We should wear hats more often.

I went to the bathroom at work today and upon sitting down it was brought to my attention that one of the guys forgot to lift the seat up. GROSS!!! You feel me, girls? Luckily they have a stash of disinfectant wipes in there.

sweet home

I'm all moved into the brick house. Today I finished my post card collage and now my room feels more like my room. It's taken a little while though. It seems as people moved in and out of the house they all left things behind that have never been claimed or used so everything just accumulates. I had to empty out my closet before moving in and found remnants of every person who once occupied that room from Walhof to Amanda... The kitchen is the same way. Dee and I cleaned out cupboards and refrigerator and threw out a ton of expired and disgusting stuff! The guys did pick up before Dee and I came, which was awesome! But the house does not appear to have been cleaned for quite some time, so Dee and I are slowly working our way through the house with the vacuum, duster, and dishrag.
Thursday I cleaned the bathroom, or some of it because it turned out to be too big a task for one day. I found some mildew cleaner in a closet and used it on the ceiling and walls. It worked wonderfully, so I used it generously all over the shower and tub, which I must say look much better now. However, the main ingredient was bleach and after spending over an hour bleaching the shit out of the bathroom I got a bloody nose. That put the kabosh on cleaning for the day. I still have to clean the toilet, sink, and floor. I think I'll use the more friendly all-purpose cleaner this time...

Oh kindred spirit!

I saw Ann yesterday in Toronto. We cooked some rice and stirfry for supper and Ann was extremely proud of the fact that most of the stirfry consisted of veggies from her very own garden! It was delicious. We had her homemade wine as well, which was the best I've ever tasted, and she let me try some of her local Toronto beer. What a great day! I took the bus home. There's something about bus, train, and subway rides that I love. On one hand it makes me feel independant and like I can do anything. On the other hand, I like how it makes me feel very small in a huge world. So many people on them that I don't know. Everyone going to their own little place... But mostly I like the solitude. I find these rides, though someone noisy in a way, to be very peaceful and they quiet my spirits. For that hour or hour and a half, all I can do is sit and let the bus take me where it's going. I don't have to concentrate on driving, or what someone is saying, or what I am doing. Just sit. And read Emma and listen to Modest Mouse, Radiohead, or the Flaming Lips.

I helped with VBS today. Kids can be so exhausting! My aunt broke her ankle so today I had to be her feet, as she put it. I also got a rug burn on my ankle from getting thrown out of the synagogue in one of the skits. But at the end of the day at least the kids had fun. Two more market days and then I'm done. :) I leave Saturday for GR and then Monday for Dordt. It just can't come soon enough!

bits of tid.

I went to St. Catharines straight from the Saturday market and hung out with Dee for the weekend. It was her birthday and she threw a great party which would have been even greater if it had not gotten rained out... But though the beach bonfire didn't work out, the barn dance, face paint, and hacky sack still made my weekend. To be honest, though, I think Dee coulda thrown the suckiest party and I still would have been happy just to be away for a bit and hanging out with a Dordter or two. Now I feel refreshed enough to last the next couple of weeks here before school starts!

I am pretty well into my "leaving" mode, where all I can think about is where I'm going, I should start packing, what do I have to do before I leave, and all that. It's making me antsy!

I brought my little brother Clayton to the greyhound station on Thursday. While standing in line just before he got on the bus, a great friend told me about the greyhound incident from the week before. Shit. Thanks Ann! But he made it safe. At least that's what I'm assuming since I haven't heard any different.

I'm going to bed. I have to be up at 4am tomorrow. (Only 5 more markets for me!!)

