Yeeowch!

A couple of years ago, I decided to start getting waxed instead of shaving. Not all the time, but before a trip or special occasion. I started out at one of the spas in town, and although I never had any problems, I was finding it to be expensive. On someone's recommendation, I decided to try a shop a little closer to home. The person doing aesthetics there, S, was really good, and I was happy to keep going back and getting work done from her.

About a month ago, S decided to accept a job at a call centre, leaving the world of aesthetics behind. I was disappointed to hear that, especially since she was giving up the business altogether. I decided to give her replacement a try, and I had my first appointment with her Wednesday night. What a mistake that was.

First off, what usually takes 1h took 1.5h. Had I known it would take her significantly longer, I would have booked to come a bit earlier. She started out by using giant strips of cloth and attempting to take it all off at once... not a good idea. Waxing is the same as the band-aid concept: you should remove the cloth as quickly as possible. She hesitated during almost every removal, making the pain worse. She also forgot to apply pressure right after the strip was removed (this helps the pain immediately after removal) and she kept commenting on how she forgot to do it. She dripped wax all over me and the table, making me stick to everything. She applied the wax too thick half the time, making removal difficult. She would use the same strip too many times (mainly because she had too much wax on to begin with). She never seemed to press the strip onto the area with enough pressure or time so the wax would ahere, resulting in repeated treatments to the same area. She pretty much did everything wrong. I'm amazed that I don't look bad from it.

Needless to say, I won't be going back to that particular aesthetician again. The next appointment I will need will be for my wedding, but I don't want to try someone new for that -- I want to make sure it is someone I've used before. I guess I will have to go through my old receipts and try to remember names of the astheticians who worked at the spa and see if they are still there. It will cost me $40 more, but at least I won't be a sticky mess or experience a lot of pain.

Incandescent bulbs are not the devil incarnate

I'm not usually one for being a conspiracy theorist, but frankly, I think we're being fed a lot of bull about CFL lightbulbs. They're touted as "huge energy savers" of $50/year. I'd prefer to pay the extra $50 to get the type of light from an incandescent bulb, if $50 really is a true figure. Supposedly the real savings come from using CFLs in fixtures that are on more than 3h/day. I can't recall a light bulb in my house that stays on for 3h or more per day, especially this time of year when the sun sets shortly after 9pm, in my area of the world. In the winter, yes, I do need more light, but I currently live alone and only have a light on in the room I am using. Often in the winter I am watching TV with the lights off (yes, TV uses more energy than a light bulb, but I'm pointing out that my light bulbs are not on that often). Isn't just shutting your lights off when you don't use them a better plan overall?

I also don't agree with how it was never made clear to the general public that CFL bulbs couldn't be thrown in the trash. I wonder how many bulbs have and will continue to end up in the landfill because people aren't aware of this? To be honest, I have never fully read all of the fine print on a CFL package, and it likely does state that it cannot be thrown in the regular trash, but here's the problem: People Are Stupid. Unless it's in giant letters on the packaging, the average person is not going to read the fine print. In my city, CFL bulbs are treated as hazardous waste and must be dropped off at the landfill. That will not encourage compliance. A lot of people also just plain don't give a crap and will throw the bulbs in the trash, even if they know better. This is happening, and will continue to happen. We can't even get people to properly discard paper coffee cups. What will the effect be of added mercury in our landfills?

I was unimpressed to hear that the Canadian government is planning a ban on incandescent bulbs by 2012. What angers me the most is how that plan restricts my choice. I want the ability to put incandescent bulbs in my house in not necessarily all, but some, locations. The politicians are pushing this as a way that everyone can do their part, as it is a small sacrifice. I don't disagree, and I do have CFL bulbs in my house... but aren't there much bigger issues we can tackle that will do more for the environment than light bulbs? Vehicle emissions is the biggest one that comes to mind, but that would cost the auto makers too much money, and in turn, cost us more for vehicles. There doesn't seem to be a winning situation here.

I don't want to be dictated to as to what type of light bulb I use. I can, and will, find lots of ways to counteract my usage of a few incandescent bulbs. Just don't take away my choice.

You can't take it with you

Just over a year ago, my grandfather died.  Two years prior to that, my grandmother passed away.  This left their 9 children with a house full of, well, everything.  Over the past year, the executors of the estate have been busy cataloging the items and having them appraised.  Children had first pick of what items they wanted, having it come out of their share of whatever the remainder of the estate will be.  I got an email from the executors today asking grandchildren to pick an item they would like to have as a remembrance of their grandparents, up to an appraised value of $20.

 

Looking over this list makes me incredibly sad.  I don't want stuff, I want my grandparents back... but I know that's not possible.  How exactly do you pick one item that would encompass a remembrance of two people who were part of my life for all but the last couple of years?  I'm finding the task daunting.  Do I pick an item that is just a remembrance item?  Do I pick something I need for my home but don't already own?  It's been over a year since I was even inside the house, and my memory is fading as to a lot of the items on the list.

 

Grammy & Grampy were my mother's parents.  I have many fond memories of going to their house with my mother on any given, ordinary day.  I remember the day I lost a tooth in a Wagon Wheel I was eating.  I remember countless times of walking in the back door and seeing Grammy ironing (one of her favorite activities).  They were also the original energy savers.  Grammy used to hang laundry out on the line even in the dead of winter, a habit left over from times when they didn't have as much money and before clothes dryers were around.  I remember many, many family events where their house was the gathering place for all of us.  I've had a lot of sadness lately about how our family doesn't seem to gather as much as we used to, a lot in part I believe to the fact that my grandparents are gone.  Soon their house will also be gone because it is up for sale.

 

One item I have wanted since Grammy passed away was a cookbook, which is identical to one that my mother has, and contains some family classics.  That is something about which I passed word along through my mother after Grammy died and they started going through her things.  I didn't get the cookbook then, and it is included in a lot of items that currently has one of my aunt's names on it.  I'm hoping they will let me have that one specific book, as I will indeed put it to use.

 

In the end I decided to ask for things that would be useful to me and that I have some kind of memory of.  I asked for the cookbook as well as a wall barometer that was always in the basement.  I thought that would be nice since I like weather so much.  It's something I can use and think of it as having belonged in their basement in the past.  I also asked if I could purchase a picture from the estate after the picking was done (it was over my allotted dollar amount).  The picture is a photo of the gazebo in King Square in winter.  Grammy loved that particular shot that was included in, I think, a 1982 calendar, and had the picture remain on the wall after the year was over.  Later on someone gave her a framed photo of the same shot.  That photo always hung in the back stairwell, and I have always liked it.  I hope I get the chance to have that as well, if it doesn't get picked by someone else.

 

There is no "right" or "wrong" choice I am making in picking from this list, but I still question myself on whether or not I missed something.  What would Grammy have wanted me to have?  Is there something I am forgetting that I would like to have?

64 days to go

With life being pretty much work, wedding stuff, sleep, repeat, I haven't had much to discuss. I can't even talk in too much detail about wedding things because I want some things to be a surprise.

