I and my guests asked the same question. My roommate said it was the mouse that my cat killed in the kitchen after some commotion there. After the squealing had stopped, I went to the kitchen to check it out. I knew I wasn't going to like what I saw, but I was stealed against it.

Wrong!! After turning the light on in the kitchen which revealed my cat hiding behind my boyfriend's shoes, I turned around to go back into the living after identifying the creature that my cat was hiding from. Mice do not have wings.

Yes, there was a bat in my house. How did it get into my house and how long had it been there? I took my cat to the bathroom with me after that because I didn't want to go upstairs alone. It has become a priority of mine to fix the cold air return in the basement.

The bat had been quiet for a while so I moved toward my hiding cat. It squealed again and then I squealed and ran for my boyfriend as everyone else had entered the kitchen to see this thing. I thank the Lord for my cat even though he's a chicken. And I thank the Lord for my boyfriend who removed the winged thing and took it to the garbage bin out back. My boyfriend is going to check on it when he leaves to ensure it is not just laying there wounded and dying.

I was pretty sleepy tonight during the game and thusly, I may not have been enunciating clearly. And that's how it came about that cup of sorrows turned into "coolasaurus" to everyone else in the room. And how, "My tummy hurts," came up with the answer, "8:45."

My boyfriend was kind enough to mock me for the entire evening by making up other dinosaur names such as squarioptrics.

Oh my goodness! It's amazing how time flies sometimes. Tuesday, Fading Suns was cancelled because the guy running the game was too busy planning for another game. So I spent the rest of the night on Tuesday making my eyes bleed by playing Puzzle Pirates with my Californian friend. You know it's bad when the game gives you a message saying that you've been on for a long time and maybe you should get up and go outside for some freshness. Any hardcore geek can play through the pain. Heh.

I did get to see my boyfriend on Tuesday too. And I *finally* got my raspberry Slurpee from the Sev. The disaster that occurred the previous Wednesday night, which I previously didn't mention because I was still too frustrated by the ordeal. It started out on a good note - everything was falling into place for me getting my passport stuff together to get it to my friend in Fort MacMurray to sign because she's a really and for true engineer. I dropped off with her mom who was going to visit her last weekend. YAY for being organized! After that, I decided to celebrate with this particular Crystal Light Raspberry Slurpee only available at 7-11. I stopped at the one on Idylwyld - there was a repair man behind the machine. Okay, the one on 2nd Ave isn't too far out of my way... They had Star Wars cups and everything there. I was very excited and picked out the cup I wanted and, you guessed it, the machine was broken. Fine, I give up. I'll just go home. And I got home just in time to get a call from my boyfriend asking for the pleasure of my company in a moving vehicle that happened to going from the university to his apartment. Sure, what the heck. It gave me an excuse to go to another Sev for my Slurpee. I get to the Sev after having to access it from a very particular route due to road construction on that corner. I picked out an even better Star Wars cup (it had Yoda on it) AND they had Slurpee lids in the shape of Darth Vader's head. It didn't get any better. And then I went to the Slurpee machine. I was denied. No Slurpee for me. Three Sevs in a row and I was out. Took my boyfriend home and didn't leave the house again.

So, anyway, I got my Slurpee on this Tuesday night and just about choked on it because it was sooooo incredibly sweet. I drank it anyway because I wanted the Yoda cup and I really wanted something that sweet. I really need to get a handle on that. My willpower is way down lately because I haven't been sleeping as much as I should what with too many pirates and worrying about work. I had some really good conversations today with the people on my team. Each conversation was so different and I really learned a lot about each person and what they expect even though they didn't put it into words sometimes. My expectations for myself are way higher than anyone else's, I'm pretty sure so even if I don't impress myself, I might still be able to make a difference to others at work and that's a really awesome feeling.

