Wednesday Whatevers

1. What noise bothers you the most?

It's actually someone's voice. There is a person I know and basically, she's a very sweet person but she likes to say every thought she has, every second that she has it, out loud. Her voice is worse than nails on a chalk board and it just sends me around the bend. To add insult to injury, she's got a very very loud voice. I half suspect that she may have a mild hearing loss and that is why she is so loud all of the time. It's really irritating and it causes me to hit the ibuprofen on a regular basis.

2. Which emotions seem to take the best of you?

They all have their moments. Just this morning I was sobbing at my computer as I wrote a letter of sympathy to the widow of one of my volunteers. I work with lots of elderly people and I'm usually a little more "hard hearted" about things like this but this particular gentleman was just lovely and I'd been working quite closely with him since 2001. I try not to give any of my energy to things like hate and jealousy because I think that life is too short to have it eaten up with negative feelings. Having said that, I'm not always successful but I do try.

3. What do you take pride in the most?

I always chuckle when I see "take pride" because it reminds of the welcome sign in Weehauken, NJ. It says, "Welcome to Weehauken, we take pride." I always wonder where they got it, who did they take it from...

My cold is keeping me brain dead. It's not fun at all actually. It's moved from my head, into my chest and I'm a coughing fool for large chunks of the day now. The decreased levels of oxygen to my brain killing me and I can't think of anything original to write about today. Fortunately, it's Memes List to the rescue, here ya go:

TV Tuesday

1. Do you consider yourself a "fan" of reality TV?

I guess it depends upon how you define reality TV. I don't watch shows like Fear Factor or Survivor but I am a TLC junkie: Baby Story, Wedding Story, Second Chance, Dating Story...I love those shows and they are about as close to "reality" as the prime time stuff is I guess. I'm not into the competition shows at all. I like programs that show a slice of someone's life. In particular, I like the Taking it Off series that the Discovery Health Channel Canada shows.

2. What's your "can't miss" reality TV show (or shows)?

The only prime time "reality" show that we ever got into watching was The Restaurant. We hated Rocco, we hated the way he ran his kitchen but, as folks who have actually built and run restaurants, we were hooked. It was fun to watch the carnage every week (yeah, we made catty comments through the whole thing, so sue us!!). If the Osbournes counts as reality, we also watched that for a while.

3. What reality TV show do you suppose the devil plays on the TV in Hell as punishment?

That's easy: The Anna Nicole Show. period. end.

~Bonus~
If you were given a free ticket to be on any reality show, which one would you choose?

Yikes. In all honesty, I would not want be on any of them.

It's spring...officially

Tonight, after dinner, I saw 2 beautiful, male robins on our patio. It was very exciting and I regret that I didn't have my camera on hand. It's official now, spring is finally here!

cold update

We're both still coughing and sneezing a fair bit but overall, we're both much better today than we were yesterday. I am finding though, as I do whenever I'm getting over a cold, that I'm easily winded right now. If I try to do too much, I am short of breath and then the coughing starts. All I really managed to get done today was some laundry and cleaning out the fridge. I also squeezed in a great (albeit too short) nap this afternoon. I forced myself to get up after an hour or so because I was afraid of not being able to fall asleep tonight. I doubt very much that it's going to be a big problem now as I'm feeling quite sleepy at the moment.

Other than the head cold thing, it's looking like we might be able to get into our yard work next weekend if the weather stays nice. The yard is starting to dry up nicely although the forecast is calling for rain this week. If we don't get to it this coming weekend, hopefully we'll be able to start raking over easter weekend. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with our flower beds this year. Last year I concentrated mostly on my perennials and I'll probably do that again this year. I'm trying to add one or two new things each year. Last year I kept things pretty simple and the yard looked nice. It also helped that we had a lot of rain last summer so things stayed very green.

Wow, I can almost breathe again and I actually slept 1/2 day decently last night.

