word traveller

happy canadian thanksgiving!

2008-10-10T14:13:00.002-05:00

fun facts:
-parliament declared it a national holiday in 1957
-it's always the second monday in october
-first one: 1578, in newfoundland, hosted by explorer martin frobisher who gave thanks for the delicious feast and for having avoided the many dangers at sea
-loyalists who immigrated to canada after the revolutionary war brought american thanksgiving customs too

i am thankful for: my husband, the bulldog, my health, my family, my friends and family in canada, my friends and family in the us and scattered throughout the world, my job/a profession that lets me do what i love and get paid for it, my lovely and comfortable home, the food the farmers provide, books, plants and trees, all of the wildlife around us in texas, the beautiful weather, the bright blue sky, twitter/flickr/facebook/blogs/email that let me keep up with my friends who are far away, learning, the gym, hair color, cupcakes, my exercise ball, writing, reading, knowing lots of smart people who keep me on my toes, being able to help people in some small way, fearlessness, tenacity, creativity, flipflops, color, photography, words.

randomness: need packets or travel sized stuff?

2008-10-06T12:16:00.002-05:00

i came around this random info trying to help the husband help his coworker find mayo packets her kid could bring for lunch at school:
www.minimus.biz

writing exercise: one sentence

2008-09-26T07:50:00.003-05:00

thought this was fun:
www.onesentence.org

here was mine:
the blue jay happily splashed in the birdbath until he felt hot breath drying his tail feathers.

happy technology day!

2008-09-26T07:37:00.002-05:00

yeah another celebration!
this event is going on in the city where i work (irving, texas).

check it out.

quote of the day

2008-09-25T06:02:00.001-05:00

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many--not
on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
-Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English Novelist

Happy National Punctuation Day!

2008-09-24T13:24:00.005-05:00

Thank you to my copyeditor friend Brandy for this one:

With all the breaking news out there — Clay Aiken, Lindsay Lohan, Abe Vigoda — I’d hate for a story to get lost. And National Punctuation Day is just that kind of story.

For most people, punctuation is an irritant: a misused collection of periods, commas, virgules, question marks and exclamation points that is thrown, willy-nilly, into an e-mail or text message. But for some of us, punctuation is an overlooked treasure. Without punctuation, a declaration turns into a question. Without punctuation, sentences run endlessly until they bump into the next page. Without (correct) punctuation, Canada’s Rogers Communications may not have lost more than $2 million.

So, celebrate the semicolon. Offer hosannas for hyphens. Pay attention to asterisks. National Punctuation Day only comes around once a year — and that day calls for more than one exclamation point!!!

OK, maybe not.

– Todd Leopold, CNN.com Entertainment Producer

P.S. Any errors made in the previous are the fault of my copy editor.

Writer, get back to school

2008-09-24T07:06:00.001-05:00

Whether you’re looking to improve your work skills (online writing, learn more about marketing, understand social media, etc.), understand why copyediting makes copyeditors so happy (copyediting, grammar) or learn how to sell your personal writing (pitch slams, chick lit classes, etc.), Media Bistro’s online courses and seminars offer up writing-related education in short (15 min) to long (8 week) chunks.

There’s a little something for everyone and it’s available online so you can even attend class in your pjs.

Check it out at:

www.mediabistro.com/courses/

photographer? ha!

2008-03-25T09:02:00.005-05:00

Schmap Canada Guide selected my photo of Place Jacques Cartier. Check it out here.

2007 wrap up: driving miss daisy home

2008-01-01T16:43:00.000-06:00

so i've been off for something like 12 days in a row. barely any computer time. even less blackjack time. it's been amazing. i think the black circles under my eyes have even faded somewhat. i don't feel as aged anyway.

part of the reason for all of that "relaxation" was our marathon roadtrip to bring the bulldog to texas. see, she's been living with the inlaws since memorial day weekend (that's one weekend before victoria day weekend for you canadians) because we've been waiting for the husband's damn green card for 11 months. the original prediction was 3-6 months, so i shouldn't get started on this whole thing...

anyway, my father-in-law had major back surgery. then my mother-in-law got very sick and had to be hospitalized right before christmas. so the husband and i hopped in the car, drove 10 hours to nashville, stayed over in a fantastic hotel near vanderbilt, ate some fairly decent college town cheap mexican food, then another 10 to buffalo and i went over the border and got the dog.

customs/immigration on both sides of the border was very weird. the canadian dude seemed more interested in hooking up than anything else. the us lady seemed bewildered about where i was really from, but didn't let that stop her at all from letting me reenter the us. the dog also confused her -- she heard the bulldog panting and was shocked to see such a large dog when i turned on the light.

all and all, the trip was actually pretty fun, though it was a real whirlwind.

the only downside really was our night in the crappy hotel in buffalo, but when you're looking for a place that takes dogs, your options can be pretty limited. it was stinky. it was really hot (no controllable thermostat). it was full of intoxicated buffalo bills fans. and we were really worried about the weather turning and having to deal with the b'lo's famous lake effect snows.

we were lucky. after not sleeping well, we were on the road by 5 am! it rained a lot but we made it back to the nice hotel in nashville by mid-afternoon.

one thing that probably made the trip a lot easier for everyone was giving the bulldog some sedation when we got up. we were told to give her 2-4 pills, but only gave her one. 2 1/2 hours after taking the medicine, she was out cold and snored pretty much non-stop (except for one pee break) until we arrived at the hotel in nashville.

at the hotel, she was treated like a princess. a bag with treats, food, toys, bowls and a mat was waiting for her. there was a little dog park right at the hotel to make walks really easy.

we ordered room service, chilled out and went to sleep.

the next morning was pretty much a repeat of the day before and we got home on christmas eve by mid-afternoon.

some highlights of the trip:
-cows, lots of cows
-burning cow poo
-a pickup truck pulling a dune buggy with a guy in it pretending to drive
-john deere and more john deere
-a series of biblical billboards aimed towards truckers
-roadkill
-morris county
-the lone star army ammunition plant
-a dr seuss-esque radio ad with lots of fart humor referencing dontpassgas.org
-hope, arkansas, birthplace of bill clinton
-goats outside of hughes, arkansas
-a guy harvesting a roadkill deer
-plenty of weird accidents with cars in the ditch
-kings island still has its eiffel tower
-seeing the hillary clinton campaign bus in ohio
-big bone lick state park in tennessee

christmas eve and christmas were both pretty chill as we got the bulldog used to the house. we visited some friends on christmas day and the bulldog met the chocolate lab next door on boxing day for some crazy playtime. she's even been on a bunch of walks, exploring the area.

one big surprise happened on our christmas day walk. i love getting mail so i checked the mailbox just in case. we found a letter letting us know when the husband's green card interview is. february 15 @ 8:30 am. yippee! so yesterday we spent some time getting our next big road trip all organized.

beyond that it's been a lot of relaxation, organization, getting the house in order. a peaceful start to 2008.

happy new year to you and yours. 2008 is gonna be great!

durexhumpday.ca wins at CMA awards

2007-11-16T23:19:00.000-06:00

i'm so proud. some of the smuttiest writing i was ever paid for won a canadian marketing association award tonight.

get the gory details here.

no drama in florida, just speed.

2007-11-11T21:52:00.000-06:00

so at the beginning of the month i had yet another amazing experience, thanks to my always entertaining, yet somewhat stressful, career choice.

starting on halloween until nov 3 i attended a training event for one of my clients on a ranch in florida.

now, i did not grow up on a farm so i didn't learn how to drive a tractor as soon as i could walk. the biggest yard i ever had as a kid was when i was in preschool through 1st grade so i never learned to drive a lawn tractor. and my family does not hunt so i never learned to drive an atv. or a golf cart either, despite my parents' new found fascination with the little white ball.

well, i now know how to drive all of those things and then some. it was fantastic. it was also hilarious. as one of a handful of women present, i'm sure i amused my fair share of the rest of the folks attending the training, especially as they watched me adjust every seat for my 5'2" self.

i made sure to test all the equipment to its fullest. just ask the poor guy next to me in the photo. brian, a dude from another agency, had to tell me that he had back problems. i say "had to" because i think my driving scared him since i had the pedal all the way down on the floor. before you think that i was foolhardy, let me assure you that every safety precaution was taken. our seatbelts were on. i told brian to hang on.

(and yes, cynthia, i am wearing my no drama t-shirt in this photo. everyone thought it was funny given the circumstances.)

my agency colleagues and i had a blast. the funniest part however had nothing to do with the training. the hotel we were staying at was a part of one of the most swanky hotel chains out there.

picture this: folks dressed like me in t-shirts, work boots, work pants, all covered in a fine layer of dust and grime coming back from a day at the ranch. we did that every day at around 4:30, just as the rich folks were settling in for their cocktails! sweet.

i didn't mention the other funny part of this trip: our day started at 6:30 am. not my finest hour for sure, but i did it. we were all exhausted by 10 pm. so much for the stereotype of the crazy partying agency folks. the other people at the training went out to the peelers, bars, clubs, you name it. not us. we worked. we had a couple of beers while working, but that was the extent of our wild and crazy glamorous lifestyle.

too bad my yard is small. i would love a riding lawn tractor now.

check it off/high school 20 years later

2007-09-04T22:30:00.000-05:00

ok, so i was a geek in high school. really that will come as no surprise to those of you who know me, even without knowing about my favorite high school activities: debate, journalism, junior achievement.

then why the heck would i even bother going back to california for my 20th high school reunion?
was i looking to get shoved into a locker?
tormented by jocks?
mocked by the popular girls?

nope.

i was just curious how everyone and everything i left behind ended up. after having left the bay area some 11 years ago, i was just plain nosy. yes, despite the bad karma, i wanted to see who the years were not kind to.

i also wanted to know who turned out ok.

surprisingly, the results were all good.

it was not boring. it was not lame. it was not a total disaster with wall-to-wall cliques. i didn't leave early. the husband didn't roll his eyes, well, at least that much, mostly because he tipped a waitress and was guaranteed an endless supply of wine. (good on ya!) not that many spouses came, but as usual the husband didn't care -- he's great in any crowd.

it was fun. it was a one-night-only step back in time. i'm glad i went, despite being exhausted from working too much, stressing about the week to come and having some whirlwind travel.

i've already received a number of emails saying how nice it was to see me at the reunion and they appreciated how far i came to attend.

but while that's all sweet, what surprised me the most was how nice the people i didn't even really know from 20 years ago were. and interesting too.

i spent a fair amount of the evening introducing myself to people because i wasn't sure they knew who i was, but they all seemed to. don't think to credit the name tags because they were the lanyard kind, you know, the ones that hang down to a person's crotch. nice.

i hope a couple of classmates keep in touch. but i won't be devastated if they don't.

for just that one night breakfast club-esque night, we were all having fun together, the geeks, the stoners, the jocks, the losers, the popular girls, the punks, the posers. we drank the wine made by our classmate's winery. we took lots of photos. we exchanged business cards and promises to visit.

i won't be back for the 25th or any of the ones to come after that. once was more than enough for me. i couldn't even handle the 3 nights of reunion fun. just one.

still, i'll check that experience off the life to-do list. and that's all right with me.

briefs: the series (parental discretion is advised)

2007-08-22T15:02:00.000-05:00

ok, before you have a look at the first episode of this animated series created by 2 of my former toronto-based colleagues, you need to understand that:
1) it's a satire based on their personal experiences in advertising
2) it may be offensive to some in our business since it pokes fun at advertising stereotypes like excessive drinking, creative directors that don't work, internships that last forever for no pay
3) there is a bit of cartoon gore, men in tighty-whiteys and mistreatment of both interns and account executives

if that's all ok with you and you enjoy shows like south park, you'll enjoy briefs: the series. if you know the creators, you'll probably enjoy it even more.

but in any case, you've been warned that it's PG13 at least.

watch briefs: the series

stuart little can swim

2007-08-20T00:15:00.000-05:00

or maybe what i thought was a sweet little gray mousie was really a rat.

in any case, I saved it from the pool.

hopefully it doesn't repay my kindness by coming in the house. poor thing was so freaked out that it tried to jump out of the skimmer net and ended up back in the pool. i fished the rodent out.

after a few seconds of drying off it seems ok, but now I am too afraid to look in the baskets tonight...

I originally thought it was a really big frog, until I noticed its tail. i guess i am tired.

still it's not as traumatic as my first encounter with one of stuart's kind, back when i was 5. no one ended up bitten or tested for rabies.

is 11 pm the right time for yard waste?

2007-07-23T22:58:00.000-05:00

(this photo is not of yard waste, but i forgot to take a photo of the pile.)

so on the weekend, the husband and i went to town on our overgrown yard. he tore out a huge wisteria that was trying to kill everything in its path including our beautiful plum tree that gave us some delicious fruit which may or may not be organic.

i trimmed branches and reshaped bushes and hedges. yes, i still have plenty to do. when the batteries ran out of the hedgehog and we were at a good stopping place on the branches, we hauled a pile of branches 8 feet long to our curb.

well, despite the crazy amount we pay each year for "refuse removal", it stayed next to the mailbox despite everything in trash bags disappearing.

i asked a neighbor what the deal was and she explained that sometimes "they" take it and sometimes they don't.

well, our next garbage day is thursday. and while having twice a week garbage pickup is quite a luxury, coming from a place where they shipped the trash to michigan, my guess was that the HOA (home owners association) would definitely not appreciate looking at the branches dry up in the sun next to our mailbox for yet another day.

and while i welcome correspondence of all kinds, after one month in residence, i think hate mail from the HOA probably wouldn't make my day, especially so early into our tenure here in stepford-land.

so at 10:45 tonight, i stuffed our wheelie trash bin until it screamed for mercy. i filled empty cardboard cartons that once housed chair parts full of branches. i dragged all that stuff back to the top of the driveway, where hopefully it would disturb no one except my sensibilities. (my arms are tired.)

grrr.

not being satisfied with that show of brute strength, i decided to wage war against the cardboard cartons that remained from the move and the purchase of new essentials for land ownership. the destruction made me feel better and at least i know that the chance of them recycling the cardboard is greater than mulching the yard waste.

coming from toronto, the place of green bin wet recycling for everything from dog poo to vegetable peels to oyster shells, brown bagging yard waste so that its mulched and you can repurchase it at home depot, and recycling of wine bottles for cash, it feels like we've gone back in time to the 50s.

where's my vodka martini served on a silver tray when i get home from a hard day at the office? yeah, i know, it's in the cupboard until i make it, smart ass.

at least the garborator pulverizes vegetable and fruit matter so that it doesn't go in the landfill, but instead to the sewage treatment plant.

rant rant rant

licensed for texas

2007-07-23T22:15:00.000-05:00

wow, what a strange place the dmv was - right out of a bad movie about goverment processes. so many people milling about looking all crazy. and unhappy. with a free clinic next door. in a decripid plaza.

kids chasing balls, people on cell phones, everyone wandering around. lots of complaining.

a big contrast to the clean, almost sterile environment of the tax accessor's office in southfork, i mean southlake.

actually the people who worked there were very efficient and they were very happy when people showed up at the check-in window with forms filled out and all the id needed in had.

one thing that would have been better -- i should have brought a book with me, but i wasn't thinking that i would make it there today.

there was a guy sitting next to me who desparately wanted to talk to someone, just not me, not today. he eavesdropped on my conversation with the check-in lady so he wanted know know a bit more about my life than i was wlling to share at the dmv with a total stranger. i was happy to have the blackjack with me.

the eye test as probably the easiest i've ever taken. each letter was huge! and picking the colors? there were only 3 choices -- red, yellow or green. filling out the application form was harder.

all in all, it probably took 30 minutes to get the license including the requisite bad photo. still, i'm glad that i don't have to go back for 5 years.

plated!

