A year later

So it's been a year since I started this blog. I did pretty well.....for about 8 months. Then not so much. I am now 27 and still in relatively the same place. What has happened since my last update? Not a whole lot - but lets make a list, shall we?

• I started going out for breakfast with people I work with. We tend to go the Friday after payday, so about every two weeks. It's been interesting. I tend to laugh a lot.
• I finally watched "Twilight". Specifically, I watched the first half pretty well, laughing occasionally at bits that reminded me of this SNL "Twilight" parody:
• I watched "New Moon". It turns out I am on Team Jacob and actually enjoyed the werewolves more than the vampires. It wasn't the best movie ever but I was distracted by other things (see: werewolves).
• A friend found this video which I think is hilarious and falls in line with my obsession with vampires:
  See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.
• "How I Met Your Mother" made an episode called Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap which was awesome just for the name alone.
• The Saskatchewan Roughriders made it to the Grey Cup. They were winning most of the game until the last 10 seconds when they lost because there were too many players on the field during a field goal attempt which gave them a penalty. It was quite devastating.

It's been an interesting year. I am happy I did the blog but I am disappointed that I couldn't keep up with it. I may continue updating it if something awesome happens but that may not happen.

Thanks for reading!!!!

So...um....that didn't happen

Apparently, this whole blogging thing just isn't happening anymore. I had the best intentions to catch up on the backlog of posts and actually blog everyday but ....no. I think it would have been more likely to happen if I wasn't working overnights and therefore didn't sleep my days away. This post is going to go over something more interesting things that I have happened in the last couple of months that I was going to write about but never did.

• I bought a Wii at the end of August which has greatly aided my never getting anything done habit. Colette bought me a second remote and a new game (Wii Play) about a week later. Man, riding cows is amusing.
• At the beginning of September, Colette and I went to an exhibit at the National Gallery on the Art of Papal Rome. I ended up winning a book on the art that was in the exhibit which was pretty cool.
• The Guild Season 3 started. Yay!
• True Blood Season 2 ended. Sadly, it won't be back on for another year.
• Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Emmys ---which led to Dr Horrible's interruption of the broadcast

• I went to Best Buy one night to look for some TV DVDs. I ended up buying Season 5 of the Office and Season Two of the Big Bang Theory. I also bought the DVDs for the Young Riders (a show from 20 years ago) because they were only $7.99. I thought that was pretty awesome.
• I found a book in a new series by one the authors (JR Ward) I like. It's related to the other series that I like by her but only tangentially.
• I found a new AJ Jacobs book that is quite amusing called the Guinea Pig Experiment. He does a bunch experiments with his life like Outsourcing his life to India (including reading his son a story and arguing with his wife), being completely honest with everyone and catering to his wife's every whim. He wrote two other books that I really enjoyed "The Know it all" (He read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica) and "A Year of Living Biblically" (Taking the Bible as literally as possible).
• I started watching "Glee". Hilarious! Dark humour abounds. Plus cool musical numbers.
• I also recently started watching "The Vampire Diaries". I actually started watching at episode six so I had to go back and catch up from the beginning. Yet another reason my sister thinks I am obsessed with vampires. I enjoy the fact that there is an actual evil vampire that kills people and that that vampire mocks "Twilight" in one of the episodes.
• Jim and Pam got married!
• I went to a bellydance show on October 9th. It was really good. Rachel Brice and Rosanna McGuire were guest performers. On the 10th, I participated in the workshop by Rachel Brice on finger cymbals (I ended up forgetting mine at home, but I was able to borrow some). On the 11th, I took part in a workshop by Rosanna where I learned some of the flapper stuff she does (like the Charleston). It was a great weekend.
• On the 10th, Colette and I went on the Haunted Walk of Ottawa. It was okay but I was disappointed that we didn't go in any of the places that were discuss on the walk.
• Girl Guide Cookies are being sold. To be specific, the minty ones which I love. Colette has a couple cases of the ones she is selling for Sparks in the front hall. I think I have eaten about 4 of the boxes almost completely on my own. It's terrible (but sooo good!).
• I've started getting allergy shots. I go once a week to get a shot in each arm. Hopefully it will help cure me of the allergies.
• In other news, I went to the dermatologist and got a cream that is actually helping to get rid of the excema (in the sense the I am scratching less and less and my arms no longer look icky). He also diagnosed me with "Atopic Dermatitis". I don't know if I had ever known the name for it before.

I am sure other stuff happened but at the moment it is not coming to me. Another reason why, I haven't been updating as much as I should have been. It's been so long that I don't know what's happened. I want to say that I'll be better about updating, but we all know how that turned out last time.

I feel better now.

Today when I got home from work I was going to watch the season premiere of "Dollhouse". I sat down in front of the TV, pressed "play" and all I got was a bunch of black. I forgot to set the timer on the cable box so it didn't turn on and while the dvr recorded, all that happened was well nothing. So I decided to go downstairs to see if I could watch it online. Couldn't find it. Eventually I happened upon a site that explained everything to me. The premiere is not until next week. While I feel like a complete idiot, at least I didn't actually miss the episode. So today's favourite thing is not missing something I thought I missed.

"I guess I didn't learn anything"

So this week seems to be the week where most of fall TV returns. Yesterday was "Bones", tonight was "The Office", tomorrow is "Dollhouse". I have to wait until Monday for three of my shows but this was a pretty good start. I have enjoyed the new episodes so far. We'll see if they keep up at this rate. The return of regularly schedule programming has dulled my pain at the loss of "True Blood" for basically another year. Some of the shows I am watching returned or began earlier than this week so that's why they weren't mentioned. So today's favourite things is the beginning of a new season on my favourite shows.

Fencing and getting back to business....

Hi there folks. It's been a while. There really is no excuse for me not updating for like five weeks but I am working on catching up, hopefully I will be fully caught up in the next couple weeks. I may update seemingly randomly but that is because I have notes for some days and not others and it's been five freaking weeks. From here on out I am hoping to update daily, not only the post for the day, but also three or four posts from weeks ago. I am determined to see this through.
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So today, Colette and I went to a fencing class. The first class of the session is free, so what could it hurt? The answer is my right thigh. At the beginning of class, we did a bunch of laps (not a fan but not a huge deal). We then learned the proper stance, how to move forward and backward, and how to lunge. Not the most natural positions or movements for my body but it wasn't too bad. I believe the lunges were the culprit when it came to my thigh. We then got the equipment and proceded to poke each other for half an hour to 45 minutes. Literally. I would poke Colette, then she would poke me, etc, etc, ad infinitum. Then we used the forward/backward movements to poke each other. And then we lunged. It got pretty repetitive and Colette got annoyed that I kept poking her in the same spot. Eventually, we learned how to block the attacks. At the end of the class, we began sparring which was officially the best part. So today's favourite thing was sparring in fencing class. While the sparring was cool, I don't think I will sign up for the session - too repetitive and it was hard on my body.

Earlier than usual....

Last night, in what I am presuming was a fit of insanity, I agreed to work from 8am -4pm even though I had worked until 4:30 am when I was there to clean Monday night. I was worried I wouldn't wake up on time but luckily I woke up and was there earlier than I had been anywhere in months. It was interesting doing an 8 to 4 shift because it's very busy with both the breakfast and lunch rushes. I was also working with people I don't normally work with. It was definitely a nice change of pace. I also liked being home at 4 pm and having the rest of the night to myself. So today's favourite thing was working the day shift for a change.

Lofty art-ness....

Today, I had lunch once again with my flamenco teacher from Saskatchewan but this time she brought her husband along. After an enjoyable lunch (amazingly enough, at the same place we ate at last time) we went to this gallery where they were displaying artwork done by animals. They had paintings done by chimps, elephants, turtles, dogs and probably a few more different types of animals. I definitely enjoyed the paintings by the elephants and turtle. One of the paintings by the elephant even looked like a tree branch with leaves on it. So today's favourite thing is seeing artwork done by animals.

It's a miracle!!

Tonight, I was called in to work to help clean. I got in at about 9 and got straight to work. I ended up in the stock room with the moveable shelves. After rearranging it and attempting to make everything fit, I started to mop. Just the mopping would have been easy, unfortunately, over time stuff tends to build up in the tracks that the shelves move and it fell to me to clean them out. Not the funnest (I have decided that's a word) job in the world. Four hours later, that job was done. I then started wiping down the outside of the shelves with a stainless steel cleaner. This required me to use a ladder. Unfortunately, there was an incident with the ladder where I fell off of it. I was uninjured and I managed to catch the stainless steel cleaner and the paper towels. Unfortunately, the ladder ended up being bent all to heck. I felt bad about breaking the ladder but was glad that it hadn't turned out worse. So today's favourite thing is not being injured when it seemed likely that I would be.

