Friday, May 27, 2005

[Extremely Bad] Birthday Poetry

Today is someone's birthday
Oh yes, you know it's true
It is Vagabond's birthday
And for blogging this he may hit me with a shoe

It seems I'm the only one
Who can remember cette jour
So it's up to me to be the one
Because that's what friends are for

Now I've fulfilled my annual role
Of letting the cat out of the bag
So let's all send good wishes
And a big Happy Birthday Vag!

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Well knock me down and call me dusty...

I just got a raise.

It's Thursday, not Friday

I've been having this weird thing this week where I think it's a day ahead of where it really is. I spent most of yesterday thinking it was Thursday instead of Wednesday. Today I know it's not Friday but it doesn't feel like Thursday. Maybe Wednesday and Thursday swapped themselves inside my brain.

So tonight I am off to see Episode III at the 7:45pm showing with Chris, Jenn and Stew. Keeping my expectations low. Most have commented that it's better than I or II, but I am not all that keen on either Natalie Portman or Hayden Christiansen, they tend to not act and kind of ruin things a bit. But we'll see. I'll keep an open mind, while at the same time not expecting it to be the best movie I've ever seen.

Today I am supposed to be having the electricity hooked up in my basement by my Dad's cousin, who is an electrician. I only have a couple of working plugs down there so it will be nice to get things operational in the other rooms. Also good to have more lights working on their own switches. I am going to head home at lunch and check on the progress, and I remembered I want a light switch for the rec room as you walk in the basement door - something I hadn't thought of until now.

I put the finishing touches on the Wall of Infamy last night. The pictures are up! Not easy trying to get things level when you're short and standing on a stepstool. I also now understand why carpenter pants are so handy and wished I'd had a pair while dealing with the hammer. Mare now has a lot of representation on that wall - I think you get the award for most appearances on the wall.

Now if I can just convince someone to hem my curtains... :P

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

You see one...

... it means you have 10.

Someone just saw a mouse in the office kitchen. Which means if you actually see one, you usually have more than that.

Haven't seen any more in my office, but one of the traps looks like it has fur on it. Like the mouse got away. Bastards!!!

Fun Firefox extensions

I was surfing around this morning, actually researching servers, but ran across some interesting extensions for Firefox:

This has to be the weirdest extension I've ever heard of. They have one that tells you in real time if Abe Vigoda is alive or dead. Brought to you by abevigoda.com.

There is another called Firesomething, which "allows you to change the product name [Firefox] in various parts of the browser. Random name generation ensures perpetual humor."

Then of course there is Bork Bork Bork! which will translate any web page into Swedish Chef-ese.


I love Firefox!!!

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

What's Your Inner European?

Stolen from Jenn:


You are a Spaniard.


What's your Inner European?
brought to you by Quizilla


The quiz questions are funny, but why are there no explanations at the end, for those of us who need them :)

I need a Spaniard.... more likely to be Catholic and dote on me ;)

...and the rest

Well, seeing as how you took the time to stop by my humble [vitrual] abode, I guess I'd better write something.

I can sum up the rest of my weekend fairly quickly, since it consisted mostly of a big pile of nothing.

Sunday I got up, painted the picture frames, went out East to buy some household crap, read a magazine and then later in the evening Jenn, Stew and Brian came over and we watched Psycho. So we'll have to pick something else now to go with North by Northwest, but since I have plenty o' Hitchcock that won't be a problem. Take a look at the events section and tell me which weekend in June is better for you.

Monday I spent watching 3 out of 4 discs of Firefly. Yeah, 3/4 of the series in one day. One might call that a marathon. I think my word for it sounded more like "sloth". I broke somewhere in the middle to watch Desperate Housewives that I had taped the night before. Also gave myself the most accurate manicure I've ever done - only 1 or 2 corrections made during 2 coats. Can you feel the excitement?

That's basically why I haven't blogged since Saturday night... nothing really happened to talk about. Not much tends to happen when all you're doing is sitting on the couch watching DVDs. If it hadn't rained all f***ing weekend I would have been outside doing something, even if it was just sitting and reading. But noooooo. And from the looks of things, we've turned into the West Coast. Rain, rain, rain, rain, and did I mention rain?

Tonight I will have to get a walk in, if the forecast doesn't change it will be raining for the next 10 days.


Tucson, AZ

One thing I keep forgetting to mention. The annual conference I attend will be held this year in Tucson. The dates for the actual conference are Sept. 17-21, so I should be able to make it home in time for my birthday. Depends on if I want to spend a couple extra days on my own down there. I would have liked one more day in San Antonio last year, especially since I was one day short of the $750 exemption. So I am going to start thinking about that and exactly when I want to go, and whether I can afford an extra night or two on top of what is covered for me already.

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Not that great a Saturday

First off, let me start with Friday night. Went to see Sunshine Boys, which was excellent. The cast fit their roles perfectly and did a terrific job. Another great performance by Scott T, and many kudos to Jay on a great directing job as well!

Wasn't particularly impressed by the intense backstage security, especially when you were taken backstage by the director... I know there are reasons for it but I don't think I look like the kind of person who's going to cause any trouble.


Fun with diabetes

Day started off with me waking up at normal work time, but there was no way I wasn't going to sleep in this morning, first day of the long weekend. Phone rang around 10:30ish, it was my Dad, who I haven't talked to since he & younger brother returned from the diabetic clinic. He asked if I had talked to my brother since he got back, but I hadn't. I asked him how things went and the news wasn't good. Most of his tests came back with bad results. It seems he has eye, kidney and liver damage as well as high cholesterol from persistent high blood sugar. Diabetes can do a number on your body if you don't manage it properly.

So I have yet to speak to him myself, but I hope he takes this as a huge wake-up call. You can't reverse the damage but you can stop it from continuing. He needs to start monitoring his blood sugar more closely than he has been, and also needs to start eating better. One good thing he does do is walk a lot, so he's got exercise covered. They also put him on new insulin, which Dad said even just during the time they were there he noticed an improvement, so that is good. I'll have to try and track him down this weekend and see what he says in person.


More info about church

Went to church today. Hadn't been to my own church in 3 weeks - 2 weeks ago I was in Calais and last weekend my brother was over doing his laundry and I didn't want to get up and leave because we were having a nice time together. So back to my own church today, where I found out some more info on the upheaval. They printed a letter in the bulletin from the head of the Redeptorists in Canada detailing the reasons why they chose to leave SJ. Basically it's a matter of not enough priests. They've lost 17 members alone this year. Some parishoners have started a petition to keep the Redemptorists here, but it's really not going to help. As much as I don't want this to happen, there really isn't anything we can do as a parish to convince them otherwise. There just aren't enough priests, and nothing can change that situation right now. So this looks like a done deal.

