The Wonderful World of MorPRi

I haven't forgotten...I've just been reinspired

2009-07-31T19:44:00.004-06:00

It's been a long time since I last visited here. Not that there hasn't been much to update, but I honestly haven't thought about this blog in months. I could have just let my thoughts, feelings, and experiences that I've put on here gather virtual dust and cobwebs. All to easy to do, and not what I intended.

I went to a bookstore the other day, looking for the next paperback of a series I've gotten into. I didn't find what I was looking for, but as I perused through a shelf of the store manager's picks of the month, my attention was grabbed by an innocent looking memoir. So I bought it.

I had originally thought I would read this memoir during my stint of nights. It's been two days and I finished the darn thing. The cover of the book may have caught my eye, but the story captured my attention and imagination. It was about a woman who dreamed of living in Paris, and after achieving this dream, she started a blog about her life as an "outsider" in the City of Lights. The more she wrote, the more she lived. Her blog was titled Petite Anglaise, which I have no idea if it truly exists, but I'm curious to find out.

While I was reading, I thought more and more about my long-forgotten blog. It was strange reading someone else's views on why they started their own blog, and how similar and different those reasons were to mine. Granted, when I first started writing, I shared my mundane and boring life with complete strangers who happened upon this site, but my intentions were to update people in my life who were living far away from me. As time went on, more convenient means of updating came about...mostly through Facebook....and my blog writing became more and more sparse. My posts were random, a reflection of my thoughts at the time. Many more posts were written and deleted before they were published simply for the fact that I needed an outlet to vent some particular reaction or feeling, but didn't necessarily want to share.

But in the end, I realize that this blog, however it started and what my intentions were at the time, is really for me. I can choose to use it to update on my life. I can choose to vent then delete. Or rant and publish. Nevertheless, it's still here. I may not have a large following of readers like Petite Anglaise, and I may not have the eloquent and captivating stories or anecdotes, but I'm still here. I'm still writing.

I refuse to stop writing

2009-01-29T02:17:00.002-07:00

Ok, so maybe I'm not the best at keeping up with this thing. I periodically look at it and try to think of something witty to write about, and come up blank. So then it gets forgotten for a while until I happen across it again. And again no wit.

I find myself awake once more in the middle of the night...where I do a lot of puttering online, and decide it's time to buckle down and write, despite the lack of wittiness. So here I am.

Really I've been the same. Lots of work. Lots of travelling. Lots more work to pay for the travelling. I'm getting really bad at keeping my impulsive vacationing at bay. Well, I had to try out my new luggage....I have no regrets, though. Well, one regret, but that's an entirely different story and has nothing to do with vacations.....
So yeah. I spent Christmas in Winnipeg this year with my family. It was good to see everyone again...I hadn't seen them in years. I am hoping to be able to get back there soon to spend some time with my grandma. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last year, and though I am scared and sad, I want to see her again before she has no clue who I am. It doesn't help that I'm so far away. While I was in university, I worked with a lot of people with Alzheimer's, and saw the struggle their families went through. At least the ones that visited. I never really appreciated what I had until I was faced with this situation. It's been a very humble experience for sure.

Otherwise I'm doing alright. It's been a long, exhausting, and frustrating few months. I wish I could say I'm doing great, but I'm not. Just sort of getting by and working through some issues. Some have resolved, and others haven't, but I'm trying not to get all worked up about it. Hence my vacationing. Maybe I should start writing more here.....vent some frustrations and stuff. Witty or not, it might be a release to keep writing.....

A moment

2008-11-11T04:22:00.003-07:00

I woke up this morning to a very quiet world. No noises in my place, not even from the neighbours upstairs. I crept out of bed thinking I overslept, not realizing the actual time of my wandering through the apartment. I'm hungry. I get to the kitchen and open my fridge, looking for some fruit, or maybe some juice. I'm craving juice. I pour myself a glass and turn on the tv. Maybe there's something on, I don't know. Nope. Why would that be? Hmm....

I glance over at the window, thinking the orange street lamp seemed unusually.....bright. And orange. I peer out my window. Everything is quiet. No cars, no people. I suppose I wouldn't drive either during the first snowfall of the season. It sure is peaceful this time of day. So much so, that I contemplate returning to bed.

I am thankful that I can wake up to this peacefulness. That others fought with their lives to defend that right. I remember. And I thank you.

Random thoughts at midnight

2008-11-04T23:46:00.002-07:00

I know it's the beginning of November, but I can't wait to put up my Christmas tree. I'm not even going to be home this year for Christmas, but dammit, my tree is going up!
When making a budget, is there a percentage of your earnings that is supposed to go to debt repayment? How about vacation funds?
My hot chocolate needs Bailey's..........mmm, that's better.
My new family doctor practices out of a clinic across the street from work. Convenient for me, but will I be assessed by students or residents who will potentially see me at work? I think my thyroid needs checking. In fact, a lot of me needs checking.
I haven't gotten my flu shot yet. What are the chances of this being the year of the influenza epidemic? Do I still have to listen to the administration's attempts at preparing for said epidemic during my education day in January?
A while ago I had an urge to take a course in Italian. I now realize I just want to learn Italian without the homework and exams. Una bottiglia di vino rosso per favore.
I think I put too much Bailey's in my hot chocolate. Oh well.

Here I am!

2008-10-25T02:23:00.002-06:00

I seemed to have taken a leave of absence from my blog. I could come up with a variety of excuses, but they all would boil down to the same thing.... I'm busy.

Or I'm lazy. That could also be the case I suppose. I've been having this problem lately of feeling apathetic, which came out of nowhere and is largely responsible for my neglecting of things. But whatever, I'm here. I don't know how many people actually read this still, but I'm still going to update anyways.

What have I been up to when I haven't been feeling so apathetic? Well, work mostly. I've been working more hours mostly for the purpose of funding my never ending expenses of vacationing. The last year has taken a toll on my finances, so to keep up, I've picked up more hours. Things have been insanely busy at work, where we finally broke the magical number of 500. (We are populating an elementary school every month by the way). The hiring of new staff and education days for new equipment has also kept me busy and longing for my stretch of days off where I can escape somewhere.

Ah, yes....escaping. I like escaping. Some places were expensive, some were not. Some took months and months of planning, some only days. I've read on other blogs about how nurses develop an iron stomach and a warped sense of humor to cope with what they see and do in their profession. Me, I travel.

My willingness to pick up and go has been tested greatly within the last month or so. I have said goodbye to a lot of people as they have moved on to bigger and better things for their jobs, family, sanity, or just needing a change. I'm terrible at keeping myself within a budget though....I have already been out to Ottawa to see John, and I'm planning to visit Janita and Peter in London next year. Oops. Bah, whatever. Life's too short. Enjoy it while you can. I plan to celebrate two Thanksgivings this year.

Mmmm...pie.

I'm still alive

2008-07-26T09:40:00.002-06:00

It's been a long time since I've written anything. Not like there's a lot that's new, as most of you who probably (hopefully) read this are also on FB, so you pretty much know what's been going on.

I'll update this thing anyways. I kinda feel obligated to, and besides...it allows me to procrastinate on my packing....

What's been happening since the last time I was on here? Vegas! I left for a glorious week to Sin City for some good times with friends and family. It was ridiculously hot, but the air conditioning, gallons of water, and margaritas helped. Yay yard dogs!!! Of course we indulged on the food too......

mmm Bouchon....Bellagio "brunch"...... *drool*

oops. But it wasn't just the food and drink that made for a great vacation. Some of the highlights include Bellagio fountains (of course), the Grand Canyon, Vagine, Tuesday's walk to the Stratosphere...sans drink...., breakfast with mom and grandma, Cirque du Solei, baby tigers...wow I could go on... We packed a lot of things into that week, but I still felt relaxed. I think the last couple of days with Jo and Eric helped, though. Good times.

Jo and Eric are currently in town, so of course we had to get together. This time it was for Thai food. Yummy! We headed back to Peter's afterwards for some beer tasting, midnight cooking, and all around fun. Hopefully I'll be able to see them again before they leave, but that depends on their schedule. And mine, I guess. I'm leaving tomorrow morning...Devin is taking me to Disneyland, so I'll be gone for the week. Hence the packing....yay! Maybe I should just live out of my suitcase...

Otherwise, I've been busy as per usual. Work is crazy. It's going well, but I'm still running off my feet every shift. Too many babies! I've also put my name in for a conference on bereavement in October. It supposedly is one of the best medical conferences in North America, and I've been told I have the sort of qualities that help families experiencing loss, so I signed up. Hopefully I'll find out soon if I can go.

That's about it for now, I guess. Meanwhile I must start packing.....

the best medicine

2008-06-05T23:18:00.006-06:00

I've decided I need more laughter in my life. I think we all do, really. Every one's so serious nowadays, it's no fun. Don't you remember what it was like as a child and you laughed everyday? You laughed until your stomach or your face hurt. You laughed until tears came rolling down your tender cheeks. You laughed until you lost your voice. Being grown up has ruined all this. Now you're worried about laugh lines around your mouth and how to get rid of them. Or what about your mascara running? I guess you can't answer the phones at work if you can't speak.

No fun indeed.

So I wonder why we need to grow up at all? Ok, I'm not about to go and quit my job or anything, but I think it's time I had some more fun.

I might have been inspired by my recent vacation. I hardly did any shopping in the shopping capital of the world. Instead, I spent my money having a good time doing other things. The memories and the laughter and the love. So much more rejuvenating than I realized at the time. For a while, I have felt that there was something missing in my life. I still don't have the answer, but I feel just that little more satisfied. And if this is something that makes me happy, why deny myself? I have found a way to allow a little more sunshine in my life. I might as well bask in it while I can.

While I find myself enjoying the sun, sunburn inevitably follows. My poor wallet. Within 10 days of getting back from New York, I found myself online looking at some flights. Again. I made a promise to Devin that if he gets his passport, we will travel somewhere together again. And so we are.

Well, I did decide to have more fun...didn't I? Oh, and I haven't yet mentioned the shopping trip. To Montana. Next week. Randomly. And I can't forget that I'm showing up at Jo and Eric's front door. For Thanksgiving. In November. Randomly.

But not all is about picking up and getting out of town. PRi and I forgot about our dinner as we stood around our fridge laughing at the magnets. A while ago I bought those puzzle magnets that you can rearrange words and phrases to make new ones. These were all movie phrases. Of course. I hope they bring at least a smile to your face....

I picked the wrong week to make this conversation a failure to communicate
If you build it they will call it a mission from God
There's no place like all the gin joints in the morning!
Frankly, my dear show me a Royale with cheese in Kansas and I'll be back
I'm not going to be with you anymore Dave......bye.
Well, no we don't need the force!
What we've got here is stinking badges!
You may refuse me and you have a damn nice night
Mama says say hello to the pod bay doors
You can't handle the money!

Whee!

2008-05-22T00:49:00.006-06:00

It's strange that I should feel both tired and well-rested. At the same time. The mark of a great vacation is that you forget about real life and work. Being in New York certainly took my mind off real life and work. I was too busy to think, and though being busy caused me to be exhausted, I feel incredibly removed from reality.

Stef, John, and I started our journey early early early Friday morning. Yay mimosas at 35,000 feet! We had pretty good luck with the flights to New York, with a slight delay in Chicago. No matter. More time to make a phone call, and enjoy the sunshine and sandwiches. The delay made for a rush to get to Broadway, but we made it in time to see Macbeth. Absolutely phenomenal! Plus a million points to John for getting a hotel that is 25 minutes walking distance to everywhere!

Saturday we pretended to be tourists. While walking for what felt like forever, we took a lot of pictures, and saw as much as we could before heading back to Broadway for The Lion King. After our breakfast at the Viennese (Vietnamese??) deli, we "lost" the Chrysler building, ran away from Grand Central Station, climbed the lions at the library, and waited in a ridiculously long line at the Empire State building. Thinking we wanted to take the Staten Island Ferry, we hopped on the subway, and due to garbled directions over the intercom, we missed our stop. The "R" train promptly got booed. Minus a million points. Well, at least I've now been to Brooklyn. Mr. Softy ice cream and my picture with John in Battery Park made up for the subway incident I think.

As our hotel was within reasonable walking distance to the theatre, we decided to walk to The Lion King. I was able to stop by Radio City Music Hall and get my picture taken there, as I had promised to my mom. We encountered large groups of people shortly afterwards, and thinking we may be late, we hurried down the street. It was only after reaching the corner across from the theatre that I realized where we were going. Times Square. On a Saturday. It made for a hard decision for dinner after the show, but the price of the bill at TGIFriday's was not too much of a shock after a few Long Island Iced teas. Ooops.

Unfortunately it rained most of Sunday afternoon and evening, so our playing tourist game was cut short after 5th Ave, FAO Schwarz, and Central Park with its amazing carousel (Whee!!!). Best two bucks I spent! We braved the subway to Little Italy for dinner and got off at the right stop. John had a ridiculous dinner, Stef had a "gelatto", and I was soaked from the rain. We ended up back at the hotel and racked up another large large booze bill at the bar.....then took our party down the street to the drugstore (chocolate covered peanuts?! who needs those??), and finally back to our hotel room. Oh my liver. I am still curious to know what sort of German ramblings were said to me. I love my furnace. ♥

To recover from Sunday we walked to the UN Building, enjoyed the scenery, and then hailed a cab to a pier on the opposite side of Manhattan. As we decided not to take the Staten Island ferry, we instead boarded a sightseeing ferry while the weather was still cooperating. Lots of pictures were taken, as we had a great view of downtown Manhattan, Ground Zero, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. Good times. We still had much to accomplish, so after disembarking we walked back to Times Square to again brave the subway. A few stops later we found ourselves at Ground Zero looking for the memorial site....not realizing that recently the city of New York moved it some 40 blocks away where we had been earlier in the afternoon. Instead of retracing our steps, we carried on to the Brooklyn bridge where I had vowed I was going to walk across. I was not going to let my tired, sore, and swollen ankles get the best of me. I had walked too far over the last few days to be beaten by this bridge. I am proud to say that Stef, John, and I walked across to Brooklyn.......and then back to Manhattan! Yay us! This called for a celebratory dinner back in Little Italy with authentic New York pizza, cannoli, tirimisu, and of course, Tuscan wine. Whee!!!! Stef and I made John proud by sharing 3 bottles between the two of us. Apparently we took the elevator down to the subway (?) and neither Stef nor I remember going through the turnstiles.....osmosis maybe??? Oh my liver. Sorry about getting to bed early, John.

Unfortunately Tuesday came around, which meant time to go home. Too bad our plans for "missing the flight" didn't work out. But first, what is a visit to New York without shopping?? A walk to Macy's was a must, along with the occasional side trip to a souvenir shop. I think Stef and I could have spent many more hours in Macy's, but alas, we had to be back at the hotel. Thank goodness Stef was able to hail down a cab, otherwise we really would have missed our flights for serious, and would have been soaked to the bone along with our purchases. It didn't occur to us how far away we walked until we hurried to get back.

*sigh* yes, we had to be back. We were all so tired, and yet needed to be back to reality. I had a fantastic time, even though we were incredibly busy. It may not seem like it would have been relaxing, but somehow it turned out to be that way. Very relaxing.

sleep is for the weak

2008-05-04T00:36:00.003-06:00

I didn't purposely forget to write here, really. Not that there is a lot to say, but I'm gonna write anyways, dammit!

Things are alright. I'm working lots to pay for my mega-expensive vacations I'm taking this year. I refuse to use my credit card as much as I did last year...I'm not doing that again. I'm still paying the remnants of Toronto. Boo. But thanks to John's "connections" and PRi's "VIP" status, I'm not doing too bad. Go team! I still have no idea how PRi ends up with deals at the Luxor, and I get zeeeerrrrrooo doooollllaaarrsss.....I signed up for the same Player's club.

*shrug*

I'm also suffering from insomnia right now, which leaves me with constant headaches and huge bags under my eyes. I think it might have something to do with the ridiculous amount of night shifts I worked last week. I think it was last week. What day is it today? My lack of sleep has also contributed to rather interesting dreams, which then leave me confused and unsettled, and therefore unable to go back to sleep. Being awake at weird hours leads to dangerous things like pricing out things to do in Vegas....while drinking... and laughing at movies like Sweeney Todd
(ok, Tim Burton + Johnny Depp + Alan Rickman = hilariousness!)
You had me at meat pie.

Unrelated to anything, I have a huge bruise on my arm that seems to be growing. I don't know how it got there. It hurts if I press it.

Being orange and cursing red

2008-04-05T11:17:00.007-06:00

I have to admit I was a little scared yesterday. Full of comfort food, but scared.

PRi and I restarted our tradition of spontaneous getaways. Really spontaneous. We decided.....Wednesday??...that Friday afternoon we were going to spend the day going for ice cream. In Cochrane. Well, why not? Both of us were off work, there was a full tank of gas in the car, and we both had very long and frustrating weeks. I purposely left my passport at home so I wouldn't get into financial trouble by spending all my "New York" money early. We got into the car and drove.

Ahh, the freedom. It was a good day to drive. Not too sunny, but no rain nor snow either. The roads were great, the tunes were fantastic, my Luxor mug kept my tea hot all the way to the Donut Mill. Mmmm....Donut Mill. Good times. There were no Oilers there this time, Fiz! LOL It was at the Donut Mill that the decision was made to have lunch in Calgary. Originally the plan was to bypass Calgary altogether, but lunch sounded like a good idea at the time......

After lunch we drove the construction-clogged streets out of Calgary. I am ashamed to be impressed with the intensity of which they approach LRT expansion. They are hugely in debt because of it, but people in West Edmonton or Millwoods wouldn't be waiting long for an LRT if we took the same initiative. But anyways...

So here I am driving into Cochrane, ready for some old fashioned world-renowned ice cream, and do you think I could remember how I got there the first time? Under the circumstances you wouldn't either. Not that Cochrane is a big place to get lost in....but whatever. Needless to say it was easy enough to figure out, and soon PRi and I were sitting on a park bench in the sunshine enjoying our much needed treat. Mmm.....

I am totally blaming PRi for our next decision....LOL. She brought a pint of ice cream back to a co-worker in Calgary. How do we get there? we ask her......just take a road that connects from 1A to McLeod. The easiest is 17th Ave. Yeah, 17th Ave SW. Good call on that. PRi and I had muttered about driving through Calgary the entire time we drove through Calgary. But the muttering intensified when we discovered we were on the Red mile.

Boo.

We locked our car doors. Hahahaha it was also rush hour when we finally started our journey home. Boo. I think it deserved another stop at the Donut Mill. And of course another not so spontaneous spontaneous ice cream getaway in May. But next time.......we're not going to drive in the city.

Early early morning rambling

2008-03-27T02:00:00.003-06:00

The world is such a different place at 2 in the morning. Sometimes it's nice. Sometimes it's lonely. I guess it depends on the circumstances of why you would be up at this ridiculous hour.

