I have moved!

Hello there!

I have moved blog sites. So, if you are looking for my words of wisdom, they won't be here. But you can view them just as easily here:

http://etgrowup.tumblr.com/post/10093765107/welcome-again

So, check it out!

The Art of Subway Orders

Hello all!

So, I went to Subway the other day to get a sub to eat. Obviously.

My sister was with me and when we were walking home after getting our subs, we started talking about our method of choosing our fillers. You may scratch your head and say why would you ever need a method to order a sub?

Well, my friends, it is an art form to get the perfect sub. Let me explain.

I only put four things in my sub. And so since I don't have that much, I try as much of the four as possible. So, my method is to say cucumbers...(wait till they are almost done their row)...pickles...(wait until they are almost done their row)...lettuce...and so on. My theory is that if I say them slowly they will finish each row more thoroughly.

I tested out another method as suggested by my sister. I said all four toppings at once and said that's all. She thought that if they knew I only had four toppings that they would put more of each on. And that theory is wrong! It more or less confused them by telling them so many things at once.

So, I will stick with my original way of ordering. I like to consider myself a pro because I had subs like they were going out business in first year university.

After reading this, are you like "Erica, I am going to stop reading your blog cause you're an idiot." or do you have art form when ordering your sub? Please share.

Elevators

Hello all!

So, I currently reside in a high rise condo building. And there are many older folks in my building. And no, I do not live in a retirement building, in case that's what you are thinking...

So, there are about 20 floors in this building and we have two elevators to service all 20 floors. Usually, its not a huge issues but when one elevator is out, you really notice that it only has two elevators.

But I have noticed a very humourous situation when it comes to waiting for elevators. People love to think that they have an immense amount of control when it comes to elevator buttons. I was waiting for the elevator with this older lady and both elevators were hanging around the 18th floor. This lady incessantly kept pressing the up button. I think she thought that the elevator just didn't know that people were waiting on the ground. That if she kept pressing that button, the elevator would just immediately race down to the ground and pick her up.

I don't know what it is about pressing buttons that makes us think we have some control. I heard on Ellen one time that if you press the door close button at the same time you press your floor button that it will go directly to your floor bypassing all other floors. I tried that and Ellen lied. It doesn't work.

Next time you are near an elevator watch what people do when they are waiting. I bet you that at least one person will press the button more than once hoping to control the elevator.

Do you?

Filters of the Mind

Hello everyone!

I come to you from my wee little cubicle on the edge of Scarborough. And in case you think I am not doing work - that is false. My video is rendering. And if you don't know what that means...look it up.

So, the office I work in, falls a little on the side of being conservative. Though, there are no doubt wildcards. But in the name of office unity, we all put on the facade of being "conservative". Some perhaps more than others...

But alas, through this new office environment, I have learned more than ever that I must really think before speaking. My filter is on high alert when I enter the doors of my office. I am careful what I say, what I talk about and I learn to close my mouth when taboo subjects come up. It is like a brand new me!

Though, I must say, as much as most are quite conservative, these are the loveliest people I have ever worked with. Even though, I may not talk about Bachelor Pad (which I have yet to decide whether to watch or not... you may advise if you like...), I can still find many other worthy conversation topics. Probably better than Bachelor Pad. In fact, most definitely.

But alas, my filter is on most securely between the hours of 8:30-5:00pm, except for short periods of time when I speak to certain individuals. You know who you are.

"I Believe You Have My Stapler?"

Hello all!

My apologies for the long wait. But lots has happened since the last post. First of all, I got a job! It is my first time into the culture of the office.

So, I have watched "The Office" since the beginning but nothing could have prepared for the life of working in an office. I have been conditioned to factory/warehouse life for so long that its hard to adjust to office life.

Let me explain - in factories and warehouses you have the same break and lunch everyday. There is no flexibility in this whatsoever. In an office, I can take a break whenever I want and lunch whenever I want. So weird.

And then there is the whole concept of always being busy. I had to curb my all consuming fear that my supervisor would walk by and "catch" me talking to somebody for 1 minute. In one factory I worked at, you could not talk or listen to the radio. It was like boot camp. So, now I can relax and talk for a bit with my co-workers and not worry that I will get my head cut off if I do.

