Friends & Mates

Keyboard, I love your tribute to your wife. Your ideals and mine are similar. When my friends ask me what kind of man I want in my life, I describe him as follows:

Tall, handsome, loving, and kind. He would be a family-type man, not the kind who lives for the nightlife and drunken weekends. He would love kids and know how to be a good father. He would appreciate and accept me for who I am without trying to change me. He would know how to be an equal partner and to negotiate give and take. He would be my best friend, my confidant, as well as my lover. I want a man who can take my breath away and make me weak in the knees. He would be strong and more of the rugged-type. No muscle-bound pretty boy for me. I want someone who would love to spend a day just going for a drive, walking on the beach or the park, and just enjoying each other company no matter what we are doing.

I'm told that a man like this exists only in my mind and that I am too fussy. I don't agree. I believe that man is out there. I settled for less than I wanted before and was miserable. I think I have the right to be a little fussy. Wouldn't you agree?

Personalities

As we all know, there are many types of personalities. These are generally categorized as dominant/aggressive, assertive, passive, and submissive. Me, I am passive but can become assertive or submissive by times, rarely, but as needed. This was my Dad's personality too. My mother was, is, and always will be the dominant personality. As a child growing up, it was hard to watch my mother browbeat my Dad and have him take it, time and time again, occasionally snapping back at her. He deserved far better than that. My siblings all feel the same way. We all wonder why the heck they stayed together for so long. The only positive thing I took from their relationship was a sharing of responsibilities, a partnership, if you will. At least I knew how that part of life should look. My mother grew up under a tyrannical, abusive father. Her idea of love for her children consisted of ensuring they were clean, clothed and fed. Not one more thing. It was my father who made us laugh, cuddled us, and to at least show love, if he was unable to profess it to us beyond adolescence.

As a result of growing up that way, the children's lives were affected. The only son was made the favourite of the family, the one who get it all. After all, he would be the only one to carry on the family name. He learned that more passive side, to the point where his spouse spends like a champagne style on a beer budget. He continually takes or asks for the monetary love that is extended his way in order to get out the debt he continually builds as a result. Money is love, after all. (Yeah, right!)

The oldest and youngest daughters—one assertive, one aggressive—both of whom like men who are dominant, not particularly nice men, and push the good ones away for fear of being hurt. If they sabotage the relationship first, they don't have to deal with the pain. They know the dominant ones won't work out, so they have nothing to lose.

Then there is the middle daughter, passive by nature, and far too submissive. The one who felt she served a life sentence as a child and couldn't wait to break out. She did so by getting married very young to someone who was much like her mother, without even realizing it. It felt so familiar and she wanted out so bad she was blinded to reality. She then served another life sentence under a dominant (and not so nice) spouse. In turn, her children have those traits that she feared so much would show up. A son who can be far too assertive, and a daughter with a passive/submissive personality who has chosen a few wrong male companions as well. She failed to show her children what a healthy relationship should be and has a challenge ahead of her to help them to see clearly and appreciate others.

And so the cycle continues. Oh...but to have the chance to begin this life again. The changes that could be made to produce different results. However, that is not possible and so all these things become a part of who we are today. And I shall continue, until the day I die, apologizing to my children for not showing them how a healthy relationship should be. It was the one precious gift I have always wanted for myself and one I wanted to bring children into. I hope one day they can forgive me for not succeeding on that level.

Moods

Well, here it is the 25th of April already. Just 8 months until Christmas. Start your shopping early. Get ahead of the crowds!!! Christmas always puts me in a good mood.

Yesterday, Keyboard was feeling cranky. That's a mood I can't stand to feel. I absolutely hate being cranky, and very seldom am. Today, though, I can't quite put my finger on how I am feeling. I think it is a combination of a lot of things that just make me feel "out of sorts" today. I am tired. I can't wait to see the doctor on Friday to see what my sleep test results were. I strongly suspect sleep apnea for many reasons. I'm just tired of being tired. Even to sing today at church, I had to struggle to want to even be there. To put emotion and energy into the songs was a challenge, especially with a small (and somewhat deadened) crowd. I am also feeling a little down and lonely. It's such a nice day, I would have loved to go for a drive this afternoon in the country. I love the country. I feel so good when I am there, especially when the trees are leaved, the flowers are in bloom, and the cattle are grazing in the fields. I spent a lot of time on my grandparents' farm growing up and at cottages most of my life, so I think that is where my love of the country comes from. That would have lifted my mood, I am sure.

However, I shall get through this day, just like any other—relying on my faith to pull me through. This, too, shall pass.

April Snow Showers?

OK, OK. The April showers I can live with, but who the heck asked for this snow? I know it wasn't in my prayers last night!! Come to think of it, I fell asleep before I got to finish those prayers. Could I have subconsciously prayed for this stuff? Nah...couldn't have been me. Snow like this looks pretty in November and December as we prepare for Christmas (as long as we don't have to shovel it), but we don't need it in April.

My father, who was a farmer most of his life, always said that late spring snow was called "poor man's fertilizer." I'm not quite sure why, except that the grass usually starts coming up greener right after the snows. In any case, I don't like it. I want the weather to be a little warmer. Where is the sun?

Still Tired

It's Friday, and I am still tired. In fact, I am more tired today than I was in my last post. I also seem to have a cold that is going backward. After 5 days, it seems to be getting worse instead of better. That can't be good.

I'm soon heading to bed again. Now...where did I put that blasted teddy bear?

Sleep

Sleep is something I never seem to be able to get enough of. I am particularly tired this week while trying to fight off this cold. My sleep test results are in, and I am anxious to see what they say. I may have some degree of sleep apnea. I will soon know for sure. I just want to curl up and sleep for about 10 hours straight. A really nice deep sleep. What a treat that would be.

My children's great-grandmother passed away this afternoon. I guess the eternal sleep she now has will be superior to what she has had in the past number of years. She has been praying for death for the last couple years. Just yesterday she was laying in her hospital bed repeatedly reciting The Lord's Prayer. She finally gave up the ghost early this afternoon. May you rest in peace, Edna.

Is it bedtime yet? Where is my teddy bear?

My Day

Yeah!!! Spring has sprung today. I love it. Spring and fall are my favourite seasons, minus the blackflies. I don't like those little suckers. They like me too much. What a beautiful day!

Today has been full of all kinds of things so far. I started out with a good sleep and felt about 50% better when I got up then I did yesterday. Then I get a phone call from my daughter 5 minutes before going out the door. Yet another of her beloved pet rats died. This time it was a healthy one that died unexpectedly. Who knows why? So she was sad. She had only just lost one 2 days ago and has lost 7 now in the past 8 months. She sure is strong is some ways.

Then I got to work to have a great laugh from the blog at Sam's Place. Oh boy, MouseGuy. It looks like you got your tongue tangled around your eyeteeth and couldn't see what you were saying. A keyless keyboard. We all make mistakes. That's OK. Hmmm...I suppose that would be much like a touchpad though, but we know how fond of that sort of thing Keyboard is!!! NOT!!! That second language would flow like honey.

I've had a pretty productive day in all, but the sunshine and warm air that greeted me when I left the cube farm after being cold all day was the icing on the cake. I love it. I just might have to go for a little walk tonight. We'll see what the evening brings. Think I will be grilling outdoor tonight for the first time. Bring on the spring!!!!

Memories

Where is spring? It poked up its head and then retreated like a scared turtle again. It is so cold and damp out today. It feels even worse since I am sick. I just want to be cuddled and pampered and sleep. I WANT MY MOMMY!! Not really...I have no memories of her ever cuddling me. My dad did though. Perhaps that is why I find it easier to relate to men. It was always the father figure that was prominent in my life. Dad used to make me homemade eggnog when I was sick. I realize the danger in having raw eggs these days, but they sure were good. I have so many wonderful memories of my father. He was a great man. I learned a lot from him. I miss him. Wish he were here now to hug me. Then again, angels are always with us. At least that is what I believe.

Fun at Sam's Place

It sounds as though Sam's Place was rocking last night. He was playing with a Trojan until 2:30 a.m. Hey...I've seen those on the shelves of the drugstore. Usually comes in a box of 12. He must have more stamina than some men his age. Woohoo!! Way to go!! I hope you had fun.

I had a great conversation yesterday too. It seems I am making new friends all the time. Got a busy day today. Gotta sing tonight. Hope everyone enjoys their day.

Addictions

I have to admit, Keyboard, that this fandangled machine consumes too much of my time too. As soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning, I come out and turn on the computer, then go back and make my bed while it is booting up. Got to check for e-mail from my friends and see what the latest horoscopes have to say about my day. I find them amusing because they are seldom right. So...I read them, but don't plan my day around them. I like to read them again at the end of the day to see if they even came close. I put my faith elsewhere.

I'm glad, in one way, that I don't have the financial means to upgrade to the point where I would want to play here all day. One of the computers I have is a loaner from work. One is a PII-350, the other a PIII-450. Boring huh? I have the power machines at work. Two of them!!! Scanner broke and is gone, so no other real toys. It's just as well.

Speaking of consuming my time, I'd better go now. This thing just took my last 1.5 hours from my chores. Oops...better get back at it. How the heck did that happen?

Stresses

Still no sounds coming from the Dungeon. :o( I wonder what is happening down there. MouseGuy? Where are you?

Over at Sam's Place things are getting stressful at just the thought of having no technology. Don't you remember the two days we spent like that in September, thanks to Juan? You must have just gone beserk then!!!! I have to admit that I found that a little stressful myself. My computer is my lifeline to the outside world right now. Sad isn't it? I was never so happy to have electricity again after those two days. It's funny how we could go camping for two days and not think much about the lack of electricity, but in our homes, the story changes.

