glowy

Thanks peeps for all the bronzer recommendations.  I have a self tanner I like but need something to finish off my "look", whatever that means.  Lately my morning look involves washing my hair and running out the door with it wet and hoping it dries like a mermaid's hairdo.  I will probably have to go to Sephora and get some bronzer help but I'm semi wary about that because last time I went makeup shopping with a pal she ended up getting an eye infection from a nasty brush.

99 problems

Ok, just 2.

1. My back is totally killing me.  I think it's from work but I'm not sure even though it started about 5 days after starting the new job.  Since I'm working in WC claims I've been reviewing the top 10 work ailments and also going over human anatomy again.  What would you like to know about the nucleous pulposus?  How about spinal stenosis?  Also, how do you know if you have a slipped disc?  I've broken my tailbone before and that still gives me issues but this pain is in my lumbar spine.  I'm also popping more that usual.  Maybe I'm just getting old but today it hurt so bad I almost had to abandon my BIG PLANS to go grocery shopping.

I already have the fancy chair at work so I'm not sure what more I can do.  Maybe some Boniva?  I sit up and try not to slouch but I am totes dying here.  I'm going to give it a couple more weeks and then head to the Dr.  I hope it doesn't come to that because that means I'll actually have to hunt for a Dr. under my new work health plan.

Speaking of work, look at what my barista made my coffee in this morning?  Very official.

Back to my problems...

2. Bronzer.  What kind do you use and how do you like it?  I've been using a gross old one from Revlon that I am pretty sure I bought in University (that's what we call college in Canada).  I don't think it's doing my skin any favours according to my true blue friends who tell me the ugly truth even when it hurts.

Fancy footwork

I'm excited for Sacramento!  The Launch festival was really cool.  There weren't any ins and outs once you were in the park so I didn't go until around 4:30. It seemed like everyone else had the same idea.  The stage was set up in a spot where it was shady so we weren't all dying of heat and there was free vitamin water all day long.  That was a smart idea.  

Colourful stage flair.

Cardboard structures

There were food trucks!  I tried the tricycle grilled cheese from Drewski's and had a bite of J's po'boy which was delicious.  I can't remember which truck that was from.  There were a couple of shaved ice trucks and a Mexican truck with ceviche tostadas which eventually ran out of ceviche.  I think all the vendors did really well.  Drewski's had a lineup the whole time!

!!! were pushed off the stage in the worst way.  They played around 6pm because the bands were behind schedule and had only been on for about 40 minutes when it seemed like the sound guys gave them some sort of warning to wrap it up.  When they didn't, the sound guys turned OFF the sound halfway through a song.  It looked like things were maybe going to get scary/iffy onstage but the next band started on the other stage so quickly that the audience seemed to quickly forget what had just gone down.  Pretty lame because now !!! will never work with the Launch people again and they drew a big crowd.

Launch ladies  

(I totally only just noticed that the lady on the left between J and A is making a fish face.  Photo bomb!)

The fashion show portion of the event was awful.  That made me feel even worse for having !!! booted off the stage.  There was some nerd rapping (I typed wrapping first) over a Phoenix song as the models walked down the catwalk.  It was the worst part of the event.  A entertained herself with a free copy of Sactown.  I wish I'd grabbed one.

I had no idea DJ Shadow was from Davis.  He was so pumped to be there and gave a little intro about how he got into music and how happy he was to be able to share it with so many people.  Kind of cheesy but kind of cool.  His set was really good, I was surprised because the albums I have are pretty sample heavy and scratch-y and not really good for dancing.  What's not surprising is that there were glowsticks available.  I couldn't have helped myself if I tried.

When we were driving to the after party I thought it might be a good idea to take them off.  Cops, everywhere!

We got into Harlow's pretty quick even though the line was loooooooong.  If you had a wristband from Launch it was $10 to get in and without it, $25.  People were paying it though which is crazy because it was already 12:30 at this point.  I hope Sac has more events like this!

Weekends

Weekends are so much more exciting now that I'm working and have some downtime or partytime to REALLY look forward too.  Also, working lets me buy new outfits for good times and spend $ to do the things I want to do.  Three cheers for working.