And finally, another big difference is the lack of a broom in my hand. Whenever I had nothing really to do, the rule of thumb was to pick up a broom and sweep. Perhaps the cleaner in the office might appreciate me not curbing that tendency.

I am sure I will have more stories about working in an office but for now, this is my intro to the office culture.

Question - I will give you an invisible handshake if you can tell me where that quote is from for my blog title.

Always Look Before Crossing

Hello All!

So, as most of you know, I have recently returned to Ontario from Alberta. The transition has come fairly naturally except for one event that should be as natural as showering.

Crossing the road.

As far back as I can remember, I can remember being told "always look before crossing the street!" And I did all the time. When I was crossing the street I would make sure those turning right were stopping or those turning left saw me crossing.

But I was a wee bit spoiled in the land of Alberta. You see, in Alberta, one merely needs to stand at the edge of a road and the cars will stop for the pedestrians. This happened on time for me when I was not even at a crosswalk.

But if there are white lines on the road indicating a pedestrian crosswalk, those cars will stop without any hesitation. When I first arrived in Edmonton, I was hesitant to cross without using any form of lighting signal. But when I was at a crosswalk, a fella who was approaching the crosswalk barely slowed his pace before stepping out onto the road. But sure enough, the cars stopped creating a Red Sea effect on a busy Edmonton road. I scurried on through behind him before the cars smelled my Ontario blood.

So, alas, here I am back in Ontario and having had that pedestrian power for so long, it is difficult to give back my power to the cars in Toronto. I have to remember to always watch the cars and make sure they will indeed stop for me. There is no longer a luxury of expecting cars to stop but merely attempting to dodge them and avoid getting honked at.

It makes me wonder why in Alberta, cars hold a certain amount of respect for the pedestrian while in Toronto, there is very little respect. Some might say that it ties in with busy, snobby stereotype while Alberta has old western values. Who knows.

But all I can say, is you best be careful when crossing those Toronto roads!

I say Angry Birds, you say...

Hello all!

I am now writing this back in lovely Ontario. My first day back, I made certain to make it to the lake and sit there for a bit with a friend! And it was glorious. Oh, how I have missed water.

Anyway, I recently purchased an iPod Touch and have been slowly figuring out all its features. This morning I discovered the Voice Control. Now, this is the oldest joke in the book ever since those automated voice services because they inevitably give you the opposite of what you want.

But, I was curious if it would open up games I had on my iTouch so in a clear voice, I said "An-gry Bi-rd-s". And the voice said back to me, "Playing Recovery". Which is an Eminem album. I laughed at that and said, yeah, I suppose Eminem is a bit of an angry bird.

It makes me wonder how they program that voice control. Like if I said Jesus, I wonder which worship artist it would go to. Curious investigations that I might just partake in this week.

Hope you all are doing well!

A Prayer for Transition

Hello all!

So, this post will draw a more serious tone but I wanted to share something with you. I was introduced to this great book called Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Common Radicals. It basically includes daily morning/evening prayers, special event prayers, etc. I have included it in my daily morning routine and it is amazing to know that there may be many other people around the world praying the same prayer.

As I posted before, I said that I am moving back to Toronto after being in Edmonton for 6 months. As with every transition, there is a certain level of anxiety and fear. But it is with those times that I experience a more heightened level of intimacy with God. I wish it didn't take times like these for me to be more intimate with God but alas, I am learning.

As I was thinking about moving back to Toronto this past weekend, I went to my book of Common Prayer and reread my favourite prayer for transitions. I would like to share it with you and also include a link to a song by Chris Tomlin that has also been an incredible song to sing very loudly and out of tune in my bedroom alone! (I highly recommend that). So, here you go. I hope if you are going through a transition or a tough time that you will find solace in the words in the prayer and the song.

"Lord, help me now to unclutter my life, to organize myself in the directions of simplicity. Lord, teach me to listen to my heart; teach me to welcome change instead of fearing it. Lord, I give you these stirrings inside me. I give you my discontent. I give you my restlessness. I give you my doubt. I give you my despair. I give you all the longings I hold inside. Help me to listen to these signs of change, of growth; help me to listen seriously and follow where they lead through the breathtaking empty space of an open door."

