It's been a funny sort of day.

And it's only 11:37.

Woke up, was ready and prepared nice and early, then got a call from my dad, who was trying to burn a CD on his laptop. After ten minutes of me going through it with him, we realised his CDs were defective. We then spent a further 20 minutes gonig through how to remove and add files to his flashdrive. So I went from way early to leaving just barely on time.

The reason I wanted to leave early was that a parcel had arrived at the post office. I had ordered this from eBay:

Dad paid for it. I bought it on the 14th, and they had shipped it from Japan by yesterday. Those Japanese are industrious. At least their postal workers are. So I picked it up. Then I stopped by Better Read Than Dead to look for the third His Dark materials book. See, I bought the first one isn a cool format, then had to buy the second one in a different format. But this time they had the second and third in the good format. So I got those, then took a bus into work.

I was expecting to be on the phones today, so got there nice and early. Turns out I'm on back-of-house instead. Woo hoo! For those out of the loop, that means data entry and order fixing, without having to be on the phone. It's much better.

So then I set up my Prime. It's glorious. It's awesome. It's attracting the attention of every nerd in the room. And it's got a different plug.

FUCK.

It's ok, though, I have an AC/DC adapter at home.

So then I go to buy coffee for me and Adrian from the stand by Central. I order, I wait. Two strong flat whites, two sugars and a caramel shot each. Comes to $7.20. I give him a ten, say "Just make it eight." He look startled. "Are you sure?" I say "Well, yeah." He then goes. "Oh, here. have this too, for the wait." and gives me a piece of raspberry bread. Huh. Goes to show. Always tip your barista.

Even Steven's back, baby.

Doov, doov, doov.

Well, it seems headphone karma is after me. While I was on my way to Ted's yesterday, casually thinking of looking for some behind-the-neck headphones so I can wear hats with a brim, and the right speaker craps out on me. It'll only work when I hold the cord a certain way. Bugger. So I stop in at a local hi-fi shop that sells them, and ask about the warranty I know comes with all Sennheiser headphones. He explains I need to take it back to JB and they'll usually send me a new pair. Cool. While I'm there, I notice they're selling behind-the-neck headphones in the same model, quality, and price point ($129) as the ones that just broke. On a impulse, I buy them, thinking that I'll try and find the receipt for the broken ones, but even if I don't, I'll still have good ones. I go to Ted's I practice, I come home. Leter that evening, Tanja and I can't find the reciept. So I can't return them, despite their crapping out 7 months into the 2-year contract.

So it's fate, see?

ständiger Konkurrenzkampf

I now have proof that Tanja is a girl (aside from the obvious).

Now, this takes a bit of explaining. At the backdoor of the house, there is a hallway that leads to the door. We’ll often leave that back door open for the cat to wander out into the backyard. That hallway is also where we stack the recycling before we take it out. Since we had pizza the night before last, there was a pizza bow on the floor. Tanja and I were watching Spicks and Specks and she wandered up to the backdoor to look for the cat, and then quietly had a peek inside the pizza box.

Then let out a blood-curdling yelp:

“Oh my God, Lucas, there’s a RAAAAAAT!!!!!”

I’m not sure caps can communicate the shrill horror of that shriek.

I came tearing up the hallway. She was pale and freaking out and pointing at the box.

“What?” says I. “A rat? Where?”

“It’s a rat or a possum! It’s in the pizza box! It’s moving!”

“Well, how big is it?”

*Tanja holds her hands about a foot and a bit apart* “I’m sure it’s a possum!”

Right. First I shoo away Magrat, who is hovering like someone who’s just found silver ingots while digging a new privy. I carefully hold down the edges of the pizza box, holding it shut, and lift it up, expecting at any moment for a possum (which near us are the size of small cats) to start freaking out in the box, and carry it into the backyard. Tanja unlocks the gate and I set the pizza box down on the pavement of the alley like I’m carrying a bomb. Then flip open the lid of the box.

To see a little rat. Maybe four inches long. Brown fur and pink tail. Cute as a button, washing its ears.

It scampers off under cover of darkness.

I turn back to Tanja. She looks, to her credit, a trifle embarrassed.

“Foot and a half, huh?”

“Shut up. I squealed like a girl.”

“Yes, you did.”

