Thursday, December 21, 2006

10% joy and frustration!

Yesterday I weighed in at WW and was thrilled to see that I had finally hit my 10% goal... which means I have lost a total of 10% of my body weight since I joined WW back in August. I got my "10% key chain" for reaching this target. In order to celebrate this milestone I decided to make Vince a special supper "Ah-la-poof-bang" and give him the 10% key chain which took me 4 months to earn.

So I spent all afternoon making "Ah-la-poof-bang"... 3 kinds of vegetables, mashed potatoes, a thick ground beef gravy, (really just shepherd's pie but not all mixed together) and mini-yorkshire puddings. I set the table, lit some candles, and placed the key chain on Vince's dinner plate. Everything was beautiful and ready to go. Then Vince came home from work and as we sat down to eat I explained the significance of the 10% key chain. He was so congratulatory and proud of me for this accomplishment. But when he opened up the key chain... it broke! You'd think after 4 months of giving Weight Watchers $15/week (approx $250) they could afford to hand out a key chain that doesn't break the first time you open it!

Thursday, December 14, 2006

General update on my life

In a nutshell....
  • We attended 2 Christmas pot luck parties this week so when I weighed in for an ever so slight gain (0.2 lbs - the smallest increment the scale records) I counted that as a success. Pot lucks are my weakness as I want to try everything and I'm not one to limit my portions LOL. link to my weightloss page

  • I have a new skill.... motorcycle rider. Vince taught me how to ride in just 3 days (apparently that's very fast). It was chilly so we were only out for a couple of hours each time. Unfortunately, due to the weather forecast, our work schedules, and the fact that it gets dark so early, it doesn't look like I'll be able to practice my motorcycle skills again for at least a few weeks. However, Vince took this picture of our bikes which I thought was pretty cool. Mine is the red one (a 2000 Kawasaki EX 250 Ninja) and his is the green one (a 2004 Kawasaki ZX-6RR Ninja).

  • Louisa (my sister) was visiting here for a few days. Unfortunately her visit was from Monday to Thursday when I had to work so we didn't get to spend as much time together as I would have liked. It seems like she just got here and all of a sudden she had to leave. :( We miss you Louisa!!!
  • Christmas shopping and wrapping is all done! YIPPEE!!! The final days leading up to Christmas are the craziest in the shopping malls. It's not too bad during the day but in the evenings you won't find me in the mall... I value my life too much LOL.
  • Remember "Tears Are Not Enough" by a Canadian group of singers that called themselves Northern Lights? I can't find that song on iTunes and I really want it. I was able to find "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid (British) and "We Are The World" by USA for Africa (American) but I can't find the Canadian equivalent. Anyone who is able to download & send me the song will have my eternal gratitude :)

Thursday, December 07, 2006

An executive decision and engagement pics

Okay, so I weighed in yesterday and was exactly one pound above my goal for this week. The scale gives results in increments of 0.2 lbs so when I say exactly one pound over, that's what I mean :) However, I have made the executive decision that goals can be met up to one pound over the target. For my Thanksgiving weigh in, I was 7.2 pounds over target... definitely not close enough to count as success. However, for this one I am going to call it success as up to one pound can easily be attributed to water weight, clothing, jewelry, having my period, or any combination of them. Therefore, yesterday I achieved SUCCESS for my goal of having lost 10% of my starting weight by this week. I don't have the keychain that WW will give me when I officially meet that target in just one more pound but for the purposes of the chart on my website, the goal was met :) http://members.shaw.ca/vicky.bennett/weight_loss.htm

On Tuesday, Vince and I went to the Superstore to get engagement pictures taken of us. We ended up with 2 different poses that we both liked. For your viewing pleasure, I present them to you here :)






















Thursday, November 30, 2006

Crazy days and crazy nights

Lots has happened lately so here's just a life update......
  • Weighed in yesterday.... 2 lb gain :( But that's okay as I knew it was a bad week for me so I was prepared for it. The cool thing though is my clothes are really fitting looser and looser anyways. Some of the gain may have actually been muscle. That's my story and I'm sticking to it LOL.

  • Centerpieces are done..... HOORAY!!!!! The single thing that was causing me the most stress about the wedding is taken care of. Vince and I went to a huge dollar store to look around and see what we could put together for centerpieces (I know this is most guys' idea of hell so kudos to Vince for putting up with a shopping trip like that LOL). We ended up buying a few different things to build various "prototype centerpieces" at home. We got home and tried a few things out and we both quickly agreed on the combination that we like the best. So the next day Vince went out and bought enough of the items at the same store to make 19 centerpieces (the max number of tables we'll need if everyone we invite decides to come). We can't put them together until the day of the wedding so until that day comes the centerpieces are officially done :) Thanks to those who gave centerpiece suggestions... I really liked the fighting fish idea (the ashtrays and duct tape idea not quite as much LOL) but unfortunately I read them AFTER the prototype shopping trip.

  • Last night was a PZW wrestling show. It was a good show but unfortunately it ended with Vince (who is one of the referees) getting a concussion. Long story short, a wrestler kicked him in the head in a particularly vulnerable spot which caused him to black out for a while. When he came to the paramedics took care of him and determined that he had a concussion. Many people believe that professional wrestling is all fake but the injuries can be all too real. Luckily Vince will be okay and since he is on vacation right now he can take the time he needs to rest and recover completely before going back to work.

I think that's all my news right now. Thanks for reading :)

Monday, November 27, 2006

All the big things are done.....

Today Vince & I met with the marriage commissioner (formerly known as Justice of the Peace) who will be performing our wedding ceremony in May. Having booked her for the big day we are now officially done with the big stuff LOL. We have the hall booked, my dress is bought, the invitations are printed (although it's too early to send them out yet), the rings have been purchased, the DJ is booked, and we have the major decorations decided on and some already bought. The rest is just details. :)

With one big exception that is going to single handedly put me in the nut house.....

The table centerpieces!!!! I have a general idea of what I want but it's proving impossible to actually make a real decision and bring it to life. I want to incorporate flowers and candles but in both an attractive and safe way. Also keep in mind that the wedding colours are maroon and white with touches of black and silver... as soon as I add any greenery it looks like Christmas so I need to be careful of the amount of green in the decorations but especially the centerpieces as they will be seen close up.

I'm leaning toward hurricane lamp candles with flowers around the base but I really can't decide if that's what I want or even if I can afford that. With tables seating only 8 guests that means we will need at least 12 and possibly as many as 19 centerpieces depending on the number of people who RSVP in the affirmative. If anyone has any nice centerpiece ideas that I can put together relatively quickly and in large quantities without having to remortgage my house and that are still nice enough to give away and don't look like Christmas.... please, let me know :)

Thursday, November 23, 2006

My man is a very very bad man LOL

Vince told me the rings would be delayed for at least a week and for a second I wondered if he was fooling me. But he sounded so disappointed when I talked to him on the phone that I thought there's no way he could be lying...... WRONG!

Vince is a very good actor as he had my engagement ring the whole time and I never knew it. He came home from work and right away said he was going to get changed to go out for supper. But after a second or two he called me into the bedroom. When I walked in he had a yellow rose (my favorite colour) and the ring... and he was down on one knee. He fooled me but he did it right so I'll forgive him :)

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Soooooooooooo Close!

I wieghed in today for a loss of 0.4 lbs which means I'm just 0.4 lbs away from my goal for the CKOC show (in 2 weeks). Do-able? Absolutely! I hoped to get there today but I'll just be happy if I make that goal at all. That weight will mean that I have lost 10% of my body weight since I joined Weight Watchers back in August. That'll be freakin' cool! LOL. I'll get a keychain from WW (big deal LOL) but the feeling of pride & accomplishment are what I'm really looking forward to.

In spite of not yet reaching my CKOC goal, the weigh in today was actually cause for celebration.... even though the loss was a small one, it was enough to set a record. I am currently at my lowest weight EVER since I gained it all about 8 years ago after I quit smoking. I lost a bunch of weight a while back and at my lowest I was 0.2 lbs higher than I am today... that was 18 months ago. I have been battling to get the weight off again all that time. But now I'm officially breaking new ground as my weight drops even lower.

In other news.... my engagement ring was supposed to arrive today after being sized for the last 2 weeks. Well, I guess they have a huge backlog to deal with (due to the Christmas season maybe?) and the ring won't be here for at least another week. So I'll keep wearing my "training ring" and hoping it arrives soon. One week from today will be the one month anniversary of our first date so maybe it's not a bad thing if it's a little delayed.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

My new frilly frock

I'm so excited. Yesterday I bought my wedding dress. Oh yeah, for those of you that don't know, I'm getting married :D

So my cousin Sarah and I went to a bridal shop in Lethbridge to look at dresses and, as I suspected, the wedding dresses were far more flouncy & frilly than I was comfortable with. I'm just not a flouncy/frilly kind of girl LOL.

So I pointed to a bridesmaid picture on the wall and told the saleslady that I wanted something like that (far simpler than the wedding dresses) but in white. So she started bringing me bridesmaid dresses and immediately I knew we were on the right track. But it was actually Sarah that found the perfect dress. I was trying on what the salesladies were bringing me but Sarah brought one back to the change room and when I put it on and looked in the mirror I knew it was the right dress for me. I still tried on a couple of others but then went back to the one Sarah found and again knew that it was perfect :) Sometimes you just know when it's right ;)

The funny thing is, Sarah's husband Todd was the one to find a new purse for me. We were all in Sears and I desperately needed a new purse. I was wandering all around the purse section looking for something I liked when Todd pulls one out and says "how about this one?". I looked it over, thought it was perfect, and bought it!

