Well well, it has been awhile indeed. Actually, according to my last post, I haven't updated in all of 2013! It would be useless to try and recount all of the events in detail so I will do a bit of a summative update and hopefully get back into a more regular routine. I do enjoy keeping my faithful readers updated. (I also like making ironic jokes)
To start, Tom and I have moved into a beautiful house together. We moved in mid-February and it has been going great so far. A bit further away from town, slightly further away from work but in a better location and much quieter. Not sure if I would ever want to go back to living in an apartment building again.
Two or three weeks after we moved into our house, a colleague of mine told me about her cat that she had recently re-homed. She was very allergic to her cat and had reached the unhappy decision that she had to give her up. Tom and I had discussed having pets and decided to take Poppy, rather than see her go to a shelter or re-homed somewhere not nearly as awesome as our house. We brought Poppy home and, after climbing up the chimney for four hours and sitting behind the dryer for another fifteen or sixteen, she settled in very well. She has this adorable habit of trying to get your attention by sinking her lovely little claws into your legs, arms, hands, face...you know, wherever. This is made even more adorable at 3:30 in the morning. Also, I want to publicly state I wanted to rename her. I was thinking Moose, as a tribute to my native land. Tom disagreed. How unfair.
I am on Easter holiday now and not nearly prepared to go back to work on Monday. Following my return to work, it will be the most frantic time of the year getting my Year 11s finished with their coursework, ready for exams and done their GCSEs. My third year of teaching is quickly finishing and I am still at the same school. Before I leave England, I want to see more of the country than the midlands, but I am happy enough and still have 4.5 years left on my Visa to decide on a change of scenery.
And, in 400 little words (or so), that is my life for the last few months. The upcoming months will include travelling, trips back to Canada and going on a trip with one of my best friends; hopefully this will allow for less summative posts, more exciting story-telling.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Monday, December 24, 2012
T'was the Night Before Christmas...
Gather 'round children and let me tell you the story of a very special gift.
What gift you ask?
Why, dear readers, this gift.
This gift came to me all the way from Norway from my very own sister. And what an adventure this package went on! Let me tell you the tale...
A few weeks ago, Sarah told me that she had mailed a Christmas gift to me and that I should look out for it. A couple weeks went by, didn't receive anything and didn't think much of it (considering mail was backed up for months following the Olympics, I figured I would get it just in time for Thanksgiving 2013). When Sarah mentioned it a few more times, I started checking the mail more frequently, asking the concierge at my building and still found nothing. Finally it got to Friday and still nothing (and only 2 more post days until Christmas--oh no)! This is where the story gets interesting. Or boring, depending on how limited your patience is. Mine had reached a critical low by the end of Friday afternoon.
Sarah gave me the customer number and tracking number. I decided to stop in to my local post office to see if, for some reason, they had my parcel and just hadn't delivered it yet. No dice...attempt one. After getting home, I tried one more time with the front desk to see if it had been delivered in my 45 minute absence...nope. Attempt two. I called the courier company that Sarah shipped it with and the oh-so-unhelpful woman on the phone told me that I would have to drive to one of their convenient locations to pick up my parcel, about 300 miles away. Thanks love. Attempt three.
I then tried to see if the tracking number would work on one of the main courier services for England--it worked! Success. It seemed like I would be fourth-attempt lucky and have my parcel before bedtime! So off to the local Royal Mail depot I trundle, 10 miles away, and wait in line. It turns out that there are two Royal Mail depots in Northampton, one serving the post codes of NN1, NN2, NN5 and so on...and I had chosen the depot that served all other postal codes but mine. Fourth attempt strike-out.
The next adventure involved a 15-mile backtrack to this rather smelly little post office near my apartment where the woman behind the counter informed me that I hadn't reached the post depot, but rather just a mail office; lovely. Fifth attempt.
Patience wearing thin, the postal depot that proved as easy to find as Narnia was finally found and the line was literally out the door. After standing in line and explaining, for about the 72nd time, my quest to find this bleep-ing gift, the woman behind the counter took my information, checked her whizzy little computer and cheerfully informed me that my tracking number had nothing to do with Royal Mail and I had to contact the other major courier, ParcelForce. Sixth attempt.
