What is that stuff all over my car? It can't possibly be frost, not before the end of October! And it's frost that's heavy enough that I'm going to have to go out and warm up the car before school - unless I want to dig out my scraper and scrape it off. I'm sure when I got my car I ordered the frost-free model . . .
Next thing you know there'll be snow out there. Not that I mind driving in the snow, I just don't like having to scrape it off my car. :-)
* * * * * * * * * *
Panda the wonder cat, who has been eating canned food like it was invented just for her, only managed to gain an ounce over the long weekend.
Other than her lack of weight, you'd never know there's anything wrong with her. She's still as fiesty as ever, still queen of the castle. Right now she's sitting on the bookcase in my office taking the occassional stab at a leaf falling outside. :-)
* * * * * * * * * *
Finally had a chance to go through all those books the BFF gave me. Normally I'd go through them and read the blurbs on the back and divide them into "donate right away", "read and probably donate", and "read with an eye to keeping". The donate pile was always the biggest and the keeper pile was always the smallest.
However, this time, to my chagrin, the donate right away pile was much smaller than the read with an eye to keeping pile. By a lot. Either her taste in books is improving, or mine is broadening. :-)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
HAPPY TURKEY DAY!
TWAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING,
BUT I JUST COULDN'T SLEEP.
I TRIED COUNTING BACKWARDS,
I TRIED COUNTING SHEEP.
THE LEFTOVERS BECKONED -
THE DARK MEAT AND WHITE,
BUT I FOUGHT THE TEMPTATION
WITH ALL OF MY MIGHT.
TOSSING AND TURNING WITH ANTICIPATION,
THE THOUGHT OF A SNACK BECAME INFATUATION.
SO, I RACED TO THE KITCHEN, FLUNG OPEN THE DOOR,
AND GAZED AT THE FRIDGE, FULL OF GOODIES GALORE.
GOBBLED UP TURKEY AND BUTTERED POTATOES,
PICKLES AND CARROTS, BEANS AND TOMATOES.
I FELT MYSELF SWELLING SO PLUMP AND SO ROUND,
'TIL ALL OF A SUDDEN, I ROSE OFF THE GROUND.
I CRASHED THROUGH THE CEILING, FLOATING INTO THE SKY,
WITH A MOUTHFUL OF PUDDING AND A HANDFUL OF PIE.
BUT, I MANAGED TO YELL AS I SOARED PAST THE TREES....
HAPPY EATING TO ALL - PASS THE CRANBERRIES, PLEASE.
MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY,
MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.
MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP.
MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS.
MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE,
MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS!!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Frustrating Friday
Let me start out by saying the only good thing about this week is that it's over. Well, almost over.
* * * * * * * * * *
I'm back to morning classes starting next week which as far as I'm concerned is a big sigh of relief. This has been a very unproductive week for me and I'm not liking it.
After all that fiddling around with my PowerPoint presentation, adding effects here and there, including an animation, adjusting the time on each individual slide so that the music ended the same time as the presentation . . . the freaking music didn't play on the school computer. Grr! The presentation was okay without the sound, but it would have been awesome with it.
Next week we start Managing a Small Business and guess what we start in time for NaNoWriMo? Business Law, which we're told by previous students is the most time-consuming course of all.
Don't care, I'm giving NaNo a shot anyway.
* * * * * * * * * *
Panda is going to drive us insane. Even after the vast amounts of canned food she's eaten this week, she still managed to lose 2 more ounces. She's down to six pounds now, which is not good.
So today I get to pick up some special kitty litter for her because they need a urine sample, and she'll be getting blood taken on Tuesday. Meantime we're going to try and get her to eat the vet approved canned food because it has more calories.
* * * * * * * * * *
That's pretty much it. All in all a pretty blah week. Just like the weather.
* * * * * * * * * *
I'm back to morning classes starting next week which as far as I'm concerned is a big sigh of relief. This has been a very unproductive week for me and I'm not liking it.