Things are coming along, though somewhat tortuously at times. Last night was supposed to be invitation assembly night, but a combination of miscommunication and printer malfunctions basically rendered the evening a write-off. I did manage, between 2 printers and lots of wasted envelopes, to get all of the reply card envelopes printed and stamped. I'm regrouping today, getting some more printing done, and hopefully tonight will be a little more lucky for assembly.

I have a lot accomplished, but still a lot remaining to do. I signed a contract with a photographer today, so that is one more item that is done. Next on the list, after invitations, will be flowers. I don't plan on going too crazy over those. I like flowers, but not enough to spend a pile of money on them. After that, it's going to be list after list of small details. Who drives who where and when and in what car. Take John over to Moores for tux fitting. Assemble favors. Figure out a list of shots that I want the photographer to take.

I put most of my planning on hold this week while I prepared for a wedding shower that I am hosting on Sunday. I didn't have much notice to pull it together, but I think I've got things under control. My mom was a big help in finding stuff for me, since I have to work and can't shop during the day. She is also going to make shortbreads for me to serve as well. I need to spend tomorrow fine-tuning the games that I am going to run, as well as wrapping the prizes and cleaning the house as best I can. It's always stressful cleaning the house when you know a bunch of unknown women are coming over.

That's pretty much my life at the moment. It seems like this week has been a regular length with all that has gone on. I did manage to get a better sleep last night and don't feel quite as much like a zombie today. I am also getting a few things cleared off my work to-do list, and that's making me feel a bit better. I won't have much time to rest this weekend, though, and that is a concern. I need all the rest I can get these days.

Still the same

I'm tired.  Tired of trying to be proactive about things and still ending up behind the 8 ball.  Tired of trying to improve myself and my processes, but since other processes aren't in place, it's pretty much a moot point.  Wil things ever change?

Decisions

I am not a girl who likes to make decisions. I'm a Libra, and Libras are known for indecisiveness. I constantly question myself about which decision is the right one, and after I've made a decision, I constantly question whether I have made the correct choice.

2007 so far has been a year of decisions. Decisions about getting a civil marriage license, decisions about my car, and lately, decisions about our church wedding. It's halfway through the year, and already I am decisioned-out. There are some other major decisions I know I am going to have to make in the near future, but I've reached my limit and have decided to put those off for now, to save my sanity.

I envy how easily my husband can make decisions. He makes them, and if they are the wrong ones, he deals with the consequences. He doesn't constantly worry about possible outcomes; he just lets things happen and deals with them as they occur. I wish I could adopt some of that view, but after 31 years of being the way I am, I'm not sure I can change.

Washington tour

My flight to DC included a very rude woman sitting in front of me. She absolutely could not live without having her purse under the seat, despite that being against the rules as you are supposed to put your carry on under the seat in front of you. Since she was in row 1, there was no seat in front of her. She was told by the flight attendant not to leave her purse lying on the empty seat beside her, so her solution was to take up the space under the seat, leaving the lady beside me with not much room to place her bag. I argued with the old hag and she refused to put her purse up in the overhead bin. Finally I suggested she not pick row 1 in the future. I almost took her purse and snuck it behind another seat to teach her a lesson, but I'm not that much of a mean bitch. I don't know why she was so obsessed about it, I certainly wouldn't trust people behind me not to go through my stuff, but I'd notice if the overhead bin right above my head was open. Anyway, she was an old rude hag who refused to follow the rules. I hate it when people make their own rules, especially when flying. We all have limited space... stick to yours.

I arrived and got a cab with a crazy cab driver who tried to sell me his poetry book. He also had this habit of repeating what he was saying at least 10 times... after a while I was thinking, buddy, get over the fact that my jacket matches my suitcase. He kept going on and on about how his eyes popped out when he saw I was color co-ordinated. The kicker was when I got out my wallet, which is also pink. He really flipped then. Didn't have the energy to tell him my favorite color was actually purple.

The hotel cost a fortune even after the deal our supplier worked out for the meeting attendees. It was the Grand Washington Hyatt in downtown DC, so I didn't expect it to be cheap, but I did expect my tub to drain and the electrical outlets to work. I wasn't impressed in the least.

I spent Thursday afternoon touring around DC. I opted to take a trolley tour, where I could hop on & off for the day. I got to see the main highlights, so I think I did pretty well for not having much time there. I've put some pics below. I think the highlight for me was the Lincoln Memorial. It was just really impressive. I saw it during the day and evening, and it was equally as impressive. I also made a stop at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and while there I bought an activity set of rocks for my nephew for his birthday.

Thursday night our meeting group met for dinner at Jaleo, a tapas restaurant. If you have never heard of a tapas restaurant (I hadn't), it's basically a bunch of small Spanish dishes served as a meal. Sort of like ordering a whole bunch of appetizers and sharing amongst everyone at the table. I really liked the concept, but I wasn't much of a fan of authentic Spanish food. I did try a bunch of things, but it's not something I am likely to try again without looking over the menu first.

To be honest, I didn't think I was going to like Washington, but I did. There is so much to see and do, you need at least a week to get through things of interest. I would like to go back some day, with John, and get to more of the museums and revisit the memorials. I expected it to be stinkin' hot, but I was told it was two of the coldest days they'd had in a while. It actually ended up being comfortable for touring around, so it worked out well.


I had lunch here on my first day. They only serve burgers and fries, and always use fresh ground beef. It was pretty good. I read a comment from someone who called it the In-N-Out Burger of the East Coast. I will have to compare. Had lunch with guys in suits wearing backpacks. Expected to see Bradley Whitford with them; felt like I was on lunchbreak in an episode of The West Wing. :)

Chinese Subway and, what I thought was very odd, a Chinese Texan BBQ???

Chinatown

I didn't expect to see one of these in a downtown area, let alone in Chinatown.

Capitol Hill

Lincoln Memorial

Gettysburg Address

Lincoln Memorial

Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool as seen from Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam Wall

Vietnam Wall

Vietnam Wall

WWII Memorial

WWII Memorial

Washington Monument

The closest I got to the White House

The Hope Diamond

Easter Island head. Easter Island heads rock! :P

WWII Memorial at night

Lincoln at night

Korean War Memorial

Montreal

I arrived in Montreal a little bit early. Good thing as I don't have much time to make my connection. Since I am flying into Reagan National, I also have to go through an extra security screening. Hopefully not a body cavity search. :P

They have a St. Hubert Express in the food court at the airport now. Nice to have another option for eating here.

Stupid security checker *threw* my sneakers into the scanner. Thanks, asshole.

The extra DCsecurity check included personal wanding and looking through the bag. No biggie.

At least it's light out

I know why I picked this early morning flight - it was because I would get to Washington, DC early enough to do a few touristy things. I have to admit though that I was tempted to change my flight yesterday so I wouldn't have to leave so early.

I am not crazy about the fact that DC is a high crime area. I am usually a smart traveler, but being a small blonde woman walking around by myself, I'm not exactly at low risk. I think once I land and get settled at the hotel, I will seek out a guided tour. That way I am not walking around alone, and will likely see more than just wandering around by myself, trying to find things.

