Cloud watching

So, the last few weeks at my summer job were fairly uneventful - the projects I was working on weren't too exciting to begin with (putting together close to 70 binders a couple of inches thick for distribution, photocopying, going through said manuals and pulling out a page or two or five that were wrong in the original printing and replacing it with the 'correct' one, etc). Being the summer student, I never really had a fixed location, and my desk for the day/week depended on who else was on vacation. But for the last couple of weeks, everyone was present, so they decided to put me in an actual office on the edge of the unit, which had been recently vacated and wasn't being used for anything. So, after having sat at every desk in the place over the course of my part & full time work for them, I ended my time in a manager's office, with a door, 2 desks, table, window, and view. Nice. :)

Since sitting at my computer required facing the window (and I wasn't really busy), I was able to spend quite a bit of time looking out from my 9th floor vantage point, north towards the CHUM building, the Paramount, OCAD, and U of T, among other things. Also at the clouds....many different shapes, sizes, and colours, moving across the sky, which provided a nice panorama. On the day of the storm, Friday the 19th, I (as well as the rest of the office, as we stood gathered in groups at the windows) watched the clouds roll in and the sky turn black and green, and get as dark as night. No rain, really, but lots of wind and the dark sky & clouds were a little creepy. After spending several weeks this summer looking at the interior walls of cubicles, I was grateful for the window and the opportunity to daydream and watch the sky, especially during the slow times, when I wasn't really needed, but had to be there anyways. Yay for crosswords, and sudoku, my newest puzzle addiction.

Another spectacular cloud sight that I was treated to was just tonight - I had run out to Zellers to pick up a few things, and when I left my house, I was amazed by the dark pink/orangey clouds that filled the northwestern part of the sky, reflecting the sunset. I was driving in the opposite direction, but kept looking in my rear view mirror, or over my shoulder when I was stopped, in order to take in the visually arresting sight. By the time I had reached Zellers, the color had darkened to a deep pink, nearly ruby - a 'grapefruit coloured sky', if you will (doesn't have quite the same ring as 'orange coloured sky', I know, but it was an amazing sight). It was beautiful.

I love watching clouds, and especially clouds near sunset.

Its been how long??

Wow....I didn't realize that I hadn't blogged since my birthday! Where did August go? It feels like the past couple of weeks just flew by .... I did keep thinking of things that I meant to write about on here, then just never got around to it. Ooops.

Actually, apparently the day after my birthday I logged on and started writing an entry, which I saved as a draft, and then completely forgot about. It seems rather irrelevant now, so I'll sum up instead.... (and an apology for the 10 or so of you who have been checking here for updates for the past several weeks - I'll try to make this interesting).

So, lets see - the birthday week went well, and despite my not planning anything, I had an impromptu pool party anyways (which I didn't have to organize, which made it even better!). A birthday party/high school gang reunion of sorts, actually, and a 'Yay, Cathy's back from PEI for a few days!' celebration. It was a great night, perfect for swimming and catching up with old friends - especially since most of us don't really see each other or keep in touch that much. Its nice to be able to reconnect now & then, though, even when we're all going in separate ways.

Same day as the pool party, during the brief break in the pouring rain that afternoon, we went out to a wooded area at the south end of town and had a professional sister & family portrait taken, which was a fun experience. My mom has been wanting this for 3 years, so she is happy now. The proofs all turned out pretty well, but we have collectively agreed on 2 - one family, one sister - to get prints made of. As its been noted, its probably the last family portrait until one of us gets married.

The next couple of weeks were spent plotting and organizing a surprise party for my parents with my sisters - it is their 30th anniversary this year, in October, but we will all be away at school at that time, and since we've never really done anything for them in the past, we figured we should mark this occaison (being a little early helped out with the 'surprise' aspect as well). The party, held this past Saturday, was a success - they had no clue, no inkling, and we completely surprised by it all. Probably close to 50 people were able to make it, and guests ranged from family, to neighbors, to friends from different circles, to coworkers. One of our neighbors made an amazing cake, and my cousin brought her 1 month old son along. We conspired with friends of my parents for them to go out for dinner (which is something they often do anyways), and despite the large number of people who knew about the party (both those who were there and those who couldn't make it), no one spilled the secret (or the few slip ups that were made went unnoticed.

After all that excitement, I still had a few more days of work left to go, then moving .....

Birthday Blog

Here we are, at 24.... should be an interesting year.

Pretty good day overall .... work was fairly uneventful, even boring (yay for crosswords & sudoku, my newest puzzle obsession), but pleasant enough, particularly thanks to the well wishes of my co-workers, and the steady stream of amusing voice messages throughout the day (top marks to Spart & Tulip for their serenade, and the following commentary! :). Met Katrina for lunch, caught the early train home (had one of my coworkers running after me to try to keep up with my speedwalking, heehee), and was met at the station by Daina, then home for a swim and to relax.

Yummy dinner .... steak, twice baked potatoes, french bread, then chocolate cake for dessert. Dinner conversation included diverse topics such as:
*Hilary Duff sightings & habits - she's shooting a movie at SAC this week, along w/ Steve Martin, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 - (Hilary, why couldn't you make it to my birthday? We missed you. lol) Apparently she likes chocolate.
*redneck weddings (as witnessed by Catherine this weekend at the Alliston Potato Festival's Demolition Derby)
*and other odd but amusing tales, that I have either forgetten, or would be inappropriate to post. But hilarious, I assure you.

I think perhaps my favorite quote of the evening -
Cath (w/ her head under the table as we are enjoying cake - in an apparent non-sequitor): Hey, did you know our table was made in Vietnam?
Response (not sure who): Er, no....and what are you doing under there, anyways?
Cath: Sneezing.

Happy Birthday to Me. :)

A New View

So I bought a new pair of sunglasses this weekend, owing to the fact that the first 'new' pair I bought this summer have fallen apart already. These appear to be of somewhat better quality, at least, and don't have as many small parts that are likely to break.

I was out & about with Lauren, and she is actually the one who picked them out. I don't think I ever would have chosen this style for myself, but she was of the opinion that it would look good on anyone. And surprise....the big, rectangular lenses, the pink frames, and the graduated brown tint are all really working out much better than I expected. Cool. Its good to have stylish friends to point you in the right direction now & then. I usually go for the darker colours, both in frames and lenses, myself. Not used to walking around wearing something PINK on my face, but its kind of fun. And the brown tint also seems to be lending a rosy glow to the world, not to mention that things become lighter or darker as I move my head up & down.

Yes, I'm a geek. And I don't buy new accessories too often, as we can see. So I'm having fun with it. :)

Maybe there is something to the whole 'rose tinted glasses' thing after all......can't hurt, in any case. I could use some of that in my life.

Yay for silly rambling posts that have no real point whatsoever, other than to see if I can figure out how to post pictures. (So far, so good). And to be temporarily girly and a show off. *smacks self in head*....how old are we now? Welllllllllllllll.............. :)