After all that fiddling around with my PowerPoint presentation, adding effects here and there, including an animation, adjusting the time on each individual slide so that the music ended the same time as the presentation . . . the freaking music didn't play on the school computer. Grr! The presentation was okay without the sound, but it would have been awesome with it.
Next week we start Managing a Small Business and guess what we start in time for NaNoWriMo? Business Law, which we're told by previous students is the most time-consuming course of all.
Don't care, I'm giving NaNo a shot anyway.
* * * * * * * * * *
Panda is going to drive us insane. Even after the vast amounts of canned food she's eaten this week, she still managed to lose 2 more ounces. She's down to six pounds now, which is not good.
So today I get to pick up some special kitty litter for her because they need a urine sample, and she'll be getting blood taken on Tuesday. Meantime we're going to try and get her to eat the vet approved canned food because it has more calories.
* * * * * * * * * *
That's pretty much it. All in all a pretty blah week. Just like the weather.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
WTF Wednesday
I slept in today. Until 10:30! I still can't believe it.
*sigh*
It's my own fault really. I woke up at 8:30 and figured I'd "get up in a minute" only the minute turned into a couple of hours. And now I've had way too much sleep, which makes me feel worse than not enough. Serves me right for not getting up right away.
In my defense I might point out that I was up until 2 a.m. last night working on PowerPoint (when I should have been writing). In fact, that's pretty much all I did yesterday, work on PowerPoint. I worked on it before school, during school, and after school. The good news is that I'm caught up on all the classwork and chapter work. The bad news is, I didn't get anything else done.
There was so much information crammed into such a short time that the teacher didn't even bother going through the text book chapter by chapter - she just let us work at our own speed and took up the answers to the questions at the end of each chapter. About halfway through she didn't even bother doing that much and just gave us the answers.
Think I'm kidding about the amount of work? In a two week span we had to read a 550 page text book. At the end of each chapter there are between 6 and 8 presentations that need to be either modified or created. We had two quizzes and three assignments. We also have our presentation assignments (that we're seeing today)that need to be between 10 and 15 slides long and use a variety of stuff we've supposedly learned.
Oh, and the exam is tomorrow.
And to think I'd been looking forward to PowerPoint!
* * * * * * * * * *
Don't tell the vet but I'm cheating. He wanted me to go back to force-feeding Panda to get her to gain weight but I just couldn't bring myself to do that to her. I wondered, when she was refusing her treats, if she might be having a problem with her teeth. Although she'd turn her nose up at the vet approved treats she'd eat the Temptation treats, which are softer. She also ate some of the chicken we had the other night.
So, yesterday morning I cooked her up a piece of chicken and she gobbled it all down (no, I didn't give her the whole piece, but she had a respectable amount for a cat her size). So on my break at school I slipped up to the grocery store and bought a selection of chicken flavored Fancy Feast to see if she'd eat them.
Oh, yeah. She likes them all right. She ate a whole can yesterday and has already gone through half a can today. The vet's not going to be happy because it's not "approved" cat food bought from him, but if it helps her to gain weight I'm not going to worry too much. We'll see what happens when she gets weighed on Friday.
*sigh*
It's my own fault really. I woke up at 8:30 and figured I'd "get up in a minute" only the minute turned into a couple of hours. And now I've had way too much sleep, which makes me feel worse than not enough. Serves me right for not getting up right away.
In my defense I might point out that I was up until 2 a.m. last night working on PowerPoint (when I should have been writing). In fact, that's pretty much all I did yesterday, work on PowerPoint. I worked on it before school, during school, and after school. The good news is that I'm caught up on all the classwork and chapter work. The bad news is, I didn't get anything else done.
There was so much information crammed into such a short time that the teacher didn't even bother going through the text book chapter by chapter - she just let us work at our own speed and took up the answers to the questions at the end of each chapter. About halfway through she didn't even bother doing that much and just gave us the answers.
