Well, after our first day of fun which she told you about, we had lots more. We did rent some movies, but hardly got through any of them as there were many distractions to be had.

Let's see, Monday a friend and her two little girls, 8 and 3, came over and played. We just painted and coloured and watched very little of a movie, but that was in the evening. Earlier in the day, we took all my bottles back, rented movies, did a little shopping, and sorted her bead collection into better containers. We maybe should have had some luggage specifically for her stuff, but that didn't happen so there are a lot of trips to the car to pack.

Tuesday was Princess Diaries. It's such a good show. I really should own that someday. I really do love the movie because I'm such an incredible sap. It's all good though. We went rollerblading on the sidewalk and my niece did really well. She only held onto the fence for the first time down the sidewalk and back and the rest was mostly hands-free. She fell a couple times, but then so did I. Good thing we got her new pads that fit her. The wrists guards from the new set really didn't fit as they were too small but everything else fit well. So I'm hoping her wrists guards will last a long time and she can grow from her current pads to the old big ones and keep on blading. And yes, I got some rollerblades and they're a lot of fun. The sales guy was poopy though. He didn't even repack the box for me after I'd tried them on. They're still good blades. We went for ice cream at the double decker bus that night with my friends and her kids again as they got along really well. We went for a walk along the river and went on some rides at Kinsmen Park. I had to have a nap because I was getting so tired. My niece was really great about it and watched TV in bed with me for about a half hour while I rested. We set up the table to do some painting, but never got around to it because our evening activities. Cheruby came over to watch Lemony Snickett's Series of Unfortunate Events with us, but my niece didn't make it through 10 minutes before sleeping so I carried her upstairs as she was a limp noodle (although much, much heavier). Cheruby and I then watched some Battlestar Galactica before sleeping.

The next day was full of fun and some interesting conversations between my niece and I. We picked apples at an old roommates house in the morning. It was really good to see him and his girlfriend. It was raining a little so we took the fabulous orange umbrella I got in Halifax. She doesn't know what it says so it was all good. Then we got home to find Cheruby home from work as he wasn't feeling well so we went for food at BP's and then over to swim for a bit at Cheruby's moms. Cheruby just slept in a comfy recliner on the deck while my niece and I swam. She really tested the deep end a few times and freaked me out, but I kept my patience and just had myself at the ready to bring her to safety. We had pool noodles so she mostly held onto those. She did freak herself out once, but I was right beside her to bring her a flotation device (pool noodle). After that, we spent some time in the shallow end at her request. We wrestled pool noodles (thanks, Ril), had contests about who could shoot water further, had back kick contests across the pool, and did other various watery things. After that, we drove straight to Nipawin where we had supper with my parents.

Everytime I go to Calgary, I run myself ragged trying to see everyone I miss so much. Of course, this only gets worse when I work every day that I'm there now. I'll start taking a day off in there so that I can enjoy myself and maybe get enough sleep. Just a thought.

I had a great time though. I always do. I did miss Bne as he was gallavanting on another continent, but that's his loss really. I got to see quite a bit of Clark and E&MM which was awesome. We picked up a barbecue that his company gave him and even though I wanted to take it home with me, it stayed in Calgary. I also got to see W&H&E which is always a good time even though it's usually on a weeknight when we all have to work in the morning so it's a short visit.

One of the best things about the trip was a chat with one of my coworkers in the Calgary office. I used to work with her very closely and had no idea what was going on when I first started on her team. So her behaviour which was induced by significant stress levels left me feeling as thought I was incompetent in some way. Of course, she wasn't in any kind of headspace to try to make better for herself let alone anyone because of the pressures of the business. I've grown up a lot since then and can take responsibility for my own actions and perceptions of the time in question which were very wrong. It was a really good chat and I did learn a lot from her, but for the most part, I just wanted out at the time. I almost quit and was blaming her. Now, I see it wasn't really her fault. There were circumstances that I knew nothing about and she had been so stressed for so long, she had become a different person than who she thought she was. I get that now. And I feel bad for putting all the blame on her, but I'm truly not stressed about it anymore. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to have that talk with her. I've wanted to for a very long time and it opened my eyes a lot.

I spent Friday night and Saturday with the family and drove home with my niece late on Saturday night. She only slept for a half hour and we finally got to Saskatoon at 3:30 or so in the morning safe and sound.

There was a house full of people when we got here, but I was expecting that. It was great to see everyone from Edmonton before they went home on Sunday.

Written by my niece and edited for spelling by Auntie:

Yesterday I went for breakfast with Auntie's friends from Edmonton. When we had breakfast the chef forgot my breakfast but that is OK. Auntie's pretty friend with red hair got them to bring my breakfast. And I had hash browns, bacon, and toast, but I didn't like the hash browns and bacon, but I loved the toast.

We went to Pike Lake and I went down the water slide by myself but the scariest part was going on the water slide backwards but then I turned around quickly. We went on a paddle boat last, but it was boring and hard and Auntie scared me by splashing the water and I thought it was a fish. And then Auntie and Cheruby were going to throw me in the water and then I got so freaked out. And I also saw three fish. They were only babies. And then we went in the pool another time.

We watched Hellboy before bed and ate kettle corn. Before that, we had cherries and grapes.

I must have been sleep-walking last night because Auntie told me I came downstairs and went right back up again.

Bye all.

Since I got to Calgary, I've been nursing my sunburn and whining about it a lot. I like to sleep on my tummy, you see. And it hurts so much that I can't so I'm waking myself just before I drift off because I roll onto my belly. [sigh] It's a hard life. [Visions of third world countries from those commercials going through my head.] My left breast also really started hurting today. Apparently, I was paying too much attention to my belly burn and neglecting my boob burn. Really hard life. [More flies crawling allover small stick like children with their distended bellies.]

So today, I got riled up at work. Someone from our client tech support center called a client at the request of one of my staff and told the client that my staff member's instructions were completely wrong, thus, discrediting her. Am I wrong to be this bothered by that? Because I am. I know she's not the easiest person to deal with when she upset and she's very much used to getting her way, but how rude is that?!?! In front of a client!! I'm going to have a very good, rational discussion about it on Friday and we'll get it all sorted out, but right now, I'm still too riled. Gggrrrrr...

On the plus side, it's great to get riled up again. I have two more days until I have no more theme song. [grin]

Yes, I'm crispy. But just on my left arm, neck, and breast. I was driving in my sports bra because it was hot. But I forgot to bring any sunscreen. Ooops. I did spend about 2 hours of the trip with my t-shirt draped over my left arm and it definitely helped, but I'm definitely still crispy.

Ferlak treated me to a fantastic supper when I got here. He's gone all healthy on us, folks! AND he's playing Katamari right now so I must go... I'm so torn though. Double XP weekend in CoH or Katamari? Is there an angel and devil in this situation or are they both devils? [grin]

Well, not really. I was planning on driving to Calgary today, but this and that happened and I'm going in the morning now. No plans were really made today so no harm done, and I'm feeling much better about getting a lot of stuff done this evening so I can leave my house in relative cleanliness for when I bring my niece back with me. [YAY!]

Got a few more chores to do like finishing up the laundry, vacuuming and dishes. All the rest like mowing the lawn, weeding the flower beds, most of the laundry, cleaning the litter, etc. are done already. I suppose I'm not doin' too bad. Of course, I haven't packed yet either and I'm only half done my "to pack" list. That list is optional.

I'm so looking forward to seeing everyone in Calgary. It's been way too long, actually. I even get to see my auntie because she will there from Edmonton. I think I'm going to have to start making trips to Edmonton like I do for Calgary with the staying a couple of days thing. I just hired another staff member there. YAY!

So, tomorrow, I start on my journey westward and hopefully I get there before the day heats up too much.

Cheruby and I got home this evening from our wonderful camping weekend and watched a movie.

Weekend notes: I finally got what being away from home with no worries does for my mom. My shoulders and neck were so much less tense. I slept beautifully for the first time all week. I met more of Cheruby's family and they were wonderful. Played a lot of games with Cheruby and his uncle. It was such a good visit.

Back to the movie. Cheruby wanted to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with me. I thought I remembered Clark telling me that I might not like it after he'd seen it. I trust his judgement on these things and he was right - I wasn't ready to see it. It would have really, really upset me. I think I would have appreciated the movie as being as beautiful as it was, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it much. Tonight wasn't that different except that I was with Cheruby and that made it good. The movie was, as Cheruby said, beautiful. I didn't once bring myself out of it to say, "That's Jim Carrey acting." Apparently, he can act! Besides that, it took me with it through the story of how a relationship failed even though there was love and then started again knowing that it failed the previous time. It had a great ending where you are left to decide for yourself how they end up. I said that it was wonderful and I never wanted to see it again. That was a few hours ago and I don't know if I'm still feeling that way. Maybe I do want to see it again.

