Friday, July 20, 2007

~sigh~


This might be totally lame but I miss New York. I started thinking about it last week and how much fun I had while I was there and how much we missed and I'd still like to see so I am sad. I wish I had some moola so that I could go again like right now. Literally I feel that "home sick" feeling for it. Suggestions?


Monday, July 09, 2007

Interesting...

I just thought of something this weekend. Tyler's dad Willie has had two wives. Mary: blonde and quite skinny. Kris: blonde & quite skinny. So he obviously has a type. Tyler is with me: brunette, not so skinny (working on it though). Tyrone is/was with Kim: brunette, not so skinny. Coincidence?

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Big Brother 8

Woo hoo....Big Brother 8 started tonight. Here's my thoughts on the house guest so far:

Amber - no opinion yet
Carol - negative
Danielle - not sure yet
Dick - i think i like him, but may grow to not like
Dustin - prefer him to joe
Eric - Like 'em. Reminds me of Jason Biggs.
Jameka - neutral
Jen - neutral
Jessica - i like her more than carol at this point...
Joe - i like Dustin better
Kail - i like her...she looks ten years younger than she is too! oh, but i don't like what she said about gay people...so we'll see
Mike - no opinion yet
Nick - no opinion yet
Zach - no opinion yet

What do you think?
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/bigbrother8/

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

My Brother-In-Law

Although I am trying to be a positive person I have to get this off my chest...
So it's no secret that I'm not my brother-in-law's biggest fan. I have my reasons and I have many. Christmas 2005 I had the pleasure of meeting Kim, his first serious girlfriend in the five years I'd known Tyler, and finding out that she was pregnant.
Now, while I am the first one to say I don't think people should rush into marriage due to pregnancy, I do NOT advocate getting pregnant with someone you have only known about 6 weeks. Generally speaking I think that couples are in a "honeymoon" period during the first four months of a relationship and you hardly find anything wrong with each other, but down the line you tend to see those flaws. So when I found out that Kim & Tyrone were pregnant I was a) relieved; I thought it might get rid of some of the baby pressure we were getting from Tyler's parents & b) horrified; that two people who barely know each other are going to be raising a baby (especially Tyrone).
I hoped that my opinions of Tyrone were just that: opinions not truths. However with the birth of Kira his selfishness & ignorance did not go away (exhibit 1 is the baby shaking incident at new years). Throughout the last six months or so Tyrone has really been showing his true colors to Kim and she has been enabling him for quite some time.
1. Kim slept in a seperate room with Kira so that Tyrone wouldn't have to wake up in the middle of the night.
2. Kim did all the work regarding Kira: cleaned, fed, changed diapers so that when Tyrone got home from work he had a clean & happy baby to "take care of".
3. Before Kira was born Tyrone started talking about how Kim "better have the house clean and dinner ready" by the time he got home from work. Completely oblivious to the fact that babies (especially new borns) are a full time job, that Kim wasn't his slave and that Tyrone shouldn't be the center of the world anymore.
4. After Kira was born I found out that Tyrone was saying things to Kim that most would consider verbal abuse. Calling her down, saying she's stupid, lazy, etc.
5. Tyrone told Kim, infront of his family, that he wasn't going to bother proposing until she was "perfect" (defined as lost weight, listens to him, doesn't talk back).
6. I found out that Tyrone basically never did anything with Kira unless Kim nagged him (including but not limited to cuddling, bathing, changing diapers, feedings, etc).
So about 2 months before Kira's first birthday Tyrone tells Kim that he's just not that much in love with her anymore and that he doesn't want to live with Kim & Kira anymore. His other reasons include:
-they are interferring with him playing poker
-they don't create a positive environment for him and so he's not happy & he has to be positive & happy so that he can become a millionaire (a la the Secret).
So correct me if I'm wrong, but the point of the Secret is to create a positive environment & mentality for yourself and throwing away your girlfriend & baby isn't all that positive in my books.
So now he is whining and snivelling about how much child support he might have to pay and he is going through their possessions and telling her what she is ALLOWED to take from the house.
His behavior and selfishness disgust me. The only things going for him as far as I was concerned was that he had a family that consisted of a girlfriend and a beautiful baby. Now he's throwing that away. Here's a picture of him: he lived in a basement suite, he works in a warehouse for minimal money (especially considering it's Calgary), he is ugly, overweight, lazy, ignorant, abusive, condescending, chauvanistic, argumentative, selfish...pretty much any negative word you can think of. He has no ambition, he is 29 years old, he got himself kicked out of college a few years back cuz he couldn't be bothered to attend school. Everything that is wrong with his life is "someone else's fault" according to him. He wants everything he wants handed to him and doesn't want to work for anything. And now a baby is involved.

Joy Journal

I re-watched the Secret this weekend and realized fully that I am entirely too negative. Last year my therpist told me to keep a "Joy Journal" and write down daily the things that had brought me joy. Here's a few things to catch up:

Brought me JOY

1. Thinking about my 'Tea of the Month' coming.

2. Getting a Free slush today.

3. Seeing my name in print under the "$1000 Party Sales" in my company's newsletter.
4. Picking up my puppies from Cheryl on Monday.
5. Getting my reimbursement cheque for benefits in the mail today.
6. My bosses' being out this afternoon; peaceful.
7. Having a FREE evening tonight.
8. Downloading "Cupid's Chokehold" last week.
9. Finally solving a Sudoku today.
10. Having a chance to write on my blog today!!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Love is...


On Thursday last week I came home from a chiro adjusterment and a massage feeling really wiped & sore but knowing I had two heaping baskets of personal laundry to do. My husband came bounding up the stairs with my freshly washed laundry minutes after I got home. I hadn't even asked him to do it.
Love is having someone know your intimate desires without you saying a word!!

Monday, June 11, 2007

If I won the lottery...



I'm trying to utilize "the Secret" more so I decided I would blog exactly what I would do with my money once I win the lottery (ideally). That way I can also figure out how much I need to win LOL






In no particular order:


1. Buy my parents a house in the town/city I want to live in.


2. Buy any of the following a home in the town/city I want to live in (within reason, for example some might get a condo some might get a house): My Aunt Darlene, My Grandma Ghislaine, My Grandma Johnson, My Aunt Sara, My Uncle Richard, Tyler's Mom, Tyler's Neice (in her name but allow Kim & Tyrone to live there LOL).


3. Build my dream home including:


-indoor (with outdoor capablities) swimming pool, heated


-large library style office


-front attached garage


-theatre room complete with theatre seating, projector & screen, popcorn machine...