Think I'm kidding about the amount of work? In a two week span we had to read a 550 page text book. At the end of each chapter there are between 6 and 8 presentations that need to be either modified or created. We had two quizzes and three assignments. We also have our presentation assignments (that we're seeing today)that need to be between 10 and 15 slides long and use a variety of stuff we've supposedly learned.
Oh, and the exam is tomorrow.
And to think I'd been looking forward to PowerPoint!
* * * * * * * * * *
Don't tell the vet but I'm cheating. He wanted me to go back to force-feeding Panda to get her to gain weight but I just couldn't bring myself to do that to her. I wondered, when she was refusing her treats, if she might be having a problem with her teeth. Although she'd turn her nose up at the vet approved treats she'd eat the Temptation treats, which are softer. She also ate some of the chicken we had the other night.
So, yesterday morning I cooked her up a piece of chicken and she gobbled it all down (no, I didn't give her the whole piece, but she had a respectable amount for a cat her size). So on my break at school I slipped up to the grocery store and bought a selection of chicken flavored Fancy Feast to see if she'd eat them.
Oh, yeah. She likes them all right. She ate a whole can yesterday and has already gone through half a can today. The vet's not going to be happy because it's not "approved" cat food bought from him, but if it helps her to gain weight I'm not going to worry too much. We'll see what happens when she gets weighed on Friday.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Meh, It's Monday
You know why I didn’t do any posting last week? It was because I had nothing to say.
It was a pretty craptacular week. I’m back on afternoons at school and I’m not liking it much. Make that at all. I feel like I’m forever hurrying to catch up on things and I’m not getting anything accomplished.
To make matters worse, I was really looking forward to PowerPoint but the text book we’re forced to use has sucked all the fun out of it. I’ve already done two of the three assignments and I’ve learned lots of cool stuff, but we don’t really get to use much of it.
* * * * * * * * * *
The weather has been pretty craptacular this past week too. Wind and rain and cold and gloomy. I guess it could be worse, my neighbor was telling me they have snow in Calgary where her daughter is.
* * * * * * * * * *
Panda seems more like her old self than ever. She’s been leaving Taz alone and he’s feeling more secure (as in he no longer feels the need to slink around the house, freezing in place if he sees her). I’ve been vigilant about giving her at least one of her pills every night, but lately she’s been refusing the treats she gets afterwards. We noticed she doesn’t seem to be eating much either, although she’s still drinking well.
Unfortunately, she’s been losing weight steadily and today at the vet’s she was back down to 6.2 pounds. This means I get to start force feeding her the canned food again. Oh joy, oh bliss.
* * * * * * * * * *
There was one bright spot in the last week - I had to drive the kids up to the GO in Oshawa on Saturday, and on the way home I stopped for a visit with the BFF. Visits are always good.
She gave me not one, not two, but three bags of books to take home with me. The first one I pulled out was one I was already reading. D’oh! However, it’s an excellent book so I don’t mind having two copies. :-)
It was a pretty craptacular week. I’m back on afternoons at school and I’m not liking it much. Make that at all. I feel like I’m forever hurrying to catch up on things and I’m not getting anything accomplished.
To make matters worse, I was really looking forward to PowerPoint but the text book we’re forced to use has sucked all the fun out of it. I’ve already done two of the three assignments and I’ve learned lots of cool stuff, but we don’t really get to use much of it.
* * * * * * * * * *
The weather has been pretty craptacular this past week too. Wind and rain and cold and gloomy. I guess it could be worse, my neighbor was telling me they have snow in Calgary where her daughter is.
* * * * * * * * * *
Panda seems more like her old self than ever. She’s been leaving Taz alone and he’s feeling more secure (as in he no longer feels the need to slink around the house, freezing in place if he sees her). I’ve been vigilant about giving her at least one of her pills every night, but lately she’s been refusing the treats she gets afterwards. We noticed she doesn’t seem to be eating much either, although she’s still drinking well.
Unfortunately, she’s been losing weight steadily and today at the vet’s she was back down to 6.2 pounds. This means I get to start force feeding her the canned food again. Oh joy, oh bliss.
