Drivers

I realize that the last little bit, the weather has been crap. Yes, beautiful snow if you're looking at it, but not the least bit fun driving in the stuff. I finally had to succumb to buying winter tires. Ka ching! But it was time. One day I'll talk about my conversation with my husband about winter tires BEFORE the big snow storms hit. LOL!

Anyways, now that the roads are good, people think they can drive like maniacs. Remember the scene in Superman 2 (I think it was that one)...and Superman tries to fly really fast around the earth to turn back time? Well, that's what I'm thinking when I see these insane drivers. Just because you lost 4 days in time...not matter how fast you drive, you're not going to go back 4 days. So relax.

As I was thinking all this, sure enough I saw 2 cars that fell into the ditch and one of those cars bent a whole light pole. They were lucky they got out alive.

As much as I think some of these folks are idiots for driving so fast, I hope they remember that there are people at home waiting for them. If you're not going to drive safely for those around you...then drive safely for the sake of your family. It's never a good time to lose your life...but especially not around the holidays.

TV

Alright...the Christmas shows are over. The only thing that I remotely watched that was Christmas like this year was part of "The Grinch." Miss J...you'll be happy to know that my kids loved it, but I didn't finish watching it. I figure it's on EVERY single year, I can watch the last half next year.

Along with Christmas shows, there were just a ton of reruns. I was doing a lot of channel surfing...but I was so happy that one of my old shows was on. Totally un-Christmas like and totally not something that someone would have expected me to watch. Yep...Tommy Lee Goes to College. I can hear you mocking me now, but that was one of the best shows EVER! I watched the whole damn series when it first ran. So I was even happier to see that one of my favourite episodes was playing. I'm not a big Tommy Lee fan at all (excpet on the Supernova show where I thought he was awesomely hot). However, while going to college, I got a new appreciation for the guy.

That's going to be my new Christmas must do show.

Snow

Ok, I'm sick of seeing the stuff and I'm sick of talking about it. We got our White Christmas...so let's wait another 10 years before we get another one. I'm thankful that on Christmas day, it stopped long enough so my parents could actually come out to my place and enjoy Christmas day with our family. Lot of cooking and I was tired from it. But the main thing was that my parents were happy, the kids seemed happy with the magic of Christmas and my husband seemed like he was content with his gifts.

Anyways, on Boxing Day, our family headed out to see the in-laws. It started to snow. We got there, and it was still snowing. We had our brunch, opened gifts and we decided it was time to go. Not to be rude to them, but we really wanted to get home as soon as possible to ensure that we could actually get home.

So, we white knuckled it back home. For those that live in the Lower Mainland...you'll know this route. From Pitt Meadows, towards the Merrihill Bypass (sp?) which was slippery as hill. Barely had any traction and slipped a couple of times. We made it to the Port Mann Bridge and we were freaked out because we slipped too. And of course, there is that big hill on the other side of the bridge to take the 152 exit. Ok. Made it through that. Then we had to brake safely to make sure we didn't hit any of the Guildford Mall Boxing Day maniacs who went shopping. After that, at least 2 major hills to get up. Freaked out the whole time. Then, we drive up the little hill to get into our cul-de-sac and we just barely make it up that hill. It was really icy and I thought I'd have to push. Victory. We make the left turn down the hill to get into our driveway. I swear...within 10 feet of getting into our garage we are completely stuck. We seriously can not make it in.

I get out of the car and I'm saying the following phrases..."We're so close, but not quite...I f%#@ing hate the snow...stupid White Christmas...stop gassing it because I'll push the car...s%#t...I really f%#!ing hate the snow." Get how much I hate the stuff??? Granted, I was happy that we were stuck in our driveway rather than on the street somewhere where we would have had to wait 3 hours for a tow truck.

But really, enough with the snow. Enough with the bad weather. Just a small reprieve so I can stop swearing. My ears are starting to hurt from all of it.

Chocolates

Ok, chocolate is a good thing. I'll admit I like the stuff. But what I really love are cherry cordials!!! So imagine my glee when I got a box today!

I was out in the garage sorting my recyclables. And I heard this noise. Honestly, I thought it was either the mail van finally making it to our house to drop off mail. Or it was Santa's sleigh running on diesel. Well, I was partly right...it was my awesome friend Miss N with her diesel car.

She knocked on the door and saw me in my awesome house clothes, sweat pants and all. I'm sure she's wanting to burn her eyes out about now. But hey, it's me.
She dropped off a card and some cherry cordials. I was like..."I thought we weren't doing gifts!" And her reply was "No one eats this stuff except for you. Consider it a mercy gift." Hey, works for me.

I'm debating whether or not to take them into work because it's always nice to have a little nibble. But I'm a little worried as there is a co-worker who actually loves them as much as me. Hard to believe, I know. Anytime someone brings a box of chocolates and I KNOW there is a cherry cordial in there,I actually run for the box to beat her to it. And then I taunt her when I get it. She taunts me when she gets it. Maybe I'll just taunt her with my whole box.

So thanks Miss N! That was a lovely surprise! Now, if I can just hide them from my kids....

Snow

The other day, my husband got to drive down 2 houses. I figured today was going to be different and because so much shovelling had been done by myself and my husband, I'd be able to get out to go to work.

I actually woke up at 4:45am so that I could leave the house with my 1 kid at 5:40am. Early, yes. But I wanted to take my time getting to work and to start at 7am which is my normal start time.

I got out of the driveway fine...then turned a bit to turn my car around to face the same route my husband took yesterday. Well. I drove a whole house down before I got stuck. My husband made it further than me!

I was stuck in that same spot for 20 minutes spinning my tires. In between, I grabbed a shovel from the garage...heck, I'm only 1 house away! I shovelled underneath the car, shovelled snow away from the tires, etc. Nope. Still lots of spinning. Thank goodness for a wonderful neighbour. He came to my rescue...pushed my car while I pressed on the gas. I finally got back into the house. So, I woke up early just to get stuck in the snow and not make it to work. Why didn't I just stay in bed?

Snow Day

Well, the snow came. BOO. Yes, it's beautiful, yes, we'll get a white Christmas and yes, it's winter. But I'm not liking this weather. If it wants to be stinking cold, I'll take it but leave the snow off the roads! It's too difficult and dangerous. And I don't like shovelling.

So, it was a work at home day because I was not willing to venture out driving with the crazy folk just to get to work. My husband dutifully tried to go to work but it didn't happen. He got up, shovelled and tried to drive out. Well, the snow was so high that he didn't make it past 2 houses! So, he tried to back up only to get stuck. So I ran out with the shovel and he shovelled a path back to the house.

Hopefully tomorrow is a better day. I'd really like to get out of the house and be at the office tomorrow. Just to wish some folks a Merry Christmas and if anything, get a good lunch out there.

Turkeys

Well, another Christmas is just upon us. This year, I have my parents coming over for Christmas lunch/dinner. It won't be your typical meal, but I do have turkey. There's also prime rib roast, shrimp and some other dishes. Should be fun. And I'm sure my parents are really looking forward to it...they've been calling me every night about it. But that's good.

This year, I might just call the toll free number at Butterball Turkeys just because I can. Every year, they get millions of calls from people asking how to cook a turkey. Most questions make sense and some are just out to lunch. Maybe I'll just think of an out of world question to keep them amused.

However, a classic story that Butterball tells every year is how a guy tried to clean his turkey using a metal scouring pad. He called Butterball because he didn't know how to get the metal shards out. Or the lady who didn't have room in her fridge...so she put the turkey out in the snow bank. But the next day, a major snowfall occurred so she couldn't find the turkey. She called Butterball to see if the turkey would still be good once the snow melted away. I'd actually think about volunteering for that hotline....

Pills

I have yet to take diet pills. I'm a big girl, but I'm not willing to go down that route yet. This is an individual choice of course. I just know that if I took something like Lipovox, knowing my luck, I'd get every side effect. That doesn't sound like a lot of fun. But at least they put those side effects in writing. People have a choice.

I know some folks that have done really well on the stuff. Good on them. And I'm glad it worked out. For some, it didn't work. But again, it's all about choice.

I guess even though I'm a big girl, I'm somewhat comfortable in my skin. I shouldn't be at my size, but I am. I guess there's so much more to worry about in life than just my weight.

Stuff

Seriously. At the rate the snow is coming down, I better get some safety equipment of some sort to ensure I can get out of this place. I'm sure other parts of the city got dumps of snow, but where I'm situated, I tend to get a bit more. Maybe because I'm closer to the water? I probably got well over 10cm yesterday. BOO.

But regardless, I'm not a lover of snow. I can't wait for it to end. I'll take the cold over the damn stuff because at least I can get around. Ugh. I'm an in between spring and summer girl. Can't wait for it.

Brrrrr

Snow really should be left on the mountains. I can dress for the cold but I hate commuting in snow and having to shovel it. The snowfall over the weekend was enough to put me over the edge. The thought of having to drive with some folks that have no common sense, the thought of taking 20 minutes to dress the kids up to go outside to play in the snow only for them to say they have to pee, the thought of muddied up snow...you get the idea. I'm not a fan. I was so hoping that we had gotten away with snow this year, but guess not.