2007-07-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

ok, so this is not the exact license plate i got, but it is a texas license plate for all ya'll from elsewhere.

today my 8 am trip to get my vehicle registered (the 5th trip) was successful. after 3 months of paperwork and visits to strange places including the tax assessor's office, i now have texas plates.

can i get a whooo hooo? (thanks, i needed that)

now, let's just hope i can remember what i learned from this experience to texas title the other car.

chapter 2 of this saga is upcoming: getting a texas driver's license....stay tuned.

rest in peace, aunt lyn

2007-07-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

if you've kept up with me in 2007, you know that it's been a major rollercoaster.

there have been so many highs and a smattering of serious lows. and just when i thought everything was on an upswing, my aunt lyn passed away after a long battle with COPD and lung cancer.

i flew to philadelphia on monday night after work to attend her funeral mass on tuesday.

aunt lyn had an uncanny ability to make everyone feel like they were the most important person in the world at that very moment. she was always positive, happy and joyful, even when she was dragging around her oxygen tank. she lived life at its very fullest and was fully emersed in the moment. she was amazing to be around -- you could feel her positive energy engulfing you.

i was very lucky to have 38 years with her. i got to learn some family history and secrets. I got to learn some customs and recipes that she and my dad grew up with.

during the past 11 years, i got to know her a lot better and i only wish i could have learned more of her secrets from her.

if i can be 1/2 as positive, joyful and charismatic as aunt lyn, i'll be ok.

yet another silly relocation errand

2007-07-11T21:06:00.000-05:00

so get this, tomorrow I have go to the auto theft detectives' office in ft. worth.

why you ask?

to see if my imported-from-canada car is stolen, eh.

this run in with the law only takes place once a month, on the second Thursday. and no, silly, I can't just go to the local cop shop and ask them to run my VIN #. apparently this is highly specialized work that can only take place when the moon and the planets align just so.

anyway, I missed last month so in the interest of finally getting Texas plates and a Texas drivers' license, I figure I should make the attempt to find the place.

providing I don't get too lost on the way back, I should be in before 10, since I'll be waiting for the nice officers with a box of donuts when the place opens at 8.

(I know, I know, this is going to make a great story one day...or maybe an even better joke.)

canadian content 2007

2007-06-28T10:50:00.000-05:00

happy almost canada day, ya'll!

my boss gave me a whole whack of canadian content for a housewarming gift for our new texas home, the husband's coming in for a ten day conjugal and home improvement visit and we're having a canada day party for all the wayward canadians we can find.

can i get a yeee-haaaa?

mmm chik'n biskits

2007-06-24T23:57:00.000-05:00

feast your eyes upon this texas delicacy: fried boneless skinless chicken breast on a bun. you eat it with jelly, jam or honey. yes, it's for breastfast and only available at breakfast. the fast food restaurant that makes them is not open on sunday so you'd better plan ahead if you want one on the weekend.

i fed the chik'n biskits to my friends who came to visit from toronto -- my first guests! one was suitably impressed. the other not so much. but there were no reminants on either plate.

and yes, of course, this was another shot with my blackjack. i am a geek.

i <3 my blackjack camera

2007-06-21T10:41:00.000-05:00

ok, i never thought i'd like having a camera phone, but i have no idea how i've lived without it. with the move it's come in handy when we're at stores and not sure if the furniture or thing is right for the new house. and i've managed to capture some wildlife in our yard.

you can see more of the photos @ flickr -- just click on the flickr gadget on this page.

my VisualDNA

2007-06-19T22:03:00.000-05:00

have some fun and check out your own visualDNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

ps: i had some technical difficulties with posting this gadget but i fixed them all by myself. 2007 is the year of independence.

double trouble in texas

2007-06-10T08:22:00.000-05:00

if i ever thought i wanted to be a mom, the past 4 days has taught me that i do not have the stamina or bandwidth, at least with my life and job the way it is now. i have been babysitting my boss' kids since thursday.

the 13 year old is no trouble.

7 year old twins are another story. these guys are really good and mostly well behaved, but they are 7 and there are 2 of them.

i think the real problem was that i started out completely exhausted. i went to toronto last friday to get everything organized, packed and moved at the old house and honestly slept very poorly. then i flew to nc on tuesday and spent tuesday and wednesday pm in a hotel and slept very poorly again.

thursday their mom and i got back from our business trip and because evelyn was sick with strep throat, i spent the day at home with her. she was happy to lie on the couch, watch Nick and color. whitney the cat help with the healing by hanging out. my only problem that day was i was out of the office for four days and the work was backed up and everyone wanted a piece of me. i picked up ben at school with no issues. the kids were all fine and the 13 year old was helpful.

friday was more challenging because i had to go to the office. luckily their mom's assistant miss lana (texas, remember?) was more than willing to babysit. she is a grandma and has toys in her office for her grandbabies. evelyn was really good for the 1/2 day while i worked. we had happy meals for lunch then went to the new house to let the exterminator and locksmith in, then rushed over to the school to pick up ben. the kids didn't want to go to the airport to pick up the husband so the 13 year old babysat for a couple of hours.

the husband and i popped into the house for a little privacy -- we went for a swim in our new house by ourselves -- then came back to the boss' house. we got sushi for us, sonic milk shakes, corn dogs and fries for them. after dinner, i had to call their mom -- they wanted to watch the goldmember dvd. once that was cleared, plenty of giggling at jokes they didn't understand happened. i was exhausted when my head hit the pillow and the glasses of wine had nothing to do with it.

saturday, evelyn and ben spent all day yesterday with us. they "helped" us put stuff away in the new house (ok, evelyn drew and ben was ben). we had lunch at sonic (they insisted). we went to walmart for more stuff for the house and they helped us pick out pool toys so our pool wouldn't be boring. then they spent 3 1/2 hours in the pool while we hung out with charlie and betsy poolside. they dined on chicken chunks, fruit, carrots, cucumbers and more fruit. cleanest plates I've ever seen from them! bedtime was much earlier since they were so tired. I hear them stirring upstairs now...

sunday, the husband and i will be doing some grown up stuff like getting a new tv so the 13 year old is babysitting for a while today. the husband has to go back to toronto at around 5 pm so we need to spend some quality time at the new texas house. and go for another swim, just the two of us.

my surreal life & setting up house, texas-style

2007-05-14T08:02:00.000-05:00

so it’s about 2 1 /2 weeks before I get the house in texas.

time to stock up on cleaning products, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry stuff, etc.

one important thing to note before you start thinking i’m completely insane and jumping the gun a bit is to realize the husband and i have had to get rid of, drink, eat, use up or give away anything even vaguely related to cleaning, anything liquid and anything that could constitute “food” in any way, shape or form. booze too. that’s why at my birthday party i thrust gift bags filled with spices and gourmet pantry items into my intoxicated friends hands before their cabs whisked them home.

yes, my friends, the same rules apply when you’re moving as apply when you’re taking a plane. so this whole proposition is going to cost a bit of cash, hence my desire to phase it in.

but strangeness has been the only constant really.

the bugs here love me. i am rapidly collecting an assortment of bug bites from huge welts to small bumps. i can’t imagine that it’s very attractive but I sure as hell am not wearing long sleeves and long pants when it’s over 80 degrees. it’s also very, very itchy.

bought bug spray and as green as i want to be, i intend to douse myself with it whenever i’m outside at night. and last night i heard about some kind of once a month bug treatment for the yard that you spray all over your patio area. gonna pick that up too.

driving is also strange. so many weird ways to get on the highway, from michigan-style left turns and u-turns to left exits. no announcements of exit only lanes or lanes ending. it really makes no sense. like california, texas’ highway infrastructure is put together with gum, toothpicks and rubber bands.

one more weird thing: no cabs. that makes going out with friends a little dicey. after living in a country where dui is super serious, i'm very paranoid about having more than 2 drinks when I go anywhere if I’m driving. and I only will drink 2 if i’m eating and if i know i’m going to be somewhere a long time.

the texans don’t seem very bothered by it however. so, that's another thing to worry about if you’re out driving around on friday or saturday night. or really any night since they also have happy hours here….

anyway, i’m sure soon i’ll just get used to all this stuff. atill it’s funny to compare notes with other foreigners – the xanadians I’m living with right now and my coworkers who are not from around here. in a year or so i’m sure it won’t all seem as surreal as it seems now.

i heart weatherbug.com

2007-05-09T12:15:00.000-05:00

if you've been watching the news, you've certainly learned that where i'm currently residing is getting more than it's fair share of tornados, thunderstorms and flash flooding.

and while i'm sure the plants, grass and trees are grateful for the moisture, it's a bit disconcerting for those of us used to weather that's a bit more solid and cold.

that's why i thank my office buddy betsy for hooking me up with weatherbug.com -- a great site that lets you download a widget for your computer that chirps when there is a tornado watch/warning or any other kind of storm warning for your zip code. not only is it helpful, it's darn cute.

check it out and let me know what you think. makes me a whole less nervous...

tale of the day: carded @ target

2007-05-07T15:37:00.000-05:00

how hilarious is that?

they sell wine in target here and on thursday night, i decided that my throbbing head would be best served by a combo deal of good old fashioned pain relieving pinot grigio.

well, the target cashier seemed to think that that was the wrong prescription for someone so juvenile. so i got carded.

the best part? not only could she not pronounce ontario or have the slightest idea where it is, she was blown away by the fact i'm closer to 40 than 20.

not sure how young she thought I was but it frightens me that at my ripe old age, they still think I am a kid.

did i mention that i moved to texas?

2007-04-25T21:11:00.000-05:00

i know, i know. i haven't blogged for ages. about 3 months to be exact.

well, i've moved to texas. yes, that texas. home of the president bushes (both of them). where everything is bigger. place where you can only eat 1/3 of your plate unless you too want to get bigger. the don't mess with state.

i've been here 9 weeks now.

well, my friends, i have lots to tell about the experience thus far. but since i am working on a pitch for work, i can only give you a snapshot/stream of consciousness:

- rotel + velveta = queso
- tex-mex
- home cookin'
- "colder than a toad's butt"
- possum kingdom - it's not an amusement park for over-sized rodents, see for yourself at possumkingdom.com
- dfw airport
- deep fried green beans
- squatting in my boss' guest house
- occasional bouts of homesickness
- sorority sisters
- what seems like a hundred houses in 1 day
- the trials and tribulations of the US banking industry
- immigrating to your homeland
- bbq
- new clients, new coworkers, new everything
- time difference
- long distance relationship
- the return of hollywood
- pitches
- more pitches
- more pitches
- did i say more pitches?
- star spangled banner sung by canadians, followed by o canada and hockey night in canada
- cupcakes
- red wine couch
- twins, a teen and a championship basset hound
- photos
- tornados
- snakes
- cockroaches
- nail salons with plasma screens
- drive thru dry cleaners
- dsw
- target
- indesign
- online
- aa.com
- giant everything including houses
- orchids last more than 9 weeks
- okra
- colache
- plate sized belt buckles
- should i remain blonde-ish?
- ontario plates
- valet parking at the airport
- weak ass beer
- rum drinks
- red wine
- gum gum and more gum
- diet dr pepper
- open toed shoes
- occasional tears
- laughter, lots of laughter
- college vs university
- 8th grade, not grade 8
- unlearning my Us
- copyeditors nightmare
- getting lost in dallas
- lawyers and green cards
- new instrument cluster for the car
- learning to drive in miles
- where am i again?
- giving away worldly possessions
- leaving the snow shovels behind
- storm radios and stairwells
- striped sneakers
- healthy choice meals

ok, i think you've gotten a bit of a taste of my adventure thus far. i promise to write again soon.

7 simple steps for reviewing creative

2007-01-17T09:45:00.000-06:00

This is something I wrote for new clients and the account services students I work with. It may be too elementary for some, but I believe it's a brief and fun way to remind clients and suits what they need to consider when they're looking at work.
=================

7 simple steps for reviewing creative
A few things to think about when you're seeing creative work…

1. Biases begone!
So what if you don’t like sumo wrestlers? Think about whom you want to like the work and respond to it – guys in loincloths may be the ticket to meeting your business goals. Remember, the creative is not for you, it's for your target audience.

2. Shhh!
Please let the creative team present their work before jumping in with questions. They’ve worked many hours to bring your brief to life and they may answer your questions in their explanation. (If they don’t, ask away once they’re finished.)

3. R.O.I.
It’s still an investment, but this time, it means Relevance, Originality and Impact. In a #10 OE or email, you may find that relevance is the most important. Sometimes originality may not be a criterion, but impact can be found in any piece. Ask yourself: does the offer stand out? Is it clear what the recipient needs to do?

4. Return to the brief.
The brief is our checklist. Does the creative answer the brief? If it does, we're all on the right track.

5. Are you content? Are you uncomfortable?
Both are good. You've come to us for solutions to your marketing challenges. Sometimes tried and true won't do and something completely different answers the brief. So, rather than eliminating a viable solution, consider that it might be time to push the envelope.

6. Admit it.
The wrong direction or incomplete information may mean that the creative ends up in the wrong place. Acknowledging the problem makes starting over a lot less painful and keeps the creative team enthusiastic as they burn the midnight oil.

7. Make it better, together.
We're a team. You know your brands and products inside and out. Any knowledge you can impart upon us creative folk can spark a great idea, lead us to an innovative format, or make us realize that we have a question.

happy 07

2007-01-01T19:57:00.000-06:00

on the first day of the new year, i like to think about positive changes i can make in my life to make it happier, more fun, more prosperous and satisfying.

so here are some of the resolutions i've made so far today:
1. blog weekly so that my readers have something to read.
2. stand my ground/stand up for what i think is right.
3. drink more water.
4. get back to the gym - at least 3x/wk. honestly, it helps my stress and starts the day on a positive note, even though a 6 am start is really, really early.
5. be nicer -- i was very inspired by the power of nice by Linda Kaplan Thaler and will be working hard to implement more niceness into my workdays.
6. work fewer hours, but work smarter.
7. make more time for my friends and family.
8. watch less tv.

that's enough for now, but i am going to think about 2 more. as you can see, they are do-able and will make life better for me.

i wish you all a happy, fun, prosperous and satisfying new year too.

the ad kids are all right

2006-11-16T10:55:00.000-06:00

i decided to give back to the ad community by joining the advisory board at mohawk college in hamilton. it's a three year commitment and the first meeting i've attended was last night.

the board basically helps to ensure that the program will meet the needs of the business by providing the kinds of grads we'd like to hire. where i work we are fortunate to have three very talented mohawk ad program grads in our creative department.

i'm always on the lookout for more rising stars, so perhaps i have my own selfish interests in mind!

for more info about the program, check out mohawk college.ca

lest we forget...

2006-11-11T06:14:00.000-06:00

It's remembrance day here in canada, veterans day in the usa. time to remember.

if you wonder why canadian veterans sell poppies to help everyone remember the soldiers' sacrifice, here's the poem that started it all:

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

whoohooo! durex hump day in the news!

2006-11-08T11:45:00.000-06:00

check this out -- durex hump day got mentioned on the Media in Canada site today:
www.mediaincanada.com/articles/mic/20061108/durex.html

if you don't feel like going there: here's the best bits of the article:

....while we're still no Australia - it seems sexy humor in advertising gets up to a 25% higher-than average rise out of Canadians.

....a destination being visited on Wednesdays at a rate that's 196% higher than the other weekdays combined.

....Today, content centres on sharing pick-up lines with your "friends" and invites cyber Casanovas to submit their best come-ons.

....Ad banners have a clickthrough rate that's 15-25% higher than the industry average, with more than 2.4 million awareness impressions generated to date.

