Gloryfades.org

Spring is really marching by isn’t it? Sorry for the minor absence there while we moved. I didn’t expect to be gone for so long but with all of the tasks that come along with moving to a new house (unpacking, painting, buying furniture, etc.) I found that I was no longer as interested in the internet life as I was before. This has been steadily growing for a few months, actually. I don’t think it’s that I’ve lost interest in the Internet. Rather, it’s what I do currently do online now that I’ve grown bored with, which is primarily the fanlistings.

With that realization, I started to scale back on what I do in the community - closing websites and resigning from the Senior Staff, as well as handing some of my other duties to different volunteers. I feel better about my future with TFL now that I’ve done that. I don’t want to leave entirely but I was concerned that with the path I was going down I would burn out. My main goal was not to cut and run - the community hates when that happens and as a senior member, that would have been a really crappy thing to do.

My future goals? I’m probably going to continue focusing on my blog, reshaping and retooling. I want to start promoting myself more, getting back into the community. People like Kya continue to amaze me with their unique style and I want to draw more inspiration and learn new things again.

Now that I’m living with G I also have to learn how to prioritize my tasks. I have a lot less time than I once did as a poor student living at home. It sucks cause I find myself having to do things like schedule time to see friends!

So that’s my life and mindset in a nutshell right now. Along with the new house, I have a new job at a really awesome company. I’m doing something more along the lines of what I can see becoming a career - I’ve always loved books (big surprise, eh?) so working at a publishing company is a real dream come true.

Also, I haven’t had a Diet Coke all month.

It’s been one of those weeks! I don’t know about your part of the world but spring has really come along this week. It’s been bouncing from April showers to cool, sunny days (like today!) all week and I am loving it. This winter has been TOO long and it so needs to go, lol. So I have several good pieces of news to mention:

1. I’m moving at the end of April! G and I found a place in Toronto and we’re finally taking the plunge by moving in together. It’s exhilarating and nerve-wracking all at once. I’m going from living at home to living with my boyfriend? I would have liked an adjustment period (i.e. living on my own for awhile to “test the waters”, so to speak), but it just doesn’t make sense to move out on my own for a year and then move again to another place with G. Plus, I think we can both handle the changes that will come through living together.

2. I’ve been accepted to Centennial College for the Book and Magazine Publishing programme! I have not decided whether I’ll be going yet, though, because I might have a job with a publishing house already … more details to come once I know things have been finalized.

3. I went to Philadelphia last weekend for a wedding and had a lot of fun. This was my first visit to a major American city and it was a blast! We saw the Liberty Bell, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Eastern State Penitentiary, just to name a few. You’re welcome to see the photo galleries here, here, and here.

So that’s been my life for the past little while. I have been way too busy for my own good and it’s likely not going to change in the next little while either. This week I also made the decision to cut down on my duties at TFL. You’ll likely see the posting soon but I’ll mention it here - I am giving up the FUC and Troubles role for the Movies category. These are the most time-consuming parts of the Movies category and I can feel my control slipping away as I let things build up and up before I update. I don’t want this category to get back-logged so the time has come to step down in that role. I still want to do applications, though, because I still find them a lot of fun! Sometimes you just gotta know when to fold ‘em, though.

After being bombarded endlessly by road safety propaganda, almost a relief to have found myself in an actual accident.
- James Spader, in David Cronenberg’s Crash

So, I was in a car accident on the weekend. Not to worry! I am perfectly alright and so is G and the other driver. We all came out in one piece. Our cars are another story. I was driving through an intersection when a Honda Civic attempted to turn left. She didn’t see me coming and we collided. My car’s fender, bumper and Lord knows what else under the hood is damaged. Hopefully the mechanic will be able to tell me by tomorrow what’s to be done. I’m afraid I’m going to lose my Cavalier, which I wasn’t quite ready to part with just yet. I mean, I only became the owner of it a month ago. It’s a bit of a downer but I’m trying to see the bright side. If the car is a write-off and I get a cheque G and I can put it towards getting a new car together! Or perhaps furniture for our new apartment?

