I have a personal driver.

Today was a big day... somehow going to and from an interdepartmental meeting, I gained my own personal driver, David.

On the way across town, the cabbie smelt like b.o. and I recall remembering why I hate taking cabs in the daytime (as when I hammered in the evenings I don't remember how bad they smell). There was little conversation on the way to the meeting because all I could do was take in the scent of my vanilla latte to avoid puking on the spot.

The meeting lasted about an hour and a half and when I came out of the building I was thinking of walking but since there was a taxi stand right in front of me, I grabbed the first one available.

Boy, was I in luck, this cab didn't smell like b.o. and the car was pretty darn clean. My cabbie was joey-talkative and when I said he could drop me at the Rideau Centre (since its a stone's throw away from my office) he joked about offering to take me on an all day shopping spree around the city. He said I could ride with him all day... and I said it could only happen if he was willing to pay for all my purchases.

We chatted back and forth making small jokes about how nice it would be to shop for a living, yida yida yida. When he asked what government department was located in the Rideau Centre, I politely told him I was located on Sussex at the Connaught Building, to which he said 'oh CRA'... and proceed to ask me if I knew a guy who also worked in the building. I did in fact know the man he spoke of and so cabbie informed me he was this man's personal driver.

I thought to myself: personal driver? What kind of person do you need to be to have a personal driver?

Apparently... he takes a wide selection of people, because once I said I knew the man he knew from CRA, he warmed up to me even more, and the next thing I know... he was offering me a spot on his VIP client list.

He gave me his card which said TAXI in huge letters and then DAVID underneath and he told me in a bit of thick accent 'When you need a ride, you call David, the number on the card - I come get you - nadda problem!'

Your right David, its nadda problem, you can be my personal driver any day, nadda problem.

Queen of the Typo

So its no secret that I am not exactly the best at editing. I know how to draft up a post but the editing and re-reading phases aren't something I do on a regular basis, nor are things I really enjoy doing. I am very good at the drafting part, but I usually just hit PUBLISH, and don't think twice about what I have written.

However, the other day a colleague of mine (who shall remain nameless, but can be found over at PopWatch Canada) labelled me QUEEN OF THE TYPO due to a few glaring writing errors that I made under her nose, and now I have a complex over the whole issue.

I am super paranoid that she is not the only one who thinks this... and to be honest, I have known that I have a tendency to type so fast that I forget entire words in key phrases. In my head I have typed exactly what I have wanted to write, but on the screen, only half of what I say is actually made visible.

It's a haunting trait to carry around, day in and day out. You never know when the next attack of the typo is going to strike, or who is going to be the one to call you on it. At this point, I have to wonder how many of my peeps on email recognize my typo frequency but just skip over it thinking 'oh... I didn't understand that... probably just another typo from Sara'.

Now that I have actually been called on it, I am frantically re-reading everything I type hoping to minimize the errors and at least regain some competency as a communications advisor. You would think in my line of work I would be meticulous about typos... but apparently editing my own work is just not one of my strong points.

Usually in communications we try to be clear and concise in our messaging... but I am famous typing 'can' when I mean 'can't', or 'do' when I mean 'don't', or most commonly, omitting the word 'not' entirely. Take for instances the following phrases and imagine the implications to my life when I've communicated a perfectly coherent response, stating the exact opposite of what I mean:

I have extensive experience in communication plan writing and can't write communication products.

or

I don't appreciate your inquiry. Thank you for thinking of me.

or

I would be interested in walking your dog and picking up his poop every morning.

This new label I have been given is not something I take lightly ... I think after every email I send, I have an inner-panic wondering exactly what I have typed and how the recipient of the email is going to respond.

Then there is the whole of other issue of calling myself on the typo. When I see a typo on my part, should I re-email the person and say 'what I really meant to type was can't instead of can', etc. or do I just leave it alone, let the other person think I am idiot... and move on with my day.

Can you see the stress involved in having the label: Queen of the Typo. I think I would rather be the Queen of Bad Breath or the Queen of Smelly Feet... at least I could remedy the situation with a breath mint or some foot cream, but with Queen of the Typo... there is no quick remedy, unless anyone wants to be my personal editor?

