I've recently found some super-duper goodies for my shop. Can't wait to list them!

Now that I have a day job, I don't understand how people can run an Etsy shop while working full-time. I have very little spare time to run my shop, and I feel bad for neglecting it.

Did I mention that the Dude and I are taking country 2-step lessons? I love this dance! I think it's my favourite. Really. It's too bad that there aren't many venues in Vancouver where we can go dance country 2-step.

Today was my first day working on the sales floor of the Olympic Superstore. And oh my goodness, they just threw me into the deep end! Thank God I had previous cashiering experience, so I was able to pick it up quickly. On the till next to mine my co-worker was ringing up Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, 2002 gold medalists in pairs figure skating. They were there for a media thingy. I wouldn't even have noticed if the the customer I was serving hadn't pointed them out. The 2002 Winter Olympics was the last time I ever watched the Olympics. The scandal that erupted in the pairs figure skating competition totally turned me off to the games. But it's kinda hard to ignore the Olympics when it's happening in the city where you live, and especially when you're employed by it. So I think this year I'll make more effort to watch some of the games, on TV of course.

Anyway, each time I pass by the Quatchi stuffed doll, one of the Olympic mascots, I am this much closer to buying his plushy ass. I can't contain it any longer: I love Quatchi!

I've become a part of the Olympic machine. I'll be working for the rest of the month in the most visited Olympic venue - the Olympic Superstore. Ta dah.

The Olympic Superstore is housed within the walls of the The Bay department store. And I suppose that I should be proud that my first legitimate job in Canada as a newly minted Permanent Resident is working for the oldest company in the country, if not the world. The Hudson's Bay Company got its start in 1670 selling beaver pelts to hat makers in Europe because consumers were crazy for beaver hats, and it's been operating ever since. I vaguely remember learning that in history class way back when.

Although I don't know much about HBC, one thing I can say for sure, I love their logo. I love the combination of traditional and modern. It's awesome.

I heard on the CBC the other day that the Haitian kids that were being smuggled by the Baptists over to the Dominican Republic are now staying at the SOS Children's Village in Haiti. That's the international organization that the thrift shop where I volunteer is part of. The SOS Children's Village, that is, not the Baptists. I had a small proud moment.

And yes, I now officially listen to the CBC more than NPR. It took a while to get used to CBC Radio One though. Getting more Canadianized bit by bit...

The other day while volunteering at the thrift shop, I saw a little paperback called Is Sex Necessary? Or, Why You Feel the Way You Do. It's by James Thurber and E.B. White. Intrigued by the title, I had to get it. Having read the respective works of each author, I'm sure this one will be a good read.

I was waiting for my boss to call me with a start date this month, but when I wasn't hearing from him I e-mailed him. He wrote back saying he hired someone else who could work full-time. I was annoyed that he didn't let me know earlier. WTF? In any case, I'm relieved because I wasn't that excited about this job anyway. Several times I seriously thought about telling him that I changed my mind about working for his company. And I even interviewed for another job (which I didn't get) while waiting for this one to start.

So now I have to look for a job again. Bleh. Not only is job hunting a painful activity, but the prospect of working for someone simply does not appeal to me. Hence, this makes me not want to look for a job even more. I would enjoy working for someone only is if it's a job where I get to be highly independent or I work with people I really enjoy.

But beggars can't be choosers.

I've been reading Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan. It's not just a book about making your home look pretty. It's about creating a home that promotes well-being and doesn't stress you out. What I appreciate most about the book is that the author names the je ne sais quoi factors that make a space work and look beautiful. The author lives (or maybe lived?) in a 265 square foot apartment in New York City. If you're curious as to how he managed to live in such a tiny space with a wife and baby, check it out here. It's very awe-inspiring.

What I find most challenging about decorating our apartment is sticking to just one style. I love so many looks, that it's hard to commit to just one. But I'm going to try. And I'm going to start by sticking to the 80/20 colour rule. Eighty percent neutral colours and 20% strong colours. There's another piece of advice that I'm ambivalent about though and that's not mixing cool and warm colours together. He recommends sticking to either or when choosing strong colours. But I love the combination of red and blue, red and green, orange and gray, yellow and gray, hot pink and gray, which are all warm-cool colour combos. I think I'll follow Dorothy Draper's advice: if it looks good to you, then it's right.

There are many things I love about Vancouver and living here. However, there is one downfall...it crimps my style, fashion-wise. The constant rain and cool temperatures force me to choose clothes that protect me against the elements rather than wear clothes and shoes that reflect my true style. When I lived in L.A. I could pretty much wear whatever I wanted (which was mostly cute summer and fall clothes) because of the constant sunny weather. And when I had a car I could wear heels all the time. But now I can't wear any of my fun shoes (even flat ones!) because I walk everywhere, and I don't want them to get water-damaged.

I absolutely hate my wardrobe right now. The way I acquire clothes usually involves going on a big shopping spree every few years so that I get to redo my whole wardrobe. And I'm way overdue for a wardrobe makeover. But alas, poverty requires that I continue wearing ugly clothes. Any spare money we have I'd rather spend on beautifying our apartment. We recently bought a couch and an armchair because I got really sick of having an empty living room after 4 months. They're used so they definitely need fixing up. I'll post pictures once their makeover is complete.

It's been a good Christmas this year. A highlight was the Dude playing the role of Joseph at the Christmas pageant. When we arrived at church just minutes before the program was due to start, the priest organizing the pageant asked the Dude if he'd like to be Joseph because no one else had volunteered to do it. The Dude was a good sport and joined the kiddies up on stage. It was hilarious!

It's officially winter now. Hooray! Not because it's winter, but because the days will be getting longer from this day forward. I can already smell the summer coming...yeah, I'm hopeless.

Spent the morning with the Chancel Guild ladies decorating the church for Christmas. I mainly worked on flower arrangements. I've never really done flower arranging so I was a bit nervous, but to my relief my work was approved. And there was a lot of holly left over so I brought home a bunch to to fill our little apartment with some Christmas cheer.