Hot Tubin'

Miracle of miracles we have had a very busy day and are having people over in about an hour, but here I am, still remembering to blog. Thank you NaBloMoFo - I am now an automated robot - blogging has become a part of my circadian rhythm.

But, I am kind of phoning it in slightly. I have nothing that interesting to say, so I thought I would link to a few of my favorite music youtubes.

I recently saw Arcade Fire on PBS and realized that I actually like them a whole lot. I had heard one of their songs on the local pop station wedged between Britney and an overplayed Nelly tune, and liked it, but never really looked into the band to see what the rest of their stuff is like. Then when I saw the PBS show by accident one Saturday night, I was pretty blown away not only by their sound, but the whole concept of a pseudo-orchestral band. So, here is a clip of probably my favorite song I've heard them play.

I first heard about Wolf Parade while reading Dooce, and instantly fell in love with them. I warbled along with them in my car for about a year before I got a chance to see them play and discovered I went to school with one of the guys briefly. Wolf Parade was also founded when Arcade Fire asked the guy if he had a band who could open for them and he said ya - even though he didn't have a band, or any songs, or anything. But they got together and voila. This song. Which makes me cry 87% of the times I hear it. That link is from a show this summer in Montreal, which was in the same round of shows I saw. Watch this one to see the video for the same song. I also really dig this song, and who knew they got to play on network TV?

So that's what I'm youtubin' lately. It totally blows my mind that all of these dudes are my age and from my community. I am such an underachiever.

Break out the eggnog

American Thanksgiving time has put holiday movie season into full swing.

I'm sure everyone has their favorites. Every year I see the listings for Miracle on 34th street, and It's a Wonderful Life. The Grinch. All those. But those are not my favorites. Nor have they ever been. I've never seen either of the former. And I don't think I ever watched the classic version of the latter either. Here are some of my favorites:

• Home Alone - I haven't watched it for the last few years, but for a while there it was a staple. Even Home Alone 2 is really great. I love the hijinks with the dummys rigged to ropes so he can move them around. And Joe Pesci - probably my favorite character he's ever played.
• National Lampoons - The rodent in the Xmas tree. The dried out turkey. The dickey. Enough said.
• Love Actually - I always love movies where all the stories are intertwined, but this one does it with humor and warm fuzzies instead of horror and irony. Plus, it's a relatively new movie, and since I usually only watch it during the holidays, I barely remember what happens in it.
• Stepmom - although mildly depressing, it still leaves you feeling pretty good. But in a realistic kind of way. I think this one takes the cake as SB's favorite holiday movie, but don't tell anybody that.
• The Family Man - No, not the Family Guy, The Family Man. It's kind of like A Christmas Carol, but not. There are cute kids in it. SB and I actually agreed that if maybe you could choose which kids you could have, we would choose the little girl in this movie. But since you can't choose which kids you can have, we will forego all that and get a baby Himalayan kitten. (okay, we didn't agree to get the kitten, but it was another moment for me to sneak in a bit of my cost/benefit analysis of the whole situation).

I was planning on posting this list anyway, but when we sat down to dinner tonight, we discovered that The Family Man was on TV. After celebrating American Thanksgiving yesterday by cooking a whole turkey dinner for just the two of us, I must say, it is putting me in a rather festive mood.

I must also say that my mood would be even more festive if we had a DVR and could have recorded this movie off of network television and watched it tomorrow while fast-forwarding the commercials.....

A tale of two turkeys

I could never really understand American Thanksgiving. We have Thanksgiving here in the Great White North as well, but we have it in October, with all the pretty leaves changing, and it is on a Monday, so it is like a regular long weekend. We have turkey. We have pumpkin pie. What we appear to be missing is some kind of hype that I'm not sure I really understand.

Why is American Thanksgiving (AT) on a Thursday? Is it so you will be able to justify an extra week off? Because if you are travelling, you probably do so Wednesday, and then you are there til Sunday, but to avoid travel rush you probably leave Monday.

Why is AT in November? November is not a pretty month. For example, here it snowed and freezing rained all day, and I'm sure our dear friends in Vermont who are celebrating today shared this lovely weather. Not so good for travelling. October is a much more reliable month.

Also, still on the whole November thread, why would you have AT so close to Christmas? It just seems that if you are going to have one holiday that pretty much lasts a whole week, and then another holiday that usually lasts a week, you would want to spread them out a little bit. Again, October wins.

Why do people feel like they HAVE to be with their families on AT? It is a phenomenon that baffles me. You don't have to be with your family to be thankful for them. And you are going to see them in less than a month anyway. We Canucks feel free to hunker down to our birds wherever we may find them. I have had my share of Thanksgivings with my family, but since moving 1000km away, I like to celebrate with my friends too. In fact, the celebrations with friends sometimes feel more genuine because they are not forced, not expected.

If you are American, please fill me in if you know the precise answer to any of my questions. And "it's tradition" is not an answer.

Of course, cynical me, I have a sneaking suspicion that it has to be on a Thursday so that retailers can have Black Friday (although we Canadians still seem to get all of our holiday shopping done without it), and it needs to be close to Christmas so that people are really in the buying mood.

And the giant cubic zirconia goes back on...

I totally love that mtv.ca has all their shows on-demand. This offers me a window onto how wonderful life would be with a DVR. Missed The Hills on Monday, but got to watch today.

1. I totally loved that Whitney was featured in this episode. It was hilarious when Lauren was explaining how to get out of kissing a guy when you have a "no kiss on the first date policy" - Whitney was like "what do you do then?" Lauren: "just turn your head" W: "couldn't that get awkward?" L: "Not if you do it right" W: "if I did it it would turn out awkward". It's so true - she's so goofy and clumsy, but that's what makes me love her! The Jared guy seemed nice enough, but while on the date he seemed like he was still in "trainer" mode - like he was trying to psych her up to get through the date or something.

2. Preview for next week is not looking good for Audrina and Justin Bobby. I wouldn't be sad if that's the last we see of him. And using the name "Justin Bobby" reminds me that we haven't seen Lo for a while - I wonder if she's busy making out with Frankie Delgato somewhere.

3. It was awesome to see Heidi finally give it to Spencer. It was especially effective that she took that giant lame-assed ring and shoved it back in his face. It's bad enough that he is a complete ass-face to everyone else on the planet, but there is no reason that he should treat her like a possession that he can just make do whatever he pleases. I just wonder how long the new, apologetic Spencer will last.

First Snow

We got our first snowfall overnight last night. Hmmpf. I was so grumpy when I took my dogs out this morning for their walk - boo to wet shoes, boo to drying off their paws, boo to the spot on our stairs that is obviously going to be a trouble spot with an icy patch throughout the winter.

The driving around wasn't so bad, since it was pretty warm today so nothing froze up. I picked up all my group dogs, and we drove to the mountain. Started walk as usual.

Then suddenly the pups came alive. They started hopping through the snow like bunnies, and wrestling playfully with each other instead of independently sniffing all the spots where dogs peed before them. The Irish Terrier ripped a branch right of a tree then ran along merrily, whacking everyone with it as she zoomed past them. The Yellow Lab has to be kept on leash because she has the lovely penchant for eating poo, and the Irish Terrier and the Wheaton Terrier took turns running in between us, hopping over the swag of the leash that hung there. Several times different dogs tried to engage me in wrestling, hopping in front of me and growl/yipping then getting into the "downward dog" play pose, challenging me to get them, get them, get them.

Amidst all the tussling and the fetching and the big kisses when I kneeled down to scratch their ears, I forgot all about how annoying the snow is, how annoying clients are being lately, how busy I am, how much laundry I have to do. I forgot everything. I was just there, hanging out, and having fun.

I am the only person bothered by this?

Is anyone else bothered by this McDonald's commercial? They are introducing a new limited time sandwich called the bacon ranch McChicken or something similar to that. It actually looks very good, and they do their 30 second thing about what is on it, describing all the ingredients using words like "crispy", "tangy", and "fresh".

Then at the end of the commercial, they say something to the effect of "because when you're craving bacon, nothing else will do."

When I'm craving bacon, nothing else will do except a hamburger bun, some ranch dressing, a giant piece of fried chicken, a slice of tomato, maybe a leaf of lettuce (but they will have probably run out, so probably some little ribbons of shredded stuff), and two over-microwaved pieces of bacon.

I don't know, and call me crazy if I'm wrong, but I really think that when I'm craving bacon, nothing else will do except for maybe bacon. And in a pinch maybe turkey bacon.

Fred Thompson and Dick Wolf can kiss my tush.

I love all Law and Order. Regular. SVU. CI. All of them. I have plans to name future furry children after some of the characters. I'm pretty sure I have seen every single episode of each of the series. I am hardcore.

However, I am a bit dismayed over a little development they snuck in to last week's episode of Special Victims Unit.

Because Fred Thompson is running for president in real life, Arthur Branch cannot be on TV in any new episodes. They delayed the return of Law and Order, presumably to see what would happen in the primaries, and maybe Branch would be back. At least this is what I assumed. Then last week, what slips in the conversation between Olivia and Casey? That Casey has a new boss. Jack McCoy.

I am stunned and offended by this development. Jack McCoy is not the boss. He doesn't have to make the hard calls. Jack McCoy is the rebel, the stick-to-his-guns and his unpopular but correct views man. He bucks the norm. He laughs in the face of authority. How can one laugh in one's own face? One can't.

I am interested to see if they will actually stay true to the character and keep him liberal and slick, or if he will turn into a hardass towing the line to keep the voters happy. I truly hope it is the former, because Jack McCoy is anything but The Man. Anything else would be a lie.

