On friendship

A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good,
and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad.
~Arnold H. Glasgow

Dark! Sooo dark!

I mentioned the other day that the entire front of my building was covered in scaffolding, netting and the like, right? Since last Thursday.

Well the workers finally started doing their brick work this morning at 7am, and this said work includes covering the entire balcony doors and windows with a thick sheet of plywood to protect the glass. We only have the one place for light in this place of the appartment! It's soooo dark in here and it's supposed to be sunny! You should hear the thumping and shouting going on right now - nerve wracking.

I'm feeling super claustrophobic - escaping to the office has never been such a treat!

Talk about perspective, eh?

*sips hot creamy latte, mmm*

I booked movers yesterday, so our official day is June 26th - aaaaa! Makes it all real somehow... Still waiting for a call from the bank to go sign the official mortgage papers and we have to discuss "who does which house repairs" with the current house owners, notary has been booked, what else am I missing? Help?

OK I obviously have oatmeal for brains this morning, gonna cut this short before my forehead hits the keyboard. Soooo tired... Was sixty feet under when the alarm clock blared this morning.

Still twenty to go.

/end of Stupid Crumbly Old Building! post/

Smoke and mirrors

Camouflage is a game we all like to play,
but our secrets are as surely revealed by what we want to seem to be
as by what we want to conceal.
~Russell Lynes

Just chop it off, man!

Finally! My horrid heavy frizzy winter hair is GONE! Told my awesome hairdresser to cut away half to let the curls come through, and she did this:

This is my happy happy face!

OK so you can better see the head mayhem,I shall be serious for a mo':

Sorry Vegas darling, but the 80's pornstar hair just had to GO. I feel so much lighter and happier now - isn't it funny how much power our hair holds over us?!

Today was for sleeping in late and getting soaked running the dogs and errands. It's pissing outside, a really nasty spring rain. Yet the city is "cleaning the streets" with those big pressure hoses mounted on water trucks - our tax dollahs hard at work!

No headache today, it's a bloody miracle. I've the gumption to cook up a few dishes for the week's lunches, the bathroom needs cleaning too but hey! the man's home! I wonder if he'll be nice and volunteer, hmmm?

Blogging: the new communication tool for modern couples.

But first, time for a hot tea and a cheesy movie. Yey! Sunday!

/end of Homebody With Somebody post/

On blood & water

The family - that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape,
nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to.
~Dodie Smith

Well. That was a week!

Hmmm. Vegas gone all week, lots of stress on the job, two dirty dogs to take care of day and night, rain, mud, "aunt flo", plenty of headaches and not much sleep, some very dark moments with the man, fights, fatigue, got the mortgage for the house but couldn't celebrate, bla bla bla.

It's over! It's Friday night and this girl is relaaaaxing! Or, in layman's terms: vegging in front of the TV, drinking limeaid and debating whether to make a pan of brownies or not.

There may be much texting with Vegas, as he's only taking the red-eye flight as I go to bed late tonight. I shall keep the bed warm for him, reeer!

In other news... my mailbox was full of interesting tidbits today - my dad sends the BEST stuff.

Witness: the "Man T-Shirt"

Dude, that's one helluva shirt. Seriously. Am getting all hot and bothered just looking.

Did I tell you that last night I got home and the entire facade of my three-story building was wrapped in scaffolding and netting? Wasn't the landlord sweet to give us a head's up on the next TWO WEEKS of brickwork being done to the building! "/$%?&

Anyone can climb from the street to enter our appartment from the balcony now, it's crazy. The windows don't lock and on top of that, the skinny curtains don't keep the sneaky workers from seeing everything inside our place. There is no light coming inside now thanks to all the wood planks and netting and the dogs don't have access to their balcony during the day, plus we have to keep the windows closed because of the cement dust (they have to rebrick everything) and that means it will be HOT and STINKY in here...

Waaaaaaaah! Get me out of this place! Waaaaaaaaah!

6:20pm, time for jammies.

I rock the life of sexiness.

/end of Home! Home! Home! Soon! Soon! Soon! post/

On marriage

Don't marry the person you think you can live with;
marry only the individual you think you can't live without.
~James C. Dobson

I'm an idiot

I think the best way to survive this (two more days!) is to go underground. It may not be the best coping mechanism but it's all I have: shield is UP, communication is OFF and I can then focus on rebuilding my shattered self-respect.

