Everyday Musings

Dear Mischief,

2011-07-27T17:15:00.000-06:00

Socks and slippers are not evil and out to get you. Really. Also, they have no super-powers to possess the person wearing them. Really.
Drinking out of your water bowl is a perfectly reasonable alternative to drinking out of the tap. Especially at night or early in the morning.
Thunder can't hurt you. Lightning, yes; thunder, no.
I am not a convenient springboard on your way to the top of the couch. You. are. heavy!
Why are you so heavy!? You're not that big, and yet it feels like you're made out of lead. I swear you weigh 500 pounds.
Also, no need to be afraid of: vacuums, Kleenex, the doorbell, dogs that are 1/3 of your size...I'm sure there's more that I can't think of at the moment.
Yes, we know you are very cute and you like to be carried around like a baby. However, you. are. incredibly. heavy!
You are the only cat I've ever seen faint. Actually, you're the only animal I've ever seen faint, barring fainting goats on TV.
Don't cry to go outside and then run away when I try to put your harness on you. Repeatedly.
Why must you gallop just ahead of my feet when I try to walk down the hall or the stairs? Are you trying to kill me?
Why don't you just embrace your love of water and go for a swim, already? I know it's not "what cats do," but I won't tell. Your secret's safe with me.
Every once in awhile, you get a look on your face that causes me to suspect that you're completely insane. I think that if you were human, you might be going around telling people that your name is Napoleon Bonaparte, leader of the French Revolution.

Dear Magpie

2011-06-08T12:36:00.002-06:00

Dear Magpie,

SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Me.

Dear Mice

2011-05-31T12:23:00.001-06:00

Dear Mice,

You are dumb.

Sincerely,

Kitty

Why Didn't I Move to Australia?

2010-09-14T10:47:00.003-06:00

After high school, I mean. If I'd had any sense, that's what I woulda done. Far, far away from my crazy family.

Yes, it's going to be one of THOSE posts. Partly, anyway.

I went to the Pass this weekend. The good times I had were those when I was not around my family. My husband said that he found them better behaved than usual, but they found my last nerve and not only got on it but started jumping on it. You'd think it would be over now, but no. Now my mother keeps calling me. She called at least 7 times yesterday, and texted me three times. I answered the phone twice. The first time I told her I was studying (which I was), and the second time I told her I was trying to take a nap (which I was). But she's decided something's wrong and I must tell her what it is. The truth is it's her, and my grandma, and the dynamic they want to force onto my relationship with them, but there's no point in telling them that. They don't understand things like that.

So based on the last text message I got last night informing me that, "If a man hits a woman, he eventually kills her," I have to assume she has once again (still?) decided that my problem must be that my husband's beating me. She so wants that to be true. I almost feel sorry for her. Until I realize that my own mother actually wants me to be in an abusive marriage. Nothing would make her happier. It sounds crazy but, well, she is.

I suppose I went down there with an attitude in the first place. I don't think I really wanted to go, but by then I felt pressured/guilted into it. It's nice that the weather was nice and all, but I think I'll have to try to have enough money that we can stay somewhere else next time. They can't understand it, but I can't stand them. Am I a terrible person for saying that about my own mother and grandmother? I don't think they're good people. I know they're not good people. I spent my childhood being told by my grandma that this or that family was "junk," and then I grow up to realize that my family's the real junk. Some of them, anyway.

I've been becoming more aware of the infantilization of women in society lately, as well, and I'm now noticing that it's certainly always been a problem right in my own family. I was brought up to believe that women can't do or be anything without men. Somehow I got this message even though my mother raised me by herself and had at least a good 8 years of not being too crazy. But even now, my grandma will ask me something, and when I tell her the answer she'll turn around and ask the nearest man the same question. If he gives the same answer, then I was right. If not, then I was wrong.

Where Are My Riches?

2010-07-12T16:54:00.001-06:00

I am doing my family tree, and I just discovered that I am descended from Charlemagne. How freaking cool is that!? Makes me rethink cancelling my Ancestry.com membership.

Now what I want to know is, where the heck are my riches?

I'm Going to New Orleans!!!

2010-04-15T12:37:00.002-06:00

I'm excited! I'm trying to learn everything I can about New Orleans by then (June).

Yesterday I learned that my hotel is supposed to be haunted. I don't believe in ghosts, dammit! Yet somehow, I really don't like that idea! I tried to book at a newer hotel, but I was too late and missed out on it.

Never trust anyone who refuses to stay properly dead, I say. It's only common decency!

I Like This Alot

2010-04-14T19:39:00.001-06:00

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

Commenting for Charity

2009-11-28T10:25:00.002-07:00

If you go to this blog post and leave a comment, the blog owner will donate $1 to charity up to a maximum of $100. The charity is to buy food for the homeless. If you also write a blog post about it and link back to her post, she'll donate another dollar. However, when some of the other bloggers caught wind of what she was doing, they offered to match her dollar for dollar, so now the pot is up to $400! If you go comment, it will now be worth $4. If you also write a blog post and link to hers, your efforts will contribute $8. Not bad for a few seconds of typing! So go comment! It is open until the end of November, so hurry up!

Alrighty Then...

2009-11-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

I had intended to Google, "What are planks?" and then perhaps "What are bridges?" (as in exercise), but I only got as far as "What are..." and this came up:

"What are these strawberries doing on my nipples?: I need them for the fruit salad!"

WTF!?!?!?

So my husband's like, "Click on it!" So I did.

I have determined that it's a book. What the book is about, I have no idea. But here's an excerpt from one of the reviews on Amazon:

"The only negative I can give about this book is the fact that reaching the end of it will give you an intense sadness. The only parallel I can construct for the amount of sorrow this will cause is to beseech you to imagine yourself as a T-rex in a room full of T-ball poles and large soapy bubbles. Your stubby arms would render the pleasure-power of this room woefully out of reach."

It took me a good 5 minutes to read this to my husband, 'cause I was laughing so hard. All the reviews are completely bonkers like that.

Yes, my sense of humour is weird. I know it.

*giggle*

*snicker*

Back to searching for planks and bridges, sigh.

Because I Like To Preserve My Weird Dreams for Posterity

2009-10-11T21:46:00.002-06:00

Last night I dreamed that Shania Twain killed Sarah Palin, because Sarah Palin forced all the women in North America to wear skirts instead of pants by law. And then nobody punished Shania for murder.

No idea where that came from.

Little Bad Cat

2009-09-23T10:37:00.003-06:00

I walked into the kitchen this morning to find him sitting on my dishtowel.

And instead of giving him much in the way of heck, do you know what his well-trained pet human (that would be me) did? Took his picture and opened the blinds and window by his scratching post so that His Royal Boojesty might be pleased.

Do note the way the ears are situated, and the way they seem to say, "The voices in my head told me to do this."

How Does One Get Rid of Unwanted Houseguests?

2009-08-27T10:17:00.002-06:00

I find myself asking myself that question lately. So what do I do? I turn to the all-knowing oracle that is Google.

I found this. It has some good and hilarious tips.

And this. A little more tongue-in-cheek.

And this, which gives some good advice but is geared more to a specific type of houseguest.

Hmmm, I need something more specific. Not answering the phone/being at home when said person wants to stay is of course a good option (though tiring if they do it EVERY WEEK), but what about those times when said person drops by uninvited during the day, because they have nothing else to do and just want to park their ass on your couch for awhile? That's what I have more trouble with.

Somehow, if you ask that sort of person to leave, they always complain loudly that you don't like/want their company (duh) and they're not that horrible. Then they get in a snit, which of course sometimes has the desired effect of making them leave, but it would be better not to have to go through it all in the first place.

I tried Googling "How to discourage people from dropping by unexpectedly" and didn't get anything that I could use. I could not answer the door, but if said person sees my car and knows I'm home, it will just create more problems. I need to clean out the garage so I can fit my car in there. And get curtains for the window. :-D

I've tried parking elsewhere, but I get nervous about my car and panic when I hear the doorbell anyway. I could make sure I'm not home, but then I have to stay away all day for at least a week, maybe more. Where will I go? I like staying home. And I don't want to feel like I have to run away.

In my ideal world, I would live on a nice hidden acreage/farm outside the city, unknown to said person (which could be difficult, as said person is my mother). But oh, I dream about it!

Am I the Only One...

2009-06-26T15:48:00.002-06:00

...who doesn't particularly care about Michael Jackson's sudden death? I mean yeah, it's sad, as much as it's sad when anyone dies. Especially suddenly, and too young. And I can see how people feel like part of their childhood died along with him, but since I was never a fan, I don't share that feeling. I just find his death, like everything about his life, strange. It...fits.

One thing I know for sure is that the death of any old average Joe, given the same proclivities and eccentricities as Michael Jackson displayed, would not have elicited such a compassionate response. So why the outpouring of sympathy for Michael Jackson? Because he's famous? I find it odd.

Yet here I am, writing a blog post about it. I can honestly say that never in a million years did I think that I would ever blog about Michael Jackson.

How Could You!?

2009-05-29T10:52:00.004-06:00

Forget the economy. Forget North Korea's recent nuclear threats. Forget the trouble in the Middle East.

This is news.

He finally did it. I always knew he'd make the wrong choice. Let's face it--he's just not that bright. *sigh*

Of course, there will probably be a twist at the end of this particular storyline. There always is. I guess Betty has a chance, yet, although I'm not sure why she'd want one.

There is internet speculation that Archie is just doing what he has to do in these tough economic times. What better way to ride out the current economic crisis than to marry a Lodge?

Apparently Betty wrote a blog post about the sad news.

On Psychics and Armchair Detectives...

2009-05-08T17:27:00.003-06:00

I have been following the Victoria Stafford case quite closely, and the more I read, the angrier I get. Victoria Stafford is the 8-year-old who went missing in Woodstock, Ontario on April 8th.

What is making me so angry is all of these armchair detectives that post on various sites on the internet about this case. I CANNOT believe how many of them bring up psychics as a legitimate resource for...well, anything. Come on, people. THIS is why critical thinking skills should be taught in schools. THIS is why magical thinking and superstition--in every form--should be discouraged. This is why people should require evidence before they believe something.

Psychics are frauds. I know a lot of people like them, and take comfort in what they have to say, and I will probably get blasted for this, but they are. If you disagree, then explain to me, plausibly, why none of them--not one--has ever managed to pass James Randi's Million Dollar Challenge. Oh, let me guess..."but Randi just doesn't understand how it works!" Uh-huh. I suppose it is difficult to figure out how something works, when that something is fake.

Sylvia Browne comes up a lot in psychic mentions of this case, and I notice that a lot of people hold her in very high regard. You can check her out here.

And here.

And my personal favorite.

Callous.

But wait, don't the police use psychics? Well, no. I mean, I'm sure it's happened, but it's certainly not the best use of their resources (and that's putting it very mildly).

I can understand the parents being desperate enough to try anything. But I think it's heartbreaking that there are people who will prey on those who are worried and grieving at a time like this. Not to mention wasting the time of gullible but well-meaning people who really only want to help.

These cases...these bad things that happen...they are reality.

Reality is all we've got, and it's where all our answers lie. Living in a fantasyland and pretending that the answers lie in said fantasyland may feel comforting, but it's only a comforting delusion. And what good is that?

On Bears and the Classification of Species...

2009-05-03T22:41:00.004-06:00

Today I returned from a weekend convention in Jasper.

It was a beautiful trip up, where we saw lots of wildlife, including a bear!

They give you a magazine about the animals you might see in the park at the gate, with maps and such included in it. One part of this magazine, however, particularly stood out to me. It was in a section on what to do if you unexpectedly encountered a bear while you were out walking or camping in the woods. It was in bullet form, and one of the bullets suggested the following:

"Talk to the bear in a soothing tone of voice. This lets a curious bear know that you are a human."

Really.

This creates a few questions in my mind. Questions like:

Does a curious bear care whether or not I am a human?

Does being a human grant me special privileges with bear kind?

Are bears aware of species distinctions?

I think that perhaps, if I was faced with a large, vicious animal with large, vicious claws and teeth, that I would not feel comfortable giving said animal the benefit of the doubt. I think that I would maybe not assume that the bear was mostly interested in me in a scientific sense.

