Celebrity Jewelry

Check this out...on the top is a piece that was designed for me by Ms. J in the summer. I open up this week's Star magazine, and spy something along the same lines on Vanessa Williams.

J..is there something you're not telling us, re: designing for the stars?

Or are they copying your designs???

Valentine Cards You Don't Want to Get

Got these cards emailed to me today, and thought that a few were pretty funny, so I'd share.

Has been a LONG valentine's day, what with digging out from snow, taking care of mom, who now has been diagnosed with gout, to top off the chronic pain of shingles. Life's not fair, and as she said, Why do I have to get this pain & misery when I get so old? It sucks that there's nothing I can do.

Due to the weather, my cousin wasn't able to come over to stay with my mother, so I had to miss work again. Murphy's Law since this is the worst possible time for me to miss, since I'm usually putting in over 80 hours a week to get the budgets done. The juggling is getting more & more difficult, and I feel like I'm walking around like a Zombie--and I look like one too. The gym, which usually helps me cope with stress, is also not possible these days.

Back to work tomorrow, for a full day's worth of meetings, and then I have only the weekend to meet the budget deadline..I better learn to juggle even faster--the hurrier I go, the behinder I get.

Hope you all had a Happy Valentine's Day, and didn't get any of these nasty cards.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day...Happy Snow Day!

J's New Student

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No Shadow

YAY! SPRING & SUNSHINE ARE COMING!

Happy Groundhog's Day!




There was no shadow on the ground
Which means that spring will come around.
Flowers will bloom and life will begin
The waters will warm then we can jump in.
Children will laugh as they learn to ride
Boaters will rise and fall with the tide
The golfers appear out on the greens
People line up to taste new ice creams.
A warm breeze will brush on your cheek
The waters will rise on some of the creeks
Farmers will plant their first set of crops
Windows and doors will open on shops

!C. Wyonch

Priorities

Updating of blogs has been pushed pretty low on the priority list lately. In fact, it's just above looking for a skirt and a button down shirt, which I'll need for gym classes, as Ms. J is going to teach us how to strip these off...I haven't found something yet, as I didn't have time to look, but I will. I have no intention of missing the FREE refreshments to be served after class. But now have the "whatever will I wear" dilemma to go to the gym. LOL!

Anyways, in the absence of anything interesting of a positive nature, aka...it's been a slow news week, here's a Dr Phil Test. Since meeting up with a bunch of my high school friends, and exchanging email addresses, I've discovered that they are the types circulate every joke/gag/pictures/quizzes, etc.

Here's the test, and I got a 46.

(Dr. Phil scored 55; he did this test on Oprah - she got a 38. Some folks pay a lot of money to find this stuff out! Read on, this is very interesting! Don 't be overly sensitive! Thefollowing is pretty accurate and it only takes 2 minutes. Take this test for yourself .
Don 't peek, but begin the test as you scroll down and answer. Answers are for who you are now --- not who you were in the past. Have pen or pencil and paper ready. This is a real test given by the Human Relations Dept. at many of the major corporations today. It helps them get better insight concerning their employees and prospective employees. It's only 10 Simple questions, so grab a pencil and paper, keeping track of your letter answers to each question. Ready?? Begin.

1. When do you feel your best?
a) in the morning
b) during the afternoon &and early evening
c) late at night

2. You usually walk
a) fairly fast, with long steps
b) fairly fast, with little steps
c) less fast head up, looking the world in the face
d) less fast, head down
e) very slowly

3. When talking to people you..
a) stand with your arms folded
b) have your hands clasped
c) have one or both your hands on your hips
d) touch or push the person to whom you are talking
e) play with your ear, touch your chin or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with...
a) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side
b) your legs crossed
c) your legs stretched out or straight
d) one leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with...
a) big appreciated laugh
b) a laugh, but not a loud one
c) a quiet chuckle
d) a sheepish smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you...
a) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you
b) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know
c) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed

7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted, you...
a) welcome the break
b) feel extremely irritated
c) vary between these two extremes

8. Which of the following colors do you like most?
a) Red or orange
b) black
c) yellow or light blue
d) green
e) dark blue or purple
f) white
g) brown or gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep you are...
a) stretched out on your back
b) stretched out face down on your stomach
c) on your side, slightly curled
d) with your head on one arm
e) with your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are...
a) falling
b) fighting or struggling
c) searching for something or somebody
d) flying or floating
e) you usually have dreamless sleep
f) your dreams are always pleasant

POINTS
1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6
2. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2(e) 1
3. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 6
4. (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1
5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2
6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2
7. (a) 6 (b) 2 (c) 4
8. (a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (g) 1
9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1
10. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

Now add up the total number of points.

OVER 60 POINTS : Others see you as someone they should "handle with care." You're seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don't always trust you,hesitating to become too deeply involved with you.

51 TO 60 POINTS : Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 TO 50 POINTS : Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 TO 40 POINTS : Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return.Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken.

