Playdates

Today, my daughter and I headed off to a person's house that we've never been to. We were invited by the mom because her son goes to school with my kid. And the 2 kids seem to get along extremely well. Actually, there are 4 kids in total (3 boys and my daughter) that play together each day at school and truly enjoy each other's company. I love it!

So, I wander over with her because I've never met this kid or this family. I don't want to just "leave" her there even though the mom was more than happy to just have me leave my kid. I just chatted with the mother for about an hour and a half...lovely lady. She didn't even really bother to clean up. "I'm not trying to fool anybody." Sweet. And her house was stinking amazing. Her husband is a part time inventor and has a full fledged "lab" downstairs so he can invent things. Ummmm...how cool is THAT?!

At the end of the playdate, the mom told me how happy she was with the date and that she hoped we could do it again soon. I had no problem with that. Then she told me that this relationship between the two kids was such a great friendship and she couldn't ask for anything more. Her son had invited a previous girl classmate over, and he had a real big crush on her. And unfortunately, the girl was so mean to him and it just crushed him. The mom was also so sad for her son because he was sad. She was just happy to see him with a good friend.

Well, I'm glad this playdate went well. Though it makes me wonder how my kid got to be queen of the boy's club. Anyways, it's nice to see kids happy and just innocently playing and enjoying the joys of being a kid.

Why do they have to grow up?

Food Shopping

Well, the owners at Save-on-Foods must have thought they had won the lotto today because I went shopping BIG time. Part of the reason is that we happen to run out of everything at once. i.e. hand soap, chicken, light bulbs, laundry detergent, bread...just plain old groceries.

The other reason is that I'm trying to load up on some foods that are easy to prepare while I'm away and my hubby is with one of the kids for a couple of weeks. So that meant a lot of frozen food. Which is fine and thank goodness for frezers.

But I really felt I broke the bank with this week's shopping bill!!! And I'm sure there is more to buy next week.

I'm stocking up...so the stores better be ready for me too!!

Motorhomes

I have some friends who really want to buy a motorhome. Actually, I think it would suit them. Me, well, I'm not so sure. But if the choice is between camping and a motorhome, I'll take the motorhome. I'm not such a good camper.

But the thought of something going wrong with a large vehicle is not a fun idea. The thought that I would have to get some type of motorhome towing that would cost me more than an actual flight just scares me enough not to get one. And honestly, I can't deal with even thinking that something might go wrong with the bathroom portion of the motorhome. That's for brave people to think about.

I'm just your regular gal that likes hotels.

Directions

Directions for me and for most women is about landmarks. Go down the street until you hit the department store then hang a left. Tell me that or something along that line and I will get there.

Don't tell me to go west for 3 km and then turn east. Uh. I'll never get there.

So, someone told me to go to their place. Their by Blue Cross out in Burnaby. I googled and for whatever reason, I got Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina. Hmmmm. Not so much. I don't think I need to do a cross country trek, at least not that day.

Well, they were by Blue Cross. But next time, I'll know better. I've made many other landmark notes for myself.

Side Effects

We wants meds for everything. The moment we feel bad, we take a pill. It's an easy fix. My husband comments that cooking seems like a waste of time and sometimes it would just be easy to just take a pill and be full. Well, I like the eating and the cooking when I'm not so rushed. But I see his point.

Anyways, from phentermine diet pills to lose weight, from birth control pills, to simple over the counter remedies...there are tons of medication around. But does anybody ever really read the side effects anymore? And do people actually read how it may affect other medications you're currently on or maybe affect on of the symptoms you have already? After reading some of those warnings, I opt not to take the pills. Sometimes it's just not worth it. You might end up with a worse symptom.

So read the labels folks. It only makes good sense.

Mounts

I'll be the first to admit that we didn't need a large screen tv. But now that we have one, I love it dearly. Maybe a little too much. And my husband obviously loves the tv too.

But we've been going back and forth about getting some good sound equipment for the tv. Of course, we'd probably need some mounts or something to get the speakers, etc., in the right places. But I wouldn't want anything so bold that it's all you see. Because that's just ugly.

Oh well, I'm sure this bright idea will sit for a while.

Work

In the last 2 months, I can not believe how much work has come my way. And I'm not complaining about it, but it has just been a seriously whacked out 2 months of work.

I'm enjoying it but I can see that it's starting to take a toll on my immunity system and I'm starting to make some mistakes. The mistakes have been small and easily corrected. No one seems concerned about them But the fact that I can't even see some of these mistakes until afterwards just bites. That's not me. I like to hand in good work.

I've been sick a lot more than I usually am too. Granted, I have no idea what the kids are bringing home to me. But because I'm a bit worn out, that also means it's that much easier for them to pass something on to me.

I've got 2 and half more weeks to just go full tilt at work. And even though when I work at the Olympics, it will also be full tilt, it will be different and truly joyous. That in itself will be an amazing break from work.

Vacations

Seems like everybody around me is going on trips again. I have no holidays at this point as I'm using it all for the Olympics. Yes, it will be fun. But it's not like going to be something like one of those montego bay vacations. Warm sun, tropical drinks, beaches, tropical water.