(i am thrilled!)
-----------------------------
celebrate sex every Wednesday with Durex!
www.durexhumpday.com

learn about Quebec's special "happy hours"
www.cinqasexedurex.ca

sideways in ontario: tasting the wines of niagara

2006-10-29T15:16:00.000-06:00

ok, i know all of you wine snobs and sideways watchers are saying, "ewwww!" but the husband and i spent a precious day off touring around the niagara (ontario) wine country in our own personal quest for a bit of fall colour and a taste of the good life.

as a california girl used to a quick day trip up to napa, sonoma or mendocino, i can hardly believe my good fortune: beamsville, niagara-on-the-lake, jordan and the rest of the region are less than 2 hours away.

when i came here 11 years ago (yes, hard to believe but on nov. 2, it will be 11 years), the wines were not so drinkable. well, at least not by snobby me, used to picking up excellent bottles of california wine for under $15. now, ontario wines are quite good -- and on the pricey side.

we started our tour at cave springs in the village of jordan -- www.cavespringcellars.com

the village is very cute and i will highly recommend the first nations art gallery directly across from cave springs. i just wish i had a spare couple of grand to buy anything. still it was very inspirational and beautiful. maybe if i save my pennies...

after our window shopping, the husband and i enjoyed an amazing fall harvest lunch in cave spring's excellent restaurant on the 20. we last visited on our first anniversary so it was fun to see how the place had changed.

well actually it hadn't changed much. the food was as we remembered -- excellent. we each had a glass of cave spring's chardonnay musque to start, the husband a full size, while i had a 2 oz, based on a colleague's suggestion. it was delicious and much more fruity than a california chardonnay. no oak.

the husband dined on lobster bisque and pickerel (walleye for you americans) and i had a salad featuring pumpkin done three ways (oil, jam and dressing) and a beef long rib braised in cave spring's cabernet merlot, and i had a little tasting size glass of the cabernet merlot to go with it. it was a delicious meal and very cozy at lunch. they have wonderful breads and the dessert list looked amazing, but i wanted to be able to zip my pants and try several wines at the next winery.

unable to avoid the clutches of the gift shop/wine purchasing area, we left with a nice souvenir -- a barrel stave candle holder, which we just saw on a fine living network show based in napa, a tour book for the wine region which we decided we will mark up with our purchases and tasting notes, and a couple of bottles of wine, the chardonnay musque and pinot noir (ok, sideways comments are welcome).

during our drives from place to place, we were impressed by the fall colour display. all of our leaves are gone in toronto, so it was shocking so see so much orange, yellow and red. oh and the occasional bit of green.

after we headed to fielding estate winery based on the rave reviews of the same colleague who gave us the chardonnay musque tip. everything we tasted there was quite excellent and it was one of the most beautiful small wineries i've ever been to. very modern in its architecture and attitude.

i am not an ice wine fan but i am now sorry that i didn't pick up a small bottle of their yummy mango-y icewine. it would be great on those really cold winter nights when you need a taste of the tropics to avoid going completely insane.

we did not buy enough of fielding's delicious wines -- we cracked open the pinot last night at home (insert sideways comment) -- and we're definitely going back very soon. they have a bimonthly wine club which we may join.

generously, they also donated a tour and tasting for 6 to my company's united way auction. pretty nice, especially considering that they didn't really know me.

check it out --www.fieldingwines.com

finally, we stopped at malivoire –- a winery known for its sustainable agricultural practices and unique gravity fed pumping of the wine from tank to tank. their ladybug logo is pretty cute too and i actually bought some of their "Ladybug", a rose, after trying it. i am not a rose fan but i thought it would be fun, again for a mid-winter picnic by the fire.

see what i mean at www.malivoirewineco.com

the rest of the weekend has been rather chill. we have stayed at home, except for a round about trip (the gardiner, the main artery to downtown toronto is closed this weekend so the traffic was awful) to the famous cheese boutique for some nice cheese to accompany the wine that we purchased. yum!

being lactose intolerant it is diffcult to indulge in cheese and other dairy based food as much as i'd like, but that's ok, i'd probably be 200 lbs if dairy products didn't make me so gassy...

www.cheeseboutique.com
http://cheeseboutique.blogspot.com/

the cheese boutique is actually an amazing family business. fatos, the father, and his three boys run the place. they have the largest collection of cheese i've ever seen, a cheese cave and amazing gourmet groceries. the husband loves their heirloom tomatoes with buffalo mozzerella. i just love going there. i could spend hours looking at the packaging of all the stuff.

and good for me -- they have tons of goat cheese, which is easier for lactose intolerant people to digest.

and anything from the cheese boutique makes the bulldog go insane. she is a huge cheese fan. and yes, i think she is lactose intolerant too.

all in all it was an excellent canadian weekend. (insert strange brew sfx here).

Halloween hump day

2006-10-25T06:37:00.000-05:00

for a sample of not-so-corporate online work,
visit durexhumpday.ca.

yes, it's for durex, the company bringing fun into bedrooms worldwide. the site is updated each and every week with sexy and silly content. our team has great time working on it and it shows.

this week's treat contains three tricks you can use to undress for halloween. enjoy!
and come back every Wednesday for more hump day fun.

beauty product microsites are finally entertaining

2006-10-24T13:57:00.000-05:00

wow, all i have to say is kudos to reversa for taking this approach to a microsite:
www.seemoresideeffects.ca/

nice work. my office is all a giggle and it's not even hump day.

apology/back to the gym/plugs

2006-10-22T10:08:00.000-05:00

first, dear readers, an apology. many of you have commented that i haven't written in a while and that you're impatient for my once weekly rants.

for a while, work has been an all consuming monster and i've felt like i'm about 2 steps away from permanent digestion into the beast's bloodstream. we had a big important presentation on friday so hopefully that's over for now, while i can't say it will never happen again (because you know as well as i that it would be a outright lie), i am sorry. i know i've been basically unbearable and certainly no fun for the past month or so.

but this weekend, it's different. i hope i've been slightly more fun and i slink back towards "normal". i went out for drinks, met a long time friend of the husband's, stayed up a bit late. i could have just bonded with the sofa though... really, i've done nothing even vaguely work related except see a long-time friend i met through a job and go to the gym with a current work friend.

about the gym: i haven't graced its sweaty halls for 1 1/2 months. bad! after i worked so hard this year to get back into shape i should be ashamed of myself. and i am. but i decided to get my butt back onto the treadmill and start moving today. it was good, even though i'm much slower than i was in august. oh well, it will take a little time to get back to where i was. i accept that.

(it's a good thing you're not here right now...you'd know without looking at me that i need a shower.)

so hopefully things will even out once again. i know i can't keep up the pace with the work craziness. it takes a toil on me physically and mentally in about a million ways. it certainly makes the husband grumpy. and all my friends think i've dropped off the face of the earth. that's no way to live.

one announcement of me doing something entirely new -- i added some stuff to this site. you probably noticed it already but i am very proud of myself for figuring it out. one day you might come back and see that i've completely changed the blog...

i'm also going to try to post less purely self-mastabatory rants, although they do make me feel better.

two things for you to check out:
durexhumpday.ca -- but only if you're over 18. visit again every wednesday for new content, mostly written by me, although that is changing.

http://thepowerofnice.com/ -- a book, but also a way of doing business in this crazy world. we forget that we're all just people doing a job. this book and website can help remind you of that.

and do check out yesterday's post. it is a cool little add on for any website.

have a great week.

something fun from flickr

2006-10-21T15:44:00.000-05:00

1,000,000 to zero

2006-09-23T20:41:00.000-05:00

i have not done very much today.

well, except cook and eat.

while that might not seem remarkable, for the past month or so, it's seemed like i've been flying around at a million miles an hour.

it's been odd not doing much. but i feel a 100% better. well, minus the cramps, but there's no way around that since i haven't worked out since the bike race. it's been 2 weeks and while the body has memory, it's not the same as hitting the treadmill.

work has been absolute hell for the past few weeks. i'm working crazy hours, even more than usual. one piece of business in particular is making me mental. it seems like everyone just spins their wheels on it, even the client. and there's nothing i hate worse than doing the same thing, over and over and not making any progress.

but i am not working anymore today. my timesheet was enough. and i'm doing nothing tomorrow. monday is another day.

no rest

2006-09-11T23:02:00.000-05:00

i can't sleep tonight, despite having an exhausting monday.

work's been crazy for the past few months, even crazier than usual. there's no sign of change in that direction except for it to get worse before it gets better. i'm trying to just keep my head down and ride out the storm.

it's easier said than done, especially since some folks seem to think good manners are not appropriate in a business setting. maybe they're just too stressed out, but really that's no excuse. what would their mothers say? surely they were all raised much better than that.

it's not what's causing me not to be able to rest. please. that would put way too much value on other people's drama.

actually, i think i slept too well last night.

yesterday, the husband and i road 55k on our bikes on some fairly hilly terrain to raise money for the ms society. we did it last year too and i must say, both years i was very tired the night after the race. this year, we shaved about an hour off our previous time which is pretty sweet. i am not even that sore today.

i go through these periods of insominia every couple of weeks. i should probably chart them and see if there's a pattern. usually it's related to lunar mystery time, but today, that's definitely not the case. i'm not sure what's causing it, but i feel extremely motivated to get stuff done. weird.

diy hgtv

2006-09-04T07:26:00.000-05:00

life's been like our very own version of home and garden television lately.

the dog writes more than i do

2006-08-15T12:10:00.000-05:00

check it out. the bulldog has a blog -- bulldawgblog.blogspot.com. well, at least i now know what she does when i'm not home.

i hate ironing

2006-08-04T00:29:00.000-05:00

so even though i'm supposed to be on vacation tomorrow, i'm in san francisco on business, a trip that was completely unexpected, exciting and scary at the same time. it's truly amazing that i'm here. i only worry that i haven't done enough, haven't worked hard enough, but the people i'm working with seem pretty ok with everything i've done. and they were very relieved that i'm familiar with the city and they could spend time with their families instead of me in the evenings.

i'm staying in a nice hotel with a deep bathtub and i've been taking full advantage of it. you'd think with a huge whirlpool tub at home, i'd take plenty of baths but i never use the tub at home. so after i took my bath and relaxed a little, i thought to myself, i should really get things organized for tomorrow morning and decided that i would iron both blouses that i brought in case i felt like wearing one more than the other.

well, it's a good thing i brought two.

the damn hotel iron basically melted one of my shirts. it was one of my favourites too -- a blue colour that i think looks really good on me. well, looked really good on me. there is no way anyone could ever wear this shirt again, unless they were in an ad for how not to iron. or they used it as part of a halloween costume.

i am going to talk to the people at the checkout desk about it. i think there was something wrong with the iron since i had it on the cotton setting which is what i always iron that shirt on. it's a stupid thing to be upset about, but i am.

needless to say, i did not bother to iron the other shirt. it would really upset me if i melted that shirt too, especially with needing something nice to go out to dinner with the parents tomorrow night.

i was in a pretty good mood, even though i should have gone shopping tonight. instead i went for a long walk to see if some of the stuff i remembered from being a kid had changed. it had. pier 39 looked just as seedy as fisherman's wharf used to, so i didn't even bother to keep walking that way. it would have been depressing to see if it was even worse. and i think the publicis ad agency is in what used to be pier 39's parking garage. weird. it looked like a purple fortress.

i love san francisco but it's not really a great place to be a lone female after dark. i would have liked to have gone to north beach and had a coffee and something sweet but i didn't think it was a good idea. the funny part is, if it was europe, i would have just gone. but in the US i don't feel all that safe.

i went to dinner alone at the fog city diner, a place i've always wanted to try. it was pretty good but i think the food would have tasted better if i had company. i sat at the counter so i didn't feel like i was alone. but everyone was a couple so i decided to read until my food came. the cioppino was very good, although it could have used hot sauce. the mussels, clams, halibut and dungeness crab were all delicious.

what i should have done after work was come back to the room and rested. but it seemed like such a cop out and a waste of this great city. i did go to ann taylor and look around, but all the stuff i was interested in was too expensive. i need to go shopping at home and find some new tops. i went to the ferry building for the thursday night market but i didn't need any organic produce and there really wasn't any place for me to eat alone. i should have gone to the slanted door, but i didn't really see it.

so now i am in a bad mood. the shirt really pissed me off. the only consolation is that i had the shirt for two years. you can't tell me that old navy's quality is bad if it lasted two years. i've had more expensive stuff last for a shorter time.

overall, i've enjoyed my time here. it was nice to get away from the heat in toronto and the bs in the office. i hope that they think i've done a good job and invite me back. (i just realized i left my usb drive in the computer i'm using. damn. i hope no one snags it.)

ok, now i'm just getting cranky. i should go to bed so i can get up for my run and feel happier.

so i take it all back

2006-07-31T09:52:00.000-05:00

maybe it was just the morning and needing a massive caffiene infusion, but yesterday's rant couldn't have been farther from the truth as the day progressed.

yesterday was one of the best sundays i've had in a long time. i didn't think about or do any work for work.

but we accomplished so much -- the office looks amazing with the new paint colour, "found" art work on the walls, new furniture arrangement. it's ready to be reorganized and made more efficient. we gardened the common areas which was hard work but lots of fun. we found a new duvet for much less than we expected. we did tons of laundry that had piled up. we thought out our photo gallery wall for the basement. i worked on our back yard a little bit, deadheading. we ate dinner outside.

i feel much better about it all. and i'm ready to do more tonight and this amazing long weekend.

is change good?

2006-07-30T08:09:00.000-05:00

the ironic part of that comment is that i really honestly believe it is. at work, it's the only constant -- people change, accounts change, technology changes, etc. but at home, i'll admit that i'm a glutton for constant.

it's a bad thing.

the husband loves change at home. he likes nothing better than to make improvements, change paint colours, etc. whereas i may or may not agree depending upon how busy i am at work and what i'd rather be doing with my "free" time.

maybe it's just being lazy. but i'd rather have things well organized, tidy and clean than chase the ellusive perfect paint colour, structural change, furniture rearrangement, or whatever alteration seems to make it closer to perfect.

don't get me wrong, i am very appreciative of the changes and i don't even mind participating in the process, i just find myself wishing i could curl up and read or do something else instead.

so far we've changed the paint colours in the basement and the office. we will be changing the colours in our bedroom -- at least on the ceiling and a couple of walls. i'll admit that all the change is good. and i haven't had to do very much other than keep the bulldog occupied, fetch tools and drinks, move drop cloths, tape and that sort of thing.

but it's summer and there's so little summer here. maybe that's why i'm so resistant. the way i figure we've got all the time when we can't be outside to do this kind of stuff.

next weekend is our august civic holiday long weekend. yeah! i am taking an extra day off because i have been constantly thinking about calling in sick. it's a sign i need to take some time off.

i've actually felt pretty good lately. we're trying to be back at the gym more often. last week we went twice, which with our schedules seemed to work out nicely. i'm eating more healthy stuff again, which for a while wasn't happening, and eating at more regular times.

the only legit "sickness" is coming from my crazy headache ridden skull. my summer weather change headaches have been brutal lately. i've been finding that they are coming more often because the weather has been so unpredictable. still, they are not bad enough to merit a trip to the doctor to find out what i already know -- they are related to the weather. i don't want to take anything stronger than OTC so there's not much of a point.

well, i'm being a homebody this morning. sitting in my jammies, drinking coffee and doing the laundry. i'm trying to decide what i want to do next -- to wake the bulldog or not wake the bulldog, that is the question. but i hear snorts so i think she's decided to get up on her own. better put her breakfast down for her.

i think the bottom line is i need to be taking more time for myself like this. i've been grabbing it back in bits and pieces for the past week. work's been good, steady but not too crazy, so i've been able to. if i keep working at it and i will probably be less likely to be resistant to change.

let's try again

2006-07-21T06:41:00.000-05:00

well, i had the best intentions. on the plus side, i have been working out more and that's a very good thing. i've also been reading more, another good thing. but yeah, it's been a while since i actually wrote anything here despite having recommitted to checking in every once in a while.

i could make a million excuses. but i won't, other than to say, it's still been busy at work.

last night after work i did something crazy that was very uplifting. three coworkers and i drove 9 1/2 hours to windsor, a city near the US border, in order to attend another coworker's father's visitation. her father had terminal cancer and had been sick for several years. we left at 3:30 in the afternoon and ran into brutal traffic, horrible weather conditions and made it to the viewing with less than a 1/2 hour left in the viewing. the look on her face -- and her mother's face -- was worth the long drive. we all could tell immediately how much showing up meant to the family during such a difficult time.