I outgrew the bar scene shortly after my 18th birthday. I almost make it a point not to be out on a weekend night...or morning...and try to avoid the drunks on their way to Denny's. People get stupid at 2am on a Saturday. But in the middle of the week......Wednesday night for instance.... it's peaceful. And quiet. Most people are snuggled up in bed unaware of the world around them while their alarm clocks count down the minutes. Hardly anyone is driving out on the roads, regardless of the weather. Phones aren't ringing with telemarketers promising the "free" trip to the Caribbean. It's a time of day when you wouldn't feel bad if you curled up with a warm blanket, a good book, and a cup of tea.

The downside of this time of day, however, is the fact that it's 2 freaking o'clock in the morning! There is no sunshine. Nothing is open. Nothing is on TV. There are a lot of drunk people on the roads. Most people are sleeping, which usually means that you should be too. So what are you doing awake? Probably tossing and turning with your warm blanket (which may be too warm depending on the time of year), still reading your book that you can't put down, while your mind is churning with thoughts of caffeine from that dam tea.

I find myself in this dilemma quite often. Usually it happens when I am preparing to work my night shifts....like tonight. Sometimes it happens when I am working my day shifts. It's not nice. I can't go to bed when I feel tired, instead I have to keep myself awake. Then when every fibre in my body wants to stay awake, I have to force myself to fall asleep. Stupid. But then I remember that for some strange reason, I like working my night shifts. It screws up my body and mind, but I like nights.

I'm strange, I know. What sort of nurse likes working nights? It's NOT less busy than a day shift. Babies don't care what time of day it is. In fact I'm more likely to miss a break while on nights rather than on days. But there isn't as many people around. Of course that also means less staff working. The atmosphere is different, I guess. Less politics. Less confusion. Everyone knows what's happening, and everyone pulls together when needed.

But lately I've been having problems adjusting to my days as much as my nights. The first night on a stretch is always the hardest, but you get yourself into some sort of rhythm. I can't seem to get that done for day shifts, though. I've tried pretty much anything and everything. I've even tried PRi's aromatherapy sleepy-time bubble bath that I got her. I'd rather shower, but in the interest of trying to fall asleep, I've gotten into the bathtub. Tonight, I am going to try something new. I bought a melatonin supplement, and after careful consideration, I'm going to give it a try. I'll let you know how it works when I'm done my 5 nights.

In the meantime, it's time for tea.

Blurry

2008-03-21T22:33:00.003-06:00

Where has the time gone? All of a sudden it's Easter, and I feel like it was 40 below zero just yesterday. I suppose I've been busy, but I just can't remember what I've been doing for the past....well.....while.

I want to say it almost feels like I'm on a long stretch of nights....I can't figure out what day it is half the time, and don't even ask me what I ate for breakfast today because I'm sure I won't be able to tell you. Things are a blur.

Last year I had somewhere to go about every two months, so I was always counting down to something. This many more sleeps...... where are you going this time? It doesn't matter....as long as I'm going somewhere. It's turning out to be a long stretch from November until May this year. Mmmm....May. Not far off that May. It's already Easter.

Easter used to mean big Ukrainian dinners when I was growing up, beginning of course with the snacking of newly found chocolate. Recently we haven't made any dinners for Easter (and though dad said the Easter bunny is "getting tired" I will find a basket full of chocolate on Sunday). We still celebrate this time of year as a family, only we make reservations for brunch. And of course fall asleep to The Ten Commandments.

Really, has anyone ever seen that movie in its entirety in one sitting?

The impossible task of distraction

2008-03-05T16:19:00.003-07:00

It's taken me three weeks to write this post for some reason or other. My usual excuse of procrastination doesn't apply here, and to simply say I was distracted would be a lie. I just couldn't figure out how to say what I wanted to say. I had a hard couple of weeks, and there were many things I needed to either vent about, get a second opinion on, or just say what was on my mind. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. I don't think I was lazy. Or maybe I was....

I'm not remembering my dreams as much right now. Probably that means that I'm not sleeping properly again, which is most likely. I'm really tired. I really need to get that problem fixed. First I have to find a new doctor. Hmmm......
Though I have had repeated dreams of drowning. What I'm drowning in, and under what circumstances I'm drowning changes each time, they are recurring. I haven't had recurring dreams for years. Hmm......

Otherwise I guess I'm alright. My last stint of nights was tough, and I thank everyone who helped me out.

My hands are shaky. Hmmm......

So I have a student that I'm preceptoring at work. I wasn't sure if I was ready to take on being a preceptor, but I suppose if my manager didn't think I was ready, she wouldn't have put my name in as a volunteer. I suppose I'll learn more about my practice and myself while teaching. It will be fun. Challenging, but fun.

Hopefully I'm a good teacher. My student will be working on the unit in six weeks....for serious.....

Sometimes a cigar....

2008-02-18T19:37:00.003-07:00

I've been dreaming a lot lately, which I have learned to realize can be either a good or bad thing. Good in the sense that I am actually getting some sleep, more than the annoyingly predictable 6 hours spent tossing and turning. Bad in the sense that my subconsious is working overtime to process an assortment of thoughts, information, and emotions, and then turning its results into random elements of my dreams.

I am one of those people who remembers a lot of dreams. And in great detail. There have been many a time when I stumble out of bed to my bookshelf and PRi asks "what did you dream this time" even before I reach for my dream interpretation books. Those books are hilarious. Apparently the other day I was "going against my better judgement" on a decision of some sort. I didn't even know I was making a decision other than what to have for dinner that day. Maybe the leftovers wasn't a good idea?

But with the arrival of some much needed sleep came dreams out of my subconsious mind about things I thought were resolved. Like a fool, I didn't see the obvious, not at least until I recounted said dreams. Hearing someone else's opinion and thoughts on your mind's raw imagination can be an eye-opener. I know some people think that dreams really have no meaning, and for the most part, I agree. But there are times where I believe dreams have the ability to let you know what is going on deep down in your soul. I think this was one of those times. It seems as if an inner conflict that I thought had been taken care of still battled somewhere deep in my mind and heart. It's confusing. And complicated. But it's there.

So what am I going to do? I don't know. I'm not seeking advice or reassurance. I'm not even sure if I should be taking all of this seriously. All I know is that whatever it is, it has left me feeling disappointed in myself. An odd feeling for just a dream. I can't explain it. I also can't ignore it.

Continuing my education

2008-02-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

Underneath the tiredness from working nights, and grumpiness from being cold and working nights, I am feeling pretty smart. In remembrance of my university days, I thought I would do some self-reflection and write a "journal entry"......LOL those were the days.

How do you feel?
Why do you think you feel the way you do?

Who cares? But anyways. I'm proud of myself for learning some things this week:

When faxing important documents to a doctor's office, be sure to follow the directions....otherwise you end up faxing blank pages.
Dial "9" before the fax number to said doctor's office........otherwise it won't go through.
The baby thermometer weighs 1.3 lbs.
Sometimes your Monday night shift that you oh-so-don't-want-to-work really pays off and becomes the best shift of the weekend. And yes, I said "weekend".
I feel more in control with a hemorrhaging patient than a diabetic one. Damn Plan B diabetic protocol.
I love peppermint tea.
Random appartment inspections gives motivation to do the dishes.
Running out of teaspoons also gives motivation to do the dishes.
Go with your instincts. If you think your patient needs another Cervidil, she probably does.
Stewie likes being at mom's. He even endured the dreaded car ride. He keeps Bear company.

Miscellaneous

2008-01-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

For the first time in a long time, I felt completely and wholly unappreciated today. I worked really really hard, and didn't get anywhere. A thank you would have been nice, but I guess that would have been too much to expect. It's just frustrating, you know. I've been in jobs where it happens all the time, and you learn to shrug it off eventually, but your work sometimes gets noticed. When it does, you feel like a million dollars, and that you're the best darned.....whatever you are.

Today I was an enemy. I had an unfair and untrue judgement against me from the moment I walked through the door. It was going to be a long day.
I just wanted to keep her and her baby healthy. It may not have been exactly as she envisioned it in her head, but in the end, the baby came out happy and healthy. I tried to accommodate her plan as much I could. We didn't even have to go to the OR. Didn't matter though. I was the enemy.

Anyways. I should get a gold star.

I finally got a hold of AMA. My car hasn't started since Sunday night. My wait time for a boost is 24-48 hours....it's a good thing I don't work tomorrow. I just hope they don't come early Friday morning, as I start a stint of nights again.

So PRi has finally left for her vacation, which I have to say I am fighting every urge to get up and meet her in Orlando. I'm sure she'll have a great time, with the sun, and warm, and beaches, and Caribbean, and Disney World, and sun, and warm........*drool*

Stewie and I will have a great time by ourselves. Hopefully he doesn't get all stressed out. I may need to get more litter, then. Maybe I'll bring Bear over for company.

Gong show

2008-01-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

I hate winter.

Have I ever told you that? The only thing I look forward to during the winter months is Christmas...and Christmas is long gone. But most particularly I hate the cold. Snow doesn't really bother me, and though the lack of sunshine makes me sad sometimes, I just don't like the cold.

I went to bed last night, knowing it was going to be cold, so my car was dutifully plugged in, and I had leftover stew packed for lunch today. I even set my alarm earlier so that I would have enough time to get to work with the icy roads. But low and behold my car wouldn't start. :(
Too close to the time I needed to be at work, I couldn't wait around for AMA to come boost my car, and I knew grabbing a cab would be out of the question. So I bundled up as good as any Canadian could, with my toque and scarf and long underwear and 3 pairs of socks, and walked to the nearest bus station. The bus that goes by my apartment only runs once an hour, so waiting for that one wasn't going to happen. Instead I braved the windchill of -54 (Celsius or Fahrenheit, its COLD) and walked to the bus terminal. I made it to work on time with all my fingers and toes thank goodness. At least I didn't call in sick. I needed the money.

Of course it would so happen that on the coldest day of the year when I'm wearing long underwear beneath my scrubs, the thermostat in the OR breaks. It's 28 degrees and humid during a stat C-section, and I'm in danger of passing out. So is the obstetrician. Not a pretty scene.

I have a headache. I still can't get a hold of AMA. Apparently their emergency road service line is busy. And has been for several hours. Hmm....

I'd disappear to some random warm destination, but I can't get to the airport...even the taxis won't go there today.

On a lighter note, I had a very relaxing birthday last week. I worked a day shift, but afterwards went for an awesome dinner at the Sawmill. I've been craving a steak for a while. Mmm..... We then headed back to mom's for cake and gifts. A quiet evening, but it was nice. I got some gift cards and movies, and new speakers for my computer. My monitor has built-in speakers that remind me of the old "mono" sound quality of older TVs, so new speakers were definitely in order. Oh, and a new mug from PRi that I obviously had to christen with tea the next morning. Mmmm...tea.

I think I'm going to make myself some tea.

Awake early

2008-01-22T05:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I realize my clock says it's 5:30am, and not only do I get out of bed, but I turn on my computer for some last minute, guilt-driven reading. Stupid. You'd think I would roll over and fall back asleep, being grateful that I still have 30 glorious minutes until my alarm goes off. But no, that would be the smart thing to do.

But why get up at all? And what's this about reading?

When I started working, I missed out on an introductory "course" about obstetrical risk that is mandatory for me to take. Two years later, I am now taking said course, though on short notice, and after a stint of night shifts. I have had barely enough time to sleep, let alone re-read the 15 online chapters of information. So of course I feel guilty, seeing as I'm supposed to be continuing my education, and professional responsibility and all that jazz, so I've been trying to skim over what I will need for my course today.

And my course is at the Alex.

Not that there is anything wrong with that..............

I told PRi yesterday that I will wonder around with my Tim's tea and find my class room. I can picture myself doing just that....while avoiding some people I don't want to bump into lol. And I have this morbid curiosity to see where my fourth-year clinical instructor is now. If she even still is an instructor. *shudder*

Ok, maybe not. I should go shower now. And dream of the possibility of booze when I get back home......

Lady luck please let the dice stay hot

2008-01-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to say I'm still feeling exhausted since my last post, and I haven't yet figured out why I'm not sleeping properly. Nevertheless, I am still prodding on with life because I know that things won't hold off until I get a decent night's sleep. My worst day/night was last Friday. I had last weekend off work, so I was looking forward to some much needed time with my bed and pillow. How little did I know I would be wrong. Very wrong indeed.

PRi's company Christmas party was also last Saturday at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald, and as her guest, I was super excited to be going. I had never been there despite living in Edmonton for over 17 years. PRi and I decided to take advantage of the group rate and stay overnight Saturday and indulge in Sunday brunch. It was a mini-vacation, and I loved it! Friday night came, and although I was very tired and went to bed early, I did not sleep. I'm sure you've had those nights where it seems as if you got a hour of sleep, and spent the night tossing and turning. I know I have, but this night was different. I was awake and spent the night moving from my bed to the couch in a valiant effort to fall asleep somewhere.

Needless to say, by the time PRi and I got to the Christmas party, I had been up for 28 hours. Despite every ounce of my body aching to find a comfortable bed to curl up on, PRi and I headed down to the ballroom for the party.

I am extremely glad that I still went to the party, because I wasn't disappointed. The hotel was spectacular! It was like stepping into a different time and place, forgetting that you were on Jasper Ave in the middle of winter. I was impressed with everything, and therefore headed to the party in a great mood. The party itself was fantastic, from the hotel staff, to the food, to the people actually celebrating. I knew some of the people who were there, so I didn't feel completely out of place. There were a lot of laughs, and generally everyone had a great time. I opted out on most of the coveted cheesecake, though, simply for the fact that I had the same ones in my freezer. But otherwise had a fantastic time.

During the night, there were draws for door prizes. PRi and I joked about some of the prizes and how we would end up with the signed Oilers hat that wouldn't go with my Smitty jersey, or the gun scope that neither of us would use, or the golf shirts that PRi has hanging in her room somewhere. I missed out on the draw for PRi's prize, however, because I had decided to skip out on the dance, and head to bed. At 33 and a half hours awake, I was getting delusional, not to mention a serious headache that PRi's pharmacy of drugs couldn't cure. So I went upstairs to the suite we had reserved, and promptly fell solidly asleep.

Until 4:30am.

I then awoke to find PRi tossing and turning in her bed much like I have been the previous....many days. She proceeded to tell me she hasn't fallen asleep yet, but may have had an explanation for this. You see, PRi's door prize ticket was the last to be drawn, and so therefore she won the grand prize. A trip for two to Vegas! Fully awake now, we both laughed ourselves silly at the thought of the prize. I asked her what hotel were we going to stay at....but does it really matter? Then I laughed again, saying that ~assuming~ I was going, I wanted to have a Paris buffet. oops. PRi laughed at me..."of course you are going, didn't you hear me that WE are going to Vegas?" LOL

Not that I was already planning to go this year :):)

Tired

2008-01-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

I got home from work today seriously thankful that I work in an area of nursing where I am almost guaranteed not to see the same patient two shifts in a row. I'm sure all of you have had those days where you are watching the clock practically move backwards, slowly counting the minutes until you leave and never have to see the person who is driving you nuts ever again. Well, unless you work with them everyday, then it's bad news I suppose.

*sigh*

But anyways. I guess otherwise I am doing alright. Just tired as usual on my string of night shifts. I got to work yesterday and found the year's vacation planner already up. I put in my request right away, saddened by the fact that 3 people are already asking for the same week off (and they have more seniority), and the planner will be up until March. Hopefully things will work out, though. It becomes harder and harder to trade your weekend night shifts...especially in the summer.

So yeah and stuff. Not much else, really. I'm just kinda biding my time trying to keep myself awake before I work again. My car is semi-fixed and working thank goodness, and I didn't have to spend $1800. I can at least drive to the edge of the parking lot without it overheating now. Yay! My apartment is strangely quiet, after a rather busy Christmas and New Years and the neighbours' discovery of Guitar Hero with a new sound system. Thanks PRi, for letting them know I work nights! lol :) So with this new found quietness, I am also getting really sleepy. I suppose a nap couldn't hurt.....

The obligatory post

2008-01-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

Another year has come and gone, and though I've done my best to forget this fact, I still find myself looking back at what 2007 brought....and what it meant. I swore last year that I wouldn't go making New Year's resolutions, and I don't intend to right now, and besides, that's not what this post is all about.

I had said before that I don't like New Years all that much. I originally wasn't going to explain, but for some reason or another, I feel compelled to put my thoughts and feelings out there, no matter how silly or childish or stupid they seem. This is my blog. This is why I write. I can't tell you when I started to feel this way about ringing in a new year. It seems to be rather confusing when you think about it.....wouldn't you think that a new year also means a new beginning...a new start on life? You get a new perspective on things, swear to yourself that you would fill your life with hope and happiness, and to seize the day. But then what happens?

Why not treat every single day like it was New Year's day? Every day should be worth living, not just one day out of the year.

And so here I am, contradicting my opinion. Well, not really. Looking back at 2007 doesn't necessarily mean that I am a hypocrite. Or maybe it does. No point on worrying about that now.

Last year I talked about not making resolutions for the year, but make them for every day. Instant results....who wouldn't want that? By taking this on, I learned a lot about who I am and who I could be. Strange, really. Did I unconsciously make a resolution not to make them, and in so doing, made a resolution that lead to self-discovery? Somehow I think so. In the process of not making a resolution for the upcoming year, I ended up thinking more about the present. I stopped worrying about a lot of things I couldn't control. I took time for myself when I could, but still shouldered a lot of responsibility. This last point is one I am very proud of. It's not often you'll hear me say I'm proud of myself, but I am learning to do that too. I'm beginning to balance my life in a way that makes me happy...though there is always room for improvement hahahaha.....

For example, the profession I am in is a stressful one. I am always learning, always trying to improve myself, always trying to be safe, and always trying to keep the passion that I have for it alive. But I can't live and breathe work. Another part of me needs to get out and play. So what have I done to satisfy this? I have travelled. A lot. So maybe the NBA All-Star weekend wasn't the best time to go to Vegas...and arriving at O'Hare airport on Thanksgiving was ridiculous....and despite the dollar being so good, Toronto cost me a pretty penny. But the memories I had with friends and family at my side, and what I felt is worth more than I can ever say. At the beginning of last year, I would have been really hard on myself for taking so many trips. I've grown up a bit more now. I'm investing in RRSPs and a pension, and moved into an apartment after swallowing my pride and realizing I shouldn't buy a condo right now.

So here's to another year of not making resolutions, but to continue to explore the person I am and who I am becoming....and to never stop living.

And so it was Christmas

2007-12-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

I count myself pretty lucky that this was the first year since I got out of sciences at the U that I had to work Christmas. My jobs through school, and even after allowed me to enjoy this time of the year. Granted I rang in the new year at work most of the time, but as a Christmas lover, I didn't mind.
I always get depressed over New Year's anyways....blah blah I should have been a better person...I'm too fat....I need more money...blah blah blah. Celebrating the new year while busy at work at least kept my sanity. This year I paid my dues, though. I worked nights over Christmas......the time when children should be nestled snug in their beds (anyone in their right minds would be in bed that time of night anyways) while visions of holidays and family and food and fun all danced in their heads. My grandparents came from Winnipeg this year, so it was doubly hard to go to work. When I came home Christmas morning, I had to endure the traditional Ukrainian Christmas dinner as breakfast. I think I ate one meal a day for 3 days.