Even if I only put a piece or two back in place, it'll be progress.

I love my husband, he's everything to me and I hope he understands that I am truly sorry for being so broken. I wish I was strong enough to support him but right now, I'm no good to anybody.

The cumulative stresses of the past few months have really done my head in: I see monsters lurking in shadowed corners, I am constantly looking over my shoulder for that vampire, waiting for that poke in the eye. I feel sick from loneliness.

Gonna crawl back in my shell and wake up Saturday... Pray the nightmares will stay at bay and that Vegas gets back home safe and sound. Life without him is pretty bleak.

/end of Taking A Break post/

Does insecurity ever really go away?

I wasn't born insecure and distrustful of every human being except for my mother. It took years of disappointments, lies, cheating partners, illusions and empty promises inflicted on me to get me where I am today - lots of hard work!

Yes, I have baggage.

Yes, I'm broken.

I'm not easy to live with and I know I ask a lot of my partners, well only from Vegas now - he's supposed to love me forever, right? I'm supposed to be his number one.

Well this week I've felt like number two and it's shit. The biggest news of my life, I couldn't celebrate with my husband (the house mortgage). I feel so alone and lost and I don't think he cares very much.... He's "busy". He's been gone 3 weeks out of 5 now, and the other two times he was gone weren't this bad: at least we were in contact more or less.

Now I'm completely cut off, my panic level is rising like a flooded toilet and I don't feel he's making much effort to keep in touch - the 3-hour time difference means he's up partying while I lay in bed, sleepless, wondering what the hell is going on. No news in the morning makes it worse. How hard can it be to send a short email before going to bed? A phone call? Anything?

My stomach is in knots, still two more long days of this crap to get through. I've asked him to help get me through it but his work and his drinking and socializing come first, if he has time for me then maybe I'll get a crumb.

I am so underwhelmed right now, I'm about to take that baggage and leave. Bah humbug!

/end of Are Men Are All The Same? post/

Vegas, come hooooome!

Patience: A minor form of despair disguised as a virtue.
~Ambrose Bierce

Random brain bubbles

This morning I got mesmerized by a beautiful formation of honking geese high up in the cold blue sky, their rhythmic honking synonymous with the return of spring. It made me so happy, I wanted to cry.

Oftentimes, while driving in flowing traffic, my mind drifts and gels and I get this iresistable urge to lift my foot off the pedal and just... not brake. Let the cars bump into each other. Dunno why. Is that weird?

At which point in life do we stop wanting things? When do we "have it all"?

I'm glad I'm not a man and will never have to worry about going bald. Although I do wish my hair would grow as fast as my damn nails (have to clip those twice a week), then I could get that fabulous über-short haircut I've always dreamed about but am sure to hate cuz it would make me look like a Q-Tip. So I'll just go for a trim on Friday, this shapeless frizz has finally driven me bonkers.

Trade-shows are evil, there is no god, Elvis is dead and those who wake up with hangovers deserve them.

/end of Stupid Wednesday post/

Liquid love

Wine is bottled poetry.
~Robert Louis Stevenson

Gaaah! The bitch strikes again!

Bitch = my female dog. In case you wondered.

She's three and a half years old and knows damn well not to chew anything in the house besides her toys. She's been very good lately, probably cuz Vegas has been home so much.

Now? Mademoiselle is protesting!

She had the gall to steal my pack of Cadbury Creme Eggs from the coffee table - unfrickinbelievable! I had four eggs in there, sitting in their plastic egg-holder thingie, one egg per day as a reward for surviving yet another week on my own. Those things ain't cheap, either, so they're a treat.

Well, they WERE a treat, until I walked in a few minutes ago to find the scattered remains all over the living-room carpet. Plastic gnawed on, every single precious egg naked, half-chewed, covered in slobber, dog hair and ming, shredded foil paper everywhere.

I. WAS. LIVID.

Flippin' dog, man. She knows better and I know she knows better, because she was sporting the "yoda look" when I walked in, in the corner, she didn't come to greet me like she normally does.

Sigh. Back to daytime crating for her for a couple of weeks.

