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Eighty-four. Eighty-four what you ask? Eighty-four posts !!! I wrote 82 of them this year... remember I started blogging in December of 2008. If you look back, I never promised or committed to blogging everyday - I said I'd try. And so I did, try that is. I follow a lot of other blogs out there and in the past couple of days the majority of them are focused on the year in review. So are the radio stations for that matter! I digress. I figure I should probably take this opportunity to reflect on the past year as well. Hmmmm...

I've been to three weddings this past year. I've traveled quite a bit although some places were just for a weekend wedding but it's still traveling! Speaking of traveling, what the hell is wrong with the world?! Why do people insist on screwing up traveling for everyone else in the world just so they can get their 15 minutes of fame??? I'm so tired of all that. Try some creativity in your life. Terrorist acts on planes have already been done. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. Get it?! Show me something that hasn't been done already and maybe then you'll get my attention...but now? You're just pissing me off.

This past year has been interesting...and a whirlwind too! Funny how it's a universal truth...time that is. Everyone I talk to says the same thing...as you get older time picks up speed. Why is that? Is it because we're hurrying up to be older when we're little and once that wish is granted there's no turning back?! Oh, how I would take that wish back in a heart beat!

Things I've learned in 2009

I realize I need to slow down and take everything in once in a while but not too often cuz then I'll miss something and I won't be able to catch up! Oh the dilemma.

I've learned that you can't change people, you can't even make them see or hear what they don't want to. Ignorance is bliss - it's not just a saying, it's actually true for some people.

I've realized that you have to be thankful for what you have now cuz you may not have it tomorrow. Not just thankful for stuff in your life but for the people in your life. There's nothing more important than your friends and family. They're the glue in life. They're what makes you want to get up in the morning. Love them with all your might.

I've learned that you have to prepare for the worst in life so you're not caught off guard if it happens. Be organized. Plan. Don't take anything for granted. Dot your i's and cross your t's.

I've learned it doesn't hurt to be happy for others. Not everyone has to do things your way for you to be happy for them. If it works for them, be happy.

I've learned to treat myself with respect. Mind, body and soul. Believe in yourself and you may be surprised at what you can accomplish.

Never underestimate what you're capable of - you only end up limiting your dreams.

I'm sure I could keep going but this blog is getting kinda long and I know what your attention spans are like...what were you saying?!

Another One Bites the Dust!

Another one down! Still standing! Gotta say I had my doubts about this one. Christmas that is! When I was little I loved Christmas...don't get me wrong, I still love Christmas but it's taken on a different tone since growing up. I used to look forward to all the decorations, all the gifts, the baking, Christmas morning, Christmas crackers at dinner...Christmas lights. The difference? One, I didn't have to work to enjoy all those things when I was little. I didn't do the baking, I didn't hang the lights or put up the tree, I didn't have to lug all the decorations up from the basement, I didn't have to make dinner...now Christmas seems to be a whole lot of work! Add to that family - you thought the Young and the Restless was drama...you haven't seen drama until you've seen my family at Christmas! Good God! This was an interesting year. Summing it all up, Bruce's dad drove to my parents' for dinner so that Bruce and I could partake in some libations! A little rye and coke here, some red win there - you get the picture!!! And that's how we survived the Big Christmas of 2009! Hoping your Christmas was just as merry!

Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner and I'm not ready. I think this is officially the latest I've ever been for Christmas. There's still so much left to do and I'm not even stressed about that - what's that all about?! My brother came home Tuesday and I still haven't talked to him, I haven't really done any shopping, haven't baked my Christmas cookies yet, no gingerbread house to be heard of, still need to grocery shop for my contribution to Christmas dinner, pirate gift exchange too?!! Darn that list is getting bigger and bigger! This year Mom and Dad are having us all over and Bruce's parents are invited as well...for a total of 11 people! I'm not driving...I think I'm gonna need some drinks to get through dinner this year! And my slippers...

Gotta love 'em!

So I braved the cold today to get some groceries and necessities at Costco. It was so cold today that our garage gave up the ghost half way up so Bruce had to push it the rest of the way. So while my car was warming up I shoveled around my car...gotta be productive! There were more people than I expected to be out today...people as stupid as me! Got my in-laws a toaster and some ink cartridges, picked up my dad some Almond Roca, my mom got a pair of slippers and, hey, hold on, I'm the one who braved the cold to get all this stuff...those are kinda nice slippers...hmmm, my size too...and in the cart they go!


Yup, Merry Christmas to me early!!! I love them! I ripped them out of the box when I finally got home and I've been in them ever since! I don't think I've ever been so happy with slippers! Tomorrow is my EDO (earned day off) and I see myself wearing those puppies ALL day, well that is if the garage doesn't open!!!

Cupcakes Anyone???

In case you haven't seen them yet...the only photos that were taken at my first ever craft sale! Had a ton of fun and will do it again next year!!!

"Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it." Anonymous

Nobody Said Life Was Fair

John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men. " A lot of the time, this is true. Nobody said life was fair - if you're lucky enough to land in a spot of authority you'll savour the rewards even if they aren't warranted. Sad that I'm reminded of that way too often.

Enough Already!

Ok, so I haven't blogged since September. So? Have you?! Seriously though, I'm not gonna try to make up excuses that I'm super busy (but I am) or that I've been away (but I was), I'm just gonna say that I didn't want to. Is that what you want to hear? Really?!

So what have I been up to then? Well, let's see. I registered in a leadership program through work. I'm gonna be honest here, I did it because I thought it would look good and it's what management would want to see...go through the maze, find the itty bits of cheese and get to the end. Well to my surprise I'm getting lots out of it but it's a flippin' ton of work! It's not like I'm not busy enough at work these days but then I have to go home, read my text book and do homework assignments. And it's not like you can get lazy about it either cuz it's way too easy to fall behind! I've also been putting in a lot of overtime at work trying to get the business plan perfect before it goes to the Minister, evenings, weekends...funny, I don't see anyone else from my area though...

I also started a photography course at Metro college. It's only for a month, three hours on Thursdays and whaddaya know? It's got homework too!

I'm sure you've all heard that I won't be doing the Legislative Assembly craft sale this year after all. They had apparently sent out information packages back in September. Well, when I realized I didn't know what to expect for Dec. 2nd and 3rd I called the office. They said that they hadn't heard from me and that's when they told me they sent packages out in September. Anyway to make a long story short, I asked if there were still tables available to which she said, "As of today? We have no tables." At first I was all disappointed but this weekend I baked up a batch of cupcakes for a girlfriend's daughter and I couldn't get myself organized and that was only for 24 cupcakes! Yikes...dodged a bullet when I think about it now!

Now it's time to think about the holidays...really??? I'm so not there yet but I guess time doesn't slow down just cuz you're not ready for stuff! Have to decide about parties, presents, when to have Christmas dinner and where. I'm just not feeling it yet. Maybe I should start rehearsing a little jingle for getting me into the Christmas spirit, "Mom made beans for dinner..." La la la...

Nothing Imparticular

I have no chosen topic for this blog but I noticed I haven't blogged since the 21st of September and people have started to comment. Who knew there were people out there who's excitement depends on me blogging!? Who knew?! Let's see...September - oh yeah, BLINK! And it's gone. What the heck?! It went so fast. And we're almost half way through October already. How do you slow this thing down...is there a pause button...slow mo maybe???

This past weekend was busy. Bruce and I threw a surprise 50th anniversary dinner party for his parents on Saturday at Lux downtown. It was nice, tasty and well let's just say we're enjoying some air miles!

Sunday we decided to take in an afternoon matinee. We saw "Couples Retreat" with Vince Vaughn...so glad we used a gift certificate. It's one of those movies that shows all the funny bits in the trailer and then there's nothing left when you sit through it. It wasn't very funny at all. But there was popcorn!

