Bahtalo Drom

mathowny @ 2009-07-07T07:00:00

2009-07-07T11:11:33Z

The trip to Peru is really coming together. I've booked a tour that runs from Cuzco to the Nazca Lines then on to Lima. We get to do a fly-over of the lines, to see them properly, which I'm excited about. Plus, this way I don't have to spend 30 hours on a bus, attempting to get back to Lima at the end of my trip.

I've also booked my trek up to Machu Picchu. I'm doing the Salkantay trek - 5 days, 4 nights, and up to 4650 m above sea level. Thankfully, I'm doing my trip backwards to most people - I'm hitting Cuzco and Machu Picchu last, so I'll have had plenty of time to acclimatize by then.

Other than those two things, I haven't booked anything, but they were the two most important things to get done. The rest of the time I'll be visiting cities, so there's nothing to book other than hostels.

One month! Then I'm off for 17 of Peruvian adventures.

A.

Olympic Torch

2009-06-13T22:34:25Z

Just found out that I made it to the second (and last) round of a contest to carry the Olympic Torch in December.

Woooohoooo!

House Situation

2009-06-08T02:20:05Z

So, the house has been sold, and the new people take possession on July 15th. This is all fine - my only question is:

What happens to my last months rent? And the interest incurred on that? I've been here 4.5 years - actually, by the time they take possession, it'll be 4 years and 10 months and 2 weeks.

Who do I talk to about this?

A.

mathowny @ 2009-05-28T06:10:00

2009-05-28T10:14:34Z

Dear Real Estate Agents,

When you, and the person you are escorting around the property, come into my apartment, there are a few important things to remember.

At the top of the list is the fact that this is my home. So take off your damn shoes.

Right below that, is stop unplugging my clock. This is not your home, you don't get to do things like that. Hands off everything.

And third - turn off the damn lights. I pay hydro, you twits, and I'm not paying extra money so you can leave all the lights on for hours on end because you're too lazy to read the sign on the door that says "Please turn off the tenants' lights."

Thanks.

Onto the next step

2009-05-01T17:18:03Z

I have my French oral test on the 13th. I just got the email today. So, one step closer for the teaching job. The good thing is that both of the jobs I'm in competition for (the Legistic Revisor, and the teaching position) but require a B in Oral Interaction, so if I pass this test, I won't have to do it again for 5 years.

My only question is, how the hell do I talk about my job in French? I teach English! English grammar is not French grammar! I can talk your ear off about other topics - say curling, or beer - in French, but work, that's a different story.

Here's hoping.

A.

State of the Union

2009-04-23T20:59:34Z

Or my life.

Things are going good. I had an interview with the Canada Public School of Service two weeks ago, the Monday before Easter. I have no idea how I did - might have done well, might not have. I'm now at the waiting stage, again, to see about the next step. Waiting kills me - I am not, by nature, a very patient person!

I also did English language tests, for the *third* time, last Saturday, for a job with the Department of Justice. It's for a Legistic Revisor job. Basically, I'd be proofing and editing Legislative texts and publications. It would be a sweet job to have, although it might be a long shot. It's an SI-04 position, which is fairly high to start at. I was one of the youngest people at the exams - and after writing them, I can see why. Holy crap, batman, they were hard!

The first test was a 35 minute proof-reading test. We were given a Master Copy and an un-correct proof that we had to match to the Master. That wasn't too bad - I just had to make sure to pay attention to the spelling, which is often skipped over as brains tend to read what it *should* say, not what it does.

After that was a 40 minute grammar test, which was freakin' hard. And I teach grammar! If there is one thing in this world that I know, it is English grammar, but this test was picky picky picky.

The last one was a one-hour editing test. We were given a legislative act draft that we had to edit - looking at logic (does it make sense?), grammar, punctuation, spelling, all that good stuff. I think I did ok on this one, too. I do know that I caught a couple of small errors that some people might have skipped over.

So the end to all that is that I'm in a holding pattern job-wise. I still have my job, but I'm looking for a change. I've been put into a pool of semi-qualified applicants for CR-04s at Industry Canada, as well, so we'll see how that one goes.

Otherwise, things are moving on as usual. Trivia is going good - we average about 40 people each week, which is a huge number. People seem to like having me host - I joke around with them, but keep the game moving forward. Curling finished a few weeks ago, and this Saturday we have a BBQ to commemorate the season. After that, soccer starts up, so hopefully that'll also keep me busy.