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..." somewhere else.

Ads

Well, as you know, I'm on Facebook now. And I've enjoyed it more than I thought. I think it's because I can play all my favourite games and quickly. Feels like I'm actually getting some free time to myself.

However, I do see a lot of ads on there. From the diet pill, to real estate, to flights, to scrapbooking. Really, I'm quite amazed at how many ads are on there and the variety. I think I'm ok with the written ads at this point as I can either read or ignore them. Once they start getting the movie like ones, that's when I'm going to freak.

But even if I freak, I'll still be on Facebook. Pathwords and Wordscraper await me.

Deadlines

Ahhh...I so have to get my butt in gear. I have to get my auto insurance renewed by December 24th. Ka-ching! I remember the last time I went in I was totally pissed. I didn't bring the renewal card in but I left it in my car. So I said if they could just look me up on the system. Of course they could, but it would cost an extra $15. Really. To look me up in a system?

So, I wasn't going to do that...that's fricken 2 barbeque ducks out the window! I go back in with the stupid card. Got the decal and renewal papers and went out to my car. I tried putting the sticker on but it was quite cold outside so it cracked somewhat. I went back in asking if there was an easy way to get a new one as I was worried that half of the sticker would come off. Of course...assuming I paid an additional $50 for a change in decal and insurance papers.

But not this year. I've got my card and papers ready to go and I know to keep my sticker warm before I stick it on my car. No way they're taking an extra $65 from me!

Coughs

Well, I thought I had my fair share of getting sick this year. But no, I've been gifted with another wicked cold. I'm stuffed up, coughing and bitchy. It doesn't help that I have a cranky kid with me who has the same thing. And my husband has it too. All I want to do is sleep but my kid just refuses too. Don't blame her as there really is so much to see and do in this world.

My husband is sick too and we've been too sick to go to the store. We've been drinking our kid's cough medicine. How low have we slumped?! The stuff sucks so I'm going to suck it up and go to the store today.

Cat Fight

Well, today was not a great day. But in the whole scheme of things, not a terrible day and really, totally do-able.

However, it doesn't take away the bitterness I feel about a certain campaign and a crappy committee. I was "voluntold" to do a particular campaign at work. Basically raise money for a certain charity and by getting people in the office involved. Now, I made it pretty clear that I didn't want to be the lead as I was the lead last year. At the end of the day, our goal was $8,000. But we ended up with over $17,000. Kick ass! I'm proud of our committee for doing this.

But, we basically all hated each other guts. I didn't like the lead at all for a number of reasons. First of all, she was slower than molasses. Nothing seemed to make her see the urgency in certain requests. That's pretty painful when you're working under certain timelines.

Secondly, she likes to tell people how busy she is and how this is taking up so much of her time. Hmmmm. You opted to be site lead and I guess the rest of us don't have work to do either.

Last thing that REALLY pissed me off was this idea that she could write an e-mail and get us to do something for the campaign right now. Well, when she did that today, I wrote a pretty blunt e-mail. There were no profanities, no rudeness and if my manager read the e-mail, there would be consquences. Basically, all I said was what I could do today, but in the future, I'd really appreciate some notice. I, just like her, have work to do and can't just drop stuff on the day off. And I wasn't going to attend the presentation in the afternoon. I got an e-mail back telling me all the work she had to do before she left on leave and that she didn't appreciate my rude e-mail.

What a cow. Really. I'm not saying she doesn't have work, but don't disregard the fact that I also have work. Don't disregard all the stuff I did for the campaign before she got her sweet ass working. I've been collecting gifts and making sure there were enough for the entire campaign. I didn't see her do that. I used my own money to buy some supplies that were not covered by the office.

And the ultimate pisser for me was her blatant disrespect of my time. Whenever I have to work with her on other issues, I always give her two weeks of time. The last project we did, I made sure she had that time, I set up a meeting and I made sure my portion was done. So what happened? She forgot we had a meeting and didn't show up. I had to go get her and then wait some more when she moved her sorry ass to the meeting.

Anyways, she was an absolute downer and pisser to my day. That "award" I got for helping and the shirt...well, I'll be recycling that award and giving away my shirt. WHATEVER. Nothing can erase this bitter memory.

Conference

I recently went to a conference and they were giving away promotional bags. I must say, I was happy that they were reusable cloth bags and weren't totally ugly. Sweet. Can never have enough of these types of bags.

However, I was totally miffed at the conference. They really marketed it as a certain product and yet when it was delivered, it wasn't even close to what was being marketed.

So, did they do this to get people in the dooor? Or in their mind, they really thought that they could deliver on the product?

Either way, what a friggen waste of time.

Post Wedding Part II

So, as mentioned, I didn't have a wonderful time at my mom's wedding. I'm still not going into it.

However, my brother went to my dad's place for dinner last night and he just got grilled. My dad and stepmom were really wanting details. Curiousity? Or should I hazzard a guess of poor nosiness!! My poor brother. That's a lot to take.

I figured after all the grilling there would be nothing to ask me. I went to dinner to their place tonight and boy, I got a grilling too!! To verify what my brother said..."is it true that this happened?!"

Man, why didn't they just come to the wedding? Would have saved me a lot of time talking about it.

Reading

My eldest daughter is actually quite good at reading considering she's not even 5 yet. Actually, I think she's really good. Maybe I'm bragging and biased, but she's well beyond A, B, Cs. She can read many 4 syllable words which is more than I can do on a given day.

So, on Sunday, we decided that as a family, we were going to go to the One of a Kind show. But we'd take the skytrain. Both kids propped themselves up so they could see out the window. My eldest started to read every sign that she could see.

"Burger King, Rogers, Home Depot, Skytrain, Safeway, Fantasy World." Well, we were in good old New Westminster where I guess there were a ton of porn shops. And she happened to read one of the porn store names. I was killing myself laughing.

I'm sure she thought it was a store full of unicorns and fairies.

Wedding

Well, on Saturday, I went to my mom's wedding. Yep. This must be her 3rd. I've lost count. However, it was just awkward.

Imagine, the last time I saw my mom was approximately 9 years ago. That's a lot of time. And, imagine my surprise when I had to talk to her on the phone. I honestly thought my grandma was dead. Why else would she call me?

Anyways, the wedding was not my cup of tea. I won't bore you with details. I know that out of pure respect, I went and saw my mom at her own wedding. I'm happy for her as she seems to have found a guy that truly understands her and that she does a ton of activities with.

But call me a person with a lot of boundaries, I'm not willing to go out and start a relationship with her again. A lot of time has past. And I realize that I'm not going to be the mom to my kids as she was to me. I'm ok with that. I guess I'm protecting myself too. I'm tired of getting hurt by her. And I just won't stand for it anymore. She made her choices as I've made mine.

I don't wish her any ill will, but I don't see a reason to continue a heart felt relationship with her. Quite sad isn't it?

Shopping

Ahhh...the infamous Black Friday sale is coming...to the US! Boo. I'm in Canada. I could probably cross the border. But I'd have to leave my house pretty darn early to get anywhere and to get in line for some good sales. However, if I lived in the US, you know I'd be out there shopping like a fiend. I can't believe some of the deals that you can get.

I'm totally jealous that I'm not going. However, I'm probably saving myself a TON of money by not going. LOL!

Lucky!

My husband sent this video to me. And I looked at the time on it...it was about 10 minutes long. I tend not to watch videos that are that long because really, life is passing me by. But I couldn't stop watching this video. This guy has got horseshoes up his YING YANG! I've watched The Price is Right for so many years and I have never seen anything like this. I just kept laughing.

But you do realize that after watching this, this guy's life can only go downhill.

http://break.com/index/a-very-lucky-day1.html

BOO!

I don't say boo to scare you. I'm saying it to actually BOO some people in life. I'm all for people having a bad day and cursing everybody out. And I've been in funks myself where I don't want to be anything but negative. However, eventually, I realize I need to get out of that bad place.

And I'm putting it out there, I don't like people nor do I choose to be with people that are "consistently" negative. I'm not talking about the people who've suddenly run into rough times because they can still see the positive in things. It's the negative people that consistently see things half empty and for whatever reason and want to consistently complain to me...all the time...about everything.

Now, I don't think I have a sign that says "complain to me for free." So what is it that attracts some of the biggest whiners near me. I've basically told some of these people to bugger off and I actually ignore them, but somehow they see that as an invitation to come back to me.

Ever since my husband's illness, I've really tried to align myself with positive people and those are the ones that you see me with or staying in contact with. Life really is too short to complain about everything when if you just opened your eyes, you'd notice there is so much good surrounding you. And I refuse to give negative people my energy when it can go to other people and other activities. I can tell the difference between a bad funk and a bad attitude. Don't think I'm that stupid. So, for all you negative people, why don't you spend some of that energy changing your attitude and outlook. It really would make for a better place.

Ok, I'm getting off my soapbox now. Well, at least for tonight.

Curse?

I recently went to Reitman's as I had to buy a shirt. There was this great looking shirt that looked like it would fit me properly. And because it was in the petites section, I knew the length would be appropriate.

