| u___u |
[Sep. 21st, 2025|04:49 pm]
millionbubbles
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This week felt so long and I feel like October is going to be an annoying month for work. I got a couple new clients and so did Clarissa, and one of hers who she got is extremely complex and renews end of October. She's going away on vacation for two weeks so not the best time to give her this client. Honestly I'll try to help out but I also have my own stuff to worry about.
Simon and I saw Pulp again on Tuesday. It was pretty good, but I think I enjoyed their set more at History when we saw them last year. We also had to leave early because they started almost at 9pm and my mom was watching Ava and I felt bad making her stay up late with her. So we didn't see the songs played at the encore.
We also have been mandated to be back in office three days a week. I know it's a lot better than some places (all the major banks here are making people go in four days a week and the Ontario public sector is mandating 5 days in office come January), but it still sucks. I feel like society is going backwards with this. While I accept and sort of agree that exclusively WFH is kind of unrealistic (maybe depending on your job) I don't think we need to be in office more than at home. I think 3 days WFH 2 days in office is fair. I hope this isn't something that will increase in the future, but I wouldn't be surprised. I'm just grateful I don't live outside the city and my commute is generally 40 minutes or less.
Dalhousie's stupid lockout is finally over and classes are beginning this week. I have class Tuesdays and Thursdays though I don't think I'll have actual class as these are in class courses. I did say I'd be part of some group discussion for one of my classes so I will work from home on Thursdays for sure. I can't say I'm excited at all about starting school again. I'm very much ready to be done with this program and it didn't help having the year start three weeks late. I don't feel very motivated, but I need to make myself be.
Simon is also going back to work the 29th. He's been acting more stressed out lately and I think it's because of that. I'm hoping once he's back into the groove of work he will feel better but who knows.
Yesterday I ran some medical errands. On Thursday I randomly cut my arm on some outdoor box-type thing getting off the GO and got paranoid I would get tetanus as it had definitely been more than 10 years since my last shot so I went to get that. Then I had a requisition for a chest x-ray I totally forgot about so I went and did that too. Honestly both procedures were super quick, I was expecting to wait much longer. Then I got some cookies at a bakery in the same area as the x-ray and was greeted with the Gen Z stare i.e. they don't even say hi to you they just stare until you tell them what you want. It's weird and bizarre...especially as someone who unwillingly worked in customer services for years...you at least pretend to be nice...
I have an unrelated medical phone call with my doctor for the 29th, and I guess if there's any weird things on the chest xray he will notifiy me about it.
I have Sunday scaries bad today and not feeling mentally my best. May head to the gym in a bit, very grateful for that luxury in this building, maybe physically working out a bit will help me feel less blah.
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| Crazy Busy |
[May. 12th, 2024|10:56 pm]
millionbubbles
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I haven't had a chance to catch up on anyone's LJ's/DW's this week, so I'll be reading probably tomorrow as it's almost 11pm here but I wanted to write an entry before heading to bed.
This week was so hectic but in a good way for the most part. Monday and Tuesday I had off from work for study days for the RIBO exam. On Monday night Ayda and I went to see The Decemberists, which I said I wasn't too excited to see, but it was actually pretty good considering I know like one of their songs. I also loved the venue (even though it's owned by Drake...), and I'm seeing a band I'm super stoked for in September there, and I'm more excited now, because even if you are at the back you still have a pretty good view of the band. Sadly I couldn't spend any time with Ayda on the Tuesday because again, studying. I basically broke my brain studying insurance stuff for four days in a row. Wednesday morning was my exam, and of course while on my way there the TTC decides to break down. So I ended up catching a cab and making it there with a decent amount of time to spare (though it was on no coffee/food because I didn't have time for that).
Despite all the dumb crap, I managed to pass! I got an 80% (you need 75% to pass this exam) and I was so relived because I did NOT want to do it again. It's actually more common to fail than to pass this exam (some people I work with haven't passed it yet). So I'm pretty proud of myself and again, extremely happy to have to never think about that shit again. I have no desire to become a Broker, but I'm sure it's a good thing to say you have, and I didn't spend a dime of my own money obtaining it.
Thursday I ended up going into the office and the TTC broke down AGAIN aka sommeone's stupid bike fell or was thrown on the tracks at some station so like half of the line I take was down. Luckily I live about a 15 minute walk from the GO station, so I took the train in from Danforth. It's actually a lot more convenient once you are on it, and honestly if I lived a bit closer I'd likely take it more as it takes me right to where I need to be for work. So yeah, it was a fun commuting day.
Friday I felt really anxious and weird all day, and I was almost going to bail on seeing this Radiohead tribute band I had bought tickets for. But I decided maybe if I order some sushi it will make me feel better and it did. Plus I know when I get in these weird moods the best thing for me to do is leave the house. The concert took place at a church really close to my house (same areas as the GO train so like a 15 minute walk) and I ended up sitting next to a girl from Brazil who was also by herself to see the show. They had a strings and horns sections so they were able to play some rarer Radiohead songs and it was honestly really awesome to see. I'm really impressed by the cover bands I've seen so far, it really is a pretty decent substitute for seeing your favourite band if you can't and the band is good.
Saturday I didn't do much. I got a much needed hair cut and also opted for a hair mask as it was super dry.
