Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Yeahyeahyeah

Can't talk.  Guild Wars 2 is out.  Kind of busy exploring, killing centaurs and collecting cooking supplies.

In case you can't read between the lines, this game is awesome, and if you want to join us let me know.

Also, we have someone coming to see the apartment tomorrow, repairs that still need to be started, and no little person.  Looks like operation "Everything Happens at Once" is right on track!  Oh lucky me.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Frustration

Okay,  I understand that you can't control everything in life.  I am usually very good at taking things as they come and dealing with it when things don't go my way.  But this is getting fracking ridiculous.

Apartment won't sell, blah blah  year and a half, no room for the child on the way, blah blah.  I've pretty much accepted the fact that someone else is in charge of that whole mess and my plans mean squat.  I have to assume His plans are better for us in the long run.  I'm still frustrated.  Mostly because it is really getting my husband down and there is nothing I can do about it.

And oh yeah,  child on the way.  Totally planned, totally exciting (and terrifying) and the timing is totally out of my control.  Kind of scary when you know you could be having a child, and looking to buy a house in the same week.  Not that the having to move thing is looking likely at the moment, but that could change very fast and the way my big life plans have been working out lately, I am not discounting the possibility of a very badly timed offer.

And the third thing, which is definitely the most frustrating right now, is that the laundry room is still a disaster from the upstairs apartment flood, and we are STILL waiting for the restoration crew to come in and fix things. Its been almost 3 weeks since the incident.  I have an incoming newborn, the possibility of having to show my apartment, a laundry room that is barely functional, a tool chest in my kitchen, and paint cans under my table.  I am SO unimpressed.

To be fair, the restoration guys were totally on it, got things dried out, and said they could have everything else done in a week. 3 weeks ago.  But since the damage was caused by the upstairs unit they have to pay for repairs and they are being super slow to approve them.  The company can't do anything until they get the go ahead from the upstairs neighbours.  I totally intend to hang around outside their door with a screaming infant while the guys are working, I tell you what.

So yeah,  I have three big looming things that could all happen at any time, and I'm very frustrated that I have no control over when that all goes down.  For all I know, the first week of September I will be coming home from the hospital  to work crews and paint fumes in my apartment and needing to sign paperwork and go house hunting.  That's kind of my nightmare.



Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The Economics of New Tech

My cell phone is dying.  Well, it might not be dying, but it is having a whole lot of trouble keeping up with the demands of being a smartphone these days.  To be fair, it is a few years old and the apps I want to use are designed for something with a little more oomph.  Add to that that the last major iOS "upgrade" on my iPod touch slowed its functionality to a crawl, and I am really wanting a new internet/game/various app device that  doesn't make me wait 2 minutes to open up a browser.  I'm thinking of getting the Galaxy SII X.  Yes I know the SIII is out, but some of its features seem a little over the top for my needs and I'm not a "need the latest device because it is the latest device" kinda girl.  So the SII X is good enough for me.

But here is my problem.  I am currently on a prepaid plan and pay 20$ a month, and I barely use the services that I am paying for with that.  In order to upgrade my phone, I have two options.  I can buy the phone outright  (about 600$ worth)  OR I can get a "free phone" on a 3 yr 50$ a month contract.  hmmmm... lets do that math shall we?

600$ for a new phone, no fees or contracts.

30$ a month MORE than I pay now for services I don't need for the next 3 years.

30$ x 36 months = 1080$

Yup  my "free" phone would cost me over 1000$ by the time I was done my contract.  Never mind the fees that would come up if I wanted to cancel or upgrade before then....  Yeah, I know I could always buy out the phone for the 600$, but I still will have been paying that extra 30$ a month that won't be counted towards the cost of the phone because it is actually for the "services" that I wouldn't use. So I may as well just pay the lump sum up front.

However, 600$ is still a big chunk of cash, and we have had lots of big expenses lately.  I think I will have to wait until Christmas to be able to justify this.  Or my next Birthday.  Or both.  I may have to combine both.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Unemployed

Today was my last day of work for the next year, hopefully less.  And now I have to fiddle around with EI and stuff.  Oh lucky me.  I'm going to miss having insider access to my library account and holds, and cheating on my return dates, and ordering random items for friends and all that fun stuff.  I'm hoping to go back a few months early, but we will see how life goes.

It's not like I am not going to have anything to do with my life for the next 12 months, but the next couple of weeks are going to be kind of empty and I am not sure what I am going to do with myself  (unless little one comes early. That would be okay too).  I know I only work half-time, but I think I need those few hours to feel like a productive person.  They make me feel less bad about the lack of housework and the putting off of laundry.

Maybe I will start going swimming every couple of days.  That would be nice.  Especially since it is so fracking hot in this apartment right now.

Speaking of it being hot out here.  The next Dresden book (Cold Days.  Its a kind of related temperature based segue) finally has a release date!  YAY!  It's only 3 months away now.

And thinking about release dates,  Guild Wars 2 is out next week.  That might help kill some time!
That and much reading and YouTube.

Yup.  This is me. Sitting around waiting for things to happen.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Marathon

There was Lord of the Rings yesterday.  That's it.  12 hours of hobbits and elves and flaming eyes and WHY DIDN'T THE EAGLES JUST FLY THEM TO MOUNT DOOM TO BEGIN WITH!?

So my brain is kinda mushy today.

But after 10 years, those movies are still totally awesome.  

Sunday, August 05, 2012

This will not be a Mommy blog......

......but it may come up occasionally.  Like now.
Warning:  There will be complaining.  But that is what you get for reading my journal.

You know how some women are all like "ooh being pregnant is the best thing ever, I would be pregnant forever if I could.  Isn't it wonderful?  blah blah blah"?  I'm SO not one of those women.  At no point in the last 8 months have I actually "enjoyed" the experience.  I mean, it has not been completely terrible. I've had no complications, or been in excessive amount of pain.  I would not be opposed to doing it again at some point for the end result, but I don't exactly love it.  And this is not just the 8-months-pregnant-tired-of-the-whole-thing cliche talking.  I have felt this way pretty much since the beginning.

I hate having to sleep on my side. A lot.  I hate the achiness, awkwardness, fatigue, and being a walking commercial for Pepto Bismol.
I especially hate people I barely know coddling me and asking if I am okay in that tone of voice that makes it sound like I have cancer rather than an intentional larvae.  I'm spawning, not dying, and everything is fine!

And then there is the kicking/squirming/something not me moving around.  It is kind of neat at first. It's a reminder that there is a little person cooking in there, and that is really cool. It's also really good to know that baby is doing okay. And its still fun every once in awhile.  But the novelty wears off kinda fast.  About the third time in a day that my tummy gets the hiccups without me, I just get annoyed. The first time I find it kind of adorable. But it's also distracting, kind of  tickles, and can make me feel a little queasy.  And then there is the actual kicking.  I feel like if I'm lending the kid space, the least she could do is not kick at the walls when I am trying to sleep.  It's not like there is anything I can do yet, so keeping me awake is totally unnecessary. So while baby movement is by far the coolest thing about this whole process, even that is not totally without it's downsides.

So yeah.  Miracle of creating life and all that jazz, but there is (I'm going to say almost here because I feel like I am overlooking something, although if I am its obviously not that great) almost no part of this process so far that is not, at the very least, bothersome.  I'm sure I will let you know in a couple of months that all this was worth it, but so far I have been largely unimpressed.