I mean, right off the bat, I know of 2 people that are going to Hawaii, one to Mexico (twice in the next little bit), or how about Italy, Spain, Japan? I mean the list goes on. And these are the people just heading somewhere. I haven't even talked about all the people that have just gone somewhere.

I sure miss travelling.

Jobs in the US

I don't know why...I'm quite intrigued by jobs in the US. Of course I haven't really thought seriously about it because I don't think I'd want their health care system, nor would I really want to move the whole family down there.

To be honest, I think I'm drawn to it so I can go to more theme parks. I just love all the themeparks down there or just some of the neat tours. So if look for jobs in Philadelphia, then maybe I'd take the ghost tour. If I were to look for jobs in Pensylvania, then I'd look up the Hershey Amusement Park (yes, their Hershey kiss lamps in the street did make me quite happy). You get the drift.

And maybe it's nice to have the idea that you can go somewhere and start a new life. But really, there's nothing bad in my life to make me want to go someplace else.

Next Cycle

Ahh...one of my favourite shows is coming back soon. America's Next Top Model will be coming back on March 3rd. Perfect. After my Olympic gig, I can veg out BIG time.

I have to admit, I just loved the last cycle. The last 2 girls, I loved them both so much. But of course, there is only 1 winner. I'm hoping that this session will be just as good. But I don't want them to do oral surgery on any of the girls again. I can't remember what session it was, but UGH. They had some Plano cosmetic dentist go in and "assist" a girl. Her teeth and smile were great. But OMG. I almost fainted because the procedure looked so crazy.

Pure fun and brain candy. Can't wait!!!

Extras

Twice a year, I proctor an exam. This is one of those financial ones where there are hundreds of people writing. It's a good gig with some good financial benefits. And the great part is, it's only two times a year.

While I'm proctoring an exam, I have to wear one of those neon, bright yellow safety vests. This helps the examiners distinguish us from other examiners. And they know that we're there to ensure the integrity of the exam...basically no one is cheating.

For the last couple of sessions, I was taking all the safety vests from all the proctors and giving them to a volunteer organization. They do a ton of things for the city, and the vests would help visitors distinguish them as someone that was assisting with the event, and not just a passerby. And as a volunteer organization, anything they can get for free is a good thing. They were happy.

But I've been told that I can no longer do that. I hope they're not being returned to the center only to be thrown away. At least if they're recycling them, I can understand...but if not, I'd be pretty choked. The volunteer organization is also sad that they no longer get awesomely bright vests. =(

Vitamins

I remembered when I was pregnant and I had to take those prenatal vitamins. Ugh. I don't miss those days. Everytime I choked down that horse pill, I'd want to vomit.

And now, I don't even bother with vitamins. I find them all too difficult to put down. OMG. I keep gagging on those things. And it really has become one of those bad associations. I know it's good for me, but why do I want to do something good for me if it's such a bad experience?

I'll leave it to my husband to take the vitamins.

Conference

Last week was my All Staff conference. I basically planned 95% of it and had some friends help too. MY goodness. Let's just hope that I don't have to do that again anytime soon.

OMG. The amount of paperwork is horrendous. The approvals that also have to be in place is even crazier. And some people's attitudes were just plain rotten. That really put a damper on my mood. Not because of what they said to me, but more about how toxic these people were. Do they not understand that sometimes it's their extreme negativity is what makes them not well liked? As my big boss said in her opening speech, "you're not going to like every activity. But if you're going to be a hostage, then please go and do something else so that others can enjoy the remainder of the conference." People heard the message, but obviously some did not heed the message.

But even with all the craziness, I think it went really well. I learned a lot and there's very little that I would change. And some things were totally out of my control so I really couldn't do anything about it. For those that griped, bite me. I'm tired of your griping and then not willing to pitch in or provide another alternative. You're just addicted to your own bitching...and that's putting it mildly. I really don't like your company and won't be hanging out with you anytime soon.

And for those that were total pigs and ate so much so that others didn't get any food (and then told me it was my problem not theirs), then you can all bite me too. I'm sure they're going to be miffed one day when someone else does that to them...and then of course, they will scream foul. Ahhh...people drive me crazy.

I must admit that the conference really did take a lot out of me. The day after the conference, I worked 2 hours and then took the remainder of the day off. I felt jet lagged and could barely make it through the day. Or maybe it was just the crazies I had to deal with that took all my energy.

Either way, a good 3 years before I have to do all of this again.

Burners

As mentioned, I've been watching the Biggest Loser. I'm totally into the coaches yelling and screaming at the contestants. I'd love to have a coach like that. The harder someone pushes like that, the more I push back. Well, maybe I should keep yelling at myself when working out.

Anyways, Jillian Michaels is one of the coaches. And of course I had to check out her website. She's got an amazing physique...and I really wanted to check out her "stuff." She does have supplements, etc. But she doesn't call them the top fat burners or anything. To me, that seems a little more legit. If you're not screaming it, then maybe it could be true.

I'm a woman that can appreciate another woman's body and she's got one amazing body....

