The more I read, the more I like her: 'Michelle Obama to promote gardening on "Sesame Street"'


And I'm surprisingly excited about the new Michael Moore film (although I hope it doesn't cross the line into "Yay Socialism!" territory, 'cause as much as capitalism kinda bites, from what I've heard about socialism, it kinda does too). At the very least, entertaining use of "Paper Planes" by MIA in the second half of the trailer (and if that's not a song that gets stuck in your head then I don't know what is)

Holy smokes! Today our fridge broke - but our landlord bought us a new one - but we can't plug it in yet...

I started feeling a bit nauseated earlier this evening, before the big fridge meltdown of 2009 was confirmed, and now that I'm faced with a sizeable pile of things-going-moldy-in-the-back-of-the-fridge-that-I-didn't-know-about-and-never-wanted-to, the nausea is getting worse. I think maybe I'll lie down for a couple minutes and nurse my half-glass of ginger ale and take it from there...

I am reminded now that it should be said that I have a great many things to look forward to. My kitchen is awash in tomatoes, we bought sixty pounds for twenty dollars, and I have been canning up a storm ever since. Mostly just plain canned tomatoes, but there's likely to be some ketchup and perhaps some salsa, too!

Tonight I have knitting group, which is usually on Thursdays but there's a special one tonight to meet with Robyn Love, an artist with a CCA grant to travel across Canada interviewing suburban knitting groups about knitting and their community. It should be interesting, but I've also come to genuinely look forward to this little gathering of women, mostly my age or a bit older... It's nice to have the opportunity to learn people's names.

Last friday was the great potato harvest and it was a complete success! The harvest was smaller than last year, so I'm told, but there was lots of help and the task was completed in record time. I was sent home with one and a half bags of potatoes, the full one of "good" ones, and the half of "eat now" ones, but they're really all very good. The garden manager there might go out to another woman's farm this Thursday to help out since the intern there went back to school this September and has invited me to tag along.

This Friday a band is playing that I've been looking forward to seeing, and Saturday we're having some friends come to visit and see our place. It's also Peterborough Pride, though I doubt I'll have much to do with it. So I'm trying to plan what to have for folks to nibble on without spending too much money that we don't really have, but I think it'll be a good time regardless...

Finally, I'm about eighty pages from the end of Anne of Avonlea, the second of the "Anne" books by L.M. Montgomery, none of which I had read before now. How funny they are! And very well written; it's very evident that Montgomery had quite the sense of humour. I really wish I would have read them when I was younger, though I'm really enjoying them now. Anne of the Island will be next, I think!

Now accepting opinions...

Alright, I need to vent.

Today I went for an interview at a local employment-type agency that deals with the Self-Employment Benefit program here in Peterborough, with is a province-wide program that basically pays a living wage for 10 months while you start a small business. I applied with the hope of opening a yarn store here, since there's a shocking lack of one in this little city, but was denied access to the program because I'm unlikely to be approved for any loans because of my total lack of assets.

And here's where I start flashing back to Buffy, in the episode in season six where the heroine applies for a loan only to be turned down - that they'll only lend money if you can prove you don't need it... (I'm thinking I'm going to watch that episode)

What really sucks is that I've been using my VISA more than usual, and while I don't owe a lot, I owe more than I'd like to considering I'm not going to be in this program. So my options are as follows (in chronological order):

- Approach the Canadian Youth Business Foundation and see what they say. I wish I had done this in the first place, it would have saved me a lot of waiting around for this interview which produced absolutely nothing. If I'm turned down by CYBF, my plans for a yarn store will basically be dead in the water.

- If yarn can't work, I have to. I mean, I'll have to find a job. Which won't be easy, considering Peterborough has very high unemployment and I have very few skills. And no driver's license.

- If all else fails, I might go back to school. I'm actually really in love with the idea of the new Sustainable Agriculture program offered by Fleming College, but agriculture isn't exactly known for its booming employment opportunities (although, as Aimee the garden manager says, the average age of a Canadian farmer is 52, which means in about ten years time we're due for a major food-production crisis...) I've also been toying with the idea of trying to nudge Trent University in the direction of starting a farm incubator on one of its massive tracts of land similar to the McVean Farm Incubator in Brampton (of all places). If I were to initiate that, it might provide me with some sort of employment?

I'm currently debating applying for a TA position at Trent even though the closing date was last Friday - why is it still up if the closing date has passed? - because the class sounds really interesting, but the money is crap and I'm barely qualified. It also would mean that I wouldn't be able to go to Fleming come January if that's actually what I end up doing which is actually very unlikely. I hate the conflicting schedules of my possible futures!

I think I need to console myself with knitting and Buffy, and make some off-brand macaroni and cheese product to remind myself that that's basically all I'll be eating over the next couple of months while my food budget pays off my credit card... *sigh*

I'm trying to prepare myself for a busy week.

Tomorrow is the 50% off sale at Value Village, and I generally can never keep myself away. I was actually thinking about making a list! Just of things that I know I want to look for (like more spice jars)... That's reasonable and not crazy, right?

Tuesday will be preparation for Wednesday when I have a *very important interview* about which I will not speak about here until after it has occurred, as it's the kind of thing that has the real potential to change the direction of my life, and this terrifies me like nothing else... except perhaps driving...

Which is Thursday! Second driving lesson ever, although I'm feeling slightly more comfortable with it after driving from Coboconk (yes, it's really a town) to Highway 12 just south of Orillia with my Mum last week. People passed me and everything!

Friday will be the great potato dig at the garden unless it rains.

And Saturday we're expecting friends for a visit, and might tour a nearby brewery even! I expect it will be splendid.

September is marching on folks!