or unattainable. This year will reveal that your past hard work is really paying off after all. Happy birthday to "Pink" – Alecia Beth Moore, 30. Globe and Mail -- any idiot can figure this one out (work hard and yee shall succeed) If your birthday is today: If you plan carefully and have clear aims and ambitions then success is guaranteed between now and your next birthday. As an Earth sign you know better than most that the things worth having in life are those which take time. They are also the things which tend to last. National Post -- covers all potential bases, although I don't think that most people have trouble figuring me out. My colleagues and friends don't seem to have that problem! If Your Birthday Is Today Actor Peter Sellers (1925-1980) shares your birthday today. You're a curious mixture of being very serious and intense, and at the same time, very funny and humorous. You have marvelous acting abilities. You're very dynamic, active and forceful! Yet in the next moment, you're completely quiet and private. This is why people have difficulty understanding you! You are just now beginning to enter a new cycle where anything is possible. Open any door! LA Times -- at least these are a bit more specific. Of course the good relationships will have good results (they make it sound good, but the causal factor is reversed). I have hard work in the fall, but then again I always seem to (but I do have a lot of work travel in the fall). I'll very likely be getting ready to 'go over' in the spring so I'll be learning a lot at that time. Who knows about philanthropy, but I wouldn't consider it to be that likely (I need my money for a potential new house)! Today's birthday (Sept. 8): You become more powerful because you find supporters. Enthusiastic, passionate and purposeful relationships will carry you to new heights. You'll enjoy hard work in store for you through fall. March through May is for study. In January, you give back with a remarkable act of philanthropy. Sagittarius and Capricorn people adore you. Your lucky numbers are 42, 6, 18, 30 and 11. http://www.cafeastrology.com/birthday/september809.html -- I'm pleased to see that they expect this to be a year for a lot of research and discussion, this should help with work :) I think the love stuff applied to earlier this year (post-overseas) but it might reappear for all the same reasons. I'm hoping to buy another house and rent this one, so my finances should get more complicated. There seems to be a lot of 'expect change' comments, which seems entirely reasonable for the past few years. I'm amused by the part about expecting intense relationships... I really know of no other type (not just me, I'm talking about in general). The years don't quite line up as I will be busy for the rest of this year but that won't slow down for quite a while... until at least a year from now. The Year Ahead Forecast for September 2009 to September 2010 Saturn has passed its transiting conjunction to your Sun, and you are likely to feel a lighter load in terms of responsibilities and obligations this year. Mercury is square Mars in your Solar Return chart, and your thinking (as well as speech) can run ahead of you at times! This can translate to having too many ideas to implement, or expressing yourself too hastily. This is a good influence for research or energetic mental work. It's possible, however, that you are argumentative and irritable under this influence, and particularly impatient with vagueness. This can be a good year to eliminate wasteful activities. Be careful to avoid cutting words and aggressive driving. You may be involved in many lectures, debates, and discussions during the year. You can express your ideas more powerfully. You are quick to take the initiative and to put your thoughts into action. Mercury and Mars are also in hard aspect with Jupiter, adding a desire for your experiences to be larger than life. Venus opposite Jupiter around the time of your birthday this year brings love and romance into your life, but you could encounter problems due to overblown expectations or excessive behavior. You may overindulge your various appetites whether for social intercourse, food, sex, candy, alcohol, or whatever tickles your fancy. Find a way to strike a balance between self-gratification and the obligations of daily life. Try to avoid taking risks with love and finances that stem from restlessness or unrealistic expectations. Venus is also in hard aspect to Pluto, adding intensity to the mix. Passions, feelings of jealousy, and possessiveness run high, and these emotions are in direct proportion to fear of losing someone. You are likely to have to deal with these emotions in yourself, but you may also need to handle the jealousies and possessiveness of a partner. You might also experience compulsive attractions and attachments, or attraction to complicated love relationships. The need for deeper intimacy is present, but fear of this closeness may be just as strong. Because Venus also rules finances, you may have some tension over your personal finances, and/or need to make a large payment that necessitates changes in your spending habits. Finances may be complicated. Sometimes this aspect suggests power struggles with money. With Mars in dynamic aspect to Neptune, you may enjoy an increase in your intuitive capabilities, although if taken to an extreme, you could be too open to influence so that fears or delusions impact your ability to see your life clearly. Take an objective look also at how your dreams and visions fit into the lives of others and the world in general. This could also be a year in which you are considerably more creative. Jupiter conjunct Chiron and Neptune in your Solar Return chart suggests that idealistic and humanitarian goals or impulses have more significance in your life this year. You may experience an increased need for greater understanding, wisdom, and awareness, as well as increased interest in the healing arts and holistic health this year. It may be a time during which you reconsider or revamp your personal belief system. Everyday, ordinary life may not always satisfy, as you hunger for a more idealistic life. Saturn in opposition to Uranus around the time of your birthday suggests some restlessness. Attempts to assert your individuality, freedom, and originality undermine your feelings of groundedness and security. Yet, you are not satisfied when you conform. There may be sudden and unexpected twists that force you to do something different or free yourself from old habits. Adjusting your plans is in order, and striking a balance between convention and innovation is the challenge. Setbacks tend to be temporary and often lead to new, more creative paths or solutions. Ambivalence is likely and could color many of your interactions. A busy year is ahead! As long as you don't have too many projects going, and learn to focus on a few, you can be very productive this year. Certainly, you'll have no shortage of new ideas. You're also likely to make new friendships and enjoy good times. The urge to learn and teach is strong. Intensity in social and love interactions is likely. 2009 is a Number One year for you. Ruled by the Sun. This is a year of action. The seeds you plant now, you will reap later. Others might find you less sociable, as you are busier than ever and you focus on your activities and your needs. Still, you are outgoing and your initiative is stronger than ever. Advice - Stand alone, take action, start fresh, express independence. 2010 will be a Number Two year for you. Ruled by the Moon. This is a year of potential companionship. It is a quiet, gentle, and mostly harmonious year that is less active than other years. Instead, you are more responsive to the needs of others. If you are patient and open yourself up in a gentle manner, you will attract both things and people. This is an excellent year in which to build and develop for the future. Advice - be patient, be receptive, enjoy the peace, collect. |
[ << Previous 20 ]
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
ziggy_b's journal