my daddy is in the building for meetings this afternoon, so he’s going to drive me home tonight! wahoo!
it’s all about the munchies today:
canadian snack food
of course, smarties are my favourite; but, it’s hard to imagine a world without coffee crisps. i should also note that they forgot the other unique (at least according to the americans i know who’ve fallen in love with it after a visit) chip flavour: all-dressed. it tastes just like it’s name; a mix of salt & vinegar, barbeque and sour cream & onion rolled into one. it’s good. no, really! [thanks iain]
it’s snowing today. well, this morning, which is as much of today as i’ve seen so far, so it’s snowing today. it took me two hours to get to work via public transit. i waited at my bus stop for forty minutes, watching three busses go up the hill and waiting for them to do a u-turn and come down the hill so i could get on. unfortunately, of the three, only the last one actually made it back down the hill. lucky for me, it was the one of the three i wanted to be on.
i got to stadium and julie & bev were outside having a smoke so i stopped to chat. i was already late so it didn’t matter much if i wasted another couple of minutes. i almost missed my stop at edmonds because i was so busy reading my book. that’s the best part about taking transit: reading while commuting.
i ran into ramon at the crosswalk, so we walked in together. he’s a nice man. thick accent. half the time i don’t know what the hell he’s saying. but, he’s a nice man. i didn’t even slip! i was sure i’d probably spend some time falling on my ass on the way down the hill.
disjointed. sorry.
i did a new exercise on the weight machine yesterday. it’s a reverse fly which is supposed to work your rear deltoids (shoulders) and back. holy fuck. my upper back, shoulders and neck are so bloody sore today. but sore in the good way. in the way that feels like you accomplished something. not the way my lower back is *still* sore or my right calf is aching because of a possible potassium deficiency.
i’m going to keep working on my piles of work crap while periodically looking out my window at the snow which won’t stop falling. my non-work-related task for the day is to find beauty in the winter landscape outside instead of dreading the bus-ride home (besides, i’m hoping my dad will come and get me if i ask him really nice). it’s good playing in snow. sticky. if i had better gloves, i’d make a snowman at lunch.
i don’t think i’ve yet mentioned how god-awfully slow this day is going. it’s barely two o’clock yet it feels more like six. in the grand scheme, it’s a good thing as i’ll probably be able to get through at least one pile of work before four.
i just realized that if i were to move back in with my father, i could be debt free in less than a year. now i’ll torture myself for the next couple of weeks with that scenario…
isn’t funny how a little time can make you scratch your head and wonder what the fuck you ever saw in somebody?
the mountain of crap i have to do will hopefully teach me to never take a day off again. *grumble*
no… not the guy from porky’s. meat! you know, the flesh of dead animals, usually pigs and cows. the flesh of dead animals i don’t eat (i’m a carnivorous hypocrite, by the way). what about meat, you ask? i won meat! isn’t that cool?
i got up at 7:27 this morning because it sounded weird outside, almost like hail. i looked out the window to see snow in the neighbour’s yard and moaned “noooo!” as i realized that winter was back after a nice couple weeks of spring-like temperatures. the weird noise was the spattery rain hitting the almost-icy snow which had fallen overnight. since i was up and suddenly very cold (i turn the heat right down when i go to bed because my über-blankie is so very, very warm i wake up sweating if i don’t) i decided i’d just stay up. yes. at 7:27 on a sunday morning. yes. i know i’m crazy. just accept it and move on, will you?
so, i perked a pot of coffee and drank it while hunting down random stuff on the web while i waited for my weekly dose of coronation street to start at nine. so i watched that and went through the sunday fliers to see if there were any outstanding specials i needed to add to my shopping list. then i had a really nice, hot shower and a bowl of steamed veggies for breakfast. afterwards, i curled up in my comfy chair and read until noon.
since it was snowing at meg’s place friday night and they know i don’t drive in snow, we didn’t play cards or have dinner. saturday was a complete logistical fiasco because we couldn’t find dean. so we didn’t play cards last night, either. due to this troublesome lack of companionship and card-playing, i phoned meghan with the intention of luring them to a pub to get food and at least mildly sate my card craving. luckily, they had that idea already so there was little cajoling to do. dean was a write-off again as he had plans to go visit his other friends (he really should know better by now).
i fluffed up my hair, brushed my teeth and put on something other than flannel and the furious m’s came to transport me all the way to bloody coquitlam to one of their most favourite drinking establishments, the french quarters pub. don’t ask me why it’s called that. i don’t think that corner off lougheed is especially french in heritage. although, it is kind of stinky. maybe that’s where they came up with it. i hear those frenchies don’t like to bathe very often.
we arrived safely (with only one horn-honking) and as soon as i walked in and observed the haze in the air, the upholstery on the form-fitting barstools and the pulley-operated ceiling fan system i knew i was in for a treat. this was going to be a learning experience. i wasn’t in the black bear pub anymore, boys and girls.