Help! How can I dispose of this label... and quickly?

It's a whole new world.

This weekend my brother-in-law hooked us up with a Bell dish, and a PVR (for the dinosaurs that's a Personal Video Recorder). The PVR is a whole new world for me. Last year at this time when we got our HD TV, PC wanted to get the Roger's PVR, and I threw down my wife power and said we did not need a PVR, the HD TV was enough at that point.

I think it was mostly the price of renting a PVR every month that had me up in arms over the whole thing.... but had PC actually brought it home and had me try it, I think I could have been convinced that it was necessary to have one! Nevertheless, 13 months later, here we are with a PVR, and I AM LOVING IT.

Take for instances that fact that I love the show The Hills on MTV but it also comes on at the same time as What About Brian on Monday nights. I usually watch What About Brian, and then try to catch The Hills on a repeat airing on Saturday or Sunday. Lately I've been away on the weekends, so I've missed a few episodes... but now with the PVR, I don't have to miss another show. You press one button and it automatically records the show every time its on. Then, (and this is by far the best part)... you come home turn on the TV, press another button and you can fast forward through all the commercials. It's the best invention since sliced bread... REALLY!

Saturday night I wanted to watch SNL because Carrie Underwood was performing, but I was too tired to stay up past midnight... so I just hit PVR, and when I woke up the next morning, I fast forwarded to the end and saw both her performances... it was pure satisfaction let me tell you!

I think its going to come in handy on Thursday nights too when PC is reffing, and I am curling. Usually, I want to watch Grey's, ER and he wants CSI, Shark, etc. - now we can PVR all of the shows and watch them whenever we want, without having to argue about whether one of us taped the other person's shows.

It's great... and what's even better is that I can automatically ask it to tape Y&R and General Hospital for me EVERYDAY. I don't exactly know how I will fit all of this extra tv-time into my life... I might have to sacrifice cooking and cleaning until I adjust to the new found technology, but hey, its definitely worth it!

Wait for it.

Over the past three days I have tried to make a coherent post but every time I sit down to actually write something, it seems I. HAVE. NOTHING.

I use to remember getting writer's block way back in public school when I would have to write speeches for public speaking. It was a bit of a chore (although, I think it was more of a chore for my mother), I would sit and stare at the page.... write bits and pieces, and then crumble up my paper and start over (which at times also included crying, yelling, stomping, and door slamming). The process was long and frustrating... but then, a day or so later, I would sit down, and in 30 or 40 minutes, I would have my 5 to 7 minute speech written and practically ready for delivery.

I think it boils down to procrastination for me. I am a huge procrastinator... I don't do anything until it absolutely has to be done - but the good news being that I have never NOT gotten the job done (sorry for the double negative there!). This is what annoys me even more about myself is that I know I can do it, but I just don't want to do it until the pressure is on. I openly admitted this in a job interview yesterday, to which the interview panel agreed they were the same way - which was a relief, because I don't think procrastination is a quality that you should openly list on your resume, or one that will elevate you over the other candidates in the selection process!

However, procrastination is something that is apart of me, and as long as I get the job done, I am not ashamed of my tactics! Thus... this topic is bringing me back to my original topic in that, if you wait for it, my coherent post will come... I just need to wait to feel the pressure, the stress of posting will need to build a bit, and then VOILA, writer's block will evaporate and I will have something - something good, something intuitive - something.

Wait for it.... just wait for it.

One year and counting.

It just dawned on me that I have been blogging for over a year now... so I guess this means HAPPY (BELATED) BIRTHDAY BLOG.

When I first started this blog, I thought that there was no way that I would be able to keep up a regular posting schedule, let alone having anyone read it, and read it faithfully... but as the months rolled on, the site meter rolled up, and now I have arrived at over 10,000 visitors (and that's really only the number from the last six months since the meter has been installed).

Can you believe it?

