Upgrade!!!!!

After seven years I've finally gotten a new laptop to replace my Toshiba. 

I got a new HP Pavillion (17 inch). I only just got it today so I'm not having any problems with it, hopefully that continues. Honestly having a laptop this size not take forever to start up is already a novelty. I haven't moved any files from my old laptop over yet, so we'll see how the HP deals with that.

Fingers crossed.

Also, I have to upgrade my iPhone now as well, which I wasn't expecting to do anytime soon. But Pokemon Go was released in Canada and that's a thing I need to be playing, so gotta get a new phone (right now I'm using my father's old iPhone 4).

This weekend should be interesting.

(Also I made it to chapter 3 in the Teen Wolf fanfic I'm writing SO MUCH EXITE!!)

too fucking early for this shit

One of those mornings where I probably would've been better off staying at home.

But I have work... soooo...

So the weather was a bit shit this morning when I woke up (at 6:30 because fuck me) but it hadn't been the worst weather I've driven in. So I left for work around 8 and it turns out that the roads are covered in snow. Been there, done that. It's not a new thing, still not the worst thing I've driven in.

Anyway, long story short, I ended up going over the curb and on the sidewalk at some point. I'm pretty sure I didn't hit the bench that was there, I didn't feel anything. At that point I should've just given the day up as a loss and went back home, I was like two minutes away from my house. But my first reaction to most situations is to go home, so I've learned to not trust it. I was fine, the car seemed fine, no one was running in to help. So I backed up onto the road and continued on my way.

I made it about 15 mins or so until I came across some guy with his car pretty much in the ditch (he's fine), and when I stopped to see if he needed help I discovered my car making a weird noise (or weird feeling, I still can't really describe it with words) as I tried to stop.

So there then followed me worrying that I'd fucked up my car when I went up on the curb and then I called my mom, who had to call my great-aunt to get a number for a mechanic she knows to come take a look at my car to see if it was safe to drive to work (which is in the arse-crack of nowhere, I may have actually mentioned it in a previous post, most likely from 2011). So the mechanic, who turned out to be my best friend's uncle (small world) came out, drove my car, told me it was supposed to be making that noise/feel/whatever, and so I was free to go.

So I went. I ended up being an hour late to work and having some sort of episode or whatever when I got there. But I'm fine now, so, all's well that ends well? I guess?

(Also I won 10$ off a scratch ticket while I was waiting for the mechanic to show up at a gas station, so go me.)

(And when the clerk ID'ed me for it I thought I was never gonna get my licence back because I look way younger than I actually am, apparently. Pretty sure she wasn't entirely convinced that it was real even if she sold me the ticket.) 

Change of Venue

After a week of staying at my uncle's house, we have now relocated to my brother's place. Frankly it's an upgrade. No kids running around, for one thing.

Also the person whose room I'm borrowing isn't here at the moment (she flew back home until New Years, I think), and it comes with an attached bathroom. So score on that point. ALSO they have a dish with Investigation Discovery on it IN THE ROOM!!!! SO MUCH WIN!!!

A++ accommodations here.

We went shopping for the Boxing Day sales earlier today, which was and adventure. Also totally something I could've done without, though I did get a few things so that was alright. Though neither Walmart nor E.B. Games had any Phoenix Wright games in stock, which sucked (though I did get a Kingdom Hearts game for the 3DS, so far I like it). I ended up buying Dual Destinies from the E-Store, but they don't have the Apollo Justice game or the Miles Edgeworth game, which sucks. Also the only copy of Justice For All is in a 3-pack with Ace Attorney and Trials and Tribulations, which I already own so that's not worth the money.

Still can't wait to be home, though it's gonna suck leaving my brothers again. But I'll be happy once we get back, even though we'll be landing after midnight and then we'll still have a nearly four hour long drive after that (depending on the weather) so Saturday is definitely gonna suck. And then I'll have Sunday to recover and then probably back to work on Monday. 

Posting From the Field

Day 4 of the vacation and I am so ready to be home. 

Somehow when I thought about what was going to happen on this trip, I never even considered the lack of independence that would happen. I mean, I still live with my parents, but I have my own money and car and am basically free to come and go as I please. Here, I have to rely on other people taking me around if I want to go places, which is a bitch because it's a lack of control I'm finding really hard to deal with.

Take today, my brother was supposed to take me downtown but I haven't heard back from him in hours. How am I supposed to prepare myself for an outing when I don't know when or if it's happening. Add in the fact that I'm supposed to get a meal in me at some point that just makes everything even worse. I am not in control of when I eat here either, not really, not my kitchen, not my house, not my food. Sooooooo... stress.

(Also I'm having movies playing HD movies on my tiny-ass laptop, so if anyone knows anything about that, please send help.)