Yes, we may have an apartment! We started looking this weekend at places. Lo and behold, the second apartment we viewed was wonderful. Coincidentally, we were on our way to an apartment viewing when I ploughed into the Civic. Anyway, I’m trying not to get my hopes up because we aren’t the only ones who have applied for the place but it would be pretty awesome if we did get it. It’s pretty amazing that we managed to find a really great place with only the second viewing. G is a bit skeptical over the marvelousness of the apartment, which is understandable; apartment hunting is generally a long and arduous process. We don’t really need to move until May 1 so we’re taking things a bit quickly with applying for it but I think it’s too nice to pass up. The living room window looks out onto the Humber Valley, it’s on the fourth floor with no one above us or beside us, and the Old Mill subway station is literally across the street. Hopefully I’ll have news by the end of the week about our application.

To that end, my weekend was extremely eventful. Today I picked up a rental car for the week while they fix my car. I have to admit, as much as I love my Cavalier to pieces, the Toyota Camry they gave me is really sexy. I feel older and more sophisticated when I’m driving it! I went to Zellers to run some errands and took the long way home so I could enjoy the ride. It’s pretty sweet!

I won’t get used to it, though. Hopefully my Cavalier will come back to me in one piece. Fingers crossed!

Hi everyone, I’m home! I spent the entire day yesterday flying from Guatemala City to Buffalo, New York. It literally took all day and we were pooped. I’m still pretty tired as I got up rather early this morning but I’m glad because I had quite a bit to do. I’ll post a recap of my trip in the coming days with a smattering of photos. The rest will likely appear on my flickr account.

Tomorrow is my first day at my new job. I’m nervous! I had several nightmares on my trip about screwing up at my new job but I’m not going to let myself get psyched out. They wouldn’t have hired me if they didn’t think I was competent so I’m going to keep that in mind tomorrow while learning all sort of new things.

The majority of this post I had written about a week before I left. My intention was to post it prior to leaving but that didn’t end up happening unfortunately. Still, it’s quite relevant since they’re my New Year’s resolutions!

Looking back on 2007, I think I can safely say that I have had a good year. I improved my school marks significantly, graduated from university successfully, found a well-paying job, eliminated my credit card debt, met G.’s mother, and began thinking about my future (yay budgeting!). As for smaller steps, I managed to read over thirty books this entire year, finally got a great hair cut, went blonde, and managed to go to the United States (scratched that doozy off my travel list! ).

Overall, a great year. My rabbit unfortunately died, but these sort of things happen and I’m okay with it now. I hope 2008 is just as good, if not even better! Without further ado, here are my plans to make 2008 the year of Olga.

1. Become Wardrobe Conscious
At school I wasn’t much of a shopper, primarily because I didn’t have the cash to do it. Over time, I just became accustomed to never seeing the inside of a mall for months at a time. While that may have saved me from getting more than one credit card to indulge a shopping addiction, it has also led me to having a pretty shatty wardrobe. To be fair, over the past six months it has grown in size and in quality – to an extent.

However, I don’t feel comfortable in all of my clothing. I lean more towards wearing jeans and cotton shirts to work because A) they are comfortable and B) they are easy to match and find. Now, my office doesn’t have the strictest policy on work attire but I still feel embarrassed when I arrive to work in jeans and a t-shirt on a Monday morning. Call it Catholic guilt.

My goal in 2008 is to begin compiling a wardrobe that is easy enough to wear as my current wardrobe. My inspiration is Allie who actually looks a heck of a lot like me, except for the fact that she wears really nice clothes and I usually don’t.

This resolution is probably going to be a lot of fun to work with than my next one but I can already tell it will be difficult for me as well. I think a lot of women have the same problem that I do – we tend to buy clothing that is in style because it looks good in the moment. We see people like Lindsey Lohan, Jessica Alba, etc. wearing things that – perhaps in another time and place – would make us laugh our asses off (skinny jeans?! Are you KIDDING ME?!), but instead we want to wear them cause they are “in”.

Classic pieces are the things that will last a lifetime – or at least more than one season. They flatter your figure, make you look feminine, and support your personality in more ways than skinny jeans ever could, because you choose clothes that make you look good, not what everyone else is wearing.

I will concentrate on building up a collection of well-made clothes that suit my figure and my personality.

A part of why I am deciding 2008 is the year of the runway is because my new job starts on Monday. In my new position, I will have a more conspicuous role in the company. I don’t feel comfortable in my clothes now when I barely see anyone. I’ll feel downright embarrassed in the new year if I don’t dress presentably.

2. Live Actively
Yes, I’m a big girl. My issue is not with how I look but how I live my life, which, I’m afraid to say, is not very active.

