Today was officially my last volunteer shift at the library... because I just got hired on as SAPL's newest part-time library page! HURRAH HURRAH HURRAH!  *Does her ecstatic happy dance*

That whole thing before where I said how it was a super part-time position with only eight hours a week?  Well revise that, it's actually a very super part-time position.  Due to some complications with my schooling (it was a little touch and go for a few hours today on whether I'd be able to take the job at all) and the shifts that they need to fill, instead of twice a week as originally planned I'll only be going in once a week -- but still four hours is 100% more paid library work than I was doing before, right?  I'LL TAKE IT I'LL TAKE IT!  *Claws desperately at the air like a foaming cat flailing for a stuffed fish on a string.*  Those four hours may make all the difference between being hired for additional library jobs in the future or facing another two years of agonizing rejection at the hands of spiteful human resource personnel.  *Shakes her fist at HR minions as they cackle malevolently down in their dark, cavernous office pit and proceed to disregard her resumes and applications and use them to stoke their evil fires of pithy judgmental scorn.*  D:{

Just goes to show that enough perseverance always prevails.  And if that doesn't work, it never hurts to slip the person in charge a discreet, unmarked manilla envelope under the table.  (I'm joking, obviously.  Or AM I? No really, I am.  ORLY? *Shifty eyes*)

Mood: Mmmm... cake...

Tonight was my first St. Albert Library volunteer shift upstairs shelving magazines. I know that sounds really very "big deal, so what", but it was very exciting. When you've previously spent all your time working on the main floor sorting paperbacks and DVDs the second floor feels like a significant promotion for some reason. (It's where all the big boy books live! First the hardcovers... THEN THE WORLD, MUH HA HA HA! Yeah, I don't know.) I also spoke to the volunteer coordinator regarding if there were any job openings coming down the pipeline, and apparently they may have a casual page position opening up some time soon that current volunteers will get first crack at. The hours wouldn't even really qualify as part-time, but it's still the most positive news I've received yet in my job hunt and getting in just a couple of paid hours here and there would at least put me in the running finally for when a more substantial position opens up.

This past week I've been doing some pro bono work designing a site for a LAN party startup company Mason and I are helping out with, and it's the first time I've actually enjoyed doing web design in almost two years. This is probably directly related to the fact that: a) I have 100% free reign over the whole thing and am not dealing with frustrating clients, and b) the design is centered around one particularly rad velociraptor motif. Everyone knows it's a proven fact that raptors make everything more awesome!

Other than that, I've been spending a lot of time arranging appointments for wedding related to-do's and passing any spare moment anxiously awaiting more RSVPs to come in. It's taking an excruciatingly slow time. Everyone should have received their invite by now! Why do I only have 54 replies so far? T-T Let's go, people! Don't you know there are very important seating charts to be mapped out?!

Finally, since it's become increasingly clear that my chances of scoring an entry-level library job without a proper education is not very high, I may or may not be applying back to school this fall for the Library and Information Technology program. At the very least it's been taken under serious consideration and I'm planning on attending another information session at Grant MacEwan later this month to ask some questions and smooth out some details. It's kind of exciting but also very daunting at the same time... :x More info on that once I know more.

And now... to eat cake.

Mood: Warm and fuzzy inside

This morning I attended a orientation session for new volunteers at the Edmonton Humane Society. It's actually the second one I've gone to in the last year or two, but after the first one I never heard anything back from them on how to proceed to the next step, so I'm not sure if I got lost in the fray some where down the line or what. Luckily this time around seemed much more organized and I walked out happily at the end with a yellow EHS volunteer shirt and everything~

The lady from the EHS (who has also served as an EMT) who headed the session started it off by talking a little about her time in New York several years back, and how she was there the day of and helped out during the events of 9/11. She showed us some of her own pictures that she'd taken during and after the attacks, as well spoke about and showed us photos of some of the animal rescue units that assisted in the aftermath; like how the search and rescue dogs were transported across the rubble and debris. Also how in addition to the typical medium to large sized breeds that you usually see with emergency crews, 9/11 had a lot of tiny miniature dogs like poodles and terriers working with the team as well since they could get into so many smaller spots than the rest of of the search and rescue animals. It was really interesting to hear about.

I chose to sign up for the EHS cat socialization volunteer program (you had the option between cats and dogs), so I'm going in for a mentoring session for that on Tuesday. In passing the staff also asked who of us had any experience with smaller mammals like rabbits (I think there was only two of us in the whole room), so I'm arranging another much smaller session to cover that so I can volunteer with both.

I love the EHS, they're such a wonderful organization with the nicest facility and staff. I've wanted to help out some way with them for the longest time. So excited~ :3

Mood: Mostly sleepy.

I had my first volunteer shift at the Stanley Milner Library yesterday, sorting books for their upcoming book sale(s) down in the basement. There were less volunteers than I thought there'd be, and I turned out to be the youngest among them (looks like most of the EPL volunteers are older people who are retired or don't work full hours and have oodles of spare time... so we have something in common then), but it was a good time. It also helps that for each volunteer session I help out at, I score four dollars of free used books! XB (When we're talking used books, four dollars buys a respectable pile of new novels to add to my collection~) They also have a drink fridge and sneaky filing cabinet drawer full of snacks to nibble on while you're sorting. Definitely worth waking up early for yesterday morning.