ESotSM left me with three thoughts:

1. It was a really beautiful.


2. I didn't want that to happen to Cheruby and me. They started out so happy and went down the drain. I hated the thought of that happening to us.


3. I was scared of Cheruby's ex. "Was" being the operative word. Cheruby confidently told me that she has nothing to do with the success of our relationship. Yep, I'm in - hook, line, and sinker. [heart-flutter]

What counts as roughing it? Just an outhouse? Cuz that's what I'm doing. Going camping at a campground with no other amenities. I'm pretty excited about it. Or maybe I'm just excited to see Cheruby because he's been camping since Wednesday. [GRIN]

I'm worried about the kittens because the little gets pretty upset when I'm not around, but she's doing much better. She has that bump on her belly from her spaying operation, but she hasn't been licking it very much. The big brat has mellowed completely and although he's happy to see me when I get home, he doesn't fuss quite as much. I'm quite sure that the little one cuddles with him in the basement during the day.

The power was out in the house last night for a couple of hours. I was still tidying before heading out for the weekend. I finished up using a flashnight. Including catching the little one deciding to pee in the basket beside the toilet upstairs which ended up being all over me because I picked her up by the scruff in an effort to stop her. [sigh] We took a walk downstairs to the freshly cleaned litterbox in the hopes that this would be what she needed. I never had a single problem with the big brat. Then I did laundry which didn't turn on because the power was out so it just sat there and turned on when the power came back.

I haven't been sleeping well lately, which for some people is a normal way of life, but I'm having some trouble adjusting. So much trouble that I was awake for my whole massage last night. I had NO idea she beats me up so badly. It hurt A LOT! And then she tells me that she's taking it easy on me because I'm awake. Yikes! What the hell am I sleeping through? I have another appointment next week because my neck and shoulders are a mess so we'll see if I can get through it.

I know that this is a blatant abuse of my blog in order to promote discomfort and uneasiness in others, but Clark's 30th birthday is today and it would be awful to do to him what we did to Neuba's husband.

So, if you know this fellow, send him a note to taunt him that you know his secret. If you're close enough, you should give him a hug because he really loves hugs. ;)

So while I am absolutely smitten with Cheruby and I want to spend all my time with him, it seems that I'm neglecting some other very important obligations like yard work, house cleaning, laundry, City of Heroes...

Of course, with today all to myself I started at the top of the priority list and almost got Purrrsia to level 43. I got to play with Arkayne last night and today even! YAY!

The kitten still hasn't been able to remove her pain patch after her Tuesday trip to the vet to have her baby making bits and a dozen pointy bits removed. On Wednesday morning, I discovered a new perk of working from home. While I knew that my big brat really enjoys having me at home so he can go in and out all day, he was able to bring me a present to say thanks. Of course, I screamed loudly and he dropped his very large, freshly dead robin inside the back door. He didn't know what the heck was going on so I left the robin there and calmed him down and told him what a good boy he was. Then I went about the task of removing the dead bird from my house. [sigh] The little one came home later that afternoon and within 20 seconds of my holding her at the vet, she was purring. I was a little worried, but apparently didn't have anything to worry about. She's missed her pointy bits a few times, but I know she'll be fine.

The rest of my to do list will eventually get done, but I'm not going to rush myself. I'm going to enjoy the summer and love it. And spend as much time as I can with my friends, family and of course, Cheruby.

Did I have a good time at their wedding last year?

This should answer your question.

The weekend was a total blast! I got to get to know some new friends better. Cheruby came with me camping and we had a rockin' good time.

We had to drive up on Saturday morning so we left early enough (after having to borrow his mom's tent because my tent has gone missing from my basement - please let me know if you've seen it) to take the scenic route south of the Saskatchewan River from Saskatoon to North Battleford. It was very, very dusty. Cheruby's hair turned gray from all the fine dust sticking to it. Crazy! We were feeling pretty gross, but gas at Battleford was 99 cents and the gorgeous Saskatchewan scenery was well worth it.

Cheruby played in his first LARP on Saturday evening after a dip in the pool. He did very well and looked very dashing in his top hat and tux costume. I even think he's going to come with me again sometime. YAY!

There was some carousing after the game, but we were very tired from the day's travel and intense new experience. Of course, because it wasn't my tent my air mattress was a little big for the tent. In fact, it didn't fit well at all. We had a very small door opening left to crawl through once the mattress was full. I thought it was great.

The next day was full of napping, carousing, swimming (lots of swimming), frolicking, massages, fireworks and a wonderful round of "O! Canada". It was a lot of fun. Oh, I forgot to mention the games that were played. You can't get rid of all the geekery from a party of geeks even though there was a champagne fountain.

It was a great weekend.

So today was it. The last day of being the Saskatoon Location Manager at work. It was a volunteer position with some perks, but the best thing about it was that it kept me in the loop. So now I have to make that extra effort to not be reclusive and on my own in the corner.

I had lunch with my successor and I showed her most everything that I've done over the last two year in the role. There's lots of organizing and planning and thinking of others. I loved letting everyone know that they were appreciated for what they brought to the office in terms of humour, attitude, and community. I really feel like the Saskatoon branch is a small community within the company even though we have 11 different managers for 15 staff in the office. It sounds segregated, but we have such a wide range of talents in the office that we can utilize all of them.

There is one last task set in front of me. What do I think Saskatoonians would excel at. The only answer I could come up with was, "Anything we try, we will be good at." Of course, that's just how I feel about Saskatchewan in general. I need to look at what training courses are offered here and what direction the company is moving in. I think we'd be great at a lot of things.

Although I'm going to miss it, I'm glad that I can concentrate on my day job again.

I had a total of 13 houseguests this weekend. It was great! I think I've finally learned to just relax and enjoy my guests' company instead of playing perfect hostess which makes me anal and uncomfortable to be around.

There was partying and carousing and they've learned that I sleep like the dead so they can do pretty much as they please til whatever time they please without disturbing me. I also like to make them breakfast. There would have been fudge too, but I didn't quite get around to it. Ah well, hopefully for next weekend when I go to visit them.

I also went dancing for the first time in years. It was sooo great! All the goths were little and cute and I loved them all. I hope they didn't realize that I was smiling at them and how cute and serious and angsty they were. Then there was the cleavage!! Oh my! And I really saw that some people are not born with rhythm in any way, shape or form. Joints and other pointy bits sticking out into unoccupied air space around them not in time with the music except by coincidence. But since dancing isn't about how you look while doing it - more power to them for doing it!! I smiled and danced and danced and smiled. I could feel the beat in my sternum for some songs and belly for others. Makes me feel so alive and invigorated. I danced for about an hour which made me pretty happy.

I also saw the little brother of a friend of mine that I hadn't seen in ages and ages. He, the lil bro, was hardly recognizable with all the piercings and the mohawk, but he was still just as cute as ever. He's leaving for Rome in 11 days. And he has a job waiting for him when he gets there. I'm so excited for him. He was absolutely bouncing with energy. It's funny though. The thing that made me 98% sure it was him was that he smoked like his brother! Of all the habits to pick up... It's good to see that even though his face, hair, and habits have changed, he still shines from the inside out. He always did.

Now that Cheruby's life has ended as well, we are much better suited for each other. ... I thought it was funny.

I took a few days off work to spend with Jeremy for his 30th birthday. I presented him with the vision of something from his imagination - one of his favourite made up super heroes. His name is Lamp-post Man. I also wrote a short story about the man that became Lamp-post Man in a ill-fated accident with a radioactive lamp-post. I commissioned the drawing from his friend who draws. I was very pleased the outcome. Cheruby seemed to like it so I was happy.

The birthday party was on Wednesday night at Maguire's Pub and we had a really good time. There was much drinking and music. His string quartet played for a while and then there was an Irish music session. He played a lot which left me to fend for myself among all his friends. I did pretty well, but it was tiring. I chatted with someone I met in high school United Nations. She's the same as I remember. She's teaching music in Kuwait right now on a two year contract. Eep! I can't imagine being away from home for that long. Between her and Cheruby's roommate, I had two people in the room I was relatively comfortable with that weren't playing music.

There was a good moment between me and another girl I just met. Someone said that they wouldn't be able to have a tantrum. Pause. Then this other girl and I said in unison, "But those are so - much - fun." We paused at the same places when we realized we were saying the same thing. Of course, I won because I apologized for not bringing my tin foil hat before she did. I don't think she was going to, but it was still odd.