Also, Todd & Sarah were with me when I bought my current vehicle. I looked at a few but they helped me make the right purchase. I'll have to make sure Todd & Sarah are with me for all future major purchases as they always help me :)

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Weighing in has never meant so much

I'm really trying to lose weight and tone my muscles so I'll look awesome LOL. Vince says I look hot already (what a sweetie, eh?) but I want to look even better. So today when I weighed in and saw that I had lost 3.4 lbs this week I was THRILLED. I know I shouldn't put too much stock in what the scale says but I do anyways and I LOVE it when it reflects the effort that I have put in to losing weight :)

As of today I am exactly 0.2 lbs higher than my lowest weight in years (that was 18 months ago) so I'm thrilled! My CKOC goal is only one pound less than I am now and I have 2 weeks to reach it. I'm SOOOOOO hoping for success as that will for sure be my lowest weight since I quit smoking and gained it all to begin with. Stay tuned :) http://members.shaw.ca/vicky.bennett/weight_loss.htm

Friday, November 10, 2006

Playing catch up

WOW... over a week has passed since I last posted to my blog. I apologize to all my regular readers and commentors out there :)

So what has happened this past week? Well, my awesome boyfriend and I moved in together. I know, I know... it's VERY fast. But when it's right, it's right :) It has been an adjustment for this "independant woman" and her "confirmed bachelor" boyfriend... but it actually hasn't been as much of an adjustment as I would have thought. It's actually been a lot of fun setting things up and buying stuff for OUR house. :)

I got Mercedes back from the US on Tuesday. I'm so happy to have her home again. The boys (Elton & Gilly) love her and she's also charming Vince. We are becoming quite the happy family :)

Wednesday I weighed in for a slight gain but still under my "Red Deer goal" so I can check that one off as success :) I have about 5 lbs to lose for my "CKOC goal" (Dec 6th). That should be do-able if I can just stay away from cheesecake LOL.

Wednesday I also got to see Vince in action as he refereed the professional wrestling matches for PZW (Power Zone Wrestling) in Lethbridge. He is so the man ;)

Christmas is coming soon which means lots of fun shopping but lots of not-so-fun crowds. My tip... shop online when you can. When you can't, try to hit the stores weekday mornings before the crowds build up. It's worth taking a few hours off work to reduce the stress level, IMHO :)

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Now you know... the rest of the story :)

Sorry Weeza, Anonymous, and Kelly, as much as I love all of you, none of you are the subject of my previous blog entry LOL. His name is Vince and he's just great :) He wasn't scared to meet the 15 members of my family that descended on my house last night... and if that doesn't speak volumes I don't know what would LOL.

In more good news..... I had a dramatic loss of 7.8 lbs last week! I have now exceeded my weight loss goal for Red Deer a week ahead of schedule!!!! The chart is funny... it's starting to look like a slinky walking down stairs LOL. You can check it out here..... http://members.shaw.ca/vicky.bennett/weight_loss.htm

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

In other news.....

I have some news to share but I don't have time to post right now. It's about a certain person who has come in to my life and made me feel so happy and content in so many ways. More about that later.

Just wanted to post quickly about my weekly wiegh in today. I will be weighing in on the way out of town for my uncle's funeral so I won't be able to update my blog or website about it until tomorrow. I have high hopes... which is never a good sign but I'll be shocked if I'm not down at least a bit :)

Monday, October 30, 2006

Another Movie/DVD Review Post

In theaters....
Man of the Year starring Robin Williams. I was expecting smart, political humour.... I got some of that (not really smart though) but also an element of thriller/action movie. That was very unexpected. Scott liked the movie BECAUSE of that.... I liked it IN SPITE of that LOL. But after all that it still wasn't that great... 6 out of 10.

On DVD....
Billy Connoly live in New York.... I have seen Billy's stand up before so I had high expectations. However, they were not met. This was probably the weakest performance of his I've ever seen. I have literally LOL'd 10 times more during one of his 5 minute appearances on the Tonight Show. I chuckled a little bit but that's pathetic for a 90 minute performance.

The Office: Season 2.... outstanding, fabulous, amazing, stupendous. This is, no question, the funniest show on TV. I especially enjoy the commentaries as they include writers, actors, directors, everyone. The only disappointment is that Steve Carell wasn't in any of the commentaries. John Krasinski wasn't either... or maybe just one. The stars have gotten too big to do the commentaries I guess. The blooper reel is a great highlight.... 17 minutes of LOL'ing :-) My favorite moment..... "You're evil like a hobbit" (in context it's hilarious but you'll have to watch a commentary and see the blooper reel to get it).

Chicago..... entertaining. I really enjoyed it. Since watching it I have downloaded the song "Cell Block Tango" and I enjoy singing along to it in my car :)

Scrubs: Season 4... I've just started watching this 3 disk set so I can't give a full report but so far it's pretty good. My only complaint is the lack of commentaries (only one out of every 7 or 8 episodes has a commentary... compare with The Office where about 50-60% of the episodes have commentaries).

Friday, October 27, 2006

What a week!!!!!

It has been a crazy, roller-coaster week of highs and lows.

The lows included being "dumped" (if the word applies after just a couple of dates) on Monday by the only normal guy I have met on lavalife so far. Then on Wednesday my uncle died.

The highs included getting the news on Tuesday that Mercedes finished her American Championship (unofficial right now but it looks good). And today, Friday, my cousin Sarah gave birth to a baby boy.

On top of all that it has been insanely busy at work and doesn't look like it will be letting up for at least another week. On the plus side, the sky is blue and sunny (unlike in other areas of the country). Hopefully that'll continue into next week. :)

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Calling all single men... you NEED to read this post!!!

I'm a nice normal girl, looking for a nice normal guy. However, since joining Lavalife.com a few weeks ago I have encountered some single men behaving like complete idiots and it's getting worse! Gentlemen, this is a short list of WHAT NOT TO DO if you want to meet women.....

1. Try the "hurt puppy" thing. If I have plans and I'm running out the door and you just happen to ping me at that moment, I'm still going to run out the door. Pouting is NOT cute and makes you look like you have the emotional maturity of a 5 year old.

2. Asking me during an IM session if I want to be your "friend with benefits". Moral issues aside (if that is a concern), I haven't met you, seen a picture, or even had a real conversation. If you want to find a "fuck buddy", try the Intimate Encounter area of lavalife, not the Dating/Relationship area.

3. Asking me if I will be your "sugar momma".... instant turn off! I'm looking for a partner, not a child to support.

4. Tell me about your Ferrari and how you like to pick up the ladies on the weekends. That may work with your locker room buddies but it's not impressive to a woman... it looks like bragging, probably lying, and just plain sleazy.

All these things have happened to me in the last 48 hours. What is it with guys that think it's okay to talk to women like that? I beg you men, PLEASE, just be normal. Talk like a person who has common courtesy and basic manners and can act like a grown-up. How hard is that??????

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Just call me Goldilocks

Online dating is so bizarre. I'm 0 for 4 right now....

The first guy wanted me but I didn't want him.
The second guy didn't stick around long enough to even exchange real names LOL.
The third guy didn't want me but I wanted him - sigh.
The fourth guy I'm meeting tomorrow but I'm fairly certain he and I are looking for different things.

So that's four misses in a row. Goldilocks only had to try two bowls of porridge.... one was too hot and one was too cold... before finding the one that was just right. How many "bowls of porridge" am I going to have to sample before finding the one that is just right?

PS. anyone who posts in the comment section with the advice to "just blow on it" to cool it down will be banned from all future commenting LOL

Monday, October 23, 2006

The hostess with the mostest :)

I still have no dining room table, my "guest rooms" are simplistic at best (one has an air mattress and the other has just a mattress & box spring with no bed frame - neither have any other furniture), and overall, my house is only half unpacked.

However, in the last 2 weeks I have hosted 2 overnight guests, had 2 big family dinners (one planned, one spontaneous), and had 2 different people over for a meal and pleasant conversation. I am the hostess without the resources to properly host LOL!

Oh well, with just a few hiccups, things have gone pretty well. My guests have been gracious and not complained. But now I'd REALLY like to wait until I have a dining room table before having another family dinner. With any luck, those critical elements that are missing from the table (the legs) will be delivered in the next few weeks.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Can I just say one little thing?

HOLY FREAKIN' CRAP!!!!!!!!!

How can I have lost 6.2 lbs in one week? I think last week's weigh in was absurdly high.... maybe the scale was off or I was retaining a ton of water or???? But I'm ecstatically happy that I'm exactly one pound away from my Thanksgiving/Red Deer goal!!!!

http://members.shaw.ca/vicky.bennett/weight_loss.htm

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

I have no words to say....

In a nutshell, things are going pretty well for me. Mercedes is doing well in the US as she goes for her American Championship, I recently got a promotion at work, and my social life is heading in a good direction thanks to lavalife. So with things looking good, I don't have anything to gripe about on my blog :) I don't want to jinx anything so I can't talk about any of the above LOL!

However, tomorrow I'm getting a hair cut and it's the ever-stressful weigh in day. There is great potential for things to head south! LOL!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

The greatest medical advancement of the 20th & 21st century....

Okay, it's probably not. But I do enjoy the "liquid bandage". As mentioned previously, I have had a foot injury that has kept me out of the gym for about a week. It was just a crack in the skin on the ball of my foot but it made walking (let alone jumping up and down) very painful.

So I went to the drug store to pick up some "Nexcare Skin Crack Care" made by 3M. This stuff ROCKS!!!! It looks like a tiny bottle of clear nail polish but it smells an awful lot like gin LOL. I just brush it on the skin crack, give it a minute to dry, and then go about my daily duties (including step classes at the gym) with little to no pain! Thank-you 3M :)

There are other brands that do basically the same thing but I've never tried them so I can't speak to their gloriousness or lack thereof. The 3M package I bought came with a sample tube of skin cream. Since I do enjoy a freebie I decided to purchase the 3M product. And thus, I am now recommending their product to all my "blog-buddies". :)

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

I'm starting to hate Wednesdays

Wednesday.... weigh in day. Even if I've had a loss it's still a very stressful day. However, this week I know I will have a gain. There's no way I could possibly have a loss. But that's okay... I've accepted that. Thanksgiving dinner (whose idea was it to make Thanksgiving dinner a festival of carbs and fats?) with all the leftovers and extras I ate throughout the week, combined with hardly any trips to the gym due to a foot injury means I have definitely gained weight.

