A little about me

Here are a few of my favourite things*:

1) Mama Mia! I bought it the day it came out on DVD after seeing it twice (once in the theatre & once on a plane) -- I have seen it twice already this week. I love knowing that I own something that is pretty much guaranteed to make me smile - and sing!

2) Research. yep, I'm a nerd. But I love it! However, I don't mean the kind of research that requires in-depth detailed origins of words or historical evidence... I mean the kind of research that let me know the ideas of others. I am an idea person. I like looking at how other people see the world.

3) Photos. In particular, those taken by Ky** and Stuart Kasdorf. And I enjoy taking them myself, as well -- but I haven't done much of that lately.

4) Narrative. The act of storytelling makes me happy - I like being able to create scenes in which others can imagine themselves. I also like reading narrative in which I can imagine myself. I pretty much love imagining, dreaming, planning, idealising... anything that involves living in my head.

5) Saskatchewan. I love the flat. And the dry-cold. I love that many of the roads are like graph paper. I love that people from SK don't let long distances deter them from making memories -- that driving 1.5 hours each way to pick up a friend so that she can celebrate Christmas with them -- or driving 20+hrs in a weekend in a car with 5 ladies for a one-day ski trip -- is embraced. I love that SK prides itself on being 'hard to spell, easy to draw' & that I get to teach others around the world how to pronounce it properly.


*My original post title was "Raindrops on Roses" until I realised I already had a post with that title! Obviously, my creative side is in a lull.
** Although the link posted here does not expose the world to the abundant talent of Ky H, it does reflect her (and Lyn's) wonderful sense of humour and her ability to capture this humour on 'film'. :)

Just some things I was thinking about today.

Love you all!

PS
Before I forget, although this should really be its own post:
I got my marks back! All the posts you guys had to suffer through while I was writing/researching for my thesis, I figured you earned the right to know... I ACED IT!!!! Literally! I made and A2 (equivalent to about a 3.6 GPA and a 95%) on my thesis and have been awarded a First-Class Honours degree overall!!! (That's about a 3.3GPA or a 90%) WOOT!!!! So I have decided to return to Eire for graduation next month... this was not part of my plan, but neither was a First-Class Honours. I will be there from 16-23 January & I graduate on 20 January. WHEW!

Thank you so much for your support. Seriously.

Love,
SS
xoxo

Three Weeks Later

Hello again (finally)!

So! Now that my life has begun to resemble some sort of normalcy and my state of limbo is minimal, I figure it's safe to post a mini-blog:

It is official: I can legally work in Canada as of 3pm today, whew!

I spent the past week with my family in Charlotte, enjoyed probably my most favourite Thanksgiving ever, and received my work permit at the Calgary airport on my way in to Canada. Today I got a SIN (sort of like a SSN in the States or a PPN in Ireland) and Bema can put me back on the payroll, woot!

Tomorrow, I have a meeting with a tentative new roommate, so we'll see how that goes... but Ev said she won't mind if I stay here a bit longer. :) I would like to have a place of my own, though, and this place is nearby (for Calgary) and affordable (for aywhere!) -- and if I were to take this place, I would be living with 3 other Christian girls in their 20s.

While I was down in Charlotte, my grandparents - RON and Pat Brown* - and I took a day trip to Columbia, SC, where I plan to take my PhD starting next fall. We found an apartment** for me about which I am thrilled!!! I also had the priviledge of taking a tour of my grandparents' childhood haunts - they grew up about a mile from my Columbia apartment - and really enjoyed my visit. I think I'm going to like being closer to home :)

And finally: I am obviously going to have to change the theme of this blog, since I no longer live in Ireland and can no longer publish my Irish memories as I live them. I may start to relive my Irish memories that I did not put on here before... I just thought I would warn anyone who is actually interested! If I take tips from MayB, I may be able to come up with some pretty good material for a post every once in a while - I am one of those people who need a prompt, and life in Calgary is not quite as exotic as life in Eire... sorry to any Calgarians reading this!

If you have any ideas, let me know, but I may start up a x365 of my own... who knows?

Love to everyone!

* You have to be a family member to get this... but now all of internetland knows who my grandparents are :)


** Here are some highlights of the place:

• Free 24 hr. Gym

• Free Internet Cafe

• Free Shuttle to Campus

• 42' TV in all living rooms

• Hardwood style floors in select units

• High speed Internet and Basic Cable in all units

• Resort Style Pool and Spa/Tanning Bed
  

• Walk- in closets and Private bathrooms in every bedroom

very little

Hi all,

It's amazing how little I feel the need to post on here when my life is in a constant state of slip-and-slide. I have no definitive plans for my near-future and I am therefore avoiding putting anything down in writing, you know??

But I can tell you little things:

• I was have been able to visit Lynmara (and inadvertently Kelly/Keith & Jordan) twice - YAY!

• I love that I can just randomly phone my friends (*VinceP*) and ask if I can come over & watch tv when I'm bored... and fyi: those guys have a fanTAStic basement!!!!!
  

• I went to the "boys'"* house here in Calgary to celebrate the birthday of a guy I didn't know on Halloween. I watched people play Rock Star, ate pizza & watched The Hulk - Ed Norton version - for the 2nd time in a week.

