Because last week was so hot we decided that if it was nice on Saturday we'd go somewhere where we could swim.
There are a number of conservation areas around which have either man made or natural lakes with beaches so that swimming is available. I was sent a bunch of urls for different places that we could go and I picked one.
So, off we went to Rockwood to spend the day.
We took far too many things with us, and I didn't even go anywhere near the lake. The sun was in and out all day, so I was sometimes quite cool, and just really didn't feel like swimming. I also didn't really feel like I was burning.
Guess what? I was. So, today I am very pink. My face is burned, my arms are burned, my chest is burned and the bottom 1/3 of my legs are burned. I'm used to sunburns, I have skin that's fair enough that it happens every year. So, I'm not too worried about it. However, the burns on my legs really hurts! I'm not sure why, but it's far more painful than I would have expected.
Oh well, when it fades I should be nice and tanned. I hope, anyway.
Or, I do... Yes, this is late, too damn bad.
Yesterday at work we had a mini renovation in our store. We took all of the shelves which are free standing out and put in newer and shorter ones. Which means that we moved half the store yesterday. This also means that I am in large amounts of pain today. I do not exercise on a regular or even semi-regular basis, so my leg muscles have pretty much seized up. It's not fun.
Oh, my point? This is why I didn't do the five yesterday, I was too busy being totally exhausted to even think about it.
1. How are you planning to spend the summer?
My plan is to spend as much time inside in the air conditioning as possible. I actually don't have a lot of choice in the matter, I have to work because I have no holidays. I have two long weekends planned. One mid July to my cottage, which I will have to myself (and whomever else decides to join me). The other is mid August to Vancouver.
2. What was your first summer job?
I used to help my aunt clean cottages when I was at the cottage on holidays. It wasn't something I did all the time, but when I was there I'd help her so that she wasn't there all day. I forget what the man did before he retired, but his 'cottage' was phenominal, but always really dirty!
3. If you could go anywhere this summer, where would you go?
There are several places I'd like to go. In no particular order of preference: New York, California, Calgary, London, Paris, Washington D.C. and of course the cottage.
Why? In most of those places there are people I'd like to see. I love Paris and would like to spend more time there, and after hearing about the lead up to the Stampede I'd really like to see that.
4. What was your worst vacation ever?
It was a school trip. I was in 12th grade and the trip was supposed to be an exchange. I don't remember how it got set up, or why I was asked to go, but I was and I went. We took a bus, spent the night in Washington DC, spent the night somewhere in North Carolina and eventually arrived in Myrtle Beach where we billeted with people.
We had cockroaches in the hotel in North Carolina, and when I got to the house in Myrtle Beach things got even worse. One night after a football game (which I was forced to go to), Abby (the girl I was staying with) wanted to go out to a party. Her parents told her she couldn't go unless she took me with her. So, at midnight off we went to this party. Where she promptly took off with her ex-boyfriend on a beer run. Right, so it was fine to start with because there were people I knew there. But that changed as soon as the police decided to cruise by, and everyone left. And there I was, left with absolutely nobody I knew. To top it off, I didn't know Abby's last name, I didn't know her phone number, and I didn't know where she lived.
Earlier in the evening I'd been introduced to this guy who had lived in Brampton (one of the Toronto suburbs) for a while a couple of years before. I guess he noticed that I'd been left alone and came over to talk to me, he offered to take me back to where I was staying, but he didn't know Abby so also didn't know where she lived. So, he sat and talked to me for the hour or so that it took for Abby and her ex-boyfriend to return.
After that I tried to spend as much time as possible with other people. The girls that my best friends were staying with were mortal enemies with Abby, so much so that they all had each others phone numbers blocked so I couldn't even call and talk to them. So, I spent my time hanging out with my friend Monique and the head cheerleader, who was surprisngly nice.
That was my worst vacation, I really don't have many fond memories of that trip.
5. What was your best vacation ever?
I'm not sure...