Monday my parents had us and Bruce's parents over for Thanksgiving dinner. You all know it's almost impossible having dinner with family without some alcohol of sorts. Wine was plentiful! My brother is in from Vancouver and he was in fine form...his form, so at least I knew what to expect. Bruce and I ended up cleaning up after dinner while our parents chatted about travelling and going through photos of the Clarkes recent trip to Spain and Ireland. My brother...well he disappeared somewhere upstairs so leftovers were packaged, dishes were put away and pots and pans were scrubbed. To end Thanksgiving, my pumpkin pie - that's right, pastry turkeys!

I will leave you with this...Every sixty seconds you spend angry, upset or mad, is a full minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Guest Chef - Day Two

Friday was my second day of being a guest chef with Century Grill. What a day it was! Busy right from the beginning. Chef had me making fruit skewers, I KNOW! Fruit skewers, who could have guessed that I would be doing that?! Talk about being a leader, if Chef Shufelt could convince me that I could make fruit skewers and that I'd want to make fruit skewers, well he's truly inspiring! And if I do say so myself, I looked pretty sharp making them!


I learned how to make and wrap spring rolls...not as easy as it sounds. But then again, my bed making skills always lacked a little. Bed making skills? What does that have to do with anything in the kitchen?! Let me tell you, wrapping a spring roll is very much like making your bed, the sheets need to be tight around the mattress and you need to make your corners precise and tight! I made beggars' purses with brie and mango chutney, chicken skewers, tuna cucumber crudities, and marinated striploin steaks! All before 5 pm. Then it was time to pack the truck and off to the event. The couple that hosted the event live in 10,000 square feet of fancy condo space on Saskatchewan Drive! You read right - 10,000 square feet! For the two of them! They owned the top two floors of the condo building. Two kitchens, enough said. We got there, set up, prepped the last of the food and started on the grill. I think Thursday was the funner day of the two as Friday night, there was a lot of standing around - think about it, you've already made everything and people are enjoying it, all you have to do is make sure when something gets low, you replenish it. Following is what was served Friday night, the efforts of a lot of preparation but also a lot of learning:

• Cheese board
• Vegetable platter
• Sundried tomato dip
• 5-onion dip
• Tuna cucumber crudities
• Beggars' purses
• Spring rolls
• Chicken skewers
• Potato salad
• Waldorf salad
• Century Grill salad
• Pasta Salad
• Heirloom Tomoto Salad
• Grilled Atlantic Salmon
• Grilled Striploin Steaks
• Fruit kebabs

I had such a fabulous time in those two days, it's almost indescribable. Worked hard but it was so satisfying. I got a glimpse into a world I don't think a lot of people ever get the opportunity to see. I witnessed a different kind of work ethic, one where people were proud of what they produced and one where those in charge wouldn't accept anything less than the best. If there was a mistake, you were called on it and told it was unacceptable and better not happen again, and you answered, "Yes, Chef" with full respect. There was a lot of respect in that kitchen. It was a tight group. It was refreshing to see. It almost made me reconsider my career...if only there wasn't that huge cut in pay! But sometimes money isn't everything!

Guest Chef

I'm back from day one of my fabulous birthday gift! I spent the day with Paul Shufelt, Corporate Chef of Century Hospitality Group, at the kitchen at Century Grill. It was a long day but I learned so much in that time! It was all prep work for tomorrow night when we're going to cater a party for 65-70 people - nobody famous I'm afraid but apparently their condo is on Saskatchewan Drive and it has a 360-degree view of the city! I start the day tomorrow at 2pm and will be done around 10:30 or so! Good God! But as I finished up today I was presented with my own Century Group black chef's jacket with my name embroidered on it! So fabulous...kinda swims on me but I'll get it altered eventually. What'd I do today? Chopped. Chopped a lot! Peppers, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, tomatoes, potatoes, grapes, apples, sundried tomatoes. Learned how to hard boil eggs, peel them and a quick way of 'chopping' them into a salad. I zested and juiced lemons. I made a lemon tarragon vinaigrette. We made a sundried tomato dip and an onion dip. I learned how to filet salmon and portion it out. Tomorrow we'll make the Century Salad, prepare a cheese board, a vegetable platter, fruit kebabs (yay! looking forward to that one!), marinate steaks, load the truck up and head on over to the event. Paul said he'll even have me grilling a little bit tomorrow! So cool! Didn't take any pictures today...too busy but perhaps tomorrow. So tired - have to sleep now! I'm sure I'll have more stories to share from day two!

Yikes!

So I'm driving home from boot camp yesterday, feeling really strong, nothing can touch me when all of a sudden this weird sound...something flapping, chirping, dunno what it is and then out of the corner of my eye I see this huge thing comin' for me!!! Remember, it's after boot camp so all my windows are open, anything could fly on in my car. It had to be the biggest grasshopper I've seen in my life! Ugly thing too! So I'm driving, whacking this thing away from me and praying I don't get in an accident. I'm thinking of a spot I can pull over to free it from my car when it settles down and sits on my passenger's door. It's calm, I don't have to stop if it sits still. So I decide to keep going. I get to a red light and think what do I have that would be long enough to reach this guy so I can scoot him out the window. My arm isn't even long enough to reach over and get him, not that I'd want to touch him anyway. There's nothing there. Hmmm, I wonder if there's anything in my glove compartment...I slowly inch towards it, trying not to startle Mr. Grasshopper and lo and behold, I have a Swiffer duster in there! One can't be too clean in their car! And never mind - it came in handy yesterday getting that little bugger outta my car. You should always be prepared...you never know when you're gonna have to use your Swiffer duster or where!

The World Needs More Bunnies

Yesterday I was driving to work when I spotted a rabbit making a mad dash here and there, trying to find safety from the oncoming cars - ok, there were only two cars and we were both going pretty slow, you know morning and all. But to this little rabbit, it was immediate danger, it was fighting for its life, scurrying this way and that way, checking over its shoulder, searching for the best place to seek shelter. And then all of a sudden, he stopped. He was on a grassy knoll, and he was still, his ears pulled back and he just stopped. It immediately hit me, that people should be more like rabbits...no, no, not in that regard - I mean there are a few people in my life that are trying to do so much, running here and there, always trying to keep up, racing off to the next thing but once in awhile it's best just to be still. For safety sake, for sanity's sake. Take a break, if you don't slow down and reassess, you may make a wrong move and get hit! Who knew a rabbit could be so insightful about life?!

Buns of Steel!

Survived the first week of boot camp!!! I know, what the hell was I thinking about joining a boot camp?! Buns of steel - that's what I was thinking about. And the fact that I wanna look really hot at the wedding we're going to at the end of October. Not to mention we're heading to Phoenix for a week right after that wedding and it's gonna be hot so I wanna feel comfortable wearing shorts and hold onto your hat...a bikini! If you aim for the moon and miss, you'll still land among the stars or something like that! I can already feel the difference a week of boot camp made. And I'm running now, well jogging, well fast walking...yeah, fast walking! Across the high level bridge nonetheless! No stopping. I'm proud of myself. When they said it happens rain or shine, they really mean it. There we were doing Russian twists in the rain and we paired up to do figure eights with our legs...I know hard to imagine what that's all about if you don't see it but trust me...it's work, hard work! Soon you'll be able to bounce a loonie off my butt...right now, we're at a dime.

Really Consider This...

"If you hate your job, you also hate half of the time you spend on this planet."

Got me thinking...do I hate my job? Hmmm...the work isn't the most exciting work in the world...do I finish a project and hope that I can do it again sometime soon? Uh, no. But I don't hate it. I think it's getting a little better than it was. There was a point I did hate my job but I truly believe it was the people and atmosphere that sucked the life right out of me. One of those people left not that long ago and I noticed my nails. Yes, you read right. I noticed my nails. What does one have to do with another? I was a nail biter who never had nails...I was always nibbling away. That aforementioned person left and a couple of weeks later I noticed I had nails! Boggling, I know! Anyway, lately I like my atmosphere, well, for the most part. I have really good friends at work and some I see outside of work and then the others I only see at work so I can't say I hate work cuz I have so many good people around me. Not everything at work is great...but I guess if everything was great there, I'd have nothing to bitch about in my blog...so I guess the not so great stuff has a purpose after all - it's material to ponder in a blog.