My Friday plans fell through and I didn't want to stay in so I sucked it up and went to see Too $hort solo.  He's looking ollllld.  There were WAY too many opening acts but some were good and I had a good time doing a lot of verrrrry interesting people watching and watching/listening to the show.  I listened so hard that I still can't hear out of my right ear.

J and I went on a day long lady adventure Saturday.  I decided to buy a membership to the SF MoMA because admission is 18$ per person and a year long membership is $90 and you get to bring one guest each time you go.  I only have to go 1.5 more times with a guest to break even plus I get to feel fancy for having an art museum membership.

The Cindy Sherman exhibit was great and surprisingly not too busy even though this was the second weekend it's been open.  We got in trouble almost instantly for taking photos.  I was standing back, setting up my phone to take J's photo and the security attendant said to J, "NO PHOTOS" and J said, "what?  I can't stand next to the art?"  Funny.

J carries a fan in her purse just in case she needs to pose next to artwork with a fan.

The MoMA acquired Edward Hopper's Intermission a few months ago and I got to see it for the first time during our visit.

Too tall

Too Short is at Ace of Spaces tomorrow (7/20/12) !  V's out of town and I have artsy plans already earlier in the night and possibly dancey plans after but is anyone going or interested in going? 40$ or so.

I'm too wimpy to go by myself.  I'd probably be mistaken for someone's mom...so if anyone's interested please make it be known!  I'm not sure if I'm ready to reach out to my work pals to see if anyone wants to hang out with me to see a dude whose hits include BJ Betty and Gangstas and Strippers.

Hot lips x 4

There's a Walgreens next to my work and I love a good deal on drugstore cosmetics.  Buy one, get one half price.  Sure, why not?!

These are lip balms (duh) by l'Oreal with a little bit of colour.  They also have spf 15 and smell so good.  I have one in pink and one in a more reddish tone.  I like the pink one better.  Seriously, it's halfway gone and I bought it last week.

This is colour riche caresse, also by l'Oreal.  I have one in red and one in pink.  I like them both equally, just like my cats.  The colour is more noticeable but doesn't make you look like a you-know-what (a tramp).  It doesn't have spf though.

Choo-choo

The training at work is starting to pick up and become more relevant so the days are starting to go by a little bit faster. There are some fun peeps at work too.  We had to do a phone interview today where one of us pretends to be a claims case manager and the other pretends to be an injured worker.  I played the part of a male injured worker and we cracked up so many times that we had to start over because we had to record and submit our assignment.

Last week all the handouts I was getting were starting to overwhelm my desk so I bought some cute folders and binders.  I set everything up and left for my break and when I came back to my desk I squealed, WHOSE CUTE DESK IS THAT?  I'm not sure what my cubemates think of me but I'd rather be wacky than serious.  I think.

Photo 1: I read through some parts of the Workers Compensation Benefits manual and actually laughed out loud at some of the examples that they offered of work injuries.  There is a more serious legal version of this book but for now, this red and gold version will do.  I wonder what the author, Gwen Hampton looks like.  

Photo 2: Cute folders and binders.

Photo 3: Pretty water feature and landscaping at work.

I went to a library near work to return some overdue books the other day.  When I first borrowed thebookIonlyreadbecauseIwantedtoknowwhateveryonewastalkingabout I did it in semi-secrecy.  The book was in the "Lucky Day" section of the library where you don't have to wait on a waiting list to borrow it (this happens for new or very popular books) so I borrowed it and hid it between another book and a magazine when I brought it home.  Anyway, I read it.  It was terribly, TERRIBLY written and not even that exciting.  All this to say that after being very secretive about borrowing it, when I went in today the librarian almost didn't check out the books I wanted because I had an overdue book.  

Male Librarian with two pairs of glasses one, one on top of the other (loudly): "MISS, IT SAYS HERE THAT FIFTY SHADES OF GREY IS OVERDUE".  

Me (quietly): "I returned it to a drop box yesterday, it must not have been processed yet".

Male Librarian: "I'M SORRY BUT FIFTY SHADES OF GREY WAS DUE YESTERDAY"

Me (quieter): I returned it yesterday after work.

Male Librarian: OK WELL, IT'S STILL SHOWING FIFTY SHADES OF GREY AS OVERDUE."

