overdue update

Today I felt like I really should post an update. It's been a while since I did. I guess I haven't felt much like writing lately. I've been spending my writing time reading blogs from folks who are down in Haiti. The situation down there just doesn't seem to be improving at a pace that I figured it would. I know that there are always hiccups and weirdness which mess up the best laid plans of governments, aid groups and everyone else who wants to help. I almost cried yesterday when I read about the Brazilian soldiers who pepper sprayed the group of Haitians who were waiting in a food line. For the life of me I cannot even begin to fathom how you would cope in a situation like that, on either side of the line.

Over the weekend I had a weird bug. A couple of the gals I work with had a version of the Norwalk virus last week and I thought that maybe I was coming down with that but fortunately I never had the vomiting thing going on so I don't think that was what it was. I went home from work a little early on Friday and slept. All afternoon. Sweet sweet sleep with the puppies. They curled up on the bed with me while I drooled on my pillow. Saturday I still felt wonky but I managed to go out to the grocery store with Mark for half an hour and do some shopping. Mostly I felt foggy and nauseous. I still feel a little foggy/groggy this week. This morning I could not get my head to unfog so I resorted to drinking coffee at work (something I almost never do), it helped a bit but not totally.

I feel fortunate to report that there is really no drama happening in our lives. When I read the news from Haiti, hear about planes crashing or learn about friends losing jobs or being struck ill, I realize how truly lucky we are. We have a nice roof over our heads and groceries in the fridge. Also, we're both gainfully employed and relatively healthy. Can't really complain about anything, can I? Drama is more exciting and interesting to read and write about than a boring, ordinary life but it's also way stressful so I'm happy to be boring for a while.

Oh, if you're in the Kingston area this week, the Reel Out Film & Video festival happens this weekend and Ferron will be there!!

holiday stuff

So, I'm on holidays/vacation. Today is day 3. I don't have to go back to the office until January 4. Feels a little strange but I'm enjoying it.

The first day (Tuesday), I stayed home and puttered around the house. I had a tonne of laundry to do so I got through that and hung out with the dogs (who still haven't quite figured out what's going on with the holidays and stuff). I still haven't decided if I'm putting up the tree or not. I got my lights up in our front windows, I hung my pretty, lighted garland but the tree is still in the box. The only part of me that wants to do it, only wants to do it so she can go through all the ornaments and get rid of what I'm not using anymore. Mostly, our ornaments and decorations are snowmen, Simpsons stuff or Sponge Bob. I have a tonne of Sponge Bob stuff, glass ornaments, snowglobes, stockings, I can turn my living room into a Springfield meets Bikini Bottom winter wonderland very easily. Part of me wants to keep things simple though so, I'm still on the fence about the tree. Maybe once I have finished cleaning the house (it's still pretty grubby at the moment - I'll finish it up when I have all of my errands done) I'll feel more like putting it up. We'll see.

Mark woke up with a migraine yesterday so we both went back to sleep for a couple of hours after the alarm went off. I probably should have gotten up at our normal time because I remember feeling just fine when I got up to let the dogs out at 4:30 a.m. When I got up again at 6:45 a.m., I felt all full of the cold and my sinuses were batty all morning.

While we're not traditional holiday celebration folks, I did have a bunch of errands to do yesterday and I found the whole experience to be absolutely exhausting. I probably tried to do too much with a full head but I really wanted to get some of this stuff done. Much of what I needed to do yesterday was stuff I'd put off doing until I on holidays. I always do this and then I forget how stupid people get at this time of the year. I swear everyone forgets how to drive and how to park or even how to behave in the stores. They wander around with a buggy and a look on their faces which screams to me "hello, I've lost my mind!" I sure hope I don't look like that, I'm pretty sure I don't.

A couple of hours ago, I bundled up and drove Mark to work so I could have the van for errands today. The folks on the weather channel told us that it was wicked cold out. Honestly, I think it felt colder out yesterday around here. There was a dampness that got into my bones yesterday and I couldn't warm up. Might have not been the weather though. Might have been the full head thing. Today, I have a few more errands to do but I'm being smarter about it. I'm meeting a friend for coffee before I start and then she's going with me for some of them so we can at least make fun of the situation together.

The only big holiday type of thing I do is bake. Either tomorrow or Saturday, I'll convert my kitchen into "holiday baking central" (name stolen from Rita - thanks chickie!). On Wednesday, my mum and I are tentatively scheduled to make a road trip to her home town for cookie deliveries. Normally I do them on boxing day when my Aunt Mary traditionally holds an open house. This year she's not doing that so we'll do a pre-Christmas quick tour and visit my Aunts & Uncles and drop off cookies for them.