21 TO 30 POINTS: Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It would really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then, usually decide against it. They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.

UNDER 21 POINTS : People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions & who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything! They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don't exist. Some people think you're boring. Only those who know you well know that you aren't.

Just Five Minutes

Further to the previous blog, I have not yet performed the Feng Shui cleansing...like I've got time for it or anything else.

It was one hell of a week at work, with one meeting after another, and one bullshit crisis after another, to the point that nothing of my own stuff got done. The hell of week continued on this morning, as I went in to work to try to get caught up, and will likely have to do so for the next who knows how many weekends.

From there, I had to rush home, to help Steph do her English and Religion essays, for about 3 hours...English only, as she did Religion on her own. Before settling at home however, I had to drop eggs off at my mother's, as while Libbey had offerred to do so, before she went on her merry way, my mother insisted that no, I could do so on my way home from work. During said homework, mother calls twice....in 3 hours, and when I finally call her to say I'll go pick her up, response is well it's about time.

From there, it's make dinner, clean up, answer the odd question from Steph about her homework, answer the many questions about what's going in the stupid movie we're watching- The New World...I don't know what's going on, I haven't seen the movie before, plus everyone seems to be mumbling with a British accent and/or speaking Indian with no subtitles, and the music is too loud. In between, I am fortunate to be able to wash my hair. No laundry, no vacuuming, no grocery shopping, nothing, got done today.

They finally clear out at about 11:30 when the movie ends, and as I look out the window, I notice that the asshole neighbours have placed their trash bin and garbage bags on my lawn for the pick up day which is two days away. I resist the temptation to go and throw everything in their driveway.

After all this, I think maybe I can get a few minutes of downtime at the computer, only to hear...don't you think it's late and maybe you should go to bed because you're so tired? No thanks...I'm not tired, I just need five minutes of peace to myself. Is it too much to ask?

My patience has been slowly leaving me, and I hate to admit it but it's gone totally awol for the past few days.

So here's my five minutes of peace to myself...spent venting....

Electrical Issues

Lately, I've had unusally bad luck with electrical appliances and light bulbs.

Got a new TV a few weeks ago, and can no longer change the volume or any settings, and it keeps flashing me a secret code of twenty blinks...not even Panasonic knows what twenty blinks means. So a new one is on its way on Saturday. Fingers crossed and somewhat apprehensive.

Got an electrical tea steeper for Christmas...plugged it in, and it didn't work...just didn't want to heat up or make tea...back it went.

Satellite receiver keeps asking me for a password at a spot where there shouldn't be one.

Light bulbs have been burning out like mad.

I seemed to recall reading something about electrical issues and their meaning in feng shui, (which my friend has been practicing with success) so I looked it up tonight and here's what I found:

Feng Shui Tips

If health issues are the source of your stress:

Evaluate the center part of your home (Refer to the Bagua)
Evaluate the plumbing, electrical and heating/cooling elements of your home and fix any problems.
Plumbing problems are associated with digestive problems
Electrical problems correspond with the bodies neurological system
Heating/cooling system problems represent breathing/lung problems


Funny isn't it...a big source of my stress are neurological health issues, not mine but my mother's, and lately the health issues have been getting worse again, instead of better.

Seems like the house is picking up on the negative energy, and I need to cleanse it, as follows. The other big source of my stress is my work environment, and the escalating pettiness that goes on there. I was especially drawn to number 6, and its description of work environment as a possible source of negative energy carry forward.

I think I'll try this cleansing ritual, and also buy myself a rooster statue for my office. Supposedly, it will ward off pettiness and backstabbing, or if all else fails, I can throw it at them. Serenity NOW!

STEP 1. Clear stale energies from the house.

If you have recently moved, you might be feeling some of the residual energy from past residents. If that's your case, then consider using this technique: open everything that is closed. In short, you should open all doors, all windows, all cabinets, all boxes, anything that is closed should be open.

Then, walking from the front door and in a clockwise pattern, circle each room and go into the next while ringing a bell. Be sure to ring the bell in the corners of rooms and in closets where negative energy can remain trapped. You may want to proceed through the other five steps before closing everything up again.


STEP 2. Use salt to cleanse an area.

Another tip is to use salt to remove negative energies. You can wipe the walls with salt or sprinklel salt into the corners of the room. Be sure to sweep up the salt and throw it into the trash outside of your house.



STEP 3. Feed your ghosts rice.

If you feel extreme negative energy, you can also try sprinkling rice around the perimeter of your home beginning at the front door and walking in a clockwise fashion until you come to the door again. The rice will draw the energy outside and away from the interior of your home.


STEP 4. Scent the air to rid negative energies.

Smoke from incense or from herbs such as lavender for transcending problems or eucalyptus for healing or mint for prosperity. The scents of incense or herbal essential oils are all excellent ways to introduct beneficial energy.



STEP 5. Light and sound.

Light and sound are two very effective "yang" treatments that help to dispel negative energies. Tinkling windchimes and bright crystal rainbows or lit chandeliers are both excellent ways to introduce beneficial -- and cleansing -- energy to your space.