Mason and I watched the new DC animated movie, Batman: Under the Red Hood the other evening, based on the whole Jason Todd reborn storyline. Verdict? Pretty sweet. :B I've read "A Death in the Family" and I'm familiar with the general plot points of Red Hood's origin, so it was neat to see a video version of the story (and according to reviews from people more comic-savvy than I, the adaptation is pretty well done.) Pleasing art and animation, good script, and much more blood and violence than I've seen in the past Batman animated videos. My only sad note is that this movie changed all of the usual voice actors I've come to know and love from the animated Batman universe -- it's silly, but there will always be a little part of me that shuns anyone who tries to fill Kevin Conroy or Mark Hamill's shoes. On the other hand... Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing is awesome! *Glee*

On that thought, why is it that random street thugs know that Nightwing was formerly Robin...? o_O Did Batman post memos up all over Gotham? Is there an official Batman newsletter?

Mood: Content

Survived camping in bear country, hurrah! \o/ Next week I'm off again for our biennial Road Trip of Sisterly Win to visit equally awesome Brother of Awesome and Sister-In-Law of Rad over in B.C. This involves our traditional 12 hour drive through the mountains, the same ones I just returned from this past weekend; the only difference being that if we encounter bears, I will already be safely in our car traveling at 130 km/h on the highway. Ha HA! How do ya like them apples, bears?! *Smug*

Still no interviews. *Sad face* In the mean time I've begun taking on contract work again to at least bring in some sort of income aside from my EI. Last week through word of mouth I managed to pick up a couple new web projects, so that's keeping me nice and busy during the day when I was formerly just laying around watching episodes of Secret Diary of a Call Girl and napping.

In addition to contract work, I've started volunteering at the St. Albert Public Library! :3 (I've also put in an application at the EPL, but they haven't contacted me back yet.) It's great because it'll finally give me a little experience to put on my sad, library-lacking resume; plus, I'm really enjoying it. The people there are super nice and I find the shelving work very relaxing. They have me for a couple evening hours each week, though I'm hoping that I can eventually increase my hours -- then the next time they have a part-time page position open for hire they'll be all "Hey, that Brenna girl sure is a hard-working, enthusiastic volunteer! She's just the lady we're looking for, yes sir!" and BAM! Hired. That's my brilliant plan anyhow.

Over the past week, Mason and I have paid a couple of trips to various home hardware stores in an attempt to start planning out a tentative budget to remodel our very sad, ugly kitchen. No huge construction renos or anything, mostly just aesthetics -- painting the cupboards, new countertops, hardware, light fixtures, getting rid of ugly apple-print drapes, maybe a fancy shmancy new faucet~ I would love a new dishwasher as well (because it's getting to the point that our cat could lick clean our plates and utensils better than this silly machine) but that's a whole different time and budget all together. We've also picked out some paint swatches and have wonderful plans for when we eventually want to spruce up the upstairs walls. Very excited. (For the work to be finally done and finished, that is -- I am not looking forward to the actual physical labor of remodeling at all.)

FYI, the sexy Old Spice guy has managed to somehow defy the laws of awesome and become EVEN MORE AWESOME. They're putting out new spots (some of which that are quite hilarious) on their YouTube channel in which he personally responds to comments and questions from fans. This man is so awesome, in fact, that I have added him to my Hug Bucket. I bet hugging him would be like hugging every awesome person in the world at the same time, while listening to Journey, while standing in the the most beautiful sunny and grassy panorama, among the grand scenic backdrop of looming mountains made entirely of chocolate, immediately after being rescued single-handedly from a hoard of ravenous bears. Ooh. Not to mention my Hug Bucket would forever carry the wonderfully manly fragrance of Old Spice scented body wash.

Mood: Impatient

Gahhh! Still forty-four days until house possession *angst* but thankfully only two days until house inspection, which will be the only time between now and then that I'll be allowed back into the shiny eventually-to-be-ours new home! I will have a mere three-ish hours to bask and take pictures and measure out rooms! D: *Grasps camera and measuring tape determinedly*

I went to the an SPCA volunteer orientation session tonight and signed up for four different possible programs to take part in~ I didn't realize what a long process applying to be a volunteer was -- I submitted my application at the end of May, just got into the orientation today, and probably won't hear back from the organizer until mid-July. I thought I would already be swimming in puppies, kitties, and piles of furry bunnies by now, but I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles. Apparently since they opened the new location (omg such a nice building, the open house was awesome~) they've had an insane outpouring of new volunteer support so I have to wait my turn. It both saddens me to wait but makes me extremely happy to know so many people want to lend a hand. X3

I've recently finished two books: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, which was short and simple, but truely superb (I highly recommend this book -- it's such an easy read but has such an impact); and Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult. It was all right, though t's not one of her better books that I've read; maybe because it was an earlier work -- or maybe because the lead male character reminds me so much Edward freaking Cullen that I want to hurl it across the room. Oh look at me, I'm so perfectly perfect and gorgeous, but behind this peckish godly exterior hides an abusive, broody (and amazingly annoying) MONSTERRRRRR, arrrrr! All it needs is a little veggie vampirism thrown in and they could be a pair of most likely very dysfunctional twins.

Countdown until shiny exciting house possession: 44 (I think I may go crazy)