Hate doing it but I know she will start eating the furniture again soon, better prevent a disaster before it happens. I'm home at lunchtime so the kids get to enjoy fresh air on the balcony, it's not that bad.

Mental note: buy more chocolate tonight, can't have vino on its own!

/end of Bitch Bitch Bitch post/

On this glorious day...

...Guess whose mortgage approval finally got approved this morning!!

To say we're jubilant, relieved, ecstatic and overwhelmed with happiness is an understatement - I'm freaking hyperventilating here, LOL!

Can't write much, gotta take the dogs out for their morning bio breaks for the rest of the week (Vegas come hooooome!) and I'm cramped over like a motherfucker thanks to Aunt Flo. Gotta love being a wimmins.

Just wanted to share this extreme happiness with you, dear readers, to balance out all that crap I've been dishing out lately.

*sheepish*

/end of Crack Open The Bottle Of Celebration post/

Viva Las Elvus

I would never want to be a member of a group
whose symbol was a guy nailed to two pieces of wood.
~George Carlin

Mini-blabbins

Vegas is gone for another week out west, CRAP!

I don't mind horribly that he travels for work but it's a lot for one month, specially with all that we have going on... Still no news on that front but we were told not to expect anything from the bank until Wednesday, seeing as their entire staff is comprised of paralyzed snails.

It's very cold out and the blinding sun isn't doing squat to help, but whatev.

March, eh?

Work is plodding, the monthly headache is chugging along and my lunch hour is done so I gotta run back to the stuffy stinky box... Had a bowl of leftover veggies for lunch (baked acorn squash, steamed kale, baked sweet potato fries) and I'm stuffed, wtf?

My man left and dragged my appetite along with him, apparently.

Yey! These love handles can fuck off, anyways.

Oooo I have a Cadbury Creme Egg for this afternoon's snackies! Thanks Prin for the inspiration, LOL! All right, and a bananer too for the conscience.

PS: C'mon, go vote already! ;-)

/end of Rah Rah Monday post/

To all the women in the world...

see more pwn and owned pictures
Check your men's shirts! If you find such a label then you'll know why he never does the laundry and you have my permission to either stab him in the eye with a stick of bleach or wash his socks in dog poop, your choice!

My god. Now I feel like I'm not allowed to vote or earn my own money anymore. GRRR!

Spring into it

Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
~Veronica A. Shoffstall, "After a While," 1971

A day of smooooth

Yep. Easy peasy weekend after a super-busy past few days, and it feels great.

Although it was lovely to sleep late this morning, the blasted PMS headache ate my will to live... But after a big breakfast, pain meds and a walk in the warm, dry and breezy field with Vegas and the doggies, I'm functional enough.

We hit the grocery stores and then the liquor store for a good bottle of red, tonight I'm making spicy baked sweet-potato fries and acorn squash to go with the leftover pork tenderloin roast, that'll be just awesome.

Mid-afternoon lunch was a salad: fresh tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, diced spanish onion and crumbled feta cheese tossed in olive oil, aged garlic wine vinegar and cracked black pepper. Another coffee and a piece of sugar pie topped that off. Hah. No wonder my flippin' pants keep shrinking.

Oh well.

Had enough about food yet? :-D

So yeah, the house. Inspection went very well, although I think we paid way too much for the lackadaisical approach. It's like the two guys thought it was funny or something.

Inspector, squinting: "Looks like some shingles are missing from the roof."
TD: "Well, you will put that in your report after you've inspected the whole roof, right?"
Inspector: "Oh, the roof's too high. Our ladders won't reach so we won't go there."

Duh. That was just lazy.

Like, all over.

I'll be curious to see the report they send us, with photos and recommendations, as I've seen what a $500 inspection got us the last time.

So, there were a few issues on the outside of the house but most are easy things to fix and the owners will have to do a few repairs on their dime before we move in.

We've agreed to do some other stuff, like lowering the deck and fixing the side of the house that it's attached to, as it was declared before we agreed to buy the place.

In essence the house is a concrete bunker, there are no cracks in the foundation (which is wrapped in a waterproofing membrane), the plumbing and electricity are new, the windows are tight, everything is straight and works properly, there are no humidity or air problems and frankly, we're so in love with the place that we'll just deal with any problems as they surface.