And there's still leftovers of course.

But even with working over Christmas this year, I didn't lose the Christmas spirit. I was super excited to find out if everyone liked the presents I got them. I listened and sung Christmas carols all hours of the day (and I mean all hours....stupid nights). I gave my really sick HELLP patient a chance to visit with her baby Christmas morning. We had a gift exchange at work (along with a LOT of food), and I was merely happy to be able to work with a great bunch of people who would even think of doing a gift exchange. Not so much when I was working at the Alex....but whatever. That ship has sailed and I am not looking back.

All in all, it was a good Christmas. I am sad I couldn't spend more time with my family, but glad I was lucky enough to at least see them. I'm still not looking forward to New Years simply for the fact that it is New Years, but at least I will have people over to ring in 2008.

And a lot of booze.

Not much

2007-12-17T16:24:00.000-07:00

With all the craziness of Christmas approaching, I have been neglectful of my blog....as have many people. But I think it is nice just to sit down once in a while instead of constantly being on your feet and moving and doing and forgetting. I figured since I am sitting down, I should at least update.

So here I am.

Not much going on since my last post. I talked to Telus about my insane bill, and they insist that it was their error, as a computer malfunction caused the cancellation of many people's service, and therefore this shouldn't have been billed. I wonder how many people like me noticed a random cancellation charge on their bill. So I gave Telus $77 to cover my actual bill, and talked to Shaw about their home bundle. The jury is still out.

Work is going alright. Busy. Very busy. We must be getting people from Saskatchewan, because there can't be any more pregnant women left in Edmonton....we delivered them all. And then some.

My ridiculously huge box of presents made it to Chicago in one piece...and it better have for the amount of postage I paid. Stupid huge box. I really hope Jo and Eric like their Christmas presents.....or else I may not be invited to stay at their place anymore! LOL

The worst thing about getting all my shopping done early is that now everyone's Christmas lists are out, and most of the gifts I bought are not on said lists. And now I am worrying about whether or not anyone will like their gifts. *sigh* I'm not shopping anymore. You'll just have to like what I got you.

At least I kept the receipts this year.

Feeling like a doormat

2007-12-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

Today has not been a good day. I started out alright, happy that my Christmas shopping is done, and half of my wrapping is done......which normally all happens on December 23rd. I work nights over Christmas this year, so instead of procrastinating like I always do, I thought I'd get a head start on everything. Very smart. Very stupid for my bank account.
Then while doing some online banking, I realized that my paycheck today was very very small. Granted I had some vacation time, but I thought I had 12 hours of OT on this check as well. I am going to have to get to work and count my hours again. It wouldn't be the first time I have had missed hours. Sigh.
Then I go looking for a box to send some Christmas gifts. I just moved three months ago, I should still have some boxes laying around somewhere in storage or whatever. All I found was a large Budget box, and a medium Budget box.....which is conveniently much much larger than what I need, but whatever. Postage and shipping may be costly, but my saving grace is that the box isn't all that heavy.
Then after fighting with my brand new printer (which doesn't print as well as my old one), I finally was able to wrap said Christmas gifts to be sent. In the not-so-small box. By the time I finished this I found out that the Post Office is closed. Which now means that I have to get up early tomorrow to send my box before I work 12 hour nights. BOO.
So I come home and find a Telus bill waiting for me. I open the Telus bill, expecting to find the REGULAR internet charges (and not the ENHANCED internet charges), and lo and behold, a $340 bill is staring at me in the face. This is 4 times the amount quoted to me on November 6th when I called Telus and yelled at them for charging me for the internet service I NEVER even ordered. Now I am to pay a cancellation fee of $260 for a service I was wrongly charged for in the first place?????

*%@$!*

I may not be the most vocal person at times, but I know when I've been wronged, and I will stand up for what I believe in. I'm not argumentative by nature, and so this may have been my downfall. Was it because I only spent 45 minutes yelling at some girl named Sarah last time? Should I have been more assertive? If I was, would they still have charged me the dam cancellation fee?
And so here I am blaming myself for a mistake I didn't even commit. I'm not sacrificing any more of my sleep tomorrow to waste time talking to some corporate drone on the phone that I'm being charged RIDICULOUS amounts for. It may have to wait until Monday.
I think I'm going to talk to Shaw again. I didn't like their internet service when I first had my computer, but if it means less money and hassle, I suppose it's worth a try. The only thing I need to figure out is my phone. I only have a land line at the moment (it was SUPPOSED to be cheaper), so hopefully Shaw can help me out with that too.

Wow, this turned into a really angry post. Sorry. No, wait....I'm not sorry. I should be upset, dammit!

I'm going to make myself a tea.

Holiday Spirit

2007-12-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

I love Christmas. In fact, it's practically the only thing I look forward to during the winter. Christmas carols, Christmas decorating, Christmas cheer....just about everything. Though I think that Halloween is too early to begin to think about Christmas shopping and such, I eagerly await the first weekend in December to put up my tree and turn on the Boney M and Bing Crosby.

So for this being the first of December, I had planned to get up early and head over to mom's for brunch and tree decorating. It's a ritual, really. The sifting through a large assortment of boxes to find the lights and ornaments, the rearranging of furniture to accommodate the tree, the hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of lights all down the hallway so we can figure out which strings to use. Last year we bought LEDs, but we still had to plug them all in. Of course when the lights go on the tree, you have to stand far away and squint your eyes so you can see where you need to add more. Good times.

This year is the first year with my very own Christmas tree, so mom came over after we decorated her house and we started our ritual all over again. She gave me the angel tree topper that she has had for many many years to put on my tree, and although the lights behind her don't work anymore, she still had to be there. I'm very happy with my tree. It has everything I think a Christmas tree needs. Lots of lights, lots of love, lots of memories.

I took a number of ornaments I have had since I was little, along with ones my grandmother had made and ones my aunt had on her tree, and added them to my new ornaments I brought home from Chicago. Jo and I probably spent an hour in that Christmas store...I could have bought everything! I couldn't believe the amount of Christmas spirit I experienced after Thanksgiving. "Have a happy Black Friday" turned out to be more than just the shopping, it was a perfect excuse to decorate everything and spread the Christmas cheer. As much as Jo (and possibly Eric?) thought the Christmas concert last Sunday was ridiculous, I enjoyed the kids behind me singing along with the carols. Kids have the right idea I think.

"'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!'"

Back home

2007-11-27T23:37:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should update this thing more often. I'm getting pretty terrible, and I don't think it has anything to do with being lazy. I'm just busy. And sometimes don't have much to say. But what I should really be doing is writing anyways. I'm sure I'd feel a lot better on those days where I just need to vent, even for the boring and mundane experiences we call "life". There are times, however, where I have lots to say, and sometimes some of those things shouldn't appear on such a public medium and therefore I keep my mouth shut. Once, I made an entry and then promptly deleted it, feeling better that I just wrote things down and reorganized my thoughts and emotions. I should do that more often. But not today. Today I have something to say.

In the spirit of the holiday season, I must give thanks...and a lot of them.....to two special people in my life who made my vacation exactly what I needed it to be. I didn't realize it at the time...I was just thankful of the opportunity to get away and enjoy your company over a fantastic feast that included the "stuffed" hens, pie, and booze. In copious amounts. But leaving this time was so much harder than the last for some reason, and I'm not sure why. I hated leaving. And there was still pie.

Otherwise, things are same old same old I guess. I'm looking forward to Christmas this year, despite working nights during the holidays. I can't wait to put up my tree with my new decorations while belting out Christmas carols. Yes, I'll be the first to admit I love Christmas carols....all the time......I wonder if I'll drive PRi nuts.

oh my hat.....I mean head

2007-11-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

I went to bed last night with a migraine for some reason or another. Not an experience I would like to repeat, that's for sure. I've only ever had one other migraine in my life and I count myself lucky. I do get really bad headaches from time to time, usually because I've had my contacts in for too long, or I haven't slept. But the photosensitivity, nauseousness, and aversion to even the quiet hum of my computer is something I tried to cure last night.

All of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks. I could tell I was getting a headache from my contacts, so those came out shortly after I got home from the hockey game. No help. I took two extra strength Tylenol and two super strength Advil. No help. I slept for 11 hours. No help. I'm not sure what I need to do. I thought it might have been the Oilers game, but then I realized that I practically had season tickets for five years, and I rarely went home with a headache....except for the odd concert or two when there was so much smoke from pot that the fire alarms went off lol but I remember that I came home that night hungry ;)

So what am I doing about my headache? Nothing. I suppose it's my fault for not taking advantage of my day off and curling up in bed with a cup of tea and a good book. Instead I have laundry and dishes to do. And I have to get ready for the Christmas party tonight. I was looking forward to going, but with this headache, I'm not sure how much partying I will be doing. I think I'm going to go anyways (I'd hear about it for sure from a certain charge nurse if I wasn't there hahahaha), but I may leave early depending on how I feel. Drinky-drinky for Morgo? I'm not so sure with all these drugs in my system. We'll see. I think I'm going to pick up some Excedrin first.

A week of colour

2007-11-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

So I'm nearing the end of my last stretch of nights before I escape for American Thanksgiving, and I'm getting super excited! My suitcase is empty and waiting for a jumble of clothes and PRi's collapsible Roots bag. I've been to the bank and took advantage of the amazing exchange rate. And despite our recent questionable experiences at airports, John and I are looking forward to braving the crowds at O'Hare. Oh, and apparently the hotel I'm going to be staying at is close to Benihana's...mmm..... :):)
Just as long as it's not the Indigo...I like the colour blue, but really.....

PRi outdid herself this weekend and made Sunday dinner for my family and her mom. I know she can cook if she puts her mind to it and has the motivation. I hastily put together some nachos on Saturday after waking up from nights, as dad and Devin were going to figure out my Billy bookcase. All is well, and after moving the bookcase from my carpeted living area to the tiled entryway, my collection of books now have a home. Even my rainbow bible. And you all know how hard it is to find a home for my rainbow bible. Sunday, PRi whipped up a fantabulous dinner for 6 which we all enjoyed while basking in the warmth of our first fire in the apartment. I know that said dinner entree will make another appearance in the months to come. Mmm.....good jorb PRi!

While fixing my bookcase, dad confirmed our "date" for Thursday at the Oilers game. Go Oilers! Him and I haven't been to a regular season game for a long time, so I'm pretty excited. We've gone to a few pre season games, but the last real game we went to was the playoff series against Detroit. I wonder if I still have my silver pom-poms....

I'm also getting excited for my work's Christmas party on Friday. We deserve a night out, I think. It's nice to see everyone NOT in greens, blue poofy hats, and masks. This year, I don't have to work a night shift afterwards....yay!

Random musings

2007-10-31T15:13:00.000-06:00

The thing I am looking forward to the most this Halloween is spending time with my family. It used to be dressing up and trick-or-treating, then Halloween parties, then Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror. In recent years, my friends and I used to watch a scary movie every year in October, but most of those who went with me have moved away.

People in customer service jobs have been friendlier today.....perhaps it's the prospect of candy.

I have been told the book "The Kite Runner" is a pretty wicked read, but I find myself rather reluctant to pick it up. Maybe it's because the type of story I like to lose myself in doesn't include the war in Afghanistan. I suppose it's a good book nonetheless. Instead, I've restarted HP.

The parking lot in my apartment complex is being repaved, and although I am glad for this new and improved lot, it is highly inconvenient. My apartment is at the end of the lot, and they're paving the entrance, so I can park in front of my place....provided I am able to Canyonaro it from the fire lane. So at the moment I am two blocks away. I suppose the walk won't kill me, and it's not -30 outside, but competing for the very limited space on the street is frustrating. And yes, I said "canyonaro".

My Billy bookcase is sitting unused. After my brother and my dad put it together while I was in Toronto, they discovered that it completely topples over if you put something in it. My 200 lbs of nursing textbooks are still in boxes, in which PRi's mom pointed out while over for dinner. Hopefully it just means that the bookshelf needs to be moved to the linoleum near the door, instead of the living room. I am sad I can't use it.

Adventures with WestJet, Ford, Fiz, and the Wild Beast

2007-10-23T23:51:00.000-06:00

So PRi and I are back from our trip to Toronto for Fiz's wedding...and though we are both not looking forward to the inevitable return to daily living and work, we are also glad the week is over. *sigh*

It all started on Wednesday with our "morning" flight. PRi and I arrived at the airport 25 minutes before departure, but couldn't board the plane. We were put on standby for another flight. Meanwhile, breakfast at Tim's was in order. Not only did PRi realize her wallet was missing while standing in line, but they royally screwed up our order, nearly causing me to boycott Tim's forever (though highly unlikely while I still work nights). Then we board our next flight, get kicked off because of another flight cancellation, and watch our ~second~ plane take off without us. Six hours later, we finally board another plane that actually left the ground with PRi and I really buckled in, and ready to fight tooth-and-nail to stay aboard. After circling Toronto for an hour, we landed in BUFFALO, NY to refuel because Pearson Airport was closed due to fog. At this point, you just have to laugh. PRi and I joked about the dollar being so good, that we could just go shopping, but unfortunately there were no customs agents available at midnight to get us back on the plane. An hour later, we were up in the air, and praying we landed in Toronto, and not Ottawa. We did manage to land in Toronto, but very very late. I was lucky the Budget counter was still open, and even though there was only one vehicle left, I took it.

Do you think I was lucky enough to get the Rendezvous this time?
No.
At least this Taurus didn't leak radiator fluid. Boo.
So anywho, I pick up the car and start my way down the 401 looking for my hotel. In a ridiculous amount of fog. My knuckles were probably ghostly white from holding on to the steering wheel so tight. Not only was it 2am, but you couldn't see 10 feet in front of you. Stupid fog. We get to the hotel only to find that they were in the process of cancelling my reservation (come on, I was only 12 hours late!).

And that was only the first day! LOL

The remainder of the trip went well for the most part. Thursday was spent downtown at the CN Tower and Hockey Hall of Fame, with a break for tea at the Fairmont Royal York. Go Morgo for parking right next to the Air Canada Centre ~during~ a Leafs game. Go Oilers. We went to the zoo on Friday, and I totally loved it! Everything was absolutely gorgeous, and PRi and I walked for miles enjoying the scenery, animals, and the fact that we were there on the off-season. Though all the walking and 100% humidity were not friends with my ankles, and PRi's knees, we did indulge in the hot tub and sauna back at the hotel.

Saturday was Fiz's wedding...the reason why we were in Toronto in the first place. PRi and I went for "breakfast" with her aunt and uncle at a dim sum restaurant in Markham, and then rushed back to the hotel to get ready. I had never been to a traditional Muslim wedding, but I had a blast. The guests were in gorgeous attire of every colour. The food was amazing. Everyone was determined to have a good time, and celebrate the union of the happy couple. Good times were had. I still can't believe Fiz is really married, though. Fiz! Congratulations to you and Farah!

The weather turned from very very foggy and misty on Thursday, to record-high temperatures on Sunday. A perfect day to spend at Canada's Wonderland, I think. The park wasn't open the last time I was in Toronto (instead we amused ourselves with BOARD, pizza parties, singing bras, and Niagara Falls!), so I was pretty excited this time around. The adrenaline junkie in me relished in the amazing amount of roller coasters that had "high speeds and/or heights, aggressive and unexpected forces, and rapid directional or elevation change". Yay thrill rides! All was well until the Wild Beast. At this old school wooden roller coaster, PRi strained her neck, and therefore opted out on the rides. It was getting near closing time, though, and we had enjoyed most of the rides we wanted to earlier in the day anyways. But PRi's neck is feeling somewhat better now, so hopefully things are ok.

Like all excursions, this one had to end sometime. Monday we came home (on the first airplane, might I add!) and had to face returning to work. We couldn't let one bad experience put us off travelling, though. PRi is anxiously awaiting her next vacation, and I have already started my count down. 30 more sleeps!

Settling in

2007-10-10T16:45:00.000-06:00

Surprisingly I've enjoyed being a homebody over the last couple of days. I had the long weekend off work, so apart from moving and eating, I've been slowly getting my act together and organizing my life. Things have moved from boxes to shelves, or from boxes to the floor. I've made a lot of shopping trips than I'd like, but I've been able to control how much I've spent. It's been fun, really.

I'm still getting used to being moved, but things are going well. I do miss my dog, though. It's quiet around here.

Otherwise, it's been the same old same old. I'm about to start 5 night shifts tomorrow, so I want to take care of as much as I can now. As soon as I'm done nights, PRi and I are off to Toronto! I should empty my suitcase first, I think.

Moved

2007-10-08T10:21:00.000-06:00

The past few weeks have brought a lot of stress, emotions, sore muscles, and boxes...but I am now officially moved! yay me! It's been one helluva ride for sure.

I have been an emotional wreck for a while, feeling excited, scared, and everything in between. It was strange seeing the room you filled with experiences become emptier by the hour. Part of me was sad to let go of items that have been with me for years, and yet another part of me was excited about the possibility of filling that void with new memories. It's going to take a while to get used to being on my own. It doesn't quite feel like home yet, and I know that will come eventually. But in the meantime, I am trying to busy myself with arranging furniture, and shopping for extra stuff that I know PRi and I will need (like extra cutlery....you can never have too many spoons).

I think this will be good for me, though. I've been ready to move for a while, but it doesn't make it any easier once it comes down to it, I guess.

Nothing new

2007-09-25T10:35:00.000-06:00

Despite the fact that I'm moving next weekend, I've got nothing really new to say. I've been fighting off a cold the last few days, so my time has been spent trying to get a decent nights sleep hahahahaha buying Kleenex and sipping tea. A cup of tea can solve almost anything. Tea is very versatile, you know. Hot, it can soothe and relax. Iced, it can refresh. And in "Long Island" form....... wheeeee!
But anyways.
My packing has been going exactly as I thought it would. I'm procrastinating on a lot of it. Well, at least I'm honest. I should be getting things done now, as I have a couple of days off work. But as per usual, I'm spending more time planning my trips than my actual moving. Yay vacation! I am getting things accomplished, though. I have a phone and new computer. I have some boxes that need to be filled. I reserved a U-Haul to move my bed. I know what furniture I am going to buy when I get paid this week. I know my Billy bookcase from Ikea won't really fit in my trunk even with my backseat folded down. I booked my flight/hotel for Toronto. I know I don't want to think about how busy O'Hare is going to be on November 22nd. I am contemplating on meeting Jo at the end of June somewhere really really warm. LOL and I'm going off track again.
*sigh*
Well, now that my cup of tea is done, I suppose I should start rummaging through some stuff.

A new leaf?