If I were to assume the bear was thinking in terms of my humanity, it would go something like this: "Hey, one of those bastards killed my Uncle Merle! I won't rest until every single one of those ugly two-legged things is wiped off the face of the earth!"

Well, maybe it's just me, but I think that's a much healthier way to regard a bear encounter. Maybe they should let me write the tips.

Road Trip!

2009-04-09T22:06:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow I'm bundling up my two cats, husband, mother, brother, and myself, and heading back to my hometown for the weekend. The cats are not road trip fans. I'm bringing earplugs for everyone (except the driver, of course).

All I can say is, I hope we all survive the trip!

Hugh Laurie + Meat Loaf = Good, Right?

2009-04-07T12:42:00.002-06:00

Well, no. Not if you're a writer for House. Seriously, ruining that takes some special talent. Not good talent, just special talent.

The writers of House are "special."

I Have a Sunburn

2009-04-05T21:06:00.001-06:00

It just doesn't seem warm enough for a sunburn.

Why?

2009-04-03T12:27:00.003-06:00

Why do I read things that make me want to bang my head against the wall? Why are people sometimes so irrational, selfish, crazy, stupid, or self-centred? Argh!

Why can't they all be perfect, like me? ;o)

I'm Rich!!!!!!!!!!! evil laugh

2009-03-13T15:32:00.002-06:00

I got my tax refund today. It's more than I thought it would be. Pity all the things I want to do/buy/pay for would require more of a level of lottery winnings than of tax refunds. But at least I can buy new blinds for my living room, and the new fence? Oh yeah. Paid for. Sweet.

Post-Apocalyptic Nightmares and Things

2009-03-11T13:01:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, I read this blog post:

http://pastaqueen.com/halfofme/archives/2009/03/no_one_saves_the_web_designer.html

which, if you knew me, you would know is right up my alley. I love this kind of survivalist stuff. In school, when we played Dodgeball, I used to imagine what it would be like to be the last person left on Earth, and I would equate that with being the last person left on my team. I thought "The Stand" was an excellent movie (and someday I'm gonna read the book).

So in the scenario she describes, how would you fare?

As for me, I'm not sure. I would probably hightail it back to the municipality I'm from, and surround myself with a "tribe" of people who know things. And by, "people who know things," I mean people who know how to keep me fed and at least somewhat comfortable. Maybe I would gather them together at my Grandma's farm, although it would need a house that wasn't falling down, and better security around the perimeter.

I'm sure it would help that my husband appears to know how to do, make, and fix everything. If he was there, that is. If it was up to me entirely, I just don't know. Of course, I have the survival instinct, but there are so many things we take for granted every day. Things like clean water, readily available food and convenient food storage, heat, safety (to a degree, anyway), etc. I learned some things from my Dad, like how to fish and how to start a fire. My Grandpa was very innovative, and I like to think that he passed some of that along to me in his genes, but I don't know how I would do if I had to.

What about you? Yes, I know this is strange, but I do not care. :p

I Feel So Normal

2009-03-07T23:19:00.002-07:00

Well, by comparison, I mean. See, I went for dinner with a friend from high school. I haven't seen her for 12 years. So anyway, in between bites of bulgogi, we talked about our lives since high school, and people we knew back then and what they were up to now.

I must be even more oblivious than I previously thought, because she told me stories that I had never heard before. Stories about people who, while I didn't know them well, I thought were fairly normal. Turns out, they weren't.

How do I know she wasn't just making stuff up? Well, I don't, really. However, she's never really been that kind of person. And she didn't say it as if it were absolutely fact. She just basically asked me if I heard any of those things, too, and also told me some things about people she had been friends with.

There were tales of a guy who claimed he could astral travel, a girl who claimed she could see demons (I heard a lot of that from people I grew up with, unfortunately) and was obsessed with sex, people being terrifyingly controlling...need I go on? Isn't that enough? Criminy! I know these people. I went to school with them. I didn't know they were quite so nutso.

G thinks there's something in the water where I come from. I think he might be right.

What Do You Do

2009-03-05T14:59:00.008-07:00

...when you have to watch someone allow someone else to destroy their lives, and you realize there's nothing you can do?

...when you hate yourself for thinking of someone you love as weak, even though you wonder if this person really is weak, or if they just learned to be so due to circumstances?

...when there is always--under the surface--anger, suspicion, resentment, fear, and dismay, and it affects YOUR life, even though it doesn't have anything to do with you personally anymore?

...when you sometimes wake your husband up at night because he hears you crying, yet he can't understand how deeply it troubles you because it's not something he's had to live through?

...when you still wish there was something you could do, and you think maybe if you'd done more when you were a child, things would be different?

...when you thought, when you were 12 years old, that maybe if you feigned weakness, the controlling person would latch onto you, and the person that you wanted to protect would have a chance to get away?

...but you soon found out that your plan wouldn't work?

...when you know that someone you love is not who they were supposed to be, and you can't bear the thought of what their life has become?

...and it seems like you care about it more than they do?

...and they seem to have given up on the thought of fighting back? Or even worse, they don't even seem to realize anymore that they should fight back?

...when you wonder why you can't think of a way to help the person that you love, when the other person obviously has no problem thinking of ways to keep control over them?

...and you wonder if you're just that much dumber than the controlling person?

...when you had hope, all your life, that eventually things would change, but now you're sure it's too late?

...and now you're sure that nothing will change until the controlling person is dead?

...but you're not supposed to think that way about your mother.

Then what?

My Stepson Amuses Me

2009-03-02T15:17:00.003-07:00

So yesterday, my stepson (let's call him "A") came over to our house to visit. He wanted to go out to eat, so we went to Denny's with him. After that he drove us down to the shop where G works, because G had forgotten to do something that had to be done by this morning.

So A and I were waiting in his van, and he suddenly puts on some death metal. Obviously he was trying to get a reaction out of me. Then after about 30 seconds, he changes it to another death metal song, and plays that for about 30 seconds. Meanwhile, I wasn't saying anything, because I knew he was just trying to bug me! And then he turns it off, puts it back on the radio, and says, "No one will ever believe you," with these shifty eyes.

That's a funny kid, right there. lol! :-D

Descent Into Madness

2009-02-23T22:13:00.003-07:00

Silly cat thinks there's another world going on in the wastebasket. And the TV screen when it's off. And shiny metal doorknobs.

Sorry it's so dark. We turned another light on about halfway through.

Why Doesn't This Ever Happen To Me?

2009-02-20T14:10:00.002-07:00

I was driving along in my car today, listening to the radio. While I was stopped at a red light, the radio host mentioned, between songs, that there has been an increase in UFO sightings by Canadians. Apparently one anecdote was that a couple of people saw a "large, car-sized object" float across the road in front of them.

Well, now I'm jealous. Why can't I ever see neat stuff like that?! Okay, when I was a kid, my brother and I saw what resembled stars in the sky, except they couldn't have been stars because they were zooming across the sky, stopping, and abruptly changing directions. There was two of them, I think. They also disappeared a couple of times, only to reappear in another part of the sky. That was...um, odd, to say the least...but it certainly wasn't as exciting as an up-close-and-personal experience where something you don't understand floats across the road in front of you. That would be cool!

My Grandma and Great-Aunt swore that they saw a big red ball float across the sky in the middle of the day, sometime in the 1960's. My Dad says there were also strange lights above one of the mountains during the same period of time, but at night.

Since the aliens appear to be neglecting me, I will need to live vicariously through others. Tell me your "unexplained mystery" stories! Don't make stuff up, though!

Dreams...

2009-02-15T17:38:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, I went show-homing, and now I want to live on a farm or an acreage in a giant house with an indoor pool. And I want a hovercraft.

I get carried away.

I Am Such a Geek

2009-02-10T17:25:00.007-07:00

Why? I like putting things together, even if I don't want to do it at first. Tonight, my weight-loss group is having a "lunch-box raffle," where we're supposed to decorate a box, and fill it with lunch foods. Then we raffle them off, and whichever box we bid on will be our dinner.

I didn't want to do this at first, because I don't make lunches and I never know what to put in them anyway. Also, it couldn't be anything that has to be warmed up, or I would have popped some of tonight's spaghetti dinner in a container and away we go. But no, I had to think about this.

So, last night I got a call from our leader, reminding me of this, and I reluctantly agreed to bring something and pretty up my box. I was all like, "I don't have a box," but then I looked up and saw an old cookie tin sitting on top of our cupboards. One of those big square black tins that fancy biscuits dipped in chocolate come in. You know the ones? Anyway, it had a layer of grease on it from sitting up there, so I used an SOS pad on it, which removed the grease but scratched it a bit. No matter, I was decorating it anyway. Here is how it turned out after I decorated it with some stickers I found around the house:

Then I started getting into it. I was complaining to G that I didn't know what to bring, and he said, "Well, we've been talking about making banana bread..." because every time I have bananas that start looking sad, I pop them in the freezer (Note to self-next time peel them, put them in a bag or container, and then freeze them). So we made banana bread. Er, that should be read as I handed G the bananas, and explained to him that a tablespoon is actually 3 teaspoons, not 2, and he made the banana bread. Two loaves. Yum!

Okay, so I had one item. I didn't really want to go shopping for this endeavour, because I'm El Cheapo. Also El Lazy-o. So I was limited to what I had in the house. Okay, I needed some protein. Complained to G again. Noted that all I had for protein in the house that would work for this was eggs. G suggested devilled eggs. "But I don't know how to make devilled eggs," said I. "Besides, I always mangle boiled eggs when I try to peel them."

"Well, start boiling them," said my long-suffering G. So I did. Turns out, he never made them before either, so I set out to find a recipe. I found a bunch that called for ingredients that I didn't have, but I finally found one that just called for mixing in mayonnaise and mustard powder, and a bit of vinegar. Well, now. I had that. Shortly after he started making the "devilled" part of the eggs, G's back started to hurt and he had to lie down. So last night, I learned to make devilled eggs! And I think I picked up a bit of the banana bread process by association, too.

Okay. Banana bread and devilled eggs. Starch and protein. How about some fruit? I had no fresh fruit left, but I was pretty sure I had a can of peaches or pineapple tucked away somewhere. So in that went. Hmm, I forgot about a drink! I didn't have any bottles of anything, or any juice boxes, etc. What to do? Complained to G. Also, I would like to put some dairy in the box. So of course, he suggested I stop at 7-11 and buy a bottle of milk.

Now before you go and start thinking I'm a complete moron who can't think for myself at all, I don't usually consider milk as a drink I would take anywhere, because though I adore it, it does not adore me back, so I generally only drink it at home. Not that this box is for me, but it's just not something I would consider. You know those thoughts-you-don't-let-yourself-think-about-because-they-lead-to-bad-things? Well, this is one of mine. The very thought causes a twinge in my tummy.

So my box will contain a slice of banana bread, a small container of sliced canned peaches, 2 devilled eggs, and a bottle of milk. Starch, fruit, protein, and dairy. A nice, square meal. Hmmm, I may have to bid on my own box! Ah, it's not that far to drive home if I drink the milk... :o) I think the calories in it are fairly reasonable for a dinner, too. Probably about 700 or so for everything. Less if I can find a "2-Go" bottle of skim or 1% milk. If only I knew how many calories I will be getting in whatever meal I bid on! Seriously, can anyone top what I'm bringing? I doubt it! lol. Except for the canned peaches. I could do without those. Too sweet. But whatever.

Anyway, my point for all this was I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would, and hence, I Am Such a Geek. Never have I been more excited to go to 7-11, where I also will have to look for salt and pepper packets, and plastic utensils. I found some plastic utensils for my box, but who's to say the person who's box I get will have thought of that? Plus, I must have my salt. I trust no one when it comes to providing me with salt.

Happy Groundhog Day!

2009-02-02T16:24:00.002-07:00

Apparently we're in for another 6 weeks of winter. Being that this is Canada, it's actually probably more. But anyway...

Yeah, that's about all I had to say today. :o)

Has the Whole World Gone Chicken Little?

2009-01-28T16:59:00.005-07:00

Or is it really time to panic?

I'm referring, of course, to the economy. Generally, I tend to think that people who scream "the sky is falling!" are full of it. That thought process hasn't let me down yet. Now, I know that there are times when bad things are going to happen. For example, the tsunami of 2004. But then, those that were saying something bad was going to happen were tipped off, from what I understand, by the water receding very quickly first. I'm not counting legitimate warnings amongst the Chicken Littles. But how can you be sure that the warnings are legitimate if it's not obvious?