My stress for today is now gone. Grocery nights are stressful for me. Without a car, it is the most stressful task I have to deal with. Being at the mercy of someone else's schedule is bad enough, but when you have to find alternate arrangements, it is even worse. So all is well now...until next week. THen I shall deal with this again.

Keyboard, why did you say yesterday for the rain to "fill er up"? Holy lightening it rained hard yesterday and today. I've had about enough of it. I don't mind light rain, but this torrential, cold rain is piercing. I've been feeling chilled to the bone. My father, being a farmer, always told me I had chicken manure in my blood. Perhaps he was right. Brrr.... Cold rain go away and bring on the sun.

Too Busy

Today has been a whirlwind day. Too busy to say much tonight. Sure do hope this rain bring a nice spring behind it. Here's hoping for sunshine tomorrow.

Speaking Different Languages

It would appear that Keyboard doesn't function well in the early morning hours either. It is not just me. He was balking tackwards this morning. He was having a blonde moment too!!!!

Well guys...since you love that second language so much that I understand you use over there at work, I thought I would introduce you to yet another one. See if you can read this and understand what it says:

vi
isder
sominny
more
orsesasses
danderis
orses

Good luck!!! Hope you had a great day!!!!

Spring

I think spring sprung backwards today, but I am ready for it to spring forward again. I even have the outdoor electric grill ready to go. I have to say, though, that it did me no good whatsoever during Hurricane Juan. I still couldn't cook. Now I have a single burner butane stove. That should help in those instances again.

So...Keyboard won't wear shorts. Why not? Are you ashamed of your legs? We all have them. Well at least most of us. Trust me...if I could withstand the ridicule of wearing shorts as a kid with sticks for legs, I'm sure your shoulders could bear the weight of any comments you might get. Besides, I'm told that what we fear is never as bad as the reality of it. So, I'm sure your legs are fine. Dare to bare them, Keyboard. It's a heck of a lot cooler in the summer heat. If they are white, so what!!! Be proud of them anyway. I'm not a sun worshipper and could care less if anyone comments on my white legs. At least I can slow down the wrinkling process.

Keyboard, will you give MouseGuy a poke or something. He doesn't seem to want to come out to play with us. What a party-pooper!!!! I think he keeps himself chained in that dungeon and won't allow himself to see the light of day for a few minutes here and there. Sheesh!!! Are you sure he goes to work? Maybe it is just a virtual copy of him that shows up there. Perhaps he is still down there in that dungeon, never again to see the light of day. Come on MouseGuy. Take a couple minutes here and there to play with us. You're missing all the fun!!! We miss you.

OK. I am bored. Now what? I can't pick on MouseGuy. He won't come out to play with us. I've already picked on Keyboard enough today. Sheesh!!!!!! I'm lost. :-(

Putting Winter Away

With spring finally rearing its head, I can now begin to put winter away and prepare for spring and summer. The winter coats have gone to the back of the closet and the spring ones brought forward. Today I cleaned up the humidifier now that the heat is turned off and the windows opened. Oh the joys of living on the top floor of a condominium. The heat is insufferable in the summer, but at least the heat can be turned off earlier than in a house.

Speaking of cleaning up the humidifier, did you know that bacteria is pink? It may be a pretty colour, but it is rather gross. I guess I should have cleaned it up more often. Next year I will remember that. Yuck!!!

Next, I shall put away the heavy sweaters and bring out the shorts and t-shirts in preparation for those nicer days to come. I love the sunshine, but the humidity and I are at odds. I can't stand it at all. Clothes, no matter how little they cover, are still too much in that weather. It might be interesting (?), though, to watch all those different sizes and shapes wandering around the city naked. You might also want to watch where you sit!

I Concede Defeat

OK. I give up. I have decided there is one thing that I just can't do very well, no matter how hard I try. That would be carving a turkey. I actually think men do a better job of this, for some reason. Or perhaps it is just the men in my life always carved the bird or roast, and I never had to. I think the biggest problem I have is not having the right kind of knife. Have you ever seen turkey sawdust? I know how to do that. You use a serated-edge knife to attempt to carve it. You saw away at the flesh with this knife and, sure enough, you have a cloud of turkey sawdust surrounding the cutting board. It was quite a sight. I eventually gave up near the carcass and pulled off pieces with a fork. Oh well...it all goes down the same way.

The funniest part of cooking the turkey dinner was when I went to take the bird out of the roaster. I don't have meat forks anymore. I left those behind when I moved. So I was using steak forks to try to lift this bird out of the pan. I got it half way out of the pan, and the bird broke into 2 pieces. I had the meaty breast part in my hand. The backbone and drumsticks were still in the pan, with the legs stuck up its a**. Now, that is what I call laying spread eagle!!!!! All I could do was laugh. That has never happened to me before. It was hilarious!

Anyway, supper with the kids was nice, but they have left already, without doing the dishes of course. They still have so much they want to do with their friends. I imagine the day will come when they will want to spend more time with their mother. I look forward to those days. I only hope I am not in a rocking chair before it happens.

Happy Easter!!

What a beautiful day for Easter Sunday! I remember Easter's like this as a kid. I also remember the ones with snow falling, but I'm glad that is not the case today.

I will be enjoying a turkey dinner with my children tonight. I look forward to that. I hope you, too, will be enjoying Easter dinner with your families. I hope Peter Cottontail was good to you.

Have a great Easter!!!!

I have such an interesting life!!!

Well it is another beautiful day. I so wish I had a house so I could be outside doing yardwork, but it is not to be. So I am stuck inside cleaning up. I was just cleaning the bathroom and decided I should clean the sink and tub drains again. Well...let me tell you that there are some wonderful lovelies living in there. I used some baking soda and vinegar to loosen some of it up. That was just disgusting. Good thing I have a strong stomach for stuff like that. I guess I should invest in some drain cleaner before I end up with a clog. The wad of my hair that I took out of the tub drain kind of made my skin crawl. I even use a hair snare, but some gets through anyway and builds up over time. Yuck!!! Such an exciting life I live. Nothing more interesting to do than clean drains or do overtime from work. As a friend of mine who is in the same position tells me, "We so suck!" I think she is right. Even my kids want me to get out and have some fun. I tell them my day will come...someday.

I have to brave these Easter crowds this afternoon just to pick up a few groceries. It really bites to be at the mercy of someone else's schedule to get them when you have no car. I would have preferred to skip the crowds and get them this morning, but that was not to be. Oh well...you do what you have to do, right? Now if I could just convince them to pay for them as well. I didn't win the S7 last night. That went to two ticket holders in Ontario. There is always next week though...$25m then. Wow, now that could change my life. I might actually have one then. (teehee)

I'm a Big Sap!

Today is a beautiful day for Good Friday. Our praise band played this morning for a youth service at the church. It has been a little controversial for the past 3 years that we have done it. A solemn vigil is being held at the same time that we play uplifting music with drums, piano, guitars, and bass, and us singers of course. People believed that the solemnity should not be broken. Our priest, however, believed, as I do, that there is also something to celebrate here as there is with any death. A celebration of life, if you will.

The service was done by one of the parishioners, as has been the case for the past number of years. There is a barren wooden cross erected in the sanctuary beside the altar. The altar lays bare, the cross has been removed, the icon of Jesus and Mary and the crucifix at the back of the church are shrouded with black cloth. The sacrament has been taken from its storage cabinet, and the cabinet left open. The sacrament is then shrouded in white cloth at a small altar in the choir loft where we sang and chairs are set up for those wishing to take part in the vigil. The atmosphere is one of quiet, peacefulness, and solemnity.

Then the music begins with a fast-paced song with a celtic sound to it, and the people begin to sway to the music. After the gospel reading and sermon, people are asked to come forward, if they wish, to kneel at the foot of the cross and leave their burdens there and walk away empty handed, having put them in the hands of a power greater than themselves to help handle them for them. During that time, we sang two songs with a much softer tone to them that gave thanks for the debt that was paid for us all on that wooden cross that black day in Calvary over 2000 years ago. As people knelt there and prayed, and a few tears were shed here and there, I had difficulty singing as a lump began to rise in my throat. The meaning of this day is very powerful for me. I had to concentrate at looking at my words or closing my eyes rather than watching the people gather there, but still my eyes were drawn to them. Those were the most difficult songs to sing today. I'm just a big sap at heart! Then we finished with another uplifting song to carry us through the day, and finally a song of peace.

I heard a quote that said: If love is your greatest weakness, then you are the strongest person in the world. I know this is my greatest weakness. It can get me in trouble sometimes too when some people tend to take advantage of me. As much as that hurts sometimes, I can't find it in my heart to hate them—only to try to understand what is inside them that makes them do the things they do. Trust me when I say, this has been one of those weeks when I have tried to have this understanding for some people. But today, I am totally at peace and will go for a walk to enjoy the weather.

I warned you I was deep, philosophical, and a big sap! May your Good Friday be filled with peace and love. God bless!

Power

There are different kinds of power all around us. There is the power of sunlight and the terrible burns it can emit with its UV rays. There is the power of the wind, and we all know what that can do since September 2003. Power runs my lights and appliances. As I look around my apartment, the word power is all around me. It is on my TV, my VCR, DVD player, microwave, etc. Everywhere I turn there are reminders that power is important in my life. A powerplay is happening at work, and a lot of it I am in the middle of without wanting to be. There is tremendous power in words. Simple words spoken the wrong way can inflict scars that last forever. Kind words emit a good kind of power. It can produce smiles and peacefulness. There is power in hatred, and we've seen that devastation time and again on the news. Unfortunately, it has hit too close to home for many of us. There is a power in the universe that we cannot see. Some call it Mother Earth, some call it astrology, some call it God. Whatever you prefer to call it, I believe it is out there. Otherwise, where did the planets and stars in the universe come from in the first place? There are many things science just cannot explain. How did we all get to be here, alive and kicking? (No...I know that way, silly. I mean in the beginning of time.)