i just deleted a boring and tedious description of the crappy lunch, crappy service and two games of cards we played because i know you’re all just dying for me to answer this burning meat question. i’m getting there. really!
something i’ve only heard about, but had yet to experience was the phenomenon of the meat draw. supposedly, this is a semi-regular occurance in drinking establishments accross the land. m&m’s freezer is actually chock full of meat procured in this manner. so, when the tickets started going around for sale, i just had to buy some. especially considering the grand prize draw at the end of the afternoon was a twenty-pound box of chicken breasts. i’m on a budget. i can’t afford to buy chicken anymore.
the first round of draws goes around and guess whose number gets drawn? mine! of course, because i was last and the first four winners got their pick of the packages of flesh on the table, i was left with… five pounds of lean ground beef. beef. that comes from cows. if you weren’t paying attention to the introductory paragraph, i don’t eat cow. yet, i was the happy winner of a package of minced cow flesh. yay, me!
thinking this was the entirety of the meat draw experience, i was elated that i won something and cheerfully gave my loot to my carnivore friends to make something meaty out of it. then they came around with more tickets. by now i was an old pro at this and made sure to scope out the newly offered products on the prize table before frittering away my five dollars (i am on a budget, remember). this time i said “no thanks” and let meghan take her chances with e-coli. she didn’t win. the next draw (another one?!), i purchased tickets for in hopes of winning the chicken they were offering. no such luck. the final draw, i entered (this time only spending two dollars — there was no chicken available) only to up my chances for the grand prize. again, i won! this time having the choice of pork loin or a bloody huge ham-like slab of pig.
in case you’re really not paying much attention (which probably means you’re not reading this either, but still i will explain) i don’t eat pig. the fellow running the draw, grinned at me behind his bushy moustache and gave me a little wink which i almost didn’t see through the thick haze of cigarette smoke filling the room (have i mentioned that you can’t smoke inside establishments where i live? being inside a smokeable pub is something i haven’t done for a long while. it was odd. i’m sure i reek right now.). i returned to our table and mark looked at me and said “i guess that’s going in our freezer too, eh?” ahh, they know me so well.
a short while later, mark returned from a trip to the little boy’s room and informed us that “some guy” asked him about me. in the can. seems they’re really good at picking out the newbies in the french quarters. i suppose i stuck out like a sore thumb with my youthful complexion. my skin wasn’t leathery from years of exposure to that smokey interior. the same guy later came by our table, winked at me again with a parting comment of “way to go, lucky!” i’m completely irresistable to men over fifty.
oh, and i suppose you can just call me meatgirl from now on.
christian, meet everyone. everyone, this is christian, my newest celebrity crush.
my trip to the transmission shop this morning was relatively painless. i like painless. $175 later, my transmission has been serviced and is shifting smoothly again. they jimmied the shifter cable so i can now get it into low gear again. hopefully, that will keep working for the next year or two because, according to pat (the very friendly, nice & talkative manager), it’s a $400 price tag to replace it. i’m just really glad i didn’t have to spend $3000 at their shop like my father did last year.
now, i’m going to watch the end of clueless, read some more and get started on the valentines i’m sending out now that i’ve gotten envelopes to put them in. and it’s still only early saturday afternoon! i love three day weekends!
i slept in, drank a pot of coffee, read my book, had a long, hot shower, and paid some bills. now i’m doing some laundry, lounging in my comfy pants and baking cookies while watching the snow try to stick.
i love fridays off.
have i mentioned that i don’t have to go to work tomorrow?
marie came by this morning and asked if i wanted to go with her to the thai place for lunch today. i was a grumpy and headachy and reluctant to go because i was actually looking forward to eating my boring rice & salsa lunch while reading my book. but, i was weak, and she offered to pay, so i went along.
the point of this short yet boring story was that of the three tables with people at them when we got there, all of them were filled with co-workers. we’d all gone to lunch in separate groups, with no foreknowledge, but we all ended up at the same restaurant. obviously we’re a company which loves its thai food.
p.s. what a sad excuse for content. sorry.
despite awaking with a headache, i’m still a kind and generous soul to present to you the thursday morning mpeg. how long have i been doing this? does anyone ever listen to these songs? would anyone notice if i stopped putting them up?
“Placebo” by Vozuluzov
don’t know who they are? well, i can’t really blame you, especially if you live outside north carolina. that being said, everyone should know who they are because they kick serious ass and, well, scott’s in the band, so that gives them cred by default. i don’t listen to this cd enough. i think it will have to go on repeat this weekend. enjoy.
this friday marks the first payday of the second period of my 2002 fiscal year. the recent realization that i have a serious rear to get into gear if i want a new car anytime before i die (not to mention getting out of credit card debt). therefore, i spent a goodly amount of time working out the soon to be famous “palindrome budget”.
