Sometimes I forget that I've put my email address somewhere and then get cranky when I get a stupid email. Sillier things have happened. However I got a sale flyer today that thrilled me.

Okay, so where does all the time go? I swear I'm almost always busy and yet I don't seem to get anything accomplished.

Let's see, I got my iPod yesterday and I haven't even played with it yet. How bad is that? I also got Mr. & Mrs. Smith yesterday when I went into Future Shop to peruse the iPod accessory aisle. [le sigh] For Christmas, I want iPod accessories. All of them. Mwa-ha-ha...

Today, I went shopping with a co-worker for presents for our Christmas party. We had a ton of fun. Not finished yet, but we have a plan so it's going to be really good. I'm really looking forward to it - the Christmas party, that is. And my tall friend is coming with me to the party. I'm really looking forward to that too.

I have a cat draped across my forearms as I type this. Surprisingly how little one has to move one's arms while typing. He's just so awesome - my cat.

I heard from a friend today that I hadn't heard from in years. It was sort of a business call, but it was still good to hear his voice. He sounds a bit more grounded than he used to be which is good. Second kid on the way, married, and doing well in his chosen profession. I wish him all the best.

A friend of mine watched March of the Penguins the other day. I think I should just own that movie. I think I'd really like it. I've been wrong about these things before, but I've always found someone to give it to when I didn't care for it as much. I'll have to rent Sky High. We watched it in California, but it's been a while.

The weekend went somewhere, but I'm not sure where. I don't think I was home... I was home! I was home all day Saturday, waiting patiently for SaskTel. But no, they needed a bucket-truck. They didn't actually need a bucket-truck. Someone just didn't want to do my install on Saturday. Grrrr... So instead of being out of the house on Saturday, as was the plan, I sat here waiting. It could've been productive time, but it wasn't because I was expecting I'd be able to leave at any moment. Sunday, I was definitely not home. I slept in, but then left. I know because my cat mauled me when I got home that evening. Right now, his head is pushed into the top of my left hand as I type. Cold, slimy noses. Yech!

I think I'll pop in a movie, play with my iPod, and pester my boyfriend tonight.

Monday - visited a friend at her new house. It's totally awesome. I love some of her light fixtures. And I got to sleep late. Tuesday - worked til late. Wednesday - massage, soak and sleep. I was really tired. I guess I'm doing something, except Monday when I must have been kidnapped by aliens.

Obviously, this was in no particular order.

With my boyfriend being sick last week, I got some quality alone time. Relaxing and restful. All good.

Work was good this week too. New experiences and I didn't feel guilty about having Monday and Tuesday off. And there weren't *that* many emails to catch up on. Heh.

I talked to this person this week and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the direction the conversation went. I have some thinking to do on that.

On another note, I did something very silly - I bought this. I'm very excited. I might get it delivered as early as next week. Eep!!

And Mr. and Mrs. Smith comes out on Tuesday and I really want to get it. I really liked the movie.

SaskTel didn't install my phone line yet - the guy needed a bucket truck to get the line through the big tree at the back. They didn't phone to tell me that though - I had to phone them. Would have been nice if they'd phoned, but hopefully, it'll be done for Monday.

What a full and fulfilling weekend it was. Shopping for clothes, shoes, luggage, a kettle, presents, a programmable thermostat, and many other wonderful things. And yet, shopping was not the focus of the weekend.

Good company was the focus of the weekend. I got to know one of my co-workers a little bit better and got to meet others face to face for the first time at a Christmas party for which I had a new outfit and looked just as smashing as everyone else, except a certain 48 year-old who I can only dream to compare to. I spent time with my friend and his new wife. I was glad to finally have some time to get to know her a bit better. I first met her at the wedding. She obviously makes Owen very happy so that's good enough for me. And besides that, I like her.
Spending time with some other friends for supper was great. I haven't spent any time with them in much, much too long. I'd forgotten how much fun I have hanging out with them. And the food was delicious! Others that I would have like to have seen weren't in the city last weekend, so I was out of luck. My mom and I stayed with my aunt which was great. I really appreciate my time with her as she has so many experiences in life and her wisdom is invaluable. Not to mention how much fun she is. She makes me smile. And she makes my mom smile which is even better. My cousin was out for lunch with us one day so we were able to chat a bit. I don't spend enough time with her either. She's always been someone to look up to for me. Oh and then there were the 9 cats I spent time with this weekend.