The strangest part was meeting all these people that love Cheruby's ex-girlfriend, including her parents. Obviously, Cheruby and her are still friends and she's a good friend, but it was still had me feeling a bit like an outsider. I didn't feel that way by the end of the night though which was awesome. I didn't even have a drink to make me relax and not be a spaz. Woot! I'm actually starting to look forward to meeting her. She sounds like a great person. Of course, don't let this delude you into thinking that I starting out wanting to meet her. It's been a journey and I'm glad to be at this end of it.

The rest of the trip through Cape Breton was so beautiful. We drove up the eastern shores of Bras D'or Lake to Sydney and Louisbourg. While I wish we'd had more time to go hiking and more time to walk around sites, we had to settle with driving by a lot of very cool things.

I kept thinking that people I know should come here because it's so beautiful. I didn't send very many postcards, but Peggy's Cove left me speechless and awestruck and feeling completely at peace. I thought of Neil Gaiman's American Gods as I sat there. What was it about that place?

The other thing that I kept being reminded of through my travels through the countryside of Cape Breton was, "No, but the deer looked kind of crazy though." You tell me...

That sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it's not. Surprised? Heh.

So tonight, only four of us dined together at a restaurant called the Five Fisherman. They have a salad and fresh steamed mussel bar. WOW! Fresh steamed mussels are fabulous! No squish-pop at all. None. And they tasted really delicious as well.

We had this waiter whose name was Sean. He didn't seem real nice at first and I thought I was going to have a miserable time. The first of us ordered and the salad and mussel bar is complimentary with any entree. She mentioned the mussels and asked if he would brought them to her or if she had to get them herself. After some discussion, he said that he'd bring hers to her. It was quite cute. And going in order of age, the second person ordered. She too mentioned she wanted the salad and mussel bar at which point, Sean interrupted and said politely, "The salad and mussel bar is complimentary with each entree." Without missing a beat, the woman replies, "Right, shut up then. Got it." Sean, who had been all too serious up until now, doubled over with laughter and admitted, "You got me. I'm not a nice person." He might have used stronger language but it's already fuzzy in my memory. The night was much more interesting and fun from that point on. Sean was a big flirt. We tried to make conversation with him, but he said, "We'll chit chat later. I just got two new tables." It was how he did it. Real charismatic, this guy, but really not nice. So, he reminded me of a certain ex-waiter friend of mine. He'll be nice to you because you'll pay him well if he acts the way he's supposed to. We still knew he was being nice to us to get a big tip. We didn't disappoint. 15% on the bill to expense (cap) and an extra 10% in cash from us. We really liked him.

And you'll never guess who was one of his new tables - the phone guys from work! They were sitting in the table across from ours. We ran into them in the office yesterday. And even though we were from across the country, we all knew him because he'd come to each of our locations to do phone upgrades. Really good guys.

Our initiative meeting was this morning. This is the reason we were all brought to Halifax. We were charged with the task of gathering the opinion of the masses across the country about a new initiative that we're trying to bring about. Of course, we're trying something new - telling the staff about the change before it's all planned out so everyone can have a say in what they think might or might not work. It's a struggle because we've never done this before, but at the same time, it's the right way to do things because all the employees of the company come up with great ideas and it's hard to find a workplace that values us that much.

One of the great things about the meeting was that we know things are going to happen differently because of what was said. One programming project is being stopped so the work doesn't have to be done. Of course, Saskatoon has a much different culture than all the other branches, but it's something that we love and we have cultivated. We are planning on growing and I hope that we keep that same environment. I'm going to try my best to do that because it's important to me.

We also got some parting gifts from our director. The note we got with it made me cry, of course. I'm such a sap. I just feel so lucky.

And I say "lucky", but I know that isn't it. I worked for it and I've been rewarded beyond my expectations.

We just got back from the Press Gang restaurant and I thought of many of my friends. Stone walls and wooden beams were the decor with candles everywhere, including a wrought iron chandalier. There was a little alcove in the back for two with a curtain that could be closed for extra privacy. There was a wall with holes in it that fit candles and the wax had been let to drip down the stone. I have pictures so I hope they turned out okay.

The food was spectacular. I started with the beet salad which was on a bed of feta surrounded by a turret asparagus spears. For the main course, I had the blackened halibut with dill sauce. And dessert was the Chocolate Caramel Parfait. [sigh] It was so good and so filling.

We actually got shushed in the restaurant because we were being too loud. What do you expect when you get 10 women together from across the country who are all outspoken and outgoing and opinionated? Oh and a company executive and a company director were there buying wine too. It was so much fun.

Let me start with the fact that life is really good. I know that I've been saying that for a while now, but it's still true so I'm going to keep saying it.

I got to see mom on Wednesday and I think she stayed longer than she meant to at my house so she could meet Cheruby. Sneaky mom. We sat outside and talked and talked and she told me about her trip that she's going on sometime in the next two years. She sat in her egg chair and I laid on my hammock. It was beautiful. I don't think I'm going to be able to hunt the rest of the dandelions before I leave for Halifax on Tuesday morning.

Cheruby and I have been spending lots of time together. This week, he learned that intending to play City of Heroes for an hour meant playing for three hours. Heh. I wasn't playing, he was. I had to get him hooked on it somehow. [grin] And I got to meet his cousin this week who said that I was too good for Jeremy. Apparently, he thought I was pretty and smart and funny. And that I've got to be cool because I play video games. I don't think that's cool criteria myself, but it goes with the rest of me that is pretty cool. I'm not good at video games, I just like to play.

I've been seeing more of her and Neuba's honey which is nice. There has a resurgence of his D&D game and we've invited Batty to play with us as well. Batty and I have been going through withdrawal since our GM moved to Calgary. PPbbbbbbbbbbttthhhh...

I'm feeling very blessed.

We finally made it off the couch to do some qigong on Friday night. We did it outside which was completely amazing. I get so ... energized, which isn't quite the right word for the feeling, that I can't meditate on it for very long. She usually does that part at least twice as long as me. I think the problem is that I can't seem to focus the energy anywhere, it just seems to explode everywhere and I have to get rid of it some how to feel not out of control - subtle but important difference from in control.

Then I made supper for her and Cheruby before we sat down to some BSG including the season one finale which shocked me. Then the jerks wouldn't let me watch any of season two. Booo!

I was awake for a few hours yesterday, but only because I had to be and was rewarded with flowers and lunch. And I took up hunting my dandelions with a very big knife today. Two and a half hours later, I have cleared out approximately 16 square feet which isn't very much of my infested yard. More hunting later.

This evening I was supposed to do some Kung Fu with her, but we decided that sitting on the couch and being lazy and watching Six Feet Under was a much better plan.

While we were watching the first season's finale, Cheruby phoned just to see how I was doing. What a sweetie! I love moments like these when someone else lets me know that they were thinking of me. These are the things that can make my day completely spectacular whether it was a bad or good day prior to the event. [GRIN]

It takes a lot for me to call in sick and yet, that's what I did today. How does one decide whether or not you are sick enough to not work? I don't really think today was as bad as I wanted it to be, but decided today I wouldn't be good at work even though I felt guilty because I had a team meeting which I know my staff arrange themselves around a little bit. Grrrr... So I'm mad at myself for letting them down a tiny bit. I'll have to send out an email for the items that can't wait for two weeks. Dang.

The stupid dumb luck part of the day was that I answered my cell phone which woke me from my slumber at 1:30 this afternoon because it must be important or I wouldn't be getting a call. Yep. It was the Vice President of my department at work who I haven't had a chance to speak to personally yet, but have heard a lot of good things about. And I'm at home babying myself because I didn't feel well enough to work. He let me go back to bed after discovering my state of being so I don't even know what it was about.

It's reminiscent of the first time the Director of my department decided to do a surprise drop-in on Saskatoon to visit his three staff here. One was on vacation, one was on jury duty, and I was feeling really ill so I went home early. Then I got a call at home from him letting me know he was in the city. Sheesh!

When looking at it from another perspective, one might think I call in sick a lot if on two important occasions, I just happen to be out of the office ill. But I trust that my reputation at work will precede me and that wouldn't have been the thought at all.

The past week has been quite busy. In that exhaustion-inducing way trying to do everything can be. I'm going to take it easy for the rest of the week or at least Thursday to recuperate from all the busy.

In trying to do everything I wanted, I seemed to get quite a bit accomplished at work last week even though I was in a different branch. I went swimming with the kids in my new fancy bathing suit. And had supper with two good friends in Calgary and their little girl who is very cute. Spent some time with a friend of mine from high school. And helped someone buy a new office chair. Heh. Because maybe we threw out his old one.

The drive home in the rain was fun. I was so happy to see Cheruby when I got into Saskatoon. All my fears about just being with someone have been put aside. While there is no label for our relationship besides that we are seeing each other, it's still good. Although, he got his first taste of crazy today because I haven't eaten enough and was getting all anxious about my to do list this evening. I've had some Nerds since then, but nothing substantial. I'm still proud of having noted my craziness while still in it. My powers of communication are completely shot though. A simple conversation has been very difficult for me.