Personally, the greatest power I know is the power of love. Love can endure and conquer all things. There is simply no comparison. To love deeply gives a person strength; being loved deeply gives a person courage. Amen to that!!!!

A Better Day

Today has been a better day than the last couple, thank heavens. Thank you, Keyboard, for the hug. That is very sweet of you. One more day to put in then I have 5 off, not just 4. My EDO falls on Easter Monday, so I get the Tuesday off instead. I will end up bringing work home, but at least I will get paid overtime for it. Woohoo! I won't have to get up at 5:20 for 5 days!!

MouseGuy, I think perhaps it is time to sit down with that remote and figure the darn thing out. It may save some frustration. I thought men were the masters of remotes, aren't they? I know I get frustrated with them. Computers I can figure out. TVs, stereos, and the like are much more challenging, probably because I never took much interest in them.

You know you are getting older (or at least feel old) when...
Tonight was the last parent-teacher interview I should ever have to attend for my children. My son, hopefully if he gets his ducks in a row, will be graduating this year. After 13 years of pushing him to do more than slide by, I look forward to the day I can say, "Yes!! He did it!!" He certainly didn't take after his mother in that respect. I loved school. However, while I was there, I looked around at all the teachers. In one row, there was my grade 8 homeroom and social studies teacher, my grade 11 physics teacher, and my grade 12 physics teacher. I know two of them remember me, and I speak to them every time I am there. Mr. MacD informed me tonight that they only had 2 more years to go and they would be retiring. Good grief!!! Considering I only have to put in 7 more to go on early retirement, that made me feel even older. They must have been really young chickens when I had them as teachers. Where has the time gone?

Municipal Year End

I see on the news that the municipal government ended their fiscal in the black in spite of the natural disasters we had. That is good news. They also say that Rapid Transit is a go-ahead. That's good news for those in Sam's Place and the Dungeon. No lack of work for some time to come. Maybe you guys will finally be as busy as I am. I understand you don't do much over there!! Shall I duck?

Life

Some days life sucks; other days it blows. Today both sucks and blows for me. I hope someone had a good one to make up for it. I think I need a hug.

What a Rush!

It's a good thing it is Holy Week because I have been saying some extra prayers this week let me tell you. This is my story. Now, I am not looking for sympathy. I know I will find that in the dictionary between shit and syphillus. These are just plain facts.

On Saturday night my son attended a party at which his 2-month-old sneakers got stolen. I figured it wouldn't be hard to track down who stole them, considering not a lot of people have size 13 feet. I prayed that someone accidentally wore them home and would return them the next day. My son promptly reminds me that people are not as honest these days as they were when I was his age. He is probably right, and was, since they did not show up. Who would steal a pair of used sneakers anyway?

I didn't need this aggravation since living on a single (and pitiful) salary is not easy. Any extra expense like that is not easy to deal with. So I went to the bank this morning before I went to work and got some money for him to buy a new pair. Then I had to go to the mall at lunchtime to get a pair of insoles for his old sneakers because they are too big and have no insoles in them. At least it would be something in the interim until he could find some new ones.

The day seemed very long and dragged on, and I got ready to go home. I got home, unpacked my backpack and then realized my purse was not in it. Panic didn't creep in, it dove in headfirst!!! It was hard enough to find the money that I really couldn't afford to spend in the first place, but to leave my purse out in the open where it was nearly 98% certain to be stolen (a common thing at work) was complete panic. Luckily I found someone to take me to Halifax in a hurry to check. I had to get there before the outside building doors were locked because they require a card entry, which was in my purse. The rest of the inside doors are key coded, so I could get through those. Let me tell you that I prayed the whole way over there. I rushed into the building like I was trying to save a child from a burning building (not a pretty sight). I walked up to my desk. No purse on the desk. Panic began to take over more intensely. I still had my cabinet key in my pocket, so I unlocked my cabinet. Lo and behold, there it was. I had forgotten to take it out of the cabinet. Praise God!!!

Yes, perhaps it was a blonde moment, but it sure did cause a panic. At least I know my heart is still beating, because it was beating hard. I'll bet you I won't forget it again for awhile. Live and learn.

Happenings

Well...it is really quiet over in the Dungeon this week. Has MouseGuy been put in stocks and gagged?

Sam's Place is going to the apes. It appears that Keyboard now has a new toy. Tsk, tsk. Men and their toys. They just never grow up. Their toys just get more expensive. Perhaps he has purchased a webcam? Maybe a digital camera? It appears he has taken to posting his picture on the web for us all to see. He even provided us with the link. Way to go!!! So...will you be taking pictures of us all to post on your web site now? Do we need to be careful that you may be watching us with a webcam? I guess I really should pay attention to what I am wearing before I sit here to type, shouldn't I? Oh well...I don't need to worry. I don't have a webcam for you to see me. I wouldn't want those pictures posted on the website of horrors!!!

Here at Cloud Nine, well...nothing much new here. I'm off to help out my Mom this afternoon. Then it is some overtime and to watch my favourite shows tonight. Guess I need a life, huh!! Oh well...someday. At least it is a four-day week heading into a five-day weekend for me. The best part will be the turkey dinner. Yummy!!!

Philosophy Lesson

We have all heard these stories that have been e-mailed to us before about "I've learned..." Well a friend just sent me one today. I can agree with most of them and have experienced most of them, but there are some that really stand out at me from my life experiences. This is what I've learned:

- That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can? (Superwoman syndrome. The suit just doesn't fit me the way it fit her.)
- That love, not time, heals all wounds. (This entails finding love elsewhere. Oh yeah baby!!!)
- That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile. (Sure, it keeps them guessing what you are thinking.)
- That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them. (There is no such thing as a perfect man. *ducks*)
- That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss. (Oh yes...they sure will. Grab them while you still can. I've missed a few myself.)
- That I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one more time before he passed away. (I'm grateful to have had this opportunity. I miss him. He always made me laugh.) :-(
- That one should keep his words both soft and tender because tomorrow he may have to eat them. (Yes, I understand that crow is not that tasty. Yuk!!)
- That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. (Unless, of course, you need braces.)
- That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it. (That's it...let it all out. You will feel SO MUCH better.)
- That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it. (Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know this, but my &*#@$%! legs are getting tired from the uphill climb.)

The other thing I have learned from all these stories and jokes is that someone has a lot more time on their hands than I could ever imagine having. I need a job like theirs!!!

Note to Keyboard: Don't forget to change your watches too. You don't want to be late for work on Monday. Those are the clocks I usually forget to change. Who the hell decided we need to keep changing the time twice a year anyway? Someone else with too much time on their hands and wanting to screw up the world?

Update

Keyboard, I'm not in the habit of cooking dates. I might turn up the heat with the right person, but cooking them would go a little overboard. Besides, that would be painful. I'm not in the habit of inflicting pain!!! Perhaps your bifocals are no longer working??

Friday, Finally!!

TGIF!!! Today was actually a good day, though. The powers that be were out of the office today so it was quiet and peaceful. I could do my work without many interruptions today. We even took time to share a story or a laugh here and there today. Then my landlady took me to lunch, so I got out of the office for awhile. That was a bonus too. Trouble with going out to lunch, for me, is that with my food sensitivities, I can make a much more tasty meal at home. I get the blandest meals you can imagine when I eat out most of the time and pay a fortune for it. It kind of takes the pleasure out of it, but it sure is nice to have someone else cook for me for a change.

When I got home, my son had made supper for me. Another bonus. I didn't have to cook at all today. Woohoo!!!! I like that. I get tired of cooking every single meal. Take out is not an option nor is almost any prepackaged food. It's like getting back to the basics of a century or at least a half-century ago. Oh well...life could be worse. At least I am cheap date. No wining and dining for me. Not even popcorn at a movie. Now...what would I do on a date? That's a secret!!!

Can't think. Brain dumb. Inspiration won't come.

I think some April fool stole my brain or maybe it's just that work killed it today. Is it Friday at 4 p.m. yet?

One Step Forward...Two Steps Back (Just Ranting)

Don't you just hate it when you feel like you have taken a step forward and accomplished something, only for someone else to take control and make you take two steps back? It happens to me all the time. Unfortunately it is the nature of my job. It feels like a way of life for me a lot of the time in a lot of ways.

Today marks the end of the fiscal year. For us at work, that means getting as much done or purchased by today and paid for out of this fiscal budget as possible. So...I work my ass off from January 2 until March 31 trying to accomplish what they want or as much as humanly possible for the remainder of the fiscal. Trouble is, just when I feel like I've finished something and have gotten it off my desk, someone decides to change something and it comes back to me to redo all those last steps. Now, I'm not referring to something that takes another 10–30 minutes to accomplish, but things that require hours or even a couple days to redo. This happened to me 3 times in the past 2 days. It is rather frustrating to say the least. When they come back and say "Can you do this by the end of the day?" I simply look at them and say "Probably not. It will require more time than that." We didn't make that deadline you wanted? We had to wait a couple more days or weeks because someone else held it up or there was insufficient human resources to do it? Oh well...it is not life or death, so it is just not that important. We will get it done as quickly as we can without jeopardizing quality. We will do our best. Who can ask for more than that.

Don't get me wrong. I love my job. I just don't like the quantity of work that lands on my desk with unreasonable deadlines. At least I have learned to take it in stride and learned one very important word—NO!! My answer is always "We will do the best we can. We can't do anymore than that."

Thank God I've made it through another fiscal, and I only carried over 2 days of vacation into the next one, unofficially of course. I took the rest in spite of the deadlines I am always working under.

OK...I'm all through ranting now. Phew...now I feel better.

Awww....

