Bah, another crash, more lost journal entries. *grumbles* Looks like only about 24 hours worth this time though.

Well, I just spent the better part of 6 hours sorting through almost 7 years worth of saved pay stubs, bank statements, and various other miscellaneous documents I've been keeping instead of getting rid of for this reason or that. 

My back -hurts- from sitting on the floor for so long, but I'm relieved to finally have done that. All in all, I would say that at least 90% of the paper collected wound up either going through the shredder, or going directly into the recycle. And now the remainder is nicely organized in a sturdy plastic case with hanging file folders that I can stick up on the top shelf of my closet and hopefully keep up on the organization of.. 

It doesn't help that with moving 5 times in the last 2 years, I didn't do -any- organization what so ever, and hadn't even opened half the visa bills or bank statements.. *chuckles* So yeah, here's hoping I can Keep it all organized now..

So I am very happy to report that, almost a month after writing my certification exam, I've finally gotten my lazy ass a job *chuckles* Seriously though, I'm really happy to be working again (or almost, start in a few days) I'm way past the point where sitting at home doing nothing is relaxing. Now it's just gotten frustrating to be broke and not be able to really work effectively towards any of my goals.

So any how, I was interviewed by two clinics, and have settled on the one that's physically closer to home and also a clinic I'm already familiar with, as I worked there in a different capacity before I started the AHT program. So in a lot of ways, it's going to be more like going back to an old job than starting a new one, which is nice because it will equal less stress.

Once I know my hours, I'll be applying at the Calgary Zoo to work in a volunteer capacity, and I'm quite excited about that possibility. It's funny, when I started the AHT program, I never would have guessed how interested in exotics and particularly birds I would become. When I was thinking about getting into the program, it was because I wanted to work with horses!

It's so nice to be living somewhere that I can do the majority of my running around and grocery shopping, etc, on my bike again. It really is my favorite mode of transportation.

*laughs her ass off*

Ok, so my mom is cleaning out her jewelery box or something, and she just found this super old note I left for the tooth fairy when I lost one of my teeth. I wrapped the tooth up in it, I guess. Unfortunately she didn't date it, so we don't know how old I was. Pretty young by the spelling and the writing.

Yay! Things are looking up on the job hunt front. I had a quasi interview at a clinic I used to work at before I went away to school this morning, and got a call back from them this afternoon. They would like me to start on the 15th.

I have another interview at a different clinic on wednesday afternoon, and I still intend to go to it, but I have a fairly good feeling that I'll wind up going with Macleod Trail (which is the clinic I talked to today). I already have a fairly good feel for their clinic and I know I get along with the staff. And I found out that the one girl I didn't get along with so well isn't there any more. 

So yeah, looks like I'll be gainfully employed by the 15th at the latest. What a relief that is. I seriously need to start paying down my Visa and paying back my school debt, not to mention saving for my plans for the next year. That's a bit of a weight off my shoulders, for sure.

Well.. a month's worth of diary entries lost, including all my tales of Australia and such.. that's too bad. 

Its hard to believe that, by week's end, I will be in Australia. Wow. I'm so excited! It's going to be amazing. I should have my passport in hand by 5pm today at the latest (though I hope it comes sooner so I can take the dog for her walk before dinner) It's coming by courier, so I have to hang about to sign for it when it arrives. The last thing I need is to not be able to get it because I wasn't here when they came calling.

I may post an update or two in here while I'm there, but I wouldn't count on it. I'm going to be too busy exploring and having fun to want to be spending any more time than I have to on the computer. But I'll be sure to post many photos and lots of stories when I return and have time to kill again.

So, doing a bit of a test pack today. Seems I can fit everything I want to take into my bag... However, I seem to be over the weight restriction... Hmm. Time to pare down I suppose. I don't particularly want to pay an extra $75 because my bag weighs more than it should.




update
Hmm, seems I may have read the scale wrong due to my bag half covering the numbers. Seems unlikely that what I removed would take the wt from 77lbs to 23lbs.. must have said 33 lbs when I read it the first time... Oh well, it made me re-think what I -really- needed.

Today's paddle was even nicer than yesterday's. By a lot, actually. And I was mistaken about the name of the lake that's connected to Wood Lake. It's not Mara, it's Kalamalka. Mara is half way to Castlegar, and not all that close to here.

But Kalamalka is a lovely little lake. Lots of sheltered coves and inlets, and a very scenic shoreline. Beautiful clear blue water.. and so warm! I was more than half tempted to go for a swim. We were out for about 2.5 hours today. If the weather's suitable, we'll go paddling one more time tomorrow, but then dad has to go back to work and I have to get back to studying.. *sigh* It's been an awesome weekend so far though.

Woke up this morning with a hell of a knot in the muscles of my right shoulder, right where it joins my neck. Not sure what that bodes in regards to paddling, guess we'll see.