Hmmm... it seems that I have less friends than I thought in Saskatoon. Everytime I look at my list of frequently called numbers, I keep running into a peculiar problem - they're mostly long distance. When did that happen?

The weekend was spent in the fabulous company of Cheruby with some naps and X-Men 3 with friends and TV and games with Neuba thrown in. I eventually had to sleep yesterday, but it was great while it lasted.

It's funny how talking about the people I know with the other people I know about what I read on so-and-so's blog has become a natural part of conversation and keeping up with friends. When I get busy and don't have time to read every day or two or seven, it takes me a few hours to catch up. Like now. I just spent the last few hours reading and commenting on other's blogs. I feel like I've spent some time with each one of those friends and they don't feel so remote anymore. I know a bit of what's going on in their life. I know that I can't possibly actually know how they are really doing without actually spending time with them in some way, but at three in the morning, it's the best I can do.

I was touched by the personal exposure that some people shared. One of my co-workers took the time to read some of my blog and asked how I could put so much personal information out there. What have I got to hide from the world? I learned a long time ago that the world doesn't revolve around me and that mostly, I'm the only one that thinks about me that much. That actually takes a lot of pressure off me to be perfect. No one expects me to be perfect and doesn't spend time thinking about all the ways that I'm not perfect.

Did I mention that I've been feeling really happy lately. I've got a lot of good things going and I've started figuring out how to just be happy without trying to find the next big flaw in me to correct.

I've got a lot of good things going and a lot of really great friends and family to share it with.

Today, we started out with breakfast at Phil's. That prompted a story about chemical drain dissolvent. You'll have to ask TUO is you want to know. Brunch was good and it was exactly what we needed before heading out to the zoo.

I took lots of pictures and played with my video capabilities on my phone. I ended up deleting the videos of the snow leopard because I didn't have a lot of room on my camera. They were good videos, but I got a lot more pictures. Camels, baby muskox [delighted squeal], monkeys, elephants, baby big horn sheep, a gigantor snake [shudder], hippos [YAY!], giraffes, tigers, and so much more.

It was a good day and my previous unhappiness at seeing all those animals in cages was much less this time, but probably because I was waiting for it and squashed it quickly. It just seems so wrong.

All the walking and sunshine made for a sleepy Suzi. I'll try to post my pictures later.

I know that I like to talk. And talk and talk and talk. But I can't hold a candle to my dad. I mean, WOW! He's incredible at the amount he can talk. We drove to Calgary together last night and there wasn't any music or any other distractions. The only silence I got was when he was eating and he's trying to eat less so that means talking more. He managed to get me all fired up about something which means I have to talk loudly and more forcefully. That's the easy part when I get passionate about a topic. Mostly, it was just so that he wouldn't interrupt me and try to explain something else about what I was saying. (I have to get it somewhere. [grin])

Great Allergy Man has now threatened my dad's life many times. It seems that when I have an energy drink, I don't shut up when I get excited. And I was very excited to be in the company of so many good friends. Wheeee! I was so tired that I was able to sleep anyway once I managed to be quiet for five minutes. Of course, I woke up and still felt giddy and giggly. There is too much tired in the late night and early morning for this much cute. [happy dance]

Being surrounded by the friends I've made over the years was so amazing yesterday. Not everyone could make it, but they were with me in spirit. Especially my dad, Cenobyte and family, Cheruby, and my brother and family.

I learned so many great things are going on my friends' lives that I didn't know about yet. An engagement, a bid on a first house, a job interview, new opportunities, a possible reunitement, etc. So many good things happening for so many people. Oh, and an invitation to a D&D game. Sweet!

Forty people came out to help me celebrate and five people had well wishes via other mediums including a lovely phone call with my grandma in the morning and my dad calling from the road singing happy birthday to me.

And once again, I was surprised at people getting me presents. You'd think that I'd learn this one. The celebration of my birthday was supposed to be the present to me. That doesn't mean that the stuff i got wasn't incredibly neat and cool and delightful and appreciated. I got gardening stuff for my new favourite hobby, a hammock, an acre of rain forest, frog magnets, Lego knights, magnetic poetry, Logan's Run, thanks for inspiring a friend, money, a silk scarf, a glass bead necklace, balloon animal menagerie, Satsuma essential oil set, chocolate covered almonds, etcetera. And what meant the most was the well wishes from everyone. I cried several times throughout the day for good reasons and none for bad reasons.

And last but not least, showing my age by showing you how much I love this particular piece I found on Nueba's blog.

And lastly, I didn't have a chance to tell everyone why I wanted to celebrate my birthday with so many people. I wouldn't be the person I am today without the influence of all my family and friends and their experience and support and constancy. Thank you everyone for everything you've been through with me in the past 30 years. You mean the world to me.

Thanks very much to Drang and his tallness, I now have patio lanterns in my back yard! YAY! They're awesome and I can't wait to test them out tonight.

Cheruby, as he will thusly be known, is leaving on a jet plane to Vancouver tonight. A trip planned much in advance, but he did give me a birthday present yesterday. Cosmic Cows. Sounds right up my alley, eh? It's a cross between Yahtzee and beaming cows up to your alien space ship. What's not fun about that? Heh. I'm really going to miss him.

The little one has learned how to open the screen door by herself when she wants to come outside to see me. Today this resulted in my opening the screen door as her paws were in it. She was practicing her technique. The she ran under Drang's car as he was preparing to leave.

When I sent out my birthday invites, I know that I asked for RSVPs. Only about a quarter of those people actually RSVP'd. And if all the people that didn't RSVP that I expect to show up anyway actually don't show up, I'm going to have a lot of leftover food and drinks. Pirates don't keep that well.

I had a really funny thought the other day after my dad told me that he didn't think he was going to make it to my party. I completely understand that he can't hear that well anymore and it's even worse where there are a lot of people talking. So I thought, "What could I do to make it better for him?" I came up with the perfect solution! Invite Cenobyte's dad! They could sit together and say, "What was that again?" or "Can you repeat that? I didn't quite catch it." Heh. Of course, I didn't buy any Pil for Cenobyte's dad so chances of him showing are slim, but still, the mental image of those two in the corner hoping that everyone they were talking to would just yell so they could make out the words. I have no idea whether Cenobyte's dad is hard of hearing, but it's funnier if he is. Then I imagined them not getting along and having two old guys in two different corners of the yard. Or getting into a fistfight which is just as amusing to me.

Didn't I hear that somewhere? Life ends at 30? LOL I'm just poking all you REALLY old folks out there like cenobyte, tuo, R:tAG, etc. Oh, I suppose my mom fits in that category too, but she's so young at heart that I forget how old she is most of the time.

My to do list in the next few days isn't that long either - final food and drink arrangements, vacuuming, picking up the last of the borrowed items, string up patio lanterns and get a massage. Sweet!

And I have a date tonight. Too bad he won't be in Saskatoon for my birthday party. One of my friends has asked me several times when she gets to meet him so we're playing Shadows Over Camelot tonight. Great game so we should have a good time.

I'm going to try to get my running around done today so I'll be home all day tomorrow to do whatever I please. Maybe even play some City of Heroes.

Well, I have to say that I'm very, very happy. You may have noticed that already what with two weeks of nothing but sickeningly sweet posts about my dating. We had another date last night which I think went very well. The new Battlestar Gallactica movie is quite good and creepy.

So, I have been doing other things besides going on dates lately. I formed my garden yesterday and the cats are doing their best to destroy it. There was spray painting of plastic leaves yesterday to make "laurel crowns" for work next week. Planting of peas also happened although nothing else. I noticed just now that my callalily that she gave me for my birthday is already poking through the soil on my computer desk. I made something grow!! And my little one is getting very big indeed. My mom came to visit last week and I should get to see her again today. A dear friend came into the city and we went to an expo at Centennial Auditorium which was interesting. Getting the last of party details all lined up so I have a worry free weekend with nothing to cause me stress.

I'm so happy.

Last night was another fabulous date. Oh my goodness, my belly is still full of happy little butterflies. [sigh]

We went to a ceili, an Irish dance. He was playing for parts of it and came to dance with me for parts of it. I learned three Irish dances last night and had a blast. I got to laugh at myself and have fun as a bunch of us were learning the new dance. There were some people who knew what they were doing which was very helpful for me to see how it's supposed to be done. I picked everything else up fairly quickly. I liked the Haymaker because I got to stomp my feet. Heh.

