I started the week quite excited because I was invited to a pre-screen interview for a cool job with a not-for-profit organization, and I ended it with being screened out after the formal interview. Sound familiar?? Yeah, I'm good at getting into the pool of applicants, I'm good at the pre-screen, but I always flunk the formal interview stage. I know this time I was up against a rather large pool of candidates, so I hope that it was just a case that there were other candidates with better qualifications rather than me just being a waste of time because I was a blithering idiot, which has been the case on at least one occasion.
I felt good about my interview this morning. Did I look back right after and kick myself for not saying this or that to a specific question? Sure, but I still felt okay. By this afternoon, I was informed I would not be moving on to the next round, the formal assessment.
Between my failure and Etienne's preoccupation with a significant undertaking at work, we're a fine pair tonight.
Bring on the liquor...
...Wish you were here.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
June 13/13
You know, sometimes it's all about the little things. Like Pho.
Growing up in Yellowknife, there weren't a lot of opportunities to experience exotic cuisines. As a little kid, I remember a couple of Chinese places, and of course the ubiquitous pizza/Italian joints, but it took a long time for the more "exotic" foods to make it up there. By the time I left, a large Mexican chain had made its way into town (it didn't stay long...and I believe it was turned into a Sushi joint after the chain left town), and the city's restaurants were exploring Thai and Vietnamese thanks to the increasing populations of both ethnic groups.
Even so, my Dad's palate is somewhat comfortable in the Meat 'n' Potatoes world, so it's not like there were a lot of opportunities to expand my culinary horizons.
So, that's the world I grew up in. I had no idea if I would like Pho or Vietnamese cuisine in general because I had never had it. Same goes for Thai, Sushi/Japanese, Tapas, Swiss, French, Indian, Quebecois, and so on. I was well into adulthood before I started trying some of these cuisines, and indeed, only in the last five years have I really opened up to new foods. I'm still testing the waters with a lot of foods, given that I have certain restrictions (if it comes from the water, it ought to fucking well stay there), but I'm finding out all the neato spices and herbs that other cultures use to make beef, chicken and pork even more delicious.
If I could tell young Fancy one thing about food, I would tell her that there are indeed flavours besides salt and besides yucky black pepper.
Pho...
...Wish you were here.
Growing up in Yellowknife, there weren't a lot of opportunities to experience exotic cuisines. As a little kid, I remember a couple of Chinese places, and of course the ubiquitous pizza/Italian joints, but it took a long time for the more "exotic" foods to make it up there. By the time I left, a large Mexican chain had made its way into town (it didn't stay long...and I believe it was turned into a Sushi joint after the chain left town), and the city's restaurants were exploring Thai and Vietnamese thanks to the increasing populations of both ethnic groups.
Even so, my Dad's palate is somewhat comfortable in the Meat 'n' Potatoes world, so it's not like there were a lot of opportunities to expand my culinary horizons.
So, that's the world I grew up in. I had no idea if I would like Pho or Vietnamese cuisine in general because I had never had it. Same goes for Thai, Sushi/Japanese, Tapas, Swiss, French, Indian, Quebecois, and so on. I was well into adulthood before I started trying some of these cuisines, and indeed, only in the last five years have I really opened up to new foods. I'm still testing the waters with a lot of foods, given that I have certain restrictions (if it comes from the water, it ought to fucking well stay there), but I'm finding out all the neato spices and herbs that other cultures use to make beef, chicken and pork even more delicious.
If I could tell young Fancy one thing about food, I would tell her that there are indeed flavours besides salt and besides yucky black pepper.
Pho...
...Wish you were here.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
June 12/13
Well, I guess all those walk-in clinic doctors I've seen over the years just weren't listening properly. Whenever I was in for something like a flu or a bad virus, and I'd complain of wheezing, they'd tell me they couldn't hear anything.
Well, today I went for my methacholine challenge, and hell, I even reacted to just plain old saline in the nebulizer. The respiratory technician had to leave the room to get an even weaker dose of the methacholine solution than she had brought in...It took only 10 minutes in all to ascertain that I have asthma.