So I bugged her about it a few times. Then, karmically, this morning I poured my cereal into the bowl, went to the fridge, got the jug of orange juice, started to pour then went “Oh shit!” and stopped. So I had slightly orangey meusli. So nobody’s perfect. (Even Steven strikes again!)

Are you now, or have you ever been Even Steven?

Six new comics, by the way.

So Sunday night, Tanja's set to meet up with her friend Ros for drinks and dinner. We think, hey, James is nearby, let's give him a ring. We do, he's into it, and Catherine comes along too. Before we leave, we see it's bucketing down rain, so I take the two bottles of wine we're going to bring for pizza in my backpack to avoid having to come back to the flat. We meet up, have four or so cocktails, change tables a bit, discuss gym memberships and garnishes, before Catherine leaves, and we head off for pizza. We're five steps out the door and Tanja says "Do you have your backpack?" so I go back in.

I can't find it. I get mad. Kick the wall, storm to the front bar, and start interrogating the bartender. He gives me a coaster with a number on it and says to call the next day. Since we're down two bottles of wine, my sunglasses (in what I consider another example of the universe taking my sunnies away from me constantly), and a lovely fountain pen Tanja got me for the first birthday I celebrated here. Bugger.

Off we go to supper, with James, Tanja and Ros each buying another bottle of wine. We demolish two pizzas and the three bottles, Ros leaves, and James, Tanja, and I stagger back here to watch Empire Records. Tanja staggers off to bed, and James adopts the couch, and proceeds to laugh at the jokes, only stopping every so often to go "Wow, Liv Tyler's so hot." Tanja calls me in, and she's been sick, poor dear. I help her clean up, and James heads off.

So.

The next day, after work, I swing by the Bank Hotel, and ask if anyone turned a bag in yesterday with a Canadian flag on it. "Yes, it's right here." Everything inside still there. Feel the wrath of Even-Steven!

Also, I have plans to make a wicked tequila punch for Craig's birthday festivities.

That's all. Go about your business.

Ups and Downs Part II

A quick post-script to last entry: once I got to Immigration, at 3:45, I saw the doors were shut. Big sign on the door says "Open until 4, Mon-Fri". I thumped the door loud enough to get the attention of a security guard, who informed me it was actually 4:25 and my watch had stopped. Bugger. And no, I wasn't allowed to leave it for the case worker, so he shut the door in my face. Upside, I was able to get to work early and get the seat I wanted.

Ups and Downs

New comics, that took forever. Go see. And stuff.

I feel all even-Steven the last few days. Good thing, bad thing, bad thing, good thing, etc.

Examples? Why yes, I do have them.

Upside: In the city the other day, I find Empire Records on DVD, which I've been looking for frantically for the last month. Hurrah, it's only 20 dollars. Downside: it's at HMV, so the Borders gift card I was hoping to use for it is useless. Upside: Tanja likes it, and it inspires her to think of owning a bookstore. Big up. Downside: It's 20 dollars that I wasn't expecting to spend, which knocks my budget for the week all to hell. It leaves me eyeing my finances very carefully, since Craig's birthday bash was to be this Friday. Upside: Craig's management (his mom) has rearranged the party to next week, so no financial worry. Downside: no crazy partying this week. Boo-urns. Upside: We recieve the Criminal Record check from the RCMP in the mail yesterday! Apparantly, despite my history of teenage deliquincy, including throwing coffee creamers at buses and shoplifting chocolate bars, it's clear! Hurrah! No more worrying! I can get my Visa! I can get it to the case officer and he can have my Visa ready in a week or so. BIG FARKING HURRAH! Downside: For the last hour and a half, the people upstairs have been, from the sounds of it, building the miniature of Helm's Deep. It's hammering and grinding and possibly drilling. And maybe welding. All I know is it's drowning out music, new Buffy, and various other things I'm trying to do. And it's like wham, wham, wham, wham, BRRRRAAA-AAAAAA-ARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH wham, wham, wham, BRRRRAAA-AAAAA-AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH wham, wham, wham, wham, wham,BRRRRAAA-AAAA-AAARRRRRGGG-GHHHHHH wham, wham, wham, wham etc. Headache makers. Argh.

But hey, the good things are very good, and the bad things are just annoying. So I say I come out on the positive. Go me.