Hula Girl

I cannot believe how much I have laughed the last 2 days.  I'm all for a good prank and I'm the one being pranked...and I just think it's absolutely hilarious!!! 

People at work know I'm heading off to the island of palm trees soon.  It's going to be great and I'm really looking forward to it.   I just went about telling people who seemed interested. 

But yesterday, in the middle of the morning, I walk back to my desk and I see a dashboard hula doll on my desk.  There was a note attached to it.  

I thought it was my one friend at the office because she's been singing the song from Europe...The Final Countdown.  The note basically had they lyrics of this song.  When I confronted her, she had no clue.  And she seemed truly genuine about not knowing.  So I went on to other suspects...all denying that they did this.  

But then, my friend got me thinking about a prankster at the office.  She's sweet as can be and does not fit the mold of a prankster!  I had my eyes on her.  

Later that day, a co-worker came by and I wanted to show her the note on the hula doll...and the doll was GONE.  OMG.  Just vanished!  I was hysterical looking for this doll...sending out e-mails to my peeps with the topic of MY DOLL!!!  I never write in all caps as that's screaming.  But I was screaming.  I wanted to find this damn hula doll!  In my mind, I had a place ready for her in the house.  

That night, I was still guffawing from all of this that I must have swallowed a ton of air.  My stomach was so upset that I had to take some pepto bismol. 

So when I went to the office today, I didn't think much was going to happen.  But at 8:40am, when I returned to my desk...hula girl was waiting for me...again.  She had a new note on there which counted down the days before I left for Hawaii, pictures of Lilo from Lilo and Stitch and the Aloha oe song. 

Well.  I just about dropped a couple of bricks because I didn't think I'd see hula girl today.  And there she was.  But I thought I'd change up the game.  I took a picture of hula girl, printed it out and wrote a note on there declaring:

"Oh, I've been kidnapped!  I'm being taken back to my homeland!"  

Yes, I was going to do the travelling gnome thing where I'd take her everywhere with me to Hawaii and take pictures of her doing things.  I was going to come back with a damn photo album.  I was so stoked to take her that after I put up the kidnapping picture, I locked her up in my file cabinet.  Totally under lock and key. Every once in a while, I'd look into the file cabinet to make sure she was there.  And she was!  Phew!!!

So, fast forward to the end of the day when I'm ready to go home.   I walk back to my desk all confident that I got this person.  But imagine my face when I opened up my locked cabinet to find that the doll has vanished, AGAIN!!!  

I called my friend over and I could barely talk because I was crying from all the laughing.  OMG.  This person/group is SO good.   

I've got a new plan in mind tomorrow.  I have every intention to take hula with me to Hawaii.   Let's see if hula girl shows up again.  

Clubs

I had a chat with my kids tonight about their day.  My eldest mentioned that it wasn't that great of a day.  I asked her why and she said that she was kicked out of the Moshi club (weird creatures called Moshi monsters).

I think what threw me was when she said that she wanted to go back to the classroom early, but when the club heard that, they "banished" her from the club.  We talked about how she felt and of course she felt excluded.  But we also talked about options, we talked about choices, and we kind of worked it out about her next steps.

Exclusion is a funny thing because sometimes people exclude themselves rather than actually being excluded.  If you want to be included into something, then ask.   Case and point...I talked to the mother tonight to get some insight into the situation.  She basically said that the kids told her that she was welcome to come back whenever to the club.  And the mom is part of the everyday school activities...she knows what's going on.

So, my kid wasn't banished...just my kid banished herself for no reason.  Well, she's happy to hear that she's going back to the Moshi club tomorrow.

Taste Test

I love doing consumer research.  Oh, somebody wants to pay me for my time to test something and then I get paid for it?  Like they need to ask twice!

Best part is that this time, it's a taste test!  Woo hoo!   Yeah, you bet I'll give my opinion.  And I don't even have to worry about it being wrong...they just want to know if it will taste good and whether or not it will sell.  I'm in!  