Faithful - Chris Tomlin

Free Ride?

Hello all,

So, I have been working super early this week. On Monday I started at 5am and then for the rest of the week at 7am. Except this morning, I started at 6am. So, I had to walk about 15-20 minutes to get to my bus because the bus near my house doesn't run that early.

So, it was a rainy day today and I was just exhausted from the long days this week. Having to get up at 4 am and walking in the rain didn't help either. Anyway, I get to the bus depot and wait for my bus to arrive at 5:30am. As I wait I put my bus ticket in my pocket so its ready to be given to the bus driver.

So, the bus arrives but the sign on the bus is wrong. So, as I step onto the bus, I ask the driver if this is the number 7 which he says yes. So, I walk towards the back of the bus and sit down. I sip my coffee trying to get the caffeine in my system and stare blankly into space.

Halfway to work, I reach in my pocket to get my phone and I feel a piece a paper. It is at that point that I realize that I did not pay for my ride. So, here I am left with a decision. I can either:

a) go to the front of the bus and give the bus driver my ticket

b) forget about it

I chose option b. I felt like God was frowning down on me. But come on a free ride on the bus? I squared it off in my mind later in the day when I remembered the time that I lost a bus ticket in the wind. So, there we go - the transit system owed me. Right?

Maybe it was wrong. Maybe I just shouldn't take the bus at 5:30 in the morning. Who knows.

What would you have done? Honestly.

McGuinty got me again! Say what?

Oh dear. It happened again. I was watching TV this evening and as you all know, I am so excited to go back home to Ontario. And so, I was on CTV Toronto and this commercial came on. Basically, pumping up Ontario and saying what makes us different and just how great we are. And in my head I was like "YESSSSS. This is awesome. Ontario is awesome!" But then the final screen came up and it was produced by the Liberal Party of Ontario.

Come on, McGuinty! You are killing me. I mean, however many years ago it was that you got re-elected, I voted for you. You told me that you would give me money for textbooks and I replied, "Heck yes!" And then later I promised myself that I wouldn't fall for your gimmicks anymore.

So, please, McGuinty, please don't try to use the capital WE are Ontario. Because, really, after all the crap you put us through, do you think you are part of OUR Ontario?

But I do applaud the McGuinty's advertising crew because that was a fantastic commercial.

The Ontario Way - Check it out below.

Going Home

Hello there,

So, its official, I am leaving Edmonton and going back home to Toronto. And I have never been sooooo excited! But these last six months have been great. Edmonton is a fair city. Though, I have been accused of being an Ontario snob (or Toronto more specifically) and I don't deny it. Ontario is awesome. Toronto is a great city and I'm excited to get back there. Going to the Beaches, touring the Steam Whistle, walking at the Bluffs, driving on the gardiner in my favourite lane, and of course seeing friends and family whom I haven't seen in a while.

But knowing that home is so close, is almost killing me in the meantime! Especially because this week the Styles are in Ontario this week! So brutal. But alas, I am trying to be patient and waiting to finish out my time here.

Goodbye Alberta, Hello Ontario.

Tennis

Hello all!

Well, its that time of year again where I sit on my butt and watch hours of tennis. It is like an addiction. But only an addiction that happens four times a year. This addiction started about 3-4 years ago but I only faithfully watch the Grand Slams of tennis. The Australian Open (January), The French Open (end of May, beginning of June), Wimbledon (end of June, beginning of July) and finally the US Open (August).

These are the times of year that whoever I am living with will learn a lot about tennis. Right now, it is Paul and Jennie. I have overtaken their television and their living room. I quite literally come home from work, grab my laptop and a juice box and watch tennis till bed time. I also snack on chocolate covered almonds until I realize how many I've eaten and get up to get some actual dinner while then eating it in front of the TV.

I remember a couple of years ago when I was taking some spring classes. Laura was living with me at the time and Wimbledon was on (which is my favourite grand slam). She absolutely hated it because I was quite literally glued to the TV and she would yell at me to study or tell me she wanted to watch something other than tennis. You see the glorious thing about the grand slams is that you can pretty much turn on the TV anytime of the day and find it. But really, studying french or watching tennis? TENNIS, obviously.

So, here is my question for you. Studying french or tennis? Choose your own adventure.