On the drive back to my apartment, of course we hit heavy traffic. I found the phone number for ParcelForce and managed to get through...to a waiting line for a call centre. Teeth-grittingly wonderful. I am finally answered, explain my story for now the 117th time and the next unhelpful woman in my encounters cheerfully informed me that my parcel had been in the UK since December 3. Lucky number 7 it seems.
Without trying to sound like a shrieking banshee, I asked why I was not informed that my parcel had arrived. The woman informed me that there was a customs charge on it that needed to be paid. Fine and fair enough I replied and then sweetly enquired how in the sweet mother of everything holy was I expected to pay the customs charge if I was never informed of the package arriving in the UK?! Somewhat sheepishly, Miss ParcelForce said that there must have been a slight oversight and my letter just must have been left out. She then asked me if I wanted to pay an additional extortionate amount to have it delivered to me the next day. I politely (mentally) told her to stuff it and (verbally) asked what my other options were. I decided on a Christmas Eve delivery and then had another little spat about the concept of leaving the package at the front desk and that I was not, in fact, going to wait outside my building between the hours of 8AM and 5PM to get the.........wonderful........thing. Really, it was probably safer for Mr/Mrs ParceForce delivery-person that we never meet.
So, seven attempts and a few spikes in blood pressure later...
What gift you ask?
Why, dear readers, this gift.
This gift came to me all the way from Norway from my very own sister. And what an adventure this package went on! Let me tell you the tale...
A few weeks ago, Sarah told me that she had mailed a Christmas gift to me and that I should look out for it. A couple weeks went by, didn't receive anything and didn't think much of it (considering mail was backed up for months following the Olympics, I figured I would get it just in time for Thanksgiving 2013). When Sarah mentioned it a few more times, I started checking the mail more frequently, asking the concierge at my building and still found nothing. Finally it got to Friday and still nothing (and only 2 more post days until Christmas--oh no)! This is where the story gets interesting. Or boring, depending on how limited your patience is. Mine had reached a critical low by the end of Friday afternoon.
Sarah gave me the customer number and tracking number. I decided to stop in to my local post office to see if, for some reason, they had my parcel and just hadn't delivered it yet. No dice...attempt one. After getting home, I tried one more time with the front desk to see if it had been delivered in my 45 minute absence...nope. Attempt two. I called the courier company that Sarah shipped it with and the oh-so-unhelpful woman on the phone told me that I would have to drive to one of their convenient locations to pick up my parcel, about 300 miles away. Thanks love. Attempt three.
I then tried to see if the tracking number would work on one of the main courier services for England--it worked! Success. It seemed like I would be fourth-attempt lucky and have my parcel before bedtime! So off to the local Royal Mail depot I trundle, 10 miles away, and wait in line. It turns out that there are two Royal Mail depots in Northampton, one serving the post codes of NN1, NN2, NN5 and so on...and I had chosen the depot that served all other postal codes but mine. Fourth attempt strike-out.
The next adventure involved a 15-mile backtrack to this rather smelly little post office near my apartment where the woman behind the counter informed me that I hadn't reached the post depot, but rather just a mail office; lovely. Fifth attempt.
Patience wearing thin, the postal depot that proved as easy to find as Narnia was finally found and the line was literally out the door. After standing in line and explaining, for about the 72nd time, my quest to find this bleep-ing gift, the woman behind the counter took my information, checked her whizzy little computer and cheerfully informed me that my tracking number had nothing to do with Royal Mail and I had to contact the other major courier, ParcelForce. Sixth attempt.
On the drive back to my apartment, of course we hit heavy traffic. I found the phone number for ParcelForce and managed to get through...to a waiting line for a call centre. Teeth-grittingly wonderful. I am finally answered, explain my story for now the 117th time and the next unhelpful woman in my encounters cheerfully informed me that my parcel had been in the UK since December 3. Lucky number 7 it seems.