I went to go try this shirt on, buttoned it up, and everything seemed fine. Then I looked in the mirror. WHOA. Boob central. You know that line on the shirt around the chest area...it's supposed to go UNDER the boobs not on the boobs.

For an asian girl, my boobs are much bigger than they should be. In some ways I think it's a curse because petite clothing doesn't really account for bigger chested women. And yet, I hear a ton of my friends who have smaller chests who'd like a little extra.

Seriously. Give me a call and I'll happily donate. No charge! Just take it out and it's yours. No silicone, nothing. Just pure fat for you.

Maybe then, I'll get some clothing that fits me properly.

Not a Stranger

The other night, I had the opportunity to go to a focus group. I like doing them because I get to express my opinion (good or bad) about a product/idea and I get paid for it. Works for me!

So, this last one I went to had to do with new commercials for Tim Horton's. I gave my gut reaction, told them what I thought the message was, gave some ideas and that was the end of it. Four ideas and done in less than an hour.

When the researcher went to the back to ensure that she had everything recorded, the rest of the focus group started to talk. Part of the conversation revolved around different coffee shops we visit. Me and this one girl kept saying the same places. I eventually asked her where she worked. I gave her the cross streets (I don't want to tell strangers where I work...who knows if they're sane!!). She said she worked right around there. Then she proceeded to tell me where she worked.

Well, long story short. We work at the same bloody building. She works on the 3rd floor but I work on the 2nd. There's really no need for me to go upstairs and that's probably why I don't see her. And I figured she was new as I pretty much know most folks in our office. The kicker...she's been there for 2 years.

Hard to believe that two people could be working in the same building for so long and not bump into each other....

Pavlovian

My eldest kid has been asking my husband to pick her up from daycare at night. She's said on more than 1 occassion that she doesn't like it when I pick her up. I must admit, I was slightly crushed. I always thought we had a really good relationship and couldn't figure out what was going on.

And sure enough, she asked her dad..."Daddy, what day are you picking me up?" As a mom, how does that make you feel. Pretty crappy.

So, when I went to go pick her up tonight, I asked the caregivers to do me a favour. Maybe they could just ask her here and there why she likes daddy picking her up and not mommy. I've tried different ways of asking and not getting an answer. Figured maybe the care givers could get something out of her.

As one caregiver said, "It's not rocket science...your husband takes her to McDonald's each time he picks her up."

I am happy that the two of them have their little ritual and time together and I can finally understand what's going on. But how is a mom supposed to compete with a happy meal?

Tears

Well, last week was just a bunch of tears. And for once, it had nothing to do with sadness. I cried for a number of reasons last week that I was actually happy about.

I cried for Barack Obama. When he came on to do his speech, the first thing I thought about was his Grandma. I wish she could have seen him that day. Secondly, I cried because I never thought that in my lifetime I would see something so amazing happen. A black President. I didn't think the American people were ready, but they were. They waited for hours to vote. They were inspired by the one man. They found hope in their country once again. And they truly believed that their one vote, their one voice could make a difference. HOW powerful is all of that? I cried when he made his speech. How eloquent and classy. And hats off to McCain too. He was a really good loser and classy as hell the way he lost. I was truly inspired by the US election and was happy for the US people.

I cried during my Olympic session. I'm being considered for a volunteer position for the 2010 games. At one point, they passed around the official Torino 2006 Olympic Games torch. I was in awe. Then they started to show all these Olympic videos and I just cried. Talk about pulling at heart strings. But it just made it even more special that I was there to be part of this. As they say, this is part of my Olympic journey. I don't know if I'll get picked as they have to interview 60,000 people but they only need 25,000 volunteers. Regardless, I went and tried out for it. I would have beat myself up if I didn't.

And I cried in Grey's Anatomy this week. I love this show, but it just seemed extra powerful this week. There was an old guy that basically had a DNR wife. She never woke up and he couldn't bear to let her go. And it was also an episode that really pressed home the respect for those that has passed. I don't know...hit me hard.

So, tears, tears, tears. But it's all good. Like I said, I cried for some pretty neat things this week.

Nineteen

The day has come. November 4th. The election will take place and for 2 years, we will have some peace before the next election race begins. It's much too long. I'm nauseated by all the smear campaigns. I'm tired of the SNL skits. I liked our election..nice short and sweet.

But tomorrow, I will watch the election (especially since my little event with the former Prime Minster Paul Martin got cancelled). For once, I'm interested who will win.

And in one town in the US, nineteen people can't wait to vote. This small town only has 19 people. In the Town Hall, they have 19 individual stations where those 19 people will vote all at once at 12:00am November 4th. As it's somewhere in the east coast, I'm staying up to watch. They're counting their results after all of them have voted. The power of 19. And to me, that is a powerful statement. They believe that their votes and country is important enough to go to the polling station.

I hope for the US's sake, as many people vote as possible. This is an absolute privelage and to have people blow it for no reason is just painful. Good on those 19 folks.

Post Madonna

Ok, I think I've come back to earth from my Madonna concert. O-M-G. It was such a fantastic concert. There's no need for a play by play because that's like showing someone your vacation pictures that go on forever. Just know that ..."She can dance" and she could "Get into the Groove." For the first 5 minutes all I kept doing was looking on the big screen and looking at her ass!! It was tight and perky.

However, I have a friend that has a friend that works security. She was there during Madonna's sound check and actual performance. During the sound check, she got to talk to the dancers, see Madonna in her element, etc. So that same butt that I was staring at, apparently, there was some "work" done before the show to make her 50 year old butt look that good. Apparently there were some other "secrets" which I can't wait to hear about.

Regardless, I'd pay mega bucks to see this woman again and to stare at her ass.

Fall

Ok, I know I don't have seasonal affective disorder. There are a ton of people at my office that do though. And wow, this terrible weather is hitting them HARD. I can see why people leave in droves to hotter places just to get some sun. Or even if they leave to colder climates, it's cold AND clear with sun. That little ball of fire makes all the difference in the world.

It's always this time of year that I wished that I was on vacation. Outer Banks seems like a great idea. However, I'd need to find some money to pay all the taxes and surcharges on my flight there. If I'm desperate enough...maybe.

December

That dreaded month is coming up. Yes, happy things happen during this time. That includes Christmas and of my kid's having their birthday. But December also brings about our alarm and insurance payments for the year. Quite hefty but needed. I always say to myself that I will get ample air miles out of these two transactions. But it doesn't ease the pain.

Yet, I am not willing to live without things like home insurance. I figure that we put that much into the equity of a home. You should protect it. I hope that I never have to draw on it...but if I do, I hope that it will do what it's intended to do.

Game Systems

Last year, the rage was the Wii and PS3. I've considered getting one of these systems. But honestly, we have a PS2...so do we need the next one up? Guess I'm not that into all the different changes. I think the one thing that prevents me from getting the PS3 is the ultimate price. I guess with all the upgrades, etc., it's worth the price...? Perhaps the price will come down this year.

But I have a feeling I'm not going to get anything because I honestly don't have time to play. I've barely started any of the games I have and I can't foresee ever finishing them. Buying a game system at this point would probably be a total waste of my money.

Magic Pills

My co-worker went through liposuction about 3 months ago instead of taking the diet pillsPersonal choice for her. I'm not sure if she tried the pill route first. She says it's the best $11,000 she's ever spent.

But you always hear these stories of the weight coming back quickly because you as the individual have not changed your habits. So far, I think she's ok. However, I told my husband that if he could guarantee me a lifetime of whatever procedure I wanted, I'd give him a 3rd baby.

Well, I guess he can't guarantee me that because I'd need a hell of a lot of work done. =) He'd be so poor we couldn't feed our current two kids let alone the third!!

But we'll see what my options are for the future.

Money

Well, apparently I have made the cardinal sin. I/my kids have misplaced a DVD that we borrowed from the library. I've been looking around for DAYS. I was getting some late charges on the DVD and I thought I better say it's missing. Because at this point, it is missing. I've looked under, over and in various items where it shouldn't be and sure enough, it isn't in those places.

But short story...after I said it was lost, they told me it would cost about $35 in fines. $19.99 for the DVD, $8 for the processing fee and a bunch of late charges. I figured that I wouldn't go to the library for a little bit and just pay the charge at a later time.

Oh no. The library takes their books seriously. I got a letter in the mail today that I have to pay within 21 days or a collection agency will come after me. Holy crap! When did the libraries get crazy with collection agencies?! I have an image of people with bats coming after me.

Oh well, those kidlets better find it or there's going to be hell to pay.

Baby Shower

We currently have someone that is on mat leave. But this woman is incredible in terms of setting up parties, etc., for other people at the office. As mentioned, she's gone and I'm doing it now. And it's more by default. No one wants to get it together but then people will complain when it's not done.

I just do it now and just hope everybody shuts up. I'm no where near as good as this other woman who did the planning. But isn't work more important? At least, that's what I stress.

Anyways, I'm planning two events right now. One is for a goodbye. And one is for a baby shower. I don't even bother guessing at what mom's want now. I just ask because you never know what types of unique baby gifts are wanted by the parents. And good thing I asked because I would have never picked the items/stores that this woman picked. But it's a shower for her...so whatever goes.