Clearing one's nasal passages of massive snot blockages is highly underrated. Easy breathing is something that I know that I take for granted far too much. The past 5 days have been unpleasant at best but the worst of it is now passed I think. Mark seems to be getting it now but I doubt very much that his dose will be as nasty as mine. The reason I say this is because I've got a history of bronchial trouble (since about 1994 when I had bronchitis for the first time) and now, whenever I get a cold, it ends up in my chest and I get this disgusting cough.

I'm into the coughing phase right now. The cough always comes on the end of the cold, when I'm starting to feel better. Unfortunately, the cough kills my throat and leaves me with one of those Brenda "I eat playtex tampons" Vaccaro voices. I sound much sicker than I actually am.

By Monday I'm sure I'll be as good as new and will definitely be back to work. I missed 2.5 days this week and couldn't really afford to miss. I mean, it's not about the money because I get paid when I'm sick, it's just the workload is insane right now. I figured though, if I was there and trying to work when I was feeling as yucky as I was, I'd just be fucking stuff up and would have redo it all next week anyway so, why bother. Also, my desk is located dangerously close to a large photocopier and I know that the fumes I was breathing in were not helping me too much.

By the way, just in case you were wondering, the no-name tissue with lotion are just as good as the Puffs brand. I've gone through about 3 boxes of them this week and could not tell the difference!

I have a good excuse for the absence of posts this week...Basically I lost the fight with the cold. It was a good effort on my part. I fought the good fight for probably 3 weeks but it finally kicked my ass. Tuesday I went home from work early, feeling like hammered crap. Wednesday I didn't go in at all. Yesterday I was there in body if not in mind. Not sure what today will bring. I've not slept much tonight. I guess it's almost morning now. I just cannot sleep, can't get comfortable, can't breathe. Not fun.

Monday again, back to the grind.

The weekend was a blur but I'm sure it was good. Not much was accomplished, much vegging happened. I believe that there was even an afternoon nap thrown in at one point for good measure.

Today, I'm back at work. Fighting yet another cold. I don't get the actual colds just the beginning symptoms. Hopefully I'm eating enough garlic and tangelos to keep it at bay. I really hate being sick.

Stolen, with love, from Carla:

Once again, here's the Friday Five:

If you...

1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?

I did once own a restaurant. Mark and I had a place called Ida's Kitchen (Ida was Mark's mum, she passed away in 1999). We served all day breakfast (all day) and French bistro in the evenings. Mark's a classically trained French chef and the place was very cool. We had it for about a year but the location turned out to be not that great so we cut our losses after 12 months and closed it down. If I had to do all over again, I'd do it the same way but in a different location.

2. ...owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?

I'd love to own a small record / used book store, maybe we a coffee shoppe attached. I love books and vinyl so it would a good combination.

3. ...wrote a book, what genre would it be?

Non-fiction I think. Something historical or biographical perhaps.

4. ...ran a school, what would you teach?

I think it would be cool to teach kids how to deal with bullies and assholes in school. Try to help them be empowered by their own skills and abilities. I think that the fucked up social stuff that happens in schools does too much damage to too many kids. It's really really wrong.

5. ...recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?

Probably pop music. I love a lot of things "twee" and "indie-pop" so I'm sure it would along that line.

Top 'o the afternoon to ya!!

Hope you're all having a good St. Patty's day and are wearing your green today. In honour of the day, I thought I'd post a little joke I was sent:

An Irishman walks into a bar and orders three glasses of Guiness, drinking them one at a time. Noticing this odd ritual, the bartender explains that the beer goes flat when poured and informs the man his beer would be much fresher if he ordered one glass at a time.

The Irishman explains he began this custom with his two brothers, who have moved to America and Australia, respectively. This is their way of remembering all the time they spent drinking together.

The man becomes a regular at the pub, well-known for always ordering three beers at once. One day he walks in and orders only two beers. Assuming the worst, a hush falls among other patrons.