Unfortunately this means that I will not reach my Thanksgiving goal weight. However, that doesn't mean that I'm giving up. I just have to keep soldiering onward to reach my Red Deer show goal weight. The Red Deer show weigh in date will be November 8th. I have a little less than a month to try and reach my next goal. Wish me luck :)

UPDATE: as predicted, I have a gain of 2.8 lbs!!!! That means I would have to lose 12.2lbs in 4 weeks or about 3 lbs per week to make my Red Deer goal on November 8th. That's not healthy so I'm adjusting that goal to be a loss of 7.2lbs (what my Thanksgiving goal was). If it's realistic then I'm hoping that'll help me try harder to reach it :) Wish me luck again :)

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The pros and cons of hosting Thanksgiving Dinner....

CONS

  • It's a LOT of work. More than I expected. There's the prep work (cleaning up the house, doing some unpacking in my case LOL, and buying the food). Then the cooking... no amount of prep work can keep me out of the kitchen while my company is socializing in the living room... there's just too much to do. Then of course there is the clean up afterwards. This is only made bearable by the fact that I have a dishwasher... I wouldn't host Thanksgiving without it :)
  • You have to be gracious. Your guests may say or do something you don't like or take offense to but you have to grin and bear it.
PROS
  • You don't have to drive home afterwards... you're already there :)
  • You get to enjoy the clean house you worked so hard to scrub the day before
  • You (and the dogs) get first dibs on leftovers
  • You get to work on your domesticity skills
  • You don't have to leave your dogs for the duration of the party (although they may have to be confined in order to keep some order amid the chaos LOL)

Friday, October 06, 2006

Xpresspost is a big scam

So figure this one out....

A few weeks ago I sent a package to a friend using Xpresspost. It cost about $25 to ship it and although they promised 10 days, it got there in a little over 2 weeks. Hmmmm, not so speedy.

Then I sent another package this week to the same friend using regular mail (only $5 instead of $20 and there was no rush this time) and it got there in only 3 days!!! What's the deal with that?

The moral of the story is... don't bother using Xpresspost. The mail will get there when it gets there no matter how much you pay for shipping.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

There's nothing more frustrating than.... (this is a rant with foul language!)

There is absolutely NOTHING in this world that is more frustrating than working your god damn ASS off for something and not getting it! Yes, it's Wednesday. Yes, I weighed in today.

I have been SOOOOO good all week as I really wanted to reach my Thanksgiving goal (next week) and I had 3.6 lbs to go. This past week I went to the gym 6 times (5 is my goal so I EXCEEDED it), and was vigilant about what I ate. I drank lots of water. I took my vitamins and made sure I had enough veggies and dairy. I tried SOOOOOO hard. So I'm sure you can imagine my frustration when I went to weigh in today only to find that I had GAINED 0.8lbs!!!!!! So now I have to lose 4.4lbs to make my goal for next week!!!!!

Trying to figure out why I gained instead of lost is even more frustrating. I mean, whatever I did wrong, I want to rectify it. Did I work out too much and eat too little and my body went into mild starvation mode? If so, I want to adjust that by eating a little more and working out less. However, that goes against everything I have ever learned about weight loss and I really hesitate to go there.

Or perhaps I had the mild gain because of my cycle. Weight loss is (as are so many other things) for sure related to the menstural cycle.... oh the joys of being a woman. I could blame the gain on that as my last slight gain was exactly 4 weeks ago. It seems to work that way... 3 weeks of loss and 1 week of maintain/gain. But that's a pretty big gain to blame on "Aunty Flo". So who knows!?!?!

So after the ultra-frustrating weigh in, I went to the gym to work out and grabbed a sub from Subway (6" turkey on wheat) and a latte (non-fat, sugar free) from Starbucks. As much as I'm tempted to throw in the towel and eat pizza and ice cream in front of the TV, I have to soldier on, stick to plan, and get through this. I haven't reached my goals yet!

Saturday, September 30, 2006

An irony of weight loss....

Have you ever seen a woman that has recently lost a LOT of weight? I mean at least 50 lbs?

Women (men seem to be exempt from this... at least to the degree women experience it) lose weight first in their upper body from about waist up. When they say "the boobs are the first to go", it's true LOL. Then the weight comes from the lower body from about mid-thigh down. Then finally, possibly mother nature's way of protecting the reproductive organs?, the bulk from waist to mid-thigh melts away. So what this means is a woman who is working out so hard, eating right, skipping the high calorie treats, and basically doing everything in her power to end up with an hour-glass figure actually ends up with a diamond shaped figure... the exact opposite of her goal. A very sad irony.

Friday, September 29, 2006

What's the difference?

Today I went to the Post Office to pick up something that arrived for me. When I handed her the notice that arrived in my mailbox, the young lady behind the counter asked if I was expecting a parcel... or a package?

I have always used these terms interchangably, yet this woman was asking if I was expecting to receive one OR the other... as if they were two different things. I was not aware of the differences between parcels and packages so I said "I don't know" and she went to the back to retrieve the item. She never did tell me if what I had received was a parcel or a package.

So does anyone know the difference? I could google it or wikipedia it but I just can't be bothered and I'm sure SOMEONE who reads my blog will care enough to look it up and let me know :)

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

My Knees Hurt - UPDATED

Okay, everyone with a dirty mind, I know what your first thought was! LOL.

It has been very strange... my knees have been causing me a surprisingly high amount of pain lately and I couldn't figure out why for the longest time. At first I thought it was because of the step classes at the gym so I made sure I was using a low step and using correct posture & stepping technique. But I discovered that not only was that not helping, in fact the pain was often worse after days when I wasn't even at the gym.

Then I thought maybe it was pain from the car accidents I was in a few years ago. But I eliminated that possibility pretty quickly because although I still suffer neck and upper back issues, the knee pain has been cleared up for a long time and it would be unlikely to come back all of a sudden.

But now I think I've solved the mystery... I suspect I am suffering from knee pain because of how I sit on my desk chair (since I'm working from home I don't have to worry about posture and appearances like I would in an office environment). I find it comfortable to sit on my chair either cross legged (like a child during story time LOL) or with one leg crossed under me. Long periods of sitting in this position loosely correspond with times when the knee pain has been the most severe. It also explains why the pain can be worse in one knee and then the next day switch knees. I didn't realize sitting that way could cause knee problems but if you think about it.... the knee is in an unnaturally bent position with most of the body weight keeping it there for extended periods of time.... well then it makes sense LOL. So now I have to sit like a grown up :P My feet are on the floor, my back is straight, and it is strangely uncomfortable... something to get used to I guess.

Check back this afternoon for my weigh in results. Given this week's activity level (pretty good but not fabulous) and eating habits (fast food TWICE but other than that not too bad), my suspicion is that I'll have a very small loss (less than 1/2 pound) or maintain.

UPDATE! I was ever so pleasantly surprised to learn that I had actually lost 1.2 lbs this week. Given the so-so nature of this past week, I was thrilled with that loss. I have 3.6 lbs to go to reach my Thanksgiving goal weight. Since I weigh in every Wednesday, I'm counting the weigh in on Oct 11 (2 days after Thanksgiving) as the official weigh in day for that goal. So I have 2 weeks to really get my butt in gear and lose those 3.6 lbs :) As always, here is the direct link to the weight loss page on my site.... http://members.shaw.ca/vicky.bennett/weight_loss.htm

Monday, September 25, 2006

Project "Social Life": steps 1 and 2 are done

Step one in the project for building a social life outside of dog shows was to get my profile on Lavalife.com to meet single people. I did that a couple of days ago.

Step two was to actually start interacting with those people. I admit that I haven't actually initiated any contact (my heart's not totally in it yet... hopefully soon), but today I replied to a man who smiled at me (the lavalife version of flirting). I don't know if it will go beyond an e-mail (that's scary enough to me LOL) but at least I "interacted" for the first time. Hopefully next time will be easier ;)

Step three will be to exchange more e-mails and/or chat with him/them online.
Step four... phone call
Step five... meet for drinks, coffee, whatever
Step six... dinner (or another "date" activity)

So, why is this a project, you ask? Well, since you asked so nicely (LOL), it is a project because I have a really tough time trusting people - so this is as much about building trust and confidence with people as it is about dating. When I meet someone, it takes me so long to get to know them enough that I feel comfortable going out with them, that by then we are just friends LOL. Hopefully this "project" will enable me to build enough confidence and trust in people that I will actually respond in the affirmative next time a nice man asks me out. :)

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Movie reviews and a TV tragedy

First, the tragedy. This past week has been filled with season premiers on NBC. So I set up my DVR to record everything so I could watch the shows later at my leisure. You see, this past week has also been insanely busy. I was out of the house every single evening and was unable to watch any TV at all. So yesterday I sat down to finally go through everything that had been recorded and decide if there were any new shows worth watching and, much to my shock and horror, I discovered that instead of recording everything on channel 16, NBC, I had instead recorded 20 hours of MuchMusic - channel 18, as that was the last channel I had been watching last weekend.

I blame the HD box from Shaw (remember the chaos in my life surrounding getting THAT set up???). The DVR will record whatever channel the HD box is on and I can't program it more than about 10 hours ahead of time to record a certain channel. It says I can record the same program daily or weekly but that can't be true or I'd have NBC shows to watch now (I had previously asked it to record The Office and Jay Leno on a regular basis). Maybe it resets itself for the new season? Who knows and who cares. All I can say is that this is another strike against Shaw. I honestly can't believe I give them money every month for service/products that I'm unhappy with.

And now for the movie reviews. Recently I have seen Crank, The Illusionist, and The Last Kiss.

Crank - 4 out of 5. Although I knew what the story was about before I went to see it, the tone of the movie was a surprise. I was expecting a Die Hard feel and I got a Pulp Fiction feel. There were some funny parts and overall I liked the story but it gets marks taken off for excessive violence (hey, it's my rating system. I can rate it based on whatever I want LOL).

