weekend update

• been back in Toronto for about a month now. it's been weird living here for more than few days at a time, not feeling entirely a stranger but not feeling entirely at home either. i keep butting up against pieces of my life that i thought i'd left behind. it's re-reading a chapter of a well-loved book a decade after you first read it: it's still good, but not nearly as good as it was when you first took in those words years ago.

• i've moved downtown to a condo near to work, and while i enjoy being in the middle of the city again, i have been spending weekends up at my parents' house, not entirely out of a sense of duty. there is something to be said for spending an afternoon raking and bagging leaves, or buying produce from a nearby farm, or priming and painting a room, or cleaning and maintaining a vehicle. i'm not ready for these kind of home-ownership-type duties full-time as yet, but i like that i haven't lost my ability to do them. when the gf and i eventually settle into a house, i am looking forward to doing this sort of hands-on work again.

• actual cube-work continues to alternately frustrate and infuriate me, this past week being a prime example of just how madness-inducing it can be. since i've been up here, it's been tough to get sorted or get going on a plan to make the work situation any better. hopefully this week, i'll be able to get some traction to finish the year on a stronger note and with plans to start 2010 and the next phase of my career (even if it's with the same company) with gusto.

• the gf was here for an all-too-brief week-long stay in Toronto. we hung out, drank a lot of Canadian beer, watched a few Yankee games on tv, and were generally gross and couple-like. the gf met my brothers in person for the first time, and it went much better than i think either of us could have ever hoped for. later in the week, we managed to swing a trip to Montreal. though we were pretty much rained out on Saturday, we did get to most of the things on our list. we saw large swaths of the city; took in a musee or two; ate poutine, Montreal bagels, and smoked meat; and mingled with les gays. a good, reasonably-priced trip and a nice break from the Toronto quotidien.

• November promises more work, more wedding planning, a work trip to NYC, and renewed plans to eat well, exercise more, and get as much sleep as possible. it's hibernation times around these here parts. i have a feeling it's going to be a long, cold winter. bring your own discontent.