As if to underline the point, after being treated for the effects of inhaling even the weakest solution possible, I completed the test, and the tech was just amazed about how much I swung between extremes: the weak solution caused my lung function to drop by 28%, while the treatment stabilized my lung function and even improved it by more than 30%.
The next step is that a respirologist will confirm the results, my doctor will be informed, and then I'll be set up with a specialist to get me on the right maintenance inhalers and of course, I'll continue with the rescue inhaler as needed.
It's been more than 15 years that I've complained about tightness of the chest and wheezing, but it took one pushy walk-in clinic doctor in Burnaby with a suspicion about all of my drug allergies to finally start to do something about it, and it took finally getting a solid family doctor whom I don't have to wait weeks to see to follow up and finish this process.
I wonder what condition will be uncovered next.
Here's to your health...
...Wish you were here.
Well, today I went for my methacholine challenge, and hell, I even reacted to just plain old saline in the nebulizer. The respiratory technician had to leave the room to get an even weaker dose of the methacholine solution than she had brought in...It took only 10 minutes in all to ascertain that I have asthma.
As if to underline the point, after being treated for the effects of inhaling even the weakest solution possible, I completed the test, and the tech was just amazed about how much I swung between extremes: the weak solution caused my lung function to drop by 28%, while the treatment stabilized my lung function and even improved it by more than 30%.
The next step is that a respirologist will confirm the results, my doctor will be informed, and then I'll be set up with a specialist to get me on the right maintenance inhalers and of course, I'll continue with the rescue inhaler as needed.
It's been more than 15 years that I've complained about tightness of the chest and wheezing, but it took one pushy walk-in clinic doctor in Burnaby with a suspicion about all of my drug allergies to finally start to do something about it, and it took finally getting a solid family doctor whom I don't have to wait weeks to see to follow up and finish this process.
I wonder what condition will be uncovered next.
Here's to your health...
...Wish you were here.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
June 11/13
When I hear bad news, and I know that it's something that needs to be shared, I compulsively have to share it. It's this thing I have, where I don't want people to be blindsided by the news, so I try to find a way to ease the shock and deliver the news in as straightforward a manner as possible.
Iiiiiiiit doesn't always work out that way though. The first person I went to after hearing some of this bad news this morning? Yeah, when I told her, the initial shock gave way *very* quickly to shock and, well, a lot of negative emotions. If you had happened upon us in that moment, you'd have sworn I just punched her in the stomach and told her I ate her children. That was the strongest reaction of the morning, but largely, it was in line with the reactions of everyone else who found out.
Please don't shoot the messenger...
...Wish you were here.
Iiiiiiiit doesn't always work out that way though. The first person I went to after hearing some of this bad news this morning? Yeah, when I told her, the initial shock gave way *very* quickly to shock and, well, a lot of negative emotions. If you had happened upon us in that moment, you'd have sworn I just punched her in the stomach and told her I ate her children. That was the strongest reaction of the morning, but largely, it was in line with the reactions of everyone else who found out.
Please don't shoot the messenger...
...Wish you were here.
Monday, June 10, 2013
June 10/13
I'm dead tired.
You know that feeling the night before something big, when you are anxious and as a result, you have a bad sleep because you are afraid you'll sleep through the alarm? Yeah, that.
I went to bed right after Mad Men at 11 last night and surprisingly I had no trouble going to sleep. But then I woke up at 3:30. And then I only half-slept until 5:30, and kept dreaming about missing the alarm. So when 5:30 rolled around, I just decided, 'fuck it, I'll just get up.' I had the alarm set for 6:30.
I was also too keyed up to eat, which is a bad thing for someone with a blood sugar problem. I knew I had to eat, but I just was too nervous and anxious, so I decided I would go to the Starbucks at the Chapters on Rideau, grab a coffee and croissant, and do my interview there. Well, wouldn't you know it, this week, the store in that location was opening later than normal, at 8 am. I went back to the Starbucks at the Rideau Centre, but the line was too long, and the time was so short. 'Fuck!'