I haven't been looking forward to this trip. I don't get much out of traveling alone to somewhere I've never been that is known for its high crime rate. I'm only gone 2 days though, and will be back home again by suppertime on Saturday.

I am kicking myself now though for not following through on my plan to stop in Toronto overnight tomorrow night and go to my shoe store on Saturday morning. I just don't agree with my flight choices this time.

Time to board...

More progress

I called the Union Club today and confirmed that I wanted to use it as our wedding reception venue. I need to drop off a deposit, hopefully I will have time to do that tomorrow as I forgot to take my chequebook with me today. I told the venue what we had decided on for a meal. All that remains are to buy some candles and decide on some smaller aspects regarding timing of events at the venue.

I confirmed with my priest today that we had picked 11am as the time of day for the wedding. I don't remember us confirming that, so I figured it would be a good idea. :)

I ordered the favors tonight. I insisted on going with edible favors, and I think they will be familiar and yet unique.

I didn't have as much luck with shoes. The ones I was eyeing are out of stock in my hard-to-find size. As if finding 8.5 AAAA shoes isn't hard enough, trying to find a wedding-appropriate shoe isn't any easier.

Wedding planning a go-go

I've been pretty busy. I've started wading through the world of wedding planning. Today was a particularly disappointing day because my reception venue turned me down for the sake of lost profits. I am now in search of a new venue that can hold 100 people for a sit-down lunch.

I was in Portland this past weekend and found a dress. I didn't have to compromise on what I wanted, and the price was fabulous. It just needs a few alterations and I'll be all set. I've asked Jenn to be my matron of honor, so we found her a dress as well and got a discount for buying the two both at David's Bridal. We had to order it and will go back down to Portland some time in the next month or two to pick it up.

Portland also yielded a lot of deals on clothes. Target was crammed full of clearance racks so I picked up a few things there. Also got in on a store closing sale of New York & Company so I picked up a few more things there. It was a good trip, and the exemption increase to $400 for 48h certainly helped out considering I had a wedding dress to bring back.

The new car is working well. I had it in the body shop yesterday to get the paint scratches taken care of. They gave me a rental overnight and I got my car back today at lunchtime. I was glad to have it back today though. A Kia Spectra is not the same as a Grand Prix. This car does have a larger gas tank, so it's taking a lot more each time I fill up.

That's really all that is up with me at the moment. Wedding planning has basically taken over since it's a mere 3 months away. Planning something that requires a lot of decision-making is not easy for someone who can't seem to make a decision. I wonder if having to do this in a tight time frame will help me get any better at it? Who knows. The civil wedding certainly had the ease factor, I'll give it that. Things are starting to come together though, and I am staying positive that I'll be able to find a new reception venue.

Car Pics

New car. Color is "Purple Haze", but seems to look black here. You can tell better when you're standing beside it.

Rear doors open 90°. That can come in handy.

Huge gauges on the dash. Won't be able to ignore how fast I'm going.

Car search is over

After much mental debate and test driving 3 different models, I've finally made a car decision. Tomorrow I will be picking up my new car: a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix. It's actually very similar to what I have now, which is probably why I like it. The visibility was much better in this car, plus it has a in-dash 6 cd changer, XM satellite radio (free for 3 months), OnStar (free for a year), remote car starter (great for coming out of work in winter). I also decided to put an extra year of warranty on it so that I am covered for all of the 4 year period of my lease. It raised my payment, but I am likely to need more work done on it as time goes on.

As for the color... it's the return of the Purple Car. :)

I'll post some pics this weekend.

Muppet Show - Season 2

will be out on DVD August 7th. Click here for details.

Car search update

The car search has been interesting. Not as easy a time as I thought it would be.

Last Thursday, I test drove the Pontiac G6 GT, basically the equivalent offering from Pontiac of my older Grand Am GT. I figured I was going to like this car, and I did, but I didn’t love it. I have a few issues with the seats, the steering wheel position, and where to lean my arm while I drive. Minor, but I found it a bit annoying, and those things can gnaw at you over time. I will likely be doing another 4 year lease, so I want to make sure I like what I’m getting.

On John’s advice to test drive at least one other car, I went back to Saturn and test drove the Aura XR. Nice car, but again, I didn’t love it. It is not as sporty as the G6, but it did have some extra options and functions. Unfortunately, the XR model is a higher price and a bit more than I wanted to spend. Since I didn’t “love” the car, I am not really willing to spend extra money on it. I can afford the XE model, and add a few more options to get it closer to where I wanted it to be. I need to actually drive the XE model to feel the differences though, so I will probably go back to Saturn and try and drive something closer to what I would actually get.

I am also going to take a Grand Prix out for a test drive. I’m not sure I’m all that serious about it, but it will give me a different driving experience and hopefully help me to nail down what I do and don’t like or want to sacrifice.

I’m arranging to take a used G6 home for a couple of days (hopefully over the long weekend) and truly test it in real-world conditions. That should be enough time for me to get a true feel for it.

The pickiness and issues are surfacing mainly because I really like my current car. I liked it so much that I leased it two times in a row. After 7 years with the same car, I’m comfortable with it. I know where everything is, how it handles, and it just fits me. I can’t tell if the issues I’m having with these new cars are because I am change-resistant and comfortable with 7 years of the Grand Am, or if I truly don’t like the features of the new cars. That’s the question I need to answer. Hopefully test driving a couple more cars and having the G6 for a few days will help me figure that out.

Jim Emerson's 102 Movies to Become Movie Literate

Stolen from Chris. Numbered movies are the ones I have seen.


2001: A Space Odyssey
The 400 Blows
8 1/2
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Alien
1. All About Eve
Annie Hall
Apocalypse Now
2. Bambi
The Battleship Potemkin
Blue Velvet
Bonnie and Clyde
Breathless
3. Bringing Up Baby
Carrie
4. Casablanca
Un Chien Andalou
Children of Paradise
5. Chinatown
6. Citizen Kane
7. A Clockwork Orange
8. The Crying Game
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Days of Heaven
9. Dirty Harry
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
10. Do the Right Thing
La Dolce Vita
11. Double Indemnity
Dr. Strangelove
Duck Soup
12. E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial
Easy Rider
13. The Empire Strikes Back
The Exorcist
14. Fargo
15. Fight Club
Frankenstein
The General
16. The Godfather
17. The Godfather, Part 2
18. Gone With the Wind
19. Goodfellas
20. The Graduate
Halloween
A Hard Day's Night
Intolerance
It's a Gift
21. It's a Wonderful Life
22. Jaws
The Lady Eve
Lawrence of Arabia
M
Mad Max 2
23. The Maltese Falcon
24. The Manchurian Candidate
Metropolis
Modern Times
25. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Nashville
The Night of the Hunter
Night of the Living Dead
26. North by Northwest
Nosferatu
On the Waterfront
Once Upon a Time in the West
Out of the Past
Persona
Pink Flamingos
27. Psycho
28. Pulp Fiction
Rashomon
29. Rear Window
30. Rebel Without a Cause
Red River
Repulsion
The Rules of the Game
Scarface
The Scarlet Empress
31. Schindler's List
The Searchers
The Seven Samurai
32. Singin' in the Rain
33. Some Like It Hot
A Star Is Born
A Streetcar Named Desire
34. Sunset Boulevard
35. Taxi Driver
The Third Man
Tokyo Story
Touch of Evil
36. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Trouble in Paradise
37. Vertigo
38. West Side Story
The Wild Bunch
39. The Wizard of Oz


A few glaring omissions there in what I haven't seen.