If you have done all five steps, it's time to close up all the doors, windows, cabinets, and drawers, and then proceed to Step 6.


STEP 6. Take a salt bath for yourself.

In the process of cleansing your home, it might also be a good idea to cleanse yourself as well. It is possible that you are bringing negative energy home from work or from the outside world. Soak in a tub with sea salt or make your own sea salt scrub and wash your body in the shower with salt. Salt will purify you and remove negative energies from your body. This is especially helpful if you work in a hostile or gossipy environment and will help you rid the energy from your body

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!








Spent the night at home for New Year's Eve, which over the years I've found to be preferable to the forced merriment of organized outings. Made a nice dinner of prime rib, yams, mashed potatoes, green beans and salad. My friend & daughter came over to spend the evening with us.

She brought over some chestnuts, and I had bought some as well, so I ended up roasting a double batch...Chestnuts Roasting in a Closed Oven. (to the music of Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)

Here's the open fire....courtesy of the Fire Log Channel on TV. Not suitable for chestnuts. LoL!


As we sat around peeling them, I stumbled across this one which I called the Moses chestnut, and yes, everyone did think I was nuts!

I should try to sell it on e-bay...if someone will buy a Jesus peroghi, why not a Moses chestnut???

Somehow, Steph decided this one looked like her mother. Frankly, I don't see it, but then she didn't see Moses in mine.

Anyways, it was an almost quiet night, except for the laughter, and the noisemakers at midnight.

Speaking of which, one of my pet peeves is the fact that the local TV stations, flip to local coverage around midnight. I don't want to see coverage of midnight in Niagara Falls, Toronto, or Buffalo...I want to see the New York Times Square Waterford Crystal (or whatever it's made of now) Ball dropping.

This is an ongoing saga and continues to be a source of entertainment at my expense and rolling of the eyes of guests, as I go through in search of TV listings to make sure I can find NY coverage, and get totally pissed off when I find it, only to have them switch to the ball drop in Buffalo, which has happened more than once. Lo and behold, last night I was happy to see they smartened up, and had a split screen with Times Square on one side and First Night Buffalo on the other (which I ignored.) See, it doesn't take much to amuse me or make me happy.

Happy New Year...may it bring peace, health and prosperity and much laughter!

High School

Got together last night with a few of the girls I went to high school with. Had a few laughs, some good snacks, and an interesting drink that tasted like an orange creamsicle (?)...it was good, but didn't go so well with the asiago/artichoke dip.

She's So Cute!!

Had a little visit tonight from my very special friend, who is so cute and is very sweet! She wanted to come over to see Auntie's tree.

She seemed to love the skating Santa and Snowman.







Her mom came along for the visit, and was nice enough to bring my mom a birthday present--a beautiful little beaded bag which she made to match her rosary beads. It was very thoughtful, and my mom really loves it.

Holidays

Christmas Carols for the Disturbed

* 1. Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?

* 2. Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Kings Disoriented Are

* 3. Dementia --- I Think I'll be Home for Christmas

* 4. Narcissistic --- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

* 5. Manic --- Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and.....

* 6. Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me

* 7. Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire

* 8. Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why

* 9. Attention Deficit Disorder --- Silent night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy - can I have a chocolate, why is France so far away?

* 10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder --- Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, JingleBells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle,Bells, Jingle Bells,....

And Now for Something Completely Different

So after my post, on the Nutters out there, my Blog surfing serendiptiously brought me to a blog that had a beautiful message in two posts, that made me pause and go hmmm, how true and lovely:

Post 1

An old Sufi tradition advises us to speak only after our words have managed to pass through four gates.
At the first gate, we ask ourselves, “Are these words true?” If so, we let them pass on; if not, back they go.
At the second gate we ask; “Are they necessary?”
At the third gate we ask; “Are they beneficial?”
And at the fourth gate, we ask, “Are they kind?”
If the answer to any of these is no, then what you are about to say should be left unsaid.

Post 2

Meet people in such a way that if you die, they should weep for you, and if you live, they should long for you.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you have knowledge and wisdom, let others light their candles with it.

What hurts the soul? To live without tasting the water of its own essence.

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

Learn silence as you have learned speech. Speech will guide you and silence will protect you.

Expressing spiritual faith in physical practice is the key to life.

Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.

Many things in life will catch your eye but few will catch your heart. Pursue those.

One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering.

Carb-o-Whore

I am an admitted carboholic, loving my bread, pasta, potatoes, cookies, cakes, oh and fruits. Lately, as my stress level climbed, so has my need for carbs, particularly bread--foccacia, ciabatta, with Black Olive Tapinade, has become a staple for me. I had shared this with my friend, who called me what I thought was a "Carb-o-Whore". Of course, I had found this hysterically funny and ever so witty and apropos.

Today I made tortellini, and shared with said friend and family, who in turn shared some of their "to-die-for" biscotti and other goodies with me, and off we went on our separate ways with our parcels.