* * * * * * * * * *
There was one bright spot in the last week - I had to drive the kids up to the GO in Oshawa on Saturday, and on the way home I stopped for a visit with the BFF. Visits are always good.
She gave me not one, not two, but three bags of books to take home with me. The first one I pulled out was one I was already reading. D’oh! However, it’s an excellent book so I don’t mind having two copies. :-)
Monday, September 28, 2009
What’s The WORD!
Yesterday (when all my troubles seemed so far away . . . ) Sorry, couldn’t resist. :-)
Yesterday was the annual Word on the Street, a free literary festival held in Queen's Park, so BFF and I made our yearly pilgrimage to Toronto. Along the way we stopped to pick up the daughter’s wedding pictures, had Starbucks for breakfast, and made a quick pass through Indio/Chapters.
The weather forecast called for rain, but although it was very overcast and threatening, the rain itself held off, which made it just cool enough to be comfortable. For a change we got there pretty early, which is always the best idea when it’s a free event. This year we played it smart and had back packs for our loot, although one of the first things we took advantage of were the free bags from the Green Living booth.
It was actually a little disappointing this year. There wasn’t much free stuff, there was no Harlequin booth, there were a couple of writer’s organizations missing, the bargains weren’t as bargainy . . . we couldn’t decide if it was the threatening weather or the faltering economy that was the cause. We still managed to bring home a decent haul, although by the time we made it back to the subway I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. Or maybe it was just the fifty pounds of books I was carrying. :-)
I must give Toronto kudos for their excellent subway system. This allows us to park at one of their fabulous malls (Yorkdale, in case anyone’s interested) and take the subway just about anywhere we want to go. One of the biggest benefits of parking here is . . . well, it’s a mall.
We dropped our loot off in the car and made a beeline for the Starbucks in the huge Indigo/Chapters just inside the door, where we were accosted by a half dozen very buff young men who were doing a Peek Freans/Harlequin promotion. We were hot, sweaty, and tired. They were standing between us and our Starbucks. We took the free cookies but turned down the offer to have our pictures taken with the two very hot cowboys.
After browsing a bit we drove away from the big city and back to our respective homes where we stashed our loot and then had naps. And if perchance we dreamed of buff young men, well, we’re only human. :-)
Yesterday was the annual Word on the Street, a free literary festival held in Queen's Park, so BFF and I made our yearly pilgrimage to Toronto. Along the way we stopped to pick up the daughter’s wedding pictures, had Starbucks for breakfast, and made a quick pass through Indio/Chapters.
The weather forecast called for rain, but although it was very overcast and threatening, the rain itself held off, which made it just cool enough to be comfortable. For a change we got there pretty early, which is always the best idea when it’s a free event. This year we played it smart and had back packs for our loot, although one of the first things we took advantage of were the free bags from the Green Living booth.
It was actually a little disappointing this year. There wasn’t much free stuff, there was no Harlequin booth, there were a couple of writer’s organizations missing, the bargains weren’t as bargainy . . . we couldn’t decide if it was the threatening weather or the faltering economy that was the cause. We still managed to bring home a decent haul, although by the time we made it back to the subway I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. Or maybe it was just the fifty pounds of books I was carrying. :-)
I must give Toronto kudos for their excellent subway system. This allows us to park at one of their fabulous malls (Yorkdale, in case anyone’s interested) and take the subway just about anywhere we want to go. One of the biggest benefits of parking here is . . . well, it’s a mall.
We dropped our loot off in the car and made a beeline for the Starbucks in the huge Indigo/Chapters just inside the door, where we were accosted by a half dozen very buff young men who were doing a Peek Freans/Harlequin promotion. We were hot, sweaty, and tired. They were standing between us and our Starbucks. We took the free cookies but turned down the offer to have our pictures taken with the two very hot cowboys.
After browsing a bit we drove away from the big city and back to our respective homes where we stashed our loot and then had naps. And if perchance we dreamed of buff young men, well, we’re only human. :-)
Friday, September 25, 2009
Fatigued Friday
I am so tired it’s not even funny.
