down and out

After sweating about this job...I got an email from HR to drop by her office 'for a moment.' That couldn't have been a good sign. I went in and she told me that they normally don't do this - ie. tell me before the candidate has accepted. But that they didn't want to leave me hanging on the weekend. So they are offering it to someone else. I nodded dumbly throughout, half-listening until she mentioned that it wasn't the right timing, and that it wasn't the 'right fit' and that I was bright etc. etc. I froze, thinking of what the reader had said. She said she didn't see it as a right fit.

As soon as my meeting was over and I had returned to my desk, my boss calls me into her office and she asked what I was told. I knew she knew before I did. She said she was really sad for me. And that started the tears. Man it sucks. I mean, I sort of knew it probably wasn't going to be me if they weren't going to tell me until MONDAY for craps sake. But now that I knew, it was so disappointing and a relief. My boss told me that she was also glad for me too because it wasn't an easy job. This candidate graduated in 87. I was still in elementary school at that time! So yeah. Talk about experience and the right fit. What was even worse was how she practically jumped on me without letting me catch my breath. Basically, she was watching all of it going through my head and I couldn't exactly leave her office as I didn't want to go out red-eyed. She said she was sad for me but also that she was a bit relieved too because she would be worried about me losing sleep over the job - that I would have bitten off more than I could chew. So that's good to know? Anyway, it still hurts and leaves me 'goaless' once more.

october sky

It's just like winter here - cold, wet, and miserable. And the suspense goes on. I asked my boss whether she heard anything from HR and she says the decision probably won't be until Monday but no, she hadn't heard. (So I am left to wonder how she knows it will be Monday??)

waiting game

A lawyer just went back to her office. The other candidate must have left and they have already debriefed. She didn't stop by my desk at all. Don't know if that's a bad sign...

rainfall

I've never gone to a wedding where it rained. It rained and poured last night - what a waste of a long weekend! It felt more like October with the rain pounding on the rooftop as I fell asleep last night. I was concerned for my friend's wedding today but that part turned out ok. What did not was the fact that N's friend was supposed to fly in from Chicago last night and I was to rehearse the music with him today. I got a call from J last night telling me that there was a change of plans - that N's friend couldn't fly in as a result of the flight being cancelled. (A storm in May?!) That meant I no longer needed to arrive to the church early, which meant I could probably hitch a ride off B. (Originally, a few weeks back, I had asked B for a ride and he said he'd get back to me. He never did and I got the feeling that he was a bit unwilling so I was trying to arrange my own way.) So I called B and he wasn't home; left a message and he phoned back. He said giving me a ride there was not a problem, but it was coming home as he was planning on hanging out with his friend/date, or something like that. So that left me with no option but to drive myself.

I'm home right now, chilling a bit before I head back out for the dinner tonight. J's mother was pretty sweet, asking me about our high school friends and who was doing what. I think it was a bit nerve wracking for her as she didn't really know anyone apart from me; Jay's parents and brother were his only relatives and it was me, B + date, and another friend + date on his side. (Minor point - originally when I had asked for a ride, I asked if he was bringing anyone, figuring it might be a bit awkward if there was. He said maybe. And me being nosy, I asked who. He told me the name of a girl that did not match the name of the girl from today, which leads me to believe that the first girl turned him down. It's not a contest, for crying out loud. Maybe he though he couldn't attend alone. I had no problems with going by myself. In fact, I feel bold for doing so. Reminds me of when I went to the party cruise at work by myself and a co-worker asked who I came with. I said, "myself" and she looked surprised and almost awestruck that I attended by myself, to which I replied, "Well, if I had to go anywhere with anyone, I'd probably never go."

Dinner is a long drive out. We apparently get to eat cake first. I think I'm going to take a nap in the meantime.

burning the candle

It has been exhausting with the show and my mom ending up going to ER. Her kidney stone(s) have been acting up and she's been in pain. She went in the second day of the show and I found out after I checked my voicemail. She's ok now, I think. She spent two nights in the hospital and they did a procedure only to find no stone! So we're not sure what's going on as it did show up in the scans.

The show itself was fun! It was a lot calmer this year, probably due to the fact that it was more organized. Definitely calmer. Probably also because I knew what was expected of me. I actually zoned out the first segment and my partner had to come grab my hand as I was staring off into space! Then she zoned out in another segment and I had to go up to her and pull her ahead.

At the end of the show, I got my hair cut; I wanted it shorter as it's been too long. I loved the cut that I got but it was pretty similar to what I had already in length so I didn't quite need that. My mom hasn't even seen it yet as she's been in hospital but she's home now so I'll get her opinion when I arrive home. (My dad didn't like it so much - he actually preferred it longer!)

rehearsal

My Aunt J. is here from Toronto for her dad's (my grandfather's) birthday. We took him and my grandmother to Richmond to shop and eat and wound up at The Daiso, a store where everything costs only $2. There, I ran into F, a friend since university. I said, "F?" and she replied by saying, "Melina!" and then I corrected her. She apologized, saying it was my hair. (She liked it.) We took a picture outside the store - I haven't seen her in two years and she is getting married next month. Crazy. It was good seeing her. She kept saying it was such a coincidence since she only got back yesterday and was leaving tomorrow. I replied that there wasn't such a thing as coincidence. :) She's now living in San Diego and was back before the wedding to spend time with her family.