After lunch, I had some running around to do, and as I was awaiting my turn in the car wash line, the cell phone rang, and it was Jewels, of the said tortellini/biscotti exchange. We talked a bit about our lunch & dessert, at which point I asked her, if she of the NOT A CARB-O-WHORE mode, had actually eaten some of the tortellini.

She must have asked me about 3 or 4 times what I was saying, as she couldn't understand what I meant, as I'm thinking wtf? I finally said, well, that's what you've been calling me, a Carb-o-Whore, how come you don't understand it? She said, that's because I've been calling you a Carb-o-Voor, not a Carb-o-Whore.

We shared a good laugh about this, and somehow, I think it will not be forgotten soon, and will become part of the vocabulary. Doesn't it describe a carboholic perfectly?

By the way, the biscotti, and the capuccino brownies are fantastic. The biscotti with the black pepper, are a real surprise at first, but by the second bite, I realize how addictive they are. Yummy! Thanks to Jin for baking them, and Jewels & Chris for sharing them with me.

Nutter Buddies

Having had a home computer for a relatively short few months, I have been brought up to speed on the joys of blogging, various "networking" sites, youtube, games, tagging. Strange places like MySpace, Hi5, where one of the goals seems to be how many friends can you accumulate...doesn't matter who they are, so long as you can add to your list.

I have a new job at night, as a MySpace secretary to my 17 year old godchild, to whom I report any activity on her account. She's up to 170 friends, compared to my 4 friends, which strikes her as hilarious and sad all at the same time.

Then there's the thousands of self enlightenment tests. Who needs a shrink when the internet is full of "tests", that can tell you so much about yourself.

For example, I've learned that I act 29; that I am Green; that I am a hornbeam tree(?); that I am the Moon; etc, etc. After awhile, I realized that most of these tests tell you only one thing: QUIT WASTING TIME ON THESE STUPID TESTS. Go do something productive, say like clean the house.

But no matter how nuts you think you are, all you need to do is surf around some of these sites and you quickly realize in comparison, how many other nutters there are out there.

Tacky Rules

Definition of TACKY: not having or exhibiting good taste:

a) marked by lack of style

b) marked by cheap showiness

Lovely? Yes, but you gotta love tacky, and the decorations I love the best are the tackier the better. Each year I search for a new addition to the tacky collection. .



Here are two of my old favourites:




I haven't yet found my selection for this new year, but will post when I do.

If you have any tacky decorations, let's see them!

Shorts and Boots

After planning on having a relaxing evening of puttering around the house, maybe putting up the tree, or maybe getting ready for the big class trip tomorrow, I found myself instead in shorts and boots in the basement.

After hearing all day about the number of homes flooded thanks to the rain, I walked into mine, and immediately smelled something was amiss. Sure enough, the basement was flooded with about 1-2 inches of water all over about three quarters of it. Thankfully, it was just flooded with water and some dirt, indicating seepage, and not sewage.

Spent about 3 hours vacuuming it up, getting about 8 or 9 shop vacs full. Rugs are drenched, with one large area rug, rolled up and still sitting downstairs, as there no way to lift it sopping wet. Nothing damaged, but a LOT of wet boxes, that had to be unpacked and moved and brought outside, dumping more water as I moved them.

Finally finished and have the dehumidifier and fan and fireplace running to try to dry things off. The whole downstairs will need to be washed down and sanitized, but thought I'd wait a few days, since the ground is so saturated that there's a chance more water will seep in. Who needs to go to the gym to get a work out?

This all between running up & down the stairs, as the patient is having a bad few days, and is moaning and groaning in pain.

I am so looking forward to getting away on our class excursion to see the belly dancers in Toronto, tomorrow.

More Weird Things

Fair is fair, and after making a friend give up 6 more items of so called weirdness, here's a few more of mine:

1. As a child I had 3 cats as pets, one after the other, not all at the same time. I named them all Clementine.
2. I drank milk from my baby bottle until I was 5 years old, and haven't drank milk ever since the bottle was taken away from me, except in my coffee.
3. I am so ticklish that I had to stop in the middle of a reflexology appointment as I was laughing and moving too much.
4. I am slightly oc, and have to turn around every morning as I round the corner to make sure the garage door is closed.
5. I have a bad habit of talking when I shouldn't be, and not talking when I should.
6. Little things sometimes bug me more than they should, like people who are late; or people who have 9 items in the 8 item or less check out line.

Tagged

Got a message today that I had been tagged, and that I should check out the offender's blog to learn all about it. Quickly made my way over there, as I had no idea what "being tagged" meant.

The rules are:

I have to post 6 weird things about myself. People who get tagged have to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you are tagged” in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

I'll play by part of the rules, but regretfully must skip the last, as I don't know 6 people to tag. Maybe number 1 should be: I hate rules.

Here's my list:

1. I think it's OK to wear high-rise underwear with low-rise jeans.
2. I'd rather to go to the dentist and have my teeth cleaned, than go to the hairdresser's, as I can't stand having my head touched.
   
