Ready for the Long Weekend

It's been a fantastic night.  Amanda and I were sitting on the floor, her in the entryway to our apartment, and me in the hallway, and we were talking about what a great afternoon/evening we'd had so far.

When Amanda and I got home from work, we headed right out again to go to the bank.  We were both happy to be seeing each other and happy that we were at the beginning of three days off, and were making jokes and laughing our butts off the entire time.

We stopped at the mall briefly so I could check on the price of something where we took this photo -- the first one we've taken in a few days!

Even straight from her job at a hydraulic shop, Amanda still was looking incredibly cute.

We went for supper at Arby's, and I was so hungry and enjoyed my curly fries so much that I forgot to dip them in horsey sauce like I normally do.  When we got home, we started pulling our camping stuff out of the storage room and I had an idea.  Since we'd already pulled out a fair amount of stuff from the storage room, it seemed like a good time to clean it out.

So I spent a while emptying, then re-loading the storage room.  In the process, I made enough room to fit *all* of my boxes that have been sitting in the hallway for the last six weeks along with everything that was already in there.  Our hallway seems so incredibly wide now!

While I was putting stuff back into the storage room, Amanda worked away at packing up the cans and bottles that had been stored in the room to get them ready to be recycled.

So we have a clean storage room, a clean, wide hallway, and probably thirty dollars worth of cans and bottles to return.

Now Amanda and I are sitting on the couch, watching an old Richard Pryor comedy routine on Netflix.

Life is good!

Sorry folks, Amanda and I still haven't taken a photo of my completed scarf yet.  I really want to take one outside so the scarf will look really good in the light.  We just need to get home, get cleaned up, and get outside to take the photo.

...it would also help if it wasn't incredibly warm -- there's no way I want to wear that scarf when it's still at least 20 above!

But a photo *will* come.  I'm so proud of my scarf, there's no way I won't be showing it off on this blog!

What's Next?

I'm not sure what to do next.  Now that I've finished the scarf I was knitting on for so long, I'm at a bit of a loss.  Last night I went to join Amanda on the couch, thinking that I could work on my scarf, but then I saw the scarf sitting on the ottoman, folded neatly and looking really spiffy.

So I went through all of my yarn last night instead.  I admired the blue-green silk-wool blend Amanda bought me in Prince George just after Christmas, felt how soft the angora-wool yarn was, and generally thought "How in the world did I accumulate so much yarn?"

I didn't count up how much I've spent -- I'll leave that for the philosophers to debate once I'm long and gone.  I remembered the ideas I had, thought about other things I could do by combining yarn intended for two different projects, and thoroughly enjoyed my stash-browsing.

So all I need to do now is decide what to start knitting first!

Writer's Block

If this were another website featuring hilarious felines, there would be a picture of a cat with a pen and a pile of alphabet blocks between its paws with the following caption:

Writer's block - I haz it.


Hopefully I'll have something better to write about tomorrow night folks!

Communication

The older I get, the more frustrated I become when I don't express exactly what I'm thinking.  I know many more words than I did as a child, and I can string them together in ways that should leave no doubt as to my meaning.

But I still sometimes don't get my point across.  It could be just a language mixup, or it could be that I'm overly aware of the different aspects of a position and don't want to be stuck at black or white.  When I was a child I could say "I like pie."  Nowadays though I would be more likely to say "Most of the time I like pie when it's not too hot out, unless there's ice cream to accompany it and it's a pie that works well with ice cream, including, but not limited to apple..."

In short, I think I'm too concerned with articulating a very particular point and in narrowing down my statement I completely inhibit its clarity.  Maybe I need to keep things simple.

I love Amanda.
I like pie.

There.  That's enough to go by, right?

Success!

Success!

Last night while watching a DVD of the second season of The Muppet Show, I finished the knitting on the scarf I've been working on since December.  It's done!  ...well, almost.  I still have to weave in the ends and make the tassles.  But the actual knitting is done, and that particular pair of needles is empty for the first time in eight months!

For the moment my plan is to finish the final few parts, then (hopefully) get an amazing photo of Amanda and me wrapped up together in the scarf kissing.  And then?  ...probably a new project.  Maybe I'll get back to the socks Amanda got me started on, or I'll start working on a toque for myself.  If I start now, I might be able to finish it by January!