Quick update

I'm feeling pretty much back to normal, so the antibiotics seemed to have done the trick. The occasional nose-blowing or remnant cough, but no big deal.

John arrived safely and it's really great to have him home again. We haven't really done much other than hang out at home, but we've both been tired, so resting is good.

I'm going to test drive 1 or 2 more cars before making my final car decision. Going to try and test drive another car tonight. I test drove the Pontiac G6 last Thursday night and I liked it, but John is correct when he says I need more to compare it to than just my current car. So I will try a couple more.

Feeling better

By the time Friday morning came around, my cold from hell felt as though it was moving down into my chest and getting worse. I was getting worse and not better, and I think it could have turned into pneumonia had I not gone to see a doctor. I went to the doctor on Friday and didn't have any trouble convincing her that I needed medication to get over this illness. Started the meds on Friday, just in time, I think. Too bad I hadn't been able to start them earlier in the week.

Yesterday I was feeling noticeably better, but as expected, that feeling lasted pretty much only when I was resting. Getting up to walk down the hall was tiring. These drugs are hefty and make you tired and weak. I skipped church yesterday on recommendation from my mother. I also had to miss Cinco, which really sucked because I feel like I don't get to see anyone anymore.

Today I am another notch better. My cough is sounding fairly weak compared to what it was. I am going to try and get a few things done today, including laundry. I may make a quick run to the grocery store, but that is as far as I want to venture.

Sneezing is good, right?

My cold has gone into sneezing stage. I am sneezing all over the place, steadily going through my box of Puffs Plus. If I had to talk all day, I would be coughing more. I took yesterday off as a sick day, as I did today, and will tomorrow as well. I've got to get well before John arrives next week.

At this point, I am not sure if I'm going to make it to Cinco de Mayo. I don't really want to sneeze & cough all over people who aren't sick. It will depend on my progress, and whether or not the doctor gives me any medication tomorrow.

In the meantime, I am catching up on a lot of TV. Makes me feel lazy, but I can't really do anything else. I've checked in with work but I am not working from home. I need the break from it so I can rest. Friday and Monday were stressful and I think one of the reasons why I've had this cold come back full-force.

At least the gunk is coming out of me rather than staying in me. I just hope it ends soon.

I give up

I'm getting worse again, so I called my doctor this morning.  She is normally booking into June 4th, but I caught a cancellation for this Friday.  I'm guessing I'll still be sick by then.

 

I need the codeine cough syrup.  Someone give me the codeine cough syrup.

New or same old, same old?

I'm coughing again today, worse than I have been for about a week. Not sure if it has anything to do with my being out for a walk for an hour yesterday. My neck was cold because of the wind, maybe I wasn't dressed warmly enough? Other people are wearing t-shirts, and I still have a scarf. All I know is that I have a nasty sounding cough again today.

I am also stressed about work, which I can't discuss here. That's likely not helping.

I hope this is only a minor setback. I don't want to be full-blown sick again. That is, if I did actually get over what I had for the past month.

Just say no

I tried to test a new recipe today, in anticipation of Cinco de Mayo. It involved deep frying. I went out and bought myself a thermometer so that I would be able to tell if/when the oil was heated to the right temperature. While the oil was heating, I worked on the chocolate sauce. That seemed to be going relatively ok until my uncle called to chat. I either should have stopped cooking or not picked up the phone... but I tried to multitask. The end result was that the thermometer broke, leaking its insides into the oil. I hadn't even made the dough, but it was this early on that I decided to call it quits. Deep frying is tricky, and since I'm not prepared to go out and buy a deep fryer just for the sake of experimentation, this is as far as I'm willing to go.

Happy Birthday John!

Today is John's birthday. If you would like to wish him a happy birthday, please do so today.

Dirty Dancing

Saw an ad for this on TV this morning. Back in theatres for two nights only, in celebration of its 20th anniversary.

We're getting a Fairweather again

The sign is up on one of the new buildings out east for Fairweather. Hunh. Never thought they'd come back to SJ.

Car Search: Part 1

My car is ending its lease next month. I have two choices: buy out the lease; or lease/purchase a new car. I am now starting to look at new cars to see if there are any that I prefer over my current car.

Goal:
Find a sporty sedan, similar to my current Grand Am GT. Must be a GM vehicle so I can apply my credits toward the lease/purchase. Want XM factory installed. Don't want to lose any features I already have.


Saturn Aura

I started my car search on Tuesday by stopping by the Saturn dealership. I specifically wanted to look at the Saturn Aura, recently awarded North American Car Of The Year. I asked about the hybrid model, but that is not going to be available until the fall. It is also going to be a 4 cylinder vehicle, which is a step down from what I have now, and not what I'd prefer.

Likes:
I liked the fact that it has won an award. It also seemed very roomy on the inside. The seats were comfortable. Windows were built to reduce road noise.

Dislikes:
It seemed very blah on the inside; I found it boring. It struck me as a good family sedan, but it didn't feel like "me". I'm not ready to settle down yet when it comes to my car.

Pumpkin Patch open again

Today's the day, the Pumpkin Patch has re-opened for the season.  Yay, fresh produce and ice cream!

Where's the syrup?

Over 2 weeks ago, I mailed some maple syrup to John.  I wrote "maple syrup" on the customs form, so there was nothing to hide.  I sent the package by Air Mail.  It still hasn't arrived in SoCal.

 

Somewhere in Canada, Customs agents are enjoying pancakes with my syrup.

Weekend & Monday

I had a fairly decent weekend. Friday night I watched TV and talked to John on the phone.

Saturday was such a beautiful day that I wanted to be outside in some fashion. I spent some time taking out my driveway markers, pulling the compost bin around the yard to pick up branches, and picked up garbage that had made its way onto my property. Before going outside, I spent some more time in the basement, doing some more keep/toss/donate. I went to church as usual, then off to dinner with my grandfather, Dad, stepmother, aunt, uncle, cousin & wife, and my two brothers. My older brother made a quick trip down this weekend to do some audio wiring at my Dad's house. We celebrated my grandfather's upcoming birthday and afterward spent some time at his house. Afterward I came home and watched some TV. John wasn't feeling well and we didn't get to chat.

Sunday meant I had a lot left to do. I wanted to get my grandfather's tax return done right away, so he would know if he owed or was getting a refund; it was the latter. I had laundry to do. I also wanted to continue with the basement organization. I worked away at that for a while, and then my Dad and brother came over to start drilling the hole for the sump pump. I now have a big hole in the basement and the pump is ready to be installed. Dad still has to come back with some additional materials to finish the job. After the work was done, my brother went back to my mom's to shower, then we ordered Chinese food for the three of us and had dinner together.