I got to see my mom yesterday and her puppy. He's pretty much full grown and my cat still outweighs him by a good couple pounds. It's very funny to see them together. I showed my mom Puzzle Pirates and gave her some Triscuits for the road as I had to run to my massage. I sleep very soundly through my massage. It was really funny because I actually was twitching my shoulder trying to get her to stop something in particular because it was keeping me from sleeping. I should have had her work on my hips first and then she could've worked really deep on my shoulders to get them into better shape before my trip to Calgary this weekend. Driving is going to make my shoulders even worse. I was pretty dopey for the rest of the night, but still managed to make three batches of fudge for the United Way BBQ at work today.

Yesterday, every great experience has a bad side. Take hiring someone new. Whenever I've gotten a new position, I've never put myself in the place of all the other people who didn't get the job. Well, I got a wake up call this week. With all the excitement of hiring someone new, it was a really system shock to have to turn others down. I know every one of the applicants was quite qualified to do the job, but I couldn't hire them all. It sucked, but I think seeing that side of it so closely and not being able to gloss over it was an eye-opener for me.

The United Way BBQ went really well today. I really didn't do a lot of the work this year. My peeps in the office really took care of it this year when they saw that I just didn't have the time with the new role and everything to handle every detail like I've done in previous years. Our new salesguy is absolutely wonderful. Although it's weird having a man in the office. Tonight, I worked a bit late because I was looking after a co-worker's assignments to make sure none of our clients would be forgotten if she couldn't make into work for a little bit. I had to call one of the clients and gave her a heart attack because she knew the area code was Saskatchewan but she didn't recognize the number. Her dad has cancer and she thought someone was phoning to tell her that something had happened. I was pleased to report that it was just her friendly Saskatchewan service provider and nothing bad had happened to her dad.

My boyfriend and I went costume shopping for this weekend. Then we had friends over to my place to play Earthdawn. One of them was extremely giddy tonight. I've never seen her that way - it was awesome. Her husband was just shaking his head in embarassment, but that just made it even more cute. We had a good time even though we didn't stay on topic a lot. We haven't really managed to stay on topic any Thursday night Earthdawn game yet. Maybe next week...

I guess it's been a busy week afterall.

I introduced my roommate to Tastebuds on Lorne today. I had the lemon cheesecake and he had the lemon poppyseed cake. And since I don't generally care for cheesecake, it's always a risk for me. I have some good food at Tastebuds before so I had high hopes and wasn't disappointed. It was amazing! Although, I did have a hard time finishing because it was just too sweet. I didn't know there was such a thing for me, but on the South Beach Diet, I guess there is now.

My boyfriend and I started our day by going to Amigo's for food and to discuss the Fading Suns LARP for SLARPcon'05 next weekend. We did a great deal of work on the event, enough that my presence for next weekend won't be necessary as I will be in Calgary. YAY! We had good food and good progress on the LARP planning.

Then my laptop battery died and we were done eating so we ditched the whole "working" idea and went to see Batman Begins at the Capitol 4 downtown. The popcorn was too salty and we needed more drink than they gave us in one cup to drown the lips-burning feeling, but I got a cool Batman popcorn bucket out of the deal. And, curse him, my boyfriend guessed right on the number of previews before the movie. I really shouldn't complain, I usually win that one 75% of the time, but I don't like losing. It doesn't sit right with me. [grin]

Batman Begins is a good movie. It takes a lot to make me speechless about something and this movie did it. My boyfriend thought I didn't like it because I wasn't readily agreeing to his statements about how much he liked the movie. I was still processing it. I really liked it. It was good Batman, not as cartoony as what I remember of the last few Batman movies.

When it was done, we came back to my house and watched Firefly all night. I also worked on the form letters/character sheets for the FS LARP because I was feeling motivated and had the time. I got into quite the routine with selecting which fields went where in the template and so, while it took me most of the evening, I did it in good company and with good entertainment in the background. The "country" touch to Firefly still makes me cringe a little, but I laugh enough that I'm getting more used to it. I was the formatting early enough that we were able to watch one more episode uninterrupted before my boyfriend started turning into a pumpkin.