In other work news, I'm going on a two-week training course in a couple of weeks.  Some of us are going to Southern California and some are going to Boston.  Everyone except for me wanted to go to Boston.  I've never been to Southern California so I'm excited!  V will be able to visit me on a weekend too and that's the main reason I didn't want to go to Boston.  Of course, since I'm travelling I need some travel gear!  I bought a laptop bag, a makeup case and a fancy wrap for the LONG one hour flight.  I really bought it for work because I am FREEZING there but if I tell myself it's for a business trip it seems more justified.

On my first week at work I went to Starbucks to get a coffee on my lunch break.  A woman approached me and asked if she could ask me a couple of questions about my skincare routine.  When she found out I only use soap to wash my face she almost fell off her chair.  She offered me a free facial and told me I could invite my friends too.  When I told her I wasn't in to doing group events she said it could be a one on one facial if that's what I preferred.  She was a Mary Kay sales rep.  I was impressed with how she was getting out there to approach people but also a little sad too.  The new Harpers has a very interesting article about Mary Kay beauty consultants in this months issue.

P.S. The newish Justin Bieber album is on Spotify.  He's a man now.

Galpals

Did you read that article in the NY Times about the difficulties of making friends in your 30s?  When I moved here the idea of not making friends was one of my biggest fears.  I don't know how I got so lucky to have such great lady friends.  There was also this short article in Jezebel about going on first dates with lady friends.  I totally get nervous for first one-on-one lady dates!

A couple Sundays ago we celebrated Erin's birthday with a potluck brunch with mimosas, of course!

Before the guests arrive

 Potluck brunch

Jeff, Erin and Walter

 Pretty ladies

Me and Jen

Jasmine, taking photos.

Rosemary, Nate and Erin

Kate and Jeff

Post brunch

Kate, Jen, and Rosemary

Henry and Nate making faces

Lunch

I have of never been the type of person who loves going out to eat.  When I was younger, dining out was considered a special treat.  In the land of the free every one seems to go out to eat almost all the time whereas I would usually rather eat at home, unless it's a special occasion or we're on an adventure and even then I like to pack snacks (for adventures, not special occasions).  

I bring my lunch to work most days and was in the market for a new lunch bag.  There are so many fancy ones now.  The one I ordered looks just like a purse and has a zip at the top so it's easy to put things in!  It's huge too so I can put a ton of snacks in there.

I also make my own afternoon coffee.  We use the one cup melitta filter at home and I bought another one to keep at my desk.  Less than 3$!

Now you have all the items necessary to save money on lunch and coffee so you can be an old marm like me.

Side note: The internet is AMAZING.  I did an internet search for "Fraggle Rock orange lunchbox" and the first link that popped up had an image of the lunchbox I had in grade school.  I don't remember picking this out because at some point I remember reallllly hating my lunch box and trying to peel the sticker of the creepy fraggles off.

Back in business

Phew, I made it through my first full week of work to my first paycheck!  See how I spell paycheck now?  Just like my American friends.  So long, Canadian paycheque.  No more loonies for me, just dolla dolla bills y'all.  

When I was moaning about starting my last job and having to wake up early my Dad said, "just say to yourself:  two dollars, two dollars, two dollars."  How he comes up with this stuff, I will never know.  Now, when I'm having a rough morning, Vann says that to me and I mime that I'm receiving two dollars, two dollars, two dollars.

Speaking of my Dad, look at this sexy photo of my parents.  They celebrated their wedding anniversary this past weekend.  FORTY YEARS ?  Can you believe it?  Happy anniversary Mum and Dad!

Ha-cha cha cha cha!

Foreign chips

Oh, Canada!

Nervous

This morning I went in early for a TWO HOUR e-learning lecture (!) with funny slides of people in business suits looking smug, people smiling while pretending to talk on the phone and others walking knowingly with a file in hand.  My work is currently strict on adhering to work hours and breaks so I was able to leave at 4:15pm.  Apparently once you are off probation you can stay in the building as long as you want to manage your work.  Kind of scary.

Smug

Annnyway, since I had a little extra time after work I brought the Shrigley print to a frame shop in Midtown.  Leaving something that is kind of pricey (to me) and sort of irreplaceable with someone I don't know makes me nervous.  The guy at the shop was really helpful though and listened to what I wanted and made suggestions.  I frame some things with Ikea frames but I wanted something special for this.  The frame will cost almost as much as the print.  Dang!