Tastebuds are ready!

The Tooth Fairy

My one kid has a "shark" tooth and it was wreaking havoc on all her other teeth. Basically, the shark tooth was a whole extra tooth. But it was sitting behind her front teeth, pushing them to the side where they shouldn't be...and leaving no room for the incisor that is coming out. The dentist recommended that the shark tooth be pulled and that's what happened today.

I had to take my car in for servicing so my husband went to the dentist with my daughter. I thought she'd be scared but she wasn't. Before she went in, we did walk her through the process and told her what to expect.

When she got to the dentist's office, she opted to go in all by herself. She didn't need dad there at all. Yay! When she got home, she was bleeding quite a bit, but that's to be expected with this type of surgery. I was really surprised at the tooth though! It was a whole 2 inches in length. Yowsers! You bet I took pictures!

So, while she was enjoying her soft foods tonight, she decided she'd write a letter to the Tooth Fairy. So sweet! I think I'm going to keep this one. Basically, it let the Tooth Fairy know that she's welcome to snacks again (last time, I left a small chocolate cheerios trail to let her know the fairy had some)...anything that was in the pantry. She also made sure the fairy knew that it was an interior incisor. Yeah. Clarity is a good thing. Tonight was a bigger expense for the Tooth Fairy, but it was a damn big tooth. I'm hoping that she'll hold on a little longer to believing in the Tooth Fairy...such innocence.

My husband was reading some article and how this one kid hypothesized that there was no Tooth Fairy. Dang. This kid was smart. Basically, he lost a tooth but didn't tell anybody. He stuck it under his pillow and sure enough, no tooth fairy came to visit. Boy, his parents were in trouble. My turn will be soon to have the kids mad at me, but until then, I will enjoy leaving small trails of food or doing the cup of coloured water for my kid letting her think it's the Tooth Fairy.

Remembrance Day

I think many people have lost sight of what Remembrance Day is. I'm seeing Remembrance Day sales (crass), hearing about people stealing from poppy donation boxes (bloody unbelievable), people celebrating..etc., etc. The one thing everybody seems to be talking about is this whole 11/11/11...and how it's a great day to be married. I'm not saying that today should be a day where people mourn all day.

But holy smokes people...take a moment and remember why we have this day. Remember to thank a veteran today for the service and sacrifices they made so that we could have what we have. I hate wars. I hate the idea that we're fighting "them." And I wish we never had to have this day...but we do.

Today, I think back to being in Paris by the Arc de Triomphe and seeing the grave of an unknown soldier. I remember how sad I felt. This is one person who has yet to find their way home to their family. Yet, I can only imagine how scared he might have been having to be in battle fighting for his country. How much he must be missed. So forget the sales, forget that Christmas is just around the corner, forget telling somebody Happy Remembrance Day and just remember why today exists.

Being a Mom

Part of being a mom is dealing with sick kids. But it's not a part I like at all because it's very energy draining and it totally sucks to see your kid suffer. Both of my kids were very sick last week. But one is much better. However, my youngest got a full blown ear infection starting last night. UGH. I hate those!

So this morning, I stayed at home to do some work before the clinic opened. I finally got to go and waited over 2 hours. The only problem is that my kid was feeling so lousy and was in so much pain she started to cry at the clinic. She was in pain and I know she wasn't faking it. I tried to distract her, tried to calm her down...and she really was being a trooper. I'm always amazed at the tears that come out of little beings...so many!

I was "happy" when the visit was over because I could go and get some antibiotics for her. When we got to the local pharmacy, I could tell there was a problem. The pharmacist just had that "look" and then said, I'll be right back. When he came back, he told me that the drug is in short supply and it's been back ordered for 6 months. Apparently there is a global shortage of this one antibiotic. What the...?! He went on about his conspiracy theories...interesting, yes. But today was not the day.