Unintentional innuendo

Dinner last night was fabulous and I am so glad that I hauled my ass off the sofa to go. Almost even better was the little shopping extravaganza prior to dinner wherein I spent far too much money on new handbags and sweaters, but that is all under wraps until SB finds the carefully hidden merchandise....

When all the girls get together, there are always stories that make us laugh until things shoot our our noses. One of the stories is a staple, and gets told pretty much every time we get together because there is someone who has missed the last few get togethers and hasn't heard the story.

The staple story is one that N heard from a friend. He was out to dinner with a francophone woman he worked with and some people they would want to impress (I forget if they were bosses or business acquaintances, but you get the picture). At the end of the meal, when the waiter came around to pick up the plates the woman was in the middle of a conversation and flippantly said to the waiter, "oh, yes, I would like to take it doggy style." Now none of us in our circle of friends is able to say "I'd like a doggy bag" - we all say "can I have this to go?" because we are so terrified that it might slip out "I'll take it doggy style."

During the dinner last night, our friend T was the one who had never heard this story. And then it turns out she had a funny story of her own that involved a bit of a language barrier. She went to a dinner party at her fiance's friend's home. The friend's wife is very french, but T and her man are pretty anglo so they spent the evening speaking in english. They had a lovely wine and cheese before dinner, and were all getting along very well - the food was beautiful too. Then as the wife was clearing the cheese plates and things, she said happily, "I hope you saved room - now it's time for the intercourse!" T and her fiance were cracking up laughing and it got explained that it was the "main course" not the "intercourse". It was a good thing that they were right about the mistake and T hadn't ended up at that kind of party.

Stumbling

I have been having a tough time lately. I am in a rut where things seem bleak. I feel like I have nothing to look forward to. Each day is just a day that I am passing for the sake of saying I made it through that day. It's sad, and it's frustrating, and it's probably strange for most people to hear.


I have a great life. I love my job and am so lucky to be passionate about the work I do every day. I love my home and feel fortunate to live in a place I love surrounded by comfort and beautiful things. My family is healthy, my pets are loving and funny, SB is a hardworker and wants to work towards our goals with me.


But I am sad. And down. And lonely. I am lonely, but I feel antisocial. I am going to dinner tonight with friends, but I'm not really looking forward to it. I know I should be, I miss them, but the thought of getting dressed and driving there and being out at night instead of home on the sofa is, frankly, exhausting to me right now. Just the thought of it.

I'm sure everyone gets the blues, and I rationalize that at least I am cognizant of the fact that this is weird, that at least I force myself to socialize and have fun, because I'm sure once I'm there it will be fabulous. But I don't think it's normal that I feel that everything just takes so much effort.

I know all of this probably indicates that maybe I should go back on meds. But I have been telling myself that it will pass, that it's just the change in weather. Then maybe I'm thinking it seems like too much effort to see a doctor. And that would indicate that it is even more important than I thought.

Random because I'm running out of things to talk about

I am so sick of "Music is my Boyfriend" from the iPod Touch commercials. I think I am mostly sick of it because I love it so much and feel the need to dance every time it comes on, and I am also annoyed that I always think it's Avril Lavigne but it is really not. I thought it was Skye Sweetnam because I just googled "Music is my Boyfriend" and apparently she has a song by that name, but then I YouTubed that and it is totally not the same song. The name of the song is really "Music is my Hot, Hot Sex" and is by a Brazilian group called Cansei de Ser Sexy.

I am sad that we have had tacos every Thursday for about a month and tonight we will not have tacos because SB has a work dinner. My body has already accepted that Thursday is Taco Night. Now it's too late to turn back - ever.

Oprah is talking to a hoarder today. I think I have hoarding tendencies, so I am making a conscious decision to check myself before I wreck myself.

I have been running three times per week for almost two month with zero results. I am getting very frustrated, and I wish I could afford to go back to yoga.

I need a haircut, but I'm too lazy to go get one. Plus I can think of about 100 other things I would rather spend money on.

When our dog Charlie is sleeping, he looks like a bean. I would almost want to lay down and cuddle with him if I didn't think this would cause him to bite me in the face.

My cat has started to snore during his afternoon nap beside me on the sofa. It's cute.

Possibly the best profilactic ever

Does anyone else out there watch this John and Kate Plus 8 show? It is one of those shows that manages to fascinate and horrify me in equal doses each and every week.

It is a reality show on TLC about a couple who had trouble getting pregnant so they did IVF, and then they had twins. After the twins, they decided to try for one more baby, and succeded in getting pregnant with SIX babies. SIX HUMAN BABIES. That's a LITTER for crying out loud.

They are really cute kids - even when they are screaming and biting and beating on each other. I love to watch the general chaos that occurs each and every week. The mom is pretty much anal OCD woman, and I think that is the only reason the entire house doesn't get ripped apart by those children. And it blows my mind that the parents don't have perpetual migraines. I can see how it is not the life they would have necessarily planned for themselves, but they really are making the best of it.

Anyone who knows me in real life knows I am not a huge fan of kids - babies in particular freak me the fuck OUT. So I am thinking of making a video of the John and Kate Plus 8 show. And if ever I lose my mind and think, "maybe having just one kid could be fun..." I will put that tape in the machine, and will be able to get back to my regularly scheduled life.

What did she think was going to happen????

Okay, so The Hills last night did not disappoint. Except for one thing.

1. Where the heck was Brody? Waaaaaah. I used to beg for more Whitney, but now I'm getting more Whitney and no Brody. Boo. However, my cousin in Alberta went to a radio promo at a club and Brody and Frankie were there. Not a word of a lie. I saw the photos, (thanks Facebook!) but haven't asked her if she got to make out with him or anything.

2. Even I'm getting tired of hearing myself say how much I hate Justin Bobby. He took Audrina on a date and kept burping in her face! And his motorcycle is absolutely ridiculous. I was so glad that her co-worker convinced her to blow him off. I hope this is a lasting trend.

3. Holy Crackamoly wtf was Heidi thinking? First she hijacks Lauren at an event by just walking up and being like "Hi." Like nothing ever even happened. (By the way, at that moment I totally loved how Whitney stepped up and broke the ice). Then that ends badly because she is in denial about Spencer. Then she cyberstalks Lauren and convinces her that they should meet to put everything behind them. But at the meeting, she totally refuses to take any accountability, continues to deny knowledge of any actions on Spencer's part (although at least now she is not denying that he actually did it), and just keeps saying the same thing over and over. If I were Lauren I wouldn't even have met with her at all considering how Heidi reacted when they saw each other at the event. I was a little disappointed in Lauren's obviously rehearsed line "I want to forgive you....and I want to forget you." (so dramatic, though, right?), but I was glad that she called Heidi out for not doing anything, and for being in denial about what a shady person Spencer is. In the end Heidi stormed out, but I don't see how she could have expected a different outcome without changing her views or accepting any more of the blame.

I'm not sure how many episodes are left, but I will be sad when this season is over :(

Almost halfway there!!!

So far NoBloPoMo has not kicked my ass. I think I have put in a pretty respectable effort so far, and I haven't missed one day. Yay me!

Today I am dying to post about my mother's newfound disdain for a certain video rental chain, but fear that if I did she may not speak to me until I turn 30. Or until I get married. Although at this rate, I think 30 will come first. But trust me, it's hilarious, and I am plotting ways to get a rise out of her for the next few months.

Today the big *new* giant Airbus 380 flew over the city. I saw it by accident as I was driving to the mountain to walk doggies. I thought "wow, that big giant plane sure is flying awfully low to be this far into the city" and then I parked and started climbing the mountain. Apparently it was a big deal (no pun intended) and there were tons of people at the top of the mountain trying to catch a glimpse. How nice for them. Not nice for me because the doggies generally enjoy running into people eating lunch on the mountain because maybe they might get some. They pester them and try to jump on them, and I have to wrangle them and it's aggrevating. And when there are 50 people eating lunch on the mountain, they think maybe they will all get some. And then things just get crazy with the whining and the pawing and the jumping. That's why as soon as I heard about all the people at the top we alternated our route to avoid the bulk of them. Airbus ruined our walk.

Apparently the Airbus is 7 stories high. To this I say meh.

Since Christmas is dead....

I'm definitely not dreaming of a white one.

It snowed in New Brunswick today, apparently. Or maybe last night. I can only say, wow, am I ever glad I don't live there anymore.

I am a big fan of the 2-10 degrees Celsius temperature range. I adore a brisk walk through the leaves with the pups. I dig a nice warm coffee/latte/hot chocolate when my nose is cold and my cheeks are rosy. I love wearing sweaters, scarves, mittens, and my Uggs. But I HATE snow. Snow should be relegated to mountains only (for the skiing and the snowboarding), but I would be elated if they built a big giant bubble over the city so we could avoid the following:

• giant snowbanks that I have to try and plow my car into because they haven't bothered to clean the streets yet (sometimes they check the weather report and rather than getting out there and getting to it, they wait to see if it will melt away).
• ice. Black ice. Giant ice puddles. Ice on stairs. All kinds of it. I can't even count the number of times I've bruised my ass while walking dogs and hitting a patch of ice. And it's the worst here because they don't seem to understand how to use salt on the sidewalks. So whole blocks will have a sheet of ice the whole length. Either you skate your way down the block, or you take it to the streets and risk getting mowed over by a car.
• wet jeans. There is nothing worse than having to walk through a snowbank and getting your jeans wet, and then the wet works its way up to your knees. I have gaiters that I wear when it's too warm for snowpants, but it still happens.

So, I'm thankful it didn't snow here this weekend. But I'm bracing myself because I'm sure it's coming soon.

Also, a small addition to my holiday wish list - I forgot to include a DVR. I think that this would drastically improve my quality of life. As of right now, I am pretty much chained to my television most nights during primetime. This would free up this time for, you know, the drinking and the carousing.

