#14 - the surprise party

This post is a little late, but here it is all the same.

A good portion of my close friends are turning 30 this year just like me (funny how that works, eh?) so I was a little nervous when I decided I wanted to throw a surprise party for someone. I mean 30 is a biggie and that is a lot of responsibility! So my original plan was to bow out of the 30th birthdays all together and throw a party for someone else who was having a less exciting birthday.

But then the year progressed and one of my best friends got engaged, our friendship continued to grow and evolve, and I realized that I wanted to show her how much I love her, so I dove in to the 30th birthday planning INSANITY.

Truth be told, I couldn't have picked a better person to throw a party for. I know Sarah well enough to know that what she would want in a party is good food and her friends and family all together; Boom - Potluck. I got my bossypants on and told everyone where to go, what to bring, and NOT TO BE LATE and things were pretty much done! Sarah's mom was a huge help with planning and cooking and baking and I loved that her and I got to talk on the reg about how much we loved her daughter.

So Sunday was the big day! Sarah's man-friend was responsible for getting her to the destination (and he did a miraculously good job of taking the "why don't I have a party planned" heat as well) and he preformed admirably. All the guests hid and the lights were out when our birthday girl came in and then...LONG AWKWARD PAUSE...."Surprise!"

Success!

For me the joy of planning a surprise party wasn't in the party itself; I knew that the party would be a success so long as the people she wanted there were present. I found joy in collecting all the people that my friend loved into one place, in spending the weeks leading up to her party thinking about what she would like, how she would react, and how much I friggin adore her. It was the thought behind the party that made it so much fun to plan. I had a moment after she had arrived and everything on my end was "done" where I actually though "Oh - there gets to be a party now!" haha

I also really enjoyed getting to toast my friend on her (almost) 30th birthday. I have known Sarah since we were 15, which means that in turning 30 we are entering a phase of life where we have known one other for longer than we haven't know one another. There is no one I have cried more with, laughed more with, done stupid-ass stuff with than her. She has seen me at my absolute WORST, which makes having her present for this awesome phase of my life all the more special. Without a doubt I would not be the person I am today without having had her friendship, and I am so grateful for her.

So, this was a pretty awesome and meaningful goal for me to cross off. And I love that such a good friend played an integral role in helping me do that.

SURPRISE!

Dinner was delicious - Thanks everyone!

Birthday girl opens some gifts

Wine and chatting - it was a great night!

Next post- The Dinner Party!

XOXO

I know many, MANY young professionals who also maintain blogs and ladies (yeah, you're all ladies) - how do you do it? Between working full time hours, volunteer commitments, part time job, and having a social life, I have had NO time for my dear little blog as of late. So sad! I like it here so much.

Anyway, this is mostly the update to tell you that the real update is coming. This weekend was incredibly productive, not to mention FUN! I went to a party, threw a party, and hosted a party; amazing much?! Anyway, I want to properly post about what has been happening with me lately, with photos, so you will have have to wait ONE MORE day. I'm going to draft up a post tomorrow and hopefully have it up by dinner time.

This is just to say that I haven't forgotten about you, dearest blog. I miss you the most and think about you lots. I just need to do other things right now. Like...sleep. xxoo

Hey friends. Sorry for the lack of bloggtastic updates; life kind of got really crazy all at once. With what, you ask?

• Social fun - my dance card has been FULL. I am not complaining at all. I love my friends and getting to see more of them with higher frequency is a blessing. I just need to explain that to my laundry *glances at overflowing hamper*
• Professional Development - that's right, I'm getting out there and learning! I have done two weeks of workshops with Ladies Learning Code. They are great, albeit very introductory classes, which I found I had actually self-taught myself all the material already. But, I still had access to some VERY smart, creative people who worked with me and helped me improve my (not so mad) skillz. I've also had lots of fun book events this month, and more approaching!
• Personal ups and downs - As I'm sure you are aware if you have me on any social media platform, I found out last week that my apartment is being swallowed up by my landlords and spat back out as a single family home. I was given until May 1st to move, which is LOTS of time, but still - apartment hunting is stressful, especially in Toronto. And I was just starting to get into the home-vibe of this place. Ah well. Such is life! I found a new place thanks to an AMAZING friend, and I am really pumped to RESTART creating a home there. I know I say that with sarcasm, but in truth, I am excited to start there. The home reminds me a lot of my grandmother's house in some ways, and my parents house in others. It has a great "home" vibe to it. Plus, I will get to paint it to my own specifications and settle in with grown up furniture and all that. Woot. I just have to move. That was the 'down'. On the 'up' side of things, I am disgustingly happy these days. It is kind of nice. 
• Heatlh ickies - just when I thought I was able to start running again, I had a flare up of an old health issue. Nothing major, but definitely want to keep on eye on it. I think I may seriously consider some lighter, less cardio-activity in the interim. I have always loved yoga, so I may just start going more regularly. I also want to make sure that I am well for rock climbing next month. Just something else on my plate though. 
• 30x30 goals - no no, I haven't forgotten about all these things. I have totally dropped like, ALL the balls though. I need to step it up, but in order to do that, I need a whole weekend to myself, with NO distractions. So March. I am going to get shit together in March? Ugh. I am still doing stuff though - reading family books, planning from-scratch month, NEED THAT SEWING MACHINE! The knitting project is on the way (I have half a mind to say "screw it" and count my scarf as the thing I can wear.) And I am going to a poetry reading next week, so that will be something. Slowly slowly! 