One thing I didn't see the rationale in was that they are moving our Pastor to St. Patrick's in Toronto this year. If they're only going to remain in SJ for one more year, why not have him finish out here? I guess you can't hold back his career for the sake of a church that you won't be a part of in a year's time, I understand that part, I guess. I wish him well in his new appointment, it's a huge responsibility and I know he will approach it with a lot of energy and skill. I will have to make sure the next time I am in Toronto to go there. He will be missed, I enjoyed working with him. In the meantime, the priest we have filling in right now while our pastor is on sebbatical will remain here for the rest of the time the Redemptorists are here. He seems nice and is an interesting speaker.


Another of those crazy tasks

Every once in a while I find myself out of my element. Usually those experiences have something to do with my Dad. Today Dad called a second time, around 1pm, asking if I was going out anywhere today. Other than church I had nothing planned. He needed a favour. There was a guy coming up from St. Andrews to buy a trailer, and he was in the middle of changing the oil on a lawn tractor and needed me to go to Halifax Seed to buy a filter. So I drove over to his office, where he had the tractor strung up on a hoist as he was working on it. He gave me a piece of paper with the model of the tractor on it, and then gave me the filter and told me to make sure it was a filter for a hydroelectric transmission and not an engine. Ok. I think I can remember that. I just hope the guy at the counter knows what I'm talking about.

So I get to the store and they seem to be a little perplexed by what I am asking for. In the end they didn't have any in stock so I had to order them in. Heard my phone beeping and realized Dad had called while I was driving out, so I called him back and he said he called ahead and told them also to give me 12 quarts of Omni oil. It's actually Opti oil so the counter guy looked at me a little funny, but oh well.

Came back with the oil and Dad still hadn't seen the trailer guy. Sent me up the street to fill a gas can. I've never done that before, and I can recall seeing signs at gas stations with stick men filling gas tanks on the backs of pickups, with a big red X through it. This got me to thinking if there were some kind of rules I was supposed to follow? Anyway, I managed to get $5 in gas, not spill or blow anything up, so that was good. My car smelled like gas all the way home though, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea if I put it in the trunk or not so I kept the can in the backseat.

Delivered the gas can and Dad said he was sorry to put me to the trouble of running these errands. I said don't worry about it, it's not like I don't owe you a pile of favours!!! After all my Dad has done for me lately, it's no problem to do a couple of small things for him. And I got to learn the difference between lawn tractor oil filters. Did you know the gas pedal on this tractor works so that you press the top of the pedal to go forward and the bottom of the pedal to go backward? And that it propels itself on oil pressure? Always learn something from my dad. My Dad is a very interesting guy. One day he's negotiating deals, and the next day he's changing oil in a lawn tractor. A man of many talents.


80s-less Saturday Night

Turned the radio on a couple of minutes after 10 tonight. Alicia Keys was on. Ummm, this is Saturday night and it's after 10pm... where's the 80s? Hello? This is the reason I am home tonight. Well, that and I had nothing else to do. But that's beside the point. I had tonight planned around 80s night, I was going to do a bunch of stuff around the house while it was on. Extremely disappointed.


Sunday plans

Tomorrow I have some definite things I want to get done. First off is painting the picture frames. I have a few sticks of wood left, and since it will be cold & rainy, I think I'll burn the rest of the wood and it will also be warm down there while I paint and while they dry. Then I can get the pics actually up on the wall, and the other frames will be ready for more pictures when I want to use them.

Have to head out the Mart of Wal and pick up a couple of household cleaning products. Also want to stop by Winners and see if there's anything interesting. I'd like to have some new rugs for the bathroom that aren't black, but I haven't seen anything yet.


That's about it from Chez Liz. If anyone wants to do something Sunday night gimme a call. My place is always open for visitors :)

Friday, May 20, 2005

Another Friday morning

No sign of mice this morning, of course, now that there are traps out. They are too smart for that.

Let’s see. What else have I been up to this week, other than mice?


Church

I preface this by saying I don’t really know anything that will happen here, these are just my thoughts and opinions on what some of the fallout might be. Not trying to spread rumors, just some speculation on my part.

I got some very distressing news yesterday. The Redemptorists have decided to leave Saint John in a year, leaving my church in the hands of the Diocese. My church has been served by the Redemptorists since it first opened in 1885. A long history. I am really upset about this, as there will no doubt be a lot of repercussions. This of course will mean our current priests will leave, as they will be assigned to the other Redeptorist churches across Canada. We’ll then be on par with the other churches in the Diocese, having a priest assigned to us by the Bishop, from the already too-small pool of priests.

This is really tough, because I can see where it’s going. The inevitable discussion of too many churches for not enough parishoners in our Diocese. Bottom line: church closures. IMO, the only church that is “safe” from closure is the Cathedral. My church, being one of two churches in the North End, is certainly in the target area of discussion for closure. If the Redeptorists had stayed here, with their support we might have had a solid case for remaining open. Now that they’re leaving, if the Bishop begins the dialogue on which churches might be up for closure, timing might suggest that my church be one of the ones to go.

This saddens me more than I can say. I know church is just a building, as no doubt a lot of you reading this would regard it. True, it is just a building, and I can find another to go to. But it means more to me personally that just being a building. It’s almost like a second home to me. Someday I want to be married in it, and go there with my family, should I decide to have one.

Through many years of many changes, church is one of the very few things that has remained consistent, and now it appears it’s ready for some upheaval as well. Please don’t take this away.


Wall of Shame

Printed out some new pics for the wall of shame. Now I just have to paint the frames and I’m all set. Did your picture make it on the Wall of Shame? Come on over and find out :)


Friday Feast

Not doing the feast this week. A couple of the questions have already been covered in other questionnaires lately, and I had planned on doing the 10 brand name list sometime in the next couple of days.


Health

I appear to be in good health. Went to the doctor this week for the usual check-up type things. Blood pressure is good. “Definitely not overweight” as my doctor put it. She sent me in for the routine “sister of a diabetic” bloodwork, as well as a cholesterol check while I was at it, which I had done yesterday. Results to come later.


SteveAustin

Helped Mare transfer her files the last 2 nights. Steve Austin is now fully up & running. Her problem with reply-to-all was actually not to do with McAfee, it was that it was trying to dial my Vibe connection, so that was easily solved with a tick box.


Federal Politics

I don’t profess to know much about this. But watching the activity this week, I have a few thoughts, however superficial they may be.

