Sunny days....

The weather forecast this weekend for Toronto:
And Denver:
Maybe I'll be able to bring the warm weather back with me... :)
via

Leaving on a jet plane

I have been packing for the last 3.5 hours for my trip to Denver and am pretty much done. I'm leaving early from work since my flight leaves around 6pm and I've packed as many pairs of shoes as days I will be there - and it's not very many since I'm flying back Monday morning.

I blame the hairdryer.

My friend doesn't have one and I have too much hair to let it air-dry, so a hairdryer I must bring. Since it takes up precious room in a standard carry-on bag, I've opted to pack a larger suitcase, albeit loosely, to allow for potential new purchases. And since I technically don't have to pack lightly, I've loaded up my bag with 3(!) different pairs of sandals and my hiking shoes, plus, I'm wearing a pair of comfy sneakers there.

This does not bode well.

Condo Update

The on-site camera has been on the fritz the last couple weeks so I haven't been able to check on its daily progress remotely. Looks like walls are starting to go up though... :)

April 9 @ 2:37pm

April 10 @ 9:57am

April 11 @ 2:47pm

April 17 @ 3:33pm

April 18 @ 10:20am

April 21 @ 9:01pm

One Word Meme

Via Bookmark My Heart.

1. Where is your cell phone? Bag
2. Describe your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/lover? Non-existent
3. Your hair? Up
4. Your mother? Loving
5. Your father? Dead
6. Your favourite item? Book
7. Your dream last night? Nope
8. Your favourite drink? Martini
9. Your dream car? Coupe
10. The room you are in? Formal
11. Your ex? Vancouver
12. Your fear? Bugs
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Wiser
14. Who did you hang out with last night? Cousin
15. What you’re not? Patient
16. The last thing you did? Ate
17. What are you wearing? Fleece
18. Your favourite book? Alchemist
19. The last thing you ate? Dinner
20. Your mood? Reflective
21. Your friends? Good
22. What are you thinking about right now? Peru
23. Your car? Dirty
24. What are you doing at the moment? Meming
25. Your summer? Fun
26. Your relationship status? Single

Machu Picchu: to go or not to go?

Source

I met my friend WL, aka "he who makes things pretty" (he's in marketing so can't help being superficial about some things) for dinner last night at Trevor Kitchen and Bar. It'd been a while since we last got together to catch up so we were due for a big round-up of the latest developments. He's planning a trip later this summer to Machu Picchu with his brother and a girl friend and asked me if I was interested in going.

The short answer? YES! It would be so much fun! The thing holding me back? Well. The first thing that comes to mind is the cost. I wasn't planning on going on another big trip this year and this would certainly be a big trip, ringing in at $2000+.

This is the tour under consideration, and the part that scares me is Days 4 through 7:

The 4-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is physically challenging but worthwhile, and the excursion is within the ability of most reasonably fit. The Inca Trail is exceptional, however it is important to be prepared! It is a 40-km (25 mile) hike, with 3 high passes to be crossed, one of which reaches an elevation of 4200m (13776 ft). The trail is often steep, and it may rain even during the dry season...

I'm concerned about my overall fitness, but I figure I have the time between now and then to improve it at the gym. The most worrisome thing for me is though the 3 nights camping during the hike. I have NEVER camped before in my life and I'm not sure that this is the best time to lose my tent-sleeping virginity. And finally, the superficial reason is that I don't have a very, shall we say, "rugged" wardrobe (I'm a girly-girl for crying out loud!) so this would having to go shopping for new clothes and potentially some gear.

Despite these misgivings, I think I just may do it. This could me by birthday gift to me - besides, you only live once, right?

Me? Alpha Dog? Hardly.

My friend posted this on Facebook - yes, Facebook. I still don't know what the big deal is about but it's only been a week.

Anyway, back to me being an alpha dog. Ha! I'll say that most of the points below are right, to a point. But then, it's like horoscopes, right? Everything is right to a point.

Orange-red as my power colour though? Really? I was told by a psychic in Hong Kong back in 2005 to avoid wearing red clothes. But maybe that was true for 2005 only...

Your Birthdate: September 10

Independent and dominant, you tend to be the alpha dog in most situations. You're very confident, and hardly anything ever shakes you. Mundane tasks tend to drain you - you prefer to be making great plans. You are quite original. When people don't "get" you, it bothers you a lot. Your strength: Your ability to gain respect Your weakness: Caring too much what others think Your power color: Orange-red Your power symbol: Letter X Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Warning: this is HOT

Let me preface this next random post by saying that I don't normally get excited about cars. But on my way back from the gym tonight, I found myself following this red BMW M Coupe.

Here's what I saw from the back:

I was completely taken. It is one freakin' HOT car. And it better be since it has an MSRP of $68,900 to start!

I don't know if there will ever come a time when I would spend this kind of money on an automobile, no matter how fine. I'd much rather buy jewelry. Afterall, diamonds last forever while cars will only depreciate. ;)

The Circle of Love

I came across this image while surfing the net and just had to share it. Don't know who took it though.