Reason number 377...

...that I should never have nor be around small children: I think they are real-live adult humans, when really they are not.

This summer friends of SB's moved into a house with a pool, so they had a pool party/bbq to cap off the nice weather. They have a little girl who is probably not quite two years old...I don't know, I suck at guessing ages.

Anyway, I was playing with their dog, as I do, and the little kid was standing near us. She had a Dora doll (even I know who Dora is) and the little monkey who is friends with Dora, who was wearing a T-shirt that said "Boots".

Me: What's that girl's name? (pointing at the Dora doll; I said this in french because the kid is french)
Her: That's Dora (holding up the Dora doll. Good start)
Me: And this one?
Her: That's Babouche.
Me: No, no, I think his name is Boots.
Her: No, Babouche.
Me: No, it's Boots (frustrated already) see, it says so on his shirt (point to his name, making no sudden movements because she's starting to look upset).
Her: No, Babouche.
Me: I really think his name is Boots (backing away because her little miniature brow is furrowed and I really don't want her to scream at me.)
Her: NO, BABOUCHE (shaking toy vehemently in one hand and pointing wildly with the other)
Me: Ya, sure, okay, whatever (backing up slowly, then running away)

Before we left I asked her mom why she calls the toy Babouche when his name is Boots (it says so on his shirt).

"Oh, on the French show it's Babouche."

Hmm.

Big Boss Lady

I am so angry that No Country for Old Men is coming out in the theatres and I still haven't had a chance to read the book yet! I was totally oblivious to Cormac McCarthy until I read The Road, which completely totally unequivocally blew me away, and No Country was next on my list but I just haven't had a chance to order books. (Plus I have a stack of unread books almost as tall as me and I think if I brought one more into the house SB may throw me out). I've been avoiding reviews and interviews with the stars all day for fear it will ruin something for me. I think I will go to Chapters tomorrow to purchase it.

I was supposed to clean my house today, but I didn't. I feel slightly guilty, but I was doing other things. So poo to vacuuming.

Tomorrow we are interviewing potential part-timers. We think we may possibly be at the point where it is a good idea to expand. So we are meeting a few people, and I have to say it feels good to be interviewing for a new spot instead of to replace someone - we don't have that pressure of "Okay it's suzie's last day in one week and we need to train someone stat" so it feels really nice to try be able to take our time to find the right person. It's all very exciting. Not as stressful as I thought. I'm really digging one of the applications we got, but I'm trying to keep an open mind so that everyone gets a fair shot. And we're holding interviews at SB's office so I get to have coffee from the fancy-pancy coffee machine. Awesome.

Runningwoman

Have you ever seen that commercial for Advil Cold and Sinus, where the woman is all sick and is talking like "if you think a cold is going to keep me from running a 100 mile marathon and baking a cake at the same time then you don't know me"?

Ya, well, I'm not her. Illness throws me to the ground and stomps on my face, then it sits on me and farts. But for the past three weeks of fighting my allergy/cold (still going, by the way, and all the meds are really dehydrating me, yet also leaving me with a running nose) I have been keeping up my running regime. This regime consists of me hauling my ass into the extra room and running on the treadmill 2-3 times per week. It's been going really well - I run about 2 miles each time, so about 20 minutes, and thanks to my little iPod I not only have great tunes, but also have the Nike+ system that lets me track my runs and my progress.

I think the Nike+ is probably one of the best inventions ever. You get a little pod that you put in your Nike+ shoe (if you don't have these shoes you can buy a little clip to attach it to your shoelaces), and it sends a signal to your iPod nano that tracks your distance, pace, time, and calories burned. Then there is a whole website where you upload your data, set goals, and you can compete in challenges etc. AND there is a 'map it' section where if you run outdoors (I'm not quite there yet, so maybe in the spring I'll do it) you can map your route and how far it is, and other people can run it too.

So, I highly recommend everyone gets one, and if you do, and you are a beginning runner, then let me know and we can challenge each other online.


****totally random side note: SB and I are watching Survivor right now, and every week while it's on Global TV they show a promo for Survivor (I know, stupid right, showing the promo for the show you're watching while you're watching it) where you hear Jeff Probst saying "Just how we like it here on Survivor - nice and wet."

This cracks SB up every single time he hears it. And for the next three days, he will randomly say it while we grocery shop, drive in the car, or walk down the street. And I will laugh.

Someone's gonna come crawlin' back

The Hills is quickly becoming demoted as my favorite MTV show ever by its new competition, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. I know, I'm disgusted with myself that I love that show because it's so trashy. But I just can't look away. And that blonde lesbian Amanda cracks me up.

But I digress.

The Hills this week was pretty boring on the surface, but after thinking about it, there was a lot going on.

1. Lauren and Whitney were ultra-boring this week, mostly because they threw their party, and it went off with out a hitch. Boo. Well, good for them, but boo for us. The closest we got to disaster was Whitney taking her walkie-talkie earpiece out of her ear.

2. Justin Bobby is a big fat loser and Audrina is an idiot. Dude, just say "I am dating Audrina. We are dating." Because we are watching you on TV. And whether you want to admit it or not, you are dating. And then Audrina gets hit on by a totally presentable cute nice guy who is in a band, and she is all grossed out by him. Um, your boyfriend thinks he's Eddie Veddar and, sorry, but hello it's not the 90s anymore.

3. I think Heidi is starting to realize that her life sucks. I'm pretty sure she didn't picture spending her 21st birthday alone with Spencer eating dinner on the same side of the table (I HATE when people eat on the same side of the table). There was no party because she no longer has any friends, and the one person she does have in her life spent half of the meal playing with his Blackberry.

In the previews for next week Heidi and Lauren have a sit-down. Now that's TV that rivals 11 dudes and 11 lesbians fumbling around in a foam party.

It was like my birthday or something!

Last night I made ribs for dinner, which I haven't done in a very long time. Because they are messy and icky, I generally like to take the opportunity to be bad and serve french fries alongside, because then you can just eat the whole meal with your hands. So I asked SB to stop at our favorite Belgian French fry place to pick up some fries.

He ordered a large fry and the sauces we like, and the guy was like "I'll give you two small fries because small fries are free today".

Huh? Yay for us!

So, obviously if you want to get me a present, free fries are on the list, but with the holidays coming up, here is my gift wish list:

Items I WANT WANT WANT but am unlikely to receive (the same list I give SB for every single holiday/birthday, etc - notice "new iPod" is gone - he really came through on my birthday!):
- Nikon D40x camera.
- a vacation somewhere.
- a male Himalayan kitten

Items I would love to have that are within reach:
- an FM transmittor for my iPod - I haven't really researched them much so not sure which model I want but the last one I had that was stolen was awesome - it worked as a stand for the iPod too and plugged directly into the power source. I think it was a Belkin.
- gift card to FutureShop/BestBuy - in case there are 100 FM transmittors and choosing one is scary.
- Chapters gift cards, since there are about 187 books that I am dying to read
- Shopping gift cards (for Cadillac Fairview malls) or H&M gift cards. Because I have this syndrom lately where I refuse to buy myself clothes. And now all my clothes are old and gross and I am almost naked.
- hugs.

Extreme randomness

I just got halfway through a big long post about reasonable accomodation, then got disgusted even thinking about it and saved it as a draft. Not to say I won't come back to it (November is a long month!) but I guess I can only take so much at once. Maybe I won't post it at all.

I have been knitting myself a scarf. It's lilac and white, because I had a medium sized ball of each left, so, there you go. One side of it is slightly messed up, but it's for me, so I'm not being too picky about it. I love knitting. It helps me get rid of lots of nervous energy, which I've had a lot of lately. When I'm feeling anxious I pick and chew at the skin around my nails, which I know is gross and ugly, but that's what I do and I've done it since.....probably since I had teeth, and that's that. So knitting is a good way for me to be able to watch TV without gnawing off my pinky finger. Maybe I will knit myself some mittens that I can wear the rest of the time when I'm not knitting.

For some reason I feel very scatterbrained today and am having trouble concentrating on one thought. (Maybe it was the 4 cups of coffee at breakfast....) So here's this and have a great night.

Not those kinds of night sweats

Guess where I was when the time changed????

I was lying on the floor of my bathroom trying to get every inch of my bare skin to touch the cool cool tile while I sweated out....something. If I had been in my right mind I might have removed my sweatpants, but at least I got the legs pulled up. And I was also too busy putting the bathroom trash into a garbage bag and then removing the plastic bucket part of the garbage so that I could go lay down on the sofa next to an open window and still have something to puke in, while trying to remain prostrate on the cool cool tile.

I'm still not sure what the hell was going on. I woke up cramping and puky, and ran to the bathroom wherein the sweating began. After about 30 minutes in there I thought it was safe to retreat to the sofa, where there was NO television worth watching on any of our 400 channels so I finished the book I was reading and drank water. I finally went back to bed around 4/3 o'clock and had nightmares and tossed and turned, but did not throw up.

Then this morning I felt all better.

I am blaming the whole thing on some frozen appetizers we ate yesterday (fully cooked, of course) even though SB didn't get sick at all. Because it's either those or steak, and if it's steak, I might kill myself.

No, I didn't forget

I just had a busy week. I actually did watch The Hills on Tuesday, but was a bit distracted with work and illness and friends needing support, and I didn't really pay much attention to it.

I got to watch the re-run today, so here are my thoughts:

1. I feel bad for poor goofy Whitney. She seems like she should be good at her job, but she always comes off as not really put together. At all. Maybe she was just nervous, but I found her to be kinda unprepared during the meeting with the New York team. But, all worked out well and Lisa Love was happy.