Then another cat scare - the leash was over the fence. And I *know* that the leash isn't long enough to touch the ground on the other side of the fence. I pushed my boyfriend out of the way so that I could check that the leash didn't still have a cat on the other end. I yelled my cat's name and freaked out a bit and then drove my boyfriend home. By the time I got there, I was worried sick that my cat had broken his neck and crawled somewhere to curl up and die. So I kicked my boyfriend out of the car and didn't even make sure he was safe in the building before taking off home again. I really didn't know what I was going to do if I didn't find him. I was in tears a few times during the drive both ways and completely forgot about the same pothole twice. I opened the back gate and there he was, being all meowy and wanting inside. His neck didn't look any longer either. I'm still a little freaked about the whole thing. Note to self: move the pile of bricks by the fence tomorrow.

I phoned my dad this morning to wish him a happy father's day and tell him that I love him. He always tells me how proud he is of me.

He told me about his real mom and her family this morning. Just a little bit. Obviously, he's been thinking about it. I like to hear those stories because he sounds happy when he's telling them. It's important to him that I know what kind of people they are. I've met some of them, but in truth, I was too young to understand their importance to my family. I wish I could have those times a little bit differently, but one step different in my past might have meant a completely different place for me right now. And my dad is proud of me so I think I did alright.

10 Reasons That My Dad is Awesome
1. He's 59 and is still trying to make himself a better person.
2. He can still embarrass me in front of my friends when he wants to.
3. He wants to bring me white irises from the farm where he grew up.
4. He gets frustrated when I don't let him get to me with his teasing anymore.
5. I can still make him cranky by winning lots of backgammon games in a row.
6. He still wants to teach me everything he knows.
7. He wants to take me ice fishing in his luxury ice shack.
8. He wants to fix all the little things wrong with my house.
9. He tells me stories of the "bad" things he did as a kid.
10. He respects me and my decisions.

What a great day! I got to sleep in. I read 6 pages in the next book club book. I vacuumed my whole house (my roomie did the hallway and kitchen area while I did some printing). Drove around with my boyfriend to get some foodstuffs for the game and my work United Way barbecue fund-raiser next week. I also picked up my dad's Father's Day present. I think I'll give it to them even though my folks ditched me again for tomorrow. [grin] (Sorry, mom, I couldn't resist the jab. It's really all good.) Decorated the house in the style of an Eskatonic priest.

And the game went so well that I spent the evening upstairs playing Puzzle Pirates and talking on the phone with a friend from high school and my parents. I didn't have to be running around doing last minute things. It was awesome!

I think everyone else had a good time too. The next and last game is scheduled for July 23rd. I hope more people can make it because it sounds like it's going to be very exciting.

PS - I finally finished last Sunday's post so regular readers, scroll down a bit to see it.

So I got a letter today from the Vancouver Airport Hilton in response to my complaint. They apologized and thanked me for my feedback, but only hoped that I would return so they could show me real Hilton hospitality. Sorry, I'm not spending my money there so they can try again.

I didn't finish reading the book for the book club meeting tonight. After hearing about what I didn't get to, I was really glad that I didn't finish it. It was a short discussion about the book tonight and I was even late because I fell asleep trying to finish the book after getting home late because I had a chiropractor appointment and had to do some shopping for our company barbecue tomorrow night and then trying to drop that off didn't work very well because I had bad enough timing to show up during the five minutes that no one was home. [le sigh] Anyway, the discussion was short and no one actually said they liked the book. But that's what a book club is all about, right? Exploring the whole world of books, not just the ones you know you like. I guess that means that I should open myself up to true stories if someone wants to read one for the book club. I'll have to mention that at the next meeting. I really enjoy our discussions. And then I came home and added to much butter to the fudge so it's a lot softer than it should be.

I had some small triumphs at work today that really made my day. But now, I'm tired and need to sleep.

