I still haven't finished my post about the Roger shows, I likely will get it done sometime but am not sure when.
Procrastination seems to be my middle name these days. I had many great plans and long to do lists to get through this weekend. The plans went by the wayside. I spent the weekend doing my normal weekend things, errands, laundry, minimal housework, much playing with the dogs. Overall, it was a great weekend. As far as my mental to do list, it was a miserable failure.
I'm okay with that though. To do lists can wait, playing with the dogs cannot. The puppy playing is even more of a priority when there is an extra dog in the house. We're looking after the beautiful Bella again this year for our wonderful artist friends who are at a big art show and sale for 2 weeks. Bella is a doll and she gets along well with our guys. The first couple of days are always a little weird. Sam is fine but Gracie is a jealous little thing, does not like having another girl dog around. Gracie really likes being the only "good girl" in the house and who can blame her!?
Part of my puttering this weekend was to include massive reorganization of my office. We bought some furniture (small pieces) at IKEA last weekend during a quick trip to Ottawa. The purchases have me thinking about how to make the most of my office space here at home. When I get my act together, I'll have a permanent spot for my sewing machine. It'll be so much easier (I keep telling myself) to do mending and stuff when it's set up full time.
The only thing I accomplished from my post-IKEA list was to wash the new set of purple sheets I bought and put them on our bed. They look lovely and I'm sure will feel good tonight when we get to sleep on them for the first time. They are a really dark purple. White dog fur will likely stand out really well against them, I have no doubt.
I must say, I have no complaints about getting less done than I'd hoped to because you just can't complain when three dogs are sleeping on the floor around you. With all of that cuteness to experience, complaining is just downright dumb.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
stupid
I'm a big dummy.
At lunch today, I started a blog post. I ran out of time so I saved it and thought "I'll send this home to myself and finish it tonight."
Unfortunately, I forgot to send it home and I don't feel like trying to remember what I was saying so, it'll not be posted until tomorrow at the earliest.
It may be boring unless you are at least semi-interested in Roger Waters.
In the meantime, I can say this, I'm not overly thrilled with our municipal elections results. Our new mayor is a little goofy. At least he seems goofy to me. Hopefully he'll be a harmless kind of goofy.
In our district, an amazing person was elected to represent us. I feel like I can trust Sandy Berg to represent our concerns. Our previous representative, Steve Garrison, was a terrific guy and we're going to miss him a lot (he stepped down, I'm sure he could have been re-elected if he had run again). I'm also happy that we have a lot of new folks on council. Hopefully this will be good for us as tax payers, I feel like we were really gouged by the past council. So, congrats to Sandy and the rest of the new council!!
At lunch today, I started a blog post. I ran out of time so I saved it and thought "I'll send this home to myself and finish it tonight."
Unfortunately, I forgot to send it home and I don't feel like trying to remember what I was saying so, it'll not be posted until tomorrow at the earliest.
It may be boring unless you are at least semi-interested in Roger Waters.
In the meantime, I can say this, I'm not overly thrilled with our municipal elections results. Our new mayor is a little goofy. At least he seems goofy to me. Hopefully he'll be a harmless kind of goofy.
In our district, an amazing person was elected to represent us. I feel like I can trust Sandy Berg to represent our concerns. Our previous representative, Steve Garrison, was a terrific guy and we're going to miss him a lot (he stepped down, I'm sure he could have been re-elected if he had run again). I'm also happy that we have a lot of new folks on council. Hopefully this will be good for us as tax payers, I feel like we were really gouged by the past council. So, congrats to Sandy and the rest of the new council!!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
apres long weekend
I'm back at work today after a delicious four day weekend. The weather was amazing and we had a nice, relaxing time. In the middle of it all, we got our yard all sorted out and ready for winter. The lawn is cut, the patio furniture has been put away, the shrubs and bushes have been trimmed back. Mark even pulled out the snow shovels so we'd have them handy, should we need them. Hopefully we won't need them soon but once October hits, you never do know.
I have another long weekend booked this coming weekend too. 5 days actually. We're going to be seeing Roger Waters in Ottawa on Sunday and in Montreal on Tuesday. Mark saw the first two nights of this tour in Toronto last month. I have deliberately not read reviews or watched any video clips of the show as I'd like to be surprised for the first show.
In 2007, when Roger toured "the dark side of the moon" I did the same thing and was glad to not know too much about the show going in. I'm not the biggest Pink Floyd fan in the world (I really prefer the Syd stuff) but Roger does do the spectacle thing probably better than anyone (although I'm not a huge fan of "big" shows either).
Mark saw Pink Floyd do the Wall 3 times in New York in 1980, he travelled to Berlin to see the big version (Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, et al) in 1990 and he'll have seen 4 shows of the 2010 tour. It's a really big deal for him. He worked through the summer and didn't take a vacation so he could pay for all of these tickets. I'm so glad that he's been able to see these shows. Also, I'll probably get to visit IKEA when we're in Montreal so that's always good!!
I have another long weekend booked this coming weekend too. 5 days actually. We're going to be seeing Roger Waters in Ottawa on Sunday and in Montreal on Tuesday. Mark saw the first two nights of this tour in Toronto last month. I have deliberately not read reviews or watched any video clips of the show as I'd like to be surprised for the first show.
In 2007, when Roger toured "the dark side of the moon" I did the same thing and was glad to not know too much about the show going in. I'm not the biggest Pink Floyd fan in the world (I really prefer the Syd stuff) but Roger does do the spectacle thing probably better than anyone (although I'm not a huge fan of "big" shows either).