-nice yard


-Master Suite (corner jet tub, 2 person shower, double sinks, separate toilet room, 2 walk-in closets)


-minimum 2 bdrms + guest room


-home gym with tv (digital cable) and elliptical trainer


4. Buy myself a nice new vehicle like an SUV &/or Jeep &/or Honda Civic. Buy Tyler a nice vehicle.


5. Give Tyler $30,000 to fix up his Pontiac.


6. Set up education funds for our (future) children.


7. Rent out our current home or possibly sell it and buy 2 smaller properties to rent out or possibly allow one of my friends/family to live in it.


8. Pay off my student debt & credit card debt.


9. Hire a full time hair stylist, chef, gardner and maid (different people).


10. Travel to New York (yes again. Spend as LONG as I want there), Greece, Italy, Austrailia, Europe and many many more places.


11. Quit my day job.


12. Buy presents for my friends. I'm not sure what presents & which friends but it'll happen. I want to help people out but I don't want to set the up for failure either (as Dr.Phil says "money doesn't solve money problems") But maybe an all expense paid trip somewhere.


13. Have some babies. Hopefully twins.
14. Try to get some backstage passes for "the Office".
15. Donate to SPCA regularly.




I'm sure there's much, much more but I'm running out of time in my work day. Basically I need the whole $40 million from this Wednesday's 6-49!

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

This Morning...

Knackered: adjective British Slang. exhausted; very tired
I am knackered. I set my alarm for about 5:50am so that I could go for a morning swim and instead I played snooze button until 7:30am at which time I then had to hustle my butt to be on time for work. I stopped and got a medium coffee on the way in. I only get coffee or drink coffee about 20% of the time.
Last night I had a weird dream. I dream that I was having surgery: both liposuction and some other mystery surgery. The actual dream took place as I was waking from the first surgery. I felt a bit stiff and not sore yet but I knew I was on some painkillers and that they might wear off at any moment. That is a WEIRD feeling, impending pain. So in the dream they had lipo'ed my stomach but only a little bit of my legs so I was oddly porportioned...and had creepy scars. That'll teach me to watch a 30 second clip about a surgery show before I fall asleep.

Friday, June 01, 2007

Banff Part I

So despite the fact that I have about a bazillion things to do workwise, I am SO not in the mood for work so thought I'd work on journalling our trip to Banff (the non-fat part).
Saturday:
We drove to Calgary, where we spent some quality time with our niece Kira, then drop onwards to Banff. Arriving at about 3:30pm we found the map a bit deceiving in terms of distance: we thought everything was a lot farther away from things then they were. Which is mostly a good thing LOL So it turns out that our hotel, the Rimrock Resort, is a very short walk to the Gondola ride and the Hot Springs. Bonus! Our hotel was really beautiful and our room got upgraded so we got a view of Rundle (I believe) Mountain. The room itself was nice but nothing to right home about...it just had all the basics. After checking in we decided to grab a few phamplets of local activities and then take the bus into town for some window shopping and dinner. Since we aren't much for clubbing we decided we would shop until about 8:30pm (stores closed at 9pm) then go for dinner. We had fun looking into the shops and when we headed to the Saltlik (it was suggested to us) we were informed that it would be a 1.5 hour wait! Guess everyone had the same idea as us LOL So we wandered over to Giorgio's Trattoria to see if the wait would be less there. It was only about ten minutes there.
Giorgio's was kind of a fancy place. I decided to order a crab risotto and Tyler got a stuffed pork chop. Then, last minute I decided to order the antipasto appetizer. What an experience that was :-) Tyler and I aren't that fancy of people. I thought it was like that mixed stuff and crackers...instead it was a platter of greens, weird meat slices, olives (yummy), white beans, and strong cheese. Some of it was good, some okay, and some gross. We had fun with it but probably wouldn't order it again! The rest of our meal was good. Then we each had dessert...and a few drinks. Our bill came to about $130! Just for the two of us...we are expensive.
Then we took a brisk walk to the bus stop & waited for it to come...then saw it coming on the other side of the road. So we ran across and flagged it down. The bus driver was super nice, and the bus went right to our hotel door. The moutain air really exhausted us so we settled in for an "early" night shortly before midnight and not sure what we were doing the next day. We were considering:
-ATV ride
-White Water Rafting
-Horse Ride
-Gondola
-Hot Springs
-Shopping

This morning...

I went swimming again. The first time in about a month. I don't know why it is so hard for me to stay motivated or to stick to stuff. Anyhoo the swim went well but now I am starving and tired.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Being Fat is my disability

First off, wow. It's been about two weeks since I've posted at all. What a slacker I am!
So my husband & I went to Banff this weekend for some alone time and sight seeing. All in all we had a good trip. But there were a few instances when I was like “It sucks to be overweight”. And I know that some of you are thinking “Duh” and “Okay so do something about it”.
First off I have certainly tried to have a healthier lifestyle and it is pretty difficult to create and maintain good eating and exercise habits when you have been practicing the bad ones for so long. And if some of you “skinny” peeps are getting on your high horse I have few questions for you:
Do you smoke?
When was the last time you hit a gym?
Do you eat balanced meals all the time or can your skinniness be attributed to a good metabolism?

So anyway that’s not the point of my blog. Please read on.

So my first negative experience with being fat in Banff was when we went for a horseback ride. I had to get on the horse for one…no easy feat to swing your leg around when you are less than flexible. Then the whole 2 hour horse ride I found myself questioning if my weight was crushing the horse, and clenching my muscles in fear of falling off or being thrown off the horse. Towards the end of the ride I started thinking about how I was going to have to get off this horse.
Banff is a place for fit people. There are beautiful trails for hiking, mountains to climb, etc. When we went up the gondola there were tons of sculpted, tanned people who just finished climbing the mountain hanging around. I couldn't help but stare at them and wish that I hadn't screwed up my physcially self so much. Just climbing up a baby hill or stairs makes me out of breath and I feel so, subhuman.
That night we went to the hot springs. Being in a bathing suit is always traumatic but it's especially so when there are woman all around you in great shape. It's even worse when you see Mom's who have young babies or toddlers who have already sprung back to their tonned bods.
The next day we had a spa day. The lady directed us to the change rooms and asked us to change into the bathrobes provided. Suprise they only come in one size. It's an XL and it's too small...unless I want to flash my boobs & crotch for all to see. So that's upsetting. Then for my wrap the lady used some very small towels to cover my naughty bits. At one point I'm sure she had a not-so-nice view of my butt cheeks.
So I came home feeling not so great about my shape. Pretty depressed about it actually. So I'm going to try to get back on my swimming regime. And hopefully my new business venture will keep me busy and now that it's summer there isn't much good TV on so there isn't that to thwart me.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

I am Annoyed

I am annoyed when I have to do my job twice because someone else couldn't do their job once.
I am annoyed when I have to photocopy anything, but especially when it's multiple sheets of paper, as our photocopier sucks.
I am annoyed when I have to make copies of things (killing trees) or keep paper around (cluttering the office) "just in case" (e.g. duplicate copies of timesheets from 1999).
I am annoyed when I have to numerically organize a BAZILLION sheets of papers that are currently in a random order.
I am annoyed when my bosses hand me a project that should take a few days and tell me they needed it yesterday.
I am annoyed when each of my three bosses each thinks I should drop whatever I am doing (hey even facebook) to answer to their beck and call.
I am annoyed when I have to take minutes of 10 catty women who go off on irrelevant tangents and debate anal things such as the use of "is" vs "are".
I am annoyed when my one boss lady insists on printing ever stinking email, paper, etc onto the inkjet (versus the lazer) and then loses the papers so has to print them again.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Hmmm...

it's been a while. I blame facebook...among other things.




