mai

I've been sick I've been sick! I'm sorry for not being at blog in so long.

Some highlights from this month:

The marvelous Jamie Gilfoy made myself and Saint Basile sparkle with his presence. He arrived in a humongous Dodge van filled to the brim with loads more of my stuff that had been temporairly stored including my books and MY BED. That night, cradeled by my pillow top mattress, I had the first solid sleep since I moved here. The next morning... *ahem*... afternoon... we drove back to Halifax. Jamie drove the rental Dodge. I drove the Mazda I had been borrowing from Jamie's uncle. Jamie got to listen to stand-up comedy and a wide selection of trance (as well as hip hop, rock and anything in the universe really) music from his rental's satellite radio. I got to listen to ... static mostly... except once in Truro I could pick up two stations, both were new-age country. It didn't even make me cranky. I was too excited to be with Jamie and to be on my way to see my beloved city and friends.

I saw my two best friends get married. Words cannot describe how moving this was for me. I gave a lame speech. For days leading up to the event I was an emotional wreck and on the verge of tears (and the bride was so calm!). For days afterwards, I went over and over the night in my head. It was too much. It was just right.

The Maroon Mobile has been resurrected. Grumbling and smoking from the bowels of the yards of Jesus 2.0 (Jamie's cousin) guarded by the big-headed Hyrda (also known as Blue) the Maroon Mobile rolled out and was back for more. As a birthday present Jamie bestowed me with a second chance at owning a car, in the shape of a new engine. The engine was successfully transplanted and the car is running like an absolute dream. I may or may not have stealthily driven it from Halifax to Saint Basile without plates. Either way it's here and I love it.

I had my 27th birthday. My birthday consisted of me calling in sick to work. Sleeping all day and then driving to Fredericton in the evening. I had a training meeting the next morning. It was the worst birthday ever. NOT because of the training in Fredericton. That was very useful and helped to put my job in context. It was because of the sickness and the driving-ness combined with the sickness. Torture.

Fredericton. I spent less than 12 hours in this very clean city. I slept for 7 of them, got lost twice on my way to the meeting and blew my nose at least 200 times. I met an important technical services figure who's name I had only ever seen in emails, and I got a tour of the provincial office (the provincial public library office). The office was just as I had expected, but the important library figure was the complete opposite of what I had imagined, which was a huge relief actually.

I experienced pink-eye. I always wondered what it would be like. I had a bad sinus cold and was coughing up a whole lot of (insert French accent) "material" . On day three of the cold I wiped my eye and felt some of said "material" come out on to my finger. It was quite disturbing. Under duress (the duress from my concerned boyfriend) I went to the walk in clinic and haltingly explained that some junk was coming out of my eye. The doctor told me I had "conjunctive" to which I replied "grooosssss." Apparently I also had an ear infection. I am much better now and can actually taste food again. Which is wonderful. I was taking it for granted before. I know I will do so again, but for now, there is nothing quite so palatable as a hummus pita with brie and red pepper.

I am learning about how to correct serial catalogue records in WorkFlows (referred to by some as Sirsidynix, or Unicorn, or Symphony, yah it's confusing). P (one of my bosses) was lamenting over the serial predictions for "Women Weekly." He just can't seem to come up with the correct predictions for when the next issues of Women Weekly are set to arrive at the various branches. The issues are supposed to arrive every three weeks, but every month or more librarians are contacting him to complain that so-and-so arrived to soon, or so-and-so arrived late. I hope you all can see the humour in this situation. Get it? WOMEN WEEKLY? I finally had to point it out to P. I don't know if this counts as office sexual harassment or not.

Maybe the above was librarian humour and it's not funny at all. Oh well. I had a good laugh anyways.

There are hummingbirds all over the place in the back fields. I have never seen so many hummingbirds, mostly Ruby Throated, whizzing around like miniature helicopters. I need to take pictures of this phenomenon and of this place in general. You all must be wondering what everything looks like anyways. I will post some, soon, promise.

Nice talking to you! Good night for now.