So yeah, nothing terribly exciting is happening around here right now but I am kind of liking it that way.

wow, november

happy face
Originally uploaded by Julep67

As I was flipping over calendars at work this morning, after having traveled to work in the sunshine (last week the street lights were still on when I was en route to the office), it was a bit of a surprise for me that October was over already.

I mean, I know it's the end of October when little kids stand on my front porch and I reward their cuteness with mini boxes of smarties but still, last month was a blur.

The weirdness started at the end of September when we both had a terrible cold. Toward the end of October, Mark was hammered with a horrible flu. It started with a migraine and when the migraine ended, he was left with terrible body aches and a bit of shortness of breath. When I took him to the doctor (after 3 days of feeling like hammered shit), they suspected that it could be N1H1 and gave him a 5 day dose of Tamiflu. It did help his symptoms and after 3 days on it was able to go back to work but I don't think he had the swine flu.

When the crazy weird panic settles down, we're both going to get the shot. Mark because he's diabetic and me because whenever I get a flu or cold, it could turn into bronchitis or pneumonia. Normally we refuse the seasonal flu shot but with this, at least they know exactly what they are vaccinating against. I'll still not get the regular flu shot, it's just a crap shoot every year.

On Friday, we celebrated Gracie's barkeversary. It was a year ago on Friday (October 30) that she joined our family. We've seen so many excellent changes in her over the past year, it's just amazing and we're really proud of her.

Saturday night was a bit disappointing. Normally, I have between 150 and 200 kids at the door and this year, I think I might have had 80. I wonder how much of that was down to Halloween being on a weekend night so folks went to parties instead, and how much was pure panic over N1H1 and folks kept their kids home. Whichever it was, the kids we did see were super cute and they all got extra candy for making the effort.

So I guess that's where October went. Hopefully , November will be slow and groovy and we'll be able to enjoy it a little bit more than we did October.

stuff on thursday

puppy wrestling on the deck
Originally uploaded by Julep67

. I'm always a little surprised to see folks walking down the street smoking cigarettes.

. it's raining today because I watered my garden last night. you're welcome.

. everyone should tape record themselves in conversation once in a while. you'll probably be surprised by how many "ums" you say.

. my friends are totally awesome and are easy to love

. if you have a moment to spare today (or everyday), you should visit http://www.freekibble.com and play bowwow and meow trivia. it'll help provide food to shelter animals (and it's fun)

hey, where are my ice cubes?

hey, where are my ice cubes?
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I just read a story about a lovely old gent in the UK who won a massive lottery. He plans to spend part of the money on his allotment (apparently he's had no luck growing carrots). I thought that this was unbelievably cute.

I would probably think a little bigger and buy a house that had a garden but hey, to each his own, right?

Simple is definitely the way to go I think. We're trying to simplify our lives a bit at home. Clearing out stuff we don't need, feeling more organized overall and less stressed generally. Also trying to focus on stuff that makes us happy, time with the dogs and each other, puttering in the yard. Summer flies by so fast 'round here that I really want to enjoy it this year, rain or shine.

suck it

sam
Originally uploaded by Julep67

sick of seeing pictures of my dogs?

if you are, I'm sorry. actually, I'm not sorry. if you don't like it, you can suck it!

the blowing snow can suck it too. it's pretty windy right now and I can see folks walking up the street in front of my office and they are pretty bent over so it must be tough walking. did I mention it's snowing too? yeah, fun. tomorrow it's supposed to be snot-freezing-in-your-nose cold so that should be fun.

I don't totally hate winter. actually, I like a really cold, bright day. I like those really frigid days which sometimes come after a big snow fall. the days when the snow is cleaned up, the sidewalks and roads are clear and the sun is shining and it's really super cold are the ones I like best. the frosty air feels good in my lungs and the sun makes me smile.

because literally, all we've been doing recently is playing with the dogs, working, sleeping, doing errands or doing chores, I've not been really inspired to write here. today, partly I guess, out of a feeling of something close to obligation, I felt like I should at least share another cute photo of Sammy and say hey and ask if you have a favourite kind of winter day?

warmed

beaming gracie
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I almost typed "warned" just now but my toes are not warned, they are warmed.

In my office (where I am right now) I have laminate flooring. I keep my office door closed when I'm not home (to keep the puppies out, they do love to chew on cables and my office is full of them) and it's a small room so it warms up quite nicely on days when the furnace is running. It must have been running just before we came home because the floor under my desk is toasty right now. It feels good.

I haven't been spending any huge chunks of time in my office just recently and as you can tell, I haven't been posting here either. Between still feeling a little under the weather and playing with the dogs, my evenings and weekends just fly by.

It's hard to imagine but I'm still feeling less than normal right now. After my second course of antibiotics, I had some horrible side effects and they really left me feeling washed out. Over the weekend I turned a corner and feel like I'm on the other side of that nonsense now. 'Bout time too, I've been "sick" since the end of September.