The announcement was finally made at work so now I can tell everyone in my bloggy little world - I GOT THE JOB!!! I'm thrilled about the new challenge in my life. Of course, it's the kind of the thrill that makes me nauseated every so often, but all good. I've been smiling non-stop for days and not able to tell anyone why which I suck at, but I was steadfast. So apparently, I was brilliant in part two of the interview. I didn't have anything to lose so was able to relax and actually show them that of which I'm capable. Wahoo!! Anyways - methinks that there is cause for celebration and maybe even a drink. [gasp!]

So I gave in. They threatened to take my pirates away from me so I gave them their bloody money. I don't know who they are, but right now I both love and hate them. My eyes especially hate them right now because they burn. And tomorrow, I will be tired and I will hate them. And then I will click on the pirate on my desktop and all will fade to bliss. But right now I hate them.

My boyfriend and I went to a movie tonight. We saw Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. There were many times during the movie that we were laughing out loud. I think I want to own this movie once it is available. It really was the highlight of my day, other than the ever-blissful blistering pirates... Especially since I got to spend time with my sweetie. There has been so much going on that we really don't get enough time just for us.

Disclaimer: If you don't want to read about my experience with what you might consider "new-age" nonsense regarding aura colours, please stop reading. You'll just be disappointed that I'm being such a flake in buying into this particular nonsense.

My roommate and I spent the evening together tonight and we just hung out in his room and looked at his books and talked. It was great.

We ended up going through a book about auras and figuring out what colour of our auras. Turns out I'm blue with a physical tan overlay. That's all well and good, but I suppose you're wondering the same thing I was wondering at this point - what does that mean? This is where the evening got creepy. This book managed to put things into words that I was never able to about myself just by labelling me "blue" after answering 98 questions. [The book can be obtained by visiting the local independent store Witches' Brew on Broadway Avenue near 12th St.]

I'm not going to put the whole schpiel in here about a "blue," just the parts that I found interesting or creeped me out with its accuracy. I know what you're thinking - these things work on a basis of generalities that could apply to anyone. Not so with this one, my friend. Not so. There are 14 pages worth of description of a blue and maybe only half a page doesn't apply to me, and it's all very explicit and gives examples.

The line, "Blues tend to live in the realm of emotions and feelings, which are more real to them than the external environment," really hit home for me. My roommate puts it as thought I am living on the outside of my skin. Either way, I had never fully realized that - I knew it, but I'd never totally accepted it as being okay. My possessions are only for other people to enjoy. One of the big reasons I wanted a big house was so that I always had room for whoever needed a safe place to go.

"Love, hate, hope, despair-these are everyday facts of life for Blues. Emotions are the data base on which they make decision and take actions." This is one of those lines that explains something that I've never been able to put into words. I've always thought of myself as irrational because of this. My decisions and reactions are not based on the environmental data, but on my feelings about them. In some cases, I just have to apologize to whomever is on the receiving end of one of my rants because I know the source of my rant isn't something anyone else can understand. I just realized (6 days later) that this statement gave me confidence to live my life the way I need to in order to be happy. What an empowering revelation!

"The hardest lession for Blues to learn is that they will have nothing to give others unless they first give to themselves." Welcome to my life in Calgary for 8 months. That was the first time I moved to Calgary in 1996. I hit rock bottom that winter. There was nothing left for me because I'd given it all away. It was awful for me being in it and even worse for my mom who couldn't do anything to help me. I actually ended a friendship because I couldn't keep enough of myself and still be a friend to her. I still have a hard time today with this because I feel that I'm being too selfish by taking time for myself.

"Blues express their emotions through the language of laughter and tears, both of which bubble to the surface easily and quickly, much to the Blues' embarrassment. This is not an affectation, but rather the spontaneous release of pent-up emotion that, if kept inside, would cause physical problemslike headaches." I really don't need to speak to this quote at all except that a dear, dear friend of mine once pointed at the colour purple and said, "Look, Suzi, the colour purple. ... Puuurrple ..." and had me in fits of giggles and red-faced, dying of embarrassment. [le sigh]

One of the other things that reading about being a Blue is being able to recognize them around me. There is a woman I work with who I am quite sure is a Blue. My mom is very likely a Blue as well. I appreciate these people so much and I don't know how to thank them enough for being a part of my life because they are an inspiration to me.

