shudder, how embarassing....

to think, when i last wrote here i was watching a gawdawful music reality show. not just watching, gleefully and faithfully blogging on it.

well. what's happened over the past year?

work has gotten busy and then no so busy and is now crazed again.
it's my own fault - i have some work-addict tendencies that i must squash. especially because there are so many other things to do!

i've been to both paris and to tuscany since i last wrote here.
really. believe it. i can hardly! paris was october and july was tuscany/rome. i feel so fortunate to be able to have visited two of the worlds greatest cities in less than one year.

health and fitness for all!
i've realized i'm getting older and not younger and therefore have begun this business of taking better care of myself. better now than later. my mom had a health scare in the spring (right around my birthday, no less) and thankfully, it's not as bad as initially feared. it's still not great, but it's not immediately catastrophic. send some healthy thoughts to her - will you?

anyway - her health scare prompted me into action for my own health. i have a few issues i've been avoiding for a while and began to own up to them to myself. this prompted me to the gym. not only to reactivate my 3.5 year old membership, but to sign up with a personal trainer. that's right, since april 20th i've been working 3 hours a week with a trainer. i'm nearly at the end of my sessions (my visa will be reeling for months, if not years to come) - but so far it's been worth it. i'm leery about the whole scale/size/inches thing - but let's just say that i've noticed some major differences in not only how i appear, but more importantly, in how i feel. even better than that - i honestly feel like i've built a new foundation that will last the rest of my life. i'm all about the strength training now. i guess i should do more cardio, but a the moment i'm loving the feeling of being the only gurl in the free weights area with these testosterone guys. heehee. it's a trip.

i have started keeping fish.
and now have two tanks! it's a lovely hobby that's turned into a full fledged fishy-obsession. i even have a small tank in my bedroom and my fish are having babies! they are promptly eating their babies, but we'll work on saving the next batch. ;-)

what else is new. a few and sundry items.
i've decided i hate my downstairs neighbours (both sets of them). jerks, slobs and cheapskates. is it really so hard to take out the garbage on your scheduled week? and is it so hard to pay for the garage you're renting from me? and is it really so hard to collapse boxes for recycling and to not put random junk in with the bottles? seriously....

i've fallen under the evil-sway of facebook. it sucks up many many hours of otherwise productive time.

i'm tempted to move from sympatico to rogers. anyone out there have any advice? i find sympatico's customer service is either non-existent or that it resembles strapping on full body-armour in order to absorb the battle. but really, would rogers be any better? i have my doubts. but at this point i'm convinced that if i could burn the bridge to bell - that i'd be a much happier person.

i am looking forward to september and october when i will see david usher no less than 4 times, tori amos 2 times and regina spektor once. as shan said - 'rocktober is shaping up to be incredible'!

[music : sia, 'numb']