that was just part of the wonders of yesterday. i got to spend time with 3 other people that i didn't know well. in their kind efforts to keep me awake and alert, they told stories about themselves and i learned so much more about all of them than i would have learned in months, maybe years.

and i had a wonderful lunch with two mothers. one, a very pregnant, soon-to-be new mom, and the other, a just 40 mother of two, shared stories about their experiences and passed on valuable birth information -- the mother of two, a very earthy-crunchy woman, set the soon to be mom's mind at rest by vigorously advocating the use of epidurals and every other thing that might be offered by the attending physician.

clearly it's the week of lunch. today i'm lunching with one of my best friends, a woman who has been challenged this year by bravely facing breast cancer. although we work together and see each other every day, we are constantly struggling to find time to get together and enjoy some down time.

it's been a real week of sharing. on tuesday, i was a speaker for a university undergrad business class. the students never cease to amaze me with their questions -- and their gall. some are so fixated on money that's it's completely unbelievable that they will ever get any. others are so ill-equipped for the real world that they ask questions that are utter nonsense. then there are the gems -- the students that you can't wait to see their success.

well, it's another day, and as a teacher once said, another chance to excel. and go to work. tgif!

hiatus over

2006-06-27T20:19:00.000-05:00

to say that the past few months have challenged my time management skills is a major understatement.

just when i thought i was getting pretty good at my new job, my client decided to spend all the money they should have spent during the course of a year. i have had challenges ranging from people disappearing (seriously), suits questioning my committment when i was working 60+ hrs/week, not to mention 2 of the biggest projects of the year happening at the same time.

even now, on some days, i am not so sure that i am really cut out for my job. maybe that's defeatist, but sometimes i wonder if going back to just writing would make me happier. right now i feel like i don't have the time to do the level of work i'd like to do, much less coach other people to do quality work.

part of my problem is that i haven't been working out much. i haven't been taking particularly good care of myself. i haven't been spending enough time with the husband or the bulldog. or my friends.

so that's all about to change. i've been trying to do it bit by bit this week and last. i feel like i'm gaining back my freedom.

in the meantime, it's time to get back to writing for myself.

the literary glutton: moved

2006-04-04T23:04:00.000-05:00

for the first time in what seems to be a very long time, i read a book from cover to cover in one day. (well, at least since the husband and i were on vacation in december.)

i didn't mean to, it just happened.

i found the book chocolat in the lending library at work, run by the cross and crusty receptionist whose love of books shows that she is much, much more passionate about a good many things than her churlish demeanor lets on.

i loved the movie. and like all movies that were books before they were screenplays, it was so much better than juliette binoche and johnny depp let on.

and like so many nights as an awkward child, a sulky teenager and a literary pretender/english major, i sacrificed sleep to see what came next, devouring each page, paragraph, word and mind picture with a hunger that could not be satiated by anything other than completion.

a literary glutton i am. there's no other word for it. and as a writer myself, i am ashamed. like eating a ten course meal of rare ingredients and lengthy preparation time in mere minutes, i feel i have insulted the chef by my greed.

but like the gourmand i am, i now sit, sucking on the bits of the story, the energy and glee that i feel wedged in my teeth, feeding my soul. and i feel full. satisfied. delighted. yet still wanting more.

maybe that's why i haven't put a novel together yet. god knows i have plenty of stories within myself, complete fabrications or loosely vailed tales of my own silly life.

can i write it as i would devour it? in hours, not weeks? hardly. i know my vanities, the need to write and rewrite and craft and recraft. but maybe that's the way it needs to start, to spew, to push out the tale like a giraffe gives birth complete with the long drop to the ground that everyone knows is coming except for the baby giraffe.

and yet, would today's day of reading, be as possible and as delightful if it would have been the typical work day? but it wasn't.

many things were different. the train instead of the car and allowing a switching mishap to be the catalyst for more reading time. the subway to the errand of picking up prepared tax papers, again leading to more reading time. reading before bed, prompting the ache for more and the sleeplessness that led to finishing the book – and working against the clock of the failing battery in the laptop for a bit of self-imposed writing.

work was light today, but only in the area of others' demands. briefs were cancelled. meetings postponed. i had the chance to play on some horrific deadlines which do not belong to me. i have tried to own them, but the jobs are not mine and i am technically not responsible for the work. so the ideas come freely. plentifully. much like the way the main character in chocolat has other people's thoughts coming to her.

it's always surprised me how external, yet internal the process of idea generation feels. i do not know where the ideas come from, yet they feel like they've always been with me and were just waiting for me to rouse them with a magic incantation or a kind word. it's the part of my earning a living that feels like a blessing. and a curse, because i can't turn it off. nor do i want to.

the other day, someone at work said that they wished they could just not think. they would just live.

i can't fathom a day like that.

i am present. i am in the moment. i can even empty my mind, thanks to yoga classes. but i have to work at it because the thoughts pour forth whether i want them to or not.

when i was a teenager, the thoughts that bubbled up were not always so nice. whether it was hormones, the stress of trying to be a super-achiever or lack of sleep, i was often depressed. i knew what it was like to feel blue.

over the years, i've gotten quite good at pushing those thoughts aside. i keep it positive because the dark thoughts can drag me right down, into the kind of slump that keeps you wallowing in your own mire for a lot longer than you ought to.

but i find when i'm not busy, when i'm not focused, my mind wanders down that path. not that it's a tempting one. i start to mull could haves, should haves, would haves. what a waste of time.

and maybe that's why i picked up chocolat. some i doubt would classify it as a particularily uplifting book -- there's crime, hatred, bigotry, death, abuse and a whole string of the stuff that is on the news every single day. but i saw plenty of hope in a story of a strong, opinionated women with an ambiguous, but extremely well travelled background. i found strength, principles, ethics, pride, love, friendship, joy, creativity, salvation and a job well done.

i've been struggling with the whole idea of principles and ethics in one of the tasks i've been given. how do you create something that other people can stand behind when you don't know if they share your idealism?

i think i found the answer tonight in chocolat: you don't care and you just do what you need to do. those who see the value in it will partcipate. those who don't, won't. in the end, that's all you can hope for anyway.

now what i need to do is find the answer and discover what the parable is so i can bring the whole thing to life.

37 success

2006-03-18T11:13:00.000-06:00

birthdays always make me confused. a little depressed and a little excited. a little stressed and very loved. cynical and giddy. at least there's cake.

the depressed part is almost silly. aging is completely normal, natural and it beats the alternative. my grandmother's 91 so genetically i've got some sort of advantage. in my short time on this planet i've had many amazing adventures including traveling by myself and moving to another country in the name of love.

right now i'm sitting here typing in a bright white sulphur laden clay mask, one of those seen on tv acne medications advertised by b-list hollywood celebrities and teen pop stars.

yes, it works wonders. but why at almost 37 (on thursday), do i still get pimples?

even better, i'm starting to see the "signs of aging" on my blemish ridden face. it's like the ad for oil of olay -- pimples and crows feet? yes, both. it's strange. at least i have good makeup. and that's most likely a bit of the problem. that and my near constant companion stress. for some reason i was pimple free in st lucia. tan, relaxed and no ugly bumps. i've got to drink more water. as if that's a fail-safe cure.

of course, i'm still a hairy beast. i wish i would have discovered waxing sooner. but i'll be damned if i start waxing my arms. the way i see it, i'd have to wear long sleeves in the summer as the mess grows out. no thanks.

funny, but this year, for the first time i can remember in years, i'm not depressed about my weight or body. i think i'm looking damn good as i approach the age of the cougar. i do weigh more than i think i should but muscle is heavier than fat and my clothes are fitting better.

size-wise i'm still all over the map -- am i an XS, S, M? a 4, 6, 8? who knows? not even the clothing manufacturers. i'd love to shop, but it's that in between season where you can only buy spring/summer clothes but even though spring is the 21st, there is no way to wear any of that stuff for another few months.

on the working out front, i've been a bit sloppy about diet and exercise the past 2 weeks. i've had a couple more cookies this week than i ought to. still hitting the gym regularly but my mind has often been elsewhere.

today i hope that a run will clear the cobwebs and put things in perspective.

all things said, i have little in my own life to be depressed about. i am worrying about a friend who is having some health issues, but i'm trying to stay positive about it and help her stay positive.

i'm damn lucky. counting my blessings puts it in perspective.

i am fortunate to have achieved a major career goal i set for myself year ago.

i have a career that i can honestly say i love, even in its most difficult moments.

i have a talent that is something that gives me great pleasure.

that's all me and no one can take any of it away.

i have a loving husband, who's amazing, patient, funny, joyous and creative. i love him dearly even though he frequently drives me crazy. he can't help it. it's something he enjoys immensely. but i guess after 10 years i must drive him crazy too.

i have a bulldog who is the most wonderful pet i could have ever imagined. she has the biggest heart i have ever seen in any creature. and all of her funny sounds (burping, farting, snoring, snorting, yawning, sighing) make me laugh. a little shadow, she's gotta be everywhere we are. it is a pleasure to ghostwrite her blog and imagine her observations.

i have great friends, even though i feel like i don't have that many. i do have many acquaintences who probably count me as a friend and even though i don't feel i can count on them, they know they can count on me.

i have a family that i've managed to make peace with. hopefully they realize that i didn't do any of the things i've done to hurt them in any way. it's just been me being me. and i can't change that or their reactions to me.

i still can't spell, but that doesn't mean i won't stop trying. happy birthday to me.

slowing down

2006-03-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

for the first time in a long time, i am having a 100% work-free weekend. (well, except for my timesheet which i'll do later this afternoon.) yesterday we did fun shopping and browsing, had coffee and went out last night. we actually went on a date. in fact, the whole day felt like a date.

and today it's a rainy, lazy sunday. i slept in until 9 when the bulldog came to wake me up. ate a nice breakfast that the husband made. did a little bit of online browsing while he watched his renovation shows.

gonna head off to the gym for a run and see if i can do better than yesterday's 4 miles in 45 minutes run. my bum is a little bit sore from it, but that's a good thing. it felt amazing though i didn't look pretty when it was done. (i am a sweaty girl when i work out.) strapping the ipod to my arm makes it really fun – i like anticipating the songs that come next on my funky singles mix. it's a great playlist for running -- there's old school, hip hop, electronica, a bit of this and a dash of that. i just have to make sure that i don't sing out loud and annoy everyone else in the "cardio theatre". sheesh. why they call it that, i don't know. it's just a row of treadmills, a row of bikes and a row of ellipticals and steppers.

it's a fairly unremarkable sunday, but for me, that's what's remarkable about it. it feels like a vacation, which is weird since it's just a weekend. but i haven't had a weekend like this in a long, long time. and the birds are singing since the weather is tricking them into thinking it's spring. another sign of spring: the husband is thinking about renovations. he may be finallly building a door for our master bathroom today.

speaking of renovations, this week was a weird one because of one. we're having our bathroom renovated for a tv show. monday and tuesday were surreal with a house full of camera, lights, PAs and craft services. it was really fun though and i'm anxious to see the results of the reno as well as the show. they will be in the house on the 21st, 24th and 27th with our reveal filmed on the 27th. look surprised! and supposedly the show's on in april.

at the same time as the show, i was working on a pitch at work. nothing like a little stress to liven things up and keep the blood pressure high. stayed up til 4 am on wednesday and got 1 1/2 hrs of sleep since i had a personal training appointment. not fun. let's just say it was a day that felt like 10. beyond that the week flew by. the personal problem was not so bad. in fact, things seem to be adjusting themselves which makes my life a lot easier. i just have to keep an eye on it.

time to head off for the gym. better get changed. maybe i can keep this relaxing feeling going all week...

breathing/balancing

2006-03-05T14:22:00.000-06:00

feeling much better today -- finally. went for a good run, the first good long run in a couple of weeks. thanks to advil cold and sinus i could breathe pretty well during it. and after 50 minutes, i was seriously bodybuilder sweaty. hopefully i grossed out the gym bunnies.

the cold (running nose, stuffiness, plenty of snot) is still lingering. i am amazed at the amount of snot that my nose can produce. i know why i'm still sick: it has been very stressful at work and i haven't been sleeping as well as i would like. some (like the husband) would say that i care way too much. maybe so, but i really want to do a good job.

these days, i'm able to concentrate more on my new job and i'm learning lots of new skills as a result. some of them are kind of unpleasant because they are personnel related. i'm grateful to learn, however, it would be a lot better to learn these skills a little bit later in the year, at a time when things aren't so crazy.

oh well, it's not like i have a choice. and unfortunately, i have had very little time for writing as much as i'd like.

but today i got my writing wish. i'm working on work (which i have to get done because i've put it off for too long), my personal writing and some semi-fun pro-bono stuff which i can get to later if i need to. plus, i'm part of a pitch that's happening very early on wednesday am. in the meantime, i'm waiting on other people to be able to do my part which is fine, except that i'm not in the office tomorrow. they'd better get on it before 5...

believe it or not, i feel like i am doing a better job with staying more balanced between work and everything else. i'm trying to not let work invade my brain 24-7. it's hard, but i'm trying. it feels like such a big part of my life sometimes that it just seems to take over.

so today while i ran, i just enjoyed the music and the feeling of running rather than stressing about work and all the stuff that's really beyond my control. it's probably why i had such a good run.

tired of being sick

2006-02-27T12:18:00.000-06:00

maybe it was going over the border. maybe it was freezing in the cold for 40 minutes while we waited for the doors to open. or maybe it was just our germy offices finally catching up to us.

the husband and i spent wednesday and thursday at home sick. he was smart: he slept all day wednesday, then watched tv on thursday. i was a stupid martyr and answered email, took conference calls, wrote copy and played peacekeeper. needless to say, my illness is lingering when his is gone.

my symptoms started out as scratchy throat and chest congestion then became chills/fever, sore throat, cough and runny nose. went to work on friday -- seemed to be ok -- then spent the whole weekend lounging around the house.

at this point i am just stuffy. but i'm sick of blowing my nose. my nose is tired of being blown too -- it is red, chapped and sore. too bad i can't just climb under my desk and have a little nap.

motor city mellow

2006-02-20T18:07:00.000-06:00

let's try this again. for some reason, i just lost everything i wrote....

last week was, well, a week.

so i was pretty happy to have today off. the husband and i hopped in the car and went off to detroit to visit friends and go to a concert put on by his favourite band incognito (i surprised him with the tickets by buying them while he was in italy). i'm always game for travel of any kind, especially if there's shopping involved. and when you go to the states, there's always shopping.

we left pretty early on sunday am from the inlaws house. the bulldog was very happy she got to sleepover at grandma and grandpa's house. we were not gone long enough for her to gain weight but i'm sure she ate everything in sight.

got to detroit around 1 pm so you know we left early. we stayed with a friend at her new house and she took us turbo shopping at target and trader joes so i could stock up on american stuff that we can't get here. then we met 24 of the husband's friends at a mexican restaurant, where unfortunately for me, i had the worst mexican meal of my life. and that even includes the "meal" i had at south of the border when i was a kid. how can you screw up chips and margaritas? well, they did.

the show was awesome but pretty late for the demographic. incognito didn't leave the stage until after midnight so tons of their fans left around 11:30, probably to take babysitters home or get to bed for work today. i liked the opening band liquid soul but i think it was too experimental and hip-hoppy for most of the folks.

the show was great for detroit people watching...

we left detroit pretty early this am but it's been nice chilling out at home. i'm relaxed which is great considering who knows what fresh hell awaits tomorrow....

running around

2006-02-11T09:25:00.000-06:00

between the gym, work and making healthy food i feel like i've been constantly on the go lately.

work's been crazy busy. in addition to my usual writing at work, i've been working on a pitch, attending a ton of meetings, and had a lot of managerial tasks that i've had to deal with. i don't mind them but it's difficult to make the time to do the tasks well when i'm so busy. and i don't feel like i'm writing as well as usual or being the best creative partner lately. i'm just being pulled in too many directions.