I went to the dentist today for my checkup and cleaning. No cavities and they told me my gums were looking better than usual.

Tonight my mom came over and I helped her with a written report she needed to do for a training course. In exchange, I got a bag of ketchup chips and she took 4 items to iron for me (she has an obsession with ironing). Everyone wins.

Today at work was very frustrating. Work would be a lot less stressful if you were allowed to tell people off. Incident #1 involved wasted time. That makes me angry. The second incident involved someone masking their criticism with attempts at humor. I often bring my or my mother's baking in to work so it will be eaten instead of going to waste (or eating all of it myself). I don't do it every week, but maybe a couple of times a month. On repeated occasions, one of my co-workers has made comments like "I wish you hadn't brought that in" while smiling and making it sound like a joke. Today's comment was: "There's the culprit. I should string you up by your..." It was said with what she thought was humor, but after hearing so many of these comments, combined with her previous comments telling me I was too thin and needed to eat more, I had had enough. I turned around and said to her, "It's not like I'm shoving it down your throat. It's up to you whether you eat it or not."

This woman obviously has food/weight issues; I am not insensitive to this. I don't walk into her office and sit and eat cake in front of her. I don't do anything to purposefully make her feel bad. I am just very frustrated that I can't bring in food without her being all passive-aggressive at me. I feel like she thinks I'm the devil because I'm skinny and bring in cake. I'm sorry if you find it tempting and it doesn't fit into your diet, but that is something you need to address by yourself without criticizing others. If you can't stand the cake, get out of the kitchen.

Progress

On my lunchhour yesterday, I had purchased a departmental afternoon treat of ketchup chips, so I wasn't very hungry when I got home last night. I did a few things on my PC, then sat and had a choice to make: do I sit on/get sucked into the couch tonight, or do I go down to the basement and get some things done? I decided to choose the basement.

I managed to transfer books into 5-6 plastic bins, and organized by author. I still have a couple of boxes of knick-knacks, misc books and papers to go through, but most of the books are done. I wish I had my bookcases back (they had to be thrown out after they got too moldy from the first flood), but there's not much sense in buying bookcases until I get the basement issues sorted out.

I also bagged up the clothing I wanted to donate, but I still need to go through my closet and be a little more picky about items that I don't wear.

Definitely some progress made last night. I hope to continue it this weekend and get it done. I do have some plans for this weekend, though. My older brother is coming down tomorrow to do some wiring in my Dad's new house. My aunt, uncle, cousin & wife are coming up this weekend as well. Since we will all be here, we're taking my grandfather out for birthday supper. His actual birthday is next Saturday.

I am hoping to break out the BBQ this weekend too. I'm looking forward to having John do some grilling when he gets here (3 weeks to go).

I'm guessing this is a no, but I will ask the question just in case: Does anyone want a copy of Anne of Green Gables & the sequel on VHS? If you want them, they're yours. I upgraded to DVD a couple of months ago.

10 Things I Hate About Commandments

This is hilarious

Things & things

I am gradually getting better. The last 2-3 days have seen me not needing to use cough drops, cough syrup, or Advil, so that is a definite improvement. I still have a cough, but it is not as bad as it was. Also am still quite tired. I can't seem to get enough rest.

Since the rain has ceased, my basement is now drying out. Hopefully by tonight I can return some items back to the floor.

I'm bored. It's not that I don't have a lot to do around the house, but that I can't get motivated to do any of it. I need to do some spring cleaning, especially the windows. I also need to continue getting items out of cardboard boxes and into plastic bins in the basement. The desk in my home office is piled with crap that needs to be sorted and filed, but I somehow seem to keep on ignoring it. I think what I need to do is make a to-do list so that I can concentrate on picking off one item at a time, instead of it feeling like I have more to do than I can handle.

There are a couple of tasks I want to make sure I tackle this weekend, though. One is to buy a mat I saw in a Home Depot flyer which goes under your BBQ to collect any stray drippings. With the weekend scheduled to be sunny, I'd like to break out the BBQ and grill something for a change. The second is to replace the filter(s) in my air exchanger. I haven't touched it since I moved in, and the filters are likely long overdue for a change. I also have a bunch of clothing and other items that need to be dropped off at Value Village.

I've been too much of a couch potato recently. I have been finding too many things on TV that I want to watch. Now that spring is here, and the daylight lasts longer, I need to get back to walking. I take walks for enjoyment, and rain and high winds are not enjoyable situations in which to walk. Thus my spring recommencement of regular walks has not yet begun. Today is pretty windy out, and I need to run an errand at lunchtime, so I think I will start back again tomorrow.

I may also try to go out and look at cars this weekend. My lease expiry date is only a few weeks away, and I need to know what I'm going to do. I'd prefer to have a new car, but only if I like it better than my current car. So, first step is to look at new cars and see if I like any of them. I plan on looking at the Saturn Aura, the Pontiac G6 and Grand Prix, and maybe a few others. If the Grand Am was still available, I'd be strongly considering getting it for a third time in a row. No-can-do this time though. I currently have $1859 in credits from using my GM Visa, so that will help the price a bit.

Funny

3 weeks and still going!

I just reached the end of week 3 of my cold, do I win any kind of award?  I am getting better, honest.  I'm down to only coughing when I have to talk for a while, and last night I didn't wake up coughing or have to hack anything up.  I am still feeling pretty exhausted though.  Some day, I will be well again.

 

My Dad's been very busy, and as a result, hasn't had time to install a sump pump for me in my basement.  It rained all day yesterday, the ground is still hard, and the water table is high... you do the math.  Dad came over last night to have a look and we did manage to uncap a pipe and get some water flowing back out again, but couldn't get the cap off another pipe.  He just called and said he had 2 sump pumps being shipped up.  Not much we can do until it stops raining and dries up, then we can get it/them installed.  We may put two pumps in, on opposing corners of the basement.

 

I'm all set for my lawn care this year.  I'm sticking with the same people who did my mowing last year, and also getting them to do the fertilizer & weed killer.  I had two separate companies doing those jobs last year, and the fertilizing/weed killing was costing a fortune.  By combining it with lawn mowing, I can get a better price.  It's also a lot cheaper because it's a smaller company with lower prices vs a larger business who seem to charge a premium for those services.  I'm looking forward to spending a little bit less on that this year.  I'm glad this is all arranged before the start of the season, so I'm not calling around trying to find someone after their schedules are booked up.  Fertilizing is going to start around the beginning of May, and mowing around mid-May, dependent on weather.

 

Speaking of weather, enough with the below-average temperatures already.  It's barely warm enough to rain.  I'd like to be able to stop wearing my winter coat.

New Maroon 5 video

This is the new video from Maroon 5 called Makes Me Wonder. It made me wonder if they were thinking of O'Hare when they filmed it (see pic below).

O'Hare

This is O'Hare Airport in Chicago, the walkway between terminal B and C.