"Hotter than the real world me by far"

Today I found this music video tie in to the web series "The Guild" that I wrote about a few months ago. Here it is:

I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's an amusing song and the video really entertains me. It was directed by Zach Whedon of "Dr. Horrible" fame. SO today's favorite things is the song and video of "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?".

Change of pace

Tonight was, I believe, the first time I had ever worked an entire overnight shift on a Sunday night with the regular overnight manager. It was a nice change from the typical Friday/ Saturday overnight that I normally work. It was a lot slower that I am used to but it allowed me to actually get work done. Everybody I was working with really seemed to know what they were doing and what they needed to do and it just went so smoothly. It was a nice change from the busyness and general chaos of the weekend overnights. So today's favourite thing was working a non- weekend overnight.

Maybe this isn't the best thing to be thankful for but....

I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but I go to church regularly. I feel awful and almost sacriligeous but it's always nice when mass gets out early. Growing up, mass was always an hour long service maybe a bit longer - it seemed like forever. We got a priest at my church back home that didn't believe that mass should be longer than 50 minutes. That was pretty cool. The masses here aren't too bad - they don't tend to be longer than 45 -50 minutes. Today's mass though was especially short. I don't think it lasted more than 35 minutes. It was amazing. While I feel quite bad about it, today's favourite thing is short masses.

Picking up where I left off....

Two years ago, when I was going to school in Boston, one of the clinical supervisors held a knitting class every Wednesday night which I quite enjoyed. I had tried knitting when I was younger but I never really got the hang of it then. The knitting class really helped me relearn and I even learned how to pearl. Anyway, knitting also got me back interested in crocheting which I have done probably since I was ten or so. I bought wool and a plastic crotchet hook and got to work making the hot pad type thing I learned how to make from my aunt many years ago.

The ball of wool I had also had the instructions for a baby blanket, so I started making that. Not long after, I found out that one of my cousins was pregnant. Perfect. At one point in the process, I squeezed the crochet hook so hard it bent right half and broke, so I had to go buy another hook (metal this time) along with some more wool for the blanket. I promptly got bored crocheting and let it be.

The other day, I found the half - made (more like 1/4 made) blanket, the wool (with the all -important instructions) and the hook and got back to work. It will probably be a rather small blanket because I don't have nearly enough wool and there is no way in he..ck that I am going to find the same type of wool let alone from the same dye lot...but that is okay. A small blanket is okay - it is for a baby after all. In other news, the baby I had thought to make the blanket for is now a year and a half old...so I probably won't be giving it to him. I know a couple other people who are pregnant now though so there is somewhere for it to go.....provided it doesn't take me another two years to finish. Anyway, today's favourite thing is crocheting.

Inneresting.......

Last March, I started watching "Dollhouse". While it wasn't my absolute favourite show, I found it quite interesting. When I heard that one episode would only be on the DVD, I was kinda disappointed because I didn't like the show THAT much. When I heard it was on iTunes, I was quite happy and decided to get it. I really enjoyed the episode. It was set in the future and had an apocalyptic air to it (Someone really needs to have a chat with Joss Whedon - all of his shows deal with an apocalypse of some sort. Buffy had an apocalypse once or twice a season...at least). So anyway today's favourite thing is the Dollhouse episode "Epitaph One".

Oddly exciting while also kinda gross....

Today, I had an appointment with the otolaryngologist or for people who use normal language - the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. Back in January, I had an ultrasound done on my thyroid and this was a follow up appointment. While I was waiting for the appointment in the examination room, I was looking at all the posters of the ears on the wall which completely reminded me of my time at school studying to be an SLP. If that wasn't enough, the doctor decided he had to look at my vocal cords so he stuck a camera down my nose. While it wasn't exactly comfortable in any sense of the word, I was oddly excited because while I was in school I kept hearing about that test. It was cool to actually have it performed on me. Having said that, if I never have it done on my again, I would be quite happy. So today's favourite thing is experiencing something I had only ever heard about before.

"It's like having eyes everywhere, but not in a bad way, like that time we spilled that container full of eyes."

So tonight was the actual season finale of "Better off Ted". I have mentioned previously that I love the fake commercials that air during each episode but other than that, it's just a really funny show. It's like "The Office" in a way, but while "The Office" seems to believe that deep down every one is a good person, "Better Off Ted" almost comes from the opposite point of view. Many of the people on the show are not very good people, but some how they are all quite funny all the same. I am looking forward to the new season.

"If I could give myself a quizzical look right now, I would..."

A few days ago, I mentioned the website "Give Me My Remote" and how it had a tendency to hook me on new shows. It struck again. Kath (the girl who runs the site, I guess) was having "Greek week" in honour of the TV show "Greek". One day, she had a post with a bunch of quotes from the show and a video. Here is the video:

After watching the video, I have to admit I was intrigued. So I watched one episode, and then another. Five episodes later, I was admittedly hooked. Most of it had to do with Cappie but I am sure there are other reasons as well. So today's favourite thing is the TV show "Greek".

Up and Away...

Today, Colette and I finally went to see the movie "UP". I really enjoyed it. We had originally planned to see it with my niece when she came to visit but events transpired in such a way that it didn't actually work out that way. I loved the opening montage between the old man and his wife. I think that is the only time I have ever cried during a kid's animated movie (that I recall anyway - there may have been others). I was so glad that the movie lived up to the hype. So today's favourite thing is the movie "UP".

Vroom....

Apparently part of the deal that comes with me living with my sister is doing the yard work. Today I used the motorized hedge trimmer on some of the bushes in my sister's yard. She says that I am better at it than she is, I think its just a ploy to get me to do it all. It is rather fun once you get going and being able to see the difference between what you've done and what it was like before is pretty cool. It's that getting started part that is hard. Anyway, today's favourite thing is using the motorized hedge trimmer.

All about the music....

I am a bit behind the times when it comes to buying music. Most of the music I have on my MP3 player came from CD's that I have. I don't really buy it online. Until today. I finally went on iTunes to find music. Mostly because it was from some cool routines from "So You Think You Can Dance" and didn't know where else to find it. I have decided that I actually like iTunes and may be more inclined to use it in the future. So yay!

Do a little dance...

Tonight was the season finale of "So You Think You Can Dance". To honour the occasion, I thought I would post my favourite dances from this past season (mostly because this is the only season I actually watched). So today's favourite things are the following dances from SYTYCD Season 5:

• Kayla and Kupono - Addiction: She is an addict, he is the addiction. Choreographed by Mia Michaels.


• Brandon and Jeanette - Ruby Blue. Choreographed by Wade Robson.
• Jeanine and Jason - If It Kills Me. Choreographed by Travis Wahl.
• Randy and Evan - The Butt Dance. Choreographed by Mia Michaels.
• Jason and Kayla - The Zombie dance. I have posted about it on my blog before you can find it here.

There are probably a bunch more but those are the routines that really stick out in my mind as being my absolute favourites.

Something that appeals to the TV addict in me...

Way back, when I first got into "The Office", I started visiting a website called "Give Me My Remote". I really enjoy it. It has got me into a bunch of shows that I may have never watched without it. The recaps amuse me and the writer has access to a lot of background info that really interests me. One of the things that she does is a podcast with another TV blogger from "Ducky Does TV". I had listened to one of their podcasts last year but that was pretty much it. They then started podcasting regularly this past season of "So You Think You Can Dance" which I tended to listen to more regularly. I enjoyed hearing what they thought of the particular dances. I also started to listen to their regular podcasts particularly if they were going to be talking about "True Blood". So today's favourite thing is the "TV Talk Podcast with GMMR and Ducky".

Bye-bye Bella!!!!

Today, my mom and my niece went home. It was nice having them visit but in some ways I was nice to have the house back to myself (oh, with Colette too of course). We dropped Bella and mom off at the airport quite early this morning. On the way home from the airport, I received a phone call from Bella saying that she missed me already. It was very sweet. I miss her already too. So today's favourite thing is how sweet my niece is (and knowing that I am one of her favourite aunties).

Downtown, everyone's going there.....

Today, we went downtown. Because it was a holiday, we didn't have to pay for parking so that was nice. The Busker festival was going on so we got to see some street performers. I nearly got a Henna Tattoo but didn't feel like waiting in line. We ended up walking over by the parliament buildings. We didnt' go on a tour because they were mostly sold out for the day but we got to see some of the architecture and statues that were around the buildings. I learned that my niece doesn't want her cousin to become Prime Minister because she would have to move to Ottawa and Bella would have to take a plane to see her. Shucks....Anyway, today's favourite thing is sightseeing (even though I have seen many of the sights before).

Chit-chat!!

Today, at work, I really managed to hurt my hand. I made a bit of a fuss about it when I got home and managed to wake up 2/3 of the house. My mom sat with me while I iced my hand and we had a good talk. It was nice to chat with her one on one while she was here rather than over the phone. So today's favourite thing is talking with my mom.