We're chuffed!!

Also, the bank evaluator was a super nice gentleman who actually knows the owners, how cool is that? He said to sleep tight over the weekend and that there shouldn't be any problems with his report so by Tuesday or Wednesday, we'll know for sure that we've got this damn mortgage!

OK, time to throw another load of laundry in ze machine.

No rest for the wicked!

/end of Where Are The Knob Jockeys? post/

w00t!

If you want to make your dreams come true,
the first thing you have to do is wake up.
~J.M. Power

Eating a horseshoe for breakfast

Luck! We need good luck, people!

This afternoon is the house inspection AND after that, the bank evaluator is visiting to give his assessment to see if we get the mortgage on this place or not.

Everything will be decided by dinnertime... I'm about to crap a brick, I'm so nervous and excited!

Good luck vibes appreciated :-)

Dog Judo

Just a little something "out there" to keep y'all busy for a minute!

How long is patience supposed to last?

Frigg's sake! Third day of waiting for confirmation on the mortgage. GAAAH! Our paperwork is fine, the bank is apparently just flooded with requests this time of year so the delay is longer. This sucks!

The people who visited the house three times before we went last weekend got back to the seller one day later to make an offer on the house. HA HA HAHHAAAA! You snooze, you lose buddy. It's OURS. We came, we saw, we conquered.

But it was a close call.

*wipes fictional sweat off brow*

We're lucky to be getting a week of warm sunny days in a row, wooo! Knock on wood, looks like spring came almost a month early this year. Was looking at pics that I took at the end of March 2008 and hell, there was a half-foot of packed snow everywhere.

What a bitch of a winter that was... and of course I was all alone back then, just me, my car and my shovel (we had about 8 or 9 dates that winter).

Running out of time to blog, please remember to vote on the poll cuz c'mon, it's really funny isn't it?

/end of Eat My Coffee post/

Awoman to that!

This is a little prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state.

I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools
they might as well have a nice prayer like this:
Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands,
thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven,
give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail.
Crown thy good into temptation
but deliver us from the twilight's last gleaming.
Amen and Awomen.
~George Carlin

They love meh, they really love meh!

*warning! long post ahead*

Woohoo! I went home for lunch on Monday and not five minutes after I'd arrived, Fedex banged on the door to deliver a hefty package from my favorite peeps at Matchstick, this clever "word of mouth" marketing company in Toronto.

If you remember, they've included me in their programs a few times: the Dove chocolate, the Listerine Whitening Strips, and most recently the L'Oreal mascara trial... speaking of which, Matchstick has a message for you, dear readers!

They are looking for feedback from anyone who may have read my posts on the L’Oreal Beauty Tubes so, if you CLICK HERE and complete the short feedback survey, you will be helping them by donating $2.00 to Shelternet, a web-based Women and Children’s Crisis Support Center that provides aid and financial support to locally based women’s shelters across Canada.

Your time and feedback is greatly appreciated.

So, without further ado, here is the new program they've included me in: The new Herbal Essences Hydralicious Shampoo & Conditioners!

Well, new for us Canucks... Only 200 lucky bloggers & influencers got to take part in this program so really, I've got a four-leaf clover up my butt.

Here's what was in the yummy-smelling box:

Yep, three shampoos and three conditioners, one of each "flavour".

They smell even better than they look!

And I have all these amazing coupons for free, no-strings attached, full-sized bottles of Hydralicious to hand out to friends, family and colleagues. I've already handed out a bunch at work and made friends in the process, LOL!

I'll let you know how it goes... Lord knows I love my long hot showers, lathers, potions and lotions - this is just perfect!

/end of Happy Hump Day post/

Sans limit

I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep.
That's deep enough. What do you want -
an adorable pancreas?
~Jean Kerr, The Snake Has All the Lines

I had gotten out the vaseline...

For all intents and purposes, tonight was "tax night", that dreaded once-a-year rape by the gov'ment rubber fist... Ugh.

I had booked an accountant from a flyer we got in our mailbox, cheap, local, online service - great! What they didn't advertise was the smell of cat poop and the ming floating everywhere in the dingy office... which doubled as a massage parlour, complete with ratty stained sheets, hair and dust everywhere.