Drink crystal dilemma

Look in my fridge and you will usually see a pitcher or two of juice, grape and orange. For over 20 years I have purchased and enjoyed drink crystals from Crosby Molasses Co. A few months back, I began to notice a trend at both Sobeys and Superstore of the product starting to disappear from the shelves. I filled out customer comments, talked to product managers, and still didn't get any closer to an answer on why the product wasn't available.

Last week, I wrote to Crosby's directly, figuring that if the product was not available at any of the grocery chains, perhaps they've decided to stop manufacturing them. The answer I received was quite different than what I expected. Crosby's told me they are still making them, are more than willing to sell them to the chains, but that some chains have delisted the product. Delisting not only means that they no longer stock it on their shelves, but that individual store managers can't special order the items in for customers. Crosby's said that none of the NB grocery outlets were ordering the product anymore, and I fear that may be a national decision. They suggested I could get a local corner store to order it for me through a wholesaler, or it may still be carried out-of-province. Crosby Molasses Co. is a company located in Saint John. I can drive there in a matter of minutes, yet I can't buy this product anywhere in the province. So much for supporting local companies.

Armed with this knowledge, I set out to write emails to 3 grocery chains:

Atlantic Superstore: They answered me the next day. They said "procurement in Brampton" were delisting the crystals in favor of the new singles crystals (I assume they mean that Crystal Light product). They said they only had so much room on their shelves, and had to get rid of the old to make way for the new. Sort of understandable. I wrote them back and pushed a bit more, asking if they could at least list the product so it could be special ordered, without the stores actually having to stock it.

Co-op: Co-op doesn't sell the product, but I asked if they could start to stock it, or if they would special order it for me. Their response was that they didn't list the product either, but that their private brand crystals were made by the same company. I could buy those and it would be cheaper than the name brand. I have purchased their brand before, and it is a decent substitute... but it's still not the same. I know my juice.

Sobeys: They have yet to answer my email.

Once I noticed that Sobeys was trying to get rid of the product, I bought what remained of a case of grape that had been reduced to clear. I will live off that for a while until I figure out what to do. I am out of orange, so I've had to use the Co-op brand, which isn't as sweet. I may try using less water and seeing if that makes a difference. I also stopped by the Bilk Barn and bought some of their orange drink crystals to see if it was anywhere near the same.

If any of you reading this blog live elsewhere in the Maritimes, would you take a look the next time you buy groceries and see if you find Crosby's drink crystals in Grape or Orange?

Which Serenity character are you?

Your results:
You are Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)

Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 75% Inara Serra (Companion) 75% Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 75% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 70% River (Stowaway) 65% Wash (Ship Pilot) 55% Derrial Book (Shepherd) 50% Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 40% Alliance 20% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 0% A Reaver (Cannibal) 0%	You are good at fixing things. You are usually cheerful. You appreciate being treated with delicacy and specialness.
Click here to take the "Which Serenity character are you?" quiz...

A couple of feasts...

This Week

Appetizer
When you were a child, which crayon color was your favorite?
I don’t remember specifically. Purple has always been my favorite color though.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest), how likely would you be to change jobs if it required you to move?
I could be in that situation if John is unable to move here. I would have to move and change jobs to live in SoCal. Other than that, it would depend on where I was moving to. A move within the Maritimes doesn’t interest me.

Salad
Take all the numbers in your birthday and your phone number and add them up, one by one. What’s the total? [I assume they mean month and day]
72.

Main Course
Have you ever “re-gifted” anything? If so, what was it and who did you pass it on to?
Yes, I will admit that I do this sometimes. Yankee swaps at work are usually regifted snowmen knick-knacks. People at work love them, and I don’t like having them hanging around in a box in my house, so everyone is happier.

Dessert
Name something you need from the store.
Parmesan cheese.

Last Week

Appetizer
When you travel, which mode of transportation do you prefer?
The fastest way possible is always preferable. I don't like traveling, but I have fun once I arrive. I hate long car trips and get carsick, so I can't read while riding in the car. I usually try to be the driver so I have something to do. Flying would be my preference, that way I can still read or watch something, and there is a bathroom to use without having to interrupt the trip.

Soup
Have you ever met a blogging friend in person?
That’s how I met my husband, so yes. :)

Salad
When was the last time you were really, really tired?
I’ve been tired a lot while having this cold. It’s making me exhausted.

Main Course
If you could have dinner with any one fictional character from a book or movie, who would it be?
So many to choose from. One would be Bridget Jones, and we could discuss our mutual admiration for Colin Firth.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: One day, I hope to see my grandmothers again.

2 weeks, 2 days, cough cough

It's been 2 weeks and 2 days now since my cold from hell began. As of today, I am significantly better, but still have some remaining annoying symptoms. Every morning I seem to be in a contest to see how much green stuff I can expel. I head to work, though I am feeling more energetic than last week, I still find myself tired. I have no recollection of pressing snooze twice this morning. I was so deep in REM sleep that I could barely keep my eyes open to get in the shower. Every evening, around 10pm, I begin to cough a lot more to the point of extreme annoyance. Perhaps my house is too dry. But I am feeling better.

This really is just a bad cold. Why has it hit me so hard? From talking to others, I am not the only person being hit hard by whatever bug is going around. It makes me feel like a loser though. I can't get over a simple cold? I guess the answer is that this is not a simple cold.

I've spent a lot of time this week researching flight options for John's visit next month. I've been a little pushy about getting something booked, in part because a seat sale was just announced yesterday and I want to make sure we have the best options available. I'm also lonely and want to be able to mark on the calendar when he will be back. Sometimes I handle our separations ok, and sometimes I don't. I don't seem to be handling this one very well. I'm not sure if that's because I've been sick and generally miserable from that, or if I am just growing tired of continually having to be apart. I just want to hop on a plane and go see him. Oh, to be rich.

I have two upcoming trips for work. First up is a meeting in Washington, DC, in mid-June. I booked my flights for it today, after a week of staring at the flight options, not knowing what to pick. Do I stay extra time to do touristy stuff? Do I try and get home as soon as possible? What will it cost me above what my company will pay? Do I try and have a stopover in Toronto? I seem to be even worse than usual this week at making decisions. After an email yesterday requesting our arrival & departure dates, I had to book something today so the hotel reservations could be finalized. I ended up trying to balance low cost to me with some time for seeing the sights. I'll leave here at 6:30am (I don't relish that) and arrive in DC by 10:30am. That will give me the afternoon and early evening to sightsee. I have a dinner to attend that night, and then my meeting the next day. I'll have my evening free, then head home the next morning. I won't arrive home until supper time. The hotel we're staying at is within walking distance of the White House, Smithsonian, and many other things. The key will be choosing what I want to see most and fitting it into my limited time frame.

The second trip is my annual conference. I just found out this week that it is being held in Palm Springs. Quite a relief for me, as the other choice was Florida during hurricane season. This location is perfect for me to be able to see John: it is only 1.5h away, and his mom lives nearby. I still have to put some thought into this trip and decide when I'll go, what vacation time I want to take, etc. The conference always occurs around my birthday, so I will likely be away again this year.

