Now where did I leave that?

It's official. I've lost my winter coat. These deceivingly warm days have me running about coatless and, at some point in one of my adventures, I've laid it down and forgotten it. I'm hoping it is somewhere at the office... otherwise I will be forced to live out the winter in my spring jacket, and it's about -15C today.... not exactly spring weather!

I also seem to be missing my ipod, my book mark, one of my favourite slippers (NOT under the bed... I already checked..), and my eye glasses. I'm beginning to believe that the fairy who steals socks from the dryer has now moved on to bigger and better things... although I think that even the fairy would look silly in my eye glasses. I did catch myself putting the milk in the cupboard and the cereal in the fridge the other day... but I'm sure that's the fairys influence.

First - Welcome to all the new visitors, and a big thanks to David for the exposure on his blog. I loved reading your comments!

Second - The past few days have been a roller-coaster of craziness. My company laid-off a huge percentage of management yesterday, with little warning. I believe it was neccessary, and am grateful I still have a job, but my heart is hurting for those that are gone. Some have been here for as long as I can remember, and some even longer. My mentor is now gone. She has been an inspiration and a mother figure to all of us at one point or another. She will be dearly missed. Already it seems quiet and empty here. Despite this, I have hope that tomorrow will bring better things for all of us.

Third - It's Thirsty Thursday! What's in your wineglass? Today I've chosen Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon. It's mellow, but rich and sweet. One of my favourites.

I always like to end my posts like we're in the middle of a conversation...

Puzzled

Who started Skywatch Friday? I've seen this on a number of un-related blogs, including yesterday's Blog Of Note. Is this an international movement that I've missed? Maybe a Euro thing? And what are the rules? Do I just go outside and take a picture of the sky every Friday? Maybe I should watch the news more.

I admit I find the idea very entertaining. It's neat to see pictures of the sky from all over the world. A peak outside at my sky today will show you a crisp, eye-watering blue that goes on forever. It's hard for me to imagine that there are clouds anywhere in the world today, as Sounthern Ontario is so flat, sometimes it seems as though you can see to the ends of the earth. Somewhere on the other side of the world it's dark and people are sleeping. I know this, but it's tricky to imagine. In Australia, it's dark AND summer! How strange is it to look outside at the bright snow and know that somewhere, people are swealtering. I can't quite wrap my brain around it.

Anywhoo... happy sleeping, or whatever it is ya'll are doing, I'm off for a night of Lobster and a movie.

Teachers who have inspired me.

This post was inspired by a recent visitor, Emily , whose blogs at Essential E. Emily is a teacher, thus reminding me of my teachers, leading to this post, ect, ect, ect.

I have teacher friends that sometimes despair and think it is a thankless job. They, (or she. Specifically the she that lives in Thunder Bay and teaches Biology/Math/whatever else they have her teaching this week), think that the children don't appreciate what their teachers do.

Not true. Through-out my studies I have been inspired by some of the greatest people I've ever come across. I'm not just talking about likability... because I can get along with pretty much anyone... these are people that have had a profound influence on the person that I've become, and am still becoming.

To begin at the beginning...

Mrs Lutes - Grade 3. This was the beginning of my musical background. She gave us recorders and allowed me to spend recess inside practicing. She inspired my love of creative writing with one specific comment which I still remember to this day.. "Your writing is very descriptive and a joy to read, I hope you keep at it!" She could have just put the big red checkmark on it, (well and maybe a sticker... I love stickers!), and been done with it... but she didn't. She took the time to write that small piece of encouragement, and even though I didn't pursue writing as a career, (you have to have good grammar for that), she inspired me to try harder and develop my writing "voice" per say, (which sounds alot like my regular voice, only much quieter and lower pitched!!). I remember the sound of her voice and her smile. Although, last time I saw her she was alot shorter than I remember...