And in all this, I haven't even mentioned the Physical Tan overlay. The overlay is essential a person's developed defense mechanisms to help them cope with reality. Shockingly enough, it's a physical colour whereas Blue is an emotional colour. It being the overlay means that I only take bits and pieces of this personality to help me cope with the areas I'm weak with in my Blue - the approach to the physical reality mostly. I've tried for years to train myself to process data without my emotions and feelings because I assumed that's how the rest of the world handled it. I'm happy with what I've learned about that part of me too.

At the beginning of this, I mentioned that my roommate and I did this together. I'm not going to say what he is because that's his to tell. I will say that I have a better understanding of why we are friends and why he reacts the way he does to things and especially the way he reacts to me.

And lastly, I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Barbara Bowers, Ph.D. for writing "What Color Is Your Aura?" in 1989 and making a difference in how I see myself and others in my life. And if I've overstepped any copyright laws that I'm ignorant of, please someone tell me so that I can not do that.

On my way to Regina today, I was reminded about a friend of mine to whom I once tried to pay a compliment and instead said she was fat. [sigh] Not my intention. I loved her new jeans and they were stripey, which meant that no matter what shape you were to begin with, they made your body proportions look better. And to be perfectly clear, I'm envious of this particular friend's fitness level and she is not fat. And yes, this was years ago and I'm still obsessing because I feel horrible about the whole thing. And everytime I tried to make it better, of course, I just stuck my foot deeper into my mouth.

I got to sleep in this morning which was great. I had a faboo nap after work yesterday too. In fact, I'm feeling pretty rested right now even though it's 2 a.m. And I'm pretty sure that I'll be wiped out on Monday again.

Celebrating the 4th anniversary of one's 29th birthday is fun because people have to do math. There were a lot of people I didn't know at this party and way more children than I was expecting. And there were some great conversations and funny bits. All the new parents (as there were quite a few newish babies) indulged my cat stories because he is my baby right now. It's amazing to think that my kitten is now 9 years old which means that a lot of my closest friends, I have known for that long as well. Someone was talking about shooting a coworker with a p-filled watergun. My thoughts immediately filled with, "That's an odd thing to put in a watergun. And how useful would that be exactly as watergun openings are not that big. Small peas, I guess. Still an odd thing to say. And why is everyone else so into this?" We may have already changed topics when my lightbulb went off. Pee, not pea. Still very amusing for all. Of course, I shared my shame as there would be no shame if I didn't share.

And to all the people who felt that it was not necessary to join in the 4th anniversary celebrations, you missed the opportunity to eat brains.

I miss being around my Regina friends more often. Not so much that I would move, but enough that I want them to move back to Saskatoon.

Almost forgot something. I was singing so loud and so much today in the car that I gave myself a headache. And I couldn't stop smiling.

First of all, thanks very much for tagging me. But more for the encouragement of my attempt to read more.

Questions to Answer:
1) Number of Book I Own
2) Last Book(s) I Bought
3) Last Book(s) I Read
4) Five Books that Mean a lot to Me

Answers:
1) Wow, I don't even know in rough terms how many books I own. There are a lot. Not as many as my roommate, but still quite a few. I recently gave ownership of my young adult books to my niece. And I gave a bunch of books to charity before I moved too. And am happy to admit that I don't own them any longer. I am completely embarassed to note that I probably haven't read about half the books I own. I'm going to guess around 80 or so, but who really knows.

2) Last book I bought was Angels and Demons by Dan Brown for our book club.

3) I'm currently reading Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing by Tomson Highway and Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson. I completed reading Angels and Demons.

4) Five books that mean a lot to me. Huh. This is a really hard question.

