2008 - Survey Style

JANUARY
1. Who kissed you on New Years? I spent it with my family at an Ashram; we exchanged cheek kisses and hugs.
2. Did you have a New Year's Resolution this year? Nope. Never do.
3. Does it snow where you live? Yeah, tons. And last year we came within 40 cm of the record set in 1970/71 with a total of 414 cm. (the city spent 18.5 MILLION on snow removal alone)

4. Do you like hot chocolate? Yep, sure do! Especially candy-cane hot chocolate from Timmies!
5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop? Not in person.

FEBRUARY
1. Who was your Valentine? Tarzan ;-) and Shawn.
2. When you were little did you buy Valentine's for the whole class? Of course. I honestly think they should ban that in grades five and up.
3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not? I can never remember which one means a long or short winter.
4. What did you receive for valentine's day? From Keith, I got the pleasure of his company; Shawn I received a keychain fairy pendant, celtic weave ring and a diamond necklace.

MARCH
1. Are you Irish? My mom's side of the family is and its the culture I most identify with.
2. Do you like corned beef and cabbage? Corned beef, sure; cabbage, not so much.
3 What did you do for St Patrick's Day? I can't remember. I never really celebrate it.
4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over? What do you mean, pretty much? We got 116.0 cm (3.8ft) of snow in that month alone!

APRIL
1. Do you like the rain? Yeah, most of the time, because before it rains it 'builds up' for a few days and it gets pretty unbearable.
2. Did you play an April fool's joke on anyone this year? Yep, my mother. I told her Keith and I were engaged. HA!
3. Do you get tons of candy for Easter? No, but I seem to remember a big jar of jellybellys!
4. Did you celebrate 4/20? Um. That would be a negative.

MAY
1. What is your favorite flower? Yellow roses and lilacs, but I like almost all types of flowers!
2. Do you celebrate May 16th? What the hell happens on May 16th?!
3. Is May anything special to you? It's the month my life kinda took a hard speedbump this year, so yes (but not really in a good way).


JUNE
1. What year did/will you graduate from high school? I passed my GED in 2006.
2. Did you do anything fun during this month? Not really. I was still dealing with the fallout from the school situation.
3. Have a favorite baseball team? I hate watching baseball; thats definitely a sport you play.


JULY
1. What did you do on the 1st of July? Moved in with Keith!!!
2. Did you go to the fireworks? No, unfortunately, not this year. I made Keith promise next year for sure.
3. Did you blast the A/C all day? I'm fairly certain the AC's went up in June and were never turned off until October.
4. Did you go on vacation? In July? No.

AUGUST
1. What was your favorite summer memory of '08? I think moving in with Keith takes that honour, even if it didn't happen in August.
2. Did you have a sunburn? Of course, I'm the fairest person alive.

3. Did you go to the pool a lot? Not once, and we have one in our apartment complex.

SEPTEMBER
1. Are you attending school? Yes, part-time this year.
2. Do you like fall better than summer? YES!!!
3. What happened this month? I got a job after three months of unemployment, I got back on track with my schooling, all that good stuff.


OCTOBER
1. What was your last Halloween costume? I think I was a Russian princess. Grade 7 (1999) was the last year I dressed up.
2 What is your favorite candy? Jellybellys, Gummies, stuff llike that.
3 What was your favorite thing(s)? Mmm, Keith. Yes. He counts.


NOVEMBER
1. Whose house do you go to for Thanksgiving? Umm Thanksgiving is in October, thank you very much. We went to mine.
2. What are you thankful for? Keith's unwavering support and the general feeling that, while it might be tough goings right now, at least we're both doing it together.
3. Do you love stuffing? LOVE IT!! Especially my MIL's. So good.


DECEMBER
1. Do you celebrate Christmas? I can take it or leave it, but this year I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed it. (First "real" Christmas with Keith and his family).
2. Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe? Not when it actually meant something!
3. What do you want this year? Peace, love and chicken gravy.
4. What do you love most about December? Um. When I'm inside. Also, candy-cane hot chocolate from Timmies!

channeling my inner monica

"So, sweetie, I re-organized the mail basket. See? That's all the stuff I threw out. And this is how it goes from now on - on the top there's delivery menus, then bills which are in the order that we're paying them, with the amount circled in red (they might be in ascending order of amount, but that was unintentional). And then there's that secured credit card letter thing I got, then all my OW stuff in order by month, then it's all your tax return reports for the last three years, your last school transcript, and some random letters that are important. AND ON THE SIDE, there's a package of your new cheques, then my paystubs, your paystubs, and then my old paystubs from Vangent plus my record of employment."

This is what the boy was bombarded with six seconds after walking in the door from work.

Oh yeah.

He puts up with alot sometimes.

snippet

Occasionally Keith likes to remark jokingly "I'd sleep with her again" when it comes to celebrities he finds attractive.

Tonight, after hearing the remark three times in about as many minutes, I remarked -
"Sweetie, if you don't stop saying that, I might not sleep with you again."

I'm happy to report he hasn't said it since.

home stretch.

So I ended up with an A in my course. I don't know what I got on my final exam, but I emailed the prof and hopefully he'll tell me.

After doing some thinking, I realized I probably won't be working Christmas Eve as work closes super early that day. So I just have to get through the next five shifts and then I'm off for three days.

I did most of my Christmas shopping yesterday - it was my only day off this week so I thought I would get a move on with it. I still need to get one gift for Keith and one gift for the dog, but it's going to have to wait until payday (Christmas Eve). We still need to get a gift for Keiths Mom, as well as their 'big gift' - we were thinking a set of Corelle dishes.

I think what I want the most for Christmas is a clean house, though, so time to get cracking on that. See ya!

Gabbery

Look! My blog is snowing! Isn't it cute?

Work yesterday was unreal. I switched my shift from 8-close to 11-4 with another co-worker, and at 2pm they asked me to stay until 8 anyways. I worked front cash from 11 to 2, back cash from 2-4 and then sandwiches until I left.
It was so nice to get home at 8pm, be able to have dinner and hang out for a bit over at the In-Laws and then chill out and shower at home and be all snuggled into bed and asleep by 11.

Grades come out on Thursday. Hopefully I can maintain my A but I'll be happy with a B or B+.

I still have all my Christmas shopping to do, but at least I know what I'm getting for Keith and the animals, and I don't really have to think about his parents because its from both of us (plus the way we divvied up buying gifts; he takes care of his parents, I take care of the animals).
Our next paycheque actually falls on Boxing Day, so instead they're giving us a cheque on the 23rd and we can cash it the 24th.

Guess who's going to be in Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve (which I will probably work until 11pm) at one in the morning, buying gifts? ;-)

Hm, that got interesting

• New layout! pretty! bright! LOVE. IT! (do you?)
• So I didn't end up taking the shift yesterday and I called in sick to work today, because at 2am or so I was sick to my stomach. Yeeah. Haven't done that in years.
• I think I'm done with eating Greek salads for awhile.
• Interesting side note: I've had a really bad string of luck lately with keeping my tongue studs (and balls) actually in my tongue. I think I've swallowed 3 (just the metal, I'm not even counting the balls) or so in the last week and a half. Last night one of the studs decided to make a re-appearance from my esophagus and stomach linings. Yeaah. Gross.
• Needless to say, that tongue stud is now somewhere in our sewage system. (But at least it's out of my body, right? RIGHT?)
• I heard of a great deal on World Junior Hockey tickets through my cousin (who's looking to sell his tickets due to dental surgery right after Christmas) on facebook today. All seventeen games (including medal rounds), two tickets to each game, for pretty decent seats. Still way too expensive for us to afford on our own, but I have a plan. Well, the beginnings of one. Maybe.
• Even though I'm seriously.miffed (seriously) that my boy Murphy wasn't invited to try-out. Damnit, people, he's leading all three leagues (OHL, Quebec, Western) with a unbelievable save percentange of .944% and is tied for second (again, IN ALL THREE LEAGUES) with his goals against average (1.96%) .

And the season is just BARELY halfway over.

• He's also the reining OHL goaltender of the year for last season, was was just named OHL Goaltender of the month for November AS WELL as being named Top CHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending November 2nd.
• This might be his last year in the OHL (he's 19 and was drafted to Carolina Hurricanes last year) and he's never played at the World Juniors before. Maybe I'm a bit biased (he makes it so easy), but it just seems a bit of a puzzler as to why he wasn't picked.
• Did I say "a bit of a puzzler"?
• I meant to say the decision "generally dumbfounded everybody of who's-who in OHL circles".
• Including (even though I don't belong to the elite 'who's-who' group) this girl-with-a-huge-crush big fan.