Sleepover!

My niece wanted to have a sleep over in my room before she leaves so we decided to have one tonight. It was quite interesting even though we never got to the sleep part before she decided to go upstairs to sleep with Grandma. I learned that her mommy supposedly has a crush on the guy that sold them their dog (and the Jonas Brothers!). I also learned who Bella has a crush on (Bella calls them her Loveboys). I am not supposed to tell anyone else because I crossed my heart that I wouldn't. It was nice to hear what Bella had to say and see how she views the world. So today's favourite thing is talking with my niece.

Choo-choo!!

When we found out when my mom and Bella were coming to visit, Colette got me to book tickets for the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steamtrain. We figured Bella would enjoy a ride on the train so it would be something interesting to do. We were right. Bella bought herself a pink conductors hat and a model Steamtrain engine that she just couldn't get enough of. She was particularly fascinated with how the wheels on the toy moved the same way the wheels on the actual train did. We also got to see them turn the engine around on the turntable and tour the engine. I learned a lot about the different parts of the engine and the differences between the European engines and the North American engines. It was pretty interesting. It was about a 5 hour trip - an hour and a half there, two hours in Wakefield, and an hour and a half back. Also along the way, there were a number of musicians that performed in the various cars that Bella (and I) really enjoyed. You can find out more about it here.

Visits..

Yesterday, my mom and my niece came from Saskatchewan to visit Colette and I. It is really good to see them. They came to drive me to work today because I told Bella she could see where I work. She played at the playplace and seemed to enjoy herself. My coworkers seemed to get a kick out of meeting her. At one point when she was in the room with the play stuff in it, the Macarena started playing so she had to stop playing and dance. I got a kick out of it. Anyway, today's favourite thing is visits from my niece (and my mom).

Comfortable but not exactly pretty....

Today my new Crocs arrived!

I had to order them online because they didn't have any lime green ones in the store. I don't really see the point in getting a pair of traditional Crocs in a regular colour- they aren't exactly pretty shoes. I have been looking for new crocs for a few months - my old lime green crocs started to lose any grip they may have started with and the soles started getting holes in them. Everytime I went looking for them, I found a pair of non-traditional Croc-brand shoes that I liked. I have a pair of the sandals that I use when I shower at the gym.
On my last trip to the Croc store, I found a pair of sandals with heals that I really like.
They started off rubbing my feet the wrong way but since then they have gotten more comfortable. All of them are pretty comfortable actually. During pretty much any month that isn't in the winter, I pretty much live in my crocs because I enjoy being able to just slip them on.

A benefit of actually cleaning...

My mom and my niece are coming for a visit tomorrow so it is high time for me to be cleaning my room, which I have been doing off and on for a few hours. As I was cleaning, I found the wallet I used when I was living in Boston. When I opened it up, it had a bunch of American money that I didn't realize I had. It made my day because I am actually quite broke right now so it will come in handy. Hopefully, I will get around to depositing it soon so I can actually use it. So today's favourite thing is finding money you forgot you had.

Yet another post about TV...

In June, my work did a bunch of renovations. After renovations ended, a rather large TV showed up in the breakroom....with satellite. I don't watch the TV often but for the last few days, it has been perpetually tuned to the Discovery Channel. I really enjoy the Discovery channel because it has so many interesting programs. I have watched a lot of MythBusters in the last couples and have really enjoyed it. I also enjoy the shows "Disasters of the Century" (where I first heard about the Boston Molasses Flood) and "Frontiers of Construction". I always feel at least a little bit smarter after watching that channel.

I'm [really enjoying] it!

A couple months ago, my work got four new salads - a new Caesar, a new Garden salad, a Mediterranean, and a Thai. I was planning to try all of them but I actually started off by trying the Thai. I loved it and haven't made it to any of the others. I really enjoy the dressing for it as well as the glaze for the chicken. I don't get it all the time when I work (sometimes we're sold out) but if I know we have some, I will occasionally get it. So today's favourite thing is the new Spicy Thai salad.

Joys of summer...

Today, when I woke up, I found that my sister had left me some fresh garden peas to eat. I love peas when they are just out of the garden. They taste so good. I remember being at my grandparents' farm when I was younger and being asked to shell the peas----I think I ate more peas than actually made it into the bowl to use for dinner. The peas we had today were rather small but they still tasted quite good.

It's all about convenience right now....

Today, I went to a BodyPump class at noon at the gym that's most convenient for me to get to. They had just added this class when this current schedule for group exercise classes came into effect so I didn't really have the option before. Previously, the most convenient gym to me didn't have any BodyPump classes on Fridays so that was rather annoying. I would have to go to various other gyms if I wanted to work out on Fridays which while doable was rather annoying; particularly since I started having a dance class on Friday nights as well so it would be BodyPump at 5;15, dance from 7-9 and then I would have to be at work at 10. I still have those last to things but at least I had time beforehand to....eat.

Another way to spend money...

Today, I finally paid my sister rent for July. I used an email money transfer. I had used one before but only to receive money. I like that I can just send it to her and it will be out of my account right away and she can receive it right away. What I don't like is that the bank I normally bank with doesn't do email money transfers so I have to transfer from one account to another before I can actually do them. On the other hand, maybe cheques would be simpler....

Pretty cool....

I mentioned in an early post that I have been watching "So You Think You Can Dance" this season. I have been really enjoying it. Tonight, Kayla and Jason did a zombie-esque dance choreographed by Shane Sparks that I just loved. It's rather dark but very well done. You don't have to watch the entire video to see the dance, the last part is mostly the judges comments.

Anyway, today's favourite thing is what I am going to call Kayla and Jason's Zombie dance.

Clever names are not my forte right now...

My sister has a whole bunch of cloth bags she uses when she goes grocery shopping so she doesn't have to get plastic bags. Miraculously, she even remembers to bring them when she goes - something I never seem to remember to do. Even if I know that I am go to the mall and plan to buy something, I never remember to bring one of the cloth bags with me or the bag is so bulky that I feel awkward carrying it around. When we were in Quebec City earlier this month, I bought a rather large bag that rolls up pretty small that I can just keep in my purse. I find it really handy and I no longer get plastic bags so that is great. So today's favourite thing is the green cloth bag I bought in Quebec City.

What a way to end the day....

Today, nothing really special happened. I had a weird dream involving a bunch of people wanting to shoot each other and me freaking out. At the end, everyone made up at the end and decided to go to "the Mon-tan". Apparently, they didn't know how to pronounce "Montana". It was an odd, odd dream. I went to work as well but nothing particularly out of the ordinary happened. When I got home though, I found that my sister had bought vanilla ice cream. She bought more strawberries on Sunday so I was able to smoosh them up and put them on the ice cream. It is one of my favourite things ever. It's much more enjoyable for me than strawberry ice cream from the store. We mooshed some strawberries with the chocolate ice cream we had last week but that wasn't quite as enjoyable; possibly because I am not a huge fan of chocolate and fruit together (aside from fondue, and chocolate/banana combinations). So today's favourite thing is eating fresh strawberries on vanilla ice cream.

Harry et al...

Today, I saw the latest Harry Potter movie. I enjoyed it but once again they made some odd and unnecessary changes. It wasn't an ideal movie going for two additional reasons: A) A couple sat down in front of us that could really have used an introduction to either a shower or deodorant. I felt awkward getting up at the point to move although it was tempting; and B) I really had to pee through the second half of the movie but I didn't want to miss the movie so I stuck it out.
I found, as usual, that seeing the movie made me want to read the book again to help me remember what happened. The problem with that is I can't just start reading at book 6, I have to go all the way back to the beginning, which means I won't get to book 6 until next week probably. By then, I will have forgotten what much of the movie. It's really a vicious circle. If I had been smart I would have started the series again last week, but that didn't happen (obviously). That being said, today's favourite thing is the Harry Potter series.

Sammiches...

Tonight for supper (also known as my breakfast), we had bacon and tomato sandwiches. Every time I have them, I remember how much I like them but I never seem to think of them or make them for myself. They are so easy to make or so I hear (Colette made them yesterday). I mean I've made them before but not recently.

Finally....

When we clean dishes at work, we have a sprayer that pulls down to spray the dishes off. For the past few weeks, it has been leaking; so when you pull the sprayer down to spray off the dish, you are actually dripped on from the top as well with, usually, scalding hot water. When I got into work tonight, I found that the sprayer had been fixed which made doing dishes not quite the ordeal it had been previously. So today's favourite thing is things getting fixed so you are no longer sprayed with scalding water.

And the pieces fall into place....

