Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Politics

Today is the US presidential election. Everyone knows Obama and McCain have been campaigning hard for months. By the end of today we will know who will be the next president of the USA.

So here's what I found fascinating. Canada has elected a conservative Prime Minister. Alberta is known for being a conservative province. However, on a Calgary news website they have a poll. As of my writing this blog the results look like this:

Who do you think is the best choice for President of the United States?

John McCain 24%
Barack Obama 61%
Don't care 15%


So where were all these democratic voters in our election last month??????

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Yummy recipe

Before making this recipe make sure you have friends nearby who are not on a diet LOL. This makes a lot of cinnamon rolls (about 65-70) so get ready to share.... or get instant diabetes :)

Vicky's Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
4 C (1L) milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast (or 2 tablespoons)
9 cups all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 "scant" (less than a full) teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon salt

Filling:
1 ½ - 2 cups melted butter
2 cups sugar (white or brown)
1 cup cinnamon
Non-stick spray

Frosting:
2-3 packages cream cheese
2 cups margarine
1 kg bag powdered sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a pan. "Scald" the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point.) Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in 2 packages Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute so the yeast gets all warm and moist and happy. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let sit for at least an hour.

Note: if making frosting, pull margarine & cream cheese out of the fridge after the dough has risen but before moving on.

Add the final cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it—overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to splurge out of the pan, just punch it down. Or, of course, you can just go ahead and make the rolls.

Sprinkle counter surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Rectangle should increase in both width and length as you roll it out.

Drizzle ½ melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite (long) end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Some of the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture may ooze out toward the end, but that’s no big deal. Pinch the seam to the roll to seal it.

Spray non-stick spray in seven round, foil cake or pie pans. Then begin cutting rolls approximately 3/4 to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. This recipe makes approximately seven pans of rolls (9 rolls per pan).

Let the rolls sit for 20 to 30 minutes to rise, then bake at 400 degrees F until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

While the rolls are in the oven, make the “cinnabon-y” frosting. Put the, now room temp, margarine and cream cheese in a bowl. Beat together with a mixer. Slowly add in all powdered sugar. Once all of the sugar is in the bowl, mix for AT LEAST an additional 12 minutes. When almost done, add in the vanilla extract and lemon juice.

Generously spread frosting over warm rolls after you pull them out of the oven (frosting will melt so if you prefer, cool before frosting).

Enjoy :)

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

7 Random things (tagged by Sarah)

Seven random things about me:

1. I am the largest fitness instructor I've ever met. I weigh alot but am in excellent health and can teach and participate in a kick-ass class. I get nothing but compliments and am often told how much better I am than the "other" instructor. :) I just have to accept that god gave me a shot-putter's body rather than a ballerina's body. I'm cool with that (not really but I'm working on it LOL)

2. When I'm in the office, I hate taking the time to go to the bathroom. I'll wait until I'm absolutely desperate - nearly exploding - before I'll go to the bathroom. I'm not entirely sure why.

3. I love cross-stitching but hate having cross stitch art in my house. If I make a really big & difficult one that I'm particularly proud of (like the Rapunzel I made and was hanging in Valerie's house) and it's framed and protected under glass then I can maybe see hanging it up in my house.... but only one or two of them max. I hate the little cutesy ones in the hoop frames... they are great to do but I hate seeing them on the wall.

4. I can only wear a certain running shoe when I work out... New Balance 1008's. They are kept under lock & key and cherished to extend their life as long as possible.

5. I haven't been to the dentist in about 3 years.

6. I am proud of my career but hate my current job. I'm working on fixing that.

7. I dislike using pens that have a cap. My favorite are the clicky tops but I don't mind the twisty bottoms. The key is to have the pen be all one unit. The lids are just an extra hassle I don't need in my life. They are necessary for markers and highlighters... I get that and can deal with it. But for pens we have options that negate the need for caps... let's take advantage of the options.

Tag seven people:
1. Kelly
2. Louisa
3. Scott
4. Ben
5. Random person that may read my blog
6. Sarah to do it again but with new random facts
7. My new imaginary friend Bernard (don't call him Barney - he hates that!)

Friday, October 10, 2008

Louisa tagged me! 8 Things.....

I'm supposed to list 8 things in each of the following categories, but I'm lazy so I'm only doing 2 of each. Actually I was going to do 1 of each but I'm too lazy to change all the plurals below to singular, lol.

I'm so lazy I'm not even going to change that paragraph that came directly from Louisa's blog!

2 Things I am passionate about... my step classes and project management

2 "words" or "phrases" I say way too often... "seriously" (that seems to be a popular one) and "my bad"

2 Things I want to do before I die... work at IBM as a PM and pay off my house

2 Things I have learned from my past... just because someone (especially a loved one or someone you trust) tells you something is true doesn't mean it is and always wear new running/fitness shoes around the store for at least 10 minutes before buying them.

2 Things I currently need or want... a better job and a massage

2 More people I tag... my imaginary friends Vanessa and Luke

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Sarah's Contest - free stuff!

Sarah is having a contest and giving away free stuff to a randomly selected entry. Go to her blog at http://callhermum.blogspot.com/2008/10/100-posts-contest.html and in your entry say that you found her from Vicky's blog and I'll get an entry too :) It's a win-win!

Good luck! :)

Monday, September 29, 2008

TV Premiere Week

The first week of new fall TV has come and gone. Not all shows have started yet but a significant portion have.

The show I was most looking forward to was "Heroes". NBC went way overboard with this one broadcasting a 2 hour premiere PLUS a one hour party (stars on the red carpet, clips from the show, screaming fans, etc) leading up to the premiere. I think they went overboard in hyping up the show... it was a good premiere but not worthy of the one hour scream-a-thon leading up to it. The episode also brought up so many questions but very few answers... intentionally I'm sure to get people to keep watching. However, the writers are in danger of crossing the line from intrigue to throw-hands-up-in-the-air-confusion which will lead to changing the channel.

I'm also looking forward to "The Office", "Grey's Anatomy", "House", "CSI", and "Lost". Unfortunately these are the shows that I tend to watch on DVD after the season has ended so I won't be able to comment on them for about a year LOL.

The new shows for this fall didn't look too interesting except for "The Mentalist". The show is about an FBI consultant that helps to solve crimes using his knack for reading people... a skill he used previously as a fake psychic. I watched the series premiere with high hopes but in a land with many one hour "procedurals" (CSI, Law & Order, Medium, Numbers, Bones, etc) the last thing we need is another mediocre one. There was very little about this show that was either new or interesting.... if you are going to copy some of the highest rated shows on TV then you'll have to do it as well or better than they are to get a share of the audience. This one just didn't cut it for me.

What were you (or are you) looking forward to? Did the premiere meet your expectations?

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Peanut Butter M&Ms....

are YUMMY!
I'm just saying :)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

When did flushing become optional?

Under what circumstances would a person use a public washroom and then opt to not flush the toilet when they are finished? Seriously!

It's an automatic reaction for me (and I assumed everyone) that when my business is finished I wipe, pull up pants, *flush*, and then leave the stall. Who forgets a step? Seriously!

If you are trying to conserve water then go ahead and do that at home. But in a public facility it's much nicer, not to mention hygenic, to start off with a clean bowl. To conserve water, many new toilets are designed to use only the minimum amount required to flush the contents away. I've even seen ones that adjust how much water is used based on the contents... you pull up on the lever for number one and push down for a deuce. Seriously!

So please, for the love of polite society, next time you use a public washroom flush the damn toilet when you are done..... SERIOUSLY!!!!!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

If you're going to do it, do it right!

Our dishwasher died last week so we have been doing dishes by hand while we wait for the dishwasher to be repaired. Most of the dishes have been washed by Vince because he was on vacation last week so he had the free time to do them. But I have learned that my husband, as much as I love him, is not the best washer of dishes out there. I have taken many bowls or glasses out of the cupboard or cutlery out of the drawer only to put them directly next to the sink to be rewashed due to their dirtiness.

I mentioned this to Vince a couple of times and it has gotten a bit better but I still have to inspect every item I take out of the cupboard before I use it... just in case.

Luckily our dishwasher will come back home tomorrow with a new motor in it. I can't wait to run a cycle through and know that the dishes will be clean and sparkling when they come out. Ahhhh, the simple pleasures :)

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

To the guy at the front counter at work.....

It's a library, not a lie-berry.

I'm just saying!

Monday, September 08, 2008

I had a dream.....

Not as famous or poignant as Martin Luther King's dream but a dream nonetheless.

Last night I dreamt that we had paid off so much of our mortgage that we were down to owing just $14,200. In my dream Vince & I were discussing what to do with all of our extra money once the mortgage was completely paid off.

