For Mikie

Apparently I am not blogging enough so here goes.

My foster dog Lucy went to her new home today. I am sad, but I know it's best for both of us. And, of course Hal deserves his house back. He has been staying in the bedroom, and I have been sleeping on the couch so Lucy doesn't whine or bark at night. Despite all the extra work, mess, and time I unfortunately really liked having a dog again and feel a bit heart broken.

Reasons not to have a dog:
1. Dog food is expensive.
2. Dog treats are expensive.
3. Dog toys are expensive.
4. No fence, therefore minimum 3 - 4 walks a day for pooping & peeing. Rain or shine.
5. Hal
6. My home is even messier with a dog.
7. Everything takes more time when a dog is around due to all the petting and tummy rubs.
8. Travelling away from home is a huge hassle and can be expensive for proper dog care.
9. Overnight pet sits are not fair to the dog I am leaving at home.
10. Dog poop in the trash can is smelly.
11. Neighbourhood cats run away from us (though this is not unusual even without a dog).

Reasons to have a dog:
1. They are wonderful, cute, and fuzzy.
2. Companionship.
3. The dog needs a loving home.
4. Exercise.
5. Entertainment and laughter.


Therefore the reasons to keep a dog are outweighed by reasons not to. Right. I just talked myself back to reality. And, yet I still miss her.

On a different note Little Car is having some problems. A couple of weeks ago it started making this crazy noise - kind of like the screeching of a belt going but more rumbly. It did eventually stop though. Then the check engine light went on the other day and it started to run really rough when I backed up. It now runs really rough when I turn it on, like it's going to stall. I added some oil yesterday, though I just had an oil change a month ago. This morning I was passing someone on the highway and the engine temperature light flickered on & off so I turned off and decided to cancel the zoo visit. I called Toyota but they were booked solid till Wednesday. I made an appointment for Thursday morning - the day I leave for the Peg. Unfortunately the temperature light went back on when I was driving up the mountain home. So now I'm afraid Little Car won't make it till Thursday. This is the kind of thing that really makes me miss my Dad - he would take care of this or at least give me a ride whenever I needed one. I have 3 dog visits tomorrow, 3 Monday, 2 Tuesday, 4 Wednesday... so wish me & Little Car luck this week.

Change

I was at the dog rescue place yesterday and ended up taking home a dog for the night. Don't tell my Mom! It was a stray that just came in and there was not much room because new puppies were arriving that day. I thought about it and it seemed like the best thing to do under the situation. She really is a lovely dog, she just does not really like other dogs so she kept barking at the other dogs, and they were barking back. She could not be mixed in with the group so I decided to help out. I thought at worst if the dog went after Hal I could just take her back. However, this is exactly what I did not want to start doing. I believe it's important to help out, but it's just really not practical for me to take in a dog. Money wise, lifestyle wise, and also for Hal's sake. But, it was bound to happen, being involved with a rescue. I am hoping it's just for the week, but we shall see. Hal was perched up on the kitchen cupboards all day today but he just came down and went into the bedroom when the dog was laying down. Tomorrow is the vet appointment and she will be in for the night. My house is not dog proofed anymore but she is not really getting into anything, other than the cat food which is now relocated. I don't know what to call her so I just say 'sweetie'. She is sleeping in the bathroom/doorway area at night so Hal can roam around if he chooses. Other than that, I just don't know.

I don't know

Since I have time on my hands I feel like blogging more, but I am also as always avoiding house cleaning.

I had a disappointing experience building my new storage cabinets and that really set me back. I had gotten it into my head that I need closed storage so that my place can stay clean. So I bought these large cabinets from Rona (Air Miles!) to fit in the little alcove in my room. I built the smaller one first and it was challenging but I did complete it eventually, though it was a bit crooked. The larger one took a lot longer and was completely crooked. The back panel has a big gap at the top corner because no matter what I did I could not get it level. The toe kick piece didn't line up either and got busted when I moved it into place. The problem is I can't even lift it now to fix that piece. The doors are what really upset me though. I could not close them so had to redo them and they are still crooked. I gave up at the 3rd door, so it's been laying on the floor all week. On a positive note, the cabinets are at least serviceable, and once I put up the last door I can at least put away a lot of stuff and get rid of all my mismatched shelving. But, I feel beaten. The cabinets were too much for me!