When the Irishman returns to the bar to order his second round, the bartender quietly offers his condolences. The man looks confused for a moment, and then explains, "No, everyone's fine. I gave up beer for lent."

I've been fighting a headcold so hard, for so long now that I feel as if I should be wearing boxing gloves. I think it's working though because I haven't given in and gotten sick yet. This is pretty remarkable considering the number of people I'm around every day who are coughing their lungs up.

Things at work are starting to get into an even keel again. I'm pretty happy about this as the pace has been pretty insane recently. I'm evening hiring some casual help to give me a hand over the next couple of weeks. Just knowing that I'll be getting some help has made things more manageable.

I had a good chat this morning with a colleague who is more "in the know" about things than I am. It was really helpful. I must admit that I am pretty worried about the impending workload. At the present, I have a really heavy workload but I love the work and enjoy it so it isn't too bad. In my new job though, I'll be having to learn about many new things and I am not certain that I'll be able to juggle everything. Right now, I know how to maintain the balance in my current position. Fear of the unknown is, I guess, what's plaguing me at the moment.

For the first time in a long time, I am looking forward to the return of the warmer weather. I think it'll make me feel better about many things, work included. Just knowing that spring is just around the corner isn't cutting it at the moment. I want to feel some warm sunshine on my face and see green grass. My mind needs it and so does my heart.

So this morning, when I had to be up early, I couldn't wake up. It's terrible and I hate it!!

It was totally freezing and damp in our office this morning. Terrible, bone-chilling cold. It's almost spring for peet's sake. We actually had to turn our little space heaters on. Now of course, it's steamy in here. My face is flushed and warm but hands are like two blocks of ice. No fun I tell ya!!

I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. I love that the days are getting longer and that the snow is gone but I hate how gross everything looks and I also hate how you don't know how to dress when you leave the house in the morning. The inbetweenness of it all is irritating!

Anyway, file this under "not a shock"!


Indie rock! You're my most favourite type of
music... Your music channels lots of emotion.
On the top it seems simple, but underneath
there's always a deep meaning... As your name
you're independent from most of music! Stay
that way! Good on you! There's so much
variation in your style...from deep and
thoughtful like The Stills, to happy go lucky
like Belle & Sebastian, to dancy and catchy
Franz Ferdinand, and back to boogie down Hot
Hot Heat and The Rapture...


What genre of rock are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Through the week, when I have to drag my sorry ass out of bed at 4:45 a.m., I drool at the thought of sleeping in. On the weekend, when I can actually sleep in, I don't. I woke up at 4:18 a.m. and forced myself back to sleep until 6:05 a.m. woohoo huh?

Right now, as I type this, there are gorgeous rays of sunshine pouring into our office through the cracks in the crappy mini-blinds (the only blinds in the house that we have yet to replace -- it's on the list!!). It feels cold this morning but it's looking like a beautiful day nonetheless.

Mark is taking today off and I'm not sure what we're going to do. I know that laundry must be a part of whatever we plan and there are some errands that need running but other than that, there is anything major that we have to do this weekend. That's a really nice feeling. After the week that we've both had at work, a lazy weekend is definitely what we both need. Hope you get to have a lazy weekend too!!

I'm feeling just really incredibly sad. I didn't read the news yesterday and just saw this tonight. I think I need to go listen to "Methodist Coloring Book" right now.

Dead Milkmen Bass Player Commits Suicide
Thu Mar 11, 2:14 PM ET
By John D. Luerssen

NEW YORK - Dave Blood, bassist for defunct Philadelphia rock act the Dead Milkmen, committed suicide Wednesday, according to a post by his sister on the band's official message board (http://deadmilkmen.com).

In a subsequent post, Milkmen drummer Dean Clean confirmed the news.

