Say hello to my little friends

Ever since last Wednesday and the Very Bad Thing that has happened, I've been a bit down in the dumps.  Life, it would seem, is frequently unfair.  Life likes to torment and mock me at every available opportunity.  Life... is not a very nice person sometimes.

But I digress.

So there I am, wallowing in my own self-pity on Wednesday night, when B comes into the bedroom with a look on his face that can best be described as a combination of "I'm about to spring MORE bad news on you and I'm SO sorry" and "I am both horrified and disgusted at the same time".

He then proceeds to explain that for the past two nights and early mornings (we're night owls!) our kitchen has been taken over by slugs.

SLUGS!!!

I'm in ur kitchen, sliming up ur everything...

The most slimy, unhygienic, creepy crawlie little pests known to mankind!!  Have you ever seen the movie Slither?  THAT'S WHAT OUR FREAKIN' KITCHEN LOOKED LIKE!!

Shudder.  I'd love to be able to share a photo of the 10-15ish slugs that were scaling our back door that night, but I was too busy trying to stifle my gag reflex to think of fetching my camera.

Needless to say we both sprang into action, becoming a two-man Slug Extermination Squad.  I am a whizz with salt... I really am.  And the next day, after some extensive research involving typing the phrase "Get these slugs out of my house NOW" into Google, B came up with a defense plan so complex that he should immediately be headhunted by homeland security departments worldwide.

And since then?  Not a sign of a slug... probably because they can't get within 50 feet of the house, due to a complex array of slug pellets, salt and duct tape.

Apparently having a slug infestation is a pretty common occurrence at this time of year, in houses of a certain age, according to some websites B found.  As if that makes it okay.  I'd only JUST made my peace with having spiders in the house.

Shudder.

Things already done!

That was quick!  Okay, a bit of clarification - I started making my 101 Things list AGES ago, but it took me so long to think of 101 things that some of them got done in the process.  For example:

#67 - Make a concerted effort to recycle
Thankfully when B and I moved out of our apartment, The New House comes complete with neighbourhood recycling.  All we have to do is throw anything recyclable (pretty much anything apart from glass!) into a clear plastic bag provided by the council, stick it on the curb every other Thursday, and the lovely recycling people take it away for us!  We don't even have to sort paper from plastics!  Score one for the environment.

#87 - Cash in all our copper coins stashed around the house - add to savings account
Before we moved we had two decent sized jars FULL of copper coins.  For those readers not in Ireland, we have 3 (count 'em, 3) types of copper coins - 1c, 2c and 5c.  So prior to The Big Move, B and I sorted them all, counted them, and then I took them to the bank and put them all into our shiny new joint account.  Turns out we had nearly €30 worth of useless copper coins!  Score!

And finally...

#92 - New mobile phone
Last Saturday I joined the ranks of People With iPhones.  I still have mostly no idea how to use it, or which apps are handy to have, or anything like that.  Although I do have a handy-dandy step counter!  It is a pretty nifty phone though... but I have a feeling it could be more useful.  Any and all app suggestions are welcomed!

So all in all I'd say that's a pretty decent start to my 101 Things list.  I've got a few more projects in the works, and I'll continue to write about them as and when they happen.  As an added incentive, I've decided that for each task I don't manage to finish by February 2013, I will donate €10 to charity.

101 Things In 1001 Days

With all the changes in my life this past year (new job, new house, engagement, impending marriage!) I figured it was time to take stock of where I'm at, and where I'd like to be.  With that in mind, I discovered the 101 Things In 1001 Days challenge.

Basically I am setting myself 101 challenges - things that I've always wanted to do, been meaning to do, or wanted to try... and I'm going to do them.  I refuse to live my life thinking "Oh, I wish I'd done XYZ".  So, no more excuses.

The list starts as of today (May 11, 2010) and I need to have them all finished by February 5, 2013.  Watch This Space.

K's 101 Things In 1001 Days:

Physical
1. Find a Dublin-based dentist and go once a year (at least)
2. Quit biting my nails
3. Lose those last 10lbs
4. Do a 3-week detox
5. Finish Bootcamp book (self directed Bootcamp)
6. Finally figure out my blood type
7. (personal)
8. Visit a Naturopath and/or Ayurvedic consultant
9. Try the Couch to 5K programme
10. Wake up at 6am every morning for a month
11. Join the Dublin City Roller Girls

Psychological
12. Leave work AT work from 6pm onwards
13. Have one dedicated “no TV night” per week
14. Have one “disconnected” weekend – no computers, TV or phones for a weekend (except for emergencies) per month
15. Read 30 “classic” books I’ve never read before
16. Watch 30 “classic” films I’ve never seen before
17. Meditate for at least 10 minutes every day
18. Write a letter to my future self
19. Find a “spiritual recharge” site in Dublin and visit regularly
20. Answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind
21. Make a playlist of all my favourite songs
22. Have a “me” day