Without trying to sound like a shrieking banshee, I asked why I was not informed that my parcel had arrived. The woman informed me that there was a customs charge on it that needed to be paid. Fine and fair enough I replied and then sweetly enquired how in the sweet mother of everything holy was I expected to pay the customs charge if I was never informed of the package arriving in the UK?! Somewhat sheepishly, Miss ParcelForce said that there must have been a slight oversight and my letter just must have been left out. She then asked me if I wanted to pay an additional extortionate amount to have it delivered to me the next day. I politely (mentally) told her to stuff it and (verbally) asked what my other options were. I decided on a Christmas Eve delivery and then had another little spat about the concept of leaving the package at the front desk and that I was not, in fact, going to wait outside my building between the hours of 8AM and 5PM to get the.........wonderful........thing. Really, it was probably safer for Mr/Mrs ParceForce delivery-person that we never meet.
So, seven attempts and a few spikes in blood pressure later...
See how pretty it is?!
Alright, it was definitely worth it in the long run. I'm looking forward to my first truly British Christmas tomorrow; even if I am thinking of friends and family far across the Atlantic. First Christmas away from home in all my 25 years and I'm pretty excited about it. Now. I have milk and cookies to leave for the fat man.
And, on that note...a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
It's That Time Again...
It's that time of the year again. The countdown to Christmas is on--not necessarily for me, but for seemingly every store, supermarket, Internet and TV advert, and bargain home store. Usually I can hold out until at least the 1st of December before I start decorating and I usually don't put that much effort in, considering I'm usually going home for Christmas.
However, this year, I'm staying in England for Christmas. This is my first Christmas in England, my first Christmas away from home. I've decided to actually put some effort in. So, on the particularly wet and miserable evening that was last night, I bought the first round of decorations. A 3-foot artificial tree for the entryway, snow globe (complete with Santa), candles, window hangings and garland. I dread to think what the place will look like when Christmas actually rolls around. Must stick to a budget. Must stick to a budget. Must not spend more than half my entire bank account on Christmas decorations...sounds like a reasonable budget.
Work has been rolling on, as it tends to do. Not much to comment on work. It's there. It pays my rent and living expenses. The kids make it worth it. I will definitely have to make some post about those darn kids saying the darndest things, just waiting to accumulate a good collection.
I went to see Phantom of the Opera with Leigh at the beginning of the week. This is my first experience seeing the show on the stage and I definitely loved it.
See? Really thrilled.
I am beginning to accumulate a huge amount of memorabilia from trips, events and outings since I've moved here. Plane tickets, show tickets, movie stubs, luggage tags, museum leaflets...I probably should make some type of scrapbook but, honestly, who wants to do that? You, random reader? Are you going to make a scrapbook for me?
Didn't think so.
That was quite sharp of me, apologies.
I am in the process of looking for a new place to live. Several options, all quite feasible and would be a nice change of scenery. As always, stay tuned for new developments.
This Tuesday marked the 20th anniversary of the passing of someone I miss and love every single day. I was only 5 years old and it has changed me more than I will ever understand. I thought about finding some quaint little quote from the Internet, but rather than use the words that are not my own, I will simply say that I love you, I miss you and I hope that you are happy and at peace. That's all I could ever ask.
That could be read as all I ask of you. (Get it?)
However, this year, I'm staying in England for Christmas. This is my first Christmas in England, my first Christmas away from home. I've decided to actually put some effort in. So, on the particularly wet and miserable evening that was last night, I bought the first round of decorations. A 3-foot artificial tree for the entryway, snow globe (complete with Santa), candles, window hangings and garland. I dread to think what the place will look like when Christmas actually rolls around. Must stick to a budget. Must stick to a budget. Must not spend more than half my entire bank account on Christmas decorations...sounds like a reasonable budget.
Work has been rolling on, as it tends to do. Not much to comment on work. It's there. It pays my rent and living expenses. The kids make it worth it. I will definitely have to make some post about those darn kids saying the darndest things, just waiting to accumulate a good collection.
I went to see Phantom of the Opera with Leigh at the beginning of the week. This is my first experience seeing the show on the stage and I definitely loved it.
See? Really thrilled.
I am beginning to accumulate a huge amount of memorabilia from trips, events and outings since I've moved here. Plane tickets, show tickets, movie stubs, luggage tags, museum leaflets...I probably should make some type of scrapbook but, honestly, who wants to do that? You, random reader? Are you going to make a scrapbook for me?
Didn't think so.
That was quite sharp of me, apologies.