Then I woke up and realized that, in fact, we still owe many hundreds of thousands of dollars on our mortgage and we are a couple of decades away from my dream becoming a reality... sigh!

Oh well, that's why we have dreams I suppose. To have something to look forward to.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Update on Yesterday's Post

I thought it strange that the local theater hadn't brought in the movie "Traitor". Maybe it was an oversight? Maybe they didn't think it would do well? Who knows? But given its success the first week out I thought they might bring it in for the second week of its release.

Well they didn't! Not only did they not bring in a potentially big money-maker, they actually brought BACK (yes, it left and is now back) "You Don't Mess With The Zohan" for a few showings. That film has been out for 3 months and has been trashed by critics and audiences. Why oh why oh why would they bring it back.... especially when there are way better movies out there that people would be happy to pay to see?????? I'll even pay for the overpriced popcorn and Diet Coke and Milk Duds (which, for the price they charge, should come in an actual gold box instead of a dark yellow cardboard one) if that'll help my cause.

I guess I'll have to wait for "Traitor" to come out on DVD. I have no problem giving my money to Blockbuster instead. And at the private showing in my living room I'll be able to pause for potty breaks and watch special features after the movie. Oh yeah, and my popcorn/beverage/candy prices will be determined by Safeway, not the movie theater. I'm fairly certain I'll come out on top :)

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Movies in Lethbridge

I get that one of the things I had to give up when I moved to Lethbridge from Calgary is the convenience of seeing any currently playing movie I wanted, no matter how obscure, because someone in Calgary is going to be playing it. There have been a few movies I wanted to see that never came to the big screen in Lethbridge (ie. September Dawn) but as they weren't expected to be blockbusters I can understand not bringing them to Lethbridge.

However, the latest Don Cheadle film "Traitor" looks awesome and debuted at number 5 on its opening weekend. It has received good reviews from both critics and movie-goers. So why isn't it being shown in Lethbridge?

The first-run theater in town has 10 screens and is currently playing, among others, Mamma Mia (been out 7 weeks), Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (4 weeks), and Pineapple Express (4 weeks). I can understand hanging on to Dark Knight (also 7 weeks) as it is consistently bringing in the money but the other 3 were ranked 8, 19, and 9 respectively in last week's earnings. All were surpassed by Traitor.

So please, if anyone has any pull with the decision makers at the Park Place theaters in Lethbridge, get them to bring in Traitor. I really really really want to see it :)

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

People that work in almost every office I've ever been in....

The loud talker/laugher - usually a woman. Talks loud enough in an open office area that people 10 cubicles over have to hold their hand over their other ear when talking on the phone just to be able to hear their own conversation. She also is usually the one you can hear from the other side of the building when she is laughing.

The quiet talker - also usually a woman. Usually size 2 or less and seldom wears make up. These women are very polite and friendly but will seldom initiate a conversation.

The sleazy politician - always a man. He walks the line on appropriateness of conversation... never bad enough to get fired but his HR file probably has a pile of complaints about him. He's outgoing and good at schmoozing customers but most people in the office see through his charm.

The crazy cat/dog/kid/grandchild lady - this woman has so many pictures of her cat/dog/kid/grandchild on her walls that you can't see what colour the paint is behind them. When a new employee is introduced to her she makes a point of introducing them to her cat/dog/kid/grandchild via the pictures on the wall. There is a lot of employee turnover in this lady's department.

The international guy - this person (or group) speaks English as a second language. Usually, but not always, their education was taken in their homeland where they also learned English. Their technical skills are excellent but their communication skills are lacking. They speak their mother tongue at home and although they will socialize with the English speakers at work, they don't say much as they aren't comfortable enough with the language.

The party planner - this is always a woman. The unofficial social co-ordinator of the group. She will organize all team lunches, signing of cards, and flowers purchasing for condolences for the loss of a loved one. This is never in the job description but someone will take on the responsibility anyways.

The technical guy - almost always a man. Even if everyone is doing the same job and has the same qualifications there will be one stand-out geek, Mr 4.0 GPA, that everyone goes to if they are having technical/programming issues. In all of my IT jobs there has been this guy but I'm not sure if this happens in other industries/jobs too.

Some less common office folks that are sometimes seen.....

The joker - should have been a stand up comedian
The suck-up - so obvious even the boss makes fun of him
The princess - keeps a mirror and full make-up kit at her desk
The coffee drinker - drinks 3 pots a day without anyone's help
The new kid - fresh out of university and just thankful to have a job

Did I miss anyone?

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Lunch anyone?

No one told me when I started working at the U of L that the entire Students Union food court (where I get my lunch every day) would be shut down for the last 2 weeks of August. There aren't that many places to buy food there anyways (a Subway, a taco place, a smoothie & pita place, and a chinese place with various deep fried offerings) but at least I had choices!

So for this week and next I either have to hike to the fitness center and join the line up (of all staff members who regularly eat elsewhere) at the Tim Horton's or I have to hike even further to my car and drive somewhere to get lunch. Of course there is the secret third option of bringing my lunch to work but, for a bunch of reasons I won't get into here, that's not a good option for me.

Ok, so I know this is a fairly small issue and one probably not worth ranting about (especially since everything will be back to normal on September 1st) but I had to come up with something to blog about. It was either this or Facebook profile pics and what I think they say about a person.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

NBC vs CBC Medal Count

This is how NBC ranks the countries competing in the olympics with regards to their medal count.... (see their actual list here)
  1. Ordered by total number of medals
  2. If there is a tie in the total then the tie breaker goes to the country with the most golds
  3. If there is still a tie then the tie breaker goes to the country with the most silvers
  4. As you would expect, then it is the number of bronzes
  5. If there is still a tie after that then they rank them in alphabetical order

I'm cool with that system. It's simple, it makes sense, and at the end of the day, I think the total medal count means more than which medals they are (ie. a country with 10 silvers should rank higher than a country with just one gold).

This is how CBC ranks the countries competing in the Olympics with regards to their medal count.... (see their actual list here)

  1. Ordered by the country with the most golds
  2. If there is a tie then the the tie breaker goes to the country with the highest total number of medals
  3. steps 3-5 are the same as above.

I find this to be a very confusing system. It means, as of the time of writing, that Thailand with 1 gold medal total is ranked #27 of the countries and that Hungary, with 4 silvers and 1 bronze, is ranked #47. This seems so wrong to me.

The irony is that Canada, at least in the 2008 summer Olympics, is not a real gold medal nation. Our athletes have reached the podium a respectable number of times but seldom is Oh Canada played while they are standing there.

So, as of 1:36pm MDT, on Canada's own CBC website, Canada is currently ranked as the 17th country due to only 2 gold medals. However, our neighbours to the south have ranked Canada as 13th due to our total haul of 13 medals. I'm all for humility but CBC is taking TOO humble of an approach with respect to our Canadian athletes. I say change the ranking system to reflect what the US does and go by total number of medals. WE'RE NUMBER 13! WE'RE NUMBER 13!!!!! YAY!!!!!!

Of course I reserve the right to retract this post and change my allegiance to the CBC system if Canada gets a flurry of gold medals which ranks us higher with that system. ;)

Saturday, August 16, 2008

It is 2008, right?

Yesterday I was driving home from work when a car commercial came on the radio. They were promoting various models of Kia cars. Their big "claim to fame" was how fuel efficient the cars are. But they promoted it by saying how many miles per gallon the various models can get.

Miles per gallon! Canada switched road signs to metric in 1977 and gasoline sales switched to metric in 1981. It's now 2008. I have no idea what a good miles per gallon number is an no one under the age of 50 should. Even those over 50 have had lots of time to get used to the "new" system. And I don't care enough to do the conversion.

So, Kia, if you want to communicate with anyone born since 1960, may I suggest switching to the metric system? It's pretty cool. Everything is divisible by 10 :)

Friday, August 15, 2008

Excuse me for being the grammar police but....

I really can't believe how much stuff gets into print with obvious grammar mistakes. Spelling isn't much of an issue due to spell checkers but grammar checkers are somewhat less reliable and someone with a 3rd grade grasp of the English language is required to proofread some of this stuff for accuracy.

Think I'm kidding? Last weekend I found my old Grade 3 English & Math notebook. Besides some really funny notes (like "I hate Mrs Mirkovich" - my teacher, and "I hate Louisa. She always cheats!" next to a tally scoresheet... I guess I had some anger issues LOL) and noticing an early affinity for math (in the whole book there were only 2 small math errors in pages of problems - hooray for young me) I found hand written phrases such as:

The girls went to the pool. THEY'RE going to swim THERE. THEIR swimsuits are red.