Huh. Sorry. That was... interesting. Didn't mean to go off on that tangent (and if you made it through all that, I'm impressed. Give yourself five stars), but SERIOUSLY. It's been bugging me all week that he didn't even get named to the camp for try-outs.

Okay. Enough of that already.

• ooh, look, SHINY SPARKLY GLITTERY THINGS!! OVER THERE!
• Yeah. This post is officially dead.

Update

Whew. My class is officially done. As of right now, with 30% of my mark missing, I have an 86.6%. I'm just waiting on the results from my exam that I finished about an hour ago.

Work called and wants me to work 5-close tomorrow, on my day off. Haven't decided whether or not to take it but I probably will IF they put me somewhere other than back cash. Because back cash makes me think longingly of strangling someone - anyone.
On the flip side, I LIKE my day(s) off and I LIKE seeing Keith play hockey and I LIKE spending more than fifteen minutes a day with him. Besides all that, my shift on Saturday is 8am-2pm, so that would mean I close on Friday (11:30) and then head back 8 hours later? Um. For an extra 50$ on my next cheque? Big. Fucking. Woop.

There's nothing else going on really. Oh, except that the entire transit system is on strike and EVERYBODY has an opinion about it. The streets look weird without the big red and white buses and traffic is horrendous - it took me an hour to go cross-town today when it usually takes half that - and businesses are already reporting a 40% drop in holiday sales over the last two days (the length of the strike so far).

There. Now there's nothing else going on.

Bah Humbug.

From Kelly. (I admit, I'm sort of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. I just. don't. get. it, nor do I even really like it.)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Neither. There's absolutely no point in us putting up a tree as Molly/Elvis would have it knocked down in about six seconds flat, and as well, we're spending Christmas over at the In-Laws, so yeah, no point. Eventually I would like a real tree though.
3. When do you put up the tree? Again, don't even own a tree.
4. When do you take the tree down? It stays down 365 days of the year.
5. Do you like eggnog? Ew. Gross. No. (Eggs? Drink? Gross.)
6. Favourite gift received as a child? Mittens, our cat...I think.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Keith, because everything he wants/needs is so freakin' expensive!
8. Do you have a nativity scene? I think I do, somewhere. Don't set it up though.
9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Neither.
10. Favourite Christmas Movie? How The Grinch Stole Christmas, I think.
11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Um. I haven't had to shop for gifts in about five years.
12. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Can't remember if I have.
13. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas? Candy?
14. Lights on the tree? Yeah, its necessary, duh.
15. Favourite Christmas song? Santa Baby by Madonna (i think??!).
16. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Up until this year I stayed home alone and celebrated with a bottle of some sort of liquor and sleeping. (One year I slept at the cubbyhole on Williams St. downtown and drank a bottle of vodka and took some pills, then fell asleep only to wake up later totally feeling the effects. I still say it was one of the better Christmasses).
17. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? You've got Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen (sing it with me now) Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blizten. But do you recall, the greatest reindeer of all? Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose (like a lightbulb!).
18. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star.
19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas day? When we were growing up, my Grandmother would send us pj's to wear on Christmas Day so we got to open those and one other gift on Xmas Eve. Don't know whats going to happen this year though.
20. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? That Christmas music starts playing 24/7 everywhere come December 1st.
21. Favourite ornament theme and colour? Lights.
22. Favourite for Christmas dinner? As long as there's stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy it's all good. You can keep your disgusting dry turkey.
23. What do you want for Christmas this year? A decent sized gift card from Chapters, my G2 test, pack/carton of name brand cigarettes, SLIPPERS (so tired of my feet being ice-blocks), and then Boston Legal, Friends, Gilmore Girls seasons on DVD.
24. Who is most likely to respond to this? No-one.
25. Who is least likely to respond to this? No-one.

There's no blood here.

I went to the doctors today to get some blood drawn - 6 vials of it. It was a fasting glucose test, among other things.

But it didn't really go as planned - she started fine, got a vial and a half of blood - and then .... my vein seized. Have you ever had this happen to you? It's so freaky! The needle is in but absolutely no blood is coming out. She rooted around for a bit - not gonna lie, that hurt, but nada, zip, nothing.

She gave me the option of trying the other arm or else my wrist/hand. After looking for a suitable vein for ten minutes, she finally conceeded defeat for the day. Told me to come back whenever I wanted and this time to be sure to drink lots of water just before the draw. So I have to go back early next week, fast again for 12 hours, and put up with having six vials of blood taken. Again. Grrr.

Anyway, in other news, every American should watch this. It's pretty neat:

I love this I love this I love this.

I also (bragging coming up) love the fact that I live in Canada, and that we legally support love, not gender. Ahh.

Weekend Trip (part I)

I'm sick. So I'm hopped up on lots of Sudafed, OJ and Halls, with Neocitran at night to help me sleep. I worked a short shift yesterday and I'm not sure if I can handle a full one tonight, but I'm hesitant about calling in sick. I have to make up my mind by 1 at the latest.

Anyway. Our trip up to Guelph was unreal. We got to the Greyhound bus terminal at 9:20 (for a bus that left at 9:30) only to be told that they were totally full and were not sending another bus 'just for two people'. The next bus left at 11:30, which would get us into Guelph at 7:35 - too late for our schedule.

So...cue the In-Laws to the rescue. We went home first to take out the dogs and try to find a solution to the now-useless non-refundable 100$ greyhound tickets (solution: travel vouchers worth the price of the tickets and valid up to one year, subject to us sending in the actual tickets).

You know what they did? They actually drove us to Oshawa, four hours away. I couldn't (still can't) believe they did that for us. We then took the GO-train from Oshawa-Toronto and then Toronto-Georgetown, where we waited half an hour and then transferred to a bus to Guelph. I was so worried about Peggy; we were supposed to meet for dinner at 5:15 at the latest and since our first two trains were only 4 minutes apart we had absolutely no time to call her (neither of us have cellphones). Once we got to Georgetown we called her house and left a message to meet us at the hotel and we would run to the game from there.

Thankfully it was just across the street so we only missed the first minute and a half of it. Peggy got us such FANTASTIC seats - only two rows away from the glass behind the goalie. We were literally, five feet or so away from the ice surface!! You can actually see us on TV when the Bulls scored in the second period, jumping out of our seats and cheering. One of the surprises I planned for Keith happened in the beginning of the third period- I submitted his name to be read out as a birthday announcement. (heehee).

After the game (which was AWESOME - the Bulls won with 13.9 seconds left in overtime) we went to dinner with Peggy and my second surprise was revealed; with help from Peggy I arranged for a Dairy Queen ice cream cake with the Bulls logo on it. They did a fantastic job!

It was getting pretty late at that point - 12:30 or so - and all of us were going on very little sleep from the night before, so we just said goodnight and goodbye. Peggy went home and Keith and I went back to the hotel and collapsed into bed.

Despite the stress of actually getting there, it was a fantastic day and I was so happy to see Peggy and spend some time with her. And it didn't hurt that the Bulls won (in SUCH a fantastic way) either!

NaBloPoMo: #30

I'm exhausted. I just finished travelling for five hours and then working a full shift and I come home and the fucking dog tore the entire living room apart, so of course it's up to me to clean it up and I'm so sick and tired of it always being me that has to that I feel like just having a self-indulgent pity-me cryfest right now.

NaBloPoMo: #29

I don't have time to go into detail about our trip up to Guelph, but I will (soon).

Now I have to go jump in the shower - we're going out for dinner and a movie, I think.

NaBloPoMo: #28

I dyed my hair tonight. Wanna see??!

I love it. I think I'll stick with this haircolour for awhile.

(please ignore my unusually fat lower lip. I'm developing two very nasty zits right there. (who gets zits right around their lip?!!! and they hurt. alot. ow.))

NaBloPoMo: #27

I'm SO incredibly pumped and excited and HAPPPPPY!!! right now.

I got the results back from my 2nd midterm for my course and I got (get ready for it):

99/100.

Yep, you read that right. 99%!! WOW!

I think that deserves a cookie.

Definitely.

NaBloPoMo: #26

Yay! Living room, kitchen, foyer and bathroom done! All that's left is a general tidy up (dishes, another vacuum, load of laundry, etc) and the bedroom. I need to be done by tomorrow afternoon/night so we're all ready to go on Friday. And I just need to get through tonights shift and tomorrows class, and we're really ready to go.