Communication - The News

I finally told my Mom. I have been working up to it and chickened out a few times. However, I had decided I MUST tell her this week so of course I just didn't call her for a few days. And, then I steeled myself for The BIG News. My final plan was to tell her everything at once, slightly overwhelm her, and then let her work through it in her own time. So when I called I said "I have news..." and then proceeded to say I was laid off, I got a good severance, I will be visiting but I have bookings for Christmas so I will be there at the end of November instead, I am making enough to cover rent, etc.. She took it amazing well, did not hang up on me, or freak out, to my surprise. She is 'worrying' but to my Mom that's like regular exercise so I would expect no less. Overall I think my plan worked well. It is a relief for me and my conscience.

I have been enjoying sleeping in and not working as much. I have even had bursts of energy and tackled some house cleaning. I have to say I love being less employed, but I am hoping to grow my business and once I have time to recover from years of stress and frustration I will hopefully want to work more. Apparently stress levels if they remain high over time take 6 months to go back to normal. Therefore I have until March to become a normal well-adjusted person. Wish me luck!

Rain jackets for fat people

I have to say shopping is often frustrating for me when I am searching for something specific. Things are often very limited for plus sizes so I often rant about how it is discrimination - for example why can't I find a hat that fits well? Because the hat industry discriminates against big headed people. I mean really, why should hats be made for tiny heads? They can always get their hat adjusted, or maybe layer their hats. It's ludicrous. Why do the plus size stores ALWAYS sell horizontal striped shirts? They are essentially forcing fat girls to look even fatter. They should be ashamed of themselves. The past few months though it has been all about finding a waterproof rain jacket. Now to be fair there are a variety of options if you're willing to actually get wet - water-resistant, or water repellent, or just regular coats are available aplenty. But, why on earth can't they make a 100% waterproof jacket for fat girls? Why should only skinny people get to stay dry? It's like they are trying to keep fat people inside so they can't be seen. I could get a man's jacket but I don't want to look like a man, I deserve a proper waterproof jacket made for a woman DAMN IT! I went to one store to try on their extra large and I could not even do it up. An extra large in Van is like a medium really (or so I told myself). Lame ass. I went to another outdoor store and they had jackets everywhere but only a handful of small sized waterproof jackets. What's up with that? I finally ordered on line from Land's End. They had large sizes, it was waterproof, had a hood, and was cheaper than the jacket I could not do up even with the duty. I just got it today and it's actually big, I suppose it's because it's sized properly. But, it allows me to wear a fleece or other layers when it gets colder here. There are 6 pockets, perfect for poop bags, cell phone, keys, etc. It's beautiful. I am so happy. I will order from them again for sure. They do have longer waterproof coats but they are made for cold weather and I am not sure if that will work for me here. However, some of their other clothes are really nice.

On another positive shopping note I finally found cords. I had wandered into the tall section (not plus sizes) at Reitmans and noticed they had cords so I tried them on and they fit perfectly though need to be hemmed. Sometimes stuff just works out eventually. And I am going to look awesome and stay dry in my jacket and cords even though I am fat. So take that!

Mountain climbing

Ok, so I did not go mountain climbing exactly - no shirpas, ropes, boots, or other gear - BUT I did walk up Sumas Mountain yesterday via the sidewalk in my Keen sandals. This was involuntary and was not for fitness purposes like all the other people who do it daily. I locked my keys in my car when I got to Georgia's for her dinner visit. This is now the 3rd time that I locked my keys in my car in the past couple of months. Time # 1 was in my driveway so I was able to get back into my house to get my spare right away. Time # 2 was at the office but my friend was just leaving and offered to drive me home to get my spare and then drove me back. This time I also left my purse in my car. I did have my phone, but no money. Luckily I had the key to Georgia's home in my pocket and was able to walk her and feed her. Then I walked home which took about an hour. I had dinner, then walked back with my spare key in my pocket. The walk back took a bit longer for some reason so I got back there at 10 pm, walked Georgia, etc., then I drove home. Surprisingly, despite my poor attitude about it, it was not that bad. My legs were a bit wobbly by the end, and my feet were a bit sore, but I was not overly winded going up the mountain and I was still able to walk Georgia at a decent pace after all that without falling over. I was fine this morning, though very conscious of keeping my keys in my hand when I got out of the car. Another walk up the mountain and back first thing in the morning may have done me in. The locking my keys in the car phenomenon must end, but I am not sure if I can do it. A client had mentioned they always lock their car from the outside with their key so that they never lock them in their car. This seems genius to me, however my habit is to always lock the lock as I exit. A 20+ year old habit is hard to break. My other alternatives are to put the spare key somewhere on the vehicle with one of those magnetic things or to invest in CAA finally. Technically I am suppose to have some sort of service through this Road Star thing but last time I tried to call the number didn't work so I am not sure if it's in effect anymore. I could write it off as a business expense I suppose. Ideally I will just never do it again. Hopefully.