2007-09-10T19:50:00.000-06:00

Some things exhilarate your senses, leaving you breathless. And no, I'm not talking dirty. I mean the feeling you get when you dive head first into the ocean, experience spicy cuisine, lay your eyes on new and majestic scenery, etc. But some things can invigorate your mind and soul, though ordinary they may seem.

In attempt to organize myself lately, I have stumbled across this very phenomenon. I have a rather large collection of papers or documents strewn about my house, and since I have inherited my dad's pack-rat tendencies, none of these papers have been touched in years. I mean years. I still had French notes from elementary school, empty and somewhat crumpled music folders from junior high, and full subject binders from McNally. PRi and I had a good laugh when I found Bismarck and Napoleon notes, half-finished scribbled letters (lists?) to Sheena, and analyzation attempts on Edgar Allen Poe that may have been decorated in pink balloons......
After setting our focus back on actually doing something about this mess, I found it rather refreshing to chuck everything into a recycle pile. Sounds kind of nerdy, I know. I had forgotten that I had thrown everything in a large TV box and shoved it in a corner of my basement. Not until I went looking for my 3 toasters, glassware, and nursing books to sort through did I find the hidden gems of my school years. Some things I ended up keeping in the end (mostly binders and loose leaf, but also my "calendrier" and that dragon Andy and I "lost" at Bird's Hill Park).

After a short bout of mourning for my past destined for recycling, I felt accomplished, and somewhat energized at the prospect of clearing out some of the clutter that has been weighing me down. I spent the better part of my day today sifting through old bank statements, tax returns, pay stubs from 2001, and student loan documents. It took a lot of effort to not wander into Ikea and buy all the storage items and furniture that I saw yesterday. Instead, I settled for a file organizer from Staples in which my smaller pile of papers got sorted.

During this sorting, a new me slowly came out today. A me who is slightly more practical, though still spontaneous. A me whose "gold" sometimes outweighs the "blue-orange". A me who is focusing a little more on the future instead of the now. It's scary finding this new person within me. Is it all part of growing up? Maybe. I'd still like to think that there is room for the old me as well.

feeling a bit humbled

2007-09-04T12:26:00.000-06:00

Shopping is a humbling experience. You've put on some weight so the sizes you once wore don't fit quite right. Your credit card gets maxed out causing you to return some items. You fight with sale-seeking coupon-cutting back-to-school-shopping hormone-oozing grabby people for the only piece of clothing in the store that you liked. The thrill of buying something new is sometimes marred by terrible encounters, and yet can open up a whole new perspective on things.

Such was the case last week, when PRi and I decided to go condo hunting. Though some details still needed to be worked out, and finalization of the mortgage still needed to happen, we braved the notorious housing market with our realtor to test the waters of available accommodations that fit our budget. I don't think neither of us were really expecting to actually buy something right away, but looking to see what was out there gave us an idea of what to expect. We had seen 5 different (and I mean different) apartment-style condos on the south side of the city in our price range.

The most affordable being very small, but needing little work was the first to be seen. Not bad to rent, but I wouldn't have bought. Though lacking in storage space, fridge, and dishwasher, the condo had new laminate flooring and access to an indoor swimming pool. I drew the line, however, at the coin-operated laundry room down the hall. If I'm going to buy my own place, I'd like to be able to wash my clothes in my own place. The rest of the condos we looked at had similar pros and cons.......the cons unfortunately outweighing the pros. How those people wanting to sell their places will ever get offers I will never know.

All in all it left both PRi and I feeling humbled and poor, but interestingly enough opened our eyes to what was available and what we could do about it. Downhearted, a late Denny's dinner was in order to discuss our shopping experience, and both of us decided it was not worth risking our friendship to continue looking at this moment in time. Maybe in the spring, when the market slows down, and we sort out our finances and responsibilities.....but not right now. In the mean time, I had been toying with the idea of helping PRi with her ridiculous rent, and moving in until the end of the lease. Renting was not my first choice though, but it will cut down on some costs for PRi, and will give us a better idea of how we are as roommates. A smarter decision I think for now than actually buying a condo.

A need to vent. A need to explain.

2007-08-24T13:45:00.000-06:00

I'm getting really bad at updating lately. I don't really have excuses, and I'm not going to try and make up one anyways. I've got a lot happening right now, and a lot that's going to happen, so naturally I've been preoccupied. But I need to vent, and now that I'm awake enough to do so, I'm going to make a long entry entirely devoted to venting.
Not all of what I have to get off my chest is negative, though. But I'll get to that in a moment.

First of all, I am tired. Very very tired. Not much has changed from my last post about being an insomniac, except for the fact that I slept well last night for the first time in ages and ages. You know when you wake up at 4am to pee and you know that as soon as your head hits the pillow again you will get back to sleep? That feeling of tiredness? That is how I have felt ALL THE TIME. And what have I done about it? Nothing. It's my own fault really. I suppose some of it is stress. Some of it is shift work. Some of it I'm not entirely sure. But at any rate, I slept well last night...well enough that I may just need a cat nap later and I'll be good to go for my night shift. Tonight's shift has been brought to you by the letter K and the number 1....because if it hadn't been traded, I would have to leave early on September 1st to go to work.

Yes. Work. I'm not going to go into detail about the ridiculousness of work right now. It has been extremely busy and extremely frustrating. I've dealt with worse...much much worse....so I know that I have the capability to handle it. I also work with a great and supportive bunch of people.

All this work, though, should pay off in the end. Work to live, right?

So on to more positive things.

With all the talk about work, and all the talk about finances, I am finally going to buy a condo. Yay me! Well, not just me. I have thought about it alot in the past, and there are still some things to work out, but PRi and I are going to be co-owners. We have already spoken to the bank, and we are going to look at a few places next week, but there are still some issues we have to sort out before everything is finalized. I don't want to jeopardize the friendship that PRi and I have, and so apart from being excited and a bit stressed, I am also very nervous and admittedly scared. There are a lot of things that need to be addressed in the near future, from the term of the mortgage to what happens if one of us decides to move. PRi is hoping for a quick possession date, so things feel a bit rushed right now. Especially since I've been working weird hours, and have had to sacrifice my precious sleep time to get things done. I have no set agenda of when I'd like to move, just as long as everything that needs to be discussed is discussed, and in writing if necessary. Apart from all of that stress associated with buying and moving, I'm looking forward to owning my own place. And I'm going to have one helluva housewarming party!

So not only am I trying to budget for buying a condo, I'm also budgeting for a trip or two. I'm so terrible! I think I've travelled more this last year than I ever have. LOL I've already worked out what it is going to cost me for a jaunt to Toronto in October, and all that is left is to book it. It's pricey for some reason, even with the seat sale.

But it will be worth it!

Insomnia

2007-08-09T00:29:00.000-06:00

Recently I've had this problem with sleeping properly. I suppose it has something to do with shift work and trying to get my body used to some ridiculous regime of sleeping when it's daytime, or at least trying to sleep when every fibre in my being tells me it's time to be awake and doing things. Then I have to mess it up again so I am not up at some ungodly hour tossing and turning until I tire myself out and doze. Temporarily it happens when I'm turning around from nights to days, but lately it feels like every single day is a struggle to crawl out of bed and force myself to stay awake when I need to be. Then I crawl back into bed after being awake for some number of hours and force myself to sleep despite my mind working overtime and my body aching. Don't even talk about STAYING asleep because that never happens.

So here I am writing about my sleeping habits instead of actually doing something about it. Oh well. No sense worrying about something you can't really fix at 12am anyways. I'm going shopping tomorrow for some various things I have procrastinated on getting, and I think I am going to hunt down a sleep mask. Maybe a new pillow. Or something.

But first, I have to get to bed.

I'm old

2007-07-27T23:48:00.000-06:00

I feel like I'm getting old, and I don't like it. Well, who doesn't really, unless you are 14 and wishing you were legal or at least older so people would realize that indeed you are right about everything. You're really as old as you feel, age is just a number, add you're own cliche here and so on. But seriously.

I went to K-Days today, or Capital Ex or whatever you choose to call it. First time in I think 3 years since I've been. I had my plan of what I wanted to do, and I was not going to spend all day there either. I haven't been there for a whole day in a very long time, and that was when a whole bunch of us would get together and shop and ride all the rides a million times until the fireworks. Then we'd ride some more because everyone would go home after the fireworks were done. Yeah, those were the days. And it didn't really cost so much either, unless you wanted to buy stuff in the Agricom and lug it around with you for the rest of the day. The cold Root beer stand had cold Root beer for cheap. The lemonade stand had cheap but tasty lemonade. You could share one order of curly fries or one of the BBQ sandwiches between 3 people. You could play Skeeball for a buck. Life was good.

But today was a much different story. Maybe it's because I'm out of touch with things now that I'm more grown up. It's very possible. I haven't been there in a while, perhaps things are different now. The target crowd even seems different. At least that was my perspective, and it may be entirely incorrect. But maybe it's because I'm getting old.

I had been there barely more than 5 hours today and it cost me nearly $200. And all I have to show for it is a stamp on my hand, a validated LRT ticket, and a bag of mini-donuts. Devin and I were at least able to get on 5 rides for a low low price of $50 as we shared ride tickets between us. It would have been twice the price to "ride all day". And the 5 rides should have been 4 but one of the operators forgot to scan our ticket pass. Woot!

Mind you, a large chunk of money was spent on grown-up things like real food, Dream Home lottery tickets, parking at HUB, and Groceries for Life.

So I come home with a rather emptier wallet and thankful that I don't have a sunburn (yay SPF 50!) My hair is dishevelled, my hands are sticky and my feet are tired and swollen. My dusty clothes that were picked for comfort in this weather and not for style were quickly replaced by pyjamas. I really did have a great time today, despite feeling like I'm falling apart.

But now I remember why I haven't gone for the last few years.

conflict

2007-07-15T20:53:00.000-06:00

I can start explaining my excuses away by telling you that it's too hot. I'm lazy. I'm tired. I have to work nights tonight. All of the above. But what good will it do? I shouldn't complain anyways. I totally love this weather.....I just hate trying to sleep through it.
So instead, I'm going to eat my fudgesicle.

I've been conflicted lately, on a lot of things. Some I have mentioned, and others I probably won't say, but be bothered with them anyways. Maybe I'll feel better once I've been able to express them openly, but for now..........I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I don't know what it is I want to say. You'd think it would be easier to write it down. Or I could take a page out of PRi's book, and really vent my opinion.
But somehow, I can't. Not yet. Instead I'm writing this ridiculously cryptic entry that is going nowhere. All I ask in return is that you will be there when I need you to hear what I have to say.

Blah

2007-07-04T16:36:00.000-06:00

I suppose it is the warm weather that is making my brain slow. I was going to post an update earlier, and I can't seem to find the right words to say. I don't think the last of my Bacardi breezers have anything to do with it either hahaha. But I find myself wanting to sit down and finally post something here. I did such a thing after getting home from work, but couldn't think of anything to write. The backspace button had a lot of action going on hahaha, but nothing cohesive was happening.
So here I am four hours later and rambling away about my non-post. I'm just finding myself pretty lazy today. It wasn't an unbelievably busy day at work (a rarity nowadays), and I got a decent amount of sleep last night despite the heat and being woken up by cats.
I don't even know why I am doing an update anyways, as most of you who read this know my story, but I suppose that putting my thoughts and feelings into coherent sentences and actually keeping up this blog is helping my sanity sometimes!
Anywho...

Jo and Eric have been in town, and so part of the reason for my blog absence has been due to getting together, catching up, eating Thai/gourmet food/BBQs, hanging out, going for drinks, bowling/pool, and other random activities. I'm going to be sad when they leave this weekend.

Peter's dinner on Sunday was spectacular. The food was amazing. The company was fantastic. The times were good. We all learned our lessons from last year, and thus Peter's trees will survive.....though I'm not so sure about his dishwasher ;) A round of applause and thanks to Peter and Janita for hosting a great party!

I'm getting to know two lovely cats, though it took them a while to warm up to me. I wasn't mommy you see, so I was only good for getting food and water. But when I visited them on Monday, they finally gave in and talked to me. I guess they were pretty lonely. Poor kitties! I've been trying to keep them company, and now I am also good for playing with the blue ribbon.

I don't know what else to say. Devin's taking summer school this year....CALM 20 is so much better in a two-week period than a 5 month period. Should be interesting. I don't remember what I learned in CALM 20.....except that we watched "Rudy" and talked about grocery shopping.

So yeah and stuff. I'm all out of ideas. Perhaps when the weather is not so pleasant and the effects of the rum wear off I'll have more to say. Unusual for me, I guess....I talk a whole lot more when I drink rum.......

And now the rum is gone!

A dream is a wish

2007-06-30T18:06:00.000-06:00

I had a dream last night....well "this afternoon" really.......that caught me by surprise. The dream itself was fantastically complex and unusual as most dreams tend to be, which is pretty normal for me. I am one of those dreamers who will remember everything to the tiniest and mundane detail. PRi has bought me several dream interpretation dictionaries for this reason. When I talk about my dreams, it can go on for several confusing minutes because I will recount everything I can remember.

This afternoon's dream was no different in that respect. It had its usual array of people, places, and things that have been on my mind lately. Some details were opposite of what is true in real life, such as PRi's "workspace" full of exercise books and texts was neatly arranged alphabetically, which if you've ever seen PRi's house, you'd be laughing right now. My "workspace" was a disastrous mess and large pile of stuff that I had to sift through. I was also at the Alex for some reason, though you'd probably not find me there anytime soon.

The most unexpected thing about my dream, however, was that my aunt was there. I haven't dreamt about her for a very long time. But she was there, smiling. We didn't need to talk. It was just comforting to know she was there.

wanting to pack.....again

2007-06-19T20:17:00.000-06:00

I've been pretty neglectful this month with updating this thing. Oops! Not a lot to say, really. PRi probably could give you more of an update anyways.

Not much is new with me, I guess. Working lots as per usual. Went to MORE education day last Thursday and talked about a lot of things that didn't have to do with what we were supposed to be learning. Particularly about the lady in ICU. She's doing alright last I heard and was going to be extubated yesterday. Baby's doing fine. Scary stuff. Then I worked nights this weekend, and ended up saying hello to some old friends. Hope they're doing well:)

Went to see Ocean's 13 yesterday. After the weekend I had, I needed an infusion of hilariousness. Great movie, though the first one is still my favourite. Makes me want to go to Vegas again. I was just there! But June weather is much different than February, and all this rain and cloud and brief sunshine finds me longing for hot hot fountain watching, air conditioned shopping and margaritas! Oh, and the occasional roulette spin. 29!

But I'm trying to be really good. It's so hard right now to resist the urge to go somewhere. I've been lucky this year as I've been able to travel alot. I also need to save up some cash for October. *sigh* I find myself imagining the possibilities when I look at my October schedule.....

Toronto is so close to the border.......

I'm so terrible! I should be saving my money....not spending it all! Wasn't I thinking of buying a condo? Maybe it's the way the market is right now. I know I can't afford anything, so I might as well put my money to good use.

Oh the temptation!

I'm not reading MORE

2007-06-09T14:21:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I last saw my blog, so I thought I should rekindle the relationship that we have. Still working. Still surviving. Same old same old I would say. But that would be a lie.

I went to Winnipeg last weekend....I spent a few days there for my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary. A nice surprise party took place. Good times were had by all. More visiting with family this time around, instead of an afternoon at the beach or zoo or park or whatever, which was fair since the whole reason for being there was for the anniversary. Though we did go shopping in Grand Forks last Monday :) It was nice to see everyone again.

So I get home and return to work (after an incredible 12 days off!) to find that there was another record number of deliveries for May. We didn't make 500 but came pretty darn close. "That's not very much" some people have said to me, particularly one of my many patients yesterday. It's enough to populate an elementary school. It's about the same as my graduating class. And that was just May.

Nuff said.

I was also able to get July 1st off this year (yay me!) I didn't think I would have been able to do so, as I have night shifts the entire July long weekend. Yay for shift trades:) I am very very much looking forward to seeing Jo and Eric again! Especially in the company of everyone coming to enjoy Peter's cooking. I think I will try a different assortment of alcohol this time....

Drink up me hearties for it has been a great year!

2007-05-25T16:32:00.000-06:00

In honor of my blog's birthday today, I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks to the inspiration that started it all.....
Well, it all started with a mouse anyways. I clearly remember walking into Fantasyland..... "Morgo, we should start a blog." Ok. You really didn't have to twist my rubber arm for that one. I had been thinking about starting a blog for a long while before anything really happened. I think I was talking to Doug one night while at Peter's post-Thai food. I think we were talking about my ridiculous and disastrous 4th year clinical, and the stories that came out of there were entertaining to many. Months later because I'm a procrastinator, PRi and I finally gave in.

Ah, the memories of that day. I think we broke out the Pirates' LIFE and pillaged, plundered, and swashbuckled our way around the board until we remembered we were going to start our blog. And so it was done.

How ironic that exactly one year later we'd be pillaging, plundering, and swashbuckling our way to Pirates 3. There have been so many memories in that year. Most of them good. Some of them not. But PRi and I have shared them nonetheless.

Happy Birthday MorPRi! Now where's my rum???

I didn't go to Chicago to see Oprah.

2007-05-16T20:23:00.000-06:00

I am in love with spontaneous trips. No doubt you've already figured that out. There are a great many vacations I have planned in the back of my mind labeled "someday" such as my Disney cruise, Mediterranean cruise, excursions to Europe, and such. But in the mean time, there is no better holiday from life than taking a holiday. Especially when your holiday means visiting good friends.

PRi, John, and I are back in Edmonton after a fantastic jaunt to see Jo and Eric. Spontaneously I booked this trip (though it has been in the "someday" pile since Jo and Eric left....), and I am so glad I was able to go, even for a short visit. Chicago is a beautiful city, and although we didn't see most of the dodgier places, even downtown was clean...and gorgeous. But I didn't go for the sights. I didn't even go for the food (mmmm...Portillos, Potbelly's, Lou Malnatis', TGIFriday's, Benihana's, etc...). I went for friends. Because I have never been to Chicago, I was given the task of deciding what to do or where to go, and I'm a terrible decision maker. But in the end, all that really mattered was the time I spent with the people I care about. It didn't matter if we were in a cab with a lost cabbie, circling the mall parking lot, talking like Ferbies, at a backyard bonfire (ohhhh....), listening to Balafon, driving on LSD, on top of the world, shark watching, or lownjing on a love sac. The most important thing was the time we shared together. Thanks Jo and Eric for putting up with us....and chauffeuring us around, and playing "tour guide".

While walking through the phenomenal campus of Northwestern, John asked me how I was doing. "I'm at peace with the world". That's the first answer that popped into my head. That's the first answer in my heart. Being far away from most of the stress in my life, and enjoying the company I was with was doing wonders for my mind and soul. If I could stop time, this would have been one of those moments. There are others of course.....but those are long stories....

The unfortunate part of any vacation is saying goodbye. I don't like goodbyes. Eric asked me why we waited so long to all see each other again. I don't know. But let's not wait so long next time.

