Adventures of a Tofu Slut

It has come to my attention that I've been writing and stamping "08" on everything I've done in the last 8 days. Someone is going to be very confused when they go to pay my invoices. :P

Seriously, what happened to this week? I'm quite certain that I've been at work for the last 3 days, unless I'm having very vivid hallucinations, but all I've done is...nothing. Or at least that's what it feels like, and my electronic to-do list (which moves anything I don't finish to the next day, in RED even) is backing me up. I just don't know.

Meanwhile, at home, I'm on a bit of a home-revitalization kick. I've divided my apartment into 6, and each weekend I'm tackling one of those six areas, doing a very thorough cleaning (including the parts I usually ignore, like the BLINDS WHICH ARE FILTHY), plus clutter tossing, pulling out things for Goodwill, and decorating. Last weekend I did the bedroom - I cleaned the filthy blinds (which took forever and is really the reason my tiny apartment got divided into 6, because I am lazy and there are 2 sets of blinds in the living room), took everything off the bedside table, both bookcases, and the metal stand that stands in for a dresser and washed them all down, moved everything away from the walls and under the bed and super-vacuumed, and dusted all the ledges and moldings and corners. Living on a fairly major street and leaving your windows open all the time certainly builds up the dirt, I tell you. Then I trekked to IKEA and bought a new bedspread, new sheets that actually co-ordinate (and what I thought was pillowcases, but turned out to only be one), and curtains.

Sadly, when I went to put the curtain rods up, I discovered that the area around the windows is entirely plaster, so the screws just fell out again. Boo! Today I picked up some of those plastic things that supposedly help with the screws, but apparently I need a drill. So I think it's back to the drawing board. Maybe I can find some sort of curtain rod that just sticks to the wall? The curtains are very light.

This weekend: bathroom. Which means I have to clean the shower tiles. Lame. And then I'm finally going to call my landpeople and complain about the fact that the drain doesn't so much drain. 5 minutes, and I'm in water up to my calves, and then it takes 15 minutes to all disappear. No wonder I can never really get the bathtub clean.

I have been press-ganged into a book club. Not that I don't want to join (although I am, as always, completely terrified of meeting new people and what will I say and what if they think I'm a loser?), but it was just a little amusing they way it happened - basically "here's the next book for the book club and here's when we're meeting" and I was all "book club? whaaa?". It also felt weirdly secretive. The scary part is that it's one of those grown-up book clubs where everyone takes turns hosting. My apartment is TINY and STUDENT "CHIC" and these people have real adult homes.*

Today I was re-certified for first aid, which was actually fun. Our instructor was a blond gay Newfoundlander who looked like a cross between a younger Brent Carver and a younger Wallace Langham, and he talked just as fast as vestra and was hilarious. Also, I have decided to move to Newfoundland because I adore the accent. It's true love.

And then I walked home, because it's just so unbelievably beautiful out there right now. Also, I may have had a milkshake along the way. Hey, it's a long walk, I needed the energy.

The plan for tonight was to watch more Dead Like Me, but the next disc hasn't arrived. Boo, I say! I am very much in a serial television mood these days, although I'm also considering buying a Hot Docs pass -- apparently I can get extra free tickets through work if I buy some, and there are a few movies that look really interesting, including, oh yes, a documentary about Helvetica. Yes, the typeface. Oh, baby. However, none of that is useful to me tonight, when I really just want to watch more funny Grim Reaper tales.

I wish more fresh food was available in smaller quantities. I think this is part of the problem I have with eating healthily.** For instance, I decide I'm going to have a stirfry for dinner. I buy broccoli - that's at least 2 meals worth of food, more like 4 if I buy the organic that comes bundled in twos. Asparagus - 4 meals. Tofu - 3 meals. Celery - an eternity of meals. At least mushrooms provide the opposite problem for a nice change -- I would happily always have them in my fridge, but they don't last very long. I suppose this is all fine, except that I get bored of eating the same food for dinner every night, and after 2 or 3 meals in a row I come home and can't handle stirfry again. But I don't have any other food in the house, because then that's another ridiculous 4 meals worth of food that won't stay fresh, so I eat Mini Eggs, because I can buy them at the corner store. And I guess I could buy each night's dinner on the way home, but that wouldn't solve the problem of food that comes in too large quantities. It's frustrating! And I cannot come up with a solution. I want the tiny senior's portions of vegetables that they sold at Thrifty's, as sad and lonely as that would probably make me feel. :)

*I'm assuming. But one of them has a gorgeous condo, and at least one of them has a house with a pool. A POOL, people. You could fit my entire apartment into a pool.
**This, and the fact that I'm lazy and apparently don't like being upright for long enough to chop things.