Sure Belinda Stronach left for a plumb job. Lots of people would. This doesn’t mean you should call her names. In fact, I am pretty sure there are a lot less intelligent men in Parliament now than Belinda. So can it with the awful remarks, they really are demeaning.

I didn’t want an election either. Not because I was scared the Liberals would be defeated, but because I really don’t believe Stephen Harper has what it takes to lead the country. He’s made it obvious in the past that he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about Atlantic Canada. Sure, he’s backpedalled since then, but don’t think I’m going to forget that. Peter MacKay would have made a much better leader, not because he’s from Nova Scotia, but because he just seems like a smarter, much nicer guy, with actual feelings for our country as a whole.

Btw, you’re now single and so am I…. call me in June ;)

Thursday, May 19, 2005

The mouse came back, the very next day

Again this morning with the little black pieces on my desk. I don't even have food on my desk anymore. The stuff I did have was sealed or in a can and untouched by mouse teeth. What do they want with me? Bastards!!!

The exterminator was in this morning and put peanut butter-scented sticky traps out. I'm pretty jaded when it comes to mouse-catching devices. Last year's attack featured mice who literally walked around a trap with food on it. There is going to have to be a mouse check in my office every morning, and I'm not going to be the one checking, that's for sure.

Slight correction on the apple core in garbage problem, that was a different co-worker, whom I've asked not to leave them in our garbage anymore due to mice. Since he's a nice guy he said no problem and is fully aware of all the troubles I had with mice last year.

This does not change the fact that the mice are still after me. They are not leaving droppings anywhere I had food, even if it was sealed. Which is what has me perplexed... what exactly are they looking for anyway?

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Let's try not to kill the diabetics

Hopped over to read Van's blog on people trying to kill him with real coke. When you're a diabetic, the fact that you ordered DIET coke is very significant. I've been through countless meals with my younger brother when he thought his pop tasted funny, and all of us taking a taste to determine if it's just the shitty city water in it or if it's real coke.

Younger brother and I often joke about what would happen to him if he drank a Dairy Queen milkshake... instant death to a diabetic!!!

People just don't pay any attention. I think they assume a skinny guy, such as Van or my brother, must have said "coke" and not "diet coke", "there's no way he could be on a diet, I must have heard them wrong." They just don't give a shit. Oblivious to the fact that you did indeed order DIET pop for a reason. And then get indignant when you ask for the correct drink. Our family usually ended up trying to be nice about it and explaining the diabetic angle, so it didn't look like we were "difficult customers". But really we shouldn't have had to do that. If you had opened your friggin ears and listened to what he wanted in the first place, we wouldn't be sending it back now, would we?

I do notice one thing my brother does when he orders a drink. When they ask him what he wants, he just says "diet", and doesn't say coke. I'll have to ask him sometime if he does that consciously so they don't think they hear just "coke". A lot of restaurants usually only have one choice of diet pop, if they have a fountain.

I wonder if there is a different scenario for diabetic women than men. i.e., is it more likely to hear a woman ask for a diet pop than a man, because women are stereotypically obsessed with their weight? Do diabetic women not have this diet vs regular problem, because the context of a woman asking for a diet coke "makes sense", whereas a man asking for a diet coke does not?

City troubles

I started a reply comment to T-L but it was going too long, so I decided to make it a post.

Who knows if the waterfront revitalization will actually ever take place in our lifetime. If it does happen, it will take years. While LNG is not a cash flow issue (i.e., you can't blame a 25 year LNG deal for the lack of cash available right this minute), it is still in the back of everyone's minds when you think of what else the city needs to spend money on.

Infrastructure is one of the key areas, I believe. If we have shitty roads, that affects tourism, it affects people moving here, and the general impression of outsiders about our city. Our roads suck and suck bad. There is also the much-needed exit from the throughway around Russell St, which should have been put in 30 years ago.

The other major problem is our 100-ish year old water system. I don't know about the rest of you guys on city water, but mine sucks. i.e., I have to make sure I don't add fabric softener to my whites, otherwise I get yellow splotches and gunk all over my clothes. This never happened when I lived at home on well water.

My mother also has a huge problem with her water. Her water makes her whites brown. Literally. When I lived with her last summer, I didn't want to do my laundry, it was gross. Had nothing to do with any appliances etc in her house, that was the way the water was coming in from the outside. She complained to the city multiple times, they gave her some Iron Out (which will start to eat your clothes after a few uses, and bleach is also very hard on fabric with multiple uses). Other than that they flushed some hydrants and haven't really done anything else to help her. She's a nurse who wears white uniforms. They have to be white or else you look extremely unprofessional. Professional laundering services cost money that she doesn't have to throw around. Theoretically you should be able to clean your own laundry in your own home without issue. So why exactly does my mother have to pay the same $608 in taxes as everyone else, for brown water? Doesn't exactly seem fair now, does it?

[ignoring the fact that she does crazy things like disown me. even crazy people deserve clean water. maybe that's why she's crazy]


It's no wonder we had such trouble finding anyone with vision who wanted to be mayor. With all of the issues this city needs to address, it's overwhelming.

Loyalist Day

Happy Loyalist Day to everyone. My office sounds like it's under attack right now, since it is right across from Fort Howe and they are setting off the canons.

Maybe it's not really the Loyalist ceremonies. Maybe it's the mice. I'd better call in the Bear Battalion.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Return of the little black poop

So yeah. Working away in my office this morning. Typing an email to a supplier. Happen to look up and see 2 little pieces of what had better be fuzz. Look a little closer and I know that stuff all too well - mouse shit.

On my desk.

Wonder if it got into the water glass I had on my desk that I drank out of a few minutes ago?

Wonder if it did a little dance on my phone, that I have had my hands all over this morning?

After informing someone to call the super and get pest control to come in, I could not pack up my stuff fast enough. Grabbed some essentials, transferred my email and I was outta there. I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin, barf, or both.

I used to have a stuffed moose on my monitor at work, but I moved it to home a few months ago. If I hadn't, I wonder if it would have crawled to the top of its head and shit on it, just like they did last year to my bears?

It would help if my co-worker didn't leave apple cores in our office garbage and then forget to set it out for the cleaners. Time to crack down.

Tomorrow I will be donning the rubber gloves and whatever is best at killing germs and disinfecting my office. Bleccchhhh!

I realize this is not the most rational reaction, but I DON'T CARE. After going through 2 months of having mice go through every single piece of my belongings, I quite frankly don't ever want to have anything to do with mice ever again. I will avoid it whenever possible, which is why I'll be working from home this afternoon.