The Illusionist - 5 out of 5. I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. I hadn't heard of it until Brad mentioned he wanted to see it. With Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti I expected good acting. But with Jessica Biel, who I had only seen as the oldest daughter in Seventh Heaven, I wasn't sure. However, I am happy to report that the acting was great throughout and the story was interesting. It won't change your life and you never learn how the illusionist does his tricks, but it's a good way to distract you from your everyday life for a couple of hours.

The Last Kiss - 4 out of 5. This is a powerful movie about relationships and the ups and downs within them. It was almost too real in its examination of the conflicts that can arise and the temptations to cheat. Definitely a good movie to see if you have cheated on your spouse as forgiveness is a big theme. There were a couple of stories with unclear endings and the director should have put a scene in at the beginning that showed the turmoil within Zach Braff's character instead of just saying he had turmoil. Blythe Danner's acting is outstanding... she stole the show for me.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Well, she's actually gone

Mercedes is with a handler in the states working on her US championship. I hope she isn't gone long. They have only entered her in one show so even if she wins all the available points it won't be enough to finish. It'll be weeks or possibly months before she comes home.

I never thought I'd miss Mercedes as much as I do. She really was the cutest mishchief maker.... I called her my munchkin for a reason LOL. I let her get away with so much. She LOVES other dogs and was always playful with any dogs that came over.... whether they were just there for an evening or forever. She's also the dog that put my kennel name on the map. No one knew who I was before I started showing Mercedes... I owe my reputation in the dog show world to her. :)

I miss her like crazy. I can't wait until she comes home again so she can race around the dog run like a wacko with Elton and Gilly while I'm standing there shivering, begging them to "just hurry up!!!" LOL.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

I am a winner!

How is it possible to feel both thin (relatively) and fat on the same day? I've had a few days like that recently.... I'll look in the mirror in the morning and feel like a freakin' tank. Then I'll pass by a mirror or window later in the day and think "damn, I look fine today" LOL. Or it has gone the other way.... feeling fabulous in the morning and then later in the day feeling fat and frumpy. What bizarre cosmic phenomenon is causing this?

But today I'm feeling totally fabulous... I've lost 2.2 lbs this week. I am SOOOO happy with this loss... makes all the workouts and skipped desserts worthwhile. Unfortunately I strained my knee at the gym yesterday so I'm taking a day or two off from workouts. Will I make my first (Thanksgiving) goal? It'll be tough as that weigh in is only 2-3 weeks away and I have approx 5 lbs to lose... Here's the link to my weight loss chart. http://members.shaw.ca/vicky.bennett/weight_loss.htm

I haven't done much blog posting lately as I've had a lot of physical tasks and emotional strain associated with sending Mercedes to the US. I have phoned many people and shed a few tears over this.... I really should never has children as, based on this experience, I'll never let them out the door for their first day of school LOL.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

How to feel like a loser......

  1. Decide you want to see a movie
  2. Choose a movie that will appeal to many ages & genders
  3. Ask everyone you know if they are interested in seeing it with you
  4. As they each decline your invitation one by one, come to the realization that you must either go alone or not go at all
  5. Enjoy the losery feelings that come with rejection

Friday, September 15, 2006

ASC DVD's finally arrived

Remember I went to a dog show back in July in the US and Mercedes won her first 5 points there? Well, I finally got the DVD recording of it yesterday. Mercedes, for the most part, looks great. There was once or twice I wanted to yell at her handler (me) for doing such a bad job stacking her but overall I was very happy with how she looked.

I, on the other hand, did not look so good. I knew my suit was a wee bit on the tight side but I wore it anyways as it is such a good colour (light green) to wear with a black/white dog. But it doesn't look so good on the DVD with the fabric straining against the largesse of my large ass! And I really have to get a more supportive bra for dog shows. I didn't realize how "bouncy" I was when going around the ring LOL.

And that's not all... I watched the DVD with the BBQ on it. We had been celebrating before the BBQ with some wee (okay, not wee.... rather large) quantities of alcohol. And so you can see me almost falling off my chair while wearing the biggest, gummiest grin in the world. I'm such a loser!!!! LOL. Oh well! Some people will watch that DVD and roll their eyes at the drunk loser. However, I will watch that DVD and remember how much fun I had that night :)

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Did I give my neighbor a show?

The other day I was in my bedroom getting dressed. I had the blinds open because the overhead light is broken... kind of... long story. Anyways, I just finished getting dressed and when I turned around I happened to see a man on the back deck of the house across the alley. He was definitely looking in my direction but I'm not sure if he could actually see into my bedroom. It was a little unnerving that he might have been watching me get dressed.

I walked out of the bedroom and into the dining room (which also faces the back alley) and by the time I got there, he had gone back into his house. Coincidence? I'm not sure. It's bizarre for sure. If he did see me getting dressed and got a thrill out of it then good for him I guess LOL.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Why do I sabotage myself?

When it comes to controlling what I eat, evenings are BY FAR the weakest and most challenging times for me. It's the time of day when I finally get to relax, watch tv, play on the computer, whatever I want to do. But for some reason it's also the time when I feel like I HAVE to be eating something. Even if I'm not hungry I get the munchies.

But Tuesday evenings are the worst. No coincidence that I weigh in every Wednesday. It's like I eat extra on Tuesday nights just to sabotage the next day's weigh in. I just can't seem to ever get full on Tuesday evenings.

I wonder if subconciously I really don't want to lose weight and that's why I eat and eat and eat on Tuesday nights. Do I get some kind of sick comfort from being extra large? Or maybe I've been overweight for so long I'm afraid that I won't be comfortable being a more "normal" size? Who knows? I need therapy LOL.

UPDATE: I weighed in today and had a small loss (just under a pound). This is a huge relief after last week's slight (0.4 lbs) gain but I'm still kicking myself as I know I would be doing way better if not for those late night munchies! Oh well, I'll take any loss over a gain :)

Monday, September 11, 2006

Inappropriate Endearments

Last week I was talking to an Air Canada representative on the phone to rearrange my flight home from the ASC show in January. The woman, though kind and helpful, made me uncomfortable because she kept calling me "dear" and "honey". Because this was a business transaction I felt those endearments were inappropriate. Not to mention that I had never met this woman!

I call friends, family, loved ones, etc by endearments all the time. However, in business where we deal primarily with strangers, I just think calling people "dear" and "honey" can be not only inappropriate, but it could be seen as demeaning... like they are talking to a child. Am I wrong? Your thoughts?

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Oopsies! Had a bit of a setback.

The "weight loss journey" had a bit of a setback yesterday when I weighed in to find out that I had actually gained half a pound. Now half a pound isn't much to panic about... but it's frustrating nonetheless. I know I didn't eat perfectly last week so the gain wasn't a huge shock. But I worked out as much as possible and ate sensibly most of the time... so it's still very frustrating. Oh well. Nothing can be done about it except to learn from the mistakes and try to do better this week.

In other news, I had the hardest time trying to find a way to get Mercedes to a handler in the states but I think I finally got it all worked out. So Mercedes is going down on September 21st to pursue her American Championship. She is already 1/3 of the way there so I'm hoping she'll be home by Christmas. :)

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

What do our dreams tell us.... if anything?

Dreams are interesting. I've heard they contain our deepest fears and desires. I'm sure there is more to it than that though. I think real life has more impact on our dreams than fantasies do.

A couple of months ago I had a vivid dream that I was getting divorced! Having never been married I figured a therapist would have a field day with me over that one LOL. However, upon further reflection I think I had that dream because I had been talking to a friend earlier that day about the unhappy state of his marriage.

Then last night I had a dream, a very strange dream, in which I was a single mother with an infant son. The young nameless boy was only a couple of days old and in my dream I had fed him one meal (mushy cereal... he was advanced for his age LOL) but he had had nothing to drink and was getting dehydrated. It took me a few dream-days to realize that the young boy might be hungry and thirsty. He didn't cry or anything, just relied on me to be on the ball enough to give him food and water. But when I woke up I was very thirsty and dehydrated. So I'm thinking that my own real life thirst was projected onto my dream child.

I have no strong feelings about marriage or children as I have never experienced either. However, these are two of the most memorable dreams I have had in recent history. And in my dreams I was unsuccessful at both. So maybe I DO have a fear (failing at marriage, failing at child-rearing) that is being projected in my dreams. Who knows? Any theories?

Friday, September 01, 2006

How to make highway driving more bearable....

I don't think many could argue that highway driving on the prairies is soooooooo booooooriiiiiing! Not that the prairies aren't beautiful in their own way, but wheat field after wheat field is dull dull dull! So, how does one make the journey more bearable? Here are some ideas that have worked for me.....

  1. Have a passenger. Not only can they talk to you to keep you entertained but in case of an emergency it is always helpful to have an extra pair of hands.
  2. Play loud music. Doesn't matter what kind (as long as all people in the car agree or can compromise)... just play it loud and sing along :)
  3. Play a book on tape. Careful with this one as it can backfire. I have driven one of the most boring drives known to mankind (Lethbridge to Moose Jaw) with a book on tape that was even more boring than the scenery. But a good, entertaining book will get you to your destination very quickly
  4. Play a comedy CD. Is similar to the book on tape idea but is more likely to be entertaining. The biggest drawback is that it is likely to be short, usually less than one hour, which won't get you far on the prairies.
  5. Daydream. Seriously this one works and requires no investment at all. Unfortunately, this is tough to do with a passenger as they might think you are ignoring them. If you do this I advise you make sure you are wide awake so you don't actually drift off the road.
  6. Listen to the radio. This one is Valerie's idea but in my experience it only works near major cities. Once you are in true prairie land there are long stretches with very few stations to select from or maybe no radio at all.
Any other highway driving tips out there? :)

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

A bonus blog post

When I posted this morning I forgot that I'd need to post my weekly weigh in update too. So here is a bonus blog post.....