Friends keep telling me I sound congested, I still cough every once in a while and my lung capacity is still no where near where it should be but I am feeling better. Mark's feeling better too. His health has definitely improved and he's much happier after having changed jobs last week.

He's still driving cab but is working for a different company. The company he was working for was okay, he'd been there for 7.5 years. The problem he experienced (and he wasn't alone) was the day shift dispatcher. This guy can barely function as a human being, much less as someone who needs to have a knowledge of the city and decent short-term memory to do the most basic part of his job. This guy feeds calls to the drivers he likes and he jerks around the guys he doesn't. It's affecting business and was causing Mark to come home frustrated every day.

The new company Mark is working for has a dispatcher but the calls are sent out to cabs via a computer system. The calls are assigned based on where the gps says that your car is (at the other place, guys will bid on calls which they are know are going out of town, to the airport, whatever - when they are on the other side of town). The only time he talks to someone at the switch is if he's having a problem or needs direction. So far, Mark's really enjoying it. Learning the new system is challenging and fun for him (he's figuring out tricks and short cuts every day) and because the system is fair, he's making more money.

So, in a rather rambling nutshell, that's where we've been the past week and a bit. Working, playing with the puppies and sleeping. I don't think it's a bad way to be spending our time.

mid week observations

sweet peppers
Originally uploaded by Julep67

how is your week going? quickly? mine too!

Earlier today, as I said goodbye for the day to a colleague who works a reduced appointment, I was reminded of a Roger Waters lyric, "Life is long but it goes fast."

My week's been flying by but I thought I should stop for a moment and make note of a few things that caught my attention this week:

1. The death of Sydney Pollock. I enjoyed some of his films but mostly I'll remember him as Will's dad on Will & Grace. I like to think that he must have been a lot like George Truman - a sweet, lovely, funny man.

2. R Kelly's trial. FINALLY. Send him to prison as soon as possible. I cannot believe how long this has dragged on or that folks still listen to his music. A few years ago, when I first heard "we r in need of a musical revolution," I shouted my agreement with Esthero when she sang, "Tell me why - A grown man can rape a little girl, but we - Still hear his shit on the radio - A grown-ass man can videotape a little girl, but we - Still see his mug up on our video screens" It's bullshit and it needs to be dealt with soon.

3. The Canadian weather station on Mars. A very cool reason to be proud to be a Canadian during a week when some of us may be ashamed of the actions that our government have taken in the past.

tuesday

leaving beirut
Originally uploaded by Julep67

my work day was extremely productive although it was a little tiring.

I don't mind that so much though. if working through lunches and going in extra early means less time I need to think about working this weekend, that's okay with me.

Tonight, for the first time in a while, we're home for an evening. We don't have any where that we need to be, no one needs to be here, it'll be peaceful. I'm looking forward to this. A bit of a break is needed, by me anyway.

Recently, we've had too many late nights and too many busy evenings. Too many for me anyway. I work with some lovely ladies who have lots of kids and they are running the roads constantly. I cannot imagine having to do that in the middle of having to do all the other stuff that you need to do. I supposed you'd figure it out, somehow.

Just as an aside, someone told me that something I said to them, "made their whole day" today. That's kind of cool and it doesn't happen every day and his saying that, definitely made my day better too.

glass head

glass head
Originally uploaded by Julep67

My head was fuzzy all day today. No matter what I did, I couldn't seem to get it together.

Honestly, I think I'm overtired. I worked a lot of extra hours last week and, in the middle of it all, I wasn't sleeping. Even the last couple of nights I've not been sleeping solidly. I hope this passes soon because I've got a lot on my plate the next couple of weeks. Hell, the next couple of months really but the next two weeks are particularly busy.

During the past week, I've reconnected with 3 people who I'd lost touch with. The three of them couldn't be more different and I met them all in different times during my life, through very different circumstances.

The internet is a good place for assholes to hide and do stupid stuff sometimes. At other times, it's a nice place to rediscover lost friends and be remind of happy and sad memories. Lately, for me anyway, the good stuff is outnumbering the bullshit.

super destination car rental

super destination car rental
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I had a special treat at lunch today.

This afternoon, I met a friend for lunch, we ate our brown-bag specials on a bench in the sunshine. About 1/2 through lunch, the parade of thundermugs marched right past us, en route to the park. For the first time in a few years, the frosh had a gorgeous sunny day to build their creations in. They are calling for rain on Saturday. I guess when you're in that pit of slime, a little rain won't matter that much.

Campus was a little noisy today which was nice. Yesterday, by the time I got home, I thought my head would pop off. It didn't, which is nice because I may want to one day wear a hat again. I'm still having a hard time realizing that it actually is frosh week again and that classes start up again next week and that fall is almost here. I'm not in denial, just surprised.