Communication Creation

I don't know if anyone is aware, but I had a very cruddy, old, falling-apart phone. I say had, because in September, this phone was lost during a game of Mission Imposible at me school, in the dark. It was never seen again. Good riddance.

I had tried with a certain unnamed phone/whatnot providing company to get a phone—in early October. I paid for it, I ordered it, I waited.

Long story very short: the order was cancelled by the company, Mahara was frustrated, and swore not to use them again.

Today, however, I have now ordered the exact same phone, directly from Apple, and have a shipment date ready. I have ordered a SIM card from a phone provider, and will not be signing a contract—I will be doing the pay-as-you-go system (because contracts scare me), and will have a phone in approximately two weeks.

Three cheers for communication!

Cargon: New Book Soon!

I got an update from Goodreads to day, linking to this article. As you might recall, some time ago, I wrote a post about the first installment in the Cargon series. You might also recall that I loved it, quite a bit. In fact, I think the correct term is I  gushed about it.

In case you didn't click through to the article/post by Kimberly Gould (tsk, tsk, lazy!), here's the sum-up: the new book is basically ready for production! That means, by Holiday Season, Ms. Gould is expecting the book to be finished, or at the very latest, January-ish. (Anyone that reads this and feels the odd compulsion to get me a New Years/Thinking Of You gift [my favourite {only} kinds!], this would be the time to read 'Hint, hint!!')

Now that my shameless not hinting is done, let me tell you what I hope for the new book:

Aloha

I'm so very tired tonight…my last night in Hawaii. What a trip! I've gotten lost in the US, I've been to so many touristy places (Byodo-In Temple, Iolani Palace, Polynesian Cultural Centre, Waikiki, Maui Divers Jewellery, Kualoa Ranch (twice!), Pele's Chair, Waimea Valley, and I'm sure there's more I can't remember).

I've done the luau, the hula show(s), the SUP, the surfing.
I've done beach, rock, walking through forest.
I've swam through currents, waves, ocean, river, waterfall, jacuzzi.
I've walked over roads, sand, grass, dirt, wood-chips, rocks.
I've been sunburned horridly, gotten better, worse again.
I've driven on country road, city road, freeway.
I've bought food, jewellery (custom!), hats.
I've been woken by rooster, rain, chirping, mother.

I've had an amazing time.

Brilliant

Wow.

Today was such a busy day, I don't even know where to start—but the end will work. While driving home from class/training tonight, I had one of the best conversations I'd had in a long time. Damn, I've missed talking to people. Face-to-face is even better than with a camera!

My Famine starts tomorrow…let's hear it for awareness!

Sun-shiney-day

What a day!
I've made my anniversary gift for my SixAwesomeCanadian friends, with lots of help from a few of them. The first post went up today, and I'm so excited! As of midnight tonight, it's officially our anniversary.

To any 6AC that is reading this…I love you, and I miss you. We should talk more!

Also, my fellow 6AC member and I 'lightened' our hair today with honey and conditioner. So far no drastic results, but we'll see. My hair still has to dry completely. I'm really looking forward to this!

Anything else…? Oh yeah, I did some English homework today. I have math, too, but I'll do that in my spare block tomorrow, before class.

What do you do when you have stuff to do, but have prioritized it away?

Fabulousity

Today when I left the house, I was greeted by the most amazing thing: Birds chirping! It made me feel like it really was spring—fabulous! As long as I still get my snow day on the twelfth (I no wanna write Social Essay!), this weather can keep up until April! Aaaah, wouldn't that be lovely…!

The whole day's been pretty awesome, all in all. Sure, the wind was enough to make me skate to work, and my legs are sore from bowling yesterday (how does that even work?), but I feel amazing.

I got an afternoon workout in today, something I rarely have the energy for yet today, I was determined to do so…and I did. I even got my awesome hula hoop, weighted for maximum skinny-down potential, and the colours (which were left a surprise) are great!

I spent my spare period talking about novels, and how our Social curriculum is blatant propaganda, and bought sandwich fixings for the week.

Work, though long, was nice and low key, and the kids were great.

I even made it to sewing club, and finally finished the pattern for that shirt I've been working on. It's going to be so cool! Tomorrow, after I check that the other pattern is still viable, I can start cutting the shirts out. (About a month ago, I found this awesome fabric, and had to buy it—at $3.00/metre, I couldn't go wrong. I bought all 3.3m of it!)

