New adventures in old shopping

On Friday afternoon Amara mentioned she was going to check out a rummage sale at the little Anglican church in our neighbourhood. It sounded like a good idea to go at the time but once I got home I was settling my exhausted self in quite nicely and feeling not so eager to move again. But with a little push from my mom, I decided to go check it out. What an experience.

The sale started at five, I got there around ten after and already the cars were lined up. I got inside and was quickly pushed into the conga line of people making their way around the tables. Three banquet tables were piled with clothes which I was not interested in pilfering through, but I did do a fair bit of browsing at the kitchen supplies table along the back.

My first snag was four medium size glasses which I thought would match the set of brand new glasses I had picked up in the summer. Beside those were these short round glasses that didn't seem appropriate for holding any kind of drink, but looked like they would make great tea light candle holders. I grabbed four at 25 cents a piece.

Next I spotted black salt and pepper shakers. I have a black wooden table so I figured they would look perfect. Each shaker had a $0.25 label on it--who would buy one without the other?

At this point my hands were getting full. I looked around and saw that some people had boxes or baskets to carry their stuff. Where did they get these things? Did I miss picking one up on the way in? There must be a secret to doing these sales.

Then I saw a blue roaster, just like my mom's. It had ambition written all over it for only four dollars. I just might cook my family Thanksgiving dinner this year. It also fit all my loot quite nicely.

Lastly, I saw a little Pyrex dish and lid that looked the right size for doing one portion of whatever. It was an easy pick for three dollars. The last thing I grabbed was a little red jar shaped like a strawberry with a gold lid that looked like the leaf and stem. It had a little opening where the handle of a tiny gold spoon stuck out. I thought it would look cute as a sugar dish.

In total I spent $15.00. I want to go again; I can't wait for garage sale season!

This morning I was out with my mom and although it was hard to resist the new spring fashions I did it--but I bought house stuff instead. I got a blender and a nifty travel cup attachment so I can make and take blended beverages. Mmmm, liquid breakfast...

When I got home I decided to play house and I set up a place setting on my table's Lazy Susan (the table is still in storage at Grandma's)

Can you spot the bargain?

All this but still waiting on the canoe

I got a bunch of mail today for House stuff. I keep getting happy about the oddest parts. For instance, I am very excited about the laundry sink in the House because I've never had access to a real laundry sink before. Then, today I got excited when I realized I would have a new postal code--R3J 1Y8 (Yay, there's a J in it!). I think this is my way of slowly, very slowly, taking it all in.

I was feeling pretty proud of myself this week as I stopped to reflect on things. I am just over 25 and I can say that I paid my way through school, got a job, bought Truck and now the House all on my very own. Then I started thinking, "boys? Who needs 'em? I have assembled my kingdom just fine by myself, thank you." Hah. Then I got the numbers for my monthly mortgage payments and started adding on estimated costs of utilities and such. If I ever want to see a new pair of shoes adorn my feet again, I had better find a guy who wants to buy into a piece of all this. Well, that and I still need a canoeing partner (I'm too scared to try kayaking). Sigh. It's still Job-->Truck-->Man-->Canoe.

For Sale:
Fun loving cute girl. 25 years old. Low maintenance and high efficiency! Comes with sporty new Truck and well located home. Too many amenities to list here! Must see. Phone for appointments M-F after 4pm, Sat/Sun starting at 10am. This could be the one!

A special jillstory event

I broke down and did a little shopping this weekend. I got two pairs of shoes, a dress, and oh yeah, a cute house.

Last week I found a little two bedroom bungalow that looked interesting. Even my dad seemed genuinely excited about it. We viewed it once on Thursday and then went back to the open house on Sunday. Offers were that evening at 8:00. I had a hard time deciding what to offer. At 4:00 they already had four so we knew it was going to be tough. I wrote the offer for $15,000 over asking. This time it felt a bit scary because I knew it might actually get accepted. I got the call from my agent at 8:30 and she told me the good news. Even though two other offers came in quite a bit higher than mine, they had conditions of financing written on them. My offer was clean so they picked me!