Another thing I haven't considered is what it would be like staying in a house with small children. I haven't actually stayed over at anyone's house for any length of time in years, especially one with kids. My brothers are only three years younger than I am so we were all kids together. My two cousins are 10 and under, and sometimes their friends show up. So that's a lot more kids than I'm used to hanging around. It's a lot louder than I'd have expected as well, although that may be because my youngest cousin is possibly insane.

Anyway spending the Christmas season with children will also be a different thing considering that a lot of the fun around Christmas is mostly for children. So that will be different. Also Christmas dinner has the potential to be stressful as all hell because extended family will be there that I pretty much never see ever. So that's something else to angst over. Also I will be missing seeing the usual family members I see at Christmas.

Greetings, Also It's Fucking Freezing Balls Up Here

SO I'M IN ALBERTA! YEAH! 

Spending Christmas on the other side of the country, woo. There may have been a minor breakdown at one point, but other than that things are pretty fine.

We flew out on Friday (the plane was actually the most relaxing part of the trip, go figure) and we landed at arse o'clock in the morning (it's three hours behind up here, so however late we landed here it was even later, fuck everything). Also it is fucking freezing up here, like minus double digits freezing. Much colder than it was back home. Fuck winter, seriously. My lips chapped pretty much the instant we landed and have been cracked and bleedy ever since. I thought to bring hand cream, but not chapstick, because fuck my life.

Also we're staying at my aunt and uncle's house, which HELLO ANXIETY!! So I haven't really been sleeping all that well, so I'm gonna have to re-start the sleep training when I get home so I am better able to function. Actually my ability to function and people like a normal human being as been a bit hit and miss in the past few days. Finally getting some use out of that necklace I got from Space Robot Studios, so there's something. Not that anyone's paying attention or anything, but whatever.

My two cousins here are 8 and 11, and they are very social. Fuck me, basically.

So it's pretty fun seeing the area for the first time. And seeing where one of my brothers live. Also it's pretty entertaining being so close to malls and stores and restaurants and things. I've already blown mucho $$ since I've been here (also I bought some books, which I told myself I wasn't gonna, because plane, but OH WELL FUCK IT MORE BOOKS FOR ME) (also I got a manga version of Les Mis which is hilarious and there was no way I was passing that up). Also the Spencer's and HMV up here is expensive but I STILL WANNA BUY EVERYTHING BECAUSE SO MUCH NERD SWAG OMG. Two pairs of pyjama pants later... also hats... and socks... so far... SO MUCH NERD SWAG.

Also my brother's new puppy, who is adorable and also a little shit. But puppy, so whatevs.

So this will be my first Christmas away from home, also first Christmas without Nanny (we'll see how long it'll be before someone brings that up on Christmas Eve/Day). That will be a change.

Anyway, it's the third day here and already I'm ready to go back home... what even is my life?

Werk

Yesterday was my first day of subbing as a TA for this school year. Bit later than in prior years, but I was at the lobster plant all September and most of October, so that's the explanation there. Anyway, both days were at the French school, but yesterday was just an hour and a half in the preschool and today was a full day (which is still only 5.5 hours, but hey, work is work).

So my first day at the preschool for the new school year is always fairly interesting. New names to learn, new kids to get to know. There's apparently 29 kids in the class this year (though they weren't all there yesterday, thank fuck) and I only knew two of them by name. And I always hear some weird new names every year, this year has probably the most. I'm pretty sure one of them was named after a video game character, so there you go.

It was a pretty fun afternoon, as soon as play time began, one of the kids took it upon himself to show me around the room (not the first time I've been at the preschool, but the first time with these kids) but he got sidetracked by the big Legos so we hung out there for a bit with some of the other kids. First time that's happened, and I had a good time playing with them. Usually at playtime I have no idea what to do so I just wander around the room aimlessly looking for someone who needs help, but this time I was actually interacting with the kids. It was a nice change.

Today was a full day, which went pretty much the same as any other full day I do while I'm there. It was really good to see all the kids again (though I didn't get to see the original preschool class I started out with back in my senior year of high school because they're upstairs starting this year and thus don't have much interaction with the elementary students, though I did see a few of them and I imagine that I'll wind up in their class soon enough). 

Anyway part of my duties today, of course, included supervision in the cafeteria where I got to hang out (really, I'm a shit supervisor, I don't really do much unless the kids are really acting up, which they don't do much anyway) with the usual kids I end up in conversation with when I show up. And a lot of the kids were actually excited to see me. There were hugs involved, it's always surreal when that happens. Over the years there are always kids that get attached to me and are genuinely pleased to see me when I'm in and I can never figure out why. But whatever, it's always fun. And usually ends up being the most socializing I get done in a week. Far be it from me to question it.

Also I lost two games of Go Fish against two different groups of first graders, as you do. But at least I wasn't with the groups who were playing Trouble, because apparently things got a bit heated there.

Teen Wolf Fanfic Hell

Thought I was getting out of it for a while there. Turns out I was completely wrong.

Please send help.