Shameless Plug:


Everyone & their dog should join www.facebook.com It is completely free, you can post pictures, notes, profile information, onto people's "wall" as well as send messages and "poke" people! If you haven't yet joined, do so, then add me as a "FRIEND".




So on Saturday I was trying to get tickets to see Justin Timberlake in Edmonton. He's only doing one show in Alberta so the following does make some sense:


I was logged on to the appropriate website at 9:30am (tickets went on sale at 10am) with plenty of time to putz around. At about 9:57am I started hitting the refresh button waiting for the drop down menus to appear so I could request my tickets. It was 10:02am. I punched in that I need 6 tickets, "best available" and submit....no tickets available. So I typed in 3 tickets, "best available" and submit...no tickets available. So I typed in 2 tickets, "best available" and submit (getting worried now)...no tickets available. Panicked I type in 1 ticket...no tickets available. The concert was sold out already? They've only been on sale for like 3 minutes! So I try calling ticketmaster to see if there was some mistake, busy signal. So I keep trying on the computer while re-dialing the number. Eventually I decide to call Kelsey and break the news that we may have missed out on tickets. All the while still trying, typing in different amounts of tickets, hoping something will come up. A single ticket comes up: Kelsey & I are like, well it's no fun by yourself right? So I hang up with Kelsey but decide to keep trying. I go to call ticketmaster again (genuisly hitting re-dial) and I got 2 tickets! And ended up calling Kelsey again because that's the last number I dialled not ticketmaster. So I bought the two, told Kelsey she got to be the lucky person to accommpany me (as she was the first to say she wanted to go) and kept looking. No other tickets came up for the next half hour, or the numerous random attempts I've made since.




So my beef is that it's impossible to call in for tickets because the lines are uber busy. I refuse to go to the ticketmaster because they give you a random number for your place in line instead of first come first serve (happened to me at my first BEP concert) and in reality the tickets may sell out in minutes so how many people in line can you really serve? So the only real option is on-line where obviously everyone else goes too. So by the time my computer even showed me being able to pick tickets they were gone. How crazy is that?




Meanwhile I am torturing myself again this week by going for Nickelback tickets! I'm excited as I had such a great time the last time I saw them. Last time I really just went cuz my sister was a big fan & I bought her and I tickets for the show. I myself wasn't really a fan, in fact some of the songs annoyed me. Well the energy from the show was so fantastic that now they are in my top 5 fave bands on my iPod. The power of a concert eh? And I also think Chad is uber hot now.


Tuesday, April 24, 2007

And...

what makes me so mad is that Kim and Tyrone act like we owe them because Tyler makes lots of money. For one thing Tyler works for hard for his money, 10 hour days for 11 days straight if not more. Not to mention that he is away from home that whole time. Plus he had to work his way up to where he is by going to school and working to get his apprenticeship hours in. During this time we had NO help from his parents. Meanwhile Tyrone was living rent free at his mom's house while he skipped his schooling (he was attending Devry) to play poker &/or drink. Tyrone has every excuse in the book why he isn't farther ahead in life and why none of it is his fault but I disagree 100%.
My uncle got Tyrone a job last January after he met him at Christmas and found out that Tyrone was jobless and had a baby on the way. It was bushwork so tough, away from home but good money and that's what you get when you have no education. After a few weeks Tyrone quit by not showing up when he was suppose to. His excuse was that he didn't know what was going on or that he didn't have a ride to get there (which is garbage cuz he talked to my aunt a few days before). Plus who ever heard of a company getting you to your job...you get to your job or the pre-arranged group busing. So anyway there was a lot of whinning from Kim and Tyrone about how they didn't like him being away from home cuz she was a few months pregnant. Yet at this point Tyler had been doing it for about two years. So we have made the sacrifices that have put us in the position we are in now.
Tyler's parents basically give him no credit whatsoever for what he has accomplished: married, home owner, journeymen, no knocking women up after one month...all before the age of 24. And with no help from them...here is a comparision.
Tyrone: was bought his first vehicle...wrote it off in an accident and lost his license for DUI.
Tyler: bought his first vehicle FROM his dad for way more than it was worth as he then had to sink $2500 in it to get it road worthy.
Tyrone: lived rent free at his mom's for several years
Tyler: paid rent from the moment he turned 18, was the only one in his household with a job when i met him (step mom retired, dad unemployed).
Tyrone: gets cash donations from his parents all the time
Tyler: lent his mom money when she lost her job
Tyrone: got plenty of hand me down furniture
Tyler: bought his dad's shi-tay couch set and tables from him when he moved out
Tyrone: dad offered to pay for his wedding as he knocked up his girlfriend of a month
Tyler: offered to pay for our liquor but then took all the money from the toonie bar
That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Um, yeah...

So Tyler and I were thinking of doing "no birthday gifts" for this year for like parents, siblings, etc. The one person we'd likely buy for still is Kira who would be one this year. Other than her everyone else is old enough to buy themselves things. So we told Tyrone and Kim about it and that weren't too enthusiastic - probably cuz they go to the dollar store for us and buy us junk and we buy from their list. I'm pretty tired of going to lots of effort and spending my hard earned dollars on other people when they don't return the favor (in effort at least). Plus Tyler's work is sporadic so it's nice for us to save sometimes. Her was Kim's email response last night:
This is going to sound greedy, but, I like the idea of you guys not buying b-day gifts and was thinking of doing it myself, however, my birthday usually goes by un-noticed most of the time and being that last year was the first year I spent my birthday with Tye's family, I want to see what happens this year. Then I think we'll re-visit that idea.
What the f*ck does that mean? Please comment.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Lily Allen


If you every want to expand your music tastes try checking out Lily Allen. She's a British rocker with some fun lyrics...I'm possibly attracted to her music simply for the hilarious accept LOL

www.lilyallenmusic.com

Swimming

I went swimming this morning which was the first time in two weeks. I don't understand why I am so motivated some times and so not motivated others. I am going to a counselor tomorrow so hopefully she will have some insight &/or a prescription that can help LOL I am also asking her advice on how to deal with my inlaws.