2. Lauren and Brody need to just get back together already. I know that a lot of what happens on the show is staged (sorry to break it to you, if you weren't aware...) and I have a feeling that they are actually together, but just stringing along the reveal until like season finale time or something. This both makes me annoyed and happy - annoyed because I want it to just happen already, but happy because I'm sure things would be a lot less interesting if they were actually together.

3. It seems that Spencer is actually starting to see what an effing dumbass he is, and is trying to make amends with Brody. This probably has less to do with Lauren and The Hills than it has to do with the fact that Spencer probably isn't getting much play at clubs and stuff now that he is not part of Brody's entourage. Because who wants Spencer around just for the sake of having Spencer around?

In Case you didn't notice....

I'm doing it. Kill me now.

This is me on drugs

I finally broke down and took the NyQuil last night. NyQuil and I have a sordid past, which includes a slight dependency on my part. I have been trying to stay away from it, and have been quite successful ever since our move, but this cold/allergy is kicking my bum, so I broke out the tiny plastic graded cup and took my dose like a man.

Now I feel FABULOUS - no boogies, no coughing, although I do feel like I could probably sleep away all of Friday if I had the chance.

But, alas, I do not have the chance. I have to do groceries. Probably my least favorite thing to do on the weekend, besides visiting IKEA, so I will try to get it done today instead. Even though I really hate lugging all the grocery bags up the stairs by myself. I'm thinking of constructing some kind of modern dumbwaiter system. That would also come in handy if ever Gabby's medications stop working.

And how about we just add to the randomness by saying that I am so excited for The Amazing Race to start this weekend. I am so jealous of the citizens of the US for having the opportunity to participate in this show. Here I am stuck in Quebec, land of stupid contest rules, so even if the Amazing Race Canada ever did happen, I probably wouldn't be eligible.

Feeling very Eeyore

My cold/allergy is back. I thought it was a cold because my throat got all sore and yucky, but now because of its persistance I'm starting to think it's allergies. I am stopping for drugs on my way home today. Then maybe I will go to the pharmacy for some Claritin.

So, November is here, which means Christmas is right next door. We all know Christmas is dead, so I have nothing to look forward to until Valentine's Day. Actually, I am quite looking forward to this weekend because of the time change. I think this is now my favorite weekend of the year. How sad is my life when the thing I look forward to the most in 365 days is a chance to sleep for an extra hour. Wow.

The best film that I forget that I love

There is something at work in this universe of ours, that knows what I need and when I need it. Or at the very least knows what movie I need to be watching because I am down.

We have had The Movie Network for several years now, and sometimes I get downright frustrated with the selection provided by these fiends. I pay $20 extra per month - why should I ever need to use my video on demand? For a while we had it just for The Sopranos. Then Big Love. Also Six Feet Under back in the day. Now it's Flight of the Conchords and Entourage.

Anyway, even though it's frustrating 98.7% of the time, it always seems to know when I am feeling low, or sad, or down, and you know what movie it plays then? Elizabethtown.

This is the best movie I know that can let me wallow in whatever melancholy I am feeling, but still leave me with a very good feeling. But I forget how much I love it until I start watching, and each part gets better with each viewing. It's one of the rare films that I actually enjoy seeing Orlando Bloom in. Kirsten Dunst plays much as I imagine her to be in real life. Susan Sarandon cracks me up every time with her tap dance. I love that the dad always said "If it wasn't this, it would be something else." I think I would be friends with him in real life. I desperately want someone to make me a very unique map, and desperately want the time to be able to follow said map.

I always gasp when he sees the photo of his mother (Susan Sarandon) when she was young. I always laugh out loud when she talks about Boner Bob. I always nod my head to the beat (who are we kidding, I full on rock out) while Ruckus plays Freebird. I always giggle when Bloom dances alone in the field. I always cry each time he lets go of another handful of his father's ashes. I always hold my breath when Bloom searches for the girl in the red hat.

I have seen this movie in its entirety at least 10 times. I can't even count the number of times I have watched only part of it for a little pick-me-up.

This weekend, I watched it again. It was the first time SB had watched it. It still makes me feel better.

And over on the East Coast....

It turns out that last night while I was playing the Oskar Schindler of muffins ("this banana, I could have used this banana to bake just one more...."), my sister was having herself a car accident.

Driving home at night on the highway, possible mechanical error, some swerving, and some rolling over of the car a few times.

My sister bought her car on Monday.

When she called to tell me about it, I asked details about the accident, and we chatted for a minute. She sounded so normal that it didn't hit me until hours later how lucky it is that she's okay.

I feel horrible for her, not only because her car is probably totaled, and now she is very nervous to drive again, but also because it appears that she may have inherited my luck. I hope she keeps her chin up, and I hope she keeps driving. But in daylight. And maybe at like 30km/h at first.


***note: sorry about the tasteless Schindler joke, but to my tired, sick, melancholic brain it was too funny to ignore.

Aching

Throughout high school, I earned my extra dough by working at McDonald's. I started on my sixteenth birthday, and was there on and off until my fourth year of university. After...not very long working there, the only job I liked to do was work in the drive thru, and did so even though it involved doing all of the dishes. Probably my least favorite thing to clean were the muffin trays - even though they use the muffin cups, the trays still get really crusty, and the sweet, burned smell can really get to you after your fourth or fifth tray.

I remembered all of this tonight while I was baking.

Something really terrible happened yesterday - not to me, but to one of my closest friends. I'm at a loss, really, and am not sure what to do. How to help. What to say. When to say it. It has been a very long time since I've been in a situation like that, and I'm not sure what I would want from a friend. I know what I want to do - I want to make it better, easier, less stressful. But what will do that? And what will just make it worse?

So, I'm baking. I will deliver everything tomorrow and leave it on the porch - I'll call after so she won't have to see me if she doesn't want to, but the stuff won't get eaten by a stray dog or anything. I've made stuff that can be frozen, so if no one feels like eating, it won't go to waste, which would probably make things worse. Mostly muffins. Lots of them.

Man down! I've been hit!

For about two months now I have been battling my allergies, as I do pretty much 6 months of the year, it seems. I have found a great allergy pill which, although it sometimes makes me dizzy, I only have to take once every day and it keeps my head from filling with boogies.

Last week my throat started to get scratchy, but I kept taking my allergy pill telling myself "it's just the allergies" even though my throat never gets scratchy when I have allergies. Then last night, horror of horrors, I ran out of my medication.

Falling asleep, my eyes felt all burny and I had to take my contacts out. I actually slept okay, but as soon as I woke up and got out of bed my head filled up, I started coughing, and my eyes kept on burning. I'm pretty sure this isn't allergies anymore. I think that maybe this is a cold.

Remarkably, I think this is only the first or second cold I've had since leaving office/retail work. I used to be perpetually sick, picking up a bug every second week and trudging along through life with a runny nose (murder for someone who hates nose-blowing in public) and a fever. I guess it's a testament to the value of life as a virtual hermit whose largest social gathering is a pack of 12 dogs - you don't get sick a lot. But now that I have given in to the sickness, I do not feel like walking my group today. I just want to snuggle into the sofa and watch movies.

I don't think sushi is a good first date

Got to watch The Hills in a timely manner this week - here we go:

1. I'm sick of Heidi and Spencer. Unless they are breaking up, I really don't care to see them on my television anymore. But, at least she finally got a little firm with him - he was all mad she was missing a "surprise" dinner he planned for them because she had to work, and he started guilt tripping her "Fine, just go, you don't even care about us" and she was like "It's called 'work'; you should try it sometime." So funny.

2. Whitney finally went out in public and socialized, which was awesome. She was pretty quiet and boring, though. I guess she can only be goofy and fun in the confines of their little closet/office at Teen Vogue.

3. Lauren's date with Gavin = boring. First of all, they went out for sushi, which, at least at this particular restaurant, seemed like a bad idea for a first date. They agree on one kind of roll to try, then he mentions a baked salmon roll, which is his favorite. Lauren says she isn't a big fan of salmon, but of course he orders it anyway (hey, it's his favorite, whatever, I would do the same thing) and when they bring it out, she pretends that she likes it. Whatever, the purpose is to get to know each other, they don't have to be at the "let's share everything, let me feed you" stage. You can tell a lot about a person by what they order, so on a first date everyone should order their own. Maybe share dessert....

4. Brody is so cute pretending he doesn't care that Lauren is going on a date, then acting all protective of her. I don't care what those two say, they should be together. Especially now that Spencer isn't around effing everything up.

Knitty McKnitter is back in action

Several years ago, I bought six balls of cashmere/merino wool yarn on sale in a greyish blue color. It was so soft and such a pretty color, it took me a very long time to decide what I wanted to make myself with it. Then SB's mom was diagnosed with breast cancer over a year ago, and I said "I will use my fabulous yarn to make her a fabulous cap to keep her head warm, and also that is very cute and soft." Of course once the hat was done I had to make her a scarf to go with. I ended up with some yarn left.

A year later, I decide to make myself a hat. But halfway through the hat, I realized I didn't have enough of the yarn left to finish it. So I ripped it apart. Now I'm trying to figure out what I can make with the itty bitty bit of yarn I have left. (I actually could have sworn that I had a whole nother ball of it leftover, but I have searched high and low to no avail). I hate to waste it, because it is so soft and nice, but really can't think of anything that small to make out of it. If you have suggestions......

Two days late...and I have no excuse

I missed The Hills on Monday, and haven't had a chance to watch it on demand until today. My thoughts:

1. Jenn Bunney is so shady. She loves the gossip too much, and while she doesn't actually get her hands dirty in anything, she is constantly trying to stir everything up. She keeps repeating "I don't want to get involved" but then passes on info to Lauren of what Heidi said, then has lunch with Heidi right away so she can pass along what Lauren said....I think Lauren should just concentrate on the friends who haven't stabbed her in the back at all.