Boom!

There are times in our lives where we think we're on track, we've figured everything out and everything is copacetic. Then, BOOM!, we're reminded that we only thought that everything was copacetic. I'm learning lots about myself lately. I'm learning that I'm pretty laid back. I've learned that I'm quite patient. I learned that as long as I keep my humour about me, that I can get through some tense, perhaps awkward, situations. I'm learning that my style is changing...no, I'm not making a switch back to leg warmers, my style of coping has changed. I used to cringe and feel bad when I didn't nail something on the head the first time...I didn't take criticism well - it all felt very personal to me. I don't know what happens in life or when it happens but one day, you find yourself sitting across the desk from someone who is criticizing your work, in not so many words telling you that you totally missed the mark. It amuses me to realize that at one time, that would put me in a tailspin for a couple of days but now that I'm 37 (and I don't know if age really has anything to do with it at all), I can sit there with a smile on my face, listen to the criticism, listen to that person's belief that I just didn't get what I was told to do, and let them know that I'll go back to the drawing board and try my best, again. Boom! There you have it!

New Normal

There are times in my life when I find it easiest to avoid confrontation, to sit back and let things happen - if you get involved it could get messy. Today I think I took a step forward in life, started a new chapter...insert your own euphemism here. I was tired of being 'polite', I needed to share my thoughts and feelings and not feel like I'm second fiddle. Just occurred to me how many sayings we use in life...where do we pick them all up?! Anyway, today was a kind of graduation for me...an exhausting day but I think I'm better for it! Working towards a new normal...

Not So Creative!

Trying to come up with witty titles for my posts is becoming quite challenging! Trying to come up with stuff that people may find interesting to read is even more challenging so I'll just chat about what's going on in life. So, tonight, Bruce had a couple of clients coming over tonight for a consultation so instead of them having to listen to Neko yapping from some far off corner of our house, I decided to take him to the closest off leash park for some fun. It was a short visit as on our way there I could see the dark storm clouds closing in on us! See photo...

Luckily we had enough time for a few runs, some sniffing, a little barking and of course a photo!

And then the heavens opened up and wham!!! Neko and I sat in the car watching the rain and lightning and listening to the thunder...I like to think we were bonding but I think Neko was trying to get as close to me as possible so he'd be safe! That's ok, I'll take it!

It's my second week of management. Today I had day one of a Supervisory Essentials course and it finishes up tomorrow. Not a whole lot that I don't already know, they went through the collective agreement quite a bit and then they spent some time this afternoon on what to do to fill a position and working with HR on the hiring/interviewing process. Good things to know I guess. Most courses I go to seem to drag the day out and you're very tired at the end but this one is different. Time seemed to fly by cuz they had a really good mix of information, working in groups, getting up and working on flip charts, some games, really kept you engaged. I like that.

I could keep going but I'll save some things for more posts in the future!

Foot in the Door!

Due to the hiring freeze they had to cancel the competition, which means when the freeze is lifted they'll have to re-post the position and hold a new competition. But until then, I've been temporarily reclassed to management! They may decide not to even post the position once they see how well I work! In any event, I have my foot in the door!

Five Years

Bruce and I have been married five years as of July 3rd! Can you believe it's been that long?! The longest I had dated anyone, before Bruce of course, was six weeks. Weeks! I never understood how people could date for years let alone be married for decades - wouldn't they get bored of each other?! I can tell you that the time I've been with Bruce, a total of eight years now, has flown by! There's so much to Bruce, he's funny, he's interesting, he's intelligent and he can make me laugh like no other person can! Five years...wow!

Some times you come across things that make you stop and think. Earlier this year I found an inspirational blog that I follow that you should check out cuz I'm sure you'll end up following it too: http://www.marcandangel.com/. There was this one post that made me stop and think. It was a blog post about 50 things that will free your mind - because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer. I won't list all the questions here because you seriously should check the site out for yourself but I will list a few that really got me thinking:

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
Which is worse, failing or never trying?
If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?
If not now, then when?
If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
Are you making decisions for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

Perhaps those questions got me thinking because of where I am in life right now. I guess I'm in a crossroads in some sort of way. I'm at a time where I'm re-evaluating where I'm at. I know there are some things that I've always wanted to try or do but never have...the self doubt, the "That's something I'll do later" approach, whatever it is, is holding me back. When I came across those 50 questions, something in me clued in. Why aren't I doing these things? Why am I waiting for another time, what if another time never comes? So I made my first step...I called about getting a table at the Christmas craft sale in the Leg Pedway to sell my cupcakes. Why not? What's the worst that can happen? I fail? But I will have tried something that I've always wanted to and if I fail then I'll definately walk away with some lessons from the experience. But I won't fail. It'll be great...and you know what? I'm excited about it even not knowing if I'll fail or succeed. I like being excited!

Update on my Birthday

Thirty-seven!!! Wooo hooo!!! Made it...another hurdle I soared right over! What an awesome birthday it was! I giggle at all those people who question why I get so excited over my birthday and why I wouldn't take it off and just have a 'me' day. Everybody awes at how much attention I get, they think it's cuz I'm such a nice person and that everyone must love me! I giggle cuz they still haven't figured it out! If you remind people incessantly about your birthday, make a big deal about it yourself, everyone else will follow - it must be a big day otherwise why would there be so much hubbabaloo?!! I think I just made that word up! But I'm not gonna tell them all...I'm selfish, I'm gonna keep celebrating my special day and sucker you all in to do the same!!! By the way - thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Who wouldn't love celebrating their birthday when they have so many wonderful people in their life to make a big deal about little ol' me!?!

So let's begin! I came into work and Sally bought me a Tim's coffee and cinnamon for breakfast! Mmmmm...oh oops, that's not the first thing. Ticia dropped by the day before to give me my card since we wouldn't see each other on my birthday and she secretly stashed a Starbuck's card in it for me (already lowered the balance on that one!). Ok...now it's my birthday and Sally bought me a Tim's coffee and cinnamon bun for breakfast! She gave me a birthday card with a Michael's gift card secretly stowed away in it! Wooohoo...shopping spree at Michael's!!! I had singing voicemails, cards galore, Debbie gave me bright orange gerberas to brighten my day...oh hold on...I forgot to mention drinks on the patio at the Courtyard Mariott Hotel downtown with my lovely ladies! Margaritas and snacks in the sun...even a sunburn to remember it all by! Francis and Sally took me out for lunch to The Free Press downtown! Mmmm, they have the best homemade potato chips in the city! Back to the office for a little work and then who should pop by with a carrot cake with cream cheese icing made by his wonderful wife for little ol' me?!! Kevin! Yummmm!!! Bobbi Lynn and Ethan made a special trip in for my birthday...or was it for the cake? Hmmmm...does it matter now? Ha! Then a little more work and what? More cake?! The office celebrated with yet another birthday cake! Oh my! What a great day...and tell me - why would I use up a vacation day and miss all that?! I even got parcels in the mail! Some birthday goodies from Ireland and my lovely lady, Ryn, she spoiled me with cupcake paraphenalia! A cupcake wallet, cupcake mints and even cupcake lip balm! So cute! Bruce's aunt had mailed me a card with some lottery tickets in it, unfortunately I can't retire just yet! His sister sent a card from Spain with a little spending money! Woohoo.

Alright, now the big surprise of the day...not like that wasn't enough but now I have to share with you what Bruce has been hiding up his sleeve! When he got home from work he told me to be ready by 6:30 - not casual but no dressy, somewhere in between! Alright...intrigued. He took me to '100', the newest restaurant in the Delux chain. It's on the corner of Rice Howard Way across from the Westin Hotel. So cool - it didn't seem like an Edmonton restaurant. Very funky inside. The hostess sat us at our table and our waitress came by with some champagne, "a little something special to start the evening"!