When I was a kid I spent a month each summer at the cottage, those vacations were pretty fantastic. Though at the time, I didn't realize exactly what I had. I was a spoiled kid and didn't realize that having a cottage to go to was unusual.
Also, when I was in my last year of high school (I live in Ontario, we have 'grade 13' here), I went to Paris on our March Break. Paris in the springtime? Yes, there's a song about that I think. And it was just amazing.
And finally, how about the South of France in April? Yes, it absolutely was as gorgeous as you'd imagine it to be. :)
I didn't start to read the Harry Potter books when they were new, in fact, I recall hearing about the launch of the Goblet of Fire on the radio thinking to myself that people were crazy to stand in line to buy a book.
Since then I got my job at the bookstore, and decided I'd give them a shot, I forget who it was that talked me into it, but someone did.
Obviously I read the books in order, but there was no need to wait between them, I just went to work and bought the next book.
I distinctly recall reading The Goblet of Fire and not being able to put it down, I was up till 4 am finishing it. There I was sitting in bed reading, tears streaming down my face.
Right, and then I had to wait. I'm fairly patient, so it wasn't a huge problem to wait, afterall, I am older than 9, so I should be able to wait for a book, right?
Well, today's the day, it's here, and I'm reading. There have been far more distractions than I would have liked, but I'm really enjoying it thus far.
I've sort of been worried that after waiting so long for it to come I'd be terribly disappointed in it when it finally arrived. Like I said, I'm really enjoying it, the only issue is, it's been almost three years since I finished reading The Goblet of Fire, I don't remember what's going on!
Still sort of lame questions, but better than before.
1. Is your hair naturally curly, wavy, or straight? Long or short?
My hair is straight, extremely straight. I guess it's sort of in between long and short, though I would consider it long.
2. How has your hair changed over your lifetime?
My hair has had all kinds of changes. When I was a kid it was kept short in a cute little Dorothy Hamill cut, and when I was a kid it was really cute. Since then it's been all kinds of lengths, straight, curly, brownish, blonde. I had extremely short hair for a while which was terrible, I'm not sure what I was thinking, and it took what seemed like forever to grow out, though in actuality it was really quite quick. I was queen of the headbands for a while.
3. How do your normally wear your hair?
Now? A couple of ways, either pulled up into a sort of bun, either pulled up in one of those claw clips, in a ponytail, or just down normally.
4. If you could change your hair this minute, what would it look like?
I've always thought I'd like it to be red, but really I'd just make it so that the colour I put into it was permanent, as in forever, no roots, no fading. That would be perfect.
5. Ever had a hair disaster? What happened?
I've had tons. When I was in pre-school I took a pair of scissors and hacked all of my hair off, the day before I was supposed to have pictures taken, so there is (somewhere) documented proof of this disaster. I was just about bald.
Also, I had an absolutely terrible perm once. Seriously, I think I cried when I came home. I spent ages watching and blow drying my hair in hopes of making the curls go away. Eventually it relaxed itself enough so it was presentable, but it took quite a while.
I am absolutely furious.
I work in retail, at the moment I'm the assistant manager at a bookstore. Which is all well and good, I love books, I love my co-workers (at least most of them) I get along really well with my boss (most of the time) and most of our customers are perfectly sweet people.
Tonight was one of the exceptions.
Harry Potter happens in about 11 minutes, of course since we work in a mall we can't open at midnight, which really isn't a bad thing. Because if we were to be open I'd still be there. At any rate, we've been pre-selling the book to make sure people get their copy tomorrow when the big rush is on.
Tonight I had a lady come in and pre-order the book, she then went across the street to the grocery store and found out that they were going to be selling it for a couple of dollars less. She then phoned over and made a big fuss.
I didn't answer the phone, Tara did. So, I only heard her half of the very short conversation. She told the lady that she couldn't refund a gift card, but that the lady could spend the money on anything else in any of our stores. Obviously that answer didn't satisfy her because the phone was handed to me.