On a more news worthy note I was laid off from the office job. Technically I have to sign off on the severance package which involves confidentiality stuff. However, I think I am safe since I don't think I ever named my employer so defaming them is not possible since no one necessarily knows who I am defaming. Right? Just in case...WOW they are so super awesome I would recommend them to anyone on the planet. I am being laid off only because I suck, I mean 'my position is eliminated', and not because they are dicks at all. Yay company, etc.. Despite the fact that I had wanted to quit (for 2 years), and I was unhappy and so on I still got a little choked up and started to cry when the HR lady and manager met with me. I couldn't help myself. When I saw the HR lady come in I thought 'This is it!' so I packed up my stuff, and was all ready to go. An hour or so later I was called in and I still got upset. I am an emotional wreck when it comes to that place. That's all there is to it. It's not rational, but hopefully I can get over it some day. The severance should help a bit. It will at least facilitate getting a new rain coat, shoes, and visiting my Mom. A for real 'yay' now.

Soda crackers

I bought a few mail sorting/storage things and organized my business papers, a little. I didn't really do any bookkeeping updates, but at least everything has a spot and is sorted out, ready to go. It made me feel accomplished. Maybe I will actually get some work done now. Or maybe not... But, at least my office corner is much better looking and I know where my todo list actually is, should I choose to look at it. Yay me.

Everything else is basically the same but I did have another super funny sex spam e-mail to share. I wonder if these people are just really very stupid or if it's a translation issue - enjoy!


Howdy, dirty sweetheart. Do you have any wish to leisure?

I feel so sick and tire of everything today.
I am fed up with stupid chores and desire to do something stunning and flamboyant on the web.
You resemble my hottest love that is why I wish to arrange a virtual date with you.
See my account and you will like me, I am certain!
I have heaps of brend new kinky photos there
counting my incredible birthday party on a nudist beach.
Feel free to comment on them and call me. I am online!

Oh, yeah, I was eating soda crackers and salad while writing this post.

Feeling communicative

I have been having the urge to post so here I am.

I wanted to mention two things today that came with my Canadian Living magazine:
1 - There was a picture of red velvet cupcakes baked in ice cream cones in the Robin Hood recipe/coupon booklet. This is pure genius. I wanted to eat them instantly, but I will need to go grocery shopping first.
2 - Another 'no!no!' ad with the heading 'Go weeks without shaving!'. I also go weeks (or months) without shaving, and I do so by not bothering to shave. It's free, and does not require any sort of payment in installments. Just another option if you're broke like me and don't mind being a bit furry.

When is Fall getting here exactly? I am actually tired of the summer heat. I do enjoy not wearing socks, mostly, but I sweat like a pig every afternoon during my dog walks. It's worse on newspaper delivery days. I can't wait for cool weather. The problem with that is that may bring rain which will make delivering the papers significantly more awkward. The good part of the paper delivery thing is that I am getting into better shape since I have the hilliest route in town, or so it seems. Hot weather is great if you're on holidays and can spend days at the lake swimming. Otherwise, it can really be annoying. I tolerated it in Africa, but somehow I can't seem to cope with it here anymore.

I officially have a pet booking for Christmas holidays (+ 1 tentative) so I will for sure have to eventually tell my Mother. I am hoping the fact that I will be making money will appease her slightly. I am not sure exactly how I am going to swing a fall trip home, it will be a financial disaster but that's what the credit card is for I guess. Hopefully I will get a bit more busy business wise and make up for it.