Relationships
23. Get married!
24. Start a family
25. Write pen and paper letters to at least one friend every month
26. Send Christmas cards with a newsletter to friends and family
27. Host an actual Canadian Thanksgiving
28. Adopt a rescue cat from the Dublin SPCA
29. Participate in Postcrossing
30. Send a postcard to Postsecret
31. Create a family tree from our two families
32. Stay up all night with B and watch the sun rise
33. Have a fancy date night at least once a month
34. Write down / record some of my grandmother’s stories
35. Have a picnic in the Phoenix Park

Creativity
36. Learn to cook a proper roast dinner
37. Cook something with an ingredient I’ve never used before
38. Bake bread from scratch
39. Make a gingerbread house
40. Make a cookbook of our favourite family recipes
41. Make a scrapbook of our travels to date
42. Make a scrapbook from the weddings
43. Learn to knit
44. Learn to make jam
45. Complete NaBloPoMo
46. Take a dance class
47. Take singing lessons
48. Re-learn how to play chess
49. Complete a 365 day photo challenge
50. Make a playlist of my favourite songs
51. Edit, print and frame photos from our travels
52. Frame and hang the art / prints we have in the apartment
53. Try a new recipe at least once a month

Career
54. Get trained as an official medical (or e-med) records volunteer
55. Go on at least one mission a year
56. Progress from part-time to full-time employment
57. Attend the ISLC as a student sponsor
58. Attend one networking event per month
59. Get (re)trained in First Aid / CPR
60. Keep my inbox at zero for a month

Giving Back
61. Donate blood at least once a year
62. Participate in the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon
63. Donate old clothes and books to a local charity shop
64. Find a local food bank and donate food regularly
65. Make a renewable loan to a Kiva project
66. Donate money to 5 friends who are doing something for charity
67. Make a concerted effort to recycle (difficult in Dublin!)

Adventure & New Experiences
68. Attend the Taste of Dublin festival
69. Go to one free event or festival every month
70. Visit 5 places in Ireland I’ve never been before
71. Learn a new language
72. Learn sign language
73. Visit 3 countries I’ve never been to before
74. Learn to ride a motorcycle
75. Take driving lessons to learn how to drive (manually) on the wrong side of the car!
76. Visit random museums in Dublin (Georgian House museum, etc)
77. Discover 10 new bands / singers on the Dublin music scene
78. Go camping for a weekend in Wicklow
79. Rent a car and go on a road trip for a weekend
80. Go to a German Christmas market
81. Spend New Year’s Eve somewhere exotic
82. Discover 26 bands I’ve never heard of, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet

Financial
83. Create an annual budget and stick to it
84. Establish a PRSA and continue to contribute to my RRSPs
85. Save at least 10% of my income
86. Make a will
87. Cash in all our copper coins stashed around the house – add to savings account
88. Cash in Dublin Bus refund tickets and add to savings account
89. Research and avail of all tax credit entitlements
90. Get engagement ring appraised and insured
91. Figure out when Buy Nothing Day is and do it

Purchases
92. New mobile phone (trade in old one)
93. Sewing machine
94. A house
95. A car

Miscellaneous
96. Get all my broken shoes fixed
97. Mend clothes that need mending
98. For every new item of clothing purchased, throw out or donate one item to charity
99. Grow (and keep alive) a herb garden
100. Get a real Christmas tree
101. Send a message in a bottle

Missing the Blogosphere

So today I was sitting around after work thinking "Hey, I miss my blog!" and here I am.  It's been a while, I know, but between work, and wedding planning, and life in general... not to mention a near-nervous breakdown, I haven't had much time to breathe, let alone blog.

This will be remedied, effective immediately.

What's been going on in the Land of K to keep me away so long, you ask?  Well, I'd be only too delighted to fill you in!

The Big Move
Given that there's apparently something called A Recession going on nowadays, B and I decided we'd be smart to try and save as much money as we possibly can.  My previous stint of unemployment left our savings severely depleted, to the point of giving people blank stares if they asked about "financial plans".

One of our biggest expenses was our rent.  Our apartment was absolutely fantastic and we loved it to bits, but for one thing it was costing us a small fortune every month (even WITH the rent reduction last year), and we realised we were also quickly running out of space.

Cue a mad search of The Internets, where we found an absolutely fantastic new (to us) house.  It's about 10 minutes down the road from our old apartment (cue also the Barenaked Ladies song, which plays in my head every time I write "old apartment"), has 3 bedrooms split over 6 levels, a rooftop garden and... the best part... is €500 less per month than we paid for the apartment.

Woo hoo!

The Olympics
Ah yes, the great Vancouver 2010 Olympics.  Now, I freely admit to never being a fan of the whole idea.  Personally I think the only good thing to come out of the Olympics was the widening of the Sea to Sky Highway, but that's beside the point.