My Weekend

So remember how Tyler's parents spent the night Friday so they could go shopping? Well first they wanted to go out for breakfast. I told them I had a nail appointment at 9am so they could wait for me or go without me...so they went without me cuz they couldn't wait that long. Tyler went along. After my appointment I called to see where they were, at totem shopping. So I told Tyler I'd meet him at home. An hour later I called him again and said "Didn't know it took an hour to drive 3 blocks?" So he got home at 11:00am. So basically we had about 24 hours together as he had to leave on the bus the next day (Sunday) at 12:30pm.
Tyler's mom called Sunday morning to ask us when we are getting together again. We just spent the weekend with them on Easter, plus Mary came to my spa party last weekend so I saw her again too. We just can't seem to get away from these people. Tyler actually responded to his mom "I don't know. I just saw you. I want to spend some time with my wife." Which was nice to hear.
Tyler's job in Fort Mac is hopefully ending on May 3rd so he'll be home for a while then. I want him to look for some work locally at that point, he wants to build our fence. I like when he's home but I hate when he's home and not working because:
a) I am still at work.
b) We then have little money coming in, but money still going out.
c) He gets lazy & unmotivated (as anyone who's off work would).
d) He gets really needy as he's home alone all day,.
e) Tyler's dad seems to think that Tyler's time off equals free labor for Tyler to help renovate Willie's house.
On a positive note I am my Great Aunt Sara called yesterday to tell me she's planning on coming down for my Home & Gift party and a few days of visiting, fun!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

AAARGH!

So I invited Tyler's dad & stepmom for dinner tomorrow night (Friday) because they have been pestering us endless to come over dinner (read every time Tyler is home) so I offered for Friday because then it doesn't give them the opportunity to come for the whole day like Saturday would. Tonight I get a phone call from Tyler's dad asking if it would be okay if they could spend the night. I asked why...he said because they wanted to go shopping in the morning. They live all of a 30 minute drive away. I also want to point out that they refused to spend the night on Christmas Eve because they "like to sleep in their own beds".
It's probably only annoying cuz it's them.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Sam: Ugliest Dog in the World







Pictured Left:This dog freaks me right out so I had to share it all with you.




Sam is a Chinese Crested Hairless but the breed isn't normally this freaky (shown at bottom right). He is a real dog and has won the "ugliest dog" title several times. He actually died shy of his 15th birthday on June 28, 2005.




Susie Lockheed (pictured above with Sam), his owner, loved him fiercely despite his appearance. A direct quote that sends shivers down my spine from her "I have snuggled Sam under my blankets on my bed for six years." For more information you can check out Susie's blog at http://samugliestdog.typepad.com/.




And...

I do know the difference and right way to use:

too & to

But i think i frequently use the wrong ones due to my brain working faster than my fingers...

Outlaw Inlaws

This stems from my entries on weddings and in-laws...I began to write about my friend Shelley's wedding and her in-laws but it is way to complicated and detailed for one blog...here's a start of it.

-Shelley’s parents were happy to help out financially with the wedding as the couple was just starting out. Scott’s parents would help out to a degree however there were strings attached: they wanted receipts for purchases, would only pay for certain items, insisted on inviting 75 of their personal guests (at a cost of $20/plate) and wanted pretty much everything done their way. Also, they offered to pay for the liquor and told Scott & Shelley that the couple could keep the money from the toonie bar but at the end of the night the parents pocketed the money.

Budget Breakdown
Shelley’s Parents: $20,000
The Couple: $7,000
Scott’s Parents: $1,000*
*Did not include cost of alcohol or toonie profits as these are unknown.

Now I am not saying that parents HAVE to pay for their kids’ weddings or that they are required to pay as much as the other set HOWEVER I think if you don’t pay you don’t get a say.

-Shelley had 4 bridesmaids in her wedding plus a maid of honor, one of which was Scott’s sister. However Shelley did not ask both of Scott’s sister’s to be in the party, nor did she ask his niece and nephew to be in the wedding party (I think 10 bridesmaids & groomsmen are enough don’t you). Well this was the end of the world for Scott’s family. The sister not directly included, Michelle, called/emailed her parents to complain who then threw a big fit about it. Um, hello isn’t it the couples choice who they pick? Shelley and Scott asked the kids to do the guest book table so it’s not as if she didn’t give them something.

Sounds good. You can add that Michelle said that being guest book attendants weren't good enough for her kids, and if they weren't the ring bearer and flower girl, that they weren't coming to the wedding.

-At the wedding, during the “Welcome to the Family” speech, Scott’s dad talked for about 45 minutes (my best guess). It was 90% about himself (the dad) and how he had such a challenging life and how he’d like to thank his MLA…blah blah blah. And then 10% Scott - there was one story about the night Scott was born (the night it was revealed who shot J.R.) and one story about Scott borrowing his dad’s vehicle and getting an eyebrow ring (I’m still not sure of the relevance of that last story). There was exactly zero about welcoming Shelley to the family (I don’t think they even said her name) and there was zero about thanking Shelley’s family for putting on the wedding. This is especially heinous when you consider that shortly before Shelley’s parents went up and said a lovely (and concise) thanks to his family (not deserved) and a beautiful welcome to Scott.

-Remember how Scott’s parents paid for the liquor? An announcement was made that every table got a bottle of wine and we were to go up and get it. A guy at our table went and misinterpreted the announcement as one bottle of red and one bottle of white. Apparently we were suppose to choose as Scott’s mom came to our table (a table of strangers to her) and told us we were allowed one and to choose which one we wanted. She then proceeded to take the bottle to the table RIGHT beside us, sit on a male’s lap (no it wasn’t her husband, it was a half drunk guy in his 20s) and pass the bottle around the table where each person drank directly from the bottle. Oh and yeah they already had their one bottle of wine. Classy & nice, eh?

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Message from Kyla

Everyone should take some time and comment on Crystal’s blogs! It’s fun to voice your opinion and it probably makes Crystal feel good! So, leave comments :-)

Monday, April 09, 2007

Persia


My cat is so vain she checks herself out in the mirror. I am not even kidding.

My gorgeous cupcakes


What do you think?


So I am going to write about something that I think will be controversial. It's why I think my sister in law should stop breastfeeding.


1. Kim doesn't have any decency to hide her boob when she's feeding. She'll just whip up her shirt and pull out her boob from her regular bra (not a breastfeeding bra) and go to town regardless of the company. I don't care what any of you all say about it being "natural" we all know that boobs are a sexual object and I don't think that my husband, me, my mother in law, father in law, step mother in law, or mother in law's boyfriend need to see Kim's tits. Especially when we are trying to play a game or eating. Could she at least grab a blanket?