I almost got laid off at the office, I say almost because all of the part-time people were let go due to cut backs. The dumb part is that they let experienced employees go who really liked working there and kept inexperienced seasonal staff instead. It's also less money to pay p.t. people, since they don't qualify for benefits and are obviously working less. But, maybe the big wigs know something I don't and it's really a smart idea. More likely though it's just another evil corporate scheme with little regard for human beings. Anyways, only me & another p.t. girl are still un-laid off and we don't know why. It would have been such a blessing, since I could legitimately claim unemployment insurance and my Mom could be nothing but sympathetic. What I don't know is if they will lay us off this week, next week, the week after, or maybe never. I am hoping this week or next, but it seems likely that I will be screwed over once more and be forced to quit.

On a positive note, I thought my suite was flooding due to this crazy weird leak on the hallway. It was just a wet spot in the middle of the carpet but there were no obvious leaks on the ceiling or wall. I was afraid something was leaking through the concrete, maybe a burst pipe or something, but it turns out it was a leak from the washing machine that was fixed a couple of weeks ago. For whatever reason it was just not showing up along the wall so the source wasn't obvious at first. All is well, everything is dry, and I can still do laundry. So yay!

Sexy emails?

So it's been a while - busy with office work, pet work, Olympics, general laziness, and so on. Same old same old stress and procrastination.

I have been meaning to post for a while now and since I am officially on a mini-holiday I finally seem to have a moment to do so. And, low and behold here is a funny e-mail from this morning to share for your entertainment. I keep getting these e-mails with links to photos or whatever and continue to block the senders along with all the Viagara and watch e-mails. There is always more though and this one is kind of a good summary of what it's all about. What is a 'triost'? I am pretty sure that's wrong, but maybe it's some french slang for 'hot sex'?

Email copy without the links:

Hi, women's man! When my campus friend started dating with a new boyfriend
I was certain he was a stallion the second I saw him.
Yesterday I saw I was right after we had an awesome l'amour de triost!
The guy is a real addict of carnal pleasures!
I uploaded several crazy pics, so...

I am sooooooooooooooo NOT in. F$&@ off!!!

I have to return stuff to the Library asap so I thought I would make note of what I read now because they were awesome. Read if you have a chance!

Everything was good-bye, Gurjinder Basran

The tenderness of wolves, Stef Penney

Crazy hoarder in the making

It's that time of year again and things are out of control. I had so desperately hoped to be office-free, but couldn't pull it off. The business is going well, but due to limited funds and time I have not been able to advertise and promote the business as much as I had hoped to originally. I have some very good customers, but need more inquiries and future bookings coming in. If I can have more jobs scheduled I could more comfortably call it quits at the office. It would be crazy to quit outright, though I have been fantasizing...a fist shake, then "Screw you", and walk out slamming the door never to return. But, that won't happen, and the worst case is that I will hang onto it through the fall. That's one of my worst fears, other than homelessness. In lieu of quitting I have indulged in cheezies, chocolate bars, fast food. My two coffee limit is out the window.

The crazy hoarder is in reference to the result of this crazy time at home. I would be horrified to have someone stop by! I did however make a To Do list - which is extensive. So far I have not checked off anything...

The positive stuff is that I am officially debt free so I will try to bank some savings. My urge is to go shopping, but I will be smart. Maybe just a haircut as the 80s frizz is frustrating me.

Other than that it's all about Soccer and So You Think You Can Dance right now. And, of course I have started watching the new Dallas. How could I not? How about a Fantasy Island remake?

How much I love long weekends

Yesterday was my first complete, 100% day off from everything in months. It was AWESOME. I stayed in pjs, I cleaned my house (no longer hoarder-esque), I played video games, watched T.V., did laundry, made dinner...I feel so productive but yet relaxed. And, it's really nice to have a tidier, cleanish home. I also got 7 more stamps for the Tourism Challenge on Sunday, after an off-leash workshop I attended. The lame thing about Sunday though was being outside in pouring rain. I love my umbrella but it can only do so much and I was soaked. It was worth it though because now I still have a full week to just get 2 more stamps to qualify for the free pass again which is easy to do. There were also some amazing displays at the Vancouver Art Gallery and Bill Reid Gallery. At VAG, on the 2nd floor, is a show on hip-hop and First Nations culture. It was really interesting, lots of music stations and video installations. I hope I can get back there to see it again in more depth before it's over. The Bill Reid Gallery had a portrait display of Haida elders. It was really quite moving. There is less than 40(?) elders left that are fluent in their language, which is really sad. However, many of them are teaching the younger people so hopefully they won't be the last.

