I had truly intended to come back to the blogging world last week, but between more wedding preparations, family drama and a heavy workload, time has not been on my side. I want to apologize though to my friends here that have been such a great source of support, and while I may sound like a broken record, I will catch up after the wedding and stop being such a neglectful friend. Your friendship is so appreciated, and believe me, I think about you all often.

First the work situation, or lack thereof. Nothing has been said. I have been given no outward sign that my contract will be renewed or will expire on May 1. I did speak to my boss, and he just gave a wave of the hand and said 'You don't need to worry about it.' Nice thought but it doesn't pay my bills. So I am in a little bit of a rock and hard place. There is so much I dislike about the structure of this place, and the direction, but at the same time, there is even more that I like. The hours are long, the recognition could be better but there is just something that I really enjoy about the place. Having said that though, I have begun sending out my resume and casually looking.

Last night, I received a call from a recruiter regarding a Contract Administrator/Procurement Analyst job at a megafirm downtown. The job is very intriguing and has a tie in to the Olympics in 2010. So keep your fingers crossed next Monday at 4:30pm as I have my interview.

Last Thursday, there was a little more family drama that we would like to see. My niece's mother-in-law, Judy was visiting them from Alberta. It was her 50th birthday on Thursday and she was playing with the grandbubs when the phone rang. Her house in Alberta burned to the ground. It would seem that her sons, in haste to get to work, forgot to turn off the stove as they left. The house was a century-old farmhouse, with sawdust insulation. It was the perfect feed for a fire, and the house went up in no time. Unfortunately, they lost their dog, Reno. Reno was an 18 year old poodle, blind and deaf and well, I can only hope he went peacefully. For about 4 hours, there was confusion over whether the boys were at work or trapped in the house - which made for a highly emotional and scary day.

Judy had no insurance, unfortunately. The airlines were a great difficulty to deal with, as there is no discount offered on one-way emergency tickets. She had to pay full fare to get home, on top of not even knowing what she was coming home to. My heart goes out to her, but I am heartened by the fact that their small town in Alberta is a strong community and they have rallied around her as only small towns can.

I am feeling better healthwise than I have in ages. The pain in my knee is now all but gone. I realized today for the first time in about 9 months, while walking down the stairs I was not even conscious of how my knee felt.

The wedding is 9 days away and preparations are going well, but are time consuming. I will be throwing a shower on Sunday and am buried in the set up for that. I am working on my speech now, which is slowly coming together. I thought it would be easier than it is, but it's hard to string together something that doesn't consist of a litany of inside jokes. Even still, things are falling into place, and I am very excited. Leigh has been such a great bride-to-be as well. She's 28 weeks into her pregnancy, and while stressed with the arrangements, is looking good and barely breaking a sweat.

The Dude. Well, friendship fits us nicely. Actually, it's more than relief that we were able to but the uncomfortable awkwardness behind us. He has been much more of a treat to be around, and I don't find myself bristling at each comment. It's good.

A couple of new travel goals though. I want to go to the Concours D'Elegance in Pebble Beach in August. And the historic racecar trials in Monterrey. Hopefully, it will work out and I'll get a visit in with my San Franciscan friend (Hi T!). Unfortunately, it's the same weekend as the Maritime Festival in my neighbourhood so it's going to be a tough call.

And I nearly forgot. I begin my next course in Photography next Wednesday. It will be fantastic to be able to get out and use my camera again. Been far too long!

On that note, though, I must run again. No rest for the wicked!