People Get Ready (Rapture Edition)

Hello all,

So, as I'm sure you all know, God is coming back tomorrow night. The Bible guarantees it - at least according to Family Radio. I was at the mall today and as I as looking at some clothes, I overheard a little girl saying to her mother, "Mommy, the world is going to end tomorrow! I'm scared!" She kept repeating that the world was going to end and her mother hugged her and replied "Well even if it ends you won't even know it" I tried to suppress laughter but it was just such a comical situation. Many people have blogged about May 21st and given their opinions on the matter.

But I'm not here to do that. I'm here to give you a little gift.

A gift of song.

And before you get too excited that I wrote and recorded a song about the rapture (just ask my Wakil roommates how good I sound on tape with original songs). Instead I am giving a little kickback to the 90's. If you enjoy the old school Christian hits of the 90s you may know this song. But if you don't, this is the greatest gift you will ever receive (besides salvation of course...)

So, without further ado, I give you Crystal Lewis.

Please blast this song from your balcony/patio/car, wherever you are at 6:00pm May 21st and let your neighbours know what is going on.

You're welcome.

Guilty Pleasures of the Musical Kind

Hey Everyone!

OK, so I have been tossing around a couple of ideas. One was writing about small scarves and the judgements that I receive from wearing them.

SIDENOTE: A scarf is meant to warm one's neck, correct? Therefore, to wear a scarf that merely fits around your neck and leaves a little tail is doing what a scarf is meant to do.

OK, sidenote done. Onto the post, that I decided to write about. So, via my Visa card, I gain points and then can get sweet gift cards for various places. This time I decided to go crazy and get an iTunes gift card. So, I am very strategic in my buying on iTunes because oddly enough 25 bucks doesn't get you that far. So, I have been pondering my purchases for a few months (no joke... I'm a little weird when it comes to buying music and movies for that matter.)

So, there's this one album that I have considered buying for 2 years. Seriously. You see, back in my teen years, I was a Christian music junkie. If Lady Gaga was around back then, I probably wouldn't even know who she was. You ask me who Rebecca St. James was and I would look at you like you were stupid.

So, this is not a bash Christian music post because hey, if you put on an old Michael W. Smith album right now, I would be smiling ear to ear. But there is one man in Christian music who keeps me buying his cds to this day. And that guys' name is Mark Schultz. I can't help myself. I own all of his cds and the cd that I have been circulating for 2 years was his latest offering, Come Alive. So, here I am two years later listening to his album on repeat. I put it on my iPod and listened to it as I fell asleep and I quite literally had a smile on my face.

Mark is my guilty pleasure cause I am pretty sure if I went to his concert I would be the youngest person (let's just cancel out the homeschoolers) there!

And if you have no idea who this fella is, here's a little taste.

So, here's the rules - I told you mine, now tell me yours.

Holy Mother's Day

Hello all!

My apologies for the long silence. But there is a reason for it.

Mother's Day.

You see, I work at a floral warehouse and this is one of the biggest days of the year. So, I have lived and breathed work the past few weeks. But in that time, I have begged the question - does everyone really buy their mother flowers on mother's day? I honestly don't remember ever doing that. We always did something different. One might say that we were too cheap.

I feel like buying flowers has been lost on my generation. But perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps I am just a scum bag who doesn't buy my mom a nice bouquet of flowers. So, here is my short little blog for this week - do you buy your mom flowers on mother's day? And if you are a mom - do you like to get flowers or would you rather have something else?

I will be back soon with a longer post! Cheerio.

"Bam" and laughter - when you really shouldn't

Hello all!

OK, so in case you didn't know - I LOVE to scare people. And even when it happens unintentionally, I laugh like a little school girl. Oh, how I laugh.

And one of those unintentional scares happened today at work. I had loaded up a wagon with a bunch of heavy boxes. And so in our cooler there are two separate rooms. To get to the other room you have to go through swing doors.

I saw one of my co-workers on the other side of the swing doors but didn't think much of it. So, I barge through the doors with the wagon leading the way and my co-worker jumps out of his skin. But he seems a little flustered and doesn't say anything about scaring him. So, my first instinct is to laugh so hard but I feel like it would be not nice to say that he was scared.

