I'm done! And, I'm still in love:



So cute!

I finally received my marks! 92%, 96%, 96% and 100% for a final mark of 95%! I loved this course - it really helped me decide to apply for Schulich's MBA program instead of the MHA program that I was originally thinking of. Their specializations really fit in with what I want to do - Health Care Management, Public Administration and Strategic Management. Schulich is also fabulously flexible - I can start part-time (so I can keep my GREAT new job) and move to full-time if that becomes the best option. And... part-time students are eligible for the same scholarships as full-time. The only negative (and I it's not a big one) is that I did my MSc at York too. It would be nice to experience a different school, but my only other option would be Rotman and I'm not really interested in their program offerings.

Next challenge - GMAT!

I don't think I could ever do anything else… the thought of being a homemaker horrifies me! lol

Off to yet another wedding this weekend! And then Zodiac the weekend after - Sara my first SP - might be coming up from NY to play. How fun! I suggested we knit socks on the sidelines. Sara thought people might laugh at us... I think she might be right! :-)

WARNING: This is not going to be a pretty post, but it's the way I feel right now.

Some people just have WAYYYYYY too much time on thier hands! I just received this email from one of the SP organizers:

"Christine,

I’d like to thank you for fulfilling your end of the $$ commitment for the SP exchange. However, I must say that I felt the way you handled this situation was totally inappropriate. I wrote you simply asking for a status report since Sarah hadn’t received the 2nd package you had promised her. Of course the rules need to be followed. If they didn’t need to be, we wouldn’t have to put them in place. You said you were researching a package but you’ve had 3 ½ months to put something together. Sarah shouldn’t have been expected to wait indefinitely for you to fulfill your commitment to her. You said you thought you had told her the package would be late, but Sarah hadn’t heard from you in a month. I had to remind you to post to your blog. When I first took over for Katie I didn’t even think you were still participating since you had only one post for the months of June and July and only 2 for May. Weekly blog posting was mandatory. I had to ask you if you had received the gift your pal sent since it had been 2 weeks since she had sent it and you still hadn’t acknowledge it’s receipt. And I may be totally off base here (although I don’t think I am) but I can’t help but sense a bit of an attitude in the tone of your post. That was not warranted as I was just checking in to see what was going on. I sincerely hope that should you consider participating in future exchanges that you carefully weigh the rules and be sure that you can do what is expected of you before you commit so that all people involved can have a positive experience.

Kerry

http://kerryknitsinslny.blogspot.com/"

Wow.... It's too bad that I don't live in the same perfect world that Kerry lives in. I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but my life generally isn't static. Unfortunately it changed quite a bit between the time I signed up for SP and when SP it ended. I did my best to fulfil my obligations - with the limited time I had this summer, I thought that posting comments on my pal’s blog and sending emails was more important than posting on my own blog. During the last SP my spoiler used to post comments on my blog, which brought such joy to me. I thought my pal would appreciate same.

I do pride myself on finding the best gifts for my family, friends and of course secret pals. I'm sorry if this took too long. I had an egg shipped from Ukraine for my pal in her first package, for pete's sake!!!

I'm also sorry that I don't check my 'secret email' everyday. (Does anyone actually do that????!?!?) Apparently, my spoilee sent me an email on Sept 8 which I did not promptly reply to - sorry, I was at a wedding out of town and my 'secret email' address wasn't top of mind. I'm assuming that my less than prompt reply inspired my spoilee to contact Kerry, who once again sent me a rude and accusatory email.

So let's break down Kerry's comments in her most recent email (rude and accusatory parts are highlighted for reference):

Kerry said, "I had to ask you if you had received the gift your pal sent since it had been 2 weeks since she had sent it and you still hadn’t acknowledge it’s receipt."

Christine's response: Kerry, FYI - it takes a while to send a package across the border from the US to Canada and vice-versa. I posted on my blog AS SOON AS I received my package from my spoiler. Perhaps you should read the post in which I describe the oddities of the Canadian Postal system. By the way, my spoilee received her last gift on Monday and still hasn't acknowledged it or posted a 'Thank you' on her blog. I assume a reprimand is in order?

Kerry said, "You said you thought you had told her the package would be late, but Sarah hadn’t heard from you in a month."

Christine's response: Kerry, another FYI. I sent my spoilee an email on Aug 24 telling her that her package would be late. She also responded on Aug 24. According to my calculations, that's not even close to a month! Get your details correct, my friend!

As I mentioned in my email to you, I had been researching some books for my pal. In her SP questionnaire, she mentioned that she would like a book on natural dyeing, and indigo in particular. I'm not an expert in this area, so I ordered a number of books from the library that are also available to order online. Natural dyeing books aren't available in stores - at least not in Chapters in Toronto. I was waiting for the library books to arrive, so I could review and select the most appropriate one to order. Those library books arrived last night. (FYI - Jenny Dean's The Craft of Natural Dyeing looks quite good!) This package was also to be complimented by some natural yarns in various gauges from Knit Picks. My pal identified that she really likes Knit Picks stuff. I was also looking into finding some indigo, but its apparently quite expensive.

Yes, I agree that Sarah didn't deserve to wait "indefinitely" and she did deserve a better final gift than just kpixie gift certificates. It was well in process and I'm sorry if Sarah felt she had waited too long. I really thought Sarah and I had an understanding that the package was going to be late. To be honest Kerry, your rude emails were REALLY getting under my skin and I didn't want to have to deal with you anymore!!!!

This secret pal experience has truly been a negative one for me as well. That's not to say that my spoiler wasn't awesome and I thought my spoilee was enjoying the experience as well. The problem - I knit to relax. I find it very soothing. I don't find it soothing to receive nagging emails telling me that I'm slagging on my responsibilities. Kerry, perhaps you should revist your email writing style. It's really not polite to 'accuse' without getting the other side of the story.

Kerry, yes you are right. I will reconsider my participation in the next SP. SP has become too big for me. Too big in that it has become necessary to impose too many rules. It’s a sad statement on our society that so many rules need to be imposed on an activity that used to be so much fun. My boss doesn't even micro-manage me like this!

And Kerry, yes your right again. There IS attitude in this post. Quite a lot actually!

Why am I posting this on my blog? Because I'm not going to bother my friends or boyfriend with the ridiculousness of this. I'm venting in my own little piece of the web! Kerry, please stop sending me emails. There was no need for the email you sent, and no need for you to contact me again. I get it, mom. You're disappointed in me.

Wow, I feel soooo much better now!

I'm in love!