My family and I toasted the news with red wine and then I got on the phone to call friends and relatives. I guess I sounded funny with my news because I wasn't excited at that point, still mostly in shock. Nevertheless, everyone was happy for me and now I can't wait to have them over.

I will be waiting for a while though. Possession isn't until July 3rd as the couple moving out has not found a place to move into yet. This gives me time to amass more stuff and sock away a few more pay cheques so I don't mind.

My dad was kind of quiet last night. I know he gave me some grief during the search but his opinion meant a lot to me. I know he felt really bad when that first house didn't work out and I think he thought I blamed him (that house never did sell, by the way, so it was probably a good thing I didn't keep it. ). This house has two issues: the electrical panel is old screw in fuses and needs to be updated, and there is no dining room or kitchen space for my table. Dad reminded me of this before I wrote. I know he just wanted to make sure I wasn't settling but I also think he's realizing he's going to miss me. I see him every morning before he goes to work. Sometimes I'm up and eating breakfast, sometimes he's checking on me to make sure I'm awake. It's about 10 minutes of my life but I'll miss that, a lot. July 3rd is going to come pretty fast.

Water water everywhere so let's all have a drink

I rarely check my hotmail account anymore. It's pretty much a junk mail collector now because anything or anyone important goes to my Gmail account. Every time I sign into MSN I am reminded that I have 20-some-odd unread messages and I continue to ignore the warning until I start to fear large barbaric men with clubs will come and beat me if I don't go take a look.

Yesterday was one of those days when I gave in and as per usual it was mostly e-flyers and other crap I send right to the trash. There was one exception though in a message from Starbucks asking me to join in on supporting World Water Day 2007. Starbucks and Ethos Water are teaming up to organize a Virtual Walk for Water in honour of World Water Day on March 22.

More than one billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water. You can help raise awareness of this crisis by joining Starbucks and Ethos in a virtual Walk for Water.

Go to worldwaterday.net to register or to sign up for a virtual Walk for Water.

I had no idea there was a World Water day, but I know I'm not the only one. Worldwaterday.net says,

In many ways though, World Water Day is still a relatively unknown event. Even with the support of the UN and efforts by leading non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and committed individuals, World Water Day is today at a similar stage as Earth Day was in the early 1970’s – important but relatively unknown.

To get involved you can sign up for a walk in select North American cities (Canadian cities include Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto) or you can join the virtual walk which means your name will be included in a symbolic water jug to be carried by a participant in one of the local Walk for Water events.

I've never identified passionately with a cause or thought of myself as any kind of activist. I've been reading and learning some things lately that make me want to get involved in something but I haven't decided what. Surely there's a Save the Penguins group that I can join somewhere ;)

Where the words come from

I find inspiration for writing everywhere. Life is so full of interesting coincidences and quirky people. Here are two characters I saw this week.

I read a new post on the blog you never can tell with bees today. You may recall this is the blog of a teacher in Mississippi who struggles to capture the imagination of his students. Yesterday he started a list of reasons why his kids struggle to focus on school. The kinds of things his kids have to deal with were never a part of my reality as a high school kid. He ended his post with the conclusion, "the list goes on, and I continue to be amazed that they show up at all. It's hard to look too far ahead."

He has another blog where he talks about his garden. Together, his two blogs create the most striking and interesting piece of contrast. At the end of a recent post on his garden he wrote:

I've got to get some more seeds - hopefully I can plant some lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, broccoli, carrots, maybe peppers... The possibilities are, of course, endless.

Someone could write a book, or at least a great short story on this guy.

I also recently discovered an incredibly endearing character at work. His name is Pablo. I'd leave him nameless except his name is so much a part of what makes him a character. Pablo has a cloud of curly brown hair--perhaps the first thing I noticed because I seem to always pick up on hair first and I love curls. He's maybe a bit short and roundish. He wears round wire-frame glasses and is soft spoken with an accent I haven't placed yet. The other day he wore a bright yellow button down shirt, red tie, and black pants. His pants are always a little bit too short so when he walks his white socks peak out. I'm not sure what his story would be. I'm not certain of his personality yet.