Saturday, May 14, 2005

A single girl on a Saturday night

with a bad head cold. The sore throat-turned-head cold hit me like a zombie this morning. I am feeling a little less zombie-ish right now, but that may be due to the Advil cold & sinus.

I was going to lament about having nothing to do tonight, but to tell you the truth, I am kind of glad I don't. I need to rest and get rid of this cold. I have my blankie, my couch and my TV to keep me company.

Another day of getting stuff done. I awoke with a phone call from work, someone I like working with so I was glad to help. It also got me up to take more Advil. I went back to bed, intending to sleep in, but kept hearing the sound of garbage trucks making the rounds. I am glad they finally made it to my neighborhood today, as the dumpster diving was getting quite annoying. Cars coming in and out of my cul-de-sac all day and all night. So I decided to get up, and though I felt like crap, went outside and cleaned a few things out of the backyard to put with the spring cleanup pile. Also cleaned up the garbage lying around my yard, none of it left there by me, but brought by the wind or messy neighbors or something.

My younger brother had asked earlier in the week to come over and do laundry today, so he showed up around 1pm. I finally got rid of the overflowing pile of recycling in my garage. My brother helped bring my patio table and umbrella out of the basement, so now my deck is looking even more like summer. Even got a walk in today, as my brother and I both needed to do stuff at MediTrust, so we walked down and back together. Later we sat on the deck and enjoyed the sunshine, as it was such a nice day, in May, in SJ, on the west side, with no fog. I believe it is illegal to spend an afternoon indoors if such conditions exist. I decided I wanted to stick around with my brother and postponed church until tomorrow.

In the "you learn something new every day" category, today's lesson was about the useful life of propane tanks. What with it being such a nice day, that meant I had to BBQ for supper. I turned on the gas but wasn't getting much in the way of results. I stared at the tank for a minute, deciding if I should just choose something else for supper or go and get the tank filled and come back. Decided not to be lazy and went to get the tank filled. When I got there, the attendant told me the tanks only have a useful life of 10 years, and that he couldn't fill it anymore. But I could exchange my tank for a new one, already filled, for a fee. Since I needed one, and I was in no mood to go gas tank shopping, I just got it done. Maybe not the cheapest option, but when I looked at the Kent's flyer later, they were more expensive there. Plus the non-hassle of getting the new one at the gas station, it was all good. So the useful life of a propane tank is 10 years. Good to know.

Bad to know is my Visa bill this month. Calais trip last weekend. Fixed dent in car. New propane tank. Car registration. New BBQ grills. A little shopping while I was in Moncton last week. It all adds up. I may have a mud pit for a yard for another year.

My younger brother is off to the diabetic clinic in Boston tomorrow. While he won't enjoy the poking and prodding, he is hopeful that it will bring positive results. Dealing with doctors who specialize in diabetes beats any kind of health care you get around here. He's really lucky that my Dad is able to do this for him, he knows that.


Poker Night

Last night we had a Usual Suspects night, which was nice and I think we all enjoyed it immensely. We had the requisite charred meat for supper, cooked on the finished set of new BBQ grills. During supper, as Brian was eating, the chair he was sitting on spontaneously broke. Thankfully he was unhurt, nor did he have a knife in his hand at the time. This is the second of my unstable kitchen chairs to break, still leaving me with 2 fairly unstable ones and 1 decent one that was a replacement for the first break back in the fall. Having one decent kitchen chair is a problem... this definitely increases the need for me to get that table from older brother.

The Main Event was Texas Hold'em poker, featuring Jenn and Stew's new set of poker chips. We each put in $5 to have a pool of $40 to go to the winner. Some were playing with reckless abandon, while others would not give in until the bitter end. The winner was Jenn, who planned on spending her $40 on shoes. For those of us who can buy shoes for $40. Stupid narrow feet.

So all in all a good night, despite the broken furniture and my need to constantly blow my nose due to the head cold. I'm sure I'll be feeling a lot better just in time to go back to work on Monday morning :P

Friday, May 13, 2005

Friday Feast #47

Appetizer
Whose intelligence do you find intimidating?

Mare. I sometimes feel like a dummy when I have to ask her what certain things are, because I just don't know, yet feel I should already have known, and then berate myself for seeming stupid. She knows way more than I do, I think from a combination of being a well-travelled adult, she has spent more time living on her own away from SJ, and has 3 degrees to my one bargain-basement UNBSJ BBA. But I have no student loans so it can't be all bad, right? :P


Soup
Name something you've done that surprised yourself.

The fact that I actually went and auditioned for Evita and didn't chicken out. I totally sucked, and now refuse to sing in front of anyone, even at karaoke. But the mere fact that I went through with it surprised me.


Salad
List 3 people whom you have only "met" online, but consider good friends.

I pretty much know everyone from meeting them in person.


Main Course
Where is the dirtiest place you've ever been?

Paris. Garbage everywhere. Granted that was 1985, but I haven't heard it's any cleaner.


Dessert
What is the best example of "perfection" that you can think of?

mmmmmm, Belgian chocolate.

Also the final scene of Psycho, which I can't describe here because Jenn hasn't seen it. After having someone spoil Psycho for me before I saw it for the first time, I refuse to do that to anyone else.

Why is it...

that I, the DD, who drives people all the time, cannot find a single person right now to give me a lift to go pick up my BBQ grill?

My car is at the body shop, won't be done until the end of the day, and the grill place closes before I can get out to get my car.


....and it's my Dad to the rescue. Yay Dad! And then Mare called but that was after my Dad.

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Holy crap it's cold out

Just got back from my walk, which I almost skipped because it's damn cold out, but then I remembered I had to go to MediTrust and get more Advil Cold & Sinus. I swear there has to be a wind chill right now. I accidentally clicked on the weather for Orlando, it's 27 there right now. D'oh!

So I am feeling less urges to kill today, which is good. I shook my day up a bit by starting out with a field trip so that was a welcome change.

Got lots of stuff done last night/today, including:

Put 2 of the new grills on the BBQ last night, looks pretty spiffy! Hoping to get the call for the last piece on Friday.

Fixed a problem with Outlook where I was having a ghost folder that wasn't accessible. Finally! That's been driving me crazy. It was a matter of deleting a profile and setting up a new one.

Went to the body shop with my car today. They're charging me less than my Moncton quote, so it's going to cost $268. Phew. I think the guy took pity on me because he recognized me as having been in before. Magnet for damage, that car is. I am dropping it off tomorrow morning to get fixed and then I can forget about it.

Decided to leave my winter tires on and run them down this summer, and get a new set in the fall. Then I can have 2 winters on a new set of tires instead of just one. Also getting the works done next week, oil change, MVI, new wiper blades. At some point I also have to clean the interior, perhaps Saturday. I'm taking care of you car, so please steer clear of damage for a while, ok?