We ordered an appetizer and our entrees. As we were taking it all in, this guy from the kitchen came out to tell us that the chef was preparing a "mise en bouche" or a pre-starter and that our chicken skewers would be pushed back. Well, special treatment I see. The executive chef, Paul Schufelt, came out himself to deliver this wonderful treat from the kitchen. It was Kobe beef with goat cheese and spinach in the middle on top of fingerling potatoes with a demi glaze on the side. So yummy! After we had indulged in the special dish that you can't even find on the menu, Paul came out with our porcupine chicken satays and explained how the dish was prepared. Soooo good. By the time we finished that dish we were both pretty happy but hold on, here comes Paul again, this time with my free range chicken and Bruce's AAA Tenderloin! Let me just tell you now, the two of us were there for just over three hours so it wasn't like we were horking down food! We put in a valiant effort to finish our meals, however we came up short. As we were taking it all in and revelling in all the fantastic flavours of the evening, Paul came down the stairs to tell us that dessert was on it's way, which we hadn't ordered, and that he'd like us to enjoy a chocolate martini in the mean time! We both had a martini glass drizzled with chocolate, a dollop of chocolate on the bottom of the glass in which they secured a small sprig of mint. Neither Bruce or I are big martini fans but somehow that chocolate martini grabbed our attention! Mmmmmm. Now that would've been a perfect finish to the most delicious meal we've ever had the privilege of eating but hold on...there's more! Paul came down with the dessert - a large square plate with 'Happy Birthday Sarah' drizzled in chocolate, two espresso cups with chocolate semi-freddo, two cinnamon churros with vanilla bean sauce and a chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing! Holy Doodle! As much as our stomachs were telling us not to, we tasted it all! So rich, so decadent and so not able to do it! We took our time and picked at it all, tasting all the sweetness it had to offer! Paul came back to check on us and I told him that I thought I made a kick ass cupcake but his was absolutely fantastic! He smiled and turned to Bruce and said, "Can I tell her now?! I'm so nervous!" WTF??? What is going on???? Paul told me that Bruce had arranged for he and I to work together for a couple of days on some catering jobs so that he could work with me and teach me some tricks and have some fun together! Me - working with an executive chef - ME!!! Bruce had told him about my short time at NAIT and that it wasn't for me at that time but that he can see I'm obviously still interested in it and wanted me to have the opportunity to see it from an executive chef's world! Isn't that totally awesome?!!! And then Bruce had to top it off with a chef's coat that I will have to get altered and my name embroidered on it! Best husband in the world and I'm so very happy that he's mine!

Day two of my birthday (yes it lasts for more than one day), Bruce's parents took us to the Cactus Club Cafe for dinner. Had the pistachio encrusted halibut with brown rice, asparagus and red curry sauce. Fabulous! Then we went back to their place for some dessert and what, more gifts??? Yup, got myself a new bottle of 'Beyond Paradise' perfume, some Estee Lauder gifts with purchase and some birthday cash! Wow! I seem to be cleaning up on this one!


Finally, day three of my birthday we me my parents at the southside Mikado for dinner! Yup, you got it! I think I've forgotten how to cook! Tonight should be interesting, we have no dinner plans, what to do? What to do? We ordered so many yummy dishes and ate our way through our tatami room! Dragon eyes, spinach gomae, edamame beans, karokke, sashimi, beef yakiniku, alaskan roll, oh my! And don't forget the Kirin beer! So full! Another fun birthday card with a little more spending money! Kathy and the boys gave me a cake pan, but not any ordinary cake pan, it makes six ice cream cone-like cakes! Very cute!



I hope I'm not forgetting to share anything...I know it's a lot to take in! Thanks for sticking it out with me! Now you all understand why my birthday is so special to me! You all make it that way! For some reason I've been truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life and I love you all. Thank you!!! Only 362 days till my 38th!!! Woohooo!

Why? Part 1

It's been awhile since I've blogged...I realize that...but why? There seems to be so much going on that I could be super busy, too busy to blog...but I'm not. Well, I am busy, but not too busy. Maybe I haven't blogged cuz my computer's been down, but it wasn't. Yeah, I don't know the reason for sure, it could be cuz I don't want to spend any time thinking and analyzing all the stupid stuff in a day. That's probably the best answer to why I haven't blogged so much lately. Let's see...I've been busy but what would be interesting to you? Ummm....

Well, I guess the 'biggest' news is that my manager moved on to another ministry! Wooohoo! But I don't want to waste my breath, or more accurately, blister my fingertips, by writing about her.

I've had a few orders for cakes and cupcakes in the last little while. I like how my baking makes people happy...you never see anyone frown when you give them a cupcake - there's always a great big smile. That makes me happy. I experimented with some icings and have a yummy chocolate one but Bruce's favourite, and I think mine now too, is a cream cheese icing! Next I'm gonna start experimenting with fondant icing...just a little something different.

Father's Day was yesterday. Had breakfast with my dad and dinner with Bruce's. You'd think dads would be tired from all the excitement and attention...but I'm tired! Why?

I have plenty more to chat about but I have run out of steam and need to put my weary head down to rest so that I may continue tomorrow...but this is a start! Zzzzz...

My Weekend

Some of you aren't coming around so regularly anymore - you know who you are so there needs to be some sort of update on some things that will concern you in the future. That's right, there's been some changes at work. They've hired a new girl to fill the maternity leave position. Apparently she starts on June 22nd but only comes in once a week for awhile??? Yeah, not too sure about that but I'm sure we'll get more details at the staff meeting this week! You know the staff meeting that was supposed to be held on the 1st! Oh, one more staffing change. The humming wonder has given her two weeks notice and her last day is June 22nd! Moving on to greener pastures, or just a different shitty one... but she's moving nonetheless. You would think that they'd have asked me to act in the position until someone is permanently hired. But just like with the maternity leave, nothing has been said about it, there's been no conversation around it...just turn your head and look away as if it doesn't exist! In any event...they've already posted the position and nobody mentioned it to me. Hmmm...WTF?!! Anyway, we'll wait to see what is said at the staff meeting.

I found the best store - my new favourite! The Wilton cake decorating store! You read right - cake decorating store! Good God! Bruce and I walked through the door at 1:38 on Saturday afternoon. It closes at 2 on the weekend! Yikes! We raced through the aisles, well more like I raced through the aisles. I at least wanted to see everything that they had in stock before we had to leave. It's like heaven on earth, so much fun! I'm sure I will go back over and over again! Wow!

We went to a movie and dinner with friends of ours on Saturday. We saw 'The Hangover' and I have to tell you it was the funniest movie ever! I laughed throughout the entire movie; actually Bruce said that I was slapping my knees and snorting a lot! Always a good sign that good times were had! Krista and I were crying we were laughing so hard! Definately not a movie for your parents though. Afterwards we went to the Cactus Club Cafe for dinner! My new favourite restaurant! I had the pan seared scallops over butternut squash ravioli - it was so good I didn't want it to end and Bruce had the pistachio crusted halibut over asparagus and white rice with a red curry sauce...tasted like candy! For dessert the four of us split the chocolate peanut butter bar as we were all pretty full but it sounded so good we couldn't resist! I'm glad we ordered just one as it's super duper rich but so sinful! The perfect ending to a perfect meal. We'll be back. Maybe in 11 days. You know what that is don't you?!!

Well it's after 10 o'clock my friends and this little nugget is tired. Until next time...

Sunday's Ramblings

The weirdest thought crossed my mind while listening to the radio last week. I wonder if all the logical sentences in the English language have been spoken already and we're all just repeating stuff that someone else has said in the past. I know, it's weird but remember my drive into work is a little monotonous - you have to find something to pass the time!