In addition to faithful readers, I also have a select group of readers who comment faithfully - (insert shameless plug for comments) I LOVE GETTING COMMENTS! I remember the first comment I got that wasn't from a family member... but from someone in the Netherlands who was reading my blog and commenting on her view on the environment from her side of the world. At first I was shocked to know that someone half way around the world was reading my blog, and not just lurking on my site, but actually making him/herself visible by commenting. It was a huge realization that not only my close family and friends where here, but so were a whole wack of people that I didn't even know.

This blog has definitely given me an outlet to vent... mostly about French in the past year - it has been quite the ride, but thankfully your comments and words of encouragement got me through the rough times. In the last year I have also tended to rant about PC, and some of the things he does or does not do, which has created some discussion in my own marriage (is a blog really grounds for divorce?), and in general, this blog has allowed me to share some of the ups and down in my everyday life - mostly allowing me to journal the good, the bad, and the ugly!

I am not sure what keeps you (my faithful reader) coming back for more, but I know you are what keeps me writing. I really enjoy writing, and knowing that I have a small, but growing audience, makes me want to keep writing, keep story-telling, keep dishing out the so-called gossip of my life. I often feel bad when I can't get a post in everyday... I lie awake thinking to myself that I must post something before I start losing my peeps! It's like having a second job sometimes, the only difference being that I don't mind putting in overtime as I know that its always appreciated.

I am not sure if your here for the first time, or if you or if have visited this site since day one... but I would just like to tell you THANK YOU - thank you for reading... you really make it worth while, and I know someday my children (if I ever have any) will thank you too.

Keep visiting and if you feel like dropping me a comment... do that too!

Cheers to: YEAR NUMBER TWO... FROM THE DESK OF SARA!

Finally... I won!

All my faithful readers will be happy to know that tonight, FINALLY, I won a free coffee on Roooooooooooooll Up the Rim to Win. Of course it wasn't an easy win, I had to drive all the way to Maxville to get it - but really, who cares, I finally won.

Tomorrow, I plan to stroll into Tim's at the Rideau Centre and surprise the staff when I present my chewed and torn cup that says I won. I know they won't believe it because as I mentioned in a previous post, they strategically plan out the order of winning cups at that location, and they always ensure that I never get a winner. But... finally the losing streak is over. Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of a winning streak.... can I go 2 for 200 starting tomorrow?

Stay tuned!

Busy Weekend

It was a full weekend of activites... and good news for the readers, I brought my camera along to each event, so instead of coming up with a long drawn out post describing each event, I can just post the photos - and be off to bed in no time! So... here we go!

FRIDAY NIGHT

My lovely colleague/friend Sonia, hosted a group of ladies and their significant (or in my case) not-so signifcant others at her and her husband's place for drinks and dinner. PC of course had hockey.... so he was unable to make it (my back-up husband was out of town, and my back-up's back-up was also unavailable -- kidding!), so I was flying solo.

It was a fantastic night, four years ago, I don't think I would have had dinner with any one of my colleagues outside of work, but it just goes to show you the friendships that have been made over the years, and the depth of hiring in the Public Affairs Branch at CRA. Needless to say, everyone had a great time, Sonia (and Tony) did a great job on dinner... I think we all left her place saying 'geez, we should do that way more often' - so hopefully we will as it was A LOT of fun.

L to R: Lisa, Rebecca (up top), Sonia, Jae, Me, Dal (prego).

SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT

My old roomies from 130-O rolled into town this weekend to celebrate a few events: KL's 27th b-day, Erin & Barry's engagement, and Clapper & Drew's almost final sale on a house! Since it was St. Patty's day, it was just like us to go all out with the shirts, the accesories, and the bad bad drinking games. These weekends are usually few and far between, because afterwards, I think a 4-month recovery period is necessary.

We started drinking mid-afternoon, and by 7:30 or 8, I think the girls and I were definitely feeling the affects of the alcohol. After numerous rounds of a game we call 'Canada Cup', we headed out to the bar, and the boys joined us after being at the Sens game. We manage to rip up the dance floor a few times, hit up Elgin Street Diner for some poutine and chocolate milk (don't ask), and by 1:30 am we had dragged ourselves back to Clapper's apartment and called it a night.