Upgraded both my cell phones today. Got a new flip phone for work, which hopefully will have a battery that lasts on standby for more than a day. Got a new phone for myself, it's red, and very cute. I have to go read up on all the fun things it can do. It came with a free caribiner, and its own backpack, in case it wants to go hiking with me.


In other news, my grandfather of the recent leg surgery did in fact have a stroke a while back. He was supposed to see a specialist yesterday, I will have to give him a call and see how he made out. His main doctor said he's basically a ticking time bomb and has blockages in both sides of his neck? This is not good.

I had another meeting today with "the guy who sounded cute". Still not interested in his product. Nor him, since he's married. I do already have a good reason why we shouldn't go with his product so I guess that will be my out. I will still dutifully review the info though and make sure I'm not "passing up a great opportunity". What a sucker I am sometimes.

Let me preface this next paragraph by saying that I am not any kind of die-hard feminist. I actually prefer my significant other do the driving, the outside yardwork, the heavy lifting, etc. But when someone comes to my door and asks "is your hubby home", like some kind of old boys' club leftover stereotype, that really pisses me off. This happened to me tonight. It's the 21st century, you old geezer, and I am a single girl who owns a house. There aren't any "real men" here to talk to you. I get way too much of that attitude at work, which is bad enough. So the knock on my door was from a neighbor, who wanted to talk to me about... come on, you must be able to guess... the ditch. I knew this would come back to haunt me. The whole purpose of this ditch was to stop the flooding of the houses behind me. It seems it has done the opposite for this guy. He called the City, and they told him it wasn't their problem, it must have been the owner of the property... to which I very quickly said ooooooo noooooo it wasn't! I gave him the name & number of the specific guy from the City who was here last fall, and sent him on his way, also making sure I told him my basement flooded too. He was nice enough about it at least. There is no way this will turn into my problem, not if I have anything to do with it.


And the best news of all that I got today, is my older brother is coming home for a visit around Father's Day weekend!!! I was so happy to see that email today. My nephew will be here at the same time, as his mother will drop him off for a few days on her way to a wedding in NS. This also means he'll be able to help me with my pathetic surround sound setup! Yay! But mostly I'm just glad he'll be coming home for a few days. He hasn't been home since September and has yet to see the changes to my house in person. I don't get to see my brother that often so I am always thrilled to hear that he's coming home. And I haven't seen my nephew since last summer, when I was temporarily living with my mom.

While I was up visiting him in Montreal last month, he offered me our family kitchen table & chairs, which my mom gave to him when she had to sell our house. He & gf got a new kitchen table set from Pier 1 so they needed to find a home for that set or sell it. I decided I'd like to have it, it will be nice to have something of my family in my house. It will probably be a bit weird at first, seeing it in my kitchen, but it's something that has a lot of memories attached, mostly good ones. It's also quite a large table once it has the two leaves in it, so it would give me a lot more space for any potential dinner party plans.

There is a possibility, if she agrees, that my nephew's mother may be able to bring it down with her in their pickup next month. I hope this plan does work out, since the only other methods I have of getting it down here are 1) ask my Dad for yet another favor; or 2) pay a pile of money to have it shipped down.

So a much better day today. Things to look forward to and be happy about.

One, Two, Three

Well, since it was recommended specifically to me, who am I to say no?

three names you go by:
1. liz
2. my actual real name [gasp!]
3. that's pretty much it, really, since liz has stuck for the last 15 years (holy crap, 15 years?)

three screen names you have had:
1. liz23
2. liz1975
3. [I'm not that creative]

three physical things you like about yourself:
1. my hair accepts color very well
2. being skinny
3. my nails

three physical things you don't like about yourself
1. being short
2. stupid narrow feet
3. lack of cleavage

three parts of your heritage
1. Scottish
2. English
3. Irish

three things that scare you
1. mice
2. swimming pools
3. anything that is small, moves really fast and looks like a mouse out of the corner of my eye

three of your everyday essentials
1. chocolate
2. walking
3. blogging, apparently

three things you're wearing now
I'm dressed like crap right now, no fair.
1. gray comfy pants that I wear around the house
2. oversize long sleeve nazy & light blue Old Navy baseball-style guys' shirt
3. my pedometer, as I am going for my walk in a few minutes

three of your favourite bands
1. u2
2. inxs
3. duran duran

three of your (current) favourite songs
1. Anna Nalick - Breate (2am)
2. Juliet - Avalon
3. Shakira - La Tortura

three things you want in a relationship
1. Humor
2. Honesty
3. Respect

two truths and a lie (which is a lie?)
1. I caught a fish once
2. I liked playing with dinky cars more than dolls
3. When I was in Australia, I bought a stuffed kookaburra

three physical features of the preferred sex that appeal to you
1. it's all about the benjamins, baby
2. money money money money money.... mon-ey!
3. i want money, woo, woo-ooo, that's what I want, woo, woo-ooo, that's what I want, woo, woo-ooo, that's what i want, woo-ooo-ooo

three of your favourite hobbies
1. Reading
2. Embroidery
3. Walking on the beach

three things you want to do really badly right now
1. go to the bathroom
2. make my runny nose stop
3. go anywhere that is warmer than here

three careers you would consider
1. ha! funny you should ask. suggestions welcome on what you think I'd be good at, because I don't have a clue.
2.
3.

three places you want to go on vacation
1. England, loved it there
2. Spain, so I could pick up my spanish again
3. Italy or Greece

three kids names you like
1. Here, go back to mommy
2. Glad he's not mine
3. Birth Control

three things you want to do before you die
1. find true love
2. have a career I love
3. have a sane relationship with my mother

three ways that you are stereotypically a girl
1. hate breaking a nail
2. love shopping
3. penchant for expensive shoes

three celebrity crushes
1. michael vartan
2. colin firth
3. kirk acevedo

three people to whom i would recommend this quiz
1. jody
2. scott t
3. suzy - you need a computer first, yes, I know :)

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Keeping my cool

It's all about keeping my cool today. I have to keep my cool until the 15th, so the stars are telling me.

I don't feel like keeping my cool. I feel like telling a whole list of people off. Line them all up and I'll stop burying what I really think of them. Idiot. Loser. Waste of space. Waste of my time. Illiterate. Bully. Asshole. I'm not your mommy. Get a life. Stop being so damned nosy. Do you ever STOP talking? Stop your GD complaining, it's not my fault. Stuff it up your ass.

[suppresses urges to kill]

In other news, my sore throat is feeling better, but I think it has evolved into a runny nose. As would be expected.