This was in 3rd grade! There really is no excuse for grown adults to not have a grasp on the whole their/they're/there, your/you're, it's/its situation. I'm not an English major by any stretch but these are the basics!

Back to my original story.... yesterday I picked up the mail which included a junkmail newspaper called "The Lethbridge Journal". On the top of the front page, above the name of the newspaper, was an advertisement. It's a free paper so that's to be expected. The advertisement was for a car dealership. The tagline (which they have used for as long as I can remember) was printed as.... "Your going to drive away happy!"

I threw the whole paper away.

Friday, August 08, 2008

Hooray... the Olympics are finally here

I don't talk about it much but I LOVE the Olympics. I prefer summer but get almost as excited about the winter events. Wherever there are representatives from all over the world competing for their country in a sporting event, it's exciting. If I could take 3 weeks off work and plant myself in front of the TV for the duration I would. It's sad but I really would.

The Olympics are more special than any other world championship competition because they encompass so many different events within a 3 week period and they only occur once every 4 years (yes, I know they are technically every 2 years because they alternate the summer & winter but for any given event the competition occurs every 4 years).

Supposedly the athletes are all amateurs in their respective disciplines but I don't think that really means anything these days. When basketball players are making millions of dollars in the NBA, I don't think anyone can profess that they are "amateurs" at their sport. However I'd argue that the weightlifters and fencers can claim amateur status given that I don't think there is much money to be made in either event.

I can get excited about almost any of the sports.... they are each exciting in their own way. My favorites are generally gymnastics, diving, and various track & field events. But I'm open to watching any event and am hoping there is TV coverage devoted to some of the more obscure ones. When was the last time you saw women's wrestling, handball, taekwondo, or a good old fashioned kayak race? The TV announcers are usually pretty good about explaining how things are judged and scored so even if you are completely unfamiliar with the competition it's fairly easy to follow along. Which is good because... what the hell is a modern pentathlon????

Thursday, July 24, 2008

It has been a long time since I ranted (ha ha ha) so.....

I'm mad. I'm just so mad. I can't even tell you how mad I am right now.

This morning I walked in to my office to find a letter on my desk saying annual increases are upon us and, in a nutshell, everyone gets 4% but if you were on probation on July 1st you get 0%. I completed my 9 month probation period on July 9th.... just 8 days later.

This amounts to a $170/month difference in my paycheck (do the math and you can figure out how much I make at the U of L LOL) so I decided to look into it more. Turns out, the collective agreement between AUPE (of which I am a member) and the U of L states that all employees are eligible for a 4% increase every July 1st unless they 1. lack merit or 2. have excessive absences... neither of which is applicable in my case. I double checked and probationary employees ARE NOT exempt from this rule.

So I wrote to HR. I'm paraphrasing but their response amounts to... we decided to do it this way years ago but it's not in the collective agreement because it has never been an issue. Well baby, it's a frickin issue now!!!!! It is literally in writing that I should get an increase retro-active to July 1st and I'm going to either....
  1. file a grievance and fight for my money or
  2. leave and find a non-union job elsewhere where I don't have to fight for my basic employee rights that the employer has agreed to

I have started the process for both of the above. Not sure which one will come in to effect first though. Wish me luck.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Locker room etiquette

After I'm finished working out I, like most people, go to the locker room to shower and change before going on about my day. For reasons of keeping things simple, I opt to change in the locker room "at large" if you will. It's just easier to change next to my locker rather than look for a change room (none of which are near my locker) or go into a bathroom stall (many are near my locker but are cramped and dirtier than the open space and unused bench next to my locker).

The only real downside of my choice is that women walk by all the time and they see me naked. If those women are family or friends or even strangers I don't care at all. I'm just not hyped about nudity in front of other women... with one exception: co-workers. I don't want to be naked in front of co-workers... it's just weird. But since my gym is in the same building as my office, I end up changing in front of co-workers a lot.

So here's what I usually do... pretend I don't see them or ignore them until I/we have finished changing. Here's what I don't do.... engage them in conversation! So why do they so often start a conversation with me????? It's awkward. I know they feel it too. Do they feel once they have started a conversation they are committed to continue it inspite of the palpable tension? The problem is, the dressed person is by default in the position of power. The naked person is automatically vulnerable by virtue of being naked in front of someone they frequently see while fully clothed.

So, to keep the balance of power fair between business associates in various stages of nudity, here are my rules of etiquette if you ever see a co-worker in the locker room:
  1. If one party is dressed and the other is naked then the dressed party is under obligation to completely ignore and in no way acknowledge the naked party
  2. If one party is dressed and the other is partly dressed (ie. at least underwear and bra on) then eye contact and a nod of acknowledgement is all that is allowed
  3. If both parties are naked (ie. in the shower) then all effort must be made to keep a side profile or 3/4 turn so parties are mostly back to back. Brief pleasantries may be exchanged (ie. "have a nice workout?"... "it was great. thank-you" THE END). Every effort must be made to ensure the business of being naked is completed as swiftly as possible.
    Note: this only applies if there are no physical barriers (ie. shower stalls) between the naked parties. In the case of shower stalls or other physical obstructions then rule #4 applies instead.
  4. If both parties are partly dressed (ie. at least underwear and bra on, or the exception to rule #3 above) then limited conversation may occur. Topics should be restricted to the weather, pop-culture, and news headlines. Nothing personal, family, or business related.
  5. If both parties are dressed you may speak to each other in a normal fashion as you would outside the locker room.

I hope this clears up any confusion you may have with regards to locker room etiquette. Please feel free to distribute to your co-workers, especially the frequent offenders, as you see fit :)

Monday, July 21, 2008

Not a rant.... need opinions

Vince & I have been talking about opening up our home and renting out the spare bedroom. I am very reluctant but the money would be nice so I'm seriously considering it. We could rent it out to.....

1. Foreign exchange students (pros - they are usually quiet, especially older students. cons - language & cooking barrier)
2. University students (pros - often here just for a fixed period of time... semester or two. cons - newly out of parents home so may not be responsible)
3. Visiting faculty (pros - responsible, here for a short period of time, sometimes only need to stay for a couple nights/week. cons - can't think of any right now)

The bedroom is basically furnished and the renter would have use of the rest of the house.... I was thinking of asking $500/month. Any thoughts?

Friday, July 18, 2008

Since I'm on the subject

What is the deal with people who don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom? I know they were taught to do it at some point. I even remember when I was little (this was in England so I was probably 5 or 6 years old) we had a video shown to us in school that stressed the importance of washing hands. Everyone knows they should do it. I've even noticed signs in public bathrooms such as in hospitals, restaurants, and even the University that remind people to wash their hands.

Yet whenever I use a public bathroom, I am constantly amazed by the number of women who walk out of a stall, check their hair in the mirror, and then leave. I would LOVE to yell after them "YOU FORGOT TO WASH YOUR HANDS!!!" but that would make me the crazy one. But it would be worth it just so I wouldn't be so grossed out by them.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

It has been too long since I've had a good rant!

What is the deal with the U of L toilet paper? Seriously!

Most bathrooms in the university (at least in the area I work in) all have the same products.... great soap (comes out foamy so easier to lather up and rinse off than a true gel-liquid) in great dispensers (it senses your hand under the dispenser and gives up a portion of soap without the hand-washer having to touch anything). By the same token the paper towels are equally good. There is a trick to getting a decent amount out of the touch-free dispenser but once you understand the trick it's an easy-peasy procedure.

As it turns out the soap and paper towel are consolation for skipping out on decent toilet paper. It's the really thin kind (totally see-through) on a giant roll. So when it's a new/heavy roll you have to figure out the physics of bunching together as much of the TP "tail" as you can to give it the strength needed to handle the pulling action on the ultra-heavy roll of tissue-paper... I mean toilet paper.... without tearing it off prematurely. What a song and dance for the prickliest, least-absorbing excuse for toilet paper I've ever had the misfortune of placing in private places.

One day I'll remember to bring a roll of Charmin from home. Until then I'll either have to "hold it" or suffer with the rest of the U of L staff, students, and faculty.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Check your local chip aisle

One of the hardest things about losing weight is substituting regular food for low fat or fat free versions. Sometimes the healthier options are fine and there is no significant difference in taste. Unfortunately that is not true for salty snack items. Baked chips taste different than regular potato chips in so many ways. They have little or no flavour. They are less greasy but they are dry and lack the same crunch as regular potato chips. They are just a sad substitute.

