August 24, 2008

When we were touring Ian's old school I saw this diorama about phospholipids. For some reason, the sight of phospholipids depicted with fuzzy balls and pipecleaners made me giggle. I'm a science nerd and I'm used to finding things like this highly amusing when everyone else thinks they're boring.

Speaking of nerdy science things that I find highly amusing, my friend Julie (who has a PhD in molecular genetics) gave me a t shirt with a picture of Gregor Mendel that says "Mendel is my chromeboy".

Hee hee hee. I love it.

August 23, 2008

It was Ian's 10 year high school reunion this weekend. It was neat to see the inside of the school that he went to. It was also funny to see the grad pictures of Ian and all of his friends and to see how they've changed in the last 10 years.

Ian was a beanpole in high school, so his face has filled out in the past 10 years. He also had more hair back then.

August 18, 2008

One of the girls in my group at work recently resigned, so I've been reviewing resumes hoping to find a suitable replacement for her. This is the first time I've been on the hiring side of the job hunt table and it's a little strange. It was much more difficult to create a short list of candidates to interview than I thought it would be. The applicants seemed to fall into three major groups:

1. The grossly overqualified applicants who submit a resume that's 10 pages long (or more!). Really people, if you have a PhD I'm not going to hire you for an entry level position. Neither of us will be happy so lets not even go there. Also, it's not necessary for you to submit a 5 page summary of your PhD thesis with your resume. I'm sure it was very well done but I don't really have time to read it.

2. The grossly unqualified applicants who can't write a decent resume to save their life. FYI, it's not necessary to include every job you've ever had since high school. I want to hire you for a science job. I don't care if you worked at McDonalds, Starbucks, or the local nightclub. If your past work experience doesn't show me your experience in the biotech field and why I should hire you, don't put it on your resume. Also, proofreading and spellcheck are your friends! Use them!

3. The somewhat qualified applicants with decent resumes. There were only two.

Next step, interviews.

August 11, 2008

Should I take Ian's name when we get married?

Pro:
It would make Ian very happy
It will be easier to explain to our future kids
It identifies us a family unit
It is a symbol of my commitment to our marriage

Con:
I'm beginning to advance my career under my maiden name
I have a pretty unique last name and I'm kind of attached to it
I would have to change all of my ID and I'm kind of lazy

I have thought of all of these reasons and more for both taking Ian's name or keeping my old one. In the end, I've decided to take his name. I love him and I will be very proud to be his wife. I cannot think of a more meaningful way to show my commitment to our marriage, even if it means I have to change all of my ID.

August 10, 2008

This is the hall we have booked for our ceremony/reception. While I'm somewhat annoyed at the high rental cost, after seeing the hall in person I think it's perfect!

August 9, 2008

Today we drove out to Rouleau (AKA Dog River) to see the set used in the filming of the TV series Corner Gas.

Corner Gas, in case you don't know, is a Canadian TV comedy that depicts life in small-town Saskatchewan. Set in fictional Dog River (40 Km from nowhere), the show focuses on Brent (owner of the local gas station) and his shenanigans with several other people in town. It's a show I hold very near and dear to my heart since I grew up in a Saskatchewan town of about 600 people. While people from urban centers can definitely appreciate the show for its witty dialogue and slapstick effects, you can't truly identify with the show unless you've lived it.

The sixth and final season of Corner Gas is currently being filmed. I'm glad they've chosen to end it before it becomes stale and unpopular. Besides, I have all of the seasons on DVD so life in Dog River will never be very far away for me.

August 7, 2008

Football game.

Ian is infatuated with cheerleaders. I think he enjoys the cheerleaders more than the game itself.

The Riders lost, but they are still 6 and 1.

August 5, 2008

Me: IAN!!

Ian: What?

Me: THERE'S A GIANT DRAGON FLY ON MY HEAD!!

Ian {Laughs and takes pictures while the thing crawls around on my head, then shoos it away}: I think it was eating a mosquito up there.

Me: Great

August 4, 2008

Camping.

Ian and I have this week off work. We spent a few days in Prince Albert National Park, which is where we will be married in June. For the first time in history, it did not rain while we were there.

August 2, 2008

Soccer owie.

July 29, 2008

We have a wedding party!

Pictured is my Maid of Honour, Julie. I'm pretty sure she doesn't read my blog, but after posting this picture of her I'm sure I'll find out.

For some reason, one of the most common questions I get asked about the wedding is "How big is your bridal party?". Well, now I can say we have a maid of honour, a best man, 2 bridesmaids, and 2 groomsmen. Oh, and a bride and a groom. And no flowergirls or ringbearers.

That's one thing checked off the wedding to-do list.

July 27, 2008

This summer we've been spending a lot of weekends driving between Regina and Saskatoon, which means we spend a lot of time looking at fields from the highway. One of the reasons we do this is because we have season tickets for the Roughriders, which was my engagement gift to Ian (a huge football fan). Last weekend, the opening kickoff was delayed for an hour because of a thunderstorm that rolled through the area. This weekend, there was a 40 minute rain delay between the first and second quarters complete with thunder, lightening, hail, and funnel cloud sightings. In case you don't know, the stadium where the Riders play is an outdoor stadium (as in, no protection of any kind from the elements) so when it rains you get completely soaked. Then everyone runs inside to hide from the rain only to find the stadium is very old and leaky and that standing under the stands in only marginally better than standing in the rain itself! Luckily, the sun came back out after about 20 minutes of rain and dried everyone off.