I haven't yet made it over to the body shop re: my car. Perhaps that will be tomorrow's task, get another estimate and schedule an appointment. Yeah. Cause I have $375 to throw around. Extremely bitter.


Nope, not in a good mood today. But I did take a positive step towards changing that last night. You may see me reading something other than chick lit in the next few weeks as I attempt to figure some things out. With any luck I'll be able to search my brain for the right answer. The stars tell me this is the month to focus on that kind of thing. Perhaps the stars are full of shit. But I've had it, I've reached my limit, and it's time for some change. I've already subconsciously given up, so I might as well consciously accept that and see what I can do to make things different.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Tunes or more random theft

Since I am home sick today and can't talk, why not blog? Nabbed this from T-L, and while I can't answer some of the questions, I will take a stab at it because I love music.

1. Favorite Beatles song: Eight Days A Week
2. Favorite Rolling Stones song: Undercover of the Night
3. Favorite Doors song: Light My Fire or Break On Through
4. Favorite Bob Dylan song: I don't like Bob Dylan. [insert peach juice disgust noises here]
5. Favorite Van Halen song: Panama. My little brother used to think they were saying "Animal".
6. Favorite TV Theme Song: Muppet Show
7. Favorite Prince Song: When Doves Cry
8. Favorite Madonna Song: hmm, tough. Choice between Burning Up, Live To Tell and I'll Remember... and White Heat.
9. Favorite Michael Jackson Song: Beat It or Billie Jean
10. Favorite Metallica Song: don't really have one
11. Favorite Bon Jovi song: Wanted Dead Or Alive or Livin' On A Prayer. Not a huge Bon Jovi fan though. It's not that I dislike them, I just never liked their stuff enough to go out and buy their cds.
12. Favorite Ozzy Song: can't say I listen to much Ozzy
13. Favorite Lionel Richie song: All Night Long, I guess.
14. Favorite Song from a cartoon: Music from cartoons in general would be Looney Tunes, because the music is what puts the icing on the cake, so to speak. A specific song? Probably the Trippit song from Robin Hood Daffy.
15. Favorite Faith No More song: I get the feeling this list was created quite a while ago. Epic is the only one I know by them.
16. Favorite Depeche Mode song: Personal Jesus (not because I go to church, it was just the first song of theirs I liked)
17. Favorite Journey song: don't really have one
18. Favorite song that most of your friends haven't heard: yeah, because my friends don't listen to strange eclectic music... oh, wait...
19. Favorite Bryan Adams song: Heat of the Night
20. Favorite Beastie Boys song: Hey Ladies
21. Favorite Anthrax song: don't really have one
22. Favorite Police song: Every Breath You Take
23. Favorite Skid Row song: again with the "when was this list written?"
24. Favorite Beach Boys song: Surfin' USA
25. Favorite Def Leppard song: Hysteria
26. Favorite song from your favorite movie: Well I don't have a favorite movie. If we said favorite song from a movie, then it would be either the title track from A View To A Kill by Duran Duran or Good Times by INXS and Jimmy Barnes (from The Lost Boys).
27. Favorite Duran Duran song: Do I? I can't pick one! The Reflex. New Moon on Monday. Notorious. Hungry Like The Wolf. I love them all.
28. Favorite Phil Collins song: Against All Odds
29. Favorite Garth Brooks song: don't really have one, not into country music
30. Favorite song from an '80s one hit wonder: Too numerous to mention. The first one that comes to mind is Wouldn't It Be Good by Nik Kershaw.
31. Favorite song from a videogame: Technically not a game, but I have a Looney Tunes Screensaver for the Mac that features Acme Home Shopping, with Wile E. Coyote in it. The theme song for that gets stuck in my head all the time despite the fact that I probably haven't heard it in 10 years. I still have the screensaver but can't use it on a PC.
32. Favorite John Mellencamp song: Jack & Diane
33. Favorite Genesis song: Turn It On Again
34. Favorite Led Zeppelin song: Rock And Roll or Kashmir
35. Favorite INXS song: I love them all. Anything from Kick is amazing. This is one my favorite bands, name anything by them and I'll love it. First ones that come to mind are New Sensation, Elegantly Wasted, Bitter Tears, Don't Lose Your Head, Just Keep Walking, Kiss The Dirt, Burn For You, What You Need, Strangest Party... too numerous to mention.
36. Favorite Weird Al song: Amish Paradise was awesome. So was The Saga Begins.
37. Favorite Janet Jackson song: meh. Nasty? Don't like most of her stuff.
38. Favorite John Lennon song: Nobody Told Me
39. Favorite disco song: September by Earth, Wind and Fire
40. Favorite Rick Springfield song: The only one I know is Jesse's Girl.
41. Favorite Culture Club song: Tumble 4 Ya or Church of the Poison Mind. And of course Karma Chameleon.
42. Favorite dance song: Hmmm. If I kick it old school, then prob Gonna Make You Sweat by C & C Music Factory, or Get Ready For This by 2 Unlimited.
43. Favorite U2 song: Again, one of my favorite bands, I love everything they've done. Walk On is one of my favorites. Electrical Storm. Desire. One. Mysterious Ways. The list goes on.
44. Favorite song from an actor turned musician: Let's go with total cheese for this category, as most actors who turn to music don't fare so well. Eddie Murphy's Party All The Time or Don Johnson's Heartbeat.
45. Favorite Bee Gees song: Stayin' Alive
46. Favorite Motley Crue song: Dr. Feelgood
47. Favorite Guns N' Roses song: Welcome To The Jungle
48. Favorite The Who song: meh. None.
49. Favorite Elton John song: Island Girl
50. Favorite song, period: Couldn't possibly choose one favorite.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Stupid work making me sick

Literally. This is what happens when you're in Moncton, and one of the staff comes in to work despite not being able to talk he is so sick, and then asks me to do stuff to his PC. That and most of you reading this blog are sick and I have seen most of you the past couple of days, so there really was no avoiding it.

I have a sore throat and feel like crap. I think I actually did fall asleep a couple of times in my chair this morning. I was trying to hold out until my co-worker came back and then I was going to head home, curl up in my blankie and be as comfy as I could be. But suddenly the Advil Cold & Sinus, second only to Jesus, kicked in and then I started to feel better. So then I couldn't justify going home.... well, more like I wanted to make sure I got to dance class tonight and if I went home sick, then later went to dance class, it would look like I was faking. I care too much.

I don't feel much like dancing tonight, but we cover so much in one class that if I don't go I'll be way behind.