*shudder*

At least it was over with quickly: Vegas got the tax refund he thought he would get and for me... well... I had earmarked a few thousand cuz I knew they'd get me this year, the bastards, because my severance package from last year pushed me into a higher tax bracket. But clever me, at the last minute I moved a bunch of money into my RRSP's (a Canadian tax shelter of sorts) and nearly keeled over when my total for the year was... an $87 refund!

I might have giggled hysterically whilst trying not to touch anything, lest I catch warts.

RELIEF!!!

Vegas picked up a nice bottle of red wine to celebrate, I readjusted our New House Budget and all is OK with the world! Yey!

/end of Soon The Dream House post/

I just wanna zzzzzzz

Too tired, can't brain...

Am about to pass out from a whirlwind weekend of excitement, smiles, adrenaline, nerves, happiness, travelling, talking, shock and paperwork - all that's missing is the damn sleep.

Can a person die of happiness? LOL!

I don't want to talk about the house too much until everything's settled, which should be next weekend... This week is to nail down the financing then get the house inspection done, plus we'll no doubt have a few more "running around with arms flailing in the air" moments to get through - all with with our full-time jobs keeping us busy during daylight hours, doggies at night, hail to the gods of wine, yadi yada.

And then Vegas is gone again all of next week.

Crap!!

It's been a rough few months and we're both very, very relieved to finally put it all behind us (yeah! doggie style!).

We both lost the plot a few times but we held on tight and worked through it, we believed in each other and in our dream and even if Vegas wanted to throttle me only three days ago for "being obsessed about finding a damn house", well... He can surely eat his words now, yes?

It ain't a house it's a freaking castle! Woohoooooo!!

Kay, time for a shoulder rub, I can't move my head - ow ow ow. Why do I always wake up in a pretzel?!

/end of Living The Dream post/

With super-heroic strength...

We've finally done it.

Success.

IT IS OURS!!

It is a beautiful day...

Sunny, warm, a real taste of spring! Woohoo!

Vegas is home, I made our favorite southern veggie stew and cookies last night so there's food in the house and in a few hours we're driving out in the eastern townships to visit a house that looks awesome...

Crossing fingers that we won't again be disappointed, it would be nice to finally find "the one" and put all of this behind us! In any case, it will be a lovely drive into the country. Yeah.

*breathe, breathe, breathe*

New poll is up, sorry gentlemen it's only for the ladies unless you're gay, then of course you can vote.

Off to make coffee and go wake the man - he's still on Nevada time, he he. I don't think I've ever seen him sleep later than me before!

/end of Happy Saturday To You post/

And the journey continues...

To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily.
To not dare is to lose oneself.
~Soren Kierkegaard

How to Poop at Work

We've all been there but don't like to admit it. We've all kicked back in our cubicles and suddenly felt something brewing down below. As much as we try to convince ourselves otherwise, the WORK POOP is inevitable. For those who hate pooping at work, following is the Survival Guide for taking a dump at work.

*CROP DUSTING* When farting, you walk really fast around the office so the smell is not in your area and everyone else gets a whiff, but doesn't know where it came from. Be careful when you do this. Do not stop until the full fart has been expelled. Walk an extra 30 feet to make sure the smell has left your pants.

*FLY BY* The act of scouting out a bathroom before pooping. Walk in and check for other poopers. If there are others in the bathroom, leave and come back again. Be careful not to become a FREQUENT FLYER. People may become suspicious if they catch you constantly going into the bathroom.

*ESCAPEE* A fart that slips out while taking a pee or forcing a poop in a stall. This is usually accompanied by a sudden wave of embarrassment. If you release an escapee, do not acknowledge it. Pretend it did not happen. If you are a man and are standing next to the farter in the urinal, pretend you did not hear it.. No one likes an escapee. It is uncomfortable for all involved. Making a joke or laughing makes both parties feel uneasy.

*JAILBREAK* When forcing a poop, several farts slip out at a machine gun pace. This is usually a side effect of diarrhea or a hangover. If this should happen, do not panic. Remain in the stall until everyone has left the bathroom to spare everyone the awkwardness of what just occurred.

*COURTESY FLUSH* The act of flushing the toilet the instant the poop hits the water! This reduces the amount of air time the poop has to stink up the bathroom. This can help you avoid being caught doing the WALK OF SHAME.