2. Kim can't even produce enough on her own so she needs to take pills. Meanwhile she goes on and one about how the pills are expensive (and they're poor) so she should breastfeed all the time. She says that Kira needs all of these vitamins & nutrients that only she can provide. Hmm, I don't know about that...lots of babies don't die by eating formula or baby food instead of breastmilk.


3. Kim will drink all night and then go breastfeed. Is that how baby gets all of these secret nutrients moran?


4. Kira will be really whiney, crying and have to feed ALL the time then will nap...but when Kim goes shopping and we have to feed her pablem or baby food she is a super happy baby. And is very alert.


5. It strucks me that Kim uses the breastfeeding as something only she can provide for Kira so that she can monopolize her time and feel important. Kim was going to give Kira some baby food so I offered to hold Kira in the meantime so she'd have two free hands and Kim puts on a big show about "oh no Kira will scream her bloody head off if she goes to anyone else"...not two minutes later Mary got up to help and Kira went to her no problem.


6. Kira grabs at Kim's boobs all the time and tries to lift up her shirt. If she can do that isn't it a little creepy at that point?


7. Kira has a lot of interest in food (she nearly ripped Mary's arm off going for a cracker Mary was eating), eats well (when she has baby food etc) and can drink from a sippy cup. [See in the picture she is trying to eat chocolates right the wrapper]
8. She is eight months old...a recent statistic says that 90% of mothers have weaned their babies by 4 months old.



And on a slightly different note I just want to complain about something else Kim does: frequently when Kim hands Kira over to another person Kira throws a temper tantrum. But when Kim walks away it gets worse for a second but then she's fine. However Kim will walk back in the room and it'll start over again. It even happens when Kim gives Kira to Tyrone (the father). I feel like Kim has trained her to be spoiled for her mom and it makes Kim feel special so she likes it and doesn't try to make it stop. Down the road though, in August when Kim goes back to work it is just going to be painful for the sitter.


Also, I've asked Kim if they are going to have another soon (cuz Kim is 35 and not getting any younger) and at one point in the day she'll comment on her age and say yeah they are trying right now. Then the next moment she'll say, oh no I'd like to work for a couple years before we have another and we can't afford it right now. Um, those are completely opposite statements...do you have multiple personalities?

Pop Quiz RE my weekend

Questions:
1) Who annoyed me by repeatedly not using coasters all weekend?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
2) Who annoyed me by leaving half finished drinks all over the house?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
3) Who annoyed me by giving me a book called “Reframe you Blame: Taking Personal Accountability”?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
4) Who pleasantly surprised me by staying an extra day?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
d. Tyler
5) Who made it sound like it was such a big deal to leave by 1pm on Sunday?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
6) Who’s request to have two bedrooms was shot down by my passive aggressive way of leaving one room uber messy?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
7) Who had a birthday this weekend?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
8) Who made it sound like she was in a shitty relationship but made zero mention of ending it?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
9) Who was incredibly cute and starred in tons of my pictures?
a. Kira
b. Dominic
c. Charlie
d. All of the above
10) Who kept annoying me all weekend just by existing?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above

Answers:
1c (And there was no shortage of them lying in front of their faces), 2a(Kim), 3a(Kim), 4d (like anyone else would be a pleasant surprise), 5a, 6a, 7b(Mary), 8b(Mary), 9d(I love my pets just as much as I love my niece), 10a(Kim).

Swimming Update

In case you all were interested in my progress I have swam 16/26 days...that is about 60% of the time.

Question/Poll

To all the mother's out there who read my blog:
How did you know when it was time to stop breastfeeding?

Friday, April 06, 2007

Song List Dedictated to Shelley's In-laws

So I still haven't gotten around to writing a blog about Shelley's In-laws but I am working on a song list to dedicate to them. So far I have the following (feel free to offer more suggestions):

We Didn't Start the Fire - Billy Joel
Crazy Bitch - Buck Cherry
What Goes Around - Justin Timberlake
Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai
You're So Vain - Carly Simon
Devil in a Blue Dress [or was it more like gold?] - Mitch Ryder & the Detroits
Asshole - Denis Leary
Fuck the Bullshit - 311
Shut Up - Black Eyed Peas
Hate it or Love it - 50 Cent
Crazy - Aerosmith
Try Honesty - Billy Talent
No More I Love Yous - Annie Lennox
It's All Been Done - Barenaked Ladies
Move Along - All American Rejects
We Are Family - Sister Sledge
Come Together - Beatles

Creepy


So at this very minute my mother-in-law is having a bath with my 8 month old neice and my sis-in-law is taking pictures...is that not creepy?

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Late Night Freak Show

So I don't think I'll be missing many more early morning swims...I slept in this morning so decided that I'd go to late swim (9pm-10pm) to make up for it. Well guess what, there is an abundence of freak shows who go to late night swim. They are:
-middle aged guy who stares at you and is wearing yellow flippers and making weird noises as he swims (think grunts). he also happens to be the guy in the hot tub who needs to make conversation for no reason (so which city pool is your favorite?).
-crazy short yet muscular grannie who jumps up and down in one spot,
-super tanned, hairy chest, slightly chubby gold medallion wearing guy,
-weird teenage kid who doesn't understand the etiquette of swimming where you respect people's personal space in the pool, who expects you to move for him but won't move for you,
-teenage girl & middle aged women who appear to maybe be giving each other swimming lessons...couldn't quite figure it out (oh & the teenage one was crying when I got there).
-several creepy old guys (but there are a handful of them in the morning too).
-quiet middle aged lady who frequently makes eye contact but never talks, head nods or even slightly smiles.
-plus tons of crazy splashing swimmers (why do they need to make so much of a splash?).
Good times. I decided to treat myself with a little hot tub time so I watched for an optimal moment for when the tub was empty...I saw the opportunity, went for it and then realized when it was too late that there was a guy already in it (quiet philphino guy). Alright I can deal with that. Oh no wait, the creepy yellow flipper guy is right behind me & is now joining the hot tub. Oh & there's another middle aged guy joining us. And then the gold medallion guy. Then a totally normal looking late 20s guy (I wasn't fooled though, I know he too must be a freak). I was blocked in. I don't do hot tubs well on account of them being so hot. I was ready to get out after like 90 seconds but they had the stairway blocked. Not too mention I was loathing having to bare my pale ass to all of them as I emerged from the water. But after five minutes or so I had to make my break for it. Stubbed my toe on the way out, so hard it busted some skin. Ow. So yeah, I'll be aiming for morning swim from now on!

Wanted Immediately...


Challenge

So Catharina says she can eat 10 Easter cupcakes in a minute...anyone care to challenge her? Maybe 11?

Monday, March 26, 2007

Numb Chuck Skills...