Does the fact that I always get a sore throat when I'm sick have anything to do with bad tonsils? I'm convinced I have bad tonsils. I always start out with a sore throat. It didn't used to be this way.

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Weekend Update

Friday

After my soul-draining day at work, I headed home for a half-walk. Got that in and went home, changed and picked Jenn up and we headed for karaoke with Lisa. We hung out with SubstituteMare, who I think wins the award for most karaoke songs sung that night. A literally painful [for him] rendition of Jenny/867-5309 which we laughed our asses off at. Hope your back is feeling better, Scott :)

Since neither Mare nor I had eaten supper, we headed to Vito's with Scott and Jenn and basically acted silly. Scott ordered 2 desserts, I complained about not getting a roll with my salad, which Scott subsequently asked for on my behalf. It was yummy! All in all a good evening. Though I still could taste the garlic the next morning... they certainly use a lot at that place.


Saturday

Jenn and I took a day trip to Calais to go pick up some items at the PO box. My cd did arrive, so I am now the proud owner of the soundtrack for Sideways. Good cd, we listened to it on the way home. There is actually a song called "I'm Not Drinking Any #@%!$ Merlot!" Jenn had some great luck with clothing & shoes. I got my usual groceries I can't get here, and found an awesome set of tiki head patio lanterns which will go excellently with the Hawaiian luau. Also bought a string of regular patio lights that weren't paper like the ones at Pier 1, so while they can't be left out in the rain, should be able to withstand the fog a little better.

While we were driving we came up with a slogan for May, my anti-dating month: "It's May. Go Away!" and the extra tagline of "See you soon, in June". Every bad month deserves a slogan.

We got home late from Calais and still had to shower before heading to Scott T's for the Cinco de Mayo party. I think we got there around 8:30... a little more than fashionably late but I did bring my sombrero to color things up. Nothing stands out better than a giant purple sombrero. There will be pictures of me appearing to be passed out drunk holding tequila bottles, and as much as some would like to believe that was true, sadly, they were just props. The pic of Scott T with the sombrero on and holding waffles is definitely making the wall of shame, if Dre would be so kind as to send me a copy of her pics? Scott, please send me yours as well when you have a chance. I was cursing myself for forgetting my camera. So a big thanks to Scott and Allison for hosting, the food was awesome and I had a great time! Looking forward to the outdoor dinner party idea.


Sunday

Today was Mother's Day, but since my mother isn't speaking to me, I had nothing Mother's Day-ish to do today. So I enjoyed my day without the usual guilt of trying to do something big enough to make my mother happy. [sighs and relaxes]

Slept in until about 11am or so. Woke up around 9:30 and could have gone to church this morning but the thought of screaming crying kids and the guitars at the morning mass just wasn't motivating me so I decided to go to the Cathedral later instead.

I accomplished a few things today. I was out shopping for an hour or so to pick up some milk and some foam brushes so I could paint the frames I bought at IKEA for some more Wall of Shame pictures. Didn't actually get around to painting the frames today but I have the table set up, the materials are out and maybe some night this week I will get that done.

I moved the small shelf I had in the Blue Room out into the living room to put some videos and DVDs on. Too many MST episodes so I kept them in the box and put other stuff out instead. Realized how much crap I have in this room. For the most part, my house is pretty immaculate. Everything has a spot, is neat, tidy and orderly and it rarely gets untidy before I clean it all up again. This is mainly an intense reaction to the 3 year living like [with] a slob in which our apartment was so messy that I was embarassed to have anyone over. When we would throw a party it meant a couple of full days of cleaning up, usually mostly by me, because his standards of what he would allow the place to look like to other people were pretty low. Now that I am on my own and free of the human tornado, I like to keep things really clean; the only exception to that being the Blue Room. This is the room I tend to dump stuff in or throw stuff around. It's too big of a job and I haven't felt like tackling it yet. I will have to sometime soon.

Weird cd change there, I was playing the soundtrack to Sense and Sensibility, which finished and changed to the next cd, which is Rob Thomas.

Also cleaned out a Rubbermaid bucket to keep the BBQ tools in outside. Bought a new scraper/brush, and a gas gauge for the tank. Looking forward to this week, which looks nice weather-wise. Maybe I can get some BBQing in. Need to install those new grills too once it stops being wet.

Sunday night always seems to come too quickly. I am looking forward to that long weekend coming up for the extra day off. I didn't practice any dance today, the couch and taped episodes of Law & Order were more appealing. This week they had a crossover between SVU and TBJ that guest starred Alfred Molina and Angela Lansbury that was really good.

Almost 11pm... it's about that time. Another weekend come and gone, and I am already looking forward to the next one. First one in a while with no pre-scheduled plans actually. Wonder what it will bring?

Pathetic Man Day

While today is technically Mother's Day, while I was out shopping I noticed the ever-present, somewhat stereotypical trend of pathetic men out shopping for their Mom at the last minute.

There really aren't many Mother's Day cards left on the shelves on Mother's Day. The stores usually have these things out early for a reason, which is so that you buy them early. Not at the last minute. You mom knows you bought it at the last minute, which probably makes her feel like you don't think of her until the last minute. While this may not necessarily be true, this is what you are projecting. There are also not that many floral arrangements left at this time of day on the holiday. Guys, you'd better think of something else to get your mom.

The worst action I saw today, while not necessarily related directly to Mother's Day (I hope!!!) was the guy behind me in the Sobeys checkout, who leaned/squatted down/went out of his way to get the full view of the new June issue of Cosmo. Dude. That was pa-thet-ic. Or you are gay and you wanted a good look at the cut of Jessica Simpson's dress. If that was the case, you're ok. But only if that was the case.

After that I headed to Canadian Tire, and was kind of scared of what I might see men buying there. There was a guy staring intently at a can of Endust... I hope to God his wife was in the store and he was just holding it.

My advice to those out shopping right now: don't bother. She'll know you waited until the last minute and will make a direct correlation with how little you care about her and can't be bothered to do anything unless you feel you have to. This may be the total opposite of what your intentions are. Regardless of that, she's going to take it badly. So instead of the last minute card and the sickly looking flowers, do something that will really mean something to her. Like actually telling her you love her or get the rest of your family to cook dinner for her. Call me crazy, I think this just may be an idea.

Friday, May 06, 2005

Help me Super 7!

Blaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. That is about all I am capable of saying this fine Friday afternoon, stuck in my office, where outside it is beautiful and sunny. Theoretically I could grab a laptop and go sit outside and work, but I am sure I'd get some strange looks from my co-workers. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't going to rain all weekend. I feel robbed of a nice day.