*WALK OF SHAME* Walking from the stall, to the sink, to the door after you have just stunk up the bathroom. This can be a very uncomfortable moment if someone walks in and busts you. As with farts, it is best to pretend that the smell does not exist. Can be avoided with the use of the COURTESY FLUSH.

*OUT OF THE CLOSET POOPER* A colleague who poops at work and is Doggone proud of it. You will often see an Out Of The Closet Pooper enter the bathroom with a newspaper or magazine under their arm. Always look around the office for the Out Of The Closet Pooper before entering the bathroom.

*THE POOPING FRIENDS NETWORK (P.F.N)* A group of co-workers who band together to ensure emergency pooping goes off without incident. This group can help you to monitor the where abouts of Out Of The Closet Poopers, and identify SAFE HAVENS.

*SAFE HAVENS* A seldom used bathroom somewhere in the building where you can least expect visitors. Try floors that are predominantly of the opposite sex. This will reduce the odds of a pooper of your sex entering the bathroom.

*TURD BURGLAR* Someone who does not realize that you are in the stall and tries to force the door open.. This is one of the most shocking and vulnerable moments that can occur when taking a poop at work. If this occurs, remain in the stall until the Turd Burglar leaves. This way you will avoid all uncomfortable eye contact.

*CAMO-COUGH* A phony cough that alerts all new entrants into the bathroom that you are in a stall. This can be used to cover-up a WATERMELON, or to alert potential Turd Burglars. Very effective when used in conjunction with a SHIRLEY TEMPLE.

*SHIRLEY TEMPLE* A subtle toe-tapping that is used to alert potential Turd Burglars that you are occupying a stall. This will remove all doubt that the stall is occupied. If you hear a SHIRLEY TEMPLE, leave the bathroom immediately so the pooper can poop in peace.

*WATERMELON* A poop that creates a loud splash when hitting the toilet water. This is also an embarrassing incident. If you feel a Watermelon coming on, create a diversion. See CAMO-COUGH.

*HAVANA-OMELET* A case of diarrhea that creates a series of loud splashes in the toilet water. Often accompanied by an Escapee. Try using a CAMO-COUGH with a SHIRLEY TEMPLE.

*AUNT BETTY* A bathroom user who seems to linger around forever...Could spend extended lengths of time in front of the mirror or sitting on the pot. An AUNT BETTY makes it difficult to relax while on the crapper, as you should always wait to poop when the bathroom is empty. This benefits you as well as the other bathroom attendees!

My motto of the week:

I want to have a good body,
but not as much as I want dessert.
~Jason Love

*stares blankly at blog page*

Words aren't flowing this morning, probably a side-effect of all the junky food I've been eating recently. Clogs up the brain.

It's so bright and sunny right now, I can see my reflection in the laptop screen and wouldn't you know it: flabby chin is starting to set in. I knew it: age stops for no one. Flabby old-person skin... I can't wait to be done with this unhealthy lifestyle, you know?

I'm not saying that finding that magical house out in the country will fix all problems, that's just avoidance. However, it will force me to be more physically active, I'll get a helluva lot more fresh air, I'll be doing things I love every day and the change in pace of life and stresses will do a world of good.

I knows it :-)

Two good things happened yesterday:

1- I eliminated one region where we were looking for a house. Had never been around there before and people said it was very nice so I went to see. Um, not for me eh? It felt so alien, empty, desolate and poor that I almost got hives! I had to high-tail it out of there before panic set in - narrow escape, no cheap house is worth living in those conditions. *shudder*

2- Vegas will probably get the OK to work from home almost full-time, so that means we can expand our search a bit further south-east: yey! So beautiful there... My roots are calling me home, what can I say?

All in all, I'd say it was progress of sorts.

Slow, agonizing progress... but still. The cup is half-full of coffee, right?

Kay, gotta drop the kids off at the dogsitter's now and then head to work for another day of brain-sucking. Am just grateful this week is more than half done.

Over and out.