I weighed in today and was very happy to see that I lost 2.8 lbs this week. :) That's double last week's loss of 1.4 so a big WOO HOO for that LOL. I knew I had been very "good" this week with lots of work outs and eating quite a ways under my limits so I expected a loss. So I'm very happy to report that I got one :) You can see the updated chart on my website.... http://members.shaw.ca/vicky.bennett/weight_loss.htm

Unexpected gifts....

Is there anything better than giving or receiving an unexpected gift in the mail? Yesterday I received one and today I sent one.

The received one - I picked up the mail yesterday hoping for the ASC DVDs which didn't arrive. :( However, amid the stack of bills and other mail, there was a small envelope with an unrecognizable return address. I opened it with caution but was pleasantly surprised to see a check made out to me for $50. Turns out I sent in a rebate for some DVD's I purchased about 4 months ago and completely forgot about. What a fun piece of mail that was.

The sent one - I can't talk about much as the receiver might read about it here before it arrives at its intended destination. But it was so much fun running around and picking up the items to be sent. I felt like one of Santa's elves LOL.

Now, not to be too much of a girl, but I need to share the pain of breaking a nail LOL. Yesterday I was opening my dishwasher and I hit my thumbnail at just the right angle so that 2/3 of my acrylic nail overlay came right off and fell to the kitchen floor. That was a surprise but it didn't hurt too much... it must have been lifting on that part anyways for it to come off so easily. But I couldn't have 2/3 of my thumbnail off and the other 1/3 just sitting there all jagged and nasty LOL. So I decided to do some surgery on myself and remove the other 1/3 which was ever so firmly attached to the base of my nail. Now THAT hurt! I had to get underneath the acrylic part and pry it off my nail. I'm sure childbirth is the worst pain a human being can go through... but peeling off acrylic nails is a close second!

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

To hot tub or not to hot tub....

I don't think "to hot tub" is actually a verb but for the purposes of this blog, let's pretend that it is.

I think I can safely thank (or blame? LOL) Kelly for introducing me to the delights of having your very own hot tub in your backyard. When I stayed with her for the Ft Mac show back in May we jumped in the hot tub just about every day. It was WONDERFUL!!!!! I was instantly converted to the hot tub fan club.

So since I'm planning on living in my new house for a while I thought it might be nice to invest in my own hot tub. I found one that I like on sale for about $8500. Add GST, installation, required electrical work, and maintenance costs and you'll probably get a clear picture of why I'm hesitating to buy it. I think I'd LOVE it but is it worth the money? Any thoughts?

Monday, August 28, 2006

The things I'll do for Things

I've been looking all over for a game called "Things... Humor in a Box" since we played it at our family reunion a few weeks ago. I haven't been able to find it in any department store so I decided to look online. First I checked the Toys R Us website and was delighted to find that they had it. WOO HOO... hit the jackpot first time! :)

I went into my local Toys R Us store but I couldn't find it on the shelves. So I went to the cashier to see about ordering it but she couldn't find it in their computer. I thought that was strange since it was on the website but thought oh well, I'll just order it from the website. She warned that there are two websites... a Canadian and American one.

So I went home and went to the Toys R Us websites. Sure enough, the Canadian site does not have "Things" in their inventory but the US website does. I tried to order it but.... they do not accept international orders! SIGH!

So I thought, okay, I'll just pick it up when I next go to Great Falls. But when I did a search using their store locator I couldn't find a single Toys R Us location in all of Montana! I found a Toys R Us across the street from the nationals in Pennsylvania in January but I don't want to wait that long to get it and also it could be out of stock then (after all, it'll be right after Christmas). So I gave up on the idea of buying the game at Toys R Us.

Then I did a google search for the game and it turns out "Things" has its own website and, get this, it's a Canadian game!!!!! LOL How crazy is it that I can't get the Canadian game in Canada but I can in the US? But to order "Things" directly from its website will cost $40 plus $10 shipping. That's more than I'm willing to spend on a game listed for $25 USD on the Toys R Us website.

So I continued to search on the game's site for places that sell it and, get this, it is actually sold in the City of Lethbridge in a store in the Park Place Mall! Now the really crazy thing is I was in that mall just STEPS AWAY from that games store only minutes after my failed trip to the local Toys R Us! With my luck they'll be sold out of "Things" by the time I get back to the mall but at least I know they stock it and should be able to order it in for me :)

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Happiness in life....

My personal opinion is that it is really difficult to find happiness in life. I mean real, true joy.... not "they gave me fresh french fries at McDonalds instead of cold ones" happy... I mean the real "I'm happy with my situation in life" kind of joy. So, I think as long as you are not hurting anyone else, and you have found a way to be really happy then grab on to it with both hands and don't let go! If that means going to Star Trek conventions, or installing a hot tub in your backyard, or being in a gay relationship, or living in a small town in Saskatchewan, or maybe all of the above.... then (to steal ever so subtly from Nike) JUST DO IT! And don't let the opinions or actions of others keep you from what makes you happy.

There is a lot of misery in this world. I mean a LOT of misery.... watch CNN for 30 minutes once in a while and you'll see all the crap going on in this world. And on top of that, life is very short... too short. So for the short time we have to enjoy life, why not enjoy it? Live the life that YOU want to live.

I'm not trying to take away from the responsibilities of being a grown-up and a good citizen (which falls under the "as long as it's not hurting others" part of my message). I'm talking about living a lifestyle that makes you happy within those responsibilities. All things are possible. If you are unhappy with your present lifestyle then change it... do whatever it takes to make yourself happy in life. Life is just too short to be miserable.

Friday, August 25, 2006

My Undies....

In my dresser, there are two kinds of panties.... "thongs" and "granny-panties". The grannies are further subcategorized into "nice grannies" and "period grannies". They each have a specific function in my life and they rarely stray from their assigned role.

The "period grannies" are self explanatory. They are former "nice grannies" that have been demoted, usually due to age or developing holes. They are worn for a few days every month and then put back in the drawer never to be seen again for the next 3.5 weeks.

The "nice grannies" have two very specific functions. They are to be worn to the gym and to bed. I used to wear thongs to the gym but found I appreciated that small amount of butt-support found in the grannie style of panties when I'm working out. The seamless kind don't ride up either... a wonderful choice for the gym. And I used to wear thongs to bed but I guess I'm a restless sleeper as I woke up a few times to the most uncomfortable wedgie! So now I wear "nice grannies" to bed :)

The "thongs" get worn in every other situation... going out for dinner, shopping, staying home and watching tv, etc. They give that little feeling of sexiness in every day situations :)

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Advantages to being single....

  1. I can sleep in any position on any part of my queen size bed
  2. I can adjust the a/c to suit MY comfort level
  3. No one to mock me if I cry during "Love Actually"
  4. Only pay life/health insurance for one
  5. My money is all mine to spend how I choose
  6. My time is all mine to spend how I choose
  7. I can date whomever I want
  8. Blockbuster night - I always get the movie that I want
  9. I don't mind the smell of my own farts... but everyone else's stink like shit
  10. Popcorn for supper is no problem
  11. Decorating decisions are all mine
  12. No battles over the remote control
  13. No disagreements over who to spend the holidays with
  14. No possibility of heartache and problems with divorce
  15. My RSP and investments are mine to watch grow and enjoy in the future
  16. People change. No worries about a spouse changing in a bad direction
  17. No beard stubbies in the sink
  18. I can buy a diamond ring anytime I want to... don't have to wait for anyone to buy it for me. Same with a house, vacation, etc
  19. Make up and tampons are always within easy reach
  20. The silence is golden :)

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

They beat me. I give up.

Shaw cable has beaten me to the ground and worn me out. I am now sticking with them for my cable TV service. I have had multiple people try to work out connecting all my components with no success so I arranged for Starchoice satellite (who I would highly recommend after their first slip up with customer service). But Shaw kept insisting it would work and they sent out a guy to connect it all and... whadya know... he got it to work. So I had to humbly go back to Starchoice and apologize for getting them involved in the crossfire between myself and Shaw as I cancelled their service. Unfortunately I still have to take the satellite receiver back to Future Shop. I just can't believe that with all the crap I've gone through I'm still with Shaw. But I have a non-refundable $500 investment in their HD Receiver Box which I am reluctant to do away with so my choices are limited.

On the plus side, I weighed in today and have lost a little. Not a lot, but a little LOL. Okay, it's 1.4 lbs. If I can continue to lose that much weight every week then I'll be within a pound or two of each of my 3 upcoming goals... Thanksgiving (the real Canadian one in October LOL), the Red Deer show in November, and Christmas/ASC. Right click the following link and "open in new window" to see the chart but keep reading here :) http://members.shaw.ca/vicky.bennett/weight_loss.htm

I need to come up with an incentive to "treat myself" if I hit those three goals. Any suggestions? Not a high calorie food of course LOL. I was thinking of a massage or something. What else can I treat myself to that would be appropriate for hitting a weight loss goal?

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Twas the day before the weigh in....

The day before the weekly weigh in is a tricky day because what I eat today can have a big impact on my weigh in tomorrow. However, I don't want to use all my tricks for a good weigh in tomorrow as that will just set me up for a gain the following week. So I'm trying to eat "normally" but just avoiding extra salt and all alcohol. Salt and alcohol = major water weight!

Unfortunately I had a bit of an injury at the gym on Friday (rolled my ankle and landed on my butt.... I looked so cool! LOL) so I haven't been able to work out for the last 3 days. I'm going to the gym today for a class but if my ankle starts to hurt I'm going to have to ease off and give it another couple of days. The last thing I want to do is make an ankle injury worse and have to stay off it even longer.

This reminds me of a story I read on an online bulletin board once. A lady posted about how difficult it was for her to lose weight because she was confined to a wheelchair and had no use of her legs at all. The major muscles that really get our heart rates up for a good cardio workout are in our legs. So without the use of those muscles she had to find alternate ways to get a cardio workout. She bought a treadmill but it had to be a special wide one that could accommodate her wheelchair. But even with the special equipment it took her so much longer to get an effective workout. When I read her story I felt incredibly lucky to have the use of my legs. I said to myself that I would never again whine about working out because I COULD work out. It really motivated me to get up and start moving and to be thankful for my ability to work out and do so many things that I take for granted. :)

Monday, August 21, 2006

I swear I'm not making this up....