I've gotten back to running - doing a 5.6K run at least once a week, although with nicer weather coming, hopefully I can up that to three or four times a week. Helps me burn off some extra energy.

Also hoping to get another Festival Pass for Bluesfest. Why break a tradition now? And one of my favourite singers, Paolo Nutini, is coming this year. Along with my friend's band, The Brother's Chaffey, not to mention all the big name acts this year. (Although can anything compare with 2007, when I saw Van Morrison and Bob Dylan?)

A.

Things I Don't Understand:

2009-01-18T21:37:02Z

Israel and Hamas can negotiate a ceasefire, but Ottawa and the union can't negotiate anything.

Nice.

A.

World Trivia

2008-09-18T10:15:13Z

A friend of mine is putting together a team for the World Trivia game on Nov. 21. Is anyone interested in joining? It'll be $25 to join (to cover the $250 fee for the team to play). I'm a little sketchy on the details still, but let me know if you'd like to join!

A.

mathowny @ 2008-05-23T06:18:00

2008-05-23T10:21:07Z

Got the scanner thing worked out - thanks everyone! (plastikgyrl, next time I need one, I'm coming over to your house with knitting and tea!)

My new question for everyone is: Does anyone want to see Wynton Marsalis with me? He's playing at Confederation Park on June 20th, at 8:30. Tickets are $30, but we could forgo the tickets and just sit outside the park on the sidewalk and listen.

A.

Scanner

2008-05-03T12:15:54Z

Do I know anyone locally with a scanner? I have a few documents I need to scan, asap.

Where to go for a date?

2008-04-03T03:39:14Z

I'm going on a date on Friday, and I've been told to pick a place.

I'll be arriving from Bayshore, he's coming from Tunney's area......any ideas on where to go? Some place where we can talk - so I'm thinking pub over bar. And *no* I'd rather not go to an Oak.....

Suggestions please!

A.

mathowny @ 2008-03-13T20:03:00

2008-03-14T00:06:48Z

Dear LiveJournal,

What would you do with a large sum of unexpected money? For the sake of argument, we'll say $8500 - enough, but not a huge amount.

Would you put it towards something useful?
Would you blow it all?
Would you invest it?

A.

mathowny @ 2008-02-13T20:25:00

2008-02-14T01:26:36Z

My massive tv just gave up the ghost.

Any ideas on how to get rid of it? It's really large, so I don't want to just put it on the curb (although, couches seem to disappear when that happens, so maybe I should?)

My other concern is how, exactly, do I move the damn thing downstairs? Help?

A.

Meat, Dairy and Gluten-free Spring Rolls

2008-01-03T11:46:17Z

* rice paper (available in the Asian food section of your grocery store)
* rice vermicelli noodles (available in the Asian food section of your grocery store)
* carrots (cut into thin strips)
* cucumbers (cut into thin strips)
* spinach
* green onions (chopped)
* Thai sweet chili sauce (optional)

Soak the vermicelli in water.
Pour boiling hot water into a plate or dish - not too deep of a dish, though. Gently slide the rice paper into the boiling water, and wait until it is "cooked" (about 10 seconds or so - it should no longer be hard and rigid).
Place the wet rice paper on another place, and fill with the vermicelli, carrots, spinach, cucumber, and green onions.
Bring bottom of rice paper up, and fold left side over.
Roll the rest of the spring roll tightly.
Place in fridge for a couple of hours.

Use the sweet chili sauce as a dip.

You can use other veggies if you'd like, or subtract ones from this list.

Turkey Soup

2007-12-30T12:33:09Z

I love soup. I love cooking soup. So I used my Christmas turkey left-overs for soup.

* turkey - cut up into small bits.
* chicken broth
* 4 stalks celery - chopped
* carrots - chopped
* 1 small onion - chopped, sauteed
* mushrooms - chopped
* two cloves of garlic, crushed
* black pepper (roughly 1 1/2 teaspoons)
* parsley (roughly 1 teaspoon)
* oregano (roughly 1 teaspoon)
* 2 bay leaves
* cumin (roughly 1 teaspoon)
* chipolte chili pepper seasoning (roughly 1/2 teaspoon)

I didn't measure the seasonings - I used about a teaspoon of them all - maybe a bit more the black pepper, and a bit less of the chipolte. The cumin and chipolte will make the soup spicy, so feel free to not add them, they're not essential to the over all soup.

Throw all the meat, veggies, garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, parsley and oregano into a saucepan, and simmer on low heat for an hour or two (pretty much until the smell drives you crazy.) Add the cumin and chipolte, and let simmer for 20 more minutes.

