in this day and age there is absolutely no excuse for any company of any size or repute not to have a google-able website which has, at the very least, current contact information with which one can actually obtain a response from a real, live person.
to recap, the three minimum requirements of a good, basic business web presence:
– a website which is kept up to date
– some sort of search engine optimization program so that it is not buried on page 14 of search results
– someone dedicated to answering email enquiries in a timely and professional manner
– catalog and categorize all my photos
– design my nuttymuffin.com site
– set up my cafepress store for nuttymuffin
– redesign the blog
– get a haircut
– de-spyware dean’s computer
– de-spyware dad’s girlfriend’s computer
– get my muffler replaced
– exercise
– get all my work to a “ground zero” state so i won’t feel so overhwelmed every day
– go see a movie
– take pictures/experiment with long exposures/play with new remote
– do my assigned reading
– catch up with jeremy
school started again last night. welcome to the world of cranky wednesdays! i know i’m cranky because EVERY FUCKING DRIVER on my commute to work did something to piss me off. i’m not a big road-rager, but, holy goat fuck, was i screaming this morning. oy!
in better news, karen phoned me last night to tell me the t-shirt i bought her arrived, it fits perfectly and she loves it. that made me happy. there’s something so satisfying about finding the perfect gift for someone.
so, it’s been about four days since the temperature stopped flirting with negative numbers and the rains have started to come down like noah used to know. i’ll always choose rain over snow, but there’s a new twist on temperature changes affecting my life. have i mentioned that the heat in my building is centrally controlled? the individual apartments have no thermostats. we’re at the mercy of whatever the boiler is set to. well, it took pavel the super a week to catch up to the cold and turn the heat up (just when i’d gotten used to wearing flannel and furry slippers). now, four days after the thaw, my apartment is like a sauna. i have all my windows and the balcony door open just to take the edge off. my bedroom… well, it’s a good thing i have all that new space in my bed so it’s just a matter of rolling over to find a cool spot on the mattress during the night.
i’m the kind of person that has to have a cold room to sleep in. i turn in to a furnace once i’m under the überblankie and it’s a matter of survival to keep the ambient temperature outside of my downy cocoon very near chilly so i don’t melt during the night. this reallycold/reallyhot yo-yo i’m living in is starting to get to me. i guess i should just remind myself that this time last year i was in the same situation, but it was because controlling the craptastic electric baseboard heater was like trying trying to wrangle cats. but at least i could turn the goddamn heat off at night!
you know when you just can’t muster the energy to talk? when you look at your IM list and see all those people you consider friends, or at least conversational acquaintances, and you can’t think of anything beyond “hey” to type to them? when you’re actually relieved that someone cancels a lunch date so that you won’t have to make conversation?
you know when you just want someone warm to show up at your door with their arms open, waiting for you to fall into them? when there are no expectations or ulterior motives? when they just know that you need to have someone physically close?
you know when everything just seems so big and overwhelming? when you can’t seem to start anything because the end feels so far away? when you’re throttled by the fear you won’t be good enough? when you can’t even begin to imagine feeling excited about anything again?
you know when it’s time to get up off your ass and do something about it? yeah, it’s that time.
it feels like lots of stuff happened this weekend, but i only left the house twice, the only people i talked to were my parents and, really, how exciting can you say your life is when the big news is you cleaned your oven & toilet?
saturday was a good day, which was important because friday was a bad night. i slept for a good twelve hours (much needed rest to get better, you know). i was up for about an hour when my dad phoned which precipitated a mad tidy-up dash about the apartment while he walked over to bring me things. i hadn’t realized it, but it was the first time he’d been over since i had unpacked and decorated. he’ll be coming over again soon to do some electrician-y type work around the place (can you believe that none of the outlets are new enough to take polarized plugs?).
after coffee & chatting with my papa, i set out to run some errands. my itinerary included the bank to fetch laundry quarters, the hardware store to fetch a new cord for the percolator & new outlets, and the camera store to fetch a remote for my camera. it was the latter which caused me some consternation.
for some reason, i took my camera out of it’s bag and i heard a nasty, scary, HOLYFUCK rattling i’d never heard before. i took the lens cap off and clicked a couple of crappy test shots. everything seemed to be working all right, but there was still the disconcerting noise. i tilted it and looked at it and then i saw it… glass. ohmygod. i swear my heart was in my throat. i panicked, put the lens cap back on and practically ran out to do my stuff. first the bank, then the hardware store, then the camera shop, where the very nice lady at the counter looked as worried as i did when i said “i think the glass has popped out of my lens”.
then, as usually happens when i find myself in some world-ending situation: i discover it wasn’t anything major and i’ve stressed myself out for no good reason. seems the inner ring on my uv filter had come unscrewed. it wasn’t the lens glass, just the filter glass, which was rattling around. phew! a quick twist and i was good to go (but now in possession of the coveted remote control. watch out!).