I'm hoping that someone else will step up for the next event. At least the other woman seemed to actually enjoy it. I don't mind, but I don't think I enjoy it as much. Maybe it's because I deal with so many whiners.

Cleaner

I just ran out of noxema. That's been my current acne treatment. I use it on and off but it seems to do the trick. However, I've run out and each time I go to the store, I forget to buy it. Little ugly things are popping up on my face again.

I've also noticed some major crow's feet around my eyes!! I try to tell myself it's because of all the smiling and laughing I do. I should be proud of those lines. But wow, they're starting to be noticeable.

I guess it's all downhill from here for me. Acne, crow's feet, cellulite and stretch marks. I'm SEXY. LOL!

Pictures

I've been doing a bit of research on digital cameras. I currently have one...but I'm thinking of taking the leap into SLR ones. I need one that has a fast drive. Only because I tend to take series of pictures. However, research, research. Everything costs money.

My dad got wind of me doing this type of research and he told me to talk to him before buying. You have to understand, this man gets great discounts. Sometimes, I think people pay him to buy the item. But he's so good that when he bought his camera from London Drugs, they actually gave him a further $400 discount off the camera and sold him two camera bags specifically for that camera for $20 each when they retail for $60. It's London Drugs!!! Isn't what they say in the flyer what you pay?!

Anyways, maybe the camera will be my extra big Christmas present to myself.

Blogging

Well, it's been a wee while since i've blogged. It's just been a little crazy here. Everyone was sick. My last one is still recovering from croup. But the kids go to school and pick up everything that's gross and pass it to everybody else. We also have people at work who are deathly ill and decide that it's ok to come to work. So we get sick from them and pass it back to our kids. Yes, something about our immune system getting stronger. But, really, all at once?

I was quite sick where I finally succumbed to taking the night time cold medication. I really hate that stuff because it works so well. I'm always worried that something is going to happen where I can't hear what's going on and I just don't get up. Crazy, I know. I also hate taking this stuff because I find it takes a while to get through my system.

The one night I did take it, I ended up sleeping for about 10 hours (however, I still woke up twice as my kids were loud enough that I did wake up in between...twice). So it's not the best sleep. Anyways, I got up for breakfast and I was so tired after breakfast that I went back to sleep again! I'm sure it was the drugs.

Anyways, back to the grind tomorrow. It is Monday. Yay??

Eyes

I've worn contact lenses since high school. It's been great as it's given me the freedom to do what I do and not break my glasses. However, I've thought on and off about surgery. But I'm not so sure. I hate the idea of it. And sometimes, it doesn't work well. I had someone in our office go through it...and after a while, she said if she knew the trouble she'd have, she wouldn't have gone through it. And if you know me, you know I'm totally squeemish when it comes to anything with the eyes. I just about lost it when I heard that certain INuit tribes will lick the eyeballs of people if there's something stuck in there. Hey, it works, but GROSS.

So, for now, it's just those little things that go in my eyes,

Equipment

With the work that I do, I use a laptop. It's actually very handy and it's great that I can tote it around. But I think it's time to add some juice to my baby! I need some more laptop memory. It's getting a little slow to load up and do the work that I need. It's frustrating.

Or it coud be that I have so much crap on there that I need a day to take out all the junk. Let's hope it's the memory issue because I REALLY don't want to clean out my system. It would take too long.

Rates

I watch a ton of US shows. It's actually quite ridiculous that anybody actually eats or has clean clothes in this house. By watching so much US shows, I get a ton of those US commercials. That includes the long and exhaustive US election campaign ones. But I also see a lot of commercials for cheap auto insurance. Seems like a neat idea. But if they tried that here, I think I'd be utterly confused. How can the same insurance from one company be the same but cost so much less?

My concern would be that I would go for the cheapest option, and heaven forbid, if something were to happen, I'd lose out big time because I didn't see a certain clause.

I think I'll stick with my one insurance stop. For those that are smart enough to figure out everything else, good on you.

Supplies

I have no idea where the heck our office supplies go. I swear, every week our program support folks fill in the orders and buy essentials. But within a couple of days, it's gone. i.e. I needed an eraser BADLY. But there were none. Zippo. Another hot item around the office are pens. Like, REALLY hot. I should have my own little black market to sell pens at work. I'd make a killing.

And honestly folks, out of pure courtesy for others, if you take the last item, order some more so that others don't go looking for supplies only to be frustrated that there is nothing there.

I think that our admin folks can stop buying staples though. I think we have enough until the next millenium...can we trade them in for some erasers though?!

Money

Well, we ended up deciding not to buy a new car. We were all gung ho. But after conversations, my husband and I both agreed that our cars still work, and yes, we wish we had more space in the cars, but that's the least of our worries. We should save our money for housing projects we have been hoping to work on.

That includes our basement. If we had all the money in the world, theater seating with a projector would be great. Friday nights, popcorn while watching a movie while in your own home. Works for me.

But no, at this time, just saving up some money to finish up the place. It's a good idea especially if we decide to sell this house at some point. It'll bring in a bit more money.

Knock on wood that our cars last a little longer!

YouTube

For those that liked Toy Story 2 and The Dark Knight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QFWBFIEuig&eurl=http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo

Frozen

Well, that's my youngest kid's mouth. It's frozen all right. That's because she got distracted at the playground and fell off and split in her inner lip. Actually, she split it so deep that you can see the wound on the outside too.

So off to emergency we go to get some stiches. Of course, it's stinking busy. But the emergency folks told of us of a medical clinic that actually does sutures and that it would only be an hour wait rather than 5 at the emergency room. Fine by me. I'm going to disgree for just a moment though. There are times that you pony up the $54 to take an ambulance to the hospital. There was a guy that came in after us and his neighbour brought him into the hospital. We heard bits and pieces...but basically, this guy fell of a ladder and landed on his back. You don't get your neighbour to drive you...frick, that is full on, call 911 moment!!! Common sense folks.

Anyways, off we go to the clinic. And my youngest is doing really well...basically happy and smiling now. But my husband and I are grossed out because she kept pushing on the cut and kept opening it up. Bleah. We were told by the doctor that she definitely needed a stitch or two. But in order to do so, she needed to have a needle to freeze the area in order to be sewed up. I'm thinking there is going to be some screaming. My husband was sweet enough to tell me to leave. He's had stitches before so he knew what to expect. When my kids scream in pain, it's something that I don't deal with well.

So, I leave for 5 minutes and come back so I don't have to hear the screams. And everybody tells me that she was really good. A small whimper and that's it. She gets her stitch and she thinks it's odd and looks like she might freak, but she doesn't. Brave little kid. The doctors even thanked us and they said they were also suprised. They were expecting a fight and lots of screaming too.

Brave and happy as a clam that little kid of mine. I don't think I'd do so well.

Shiny things

My next door co-worker FINALLY got married. She's been waiting for over 7 years and we were starting to worry that it wouldn't happen for her. But she finally came in with a ring that matched the 7 years that she waited. Seriously, this piece of jewelry was kick ass BIG. I think the diamond is the size of my eye. But the thing is, not only does it have a BIG ass stone, it has like a million rectangular cut diamonds all around. And her wedding ring will have even more. How do you walk around the street with that thing on?

However, that's her problem. But it's a good problem. It's nice to see that all that waiting was well worth it. I think the office was ready to lynch the guy if he didn't propose soon.

Insurance

I think my term life insurance is coming up. Actually, I find that quite scary because that's a 10 year one. And that means, almost 10 years has gone by. However, I do have a fixed term life insurance too. That one, I don't have to worry about a change in rates. It'll be interesting to see how much the other one is though.

I never thought I'd be a hard core insurance person, but it turns out that I am. It is always the what if. Like the other day, it was pissing rain, it's dark and I'm on the highway. I was in the slow lane and going, but not very fast because it was difficult to see and I really didn't want to get into an accident. However, some doofus decided that he didn't want to shoulder check and was millimetres of hitting my car and rolling it over. This guy got a nice long honk from me and when I passed him, I fingered him like there was no tomorrow. I think I buy life insurance to insure me from idiots out there.

Huh?

Kids baffle me. Sometimes when I think they'll do something, they never do what I think.

I went to my eldest kid's daycare to pick her up. She wasn't there yet as they had gone bowling. Cool. So, I went in to talk to one of the teachers and I noticed that there were 2 boys in there with her. But, they were cleaning. One was mopping and one was vacuuming. Then I started to get those little red flags going off in my head...is this child labour? Are they doing to do this to my kid?

The teacher explained to me that these 2 boys didn't want to go bowling. They actually wanted to stay at the daycare and they were going to clean. Right. What the hell is wrong with this situation? How about everything?

And the boys truly did seem content. Good on them for being proud of their work and wanting to do a good job. But they'd rather clean than go bowling?! What the...?

Faucet

My kitchen sink faucet went wonky. Some piece that holds it in place melted. My husband fixed it so no longer moves around. However, it's still oozing some weird black stuff. And my vegetable sprayer isn't quite working either. When you press on the sprayer, it sprays weakly and the faucet is still running. Whatever. There's water coming out, I couldn't care too much.

