Ode to Tracey

Tracey is on her way to Ontario today. She's moving to Oakville & being a westerner I didn't have a clue where it was until she showed me on a map. She's got an awesome job lined up there & is driving out with her Mom. We're all hoping they won't bicker too much... Hubby Andy is flying out there next week. It's going to be a tough time for me, adjusting to BC life without her, but I'm really glad she got such a great opportunity and I know it will be a great experience. At the very least they're only 4ish hours from New York & 6ish hours from Montreal so there will be some fun trips for them once they get settled. They also want to get a kitty - finally - so that will be a nice addition to my extended pet family.
Anyways, it was an emotional good-bye yesterday so I just wanted to give a more elaborate adieu - so adieu, adieu, to yeuh & yeuh & yeuh, la la la! All the best Trace, drive safe & don't yell at your Mom! Love you!

Horseracing game

I'm not sure if I've mentioned the horseracing game before but I have to say that it's even better than Carcassonne - and that's a high rating for me. It's a wooden board with wooden horse heads that move up the board in a groove. Cards & dice determine how much you win or loose. All the cards in the deck are dealt out (Kings & Aces are removed - there are only 11 horses, #2-#12) and the first four throws of the dice determine the first four horses price - the first horse costs $0.05, the 2nd $0.10, the third $0.15 and the fourth $0.20. Whoever is holding the corresponding cards has to put that amount in the pot - if you have multiples than it's the $ amount x the number of cards you have (max. 4). It really sucks if you have 2 or more of the $0.20 one - which happens to me alot. Anyways, the fifth dice roll gets the next horse off the starting line. If you happen to roll one of the 'scratched' horses you pay the corresponding cost into the pot. You keep rolling until one of the horses reaches the top of the board or finish line. Whoever has that corresponding card wins the pot so it's usually split between 2 to 3 people unless someone really gets lucky and has all 4 of the same in their hand.
The first time I played this I lost maybe $6 dollars but played until the wee hours of the morning. The next time I played I lost maybe $15 and borrowed more money to keep playing. However, yesterday I hovered around my $5 starting amount the whole night. It was the best result I could have hoped for,'cause I just ain't lucky. I stayed up till 3 which is about 5 hours longer than I normally stay up but it was a blast. However, I highly recommend playing this with people who can hold their liquor - it takes forever for a drunk person to deal & they can't keep track of who's turn it is or the rules of the game

Ack! My glasses!

My favourite sunglasses have now bit the biscuit. This is the second pair, the first ones also cracked on the highway from Whitehorse to Alaska. These ones cracked a bit first a couple of weeks ago and then cracked right through today on the way home from work. It's really quite devastating. They were the perfect colour, the perfect size, super comfortable & had some rhinestones. I can't possibly find a better pair! However, I don't think 3 is a charm since I'm pretty sure they'll break the same way as the other 2. It's going to be a rough week, and for the first time this summer I'm hoping for clouds...

What to do, what to do

I treated myself to a mini shopping spree after work today and bought a top for $24.99 at Winners. I did this in order to get the spending bug out of my system but I'm feeling a little listless and my neck is pretty tense so I think I may need to spend more. Perhaps a CD, or a pair of shoes. The trick is to spend just a bit, leave enough for groceries & bills, and have extra money so I'm not destitute till my next cheque. However, I have a math disability and even though I think I'm spending wisely I tend to miscalculate & end up in the 'red', or is it 'black' - I can never remember which is good & which is bad. Anyways, if I was rich I could have a personal assistant to figure all that out for me but I suppose it's good for me to be challenged.
Isn't it cute?