• The Lorax by Theodor Seuss Geisel - It's the first book I gave to my current boyfriend and I remember the story from when I was quite little.
• The Merro Tree by Katie Waitman (of which I can't find my copy) - It's represents to me the connection that my roommate and I had/have. Plus, I think it's a great story.
• The Bible
• My journals and daily planners (yes, my daily planners because they hold the history of my life)
• South Beach Diet by Dr. Arthur Agatston - it's changing my life

HA! There. I did it.

I'm going to Regina tomorrow to celebrate a friend's birthday. Totally looking forward to seeing her and her man and their kids. It'll be nice to escape my life for a few hours.

My company always sponsors us to attend the United Way Day of Caring. We go out and do a project for an agency in the city that needs work done. This year, it was the McNab Community Centre. We had grand plans to paint the room and have time leftover to decorate and do some crafty projects to make the room more lively. It was so dreary outside that we couldn't even get the paint to dry. Hopefully today was better and the paint was able to dry some.

I was utterly exhausted by the end of the day yesterday. Although I brought my laptop to bed with me for a few minutes of Puzzle Pirates before sleep, it didn't even get turned on. I was asleep by 6 yesterday evening and got myself a full 12 hours of sleep. YAY!!

I've been really happy with work ever since I started accounting for all my time at work in half hour increments. I can see how much time I am actually putting into projects. What an eye-opener and really great at the end of the day to know what exactly I accomplished.

And today, I delegated. I got a co-worker to send out an email about the fridge stuffs as it's getting very full again. And then, a bunch of them took it upon themselves to fill in the BBQ spreadsheets that I'd put up. It put a bounce in my step to see it at the end of the day today.

While I love my friends dearly, why do they torture me so? I'm tired. I really need sleep. And instead, what do I do? Play Puzzle Pirates. Every day since I started. I really am that tired and yet, I cannot resist. Soon, I will give them money to feed my growing addiction. [sigh] I'm still figuring everything out, but it seems like a lot of fun. Just my thing actually. I like puzzles like this... a lot.

Just wanted to say thanks in that way where I'm bitter that I mean it.

Today was a spectacular day. I've still got a grin on my face just lying in bed typing this. I haven't had a day like this in a long time. Busy, didn't get enough done, but still fantastic!!

At work, we are taking part in the United Way Day of Caring which is happening on Wednesday. My company is the best I've ever worked for and the luxury of being able to go out into the community with the company's blessing and support for a whole day is truly amazing. I digress... one of the super ladies in the office sweet talked the Sask Energy Day of Caring group to build our shelves for us while we do all the painting. Sweet!! A bunch of women building shelves for the first time in our lives is probably a nice thought, but the practicality of the situation leaves a lot to be desired which I will remember for next year in picking our top projects. I'm going to make them fudge because I really appreciate their helping us out.

So above my measly $200, our team raised $2555 which was way more than I thought. Incredible, really. The Relay made $119,000 last year and this year was over $185,000!!! Way above budget and so exciting. I can't wait until the next board meeting. I'll probably start taking more of an active role on the board now that I've been with them for a year because I've gone full cycle.

A few years ago, my company let the United Way of Saskatoon borrow me for a few months in the fall to help with their annual campaign. The people I met were amazing and the training I got was awesome. It helps me a lot actually. A friend I met during that time at the United Way sent me a great email today. She's doing well and finally changed positions at work which she has been wanting to do for a while even if it is temporary. I love her drive to get things done. It's really great and so good to hear from her.

I had lunch today with a new manager at work. It was such a great chat. I'm really the type of person that needs to meet someone in person to really get to know them. But mannerisms to what I hear in her voice is so valuable. I'm just lucky that I've been able to meet so many of the people in my department across Canada.

I usually post before bed, but since I tried to stay awake all night at the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay For Life. Thanks to everyone who supported me in my quest. I was able to raise $200 for the cause. YAY! And I made my walking steps goal on my pedometer at over 20,000 steps. Double YAY!!