Mark saw Pink Floyd do the Wall 3 times in New York in 1980, he travelled to Berlin to see the big version (Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, et al) in 1990 and he'll have seen 4 shows of the 2010 tour. It's a really big deal for him. He worked through the summer and didn't take a vacation so he could pay for all of these tickets. I'm so glad that he's been able to see these shows. Also, I'll probably get to visit IKEA when we're in Montreal so that's always good!!
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
things I like
love in a trashcan This ditty is currently playing on my MP3 player and swirling around in my brain between my headphones. It never fails to make me happy. it's an oldie but a goodie. all hail the raveonettes, please and thank you
sinus meds I've been fighting a cold (I think it's a cold) for a couple of weeks now. The symptoms are just there, under the surface and every once in a while they creep up and kick me. Like Sunday, I thought I was coming down with a major head cold and Monday, it was downgraded to sniffles. Today, I think it's allergies and not a cold. I tried to not take my allergy stuff this morning and didn't last two hours before I had to take it. I'm at the office and have a sinus headache. I took some stuff with ibuprofen in it and am waiting very patiently for them to kick in.
our new dvd player Last night, we broke down and bought a blue ray player. Our HD DVD player, which we've had for not quite 2 years, was really inexpensive and it's not all that great. It's a good name brand and we felt like it was a deal at the time. 2 years later, it's hit and miss so we moved it to the basement and bought a new player last night. We don't have a lot of blue ray discs, just 2 actually (we had the combo pack of "up" and Mark bought a copy of "a hard day's night" on blue ray on the weekend). The difference in the picture quality on Up is impressive. Will have to wait until the weekend to see how A Hard Day's Night shapes up.
Jill Barber - I've been a fan for a long time and you should be too. I may have posted the link to the video for "All My Dreams" before but I don't care, I'll post it as many times and I want to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbEPyV4LFlg - it's beautiful, so is Jill, she's making a new record AND, the hero of the video is my friend Andrew. Are those enough reasons to watch it again?
sinus meds I've been fighting a cold (I think it's a cold) for a couple of weeks now. The symptoms are just there, under the surface and every once in a while they creep up and kick me. Like Sunday, I thought I was coming down with a major head cold and Monday, it was downgraded to sniffles. Today, I think it's allergies and not a cold. I tried to not take my allergy stuff this morning and didn't last two hours before I had to take it. I'm at the office and have a sinus headache. I took some stuff with ibuprofen in it and am waiting very patiently for them to kick in.
our new dvd player Last night, we broke down and bought a blue ray player. Our HD DVD player, which we've had for not quite 2 years, was really inexpensive and it's not all that great. It's a good name brand and we felt like it was a deal at the time. 2 years later, it's hit and miss so we moved it to the basement and bought a new player last night. We don't have a lot of blue ray discs, just 2 actually (we had the combo pack of "up" and Mark bought a copy of "a hard day's night" on blue ray on the weekend). The difference in the picture quality on Up is impressive. Will have to wait until the weekend to see how A Hard Day's Night shapes up.
Jill Barber - I've been a fan for a long time and you should be too. I may have posted the link to the video for "All My Dreams" before but I don't care, I'll post it as many times and I want to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbEPyV4LFlg - it's beautiful, so is Jill, she's making a new record AND, the hero of the video is my friend Andrew. Are those enough reasons to watch it again?
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
some stuff I don't get
workshops about social media - I seem to get a lot of emails at work, promoting workshops and courses which promise to help folks use social media to build their business/brand/whatever. Social media stuff to me, you either get it or you don't and going to a conference or workshop to try to figure it out seems futile. If you really think your organization needs to utilize stuff like "the twitter" and you are totally clueless, maybe it's time to find some resources to hire someone to do this stuff for you. Like most things in life, anything worth doing is worth doing well. A half-assed approached to it is not better than no approach at all.
the secret code of cell phones - I'm due for a hardware upgrade on my phone (not a full upgrade, I'd have to wait until May for that). We tried to go to my cell phone providers "store" on the weekend but they weren't open. In the end, we landed up at Best Buy and were forced to talk to two extremely condecending people who actually tried to make us feel dumb and couldn't help us. They could only see about 1/2 of my account and in the end, could only help me if I was starting a new contract. I just don't understand all of the secrecy around upgrading your phone. I point blank asked exactly how much it would cost for a specific phone and I was given 3 different prices before I was told I should probably go back to my providers store. Not helpful, not even close.
why I haven't posted in so long - I have no idea why I stopped posting here. Maybe I felt like I should just use this as a place to either bitch or talk about my dogs. Given that it's my space, I should be able to bitch and talk about my awesome dogs all I want. I think that's what I'm going to do and anyone who doesn't like that can suck it and stop reading!
the secret code of cell phones - I'm due for a hardware upgrade on my phone (not a full upgrade, I'd have to wait until May for that). We tried to go to my cell phone providers "store" on the weekend but they weren't open. In the end, we landed up at Best Buy and were forced to talk to two extremely condecending people who actually tried to make us feel dumb and couldn't help us. They could only see about 1/2 of my account and in the end, could only help me if I was starting a new contract. I just don't understand all of the secrecy around upgrading your phone. I point blank asked exactly how much it would cost for a specific phone and I was given 3 different prices before I was told I should probably go back to my providers store. Not helpful, not even close.
why I haven't posted in so long - I have no idea why I stopped posting here. Maybe I felt like I should just use this as a place to either bitch or talk about my dogs. Given that it's my space, I should be able to bitch and talk about my awesome dogs all I want. I think that's what I'm going to do and anyone who doesn't like that can suck it and stop reading!
Saturday, May 01, 2010
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Thursday, April 22, 2010
gazebo lights
so it's been a while huh?
I think about writing frequently but recently, I feel like I have the attention span of a goldfish (and trust me, I know from experience, gold fish have a short attention span). Sitting down and writing hasn't been top of my list but I thought I would check in.
