Victoria's Island

Retail Therapy

Ah, nothing quite like that feeling. That feeling of trying on a pair of pants and having them fit. You girls know what I'm talking about here. You grab a pair of pants from the rack - you give them a once-over - how big are the pockets on the back, how low are they, do the legs look okay (i.e. will my thighs fit in these leg holes?). You take them into the changeroom - convinced that they will fit, you pray silently that the darn pants will fit. You promise the pants that you will buy them if they do fit. You pray to the pants God. You try them on. Ta da - they fit perfectly. And those pockets on the back - they make your bum look might fine. Lucky pants - they get to come home with you.

Guess what I was doing this afternoon? That's right. Shopping for new clothes. These would be "new job" clothes. Oh yah - I'm starting my new job on Monday. Yes, I'm happy. Really happy. Things have worked out quite well and I'm looking forward to this new opportunity.

After working from home for two years, my wardrobe was a bit lacking. Combine this with my weight loss last year, and I really had a bunch of baggy old pants and limp t-shirts. Honestly, I was kind of dreading the shopping thing. I'm no fashionista. I like to be comfortable. I don't do sheer. Nor do I do tight. Come to think of it, I don't like frill, ruffle, v-necks, boat necks, three-quarter length sleeves. Yes, I know - a bit challenging.

Well, the fashion gods were shining today. I walked away with three pairs of pants and four shirts. A pretty solid haul. I'm stoked. Trying to decide what to wear on my first day. Always hard to know - is the office over air conditioned or is it a warm office? Nothing like the first day on the job discoveries.

Funny thing about this job. It wasn't my first choice. But after some discussion with Marc, my yoga pal and my mom, I've realized that this is a good opportunity. Everything fell into place so easily for this position. The other one that I really wanted, was a struggle from the beginning. Yesterday my yoga pal told me to "listen to the universe". It was hard. But now I'm happy with the decision.

It will be super nice to work in an office again. I think I was starting to miss having co-workers that I could chat with and get to know. Working from home is awesome, but I'm a social animal. The work-at-home potluck and soup exchange leave a little to be desired. Also it will be nice to learn from my co-workers and be involved in stimulating work conversations. The plan is to commute by bike. I'm stoked about this as well. I'll get in lots of extra easy/recovery miles and be able to start and end my work day on my two-wheeler. Smooth.

I guess you could say I'm having a pretty darn good Tuesday. Bonus was finding Netherland by O'Neil at the library. I've wanted to read this book for a while and by chance it was sitting on the shelf loooking a bit lonely.

On the training front, got in some solid work-outs today. Double day today. Gym work-out followed by sweet spot intervals on the bike. It was a bit chilly during my ride. Seems like the sun came out while I was in the library. Ah well, I'll take chilly over rain. So, I've made a few changes over at Ottawa Cross and this is where I'll primarily be writing about my racing and training this summer. So go check it out - made a few cosmetic changes and changed up most of the pages. There will be much more content once racing season starts.

Okay, I'm out. Marc is just finishing up his ride and then we're going out for dinner to celebrate the new job.

Lucky. Definitely very lucky.

Decisions Made

Had a great Friday night. Did a little browsing at a couple of stores and then hooked up with our long-time pals for dinner, conversation, and a few stories. The food was perfect - can't beat the Singapore. As an added bonus, the apple pie I baked for the owner and his family was a resounding success (phew). We chased supper with some quality time at Sbucks/Chapters. Perfect. Tea misto. Oat fudge bar. Conversation. Smiles. Laughter. A great evening.

Just what I needed as I was feeling rather stressed yesterday. As you may know I'm on the job hunt these days. I'm one of the lucky ones. I've got a solid career behind me and I have a strong skillset that still makes me a valuable commodity in this market. So fortunately I've had a number of job interviews and some favorable outcomes. But this has caused some stress. The waiting to hear back from potential employers combined with the contracts waiting to be signed. I was getting stressed. Didn't know what to do. What is the best choice for me?

I have to consider what I want at this stage in my careeer. What I want from a job. How important are things like security, challenging work environment, and the ultimate: work-life balance. This stuff is hard to wade through. Toss in my cyclo-cross racing goals for the upcoming season and it gets very muddy.