So, then becomes the near impossible task of not laughing. This always happened to me at night church when I a kid. I used to always want to burst out laughing at something my cousin or my sister would say. There's something that makes it worse when you know you can't burst out laughing.

So, I unload my cart facing the wall, smiling so big. Finally, I go back to the warehouse and freely chuckle to myself. Cause, well, scaring people is just that funny.

I still laugh to this day about a time that my two roomies, Laura and Melody, scared each other by accident in our basement apartment. It was seriously the funniest thing ever. If you'd like to hear that story - let me know I will tell you the humourous tale.

So, what's the best scare you've had or given? Or what's your tale of the forbidden laughter?

The Crazies Edition - My Experience with Pot

Hello All!

So, as you know, I am living in Edmonton currently. This city is full of interesting characters. I attribute it to the northern climate. You know, people go crazy with such long winters. And there are long winters and many crazies here as a result. It doesn't really matter what neighbourhood you live in either.

I would consider my neighbourhood to be pretty basic middle class type living. So, I was walking home from church on a Saturday evening. The sun was just setting so it was getting darker as I walked home. About 5 minutes from my house, I saw this man walking toward me. He was kinda walking funny and he had these huge rubber boots on with his jogging pants tucked into them. Under my breath, I was like "dear Jesus, please keep me safe." Then as I got closer he turned his back to me and had his feet spread apart. Then my heart started beating a little more. I was like what is he doing and how am I going to get around him? I got closer and closer and as just as I was about to pass him, he turned around and looked me right in the eye.

I thought he was smoking a cigarette but then I smelled the smoke and realized it definitely was not. Living at the house I did in University, I know the smell of pot so well. Eh, Keefer ladies? The people who lived above us, smoked it a lot.

And so, anyway, as I walked quickly past him, he said to me:

"Sorry about the pot smoke."

I mean what do you say to that? I didn't want to engage him in conversation so I said, "Oh, that's OK." And then he yelled after me, "You're welcome."

Most of the crazies here are pretty harmless but I must say that I have feared more for my safety here than in Toronto. But there are definitely a lot of crazies. Dang winters.

Bus Adventures

So, I am a bit of a rare individual in that I actually like taking the bus. I like it because you really get a pulse of a city by experiencing a whole bunch of strangers stuck in small place. There can be the weird guy who mutters to himself, the middle class mom or the many students who rely on such transportation. I miss not having access to a car but I like the bus for what it is.

Though, I will confess that there are days when I feel so claustrophobic and just want to get away from people. And this happened to me this past week. I was returning home from work and that day I wished I had a car to just get me from point A to point B. For some reason, my annoyance indicator was incredibly high.

I believe in true honesty in friendships. You know, if they have an annoying habit, I will most likely share it unless its something that they can't change or if its just plain silly. I can't think of an example right now but use your own imagination...

So, the reason I bring this up is because of this man and his friend/girlfriend/wife (whatever she was) that were on the bus this past week. I was so anxious to get off the bus that day and then this couple sat down across the aisle from me. And after about 30 seconds I heard this sound. Just imagine lips smacking together and sucking teeth. Sounds like that. Lots of saliva involved. And so I thought to myself. How in the world does this woman not hear this?? If that was my friend, I would have been like shut up - do you even hear yourself? And so for the next 10 minutes, I tried my hardest to distract myself but the more I tried that, the more I focussed on the sound. You know how it goes.

Really, any other day it wouldn't have bothered me as much but that day I was just ready to get away from a bus full of people!

Have you ever been trapped by people who annoy you that you don't know? On a train, bus, plane?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is it to steal from a church library?

Hello everyone!

Hope you are all well. Winter is continually dragging on here in Edmonton but I hear that we are on the home stretch so that's nice. I wore a spring jacket yesterday but realized, when waiting for the bus at night, that that was a mistake even though it was only -6... My bad.

OK, so I have started going to a church that has a service on Saturday evening. So, I arrived early last night so I decided to wander the building and explore it a little. I happened upon a smallish library. I browsed the books for a bit and upon looking a little closer at the selection - I saw them.

A bit of background before I continue. A person, whom shall not be named, (to protect the rights of the innocent but actually in this case, the guilty) borrowed these particular eight books.