L to R: Me, Air, Clapper, Bee, Baby, KL

SUNDAY

I was hungover, but rarin' to go to a baby shower!!! Dalerie (not Valerie), with whom I have worked with for a little over three years, is having a baby at the end of May, and today was her day. The girls from work and I headed out to Orléan's and watched the expecting Mommy get A LOT of baby gifts. She already knows she's having a girl, so she got lots of really cute little girl outfits and just CUTE baby stuff in general. I personally enjoyed the food, since I knew I would be too tired to cook dinner. Overall, it was a fun, filling, fantastic afternoon!!!

That was basically the weekend.... as I said it was very busy, and I am very tired... not looking forward to Monday as I know I will be dragging my ass the entire day, but... this is the life of a workin' girl (being back to reality is soooo hard)!!

Strike Two Timmy's!

Its no secret that I am little bitter towards Tim Horton's lately as I have been repeatedly denied a winning roll-up the rim to win (RUTRTW) cup. To make matters worse, one of my beautiful collegues comes strolling by my office yesterday to annouce she's not only has a winning cup, but she's infact won an ipod.

GIVE IT UP. I can't win won freakin' coffee, but she gets an ipod! How is this fair?

As happy as I was for her, my anger with Tim's has grown again today, due to this morning's latest incident.

I went Tim's determine to play RUTRTW with my large coffee, but hunger struck me in line and I ordered a bagel along with my coffee. I asked for a bagel toasted with butter and cheddar cheese (highly recommended), but something went wrong with the order.

After waiting around for 10 minutes while buddy slices the bagel, talks to his friends, stirs the chilli, etc., I finally get my order and head back to the office. Upon arrival, I tear into the bagel only to find its a warm bagel soaked with butter, cheese not melted.

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

I am not sure what was misunderstood about my order, but I did say TOASTED, not WARMED - how can anyone confuse the two? Was I slurring speech? Did I talk in a low-voice? You start to question yourself, but clearly after replaying the scene in my head, I said loud and proud I wanted the bagel T-O-A-S-T-E-D (like it was an order at Starbucks).

Can you say: furious... ?I took two bites and tossed everything in the garbage in digust.

How hard can it be to toast a bagel? Tim's is all about turning the heat down on their toasters so the bagel moves through the production line faster, but HELLO, your gaining speed at the expense of customer satisfaction.

I think in general I am a little ticked off at my whole morning routine lately, because I now park even closer to my destination than in the past, making it very 'out of my way' to get a coffee in the morning.

When I was on French... I could always justify getting a coffee even if I was late, as I had to pass by not one, but two Tim Horton's. Now... if I want a Timmy's, I have to risk being late and walking over to the mall to get one, as going upstairs just to show upper management I am 'on time', is way too much work for me.

The other thing is that at my old Tim's I had my own peeps... I would come in, and buddy would see me, get my coffee for me AND look for a signal on the bagel. Everytime I took a bagel, it was not just toasted, but well-toasted to perfection. Now I am back going to the Rideau Centre where I have no connections, and they WARM my bagel, not toast it.

I am completely an utterly disappointed in Tim's... tomorrow will be Starbucks day for sure. I am seriously thinking of cutting back on the Tim's to only 2 days a week (I know - you are all in shock, as I am, I didn't think it would come to this). If they can't be trusted to toast my bagel, who knows what they are doing to my coffee - they probably see me in line, and stragically give me the non-winning RUTRTW cup.

I'll teach them... loyal customer # 543781 is reducing her loyality hours... we'll see how they like that!

Lazy Catholic

I am pretty sure the label 'lazy catholic' applies directly to me. I was raised in a catholic family, and was accompanied to church every Sunday for 18 years by my father. However, in my recent freedom years, the catholic church has become less of a constant in my life, hence the reason, I believe I fall into the category 'lazy catholic'.

This morning on Hot 89.9 they reported on story about a web site that had been shut down by the web authorities for offering an online confessional for catholics who couldn't be bothered to go to church, for the so-called lazy catholics of the world.

Geeez, just when the Internet & religion were really starting to get somewhere, they go and x-nay a perfectly useful web site.

Apparantly, according to this article, the web site welcomed visitors with the words:
Welcome to the virtual confessional.