And SCORE! The In-Laws finally said they'd look after Molly the entire weekend and therefore she doesn't have to go to the doggy-jail. Woop!! I hate putting her in the kennel. HATE. IT.

And now, some entertainment, courtesy of Kamie.

1. Where did you meet? We met at Wendy's where we both worked.
2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met? Oooh, new guy!
3. Do you remember what he/she was wearing? hahahaha. A sexy (not really) Wendy's uniform.
4. Where was the first time you kissed this person? Four years later on his couch.
5. Where did you go for your first date? We didn't really 'date', persay. We would just go over to each others apartments and hang out for hours.
6. How long did you know this person before you became a couple? I met him four years before (in 2004), but lost touch with him until September of 2007 (he added me as a friend on Facebook.).
7. How did he/she ask you out? Not officially. We just sort of kept seeing each other until months went by.
8. Has this person ever proposed to you? Again. Not officially.
9. Do you and this person have kids together? I brought two fur-children into the relationship.
10. Have you ever broken the law with this person? Um. Yep. And that's all you need to know.
11. When was the first time you realized that you liked this person? We had good working-together chemistry as co-workers, but as for dating-wise, it was...um...can't remember!
12. Do you get along with his/her family? I love his parents. Haven't met any of his siblings (and their partners and children) yet as they all live on the other side of the country. I probably won't meet them until the wedding.
13. Do you trust this person? Implicitly.
14. Do you see her/him as your partner in your future? Yeah.
15. What is the best gift she/he gave you? He tells me I'm beautiful/hot/desirable/pretty every single day (sometimes more than once!).
16. What is one thing He/She does that gets on your nerves? Leaves the cupboard doors open. Arrrrgh! Oh. And he leaves the dishrag/scrubby brush IN the wash water when doing dishes. That's just icky.
17. Where do you see each other 15 years from now? Hopefully in professional careers, maybe raising a kid or two (or three), with two dogs and a 3-4 bedroom house with a big backyard.
18. What causes the most arguments? The dog, the (lack of) housework that gets done.
19. How long have you been together? 14 months last week!
20. Are you Married? Not yet!

NaBloPoMo : #25

What a busy day. Of course I pick the day of the first snowstorm of the season to do all my errands.

Got my career testing back; my top 10 occupations are
1: Paralegal
2: Librarian
3: Business Education Teacher
4: Banker
5: Credit Manager
6: Translator
7: Public Administrator
8: Administrative Assistant
9: Reporter
10: Social Science Teacher.

It's about what I expected.

My testing for the Revenue Canada job was awful in the fact that it took 4.5 hours to do about 45 minutes of questions. The government at its finest, ladies and gentlemen!

Now I'm home, a bit hungry and all I wanna do is crawl into bed and snuggle. I think I'll be off to do that shortly!

NaBloPoMo: #24

So far the plans for the weekend-getaway are coming along nicely; the hotel in Guelph is reserved, the kennel booked for Molly, our bus tickets up there are paid for. And we discovered its about half the price to take the GO bus from Guelph-Toronto than it is to take the Greyhound. Score!

We've decided to leave on the Saturday and go to Toronto for the day. We'll leave from there (early) on Sunday in order to get back for my shift at 4. It should be fun!

Now if I can get this house clean and a load of laundry done by Thursday night, it'll be perfect.

NaBloPoMo: #23

I really have nothing to say (qu'elle surprise!) but I have to make a post a day, so...

Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
Put 'em together and what have you got
bippity-boppity-boo

Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
It'll do magic believe it or not
bippity-boppity-boo

Salagadoola means mechicka booleroo
But the thingmabob that does the job is
bippity-boppity-boo

Salagadoola menchicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
Put 'em together and what have you got
bippity-boppity bippity-boppity bippity-boppity-boo!!!

PS: I smell like burgers. Yum.

PPS: Just realized its been 1 year exactly since Tammy left us so suddenly. RIP little one.

NaBloPoMo: #22

I just realized that the next week is going to fly by, work-wise.
I work the next three days, have Tuesday off, work Wednesday and then I'm off until Sunday.

Tuesday is a really busy day for me. I have 3 appointments; doctors, career testing, and then this testing for the Revenue Canada job (Revenue Canada is our tax centre, so I find it funny they're actually offering money rather than taking money).

I have to fit in a visit to the vet for Molly's annual vaccinations somewhere in the next few days. Keith nearly had an apoleptic fit when he found out the cost, so I have no idea what I'm going to do. I'm thinking of taking her anyways and then just dealing with the reaction. Sigh.

Yeah, its back to bed for me. Keith is working, but it's way too early for someone to be up on a Saturday.

NaBloPoMo: #21

I'm grumpy.

That's about it.

NaBloPoMo: #20

I got something in the mail today that made me very, very happy.

I applied for a position as a General Duties Clerk with Revenue Canada back in early October; today I got a letter stating that I meet the 'prequisite criteria required for the position'. I have to go in for testing next Tuesday.

(The salary is more than decent. Like, way more. Like, I could save for a wedding on it. Or send Keith back to school fulltime and support us both. Yeah. Way more.)

Here's hoping I get the job. It's gonna probably take awhile though.

Other things that are making me happy is also money related - I got a nice chunk of change in the form of a bursary today, and next week I somehow get a full OW cheque AND a full paycheque within a day of each other. That totally rocks, especially when you consider the following:
Keith's birthday is next Friday. He's going to be 30, so I wanna do something big. If he can get that day off, I think we're going to Guelph for a night. To watch the Bulls play. I'm hoping it works out, because, well, it would rock if it did. Really rock.

NaBloPoMo: #19

I love this quote from Dan Savage, on his syndicated sex advice column that comes out every Wednesday.
"(Oh, Canada: While we scream and yell about being the land of the free, you quietly live it."...

He goes on to say "I love how my boyfriend magically becomes my husband when we visit Canada, without anyone else's marriage being threatened. Here's hoping that one day soon the United States will recognize the legal marriages of all Canadian citizens, gay and straight.)"

NaBloPoMo: #18

note to self: only eat ice cream when you have 6 hours to do nothing but run back and forth to the bathroom, NOT before a shift at work.
Dumbass.

You know what grinds my gears? (fifty half points if you know where that's from)
When you go to watch something and its LABELED correctly, but someone screws up and puts on a different show instead. I taped what I thought Boston Legal last night, and its not, it was something called The Mentalist. It sucks even more when it happens to one of your favourite shows.

NaBloPoMo: #17

I'm trying to get some housework done before leaving for work.
I need to
:Finish picking up in the living room
:Vacumm said living room
:Get laundry from dryer and fold it
:Either do the dishes OR pick up the kitchen (OR both?)

I have just over 2 hours to get all that done so I better get crackin'.

(Seriously hate cleaning, so "procrastination" is the word of the day. It takes real focus/concentration for me to stick with it rather than take 57396 half hour breaks).

**Edited: Well, since Keith "fixed" the vacumm last night it still doesn't have any brushes in it so I can't exactly vacuumm...so Keith gets to do it when he gets home tonight (lucky man!)

NaBloPoMo: #16

my feet hurt my feet hurt my feet hurt OMFG my feet hurt.

That pretty much sums up my day.

NaBloPoMo: #15

I just got home from work and I have ten minutes to make my post for today.

Work is so....ugh. I'd forgotten what it's like to stand on your feet for 7.5 hours a day, to bend over a sink heated to 116 degrees and do dishes all night, to scrub and mop floors, to have someone squawking in your ear when they're ordering drive-thru.

If anything, it's the biggest motivation in the WORLD to finish college because doing that? The rest of my life? NO, THANK YOU.

and you know what i (selfishly) hate? Only seeing my beloved for half an hour a day, five days a week. Ugh.

Layout help PLEASE

Okay, I'm at my wit's end. I do NOT know how to make the background post colour stretch across the page.

Does anyone know how to do this? I just want the darker portion of the background to be stretched across the browser window and I wouldn't mind a little space between the archives and my posts.

*sigh*

NaBloPoMo: #13

Yesterday I had to go home early because my feet were cramping. Badly. I cried. I managed to hang on until 9pm (my shift ends at 11). But now I feel like a wimp because it was only my 3rd day of work and, uh, that doesn't really set a good precedent.

I have today and tomorrow off. Today isn't really a day off because I have class tonight, but tomorrow....ah, tomorrow is a true day off. We're going to a Bulls vs. 67's game! I'm REALLY looking forward to watching my Bulls; hopefully Murphy is between the pipes. The Bulls lead the Eastern Division by 2 points over Brampton.