Today Simon and I walked Ava around a bit in the Beaches area, walking around all the big houses and being annoyed at the rich people. Then I dropped off some clothes at Value Village and got three shirts (two I don't like and am going to go exchange), a really nice blazer and then a picture to hang up. I put together my record stand earlier this week too (it was fucking annoying as hell) and I also bought a chair during WayDay. It's honestly so annoying slowly decorating an apartment when you basically had none of your own furniture. It's coming along and other than some more wall art and a table my mom is going to give me soon, I'd say most of the furniture stuff is done thankfully.
Tomorrow is Simon's first day at my job. I hope he ends up liking it because he basically has no choice lol. The job market is clearly shit here and if you don't know people you are screwed. We're doing opposite schedules so I am going to the office tomorrow and Tuesday, so I should try and head to bed.
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| spring sprang sprung |
[Mar. 24th, 2024|08:59 pm]
millionbubbles
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I can't believe it's almost the end of March.... It feels like 2024 is going to be a fast year. I should make an effort to update more because I always forget what I've been up to since the last time hahaha.
Well me and  amazingleigh hung out again a couple of weeks ago. We got some delicious sushi, walked around Bloor street a bit checking out book and thrift stores and then got some Starbucks. It was really fun to chat with her again about life happenings, and we are planning on meeting up when the weather is nicer and going to a patio with Bonnie and maybe Ava. Ava can be annoying when it comes to barking at other dogs/people, so I'm not sure how she'd be on a patio but we'll see.
Speaking of Ava, last weekend we got her groomed and so now she looks cute and less mop-like. Simon's OCD is getting annoying again as he's upped his medication, so his anxiety has been bad, so lately he's been all worried about Ava dying. It didn't help when he took her to the vet for her updated vaccine a couple was there putting their cat down. I hope his medication anxiety levels off soon. He's been too paranoid to work out becuase it's given him higher heart rate, which sucks because he finally joined the Community Centre with me and we were going together for a bit.
There's also been some annoying confusion with him applying for a job at my work. So he applied a couple of weeks ago when a posting for the role I do came up. So according to the bosses everyone who gets a referral gets an automatic interiew. So we were waiting for him to get the invite and this past Wednesday he got a rejection email. So Thursday I decided to bite the bullet and ask my boss about it even though I felt super awkward. My boss is very approachable, but I didn't want her to think I was questioning hiring choices, but I honestly thought maybe some weird glitch or something happened because of the way he applied (long story short, he applied through LinkedIn, should've applied through me, Katharine(bosses boss) fixed it so I'd get a referral bonus if he got hired/stayed for three months but I'm not sure him applying through LinkedIn messed it up). Jacquie (boss) emailed me and said this has been an issue for a couple other people and that Katharine was speaking with recruiting about it. So I'm not sure what's going on. Friday I was off, and he hasn't gotten an email, so I'm hoping maybe tomorrow they fix it. I'm off tomorrow too, but I told him I'd log onto my email and check it out to see if there's anything about it there.
I hope he gets at least an interview as he's had no luck at all with jobs and it's getting onto almost six months now. I get it's hard to find jobs out there, but he's not even getting called for shitty jobs. So yeah, it really is who you know when it comes to getting your foot in the door (I got into Aon miraculously without a referrral (my boss said it was because I was fantastic which was so awesome to hear), but other than one other people hired in my group of about 10, the rest were all referred by Aon employees.
Simon and I went to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) the Sunday before last, as my brother gave me tickets he won. I forgot it was the start of March Break, so the place was swarming with kids. Honestly, not to be a museum snob, but after experiencing so many FREE amazing museums in Scotland last year, the ROM is pretty weak for what it is and how much it costs. I guess it would be fun with kids, but not much has changed since I went a couple years ago/in my youth. But it was a fun free thing to do and it was nice to spend time with Simon.
This weekend I went to Ottawa with Laura to see this comedian Matteo Lane who I had bought tickets for back in November. Even though I've been many places in Canada, this was my first time in Ottawa. I left at 8:30am on the train and got there at 1:30pm. Laura went the night before to see some musician play there, so when I got there she was at the National Art Gallery of Canada. I met up with her, and we grabbed lunch at an Irish pub in the area. Then I decided to wander around, because by then it was 3pm and I wanted to see the gallery, but it closed at 5pm so to me it wasn't worth rushing through for a couple hours. I ended up wandering around the Byward Market, which I didn't realize was outdoors, and it was very cold that day so I wasn't feeling it. Then I walked by the Parliament building which was pretty cool to see. Our hotel was a short walk away, so I went there and chilled until she was done. We hung around a bit, then took transit to the place where Mateo was performing. He was so hilarious, and I really liked one of his openers, Tranna Wintour, who was this really funny transwoman. I'm really glad I was able to see Matteo, and even though the show was sold out, the people sitting right in front of Laura and I never ended up showing up so we had a pretty unobstructed view which was very nice. We ended up just getting some A&W for dinner on the way home, watched some Drag Race than went to sleep.