In November I began working on this as I felt that I had nothing to wait for. It’s no time like the present when you want to improve your health, I think. The build up has been small but steady. I have a membership at Curves two minutes away from my work and I go three times a week, the recommended minimum. It’s a hard work out for this big ass of mine. I expect to see it get easier as I go more often but for now I’m still sweating like a stuck pig after my thirty-minute circuit run.

I have issues with Curves, which I might mention in a later post, but for now I’m going to stick with just that. My membership runs out in the late spring of 2008 and at that point I expect to have the stamina and energy to take on a Big Girl gym (i.e. a real gym, as I like to call it).

My goal is to also get back on the horse whenever I have bad days/weeks/hopefully not months. It’s easy to get downhearted when you’re trying to improve yourself. I’ve recently discovered the value of self-help books, which I think can really help me in my 2008 goals.

3. Budget My Money
Again, this is something that I have already begun to do. I have learned through a variety of money blogs, library books, and miscellaneous internet resources that budgeting is really, really important and easy to do. As long as you have a willingness to save money and access to Microsoft Excel or an equivalent, you can really do a lot to take control of your financials.

Since June 2007 I have paid my credit card off each month, saved enough for a trip to Central America, and developed a budget to pay down my OSAP in five years instead of the ten that they estimated I would be paying for. I’ll be saving almost $10,000 in interest alone by using the budget I have made for myself! I’m proud of my achievements and I hope to keep working on them in 2008.

Some of the financial goals I have for 2008 include moving out of my parent’s house, creating a retirement savings plan, and going to Germany for Oktoberfest in September.

So there you go, three big goals with a variety of smaller ones in between. I think it will make for a pretty full year, don’t you?

Oh, and it’s probably not something I need to mention but I also plan on reading another thirty books this year. Maybe I’ll even break my 2007 record!

It seems I can’t resist the call of my own blog. Each time I try to distance myself from it I find myself yearning to go back and start writing again. I never though of myself as a writer. Most people will agree. Still, I’ve had this thing for so long it seems as though I’ll never be rid of it. It feels different this time, though. Who knows, maybe it will stick?

I have been thinking a lot about creativity these past few days. I wouldn’t say I’m the most creative Jenny on the block but I think I can carry a tune. When I was a little girl I used to make up full-length operas in my backyard. All of the neighbors knew who I was because I’d sing at the top of my lungs all afternoon. In retrospect, I’m surprised that no one complained to my parents or called the cops. I was a pretty loud kid.

Those operas were a lot of fun to do, as I recall. They were mostly a jumble of stream of conscious words mixed together. Sometimes I would actually get a good hook and I work on it, building upon it until I had some sort of story to go along with my nonsensical songs. Sadly, the only song I remember singing now is The Flintstones theme song as sung by Homer Simpson. I sang that song loud and proud. I even made a dance to go along with it!

These days I haven’t done a lot of singing outside of my own car. I suppose my commute has become my backyard. I don’t so much improvise lyrics anymore as I do harmonies to the various songs that I play ad nauseam on Alphonse. It’s a shame that I don’t play around with songs as much as I did when I was a kid. I guess I’m sort of feeling nostalgic.

I want to go back to those days when I could spend an afternoon just creating stories off of the top of my head. It’s harder these days. There’s so many other things that take up room that it feels almost like there’s no time for imagination anymore. Where did the days when I daydreamed for hours go?

I had to reset my password through MySQL cause I deleted my cache and it fucked with this stupid blog. Honestly, I don’t know why on earth I play around with this bloody thing! In any event, it’s fixed now, thank God!

I have an interview tomorrow for a telemarketing agency. It’ll be ten million times better than McDonald’s and if the hours are right, I can probably keep both jobs! Even more money in the can for me Yay!

And that’s my story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Go watch some Bullshit!

Right now I’m working on getting a new gallery uploaded at Yeah Dude, I Rock, my VLB fansite. I’ve tried making new layouts for Hearts as well, but I can’t seem to find anything I like, really. I just can’t get my mojo going It’s a little upsetting.

And now I’m sitting here wondering what to write about.

I bought a rabbit for my niece the other day. It lives at my place, though, since her mother refuses to keep it at their place. That’s fine. It’s a nice little thing. The only thing that’s kinda creepy is that it’s got pink eyes; it’s an albino. I wanted to call it Pinkie, but my niece decided to name it Madison. I call it Maddie. I shouldn’t have another pet, but here I am with a new addition. Oh boy.