It continued:
Now write down your sins against the Lord God.
(type in sins)

Do you regret your sins? select yes/no
Do you intend to correct them? select yes/no

Now click on next.

We are connecting you with the Lord God, please wait...
Your sins are being transferred, please wait...

Congratulations, your sins have been forgiven.

Seriously, what's so wrong with that? It might actually be theraputic for some like myself. I could enter: I purposely ate the last mini babybel before my husband could. With the click of a button, it would be forgiven. I would leave the computer feeling like I am not such a bad person after all.

Now... I could see the potential for problems if someone entered: I slept with my son's kindergarden teacher and I am now 3 months pregnant but haven't told my husband yet.

Okay... so maybe that's not something totally forgivable via a virtual confession room, but I think the creator (no pun intended) was onto something for us so-called lazy catholics.

However, since the site has been shut-down, I will have to continue living with myself and my babybel sins until I can get to confession in person.

Let's see God... do you have an opening on Christmas eve?

Gimme back my hour.

We are only 4 days into the time change, and already I can firmly say that I want need my hour back.

I know the clock tells me that its 8:38 am right now, but my head and my body are telling me its still only 7:38 am. The alarm went off at 6:10 am, and my body was physically paralyzed, committed to not moving an inch, as my internal clock said its only 5:10 am.

It's been a constant battle lately. The fact that its pitch black outside when the alarm sounds is not helping either. Since Sunday I have had to stumble from the bed to the bathroom in the dark, nearly taking my own life a few times, because PC has decided to drop his pants & belt in my direct route. Since my eyes won't open, I end up tripping over them... barely getting my hand up in the time to stop myself from crashing through the wall (its quite the scene)... imagine starting your day with a near-death experience every morning, it sets a great tone for the rest of the day!

Since I am half asleep all the time, it doesn't give me the best reputation at work either. Yesterday morning the elevator doors opened with me in the process of a huge yawn, mouth wide open (too tired to use my hand to cover it), and three senior managers starring me right in the face - OOOOPS!

The other problem with the time change is that not only is it dark in the morning, its way too light out later in the evening, thus making me think I can stay up later because there is still some daylight. Don't get me wrong, I love the extra light later in the evenings, but this week, its screwing with my mind.

Damn you time-change, damn you. First you short-change me an hour on the clock, then you force me to stay up later, losing another hour... now I am down 2 hours, and I haven't done anything to deserve this.

All week we have been eating dinner at 7:30 or 8, because neither PC or I are hungry when the clock says 6. As a general rule, I usually don't like to eat after 8, but this week I keep telling myself: don't worry about it, it's really only 7.

How long will this go on?

It will be August, and I will be telling myself: your not late for work, its really only 8:30, not 9:30 am - wonder how management will handle that argument?

Is anyone else struggling with the new time system?

CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

God dang it… another season of skating on the Rideau Canal has come and gone, and yet again, I failed miserably at dragging me and my so-called husband out for some hot chocolate and a beavertail on the world’s longest skating rink.

The NCC announced the closure of the canal last night, due to the arrival of the mild temperatures. I knew it was coming (and trust me, I am welcoming the warm weather), but I just thought I would have one more chance to get out on the canal before it actually closed.

Every year skating on the canal is something I want to do, and every year it is something that never happens. I think the last year I was actually on the canal was back in 2003. PC and I went for our first skate together that year (back in the day when we were young and in love), and since then I thought it was something we would do every year. However, it’s been 5 long years, and everything including washing the baseboards and organizing screwdrivers goes ahead of skating on the ol’ priority list.

This year, I had it all planned out - on Valentine’s Day we would go skating and then for a nice dinner. I even had the plan implemented as far as having PC verbally commit to it, and then WRITE it in his day planner (major step). But V-Day turned out to be a wicked cold, stormy day, and to hinder the final phase of implementation, some no-mind person assigned PC a hockey game making all plans shot to HELL (but don’t worry, I am over it, just like I am over the other 4 years my V-Day was ruined by hockey)!