Let's talk about the weather we've had so far in the month of June! C'mon! Where the heck is summer?!! I am wearing socks, a long sleeved t-shirt, jeans and a hoodie - in the house! We refuse to turn on the furnace; it's a matter of principle! I tried warming up this afternoon by baking banana bread. I figured if I hung out around a 350-degree oven that I may feel cozy again! I'm so glad we spent money on flowers! I can see them fighting with all they've got! Which isn't a whole lot since they really haven't had a fighting chance this year! C'mon!

Bruce and I loaded up the Escape with lots of stuff we've been storing in our basement for the past six years and took it to the Big Bin Event held by the city. They take everything except hazardous materials (e.g., paint and chemicals) for free. All you have to do is, well bring your unwanted stuff to the set location - there was a list in the Examiner a couple months back - wait in line (it's open from 9-5 but we didn't get there until 11 and we waited about 25 minutes), back up to the next available trash bin and unload your stuff. They had people there helping you unload and it was super organized! There was an area for tvs, one for computer monitors, one for printers, a place for fridges, and one for electrical appliances. Whatever doesn't sort into those categories goes in a big bin. Once a bin is full, it's loaded onto a truck and hauled away. All for free! I think that's a fabulous idea. And I feel so much lighter getting that stuff out of the house!

I'm off to make some dinner and plan the menu for this week! Wish me luck!

Lesson Learned

I understand why gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins! Where food is routinely plentiful, it may be considered a sign of self-control to resist the temptation to over-indulge. Today, I did not have the self control to resist pizza, chocolate cake and ice cream! Disgusting, I know!!! I was gluttonous! No reason for it, I just kept going! Can I justify this? Let me try. If you keep depriving yourself of things you crave, you will eventually fall off the wagon and give in to temptation all the time. But I did indulged in front of friends, with some but just in front of others. How's that ok? Well, if I did this in private, hiding out in my pantry and throwing the evidence away before Bruce could see it then it would be truly gluttonous but I was weak in the company of friends. They witnessed it, some even chose to comment on it over and over and over!!! (That did a lot of good for my ego). In any event, they were party to my weakness. Yeah, it's not working, is it? Oh well, tomorrow's a new day.

What I Did This Weekend

My creativity meter seems to be on the low end these days...don't know what all that's about but I will trudge through and hopefully something inspirational will happen! Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but one can always hope!

So what happened this weekend? Saturday we slept in a little bit. Got up, made some French toast and lattes for breakfast. We went to AMA to renew our car registrations. I also got some passport photos taken as I have to renew my passport. Lovely picture...nothing like making everyone look like a criminal so we make it easy to get across borders! We also picked up some movie tickets to save a few dollars. We went to Costco and were in and out probably in ten minutes! I know! Unheard of, eh?! Then we went to Dollarama, Future Shop, XS Cargo, London Drugs and Sobey's. Whew. Got home, made a late lunch, ate burgers on the deck. Put up the pergola and then off to see Star Trek! It was awesome! I didn't have high expectations so that probably helped but I thought it was pretty darn good! I went to church this morning and stopped off at Cobb's Bakery (LOVE Cobb's!) to pick up some breakfast to bring to Mom and Dad's. They got hardwood flooring installed last week so I had to sneak a peek at the final product and of course Mom's garden too! So beautiful, the garden and the floors! I'm glad they did it for them and just not to sell the house - this way they can enjoy it themselves. It always seems you do some upgrades to increase your re-sale value and you don't get a chance to live the fruits of your labour.

My thought for the evening...where the hell does all this snot come from??? That's right! I'm fed up! I have had my cold for two weeks now and I'm still blowing my nose. It's not like I'm putting snot into my body to blow it out. I'm just curious about how my body can produce this much of the stuff and continuously to boot! Like I said before, my creativity meter is hovering just above the ground so that's as creative as I can get tonight - snot - that's it. Well if you weren't interested you would've stopped reading at the beginning of this paragraph. So that leaves me to believe you're just as interested in the subject as I am. I'm off to ponder the answer! Night!

Revamp

I'm back up and running (re-connected to the Internet) so I can blog till I drop or until my yawning gets out of control - it is 9:37 after all!

I'm gonna revamp something I said a while back. I believe I said I would try to blog every day. It's pretty obvious I haven't, which doesn't mean I can't but it does show how flippin' lazy I can be. With that said, I'm not going to promise to blog every day and I'm not even going to say I'll try to blog every day. That just opens up the door for major disappointments. So I apologize for ever saying that!

With all the good intentions I had at the beginning of this post, I realized I'm yawning and I forgot to blink. I think that's a sign that I should climb into bed and go to sleep, maybe it'll help cure me of my cold!

My Apologies!

It was pointed out by someone who is very observant and takes things so literally that in my last post I promised that I would continue my blog the next day. Well today is May 21st and my last blog was on May 11th - so obviously I broke my promise! My apologies, I won't be so stupid in the future as to promise something that I can't necessarily carry through on.

However, today is day two of being home sick with a nasty cold, full of snot and aches! So why not take advantage of this time to blog a little? There...better late than never.

I just read an article by this guy and it was about what he learned from his mother. At the end of the article, he asked, "What have you learned from your mother?" I thought, hmmm...that's a really good question and I think it's worthwhile to explore my past 37 years with my mom. So here goes:

1. Drink lots of fluid when you're sick.
2. Don't forget to take your vitamin C.
3. Good things come in small packages.
4. It doesn't matter if you're short - actually, it's better to be short because you can date tall and short boys!
5. Always clean from top down.
6. Be a good listener, you never know what you'll learn.
7. Pick your friends wisely...they'll help you get through life.
8. Always get out all ingredients for a recipe before you start to cook/bake.
9. Get a good night's sleep.
10. It doesn't matter what other people think of you.
11. Don't smoke, it's stupid.
12. Wash your hands.
13. When making a decision, write out your pros and cons.
14. Don't hit people.
15. Try stuff before you decide you don't like it.
16. Be kind.
17. It's ok to cry.
18. Don't be quick to judge.
19. Lattes are a good way to drink your milk.
20. Never second guess yourself. Your intuition is always right!

So as I sit home, still sick, I will drink a latte cuz it's not only a good way to drink my milk but it also counts as fluids, I'll take a nap, wash my hands and I won't second guess my decision to stay home today!

Hi Again!

It's so hard to get into a routine but it seems like no effort to break out of one! Funny how that works. I know I said I would try to blog every night...I know I said it helps me vent and work out the day's events and then I turn around and take a long vacation from it but somehow just stayed in the city. No, there's no excuse. We didn't go on an extended holiday to a location void of technology, no....there wasn't a tornado that swept through and whipped the roof off our house and left my laptop to the mercy of the elements. Nope. However, laziness and lack of attention did make an appearance in my life, actually they put up a fence around my laptop...yup, that's what happened. But yours truly KNOCKED DOWN that fence cuz nothing can hold me back from talking to you! It may have taken awhile but I got through! Whew...let's continue...

If I go all out and share everything that I've missed blogging about for the past week, then I'd surely overload you so I'll ease you back into it. Our house is completely painted now! It's like we moved into a show home that we toured a few months back...everything's so clean and new yet so familiar! I'm glad we did it. I admit I was very nervous coming home the first day and admittedly had some doubts but now that it's been five days, I can safely say it feels like home! We're taking our time deciding what goes back up and if things will be put in their same place as before or if they find a new resting ground. We're both a little hesitant to put holes in the wall to hang pictures but leaning a picture gives it a new dimension too. New dimensions are good!

I know you must almost be in overdrive now after having a few days off so I will pause here and we will continue tomorrow. I promise.

Just Things

If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.
- Abe Lincoln

I guess that means I must be looking for the bad in people cuz I keep seeing it all the time! Time to take Abe's advice me thinks!

Just to give you an idea of how dark the paint we chose is, there was one corner that remained untouched yesterday as it had to be patched cuz of a crack so I was able to snap a shot of it so you could see the contrast of colours! I'm still loving it, but I can't wait to get the furniture back in place and I need to clean! It feels so gritty everywhere.