We got sent home early today because of the massive snowstorm. Except that because I started far before everyone else who was there today, "early" meant "5 minutes before I get off", and in fact I ended up not leaving for half an hour because the people I like ended up in a really silly conversation. So I was totally denied early leaving!

Not like I needed it anyway; the subways were actually less crowded than usual and totally running fine. I guess everyone left super early?

Yesterday I had a bit of an epiphany that I was living my life in a way that made me feel out of control (letting things (physical and mental) pile up, not getting enough sleep, eating terribly, obsessing), so I got up today (on time! another thing that has been slipping completely) with a renewed sense of being a responsible person (in at least some areas of my life). Every time I thought about chocolate, I recited cheesy motivational slogans to myself ("Today is the first day of the rest of your life!"). So far so good, although I am sitting here on the computer instead of making dinner. But I'm just entertaining myself while drinking motivational tea (Granville Island Cream Earl Grey, yum). And I did put the dishes in to soak first.

And now I have VERY IMPORTANT footwear-related questions. The tendonitis is fine these days -- at least, it doesn't hurt at all as long as I don't wear shoes or boots that press on that specific part of my tendon (up the back of my foot right where it dips in before going on to be the leg*). The problem, of course, is that most of my shoes hit right at that spot, which is why the problem exists in the first place. And the tendonitis is never actually going away -- that will always be a weak spot for me, and if I wear something that rubs there it flares up again. The biggest offenders are my Doc boots, which has thrown me into somewhat of a tizzy.**

Because here's the thing: I've been wearing this same style of Doc boot as my everyday footwear since I was 15.*** They're just so convenient. I can wear them in all sorts of weather, with pants or skirts or dresses, they're good for walking long distances, I can wear them to work, they last longer than any other kind of shoe I've owned****, I like they way they look, and I feel somehow strong and powerful when I wear them.***** They are, for me, all purpose. It's only in the past couple of years that I've really owned shoes other than Docs and sandals. But now it looks like my Doc days are over, and I have no idea what to replace them with. What do people wear? They have to be comfortable, and I have to be able to walk in them, but they need to be versatile style-wise, and I really don't want to become one of those people who change their shoes at work every day. Also, I'd like to avoid having a gazillion pairs of shoes, because I have a small closet (and a not-massive income).

So, share! What kind of footwear do you wear? Do you have go-to footwear, fallback footwear, something that goes with everything? What do you wear with skirts (if you wear skirts as non-fancy wear)? Links or specific brands/styles would be great, too. HELP ME INTERBETS!

*According to my doctor, this is a very bizarre place to have this problem. It's because for years I've worn boots instead of shoes.
**The other problem, of course, is that it's WINTER, and all my boots are uncomfortable to a degree. The only shoes I own that are avoid the sore spot completely are little flats, which I totally can't wear outside. Also, they're not that great for wearing every day, and I think my knees are starting to get annoyed at the lack of support.
***I'm sure you're thinking that it's about time I moved on anyway. I know, I know.
****Although I've gone through a few pairs since I moved out east. I think the salt is not so good for them.
*****Every pair of shoes I own makes me feel like a slightly different person. I walk differently, I stand differently, I act differently. I think that's why it's so hard for me to find shoes I like - they're not just shoes, they're personalities.

Song Titles: A Cautionary Tale: "Please Call Me, Baby" or "Please Call Me Baby"? For want of a comma, a phone call was lost.

Oh, The Shame: I admit it, I kind of love watching Beauty and the Geek. I'm sorry! Half the time I watch it on mute, though, because I can't deal with the stupid and/or awkward things that they all say. They should do a season in opposite, though, with hot airhead boys and geeky girls. And then I should be on it.

Noises Off: I told you that the beep is gone, right? The banging pipes made a comeback this week, though, banging all night long on Monday. YARGH. But someone else must have complained (I wasn't quite ready to call back AGAIN, complaining about something ELSE), because I came home on Tuesday to a note saying that there were problems with the heat and so people might be coming into our apartments. And it's been pretty quiet since. Yahoo.

Home Swee(t) Home: I have finally made the leap. I now, after 5 1/2 years, pronounce Toronto, "Tronna". The proper enunciation comes back if I'm talking to strangers or in professional situations, but most of the time, it's bye bye, little T. You'd think I lived here or something.