I patiently explained over and over again that I could not refund a gift card, it was company policy, that she was free to spend it on anything in any of our stores. She then told me that she was told that it was refundable when she bought it, to which I asked her when she'd been in and she said that it was only about five minutes ago. So, I patiently explained again that there's no way that we'd told her that it was refundable, because we both know that gift cards are not refundable.
Then she got on my case for not telling her that it wasn't refundable when she bought the card. All I could say to that was that she didn't ask me if it was refundable when she bought it so I didn't mention it. Though, it does say quite plainly on the bottom of the gift card receipt that they are not refundable.
At any rate, she then said she was coming back in and was going to speak to the manager. To which I replied quite firmly "I am the manager." So she said that she didn't care she was coming in and I was going to find her someone higher up than me to speak with.
I offered to give her our customer service phone number so that she could file her complaint with them to which she muttered under her breath, 'damn right I'm going to file my complaint with them.' and then audibly 'give me that number'. So I read that off to her, and she continued to insist on her refund.
I was exceedingly polite and continued to explain that I was sorry but I was unable to give her a refund. She even accused me of knowing that the book was cheaper across the road. Which is totally ridiculous. Like I went around pricing the book everywhere and then came back with the express purpose of lying to people.
At any rate, she decided that since books were refundable she'd come right in, buy books, and then return them and get her money back. Which is a perfect plan, except that when a book is purchased with a gift card, we have to issue them a credit note if they return the books, which wouldn't have solved anything.
She did not come back to the store. I don't know if she thought about it and realized that she pitched a huge fit over $4. Or if she figured, she'd just call customer service and get me fired, or if she was just so angry that she didn't bother to come in. At any rate, she didn't show up, which I really think took all of the 'ooomph' out of her tantrum.
The moral of the story? I hate people, especially people who think that if they make enough noise they'll get what they want.
While I was at the book expo we went to the HBFenn booth to spin this wheel of books thing they had happening. I got to the front of the line, spun the wheel and bang, was given the very last copy of Wilbur Smith's Blue Horizon (which is autographed no less). Afterwards I decided to sign up for a newsletter, it comes by email once a week and is full of really cool information. (I also get one weekly from Random House)
So, I got the first one on Tuesday (for some reason) and was told that it would come weekly on Thursdays. At the end of the Tuesday newsletter it said that they were having a contest for a new book, all you had to do was send an email with the title of the book in the subject line and your name and store number in the body and you'd be entered in the draw.
Today I came home to find the new newsletter in my email box, scroll to the bottom to see who won, and....it was me. There are more contests in this newest newsletter, I'm going to keep entering, may as well win as many free books as possible, right?
I also really need to buy some lottery tickets.
It's gorgeous outside, the sun is shining, it's hot, there is absolutely no breeze, and I'm stuck in the city. Today is absolutely a day to be at the lake. I'd go to the lake here, but the Sound of Music Festival is happening which means there will be a zillion people down there, so I'm going to just stay away.
I decided earlier to go and lay in the sun, which I did for about an hour, however, just as I was about to drift off to sleep the neighbour started up his chainsaw. Why on earth that house always has to be making noise is beyond me, either it's a chainsaw, or it's a dirt bike, or it's a party with loud music and loud voices. Which isn't so bad really, but it's always when I want to be sleeping! :)
Anyway, like I said I sat in the sun for an hour, so naturally I've got a sunburn, it's not bad because I came inside as soon as I noticed it starting, which is an improvement for me, normally I just turn over and burn the other side as well. Skin cancer? Yeah, I'd say it's inevitable.
But finally it's hot, it's sunny and it's all happening on a weekend. Hooray for summer! Can't wait for my next weekend at the cottage...only a month more. :)
1. What's one thing you've always wanted to do, but never have?
There are many things I've always wanted to do but never have actually. But I'd really like to either skydive or bungee jump. I don't know why, and I'm sure I'd chicken out if given the opportunity, but I'd really like to do it.