Back home

I got home yesterday at about noon after 3 days of camping along the Similkameen River. It was wonderful there! We stayed at the Gold Mountain Campground which is about a half an hour east of Princeton. After living in B.C. for several years I still had no idea where Princeton was so I wasn't sure exactly where I was going, but once I got there I realized I had driven through & even eaten there before. It was a learning experience. The campsite itself is right along the river and after saying hello to everyone & setting up my tent I headed down the trail to the river. I even saw a hawk dive bomb into the water & catch a fish! I didn't want to go home, luckily though after 3 nights and some rain I changed my mind... Anyways, Thursday was the vow renewal ceremony for my friends' anniversary. We had a potluck which included salmon, prawns, meatballs, several salads, corn on the cob and more. It was delicious. Then the vows were done after dark with candles lighting the area, very nice & very Finnigan. Friday was relaxing and we had a fire on the beach. Saturday was nice too, but it started raining in the afternoon. Myself & the other tenters put up our tarps & prepared for the rain but went back to hang out with the others. However, a downpour started so everyone fled to whatever shelter they could find. There was even hail. When it ended we all congregated again but it rained again later so I went into my tent and had a very long nap. Luckily the weather cleared up so we were able to have another fire & smores - yum! I packed up as soon as I could on Sunday morning & headed home. I had a great time but was eager to get back before all the Sunday highway traffic, and to check on Clyde & Hal.
When I got home I found a big pile of crap on the carpet by the door so I was a little upset. Apparently Clyde wouldn't go out for my landlord on Saturday night so of course had an accident later on. It just sucks total a$$ because I really can't go anywhere and I feel awful that Clyde has to go through that every time I'm away. And, now there's the faint odour of poo in my living room. I used my carpet cleaner but I think it will take a few different techniques to get the stain, and smell, out. Anyways, after a couple hours of cleaning up the house I started unpacking my car and then my energy petered out and I just watched movies. There's still crap in my car (the miscellaneous item kind - not the dog poo kind), so I should get that cleaned up soon.
I am VERY glad I took today off as well. I won't even mind going to work tomorrow, much.

Cheap Veggies

Today was the first day off for my mini-vac. I slept in till 8:00, had a lazy morning, and ate potato chips for lunch. Then Little Car got some love at the Toyota dealership, for $177, during which time I drank two Iced Cappuccinos - not the Tim's kind but the real coffee shop kind - and started reading my latest Isabella Allende novel. As usual, I'm already completely sucked in - she's amazing so if you've never read her stuff please get off your butt & head to the Library now! On the way home I stopped at Wong's - a local farmer's market extraordinaire - and bought the box of food . I'm so excited to have food in my house. It's been a very sparse few days with a few too many peanut butter & toast meals. I also need food for camping, my first & probably last camping trip of the summer. It's really amazing how much veggies you can get for a modest amount of money - the whole box cost $27.76. A trip to the grocery store for milk, cheese and a few other necessities can cost that much. Plus the cherries were only a $1.99 a pound, crazy! Don't tell my Mom though - she gets jealous of my closeness to affordable cherries, since they can cost ridiculous amounts at the grocery stores in Winnipeg.
Anyways, I've just worked up my appetite so I'm going to dig into the yummy food.

Back to normal

Things are finally dwindling down at work so I am feeling a bit more relaxed. I even cleaned yesterday, washing my walls, doors, etc. One of the great things about summer is the lack of interesting television shows, it really helps get me off me butt. I still watch plenty of T.V. when I am actually home but summer consists mainly of Shopping Bags, various decorating shows, the occasional movie or episode of Meerkat Manor & Pilot Guide, and investigative shows like Cold Case & Criminal Minds (as long as it's not an episode I have seen already). But, this doesn't last long so when I am actually home all evening I am bound to actually get productive. Don't get me wrong, I am as lazy as I ever was, but unless I have something to keep me occupied while I'm being lazy - like T.V. - I get bored. Today I may tackle the laundry...but we'll see how far I get.
As an aside, I watched Survivor Man yesterday and he went to the swamp! He's crazy but really impressive. He ate a turtle, which made me a little squeamish, and a rattle snake and then attempted to make a raft to float through the gator infested waters to get picked up. Wow!