(no subject)

[bitchy_merlin]

Greetings fellow denizens of the internet. I come in peace. God, so glad it's Friday today. My boss is away, and I've got nothing better to do with my time than to draft LJ posts and google Dutch cuisine. But whatever looks productive.

 

Status update as of August 12, 2011:

 

I’m leaving for Groningen (located in the province of Groningen, the Kingdom of the Netherlands) on August 28. (Holy. Sheiβe. Sixteen days.) I’m still in the soul-consuming process of figuring out all the forms I need to bring, and whom I need to talk to once I get there (and how to get there, as well). I’ve signed up for ESN Groningen’s mentor program, which means in theory that I will be linked with a Dutch student at the University of Groningen (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, RUG) who will help me through the first few days of my exchange. I say in theory because I have yet to hear from ESN about the mentor program at all. It’s kinda scary. (This will be my first time traveling alone. I don’t even know how I’m going to navigate the Pearson airport, let alone live in another country!)

 

Groningen in summary: at least stressing about the paperwork keeps me from stressing about the exchange itself…

 

In news more immediate, I’ve also got my G road test booked for this coming Monday. BRB FAILING FOREVER. I’m super bummed to find out that if (aka when, cause there’s no way I’m going to pass this thing) my current G2 license expires, I have to pay the $150 and start the whole damn process over again. F.M.L. My G2 expires April 2012, which wouldn’t be a problem, except that oh wait, I’m halfway around the world. :/ Grrrrr…

 

So, lots of driving practice this weekend!

 

I’m also thinking of making bagels again, since I’ve been craving them lately. Hopefully I’ll actually get around to it! (Also completely randomly, I just got back to the office from a bank run with Brad. I feel so important! Or, I would, if I had any actual work to do. As it stands, the bank run was a lovely twenty minute break from typing this post.)

 

Now I need to find a dignified way to slither out* of the dinner date my family’s been invited to next week. I am in a snit about going because it’s the Coles and I think at this point there’s enough messy history between us to build a dam. I always feel really bad about myself when I’m with them (justifiable or my own neuroses, I can’t ever decide), and I just don’t want to deal with that, um, well, ever.

 

(Interlude: Man, I effing love invoice matching. Let’s all just match invoices all the time, forever.)

 

*Right, ok, guys guys guys, I just finished Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, and ksl;tneishwnsldif I really enjoyed it! So in grade 4, cherishedsaulie lent me the movie, which I never got around to watching. Until now, I honestly thought Howl’s Moving Castle was a Hayao Miyazaki film based off a manga or something, but wow, I was mistaken. Loved the book! Sophie is a really, really awesome tough-as-nails heroine, and the subtle BAMFness she exhibits in stressful situations, ie: not having a hysterical meltdown after being cursed by the Witch of the Waste, I found both endearing and inspiring. And Howl, for all his whining and drama was actually hilarious and adorable. It was a greatly entertaining read.

 

I’m now on to Gordon Korman’s Zucchini Warriors, part of his MacDonald Hall series. (FYI this is what Brad and I do at lunchtimes. We sit together in the cafeteria and ignore each other. He does the sudoku in The Star; I read.)

 

It’s about 12:30 now, which means my day is halfway over. In an hour or so, Brad will saunter over to my desk and we will go for lunch. Later, I will probably spam the everloving f*ck out of LJ again, but for now I’m going to pretend to work on capital asset reconciliations. Toodles!