Since there is a very missed friend on the couch next to me, I'm off now.

We played Earthdawn tonight which was really good. The dice system is actually quite easy, no stupid math. And you get to use all your dice - 20-sideds, 12-sideds, 10-sideds, 8-sideds, etc. Good dice rolling fun even though I was too tired to really concentrate so shiny things and the Brat kept distracting me.

Got to see a friend on her quick stop in the city on her way through from Winnipeg to Slave Lake.

The second part of the interview, even though I didn't get part of the task done, went much, much better today. I was pleased with my presentation skills. Completely different person than the spaz in the interview Monday.

Went to check out our United Way Day of Caring project site with a coworker and then we went looking for supplies a bit. We get to spruce up a library at a local community centre and put in more bookshelves to help with the literacy program they are trying to start up. The guy who runs the program is busier than I ever would voluntarily be. I have a lot of respect for what he does because I don't think I'd have the endurance for it.

I waited a really long time to book our tickets to San Francisco and what happens the week after I buy them? There is a seat sale - a really, really cheap one. $139 one way from Calgary to San Francisco. Grrr... Through a little prompting from some good friends, I phoned WestJet to see what could be done. There was a $30 change fee for each person, but we still saved over $100. It's not the $170 our friends saved, but it's better than paying full fare. Although the travel credit they wanted to give me was utterly useless as this is the first time I've ever bought a ticket for a personal flight and chances are I won't be doing it again any time soon so they were able to credit back my credit card, but only after a warning that they'd only do it once.

Have a Calgary friend coming to Saskatoon tomorrow. It'll be really nice to give him a hug and just hang out with him. Nothing too exciting planned, but whatever we do, it'll be nice to have him around.

I can hear the rain falling outside my open window and it's one of my favourite sounds. No wonder I've been sleeping so well this week. The rain is the best lullaby for me. It's how I got through my first few weeks in my new house last September.

Twenty minutes later and I'm starting this post again because it didn't post properly. Ah well...

Tonight was great. Supper at Mano's with the Haggmans. They moved to Australia just over two years ago and have been missed. It's funny how you don't realize how much you miss someone until you see them again. It was like that tonight. I was looking forward to seeing her, but I didn't know how much until there she was in front of me.

She is gifted. The gift is that no matter what the social circumstance, she makes everyone feel welcome and comfortable. Tonight, different social circles, different people and she didn't let anyone go unnoticed as she bounced from conversation to conversation from her corner seat and everyone's attention went with her. It's like she has a social scorecard in her head and makes sure that no one gets too far behind.

In small settings with new people that I don't know well, I don't say a lot. I wait and make small comments to see if they're accepted and if people will accept me. I suppose it's a defense mechanism. If I don't let the new people see that I'm different, they can't make fun of me. I'm working on it. [grin] Anyway, I really didn't know her very well and in one car trip to Calgary before she left, she had me spouting my entire life story without being self-conscious. I didn't know what was wrong with me. It was a really great feeling.

We were saying our goodbyes by the time I had a few moments with her. And I knew if I started talking, I wouldn't want to stop. I wanted to tell her all about my house and my cat's collar incident and his drenching one afternoon and about my roommate's poor involvement in the whole thing. I wanted to tell her about my garden and about my sweetie and I although I'm sure she knows some, but I love to tell her about the prank and the nine month hiatus. [That sounds ominous.] My mom would have come up and my job and the blunderous interview and the job I really wanted and should have gotten. I would have told her about my other dear friend in Australia whom I miss terribly. She's so fantastic!! I wish the rest of our pack and the storyteller could have been there, but Winnipeg and San Francisco are a bit far to travel just for supper. It's a shame they had to move to Australia. I love the Australian accent and was happy to just sit and listen to their stories of Australia and Scotland and having no jobs so they could tour the globe for 7 weeks and everything else they talked about that I can't remember already. What a fabulous evening!

The Calgarian Agent was brought up several times at supper. He'd be happy to hear that. ;)