Anyways… not to belabour the point, but every time I have a plan to go skating something comes up… like two weekends ago when the Chuck Brown Golf store decided to go out of business and have its CLOSING sale on the Saturday. It was a nice day and would have been a prime opportunity to hit the canal, except that PC couldn’t miss the sale because everything was 75% OFF. The place opened at 9, PC left the house at 8, returned home at 4, BUT got unbelievable deals – making an afternoon skate near impossible.

This weekend would have been a good time to go too, but the CRA decided to have a small system glitch, which cut into my leisure time, so a final opportunity for some skating was missed.

Needless say, the whole skating season has been a big disappointment to me because we didn’t go. I guess there isn’t much that can be done, except to prepare better for next year and VOW to get out there first thing next winter, even if it is minus 61 with the wind chill!

Who said curling was boring?

Thanks to Mr. Savill... there is now a solid case to prove curling is pretty darn interesting!

Roll Up the Rim to LOSE!

Two weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the Tim Horton's annual Roll Up the Rim to Win contest had started. I mean, I know its every March, but this year in the midst of all the French craziness... I had completely forgot about it.

Each year I really enjoy this little contest... the excitement usually builds with every cup of coffee, and my commitment to Tim's grow stronger with every free donut, muffin, and second cup of coffee.

However... this year, there seems to be some kind of mix-up with the contest, as every cup I buy isn't a winner. I mean, maybe Tim's is a little slow on discovering that they've print way too many losing cups... but I hope they pick up on this soon, and start printing the winners, or else they may have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to accurately rename the contest: ROLL UP THE RIM TO LOSE (with a slim to none chance of winning).

Is a winning cup too much to ask?

After all... on average I probably spend close to $600 a year at this coffee chain (that's my estimate, although PC is convinced its more in the thousands). I believe these losing cups are a major error on the part of customer appreciation. Every losing cup sends a message that says: thanks for buying our coffee but your just not good enough to win.

Lately, I have been becoming more and more attracted to Starbucks. The coffee is triple the price, but at least I can spend $4.00 and not feel disappointed after I finish my coffee. Starbucks is a little out my league with the lingo they use (as I must rehearse my order 4 to 5 times before actually saying it to the coffee agent), not to mention the fact that when I am the only person in line, the coffee agent must yell my order out LOUD and CLEAR to the Barista standing right next him, announcing to everyone in a 500 meter radius that I am drinking a NON-FAT latte - its nobody's business but mine... and why it is necessary to announce it over the P.A. system? (however, this is a whole other post/rant).

What this basically boils down to is that fact that Tim Horton's is creating false hope with Roll Up the Rim to Win. Before the contest started, customers bought a coffee and walked away thinking its was just a cup a coffee, but now with the contest up and running, customers are expecting more then just the perky side-effects.

Mr. Horton & Co. if you are listening, please send three or four consecutive winning cups my way just to shut me up... if not, I may have to officially take out a loan, ditch your double double, and become better acquainted with the competition's over-priced, yet smoother Grande Vanilla Non-fat Latte.

The results are in....

So today's news what just short of what would have made a really great day. I got the results which indicated I am speaking french at the B level.

The goal was to get the C level, but its a B, and I am actually coping rather well with the news.

As I said in the past... a strong B is good grounds to tell management that I was pulled from language training just shy of the initial goal... and with a little support, the last leg of the race can be accomplished.

I am not sure what the next steps are... I do know that I have given it my best effort, and I will continue to work diligently to uphold this strong B level. I know the C level isn't far off, and hopefully I can muster up the courage to get back on the horse, and ride again - should the training opportunity present itself in the near future.

I would really like to thank all my readers for their support... you really have no idea how much your comments, emails, and phone calls meant to my success! Thank-you!

I hope to move on from this little hurdle... and get back to some lovely rants on issues other then French training!

Hang in there folks, I have a few posts brewing that are long over-due!
As always... stay tuned!

She's back!

That's right folks, I am back in action in government communications - and surprisingly in a pretty decent mood about the whole thing.

Today... felt a bit like the first day back to school after a long summer vacation. It was like going back into an old environment where everything felt new again (kind of an exciting feeling)!

