"In life, sometimes everything falls into place, and sometimes everything falls to pieces. The key is to begin creating with these fallen pieces. By improvising, you'll create something magical that might be the best thing you've ever accomplished." ~Tori Amos

I am still sniffly and snuffely... but the 5km swim challenge is tomm morning. I went to swim practice tonight. I feeeeeeel soooooooooooo slllllllllllloooooooooooooow...

Went back to work yesterday, I am blooooody useless. This morning the monkies in my head were playing the timpanies on my brain. It was terrible. I had to send out a plead to the troops to send drug reinforcements. LOL!

Other things... I love unlimited txting on my phone... I love unlimited IMing on my phone... I love BBM! It keeps me distracted and entertained whilst I want to kill Grumpy Gus and Gangle Magoo...

I am tired... I am going to be even more tired if I don't go to sleep...

Off to dream of coffee and cola that awaits me tomm...

Tomm is gonna be a long one.

5am wake up
6am warm up and 5km start...
8am breakfast
12 nail appt
2pm meet karen at oakridge
misc niceities...
6pm bike trek wrap up, I won tons of goodies. I am very excited to pick them all up.
8.30pm Chambar
10pm Aubar for Izz's b-day...
drunken stupor...

Sunday... i hope to come home and watch a movie and nap all day... maybe hit the gym...

Day two... feeling like the biggest bag of donkey poop...

I want to puke, my head wants to explode.

I was just calling in sick and emailing the troops and the amount of effort to get to the computer I thought I should kill two birds with one stone.

I have been sleeping since 10am yesterday, I am still feeling miserable.

AUGH!!!

What a week!!!!!!

I took most of last week off work. It was my birthday present to myself. 2 extra days of "peace and quiet". Do peace and quiet actually exist in my world???

Wednesday was my 28th birthday... it was nice and quiet. Tuesday night was rough, I was pretty sad and tired. I've been drinking so much espresso because of my new machine it's been effecting my sleep. So being tired from lack of sleep tends to bring on the sad, depressed nights... I guess I realized it's the first birthday without my mom and I also realized how hard it would be spending the next day with my grandparents and my mom's sisters.

I went to Dim sum with my aunts and grandparents and a few of my cousbots! It was awesome! I have such an incredible family! I loooooove them so much. After lunch I decided to go home and try to relax before hitting the pool for swim practice.

Thursday was the Sugoi sale and my birthday party. I slept in a bit. Had a few aggravating emails and txts from work to deal with. Went out to TAS and picked up a racing bathing suit and new goggles. Then went to Fujiya and got lunch, I miss having Fujiya close by. Headed to Sugoi. Met up with a few people and had a shopping event of a long time coming. I got a riiiiidiculous amount of stuff. I probably don't need as many bike shorts as I bought but better then having not enough I guess and at those prices I cannot complain. Went to Joey's had a marvelous dinner and spent some time with some really really great friends.

Friday... It was my first day of nothing pressing needing to be done. I decided to hang out with Jess and Penny for the mor-ternoon. hit up granville island for lunch and a short walk. It was effin' windy and freezing! It was really nice to have someone interesting and smart to talk to. Someone who gets that life is what you make it and it doesn't owe you fuck all. It was really nice to talk to someone who is on the same brain wave as me.

Met up with my "little" cousin at Library square and had dinner and drinks. Then we went to Puscifer. OMG!!!!!! second best show of my life! it was ammmmmmazing! I wannnnnnt to have Maynard's babies!!!!!!!! That man is incredible. <3 The show was phenominal! the music was flawless! The vocals tantilizing...

Saturday... hung out with Lara all day. She had her reflexology clinic and she worked my feet twice and my skull once. I was like putty! She totally detoxed me and reset me cause I was peeing every 5 minutes and soooooo tired. I slept like a baby last night. After she worked on me and all her other "clients" came through, we met her friend Evangelina and went to the Naam for lupper! Evangelina is a mesoamerican archaeologist too! we talked and went on tangents all afternoon! she is amazing! Lara and I decided to go for a quick swim. I needed to get in the water before the swimmeet and relax.

This morning was pissing rain. It was the UBC master swim meet and the UBC fall classic half marathon. I pitty those who decided to run. I'd have cried and forfeited the race. I hate running and running in the rain even more. Anyways... I was all nerves! first swim meet in 13 years. I felt like puking all day. Rita and Georgy-porgy were swimming too! It's been near 13 years for them too! I missed them! I cannot believe I haven't seen them in that many years!

Swam 4 events... (finishes in my age group)

100 free, placed 3rd with a split of 34.08 and a finish of 1.15.35.
50 free, placed 2nd with a finish of 34.22.
200 free, placed 2nd with splits of 37.82, 1.20.22, 2.04.89, for a shitty finish of 2.51.80. (shitty swim, wheezing death, to which I am concluding I am getting sick.)
100 IM, placed 1st with a split of 40.62 and a finish of 1.27.57.