the gym's been the only fun thing i've been doing lately. it's getting more fun as i've been getting more fit. my running is getting much better -- i can run faster for longer -- and i'm lifting more weight, doing more pushups, dips, squats, and all those other fun exercises. henry isn't laughing at me so much either. going to the gym's been making me feel happier a lot and less stressed.

last night i was talking to my boss about all the stuff i've been doing to get healthier. she is amazed i can find the time. i told her it's just a matter of being organzed, making lunch and breakfast ahead, cutting up veggies and planning dinners.

already today, i have cleaned veggies, made a week's worth of stone cut oats and roasted beets and it's only 10:15 am. we'll go and run at 11 and then come back, shower and get on with the rest of the day. it's better than getting up at 5:30 and going straight to the gym! i'm going to work some this afternoon on managerial stuff after we run around an do a few errands.

the husband's taking me out on a date tonight too. we're going to a restaurant that we used to go to pretty frequently when we lived near it. i hope it's still as good as it was. they used to have great oysters and California wines that were hard to get elsewhere in Ontario.

but we can't stay out too late. tomorrow (sunday) i'm speaking at mohawk college for an advertising seminar for first year students. i need to get all my stuff ready for it today. i'm mostly prepared, but i want to make sure to run through my presentation and get my personal portfolio stuff ready for it. i've spoken at mohawk before and the students really seem to enjoy having people from the industry come to visit them. should be fun.

of course, with valentine's day on tuesday, i'm going to do a little bit of baking tomorrow also. i'll save the decorating for monday night after work but i find that if i break up the baking and the decorating, it is more relaxing.

so yes, it's going to be another very busy couple of days...no rest for the wicked, i guess.

becoming an early bird

2006-02-05T07:42:00.000-06:00

so i'm now down 10 pounds. i can see big changes in my body.
(i guess at 5'2"-ish, losing 10 pounds makes a huge difference.)

i feel stronger. healthier. less stressed. happier. prettier. more alive.

my clothes are fitting better and looser. i don't feel like i'm trying to camoflage any rolls and bumps any more. i'm wondering if i could fit into this pair of wool pants i haven't worn yet this winter. they were just too snug and uncomfortable. maybe i'll try them later today.

i've kept up going to the gym and eating right even when it's been crazy at work -- henry's been working us hard, but he didn't show up on wednesday. our friend who works out with henry before us wasn't happy about it, but the husband and i were sore from monday's workout so we were actually ok with it, even though we were a little disappointed.

i've purposely tried to make healthier choices and ate less when i was in restaurants last week and i did it. i didn't give in to my crazy pms cravings as much -- but i also didn't feel as bloated, crampy and gross. so i have definite proof of how important working out is for my well being.

i've gone back to drinking milk. for two weeks i've been using lactose-free milk and i seem to be fine. i guess i'll see if it helps me to lose weight -- according to the dairy boards worldwide it does help, but i am more concerned about my bones to be honest. i know i probably don't get enough calcium and that's why i take suppliments.

i've been trying hard to be more balanced. last week i had one day when i had a wicked headache. it didn't go away when i went home so i went to bed at 8:30. i actually went out and picked up lunch twice with a colleague. and i went out to dinner with four friends and left at around 9:30 so i could get up for my personal training. i feel like i worked hard but i had a fairly normal life and didn't spend every night working.

today is going to be a busy day.

i'm going to work a bunch -- i need to get a review done, brainstorm some ideas, start working on copy for camp ooch. but i also have a bunch of personal things to do too -- run, pay bills, make lentil soup, make turkey chili for dinner, write my valentines, get organized for next week in terms of meals and stuff.

i've been finding that meal preparation and lunch making takes up a fair amount of time up front, but frees me up to focus more on work when i know what i'm having for lunch and that it's in the fridge. so each night after dinner i try to make lunches for the next day. oh and breakfasts too because i've been bringing my oatmeal to work since the morning is such a rush.

but by putting my workouts first in the morning, i can check that off my to do list right away. i feel like i've had a successful day no matter what happens. so i guess i'm evolving into a morning person.

getting trained

2006-01-30T19:50:00.000-06:00

i love henry. i also hate henry.

he's such a patient and nice man that i feel guilty saying it. but when i have to climb up and down stairs at home and at work, my quadriceps scream in pain from all the lunges, squats, and other tortures henry puts them through. but they'll thank me later. my abs are ok today, but i'm sure henry's just giving them a respite after last week. i think every single part of my body (well, except my hair) hurt last week at one point or other.

our first four sessions of personal training have been simultaneously great and agonizing. henry pushes us hard and in such a short time i can already see results.

and even though work is completely insane, it's easier to stay calm and detached. the only problem is getting up so early every day does not make me want to work when i get home. like tonight. i should be doing stuff, but i just don't feel like it.

fit tested

2006-01-21T14:28:00.000-06:00

so today was our fit test at the gym. the guy who did the testing seemed like he was roid-angry. he was definitely one of those fired up my way or the highway kinds of fitness guys. he was also all of 25 maybe. i just hope that he's not like that with everyone or he's scaring off the gym's customers. the husband says the guy was just a fitness zealot.

the good news is that i'm on the right track. i still am very flexible and my cardio health is good.

the bad news is that the amount of fat i have in my body is pretty much the same as the bulldog's weight. not good at all. but i'm doing something about it.

according to the testing, the husband and i both lost weight this week. he is down 10 lbs. i have lost 5 so far. pretty good if you ask me. of course, i have 17 more to go. the funny thing is i lost them twice already but they always seem to find me again. apparently, at least according to the zealot, the fat cells are always with you. you are born with them and they puff up as you store fat. the idea is to deflate them. at least he gave me something to visualize as i run. squishing fat cells.

we decided to sign up for some personal training and on monday at 7 am we're meeting henry. for 14 sessions henry is going to help us to learn what we need to do to be healthier and more fit. hopefully, henry is patient with me. but i guess he will be since it's in his best interest to keep us coming. the husband loves the weights. me not so much, but i'll do it because i know that down the road i will be a lot better off if i'm strong.

the guy who is the fitness centre manager was a lot more realistic than the roid-head. he emphasized making small changes and having one day off to cheat. he is a pro volleyball player in his spare time so you know he knows how to have fun.

anyway, we are both doing pretty well in our new year. beyond detoxifying my body and getting fit, i am detoxifying my life and getting my spirit fit. i am cutting loose a long time friend who is very negative and very manipulative. she is a taker and i am tired of giving. but i have already been slowly easing her out of my life. now it's just time to give her the old heave ho.

15 days into 2006

2006-01-15T08:47:00.000-06:00

well, so far this has been a good year. i started this year with a commitment to making my life better and healthier. so far so good.

on dec 31, 2005 i ran a 5k with a friend after training for 10 weeks in a running room class.

prior to that run, the husband and i had a long talk about how out of shape/overweight we were feeling. our wonderful trip to st lucia (delicious food, plenty of drinks) and the holidays with all the goodies and parties did not help things.

so on jan 1, we got on the scales then headed for the gym. so far i'm down 4.5 lbs through a combination of diet (eating cleaner, more fibre and veggies, more water) and exercise (at least 2.6 miles in 35 minutes on the treadmill and weights). the eating better is making a big difference for me.

overall i am feeling a lot better and it's a lot easier to avoid dairy products when you make your own food. it's a lot cheaper too. as is not drinking. i think we'll be happy when we see the savings at the end of the month.

i'm pretty happy with how things are going. while the weight loss boosts my spirits, i am really happy with how my energy level is improving, how i'm managing my work stresses and how well my running is going.

i'm running 4 days a week. tuesday and thursday at 6 am during the week and saturday and sunday whenever i want.

yesterday (saturday) i took the day off because i was time crunched. a rescheduled hair appointment at 8 am and previous plans to shop with a friend all afternoon kept me out of the gym since it closes early on saturday. but i am anxious to go today and i know i will have a good run.

while i write this the bulldog is having a good run. she's playing ball. it's another time i'm grateful for a laptop and wireless network.

monday (again)

2006-01-09T20:45:00.000-06:00

is it just me or does it seem like over the weekend people forget how to work, then panic as they get closer to 5 pm? sheesh.

and it seems like thinking is also stopped on friday only to be restarted after lunch on monday.

we are a bit (understatement) understaffed at work and no one seems to understand there is a finite amount of work that can be completed in a short amount of time by a small group of people.

ok. that's enough of a rant. i only have a teeny bit of time tonight since i'm trying to do a bunch of work.

when will the long days stop?

career advice for aspiring copywriters

2006-01-06T15:17:00.000-06:00

today's blog entry is in response to an email i received from an account executive (ae) who works with me. this ae is young. ambitious. entitled. impatient. and obviously in need of a quick pay increase. (he has an obsession with sports cars. he also lives in his brother's basement in order to afford one.)

he suggested to me via email that he should become a copywriter because it looks like so much fun and, of course, it pays so much better. because several aes have talked to me about this very thing, i figure other people must be interested too. so here's my response to him and his inquiries about renumeration:

==========================
see, (ae's name), copywriting pays poorly in the beginning like every other job.

when you finally get somewhat good at it, you work so many hours that if you amortized your salary across your hours, you wonder why you didn't practice saying "want fries with that" when you had the chance.

by then you're hooked on a life of creativity, debauchery, sarcasm and the colour black.

good thing for agencies #1: most writers can't do math to save themselves from a life in advertising.

good thing for agencies #2: writers would rather write than do anything else. (besides i make a lousy cashier, thanks to the math deficit.)

ps: don't you know that the most lucrative job in agency life is in production?
==================

anyway, as i think you've probably surmised, being an advertising writer isn't for the faint hearted. or the cash-obsessed. and you've learned that i can't do math, so obviously my dreams of working in accounting were dashed at an early age.

funny, but my title as the world's worst speller hasn't held me back as a writer. thanks to whoever invented spellcheck -- you have saved me from what could have been a very mundane life.

in a nutshell: if you do what you love, the money will come. and if you just work at a job, that's all it will be. you'll be miserable.

i don't know about you, but i spend far too much time working to do something that isn't any fun, even if it makes me crateloads of cash.

bird bird bird's the word

2005-12-07T06:30:00.000-06:00

the roosters are still crowing even though the sun's been up for at least an hour. the husband's pet birds are happily eating the bread we stole from the restaurant last night. we work up at about 5:30 am to a thunderstorm, perhaps the continuation of the one we had starting at dinner last night. it rained quite a lot yesterday but we still got plenty of sun and swimming in. hopefully we're going to the beach, unless it keeps raining. we're also scheduled to go on a sunset cruise today since it's our 10th anniversary. it's still hard to believe it's been that long...

rain rain it's ok

2005-12-06T06:30:00.000-06:00

so despite everyone local telling us that the rainy season is over, it's rained every night. a lot too. it was raining when we work up so we just drank coffee and fed the birds leftover creole bread. we were treated to another rainbow. it's sunny but it looks like it may rain on and off all day. good thing we canceled the trip to the beach for today.

smattering of sunburn

2005-12-05T09:30:00.000-06:00

so i haven't written anything more than a postcard since we got to st. lucia. can't say that i feel more motivated at the moment then to make a list of the food that i ate or to record the things i've seen so far. it's nice to do nothing more than sun and swim and to have no decision bigger than "what do i eat?" or "what should i drink?"

today is sunny and warm, just like yesterday. hurricane episilon made it rain like crazy on saturday night, but it was nice listening to the rain on the metal roof. it's rained sporatically today alread, but with the sun out. so we snapped a photo of the rainbow.

as usual i brought way more clothes than i need, but i guess i'll figure that out next time. the stonefield villas is the kind of place i would not mind returning to -- it's like renting a cottage with a pool rather than staying in a hotel. i would imagine that this is like the old school muskoka resorters or the ones in the pocanos, just with a more laid back dress code and much better weather.

my mother would hate it. too much nature in the house and no a/c. but i like the lizard house pets. the husband can't get enough of them either. he's also feeding all the animals he can -- the skinny cat family by the restaurant, the birds -- he's attracted quite a following.

considering the trip didn't start as planned (no pedicure) or smoothly (poor rear-ended equinox and marge, all of us missed the dinner out at the keg), this trip has been amazing so far.

the husband is getting a massage right now on our deck overlooking the piton and the ocean. the birds are looking for bread crumbs and the construction workers are trying to finish more villas and add pools before christmas and the high season. but the workers are surprisingly quiet.

everything seems well orchestrated. we think they must get a lot of cranky american tourists since they are always worried if everything is ok.

our view is quite spectacular -- just tons of ocean and the pitons broken up by tons of lush, green plants and trees. it's really amazing. the husband is loving all the sailboats so it's good we're going out in a boat on wednesday at sunset.

it's funny but we can also very occasionally smell the sulfur from the volcano and the sulfur springs. the jury is still out if we will be going there -- it's included in our package, but we've already been.

we are getting plenty of sleep with no tv -- it's easy just to go to bed after dinner so by the time we head home the bags under my eyes should be 100% gone and i should look a lot better. working on my tan gradually is probably helping too. i only have a smattering of sunburn on my nose.

headed for boston, ended up in seattle

2005-10-17T19:39:00.000-05:00

(ok, so those of you who know that i went to boston in october, stop laughing. i am very busy these days and yes, i used the date editing function. at least you're getting something to read, so stop complaining.)

our trip to boston was a comedy of errors. we left on friday, october 14 it was sunny-ish in toronto. we got to the airport early (of course, since the husband prefers to be there early. he missed a plane long ago and it scarred him for life.) so we decided to have a snack at the airport bar and ordered some chicken wings and beer.

i knew the trip was starting off well when i ran to the ladies room, tears streaming down my face from the hot chicken wing sauce that shot into my eye when the husband took his first bite. (don't worry, no eyeballs were harmed in the making of this vacation.)

eyemakeup completely off, i returned to the restaurant and reassured concerned husband that we were still good to go.

well, air canada wasn't. of course, the plane was late.

once it finally got there, i settled into my comfy business class seat (courtesy of frequent flying). even though i knew our original lunch plans needed to be scrapped, i declined the questionable "hot" snack. the flight was fairly uneventful and i got some quality magazine reading in.

once there, our crazed taxi driver hurled us towards our hotel in the pouring rain. not a good sign. but hotel nine zero was very cool, in a small roomed boutique hotel kind of way. glad we weren't paying (husband's work trip).

so we scrapped our original plans for lunch and siteseeing. went to the hotel bar to reformulate a plan and sample local brews. when the rain settled down a bit, we looked at a few freedom trail sites -- the cemetary across the street from the hotel -- then decided to find some warm, dry shopping. luckily all the major shopping was literally behind the hotel and filenes was having a huge sale. the husband bought shoes. i bought a purse.

scrapped our original dinner plans to go to a trendy restaurant and went to durgin park in touristy faniuel hall (the first of many visits during the weekend) and had a new england clam bake complete with clam chowda and lobsta.

saturday we were up early hopeful for a dry day. no dice. it was pouring when we got to the lobby. so much for starbucks -- we headed back for the room and ordered room service and read all the free papers the hotel would give us.

still raining 3 hours later, we decided that we had to go somewhere dry, like macy's. the husband bought more shoes. we went back to the hotel to drop off the packages and then headed back to fanueil hall for more clam chowda and lobster rolls. these were accompanied by some acapella singing groups from harvard. still raining. had to go shopping at ann taylor loft to stay dry. finally i bought something -- shirts, cords, pjs. it was a good day.

we tried to go to a nearby pub called the black rose – it was too packed with football fans. but we'd be back, we just didn't know it then.

still raining, so we drop off the bags. yes, bags. then go to the bar next door to the hotel called beantown pub. have some nachos and harpoon ipa, watch some football.