All of these things weren't rushed or on a tight schedule. I moved things around to suit each day. And mom just hung out with her sister. I think it did them both good. Mom and I agreed to do it again next year.

There isn't anything in particular that made yesterday a great day - just a lot of things. I got to meet a very nice woman who wants to help me, spent time with one of my best friends, the most fantastic massage which is saying something because they're always fantastic, and got some stuff organized at work which I haven't had time for since I started my new job! And the fact that I woke up smiling this morning doesn't hurt.

NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said.

The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him. "It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park, told AFP.

"After it was swept and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added. "The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," he explained.

Well, it's the second night alone in my house after my roommate moved out. I miss him already, but I know it's a good thing for us both. I have been less motivated to clean up after myself, but decided to clean anyway. Got some stuff done too - a load of laundry, found some of my roommate's leftover stuff and put it all in one place for him when he stops by next, and unpacked from my latest trip. Took out the garbage too. All kinds of excitement going on in my house tonight. Wahoo!!

It's bedtime now and I'm looking forward to closing my eyes.

My mom and I received our reservation confirmation for next weekend...

I am pleased to advise you that we have been able to reserve a room for you and your daughter at Avoncroft Farms, main lodge, for November 18th to 21st.

However, the only one available is the honeymoon suite. I trust that this will not present any problems. It includes king size bed, luxury tub, fireplace, and ensuite. It will be available upon your arrival.

Lodge Manager

p.s. Due to unforeseen circumstances, there will be no maid service.

How is it that my keychain could appear in the hatchback of my car when I packed it before I went shopping yesterday with my neice? She read my keychain on the counter of Michael's while we were shopping. I didn't open the hatch after that.

So I unpacked last night and found it in a bag of stuff that I bought in Drumheller. I don't get it, but I don't think I should dwell on it too much. It'll just make me crazy. ..er.

Today was to be a good lazy day, great for driving home. Well, I haven't started yet. I got up at about 9:30 after being bugged by beautiful little children for an hour and a half. I know they knew what they were doing when they were banging on the wall in the other one's bedroom with me sleeping on the other side of the wall. Otherwise, why would they check on me afterward? [sigh] It's a good thing I love them. I was still happy to have them around this morning when I woke up.

My nephew chopped off my feet and hands and I bled to death this morning. Then I rose from the dead to attack him and cause him to go running and screaming to his daddy who was also still sleeping. Heh. I love being the auntie. Then my neice and I went shopping for a bit where I lost my car key and keychain that read "PROPERTY OF THE PRINCESS." I got that keychain as a gift from a friend and it always made me smile. I'm just lucky that I didn't lose the key chain with ALL my keys on it. I only lost the pirate's peg leg sometime over the weekend in Drumheller. My nephew noticed that as well. The trials and tribulations of a LEGO keychain.

We were late getting back to the house so I dropped my neice off at the Fun Tycoon where they had a birthday party to attend. Good for them. I then went back to the mall to see if I could find my key. No luck, but with all those stores, I managed to get the 4th season of Six Feet Under, some underwear, a new winter jacket, and stuff from Michael's. Would have been more from Michael's if the bead aisle hadn't been so crowded.

I love my family very much. I still need a teleporter. Can't wait to see everyone even though it'll be later than I'd like when I finally get back to Saskatoon.

So here I am in Calgary after my fabulous weekend in Drumheller.

I haven't sat still for very long since I got here - except at my desk all week and then today watching many, many episodes of Six Feet Under. I felt very busy all week.

My brother told me he was jealous of me. So I asked why. I was pretty sure I knew, but I wanted to hear him say it. [grin] I decided to work in Calgary this week because I can. Heh. It's the little things that make life grand.

I worked too much this week. Last Sunday from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. which just started the whole week off badly. In early and staying late some days too. And then today for a few hours again. The beautiful thing is that I don't resent it. I feel like it's worth it because people are counting on me and that means something.