Luckily I have the voice of reason to help me with this: Marc. So last night in the car on the way home from a great night out I talked. Marc listened. He slowed me down. Got me to focus on the right things. To way the pros and cons. To ultimately focus on what would make me happy. So a big decision was made. N

Now we just have to wait for Monday and see what happens with the parts I can't control. I must say I woke up this morning feeling a bit lighter. I had a decent nights sleep and I'm feeling content with the decsision.

Hanging out with our friends last night helped a lot. These two people, are professionals who have not followed "the typical" career tracks. They have chosen to follow their hearts and to make sure that ultimately they are happy at the end of the day. Admirable and impressive. Just the kind of people I need to be around.

So, like I said an excellent Friday night was had.

Early Post

Bright-eyed and bushy tailed this morning. I woke up as usual at the crack of dawn. I really wanted to sleep for another hour. No such luck. Strange - I have the opportunity to sleep-in a bit but my body wants to be up and doing stuff. Really, not like there is much going on this morning. But can't fight the body I suppose.

I do have a job interview this morning. So that is something. Thanks to my pal TR for hooking me up with this opportunity. My interview clothes are pressed and ironed. I'm ready to go. Just need to wait a couple of hours. So not enough time to get my ride in, rather I'm just chilling out. Not a bad way to spend a Friday morning.

This afternoon I'll get out for a smooth road ride. Intervals are on the agenda today. Nice, nothing like introducing a subtle ached into the quads and a feeling of power and speed into the brain. Should be good. Looks like it is going to be a nice day for a ride as well. Extra bonus - considering the strange rain I rode in yesterday. Looking forward to the ride tomorrow. I feel super lucky that these fast guys let me tag along with them.

Solid amounts of knitting done last night. I'm excellent progress on the May deadline project. Lets just hope I can keep it up and actually get the project done in time. I'm getting used to the grabby mohair now. Can be a bit frustrating!

Mmm, found a fantastic recipe this morning: Italian lentil and chestnut stew. I'm definitely making this next week. Extra bonus is that this recipe is a slow-cooker recipe. Perfect - less work for me. The only tricky part is finding the chestnuts. We're not talking water chestnuts. Nope, the real deal. I've seen chestnut spread at the grocery store, but actual steamed chestnuts are hard to come by. If you have any suggestions on where I can buy this in Ottawa, I'd much appreciate it.

Juno Awards this weekend. Normally I don't get too excited for award programs. But this year, the Juno's have some pretty strong acts lined up. Some of my faves are performing: Serena Ryder, Sarah M, k.d. lang, Bryan Adams, City and Color. Pretty impressive Canadian line-up.

The Genie Awards are coming to Ottawa. The interesting bonus of this local event, are the free movie screenings. I watched a piece on CBC the other night about the free movie screenings of Genie nominees. Rumor is that there there will be free screenings next week all over Ottawa. Well, I've visited the Genie web site twice now... And you guessed it, can't find out anything tangible about these screenings. Kind of pathetic really. Release a press release, get some time on the local news about this event, and then there is no information on the web site? How are we supposed to find out about this event? Lame.

Phew, early morning rant. Suppose I was due one sooner or later. Listening to the Current right now. Discussion is regarding the elves in Iceland. Fascinating. The country of Iceland is in a deep recession right now. So this report is refreshing change. "Elf senser" - one is born with this psychic ability. This is serious business in Iceland. I had no idea. It is actually reassuring to know that a country that is in some tough times can still stick to its beliefs and traditions. Too often in times of trouble, the traditions are the first to go.

Looking forward to dinner tonight. Hooking up with our long-time pals for some fine food at the Singapore. And maybe (crossing fingers) a chill out at Sbucks/Chapters to drink warm drinks and touch books.

Dudes, I'd have to say that this Friday is looking pretty darn good. Excellent sign of things to come.

Not Cool

Just read about the CBC cuts. Not cool. Very disappointing.

One of my favorite programs: Inside Track is being cut. Sad. There is not much in the way of quality, in-depth and thoughtful sports reporting out there. This radio program did an excellent job of getting behind the results and the stars and finding the really interesting stories. Hopefully this program will resurface in another form - perhaps on another radio station or even just as an independent podcast? I know wishful thinking.

Also sad that Radio 2 is losing In the Key of Charles. This is fine radio programming. An excellent mix of music and commentary.

Read the whole story here.

Quiet

Some quiet days around these parts. Well, quiet but still busy. Hence the lack of posting yesterday. The day kind of just got away from me.