that night we meet up with the husband's friends, greg and adam. greg lives there so he tries to take us sightseeing on the freedom trail. it's still raining. adam's from nyc so greg takes the tourists to probably the worst meal in the whole city at cheers. guess where it is -- yep, fanueil hall.

the evening gets better when we go to the rack, excellent people watching for me, pool for the boys. finally, we go to little italy and get dessert at mike's pastry – boston cream pie and canollis, the things the place is famous for. after greg suggests that we go to a real irish pub. guess where we go -- yep, the black rose. good people watching. the bostonians love their alcohol.

we try to go to the smallest bar, which by the way, we walked past every time we went shopping, and end up back at the beantown pub, with about 250 franz fernand fans (show was next door and ff were staying at our hotel) and a bunch of wedding guests, who had obviously had enough of a very boring wedding. we stayed out way too late.

sunday, it was still raining. so we sleep in, have room service coffee and read whole Sunday boston globe. rain stops (finally) so we decided to walk around boston common, beacon hill, newberry street, back bay to go to the polkadog bakery so we can get the bulldog a new cute leash. the leash we wanted was sold out in the right length.

so we go to 647 tremont, the restaurant we were supposed to have dinner at on the first night, for their pajama brunch. nice atmosphere and good food, but i'm glad we went to brunch not dinner.

we walk off our brunch through chinatown and then hang out in the room until i have to go to the airport. the hotel puts us in a chauffered suburban!

business class lounge sucked – united - it was stuffed and boring so decided to people watch in the terminal instead. much funnier. the flight was ok – of course, the food sucked (pizza).

after landing in toronto, i drove to the in-laws to pick up the bulldog, who obviously didn't want to leave the 24-7 buffet and ball playing and come home with boring me. we were both in bed by 1, bulldog snoring loudly.

thanks for a day off

2005-10-10T10:48:00.000-05:00

yes, it's monday morning around 11:45 and i'm still in my jammies. sweet! i may stay in them all day long.

i went to bed last night around 9:30 and slept in unti 8:30 -- the most and highest quality rest i've gotten in weeks. i feel much, much better than i have. maybe i kicked that cold/flu thing with rest.

i am thankful today is a national holiday.

it's thanksgiving weekend here in canada. the husband and i have had a busy one. friday i was supposed to get out of work @ 1 -- ha! and as it is on most fridays, traffic was horrible too. when i finally did get home, i found a thanksgiving card from a friend with a wonderful quote:

let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
they are the charming gardners who make our souls blossom.
-marcel proust

i am thankful to have such a considerate and wonderful friend. that card erased my long day and grumpiness from my mind.

that night i had to go to a wedding rehersal -- i was doing the reading for the wedding, so i provided 12 choices to the bride and groom. they took the first one: on marriage from kahlil gibran! so as a wedding gift, i took the quote and framed it as a momento of their special day. the minister was hillarious – he is a former ad man turned protestant minister. i guess it goes to show those of us in the business that it really does train you to do a wide variety of things!

saturday during the day we ran around gathering up the materials for a thanksgiving feast for 10. i am thankful that i am a good planner, don't get too stressed out doing big dinners and that having my inlaws around is fun. it was good to get some of the prep work out of the way.

we started by taking the bulldog to the farmers market -- usually it's too hot for her to go. i am thankful that here in toronto we are experiencing full on fall so it was cool enough for her.

she didn't really want to eat any of the things the vendors were offering her -- even the cheese curds. she was too busy looking around and smelling stuff.

saturday night we went to a wedding. it was nice although like many events when you know you've got something big to do the next day, it wasn't that relaxing. still, the bride and groom looked great, it was nice to see lots of people i rarely see anymore and the husband and i could have a quiet drink on the patio together and enjoy the crisp fall air. i am thankful for all of those things.

we were at the pregnancy table however and while it was nice to see the moms-to-be, i really didn't have much to offer by way of conversation. oh well. the girls were really happy and looking forward to the babies. the husbands really seemed ambivilent about the whole thing. it was like they weren't really affected by it one way or the other. strange.

sunday was pretty crazy. non-stop food prep from the time we woke up until the time everyone left. it was a lot of work but i think everyone enjoyed it, especially the bulldog who filled up on turkey handouts and pumpkin pie samples. i think it's safe to say she's feeling a little sick today, well, at least really tired from all the ball playing. she keeps looking for comfortable places to sleep as she follows us around the house.

we foisted a couple of "weird" things upon the inlaws: salt and pepper kettle chips and a baked brie with a fig sauce on top for appetizers and cranberry sauce laced with orange liquor. the rest of the meal was strictly old school thanksgiving with all the stuff they're used to: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, plain veggies (peas and green beans), pumpkin pie. everyone seemed to like the food ok and were happy to receive to-go bags of leftovers and a jar of cranberry jam.

so that leaves today. a day of rest -- ha! so i cleaned up the remainer of the mess from the feast and now i'm roasting a butternut squash for soup while i write. i am totally procrastinating since i have work to do so i think i'll take care of some home tasks that i keep putting off.

what i really feel like doing is napping all day or at least lying on the couch watching tv. how lazy is that? better save that for later tonight.

i am also thankful it's a super short week this week -- i'm only working tuesday, wednesday and thursday. but i am thankful that i get to do something i enjoy everyday, that i get paid to do it, i work with fun, nice people (mostly) in a nice office. so i better get to that work now...

back to what appears to be normal

2005-10-02T20:17:00.000-05:00

the husband's back from his week long business trip. the bulldog is snoring. i just finished working. so it's really back to normal.

i've had a really inconvenient headache for the past week. it's funny headaches have been part of my life ever since i can remember. when i was in elementary school i used to get in trouble with my parents for claiming i had a headache and going to the school nurse. later they found out i needed glasses. i wonder if they ever put two and two together...

ironically i am the sign that is ruled by the head -- aries. of course, it is a the sign that is prone to headaches. what a surprise.

i'm not sure why i am suffering so, but i do know if it keeps up for another day or so i'm going to the doctor. there's a reason i pay so much in taxes and i'll be damned if i don't get my head checked out if it hurts. i thought i had the flu or something a couple of days ago.

tomorrow i have to have breakfast with the president of my company. weird. hopefully the coffee is good :)

cold outside, cold inside

2005-09-29T21:24:00.000-05:00

so the knots are back. and yes, they're on both sides. and i think the massage actually made them much worse.

got my homemade heating pad (a sock full of white rice heated in the microwave) on the right side. it's not helping. i may need another massage or just a day off...

i'm coming down with a cold. i can feel it in my achy body and itchy throat. everyone i know seems to be sick. my head has hurt all day long. ears are stuffy. i have a feeling tomorrow i might wake up and feel like a bag of dirt.

the weather's not helping. it's freezing here. and i won't be too surprised if i see frost on the ground in the morning. that's how cold it is. windy too.

went to dinner tonight with a friend even though i felt so crappy. she felt crappy too so we enjoyed a nice pasta dinner and chatted. it was very relaxing -- no cooking. no dishes. i wasn't really that hungry so i have a nice dinner for tomorrow night too.

i wish i didn't feel bad. but i've been trying to drink a lot of water and flush whatever's wrong out of my system. it isn't working.

knotty girl

2005-09-28T21:15:00.000-05:00

it's back. my perpetually tense right shoulder. it's been gone for a good long while – ok, only since my last work-sanctioned and paid for massage.

it just kills me that advertising, a profession of chronically stressed-out folk who tend to abuse themselves in all manners – chemical, athletic, emotional, etc. – provides such an enlightened benefit to counteract the damage its minions inflict upon themselves. what's sad is that so few take any sort of advantage of this tax-free benefit. i think i am the massage therapist's only "regular".

i'd be more regular if i could be. we don't even have to leave the office. take off our clothes. do anything. my only regret is that these are 20 minute mini sessions. i could easily take a full hour of bliss. last time, i was such a knotty girl that just lying on the table, not thinking, not doing anything at all was relaxing. the pounding i took from the therapist helped something i'm sure, but he said, "i'm not sure that you'll really feel any different."

he was wrong. i felt like i pulled a fast one: i cheated the company by taking a 30 minute break and not working. ha! take that timesheet program!

although i claim the right shoulder is the only one that causes me pain, i am actually wrong. the massage therapist points out at every session that both shoulders are affected. the left is perhaps even worse, yet it doesn't really affect me. oh well. he'll be earning his fee tomorrow that's for sure. and he'll remind me to do my stretches, even though i have been doing them, not just when the knot shows up.

and i think i'm catching a cold. the change in the seasons or perhaps just the fact that everyone in the office is slightly run down from a summer spent toiling long hours has increased the petri dish-like germ breeding. sneezing. coughing. voice losing.

imagine if advertising was a profession where everyone had children in day care (surprise, the ruthlessly youth-oriented culture is almost anti-breeder, unless of course you reach a senior level) – it would be way worse.

so i spent yet another evening on the couch, the bulldog at my feet with a scratchy gunky throat. i read another magazine. ironically this month's O was about aging, a popular obsession with most of my friends from the yummy mummy who is on the edge of 30 to the successful single guy who as he gets closer to 40 only sees what's missing (wife, kids, house) rather than his achievements. i'll have to spend some more time with the issue, but i know i'm just as guilty as my friends about the age obsession.

yet, i wouldn't trade 36 to be 26 again. true, i was thinner, my hair was less gray. but was i happier? sure, i was on the verge of being a newlywed (so i was super-stressed) but i was definitely not as happy in my own skin. when i look in the mirror today, i feel better about who i am. or at least more sure about the chick looking back at me.

i've worked hard to get to the place i'm at with my career. i am blessed with a happy marriage. i have a snorting, snoring, farting, barfing bulldog who wags her tail when i come home. i have a nice comfy house to live in. i've worked hard to try to put the past behind me and mend bridges with my parents. i try to be a good friend, a mentor, a generally nice person (ok, not when i'm pmsing) and a buddha behind the wheel even when i get cut off.

in short (and i am short), i am pretty lucky. now if i could just get rid of this knot....

catching up - where did september go?

2005-09-27T10:37:00.000-05:00

it's been a crazy september. i just looked at the calendar today theni realized that september's almost over.

where did a whole month go?

since labour day, life's been hectic. work hasn't been so bad compared to how it was all summer, but the husband and i have had a lot going on during the weekends and even week nights.

-the husband and i did a 50K bike ride for the MS society one sunday.
-we had a party for the husband's work colleagues one thursday.
-i went to a baby shower for pretty much an entire sunday. -this past saturday, i had a girls night in party for my overworked, ultra-stressed girlfriends, complete with loot bags.

it's been a good month, don't get me wrong. i feel like i've gained back a lot of my time/sanity and gotten a lot of the things i want to do done. i've done a bunch of little crafty things -- including make a framed print for a friend's wedding.

i even started cooking again! i made cranberry-orange jam on sunday night and tonight i'm going to make lentil soup and muffins. on the weekend, i'll probably do a bunch of cooking. maybe i'll even make some more jars of salsa or another kind of jam. how martha of me -- but that kind of stuff makes nice gifts and gives you a little taste of summer in the worst part of winter.

although i haven't been writing much outside of work, i've been doing a lot of reading. i've caught up on my magazines. i've read a whole book and 1/2 of another. i've planned a weekend trip to boston -- and read the entire guidebook.

and i've started running again. although not this week yet. feeling a bit under the weather. but i start my women only running class in mid-october. it will be a great excuse to leave the office at a reasonable hour.

i've had some good news, but it's premature to discuss at the moment. it's given me a little lift and i've been working hard to change my perspective and be more positive even when i'm stressed. i hope i can rise to all of my new challenges and still keep up with all the stuff i want to do.

labourless day

2005-09-05T08:55:00.000-05:00

actually, i've done a lot, albeit stuff i want to do. friday i was off (finally!) so i shopped like a mad woman gathering stuff for the weekend, canning and a BBQ. i baked for the first time in months. and the husband and i went to a couples cooking class.

the cooking class was fun but with all of our cookbooks, cooking show watching and love of kitchen gadgets, it was no challenge. the paella we make is actually a lot better! still the leftovers made a good cold breakfast when we woke up late on saturday.

shopped, did errands, laundy, the usual saturday stuff. the husband napped while i organized everything for the party. went for a run for the first time in about 2 weeks.

saturday i finally felt good -- for the first time in weeks. i stopped feeling stressed about work. maybe i just stopped caring. all i know is i really needed the long weekend. and i really needed not to be too overprogrammed. i am very glad we didn't go away and we could spend time at home.

we had a great BBQ on saturday night that lasted until after 2 am -- good thing the neighbours didn't care. with all the beer that people brought, we could open our own beer store. not too many leftovers even though two of the guests just didn't show up. weird. but fine. tried to play matchmaker for two friends -- only time will tell if it was successful. she's definitely interested. haven't talked to him, but we'll have plenty of time to chat about it tuesday since we have a meeting that's an hour away from the office. he's a shy guy so she said it was hard to get a read whether or not he was interested. i'll get to the bottom of it.

couldn't sleep in sunday am despite going to bed after 2. woke up @ 7, fixed the scarf i stopped knitting at the beginning of summer and started it up again. started reading anthony bourdain's a cook's tour until the husand and bulldog finally got out of bed.

sunday afternoon i made peach jam (a lot of work for very little yield) and the husband and i made a ton of salsa yesterday. depending on how today goes (we are going biking), i may make one more jam (cranberry) but i also may do it later in the month since the fruit is frozen. i have a bit of work to do, but i am definitely not feeling like doing it. more reading, knitting and relaxing i say. oh and we're going on a big bike ride since next weekend we're riding 50 km, something i've never done. i can just feel the reprecussions of that next monday...

in any case, this week should be pretty good. work seems manageable. the husband is having a BBQ for his coworkers on thursday. time to take back life and have a better time. "if you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun" said katherine hepburn. maybe this week should be more about healthy anarchy and fun chaos.

time off for good behaviour

2005-08-23T21:35:00.000-05:00

so tonight i didn't work late.

i didn't come home to work either.

i sat in the backyard with the bulldog and my friend reesa and relaxed. the bulldog enjoyed a lovely salmon skin "bone" that the interactive creative director brought me -- his 2 dogs go nuts for them. reesa and i enjoyed a gin and tonic. we had a nice chat, went for a walk with the bulldog and caught up with each other.

a nice way to spend a tuesday...

sunday sunday sunday

2005-08-21T20:18:00.000-05:00

so for the first time in a very long time, i feel like i've relaxed. had a weekend. actually recharged a bit. and got the work i needed to get done, done.

either that or i've become completely desensitized to stress. i'd prefer to think that i've relaxed. didn't run this weekend. probably ate the wrong things. definitely enjoyed too much wine. spent a bit of time outside.

it was exactly what i needed.

work stress vs diet and exercise

2005-08-14T09:36:00.000-05:00

after a hard week -- i ran all week even though i was exhausted -- i finally feel more or less relaxed. part of it may have to do with my sprint out of the office on friday. now we have a wireless network at home, which i have to say is a really nice way to maintain the peace. no more passing wires around.

i've been doing crazy volumes of work, even more than usual, yet trying to eat better and exercise. i think it's helping with my stress. if nothing else it makes me think of something else. and gives me a reason to face the world at an ungodly hour. my skin's getting clearer. body parts are getting firmer. clothes are fitting better.

in any case, this weekend has been good -- had some drinks with friends on friday, went to see my friend the dentist on saturday morning (no cavities!), did a little shopping, then watched a bunch of movies while we did the laundry. multitasking at its laziness! gardened a bit too.

today, so far, i've run and taken care of the bills. i'm supposed to take a friend to costco so she can see what it's all about. gotta do a bit of work, but luckily it's not that complicated. so it's a relaxing sunday. doesn't seem like summer. seems like a late fall afternoon. it's the weather -- rainy and dark today.

getting stuff done

2005-08-07T15:24:00.000-05:00

so i didn't have to go to the office after all. i've been working at home and i have to say, i really love working at here, as nice as my work office is and as great as the view is.

