sold

i put my rather shaky signature on a very official document last night at approximately 7.25 pm, thus finalizing the sale of my house. more to come.

treading, not flailing

biggest thing, i guess, is that i just might have sold the house. "promise to purchase" has been signed. the only thing standing between me and a sale is the dreaded inspection. if they (the "purchasor") happen to bring an inspector who raises one too many flags about the structural integrity of the car port, for example, i might be out of a deal. collective finger crossing, if you please.

strange to be hopeful about something about which i feel rather indifferent. fear of what's next is probably diminishing whatever excitement might have come from getting a decent offer after being listed for only 6 weeks. i have no idea where i'm going, what i'm doing, or even why. and the possession date of july 15th means i could very well be homeless in a month and a half, though alain - my agent - keeps insisting in his goofy jovial way that "there's no frickin' way" he won't find me something in due time. he's 24 and frequently quotes eric cartman - i'm not exactly bowing to his buddha.

the fafia event on the hill went just fine and dandy - we had a hot and sweaty room of parliamentarians listen captively to too much speechifying. some surprise attendees included the adorable peter milliken, bill graham (so much more gay in person) and stockwell day himself. the neat part about it was being just feet from the House during a particularly contentious day. our event began mere moments before jack delivered his speech on the mission in afghanistan. the debate was going on while various members deeked into our event for wine and feminism. i still can't believe it came down to four measly votes. what a day.

next week's ywca event has kept me on my toes this week - many writes and re-writes and heated discussions about targeting legislators and the word lethality. and there was another murder in gatineau (4th in one year) - this time a double murder suicide. he did it with kitchen utensils. unbelievable. that much of my work lately is on VAW makes these stories especially acute. it's sickening. i'm so lucky to get to work on these issues. but i'm not, too. such gruesome stuff, really. and the anger can be overwhelming.

at this rate, there's hardly time for panic attacks about big legal transactions. woo hoo. am sure to be suitably distracted on saturday when i attempt to endure 2 weddings, 2 receptions, 1 performance, and likely, a meltdown. it's supposed to be 24 degrees that day -- great news if you're photo-shooting in the park with your wedding party -- less great if you're a naturally warm gal shuttling around the capital in uncomfortable shoes. i've already made a morning date with claude's dextrous ex so he can pin this mass of thick hair up onto what will surely become an achey head. off the neck, dammit, off the neck.

old sensation

felt like i damn near broke my back today, prepping the house for another visit from another potental (ie: non) buyer instead of doing actual work-work that i suppose i shall never feel caught up on. took more sweat than usual to wipe-n-mop on account on the thick layer of pollen that had taken over every surface in the home. serves me right for flinging open all the windows during the few glorious days of spring we had earlier in the week before the hurricane moved in.

respite from the driving rain last night in scotiabank place (formerly the corel centre) - took the gay posse to see jd fortune's ottawa debut with inxs. however impressed i had been that a brazen sexy cape bretoner beat out the other vocalists to get the gig was, admittedly, dampened by his over-milking of the canadian-ness - expected, but irritating nonetheless. sadly, the Rock Concert just didn't deliver. the staging and lighting were not much more than i'd expect to see at a simple plan show, which i would never go see and so there's my point. i mean, it's inxs! the supergroup who provided the soundtrack to a few key memories; i played kick so many times in my mercury lynx that the cassette actually fell apart! that said, it was pretty good (though let's face it, no one can ever replace michael). thanks again greggy for the tickets that allowed us to crash the allstream box - the open bar far outweighed the concert itself. problem is, after enjoying a concert from a corporate box, it'll be hard to descend ever again to the ranks of those pleb, with their drink-holder lacking seats and over-priced chemical snacks and non-private toilets.

sm's birthday has provided more opps for me to not procrastinate, but rather, continue the effort to strike what i have heard termed a 'work-life balance'. tonight: phase one of the b-day weekend was my homemade lasagne and seeing this production at the gctc. quick review: clever, current, forgivably self-indulgent. particularly loved the last supper as rendered by star wars and wizard of oz action figures. had enough wine afterwards that my feet are right now tingling. only 3 glasses - either i've become a lightweight or the wine was shitty. or both.

he ain't heavy

my brother was in town from friday til yesterday. he spent most of the time holed up in the red room, prepping for what can only be described as the mother of all exams, which he took over the course of two days at this place. we found out late yesterday that he passed. ah, my dear baby brother. i apologize for once trying to kill you with a hot wheels to the eye and that other time when i left you in a freezing oldsmobile in the dead of saskatchewan winter while i went inside to make out with a boy and you didn't know how to start the car. dr. neil, congratulations - you are now officially a radiologist. all i can say is SHOW ME 'DA MONEY.

me, i'm auto-piloting like nobody's business. still don't have a handle on the whole client and time management thing. feels mostly like i'm flying by the seat of my pants. but i dig it. at any given moment when i am working on a task, i am enjoying the work and acing the task. i still have to officially set up my 3-in-1 and i think i will feel extra cool. also, it would be great if people paid my invoice on the day after i submit it.

opened the pool on the weekend. got advice on the ungodly patch of brown grass in my back yard, the one that was born out of an ill-planned attempt to Dry Off the pool cover when we removed it last spring. i can't believe chris got voted off last night. i can't believe how often my floors need sweeping. rehearsed today with the bass player whose combo will be accompanying me at duncan and christina's upcoming wedding - it's only a few jazz standards, but holy moly, it's like coming home for me.

i just made guacamole. i am out of toilet paper. i dropped $200 on clothes today.

house notes

like most politigeeks, i've got QP playing on-line behind my work today. after all, it's budget day. we, like flaherty himself, are gleeful. also today, i came to two major realizations:

1) this is the first time since coming into my political consciousness that a conservative government is in power, however minoritarily. i wonder what this shift in government power will mean to my evolution as an activist/advocate. i contemplate how far i've come in understanding and acting upon what was then a stirring in my gut when mulroney and the free trade debate were all over the show.

2) i have not had a pb&j sandwich pretty much since the last time conservatives ruled the House.

so i paid hommage to one revelation by eating the other.

ok, up-to-the-minute recap: diane finley is sporting some rather indiscreet eyewear these days. tony clement referred (inadvertently, i hope) to the tainted blood scandal as "festering". gawrsh, rona ambrose sure is purdy, however nervously obsessed with the hair on the right side of her head remaining tucked behind the ear. the unknown man with the freakishly large head seated behind her has a big huge crush on her.

and also, bev oda reminds us how badly the House should require parliamentarians to:

a) achieve a certificate for at least the silver level of toastmasters
b) consult and obey carson kressley
c) know something

awaiting the main event ...

ambience indeed

my real estate agent advises that the most appropriate style of music to leave playing for when potential buyers visit the house is new age ambient music. i usually do, with little attention paid to the sounds i leave drifting around this place. i turned to channel 920 on my satellite dish again this morning, in preparation for a visit that has not yet transpired. let me just say this: you have not lived until you have heard christopher cross' sailing as rendered by the pan flute. or, i should say, living is compromised once you have heard it.