Nothing remarkable happening in these parts, just enough action to keep me on my toes. Now with the "nicer" weather I have been riding outside. So rather than my 6 a.m. dates with the trainer, I've been spending my afternoons getting friendly with the roads and my iPod. It is funny that no matter how long I have to ride for, it still seems to take at least 2 hours. Strange bike riding time. Ah well, beats the trainer. It took a couple of rides for my arms to come around. Yikes were they ever sore on Saturday - burning would be the word for the triceps. I guess it because the little triceps actually have to do some work when I'm out on the open road. My arms are pretty much dead today - thanks to this morning's weight work-out.

I might sound like I'm complaining, but really I'm not. I love these sensations. Another long one on deck for this Saturday. Merrickville is on order - thanks to the Barrhaven fast-train. I can already taste the cool can of Coke and peanut butter bar that I'll have to eat at the cafe...

So the turkeyloaf. Well, tastewise it was pretty darn good. One issue was that it didn't really set. So when I attempted to slice it, it kind of just didn't slice - rather it came out in chunks. No biggie. Also the recipe made two loaves. So we have a lot of it. The recipe got a thumbs up from Marc - so that is something. Pretty easy recipe to make - just takes time to cook. Definitely will make it again. It so healthy - oat bran, flax meal, egg whites, spinach, no oil or nasty stuff.

Every once in a while I peruse the frozen food aisle at the grocery store thinking I might just pick up something "quick" for supper. Well, dudes, I can't do it. Most of the ingredients scare me. If I don't have the ingredient in my cupboard, then I don't really want to put it in my body. Guess this is one type of "food whimp" but I like to consider this approach as being "forward thinking". It is the stuff I put in my body today that will reap rewards in the future. And somehow I don't think chemicals and ingredients that end in "ose" are going to help much (okay cool can of Coke on Saturday notwithstanding...).

Yikes, bit of a food rant there. Sorry. Oh, there is an excellent documentary on CBC tonight - part two of this food documentary that ran last Thursday. I can't remember the name and frankly I'm too lazy to go look on the CBC web site. Nonetheless, it was excellent last week. Fascinating look at the inside of Loblaws ad how new foods are developed as well as some interesting analysis of food celebrities.

Well, I think I'm going to sign off. Not much going on. Good news from the Big Smoke - digging of the big hole in my brother's backyard/basement has started. Yay! Much relief all around. I'm happy to report that there aren't any big holes in my backyard. Just a few disturbing mouse tracks and nests - apparently this is normal... Good thing I've got Murphy here with me.

Phew, really rambling now. My fingers have taken over and I can't seem to stop them. Have a good one. Let me know if you want the turkeyloaf recipe - it is kind of lenghty but I think I can do something fancy with my iPhone. Yes, I love it. So cool. Glad I have one. No, I'm not a geek (okay maybe just a little bit) - but geeks are the cool kids now...

High

I'm on one of those rare highs. The kind that just comes on as a culmination of many good moments colliding at once. Pretty good way to feel on Tuesday afternoon.

So the moments that caused this incredible high... Well, it is Saturday on Tuesday here. Marc spontaneously took the day off so we've had a lazy day together. Perfect. Like a mini-vacation. We went out for lunch to our favorite lunch spot: Centrepointe Cafe & Deli. Then hit up the two-wheelers for a smooth ride. We rode together for the first hour and then went our separate ways for the last hour (yes, I needed to go slower). Now just sitting here catching up on the afternoon web action.

So that's it. Nothing spectacularly remarkable. Just a special collision of events. Lucky.

The tasty bowl of muffets, walnuts, raisins, milk and apple butter probably helped a bit with this high. This is my new post-ride snack. I throw everything except the apple butter in a bowl - microwave for two minutes - stir in a healthy spoonful of apple butter. Then eat slowly and savor. Tasty.

Now it is time for a bath. Just to complete the day. Funny I used to hate the bath. But  now I appreciate the solitude the bath affords. Sometimes I have a cat hanging around, teetering dangerously on the edge of the bath... Minou used to love bath time. She liked to dip her paw in the water and then flick her paw - spraying water everywhere. She also liked to eat the bubble bath bubbles. Miss that cat.