Why am I blathering on about this? Well, I keep hearing in the media about how bad things are getting. I do count the media among the Chicken Littles of the world, by the way. The world governments also seem concerned enough to throw billions of dollars at the problem in hopes that it will go away. But mainly, I'm concerned because of an experience my brother said he had.

I say, "said he had," because my brother is...imaginative sometimes. But I don't think he made this up. I can usually tell. He is on EI. He works seasonally, so he's on EI every winter. He had to go to an information session about the recession as a condition of continuing to receive his EI. He said that they're very concerned, and planning to make it easier to receive, as well as extend the benefits for a longer period of time. Though this makes my fiscally-conservative-and-anti-debt heart feel weak, I can understand it.

But then he said they're talking about how this could get as bad as the Great Depression in the 30's, and how they said food rations could even be a possibility in a few years if things don't improve. Now, this makes my cynical side say, "The whole world's gone mad!" but it makes MY Chicken Little side scream, "Oh my God! What if the sky IS falling?! Batten down the hatches! Hoard everything! What if we have to raise chickens?! I can't kill a chicken! Do I have to learn to sew? What if G loses his job? How long can we live on my savings? Where were those survivalist websites I used to read, again? Should I try to get a job? No, let's not get carried away. Why haven't we been saving everything we had for the last 10 years?! I can't feed G on food rations! Hell, I can't feed ME on food rations! Well, at least that would probably solve the obesity epidemic..."

And that can keep me up at night, if I let it.

So which is it, do you think? A bunch of Chicken Littles, or real cause for concern?

You're Welcome.

2009-01-21T00:13:00.003-07:00

To those of you who stumble across my blog due to my http://laineymcl.blogspot.com/2008/11/public-service-announcement-getting-rid.html post, you are welcome. Glad to help. Not that anyone has said thank you or anything. Just sayin'.

That is all.

OUCH!!! I've Just Been Hit By the Recession.

2009-01-13T11:55:00.002-07:00

I got my statement from my financial advisor today. Since the beginning of last year, my portfolio is down about $2000. From it's highest point, however, it's down about $4000. $4000! That's a trip somewhere! Ouch!

I would have been better off putting that money in an RRSP in a high-interest bank. Oh, I know what "they" say about the stock market, but I don't know if I buy it. I still think it would have been better off in a high-interest bank. Live and learn, I guess. Now I think I shall wait until the economy bounces back, and if I don't like what I see, once it gets to the point it was at before, I shall pull it out and put it in said "safe" investments. Yes, that's what I shall do.

I feel for G. His statement came in today, too. Part of me wants to hide it...

I Meant To Post This Awhile Ago...

2009-01-11T21:27:00.005-07:00

But better late than never, right?

This is the quilt my cousins and aunt made for me for a wedding gift, and gave me when we went up to Edmonton for my uncle's funeral:

Spices approves...

I WANT I WANT I WANT!!!

2009-01-07T16:53:00.002-07:00

A hot tub.

We looked at them during the Stampede, and we almost bought one, but common sense (and cheapness) prevailed. Then last weekend, we drove down a street that had about 3 or 4 stores that sold them, all within a few blocks of each other. So I suggested we stop "just to take a look." Big mistake. We almost bought again. Somehow, when I'm looking at a hot tub, nothing that we need to buy or pay for seems more important.

I justify it in all kinds of ways. The salesperson gleefully helps me right along in that department. It's cold out. It's good for your muscles (a big sell with me right now as my neck and back have hurt on and off for about a month!). It's a good way to relax. It helps you cut down on going out for entertainment because you have something pleasant to do right in your backyard. Once you've bought one you'll wonder how you ever lived without it (well, that's what the salesman said).

I could live without one (it just feels wrong to type that). I could go to a public pool and use theirs. I could just forget the whole idea. I could worry about the environmental impact (not as bad as you'd think, as far as I understand). It would be really nice to have one in our yard, though. But of course, the thing that always really gets me is the $$$. We would have had to finance it, and although we could afford the payments, I HATE financing!

I would worry about it existing and throw every extra cent at it until it was paid off. Alternatively, I would take it out of my condo money, but then it would be well below my self-imposed "absolute minimum," balance, and it's already fairly close to that. So we walked away. But I started a fund in one of G's bank accounts entitled "Hot Tub Fund."

Maybe someday...

New Year, New Plans

2009-01-02T12:30:00.002-07:00

Hmm...let's see. New Year's Resolutions (so I'm a day late, so what?). This year I want to:

Have an emergency fund of $5000 split into two accounts (one readily accessible, and one with high-interest).

Replace the blinds in the living room.

Replace the fence (that's really G's plan, but probably a good idea).

Get an "on demand" hot water heater. I hate running out of hot water!

Go on vacation somewhere. Not sure where yet. Which means I have to...

Get a new passport with my married name.

Be ready for next Christmas by Dec. 1, 2009 (I make this resolution every year, and I never, ever follow through!).

Make an extra payment of $1000 on the mortgage.

I think most of these should be fairly easy. We will just have to save up for some of them, so that could take awhile.

Some Guy Is Kind of Stalking Me On Facebook

2008-12-29T00:24:00.005-07:00

...which is kind of creepy.

See, I had a friend request, and when I clicked on it, I thought the guy's name sounded familiar, but I didn't bother to check out his profile. Bad idea. I thought he was just some guy I went to school with at some point or something. Nope.

So after I accepted his friend request, I looked at his profile, and I realized I didn't know him at all, and he was a 42-year-old from Sri Lanka. Also, I was his only friend at the time. So then I thought that was a bit strange, so I sent him a message (that was my second mistake, btw) asking him why he added me and if I knew him from somewhere, and if not, how he found me and why he decided to add me.

He wrote back with some weird preachy stuff, but whatever. I hear all kinds of weird stuff at certain websites I read. So I just basically said that I think differently about that sort of thing, but "to each his own" kinda thing. But then he wrote back to me, and he was rather nasty, apparently because I didn't agree with him. He was like (I don't know what it was exactly...I erased the original message), "You think you're so important...you're nothing but dust, worth nothing." And on and on about how he was sorry he added me as a friend, and did I know it was Christmas, and blah blah blah. It didn't really make a whole lot of sense. Then at the end he wished me a Merry Christmas. After all that nastiness!

I didn't respond, of course (I have learned from personal experience that responding to people who are acting crazy is an exercise in futility), and I removed him as a friend. I thought it might be a good idea to block him, because I'm paranoid that way, so I tried that too. But I couldn't find him when I typed his name into the "block" box, so I thought he had blocked me. I thought maybe that would be enough.

I was mistaken (again. I guess it's kind of like my thing). He tried to add me as a friend again. I just ignored it. I thought that would be the end of it. Nope. He wrote me again today. His message wasn't nasty, but it didn't make any sense. It was almost like he was writing to someone else, but he sent it to my account. But he only has one friend (now. Not me. Some other poor girl who obviously doesn't know what she's gotten herself into). And it's not the first time he hasn't made any sense, so...

I asked G to write him and tell him to leave me alone. I'm kind of a baby that way. Luckily, G indulges me. I don't know if it will help, though. I am fully expecting rather nasty messages coming to the both of us in the near future. I really want to find a way to block him, so I sent a message to Facebook Support, but I haven't heard anything yet. I don't know if that was exactly the right place (it said it was for reporting fake profiles), but I hope they can help me anyway.

Adventures on Facebook...

Note to self: Do not wantonly accept friend requests from people who might be strangers.

G says I'm a "freak magnet." He's kind of right. I pointed out that doesn't say good things about him, but I guess he figures he doesn't count. I have had a lot of experiences that lend credence to his "freak magnet" theory, though.

EDIT: Facebook Support blocked him for me. *Whew*

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T21:21:00.002-07:00

Over again for another year. I always feel sort of disappointed that it's all over with, since there's such a big build-up to it in the months preceding, but also sort of relieved that everything will soon be back to normal.

I hurt myself again (my back), so that kind of sucks when you have Christmas visiting and such to do. But I made it through, even if I was somewhat stoned on Tylenol 3's all day (woo-hoo! I felt fabulous except for my back!). It feels quite a bit better now. It's a Christmas miracle! :o) Wait, no it's not. I hurt myself wrapping my Dad's Christmas present (the breadmaker, which turned out to be used and one of the buttons is stuck in so now we'll have to exchange it! So mad! When I buy something new, and pay "new" prices, I expect it to BE new and to be in working order!). Bugger. Oh, well.

I'm gonna shop all year for Christmas presents next year. I mean it this time. For real. Seriously. Okay, I probably won't...but right now, I have every intention!

Done Christmas Shopping and Feeling Disturbingly Broke

2008-12-19T22:37:00.004-07:00

I went to Zellers today and finished up my Christmas shopping. Three-hundred and some dollars later (not counting something I bought for G that I paid for in that particular department in advance), I left, stunned and sticker-shocked. I have no real idea why it cost that much! I looked over my receipt (briefly) before I left the store, and it looked right, but geez! I know I bought a couple of expensive things, but the rest were just incidentals, really. Not even all Christmas presents (like the brush I got to scrub my tub--anyone know how to easily clean a tub? Scrubbing's not working for me). Maybe I was just in denial about the prices of the things I bought. Oy.

So now I get to figure out just exactly how I'm going to pay for this. I budgeted some out of G's pay for Christmas-related expenses, but I don't think it will cover everything, and of course I don't want to be paying for his presents with his paycheque! I think I'll just have to face the fact that I'll have to dip into my savings. And then not spend much for a few months. Or get a job (no, I don't like that idea...). I guess I'll have to get all my receipts together and do some figuring. I'm not sure I want to know!

So much for not spending much this year. Every year, I do this. What is wrong with me?

Christmas Shopping=Almost Done!

2008-12-15T21:48:00.006-07:00

Except the last two presents I have to get are the hardest.

I got:

my Mom-clothes

my Grandma-Aqua Globes (to try to make things a bit easier for her)

my brother-the "Perfect Push-Up" thingie since he's into fitness, and the requisite yearly box of Brandy Beans

my stepson-the requisite yearly box of Toffifee since nobody ever knows what he would like and he doesn't want anything from me anyway (but he'll take these)

And a pile of toys for Toy Mountain which I haven't dropped off yet (one of them is a Rudolph plushie with a blinking red nose...so cute!!!).

I'm not entirely satisfied with any of these (except the chocolates--I know they're a safe bet), but I really had no idea what to get anybody this year.

But I still have two left to get: my Dad and G. No idea, really. I did get my Dad a Company's Coming cookbook ("Diabetic Cooking"), but I want to get him something that will actually help him in some way. Like help him save money or something. No idea. He says not to get him anything, because he doesn't have the money this year to get anybody anything, so he doesn't want anything. But I never listen. I thought maybe a breadmaker, but I couldn't find any today at Wal-Mart and he said before that he buys all his bread at the discount bakery, so I don't know if he'd use it all that much. I adore mine, so it's hard for me to imagine that anyone wouldn't want one! It may seem like a strange gift idea for a dad, but he uses his crock pot all the time.

As for G, I have absolutely no idea. Not even a direction in which to start. Not a clue. Not a hunch. Nothing.

EDIT: That sneaky little bastard went onto my "Christmas Gift Ideas" document on my computer and added some things under his name! :lol: So I guess I have some ideas now after all. Although now that I've read it, I'd still like to get him something that would surprise him. *sigh*

I am so thick! One of the things on his list is a remote car starter. He's been commenting for years about how nice it would be to have one. I was always just like "Uh-huh." Completely oblivious, I am. He even got me one that also has a car alarm (something else he wants) last year or something, but I haven't had it installed yet. (I'm going to start a chapter of "Procrastinator's Anonymous...later).

When Parents Are Children

2008-12-13T14:41:00.002-07:00

My parents are children. That's right--children. My Mom is a 60-year-old child, and my Dad is a 65-year-old child. They are exactly alike and hate each other for it.

My Mom actually believes and states that parents owe it to their children to take care of them financially all their lives. Of course, this only applies to my Grandma taking care of her, and not her helping me or my brother out any. Not that we ask. She tends towards asking my brother for money. She lost her house (the house that I grew up in) when I was around 22, and she blames me, my Dad, my Grandma--everyone but herself. Now she lives with my Grandma and picks fights with her. And she can be violent.

