*My caveat being, of course, that without full consent on both sides, it stops being sm and becomes assault.

~

I have organized my receipts for tax write-offs in a spreadsheet, got all my papers together, and now I just have to calculate rent/phone/internet/etc costs. I’m using an accountant for the first time this year, since I now have self-employed benefits.

~

Speaking of financial stuff, I added an extra $3500 to my RRSPs this year, using the bank’s money and the government’s tax rules. It didn’t cost me a penny. Wanna be able to do it next year? I can help you with that.

~

I love that my couch is long enough that Andy can curl up at one end and I can be stretched out at the other, and we aren’t touching at all. Usually he’s right on top of me, keeping me from typing but tonight I guess he needed a little space.

~

Translink has finally decided to install fare gates at SkyTrain stations. “Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2010 and is planned to coincide with proposed Expo Line station expansions.” Why couldn’t they have figured this out before construction of the Canada Line? Surely it would have been cheaper to build the new stations already equiped with such structures? I cannot believe that retrofitting is ever more cost-effective. Oh wait – am I using the word ‘effective’ in a sentence with Translink? I’ll just stop now.

~

I have only three days left of my six week leave. I can’t believe it’s gone so fast! Here’s hoping that work does not prove too strenuous on my knee. It is responding extremely well to acupuncture, and I have improvement in my straightening and my bend every time I see my physio, but it still aches after standing for short periods of time. I think that ice packs will become my new best friend next week.

Is this a reasonable request to make?

To me, the answer is a no-brainer – if I want my partner to get all up in my junk and they will only enjoy themselves if I’m freshly scrubbed, then I’ll scrub up. However, I was hanging out with a friend and her fairly new boyfriend this evening, and he seemed to be put out at her request.

And yes, we were discussing their sex life. We drank two bottles of wine and half a bottle of vodka between us, so the lines of ‘too much information’ were a little blurry. *grin*

When I sleep at night, I wear a long sleeved t-shirt, underneath just my quilt, with the window open halfway.

Kind of weird.

“There is no key to happiness, because happiness is not locked.”

That is all.

For most, if not all, of the people who read my blog, I’m sure this sounds like an everyday occurrence for them. But for me – well, North Van kids tend to stick around. We may move off the shore but pretty soon we return. There’s just something about living over here that is very attractive, especially when it’s your home town.

I wouldn’t say that I’m tied to my parents’ apron strings. I do see my parents at least once a week, usually separately. (That’s a whole ‘nother blog post, right there.) But it’s pretty casual – my dad comes in and we have coffee together, or I drop by the house and have tea with my mum while I’m at the library. I hardly see my brother but I know that he’s always around.

But right now, my parents are in Oregon until Sunday, and my bro left for the Island last night. So I am all alone in the city without any family and while it doesn’t mean anything in terms of my daily life, it struck me last night when my bro told me he was heading out for the weekend that I’m not sure this has ever happened before.

And since all I seem to do right now is work or snuggle with my kitty, which makes for boring blogging, I thought I’d share.

The best thing about Saturday nights is cuddling with Andy on the couch and watching Midsomer Murders.

I had another employee tell me today how happy they are being at my store. I must be doing something right.

I have a co-dependent boyfriend now. We talk on the phone multiple times a day and like to know exactly where each other is… he’s another manager in my district, and a very cute, early twenties gay boy. My staff actually call me to the phone now by saying, “Your boyfriend’s on the line!”

I can smell plastic but I don’t know where it’s coming from. Strange. Is that like smelling burning toast? Am I going to have some kind of seizure in a minute?

Caesar salad with lots of croutons is on my current list of “foods I cannot eat enough of”, along with mandarin orange slices and dried apricots. Nom nom nom.

I am in the middle of switching from the North Shore Credit Union to VanCity so right now I have a ridiculous amount of credit to my name. Yay for a wicked credit rating!

Speaking of money, the government is going to start requiring the payment of my soul in about two months. Good thing I enjoyed getting my education – paying for it is going to suck. Just wish I could remember what I learned …

I’m waiting with bated breath for my opponent to make their next move, hoping that they don’t use the space that I need.

Seriously – 92 points? No bingo? That will make Scrabble history. For me at least.

That’s a little ridiculous. Methinks I’m off to the library tomorrow evening to get that sorted out.

The library in Lynn Valley has moved into a new location and is finally open for business. It’s going to be hard going in there, since I had been going to the old one since I was three years old. It was comfy, the way an old snuggly pair of sweatpants are comfy. When I was feeling grumpy or sad, I could walk in there and feel hugged by the books. I know that sounds kinda silly when I write it down, but it’s a feeling that is hard to explain. And now that place is gone and there’s a new place – the books are the same but I’m not sure they managed to bring the feeling to the new building.