maybe it's because my desk is bigger, the chair is more comfortable, or the environment is less corporate. maybe it's the canine assistant, sleeping on the rug. well, right now she isn't sleeping. she's become a whirling dervish after being asleep pretty much all afternoon.

the bulldog was a good alarm clock again today. not that i wanted one, given that i went to bed at midnight, after staying at the dinner party much longer than i intended. but at 6:30 she wanted to be awake. although once i was awake and making her breakfast, she took her sweet time coming downstairs. so had a little coffee, read the neighbour's paper and then watered all the neighbour's plants i'm looking after.

took the dog for a walk then ran on the treadmill -- 2.5 miles today. pretty good! i am very happy with my progress. i guess my muscles have more of a memory than i thought. i am surprised that i'm not sore at all. where i am sore are my arms and back. it's either carrying produce to the car from the market or carrying the bulldog up three flights of stairs to go to bed -- the things i do for the pampered princess.

i got groceries before 10:30! on a sunday! thought i was going to work and rushed to get back. luckily my boss said, nah, we don't need you after all. do your other work at home.

sweet! so in between doing work work, i've done a bunch of things i've been putting off -- like my passport application and making rrsp contributions. fun, fun!

ok. the canine wants to play ball now and it's hard to type and throw. but i'll manage.

at dinner last night one of the guests was a former investment banker turned pastry chef. well, she's about to become a finance person again because she said that for the hours and effort, the restaurant industry just isn't worth it even though she loves to cook.

although hearing it was pretty depressing, i'm glad i did. back of my mind i've always wondered if i should have chosen that path. it sounds like my recreational baking and cooking is a good outlet, but maybe not the best way to make a living. (the husband and i have signed up for a couples cooking class in a couple of weeks)

she also confirmed the reasons why tv cooking shows make me not want to eat in restaurants – the horror stories she told about the sanitary conditions turned my stomach. dirty uniforms, fish thawing on bare concrete floors, recycling food. ewww!

all in all, it was a great weekend. just what i needed. i crammed a lot in and i feel like i've gotten a lot done for work and home so i'll feel better next week about just getting one thing done at a time.

redhead, no freckles

2005-08-06T16:08:00.000-05:00

so i'm officially a redhead now. well, a faux red head. (shhh. it will be our little secret.)

too many blond highlights, too many white highlights (ha!). so the colourist suggested an all-over colour. as an all-over colour virgin, i really didn't know what to expect. so i was floored when i saw the results after basically having a striped head for the past 2 1/2 years or so.

actually it's not as shocking as i thought it would be. waiting in the chair, i imagined something entirely different – and much, much redder. supposedly as the colour fades, some of the old blond highlights will come through. so much maintenance! maybe the next step is just to let all the white hairs fill in...

the weirdest part, the part that i was definitely not prepared for was having red water come off my head when i was done showering. i freaked out a little bit and apparently wrecked a towel. i called the salon after i dried off; the receptionist explained that it's normal and will probably happen for a couple of showers more. strange. i thought all the colour was coming off.

the red will take a little getting used to, but i thought i should shake it up a little bit. ironically, my haircut's shorter and a little different, but similar. i just wasn't up to too much more change.

this week's been full of changes. i'm back on the healthy eating and running. i was so tired of feeling like crap all of the time. i was surprised that i hadn't gained more weight actually. but i was feeling rather untoned and fluffy. lazy too, and that's just not like me.

stress has a funny way of doing that to you. work is just insane at the moment and whether i mean it to or not, the stressed-out folks around me effect me. i've been working too many hours and spending far too much time with work on my mind, even when i'm not working (hey timesheet police, does that count as billable time? if it does, some days i should be logging 24 hours!)

and i also tend to try to pretend that i'm not that stressed and give an academy award winning performance. until it gets out of hand, that is. then as one colleague says, i am a terrible poker player.

but last night and today i've been very good to myself. last night i knitted -- something i haven't done in months -- while i did laundry. then i read, although, i'll admit, i couldn't handle a book. nice light magazine reading. i napped on the couch and the beep-beep-beep of the laundry machines woke me up to fold and put things in the dryer.

this morning, the bulldog was still on her usual schedule. so up at 6:30. actually that was terrific. i checked to see if the neighbour i'm housesitting for got his usual paper -- score! so i made coffee and sat in the backyard and read the whole paper. then i did a little gardening.

i was out doing errands before 9! perfect. the farmers market was packed, but i was pretty quick about it. got sunflowers! and left my wallet at the stand. luckily the guys who run it were holding it waiting for me to come back. note to self: bring purse to farmers market.

then off to the hair salon. since then i've been doing small chores, pampering myself with a facial and pedicure and playing ball with the bulldog.

tonight i'm going to some friends' house for dinner. i originally wasn't going to and planned to have a relaxing evening @ home, but as the wife said, you gotta eat, then you can leave.

so dine and dash i will. or not. i have to go into the office tomorrow (yes, sunday) so it can't be a very long night.

a distant memory

2005-07-19T12:14:00.000-05:00

back in the tdot

it's hard to believe that a week ago i was on vacation.

i came back exhausted, after not sleeping much thursday night. it was no one's fault but my own. i just was wired and stressing about things out of my control. work. life. both. sheesh.

friday was a nice day though. grandma and i enjoyed going to her local farmer's market. we picked up her week's supply of veggies and fruit. i surprised her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers that looked like they were grown in someone's garden, not a big commercial operation. after lunch we just sat around chatting. it was a nice way to end my trip.

the airport was nearly empty when i got there -- flights to the midwest had been cancelled. so i picked up some magazines and chilled out.

the plane was that nifty 16-seater beechwood that flew me down. what a piece of crap! this time i was prepared with foam earplugs so i just kept reading until we touched down. it was only then that i looked around and realized that i was the only female on the entire plane. weird.

i was pooped on saturday but really didn't have a chance to sleep in. took a pseudo-nap. pulled myself together to go to dinner at some friends' condo, but really wasn't up for it. sunday had a meeting for our neighbourhood association. lots of bs going on there that i don't even want to write about. and yes, it is a cause of some of my stress. put it this way, i'm glad i have the easiest job on the board.

and monday came along and it's been non-stop go-go-go since. i misjudged how long it would take me to do something. but then my planning got all screwed up anyway with "emergencies" and i had to work late yesterday.

so seriously, my week off is a long-gone distant memory. i am really burnt and grumpy. not exactly ideal.

at least today is a good air quality day. the sky is blue and it's not as humid and hot as it's been. maybe this afternoon will go better. i could really use a good solid afternoon of uninterrupted working...

doing girl stuff

2005-07-14T22:30:00.000-05:00

still in york, pa

I guess the old girl is wearing me out too. I snoozed my alarm this morning when it went off at 7 and woke up around 7:30. I had only been up for about 15 minutes (started the coffee, got the paper and was watching Good Morning America or is it God Bless America?) when Grandma came out.

She was a little worked up because she forgot she had a hair appointment at 9:30 and only remembered when she was combing her hair. No biggie – all I did was take a shower quicker, get dressed a little faster and gobble down my cherrios.

Today was our day of girly fun – first the beauty salon where I read Martha Stewart, Lucky and Brides while I waited for Grandma's wash and set to be done. That was fine with me – now I know what magazines not to buy for the plane home tomorrow.

Then we went to the local mall. It's not all that great, but Grandma only likes the big department store anyway. So we shopped at the Bon-Ton for about an hour. Of course, I bought more stuff than she did – a skirt and a shirt. She got a shirt.

So far on this trip I've bought: 2 pairs of sneakers, a skirt, 2 t-shirts, a tank top, a blazer, a dressier tank top. Not bad for only shopping a few hours.

Then we went to lunch. Grandma gets embarrassed when people read her the menu and wanted me to just pick the first thing that sounded good for her, but I told her I had never been to the restaurant so I wanted to read the whole thing. We ended up having a chicken salad special – the whole big salad thing is really new to Grandma. She had never seen anything like that and not being the biggest fan of baby greens, brought half home.

The service at the restaurant frustrated her – like little kids, senior seniors need to get their food fast. And staying on schedule is really important. Still she had fun. More than anything she loves to eat out.

Grandma was getting tired, but wanted to return her books on tape to the library. So after lunch off we went. Her friend was working there so we had a little bit of socializing time. I found a bunch of books on tape that I thought she'd like. She settled on two – the first Harry Potter and Tuesdays with Morrie.

She thought Harry Potter might be fun so she'd know what all the fuss is about and be able to talk to her great-grandson about it. I thought she might enjoy Tuesdays with Morrie. I did. Maybe after reading it, she'll understand I like to hang out with her.

When we got back, she insisted that I do my laundry so I didn't take back dirty clothes. I made her split pea soup to put in her freezer for those days when she doesn't feel like cooking and cleaned vegetables for her while she napped.

Later in the afternoon Grandma put me to work fixing little things around her house. Plugging stuff in that she couldn't reach, cleaning things, changing the time on clocks, finding "lost" things, etc.

Afterwards, she decided to give me an angel music box that she got in Lucerne, Switzerland on a vacation with my grandpa. She said it was because I was like her angel and she wanted me to know how much she appreciated my visit. She had been thinking all week of what she could give me to take back with me as a souvenir and decided last night when she was lying in bed that it would be the best thing.

She's been complaining that I am waiting on her too much so I stayed out of the kitchen and let her make dinner on her own. I would have cleaned everything up, but the husband called.

Grandma has a really hard time with all the phone calls the husband makes. She doesn't really understand that it doesn't really us cost all that much and we started our relationship via phone so it's a real comfort to both of us to chat on the phone. Whatever. I'm going home tomorrow so he won't be calling any longer.

Maybe the real problem is that she has a really hard time with the phone. Tuesday night she hung up on me when I called her from Panera Bakery asking her about my cousin's address. Today the lady that helps her with cleaning called and she almost hung up on her too.

I don't think the hearing aids really work very well with the phone. She really needs to take one out as soon as the phone starts ringing so she's prepared to talk to and understand the person who's calling. And she needs to get another big button amplified phone for her bedroom. I'll tell the parents and see what they can do about it.

After dinner, I went out to Target to pick up a few things and Panera Bakery again to check email (lots! and lots of work to come next week!). When I got back, she was freaking out because it was getting dark. I reminded her that I often drive in the dark, I parked in a well lit area, etc. I had also told her I'd be back in an hour and a half and I was actually back a little bit early. Again, whatever. It's one of those things.

Then the phone calls started. First, my DC cousin called. We had a nice chat and she'll be visiting in the next few months. Then my DC aunt called. She's coming up to Muskoka with a friend and might be doing a drive-by.

We went to bed around 11. I packed first and got organized for tomorrow. The less commotion I make about leaving the less depressed she'll be.

closed, sick, tired, thrilled with $3.41

2005-07-13T22:30:00.000-05:00

back in york, pa

Today started out uneventful enough. Get up, coffee, read the paper (it's a really bad one), breakfast. A little housework. Some weeding. Made lunch for Grandma and myself.

Our plan for the day was to go to the library, visit a friend at a nursing home in Lancaster, then go to my cousins' house for dinner.

First, Grandma got really irritated when i asked her if the library was open today before we left. So she was even more irritated to learn that the library was closed due to government cut backs. (We'll go back there tomorrow.)

Then, when we got to her friend's nursing home, which by the way, was a mr toad's wild ride of a navigation adventure. At one point i reminded grandma that i had no idea where we were going because i had never been there. Luckily i managed to get us there in one piece.

Unfortunately, when we got there Grandma wasn't too happy with what she saw. Her friend was not up or dressed – she was in bed, had oxygen tubes in her nose and was very sick. Turns out she was on antibiotics, recovering from pneumonia – and she's been sick for about 2 weeks. The latest part of being sick was refusing to eat.

Grandma had been trying to call her for the past couple of days, but only trying her bedside phone. I asked her if she wanted to call the front desk or nurse's station but she said no. So seeing her friend so sick was quite upsetting.

Her friend perked up a bit once we started talking and seemed to be a bit livelier by the time we left. She told me i looked heavier than the last time she saw me (I was about 25 at the time) and called me a gold digger since she liked my wedding and engagement rings. I got her to eat a little ice cream, ½ of an animal cracker and she drank some water, ice tea and ensure.

Also turns out that the phone wasn't working. I put the plug back in the jack and talked to the front desk people about fixing the jack since it was so loose. By the time we left, Grandma was feeling pretty upset.

So then, we drove to my cousins' – another place that Grandma hasn't been too many times and really doesn't know how to get there. I had directions so i just drove.

I had a great time there. I talked to my cousin's wife, played with his two little boys, chatted with my cousin who's in the navy and had a good old time.

The little boys were tickled that i brought them each a tooney, a looney, a quarter, a dime, a nickel and a penny (that's $3.41) and a baggie of swedish fish. They really enjoyed learning about he coins – they may be coming with their new baby brother or sister next summer.

As the evening progressed i could see 1) grandma was tired, 2) grandma was having trouble hearing what was going on, and 3) grandma was upset with my cousin who's in the navy – his talk about partying, a new tattoo (he already is the most decorated member of the family with his five tattoos) and smoking wasn't working for her at all.

But she enjoyed the company, seeing her great-grandchildren and eating a nice meal. One of the great-grandchildren entertained us by playing the piano and singing the solo he's singing in church this Sunday. We took plenty of photos and I've already downloaded them and added them to the book i'm making for her.

I know Grandma also enjoyed the homemade blueberry pie and the treats that my cousin packed up for her – freshly picked blueberries, zucchini bread and a zucchini.

We had a nice chat in the car, made good time getting home and got here by 9:30. Grandma went to bed, I talked to the husband, who is having a hard time with me being away. The bulldog seems to be pretty happy about it – she's slumbering peacefully in my spot.

amateur dentist

2005-07-12T22:15:00.000-05:00

still in York, PA

Holy crap, did i just have a scare.

Grandma and I went to bed around 10:45. I was tidying up and organizing my clean vs dirty vs just purchased clothes and deciding which magazines to bring to my cousin tomorrow when grandma started knocking on the door saying, "I've done something stupid and I need help."

She wasn't kidding.

Although Grandma has a plate on top, she has pretty much a full set of her own bottom teeth. Of course, her dentist told her flossing is the only way to keep them. Grandma listens to her dentist which is fine, except Grandma is thrifty and there was a small piece of dental floss left…

Yep, the small piece wedged itself in between two side teeth. And since she can't see too well, she was having a heck of a time on her own.

So time to play amateur dentist and figure out how to help grandma out. I'm not the best person with medical emergencies – ask the husband. And I never in a million years wanted to be a dentist. Ever. Gross.

But when i realized that the piece was too small and slippery to pull out, toothpicks weren't helping to push it up, water wasn't loosening it and it was too late to call my friend the dentist for advice, i remembered that i had a pair of illegally-smuggled-on-the-plane-into-the-US blunt tweezers in my makeup bag.

The tweezers did the trick. And now Grandma is saying her prayers.

Me too. I'm thanking God that we didn't have to go to the emergency room because grandma got herself all upset and sent her blood pressure skyrocketing (she's been telling me plenty of blood pressure stories). Or stay up all night trying to figure out a solution. (I still might be up all night; I'm all keyed up now.)

Not sure this is a great story to tell around the dinner table. But i have a feeling both the husband and my friend the dentist will get a kick out of it.

Hopefully if Grandma tells her daughters, they will have a sense of humour about it and not completely freak out.

"rest day"

2005-07-12T12:30:00.000-05:00

in york, pa

Today is Grandma's best day yet. when she woke up (I was up by 6:30 since my body keeps expecting that I need to go to work), I had breakfast all set up and ready to go so she was thrilled. We ate outside on her porch.

During breakfast she announced that she wanted to do a few things on her rest day but we weren't going all crazy and running around like we had since Sunday. She had a good night's sleep but didn't want to over do it.

First, we went to the cemetery so i could see where Grandpa's buried and where her final resting place will be. She explained again that she is not a fan of cemeteries and that visiting the grave really doesn't do much for her. Me neither. She also doesn't like the whole flowers on the grave thing – she's rather plant them in her yard.