2. Spencer is WITHOUT A DOUBT the one who spread the sex tape rumor. did you see the look he gave Heidi? She didn't even dare come out and ask the question, because he would invariably admit on camera that he did it. Instead she leans on the issue, and he gives her this knowing look back like "you know I did it, so just keep your mouth shut". I hate that guy.

3. I so love that we got to see Heidi get in trouble for the whole Emmy debacle. I hope she gets fired before the end of this season. Actually, I hope she either gets fired, or realizes that Spencer is bringing her down and is a bad influence, dumps him, and then actually succeeds at her job because he isn't there to drag her down.

4. Brody Jenner is hot. I am not happy that the preview for next week shows Lauren dating another guy. I hope it makes her see that she should be with Brody. They are so cute together.

5. I'm glad that Lauren apologized to Audrina for being so critical of Justin Bobby - although I didn't take it as a sign that she has changed her opinion of him, because EW he's gross, but I think it's good that she sees that she needs to keep some of her opinions to herself for the sake of her friendship.

He's wastin' away

Our dogs are both quite whiny, but for very different reasons.

Charlie likes to whine when he is staaaaarrrrrrvvvvving. They usually eat between 6-6:30pm, so that means he starts whining at 6:31. I'm hunnnnnnngry. When is someone gonna feeeeeeeddd meeeeee? I could diiiiiiiiiiie. Tonight I am heading out for drinks, and I'm not sure when SB will be home, so I'm holding off feeding them until right before I leave. It will keep them occupied for about 2.87 seconds while I sneak out the back door. So, for the last 23 minutes, there has been the whining, as Charlie sits in front of the patio door (not even smart enough to whine in the kitchen, where the food is) staring into space and whiiiiiinnnnnning.

Gabby whines all the rest of the time.

Swimming

My head has been very googly. This is a combination of sinus pressure and medicine to relieve sinus pressure. I shouldn't be driving, in my opinion, but there you are.

It's not so bad when I am in my apartment. Something about being indoors with a ceiling and closed space, my head is okay with that. But as soon as I step outside, it's like my head is filled with helium and trying desperately to float away. So weird.

I have been non-productive the last few days, and I'm okay with that. I have been keeping up with work emails and phone calls and all that silly business, but other than that - well, let's just say the house is in a state of slight disarray. SB did a really great tidy-up the other evening, which was spectacular, but the laundry, it is piled up. Dangerously. We may lose one of the dogs in there.

Also, the pot roast experiment was delightful. So tasty. SB has requested I make one a day. Or at least enough so that there are constantly leftovers hanging around. I think it is a sign that it tasted good.

I have fallen in love with Fall

Finally! Fall is finally here! The temperature has chilled, the air is crisp, the leaves are falling, and all is right with the world. Due to global warming fall came a bit late this year, but now we are full speed ahead. One thing that did confuse me a bit was the fact that the leaves began to change color before the temperature drop. This goes against everything I learned in Ecology 101 (literally, we did a 3 week project on leaf-changes, and leafy vs deciduous tree growth based on altitude) wherein the theory would be that the leaves lose all their chlorophyll as the tree sucks it back in so it can survive the winter. And the trigger for the chlorophyll sucking? Cold. So I guess our crazy "theories" were only partially right, and that trees follow some sort of circadian rhythm as well.

Anyway, there are many many things I love about fall, not the least of which is our new fireplace. We moved at the end of April, just in time for air conditioning season, which I was equally delighted by, but it has been pretty freakin' fantastic curling up in front of the fireplace on the weekend and reading the paper and falling asleep with my kitty all cuddled up with me.

I also love the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, so have been having one or two of those a week to celebrate the season.

The group walks have been fun, because there are no bugs this time of year and you are rarely drenched in sweat because it's nice and cool. The bad parts: it's burr season, so the two terriers I walk are generally full of them by the end of the walk; it's fat squirrel season, so I need to keep my eye on dogs chasing the sloooooooow squirrels to be sure no one grabs one, and that no one gets grabbed by one.

In honor of fall, I am making my first ever pot roast (it just kinda feels like a fall/winter kinda meal, don't you think?). I have made many a roast beef and roast chicken/turkey, and I have braised my fair share of slabs of meat as well, but I have never tried a pot roast, so away we go. It is currently simmering away and smells delish. I am not looking forward to my run with all those smells wafting into the spare room while I'm on the treadmill!

My baby girl is like new again

Those of you who know me at all know that my dog is my child. Just like my cat is my child, but my dog I actually got when I was a child, and we have been through a whole lot together. She is 13 1/2, and I love her dearly.

Before we moved, she became very limpy. Her rear leg was sore, and she often favored it making stairs difficult and jumping on furniture impossible (this was part blessing and part depressing development). When the furniture jumping ceased for her, we passed a new law in these here parts of no more dogs on the sofa or the bed, so that the other wee canine didn't get benefits that Gabby couldn't get. We started supplementing her food with glucosamine tablets, which seemed to help quite a bit for a few months, but recently seemed to not be helping at all.

The move brought a lot of anxiety on my part - we have more stairs here then we used to have, and it was increasingly difficult for her to climb them on her own. Doing so involved getting her focused on the task, and ascending at a very steady pace. Any deviation from the pace or any distractions caused her to lose momentum, and then she would usually fall backwards. If we didn't have a hold on the leash or weren't paying attention, she could have toppled all the way down the stairs doing backward somersaults.

One evening we were watching TV in the bedroom and SB thought it would be nice to give the dogs a little treat and let them on the bed. Since Gabby couldn't jump up anymore, he tried to lift her onto the bed, at which point she snapped at him. This was devastating to me, as she is the sweetest, most gentle dog I think I have ever met, so I knew her lashing out like this meant that she was feeling a lot more pain than we realized.

I made an appointment with the vet with a very clear aim in mind. I just wanted to ease her pain. She is far too old for any surgery, or major procedure, but if we could get a medication or another treatment that would help at all, I was ready to try it. SB was concerned about costs, of course, but our vet is fabulous and usually presents tons of options taking cost into consideration. I was concerned she would say surgery was the only option, and then I would be faced with the decision of letting her go on in so much pain, or putting her down.

She told us that Gabby most likely tore a ligament at some point, and then the extra strain caused her cartilage to wear away in that knee. She said surgery was a possibility, but again age was a a concern. I told her that Gabby has led a fabulous life up until now, and I would just be happy if she was not in pain anymore. She suggested several different treatments, one med by injection, one by pill, and another dietary additive we could try. She said that if we did all of these things at once, we would definitely see improvement, but if cost was a concern, we may want to start with one and then trial and error what works best.

We decided on giving her Meloxicam in pill form. I was extremely pleased to find that since her last vet visit, Gabby has lost 10 pounds! That's huge for a dog, and I attribute it to their new holistic diet, because she definitely hasn't been up for any amount of exercise. But, because of this weight loss, we have to cut her pill in half, and then also shave off about 1/5 of that piece to get her the correct dose. We could have given her the liquid form of the medication, but it is 3 times more expensive, and we weren't even sure it would work.

So, away I went with these pills and a limping dog.

Within two days, it was like she was 5 years old again. The limping stopped, and she started a routine of finishing her dinner, then bringing us a toy to throw down the hall for her to chase. If we didn't throw right away she would bark at us until we did. She has an enthusiasm and vigor she hasn't had for years, even before the limping. Now our other dog looks at us like "when is she going to slow down again - I'm exhausted."

I'm pretty sure her joints are weak because I used to run with her on sidewalks when she was young. I didn't know it was bad for people and dogs at the time, so try not to do it, especially with dog breeds prone to joint problems.

Every night I look at SB and proclaim my amazement at how she has changed over the last few weeks. I am so happy that she is feeling like herself again, and can see how happy she is to be feeling better. I also almost started to cry when two nights ago she jumped up on the bed. I let her hang out there for a while.

Cuddle up

I just spent the past half an hour reading through the blogs on my blogrolling list complaining about how people don't update enough. Um, hello, hasn't posted since last week. Mmm, sorry. Ha. ha........ha

I made it through psycho Thanksgiving weekend, with the help of SB and some yummy Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes. MmmmmmMmmmmm. We had two pretty full days on Saturday and Sunday, and were pretty exhausted by the end, but managed to haul ourselves off the island to our friend CHAG's house for yummy Thanksgiving dinner. I had so much fun and was so stuffed with food I almost forgot that I was about to fall asleep in my soup. Then we had to visit a geriatric cat who needs fresh wet food four times a day. I'm not even joking. But she's sweet, and old, so I kinda like spending time with her. It's just not so fun at 11 at night after a big giant dinner.

Monday I went out alone to finish up all the cats and was able to finish my day by 2:30. When I got home, SB had fired up the fire place, and I enjoyed the best nap ever in front of it, with my cat. I cannot recommend this enough after a long six months. Just grab a blanket, get in your pjs, let your cat crawl into that nook your knees make when you crunch your legs up, turn on the fireplace and snooze. I felt like a four year old who passes out in front of the TV after being out sledding all day. This may become a new routine, along with my two hour baths in our big giant tub which include me, bubbles, a book, and an IKEA Optimal glass of wine**.

Also, the Hills was a recap episode last night, so no Hills Tuesday this week. :(


**for those of you out of the loop, the IKEA Optimal wine glass holds about half a bottle of wine. It's pretty fabulous, and efficient when getting up from the table, or out of the tub is just a big old pain in the rear.

When your whole body is constantly saying ugh

I have been feeling a little low lately. I'm not sure why. Ever since we went home for that wedding, I have felt this giant weight on my shoulders. Or on my head. Yes, definitely on my head.

