Instant Blogging for my mind (and Cousin Mikie)

Wow, it has been a very long time since I actually posted. I think about posting way more than I actually do. This blogging thing would be significantly easier if I could simply will a post with my mind when funny/entertaining stuff actually happens. When that's possible I will also probably be able to teleport to each client's home and will subsequently have tonnes of extra time each day to blog or clean or perhaps even do social things with friends. Or maybe I will also be able to will my house to be clean by my awesome robots. The future looks bright. I may just die before it actually happens since I am literally middle aged.

Anyways, Cousin Mikie commented about my lack of posts so I have been wanting to post something so if he ever bothers to check again he will see that I do care. But, what is post worthy? Hmmm.

Well, I finally found what I think and hope and sort-of-pray-if-I-believed-in-that-kind-of-thing the perfect dog walking bag. It is called the Runnur http://handsfreecarryall.com/. I tend to obsess over things just in case you don't know that already and this year I have being searching for a dog walking bag with little success. I have been using a re-gifted free sporty satchel type purse which has served me well, especially since I didn't have to pay for it. BUT I have been thinking about what would work better and imagining the perfect bag to address some issues that I have. My main problem is that when I have to bend over to pick up poop or pet a dog the bag will swing around and can end up hitting the dog which freaks them out, or dragging in the poop which grosses me out. I also needed a bit more space for busy days with a bunch of keys, extra poop bags, etc. I thought the sling pack bag may be the answer to all my problems but I couldn't find one that was compact enough. I don't need to carry stuff like text books and tablets and crap around all day, I just need a few key items. But, every sling pack I looked at were essentially back pack size, just without the extra strap. Last month I found a slightly smaller one at Target and thought it might work. But, it has proven to be problematic. It's well made with lots of great pockets but the 2 main pockets don't have any way to close and when it swings around stuff shoots out - I almost lost my favourite pen for example. There is one main Velcro strip to close the purse but it's not tight enough to prevent stuff falling out. It also still swings around like crazy and because it is bigger than the last purse it is more difficult to stop mid-swing. So, I started my googling once again for the perfect bag and suddenly came across the Runner. I ordered it last week and hope to have it by January. It's basically a really smart, thin, fanny pack that you wear cross-body. I am VERY VERY VERY excited. Admittedly I will also be VERY VERY VERY disappointed if it doesn't work out but I am hopeful.

I am trying to complete the Christmas quest on Sims Freeplay as well as get enough life orbs to build a dog park and amusement park. The Christmas quest is going OK, but usually what happens is that I get to 80 or 90 % and then the quest is over and I fail and miss out on the cool prizes. At the Thanksgiving quest I even finished the quest in time but the game told me I didn't because even it knows I always fail the quests. It was a bit creepy and made me furious. The life orb thing is what keeps me playing obsessively because I want all my Sims to die now and leave their life orb behind. It sounds awful but it's the circle of life or whatever, and plus they are not real. Man do I ever want to build that dog park.

Well, all that's left is kind of gross so read at your own risk. Since I am officially on the down-turn I believe I am suffering from 'perimenopause' symptoms because my period has been getting wonkier and wonkier all year. My last one lasted over 2 1/2 weeks and the last week was insanely heavy. I had one day where I was so freaked out and felt so tired that I finally made a doctor's appointment. The period started to end but the doctor put me on some progesterone pills to try to regulate it again and I need to go for a blood test and ultra sound after the holidays. The period did technically end but I keep having spotting. It really sucks but I don't feel awful so that's good I guess.

Merry Christmas and so on!

Movie list off my chest

For many many many many years I have thought of my 'top 5' or 'top 10' favourite movies. This has changed depending on my age, circle of friends, what just came out, as well as if I am trying to impress someone with how cool I wish I was. Lately though I have been thinking it through more and have been trying to really narrow it down seriously. Recently I was catching up on a podcast I listen to called 'Stuff You Should Know' and one of the hosts was compiling his top 100 favourite movies so each episode had an advertisement mentioning it which really got me obsessing over it. So, in order to get it out of my brain, off my chest, etc. I have put together a list and am posting it in the hopes that I stop thinking about it completely.

