6 weeks and counting...

Wow... we've been married six weeks already!
I have to say, when you get married you know it won't all be kisses and long walks on the beach. But you hope it is.
Jody and I have been very very busy, and still we feel there is too much to do, even for two of us. We have fallen terribly behind on thank-you notes. We have taken on too much -- fixing computers, trying to reorganize the entire house in one month, dump run, helping my parents move, attempting to sort out a budget before we buy anything big (ie; a bed).

Our strategy has changed to unpacking one box a night, no matter how tired we are. Some days we do better, so we are down to only 3 more boxes of my stuff that needs a home. My mom brought home the Ikea bookshelf we asked for from Vancouver, so I used my new screwdriver set to put that together in about half an hour on Sunday and it's mostly full already. I do love books... and candles. Jody was in shock on Sunday when I unpacked a box and a half of PartyLite. Hey, he has games complete with a racing wheel and flight stick... I figure I can have some tealights and pretty holders.

Just last night we ordered wedding photos. It was difficult; not only were there so many beautiful ones, Jody actually teared up looking at his "lovely bride" and I got a bit emotional thinking what a wonderful ceremony we had. Plus, we were a little stressed out two nights ago because we were feeling the pressure to order before the photos went offline, and what I wanted was a nice time together--instead I was cranky over how rushed we were. Last night was much better because we knew it would take three hours, so we planned for it. Our order is in, and should be here soon. Also, I took some in to Blacks, and they turned out nicely up to 8X10. I don't know that I would trust a close-up of faces in an 8x10, though, so that's what we ordered professionally printed from our photographer -- plus one 11X14 of the kiss behind the parliament buildings fountain, which seems to be a favourite of anyone who's seen the photo collection in its entirety. 587 photos. Good grief.

We are trying to make time for ourselves and our friends. We've had an ice cream date, walking around downtown with gelato in hand, pretending it's summer. We went out to Swans and Swing City for dancing, but not as often as we'd hoped. We had a nice dinner out with Mitch & Pam at 5th Street, and have made many meals together, some of them with wine or fancy dessert. We pored over the Boulevard cookbook we received in the mail from our dinner-out restaurant in San Francisco, deciding we will have hero status if we manage to make ANYTHING.

Michelle has joined us for dinner & the first two Pirates movies at home. We hope to make this some sort of a tradition. She and I saw The Painted Veil together when Jody was out and our friend Sarah was consumed with busyness from work. It was sad, but well-acted; we were, however, disappointed in the ending. And one of my roommates was in the kitchen banging around on a really pivotal, quiet scene. Grr.

We've set up my computer on the house server so I can play my music on the speakers attached to the TV, through some technological miracle of Jody's PS3 interacting with my computer. Don't ask me how. We also use that to watch episodes of Battlestar Galactica, and are nearing the end of Season 3 now.

I joined a book club and have just finished reading "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, but no word yet on when we'll discuss it. Should be interesting, seeing my English friends outside of cram time. And I am thinking of participating in a blog-off to raise money for a girl going on a 3-day walk to fight breast cancer.

I have been trying to ride my bike more, but it's a bit scary. I went down a street with no bike lane to get downtown the other day-- it was busy and I got sworn at, then nearly cut off to the point where I had to pull over and give up and get on the sidewalk while someone backed into a parking space. So I can't say I'm too thrilled, despite my new lock and helmet and flashing light.

My folks are moving in less than a month now. They've bought a house, which my dad fully intends on restoring before they leave (reality: my mom does the work). So that's keeping the whole family busy. We are also making trips to Vancouver to see Unc, and our cousins are playing lots of field hockey. Never a dull moment.

Anyway... that's about what I've been up to the past month or so since the wedding. Just last night Mom called and asked if we could loan her a teapot until they move... And I said no, absolutely not. We have none to spare; we need all seven. At once. :)

Where I Like To Eat in Victoria

This one's for Evette.
It's going to be difficult, since they closed down my favourite cheap-and-yummy Japanese place, Tombo. Sadness! Plus they closed down the Taj Mahal, where Jody and I went on a nice date the last night of its existence.
Evette, I don't know what you're thinking, but newlyweds don't generally have a lot of cash to go out for dinner... but here goes.

Swan's
Right downtown, this brewpub has good pub food, even better beer, and best of all, dancing! Mondays and Wednesdays alternate between a swing and blues band for a couple hours, so you'll often find a bunch of Victoria dancers out for a pint and a turn on the floor. My favourite foods there are the Fisgard Fries (yam & potato fries), Thai wrap, fish 'n' chips and chicken fingers. And definitely the raspberry ale. I've been coming here since I turned 19, and they finally stopped IDing me three years ago.

Christie's
Again, a pub. Handy to my new house, they serve great burgers, including such innovations as the panko-breaded oyster burgers. Good coolers and nice atmosphere, especially if you sit out on the patio in summer. We went here for my birthday last year.

Hernande'z
Absolutely amazing for lunch, this authentic Mexican restaurant began as a hole-in-the-wall and has expanded to a spot in a mini-mall. The husband is the chef and he's taken everything he knows of cooking in his home country and shared it with us, and boy am I glad. They have 5 mini tacos for $5, a choice of pork, sausage, black bean (my fave) or spicy chicken. They do wonderful fajitas too, which according to Michelle taste great the next day.

Cook 'n' Pan
Across the street from my old work on Cook Street, this Polish deli makes the most amazing perogies I've ever had. And you can buy them frozen to take home, too. They come with a serving of salad, and are available in sauerkraut, cottage cheese or cheddar cheese. They make great poppyseed cake, but they're also right next door to Patisserie Daniel... mmmm sour cherry danishes and lemon & sour cherry poppyseed muffins!

Sampan
My family goes here for special occasions. The round tables each have a lazy susan in the centre, which makes it fun to push the Chinese tea and laden dishes around to everyone. We always get breaded almond chicken, vegetable fried rice, sweet 'n' sour pork and beef & broccoli. It's not overly fancy, which means it isn't overly expensive. But it's good and plentiful, and always fresh and hot. Plus I get to show off my chopstick skills. :) Though I must admit, the food in Hong Kong spoiled me forever. Canadian-Chinese food just isn't authentic, and never will be, but I do enjoy the food here.

So you've probably noticed I haven't really mentioned Jody... it was really hard coming up with these. He and I frequent Swans and Hernandez, and we've gone to Christie's maybe twice. We don't eat out much but we like to cook together. We like to eat out at breakfasty places and more holes-in-the-wall like Cook Street village's indoor food market (amazing pad thai!) but it doesn't really count as a restaurant. So that's about all I have for you! Enjoy drooling over thoughts of sour cherry danishes and chicken pesto burgers.