I am in the process of looking for a new place to live. Several options, all quite feasible and would be a nice change of scenery. As always, stay tuned for new developments.
This Tuesday marked the 20th anniversary of the passing of someone I miss and love every single day. I was only 5 years old and it has changed me more than I will ever understand. I thought about finding some quaint little quote from the Internet, but rather than use the words that are not my own, I will simply say that I love you, I miss you and I hope that you are happy and at peace. That's all I could ever ask.
That could be read as all I ask of you. (Get it?)
Monday, October 29, 2012
Still Alive!
I am alive! I am sure my dedicated fanbase in, you know...Russia...have been very worried about my lack of updates. I'm just sure of it.
Well, here I am, finally on half-term holiday. I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, this has been the helfterm from hell. Work has been, without exaggerating, absolutely life-draining. As is my unfortunate annual tradition, I became ill and missed work. Unlike other years, I was off for 3 days last week and spent most of those 72 hours asleep and/or struggling to breathe. There has been so much pressure put on us at work, from all sides, that it has worn everyone down. Utterly and completely has taken our souls, violently, from our bodies. Well...I have a week to recover and get ready for the next halfterm. Oh joy.
There have been several noteworthy occasions over the past 8 weeks that I just haven't had the time to record. I went to the Warner Bro's Studio Tour where Harry Potter was filmed with Mary and Hannah as a late birthday gift. It was the best 4 hours that I have spent in a long time. The studio is divided up into several lots and, apart from a slightly guided tour at the beginning, it is really wander-and-experience on your own....loved it! Took a ridiculous amount of pictures and had an amazing time. I'd love to go back and see everything again.
Last weekend, I came to Norway to celebrate my brother-in-law's 30th birthday. My sister and I bought him a bottle of 30-year-old whiskey for his 30th birthday and I had to come to help take credit for it. I've told all the other important men in my life to expect the same gift on their 30th birthdays as it is one of my better ideas (if I can get away with saying that). I arrived Friday night and left again on Sunday and it was absolutely awesome. I saw all of Kristian's friends, met some new people and took over 400 pictures. Everything from Kristian opening his whiskey to beer pong to stacking red solo cups all over the birthday boy at 5AM. I was completely drained for work this last week, but it was definitely worth it.
I have made the decision to stay in England for Christmas this year. It's going to be very strange for me, being my first Christmas away from home, but I am excited to spend it with my English 'crew' as it were. I will definitely miss my family, the snow, and all those Christmas traditions that I have lived with for the past 25 years but I am excited to start some of my own. I am determined to continue with my eggnog ban and plan to spread the word to the English. They just need to know--it is that important. It is strange to think that I won't see my parents for almost a year and I definitely would have been much more upset when I left this summer, had I realized it then. School ends late for Christmas holiday this year and that would mean travelling through Heathrow on the busiest weekend of the year. Busiest weekend of the year = ridiculously expensive plane tickets = my first Christmas on the European side of the Atlantic. But, hey, spending Christmas in England, New Year's Eve in Norway and a holiday quickly following in February....not such a bad deal after all. I say that now. When I wake up to a green Christmas morning on December 25th, I might be singing from a different song sheet.
Thus far on my holiday, I have eaten food, walked the dog, been dragged by said dog, covered in drool from aforementioned dog, cooked and relaxed...a lot. I'm going back to England on Thursday night, just in time to wind down my holiday and start counting the days until Christmas break. Not that I would ever do that.
So, let's see. Work, Harry Potter studios, Kristian's birthday, Tanja (the dog) drooling, being introduced as a Canadian terrorist at the pub and getting ill...yep, that covers the last 8 weeks. I sincerely hope that it won't be another 8 before I update on here again. I have my loyal, dedicated and amazing readers to think of....all 6 of them.
Well, here I am, finally on half-term holiday. I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, this has been the helfterm from hell. Work has been, without exaggerating, absolutely life-draining. As is my unfortunate annual tradition, I became ill and missed work. Unlike other years, I was off for 3 days last week and spent most of those 72 hours asleep and/or struggling to breathe. There has been so much pressure put on us at work, from all sides, that it has worn everyone down. Utterly and completely has taken our souls, violently, from our bodies. Well...I have a week to recover and get ready for the next halfterm. Oh joy.