The main criteria for me includes how many times I have watched the movie (meaning I don't get tired of it), if it stands up over time (meaning I have watched it somewhat recently and still loved it), and how impactful it was on me personally shaping this misshapen person I now am.

Top 5:
Wizard of Oz
Sixteen Candles
Breakfast Club
The Sound of Music
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Top 10:
Footloose (original)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
The Terminator
The Empire Strikes Back
Moonstruck

Remaining Top 20:
Dirty Dancing
Star Wars
A Room with a View
Robin Hood (Animated version)
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Return of the Jedi
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Or The Fellowship of the Ring  if I have to pick)
To Kill a Mockingbird
Anne of Green Gables
Up

Honourable mentions:
A Christmas Story
Dark Crystal
Labyrinth
Kill Bill
Empire of the Sun
Once Around
The Avengers
Jaws
Gran Torino
Willow
The Blues Brothers
West Side Story
Chocolat

I also have to mention mini-series because they are half way between a movie and a T.V. show and put them in a kind of limbo in my mind. Here are my favourite mini-series for the record:

Pride and Prejudice
Band of Brothers

There are also a lot of great movies that I thought were amazing but for various reason I have not watched again (or for a very long time) so those did not go on my list. Some of these include:

The Mission
Trainspotting
El Orfanato
Like Water for Chocolate
Splendor in the Grass
Cabin in the Woods
The Monster Squad ('87)
Seven ('Se7en)
Kung Fu Hustle

If you have not seen these movies I highly recommend watching them!  I realize some of them don't really make sense together but I am a bit of an oddball so it works for me.

A Productive Week, for me anyways

I almost had a weekend off but fell a bit short to 'most of Sunday'. It actually worked out well thought since the only walk I had was at 7:30ish a.m. so I went in my p.j.'s and did not change the rest of the day. I got some of my dishes and laundry done and watched a lot of X-files episodes. Since then I have had a semi-productive week which for me is a huge deal. My schedule is back to normal (no extra vacation stuff) so it has been an easy week which has allowed me to catch up on my todo list. Of course it is a GIANT list, which I now organize into categories so it's not as overwhelming like "ASAP", "Before such and such", "Kitchen", "Living Room", "Yikes". One tactic I now use is to deal with easy things, so that I can feel better about myself, in the hopes that I can carry that positive energy on to the "Yikes" category eventually. I also prioritize, so if for example I am out of knives or spoons (usually both) then dishes is the #1 priority, if I run out of underwear or towels (or both) then laundry is #1, if a bill or payment is due than that is my # 1 priority, and so on. I have to say that the kitchen is a continual problem for me BUT I am proud that I have been maintaining my laundry quite well (by this I mean my socks get matched and folded and things actually get put in drawers and the closet regularly).

My other easy todos have included booking a much overdue oil change (including switching back to all-seasons), returning some shoes I bought online that did not fit, uploading videos to my business youtube channel, using a gift card up, ordering the last couple seasons of Supernatural online (I am almost done X Files so need something else a.s.a.p.), buying paper (I go through a lot for my business), and a few business related things that at least help prepare me to tackle a couple of the 'Yikes' todos (like download the business Turbo Tax...but don't tell my mom and I don't want to talk about that - per usual). It makes me feel really productive and so as long as nothing weird or dramatic happens I am hoping to continue on this course of semi-productiveness before my schedule goes nutty again at the end of the month. I realize that the average person can take care of these things all in a Saturday afternoon but I no longer place those unrealistic expectations on myself. I keep reading crap about 'loving yourself' or whatever positive people go on about so lets just call this my way of doing so.

Of course there are so many things I should do, must do, and have to do NOW, but if I let myself get too worked up about it I completely shut down and am insanely unproductive. It is a fine balance to keep my sanity. Part of me of course blames my parents, just as I use to blame my last job, but the reality is I am a very low-energy person, perhaps 'lazy' could be applied. I think I do work hard, but when I am not working I like to 'relax' for an unspecified amount of time. Part of the problem with my new work life is that sometimes my schedule is really full so I legitimately do not have more than an hour or two a day to get anything home-wise done and therefore that time is used for the 'relax' portion of my day. My mom is the complete opposite of me, which is why I think I am the complete opposite of her, and will get all her chores done and then relax, so her relax time usually ends up with her sleeping because it's close to bedtime. She also gets mad at me if I read a book or play a video game on my phone when I visit her - because I am not paying attention to her. This always irks me because I could be out 'gallavanting' as she puts it, doing crack, drag racing, having promiscuous unprotected sex, but no I am hanging out with her, reading, and that gets on her nerves. But, I digress, this is not meant to be a mom-bashing session.