I also went to the dress rehearsal for tomorrow's show. The stage is quite different than it was last year. More steps. And the dresses! Are they ever pretty! But I am now kicking myself that I did not make it a point to go and buy a strapless bra. I am stuck wearing one that is too small, and must keep still to keep it from slipping. *sigh* You would have thought I would have learned from last year. But that's exactly how long ago it was that I wore a strapless bra...

99.5

Gas. It has hit the highest the system was designed for. Well, technically, I guess it could go to 99.9 but basically it's $1.00/L either way you look at it. Ironically, no one figured it would ever hit 3 digits so they only built the signs to hold 2 plus a decimal. We'll see what happens next but it's damn expensive getting around these days.

I spoke with my boss today. She's taking me out for my birthday next week. We also talked about the postings and I've found out that she says they've narrowed it down to 3 others. She wouldn't tell me who, saying she's not an HR person, but that I could ask HR if I wanted to. (I won't.) But now I know I'm up against 3 others. But all it takes is one. We'll see.

It's another gorgeous day! Yesterday, A arrived on Carnival Spirit and phoned me up in the morning. I went down for a short coffee break. He stuck out his hand but I gave him a hug. We chatted a bit and then I had to go back to work.

I realize my thoughts have been a bit scattered. I had to return those cute Dosha shoes. I exchanged them for a pair of those flower slides instead. These are almost just as hard to break in but I'm going to try!

breathless

On this gorgeous and sunny day, there's a fire going on underneath our building...or close to it on the waterfront anyway. We started smelling smoke about an hour ago, like that of a strong wood burning. Turns out it's the air-intake which they have shut off but it has trapped the air inside our building now. The firetrucks and fire boats are out there trying to put the thing out. Good vantage point from up here on 11.

sidetracked by shoes

Off I went at lunch, checking some shoes at the department stores. My good ol' Rockports have had their day. Originally black, they have now dulled to a blackish grey. Yes, pretty bad. I figured it was time for a new pair but it's been so difficult to find one that appeals to the eye and fits the foot nicely. I still have not found anything as comfortable as a pair of Hush Puppies (soft fuzzy pair) that I've worn to death. Ironically, another pair of Hush Puppies that I bought after the first comfy pair turned out to be quite hard on my feet - they hurt if I walk too much in them so I only wear them around the office and try not to take them out to the streets. Well, as luck would have it, they had the Rockports I eyed last week on sale. So I bought them...and then wandered over to check out some really cute summer shoes by Clarks. They are actually Indigo by Clarks. They were also on sale. Convenient, no? So I tried on a pair of relatively flat Mary-Janes that had 3 flower petals cut out into the side of each heel. Lucky me - they were the last pair in my size although the store had only started selling them two weeks ago. And apparently they never go on sale. I was SO tempted to by a pair of mules too, which had a large flower painted towards the inner part of the your foot, but I thought that 3 pairs in a day was a bit ridiculous, and really, how often do I wear slides? In fact, I really probably shouldn't be buying those Mary-Janes in the first place!

So I'm at home, wearing the black Mary-Janes (proper name of the shoe is Dosha) and dreaming about those Kapha slides. Unfortunately, these Doshas don't fit the best...but I can't figure out if I can wear them long enough to break them in, or whether I will be so repulsed that I won't wear them again ever after a full day....next week I will definitely make another trip to the department store to check out those Kaphas. Maybe do an exchange if they have my size and desired colour (pink, or blue). I never used to be consumed by shoes...and now I've gone and done the unthinkable - two pairs of shoes in one day!

reading the stars

It was an insanely busy day at work today with a deadline that kept getting moved up to the point that we all thought we woud have tomorrow to work on the materials but it ended up being today only because the materials needed to be moved from one server to the other and we were not allowed to touch the material in anyway. And we only had access to this material starting this week!! They are pushing for the launch in time to coincide with their students' arrivals in Montreal, hence the rush. We were told we could work on it on the weekend. Hmmm...I think not.

The CALL party was today as well and I almost missed it because of how engrossed I was with work. But I managed to get there half an hour after the party started and snuck away 45 minutes later. On the train ride home, I read my horoscope. It said that today I would have to run or be run over. How true... how true.

fire drills galore

My parents went off on the Diamond Princess yesterday. I wish I was going with them... I wanted to go see them off but my cousin dropped them in an area where I couldn't access. I had told my parents to go on deck around 5 so that after work I'd swing by and take a shot of them but of course, it happened to be their fire drill. Typical of it to happen at the time we suggested. So I missed them. Speaking of which, I nearly missed my own orientation with the summer students because our building also had a fire drill - and it went off at the time I was supposed to be giving them a tour. *sigh* At least it wasn't pouring when we waited outside.

sea safari

Booked a sea safari with Sewell's Marina in Horseshoe Bay. It's a 2 hour eco-tour on a 28ft rigid hull inflatable. Our skipper and guide, Ryan, was great. It was a sunny day and perfect for the 10am outing. My dad and I were suited up in life vests and off we went! We chased and rode the wake of the BC Ferry and saw eagles and oystercatchers. It was a bit long of a ride but the beautiful scenery reminded me so much of why I love the pacific northwest.

I came back home and felt like I had gotten a bit too much sun and wind. Ended up taking a long afternoon nap in which I can't recall my dreams but I feel that I had some good ones. Which explains why I'm still up right now!