"This morning Dave Blood is no longer with us," wrote Blood's sister, Kathy. "David is my brother. Since the breakup of the band David has never really found his niche in life. My brother was a smart, clever and talented person. Inner peace has seemed to elude him for the last many years. Sometime last night David chose to end his life. He left a note that I don't know all of what it said, he was not elaborate -- but he said he just could not stand to go on any longer."

A memorial service will be held in the Delaware County area of southeastern Pennsylvania at some point in the near future, with details to be announced.

"I'll miss Dave as a friend and a bandmate," Clean wrote. "He helped make lots of folks here very happy with the music we all made together. He will not be forgotten."

The Dead Milkmen formed in 1983 and quickly rose to prominence in the college radio circuit. Their 1985 debut album, "Big Lizard in My Backyard" boasts the cult-classic single "Bitchin' Camaro," but was overshadowed in 1988 by "Punk Rock Girl," which was an MTV staple of the time.

The band dissolved after releasing "Stoney's Extra Stout (Pig)" in 1995. In late 2003, Restless/Ryko released a retrospective of early and rare recordings, "Now We Are 20," and the "Philadelphia in Love" DVD, which compiled all of the band's videos.

In recent years, Blood had stopped playing bass due to extreme tendonitis. In the mid-'90s, he enrolled at Indiana University to study Yugoslavian culture, and spent nearly a year in the country between August 1998 and April 1999. In an E-mail interview (http://www.markprindle.com) late last year with journalist Mark Prindle, he expressed interest in returning to the country in the near future.

It's back, the Friday Five:

1. What was the last song you heard?

Get To Know You Better by Angie Stone

2. What were the last two movies you saw?

Very Annie Mary & Grass

3. What were the last three things you purchased?

1. A case of Aberfoyle bottled water
2. Season 3 of Futurama
3. Dinner for Mark and myself on Wednesday night

4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?

Laundry, reading for work, income taxes and sleep!

5. Who are the last five people you talked to?

I'm at work so, Louise (on the phone), Hazel, Michael, Valerie and Liz (in person).

I've actually had a few minutes to see the news this week and was saddened to read about Robert Pastorelli's death earlier this week. I was a big fan of Murphy Brown and Eldin was, hands down, my favourite character and I always thought that he was totally under rated as an actor. He'll definitely be missed.

March sunshine is completely deceiving. The weather has been so gorgeous around here this week that I was actually able to wear cute shoes outside yesterday. Not boots, not docs, not sneakers, cute shoes! It felt great. Today though, it's really chilly again. It looks like it should be super warm and lovely but it's cool and windy. I suppose that as long as it's not snowing, I should be happy.

On the weekend, when we were shopping in Syracuse, I found a couple of purses I really liked, bright pink and bright blue. They were very spring-y/summer-y and seeing them has got me itching to pack away my sweaters for another season. I'm not thinking that this will happen anytime soon but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

stolen stuff

I totally stole this from the lovely Carla:

My very British name is Emily Salisbury.
My Mormon name is Merrigay Shanisha!
My untraceable alias is Ashley Anderson.
My goddamn rock solid ghetto shiznit name is Peeping Joe Shizzlemah.

Lotsa fun folks, silly fun for a sunny Wednesday. Just what the doctor ordered!!

back at it

I'm going to try to post more often than I have been recently. I've been letting work and other stuff get in the way of things that I really enjoy doing lately. I realize that the more I write, the better it gets and lately, it's not been all that great.

We did end up in Syracuse on Saturday. We don't normally "do the mall" anymore but we spent a couple of hours traipsing around the Carousel Center (without buying anything) and ended up buying groceries in Watertown on the way home. It was a really nice day out. Other than being annoyed by the smell of my newly coloured hair, the day was great. The weather was a little dicey on the way home (it just started to snow when we crossed the border) but overall, the ride was smooth.

Coming back across Canada Customs, I recognized the guy sitting in the little booth. It was an old high school friend I'd not seen in years and years. We had a nice little visit and I'm sure that the people behind us in the line-up were sure that we were going to be sent over for an inspection. We didn't though, all we'd purchased were a few groceries so we got to head along on our merry way.