Spring arrived very early around this part of the world this year and we've been taking advantage of the nice weather. It feels odd that at this time of the year, the lawn already really needs to be cut and the trees are only days away from being full of leaves again.
Over the easter long weekend, we did a fair bit of work in the back yard. Cleaning up, putting the gazebo together, getting patio furniture out, that kind of thing. We haven't done a thing to the front of the house yet but we use the back a lot more and there was the "poop factor" to deal with so.. yeah.
Work has been really busy lately. It's a good kind of busy but the pace is a little frantic at times. I've been working for the past week on a project which was due to be completed today. I was able to get it together but didn't really have an opportunity to catch my breath because I'm onto a few other things which are quickly creeping up on me. How's that old song go, "some days you're the wind shield, some days you're the bug"? It's a little like that. Lucky for me, I do enjoy what I'm doing so the busy isn't bad.
The dogs are doing great, really enjoying the nice weather and spending most of the day on the deck. They had a busy week last week, a trip to the groomers AND their annual physicals. They look great and are both healthy but boy howdy, we're broke again for a while. They are worth it though, Sam and Gracie are pretty awesome.
Speaking of awesome, Mark had a birthday last week. I say awesome because he is awesome. There, did I say awesome enough? He got his birthday gift two days early (his birthday was on the 14th). On April 12, Roger Water announced tour dates for fall 2010. He's taking the Wall back on the road. Mark saw the Wall in New York in 1980 and in Berlin in 1990, I don't think anything will stop him from seeing it in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa in 2010.
So in a nutshell, that's what is happening with us. Nothing terribly exciting but that's okay with me for the moment.
I think about writing frequently but recently, I feel like I have the attention span of a goldfish (and trust me, I know from experience, gold fish have a short attention span). Sitting down and writing hasn't been top of my list but I thought I would check in.
Spring arrived very early around this part of the world this year and we've been taking advantage of the nice weather. It feels odd that at this time of the year, the lawn already really needs to be cut and the trees are only days away from being full of leaves again.
Over the easter long weekend, we did a fair bit of work in the back yard. Cleaning up, putting the gazebo together, getting patio furniture out, that kind of thing. We haven't done a thing to the front of the house yet but we use the back a lot more and there was the "poop factor" to deal with so.. yeah.
Work has been really busy lately. It's a good kind of busy but the pace is a little frantic at times. I've been working for the past week on a project which was due to be completed today. I was able to get it together but didn't really have an opportunity to catch my breath because I'm onto a few other things which are quickly creeping up on me. How's that old song go, "some days you're the wind shield, some days you're the bug"? It's a little like that. Lucky for me, I do enjoy what I'm doing so the busy isn't bad.
The dogs are doing great, really enjoying the nice weather and spending most of the day on the deck. They had a busy week last week, a trip to the groomers AND their annual physicals. They look great and are both healthy but boy howdy, we're broke again for a while. They are worth it though, Sam and Gracie are pretty awesome.
Speaking of awesome, Mark had a birthday last week. I say awesome because he is awesome. There, did I say awesome enough? He got his birthday gift two days early (his birthday was on the 14th). On April 12, Roger Water announced tour dates for fall 2010. He's taking the Wall back on the road. Mark saw the Wall in New York in 1980 and in Berlin in 1990, I don't think anything will stop him from seeing it in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa in 2010.
So in a nutshell, that's what is happening with us. Nothing terribly exciting but that's okay with me for the moment.
Friday, March 05, 2010
tis the season
We've been able to barbecue twice this week. not once, but twice. it's so wonderful to be able to do that without having to either shovel out the barbecue or stand on the ice while doing it.
The weather is incredibly beautiful and it feels really springy around here.
My work week was really busy. I think I got lots of stuff done but it is hard to tell. for whatever reason/reasons, it seemed to take me a long time to get things done from my to do list. I kept doing other things which was okay but it's tough when you have certain things which need to get finished and little fires keep popping up all over the place. It seems like everyone I work with is going through the same thing though so it must be the time of the year or something. I'm not complaining though. I have a great job, I'm part of a wonderful team and have a lot of support. It's just odd when things get batty like they did this week.
Not sure exactly what we're doing this weekend. I'm sure we'll be spending time at the dog park and we're heading out in a little while to do some errands. Ideally, if we get half of our running around done tonight and the rest of it first thing in the morning, we will be to chill out and enjoy the nice weather. It's all about the sunshine right now. We've had the easiest winter I can remember this year but still, the hint of spring which is in the air is very exciting to me!
The weather is incredibly beautiful and it feels really springy around here.
My work week was really busy. I think I got lots of stuff done but it is hard to tell. for whatever reason/reasons, it seemed to take me a long time to get things done from my to do list. I kept doing other things which was okay but it's tough when you have certain things which need to get finished and little fires keep popping up all over the place. It seems like everyone I work with is going through the same thing though so it must be the time of the year or something. I'm not complaining though. I have a great job, I'm part of a wonderful team and have a lot of support. It's just odd when things get batty like they did this week.
Not sure exactly what we're doing this weekend. I'm sure we'll be spending time at the dog park and we're heading out in a little while to do some errands. Ideally, if we get half of our running around done tonight and the rest of it first thing in the morning, we will be to chill out and enjoy the nice weather. It's all about the sunshine right now. We've had the easiest winter I can remember this year but still, the hint of spring which is in the air is very exciting to me!
Monday, March 01, 2010
pretty smiling gracie
I'm finally feeling like I'm back to "normal" after that bad bug I had a couple of weeks ago.
Last week, I made it through the whole week at work although, by the end of the day each day, I was pretty fried. As you can imagine, having missed four days of work had left me pretty behind. The gals in my office were super awesome about it though. I'm still trying to dig myself out this week and I know that's because the first couple of days I was back last week, I wasn't moving at full speed. Eventually I'll catch up though, I'm not too worried... not yet anyway.