Ms. Slater - Grade 7. This was the year I became an academic (lol, if you can call it that). Ms. Slater put the desks in groups of 4 and numbered each group. Every week she would deal a deck of cards and the number on your card was the group that you sat in for that week. This is how I met Heather. Heather was one of those people who was good at everything she did, and also a good person. Because I'm competitive by nature, (so is Heather, though she'll never admit it! lol). I began to study harder to keep up with her, (no easy feat!). We were inseperable for years after that and still keep in touch.
Ms Slater also taught me how to cross country ski on her lunch breaks. She also encouraged me to try out for the soccer team - a big deal because I wasn't the most athletic girl in school. I made the team and played fabulous defense!
Everyday we wrote a journal where I would make up fantastic stories about things that never happened... not sure why... I think I considered my own life boring and so had to make one up. I still have the journals... quality entertainment that is! She would read our entries everyday and always write something back, or ask questions to answer the next day, encouraging your strengths and sympathizing with your dificulties. Of all the teachers I had, she was the one with which I was the closest.

Mr Grant - I'll remember him forever for teaching me how to sing. He taught our whole town to sing together in the centennial celebration. He also doubled as the french teacher in our very small community. He also happens to be the father of Joe Grant from Three Days Grace, (adam Gontier's (from the same band), dad was my french teacher in grade 4... weird).

Mr Simmonds - High school music teacher - carted us around the entire country for four years and definitely changed the course of my life. I had no drive and no goals. It was Heather who convinced me to go try out for band, (her older sister was a member), I went with her and the rest is history. I developed a deep love for all things musical and got to see the country. We travelled from Prince Edward Island on the east coast - to Vancouver Island on the west coast, and most places in between. Because we spent so much time away from home and school, he and his wife Isabel became almost like surrogate parents. So thank you for giving so much of your free time to us. We remember and appreciate it.
Also, that year I broke my arm and couldn't hold my clairinet... he handed me a flute and stuck me in the flute section beside Corinne, who became, and still is, the best friend I will ever have... and is probably horrified by my grammar in this post. She's been correcting it in her head all along, I promise you! The thing that drives her the most kind of crazy is when I use 'you're' when I should be using "your". Strangly enough, she is the voice inside my head when I'm editing my own writing.

On and on a separate note - I would like to apologize to my grade 9 English teacher - Mrs Phillips - whom I successfully convinced that I was seeing people that weren't there, specifically my imaginary friend named Melvin... if you ever read this - I am, nor have I ever been, able to see people that are not there... but don't you think that would be a great skill to have?

Sunday Scenery

This is my garden sleeping in the snow, waiting for spring.
Ninty-Nine Blackbirds sitting in a tree....

Now I wish upon a star...

OMG the lottery is estimated at 49 MILLION dollars. I'm buying a ticket. No one has won for ages now. But what to do with my millions?

• Buy a ranch.
• Buy horses for the ranch.
• Buy someone to teach me how to take care of that many horses... I'm only used to one at a time..
• Get more cats to eat the mice in the barn
• Buy a dog to chase the cats and to play with my horses... Finally I can have my Irish Wolfhounds and Great Danes... sigh.
• Buy a new farm truck. I'm thinking a Ford F1 Superduty. Whoa. That gave me chills.
• Build an adoption center for stray pets and hire a vet to do my bidding. Oh to have a clean place to take care of sick animals and offer adoption where pets are not crammed into those little tiny cages, waiting on death row.
• Buy a politician to pass a law that allows me to execute negligent and abusive pet owners. I will sink to bribery, I am that evil.
• Ask Christian Childrens Fund how much money they need to stop putting those advertisements on tv that make me cry. Then give them the money.
• Put some away for savings... after all, I think I've spent about 40 million already and even millionairesses need SOME income.
• Have George W Bush assasinated... or maybe just put in Guantanamo Bay and let the inmates torture him.
• Buy everyone I work with free coffee for the next 20 years.... or until they retire... whichever comes first.
• Buy my mom a house and a full time maid. And a doctor that will actually HELP her.
• Buy my cats solid gold collars... ok, no. But that would be super cute.
• Buy my own Tim Hortons and put it in the garage. I'll ride my horse there everyday to get a coffee! Ok... several times a day then.
• Find that kid I used to stuff in lockers and give him $100 G's just for all the crap I put him through... and maybe stuff him in a locker once more for old times sake.
• Send Carolina on vacation whilst the contracters are fixing her bathroom, cause who wants to live through that crap?
• Buy a plane so I can fly to Thunder Bay whenever I want. I'll build a runway on my ranch.
• Buy a new pancreas for Patrick Swayze... wait.. he can buy his own. He has more money than god and his own damn ranch.
• I'm pretty sure killing George Bush and giving him to the middle east will bring world peace, so no need to ask for that.