a detour through safeway and i was on my way home with goodies and stew fixin’s. the rest of the afternoon was very casual. i watched some tv i’d downloaded, did some dishes, listened to some wilco, yadda-yadda. when i saw the forecast included snow and freezing rain, i took a quick trip out to buy things i didn’t really need: another bottom sheet for my bed (300 thread-count, sexy burgundy), ben & jerry’s and edamame. by this time it wasn’t even seven o’clock and since i was fairly sure i was in for the night i took the opportunity to get my laundry done before the sunday morning rush.
now sunday was a complete waste. even though i did clean the oven, bathtub, toilet, made stew, did dishes, tidied the flat surfaces and take out the garbage it feels like i got nothing done. i read a lot of websites. i phoned my mom. i thought about having a nap, but didn’t quite get there. i asked tall shane to come over, but he was being tempermental which is really for the best. i know the reason why he keeps asking to see my new place and it’s not his love of architecture or home design, if you know what i mean.
i’m already making plans for february. so far, i have three very cool things on my schedule and i’m looking forward to them all very much. i’m also considering going to the northern voice conference. when darren asked me if i was going, i replied “but i already know how to blog” which is true, but after looking at the schedule, i might be able to learn a thing or two. and, really, what’s $20 and a safturday out with a bunch of internet movers and shakers? who knows, i might meet some net.celebrities! who’s coming with me?
spoke too soon. the cough has taken over my life and is soon to have me banished from my desk and into a hermetically sealed room until i either get better or run out of oxygen, whichever comes first.
you know, i wish i could think of all the cool things i’ve thought to write about when i’m actually here typing. instead, all i do is whine about being sick or busy at work or how much i wish i had a warm, stubbly boy in my big, bouncy bed to kiss my forehead and tell me i can go back to sleep because he called my boss and told him i’m too sick to go to work today. *sigh*
ever since i got an email from someone asking if i’d do some photography for them i’ve been completely without inspiration. i’ve barely taken my camera out of its (newest and coolest) bag this year. i became immensely intimidated at the prospect of being responsible for actually producing good quality images for someone other than myself and any inclination i had to make photos has run for the hills, rather than face the challenge. how sad is that?
all right, back to the coughing. oh, and yay for paydays!
my day of sleeping in, napping and cookie-making did the trick. i may still be coughing up stuff and sounding like a whiskey-drinking, pack-a-day-smoking grizzled barfly, but i sure do feel better. i might have to invest in a humidifier, though. this dry, cold weather combined with the newer, drier apartment is making sleeping kind of ouchy. i went through two tall glasses of water during the night just to keep my throat hydrated; but, i didn’t have to blow my nose once, so that’s an improvement.
by the way, if you see a sudden increase in semi-colon use hereabouts you have kevin to blame. the overly-generous floridian we all know and love sent me three books from my wishlist for xmas: one of which being “eats, shoots & leaves: the zero tolerance approach to punctuation” by lynne truss. it is a lovely, humourous, quick book i’m going to have everyone i know read.
DAMMIT! oh. my. god. i’m the worst friend ever. i just this second realized i’d forgotten heather’s birthday. *sigh* i don’t know why it is, but i can’t ever seem to remember her birthday on time. i’m sorry, heather! oy. happy birthday!
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it’s ten to six (yes, easteners: i said ten TO six) in the morning and i’m awake. i just left my supervisor a very froggy voicemail telling him i’m going to stay home today. then i spent ten minutes coughing up whatever green, chunky aliens have taken up residence in my lungs. fun!
today will consist entirely of going back to bed, a hot bubble bath, going back to bed, soup and going back to bed. i really hope this self-tlc will finally rid me of whatever plague i’m afflicted with. i’m utterly sick of being sick.
if i had my druthers, i’d be in bed, blissfully unconscious of the fact i feel like i got run over with a certain black peterbilt belonging to a certain tall j-named boy from victoria. why the HELL did i think it would be a good idea to come to work? what a fucking moron i am.
anyway, i felt human enough to head out of the house last night for a very late sushi spread with col, ritchie and his imaginary girlfriend, cheryl. as you can see, there was a LOT of food and, well, we definitely got our all-you-can-eat $19 dollar’s worth. we’ll definitely be going back, but i hope we pace ourselves better next time.
just for fun (and because ritchie seems to think my blogging about him will cause a surge in his popularity), here’s a little faux-film i like to call i’m gonna git you, sucka. teehee.
okay, i’m going to go wish i were dead now. have a good day!
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i woke up without a voice this morning. it’s since come back, but it’s a shadow of its former self. along with laryngitis, my entire body hurts, i’m dead tired and my nose won’t stop dripping. but, i’m at work, like a good little trooper. if my voice hadn’t come back, i would have stayed home. stupid voice!
the worst part is that i have a hot sushi date with col and ritchie tonight and i really don’t want to be snotgirl all over them. i guess i could sit on the other side of the restaurant and we could have a three-way cell phone conversation over dinner…
okay, i’m off to be miserable and froggy. i hope your week has started off better.
