May Long.

I just knew that, in one way or another, the long weekend would help to make up for the ridiculousness and altogether total frustration that was last week.

Well, most parts of the weekend, anyways. There have been a couple sad/worrysome things happen (mostly yesterday)-- one of my friends is missing (deliberately on her part) and I'm incredibly worried about her, but am very limited in what I can do because I don't know her address. She has a history of depression and I think she may have taken matters into her own hands. Friends, please send some good thoughts into the universe for her. Sigh.  

next-day edity update: I got word last night that my friend who was AWOL is now safe and is being taken care of. I'm still a wee bit worried about her but I'm glad that she's getting the help that she needs. Continued prayers/good thoughts into the universe are always welcome, though!

Up until yesterday, my weekend had been pretty quiet. We went out for dinner with Rory's parents on Friday night (Sawmill, so good.) but other than that we've mostly been lounging around at home. Saturday morning we went to the City Centre Market since they're back in the outdoor market setting now. So nice to be back at the market on Saturdays (yep, I willingly get up at 8:30 or 9:00 AM on Saturdays to walk out there!), but since it's just mid-May, there isn't much in terms of produce yet... mostly apples and pears. Which is alright, but I'm still looking forward to the peak of BC fruit season... cherries and nectarines and peaches are the best part of summer for me, fruit-wise. Rainier cherries are my favourite-- not just for the flavour (so sweet but just tart enough that it's not overwhelming), but also because they don't stain your hands the way other varieties do.

(from The Produce Blog. This picture has me drooling.)

Since we didn't really have much cash on us, we didn't buy much... some cake bites, a container of my favourite Tzatziki, and a liter of borscht for Rory-- he just had a bowl of it and shared some with me, it's delicious but quite Americanized! I think that the next time I plan to go out there, I'll do a preorder for some bison smokies from Kathryn's parents-- I was hoping to buy some Saturday, but Dan hadn't brought any out with him.

Preorder means that I'll be able to get a good dozen or so for Rory, anyways. =)

Yesterday, Rory and David and I went to see a production of Dog Sees God, an unauthorized Peanuts parody-play that was being put on by a small theatre group on the south side of town. I'd first discovered this script about a year and a half or two years ago and have loved it ever since. Needless to say, I was stoked when I saw a link to the production come up on my Facebook news feed.

Very worth seeing. There were a few weird quirks in the matinee that we saw and it felt like the cast wasn't fully cohesive in a few places-- somewhat like a couple of the actors hadn't really internalized their roles-- but for the most part it was a very enjoyable production and very well done overall.

Bowie. Such a chicken of a cat... when he was
a kitten, he had ridiculous separation anxiety and
would freak out and cry whenever you left the
room. Little crazy.

We also got to see David's cats, Bowie and Zombie. Bowie is one of Shiva's littermates... although you'd be hard-pressed to tell, since he weighs at least three times what she does. Pudgy cat is pudgy, his rolls have rolls of their own!  

Zombie is actually Kellie's cat, but David has adopted her as his own. She's a sweetheart and is about the same size as Shiva (although skinnier... she doesn't hold much weight on her little bones). She loves to cuddle, but will also knead you with her needle-feet and cause significant pain. Oooops.

Me 'n' Zombiecat.

After the play, Rory and I drove out to his parents' place. They live about an hour out of town on a ranch-type property. I got to do some of the driving on the way out! My driving skills are slowly but surely getting a bit better =D Late last year, Rory's cousin Sandi decided that she wanted to help teach me how to drive (I guess after hearing a story from Rory about how non-confident I am was behind the wheel and how he made me cry once? Ha.) and since then I've learned quite a bit. I have much more confidence, and I've figured out how to articulate just what exactly it is that I need when being taught... so I can explain to Rory how he can be most helpful when I'm driving our little Civic!

Feeding time. Om nom nom.

We were at his parents' place until late yesterday evening, and didn't get home until almost 11:00 last night. While we were there, we got to see the new barn kittens! They're only a couple weeks old and are just starting to open their eyes up (although their eyes are very crunchy and a wee bit infected, such is the nature of barn kittens since they're never really clean).

Amagawd, babycats. They make me so happy!

Don't get me wrong, I love my Shiva... but little squirmy fat squeaky babycats are just... Sigh. So adorable.

I only had five of these, plus one beer.
And a Mike's Hard Cranberry.
That's justifiable, right?

We had the time to relax on the deck with drinks + munch on some bacon-wrapped scallops while we were waiting for dinner to cook. Yep, yesterday was another day where I'm pretty sure my food intake was shot to Hades... but on the other hand, I was really glad to be out there and visiting.

If I could drive, I'd go out every couple weeks--I really love Rory's parents and spending time at their place is so refreshing and revitalizing for me-- but since I don't, I need to rely on Rory being home to provide the transporation. And yes, I'm planning on getting my drivers' license as soon as I can... but I do need to take drivers' ed first.

After dinner + watching a movie, we made our way outside to enjoy the fire in Rory's parents firepit (and sunset. So lovely.) and I sat down to find that Old Grey had leapt into my lap and was demanding that I pay some attention to him (via headbutting me in the arm and nuzzling).

The wise old (sucky, snuggly) man.

Grey is such a sweet old man. In empirical terms he's not really that "old"-- only three years-- but for a barn cat he's been around a long time. I have a picture on my phone of Grey as a babycat, cuddling with Rory. It's adorable.

Lookit this little suck-- Grey as a kitten!. D'awwww.

And yes, I do realize that I'm starting to make myself sound even crazier than usual with all my ramblings about how much I love barn cats. But since I was allergic to cats when I was little (an allergy that I didn't really 'defeat' until a couple years ago, and largely due to the barn cats at Rory's parents' place-- it's so hard to resist a squeaking kitten crawling up your leg!!), the only pet I had growing up was my parents' miniature poodle, Lola.

Ironically enough, since I'm not living at home anymore (and haven't in two and a half years), I've lost my tolerance to Lola and react to her slightly whenever I'm at my parents place. They don't seem to believe me when I tell them, though.

But yes. We finished off the evening with a fire in the firepit, enjoying the warm weather and the sunset.

It is absolutely gorgeous here. Evenings like this make me rethink my decision to live in the city.

And now I'm spending my last day off sitting at home, watching Rory play Diablo 3. Anti-climactic? You bet.

Progress Notes: I think I'm starting to get an action plan together for next week. I'm going to go make myself my quinoa/kale/garlic/peppers concoction shortly so that I have it ready for me to take for lunch for the rest of this week, and David gave me a protein powder that looks like it'll be a good fit for me-- that is, assuming that the flavour doesn't make me want to gag. I'll be mixing that protein powder with coconut milk (good fats!) and hopefully the combination of protein shake + healthier meal will curb my need to munch and snack constantly during the day. We shall seeeeeee.

Did you do anything over the May long weekend?