Of course, when something is "broken," I always go and look to see what replacements there are. I looked at IKEA taps. Potential but I'm not sure how sturdy they are. I went to some high end bathroom shop near my work area. Apparently, I have to see my car, my kidney and my soul to get one. However, I did see some Hansgrohe ones that seemed reasonable and sturdy. But at this time, it's more of a need than a want. Other things that my money needs to go to...but it doesn't mean I can't drool over the product.

Zits

My brother is a secondary school teacher. I can't say I envy him because I wouldn't want 24 teenagers, day in and day out. I think this year has been a good year so far. He says that he can usually tell if it's a crap class or not. He's pretty excited about teaching an all girls class for auto. No, he's not a pervert. But if anything, it's pretty empowering for women to know what to do with their cars, oil change, etc. I think that's awesome.

Of course, with high school comes with teenage angst, zits, drama and LOTS of drama. Then it's chat about what boy/girl likes me, my mom is such a drag, what is the best acne treatment, OMG...did you see what she did? I can't deal with that stuff. There's already enough drama at work, I don't want to welcome any more.

So, good on my brother on being able to teach and deal with that kind of stuff...because I sure can't.

Jeans

I picked up my newly torn jeans. I am so sad. They are, or should I say were my favourite pair of jeans EVER. No alterations. They actually fit properly. My ass didn't look king kong in size. I didn't have to hem them. I loved the colour. An extra reason why I loved them was because I got them on my trip to Chicago to see Oprah. Extra special memories.

Buying anything in my size and height is nearly impossible. Everything looks stupid. That's why I like schleppy clothes. Anyways, I digress.

Back to my jeans. Can you believe they ripped at work? I happened to be sitting down and I felt a draft. Didn't hear a sound or anything so it must have been earlier in the day. When I looked down, I noticed that I had a nice big tear where my crotch is. Professional eh? So, I had to spend the remainder of the day taking tiny geisha steps to get anywhere. I was hoping that if I didn't stretch out, no one would notice my underwear or my big tear. I got home ok, no one seemed to notice. Or if they did, they were nice enough not to embarass me more.

But as I look at my torn jeans, I can barely make myself throw them away. I'm not sure why. It's not like I can resucitate them back to life. But I can hope.

Driving

I'm a bit of a chicken driver sometimes. I like to go the speed limit. Sometimes I go above, but it's rare. I drive a little slower when it's raining, dark, foggy, snowy. I try to follow rules and drive sensibly. I'm also an early merger (hee, hee...Miss N., you'll SO get that reference). There are times I goof up, but I really do try to be conscious of my driving.

But when other idiots are out there and not paying attention, full on road rage by me. Too me, they're being irresponsible and putting everybody else in jeapordy in some form or another. Get my drift?

Today, I got caught driving behind a person that was driving slowly. Not 10 km below the speed limit or even 20km. In fact, this person was driving about 15 km....maybe. Ok, I'm no track athlete, but I have a feeling that I could have outrun that car today. I didn't bother honking because I was turning off very soon. But I just thought, how can you be that oblivious to all that's around you?

I'd hate to see that woman on the highway.....

Crown

Yep, I finally got one. No, not the golden ones that sit on my head, but indeed one for my tooth. And I must say, it's an experience I'd rather not have again.

Because it was my back tooth, I guess they had some weird angles to work with. My dentist is quite tiny, and I can not believe the amount of pain she inflicted on me. There was a moment where my mouth was free of hands and tools...I told my dentist that she's lucky she's nice. I didn't like her that much that day.

However, the pro of this situation is that I have a tooth that hopefully won't crack again. And it's ultra smooth!!

Book Heaven!

As mentioned, I recently won a book contest. This ended up being a great event! I went with my girlfriend...and we sat through about 3 hours worth of information in terms of books coming out in the fall and listening to authors speak. The book information were actually recommendations by the different book companies, i.e. Random House, DoubleDay, etc. The book companies basically print a gazillion books a year, but these were the ones that they felt was at the top of their list. Wow. There are a lot of great books coming out! I think my girlfriend and I were drooling at one point because we both had a ton of books we wanted to read from the list. I also got a chance to take note of some as Christmas gifts!

So, as a geek, an event like this is just awesome. But what I couldn't believe was the extras that I got! Everybody got to have breakfast there if they chose too. They had toasters set up for bagels, tons of pastries...heck, I had two. Tons of teas, coffees, etc. Nice touch.

When my girlfriend and I registered, we got prize bags with 3 different books inside. My girlfriend happened to get one book that she's been eyeing! How fun!!!

But the best part is what we walked out with at the end of the event! You see, at these "shows," the audience is actually made of people that work at bookstores, i.e. Chapters, Indigo, etc. They listen to the recommendations and from there, they determine what books to stock their shelves with. At the end of the event, these folks get to choose a couple of books to take home. We didn't get to pick books during the first and second choice times as we were contest winners and not actually staff. But when it was time for the free for all, we both scooped some books. I ended up bringing home 15 books (many hardcovers and that I'm actually excited to read). As well, I scooped up 6 signed copies of a book that's coming out for a United Way event. That should get some dollars. Yes, we were slightly miserable for 5 seconds because we didn't get some of the books we really wanted from the recommendations list. Then we told ourselves to snap out of it.

Maybe it's the Asian in me...15 books multiplied by an average of $20 per book...that's $300!!! So scored. And books...I could never get enough. Seriously. This event was Christmas for me.

Yawn.....

My kid is once again in Mandarin school, but she has a different teacher this year. She does things quite differently from the other one that my kid had. However, the kids in that class all pretty much speak Mandarin. It makes it a little harder for my kid to catch up.

So, the past week has been immersion week. I've been speaking to both of my kids in Mandarin a lot more. Whatever I can say and describe, I do. However, it's a lot for a little kid who is being immersed in a language so suddenly. I feel for her. But I also remember that the same thing happened to me and it turned out ok. I know it's been extra tough because there was 1 night that she wanted to quit. We had the little "I know it's hard, but you can't just quit" talk. And I do try to make it fun, incorporating some games, really giving her positive praise for being able to read the words, knowing her alphabet...or even just attempting the word. I want her to enjoy it. And I want her to enjoy the ability to speak to others in different languages.

She went to school this past Saturday and I guess the teacher had taught a lot. I walked in after class and she had her head on the table. At first I thought she was crying because she tends to do that position when crying. Well, I had such a good laugh because she had fallen asleep during class!! I know she had enough sleep the night before...but her little brain and body said enough is enough. Before everybody thinks I beat my kid into submission to learn a language, I don't. I think it's counter intuitive. I'd rather have her learn really slowly but actually enjoy it. And though I felt bad for her with the onslaught of this language, I know it'll pass. I've been through it, I get it.

So imagine my joy when she came out of her room this morning...and the first thing she said was "Good morning mommy, good morning daddy" all in mandarin and ever so effortlessly.

Dentist

I love my dentist. She's great! She always remembers me, always sweet and laughs at my stinking jokes. However, I didn't like her too much on Friday. I can't remember how many weeks ago, but I cracked my tooth while eating lunch. A filling was put in, but because it was so close to the nerve, the ideal fix was to actually get a crown.

Well, for those that have one already, wow...thank you for not telling me how terrible the experience is. I should say that I hated my hygenist that day too. I should have known it was going to be painful. I believe in signs. So, when the hygenist started to open my mouth and stuff some weird casting stuff in my mouth, I told her she had the wrong side. She basically didn't believe me. HELLO?!! I'm the one that broke my tooth. I have a bad memory, but I honestly do remember which side!

Anyways, I guess my dentist had to get rid of the filling and then patch the crown on top. Man, pain was the key word for the day. She was giving it. I guess I looked pretty bad...when I went to the front desk to pay for my "experience," she looked at me and said, "that bad eh?" Yep.

However, I did find it humourous when the dentist told me to use some toothpaste on the underside of my crown and then stick it back on my tooth if it ever fell out. Spackle and paste for the modern tooth.

Books

I love books. Reading is fun and it's so great to be transported someplace else. I try not to read historical or totally depressing books (i.e. Oprah's Book Club...ok, except for Eat, Pray, Love...that was worth every minute). But of course, there's limited time and energy to read. There are days when I pick up a book and can only get through 2 pages. I'm asleep by then!

I also love meeting authors of books too. So far, 2. That would be Belinda Jones (met for drinks and another lunch date) and Gabor Maté. He's a doctor that writes some pretty amazing books. And it was just neat to see him at a book reading, talk about his experiences.

So, imagine my glee when I found out I won a book contest. To non-book worms, this would be the worst event EVER. But at this event, I get to attend with book publishers to hear the newest books rolling out this fall. The authors of these books will also be there. I'm hoping that they'll discuss, read and answer questions from the crowd. If I remember correctly, they'll be a couple of authors.

I'm pretty excited. Or maybe my life is sad. Whatever side you want to pick. But I always find it so amazing how authors come up with their stories, what stage they were at in life when they created the book, and to see if they were what I imagined.

I'm dragging my girlfriend along too. She's being a great sport about it all. Or maybe, she just wants to get away from the office like me. =)

EECH.