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

The ongoing saga with Shaw..... I took the defective receiver box back to Shaw today but they still would not take it back. Instead they are going to send a technician to my house to make sure it really doesn't work! I guess my word for it isn't good enough. Okay, if I go to Sears and buy a skirt and then return it because it doesn't fit, are they going to make me put it on in front of them to prove it doesn't fit? If I go to Walmart and buy a coffee maker which turns out not to work properly are they going to refuse to refund my money until I actually attempt to brew a pot of coffee and prove that it is defective? ARGH!!! I can't believe Shaw is getting away with this crap. Take it from me, NEVER deal with Shaw.... THEY SUCK!!!!!

Today I made a day trip to Great Falls, Montana (home of the largest nursery of cold-weather-hardy plants in all of America... seriously, I saw the sign LOL). I went down to pick up a dog that will be shown up here later this year or early next year. It was an uneventful trip down (although I did get lost at the Great Falls airport) and Gilly was lots of fun to play with at the rest stop. Unfortunately we had a run in with a Canada Customs agent on a power trip. He told me that I could not bring Gilly into Canada and I would have to send him back to his owners. He said that I did not have power of attorney over the dog and therefore I would not be allowed to bring him into Canada. I showed him my letter from the owner giving me permission to care for the dog until his championship was completed. He wouldn't even look at it and said if it wasn't notorized it wasn't good enough and I would have to take the dog back to his owners. Luckily his supervisor stepped in and looked at the letter. She stated that the letter was a reasonable facsimile of power of attorney and sent me on my way. Man, I hope that guy (excuse the crudeness here) goes in the back room and gets a big load off on that stunt he pulled so some good will come of his power trip.

You know how people tell you to buy a lottery ticket when you seem to be having a streak of good luck? Well, my luck has been so bad lately I am afraid to buy a lottery ticket for fear that not only would I not win but I'd somehow end up owing money to the lotto board!

Sunday, August 20, 2006

The joy of the ensuite......

With all the doom and gloom that has been going on in my life lately, I thought I'd blog about a source of joy in my life.... my ensuite bathroom :)

When I was looking at houses to buy, an ensuite was not on my "must have" list but it was definitely on my "nice to have" list. I have never lived in a house with an ensuite. Since I have been living on my own my bathrooms have always been for my use but also shared with guests. First I had a one bedroom apartment (B.C. - before canines) with just the one bathroom. Then I moved up to a duplex with a single bathroom (A.D. - avec doggies). Then I moved up again to another duplex but this one had one and a half bathrooms.... I still had to share the main bathroom with guests as it had the tub/shower.

But now, oh my glorious house.... it has 3 full bathrooms. Overkill? Possibly. But the delight in my life is the ensuite. I have a toilet, shower, and sink that no one else will ever use. I can keep it clean or messy - however I want. I can leave dried toothpaste in the sink and invite everyone over for dinner.... no one will ever see the toothpaste glob.

It is my palace of porcelain and pipes... my den of drains and dental floss... my "shangri-la" with a shower and shaver! It is, in a glorious word, my ensuite! :)

Saturday, August 19, 2006

If it hadn't happened to me, I wouldn't have believed it....

I literally cannot wait for the day when my life is in a hum-drum routine that is dull dull dull. If you are a regular reader of my blog (or have had any conversation with me in the last 6 weeks) you know all about the problems I have had with moving in to my new house. Well, let the trouble continue.....

I went out and bought (amongst other things) a new TV with the proceeds of the sale of my old house. It is a lovely 40" LCD HDTV. Now, in order to actually enjoy the HD part of the TV I have to get an HD receiver box and subscribe to a service that includes HD channels (such as digital cable or satellite).

So, on Friday afternoon Valerie and I played hooky from work (if anyone from IBM reads this, we actually went after a complete work day filled with lots of productivity LOL) to go and buy a Shaw HD receiver box so I could enjoy digital cable including the HD channels. Valerie has a similar system which I really like so I thought it would be a good choice.... I bought the receiver box, took it home and had the WORST time setting it up. Valerie said she was able to set hers up with no problem at all so I was getting more and more frustrated that I couldn't figure out how to do it. I ended up calling Shaw support and it turns out that there really is no way for me to set up the HD box with my current set up (I have a DVR box that I use for recording but the HD box can't send a signal to both that and my TV so I can either watch the TV OR record something but every time I want to switch from one to the other I have to pull out cables from one device and put them in the other - totally unacceptable).

So since I could not get the digital cable to work I looked into satellite with Bell but wasn't happy after my phone call with them. The guy I talked to really lacked customer service skills and was not very helpful at all. So I decided to give digital cable another try by going to Future Shop to see if they had any cable splitters that would help me set everything up. The salesman tried a few things but his best solution was to buy $50 worth of cable splitters and couplers which would end up compromising the sound.

That wasn't a great solution so he suggested going with Starchoice satellite. He personally vouched for how great Starchoice was. They have great customer service, knowledgeable tech support, and great service bundles (channels) to choose from. Okay, he talked me into it. So I decided to give them a try. The salesman said all I had to do was purchase the receiver then call their toll free number and installation would be arranged and would be free. Hey, this all sounds great... I'll buy it!

Then we went to Shaw so I could return the useless HD receiver box that I bought yesterday. But when I said I wanted to return it they said "all sales are final so no returns allowed." Wait a sec... I just paid $450 for a box that is useless to me? Not only is it not compatible with my components, it doesn't even work (I was able to view the channels but not the guide that comes with them). All the Shaw person could suggest was talking to her supervisor on Monday morning - which I will definitely be doing.

So I went home and read the manuals for Starchoice. They all said don't plug it in until all the cables are connected. No problem, I'll just call for installation then I can hook everything up. I called the toll free number and....... 50 minutes later there was still no answer!!!! I heard "Your call is very important to us. Someone will be with you shortly" over and over and over and over and over! It was crazy! I should have hung up sooner... an hour is FAR to long to be on hold. And this is supposed to be their great customer service? It made a pretty bad first impression with me.

So what do I do? I still have the useless Shaw box to return. If Starchoice service includes being on hold for an hour before I can talk to a tech then that's no good to me. Am I doomed to have a great TV but only an analog signal for the rest of my days? ARGH!!!!! It has been VERY frustrating!!!! All I want to do is watch Law & Order in HDTV... is that asking too much?????

Friday, August 18, 2006

I'm booked for Philly :)

Regarding the American Spaniel Club show to be held near Philadelphia in January of 2007....

I have the hotel room booked and some roommates lined up.

I have my flight booked (from Lethbridge so no highway driving in January).

I'm very excited about the show. I'm not taking a dog this time... just going to watch, socialize, and have a good time :) This should also be a MUCH cheaper show than Sturbridge was in July LOL.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

I can do it..... you can help!

This will come as no surprise to anyone who has met me or seen my picture..... I do not have a model thin figure! I could sit here and play the blame game but who really cares WHY I'm fat? I don't even care why I'm fat LOL. I just want to get down to a healthier and more attractive weight. You have the power to help me do that!

I have built a page on my website that charts my weight loss progress over time. It started on August 9th (the day I rejoined Weight Watchers after a 7 week "vacation") and goes until the end of the year. Because I'm a typical woman who doesn't want to advertise her weight (LOL), I have removed the numbers from the chart so you can't see exactly how much I weigh but there are lines on the chart that give it some perspective so you can see how far I have come and what my goals are.

I have charted to the end of the year as that will coincide with the ASC flushing show in Philadelphia (Jan 5-7, 2007) which has a formal dinner. I want to buy a new formal gown for the dinner and hopefully my body will be a lot smaller then and will fit into a dress I can only dream of now. :) It'll be my reward for 5 months of working hard to lose weight.

So how can you help me.....? Go to the chart on my website (you can also find it at the bottom of my "links" page)..... http://members.shaw.ca/vicky.bennett/weight_loss.htm

The theory is that if people are checking on my progress then that will keep me more accountable. I welcome any feedback about the chart. Is it clear? Is it missing any information? Any other ideas to keep me motivated? Let me know what you think. :)

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

"Blogger Awareness"

Back in high school I took a course on childhood development (back in the day when I pictured myself having children and thought the information would actually be useful to me... but I digress). In that course I learned that there is a point in a child's development when they become aware that they are not the only thing that matters in the world and that other people have thoughts, emotions, needs, etc.

I think a blogger can go through a similar transition. When I first started writing my blog, I thought hardly anyone read it. I knew a few people did because they were regular posters in the comments section (hello to Weeza, Klad, Sabrito, Lyndarae, and margaret). But outside of that I assumed the blog was really my personal diary. However, I am now realizing that once in a while some other people read my blog. They rarely, if ever, post comments but they have told me that they read it. I think that is the coolest thing - to have an audience - but it makes me aware that the rants and embarassing moments that I write about are being read by other people. YIKES!

There's a new kind of pressure that comes with the awareness of having an audience... the pressure to be entertaining (or they'll stop reading), the pressure to post regularly (or they won't bother to check for updates), and the pressure to always make myself look good. This last pressure (instinct really) I will try to resist.... as I think some of my best posts have come from situations where I don't look good at all (the swimsuit buying adventure and the Starbucks lady who thought I was pregnant come to mind). I think it is best to be truthful to the realities of my life. After all, isn't that what a blog should really be about?

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

These are my strengths....