First Monday

Today was surprisingly not too tough.  I didn't sleep well last night and feel kind of tired but not totally bogged down. My real training starts tomorrow at 8 am so I'll be going in early but will also get to leave early, at 4:15!  8:45 am is still my preferred start time.  It's totally manageable for me.

I was toying with the idea of getting an ipad.  My phone is super, super slow and the internet never loads.  Using it as a GPS generally results in a very quiet car ride when V and I get turned around (We managed to get lost in Vacaville a few weeks ago all because I wanted to eat a sandwich and Panera was the only place we knew nearby!  I know, I know.)

Since I can't use the internet at work I'm feeling a teenie, tiny bit disconnected.  I can't read my favourite blogs during a break or lunch hour.  Fb never loads on my phone so most of the time I don't even bother unless of course I am trying to avoid conversing with a creep.  I thought an ipad could fix that but to get one with 3G is kind of insane and essentially the cost of a new computer.

Virgin Mobile has the iphone now.  I've used their pay as you go/monthly plans for nearly 6 years.  Now you can get it with the newest iphone but you have to pay full price for the iphone.  I've been nerdy and read a bunch of reviews on the best and cheapest plan.  Since most (all?) other plans require a 2-year contract the cost breakdown is definitely cheaper over two years if you go with Virgin.  I might upgrade. 

Rivering

We went to the river Saturday to cool off from the insane heat this weekend.  It was at least 102 degrees, maybe hotter!  We turned off of Fair Oaks Blvd to do some exploring on the streets where the houses back on to the levee and found a quiet spot with nobody around.  The only time it was loud was when the hee-haws on their rafts floated by.  It is really scary to think that there are so many really drunk people floating down the river with all their rafts tied together.

: End of old marm whine about river safety.

V saw this praying mantis walking along our towels.  I'm glad he saw it before I did because I probably would have thought it was a spider and that never ends well.

There was a fast current that looped in a circle at this spot so we could jump in at the start of the current and get carried back around.  We also did some splashing around in our pool at home.  There are some really cute photos of V and Petey in the pool but I think he'd kill me if I put them on here.  Maybe I should put it to a vote.

We bbq'd late into the night.  I overcooked my hamburgers but the portabella mushrooms and corn were reeeeeally good.  I also grilled some pineapple with cayenne on it.  Delicious.

Happy belated flag wavin' day

Yankee doodle

This 4th of July is my least favourite in recent history because I was too nervy about starting my new job today that I couldn't really enjoy myself.  Even though I was anxious, I was a lot less anxious than I have been in recent new job scenarios.  Maybe because I sort of know what I'm doing in my old age?

Sacramento fireworks

I work in one of those team cubes with 4 other people with a desk in the cubicle.  I think I might actually like it.  Watching Workaholics on netflix streaming made me realise that a team situation could actually be fun because you get to chat more in between working, which I kind of like.  I am with a good group of people who are about my age and friendly.  There were 8 of us hired for similar jobs and apparently it's the first hiring of people in a year.  All of us seemed very happy to be there and have a job.  Two of the new people were right out of college and looked like teeny tiny babies.

The best part is that I work from 8:45am to 5pm.  So much better than working 8-5!  I am not a morning person and sleep in until the last possible minute and then scramble to get out the door.  Luckily I have man who makes me coffee every morning.  Today he also made me a fancy homemade sandwich to take for lunch.  Totes bragging.

Inuk

Inuk, one of our family pups passed away yesterday.  He's the one sitting next to me in this photo of my Mum and I in Winnipeg in 2007.  You can see his sister Kilu in the top right of the photo too.  He was a real sweet pup.  I loved getting him riled up by chasing him around the kitchen table.  I'd howl at him.  He'd howl back...and we'd drive everyone in the house crazy with the noise.  Good times with a great pup.

Happy Canada Day (observed)

Being Canadian is great.  People ask me questions about my homeland all the time like, "Did you get to watch Gremlins where you're from?", "Is healthcare really free?", "Are there polar bears there?", and "Is everyone in Canada as nice as you?"

The only thing missing from this photo is a polar bear.

Flying kites on the frozen lake behind our house.

My lil sis in the snow.