********

The job I was so excited for, has been a bit of a disappointment. It’s still what I want to be doing (I think) but it’s just been such a slow start that sometimes, I’m so bored I could cry. Hopefully it picks up soon because the ramifications of being alone with my thoughts for hours are endless. We had a BBQ last night (free food! and booze!) and it was my first chance to get to know people outside of the office. Everyone was really nice and fun so at least there’s that to balance out the lack of work.

********

My younger brother got engaged a couple nights ago! While I am happy for him, there’s a teeny tiny part of me that feels that as the eldest, I should be the first one to get engaged. Sibling rivalry never really goes away, eh? In all seriousness, they are really good together and I’ve never seen my brother so happy!

********

Last night I went to Bard on the Beach for the first time. We saw Much Ado About Nothing and it was so good! I had no idea what the play was about going into it but it was hilarious! If you get the chance, you should definitely go.

********

This weekend, I plan on getting back into my gym routine. I haven’t been going since I started getting all my heart stuff sorted and I feel like a beached whale because of it. I also want to change things up a bit by adding classes like spin and strengthening. Of course, I’ll pay special attention to my heart rate and if it starts going funky again, I’ll stop.

What are your plans for the weekend?

It all started after we got home, unpacked from the trip and went to the grocery store for our weekly shop.  Even though I had eaten a couple hours before, my stomach went into FEED ME NOW mode and I felt like passing out.  It took everything I had to get through the shop and back home.  As a sidenote, HUNGRY and GRUMPY go hand in hand with me – I can’t have one without the other.  So I’m not sure why Matt thought it would be a good idea to DRAW ON MY BACK with PERMANENT MARKER while I was making myself a protein shake.

W.T.F.

He apologized and wiped it off with a tissue because the permanent marker? Not so permanent!  (Thank God)

At this point, I don’t know if it was the milk I used in my protein shake, having dairy on an empty stomach, the Indian food from the night before or a combination of all three but I start to feel a bit….off.  After a few trips to the bathroom, my self diagnosis is that I have a mild case of what is affectionately known around our house as THE BUM WHEEZE.  Awesome…

Luckily, it passes somewhat quickly (bad choice of words) and I get on with doing laundry and cooking dinner.  But now, I’m starting to feel really lethargic (probably thanks to the early morning, driving for 6 hours, and all of the above).  All the little things start to add up – I forget to put on the dryer, the sunburn on my chest turns into heat rash, my scalp is also burnt, and I notice the big ass pimple that’s developed on my nose.  I’m tired, whiny, my tummy hurts, and all I want is something to GO RIGHT. 

I decided a nice cold glass of Coke Zero would be a step in the right direction.  So I took out the 1.5L bottle that we had put in the freezer (we bought it off the shelf) and noticed about half of it was frozen.  No big deal, I thought.  Next thing I know, there’s a loud BANG and Coke Zero EXPLODES in my face, leaving myself and my kitchen completely soaked.  I disintegrate into a hysterical, laughing/sobbing, sticky mess and Matt quickly comes to my rescue. 

That was the worst of it, but the day continued to mock me with dinner being a giant FAIL in the flavour department. 

At least there were strawberries and chocolate sauce, a hot shower, and a comfy bed to end the day on a good note.

Matt and I booked a trip to Sydney for May 28th – June 3!!!  Neither of us have been before, so we’re pretty excited!
Our flights, 6 nights hotel and a harbour cruise cost about $1000 each…not bad at all.  We’re going to book a Blue Mountains tour, but if you’ve been and there’s something we have to do, let me know!
The Harbour Bridge Climb is also being considered.

******

I’ve been working without a contract for over a week now.  Apparently, it’s been approved but went to New York to be finalized.  My company likes to process simple tasks overseas and while that may save resources it’s a big pain, not to mention a big FAIL when it comes to efficiency.
I’m really frustrated by it all especially since I’ve been asking for an extension since January.

******

I’ve never fallen off the Canucks bandwagon.  However, being in a different country (one who calls hockey, ‘ice hockey’ (so wrong)) has made paying attention to the regular season VERY DIFFICULT.   That being said, there’s no way I’d miss the playoffs.  I’ve been listening to the games online, then watching the highlights once they’re up on the Canucks website. 
Not quite the same, but it’ll have to do.
I’m pretty impressed with the run so far, but (and don’t hate me) I’m trying not to let my hopes get too high.  It’s hard though, since they’re playing really well!

******

Fall/Winter is definitely here.  It’s still nice and sunny for the most part, but it is chilly.  Nothing compared to Canada, but I’d much rather it be warm all year round!

What’s new with you?

Somehow, in a cricket game played by New Zealand and India, I managed to find a Canadian flag.  Pretty random…

1. If you were able to pick the last meal you ever ate, what would it be?

Meat. and bread rolls with butter.  and sour soothers/keys for dessert.