...the show is over? Bummer!!! I was just getting ready to pull up my chair and open a big bag of chips or grab a brownie. I'm glad the wireless problem is being solved, though, Keyboard. It sounds like you've had a few frustrating days with it. Tomorrow will be a better and hard-wired day, I'm sure.

MouseGuy, I'm not so sure that Keyboard will be converted to using a mouse exclusively. Somethings are quicker with a keyboard, some are quicker with a mouse. They each have their pros and cons. That one is going to be a strictly personal preference, I'm afraid. Perhaps he will convince you to use the keyboard more? Personally, I'd be lost without either and have been. About once a week, someone blows a circuit breaker when they plug in a heater and out go both of my computers and my printer. Yesterday that left me totally lost. Everything I had to do was computer-related, and I was in the middle of doing things on both and printing a document when I lost power. The circuit panel happens to be in a locked room, so I have to wait for someone to be come with the key so I can reset it. Talk about feeling useless!! I don't like being powerless. Who turned out the lights?

Life

Well, well, well. It looks like life over at Sam's Place today was less than desirable! Don't you just hate days like that? Makes you wonder why you got out of bed. I think with all your computer knowledge, Keyboard, that you forgot one little detail about owning a wireless keyboard and mouse—always have a hard-wired one as a backup in case they fail! Well, MouseGuy, it looks like you got your day. I'll bet it was great to see the shoe on the other foot for once!!!

Keyboard, I'm glad to hear that you are considering WP over Word. Each has its pros and cons, but the reveal codes is the real selling feature in WP. There are all kinds of problematic things you can find in there like conflicting language codes, conflicting font codes, and just extra codes without a purpose except to help corrupt a file. Troubleshooting is always a challenge, but at least this way you can see where the problems lie.

I had a great laugh today as well. Our student, S, was walking by when B called his name to talk to him. Just as S turned around, there was a great thunderous "drill-type" sound from either below or above our floor. The timing was perfect. B looked at S and said "S, excuse yourself." Yes, that is exactly the sound and it was SOOO LOUD!!! Well everyone started to roar. S turned very red and started to walk away. The comments were flying. He said "I'm leaving, I'm going away," with which I retorted "Far away, I hope." The laughter continued. Then F walks by and hears what is going on. He leans into my cubicle and says "At least we know what account that came out of." I started laughing even harder. Earlier in the day, I was showing F a list of our yearly expenditures according to each of our subject area accounts. Our accounting division had chosen short names for each of them of 4 letters. The arts program, formerly referred to as Fine Arts, had been lovingly named "FART." Of course, you know I had to share that with the gang!! Poor S. He will never forget this work term!!!

I Can't Believe I Did It!!!!

Today I have sprinted over another hurdle in my life. Today...I sang solo in public for the first time ever!!!

This was not just a simple thing for me. I have been slowly building up my self-confidence over the past 7 years and finding myself. One thing I always loved to do was sing. However, after years and years of criticism I was frightened to use my voice where anyone could hear it. Over the past 3 years I have been singing with a praise band. I love it, but a few times my nerves got the better of me. I can sing duets or a solo harmony line with other voices now. I've even managed to get comfortable singing solos with the band, but the public eye being on me is very intimidating. That's when my shy side emerges.

I've gained some tremendous strengths over the past few years. Now I have this one to work on. I have to tell you that I shook so bad I thought my clothes would fall off. Now that would be quite a sight in church, wouldn't it? They would quickly whisk me off to the Reconciliation Room to ask forgiveness for being perverted in a public place!!! (It might also keep the rodent population down in the church!)

I guess I did OK though. I had several compliments and hugs from my friends, and those who knew how nervous I was told me they were proud of me. Whew!!! I'm just glad it is over...until the next time.

Sense of Adventure

Awww Keyboard, where is your sense of adventure? Perhaps you would look good wearing a black lace thong!!!! (hahahaha)

Of course you realize I meant for you to wear your own clean underwear! Thanks for the great laugh! I laughed so hard I thought I might have to change my own. What a hoot!!!!

Hey MouseGuy, wake up!!!! You're missing all the fun!!!

Clean or Dirty?

I can't decide if we are the cleanest or dirtiest people on this planet. It seems that all I ever do is wash dishes and clothes. It seems to never end, and there are only two of us here.

So...are we really so dirty that we have to change our clothes so often or are we just too clean. My priest (no, I'm not Catholic) says he believes (as do scientists) that the reason our society is being plagued by so many illnesses is because our society is too clean. It is true that we kill too many germs so our bodies don't learn to fight them off. Scientists also believe that is why so many people have allergies to things like dust. All the chemicals in the cleaning products we are using are contaminating us.

So our priest believes that the answer is to not change our underwear so often. He suggests that he could change with Walter, Walter could change with Mike, Mike could change with Steven... You get the idea! Now that's just plain gross!!!

Personally, I think I will wear my own clean underwear everyday. How about you?

What Type of Learner Are You?

There are three types of learners: Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. Most people are predominantly one type, with traits of the others. Despite being aware of this, it is very challenging for a classroom teacher to be able to teach in such a way that every type of learner benefits. I suspect that the teacher teaches in their predominant learning style for the most part.

My son has always been a kinesthetic learner and secondary, visual. I think it is a challenge for teachers to meet this criteria. Lectures and videos bore him as does reading, but put something in his hands to build or take apart and he excels. Little wonder he has never liked school. He does excellent though in power mechanics and autobody repair. He was the top of his class here.

My daughter and I are visual learners. We need to see something in order to understand it more thoroughly. Secondly we are kinesthetic. Put us in front of computers and show us how to do it and then let us try. If you try to tell us, we will have to attempt to form an image of it in our brains in order to grasp the concept quickly. When I read something descriptive in a book, I need to slow down and form that image in my mind's eye to get the full effect. Perhaps that is why I do layout and publishing for a living. It is totally visual.

So...to sum it up for me: show me, let me touch it, then tell me you love me. ;-)

Sounds like MouseGuy got a poke in at Keyboard today. You're right, Keyboard. It would be pretty hard to login using a mouse, but then again there is always SpeakEasy Dragon. Then you could really be hands off. Trouble is if you spoke your password, what would be the sense in having one?

Keyboard, I'm glad I'm not alone in getting sidetracked doing things. It comforting to know that its not a gender or age issue. Now...where was I?

I'm thinking you two might benefit from a course on WordPerfect. Perhaps, though, you would need to find an instructor who can speak that second language that you're using over there. I will have to send you over the executable for WP8 restore. It works great for restoring those files that go corrupt. Perhaps some of that second language would revert to English!!! Wish I was a fly on the wall to see what you two are going through. I luv2laff...

Confused?

Have you ever started out to do one task only to get distracted again and again by others until you finally remember what you started out doing? Well...that would be me. Often...I'm embarrassed to admit. I caught myself doing it again today.

I came home from work and began to unpack my backpack. The shoes and purse went into the closet, the stuff I bought today left on the bed, then I take my lunch dishes to the kitchen. While I am there, I notice the paper towel is all gone. I go to the bathroom to retrieve another roll and find the shower not cleaned up from my son's shower (not unusual). So I clean up the shower. When I'm finished that I come back out into the kitchen, forgetting to bring the paper towel. So I go back to get it, then I start to clean up the kitchen.

I pick up the pop cans that need to go in the recycling bag and head toward the closet where the bag is hidden. Then I suddenly realize I haven't finished sorting out the stuff from my bag. Oh yeah!! I was doing that wasn't I? So I finish that and come out to work in the kitchen again, when I notice the clothes still hanging on the drying racks from yesterday. I folded them and headed back to the bedroom to put them away when I realize I still didn't straighten up the kitchen. I get to the kitchen and realize I had not yet changed my clothes. So I go back to the bedroom to change. At last, I can finish cleaning up the kitchen and get ready to cook supper. It was an awfully roundabout way of way of accomplishing it all, but I did manage to do it in the end.

So the question is whether I get easily distracted from one thing to the other, whether I have a memory problem, or if I just have too damn much to do sometimes. Another blonde moment perhaps?

Budget
Keyboard, I have to agree with you about the budget. I don't see a lot of positive stuff in there either. Being at the tail end of the baby boom era, I feel I've paid my share of taxes and pension contributions. Trouble is, the province just increased our contributions to our pension too. That is a good thing in the long run, but in the short-term it blows. Take more money out of my paycheque why don't you!!???

Second Language
So guys...you have learned a second language have you? I'm sure it is not the nation's second language. N'est pas? Would it be the language I learned while trying to set up my router? I imagine it was very similar, with a few differences, I'm sure. I hope you got your form all sorted out. Glad to be of help.

Busy as a What?

Today is my last day off before heading back to work tomorrow. Ugghh!! Perish the thought!! While I was working away today I was thinking about how busy I have been today. The saying "Busy as a beaver" came to mind. Then I started thinking, "where do people come up with these sayings?". The following ones came to mind:

Busy as a beaver
Proud as a lion
Dark as night
Faster than lightning
Slower than cold molasses running uphill backwards in the wintertime
I'm so far behind I can see my ass from 20 paces.
I'll knock you into next week.
Uglier than sin
Slicker than snot on a doorknob

The list goes on and on. I think the one I use most to refer to being busy is "busier than a one-armed paperhanger with crabs." Now people...THAT is busy!


And Keyboard, I have to agree with you about people saying nice things about people after they are dead. It's hypocritical to say those things after they die when you think they were a SOB when they were alive. However, those positive compliments should have been delivered to the person while they were still breathing. Some people forget the importance of being kind and appreciative of someone while they still can only to later regret never having told them.

Clutter

Why do we collect things we think we will use only to have them sit around for years on end, never used, and then throw them out or give them away? Will the person you give them to actually use them or will they, too, store them somewhere for a few more years until they decide they are never going to use them either?