I ended up doing the interview while sitting on the floor of the mall beside the front doors. Yeah. That happened. Oh, and let's not forget that my tongue is still recovering from its injury, so forty minutes of talking was another comical detail to add to this goofy little saga.
But hey, on the bright side, I got to work on time!
I'm such a freak...
...Wish you were here.
You know that feeling the night before something big, when you are anxious and as a result, you have a bad sleep because you are afraid you'll sleep through the alarm? Yeah, that.
I went to bed right after Mad Men at 11 last night and surprisingly I had no trouble going to sleep. But then I woke up at 3:30. And then I only half-slept until 5:30, and kept dreaming about missing the alarm. So when 5:30 rolled around, I just decided, 'fuck it, I'll just get up.' I had the alarm set for 6:30.
I was also too keyed up to eat, which is a bad thing for someone with a blood sugar problem. I knew I had to eat, but I just was too nervous and anxious, so I decided I would go to the Starbucks at the Chapters on Rideau, grab a coffee and croissant, and do my interview there. Well, wouldn't you know it, this week, the store in that location was opening later than normal, at 8 am. I went back to the Starbucks at the Rideau Centre, but the line was too long, and the time was so short. 'Fuck!'
I ended up doing the interview while sitting on the floor of the mall beside the front doors. Yeah. That happened. Oh, and let's not forget that my tongue is still recovering from its injury, so forty minutes of talking was another comical detail to add to this goofy little saga.
But hey, on the bright side, I got to work on time!
I'm such a freak...
...Wish you were here.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
June 9/13
I'm sort of in panic mode tonight. Tomorrow morning, at 8 am, I have a pre-screening interview for a job with a Not-for-Profit professional organization, and believe me, as policy jobs go, it looks like a good one. It's related to the health field, which is where I'd have like my career to go, but it's fairly research-based, so I'd have more opportunities for nerding out than my current job allows.
But what it means now is that my Sunday evening is devoted to frantic research about the organization and its activities, and I have no idea what to expect in this pre-screen. I've pre-screened for several jobs in the last year, and have been successful with those, but when it comes to the actual formal interview, I don't come out with the job offer. I feel like I'm panic-prone, so I forget everything I want to say and end up sounding very dim and unaware.
But now I'm just stalling when I should be browsing the organizations website, devouring everything I see.
You never know...
...Wish you were here.
But what it means now is that my Sunday evening is devoted to frantic research about the organization and its activities, and I have no idea what to expect in this pre-screen. I've pre-screened for several jobs in the last year, and have been successful with those, but when it comes to the actual formal interview, I don't come out with the job offer. I feel like I'm panic-prone, so I forget everything I want to say and end up sounding very dim and unaware.
But now I'm just stalling when I should be browsing the organizations website, devouring everything I see.
You never know...
...Wish you were here.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
June 8/13
I'm totally a sucker for animals.
I mean, obviously. You know how I love my cats like they are my kids. I love seeing happy dogs, and my heart is just shredded at the sight of hurt, abused or depressed dogs. Hell, I even enjoy watching the squirrels scampering about.
So this morning when I saw a story on facebook about the RCMP taking seven puppies into custody and that most of those puppies are on their way to good homes, it just makes me sooooo happy. Wook at da widdo faces!
Folks, if you can give a good home to an animal in need, do it. It's so worth it. I wouldn't trade the feeling of happiness I get from rubbing Purrball's fat little belly for all the money in the world.
Good homes for sweet companions...
...Wish you were here.
I mean, obviously. You know how I love my cats like they are my kids. I love seeing happy dogs, and my heart is just shredded at the sight of hurt, abused or depressed dogs. Hell, I even enjoy watching the squirrels scampering about.
So this morning when I saw a story on facebook about the RCMP taking seven puppies into custody and that most of those puppies are on their way to good homes, it just makes me sooooo happy. Wook at da widdo faces!
Folks, if you can give a good home to an animal in need, do it. It's so worth it. I wouldn't trade the feeling of happiness I get from rubbing Purrball's fat little belly for all the money in the world.
Good homes for sweet companions...
...Wish you were here.
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