The weekend was quiet. I had a huge amount of housework to catch up but only managed to get a minimal amount of it done. Yesterday afternoon I was so pooped that I slept for over 2 hours in the afternoon. It was hard, weird dreamy sleep too. The kind where when you wake up, you're really out of it.
Tonight, once we got home from a couple of errands, both Mark and Gracie were feeling off. I think for Mark, he let his blood sugar get too low before he ate and now it's out of sorts. This doesn't happen to him very often and I know he'll feel better in the morning but it's sort of scary for him when it does happen. Gracie, I'm not sure what's up with her.
She was all full of beans when we got home. We were out on the deck right after we got home and she suddenly got very quiet and actually let me pick her up without a fuss. She rarely does this, she likes to herd rather than be herded. Anyway, we noticed when I put her down that she was moving slowly, particularly slowly on the steps. It almost looks like the time she injured herself hurling herself at the fence, chasing squirrels.
She's a little better now than she was 2 hours ago so I'm thinking it's not anything serious. Not the big yelping like last time. If she starts limping again, I may call the vet and ask if it's okay to give her some of the anti-inflammatory stuff we have leftover (it's like ibuprofen for dogs). The squirrels and raccoons are back in full force and yesterday we awoke to a yard stinking of skunk so I know that it's critter central out there so she's probably overdone it. It's a worry still, and you hate to see them not feeling good. It's times like this that I really wish she could talk, it would sure make things easier.
Last week, I made it through the whole week at work although, by the end of the day each day, I was pretty fried. As you can imagine, having missed four days of work had left me pretty behind. The gals in my office were super awesome about it though. I'm still trying to dig myself out this week and I know that's because the first couple of days I was back last week, I wasn't moving at full speed. Eventually I'll catch up though, I'm not too worried... not yet anyway.
The weekend was quiet. I had a huge amount of housework to catch up but only managed to get a minimal amount of it done. Yesterday afternoon I was so pooped that I slept for over 2 hours in the afternoon. It was hard, weird dreamy sleep too. The kind where when you wake up, you're really out of it.
Tonight, once we got home from a couple of errands, both Mark and Gracie were feeling off. I think for Mark, he let his blood sugar get too low before he ate and now it's out of sorts. This doesn't happen to him very often and I know he'll feel better in the morning but it's sort of scary for him when it does happen. Gracie, I'm not sure what's up with her.
She was all full of beans when we got home. We were out on the deck right after we got home and she suddenly got very quiet and actually let me pick her up without a fuss. She rarely does this, she likes to herd rather than be herded. Anyway, we noticed when I put her down that she was moving slowly, particularly slowly on the steps. It almost looks like the time she injured herself hurling herself at the fence, chasing squirrels.
She's a little better now than she was 2 hours ago so I'm thinking it's not anything serious. Not the big yelping like last time. If she starts limping again, I may call the vet and ask if it's okay to give her some of the anti-inflammatory stuff we have leftover (it's like ibuprofen for dogs). The squirrels and raccoons are back in full force and yesterday we awoke to a yard stinking of skunk so I know that it's critter central out there so she's probably overdone it. It's a worry still, and you hate to see them not feeling good. It's times like this that I really wish she could talk, it would sure make things easier.
Monday, February 22, 2010
out of the house
today I went outside.
I also got dressed (in something other than pjs or sweats) and went to work. I was at work all day!! AND we did errands after that.
We got home quite late and I'm pretty tired at the moment but still, tired is terrific because I'm not sick. I know I'll feel a little weak and tired for a few more days but the difference between today and last Monday, well I can't describe it.
Being healthy is so much better than being sick. I'm going to try to not get sick again and stay as healthy as I possibily can because I never want to go through that again.
/whine
I also got dressed (in something other than pjs or sweats) and went to work. I was at work all day!! AND we did errands after that.
We got home quite late and I'm pretty tired at the moment but still, tired is terrific because I'm not sick. I know I'll feel a little weak and tired for a few more days but the difference between today and last Monday, well I can't describe it.
Being healthy is so much better than being sick. I'm going to try to not get sick again and stay as healthy as I possibily can because I never want to go through that again.
/whine
Friday, February 19, 2010
a good day
wow, what a difference a day makes.
last night, slept all the way through the night. I'm not even sure that I moved at all.
today, ate bland meals but still, actual solid food including scrambled egg and melon!
feel really weak but otherwise good. cannot believe that I missed this entire week at work, looking forward to getting back to a normal routine again on Monday.
it is my hope that I never ever have norwalk or whatever that was again, it was without doubt, the sickest I have ever been in my life.
thanks so much everyone for your good wishes and helpful tips of how to get through this. I guess it takes a village to battle bugs!
last night, slept all the way through the night. I'm not even sure that I moved at all.
today, ate bland meals but still, actual solid food including scrambled egg and melon!
feel really weak but otherwise good. cannot believe that I missed this entire week at work, looking forward to getting back to a normal routine again on Monday.
it is my hope that I never ever have norwalk or whatever that was again, it was without doubt, the sickest I have ever been in my life.
thanks so much everyone for your good wishes and helpful tips of how to get through this. I guess it takes a village to battle bugs!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
keeping fingers crossed
went to bed last night feeling hopeful that I'd be back to work today. 2 hours into my sleep, I awoke after having had weird dreams (lots and lots of them) and a seriously lurching stomach. I thought I'd try to ignore it but realized that I couldn't. I jumped out of bed, woke up Sam (who was sleeping very sweetly at the foot of our bed, blocking my path to the bathroom), ran into the bathroom and puked. and then I puked some more, and some more, and more after that.