I think I'm probably out of money. Anything I have left will go to cancer research. I hope I win.

Today's Blog of Note:

I'm hooked. You should go check this out. What a great story. It's well written and very entertaining.

Chocolate does not belong in tea.

Yesterday my boss (the BIG boss) brings in tea for everyone (this is very unusual... normally he justs hands out money for a coffee run). The tea is Chocolatey Chai. I know what you're thinking.... who wouldn't want to put chocolate in EVERYTHING!! I love chocolate, and I love herbal tea, so why not put them together? Well. I'm here to tell you that it is a VERY bad idea! *Although... I should note here that it smells absolutely heavenly*

It's kind of hard to describe the flavour... kind of like cinammon flavoured dirt. Really HOT cinammon flavoured dirt.

I finally got the nerve today to tell him how terribly horrible it is, (because who ever wants to say anything bad to your boss... especially when he's trying to do something nice). The only reason I did it is because he threatened to bring in more. I don't think I could choke down another cup.

In the spirit of, "Hey, this tastes gross... wanna try some?" I encourage you to go forth and buy tea. I'm interested to hear if you think it's a terrible as I do. Maybe I'm crazy and ate too many mud pies as a kid.

Cheers.

Things I Love That Are Blue

While over at Carolina's blog I followed her link to a blog titled My True Colours. The author of My True Colours has issued a challenge for True Colour Thursday. This weeks challenge is BLUE, and I've decided to play along. Here are a few things I love that are blue:

Ok... technically I know that the actual water isn't blue, it's a reflection from the sky, but it's such an intense and vibrant colour that it definitely makes my top 3 list of things that are blue. Plus, it makes Tuck the Buluga look blue too! This photo was taken at Marine Land in Niagara Falls.
Baby Finns eyes also make the list of favourites. He has the bluest eyes I've ever seen. Plus he is also sitting on my favourite blue zero gravity chair! Very comfy.
My favourite colour for clothes is blue. If you look in my closet there are 3 colours that stand out.. blue, light blue, and dark blue! It really is the best colour ever.

Spring Rain and Cheap Shoes.

After months and months of endless snow... it has finally started to rain. The mild temperatures have me feeling invigorated and praying that we've seen the last of the white stuff - although, I must admit this unlikely as it is only February. Does anyone know if that damn groundhog saw his shadow?

The slightly milder weather and rain has me greedy for spring. I can't wait to see the grass grow, the birds sing, and the flowers bloom.

Of course, with the beginning of spring, comes the beginning of the flip-flop season. Don't get me wrong, I think they are the most comfortable shoes on earth... but that noise drives me insane... flip-flop, flip-flop, flip flop. The worst is when you have a whole bunch of floppers together... FLIP-FLOP, FLIP-FLOP, FLIP-FLOP. I often find myself marching to the beat of someone elses flip-flops. I can't help myself, the rythmic sound is hypnotic. Next time you have your flip-flops on, watch for people marching beside you in a robotic state of facination. No, it's not your new hair, or your latest purchase from Old Navy, they are enthralled by the sound of your $2 foam shoes smacking the bottoms of your callused feet.

Happy flopping.

To all the Valentines Scrooges:

So. I've heard several people comment on the "commercialism" of Valentines Day, (interestingly enough... these people are mostly men...). Come-on guys. Is it that difficult to do something nice for your significant other? Who said you had to buy anything? Cook a nice meal, finish your hunny-do list, do anything sweet and romantic!

February is a month of blah. Someone created a holiday to get rid of the blahs. Now the complainers are turning it into something we should be ashamed of because stores and manufacturers take advantage of it? So much the easier to buy valentines for your sweetie!