With all of my self-professed skills (scrapbooking skills, graphic design skills, numb chuck skills, gift of gab skills, talking skills) I am still waiting to become a zillionaire. What up with that?
So for all you talent scouts out there, I am sick of waiting for YOUR earliest conveinence and would appreciate if you could come discover me and help me get wealthy. Thank you. Peace Out.

I Will Survive...


First, I want to confess that I missed the last five days in a row of swimming. ~Pout~ The first two days were because I was sick, Friday was because Tyler came home the night before and I didn't get to bed at a decent hour, Saturday was because I chose Costco over swimming and Sunday was because I chose doing nothing over swimming.

Second, I want to "brag" that I did make it to swimming this morning before work. Yah! One day at a time right?
Third, I want to whine that it is very hard for me to be positive...in general. It is SO much easier to bitch, be annoyed, make fun of people, gossip and focus on the negative. Why is that?
Forth, I want to confess, after reviewing number three, that maybe I am not as good a person as I think I am. I told this to my co-worker Bev once (at Property Team) and she reassured me that it's very human to be selfish. I miss Bev...I wonder where she is now?

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Seven!


There are seven parts of the woman's body that you can stimulate to create pleasure (according to an episode of "Friends"). To this day I can't name 'em all...but I digress.


I'm actually referring to the fact that I went swimming again this morning which makes seven days in a row. Yep I'm doing a victory dance (in my head) right now.

I hate people...

#1: One of the ladies who REFUSED to go in on the christmas thing for my boss because she said it was "against company policy & business etiquette" to buy a gift for your boss, buys him a coffee like almost every day. What is that?
#2: My friend Catharina who desperately needs a vacation had planned to go to the Dominican with her friend Katie at the end of April. Well then Katie, who originally said she had $10,000 in the bank calls Cat and bails because a) she can't afford it & b) cuz it'll remind her of the guy she just broke up with who lives in Cuba. Cat called her out on the money issue and so Katie relented. Then, last night, Katie calls Cat & says "I just quit my job, I can't go to the Domincan." This is especially jerky cuz Catharina doesn't have anyone else to go with (including family as they run a business and can't take vacations at the same time). So if you want to go on vacation with Catharina at the end of April give her a call!

Monday, March 19, 2007

Why I hated high school...

I hated high school because I was a really sensitive person and I allowed others' opinions dictate how I saw myself and I allowed others' words to hurt me. I thought I had gotten stronger since I left my hometown of Grimshaw, but I had a flashback of that today.
I joined this social networking website www.facebook.com last week and I have been hooking up with long lost friends and aquaintences. One of these people was my friend Laurie (yeah the one in the poem I posted a while ago). We had a little chat and caught up with each other. ThenI decided to "add as a friend" her husband Carl (the guy from the poem). Here's what happened:
Me: Clicked to add Carl as a friend
Carl: Messaged me "WTF We aren't friends."
Me: Messaged back "Why not?"
Carl: Message to me "Let us just say that your treatment of Laurie in high school was less than optimal. You are a fair weather friend at best. All of these things I find distasteful in a person. I understand that this was at least 7 years ago, but based on the fact that Nikki was in your bridal party, and your supposed best friend of 10 years never even got an invite, things apparently haven't changed that much. As such, I fly in the face of facebook culture and I don't blindly add everyone I know. The people on my friends list are people that I like, and it shall remain that way."
Me: Message back "Touche. I don't always say & do the right things. However you may have noticed that Laurie & I have added each other and are trying to catch up. As for the not inviting her to the wedding I guess I hadn't talked to her in like 5 years so hadn't thought of it as we were trying to keep the wedding smallish (but now feel bad as maybe she was hurt by this). Nicki & I still keep in contact so that is why she was a bridesmaid. Hey, plus I don't remember being invited to yours! P.S. - I wasn't trying to blindly add everyone but instead try to reconnect with people I don't normally talk to. I seem to remember a point where we did get along so if you change your mind I am opening to adding you."
Then I really let his words bother me. I like to think that I do the best I can as a human. I am very emotional and passionate person so sometimes I say or do things I regret but I don't think anyone can say they are perfect in this regard. I don't really remember exactly what went down between Laurie & I. What I do remember is that I was pissed at her for "ditching" me for her boyfriend and was upset that she didn't confide in me anymore. I'd like to think that I wasn't being any more bitchy to her than she was to me but I could be wrong. What I do know is that shortly after Tyler & I started dating I wrote her an apology letter (so that was a good five years back). As for the not inviting her to the wedding, I don't think it's protocol to invite people you are not currently chummy with no matter how many years of friendship you have together...
Thoughts? Am I a "fair-weather friend"?

Friday, March 16, 2007

I Love This...I giggle each time i get it...


Three days in a row-ho...


Three days in a row-ho. I have gone swimming before work three days in a row!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Day 2 of...



I was so pooped yesterday that I went to bed at 9:00pm. Nine pm! I never go to bed that early LOL And it was still tough to get out of bed and head to the pool. I wavered in my resolve and thus only got 20 minutes of swimming instead of 30 but 20 is better than zero. Keeping the habit is the most important part -right Melissa?
P.S. In case you're wondering, yes I did just discover how to change the color of my font (and style, etc.). I really do belong in a special program, so sad.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

the Secret


If you haven't heard of the Secret yet then you must go to the link below &/or borrow the DVD from me &/or buy your own DVD/book. I'd like to go into detail but I think it just won't do it justice.


The basics: it's a philosophy about how to get what you want out of life.



www.thesecret.tv to order a copy (or you can get it at any bookstore)

Old Dutch Ketchup Chips



I would quite possibly die without Old Dutch Ketchup Chips. They are without a doubt, my most favorite thing to eat (I'm ususally displaying the evidence: red fingertips) and I would NEVER eat another brand of ketchup. Thanks Old Dutch for making the world a better place!

What Season Am I? Winter

You Are a Winter
You look ravishing in: Black, burgundy, emerald green, hot pink, icy colors, navy blue, red, royal purple, and white
What Season Color Are You?

Bored? Lonely?

Try joining www.facebook.com It's an amazing website where you can post a profile, join groups, write notes and meet new & old people. Not only am I the president* but I am also a member!
Sign up today & add me as a friend for FREE.
*Disclaimer* Crystal Nelson is not actually the president of facebook.com, she used it only in reference to the "hair club for men" slogan...

Day 1 of the rest of my life...