Saturday Laura woke up and felt like she was getting sick. We already had plans to do our own thing yesterday which I was grateful for as she ended up bailing early on her plans. So I went to The National Gallery of Canada on my own to view art for about three hours, then I treked to the Canadian War Museum which I liked a lot more than I was expecting to. It was honestly very fascinating, and I felt near the end I was rushing a bit, as it was almost closing, but seeing war basically from Indigenous times to now and how Canada has been involved was enlightening. It's scary how close we came to almost being Americans at certain points in time. I also had no idea that up until I think the late 40's Canadians used British passports since we were subjects of the British Empire. I wish we still somehow maintained our UK passports as well so I could easily move to Scotland haha.
Anyway, after the musuems I came back to hotel where Laura was resting. We went to get some ramen which apparently she thought her's was nasty but I liked mine so *shrug*. We watched another Drag Race episode and then the movie Bottoms which I thought was pretty stupid, and then she fell asleep around 9pm. I rewatched It Part One on my phone and then fell asleep around 12:30am. Offtopic, but speaking of media, I'm entirely addicted to this show called From, it basically is about a bunch of people stuck in a town full of creatures that are a cross between the people in the movie Smile and vampires, and a lot of other crazy stuff. It's really good. I have to stream it off a sketch website because I don't even know where it's streaming normally but not a service I use. Anyway, I recommend if you like weird horror shows. It was also filmed in Nova Scotia which is pretty rad.
The next morning I woke up around 8:15am as Laura was making no effort to be quiet at all which honestly annoyed me, but I had to get up around then anyway. We packed up our stuff, got some coffee and headed to the train station around 9:30am as our train was at 10:30am. She got back to Kingston in about two hours and I got back to Toronto in four. I booked tomorrow off to just relax, and I'm glad I did as I used today to catch up on a bit of cleaning/groceries.
Overall it was a quick but fun trip to the capital. I'm kinda glad we didn't end up moving there as it is a bit too quiet for my liking, meaning everything closes down way too early....like stores not talking about bars or shit like that. First time in my life I've seen a Tim Hortons not opened on a weekend as well. It was fun to see Laura and it sucks she got sick. I really really hope she didn't give it to me, but so far I've been feeling ok. Though I find the more I travel with people, the more I just prefer solo travel so much more. Nothing happened that was really annoying (well other than her need to always be playing music which I don't enjoy, I like quiet time in the morning), but I like doing my own thing a LOT. Plus the last two times I saw her it was in a travel setting, so I think next time it will be nice to see her here.
Oh and out of nowhere I'm going to three concerts this year. I randomly decided to get tickets to see The National with War on Drugs and Mia is going as well so I invited myself to hang with her haha. They were a decent price. Then Ayda and I bought tickets to see The Decemberists which I'm honestly not that excited about, but it'll be nice to hang out with her. Then one of my favourite bands who I never thought I'd see live ever, Pulp, is touring North America and is going to like 5 cities and Toronto is the only Canadian stop. So my lucky ass was able to snag tickets to that. It's during the week of my birthday, so I booked that week off.
This week is my last week of my stupid RIBO course. I have to book the exam, which I think I am going to aim for early May. My work gives you two study days off as well, which is good. I'm very worried about this exam as you need 75% to pass and a lot of people fail the first time they do it. It's also $300 which thankfully my work reimburses for. It's just a lot of insurance information and it's overwhelming. But I'm going to try my damn best.
I feel like I need to write a "my thoughts" entry soon, as lately it's just been what I've been doing, so probably do that this week as I have been thinking about things lately regarding my 40's/things I wanna do etc.
Anyway, that's life up until now.
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| Annual End of Year Meme |
[Dec. 21st, 2023|09:54 pm]
millionbubbles
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1. What did you do in 2023 that you'd never done before?
-Travelled to Portugal, Ireland, Scotland and Gibraltar
-Did a Transatlantic cruise
-Visited Halifax
-Started a podcast
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? (Crossed out means I did it)
1. Stop biting my nails - For the most part I did this, I still occassionally bite them when I'm stressed, but for the most part I am a lot better.
2. Get my driver's license - Starting to wonder if this will ever happen lol
3. Read 21 books (I have *just* about read 20 and that was a struggle, so I think 21 is reasonable with working/school)
4. Complete 3 Challenges (Nope, I did one lol and I'm currently doing a 2nd one).
5. Run 2 5ks, one of them hopefully not in PEI - Nope lol. I would've ran one in PEI, but we left before then.
6 .Visit Europe - YAY! This was the one I wanted the most to come true and it did!
7. Go back to Ontario in the summer for two weeks - Nope, ended up moving back lol
8. Visit Maine with Laura for our 40th bdays - Nope, but we did go to Halifax, so still fine.
9. Complete NaNoWriMo again and write another novel. If completed and not totally shitty possibly look into self publishing? - Didn't even think about this, my writing this year was pretty non-existant other than my review blog. But I hope to change that this year.
10. Get another dog depending on life situation in the fall - Nope. I am really glad we didn't considering our situation now. I would love another dog, but realistically it's not in the cards right now.
11. Do Project 365 again (one pic a day, did it before in two random years, it was fun, so I figure what the hell). I am onemillionbubbles on Instagram if you want to add me! - I will finish this. Honestly it wasn't as fun this time, but I'm glad I did it this year as 2023 was a year I'd like to remember.
12. Start to learn acoustic guitar - I haven't been playing much but I signed up for classes in January so this will roll over to 2024.