PC was making fun of me last night because I layed out my clothes for today... only because around 9:30 last night I had a little panic attack when I realized I hadn't tried on any of my work clothes in 14 months. So... I began rooting through the closet... and when I found a pair of pants that fit me, I layed them on the bed so they would be ready for this morning! But apparently, according to PC it was something a kid would do in preparation for the first day of school - okay... point taken.

Today ended up being the quickest day of my entire career... from start to finish, the day flew by. I had visitors all morning and afternoon... which basically meant no time to do much, although I did manage to unpack a few boxes, and throw out a bunch of old documents that I no longer thought were important (I think its funny how I kept a lot of files thinking they would come in handy in the future, but today, upon reflection I couldn't remember one thing about any of them... obviously they weren't that important).

The weird part about being back was that there were a lot of new faces... many who didn't recognize me. I am sure half of think I am new, and I hate being the new girl! After about the fourth strange look, I considered making a t-shirt for myself stating:

I SURVIVED LANGUAGE TRAINING

(14 loooooooooong months)

I AM NOT NEW

I am sure in time they will come to realize that I am the one, the only, the famous Sara Coleman: bitter by day, better by night! Happy to serve those who appreciate my work, not so happy to be questioned about every decision I make! (However, I should probably leave out those details, and see if they come to their own conclusions).

Moving on... once I got past the strange looks, then came the friendly visitors, hugs, smiles, and familiar laughter.... if only every day at the CRA could be this pleasant and carefree!

An interesting part to the day was the fact that I got strategic visits from DG's, directors, managers, and colleagues, all offering warm words of re-welcome, but at the same time testing my french skills. I think half of them were probably wondering if I could really parle en français after 14 months of language training... which I actually managed to do well for a Monday! I also liked the fact that I got to use my french at work.... the fear that always exists for us survivors of language training program is that after this major hurdle, you will lose all your skills if you don't use them, AND I am not about to let that happen! I am hoping this French treatment continues.... its the best medicine for my particular situation.

The positives about being back are that I am actually excited to get some work going, get back to my clients, and get fired up about the world of government communications. I hope this attitude lasts, however, I am still waiting for the bombshell results of my oral interview - so that could definitely have serious effects to this honeymoon stage.

But for now, I am going to enjoy the champagne and strawberries, and let the good times roll!

Rockin out in T. Bay!

In all of the stress and confusion of the last few weeks, I did not have time to blog about a recent trip I took to Thunder Bay to visit my best-friend Kristy!

She's been up there for a year now, and I finally took the plunge and decided to check out the place she calls home. It was well worth the trip, I was really impressed with everything Thunder Bay has to offer its tax-paying citizens. I had been there about 6 years ago, and since then it has really grown! It a great little northern town!

Minus the kre-fufful (if that's a word) with the flight from T.O to T-Bay... we had a great great GREAT weekend. It was just a relaxing girls weekend... we did some shopping, got pedicures, drank a lot of Starbucks, chilled out with some movies, ate sushi, drank wine & paralizers, and inhaled some junk food - just the kind of a therapy we both needed.

I spent a good amount of time laughing while I was there.... we talked about a ton of things, old memories, current relationships, and even a few things we never knew about one another... like the fact that Kristy used to be a Barista at Second Cup four years ago in Ottawa - I was floored! I mean seriously, we have been best friends since Grade 9, and I never knew she worked at Second Cup ... ever. I am still having a hard time believing this... I might even go as far as to check out her T4's on Monday.... just see if she was claiming that income!

Anyways... to sum up the trip, it was FANTASTIC. I found Thunder Bay to be quite beautiful in the winter... and Kristy's hospitality was second to none! Before I left she took me to the Terry Fox look-out where I was able to see the famous sleeping giant... it was quite impressive, I must say!

Here are a few pictures of the view from the look-out, and a couple others of Kristy and her house!

Enjoy.

Winds of Change

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

There its out. Its done. Its over.

I can breathe again.

