Things are looking up!

Not that things have been bad, by any stretch of means. But work, as you know, has been crazy. And I wasn't too happy about the whole SSHRC/UofT/Mac thing. And it's winter, and gross, and grey, and slushy. But things are looking up.

The merging of divisions at work, which happened way back before Christmas, was an experiment, and one that is going to end very soon. I get to go back to my old ESL only job, which means that I get to do one person's job now, not three. Sigh of relief. Not that it was that awful, but it was stressful, and demanding, and a lot of pressure for someone who isn't actually educated to do the job that she's doing. It's kind of sad to be giving up working with some great people, but I'm going to be happier in the long run, I think. And my boss gets to go back to doing just one job too, which she is so relieved about. And I think it will be interesting to train someone new.

I'm getting the hang of the whole York thing, too. The hubby and I are going to take a trip to campus sometime next week and check it out, see how my trip works, etc. I think I'm going to be able to take one bus from Finch that drops me off right near my building, which is great. And from what I've seen of York campus so far (via Google satellite and their website), I think I'm not going to hate it. No, it isn't pretty Dal or stately Queen's, but some of the more modern buildings look really neat, and there is a lot of green space, and a pond. Reminds me of my old alma mater, UTM. Now that I've figured out how I'm going to get there, and looked up some of my future profs on RateMyProfessors.com (don't lie, you do it too), I'm feeling more comfortable overall. As you know, I love change, but it still takes me a little while to get used to it. Now, I'm getting more excited every day. My next jobs, York-wise, are to: sign up for a summer French class (I have to take an advanced French oral exam because my specialization is Canadian literature, so I have to practice); figure out my timetable; rent a locker in my building so that I don't have to schlep everything home all the time if I don't want to; buy a new laptop backpack & a battery for my computer; figure out my reading lists and start reading (as my English graduate calendar tells me that "extensive reading before classes begin is assumed"); and tell work that I'm going back to school and figure out if they'll let me stay on part time. These will take me until the wedding, I'm sure.

On the wedding front, things are slowly rolling along. My mom has taken over organizing with the caterer, which is awesome of her. He emailed me today, seeming like he wanted to make sure that I knew that she was taking charge and that I was fine with it, which was cute. My response was "Mom's the boss. Go for it!" I still need to find shoes and figure out my hair, but that will happen. The hubby and I have been invited to a ball (yes, a ball!) in early May, so I think I'll go get my test wedding hairdo done on that day, and kill two birds with one stone. Next job for the wedding is invitations & shower invitations, which I will have to get on soon. Time to start collecting addresses!

My birthday is a week from today, which also means some fun is going on. We had dinner with my family on Saturday night, as my parents were going to be in Montreal this coming weekend. They aren't now, but my dad will be in Edmonton, so same difference. My parents bought me a frame for my UofT diploma, which was very sweet of them, and I'm excited to add it to my collection. Hayley bought me some professional makeup brushes, of which she has a set that I've been coveting. For two girls who have a mom who doesn't wear makeup, we both love it. It's like I get to paint every morning! The hubby has been sneaking around (he snuck out of Mom & Dad's house on Saturday for some reason, and again from our place on Sunday), so he's definitely got something birthday-ish up his sleeve. I like surprises.

It's also a good week for social meals. We've hired a new sales rep for Vancouver at work, so we're going out for lunch with her on Wednesday; my intern is finished on Friday, so I'm taking her out then, and the hubby and I are having friends over for dinner on Sunday. And of course, coming up, is eat sushi until you're sick night, which will be loads o' fun. Yum.

So that's about it in the land of Mel. Less stress, more good food, and the most exciting end of August/beginning of September pretty much ever. And it's almost spring! 14 degrees tomorrow. Things are certainly looking up.