Unfortunately there is another reason we've been travelling to Regina - Ian's Dad is dealing with some pretty serious health issues right now. This is the main reason why my posts have been few and far between lately - it is difficult to find inspiration and even more difficult to find time for blogging. It is times like these that make weddings, blogs, and many other things seem like small potatoes.

July 21, 2008

The tow truck showed up after about an hour and towed us back to Regina. Then we called Ian's Dad to give us a lift to the airport, which is where we picked up our rental car. Then we drove back to Saskatoon. A normally 2.5 hour trip turned into a 7 hour adventure. The lessons I learned that day include:

1. Breaking down on the highway is stressful and expensive, especially when you're a long way from home and you have to work the next day.
2. Tow truck drivers have good stories.
3. Sometimes people honk at you from their functional vehicles when you're broken down on the side of the highway. These people are assholes.
4. The 2008 Toyota Yaris (the rental we drove back to Saskatoon) is a decent car to drive.

Fortunately, it was only a fried ignition coil that caused our breakdown so the bill was only $145 for the repair. The truck is fixed now and waiting for us to pick it up over this weekend.

July 20, 2008

We went to Regina this weekend. About 45 minutes into our 2.5 hour drive, our truck broke down. I've never been stranded on the side of the highway before. It blows.

Here we are waiting for the tow truck.

July 9, 2008

One of our kitties isn't feeling very well. She's been having some non-descript symptoms for the last few months (general abdominal discomfort, etc). Our vet has been unable to pin-point the cause of her symptoms. This week she also came down with a bladder infection. Poor girl.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm worried that these symptoms are indicating a serious condition that means she is coming to the end of her time with us. She is still eating and drinking like a champ and so far her discomfort seems minimal (well, after the bladder infection cleared up anyway) so I think she'll be around for a while yet, but it's hard to know that she is hurting and I can't figure out why.

July 7, 2008

Speaking of trashy TV, here's another show I watch occasionally. "Wedding SOS" features a different couple each week. They usually have about a week before their wedding day and a giant list of wedding things they haven't completed yet. And I'm not talking little things, either. It's often things like the bride has no dress, no caterer has been booked, no venue is booked, etc, etc, etc. Then this English wedding planner named Jane steps in and grants the couple 3 wishes for their wedding. She also acts as their wedding coordinator on the actual wedding day.

In some of my lower moments, I can easily see myself ending up in a situation like those portrayed on the show. It's not that I don't care about the wedding, it's just that so many other things seem to be of greater importance on a daily basis.

I think I'm bad at this.

July 2, 2008

I have a confession to make. I watch trashy TV. One of the shows I watch whenever Ian isn't around is a show called "Rich Bride Poor Bride". It's a reality TV show that follows couples as they plan their weddings. I've probably seen 10 episodes of the show and I have yet to see a bride that I identify with. One episode I watched featured a couple who spent $120 000 on their wedding, complete with custom designed wedding gown for the bride ($11 000, in case you were wondering). In another episode, the couple was made up of a normal girl and a really feminine guy. In the episode featured above, the bride was obsessed with impressing her guests. Her initial visit with her wedding planner went something like this:

Planner: So, do you have a vision for your reception?
Bride: Extravagant! I want things my guests have never seen before!
Planner: OK, so over-the-top, original items...
Bride: [with a very intense look on her face while punching her fist into her palm for emphasis] I want their jaws to hit the floor and I want to hear it!

I laughed out loud when I saw that. I would be a terrible person to be on that show. No one wants to watch the planning process of an Apathetic Bride. It's really boring.

June 30, 2008

Hello Summer. It's nice to see you.

June 27, 2008

Rainy day.

June 24, 2008

In case you were wondering, we watched the rerun of Deal or No Deal because it was a Star Wars episode and all of the women holding cases (do they have a title? Case Models? Howie's Beauties?) were dressed like Princess Leia.

Ian was thrilled.

June 23, 2008

"Hello and welcome to Body Break; with Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod!"

This was a phrase I hadn't heard in a very long time until the other night when we were watching a rerun of Deal or No Deal. The first thing I noticed was that both Hal and Joanne, who are both familiar to me from birth thanks to growing up in a town with no cable, look exactly the same now as they did when I was a kid. And if you think it's because it was an old episode, think again! They spent most of the 90 second clip talking about the Wii!! If you look closely at the photo, you can see a very fuzzy Joanne standing in front of a very fuzzy Wii game screen.

The episode focused on using games to increase your physical activity. Maybe it's just me, but I was surprised to see them touting the Wii as a way of getting active. I have played Wii tennis and Wii boxing before and while both can definitely get the heart rate up, it is by no means a replacement for a good, old fashioned workout. (On a side note, divorce rates would be much lower if all married couples played Wii boxing. Seriously. Think about it - you are pissed with your partner for whatever reason... work out that frustration by kicking the crap out of him/her on screen instead of arguing. I should be a therapist! Anyway, I digress.)