The drive into Ottawa was actually not too bad... SLOW, but I got to school in plenty of time to have some light conversation with my teacher and a classmate. We ended up talking about how unnatural is to talk at the government C level. To pass the interview they want you to have well-structured responses for simple conversations. My example this morning went something like this:

In order to cross the street successfully, its necessary that you look both ways before approaching an intersection. Given that traffic is heavy in downtown Ottawa, I would suggest keeping in mind three main things during this process. First, you need to verify that the crossing light says walk. Then, you should assure yourself that all cars have come to a complete stop before crossing. Finally, in order to complete this process, you must be cautious of other pestridans who may also be crossing at the same intersection. Therefore, the reason for which we cross the street is to get to the other side.

I know, it sounds extra stupid in english... but it is bascially what they want to hear in a French interview. Of course the questions are more about your work, but simply undestanding the question and giving a response is not enough, it must be complex, and well-structured or you might as well not even show up.

Of course, this complex sentence structure was on my mind all night... and so this morning I was a little tense at school, but the teacher seemed to get me speaking and feeling more comfortable with my second langauge by about 10 AM.

At 10:30, I wrapped it up and headed over to the examination centre. I was suprisingly calm during the wait period... and then out of nowhere, some super tall skinney French dude calls my name in a very deep voice: Sa-ra-Cole-man.

It was judgement time.... but surprisingly the guy was easy to understand and he gave the odd smile of encouragement. When I entered his office, everything was purple, so I cracked a little joke saying: votre bureau est violet, c'est rare! To which he immediately laughed and told me its wasn't his first choice.

Okay... so we were off to a good start. However, its hard to really feel good about the interview, because I know at times I must have screwed up, but gerenally speaking, I never felt blind-sided by any of the questions, and I was able to use a lot of the key words and sentence structures my teacher and I have been practising.

Its definitely up in the air... it could go either way. If I didn't get my C level, I definitely got a strong B, which will further add to the argument that with a just a few more weeks of training, I could be at my final goal (if your listening management)!

When I arrived home this afternoon I was so exhausted.... the feeling of having finished 14 months of training was a little overwhelming. But one thing is for sure, I will not miss the sleepless nights, the bitchiness, the moodiness, the crying episodes, and the days of feeling sorry for myself... hopefully these things are over too. I am pretty sure the next month with be the final leg of the emotional rollercoaster - back to work, back to reality, and dealing with the highs and lows of searching for a fresh start.

I know I am happy to be making these changes, and I can guarantee that PC is doing his own little happy dance too... but we will see who laughs last by the end of the week because I've been too busy to notice the crumbs he has been leaving on the coffee table, the shoes he doesn't put in the closest, and the coats he's been hanging on the banister.

Oh yes... life in Embrun is about to change too.
Should be interesting.... stay tuned!

No one said it would be easy!

I awoke at 5:51 am to the sound of ice pellets hitting the window.... and thought to myself, if I want to accomplish something today I am going to have to fight to do it. However, the good sign was that when I turned on the radio in the shower Beyonce was singing her little heart out: I'm a survivor, I'm not gonne give up... I am survivor keep on survivin' - fitting don't you think?

So.... I am almost done getting ready, and hoping that I can at least make it into Ottawa to give myself a chance... I am sure the drive won't be nerve-racking, drivers will be attentive, and everything will go smoothly... its just another day - YA RIGHT.

Wish me luck as I think there is an adventure instore for me today!

If I make it back all in one piece, I will update tonight.
10-4!

Pay it forward!

This post is a shout out to the one generous teacher at my French school (Interlangues) who offered to work with me one-on-one today, without receiving any pay for her efforts.

I have to say, this morning has been by far the most rewarding 4 hours of French training. Seriously... we hammered through some tough questions this morning, and I was super impressed with my capacity to parle français ce matin!

This is really all thanks to this little gesture that one person made... I know that no matter what the results are tomorrow, she has definitely contributed to my success and confidence going into this mother of an interview and because of this I feel the need to somehow pay it forward.

I will be forever grateful for her help.... the world really needs more of these people, and I hope that in the future I will be able to do the same for someone in need: offer to help in a difficult situation even though there isn't really anything in it for me.

MERCI BEAUCOUP CATHERINE D. - YOU ROCK!!!!

Ahhh.... its nice to feel some good energy!
One day to go.... so I am gonna keep on truckin!!!