However, in the last year or two, I've seen some exciting developments in the potato chip aisle. This has come in smaller packaging of tried & true salty snack favorites. They have 100 calorie packs of Lay's original potato chips. Sun chips, and Doritos. They also have individual portions (about 120 calories) of Rold Gold pretzels and Cheetos (the good air puffy ones). These were probably intended for travelling, lunch boxes, etc. But they are also good for those watching calories as they have all the flavour, texture, and taste of the original products (as they ARE the original products) but they come in a smaller package. So I can open one package of chips to have as a snack without the hassle of counting out the chips into a bowl (this is what WW recommends) or trying to trust myself to close the bag and take it back to the kitchen after a single serving has been consumed... HA!!! Like that would ever happen :P

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Things I learned at WW LOL

This may make Weight Watchers attendees sound like a bunch of nuts but, on a WW bulliten board we were finishing the sentence "You don't know this about me but.....". Some of the answers made me laugh so I've copied them here for you to enjoy.
  • I can't let cutlery touch my teeth. It gives me cold shivers down my spine.
  • I can stick out my tongue and touch it to my nose!!
  • I can find a piece of shredded coconut in a granola bar (gag)
  • The word "moist" makes me cringe. The sound of bisque porcelain (unfinished) against itself brings tears to my eyes. I actually *like* the sound of nails on a chalkboard!
  • Even thinking the word "mould" makes me gag
  • I'm really insecure
  • I hate the sound of frozen packages of food (meat, veggies, bread etc.) scraping against the sides of the freezer. It is like nails on a chalkboard to me.
  • I also cringe when people play with their cutlery and place the knife in between the fork ewwwwwwwwwww!!!! I can't read lettering on a pill bottle but I can spot a wee spider anywhere in any room!
  • The sound of a metal spoon in a metal bowl makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and die.
  • I enjoy plucking my eyebrows
  • I can't sleep with my closet door open. Not even a crack.
  • I have entire conversations with people in my head.
  • I can't have my foot hang off of the bed when I’m in bed I still think something is going to come out from under there and grab me.
  • When people eat with their mouth open, I have an uncontrollable urge to tell them to chew with their mouth closed. YUCKY
  • I'm a chronic nail biter. I hate it, but it’s something that I do when I am stressed.
  • I can knit, crochet, fix vehicles, refinish furniture, set up any and all electronics, but can't sew a straight line for the life of me.
  • I chew the inside of my lips constantly. Until my teeth hurt and my lips bleed. I too am afraid of things under the bed, and the dark. I am constantly imagining my own death and funeral
  • I can't be near someone scraping paint off of wood.
  • I can put my leg around my shoulders
  • Dirty dishes in the sink drive me nuts! They either go in the dishwasher or even on the counter but keep the sink clear!
  • It's been 14 1/2 months since I last looked at myself in the mirror naked!!!
  • I have a fear of falling and can't climb ladders because of it.
  • Lately straightening my hair causes me to sneeze... (WTF??)
  • Eyes on potatoes freak me out. Can't touch them or look at them. The spore balls on the underside of leaves creep me out.
  • I hate the sound of my brother rubbing his toes together, skin on skin! YUCK!!! ***shutter***
  • I can roll my tongue from the sides inward and can roll the tip!
  • I can speak in several different accents. I can play piano by ear. I can sing.
  • I can't make omelettes. They always turn into scrambled eggs so I make frittatas instead.
  • I'm a texting addict... I average 3500 - 4000 texts a month
  • I can't eat seafood if it has a head. The chickens/ducks and pigs in the windows in China Town with their heads attached freak me out. The sound of smacking lips makes me cringe.
  • When I was little, I was afraid to flush the toilet. So I'd wash my hands first, flush and RUN!
  • *no one* is allowed to touch my toes, DH included. I got a pedicure once, for my sister's wedding, and it might have been the worst experience of my life.
  • My favourite word is Doily and I know every word to Wayne's World...including the Cantonese parts.
  • I am also afraid of thunderstorms, bees, and I have an incredibly strong phobia of bats. Just typing it gives me goose bumps.
  • the sound of someone rubbing their finger against their teeth so it squeaks.... I don’t have words for how awful that makes me feel..
  • After dark our rec room is very creepy. So I have to turn off the light, run from the room and close the door
  • I can cook just about anything but I can't make pancakes (even from a mix), grilled cheese or omelettes!
  • I cannot stand the feeling of no cream on my feet once they've been wet and dried...it is one of the worst feelings ever
  • I hate the sound of people swallowing
  • Strong peppermint makes me sneeze.
  • I cannot stand the feel of yarn or wool, and it actually makes me shudder.
  • I have a terrible fear of going across bridges (to the point where a grown man couldn't get me to bend my elbows when driving across one - he did everything but karate chop them).
  • I can ride a unicycle. I can write with both hands (just not as comfy with the left). The thought of a piece of string going across my lips or through my fingers, can put me over the edge - so can a fork screeching on a plate (and that squeaky sound that Kleenex makes when you squeeze & rub it together - I think I'm the ONLY one on earth that can hear that, can't hear anything else most days - but I can hear THAT). * SHUDDER *
  • If I have a hitch in my nail and I get a hair, or a fibre of any variety caught in it, it seriously gives me goose bumps and puts my teeth on edge.
  • I hate the feeling of foam and velvet I can’t stand the sound of kissing
  • I have to use a different fork for every course when eating a multi-course meal. Even if I eat spaghetti, and then eat my salad after, I have to change forks.
  • I prefer paper cups over glass
  • I hate shaking people's hands- I'm a bit of a germophobe! I wash my hands dozens of times a day
  • I flush the toilet with my foot! Especially if I'm in a public place *cringe*
  • Mittens don't bother me, but I can't breathe when I have gloves on my hands.
  • The feeling of hair being "teased" makes me freak out!! I wear two different socks at all times - I match them in my drawer and then when I go to put on a pair I take one sock from one set and another sock from another set and wear two different ones. I chew my lips when I'm stressed.
  • I tend to forget to flush the toilet.
  • I hate it when anyone touches the top/upper half of my head - it makes me feel claustrophobic I can't go barefoot
  • I have weird texture issues with food and can’t eat celery
  • I go out of my mind when I see/hear/feel cotton wool.
  • I used to complain all the time about my cold feet, then I lost some weight and now I complain that they are too hot!
  • I secretly wish everyday that my fish would die. :( He lives in a big huge tank all alone and he's too big to flush and he's 4 years old. His brother's and sister's died and I don't want him. I feed him, but I hate him and I feel guilty typing this.
  • I am very insecure. At every social event, no matter how small or large, I wonder who is thinking I am: not successful enough too fat too loud weird obnoxious do not dress nice enough
  • I HAVE to have bare feet. Not in public but anywhere in my house (or backyard in the summer) I have to be barefoot. I don't like the feeling of my toes being squished together in socks or shoes
  • I can be a total beech sometimes
  • Some days I have an extra weird feeling about falling down the stairs. I hate to vacuum the stairs since I'm worried about falling down them. I don't remember falling down the stairs so I don't know where this comes from.
  • I hate being hugged by anyone other than my closest friends and my husband. What's wrong with a good ol' handshake? That was the ONLY thing leading up to my wedding that stressed me out - that people would want to hug me. I'm talking my own aunts, uncles, cousins, family friends. The thought of HIS family and friends, whom I don't know very well, hugging me, was even worse.
  • I can twist both my wrists more than 360 degrees. I have to crack my collarbone every morning when I wake up, or else I walk around lopsided all day. I have a paralyzing fear of snakes, even photos of snakes. I cannot use someone else's spoon, fork, straw, etc. Even if it's a bite or a sip of something, I need to get my own.
  • I hate it when people sleep on the couch when others are in the room. If I am too boring for you to stay awake and communicate with, or you are that tired, then go to bed. If other people are around, give them the respect of sitting up and talking to them and acknowledging they are with you. Okay if you are sick, that is different, but as a general rule, it drives me absolutely stupid.
  • I *HATE* the feeling of Styrofoam on my skin... also the sound of it. If I buy something new and its packed in Styrofoam in the box, I have to get my FH to unwrap it for me.. *cringe* I don't like going barefoot in my house (or anyone’s house for that matter)
  • I eat ice cream with a fork.
  • When I wear gloves, i have to put my pinkie fingers in with my ring fingers so my pinkies don’t get cold.
  • I don't like it when people shuffle their feet when walking...unless they are elderly.
  • I flirt shamelessly with married men because they are safely attached and can’t hurt me. If any of them ever tried anything more than flirt, I would be super mad!! It would ruin my fun.
  • Walking on a wharf over water makes me panic... and I'm a great swimmer. I hate swimming in lakes - can't see the bottom and having the weeds touch my feet freaks me out (I picture something under them getting ready to grab my feet - too many scary movies maybe?)
  • I dry myself when I come out the shower a very specific way. My new DH tried drying me once after a shower... poor man was trying to be romantic - it FREAKED me out - and now he just smiles when I get into my "routine"... I ABSOLUTELY can't stand people walking around the house with wet feet after taking a shower - DRY YOUR FEET PLEASE
  • I can't hear as well when I have sunglasses on. I think certain inanimate objects have feelings...like my muffin tins.
  • I chew everything, including pudding, ice cream, jello, smoothies. I have to eat with a teaspoon, not the bigger spoon. This for some reason is considered weird. Both my dad and dbf always forget and get a kick out of watching me go get the small spoon. I think inanimate objects have feelings too. And I think that the lesser used of 2 items likely feels slighted and unloved. I cannot do ANYTHING in the morning before I've gone to the washroom. Heaven help me if someone else in the house gets up moments before me. I will have to hop around until they're done.
  • I can't cook rice. When I take a bite of a cookie, I suck right after so crumbs don't fall.
  • Every time I pass by a sharp object - I imagine it sticking in my eye. Every time I walk over a grate or near the lake, I hold on to my rings with my other fingers.
  • I refuse to eat cake/pie with a dinner fork if we have dessert forks available. Dessert needs a dessert fork... it's right in the name of the fork! LOL
  • I can't find addresses with the radio on. I must turn it off. I have what we call the 'finder finger' when I'm looking for something (on a wall in the grocery store, etc.) I put up the index finger on my right hand and bend it repeatedly at the bottom knuckle. Took us forever to figure out how I developed the habit. It's from scrolling on a computer mouse. I developed the habit in university -- likely from scrolling through pages and pages of journal articles looking for the one I want, and worse, scrolling through individual articles looking for citations. I do it without realizing it. It cracks the family up.
  • We have "love fluff" in our house, and all new stuffed ups (what DD calls stuffed animals" have to go through the love fluff ceremony, to get their name and come to life. I cannot walk over bridges, or enclosed tunnels (like walkways from a parking lot to the mall). Monkeys scare me, even stuffed ones. They don't have love fluff available.
  • I have to hold my breath passing by a cemetery. This makes funerals a might tricky.
  • I can't go in elevators more than around 15 floors without someone with me. My old dentist used to have to send someone down to get me. I got a new dentist. I can't stand being near someone who is constantly tapping a pen or playing with something noisy. I have to rip the tags off my t-shirts or they will drive the back of my neck crazy.
  • I hate using the same pen everyone else uses at the bank or store to sign receipts - always use my own. I can't stand mouth noises - chewing, biting nails, etc. The girl that shares my office chews gum with her mouth open all the time. AAAAAAAAAAAAH!
  • I hate the feeling of my nails scratching against rocks.
  • When I read about injuries to fingertips, or even just about catching a nail on something, my fingertips tingle and I curl up my hands to protect them. Talk about sympathy pains!
  • I am totally grossed out by egg yolks and the white Rooster juice on cooked eggs (broken over Hard is the way I like my eggs) The sound of someone chewing their food annoys the hell out of me
  • I am afraid of dying/getting old and seeing others I know and love go before me
  • I am afraid of my house burning down and losing everything
  • I cannot sleep without my bedroom door open and night lights all over my house, and also the closet door has to be closed.
  • I am terrified of thunderstorms

