It's almost summer here. I can feel it in the air. The trees have leaves, the flowers are in bloom, and the frangipani have little green buds on them. The days are getting longer and the sun is getting warmer. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to walk outside in the morning in sandals and a light sweater. Awesome. I have been walking home from work in the evenings (about a 25 minute walk) and enjoying watching the neighborhood gardens come to life.
In addition to the smell of spring, there are changes in the wind for the Garcia family. No details yet, but as we all know, nothing stays the same for too long. As we speak, Jon is on a flight to the West Coast of the USA and I am feeling a bit lonely and sorry for myself. Looking foward to his speedy return and the news of how his meeting might affect our lives. I am headed back to TO in a week for a whirlwind tour of my own. I am tired just thinking about it, but so happy to be in the home stretches of my dual citizenship process.
Oh, and thought I should mention that we have a new addition to the family - Herbie. He's a mint plant and he lives on our windowsill. He serves virtually no purpose, but Jon seems to like him, so he stays.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
the State of the World
Well, I have to say that the bulk of my free time lately has been spent glued to the internet and pretty much any news I can get my hands on. These are crazy times and I am not at all sure that 'crazy' and 'good' are synonymous here. Sigh. Seems everyone the world over is talking about Wall Street today. Even the girl who makes my sandwich in the little shop downstairs. I walked into the shop today and the girl says "Hi Val, you want usual?" (Yes, she knows both my name and my order.) Then she said "How you doing today? Big market crash huh? Bad day. You have this juice, it make you feel better." Ha. The juice was good, I'll admit, but I am not sure it's the cure-all we need.
Add to that, the devastation of Huricane Ike. I have friends in TX and this past week wasn't good for anyone down there. I can't imagine seeing whole towns disappear completely. Just undescribably sad.
On top of that (yes, I am going THERE, so you may want to look away) I am unbelieveably frustrated with the upcoming election in the US. Now, since a favourite blogger of mine has recently discussed politics on her blog, and subsequently received death threats, I will keep this tame. But seriously... I have lived outside of the US for nearly 5 years now, and I am getting awfully tired of my country being dogged by the world. And this recent development regarding a certain VPcandidatewhoshallremainnameless has got my feathers in quite the bunch. All I have to say is this, if there was an opening in that department and the only qualification was that you had to be a woman... I sure wish they would have posted it on monster.com... because I know a whole lot of wonderful women who would have been far better and smarter candidates. Granted, none of them can see Russia from their back porch.
Speaking of government... I have been studying the government and history of Canada pretty fervently these past few weeks. I can now name my MP, my MPP, my PM and my mayor. Ha! Oh, and I know what significance the British North America Act of 1867 has for Canadians. (Do you?) No, I am not studying all this for fun... I have finally been called to sit my Canadian citizenship exam. I will be doing just that on October 6th, so think of me that day and send maple syrup-covered good thoughts. Hopefully I will have good news to report on that front soon. And then you'll all be invited to the ceremony where we sing O' Canada and dress like beavers.
On a brighter note, we had a fabulous big bash for my 30th birthday last weekend and a great time was had by all. I would post pictures, but I don't have all the proper confidentiality waivers. Happy Birthday to brother-in-law Dan this Saturday! Can't wait for you to come visit us!
Add to that, the devastation of Huricane Ike. I have friends in TX and this past week wasn't good for anyone down there. I can't imagine seeing whole towns disappear completely. Just undescribably sad.
On top of that (yes, I am going THERE, so you may want to look away) I am unbelieveably frustrated with the upcoming election in the US. Now, since a favourite blogger of mine has recently discussed politics on her blog, and subsequently received death threats, I will keep this tame. But seriously... I have lived outside of the US for nearly 5 years now, and I am getting awfully tired of my country being dogged by the world. And this recent development regarding a certain VPcandidatewhoshallremainnameless has got my feathers in quite the bunch. All I have to say is this, if there was an opening in that department and the only qualification was that you had to be a woman... I sure wish they would have posted it on monster.com... because I know a whole lot of wonderful women who would have been far better and smarter candidates. Granted, none of them can see Russia from their back porch.
Speaking of government... I have been studying the government and history of Canada pretty fervently these past few weeks. I can now name my MP, my MPP, my PM and my mayor. Ha! Oh, and I know what significance the British North America Act of 1867 has for Canadians. (Do you?) No, I am not studying all this for fun... I have finally been called to sit my Canadian citizenship exam. I will be doing just that on October 6th, so think of me that day and send maple syrup-covered good thoughts. Hopefully I will have good news to report on that front soon. And then you'll all be invited to the ceremony where we sing O' Canada and dress like beavers.
On a brighter note, we had a fabulous big bash for my 30th birthday last weekend and a great time was had by all. I would post pictures, but I don't have all the proper confidentiality waivers. Happy Birthday to brother-in-law Dan this Saturday! Can't wait for you to come visit us!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Was that a flying pig?
A few days ago I commented that we weren't holding our breath for visitors, as we had yet to even receive a phone call. Well.... lookee here.
Nine to Five
Since my Grams read my blog this week and emailed me to sympathise about how boring my job is, I suppose I am due for an update. I started a new job again a few weeks ago, after returning from our summer/winter vacation. For those of you who aren't so attentive, yes, this would be job #3 for me here in Oz. But - I have to tell you, the third time is the charm. I have found a great job that I love and it's going really well. Still real estate (sorry, mom!) but it's a fantastic office with great staff and a fun loving atmosphere. And it's incredibly busy - so I can absolutely not winge about being bored any longer. Anyway, while I wish I had found this job 9 months ago, it was worth the wait and I am happy. It's in the next suburb over, but still walking distance (though I am pretty lazy and almost always take the bus.)
Jon's job is going ok. A few ups and downs lately with an extremely heavy workload and no relief in sight. Quite a few of his co-workers have resigned recently due to various reasons, and he has sort of been picking up the pieces. Keeps him in the office more though, as opposed to on the road, so I am happy about that. Not sure what the future holds for his career, but I am glad that he is such a hard worker and loves what he does. I am one lucky lady.
Jon's job is going ok. A few ups and downs lately with an extremely heavy workload and no relief in sight. Quite a few of his co-workers have resigned recently due to various reasons, and he has sort of been picking up the pieces. Keeps him in the office more though, as opposed to on the road, so I am happy about that. Not sure what the future holds for his career, but I am glad that he is such a hard worker and loves what he does. I am one lucky lady.
Monday, September 1, 2008
First day of spring
Today was the first official day of spring in Australia. It was a beautiful day with a high of 20C / 70F and gorgeous sunshine. I noticed this morning that most of the trees have traces of new leaves coming, and the birds are singing again as the sun comes up. I am SO looking forward to spring and summer! Can't wait for longer days and warmer weather and lots of outdoor activities. Everyone just seems happier when the weather gets warmer. It's supposed to be nice again tomorrow... then about 4 days of rain. Sigh. Sure would like to 'chuck a sickie' tomorrow and go to the beach!
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