The kids running around on the dance floor for the first part of the evening were great. There was one kid who would lay "sleeping" under the tables by the stage and the other kids would come partway to the front until the "wolf woke up" and then they'd scream and run to the back of the hall. They played that one for a while. And they played Duck Duck Goose and they played some form of tag that I remember playing, but don't remember the name of. It's the one where if you get tagged by the It person, you have to stand there with your arms out until someone runs under one of them so that you're free. It wasn't as good as dodgeball, but then again, what is? [grin] They offered me great entertainment along with the really wonderful music.

I feel so young with this whole dating thing. It's fun and it's odd to think that I'm going to be 30 next weekend and still dating. The two ideas aren't congruent to me, but I suppose that's just a product of having my parents married since forever and my brother having his first kid at the same age my mom was when he was born. Apparently, 23 is the ideal age for your first child, or so my mom's doctor told her when she was pregnant with my brother. I'm a little behind the times. Of course, the doctor could have just been settling my mom's fears. Either way, it's what I believe and it makes me feel young.

The best thing about dating this guy (I've let myself start calling him Sweetie), is that I'm not afraid of getting hurt. The knowledge is there that it's a possibility as with any risk, but I've been wonderfully naive to it this time around. It could end at any moment and I'd be hurt, but I'm savouring ever wonderful moment of starting this relationship.

My coworkers actually used the word sickening in regard to my skipping and beaming around the office. Don't care - they can suck it up.

You can do your part by talking to at least one unstable person.

And if you read my blog, you must be slightly off. [grin]

I was driving at the speed of light down 8th Street tonight.

Okay, so I was skipping around the office this morning. I'm having a hard time finding words to describe how I'm feeling because I haven't tried to analyze it to death. I've just been enjoying it. Submersing myself in the excitement and not worrying about ifs and whens. No doubts, just looking forward to the future whatever may come.

Having said all that, I'd like to thank all you folks out there that taught me strategy. All those games I played and lost - apparently, I'm not good enough to beat any of you, but I'm good enough to have beginner's luck at some new games that require some strategy.

Tonight, the young man and I played Acquire which, as he puts it, is a game they made back when they tried to teach business strategy through board games. Hotel chains, mergers, and stocks are all part of this game. And guess what? I won. Heh. It's so silly. I could feel the competition monster rising in my chest, but there was so much random luck involved rather than just my skill, I couldn't really be upset about anything.

I'm enjoying myself so thoroughly that it doesn't matter about anything else.

I was quite excited that I was invited to make up a goblin tonight. It was like being asked if I wanted to be his girlfriend, but not quite. I'm not even sure what to call him yet except the guy that I'm dating. That's all it is, but I don't like things not being more ... stable. But that's the silly in me coming out. Not wanting to wait to see how things turn out and yet wanting to take things slow so that I can savour every moment. [sigh]

My coworker giggled at me today when I skipped back to my desk. I hadn't really noticed that I'd done it.

In other news, some significant items have left my house and gone to my ex-roommate's new place. YAY! There is an upset poor kitty in my sewing room because her momma is also moving and needs a safe place for her baby so the building manager doesn't see her. My mom is coming to visit this week. YAY! And my birthday party is in less than two weeks. HUZZAH!!

Oh and I had to tell my chiropractor that I'm kind of dating someone so maybe I shouldn't meet the guy he wanted to set me up with. He said that the news lead into what he needed to tell me - the guy is also seeing someone! Unfortunately, he won't be able to make it to my birthday party as he has a very important AGM to attend that day. Poopy. I'll live.

And I've had lots of invites as short-notice as they are, from an old friend. They have been very welcome invites out to things so I hope that one of these times, I can make it.

Relationships are unpredictable beasts. Before any alarms are raised, I'm still floating on cloud nine, but I'm just wondering if I'm missing anything that I should have noticed by now.

I'm dating. Actually dating. I've never done this before. I've always known the person I dated before we started dating - ran in the same social circles or became friends with through organized activities, then we would mutually decide that there is also an attraction to our friendship. So this dating thing is really new.

I feel like there is much less at stake this way so I have a lot of freedom to choose the right thing for me without the worry of upsetting someone else besides the person that I'm dating.

There are so many things I don't know about all this. Most of all - me! I've noticed in the past that sometimes I have really been excited about dating a new guy, but then two weeks later realize that there is nothing between us because I was only excited about dating someone. Only it's just been me who felt that way. The guy still really liked me. I've been doing some internet reading, because everyone is an expert on dating, and it's pretty common that most people go through that re-evaluation at the one-month mark. I must just be more advanced than most. Heh.

So I know all this is normal babble, but I needed to get it out of my system so that I didn't go crazy in the meantime while all my feelings and emotions sort themselves out.

Tonight's festivities included the making of a risotto which took forever leaving us to talk for a long while it cooked. After supper, we played a game of Theophrastus which I won. ha-ha!

Then we watched About Schmidt which was like watching a very slow train wreck. Apparently, Schmidt's act of sending money to a starving child overseas was supposed to redeem him of all the crappy things he thought were the right thing to do. I can see the message, but it certainly didn't touch me at all. I enjoyed watching it in the company I was in, but I probably would've completely hated it otherwise. Next time, we should watch Battlestar Galatica.

And yes, there will be a next time. [grin]

It was just as good as I'd hoped. Smiles and giggles and laughter and games and food and history and feeling the same about each other. It was really good.

Did you hear that everyone?

I just went on a really fabulous date!

JOY!

I know I'm being optimistic and hopeful, which may ultimately end up in my disappointment. I'm choosing to completely envelop myself in these excited feelings. They're so much more pleasant than the ones of worry and concern and constant theoretical questions that have no answer. I'm just excited and enjoying every minute of it.

Of course, I don't know if I even want a relationship right now because I'm feeling so fantastic on my own. I'm sure I will by the time one comes along.

No questions, please. I don't have answers.

Bah! I have work tomorrow.

The past four days have been absolutely wonderful. I had a spa day on Thursday. Friday included gardening, a nice walk, and a house party. Saturday had me driving to Lumsden to visit some friends which was wonderful. And on Sunday, I talked to friends for most of the day and gardened some more and played City of Heroes.

And now, I have to sleep so I can have a fabulous week!

I'm glad that I don't like not having challenges in my life. I whine about them enough, but when I don't have them it's even worse! I'm not saying that I like being stressed out all the time, but there are some challenges that are just exciting and they come with stress too, but I don't notice it as much.

And I make my own challenges, I don't wait for them to happen to me. I choose it all! I've always accepted responsibility for my life, but I sometimes forget that I get responsibility for the good things in my life too.

I will take credit for choosing who I consider friends, but I am very fortunate they feel the same way. Friends are great for telling you the things that you can't necessarily see about yourself - good and bad. And they like you anyway.

My house has a bunch of projects that need doing so that'll keep me homebound for the next little bit, but I'm pretty certain that I'll be feeling like travelling again after my birthday. Maybe a quick trip to Calgary would be in order!

The day started out bad and just got worse. Lots of little things went wrong and I didn't get mad at any of them and I tried the mantra, "Today is going to be a good day." It just kept me a little more level. I was looking forward to the evening events and then those didn't go as planned either.

And then an hour with a friend turned it all around.

Gardening: 8 hours
Birthday party preparations: 12 hours
City of Heroes: 8 hours
Time with friends: 6 hours
Sleeping: 32 hours
Errands, chores, and all those other things: 6 hours

What a fantastic weekend!

My backyard looks fabulous!! I've still got some work to do, but I got done a huge chunk today so that it finally looks decent. And I tossed two bags of debris from the backyard. So utterly fabulous! I'll probably be too sore tomorrow to do the front yard, but maybe I'll get my taxes done then.

My old roommate would be very proud. Oh! That reminds me, I need to tell him that his rhubarb is coming up nicely.

The sunshine today was incredible. Maybe that's why I feel so motivated in the spring for about two or three weeks. The return of the sunshine.

This is one thing you miss when you have weather all the time - seeing life come back to the world around you. I truly love living in Saskatoon.

I'm still laughing so hard that I can barely breath, let alone type.

So, being cheeky as I sometimes get when I'm in a good mood, I answer the phone in a non-standard manner by saying "Bonjour." No call display since I was upstairs but I fugred, who could possibly be phoning me that wouldn't be likely to understand my playing.

National Census Agency.

Taking a poll on the English and French language usage.

Nope, I'm not making this up.

I had to suppress my shock and surprise before interrupting the French dialogue I was eventually going to have to respond to. I laughed really really hard when he re-introduced himself in English. He apologized to me because he thought I'd answered in French. I confessed that I had. It confused him, the poor sot. And I laughed some more. In fact, I think I giggled through the whole call. I felt obliged to answer his questions after confusing him so badly. He actually asked me twice during the call why I'd answered in French. Ummmm... All I could come up with was that I was being cheeky.

My tummy hurts from laughing so hard.