china tomare

Mom heard about the rusty nail incident and asked when my last tetanus shot was. Last one I had on record was my DPT in 1991. Mom said I should get another. I said "mooom..." Mom insisted I was due for one anyway, so this would be a good excuse. Why not get one? I said because I don't have insurance and these things aren't free. I can get one in Sioux Center for cheaper. So Mom pulled her trump card - "honor your mother and get one NOW!" and Dad in the background said "GET A TETANUS SHOT" and Dad's not one to worry, so if he deems it neccessary, it must be a good idea.
So off to the clinic I go, grumbling to myself the whole way. The receptionist at the clinic suggested since I have no insurance that I should try the hospital because they cannot refuse patients. She thought it would be free there. So I went there but found out for non-Ontario-residents it costs $250 just to be seen and the doctor's bill is on top of that. F--- that! so I went back to the clinic, paid my 60 bucks and got the needle. Before I left I handed the doc my medical record so he could write it on there. He opened it up and as he was about to write said "oh, look. It says right here you got one in 2004." I said where? And he pointed to something that said "dt 2004". SHIT! I knew what the DPT was that I got in 91 but had no idea what the DT was so I just didn't recognize it!
So I went back home and kept that little bit of information to myself, too embarrassed to admit that I just paid 60 bucks for something I didn't even need and I could blame nobody but my own stupid self for it! GRrrrrrr!!

But at least I got my ice cream. (Amanda knows what I'm talking about.)

good day

At work yesterday a broken board from a broken skid jumped out at me from behind some boxes and the rusty nails in it cut me in the face! Now I shall have a scar (maybe), but at least it is in my smile crease (as in if I had a mustache, it would be on the very edge of it), so it shouldn't matter.
I am attempting to solve a 4 X 4 rubiks cube. :) it is difficult, but possible.
But now I am off to play settlers. So cheers!

and the count-down begins!

One more month and I'm done. 11 or 12 more market days. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

I may or may not see Dee in two weeks as well. Here's to that!

But on the down side, my little bro leaves in a week and a half. I'll miss him. He was my buddy when we were youngsters and I've been spoiled having my buddy here all summer. But alas, all good things must come to an end, or so someone said.

A few weeks ago I was watering plants at my boss's (boss'?) house when I saw a fly on the wall of the house. Right behind it was a little jumping spider, smaller than the fly. The spider slowly walked up behind the fly and I expected the fly to fly away. But it didn't. And a moment later the spider pounced on it and would it up! It was amazing!!!

One month to go.

I don`t know how I`m even still functioning right now after getting up at 3am for two days in a row, working hard all day in the hot humid air, swimming for half an hour, getting no nap, and then working outside with Uncle Oho when I got home! Now it is after 10pm and I still haven`t showered! Yikes! At least I get to `sleep in`tomorrow.
I went for a bike ride today too. To the LCBO. Liquor store. :) I introduced Aunt Anna Marie to the world of Gallo.

Uncle Oho then introduced me to the world of big table saws which I used to cut up the leftover wood he had from a bed he just made to use for firewood in the winter. Neato! I love using that thing, it's impressive. :)

I shaved off a good corner of my pointer fingernail while peeling potatoes for my boss. It didn`t hurt, but the looks of it creep me out. Things with fingernails are always creepy, like chalkboards and nails, or hang nails, or cutting them too short... But now a whole corner is missing. Where there is supposed to be nail there is now only flesh! yugh!

Anyway, I have to shower and get this woody dust and stain off me! Then hopefully I can sleep without getting woke up again by people walking around upstairs.

You know, summer`s been great, but I`m pretty ready to be back at Dordt now so I can hang out with everyone again.

happy canada day-after

The market today was uneventful. We sold some things, packed up, and left. I rode bitch in the beastie van between two other girls from the market, a community bag of cherries in my lap and windows rolled down so we could spit out our pits. At a red light we were all laughing hysterically at our driver's failed attempts to spit her cherry pits out the window and then we noticed a lady in an SUV to our left with her windows down. We offered her some cherries, but she was eating crackers and politely declined. So we drove on and continued to eat our cherries and laugh at Justina who also continued to spit out more cherry juice than pits... Then the nice lady from the SUV pulled up beside us and started saying something to us. Maybe she wanted some cherries afterall? Or maybe our hazards were on again?
"What?" we yelled.
"I said, if you get any cherry pits in my car I'ma kill you. All three of you!"
"Oh, ok" said our driver who didn't hear what she said.
The other two of us were just trying to contain our laughter! WTF? Some people are just funny.
But that's one more thing I can scratch off my bucket list. I've now officially been threatened by someone being serious. :)