And then I have to work both days of the weekend. Bah.

*Edited to add:
Class is apparently cancelled tonight, so I really DO have two full days off. YAY! This also means I can watch Greys and ER in "real time". WOOOOOT.

NaBloPoMo: #12

My dog drives me crazy, but then she does something like this....

And it kinda makes it all better.

Lest we forget.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.

Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

NaBloPoMo: #10

So Wal-Ma.rt called today. Finally.
I had to tell them about the change in my availability; they said it 'doesn't work for us'. Damnit.

Why couldn't they have called last week?

Bigger question: Why am I so bummed about this?

Well, I'm off to go buy some black sneakers (oh the class) and have lunch with my sweetie.

NOT looking forward to squeezing myself into a Wendy's uniform come 4pm.

NaBloPoMo: #9

Had a lazy Sunday. Watched some OHL hockey - Bulls vs. Brampton. Bah.

Keith is FINALLY watching some of the Big Brother 10 shows that have been saved on our PVR for months. Only 16 more to go!

That's about it. Looking forward to seeing what happens on The Amazing Race tonight.

NaBloPoMo: #8

In June 2006, one of my homeless acquaintances was stabbed to death in an pedestrian underpass. He was 21.

Yesterday, the man accused of killing him was found not-guilty of second-degree murder.

Words don't adequately explain how disappointed I am that the justice system failed for my friend. How does a case built on self-defense work when the person using it had absolutely NO defensive wounds? Catcus, on the other hand, had 11 wounds over his entire body, including one so forceful that the tip of the knife broke off in his leg and another slash across his neck. How is that, in any way, self-defense?

The man accused of killing him also had a very long criminal record (24 charges), one of which included a 2-year jail sentence in 1991 for stabbing an undercover Toronto police officer (the jury could only hear about 10 charges for some unexplained reason).

In total, he has been sentenced to more than 12 years in jail over the course of his lifetime (he is 37 years old). Since the homicide, Mr. Hankey has also been charged with carrying a concealed weapon, after officials at the Lindsay jail near Kawartha Lakes allegedly found a knife hidden in his rectum.

And now he's a free man. No house-arrest, no probation, no community service. He is free, and he is walking the streets of Ottawa. He flat-out murdered someone, and he is free.

This worries me beyond belief for the two other trials coming up for murdered friends - Tim Wojna, 24, was punched in the head following a brief altercation with a stranger on June 23th, 2006. Tammy Couture, 18, was stabbed in the chest after getting into a fight with another girl over a boy on November 23, 2007.

What kind of example does this set for them? Are those murders going to go unaccounted for as well?

NaBloPoMo: #7

Last night Keith mentioned putting me on his health benefits and insurance policy.

It's not a diamond ring, but it sure is damn close.

NaBloPoMo: #6.1

Went to the doctors today for a follow-up to my sleep study (which happened in JULY), and he wants me to do yet ANOTHER one, this time with the breathing mask. Ugh. So not sexy.

So that's happening January 25th, which is the first available opening they had. Backed up much?

He did say I wake myself enough times during the night for it to be a concern - I might be waking myself up because I can't/have stopped breath(ing), and as a result of this it means that while I might think I'm getting 7 hours of sleep, it's not exactly restful sleep.

At the end (for some unknown reason?) he checked my blood pressure, checked out my tonsils and heart and lungs and all that fun jazz. I think it's a automatic requirement of any doctors visit or something. Anyway, when he was checking out my throat/tonsils, he exclaimed "THATS THE BIGGEST PAIR OF TONSILS I'VE EVER SEEN!!!"

Jeez. Um, thanks, buddy.

I get out of the appointment and the cars broken down and the tow truck is coming shortly so all three of us (Keiths parents and I) have to take the bus home. UGGGH. I'm not going to lie; one of the biggest perks of dating Keith is the being driven everywhere by his parents. Is that bad? I don't really care; public transportation SUCKS. Really, really SUCKS. I took public transportation exclusively for five and a half years in this city, and I'm enjoying (IMMENSELY, might I add) the complete lack of it since April.

Hee, that reminds me. They asked if I had gotten my driver's manual yet to study for my learners permit - to my utter confusion, because the test is 125$ and Keith and I don't have any plans in very near (like within the next two months near) future for me to take it - but I quickly pointed out that someone paying for it is a perfectly acceptable Christmas gift. (I may or may not have told them the same thing when it comes to a carton of name brand cigarettes. I'm not confirming or denying anything). ANYWAY, the point of this story is that Keiths dad said he'd talk to Keith about getting it for me for Christmas. squeee....It's something I really want, but I'm not incredibly hopeful about getting it because Keith has this THING about giving "cash gifts". Pull-leaze.

For the record, "Make Me Sweat" by Basement Jaxx is a really cool song. Same with Pink's "So What" and Rhianna's "Disturbia" (which, don't judge me, just downloaded last week because I automatically hate anything by Rhianna. But I finally caved. Like I said, don't judge.)

NaBloPoMo: #6

Well, I got the job. Start 4pm Monday; its at Wendys. Yick. But its five full shifts a week and I get a little more than minimum wage (its 8.75$ here, and I'm getting 9.25$) because I have "experience". So that's good. Not so good; I'll be working completely opposite shifts from Keith. I start at four, and he gets home at that time. Major boos.

I left the oven on yesterday for HOURS. With something in it. At a temp of 400C. J.H.Christ, no wonder blondes are ridiculed. I was halfway to my interview and remembered. Thank goodness I did because I wasn't getting home until 4 (my interview was at 2, and I put the hashbrowns in at 11:30-12:00). I shudder to think what would have happened if I had forgotten completely. Reminds me I need to get a "In case of fire, please rescue our animals" decal.

There's nothing else really going on. I'm happy about getting a job, even though it's not ideal. Money is money at this point.

NaBloPoMo : #5

I have a job interview today, my left shoulder is really sore for some reason, and I MUST study for my 2nd midterm (which is tomorrow).

I think that's about it. It's so all beyond fascinating, I'm having trouble staying awake. Really.

NaBloPoMo : #4

Like I mentioned yesterday, I'm currently unemployed.

Enter the modern wonder of the PVR.

I fully admit, I'm fascinated by some of the shows on TLC. Like 17 kids....and counting!, courtesy of the Duggars. Have you guys heard of them? I'm fascinated. And totally creeped out. Like, I understand it's your perogative to have offspring and how many and what have you. But Jesus, isn't 17 (and one on the way) just a LITTLE overkill? Not to mention that all 17 kids' names start with the letter "J" and they belong to the "Quiverfull" movement so they're ultra-conservative and all that jazz.

I watched something titled Purity Balls yesterday too. Basically they tote it as a way for daughters/fathers to build a relationship, but, um. Ick. Pledging your viriginity to your father until you're married? And the program mentioned that the youngest girl in attendance was five years old. FIVE. What the HELL does a five year old know about sex to make an educated, informed decision on whether or not she wants to wait until marriage? The whole thing is just icky. ICKY ICKY ICKY.

NaBloPoMo : #3

Sigh. Yet another day filled with boredom. In case you haven't guessed, I'm off work. again.

To say it sucks is an understatement. Wednesday last week I asked if Keith had ever wanted to end things with me because I'm - and here I quote - a "deadweight". To his credit, he came over immediately to the couch where I was laying, put his arms around me and told me quite seriously that the thought had never, ever EVER entered his mind, that it was just a bump - just money, and we'll get over it. And then proceeded to kiss every inch of bare skin he could.

I love him. So, so much.

I hate feeling this way. Sometimes I just wish I could go back to OSAP, go back to school full-time, and bring in income that way. But most of all, I just wish I could land a permanent job already.

Sigh. Have I mentioned it sucks?

NaBloPoMo : #2

We watched BabyMama last night. HILARIOUS! Kind of predictable near the end but still enjoyable. I think who really stole the show though was the doorman, Oscar. He had alot of good lines, including the one: "You pay the bills and she has the baby. That's a baby's mama; ask any black man in Philadelphia." I nearly pissed myself I was laughing so hard.

Other than that, we haven't been up to much. Woke up with the cat's claw/paw in my lip, don't know exactly how that happened....and now Keith is making me my favourite breakfast, Sausage&Egg McMuffins. YUM!

NaBloPoMo : #1

I really have nothing to write about today. We spent nearly the entire day cleaning, and we're going over to the InLaw's later for some OHL hockey (Bulls vs. Owen Sound) and dinner.

I live a very fascinating life. yawn.

