Starting to get the routine down (regarding wake-up times, commuting, etc. - NOT the work itself), here after day three and a killer weather-related cluster migraine. Survived!
Totally grooving to Amon Tobin on Grooveshark and reading and assimilating hundreds of pages of raw information = good time.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Hair Grows!
I've been under this misconception for my whole life that long hair = cute and sexy and short hair = old and frumpy, even though I see women defy these "principles" every day. Also, since I've been planning on competing in the relatively near future, I felt restricted to long hair, because you can do a lot with it.
Then I thought, fuck all that. I'm cutting it off short to an awkward-for-ballroom length and nobody can stop me.
And so I did.
And then I bought some sexy outfits.
And on Monday, I will be starting my sexy new job. Screw you, gray clouds and routines and salty sidewalks and expectations!
Then I thought, fuck all that. I'm cutting it off short to an awkward-for-ballroom length and nobody can stop me.
And so I did.
And then I bought some sexy outfits.
And on Monday, I will be starting my sexy new job. Screw you, gray clouds and routines and salty sidewalks and expectations!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Lack of Observation for 20+ Years
Ophthalmologist [peering at length into my dilated eyes with bright light]: So, you have some blind spots?
Me: Yep. Left eye, big round one to the left of center in my FOV and a flock of speckles to the lower right of it.
Oph [holding my watering eyes open as he magnifies]: And when did you start noticing these blind spots?
Me: Oh, about a week ago?
Oph [completely flat, unamused voice]: Hmmm. Well. You are hilarious. I see some scarring there that is probably over two decades old.
Me: Uh. Does that mean I've had this blind spot since I was a little kid and never noticed?
Oph: Pretty much, yeah.
Me: No brain tumors?
Oph [gives me a flat, unamused yet intense glare]: ...
Why are all ophthalmologists so weird?
Me: Yep. Left eye, big round one to the left of center in my FOV and a flock of speckles to the lower right of it.
Oph [holding my watering eyes open as he magnifies]: And when did you start noticing these blind spots?
Me: Oh, about a week ago?
Oph [completely flat, unamused voice]: Hmmm. Well. You are hilarious. I see some scarring there that is probably over two decades old.
Me: Uh. Does that mean I've had this blind spot since I was a little kid and never noticed?
Oph: Pretty much, yeah.
Me: No brain tumors?
Oph [gives me a flat, unamused yet intense glare]: ...
Why are all ophthalmologists so weird?
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Quel pain!
The new year has started out with a strange mix... Partying with sister and beau-frère in massive snow. Then, interviews and the eventual award of a new position, the French test for Québec immigration (during which there was a 40-minute power outage and we had to start at the beginning of the oral comprehension test again).
Next... I experienced the worst pain of my life for three full days. I had the toothache from hell. Three years ago, I had an abcessed molar that needed a root canal, and certainly there was pain, but it was completely manageable with a mix of painkillers and I didn't miss work.
This time... There were two nights I spent on the floor of the kitchen, weeping and begging for it to end (it was a weekend, and the antibiotics prescribed by my dentist hadn't reached significant levels in my bloodstream yet to kill the infection). I had never imagined that such pain was possible to endure without blacking out. I don't know if it is possible to describe this pain. All-consuming, time stops, brain completely overcome, forget to breathe, hiccuping between suppressed screams, floor-pounding, fevered oaths to various deities, etc. That weekend was spent in bed with a heating pad (refused to call the dentist for narcotics).
My teeth apparently can't stand fillings. Both of these molars died after receiving composite fillings by two different dentists.
The root canal was a relief. I had spent the previous five days (root canal was 5 days after the intense pain started) fantasizing about the initial injection of novocaine (or whatever they use these days) and I wasn't disappointed. I sat back and almost enjoyed the 2-hour procedure, nevermind that it will end up costing about $2500 when the post and crown are completed.
Unfortunately, the "big guns" antibiotics prescribed for me have completely thrown off a couple of my necessary internal functions by killing my good bacteria. :(
Et puis... Vision anomalies! Argh! I have two dim spots in the vision of my left eye, which merited a trip to the optometrist and then, next week, a trip to the ophthalmologist to make sure my retina isn't detaching. After conversations with my sisters, parents and brothers-in-law, I learned that they've all had experience with these dim spots, or floaters as they are funnily called, and didn't feel so old and decrepit (they are all younger than I, except my parents).
And this morning... I finally and decisively came down with the cold that Caspian has been nursing for exactly a week.
Next... I experienced the worst pain of my life for three full days. I had the toothache from hell. Three years ago, I had an abcessed molar that needed a root canal, and certainly there was pain, but it was completely manageable with a mix of painkillers and I didn't miss work.
This time... There were two nights I spent on the floor of the kitchen, weeping and begging for it to end (it was a weekend, and the antibiotics prescribed by my dentist hadn't reached significant levels in my bloodstream yet to kill the infection). I had never imagined that such pain was possible to endure without blacking out. I don't know if it is possible to describe this pain. All-consuming, time stops, brain completely overcome, forget to breathe, hiccuping between suppressed screams, floor-pounding, fevered oaths to various deities, etc. That weekend was spent in bed with a heating pad (refused to call the dentist for narcotics).
My teeth apparently can't stand fillings. Both of these molars died after receiving composite fillings by two different dentists.
The root canal was a relief. I had spent the previous five days (root canal was 5 days after the intense pain started) fantasizing about the initial injection of novocaine (or whatever they use these days) and I wasn't disappointed. I sat back and almost enjoyed the 2-hour procedure, nevermind that it will end up costing about $2500 when the post and crown are completed.