We watched it.  Oh yes.  Stayed up until obscene o'clock to catch the Opening Ceremonies and several life-or-death hockey games.  Introduced the inlaws to the joys of luge, skeleton, snowboardcross and aerials, and got to hear repeatedly that "Canada is so much awesomer than Ireland" from B's nieces and nephews.

And the homesickness.  Holy God did I get homesick for an entire fortnight.  There's something strange and surreal about watching your hometown on TV, knowing your friends and family are out there celebrating, and that I would be too, if I wasn't 5000 miles away watching the whole thing on TV.  My God, the homesickness.

The Wedding
It's all coming together!  This wedding planning malarkey is actually quite easy!  (she says, having nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to book 10 inlaws on flights over to Canada)

But seriously.  All the big ticket items are sorted.  I have learned that EVERYTHING is cheaper if you go through the US - invites, decorations, etc.  €4.50 per invitation in Ireland?  I think not!  I have also learned ridiculous things, like it WILL work out cheaper for you to fly your Irish wedding photographer over to Canada, put him up for 2 nights and pay a daily rate than it will to book a Canadian photographer. 

It's madness, but I'm a quick learner.

Next up?  All the small nitpicky details that are sure to do my head in.

Conclusion?
That pretty much sums up life, the universe and everything with B and K lately.  Now that I'm (fully intending to be) back to posting regularly, I'll have lots more updates on the smaller, more mundane aspects of everyday life as well.

You know you love it.  :)

Customer Service Wins!

Alright, so my first week back after Christmas was kind of a stress filled bummer... but rather than venting to the Internets I am instead going to focus on the positives and present my two Customer Service Wins of the Week.  So excited.

Win The First:  Alan Moloney, WHSD.net comics
Around about the time that Ireland decided to recreate the flood scene out of the Bible, one of B and my favourite cartoonists decided to give away prints of his cartoon strip in exchange for donations to the flood relief efforts.  In all my wisdom I think "Hey, that would be an awesome part of B's Christmas present!" and fire off both a donation and an email to Alan.

This is where the postal system (curse you, An Post) comes in.

He sent the thing twice.  TWICE.  And to date we haven't seen it.  At first it wasn't a huge deal as we didn't do Christmas til after I got back.  But now it's mid-January.  Where is my package, An Post?

Not wanting to be a huge whinging complainer (I am Canadian, after all), I sent another email to Alan, who promises to re-send everything (for the third time!) and include a copy of his new book.... to my work address this time.

I'm so happy I could hug him.  But I will do the next best thing and strongly urge you to read his cartoons.  Even if you don't get some of the Irish references, they are still hilarious.

Win The Second:  O2
I don't normally think about my mobile phone provider or my plan or anything like that.  Since discovering the wonderful world of Skype (God bless it), I hardly even use my phone anymore, except for work (rarely) and calling B on my lunch break (daily).  Oh, and to find out about my local yoga classes.

So when Anonymous Customer Service Rep called me yesterday I had no idea what was going on.  I do apologise... I'm sure ACSR had a name (poor guy) but I didn't catch it, so can't thank him properly.

Anyway.  He offered to keep me on the same plan (whatever I agreed to last time) but for €5 less a month.  Being all cynical and suspicious of cold calls from ACSRs, I naturally asked what the catch was.  The only catch (and I asked EVERYTHING)... I have to stay with O2 for 18 months.  I can change anything else, just not my provider.  Now, seeing as I've been with them since... er... 2004... I don't think there's any danger of that.  Especially not when they call me every year to downgrade my plans and/or make life cheaper for me.

I love these guys.  And the ACSR also managed to alert me to the fact that as a customer I am entitled to loads of free things and discounts on other things... like clothes!  And dinners!  And cheap weekends away!

Loving it.

So thanks, people and organisations with awesome customer service skills.  You successfully managed to turn an otherwise downer of a week into something a bit more manageable.

I owe you one.

End of 2009 Survey!

Hi blogosphere!  Remember me?  Okay, so I had a bit of a crazy hiatus (again) but with a new year comes a New Year's resolution to be better at blogging.  And so I'll stick with tradition and present...

END OF 2009 SURVEY

What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
I went back to school (I'm now a Public Relations professional!), got engaged (!!), travelled to Ethiopia... lots of things!

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't really make any last year.  This year it will definitely be to get smarter with the finances.  I can do that now I have a job again!

Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, this year seemed to be the Year of the Babies, and there were 2 new ones so welcome to the world, Hazel and Benjymyn!  I've already secretly paired you up as Canadian boyfriend and Irish/German girlfriend.  That would be super cute.