Sunday was busy with errands and stuff so the rest of the weekend sort of flew by. I almost cannot believe that it's Tuesday again. One of the nice things about writing here is that it makes me stop and think about what I've been doing. It definitely helps to keep things in perspective for me. Goodness knows I need lots of help with that right now!!

happy weekend!

hope you're all having lots of fun!

I had a great day off yesterday, got tonnes of stuff done around the house (that desperately needed doing) and now I'm free and clear to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Mark's off today too so we're heading down to Syracuse for a road trip in a bit. At the moment, I have hair colour on my head an once it's rinsed out, we're good to go.

Yesterday, I even treated myself to a long overdue hair cut and that's why I'm colouring it again today. I like to do it on a fresh cut. I'm going for a brighter red this time, hopefully it'll be what I'm after!!

Anyway, must dash now and rinse away, enjoy the weekend kids!!

day off

It's my day off and I was up sorta early (which is okay with me). So far I've not done too much. Not sure exactly how much I will actually do or what. I'm half way thinking about going for a hair cut this morning but other than that, not much has popped into my head. It's raining really heavily right now, the weather is just crazy. In less than a week, almost all of our snow has disappeared. On the weekend, we had over 2 feet of snow in our back yard, now it's just tiny crusty bits of ice and grass. It's totally mild and lovely and it all happened really quickly. I'm sure we'll be paying for it later on but right now, it's tough not to just enjoy the global warming!

Anyway, once again, it's the Friday Five!! What was...

1. ...your first grade teacher's name?

Miss Porter. She was a foxy mama too. I remember that she had really long, straight, blonde hair and wore mini skirts and boots a lot. Pretty funky in a Catholic elementary school.

2. ...your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?

mmm...maybe The Groovie Ghoulies? Nope, it was definitely Josie & The Pussycats!! Yikes!! I know that I'd flip from show to show as a kid...at one time I loved the Archies, or Bugs Bunny (or The Jackson 5 cartoon -- fuck I'm old if I can remember that!).

3. ...the name of your very first best friend?

April. We're still in touch via family stuff (her folks are really good friends of my parents) but I'd not say that we're really friends anymore.

4. ...your favorite breakfast cereal?

Cheerios with lots of brown sugar on 'em and milk, lots of milk. My mum would almost NEVER let us have stuff like Lucky Charms or Frosted Flakes, even though we'd bug her like crazy.

5. ...your favorite thing to do after school?

Sad but true, watch TV, particularly repeats of the Brady Bunch or Gilligan's Island. In the spring we'd ride our bikes around after school but, for the most part of the school year it would be parking your butt in front of the boob tube.

I'm actually feeling better today. I have felt like total poopie all week. All of the stress of work has been piling up and it finally hit me square in the back on Sunday afternoon. I spent most of Sunday and all of Monday on the heating pad, popping ibuprofen and watching movies on TV (Far From Heaven, Very Annie Mary & Grass -- I thought they were all great!).

About an hour ago, I realized that my back pain is almost gone. I dragged my ass through Tuesday and Wednesday at work. It was pretty difficult but I managed it. I also realize now that I was able to get a lot of work done this week. I'd felt like I was spinning my wheels all week but I guess I wasn't! Nice!!

Tomorrow I'm taking a day off. We had planned to be out of town tonight but that's not happening now. I decided to take the day anyway. I really think I need it and I'm looking forward to doing very little over the next three days!!

In some ways it's hard to believe that I haven't posted in almost a week, in others though, it's not that tough. I've had an incredibly stress-filled week and I don't see it getting any better, anytime soon. I'm trying to cope with it all in the best way I can.

Through it all, without a sense of humour, I'd be sunk. On that note, if you're so inclined, click here and check it out. Part of it made me laugh my head off and part of it made me sad to think that some women actually believed this stuff in the not so distant past.