Bragging rights for anyone who can pick out any of my 3 contributions to the above LOL.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Just For Fun :)

Stolen from Sarah's blog.....

Answer in only one word:
1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your significant other? Unreachable
3. Your Hair? Cut
4. Your mother? Dead
5. Your father? Calgary
6. Your favorite thing? Success
7. Your dream last night? Forgotten
8. Your favorite drink? Water
9. Your dream/goal? Athleticism
10. The room you're in? Office
11. Your children? None
12. Your fear? Pain
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Rich
14. Where were you last night? Bed
15. What you're not? Mean
16. Muffins? Decline
17. One of your wish list items? Slenderness
18. Where you grew up? Multi
19. What you read last? Internet
20. What are you wearing? Capris
21. Your TV? LCD
22. Your pets? Partis
23. Your computer? Three
24. Your life? Changing
25. Your mood? Regular
26. Missing someone? Always
27. Your car? Van
28. Something you're not wearing? Socks
29. Favorite Store? Moxie's ;)
30. Your summer? Work
31. Like someone? Husband
32. Your favorite color? Yellow
33. Last time you laughed? Today
34. Last time you cried? Unknown
35. Someone you wish to know more? Yes
36. Horrible habit? Overeating
37. Future plans? Happiness
38. If money were no object? Acreage
39. Life-long dream? Wealth
40. Greatest accomplishment? Education

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Starbucks sucks.... here's why!

About 3 or 4 times a week I go to Starbucks for a "Skinny Vanilla Latte". The venti (largest) size comes to almost $5 but then I heard that if I buy them using a registered Starbucks card the syrup (a whopping $0.35) would be free. So I registered the card, put $100 on it, and got excited about all the yummy upcoming lattes I would be enjoying for 35 cents less than everyone else :)

Since I have registered my Starbucks card I have used about $55 of the $100.... that's 12 lattes of various sizes. Of those 12 I have had the following experiences:
  • 4 or 5 of the lattes have had free syrup. Sometimes the Starbucks representative offers it for free; sometimes I have to ask for it because of my registered card. But at least I get what they promised
  • 1 of the lattes they tried to charge me for syrup even though my card is registered and when I pointed that out to them they refused to believe it was registered.
  • The rest I never mentioned my card was registered and they charged me for syrup. I always pointed it out to them after the fact but they never offered me the 35 cents or any other kind of compensation.

So I've decided that if Starbucks can't get their crap together in the time it takes me to drain the remaining $45 from my card then I just won't be going there again. I do enjoy my skinny vanilla lattes but I'm sick of them not following through on their promises and the constant guessing game of how much they are going to charge me for my latte today. Oh, and I have contacted Starbucks customer service via their website but no response yet.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Even if you don't care, it's my blog so I'm gonna talk about whatever I want :)

This morning marked the one week anniversary of the day I re-joined Weight Watchers. Over the week I became a Weight Watchers nazi! I was totally hard core about it.... ate enough but well within my limits.... exercised lots. And I stayed away from the scale so I really had no idea what the result was going to be.

So this morning (as I will every Monday morning) I stepped on the scale and saw a loss. Yippee!!!! I went up to Vince and told him how happy I was that I had lost 3.5 lbs. I was doing my little happy dance, got some breakfast, and sat in front of the computer to enter my weight in the WW "online tools". But when I did, then double checked and triple checked the numbers I realized that I had actually lost 5.5 lbs! Even more happy dancing and rejoicing :) I was very happy to have bad math this morning LOL.

Friday, June 13, 2008

What would you do? Courtesy question.

Remember the wedding crasher that came to my wedding? The guy (former wrestling referee... since been fired) we specifically did not invite because he is such an idiot and none of the wrestlers like him? The guy who has cheated on his girlfriend (A) and got the other girl (B) pregnant. Dumped the girlfriend (A) to be with the pregnant one (B) then discovered he got the dumped girlfriend (A) pregnant too. Then cheated on them both (A&B) and got a third girl (C) pregnant (so the story goes). I believe he is not supporting any of the children and the one ex-girlfriend (A) told me he wants her to have her current boyfriend adopt the baby so the fool doesn't have to pay any child support. The guy is irresponsible, irritating, and an idiot.

Now he is supposedly getting married. Vince & I received an invitation a few days ago and we don't want to go. We aren't his friend. I don't even know the fiancee. Vince says we should just tell them we are going golfing that day LOL. It's on the Saturday of a long weekend so it'll be easy to say we have a prior committment. I say we just decline the invitation and not give a present or card. He and his then girlfriend who crashed our wedding didn't get us so much as a card so I don't feel bad about not getting one for him. But is that childish? I want to take the high road but I just don't like this guy! What do you think?

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Ok, let's try this again

My pants have been shrinking! At least that's what I kept telling myself. Then I realized what deep down I knew all the time... I've been gaining weight at such a rapid rate that I'm now 35 lbs more than a year ago when I got married. No wonder my clothes aren't fitting me well and every time I go clothes shopping I strangely can only find stuff that fits in larger sizes LOL.

So I'm going back on the only weight loss plan that has ever worked for me.... Weight Watchers. There are 2 things that have kept me from re-joining WW in the last year or so:
  1. It's very expensive. Approximately $15/week to weigh yourself and listen to a 30 minute lecture on weight loss tips
  2. I don't like the location or leaders at the Lethbridge WW. There was one leader I really liked but she was basically the cashier... never the weigh in lady or lecturer.