This rant, however, is about my Dad. My Dad was brought up to be a spoiled brat by my Grandma and Great-Aunt, who would give him money whenever he asked for it, even when he was working. He was a welder and had a cheap apartment--where the $*&% did all his money go? I could never understand why he needed to borrow while he was working. It was always supposed to be very secret from me and my brother. As if kids are stupid.

Now my Grandma and Aunt are both gone, and my brother avoids him. So who does he ask for money? Me. He called me yesterday. He didn't come right out and ask for money, but he did hint. The conversation went something like this:

Him: "I think I'm gonna sell the house."
Me: "Oh? Are you sure you've thought this all the way through?"
Him: "Yep. Then I can pay off all my bills and have some left over."
Me: "And where are you going to live?"
Him: "I don't know."
Me: "I thought you said you thought this all the way through."
Him: "I did."
Me: "But you don't know where you're going to live."
Him: "I can rent an apartment or a room somewhere. Then I won't have all these utilities."
Me: "If you rent an apartment in Calgary, you're going to be paying more than you pay for your mortgage. And you'll still most likely have to pay utilities. You could rent a room, but what about your cats?"
Him: "I can bring them with me."
Me: "Most places don't let you bring cats."
Him: "I can find one. I let people who lived here bring their cats."
Me: "Yeah, but most people don't. Can't you advertise for roommates?"
Him: "With what? It costs money to advertise!" Note: he just bought a $100 pay-as-you-go cell phone because his phone is about to get cut off.
Me: "Not everywhere! Put up notices at the grocery store, or on the internet!"
Him: "My internet got cut off!"
Me: "So go to the library!"
Him: "The library?"
Me, extremely exasperated by this point: "Yes, the library. They have internet there that you can use. You know, you should have planned ahead for this."
Him: "What do you mean?"
Me: "You knew your job was temporary. You said it would only last until the end of November. You should have been looking for a permanent job."
Him: "Well, I was doing okay while I was working."
Me: "But now your job ended. And you knew it was coming. Why haven't you been looking for another one?"
Him: "I have! There aren't any available right now. Nobody hires right before Christmas." (Buh?!)
Me: "Oh yeah? Where have you been looking?"
Him: "I'm thinking of going back to (the place he just got laid off from) after Christmas and asking if they could use anyone to do (some kind of welding that I can't remember)."
Me: "Why wait?"
Him: "Because they're closed down now! (His buddy) just got laid off until after Christmas." I don't know what this has to do with the place my Dad used to work, because his buddy never worked there.
Me: "Did you ever look at that website I told you about? Monster?"
Him: "Uh, yeah, I think so. I couldn't find anything." I don't think he looked.

So I proceed to look at job sites while I'm on the phone with him. All I get is, "I can't do that one...I don't have the experience they're looking for...But I have a criminal record (a DUI or whatever they call it these days)...They won't hire me...They don't pay enough (but not working does?)...They're not going to train a 65-year-old...I can't...I can't...I can't..."

Me: "Do you have a resume?"
Him: "Yeah, for welding."
Me: "But it's been years since you've welded."
Him: "Maybe you could help me make one."
Me: "Yeah. I think you should talk to some placement agencies."

So he asks me to name some, which I do, but I can tell he's not really listening.

Okay, this is long enough with me posting part of the conversation. Here's the most frustrating part of it all: He smokes (a lot!), he insists on having a new(er) car, he insists on having high speed internet, and all the bells and whistles on his home phone, AS WELL AS a cell phone. His old cell phone got cut off, so what does he do? He buys a new one. He says he needs it so that when he advertises for a roommate, they can call him.

If I've said anything before about him paying for all these wants when he can barely pay his mortgage, he bites my head off. He can't distinguish between necessary and unnecessary, wants and needs. He claims he could afford his car when he bought it, and I pointed out that he actually couldn't--he depended on my Great-Aunt to pay his bills for him. I also pointed out that she was quite old and it was no great surprise when she died. He didn't like that. I don't think taking out a loan for something really qualifies as "affording" it, anyway.

After the conversation, I was left with the impression that he was hinting for money. He's come right out and asked for it before, but I've started saying no after lending him probably around $2000 in the last year and not seeing one red cent of it back. Not even, say, $5 a month when he was working. At least it would have shown intent. But he has no intention of paying it back. That's not counting the money I gave him just because I felt like helping him out. He knows that I have money from selling my condo, and apparently believes that I should give it to him on demand. It's also possible that he's hinting for me to buy his house, because we were thinking that's what we were going to do, but it turns out it would have created too much of a hardship for us. He doesn't understand that. Now I use the interest I get (not much) from investing it to pay for my car insurance and have a bit of spending money. He knows I'm not working (and really, why should I bother if it's just to give it to him because he can't manage his money?). What about G's and my future? You could say we are doing okay, but as far as I'm concerned, if you have any debt you don't really have money. And G has a mortgage on this house. So while we have some savings between us, we also have a big debt. What if WE have an emergency and need to use our savings?

He gets really mad if I say that he's shown he can't manage his money, but obviously he can't. He's never been able to. He always finds someone to bail him out. I fear that it's too late for him to learn now. I worry that he'll end up homeless. Maybe it would be best for him to sell his house, but I think he'd just end up blowing all the money and finding himself in a position where he doesn't have a big asset to sell to bail himself out of it next time.

Maybe if he even made a small action to show that he was actually trying to help himself, I might be more willing to do something. But no, it's all about him and what he wants.

I have friends that are struggling, who know about my condo money, and who would NEVER, EVER ask me for a dime. If I were going to try to help anyone out with my money, I'd rather pay their bills off. I'm certain that it would be money better spent.

Sometimes I want to run away to somewhere far away, like Australia, and never talk to anyone in my family ever again.

Tabby Cats and the People Who Love Them

2008-12-12T14:12:00.003-07:00

For some reason, I have been thinking about something the vet told me a long time ago. He said that my cats are tabbies, and that Spices is a brown tabby (he has a brown tummy) and Mischief is a black tabby.

So here's what I've been thinking about: Tabby just means "striped." As a matter of fact, the vet mentioned that to me, and I said, of course, "But Mischief doesn't have any stripes..." because he doesn't--he's solid black (or very dark brown if the sun hits him just right). To which he replied, "Yes, he has stripes, even if you can't see them."

What? You could say that about anything solid-coloured.

Me so confused.

It's Been Ten Years...

2008-12-11T21:12:00.003-07:00

...since one of my best friends, Theresa, died in a car accident. Today is exactly 10 years. I just realized that today.

Aren't I just full of sunshine and rainbows these days?

Anyway. I miss her and wonder what life would be like if she were still alive. We were having a disagreement about something stupid at the time. So not worth it.

Why Do I Always Hurt Myself On Wednesdays?

2008-12-10T19:37:00.004-07:00

Seriously. Or at least that's how it seems. Last week I burnt my fingers while making dinner, the week before that I think was the week I cut my finger while slicing a tomato, and now this week, I have somehow hurt my back. I have no idea how. I didn't really do anything. I did make it to the Real Canadian Wholesale Club today, but it's not like I did anything strenuous while I was there.

Speaking of the Wholesale Club, I managed to fill out my price book a bit more, but info from there takes up a lot of space because I feel the need to write the price if you buy one, and the price if you buy 3 or more, or 4 or more, or whatever the deal is. I needed milk and looked at theirs, but it was more expensive than Wal-Mart so I left it. That was foolish, though, because I didn't go to Wal-Mart today, so I ended up buying it at the corner store for about $2 more! Ouch! I was going to buy it at Shopper's but they were out (it's on sale there for $3.99). Speaking of my price book, I was not confronted about why I was writing down the prices, but I did have to produce my receipt on my way out the door. Good thing I thought that might happen and stuck it in the pocket of the scribbler. Good thing I still had it!

My tummy is still not right, so maybe it didn't have that much to do with worry. Usually does, though. In fact, I wonder if my stomach bothering me and my back hurting mean I have some sort of bug that I'm not aware of. Because in addition to the pain and discomfort (or maybe because of it), I've also got that feeling of being irrationally cranky for no real reason (no, it's not that). I'm not pleased with it, anyway. I wish both problems would just go away. Maybe tomorrow...

The Wholesale Club didn't really have anything terribly interesting for gifts, so I didn't buy any Christmas presents today. I wish there was an easy way to find unusual gift ideas. I get tired of the old standbys really fast.

Bah, Humbug!

2008-12-09T17:32:00.002-07:00

I had no adventures today. Despite the best of intentions, I couldn't bring myself to leave the house. I don't feel very good. I want nothing more than a bottle of Powerade, dinner, to watch House, and go to bed. But I have my TOPS meeting tonight. I may just go and get weighed in. Every once in awhile they make us exercise (picture me recoiling in horror at the thought), which would normally be okay, but today I feel weak.

I worry about the stupidest things. Or, it could be something worth worrying about, but not to the extent that I worry about it. I think I may have offended someone with something I wrote, and I woke up early this morning worrying about it after deluding myself last night that my attitude towards it was "they'll get over it eventually." In fact, I think that might be why I feel so crappy today. Oh yes, my mind has the "powah" all right--pity I only use it to torment myself. It is far too easy for me to worry myself into being sick.

I did have plans for the day, but I didn't achieve them. I was going to go to the Real Canadian Wholesale Club and see if they had anything interesting for Christmas gifts, as well as fill out my price book a bit more (and hope I didn't get kicked out for it). I was going to go, I really was, and then one of my kitties decided to curl up on my chest and purr us both to sleep. So I never made it.

I guess now I have something to do tomorrow.

Adventures In Giant Tiger

2008-12-08T20:49:00.003-07:00

So...I wanted to go to Giant Tiger today to do some Christmas shopping, and I thought that while I was there, I might as well bring my new price book and start filling it out. So there I was, minding my own business, sort of oblivious to anything that happened to be going on around me, when the manager comes up to me.

"So, why are you writing all my prices down?" he asks.
"For my price book," I replied innocently.
"For who?"
"For myself."
"Well, you're freaking out my staff. They think you're from a competitor. I said I don't care, but they're all worried about it."
"Nope, just for myself."
"To see who has the best prices?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, well if any of my staff look at you funny, just tell them I said it was okay."
"Okay. Are you the manager?"
"Yes."
"Okay, thanks."

It never occurred to me that anyone would confront me about it. I continued, but after awhile I felt a little uncomfortable. I was almost done, though, so I ignored the feeling. I did realize I was getting a few strange looks, but it seemed to me they were coming from other shoppers, not staff. Now I'm a little freaked out about writing prices down in other stores. What if I get kicked out?

I wonder if anyone else has dealt with this when they've set up a price book? If I was doing major shopping I could just go by the receipt, but I don't think I would ever do major shopping at Giant Tiger. They do have surprisingly good prices on some things, but they just don't have a wide enough selection to do ALL your shopping there.

Oh well. All's well that ends well, I guess. I did manage to get my Mom a nice top and black pants for Christmas from the clearance section for $17 total, so that was fantastic! One person down, 4 (or maybe 6) to go.

Christmas Dinner at Bolero's!

2008-12-07T15:16:00.002-07:00

That's tonight. I'm so excited. I've wanted to go there since I heard about it. It's a Brazilian-style rodizio where they bring you all different kinds of all the meat you can eat, and there's also a salad bar. I have a bit of a penchant for taking pictures of interesting restaurant food, but I will be around G's boss and the boss's family, so I think I'd be too embarrassed to do that tonight. I'm taking my camera anyway in case an opportunity presents itself.

So, I went and bought myself a new scribbler (yay!) and a package of mechanical pencils the other day. Last night I started the process of setting up my price book (in pencil, of course. Flylady says it's perfectionists who insist on using pen for these sorts of things, and then abandon them when they mess up. I found her to be right when I set up my address book, so now I just listen). I have kept all my grocery receipts since the end of November, and although they are for a different purpose (keeping track of my grocery spending), they came in handy here. I was able to fill out the price information on some of the products I buy regularly already.