After yesterday's "I'm such a loser" blog, I have decided to dedicate this entry to things that make me a winner :)
  1. I make a kick-ass "Sunshine Chicken Salad". I know because I just had one and it was awesome!
  2. I have "stick-to-it-iveness". When things are tough I stick it out and work through them.
  3. I can do a decent job of grooming and presenting a cocker spaniel in the show ring.
  4. I have strong skills in MS Office, especially Excel (I am some people's personal helpdesk with their Excel issues)
  5. I'm generous... sometimes too much as I think I can get taken advantage of if I'm not careful.
  6. I'm almost always in a good mood and smiling - stop laughing! I really am!
  7. I can knit, crosstitch, and am learning to crochet.
  8. I know what most hand tools are for and can do basic fix-it jobs around the house.
  9. I am reliable and can hold down a job... I have never been fired from a job and have only quit jobs for major life changes (moving, going to university, etc)
  10. I am loyal to my friends. I'll defend them whether or not I agree with them as I hope they would do the same for me.
  11. I'm a pretty good driver. Have only been in one accident that was my fault (extenuating circumstances... there were mechanical problems with the car from it sitting in a flood the day before - but still technically my fault).
  12. I give great hugs and, to the chosen few, great neck/back rubs.
  13. I have nice biceps. Seriously, ask me to flex for you sometime. :)
  14. I have good sportsmanship in the dog show ring. I ALWAYS congratulate the winner even if I thought their win was undeserved - it's the polite thing to do.
  15. I can add and remove links from an Italian Charm bracelet. Not with any great speed or proficiency, but I CAN do it.
  16. I'm empathetic. I don't always know what to say or do to ease their pain but I have empathy when people are going through a rough time.
  17. I have a sense of humour about myself. This is a biggie as it doesn't come to me naturally (I naturally take myself too seriously) but is something I've tried to develop.
  18. I recognize my weaknesses and try to change them. Just ask the trainers I have worked with at the gym and the Weight Watchers leaders I've dealt with.
  19. I occasionally have a spurt of artistic talent. If you have seen the serving plate I painted with a boxer & a cocker on it with no pictures to refer to, you'll know what I'm talking about.
  20. I stand up for what I believe in whether or not it's the popular choice.
  21. And finally, following Margaret's killer recipe, I can make the world's best cheesecake. Seriously, it is the best cheesecake in the whole wide world.

That's my list of strengths. I like how it is book-ended with food. Hmmmm, maybe that should be the first entry on my weaknesses list LOL.

Monday, August 14, 2006

It's like high school all over again....

Do you ever have one of those moments where you feel like the nerdy kid in high school talking to the popular football player or cheerleader? You know... like you picture the good looking football player in his team jacket looking all slick and cool and you feel like a hunchback geeky girl wearing a threadbare, outdated dress (which your parents made you wear), big glasses, and stringy hair... and every word that comes out of your mouth sounds like the dumbest thing you could possibly say? I had that today.

I spoke to a couple of people on the phone who are the equivalent of the popular, talented, smart, and of course good looking, football players of my high school days. They are what I would call "cocker royalty" in the dog show world. These people have had tons of success in the US show rings where I am the pipsqueak from Canada who is trying to play in their game.

I'd like to think I carried on a normal phone conversation with these guys (hah!) but I was constantly questioning every word out of my mouth.... Was it stupid? Was it bragging? Did I sound arrogant? Was I funny? Did I accidentally imitate their accent? If I did, were they offended? Do they know I respect them? Do they think they are better than me? I should be respected, too... don't they know that? Do they even know where Canada is? Do they know where Alberta is? Do they care? Do they question every word out of their mouth like I do? Could I BE a bigger loser?

NO!!!!!!! I am the BIGGEST loser ever!!!!!

Imagine that dialogue running through your head with every word you say.... it's a little stressful. No wonder I sounded like a dork.

The joy of the pressure washer....

I don't want to sound like a commercial for pressure washers but.... these things are AWESOME!!!!!!!

I took out the pressure washer yesterday to clean out some crates. It not only blasted away the dirt, it actually made the crates a different colour! You know how a layer of dirt can get in the little crevices on the textured surface of a crate? Well once that dirt is blasted out of there the crate looks so fresh and new again :)

I also had some crate doors with rust on them.... now they are rust free as the pressure washer will blast that away too :)

Careful if you have any chipped areas on a painted surface... the pressure washer will make those wee chipped areas larger and larger with every blast of water.

The only thing I found the pressure washer could not remove was rust stains on plastic. Strange how it will remove actual rust but not even a dent in a rust stain.

I also accidentally found another use for the pressure washer... it will "fold" weeds that are growing in the cracks on your sidewalk or driveway. It won't actually get rid of them but if you aim the wand towards the weed from one end of the crack, the pressure will actually make the weed fold down into the other end of the crack and your driveway/sidewalk will appear to be weed free for a while LOL. A band-aid solution, I admit, but one worth considering if you are just looking for a temporary fix to your weed problems.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

To shower or not to shower.....

That is the question. Don't get me wrong, if I am going out where I might be seen by friends, neighbours, or even strangers, I'm not leaving the house without a shower. It's just gross to think otherwise.

However, when I'm at home and feeling lazy, it's tough to find the motivation to shower.... especially when the agenda for the rest of the day includes getting even dirtier (housework, dog grooming, etc) and I'm going to have to shower after the dirty work anyways.

I mean let's face it... who is it hurting? I live alone with dogs.... they seldom complain about my BO (they are very considerate that way). So why bother showering? Just to say I've done it? Doesn't make sense to me.

So I'm going to take my stinky body away from the computer, have some lunch, do some housework, groom some dogs, and maybe even power-wash the crates...... THEN I'll have a shower :)

Friday, July 28, 2006

Update on "The Dumbass Brick" situation

So yesterday I felt really screwed around by the Brick (see yesterday's post below). I vented to Valerie and Susie about it and they were very supportive and encouraged me to cancel that order and buy a new dining room set somewhere else so the horrible saleslady wouldn't get my commission money. I thought that was a good idea but given that I actually liked that set (and had a tough time finding another one that I liked) I was reluctant to follow through....

Until I remembered that United Furniture Warehouse is actually the same company and they could possibly order the same set for me. So I went into UFW to see what my options were and, not only can they order it for me, it was $300 cheaper! So I placed the order with them with the intention of cancelling the order from the Brick the following day (today).

So this morning I called the Brick to cancel the order. That went fairly smoothly. Then about 5 minutes later I got a call back from the Brick saleslady I originally bought from (and got the run-around from yesterday). She said she got her manager to look into it and they CAN get me the set on Saturday AND they'll match the price I got at UFW!!!! I guess it takes the threat of her losing her commission money to get any kind of customer service. If she had made that call yesterday then she wouldn't have lost money out of her pocket... stupid woman! But I said forget it.... I'd rather get the stuff in a month from UFW as they have treated me much better and are worthy of my hard-earned money. :)

Thursday, July 27, 2006

The results are in and... who do I need to know to get a delivery made on time?!?!?!

The results are in and I have new colours in my main bathroom. Thanks to everyone who gave their opinions. I ended up going with olive green accented with ivory. These colours were already in my living room so there was a continuity component to that descision. Also I found a shower curtain in those colours so I went for complete co-ordination of the bathroom :)

Okay, so last Friday I went from store to store to store (literally every furniture store in Lethbridge) looking for a dining room set that:
  1. I liked
  2. Was able to be delivered by this Saturday (8 days from purchase date)

I ended up buying a set from the Brick (not my favorite store but they were able to meet my criteria above). They said delivery could be as early as Tuesday this week, most likely it would be Thursday this week, but the absolute latest would be Saturday of this week (family dinner is on Sunday so that was fine). They also said they would call the day before delivery to arrange a convenient time to drop it all off at my house.

So today (Thursday) I still hadn't heard anything so I called the store to make sure it was coming on Saturday. The lady who picked up the phone said "Oh, didn't you know that item was on back order?". Ummmm, NO I DIDN'T KNOW YOU STUPID COW!!! (okay, I didn't really say that but I wanted to). So she put me through to the saleslady who I bought it from. This bitch went into total defence mode... "that's the warehouse's fault, not mine" and then "I told you it could come later than Saturday" which, by the way, is a bald faced lie!!!!! No apology, no "lets work on a solution", just passing the buck and accusations. Is this what passes for customer service from the Brick? Give me a freakin' break!

Okay, my rant is over. But guess who I will never buy any furniture from ever again! LOL

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Bathroom Poll......

I have decided to get a new shower curtain for the main bathroom in my new house instead of putting up the same old one I've had for years. And since I'm doing that I will also get all new matching towels for public/guest use (my ensuite is for private use and those towels will stay the same).

The bathroom is currently very neutral.... beige walls, beige tub and surround (with silver fixtures), beige/off-white counters, and wooden fronts on all cabinets (6 doors all together so there is a lot of wood). So the poll question is, what colour should I go with in the main bathroom? It has to match the neutral surroundings and keep in mind that it should be a fairly muted/grown-up colour (no lime green or neon pink) to keep in tone with the rest of the house. Any and all suggestions will be considered. Thanks :)

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Long time, no blog

I'm back.... hooray!!!!! :) My computer died on me about 6 weeks ago. It took a really really really long time to get repaired/replaced but it finally did and now here I am. :)

Lots has happened in the last 6 weeks. My house sold so everything had to be packed up. I had packers come in and do the bulk of it... I would SOOOOO recommend that :) They packed up my entire house in just a couple of hours - it was awesome. Then the movers came to store my stuff for two weeks before I got possession of my new house.

Then I went to Sturbridge, Mass to attend the US Cocker National Specialty show with my girl "Mercedes". I still can't believe it but she won Winners Bitch for a huge 5 point major from the Bred By Exhibitor class :) As one person put it... I had been struck by lightning... it's a once in a lifetime win! What a thrill!

Then I came back to Lethbridge to move into my new house and that's where the chaos started! The delivery of my new bedroom & living room furniture was delayed but arrived within 36 hours of when it was expected. This has been the most successful scheduled delivery to date! My office furniture was supposed to arrive on Friday but was a no show - no phone call or explanation at all. They showed up on Monday when I wasn't home but luckily my brother was there and able to receive it (thanks Ben).