There have been several noteworthy occasions over the past 8 weeks that I just haven't had the time to record. I went to the Warner Bro's Studio Tour where Harry Potter was filmed with Mary and Hannah as a late birthday gift. It was the best 4 hours that I have spent in a long time. The studio is divided up into several lots and, apart from a slightly guided tour at the beginning, it is really wander-and-experience on your own....loved it! Took a ridiculous amount of pictures and had an amazing time. I'd love to go back and see everything again.
Last weekend, I came to Norway to celebrate my brother-in-law's 30th birthday. My sister and I bought him a bottle of 30-year-old whiskey for his 30th birthday and I had to come to help take credit for it. I've told all the other important men in my life to expect the same gift on their 30th birthdays as it is one of my better ideas (if I can get away with saying that). I arrived Friday night and left again on Sunday and it was absolutely awesome. I saw all of Kristian's friends, met some new people and took over 400 pictures. Everything from Kristian opening his whiskey to beer pong to stacking red solo cups all over the birthday boy at 5AM. I was completely drained for work this last week, but it was definitely worth it.
I have made the decision to stay in England for Christmas this year. It's going to be very strange for me, being my first Christmas away from home, but I am excited to spend it with my English 'crew' as it were. I will definitely miss my family, the snow, and all those Christmas traditions that I have lived with for the past 25 years but I am excited to start some of my own. I am determined to continue with my eggnog ban and plan to spread the word to the English. They just need to know--it is that important. It is strange to think that I won't see my parents for almost a year and I definitely would have been much more upset when I left this summer, had I realized it then. School ends late for Christmas holiday this year and that would mean travelling through Heathrow on the busiest weekend of the year. Busiest weekend of the year = ridiculously expensive plane tickets = my first Christmas on the European side of the Atlantic. But, hey, spending Christmas in England, New Year's Eve in Norway and a holiday quickly following in February....not such a bad deal after all. I say that now. When I wake up to a green Christmas morning on December 25th, I might be singing from a different song sheet.
Thus far on my holiday, I have eaten food, walked the dog, been dragged by said dog, covered in drool from aforementioned dog, cooked and relaxed...a lot. I'm going back to England on Thursday night, just in time to wind down my holiday and start counting the days until Christmas break. Not that I would ever do that.
So, let's see. Work, Harry Potter studios, Kristian's birthday, Tanja (the dog) drooling, being introduced as a Canadian terrorist at the pub and getting ill...yep, that covers the last 8 weeks. I sincerely hope that it won't be another 8 before I update on here again. I have my loyal, dedicated and amazing readers to think of....all 6 of them.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Don't Cry For Me...
...I'm already dead.
From work.
Work is to me what Dementors were to Barty Crouch Jr. BOOM. Still coherent enough for a good HP reference.
From work.
Work is to me what Dementors were to Barty Crouch Jr. BOOM. Still coherent enough for a good HP reference.
Monday, August 27, 2012
So Long, Farewell
It's about that time again. My entire six-week holiday is 24 hours away from ending and I am on my way back to England tomorrow. It has gone by so incredibly fast and I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow. I've started the goodbyes already; really, I started them two weeks ago. It doesn't seem to get any easier--it almost seems harder each time I leave. These six weeks have been filled with lunches with friends, Tim Hortons coffee & Timbits, watching hockey with my dad, looking at shooting stars around a campfire and spending (not enough) time with family and friends. I've had a great time at home and am sad to say goodbye.
I celebrated my 25th birthday yesterday surrounded by family and friends and it was a great way to end my trip. When I get back to England on Tuesday, I'll have a couple of days to unpack, catch up on sleep and get myself turned around again before I have a second round of birthday celebrations. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone when I get back to England.
Well. Until next time Canada. So long and thanks for all the fish. Eh.
I celebrated my 25th birthday yesterday surrounded by family and friends and it was a great way to end my trip. When I get back to England on Tuesday, I'll have a couple of days to unpack, catch up on sleep and get myself turned around again before I have a second round of birthday celebrations. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone when I get back to England.
Well. Until next time Canada. So long and thanks for all the fish. Eh.
Friday, August 24, 2012
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