Post-Haircut

Amanda has been talking about it for a little while now, but she finally got her hair cut this morning.  I was horrified at the prospect because I've always really liked Amanda's long hair.  For the past few months we've joked back and forth about the extent of the cut -- I insisted on nothing more than an inch or two, while Amanda suggested getting it cut to an inch or two above her shoulders.

I was nervous, but when I saw her walking down the street towards me afterward, my heart leapt.  She didn't have it all cut off, and it looked extremely cute at its new length!

She and I took this photo together on the top of the Prairie Mall parkade just before doing some shopping.

Couch Time

Amanda and I just returned from an hour long walk together.  The weather was great for it -- still nice, but a lot cooler than it has been lately.  So instead of sweating like crazy while sitting on the couch we were out and about.

That said, I never mind spending time on the couch with Amanda.  Couch time is often quality time when, even if we're doing different things (watching a DVD, knitting, reading, playing a video game, etc.), we're together and able to talk and cuddle while doing it.

I don't know that we'll have time for couch time tonight -- I'm planning on heading to sleep pretty quick.  But we will tomorrow night, and it will be great!

Thoughts on Birthdays

Today was my dad's fifty-second birthday.  As a modern thirty-something, I did what was expected -- bought him some books from Amazon.ca (shipped directly to him) and gave him a phone call.

When I write it out like that, it sounds pretty shallow.  In previous years I've purchased gifts, wrapped them myself, made a custom card with a poem in it (using Publisher), then gone to the post office to mail the gift out myself.  So why did I go another route this time?

Well...  I went looking for a birthday gift for him in Grande Prairie, but my best idea was one of the books I bought him, and it wasn't available here unless I ordered it in.

The custom card?  I used to make them at home, then take them to the Tumbler Ridge Library to print them out on cardstock.  I knew exactly how to do it, how to pay for it, and it was a fairly simple process.  Here though...  I can barely use the Grande Prairie Library's big printer/photocopier, and I'm not even sure what is charged for colour printing, much less use of the cardstock.

So I bought my dad gifts through Amazon and called him.  I think I redeemed myself though because it was sincere.  It wasn't an obligation or duty I felt I had to discharge.  I bought him two books I think (and hope) he'll find interesting, and I was really looking forward to talking with him on the phone.

In the end, I suppose that's what really matters -- the sincerity behind it.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Riverwalk Kiss

Amanda and I took this photo together next to the river near O'Brian Park on Saturday while at the Grande Prairie Public Library barbecue.

The river level was incredibly low, and it was really neat walking out to the island in the middle of the river without getting our feet wet.

Please Let the Sun go Down on me

Forgive me, Sir Elton, but I'm ready for the sun to go down.  This summer has been the polar opposite of last year's.  Last year:  cool.  This year:  *hot*.  I've lost count of the number of days where the temperature was over 30 above, and even though it's past the halfway point of August, even leaving the window open all night doesn't cool things off enough.

Last year:  *wet*.  It rained so much that bridges washed out, roads were destroyed, and areas were flooding.  This year:  dry.  We've only had one real day of rain in the last four weeks or so.  There have been a few brief showers, and I've been told that there were a few nights when rain fell.  But when morning came, the ground was dry and hot once again.

So what did we do with our very hot day today?  Amanda and I worked like normal, but I made the brilliant decision to walk to the Prairie Mall from the Library during my lunch break to pick something up.  So I walked/walked fast for about 45 minutes in the blazing hot sun in the middle of the day.  That wasn't my best decision, perhaps.

I have already suffered sunburns this summer, and while I don't think I burnt again today, I still feel incredibly, incredibly warm.  Warm enough that the idea of plunging into a bathtub filled with ice water sounds amazing.  Warm enough that I'm wishing for -30 weather where just a brief moment outside would cool me down.  Warm enough that I'm wondering if I can sleep in the bathtub filled with ice water tonight instead of in bed.

It's hot.

I'm thinking about ice cream and frappuchinos, freezies and snow cones.  I'm thinking about putting Inception on and skipping to the dream layer where they're breaking into that snowbound prison.  I'm also thinking about firing up Final Fantasy VI and playing through the team battle against Kefka's army in Narshe, or maybe challenging the penguin in Super Mario 64 to a race down the ice slide.