So instead of doing the traditional meetings, I am going to try doing Weight Watchers online. No meetings, no public weigh ins, no lectures, but still the same plan. And the online tools are awesome! Once you are familiar with the program it's great one-stop shopping for all food tracking, activity tracking, recipe finder, etc. And best of all, it works out to be about 1/2 the price of traditional meetings. So far I'm on day 2 so no great successes to report yet but I'm hoping this will be the best of both worlds.... a plan that works AND that I can stick with :)

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Keep crying wolf and soon no one will believe you

One thing I seriously don't understand in the world of Hollywood is why some people, and it only seems to be black men, cry racism when they are let go from an acting job.

A year or so ago actor Isaiah Washington was let go from the show "Grey's Anatomy". This was around a much publicized situation where he referred to his gay co-star in a derogatory way..... after which Isaiah Washington said the real reason he was let go was because he's black.

Now Harold Perrineau, Michael from "Lost", is saying that he was killed off on the show because he is black.

First of all, when these men were hired, were they hiding the fact that they are black? Did they think the casting people did not realize they were black? If they were worried about their race being an issue, don't you think they would simply have not been hired to portray those characters?

Other actors have come and gone on both shows. When Dominic Monaghan's character Charlie was killed off on Lost I didn't hear him crying that it was because he was English. Or when Jeffery Dean Morgan, who played Denny Duquette on Grey's Anatomy, left because his character was killed off there were no accusations of the producers getting rid of him because he is single.

So how come some people feel it is okay to cry racism when, through what seems to be normal storytelling of their characters, they leave a show? I can maybe understand them not GETTING a role because of race (of course I'm not condoning hiring based on race, but I can understand the accusation). But auditioning, earning a role in a regular television series, successfully portraying that character for years, and then being let go because the character is no longer part of the story, and THEN crying racism? Sorry, that doesn't fly with me. I think it makes them look like whiners and they can only do more harm than good for black people who may have a legitimate racism grievance.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Something I have learned that I am sensitive about....

People criticizing my cooking or lack of cooking. Today I brought a birthday cake into work for everyone in the office who has a birthday this month. Every month 2 people from the office volunteer to bring a cake in for all the birthdays that month. I signed up late last year for June. What I didn't realize at the time was that the end of May, beginning of June was going to be INSANELY busy for me. Just to give you an idea...

  • Sunday - changed plans as I got guilted into coming in to work. Worked 4 hours but the server was down the whole time.... waste of time sitting in the office.
  • Monday- worked a 14 hour day... until 10pm. Missed Brighton's 3rd birthday party because of it (still haven't given him his present).
  • Tuesday - worked 2 hours of overtime.
  • Wednesday - the day I was scheduled to bring a cake in to work

So as you can see, I haven't exactly had the time to buy ingredients and bake a cake from scratch. When I realized this I ordered a cake from Safeway. Note that I bought a HUGE cake.... bigger than most bring in. Also, most people actually do buy their cakes instead of making them. So I was doing nothing out of the ordinary.

But as the cake was being eaten, the "model" girl (from a few posts ago) leaned over to her neighbour and said sarcastically "this cake is so good. I MUST get the recipe." This was said in my earshot and I was very offended. After all, I have literally not had the time to bake a cake in the last few days. If she was so disappointed with her free cake she should have declined a piece. I was going to make a cheesecake before it was clear that I wouldn't have time to do so. And I still might..... but she will NOT be invited to have a piece. Bitches don't get any of my cheesecake LOL!

Monday, June 02, 2008

VICKY DOESN'T EAT MUSHROOMS!!!!!!!

There are few things in this world that I feel as strongly about as mushrooms. I don't like the look of them, the smell of them, and especially not the taste of them. I don't have a phobia or fear of mushrooms. I just simply don't like them at all. Because of that extreme dislike, I feel I have just as much right to order restaurant food without mushrooms as someone who is allergic to mushrooms.

On the weekend we ordered pizza and I had my usual.... veggie lovers with no mushrooms. When I opened the box at home at first glance it appeared that they made my pizza correctly. But on further inspection I found small pieces of mushroom scattered throughout my pizza. It looked like they had made my pizza with mushrooms, then realized their mistake and tried to remove them but missed some of the smaller pieces. I was horrified! What if I was allergic to mushrooms? I could have become violently ill because of their mistake. If they realized their mistake before cooking (which they must have done as there no signs of mushroom imprints in the melted cheese) then they could have easily remade my pizza with only a minor delay. Believe me, I would have been happy to wait the extra few minutes for a pizza that no mushroom had ever touched. As it is, I have to inspect every piece of this pizza before I eat it and then re-inspect it with every bite. I have removed a few small pieces of mushroom from every piece so far.

It will be a long time before I order Pizza Hut pizza again. Which is okay because Douro's actually makes better pizza. They are out of the way but the inconvenience has now become more bearable because of their better pie.

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Irritating and ironic

I work with a girl who used to be a model. I have never seen a picture of her or one of the movies she was supposedly in but she mentions it all the time. I should also mention that she is neither tall (I am taller than her) nor particularly pretty.... regular but not pretty. Nor is she extremely thin... about average but not thin. So in no way would I have guessed she was a model if she hadn't told me.

The first time she told me I responded with "how interesting" and asked her some questions about it. Then we moved on with the conversation and I thought that was the end of it.

But since then she mentions it about once every 2 weeks... and every time she acts like she is telling me for the first time and there's a big pause while she looks at me expectantly. It's like she is expecting me to fawn all over her and praise her for her former career. I don't think she is even doing it consciously. I suspect she usually gets a positive reaction from people and she feeds off it. But she has now mentioned it so often that it's irritating me and I won't play her game anymore.

So a few weeks ago she mentioned again that she used to be a model and I responded with "yes, you told me about that." And last week when she mentioned it yet again I just looked at her and waited for her to continue her thought (if there was one). I don't think it is my responsibility to provide fawning whenever she mentions her former career.

Here's the funny thing. I only found out about 2 weeks ago (after working with her for almost 8 months) that she has her masters degree in computer science. I would have thought THAT would be something to brag about.... not that someone put some makeup on her and snapped a few pictures. Where's the achievement in that?

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday Vince & I celebrated our very first wedding anniversary. Vince planned the evening and it was a complete surprise. He had a limousine pick us up. We had champagne in the back seat on our way to The Keg. There we had supper (after which I was sure I wouldn't be able to eat for a week! LOL), and afterwards, just for fun, we had the limo take us to Tim Horton's for coffee LOL. We attracted a few stares from the people in Tim Horton's... it was amusing :) We got some pictures but I didn't get around to downloading them last night so I'll put them up on facebook in the next few days.

Unfortunately Vince has a bad sinus cold right now so he wasn't having as much fun last night as he normally would have. I suspect I am getting his cold too so I'm on Cold FX trying to fight it.

We decided to alternate planning of anniversary dinners every year so next year is mine. I don't want to try and outdo Vince so I'm thinking of trying something a little different. At first I thought a hot air balloon ride but Vince isn't into heights so I think that would be more scary than fun for him LOL. Then I thought since he loves hockey so much we could go to a playoffs game but unless it's in Calgary (and then good luck getting tickets!) we'd have to fly there which Vince won't do. So I'm leaning towards a romantic picnic but I'll need a contingency plan in case of bad weather. Any other suggestions for anniversary celebrations? I am taking suggestions for the next 364 days LOL.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Seriously, how hard is it to be polite?

Yesterday Vince & I were walking into Tim Hortons. He reached the door first and held it open for me but as I was about to walk through 2 women walked out of the same door chatting with each other but didn't say thank-you to Vince for holding the door open for them. This is my absolute biggest pet peeve because it is SOOOOOOO rude and costs them absolutely nothing to be polite and say thank-you in passing. So as I passed them to walk through the doorway I said "you're welcome!". I honestly don't think they clued in to why I said that but it sure made me feel better. I know it's rude to point out someone else's rudeness but I also think some people need a lesson in manners.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Something that has always bugged me

Why oh why oh why do so many organizations group the prairie provinces together? I seriously don't understand that. Yesterday when I was in Tim Horton's they still had displayed their "Roll Up The Rim" rules and regulations in a poster on the wall. The cup distribution table caught my eye as it listed how many winning cups were sent out by province... or more accurately by region. They listed BC as one entity. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, NWT, and Yukon as another (I guess Nunavut doesn't have Tim's because they weren't on there). Ontario as another region, then Quebec, and the maritime provinces were grouped together too. For geographical reasons I can understand why the maritimes are grouped together. But why oh why aren't Alberta, Sask, Manitoba, NWT, and Yukon subcategorized? I can see grouping Sask and Manitoba together for population reasons. Same with NWT and Yukon. I can even see grouping BC and Alberta together as we Albertans have much in common with our neighbours to the west. But for some reason that never happens. BC is always in a class by itself and Alberta gets lumped in with the other prairie provinces.