13. Make more effort to be creative (i.e. cross stitch, painting, writing, etc). - Eh, not as much as I'd have liked.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope.
5. What countries did you visit?
Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar, France (transited through Wales and England, but I don't count it if I did nothing of significance in the countries).
6. What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023?
Better health in terms of my fitness, better friends in my life, stability for Simon
7. What date from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 1st, the day I left on my UK/Europe adventure.
October 13th, the day we moved back to Toronto.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Leaving behind a comfortable, but extremely toxic job. It was scary to jump into the unknown and quit to travel, but I'm so so so glad I did. Travelled the UK solo and had some awesome experiences. Found a job in Toronto within a month of deciding to move back. Getting an apartment with relative ease once we came back. I am pretty proud of myself this year.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting my license, I should've tried to while in PEI.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I finally got the 'vid. I also had a pretty nasty cold end of November.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Cruise ticket to take me to the UK.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
I'd say me, I dealt with so many changes this year and I did it with minimal mental breakdowns (even when horrible shit happened like Cunard cancelling my initial cruise).
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My old bosses at Allianz for not giving me any leeway with taking time off. But it was a blessing in disguise as I am so glad to be out of that company.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Travel, food, moving expenses.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Travel overseas after not doing it since 2014.
16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2023?
Maybe "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus. I feel like I heard that song everywhere.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
I. Happier? Way happier.
II. Thinner or fatter? Bit fatter...blah. Working on it.
III. Richer or poorer? Maybe a smidge poorer, but honestly it's basically the same.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Maybe exploring a bit more of the east coast before we moved away.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Maybe being a bum in the summer...but honestly I loved it.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
My mom's place on the day of. Xmas Eve we are going to Simon's brothers, and Saturday my aunt's. After a pretty lonely Christmas last year I am happy to see some people.
21. Did you fall in love in 2023?
Nope.
22. How many one-night stands?
None.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
The Bear, Succession and Beef (seriously this show was so good and I feel like no one watched it??)
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't hate anyone, but I lost respect for some former co-workers like Tasha.
25. What was the best book you read?
Tender is the Flesh, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Between Two Fires and this short story collected called Out There.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I actually listened to very little music this year. I became kind of obsessed with this song called Seventeen by Sharon Van Etten I heard on Yellowjackets. But yeah, not a big music year for me.
27. What did you want and get?
My trip to the UK. A better job.
28. What did you want and didn’t get?
For Simon to find a job quickly in Toronto and his OCD to be better.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
That came out this year, Barbie. But overall that I saw this year, Pearl. I wanna be Pearl for Halloween next year haha.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 40 (damn). We went out for a nice dinner. But my 40th bday gift to myself was the trip I took in May to the UK.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If Simon found a better job and had a better handle of his OCD. His OCD affected a lot of things with us this year.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2023?
Office casual lol. Also loveable homebody.
33. What kept you sane?
Knowing I was quitting my job and travelling.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Pedro Pascal.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Palestine/Isreal conflict. Really has opened my eyes to a lot of people.
36. Who did you miss?
Family I haven't gotten to see yet since being home.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
I got to meet a couple LJ friends IRL which was awesome. Even though we've known each other for years, it was so nice so it felt "new". So glad I got to meet and hang out with amazingleigh and koyaaniisqatsi
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023:
Do what you want to do, it's your life. Sometimes getting out of the comfort zone is needed to discover better things.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the desert's bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere
"I've been Everywhere" by Johnny Cash
Here's my 2024 Goals:
-Make good friends based here in Toronto. I'm debating reaching out to old friends, but we'll see. But I would like to make some new, genuine friendships here in the city.
-Fully finish setting up the apartment (furniture, hanging up pictures etc.) make it feel like home
-Get in really good shape
-Learn guitar
-Learn how to build minatures
-Read 25 books
-Run a 10K
-Write either a novel or a short story collection
-Pay off 1/3 of my student loan debt
That's basically it. Not as grand as 2023, but I guess I want a more stable, relaxed, 2024.
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| yeah |
[Jul. 12th, 2023|01:11 pm]
millionbubbles
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I'm seriously considering taking an extra course in my winter semester, which would technically make me a full time student. I don't believe it matters, but I was enrolled as part time. I would like to finish the program by the end of 2024 instead of spring 2025. I currently have 7/16 credits I need to graduate, plus I need to do the 4 week placement still. My plan is, in the fall take the planned two courses, then the winter three, the summer I will do the placement plus one class, plus work (next summer is going to be vastly different from my current lazy one, hence why I wanted this time off), then fall take my last three courses and finish.