/end of Grateful For Small Things post/

Humdigger of a day

I was going to blog about it as the wind outside howls and rattles at the windows, but am just too tired. Can barely keep my eyes open. So it's a shower, advil and sleepies... Will post an update tomorrow, it gets interesting :-)

Believe... and it shall be yours

The most decisive actions of our life... are most often unconsidered actions.
~André Gide, The Counterfeiters, 1926

The Pink Taco

Yep, that's where Vegas is having his team dinner tonight... Was it wrong of me to laugh hysterically?

Ah, Vegas*... you giant whore, you!

*the city, not the man! LOL

I hope the ribs are tasty.

Me, I had another day of non-food: toast with PB for breakfast, a coffee, a cheese tortilla for lunch, some tea, a bite of chockit, the bottom crumbs of a bag of chips, an orange, a microwaved ham and cheese quiche from Costco...

Yep, totally trailer-trash and woefully lacking in imagination and vitamins. I promise to do better tomorrow. Somehow.

Oh look, Obama is forwards thinking... Yey for lifting the ban on embryonic stem-cell research! It's about fucking time the US joined the 21st century and told the pro-lifers to STFU on this issue.

You want an omelet, you gotta break some eggs baby.

Did you vote on my cookie poll yet?

Mmmm. Cookies.

/end of Sweet Dreams post/

Thanks to my radio alarm clock...

...This is what I woke up to this morning.

Blaring.

Waaaay too early for anyone's good.

The mood is now set for the day - Happy Monday, folks!

Tick for talk

Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them.
~Dion Boucicault

Single for the week

Yep... my Vegas is in Sin City all week so that leaves me kiss-free and bummed out for a few days... I know the days will pass quickly but it still sucks.

At least I can pee with the bathroom door open :-D

So, I'm sorry to report that the whacky definitions contest was a flop due to a lack of participation... Of course the usual suspects played (and you guys rocked!) but there weren't enough entries to warrant a vote. Boooo! Maybe if it had had to do with SEX it would have gotten more attention?! Tsk.

I'm just about to take the doggies out for a 2nd walk, it's so wonderfully warm and sunny today - a taste of spring! Of course the stink of defrosting dog crap makes you gag here and there but hey, it's the price to pay.

Gonna get colder and snow again soon... so am cramming in the niceness while I can.

Oh and this morning I finally got to use my birthday gift certificate (thanks mom! stepdad! shrimp!) and got a bunch of new clothes, basic things a girl always needs... a pair of jeans, two pairs of leggings, some t-shirts (plain and froo-froo), a tunic, two shoulder warmers.

I shop out of necessity so I'm glad that's over, the crowds give me hives and really, by this summer will I even need most of this stuff?

OK yeah, I will. And it was fun to spoil myself a little.

I just hate not fitting into pants. Bah!

Feeling a bit woozy from the time change, it'll feel strange to see the sun set so "late" tonight. I like it though... Makes my list of chores for the day seem more manageable somehow. I need to scrub the filthy bathroom, groom the dogs, hoover and make a couple of dishes for my lunches this week.

My life glitters like a disco ball, baby!

NOT.

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

/end of Happy Doohicky post/

Flutterings

Springtime is the land awakening.
The March winds are the morning yawn.
~Quoted by Lewis Grizzard in Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You

Not to be bitching again, but...

It's barely above freezing and pissing rain. Cold, stupid, chill-your-bones rain. Brrr. Small consolation that it's Friday, eh?

*shivers while clutching hot coffee cup*

The bitching is about the house search. Like, I give up - seriously. Need to take a break because there is nothing on the market right now, hasn't been up till now and it's fucking discouraging.

Our circumstances make this normally-challenging experience quasi impossible as we need to fill the following criteria:

-location has to be MAX one hour from the city, as Vegas will have to commute, and we don't want to live north or west of Montreal
-if in the countryside, it cannot be near any pig farms, scrap yards, titty bars, giant swamps, power pilons, loud thoroughfares or polluted rivers
-property needs to be granted a permit for dog boarding (rare as a hen's teeth)
-need some land, at least 2 to 3 acres and that's a compromise on size
-our budget isn't illimited, so we can't look at the truly awesome places
-we want a house with lots of square footage and in good condition, nothing boxy, boring, dime-a-dozen fabrication

So yeah. I've looked at absolutely everyfuckingthing on the market right now and nada. It's to tear your hair out.