For the past four days, I have been participating in a workshop series that's supposed to help me figure out what I want to do with my life. It mostly consisted of working on a book that examines different parts of your life to determine what you like to do, how you want your life to go and what skills you have demonstrated. I also took a personality test to help me determine which careers I am most suited for. I found it really helpful and I have kind of figured out why my Speech Pathology plan didn't work out so well for me. I have a clearer plan for the direction I want to go in with my life and I just have to pick the direction to work towards it. I am no longer wandering aimlessly so it's a good feeling. So today's favourite thing is knowing which direction to take with your life.

Aargh.....

Tonight, I had a doctor's appointment. I left in plenty of time and got to the general area in lots of time but they were doing construction in that area and there were no parking spots anywhere. Well, there were spots but pretty much every potential parking spot had a no parking sign next to it. It was really annoying. I ended up being late to the appointment because of the parking issue. I pretty much decided enough was enough and parked right beside the building I needed to go in. When I got in there, there was no one there. I got in to the room where the doctor would see me right away. And then I waited...and waited....and waited.....and waited. The entire time I was waiting I kept worrying that I was going to get a ticket or get towed or something. When I got in to the room, I had hoped that it would be a quick visit and I could go (it was a quick visit once the doctor actually arrived). I contemplated leaving a couple times but decided against. When I got out of the appointment, I found out that the car was still there, unticketed, and that I had been waiting 30-40 minutes for the doctor. So today's favourite thing is not getting towed or ticketed when you think you will be.

Spasming jellyfish, anyone???

Today in my bellydance class, we learned a move that I had seen before, thought was cool but wasn't quite sure how to do it. I thought I was getting better at it but it isn't quite up to par yet. I tried showing it to my sister and it didn't go well. I tried it again and faired better the second time. I likened the first attempt to a spasming jellyfish which my sister said she would have said the exact same thing. Somehow I think she was being sarcastic (she isn't at all subtle where sarcasm is concerned). Anyway, today's favourite thing is learning moves that I have seen before but didn't know how to do.

I totally need to pay more attention...

As I mentioned in Saturday's post, I went to the library for the first time in a couple months that day. Part of the reason was that I couldn't find one of my books and partly because I new I had a big overdue fine ($12) that I wasn't quite ready to pay. I paid it while I was there with my credit and signed the receipt without really looking at it. Whoops. Today I got a phone call from the library (it was odd getting a call from the library from an actual person) and apparently rather than charging me $12 for the fees, they had charged $412 to my credit card. Yikes! He wanted to be sure that it was in fact an error so that they can refund me the money. They tried doing it today but they couldn't without my card so I have to go to the library tomorrow. At least I am getting the money back. So today's favourite thing is vigilant accounting people. I feel like an idiot for not checking more thoroughly myself though.

Just call me cheater....

Usually when I write my blog posts, I tend to write them before I got to sleep for the night. Very rarely, I start them before midnight so I have to change the date and time so that they show up for the day that the events I am writing about transpired. That's why if you look at the time stamp, very often it says 11:59 pm. This weekend I was really bad about updating the blog because after working overnight, I really just wanted to go to bed. So tonight I wrote my posts for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It was nice not having to worry about the blog for those two days but it kinda took some thinking so that I remembered what I did Friday and Saturday. But anyway, today's favourite thing is being able to change the date and times that show up for each blog post.

Why didn't I look there two months ago?

A couple months ago, I went to the library and got a bunch of books out. I started reading one but when I finished I didn't put it back with the others. I returned the others and didn't remember where I put that one book. I got more out and read those but didn't end up getting back to the library, partly because I didn't have a big need to go and partly because of that one book that I thought I had lost. Finally, I had to back to the library because I had some books on hold and I couldn't keep renewing the books repeatedly. So finally, I looked for the book. I had remembered reading it in one of the chairs in the living room so I looked there first. I had glanced under it behind it before so this time I moved the cushions. It was actually there. It was so simple and yet I was too lazy to actually do a proper search for it 2 months ago. But anyway, today's favourite thing is finding what you're looking for without too much trouble.

Back to basics....

Tonight, I went to a bellydance workshop put on by my teacher. It was on American Tribal Stylie which is the type I started with back in Regina. It is mostly improvisation with a certain set of moves that the leader cues by specific arm positions or verbal cues. I love it because it really connects you with the other people you are dancing with. It was good to return to that style of dance because my teacher usually teaches tribal fusion which focuses on isolations and is more focused on choreography and solos. I am enjoying the fusion classes but it was nice to go back to the reason I fell in love with the dance. So today's favourite things is the improvisation and group dynamics of American Tribal Style bellydance.

Sooner is better

I think I mentioned a few weeks ago that I have a bump on my wrist. It's rather odd but I finally had an xray done for it. I only recently realized that I also need an ultrasound done for it as well. The place I went to for my xray was booking now for ultrasounds in February. That seemed like a rather long wait so I called other places to see if I could get in sooner. Three phone calls later, I found one that could see me August 6 (The first place didn't seem to want to take my call and the second one didn't do ultrasounds on wrists). That is a huge improvement - 6 months earlier, to be exact. So today's favourite thing is finding a place that will see me six months earlier.

More of the same....

Today was a pretty typical day. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. I woke up, showered, ate, played the Sims, went to the gym, and watched "So you think you can dance". Some days it's nice to have a day that nothing out of the ordinary happens. It helps calm and ground you. So today's favourite thing is days where things go smoothly and nothing unexpected happens.

"Jennifer stood there, ovulating quietly"

Some days, this blog is harder to write than others. There are days when nothing spectacular happens and I really have to think hard about my day because otherwise that day won't have a post at all. In some ways, that's good because it really gives me a reason to reflect on my day. Other days, it's hard to write because there are a number of things that could potentially be a "favourite thing".
Today was one of those days where a bunch of stuff happened that I enjoyed but either I have already written about them or it was hard find the favourite thing in the story. For example, I cooked supper today and pretty much burnt the crap out of it and ended up with a pot that I still haven't been able to clean. I asked my sister if it tasted okay despite that burnt chicken and the burnt sauce. She thought that was an odd question and likened it to saying "despite the fact that you lost your arms, did you enjoy the rollercoster?" I thought that was a rather amusing way of putting it but I had no idea what the heck my favourite thing would be in that particular story. Burnt food? Impossible to clean pots? Snarky comments? Maybe that last one, but I've written about my love of snark a number of times.
So instead, my favourite things today are the contests to come up with the worst opening lines to novels (e.g. The Bulwer- Lytton Contest, The Lyttle Lytton Contest). The Lyttle Lytton contest is actually where the title quote is from. The contests vary in that the Bulwer - Lytton allows for longer entries, but they can only be one sentence and must be previously unpublished. The Lyttle Lytton can be more than one sentence and have been previously published, but it has a stricter word limit attached. Some of my favourite entries from this years contest are below (BL-Bulwer Lytton, LL - Lyttle Lytton):

• "She walked into my office on legs as long as one of those long-legged birds that you see in Florida - the pink ones, not the white ones - except that she was standing on both of them, not just one of them, like those birds, the pink ones, and she wasn't wearing pink, but I knew right away that she was trouble, which those birds usually aren't." (BL)
• "The dame sauntered silently into Rocco's office, but she didn't need to speak; the blood-soaked gown hugging her ample curves said it all: "I am a shipping heiress whose second husband was just murdered by Albanian assassins trying to blackmail me for my rare opal collection," or maybe, "Do you know a good dry cleaner?" (BL)
• "Their relationship hit a bump in the road, not the low, graceful kind of bump, reminiscent of a child's choo choo train-themed roller coaster, rather the kind of tall, narrow speed-bump that, if a school bus ran over it, would cause even a fat kid to fly up and bang his head on the ceiling." (BL)
• "As Lieutenant Baker shrank his lips back to their normal size, he tried desperately to think of a situation in which his new-found power might be useful, as have I, your narrator." (BL)
• "I have the ability to go through time, he suddenly remembered while at a bus stop near a tree." (LL)
• "Deborah walked briskly down the street with pants on her legs. " (LL)
• "A leg and part of a torso lay on the sidewalk — the remains of Alan Tompkins." (LL)

Those are just some of the entries. I highly recommend checking them out for yourselves. There are many more amusing entries. I also found the commentary on the Lyttle Lytton site to be quite enjoyable.

"Come to the dark side. We have cookies!!"

I did something not at all smart before leaving for work today. I started listening to the musical commentary on the Dr. Horrible DVD and ended up with two songs from it in my head. They lasted the entire night at work. When I got to work, one of my coworkers talked to my about the Sookie Stackhouse books I told her about and how her sister is getting them. Later on, I mentioned to different coworker that I had a song from a commentary in my head (which is admittedly rather odd) and I ended up explaining the entire Dr. Horrible phenomenon. He seemed rather interested in it once I mentioned Joss Whedon. So over the course of one shift, I may have gotten two different people into stuff that I like. Not bad for a night's work. So today's favourite thing is getting people (other than my sister- she's too easy!) interested in stuff I like.

Memories....