Mmmm Pie: Staff meetings are made infinitely better by pie.

I am holding off this cold by mere force of will. Well, force of will and liberal applications of vitamin C, echinacea, ColdFX and vast quantities of tea. Still, the fact that I haven't been completely knocked out like everyone else around me (including the entire library, one at a time, since the middle of September) is cause for celebration. This calls for a throat lozenge.

By the way, when you can't swallow pills, especially gelcaps, and you have to break them apart and dump them in water and chug it down, ColdFX is pretty disgusting.

I just heard a John Mayer song that I actually like. Of course, it's not him singing, so that helps.

I tried the cinnamon tea from Adagio last night. It was pretty tasty - nice and strong. I think I prefer a spice mix, though.

And now? I work! I have been working on this project for days (and days, and days), the end result of which is that I would totally run the board in the category of "Spot the Canadian musicians in this 20 page list. And this one.". Also I get a gold star in justifying why something should be considered jazz or classical instead of pop. The downside is that I am seemingly determined that Bruce Hornsby is Canadian, and no amount of looking him up can convince me otherwise.

OH MY GOD I've forgotten how to cutter. If I have two books in the same LC class by the same author, I expand the cutter number for that author and use adjacent numbers, right? Please tell me I'm not just making this up.

I think my fan is giving me a headache. Actually, I hope my fan is giving me a headache, since I've had one every day for the past who-knows-how-long, and I'd like something to blame.

Ow.

Anyway, for the curious, I am back from my one-day trip to Montreal. It was extraordinarily wet there, but I was in a sub-sub-basement, so I didn't see much of it. It was a very nice sub-sub-basement, though. I had a somewhat random conversation with my boss over lunch where I think I managed to indicate my interest in having everyone under my control moving up in the world, if there is somewhere to move. So that's good, I suppose.

Meanwhile, I have been perusing the Fringe program. sarcasma, there are zombies! I'm going to post a tentative list soon, in case anyone wants to join me for things, which would be lovely. And I'm going to go to bed, because I got up at 4:30 this morning. Honestly, that seriously doesn't even count as morning. Evil!

Good night, all.

THE INTERNET HAS SPOKEN: And the internet said, "Watch Battlestar Galactica NOW, bitch." The internet was also in favour of Doctor Who, House, Scrubs and My So-Called Life, with a very convincing argument for Black Books. So I think I know what I'm doing this summer. (Also, to the person who suggested ReGenesis -- was that, um, serious? Not that I'm dissing your TV watching choices, of course!)

WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION LAST NIGHT AFTER WORK: Stayed until closing, meaning worked overtime, because half our staff (everyone who works the late shift) was off yesterday. It wasn't exactly a hardship, but I felt very put-upon, being all alone in the library for the last hour. It's definitely a harbinger of things to come in the summer, though -- we are going to be very short on staff.

CONTENT SHAMELESSLY STOLEN FROM SARCASMA FOR THE FOUR PEOPLE ON MY F'LIST WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE SEEN IT: The only version of "Oops, I Did It Again" you'll ever need. People, it's a sousaphone on fire, accompanied by dancers in plaid skirts. With more fire.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM GEORGE LAST NIGHT: I am hopelessly fascinated with this site: World Mapper. Also, I missed the lead-up, but they apparently ran across a website that is all GEORGE + CLAIRE (from the Weather Centre, who comes on after his show every night) 4EVAH!!!! She was so embarrassed (and, I think, somewhat flabbergasted that anyone would come up with a site like that). It was cute.

I AM SO MONOLINGUAL: Today at work so far I have heard staff members speaking Ukranian, Turkish, Greek, French, and Japanese. I can't decide if I am happy about this because it's easier to ignore, or if I object to this because I can't hear if they're passing on good gossip.

THE THING I HATE MOST IN THE WORLD AT THIS VERY MOMENT: Smooth Jazz. Enough said.

My hotel is rather enormous. And by "rather", I mean "seriously fucking". My hotel room, on the other hand, is pretty much normal-sized, although a bit fancy-pants.

I have been typing all day on a French keyboard. It took me forever to find the slash.

Erm.

I left the house in such a hurry this morning that I left without my watch and ring. I feel somewhat naked, except that I have a wildly dramatic watch strap tan, thanks to the fact that fact that managed to burn even my hand while I was out west.

There was free lunch. Thank you, unions! Also, there was free beer and wine at lunch. This would never happen in Toronto.

And now I venture out into the wide world in search of dinner. Only food could get me moving again at this point in time.