The pharmacist had to discuss options with the doctor twice...finally, the one drug that could be used was found and was in stock. So this is 40 minutes that I've been in the store by now. When I finally go and pick up the drugs, the pharmacist then has the "look" again. OMG. I just want to go home as does my kid! She's feeling so miserable! He calls the doctor again because the dosage seems much too high for her. Actually, I'm glad he took the time to make sure it was the right dosage, but of all days? Finally we get home and my kid is just worn out from crying and being in pain. Don't blame her. I gave her the meds, she ate a bit and then she went to go rest. Thank goodness I could work at home today so I could keep up on the work and take the kid to the clinic. Let's hope for a good night tonight and she's well on the road of healing.

Graffiti

Graffiti, how I hate thee.  Especially now that my cement wall has been tagged.  Yes, big blue outlines of some word I can't read.  Great...I got a gangster who can't spell doing some spray painting damage to my wall.  Someone said that I should be grateful these folks didn't do more.  Yep, true.  But what bothers me about this is that someone is vandalizing my property and I have to take the time and money to deal with it.   Just like a hit and run (just dealt with 2 for my car, thank you very much), again, I get damage and someone gets away scott free.

I want to put that extra coating so that it's more difficult for taggers to do any further graffiti on my wall. But with the rain, the cement can't dry out enough. My big concern is that they will tag us once again.

Not much I can do except clean it up. Well, my Airmiles account will grow a lot quicker now.

Tire

Last night I had to take my kids to an activity.  It was just an ugly night...total downpour.  I could barely see  where I was going.  And it wasn't helpful that the area wasn't well lit.

I made it there safely and also safely back home.  Phew!  Did all I had to do that night and waited for my husband to come home.  He had a late night...but when he walked in, he made a comment of eating and then changing my tire.  What?!  I wasn't going to change my tires to winter tires on a Wednesday night at 9:30pm.  That's just crazy!

He told me to go out in the garage to listen to my left rear tire.  I didn't have to walk far into the garage to hear the hissing coming out of the tire.  BAH.  Upon closer inspection, there was a huge nail that punctured the tire.

After having my rant...I was fine.  I was actually quite thankful that it happened the way it did.  It would have really sucked if I was on the road and this happened...I might not have made it home without pulling to the side of the road to change my tire.  I could do it, but really, I'd rather not.  And I could have been in an area that was dark and scary.  EEEK!

Did I want to spend money on fixing this?  Nope.  But it is what it is.  It's now fixed and I'm now $35 poorer.  

Cool Video

Some people are just cool and have the best attitudes. Check out this 92 year old grandma. My goodness. I hope I live to be that long, be that healthy and continue to have a great attitude like her.

Christmas Shopping

Those that know me know that I shop throughout the year for Christmas gifts. I'm usually done by November. But this year, I was really stuck on certain gifts. UGH. Talk about mental block. But I had an epiphany about my outstanding gifts and the ideas flowed suddenly!!! The blockage is gone! And I basically completed my list and just have to go buy those gifts now. YES! Out of all the gifts that I'm getting for folks this year, there is one gift that I am giving to a great friend who is so young at heart. And I wish I could be there when he opened his gift this year. I don't want to say a word on here...but I'm stinking excited to give this gift! And if everything goes well, next year, I get to give one gift to my husband that's big. But I already told him (because he's such a difficult person to buy for), if I get him this gift, it's his "every occasion gift" for next year. So, here's to reminding all you procrastinators out there...it's November. Yes, December comes after November. And yes, December 25th is still Christmas. Now go out there and destress your life and get some gifts already!

Forum

Today I got to go to a forum that was an interdepartmental forum. I went to one sponsored by this group 2 years ago and it was terrible. But this time, different topics were made available and I thought I'd give it another try. I was pleasantly surprised and I thought it was great! I really got a chance to network, meet some new folks and learn lots. I even bumped into some old pals from previous workplaces. So lots of good chats!