Going postal

Having had many comments from people saying they couldn't find my postal code online, I called Canada Post last December to ask if it could be remedied. I spoke with someone at the Rothesay Ave post office, who understood my issue, and we chatted for a few minutes on exactly where my house was located. He said he would submit a request to have me added in, but mentioned it may take a month or two to show up because the database is only updated monthly.

I am working on some address clarifications for work today, so I decided to check and see if it had been fixed yet. Lo and behold, I now exist! Yay! A big thank you to the man who followed through on his promise.

Now if I could just get my letter carrier to realize that my neighbors' mail doesn't belong in my mailbox, I'll be all set. This seems to be an issue, for some reason, as I repeatedly get my next door neighbors' mail. Their last name is sort of close to mine, but I have also gotten mail for my neighbors two doors down, who have a very different last name. I think he's not reading the street numbers properly, and is just getting everything mixed up. This only started happening in the last few months. The letter carrier I had when I first moved in came to my door to drop off a parcel and seemed very attentive to names, so I am guessing he's either moved on to another route, or he takes vacation and I get stuck with the person who isn't as detail-oriented. I've been considering sticking a label inside my mailbox with my house number and last name on it, but the last thing you want to do is piss off your letter carrier.

I guess for now I will continue to walk next door and drop off my neighbors' mail. I don't mind doing that, but many of us don't have mailboxes on our houses because our mail comes to group boxes. I'm always worried the mail I leave on their doorstep (if they don't answer the doorbell) will fly away, so I try to prop it under something heavy. I have a rock on my doorstep for that purpose. I may have to donate a rock with my next mail delivery.

A bit better

Feeling a bit better today. Last night I turned the corner from sore throat into head cold stage, so that's usually the sign that I am on the mend. Also a sign that I may go through a box of Kleenex in the next few days, but so far so good.

I decided to work from home today. I have a lot of stuff to do that doesn't require me to be at my desk, so that works out well. I have the stove going, my XM radio on, and get to work in comfy clothes while drinking as much fluid as I can. This chair isn't quite built for all-day use though, so I think it's time to get up and take a break.

Need to get better before JCS night!

Making up for lost time

I had successfully made it through this winter without getting sick or taking a sick day... until last week. My sore throat started last Tuesday morning and is still scratchy a week later. The norm for me is usually a couple of days of sore throat, then it breaks and I am into a massive head cold. That has not yet happened, and I am still stuck in scratchy throat stage. I left work around 2:30 this afternoon and came home. I probably shouldn't have gone in at all.

Fearing some kind of infection from the fact that it has lasted this long, I called my doctor's office on the off chance there might have been a cancellation today. Ironically, my doctor called in sick with the flu. I am not the kind of person who requests medicine every time I get sick, but this just doesn't seem right based on how I usually react. I may try and get an appointment with the clinic tomorrow if I am still feeling the same. I am just not getting any better at all. My only change has been from shooting pain in my throat to scratchiness. Other than that, I am exhausted all the time, have no energy, have a slight nagging cough, and just feel generally miserable.

I've gone ahead and kept planning for JCS night this Friday... surely I'll be better by then?

Praise?

Proof that critics are running out of ways to express praise.

The quote which appears on a book I just bought reads: "Literary crack cocaine."

Uh, yeah.

Tidbits

My boss called me over to his office and did a quick performance review on Tuesday. I was given a raise (first in two years, other than cost of living adjustments) and a bonus. That was nice to hear/get. Need that extra money for immigration costs and wedding.

I went to see my eye doctor about the return of Creepy Red Eye, aka episcleritis. Since it's idiopathic, it's hard to tell what is causing it, so they can only treat the reaction. I have drops to use 4x a day for the week. If it reoccurs again, I will have to go see my doctor and be tested for a bunch of possible diseases, most commonly rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. It could also just be that my eyes freak out and get inflamed sometimes, and it's not indicative of anything. I really hope that is the case.

I keep getting wrong numbers on my landline at home. Most of them have been from some dopey guy looking for "Squirrel". How many times will it take him to realize he's repeatedly calling the same wrong number? This morning at 6:20, it was a call from another wrong number. I said hello 2-3 times. Upon realizing I wasn't who they wanted, held the phone away from their mouth and said "Oh shit, I called the wrong number" and hung up. Jackass. You could have at least apologized for waking two people up. GRRRRRR! Another particularly annoying caller shows up as "Unknown" and then hangs up as soon as the phone is answered.

On top of all of these wrong numbers are the numerous 800 lines that are telemarketing calls. I don't understand why they are allowed to block their name. If you're calling on behalf of someone, you shouldn't be allowed to block your name from the caller ID.

Weekend

I had a good weekend this weekend, especially seeing as how I had John here in person instead of via PC.  Makes the relationship a bit easier.

 

After picking him up at the airport on Friday, we came back home and had lunch.  After lunch, I headed back to work and he went to rest/watch TV.  Friday night we cooked some pork chops for supper and watched an Audrey Hepburn movie, Funny Face (which features the dancing scene recently used in the GAP ad).  I seem to be continuing my feelings toward Audrey Hepburn movies as being meh.  I still have My Fair Lady to watch, which I have never seen, so I will give Audrey yet another chance.  I did like her in Charade with Cary Grant.

 

Saturday was a lazy day.  We lounged around until heading out for church.  We had dinner at Vito's before the play, then on to see Glass Menagerie.  While I thought the acting was well done, I didn't care much for the story.  I'm looking forward to Cabaret.

 

Sunday we woke up and went to pick up my Dad & family at the airport.  We dropped by to see my brother and leave him some stuff I'd bought for him in Calais.  Then it was on to lunch at Swiss Chalet, and shopping for some more clothes for John.  His goal is to be able to leave enough clothing here that he won't need to bring any with him on future visits.  On Sunday night, John went with Stew to see 300, and Jenn and I hung out and watched some of my Melrose Place Season 1 DVD.

 

That was pretty much my weekend.  Simple, but special because I got to spend it with John.

Visit Eve

It's Visit Eve today, and I am pretty excited. Our last couple of visits were usually dampened by me worrying about our impending civil nuptials. With that out of the way, I can just relax, be happy, and enjoy his visit. I spend a lot of my time worrying about pretty much anything, but right now I just want to leave that behind, focus on the present, and be happy. I think I deserve that, so I will focus on making that a reality. It is going to be great to see him feeling better while on his new medication.

I took my car in today for round 3 of the "Fix the ABS light" game. This time it was an old code that didn't get cleared. All of the sensors are showing in the normal range, nothing is acting up, so I hope this is the end of the problem.

I need to run out at lunch and/or after work and get some groceries. Maybe with John here I won't be as tempted to succumb to having popcorn for supper.

John will be working while he is here (as will I) so I need to get my office cleaned up. My office is one of those rooms I stick stuff in to get it out of the way of the living room or bedroom. As a result, I have papers piled everywhere that I need to go through, organize, file, etc. I'm going to try and get that done tonight so it leaves space for him to work and also has me ready to do my taxes. I think I may be missing a slip, but once I go through those papers, I'll know for sure.

One more sleep!

TV notes

Random, haphazard thoughts on TV.