Today, we came home from Quebec City. It was a good trip and it was interesting seeing all of the things I remembered from the last time I was there in 2002. That time, I was with a group of people I lived with in Katimavik. We spend the last weekend of our time together in and around Quebec City. We were actually living in Cornwall, Ontario at the time so it was quite a big trip for us. On the way home, in 2002, we stopped at a picnic along the way for supper and sort of a end celebration. On the way home this time, we stopped at a rest area for a bathroom break and some ice cream. It wasn't until we were sitting eating the ice cream that I realized it was the exact same rest area that I had stopped at in 2002. I thought that was pretty cool. When I got home I looked at my photo album to be sure, and sure enough, it was the same. Seeing those pictures again also reminded me of what a great time I had on Katimavik 7 years ago and then I depressed myself that it has been so long since that time. So today's favourite thing is seeing things that remind you of good times.

Rain, rain, go away....

Today, we walked to Old Quebec again and pretty much split up as soon as we got there. I went to the Musée de l`Amérique Francaise. I got there at 11:30 ish and went to find out when the next tour was. It turned out to be at 1:15 and because I was the first person to sign up for that tour, the tour was in English. I went to the actual museum for a while to look at the exhibits until it was time for the tour. I left the museum at 12:30 and got something to drink. The tour was quite good. The buildings were once used for a seminary, a grammar school and housed the first site of Laval University. I really enjoyed seeing the old buildings; although for people who have been to Europe, the buildings are quite new.
After the tour, I met up with my sister, which is when it started to rain. We huddled under an awning until we saw Connie at which point, we went out of the awning and I fell on my butt. Luckily, I didn`t actually get hurt.
We went over to the Chateau Frontenac and set up our tour for 4pm. I enjoyed that tour as well but the tour guide was in character and at times the character was a bit too much. Someday, when I have a real job and real money, I wouldn`t mind staying at the Chateau Frontenac but right now it`s a bit too expensive for me.
After that, I walked through the ruins of an old Chateau near the Chateau Frontenac and then we went down to lower town to have a look around. After that, we caught a taxi to get back to the hotel.
Anyway, today`s favourite thing is seeing places with a significant history attached to them. I say that because I am from Saskatchewan, a place that is barely over one hundred years old. The old parts of Quebec City are 4oo years old. By European and Asian standards, that`s pretty young, but I have never left North America so it`s old to me.

Vieux Quebec...

We arrived in Quebec City early this afternoon and checked into our hotel after some confusion regarding its location. We then went on a little jaunt to Old Quebec. It's quite interesting. The streets are quite narrow and the buildings are quite old. I was quite excited when I began recognizing places from when I was there seven years ago. We looked in some shops, had a bit of a snack and walked down an alley full of art. Tomorrow, we plan to look around a bit more and go on a tour of the Chateau Frontenac. We are now back at the hotel after walking around for what seemed like 100 years so that I could find my bank. It was a pretty good day. So today's favourite thing is old Quebec.

Time to get away...

Colette, Colette's friend Connie, and I are off to Quebec City for the weekend. We made it through Montreal tonight and then found a hotel. The hotel's quite nice - what I've seen of it anyway. Not terribly expensive either. The bathroom had us all crammed in to see it. The shower has a glass wall but no door. It's quite fancy. We got to the hotel just in time for me to see who got kicked off "So You Think You Can Dance" so bonus. So anyway, today's favourite thing is staying in a nice hotel.

Happy Canada Day!!!

I had a pretty relaxing Canada Day, this year. Last year, I was in Boston for Canada Day and Ottawa for the fourth of July so I really didn't celebrate either. The year before, I was in Ottawa for Canada Day and my sister had a get together. Then I went back to Boston and saw the fireworks for the fourth of July, so I celebrated both that year.
I didn't go downtown for any of the festivities this year. I had planned to go down for noon but I was pretty tired so we didn't end up going. We ended up going to see a movie instead which I enjoyed. My sister and I then played a couple games of cribbage which I hadn't played in a long time. She won both times which wasn't quite as enjoyable. Both games were pretty close so it wasn't too bad. Other than that, I really didn't do much other than...oh yeah, work! I had the overnight shift last night. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It was pretty steadily busy but it was no worse than a typical weekend overnight. Somehow, it seemed like there were less drunk people than usual, which seems odd. But anyway, today's favourite thing is having a better night than expected.

Somehow, I think they frown on this but....

Today, I went to a bookstore and ended up reading an entire book in one sitting. I hadn't intended to read the entire thing, especially since I wasn't planning to buy it, but I read one page and then another and then another and all of a sudden, it was three hours later and there were no more pages to turn. I want to actually buy the book at some point but it's only out in hardcover right now and I can't really justify the price of the book even to my own book-junky self. It also helped me assuage my curiousity of what happens next in the series since I was #187 on the holds list at the library and quite impatient. So now my curiousity is assuage but I feel quite guilty about not buying the book since I had read it anyway. Anyway, today's favourite thing is getting lost in a good book.

Isn't that a food?

The longer I have this blog, the more I notice tell-tale themes that run through it. One is TV, one is food and now that I have an actual job, one is work. So anyway, I was at work today, when a song I really enjoy came on the radio. It was "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf. It is such a theatrical song. It is quite long but it has 3 or 4 acts in the song itself, like a miniature play in itself. You can see the video here.

One of the joys of summer....

This afternoon when I woke up there were fresh strawberries ready to be eaten. My sister went and picked them at a U-Pick after church this morning. There is just nothing like really fresh strawberries. She came home with a basketful. I believe, as of the time I started this post, there are not quite enough strawberries to cover the bottom of the basket. Luckily, it was both of us eating them and not just one of us. So today's favourite thing is fresh strawberries.

We're not satisfied until you're not satisfied.

Don't worry! That is not my attitude at work. It is, however, the slogan for a "Demotivator" at despair.com. They are basically parodies of the motivational posters that started coming out a few years ago with the picture and then a caption at the bottom. If you click on the link above, I have a feeling you will know exactly what I am talking about. Now, whenever I see an actual motivational poster I keep expecting a snarky caption at the bottom and it surprises me when the caption is actually sincere. Maybe it's just my dark sense of humour but the snarkiness of some of the demotivators really amuse me. Here are some of my favourites:

• CHALLENGES
• DARE TO SLACK
• HAZARDS
• LIMITATIONS
• MISTAKES
• MOTIVATION
• PERSPECTIVE
• TRADITION
• And my absolute favourite: WISHES

Desair.com also has amusing T-Shirts as well as other rather amusing products. I highly recommend looking through the website. So today's favourite things are the "Demotivators" at Despair.com.

What did they say about whistling while you work.

As I may have mentioned before, I tend to work overnight shifts on the weekend. I really don't mind them, mostly because depending on your coworkers, the manager and the customers, they tend to be generally more laid back than regular shifts. People visit, I sing along to the radio and I just feel less uptight (usually) than during some really crazy day shifts. Occasionally, you get annoying drunk people but they're usually pretty good. It helps when I get along with the otehr peolpe I work the shift with because when I don't, it makes for a long night. So today's favourite thing is the overnight shift. Another bonus is getting an extra dollar an hour and more of an employee discount.

All the things we hold near and dear to our hearts....

Today was quite the day. I really don't know what to say about it other than that I am still quite in shock. To have two celebrities die in the same day (and not just minor celebrities, but actual icons. ) is quite unnerving (for lack of a better word - there probably is a better word, but I can't think of it). It took a long time for me actually process the fact that Michael Jackson had died and I don't think I have yet. I had known that Farrah Fawcett was ill so it wasn't the same type of shock but it is still sad. My thoughts go out to their friends and families.

Now on to my favourite thing - which that soooooo isn't.

Tonight, as we had planned as of Saturday, my sister and I went to see the travelling production of the musical "Chicago". I love that musical. Of course, it is actually the only Broadway musical I have ever actually seen and I have now seen it three times. I saw it for the first time on Broadway seven years ago. I saw it again 2 and a half years ago back home in Regina, also through the touring production. It's quite funny and the songs are catchy and it is just so enjoyable. My sister and I managed to get box seats so it was nice not to have to climb over anyone to get in or out. I had never sat in a box so it was a new experience. My sister would have liked to have gotten a lower box and she didn't like how high it was. She also didn't like me pointing out how high it was. Anyway, today's favourite thing is the stage production of the musical "Chicago".

I knew that..

I had an interesting day at work. Not so much in terms of customers, but more to do with my hours. I got a call last night asking if I could work today from 2-10. I didn't mind doing that and got to work at a few minutes to two. Then I found out that I wasn't actually supposed to work today. That was rather annoying because I wasn't about to go home and come back for three, but I managed to occupy myself for an hour. So the end of the shift finally came and I was ready to go home, when one of the managers put me on somewhere else because she thought I was on until 11. I was pretty sure I was off at ten, I was ready to be off at 10 but I figured that they knew what they were talking about because they had the schedule. It sucks having to stay later when you get your mind set on leaving at a certain time, especially when you only find out when you thought you were able to go home. I got the manager to check the schedule again and lo and behold, I was right. I was off at 10. So I was able to leave and it was only fifteen minutes later and not one hour. So today's favourite thing is being right (especially when it means you get to go home earlier).