I've spent some time this week getting rid of some such things and still have some more to go. I look at them at say "Why did I keep that?" "What did I think I was going to do with that?" "Someday I might need that." "Someday I might use that."

Well...I've learned to hate that word "someday." Someday never seems to come. The dictionary defines "someday" as "at some future time." Do you think they can be more specific than that? Patience is not always one of my virtues. I can have a lot of patience for some things, but others are much more difficult. I've settled for less than what I've really wanted in life before, simply because I could not be patient enough to wait for the best. I've proved that doesn't work. I wouldn't want to do that again.

So...Lord, grant me patience, but hurry!!!

Spooky Anagrams

As you know, an anagram is a word or phrase made by rearranging the letter of another word or phrase. The following are exceptionally clever.

Word — When you rearrange the letters

Dormitory—Dirty Room
Desperation—A Rope Ends It
The Morse Code—Here Come Dots
Slot Machines—Cash Lost in 'em
Animosity—Is No Amity
Mother-in-law—Woman Hitler
Snooze Alarms—Alas! No More Zs
Alec Guinness—Genuine Class
Semolina—Is No Meal
The Public Art Galleries—Large Picture Halls, I Bet
A Decimal Point—I'm a Dot in Place
The Earthquakes—That Queer Shake
Eleven Plus Two—Twelve Plus One
Contradiction—Accord Not In It
Astronomer—Moon Starer
Prince Diana—End Is A Car Spin
Year Two Thousand—A Year to Shut Down

Somebody obviously had a lot of time on their hands to figure these out or is awesome at Scrabble!

Today's Update

Well, poor MouseGuy seems to be getting it from all angles. It would appear he was right—Keyboard is recruiting the students now too. I hope you have big shoulders there guy! It appears the war is just beginning. Oh no!!!

Keyboard, there is actually a server that serves passwords. So when my server needs a new password, it sends me to the server that serves passwords and it serves me a new password. Then I can use this new password on the server that serves and the other server that serves, too, and then use it for the server that serves passwords. So then the passwords for the server that serves and for the second server that serves and for the server that serves passwords all serve me well with the same password. And all is now well in the server world. (Besides, now I have a written list to refer to.) Teehee

True Confessions

OK, OK. Time for me to fess up too, I guess. Keyboard and MouseGuy, take your best shots. Here goes:

A couple weeks ago at work, I log into my server. No problem. Then I go to log into the database program that I worked with programmers on to design for me. It resides on a different server. Now, both these servers require frequent password changes. Each time, we must use a combination of upper/lower case and numbers/symbols for security purposes and must be different from the last five we used. Problem is that both servers do not prompt for password changes at the same time, so it is hard to keep them in sync. Most of the time, this particular database program is seamless so I do not have to log into the server, it logs me in itself. However, on occasion I have to sign in. I clicked on the icon (yes, I used a trackball), then it prompts me that it is time to change the password on this server. I'm sitting there ready to put my old password in and stop dead in my seat. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE LAST PASSWORD I USED IN ORDER TO CHANGE IT. I tried several of the list of ones I have to have and use in sequence, but it was different from the server I have to log into everyday. I can't figure it out for the life of me. (And it has nothing to do with the colour of my hair.) I had to call the Helpdesk to have them reset my password in order for me to change it. They had a chuckle on my behalf. As luck would have it, I was able to change both passwords the same day, so I should be able to remember it the next time. (At least I hope so.)

OK guys, go for it. I'm ready!!

As Plain as the Nose on Your Face

Have you ever spent days or even weeks trying to find the solution to a problem, only to find that the solution was the simplest of fixes? That is how my day went today. After weeks of trying to sort out a problem with getting my router set up, I again called my ISP only to find out that the password they gave me was not the one they had in their system. Once they set them to match—voila! My router now works. Imagine that!! They wouldn't even talk to me 3 weeks earlier. I guess telling them I was very dissatisfied with their service at the moment and was considering a new ISP got them moving to find a solution for me. I guess I should have tried lighting that fire earlier. Oh well...live and learn. At least it is now sorted out, and I've learned a great deal from this. So...it is all good!

To all of you who tried to help me sort it out, many thanks for your help. I really appreciated everything you have done to help. You have all contributed to the solution in one way or another and to my lessons on networking. Merçi beaucoup!!!

Cheat Sheet?

You ask, "Who reads instructions anyway?" In my experience, very few men will read instructions or ask directions. It seems to be a testosterone trait to believe they are not necessary. Am I right? In any case, the cheat sheet is a good idea. Now just to put it to use.

Leprechauns? No...Just Gremlins

Today may be St. Patty's Day, but there are no leprechauns in my house. No pot of gold, no rainbows, just kitchen gremlins.

You see, I go to bed at night with a clean kitchen. Dishes are all done and put away. When I get up in the morning, I find opened bags of nachos; small dishes with dried up con queso sauce in it; opened, unwashed cans of tuna (and I hear complaints when I cook fish and it smells); and other dirty, gross dishes with food dried on them. Who do you suppose is doing this? I never see it happening. I occasionally hear the beeps of the microwave in the late night hours, but I never see this creature in action.

Yes, I believe I have kitchen gremlins. Even the shoemaker had elves who helped him out at night. Why, then, do I have gremlins who like to make work for me? Oh woe is me...

Instructions Not Included

Keyboard, have you created a Quick Reference Card for the use of that remote? Perhaps that would be an asset for MouseGuy. Better yet, can you create a poster with a picture of that remote and rename the buttons for the appropriate use? Sorry, MouseGuy. I couldn't resist!

Keys

Have you ever noticed how many different kinds of keys there are in this world?

- Car keys
- House keys
- Safety deposit box keys
- Key ring
- Key on sardine or corned beef cans
- Answer key
- Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean
- Keys to old watches and clocks to wind them
- Piano keys
- Key on a music scale
- Keyboards on computers
- The key ingredient to something
- "That's the key!"
- Key-stages in educations (grades 3, 6, 9, and 12)
- The key to the city (Who put up a gate and locked it anyway?)
- Melancholy key (a tone of voice)
- Keyed up (Be careful of this person.)
- Key fruit
- Keyhole
- Keynote
- Keystone
- Key West, Florida
- Key Lime Pie
- Kiwi (teehee)
- Key to someone's heart

With all those keys, there must be a lot of busy locksmiths in this world and a lot of untrustworthy people. Yikes!!! Imagine the size of the keyring you would need to hold them all!

Murphy's Law

Everyone has heard of Murphy's Law right? Well...who the heck is Murphy and why did he make this law? Someone should have smacked him hard upside the head when he made it.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. There's another one of those sayings that should disappear.

I've had a Murphy's Law/mouse plan kind of day. Urgghh!!! Every plan I made got changed in one way or another. Everything I touched did not turn to gold. Going with the flow today felt more like drowning than floating along peacefully.

On the upside, I did find some spans of time here and there to enjoy my day, especially the time I spent with my daughter. I embraced those hours. But hey...it's all good. All the problems are actually opportunities for me to learn patience and endurance. I will be thankful for them. Let's just remember one thing:

Everyday above ground is a good day!!!! Life could get worse.

March Break

Wahoo!!! It is March Break this week. That means I am on vacation. I take March Break off every year. Last year my March Break ended up being bereavement leave, since my Dad passed away, but this year will be vacation again. I'm not even going to check my work e-mail, although they will be expecting me to. (Teehee, that ought to surprise them!) Yeah, I will clean the spam mail out of it for my own sanity because I get about 150+ per day, but I will not check the business mail. This will be a week spent with my kids and friends and doing what I want to do. It should be quite enjoyable.

Did you know that March Break is always the week that has March 15 in it? That makes it easy to know when it falls each year. Many people are not aware of how that is calculated.

Traffic should be less and so will the ridership on Transit. Many families will be away vacationing somewhere sunny or on the ski hills. (Those are the lucky ones with money!) I only know the office will be quiet without the teachers and school board offices calling and without me there. O:-) Actually, I am the quiet one. Some days my co-workers remark that they didn't even know I was there. I'm the one who is working diligently away. They know I'm there if I laugh, though. I have inherited my father's laugh—straight from the belly. (teehee) The one thing Dad left me with was the ability to laugh at life and at myself. I love to laugh. Thank you, Daddy! That was a precious gift.

Health Care

Have you noticed that the province promotes a healthy, active lifestyle? They have advertisements about eating right; keeping ourselves healthy mentally, physically, and spiritually. Why then, does our healthcare system not pay for preventative medicine? It doesn't pay for us to see naturopaths, to pay for natural medicines or vitamins and minerals, or for preventative measures such as massage therapy, chiropractic care, and orthopedic devices that help keep us moving to stay active and healthy. They also fall short in helping provide coverage for those things for their provincial government workers. Yet there is an attendance policy in those offices that as long as you can drag your weary butt out of bed and into the office, you are required to be there. Does this make sense to you? Sure, it is wonderful to have coverage if you are already sick, hospitalized, or require chemical drugs to help you heal, but it falls very short in helping you stay healthy and out of the hospitals or your sick bed. Why do they make it so hard to be and stay healthy? Go figure!

MouseGuy Remembers!!!

Hey, Keyboard, it looks like MouseGuy remembered his password after all. He managed to get his little dig in, didn't he? It seems there are some things that you just can't do with a keyboard and need to use a mouse. I know...I use both, whichever is fastest or more convenient to do what I need to do. My preference? I think I will keep that to myself for fear of becoming the next object of the blog wars. Will we all get invited to this party when you finally get the invitation sent out?

Poor MouseGuy!!!

He forgot his password to his blog??? Oh dear me...what could be worse? Looks like you will have to wait for his revenge, Keyboard. Be patient. He will figure it out sooner or later. It may be when you least expect it, but expect it. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Patiently waiting for the antics to begin again...

Born Free...Taxed to Death!!!