Another almost done todo is getting to Lee Valley tools. I came across their catalogue and found a few items that I think I really need, not just want, so when I checked into it I found a store not too far away. I called today to confirm if they have the items I need and they do. This includes replacing my broken 'carabiner' watch (I call it 'clippy' watch) for my dog-walking purse, a handcrank flashlight (so I don't have to worry about batteries, and my last functioning flashlight has died), a boot scraper (a traditional boot scraper is surprisingly hard to find and I step in poop often so feel it's a must have) and a few other items. I am also looking into a crab-apple picker for my Mom. I double checked with her and she is not against it if it really works, so I will take a look when I'm there and see if I can get some more feedback on it. I also want a solar radio they have that you can also use to charge your phone BUT that is definitely a 'want' so will likely wait for a while.

I feel like I have gone on and on about boring stuff only I care about, though I suppose that's my whole blog really so whatever. If anyone wants to get me a gift the solar radio is $41.00 plus taxes and shipping...

A series of unfortunate and silly events

I am currently house sitting so I am typing this out on my phone. I apologize in advance for the spellcheck because it may get weird. 

I have had a few crazy weeks and some ridiculous incidents have happened that I thought were funny enough to make note of for posterity, or whatever. One of the silliest was that I burnt the tip of my nose in my boiling hot tea cup. It was not a serious burn BUT I was convinced at the time that I am the only person on the planet who would do that. The cup was too full to pick up so my intention was to take a small sip to remove some of the liquid but I guess I was at a weird angle and I stuck my nose in it instead. Ouch. And dumbass. 

I went to deposit a couple of cheques the other day and realized I was missing my bank card and credit cards. The last time I could remember using them was about a week ago so I panicked. Some thief could be racking up charges and I am screwed. My only hope was that they fell somewhere in the car. Now my car unfortunately looked similar to my hoarder kitchen so searching it was no easy task. I cleaned up a week's plus worth of fast food packaging, tupperwear, granola bar wrappers and so on at my favourite car cleaning spot and felt ashamed but hopeful. The cards had fallen between the seats. Thank goodness.

I lost a cat and dogs this week. All came back eventually but it was a first, professionally at least. Sissy, Clyde, and Hal all ran away from home at various times. Sissy was missing for maybe a week during winter once only to be found finally under the neighbour's stairs. Clyde tried to run away as soon as I got him and was a wanderer at heart. I think the worst time was maybe 5 hours. Hal was gone for 5 days and has not been let out since. But back to my work. I am house sitting and I leave the kitchen door open for the dogs to go in and out of when I get in. The cat must have sneaked out at some point and after not seeing him all day I began to worry that he was not just napping somewhere inside. The next evening I saw him on the shed roof. Luckily he was interested in my attentions and eventually climbed down so I could get him back in. Phew! The dogs then got out of the gate that  evening. It got quiet and I thought 'wow it is so quiet, how nice'. After several minutes I thought 'wow it has been quiet for a while, I wonder what the dogs are doing' . When I finally investigated they were not in the yard at all and I found the gate opened. So I wandered down the road yelling their names and after a few minutes they came running back, tongues hanging out. It was maybe 10-15 minutes but I was a little stressed out. I used a bungee cord from my car to secure the gate so hopefully I won't have to deal with that again!

Another client called me in an emergency because on of their dogs ran off on a hike and they needed me to get to their place to deal with the other dogs and bring a crate and and water dish to the park for them. But I didn't have the key to get through the gate so I thought I could scale the fence. All the dogs were barking and I was trying to scale the fence with no success. Then I saw a pile of boards on one side in the neighbour's yard so I walked around through  all their junk and blackberries and climbed up that but couldn't figure out how to get over the barbed wire at the top without tearing my pants or falling over and breaking my neck. Just as I was about to try to swing my leg over I got a call that they found the missing dog and were on the way home. Phew! I am not exactly agile. I felt like a really lame and slow version of The Office parkor scene. 