And already, I discovered something I didn't realize when I bought it: my favorite canned tomato sauce, Hunt's Thick & Rich Original, was cheaper than the No Name brand at Superstore. At first when I bought it, I couldn't find the Hunt's, so I picked up the No Name. Then later I found the Hunt's, but I decided to just get two of each, assuming that the No Name was cheaper and figuring I would try it out. I should have known better than to assume, but I didn't really think about it. Anyway, this is useful information I've gotten already from my price book. I wonder if I should try to return it? Yes, I am that cheap.

Oh yeah, we also almost have our tree up and decorated. We put it up last week, and then we've slowly been decorating it. First the lights, and then G put up some of the ornaments yesterday, and now we've just got to put up the garland, and we'll be all set. The cats like to sit under it and pretend that they're Christmas presents. Cutest presents ever!

Price Books and the Art of Frugality

2008-12-05T14:48:00.003-07:00

Okay, I don't really know anything about the art of frugality. I read stuff, and try to implement some suggestions (like using powdered milk for cooking-we have a winnah!), but I'm not as dedicated as, say, Amy Dacyczyn. Although I do own her book (The Complete Tightwad Gazette). But though I've read about price books many times, it never "clicked." How do you keep track of all that stuff? How do you set it up? None of the ways I thought of to set it up seemed right.

Then, just the other day, I actually read about a way to set it up that made sense to me. In this version, you write the products that you buy often at the top of each page (one product per page), in alphabetical order, and the stores with their unit prices underneath. You also mention sales, and make a note of the lowest prices you've ever seen for that item.

I like this version because it means I can go and buy a new scribbler. Wait, what? I'm trying to be frugal but I want to go out and buy something? Yes, that's right. I didn't ever say I made any sense. You see, I have an addiction to scribblers.

My name is...er, "Lainey," and I'm a scribbler-aholic.

There, I said it. They say the first step is admitting it. But it's not just that. I've been to the different grocery stores many times, and wished I had a price book. One time, I actually tried to make one, but it didn't turn out very well because the way I set it up, the information didn't fit. Also, I never before really had a meal plan, and now I have one at least for weekdays. Now that I have a plan, I'm in a better position to know what I need every week (my meal plan is the same each week).

On my most recent shopping trip, I went to Superstore because they're cheap, and I wanted to buy enough for a month. I usually go to Co-op because:

a) It's close to my house.
b) Although it's close to Safeway (my favorite because I like their layout), I don't like that particular Safeway.
c) There are usually few to no line-ups.

However, I am painfully aware that Co-op is pretty much the most expensive grocery store in existence. Some say Safeway, I say Co-op. Sobey's ain't cheap, either. But one indisputable fact remains: Superstore blows them all out of the water as far as prices go, in spite of its dark, imposing atmosphere, and long line-ups, and people that stop right in front of you while carefully arranging their cart to take up the ENTIRE aisle, and poorly-labelled aisles that make it difficult to find what you're looking for. *Ahem* That's why I wanted to get enough for one month. I can handle that once a month. And I am trying to keep my grocery budget under $300/month, so Superstore it (usually) is.

But with a price book, I can see if it's not always the best choice. Sometimes stores have loss-leaders. Sometimes Safeway has my favorite peanut butter for Buy One, Get One Free. I can also make a note of these things (by noting the date and eventually seeing if there's a pattern). Sometimes Giant Tiger has extremely cheap canned stuff (like cream of mushroom soup). And I'm not yet sure, between Superstore and Wal-Mart, who has the best prices on basics like flour and milk. Or how Superstore compares to the Real Canadian Wholesale Club. A price book would give me that information.

And with that, I am off to get dressed (shaddup) and buy myself a shiny new scribbler!

Christmas Shopping Without a Clue

2008-12-04T19:54:00.002-07:00

Christmas is coming up in 21 days. I have gifts to buy for my husband, mom, dad, brother, and grandma. I have no idea what to get ANY of them! I can't spend a ton of money on gifts this year, but I still want to get them something they'll like. I have asked G to make a Christmas list, but he can't think of anything he wants.

What do I do? I'm completely at a loss. I don't even know where to begin to look. Whenever I go shopping, everything's the same as every other year, and it bores me. I find that with all the chain stores, you can't get anything interesting or unique anymore. Even when I was on my honeymoon in Europe last year, everything was the same as here as far as shopping goes.

Am I too demanding? Was it always like this?

Random Acts of Kindness

2008-12-03T16:10:00.002-07:00

On one of my daily "click-to-donate" sites, there is this thing called the "Daily Action" that you click on and learn about something different, but related to making the world a better place, every day.

Today's Daily Action was Random Acts of Kindness. I thought I would post the link for anyone who might be interested:

http://www.care2.com/dailyaction/primary.html?da%5Btoday%5D=2008-12-03

Hopefully that link works...

I thought it had some interesting ideas to try.

I Has An Angree

2008-12-02T13:03:00.005-07:00

Why yes, I am enamored of lolcats. And lolspeak. Why do you ask?

Anyway, on to the serious subject matter: the Canadian Government Takeover. This is nothing more than a despicable power grab by parties who think they know better than the people, what's best for Canadians. In this dictatorial move, they have formed a coalition and decided to overthrow the government that the people elected less than two months ago! And yes, they can do it.

There are three main options now:

1. The coalition parties can ask the Governor General to allow them to rule without an election. She has the power to say whether they can or cannot do this.

2. If the Governor General says no, there will be another election. This time it will be the Conservatives against the Coalition. The population base is in Quebec and Ontario, so guess where that leaves us? We can only hope the more sane people in all parts of the country see this for exactly what it is--a cynical power grab.

3. The Conservative government can prorogue (basically shut down) Parliament until they are ready to table their budget at the end of January. That leaves everyone up in the air until then, but at least there will be some stability for a couple of months. I am not sure, but I think they have to have the permission of the Governor General to do this.

If you are as angry about this as so many other people, there are things you can do. Here is a link to a blog with contact information for MP's and the Governor General. She even includes a handy-dandy template letter for both.

http://thenextthingtotry.blogspot.com/

Write to them and tell them what you think of the idea of a new coalition made up of the losers in the last election, who can only do this with the support of Quebec separatists.

Click-to-Donate

2008-12-01T11:20:00.003-07:00

Ah, December. The season of giving! But what if you have no money? Or time? Or you're just a cheapskate? Have no fear! There is a way for you, too, to do your part.

To the right of the page, there are three buttons for "click-to-donate" websites. Clicking on them will take you to the websites, where you can see what your options are.

Under my "Websites I Frequent" heading, there is a link to another website (care2.com) where you can register and it tells you how much of a difference you've made as you go. I find it quite interesting. There are a whole bunch of different things you can support. I couldn't figure out how to get the buttons to make my page prettier from that one.

For the websites where you can donate kibble to dogs and cats by answering a trivia question, it doesn't matter whether you answer correctly or not--the kibble still gets donated.

It's not much, but it's something.

Limpy McGimperson

2008-11-29T20:27:00.002-07:00

My poor li'l boo (Spices) hurt himself on Wednesday night, and he's been limping around the house ever since. My poor baby. This time it was his front leg, but he hurt his back knee in the summer. That time, I took him to the vet right away, for about $300 worth of nothing. I was told he ruptured his cruciate ligament, that they could give him painkillers, and that I might want to consider an operation (but considering he's 11, I didn't want to put him through that). So this time I'm waiting to see if it gets better on its own. Last time it took maybe a little over a week.

If he's not feeling better by Monday, and showing no sign of improvement at all, I will probably make an appointment. See, he's also biting at his paw, so I'm wondering if it's possible that he's got something stuck in it. I can't find anything, though. Or maybe he has an ingrown claw. They are very long, and one is curling over. It doesn't look to me like it's curling enough to hurt him, but maybe it is. He won't let me touch his paws for long. He hates that!

I get very upset when my little ones are not 100%. :o(

Tell-All Tuesday: "One of Those Days" Edition

2008-11-26T11:00:00.004-07:00

Yesterday was my Uncle David's funeral. It was in Edmonton, so yesterday morning G, my Mom, my brother, and I all piled into my car, and headed on up to Edmonton. Long trips stress me out, and my stomach gets upset when I'm stressed out, and when my stomach gets upset it makes me even more stressed out, especially if I have somewhere to be, so let's just say I headed out with a fair amount of tummy medicine in my system. And then let's just say that the tummy medicine makes me really tired. So that's how yesterday began.

We arrived in Edmonton 2 hours early, but only had directions to the church where the service was taking place, and didn't want to get lost before it started. So we stuck around, watching people set up and feeling a bit awkward. Luckily, soon people we recognized started to arrive. Like my cousin Melissa, for example, who I haven't seen since her wedding in 1995. She looks EXACTLY the same! And my cousin (Melissa's sister), Cindy, who I haven't seen for about the same amount of time. And my Grandma. I haven't seen her for about 2 months. She looks so frail. She was up in Edmonton since the doctors said my uncle had 16 days to live, so that she could be with him before he died.

Said cousins and my Aunt Isabel (David's wife and kids) decided that since we rarely see each other, it would be practical to give me the wedding gift that they had made for me while I was there. It was a lovely quilt. I will take a picture of it (both sides are really cool) and post it on here once I convince G that if it lives here, kittytization is inevitable, and get it on the bed. It's really nice, and they obviously put a lot of time into it. They said they were sorry they couldn't attend my wedding, but my uncle was so sick at the time that they just couldn't. I knew it, but I wish things had been different and that they could have been there. I had considered asking my uncle to do the photography at my wedding long before he got sick, and long before I had ever been proposed to (well, by G)!

I am such a big baby. I haven't seen my uncle in years, but they played a video tribute, and there were a few pictures of him sitting on my Grandma's couch, like he had on so many Christmases and Thanksgivings while us kids were growing up, and that was just too much for me. There were also pictures of him as a little kid standing there with my Grandma and Grandpa, my Mom and my other uncle. That brought back memories of my Grandpa, too. So I was pretty worn out after that from all the emotion, on top of my already chemically-induced exhaustion.

It was nice that so many people showed up from far away. Some of his childhood friends, relatives that are distant enough that a lesser person wouldn't have bothered, etc.

Okay, so enough sad stuff. This is making my eyes leak again.

So we stayed at the reception (or whatever they call it after the service), for awhile, and then we headed back home to Calgary. G only had the one day off for the funeral. We stopped in Red Deer for a bite to eat, and I was able to see my friend who moved there about a year and a half ago. I don't see her nearly enough anymore! So that was nice. She suggested the Mojave Grill when she realized we were really close to it, and it was a really good place to eat. And new to us, which I always like.

But then we were on our way again...sort of. See, we got a little turned around somehow, and we were heading out of Red Deer, but it turned out it wasn't towards Calgary. Then the "low tire pressure" warning started flashing on my dashboard all of a sudden. That usually means a flat. In this case it wasn't (not yet, anyway), but we did have to find a garage and fill the tires. Unfortunately, we were still lost! Luckily, that was fairly easily solved by turning around and coming back the way we came, and we were able to fill the tires and move on (after going to a few different stations to find one with a tire gauge--apparently they get stolen a lot).

Finally, we arrived at home. I had missed the first 10 minutes of House, so I decided to wait until it finished recording and watch it once it was finished (yes I was exhausted, but come on, this is House we're talking about!). However, my dear husband refused to set the DVR for a few minutes extra, even though I asked him to, and even though it wouldn't have been any trouble at all, and even though we've had trouble with House cutting off early when we've recorded it in the past. So I missed the last few minutes. Right after they blew up the wall. I'm not bitter. No, not me.

Okay, so that was my day. I feel like I could sleep for a week. Last night my sleep was fitfull and not very restorative.

Public Service Announcement: How to Get Rid of French Characters for Vista Users

2008-11-21T20:08:00.005-07:00

*Ahem*

Trying to make a "?" and getting a "É"? Or a " and getting a ` , etc.?

Press the left "Shift" and "Control" keys at the same time. Do it 3 times. You may have to do it again for other keys that you want to use (you might not, either--such is the magic(?) of Vista). Stupid Vista.

Anyway, it's really hard to find this information on the internet, so I thought I'd document it here and try to do my little part to help.

I Has a Sad.

2008-11-20T12:08:00.003-07:00

My Uncle David lost his battle with cancer this morning. He made it about 36 days longer than they said he would. I am sad, obviously, but whenever someone is that sick, and there's no chance of them ever getting better, and their life is full of suffering, then--for me at least--there's an element of relief as well.