I do have to go back to office work today though, but I feel like I can almost handle it. Off tomorrow, but it will be a full dog-day so still busy. I guess I should leave soon...But, not much motivation to work with. Oh well.

Tired and more rain

I am pooped. I have been working a lot which is great but I am in desperate need of a full pajama day. I did make enough money to pay off 90% of one my credit cards which is a bit of a relief. But, it's a struggle to get ahead financially. My plan, after I pay off all of my debt, is to:
#1 Get a haircut!
#2 Buy a fully 100% water proof rain coat.
#3 Get a chewable umbrella for dog-walking (My nice umbrella has Yardin's teeth marks on it...)
#4 Buy Advil.
#5 Get some extra hiking socks.
#6 Buy a new pair of summer shorts.
I really can't wait but I must. If there are no major disasters I may be debt free by the end of next month. The problem is not having any sort of back-up. Little Car's maintenance was over $700 again for the breaks and other minor stuff. And then another $500+ for the wheel bearing. LC does sound good as new, but if anything else goes I am totally f$%@!). The old New Yorker was a total money pit so I am worried that could happen since Little Car is now almost 10 years old. The good thing is that it's not a Chrysler, the bad thing is I still can't afford it.

Anyways, on another note, my business has gone to the dogs. Literally. I am happy to say I have 2 cat customers next week which I am looking forward to. And, then when I come home to Hal I am so thankful I don't have a dog to worry about. I have to admit I have had moments of just being sick of dogs, which really shocked me, and I have hoped that I would get an easy animal like a gecko or something. When I am with the dogs I really enjoy them, unless they are bad which does happen occasionally. But, it's really exhausting and I am really impressed with the dog owners who walk their dogs rain or shine. The main problem is the lack of a proper rain coat and a worsening ankle problem - neither of which is really dog-related. Anyways, it's pouring again today and I have a full dog day once again so I just need to suck it up.

Oh, and I also have not done my taxes yet. Please don't tell my Mom. I am hoping that maybe today - when the dogs are napping but I won't be able to finish till maybe tomorrow. It's really down to the crunch this year. I believe though, as long as I don't owe money, there is some leeway - but if I'm wrong don't tell me. I don't want to know for sure - I am happy to be in the dark about this. I will try to complete it in time.

Busy busy and addictions

I have been feeling a bit guilty about not posting anything and the time keeps flying by so here I am. The new business, regular work, volunteering, etc. is really keeping me busy. On top of that I am a serious procrastinator as you must all know, so I don't make the best use of my down time either. Bloons Tower Defense and the Fluff Rescue app I downloaded a couple of weeks ago are huge time sucks that I can't seem to resist. Needless to say the kitchen is all Hoardersesque. There is a carpet of Hal hair on top of the carpet. I have 3 laundry baskets full of clean but scrunched clothing and towels. The dirty laundry is spread throughout the house, mostly on the floor.

The upside is that I won some really hard challenges in Bloons and my Rescue is doing really well. Oh, yeah, in real life? I am making enough money to survive AND my preferred dishwasher detergent was on sale at Superstore when I went shopping yesterday. I am having a visitor Easter weekend so I do need to get it together sooner than later. Today is almost done so one more day passes. Maybe tomorrow!

Now I need to post more on my Africa trip - before I forget it all completely - but I don't know when I will finally tackle that. Hopefully soon. My next priority is dealing with income tax...ugh.