It's tax time again. Groan!!! Have you ever noticed how people react at tax time? Some of them are excited about refunds while others complain about having to pay more in. Let's think about this.

We pay taxes on the money we make. Then we pay taxes on almost everything we buy with the money they have left us with. I'm told that every cent of money we make up until late June each year belongs to the government. What we make the rest of the year belongs to us. That's very kind of them to allow us to have half of our money!!!

If you get money back, it is money you already made anyway that the government has used for the year and gained interest on for themselves then gave it back. Is it a gift? No it isn't. You've already earned it. If you get some back, it's because you don't make enough to live on in the first place. This little bit back helps, but it doesn't fix the deficit problem in our wallets.

If you break even, that's not so bad. But if you have to pay, that is painful. I've been there. Having had a business for many years, several years ago, I know the pain involved in paying large sums of money to the government only to have them ask for more at the end of the year. And then they fine you for not paying it in 30 days. Do they give you interest for the money of yours they have used for the year? I think not!!!

I don't mind paying taxes to provide us with health care, fix our roads, and provide us with the necessities such as fire and police, but there are many uses for taxpayers money that I do not agree with. The only say we get is at the polls once every few years. Does that seem fair? I thought taxes were begun to help out with the war effort in the early 20th century. Did someone forget to tell them the war is over?

So...although we are born free, I think the taxes are what kill us in the end.

English Grammar

Isn't English grammar fun? No wonder it is such a difficult language to learn. Look at these examples.

Moot - Meet - Meat
Foot - Feet - Feat
Boot - Beet - Beat

These structures do not work the same way. They all have different meaning. Look at these synonyms.

Red - Read
Read - Reed
Vale - Veil - Vail
eye - I
site - sight
boat - bout
see - sea

These sound the same, but have different meanings. Look at how these words are pluralized.

mouse - mice
house - houses
moose - moose
foot - feet

It seems every rule in the English language has an exception. What have we done to our language? Little wonder our young readers and writers are having difficulty. Bless their hearts!!

Parenting

I read the most fascinating article today about parenting. It said so much of what I have seen and experienced, I couldn't put it down until I finished reading it. Let me see if I can sum it up. It was entitled Parents: Don't Try So Hard and had originally been published in The Washington Post.

The article began by describing what childhood was like for those of us who are from the baby boomer era. When we grew up, our parents really didn't spend much time with us. We had chores that had to be done, homework we did mostly by ourselves, and we had to hold part-time jobs, sometimes just to help out with the day-to-day expenses of living. We didn't have brand-name clothes, cell phones, and every technological contraption that was available in those times. Our parents didn't spend all their time or more money than they had trying to make us happy. They were more concerned about their own happiness. The article went on to say that we would consider that selfish. But was it?

The next thing it described was our children these days. We give them all we can--all our time, energy, and money. We buy them brand name clothing, pay their way through school, provide them with cell phones, digital cameras, and computers, sometimes even cars, all the while sacrificing our own lives--friends, family, and our own happiness. The result: young adults who are takers rather than givers, who do not know how to be self-sufficient, and expect the world to hand them everything, while being unempathetic most of the time.

You know, the author of this is right. Not everyone has turned out this way. I never try to paint the world with the same brush. I can only speak from my own experience.

One of my children's grandparents insisted on buying "stuff" for my children...every day, and I mean every day. Even when I pleaded and asked for this to stop, it fell on deaf ears. I have not been one to hand everything to my children. I don't believe in that. Sure...I have done some of those things that I probably shouldn't have, indulged them a little too much by times, but this grandparent carried it to the extreme. One of my children can now not figure out how to get an education and start life as a self-sufficient adult. I'm constantly struggling to help them make decisions for themselves and not ask me how to solve their problems. I have another child who can't seem to take enough initiative to go looking for a job because it is too easy to ask Mom or Dad or Nanny for money (alternately, mind you, so the other doesn't know). Both of them are bored if they can't find something to keep them entertained. What happened to the imagination we used to use to occupy ourselves? One of my children doesn't even want to do volunteer work because "What's in it for me? Will they pay me? If not, I'm not doing something for nothing!"

I hang my head in shame about these things. I was so afraid of these things happening. I don't lay blame entirely on the grandparent, but it was certainly a key factor. I know where I am to blame too. How do you undo these things? I vow never to do that to my grandchildren, if I am lucky enough to be blessed with any. Gifts on birthdays, Christmas, and other special events, but love in abundance. That is what I will give. Love cannot be purchased. Are we really doing that? Are we trying to buy our children's love? Are we defining what we believe is happiness for them instead of letting them find happiness as we did?

No one is perfect, and we will always do some things wrong. Let's just hope that our children can correct these trends in their children. Material things are not happiness. Some of the happiest people I know are very poor financially, but rich in love. After all, that is what life is all about...

Router Rage

Who ever said home networking was easy? They had to be on drugs or something. Things are not always as simple as they first appear to be. Sometimes it takes a lot of research to find the right answers. I'm having a great deal of difficulty trying to set up my router. I even have a tech friend of mine stumped. Urgghhh!! Sooner or later we will figure it out and then wonder what all the fuss was about. You may depend, though, that I will try to keep an accurate step-by-step record of the successful route, just in case... Wish me luck!

Conspiracy??

It appears there is a little conspiracy going on in the office. S pulled a prank on L yesterday, so she got him back. Then she decided to get him back again today. He came in the office today and went to log into his computer and the mouse wouldn't work. There a note attached to his monitor saying "You have balls!" He picked up the mouse to look at it and started laughing hysterically. Then he came over to me saying "Someone took the ball out of my mouse. Did you take it?" Who me? No it wasn't me. Finally L came over to his desk when she heard him frantically trying to find out who did this and where was his ball? She made him sweat a few minutes, but she finally showed him that she had put it on top of his tackboard. Had he looked around enough, he would have found it. He was laughing hysterically. He vows to get her back. I can't wait to see what he does. What a great laugh!

Cleaning up and bracing for the next one.

Well...I'm told unofficially we received 95 cm of snow in 24 hours. Officially it is said we got 80. I only know it was way too much snow. It has been brutal. It has been over now for 36 hours and still many secondary streets have not been cleared. There is too much snow for the ploughs to get through, so dozers and backhoes have been a common sight. There are many people walking dangerously on the roads to get some much needed supplies before our next storm arrives tonight. Another 15-25 cm on top of this! Where are we going to put it?

I ventured out today to finally get some groceries. The stores have been closed for the past two days because they just could not get cleaned up enough for people to get into the stores and personnel couldn't get dug out to run the stores. Pulling into the parking lot was mind blowing. The snowbanks were so high the parking was limited. Many of the parking spaces were filled with these gigantic mounds of snow. (I wouldn't have wanted to be the person who threw the snow up there.)

I knew I was in trouble when I arrived there at about 10 a.m. (a usually quiet time) and found no carts to be had. I went back out to find out and actually waited for someone to put their groceries in their car and confiscate their cart.

It was amazing how bare the shelves were. Almost no bananas let. Bread was almost impossible to find. The only thing left was the stuff nobody wants. Milk? What milk? The shelf was completely bare of any sort of milk whatsoever. Some people were waiting and were told the delivery would be there in about 10 minutes. So I went to pick up a few more things and went back in time to find that the delivery was already gone and so was the driver. I looked around and got the last 1 litre of white milk and one of the last 2 litres of chocolate milk. I continued through the store. Almost no chips available. Eggs were hard hit. It seems the staples were the things going quickly. I proceeded through the check-outs. As I was finishing up paying for my order, someone said the next milk delivery had arrived. So...off I went to the back of the store and stood there for a moment while the delivery was being wheeled in. Just what I wanted. I quickly grabbed two 4 litres bags and headed back to the quick check out and head home. This little adventure took much longer than it normally would have. Every isle was busy. I seemed to get behind a crowd no matter which way I turned. I sure was glad to get back to the safety of my abode. I think I shall stay here until the next one blows over. Will we get to work on Monday? I hope not...*evil grin*

Walking in a Winter Juanderland!

Well the storm is finally over and we have had 80 cm of snow dumped on us in 24 hours. It has truly been a White Juan! It is unbelievable!!! The whole province is still shut down to allow for clean-up. So...wax your shovels, stretch well before you start, and rest often while you are shoveling. This will be a workhorse kind of day. Take care not to overdo it.

Let it snow, let it snow...make it stop!!!!

Holy cow!! We are in the midst of the worst blizzard I can remember since I was a kid. It has been raging wild for over 12 hours now and is expected for another 12. By the time it is over, we will have about 60 cm of the white stuff dumped on us. It is crazy! Cars are completely buried in places and the entire province has all the public school systems shut down. The province has declared a state of emergency, and shut down government offices again like they did for Hurricane Juan. This makes the 3rd day since the end of September that they did that, and the first times in the 23 years I've worked for them. What's happening to our weather patterns? All I know is, I don't like this much. It can stop any time.

Not a shovel to be found on the store shelves anywhere...Hurry up spring!!!

Duhhhh....

I did something really silly today. As I left the office this afternoon, I turned my head as I crossed the street to see if my bus was coming. Nothing in the distance. I continued to walk up the hill. Halfway there, one bus pulled in to pick up passengers, but it was not my bus. Where the heck did it come from? There was nothing there a second ago. As it pulled out and I continued walking, I caught sight of something on my left. I turned my head in time to see my usual driver pull up to the stop and open the door for me. I got on the bus and sat down.