Today was amazing! Here's to great days and better tomorrows.

What did the best day this year look like for you so far?

Resolution

Well, welcome to the New Year! There's a few superstitions about this one, as there are with every year, and I suppose they'll all be proved or disproved by this time next year. 

As a member of the 'Y2K' grad class, I'm pretty excited, and stressed. My first exam is in two hundred ninety-six hours and thirty minutes, give or take. And this is a biggie—an official Alberta Diploma exam. I have my disputes with the exam system, as most people around here do, but it's too late for me to change it in time for me to wiggle free. Ah, well. It'll be interesting, that's for sure!

My real reason for typing this post at 0130, January first: I pledge to blog every day, excepting extreme circumstances, for the next three hundred sixty-six days. The next year. No minimum word/letter/sentence count, and no horsefeathers. 

Are you ready? I hope I am, because I shall have to be. As a close, here's the last set of photos taken of me in 2011—the henna I had done on the twenty-second.

And the first this year. Happy and successful Year, everyone.

Need-To-Know Basis

So I haven't written anything in ages—I've been 'busy.' Watching Bones. So far I'm done up to Season Four, Episode Ten. One and a half seasons left until I'm done all that Netflix has to offer! I have to say, I love this show. Zack Addy is one of my favourites, and so is Brennan, of course. I love her wardrobe…! Plus the music on the show is fantastically perfect for me. So, I'm using my baby blanket as an excuse to sit in front of the computer for hours, 'embroidering' and watching TV.

The real reason I got spurred to write today, though…slightly odder.

I'm the sort of person that always has to know. Tell me to do something, first thing I'll ask is 'Why?' It's not me being offensive, or insubordinate (mostly!), I simply need to know. I don't trust  without proof, I suppose.

So, more to the point of the story—I received a Secret Santa this year for the holiday I don't celebrate. (Atheist!) It was apparently put into the backyard, by the back door. So, it's someone that knows me, where I live…and was present for or around a certain conversation I had about a month ago.

During my November Book Club, I talked with someone about our local holiday festival, and what she had purchased for the silent auction to bid on. It was a 2012 Holiday Barbie, and I mentioned that (despite how much I disagree with Barbie now that I can actually look at evidence) I had always wanted one, with the pretty dress and fancy presentation.

So, today I unwrapped the mystery gift…and it was a 2012 Holiday Barbie, with these tags.

To Mahara from Santa.

Dear Mahara—Santa says "once in a lifetime" —Wishing you a wonderful Christmas—Santa

The thing is, I don't recognize the writing. I thought it might be my 'Mom,' but it's not hers. And it's not my mother's writing, either. Not her ex's, not the kids', not anyone I know. 

The weird thing? The signature on the small tag is almost exactly like the ones I remember from the 'Santa' letters that used to be left at our house after 'he' visited. So…I don't know. The writing doesn't look forced to me, like someone's trying to mask their patterns. It looks genuine.

One thing is for sure, it's genuinely confusing!

What's the most surprising, and pleasant, gift you've received? How did you react?

Deck The STRESS With Boughs Of HEAD-DESK!

Today, the only thing that's really sticking out for me is how much I hate this time of year. Rather, I hate the stress that permeates it. The whole 'feel good, peace love and joy' stuff is great, but throw on some 'I've got to find gifts!' to some 'When does this need to be shipped by—yesterday?!' and a dash of 'Now I have to have "family time!"' and it sucks.

I honestly can say that my favourite part of the season is after the big holiday (that I don't even celebrate!) and before New Year's Eve. I can do New Year's, though usually with a very dear friend/cousin/sister/mind-mate of mine. (Unfortunately, seeing as neither of us are going to visit family down South, we won't get to have our holiday together, second year in a row!)

Other than New Year's, I'm really not into this whole holiday stuff. I shudder to think of how I'd incorporate that into child raising, should that be an option. Dear heavens, my child would be messed in the head!

What about you—what do, or don't, you celebrate? Why? How does your family act around that …occasion…?

Centurion

So I went to check my visitor stats today…I've had exactly one hundred visitors. Amazingly, to me, almost half of those visitors are from Russia…the Canada, then the US.

It was a bit odd for me. Also, I have to say I didn't expect this many people to read my blog—one oro two hits at most!

I really don't know where I'm going with this…but I wanted to celebrate!