Itching to Travel

A few people I know have recently gone travelling and the pictures from their trips are making me want to do some travelling of my own. Dave and I were planning on going to Montreal for a weekend which would have satistified my itch for a few more months but I now have to go out of the city for work purposes (and therefore does not fall under travelling for fun) so our plans have been delayed. It is looking like we will be able to go sometime near the end of February but we kind of have to keep playing the waiting game as my workload appears to be quite heavy then and taking a couple days off to travel may not be the greatest idea.
I do however know that there is the annual Lake Erie cottage trip in August, which will of course be super-duper fun but it seems so far away right now. We also want to travel to Nova Scotia/Maritimes this summer to visit his Aunt and our friend and generally have fun of course. But again that seems very far from now.
Weekend trips are probably my best bet right now, like Montreal, Quebec City and Vegas (yes I am including this in the category of weekend trips).
I think I really just need some photography opportunities as that seems to be one of my favourite parts of travelling - especially since the photo editing opportunites after the trip are vast.

Skating with Cider

Dave, Chris and I went skating on the canal last night and had a really great time. We went from Bronson/Dow's lake up to Bank street and back and I managed to only fall once (and was able to get back up quite easily). I am sore today but feeling good about finally getting out on the ice.

After we had finished skating we had BeaverTails and I had a hot apple cider. The latter brought back great memories of making and drinking hot apple cider with my dad when I was little. It was so warm and comforting - definitely one of the best things I have drank in ages.

Out of Town

I found out yesterday that I will be heading out of town for my first non-Ottawa field work. DST often has out of town jobs as we have many offices around Ontario (Thunder Bay, Kenora, Sudbury, Dryden, Kingston, obviously Ottawa) as well as in Edmonton, Alberta and so far I haven't participated in any of those jobs. It wasn't until recently that I worked on a large-scale project and I guess I really showed my worth as I was requested to do the on-site organizational component of this job. I will be heading to Petawawa (CFB) for up to two weeks (week of Jan. 9 and Jan. 16). I will be coming back for the weekend though which is nice since it is Valentines' Day then. I don't really know what my job is while on-site or what to expect - or really anything about the job in general, but I am hoping it goes smoothly and I fair well during the project. I am sure I will post more about my out of town work soon enough.

Co-Worker

I have a new co-worker - his name is Dave. That's right I am officially working with my boyfriend. So far I really like it. I have someone to hang out with when it is slow and eat lunch with as I am currently not cool enough to eat with the other juniors in the office. Dave will be working here until at least the end of March, possibly longer if the company has enough work coming in. It is not entirely in his field but it should help his resume. If not, well at least it is a paycheque - and more time with me, which I enjoy.

Half Decade

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 marked five (5) years for Dave and I. That's right, we have been together for five whole years. It is remarkable really.

But the other day when talking to Chris about what we did, I essentially stated that we did nothing, which is more or less true. We ordered some Chinese Food and watched TV and movies all night - the same thing we do every night (well eat dinner and watch TV/movies all night). We didn't do anything grand or out of the normal - nothing really to celebrate at all. It wasn't because neither of us remembered, or because we didn't care, more like it doesn't feel like it had been 5 years - nor has it been hard.

Dave and I mesh together quite well - we have similar likes and dislikes and for the most part have similar opinions on the things that really matter. We are both homebodies and therefore it doesn't bother him that I enjoy sitting around the house, nor me that he enjoys playing video games for hours on end. I believe we compliment each other nicely, though no direct example comes to mind at the moment. For these reasons, and so many more, the last 5 years have been pleasant and the relationship has been smooth - it just happens and it does so nicely.

I wanted to do something sweet for him here - but alas, I have not been creative enough the last few days to think of anything worthy of his amazing-ness. I love him so much and don't want to think of a life without him in it. So I will reference a really old post that was about him.

Winter Anxiety

It is freaking freezing here in Ottawa and the snow just keeps coming. I normally don't dread winter or wish that it would end, but this year is different - I can't wait for Spring to come to the city. The cold weather, frigid wind and copious amounts of snow have lead to a very unhappy car.

It mutters mean things when it starts in the morning and has to sit around for 10-15 minutes before it can be driven nicely. It has no snow tires and therefore can't grip anything. If more than 5cm of snow falls overnight, I get anxious about whether or not the car will behave properly on the roads. It is even worse if I have to go to a site for work as they are usually construction sites and have no regular snow removal in place.

I can't wait for Spring 2009.

Perpetual Learner

The dictionary defines the word perpetual as "a feeling, state or quality that never ends or changes". Earlier this evening my Aunt told me that I seemed to be a perpetual learner and I begun to think about this comment.