• the next night, I went to a YP costume party where I 'dressed up' as Jacob by wrapping a fake beard around my arm & carrying around a parchment** that said "Official Birthright - from Isaac - to Esau - unless he sells it for a bowl of soup" -- or something like that. Turns out John L had decided to come as Esau (unintentional planning on our parts) -- and fyi: hairy John = unfun. :)

• then on Tuesday, I went to a high school football game with Shelley B where it SNOWED! It was my first post-Ireland snow and it was perfect! I missed that. I'm sure I'll change my mind by spring... after the game, Shelley & I had a great visit over coffee and nanaimo bars.

• I volunteered to be the 'leader' for this week's YP study of The Screwtape Letters, Letter 10. I think it went well... but only because everyone was so willing to participate and it made me happy!

• I have a flight to go home for Thanksgiving, so YAY! I really miss my family. A Lot. This also means that...

• I may be in Canada for Christmas - preferably SK, please? We'll see how that works out - like I said: life = slip-n-slide lately!

I think that's all for right now.

love to you all!

*if I could tell you who all lived there, it would be helpful, eh? let's see... greg h, nathan d, eric s, tim l... and I would not be surprised if I left someone out. I only saw Greg & Nathan that night

**okay, okay... it was a certificate I printed on Ev's computer, so sue me!

nudged

Hello all!

I am sorry about my lack of communication since my surprise announcement - but even with everything that has been going on, nothing has really been blogworthy... per the request of Ky, I will at least give a mini-update. Ky, you will have already read this first part seeing as how I am copying what I emailed to you - lol!

Part One:
Everything was working out wonderfully to keep me in Eire until my thesis was complete. The idea was that the 2 jobs I had would keep me here until graduation at the end of January and then I would see if the contracts could be extended until July, which seemed possible. But the hotel job I had in the mornings did not like the fact that I needed to keep a schedule and leave work in time for my 2pm job at the writing centre and when my one-month probation was up, they procrastinated firing me until I forced them to.

It was so irritating.

But I had a feeling I would get fired after a conversation I'd had with Wayne (the hotel general manager) on my BIRTHDAY, when he brought up my probation meeting, so I was emotionally prepared. Wayne said that my meeting would be on Friday - and it didn't happen. I asked Ruth (my other supervisor) to just tell me if I am getting fired and she wouldn't. I got an email from Dan L on Friday saying that he was losing Victoria on the following (this past) Wednesday and that he would be interviewing the next day (a week ago today, Saturday), so I gave him a ring first thing saturday morning to warn him that I might be getting fired on Monday. He offered to wait until Wed to hire anyone.

So when my shift ended on Monday without a probation meeting, I called Wayne on his mobile and offered to wait until he returned to the hotel. He showed up 20mins later and I said, "I don't mind postponing the probation meeting if you're planning to keep me on, but if you're firing me, I need to know today." and he said "okay. consider this your one-week's notice". And then he gave me the scheduling excuse saying that i hadn't told him I needed to be off at 1pm, even though we had a very direct conversation the day he hired me when I said that I had a job at the university from 2-530 M-F... hmmm...

anyway: I took it as a sign that God doesn't want me here and stopped trying so hard to be in Eire. I called Dan, we agreed on a week's notice. I did not return to the hotel, but I kept my writing centre job until Friday, 3 October.

Between deciding to move and actually flying back to North America, I gave myself 7 days. It was insane and I don't remember much except packing and a wonderful going away party. My classmate/friend, Nicole, had been planning to move for a month and we were flying out on the same day, so I sort of crashed her party - but she says she didn't mind!


Part Two: and this is the boring part...

I flew in to Calgary late Monday night & stayed 2 nights at Dan & Saryn's place. Taliah & I bonded :) I slept most of the time...

Wed, I moved over to Dan & Ev's and was at the downtown office by lunchtime for a meeting. lol. *sigh*

Most of last week was sleep, with the occasional 5-7hrs day in the middle. I have really been enjoying my conversation time with Ev :)

This weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving, so Sunday I went over to John's new house (this place is way cool & perfect for him... except it could host a family of, like, 12) & had Thanksgiving dinner with 14 Levsons, plus 4. (me, Michelle B, Anna & Anna's daughter, Angela) - I count Mike S as a Levson now that they're engaged - that's probably cheating (I hope I don't get into trouble for that. I assume it's common knowledge!). I got to have nice one-on-one conversations with Jess, Steph, Dave & Phil and built barstools for a bit while I bonded with Angela... the kids are taking a liking to me lately! That remark is in reference to Angela & Taliah -- not Dave & Phil. ;)

And I spent my Thanksgiving day sitting on my bum catching up on this season's american tv shows, woot! Actually, I only got caught up on NCIS, Bones & Criminal Minds... but that's progress.

And that is honestly what I have been up to since the last update.

Now back to my tv show catch-up...

LOVE YOU ALL!

so much for that idea

See? this is why I avoid updates!

So. I'm moving back to Canada. WOOT! Calgary, Alberta to be exact. So looking forward to a Canadian winter... I missed it... seriously.

Will be there Monday. (yes, this Monday)

:)

If you want more info, facebook or email me. I don't feel like putting it all on here right now. Maybe when I've settled in SOMEWHERE. haha.

God is pretty cool, by the way. In case I haven't mentioned that before...

Love you all!