That is all. I am exhauta-tired and not going to post any pictures tonight. To make up for this, I will do a picture post at the end of the week of all kinds of fun things. 

One last thing: Should I buy a TV? I'm undecided. Advice would be appreciated. 

For SERIOUS?!

Ya know how sometimes when life is ticking away at an awesome pace, things are all going your way, and you are RIDONKULOUSLY happy to boot? And then the universe takes note and is all "hrmmm...this can't go on forever, time to be an asshat!" Yeah, well, cue that in my world this week.

I have to move :(

My landlords are converting the house back into a single family home and I have until May-ish to GTFO.

It isn't the end of the world - I was considering moving sometime soon anyway, and things weren't PERFECT here, but I really wanted to move at my own speed and not on someone else's schedule. That is the annoying part. Add to it the unknowns in life: what will I be doing job-wise at the end of April? Where in the city should I be? Should I stay in Toronto or head out somewhere else until August? But then I also WANT to be in Toronto, not elsewhere. AHHH. My mind has slowly been freaking out.

The good side of all of this is that I don't have to leave NOW. I can take my time, keep my eyes out for the right place; in my price range, all the things I want in an apartment, good 'hood, etc. Maybe I can even get a place that will eventually be dog friendly (!!!!!!)

Not much else to share in other news. On here.

CURSES!

So I was all excited* to go to my poetry reading last night and get #24 crossed off the list, finally. I had picked a fun sounding poetry event and was on my way to it all alone (shockingly none of my friends wanted to spend their Saturday night listening to poetry); I even forced down a disco-nap so that I would be all wide-eyed and bushy-tailed for it!

Then this happened:

DUB. TEE. EFF. 

SO no poetry for me last night and #23 remains un-crossed off. 

Everything else seems to be going pretty well though! I'm spending part of my afternoon today mapping out a schedule for From-Scratch month, which I will post for your view pleasure asap. I also plan on mapping out a schedule for the quilt I want to make, so that I can get started on that asap. 

Random question: Does anyone out there in internet land know of any good free/cheap online language tutoring or something like that? I was looking through my photos this morning and found this gem from Dec:

After emailing a couple Mandarin tutors last month, I haven't really done anything more on that one. I also need to really go to more shows - I miss my show-buddy! (You know who you are...). I really want to tick off a few of these...it is a much easier list to tackle that the monster I have on this site. Plus: trampolines!!! LASER TAG!!!! Why didn't I put shit like this on my 30x30?!

Okay kids, I'm off to the AGO today. Win!

*I wasn't excited at all. I was tired and just want to go home. But I went!

Planning my Trip

That's right. I've decided to take this beast by the horns and just turn three goals into one massive (sort of illogical) road trip.

The way I see it, at the end of this internship the following will be true:

• I will have nothing that needs my attention job-wise until August. So 3+ months "free"
• I will have nothing tying me to Toronto; no school, no job commitment, and likely not even an apartment (since I am thinking I will just give this place up rather than try to sublet it). 

So basically - lots of time, little money. This is the PERFECT scenario to just rough it on the road for a bit. I'm actually a little excited. The idea of a longer-term solo trip has been haunting me since I left China in 2007. When I was planning my return to Canada, you see, I had planned a huge train trip that would take me through China, Mongolia, Siberia, Russia, and Europe. I had the WHOLE THING planned to the smalled detail. Then my employer screwed me over and I couldn't afford to do it. This is my moment to live that trip! 