I, for one, have taken advantage of the day and bought Jeff some lesson books on playing the guitar. Just fun things. I've included free lessons from myself. So now, not only does he get the opportunity to try something new, but we get to spend more quality time together and have some fun.

Hubby did something extraordinary for me. He fixed my grandmothers clock. I can't believe it. I cried. I was downstairs scrapping a photo of them last week when I heard it go off. The clock has been broken for three years (creepy right?). So I came upstairs asking hubby if he'd heard anything. He said no, hoping that I would just drop it... but of course, i CAN'T do THAT! So I unpacked everything in the spare room closet and unwrapped the quilt that covered the clock, and there it was... ticking away. Best present ever. Yesterday I also received some beautiful pink roses, and a lovely card. To top off the celebration, we had the last of the crab legs last night with some fillet. It was to die for. Which is a good thing, because it will probably be quite some time before we can afford to throw money frivolously at such delicacies.

Cheesy Talk Shows

I remember watching day time tv with my mom when I was a kid... I don't remember them being as horribly cheesy as they are now. It's Friday morning, I have the day off work, and Jeff has tuned in on Maury. I didn't think Maury was a cheesy show... wasn't there a time where he was respected and talked about real issues? Todays - and I suspect MOST days - the show is about paternity testing. How can there possibly be that many people who don't know the paternity of their babies? I mean, I know that sometimes life is crazy, but WOW. And better yet, who could have guessed that it would be entertaining for the masses? I personally think it's a load of crap. It dramatic nonsense what sells these days? What happened to quality tv? Everyone expects cheesiness from shows such as Jerry Springer, but now it seems as though they're all the same, with the same topics. Surely we have more important things to discuss than this.

For me, these shows are on equal footing with those trashy tv court shows. I'm not sure whether it's supposed to be funny or not, but I find it sad.

Paper cuts are evil.

For those of you who don't know, I work in an office. I absolutely love my job. That being said, I have the sort of job that forces me to be constantly collating my own paper (new MRP program doesn't do it by itself... I don't get it... we can send people to the moon- yes, they really went -but we can't collate paper?). Anywho, I digress. So. I spend lots of time flipping rapidly through page-upon-page and ocassionally I get the odd paper cut. Today I got not 1 - not 2 - but SEVEN paper cuts! Seven! In one day! And one of them is from a file folder. If I put band-aids on all of them I would stick to my desk. I tried not to bleed on anything. Seven! I can't believe it.

Domestically Challenged

Well. I tried to bake yesterday. Notice that 'tried' is in itallics. It wasn't even that complicated really... pour mix in bowl.. add water... evenly distribute into 3 loaf pans of such and such a size... then bake. It was Angel Food Cake... or it was supposed to be angel food cake. I happily mixed the batter, which had the consistency of whip cream, and poured it confidently into the pans and put them in the oven. What came out of the oven was angel food cake on steroids. I would post a picture but the entire cake wouldn't fit in the lens (ok... it would have, I was just to mortified to show anyone). They exploded over top of the pans and looked like chef hats, with pleasingly browned tops. I couldn't get them out of the pans... what emerged by the time I was finished was a mishapen lump that resembled an overcooked, supersized marshmellow. It was suprisingly tasty. Next time I will get the bunt cake pan that you're supposed to use. So much for my experiments in being suzy homemaker. I'm supposed to cook a birthday cake for Austin's 8th birthday on Friday. Vanilla with vanilla icing. I think I'll just buy one.

I used to have good grammar, I swear!

I have taken several English courses over the course of my educational experience... excelled at them even. I'm sorry to report that a great travesty has taken place... I no longer remember my basic grammar skills. Yes, some of them are instinctive, and some are so ingrained that I couldn't forget them if I tried, but the rest are kind of sketchy. I re-read my posts thinking.. does that sentence even make sense? And what the hell is a semi-colon really for anyway? I'm switching tenses, I can't remember when commas are appropriate... I've forgotten my apostrophe S rules... so much so that I usually re-arrange the sentence to avoid using it at all.. leaving some of my writing sounding inappropriate and ill-written. I think I know what the problem is. In high-school, I had Corinne to edit most of my work and fix my grammar atrocities... now there is just me. In University my professor's must have taken pity on me and declined to comment, which would explain the decent grades despite my grammatical failures. The problem now is, how do I get it back? I'm too old to learn all over again! I don't think they make grammar primers for adults, unless you're taking an ESL course, but I don't have a second language to face my way through that. I'm sure there is supposed to be a paragraph break in there somewhere...