Blackheads

I am a total Biore strip girl. I know, I know. It's bad for me because it rips your first layer of your epidermis. But my goodness, everytime I slap one of those on and then rip it off....wow. The crap that is stuck on that strip amazes me. It's amazing how deep those blackheads go...really, it's like a forest on that strip. And it doesn't matter how often I do the strip, there's always a ton of blackheads!!!

So if people have home remedies for blackheads, let me know. The strips are not cheap so finding a cheaper alternative is not a bad thing. And if it doesn't rip off my first layer of skin, I'm all for that too.

The Biggest Loser

I was telling a co-worker of mine that I finally started to watch the Biggest Loser. I can't believe I haven't been watching it!! It really is a great show. I love how everybody is just trying to get their lives back together and understanding that if they don't change their habits now, they really die young. I can't imagine being 30 something and over 500 pounds. I'm overweight, but I'm not 500 pounds.

I like the fact that they are doing it naturally and not taking something that is labelled as the best weight loss pills. It shows that hard work, motivation and watching what you eat really is the key.

I must admit, I'm usually on the elliptical when watching this show...and I CRY, CRY, CRY when watching. Gosh, to be so vulnerable on national tv....good on them.

I think I'm going for the orange team. The orange team mother is hard core. She could kick my ass any day.

Web Traffic

My idea of the blog was just to blog about whatever the heck I wanted. This included my opinions, etc. So the question became whether or not I wanted more traffic for this blog or I just wanted it for close friends and family? Would it matter that there was more traffic on my site?

If so, I'd need some of the best seo software out there to really boost my traffic. But again, do I want strangers to read my blog? Is it that interesting? To an absolute stranger, probably not.

So, I'll be one of those hidden blogs meant for people who know me and just want to see what I'm doing these days. I'm ok with that.

People

The work that I do at the workplace is quite varied and interesting. But the reality is, no one really knows what I do. Everything I do is behind the scenes, a bit on the hush-hush side. In a way, it's a real thankless job because 90% of the people have no clue how much I do that affects the workplace. That's ok. As long as people aren't complaining about "stuff" then I know I'm doing my job properly.

On Friday, we had our Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister come into the workplace. For our operation, it's a big deal. For me, I couldn't care less. But there was lots to do to prepare for the session. One of the items was to ensure that everybody got a copy of a presentation that was going to take place. No big deal. I did make a special copy for one employee...basically it was larger as she doesn't like small print and her eyes are not great. No big deal as it's my job to know these small details and just make it happen. However, I wasn't prepared for the conversation that went the package when I handed the package to the employee.

"Here you go. I knew that you wanted larger print so I made sure I made a copy and wanted to hand it to you personally."

"Oh, that's great! I really do need it in bigger print."

"No problem."

"Anyways, if you had given it to me in smaller print, I would have made you go and do it again. I refuse to read something smaller. And it's people like you that don't complain to management that will have your eyes ruined because you allow for people to give you smaller print items."

"Well, I try my best to make sure that I don't have to do it again because I understand what you're needing."

"Well, it's big enough and this is good. But I would have absolutely made you redo it for me."

Who the hell does this person think she is?! She's not my boss. And how about a simple thank you. Or how about nothing? Whatever happened to the saying of if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all? I would have preferred that in this case.

Software

The one complaint my husband has is that antivirus software hogs up a TON of resources and slows everything down. He is computer savvy and has set up some system of firewalls for our protection. But our family is computer savvy enough overall to understand not to open e-mails from people we don't know, not to download from unsafe sights...you get the idea. Knock on wood, we have been very fortunate about not getting a major virus.

At work, we do have this type of software and for good reasons. However, it can take soooooo looonnnng to get to anything while the software is checking. I recently found some type of antivirus software that looks promising...but I'm not IT and we all know they don't listen to me. But it looks really interesting...doesn't slow down the pc, it protects from all types of e-mail borne threats, there is also antispyware engines...and they don't automatically charge you every year for the service. They actually ask you. Who would have thought of that?! Good customer service? Seems like a rarity these days.

So, until then, I rely on my husband and my "nice" IT services folks to deal with possible virus attacks on my computer.

Travelling

I haven't travelled much lately. And really, it kind of sucks. Part of the reason is that finding appropriate care, dealing with all the logistics is not something I want to take on right now. I really enjoyed travelling when all I had to do was worry about my own crap. And I could plan around activities that I wanted to do.

I'm sure I could travel with kids...travel new york perhaps? I think there'd be enough to do for families. But the idea of travelling with no "supply" bag is just bliss.

I am going to a "travel" to a staff conference this week...albeit, it's wonderful Abbotsford. But it's time away, in a hotel, quiet, no cleaning and just taking care of myself. Guess that will have to do for now!

IT services

At our office, we have a managed IT services team. For the most part, they're a pretty good bunch. But they are personalities. The other day, I made some crack how my laptop was crap, which it is, and I got the nastiest comments back.

"Maybe it's a USER problem." Well, in this case it wasn't.

"And we try our best to get the best products for people like you." Really? Software that is 5 years behind and the number of laptops that need servicing on any given day?

Those were the tame ones. I figured I shouldn't push the envelope too much because I really needed my laptop fixed!

But IT folks, just chill. It's going to be ok.