Good eating!

Random Business From My Life

2007-11-10T05:59:04Z

1. I've been doing mucho training at the bookstore in the past week. Like, training 4 new girls mucho.

2. One of those 4 new girls is....Anja, where the "j" is pronounced like a "y". Yeah - there are now *two* of us. WTF, I ask you?

3. My ESL students are getting their levels. This means that I have a 98% success rate with my students. I rawk! And so do they.

4. I haven't had an appetite in 3 weeks. But I'm not tired, sick, cold, or anything else. I have lots of energy, I'm happy, I do my thing......so who knows.

5. Bathroom ceiling = big hole. Still.

6. My Great-Aunt died two weeks ago.

And that is all. Not exciting, just....life.

A.

Current Tally:

2007-10-15T17:26:16Z

For the plumbers: $1380, over 3 visits.

Still left: The dry-walling of my bathroom ceiling.

But thank gods there is no more leak!

A.

mathowny @ 2007-10-15T10:58:00

2007-10-15T14:58:55Z

Memo to me:

if plumbers are coming to work in your bathroom for an entire day, go pee before they get here.

And don't drink coffee after that.

Thanks,

Me.

mathowny @ 2007-10-12T23:16:00

2007-10-13T03:25:50Z

Seeing the spat of "acceptance of self" posts on my flist has given me some introspection. I've never had to come out (other than that time that I had to tell my mom I was straight), but I do remember finally coming to terms with being "different."

While I'd always accepted that I wasn't quite like the other kids (as n8an put it "we live in 'interesting times'"), I can't pretend that I was ever actually ok with it. I never tried to be like the other kids - there was no way I was just ever going to fit in, even if I wore the same clothes, wore the same hair-styles, talked the same way, acted the same way. I was always going to be different, but I wasn't sure I wanted to be different. I wanted to fit in, to some degree. I wanted to be me, but as a young teenager, I wasn't sure how to do that, and still fit in to the only society that I knew.

To say this gave me great grief, and a rather large chip on my shoulder, would be putting it mildly. Entering university gave me the opportunity to be someone else, finally. I changed my name, left my friends, and was next to miserable for nearly a year.

Until I met a great group of incredibly odd people who were not only ok with being odd, but actually embraced it in themselves, and in others. It suddenly didn't matter that my idea of logic was slightly bent; that my sense of humour a little crooked; my sense of being, more broad than narrow. The fact that weird occurances followed me in day-to-day life didn't cause any comment, other than perhaps "you too?!?" It wasn't that they praised someone for being different, rather that it was considered "normal" to be "abnormal."

People like plastikgyrl and n8an showed me that being yourself goes beyond what you've been taught, how you were raised, and what people expected of you. They taught me that strength comes through character, not deeds, that individuality was something to be embraced, not defiantly held up as a shield. notmikesince91, and sykomonkey taught me that being brilliant in one area wasn't a bad thing - being a geek could, in fact, be the entry into a new world. quotation taught me, if belatedly, that being out-spoken could have it's benefits. mightycodking showed me that liking incredibly bad movies didn't mean that I was destined to see them alone, even if he didn't really mean it at the time.

Without this group of people at a desperately needed point in time, who knows where I would be today? They gave me the strength to embrace, accept and become who I was. They were my instructors into who I could be, who I was, and who I wanted to be. Without them, there is no doubt that I wouldn't be who I am now.

A.

Plumbing Problems? Beat This

2007-10-09T19:44:23Z

The pipes running through my bathroom ceiling are virtually rusted out.

It's going to cost between $800 to $1200 to fix.

Not including the drywalling of the ceiling.

Fun! Thank Gods I rent.

A.

Restored Faith in Humanity

2007-10-07T13:13:39Z

Working in a bookstore these days can be daunting - everyone wants to complain directly to you about the book prices, as if you set them.

I always agree with them (because I do - prices are ridiculously high), and give them a sheet that Indigo has put out. The sheet gives a quick explination, and the address for a publishing group/union or whatever it is. I tell the customers to write/call/fax/email them and complain - the more people that do, the quicker prices will start to drop (ok, not really, but I have to say something.)

Usually the people just nod, or whatever, but occasionally you get some asstit who yells and insults and walks away while you're trying to explain to them.

This is what happened yesterday, only the man was very degrading about it, in front of about 6 other customers. I guess one of them caught up with him afterwards, and had words about it with him, because he came back about 10 minutes later and apologized to me for his behaviour.