3. I'm fidgety.
4. I'm a picky eater.
5. I have a warped sense of humour
6. I hate talking about myself.

I could go on and on, but that would violate number 6.

LOL!

Silent Scream

A very old friend, who was hanging around. A vintage doll, which belonged to vintage me.

Today I took the afternoon off work, as there were more than a few demands and chores and "Can you pls help me?", piling up.

Started the afternoon off nicely with Belly Dance class. It's fun, even though my little friend here is probably more flexible than I am, which makes things a bit of a challenge when combined with a general lack of co ordination.

From there, ran around like mad, got everything done, and everyone settled.

Here I sit, ready to either run away and join the circus, or run outside screaming.

Weird Dreams

Had a particularly vivid and weird dream last night. Could have been the combo of pizza, chips, and ice cream, or maybe not.

There was one large white rat and a number of small white mice, running around and alive and well. As expected, this is not a very favourable dream to have.

One of the dream interpetor site states:

Mice

To see mice in your dream, symbolizes domestic problems, business loss, deceit, and insincere friends. It represents minor problems in which you are spending too much time dwelling on.

Hmmmm, I figure it's definately work related, and wonder who is the rat and which are the mice. Usual or new suspects?

Brother Chico

So after 2 days of flustration (lol) trying to get Myspace upload video to work unsuccessfully, it was suggested that I try photobucket instead as recommended by one who knows.

This is "my brother chico" singing pretty for his mommy. If you listen closely you can hear her talking to him.

Attention Christmas Shoppers

It's official, Christmas shopping season has begun.

I promised to take female godchild shopping today, alone just her and I, per her request-- not even her mother was allowed to walk around with us, for 3/4 of the mall visit. I think she needed one of those "it's all about me, attention days." So all cell phone calls had to be kept to a minimum...sorry.

The mall was insanely busy, and Sears even more so. I was looking at a brown suede jacket at Sears, and had my hand on it, when a lady comes up and grabs it off the rack. Since I really didn't want the jacket, and was merely looking at, I made no issue, except to loudly tell Steph what had happened, within earshot of said lady. Welcome to Christmas shopping.

Got another of my Christmas presents bought today, a "replacement" ring for the one my mom lost. It's a mini eternity ring....mini because the diamonds don't go all the way around. It's really lovely, I think, and I hope she likes it.

I had found one that looked something similar to the band that she lost, but thought that since the original is truly irreplaceable, I should get one that's different, as opposed to trying to replicate the lost one. I hope I made the right decision.

I remember I had once "lost" an emerald ring, and looked for ever trying to find it and buy another, until a lady at a jewellery store gave me some good advice...don't try to find one like the one you've lost, as it's almost impossible to find an exact match, and every time you look at it, you'll think of the one you lost, so you should get something different. It was great advice, especially since I found my emerald ring 5 years later. I hide things so well sometimes, that I forget myself where I've put them.

So hopefully she'll like her new ring, and maybe the old one will turn up at some point.

Yeah Right!

While blog surfing one day, came across this site that supposedly uses face recognition technology to see which celebrities you look like, I guess from a facial structure perspective.

So the first time I ran it, it determined that I look like Hugh Grant, Larry King, a bunch of other men, and some woman I didn't recognize. Well it took me a week to get over the horrible news that I look like Larry King, before I mustered up the nerve to try again.

I ran it again, using a different photo, and here's the results below. At least the second time, there were more women than men, which is comforting. Strange that the best match was a girl from the Asian part of Italy. Somehow I'm having a bit of difficulty accepting this facial recognition technology, as there were no duplicates from one to the other, and I don't see any resemblance. It's too bad the celebrity names don't come across, as I only can name one of them.

Trees in Fall

Red and yellow, green & brown, all the leaves are tumbling down, days are nippy, nights are clear, summer's over, autumn's here.

These leaves should be tumbling down pretty soon:

Isn't this the perfect tree to grace a cemetery?

More Barfday Pics

My gym buddies!














Frank the Pie Guy














Me & Mom

















Don't bug us when Deal or No Deal is on.











Nate & Fran

Barfday Pics

Today was my birthday, aka barf day. It started off with the breakfast of champions-- a piece of my birthday cake, which was a Zuppa Inglese--vermouth soaked lady fingers layers covered in an italian lemon custard cream.

Went to work, and got a few calls there, and more at home, of friends & family wishing me a hb. Got quite a few nice presents:

1. A gorgeous pearl and crystal silver necklace and earring set.
2. A camera
3. A beautiful amber pendant and chain.
4. A lovely gold & diamond circle pendant & chain.
5. A gorgeous purse named percy faith and a wallet named wally wallenza. Hadn't thought of these names since high school. This is not funny to anyone but me, like many of my stories --it's one of those you had to have been there!
6. A delicious liqueur: Godiva White Chocolate Cream, which we tasted and it's yummy.