things are going to be tight, so i took a couple steps to help myself stay on track. i told tyler that i’m cancelling my calling card, so i won’t be paying for his phone calls to me any more. i also phoned hydro and finally got on the equal payment plan, so instead of insanely cheap bills in the summer and outrageously excessive winter bills, it’s now an even $39 each month. i even budgeted for laundry loonies! i’ve also bumped up my debt payments and allocated myself a very stingy entertainment allowance. that means no more treating everyone for lunch, or even lunches out, for that matter.
also, i’m going to try to deal only in cash money with a set amount each week for gas, food and fun. if i can’t live within that limit, then i go without. if that means taking the bus because i can’t afford gas until payday, then so be it. if it means eating whatever icky canned goods are in the back of the cupboard because i can’t afford to go buy something more appetizing, then it sucks to be me.
i know it sounds really bleak and unfun, but if i can stick to this for the next year, i will be in seriously good financial shape (my will-power will be in fighting trim, too) and i’ll be several thousands of dollars less in debt and closer to my dream of having a new car once again. i’m still saving my dimes and toonies for that digital camera, though. that will be my treat once i reach the $500 mark in coins. luckily, one of the side-benefits of dealing entirely in cash (instead of debiting everything) will be more loose change and that means more coins to put away for the new toy.
unfortunately, all this also means no big trip this year. ugh. that will be two years without taking a plane somewhere. maybe i’ll win the lottery again and that time i promise i’ll use it to go somewhere fun (and keep all of it for me — sorry, mom)! oh, wait. i didn’t budget for lottery tickets…
sometimes i end up smudging my glasses because they’re so clean i have to make sure there are still lenses in them.
really! my big excitement this week has been sleeping for twelve hours monday night and getting the next two books in the wheel of time series. i’m craving vegetables. i want to babble, and i’ve found myself babbling nicely to certain people, but when it comes to writing here, i want to be a little more impressive. piffle. i need to stop that. have i mentioned that “piffle” is my new favourite word? i don’t even know if it is a word, but i like it. it sounds more refined that pfft. piffle, i say!
although i love my bee to distraction, i’m starting to get the redesign bug again. it sucks. i wish i could be happy with my layout for more than three months. while i’m at it, i wish i could be even a little artistically inclined so i wouldn’t have to keep ripping off other people’s art to help create my layouts. blah blah blah. i also need to update the templates page and fix one up for kaydee. yeah, and buy envelopes for all those (*cough* five *cough*) valentines i’m going to send.
my neck, back & shoulders are incredibly stiff. i told meghan i’m going to start hanging about outside the massage therapy school in hopes of picking up a masseuse to take home with me. either that or ask my cousin if her massage-therapist husband has any single friends he can set me up with. yes, i know. it’s bad to use someone just for their talented hands, but i promise i’ll reciprocate with my talented… ahem. you get the picture.
i hate my hair today. i’m freezing. it was almost-snowing on the way in to work. julie commented last night that it was cold enough to snow and as soon as she said the s-word i knew it would. how weird is that? so, it’s her fault. don’t ever say it or it will come true.
i’m taking friday off work. i wanted yesterday off, but since i had the union meeting to go to i decided it would be dumb to be off all day and then drive out to new west at six. so, friday i’m going to take the car into aamco to have a transmission service and have them look at the gearshift and figure out why i can’t shift into L gear anymore. i’m praying it will be a very easy, cheap fix.
i can’t bear to put any money into the car now. hopefully, if i stick to my budget, i’ll have reduced my debt enough by next year to be able to afford a new car. the only way i could do it now is to get a $10,000 car. i’m sure i could find something for that amount, but if i’m honest, i got spoiled by my first car being new and i hate the idea of buying a used car. so, if i’m good, maybe by next year i’ll be able to buy a vw golf. nothing tricked out, just a good, solid, reliable, volkswagen. i *want* a beetle, but i can’t see spending… hrm. i just looked it up and it’s not that much more for a beetle. maybe i’ll have to rethink my plan a tad.
ack! look at all the crap i wrote! who the hell took over my keyboard? anyway, i’m going to go input more fucking applicant information and then generate labels to go on the “sucks to be you” letters they get sent. *sigh* thank god i already work here. with all these people applying, i’d never have a chance to get in.
last night, i gorged on homemade primavera sauce which never made it onto pasta because i didn’t want to dirty another pot. after said over-consumption of tomatoey vegetables, i barely managed to finish reading my book before i fell asleep. i awoke two hours later, saw that it was almost eight o’clock, turned out all the lights, got undressed and properly went to bed.
can i tell you how refreshed and wonderful i feel thanks to that twelve hours of rest? don’t answer that. it was rhetorical.
oh, yeah. my work website is now live. if you ask nicely, i may let you see it.
hrmf. speaking of work, i have a union meeting to attend tonight. there are only two pros to this: chinese food & the used bookstore next door at which i will purchase “the great hunt”. although, it would certainly be happy if cute, married rob showed up.
if you would like me to send you a valentine this year, please email me your address.
i wonder if anyone would notice if i stopped wearing my nose ring.
by the way, i’m really tired and i’d rather be at home in my very clean, fresh-cut flowered apartment than be here right now.