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.