Life. Better.

A few months ago, I watched a few episodes of the show "Better Off Ted". The show is about a man named Ted (go figure!) who works at a big corporation (Veridian Dynamics) and the people and problems that come with the job. It's quite an amusing show and I am glad it was renewed for another season, no matter how bad it's ratings were. Right now, they are airing some of the episodes that they didn't air during the regular season and I quite enjoyed tonight's episode. My favourite thing about the show though is that there is some sort of commercial for the company. The commercials are very tongue-in-cheek and I get a kick out of them. I believe the following video is from the first episode:

This next video was made when the show was pre-empted for a speech from President Obama:

So today's favourite thing is the Veridian Dynamics commercials from "Better Off Ted".

Maybe it's because I haven't read Twilight yet....

So I stumbled across a video the other day that pitted Buffy up against Edward Cullen of "Twilight" fame. Basically, it mixed scenes from all seven scenes from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" against certain scenes from "Twilight" as well as one scene from the 4th Harry Potter movie (it took me awhile but I figured out which scene it was). Edward Cullen doesn't fair too well in the video, being that Buffy is a vampire slayer and all. It was quite entertaining, especially for the Buffy fan that I am. I don't if many "Twilight" fans will enjoy it so much. Aside from the obvious colour changes between the "Buffy" and "Twilight scenes", the video was quite well edited. Anyway, here it is:

So today's favourite thing is the Buffy vs Edward video by Rebellious Pixels.

Another post about food I didn't have to make...

My sister bought rhubarb the other day and spend lots of time trying to find the recipe for rhubarb pie amongst the myriad of recipes in her shelf. She couldn't find it so she got mom to email it to her. She made the pie today, despite a typo in the recipe where it asked for three cups of flour (chopped up) rather than three cups of rhubarb. It was a bit runny but it was still quite good, but then I really like rhubarb pie so I would say that. So today's favourite things is rhubarb pie.

What the heck was I going to write about?

I am pretty sure that before I went to work I knew exactly what my post for today was going to be about. Now that I am home again, I have absolutely no idea what it was. It wasn't a hugely eventful day for me. I pretty much slept, read, and various other non-extraordinary things. What I did read was quite enjoyable though. Since before I even started watching the series "True Blood", I've been trying to get into the books they're based on. I started reading the first one before I watched the season and finished it well after. I think part of my problem may have been trying to read/watch them both at the same time because while the series is based on the books, not everything is exactly the same so it was hard to separate the two. I have since read the second and am starting the third. Once I got into the books, they have been quite enjoyable. Provided, of course, that you like reading about vampire-type creatures. So anyway, unless an unlikely event occurs where I remember my intended topic for this post, today's favourite things is the Sookie Stackhouse mystery series by Charlaine Harris.

It should be it's own food group...

Ahh..chocolate..what would I do without you? Tonight, my sister really wanted those no-bake chocolate cookies - you know with the oatmeal. If you don't know what I am talking about, all you really need to know is that they are REALLY good. And addictive. She tried hinting at me to make them but I......didn't, so she made them herself. They were really good, as usual. Made even better by the fact that I did not in fact have to make them myself. Thanks Colette!!! So today's favourite thing is the chocolate oatmeal no-bake cookies..you know what I am talking about. They probably have a name but I honestly don't know what it is.

Money. money, money, money......monay!

Today, I got paid. It was less than usual but more than I expected given the amount of time I have not been working these past couple of weeks. With the money, I was able to pay off both of my credit cards and still have some money left over - hopefully, to last me another couple of weeks without putting anything (or very little) back on my credit cards. It's nice not having to worry about paying them off, and to have money left over. So today's favourite thing is being able to pay off the credit cards and still have money left over.

It's a good thing I have a job....

A few months ago, I wrote about the computer game, "Sims 2". A couple of weeks ago, the latest version "Sims 3" came out. I put off buying it but caved in and bought it today. It's quite interesting but it's going to take a while to get used to. I was finding that with the "Sims 2", I had kind of hit a wall so it's nice to be able to discover the new features in the latest version. There a bunch of things I really like about the "Sims 3" such as picking specific character traits for your sims such being a klepto or being very flirty. It's also really easy to customize your characters. Also, you have more freedom about where your sims go and don't have to save your game when you move from place to place. I haven't found everything out about the game but it's been interesting. So today's favourite thing is discovering the features of a new game.

Apparently, I am quite susceptible to suggestion....

Yesterday, one of the websites I go to all the time had a post about the webseries, "The Guild". I had heard about the series about a year ago but I hadn't checked it out until last night. I ran through both series between last night and today. That sounds bad but the episodes are less than 10 minutes each. The series itself is about a group of online gamers that meet in real life. It's quite amusing especially if you are a gamer yourself (which I am not) or spend a lot of time online (which I do). It stars Felicia Day who was also in the awesome "Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog" as well as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". It had me giggling quite a bit. If you are interested in the series, you can watch it at their website. It is definitely something worth checking out. Some of the terms they use, I do have to look up because I am not an online gamer but it's pretty accessible.

Back to work...

At work, as I have mentioned previously, they are doing all sorts of renovations. This means that they are massively cutting the hours that people are getting. For the past couple of weeks the onkly hours I have been getting are weekend overnight shifts, so not a lot. Yester day Iwas able to pick up a shift, which was nice because it wasn't overnight and it was a bit of a shorter shift. For some reason, it just seemed less stressful. I was also luck that I was able to pick up that shift yesterday because the restaurant will be closed completely from Tuesday to Thursday, so unless I get hours at a different location, I don't have the option of picking up shifts on those days.So today's favourite thing is being able to pick up shifts.

Yay! Something for me!!!

My sister came home today. She brought me presents. That's was awesome! She wasn't sure what I would think of one of the things she got me, but I loved it even though I may never actually wear it for it's true purpose. It's a blue hat with coins on it and a veil like thingy that she bought in Turkey. I put it on when she first gave it to me three hours ago and haven't taken it off on purpose since. It's pretty awesome but I really don't know if I will be something I will be able to actually use. She also got me really nice fan, a small purse, and a ring/bracelet thing. She also gave me a really cool pillow covering. My other sister got me a woven bookmark which was pretty cool, a pendant and a magnet. I really enjoy getting things from different places in the world, although I am pretty sure I would enjoy seeing them up close and personal even more.

All by myself...

For the last couple of weeks, as I believe I've mentioned in previous posts, my sister has been gone so I've had the house to myself. It's quite nice having the house to myself but I will be glad when she returns. Have the house to myself lets me sort of relax in terms of having my stuff in the appropriate place, although no one can say I am ever particularly uptight about that. While I do enjoy having the house to myself, having someone nearby to tell me that doing something is stupid is nice too (not that she uses those terms, but it would have been good if I had had that buffer on Thursday night) . So today's favourite thing is having the house to myself (to a certain extent).

"This is the smallest amount of power to go to someone's head."

At work, they are doing some major renovations. It's crazy. So while they renovate, not only to I get practically zero hours, we also only have Drive-Thru open (which pretty much explains why I get zero hours). I don't know if they allow this during the day, but on my overnight shift, customers were allowed to walk through. Not quite so enjoyable, in fact it made my time as the person to hand out the orders h-e-double hockey sticks. Because not only were orders being inserted into random places in the queue, people seemed to less inhibited or something when there was just a window as opposed to a counter or a car. Now, normally, they would be the people to come into the store to order, so I would have to put up with them or get the security guards to do their thing. With the walk through, I could just close the window and lock it. It was pretty awesome. Especially for one guy (*shudder*). So todays favourite thing is being able to to just close and lock the window when people were being inappropriate or rude.

Why am I all of a sudden leaving things everywhere?

Last night, I realized that I had left my lock at the gym. After accidently leaving something else at the gym last week, I wasn't impressed. Especially since I couldn't find it last week. Today, I went back to that particular gym to retrieve the lock. It turns out that not only did I leave the lock there, but I left my gym shoes there as well. It's a good thing that I checked the locker room and not just the lost and found. I went to a different gym tonight and I hope that I didn't end up leaving anything there tonight. So today's favourite thing is finding stuff where you left it.

I so thought I could dance....

Tonight, I watched most of "So you think you can dance". I don't watch it often for a variety of reasons, but since I was home tonight and they were finally through the awkward pre-top 20 stage, I decided to watch. Those dancers are amazing. After watching them and seeing performance of Flamenco and amazing tribal dancers in various places, it really puts my own dancing in perspective. Specifically, the fact that I will never be at that level. It is a fact that I am perfectly okay with but it is still humbling to watch. So today's favourite thing is watching incredible dance performances.

