So, back to the grind. Well, not even the 'real' grind - it's still shutdown. But back to the plant and to the gossip and intrigues. It's so hard not to get caught up in the almost 'mob mentality' of gossip and such. When you don't like a person, or find fault with them, and someone else starts to complain about them, it's almost impossible not to chime in your own story or opinion. Definitely something I need to work on.

Not much to say about today - definitely not one of the most exciting ones. It is, however, a wonderfully sunny day - the snow is melting all over, and you can smell the heat inside the building at work, as it beats upon the windows.

No word yet on the house for rent. Still trying really hard not to be too hopeful. But it's hard. Half of the enjoyment of life is the anticip... pation of what's coming. Of course, the same can be said of half of the misery of life, too.

Well, I should go pay some attention to the cat before he starts eating the houseplants out of spite for being ignored.

Happy Wednesday.

More travelling - today to Toronto to visit our glass (jars) supplier, the tech centre, and two warehouses. With the exception of the glass company, not an exciting day.

But the glass company just about made up for the lack of excitement. That place is incredible! Slugs of molten glass shooting about like something from a science fiction movie. And the heat in some places! It's one thing to know that making glass means high temperatures, and another to actually see the flames shooting out of the little window, and feel the heat buffeting you from the furnace.

It was a good time.

The car ride wasn't bad, but it was a car ride with six other people - I feel drained right about now. Thank goodness for leftovers.

One other positive thing about today - a friend from work told me about a house in Welland a friend of hers is looking to rent out for a good price - this could be promising. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high - I'm getting tired of disappointment. But it sounds perfect for me. No! Hopes must be low...

Found out that my papa's memorial luncheon went well. People were talking about him - memories and stories. Makes me really wish I'd gone, now. I never really got to know him as a person other than 'my crabby grandfather'. I know that there must have been more to him, but he was so unhappy that it was difficult to learn much about him by speaking to him. I'm hoping that going through the old pictures will be enlightening - I'm really looking forward to that. I hope that I can do something good with the photos - make them really usable for everyone. Sitting in boxes like they were, they weren't of much use.

Well, I'm going to play with the movies I took today. I'm hoping I can string them together into one - maybe put some music with them, since all the sound is is a big roar in the background.

Now what kind of music is good for a glass factory?

Today we went on a 'field trip'. We went to the tank farm in Delhi to see how things are done there - not a bad time. It's kind of nice to get out of the plant and see other things with your work people. And tomorrow we're going to Toronto for another field trip - to our glass supplier and the tech centre.

Ain't life a blast?

Anyway, had a good weekend, overall - a couple of friends over Friday evening for pasta, chocolate fondue, and goofing around. Just about all the rest of the weekend was spent on the computer, playing games, and watching tv. Ick. But cheap!

And having people over made me have to give the house at least a cursory cleaning - it's really so much pleasanter now that I can walk in a straight line through the living room, and don't have overflowing garbage cans of junk mail. Must do this more often.

Talking to John on Trillian right now. Nice to catch up - and talking with John is always interesting - an intriguing combination of connection and complete dissociation. My best friend - same sense of humour, lots of inside jokes and all, but he's also one of my friends who seems to dash all over the world. I never know where half these people are. But it's all good - at least I can effectively live vicariously through them - Brussels, Vienna, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia. Man.

An epiphany of sorts - from what I've learned from shopping - going with a friend occasionally is important, because they will pick out things for you that you never would have considered in a million years - and it could be great on you, and you've now discovered a new way to look good and feel good about yourself.

This is part of the reason that it's important to have a spiritual community - a church. Working with other people to learn m ore about God. Each person has a slighty different view of God, or different ideas. By learning with a group, you can hear things you never would have thought of, see God and your relationship with Him in a different light - find new ways to be yourself, and to be a child of God.