The same grouping happens in the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club). They list dog shows and trials by region. BC is its own region. Then all the prairies are lumped together. I have never been to a show in Manitoba and don't plan on ever going to one but in order to find my local shows I have to filter through the Manitoba listings in order to find what I'm looking for. BC people don't have to go through this rigmarole. Neither do Ontario people due to Ontario being its own region.

I think its time those of us in Alberta demanded answers to this question. Alberta's economy is booming, as is the population. We are, in many ways, more similar to BC than to Saskatchewan (sadly not in politics but hopefully that will change one day). Yes, the geography is similar to Saskatchewan in some ways (prairies) but we also have some beautiful mountain ranges, forests, and lets not forget the oil and natural gas, which sets us apart from the other prairie provinces.

Am I alone on this? Anyone else wonder why we Albertans aren't given the distinction of our own provincial identity?

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Movin' on up :)

On Tuesday (2 days ago) the "person who knows everything in the Registrar's Office" (also known as Linda, the Registrar's secretary) came up to me in my teeny tiny cubicle and said due to some construction they were going to move me out of my cubicle to a large vacant one nearby. I was happy about this and asked when it would happen. She said on Monday as they needed time to do some shuffling of other desks first and then move some boxes out of the vacant one before it would be ready for me. So I booked some time in my calendar on Friday to straighten out my desk so it would be all ready for the move on Monday.

Then yesterday, Wednesday, Linda came by again (this time with movers following her) and said "are you ready to move now?". Ummmm, not really LOL. I had piles of paper, bottles that need to be recycled, and random instructional manuals (none of which belong to me) scattered all over my desk. So much for my prep time! I asked them for a few minutes to get ready which they needed anyways to get the boxes out of my new cubicle. About an hour later I was moved and settled in my new cubicle. It was by far the fastest a move has ever happened in my entire working career.

My new cubicle is EASILY twice the size of my old one. But strangely, it is in a triangle shape so making efficient use of the space is a challenge. However, it is all worth it because I no longer have to do the sideways shimmy to get behind my desk. That was never fun for me.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I'm a bad girl who wants to be good LOL

I haven't been to the gym in weeks! I'm supposed to be an exercise instructor (I finally got certified so I'm all official now) and I can't find the motivation to get off my butt to go to the gym. I don't have a class to teach right now so it's too easy to skip the gym when I really should be going.

I'll be teaching again in the fall and will be substitute teaching over the summer once in a while so I have reasons to stay active and fit. However, that doesn't help me actually get out the door an hour earlier to hit the gym before work.

Once I'm in the habit of it it's not such a big deal but starting to go when it's not part of my regular schedule I really struggle with starting up again. So my question is, how do YOU find the motivation to go to the gym? Help this lazy-ass girl please :)

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Ya know that feeling when you have to pee?

You know that feeling when you have to pee but you really don't want to waste the time or energy to actually get up, walk all the way to the bathroom, go through the whole routine there, then walk all the way back again? It rarely happens at home but at work I go through it every single day.

When I have to pee at work I just HATE it. The bathroom is far away (relatively speaking), my cubicle is so small that I have to shimmy sideways to get out from behind the desk, and if I stop what I'm doing when I'm in "the zone" I know it will take a while to get back into "the zone" when I get back. So I put off the trip to the bathroom as long as possible... I'm literally doing the fast walking pee-pee dance on the way to the ladies' room most times.

But here's the strange thing.... sometimes my bladder will give me a reprieve. It's like I have to pee SOOOOO badly that I'm doing the pee-pee dance while seated on my desk chair (ladies, you know what I mean LOL). And then a couple of minutes later I don't have to pee so bad anymore. I still need to go but the desperation is gone. Has anyone else experienced that? It's very strange. But of course it is only temporary as within about 10 minutes (I've never timed it... just a guess) I'll have to really pee and quickly. There is no reprieve the second time.

Okay, I know this is a very strange post but I'm going through it so I thought I'd share :)

Monday, April 28, 2008

I'm back, baby

I took a week off blogging when I went to Anaheim on a business trip 2 weeks ago. And last week was just so crazy that I never got down to posting.

It's very strange that getting out of a normal routine for just a few days can seem to cause everything to spiral out of control. I still have a few items in my suitcase that need to be put away. I have a few souveniers to give to family. I have some odds and ends that need straightening out. But put them all together and my life feels very out of control.

I wish I had a day off that I could use just to straighten out my life. But honestly, with an extra day off I probably wouldn't use it appropriately... I'd spend some time in the hot tub and the rest messing around on my computer. I have wonderful intentions of being organized but the execution of it always seems just out of my grasp.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Yeah, I'm offended (rant)

Last night I went to see Spirit Of The Marathon. It was awesome and I was totally inspired to put my shoes on and go for a run.

Now before I go any further in my story let me just say this.... I'm fat! I totally and completely get that and understand that. However, does that really mean that I can't run? I won't be able to complete a marathon tomorrow but I can run a bit! So on with my story....

They had a table set up outside the theater where people could enter their name in a draw for prizes after the show. As I was filling out my ballot one of the organizers came up to me and said "Oh, do you run?". This guy didn't ask ANYONE ELSE AT ALL this question... just me. Maybe I'm being oversensitive about it but it seemed that he not-so-subtly was showing shock that the fat girl came to the running movie.

Then I got home... still totally inspired by the show... and I asked Vince if he would cheer me on at the finish line of a race. He responded "well, yeah" very hesitantly... so I finished the sentence for him "if you don't have to work!". He sheepishly said yes. So I said "if I was in a marathon would you take the day off work to be there at the finish line?". Men, if your wife asks you if you'll be there at the finish line when she is running a marathon the correct answer is a resounding "YES, OF COURSE I WILL, BABY!". Vince however responded with "that's a long ways away so let's not worry about it yet." SIGH!!!!!!

By the way, be sure to rent Spirit Of The Marathon when it comes out on DVD this fall. Yes, it's about marathon runners but specifically about a handful of people in various walks of life from elite Olympic athletes who are in it to win to a single mom who is a first time runner. It's about the people and their stories more than the race itself but the whole thing is awesome. My experiences with the dude at the theater and my husband at home notwithstanding, the show is a definite must see :)

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Tagged

Sarah tagged me to do this.....

A- Attached or Single: Attached to a lovely man I call Vince



B- Best friend: Vince cus I share my life with him, Scott cus we've been friends since we were wee, and Louisa cus.... well who wouldn't love Louisa? She's awesome!
C- Cake or Pie: Cake... I'm not so much into pastry.
D- Day of Choice: Friday... usually date night and the weekend is upon us.
E- Essential Item: Water and my laptop!
F- Favorite color: Green or yellow
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Gummi bears... especially the sour ones.
H- Hometown: Lethbridge
I- Indulgence(s): Hoodies... I can never have enough LOL.
J- January or July: Tough call... one is too cold and the other too hot. I guess July since I have air conditioning :)
K-Kids: 4 of the 4 legged kind.... Mercedes (Sadi-bug or munchkin), Gilly (Mr Gilbert), Claire (Claire-a-bell), Star (bad-ass kitty) LOL
L- Life is Incomplete Without: laughter
M-Marriage Date: May 12, 2007
N- Number of Siblings: 1 brother and 1 sister (the aforementioned Louisa who is often very awesome)
O- Oranges or apples: The occasional Golden Delicious Apple.... that's it!
P- Phobias or Fears: bad guys from horror movies. And spiders!
Q- Quotes: "Believe what you want but shut the hell up!"... I want to quote it whenever politics and/or religion start to be debated
R- Reason to Smile: My dogs.
S- Season: Spring
T- Tag Seven: Louisa and any 6 other people who read this and haven't done this already
U- Unknown Fact about Me: I can't stand it when my hair gets so long that it touches my neck (when it was longer did ya ever notice that it was always in a ponytail? That's why LOL)
V- Vegetarian or Meat Lover: Pizza? Veggie but with no mushrooms. That's what I usually order but I'll add a meat... any meat at all... for the protein.
W- Worst Habit: Eating when I'm not hungry just because of opportunity.
X- X Rays or Ultrasounds: X-rays as I don't need to have an uncomfortably full bladder to have it done.
Y- Your Favorite Food: Tuscan Chicken Sandwich from Moxie's
Z-Zodiac: Aries

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Attitude is everything

I've been watching Beauty And The Geek off and on since it started. The episode that was on tonight was the "geek makeover" episode that they have every season. In this episode the remaining geeks are sent to a salon for a total body makeover (hair cuts, facial hair trim, even chest & back waxing) and dressed in stylish clothes so they look amazingly different from the first few episodes. These guys are sometimes unfamiliar with basic hygiene (ie. never use deodorant, shower every few days, etc) so the transformation can be surprising and always for the better.