I give you full permission to laugh but this series is like having a coffee with an old friend. It is a lovely experience. It is called The Glenbrooke Series by Robin Jones Gunn. Now, I am a bit of a freak when it comes to book covers so I had these lovely covers from 2001. OK, so back to the original story.

I gave these books to the person whom shall not be named and alas after a summer, they were gone! I have had a wee bit of an obsession trying to find these covers but to no avail have not found them. Until that is, last night.

My eyes happened upon, these eight 2001 versions of the Glenbrooke Series. My first thought was indeed, how could I steal these? And my second was, could I buy them from the church? I don't know what that says about me...

But alas, I left that library with a smile on my face thinking to myself that I needed therapy. But I will never let go of my search until that is, they come out with better covers. Have a look for yourself. Question: Which cover do you like best? They go in order of release year (oldest-newest):

A Profound Moment in an Ordinary Day

Hello all!

Near the end of the day at work today, I was sweeping in the flower cooler. One of my co-workers was in there cleaning up as well. She is moving to another department on Thursday and I asked if she was glad to move on. She turned to me and said,

"not really. If I could die, with a bucket of flowers in my hand while in this cooler, I would die a happy woman."

I didn't expect her response to impact me but it did. It made me a little jealous that she had such a passion for something and knew she would die happy doing that.

Aside from the obvious implications that she doesn't know God and is void of the real life that He offers - it made me wonder, that if I were to die doing something, what would it be? I'm not sure I can answer that right now in my life.

But let me throw it out there. What is your passion that you would die happy doing?

Coffee For All!!

Hello once again! Sorry for the long wait.

I would consider myself a rookie coffee drinker. As in, I started drinking coffee everyday only a few years ago. But now I am a full blown addict! I have to drink coffee everyday or else I get a headache and become grumpy. One time, I slept over at Laura Wiebe's house and forgot my coffee. She immediately took me to Tim Horton's so she didn't have to deal with me. But aside from that, I also just love coffee. Though, there is a very animalistic nature among coffee drinkers.

Let me explain.

At work, we all put money into a coffee fund each month so the majority of us drink our morning coffee at work. One morning I walk into the lunch room with my travel mug ready to fill up but what I discover instills fear to all caffeine addicts. There is no coffee.

In my head, I scream a long movie-like, "NOOOOOOOO!!" Immediately, I think, "oh crap, I can't do my job. My head will be pounding and I won't be able to function. What am I going to do." Slowly, I found out, that coffee will be coming.

Relief flooded my soul.

But as I waited for the coffee, I slowly discovered that we coffee drinkers are all the same. Everyone who came seeking their morning brew, let out groans of pain.

I told my supervisor one day, that for the most part, I will let anyone go before me in a line, but if there's a line for a limited supply of coffee, I will charge the pot and take it. I would not feel guilty. Not in the least.

Question of the day:

How do you take your coffee? Or if you don't drink coffee, what's your hot beverage of choice or what drink do you have to have?

The Terrifying Joy of The Car Wash

Hello all!

So, on my way home from work yesterday, my ride (paul) stopped to get gas and then instead of driving out of the gas station, he drove towards the car wash. I got a little excited because I hadn't been in a car wash since I was a young kid.

But as the doors opened to the car wash, I discovered the small shack that it was. Whatever happened to the long claustrophobic building with the tracks that you can't control?

So we entered in and he parked the car in the middle of this thing. And thus began this crazy one armed robot cleaning. I was completely flabbergasted. There was nothing remotely scary about this car wash. Well, except maybe when they spray the bubble gum cleaner and it covers your all car so you feel like you are in a colourful snow bank. I had to concentrate on breathing then so I didn't get a little claustrophobic.

All I could think of was, where were those large swishing mop things that made your car go dark? The crazy vacuum boards that ran all over your car?

All these were gone and replaced by a one armed robot. And before I knew it, I saw a childhood memory become just that. A memory. I felt a little sad for the new generation that would never know the complete terror and joy of the car wash.

Do you have any memories of going through the car wash as a child?

Goals

Howdy all!

So, with this move to Edmonton, I have been looking ahead to my future. What I want to accomplish and do in my life. Goals. Now, these are obviously not all my goals for my life. Cause really, I also want to do other things. Like dog sled. Learn to knit. You know, silly things like that. :)

So without further ado, here we go.