so much for feeling better huh?? the puking was new addition to the bug and I'm thinking it was because I actually tried to eat solid food yesterday. today I was back on the soda crackers and fluids. tonight I had delicious home made chicken soup with more crackers for my dinner. the only real food I had all day. obviously didn't make it into the office again today. won't be going in again tomorrow. I've been almost 10 hours without being sick and they say you shouldn't go out amongst the living until you've been 48 hours without being sick. that puts me to Saturday and that will have been a week since I started feeling ill.
happily, at the moment, I just feel very weak and tired. also, I feel terrible about the amount of time I've missed from work this week. this afternoon I did speak with a colleague though and she was very happy to hear that I not going into the office tomorrow, none of them want this anymore than I did.
so tonight, in a moment actually, I'll head off to bed with cautious optimism that I won't have to make a midnight dash to the loo this evening. wouldn't that be loverly?
so much for feeling better huh?? the puking was new addition to the bug and I'm thinking it was because I actually tried to eat solid food yesterday. today I was back on the soda crackers and fluids. tonight I had delicious home made chicken soup with more crackers for my dinner. the only real food I had all day. obviously didn't make it into the office again today. won't be going in again tomorrow. I've been almost 10 hours without being sick and they say you shouldn't go out amongst the living until you've been 48 hours without being sick. that puts me to Saturday and that will have been a week since I started feeling ill.
happily, at the moment, I just feel very weak and tired. also, I feel terrible about the amount of time I've missed from work this week. this afternoon I did speak with a colleague though and she was very happy to hear that I not going into the office tomorrow, none of them want this anymore than I did.
so tonight, in a moment actually, I'll head off to bed with cautious optimism that I won't have to make a midnight dash to the loo this evening. wouldn't that be loverly?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
progress
I woke up this morning feeling hungry. hungry. like for food. actual food, toast. for breakfast I had toast and sprite and watched The Philadelphia Story from under the covers.
I felt pretty good this afternoon, much better than I had in days. Right now, I feel weak and very tired and a little nauseous. My thought is that it's that end of the day thing. You know how when you're sick and the day winds down, your body just starts to shut down? Yeah, that thing.
With any luck though, I'll be back at work tomorrow, at least for a while. I haven't been out of the house since Saturday, it's about time I returned to the land of the living.
I felt pretty good this afternoon, much better than I had in days. Right now, I feel weak and very tired and a little nauseous. My thought is that it's that end of the day thing. You know how when you're sick and the day winds down, your body just starts to shut down? Yeah, that thing.
With any luck though, I'll be back at work tomorrow, at least for a while. I haven't been out of the house since Saturday, it's about time I returned to the land of the living.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
ugh
the sickness lingers on.
for the past 48 hours I have felt absolutely horrible. for the past 36 hours or so I've been running to the bathroom at very close intervals. some intervals were a little too close for comfort. For the past couple of hours the intervals have been increasing, although my giant meal of chicken noodle soup (the only thing besides a couple of soda crackers) has once again caused some upset.
obviously, I could not go to work today. I'm super tired and a little dizzy, I'm trying to drink water, diet sprite and sport drink (in small amounts) because I don't want to get dehydrated but it's tough. my hands are super dry too from all of the extra washing. fortunately, I found a 3 pack of lysol wipes so we've been wiping handles and knobs easily. the dogs aren't happy about the new no kissing rule or the closed doors in the bathrooms. Mark had a bit of a relapse this morning (which worked out okay from a work point of view because his cab went into the shop for some repair work today). I'm pretty much convinced that this is norwalk.
I hope it goes away soon. it's exhausting and horrible and I really want to get back to work. time off when you're this ill is no fun.
for the past 48 hours I have felt absolutely horrible. for the past 36 hours or so I've been running to the bathroom at very close intervals. some intervals were a little too close for comfort. For the past couple of hours the intervals have been increasing, although my giant meal of chicken noodle soup (the only thing besides a couple of soda crackers) has once again caused some upset.
obviously, I could not go to work today. I'm super tired and a little dizzy, I'm trying to drink water, diet sprite and sport drink (in small amounts) because I don't want to get dehydrated but it's tough. my hands are super dry too from all of the extra washing. fortunately, I found a 3 pack of lysol wipes so we've been wiping handles and knobs easily. the dogs aren't happy about the new no kissing rule or the closed doors in the bathrooms. Mark had a bit of a relapse this morning (which worked out okay from a work point of view because his cab went into the shop for some repair work today). I'm pretty much convinced that this is norwalk.
I hope it goes away soon. it's exhausting and horrible and I really want to get back to work. time off when you're this ill is no fun.
Monday, February 15, 2010
not dead yet
Last night I was pretty sure that I would die in the night sometime. I actually started telling Mark where the insurance stuff was, I felt that bad.
All weekend, I've had a weird headache. Sort of like a pressure on my forehead. It got so bad yesterday afternoon that I fell asleep with the dogs for two hours. When I woke up I felt a little better, we had dinner and I didn't feel so horrible.
While watching some tv, I started to feel sick. That aching horrible feeling that you know is just not good. I decided to have a shower before bed, to hopefully make me feel better. Big mistake. When I got out of the shower, I sat on the edge of my bed and Gracie sat at my feet looking up at me as if to say, "you look like shit."
I felt like it too. Eventually, I was able to get ready for bed and get under the covers. I turned the tv on and listened to it while I waited for Mark to come up from downstairs (he was doing some stuff on his computer in the basement). I guess part of me knew I was going to die if I could still laugh - I always laugh out loud when Fry says "Shields at maximum Yarnell" in the "love and rocket" episode of Futurama. I could not get warm though (I was under 2 comforters and a fuzzy blanket and was still cold). Zach and Miri were on demand so I put that on while I shivered under the covers.