It was then that I had a "duhhhh" moment. I realized that the drivers would be switching soon, but I wasn't sure of the date. Was it today? My morning driver was not the same, so it could be. Then the thought hit me that I wasn't sure which bus I got on. I didn't actually see the sign, only the driver. Did I get on the right bus? I tried desperately to read his sign display on the panel up front. I couldn't see that far. Then I tried to see a reflection of the sign on the side in the bus window. No go. He turned down the right street. Maybe it is the right bus. Next stop someone who usually gets on the bus got on. OK...maybe I am on the right bus, but no one else looks familiar. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Still, better be sure. I didn't dare ask the driver. He is often cranky, and I was afraid he would think I was stupid. (At this point, I couldn't really dispute that.) Can't ask him. So then I strained to catch a glimpse of the sign on the side in the windows of the businesses we passed on the street. Blinds in this window...can't see it. No glare in this one...can't see it. Ahhh...there's one that I can see in. The window is too short to get a good glance as the bus flies by. The bus pulls up to a red light. Ahhh...I'll look in that window. No reflection on those windows. Finally a set of windows long enough and reflective enough for me to read the sign backwards. YES!!!! I was on the right bus. Checked the website when I got home and found out it is next week that the drivers change routes. I best be on my toes then for sure. Meantime, I can relax for this week.

Oh well...if you can't laugh at yourself someone else will laugh at you. And how was your day?

Valentine's Day: Another Hallmark Holiday

Well...Valentine's Day is just around the corner. A wonderful day of the year for some, a sad day for others. In any case, it is a Hallmark Holiday, another day when Hallmark hauls in a big load for all those mushy cards. I've never quite understood why we should have one day of the year to let someone know how we feel about them. Why can't we do that everyday? If someone is special to you, they want to know that, they need to know that, on a regular basis, not just one day of the year. Everyone needs to be wanted and loved, even if they say they don't. It is just as wonderful to get flowers or candies or some personal gift that says "I love you" on a day that is not imprinted on a calendar. Those gifts do not have cost anything either. Remember the intangibles: a walk in the park, a drive in the country, quality time together, cooking a meal for someone, etc. You get the idea. The other thing that upsets me is that some people expect to be pampered, wined, and dined on Feb. 14, even when they have treated their significant other with disrespect the rest of the year. Why should they be "rewarded" for that? Gifts are supposed to come from the heart and be given with meaning, not from a sense of duty or expectation.

Wherever you are in life, I hope your Valentine's Day is the way you would like it to be.

Multi-tasking

People talk about multi-tasking all the time. Computers are know for being able to multi-task, doing several things at once. But is it really multi-tasking or just a façade? Have you ever tried to get your computer to open more than one application at the same time, copy files, and print from yet another application all at the same time? What happens? Most of time, the computer will crash. So does it really multi-task? I say no. It still can only perform one task at a time, just like the brain that developed the thing in the first place.

People claim they multi-task all the time. It is very difficult to do two things at once. Have you ever had trouble patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time? Remember that from when you are a kid? That just proves that the brain cannot successfully do two things at once. Sure, we may switch back and forth between tasks, constantly switching gears with our brains, but we still are only doing one thing at a time. So the next time someone asks you if you can multi-task, think about what your answer will be.

One thing at a time, one moment at a time, one step at a time, one day at a time. Today is all we really have. Yesterday is history, tomorrow has not yet come, so live in this day only and deal with tomorrow's issues tomorrow. If we worry about tomorrow, we miss what we have today. Look ahead only long enough to plan, then come back to the present and enjoy it. Embrace life!!

The Scoop on Poop

Yesterday I had the pleasure of perusing a book intended for grades 3-6 students. It was entitled The Scoop on Poop. The books explains how all different animals poop, why they poop, why it is brown, smells, and what it is made up of. It also explains how animals use it for mating, cooling off, and even building their homes.

Did you know that termites have the largest poop houses of any animal? There is a picture in the book of a woman standing beside a termite house (and yes, she was touching it) and it stood about 6 feet tall. How cool!!!!

Did you know that in some places in the jungle that people use cow dung to coat the outside of their huts to keep it cooler inside.

Did you know there are more than the two names that we use for it?

There was also a picture of an ostrich having a poop. Let me tell you that I would not want to be standing behind that sucker when it let loose. And you thought the seagulls were bad!!! Thank God that ostrichs don't fly.

The animal that has the largest poop is the African elephant. He can drop turds that weigh a hundred pounds. Don't stand behind him either. They poop enough to completely fill the trunk of a car each day. I'm glad I'm not cleaning up their barns. Sheesh!!!!

I couldn't help but laugh as I went through it. It was great. The kids are gonna love it!!!! Can you imagine the talk around the supper table the night after the kids read that in school? I wish I were a fly on the wall. I would like to have a copy too. What a great conversation piece it would make to leave it on the coffee table. Shall I invest in one?

hahahaha

Today is my birthday. It has been the best birthday I can remember since the day I gave birth to my daughter. Yes, we share a birthday, just as I do with my grandmother. Today, I am one year older than I was yesterday. Or maybe it is only one day. In truth, I feel about 15 years younger than I am. Life is good!!!

It's Been a Day!!

What a day it has been! It started off with a laugh and I shall end it with a laugh. Here's what happened:

I got on the elevator in a nearby building to go up to the pedway that connects to the building I work in. I was the only one getting on the elevator. As the door closed, I could smell something and realized that whoever had been on there previously had apparently been on their way to a washroom, or at least should have been. All I could think of was that I hoped no one got on as I got off alone or they might think I did it. As the doors opened, lo and behold, there was a man standing there to get in. I just smiled and walked off, letting him think what he wanted, since I have no control over his thoughts anyway. Oh well, maybe someone was standing there to get on when he got off alone too.

Then my day really began. Let me summarize.

- I have a priority job I need to do for a meeting being held today. As I approach my desk, I see one of my computers on its side with a note and a screwdriver advising me that the IT tech had to give up working on it at 8 p.m. last night. Guess I'm not using this one.
- I start the other computer. For the 5th day in a row, it refuses to start correctly. I reboot. This time I get in.
- I begin working on the project I am preparing for the meeting. It is done in about an hour. Now time to distill it to PDF format for printing.
- I print to file from WP, then I run the distiller. After waiting 2-3 minutes for the server to let go of the file, I am finally able to print to file. Success, or so I thought until I looked at the file. It pushed one line ahead at the bottom of one page and created an extra numbered page I did not want.
- Try it again. Same result. (Why do people do that expecting to get different results?) I thought I would try anyway in case the software failed me somehow.
- Reviewed the file and found an extra return at the bottom I could safely delete. I printed to file and tried to distill it again.
Again the server would not let go. I periodically keep trying so the server will let it go. What was that that just happened. My .prn file erased itself from the server.
- Printed to file again and distilled it again. This time when I viewed it, the troublesome page was fine, but when I went past there, I found another page had forced itself blank.
- Went back to the WP file. Found it had happened there somehow. Fixed it. I begin to print to file again. Same scenario, wait and wait to let go, and lose the file again. (A few choice words escape under my breath.) Third time, success.
- Now I need to distill the cover in PageMaker.
- Open the file, the links are all missing so it will not distill properly.
- I locate the files and relink them and save the file. It now prints properly directly from PM.
- I export to PDF using my print settings in my distiller. The file fails to distill. I try it again with the same result. (There I go again expecting different results.) Still it fails.
- I try several different settings inside the program to make it work. Nothing works.
- I remember that sometimes PM will not distill if the files reside on the server. I copy it to the desktop. Still won't work.
- I copy to the desktop again, renaming it this time. Distiller still tells me doesn't work, but successfully puts a PDF on the desktop. Go figure.
- I quickly put the two PDF files together, add the blank page I need and save it.
- I sent it off by e-mail to Xerox for them to print. The proof shows one other page break it screwed up a little. Will I fix it? You have to be kidding. They get what they get for today. I will fix it another day before it is reprinted.

Want to see something funny? Here is what one of my horoscopes said for today:

At exactly the wrong moment, lines of communication cross or the system goes down. Administrative mix-ups are predictable, but sometimes the utter cluelessness of those who run things just boggles your mind. Maybe a software failure throws a shadow across your day. These things are only as good as the people who design them, and you're not riding that train of thought any further. So what does downtime on a Friday mean to you? Maybe this is your excuse to grace a different kind of establishment with your presence. You and other refugees from your situation can all have a good laugh together.

Care to laugh with me? I had a few moments of tenseness and uttered profanity, but I will continue to laugh. It is still a good day.

Rumours

Have you ever heard all the jokes about government employees doing nothing and making the big bucks? Well...I'm here to tell you that this is anything but the truth in the department I work for. We work extremely hard with much too little pay and too few human resources to carry out all the promises the government makes to the people. Perhaps that is where they get their "misinformation." Unmet promises. Trust me when I say that it is not for lack of trying on the part of the little people—those people who get the least acknowledgement for what they do, but without whom, the government would never accomplish a thing.

That's the way I see it.

Banks

Why is it that the bank will help you consolidate your debts so you can make ends meet, but at the same time they increase your borrowing power so you can get yourself into a whole lot more trouble? Does that make sense?

Why is it that CMHC only offers no-downpayment mortgages to certain banks and not others? Of course, it wouldn't be my bank they offer them to? How on Earth do you save for a downpayment when there is no money left after the bills are paid? If the bank really wants your business, wouldn't you think they would take this into consideration? After all, why do you have to pay them money before you can borrow it? Don't they make their money on the interest they charge you?

Why, why, why?

Go Figure

Have you ever noticed that people want to sit in the front of a bus, at the back of a church, but want to be the centre of attention? Why?

I've had a Murphy's Law day today with technology. Oh well...can't always get these contraptions to work well. And have you noticed that they always fail when you have an urgent priority to be done? Why?

Why does a dog get mad when you blow in his face, but rides in the car with its head out the window?

Me, Philosophical?

I read this story today, and it touched me. I wanted to write it here for you too. Here's how it goes:

A Cherokee First Nations elder was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them "A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you and inside every other person too."