Rest In Peace, Uncle David.

I swiped this picture from my cousin's Facebook account, so I'm not sure what the stickers are all about, but I assume it was the handiwork of his grandkids.

Tell-All Tuesday: Totally Random

2008-11-18T22:09:00.004-07:00

Dinner last night was very nice. For food porn, check out my other blog. :o) I took pictures of everything they served. I do wonder what the restaurant staff made of that. I think I will do more of that in the future...it's like re-living the meal without the calories. I bet that's some kind of psychological aberration, but I take comfort in the fact that I'm far from the only one who does it.

Today my adventure consisted of going to Wal-Mart (woo-hoo!) and buying a new scale because I...well, I broke mine. Shaddup. Anyway, my new one has fun bells and whistles like a body fat percentage monitor, a hydration percentage monitor, and a bone density percentage monitor. I have learned that I'm dehydrated, contain too much fat (duh!), and am doing okay on the bone front.

Today Is My First Anniversary...

2008-11-17T10:54:00.008-07:00

and I got flowers. See?
That's one of my silly cats behind them being a brat.

Check this one out--I particularly like this one:

Tonight we are going out to La Dolce Vita for dinner.

Yesterday I Got an Electric Blanket...

2008-11-16T15:33:00.003-07:00

...and today it snowed. How freakin' perfect is that?!

I already have visions of curling up under my heated blanket by the Christmas tree (which isn't up yet, btw), sipping hot cocoa and reading a book. *sigh*

My kitties are already enjoying it as well. They've both been curling up on it (or on me when I'm under it) given half a chance. So cute.

The Lucille Chronicles

2008-11-14T15:15:00.005-07:00

So today, I had gone shopping for a few things I needed (why do I have "just a few things" I have to pick up almost every day?), and was at home quietly minding my own business, when I heard a light tapping at my back door. I went into the kitchen to check it out, and saw that the cats had already decided that this might be a concern and were sitting there looking worried.

Now, some might consider it charitable to call me paranoid. I tend not to answer the door when I'm home by myself. Heck, I don't even like to answer the door when G is home.

I looked through the window. Nothing.

I put my hand on the door. I felt that someone was, indeed, tapping and I wasn't just imagining things.

I considered tapping back. Did I want to get into a knock-knock game with a possible criminal who was potentially trying to break into my house? Did I want to advertise that there was, indeed, someone home?

No. Better not tap back.

I looked towards the phone. It was not on its cradle.

I began to get nervous.

Running through my mind were thoughts of the time about four years ago that this house had been broken into (before G and I were married and before I took up residence here), which happened in broad daylight.

I went to the bedroom to get the other phone, moving quickly so as to avoid being seen by the hood that I was sure was just minutes away from breaking in.

Since it wasn't a normal knock, and I couldn't see anyone through the window, I feared that perhaps breaking and entering required, somehow, some light tapping to--I don't know, loosen the door? Not being a B&E artist myself, I really couldn't say. And the fact that I couldn't see the nefarious perpetrator--were they crouching down so as to be less visible to passerby?

I considered calling the police.

Instead, like any other self-respecting-yet-paranoid housewife, I called G.

"Th--there's someone tapping at the door," I explained nervously.

"Front or back?" he asked.

"The one in the kitchen," I said, after trying to figure out which way was which and deciding that I wouldn't succeed in my anxious state.

"Can you see anyone through the window?" he inquired.

"No, I can't see anything, but someone's definitely tapping on the door," I replied, wondering what it says about me that he didn't assume I'd thought of that.

"Are you sure it's not just the screen door rattling?" asked G.

"I don't think so, " I replied

Meanwhile, with him on the phone, I leaned in closer to the window, reasoning that if any criminals saw me, they would see I was on the phone and might assume it was with the police.

And then, just as I was about to either:

a. Be brave and open the door
b. Beg G to come home and scare any hoods away
c. Hang up and actually call the police

(I hadn't quite decided yet)...

I saw a little bird fly from somewhere near the door to the fence. I was still not convinced that this had been the source of my terror.

"Oh, wait, there was a bird that just flew to sit on the fence," I said hopefully.

"It's probably that woodpecker. There's a piece of two-by-four on the top of the door," G replied. ("That" woodpecker is one that I had forgotten about, who tapped on the front of our house a few months ago).

Whew! Now that I've had my heart attack for the day...

Still on the phone, and realizing that the tapping stopped around the time the bird flew to the fence, I began to get comfortable with idea that no one was actually trying to break in. Talk about relief!

"I almost called the police!" I exclaimed. G laughed at me.

The crisis averted, I hung up and let him go back to work.

I'm glad I didn't actually call the police...part of what was stopping me was the thought of how the conversation would go:

Me: "There's someone tapping on my door!"
Police: "So answer the door."
Me: "But I'm home alone!"
Police: "How old are you?"
Me: "Thirty..."

I didn't want to explain my paranoia to them.

My Journey Into Domestication

2008-11-13T22:00:00.005-07:00

Today, I got a sewing machine from my mother-in-law. I have no idea how to sew, but now I can play with it! Yippee!

I find myself wanting to bake things just for fun now, and taking very seriously (but not quite seriously enough, yet) the grocery shopping and meal planning. I feel like such a dork, but when I was working, I didn't want to make dinner, let alone bake. There were many nights of Chinese food (which is not a good way to lose weight when you're in love with chow mein like I am!), along with other restaurant meals. Other nights I would tell G it was a "fend for yourself night" and make myself spaghetti with butter and minced garlic. He would often have a big bag of chips for dinner on those nights. So not healthy.

I've even decide that I might (might) make G a lunch once in awhile. Generally he doesn't eat until dinner. I've come up with some ideas for it, and he must like the idea because he dug out his thermoses. He still hasn't dug out his cooler, though (for use as a lunchbox). Maybe if I put some muffins or biscuits or something in his lunchbox, he'll stop eating almost the entire batch at once. Maybe.

Today I went shopping and bought two air-tight containers for my flour so that my counters don't look so messy (one for regular, one for bread-machine flour). I also started to clean the kitchen (hey, it needs a lot of work). Now I am not, nor have I ever been, a good housekeeper, so my determination to clean the kitchen is further evidence that I've gone all domestic. It's almost creepy...

Blood Pressure
According to my cuff: 116/69
Fabulous.

My New Addiction

2008-11-08T23:14:00.002-07:00

Besides buying spices (I bought poultry seasoning today. I have an illness.), is various websites I have come across throughout the years. Here is my latest one: http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/. It's where I got my recipe for the biscuits (although she didn't use caraway seeds), and also the recipe around which I based the only low fat blueberry muffins I ever made that turned out yummy (I substituted unsweetened applesauce for the oil). And there's so much other neat stuff on there!

I love reading stories about people living frugally. I don't know why. I went through a period a few years ago where I was reading all these survivalist websites and wanted to move to the middle of nowhere and start a homestead. I'm much too lazy for that in reality, but I do like the concept. I start getting all inspired to do what I can to be more self-sufficient and less consumerist (although I don't really shop too much anyway). Hence the recent baking spree. I love that I can take a few useless-by-themselves ingredients and turn them into something enjoyable (and money-saving)!

Now if I could only learn to sew...

Move Over, Martha Stewart. There's a New Game In Town.

2008-11-07T20:47:00.004-07:00

Okay, well...maybe not, but I have been quite the baker lately. Today I made pizza for dinner and also made low fat blueberry muffins, and yesterday I made caraway seed biscuits to go with dinner. Why caraway seed, you ask? Well, because I had them in the cupboard from when my friend's mother gave us all her spices when she was cleaning out her cupboards, and I didn't know what else to do with them. It worked pretty well, too. If I do that one or two more times, they'll be all gone. Now if I can only figure out what to do with the ton of celery salt, paprika, cumin, turmeric, coriander, cloves, and assorted Epicure seasonings I have (like two jars of pesto seasoning), I'll be all set. I even have a jar of edible flowers. It seemed like a good idea at the time, okay?

Tell-All Tuesday: US Election

2008-11-04T20:12:00.003-07:00

I gotta be honest, I am hoping for an Obama win. I hope he wins, and that he doesn't get assassinated by some crazy redneck who wants to die in a "hail of bullets" like those losers that attempted to assassinate him already. What is up with the all the crazies lately? They seem to have come out of the woodwork for this election more than any other.

Okay, so this isn't much of a "tell-all." Sue me (no, really, don't)--um, it's snowing here today. How's that? No? Well, it's all I've got.

Canada's Worst Driver is Giving Me Couch Rage

2008-11-03T20:20:00.002-07:00

Okay, have you watched this show? I have watched a few episodes when G puts it on, and it's on right now. Seriously, there is one particular contestant that makes me want to beat her to death with the large heavy objects she Just Doesn't See! Or maybe a stop sign that it gives her a "rush" to drive through.

Yay! They just sent them all to the eye doctor's! Finally! I was just saying to G that they should make that mandatory.

Argh! I shouldn't watch these kinds of shows. I'm bad enough with the road rage in the car (relax, I just yell at the bad drivers whilst driving along in my car).

My Uncle Is Still Holding On

2008-11-01T21:23:00.003-06:00

Even though his "16 days" were up yesterday. They're even talking of letting him go home, according to my cousin. I'm glad to hear that, although I don't even know what to feel right now. I could get a phone call in the next 5 minutes saying that he's gone, or taken a turn for the worse again. Not to be negative, but from what I understand, there's not too much hope for someone with his form of cancer. So even the ups are hard, when you know that there's probably a down coming soon.

To top that off, my Great-Aunt died either yesterday or the day before. I didn't know her very well, so it doesn't affect me too much, but my poor Grandma! That was her sister. So here she is, her son dying of cancer in the hospital, and her sister just died too. What a crappy deal.

Okay, it's been awhile, so:
Blood Pressure
According to my cuff: 119/86
'Tis good.

November Already!

2008-11-01T12:23:00.002-06:00

This was our jack-o'-lantern sitting in our window last night, beckoning trick-or-treaters. I took this from outside. I ended up leaving the cats out, and Spices didn't try to run out the door. He was full of cuteness and amazement at the spectacle, though. Mischief ran and hid under the bed whenever kids got close to the door. We got 54 kids for Halloween this year.

And my husband (hereafter referred to as "G") did not get sick after eating the rest of the pizza, so it was just me. It went away as fast as it came on, at least. I may put that pizza on my "weekly meals" list. It's funny because G said that he was going to suggest ordering pizza last night (I had complained that I wouldn't have time to cook and give out candy), and I was able to say, "I made pizza!"

I Made Pizza!

2008-10-31T17:42:00.019-06:00

I haven't made it except once before when I made it in Home Ec class in junior high. It turned out pretty good! I took pics of my pizza-making adventure:

First of all, when I returned home from Co-op after picking up a few things I needed for the pizza, I found that I had a little visitor:

This is my little neighbor cat, Felix (the one who's moving). So I gave him some treats and he felt cute about that:

But then he decided he was a bit cranky and left (but at least I got to say goodbye to him!):

Anyway, on to the pizza:

The dough all rolled out and ready for action!

After sauces, seasonings, and toppings:

Into the oven:

And voila! All done!

And I must say, it turned out great! It was quite tasty! :o) Not bad for my first attempt since I was 12 (I think this one was better!). I made the dough in my bread machine, so that was easy. I found the whole process quite fun!

Unfortunately, after I ate it I got sick, but I'm pretty sure that was just the evil that is my stomach (I have IBS), and I'm all better now. If my husband gets sick, then there was something wrong with the pizza!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T08:55:00.002-06:00

Yay! We're actually prepared! We have candy and even a jack-o-lantern this year! I hope we don't run out of candy. I'm not sure what I should do with my cats for the occasion. I don't want Spices to try to run out the door, and he probably will. I can't remember if I left them out or if I shut them in my bedroom during trick-or-treat time last year.

I love to see the costumes, so I'm excited about that. :o) I also always count the kids to compare with other people who count the kids that they get. Last year I think we got 59.

Now to keep myself away from the candy...

Getting Ready For Halloween

2008-10-30T22:00:00.009-06:00

Here is my husband's contribution to the Halloween decor:

Oooh, spooky!

