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?