Keynote speaker was good...though, I thought I was going to guffaw loudly at one point. I didn't have a problem with what she said, but my one co-worker hates all my Oprah crap...including Oprah's Life Classes. I thought my co-worker was going to vomit after hearing that and I had a good laugh at their expense. But the keynote really did make some good points and I did agree with all that she said.

I attended 2 workshops and I thought they were great! One was called CEO of Your Career. She was an entertaining speaker. And she made some good points. I was paired up with someone awesome. And we really pow-wowed through our activity. The second workshop I went to was an HR panel. I even got to ask a question...and all other questions were questions I would have wanted to ask too. Lots of detail and concrete examples. YES!

Then it was time for our Cafe Discussions. Basically...every table had a Manager from a Department that would speak on certain topics. Some were about soft skills, some were about career advancement, some were about Personal Learning Plans...basically everything related to career. All 4 that I had were really enlightened Managers, spoke the truth and had great information. I got a chance to ask many questions from each of them. Each one of these managers made some excellent points that I totally abide by at the workplace. And to me, this was really refreshing as I know that my ideas are not always widely shared with other employees at the workplace. It's ok that we have different opinions about these ideas. I agree to disagree.

So, lots of good tidbits from all the speakers and managers including:

* if you're wanting a pat on the back, maybe you shouldn't be looking at the public service. While working at the public service, you need to understand that joy and self satisfaction from your job are more important than someone giving you kudos. - AMEN! Don't get me wrong, I feel that I do get kudos because I do work hard. But when I do a project well, I do not expect a kudos at all. It's my job. I actually like it. And I really do derive satisfaction from it. I don't need a manager telling me that I did great...yeesh...they've got enough to deal with. I know this is rough for some people to hear...but it's the truth.

* it's a workplace. If a friendship develops, great. But first and foremost, it's a workplace. Get the work done. * don't go complaining to a manager...over and over and over again about the same thing. Go to the manager with the issue and some type of solution or some way of mitigating those types of conflicts. Nothing irks a manager more than you going into the office to complain about someone else with no solution. I'm not saying that people's complaints aren't valid...but you can't keep going on and on and on over the same complaints but have nothing to add to the solution. Managers want to hear the issues so that they can correct problems...but please, let's be constructive about it. I kept hearing this over and over again.

* know the style of the person you're dealing with. And if you don't know, learn. Yeah...some folks don't switch up their style to work with others and it's a real shame. It just makes it so much easier to work with others if you can switch it up.

* have a good attitude. (Hallelujah!!!) Nothing sucks the energy of other people in the workplace more than a bad attitude. Yes, I agree that there's probably a story behind attitudes. But it goes back to the point of the workplace being a workplace. Debbie Downers are no fun. They are the only ones that can change their attitude. And yes, sometimes the attitude comes because of all the turmoil in the workplace. It's ok to be mad. It's ok to be downright pissed. But work through those issues and move on. Why continue with the attitude to hurt your own health and be the vortex of darkness around the office?

So lots learned. Glad I took the time to go. Hoping to meet up with some of the folks I met today at the next forum!

Eyes

I got my eyes checked not too long ago. Happy to know that my prescription hasn't changed much! Yeah! But I think I need to clean my contacts!

I went to the airport to pick up my dad from his latest trip. He was gone a month and finally was ok to come home. He went to go see his elementary school friends who still keep in touch with my dad. I love that my dad is going back to see his buddies. But when I went to go pick him up at the airport...I kept waving to the wrong people. Basically, I thought they were my dad. They had the same type of walk, similar hair cut and about the same amount of luggage. I also waved to this one person and I really felt like an idiot.

Yep...waved to a woman who had a pink baseball cap on and had a sweatshirt that when you wore a hood, it would make you look like a bear. Like that Hello Kitty series where that damn cat wears a "costume" for every animal she wants to be...only to forget she's still a cat. I was thankful that the hooded woman was not my dad. We'd have to chat about his line of clothing. But I finally found my dad. And my girls came with me so they ran up to him and hugged him...lots of kisses too.  No need to mention to my dad about my eyes...and to all the people I waved to.