The highlights of the week:
1. Meeting some of my staff that I hadn't met before.
2. Swimming with my niece and nephew.
3. Watching Six Feet Under.
4. Seeing my niece and nephew each morning before work and having them yell in unison from the front door, "Good-bye Auntie Suzi."
5. Seeing friends I haven't made time for in a long while.
6. Getting an expected note from someone who really believes in me.
7. Learning that Chinese food leftovers are edible - just get them to put the sauce on the side.
8. Talking to the people in Saskatoon that I miss terribly and it's only been a week - including hearing my cat purr it up at the sound of my voice.
9. Having people feel that they can tell me when I've done something wrong without fear of breaking me.
10. Hugs from my family and friends and feeling connected.

While I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tomorrow night, I'm going to miss everyone here. I really need a teleporter.

I didn't realize how beautiful a king size bed really was before this weekend. I was in heaven. Of course, part of that might have been that it was on a frame at least 4.5 feet off the ground. I love being on such a high bed. It's absolutely great. I think I'm going to begin my campaign with my dad for such a thing again. I might win this time because I have some solid knowledge about how this one was built - yes, I checked it out. Heh.

There's something extremely grand, maybe even opulent, about being connected by a door to a spa where you're getting treatments. Something great about being in your pajamas when they come knock on the door for you at 10 in the morning. It was a fantastic experience. I loved the mango body polish - I'd definitely do that again. The wrap was annoying more than helpful, I found. But that's mostly because laying on my back for 45 minutes gets rather painful. The facial and head massage was divine. [sigh] Then with the painting of my toes the colour of a new penny was fabulous too - I love it when people play with my feet. I just about started drooling.

Of course, the best part of the weekend was the company. I love my friends so much even though we've gone such different ways in our lives. It felt like home being with them.

Wow, it was 16 days ago that I last posted.

Fading Suns was cancelled tonight on very short notice so I find myself with some time and not a lot to say.

Been working a lot of extra hours lately and playing City of Heroes the rest of time which means Purrrsia is level 38 now. Next weekend, I'm off to Drumheller for a weekend with the girls. Really looking forward to it.

I fell asleep on my lunch break today. The sweet girls at work phoned me when they noticed I'd been gone a really long time. So tired so I'm heading to bed soon. Mmmm... sleep.

Maybe I'll have more to say tomorrow night.

Today it was cold enough to get out the hand-knit socks. They make me so happy just thinking about them. They are on my feet right now. [GRIN]

... since my last post.

My mom called me on Sunday desparate for an update on my life. Heh. She had to call.

Work has kept me on my toes, that's for sure. I have to admit that I absolutely love visiting my team members. I can't wait to meet the rest of them. I don't know when that'll be, but I'm really looking forward to it. Hell, I really love my team. I'm so proud of what they do every day and how well they do it. I feel very lucky to have them. I feel so naive as a manager when I say that, but it's truly how I feel. I'm sure it's only going to get better too.

I had a doctor's appointment today. Everything is good. I was freakin' a bit because they called me after I had bloodwork done. I hate that. It means I have to go visit them and be all in suspense about what's wrong this time. Well, duh, of course I have Hepatitis A antibody, I was immunized over a year ago. Freak me out for nothing. Sheesh! Anyway, so all is well and I'm 5 pounds lighter this year than I was last. That made me feel good too.

Training for the rest of the week at work. Learning HR portion of one of payroll programs. It'll be good. I have to duck out for a bit to do an interview or two on Thursday. Looking forward to the new experience of interviewing external candidates. I have to redo the interview questions as they are more geared toward an internal applicant. It'll be fun though.

Learned a lot about Winnipeg last week because I got to drive there. I love driving. I almost missed my plane, but I love driving. It's so exhilarating, especially driving in a new place, getting lost and finding my way again because I'm that good. Heh.

And I found the drink that I've been missing most of all last week - Crown Royal and Coke. Sooo sweet. Sooo yummy. Sooo goofy - I was positively goofy. My companion while I drank it (no, my companion wasn't the drink) felt the need to protect his drink more and more as my gesticulating while I talked got bigger and bigger. [giggle] I like being goofy, not tipsy, just goofy. Maybe tipsy and goofy. It was a good evening.

And tonight - Gilmore Girls!!! Oh, what an exciting life.