Unfortunately, the "big guns" antibiotics prescribed for me have completely thrown off a couple of my necessary internal functions by killing my good bacteria. :(
Et puis... Vision anomalies! Argh! I have two dim spots in the vision of my left eye, which merited a trip to the optometrist and then, next week, a trip to the ophthalmologist to make sure my retina isn't detaching. After conversations with my sisters, parents and brothers-in-law, I learned that they've all had experience with these dim spots, or floaters as they are funnily called, and didn't feel so old and decrepit (they are all younger than I, except my parents).
And this morning... I finally and decisively came down with the cold that Caspian has been nursing for exactly a week.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
Blind Hemming
Everybody knows I totally dig sewing, and I'm pretty good at it, too. I couldn't make a period-true Renaissance gown, I can't embroider and I'd need a more versatile machine to make jeans or dance costumes really well (and a lot of patience to fit them properly), but I can cut, create and tailor modern clothing and fabrics without trouble. I learned the basics in two sewing classes, but the rest I learned through trial and error, failure and triumph.
Take today, for example. I guess I mentioned that I bought a few pairs of nice slacks, in various neutral shades, made of poly synth and wool blends with a bit of stretch. In my previous professional position (meaning I was in an office with a strict dress code), I couldn't be bothered to take action if my slacks were too short or long for the heel of my shoe. If they were too long and moderately expensive, I brought them over to Wang's Tailoring for $8 and had them done.
Now, my "work-worthy shoes" all have heels between 2-3.5 inches (I did this on purpose), so I tried on my slacks one by one and pinned them up to a position that would fall in an acceptable range when worn with all of the shoes, but specifically tailored to the most comfortable/versatile pair. I love continental heels, and almost all of my dress shoes have a very vintage (1940s) profile with rounded toes.
Then I took out my blind hem foot, which I have been putting to completely different ends than it was originally intended for (like top-stitching extremely close to a hem). I can do blind hemming by hand, but it takes forever. I was never confident enough in my skills to actually cut up and hem a pair of nice trousers... But I took the plunge and, with a nervous squeak, decisively sliced off the desired amount from the legs of the trousers. No going back now.
I had some trouble with the pinning, which looks complicated but is actually pretty simple, and then my stitches/foot/machine weren't calibrated properly for the first couple attempts, which I ripped out with the seam ripper. Finally, after trial and error (and stupidly, not a single glance at the millions of tutorials on the internets), I discovered and understood what stitch length and other calibrations would do to the hem, and how long to make the stitch for the folds I'd put in, etc. And it looks MAAAAAHVELOUS.
So. If you are a seamstress and have never tried blind hemming with the machine... Do it. It rocks and looks super professional.
Take today, for example. I guess I mentioned that I bought a few pairs of nice slacks, in various neutral shades, made of poly synth and wool blends with a bit of stretch. In my previous professional position (meaning I was in an office with a strict dress code), I couldn't be bothered to take action if my slacks were too short or long for the heel of my shoe. If they were too long and moderately expensive, I brought them over to Wang's Tailoring for $8 and had them done.
Now, my "work-worthy shoes" all have heels between 2-3.5 inches (I did this on purpose), so I tried on my slacks one by one and pinned them up to a position that would fall in an acceptable range when worn with all of the shoes, but specifically tailored to the most comfortable/versatile pair. I love continental heels, and almost all of my dress shoes have a very vintage (1940s) profile with rounded toes.
Then I took out my blind hem foot, which I have been putting to completely different ends than it was originally intended for (like top-stitching extremely close to a hem). I can do blind hemming by hand, but it takes forever. I was never confident enough in my skills to actually cut up and hem a pair of nice trousers... But I took the plunge and, with a nervous squeak, decisively sliced off the desired amount from the legs of the trousers. No going back now.
I had some trouble with the pinning, which looks complicated but is actually pretty simple, and then my stitches/foot/machine weren't calibrated properly for the first couple attempts, which I ripped out with the seam ripper. Finally, after trial and error (and stupidly, not a single glance at the millions of tutorials on the internets), I discovered and understood what stitch length and other calibrations would do to the hem, and how long to make the stitch for the folds I'd put in, etc. And it looks MAAAAAHVELOUS.
So. If you are a seamstress and have never tried blind hemming with the machine... Do it. It rocks and looks super professional.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Ah, aesthetics...
You may think me frivolous for saying so, but I have recently been researching advanced cosmetics techniques. Now, at age almost-31, I am doing what I'm kind of glad I didn't waste my time doing when I was 17 (too many books to read): Practicing applying makeup.
It's loads of fun. I even learned how to *really* do my eyebrows well, which are blonde and nice overall, but with a few cowlicks in weird places. I realize now that there are no such things as perfect eyebrows unless you make them so yourself. I spent $30 dollars on 5mL of Pupa eyeshadow base and have been going to town, with new colors and blends appearing every day.
That, plus the hundreds of dollars I spent this last week on high-end professional shoes, jackets and slacks, and all the jewelry I received for Christmas, makes me feel well-prepared for my probable (85% certainty) sojourn into the world of finance in a few weeks.
Third and final interview next Wednesday.
It's loads of fun. I even learned how to *really* do my eyebrows well, which are blonde and nice overall, but with a few cowlicks in weird places. I realize now that there are no such things as perfect eyebrows unless you make them so yourself. I spent $30 dollars on 5mL of Pupa eyeshadow base and have been going to town, with new colors and blends appearing every day.
That, plus the hundreds of dollars I spent this last week on high-end professional shoes, jackets and slacks, and all the jewelry I received for Christmas, makes me feel well-prepared for my probable (85% certainty) sojourn into the world of finance in a few weeks.
Third and final interview next Wednesday.
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