So our next thing to do is get our carpets cleaned, get all that drywall dust out, not to mention some dog hair! I vacuumed yesterday since all the furniture had been moved and...ick!!! How the hell does a short-haired dog shed sooo much???

The rest of this week is just gonna fly! We're having a chest waxing at work tomorrow - not everyone just a guy from Information Services - and he approached us to do this! And of course Friday is the annual, "Take It All Off for Cancer" Head Shave/Hair Dye event! We're still tying up loose ends but it looks like it's gonna be great! Wish me luck!

Let Me Introduce Myself...

My subtle way of saying, "It's been a long time...too long!". I know, I know...I had these grandiose ideas of writing every day and using this outlet to vent steam from a hectic day, to sort out all the thoughts and ideas that swirl around in my head...so what have I been doing?! Yah, I got nothin' for ya. Well, there's stuff, but it doesn't really seem to be blog worthy.

However, when I walked in the house today, not only did my nostrils fill with the unmistakable fumes of paint but my eyes rejoiced with how our house has magically transformed into a home with just one coat of warmth! I was nervous coming home today. We're having our house painted today and tomorrow. They said three days but I think they'll be done tomorrow. So back to being nervous...we picked just one colour to paint our house - no feature wall, no fancy painting effects, just one colour and I thought it'd be too dark. Don't know why as we picked the colour from a show home we'd been in so we'd seen it on a big wall. But you know when it's your home, you just don't want to screw up! Anyway, it's weird, cuz it's quite a bit darker but it doesn't look dark! We're excited to get the furniture back in place and to re-decorate! We want to change it up a bit. We like projects!

My reflections on my blessings - I need to remember that I have a lot of wonderful people in my corner cheering me on! You have all helped me deal with the day-to-day stresses of work and life in general and without your support, I probably would be a flat splat on the bottom of someone's shoe right now but I'm not! Keeping my head up, my mouth shut and I'm hanging on tight!!!

Need a Break!

We're busily getting ourselves ready for a quick weekend trip to Banff for my friend's wedding! Having a dog is a really good 'trial' for having children. They are by no means as dependent as kids and they don't have half as much crap as babies do but let me tell you, I found myself hunting down his favourite toys scattered throughout the house and making sure I included some peanut butter biscuits in his care package to go to his grandparents! Whew! That took a lot of energy...can't imagine trying to do that with a baby!

Well, it seems winter has hit yet again! It's not only me but you can see it any person's face, everyone's sick and tired of winter! It's sucking the energy out of the city! I'm done with it. As far as I'm concerned it's spring and I'm gonna try hard to find that spring energy that's been itching to come out for about a month now! Wish me luck!

Need Practice

So I accidentally closed out of the Internet and lost everything that I had just typed before that unfortunate error (about three paragraphs)! Talk about needing to practice positive self talk. Sigh...

Highlights of the blog that will never come to be...there was talk about starting off my week by getting bitched out by the parking attendant, which led to me discovering that positive self talk should probably also include positive thoughts about others cuz one without the other seems retarded.

Now I'm just in a cranky mood cuz nothing's working right now. Sigh...
I'm thinking I should make an appointment to get my eyes checked as I've been getting a lot of headaches. Could it just be staring at a computer all day? Stress related? Eyes just getting old? Or is it something more serious? Could it be pressure in my head building to alarmingly high levels and I should thank God for every minute that my head doesn't explode? Probably. See what I mean about needing to practice? How is this at all positive? Oh I need a nap.

K...tomorrow I'll shoot for positive self talk and I'm gonna have a better Tuesday than a Monday.

When Did I Get Old???

This weekend Bruce and I took our nephews to the Telus Science Centre to see 'Art of the Brick', the Lego exhibit. It cost me $50 for admission!!! No wonder families are smaller these days; who can afford one?! That's the first sign I noticed that I was older - I never used to care how much things cost. We were getting ready to leave and Evan asked if we could grab a drink and I said sure but we'd get it from 7-Eleven cuz it'd be cheaper! My second sign or is that just being fiscally aware? Dunno.

This morning I went to church as usual. Mom and Dad are looking after the boys while their parents are on vacation so I sat with them. I found myself shooting 'mom' looks their way when they were starting to slouch and yawn. I noticed that my patience is very short around them. Maybe it's just because I don't see them everyday so I'm not used to them or maybe it's another sign I'm getting older. Damn, when did this happen?!

Update on my second last post. I tried my hand at sketching like I said I would. I'm a little rusty but if I keep at it I'm sure I'll start to remember how to do it. But with being old comes cynicism. I see everything wrong with every pencil stroke...I doubt everything I do on paper. It never used to be that way. I used to look at my stuff and think that I was a genius! Well, not quite but I never second guessed anything. It just seems like there's always somebody out there who's better at everything I try. Maybe this week's goal should be practicing positive self talk! Is that a lame goal for the week? Ok, how about this...I'll practice positive self talk and I'll aim to pack up another three boxes of stuff for when we get our house painted. That's a deal. But first I need a nap!

The Strangest Thing

This morning something weird happened, well nothing really happened but something struck me as weird. I was driving behind this great big old truck, don't really know what it was but it had a sticker on the back and it read, "If you can't see my mirrors, then I can't see you." I was thankful for that sticker as I couldn't see his side mirrors so I backed off a bit until I could. Why did I appreciate that so much? It goes waaaay back to when Bruce was side swiped during rush hour on a very busy street by a cube van. Obviously the other guy failed to do a shoulder check but because of that he totalled Bruce's car! Luckily Bruce wasn't hurt! It could have been really bad. So because of that I applaud the company who thought to put a sticker on the back of that truck.

I'm going to try not to use my blog to bitch about work, well at least to lessen the amount of times I bitch about work. Hell, maybe doing so will force me to just be more creative in my writing to disguise the fact that I'm bitching about work! Ha! See I can always find something positive in any situation. Kudos to me! I don't think that complaining about how people treat me there is going to help my ultimate goal of being a happier person, nor is complaining about how some people don't have to work to get perks or how people turn a blind eye for some who make grave errors but not for others. It's all just gonna get in the way of happiness. But did you notice - I still bitched but creatively! See?! I'm growing as a writer even when it's bitching about crap! Ha! I win...I'm still getting something out of a crappy work environment! Ok, I'm done bitching about it! Thanks for letting me vent.

I would like to always leave you on a positive note, so here goes...tomorrow is FRIDAY!!! It was a short week, but long enough. It's going to be in the double digits on the positive side of the thermometer this weekend and I think we're gonna go to 'Art of the Brick' - the Lego exhibit at the Telus Science Centre. I think this weekend has some kick ass potential! Have a good one!

Long Weekend Ends

So it's been a long weekend but...it's coming to an end. And how are we gonna end it??? With 10-20cm of snow! That's right, I started thinking about sandals too soon. It's all my fault. Sorry. But maybe this will brighten your day...



I made cupcakes for Easter dessert and I think they look pretty darn yummy! I'm probably my second biggest fan - my mom's my biggest fan but apparently that's in her job description! Anyway who can think of snow when there's something so springy to look at!!! Enjoy! Sorry, there weren't any leftovers - at least that I'm willing to share...

I'm playing with the idea of setting a weekly goal. Ok, that's a lie. I totally just made that up right now but now that I read it in print - I'm a freakin' genius! What a great idea! Great. Now what? I have to set a goal...and I think if you're reading this, you should jump on the bandwagon and set one for yourself too! You wanna share? Alright. For me - I'm going to blow the dust off my sketch book and see if I still know how to draw. That's right. I used to draw all the time! Don't know why I stopped but this week I'm gonna try my hand at it one more time and see where it takes me! Gotta go sharpen my pencils...

Further or Farther?