It's been one of those days and it's not even over yet!

I've had a great, exhausting day today. I had to do performance reviews with my staff all day. It's tough! My opinion matters a lot to my staff. There is always something people can do better, but they know better themselves what they need to improve upon. Anyway, there was no screaming from any of my staff about their reviews which was nice. However, one of my staff broke down in tears because she was so happy with the review. It's one thing to say it out loud, but to put it in writing and back it up with a good merit raise is another. She was extremely happy. She makes me glad I'm a manager - her manager.

So on the heels of that, I come out to my desk to find a candy bouquet on my desk. Two of my co-workers decided that they wanted to thank me for all I do around the office so they brought me a little surprise for the weekend. (I have to be at work a lot this weekend as we have a third party vendor working in our server room.) It was enough to bring to tears after my tiring day so I went and hugged them both.

And now I'm just waiting for a phone call from a friend of mine who I haven't spent time with for quite a while. I'll probably cry then too.

I know you're just dying to hear about this one. So, today, he showed me his belly where he has a small mark from where the taped up knife that he and his friend were playing with wounded him. Apparently, yesterday, they were playing with the same said knives and there was actual blood. But only his friend ruined a shirt... this time. I was laughing so hard.

Opening the post with, "So my chiropractor showed me his weapon," was my original intention, but I thought that might get some seriously disturbed comments from the viewing audience. Heh.

The knives were pretty cool, I have to say. There was a scorpion blade and the Riddick blades. Very cool.

Anyway, I asked about the "guy". It's a massage therapist. How bad would it be to date a registered massage therapist? [grin] Anyway, he'll be on display attending my birthday party next month.

I've got a cat asleep on the bed next to me and one purring in my lap making cute noises of complaint every time I move.

I made plans to go to a movie on Thursday after I have drinks with co-workers. I took someone's advice that I wouldn't normally take as his advice isn't typically all that good. I called some people. Well, maybe only one additional person. I'll call other people later in the week - spread out the time I spend away from my cats. Heh.

I think I know why I have the blahs - the endless to do list for work. I keep saying I need a vacation, but what I really need is time away from my email and my phone at work so I can get some work done. I've been avoiding all the things that I could put off before because there were more pressing things to do. Now that things are back to the "it would be nice to get these things done" list. Some of those things are actually becoming more important than that list, but it's a really tough transition to the "must be done now" list. It usually ends up skipping that list and going to the "MUST BE DONE RIGHT F-IN NOW" list which is a list that doesn't have anything on it for very long. Probably have to put something on that list tomorrow. But hey, that's tomorrow.

Did I mention that I'm trying to save money and I suck at it? Okay, I don't suck that much at it, but I could be better. I did manage to walk out of Michael's today and spending less than $5. But Canadian Tire and Future Shop had already stung me. I got some pants hangers and some fluorescent light bulbs and then 3 movies at Future Shop. Chronicles of Narnia came out today and I really like that movie. So I got it. The special addition with pretty metal case.

It's late and I'm really hungry. And I have cucumbers in the fridge just screaming to be eaten. Literally. They're really annoying and are going to get it good in just a few minutes.

Since I haven't really done anything outside of work in the past few weeks, I don't have much to report. Playing with kittens and playing City of Heroes is about all I've done lately.

I should probably get out more. I feel like a charity case though. I would like to spend time with my friends but I never made time for them before a certain someone moved to Calgary so why should they make time for me now? I don't think that's terribly fair of me. Maybe I'll figure it out next week.

Well, it's almost a musical. The big brat is doing most of the singing and the little one is doing almost all of dancing and jumping and acrobatics. Although I'm really not sure how, she seems to have a way with him. She jumps on him, chases his tail and follows him allover the house. He let her into his food bowl after he was there first. I was shocked!

She just gets right back up again when he swats her across the floor. It's really great entertainment. Heh. She bites him all the time so it's not an uneven fight. And he doesn't beat her until she's pestered him for a good long time. I think he's being very patient.

Thanks to my mom for the great idea to bring the kitten home right away instead of waiting a few days. Her rationale was that the brat is used to sharing right now. She's was very right. The brat barely threw any hissy-fits compared to what I was expecting. I'm very proud of him.

My mom was so wonderful to me this weekend. Instead of my original plan to drive to Nipawin this weekend to pick up the brat and come home Sunday, she brought the brat to me and were even waiting for me when I got home at 1 a.m. on Friday night. That was a fantastic surprise after my two weeks of travel. I don't know how anyone does that on an ongoing basis.

We chatted for about an hour after I got home. Giggling and talking about lots of things. It was perfect.

I spent a lot of the rest of the weekend sleeping. That did wonders for my energy level and cold. However, the pink-eye still hasn't cleared up. I probably need to go see my doctor again.

My new friend wouldn't let me leave Toronto without experiencing something uniquely Toronto. YAY!

While I woke up with my first ever case of pink-eye (blech!) and decided to blame on Toronto, I got to discover why so many people love this city.

I thought that it would feel like Calgary, but worse. It's so not. Toronto is what it is. Am I going to explain that further? Nope, don't feel like it. Heh.

Maybe it was who I was with that made all the difference. She was able to show me bits of Toronto that I found fascinating and a lot because she was a wonderful hostess to her city. She explained a lot of things to me about the city and the reason behind things and all kinds of exciting information. She's a really great storyteller. And she looked up information on the places we were going in the city and everything. We went to new places that she'd never been before either which I thought was a lot of fun for both of us.

Where did we go? She drove me down Lakeshore because it is a very interesting drive and then took me by the university where I was enamored with all the old buildings. Then she took me to Casa Loma. So happy!!! I got some pictures. And then we went to the Bata Shoe Museum. Then to dinner at the Gypsy Co-op (a place that would rival Calories!) on Queen St. W. Of course, on the way there, I saw some very shiny stores. One in particular was named the Silver Snail. My friend said that we'd go next time. YAY!

There were a lot of tempting things. And the next time, she also said we'd go to the Royal Ontario Museum which I really, really want to see. Of course, it's only open late on Fridays which is happily the night it's free.

I apologize to all the big cities that I assumed were like Calgary, but worse. You have already grown up and know who you are.

Edit: I totally forgot to mention that for about a minute driving down Gardiner Expressway there was the completely unbelievable smell of cookies baking. My friend knew exactly when we would get into range of the cookie factory. So completely unexpected and heart-warming.

I'm awake.

It was absolutely wonderful to see my kitten this weekend. My friend indulged with me hours of kitten enjoyment. I should have been home doing laundry or income taxes, but this was so much better. She's been keeping me wonderfully posted on my kitten's life at her house. She growls wonderfully - she sounds like a large wild cat such as a cougar or tiger. It's startingly to hear the sound from such a small kitten. And she's gotten a wonderful nickname from her captors. She will have to tell you about it because I only remember the pronunciation.

Not only did I get kitten time, I got gaming time - the first time in a really, really long time. Except that time in Calgary a month ago. And the time before that the first weekend in January. YAY! Anyway, D&D was played and fun was had by all and I got to know more than the boys and someone described her vision of the gamer girls she knows in Saskatoon. My official title, you ask? Original Gamer Girl. I don't see it, but I was still pleased with the thought. Two other friends do NOT want to know their official titles in this particular person's world although I laughed heartily at the thought of telling them.

I don't give people on the street money. I just don't. My charity of choice is the United Way because I want to help those that are trying to help themselves. I want to help the people where I live because that's where I can make a difference not only for me but my children (should I have any). Everyone makes their own choices here and this is mine. It's not the only thing I give to, but it's my main one.

Tonight, I gave someone $20. It was the way she asked. It was in her voice. It was the fact that her baby was asleep inside her coat. It was that she asked if my co-worker who could drive her to her aunt's had a car seat for her baby. I didn't give her money at first because I just don't. But when I almost started to cry leaving her there, I couldn't do it so I ran back to her with my money and another co-worker's money. And she gave me a hug and I wished her luck. I know all I did was fix her situation for tonight, and what she really needs is someone to believe in her so that she can start to help herself and build a future for her child.

And my face is wet for so many reasons that I'm not strong enough to ignore right now.

I had to drop off my kitten at her babysitter's house where she will be for two weeks. I got a small glimpse into what it must be like to leave your child for the first time. Now, all you mothers, don't be getting uppity about the comparison - I said a glimpse and a small one at that. I realize it's nowhere close to the feelings in connection with your own child, but the feelings of protection and not wanting to leave them has to be somewhere on the same path, just much closer to the beginning.