For my part, I chose the design of the eyes and mouth out of two he showed me, and suggested a nose. And I'm toasting pumpkin seeds as I write this, but I used waaay too much butter, so I don't know how they'll turn out.

For the pumpkin seeds, I spiced them with salt, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and chipotle powder. Yum! I don't think they'll crisp up because of the butter, though. Oops.

Edit: The pumpkin seeds are good! They did crisp up in spite of my overuse of butter. Didn't help my calories any, though. In my other blog, I said it was about 1/4 c., but I don't know. It could have been double that. I guess I should have measured.

I got fwowers yesterday...

2008-10-30T20:01:00.003-06:00

See?

My fwowers. :o)

And since I'm doing pictures, here's a couple pics of my cats being cute.

Tell-All Tuesday: Confessions of a Science Junkie

2008-10-28T16:23:00.005-06:00

I went out yesterday morning to Staples and bought myself some of those little sticky tabs so that I can start narrowing down the options for my someday-in-the-future Caribbean vacation. Then I went to Chapters.

I should not go to Chapters.

I should be banned from Chapters.

Why? Because I cannot leave Chapters without buying at least one ridiculously expensive book that I don't even have space for. Granted, that's not unlikely to make the Chapters people want to ban me, but somebody should. Maybe the "Save Her From Herself Foundation."

Anyway, I bought this book: The Never-Ending Days of Being Dead: Dispatches From the Front Line of Science by Marcus Chown. (What's a girl gotta do to get an "underline" button around here)? I'm not very far into it, but so far it's quite interesting--although I only understand about 75% of it. Actually, I'm on a chapter about quantum...er, "stuff," so make that 12%.

The book is all about the latest scientific discoveries, basically put in laymen's terms (well, he tries). There are some wackadoodle (that's my kooky word of the day) theories out there, about multiverses, different dimensions, the beginning of time (or whether it had a beginning), etc. For instance, one of the current theories about the nature of our existence is that there are an infinite number of copies of you, whose lives have been exactly the same as yours (right up to reading this line), up until now. Pretty wild, although I'm not sure where they get this from. It always bugs me that we don't really know the answers to the ultimate questions about the Universe.

One of the things I wish we really knew is whether there is some sort of afterlife. I know religions are very certain on the subject, but certainty means nothing if you're wrong, and faith isn't something I am able to see as a virtue. I suggest anyone who feels certain and wants to argue about it go to http://www.debatingchristianity.com/. I want to know. If I'd never had any reason to think there might be one, I would happily be an atheist and never give it a second thought, but I did have one strange experience in my life that makes me wonder. Okay, there were more than one, but they could be explained by dreaming and sleep paralysis. This one couldn't. And while I'd rather not go into details because it's bizarre and sounds crazy, I will say this: It was the middle of the day, I was wide awake, and I was not the only person to hear what I heard. And no, it wasn't scary. Not even for an extreme chicken like me.

Someday, during my lifetime, I hope science discovers something big-MONUMENTAL-about the nature of our Universe. And I will keep reading these kinds of books so that I can maybe understand just a little bit of that wonder myself.

I need to get out more...

2008-10-26T22:22:00.002-06:00

As I feel like I have nothing to write about. Sure, I could write about the billion thoughts that flit through my mind every day, but they're not always profound. :o) Maybe I should start bringing my camera with me when I go somewhere-anywhere-during the day, just in case I see or do something interesting. As if I would remember-poor memory I have. (/Yoda)

If this post makes no sense...

2008-10-25T22:05:00.002-06:00

...it's because I stayed up until 3 AM to watch "The Shining" last night, which was probably a bad idea. Now I've got that braindead-tired thing going on.

So I went to a travel agency today and got a bunch of brochures for Mexico (well, the Caribbean in general, really). Mexico's more expensive than I thought. It makes me wonder, when you see those amazing deals, what kind of hotel they put you up in. Because all the ones I would want to stay in are over $1500.

I want more than anything else for the resort to have an amazing beach. We went to Jamaica quite a few years ago, and the beach was very rocky. Not nice at all. To top that off, there were these little red crabs everywhere! I mean, the beach was red and crawling with them. You couldn't put your foot down anywhere in the resort without stepping on at least 12 of them. They were scooping hundreds of them out of the pools. Yuck! So I don't want a repeat of anything like that. And IN the water, there was lots of seaweed and sea urchins everywhere. Jamaica was kind of scary.

Workplace bullying should not be minimized

2008-10-24T23:11:00.007-06:00

Today I was going to write about how I wanted to go on a trip in the next year with my husband and my brother. We had talked about going somewhere (like maybe Mexico) a few months ago, and my brother got his passport forms recently, so it's been on my mind. I decided that although we can't go anytime soon, I could at least start looking for a resort.

But then I talked to a woman I used to work with.

And all the memories of everything I went through there came flooding back. What set me off was that apparently, my former manager complained that I brought a friend with me on my last day (which was for about two hours) to help me bring my stuff out and also for moral support, because I certainly didn't get any support from my department there. My friend only took my stuff out and then left and waited for me in a nearby restaurant, so she was only there for a few minutes. But my former manager said that "she thought we were better friends than that" and that "it wasn't that bad."

Not that bad?

My doctor gave me tranquilizers and a note for two weeks stress leave (but when the manager saw that, she pretty much forced me to quit). My blood pressure, as I've said before, was high enough to have a stroke. I was throwing up at the prospect of having to go to work the next day. I think it WAS that bad!

It's not like she didn't know why. Before I quit, I sent her an email detailing the bullying--yes, that's exactly what it was--that management seemed to think was acceptable behavior. All through my employment there, my concerns were minimized. It may not sound like it here, but I will put up with a LOT before I complain. But this was ridiculous. Even saying that it wasn't that bad to my former co-worker after I quit is still minimizing what I went through there. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't angry.

Blood Pressure
122/77
Ex-cellent.

$178 worth of groceries for $58!

2008-10-23T21:18:00.003-06:00

You just can't beat that. Yay for Superstore and PC Points! Normally, I hate Superstore, but for this kind of deal I'll make an exception. I bought all kinds of things, including some things I have no idea what to do with. There was a bag of daikon on sale for 50% off, so I bought it. Now, I love it pickled as a side to bulgogi at Korean restaurants, but I don't think I can pickle ALL of it! I also bought tamarind, guava, okra...oooh, and I bought sea bass, which I never had before, but I had it for dinner tonight. It was fantastic! Mmmm...so much for my diet, though. Oh well, I'll just have to get back on that horse tomorrow.

Anyone have any recipes for okra or daikon? Oh wait, that would require that someone actually read this blog. Never mind.

As for the sea bass, I highly recommend doing it like this:
Mix up some softened butter, minced garlic (the kind that comes in a jar is what I used), coarse salt (like Fleur de Sel), dill weed, and pepper. Spread it on the top of the sea bass. Broil until it starts falling apart. Mmmm, delicious.

I didn't blow all my PC Points on whimsical new foods, though--I also stocked up on butter, tomato sauce, cream of mushroom soup, etc. I got a lot for what I spent, even before the PC Points.

Blood Pressure
According to my cuff: 129/74
I'll take that.

Tell-All Tuesday: Never Give Up Edition

2008-10-21T18:43:00.002-06:00

After I heard about my Dad's second roommate who turned out to be a drug addict, I wanted to learn more about addiction and how much hope these people actually have. I found a website all about it, including the addiction itself and also recovery, which was interesting. This website said that during recovery, one of the signs of a relapse is that the person will quit going to their 12-step (or whatever) recovery group, thinking that they don't need help anymore and they can do it on their own. This is one of the first signs, and if they DON'T give into it (and therefore do go to their group), they have less chance of relapsing.

Now, I am not a drug addict. Or, maybe I am. But if I am, my "drug" of choice is food. I have only felt more serious about losing weight and watching my calorie intake in the last two days. I have been going to TOPS, however, for a few months, although I haven't shown up for three weeks...until tonight.

I saw a parallel between people recovering from drug addiction, and myself trying to lose weight. Addiction, according to this website I read, is all in the brain, so I guess a person actually could be addicted to food. Anyway, I didn't want to go to my TOPS meeting tonight. It would have just been so easy to let it slip by, and quietly quit yet another weight-loss program, like I have so many times before. To tell myself that I can do it myself this time, TOPS isn't really helping me, I don't need the support and the accountability, I can get all that on the internet, etc.

So I made myself go. I only made myself go to get weighed in, and then leave again, but I did make myself go. I know that if I did quit, it would be like every other time. I would continue watching my calorie intake for about a week, if that, and then the weight would slowly creep back on (and then some!). And I would feel like nothing would ever work, and there's no way in the world I will ever be able to lose weight.

But this time was different.

My cat is a psychological terrorist!

2008-10-20T20:29:00.006-06:00

No, really. Currently he's trying to break my resistance with incessant meowing. He's been doing it all day. No reprieve. No relief. Argh!

Would anyone like a cat? Just kidding. I do love him very much, which is why I haven't wrung his monstrous little neck yet. I could give him a swat, but he likes that. Don't ask. Let's just say--cats are disturbed individuals.

What? What does he want from me???!!!

My other cat is so quiet. He only meows (actually, he kind of squeaks) when anyone heads for the bathroom (he likes to drink out of the tap, so he gets all excited about that. Again, disturbed). I named them wrong. I named the quiet one Mischief, and the noisy one Spices. I've always thought I should have named them Mischief and Trouble (Mischief has his naughty moments).

In other kitty news, I have a little friend in our neighbor cat who lives across the street. His name is Felix. He comes to visit us quite frequently (he used to come inside, but Spices doesn't like him, so since we got married and the cats and I moved in we can't let Felix inside). Sometimes Spices escapes and can be found at the side of the house, beating up Felix (who is a lover, not a fighter).

Anyway, I see that Felix's pet humans have a "For Sale" sign out front. I'm devastated! I think Felix is adorable. I don't want him to move! I do hope they take him with them (hey, some people don't) and don't pass him off to a shelter or anything. They don't seem to pay too much attention to him. Poor little cat. Then again, maybe that's a sympathy ploy on his part to get treats from all the neighbors!

Blood Pressure
According to my cuff: 126/76
Not bad. Not sure about my cuff though--the first time I took it, it said 140/78, which is odd. But it was acting weird, so I did it again. I hope the lower one is the right one!

Movies: "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "10000 BC"

2008-10-19T23:12:00.002-06:00

I realized we only had one day left to watch the movies we rented last weekend, so we watched the two remaining tonight. They weren't bad. "The Other Boleyn Girl" was quite interesting, but the music was so loud that it was hard to hear what they were saying! Plus, there was a really weird part, but all in all it was a good movie.

As for "10000 BC," I like any movie with big prehistoric animals, so that's enough for me! It was better than I thought it would be, though.

I almost put what I had to say about "10000 BC" right after what I wrote about "The Other Boleyn Girl," without specifying which movie I was talking about. That would have been some review, huh? A movie about a historic queen of England that involved big prehistoric animals? Ha ha!

Blood Pressure
According to my cuff: 126/81
Not too bad.

So, my Dad's current roommate is a crackhead.

2008-10-19T13:07:00.006-06:00

And I think that's sad and also terribly scary. Especially since he just went through this with his last roommate. I mean, just how many men in this city are drug addicts? Do I want to know?

So here's the thing: my Dad has a 3-bedroom house with a 1-bedroom apartment downstairs. Now, he's never really learned to take care of himself, instead receiving money from my Grandma and then my Great-Aunt (his Aunt) whenever he asked for it. However, they're both gone now, and while he'd apparently like to turn me into his new bank, I remember getting little sympathy from him when I was going through hard times. So although I'm an easier mark than I'd like to be, I'm not as obliging as he's used to.

So he's been renting out his spare rooms (he pretty much lives in the basement apartment). Of the first two renters, one couldn't stand his constant bickering and left as soon as he could. He was a pleasant elderly gentleman who liked to clean. Not a bad roommate, in my opinion. The other was a younger guy who ended up in jail for a previous assault charge. He left as soon as he got out of jail.

My Dad had been in the hospital for about two weeks around the time when he had the first two roommates. While there, he met another guy who said he needed a place to stay. My husband and I thought it was probably a bad idea when we learned that this guy was from the psych ward of the hospital, but my Dad assured us that he was just trying to get his life back together. Whatever-it's his house.