All night I was either too hot or too cold and didn't sleep much at all. I've been up for ages and am still feeling really shitty. Probably going to head back to bed soon. In a way, it's surprising that I've not been sick before now, given that everyone around me has been sick, including Mark. I just would have preferred to not have spent the long weekend feeling like this.
All weekend, I've had a weird headache. Sort of like a pressure on my forehead. It got so bad yesterday afternoon that I fell asleep with the dogs for two hours. When I woke up I felt a little better, we had dinner and I didn't feel so horrible.
While watching some tv, I started to feel sick. That aching horrible feeling that you know is just not good. I decided to have a shower before bed, to hopefully make me feel better. Big mistake. When I got out of the shower, I sat on the edge of my bed and Gracie sat at my feet looking up at me as if to say, "you look like shit."
I felt like it too. Eventually, I was able to get ready for bed and get under the covers. I turned the tv on and listened to it while I waited for Mark to come up from downstairs (he was doing some stuff on his computer in the basement). I guess part of me knew I was going to die if I could still laugh - I always laugh out loud when Fry says "Shields at maximum Yarnell" in the "love and rocket" episode of Futurama. I could not get warm though (I was under 2 comforters and a fuzzy blanket and was still cold). Zach and Miri were on demand so I put that on while I shivered under the covers.
All night I was either too hot or too cold and didn't sleep much at all. I've been up for ages and am still feeling really shitty. Probably going to head back to bed soon. In a way, it's surprising that I've not been sick before now, given that everyone around me has been sick, including Mark. I just would have preferred to not have spent the long weekend feeling like this.
Friday, February 12, 2010
just sitting
on the sofa
not watching the olympics
just half watching Sam as he snoozes on the floor near my feet.
He lays next to the magical ball which is full of kibble.
The trick to unleashing the kibble is to push it along the floor with your nose until the kibble pops out.
Gracie has it figured out. She's a smartie. She pushes the ball gently along until the kibble pops out and she eats it. Sammy is fascinated by this. He grabs the odd piece but has not yet put the pushing of the ball together with the releasing of the kibble.
At this moment, he is smiling at the ball. I think he's willing it to pay out but it won't, not without some help. Gracie just walked past it on her way toward Mark, she's not helping him with his snack dilemma.
...not tonight anyway.
not watching the olympics
just half watching Sam as he snoozes on the floor near my feet.
He lays next to the magical ball which is full of kibble.
The trick to unleashing the kibble is to push it along the floor with your nose until the kibble pops out.
Gracie has it figured out. She's a smartie. She pushes the ball gently along until the kibble pops out and she eats it. Sammy is fascinated by this. He grabs the odd piece but has not yet put the pushing of the ball together with the releasing of the kibble.
At this moment, he is smiling at the ball. I think he's willing it to pay out but it won't, not without some help. Gracie just walked past it on her way toward Mark, she's not helping him with his snack dilemma.
...not tonight anyway.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
overdue update
Today I felt like I really should post an update. It's been a while since I did. I guess I haven't felt much like writing lately. I've been spending my writing time reading blogs from folks who are down in Haiti. The situation down there just doesn't seem to be improving at a pace that I figured it would. I know that there are always hiccups and weirdness which mess up the best laid plans of governments, aid groups and everyone else who wants to help. I almost cried yesterday when I read about the Brazilian soldiers who pepper sprayed the group of Haitians who were waiting in a food line. For the life of me I cannot even begin to fathom how you would cope in a situation like that, on either side of the line.
Over the weekend I had a weird bug. A couple of the gals I work with had a version of the Norwalk virus last week and I thought that maybe I was coming down with that but fortunately I never had the vomiting thing going on so I don't think that was what it was. I went home from work a little early on Friday and slept. All afternoon. Sweet sweet sleep with the puppies. They curled up on the bed with me while I drooled on my pillow. Saturday I still felt wonky but I managed to go out to the grocery store with Mark for half an hour and do some shopping. Mostly I felt foggy and nauseous. I still feel a little foggy/groggy this week. This morning I could not get my head to unfog so I resorted to drinking coffee at work (something I almost never do), it helped a bit but not totally.
I feel fortunate to report that there is really no drama happening in our lives. When I read the news from Haiti, hear about planes crashing or learn about friends losing jobs or being struck ill, I realize how truly lucky we are. We have a nice roof over our heads and groceries in the fridge. Also, we're both gainfully employed and relatively healthy. Can't really complain about anything, can I? Drama is more exciting and interesting to read and write about than a boring, ordinary life but it's also way stressful so I'm happy to be boring for a while.
Oh, if you're in the Kingston area this week, the Reel Out Film & Video festival happens this weekend and Ferron will be there!!
Over the weekend I had a weird bug. A couple of the gals I work with had a version of the Norwalk virus last week and I thought that maybe I was coming down with that but fortunately I never had the vomiting thing going on so I don't think that was what it was. I went home from work a little early on Friday and slept. All afternoon. Sweet sweet sleep with the puppies. They curled up on the bed with me while I drooled on my pillow. Saturday I still felt wonky but I managed to go out to the grocery store with Mark for half an hour and do some shopping. Mostly I felt foggy and nauseous. I still feel a little foggy/groggy this week. This morning I could not get my head to unfog so I resorted to drinking coffee at work (something I almost never do), it helped a bit but not totally.
I feel fortunate to report that there is really no drama happening in our lives. When I read the news from Haiti, hear about planes crashing or learn about friends losing jobs or being struck ill, I realize how truly lucky we are. We have a nice roof over our heads and groceries in the fridge. Also, we're both gainfully employed and relatively healthy. Can't really complain about anything, can I? Drama is more exciting and interesting to read and write about than a boring, ordinary life but it's also way stressful so I'm happy to be boring for a while.
