One of those weeks...

Aargh! Apparently, it's not enough that I'm extra-tired this week due to lack of sleep. No, there have to be a few more things thrown into the mix.

Yesterday we had a practice scheduled for the play I am co-directing at my school, and we encountered some unexpected casting problems. This would have been frustrating enough a few weeks ago, but at this point--when we are really wondering how we can pull this thing together in the time frame we have--it was kind of unbelievable. We're kind of scrambling to fill in the gaps now, but so far our rapidly-concocted contingency plan seems to be working out.

This morning, I was getting ready for work when my husband informed me that our hot-water tank--which is housed in our pantry, since our ancient house has only an earthen hole for a basement--was leaking. It turned out to be only a minor inconvenience, as the new one arrived and was installed by 5:30 this evening, but at a time when we are trying to save for a mortgage so we can get OUT of this house, it is frustrating to have to pour more money into it.

However, this evening was a bit more relaxing. My husband's parents had a nutrient-management plan done for the family farm, and we all had supper this evening with the woman who prepared the plan. After supper, she went through the plan and explained the science of it all, which was really quite interesting! I think I was a little surprised that the chemistry of it (the basics, anyway) were so easy to understand. It is neat to know not just what should be done but also WHY it should be done.

Anyway, now I am off to bed, with hopes that tomorrow will be problem-free (or at least that any problems that are yet to arrive can be dealt with as easily as the others).

Four Things

A meme? Why not? From the blog of Thomas Vander Wal.

Four Jobs I've Had:
1. Highschool teacher
2. University English tutor
3. Assistant program coordinator at an exhibition/fair
4. Paper girl

Four Movies I Can Watch Over And Over:
1. Amélie
2. Bollywood/Hollywood
3. Russian Ark
4. The Importance of Being Earnest

Four Places I've Lived:
1. Sydney Mines, NS
2. Halifax, NS
3. Ottawa, ON
4. St. John's, NL

Four TV Shows I Love:
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. Firefly
3. Wonderfalls
4. Battlestar Galactica (The only one that hasn't been cancelled...let's hope this isn't a sign!)

Four Places I've Vacationed:
1. Greece
2. Boston, MA
3. The Cabot Trail, NS (so many times...still beautiful!)
4. Moncton, NB

Four Of My Favourite Dishes:
1. Thai Cashew Chicken
2. Vegetable Dansak
3. Sweet and Sour Chicken (I'm getting hungry...)
4. Does pie count?

Four Sites I Visit Daily:
1. www.foundmagazine.com
2. www.postsecret.com
3. www.irregularwebcomic.net/
4. www.youtube.com

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
1. Athens, Greece
2. Café Shafali, an Indian restaurant in Ottawa, ON (told you I was getting hungry!)
3. Anywhere on horseback
4. Bed (soon to be there...)

Four Bloggers I'm Tagging:
If four people read this I'll be surprised...it's pretty new--but if you're one of them, consider yourself tagged!

Inaugural Blogural

I realized about half an hour ago that Monday was NOT a good day to attempt this whole blog-setup project. I am tired, tired, tired, and my brain is, well, even less functional than it usually is on a Monday evening. I'm beginning to think March Break was not a great thing for me; the week off was wonderful, but since then I seem to be off my teaching game.

It probably isn't helping my state of mind that the weather has been rather unpredictable lately (yes, I'm a Canadian, it is obligatory for me to talk about the weather at least once). The sun has reappeared like a long-lost explorer who was believed to have frozen to death and been eaten by his dogs, and though it was still quite brisk outside, most of the snow melted away. Last week I enjoyed several straight days of a clear windshield and dry roads. This morning, however, the car was covered with a thick layer of frost, and it was only by using the clawed side of the scraper that I was able to clear the windows at all. Of course, this occurred on a day when I had to pick up three other people for the half-hour drive to town. Winter was a long time coming this year, but I am now thoroughly sick of it and positively longing for summer. I feel like the sun is teasing me; it looks so nice outside that I'm itching to go for a run, but one sniff outside the door tells me the air hasn't warmed up enough to be comfortable for breathing.

In an ideal world, with infinite resources, I could jet off tomorrow for Greece (and somehow timewarp ahead to the time of the golden summer heat). My husband and I honeymooned there last summer, and it is hard to believe that the weather we enjoyed there and the weather we were pummeled by here (and it was an easy winter, by most standards) can exist on the same planet. I would like to spend a few weeks, I think, like this:

Not only were these kitties obviously enjoying the sun when we happened upon them, but they were also sprawled on the stones next to an enormous and beautiful ancient theatre!