I keep saying how I don't know where we will go after this. I see it now leaning more towards back to Ontario. It's so hard to know, because Simon says things, and I dunno if it's his OCD or if he actually feels this way. Yesterday he was saying he wanted to go back because he was worried about his mom. His mom is 67 I think and probably one of the healthiest people I know. She's definitely living probably into her 90's (Simon's great aunt is 92 I think, so they obviously have some good genes), but he says he misses his family. I guess it makes sense for some people, wanting to be close to your family as they get older. At this point, I don't care, if it will make him feel better to go back I will go. But I'm not just moving anywhere, I would need to find employment in my field, and I do not want to rent. I'm open to purchasing a condo somewhere, but it would need to have very specific things (like extremely good noise control, as I don't want to deal with asshole neighbours). We both have decent savings, but we do both have debt as well. So I dunno. Ideally living a bit outside of a small city would fit us both best I think, but considering housing costs in Ontario are fucking stupid, I can't see that happening, but who knows. I also would like to live somewhere where I can build a community of friends or at least people I can hang out with on a somewhat regular basis. I have not had that since Toronto and it honestly sucks. Even though I am introverted, I really liked having a friend group and this is very much easier to obtain in a city where there's activities to take part in. The only thing I have here that is close to that is my book club and we meet once a month. It's not enough, I miss in person friendships a lot.
Simon is seeing someone next week for OCD stuff. He saw my therapist before, but he didn't find she helped him much. He needs to see a person who has training specfically in OCD. This person does exposure therapy and OCD is her specialty so that's good. I feel bad as his OCD has gotten much worse since we moved here. We both need to figure out where to live that is good for both of us in terms of what we need and how we can balance out life. I know he is not happy here, he spends a lot of time in bed, and his OCD is bad. So I feel guilty that we moved here, but I literally thought that this would be a relaxing environment for him. I think the stupid hurricane really fucked it up, and it left a bad impression on him that has never left.
I think next week I'm going to offically sign up for driving lessons. I don't want to at all, if I am being honest. I feel a lot of anxiety about driving and plus it's expensive. But I know it's a skill I need to learn, and this area is a good place to do it, as there isn't much traffic in the country. I'm going to be honest and let my instructor know I've had extremely bad experiences with learning to drive (really rude driving teachers when I did the test, my first driving instructor borderline sexually harassed me), so it's added to the anxiety. Plus being older, makes me feel lame about the whole thing.
Anyway, I'm trying not to predict or plan for future things beyond school right now. My goal is to finish my program sooner, even though it will mean being in Halifax more in the winter, which is going to suck, but it has to be done. It will actually save me more money in the long run too in terms of accomodation and travel costs.
I'm going to apply for a couple bursaries I've come across online, so maybe I'll get lucky there. I also applied for repayment assistance, as I do not want to pay my student loans for now as I am not working anymore and if I will be it will be part time. I need to upload Simon's income and let them know I have no income and provide a "personal statement" which is actually good, as I can explain my situation. I hope I get approved for it. You need to apply every 6 months, but if you get approved they don't make you pay.
I guess I'm feeling kinda blue lately, mostly because of Simon stuff. All I can hope is that this new person he will be seeing can help him out a bit. It sucks how much mental illness controls the lives of people. |
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| nn |
[Jul. 3rd, 2023|08:45 pm]
millionbubbles
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Simon's work extended his contract to September 1st *eyeroll* they said they are going to see how things are then. It's not about them not wanting to hire him, they want to, but they "need to have room" or some shit. It's honestly annoying, because he's a good worker and I'm sure if they really wanted to, they could make it work. He said he's going to look for jobs in August either way. I hope they do hire him for all the reasons I stated in the other entry.
I ended up failing the third exam for that stupid Telus job. I'm honestly annoyed because I did pretty decently, but some people on reddit said they resend out the exam sometimes if you fail within a week or so. I might apply for something else on their website if I don't hear by Thursday aka when I failed.
Canada Day was on Saturday and I mostly just hung in my backyard, drank some cider and ate Nanaimo bars. It's a weird holiday now, and not really worth celebrating because of how things are here. I would say I'm not really proud of being Canadian, but I'm grateful that I live here and not other places. On the other hand, there's definitely other countries I would much rather live in (New Zealand, almost all of Europe).
Speaking of Europe/travel, is it just me or is literally EVERYONE travelling this year? I feel like online I see so many people (obviously myself included) going places. It's kinda nuts. I feel like 2023 people just decided we're travelling. I feel mixed about it, as I know tourism, especially in Europe, is really putting stress on local populations. When I was in Barcelona there was a massive sign spray painted on a wall stating "tourism is destroying this town", and I know a lot of places like Spain and Italy are having issues with the massive amounts of people (aka that dumbass who craved his and his girlfriend's initials on the Colosseum). I've been thinking about travel stuff and I hope maybe every 5 or so years I can do a decent trip again. I don't need international travel every year, and frankly for my location it's not really feasible. If I lived in Europe and could easily hop around then maybe it would be a different story, but unfortunately all we have near us is the States, and I don't really have much desire to go there lately (well other than Maine if Laura and I still do that in the fall).
Simon and I might go to Nova Scotia with Ava for a weekend. I sent my cousin a FB message but have yet to hear back. I dunno if we could stay with her because they have a very reactive dog and I have no clue how Ava and Velma would be around each other. But if not we might book a glamping spot somewhere for a couple nights. If we do that we'll likely go at the end of July. If that's the case I'll then maybe go to Toronto third week of August.
My mom started a part-time job that's 3 hours a day, taking over for receptionists while they are on their lunches. She makes $25 an hour which is pretty good and it's good it's not too many hours for her. I think so far she's enjoying it. I definitely want to get a job on campus if I can. It sucks that not working feels both good and antsy for me. I hate how it's hard for me to relax.