Maybe part of it is that Labor Day was my benchmark for "get a break from work" because our summer months are insanely busy, and I desperately needed a break. But this year I did not get a break. Not even a little one. Yes, we flew home for five days, but along came the laptop and the Blackberry and work, she was being done daily. When I arrived back, suddenly EVERYONE wanted our services and I had client consultations coming out of my eyeballs. New dogs all around. This is all very very good for the business. But timing-wise, I am pooped. Now it is Thanksgiving, and I have to work the whole weekend. I meant to take days off during the week to balance it out a bit, but that didn't happen. And besides, a day off alone is just boring.

Actually, I think that is also a part of the problem. I'm bored. Yes, I'm busy. But things have become a little ho-hum. I get up and have breakfast and coffee while I watch Regis and take all the messages. Then I call everyone back, and send out reply emails. Then I have a group walk or cat visits or whatever is scheduled for my noon time. Then I come back and take the messages again and do more emails. Then it's administrative stuff til five, when the "office" "closes" and I go take a bath. Yesterday I really switched it up and had a run then took a bath. I know, that's just crazy. Would I rather be doing anything else in the whole big wide world besides this job - hell no. But I think I'm a little lonely. And things annoy me really easily, so any unexpected changes to the routine just make me angry.

Or maybe all of these things are just side effects and I am just going a little crazy again. Maybe I should take a trip to the pharmacy and see if feminine hygiene products make me cry.

Something's brewing there....

Wowie The Hills was good this week!

1. Spencer should be brought out and shot. First and foremost, he continues to grow that fugly beard. Also, he convinced Heidi to screw over all the people at work to get this job with more responsibilities and stress, and then he is ticked at Heidi for having to bail on their anniversary dinner because of an emergency. Hey, Pubic Hair Face, the world does not revolve around you. Grow up and get your own job.

2. I thought what Elodie did to Heidi was really low, and professionally pretty stupid, but aw shit I envied her and wished I had had that opportunity at one or two of my old shitty jobs. For those of you who missed or don't watch (who doesn't watch The Hills, though, really?), Heidi screwed over Elodie for a promotion, so this week E decided she quit. On her last day, Heidi approaches her to fill in for her at the Emmy's so she can have an anniversary dinner with Pubic Hair Face. The Emmy's are the day after Elodie's last day. (Don't even get me started on the fact that Heidi is supposedly E's superior and she doesn't even know she's quitting). Elodie says "Yes, anything for you." and promptly doesn't show up. So then Heidi gets the call to get her ass over there, leading to Pubic Hair Face's demon serial killer look of death. In short, Elodie is my hero slash I don't think I would ever hire her.

3. Audrina went off on Lo and Lauren that she is sick of the tension between them and Justin Bobby and that she can't take it anymore, then had a sarcastic rant about how she will just never see him again then to make them happy. Um, honey, your friends may not like Justin Bobby, but they are making a serious effort to be nice to him, while he is making zero effort at all. I don't think they are the ones you should be mad at.

4. Where was my Whitney? Oh, well, carry over from last week's episode - I thought it was absolutely hilarious when they were at the photo shoot and Whitney was predicting how mad Lisa Love was going to be, and then did her Lisa Love imitation: "Whitney....you do not have a future."

5. If Brody Jenner and Lauren don't hook up, I will be seriously pissed. All of this lead up and anticipation is killing me. Unless he comes to MTL to hook up with me instead. Then I wouldn't be so sad.

Digging in to the routine

My sister left this morning after ten days visiting. We had loads of fun - did tons of shopping, mostly, but she was also jonesing for a ton of relaxing so of course I was game for that. However, after all that relaxing I feel completely behind in my work, even though I'm not really, but you know that sinking feeling that you know are forgetting something......

While visiting, my sister took advantage of us. For our cable. She doesn't have cable. I know, I know, I almost asked for a DNA sample to prove we are related before feeding her when she arrived. She says she is not home enough to pay for it, and that she gets free movies from work anyway, so if she will be home she just brings a few with her. Meanwhile I can barely survive 8 hours of sleeping time without TV. It's on constantly - even if I'm not paying attention to it, I like to hear it as background noise. It was especially fun for her that there was a marathon of LA Ink on yesterday.

I've been able to catch a few of the new shows in amongst my routine of old ones, and I have to say I have been overall pretty pleased with the new, and underwhelmed by the favorites. CSI premiere was a little un-forensic, ER was a little too ER not enough character stuff. Law and Order SVU was a bit too dense - they tried to jam a two-part episode into an hour. However, I am totally in love with Dirty Sexy Money (maybe because I have a major hard-on for Peter Krause), and surprisingly charmed by The Big Bang Theory. It was friggin' hilarious. I highly recommend it if you like sarcasm, nerdy humor, and sarcasm. I wasn't impressed at all by Big Shots - in fact I could only make it through about 10 minutes before switching over to Without a Trace. And that is saying a lot, because I could have easily caught the re-run of Without a Trace on Friday night. I'm very sad, because I have also been known to have a hard-on for Michael Vartan. Maybe if I watch it with the sound off or something.

Jason is too devious

The Hills was kinda boring last night, but mostly because after the first five minutes it was kinda predictable.

1. Jason is such an ass. He and Lauren have been hanging out, and not once did he mention he had a girlfriend. He talked about re-hab (Lauren offered to participate in sober outings with him), he talked about needing clothing (Lauren offered to give him back some of the clothing she still had that belonged to him), and he talked about looking for a place (Lauren offered to help him find one). But no mention of a girlfriend. Then suddenly, in his own awkward "trying to be casual" way, he not only mentions that he has a girlfriend, but also that they will be moving in together and that Lauren is invited to the upcoming housewarming so she can meet the girlfriend. I think LC took all this news very very well.

2. Spencer had that fugly beard happening again.

3. Heidi is in full-on wedding planning mode, meanwhile Spencer hasn't even told his parents yet. Jen Bunny is even being skeptical. There was speculation yesterday on Pink is The New Blog that Spencer only proposed to Heidi in the first place to ensure more camera time for them. I would agree.

4. Whitney almost seriously effed up at work, and I was actually really disappointed in her. She should have known that it wasn't appropriate to take the band out before the photo shoot. Do that shit after work is done. Lest your bad-haired boss find out.

5. Jason's new girlfriend seems a little....seventh grade. There is one point when she deliberately interrupts LC and Jason and practically jumps him, then moves between him and Lauren and gives Lauren a "Bitch Step Off" look. Does she even know that Lauren and Jason have been hanging out all this time ALONE??? I love how when Jason asks what Lauren thinks of Katja, Lauren refrains from saying "she's a bitch/slut/rude-assed ho", and instead gets right to the point "I think you're being an idiot". Then she tells him he is rushing it wayyyy too fast. That is definitely the safe route. Because he is being an idiot. And maybe Katja only looks like a bitch/slut/rude-assed ho.

What to do, what to do

My sister is coming today!

so exciting!

What have I planned for her during her ten day sejour at my casa?

Nothing.

I have been too busy to even call her this week. So far I know I am picking her up in three hours at the airport, and then maybe we will go to the grocery store. Wooohooooo!!!

A few weeks ago when I went to NB, I saw my sister for like 3.7 seconds, and then she took off to Indiana for work. Before that, I hadn't seen her for a year and a half. You would think we might have some kind of list of stuff we want to do together, but, no, we do not. I know we will definitely do some shopping, because I have been saving my birthday money for two whole months so I could spend it while she's here. I thought we might join the 7 billion other Canadians flocking to the US to do some shopping. And next Saturday is my university's homecoming football game, so I think we will get SB to drive us and we will drink beer all day while screaming obscenities at no one in particular.

I highly doubt that my strict day-off schedule of pyjama-lounging and Facebook Scrabulous would leave her with a very satisfying vacation, so if you have any suggestions, please, let me know.

One day early - SO THERE

The Hills was awesome tonight and actually had me yelling aloud "Holy Crap!"

1. I was actually getting used to the idea of having Lauren and Jason possibly getting back together, and I was totally falling for their relationship tonight when they went through the whole public harassment from Spencer and Heidi. But then, on the preview for next week Jason reveals that he has a girlfriend, is moving in with her, and THEN at the housewarming they get engaged. Poor Lauren!

2. PLEASE!!! FOR THE LOVE OF PETE - I NEED MORE WHITNEY!!!

3. I was very disappointed to see that Audrina and Justin Bobby are officially boyfriend and girlfriend. I was not disappointed that I didn't actually have to look at Justin Bobby tonight.

4. What the hell is with Heidi and Spencer? Near the end of the episode she's talking about how they sent a drink over to try and smooth things over a little, but the whole time they were there they were making snide comments about sex tapes, and then instead of just sending over one of whatever they were each having they sent water and a Shirley Temple. That's kinda rude. Plus, I am not a big fan of people who can't take a hint and just leave the situation alone. Either she has amnesia, wants to fake being a nice person, or genuinely has deluded herself into thinking she was trying to be nice.

5. If I can't have more Whitney, then I will take more Elodie any day! After she called Heidi on being such a tool I yelled "Ho Ho Holy Crap!!!" at the television. She fell just short of saying "Lauren hates you and you don't know why, Audrina hates you and you don't know why, Whitney hates you and you don't know why - maybe you should take a look at yourself, because you seem to be the problem..." I hope this plotline gets developed further!

**Last minute edit:
On The Hills Aftershow, Elodie just said "If anyone ever asked to marry me and gave me an amethyst, I would punch them in the face."
I am loving that girl more by the minute!

A nightmare

Last night I had a dream that I was pregnant, and then gave birth. I was sitting at a table with a bunch of other ladies and we were taking a chemistry class. Everyone was pregnant, and suddenly I was like "excuse me, may we deliver my baby now" and then 10 seconds later I was climbing onto a bed in another room and giving birth.

