Roses and Thorns April 11 - 17

Rose
This week my spirits have been much better than they've been in a while. Not that I've been depressed per se, but I have been suffering from a bit of boredom blues. I think that healthy dose of Vitamin D was the kick in the buns I needed to start getting outta my funk. Having Jim around a little more often has helped too.

For the last two months, I've found myself sleeping in far too much -- which then makes me feel like crap for wasting the better part of my morning. Unfortunately, sleeping in is very easy to do when you're alone all day with no obligations, no routine, a limited social life, and the weather sucks. But after spending those few days in the sunshine, I felt like I had a boost of energy, and was motivated to start making some changes. I began getting more exercise, I poured myself into projects, I caught up with a few old friends whom I haven't spoken to in a while (it's been a year since I chatted with one of 'em!), and I've also started putting myself out there by making plans to hook up with some of the new friends I've made. It has really made a difference. I feel good. Very good, actually. Thank goodness! I was getting sick of myself. :P

Thorn
A few years ago, licensing restrictions took away Pandora internet radio from Canadians. I loved, loved, loved Pandora, so that totally bummed me out. Now those same or similar restrictions have finally caught up with Playlist! Le sigh. :( I guess if I want to discover new music, I can always go to TheSixtyOne. Since artists upload their own music to that site, I doubt those kinds of licensing issues apply.

Rose
I meant to write this rose last week... but you may remember me saying a couple weeks ago that I found a copy of Hedwig and the Angry Inch for only $10, but couldn't decide if I should give it to a friend for her b-day or keep it for myself. Well, shortly after that post, I went back to HMV and found another copy, but it was priced at $20. I told the sales associate that I had bought the same DVD only a couple days earlier for half price, and asked if the price could be adjusted. They did a little finagling on their computer and kindly honoured the same deal. Hooray for bartering!

Thorn
For our Saturday night dinner out, Jim n' I went to Me & Julio's -- again! It's become our new favourite restaurant, as we both love Mexican food, I like how they offer plenty of veggie options, they have a groovy ambiance, and the location is super convenient.

So then why is this a thorn, you ask? Because we learned that they're closing at the end of the month!! Boo! :( Apparently one partner wants out, and the other can't do it on their own. They fought to keep it open for the last year, but haven't found anyone willing to make the investment. Someone else has purchased the location, but no one is sure what they're going to put in there yet. I'll say it again - Boo! :(

Rose
In my attempt to be more productive this week, I've made it about 1/3 of the way through my new screenplay, The Devil's Wife (that's just a working title :P). The writing occasionally lingers on the embarrassingly cliché, but I'm not showing it to anyone at this point, so it's okay to write sucky. Even though I know I should resist temptation and just keep ploughing ahead, I have gone back and deleted entire scenes a couple times. There are a few other scenes that I know can be shortened or combined, but I'm really trying to hold off on correcting those issues until my second draft. I want to stick to my goal of finishing my first crap draft by my birthday next month. I don't know if I'll do it, but I'm definitely gonna try!

Jim keeps asking me why I don't write a detailed outline like we did with DE, but I think spreadsheets are more a Jim thing. I agree that they were definitely helpful for a puzzle-like story such as DE, but since TDW is more of a quirky romantic comedy, it's a pretty straightforward formula. I enjoy the freedom of having an idea, and then writing to see where it goes. So far whenever I finish a scene, the next one naturally reveals itself to me. In that way this new process has been a lot of fun. It's great to finally extract all these vague ideas from my brain, and flesh 'em out on the page. I love feeling productive again!

Thorn

The hole in our wall. We haven't heard anything back yet about if they're gonna cut a bigger one to replace all the pipes or what...? Kinda annoying. In the meantime, I picked up a couple paint swatches. I'm thinking of trying a light chartreuse/lime. It's bright and energetic, opposed to the dark mushroom brown that's in the kitchen right now. Plus, it'll nicely match my teapot, budda noodle bowl and cutting board - all of which sit out in the open. (Hey, I just noticed it'll also match my swiffer! :P) I'm actually dying to paint every room in our place, but since I don't know how long we'll be living here, it's probably not worth it. I may tackle the bathroom though... That hospital blue has got to go!

Rose
I realize that I should be watching my pennies and not indulging in frivolous splurges, BUT the other day there was a Groupon offer I could not resist. (Actually, I resisted it for a good day n' a half, but knowing that I would totally regret it, I rationalized that it could be an early birthday present to myself...) The deal was 50% off a three-hour whale watching tour. I've always, always, always wanted to go whale watching. I guess you could say that orcas are kinda like my totem animal. Even though I've never seen one in real life, they quite often make appearances in my dreams. Apparently on the tour there's also a chance to see sea lions, otters and dolphins!!! Weeeeee! I bought tickets for both Jim n' I and am SO excited! Now we just gotta get our butts over to Victoria before they expire in October.