Not too bad after 13 years of being a lazy, fat fucker! Now that I know who my competition is it's time to for a new training program! It's back weight training, running and I am moving up a lane in the pool. I need a bigger challenge to push myself. I swim with some amazing athletes, I need to take advantage of that...

Now it's time to sleep! Back to work in the morning!

So what's been happening...

So it's been over a year since Dan and I went our own ways... We're civil when we do talk, which has been less and less. Which I think is good, he seems to be getting it that even though he was the one who left. I am happier without him... Yes... we were together for 7 years, in the end we've both changed so much over the years. We like different things and want different things and want to do different things. We ended up with totally different goals. We were not destined to remain together. He's coming to the understanding that we cannot be friends or at least the kind of friends that remain close. Anyone in our futures won't be too happy with that and the fact we have little in common anymore really sets us up to remain apart.

I have come to the conclusion, I knew it was coming but it hurt the ego when he did it first... The not wanting babies, wasn't because I don't want them. I just didn't want his, was a big eye opener. The not wanting to do things with him, the hopes that he'd decline coming out. The excessive shopping and eating... just buffers.

A few days before the breakup I learned my mom had cancer and they gave her 3 months... That was hard but it was another eye opener that life is much too short to be unhappy.

Since the break up... I've been on a major lifestyle overhaul. I missed being active, healthy and concious of it. Moving to Calgary oh so many years ago was a challenge and the lifestyle that university came with changed my lifestyle and even more so after Dan moved out there. We were fuckin' lazy, drunk, foodies...

The move home was a step in the right direction, getting my future step up was another right step... Exercising regularly, eating healthier is another step in the right direction.

Started this whole dating thing... I dated the teacher for a bit and then realized he hated tattoos and that was the be all end all, "there was" Mike, that we weren't ever dating but the terms "kinda gf", to this day he confuses me to death, then strong-like-bull, dumb-like-turnip. Gawddamn! he was hot but dating someone you can't have an intellectual conversation is incredibly challenging...

From September to February, took all white foods out of my diet and swam and went to the gym alot and lost 57lbs. It felt ammmmmazing! Turning to exercise as a relief instead of food was such a challenge. February I started running...

January I also put my notice in at Macform. I resigned from my position as satan's bitch. I had another job lined up.

February 1st I moved over to Knelson Concentrators. So far it's been the best decision I've made in a very long time. The pay is decent, the people are great. I love my job.

Then April came, my aunt and uncle signed me up for my first Triathlon. I had 25 days to train for it.

April 25th, 2009 was Delta Tri. 700m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. I hadn't been on a bike since I was 12. I borrowed my uncles mountain bike and rode around as much as I could. Then for race day I borrowed Izabela's bike that I was going to buy. After watching Delta and realizing she could just change the seat on the bike she kept it. I also fell in love with the sport. I thought they were insane... triathlon for the mentally insane. I still think that but more just those Ironman and Ultraman events. One day maybe I can be one of those insanos.

In May, I bought my first road bike. The 2009 Opus Sibelius (maroon-ish purple). As much as I hated how girley it was I absolutely loooooove my bike. I got a killer deal. $950ish on an aluminum frame with easton front carbon fork, Ultegra rear derailleur and 105s everywhere else. I learned to clip in and clip out with many many falling incidents and a few times on the road. But I learned to love biking too. I started biking regularly with the guys from work...

In June, I also bought my first wet suit. I got the Blue-seventy Synergie. Hyack swim season was over so it was time to try open-water swimming. I admit I am terrified and still am of open-water but it is a fear I am sloooooowly conquering. I went for my first lake swim in Oliver at the Oliver half that I just went to watch. I almost drowned in Tul-el-nuit lake. It was unbelievably choppy and cold. I came back and I needed to justify spending $600 on a wetsuit. I started swimming in Sasamat with a few hard-cores from swimming. It was unbelievable!

Sport has been an incredible distraction from my life...

On June 23rd, I went to the hospital to visit my mom (she exceeded her 3 months AND the damned psychic was right, she told me my mom would still be present in the summer). The doctor told me to call my sister and stay with mom that night. She knew... I sent my dad to go eat, as he had been at the hospital all day. I sat the in the chair next to my mom holding her hand and we took a nap. After awhile she went quiet. I kept checking her pulse thinking it was there and my sister finally showed up and she said mom didn't look right. I kept reassuring her everything was ok, I just checked her pulse. But the whole time I felt my own pulse through my fingers. My mom passed away while we napped. It was the saddest day of my life. It hurts still so much to even write this. I miss her so much. I lost my best friend. My confidant, my advisor, my reality check, my translator between my sister and I. She was such an incredible woman, and such a fighter.



July 1st, I raced my first open water. I did the VOWSA Sasamat Canada Day Challenge. Finished 3rd in my age-group. I raced for my mom... I hope she is doing all the things she's always wanted to do. I hope shes treked Machu Picchu, I hope she's gone to the pyramids... I just hope she is well and happy and no longer in pain.