My new rain shoes are tearing. This is heartbreaking but I should expect this based on my recent track record. Shoe manufacturers  seem to make shoes to look at instead of making shoes that you can actually walk in. Granted I walk way more than the average person but why should I be discriminated against. It's the same thing as the hat industry inky making hats for people with tiny australopithecine

 heads. Jerks.

There are more mundane occurrences but I am tired of typing with 2 fingers so I will spare you.

Curling, hockey, ski cross and my couch

I am exhausted. It is tough work watching all the Olympic coverage I possibly can. Luckily it is the last few days so there is not much left for me to do. This is a very typical cycle for me. I get super excited about the Olympics and then for the first week I skimp on sleep and other activities to maximize my t.v. watching time. Then as the second week continues I start to give up, sleep more, and just watch more of the prime time highlights. Then when it`s over I feel an immense sense of loss and restlessness because I am not sure what to do with all of my `free time`. I also get frustrated by how lame regular television is after all the excitement. The same goes for the world cup. The problem with that event is that I have to commit a whole month of my life. I usually give up by the quarter finals, especially if I am not pleased with the teams that are getting to the final, which is usually the case. Poo on Christiano Ronaldo, that`s all I will say. It is really unfair of the sports world to schedule the winter Olympics and world cup in the same year. Can`t they spread this stuff out better? Anyways, after the women`s curling team won gold my mom called me. After the women`s hockey team won gold I called my mom. After the men`s curling team won gold my mom called me. I never thought we would be such sports nuts. Let`s hope I make a special call about the next hockey game, but I don`t want to jinx anything so that`s all I will say. I did get a bit emotional when Patrick Chan and Tessa & Scott skated. I can`t help it. And I really enjoyed ski cross and the new slope style events, but I have to say that I think the athletes are totally crazy for doing those sports. I am pretty sure I would break into pieces if I even attempted them. Go Canada Go!

On a more personal note, I almost killed one of my plants. I tried to transplant it but only a few little sprouts are currently surviving. I made such a huge mess doing it too. It seemed like a good idea at the time but in retrospect I should have just let it be and die naturally. Maybe it will pull through but I am skeptical. Remind me to not do that again if I start thinking about it.

I forgot the funny stuff I wanted to post. Typical. Ummm, yeah I can`t think of anything else. Maybe I will remember later, though it is doubtful!

Grandbabies

I realized I forgot a very monumental development in my last post - my grandbabies! They are just 2 months old as of Friday and the loves of my life. For those of you who don't know me well you may assume I would be talking about homo sapiens but for those that do know me well you should realize I am speaking about a more furry variety. And, yes, you are correct I am referring to my dear dog friend Hannah's puppy litter of 7. They are the most beautiful, adorable, sweet, amazing, wild, vicious, chewy, klutzy, fast-growing, sharp-teethed grand babies in the whole world. There are 2 girls and 5 boys: Ripley (the eldest), Holden, Cooper, Parker, Badger (the sharpest teeth, though that wasn't why he got that name), Claire, and Francine.

I was pet-sitting when Hannah gave birth so had to play 'midwife' during the event. It was terrifying and amazing and it is why I feel I have the right to call them my 'grandbabies'. Ripley came out paw first so I freaked out a bit but luckily had a helper that was able to google info and keep me calm. Hannah had a really hard time pushing Ripley out but eventually he plopped out and was just fine. I got a little teary of course. There was one more that came out foot first, but the rest were the proper way (coming out with the sac intact). Hannah did all the hard work of course, eating the sac and chewing off the umbilical cord, so all I really did was sit by her with a worried expression and try to keep her as calm and comfortable as possible. It was a long stressful experience for all of us, but the puppies were all good and have been growing like weeds. I can't believe how big they have gotten already. And they all have very unique personalities already. They all love running and playing and eating and attention. But, a few of them are much bolder and more confident, particularly Francine. Badger was named badger because when he came out he had a dark stripe on his butt that reminded me of a badger, but now the stripe is gone and he is honouring his name by being a big biter. Cooper is the biggest and he watches his surroundings and seems to think about things before he acts. Claire is the smallest and very sweet, she is the biggest cuddle monkey. Parker can be very sweet too but he also gets a bit bratty and will play rough, though that really applies to them all on some level. Ripley tends to go off on his own the most, exploring and is one of the more bold ones. Holden can be cuddly but will scream bloody murder if he does not want to be picked up and taken somewhere (Badger does that too). I have bites on my nose, cheeks, neck, and especially my hands. They also love chewing my hair. If you have to be mauled by anything I think puppies are a good option.