I was astounded. No one apologizes to staff - insult, blow-up at, yell, demand, all of those are common, but no one has ever apologized to me before.

A.

Stolen meme

2007-10-04T10:59:53Z

These are the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing’s users (as of today). Bold what you have read, italicise what you started but couldn’t finish, and strike through what you couldn’t stand.

I'm also going to italicise what I own, but haven't read, 'cause there's a lot.

~~Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell~~
Anna Karenina - haven't read it yet, but I do own it.
Crime and Punishment - again, own it, haven't read it.
Catch-22
One hundred years of solitude - another one.
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion - I think I actually did start this one.
~~Life of Pi : A Novel~~
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey - own it.
~~Pride and Prejudice~~
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov - it sits in my Russian lit section.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies - I just bought this.
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : A Memoir in Books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian : A Novel
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum - every time I try to read it, another more exciting book comes along. I've started this twice now.
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible : A Novel
1984
Angels & Demons
The Inferno - let's not talk about how many times I've started this book.
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
~~Gulliver’s Travels~~ - there was a reason I stopped reading this book....
Les Misérables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes : A Memoir
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-Present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : A Novel
Collapse : How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood : A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers

mathowny @ 2007-09-25T19:49:00

2007-09-26T00:00:37Z

I have been stuck at home since 2 waiting for the plumber to show up to fix the leaky pipe in my bathroom.

did I mention that the pipe is the one leading from the toilet upstairs? yeah.

Anyway, I went out yesterday and spent $220 getting my ankles tattooed. Feel free to look at the awesomeness of my wings.

the inside of my right ankle.

the outside of my right ankle.

the inside of my left ankle.

the outside of my left ankle.

For those of you too lazy to click the cut:

a close up of one of the four.

A.

Soaring and Elephants!

2007-09-09T13:39:27Z

I'm alive and soon to make my way back to Ottawa.

My trip has been great - it started off with the usual scenarios - lots of buying of wool, drinking of beer, wandering of streets - but yesterday was utterly fantastic and totally made the trip.

quotation and I headed to his cottage, which is up near Cambridge. It is, in fact, just down the road for the African Lion Safari. We really headed down there to go soaring - I was really excited (if someone apprehensive) of going up in a sail-plane (not glider! sail-plane.) Seeing as I'm both claustrophobic, and scared of heights, I wasn't too sure how well it would go, but it was great! We went up in a Blahnik first, did a quick tour and landed about 21 minutes after being towed up.

We then headed over to the African Lion Safari because every time I come down to TO, I go to the zoo, but that wasn't happening this year. We did the "safari" part - where the car got licked by a ungulaet, pecked by an ostrich, and attacked by baboons. The baboons, in face, were riding the cars. Just jumping up and riding around the hoods. One little baboon jumped up and sat on the mirror on my side of the car, and flashed me his penis. Just sat there, dangling away, eating a branch....

After the safari part, we wandered around the grounds, and I got to ride on an elephant! A real life elephant! So now I've ridden on a horse, a camel, and an elephant. I'm running out of large quadrupeds to sit on safely....

After that excited (oh, and beig attacked by goats that desperately wanted to knock me over), we headed back to the gliding club for another trip up. This time we were in the Puchhez - which is newer and has better visibility (if you ask me, but I don't know much about these things.) We were up for about the same length of time - not a lot of thermals - but there were more adventurous maneuvers, now that quotation knew that I wasn't going to freak out.

After landing, we stuck around for a beer, chatted with the other pilots, then headed back to TO to meet up with a friend of mine.

So great day - soaring and elephants! Bet you didn't think they were related at all.

A.

How Sweet It Is

2007-09-05T15:18:24Z

Or at least most of it.

Work is fantastic - students are actively requesting me (not that they get much choice, but it reflects well). I should be busier than a one-legged ass-kicker this month and next, which is also fantastic.

I'm on vacation. I leave tomorrow for Toronto, and should be back in time for a baby shower for the assistant manager at Coles, on Sunday.

I've gotten started on my Xmas knitting - a pair of socks for my mom. She also wants a reading shawl, so I'll pick that yarn up in Toronto, I think.

My love life is the same as it always is - DOI (dead on impact.). If anyone has any hottie male friends, over 27 but under 35, who's taller than me, has a sense of humour, can carry a conversation, and doesn't think Ontario is the centre of the universe, hook me up. Please.

A.