Actually, I was all worried earlier that I wouldn't be able to post because our Internetz was kuptuzed. How bad would that have been if I failed on posting the VERY FIRST DAY of NaBloPoMo? Exactly.

Back to cleaning.

Like I said, I live a fascinating life.

*Edited: Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: Last night I had a dream that Molly was dead and woke up with tears streaming down my face; and Keith had a dream that we were at our wedding and then, somehow, I turned him into a human-sized Egg&Sausage McMuffin....and ATE him. And I turned my mother into a blueberry - and my cousin threw her against a wall. Ha! Dream analysts would have a field day with his dream I suspect!

cuz I'm crazy

I've known about NaNoWriMo since the year before last, and discovered NaBloPoMo last year as it was going on. So this year, I'm joining in.

Who knows? It might get me out of this posting slump I'm in.

Let the challenge begin.

don't ask me why

This made me cry earlier. Don't ask me why; I can never understand why I cry at songs.

yay

Finally got my first midterm back from my course - 95%.

Yay. Now where's my chocolate chip cookie?

As If.

It's snowing.

And sticking.

Ugh.

Birthday Girl

Name: Molly

Nicknames: Mollster, Badness, Muffin, Psycho Puppy, Muppet, Monster.

Age: 1 years old

Breed: Mixed Black Lab
Likes: Fetch, belly rubs, snuggles, toys, laying on blankets or couch, cat chasing, her family, human food, treats.

Tricks/Commands: Shake paw, give five, sit, lay down, say "please", gentle, where's the ball?, drop it!.

Happy Birthday baby girl!

You've come a long way -

we love you so much!

Love, Mommy & Daddy.

Scene

"Babe. Can you call your mother and ask for half a cup of milk and some bread?"

"Just a second..."

{fifteen minutes later}

"Sweetie, 'just a second' means?"

"How do I know they're up?"

"Because, (duh), it's 1 in the AFTERNOON?"

"But they could still be asleep!"

"Dear. If you want breakfast, you will call your mother"

{Immediately heard the sound of numbers being dialed}

--Have I mentioned I love Saturdays?

My Other Half

Keith's answers to my half can be found here.
(His comments are in purple)

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS.
(Close, I do have my shows but you hog the TV)
2. You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
Whatever it came with, but if he could specifically request a dressing it would probably be honey mustard.
(yup that is it)
3. What’s one food he doesn’t like?
He doesn't eat butter, potatoes, salt and baloney.
(correct)
4. You go out to the bar. What does he order?
Coors Light.
(missed Rum&Coke but you're half right)
5. Where did he go to high school?
Trenton High.
(correct)
6. What size shoe does he wear?
Usually size 11.
(more closer to 10 1/2)
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Probably video games.
(I have a collection of hockey cards)
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
I'm thinking either ham or tuna, but I really have no idea. It's not like he's super picky!
(it's actually ham and swiss chess with honey mustard)
9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
Seafood. Lots and lots of seafood.
(and I would just get sick of it - I don't really like to eat the same thing twice)
10. What is his favorite cereal?
Honey Nut Cheerios.
(ohhh so close the circle was right but its Fruit Loops)
11. What would he never wear?
A shirt when he's lazing around the house.
(lol i think a dress would be more of a choice here)
12. What is his favorite sports team?
For OHL, its Belleville Bulls. NHL, its Boston Bruins. For baseball, BlueJays. NFL....no idea.
(Right for the most part, in the NFL its Green bay packers)
13. Who is his best friend?
Me or his oldest brother.
(yeah you lol)
14. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do?
Probably sleep so much.
(you sleep too much? not at all....I wonder if I should go wake you up?)
15. How many states has he lived in?
Canada is provinces, and he's lived in two (Ontario and BC).
(correct)
16. What is his heritage?
Doesn't really know or care, I don't think. He's Canadian.
(Its Russian and Finnish as far as I was told)
17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
I wouldn't bake him a cake. I would get him one from the bakery (Black Forest) or else get him an Ice Cream Dairy Queen cake.
(you know my cakes babe)
18. Did he play sports in high school?
Yep, of course. He played football and ice hockey. He was actually offered a chance to play for Notre Dame football.
(Hun, it was Notre Dame hockey, and you missed one, I did Track and Field)
19. What could he spend hours doing?
Playing Everquest.
(Hmmm, I think you're right on that one!)

Back!

Back from Thanksgiving. Went well; got to see Peggy but not my sister. Oh well.

I figured out why I'm so pushy and inpatient for a ring - my 20 year old cousin has been dating her guy for less time than I've been dating Keith, and she's been engaged for months now. I wanted to be the next one in the family to be engaged, as selfish as that sounds. Amazing what brilliant flashes of insight you have when you have WAY too many drinks in you.

Fought with mom over my weight. As usual. She likened it to a missing arm - if I came home with a 'bloody stump' then of course she would say something about it. I pointed out that it's been nearly in every single conversation over the last 11 years - you'd think after a few years of missing an arm you'd stop talking about it, right?

Canada Elections are today. I honestly did "Einee-Meeni-Mynni-Mo" as to who to vote for - I just couldn't decide between two parties. My big 'thing' with this election is that, while I like the current guy representing our riding, who is Liberal, I didn't want to give that party the vote. Stephan Dion wants to implement a "carbon-tax" - more expensive gas?? no thank you!
There's other things as well I don't agree with, but thats the biggest thing.

I'm off to watch the results come in from Atlantic Canada. Polls closed seven minutes ago in Quebec, Ontario (here) and Manitoba, so those results should come in shortly. Because of the time zoning with BC (their polls don't close until 12:30 our time), we'll know in the morning who our new Prime Minister is.
Dion, Harper or (gasp?!) Layton? Will Elizabeth May gain enough seats to receive national campaign funding? Will Layton achieve his goal for Leader of the Opposition? And perhaps the biggest question of all - majority or minority?

Video

Thought I'd share just a this video before I take off for the weekend:

This cracks me up to no end. I LOVE Family Guy.

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Lazy

Interview went fine. They should get back to me by early next week for a 2nd one. My old manager from Wendy's works there now, oddly enough. I can't decide if him looking at my application would be a good thing or not.

I should be packing right now, but I really don't want to. I also should be cleaning my ass off, but, again, I'm just so over it. Keith's Mom is going to be over here practically 24/7 taking care of the furchildren, so if she gets bored she's MORE than welcome to bust out the cleaning rags! I already know she's bringing over the steam cleaner and I've told her that if she can get rid of the stains on the carpet, I will so totally get down and kiss her feet in gratitude.

Just waiting for Keith to get back from his bank appointment and running a few errands. I got off early again today (qu'elle surprise) at noon and was home by 1:30 and could.not.keep.my.eyes.open. so I went and slept. He woke me up briefly when he got home at 2:30, but I wasn't able to have a coherent conversation so he just let me snooze away. Is it silly to miss someone you live with and just saw (kindof, through sleep-crusted eyes) 2 hours ago? I feel like I've barely spent time with (or even really seen) him this week.

Time to have a smoke, check the baking cookies, and start packing, I guess. Although not necessarily in that order.

Ridiculous *edited

This is getting kind of ridiculous. So far I've worked a total of three and a half weeks at Vangent and I have yet to work a full week! Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the extra time this gves me to do everything I have to do, but, um, hello? I'm not even making enough to cover the cost of the gas it takes to get there in the morning! It's getting to the point where I can't NOT afford to get a second job.

So I'm calling Wal-Ma.rt back as soon as I finish this and asking if they've figured out an interview time yet. And on the way home I stopped in at the Wen.dy's and filled out an application (I figure that with my previous work experience there - 4 years should be enough to clear my employment record there, right? - the fact that its a franchised restaurant - and thus not bound by 'Head Company' hiring policies - PLUS the fact that I actually am available for full time hours that I'm a shoo-in. Or else I should be.)

If either of those don't pan out then I think I'm going to start earnestly looking for a second job. God that sucks, doesn't it?

*Edited to say: SUCCESS! I have a job interview tomorrow with Wal-Ma.rt at 3:30! Wish me luck!

Crazy busy

So far this week has been nothing but a hassle, and I REALLY hope it improves.

Yesterday I waited for the In-laws for 45 minutes before I called them, only to find out that, yep, the brakes finally went in the car and so I would have to take the bus home. Luckily I had change in my purse or else I would have been totally screwed. Got home at 5pm to discover that our internet was totally kaputzed, and it stayed that way all night.

