Christmas and Such

Prior to Christmas the Goderich gang (Teresa and Greg and their two kids; Cara and Jeff and their three kids; and Heidi and Jen) came to my place for our annual (most of the time) Christmas gathering. Teresa couldn't handle my crazy cats (allergies are not fun) and they had to leave just after dinner. Cara's family stayed until the next day so that they could go shopping. It was great to have everyone together, since it is so rare that this happens. Cara's kids


My friend, Angele, is getting married this month (January) in Mexico. Back in December there was a surprise wedding shower for her. It was a lot of fun and it was great to get to see everyone outside of work one last time before I left. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go to the wedding. I would love to go to Mexico, but I just can't afford it this year (two family weddings) and I just started a new contract.

I was finally able to pick up my Mini and I absolutely love it.

On my last day at work a group of us went out to lunch. I miss everyone. It was really sad to leave and I totally cried before I left. It's one thing to make a decision to change jobs, it's another to actually say goodbye to all the people you've worked with for so long. I miss have my morning talks and lunches with Annie. Luckily we are getting together for dinner next week.

Just before Christmas Tara and Christi invited me to a 12 bars of Christmas pub crawl. It was a ton of fun (for the most part). Unfortunately, that day my ovary was acting up and I took a tylenol 3. It appears that codeine and alcohol are a bad mix. I have very few memories after the 8th or 9th bar. Christi tried to get me to have a shot of tequila at one of the bars (I don't recall this at all). She said it was pretty funny that I had a hold of the lemon, licked the salt, and instead of taking the shot of tequila I grabbed my glass of water (it appears that I look out for myself even when I don't know what's going on). At the next bar they poured me into a cab and we headed back to Tara's. I threw up most of the evening (sorry Tara) once out of the cab. But, until that point I had a great time. Can't wait until next year. I would definitely like to go again next year, but without the codeine.

The week before Christmas Jason and Megan flew in from BC. It was great to get to see them (at some point I will publish the pictures of my trip out west back in August). On the Friday they came to Niagara Falls with me and while I was at work they went to St. Catherines to visit their friends Quentin and Martha. When I was done work we checked out the casino where I work. I'm not allowed to gamble or talk to anyone who is gambling. I had to check in with security so they could be sure that I wasn't doing anything I wasn't supposed to. It's too bad that I can't gamble because it would be nice to go play poker. After that we went to a vineyard and a bought a ton of wine. Then we met up with Lindsay and Jaime (and their boyfriends) for dinner in Burlington. It was great to see them and hopefully I will get to see them again soon.

We then headed to London to see Dad, Sue and Rach. We had Christmas dinner (with mushroom gravy and vegetarian stuffing). It was great. Then we headed to Goderich for the Woodall Christmas. As normal there was lots of drama, screaming, hospital visits and crying. Luckily, Grandma is now okay and has survived the flu.

New Job, New Car (sort of)

As some of you know I was thinking of leaving ESI for something more challenging. Well, it appears that I am leaving. A headhunter called me about a month ago looking for someone with my specific skill set. I had a phone interview and while I was in the hospital (for my stupid ovary) I found out I had been offerred the job. I start on Monday (Dec 11th) and finish at ESI on Friday (Dec 8th). Not alot of time in between, but that has never stopped me before. Besides, I'm taking time off at xmas when my brother and Megan come to visit.

So, the new job is a 3 month contract (probably extended to 6) at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls. Which means I need a car. It also means I have to make a decisiion on where I be based. I'm going to try out the commute to start and then I will meet with my real-estate agent to find out my options and what she recommends. I have looked at student housing for a place to crash and St. Catharines is pretty cheap (and Martha and Q love it there).

First things first, find a car. I've been pretty happy with the Toyota Yaris, so that was my first stop. Heidi and Jen were in town so they went looking with me. Toyota sucks! I went in with the idea of buying a car and they so didn't want to help me and couldn't answer Heidi and Jen's questions and called me a liar (I'm not a big fan of that).

Next stop the Mini dealership, just for a fun test drive. Well, after the test drive I was sold. I wanted a mini. But, I can't afford new. So, back to autotrader to find a used one. I found a 2003 that was perfect, but the bank said no. Back to autotrader. Found another 2003 and last Friday I went to look at it in Downsview. They didn't have the 2003, but they did have a 2002. I took it for a test drive (by this point I was pretty bored with the whole shopping thing and just wanted a car). I liked the car and got Heidi on the phone for her thoughts. Negotiated a price and the bank said yes. Took the car to Canadian Tire for a safety inspection and they said it was in good shape (it needed a new battery and the brake fluid changed, but that was it). The dealership said I could have the car on Monday (provided I had the insurance taken care of).

I was super excited. The car was great; red with a white top (aching to have a Canadian flag decal put on).

Then I called RBC Insurance. I had already talked to them (and Primmum) to find out if I could afford the insurance on the mini (or the Yaris). Primmum was crazy in their pricing, so I went back to RBC. But, when I talked to them on Friday the quote was $400 more than what I had received before. I was pretty upset and told them I didn't want it. I needed to calm down and try to get the excitement back.

Monday I called RBC again. I received a completely different quote (at this point I think I had 4 different quotes for the same car from RBC). I finally said okay so that I could get my car. This meant I could get the car on Tuesday (last night).

I took a bus from work, to the go bus at square one, to Finch Go station, I hopped in a cab ($15) that took me to the dealership. I got there and the car was all pretty and clean. They brought it around to the front for me, I hopped in. I tried to adjust the seat, I tried to adjust the seat, I hopped out of the car and found my sales guy. The seat would not adjust to an upright position (no comments from the peanut gallery, please). It turns out the seat is broken. It worked fine on Friday when I went for a test drive. I don't know what happened between those two times, but I do not have a car that I can drive. So, they finally drove me home and said they would try to fix it today. When I called at 3pm they were working on it and expected it to be done by 5pm. It is now 4:16 and I am just leaving work. I will give them a call and then hop on a bus and take another two hour tour to Downsview. Let's hope this trip is more successful.