You can never have enough jewellery, wallets or bags.

This evening had a few of my favourite visitors over to help celebrate, and we had a few laughs, and a few drinks and a few snacks. Turning 38 isn't so bad after all. lol! Seriously, I'd been feeling a bit down and wasn't really in a celebratory mood, but it was an unexpectedly nice bd.

Stupid blogger wouldn't line up the pictures and it stopped working after this....will load a few more pics tomorrow.

Deer in the Headlights

It appears that I have a phobia about having my pic taken, and this shows through loud & clear in pictures. This coming from my gorgeous friend, who is extremely photogenic.

Of course, she has decided that she WILL get a good shot of me! Somehow I am reminded of belly dance classes , where she decides that I am going to learn to do something, even if it kills me.

So the Deer in the Headlights picture of me has been replaced by a real deer in the headlights.

Nature shots are so much more stress free.

LOL

Today

So after a tough yesterday and night, my mom was determined to go to the cemetery for the annual all souls' day mass.

Here she is getting ready, putting her earrings on, as she can't/won't go anywhere without them.

She did pretty well, and made it through about 2 hours away from home, and then slept most of the afternoon.

Steph spent the day here, with my computer, except for a few brief pauses to do my hair, have lunch and dinner, and call me to come in to see this or that on myspace or limewire.

Finally got to go on the computer after 11:30, and am enjoying the peace and quiet and darkness.




I spent a few moments with my camera, as you can see. Lots more pics, but here's just a few. My stab at coming out of the anonymity shadows, for today anyways.

I'm slowing discovering some cool things that it can do, like give me a tan when I don't really have one. How cool is that??

Considering this is my first digital camera, I continue to be amazed at the possibilities, and the ease at which mistakes can be erased.

Age is All Relative

The internet does not lie! Here's the latest quiz results for my upcoming birthday. Notice it says what age do you ACT? Could be interpreted in a few ways, I think! LOL!

You Are 29 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Whatever

So I started to write a blog about the past year, since my birthday is looming ever closer. Found it was too introspective, and melancholy, and decided I wasn't in the mood for writing such a blog today. Focus will switch to general stuff:

1. Still loving my pearls.

2. Still loving my new camera. Likely will become a mild obsession for a bit, and must guard against looking like the perpetual tourist.

3. Must get used to this new photo technology, and get over the fact that cropping and photo fixing feels like cheating.

3. Finished off the round of doctor's appointments for the week. YAY!

4. Today's appointment went very well...double yay!!

5. Stubborn mom has decided to prove idiot neurologist wrong about the you will suffer for a year, and actually had a few slightly better than usual days...triple yay!!!

6. Had the afternoon off, as I didn't want to go to back. Got my licence plate renewed. Had to lie and tell them I never received the renewal form, but actually lost it. Oddly, the process was easier than usual, since I didn't have to fill out any forms. go figure.

Bubble Bursting

After waiting for a few weeks for some help from the neurologist, we finally got in today. The visit lasted about 5 minutes, as he pointed out the nerve that's affected from a book- Nerve T12, and then proceeded to tell us that he's seen this many times before, and we can expect it to last a year, and there's nothing he can do.

He was one of those matter of factly doctors, like sorry about your luck, but you're in for a year of pain and misery, nice to meet you and goodbye.

OMG! We both left the office in a state of shock, neither wanting to cry for the other's benefit. This can't go on for a year, as she can't take the constant pain. I'm not sure what to do, but there's got to be something or someone that can help--maybe a naturopath.

After that, I thought a luncheon outing to the Casino might cheer her up, so we went directly there, had a decent lunch and lost a bit of money. More importantly, she got out of the house for about 3 hours.

I came home, and decided it was a great day to get out and cut the grass. After which I brought out my new camera. I should have brought the manual out too, as I couldn't find the digital macro mode, nor how to adjust the aperature settings. Found the former after re-reading the manual, but I haven't figured out how to do the latter.





Veranda Beach in Fall

Early Birthday Gifts

Got my Sunday morning Are you coming to class today and did you want to go out for kwaffee later? phone call. Little did I know there was more to this call than usual.

Being that the time had changed, and I had an extra hour to spare, I got to the gym early and was able to manage 27 minutes on the elliptical, which I hadn't done in over 2 months. Additional motivation was brought on by a step on the scale this morning, which showed I gained about 3 pounds...guess the bread, cakes and sugar is finally catching up, so I better start Mooving My AAss.

Went in to class to get ready, and Jewels came over to show Barb and me her latest creations. Out comes this delightful little turquoise silk bag, from which emerged the most beautiful silver earrings with pearls, swarovski crystals and hearts. The gorgeous matching necklace, also made of crystals, pearls, has a silver heart clasp. It was so beautiful--simple and elegant. As we sat there oohing and ahhing, Jewels whispered to me that it was my birthday present--a week early since she thought I needed a little pick me up, and that she'd been sad that I've been so sad.