I had to take the bus this morning to get to work. Which meant getting up at 4am instead of 5. Holy hell did that ever kill me. And it was COLD. And no Tim's to sustain me either! I actually fell asleep at work for awhile today, just couldn't keep my eyes open at ALL. I did the 'head-nod' thing for a good 10 minutes or so. So weird.

The Inlaws got a new car today and were about 2 hours late picking me up, which totally sucked, and then we hit traffic all the way to the grocery store, so I didn't get home until an hour ago. Thankfully Keith came home on the bus and was here to meet the Rogers guy, who fixed our Internetz and now my sense of peace is restored. (But holy crap do you guys ever write alot when I don't have Internet! Whats up with that?)

The new car is so so so nice compared to the old one. Except! Everything that was in the car? The laundry soap, our 'filing system', Keith's mom's little hanging trinkets, my textbook and notes? All squished when they impounded it. SQUISHED. I don't how how I'm going to afford to get another 60$ textbook anytime soon. *big big sigh*

But now the Inlaws can teach me how to drive!! I said that in the car on the way home and they laughed and remarked that they were waiting to see how long it would take me to say it - 15 minutes, if any of you are wondering. Oh, and Keith's dad referred to me as "Daughter-In-Law" at the checkout in front of everybody at Loblaws. Wowza.

I'm just counting down the days until Friday, holy. Good news: my little sis facebooked me and is up for possibly getting together when we're at home. YAY! Hopefully we can meet up when I'm at home. I have to squeeze in a visit with Peggy too somehow between my Aunts&Uncles 25th and actual Thanksgiving. 36 hours is just too short!

I've been so busy/tired lately that I don't even have time to watch any TV. (Can you IMAGINE?) Thankfully the ILs are taping all my shows for me over at their place, but still. Tonight Keith has a hockey game at 10, which means its another late night. Did I mention I've been up since four AM?

We have tons to do in the next three days: we have to clean this entire apartment, pack, maybe do some laundry, plus of course, work all day and go to the gym and take care of the dog (normal stuff), and on top of that we're going over for our twice-weekly dinner & watch the hockey game at the In-Laws tomorrow, then Thursday I have class (hopefully we find out our midterm mark! I really want to know!) all night, and then Friday, we leave. But we're also going to a Bulls vs 67s game that night before we leave. Oh, and the time our bus departs? 12:45 AM.

I'm starting to think that the secret to making it through this week is coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

Kay, update:

• called Wal-Ma.rt back and told them about the availability change and she said she'd call me back by early next week to schedule a night interview.
• I've made a committment to the Rogers people to pay my overdue account off by October 30th. I should be able to come up with 150$ to pay that off by then, right?
• I REALLY did not want to go to work today; slept really crappily and my neck is hella sore, so at lunch (10:30) I silently wished to myself that we'd somehow get sent home by next break (12:15). Guess when I got off work today?
• Called the credit card company. What a relief to get that sorted out - I got the card with a 1,000$ limit on it back in February, and maxed it out. They've forcibly taken two payments out of my bank account since then, but I haven't actually made a payment since I got it. So I updated my address information so I actually GET the monthly statements and I still owe 100$ that I said I would pay by the 17th of Oct. Whew!
• Finally (!) called welfare and told them I got a job; when she asked if I needed any money for work-related purposes (i.e. uniform purchase, shoes, etc) I was honest and said no. Well, sort of honest, actually - I did mention something about a bus pass (well, we all know I don't take the bus but I figure we could use all the gas money we can get! Right now we spend about 60$ a week in gas just to drive both Keith & I to work and back) and she said "Kay, done. I'll give you 100$ for 'transportation purposes'". Wowza!
• Girl who sits a computer away from me: YOU ARE A TWIT. Yes, yes you are. You know at what point in your freaking inane conversation with the guy next to you (who is so transparent with his longing to get into your pants, by the way, that it's practically oozing off him) that you were a total girl-twit? When you got ANGRY at him for not telling you your hair was "messed up". OMFG. We are not looking at your hair. It made me want to jab a soup spoon in my head and start digging. With force. Did you hear that? WITH FORCE.

Tattoo #3 (Part deux)

Back.

Holy crap. it hurt. so bad. Of course I was tense and shaky so that made it worse. If I remembered to relax it wasn't that bad, in fact it was actually kind of soothing when he was up near my ear. But holy crap. Everywhere else hurt. hurt hurt hurt. And having to keep your head practically sideways for half an hour isn't the greatest either.

Kelly, I swear, sometimes we're on the same wavelength. Although I did choose the pink based on the fact that it actually glows under black-light. Yeah. I thought that was wicked cool. So if I ever go bowling (or to a rave) with any of you, just look for the girl with the glowing tattoo behind her ear!

I have to go back in two weeks for a touch-up, and at the same time he's going to FINALLY touch-up the tattoo on my chest!! YAY!! I've only been badgering him for a year and a half to do it.

And he still wants to do a black and white 5x7 (or was it 4x6? can't remember) portrait of Marilyn Monroe's face on my shoulderblade for really cheap. I suggested doing it last year but I'm not sure if I want it because so far all my tattoos have been of the very small, very easily-covered-if-needed variety. 5x7 is HUGE for me.

Anyway. It's still covered and slightly bleeding right now, so sorry, no photo. Maybe within the next couple of days when it looks better.

Kay. I'm tired (day 2 of no napping after work! Yay! body's adjusting!), light-headed and have a medium headache, so this crazytrain is goin' right to bed. Night all.

When it rains, it pours

So I got a(nother) job offer - this one for part-time work. Funny enough, it was the only place I applied for in person; as a cashier for Wal-Ma.rt.

So now I'm debating whether to call the girl back and accept an interview. But my availability has changed since I put in my application, so even thinking about it might not turn out to be anything.

However, I've calculated that I'm available for 34 hours of the week, from 4:30-10pm Mon-Wed and all day on the weekends (which would ideally be 8 hour shifts). So that's more than enough hours to fulfill the part-time requirement, which is anywhere from 12 to 24 hours a week in Canada. Is it the same in other countries?

I'm not going to lie; it'll be really nice to have the extra (extra?) money, especially right now when we're trying to catch up on bills we've let slide over the last few months. And especially in the next few months because we have a few trips and things like Cirque and birthdays and ultimately, gifts to buy as we head into the holiday season. But I've half-decided in my head already that it turns out that I'm only working, say, 12 hours a week or so, then it's not worth it. But if they give me the upper end of the workable hours, then it will be.

Funny how that works.

*PS: going for my tattoo in a couple of hours. check back later for pictures and a full report.*

Tattoo #3

So I'm getting a tattoo this week, and paying for it on Friday. This makes tattoo number 3; I'm getting a nautical star behind my right ear. I'm expecting it to hurt really badly (not much fat behind your ear) but I don't want it anywhere else.

Gotta love friends who are willing to do the work now and take payment later!

Woot!

One thing I'm kinda wiffling on is - should I stick with the basic black and white, or should I do colour and white or colour and black? What do you think?

Hello, Cutie

Hi Murph.

Big fan here. One might go as far to say as I think you're, like, totally cute. 'N stuff. You know. Sure you're a little young for me (born in 89 and all) but age shouldn't stand in the way of true love lust now should it? Besides, you're like, totally smokin'. Except, not really, because smoking = ew, bad. And you're an OHL goaltender, so smoking? definitely out.

Good game last night against what should be my team, the Ottawa 67's. Except they're not, because they suck. And you, my dear, are so much better (and cuter. did I mention cuter?). You were a little rusty in the first two periods, but with 40 shots on net and only letting 3 in, I think that's a pretty good goal shot average, don't you? Of course you do, you little munchkin!

There were some pretty rude 6-year old boys sitting a few seats over from me, Mike, just hurling abuse at you. And I really wanted to defend your honour, Murph, but they were 6 year old boys. Something tells me that wouldn't be a fair fight. Just know that I really, really wanted to, okay? Yeah, anything for you, my little love muffin.

Kudos on getting the 1st star of the game. And some of those saves, WOOOeee, those were great!! When you make the hometeam applaud for your ability when they'd rather boo, you've achieved something. I felt pretty lonely in a crowd of 9800, cheering for you and your team, but my goodness, was it ever worth it. Thanks for pulling through for me!

One day I will ask for a picture;

Love, Sarah.