I've been toying with the idea of starting a podcast. I know everyone in the world has one, but it would definitely be a fun hobby thing, and kind of help me get over my apprehension about my voice. I'm not a fan of hearing myself (I think my voice is pretty deep and it makes me feel embarassed), so maybe doing something that forces me to talk would be a good thing.
I also recently started writing a book. I have like a very very very vague idea, and I've decided to try and write at least 500 words a day, so we'll see how that goes.
Other than that, not too much on the docket. After this week Simon is off for a week, so hopefully we can take a day trip to a beach or something fun if the weather is ok. Today it has been raining non-stop.
I just realized I haven't done my writing prompts since basically I returned home. I probably will just abandon them now because it's too far gone at this point.
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| Trip Recap Part Two - Ireland, Northern Ireland and bits of Scotland |
[Jun. 14th, 2023|04:04 pm]
millionbubbles
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Ok, so when we disembarked, the UK was in it's first day of a planned train strike. I was freaking out as OF COURSE the only train travel I booked this whole trip was during this day, from Southampton to Holyhead, Wales. My goal was to get to Dublin that night, but unfortunately because of the train strike that did not happen. A lady at the train station thankfully put together an insane itinarary for me that ended up having me at least make it to Holyhead for the evening, where I booked an AirBnB. It was nice because it was a full house and no one else was in it at all, so I basically got food and relaxed.
The next day I took the ferry over to Dublin. So because my stupid Cunard thing was cancelled, my Wales portion of the trip was entirely cancalled and my Ireland part was severely shortened. I am really glad I ended up bypassing Cliffs of Moher, because this train strike would've probably ended up having me miss it, since I got into Dublin the next day. This trip honestly had me reasses a lot of how I travel, which I'lll talk about in the last entry.
So I ended up doing all I could squeeze into Dublin in seven hours, as that same day I was leaving for Belfast. In Dublin I ended up walking around Trinity College (didn't see The Book of Kells), The National Gallery of Ireland, grabbed a pint of Guiness, walked around the toursity areas like Temple Bar and walked by St. Patrick's Cathedral. Dublin was insanely busy, and I really enjoyed the vibe. I would definitely like to properly return one day with more time, but I would definitely stay outside the city as it is so expensive.
So that same evening I took a bus to Belfast. I checked into another AirBnB with no real issues and then the next day I had my tour to the Giant's Causeway. Again, I am glad I chose this as my "Ireland tour" (yes I know North Ireland and Ireland are not the same country), because of what happened with the train strike and me getting to Dublin later, and also because of Giant's Causeway was beautiful. It was actually a Game of Thrones tour, so it stopped off not just at Giant's Causeway, but some other areas of significance to the show since a lot of it was filmed in Northern Ireland, like where Jamie and Euron fought in that cave and the King's road with all those cool looking trees. But yes, overall I loved Giant's Causeway and in no way as I underwhelmed by it. When we got back aroung 6pm I went to an Irish pub and had some fish and chips.
The next day I was supposed to leave for Glasgow, so I had the morning to try and cram some Belfast city viewings into my day. I ended up going to the Crumlin Road Gaol and seeing the Belfast Peace Murals. Overall I was a bit underwhelmed with Belfast. It was probably my "least favourite" of all the cities I saw, meaning if I had to rank, but I still greatly enjoyed Belfast! Again, it is hard to give a real fair comparsion of my time in Ireland vs my time in Scotland, and even though Scotland would still reign supreme because I love that country, I wish I could've seen more of Ireland at a not so hectic pace.
So yeah, I then had my journey to Glasgow, which was a bus/ferry. I got in around 8:30pm and took a cab to my budget hotel, the only one I booked this trip (other than Wales which was cancelled). Other than needing to bus into the city centre, which was honestly fine, it was a really good hotel in terms of not expensive and basically a clean room to sleep in.
My first day in Glasgow I had a tour booked to see Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle. At the loch I was able to walk around a park nearby and take some nice pictures. Then at Stirling Castle we were unable to go into a couple rooms becuase apparently Skye TV was filming some show, but we did see most of the castle and the castle guides offered a nice tour to give some history. I wanted to see as many castles as possible because Canada doesn't have any. It was really cool to hear the history and see these buildings of the past. Somehow I managed to walk towards the Necropolis which was really convenient as it wasn't around where I would be tomorrow, and I got some cool shots. Definitely an amazing place to view when in Glasgow.
The next day in Glasgow I spent the morning at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum which I loved. I spent a good amount of time in there and I still don't think I saw everything. I also love that museums are free in the UK. I wish they had that same thing here in Canada. Then in the afternoon I finally got to meet and hang out with koyaaniisqatsi. It was honestly such a fun visit. We got lunch at a cool restaurant and chatted about Love Island UK (which I am told I need to watch all of by both Dani and another UK native), horror movies and life in general. We then grabbed a coffee and dessert at a cafe and then Dani had to head home. It was really nice meeting up with her finally after many years (she lived literally an hour away from me in Canada at one point) and in general after being solo for weeks.
The next day I left Glasgow for Inverness and my favourite part of the trip, The Isle of Skye. I booked myself in an AirBnB that I kind of regret booking as it was an annoying distance outside the city centre and the bus service in Inverness wasn't the best so I walked the whole time. The hosts were a kind Scottish older couple though, so the house was fine, just the location was meh. Inverness was a great city. Small in size but so much stuff to do and energy.