But that guy turned out to be a drug addict who stole my Dad's guns, knives, and my brother's decorative sword. So he eventually kicked him out.

Shortly after that, while he was putting up a notice in the grocery store by his house, he met a young guy and his mother who said they would both be needing a place to stay. The young guy was going to move in first, and his mother was going to join him in about a month. She never did. So this guy's been skipping out on work, not paying his rent, and my Dad has tried to kick him out, but he keeps promising to pay "just as soon as I get my cheque cashed later today."

Yesterday, however, one of this guys most recent girlfriends told my Dad that she was leaving this guy because he was on crack, and told my Dad that he was starting to act really strange and get really paranoid. She showed my Dad the crack paraphernalia in this guy's room, and also showed him that he had taken some of my Dad's kitchen knives into his room. My Dad had also had a watch go missing, and this girl said that the guy was wearing it, showing it off and telling people that he bought it.

There was also an industrial leaf blower that mysteriously appeared in my Dad's other (unrented) spare room, which he has suspected of being stolen for awhile. He is trying to find out if it is right now. EDIT: The leaf blower is, indeed, stolen.

Now all this bothers me very much. First off, I'm pretty sure it's dangerous to have drug addicts living in your house. Second, I am concerned about just how stupid my Dad seems to be about this. Disrespectful? Maybe. But why you would just let random people you barely know move in with no background check is, to me, incomprehensible. And finally, I find it all a bit suspicious. What if my Dad is into drugs? I'd like to think he's not, but I don't really know.

I am troubled about all this.

A good diet website...

2008-10-18T20:54:00.011-06:00

I need to lose weight. I don't try too hard, but I should, so I spent some time today reading a website that I find inspires me. That website is www.dietbites.com. There is enough there to keep you busy for days...weeks...maybe months. I found it a year or two ago, and I haven't seen everything there is to see yet (not that I look at it all the time--it can be a bit overwhelming). I just thought I'd throw that out there for anyone who might be interested. :o)

In other news, my husband got stung by a wasp today. Does anyone know what to put on it to make the sting go away?

Blood Pressure
According to my cuff: 133/82
Not terrible, but not great, either.

I haven't left the house all day...

2008-10-17T22:29:00.002-06:00

But it wasn't a total write-off. I did get some of my coursework done this morning. Then I did some dishes, and...that's about it. I kind of vegged all day. But I'm okay with it--I think you need days like that once in awhile.

Yeah, I got nothin'.

Blood Pressure
According to my cuff: 125/74
Not bad. I'll take it.

I blew it!

2008-10-17T15:51:00.003-06:00

As I said in a previous post, I quit my job around the beginning of the month. I was having work-related health problems, and while my manager wanted me to stay, she wasn't able to give me conditions where I could stay.

And then I found out today that they laid people off yesterday, just as the first round of layoffs. So apparently there will be more. If I had been able to hang on just a few more weeks, I might have gotten laid off (I would have been first in line saying "Oooh--pick me! Pick me!") and received a buyout package. Instead, I got nothing. Which sucks.

Could I have stayed there any longer? I really don't know. I was at the point where I was actually becoming physically ill at the thought of having to go to work the next day. My blood pressure was incredibly high (it went down to normal two days after I had quit), and I was absolutely miserable.

But still I feel like I was cheated somehow. And that bugs me.

Mr. Copperfield, where has your magic gone?

2008-10-16T19:48:00.003-06:00

I bought tickets to a David Copperfield show months ago. I figured out the pre-buy password, bought my tickets, and waited (somewhat) patiently for this evening. You see, I had been to a David Copperfield show about 10 years ago, and it was amazing. I was dazzled.

Tonight, I was not dazzled. I wanted to be dazzled, damn it! It was a much smaller venue, so maybe that had something to do with it. I can't decide if he didn't do his job, or if this is just another symptom of my growing cynicism.

There were a few cool things: At the beginning of the show, he made his entrance by suddenly appearing on stage on a motorcycle. At one point, he disappeared from the stage and appeared standing on the back of a chair in the middle of the audience, but I only saw it after he appeared, because our seats were close to the front. He made a paper rose dance, and then turned it into a real rose (saw that one before, though).

But he didn't fly! And he didn't make it snow... These are both things he did at the last show I saw.

Oh well, I still like him. At least he's pretty funny. I feel like I need to watch one of his television specials to get my "magic" fix, though!

Blood Pressure
According to my cuff: 127/83
I don't like this upward trend.

I wasn't this busy when I was working...

2008-10-16T10:17:00.004-06:00

I quit my job around the beginning of the month. I was having some problems with people I worked with, and my blood pressure was so high it scared me (it was high enough to have a stroke). So I have been a housewife for almost three weeks, and I love it. I love not having to answer to anyone, being able to wake up with the sun, being able to go swimming in the middle of the day, and being able to work on my accounting course whenever the mood strikes.

But I have so much to do! There's laundry, dishes, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, cleaning the floor, making dinner, working on the aforementioned accounting course, fitting exercise in, grocery shopping, errands to run, etc. Now, I am a terrible housekeeper, but I feel like since I'm home all day, I'm expected to keep on top of it all. So far, I am doing a very poor job of it. Luckily, my husband has none of these expectations, as he knows me (BTW, thanks for the vote of confidence, honey!). But still I want to get better at it. So I'm quite proud today, for the first time since I've started staying home, that I put a load of laundry in. Really. Don't judge me!

Well, I have to get going now. My friend just got here, and there are errands to run and swimming to be done. :o)

Whew!

2008-10-15T21:02:00.003-06:00

Well, I got my last few minutes of House tonight (it was replayed because yesterday was the election coverage), thank goodness! Good thing, too--those were an important few minutes. :o)

Does anyone care about Madonna's impending divorce? Just curious. I know I don't. I just happen to mention it because it's on TV right now.

Why am I watching TV, anyway? We have three more rented movies that we need to watch before next Monday. Can't watch 'em tomorrow, because we're going to see David Copperfield (I'm so excited! I bought the tickets months ago!). The other day we watched "Georgia Rule." My review: Really good. You should watch it.

Tonight maybe we'll watch "What Happens in Vegas." Or maybe "The other Boleyn Girl."

Blood Pressure
According to my cuff: 125/80
Not quite normal, but certainly no cause for concern.

Sad news today...

2008-10-15T10:39:00.002-06:00

My Mom sent me a text message this morning saying that my uncle's doctor says he has 16 days to live. He's been very, very sick for awhile...I think it's been two years since I first heard about it, but maybe it was last year, I'm not sure. He has multiple myeloma (a rare and extremely deadly form of cancer).

I like my uncle. He's a very nice man, and probably the most "normal" member of that side of the family. I haven't seen him for years and years, but I'm sad that he and his family have to go through this. I also feel bad for my Grandma (his mother) who isn't doing so well herself, and really can't handle this.

Life sucks sometimes. :o(

Oh, the humanity!

2008-10-14T22:10:00.004-06:00

I feel blah. I have felt blah since something I ate at lunch didn't agree with me, but the "blah" feeling was helped along by circumstances a little bit. I am happy to see that the Conservatives won, but I would have liked them to achieve a majority. Oh, well. Pundits on TV are saying that Stephen Harper failed, since he set out to get a majority, but I can't see it that way. He's still Prime Minister. Yeah, it could have been better, but it was still better than last time. Progress, not perfection, I say.

That minor disappointment, however, couldn't even BEGIN to overshadow the devastation I feel since House was cut short by a few minutes tonight! How could they do that to me?! Now I have to wait until tomorrow to watch it again, and hope they don't cut those few minutes off again!

I love House. I have never loved a TV show the way that I love House. I started watching it last spring, quite by accident, and I'm now the proud owner of all of the seasons that are out on DVD. That's the only show I've ever bought on DVD, although I'm thinking about buying Quantum Leap if it's out and I can find it. During that one hour a week when House is on, my husband doesn't even teasingly try to stop me from controlling the remote. We don't channel surf during commercials, unless I think it's safe. We don't dawdle to put it on the proper channel when the show is about to start. Am I obsessed? Maybe. Do I care? No.

In other news, I am going to start tracking my blood pressure on here. I have high blood pressure, especially for someone my age and even for someone my weight (something else I need to get more serious about working on). This is for me, so just ignore it if you happen by. This is probably the only way I'll actually track it.

According to my cuff: 120/80. Yay, this is normal! Hopefully it stays there.
Goal: Reduce required blood pressure medication.

Is there such a thing as salt rehab? No? Okay, how about chocolate? Do we have chocolate rehab?

Tell-All Tuesday: Election Edition

2008-10-14T10:18:00.003-06:00

Okay, first off, I just want to say that I shamelessly stold the "Tell-All Tuesday" thing from Paid Twice at www.paidtwice.com, simply because I love the concept so much.

Now that that's out of the way, today is our election for Prime Minister. I am going to go and vote as soon as I can make my way out the door. Are you voting? I will be voting for the Conservative Party, because Stephen Harper is the only leader I can stand. Liberals are right out for me, and although I like some of Jack Layton's ideas, and think his heart is in the right place, I don't think the NDP is good with money. If I were American, I would be voting for the Democrats, because McCain is old and his VP candidate scares me. As do most of the rest of the more vocal Republicans. Not that it matters since I'm not American, but they are right next door, and I like to keep tabs on what they're up to! Besides, I think the whole world needs a break from Dubya and people like him.

Has anyone besides me noticed that most of the leaders of the Canadian parties resemble forest animals? Maybe it's just me...

Okay, I should probably go vote now.

Family Drama

2008-10-13T16:05:00.006-06:00

There are days where I just want to pack up and move to the other side of the world. Australia would probably be nice. Why? Well, you see, my family is crazy. Oh, I know everybody says their family is crazy, but I can back my claim up with flow charts, police records, medical histories, and fortune cookie slips. Oh, yes.

I got a phone call today. I don't want to go into details, but suffice it to say that my blood pressure is probably about 10 points higher than it was an hour ago. At least. It was, of course, family-related. It involved tears, helplessness, requests for me to get ahold of someone else (someone who didn't want to be gotten ahold of, because they knew what was coming), fear, and panic.

Happy Thanksgiving. I thought I was done with the family drama when I started going to my husband's family's house for Thanksgiving, but nope, guess the phone will do when nothing else does. *sigh*

I have a headache.

First post!

2008-10-13T10:59:00.003-06:00

What to write, what to write? I am excited, but somewhat nervous to begin this blog. What if somebody actually reads it?! And yet, I didn't pick the "hide" option. Oh, well. I guess we'll see what happens.

On my mind today: Let's start with the heavy stuff. Religion is a big thing for me. Not because I believe it, or ascribe to any of its tenets, but because I don't. I do, however, find it fascinating to learn what other people believe about it, and how it affects their lives. I know quite a few religious people. Some are "live and let live" types, some are obnoxious about it, and some...I just don't understand at all. I hate it when I don't understand something. It drives me crazy and I can't let it go until I figure it out.

So here's the thing: This girl I know has become religious in the past few years. I don't understand her very well to begin with, but lately I've been reading her blog (it's my deep, dark secret--well, it was, anyway). As it turns out, she seems very charitable and compassionate. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just...well, it made me wonder about myself.

She relates all her charity work and compassion to her religion, and it made me wonder if, in my learning about religion and all the things I don't believe about it, I lost the altruistic, compassionate side of myself somewhere. I shared my concerns with my husband last night, and he asked me what I was talking about, because I help out my family (but it irritates me when I think they should be doing things for themselves, because I had to!); and he knows what trying to help a homeless man when I was younger (18) did to me (it destroyed me, basically--long story); and he knows that we're both still suckers for people who ask for money or food, and sometimes for a place to stay. And maybe he's right, but I can't help but think maybe I've become too cynical, and jaded to the idea of helping other people.

But it gets more complicated. The reason I've become so cynical and jaded, is because experience has taught me to be that way. I personally know people who will take advantage of you for your kindness. I am immediately related to some of them. And in my experience, no matter what you want to believe about the people who you think need your help, it always comes back to whatever you do doesn't actually help them, but enables them to continue preying on the kindness of others.

Whew, that did turn out pretty heavy for a first post. I think I'm done for the day, at least!