2. What is one of your earliest and best memories?

Watching Hockey Night in Canada with my family.  Every Saturday night we would all sit in the living room, listen to the theme song, and watch the double header.  Dinner was always Hotdogs and Coca-Cola, then in between games we’d have nachos, and ice cream for dessert.  It was such a big part of my childhood that when my parents divorced, I missed this tradition more than spending Christmas together.

3. If you won a large amount of money in a lottery, what would you do with the cash?

Funny you should ask, I’ve been thinking about winning the lottery a lot lately…maybe I should buy a ticket.
First of all, I’d give my some to my Mom so she could pay off her mortgage, and to Dad so he can retire comfortably, then buy them plane tickets to come visit me.  Because I believe travelling is the best experience you can ever have, I’d get my younger siblings plane tickets too.  They could go anywhere they wanted, but NZ would definitely be encouraged.
Then I’d buy a house and take a year (or more) off work to travel…Matt can come too.
Anything left over would be invested…lame, I know.

4. Do you have any nicknames, and if so, how did you get them?

I have quite a few, but these are my favourite:

‘D’ – My ex-manager, Colette, started calling me this.  It’s followed me across the ocean and people at work call me ‘D’ now.  I was thrown off the first time cause I never mentioned my nicknames before…
‘Digby’ – Matt came up with this one.  It’s after the island I grew up on.
‘Daybe’ – Carrie was trying to type my name without looking at the keyboard and this was the result.  It kinda stuck.
‘Dayna-belle’ – most of my family know me by this nickname…and only they can use it.

5. What is your dream job?

I’ve always had a lot of different ideas for a career, but none of them really stuck.  I wanted to be a teacher, get a degree in early childhood development, do something involving travel, become an accountant, and even thought about doing the Birth Attendant school in Perth and going on to work for the UN.
I like working with numbers and finances and I’m been working in that area for a few years now, so I just need to figure out my next step.
I don’t think there’s one perfect job for me, but I’m ok with that.  I’d rather get as much experience as possible and have fun in whatever I do.

******
If you want to play along, here’s how:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me”.
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

1.  I refuse to watch scary movies.
Why? Because I’ve been known to jump/scream with fright and bury my head into the couch while watching Disney films.  I even did it a couple times while watching Harry Potter for the first time the other night.  Matt’s response was “dude. 10 year olds watch this and aren’t scared.”
It’s the parts I’m not expecting, like someone being grabbed suddenly, that really terrify me.  The only scary movies I’ve ever seen were the 6th Sense, and What lies beneath…when I was like 14.  I couldn’t sleep for like 3 months after that I was so spooked.

2.  I was named after a black news reporter from Detroit.
I may have to confirm this one with my mom, but the story as I know it goes like this.  My mom was pregnant with me and watching the news(from Detroit…even though we were living in Northern BC) when she noticed the news reporter’s name was ‘Dayna’.  I think she liked that it was spelt with a ‘Y’ instead of the usual ‘Dana’ and decided to use it if she had a girl.  I used to tell people I was named after Dana Murzyn who played for the Canucks while I was growing up.
How Canadian am I?

3.  I grew up on my own island.
Shortly after I was born, we moved to Digby Island, home of the Prince Rupert Airport and not much else.  My dad ran a little cafe as well as the fuel business at the airport.  Our house was the only residential building on the island and you had to take a ferry to get back and forth from the mainland.  I was home schooled for the entire time I lived there, and mom would take us on the ferry a few times a week for church, swimming, piano, dance, and to visit with friends.  You’d think that growing up with no other kids around would be boring, but it really wasn’t.  My dad started a bit of a hobby farm with chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles, birds and hamsters.  I would help Dad at the cafe and would keep our chef, Edie, company. The lady at the Canadian Airlines booth would teach me how to cross-stitch and I would take her dog for walks.  My little bro, Lance, and I would get into trouble for playing with our walkie talkies too close to the airport and interfering with their equipment.  Saturday nights were reserved for Hockey Night in Canada.
And if that wasn’t enough, I had 8 siblings to keep me occupied.

After hearing that story, Matt nicknamed me Digby.

4.  I don’t have talent.
Lots of people have one hobby/interest/skill they’re really really good at.  I don’t.  When you grow up with 9 siblings, it’s hard to be original and find something only you are good at.  My brothers have hockey, Courtney’s in band, Angella has blogging and photography.  I’m generally good at everything I do be it work, blogging, taking pictures, etc. but I don’t have something that sets me apart.  I’m not complaining about this, it’s just something I’ve thought about and want to find.  I’m challenging myself to try new things and discover my niche.

5.  I want 12 children.
OK, maybe not 12…more like 4-6.  For as long as I remember, I’ve wanted a lot of kids.  I don’t have much of reason other than I love kids, enjoy being stressed out and think it would be a lot of fun.  If I were to birth 12 children, I’m sure certain areas of my body would be flapping in the wind and that’s not really attractive.

6.  I’ve never tried drugs.
And I’m pretty proud of that.  I’ve seen the problems it has caused friends and some of  my family members, so I don’t have any desire to touch the stuff.