Well, today was the first paddle of the season, and my very first paddle in my new (to me) little boat. Went down to Wood Lake in Oyama and were out for about an hour and a half before my left arm decided it just didn't want to paddle any more. A definite disappointment to the rest of me, which could quite happily have stayed on the water all day (and probably gotten sun burned even worse than I did) 

It was a gorgeous, almost wind free morning, and there wasn't too much motor boat traffic on the lake, so it was nice. We plan to go out again tomorrow morning, and probably paddle Mara Lake, which is just the other side of the road from Wood, and connected via a channel. Looking forward to it for sure. Hopefully my arm will let me go a little longer this time.

Since I still haven't gotten around to getting a picture of myself in my new boat, I thought I would see if I could track down a pic of it OL to show. As luck would have it, I even found it in the right color.

or

Stolen from the Diary of [Viking] and posted everywhere I think people might see it.

Earth at 350
350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080526/mckibben

Yay! Mom got the envelope full of my passport application and stuff yesterday, and she should be able to go pick up my birth certif from the courier this morning or tomorrow, which means she'll be at the passport office by tomorrow after work, and there should be no problem with me getting my passport in time! Yay!

And, on a completely unrelated not.. I HATE my body's internal alarm click. 6:45 is not a decent time to wake up when one went to bed at 2am!

As much as an income would be somewhat of an assistance at this juncture, I have to admit that I'm -really- enjoying waking up every morning to no responsibilities. No work, no school, no nothing. I got up, had breakfast, read for a while, and then slept for another couple of hours *chuckles* not normally something I would do, but it felt lovely to be able to.

I've mailed all my passport stuff off to my mom, and now it's out of my hands. All I can do at this point is wait with crossed fingers and bated breath, and have faith that everything will work out. I'm very excited about this trip. It's going to be amazing. The 25 hours of travel however, between leaving Kelowna and arriving in Perth, are going to be killer.

So, because of an unfortunate miss-wording on my part which confused the staff at the office that is doing the birth certificate stuff, my application won't be processed till monday. They called while I was getting my hair cut and I missed the call, and when I tried to call back I couldn't get though, and then of course, being a government office, they close for the day at 4pm Alberta time, so 3pm BC time. Aargh! *sigh* Well, I guess one day isn't going to make all that much difference. I won't be mailing the passport stuff off to mom till tomorrow any how, so it won't get sent till monday either. *sigh* I still think I'm going to get my passport in time. Damn it all, I have to!

The good news is that it should only take one business day for the new birth certificate to get to my mom. So if I get everything mailed off today, she should be able to get to the passport office and get things going by mid next week. *breathes a sigh of relief* I think it's going to be ok..

All I have to say at this juncture is Can NOTHING ever be EASY???!!!

As you're all aware, I'm planning on going to Australia in just under a month to meet [Galain] in person finally after over a year of delightful conversations over this wonderful thing called the internet. Part of the whole process is, of course, getting my hands on a passport. 

Well, I went down to the passport office in Kelowna today. Rode my bike clear across the city. I don't even know how many km I covered today, but there were a lot of hills. 

In any event, at the passport office, I was informed that I need to get a new copy of my birth certificate, because my current copy is .. well, somewhat worse for wear. And unfortunately, one of the important bits of information that are supposed to be on it, a signature, just isn't there any more. 

So, this is the first stumbling block. I have to send off a fax tonight as soon as dad gets home from work for a rush request for a new birth certificate. Then it turns out, I'm going to have to get it mailed to my mom. I'm -also- going to have to mail the whole application document to her. 

You see, there's no full service passport office in Kelowna. There should be, but there isn't. And the only way to get my passport in time to go to Australia on the 29th is to get mom to take the application to a full service office in Calgary, and have it expedited and processed there.

*beats her head against a brick wall*

So, yeah... hugely frustrated. But, at least it can still be done. It's just going to cost more ($ to get the new birth certif, $$ to do the rush order on it, $87 for the passport fee, and another I think she said $70 to get it expedited..) *sigh* But I'm not giving up. Not by a long shot. And I'm -very- lucky that I know my mom will do this for me in a heart beat. She's a wonderful person.

So, then.. Wish me luck!

So, in an effort to get all my ducks in a row in regards to getting everything I need done to go to Australia at the end of next month, I rode my bike down to the mall today to get passport photos taken. I succeeded in that part of my mission, but unfortunately not in the other part, which was finding a replacement Mothers Day gift for my mom (what I wanted to get her, I can't, because you can only order it OL if you live in the USA) There wasn't a thing that jumped out at me and said "Here I Am!" And I'm super picky when it comes to buying my mom stuff. It has to be just right..

*chuckles* Unfortunately, I did give into the urge to do some shopping for my self.. Picked up a few new pieces of clothing, including one pair of capris that as soon as I tried on it was like, "oooh, I have a feeling I'm going to wind up living in these..." So comfey.. *grins* But I really need to not do that any more and save money for Australia. *nods*

The bike ride was an adventure in it self. I'm not that familiar with how to get around in Kelowna yet, and I wound up taking a few wrong turns coming home. And oh the hills... :oP Holy crap did my legs and lower back burn. We just -have- to live at the top of a very large hill, instead of down in the valley.. *chuckles* Good, much needed exercise though. I don't think I'll have to do any cardio at the gym tonight.