August 9th, I did the Walnut Grove Triathlon. 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. It was a great race, a little too hilly for my liking but it gives me a good base to base next season on.

September led me back to the pool and I've been swimming Hyack again this season.

Sept 12-13th, I did the bike trek for life and lung with the lung association again for my mom. I raised $3500 for the cause. It was an incredible ride. White Rock to Cultis and back. I rode with Josh and I met Andrew.



With meeting Andrew, I met Jess and the cutie-patootie Penny. An incredibly faboo family! ;)

Since then...

Not a whole lots has been going on...

I bought a new car, 2009 Nissan Rogue.

I bought an esspresso machine. *heart*

Swimming tons, running a bit and not biking at all... I wish it was summer year round so I could ride anytime.

Over the past year I have realized what an incredible family I have, and what a phenominal family I have. How lucky I am, and how incredible great life can be.

and lastly... Tomm is my 28th birthday... I cannot believe it!

It's the like shopping channel on my friends page...

Life = stupid busy!

First time trial in 13 years... 100m free 1.16... still 10 seconds slower then my PR, then again 13 years of being pure lazy has it's consequences.

2 days from turning dun dun dun... 28

Anyways... full update in the next few days...

It's alllllmost finished! End of summer I guess... my tat artist wussed out and went home sick...

BAH!!!!!

www.zuongo.com

Why do you continue to love those who hurt you?

Just a quick one again...

Just supposed to be clean the house before Grandma Pasta gets here (Dan's Grandma). It's a bit scary considering I've never met any of Dan's relatives in all the years we've been together. Actually this month and next will be quite the time of intros. Grandma pasta this week, his cousin Max in 2 weeks, His cousin Ross and his wife in September. Scary times, scary times.

Speaking of guest and visitors, Tristen AKA Sonja Blue living with me. I think it's been 2 weeks?!? give or take a day or two... It's been super. It's perfect cause Dan went to TO to pay his respects and bring his grandma back so I had someone staying with me. We've done some adventuring. It's been a blast. We've been rabbiding like mad. I think she's an addict. I also think she's addicted to I-phones and to red bull. hee hee... TWISTEN!!!!!! TWISTEEEEEENNNNN!!! I sure she'll be the only one who gets that... oh well. Ohhhh!

I am sitting here wishing for a combo chubby.

The house is coming along. I can't wait to get the before and after album together. It's sketch.

Work is work... Mixed feelings on it all...

I better get back to cleaning...

Since the last post... or even before the last post... 

Dan and I bought a house in Coquitlam in November, we moved into half in November. It's older but wonderful... LOVE IT. It's on a good sized lot and we have a view of the river. And most importantly it's convenient for both of us to get to work and it's on the right side of the river for the future. Oh and it's on a mountain to protect us a bit from global warming. 

We finally got the tenants out of the other half on May 1st so we could start  renovating . It's a ridiculous amount of work, but it seems to be soooooo well worth it. It's crazy how much unexpected work has arised. It seems that the house is alot older then we were told. It's full of archaic-ness... including ceramic electrical plugs that were not original, meaning at this house probably didn't have electricity when it was built. Other things we're found: old porn, really really old dried up cat pee saturated into the original hardwood floors after saturating the carpet, then the underlay, then lino and finally the hardwood. ICKY! The shiplapped walls covered in muslin and layers upon layers of wall paper. The layer upon old layer of old flooring too... It's such a pain in the ass to rip it all out  before getting to do any updating. 

                           


It's like an endless box of surprises this house. Hurdle after hurdle. LOL! The only thing that we're keeping is the stairs. I LOVE THE STAIRS!

The expense is also something of an issue. We're sooooo poor! Our bank accounts are looking mighty empty and the line of credit is looking a bit slim too. What can we say, it's not at all unexpected. I just hope we don't over run the budget by too much. 

We're almost done the upstairs (95% complete), the bathroom has been gutted, the laundry room is gutted and starting to drywall. So hopefully in the next week we'll be started in the kitchen. The two most expensive parts of the house are quickly coming up.

If the the house isn't already an indication. Work is good, things are going well. Sure there are issues and set backs here and there, but for the most part it's great. The money is still the pits but I can't complain with the experiences I am getting by being where I am. It's crazy how quickly time flies, I've been at this company for over a year now and I am still content. 

Other things:
There's not a whole lot of time for other things...but I've been spending lots of time with Amy... sometimes randomly seeing Kimchi, one visit with Tristen (AKA sonjablue). 

Anyways... no more time to continue this update. Amy's here and so is Spike. 



 

I am not dead yet...

I feel like it though... 

My teacher is an evil bitch!

WTF???

Why is it all the new appliances in this house no longer have paper instructions but DVDs. 

I don't have time for watch 6 DVDs to figure out the new fangled button technology. 

FUCK THIS NOISE!

I need to figure out this stupid waching machine. I can't understand any of these new symbols!

Random buttons might be an idea, then again shrinking all my clothes could be bad too...