Next we went to the York Blind Center. With me here, she said she'd feel better examining the newest devices to help her see better. So we tested out a number of new magnifying machines and she was so pleased that she could see the newspaper a lot better with them. The machine she liked had a colour monitor, automatically focused and allowed you to change the background colours. Her current monitor doesn't do any of those things. I think she is considering purchasing the new monitor, but she will probably consult her daughters when they get back from their trip.

But what pleased her the most is a pair of adjustable magnifying glasses.

As soon as we got home and ate lunch, she tested out the glasses. For $75 she can now watch tv and see the colours and the people's faces as well as the type on the screen. For the last few months her vision has been decreasing and she has not been able to get as much enjoyment out of the tv as she had in the past. Now she will be able to watch the all-star baseball game, football and programs with more than one person in them.

She also tested her new glasses at the piano. She can read the words on her large print "What a friend I have in Jesus" but not see the notes. I think I'm going to take the pages when I go out and see what I can do to enlarge them. It would tickle her to be able to play the piano again.

Finally on our excursion, we went to Stauffer's Cookie Factory Outlet so she could get some treats for her best friend (tomorrow we're visiting her at her nursing home). I got Pixie Stix for the crew back at the office and some gummy fish for my cousin's kids (i'm also going pick up hotwheels cars for each of them) we'll see tomorrow.

For someone who is 90 she is so fast around stores when she knows what she's looking for. Unfortunately, Stauffers is an outlet so they have different stuff every time (they make things for Trader Joes and other stores) and she was getting a bit frustrated. And I think she was a bit tired too. Anyway, we got everything we were looking for and then because we spent over $5 we each got a free pack of cookies. Well, that tickled her for sure.

During lunch we had a nice chat. She's a lot happier. She found a solution to her tv watching problem and she knows there is a better monitor out there to help her read her mail, the paper and the bible.

So she's going to spend the rest of the day at home, talking to her friends, reading the paper, resting. I'm not resting -- going out to do a little shopping and a little searching for the things she wants (beige purse, longer sleeved short sleeved tops) as well as check my email. It's a nice break for both of us, especially since she has another action-packed day planned tomorrow...

thelma and louise?

2005-07-10T20:17:00.000-05:00

grandma and i are having tons of fun. we're off in the wilds of central PA, across the street from bucknell university (a beautiful campus) at a best western tonight. we look just like thelma and louise, cruising the streets in our silver malibumax -- ha!

(all of the people we're visiting with think I must be "real well off" to be driving such a fancy car. good thing I didn't bring either of our cars.)

we are enjoying each other's company. grandma is telling plenty of stories and remembering all sorts of stuff about her childhood, her family and her friends.

i'm annoying the crap out of her by photographing her with landmarks and people. of course i'm going to make her a little photo album when i get home!

grandma seems much, much happier today. i think she's enjoyed chatting with her friends and family, catching up and feeling like she's a lot younger than 90.

however, poor Grandma is absolutely exhausted -- we've been on the go since 8:30 or so starting with church (no, the roof is still intact), sunday dinner at the country cupboard (tons of bluehairs chowing down on turkey dinners), visiting friends in "personal care homes" and then over to my great aunt's house for dinner. i'm enjoying the fine WiFi setup at the hotel, but out of courtesy, i'm going to shut down so she can go to sleep.

oops, too late, i can already hear her snoring.

tomorrow we're making more visits here, then heading back to her house, but stopping on the way to visit another great aunt. tuesday is grandma's rest day.

a better day…in other words

2005-07-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

york, pa

grandma seems much happier and more lively today. she's using her favourite phrase, "in other words" pretty much constantly. that's how I know she's doing better.

we had a nice breakfast on her screened in porch. while we were eating, she received a phone call from her sister-in-law who lives two hours away. after their chat, she announced that tomorrow after we go to church, we're definitely going to visit her relatives and friends who are two hours away.

so i called a hotel and made reservations for us. then we went out to do errands. she was very happy with our shopping since i read prices to her and found everything quickly, even though I hadn't been to the stores for a very long time.

we've spent a lot of time eating and talking today. i'm definitely eating healthier and smaller meals. right now i'm starving, mostly because we ate at 5:30! oh well, it's gonna be a great way to lose a little weight and detoxify my system.

grandma's been telling me lots of stories, some of which i've heard before, some which are completely new. it's pretty neat to be here and have so much access to her.

she's also been giving me her opinions on many things. the political stuff, well, I just let her talk even though i definitely don't agree with her political viewpoints. the religious stuff, well, it's so important to her. again, I don't agree that christianity is the only way to go, but it makes her very, very happy.

and grandma spent a little time sleeping. i chatted with my cousin who's in the navy and my other cousin who we'll visit on wednesday. and i read a bunch of magazines. it was nice to have a relaxing afternoon.

right now, grandma is calling friends that she wants to visit. they're surprised – and delighted – that she is coming to visit. and so is she.

the week begins

2005-07-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

in york, pa

so maybe i really romanticized what a week with grandma really would be like. i think she's happy that I'm here. but so far, i know she's still really depressed about my uncle's death – just like she's' been since march. even obsessively so. she has a real knack for being able to link pretty much anything i say back to it. and she is certainly dwelling on the what ifs.

well, there's not much point to that. unfortunately, the man is dead. nothing, not wishing, not hoping, not what-ifing will bring him back. it's sad, but true. and the worst part of it is she has had really nothing else to think about since march. nothing really has distracted her from it, not seeing friends, family, phone calls, nothing.

and here i am. crampy/bloated/feeling rotten. spending a week of hard-earned vacation with her. not exactly the most ideal situation given my physical circumstances, but i'll get through it.

i'm just hoping that she cheers up a little bit when we get out and do stuff. she perked up when she opened the gifts i brought -- cherry and pansy jams, saskatoon berry topping, mini canadian chocolate bars. and she seemed happier once she unloaded. maybe that's the whole deal. maybe she'll be better in the morning when she's well-rested…

sofa bed adventure/tale of kindnesses

2005-06-28T09:31:00.000-05:00

after working until 7-ish last night and needing to put in a bunch of hours more, the husband reminded me that the sofa bed we've been eyeing for the office/extra guestroom went on sale that day. he really wanted to check it out. after nearly 10 years of marriage, i recognized resistance was futile.

and while i thought that this trip to costco was merely a fact-finding mission, he understood it to be a gathering expedition. by 8:30 pm i found myself outside a closed and locked costco with a sofa that didn't fit into the truck.

luckily a really nice guy came by and saw our dilemna. he offered up his mostly empty panel van and loaded the sofa in and drove it to our house. wouldn't accept a dime for his trouble, although his little son said he would. so the husband told the little guy to treat his dad to an ice cream -- the final stop on their evening of errands.

(yes, virginia and everyone else, people like that do exist. i guess it was karmic costco payback for all the shopping carts we've put back, heavy things we've lifted into people's cars, times we've picked up stuff that our friends couldn't put in their vehicles, etc.)

so sofa bed home but in the driveway, we enlisted the assistance of a neighbour, who felt slightly beholden since we've gotten his mail and watered his garden every time he's gone away. i moved furniture to clear a path, boxed in the bulldog with the sofa cushions so she wouldn't get in the way and made sure i was around to help lift when they needed help.

thank god, the neighbour was able to help because there's no way i could have done what he did. it would have been an evening of tears (mine) and swearing (the husband's) for sure.

two nice people. neither had to help. each could have easily just gone about their business and enjoyed their evening. although we thanked them profusely, it hardly seemed enough for their efforts.

itchy!

2005-06-26T15:49:00.000-05:00

what is it that makes mosquitos love me so much?
is my blood sweet?
do i have lots of it?
is my skin thin?

whatever it is, those little bastards feasted on me. i was up in muskoka with my coworkers doing volunteer work at a camp for kids with cancer.

i used deep woods off. i reapplied. but it didn't help. two days later, i am still covered with big red itchy welts. benedryl isn't working to stop the ichiness. neither is the anti-itch lotion the pharmacist recommended. it's really annoying.

i was very happy to go on the trip and it was tons of fun -- we had a big party on thursday night and worked really hard on friday doing lots of heavy lifting and moving stuff.

the after-effects are not so much fun. yesterday i had to nap because of the benedryl. today i'm not feeling like doing work at all. and i really need to.

i'm itchy, i need a nap and i'd just like to lie on the couch for the rest of the day.

hopefully i don't get really sick. when i was a kid, i got bit by so many mosquitos that my face was swollen and i had a fever. how sad is that? i had to cover myself in calamine lotion!

i went to the mall with the husband today and attempted to try on clothes. all i could think about was how itchy i was and everything i tried just made me focus on how red the welts were. so i went home empty handed except for a pair of shoes. at least they're hot shoes...

restaurant cooking shows make me want to eat at home

2005-06-21T14:00:00.000-05:00

ok, this is definitely a rant. i love cooking. i love cooking shows. nothing makes me happier than to have a spare hour and spend it with jamie, ina, nigella, martha, yan, trish, michael, any of them.

but cooking shows that are about renovating restaurants or that hells kitchen show just turn my stomach. all that behind the scenes stuff needs to stay behind the scenes for me!

the ironic part is for a while i was thinking about going back to school to become a chef. after watching all these shows, i realized that i would have to work 10x as hard cooking as i do writing. and that cooking would no longer be recreation for me.

cooking, even baking, relaxes me. there's nothing i like better than to make a new recipe. even making a big mess of the kitchen doesn't bother me. the only thing that's disappointing is that the results don't last all that long. maybe that's why i usually make large quantities when i make something complicated.

first day ramble

2005-06-21T10:55:00.000-05:00

summer's here. it's feeling a lot more like the first day of a new year, if you ask me. there's just been so much change this year. and more is on the way, i can feel it, almost taste it.

the husband's new job is underway. tonight there's a big function celebrating the company's relocation to new quarters. a party -- not bad for week 2, day 2. ironic that it's on the solstice. do you think the organizers planned it? or even knew? hmm. somehow i doubt it. still the idea of a celebration on such an auspicious day is pretty cool. good for them even if they had no idea of the significance.

another change: we decided to bite the bullet and become a two vehicle household again. with commutes in opposite though reasonable distances from the house, it really did make sense. so that's new. and a little bit strange being back behind the wheel on a more regular basis.

i love to drive. still i really enjoyed carpooling. and i like taking the train every now and then. the sound takes me back to backpacking in europe, even though the seats are full of cranky commuters. the funny thing is riding the train never makes me cranky. quite the opposite actually. it puts a slight spring in my step and a little smile on my face.

it just feels like lots of rebirth is happening. maybe it's all the gardening i'm doing these days. or the reclaiming/recycling of old things at home. it also feels like shedding -- like i'm peeling back the layers. maybe this is the year of discovery. i feel like i'm learning more about everything. myself, for sure.

at work, definitely. never thought in a million years i'd be making a living doing what i'm doing. but the weird part is now i can barely imagine doing anything else. explaining things for a living just strikes me as an odd way to make money. it definitely makes life seem purpose-filled. and i get a real kick out of it. coming from a line of teachers, it even makes sense. what doesn't make sense is how i just stumbled upon it by answering a blind want ad in the paper.

had i thought more about it, answering that ad would not have been the way to go. but then again, if i hadn't answered that ad, i probably would have taken a completely different path in the writing world. maybe i would have been a technical writer. a journalist. a columnist. sitcom writer. who knows. but the way i see it is because i took the risk to write as a profession, all paths are available to me in some way or other. maybe that's the real rebirth. or the reinvention.

hot in the city

2005-06-10T08:18:00.000-05:00

so maybe we've skipped spring and gone straight to summer. it's 30° C at 9:15 am and super-muggy. yuck.

spring forward

2005-06-08T16:42:00.000-05:00

ok, so i set this blog up and haven't written anything since december. now it's spring, almost summer and life's picking up.

it was a rough winter. on january 9, the husband lost his job. financially things have been fine but it's been stressful for both of us. my industry is traditionally pretty rocky so i'm used to layoffs and downsizing. helping friends through it is just a fact of life. having it happen at home is another story.

in march, the mother's brother died. uncle was playing mixed doubles, something he's done his whole life, and had a heart attack. very sad. at least he died doing something he absolutely loved. his funeral in d.c. was a packed church, standing room only. still, his poor wife. and his son flew back from the gulf. what a thing to have to deal with.

next, i turned 36. there's nothing i can do about the number. i'm certainly not ashamed of it. and if i may say so myself, i look damn good for that number. but here's the thing: i work in a business where everyone seems to be 24. now, i don't want to go back there, but i also wonder what things will be like when i'm 44 and everyone is 24. oh well. that is a topic for another rant.

in april, good friends got married rather suddenly. their carefully organized plans to buy the house, then get married in late summer got changed when she found out their baby would be due around that time. it's amazing what can be done in a short time. it was a beautiful wedding and everyone had a blast.

the weddings continued. the brother got married in may...in vegas. (finally, according to the parents, but that's another post) so we bit the bullet and went out for a couple of days. luckily we got a pretty good deal even with less than 6 weeks notice and the fact that it would be vegas' 100 birthday.

but the whole job thing hung over our heads like a dark cloud, even when we were away. needless to say, we didn't hit any jackpots, mostly because we didn't really gamble. we enjoyed the sun. and once we got back, the husband was even more anxious to change his luck.

later in the month we celebrated some friend's 45th wedding anniversary. the husband reacquainted himself with their son, a long time friend. they had lost touch over the years. maybe they can find what they once had.

so today, he finally got the offer he was hoping for. and a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders. more about that later.

rant about morning

2004-12-15T15:58:00.000-06:00

rest and a good night's sleep helped and whatever i was fighting seems to have gone away. the only problem is that i was up by 5, left for the office @ 6:30, drove for an hour for a 2 hour client meeting, drove back.

unfortunately, i'm no morning person, especially this time of year. the frozen tundra just doesn't make walking the dog in the dark very inviting. even she doesn't want to get out of bed and cohercing 45 lbs of solid bulldog muscle to do something she doesn't want to do isn't easy under the most favourable conditions. even offering to play ball is met with skeptism and distain at dawn.

i like the idea of getting a jump on my day. getting a run out of the way. doing a few chores. it's just that my internal clock seems to favor night. maybe i can trick myself in the morning by pretending that it's after midnight -- both times it's dark, right? but how pathetic is that?

fighting something/holiday barking

2004-12-14T12:36:00.000-06:00

itchy, runny eyes. scratchy throat. stuffy head. all i need is the fever so i can rest. and the medicine that knocks you out. well, no blanket on the couch for me today. it's strictly work work work.

it's always busy this time of year so insuring that my shopping is nearly complete was a smart move on my part. and getting the cards done and out too.

i just hope i feel better fast so i can enjoy the upcoming parties and have the chance to do a little holiday cooking. this year, no cookies (except maybe for the neighbourhood dogs), just candy, specifically bark.

holiday bark should be easy -- melt white chocolate in the microwave, pour it on to a cookie sheet, sprinkle with pulverized peppermints (red & green!) and cool in the fridge. then bash it up and put into bags as gifts.
i'll let you know how it goes.

in the meantime, i'm focusing on feeling better.

so that worked

2004-12-13T14:36:00.000-06:00

dec.13.04 (a few seconds later)
So I feel more confident now. And I'm wondering why I didn't bother to set this up sooner.

I've been writing professionally for about 13 years, writing for fun for a lot longer than that. I've written a children's book and need to work on getting it published. And I'm hoping this blog can be a way for me to get inspired and inspire others.

If you're looking for a quick writing exercise to get the ideas going -- or just release a little venom -- check out oneword.com

word traveller

2004-12-13T14:31:00.000-06:00

dec.13.04
If anybody wants to keep creating they have to be about change, Miles Davis once said. So I'm trying a new kind of writing starting today. I promise it will get more interesting, once I get more confident.