I always wanted to sing solos too, I did it at church when I was a kid, but then somehow I grew inhibitions and nerves and haven't been able to do it since. Vocal tests were hell when I was in high school, all but once, when everyone stared at me when I volunteered to go first, belted out the song and left, I'm not sure if I was pleased at their awe at how good I was or annoyed that they hadn't seen my brilliance before. ;) At any rate, I love to sing and would love to be able to do it in public.
2. When someone asks your opinion about a new haircut/outfit/etc, are you always honest?
Yeah, I'm pretty damn honest about things. And I think people know it, if they don't want to hear the truth, generally they don't ask me things. Like surly said, that way I can honestly say "C'mon you know me better than that." When they ask me if I'm just being nice.
3. Have you ever found out something about a friend and then wished you hadn't? What happened?
I don't think so.
4. If you could live in any fictional world (from a book/movie/game/etc.) which would it be and why?
The Emerald City maybe? There were women there to clean you up, there were horses of a different colour, a field of beautiful poppies outside, and a yellow brick road, what could be more perfect? And! As an added bonus everyone was singing all the time.
5. What's one talent/skill you don't have but always wanted?
The ability to concentrate? Actually, I'd really like to be able to write tests. I am absolutely terrible at it, ask me to explain something and I can talk forever about it (as long as I understand it of course) but put an exam in front of me, and I'll freeze. Which sort of put a damper on any scholastic success.
The job hunt has started again.
I loathe looking for jobs, it's really about the most demoralizing thing I can think of, which is completely ridiculous, because it shouldn't be that way, but when I have to look for a job I become terribly depressed. Usually because I don't want to be leaving the job that I'm leaving.
My most recent case goes like this. I've worked for my bookstore for almost three years now (it will be three years in September). When I started I was just a part time employee, I didn't work a whole lot till the Christmas season came around, when suddenly I was slammed with 43 hours a week. That's not really a lot, but the thing is, when you're used to only working 12, it's something to adjust to. After Christmas I went to my computer training and still worked part time at the store. When my computer training was done I got that fantastic job at the drug company which I loved to bits, and which I'm sure I would still have if my team leader hadn't been moved to Germany. However, all the time I was there I still worked for the bookstore once a week...or so.
I've tried to quit the bookstore job several times now, and each time it seems that I am unable to do so. I don't know why, but it's like there's something that keeps drawing me back there. So I got that promotion in February to Assistant Manager which came with a tiny pay raise which kept me happy for a while. However, I know that the actual Assistant Manager is going to come back from maternity leave at the beginning of October which will mean that I drop back down to my full time position, which of course means I'll drop back down to my full time hourly rate. I can't afford that, so therefore...I look for another job.
So far I haven't arrived at the terribly depressed state that usually comes with the job hunt, but I'm torn in this search. I really don't want to leave the bookstore because I love working there, however there doesn't seem to be a position for me once October rolls around, and so as much as I love what I do, I'm going to have to leave it behind and perhaps take a job that I hate just because it pays more.
How terrible is that?
On Sunday I'm going to SARSville (aka Toronto) to a book expo.
Doesn't that sound like the nerdiest activity in the world? Well, whatever, I work in a bookstore, it'll be like Christmas! I heard Raincoast is going to have Harry Potter there!!! (You'll notice from the over use of exclamation points that I'm excited about that) Also, the publishers give out free books...a lot of free books. Free Christmas presents for everyone!
So, my boss has done the schedule up so that I'm going to the expo on Sunday, everyone else has the same day off...everyone but her. And she's told everyone that we're all going to go there together in a big group, while she works and then goes alone the next day.
When the hell did I sign up to play babysitter on my day off? It's bad enough that I have to watch them when I'm working, but taking them all on a field trip? Non, Merci. It's not in my game plan.