A while ago I had a bus driver who looked like the crazy Mexican drug lord on Nip/Tuck. I imagined that he was fed up with the -30 degree temps and cursing whatever situation it was that sent him to this frozen place. Everyday I wondered if it was the morning he'd veer off route and make a run for the border. Scratch that. Everyday I hoped it was the morning he'd veer off route and make a run for the border.

And then there's me. What will my story be? I hope I get to be the hero.

Pandora's box

On Friday I set things up so I can do encrypted posts (thanks for the coaching, Vince). I can now hide part or all of a post from public viewing and make it accessible only by a key. This is supposed to mean that I can blog without reserve because I can encrypt anything I want to keep private or only allow certain eyes to see. I'm not sure how I will use this feature. To begin with, I don't have a lot of secrets; I'm pretty open and honest on my blog. My other concern is that I don't want any of my readers to get miffed because I'm hiding something from them (it always goes back to the audience). Anyway, I have the tool now, I'm interested to see how I end up using it. I've decided to give it a whirl today. You can ask me for the key if you were at Rob's on Saturday night.

Show encrypted text

My horoscope today

Wish I had read this earlier, it's almost noon already and getting late to pick up on celestial advice.

Sagittarius
Today will be a busy and successful day, indeed. Try to find what you are looking for through internet searches and phone conversations. Use your writing abilities to get yourself ahead in your personal and professional life.

Wait a minute, this is what I do everyday.

A song for Rob

I've had the same song stuck in my head for the last four days. FOUR DAYS! What's up with that? I blame Rob. He put it there, sort of. He quoted some of the lyrics the other day and I recognized them immediately.

As annoying as it is to have a song stuck on repeat in your head, I know it's there because I won't let go of it. I like the song. It reminds me of good times. It reminds me of good people. So while I would really like to shake it out of my mind's ear now, I have a feeling that it's me who isn't letting it go. I've tried listening to other songs; I've tried getting them stuck in my head as a replacement but I just keep coming back to this one.

Why is it so hard for us to say,"I like you, but it's time for me to move on and forget about you. If I happen upon you again I will smile and enjoy you for the moment and then I will carry on. Having you in my head all the time just isn't right." Why is it so hard for us to change our tune?

Step out the front door like a ghost into the fog
Where no one notices the contrast of white on white
And in between the moon and you the angels get a better view
Of the crumbling difference between wrong and right
--Counting Crows, Round Here

No surprise there

And because I didn't want to leave my blog on two serious posts in a row...

The bus I caught on the way home yesterday was one of the newer models with the seats that flip up to make room for wheelchairs. When I got on, the bench along the side was up but no strollers or wheelchairs taking the space. I found a seat okay but by the next stop things were starting to fill up. I watched as people looked at the bench and then walked past it, presumably because they didn't know how to put the seat down and didn't want to look foolish trying to figure it out. One girl tried pulling on it and then, upon spotting a yellow knob at the side, tried pushing it to see if that was the trick. Without any signage or instructions it seemed to be anyone's best guess but the seat would not budge and she gave up.

At Polo Park a few more people got on and made their way towards the back. The last guy to get on decided he would attempt to open the seat. I watched him take about a second to assess the situation, find the yellow knob, pull on it and then voila, the seat unlocked and he pulled it down. He sat and rested his backpack on his lap and I spotted the telling piece of shiny metal on his right hand.

He was an engineer. It was all I could do to not laugh, shake my head and go, "of course".

You never can tell with bees/A conversation I should have more often

I did a double-take when I saw you. It always happens, just when I think I'll never hear from you again, there you are. Every time I'm ready to forget, you're ready to remember.

I was dumbstruck. I didn't know what to say. We're in two totally different worlds and you don't seem too crazy about mine. What could I say that wouldn't sound dumb and trivial? I said I was worried I sounded naive but you quickly assured me I didn't. I suppose if you were looking to talk to someone about your world you wouldn't have interrupted mine.

I'm sorry I didn't say more and at the same time I wish I had said less. I didn't know if I should attempt to be funny or serious, encouraging or in awe, newsy or inquisitive. Even if I had a second chance I don't know what I would do with it. Maybe if I had listened to you instead of worrying about myself I would have figured it out.