1. Write a GOOD book. And get it published. Yes indeed, before I die, I hope to accomplish this. I would like it to be fiction but would be OK with non-fiction as well.

2. Do a church plant with an emphasis on the arts. Community arts to be more exact. I have this desire and vision for a church and would love to join other people in this!

3. Become a mailwoman at age 60. There are two reasons for that age. One, I really want to be fit in my old age. (and yes, I plan to be fit in my young age...it just hasn't happened yet...as I sit and write this, eating a Oh Henry and drinking Pepsi...) Two, its a government job and they have pensions. And well, being a mailwoman would just be awesome for a five year stint.

So, those are some of my goals. What about you? What are some of your goals? I love hearing what people are passionate about and want to do in their lives so lay it on me!

The Open Road To The Liquor Store

Today I was able to drive a vehicular machine. It has been a while, my friends!

And let me just say it was fan-freakin-tastic. I blasted the music and sang to my hearts content. I love being in car just singing away and not really caring about where I'm going or when I have to be there. And may I just add singing out of tune is the only way to sing in the car. There is just something about driving that makes you feel free and independent. Until a snowbank takes up half your lane and then you remember that you aren't the only one on the road because you have to share the lane with the other folks. Good ol' Edmonton.

I also went to the liquor store after work today cause I just wanted a Breezer. And when I walked into the local liquor store, I felt dirty and like I was buying something illegal. It was the most shady store ever. All the liquor stores look like that though! It blows me mind. And in Ontario, I can take two strawberry daiquiris and two orange smoothies but they wouldn't let me mix and match. As I walked out of the store, I said to myself, "I miss the LCBO." :)

Choose your weapon:

a) Do you like being in the car?

b) Have you ever been in the sketch liquor stores of Edmonton? What's your favourite drink?

c) Comment about both!

Choose Your Own Career

I have been told it has been too long for a new post and for that I apologize! This is a wee bit more of a serious post.

So, careers have been on my mind for a while now. People keep asking me, "so what exactly are you doing in Edmonton?"

Me: "I work in a corner office with marble floors and a gold desk."

That is what I want to say but alas, my response is a woeful tale of being unemployed for a long time and then having the opportunity to work as a general labourer for a family friend. To which, people say, "oh well, I'm sure you will find your career soon. Just be patient."

But do I dare ask the question - WHEN? It has almost been two years since I've graduated and I don't have much to show. My dream is to work in a communications department in a non-profit organization. This is my dream.

My reality is slightly different.

My favourite blogger Jon Acuff (www.stuffchristianslike.net) is writing a new book about people who are currently working at something but have a dream to do something else. Like being an accountant but wanting to be a painter.

What is your dream? And are you pursuing it right now?

Danger Ranger

So, today was my day off. I decided to go get a trim of a haircut. There was this place that had a coupon in the mail for a 6.99 haircut. And thought, what harm could a person do with a trim and clean-up? I was tempted to go a little more complicated but decided that may not be in my best interest with a place like that.

Anyway, on my way to this hair place, I was crossing the street to get to the other side and there was this older gentlemen (probs in his 70s) there. He looked like he was going to cross to my side of the street but stopped when I got to his side. And thus he began talking to me. I decided to stop cause he looked like he just wanted someone to talk to. So, we talked about the weather for a bit. I mean what else to two strangers talk about really? And then he asked me if I was going home. I said I was going to the plaza. I then asked him if he was going home. He replied yes. So, I decided that was a good time to be on my way and say farewell. So, I said have a good evening at home and keep warm! And as I was about to go on my way, he said he was going to make coffee and that I could come over and have some.

OK, so please don't judge me but my first thought was "DANGER!" I would now like to blame Melody and Sarah for this reaction. An entire episode of Criminal Minds went through my head in 2 seconds! I thought boy, he is the bait for me to go somewhere with him while some other men are waiting for me to come.

And thus, I find it a little sad because maybe he really was just a lonely old man who wanted company while he drank coffee. But then, maybe he wasn't. I hope he found company and didn't have to drink his coffee alone. And if he was a bad man, then ha! I outsmarted you!

