Bold moves

Motivated by the $600 of combined eyewear coverage offered by Shane and I's healthcare plan, I made a trip to the opticians today and ended up making a rather bold choice. Yep, Dolce & Gabbana leopard print frames. Every other pair the woman in the store brought me just seemed "meh" in comparison. I did find one other pair that I loved but they were purple. And I already have purple glasses. Guess I'm just not a tortoiseshell kind of gal.

I keep catching myself in the mirror and going, "Yikes! I've got animal print on my face!!" It's a bold move to be sure but I'm liking the total shock value inherent in them. I also think they kind of go with my hair. Which implies that I have some sort of fur as opposed to actual hair but I'm referring more to the menagerie of colour and not the spotty pattern.

Tomorrow I may just work up the courage to wear them into the office. A brave move considering the conservative nature of my workplace. Bold choices require bold moves.

At this very moment my daughter is walking around the living room in a pair of blue patent leather stiletto heels (mine, not hers) while watching Thomas the Train and screaming, "I want more meat!" at the top of her lungs. Wow. I seriously have no idea how I managed to give life to this little being that is both so much like me and so very not.

I've been noticeably (or not-so-noticeably) absent from the world of blogging. I have no real explanation other than the fact that I'm really, really happy. Not blissfully happy but content. Deep down inside myself, I feel peaceful and downright joyous. It's a feeling that is more than a bit unfamiliar to someone as perpetually angst-filled as me but it's a great place to be. Unfortunately, it's also a place the doesn't really inspire the kind of writing that lends itself to blogging.

I started my new job in March and it's been insanely busy. Busy but absolutely brilliant. The first day I walked into my office, I felt like I was at home. That's not to say there isn't the odd person that frustrates me or task that drives me insane but overall, it's the best place for me. The only place, really. The people are intelligent and inspiring, the organization is well-intentioned and the job itself is a dream come true for me

I'm still not sure if it's the job that's changed my perception or my perception that's changed how I look at the job. Chicken or the egg argument, I suppose. Not sure that it really matters though. What matters is that things are just as they are supposed to be.

Last Saturday night was my 10 year J-school reunion and even though the gathering was fairly small, I had a blast. I have to say that every single person there made me proud to have been in the program I was. Almost every one us was working in the business in one way or another and there was wasn't one solitary person there that wasn't doing something suitably impressive with their life. And they all looked positively HAWT to boot. I feel genuinely grateful that I got to spend four years of my life with such a diverse and interesting group of people.

What was most interesting to me about the reunion was the fact that I didn't ever once feel an inkling of snark or envy. I didn't look at anyone for even a split second and think, "yeah, well, they may be working for a national newspaper and traveling all over the world but they don't have a baby/husband/house" or "Huh. Well, I'd look that fabulous too if I'd had longer than five minutes to get ready tonight." There was no comparing myself or my life with anyone else's. There was no analyzing of where I am in life vs. where my former classmates are. Why? Maybe it's because I'm happy with myself and happy where I am in life. Or maybe it's because I finally grew up and realized that the definition of success isn't static nor is the same for everyone. We're all doing what we're supposed to and we're all doing something different. Which is really the point of life isn't it?

It took a while but at long last I found a USB cord to download my photos. I give you my brand new main floor. The photo makes the walls look a little more "yellowy" than they really are. In reality, the paint is kind of a butter/ochre/buff. It really all depends on the light or time of day. Speaking of light, please ignore the nasty old Ikea floorlamp in the corner. From what I recall it was only there to light the way for the workers in the absence of the chandelier that Shane had yet to install.

The renos are pretty much all done, save for a few paint touch-ups and minor repairs. I really couldn't be more relieved or delighted. The whole process pretty much meant that our lives were turned upside down for two months, which isn't particularly easy at the best of times never mind when you're starting a new job and raising a finicky toddler. Overall though, the chaos was worth it and I'm really happy with the new walls and particularly the new couch and rug. The leather couch is totally wash and go - perfect for mucky three-year-old hands - and the rug makes the room feel cozy and almost library-like. Since the photos were taken I've added a funky new vase, a Buddha statue and a few piles of books and magazines. We still have to find and buy another armchair that we like and pick up some end tables (we're back to using TV trays for now) but it's coming together and starting to look like a real grown-up pad.

In other news, we're all starting to recover from various bouts of "the cold that never dies" and the 24-hour stomach flu. Despite several days off work each, Shane and I both still feel like we've been hit by a truck and then dragged several miles. Shane's working crazy hours after all hell seems to have broken loose just about everywhere and I'm generally left trying to hustle Charlotte out the door in the morning to daycare and then go through the whole ordeal in rewind again at the end of the day. By the time I get her fed, bathed and into bed, I'm pretty much done for the day. I can barely summon up the energy to keep the house from falling into rack and ruin before I crash out by 8 p.m. Tonight I plan on staying awake until 9 p.m. I know, I'm a wild one. Must be all the Coke Zero I'm guzzling down.