So what exactly is the difference between 'further' and 'farther'? Being a native-born English speaker you think I would know the answer to this question. Yeah, wrong again! I had to consult WikiAnswers for this one. And I'm glad I did cuz now I know the difference and I'm going to share it with all of you that care:

Further is used in conjuction with the word "more", meaning exactly that...more. Farther is a function of distance.

Examples:

I want to further my career. (That's just an example, it's not me saying that!)

How much farther do I need to run to get to the finish line?

The farther I travel down this road the further behind schedule I get.

So there's your lesson for today! Any more questions, just ask, I'd be more than happy to help!

Great Line

It's none of your business what other people think of you! Or something like that...I read it somewhere today and I can only remember that somebody named Stephen something or other wrote it. Exactly, why care what people think of me...it's none of my business. There's something very liberating in that statement, don't really know what it is but it's kind of reassuring somehow.

I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately as I pretty much have since the beginning of the year - that whole trying to be a better person and all! Sometimes I get so bogged down and frustrated, I forget what my goal this year is - to be happier. A very good friend of mine told me that I need to let things go, decide on being happy, don't let others bring me down. She's right. I have to keep vigil in my quest. Just because I get frustrated at work doesn't mean that work is bad, it's paying for my vacations, it's providing me with benefits, vacation, sick time, family time...friends. When it gets rough at work I need to switch my focus, focus on the good parts of the job, focus on those who keep me grounded and sane (as much as possible that is)!

I can't tell you this enough...this blog really helps me unwind at the end of the day. I'm so happy that I decided to try this out. Ha! Did you read that?! I'm happy!

Life Goes On...

So I didn't win a darn thing with my Mike & Lenny blog post. There was money and other cool prizes. There were only 9 or 10 entries but they randomly chose one and apparently the one they chose wasn't even a script as requested in the contest rules! Stupid contests. However, that non-profitable post was my 50th post since I started this project - not bad, eh?!

50 posts is kind of like a milestone in the blogging world...ha ha ha...listen to me - I have absolutely no idea what a milestone is in the blogging world but in my world it's a pretty significant number! So let me take this opportunity in my 51st post to reflect on what this activity has taught me. I have a lot to say. Sometimes you can tell what's gone on in my day, sometimes my entries are a little cryptic but that's what makes this all so interesting! Blogging helps me unwind from the day; it helps me reflect on what battles have been warring in my head, work through them by getting everything out and thinking about how whatever's happened in the day or whoever's happened in the day affects me and my well being or lack thereof! It's a healthy way of working through the stress.

Blogging has helped me open up to people in a way that I'm most comfortable - behind a shield. I know most of you won't agree with me on this next statement but it's so very true! I'm shy. Yup, shy! I would never tell a lot of what I've shared on this blog with you in person but somehow me writing it in one room by myself and you reading it without me seeing you read it lends a certain level of anonymity. Mind you...I'm not sharing everything - that wouldn't be at all interesting! I can't reveal all the mystery that surrounds me; that would just be crazy!

So on this 51st post, I thank all of you for sharing a curiously wierd interest in my life and adventures. Don't worry, this is not the end...life goes on!

Mike & Lenny

This is a blog entry to help out Grant MacEwan with the third episode of Mike & Lenny's adventures in business!

It's late at night, a lamp is dimly lit in the corner, the coffee table is strewn with coffee mugs and a Tim Horton's box of half-eaten doughnuts and Mike is in his pyjamas.

Mike: Lenny, I gotta get some sleep dude! I've got a final in the morning. (His eyes getting
heavy, he succumbs to the baby head he's been fighting and his head hits the coffee table).

Lenny: Dude! You've been pushing so hard to learn all that you can learn, (singing the next
words to the army commercial slogan) be all that you can be, find your future in the (awkwardly pausing cuz it doesn't fit the army tune) Grant MacEwan College. That's enough for tonight grasshopper, there's a sleepy dust delivery from the sandman waiting for you in the other room.

Lenny helps Mike up from the couch. Mike leans on Lenny as he walks him out of the living room. In the next scene we see Lenny lying on the couch reading Mike's business text book that's propped up on his beer belly and munching on one of the left over cream filled doughnuts.

Lenny's Inner Voice: (While he's reading, we see a daydream of him on a game show) Alex, I'd like Marketing for $500 please.

Mike (as Alex Tribec) Product, Place, Price, and Promotion.

Lenny: What are the four P's of Marketing?

Mike (as Alex Tribec): That is correct!

Lenny: 70's sitcoms for $1,000.

Mike (as Alex Tribec): Nanoo, nanoo.

Lenny: Mork and Mindy!

Mike (as Alex Tribec): I'm sorry, the answer needs to be formed as a question. That will cost you $1,000.

Lenny: Doh! (thinking to himself) I wish the category would have been organizational behaviour, I'da kicked butt on that one!

Lenny fades into a solid slumber on the couch. Sun slowly creeps in across the living room and we see Mike coming out of his room all showered and dressed with his laptop. He's looking for his textbook and spots it on the coffee table. As he reaches over for it, he sees Lenny, rather hears Lenny snoring so being the good friend that he is, he covers him with the Mexican throw and heads off for his final.

Later in the afternoon, we see Lenny sitting at the desk with his very own laptop and Mike enters the room through the front door.

Lenny: Mike! How'd it go, man?

Mike: Dude! I totally rocked that exam! We're talking A+, no, no, if there was such a thing we'd
be talking A plus plus!!! Man, I couldn't of done it without you, thanks man! Hey, watcha
doing? Is that a MacBook?!

Lenny: You bet it is, state of the art! Just got it this morning.

Mike: Uh, Lenny...what do you need a laptop for?

Lenny: I had this revelation dude! The big guy talked to me last night.

Mike: You talked to...God???

Lenny: Are you crazy? No! Alex Tribec! (Mike looks slightly confused).
He told me that I was wasting my time welding, waiting for something better to come
along. He reminded me about how much fun I've been having the past four months
helping you study. So I bought me self a super duper computer!

Mike: So what are you doing now?

Lenny: Registering for management studies. You were right, today's that day!

Mike: (excited) Really?!!

Lenny: I couldn't have done it without you man...and Grant MacEwan of course!

They do a goofy best friend handshake thing and bump bellies and the scene fades out.

~The End~

Life is too Short!

There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy!

Last Day in Boston

Today is our last day in Boston. Sad, but true. Bruce is just finishing up at his conference and then it's off to catch the train to New York! Wish us luck...we have way too much crap to lug along with us! How does luggage grow so much?! Anyway, we got up early to head to North Boston (Little Italy to tourists) for a latte and something sweet for breakfast! We ended up at Mike's Pastries, a little gem in North Boston! Bruce and I swear that Mafia were sitting right beside us - classic! We strolled back to Government Centre to catch the subway and stumbled across the Auschwitz memorial, which was beautiful and very intense. We also happened by a fresh market just across from Dirty Nelly's (an Irish pub). When Bruce attended his morning session I walked down Newbury Street as the sun was out and it was beautiful! Then I strolled down the street and happened upon a beautiful old church and took some pictures. I kept exploring and came across the Church of Science, not Scientology, as their faith is based on the Bible apparently. Who knew?! In any event, the building was spectucular - if only I had discovered it earlier I could have taken a free tour. Oh well, I have to save something for when we visit again! Right now I'm waiting for Bruce in the lobby so we can embark on our adventure to the train station! Next stop - NEW YORK!!!

More of Boston

So it's my fifth day in Boston and my first day completely on my own in Boston. Bruce's conference started today. We had breakfast together and then I hit the gym, which is the nicest hotel gym I have ever seen! I freshened up and then hopped on the 'T' heading to the Museum of Science. Unfortunately it would have been way more fun if I had someone to play with there. It's really geared towards kids and it's fantastic! But again, I was bored as there was nobody to share it with. So I hopped back on the 'T' and got off at Government Centre to visit Faneuil Market. Had a bite to eat and then decided I'd just go for a walk. I have to confess something very silly. I still don't know how to cross a street here...I mean legally. There's walk signs on at the same time going across the street both ways...people cross when the hand's flashing. I just go with people. I figure as long as I'm in the middle of the crowd I have a chance of surviving a car strike! Ha ha ha! Anyway, I stumbled across the Boston Common and then Commonwealth Avenue. I just kept walking and then all of a sudden I recognised a neighbourhood - I had walked all the way back to our hotel! We're off to dinner with my cousin and her husband tonight, Italian food on Newbury Street. It's finally warming up so I hope New York is more in Spring when we finally get there!