So on the heels of the drop-off taking 2 hours I couldn't really spare, I stopped by work to do two small quick things. And in the time I was in the office, which was less than 5 minutes, I got a flat tire. And then called CAA, remembered that I hadn't renewed my membership and it expired a week ago (they were very nice and sent the tow truck anyway), and waited for them to come. They came and changed my tire to the spare which he kept calling a training wheel because it was itty bitty. And then halfway home, that one went flat. I drove home anyway because I was exhausted and cold.

And now I'm really tired and not ready for my trip and I didn't get enough done today, but tomorrow will come whether I'm ready for it or not. I'm gonna get a few hours sleep now.

What Planet Are You From?


this quiz was made by The Autist Formerly Known As Tim

This weekend hasn't been as productive as I'd like, but at the same time, I really needed all the sleep and relaxation I had instead. Now I get to do all the things I was supposed to have done yesterday. It'll be an adventure!

On Tuesday, my dad came to visit me which I quite enjoyed. We had a good chat and he brought me some shelves for my office and bedroom. I have to varathane them before I put them up, but it's a small price. I also have to varathane the edges of my desk yet. I realized that I really should varathane the part that is against the wall as well which means taking it off the wall which brings out the lazy in me. [sigh]

I'm planning on sleeping, doing laundry and varathaning next weekend when I'm at home.

While not my news to celebrate, a friend got some fantastic news last week that I couldn't be there to celebrate with him. It was the most lonely (and single) I'd felt since he left Saskatoon.

As it is tangent day in my head, my dad brought me a rose in a swan holder while he was here. It's beautiful. I absolutely love getting flowers when I'm not wishing for any. Good luck in guessing when that is! ha ha

My new kitten likes to sleep under the covers. My other one has never liked that - I think he always felt trapped whenever something was overtop of him. He likes to know he can get away if he needs to. Maybe that's just the paranoia of old age though.

If I have time today, I think I'll make a cake. I've been craving one.

I fly out to Winnipeg first thing in the morning. It's going to be extremely busy and very rewarding experiences in the next few weeks. I'm sure that by the weekend, I'll be exhausted.

My little one just slide down my back. I trimmed her claws this morning for the first time and she's feeling pretty useless without them. She actually has to jump to get places inside of climbing and so she's whining a lot more.

My dad also chopped some wood for me (I really did try to do it myself, but it didn't quite work out) so I've had a few fires this weekend. I love watching a fire burn. Kitten learned hot.

Now off to do chores. Boooo...

I've known for a while that my chiropractor is a good person. Genuine, funny, and looking out for his patients' best interests. Today, that went to new levels. He was just about to walk out of the treatment room and then turned around and closed the door again. He paused before speaking, unusual for him, and finally asked if could ask me something personal. And I'm thinking, "You have put your hands just about everywhere on my body, including my pubis bone, and now we're going to get personal?" What I said was, "Go ahead." Another pause before he says, "When you are ready to start dating again, I have this friend that you might like to meet."

While it costs me $49.50 just to take a cat to the vet, let alone any services provided on top of that, she's worth it. She had her first vaccine today, the poor thing. She's sleeping it off. When I woke her and put her down in front of her food dish, she ate which I thought was a good sign although she really wanted to be sleeping still. I know she'll be better in the morning. Remember how I said she's growing fast? Well, two weeks ago she weighed in at 0.85 kg. Today she weighed 1.20 kg. She's 140% bigger than she was two weeks ago. That's pretty impressive.

In other news, my dad brought me some shelves today that he may just put up for me tomorrow if I can be cute enough. [grin] Unfortunately, I get my stubborn streak from him so it may not happen.

And I didn't buy anything that I didn't need at the mall today. Only painter's tape and some gift cards for work. And I even went into a clothes store and stood in front of the popcorn store and looked at cool socks and saw a new ducky shower curtain. Left all that stuff there. It's a step towards financial freedom. I even looked for Mirrormask, but I knew I'd buy it if I had the chance so I didn't look very hard.

I cuddled my poor kitten to sleep earlier and now I get to do it again. It's one of those simple pleasures - having a warm purring kitten curled into your neck while you drift off to sleep.

Tonight was my last kung fu class. I'm really going to miss the classes. The teacher is really amazing. I think I'm going to take this beginner class again in September. I'm definitely going to try to keep up the routine in the meantime. I was able to shovel snow for an hour on Sunday without any pain or soreness in my lower back. [hurrah!] All because of what I've learned in this class.

Other wonderful things since my last post include watching my kitten learn to pounce, bring me her toy mouse repeatedly in bed, see that she can now reach the edge of the tub, learn some of my behaviours like when I'm leaving the house and having a shower, and no longer chase my shoelaces. Stripey ones can be taught. Of course, the cutest thing was when I got home from work today, she came to the top of the bannister from upstairs and poked her head through to see if I was really home. So adorable!

I have a fabulous new 'do. I've become a stripey one.

There was a lonely guy who decided that life would be more fun if he had a pet.

He went to the pet store and told the owner that he wanted to buy an unusual pet. After some discussion, he finally bought a centipede. It came in a little white box to use for his house. He took the box back home, found a good location and decided he would start off by taking his new pet to the park.

So he asked the centipede in the box, "Would you like to go to the park with me?"

But there was no answer from his new pet. This bothered him a bit, but he waited a few minutes and then asked him again, "How about going to the park with me?"

But again, there was no answer from his new friend and pet. So he waited a few minutes more, thinking about the situation. He decided to ask him one more time; this time putting his face up against the centipede's house and shouting, "Hey, in there! Would you like to go to the park with me?"

A little voice came out of the box, "I heard you the first time! I'm putting on my shoes."

So much has been happening, but I didn't want to post because I wanted my kitten to remain the focus for a while. Speaking of which, there are new pictures (with the original ones) for your viewing pleasure.

Great things that have happened since I last posted.
1. Got to spend the weekend with my mom and dad.
2. My dad delivered my desk which he built specially for me. It's so beautiful.
3. Discovered that my mom has a weakness for auctions. Quoting her, "You shouldn't let junk collectors attend auctions."
4. My parents' dog and my new kitten might be able to get along.
5. Tidied my house for the first time in much too long. It felt awesome!
6. Got a digital camera. (Hence, all the pictures of my new kitten.)
7. Decided to order a monitor and docking replicator for my laptop.
8. Hooked up my friend's ginormous TV and DVD player for watching movies.
9. Watched my new kitten fall asleep.
10. Learned that my timing stinks when it comes to calling a particular friend. 8 out of 10 times, he's just made his supper. Sometimes he lets it get cold while I talk and talk and talk and talk...
11. A friend of mine was giving away a freezer so I got a very special friend of mine to help my dad bring over to my house and move into the basement. He will be receiving very special payment too. ;) His wife will approve.

Life is good.

Arena (known to self and others) complex, dependable, sentimental, trustworthy, wise	Blind Spot (known only to others) able, accepting, bold, cheerful, clever, energetic, friendly, giving, helpful, idealistic, independent, intelligent, kind, loving, observant, organised, sensible, silly, sympathetic, warm
Facade (known only to self) searching	Unknown (known to nobody) adaptable, brave, calm, caring, confident, dignified, extroverted, happy, ingenious, introverted, knowledgeable, logical, mature, modest, nervous, patient, powerful, proud, quiet, reflective, relaxed, religious, responsive, self-assertive, self-conscious, shy, spontaneous, tense, witty

Dominant Traits

70% of people agree that fabuloussuz is sentimental

All Percentages

able (10%) accepting (10%) adaptable (0%) bold (10%) brave (0%) calm (0%) caring (0%) cheerful (10%) clever (20%) complex (20%) confident (0%) dependable (20%) dignified (0%) energetic (10%) extroverted (0%) friendly (10%) giving (30%) happy (0%) helpful (20%) idealistic (30%) independent (10%) ingenious (0%) intelligent (30%) introverted (0%) kind (20%) knowledgeable (0%) logical (0%) loving (30%) mature (0%) modest (0%) nervous (0%) observant (10%) organised (20%) patient (0%) powerful (0%) proud (0%) quiet (0%) reflective (0%) relaxed (0%) religious (0%) responsive (0%) searching (0%) self-assertive (0%) self-conscious (0%) sensible (20%) sentimental (70%) shy (0%) silly (30%) spontaneous (0%) sympathetic (30%) tense (0%) trustworthy (30%) warm (50%) wise (20%) witty (0%)

Smart Paladin 66% Combativeness, 23% Sneakiness, 52% Intellect, 58% Spirituality

Valorous! Noble! Or possibly just a self-righteous jerk (but with the brains to keep you alive!)... You are a Smart Paladin! Paladins are holy warriors. They are valorous defenders of the light. Unfortunately, most of them are so ardent in their defense they tend to meet sticky ends faster than you can say "rampaging red dragon." Many people look up to Paladins, while others just consider them stuck up, overbearing, or self-righteous. Fortunately for you, unlike most Paladins, you're pretty smart. Which means that you're more likely to fall into the "admired" category, rather than the "obnoxious" or "dead" categories. Much like the crusades, you manage to combine violence and religion, though unlike the crusades, you add a healthy does of intelligence. You may be a staunch defender of the faith, a valorous champion of the weak, or the stuff that jihads are made of. Which ever one you are, just be happy that you’ve got the smarts to back it up and make it work.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 71% on Combativeness You scored higher than 19% on Sneakiness You scored higher than 17% on Intellect You scored higher than 73% on Spirituality

Link: The RPG Class Test written by MFlowers on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

I've seen this on a few blogs and was interested in that narcissistic sort of way.