BIG. BOUNCY. BED.
did you hear the one about the first snowfall of the season in vancouver? *bah dum pah*
yes, boys & girls, it’s snowing in lotusland. the busses are full of grumpy automotive commuters too tremulous to drive when there’s white stuff falling from the sky. and yes, that includes me. i was out of the house by 6:11 a.m. and at work at 7:28. oh, yeah. i do love public transit!
that’s really all that’s going to be talked about here for the next couple of days, i guess; and by here i don’t mean just this site, although that’s a good bet. i mean this city. we really don’t know what to do when it gets all wintery here. PANIC! WATER FREEZES AND FALLS FROM THE SKY! TERROR!
if i hadn’t been so busy getting places this morning i would have taken a lot of really pretty snowy photos. i’ll have more time on the way home. i’m really looking forward to making snowy photos. snow makes even the ugliest thing beautiful.
in regards to the world junior hockey championships: YAY CANADA!
meg met some guy at the new year’s party she wanted to set me up on a blind date with. i said no to the blind date, but told her to get him to show up at music bingo last night instead. well, we went down to the pub for dinner, watch the aforementioned hockey game and play bingo. he didn’t show up. although, meghan did say she might not have recognized him if he did. i mean, she couldn’t even remember if his name was kevin or scott!
good thing i wasn’t all that excited about meeting the short, bald, non-skinny (meg’s troubled by my predilection for tall, skinny boys) law student or else i’d have been disappointed. although, i did smell good, just in case he did make an appearance.
my work day started at six-thirty a.m. why would i begin work at such an ungodly hour, you ask? so i can leave at three to be home to await the delivery of my new bed, of course! there’s usually a method to my madness. i’m surprised you don’t realize that by now. silly reader!
at the pub, phil the rocker guy said something about my green cat eyes. strange, but i always thought my eyes were blue-ish. except when i cry. then they’re definitely green. just ask morgan.
so, i was all set to run out to buy a new bed frame from ikea to use with the less-than-a-year old queen size mattress i’m being given for FREE. but, as i was lollygagging about the house the dr. phil show came on and, well, it was all about getting your financial house in order and how money doesn’t solve money problems and there are no sacred spenditures: nothing is exempt when it comes to helping to get one out of debt and financially secure.
i realized that even though i would LOVE to have a new bed and even though the mattress is free, i can’t really afford to spend $600 on a bed frame and new sheets at this time. i’m still paying off my baby and that last big car bill, among other things i dare not speak of. i took a deep breath and phoned my dad to tell him that even though i’d really like to take the mattress, i can’t justify the expenditure at this time, and to please tell his ladyfriend thank you, but no thank you.
this is where it got both weird and glorious.
when he paused a moment, i thought his reply would be something along the lines of “i’m glad you’re being responsible. i’ll let her know you changed your mind.” instead he responded with “what if i buy it for you?” if i was a fainter, i would have been on the floor. he basically told me to go out and buy my bed and new sheets and he didn’t even give me a price range to work within. i was, and still am, flabberghasted. completely and utterly dumbstruck with gratitude.
well, once i was done trying to talk him into buying something for himself for a change and i was convinced he was absolutely sure of his decision (like he ever says anything he doesn’t mean. you’d think i’d know that by now), i put on some pants and drove straight out to ikea. i sat on all the different beds. i wiggled all the different beds. i lifted up mattresses and yanked at headboards. i read tags and tags and tags. when i was convinced i really wanted the bed i thought i wanted, i found myself a lady in yellow and blue to get me a list of pieces.
then came the sheets. oh, god in heaven. my new sheets… cafe au lait coloured 100% cotton satin finish fitted sheet and a 100% cotton satin finish cream with light floral pattern duvet cover and matching pillowcases – with ribbon ties! i couldn’t wait. as soon as i got home i ripped open the packages and washed them. so soft. so silky. they will look so beautiful on my new bed.
i realize that stuff shouldn’t make me so happy, but it does. i’m going to have such a pretty, grown up bed! once it’s assembled and bedecked, i should have a bed party! a party for two, just like shania. ;)
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i’m going to ikea to buy a bed(frame).
the incredibles is truly incredible!
2005 is looking to be the year of the hook-up.
i really need a haircut.
can i have just one more day off? please?
seems i’m incredibly insulting.
there are no answers for me right now.
so, yeah. it’s new year’s eve tomorrow and my big plans are sitting at home, eating pizza and watching fourteen hours of viggo (yes, virginia, daddy bought me the lord of the rings extended edition dvd box set for xmas). i’ll stop at the liquor store tonight to pick up a bottle of asti spumante and raspberry vodka so i can get myself right pickled to ring out 2004.
since i’ll be home, possibly bored and most certainly very tipsy, you should all expect to wake up to a long, rambling lookback on saturday morning. then again, i may just finally spend the night reorganizing and archiving my photos like i’ve been meaning to for the last six months. who knows. i’m a single girl in the city. my options, they be endless!
i’d totally invite a cute, good-smelling, tall, kissable boy over to join me in my quiet fuzziness, but 2004 has been really lacking in anything resembling those. i sure do hope they sprout up again next year (odd years are definitely better for boy crops, i’ve found) ’cause i’m pretty sure i’m soon to forget what boys are for entirely.