In the dream I was not that happy about giving birth, and was particularly annoyed that my doctor in the dream was my real-life vet, and also that the nurse got me to lay on my stomach to give birth (?????). Then I was annoyed that the baby was a boy. However, I was less annoyed that the doctor, to make my trip home more convenient, put my baby in an easy-to-carry paint can.

The lower end of our expectations of disaster

Upon arriving back in town, I called our employee who had been caring for our terrors to let her know we were on land, safely, and to thank her.

"Hi, it's me. We're back safely"

"did you get the dryer to work?"

"Huh?"

We hadn't been home yet, and apparently the dryer was broken. To understand why this is funny, you must have a little background info.

This girl, let's call her X, has the worst luck of anyone I have ever met in my whole life. Even worse than my luck, so between the two of us, I'm surprised this business hasn't been run into the ground by now. Her cell phone is always broken. One time I tried to contact her, and she called me from a client's house "sorry, but when I was getting off the bus this morning the coffee I had in my pocket spilled and my cell phone got wet." What?

Once she went away for a long weekend and on the way home Monday morning their car broke down.

Then she went to NYC for a trade show and her flight got delayed from like 10pm til 7am the next day. Then there came a tornado to NYC. And flooding in Brooklyn. And X's plane got hit by lightening. It was on CNN. Upon landing, her travelling companion had filled out customs form incorrectly which subsequently landed them in Customs Hell for five hours.

A few weeks later she went to Vegas. Her flights were okay, but the day after she left I heard SB call out from the living room, "I think X arrived in Vegas." Why? "There's some flash floods just outside the city. Cars are floating away..."

And don't even get me started on how many of her bikes have been stolen, and the bike accident she got into 24 hours before our departure for the wedding.

But she is great, we love her, so we accept the deadly forcefield that surrounds her and keep our fingers crossed that things don't go too wrong.

When we arrived home, Charlie had explosive diarrhea. All over the living room. Then again in the night. This was I'm sure none of X's doing, because Gabby was perfectly healthy, I just think Charlie has a nervous stomach. He's fine now.

But the dryer seemed fried. When you pressed the button, it just made a WWWrrrr noise, like the motor was trying to go, but had no juice. I started pricing new ones, while SB cleaned up diarrhea. Then SB got in there and started taking it all apart. I was nervous. Nervous that either it wasn't that broken and he would wreck it, or that he would get electrocuted. Neither of these happened.

I am happy to report that SB fixed the dryer. Know what was wrong? Someone jammed the lint trap in and pushed a sock in there with it. And then the sock got eaten by the motor. Literally eaten. Big holes in it. It was probably me or SB doing laundry before we left, not paying attention. I'm glad that we don't have to get a new one. I'm sad my sock is toast.

Two days late....but I was on VACATION

Highlights from this week's episode of The Hills:

1. What the hell was with Lauren's date from Jersey? Did she look like the kind of girl who would be impressed by 40 cent t-shirts? I totally would be, but for crying out loud she works at Teen Vogue. And is from Laguna Beach. The last time she spent 40 cents on something was....never.

2. Why can't Jason stay out of the picture? I know we are supposed to hate him, but it's hard when we don't know the details of why they broke up. And he finally shaved, and got a haircut, so now he's super cute. I feel confused....

3. Audrina has the weirdest taste in boys ever. Justin Bobby is so dirty, I can't believe she would let her crotch touch the same motorcycle seat as his let alone hook up with him.

4. I WANT MORE WHITNEY!!!

5. Heidi is going straight to hell, and if I were Elodie I would start compiling dirt about her now so as to get her canned. I also love that every time she (Heidi) talks about Lauren, she gets this look on her face. You can totally tell she is ready to cry, but then she makes this really gross expression and tries to pretend she doesn't care.

Discuss.

Back!!!

Well hello there. Sorry for the absence, but I have been away. That's right. Off the island. Out of the province, even. I know, the insanity of it.

Two of our very dear friends made the jump to matrimony this past weekend, and we were lucky enough to be able to attend. The wedding was held in Digby, Nova Scotia, so we decided to meld the trip with a quick visit home to visit the fam.

I had a few trepidations about travelling (okay, billions of them).

1) our pets. This is the first time ever we have flown home, normally we drive and bring the brood along with us. But, this time we had one of our employees stay at the house to care for them. I know they love her, and obviously if she works for us I know she is more than competent and trustworthy, but for some reason I had anxiety. Oddly enough, though, once on the plane I rarely thought of them until we returned.

2) our business. Even though I brought the work computer and my Blackberry, I was still worried something terrible would happen and I would be out of touch. I tried to keep the work to a minimum, and only replied to emergencies of our regular clients, but I still felt like I didn't really get a break. However, I doubt I would have felt better if I was completely out of touch and had no clue at all what was going on. In fact, I think that would have driven me batty.

3) timing for the wedding. We landed Friday night. We drove to the wedding on Saturday morning. The wedding started at 2pm. It was 5 hours away. It was a long drive, and after checking into our hotel and getting dressed and ready for the wedding, we arrived in time for the ceremony, but missed the bride walking down the aisle.

4) travelling together. I just really hate going to NB with SB. Point final. I'm pretty sure I won't be interested in doing it again any time soon. Because travelling together to NB is pretty much like me going to London and him going to Paris at the exact same time and we'll just meet back up in MTL at the arrival gate. It's ridiculous and I think from now on I would rather we just vacation somewhere else, but together.

Aside from all the anxiety, it was so good to see my family, and to eat fried clams. More stories to come.

The Hills Tuesday

I adore the show The Hills - some people call it their guilty pleasure, but I see nothing guilty in it at all. It is hilarious. So, I am going to try to do The Hills Tuesday and list my top five things about the episode that aired Monday night. Today there are a few general things that I love just because it's my first Hills Tuesday and we've got a little bit of ground to make up.

1. Whitney is awesome - gorgeous blond, super clumsy/silly/goofy. Love her. Last night she made fun of the names LC's mom almost named her and made hilarious faces at the same time - "Cryssssssstal."
2. They call someone Justin Bobby. His name is really Justin. But some people call him Bobby. But they aren't sure why, and they think it's weird, so they call him Justin Bobby.
3. Justin Bobby drives an El Camino
4. Spencer and Heidi are ridiculous. And Spencer grew a fugly beard.
5. Spencer broke up with Brody Jenner - sadly this doesn't seem to mean that we don't have to look at Spencer's fugly mug anymore

Long weekend

I had two days off this weekend! In a row! My first days off all summer. I haven't even taken any of the messages that people left after five o'clock on Friday. People seem to think that I am available 24/7. Well, I'm not. So, the messages, they have not been taken, and if there are any emergencies in those messages, it is not my problem. And I'm only feeling about 80% guilty about that.

On my two days off we have been doing NOTHING. Which is pretty fabulous, although I think it would have been fun to have rented a cottage or gone on a day trip to the outlets or something like that. But that kind of thing takes advanced planning, a luxury that I do not have. So yesterday we went to a BBQ, and today we went for a bike ride and hung out at a street fair. And ate mussels and beer. Awesome.

Next weekend we venture east, to a wedding and then a very quick visit with the families. We were supposed to stay for a week, but because SB has some work stuff that needs to be tended to, it has been shortened to about 5 days. Two of which involve travelling to and from the wedding and attending the wedding. The upside to this is we now get to fly. The downside to this is that we will probably only see each other at the wedding, and the rest of the time we will be trying to visit our respective families and friends.

I just realized my hands still smell like mussels even though I washed them twice. Ugh.

Dear Cosmo,

You are a very cute Golden Retriever. Sure, your head is a little skinny, but I love your amber color. And I love your girly woof, even though you are a boy. I love how excited you are all the time. I love how no matter what you are doing, when I sit down on a rock, or bend to tie my shoe, you are all up in my business so you can get some affection.

You know the one thing that you could do to make me even happier, though?

Maybe you could resist rolling in dead things.

I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but really I think you could do it. Because I know how you hate to have your head washed off, and I know how I hate that wonderful smell of decomposition, that fills up the truck and also stays on my hands through at least twenty handwashes. So really, this could be win-win for us.

I'm not sure why you do this, but I suspect it has something to do with impressing the ladies, but dude, believe me, they are not having any of it. They tell me in the car after I drop you off.

So whadda ya say? Next time you happen upon a dead mouse or frog or squirrel or whatever the hell it is that you are finding in the brush, how about you just give it a sniff, and walk on by.

Thanks,
Jules

Sometimes you think you are unhappy, but really you are not

Summer has been very very hectic. I was prepared, and I started off strong. But it is just that summer is surprisingly very long. Longer than you would think, if you were say, enjoying your summer. And doing fun summer things. But if you are trying to organize the busiest schedules of the year, and doing payrolls with five hundred stat holidays, and fielding dozens of phone calls daily, and meeting new clients daily, and organizing key drops and pick ups and replacing cars and keys and employees, then summer, she is LOOOOOOONG.

But, I could be stuck in an office 12 hours a day. Working for someone I hate. Spending my evenings making voodoo dolls of said person and using my creativity solely to find new ways to manipulate said dolls. I would much rather spend my summer stressing out in my own office, aka my sofa, with my doggies mulling around. And some days we take our coffee on the deck.

And when I leave the office, I have to spend time with cute doggies and kitties that are not mine. How can that be bad? It can't.

When the fall comes, I will begin to write again. I am very excited. I should be writing now. I could be writing now. But I am not ready to put the pressure on myself to write daily when I know that realistically, that won't happen right now. In a few weeks, yes but now, impossible.

There are definitely some downsides to the work I have chosen. But there are so many more upsides. And I am proud of myself for being able to see them and value them. Two years ago, this would have been impossible for me.