I was so touched and am so touched, as I know how much thought and love went into this beautiful set, and the timing of it. Little Ms. Hawkeye actually missed that I had a few tears in my eyes at the start of the class. (And yes I am a little more visibily emotional than usual.)

Later in the afternoon, we went to Fairview Mall to go to Future Shop and Chapters, with a few stops along the way....finally got my digital camera, which is now charging, and I can't wait to play with it.

Snacks for the mall trip included: french fries, lattes, and pumpkin muffin/cake. Since all carried the recommendation of my fitness instructor, I'm sure they were all low cal and healthy. It was fun to get out!

Thank you so much for the beautiful birthday gift==I just LOVE my pearls and crystals and silver hearts-- and it's even more special since it was designed just for me.

Julie you are a real jewel of a friend!

Love,
Me

Aspiration of Becoming a Bag Lady

In my humble opinion, one can never have enough purses, or shoes or coats or jewellery. In that vein, got an invite to a Purse & Jewellery party, and attended this afternoon. House parties can sometimes be a duty or payback attend, but this one was genuinely one that I looked forward to going to. Firstly, since you can never have enough purses, secondly, because it was break from my everyday of Nurse Betty duties, work, and my other two allowable excursions of late--the gym and grocery shopping.

I invited another friend who also needed to get out, and gave her the heads up on how to shop for a purse at these parties. If you see something you like, grab it off the table, as what you see is what you get, and you can't place orders. Well we did pretty good, as we were walking around with about 3 or 4 bags in hand each, to ensure someone else didn't get our bags until we had firmly decided we didn't want them. I came away with a lovely Gucci style large Brown bag, with silver details. Jewels came away with 2 bags that she really LOVES, one large and one small.

I was thinking afterwards, what a great idea...to buy these knock off bags wholesale, and sell at these home parties, perhaps combined with other products, such as jewellery, shoes, hats, etc.

A good time was had by all, I think anyways...good snacks, good coffee, which I had way too much of, and a few laughs. It was so good to get out!

Is it Friday Already?

Another Friday is upon us. Is it me, or are the weeks just flying by? I thought time only flew by when you were having fun. It feels like it flies by regardless of where on life's fun-o-meter I am.

And still, I relish the thought of staying home and doing nothing tonight. It seems like such a treat, to hopefully, be able to sit, watch mindless nonsense on TV, have tea and cookies or whatever I can find in the cupboards.

Speaking of which, I'll have to go out and buy Halloween candy soon. I always get a few boxes of things, twice as much as I need, so I have leftovers. Of course, the least favourites are given out first, with the favourites, usually mini-bags of Fuzzy Peaches; Swedish Berries; Cherry Blasters; Sour Keys, left for me, with chocolates given out first. The chocolates are pre-sorted, with all the mini Coffee Crisps and some Aero's set aside for me. How anal is this? At least the special kids get special treats--a large size of their favourite chocolate bar, which I don't eat.

Here's to a quiet weekend.

GRRRRRRRR

This stupid fucker at work, has the nerve to say to me today that I'm his age--56. Or if I'm not his age, I've done a pretty bad job at taking care of myself. You ugly, stupid idiot, did you get dropped on your head as a child, or have your good judgement filter surgically removed?

After that he comes in to my office, because someone told him that perhaps that wasn't an appropriate thing to say, and he tells me he's sorry, but that he meant it as a complement, because "I know so much" . You ugly, stupid, fucking idiot...how can that be a complement? and I may look old to you, but I'm definitely not stupid, and I'm not about to let you off the hook that easily!

Being upper management, I couldn't really tell him what I thought of him, so I gave him the speel about: You cross the line often, and you're going to say the wrong thing to the wrong person, and get yourself in some serious trouble, and you better start thinking about what spouts out of your mouth before you say it. Stupid fuck, just doesn't get and responds, maybe I just gotta stop talking to you women.

This is the same guy, with the don't touch my caulk story. I'd heard stories this week from the big boss, that other staff members had complained about him leering at one of the temps, but he said they'd set him up and encouraged him. Being that the other staff members would really do that, stupid fuck was believed, and big boss tells me the story and makes it like the stupid fuck is the poor innocent victim.

Another girl came up to me afterwards, and said he was bugging her with stories about his Viagra prescription, and way too much information about why he needs it.

Big boss got an earful from me, about this jerk, and that perhaps a policy on appropriate office behaviour is in order.

Ashley Sightings

Today is National Be Kind to Ashley Day, and we shall remember it as such, since today is also somebody's boyfriend's birthday.

Ashleys have been spotted a few times today. Not Ashley crossed over into the Ashley zone, and wore her gym pants inside out for about 45 minutes in the S Factor class, before someone noticed, and ceremoniously announced to the ENTIRE class what I had done...my poor fragile battered ego. How shall I ever recover from this embarassment...do I dare ever show my face in class again

Then went to Canadian Tire to pick up a few things, one of which Tide Cold Liquid, they were sold out of ($4.74 vs regular $6.99). I asked Ashley 1 at the check out, if I could have a rain check. Big problem became what was the code, with Ashley 1 asking Ashley 2 how to get the code. They went to three computers, to try to find it, called the manager on the pager, to see if he remembered it off by heart, and this went on for about 5 minutes. As poor Ashley 1 became flustered, and waited/hoped for me to give up, as she looked at Ashley 2, I said I'll just go get the sticker off the shelf... I got a Duh why didn't I think of that look! Because you are Ashley.