Tell me which of these adjectives suit me.

Or just check what everyone else thinks suits me.

I have the "Laurence Olivier for Diet Coke" song/skit/bit-of-funniness going through my head now.

This is your basic yes-we're-alive post from Calgary. We got finished cleaning the apartment at 6:22 p.m. and then went to my house to pack the car. And boy, did we pack it. We left my house at about 8:30 p.m. and didn't manage to really fit much besides my stuff (I don't travel light) and the futon mattress into my Acura Integra. Of course, I could still use my rear view mirror effectively which I suppose we could have done without, but it makes me twitchy.

Lots of stops and fresh air breaks to help us stay awake and we arrived safely at our destination at 1:15 a.m. Keep in mind there was a time zone change so we made it in 5 hours and 45 minutes, not 4 hours and 45 minutes. That would be crazy!

It was a full moon and the stars were brightly shining for over half the trip. I love driving under a full moon. You can always distinguished the horizon and see the outlines in the ditch at a bit more of a distance. I usually freak myself out driving in pitch black when there is no moon. Murderers with hooks hiding in the ditches and all that. Silly campfire stories.

There were some giggle-filled moments of tiredness in the car, but I don't remember why anymore. It was a good trip. Great conversations are priceless. iPods are awesome too, but they can be bought.

Each Monday, no matter how tired I am, I stay up late. Last night was no exception. In fact, it was even worse because there were things I needed to do so I puttered around my house... until 5:20 a.m. And yet, I don't feel completely out of it today. My brain doesn't feel fuzzy at all. It's amazing what qigong has been doing for me. I firmly believe that 2.5 hours of sleep is NOT enough and yet here I am. Crazy. And yet, really, really fantastic!!

I'd like to tribute this cheer to Amy who is competing in the knitting olympics.

I have to say that it's been a stressful couple of days. But only because I'm trying to do too many things and, of course, that never goes well. I've said no a few times in the more recent days. Said yes a lot too when I maybe shouldn't have.

Things I've Learned This Year
1. I should trust my feelings more.
2. When I need something, my friends will be there.
3. There is more in the world than what scientists can measure.
4. Dread pirates are cute when they wear bandanas.
5. Life is richer when you let yourself experience every sensation without hesitation.
6. Arctic something-or-other melts ice and snow really well.

Next Sunday can't come soon enough and yet, I hope the time in the middle lasts a lifetime.

I went to see a man about a kitten last night.

I bring her home next weekend.

hee

{GRIN}

From Neuba. Thanks, babe.

Four jobs I have had:
1. Kernels Popcorn - clerk and popcorn maker extraordinaire
2. Market garden produce farm - digging potatoes and getting silly on potatoe dust
3. Payroll service provider - I've been here for 7 years and had 7 different positions
4. Retail postal outlet - mall job, no perks

Four movies I can watch over and over again:
1. Highlander
2. The Lost Boys
3. Lord of the Rings - all three
4. Sixteen Candles

Four places I have lived:
1. Calgary
2. Nipawin
3. Saskatoon
4. Provost

Four TV shows I love:
1. Gilmore Girls
2. Six Feet Under
3. Felicity
4. Star Trek - all of them

Four places I have vacationed:
1. California
2. B.C.
3. Edmonton
4. Drumheller

Four of my favourite dishes:
1. Mom's lasagna
2. Whipped potatoes
3. Lemon chicken
4. Fettucine alfredo

Four sites I visit daily:
1. See Blogs I Read list
2. Google
3. The Weather Network
4. City of Heroes

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Swimming.
2. Visiting friends in sunny California.
3. In my mom's house.
4. In my boyfriend's arms.

Still feeling kind of whiney, but now it's just stuff like, "I fell down the stairs and now my back is kind of sore and tense." Nothing anyone could really blame me for.

I took my kitten home to my parents. I realized that I'm going to be away for quite a bit of time in the coming months and it wouldn't be fair to my baby to leave him home alone for weeks at a time with a visit once a day from a person feeding him. So I had a chance to take him home and I took it. He's not very happy and kind of stressed. He followed me around, up and down the basement stairs several times in a row even, most of the time in my parents' house. The dog makes him tense and meowly. Of course, the dog gets tense and doesn't want to come into the house when the cat is there. Mom said he'd probably even freeze himself to death if she didn't go pick him up. Not that bright.

Getting my cat into the car was a bit of an adventure. Having done this a few times, one of things I've learned to do is put a leash on him before trying to transport him to the car. In a fresh snowfall, it was even easier to find him. The leash just makes it so I don't have to get within an arm's length of him to catch him. So with a few items (purse and munchies for the car ride) along with the cat and trying to lock the back door, the cat got free, but I still had his leash in hand, no problem. Then he got spooked and ran underneath my foot on the second step down. I almost swished his head as I screamed and let go of his leash allowing him to bolt to the front yard. Meh, he'd be easy to find so I finished taking the rest of my things to the car before hunting for him.

I followed his trail to the front and to the sidewalk and into the neighbours yard and up their front steps and there he was, striking his best "it's cold, but I could pounce into action at any moment" pose. It was so good that I didn't recognize it. I hadn't even reached the front steps before he hissed, puffed up, and launched himself at the space between me and the house. He was so intent on staying away from me that he misjudged the distance to the house and smacked into the side of it. Of course, his depth perception might still have been impaired by almost having his head squished under my foot. Or maybe he's just cross-eyed. [grin]

I didn't run to catch him as he jumped the fence and ran to my back door, I just followed the trail. He was still very puffy, even had the ridge of fur on his back, when I found him under the back step. He didn't run again, but he wasn't happy about being taken to the car. He wouldn't even eat a treat out of my hand, I had to put it on the floor. That's one very unhappy babycat. And I still feel very bad about almost stepping on his head. He got over it about 10 minutes out of Saskatoon and came to my lap. He spent 90% of the trip in my lap sleeping. I love it. And he gets sooo excited when get to my folks, actually starts dancing around the car looking out all the windows. It's so cute.

I also looked at my desk that my dad is building for me. It looks awesome so far. He's spending so many hours on it and it's going to be so beautiful when it's done. Oh, I have to measure the window width and how much it sticks out from the wall for him. Did I mention it's going to be very, very awesome? YAY! I'm so excited.

I got to see a friend of mine, but I didn't get to see grandma. I basically shutdown when I go home and let my mom pamper me. That's a bad habit that I learned from my dad. Say "we" should get something or "I" should do something, but then waiting for mom (or anyone else who falls for my wily ways) to do it for me or us. Recognizing bad habits is the first step to overcoming them.

Being able to talk to my parents about just about anything is one of my most treasured gifts I have been blessed with in this life.

I should probably get some sleep now. A very busy week is coming my way.

I'm tired of trying to see the best in things so I'm going to take up the next 15 minutes of my life whining and complaining and woe-is-me-ing.

The person I count on the most in Saskatoon is leaving. I hate it. It sucks @$$. I don't want him to go and I just want to scream. Yes, I know the other side of this story so I don't want to hear it.

I had a member of my team return to work on Wednesday. She was told Monday to start when I was told Wednesday and so when I talked to her last Friday, she had to take two extra days vacation that she hadn't been planning on it. Then I had no idea that I had to request for her to be reactivated and because I didn't find out until 4 p.m. on her first day back, she still hasn't had access to her email or anything else on her computer because she's had no access. So I finally filled out the form which needed three managers' approvals and it took all day for those approvals. GAH!!! I'm just very frustrated with it all. And then there's the petty bull that goes on in every office from here to Timbuktu. Why can't everyone just be adults and learn that seeing the good parts of someone instead of focussing on the three awful things that drive you crazy. GAH!!!

I'm just making it through each day long enough to get home so I don't have to hold it all in anymore.



And in truth, things are good, really good. I'm loving my qigong that I'm taking with another friend. I've got a great house and although I need a roommate, I'm really enjoying living alone. I have fantastic friends and wonderful family and the most fabulous boyfriend. And this isn't just me looking for the positive and forcing myself to see it - I am truly blessed in my life. I just had a bad couple days.