Well, I guess I better get back to my Criminal Minds.

Do you watch Criminal Minds or a crime show like it? If so, do you think it affects how you size up certain situations?

Shoot! The Tale of a Price Gun Handler

First off, thank you to all who have read and left comments! I appreciate your support and willingness to participate in this blog adventure with me.

OK, here we go.

The day started out early. I grabbed my coffee and awaited my big day at work. The previous day I learned how to cut flowers and sort them. So, I had few expectations of a super exciting day. But boy was I wrong. I was doing a different job today with another lady and this involved slightly ugly flower "jewelry". (By the way, did you know that those wrist flower things no longer just come with a white elastic band but rather some flashy bling. Crazy, eh?) But all that sold me today was the word price gun. And while I was pricing flashy bling, I was like man, why did I avoid working retail? Pricing things is crazy fun. Should have contacted Canadian Tire a long time ago.

And today I also got to see downtown Edmonton which was great. I finally have embraced that I am a city girl. I felt so relieved when I entered into the main downtown core and saw skyscrapers. It was like a little taste of home. My goal is to eventually live just slightly north of downtown Toronto. Someday...someday.

Today was a good day. And I hope yours was too!

So, has anyone ever used a price gun?

Thinking bout nothing

Hello from the wintry city of Edmonton! I have arrived and am in awe of how much snow is around.

I arrived on Wednesday evening at 6pm (local time) and went to work the next morning at 7:30am. I am working at a floral warehouse or rather a wholesale supplier. And when I told my dear friend Laura where I was working, she laughed for a hearty 3 minutes (approximately). So, I'm not a total flower person so yes, its a little funny.

But let me tell you - the past two days I felt like shooting myself. Today, I created the same display over and over again for 8 hours. I spent a lot of time in my head! And my thoughts were not that exciting. More or a less attempting to remain sane telling myself "I have a B.A, this is only temporary, I have a B.A, this is only temporary." :) But I am so very thankful for this job regardless of the repetitious work. In fact, this may not even be temporary so I should probably stop talking in case my boss is reading this... (Actually, I just saw that he is a follower of this blog, so all you need to read is, I LOVE THIS JOB.)

I'm sure I will have more stories to tell of my adventures in the flower world. So look forward to that.

So, what's the most repetitive job you've had?

All the best from the Forgotten Nomad.

New Beginnings & Squirrels

Yes, it is overly cliche to start new in January. To make new resolutions, try new things, do new things. New, new, new. But yet, here I am embarking on a new adventure by moving to Edmonton, AB and beginning a new blog!

The name of this blog has come from a year of feeling completely lost and disillusioned. I was attempting to carve out a career for myself, find a church and make a whole new circle of friends. But instead of starting a new life after university, I instead felt like a forgotten nomad. I entered into people's lives, only to leave once again because of fear or discontentment. I travelled from church to church and applied for job after job, coming up empty on both accounts. It was a year of being the random girl who you met once or twice but then never heard from again. I was disillusioned with the church and feeling insecure because I couldn't land a job. Thus, this past year has been a year of growth, of laziness, and fear. That's the idea behind the name. I will probably talk more about it in the future in other ways.

I'm not really sure what this blog will look like. But to get an idea of what will most likely occur, I will start off with a story. Now this is an extreme story of fear and self-defense so buckle up.

I went to get the mail at my parent's apartment but when I went down, the mail man was just putting the mail in the slot so I decided to walk around the building outside to waste some time. I started my jaunt looking around at my surroundings. It was a lovely day with the sun shining and I felt good. I turned a corner and continued walking down the sidewalk and my eyes soon fell to the ground where I was about to walk. I immediately saw the most frightful sight a city dweller can see. Looking at me with its beady eyes, was a squirrel. It was on its hind legs staring at me. I muttered under my breath, "holy crap", and made a wide circle around it, saying in my head, "please don't attack me, please don't attack me...". City squirrels are the most frightful creatures because I just don't know what they are thinking! They stare at you for so long and they hardly ever run when you approach them. Like Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", I'm pretty sure, it will be "The Squirrels" attacking us. I wonder if you could outrun a horde of squirrels? Food for thought.

P.S Welcome to the Forgotten Nomad!