I'll build a house inside of you

After three months of scanning craigslist like a fiend, I was actually able to score tickets to see Wolf Parade. I noticed an ad for someone who wanted to trade her tickets for Saturday night's show for any other night, so I emailed her and said if she had no luck that I would buy her tickets at a mark-up.

Then I forgot about it.

Then on Friday, she emailed me and asked if I still wanted the tickets. Hells ya! It was a bit short notice to find a friend who wanted to come with, so I asked SB and he said cool. Even though he doesn't listen to them much, he's heard them on my truck CD. Although on the way there he kept screaming "Wolf Lover - WHOOO" to which I had to explain that we were on our way to see Wolf Parade, not Wolf Mother, and Wolf Lover is, as far as I know, not something that exists.

The show was pretty amazing. The first opening group was a duet of a guy and a girl playing 70s and 80s rock covers. Whatever, they were okay. Then there was a group called Holy Fuck, and I guess you would describe them as instrumental - they had a drummer, a bassist, a keyboardist, and a guy who played what SB and I call "The Table". It appeared to consist of many many gadgets and plugs and knobs for twisting, and it made all kind of noises. It all looked very complicated, and they kept having "technical difficulties". They were actually very good, SB was very into them, which surprised me.

Wolf Parade blew my mind, as I knew they would. Not only were they amazing, but the crowd had fabulous energy. I have generally been known to avoid any shows that do not involve seat assignment, and that was probably the only thing that bothered me about this show. We stood in our spot for 3 hours, waiting patiently, and forming polite boundaries with the other people around us, then five minutes before WP came on, 4 loud, annoying, stoned guys pushed through and squished themselves in front of us. Everyone was annoyed and pissed off, but made the best of it. SB was not pleased, and I think that ruined the whole show for him.

They played lots of old stuff, and lots of new stuff, which sounded pretty great. It was at La Sala Rossa, which holds about 225 people, and has a small stage. I wish that the room had some risers or something - just gradual "stairs" - because then the space might be almost perfect. Or if the stage was higher. But I don't think the room is tall enough to lift the stage.

Anyway, during the set they played Shine a Light, You are The Runner and I am My Father's Son, Fancy Claps, and a few others from the first album. Fancy Claps was probably my favorite. Then the encore was This Heart's on Fire, which I can give or take, but then I'll Believe in Anything to close things out. This one BLEW MY MIND!!! It sounded amazing, the crowd was amazing, I just do not have the words this early Sunday morning to describe how spectacular it was.

On a side note, I totally didn't realize, but I took my first writing class with the keyboardist from Wolf Parade. I love their music, but I'm not the type to look up everything I can about the band. But when I saw him, I recognized him right away. So weird. I remember his writing was really great, but a bit too poetic for my prose tastes. Music seems to suit him much better!

Like Beethoven composing deaf....

Hey, did you all know I want to be a writer?

Yup, I sure do.

I went to school for it and everything, and every once in a while I sit down with an idea and put pen to paper and start working. And it feels good. It feels comforting and complete, and correct. This is what I should be doing - I fought it for a long time and am finally resigned to the fact that this is my calling, my vocation, my purpose. But it does not pay the bills, for now, so I usually do it in between shooting cats with insulin, sifting through cat litter, and trying to scoop doggie diarrhea off the sidewalk. Which I also love. Of all the jobs in all the world that I could have to pay the bills while my creative juices be a percolatin', I would not choose another.

Anyway, one of the things that stalls my writing is the following. I will get a great idea, that I am so into and so committed to and I start working it out and writing. Then I will start reading a book. And that book has a similar premise. Not the same, I am not plagiarizing via ESP, but very close. And then all my ideas seem not so fresh. Not so great.

Case in point:

As my Advanced Prose project, where we began working on a novel, I wrote about a girl who died, but was able to watch and connect with her earthbound family members and loved ones. I was really into the idea, the characters, got great feedback, it was really quite lovely. Then I graduated, and set it aside, and wasn't sure if I would come back to it. And recently I've been thinking about it again.

Until I started reading The Lovely Bones. Which is about a girl who dies, and how she is relating to her grieving family.

I'm sure that no idea is really truly fresh. And if it is fresh, it may be experimental, and I am so not experimental. So I'm sure I will always come across ideas that are similar to mine. But I just don't like to be confronted with the similarities as I'm working on the project. It makes me question everything that I add to the project from there on out.

So, to write, do I need to avoid reading?

Time to get back into bank robbing

Today I sliced my thumb open on a can top. I was cleaning it off so that the kitties' owners wouldn't come home to stinky, fruit-fly attracting cans. Usually I am very careful about these things, but for some reason my head was in the clouds. Maybe it was because I was visiting this kitty and I am in love with him:

There have been a number of occasions when SB has had to remove this kitty from my pocket so as to avoid me "accidentally" bringing him home with me.

Anyway, you know that feeling you get when you hurt yourself? It's like you are in slow motion, and there is no pain at all at first, but you feel the slicing, broken down into like milliseconds. You have enough time, in that briefest of seconds, to think to yourself "How am I such a moron that this just happened to me?" and then in real life you yell "Fuck" and throw the can top into the sink. Still no pain, but you are scared to look. Scared to know just how crazy that crazy-assed cut is that you just did to yourself. For a second you think that maybe you imagined everything. But then you feel the tiniest twinge of a sting.

I looked down and the blood was running down my thumb, onto my wrist. I rinsed it under water, and I could feel the coolness of the tingle of water on nerviness, and that almost imaginary flapping of the tiny little slice of skin.

This job has changed me in many ways. And my stupidity has changed me in innumerable others. But they have now officially changed my actual identity. My left thumb print is forever altered.

I'm thinking of starting a new business

I have been back on the craigslist scene this week, getting rid of more furniture. I sold our old kitchen table and chairs, and our old office desk. Now it's just to get rid of those barstools, and our living room/dining/kitchen area will have been purged. Most of the stuff from IKEA we had bought in As-Is for 1/2 price or less, then we used it, and most of the stuff I got at least 1/2 price for it. So for the most part we made money. I'm thinking of just buying random things from there and selling them on craigslist as a side venture.

Now that we have also purchased all of the big pieces of furniture, we are thinking about side tables, wall hangings, lighting. These things always stump me. Not looking forward to this stage of the game!

I'm really feeling un-inspired lately. Work was pretty psycho there for a while, and though now I have more time for myself, I still feel the hangover and am exhausted. I had booked myself to mostly take today off, but for some reason wasn't able to stick to that. I had a few visits, did some banking, then call backs, schedule changes, emails, and before I knew it it was 4pm. We are also interviewing a candidate tonight for a full-time position, so I'm really hoping that will go well. If it doesn't, it might mean trouble for the trip we are planning to NB in a few weeks.

Feels like 1988

In my plight to convince SB that we absolutely need a digital SLR, I think I mentioned that I broke out the old Minolta SLR a few weeks ago to snap some fabulous photos. Today I dropped off two rolls of 24 at my local Pharmaprix, and now I'm waiting for my prints, and, more importantly, my CD of photos.

I have to say, the whole process is quite exciting. What could be on there? Will they turn out? Will I be hugely disappointed? The anticipation is a bit overwhelming for my convenience-filled little life.

Dropping off the films was a bit surreal. There was no line-up, and when I told the girl I hadn't done this in a gazillion years she just chuckled. I actually said goodbye to the film. I said "Bye little films". The girl chuckled at this, too. Then she asked me if I just wanted the CD, or if I wanted the prints too. If I was one step more environmental I would have said "CD only", but I'm paying for the prints anyway, and who knows, some of them might be frameable as-is.

Although she couldn't have them ready in an hour - ugh, the suspense! - they will be ready today, and I can't wait to pick them up. But, for $6 a pop, that's $12 that could have gone towards a DSLR, and that's not even including the gas there and back two times. I am going to keep a log book of how much I spend on photos. Hard data wins him over every time.

Things left to do before I will post pictures of our place ***NOW WITH AN IRONIC EDITORIAL****

1. Sell of a whole bunch of stuff.
We currently have about five more tables than we should have, plus a big giant wardrobe I would like to heave, and a work desk that is dis-assembled and will most likely never see the light of day again. And two bar stools that were left behind by the previous owners.

2. Buy a bunch of stuff.
We just got our dining set, which is gorgeous, albeit made wrong (two chairs would NOT go together, so we have to exchange them, but four chairs are great, so it's usable). Now we need to get a new sofa, because the one we use right now is spoken for and shipping out next month. We also need some extra seating (haven't decided between two club chairs or one love seat) for in front of the fire place, some lighting, all our picture frames, and a side table. And a buffet. And some bar stools that don't look like they are made out of old railroad ties.

3. Clean.
Because with the summer rush, I have sadly fallen out of my cleaning routine. The bathroom is clean (yay me!) and the kitchen gets tidied about every second day, but pet hair and dust abounds in the living room and bedroom.

But the paining is done, and SB installed a beautiful chair rail.

So that's it. But we love it. Too bad summer has interrupted our settling in routine.


***ED:
That second to last line says "But the paining is done..." Obviously it should say "painting", but I think subliminally, I really did mean to say paining, because the worst is over. The rest is just tiny details to drive me nutso from here to eternity.

The downside

Probably the greatest part about my job is that I get to hang out with tons of pets who aren't mine, but for a little slice of the day, I can pretend they are. I get to cuddle the cuddly ones, and play with the playful ones, and not have to get a special permit to have 30 animals in my home.

The downside of this is that I begin to feel like they belong to me. And then something terrible happens, and I am left devastated.

Two nights ago one of the dogs we walk was admitted to doggie ER because her owner found her collapsed when she arrived home in the evening. This morning I got word that she died in the night. She was only 4. I don't want to write details here, but I am just so sad.