New Year's Eve

Yesterday, I finally got the new furnace installed, after eight days with no heat.

On the night before Christmas Eve, we'd had a lot of snow. Then, during the day on the 24th, it started to rain. I'd already got the driveway cleared and then the plow went by -- twice. I was digging out from that before it had a chance to freeze when, around the corner came a young man (late teens, maybe) running with a shovel in his hand. He knew me from my work at the convenience store but hadn't realised I lived so close. He wouldn't accept any payment for his help.

He also told me about the local people with snowblowers clearing the sidewalks. I had initially been impressed by the speed with which our sidewalks were cleared -- except that the 'walls' of snow were neatly cut verticals, not pushed clumps like a sidewalk plow would do. Turns out, there's a blind woman in the neighbourhood who likes to go for walks. I'd seen her a couple of times in the summer. Each owner of a snowblower clears the sidewalk as far as the next house with a snowblower, so that she can get around without difficulty. These are the kind of people who live in my new neighbourhood.

At the convenience store, I'm continually impressed by the young people who get change back and immediately ask where our "charity box" is.

Now, I'm off to bed, so that I can be alert for work tonight. It should prove interesting.

I wish all of my readers (both of you) the best for 2009, with love from the Sonneteer.

Well, so much for that idea ...

I had hoped to put down about half of what my ex gave me on the house but, now, I'm glad I held onto it for the moment.

Monday night, I realised that my furnace had died. I wasn't able to get through to the people who schedule the technicians until late Tuesday morning. Wednesday (Christmas Eve), the technician came. He hasn't seen one of these furnaces for about fifteen years. Apparently, it was on borrowed time. Tuesday afternoon I shopped for a new furnace. There was a possibility that I could have had it installed today, but they would have been here by eight if it was happening today ... so I guess it's tomorrow. That's okay, too, because I still have some large boxes to move before the installers get here.

Unfortunately, because of all the kafuffle involved with the furnace on Wednesday, I was awake during the day and unable to attend my planned holiday celebrations in the evening before going to work. I needed to sleep instead.

Yesterday, I went to see my Godkids and give them their gifts. They are so wonderful and I love them all so much. They gave me a lovely scarf in blues and greens. It's long and thin, so it can be folded widthwise and still be long enough to pull the ends through the loop -- as is the current fashion.

So, here I sit at my computer, huddled in my duvet, eating the last of my latest tortiere experiments. I have a heater going in the 'furnace' room, to keep the pipes from freezing in the two bathrooms and laundry room. Upstairs, I have the oven on with the door open while I'm here, but turn it off before I go out.

All in all, not a great week, but the visit with the kids more than made up for everything else.

Alex has discovered phone cords

Alex keeps cutting off my conversations by playing with the phone cords. Hmm. This could be a hint.

Started work

So much has changed.

1) My writing course is amazingly interesting. It's being taught by Margaret Christakos, a poet who lives in Toronto. She's very good.

Last week, we did a session on sounds, and our homework involved looking for alliteration in newspaper headlines and advertising. This week we did one exercise which involved writing in the dark, and another one with coloured pencils.

2) Monday, I started working at a 7-Eleven around the corner from me.

Pluses:
- I won't have to use the car to get to work.
- I've requested the overnight shift, which will allow me to take courses whenever I want without having to negotiate a different time off each term.
- It will be an income!

Minuses:
- I'm starting at minimum wage, which isn't great, but better than nothing.
- I'm starting off as part time, but hope to work up to full time soon, because I could really use the benefits.

3) The new man in my life was having some problems with blood in his stools. After a couple of tries, I think we've finally figured out the problem; the food I was giving him appears to have been too harsh for his digestive system. He's now on prescription food. Good thing I've got work now.

More revising to come

Finished revising some voters' lists yesterday. Next, we'll be working at the university, getting students from the residences enumerated for the election on October 14.

On Tuesday I'll be starting my writing class. It should be interesting, but I have to say, I'm a little bit nervous. This will be the first time I've tried writing prose fiction at the university level.

C.J.'s new name

After trying out several (dozen) names on the new man in my life, I had narrowed it down to Alex, Fuzzface, or Sweetums. He answered to every other name twice, as if seeing how it would fit, and then stopped.

After several more tests, Alexander the Great rules!

Abandonment issues

My cat seems to have real abandonment issues.

Coming home in the car from the Humane Society, he was subdued; very quiet. All week he was extremely well behaved.

Then I had to take him to the vet's for a check up. He was hyperventilating so badly that I stopped at a park and got out, walking around with him in my arms. He cuddled right up to me, and held on tight. He was well behaved at the vet's, but had another hyperventilating session on the way home. I let him out in the front hall and, I've never seen surprise register so clearly on a cat's face before.

That was when I realised that he thought I was getting rid of him -- taking him back to the Humane Society, perhaps -- for some crime, real or imagined.

It will take a while for him to realise that I am in this for the long haul.

Some more work

Because of the byelection getting cancelled, I will be working as a revision agent for the general election. Eight thousand students need to be added to the list.

This is going to keep us busy. I'm looking forward to working with Carmel again. She is so much fun!

Skogwalkers

Today, for the first time in my life, I walked for charity.

I've sponsored many people over the years, but this was the first time that I actually asked people to sponsor me. I managed to raise $430 for ovarian cancer research and support, so I was very pleased.

Half of the team (five of us) walked in Toronto, while the other half walked in Ottawa.

Why did we choose the team name of Skogwalkers? We did it for our friend Sandra who has been battling ovarian cancer for over two years. I have two other friends who are also battling it and that was where my mother's cancer had started, as well.

Why now? Because this year a friend turned 40 in January. She decided to have an 'event' each month in order to celebrate, and to invite friends to take part in each one. For example, she had never been to a spa, so January's adventure was a spa day. Another month, it was a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls. This walk was September's outing.

Already, the Toronto team is talking about doing it again next year.

Godson's birthday

Today is my godson's birthday and the party is tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to this. After the party, I'll take him to a toy store and he'll get to chose something. He's been collecting a set of Mediaeval knights and there are two left that he doesn't have. If he gets one of them at the party, I'll be able to get the other one for him. If they aren't too pricey, I may get one for myself, too.