So, here's the problem. I'd really like to go with Tara, and Karen, but I really don't want to take Lauren. There are many reasons for this.
Lauren is a teenager, and not a particularly mature one. She seems to think it's perfectly acceptable to kiss her boyfriend in the middle of the sales floor while she's supposed to be working. She's constantly late, she quite often forgets that she's supposed to be there at all. I find that she's sort of rude to people, and there are expressions she uses that just make me cringe. My boss loves her, and will not hear a bad word about her. In fact, she's even told me that apparently I was mistaken as to how late Lauren actually was for work one day. The fact that she wasn't even there that day makes that statement all kinds of wrong. At any rate, the boss likes her, so she stays even though she is completely irresponsible. In fact, she's so irresponsible that she has to take her schedule home to her mom so that mom can remind her when she has to work. She's a nice girl, but...all of those things have combined to make me not like her a whole lot.
I like Karen actually, I think she, Tara and I would have a lot of fun wandering around the book expo together. However, if I go with those two, how do I get out of going with Lauren as well?
So, something that was going to be incredibly fun is now not looking like a whole lot of fun at all. I think I'll go by myself. Since I'm management I can get in at 11am, the other girls aren't able to get in till 1pm, so maybe I'll go, and can meet up with them once they arrive or something. That way I'll be able to enjoy at least some of my day.
A while ago my friend Tara and I went to Toronto to meet Sophie Kinsella. After we'd met Sophie and had our books signed, we ended up talking to her publicists for a bit telling them how we handsell her books all the time, etc.
At that point we were told a secret, he took us over to the shelf and showed us Sophie's other name. So, we went back to the store buzzing with this news and ordered up the books. The publicist also told us that in the next month (April, I guess) they were going to be running a contest. When Shopaholic Takes Manhattan came out they ran a similar contest, every time a bookseller talked a customer into buying the books they got a ballot and then at the end of the month the ballots were all thrown in a hat and one winner was chosen. The prize in that instance was a trip for two to Manhattan for a weekend, airfare, accomodation and $1000 to spend while there.
They said this years contest would be similar, with the winner getting to choose between a trip to Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal and the $1000. Because the contest is open to all the booksellers in Canada they had to make the prizes something that would interest everyone. So, we reported that back to the people at the store, and suggested to them all that they read at least one of the books so they could handsell them.
Not one of them listened to me, and when the month was over, and we sent the ballots in the only names on the ballots were mine and Tara's. I'm going to have to make sure I tell them all that they should have listened to me! ;) (hee!)
So, today I'm at work trying to handsell Marian Keyes books to a customer who was off on a trip to Europe (lucky thing!), and let me tell you it was taking some work. Apparently her favourite kinds of books are those in which the character struggles with an illness and ends up dying. Which sounds terribly depressing to me, however Rachel's holiday appealed to her because the main character is a drug addict. Yes, I'm serious. The phone rings and Monica answers and then comes around to tell me it's for me. Generally if we're talking to someone, we don't interrupt them, so I was sort of curious. She told me it wasn't my mom (who is pretty much the only person who calls me at work), so that made me even more curious.
When I answered the phone the woman identified herself as being from Random House, and my immediate thought was, what on earth have I done that would concern Random House? I have such a guilt complex.
After asking me how to pronounce my last name she went on to ask me if I remembered the Shopaholic contest, and said that they'd pulled my name as the winner!
To which I intelligently responded "You've got to be kidding". Anyway, she tried to explain things to me, but realized quite rightly that I wasn't really in absorbing information mode, so she said she'd call me back tomorrow.
I had to give her the address for the store, for home, etc... I guess she's got an information package and release forms for me and whomever I decide to take with me to sign. Also, all the details of the prize, because honestly, I don't remember what it was, I didn't think too much about it, because who ever thinks they'll actually win?
Thank you Random House, thank you Sophie Kinsella and hell...thank you Indigo!