Today is setting itself up to be another scorcher. It has gotten very hot very quickly on the Rock. Last night, we returned home at about 9:00 from our first beach volleyball night (where we shocked everyone...including ourselves...by actually winning some games) to an 82-degree apartment. It was dry, but it was hot. Last Sunday, we came home from the beach to about 80 degrees, so we decided to cave and fire up the A/C, which we've been doing every night since. Since the maximum temperature at which we can be comfortable and actually sleep well is really only a couple of degrees lower, we only have to run it for a few minutes before relief sets in, thanks to those powerful ceiling fans. Central air...gotta love it.

As the temperatures rise, so does the humidity, just like in Ottawa. However, unlike Ottawa, the Rock frequently experiences humidity levels of 100%. Now, to me, 100% humidity sounds like rain, but it is not. It means that the air is so thick with water that you can actually see large water droplets sparkling in the sun, and they leave your skin, clothes and hair damp in just seconds. It feels like rain, but instead of falling on you, you walk through it. It's whack. My hair went from sleek and straight to an unruly mess in about 2.5 seconds, so I think the straightener is going on hiatus for the summer. I think August is going to be kind of gross.

Today is Day 2 of Awkward Four Week Notice Period. I am just waiting for a tap on the shoulder to tell me to move on and believe me...it can not come fast enough. My boss, unique man that he is, is "punishing" me for leaving by boycotting me from all file-related work. The funny thing is, he so rarely gave me work anyways that I didn't even notice the difference until I noticed that I wasn't being copied on emails anymore. We have gotten along well in the months we've worked together, but I do know him well enough to have anticipated his reaction to my news. Everyone else, however, has been great. Even HR congratulated me and told me that I was making a good move, so that was nice. I'm guessing that this is because everyone else knows that I have spent the past seven months on F-book and the internet. I figure that, at 27, I am in the years of my life when I should be working the hardest to move myself along, career-wise. There's no time to stalemate now. If I wanted to just hit cruise-control and collect a paycheque, I'd stay put but unfortunately, after a few years of four-minute work weeks, I would be totally unemployable anywhere else and, essentially, erasing everything I've worked so hard to put on my resumé. Time to pack it up and move on.

Speaking of packing, I have packed up my desk in anticipation of being "redistributed" when my boss replaces me. Everything has gone home...including my new mug. So, I'm toying with the idea of tracking down that Vegas mug, using it for the remainder of my time here, just to stick it to that evil woman who yelled at me a few months ago. I have nothing to lose now. I may even hide it when I leave in some remote cabinet. Seriously...do not $#%@ with me.

And on a happier note...

My very good friends, Shane and Kelly, are the proud new parents to Zachary David, born on June 9th. He weighed 6 lb. 6 oz. and is beautiful (I've seen photos, so this is not just relying on a somewhat biased parental email) with perfect little cheeks and dark hair. He's adorable. He's Shane and Kelly's first baby too, and the first grandchild on Shane's side, so he's going to be spoiled rotten! I've known Shane since college and met Kelly when Shane, Kathie and I moved to Ottawa together in 2002 and her and Shane had started dating. We were at their wedding last summer and are now looking forward to seeing them (hopefully) in July and meeting their new munchkin. Congrats, guys! Another pseudo-nephew to add to my ever-growing and increasingly cute collection.

And on another happy note...

We're finally, FINALLY, getting the chance to get out on a boat for a day this coming long weekend. Friends of ours have rented a pontoon boat and so we're heading out on Sunday to do some cliff jumping, some exploring, and to find some elusive yet apparently awesome underwater trampolines. Snacks, cold drinks, new friends, and an iPod jack for the boat's speaker system...what is better than that?

And then next weekend, before Lai and Dal arrive, we're going out on another boat to go deep sea fishing for the day, for tuna, wahoo and snapper. Last year, our friends each came home from this trip with 10 lbs. of fish, so I'm hoping for a similar experience...I'd love to have a freezer full of fresh, local, healthy fish. Yum. Lai and Dal have timed their vacation very, very well I think...

AND...

Thanks to the timing of my end date at my current job and my start date at my new job, I was able to score an extra six days in Victoria, giving me a full THREE WEEKS OFF, 16 days of which will be in Victoria. Seriously...this is the best news ever. What had been shaping up to be two kind of rushed and crazy weeks full of wedding planning, work on our house (ugh) and flying around trying to see everyone has now turned into an extended, far more relaxed vacation. I'll still only have 5 (busy) days in Ottawa, but with over two weeks in Victoria, that busy isn't going to feel so stressful. And really, I can't wait to get to either city...our Ottawa "to do" list is long, but fun, and our Victoria "to do" list includes sampling wedding cake, so it's not going to be terrible either. Plus, the extra time might just buy me a few days at Hornby, which was worth the 45 minutes I spent on hold with Air Canada to change my flight, all in itself.