Trying a new recipe tomorrow night. Turkey loaf from the Eat Clean Diet cookbook. I've never had meatloaf. Very curious about it. Not sure how I've gotten to the age of 36 without ever eating meatloaf, maybe because my parents are British? Anyway, this recipe calls for ground turkey, spinach, aragula, onion, celery, oat bran, and a few spices. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Check this out: Taddle Creek Internmentship. Tempting.

Alright, I'm out. Sending baby vibes to my pals Heather and Helena. As much as I'd like you to hang on until April 13 - I know it really isn't reasonable...

Bumblebee

The common bumblebee. Not a bug that typically inspires. Rather it is known to send most people fleeing or for the truly frantic, running and swatting. Honestly, the bumblebee doesn't really register on my radar. But today in my yoga class, we were sweating our way through a challenging pose. We did tree pose - but instead of standing on the floor, we had to stand on a yoga block. Not easy. A yoga block is made of foam - foam that has give in it. This pose took extreme focus - focus on my core, focus on my legs, focus on that one spot on the floor. We were doing something that was really quite challenging.

Just like a bumblebee. My yoga teacher pointed out that a bumblebee is really not meant to fly: round, squat body with tiny little wings. But the bumblebee does it. Zips around here there and everywhere. Doing the impossible.

So the message I took away from yoga today was to consider the impossible. To look at challenges and to really determine how I can turn them from challenges into opportunity. This is my focus today. My thinking is that this will help me stay focused and not get bogged down with the mundane and ridiculous.

Had a most excellent weekend. Got out for a fantastic ride on Saturday. Thanks to the guys for letting me tag along and sit on the train. It was soo windy on Saturday. But we slogged it out and got 3.5 hours in. I must admit I was feeling it at times. But I realized I was really battling with my head - this was my longest ride this season and my first ride outside. My brain really wanted to invade and tell me to ease off and relax a bit. The legs were okay. The brain was unhappy. But I pushed through it and blocked out the brain. For this alone, the ride was valuable. Had a super evening with our pals, culminating in some fine dessert at So Good. Funny thing happened to me on Saturday though.

I admit, I talk a lot. But on Saturday, something happened and I talked more than normal. Really, I was talking like a 13 year old girl hopped up on cream soda and candy. I couldn't stop talking. Not sure what caused it. My best guess is the can of Coke I drank in Burrit's Rapids (quick pit stop) combined with the package of sesame snaps I ate during the ride. Strange though. I'll keep my eye on this to see if it happens again. The really weird thing was, I knew it was happening - I was aware that I was talking like a crazy teenage girl but I just couldn't make it stop!

Sunday was pretty chilled. Normal training routine in the morning. I had grand plans but fatigue and the power of the nap won over. I really needed to stretch out on the couch and let my body and mind recover. Marc and I watched Body of Lies last night. Excellent film. Disturbing. But very good.

Not much else happening. Had a good block of training this morning. Looking forward to getting outside tomorrow - according to the weather man, it is supposed to be warm tomorrow. Nice.

No movement in other areas. Looks like I didn't get that job I was hoping for. I'm disappointed. But you never know, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself and a decision hasn't been made yet. Okay, I'm out of here.

Time to channel the bumblebee.

(P.S. if you're a booklover, definitely check out Shelagh Rogers' CBC program: The Next Chapter. Listening to the latest podcast right now. Most excellent.)

Fresh

I've been siting here for a bit now with my fingers poised over the keyboard and looking at this plain white page. Waiting for inspiration. Not much coming today. I don't really have a rant stored up in my brain or a deep thought to share with you today. It is Friday. It is the first day of spring. Nice.

Really though, today has been pretty solid. Normal routine at the gym. Got there early and moved heavy things around. I love lifting heavy things. The muscle pain is cathartic and empowering. It is such a different feeling from riding my bike. Can't really explain the sensations that I get from lifting. But if you also like to lift heavy things then you know what I'm talking about. Did a little ride after the gym time. Nothing major - just a wee little recovery ride. Tomorrow I've got a longish ride planned. Well, long for me since my longest ride so far has been 90 minutes. Hopping on the two-wheeled train that is leaving Barrhaven and heading to Merrickville. I won't do the full distance. Though I'd like to. There is a darn fine bakery/cafe in Merrickville that makes a perfect pit stop. I'll save the full 125 km for later in the spring. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to getting outside and feeling my Stevens SCF roll along beneath me. Not to mention the entertaining conversations that will be swirling around me.