The American President

The American President (1995) starring Michael Douglas and Annette Benning is on television right now and I find myself sitting down watching it. I've never thought of it as one of my favourite movies, but whenever it's on, I find myself drawn in. It's almost over, but here I sit anyway. Watching.

I'm gettin' some!

I netfiled my taxes today and now eagerly await my refund. Yay!

I'd actually done all the work for my taxes 2 weeks ago but have only just gotten around to checking my work before uploading to the Canada Revenue Agency's website to file officially.

This is the first year I've used software to calculate my income tax. In years past, I've always done it the old-fashioned way with pencil and paper but I figured I'd use the software this year since there were a number of events last year which necessitated additional forms and calculations for my return.

Funny thing about the KawaiiNot comic to the left: When I first saw it, I immediately assumed it was referencing tax time, you know, a calculator to calculate your chances of getting money back? It hadn't occured to me that it could also mean the chance of getting a little somethin' somethin', if you know what I mean, until I read Ms. Murphy's commentary to the right of her page on her new strip. Yes, I'm a dork.

Working on the grade

Work on grade level is well underway:

April 2 @ 9:31pm

April 3 @ 10:13am

As you can see from the image below, an adjustment was made to the camera's position sometime after the above screenshot was taken since the ramp down to the underground parking is no longer in view:

April 3 @ 12:55pm

It was a wet and gray drive into work Wednesday, and the men (and women?) on-site were wearing their yellow rain gear while working on-site (they look so cute and small!) The day eventually dries up enough that they are able to pour concrete in the afternoon:

April 4 @ 9:03am

April 4 @ 1:51pm

April 4 @ 2:38pm

April 4 @ 4:14pm

April 4 @ 4:42pm

April 5 @ 9:23am

Good Friday is a statutory holiday in Canada, so all is quiet on-site today:

April 6 @ 1:50pm

Headin' Southwest to the Rockies!

I booked a flight to Denver today. Why, Denver, you might ask? Well, my friend N lives in Denver so I'm going out for a long weekend at the end of the month.

I met N in my first year at university. He was roommates with one of my good friends and so we became friends. I thought our friendship was pretty straightforward, but unbeknownst to me he had developed feelings for me. Everyone saw it but me, because I'm blind that way. Once I knew though, our friendship became a bit awkward because I didn't feel the same way he did.

After graduation, he moved to the US for work and has been living there ever since, first in Florida, and now in Colorado. He'd invite us all down to visit with him in Florida but I never took him up on his offer because 1) I still felt uneasy around him, 2) I was never one for vacations in sunny climes and 3) I preferred Europe and Asia.

He would come back a few times a year to visit his family but neither of us made an effort to keep in touch. In the last couple years though, he's reached out in the sense that he'd call occasionally and we'd have nice chats on the phone just catching up, and we'd get together for dinner with friends. I think I've seen him each of the 3 times he's been back in town in the last 6 months.

He extended an open invitation to visit him in Denver and my friends' recently came back from there and talked up his hosting skills and the shopping - my Achilles' heel (but only sometimes!) So, I've decided to take him up on the offer. I booked my flight with points, I have a free place to stay, access to stores like Anthropologie (my favourite store for girly-girl clothes!) and Ann Taylor which aren't in Canada, and more importantly - a much-needed break.

(OK. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't really looking forward to the shopping. I like this dress here and a crazy number of dresses and skirts at Anthropologie that I shan't bother linking to. What I'm not crazy about is that I won't be able to shop with the abandon of times past since I have the prospect of having to pay for condo upgrades and furniture looming over me. That is SUCH a buzzkill to the euphoria that retail therapy can be!)

New month, new commitment

I have decided that I need to get back into a more regular routine at the gym. I was fairly consistent last fall when I started the Learn to Run program but have since lapsed for a number of reasons - chief among them is a weak will, sheer laziness and starting up my jewelry business.

The problem with my current routine is that I go for my run after dinner, and if dinner is delayed, my run is delayed and if it gets to be too late, I don't want to leave the house, ergo I don't go to the gym. I refuse to run right after work because there is ALWAYS a line-up for the treadmills and I'm usually so hungry by then that any attempt at a work-out is futile.

So to switch it up, I'm going to start riding the stationary bike again. I don't normally have to wait for a bike so I can go right after work and be home in time to shower and sit down for dinner at 6:30pm. And if I do end up going after dinner, I don't have to wait as long afterwards to go. The bonus is that I can get some reading done. I haven't been keeping up with my reading lately and am beginning to feel rather dumb because of it.

I'm also going to try to take more classes. I haven't gotten as much use out of my yoga mat or cute lululemon tote as I would have liked since buying them last fall as a birthday gift to myself and I'm determined to change that too.

Tonight I cycled 10 miles in 35 minutes and read almost a chapter of Freakonomics. My mom is coming back from Hong Kong tomorrow evening so I think we'll be going out for a late dinner. This being the case, I'll have to go for my ride right after work. I better make sure I have sufficient snacks in the afternoon, otherwise there will be trouble....