Crazy dream

I remember my crazy dream so thought it was about time I posted again. My dream was about me having to be in a belly dancing performance. I did not feel prepared enough but since it would be a group dance I thought I could still pull it off. My Mom was there for some reason and there appeared to be other shows going on in the same place. Then I saw my teacher and she said I would need to make sure I got dressed up and had a show name picked and I panicked. I spent the next half hour (or whatever in dream time) looking for a copy of the program to see if I was performing by myself or not but I could not get a copy. I couldn't find my car to get my belly dancing gear. I yelled at my Mom to stay put because I needed to try to find these things. I finally found a program but it ended up being for another show. And, then I could not remember the routine...I finally woke up as my panic increased. Thank goodness really, because I would have hated to have to perform! Since I haven't been back to bellydancing yet I think it is just a result of me being a bit tense with work, but I guess the dancing was on my mind too.

Things have been pretty busy and I went through an intense procrastination period which I blame partly on work stress. Non-pet related work that is. However, I did manage to make some good progress this week and got a bit more organized at home and finish some outstanding projects which made me feel better about life in general. At least it's almost the weekend.

Update

Things are ok at work. My mother continues to ask about it...So, yeah. I am just trying not to loose my temper with her. So far so good, but it has been a bit touch and go.

We also had my first snowfall of the winter overnight. It was perfect, because everything is covered but the roads were driveable and I did not get stuck in my driveway. I believe there is more to come though. At least there are now grocery stores and other services in walking distance if there is a huge dump. Last time there was a huge snowfall I was shut up for a almost a week, though I could have walked the 40ish minutes to Tim Hortons if needed.

Today is my last day of freedom

I am back to work tomorrow, which makes my mother VERY happy. She has asked when I go back almost every single phone call for the past month. Our last argument was regarding the definition of 'happy' because she asked me "Aren't you happy to go back to work?" and my reply was "no". Yes, I am "RELIEVED" I have a job, I "NEED" to go back to work, I "WILL" go back to work, I will even "SHOW UP" for work relatively on time and "DO" my job to the best of my ability. But, no, it is impossible to be 'happy' to go back to my job. My mother has a very different perspective on job satisfaction than I do - meaning she believes you don't need to be even remotely satisfied with your job, valued, well-paid, treated well, etc., you just need a job and then you have money to live. On a very basic level I can appreciate this but in that case do not under any circumstances use the word 'happy' in association with me and my job. That's just frickin' illogical. So, things tend to get heated when the topic is mentioned. Anyways, this past weekend she said she would stop asking because I get angry. "Duh" was what I thought, but I refrained from commenting either way to avoid more fighting.

Anyways, I have to say taking 3 months off was one of the best decisions of my life and I highly recommend it to everyone if you can swing it at some point. I will be officially 'in debt' in February, not significantly but it will take a month or two to catch up. But, I managed to pay rent and all my bills up to the present, travel to Winnipeg, then Africa and spend 4 amazing weeks there. I also went on a balloon ride, 2 short boat tours, and zip-lining (and a side note: I saw a brief news report of someone falling into the gorge from the same place I went zip-lining but from the look of it I think they were not on the same line I was, though I have not looked into it - DO NOT tell my mother!). I also managed to still buy and mail all of my Christmas gifts, buy my new laptop, cell phone, and Bogs, pay for initial advertising, business cards, 1/2 of the lawyer's fee, and eat. Though a personal 'shout-out' to all my friends who have fed me and given me left-overs since I've been back. It's much appreciated.

I was not as productive this last week as I had hoped to a bad cold, but I feel better today and managed to get some stuff taken care of before the big day. I am celebrating my last dinner of freedom with home-made hummus because I had very little other options in the cupboard, but it did turn out delicious so it's quite enjoyable. I am officially running out of food though so I must venture out to get groceries with my last remaining cash.  I have planned out what I'm purchasing and plan to make 2 of my casseroles to make it easy for lunch at work - the chicken & broccoli casserole, and cabbage casserole (not light options but nutritious!), and then my pasta dish and other necessities (which includes olives and soda crackers).

On the business front, it has been a very slow start, but I think it will still work out and just requires patience. I have one official customer and have walked their dog twice now. It was just an awesome feeling, and I know it's the right job for me. The hard part is lack of funds for advertising, but I will be contacting local pet-related businesses next (now that I am almost over my coughing stage) and put up some posters and get my business cards out there which is all free. The online advertising is still going on, but I may have to stop some of the campaigns at the end of the month until I can get a bit more money in the bank. I think Twitter and Facebook have been the most impactive and hope to build more awareness through my followers. Wish me luck!