Oh, if you're in the Kingston area this week, the Reel Out Film & Video festival happens this weekend and Ferron will be there!!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Help Haiti
Hey Canadians, if you want to help the folks in Haiti but aren't sure how to go about it, why not make a donation through the Canadian Red Cross. Click here to make a donation to their Haiti Earthquake Relief fund. It doesn't have to be a huge amount (goodness knows that our donation wasn't huge), they can take as little as $5 online. It literally takes 2 minutes and the money will help those who need it the most. It's less than the cost of lunch at Tim Horton's. C'mon Canada, what are you waiting for?
For those of you who are non-Canucks, I'm sure your local Red Cross has a similar deal going on.
For those of you who are non-Canucks, I'm sure your local Red Cross has a similar deal going on.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
frozen
We're still living in a winter wonderland in these parts, over a week after the snow first fell. Now that the snow has finally stopped and the sun is shining, I don't mind it as much. It's bright and pretty and the roads are generally good so, yay winter.
Of course, the wind is an issue at times. Over the weekend, we took the dogs to the dog park and I don't know if we were there for 10 minutes before we ran for the van. The park is in an open field near our house and the day was really frigid. My glasses completed iced over within a few minutes of being there. When you can no longer see the poop in the snow (to pick up), it's time to go!
The week so far has been busy. Last week we sort of eased back into things and I'm glad I was here (many colleagues took it off) to have that ease-in period. The students returned to campus yesterday so things are moving a bit more when I have a chance to look out the window. Winter terms always feels shorter than fall term although I don't think it is. Maybe time just passes quickly as we look forward to spring. It'll be here in 67 days if you're counting!
Of course, the wind is an issue at times. Over the weekend, we took the dogs to the dog park and I don't know if we were there for 10 minutes before we ran for the van. The park is in an open field near our house and the day was really frigid. My glasses completed iced over within a few minutes of being there. When you can no longer see the poop in the snow (to pick up), it's time to go!
The week so far has been busy. Last week we sort of eased back into things and I'm glad I was here (many colleagues took it off) to have that ease-in period. The students returned to campus yesterday so things are moving a bit more when I have a chance to look out the window. Winter terms always feels shorter than fall term although I don't think it is. Maybe time just passes quickly as we look forward to spring. It'll be here in 67 days if you're counting!
Thursday, January 07, 2010
fires and tigers
One of the things I hate most about this time of the year is the increase in the number of house fires you hear about. Most of them seem to be caused by faulty or overused space heaters. I have been shocked at the number of fires I've read about this week and saddened by the number of people who have been killed in them. While my heart goes out to the members of families who have lost loved ones and possessions, not to mention their homes, I'm always shocked by the number who do not have any kind of tenant's insurance, particularly in apartments and attached housing. A fire in your unit could damage another unit and if you're responsible for the fire, you'd be responsible for damages in some cases. I know that for some folks, it might be a financial stretch but the cost of having to replace all of your household items would be more expensive if you were to have a fire.
On another note, the WWF was able to capture this video of Sumatra tigers. It saddens me that there are so few of them left on the planet and soon, they may be gone.
On another note, the WWF was able to capture this video of Sumatra tigers. It saddens me that there are so few of them left on the planet and soon, they may be gone.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
arbor daze
I like that Tim Allen has a sense of humour about his movies and television shows. They suck big time, in my opinion anyway. enjoy!
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
winter lights and paw prints
I guess all of the snow we didn't get in November had decided to visit us all at once. It feels like it hasn't stopped snowing since Sunday morning but I actually know that this isn't true.
Winter. It's definitely here and it looks like it'll be here for a while. Good thing I gots me some new boots huh?? My old ones were literally falling apart so I splurged out on a new pair just before Christmas. They are really sturdy and warm but I'm having a bit of a time adjusting to them because they are a little higher than my old one (they are like a hiking boot - I have big ass snow boots for shovelling in).
I've managed to survive the first two days of being back to work in spite of the fact that for some reason I got almost no sleep last night. I woke up every 40 minutes or so, either too hot or too cold or just plain old uncomfortable. I suspect I will sleep like the dead tonight, based on how I feel right now. I hate when I have nights like that because honestly, I really enjoy sleeping.
The one nice thing about this snowy cold snap is how happy it makes Sam. He LOVES the snow. Loves it! Last night, in a minus a million wind chill, he was sitting at the top of the steps on the deck, smiling his big joker grin while the snow swirled around him. If we didn't drag his butt into the house, I think he'd stay out there all day. Gracie is enjoying it more this year than last (she HATED going out in the cold last winter) but she does not dig it as much as the Sam man does.
So yeah, there truly is a silver lining to every snow cloud, right?
Winter. It's definitely here and it looks like it'll be here for a while. Good thing I gots me some new boots huh?? My old ones were literally falling apart so I splurged out on a new pair just before Christmas. They are really sturdy and warm but I'm having a bit of a time adjusting to them because they are a little higher than my old one (they are like a hiking boot - I have big ass snow boots for shovelling in).
I've managed to survive the first two days of being back to work in spite of the fact that for some reason I got almost no sleep last night. I woke up every 40 minutes or so, either too hot or too cold or just plain old uncomfortable. I suspect I will sleep like the dead tonight, based on how I feel right now. I hate when I have nights like that because honestly, I really enjoy sleeping.
The one nice thing about this snowy cold snap is how happy it makes Sam. He LOVES the snow. Loves it! Last night, in a minus a million wind chill, he was sitting at the top of the steps on the deck, smiling his big joker grin while the snow swirled around him. If we didn't drag his butt into the house, I think he'd stay out there all day. Gracie is enjoying it more this year than last (she HATED going out in the cold last winter) but she does not dig it as much as the Sam man does.
