Long Weekend

Amber on July 30, 2004

Today is the last day of work before the BC Day long weekend. This symbolically marks the half-way point of Summer, mid-way between Canada Day and Labour Day.

Of course, now that I’m working and have no children, July and August are not the same for me. I think that there will always be a part of me that marks the season as special, though, and looks towards September with dread. It’s just so deeply-ingrained in my psyche.

So, I hope that everyone has a relaxing weekend, and that you all stay cool! Because, soon enough, it will be Fall again.

Horton’s

Amber on July 29, 2004

Over the past months, work has been underway in a parking lot near our house. First it was a big pile of dirt. Gradually a fence went up and a building took shape. Now, the exterior of the building is basically done, and they’re starting work on the inside.

Jon and I have been thrilled to learn that it will be our very own neighbourhood Tim Horton’s! Our time in Atlantic Canada, where there’s a Tim’s on every corner, bred a love in our hearts for this Canadian institution. As soon as our very own Tim Horton’s opens, we’ll be able to engage in patriotic indulgence without even getting in our car.

It’s the little things in life, you know?

Summer Slowdown

Amber on July 26, 2004

We are smack dab in the middle of the ‘Summer Slowdown’ at work. About 25% of the emails that I send bounce back with ‘Out of Office Auto-Reply’ notifications. There are plenty of parking spots to choose from in the morning, and those of us who remain generally vacate our offices before 5:00pm.

My office is not alone in this. My commute is never lighter than it is at this time of year. The kids are out of school, and everyone else is doing their best to follow suit. Having already taken my vacation, I’m holding down the fort for the rest of the working world. Or at least, it feels that way.

Tagged With: Seasons

Book Reviews

Jon on July 25, 2004

I’ve noticed that I’ve been very neglectful about posting new things on the blog. So in the interest of actually contributing to the content around here, I have decided to post a review every once in awhile of a book I have recently read. While this may not be the most interesting thing for many of you, I now give you the option of clicking off to imdb.com and reading movie reviews from people other than myself.

There, and now for those of you still with us, I present Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. I was intrigued by a book becoming a huge bestseller on the mundane topic of punctuation. Lynne, a self-admitted punctuation ‘stickler’, has written quite a humourous little volume on the history and proper usage of the little marks we use in written English. Coming from a Canadian perspective with a Canadian education, it was interesting how our country seems to borrow from both the current punctuation conventions in the UK, and from the more traditional useage we find in the United States. I found the book to be entertaining, although the author does tend to err towards the more traditional application of punctuation rules. In my role as a television graphics person, we are some of the worst offenders for playing fast and loose with punctuation rules. We just use what looks good, and periods (or as Lynne calles them, “full stops”) are something that never look good on television. All in all though a fun read, and something I would heartily recommend to all you current and future English teachers who cringe at the improper use of the apostrophe.

Tagged With: Books

Air Conditioning

Amber on July 25, 2004

Yesterday, we drove out to Abbotsford along the Lougheed Highway. When we got to the Pitt River Bridge, it was being ‘swung’ for a boat. So, we had to sit and wait for about 10 minutes.

It was 33 degrees in the shade at the Pitt River Bridge yesterday. The lead-up to the bridge is in full sun at 3:00 in the afternoon. I don’t think that Jon and I have ever been so glad to have an air-conditioned car in our lives.

The good news, is that today is much cooler, so far. There are some low clouds, and our thermostat tells me it’s 23 degrees in our living room. Much more manageable, I think.

Battle for Sleep

Amber on July 22, 2004

It is officially Very Hot in the Lower Mainland. To compensate, Jon bought two new fans yesterday. These things are great, very powerful, and did a great job of cooling down our bedroom yesterday evening. However, when that much air is moving, it’s very loud.

I face a huge conundrum, here. I can’t stand the noise of the fans. Our old, broken, fan wasn’t so bad, because it barely moved at all. I have learned to tolerate the slightly newer model Windmere we have been using. But, the two new Hampton Bay fans are entirely too loud for me.

Yesterday, I left the window open but turned off the fan when I went to bed. I thought maybe Jon would turn the fan on after I went to sleep, and that I would be OK then. Wrong! I woke up in the middle of the night and could not get back to sleep because of the noisy fan. I actually had to bring the old fan upstairs and plug it in beside the new fan, so that I could get some sleep.

So, here’s our problem. Jon can’t sleep in a room that’s 28 degrees Celsius, and I can’t sleep with a noisy fan. What to do? My plan is to do an elaborate fan rotation for bedroom cooling vs. sleeping, and wait for Fall.

Tagged With: Seasons

Birthday Girl

Amber on July 21, 2004

Dorothy is one year old today. She celebrated by generally making trouble. But we still love her.

Here she was, at 4.5 weeks:

And here she is being forced to pose, today:

They just grow up so fast. Sniff!

Tagged With: Pets

Bone-dry in Coquitlam

Amber on July 19, 2004

I thought that it was supposed to rain today. In Coquitlam we had a brief but violent storm at around 7:40am, but that’s it. It was over by the time I left for work at 8:00. I miss the rain, and so does my garden.

I’m actually tolerating the heat well. I keep myself as warm as possible without overheating, so that I acclimatize. I sort of view it as a tropical vacation. That second week in Hawaii always feels cooler than the first, right? Anyways, that’s the idea I’m going for. Still, I don’t enjoy a dead lawn, and it’s inconvenient to have to be out there every other day watering my garden.

So, let’s all do a rain dance, shall we? I’m sure that someone, somewhere would be more than happy to send rain our way, if only we concentrate hard enough.

Tagged With: Seasons

Are you my mommy?

Amber on July 16, 2004

I have loaded a bunch more pictures to our gallery, although none of them are new. Anyways, I’m almost done restoring photos, now.

In other news, Dorothy Cat plays favourites. She has chosen one of us as her mother to cuddle up to, to knead, to generally love on. And, she has chosen the other as her servant, demanding food, treats, and a ready target for kitten attacks. Unfortunately, I am the servant, and Jon is the mommy. How did this happen?

Jon gloats about it too, you know. When we’re sitting side-by-side on the couch and Dorothy goes to him, he baby-talks about how she loves him. Then he tells me that I have to let her come to me. Of course, she never comes to me, unless she has a complaint. It’s a hard, hard life that I lead.

Tagged With: Pets

Yoga Class

Amber on July 14, 2004

I am taking a Yoga class this Summer. Every Tuesday night I don comfortable clothing, fill up my water bottle, and trot off to Centennial (cough – Ted – cough) for class.

The class is pretty good, and it’s valuable to have the feedback of an instructor to help your technique. I think that the relaxation is really good for me, in addition to any fitness-related benefits. The class is not at all spiritually-focused, so anyone would feel comfortable, I think.

The big downside to Yoga is the bizarre postures. I swear that my backside is up in the air for half of the class, at least. Luckily, all of us ladies are too busy concentrating on our own uncomfortable contortions to worry about others, so it’s not an issue. It’s still all rather undignified, though, and it sort of makes me laugh. You should all learn from me that laughing in Yoga class is frowned upon. Trust me on this one.