So take pity on me when you read my blog... I am not grammatically retarded... I just have the worst memory on the face of the earth... ok no really, what IS a semi-colon for?

What is a Chicki-Nut you ask??

If you have a minute, go and read this post. I happened on it randomly, and it was so funny, I had to read it twice. This is my favourite kind of humor. It's a bit of a read, but totally worth it.

http://funwithchickens.blogspot.com/2009/02/on-trail-of-wild-chicki-nu.html

Lazy Days

I live for the weekends. I try to get everything done that I need to do during the work week so that for at least one day a week I can have a Lazy Day. Lazy Days consist of the following: early morning scrapping, usually some non work-related surfing and blog reading... some chatting on my favourite web site, The Scrap Witch, and an easy supper. I live for these days. For the days when I can pick up my book and read as long as I want. Play a video game without guilt because I should be doing something else, and take an afternoon nap because, well... why not? Today was one such day. I was up early and chatted with some of the ladies on my scrapping website, headed down stairs for some scrapping, watched a good movie (U571), had take-out for supper (panzarotti..mmmm), and now we are watching the hockey game (canadians are loosing... HAHAHAHHAHAHAH). I even fit my nap in this afternoon. I feel refreshed, relaxed, and ready to tackle the world. God Bless Lazy Days.

I Love My Truck

I can't help it... I love my truck. It's not a truck really, it's an SUV. I know in these environmentally conscious times I should be driving a compact like a focus or a civic... but I loooovvve my truck. I suppose that makes me selfish, if not irresponsible. It's economically ridiculous to be driving it when I should be motoring to work in something much more fuel efficient, but I love my truck.

I guess it's my redneck roots coming out in me. If I could afford it, I'd buy an even larger truck. I can't help it, I'm a truck girl. If someone asked me whether I'd like to have a corvette or an F-150 Super Duty... I'd definitely get the F-150. It's just so much cooler than a stupid plastic corvette. I like the luxury of space, and I like being higher above the road than anyone else. It makes me feel safe.

My truck has a sunroof. Nothing makes me feel more free than flying down the back roads on a summer day, with the sunroof open, and Bob Seager playing on the radio - the ultimate summer music, which is closely followed by Collective Soul and John Cougar Mellancamp. The world has unlimited possibilities and I can do anything. <---- I'm sure there is some psychology wrapped up in all of that but I'm too cheap to pay to find out what it is.

So no. I won't sell my truck and buy a compact. Trucks are a dying breed. I'm sure someday I will be forced by manufacturing circumstances to down-grade to something inferior... but for now, me and my escape are just fine.

Worth the Read

I was scrolling through the blogs of note today and found one that actually IS of note. She In China is smart, funny, and provides a unique view of Chinese culture. I actually laughed out loud. I also added it to blogs I follow because I can't wait to see what is in store for the Swedish heroine next. Here is a link, I definitely recommend taking the time to check it out.

sheinchina.blogspot.com

I am afraid of change.

there. I said it.

Tim Hortons

Question to self: When did coffee become part of my necessities? At what point did I need it so badly that I actually delagated $30 per week to Tim Hortons?

In these economic times, I'm sure we are all looking for ways to cut spending. I have x-amount of reduced hours at work, therefore I must cut x-amount of spending. However, I've noticed that rather than cut my Tim Hortons budget and put that extra money on something useful like my Visa, I make sacrifices somewhere else... like groceries. Sure, I'll eat kraft dinner for a week if it means I get my daily Java and bagel toasted with butter and jam... who wouldn't?

Praise be to the gods of Tim Hortons who make such addictive legal stimulates. Where would I be without you? Probably out of debt.