'she doesn't want me'

mom e-mailed me to say she's not sure i should come home for thanksgiving. i'm pretty upset.

i don't take rejection well. i especially don't take rejection well from someone who is (supposed) to love you unconditionally. from someone whom i seek approval in everything i do.

but this is mom; we've been fighting (again).

the question becomes, then, how tired i am of it. and if its really worth it. before; i would have told you of course it is, it always is.

now. i'm not so sure. i'm getting tired of waiting. waiting for it to be enough. for me to be enough. and i'm truly questioning if it will ever happen.

i need my mother to love me, to show that she does. not the person i was or could be, but me.

the first thing i said to keith in barely a whisper, after i read the email (tears starting to stream down my face) was 'she doesn't want me'.

and for me, it really does feel that way. for a child to think that of her mother should never happen. but it did, it does. these days, it seems like it always does.

Work Gems

For the record, the girl who trained me? Perfectly nice person. But she was also tactless in a way that was almost insulting, although I REALLY don't think she knew how she was coming across. Like, she would answer your question/help you out, but at the end add something that implied she was smarter, you were too slow/stupid to ever figure it out, stuff like that. (Or maybe I'm too overly sensitive and read too much into it?)

But case in point: At one point during my first day, I asked where the washroom was. She escorted me there - perfectly nice, right?
And then, she went as far as to point directly at the door.
Yes. Because I just beamed down from MARS and I don't know WHAT THE ONE IN THE DRESS MEANS.

Another case in point; after lunch (a half hour break) she came over and asked if I was okay with everything. Perfectly nice.
And then added "People forget everything after lunch".
Yes, because I have the attention span of a GNAT and forget everything within a half hour!!

Grrrr. All day long, little jabs like that. I really don't think she meant it the way it came across, but still. Can you say ANNOYING??!

I take my MP3 player to work, because do you realize how LOUD some 30 odd people are when they're typing away at speeds of 9000/kpm and up? REALLY, REALLY LOUD, in case you're wondering. And there's a group of people that talk. All. Day. Long. I don't know how they can type away and talk about WoW characters at the same time, but somehow, they manage to do it.
So of course, my MP3 player died today before first break (10am), because it runs off a battery. From now on, you can rest assured I will always, always ALWAYS carry an extra battery with me, because today was pretty torturous. I had to deal with a bunch of "P" forms (where all the info is already filled in, you just have to capture the signature) that I couldn't make out the signatures at ALL. One guy even signed his name in Chinese characters! Gaaah.

We're seriously thinking of getting a kennel for Molly so she doesn't destroy the house when we're gone. On Sunday she trashed the living room THREE times. That's just ridiculous! I'm so tired of picking up garbage from the floor. So the first 100$ or so we can spare is going towards that. I'm a bit worried, because you usually start puppies in kennels, not 1-year old dogs, but it's almost to the point where it HAS to be done. Does anyone have any tips on how to make it a smooth transition for her? She'd be in the kennel while we're at work, while we're sleeping, and when we're out of the house. :( She's going to hate me.

General Gabbery

Holy hell, does working full-time ever take it out of me. 6am is EARLY. Like, really really EARLY.

I survived my first half week but I'm kind of dreading doing it for five full days! Oh well. It's really mindless work - I sit at a computer all day and enter package delivery forms (tracker numbers, if its been delivered successfully or not, etc) for Canada Post. You apparently have to do almost 500 a day at 98% accuracy. Uh, slightly stressful? Would be putting it mildly.

After staring at a screen all day the last thing I kind of want to do is come home and be on the computer (Yeah Dad? I heard that "thump" from you falling off your chair in shock all the way over here), so I've been staying away. And I'm exhausted at the end of the day, so it hasn't been that hard. Something to work on is definitely our bedtime/falling asleep time (we try for 11:30ish and sometimes don't fall asleep until 12:30-1am).

I've also decided that Hello? Carpal Tunnel? Nice to meet you. I'd also like to get the feeling in my bum back, please. Who knew your ass could go numb if you sit on it for 7.5 hours a day?

The only thing I'm really struggling with is the breaks - and that's only because I'm a smoker. When you're used to lighting up whenever you want, going two and a half hours just waiting for your next one is a little hard. That being said, I've cut my smoking down dramatically - I now only smoke 4 or so throughout the entire workday. (Dad? STOP FALLING OFF YOUR CHAIR).


Now, in other news;
The Registrar's Office told me that I could not register at ALL for the course I wanted on Wednesday. So I check ACSIS on a whim on Thursday night. Guess what?! Turns out I AM registered, and I just missed my third class in a row. First midterm is next class. OH JOY. Hopefully the prof will let me have a weeks extension or something like that. Sigh.

This weekend is Keith & I's 1-year anniversary. I KNOW. Squeeee. We were going to go out for dinner tonight but K's mom had an anxiety attack and couldn't drive us. We're going tomorrow night though.

And, last but not least, congrats Michelle on finding out! That's what I voted for ;-)

last day of freedom

So I start tomorrow. At 6am.

Which is going to SUCK, considering Keith plays hockey tonight at 10pm, which means we don't get home to at least 11:30. And then I have to get up at 5:00am? Uh....I think some Tim Hortons (coffee) will DEFINITELY be in order tomorrow.

And then, Thursday night, I have my first class.

So I just got super busy all at once. I'm a bit worried about Molly; since I got her nearly a year ago, I've never left her alone for a full workday before. I've always had a student schedule or else been home all the time with her. She's not going to be a happy puppy for the first bit.

I get paid every week, which I hate, but Keith seems to be happy. I think he has a real fear of not having money on a weekly basis. But seriously? Unless I put some REALLY stringent rules for saving in place, my cheque is going to be gone before I know it. Blaaaah.

I'm going to enjoy my last afternoon as a free woman to the fullest. And that, for me, means I'm now going to go curl up in bed with my new book Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult and hope that I doze off!! hahahah

PS: Kamie, your questions are coming, probably by tonight.

Chills

This song gives me the chills everytime I hear it, and I don't even like Carrie usually. Sure it's a bit cheesy, but you can't argue with goosebumps. (Seriously, you can't. They tend not to answer back, and then you just look silly, arguing with your skin).

Unfortunately, the embeddings been disabled by request, so all I can do is post a link - Just A Dream.

If you have a spare 3 minutes today, check it out :)

Not allowed to quit.

So it looks like I'm going back to school this semester (neveryoumind that the semester started 2 weeks ago!).

Just one course, though, to kind of get me back into the administrative's "Good Books". I still have to find a full-time job to live off of; my mother is covering the cost of my course. If I do well this semester, the option to go back full-time in January is on the table (assuming, of course, financials work out).

So that's a good thing. Even if its just one credit, it's one credit closer to the goal of graduating, and (way!) sooner than I thought I could start working on it again.

Even though my mother can be batshit insane, there's something to be said for her not allowing me to quit.

fridayfive #11

it's time for the fridayfive!

Who lets you have your way more than you should?
Oh, definitely Keith. He's remarked on more than one occasion that going food shopping with me is like going with a little kid.

According to the cliche, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but what’s the way to yours?
Through my stomach ;-). lol. Um. Really? I don't know.

What’s something that should have been put away but hasn’t been?
The Heinz Ketchup bottle SHOULD be in the fridge but instead its sitting beside me on my printer.

When did you last weigh yourself?
Last night at the gym. AND NO, WE ARE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT.

What do the cops in the donut shop say?
"Oink Oink?"

Found

Oh doooood, this is an REALLY old draft that I just found by going through my entries page. This was originally supposed to be posted on January 27th!

The tradition continues - these questions were asked of me from pidge.

1. When dating, what has to happen before you can open up to someone?
Um, well, they have to confess their undying love and devotion and put a huge sparkly ring on the fourth finger of my left hand before I....oh wait, thats not right...um. Basically I have to get to know the person.

2. What is the worst memory you have?
Being left alone when I was little little. Of course, my memory is hazy, but I think I remember being in my bedroom watching them drive away. For some reason, I also remember it was sunny that day.
But thats absurd. I was like 4 years old, there must have been SOMEBODY in the house with me.

3. What is the best memory you have?
I have a few, and it's impossible to pick just ONE. But I think...
It was summer, the summer I spent urban camping and tripping out every night with Shawn, the first summer with him. I was partially living at the Y, partially living wherever that nights trip would take us. That night we had a 'floor meeting', so the plan was I would go and then meet Shawn at Major's Hill, and then start a night of tripping. That was the summer that everybody was doing it right along with us, so there was always huge groups of people to hang out with until the drugs took over and we followed where it wanted us to go.
When I arrived on the Hill, Shawn was leaping around ballet-style in the twilight in his white linen pants, and that snippet of memory is burned into my brain as being so ethereal, so carefree - uncaring who was watching, or what anyone thought - just doing what he felt like precisely in the moment.
That insignificant little scene captured the whole essence of that particular summer for me. We were truly free that summer, in a way that I never knew you could be.