Then all my worldly possessions were supposed to arrive from the moving company on Saturday but the moving truck broke down on the way so it was a no show. I have called the company multiple times to try and arrange delivery of my stuff but it is still up in the air (5 days after it should have arrived). Unfortunately, phone calls have gone unreturned and promised calls from their end haven't been made. I've had to call them multiple times and every time I talk to someone I get the run around with promised answers that never materialize. So I am NOT impressed with Jay's Moving and Storage in Calgary. They say they are working on it but in the meantime I am losing on call pay, I'm paying mortgage on a house I'm not living in, I'm paying Valerie rent and causing her stress with just being in her house..... it's all crazy.

Hopefully things settle down soon. It'll be better for everyone if I can just get in my new house.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Ding Dong, The house is gone

HO-LEE COW!!!!! What an insane couple of weeks I have just been through.

My house finally sold last night.... 3 weeks after it went on the market. I ended up dropping the price on Tuesday as I was starting to get antsy that it wouldn't sell in time... and the following day it sold :) What a relief to finally have that worry off my mind.

In other news, Mercedes and I went to the Ft McMurray show last weekend where she won 4 group placements including a group first!!!!! That was a first for both Mercedes and me so it was a huge thrill!

Well, now that the house has sold I can start letting the dogs run loose again as the house won't have to be pristine all the time :) I'm sure they will enjoy that more than the continual crate living they have had to endure over the last 3 weeks.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Selling your house SUCKS!

My house has been on the market for 14 days. They have been very challenging days because I am at the mercy of people who want to view my house. At any time I can get the call about a showing so I have to drop whatever I'm doing, go home, get the dogs out to the van, wash & put away dishes, vacuum, swiffer floors, and spray air freshener. I've got it down to a good routine now as I've done it so many times.

But then comes the real challenge.... what do I do for the next hour while people are in my house (it's usually in the middle of the day when I'm supposed to be working)? I've taken to saving all my errands that need running for house showing times so I have something to do then LOL. But I don't have that many errands so I usually end up hitting the McD's drive through and sitting outside my house with a Deli Sandwich, fries, and a Diet Coke waiting for the people to leave so I can go back inside. It's not great for weight loss but at least it's efficient as I have completed errands, have eaten, and can get back inside and back to work ASAP.

So today marks the two week anniversary that I've been doing this. Statistically speaking, my house should sell any time now but I have received no offers yet. My realtor said we're doing well (lots of showings and some good comments about the house - only bad comments would involve big financial investment so I'm putting them on hold for now). So we'll see what happens in the next few days. Everyone please keep fingers crossed for a sale soon :)

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Just a short blog today....

  • Had mulligatawny soup at the cafeteria on Tuesday. It was good so I'll keep trying it until it is crappy again LOL.
  • I bought a house in Lethbridge on the weekend. YAY!
  • My house in Calgary is on the market now. I'm anal about keeping it spotless for viewings (strange since I've never been anal about cleanliness before LOL).
  • Words cannot express the amount of thanks I feel towards Susie & Sarah for coming up to help me clean my house to get it ready to sell.
  • Thanks also to everyone else who was affected by Susie & Sarah dropping everything to come and help me.... Todd, Margaret & Chuck, and Valerie.
  • Had one viewing last night and one scheduled for this aft. No offers yet but in this market it could be anytime.
  • I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday (and Friday, and Saturday, and... you get the idea) :)

Monday, May 08, 2006

Blogs I Enjoy

Are you on this list? LOL

My friend Kelly's blog. Check for the awesome adventures of Billy (or Satan as he is commonly known as LOL)
http://kladckrs.blogspot.com/

My sister Louisa's blog. Highlights include reviews of House, The Office, and Survivor (plus some other shows I don't watch). The commentaries are awesome but beware.... they contain spoilers so if you have taped/Tivo'd it you should watch before reading :)
http://rokairan.blogspot.com/

My cousin Sarah's blog. Although not updated very often (give her a break... Sarah is pregnant and has an 11 month old) it's an enjoyable read from small-town, Alberta :) I love the adventures of the Bright-one as he's my little buddy :)
http://sabrito.blogspot.com/

Ross "The Intern" from the Tonight Show has a blog. Updated daily with pictures and insights into his life. Light hearted and fun but with a very "L.A." feel.
http://www.rossmathews.net/blog/

"Jenna's Blog" from The Office. Updated weekly (on the day before The Office airs). It's fun to read about the behind the scenes stuff from the show and get a sneak preview into the next episode.
http://cc.tvguide.liveworld.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000656

I'll have a better blog in a day or two.... I'm very stressed about something but don't want to jinx it by talking about it :)

Thursday, May 04, 2006

My Favorite Dilbert to date

This was published in November 2005. It's frighteningly familiar.....

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

What we will do for one more inch (not dirty LOL)

If you read my post (uh, rant LOL) about the problems leading up to my trip to the BC dog show a few weeks ago you may remember I had packing difficulties. What this amounted to was my collapsible ringside table (measuring 28"X18"X8" collapsed) wouldn't fit in my suitcase. I had just eyeballed the size of table & suitcase and didn't actually measure it (my bad LOL) and assumed that the table would fit in the suitcase. Come to find out my suitcase is only 27 inches long and 17 inches wide. No way will the table fit in there.

So for the last few weeks I've been trying to find a bigger suitcase that will suit (no pun intended LOL) my needs. I searched all over the internet and finally found what I wanted on the Bentley site. So off I go to the nearest Bentley store. I liked the suitcase and the measurements looked good (29"X19") until I looked closer.... when they say 29" they actually mean 28 1/4". The saleslady said she had only one "true 29 inch suitcase" so she brought it out (the biggest in the store) and for the extra 3/4 of an inch I would have to pay double the price of the 28 1/4 inch suitcase. But it was overall a better quality suitcase and I have a few trips coming up where I will need to bring the table so I figured I might as well splurge on the big one...... and the matching carry-on tote, too LOL.

Since I had learned my lesson, when I got home I opened up the suitcase and made sure the table fit in there..... I'm glad I got the bigger suitcase as it BARELY fits on all sides. Definitely worth the extra cost to get the suitcase that would work for me and my ringside table :)

So what is the moral of the story? Sometimes size does matter and it's worth paying for LOL.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

The power of dreams

I had such a good dream last night that I woke up in the best mood LOL. I can't remember that ever happening before. I know this is inviting criticism and mocking but I want to record what the dream was for my own future rememberings (okay, that's not a word but nothing else fit there LOL).

First I dreamt that I had won a contest and Matt LeBlanc (Joey from Friends) came to my house (not the house I'm currently living in... a way nicer one LOL). So I'm chatting to him and I happen to mention my huge crush on his former co-star, Matthew Perry (Chandler on Friends). So Matt calls Matthew, chats to him for a minute, and hands me the phone. I am then talking on the phone to Matthew Perry. It was so awesome :) Louisa was there too and we acted like a couple of high school girls LOL.

So then, Matthew (on the phone) says he's coming up to see me. But because it's a dream he's there in about 2 seconds :) So me, Matt, and Matthew (Louisa wasn't there anymore - sorry LOL) are sitting around and chatting and laughing and having a great time. This goes on for a few hours (okay, probably more like 15 seconds but it was awesome and felt like hours in the dream). Then they start checking their watches and looking like they have to go. So I ask about their flights home and Matthew says he didn't fly up, he drove! But then he says he'll never get his car back across the border because the border patrol won't let him due to the high value of the car (whatever that means - he said it was the "Manhattan" model... I don't know if that even is a real car). So he'll fly home with Matt and make arrangements for his car to get home. But the cool thing was, he drove all the way from LA to my house (not sure if it was in Lethbridge or Calgary) just to see me… and knowing he couldn’t even drive it back! What a sacrifice.

Then Mercedes started making a fuss in her crate and I woke up. But I woke up feeling so happy and complimented that Matthew Perry would drive so far just to see me :) I know it was just a dream, but it was an awesome dream :)

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Losing weight is more difficult than quitting smoking

Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things I've done in my life. However, it's no where near as difficult as losing weight.

When people quit smoking they can quit cold turkey or wean themselves off over time. Either way they eventually eliminate cigarettes from their lives.

Success in weight loss is dependent mostly (approximately 80%) on food choices. So limiting the unhealthy food choices is the best way to achieve weight loss success. The trick is to LIMIT but not ELIMINATE certain foods from your diet. The human body needs some oils and fats so they can't safely be removed entirely from your diet. But it's so much more difficult to have small amounts of something tempting than to eliminate them completely.

Imagine if someone was told not to QUIT smoking but to have just one or two cigarettes a day. That they need just one or two in order to survive. They are bombarded in the media with smoking advertisements (similar to food, restaurant, etc advertisements). However they cannot have more than 2 cigarettes even though their friends, family, co-workers, etc all have more than 10 cigarettes a day, often right in front of them. It would be so difficult to exercise the self control required to stay on track for the rest of their life!

There, FWIW, is my analogy of why weight loss is so tricky.

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Phoebe's truth songs for kids

On season 2 of "Friends" there is an episode called "The One After The Superbowl" in which Phoebe (played by Lisa Kudrow) is asked to sing some songs to kids. The kids loved the songs because they told the truth. I enjoyed these songs so much I have transcribed the lyrics for you here :)

Now grandma's a person who everyone likes,
She bought you a train and a bright shiny bike.
But lately she hasn't been coming to dinner,
And last time you saw her she looked so much thinner.
Now your mom and your dad said she moved to Peru,
But the truth is she died and some day you will too.
La la la la-la-la, la la-la-la, la la-la-la, la la la laaaaaaa

There'll be times when you get older
when you'll want to sleep with people
just to make them like you.
But don't!
Cus that's another thing that you don't want to do.
That's another thing that you don't want to do.

Oh the cow in the meadow goes "moo".
Oh the cow in the meadow goes "moo".
Then the farmer hits him on the head and grinds him up,
And that's how we get hamburgers.
Now chickens......

Sometimes men love women
Sometimes men love men
Then there are bisexuals
Though some just say they're kidding themselves
La la-la-la la, la-la-la la, la laaaa