You have a kid and you automatically start talking bodily function stories. OMG. WHY on earth do parents feel the need to describe the poo? Really. And I'm one of those that are guilty of this trait. However, I will spare you the details of poop, but I feel that I need to tell you a brief poop-like story.

I'm hanging out with my kids. I decide to take the youngest and put her on top of my shoulders. Well, soon as I plop her down, she lets out the biggest crap. Remember, her soggy ass diaper is on my neck now and it's WARM. You get the picture. The little kid started to giggle hysterically. Huh. It's like she planned it all along.....

So, imagine how scared I was to take her off and wipe my neck. I was really worried that my neck had crap on it and then my hand. Well, lucky for me, no stains, no pieces, etc. But boy, my neck smelled bad for a long time.

Mandarin

My daughter is currently taking Mandarin lessons. She's repeating last year and I'm so ok with that. First of all, she's young. Secondly, she doesn't speak Mandarin at home. It'll give her a better foundation to do better in this language. Sometimes things just work out. Just so happens that one of her bestest friends from her last daycare is in the Mandarin class too!

However, I realize I need to step it up. So, I've been speaking Mandarin at home. I've been using language games. I've been practicing the Mandarin alphabet and reading her homework with her. It's tiring for me. Must be difficult for her. But the thought of strawberry and cream jelly beans keeps her very motivated.

Most parents at the Mandarin school treat me very nicely. They know that my main Asian language is Cantonese. Though, I can read anything that is in the Mandarin alphabet and I can damn well understand what people are saying. I lack practice in speaking. So most parents take mercy on me and are patient with my Mandarin or they just practice their own English.

However, this first week of Chinese school, I was totally annoyed with this one chick. First of all, she was dressed to the 9s. I have no problem with people dressing well, but it seems so out of place when dropping your kid off at SATURDAY chinese school. However, that's judgemental on my part. But the one mother that I got to know this weekend (the mom of the same kid that is in my daughter's class) was so sweet to me, but she was also friends with the well dressed lady. So, while we're all there chatting, the lady in the 9s just chatted in Mandarin and totally would not address any comments to me. But the other mom that was sweet to me would talk to both of us.

I know the lady that was dressed well probably thinks I'm some loser banana. I know that if any parent brought their kid to a lesson that my kid was going to, I'd welcome them with open arms if they wanted to talk. We're all there for the same reason...to provide our kids with some lessons that hopefully will help them out in life. Maybe we could all learn a little something from each other.

I'll just ignore her completely next week. It'll make for a better Saturday.

Back to the Grind

Two weeks go by too fast. My "vacation" is over. I wouldn't necessarily call it a vacation because I didn't go anywhere. I would have loved the beach and some blue water, but this "vacation" was all about getting the kids integrated into their respective kindergarten/daycare. The oldest daughter has transitioned into her new daycare and kindergarten quite well. I hope she makes some great little frienships there. She's lucky that her large kindergarten class got split into a smaller one where she is one of 14 kids in the class. The one thing she loves so far is the Hip Hip Hooray cheer at the end! Gosh, how sweet that a cheer at the end of class would make her so happy. Let's try doing that at work! ROFL! I think I'd have pies thrown at me.

The youngest will actually start her daycare tomorrow. She's so ready. She was so upset today that we couldn't go. She whined through the whole shopping trip. But at least I know she won't need me much and will transition just fine too. She's been to her daycare and loves the toys. That's all it takes. =) But if anything, I got to have some special one on one time with her while her sister was in school.

Highlights of my 2 weeks off:

* Granville Island with the kids and my dad. It was actually stress free, I found free parking in a flash, and the kids were happy as can be with their little lollipops at the end of the trip.

* clearing out this one drawer that has been driving me mad.

* cleaning up a kitchen drawer that was also driving me mad.

* swimming with the kids.

* the weather was just stunning! Gave me an opportunity to just hang outside with the kids.

* blackberry picking by my house. Got about 4 lbs this week! Fresh and tasty.

* a ton of appointment out of the way.

* just hanging out.

Could I have accomplished more? For sure! But it was a good time to hang.

But I could have still used a beach, blue water and a good book.

Odd

Sometimes my kids come up to me and tell me how scared they are. Who knows...sometimes it's a loud noise, a strange shadow, or just their imagination gone wild.

So, imagine my suprise when my youngest kid told me she was scared. She loves coasters, loves opening doors while mom is driving on the highway at 110km, jumps into the pool with no thought that she could drown...she hasn't taken lessons yet except whatever I've taught her, will run into the unknown all the fricken time. If there's something that her older sister is scared of, you know the youngest one is more than happy to try it.

So, my two kids were sitting in front of their computer playing a game. And my youngest starts howling about how scared she is. I thought maybe I had gotten them on some horror site. But no, my older daughter was playing a game where Strawberry Shortcake was riding a pony. Really? That's scary? Wow. Maybe I should threaten her with having to watch that game instead of a time out if she's behaving poorly.

Friday

On Friday, I had the opportunity to have a wonderful night out with a past manager. We had dinner at the restaurant and ended up staying for 4.5 hours! That's a lot of yapping.

But the beauty of that night was to see her as a mentor. As a previous boss, I found her easy to deal with. It's not that she let me get away from anything. But she was a full supporter of me (and many other employees) but expected that all work was completed. Because work was completed, she never had an issue with me.

Being able to talk to her about life and just work experiences was amazing. She really gave me some good insight, some great advice and she was just an amazing sounding board. It's moments with her like this that I truly miss her at work. I also think that much of our department misses out on her leadership.

It's people like her that make you think that there are some great managers out there. One that can bring out the best in everybody and tries to empower them as much as possible. Pretty rare this day and age.

I'm a Cow.

No, really. I can be a plain old b#%$h sometimes.

I was at IKEA today. And if you can believe it, the wait to get into the playroom was an hour long. However, I had time to kill considering I had to wait for my husband to get off of work. We were all going to carpool over to see my daughter's graduation from her old daycare.

While waiting, I had both of my kids in the kids room area. Where you can pick bed sets, sheets, lights, anything remotely for a kid's room. As I was standing there watching my 2 kids, I saw that there were 3 other kids playing there too. The mom was standing nearby watching her 3 young ones.

Out of no where, she starts speaking to me. The I realize that it's a girl I went to high school with. She says, did you go to "insert name of high school here." And yes, I did. So I told her so. And then I proceeded to call her by her first name which I know shocked the hell out of her. I didn't even have to think about who she was. She was actually one of the nicer ones but I never felt totally at ease with her. She was in my "group" for a lack of a better word. Honestly, I don't want to relive my high school days.

So, we talked about our kids, where we live, etc. Then I asked if she kept in touch with anybody from high school...and I know she does thanks to Facebook. Regardless, I told her I didn't bother and didn't feel the need to. And I also told her that I changed my name so nobody could actually look me up unless they knew my last name.

She proceeded in saying that once you get an invite from one high school bud, you'll get more. Ok. Yeah, the thing is, I don't want to add any high school buds. But I think she was trying to get me to say my name so she could add me or at least tell all her high school buds she bumped into me.

The point is, I could have told her my first AND last name so that if she wanted to look me up, she could. But I didn't bother telling her either. I'm hoping not to hear from her...especially through Facebook.

The past is the past. Let's just leave it that way.

Family Day

Family days are important to me. And so, it's extra important that we do certain things as a family. One thing I really enjoy as a family is the PNE. I know it's probably more of a chore for my husband. But he dutifully took the day off to go with us this year.

We lucked out with the weather! The day before it was pissing rain. My lawn got a nice watering. I was so worried that today's weather would be terrible! And I honestly couldn't have asked for anything better. Just a small sprinkle when we got there...but that meant we went to the showmart. After that, just a beautiful sunny day that wasn't too hot or too cold...and with a light breeze. PERFECT!!! The girls were actually great. My husband didn't complain and seemed to actually enjoy the events. I actually got to see one of the shows and got some yummy food.

It was a great day and I got to spend it with family. I feel happy.

Friday

Friday was my last day before I went on holidays. And the last week has been very productive. By the time I left, I finished all my work. Like, all my work. I submitted my outstanding fricken reports. I'm sure they will be torn apart when I return. But nobody can say that I didn't submit them. Every outstanding request...completed. I love going on holidays when that happens!!! That means you're not having to worry about anything before you head out.

And that Friday evening, I couldn't have given a crap about anything. On Saturday, I was SO zen. The house was a mess...I didn't care. In fact, I so didn't care that I actually took a nap halfway through the day. The only chore that I really worried about was getting groceries as we were out. Other than that, it was hanging with the kids and getting ready for the annual block party on our block. And every year, it ceases to disappoint.

It's always nice to see neighbours you haven't seen in a long while. And always nice to meet some new ones. I get to see other kids growing. And as mine get older, that means I get a little more time to mingle. The potluck is always great!! Lots of diversity and always way too much. The highligh is always the concert. And this year, we had an extra special treat. We had a guy that was recording at one of the basement suites...one of our neighbours are singers/london play folks. And this guy that was recording happened to be one of the guys that plays with Elton John!! He was awesome!!! Lots of dancing.