Had lunch with a good friend today and followed this with a browse in one of Ottawa's finest independent bookstores: Collected Works. This is a fine little store. Nice laid out with interesting authors featured. It has a bit of everything. Made a stop at the library today to return my books and to get some more reads. I picked up three books today: By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept, The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, and The Last Thing He Wanted. I'll be sure to let you know what I think.

I finally registered with Bookcrossing.com today. I've registered six books in the database and plan to drop them off in various locations this weekend. Very cool concept. Great way to share books.

Not much else happening. Weekend is looking pretty good. Bike rides planned. Some more gym time. A couple of meals with friends. Some newspaper reading. Book reading. And knitting.

Yes, knitting. I'm making steady progress on my project. All I can say is this: mohair is grabby. Very grabby. It takes patience and fortitude to knit with mohair. I am enjoying the project. It doesn't look like much on the needles since it is a bit scrunched up but I'm keeping faith that it will look okay when complete.

I've been playing phone tag with my little bro all week. Crazy. I'm sure we'll connect sometime this weekend. Guess it is a good sign that we are both out and doing "stuff". Okay, I'm out. My eyelids are feeling a bit droopy so I think I should lie down on the chesterfield with one of my new books, a warm quilt, and a mug of tea.

Book Lust

Maybe this should be titled Bookstore Lust? Regardless, book lovers check out this web site: Most Interesting Bookstores of the World.

I'm trying to determine an itinerary that would allow me to visit each bookstore and possibly local yarn stores. Wonder if we could do this trip at the end of our trip to Belgium...

I'll even be generous and throw in a few stops at bike stores and Apple stores for Marc!

Adrift

Feeling a bit adrift these days. Funny, I often imagined what it would be like to "not work". I craved this reality. Well, now I have it. Not sure if I like it. I seem to simply float along - I accomplish small things here and there but I'm missing that moment that puts an exclamation mark on my day or week. Now, I'm not saying that there haven't been some great discoveries and moments. It is just that I actually miss working. I guess this time off has taught me that I do enjoy working.

My career is not one that many would consider to be exciting or scintillating. And I admit that at times, being a technical writer can be a bit dry. But I like to believe this is the case for most careers. I used to wonder what it would be like to have a career that is also my vocation. A passion that I have turned into a career. I am surrounded by people who have accomplished this: my mom (nurse), my dad (elementary school vice-principal), my little bro (supremely talented and gifted actor), my sister-in-law (professional fundraiser), my other sister-in-law (physiotherapist), my pal from home (catholic priest), etc. Yeesh I could go on. I used to really wonder what it was like to be passionate about one's career.

Well, guess what - I'm passionate about my career. Had a massive lightbulb moment yesterday. Huge thanks to my neighbour Lori for this pivotal moment. I bumped into Lori yesterday at Bridgehead. I was transfixed with the glimmer of my laptop monitor when I saw Lori standing there. We chatted about this and that and she went on her way to pick up some food. Then it happened. Lori came by to ask me a question "techie to techie". Boy, I sure hope she doesn't regret asking me her question about SIM shipping an documentation freezes. I kind of got a bit hyped up and could have talked for hours about the issues of freezing documentation before the GUI freeze... I don't know what it was but the conversation really lit my fire.

I realized that I missed these types of conversations and debates. Sitting in a meeting room with my co-workers discussing documentation plans, release schedules, documentation re-design, the latest innovations in online help, etc. All day I kept on returning to my conversation with Lori. It really got me thinking and made me realize that although I may not be "saving the world" or "making a big difference", my career holds a lot of meaning for me. I don't self-identify with my career (this is because I have a very full life away from the office with my bike racing and training), but I do miss it.

Funny how this happens. Guess I truly am one of the lucky ones. Lucky to have stumbled upon a career that is rewarding, challenging, and stimulating. Sometimes I wonder if I could do it all over again, would I? Would I choose a different path? You know, I don't think so. Because if I really truly had wanted to choose again, I would have by now.

I do know one thing, when I retire I'll definitely need to be busy. I'll need to go back to school. Get involved with volunteer work. I'll need to devote myself to something. It is great to have all day to train, recover, read, cook, knit, etc. But I have this gaping need to feel like I'm contributing something.

You might be shaking your head and think I'm crazy. Oh well, I guess I really am...