I think my brain has officially reached meltdown.  ...yet it produced a fairly lengthy and (hopefully) interesting blog post.  Well played brain, well played.

Action-Packed Weekend

As you probably noticed, I did not write a blog post last night.  The reason is that Amanda and I left shortly after the Library staff barbecue to drive to Dawson Creek so that I could deposit a check into my old bank account there.  (long story as to why I couldn't do it here)

We got back to Grande Prairie about 1am and fell asleep pretty much as soon as we hit the pillows.  We slept in, and by the time we finished breakfast, did a little bit of running around (recharging laundry card, picking up a few groceries, and stopping by Future Shop), it was close to 3 and we were off to Amanda's sister's place for the afternoon for pizza and a movie.

The pizza was great, but the hunt through a field of wheat for an errant model rocket that left my eyes bloodshot and watering and me sneezing wasn't quite so much fun.

The evening was cut short -- there was a minor accident on the kids' water slide that resulted in a trip to the hospital, and I asked Amanda to drive us back home because my eyes were still bugging me.

In short, it was a memorable afternoon, but not for the reasons we'd normally hope for!

Kiss Bank

Amanda and I had to run over to the bank after we finished up work today.  She was looking really cute, so I pulled her toward me for a photo on our way out.

Check point:  my *official* Grande Prairie Public Library lanyard and nametag.  You can't see my access keycard, but it's hanging just below the photo.

Reading

Since I started at the Grande Prairie Public Library, I've had a stack of books on my desk at home.  There are so many books I'd like to read, and I'm a little overwhelmed.

In addition to reading every Green Lantern graphic novel the Library has, I've got a stack of books about every topic imaginable:  Ron MacLean, Iceland's part in the financial crisis, a biography of Yao Ming, a discussion of steroids in sport, and a novel called Shambling Towards Hiroshima.

So I guess what I'm saying is "Yay for fringe benefits from moving and changing jobs!"  :-)

Meta Blog Post

I'm sitting here talking with Amanda about how I don't have an idea for a blog post.  Maybe if we hash it out, we'll either figure out a topic or just write the post in the process.

(See, like I just did!)

The Rainbow Connection...

It was raining yesterday when Amanda and I took this photo together.  Actually, it was sprinkling at that point -- it wasn't raining very hard anymore.  But the sun hadn't come out so there wasn't a rainbow, nor a pot of gold to go chasing after.

That said, we did a pretty good job of assembling a rainbow ourselves.  Where I was sunburnt earlier in the summer is red, Amanda's hoodie is green, her shirt (and the collar of my jacket) is blue, and the main colour on my jacket is purple.

So what *is* our rainbow connection, anyway?

Well, Amanda and I just rewatched the new Muppets movie the other night.  We sang along when Kermit and the rest of the Muppets were singing The Rainbow Connection.  Why?  Because we're awesome, and it's a catchy song!  :-)

Poetry Time

No photo tonight
Order of stuff not so bright
Such an oversight!


(I'll post one tomorrow folks, all right?)

Pre-Swimming Kiss

Just before we headed swimming with Amanda's sister and her family, she and I stopped outside to take a quick photo together.

The sun was shining, and Amanda was looking incredibly cute.  So we stopped and took a photo and did our best to ignore the commentary from our audience.

The four of us had lots of fun swimming at the Multiplex -- especially drifting along in the lazy river.  Now Amanda and I are together on the couch watching DVDs of the fourth season of Big Bang Theory.  Life is good!

Off to the Races

Amanda and I headed to watch the horse races last night.  Unfortunately, because of our work schedules and such we only managed to watch the last two races.  We still had fun though, and even managed a quick photo together during a walk over to take a quick look at the horses before the final race.

We did some wandering today when we had to pick up a few things and thoroughly enjoyed the weather.  It was warm but breezy, and it was perfect weather for us to be outside.

Final Weekend Photo

This was the final photo Amanda and I took together this weekend.  I believe we took it together shortly after having supper at Mr. Mike's with my parents.

It was still incredibly sunny and hot, and Amanda was still looking really cute, so I grabbed her for one final photo.

It's been warm this entire week, and we've been fairly lazy after supper as a result (I did do some step today while Amanda washed dishes though) and we haven't taken any new photos.  Hopefully that will change shortly!