I was up late Wednesday night and I can’t even remember why. I do remember that it was so hot in the bedroom that I ended up getting up at 1:30 a.m. and turning on the fan. Then last night I was up late posting my offering for the AW blog chain. I didn’t realize it was my turn until late in the afternoon and then I spent the evening struggling with the story.
This month’s blog chain is actually pretty cool. The previous poster chooses three words for the next person in line to build their story around. There’s been some awesome work so far. You can check out my story HERE and I have links to the others.
I think the reason I struggled with this piece was because I had an idea of writing about a woman who’d lost her husband to suicide and her feelings towards the issue were mixed up with the way she felt about the juniper bush in the garden that he’d promised to get rid of for her. That’s not what came out at all. :-)
* * * * * * * * * *
Grossness alert!
Remember when I cleaned out the kitchen cupboard because I discovered moth larva? Well cleaning out that infestation didn’t really seem to have much effect on the number of moths we have in the house, and we couldn’t figure out where they were coming from.
Then one night this week I was walking down the hall to my office and I happened to notice a moth on the wall. Naturally I killed it and afterwards looked around for more. This is where the gross part comes in.
Up on the ceiling must have been a dozen moth larva. To say I was grossed out would be an understatement. I bravely waited until the husband came home and then made him kill them. Problem solved, right?
Yeah, you’d think so.
The next night I turned on the light in the hall and looked up and there were even more of the little suckers. So after the husband killed this bunch we started getting serious about where they were all coming from.
I was positive they were coming from the linen closet and sure enough, I found the source on the top shelf. A few months ago I’d bought a bag of regular cat chow to have for emergencies (like when we run out of the good stuff and the vet’s office is closed so we can’t get any more) and the husband, in his infinite wisdom, stashed it on the top shelf of the linen closet. The moths figured it made the perfect nursery.
Ewww!
* * * * * * * * * *
And now I’m off to write my Excel exam. Good thing it’s open book!
I was up late Wednesday night and I can’t even remember why. I do remember that it was so hot in the bedroom that I ended up getting up at 1:30 a.m. and turning on the fan. Then last night I was up late posting my offering for the AW blog chain. I didn’t realize it was my turn until late in the afternoon and then I spent the evening struggling with the story.
This month’s blog chain is actually pretty cool. The previous poster chooses three words for the next person in line to build their story around. There’s been some awesome work so far. You can check out my story HERE and I have links to the others.
I think the reason I struggled with this piece was because I had an idea of writing about a woman who’d lost her husband to suicide and her feelings towards the issue were mixed up with the way she felt about the juniper bush in the garden that he’d promised to get rid of for her. That’s not what came out at all. :-)
* * * * * * * * * *
Grossness alert!
Remember when I cleaned out the kitchen cupboard because I discovered moth larva? Well cleaning out that infestation didn’t really seem to have much effect on the number of moths we have in the house, and we couldn’t figure out where they were coming from.
Then one night this week I was walking down the hall to my office and I happened to notice a moth on the wall. Naturally I killed it and afterwards looked around for more. This is where the gross part comes in.
Up on the ceiling must have been a dozen moth larva. To say I was grossed out would be an understatement. I bravely waited until the husband came home and then made him kill them. Problem solved, right?
Yeah, you’d think so.
The next night I turned on the light in the hall and looked up and there were even more of the little suckers. So after the husband killed this bunch we started getting serious about where they were all coming from.
I was positive they were coming from the linen closet and sure enough, I found the source on the top shelf. A few months ago I’d bought a bag of regular cat chow to have for emergencies (like when we run out of the good stuff and the vet’s office is closed so we can’t get any more) and the husband, in his infinite wisdom, stashed it on the top shelf of the linen closet. The moths figured it made the perfect nursery.
Ewww!
* * * * * * * * * *
And now I’m off to write my Excel exam. Good thing it’s open book!
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