So yeah, there truly is a silver lining to every snow cloud, right?
Monday, January 04, 2010
it's a brand new year
I stole this from Denise (thanks Denise!) because I liked it and thought it was a neat way to wrap up 2009.
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Had a pedicure
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I normally don't make them so I can't recall making any last year and I haven't made any for this year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully.
5. What places did you visit? We didn't get too far out of town this year. We did do a roadtrip to Montreal in May but I don't think we went anywhere else of note.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Can't think of anything!
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? August 6 - it was the tenth anniversary of the day Mark and I met and it was our wedding day.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Pulling together a fun and meaningful, DIY wedding on a small budget.
9. What was your biggest failure? Does making it through another year without sorting out boxes in the basement count as a failure?
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? not really, luckily just had a couple of colds.
11. What was the best thing you bought? a bug zapper for our backyard!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Sam and Gracie. They continue to love us both unconditionally and are simply awesome puppies!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Prime Minister Harper. He actually makes me feel embarrassed to be a Canadian sometimes.
14. Where did most of your money go? Life! Mortgage, Insurance and Utilities. Sexy huh?
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? I don't normally get "really, really, really" excited about anything.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009? You and I by Wilco
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? About the same, generally happy.
b) thinner or fatter? No change
c) richer or poorer? Probably about the same.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? walking with the dogs
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? work. I love my job but I'd always rather be hanging out with Mark, Sam and Gracie if it's possible.
20. How did you spend Christmas in 2009? Spent the morning and early afternoon at home, hanging out with the dogs. The rest of was spent with my family. My mum made us a great dinner.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009? No.
22. What was your favorite TV program? It continues to be Coronation Street but my favourite new show was Nurse Jackie.
23. What did you do for your birthday in 2009? I worked (had a totally crazy day) and can't remember what we did afterwards. When your birthday falls in the middle of the week, it's sort of a non-event.
24. What was the best book you read? I don't think I actually finished any of the books I started this year but I did finally read the Sinclair Ross short story, "The Painted Door" and really enjoyed it.
25. What did you want and get? I wanted Mark and I to catch up on Coronation Street and be able to watch them in realtime and we did. CBC being 9 months behind the UK Broadcast schedule can suck it!
26. What did you want and not get? I wanted to win the lottery and did not. Of course, buying a ticket more often would have helped.
27. What was your favorite film of this year? District 9. It shocked me how much I loved it considering I don't like Science Fiction.
28. Did you make some new friends this year? Why yes I did, through work.
29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being more honest with folks (like, say Nessa from Gavin and Stacey) and less polite.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? I'd rather be comfortable than conform to fashion trends.
31. What kept you sane? I'm sane?
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Like Denise, I love, love, love Michelle Obama. She's the bees knees to me.
33. What political issue stirred you the most? The prorogation of parliament. The Tories have done this twice now. The entire government cannot throw a sickie when things aren't going their way.
34. Who did you miss? I always miss my Nana.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Life is too short to not be happy.
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Had a pedicure
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I normally don't make them so I can't recall making any last year and I haven't made any for this year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully.
5. What places did you visit? We didn't get too far out of town this year. We did do a roadtrip to Montreal in May but I don't think we went anywhere else of note.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Can't think of anything!
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? August 6 - it was the tenth anniversary of the day Mark and I met and it was our wedding day.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Pulling together a fun and meaningful, DIY wedding on a small budget.
9. What was your biggest failure? Does making it through another year without sorting out boxes in the basement count as a failure?
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? not really, luckily just had a couple of colds.
11. What was the best thing you bought? a bug zapper for our backyard!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Sam and Gracie. They continue to love us both unconditionally and are simply awesome puppies!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Prime Minister Harper. He actually makes me feel embarrassed to be a Canadian sometimes.
14. Where did most of your money go? Life! Mortgage, Insurance and Utilities. Sexy huh?
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? I don't normally get "really, really, really" excited about anything.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009? You and I by Wilco
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? About the same, generally happy.
b) thinner or fatter? No change
c) richer or poorer? Probably about the same.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? walking with the dogs
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? work. I love my job but I'd always rather be hanging out with Mark, Sam and Gracie if it's possible.
20. How did you spend Christmas in 2009? Spent the morning and early afternoon at home, hanging out with the dogs. The rest of was spent with my family. My mum made us a great dinner.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009? No.
22. What was your favorite TV program? It continues to be Coronation Street but my favourite new show was Nurse Jackie.
23. What did you do for your birthday in 2009? I worked (had a totally crazy day) and can't remember what we did afterwards. When your birthday falls in the middle of the week, it's sort of a non-event.
24. What was the best book you read? I don't think I actually finished any of the books I started this year but I did finally read the Sinclair Ross short story, "The Painted Door" and really enjoyed it.
25. What did you want and get? I wanted Mark and I to catch up on Coronation Street and be able to watch them in realtime and we did. CBC being 9 months behind the UK Broadcast schedule can suck it!
26. What did you want and not get? I wanted to win the lottery and did not. Of course, buying a ticket more often would have helped.
27. What was your favorite film of this year? District 9. It shocked me how much I loved it considering I don't like Science Fiction.
28. Did you make some new friends this year? Why yes I did, through work.
29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being more honest with folks (like, say Nessa from Gavin and Stacey) and less polite.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? I'd rather be comfortable than conform to fashion trends.
31. What kept you sane? I'm sane?
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Like Denise, I love, love, love Michelle Obama. She's the bees knees to me.
33. What political issue stirred you the most? The prorogation of parliament. The Tories have done this twice now. The entire government cannot throw a sickie when things aren't going their way.
34. Who did you miss? I always miss my Nana.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Life is too short to not be happy.
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