Once More With Feeling

We decided that another photo of the two of us together, taken by a third-party photographer was needed on Monday.  So when we stopped by Ernie's Sports for my parents to take a quick look around, we asked my mom to take another photo.

Because of the distance, you can't see how cute Amanda was looking that day.  What you can see is how ridiculously nice the weather was, and why we were *very* happy to spend the afternoon in an air conditioned hotel room with my parents!

Super Hot Kiss!

While my parents were visiting, we played tourist at Kleskun Hills.  My mom took this photo of Amanda and I kissing outside of the tepee set up there.

We have our arms at our sides, each holding a drink (iced tea and water), and it's clear from the photo it wasn't the most passionate kiss we've ever shared.  So why was it so hot?  The thermometer in my mom's car claimed it was over 35 degrees outside!

Jake and Amanda under a tree -- K-I-S-S-I-N-G

My parents were in Grande Prairie the last two days, and we went for a wander with them in Muskoseepi Park last night.  Amanda and I took one photo together that turned out pretty decent.

 

But then my mom saw a tree up ahead and said "Give me your phone and I'll take one."  So we did!  Amanda and I manage fairly good photos together with the camera at arm's length, but look what happens when we have a willing third-party photographer:

Isn't it great?  We really need this blog to become popular enough that we have to hire an official photographer so we can take more of those kinds of photos all the time!

Wonderful Saturday

It's been a few weeks since Amanda and I had a normal Saturday off.  June 30th was the last one, actually.  The Saturdays after that involved me working, us attending her niece's birthday party then driving back to TR, packing and moving me, and moving me.


It was incredible.  We slept in, did some running around, recycled a bunch of cardboard boxes, and went swimming at the Bear Creek Pool (awesome) before having a quiet evening at home.


While we were out and about, Amanda and I took this photo together

We took it outside of RBC, which is a little weird because our first attempt at a photo together today was interrupted by someone calling on the behalf of RBC...


I don't think tomorrow will be quite the same.  We'll be trying to do some more unpacking/cleaning in preparation for my parents to come visit.  But if it's still hot, we'll probably make our way over to the pool again to cool off for an hour or two!

Dark Knight

Amanda and I went to see The Dark Knight Rises tonight.  We really enjoyed it!


The ending was fantastic and the characterizations were great!  There were a few scenes though that made both Amanda and me flinch in our seats.


One thing though.  They've already firmly established that Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox are intelligent men.  Why is it that they never considered the dangerous of weaponizing their nuclear power device before even building it?


Anyway, we enjoyed the movie, and Amanda suggested that we take a photo together outside the theatre.  She took this photo on her iPhone.  I look very stubbly, but part of that is the angle of the photo and that we're backlit in it.  I still like how it turned out though!

Whee, Frisbee!

Hi everyone!


Amanda and I had a great evening.  After supper we did up the dishes, then headed to Muskoseepi Park to play frisbee.  We were out there around 45 minutes and had lots of fun!


On the way home, Amanda stopped me just before I unlocked the outside door to our apartment building so that we could take a photo together:

I really like how the reflection photo turned out, and was really happy that Amanda suggested it.  It's just further proof of how awesome she is!

State of the Knitting Bag Address

Progress on my scarf is slow.  Actually, progress is stalled.  *Actually*, progress was run over by a truck and is currently recuperating in a hospital bed.


When Amanda and I went on our vacation, I bought some yarn.  I bought five or six skeins of neat yarn, and was all charged up and wanting to get to work on finishing up my scarf!  But I'm not much of a car knitter, so I only managed a few rows in the car ride back.  Since then I've been moving or unpacking, and because of the chaos in the living room, there really isn't room for me to sit on the couch beside Amanda to knit while she's playing Super Paper Mario.


*sigh*


Maybe if I really get my rear in gear we'll have things to the point where I can sit on the couch with Amanda by this weekend.


(I *can* sit on the couch with her, but 2/3 of the area between the couch and her ottoman is filled with boxes, so I have to climb up onto the couch, then swing my feet around onto the ottoman without knocking anything over.  It's easier just to sit in my computer chair.  But we're here and together, and that makes up for a lot of little inconveniences!  :-)