I hope I was okay company for a while. Truthfully, your interruption was welcomed and ironically timed. I guess I missed you.

Take care. Keep in touch.

a ghost story

I went to see Zodiac tonight with Amara and Christian. I didn't really know anything about the movie except that Robert Downey Jr. was in it, who I have loved since I first saw him on Ally McBeal.

The movie starts with scenes from The Fourth of July fireworks in San Francisco and I suddenly find myself sitting in front of a ghost. Again.

When I was a kid I was a devoted fan of the show Unsolved Mysteries. The ghost stories were my favourite. I also read a lot about ghosts for a while. I am almost sad to say that I haven't had any experience with the paranormal (I thought I did once, but it was only my imagination after all--boo). I am however, haunted on a regular basis.

Zodiac is based on a true story about the investigators and reporters searching for a serial killer in the San Francisco area. It's a captivating case for the characters who cannot let go of the mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed watching in suspense as they chased leads and theories while trying to put the pieces together and make sense of it all. If you have ever been on a desperate quest for answers you will be able to relate to the situation on some level. I guess if I think of my life as a series of events that eventually lead to my death, then I am a driven investigator trying to figure out how things end.

I believe I am haunted by my own memories and I am not the only one who feels this way. The thing is, the ghosts in our minds haunt us because we won't release them. I personally keep mine in a collection of journals. The only way I can get through my day is by exorcising my demons onto paper. I don't let go of them completely, but at least I can get them out of my head so I can function with some normalcy. All it takes is a song, a name, a place, an image and the ghosts come out of the shadows again. It's not always disturbing though. There are such things as friendly ghosts too.

I suppose the odds are that I am somebody's ghost. Maybe I pop up at the oddest time, maybe I come to mind from time to time when something triggers a memory.

ajillstory is the story of my life. I have this thing about living my life like it's a must read novel. One day, this will all be aghoststory about a person named Jill. Until then, it is up to me to do what I can to make it legendary.

And you know I will ;)

Birthday, Drinks, Guys with hair, Sleepy Jill

Rob picks me up. It's about -7/-14 with the windchill and I am wearing my cropped denim pants and black ballet flats. A little cool. I remember when we were 18/19 going to the bar, standing outside in line with our jackets left in the car because we didn't want to put them in coat-check (hated the smell of cigarettes on our clothes). When you're young you just don't feel the cold I guess.

We head to pick up the married couple. I was in her bridal party, signed the register for her as a wittiness, but don't really talk to her anymore. I guess I was just a body for a baby blue dress. Weird how things change.

Arrive at Dylan O'Connor's on Pembina just before nine. Birthday girl and her entourage were supposed to meet us there around 9:30. Not long after we sat down some guy comes around collecting $10 for the privilege to watch the fight. I don't know anything about fights and I don't really care to become a fan but it was her birthday after all, and she would be arriving soon.

Lisa arrives after nine, which helps me lose my tough skin and relax a little. We try to amuse ourselves by picking winners of the fights based on telling factors such as colour of shorts and level of scariness in appearance. I think we had a 66% rate of accuracy. People cheered and applauded when one guy sat on the other. What a bizarre sport. I wonder to myself how much it hurts when they get punched in the head. I have no concept of this kind of pain.

At 10:40 the last fight has just begun and the birthday girl has called to say she won't be meeting us at Dylan's but has opted for The Tavern across the street instead. I was feeling cold and tired already but went along with the gang.

Tavern is much more happening. Birthday girl greets us all with hugs and smiles and I instantly forgive her for the mediocre night I was having. We line up some shots, the music hits me, and when I look around I see way fewer baseball caps and jeans (my biggest turn off). Good times.

"You should have come to Fargo with me last weekend, Jill," Birthday girl tells me. "You were right about the guys down there." I nod and find the shot on my camera of me and my favourite local. My treasured moment of anonymity. "That's what I'm talking about," Birthday girl says. I promise her next time I'm there.

Lisa and I talk about going to New York, the girls play with my hair. "It's so soft!" Birthday girl gushes. I don't even use conditioner.

A Saturday night that starts off rocky and ends on a smile. We should do this again sometime.