I am Not Ashley, having recovered from a momentary cross over about 20 minutes before. Am I becoming Ashley?????

WTF?

Life sucks. When it rains it pours, etc...

As if suffering through pain for six weeks isn't enough, life decides to add insult to injury, and have my mother lose her wedding ring yesterday, which she's worn every day of her life for 49 years.

WTF???????????????????????????

Football Pool

For the second time in five weeks, I've won the football pool at work:

$150.00 in Week 1,
$140.00 in Week 5 (today).

Not a bad return for an investment of $25.00.

Clueless about Football Not Ashley Score 2
Pissed off Know it All Male Football Fans Score 3

Tee Hee!

Break Time

All in all, it was a pretty bad Thanksgiving. Wasn't able to attend the usual family dinners with the usual suspects, had to stay home and continue nurse maid duties.

It was compounded by my brain being taken over by Ashley, whispering in my ear what a great idea it would be to cook the turkey breast roll in a slow cooker. BAD IDEA! Absolutely disgusting, if I do say so myself. Probably the worst thing I've ever cooked. The home made stuffing was fabulous, so ate a lot of that plus a lot of mashed potatoes with gravy...carb junkie's dream meal. Way to go Ashley. I've decided Take Two is in order, so will attempt to find and cook a bird next weekend.

Decided that a much needed break, away from work, and away from nursing duties was in order, to boost my coping skills. Oh, and by the way, I do have a tough time accepting help, but it doesn't mean the offers aren't acknowledged or appreciated.

Today, took the day of work, did much needed stuff in the morning, like laundry and vacuuming, banking, and getting some of my stress out smashing olives with a rock.

Afternoon was spent at Green Bean, having lattes and oxygen and creme brulee and some carrot ginger soup, that took a few spoonfuls to grow on you. Thanks for hanging out with me Jewels, I so needed the break and the company.

Thanksgiving

So I'll admit that I'm prone to negativity and cynicism. Even more of late, being surrounded by the on going effects of shingles, which we found out yesterday at the hospital, have affected her like the 1 in 10 people who develop on-going chronic pain, that even a shot of demerol didn't help for very long.

But in the spirit of Thanksgiving, thought I'd try to at least come up with a few things that I'm thankful for:

1. Family & Friends
2. Health
3. Food on Table; Roof over Head;
4. Clothes and Shoes in Closets.
5. Coffee
6. Candy and Dark Chocolates

In no particular order, as their ranking is subject to change at any time.

Waxing Nostalgic

Came across the words Fuzzy Wuzzy, and couldn't stop thinking about the Fuzzy Wuzzy bath soap I had as a kid.

Thinking back, it was the most disgusting thing as I remember. It was soap in the shape of circus animals, that would grow hair or fuzz or fur,or fungus or some kind, after it had been used once and left out to dry. It also had a surprise toy inside, which I don't really recall what it was, but by all accounts on the internet, was also quite weird. Mine was a pink bear. I only had one, as once it grew fur, I didn't want to use it anymore.

Current Price of Fuzzy Wuzzy: $85

Memories: Priceless

I Am Green

Took a Self Test on www.mysticgames.com and found out that I am Green, as follows:

Which Color Are You?...
You are GREEN, the color of vitality. Green is the most unpretentious of colors. You are generous and kind, and you know how to cultivate all that is good in people. Your friends value your friendship because they know you are dependable, trustworthy, and true. You measure success by accomplishments and growth rather than occupation and prestige. Greens are admirable and uncommon people.

So I am Green, and not with Envy, and not because I need to throw up, but then again that description is a little nauseating.

It's Better to Look Good Than Feel Good

Or so says the old saying, but it's so much easier to just be, methinks

Case in point: Not Ashley's goddaughter has recently decided that my hair could do with a good straightening, since it was looking like an "Afro". Guess what, she was right, and I have now been sporting a pretty smooth (for me) hair do.

It is quite a change, to the point that some people don't recognize me at first, and I must admit that I've grown to like it over the past few weeks. I've been receiving lots of positive comments, so the Afro must go, at least for a while, anyways.

But damn, the Afro is so must easier--wash and wear, air dry, finger combing. Now, I must practice, as I can only get it to about 60% straight, as opposed to hairstylist Steph's 100%. She does it to 100%, and it turns to 90% by morning (which I prefer).

Sounds like a lot of work to me, as I've never been one to fuss with hair. Too much work and all thumbs!

New Mantras: It's better to look good than feel good! or ( It Ain't Easy Looking This Good).

LOL!