The party ended somewhat abruptly due to some rude guests...i.e. the mosquitoes. OMG. It's been a while since I've been bitten like this. Of course, the rest of the family got bitten too. We finally left. But we're looking forward again to next year.

If all holidays could be so zen.

Weekend

I spent one afternoon at a friend's place. My whole family made the trek out to Mission...which is VERY far away from my house. SEriously...if you're not in the GVRD area and I have to call long distance, there's a problem. But I love these people enough to go.

However, I hated half of the guest list. There are people that I see and my blood pressure hits the roof!!! My dislike for some of these folks is just ugly. To the couple that shoves God down people's throats then prays for concert tickets because they deserve it...you suck. To the same God loving folks that think that they're better than everybody else, you really do suck. I have no problem with religion...but when you shove it into every conversation and basically preach to me, I have a problem with you. HISSSSSSS.

For the guy who told the hostess that she could have made a better cake, you suck. The hostess made a HUGE cake that was a risk board. All the countries were different colours, there were little Risk men, the ocean was a beautiful blue...and you could see the ocean currents! And if that wasn't enough, the countries were named! The guy told the woman that she should have had a cake flavour for every country that there was within the cake. Are you F#@%in mental? It took her 6 hours to decorate...and with 3 kids...I doubt she has the time to deal with your request.

However, there were redeeming moments. First of all, the birthday boy was 35 years young and had a good time. He looks happy and looks like life is treating him well. Yay. Secondly, I'm glad I'm wrong. There was a guy there that I've seen over the years. And my gut reaction to this guy was that he was racist. His sarcasm about colour folk like me was beyond pleasant or even funny. However, he recently had some tough things happen to him. And he really is a changed man. When he came in and saw me, shook my hand and said hello. When I chatted to him about his recent situation, he was open, honest, and genuinely seemed happy to talk to me. No coloured jokes. Just seemed like a sincere guy. Good to know that some folks can change.

So, it's Monday tomorrow. Not looking forward to that. But it is my last week before I'm off for 2 weeks. I'm needing it.....

CRACK!

I was all excited that it was finally Friday. I'm not entirely convinced that the world should work a 5 day week. All I know is that I worked hard all week, and I was going to be rewarded by finishing off the week on a good note.

It started off a little odd, as in the pace was odd. Fridays are usually my quiet days where I can accomplish a lot on my reports that are outstanding. However, I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and they'll get done soon enough. It was just incredibly busy...lot of requests and we just found out the Minister is coming. It's a ton of work for nothing, at least in my humble opinion (Miss A...I know you're just giggling that you're not having to prep for this Minister's visit!!).

I thought it was time to have lunch. I didn't bring one and I thought I'd go to the local congee house with a friend to catch up. Well, as I was partway through my meal, I heard a really loud cracking sound. Then I started to feel a bit of pain. I think I bit into a bit of bone , but basically, my filling and part of a tooth came out. I was kind of freaking out because I was worried that it would get infected. If anything, I was worried about any further pain.

My dentist is awesome. She was sweet enough to fit me in. However, she must think my pain tolerance is well above normal folk. She was going to clean with water and air on a tooth that almost has the nerve exposed. My teeth are already sensitive. So you can imagine my protests that this is not going to work unless I have drugs. I said I wanted two babies before having anything done to me without drugs. She gave me double the dose to shut me up. Medical science works for me!

So, I'm in for an appointment again to get a crown. =( Not looking forward to it, but it seems like the best alternative. Could have been worse...I could have HAD the nerve exposed, or I could have had to have the tooth extracted. So I'm thankful it happened how it did.

Oh well. That is life. Not much I can do about it.

Stuff

First of all, some good news about my nephew. He's been gaining weight the last 5 days. That's awesome! Hopefully he'll be going home to his mom soon, grow some fat so I won't worry when I hold him. I'm so damn clumsy that I'm afraid to cuddle. Knowing me, I'd drop him like a hot potato.

My girlfriend and I had a good giggle about crappy drivers that drive less than 30 km. She makes finger gestures to move to the side and says some "interesting" comments. She was stuck behind one this morning just as I was. However, I was going 30 across the bridge...but as we were getting off the bridge and up the hill, the person was going even slower. I was ready to stop the car, take my kid out and run up the hill. I'm sure I could have been faster.

This person sounds like one of my ex aunts. She was taking driving lessons and was worried about going to fast and saving gas. So, as she was going up the hill, she decided to let the gas pedal go a bit...as in, she wasn't pressing that hard down. She started to panic because the car was rolling backwards, but she still refused to press the gas pedal. Too much gas. And yes, she crashed into the person BEHIND her.

Someone at our office just had a boob job and a tummy tuck. I walked by and said, "wow...you lost a ton of weight! You look great!" She said that she was still swollen but she looked pretty happy I noticed. Of course, I'm a fricken nosey person. Boob job was free (she had big bazookas that were hurting her back). The tummy tuck was $11,000. A little stiff. But maybe they determine how much the cost is by how much they have to suck out. A little steep of a cost, but hey, it's doable.

And it's stinking hot. I'm a 21 degree Celsius maximum girl. This is much too hot. And to think I have to go to Mission on Saturday. I'm dreading it already. But I can perfect my Phillipino nanny look.

Monday

I think I might have to adjust my attitude towards Mondays. Pretty much my whole work life, I've had Mondays off. I'd work extra hours in the day to get the 1 day off. And really, it was a long weekend every weekend. Think about it...you take out the stat holidays and assume that every Monday is a work day. If I don't work Mondays, that's 52 Mondays I have off which turns into about 2 months off of work. Pretty good deal. So you can imagine how choked I was when I had to give those up.

So, on this Monday, it was a little different. I actually had to take my one kid to Children's Hospital to get a check up on her hip. She had hip dysplasia when she was young. Basically, if we didn't fix it, her leg would grow the wrong way and may have ended up having a hip replacement at 20. Not exactly the life I wanted for her.

Anyways, I woke up and everything was good. Got to the hospital in good time and found free parking. Walked to the admission...no line up. Got to the clinic, got in right away. The doctor that I had was actually in a happy mood and had some good bedside manners. I also received the good news that she's not concerned at all. However, since she's OCD, she's going to have me come in again next year just because. Thanks to all the tax payers that are paying for this.

I honestly thought the day couldn't get better. But I got to work and found free parking...again! Worked for an hour and then, it was time for lunch. Went with a good friend to a place that I've been meaning to go to for a very long time. Can you believe I found parking in front of the restaurant too?! By the time I got back to work, I only had about 2 more hours of work and then it was time to go home. I brought extra ribs to my dad to make soup and he said I made too much...so he used the ribs to make black bean spareribs for me for dinner. I didn't even have to cook!!!

That is such a great Monday. I don't need much...just things to go smoothly and little treats of free parking and no cooking on a Monday. I'm happy.

Olympics

I am an Olympics addict. And yes, I watched the opening ceremonies. ALL of it. I thought the ceremonies were stunning!!! Truly amazing what people can do.

However, after the ceremonies, I turned to my husband and said:

"Oh my god. How in the world is Canada going to compete with THAT?!!" And at BC Place?!! That venue doesn't hold up to the venue of the Bird's Nest!"

My husband admitted that they've put the bar pretty high. PLEASE...I do not want RCMP out doing a horse ride out there. I don't want some reference to salmon. I definitely don't want some maple syrup reference. Really. I don't know what they're going to do. But I don't know how we're going to make it good compared to last night's performance....

Am I pessimist? Yes, today I am.

Wedding

Well, I finally got pictures from my first lesbian wedding I attended. It was a ton of fun!! It was really neat as the ceremony took place in the middle of an art exhibition. The art was not for the faint of heart. But it was the Pride in Art art exhibition...so what better place for a lesbian wedding!

I actually brought my dad as I thought it would be good to "expand" his experiences. He had a neat time and probably took way more photos than the official photographer. I was just so happy for these two as they seem like the neatest couple. And for selfish reasons...I'm glad the wedding is over. The one bride that was getting married sits right next to me...and she has been in planning heaven. However, every 1/2 hour, I'd hear a screech and high pitched scream...."I'm getting married!!!!" Hey, that's awesome, but it's really ruining my groove! =)

The only crappy part is that I made one wrong turn to the centre and the cop thought it was a serious traffic violation. And now, I'm $121 poorer. BOO! Dude. Go get someone else that's doing something REALLY wrong. I thought I'd actually go to traffic court, but it's not worth my time. The funny thing is that the cop told me to go dispute the fine amount. Ok dude...whatever.

It's all good. The couple is happy and that's all that matters.

Baby

Before anybody thinks I'm pregnant, I'm not! But I'm definitely an Auntie. However, this Auntie is worried about her nephew. This baby was born much too early for my liking. In fact, he was born at 32 weeks, about 7.5 weeks too early. My poor sister in law just got up on the weekend and started to bleed and had blood clots. The first hospital was absolutely retarded and told them to have something to eat and call them back later. Thank goodness my brother in law was smart enough to realize that this wasn't right and went to a different hospital. Emergency c-section and the baby's cord was wrapped around his neck.