We're going to see a house tomorrow, it's about an hour south of the island and it's kinda interesting because it's a big ancestral stone building but from the inside photos, mleh. It's not getting my furnace going, if you know what I mean. Needs alot of renos and I'm not sure we can afford any this summer.

At least it'll be a nice drive out of town and we get to explore a new neighborhood, I've never been there before but have heard lots of nice things about it.

So, we lose an hour of sleep this weekend thanks to the time change and Sunday, at the crack of dawn, Vegas is off for... Vegas... for the entire week. Stupid work conferences.

*sighs dramatically*

OK, I have to get ready for work. Blah.

/end of Have a Jolly Merry Friday post/

Fighting discouragement...

Today, there are three kinds of people: the have's, the have-not's,
and the have-not-paid-for-what-they-have's.
~Earl Wilson

Time for a contest!

Let's have a play on words and see which blog reader gets the gold star! Here are some examples to get the game rolling:

Greeting cards: When you care enough to send the very best, but not enough to actually write something.

Foosball: A combination of soccer and shish kebabs.

Aperitif: French for "a set of dentures".

Sympathy: What one woman offers another in exchange for details.

Now, choose one the below words (or two or all three of them!) and add your own whacky definition in a post comment. Over the weekend I'll tally everything up and select a winner, who will be featured in a blog post and on the top of my sidebar for a month or so along with the Winning Words. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Here are the contest word selections:

Newspaper
Spitting
Multi-tasking

Have fun everyone, and have a great Thursday!

/end of Something Different post/

Madonna and Jesus, the modern way

Take Madonna. She's 50 years old, right? So, dating a 20-year old guy named Jesus... Is it just me or is it downright creepy? I'm pretty sure that bit wasn't anywhere in the bible (Prin! Please confirm this!)

Wanna see what's in the cradle that grannie robbed? Click HERE or google it yourself, it's everywhere.

Back to morning coffee and gossip!

Jinxed! But that's ok...

Prin was posting today about gut feelings: having them and following them.

Well, mine just got proven right this afternoon.... You know that lovely house we were going to visit this weekend? I wasn't quite sure that it felt right, so close to a polluted river and opposite a giant dairy farm...

Well, a friend of mine drove by that place this afternoon and she almost died from the stench of pig farm fumes. Yep. Pig farms. Not next to the house but near enough to poison it, right in the middle of a siberian cold winter, they still reek to high shit so thanks but no thanks!

Disaster averted, thank dog.

However, we did find a "maybe potential" that we'll go visit on Saturday, in another area we didn't really consider before. No problems to get a kennel permit there, apparently, so it's worth a look-see.

Again, not wishing to jinx it so it's all I'll say.... and no, there are no stinky farms nearby! LOL

Work today sucked my brain dry, it's late and I'm starving - no desire to cook and Vegas is too busy working to play chef, so it might be peanut butter toast or sumtin. Gaah! Where's my damn maid?!

Ooooo wait! I had forgotten: WE HAVE CAKE!!!

Wooohoooo!

/end of Sugar Sugar Me Up post/

Gettin' it done

It's all in the attitude - housework is exercise.
Slim your way to a clean home!
~Linda Solegato

How to start the week with a bang

Or, in this case, a flop.

Felt fine albeit wonky-tired this morning, got to work and an hour later the headache started creeping in... like, really bad. Pound pound pound. Was stuck in a boring meeting and almost fainted, felt green, had to crunch some überdrugs which turned both arms completely numb.

Yep. Winner :-D

So I'm home now and I wonder how many black marks I have on file against me... Yikes. I can't lose this job, I need it until we get that house - gawd I hate this. C'mon stupid head! Work!

Being a glutton for punishment, I made myself a bowl of Kraft Dinner for lunch.

OK off to lay down for a bit, I have the dizzies and my dog won't stop staring at me while wagging his tail. Insanity's contagious!

Edited to add:

WTF is it with all the big music bands pulling their videos from youtube? Copyright this and lawyers that, I mean don't they want their stuff seen and heard? No Prince, no Depeche Mode, hardly any Madonna and that's only to name a few. Gaaaah!

/end of Blabbidy Bla post/

X it

In trying to get our own way,
we should remember that kisses are sweeter than whine.
~Author Unknown