The next day was my Rabbie's Isle of Skye tour and it was the whole day and absolutely amazing and my favourite part of the trip. We made stops at Loch Ness, Eilean Donan Castle and then most of the Day on Skye. I don't think pictures can do justice to how amazing this tour and these places were. It made me fall in love with Scotland and put it as one of my favourite country's I have visited thus far.
We also went to the Isle of Skye brewing company and I bought a tote bag. I kinda wish I had bought a hoodie, but oh well. I just really wanted a Skye souvenior, as it was my favourite stop in my whole trip. The Scottish Highlands are unreal.
I ended up staying one extra day in Inverness due to Beyonce being in Edinburgh the day I was going to leave and accomodation being ridiculous and I'm glad I did. Inverness was a cute city to walk around and explore. Upon Dani's suggestion, I ended up going to Leakey's Bookshop and wandered around a bit.
I actually also switched my AirBnB that day and stayed in I kid you not, the mansion of I'm assuming real life witch. I could not believe this was something listed on AirBnB for the price it was, because it was amazing. I only wish I had booked this place first and got to stay here longer. If you are ever in Inverness let you know and I'll give you the name of this place because it was magical.
Actually I might stop this entry here, as I'm getting tired of writing haha. But I will finish up the rest of the trip (Edinburgh, Spain, last cruise) in the next entry as I already feel this entry is getting a bit picture heavy.
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| Some Stuff and Updates for April |
[May. 3rd, 2022|09:43 pm]
millionbubbles
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Thanks everyone who commented kindly on my last entry. It's difficult for me sometimes to speak honestly, especially when angry, but I feel in all places, this journal should be where I can do it most freely.
The next day Simon sincerely apologized, he knows how he acts isn't ok. Honestly it really reminds me of myself a bit before I did the therapy and learned more about controlling my emotions. While his stuff is excessive worry, mine was excessive anger. Back in the day that argument would've made me have a full blown freak out, but I was mainly just upset and barely raised my voice.
We went to the Uhaul place and decided to book two shipping boxes. We are going to rent a truck and pack up our stuff, and then fill them at the Uhaul place in the boxes. This will be August 24th. Then we will likely hit the road either the 25th or the 26th depending on how tired we are. It feels like it is coming up very fast. My mom is leaving for PEI in less than a month now.
But yes, I think getting our moving plans sorted has taken a big load off both our minds, but especially Simon. We need to start going through stuff to donate/sell/throw away. I am not looking forward to that part...
Yesterday I went to Toronto and took my dad to a Blue Jays game. His favourite team is the New York Yankees so they were facing each other. The Yankees beat the Jays, but I forgot the Leafs were also playing, and it's the playoffs. They won their first game and downtown was going insane. I'm telling you guys... if they ever win the Stanley Cup again (last time was in the 60s), Toronto is getting trashed. Probably worse than any other city in North America. Leaf fans are ridiculous, so yeah. It was a good atmosphere though, luckily no one being too idiotic. Kind of made me miss my hometown.
So there's something definitely going on with my uterus or something. I'm late again for my period and again my right breast is very sore, but the left one isn't. I'm going to get another pregnancy test tomorrow. I'm 99.9% certain I'm not pregnant, but just to be 100% sure. I booked an appointment with my Dr, but he's currently on vacation and I won't be able to see him until the end of May. I am pretty positive this is perimenopause. I have a lot of the other symptoms, but the lack of period is a big one for me. I have always had a decently regular period up until basically this year... so yeah. Yay being a woman.
Here's some updates on the New Year's Goals:
-Complete my MGOT (Melissa's Goodbye Ontario Tour) aka go to places in Ontario/Guelph/Toronto I wanted to go to but never did (I have them listed in a notebook).
It wasn't really on the list, but went to a Drag Show with my friend Tasha this month which was fun. I hadn't been to one since 2019, so it was good times!
Read 20 books
7 books read so far, ahead of schedule!
Continue my weight loss journey/health journey. Complete two more walking Challenges
I feel like I am gaining weight in my torso area, which wasn't where I normally gain (I'm mostly an ass/thigh girl weight gain), which also leads me to believe my hormones are out of whack. I don't want to weigh myself right now because I feel shitty about stuff, but I'm really trying to look at my body from a neutrality point and not a positive/negative outlook because I don't like either one of those mindsets. I'd love to just not care about my body at all one day. Walking Challenge is still ongoing, I'm a bit behind, but I think I can catch up.
Get my driver's license
Nothing to report here.
Travel if it is safe internationally
Nothing on the docket.
Practice witchcraft more
Still reading/making notes for tarot research. Performed one spell this month and wrote it down. Celebrated Beltane by making honey cakes.
Move successfully to PEI
Finally booked our Uhaul boxes and picked a date we are moving out (August 24th will pack up, so likely leaving around the 25th or 26th).
Work seriously on my novel
I actually wrote a couple pages this month, but not nearly enough. I hope I can do better in May.
Look into meditation
I ended up using my meditation app after our big fight on the weekend and it helped a lot.
Learn more French
Still doing it, trying to get my streak again. I find I'm remembering more phrases now which is really cool.