Long story short, I have no idea what the prognosis of the little guy is. He doesn't have a name yet, that's why I keep saying little guy. But he seems like a fighter. I saw him today and besides being small, everything seemed ok. He's breathing on his own and seems to be doing what normal babies do. I just hope there's no neurological damage.

And sometimes, you can not doubt that the universe/god/greater being (whatever you believe in) is watching over us. This weekend, the whole family and some other families were supposed to go camping up at Alice Lake. This included the brother and sister in law that just had this happen to them. Can you imagine what would have happened to them if were camping up there with no access to the hospital? Thank goodness for the rockslide that prevented us from going up there....

Flight

I'm on a search for a cheap flight to London, UK. I'm also in search of cheap accomodation in London. THe hostels are actually great and many of them are still free for the dates that I need.

I'm needing a cheap flight as I got invited to my favourite Author's Book Launch Party! Granted, a ton of other folks will be there. But I officially got invited. I'm so thrilled and excited. But the only problem is going to be the cost and timing. So far, I haven't really found flights for under $1,000. Plus accomodation, spending money, taxis/busses, etc....you see how 4 days can suddenly cost a ton of money.

I tried to hit up my Air Canada friend as I was told I could bring guests to this launch. But she's busy. Fair enough. But the thought of a girl's weekend was awesome.

I have to get more Flight friends. If anybody has any leads for cheap flights/accomodation in London, let me know. If the cost works, I'm so going.

Wish me luck!

Tuesday

I guess today was a better day...just because it wasn't a Monday. Got to work on time, started off ok and had my coffee when I got in. THAT'S really important.

The hard part about today is that I could never quite get to the work that I wanted to get done. Now, if it was fun stuff that pulled me away, that's fine. But it was some icky stuff. From really private stuff to an actual First Aid call. I'm one of the attendants but I'd rather be in title than actually have to deal with anything.

One of the managers called me into his office and he made it sound REALLY ominous. He asked me to close the door and the first thing I blurted out was "what did I do that was so wrong?!" He just laughed. But he calmly told me that he was getting angina pains and he was getting to take his nitroglycerin. He needed someone to watch just in case. WTF. First aid doesn't teach you about what to do when people take nitro...or maybe I fell asleep during that part of the course!!

OMG. I was actually quite anxious. But he explained to me what I needed to know. Believe me when I say that I was ready to grab his phone and just call 911. Turns out he was ok after his dosage. The thought of maybe having to do CPR on someone was making my stomach churn. I know I could, but I'd prefer to never have to do it.

I figure that tomorrow is hump day...that's a redeeming quality to this week.

First Week

Well, I officially started my first 5 day week this week. Thank goodness next week is the long weekend. Anyways, I hate Mondays and there are reasons why I never used to work them. For whatever reason, things that can go wrong definitely do for me on that one special day.

So, imagine when I woke up this Monday morning. Tried to stay positive. "You're lucky you have work, you only have to drive 1 kid into town, things could be worse" blah, blah, speech to myself. But of course, i had the crappiest night of sleep the night before and I was actually quite crabby.

Get the kid into the car and turn on to the traffic station. Sure enough, on the one bridge I have to take in, there's been a major accident. Oh, but wait, it's in the clearing stages. Because I hear that they're just about finished clearing the accident, I head towards this one bridge. Well, wouldn't you know it, as I get closer, another accident happens on the same bridge and I'm just too far into my route to actually take another one.

Get to work and I get just stupid people and stupid comments. I'm sure it was because I was already tired, crabby and being a Monday that I was harder on people. But really, leave me alone...... Finally made it through the day and it was time to head home.

As I'm heading home towards the bridge that I would normally take, would you fricken believe it? Another accident!!! WTF.

Just little things on a Monday that I would rather not have to deal with.

Changes

My kid had her late half birthday yesterday. It was fun! She liked her cake...because really, to a 4.5 year old, that's all that matters. Oh, and the balloons. I had a good time too as a lot of people couldn't make it and it was a smaller crowd. My dad said it wasn't big enough. But I didn't see him lifting a finger to cook and clean...so I say it was a big enough crowd.

This year, the half birthday came at a time when changes are just around the corner for the family. Tomorrow is my first day of my 5 day week. It's also the first day for my eldest at her new daycare/kindercare. I'm a little worried for her as she can be a bit shy. But I just have to let go and know that she has to go through this. I can't shelter her forever. My youngest will be transitioning into full time daycare very soon.

And those are just the changes in the next little bit. But that's life. EEEK!!!! It doesn't take away the fear though. =)

Facebook

I had a good chat with a friend today. She said she took one of her friends of her friends list. I had a good laugh. I told her about my other friend that takes people off her list if she hasn't spoken to them in 6 months. I've slowly started taking people off my list too.

Then there are others that are total "hogs" about their numbers. Do you think I really care that you have 500 friends on your list? And do you really think that they're all quality friends? I'd be impressed if you had THAT many quality friends. And you must be stinking poor during Christmas time.

Facebook is like highschool to me. Somehow you think you can get away from highschool, cliques and the whole popularity contest. But apparently you can't.

However, I will give it to Facebook for having some good games. I've had an opportunity to play games with some great friends and they actually want to play with me.

In the Zone.

Ok, so I wasn't in the zone...but my co-worker sure was. ROFL! Music is a real get away for me and for many folks. And at work, it's a life saver. There are times that I just feel that I can't get through something...but I strap on my iPod and I'm in the groove.

Well, my co-worker was really having an issue being motivated, so she strapped on her little music machine and started to work. She was so into it that was she singing out loud and everybody heard her. I don't sit near her so I didn't say anything. However, my co-workers that do sit around her just let her sing! I guess about 1/2 hour passed and they figured that was enough. Poor thing was so embarrassed.

I just think it's totally cool. That's 1/2 down of crappy work she didn't want to do...and she was actually happy doing it.

Last Monday

I have been on a modified work schedule for about 10 years now. And next week, it'll be my first week of a regular 5 day work week. I know most people would just laugh at me as I'm sure 89% of the real world works a 5 day schedule. And for some 7 days a week.

However, I'm mourning the loss of my "every" Monday off. For example, today, I had a girlfriend come over for a great play date. I haven't seen her in a while and it was just lovely.

The good part is I start at 7 and end at 3pm in the hopes of missing out on traffic congestion, getting home on time and maybe taking the kidlets to a class or two. The good part is that during the winter time, I'll actually see the daylight when I head home.

But I'll sure miss my Mondays off.....

My Saturday

Parts of today were great. And other parts, I'd rather just forget.

The great parts inlcluded celebrating my kid's great grandma's 85th birthday! And at this small celebration included family members that I really enjoy talking to and haven't seen in a very long time. There were good conversations and laughs.

We were out in sechelt and this great grandma's backyard is a pristine beach. My family, brother and sister in law all went down to just hang out. The kids loved finding sea stars and crabs under rocks. The great part was that we were the only ones out there. Our own little beach.

The crappy parts? Hmmmm. Where do I start?

When my husband tells me we're leaving at a certain time and we're not ready to go, I get pissed. I've worked my schedule and the kid's schedule to ensure that we leave at the time he has specified. And considering we had a long way to go to get to the ferry terminal, I thought it would be best to leave at the appropriate time and to drive safely there. But no, we left late, he drove like a crazy person and I was just pissed the whole time.

When we get to the ferry terminal, we had a bit of time to wait. Since it was such a long ride, I took one of my kid's to the washroom. As I get out of the washroom, my husband is screaming out of the car and driving onto the ferry. WTF! I'm asking for help from one of the ferry staff and he tells me to walk on, but to go down to the lower area. I meet some other staff member, I explain how my husband was herded on the ferry and that I'm supposed to be with him. He asks me for a ticket and other stuff. Ummm. It's in the car....that's on the ferry...with my husband...and with my keys...and wallet. And I have my one kid with me who is crying hysterically because she saw her dad drive off without her. Thank goodness I remember the ticket number and could tell the staff guy what he needed to know. I ran onto the ferry.

The kids are getting nutso in the car when we get off the ferry. They're tired of sitting. So they're kicking the front seats. One of the seats is where I'm sitting.

At the party, I help with prepping of food and washing dishes at the end. I watch the kids, I play with them, I race after them if I see them in danger. Thanks hubby for sitting there. You suck today.

It wasn't even 12pm and I was just pent up with anger.

The day is over. I'm home safe and sound. I'm going back to reading a book that I've fallen in love with. Wonderful.

Friday

Thank goodness it's Friday. There are some weeks that I just think will never end. But life could be worse.

On a totally different note, I'm trying to wear tank tops more often. I don't like the shape of my arms. But I've got this WICKED farmer's tan. You know, the tan where you know where my t-shirts end and start. It's painful and it looks terrible.

I took sunblock and put it on the tanned part of my arms...hoping that the "pale" part will get tanned like the rest. I just need an even look.

My First Post

Well, just another day in the life of me. How exciting am I? Not as much as I'd like to think I am. But if anything, I always like to share life experiences as I'm sure many share the experiences as I do.

To start off with, I'm a mom of 2 kids, I work full time, married, and never seem to have enough time for all the chores in the day. But that's just life.