In between the events of my weekend, I spent time trying to catch up on all of the things my TiVo has been recording lately. I watched some movies fully, others bored me so I deleted them. TiVo is recording more than I can watch, but whatever I can get to, I'll get to, and what I don't, I don't. All of the movies it is recording are older movies, so it's been a lot of black and white, golden Hollywood moments. Mostly this is due to the fact that Rogers gave us TCM and AMC.

I'm looking forward to the return of Six Degrees this week. Not that it's a great show, but it's nice that they're at least burning off the episodes so we can see the rest of what they've filmed. It was really frustrating to be watching Vanished, only to have Fox put the remaining episodes online. That's a great idea, which I am all in favor of, except for the fact that they block you from accessing the shows online if you're located outside the US. Thanks for nothing.

I wonder if Six Degrees will actually pick up a bit in ratings with the recent announcement of Bridget Moynahan being pregnant with Tom Brady's baby? Possible, but not likely. The show has pretty much been marked as a goner anyway, so a small ratings increase would be irrelevant.

Smart Woman Survival Guide returned with new shows this weekend, that was good to see. No sign of Rumours, which the CBC seems to have abandoned but made no announcement. Little Mosque On The Prairie rolls on, but I don't think it's retaining the ratings that the CBC hoped for. Unfortunately, the writing is to blame. When you can see the 15 or 30 second preview for the upcoming show and already feel like you've watched the whole show, you know you have a problem. It could be so much better if they didn't fall into typical sitcom scenarios where you can predict the plot a mile away.

Air Farce is celebrating their 300th episode on March 30th with a live show.

March is a wasteland of shows taking breaks, and I find that a bit frustrating. You never know if a particular show will be running on a given week, or if it's taking a few weeks off to premiere a mid-season replacement.

I'm tired of hearing reports of how Autumn Reeser (Taylor) "revitalized" The O.C. this season. Am I the only one who found her incredibly annoying? The forced pairing of her and Ryan was useless and really didn't make any sense. It was like the writers were saying, "Hey, we have these two characters, let's just put them in a relationship even if it doesn't make any sense for them to be together. The show's ending anyway." You know what: she didn't "revitalize" it that much, because now it's canceled. I don't dislike her as an actress, but the character was just annoying and had no chemistry with Ryan. They should have ended the series last season when Marissa died. To end this rant on a bright note, SoapNet is airing The O.C. from the beginning starting on April 9th. I miss the glory days of the first season of this show, so I may re-watch some of it, while I still have my Dad's satellite dish hooked up.

Speaking of said satellite dish, I've been recording tons of original Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes. Really enjoying them, and since they're only half hour installments, they're easy to watch.

Two of my favorite shows at the moment are Ugly Betty and Men In Trees. Ugly Betty is campy and just so much fun to watch; pure entertainment. I actually wasn't expecting to like Men In Trees, but I have grown attached to it. I think Anne Heche has had enough time out of the limelight to do this role and not have people only think about her past actions. I think she's doing well in the role and I hope she continues to grow the character.

ER is boring me. I'm not sure why I'm hanging on to watching it. It has finally reached a point where all of the original characters are gone, and the ones currently on the show don't do anything that isn't frustrating or boring. This is another case where TV critics attribute the revitalization of a show to an actor, in this case, John Stamos. Yeah, he's a more famous actor than most on the show, and perhaps he draws fans who previously didn't watch the show. So far the character hasn't really done anything to write home about. I suspect next season will be the last for ER.

When actors who are in a show together end up dating in real life, why do writers seem to want to pair them together onscreen as well? I don't understand why they have bothered to pair Cameron and Chase on House, other than the fact that they are engaged in real life. Can't people just work together? What's the harm in that? At least this has only taken the tact of them sleeping together and hasn't become a huge storyline on the show... yet.

Desperate Housewives. Better this season, but just put Gaby and Carlos back together already. How long is Carlos going to live at Mike's house?

I do like the addition of Logan (Chris Noth) to Law & Order: CI, but Vincent D'Onofrio, Super Genius, is still my favorite character on the show. It took the Captain (Eric Bogosian) a while to grow on me, but he's ok now. I do miss the ADA (Courtney B. Vance), though.

On regular Law & Order, I am not a big fan of the new female lawyer, nor the new female detective. They're meh.

Why can't ATV air Ebert & Roeper at the proper time? Why do I always end up getting pieces of CSI: Miami reruns?

Another weekend down

I had a reasonably good weekend. It began Friday night when Jay came over. We had some Chinese food and watched Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent. Decent movie, seemed like a bit of a different vein for Hitch, but the best part was watching the special features after the movie. I think I got much more out of certain aspects of the movie after having the extra commentary. Later that evening I had my usual Friday night phone call with John.

Saturday I slept in. I decided with the impending rain that I had better clean out the snow that had been gathering at my basement door, and also clean off parts of the deck so I could walk down to the compost bin. Unfortunately, that meant some strenuous shoveling because there were a couple of layers of snow and ice to get through. Took me a while, but I managed to get most of it cleared away and it was likely a good thing that I did. I didn't end up having any flooding problems this weekend, so that was good. Dad found a sump pump that he thinks will be good for the basement, so that needs to be ordered & installed. With the weather warming up, I'm going to have to keep an eye on things down there.

Going through 2 layers of ice pretty much wore me out, so I crashed on the couch after that. Went to church, and then afterward ran around picking up some groceries for my mother. She's been pretty sick with strep throat and hasn't been able to leave the house in a week. She also had to cancel her trip to Montreal to see my brother, SIL and nephew because she's nowhere near well enough to travel yet. I hope she can reschedule and get to Montreal at another time.

Sunday was a better day than I expected. I had to go in to work at 1pm to help install a piece of equipment. I wasn't convinced that it would work, but it worked on the first try and I was done within half an hour. I made a couple of catch-up phone calls after I got home. My grandfather called around supper time asking if I would go out and bring him some food, which I did. He's still not feeling that well. I think we'll have to start getting someone in to cook meals for him. Sunday night T-L dropped by to chat and give me a card. It was nice to see her, we hadn't chatted in quite a while. Later, I chatted and then phoned John. Can't wait until he arrives on Friday.

Thankfully ok

It was a worrisome day today, but thankfully John wasn't in any kind of extreme danger.

It's hard being across the continent and getting a phone call that says your husband has been taken to the hospital. Even just as a precaution, that's not something you want to hear.

I'm very thankful this didn't happen while he was home, alone. Caly isn't very good at using the phone. Lots of people were around to notice he wasn't doing well. It's good to have people who care.

10 weird things

Having been tagged by Mare, I refer you to an old blog post in which I actually voluntarily listed the things that made me weird. I do need to add a 10th point though.

10. I eat popcorn as a meal. Regularly.


Updates:

6. I do like hot chocolate, that's the only opaque beverage I'll drink.

7. My aversion to food shaped like animals actually happened earlier than I realized. Apparently, Nana used to always make molasses cookies in the shape of gingerbread men. My mother says I found this upsetting and Nana started using a flower shape instead. I have no memory of that, but it's an interesting story.