That's about it really. They continue to grow and it makes me sad but is also exciting to see. I hope they all find good homes so I can avoid the temptation to adopt one myself. It is sometimes very very hard to work with dogs and not have one (or 7) of my own!

Game of Thrones and chia seeds

I have been meaning to post for a long time now and have finally gotten to a point where I have the time and subject matter I wish to go on and on about. So here goes...

First the chia seeds.

I eat very poorly when I am busy and have been looking for a better way to keep up my energy throughout the day without giving in to fast food and chocolate. Juice makes me have to pee so that didn't work well because on a long dog walk the only place to pee is in my pants. Fruit snacks and granola bars are fine but don't fill me up. A good friend mentioned the Holy Crap brand of cereal as an option. But, instead of getting the cereal which is a little pricey she gets just the main ingredients in bulk. So you add just a couple spoon fulls split in equal amounts of a  1/3 each of chia seeds, buckwheat, and hemp seeds. You don't need much, and just add some milk or add it to yogurt. The chia seeds need to soak for a bit before you chow down though. I have been adding it to oatmeal which is working really well as my 'second breakfast'. I am finding that I am still hungry at lunch time but if I eat something I am good till dinner so it is helping me to keep going and avoid temptation. The only time it doesn't work is when I am menstruating. Nothing but chocolate and burgers work then so I don't blame the chia seeds at all.

Now for Game of Thrones.

I just finished watching Season 3 this morning and WOW! As some of you may know I hate spoilers but man do I want to break that personal rule. However, I won't. I will say though that it is bat sh$% crazy and the most awesome show ever. The closest I can think of is maybe True Blood. I couldn't stop watching it. And, WOW! And, I didn't see that coming! And, crazy!!! And, OH MY GOD! And, AAAAAHHHHHH! And, hands in front of face. And, that's all I will say. Except that I hope the dragons kick butt, or at least set it on fire, when they finally get to Westeros. Or at least certain butts, other butts I would like to survive. But, that is all I will say. I can't wait for Season 4!

Work stuff.

Well, the Fall and holidays were crazy busy which is a good thing overall. I got a bit lucky and had mostly cats to take care of over Christmas which makes things easier (Dogs are a lot more work). It got a little crazy though because some regular clients were only off work certain days so I had a few dog walks throughout. Some clients just needed me a few days, and others a few weeks, some came home early, and so on. I had to write it all out so I could make sure I didn't forget anybody. My greatest fear work wise  is forgetting to go (personally it is drowning and sharks), as well as dealing with a medical emergency. Overall though the year was pretty successful. I exceeded my initial projections a little bit and that is a really positive thing. Hopefully this year will be as good or even better.

Personal stuff.

Don't tell my mom but I actually need underwear and socks, among other things. When I mention I need something she always goes a little above and beyond. I am totally broke right now though thanks to Christmas stuff and a plethora of bills all due in January. Until things recoup over the next few weeks, hopefully, I am making due. I have thrown out several pairs of socks that have worn through the heal and a few toe holes. My ankle is really hurting as well. I often have to wake up in the middle of the night to reapply Absorbine Jr. I also soak my feet in hot water with some epsom salts when time allows. I really need to go to the doctor. Luckily the next few weeks are not too busy so hopefully I will get my crap together and call for an appointment. Can they actually help though? I am doubtful, but maybe something will help.

That's it I guess. I will try to post more often, but you know me. Good intentions and all.