So wonders never cease. I made it my goal to get up this morning and go swim laps before work: and I DID IT. The water at this pool was way more warm then it has been at my aqua aerobics. The lifeguard on duty was super nice and introduced me to the pool and it's amenities. And a month's pass was only $18! The plan is to go before work every week day so that works out to like a buck a day. Pretty cheap. I went from 6:30am - 7:00am and that still gave me enough time to get ready for work and be on time for that for once. The good thing is that now I am really awake by the time I get to work. The negative thing right now is that I am STARVING cuz I didn't eat enough for the work I exerted.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Perspiration


“Laughter is inner jogging.”
~ Norman Cousins

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Anger Management


This is an email that has gone around a few times but I LOVE it and it makes me smile...I hope it's true LOL:


When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out on someone, don't take it out on someone you know, take it out on someone you don't know.


I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I'd forgotten to make. I found the number and dialed it. A man answered, saying, "Hello." I politely said, "This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn Carter?"


Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear, "Get the right f*****ing number!" and the phone was slammed down on me.I couldn't believe that anyone could be so rude. When I tracked down Robyn's correct number to call her, I found that I had accidentally reversed the last two digits.


After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again. When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled "You're an asshole!" and hung up. I wrote his number down with the word 'asshole' next to it, and put it in my desk drawer. Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up and yell, "You're an asshole!"


It always cheered me up.


When Caller ID was introduced, I thought my therapeutic "asshole calling" would have to stop. So, I called his number and said, "Hi, this is John Smith from Verizon. I'm calling to see if you're familiar with our Caller ID Program?"He yelled "NO!" and slammed down the phone.


I quickly called him back and said, "That's because you're an asshole!"


One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking spot. Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for. I hit the horn and yelled that I'd been waiting for that spot, but the idiot ignored me. I noticed a "For Sale" sign in his back window which included his phone number, so I wrote it down the number.


A couple of days later, right after calling the first asshole (I had his number on speed dial), I thought that I'd better call the BMW asshole, too.I said, "Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?"

"Yes, it is," he said.

"Can you tell me where I can see it?" I asked.

"Yes, I live at 34 Mowbray Blvd , in Vaucluse. It's a yellow house, and the car's parked right out in front."

"What's your name?" I asked"My name is Don Hansen," he said.

"When's a good time to catch you, Don?""I'm home every evening after five."

"Listen, Don, can I tell you something?"

"Yes?""Don, you're an asshole!"


Then I hung up, and added his number to my speed dial. Now, when I had a problem, I had two assholes to call. Then I came up with an idea.


I called Asshole #1."Hello."

"You're an asshole!" (But I didn't hang up.)

"Are you still there?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Stop calling me," he screamed.

"Make me," I said.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Don Hansen."

"Yeah? Where do you live?"

"Asshole, I live at 34 Mowbray Blvd , Vaucluse, a yellow house, with my black Beamer parked in front."

He said, "I'm coming over right now, Don. And you had better start saying your prayers."

I said, "Yeah, like I'm really scared, asshole," and hung up.


Then I called Asshole #2. "Hello?" he said.

“Hello, asshole," I said.

He yelled, "If I ever find out who you are..."

"You'll what?" I said.

"I'll kick your ass," he exclaimed.

I answered, "Well, asshole, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now."


Then I hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 34 Mowbray Blvd , Vaucluse, and that I was on my way over there to kill my gay lover.


Then I call Ed Channel 9 News about the gang war going down in MowbrayBlvd, Vaucluse. I quickly got into my car and headed over to Mowbray. I got there just in time to watch two assholes beating the shit out of each other infront of six cop cars, an overhead police helicopter and a news crew.


NOW I feel much better. Anger Management really works…

Monday, March 05, 2007

Shout out to Saskatchewan Shelley...


So this weekend I got to meet an internet buddy on my part and a good friend of my friend Mel's: Shelley. During our conversations she claimed that she liked my blog and wanted to read it but lost the link so I've re-added it to my MSN name. So if you're reading this Shellster just wanted to let you know that you get "two thumbs up" from the Fonz.
P.S. - It really helps your case that you think I'm funny. Anyone who thinks I'm funny is cool in my books!
P.P.S.- I'm really enjoying the new CD I bought "Lily Allen"...she rocks.

As if!



Okay so on my lunch break I was watching a "Baby Story" on TLC. The woman on the episode was struggling through over 24 hours of labor when I had to leave to go back to work. What pissed me off about the episode was that the woman wanted to have an epideral to help with the pain but the husband didn't believe in anything but a natural birth so he was talking her out of it. She was having nervous breakdowns, bawling, talking about how she couldn't make it through and that she felt like her top half of her body was being ripped from the bottom. Basically begging him to allow her to have the epideral.
So, yeah. That will not be the case when I have a baby. Until Tyler is the one pushing something the size of a watermelon out something much smaller he doesn't have a say in my pain medication during delivery!

A little story...



My grandpa had a poster in his entryway that had this story and a picture of a rooster on it. I'm not sure of the relevance of the rooster (maybe to appeal to farmers, which worked cuz grandpa was one?)...so anyway I've always liked it.
Once there were four individuals: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody --who amoungst themselves were given a task.
Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Of course, Nobody knew better so Nobody did it. And that got Everybody angry. As soon as Everybody met Somebody, Everybody let Somebody know that this was NO way to do things. After all, Nobody was doing the actual work, and Everybody felt Somebody should have done it. However, after a suitable pause, Nobody noted that Everybody was upset with Somebody for something Anybody could and should have done.
~This is so relevant to everyday life!~

Wedding Drama Aftermath

So I get to work this morning and have an email from my friend Kyla, it reads:
"So, you know how I told you about Friday’s dealio with my now past friend Becca? Well, I got online to quickly check my email when I got to Michael’s, and I had this email saying “please confirm myspace cancellation”. Well, Becca knew my password to myspace because she created it.. and she also knew that it was very close to my hotmail password (so she would have had to guess to find out my hotmail one).. anyways, she DELETED my myspace! And, while I was online too! I was reading the cancellation email, went over to my myspace to see what was up cuz it said that if I didn’t confirm it wouldn’t delete.. but by the time I pulled up my myspace, it was gone.. and I refreshed my hotmail and that email was deleted. "
That is just crazy. Unbelievable. Juvenile. And possible, delinquent (like as in prison time). It is not okay to delete someone's profile, online journal & /or email. Not cool at all.
Comments?
Oh & stay tuned for "Weddings & True Colors: Case #3 (Shelley)"...it's a biggie so its taking some time...

