avrelia

Thank you for all the birthday wishes - One of the best things about LJ is having friends who make my days brighter, and it's never as apparent as on a birthday and after. ;) and yes, I know that the month has passed since, but I started to write this post the next day after birthday.

My attempts to resume regular posting has been many and unsuccessful, so I'll stop thinking about them and start just post whenever I manage. after all, it's not only mine problem nowadays - I see much less posts from some of my friends than I would love too, and some has disappeared completely... ::sniff::

so, here is my life right now: my last post was about me quitting my job. I did my best to leave nice, and it worked out, but then when my former boss found out that I am less belligerent than they want me to, the niceties were to end. and I don't care by now. I have some information about how the case is going, and it makes me wonder whether they intentionally plan to lose, or the lack of professional legal advice (even mine!) is so telling. They do have another Russian lawyer, but I guess what may work in Russian court, doesn't necessarily work in Canadian one. Anyway, I am really happy I am far away from this mess.

I was looking for a job for some time, but it has become clear soon that there is too little demand for my area of expertise in Canada, and though I could find a job as an entry level general office help or customer service, it would not be worth to pay a thousand for daycare and have nothing left beside that. So after some thinking with my husband, we decided I am to try writing full time (or as much time as our child allows). so I am all scared, but writing. I have no idea whether I manage to finish off something of publishable quality, let alone to publish it, but I have to try, and it is the best time to do it. Now I feel sorry I missed most of the last Writercon's publishing events. I am, of course, very excited about the new Writercon the next year, but the possibility of me going there is very remote right now. There is hope, still, but...

I actually am enjoying not working at my old work and not looking for a new job, but I miss my income, and I would wish I had these plans from the very beginning so I could manage my finances in different way and not stress over daycare that much.

My son is almost fourteen months now, and is as delightful as a young toddler can be. He runs around, he climbs everywhere, he speaks his own language with some words in Russian and English, and laughs,and some time he can play by himself for a long time, but another moment he needs only me or his father...

What else? I actually went and voted in Canadian election for the first time. it makes me feel slightly embarrassed that it's been years since I voted in Russian ones, but they feel like too much bother all for nothing. with Canadian ones- I wasn't sure whether to vote, and I wasn't registered, but when I went down in our building they were there. I came and asked what they needed - only driver's licence to prove I live there. I think they would have believe my word that I am a citizen, but I had a passport with me, anyway.

In bigger news we are just back from our road trip to New York. It was a well-awaited and well-planned trip that didn't go as planned - and not in a good way. Baby behaved very well, by the way - in the car and in the hotels, it was the adults who were problematic. in addition to human factor, Canadian dollar chose these very time to drop quite a bit, so paid for everything more that we would have two months before. Oh well. We have discovered something about ourselves, too - if the first time in New York (two years ago) we felt like tourists who love to do all touristy stuff. Now we felt that we didn't have to do it anymore. We haven't been to many places there, but we felt that everything we knew about New York from friends, and books, and media,etc and everything we saw for ourselves shifted into a focus and becoming multidimensional. of course, we don't know it too well - but well enough. My writing is getting confused here. It looks much better in my head.

I think I should post already, otherwise it will be another month...

Here are some penguins that we saw in Boston.

We are home from our road trip. Toronto looks positively homey, and this is a nice feeling. The last two days (since tuesday evening when we arrived) we were doing mostly nothing, but now I am starting to feel the need to do useful things - after all, I had plan to clean up both the apartment and the computer, and many other plans for which I never have time usually. But the inevitable return to work makes me sad already...

we liked the trip very much, though P. found both Boston and New York too much like Moscow - not something I object since I love Moscow.

the good time was had though - we walked, we wandered, we shopped, we ate in strange places, we spent lots of time in subways and buses, we made pictures. Pictures that have to be uploaded.

I got to do the most touristy thing ever - to climb the Empire State Building. I've never ever felt the smallest inclination to climb Ostankino TV Tower in Moscow or the CN Tower in Toronto... but here it goes... It cost me two hours of standing in line and money I could spend on shoes and books, but I feel accomplished and don't regret it.

I did buy two pairs of shoes, though I didn't planned it.. and a handbag (I was looking for one), and 6 books. and 6 t-shirts for presents and some other stuff. I most happy about books. Canadian dollar is on the rise, but book prices are the same and buying in US makes total sense at the moment.

my favourite finds are: The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker and How to read a Poem by Terry Eagleton, both bought at Harvard Co-op bookstore, where we spent several very pleasant hours...

while driving, the fate proved several times that the line we are in moves the slowest. In heavy traffic it could be explained by mistake in perception, but at the Canadian border it really was the slowest - in all other lines cars hardly stopped to show the documents, but in ours every car took 5 or so min to move into Canada. Of course, we had the maniac officer who asked the strangest questions like Whom did we meet in NY? and How can we prove we were there?

anyway. all was good, and we are home now!

I have received cards from asta77, swsa, janedavitt, and masterslady, for which I am thankful, as they made my return even sweeter!

Hope everyone is having great time and I wish a very belated birthday to swsa!

Am in New York. We are sleeping and shopping. No time for musems and stuff. ;)