So I am back home again after a 4 day stint in Moncton. The work I went up there for turned out ok, a couple of things I am not pleased with but I'll just have to work through them. I have to go back up again next week to tie up a few things.

I have no energy, the office was the last place I wanted to be today. I don't think it would have mattered what mood I was in, when I walked in here it dropped. This is becoming a more frequent occurrence and I'm not sure what to do about it, whether I need an attitude adjustment or a new job.

On Dre's suggestion I checked out more info on my dented car. The damage is bad enough that I would be penalized on the lease return. Plus it's scraped right down to the metal and will rust if I don't do something about it. While in Moncton yesterday I stopped by the dealership and got an estimate. It will be roughly $350 to fix. I hate this. I didn't do anything wrong, yet I have to pay for it. When I dropped the printer on my car, yeah, that was my fault and it was stupid and I paid to have it fixed. I can't stand paying for things I didn't have a part in damaging. It's not fair. But "fair" is a place you go to get on rides.

They called and said my BBQ grills were finally all in. I went to pick them up at lunch and only 3/4 of them were there. The supplier only shipped 1/2 of the main grill, which also made them realize they needed to charge me $32.95 for each half. If the supplier had sent both pieces I might have gotten away with a 2 for 1 special. D'oh. So I have most of them, and the last piece should be in by next Thursday or Friday. Now to figure out how to install the upper racks???

I got home around 5 last night and spent the evening to myself unpacking and unwinding. Even got up the gumption to start the walking routine, so I was out for an hour. The new jacket I bought for walking does cut the wind well, but my ears seem to be most susceptible to wind and were stinging by the time I got home. Going to try and get my walk in as soon as I get home tonight, then probably head to Lisa's karaoke. Need to bring my mood up.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Friday Feast #46

Appetizer
Name a store or restaurant you no longer visit because of a bad experience you had there.

La Senza in McAllister Place. I refuse to buy anything or even go in there if one particular clerk is working. She was very accusatory when I returned something that didn't fit (one of those cases where it had to have been mislabelled, since I have lots of the exact same bra and they all fit fine.) The reason she was so snotty was because another clerk screwed up my purchase and undercharged me. It wasn't my fault she screwed up, and I didn't deserve any kind of bitchiness for something that wasn't my fault. I only go in there if she isn't working or I just wait and shop in Moncton.


Soup
If you could own any building in existence, which one would you want?

A European castle. I love castles.


Salad
What's your favorite commercial these days?

The couple who enjoys jumping to the music in their apartment, then the landlord gets mad, they go out and buy a new Jetta and a new house and return to the jumping around in their new living room. They just look like they're having so much fun dancing.


Main Course
When was the last time you felt guilty about spending money, and what was it you purchased?

I always feel guilty about spending money. I do it anyway, but always torture myself later. You name it, I've felt guilty about it. It's the Catholic in me.


Dessert
Friday's Feast is going to be having it's First Birthday in 2 weeks. What should we do to celebrate?

Anything involving chocolate cake is always a good idea :)

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

My f***ing car is dented

So I just got back from lunch and notice a deep gouge right under the passenger side mirror. F***. Like I don't have enough to repair on this car already. Scratched the paint, friggin deep gouge. I don't know if it happened in the hotel parking lot or here at work. I think it happened at the hotel but I'll never get anywhere with that.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This car has enough bad luck as it is, it's a magnet for damage. I can't afford to fix this stuff but I have to because it's a lease.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

"Serenity now!"

I worked straight through until 11pm last night. At one point in the evening I literally sat at a desk and beat my head against it, as that was less painful than what else was happening yesterday. Since it is all work-related, it's off limits on the blog. If I suddenly disappear and you get anonymous postcards from Tahiti, they're from me.

I don't really have anything else to say at the moment that doesn't involve work. I just happen to have a minute or two while something is processing. A small moment to myself. I don't think I got any sleep last night because I was so stressed out, I feel wiped out today and it's only 11:30.

I don't know when I'll see the light of day as far as "free time" goes but I will still try and get the things people have asked me to pick up or investigate.

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

First off, I want to thank everyone for coming to MST Night. Overall a great time, unfortunate about the rain but thanks to Anthony who didn't care and cooked anyway :) We watched Mitchell and Revenge of the Creature, as well as a short making-of MST featurette. The popcorn machine worked out really well, it was a nice treat to have popcorn that didn't cost $3.00 for a tiny bag. Good times. Except for later when I found a whole pile of scratches on my hardwood floor... let's not move the patio chairs off the blankets next time, ok? That's what they're there for. Much appreciated.


Spent most of today post-party cleaning and spring cleaning, laundry, returning the unfortunately crappy sheets I bought at Winners, and going to dance class today since I'll be in Moncton tomorrow night. Class is getting a lot harder. I definitely need lots of practice.

This week I am off to Moncton for work. I leave Monday morning and won't be back until Thursday. I have, however, made sure I got a hotel room with internet access, and at a savings to my place of employment, so everyone is happy :) I could have decided to drive up & back every day, but that is just too much driving for me. If it was Fredericton, yes, since I am on that side of town anyway, but Moncton is just a little too far for me to want to do 3 or 4 times this week when I don't have to. Plus this way I get to spend my evenings at Costco, Home Depot, and some quality time with the wonder known as Belgian chocolate.

Btw, I've decided to postpone Hitchcock night that was originally scheduled for this coming Friday. Since I'll be away most of this week, I don't think I'll feel like being hostess next weekend. Another time though, for sure.

Talked to my brother again today. He's still feeling pretty crappy but did have a good long talk with my dad that helped a bit. I had to cut him off because I was running late for dance class. After I left he called back and left a message that said, "Don't worry about cutting me off to go to dance class. If you had told me you were going to fold towels though, then I would have been pissed." Hehehehe!!!

The merry month of May

I'm not sure what it is about the month of May that makes it my nemesis. If you can have a month that is a nemesis.

I'm glad in one way that May is here and I am single. Relationships always end for me in May. My 2 long term relationships have both ended in May. Even non-serious ones have always ended in May. So here's to a May where I'm not seeing anyone so I can't get dumped :) If/when I get married, I plan on doing it in May so as to counteract all the bad relationship karma of this month.

So this month begins my self-imposed dating exile™ (I know I stole that line but I did trademark it for you). Best for me to stop whining about being alone and start enjoying the benefits of it instead, as well as work on that whole understanding-myself-better process and figuring out what the hell I want in life.

It also has to mark the end of my being lazy and resuming the daily walking schedule I had going last summer. Back to the 10,000 steps a day.

So say hello to May, for it is now here, and will hopefully bring a lot less drama than usual for me.