I have been in school since I was 4 years old, about 20 years in total; 10 years in elementary school (8 years plus both junior and senior kindergarten), 5 years in high school (including OAC) and 4 and a half years in university (mind you I also took two summers worth of courses). I know that when I was not old enough to go to school I would pretend that I was going when my older brother went. I would try and suck as much information from him as I possibly could when he got home - I just couldn't get enough of it. Throughout my 20 years in school, I excelled. Not because I was inherently smart or anything like that, but because I enjoyed doing well. For the most part I enjoyed the schoolwork and what I was learning - though there were a few physics, thermodynamics and fluid courses in there I could have done without.

Now that I have officially graduated and completed the path that we are 'supposed' to take these days (elementary, secondary and post secondary) I have found that I am still hungry for information. I am done - and yet I continue. I have taken so far one term worth (one course) of photography courses at Algonquin College. I loved that first course. It ended mid-December and until today I was not taking any courses - I felt a little deprived. I have been lacking new information. I have come to the realization that I like to learn.

I have a hypothesis for this: I know how to learn. I have essentially been a professional student for about 20 years. I only started to work in the last 5 years of this time frame and even then, only for about 4 months at a time. At any significant point in my life I can pretty much guarantee that I was in school and was learning something. It is a staple in my life and in some weird way, I think it is a comfort.

My life post-graduation has been a little uncertain. I only recently became employed in my field and before this I was very stressed and generally concerned about never being able to find something. Throughout that time, I would surf the net and research certificate programs for different fields such as photography or web-design, etc. I would plan out the path I may or may not want to take to achieve the program requirements and try and figure out every aspect of that process (costing, timing, etc). It gave me some weird feeling of security to know that I could always go back to school. Perhaps this is why so many people get masters and PhDs in many areas - learning is enjoyable and comforting for them in a similar way that it is to me.

I am currently on the road to obtaining a Certificate in Digital Photography. I do not believe I will stop there - whether the future courses lead to more certificates or not, I do not know, but I believe I will keep trying to find new ways to learn.

Poll

So I have pretty much given up on coming up with some intriguing question for my poll so I am just going to put a nice light, easy one up in hopes that it will encourage my readers to participate a little more - not to mention the fact that 'new poll coming soon' has been bothering me for quite some time.

World's Longest Skating Rink

The Rideau Canal is officially opened - well part of it at least. A stretch of the canal from Pretoria Bridge to Bank Street is opened but deemed to have poor ice conditions so far. I am excited for the canal as previously stated (in another post) I bought myself new skates that shouldn't make my feet cry two seconds after they go on.

Chris is an avid user of the canal and I intend to finally take her up on her many offers to go skating. I also have to attempt to teach Dave how to skate as he never really learned when he was younger. Mind you I don't really know how to skate all that well either and I don't know how good I will be for Dave as I have figure skates and always have and therefore don't really know how to skate without the picks as I use them to stop and turn and pretty much everything else.

Dave's sister, Jess, is also supposed to come up on her reading week (in February I believe) and hopefully my old skates will fit her and she can come out with us on the ice too. The three of us will be quite funny looking as none of us are that great of skaters but it will be lots of fun.

I am hoping to have some fun, get some good exercise in and of course some wonderful photographs.

For more information and ice conditions check out this website as well as the hotline (613-239-5234).

Wishlist Part II

An update to my impromptu wish list I made just before Christmas.

1. macro lens (Nikon/Nikkor 60mm) - going to wait until warmer weather to purchase
2. tripod (with fully rotatable head) - got a gift card to Henry's and will probably put it towards this
3. battery grip (for Nikon d80) - going to get from eBay later this month
4. muffin top tin (non silicone) - didn't get but don't really need anyway
5. toaster oven (convection, multiple functions, sleek looking and large enough to hold multiple little pizzas) - bought myself one on Boxing Day
6. WoW expansion - received from Tyler - yay!
7. Kitchenaid utensils and/or appliances - received from Jesss - yay!
8. Looney Spoons cookbook - received photocopies of some recipes from Jess
9. Crazy Plates cookbook - received photocopies of some recipes from Jess
10. sweaters for work - bought myself two right before xmas
11. socks - got several adorable pairs
12. DVD player - bought myself one on Boxing Day and then another later on (with HDMI capabilities)

So essentially I got what I wanted and much more.

People seemed to enjoy the gifts I gave them this year and I hope they make good use of them. Still have two gifts to give out and hopefully they will like them too.

Ringing in the New Year

As compared to how most people ring in the New Year, Dave and I are losers. Others spend the night at bars or pubs, at parties with friends and families or with strangers even - meeting new people and just socializing in general. We spent the night at home watching movies, playing games and generally hanging out. Neither of us are a big fan of large crowds or swarms of people, which are both inevitable anywhere you go on New Year's Eve. I did enjoy the night though.
I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve however you spent it. Happy New Year.!!