So my planned route has me on the bus. Not ideal, but hey - I have done rougher traveling before in my life (the hard-seat-overnight train in Thailand comes immediately to mind). The plan is as follows:

• Toronto - Calgary: This looks like it will be my first stop since this is the first place on the schedule where I know someone. Good enough for me
• Calgary - Vancouver: I would stay in Van for a couple of weeks. My youngest sister is out there,  my oldest friend, and some other friends I have from undergrad. It would be great to see all of them (and try to spread out the sleeping on various couches, haha)
• Vancouver - Chicago: I'm tempted to stop somewhere along this route too, but I'm not sure where exactly. May need to do some more research. Chicago would be a 2-3 day stay. Hopefully I could couchsurf there. 
• Chicago - Boston: Again, 2-3 days in Boston 
• Boston - Hali

OR 

• Chicago - Atlanta
• Atlanta - Boston
• Boston - Hali

It all depends on how much I can save! Over all, I think I would need around $1000 for the bus tickets, plus room and board and some spending money, so let's call it $2500 max. I am planning the timeline with my departure on June 3, meaning that I will have a month and a half to work and save (and not pay rent, since it will be my last month and I paid that when I moved in). 

On paper, it looks doable! 

Of course, this all depends on a LOT of things: I need to have that time as free (who knows - MAAAYYYYBE I will get a job! Stop laughing, all you people in publishing!) I also need to be able to save that amount of money, meaning I need to find temporary work. 

I'm certainly not setting things in stone, but it is looking good so far. Planning calms me when I get all frazzled about this. 

Any suggestions? Ideas? Helpful tips? Share!

Needing to DO something

I kind of wish that more of my 30 goals were things that I could check off. There is a real satisfaction in crossing things off of that massive list, and a real sense of stagnation that comes when you're not. Sure, I'm DOING stuff - I'm knitting, and the quilting project will soon begin (I have no monies, it is hard to get supplies without them). But I haven't had the satisfaction of finishing something in a while.

So, when I can't DO, I plan.

I've decided to schedule "rock climbing month" in for March. I rock climbed for a year back in 2006-2007 when I was in China, but haven't gone ONCE since returning to Canada (sad!) I always loved it though and found it to be the perfect "sport" for non-athletic me. The reason for the HUGE delay - I's poor. But I will be going here: $35 for the first lesson and then $135 for my 10 times-pass. Sold!

Also, I am one poetry reading away from completing #24. So I am going this month. Let's Google one right now, shall we?

Um...AMAZING GOOGLE FIND. Toronto Poet Laureate George Elliot Clarke will be preforming at the Drake Hotel Underground on January 26. FIVE DOLLARS. In.

I also need to do some planning for "Make-it-from-scratch" month, but I feel like doing that while poor might actually be beneficial. Maybe April? It will require a lot of planning. Also, a conversation today/yesterday regarding garbage and waste brought back all my Masters research, and I'm inspired to start trying to live in more zero-waste-y ways. Those of you who knew me then can likely recall the enthusiasm I had regarding garbage-resource stuff.* We shall see!

I am also getting terrified of not getting to do the trips. Mostly because I have ZERO money. Damn unpaid-ness of this internship! But I also will have 3 months with nothing to "do" at the end of it, so maybe I could go then? Work for 2 weeks and then just bum my way to Chicago and Boston and...Vancouver? The country is huge and that is awesome but really makes traveling expensive...anyway. If there is someone out there reading this and has access to cheap airplane tickets or wants to lend me their car for a weekend, I will love you for all of time. :D

In real-life updates, I had a delightful weekend that involved a soup exchange (exactly what it sounds like) and a book club and a nice brunch with some friends. I was SUPPOSED to hang out in a yurt tonight, but then I got all icky feeling and tired and thought that it may be best to have relaxed-yurt-hangouts, as opposed to "I don't wanna be in this yurt" yurt hangouts. Luckily my yurt-buddy was understanding and wonderful.

It was one of those weekend where you feel so content just by being in the presence of awesome people. So to those of you I saw: Thanks for being awesome. And to those of you I didn't: We should be awesome together soon, please.

In the exciting world of interning, I mostly have discovered that sitting at a desk all day HURTS. Sure babies were heavy and that hurt too, but my body is all pissy over not getting to, you know, move for hours at a time. As a result, I may brave the cold and start winter-running again. I'm getting all pudgy around the middle from the combined "cookies at my desk" and "sitting at my desk" evils. No likey.

Aside from that, it continues to be pretty awesome!

Hope all in well in your corners of the world!

*Fun Carrie-fact: while doing my Masters degree I was part of a waste-research student club. We would get together and share our various waste-oriented research. It. Was. Awesome. (We also called ourselves "York Gets Wasted"). I also got permission to do a ride-along with a private garbage collector for CREDIT during the garbage strike, but it ended before I could make the arrangements. I was REALLY sad. I may be opening a can of worms (Which I would then use for an under-the-sink compost)