Despite any evidence to the contrary, I am not in fact crazy.

I have mentioned before that I was not exactly impressed with one of my former doctors when he didn't even take off my tensor to look at my ankle when I sprained it a few years ago. Today, I went to the doctor to get the ankle checked out again, as well as ask him what's up with my knees being all gross and grinding all the time. The doctor actually looked at my ankle and told me what may actually be the problem. Apparently it's too loose or something and I need to strengthen it. As for my knees, he suggested strengthening my quads. For both, he suggested physio because it would be partially covered by OHIP (Ontario Health....yadda yadda yadda). So, I went to the place he recommended and apparently OHIP only covers part of the cost of the therapy if you are under 19 or over 65. So if anyone has any suggestions to strengthen the ankles, please let me know. I think that my BodyPump class is good enough right now for my quads/knees.
I was worried about going to the doctor today because when I asked for the referral to that doctor, my knee and ankle were somewhat hurting, while today they weren't. I had asked a previous doctor about my knee when it wasn't actually hurting, and he told me to come back when it was. I wasn't impressed. So today's favourite thing is doctors that recognize a problem even when you are not in actual pain.
Tomorrow, I am going to get an XRAY done of my wrist, because the doctor thinks I may have a ganglion cyst on it or something. I think I have been to more doctors in the last two months than I have been to in the last 5 years. You'd think I was falling apart.

I already know that...I read that in your blog!

The one thing that I don't enjoy so much about having a blog (aside from having to think of something to right about) is that whenever I try to talk to some of my family members, they tell be they know because they read about it in my blog. On the same note, I like the fact that two of my sisters have blogs because I can just read about their days. Currently both of my blog-having sisters are on a cruise of the Mediterranean and have been sporadically updating their blogs. So I do know that they are in fact still alive and enjoying their cruise. So today's favourite thing is being able read about my sisters' cruise on their blogs.

Kind of a misnomer, don't you think?

Today, I went to see a movie*. When I was younger and went to see movies, we never got any popcorn or anything. Now, I usually get some popcorn and a drink. Not just any popcorn. I tend to get the Kid's pack or combo at the movies. I like getting the kid's pack because there is not too much of any one thing. You get a small drink, a small popcorn and a small candy. It may look odd that someone my age gets the kid's pack but I don't really care. For me, they are just right.

* The movie I saw was "The Hangover". It was quite enjoyable, although I read too much about it beforehand, so I knew a bunch of what happened in the movie.

Oh what a beautiful morning..

I worked another overnight shift last night; so while everywhere else in the world it's Sunday (except in the odd places where it's Monday), in my head it's still Saturday. I enjoy doing overnight shifts occasionally - although occasionally is now turning into every weekend. They give me a chance to see morning. I enjoy seeing the morning hours - especially when I don't actually have to wake up for them. I love the air and the stillness. I cannot actually get myself to actually wake up to enjoy those first few hours of the day, but when I am awake anyway, they are quite enjoyable. So today's favourite thing is the early morning without actually having to wake up early.

Got there just in time.....

Tonight when I got to work (20 or so minutes early), one of the cashiers had just taken an order for literally a busload of people (they were a team). I started to work five minutes later, so I actually didn't have to serve them. Their order turned out to be nearly $200. I am so glad I got there when I did (and not any sooner) because I liked having as little to do with the order as I did (I just made the fries). So today's favourite thing is arriving in the nick of time to miss hellish orders.

"What a crazy random happenstance...."

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I've been watching DVD's of the tv show "True Blood". It is quite an enjoyable show. I finished the season today. Apparently the second season starts soon....on a channel we don't get. I am quite interested to see what happens next. Anyway, back to the point of the post.......after watching so many episodes, I've started speaking with an approximation of the accent they use on the show. When I was at work today, I couldn't stop speaking in some sort of Southern dialect. When I mentioned speaking in crazy accents after watching TV shows to one of my co-workers, she said she knew exactly what I meant. She said her boyfriend kept mentioned her accent after she started watching a certain TV show. I asked her which one and she said "True Blood". Apparently, she started watching the show yesterday. I thought that was so weird considering I had only started watching it on Tuesday. So today's favourite thing is odd coincidences.

"I don't trust you. You're a vampire. Or is that an offensive term? Should I say 'undead American'?"

I read a lot of books. They tend to be of the romantic variety. A few years ago, there were barely any books about vampires. Now, it seems like every second book has some vampirical element. It's madness, I tell you, madness. There are a few series of books about vampires that I enjoy but for every series I enjoy, there are at least ten more I have no desire to read. It seems like each series also has its own vampire mythology. Mixing of series will end up in mind-bottling circumstances (I read a series where slayers were bad/ Vamps were good and then I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer soon after -- DID NOT COMPUTE*) I will admit that recently I bought "Twilight" to see what the hype was about. I haven't actually read more than a few pages in it yet, we'll see. I was going to just borrow it from the library, but I was 423rd on the waiting list and that just seemed absurd. I think I might just watch the movie and be done with it. I also tried getting into the Sookie Stackhouse series. I ended up renting the TV series instead ("True Blood") which has been quite enjoyable so far. I am on episode 7 now. I am hoping to actually get into the books soon, although it may be after I have watched all of season one (apparently season one encompasses most of the first book). So anyway, today's favourite thing is certain TV/ book series about vampires.

* I should also mention that I watched "Buffy" and "Angel" while I was watching "Bones" and it was really hard for me to separate David Boreanaz's characters of ANGEL and BOOTH in the two shows. Over the course of a couple episodes of "Bones", BOOTH a) refused to break down a door because it would hurt his shoulder (ANGEL always seemed to enter a room by breaking down a door) and b) got quite seriously shot - to the point where people believed it when he faked his own death (I was convinced that his vampirical healing powers would save him.....they may as well have --he was out and about in the next episode which was only set a couple weeks later)

Something in the air...

Tonight, when I parked my car to go to my dance class, I thought I smelled something familiar. It was such a good smell but I couldn't place it until I saw the lilacs. Lilacs are one of my favourite flowers. My grandparents had a huge lilac bush and our neighbours back home had one until recently. I love the purple flowers and the smell. It reminds me so much of home and my grandparents' farm.

Moving right along....

My sister left to go to Europe on Saturday. I have had the car all to myself for the past few days. I am quite thankful for that because I don't know if I would have made it on time for work today if I would have had to take the bus. After doing an overnight shift on Saturday night and then sleeping til four yesterday afternoon, I was so not able to get to bed when I should have to be awake in time to take my time before going to work. I started work at 2pm today, which isn't such a big deal but I still really wanted to sleep. So I was glad that having the car gave be twenty extra minutes I wouldn't have had if I would have taken the bus. So today's favourite thing is having a car to drive to work.

Not that I ever work exceptionally hard....

Last night I had an overnight shift. I got home after 7am and slept til four. I had actually planned to wake up at one just so that I might actually have some semblance of a regular sleeping pattern for the rest of the week. That didn't happen. When I did wake up, I spent much of my time on the couch watching a few episodes of Buffy or reading. I did phone my sister in Saskatchewan and talked to my niece as well. I got to listen to "Jillian Jiggs" along with Bella so that was cool. I only really left the couch for about an hour and a half to go to mass. After mass, I plopped down on the couch and read until the automatic lamp in the living room went out. I enjoy Sundays where I can just sit and relax. Hopefully I will get more stuff done the rest of the week, but it was nice for today. So today's favourite thing is Lazy Sundays.

On a quest

Earlier this week, I found out that a chain of bookstores was having a sale for their club members. Basically, instead of just saving 10% by showing your member card, you saved 20%. Pretty sweet for someone who does tend to buy a lot of books. I usually just buy books by authors I have enjoyed in the past. I like to buy them because occasionally waiting for them to come into the library seems to take forever. If they are part of a popular series, it takes even longer because a ginormous a number of people have holds on them and you end up being number 462 on the hold list. Anyway, I had two books that I wanted to get. At the first location, only one of the books was in so I decided to the location that had the second book and buy them both there. Only I forgot to make sure the place that had the second book also had the first. It didn't. I was annoyed. But I did buy the second book just because I didn't want to take my chances on a third store. In the end, I have both books that I wanted for less then I would have paid on any other weeked (gas, on the other hand............). Anyway, today's favourite thing is book sales.

" I laugh in the face of danger. Then I run and hide til it goes away"

So, I guess I've been doing this blog for six months. It really doesn't seem like I've been doing it for that long. I don't have anything exciting to report for my 6 month anniversary. Same old, same old. Now, for the actual subject of today's post.