Dental plan!....Lisa needs braces!

2007-05-02T20:39:00.000-06:00

I figured out that I have this irrational fear of going to the dentist. Well, I suppose no one really likes going to the dentist, so I know I'm not alone. It's been years since I last went; not at all a pleasant experience from what I remember. But I've had this toothache for the past two days, and I am succumbing to the fact that I will have to visit my friendly neighbourhood dentist.

I tried what I could to get rid of this toothache. Hoping that it was some lost piece of food that got stuck, I bought some floss to fish it out. No luck. I've brushed my teeth about a hundred times, and the amount of Listerine I've used would get me into AA. Something cold to numb the pain? Nope. Ambesol or Orajel? Nope. I can't even tell if it's a cavity, dammit!

So I made a few phone calls, and got referred to an office in Sherwood Park. As soon as I booked my appointment, I'm sure my blood pressure went through the roof. I started thinking of ways to get out of it, including trying to convince myself that because I work nights tomorrow, an afternoon appointment would be interrupting much needed sleep time.

But then that perpetual and annoying throbbing continues.....

Thank God I have dental benefits.

work + alcohol = babies?

2007-04-30T13:51:00.000-06:00

I think it's about time to rekindle the relationship between me and my blog. It's been a while, and I'm normally pretty good at keeping things going. It's the procrastinator in me, I guess. That and I've been really busy with work and stuff. Very busy. I actually came home to a refreshing glass (or two??) of Malibu and pineapple juice last week.....something I haven't done for a while. I think the last time I came home from work and had a drink was when I quit the Alex. Oops. Yeah, I'm so bad.

I try to keep work and the nature of my drinking separate. Sometimes being a nurse means you take work home with you, which is not necessarily healthy. I have better ways of dealing with that than indulging in a pina colata, long island iced tea, or other girly drinks which don't include sambucca. Record numbers of babies, "pour and cut" c-sections, teaching very very nervous nursing students, stillbirths, staffing shortages, and night shifts have taken their toll.

But anyways, enough of my ranting about work. I love my job, really.

So yeah. I'm having a lazy day today, which is probably not the best thing I could be doing. The sun is out, and I'm not at work. I have laundry to do and the bank to visit. And yet I am here on my computer still in my pj's and slippers. Oh well. Recharging my batteries I guess.

I suppose while I'm here I should update. I seem to be ranting about random things, so I might as well keep you all posted with my life. Firstly I'm going to Chicago!!! Yay! Ok, so I know I said that in my last entry, but it's for serious. Things are booked and paid for. Plans are made. Much fun will be had:) I'm excited!
Second, I'm waiting on tender hooks to hear about my status at work. My temporary position (which is now extended until July 12th) is reposted as a permanent position, and I applied for it. Along with a few others. I have never been "permanent" before. All my other jobs....including Mewburn and Oilers.....I knew I wouldn't be there for long, so I wasn't doing any long-term planning or commitments. I think it will be exciting to be a part of something I enjoy permanently. Crossing my fingers....
Third, apparently I'm going to be meeting a bunch of old friends I haven't seen in forever next weekend:) I work nights of course, but I could forgo some sleep to visit. Good times will be had, I haven't seen some of these people in years! Facebook is good for some things.

Yeah and stuff. I don't know if there is much else to say. I guess I've just been really busy that what I thought was a lot to update wasn't really that much at all. Oh well. I'll just busy myself by counting down the days....

12 more sleeps:)

secret lemonade

2007-04-14T09:38:00.000-06:00

Have you heard of the secret? You probably have and are living your life by it without even knowing it. Or if you are like me, you are ashamed to admit that you found out about it from Oprah. Want the low-down???

It's pretty simple, really. Be positive, and positive things will come your way.

Now that I have spoiled the surprise for those of you who were in the dark about the secret, I have a story to tell. For a long time, life has given me lemons. For a long time, I have been forced to make lemonade out of those lemons. Though my lemons haven't always been the most sour (PRi has had her share of those), I swear I have a grove in my yard from the amount of lemons I've had over the years. I'm tired of lemons. I'm tired of putting all of my efforts into making lemonade. Then along came the secret.

I had thought I was being as positive as I could with my lemons. I still had my health. I had a loving family. I had a roof over my head. Around New Years sometime, I decided it wasn't going to be worth worrying about all the little things anymore. I even think that was my resolution of some sort. Who cares if you screwed up today? Tomorrow will be different. I have been doing my best to keep that resolution, albeit most days I wasn't thinking about it, or paying attention to what I was doing. But after one long day shift, I came home to a commercial for Oprah's next show....about the secret. I saw the first 20 minutes or so, having to make dinner afterwards, but I think it made me reflect on what has been going on lately. My temporary position is extended until July. I had a nice tax return in which I am spending some on myself to go to Chicago. I am feeling more and more confident at work. New staff tell me they think I have been working there for years....when it's only really been one year since my hire date. I feel better (despite my trip to the medicentre....chest x-ray....and prescription medication), but boy am I glad we have our health care system. It's a sunny and warm weekend....and I'm not at work. And I went bathing suit shopping yesterday.

I bought one about a year and a half ago when I went to Lake Louise, but I seem to have lost the bottoms. Oh well. I'm not worrying about it. I went to one of the more expensive stores because I knew they would have more selection, and despite feeling fat (who doesn't when bathing suit shopping???), I found a tankini that I love. I felt sexy. Big, but sexy. So I bought it. And it was on sale. I didn't notice the tall, incredibly skinny girls who were shopping there with their tall and skinny friends and showing off their bikinis to each other. Whatever. It's all about how you feel about yourself, isn't it??

I can't wait to go swimming!

Nurses make the worst patients

2007-04-10T07:15:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning to more dam snow. Well, I say "woke up" because I crawled out of bed hours before my alarm and trudged downstairs with the feeling that I have only slept 3 hours. Maybe it's because I really did sleep 3 hours. I have been up all night with a nagging sort of stupid cough that I think has more to do with some sort of chest infection than anything. But being a nurse, I am also a hypochondriac. I think I have asthma. Or allergies from the snow mould (that conveniently got covered up by more snow). Perhaps it is my feather pillows. In any case, my cough kept me up all night, unrelieved by cough drops, water, Vicks, tea, and my "good" cough syrup with codeine. The coughing I can deal with, but the thing that is bothering me the most is the fact that I can't breathe properly. So much effort.

But yet I find time to write a blog entry and spend some quality time with Facebook.

Now if I was like most other people, at the first sign of something wrong I would have taken myself to the already-clogged-with-people emergency room. But I'm just sitting here and being stubborn. Maybe because the last place I want to be is in emerg, or maybe because I feel like I'm being paranoid, or maybe because I have no desire to leave my house to drive through the slushy streets, but I am hesitating finding a cause to my problem. I don't know if I'm going to like what I hear. I don't want to end up feeling like an idiot because I went to see a doctor about a cold. A stupid cold. I see enough of that at work......"My baby's foot is under my ribs, and it hurts". Well, what do you want me to do about it???

*sigh* I guess I better get myself to the medicentre.

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T23:53:00.000-06:00

I head home (to Morgan's) for Easter Sunday. I could not get out quicker from church. Somehow, I don't feel like sticking around. I had a rough week so I want to be around people who are nurturing, hence the going to Morgan's for Easter Sunday. Morgan's going to be asleep because she works nights, but nevermind, there are other people there that I want to see. I turn a corner, and I see crime scene tape and a Mobile Command Centre from the EPS. Uh... okay... I assume that that's for the beaten up cabbie. Nope. Front Page of the Sun says it all. Death down the street. In fact, it's 4 houses down from home.

I had leftover hot dogs for lunch that was terrribly satisfying, hoping that would tide me over untill Easter dinner at the Holiday Inn Palace. Very nice buffet dinner, after 2 plates that were downed much too quickly, I'm rolling away from the table. I don't even have dessert. What has the world come to when there are murders down the street and I refuse dessert. I'm confused...

Lock your doors at night

2007-04-07T08:21:00.000-06:00

I was on my way to work last night. I opened my front door, and noticed flashing lights bouncing off my neighbours' windows. I get to my car, and noticed that at the street corner (about 4 houses down the block) there were 3 police cars with their lights going, and 5 police officers placing traffic cones along the road. What's going on? I paused to unlock my car door, and the officers were looking down the street at me while I did so. I proceded to make a u-turn as I realized that I wasn't going to get through the barricade they had set up. I drove to Tim Horton's and stood in line for 15 minutes until I got my tea. There were a lot of people there at 11:00pm, so I waited with everyone else and prayed that my roll-up-the-rim was worth the wait. No dice...Please buy another Tim Horton's product.

Anywho, I got to work, and the police and Tim's tea were forgotten. It was ridiculous. I'm tired. 'Nuff said.

So I get home and find out the truth behind the police from last night. Turns out a cab driver was assaulted, and is now in critical condition. The police found the guy who did it...he was hiding somewhere in my neighbourhood. The assault happened 4 houses away from me. I heard nothing, and my door wasn't even locked.

*sigh*

Gotta love Mill'hoods.

dilemma...

2007-04-02T15:50:00.000-06:00

I hope this isn't an April fools joke. I'm trying to decide what to do with the tax return I have just received from the Canadian government. I knew when I filed that I forgot one of my student loan interest payments, and that my return would be readjusted after I filed. But I didn't realize how much it had been readjusted.

Should I do the grown-up thing and get rid of my Mastercard bill (in which I had purchased my bed) and my line of credit??? That would take 85% of my tax return.
On the other hand, I have never been given this much "tax-free, don't have to pay it back" money and I am itching to spontaneously spend some of it. Or go somewhere.

Sigh.

Getting rid of that nagging piece of debt would be better for my credit and would look good for buying a home.

While I'm debating, I think I'm going to go out for dinner.

No foolin' around

2007-04-01T21:42:00.000-06:00

So I haven't posted in a while. Not much new with me, hence the not posting. Just working, trying not to get sick (ColdFX is wonderful), and stuff. We've decided to go out for Easter dinner this year instead of having Ukrainian goodness. I work my usual weekend nights coming up. Thank goodness it's a full moon tonight. I am not at work

So besides work, nothing really new to report. Went to see "Meet the Robinsons" yesterday, and loved it! PRi and I have to save up our money, as blockbuster movie season is starting, and I have a list of movies I want to see. No..... *have* to see. So yeah. I'm already having a Pirates date in May....and perhaps a Harry Potter date in July. And many others.

Oh, and I have finally joined Facebook. So addictive! You'll never get me off the computer! It's a good thing I am working a lot of nights this week, so my computer time will be limited. Sigh. Anywho, it's interesting to keep in touch with people I haven't talked to in years, and to find out how small of a world this really is. (now the music of Small world is stuck in PRi's head)

So yeah and stuff. I suppose it will be easier for me to update and keep in touch with people than it had been with MSN. Come to think of it, I don't think I have been on MSN since........... well, I guess it would have been when Fiz, PRi, Roux, and I were planning our Vegas trip.....I think.
Wow..........

A long weekend...

2007-03-25T15:25:00.000-06:00

It has been one long weekend. It's not even a full moon.

My first patient went for a c-section after I pushed with her for 2 hours.
My second patient went for a c-section after we realized her baby was breech. I totally missed the breech part. I just went ahead and got her an epidural.
My third patient did not go for a c-section, but screamed the house down when delivering, then her baby didn't breathe for 4 minutes after being born. The baby's ok though.

I still have one more night......

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I've been tenderized

2007-03-23T21:55:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was one of our secretaries' birthday. She's been so excited about it, and she's been telling everyone to go to her birthday party on Saturday, and so I figured, if there's anyone at a car dealership you should be nice to, it's a mechanic, someone in parts, the lot guy and the secretary. Not the manager. You can tell the manager off and nothing will change. If you are nice to the above mentioned people, your world will go round. I went over to the cupcake bakery next to the truck centre with one of the sales people and bought a cupcake. It's strange, I hadn't realized that cupcakes are now a gourmet bake item. There are wedding "cakes" made with cupcake towers, and custom frosting... The one I chose for myself was called "The Don" and it was a chocolate cake with Tiramisu buttercream frosting. Oh my gjaodjdpsadjlaksfdjkhfahaprghghgh (drools to the side of mouth). My next venture is the scarlett o hara, a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. Each cupcake is $2.75 (expensive little buggers) but aughghghhg.... The walk there almost made me not feel bad that I was putting that much sugar in me. So we bought a cupcake, got a candle from the bakery, lit the candle at the service counter as to surprise her with our terrible rendition of Happy Birthday as we walked up from behind with a chocolate Diva. That's the name of the cake. It could not have been more perfect. Anyways, Happy 22nd birthday Steph.
As we were walking back from The Cupcake, I saw a newspaper box of the free newspaper 24. And to my surprise... I saw my boss! Brian! His mug graced the front of the magazine. It was not the most fabulous picture of him, but nonetheless, a cover picture.
I woke up this morning with a tickle in my throat. Actually it was more than a tickle, it was a full blown fit. I knew it. I have strep. So here I am, thinking oh crap. it's a sale weekend, which means the dealership is open untill 9:00pm and there are going to be a crap load of locates I need to do. I can't call in sick. I get to work, it just gets worse. It's gone into my glands in my throat. Oh crap. I tell my boss that I'm going home sick, I need to get to a doctor's office so I can get drugs so that I feel better by monday... oh monday. I'm going to be swamped with locates. I need anti-biotics fast. I can't go home when I'm in the middle of a task, which by the time I'm finished, it's 1:00pm. Didn't I say at 9:30am that I was going home? Well, my inability to go home before a task is done has made me go home at 6:00pm too frequently. I should get paid overtime. or I should bank it to vacation time. I'm at 2 days extra time right now.
My sinuses are 2x their normal size.
I think Stewie knows I'm sick. he's hiding.
I'm going to bed now. again. I just woke up from a 4 hour nap. I'm going down. Mmm... drugs....

Lessons learned

2007-03-21T20:00:00.000-06:00

Mom and I went to the University today for lunch...and to get my hair cut. I decided to take her out for lunch before dropping her off at work to keep her mind off things today. You see, it's been 6 years since my aunt passed away, and today is a hard day to get through if you are my mom. So off to HUB we go and brave the 12:00 crowds to decide what to eat. Neither of us are hungry, really, so we split a Philly cheese steak sandwich from Bar Teca, and an A&W root beer.
No Edo this time (hi Jo!), but the line was long as always.

I contemplated on how things have changed in my life over the last 6 years. Sometimes you wonder if things have ever changed in my life when you read some pretty lame entries I have done, but whatever. So if I only have something lame to say that day....so be it. But it doesn't matter what I have to say sometimes, as long as I am living my life. I guess I started thinking while people-watching in HUB. It really didn't matter what has happened in my life. All that matters is how I feel I have lived. Could I have done something different? Sure. Have I "seized the day"? Most times. Have I learned anything? Of course. And not just edumacation learning like the people I watched bustling to their classes...but learning on how to live better. Anywho here's my list of things I have learned......

Always take the opportunity to tell someone that you love them
Hug often. You'll make someone's day
Pet your dog or cat. It lowers your blood pressure.
Listen to kids sing your childhood songs. It will put a smile on your face. (down by the bay/where the watermelons grow...)
Watch little kids play hockey at every chance you get
Watch the faces of moms and dads whose kids are playing hockey
Indulge in your own personal spa.......aromatherapy hand lotion works wonders
Have someone wash your hair
Take a spontaneous trip somewhere....doesn't have to be exotic or expensive....just as long as it's out of the city. Take someone with you. Or go alone and relax.
Listen to the birds sing. Appreciate the fact that you can hear...even if the birds are magpies and you are hearing them at 5:00am.
Enjoy the sun. Wear sunscreen, drink plenty of water, and GO OUTSIDE
Go barefoot. Experience the sand, grass, mud, warmed concrete, anything
Cry. Crying cleanses the soul. You sleep way better after a good cry
Sing out loud while driving...who cares if the person beside you thinks you are an idiot
During a thunderstorm, sit by an open window, turn off everything, and listen. Then watch the rainbow being born
Laugh. Laugh at everything...movies, cartoons, comics, yourself. Laughter really is the best medicine.

And the list can go on and on. I left one of the most important things until the end. Or at least I believe it is one of the most important. Who cares if you have laugh lines and crow's feet? It means that your heart is happy and you shared your laughter with others.

good eats, good sleep

2007-03-18T15:13:00.000-06:00

Since we all had a bad week, my family decided to use our "free for 2" breakfast buffet coupon at the Lily Lake Resort in Legal, AB. Why not? So it was a bit of a drive from the south side...thanks PRi for coming along with your car.......and the drive was worth it. A bit expensive for the rest of us without a coupon at $25 each, but the food was fantastic. Sometimes when you need to unwind, a bit of a country drive and great food has tremendous healing powers.

It's all about the food.

After eating our fill, and a long drive back home in the sunshine, we were ready for bed. I suppose burning off all the calories we just ate would have been a better alternative, but I had to be home in time for my bed to arrive.

Yes, I got my new bed today!! :):) It was supposed to be here yesterday, but after phoning the Brick, I found out that they changed the delivery day without letting me know, and so therefore their policy of having to be home for the delivery of purchased items would have been thrown out the window. How are you supposed to know what day to stay home when they changed the delivery day without you knowing???

Anywho, instead of sleeping on my couch for another 4 days, my bed came today.

Yay me:)

My bed is huge! It practically reaches my hip!

Mmmmm.....sleep:)

Welcome back to the Internet

2007-03-17T12:22:00.000-06:00

My computer decided to go wonky on me. For the past, oh I dunno, since the last post, I haven't been able to sign in on my wireless for some odd reason. Boy do I have some updating to do.
I am actively looking for a brother or sister for Stewie. A dog. I've been going to the Humane society, looking at dogs in the paper, looking for the perfect brother or sister for Stewie. Of course Stewie has veto power, so I take him along with me to see if he likes the dog. If not, sorry doggie. I met a dog that I saw in the paper, he's a shih-tzu/pomeranian mix and he's 5 months old. Stewie seemed to not like him all that much. In fact, he went and hid in my shirt. Again at the Spca, Stewie hid in my shirt when meeting a Collie. That and the Collie was barking at him. Stewie doesn't like loud noises. (Especially when I'm playing my flute.) I may be under the impression that Bear is the only brother for Stewie.

On the way back from the Spca, my mom wanted to go for dinner. It WAS 7:00pm and we had just gone straight from work to the Spca, so we wre hungry. My mom suggested Doan's, this nice little Vietnamese place downtown. On our way to the door, I passed by someone who looked vaguely familiar walking out the door. He looked at me as if I was vaguely familiar too. "PRi?" "Johann!" I didn't know he was back in town. I thought he was in Calgary. I then slapped him for not keeping in touch and then I let him slap me for not keeping in touch. my bad. It's hard to keep in touch when you don't have internet. Anyways, Johann, I miss you and we'll totally do something, you and MorPRi.

grr

2007-03-13T19:39:00.000-06:00

I woke up mad at the world today. I don't know why. I am mad at everything and everybody for no real reason. I'm mad at my bank. I'm mad at Telus. I'm mad at Bear. I'm mad at Sobey's. I'm mad at Blogger for deleting my post before I could publish it. I'm mad at myself.

