Sunday 16 March 2008


If you can read this, you're too close....

March 10 - Blossoms in March


I finished up an article in the morning, and then worked the evening shift downtown, closing the store. The weather hasn't been too bad at all of late, and the air smells rather nicely of spring starting to bloom. Speaking of which, many of the streets around my neighbourhood have cherry trees, and they've all begun to blossom on earnest. A few streets will be covered in pink blooms in a week or two, which is incredible given that it's only the middle of March here! Many of the plants bloom year-round, and I could pass almost any garden and see at least a few flowers still blooming brightly, if not vividly.

March 11 - Hail to the Bus Driver, Bus Driver...


Closed the store again today, after a fun bus ride. I decided last week to take the plunge and get a monthly Transit Pass, which is turning out to be a great decision. I don't need to worry about getting transfers or running out of bus tickets, so it's rather liberating. Also, in B.C. you can claim your Transit Passes on your taxes, which is a nice touch. While riding on the bus too, I've been doing some observing of my fellow passengers, and I have to say that though they are a quiet bunch, they are one and all unfailingly polite and courteous. Everyone is very friendly, and I often see drivers hold very warm conversations with regular riders. Does the heart good to see.

March 12 - Tidy tidy


After another mid-shift at the other branch, I spent the evening cleaning the place up for tomorrow night. What am I going to be doing tomorrow night, you ask? Why, try to take over the world... *narf* Er, wait, no... it's Movie Night here in my place! Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me, but I had the place looking top-notch by the time the evening was done. A lot of boxes hidden away mind you, but the overall effect is a tidy place, in my estimation - finally.

March 13 - Movie Night and Shamrock Shakes

Worked an earlier shift today, my last one for a while at the downtown store. I'm being transferred to another branch to keep things fresh, as some other staff are as well. Should be interesting, but I won't miss the crazy customers one little bit from downtown. I wandered into Chapters while waiting for a bus after work, and found a great photo book on Ireland for half off... ironic, given that St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner. Also, it looks like McDonalds is bringing back the Shamrock Shake in 2008, but only for the month of March - pity. Not that I enjoy much of anything that the Golden Arches has to offer, but somehow the Shamrock Shake holds a little bit of nostalgia for me... gods only know why. Maybe 'cuz... it's green?
I hosted a movie night at my place in the early evening, with three of my neighbours. We watched Neil Gaiman's Stardust on HD-DVD, a movie I had been eagarly waiting to watch. I had a great time, as they all appeared to as well - all four of us appear to have similar interests, so much so that we kept talking well after the movie was done. I almost hated to end the evening, but too much of a good thing, you know... we're looking forward to the next movie night though!

March 14 - They like me, they really really like...

Just a mid-shift today, nothing to get excited about. I'm finding that my co-workers at the new branch apparently can tolerate my sense of humour; indeed, it seems to be growing on them, and more quickly than the downtown branch to boot. I'm not sure if that's a good thing... for their sanity, of course. Makes for a fun day though... and one of the girls there apparently jsut LOVES zombie flicks, so that's an endless topic for discussion. Funny too, as another girl gags at the mention of eating brains - literally. So that's fun when they're working together...
I've been looking online at some animation cells lately on eBay, but holding off. Some of them might be interesting to have, to 'own' a little piece of a show or two I liked when growing up. But the wall space here is very limited, so I'm not sure I'd be able to frame more than one or two.

March 15 - Date Time

I worked a half-shift today to help out, and then hurried home to get ready for a date. I met her down in Cook St. Village around 3:30 at the Starbuck's, and we walked from there down to Dallas Rd. and along the shoreline parkway. She had her dog with her, and though I was a little wary the pup behaved herself very well overall. Of course, it rained on us as we walked, but I had an umbrella packed just in case. Still, I was rather wet by the time an hour had passed and we arrived back at Cook St. We both enjoyed each other's company a little, and I might see her again in a week or two - it'd be nice at the very least to have a friend to show me around town a bit. *grin* No sparks though.
The rest of the night was spent emptying all those boxes I'd brought over from my parent's storage last week, getting the last little bits squared away. Quite cathartic.

March 16 - Breakfast, beaches and waterfalls

Off to breakfast this morning with my parents, at a nice waterfront cafe over in Esquimalt called The Princess Mary. After helping my parents file their taxes, we headed up-island for the afternoon to Collwood, where we went to Witty's Lagoon Park and had a good look at the Sitting Lady Falls. Amazing that everything was so GREEN in March, though it was admittedly a little nippy. We also went to one of the large beaches nearby, where I was amazed again by the natural beauty of my new home here on Vancouver Island. The sand was soft and grey in colour, and vast quantities of cool driftwood lay in rows all along the shore. It was quite tranquil.
I traded up for some new dishes in Langford to replace the older set that hadn't traveled well across the country with me, so the new Corelle set should last me a few decades, I hope. They're similar to what my parents had and grew up with, so they should last quite some time.

All for now... signing off. *bleep!*