What countries did you visit?
Mostly Ireland and Canada, but I did have an amazing 5-day trip to Ethiopia at the end of November as the final result of my volunt-work.  It was absolutely incredible and I can't wait to hopefully get back there with The New Job (I really should stop calling it that).

What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
More holidays.  Last year was pretty lacking.  Even the trip to Ethiopia was for volunt-work.  Although this year most of our holidays will involve weddings and wedding planning.  Oh, and an excellent honeymoon, if all goes according to plan!

What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I'll go all soppy on this question and say the day that B proposed... aww...

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I'd have to say getting a job after 11 months worth of unemployment.  With a charity.  During a recession.

What was your biggest failure?
11 months of unemployment?  No, I won't say that, because I volunteered and went back to school, so at least it was productive.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really, apart from the usual head colds.  Was finally diagnosed with IBS though... but that's manageable.  Oh, and I had wicked altitude sickness my first day in Ethiopia.  Stupid altitude migraine.

What was the best thing you bought?
Can't say I bought an awful lot last year.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
The board of directors who hired me!  Yay for them!  And B, for proposing!

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I can't seem to think of anyone.

Where did most of your money go?
Mostly on trying to survive unemployment.  Unemployment does a number on a girl's savings.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Wedding plans... squee!  :)  And The New Job.

Compared to this time last year, you are:
a) happier or sadder?  Happier, definitely!
b) thinner or fatter?  Actually a little thinner!
c) richer or poorer?  Poorer, unfortunately.  11 months of unemployment took their toll on my bank account.

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Getting out there, as always.  It was tough this year, as Dublin is a very expensive town when you're unemployed.

What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying.  I know everything always works out in the end, but it doesn't stop me worrying in the meantime.

How did you spend Christmas?
Up at my grandmother's, surrounded by family... exactly the way it should be... except no snow this year until the 28th.  No white Christmas for 2009.

How did you spend New Years?
Surrounded by my friends, and fussing over a baby.  You know... as you do.

Did you fall in love in 2009?
I think I fall in love with B a little bit more every day.  I'm so incredibly lucky to have him in my life.

What was your favourite TV programme?
Lost and Fringe, as always.  And the Amazing Race, but we have to watch that online.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, I don't waste time hating people.

What was your greatest musical discovery for 2009?
Finding out that The Tragically Hip were playing in Tripod at the beginning of December!  Seeing Canada's biggest band performing in a tiny venue?  Best.  Birthday.  Present.  Ever.  Thanks B!

What did you want and get?
A husband-to-be?  :)  And a new job, and Stamp 4 residency (no more work permits!  Woo hoo!)

What was your favourite film of this year?
Hmm... I actually really liked Let The Right One In.  In terms of blockbusters I liked Star Trek, Harry Potter 6 and the most recent Saw.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Aggh... I was 29.  Am 29.  Too close to 30.  I spent the day at work, and then taking care of my future father-in-law, as my future mother-in-law had to have minor surgery that day.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Nothing really... 2009 was pretty spectacular.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
As ever, the "I can't afford to go shopping but need to look professional" look.

What kept you sane?
Volunteering and going back to school.  I have to keep busy or I go a bit mad.

What political issue stirred you the most?
I'd probably say the gay marriage debate worldwide.

Who did you miss?
As always, my friends and family back in Canada.

Who was the best new person you met?
My new coworkers (well, they volunteer), the people I've met through my PR course, B's friends from college that I finally met at his friend's wedding... everyone's been lovely.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
Persistence pays off.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"You're the best friend... That I've ever had"

It's dark... and cold...

Mother Nature is a funny individual.  The very second the calendar flipped over to November 1st, Dublin became absolutely bloody freezing.  We've had rain, we've had hail, but mostly we've had bitter, icy, gale force winds.  At The New Job I make sure to stray no further than 2 feet from my cosy little space heater at all times.  Happy not-quite-winter!

And it's getting dark at a ridiculously early hour.  My commute home from volunt-work is now entirely in the dark.  And the storefront Christmas decorations are out!  Actually they've been out since before Halloween.  Slow down, 2009 - where are you going in such a hurry?

I say this because (due to a number of factors, mostly involving commitments at The New Job) I have yet to book my flights home for Christmas.  Last minute much?  I have a whole big list of things to do over the holidays, predominantly involving wedding miscellany, and I have no idea how I'll be able to get it all done.  Ah the joys of the holiday season.

So apart from the dark, the cold and the less-than-2-months-til-Christmas... everything is actually fantastic.  I love my job(s), I had a fantastic birthday weekend (including tickets to see The Tragically Hip in December!), and I'm really enjoying the dark evenings, cuddled up on the couch with B, watching scary films and/or rubbish TV.

See?  Even dark days and freezing temperatures have an upside!  Plus, in 2 weeks I'm off to Ethiopia with volunt-work, where it is currently a very pleasant 25 degrees.  Have you sponsored me?  You should sponsor me.