So much anger today. I don't understand.

I'm usually not like this. I try to avoid conflict (hello...I'm BLUE), so why the heck am I so angry at everything? I have a headache from furrowing my brows and grinding my teeth. And I didn't take an Advil or Aleve. Stupid.

I'm trying to clear out my room full of stuff so I have a place for my bed on Saturday (they better be delivering my bed on Saturday!!!), but I'm having trouble concentrating. I took stuff from one pile, divided it up into smaller piles in the attempt to organize myself, then took all the small piles and stuck them together to make one mega pile. Stupid. Now I am mad at the pile that doesn't seem to be getting any smaller.

Grr. I haven't been sleeping well lately, but I am usually just tired or exhausted.

You Are 67% Burned Out

You are very burned out.
You need a huge break from your responsibilities, starting as soon as possible.
And you need this time to reevaluate what you really want out of your life.
Because you're working hard and going no where... and that would burn anyone out!

Are You Burned Out?

I thought I just returned from a vacation.

At peace with Comrie?

2007-03-07T16:18:00.000-07:00

I did some shopping yesterday and today, and apart from the shopping I did in Vegas, I haven't been anywhere to buy anything for myself for a long time! Even in Vegas, I was more worried about getting something for Devin's birthday, rather than for myself.

But whatever. Shopping is good sometimes!

Yesterday I made it my mission to visit some stores for a new bed. I had been browsing (hence my earlier rant), but I really didn't find a bed that I liked. I went to the Brick hoping I would find something with their 50% off sales, and actually found a very comfortable, very affordable bed! I will finally have a "grown-up's bed", and I will have to find space in my tiny room to fit it. My old bed, which was a twin mattress, will go downstairs for now. Yay me! I was also impressed with the service, the prices, and the ease of purchasing my new bed at the Brick..kudos!

I went shopping today for another pillow and some bed sheets, as none of my twin bed sheets will fit my new bed.

While shopping, I got a phone call from my mom.......Jo's birthday present found its way to my house!!

Isn't he cute?! His name is Velcro. His favourite basketball team is the Chicago Bulls, and he is soft and cuddly:) Thanks Jo!

So anywho, along with my bed sheets and a new pillow, I braved South Edmonton Common and bought "Peter Pan". And "Con Air". Love that movie! A body fell from the sky! It had my name on it. Oh, and I also bought "Flight of the Navigator". Anyone remember that movie?? Classic Disney. I used to watch it all the time. That one, and "Mr. Boogedy" or "Bride of Boogedy" at Halloween. Boogedy boogedy boo! Just kidding!

Really peoples, I recommend them. Suspense, comedy, action/super action, and family fun.

go to the mattresses

2007-03-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

No offence to any of you who work (or have worked) in commission-driven businesses, but why is it everytime I walk into a place to browse for something, the salespeople swarm to me and try to pressure me into buying things? I would much appreciate if you let me know your name and that you would be willing to help me if I had any questions.....but don't follow me around the store trying to get me to buy an item that I don't have the use or money for. That kind of sales technique will just drive me out of the store and cause me to avoid the store for future purchases. I worked for commission once, and know the pressure to meet a quota or at least a personal goal to have a decent paycheck that month. However, I found that people were more receptive to "help" rather than "hovering". I tried to explain to the salesperson who swarmed me today that I know where to find him if I need any help or questions or if I was actually going to buy what I was browsing for...but I also made it clear that I was just BROWSING!!! People are still allowed to do that every now and then, right? I had previously been pleased with the service I had receieved from the store, therefore it was one of my first choices for my browsing today.....and that was all I had intended to do. Now I am not sure if I want to return to the store for some purchasing instead of browsing.

Ok, I'm done ranting.

So PRi's staff party was fun on Saturday. I don't know what I did to help her, except that she was my ride home, so no drinky-drinky for Morgo or PRi, really.

Introducing: He-Hussy!

2007-03-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Mayfield Toyota for being the number 1 Toyota dealership in the Prairie provinces and the number 2 retail vehicles Toyota dealership in Canada. To celebrate we had a "year-end" party at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre. Since we could bring a date, I brought Morgan, and good thing I did. I could have gotten into trouble without her there. The dinner buffet was good, of course all the cakes there were from Morgan's dad's work, so we opted for the other desserts. The play was good, Bridget Ryan from City TV had a part in it.
Then the dance.
Afterwards, the dealership rented out a ballroom for a social and dance. There's nothing funnier than car salesmen all in a room. Unless.... they're drunk. That's much funnier. There were Toyota Canada reps there, our owner and his family, and of course everyone who works at the dealership. There were a few people that after seeing their behaviour at the dance, I coined a few terms. To clarify "hussy" you add "she" and "he". Example: That She-hussy really does deserve that He-hussy. Or: That He-hussy was really drunk. True story. In fact, even worse, the He-hussy got me up to dance and He-Hussy's wondering hands were all over me... in front of everyone. And as I'm dancing with He-Hussy, he's so close and his head was in my neck, I'm making drinky drinky motions to Morgan and mouthing the words, "He's so drunk" She-hussy was wearing a ballgown and was all over every other salesman, and He-hussy was making friends with everyone with well, an XX chromosome. And then drunken truck guy says to me, "I'm really drunk, but after I pee, I'm going to dance with you. Okay? OKAY?" as he stumbles off. The last dance of the night, sure enough, drunken truck guy dances with me High-School-Dance style. He-Hussy dances with She-hussy, and drunken truck guy is holding me really really close. Like close enough that I could tell his Trailer Ball was looking for a 7-pin receiver. Or a 4 pin. I don't think his Trailer Ball was all that picky. To which I ended the dance with "See you Monday!"
Monday. Oh crap. I hope everyone drank enough to not remember Saturday night.

I hope Morgan had a good time 'cause I'm not going to forget this one for a while. I didn't drink nearly enough to handle all those Hussies. Oh great, I work with a bunch of hussies. She-hussies and He-hussies. See you Monday!

P.S. Props to Mayfield Toyota Management who provided cab vouchers to all the drunken dealership employees. And there were a lot. Don't drink and sell cars!

No speaka de eeenglish!

2007-03-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

After having 13 babies in 7 hours, I figured it was a good time for an abbreviated lunch. On my way back to the elevator with my beef and cheese wrap, I noticed someone in a brightly coloured flowered garment talking to another woman. It took me a moment to realize who the bright flowered woman was. And then I ran away. It was my grade 11 and 12 English teacher. Some of you may remember who that may have been, but I won't post any names here. Waaaa!!!

This particular English teacher would remain at her desk and try to teach Shakespeare by having the class listen to an audio tape of British actors reciting the play. This is why all I remember about Shakespeare is something about Desdemona's breasts. Don't even ask me about Edgar Allen Poe, because you won't understand my response.

Don't swim in the tarn, Roddy-boy!

Anywho, that gave me cause to run away fast, and hope she didn't recognize me. Probably not, as it was so many years ago, and I don't think she sees straight. Really. I kind of miss having a nonsense class that I could goof around in. Hmmm....

Things I miss about English class:

Using class time to talk to my friends
Using class time to count down minutes until band trips
Making houses out of Lego
Sock puppets
Writing notes to friends
Drawing "balloons" that were radioactive, pink, and gay
Writing an essay about some story the night before it was due, and pass
"Studying" for reading comprehension tests
Stella!!!!
Taking 5 classes to figure out what one paragraph of Poe meant, asking for more time to finish reading, and getting more time to finish a project
Getting back September assignments AFTER writing the final exam in June

Devin is currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I have to say, I don't miss reading a book a million times and then analyzing said book. I read all my books a million times (they are well loved!) but it's just for fun. There is no analyzing. Good times.

goodnight house, goodnight mousezzzzzzzz

2007-02-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

With all of the problems I have had in the past with Linda Blair and such, I have to say that I never had the opportunity to "update" my computer. My updates usually consisted of buying a whole new computer.
So anywho, as my anti-virus was about to expire, I had picked up Norton Internet Security to try out this year. The problem was that I needed more RAM than my computer initially had, so I ventured into Best Buy this evening to purchase some much needed memory. The trip turned out to be more expensive than I had originally planned....but I feel so much better now that my anti-virus will still work tomorrow.....

And my computer is so much faster!!! Yay me!

Yeah and stuff. That's my exciting news for the day. I was going to comment on the atrocious hockey game yesterday and the atrocious trade that was made (poor Smitty!), but I decided in the end that I had no energy for such rage. My rage indeed. I have been lacking in the energy department for the last week or so, and I have a theory......

I need a new bed.

I suppose I should go purchase said new bed, but I was hoping to pay off my debt from Vegas first. Maybe I should put my precious sleep first this time. It took so much effort yesterday to even walk downstairs to do laundry. So much effort! I practically collapsed on the couch afterwards, but then the mail came, and I had to get back up again.

*sigh*

All this talk about sleep has made me sleepy............

Happy 100th post!

2007-02-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

This marks the 100th post of the Wonderful World of Morpri. 90 of those posts were probably made by Morgan. I am a terrible blogger. Especially since my own family didn't know I had a blog. Oops.

The Edmonton Motor Dealer's Association Motor Show presents: PRi! My new job consists of no selling at all, and I guess I was feeling a little antsy, not being in the middle of the action, so I asked the managers if they needed help at the Motor Show next weekend, since I have my exhibitor pass and everything anyways. Well, one of the managers asked me if I wanted to do Saturday from 10-4pm. That's the busiest shift there is. I think they were hoping for a bunch of house deals coming out of that shift. That way they don't need to pay me comission. Meh, I don't mind. I did get 2 and 1/2 days off this month to go to Vegas.

My bunny is on top of his wooden house licking himself. I'm going to laugh really hard if he falls over.

Today was an action-packed day. It so happens to be my Chinese birthday. Now if you remember, I don't really celebrate my legal birthday, so instead, I celebrate my chinese birthday. It's the 7th day of the Chinese new year, so count 7 from Chinese new year and you've got it. Not too hard to figure out.

My mom wanted to get me something for my birthday, and I for some odd reason came up with a firesafe. Whuh? I don't know what I was smoking (I've been clean for 2 months now) and so I don't know the train of thought that lead to a firesafe. In anycase, my mom asked me where we could get one and I said Costco. Well, the only day that my mom and I both have off work is Saturday. WHA?!?!?! Go to Costco on a Saturday?!?! Mustard? Don't let's be silly. That's a death wish if I ever heard one. Turns out the firesafes at Costco are too big and expensive for my needs. After looking at printers, eyeglasses, gain laundry detergent, and frozen fruit (thanks for the blender Morgo!) we finally leave. 2 hours later. Oops. I blame the extensive eyeglass search. Mom needs computer glasses. Mom got her firesafe from Zellers, so we head to Zellers. In St.Albert. why? Mom's best friend has a birthday coming up so she wants to drop off a card at her place. in St.Albert. oy.

The firesafe we got is like a small chest with a key. It's fire and waterproof. I now have a place to put my jewelry and birth certificate and passport.

I wanted to go for dinner at Red Lobster. I drop mom off at the door to get a table and I go off in search of a parking spot. 15 minutes later, I find one. Actually I stalked people for their parking spot. It was so busy in there, it took another 20 minutes waiting at the bar till we got our table.

Long story short, (too late) I had a busy day. I'm starting to miss working on Saturday. I had an excuse not to do anything else.

Oops:)

2007-02-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

I was puttering around. I guess this quiz doesn't take in to account my latest trip:):)

You Are Okay With Money

You're about average with money, which means you probably don't have a lot of it.
Your instincts tell you to stay out of debt and spend wisely...
But you don't always listen to your instincts!
With a little more effort, you could have a nice little nest egg. You just have to control your spending.

Are You Good With Money?

Speaking of money, I start working again tonight. I should be used to staying up most of the night, but that doesn't explain why I feel so tired right now. Hence the puttering. I have pretty much slept all day (except for a piece of Devin's birthday cake.....16???!!!) Man I feel old.

So yeah and stuff. I should get ready for work........

Vegas pics

2007-02-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

OK, so I know I have been to Las Vegas before, but that didn't stop Kodak moments. I took Devin's infamous camera to test out his night time setting. I thought there was no better place to do that than Las Vegas.

Our cozy room with pillowtop luxury beds...mmm.....of course the first thing you have to do (even before you explode your suitcase contents) is to check out the view from the window. We saw the backside of the Sirens of TI show.

With Chinese New Years around the corner, PRi celebrates with the money tree in Wynn.

You Rule at Excalibur! This guy joined a very confused PRi for a picture. He then promptly ran away.

A night time view of East vs West. Note the enormous ads behind the poor lion. It would suck if you paid for a room with a view of the strip and had to see it out of an Adidas ad.

Mom and I across from Paris.

PRi and I after an afternoon of shopping. Everything is big in Vegas.....even the benches in Aladdin.

I di'in aint no see no white dude

2007-02-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

PRi, mom, and I came back from our well deseverd "bonding" weekend in Las Vegas around 2:00am last night. Or was it this morning? I can't remember.....it must have been the casino oxygen in the air.

Good times were had all around. I don't think we went to bed earlier than 3:00am the whole weekend, and we were busy busy busy with people to do and places to see. Or people to see. ;) But anyways....a lot of shopping, eating, gambling, drinking, and walking was done. Well, at least attempted to be done. PRi's birthday weekend just happened to be the same weekend as the NBA All-star game and Chinese New Year....and the Magic fashion show. Needless to say, there were many a people gallovanting about the Strip.

PRi says: oh boy were there people, I felt like a chinese sardine in Sardinia. Or something to that effect.

Las Vegas went all out with redecorating for the NBA I tells ya. Gone were the facades of hotels and statues, and up went ads for Adidas, Nike, and Boost mobile. A 40 foot Toni Braxton adorned the Flamingo. The Statue of Liberty showed her colours with the world's largest NBA East jersey, while the MGM lion (though on the east side of the strip) was cheering for the NBA West team. Souvenir shops were filled with LA Lakers gear for some reason, and the majority of the people in town were African-American.

PRi says: that and on every hotel was a red banner with gold lettering that said "Happy Chinese New Year come gamble inside" or something. I couldn't read it. I only assume.

Now, I don't want to be stereotypical, and I don't want to sound racist, and I don't want to paint everyone with the same brush. I also don't want people to be offended, but I'm afraid some will be. There were a number of young people that happened to be in Las Vegas who were rude, racist, violent, and had some difficulty with grammar. I'm sure that many of the people who were there were trying to enjoy the weekend and perhaps take in a basketball game and later hit some clubs or whatever. I don't care what they did with their spare time (what happens there stays there....right??) (PRi says: unless you get an STD there. That follows you around), but when walking to MGM to see David Copperfield has you wondering if you should have worn a kevlar vest instead of a sweater to keep you warm with the night breeze, something may be wrong. There were many a time when we could tell that a fight was going to break out. There was also many a time when you could see ambulances pull up to a hotel with their sirens going. And the last time I had seen that many police officers on one street was during the Oilers playoff games.

No, I take that back. There were more officers outside the Mirage.

PRi says: And they were all on their cell phones. And I thought teenage girls and their cell phones were bad. Turns out they grow up and vacation in Vegas. You know that commercial for I forget what kind of cell phone it is, but the tag line is "Where you at?" well, the visitors of the strip not only have cell phones attatched to them, but they say such phrases as "Where you at?" and "Where my hos at?" Now I can imagine why TV is stereotypical when portraying African-American people. I just didn't imagine that TV could be so accurate. The cops in front of the Bellagio were also on their phones, I just don't think they were saying "Where you at" and "Where my hos at" or were they???

But all of the violence and gun shootings and stabbings and fights and arrests did have its share of memorable moments. I have never seen a prison bus until Saturday. A real prison bus. And one of the McDonald's was barricaded and roped off with Crime Scene tape. Real Crime Scene tape, not used for CSI episodes. Four people were in handcuffs outside of Walgreens. One of the strangest things I have seen in the gutter was a pair of boxers amongst the porn papers and a bunch of CDs.

PRi says: I did see a g-string. how anyone stopped to leave a g-string much less take one off while being herded like cattle down the strip is beyond me. I guess some people are born talented. Now to explain the title of this blog entry. While walking to the MGM to see David Copperfield (Thanks Morgan for the Birthday Present), I forget if it was before or after all the crime scene tape and the prison bus. A real live prison bus. We were, as forementioned, herded like cattle down the strip. People don't understand WALK and DON'T WALK signs so they have a red hand to say it is not safe to cross the street and a white silhouette of a person saying it is safe to proceed. When some people ignored the red hand and crossed the street anyways, a woman proceeded to voice her disagreement by saying "I di'in aint no see no white dude" Wow. I could not have put it better. actually I think I could have. Now if I understand the statement, the "white dude" tells you to walk. well, I guess there could be worse things a "white dude" could tell you to do.

Now I seem to have made this trip sound like a disappointment, but that it was not. It was a very relaxing weekend. No answering to anybody. No phone calls. No work. No curfew. No worrying about what to have for supper. We ate when we were hungry. We ate when we were stuffed but wanted something anyways. We had drinks while gambling. We had drinks when not. Mimosas for breakfast. Luxor buffet for the other breakfast. Bought gifts for Devin for his birthday. Bought stuff for ourselves. We spent an hour or two in Victoria's secret. We bought cheesy Las Vegas fuzzy dice for our cars. Went to see a show and took home 12oz souvenir glasses that had previously been full of alcohol. (PRi says: Now that I know that I can't have Vodka, I was quite content with my Malibu and pineapple juice, oh wait, We ARE close to the Mexican border, so as our server at the Luxor would pronounce it, Yoose) We took pictures of places where we have never been, and places where we have. Utilized the trams, monorail, double decker bus, and taxi where we could, and still ended up walking 5 miles that day. Played penny machines in the Bellagio. (PRi says: It was really freakin hard to find a penny machine in the Bellagio. We did see one where each credit was $100. We decided to opt out of playing that one.) We watched a woman put $20 dollars in a penny machine beside us in the Bellagio and won $560 with one spin. We watched the fountains at Bellagio. We gambled in the airport on the way home. And PRi got padded down on the way home. Shouldn't have worn your Victoria's Secret bra PRi.