Friday, March 02, 2007

Weddings & True Colors


So weddings are both one of the best times in your life and one of the worst times. It's the best because you are celebrating your committment to the one you love. They are the worst because everyone else in the world thinks your wedding is about THEM. I got married in July 2005 so my wedding was some time ago but the pain of the way some people acted still really bothers me. I have lots of stories about the time preceeding my wedding and the event itself but I'm planning on publishing a collection of short stories so you have towait for the book...LOL
CASE #1: I am bringing it up because a good friend of mine, Kyla (hey Kyla!) got engaged recently and she is already being stressed by other people's needed. A friend of her's Becca, immediately upon hearing about her engagement asked "So am I a bridesmaid?" Which is a fairly rude question if you are not willing to accept both plausible answers. My friend Kyla was torn over what to say as she is limiting her party to two woman and had 2 others on the top of her list. I encouraged her to go with her instinct and let her friend down gently. Becca reacted by telling Kyla she wasn't a good friend and that if she wasn't a part of the bridal party that she obviously wasn't wanted and wouldn't be coming to the wedding at all. Well I don't know about you but that would haven totally changed my mind and I would have asked her to be in my wedding...NOT!
CASE #2: My friend Diana was excited by her engagement and emailed a friend to annouce this engagement and to ask if she would be a bridesmaid. This friend was also getting married but hadn't asked Diana to be in her party (which was cool by Diana). The friend reacted by not responding to the question or annoucement but asking Diana if she'd be in her party...I'm not sure what came of that exactly but I'm fairly certain the friend wasn't in the party. (P.S. - If I got any part of this story wrong Diana please let me know!)
More cases to come but, I pose the question: why are people so selfish?


Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Poem (A Friend)

I was going through some papers tonight when I came across a poem I wrote on April 28/99 (yes I was in Grade Eleven). The poem's kind of funny: I was pissy at my friend Laurie cuz I felt like she has changed since she started dating her boyfriend Carl (incidently they are now married). She was my best friend from like grade four until the point of this poem. We don't really talk much now...but she is doing well in Edmonton I have heard from mutual friends. The teenage angst in this poem is hilarious to me.
A Friend
I once had a friend,
who would fight to the end,
of overy argument and quarrel.
I once had a pal,
who was an independent gal,
but that was before a guy named Carl.
I once had a buddy,
who didn't mind getting muddy,
outside when we played in the yard.
I once had a chum,
who rarely appeared glum,
over having no valentine's card.
I once knew Laurie,
who never made me sorry,
for being the person who I am.
I once knew the girl,
who made life a whirl,
before she became a THEM!

Social Faux Pas


So I almost committed a pretty big social faux pas at lunch time...I was on my way home at lunch and listening to my ipod. The song "Golddiggar" by Kanye West came on and I started singing along. Well I have the uncensored version so the song goes "I ain't saying she's a golddigga, but she ain't messing with no broke n***". The n-word isn't something I would say in my normal course of conversation, nor is it something I would EVER say in a derogatory way, but when it's in a song I'm singing I usually sing it. As luck would have it I turned my head to the right and there was a black gentlman in his car, with his window down, staring at me (could have been coinincidence) and I was just about to sing that part of the song. I stopped dead in my tracks. I'm sure if I had sung it, he would have been able to read my lips and would have thought I was saying it to him. That could have been so bad! And I would have felt so bad. You never know, he could be a future boss interviewing me or something and hold that against me. Whew!

Monday, February 26, 2007

Fabulous Reading and Some Great Advice!


I finished reading a book called "Diary of a Mad Mother-To-Be" by Laura Wolf. Turns out it is a the sequel to "Diary of a Mad Bride" but I read it anyway without knowing what happened in the first book. There's an old adage that says "don't judge a book by it's cover" but I do. All the time. I can't help it, I like to read books that are pretty, cute, enticing...so I picked this one up and it was everything I wanted it to be! An entertaining, easy read with a little bit of pregnancy advice mixed in (it’s research remember?). So here’s what I learned (a.k.a. an exert from the book):

Top 21 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy
-No sushi
-Twenty-four-hour “morning” sickness
-Forty weeks (basically ten months) of pregnancy [not the mythical nine]
-No aspirin
-Dog nose [a.k.a. you smell everything within a mile of you]
-“Glow” is [actually] sweat
-Excessive flatulence
-Heartburn
-Ungodly constipation
-CRC (Can’t Remember Crap)
-Public petting [as in everyone and their dog wants to touch your belly without asking]
-Final erosion of person identity [you are now the baby’s carrier]
-Incontinence [inability to hold in urine when sneezing, coughing, etc]
-Broken capillaries
-Difficulty breathing
-Difficulty sleeping
-No hot tubs
-Spongelike water retention
-Clumsiness
-“Due date” is a figure of speech
-It’s worth it

P.S. - This most definately is not meant to be an advice book, it's purely fictional.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

The Lights Are On But Nobody's Home

So on Tuesday night I needed to take my grandma to the Red Deer Regional Airport to catch a flight. First of all I had a hair cut booked for 5pm. Unfortunately my hairdresser was running late and I couldn't get in until 5:30pm. I did the math count down:

Flight Time - 7:10pm
Suggested arrival 45 minutes prior - 6:25pm
Time to get to Airport (had no idea but thought I'd better give myself at least 1/2 as it was somewhere south of Red Deer) - 6:00pm
Time to Pack the Car (5 min) - 5:55pm
Time to drive from Hair Stylist's to my House (10 min) - 5:45pm
Time Left to get a hair cut & pay: Less than 15 minutes...

So I rescheduled sadly since my stylist is gone to Florida for a week I can't get in until March 5th.

So I zipped back to my house to pick up my Grams and we made it to the Airport by 6:15pm (turns out it's a fairly short drive). Get to what is suppose to be the terminal (I think it's like 800 square feet) and no one is there. NO ONE. No security, janitor or homeless guy let alone airport worker. So I called the 1-800 number for the airline in a panic that I some how missed the "real" airport. They assured me that I was probably at the right one and to call again in 20 minutes if there was still no one was there.

About 6:50pm I called Peace Air (the airline) again and told them no one was there and to make sure that if we were somehow at the wrong place that they'd wait for my grandma. They tried calling the counter lady and were unable to get ahold of her but left a message. Reassuring [read with sarcasm]. It's now 7:05pm. I go outside to check on all these vehicles that keep driving past us to somewhere else. It's a parking lot labelled "staff" so no secret airport there. A girl is walking across the parking lot towards me. She asks if I am flying out that night. Told her my grandma was. She's like "oh I didn't know I had any passengers tonight". Good for you. So she opens her area and my grandma checks her bags and gets a slip of paper written on in pencil as a boarding pass (their technology amazes me). The girl says the plane will arrive "soon". We are relieved to at least have another soul in the airport.

Then we go back to where we were sitting (by the pamphlets) and wait. And wait. And wait. About 8 o'clockish a plane lands on the run way, but it has the wrong airline name on it "infinit air". Turns out this is still the plane my grandma will get on. This is a full hour after the plane was suppose to arrive and a full two hours from when we arrived. We said goodbye (sadly) and she left. The kicker is that I totally would have had time for my haircut if I had the right information.

SIDEBAR: If you're reading this Grams it's not your fault I missed my haircut...so don't say sorry or feel bad.