4. What is the longest piece of text that you can recite off by heart?
Which is longer, the Canadian Anthem or the poem Flander's Field?

5. What is your favourite thing to do at 9:30 at night?
Usually we're eating dinner at that time or else watching TV or doing both at the same time.

1. Leave me a casual comment of no particular significance, like a lyric to your favorite song.
2. I will respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better.
3. Update your blog with the answers to these questions.
4. Include this explanation and offer to ask others in your own post.
5. When others respond with a desultory comment, you will ask them five questions.

Chatter

So I got the e-mail back on the "dream venue".....

aaaaannnnd.....

The actual amount to rent the space itself? TOTALLY WITHIN OUR BUDGET.

Freakin' out jussssst a little bit. JUST A LITTLE.

The catering services are separate, of course, and the venue deals with five, with their in-house one holding the liquor license (so I'm guessing that means two separate contracts if you decide to use one of the other ones). Oh, and I have to add: it's not just ONE of the spaces we want that's within budget, they ALL are (well, one is 125$ over, but COME ON).

Have I mentioned theknot being quite the handy dandy tool? Especially the budgeting sheet. You just type in your budget, the number of guests and then the number of attendants on each side, and it calculates what you can afford in each category.

In case you're wondering why I'm spending my time on theknot.com (even though I've got, according to their countdown, 1101 more days to go! Hee), I'm unemployed. And it gets boring around here. And when faced with doing yet another load of dishes or browsing pretty flowers and wedding dresses and invitations, I'd rather do the latter, thankyouverymuch.

But speaking of unemployment, I may not be unemployed for long. I got a call today that there might be a possibility of a job for data entry, provided I do the qualifying tests, yaddayaddayadda. Only thing(s) I hate about it is that it's an overnight job - 10pm to 6am - and it's in the West End of the city, which is a bit far. Oh well.

Heeheeheee. The guy from Monty Python is on TV singing how great it is to have an *ahem* boy part. He's funny!

Kay, that's enough chatter. I'm off to do the qualifying tests. Boom bada bing bada bing!

Naughty!

Oooh, I'm naughty.

Well, not really, but! stay with me here. A couple of nights ago I asked Keith if it would freak him out if I called/emailed our dream venue and asked for basic info, like their waiting list and basic cost. He made me wait an hour to "think about it" (I'm laughing as I type this).

But eventually he said yes, so I just e-mailed and asked. The naughty part is that I said I had "recently gotten engaged" (still giggling).

They'll get back to me in the next day or so. I'm really not holding my breath, I'm expecting it to be zillions and zillions of dollars and SO OUT of our budget it'll make me weep.

Molly puked up THREE (count them, THREE) peach pits today. Not that we feed her peaches, or stoned fruit at ALL, but she goes into the garbage and gets them. So fustrating, because of course I have to clean it up. GAAH. Stupid dog!

Can you tell I'm procrastinating on cleaning the living room? And bathroom? And foyer? And bedroom? Blaaah.

Also, gained 4 pounds in THREE days. HOW THE HELL DOES THAT HAPPEN?! You know what? At this point its easier to just give up and become a big fat blob with stubby little legs and I have to roll everywhere. SERIOUSLY.

Kay, I'm off to eat some apple pie. Because, you know, gotta start working on that big fat rolling blob thing.

Travelling.

Wooooeee.

Fall, for me, for ages, has meant lots of travelling. I don't go home for Christmas - for many reasons - but one of them is that I do not want to be stuck on a Greyhound bus while its iffy weather outside somewhere along the 10 hour trip to my mother's house (also, the cost? astronomical. geesh). So instead, I head home for the Thanksgiving weekend.

And this year Keith is coming with me. We've been able to split up the holidays with little fuss - Thanksgiving with my family, Christmas with his - although I did ask Keith's Mom as a courtesy if she would mind if I took him away for that weekend (I had to ask her anyways if she would be able to look after Molly for the four days we're away so we don't have to spend mucho dollar for the doggy jail).

Also, in November, we gather together at my Uncles house in Toronto to celebrate my Grandma's birthday, even though she died in early 2007. She would have been 91 this year.

After I received the invite, I immediately e-mailed back and asked if I could bring Keith. So, yep, he'll be meeting 75% of my immediate family at this gathering and there's been a couple talks about making it a proper weekend away with a hotel and such (the party is Saturday afternoon).

So I'm looking forward to the next couple of months. While I'm not too fond of a five hour (Toronto) to ten hour (Mom's) squishy ride on a Greyhound, I DO love getting away. And I love spending that time with Keith.

Wooooeee.

Election 2008 - Meet the Candidates

Our Prime Minster went to our head of state today - the Governor General - and asked her to officially dissolve Parliament.

Our election date is October 14th, a strategic move by the PM who may want a ballot ahead of the US election, which could put a Democrat in the White House and encourage Canadians to choose a more liberal government (our current government is Conservative).

Canada has five major parties, each with a leader elected by the party members. All five will be on the ballot come October 14th.

Bloc Quebecois:

Leader: Gilles Duceppe

Conservative Party of Canada:

Leader: Stephan Harper (current Prime Minister)

Liberal Party of Canada

Leader: Stephane Dion

New Democratic Party of Canada

Leader: Jack Layton

Green Party of Canada

Leader: Elizabeth May

Who could have known?

Lately I've been thinking alot of how my life is turning out, and how every single aspect of it is totally unexpected. And so far I've avoided talking about what exactly brought me to this point, because most of you know it already, and because it's rather unpleasant. But. I'm driving myself crazy by posting nothing but distractions the last few weeks.

Who knew I would leave home at 17, and move 8.5 hours away from any real support system? Who knew I would drop out of high school (ME, folks, ME, who thought University would be her big escape and had been dreaming about it since Grade 9?). And who the HELL would have thought I would develop addictions to certain street drugs? That's something you deal with every day, the flashbacks and cravings when you're stressed out, or feeling down about your life. It involves developing a whole new way of coping in nearly every aspect of your life, new social scene, new everything. Added to the whole thing is the stigma of even being an addict in the first place, and being able to talk about it anywhere else than stupid smoky AA/NA meetings. Which is not my scene. Definitely not.

Who knew I would fail out of college? And who could predict how much of a failure I feel like for doing so? While I'm going to go back (as soon as I get the tuition charge cleared off my record, I'll be taking a course part-time this fall), its still there. That feeling of total inadequacy. Who fails out of college these days? Who can't pull it together long enough to pass a few bloody courses and get a f*$king piece of paper?

And who knew I'd still be waiting for the day where what I'm doing is "good enough" for my Mother. I've come to the sad realization that that day may never happen, and actually most likely won't. There will always be something else that I'm not doing well enough for her, even if I weighed 130 pounds, pulled a 70K annual salary, lived in a half-million dollar house, drove a fancy car, was married with children, etc. I don't know what she could deem "not good enough" in that scenario, but trust me, she would. Undoubtably.
And while this saddens me beyond belief, and makes me at some times feel like cutting her out of my life completely, I love her. She is MY MOTHER, for crissakes. Even if she's toxic.
*sigh*. So many issues with her. So many, sometimes I drown in them.

And, biggest shocker of all (other than the college thing)? Finding 'the one' at such a young age. I mean, I always thought about it in the abstract sense, you know, finding someone when I was in my 30's. Faceless guy, faceless children. But now I wake up everyday and he's sleeping beside me. He's IT. And I daydream about whether our children will inherit his eyes, my sense of humor, his work-ethic, my hair colour.
And I worry that, while he's IT right now, will he still be my IT when I'm 40? My parents situation (separating after 30+ years of marriage) has taught me that you can never take your situation for granted. It's not that I worry that I'm making the wrong choice with him, though. Because the way I feel when I think about him and think about us, its a feeling that goes deep into my bones, a feeling of utter peace and comfort, a feeling I've never felt before in my life. And while I'm hesitant to use the tired old cliché of "you just know", its kind of like that. There's no words to describe it adequately.

But you can never predict what life is going to throw at you. What if we lose a child? What if we have a child with a severe disability? What if....? Will our marriage be stronger for it? Or will it crumble?
And the worst part of it is that its not as if you can know, for SURE, until it's happening to you. I think it would be foolish to issue a blanket statement of "oh of course, we'll be fine" because, really, HOW the hell can you know? You can't. You can't even BEGIN to imagine. Until it happens. And then .... what?