PRi says: Look, I had to switch bras. My new shirt that said Las Vegas on it (becuase I had to get one, I'm a tourist) was really wide in the collar and my current bra could not accomodate that. Well, let me rephrase. It couldn' accomodate that without looking like every one else who wore as little clothing as possible. The amount of underwear I saw was, well, not shocking to me, but it was still a lot. Like that lady who wore a sheer white shirt and a tangerine bra underneath. Just examples of the fashion "statements" seen and heard in Vegas. Excuse me madam, can you turn down your shirt? It's too loud. Anyways, turns out my bra has an immense amount of metal in it. Not only in the underwire, but also in the hinge on my strap, buckles, you name it. Well, I got a pat down at the airport after going through something that looks like a futuristic shower that puffs air at you. It's supposed to detect explosives. It was funny. (Morgo says: except when it blows in your contacts) well then close your eyes silly. but anyways, the metal detector wand was pulled out and my boobs made it beep. Next time I'll have to wear the bra that ISN'T plated in metal. Then when I got home, I got a flyer in my bag that said that my bag was searched. The other side said the exact same thing in Spanish. I think they found my Bible that I stole from the hotel. I don't think they cared tho.

All in all it was a good weekend. I am sad to be home in a way, like most people are when they return home from a relaxing and wonderful vacation. I am also sad that there is snow on the ground and it is cold. I am sad that I have to work on Thursday.

But there has to be some way of financial recuperation from this holiday!

Since mom has the camera at work, pictures will follow

will you be my valentine?

2007-02-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

While the rest of you are probably spending Valentine's day with your sweethearts, I, unfortunately, am spending the evening trying to come up with a letter to my manager asking for more hours at work. Not very exciting. Not very romantic.
Ah, well.

Being the procrastinator that I am, I have yet to start my letter.....

You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist.

People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you.

You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words.

Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

What Flower Are You?

You are Milk Chocolate

A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds.

You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life.

Also nostelgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago.

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

Your Aura is Blue

Your Personality: Your natural warmth and intuition nurtures those around you. You are accepting and always follow your heart.

You in Love: Relationships are your top priority, and this includes love. You are most happy when you are serious with someone.

Your Career: You need to help others in your job to feel satistifed. You would be a great nurse, psychologist, or counselor.

What Color Is Your Aura?

Thoughts to ponder

2007-02-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a rather long entry. Just a warning. I won't be offended if you skip to the end, but I am feeling a lot of things, and have felt a lot of things, that I have decided to share with you.

First of all, dad is back home. He is doing better. He gave us quite a scare over the past week, particularly on Friday when he had a horrible day. But the doctors felt he was better on Monday to warrant a trip home with prescriptions. I have to say he is doing remarkably better than earlier on in the week, but it still doesn't stop him from becoming short of breath putting the dishes away. I admit it was nice working in the same building that he was staying in.....I was able to visit past the visiting hours, and make sure things were ok before I left for the remainder of my coffee break. I was scared. I think dad was scared too. Since dad has been home, I have been trying to help him out, but keeping in mind that he has to start doing some things on his own. It's a tough balance.

Last night I was puttering in my room and came across my old diaries. Keeping myself awake to prepare for my night shift tonight I decided to venture into the world of teenage angst and hormones that I had written down. A blog for the 1990's I guess. Wow. I can't believe how much of an emotional rollercoaster junior high had been. It made me wonder how I even made it to high school alive. Then grade 10 was another story in itself. Initially I hated it.....I knew no one in my classes....of course because I had been the only one from junior high that took band. I wanted to quit band altogether in the beginning. A song from MusiCamrose, a question on where the library was, and a trip to Skaskaskamatoonie changed all that. You know who you are. Thank you :):) Beware the doors at McDonald's.

So the entries continued, not nearly as superficial as earlier ones, but just as emotionally charged. My university education didn't fail me to my surprise. I could actually see where my abstract thinking started. I began to question decisions I was making, actions I was taking, and the all important question...."why". It's a weird feeling going back in time and actually see yourself grow up. Of course my why questions never got answered, but by the next day, I didn't care anymore. Sitting there reading, I realized that I never really figured out what was going on with my life. So the why questions creeped in again. I still don't know what is going on with my life, but I have realized that I have the ability to change that. It's such an empowering feeling, being in control of something. But anyways........
My last entry happened to be the day after Jo's "infamous" party. Sorry, Jo. Your going away party was so much better....except for the fact that you and Eric were going away! I think I stopped writing for a number of reasons. Suddenly I was dealing with things that weren't as trivial. It was not just the fact that Mark died...it was also the time when my aunt was getting really sick. And when my mom was robbed at the bank....again. It was also a time for adult decisions. Was I going to university? What would I take? Why did I choose that? There's that "why" question again. And so began another rollercoaster ride.

I kind of miss having a diary.

So after reminiscing about my teenage years, I watched a movie. Of course I fell asleep during said movie and had a bunch of the most bizzare dreams I've had in a while. Have I ever told you about my dreams? Anyways, I dreamt it was my wedding day. I was getting into my dress while making sure there was enough oxygen tubing for dad. My dress was black. Not a black wedding dress, but more of a cocktail one. I also couldn't find my diamond earrings to wear, or my ring. When I got to the ceremony (in my black dress), I couldn't see my husband-to-be. Well, I couldn't see his face. I saw him from behind....thought that he had great hair....but I didn't know who he was, or why he didn't look at me. Then the ceremony was delayed because Michelle was making a toast to her parents for their help for her wedding. Nobody at the ceremony even realized I was there and it was my wedding.

What the *&$# kind of dream was that? I suppose I should have expected something bizarre after reading my diaries. But really. What does it all mean? Will I even have a wedding? If I do, would nobody care? They all seemed to be eager to hear from Michelle. Did my husband-to-be not have a face because there isn't one yet...or is it because there won't be one? Why was my dress black? Why was I at a ceremony with hundreds of people when I have been thinking about a destination wedding? Or is it one of those dreams just because. There really is no meaning. There is no spoon. Is it just my sub-conscious making things up because I am seriously lacking sleep and rest? I dunno.

So this is where I leave off for now. Talking about sleep and rest has made me sleepy. I hope reading my entry today hasn't made you sleepy, and if it has.......oh well, I guess. Go to bed. You never know where your dreams will take you.

get well soon!

2007-02-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

I may be absent from my blogging for a while. You may actually get an entry from PRi! Or maybe not. :) Yeah, dad went back to the hospital last night. He is now admitted, and is still waiting for a bed, so apart from being at work, I will be at work but visiting dad and keeping him company.

daddy's day

2007-01-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

Mom woke me up this morning by telling me that it was 5:50am and that my dad was going to the hospital. Neither of these things really bothered me, although I suppose that in a different time or place they would probably raise my blood pressure. I worked a day shift today, so actually 5:50am is after my alarm was supposed to go off....especially with this sudden blast of winter weather. I'm glad I don't have to commute so far to work anymore. And I avoid all types of highways, freeways, and rush hour traffic in general. I was happy to hear that my dad was going to the hospital though. No, I am not a sadist in any way, but my dad has had this cold for some time and it seems to be getting worse. I am proud that he takes care of himself the best that he can when it comes to his breathing. I went to visit him on my lunch break, but found out that he was getting an x-ray, so I had to wait until later to see him. He had gone home by the time my shift was over. As much as people complain about the Emergency room, or wait-times or bed shortages or overworked hospital staff...I am glad to be a Canadian. I dont' think he would have complained for staying in the ER for nearly 7 hours. The entire day cost him $4.00 for a perscription. Parking was even free because the meter was broken.

Surprise...you win an elephant!

2007-01-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I was truely not expecting what happened on Friday! Thanks to all who came out for PRi's surprise party for me, and sorry I missed those who weren't able to come! PRi planned to pick me up in her new car and we were going for dinner or a movie or whatever came to our minds on Friday. I am working nights, so I couldn't stay out late last night....inevitably I would have to turn up at work (and if I didn't need the shift for my Vegas fund, I would have called in sick....but anyways....). I had wondered why PRi was going to park in her garage, but I suppose seeing my mom's car out front would have given the whole surprise away. Anyways, good times were had eating pizza and milkshakes and pepsi (I love you too, Pepsi......Peppy.....whatever) :):)

Kudos to you all, and especially for PRi for pulling this off!

Happy Birthday to me:)

2007-01-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

So it's my birthday today. Yay me! I'm not usually that excited about my birthday...I think it has to do with the years of having exams or working on the day that I would actually like to have off. This year, there are no exams. There is no work. There isn't even any laundry. Just a nice quiet day to do nothing. Well, almost nothing.

I picked up my passport today and almost caused a riot. I guess it had something to do with the counter I was at. While standing in line at the "Passport Pick-Up" counter, the guy over in the Pre-Screening counter waved us over. *RUCKUS!!!* The security guard even came up to us and told us to wait in line before pre-screening. Uh, we're just here to pick up the passports, and this guy told us to come here.

So anyways, after avoiding being stabbed on the way out, we went for dinner. Nothing too fancy, just to Montana's. Great food, but I am definitely stuffed. Half of my dinner is going to be lunch tomorrow. Oh well....it will be a nice lunch. Of course, back home we go for some cake (sooo full!) and some presents and some phone calls. Hi Jo!

So now I am just relaxing the evening away. I used to get caught up in trying to celebrate my birthday, but I think as long as I am happy when the day is over, that is all that matters. Trying to organize a party when everyone was taking exams or working was hassle enough, and usually never turned out right. Whatever. No more worrying.

A very merry unbirthday to you (to you!) to you (to you!) Now blow the candles out my dear and make your wish come true!

(Sorry PRi, you probably have the tea cup music in your head now........boop boop bo! bo!)

too funny...

2007-01-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

I got this one from Stephi......I laughed so hard when I read my result. I suppose it describes a lot about how I came to be a nurse. Goes with my personality colour that's for sure!

You Are Sunshine

Soothing and calm

You are often held up by others as the ideal

But too much of you, and they'll get burned

You are best known for: your warmth

Your dominant state: connecting

What Type of Weather Are You?

Clean up day

2007-01-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today was supposed to be a sale weekend, but it was dead slow. So intead, I started cleaning up my office. When I got home, I followed my momentum and started cleaning up my computer. Here I am, putzing on my computer, looking through some of my old stuff and I come across a little document that I wrote in first year. it was right after I got back from a Florida trip which included sights such as Universal Studios and Disneyland

From the Cluttered Desk of Priscilla

As you know, we just came back from Florida. One of the major sights that we saw was Universal Studios Orlando. Here I had an amazing revelation:
* How did they write the ending for the movie “Never Ending Story?”

This led to waves of epiphanies, some which are written below. I call them
Priscilla’s Confused Rants
- How come movies are so realistic yet no one ever uses the bathroom?
- In the movie 'Face Off' how come Nick Cage and John Travolta can shoot anybody at any time except each other?
- How come a woman in the movies no longer needs to wear her glasses once a man tells her that she's beautiful without them?
- The Scarecrow got a brain, Tin Man got a heart, Lion got courage, Dorothy got home, but what did Toto get?
- How come the invisible man's clothes are invisible too? Where does he shop to get that stuff?
- On the parental warning for the movie South Park, they say that it is intended for mature audiences, but honestly, how mature do you think the average South Park fan is?

Then at Disney World, the epiphanies continued.
- In Snow White and the Seven Dwarves if Doc is a doctor why didn't he cure Sneezy?
- Why does Donald Duck never wear pants but wears a towel in the shower?
- Donald Duck has three nephews Huey Dewey and Louie. Where is his brother or sister? And why can't they take care of their own kids?
-How come Mickey Mouse has a dog for a pet and a different dog as a best friend?
-Tinkerbell’s pixie dust helps kids fly. What about the poor kids with asthma and allergies?
-How come the Lost Boys know where in Neverland they are? They must not be all that lost.

Anyways, a little tid bit to share

Edumacation day

2007-01-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or is post post-secondary education lacking these days? As much as I complained during school about school, I never realized how much I actually learned. And how much I didn't learn. I don't mean in class stuff, I mean the real things that you have to know when you go to work. Kind of like learning on the job, but more specific than that.
Ok, here's an example

I went to an education day yesterday. Again. I read about the topics of discussion beforehand, and was kind of interested in learning about ethics and building teamwork. Things that I guess would be important.....everyday, and every shift. No matter how long you have been working, some things you just have to keep learning. But anyways.....I came home after an entire day of sessions feeling a lot stupider than I should have. Ok, so I haven't been in school for a while, but I thought I would have at least learned something. The ethics discussion turned out to be a debate between mental health nurses and the rest of the hospital on whether or not we should tell patients about ourselves. Granted that could be dangerous with a lot of mental health patients, but most people aren't psychotic sociopaths when they come to the hospital to have a baby. Even if they are in labour. I don't divulge my life story, but if my patient asks me if I like working in labour and delivery, I'll answer. No ethical debate there.
It was a pointless discussion, emphasising the fact that I will never work in mental health.

The rest of the day went pretty much the same. Blah blah, here's what Capital Health is doing with your taxes to prepare for the flu pandemic blah blah wash your hands blah blah get your flu shot blah blah if your patient has a complaint talk to your manager blah blah. Then I went to the "injury prevention" session with the personal trainer from NAIT. Let's all strengthen our core with exercise balls. Labour and delivery nurses do not like exercise balls. I think it has something to do with the people who think that they can sit on their exercise balls all through their labour and then get upset at staff when labour really starts to hurt. But that's another ethical debate for another day. I don't even remember what it had to do with injury prevention.

The only session that was worth going to was the one on building teamwork. It was taught by the same woman who did the colours workshop that I went to a couple of months ago. Great fun, and I actually can apply what I learned to my practice. That was the point of the whole day anyways. But whatever. I got paid for it and got free coffee and muffins in the morning.

I suppose the occasional edumacation day is necessary for everybody, no matter what job you have. Otherwise it would still be 1950.

I really think that my edumacation day would have been more productive if they kept CPR recertification sessions in the morning instead of filler material. Maybe more people would have stayed for the teamwork building.

don't worry....be happy

2007-01-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

I woke up yesterday....afternoon......and had a rather large headache. No smiles from me. We ran out of Motrin, and I was hungry. I was also tired from having a really busy night at work....I had 2 babies and a lot of patients not in labour that I sent home.

But anyways, despite my frowning and being rumbly in my tumbly, Devin made me laugh. In the past, he has used his camera a lot for random pictures of everyday things...usually a video of a fire we are having, or pictures of Bear doing stupid things....like sitting on my stomach when I am trying to sleep....... or whatever. Yesterday's picture made me laugh.

The upstairs bathroom has an octagonal window...which was hard to cover last summer when having a shower and the neighbours were repairing their roof. But whatever.

I guess when you are having a bad day, a smile makes all the difference.
May someone's smile brighten your day today:):)

My rage?!

2007-01-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

I have just spent 6 hours at the local passport office......and I am exhausted. My previous post I said that no matter what, I was going to get my passport today....no procrastinating this time, because I have a deadline for Vegas. Well, PRi, mom, and I decided to wake up early today and brave the lines to get our passports. It's a good thing it was a raging blizzard today, because I don't know how many more people would have been there with us.

We started off going 20km/hr on the Whitemud...past 2 accidents before hitting the second exit, and then slowly made our way to downtown....thanks PRi for driving, by the way. When we finally got downtown, parked, and walked to Canada Place......we got into the long line of people who had been there for 2 hours already. It was only 8:20am. There should have been a sign saying "your wait time from this point: 3 hours" in the style of Disneyland. Mom talked to one of the managers to get a form for us for the "in lieu of guarantor" signature, as neither of us had someone who was available to sign. We then found out that there was no one at the passport office who would sign the form (although this is not what the application said), and had to find someone who could legally sign for us on our own. PRi held our place in line...while talking to a fellow line-waiter.......and mom and I ventured out into the blizzard to the Law Courts Building (where they confiscated my nursing scissors) and found out after arriving at the Queen's Bench that the only documents the Comissioner of Oaths would sign had to be of court origin. After a phone call to the registries where the receptionist had no idea that the notery public at the registry could sign the form and gave me no information on the phone, we couldn't find the way out of the building. Oh, and while lost, we ran into a lawyer that worked with mom years ago at the bank. He was able to point us in the right direction, thankfully.
Ok, so no go at the Law Courts building. On to City hall. No dice there either. The lady at the Civil Services desk said that she couldn't fill out the form for civilians. Great. Well, back into the snow, and over to the lawyer who said "come see me if you have no one who can sign". Thank goodness for him, otherwise we would have been up the proverbial creek with no paddle. While sitting in his office, we found out that our documents were filled in wrong, and were dated wrong. Hang on, here's a call from PRi......still in line at Canada Place......"I just passed the photo shop where they told me that my passport photo might be rejected, depending on the mood of the people in the office." Great. Will the lawyer sign the passport photos? No. He is not a guarantor. Back into the blizzard and find PRi in line. Have a coffee PRi. The lady in front of us gets her nephew to bring a different passport photo of herself. Three and a half hours later, we get to the PRE-SCREENING wicket. Mom and I find out that the lawyer needed to sign the photos in the first place. We were just there, he said no. Not good enough for the lady at the pre-screening wicket. Note it is lunch time now.
So into the blizzard again, Mom and I go back to the lawyer's office.....just in time to catch him before he leaves. Poor PRi is still holding our place in line. We get the photos signed, and back to Canada Place we go. An hour later we are still waiting to be called to the next available wicket. PRi's dad comes by....waits for a while.....gets tired of waiting...and back to work he goes. It is past lunch time now. Finally we get called up to one of the wickets. "Exact change is appreciated." Things go well, and we are off to find some much needed food. There are still 300 people lined up behind us, and more outside the office.
PRi is now curled up in the fetal position behind me. I think she needs to sleep. Mom and I need a drink. Oh and apparently our Vegas trip is a chance to bond with each other???

So yeah. I contemplated on lodging an official complaint with the passport office. It's one thing to be busy with the number of people getting their passports.....it's another to be completely oblivious with new changes (related to 9/11) and not even know what information....or lack thereof.....is on the website that they keep telling you to go to.

But I think I will just settle for a thank you gift to the lawyer....

The sun will come out tomorrow

2007-01-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

What a difference a good night's sleep does for your health. It could also be that I saw the sun today for the first time in a week. Stupid working nights in the winter. Bah.
So yeah. Feeling much more refreshed. PRi was going to get her passport done today. Hope the lines weren't too long. I need to get mine done too....and no procrastinating this time!
But seriously. I think I will go Wednesday. I have to find someone who will be my witness or whatever. That will be my project for tomorrow I guess.
Now that it's January, I have to seriously start thinking of saving my money. I spent way too much during the Christmas season....and even more than I thought I would need to spend on my car...so my bank account needs some TLC. Who cares if I get my passport in time for my trip to Vegas if I don't have money to pay for the trip???

