July 12

creepy polaroid we found in the basement

Today we got a free organ off Carigslist. Not like a heart or a lung but like, a Yamaha organ. We're all pretty excited and there's talk of starting a gospel band.

We opened up the back of the organ to look at the tubes inside and found a picture of a little Korean girl circa 1980's. It's weird because since we've moved into this place we've come across a few other weird and random photos. For example, we found an old Polaroid of this guy dressed in this cheap Santa Claus costume holding a puppy rottweiler with a huge German Shepard sitting beside them. Strange.

Other cool things:

• Cynthia and I found a sweet short cut to my favorite grocery store
• We went to the Trout Lake farmers market, which is just a few blocks from our place, and bought cherries, eggs and onions. There's also a guy who sells Thai stir-fry sauce that is quite possibly the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. Cynthia bought the peanut sauce. I was going to buy the yellow curry but I spent all my money on cherries. Sad face.
  
• Tomorrow is the annual Dunfries Street block party. Cynthia, Matt and I are going to make cookies tonight for the event.
  

Ok. So I'm going to eat lunch and then I think we are going to the beach!!! I've been wearing my bathing suit for two weeks straight in anticipation of going to the beach and finally the day is here!

Hugs and kisses.
xoxox

July 11

The novelty of unemployment is wearing thin.

July 9

So I wrote Heather Mallick a psychotic email the other day telling her how much I love her. To my surprise I got an email response from her today. This has made my year (I know that is sad, but I really do love this woman. She is an amazing writer). Anyway, for your enjoyment:

hello, lovely woman

Your email cheered me up enormously. A young woman loves my work? I get so much hate mail, mainly from middle-aged men, that I just assumed your email would be full of hate too. And this way misanthropy lies.

I am honoured that you read my work, because the only thing I really care about is making life better for young people. I am thrilled that my writing resonates with you.

Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me that you like my writing. Feel free to email me again. Trust me, your words matter to me, just as mine do to you.

Cheers,

Heather (yes, we are now on a first-name basis)

P.S. Do you read David Sedaris? Buy Me Talk Pretty One Day. I love his essays. Anyway I leave you with that, an irritating piece of advice. I'll just shut up now.

July 8

a thrilling picture of me and my backyard
(don't worry, i didn't have a stroke. i'm trying to look nonchalant.)

So I wrote up a resume today that I'm quite pleased with. I also applied for a job at a women's shelter that I would love to get but am not holding my breath for. I am thinking good thoughts though. Hopefully my awesome resume will impress them enough for an interview, in which I would proceed to charm the pants off of my interviewers. Either way, I'm back at it tomorrow sending out resumes left, right and centre.

Aside from that not much to report. I'm sleepy and tired of sitting at my computer (although I do enjoy sitting at my new $16 desk that I made out of random Ikea parts), so I don't really have the motivation to think of clever and witty ways of describing my days here in Vancouver. Thus, I'm going to do a quick update in point form. Enjoy:

• Almost got peed on yesterday by a crackhead in Chinatown.
• Cleaned up the front yard this weekend. I'm pretty sure my arm and back muscles have doubled in size since moving into the new house.
  
• Discovered that the Army Navy Surplus store has the biggest and most colorful selection of women's shoes I've ever seen in any store before in my whole life.
  
• I got to talk to my Mom, Shali and Natalie all within 24 hours. Le sigh...
  
• Found a grocery store that has the nicest staff. Ever.
• Started reading a really good book called the Book of Negroes by Lawerence Hill, which I am going to go read now.

Love you guys!
xoxox

July 6

It doesn't matter what side of the country you're on, people are stupid.

July 4

Ok. Time for a real update.

So we are settled into the new place. The bathroom is finished and looks fabulous. We still need a vanity and some paint for the bathroom but that's small potatoes compared to the other stuff Matt and Nic did to it. Somehow we managed to make the 1950's style teal bathtub and toilet look way less ugly, some might say they actually look great now. Go us!

We finally got the living room sort of looking like a living room and we ate our first meal in the dining room the other night. We still need to assemble the entertainment unit we got for free on Craigslist and do some more painting but the house is definitely starting to feel like a home.

This weekend we are planning on tackling the front and backyards. Our (sexy, older) neighbor, John, is a landscaper and he volunteered to come over and give us a hand. We have a lot of nice plants in our backyard, like citronella, mint and fennel, but there are lots of greens back there that are difficult to identify so he will be able to point out what should stay and what should go. (I'll probably just spend most of my time oogling him though. He does yoga and it shows.)

Aside from that, Cynthia and I went and split a membership at Costco. I told her I officially feel like an adult now. I also bought the largest quantity of meat I've ever bought in one shot before in my life. Coming home and wrapping all those nice little chicken titties separately then freezing them also made me feel more mature and responsible somehow. Vancouver is making an adult of me, and a responsible one at that. Who woulda thought?!

Tonight I'm going out for my first girls night. Cynthia, Erin, AJ, and I are going to see the Sex and the City movie (I know, but it's better than staying home and hanging out with Matt and Nic), then going out for a drink. I haven't really had a chance to see what the Vancouver nightlife is like so I'm excited to see what it has to offer.

Anyway, I'm off the start working on my resume. Next week is going to be all job searching all the time. Can't wait!

Love yous!
xoxox

July 1

A lot of people hate and misunderstand her but I love Heather Mallick.