So, earlier this week, it was announced that a new Buffy movie was in the works without its creator, Joss Whedon. There was a total and complete rebellion on the part of loyal Whedonites. They took to the internets like the world was about to end. It was rather amazing actually. While I am not exactly thrilled about this development, it did stir an interest in watching the TV show again.

Yesterday, I started watching Season 1 and so far I have watched the first four episodes. While the episodes weren't perfect, they were quite enjoyable and enjoyed watching them again. We'll see how far I get -I may not make it past season 5 but for now it's a way to pass the time over the summer, while my shows are in reruns. I am not sure if I'll get to rewatching "Angel" but Buffy will do for now. Anyway, today's favourite thing is the TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". That's quite the turn around considering I have seen maybe one episode in my life before March last year.

Tra-la-la

Today, I got to work for my shift at 2 but they asked if I could start at 3 instead. I said I would and than walked over to the drug store to kill some time. I only needed one thing but I saw some CD's in one of those cases where you can sample them. Anyway, one of them was of New Flamenco. I couldn't resist. New Flamenco is much easier to listen to than real Flamenco. Real Flamenco, while it is authentic and what Flamenco dancers dance to, is a bit harsher. I enjoy the authentic music as well, but I have to concentrate more on it because I am focused on finding the compas or rhythm. New Flamenco is basically only guitar and I don't think it follows the compas quite as rigidly - which does not make it good for flamenco dancing but it is excellent if you like listening to Spanish Guitar music.

That's what I call customer service...

Today I decided that for the first time in the 5ish years I have had one of my credit cards, I would sign up for online banking for it. I have online banking for all my other accounts but hadn't gotten to it for that particular card yet. Unfortunately, I was having a difficult time signing up for it online on my own, so I decided to call the customer service line. I was doubtful that I would get it fixed tonight because I was calling after 11pm but I actually got throught. They fixed the problem and I am now able to look at my statements online which is awesome. So today's favourite things is customer service call centres that are open late.

It's glowing....

Today. I accompanied my sister's Spark group mini-golfing, it was quite fun. It wasn't competitive at all and the group I was with didn't even keep score. It was interesting watching some of the kids make their shots because they didn't really care about do it properly - all they wanted to do was get it in the hole. The course we went to was glow-in-the-dark. The course also had trivia questions along the way - many of them were about Harry Potter so I felt quite knowledgeable. Of course, those were the kids questions. The adult questions, on the other hand, I had absolutely no clue about. Anyway, today's favourite thing is a non-competitive game of mini-golf.

Maybe it's just me, but huh?

Today at work, there was a sign posted on one of the bathroom doors advertising a crew gathering coming up in July. It was a rather ordinary sign until it got to the line about who this get together involved. It read as follows:
"WHO: Crew members, managers and a guess".
First of all, do we have to guess who that third group of people is? If so, do we have only guess and if we get it wrong, they won't come? It's all rather mysterious. Secondly, and I am assuming that "guess" is a mistyped "guest", is only one guest allowed? If so, who gets to invite this mysterious person? The sign quite amused me, even if no one else quite understood why it amused me so much.
So today's favourite thing is random typos in posted signs. For more sign craziness, click here.

Communication

After an incident earlier this month involving a missed dentist appointment, my sister decided to buy a white board to put in the kitchen so that we can easily get messages to each other. Because apparently text messages, IM and email weren't enough. Those only work if you use them and are near some form of technological device. The whiteboard has already proven handy: My sister used it to tell me it was a whiteboard. I was shocked. I even proved that I was shocked by drawing a picture. Anyway this morning I used it for two purposes. The first was to tell her I would be working until ten tonight. The second was to let her know that there were random bird parts on the lawn (Not sight you ever really want to see, especially after working all night). Anyway, today's favourite thing is communicating via whiteboard.

Sorry we're out...

In a previous job, we always ran out of various items and telling the customers we were out of that thing got old fast. the new job hasn't been too bad but we do occasionally run out of various essentials. Like meat. Or various types of pop. Last night, when I got to work, we were out of a bunch of things or so close to being out that it was only a matter of time. Today, when I got to work, we had received the order for the week so we actually had every thing. It was great. So today's favourite thing is working right after after a supply shipment comes. I say right after because who knows how long the supplies will last.

Wrecked....

The other night, I clicked on a link from someone's twitter. That link brought me to a pretty cool blog which in turn pointed to another cool blog. That final blog linked me to a blog called "Cake Wrecks". While the other two blogs are quite funny, "Cake Wrecks" had me howling with laughter (I am pretty sure that wasn't even an exaggeration. I can only imagine what the people that were working on our house the last couple days must have been thinking, what with the crazy wolf lady in the basement). For those who don't plan to access my handy dandy links, "Cake Wrecks" is a blog that showcases hilarious blunders by professional cake decorators. Professional in the sense that the decorators were paid for the cakes.
Two of the wrecks come to mind when I try to think of the ones I laughed at the most. The first one was a cake that was supposed to say "Happy Fatherhood". Somehow, cake cake ended up saying "Happy Falker Satherhood." There is a video of the people that ordered the cake going to the bakery to see if they could figure out what the decorator was thinking. The first two minutes amused me.
The second one is difficult to explain. The funniest part about it is the backstory on how it came to be. It is basically a cake that says "Good Luck in China" with an unfortunate picture of a fireman on it. I highly recommend that you read that post or at least see the picture.
There is plenty more on that sight that amused me, and will hopefully amuse you, but I will let you find it on your own. I am just so happy that I found that blog.

I win!

Today was the crew meeting for my work. It seems to have moved around quite a bit. It was supposed to be yesterday and I was planning to go but then it moved to today. I was supposed to work. Yesterday, one of the managers called to say that the meeting moved and that she had covered my shift for me. Okay...so I went. It lasted an hour. I would have worked eight. I got paid for the meeting but that is still a seven hour difference. I kinda would have rather worked but I did win a prize. It is a clock radio with an IPOD docking station. I don't actually have an iPOD and already have a clock radio but I rarely win stuff so winning the clock radio was pretty cool.

Monkey see

A few months ago, my sister introduced me to a blog by sending me a link to this post. Since then, I occasionally go back and check out the posts. It does tend to get me laughing. It's pretty much a pop culture blog. I especially like the abundance of lists. To honour the blog, I am going to make a list of links to some of my favourite posts.

• Wii Injuries
• Songs for a "Sleepless in Seattle" musical
• Stuff to never discuss on the internet
• Absurdness of the "Hoedown Throwdown" (apparently it was in the Hannah Montana movie)
• Inappropriate jobs for Wolverine
• Fundamental plot truths
• Missing Bea Arthur
• One of my absolute favourites - Caution signs for movie characters
• Common causes of death in TV Hospitals - heeheehee
• Better uses of 30 minutes than watching a particular show
• Lazier potential movie sequel titles than "Fast and Furious"
• A plea against viewing vomit in movies and tv
• Movies more appealing than "17 Again"
• Why real moms are better than TV moms
• When to get snacks during certain TV shows
• The longest running fictional character - mainly here because of a rather amusing "Buffy" mention
• Why the Idol winner won

Mind you, these posts only came after the first post I read and I am sure there were probably ones before that that I would have enjoyed, but these posts definitely amused me. There are other posts that were good as well, but these ones, to be honest, are easily and quickly readable, for the most part. Many of them contain the afore-mentioned lists.

Anyway, today's favourite thing is NPR's Monkey See blog.

"I'm fine! My nose was just overflowing with awesome and I had to get some of it out".

I apologize for the title quote. Today, I had an Allergy test. I had never had one done before. I have had problems with allergies all my life but didn't know the specifics of what I was allergic to. I knew I had hayfever and really reacted to horses but other than that it was kind of a revelation. On the other hand I was rather surprised by how many different things I'm allergic to. Off the top of my head, I am allergic to dust, mites, cockroaches, cats, horses, rabbits, mice, a type of mould, pollen from three different trees, and a bunch of different weeds. The doctor told me about some desensitization treatments that I can use to try to beat the allergies which I am considering. I am glad to know that there is something I can do about it. It will have to wait until I get coverage from work and it takes three years, but I am seriously considering it. The days of my nose constantly overflowing with awesome may soon be numbered!!

All I want to do-oo-oo-oo-oo

A few weeks ago, my sister bought a Sugarland CD. It's the special version so there are a few extra songs on it. We've been listening to it pretty consistently in the car and songs that I previously had no idea existed are repeaters for me. The songs are quite catchy and easy to sing along with (which makes it a good car CD). So today's favourite thing is the special edition of "Love on the Inside" by Sugarland. In case you're wondering, the songs I especially like are: 'All I Wanna Do', 'It Happens', 'What I'd Give', 'Fall into You', and the covers of 'Life in a Northern Town' and 'Come on Get Higher' (I never heard the original of 'Come on Get Higher' until I heard the Sugarland verson. Now I hear it all the time at work. It's by Matt Nathanson).