Alright....no more spending if I don't need to.......but I'll start that after my shopping trip today:)

zzzzzzzzzz

2007-01-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

For the last few days, I have lived in my pyjamas. I am utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. It's probably a good thing I don't work until Thursday night. I came home from work on Friday and curled up on my couch with my comforter and my pillow and a good book. Two and a half hours later I woke up on my couch snuggled in my comforter with my book on the floor. Then I proceded to toss and turn until 4:00am. At this point, the couch is no longer comfortable so upstairs to bed I go. My mom came to wake me up at 3:30pm to see if everything was ok. The staffing office has phoned my house 4 times since Saturday morning (note: it is only Sunday), and I have been avoiding taking the phone. Hint hint.......I am tired!!!! Do you really think I am safe enough to work when I can hardly keep my eyes open during lunch? I think it was working the extra night that really threw me off. Normally in my rotation I work 4 nights in a row, then 3 days. Because of "Christmas" hours, they screwed up everyone's schedule, so I found out at the last minute that I was supposed to work 5 nights in a row. Now I have done 7 nights before, but take into consideration that it was a full moon, and staff have been phoning in sick from burnout, and it has been busy enough that I have missed breaks...... I have been coming home really wiped out. I am also having problems sleeping, which isn't helping matters much.
So yeah. I dragged myself out of bed this afternoon to start making a roast for dinner. I think I should shower too. Ewww..........but who cares....I haven't been anywhere except my bed and my couch.
I have completely lost track of what I was going to say.....
Maybe I should go shower now.

Philosophizing

2007-01-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

Now that most people have recovered from celebrating the new year, I wish you all the best in 2007:):) My New Years celebration consisted of welcoming Edmonton's New Year's baby at 12:03am. It was fate I tells ya; if it was a boy.....Carson it is.......If it was a girl.....well, they picked the same name of yours truely....which was the end of many jokes for the rest of the night, as a girl it was.
Needless to say, the sparkling cranberry juice we had planned for midnight still isn't opened yet because we have been so busy at work. I just need to work on getting my body used to being up in the daytime. Good luck with that.

So anywho, as this is my first post of the new year, I had thought about whether or not I should make resolutions....and post them. The last New Years resolution I made, I vowed to give up drinking pop. But then Jo told me pop was ok on Sundays (Orange crush, I think it was....).....and then I decided that iced tea is not considered pop......so really, that resolution was pretty much broken. Except I haven't bought nearly as many Cokes as I did before that resolution. Stupid Coke. Please buy another Coke product. I don't even like Coke.

But that was a long time ago, and I begin to wonder if it is time for another attempt at a New Years resolution. Every year we look back at the things we have done....or not done....and promise to change things for the better. It's so negative. What is it about me that I don't like? Or should I be asking "what is it about me that I think others don't like?" It's all too complicated. And my brain hurts. Why should I make a resolution for a year when I could just go day by day? That way, if I resolve to eat more fruit this year...it's easier to eat more fruit just today. And then tomorrow, I would be more inclined to eat more fruit because I was able to do it already. Make sense? Maybe not. Maybe I'm just babbling away and you stopped paying attention paragraphs ago. But in any case, wouldn't you think it would be easier to keep a resolution that you could see the results instantly??? And because you are resolving to do something each day, if one day you screw up...you don't "wait until next year"......you just move on and try again tomorrow. Then next year, you would feel better about yourself enough that you won't even need a New Years resolution.

So then maybe my resolution is to stop making resolutions...... At least that one I could keep.

Sad to leave

2006-12-30T04:20:00.000-07:00

So while everyone was enjoying Mario Tennis and liquid crack (Big Doug4U!!), I had an emergent cesarean section to attend to. Unfortunately I had to leave the homemade salsa and bacardi to come to work...unwillingly might I add....and ended up in a mess of a cesarean section where the mom was bleeding, and the baby is very sick. Not happy.
I have to give big kudos to PRi for putting on a great dinner:):) The salsa and milkshakes were a hit...and so were Janita's chocolates and karaoke. I have been singing Up Town Girl all night. Boo! Hopefully the rest of the night was as fun as the first half. Oh, and by the way....the cork did not snap....it disintegrated!!!! Stupid cork. Well, PRi, I know what I am getting you for your birthday. A corkscrew... and coffee filters!!!

Anywho. A jorb well done. Now if I can only get this song out of my head.....

PRi's Holiday Party

2006-12-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

So I'm in the middle of the Holiday Party. For one thing, I have never seen my house this clean AND with me living in it. I'm scared yet impressed. Plus, Morgo-shaped Santa gave me a blender for Christmas, so that was definately used. A lovely chocolate mint milkshake was featured as well as homeade salsa and pina coladas. I however have no clud what I'm going to do with half a bottle of rum. We have witnessed a new way of opening wine bottles. I believe this one employed a power drill...? The cork was decimated not before it snapped a corkscrew. Yes. it SNAPPED a corkscrew. I believe this has only happened once before

Yeah. Anyways, we're going to be doing a MArio Power Tennis tournament. Kareoke Revolution was scary. For one, "Uptown Girl" and "Material Girl" were.... scary. and really freaking funny.

Oh, the insanity!

2006-12-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

So after spending a wonderful Christmas with my family and PRi, I came to the conclusion that I must spend some money on myself.......I needed to go Boxing Day shopping!!!

Waa!

OK, so I may just get a little personal here, but what I needed most was a new bra. Three of my old ones all broke within a week of each other, and with the insanity of Christmas, I haven't had the time, desire, or money to shop for myself.....and my back and shoulders have been killing me these last couple of weeks. I decided to brave the Boxing Day shoppers.......at South Edmonton Common.

Waa!

Maybe it was the thought that most of the shoppers will be busying themselves with Best Buy or Wal-mart and the like that kept me going......how wrong I was. Lucky to get a parking space, I walked almost a block to La Senza. After an hour and a half looking for my size, cursing at the many new models that are ideal for B cups or smaller, and finding a fitting room... I finally stood in the mega line to purchase my items. Turns out I had more luck finding pyjamas. But they are oh-so-soft and comfortable!
Alright, so I know that Boxing Day sales turn out to be more like Boxing Week sales, and what I bought today wasn't even on sale to begin with. But I couldn't wait another day.

So this is Christmas

2006-12-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

I have the chance to experience Christmas at Morgo's this year. Last year I got to experience part of it, but this year Grandma and Grandpa are here. THIS is Christmas. Cooking for Christmas Eve dinner, Eating Christmas Eve dinner, Running away from the kitchen because there are too many people yelling directions at once, Unwrapping presents that filled the living room, and possibly if I counted the computer chair and brand new dishwasher that weren't in the living room, I don't know if we would have had room for people. There are several things that I got for Christmas. I got socks from Mom and Dad Lavigne, a purse from Grandma and Grandpa, CSI 5 from Mom and Dad Lavigne, Animaniacs vo 2 from Morgan and Devin, All things that are terribly useful to me. The piece de resistance however was the blender I got from Santa. Well, I think it was from a Morgan-shaped Santa. Thanks Morgan-shaped Santa! Now for all who are visiting this Friday, you can sample milkshakes and salsa made with my new blender. That and Mom Lavigne got me a stocking this year as well. That's it, I'm Ukranian. After spending Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa at Morgan's, I have a new appreciation for Christmas. Well, apart from the birth of Jesus and all that. But that happened a while ago. Now I'm looking to the future and I'm looking forward to spending more Ukranian Christmases.

my new baby

2006-12-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

My patient had a baby today. There are new students and residents starting this week....a very eager bunch who want to learn and experience all they can. One joined me for the delivery, and was quite excited that I allowed him to be there. It wasn't really up to me....it was up to my patient, who didn't have a problem with an extra face in the room.

A busy day, but a good one nonetheless.

My grandparents came today...they will be here for Christmas this year. They brought the usual ukrainian food, random household items, and of course, my new baby. Well, she's new to me.

Somehow I feel like going on a road trip.....

I need to sell some cars

2006-12-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

I mean really, I need to make some money. Do you know anyone buying a car? New? Used? PLEASE!!! I need to sell cars....

Supposably I'm playing a concert in 2 weeks... I think. I haven't met these people yet. But they need a flute player. Hey! I'M a flute player!

I spent 2 days this week at Holy Cross teaching their flutes how to flute. haha, I remember when I was that young. I was egotistical and thought I was hot stuff. Wait, I'm still egotistical and I AM hot stuff...

12 shopping days left

2006-12-12T16:23:00.000-07:00

I have been avoiding a lot of things lately. Phone calls from the staffing office at work. Rush hour traffic at south Edm. common. Wal-mart. Shopping for myself. My couch. TV. Opening my bank statement. Basically anything that would distract my procrastinating self from finishing my Christmas shopping. I am nearly done....just three more gifts to buy, which will be done tomorrow....as it's 4:30. Rush hour traffic starts you know.

Technically I should avoid my computer too......

But whatever. What I should be concentrating on doing right now is cleaning up my room. Sounds pretty lame, eh? Oh well. My grandparents are coming in the next week or so for Christmas.....and bringing a "Christmas" gift for me...from me....but more on that later.....:):)

So yeah. I always give up my room while they are here.....along with my semi-broken tv. I think the ghost of Linda Blair came to visit this year at Halloween, cuz my tv in my room seems to turn off by itself from time to time. I dunno. Isn't that my luck, though? First my computer... then my computer, then my car, then my computer, then my hard drive, then my computer. Now my tv. Linda Blair finds my house hospitable I guess. Oh well.

Anywho, I am procrastinating again, so I guess I better go. I can't give up all my vices anyways. I'd be too much in withdrawl!

venting

2006-12-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

Busy day today. My feet hurt, and I decided that I am looking forward to nights next week. I came home frustrated. After an hour spent reporting a medication error that three of us missed, we had an emergency cesarean section for a woman who decided she wanted to labour ("cuz only REAL women labour") when she really shouldn't have.... It took the baby 5 minutes to breathe on its own...but she's doing ok now.

Let's just say that there is a reason why babies are rarely delivered breech without c-sections these days...especially if the mom had prior c-sections. Really.

http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/news/news_show.cfm?number=59

See?
I have to be a responsible nurse and back up my practice with evidence....

So yeah. That's my rant for the day. Not a good day anyways, but at least there was a potluck lunch. Mmmm......food. You would think that the only thing nurses do are rant......and eat.

Getting ready for Christmas

2006-12-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

Time for an update I think....

I have been busy...the usual I guess. Work, feeble attempts at Christmas shopping, finally finding winter boots, making my house ready for Santa....et cetera...

PRi came over on Saturday to help put up my Christmas tree.....putting up the tree is a big deal with my family, and seeing as how PRi practically is family, some good times were had. We bought 200 more mini LED lights to add to the 5 strings of lights we already had....(told you we needed them, PRi!!), and added new glass Disney decorations to the already eclectic jumble of things on the tree. I'm happy how it turned out.

No fire in the fireplace, though....we were already watching the fire channel....

So yeah. I also went to PRi's work's Christmas party at the WEM Waterpark yesterday. Good times. Devin and I left a bit early (I am working nights again), but we had fun all the same. Thanks PRi for getting us in. Too bad the hot tub wasn't working properly and there was a lineup for the one that was. I slept good when I got home....nothing like climbing a billion stairs to tire you out when you have only slept for 4 hours.

My legs feel great today, though.

Kmart sucks...or at least Walmart does

2006-11-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have my furnace fixed....yay me! The stupid motor blew. Turns out that our warranty expired in October......of course. But after a very very very very cold 24 hours and a million phone calls, we found someone who could replace the motor, and only charge us for the "consultation" visit. Woo hoo:) I guess that -34 with the windchill may have helped us out ....sympathy weather you know. Oh man...what a time for your furnace to break......and your warranty expired one month ago....and it's freezing outside.....let me see what I can do.

On another note...with all this cold and snow, I figured it would be a good idea to buy some winter boots. I can't seem to find the ones I had last year (which also sucked, by the way), and though I have been wearing my mom's....they suck too. Your feet freeze when it's +2 outside. So anywho, I bit the bullet and took a drive. I needed some random toiletries from Walmart anyways, so I decided to try their shoe department to see what they had...........nothing. But that didn't matter to the rush of shoppers. People nowadays have no manners. It's terrible. Pushing and shoving, people were trying to pay for their hastily selected items by jumping into lines that didn't exist, yell at overexcited kids for talking about what Santa is bringing them for Christmas, trying to pay with personal cheques, and complain when hearing that Walmart doesn't accept cheques anymore. A senior citizen cut in front of me into the 15 items or less line...with her cart full of stuff....and preceded to tell a mother with a 4 year old (who had waaaay too much sugar) that because she was a senior, she should be allowed to pay for her cart first.

I almost decided to order all my Christmas presents online next year.....and give them out in July. It's not worth fighting with stupid people anymore.

But whatever. That's my rant on people who suck. After the fiasco at Walmart, I decided to try other places for shoes. Payless sucks. The Shoe Warehouse sucks. The Shoe Company sucks. Aldo outlet sucks. Mark's Work Warehouse sucks. I think I exhausted all my possibilities for the day. I also think that my opinion of said stores was influenced by the people who are shopping today. Cuz they suck. That is my cue to not spend money. It's a good thing I don't have to work until Thursday night....that gives me a few days to go shopping for winter boots again.

At least my house is warm.....

a little cold part deux

2006-11-24T18:21:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing I got my back door replaced.

My furnace is now broken.

Stupid everything.

a little cold...

2006-11-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

thanks to mother nature's big dump of snow the last few days, I have been forced to clean off 10 Rav 4s. I am currently wearing a wool skirt and knee high boots, however with the wind, my nether regions are frozen. Someone remind me that wind plus cold equals either nylons, pants or a combination of both.

scalpel......

2006-11-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

I went to work today and found out I was on cesarean section duty. I said duty hahaha....
Anywho...so because it has been a couple of weeks since I started my OR training, I had the opportunity to scrub in today.

I was kinda scared, and pretty nervous. I was supposed to wait for my clinical educator to scrub in with me.......but the old educator happened to be working today, so I scrubbed in with her instead. I think I did alright...it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but it will definitely take me a little while to feel comfortable. It's anticipating what the doctor needs that takes practice. I know what the instruments are. I know pretty much when I will have to hand them off. I know what my role of scrub nurse is. I know how to set up my table.

I can't read minds however.....though it may seem like I can sometimes. The doctors were pretty good with me today...they knew I was a newbie. We have great team work, so communication between patient, nurse, and doctor isn't as terrible as some places I've been...

*cough* ALEX *cough*

Oops...was that my outside voice???? oh well.

Anywho, after cesarean section #6 (in 8 hours), I am exhausted. So now I must go sleep. Before I do.....happy American Thanksgiving:):):)

Firewall flamed

2006-11-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

So I have found the only place at the dealership that allows more than the "approved" websites to come up without angry messages. So now that I have internet access... Yay!

I've been selling more cars. It makes me busy, and I get paid. I don't know if I'm complaining. I don't know if I'm happy either. I'm confused.

According to Cosmo, THE authority on all things, 22% of office romances lead to marriage. I'm batting 0 for 3 right now, and it looks as if number 4 is in the works. I basically went up to him and asked him, "So what's the deal with you, you want to date me or what?" That's it. no games. He wants to make sure that the thing with me and JC is over. I think it was over months ago, but what do I know, eh? The guy wants a relationship, just not with him... Issues I tells ya.
If I keep dating around the dealership, maybe once I'll get it right?

By the ways, if you refer anyone to me and they buy a car (new or used) you get $100 referral fee. Christmas money could be nice.

who am I? insert spiderman joke here

2006-11-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

I finally have a new door.

It took a lot of effort and trips to Rona....and it is worth it. My door can actually close in the winter! And it makes my kitchen look a hundred times bigger! Mind you, there are no curtains yet, that will probably make a difference. But it's new :):)

It's not the most exciting news, but it has been a long time since we have had something new for our house. And the lock works too!

So yeah and stuff. It has been one very very long week....despite the fact that I haven't been working as often. My new position starts tomorrow night, so we'll see how that goes. I went to a workshop yesterday for "professional development" (yay for counting this on my continuing competencies for my license!). It was a Colours workshop where you would answer a bunch of questions to determine which of the four "colours" your personality fits into.

You'll never guess what colour I am...... BLUE hahahahahahaha never saw that one coming. Well, actually I'm blue-orange which basically means that my intuitive touchy-feely sensitive blue is influenced a lot by my spontaneous easy-going fun loving orange. There was a lot of pondering and soul searching done....as well as a lot of laughs, but here is an example of the types of questions I had to answer:

http://www.truecolorscareer.com/quiz.asp

It doesn't give the whole picture of course. But it really helps to figure out how a team works together despite conflicting personalities. By the way, you may take the quiz and get gold (you like organization, structure, and responsibility) or green (you are logical, rational, innovative, and value intellect). You will have every colour within your personality to some degree.

What's your inner colour???

Stupid

2006-11-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to get our new patio door installed today. Remember my broken door? Rona was supposed to deliver our new door yesterday for installation today.

Rona is stupid.

Apparently their delivery guy "quit" and so everything is pushed back until Thursday. My mom had to schedule yesterday, today, and Thursday off from work in order to be here for the door. Now she is short three shifts...and that's a lot of money for my family. Rona said they would pay us $40 for compensation. The door cost us over $1000. And it was supposed to be here in August. You do the math.

Update: PRi is alive!

2006-11-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

We interrupt you from your irregularly scheduled program to bring you this breaking news: PRi is alive! Reports have leaked the possibility of not alive but spokespersons of PRi have revealed that that indeed, PRi is alive. She has simply taken leave of social interactions of all kinds: work, due to a sprained knee and WCB, boyfriend, due to the fact that he was treating me like crap, blog, due to lazyness.

Now that I am back, I would like to share a photo with you.

Who am I kidding? I couldn't betray my husband... By the way, I want a divorce

Nobody appreciates them as much as you do, Fiz... I mean.... in your dreams! I mean, I want a divorce. I mean, Your Mom!

Anyways, I return you to your irregularly scheduled program

Time flies when you are indifferent

2006-11-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

Lately I have decided I have the right to be lazy. Not forever, but at least for a couple of days. I have worked hard and I think I deserve it. I spent my weekend doing nothing but yelling at NHL referees, sleeping on my couch, trying to decide which of my books I will have to start reading again for nights (I'm back to the beginning of my list), and reading said book. Mind you, I have done some productive things as well......helping Devin with his English homework, helping PRi feel better, and study some more for my OR orientation.

Oh, and I have been trying to budget my money now that I have a job for six months. Kinda hard to budget when you only know you are working part time for a few months. Doesn't help when you need to plan something yearly. But whatever. I have decided that it just doesn't matter right now. Not that I am breaking my budget, but I don't have the energy to worry about things like that. Maybe later. Right now, I am happy to spend the morning in my pj's biding my time until I have to go to work. I am working evening shifts this week, and it feels strange.....I haven't worked an evening since..............?????

But whatever. I am enjoying the silence of my house....with occasional and random barking. No heart monitors, no blood pressure cuffs, no cautery sounds, no teaching, no phones ringing, no orders, and no babies. Don't get me wrong...I love babies crying while I'm at work. To hear them cry makes me happy as a nurse. I suppose it will be different whenever I have kids of my own. But I am not thinking about that today. Today is reserved for "what's for lunch" and letting Bear outside to pee.

So yeah and stuff. For being indifferent, I sure had a lot to say. Not too exciting, but I said it nonetheless. Oh well.

I wonder what's for lunch....