But this year one guy, Joe, was so upset with his transformation. He said it was disrespectful to his fashion sense and the style he liked to portray. This is one of the guys that had hygiene issues and desperately needed some fashion and basic cleanliness help. He was constantly complaining and bringing everyone within earshot down.

Watching this guy's attitude affect everyone around him made me realize how important one's attitude is to success in life. There's nothing wrong with vocalizing displeasure over something but letting it go on and on to the point that it's bringing other people down is unattractive and makes people want to keep their distance from you. There is so much to be learned from Beauty and the Geek LOL.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Something to look forward to

Vince & I went to the movie theater today. Before the movie they showed the world's shortest trailer for a documentary (about 10 seconds or so) but it was enough to peak my interest. So I went online to check out Spirit Of The Marathon. After seeing the trailer on the website, I not only knew I wanted to go see the documentary but I wanted to put my shoes on and go running right away. It was kind of like what I call the "Westminster Effect"... whenever I watch the Westminster dog show on TV I want to groom my dogs and take them to a dog show LOL.

The only thing is that Spirit Of The Marathon is showing on one night only... this coming Wednesday. I already had plans but they weren't set in stone so I can go see the documentary... yippee! I don't want to set my hopes up too high but if the show is as good as I expect then I'll be buying the DVD when it is released later this year. Stay tuned later in the week for a review.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

The math of running

Last night I purchased the much a-stressed over running watch. This morning I decided to take it on a trial run (so to speak LOL). Once again I grabbed my iPod, put a leash on Mercedes, and we were out the door. I very quickly realized that the countdown feature on the watch (which was a big deal to me when I was buying it) was of very little use on a real life run because the chime/alarm can only be heard when the watch is fairly close to my ears - close enough that I can see the time on the watch. And if I can see the time on my watch then there is no need for an alarm to tell me that a minute has passed. Now, lest you blame the iPod, I must say that the iPod was turned down low.... just enough for me to hear the beat, when I was testing out the countdown feature on the watch.

So I turned off the coundown timer and just used the stopwatch for the run. It is set up to time how long it takes to run a lap and remembers up to 30 laps for future analysis. But since I'm running on the street and not on a track that really doesn't mean much to me.... I just plan a route and go. So the stopwatch is much fancier than I need.

But here is where the math comes in. I'll be picking up the pace a little in the coming weeks but for now I'm doing a run 1 min, walk 2 mins rotation. I found the easiest way to do that is to start running on every minute that is divisible by three. So I walked/warmed up for the first 3 mins. At the 3 minute mark I started running for a minute then switched to walking at the 4 minute mark. Then repeated the process starting at the 6 minute mark. So you can see that some simple math is involved especially when you are up around 25, 26, 27 minutes and have to remember (while running and tired) which number is divisible by 3 LOL. It'll be easier when I switch to run 1 min, walk 1 min as I can start running at the odd minutes and walking on the even minutes or vice versa. I guess this is where I earn the true title of "mathlete".

Friday, April 04, 2008

This story has a happy ending

Last night I decided to go shopping for a new running watch (see yesterday's post). I had a running watch a few years ago but seem to have lost it in one of my moves. I searched online to find one with the features I wanted and there were so many I just decided to go to Sportchek to see what they had in stock. I received Sportchek gift cards for my birthday so it made sense to go there first.

I looked at every watch available in Sportcheck but the only one that had what I wanted (basically, just a stopwatch and/or countdown timer... anything else was a bonus) was a Timex Ironman watch in the men's style (bulky, larger watch face). I knew this watch came in a women's version from my internet research and they said they could order one in for me but I didn't really want to wait if at all possible so I ventured into the mall to see if I could find a suitable watch to take home right away.

First stop was Foot Locker... they had no watches at all and recommended I look in Sportchek (thanks dude!). Second stop was The Source... they had stopwatches but no watches and recommended I look in Sportchek (thanks chick!). Third stop was Charmed Diamond Store... they had a few watches with the right features but the buttons were very small and tough/sticky to push. I didn't want to be fiddling with little buttons when running so I passed on them and the woman recommended I look in.... you guessed it... Sportchek! LOL. So I started walking back to Sportchek with the intention of buying the manly watch when I glanced out of the corner of my eye the entrance to Sears. I thought well, it doesn't hurt to look in there.

So off I went to the Sears jewelry counter when what should catch my eye but the exact same Timex Ironman watch that was in Sportchek but the ladies version :) So I played with it, set the timer to make sure it worked, made sure the buttons were easy to use (they were) and decided to purchase it. Just as I was reaching for my wallet the sales lady mentioned that all Timex watches were going on sale the next day for 35% off. SWEET! So they are holding my selection for me until this evening when I can go and buy it at a lovely discount. I'm looking forward to picking it up.

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Running running running

Last night I turned on my iPod, put a leash on Mercedes, and went out for a little run. By "little run" I literally mean that I didn't run for long. We were gone for about 25 minutes and in that time ran for about 6 of those minutes. In that time I also warmed up, cooled down, stopped to pick up Mercedes poop... twice!, and stopped to tie my shoes. So the running portion only came in one minute spurts sporadically throughout the duration. However, I'm proud of myself for doing it.

I have Sarah to thank for the idea/inspiration. We are planning to do a 5K run together at the end of June and another one at the beginning of October. Next year I'd like to do the 8K "Ladiesfest" run in June. I've contemplated doing that run for a few years but have always felt unprepared for it. The 8K part doesn't worry me but the course elevation (going down into the coulees and back up again) sounds overwhelming.

So it looks like I'll need to buy a running watch again... the kind that has a stopwatch and alarm on it. Luckily I got some Sportchek gift cards for my birthday last week :D

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Changing Names - another rant :)

When I got married I kept my maiden name. My reasons for doing so are personal but for completeness of blog entry I shall list them here.....
  1. I like my maiden name. This is not to say that I DISLIKE my husband's last name... simply stating that I like my current last name.
  2. I received my education in my maiden name and therefore all diplomas, certificates, transcripts, etc are in my maiden name.
  3. When I got married I had been an employed professional (since I got my bachelor's degree) for about 7 years and had been known as my maiden name in that capacity. So for professional (networking) reasons I wanted to keep my maiden name.
  4. I have worked hard and advertised quite heavily as Mercedes' breeder/owner/handler in my maiden name.
  5. I saw what a co-worker/friend went through a couple of years ago when she divorced and had to change her name on all official documents and even with the phone company, bank, etc. It was a huge struggle for her that took, in some cases, months to complete. Who needs the unnecessary headache?

Any one of the above reasons is, to me, strong enough to make the case for not changing my name but when all 5 were combined the decision was a very easy one and I opted to keep my maiden name. All 5 arguements basically come down to professional & paperwork issues. So the implication from some that I am either A. not really married or B. married but not committed to my husband because I didn't change my name is both crazy and highly offensive!

Just because I chose to keep my maiden name does not in any way mean that I do not love my husband. It is a personal choice and one which no one should judge. I actually had one in-law say that when I switched jobs (which I did about 5 months after I got married) that I could change my name then. This woman clearly had no concept of being a professional working woman as now I had even MORE reason to hang on to my maiden name as networking with old co-workers would be even more complicated if I changed my name.

Now, having said all this, I realize that many of the judgements and questions have come because of living in Southern Alberta. Although not unheard of for a woman to keep her maiden name when getting married I think it is still very uncommon and certainly much more uncommon than in larger cities. I remember a co-worker in Calgary got married a few years ago and his wife kept her maiden name.... no one seemed to bat an eye at her decision at all. I guess that's why it came as such a surprise when so many people questioned my decision and passed judgements based on it.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Well, it has been a while

I know, I know, it has been a long time since I updated my blog. Basically what happened was I found facebook and figured my blog rantings could just be posted there as notes. But ya know what? That didn't really happen. So I'm back baby. :)

There's just so much I have to say. I have many rants stored inside me that need to come out. The first one is about one of my pet peeves.... when people say "if I can do it, you/anyone can do it". I suppose this is supposed to be motivational, as if to say I am weak and found the strength so I know you have the strength in you because you are not as weak as me. But the unsaid portion of the statement is I found the strength to do something that "anyone" can do so if you don't do it then there is something lacking in you. It's just negativity in my life that is unnecessary.

And we see this statement everywhere... usually in weight loss or exercise commercials as part of their sales pitch. If some stranger says to me that if they can do something then anyone can do it, it actually turns me completely off their product. There is a level of arrogance in it. It's as if they are challenging me to do what they did. Well I'm simply not interested in meeting the challenge of a stranger in a 30 second commercial and spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to do so. I just don't care enough. And they just irritated me enough to change the channel too.