phew

tea warming my hands but the only chill i'm easing is that of fresh air on my skin. the cold city is behind me now, south and east two and half hours. i could narrate the comedy of my move (antics of uhaul, pile 'o stuff that ensued, a late night journey and unpacking) but instead i'll type forward, looking back only to acknowledge and appreciate the steady love and helpfulness from boy, bro, and pal. couldn't have done it without 'em. and of course there was a visit to the folks on the same day, for a couple of days, that allowed me to rest, refuel, and borrow some wheels. i watched gardening and home renovation shows, a sign of the age and place i'm at. the five hour drive to meaford (i.e. home) was rainy but i felt sunny.

listening to the crows sing along with cbc as i blink at my code, the latest svn checkout of the sign language project. technically i am 'at work' and therefore, working...

i hear a cardinal too, which is reassuring. i was particularly fond of, and frequently cheered by, a red cardinal that lived in my toronto backyard. but sounds like he's got friends up here.

so long

beer bottles, wine bottles, uninteresting books, unflattering clothes, cobwebs, crumbs, filth in general, freezer burned vegetables, barely used condiments, cans with expiry dates of years past, more plastic bags, rubber bands, and twist-ties than ever needed, bills from 2006, dentist appointment reminders from 2007, take out menus for places i've never heard of, phone numbers i've never called, candidates i've never voted for, upstairs neighbours, landlord, old people who complain about my weeds, bathurst's ugliness, bloor street's trash, streetcars screeching, sirens, the smell of exhaust... adios!

caught up in

it is my last week at work, as in physically working at my desk, and i am glad. had a 1.5hr meeting with a coworker today about a new project - an online web service for captioning videos. it will be a lot of work and i will have to learn all sorts of new things about ajax, webkit, quicktime, flash, server platforms, etc. the man i'm programming for is very hard of hearing (two hearing aids and lip reading) so coming into the office once a week is more important now as phone calls won't do. i'm looking forward to the work. as well, i'll be continuing on with a project that makes signlanguage flash objects that mimic web pages so you can make say, ASL-only websites without having to resort to english. of course, a result of working with funded projects in a research-based environment is that there is a lot of theoretical stuff that may or may not work out as stated in the grant proposals... so fingers crossed and being creative. also, lots of reading - how are other people doing it? can we partner with them? are there other technologies we can use that no one's tried yet? etc.

d and i had a lazy easter weekend, including a fantastic dinner at our friends' house followed by lots of beer and euchre. we have been shaking our heads at the fact that he has found a carpentry job for may where he'll be working on a toronto project. so it's possible he'll have to be in the city during the week, shortly after i move up there. silly. but it's good pay and hopefully the work will move closer to the cottagey areas shortly after.

band practice tonight. off i go.

spring spaces

a warm and breezy day with a beam of sunlight on the forehead, small clicks of clothespins, bird song, swishing of grass and leaves. i yearn for such peacefulness spent in simple country. the smells and quiet sounds, the feeling of nature on my skin.... soon!!

here it is a gift to catch the modest scent of spring as it can dim in a city minute. earth and rain a reminder of... earth and rain. and family, childhood, essence of self. always with a smile.

--

my seeds arrived today but for now all i can really do is put a rubber band around them and pack the stash someplace safe. maybe i'll make a list of seeds to plant as soon as i land in at the new home, to satisfy the 'gotta do some gardening stuff' itch. and maybe d and i can design a light/seedling starter shelf thing to build this weekend when he comes to visit.

i took some photos of my office today, with the thought of posting before/after office space pics once the after part happens. won't miss the beige mess of cubicle walls and florescent lighting tho, to be honest, it doesn't completely phase me; the laughter of my coworkers and large neighbouring window are what make the place alive. i'll miss that but will gain a more comfortable office space of my own, fresh cut flowers, hardwood floors, singing aloud to music, and nearby canine friendship.

motion

enjoying the sunshine and above 0 temps. opened the streetcar window to breathe and watch the different horizons of each passing street. this weekend i visited girlfriends and their children, discussed cd art, vacuumed the practice space, learned about mortgages. life in motion.

this week i'm assembling a moving crew and filling boxes - it all still feels surreal. not even that long ago, i'd've hardly thought twice about upping and going and starting anew, but now the seat of my pants no longer flies and i tend to grow moss all around me.

onward.