The grandchildren thought about it for a minute, and then one child asked her grandfather, "Which wolf will win, grandfather?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

How often do we feed these wolves? Seldom do we feed both at the same time, but it is human nature to feed them both from time to time. Sometimes we need to feed one for a while in order to reach the other. I know that I have fed that first wolf more times than I care to admit, but the one I feed most often and wish to continue feeding is by far the second one. Without love, hope, understanding, and faith life can seem very empty. Don't be afraid to feed the good wolf!!!

Why?

How does a black and white cow eat green grass and give white milk? White eggs come only from white hens; brown eggs come from all other hens. Why then, doesn't chocolate milk come from brown cows?

If the only difference between white eggs and brown eggs is the hardness of the shell and more varieties of hens gives brown eggs, why are brown eggs more expensive than white ones? Why do we pay more for eggs just because they are different sizes? Did the hens complain?

Why do organic products cost more than the regular ones if they put less stuff in them? The same seems to apply to "less sugar," "lower fat," "calorie-reduced." Does this make sense?

If the government promotes non-smoking by levying atrocious taxes on cigarettes, why don't they give a tax break to those of us who choose not to damage our health and pollute our air?

Have you ever noticed that Provincial Health Care covers the costs of hospitalization and provides drug plans to those people who don't take care of themselves and need to be treated as a result, but those of us who choose preventative medicine to avoid burdening the system aren't granted the same kind of coverage?

Go figure!!! The world is full of mysteries.

Arctic Weather

Brrr...it is really cold out there. That Arctic wind sure does chill a person to the bones. Don't forget to bring in your pets and those brass monkeys. We don't want them freezing off any vital body parts. And don't forget to dress warm if you have to go out. You will need your body parts too!!!!!

Headcolds

Headcolds are awful. They are also prevalent this time of year. I now have one and am home from work not feeling very well at all. All that sinus pain, runny nose, and sneezing. Yuck! I think the worst part, though, is being tired from it and not being able to sleep properly because you can't breathe or the headache wakes you up. I think this was the longest night of my life. I woke up and thought it was probably about 5 a.m. and it was only 1:22 a.m. Uggghhh!!! I knew it was going to be a long night and a day to stay home today and pamper myself. So here I am. I may not even get dressed today.

Here's hoping I feel better tomorrow. I hope the cold bypasses you. Nasty things!!!!!!!

Some days diamonds...some days coal

It's been a day. It's been one of those days where nothing seems to go your way, and by day's end, you just don't want to have to "go with the flow" one more time or you might just scream. It's been a day filled with frustration, disappointment, and tasks you would just as soon not do. There are three tasks that I most dislike -- vacuuming, cleaning ovens, and shopping for groceries. I did all three today!!!!!! Yuck!!!! I'm thinking that looking at the inside of my eyelids tonight might be a good thing. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day. Then again...everyday above ground is a good day!!! I hope you had a good one!!!

False Advertising

I hate false advertising. I recently took my second replacement fan back to the store where I bought it asking for my money back. It had worked for two days. The sign on the box read "premium quality." It lied.

Today, I sprayed my oven with a "fume-free" oven cleaner. It was so strong it gave me an instant sore throat, even when trying to keep my face covered. How can anything that comes from a pressurized can be fume free? I guess I should have known better. But in any case, they lied too.

First week back at the cube farm

Well...it has been quite a week!! You take vacation for over two weeks, and at a slow time at that, and the work just keeps piling up. I was going flat out all week. By the time I left today, my desk was back to my pre-vacation workload (well...pretty much).

It's been quite a week with technology, let me tell you. I have one computer that doesn't like me much. I have had it rebuilt three times already, and it still crashes continuously. I'm pretty sure it is a Windows 98 problem, but I can't get around having that OS on it or more critical problems appear with the type of work I need to do on it. Urggghhhh!!! Yesterday, it froze up on me 5 times, simply printing documents through Explorer. Today, it chose not to shut down for me yet again.

Now ... I have two computers because of the diversity of work and the incompatibility of software and inability to run so many programs simultaneously. (Yes, I really do have to do that.) The IT Techs are soon going to build my new one, with horror in their faces. I have about 35 programs on it. They gasp when they see what they have to build. This one chooses not to start on me most mornings. It currently has Windows 98 on it as well, but when it is replaced, it will be XP. Yahoo!!!!!

Today, it was an ancient photocopier I was fighting with. It doesn't like the documents I print 2-sided on my printer and then copy. It especially doesn't like them if I have just printed them. I ended up with "misfed original" more times than I care to count. Each time, it folded and tore the pages. Then there is the part that really bugged me. Some of these 9 documents didn't have page numbers or had many sections, each starting at page one. Well, that is bad enough in and of itself, but becomes a bigger issue when you get the message "copy miscount, please reorder your original" or "incomplete copy, please reorder your original." Well ... how the *&^% can you do that if you don't know the order they were supposed to be in in the first place!!!! Some of these documents were literally one inch thick. It took me well over an hour to do this (one copy each) with an unco-operative machine that has already printed about 50m copies (literally).

Somedays I really hate technology. Today was one of those days. I sure am glad to be home. I'm beat.

Public Transit

After more than 20 years using public transit, I'm sure I could write a book about the antics I've seen. There are the suicide car drivers who pull in front of the buses expecting them to be able to stop on a dime. There are the insane bus drivers who leave you thanking God when you get off their bus and are still in one piece and alive. There are the wonderful drivers who are helpful, courteous, and do all they can to make your ride a pleasure. (I really like those ones.) There are any number of scenarios I've seen. I think the most memorable one was the day I was on the bus, close to 20 years ago, and a passenger sat in the back sniffing airplane glue. What was he thinking!!! He was not only frying his brain, but those of the other passengers (me included) and the driver. As soon as the driver smelled it. He pulled the bus over to the side of the road and kicked the guy off. His brain was so fried he was like a little kid cowering in a corner and begged the driver not to hurt him he would go peacefully. Why on Earth would he choose a place like that to support his habit? I wonder where this guy is today.

Today was another adventure. The bus I took this morning was not the large articulating bus that usually runs our route. Instead they sent a standard size bus. Well, I got the last available seat and the rest of the passengers had to stand, and within a short distance no more passengers could be picked up. What was dispatch thinking when they sent a small bus for a substantial run!!! Then coming home today, the bus I took was fairly full. Sitting in the front seat was a young man who choose to take up an extra set with his bag as he drifted off peacefully to sleep with his head against the window. No one dared to disturb him to occupy the seat, until... Yes! At the stop after mine, a gentleman got on the bus, picked up the man's bag, and dropped it purposely into the guy's lap, jolting him awake. He was quite startled and shot a dirty look at the man, but he dropped his bag down between his feet and drifted back off to sleep. I wonder if he paid the fare for that bag too. What are some people thinking? What has happened to common courtesy?

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

Today was the first day back on the cube farm, and what a busy day. The priorities that were there waiting, the e-mails to be responded to, and the organizing to do to know where to even start. It may take me until fiscal year end to ever catch up and do the priorities I have before that date. Oh well...I am only human and can only do so much. I shall not fret about it.

The best part of coming back was the gifts on my desk and the one handed to me by my boss—a gift card to a local store so I could buy myself something. Wahoo! Merry 12th Day of Christmas to me!!! What a nice way to see the end of Christmas. So...it's off to shopping I shall go while the sales are on. What did you get for the 12th Day of Christmas?

The Degreening

Well ... the time has come to pack Christmas away for another year. It is sad really. All the beautiful lights and decorations that give an air of love to the beginning of winter. All those trees that once stood in the main room of the house gone for another year, many of them left at the curb to be mulched up for our gardens in the spring. I always miss my tree the most. While we are putting away the decorations, let us work at keeping the joy and meaning of Christmas alive in our hearts. Then next December we will pull out the decorations and start all over again. Personally, I can't wait to see what Christmas brings for 2004!!

As Santa used to say on our TV sets each suppertime when we were children "I promise to be good in every way, so that I can help make everyday, almost as happy as Christmas Day. HO HO HO!!!" Do you remember that? Hopefully Santa will think I've been good all year. I'll sure try!!! Santa, please be good to me, OK!!!!!!!!

Grocery Shopping...a hated task

I decided today to push my little cart to the nearby family-owned grocery store chain to pick up a few necessities. Well...let me tell you that family-owned businesses charge more than the big grocery store chains. Everything I picked up cost me more than at the large-chain store I usually shop at. I was continually shocked with each item I picked up. I guess it is the price I paid today for a little convenience. Oyyyy!!!!

As luck would have it though, I ran into a friend there that I haven't seen in a while who offered to drive me home with the groceries. Bless her heart!! But you know, everything happens for a reason. When I unfolded that cart to put my groceries in it, the axle came apart. I would not have been able to easily push those groceries home, whether I was close or further away with them. An angel in disguise! On top of that, she asked me to give her a call to go walking from time to time. The first step in meeting my new year's resolution. I will look up her phone number and add it to my directory. Now to make myself call her, but I am determined to do it!!!

How was your day?

It's Here!

2004 is now here! What will it hold in store for us? We are not supposed to know. We are supposed to make goals and have hopes and dreams for the year, but we will not know what is to be and what is not to be. There is no crystal ball with which we can see the future. Darn!!

The new year stands before us like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. When we wonder what this year will hold, let's tell ourselves the best is coming, the very best that life and love have to offer, the best that God and the universe have to send. Let us set our goals. They give us direction in our lives. Writing down your wants and needs sets in motion a powerful chain of events. Believing that we deserve these things is a powerful force in bringing these desires to pass. Then let them go. See what happens. The results may be better than you think.

January will see me turn one year older. Unfortunately, I can't turn that clock back. This year I will be 29 ... U.S. (teehee) Do you believe that?