So do I agree with Hal and Joanne about the use of the Wii to get active? Like I said, it's by no means a replacement for lifting weights, a bike ride, or playing soccer, but in a society where both childhood and adult obesity rates are skyrocketing I guess we have to take whatever improvement we can get.

Keep fit and have fun!

June 22, 2008

Dear Jackass who parked beside me yesterday

Just because you drive a big truck with an extended cab and a long box does not mean it is acceptable for you to park beside me at such an angle that I can't back out without ripping my drivers side mirror off on your bumper. My car was the only other vehicle in the parking lot - there was plenty of room for both of us. Next time, either park straighter or go park away from other vehicles if you feel you must park like a jerk. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

The Apathetic Bride

PS. It's summer now. You don't need to leave your big, manly truck running when no one is in it.

June 21, 2008

Speaking of drive in movies, this is the camera they use to project the movies on one of the screens. It is considerably taller than me and uses a 4000 watt bulb.

There's some useless but interesting trivia for you.

June 20, 2008

We went to the drive-in for a movie night tonight. The drive-in always two screens and plays two movies on each screen every night. It's a pretty good deal if you can stay up late enough to watch both movies. The only down side is that the people who own the drive-in have taken to storing a lot of old car wrecks and other miscellaneous junk on the property.

We saw The Love Guru and Indiana Jones 4. The Love Guru was pretty terrible, but it had a lot of cameos that kept me entertained (Stephen Colbert as the Hockey Night in Canada commentator was pretty funny). Indiana Jones 4 was good, but not great. Kind of like the all the other Indiana Jones movies. Well, the ones I've seen anyway.

June 18, 2008

One of the blogs I read occasionally is "Wedded Diss". One of the recent topics covered was paper invitations vs electronic invitations (e-vites). I have to admit, e-vites are something I've thought about. On the pro side, e-vites are cheaper, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly (although, computers do run on electricity so maybe Mother Earth is screwed either way). The biggest e-vite con I can come up with is that there is no way I can use e-vites exclusively since there are several people on the guest list (eg, my Grandma) who have never used a computer in their lives. It is this same group of people who would be very disappointed to not recieve a traditional paper invitation.

Ian and I went to a wedding a few years ago that used e-vites for all the guests. Well, sort of. The bride and groom emailed or IM'd all of their guests and invited them to the wedding. No invitation, e-vite or otherwise, was received but some of the essential info was posted on the brides sisters blog. The wedding was lovely, but the whole experience of not having an invitation/directions/accommodations list/everything else people include in their wedding invitation envelopes was horribly disorganized and confusing. So I guess my only experience with e-vites wasn't terribly positive.

Our wedding is out of town and there will be lots of directions and accommodation information to include so the verdict is paper invitations. I'll go add that to my to-do list.

June 13, 2008

One year from today is our wedding day.

What we have:
A bride
A groom
A partial wedding party
A ceremony/reception venue
A caterer
A wedding dress
Accommodations for our immediate families


What we don't have:
Accommodations for us
A guest list
Invitations
Center pieces
Clothing for everyone except the bride
Someone to marry us
A photographer
Hairstylist
Flowers
A colour scheme
Alcohol
Guest Favours
Shoes
A wedding website
Approximately one billion other things I have not even realized we will need

Oh dear.

June 10, 2008

Also for sale.

This is a Honda motorbike of a 1978ish model. It belongs to a friend of Ian's who recently moved to join the military. Ian is selling it on his behalf. The only things I can tell you about it are:

1. It apparently does run, but it hasn't been started in a very long time.

2. It doesn't have a seat.

3. It's really heavy.

4. It almost tipped over onto the hood of my car once.

Any takers?

June 9, 2008

For sale.

We won this bike in the 2007 hospital home lottery and it's been in our garage for about a year. It's a nice bike, it's just not suitable for us at this point in our lives.

The bike is a 2007 Norco Rio Vista Cruiser (mens model). It's in excellent condition (it's only been ridden for about a block). You can check out the specs for the very similar 2008 model here.

Any takers?

June 7, 2008

We picked up our season tickets for the Roughriders today. Ian is a huge football fan and a lifelong rider fan. The season tickets are my engagement gift to him.

The photo is of Wes Cates (Rider player) being mobbed by autograph seekers.

June 2, 2008

I took this picture standing on our back step. Our next-door neighbour is different sort of lady. She's in her early 50ies (I'd guess), but dresses like she's about 19. It's an unfortunetly frequent occurence to come home to see her in her yard dressed in shorts and a bikini top, hanging out her lingerie to dry. It disturbs me.

Another odd thing about her is she has, without fail, gotten a new boyfried every spring and fall. Seriously. Once the snow starts to melt in the spring, she gets a new man and makes him clean up the yard and get it all set up for summer. She keeps him around for a month or two, then dumps him and gets a new guy for fall to get her yard ready for winter. It sounds like a good system to me... maybe I'll give it a try.