Work on completing my travel magnet collection
I ordered a Cambodia magnet, but it takes forever to come because I think the place I get them off of on Amazon is based in Greece.
Writing Prompts
May
1. Best thing that happened today?
I didn't work because it's Tuesday.
2. Would you ever get someone’s name tattooed on you?
Absolutely not. I don't have any tattoos at all lol.
3. What was the first thing you ate today?
Bowl of honey nut Cheerios |
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| Quarantine Survey |
[Apr. 13th, 2020|10:18 pm]
millionbubbles
|
1. Are you an Essential Worker?
I guess? I personally think the job I do isn't essential, but I work for an insurance company which I think is. For now I have work, but I can see temp lay offs occurring if things don't improve which they likely won't since I work in travel insurance.
2. How many drinks have you had since the quarantine started?
I had 4 beers over the weekend and a bottle of wine the week before. I think we have to pick up Simon's mom's wine order from the LCBO this weekend so I plan on stocking up then.
3. If you have kids... Are they driving you nuts?
I thank the good Lord I decided last year a hard no to kids because I feel like I'd be losing my mind in this situation.
4. What new hobby have you taken up during this?
Playing a LOT of video games, paint by numbers, I bought a tarot card course online so doing that. I need to start a piano course I bought ages ago too. Also really need to get back into writing again.
5. How many grocery runs have you done?
I go once a week, every Friday. I am buying for 3 groups of people now which is extremely annoying, but it is what it is. At least Simon and I get free groceries out of it.
6. What are you spending your stimulus check on?
I'm not American so we don't get that. Canada has CERB (Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit) which is $2000 a month for I think at least the next 4 months. I won't be applying for that as I still have a job.
7. Do you have any special occasions that you will miss during this quarantine?
Laura and I were supposed to go on our annual Ontario getaway the end of the month, we missed seeing Chicago the play in Stratford with Simon's family, probably not going to a concert in July as I can't see concerts happening for at least like another year. Supposed to go to Europe in September but that's basically done as I don't think travel will be normal at all by then and Ayda told me she's hoping to come back to Canada in July (not sure how easy/expensive that will be for her). So yeah... COVID-19 fucked up a lot of plans.
8. Are you keeping your housework done?
I think it's basically the usual levels, it's pretty clean but we have pets so animal hair is always around.
9. What movie have you watched during this quarantine?
Actually nothing really. There's definitely movies I want to watch but I haven't been in the mood lately. I've mostly been watching Schitt's Creek, reruns of Drag Race and I finished both seasons of Shrill.
10. What are you streaming with?
Netflix. Laura gave me her password for Crave which I'm trying to not be a mooch off of but they have way better shows than Netflix (Canadian Netflix is so shitty) so I might start a new show pretty soon.
11. 9 months from now is there any chance of you having a baby?
I guess there's always a chance but I hope to God that does not happen.
12. What's your go-to quarantine meal?
We eat the same, but since I'm WFH I've been making a lot of lunches on the fry and my main one lately has been egg sandwiches.
13. Is this whole situation making you paranoid?
I'm paranoid in terms of when will society go back to normal, what will happen to our economy etc. I'm not worried about getting sick. I worry about my parents though, especially my mom as she is living in a big city.
14. Has your internet gone out on you during this time?
Yes but that has nothing to do with this time, I just have shitty internet.
15. What month do you predict this all ends?
I could see us starting to go slightly back to normal by end of summer/fall, normal meaning we can go out to eat at places, see each other etc. But probably will be a restriction on the amount of people in a certain place. Concerts/sports/big events will likely not return for at least a year. Travel I have no idea. I can't see everything being 100% back to normal until maybe mid 2021.
16. First thing you’re gonna do when you get off quarantine?
Get a haircut, make plans to visit my mom, make plans to visit some friends.
17. Where do you wish you were right now?
I'm really glad I'm living in Canada right now so I am ok where I am.
18. What free-from-quarantine activity are you missing the most?
Concerts and travel.
19. Have you run out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer?
Nope, TP was running out at the beginning of this, but stores are limiting buying so the stupid hoarders can't go insane so the last two times I went to the grocery store there was a lot there. I never see hand sanitizer anywhere, Simon got a couple bottles when he ordered some e-juice a couple weeks ago.
20. Do you have enough food to last a month?
Possibly, but it would be pushing it.
P.S. Offtopic but spiral_meter do you plan on having another friendzy anytime soon? I feel like this is the perfect time to make new LJ friends/I need new people I can devote the time now to learning about their lives! |
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| Writer's Block: TMI |
[Mar. 8th, 2012|12:58 pm]
millionbubbles
|
What is the strangest thing someone has confessed to you?
I love reading all these other people's weird things they've heard confessed. Good writer's block.
Mine are not weird, but I guess kinda big things. I've had the same person confess to me that she has cheated on her boyfriend (with her ex) and had an abortion (not from the ex, this was a seperate confession prior to the cheating).
Before my other friend came out to everyone, I was one of the first people he confessed he was gay to.
I am definitly one of those people everyone tells everything to, and I like it cuz I like knowing stuff. In my case though I am pretty private and rarely devulge info about myself, unless I really want advice on something. I don't just tell for the sake of telling. |
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