Sadly, after summoning up the energy for a 2.5 hour walk/trip to the playground on Saturday, we all collapsed in our respective beds only to be woken at 7 a.m. on Sunday by the sound of Charlotte barfing. Cue the cries, the cuddles, the laundry, the baths, the naps and the sippy cups full of Pedialyte. Fortunately, the stomach flu was short-lived and Her Lady of Projective Vomit is now back up to full speed and has subsequently run me ragged. She's so energetic that despite an active day at daycare of tricycle riding, jungle gym climbing and general outdoor mayhem, the child still managed to spot a play park from about a kilometre away while I was driving her home tonight. Her convincing wails of "park! park!!now! now!" forced me to pull over to the side of the road and let the beast out. She promptly raced as quickly as her little legs would carry her over a bridge, through a field and off to the park. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep up as I was tottering along in a pencil skirt and peep-toe heels, having not expected a spontaneous park trip en-route home. By the time I caught up to her she was already at the top of the twisty big kid slide, which she exuberantly threw herself down about 20-times before I managed to convince her that Lighting McQueen was waiting for her at home and would drive away if we didn't get home "very, very quickly". Yes, I'm a liar and possibly a horrible parent but we'd still be at that park now going up and down the twisty slide if I didn't do something.

And now, I'm going to open up my bedroom windows, climb into bed and fall asleep listening to the crickets (or whatever the hell those noisy but strangely reassuring insects are in the creek back there).

Later this week I hope to post pics of my brand-new main floor. The ceiling is in, the walls are in, the floors are in and the painting has begun. The first coat of paint was finished about an hour ago and... holy crap... it looks frickin' awesome! Seriously, it looks like a totally new place. A brighter, warmer, happier kind of place. I was worried that the colour was too bold and it is bold but just perfectly so. We're off momentarily to - fingers crossed - purchase a new rug and possibly a replacement armchair. I'm going to request that the new couch be delivered on Friday and then we'll be ready to go. Let the entertaining begin!

In the meantime I'm stealing a page from blogging tradition to give you my list of 10 Things to Do Before I Die:

1. Raise a happy child (duh)
2. Live in a house with a wraparound porch
3. Learn how to fly a helicopter
4. Finish my first novel and actually summon the courage to send it to a publisher
5. Spend a year living in a foreign country
6. Go on Safari to Africa
7. Become a serious photographer
8. Run a half-marathon (I'm not stupid enough to think I can run a full one)
9. Donate half a year's salary to a charity for women
10. Visit a functioning Buddhist monastery

Stay tuned for photos of the dramatic transformation of Chez Disaster-no-more.

Today Charlotte pronounced "socks" properly. It's a big thing around here. For the last 6-months (i.e. when the wee beast began making attempts at actual words) the word "socks" has sounded like "gocks". Truth be told, most words start with the letter "g" around here. "Truck" is "Guck" and "Minigo" is "Gogo", etc. But today she started playing with the "S" on her Leap Frog Fridge Phonics and suddenly she's all, "socks, Mummy, socks pease." The kid loves wearing socks. All the time. I swear she'd bathe in them if we let her.

Exciting stuff, I know.

Not that I was really looking for a roller coaster kind of day anyway. Tomorrow I join the world of those-that-receive-a-steady-paycheque and I wasn't really up for dealing with anything more interesting than toddler phonics and picking out my first day of work ensemble. Which, in case you are interested, has been narrowed down to black dress pants, black turtleneck and cute pinstriped grey jacket with 3/4 length sleeves or a black suit with a funky purple/grey top underneath. I'm thinking of moving the black suit down in the roster only because the HR lady has already seen it twice and she might start to think it's the only reasonably fancy thing I own. Which isn't strictly true but the last time I needed a remotely professional wardrobe I was two sizes larger than I am right now so my options are somewhat limited. I'm hoping that my daily wardrobe dilemmas won't be quite as intense once I get the first day jitters out of the way. Adding to them is the fact that I have a one-on-one meeting tomorrow morning with the Chief of Police and that seems like kind of a big deal. Shane assures me that he's super nice and by all accounts he's lovely but I do have a tendency to come across as a loud, blathering idiot when my nerves get the better of me.

I'll keep you all posted on how it goes. For now, I'm off to bed with a good book and a hot water bottle.

p.s. Apologies to anyone whose calls and emails I haven't returned. This whole getting ready for an office job thing has kind of kicked the crap out of me. And Shane's working nights so I'm on my own in the evenings which doesn't really leave me with a whole heck of lot of time and energy. I'll catch up with everyone once things settle down and we find our groove with the new schedule.

The perfect Tuesday

Sleep in until 8:00 a.m. Wake up to the realization that the dream job offer you received yesterday was not in fact a dream.

Kiss husband and toddler goodbye as they head off to work and daycare respectively.

Feel so well-rested that even a shorted out water heater doesn't phase you. Languish in a mildly lukewarm shower.

Meander over to the mall in an attempt to find trousers that fit. Find three. THREE pairs that fit. That never happens!

Pop into the mall's magazine/newspaper store to stock up on the latest issues of Tricycle, the Shambhala Sun and Real Simple. Engage in a lighthearted discussion with the shopkeeper - a local Buddhist - regarding the weather and our optimistic hope that the sun will return before the snow. Leave with him promising to put aside the next editions of Buddhadharma and Woman's Own (a trashy UK women's mag) aside for me.

Head to the food court to treat myself to gluten-free New York Fries. Eat fries and read Tricycle while ignoring the throngs of teenagers who surely have somewhere else to be (like, um, school!).
Drive home. Stop at the coffee shop in town. Run into old friend. Catch up on each other's lives over vanilla lattes.

Arrive home. Read my favourite blogs. Write a blog. Plan a quick yoga session before heading out to pick up cheerfully hilarious toddler.

Tomorrow I work but today I revel in the perfection of it all.