Boston

We made it! It took us most of the day Saturday to get here but we're here! We got to our hotel at about 7 pm and unpacked our suitcases and ventured out to find some dinner. We ended up eating at this little Thai restaurant and it was delicious! On our way bak we passed the Mandarin Oriental hotel and there was a Ferrari, a Rolls Royce and the poor man's car here is a Mercedes Benz! Absolutely nuts! Bruce wants to go to that restaurant/bar in the hotel. For what I don't know...he didn't bring nice enough shoes. Ha ha ha!

Tomorrow we're heading to Boston Common, Faneuil Hall, and the USS Constitution. Monday we're gonna head on over to Harvard and check it out. So much to see here and I found a fabulous mall attached to the hotel! I don't even have to go outside! Watch out! I knew we should've called VISA to tell them we'd be in Boston and New York...hope they don't freeze my credit card - I'm gonna need it!

Getting Ready

Well it's less than two days until we go to Boston! I finally started packing! I know there's nothing like the last minute...well that's in my world. Bruce's world is different. He literally waits until the last minute...he's not even home tonight. In his defense, he is very busy and has a lot on his plate. I wish I could pack for him but I don't know what he wants to bring. Sigh...

I picked up some US cash, emptied the garbages, packed Neko's stuff, did a load of dishes, a load of laundry, watered plants and vacuumed. There's nothing worse than coming home from a vacation to a dirty house, who wants to work after you finally reached a state of relaxed normal...is that a state?! In any event, we get in just after midnight on the 31st and we're both off to work the next day! By the time we pick up our bags, get through customs and make the drive back to the north end of the city, it'll be close to 2am! I usually get up at 5:45 to go to work...should be interesting!!!

Luck of the Irish

So wouldn't you know that yesterday was my lucky day...timing couldn't be more appropriate! I won second prize in the United Way prize board - $50 cash!!! Wooohooo! I've never won anything before, well not totally true...I've won coffee and donuts on Roll Up the Rim to Win (not this time around though, I think it was last year now). Anyway, I blew it all already! Yup, nothing like free money to help you kick start the economy. Ok...fifty bucks probably won't be that much of a kick but how about a nudge? A poke? No? Sigh. Well my hair is happy, I spent $40 on a haircut and the leftover went to coffees and Timbits for work. It was fun while it lasted!

I'm Gonna Pump You Up!

You better believe it! The Bowflex came today!!! Totally awesome! Bruce and I started putting it together at about 5:45 and now his dad and he are finishing it up (it's 8:15)! Not that we couldn't do it by ourselves as it's not all that hard but we were missing a couple of tools and since Bruce's dad is the handiest of handy men, a call was warranted for some help!

Once it's all put together, we'll need to sit down and watch the instructional video that came with it. This puts IKEA to shame! Not only did we get detailed instructions, all the bolts and nuts etc. were labelled, and we got a DVD to watch about it! I'm so pumped just thinking about it! The really nice thing about this is that I can come home from work, put whatever meat in the sink to thaw or put some veggies in the oven while I go upstairs to work out. I can even hear the oven timer from up there! I seriously think I'll be able to shave off some serious time in my schedule after work...and get cut doing it!!! Ok, ok, don't hold me to that last comment just in case I don't see those kind of results right away!

Something Out of My Norm

Bruce and I spent the weekend at NAIT attending a photography workshop with Jesh de Rox and Rob & Lauren. This isn't something I regularly do - attend photography sessions - it takes me out of my element and I tend to get very shy around people who are photographers because I don't want them to think I don't know anything or that I'm a spy! However, I got lots out of this weekend and it was nice not running around doing chores and really fun spending some quality time, sharing new and interesting information together!


Jesh de Rox not only has a kick-ass name but he is also a very talented and gifted artist! He spent the majority of his presentation talking about being authentic, practicing bravery, what genius means. I thought his lecture could cross many disciplines, it was not soley photography based. You could apply his ideas to almost any segment of your life. I found that refreshing that even though you came to a photography lecture, you walked away with some life lessons! You know I'm all about life lessons!

Rob & Lauren are also fabulous photographers and we have spent some time with them before at one of their 'chill sessions'. They focused more on the business side of photography and I found myself taking more notes on Sunday than Saturday. They were generous with their thoughts, tips and ideas. All in all, the weekend was a really good mix of thinking of who you are when you click that shutter and how your branding attracts the kind of clients that you want to work with! I also really enjoyed sharing Bruce's world a little more and am really happy that he invites me in to that world!

I Just Love a Deal

I am a savvy shopper! Yup, that's right...if there's a deal I'll find it...I'll track it down, I'll make something work for me! Just bought a Bowflex! Yup - watch out! I'm gonna get pumped! I figure I may as well put my Health and Wellness account to work for me...end of this fiscal year with the new one just around the corner and my ability to bridge my purchase, divide the remainder in half cuz I'm gonna share it with Bruce and we're gonna be a couple to be reckoned with! Oh that's not a threat - that there's a promise! Ha!

Oh and I found a hotel room in Banff for $70 when we go for a friend's wedding in April! There was 'stay at the Springs for over $300', a steal of a deal at Banff Delta for $170 but c'mon...I'm a professional! You know it...$70 for a room at Bumper's Inn with a queen size bed and a hair dryer in the bathroom! Wooohooo! This year's all about cutting back and saving money. I even bought a different type of margarine at Sobey's today because it was a dollar cheaper...I can spend that dollar on a chance to win the money board at work! That could turn into thousands! It's just like that trade-up game! What's tomorrow gonna bring?!

I Like Being an Adult

So I kinda had an a-ha moment this afternoon. I had to go to this meeting for my manager and an old manager of mine was there. An old manager that I didn't get along with...at all. Anyway, I didn't want to talk to her so, I didn't! Isn't that awesome?! Oh...the a-ha moment? Realizing that I'm an adult and if I don't want to talk to someone I don't have to! Kind of funny if you think about it though. That's kind of a childish thing to do...not talking to someone cuz you don't like them. I may have got reprimanded for that when Iwas little but now that I'm an adult...I can act like a kid! Hmmm...

It's Official

Yup, you read right. It's official. I am officially an adult! I paid my ticket. I went down to the courthouse this morning and met with a Justice of the Peace to discuss that pesky bus lane ticket I got a few weeks back. I'm gonna sound pretty snobby when I say this next thing but so be it - I was the best dressed one in line at traffic court! Ha ha ha! Some guy was talking about how he got a $175 ticket for walking home drunk. Can you believe it?! He told the cops that he shoulda just drove home, and the cop screamed, "You would've driven drunk?" And the guy said at least he could've avoided them. The Justice of the Peace knocked $58 off my ticket but the demerits stayed - damn! Apparently you have 14 demerits to lose on a license but the good news is if you do lose some, they're only lost for two years and then they're wiped out and you're good to go!

The best thing happened at work today - the power went out for almost an entire hour! I felt like I was eight again...it was like...recess! It wasn't dark or anything cuz it was daytime and there's lots of windows but the computers weren't working, the photocopiers didn't work, you couldn't get hot water but it wasn't even an hour so that didn't matter all that much. However, I did make sure people knew to ration their snacks and eased their minds by letting them know I could make a fire in a garbage can if need be! Always looking out for my neighbour!

Gotta run. The timer just went off and I have to get my lemon poppy seed loaf outta the oven so I can bring it to work to share with my friends! Night!

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”

- Buddha