So I was really looking forward to staying at the majestic-looking Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg. I just wrote a really long post about the whole experience. And then it got lost, for some reason, didn't want to publish and went the York Hotel website. Bizarre and I'm totally unruffled.

There was lots of bad stuff at the Fort Garry. I hated almost every bit of it. The bed was fabulous, the walk-in closet had a motion-sensor light, and the towel were huge. And that's honestly the only good things I can say. All of them. The rest was very bad and I left right after I showered. I made reservations at the York (previously called the Sheraton) and was outta the Fort Garry for good. I checked into the York after work and oh happy day!! It's not perfect, but it's more what I'm looking for - a dresser, in-room wired high-speed internet, a digital alarm clock, no ice machine across the hall, no spotlight on the window, a TV that isn't older than me, and cards on the beds that means that they won't change the linens unless I want them too. Not too much to ask, really.

The rest of the day was great. I got to see some staff, solve some problems, and was in control of my happiness.

Oh yeah, and I played City of Villains for the first time in FOREVER! The new costuming bits were so much fun. And I really, really enjoyed just playing. Even though the training server was at medium load, there wasn't too much lag which was awesome too. I made a Dominator. Lots of joyous defeating of longbows and snakes.

So, here's how the weekend is playing out.

Thursday night was awesome. Friends came over to play Earthdawn and we all got sleepy around 10 which seems to be normal for us. What that really meant though is that I got 8 or more hours of sleep for 5 nights in a row. Wow! What a difference in my disposition, ambition to accomplish things, and all that jazz. Fantastic.

So Friday night, mom and I went to get fabric for my nieces housecoat. Then we all sat around the living room for a while and snacked on things while watching TV. And to bed early.

Saturday included errands all morning with mom and I *finally* got the bloodwork done that I've been meaning to get done for four or five weeks now. And guess what, they don't do one of tests on weekends. [sigh] Of course, it wasn't a really important test so I think I'll skip it this quarter.

EB Games, Toys R Us, Michael's (orange and black sprinkles), farmer's market, Sobeys, Kernels and Husky (for coffee). I was pooped after that and had a nap. Mmmmm... naps. Supper was fantastic too - we had deer tenderloin. Mouth-watering good. Sooo tender and yummy.

Then I was asleep by 11 p.m. We watched The Jewel of the Nile last night, and I wasn't sure I'd make it through, but I did!

Today, I'm excited that my friends are coming over for Thanksgiving dinner with my folks. I tried to invite the ones that probably weren't going to have some family to share Thanksgiving with.

We're making mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, cauliflower and cheese sauce, lime cottage cheese jello salad, apple cabbage salad, corn, stuffing, and my friend is bringing buns and mom said to ask if she has any pluma mousse left because she started to drool when I mentioned it. I still have to do that. And pumpkin pie and whipped cream. Mmmmm... I need something for my drool now.

Thanks to my awesome friend, I went back and figured this out. Okay, I have more than one awesome friend, but this is one of those.

1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.

So here it goes. I thought this one might be kind of fun. At first, I didn't think I'd be able to do it, but lo and behold the verbosity that I've managed...

"So apparently, I was brilliant in part two of the interview."

Heh.

I have the blahs.

Heh. I did it. I know EXACTLY how my house is heated because I am now, the goddess of thermostats! And maybe just my thermostat hookup, but dang, I learned a lot.

While on Friday, I couldn't turn off my furnace (something about hooking up the wires in the wrong places so they were always touching) and yesterday, 14 degrees Celsius seemed a little cool so I went to work trying to figure out the system. After much time on the phone with my dad again, I had bridged a connection at the furnace to make it fire up. Yay! I pulled on wires running into the walls and figured out which were the live two wires that I needed to touch together to make the furnace come on. There are three in the wall, but one isn't connected at either end so I made sure to mark the dead one upstairs. I determined through many trips up and down the basement stairs (many, many trips) that the new programmable thermostat was a dud. Completely broken. Stupid electronics. Of course, I got it in Nipawin so I have to wait to send it back to my parents so they can return it.

I now have the old one back on the wall and working properly.

And I could hook up a new thermostat in less than the estimated installation time and be able to check to make sure it's working properly too.

I still want a programmable thermostat.