Cathy's profileBizzy Girl’s World™PhotosBlogListsMore Tools Help

Blog


    February 06

    It's been awhile...

    Is there anyone out there???
     
    I've been gone awhile, huh?  For those of you who have been diligently checking in to see what's new, thanks.  I all but gave up on MSN last September after they gave the platform a complete overhaul, as it wasn't responding the way it used to, and I felt like I didn't know my way around anymore.  I found it ran so slow and heavy that I went elsewhere looking for other more user-friendly blogsites.
     
    Another reason for my absence is my love affair with Flickr.  I have discovered digital photography, and I'm absolutely smitten with it.  I think anyone who is serious about the hobby should sign up and share their work.  So much fun!!!  Another reason I love Flickr so much is because it lets you blog about your photos, or those of your friends, and create a blog posting from the Flickr site.  The blogsite I have been using for this is Blogger.  It isn't as user friendly as this site was when it comes to formatting, but it is a nice site to blog on otherwise.
     
    So if anyone wants to check in with me and say HI, they can find me either here or here.
     
    Cheers, and hope to see you soon!
    July 01

    Happy Canada Day to all

     

    HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!

    138 years ago today we officially became known as the Dominion of Canada.  Our first Prime Minister was Sir John A. MacDonald.  He now graces our $10 bill.  I found more interesting facts about our National Holiday here.

    Well I am celebrating the holiday weekend by doing nothing at all, other than recovering from minor surgery, and hanging out with family from out of town.  I'm off work next week on vacation and will have my boys all week.  Hopefully I can keep them amused with lots of fun summer activities.

     

    Right now I am trying to rest and get back to normal.  The Tylenol 3's I'm on are giving me wild nightmares, and I'm not getting much sleep.  I'm switching to Ibuprofen and hoping that will solve that problem.  The surgery was a success, according to the nurses, and in two weeks I'll be back in the saddle, as it were.

     

    Hope you all have a fun, safe holiday weekend!

     

    May 24

    Why are people retarded?

    This blog entry is not intended to offend anyone with a disability.  However if you do have a disability, you may be offended at being compared to the people mentioned herein...as they have serious issues.  I apologize in advance if this message in any way upsets you.
     
    WHY ARE PEOPLE FUCKTARDS?
     
    <bitching on>
     
    In the city in which I reside, as I'm sure in many cities, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a fucktard.  For some reason the lower income populations breed complete and utter clusterfucks who have no idea what tact, responsibility and loyalty are.
     
    I work for a temporary staffing service that attempts to find decent, hardworking and more-than-half-witted individuals to complete assignments for our customers.  It is a daily struggle to keep these people at work, and we are often replacing errant employees who just didn't feel like showing up for work that day, or were 'sick' and didn't know they needed to call us to let us know they couldn't make it in for the shift they accepted.
     
    When I took this job I was not prepared for all the butt-wiping, counselling and micromanaging I was going to be doing.  Temp services get absolutely no respect from the clowns in this town.  These people come into my office expecting that a job will be handed to them.  They whine and complain if it doesn't turn out to be the job of their dreams, or 'injure' themselves and try to put in a WSIB claim so they can sit on their lazy asses, do nothing and collect money for it.
     
    We try not to hire any retard that walks through our doors, believe it or not!  We are actually trying to get you losers out to work for our customers, so you could at least act like you are interested in making something out of your pathetic little lives for the love of gawd.
     
    <bitching off>
     
    On a lighter note, I am very excited to report that Amanda has managed to secure that ass kicking cottage again for the last weekend in August!  Woohoo I can't wait!  I will take many more pics this time and make sure to post them in my Cottage Life album for all to see!  Yippeeeee!!!  (Just reread the above paragraphs if you don't think that I have completely earned this time off for some R&R.)
     
    Bizzy OUT ;)
    May 20

    Not going to the cottage...

    This weekend I am NOT going to the cottage on Lake Rosseau.  I'm not going to open up the hot tub or get the boat into the water.  I'm not going to stock the cupboards with food or clean off the deck chairs.  I'm not going to invite all my friends and family to spend the weekend with me and sit outside until the bugs start biting drinking margaritas and chilling out.
     
    I'm not going to do any of these things....because I do not have a cottage.
     
    At least not YET.  Sighhhh...I can dream, can't I?
     
    One day I will own a cottage on a lake (doesn't have to be the ultra expensive Lake Rosseau area, but man that would be swell!) that is large enough to sleep myself and maybe five or so others.  It will have a bathroom with running water and a shower, and it will have an awesome deck with a dock that leads out to the water.  There will be nice deck furniture to lounge on, and maybe a hammock strung between two large trees for hot, lazy days when the mozzies aren't biting too much.  Maybe I'll have a boat too, but it's not a huge priority.  A canoe or paddle boat would be cool though.  It won't be too far away, but yet not too close to home, say about an hour's drive.  I will go up there every possible weekend in the summer, and definitely every LONG WEEKEND for sure.
     
    Last summer, the girls and I rented a cottage in the Havelock area.  I forget the name of the lake it was on, but it was perfectly situated.  It wasn't a huge place, but still had lots of room for everyone to hang out and sleep.  One night Amanda and I couldn't sleep, so we decided to go outside and lay on the dock to check out the stars.  It was the most breathtaking scene I had ever witnessed.  The stars looked so close you could almost reach out and touch them, and the Milky Way was clearly visible.  We lied there for almost an hour just taking it all in.
     

    This was the view from the deck.  Behind Tanya there was an opening that led down to the dock

     

    So this weekend, I'm staying home and not battling the traffic to get to cottage country.  There's one thing I don't have to worry about at least.  Yikes.
     

    May 17

    DON'T call me Ma'am!

    Gawd you sure know you're getting older when people start referring to you with that matronly nickname.  It makes me feel ancient, and I don't like it at all.  Today I stopped off at the local Jiffy Lube for an oil change, and the service guy punctuated everything he said to me with the M word.  Yesterday after class at Durham College a security guard who passed me in the hall said "Have a good evening Ma'am".  Ugh.  Shutup!!!
     
    I think the whole age thing started after I turned 25.  I remember one day noticing that all the newly-drafted baseball players that year were YOUNGER than me...and it hit me hard.  That coupled with the gleeful comment from one of my younger cohorts that I was now a quarter of a century old did little to keep my spirits up back then.
     
    Now, with 40 looming ominously in the very near future, I can't help but speculate on my life and what I've accomplished in my four decades on this planet.  I finished high school and some college (my education will never end, as I am of the mind that when your education is finished, so are you), obtained my hairstylist certificate, got married, quit smoking, had two kids, got divorced, met both my birth parents and many blood relatives, bought my own home, lost almost 25lbs, obtained my teaching/training certificate, completed three courses towards my HR certificate, and FINISHED REDOING MY FRIGGIN' BATHROOM!!!
     

    Bizzy's Bathroom before...

     

    ...and after!!!

     
    Not bad, but I  can't help but feel as if there are songs still left unsung.  Maybe I'm meant to win a Pulitzer prize or discover the cure for the common cold, or something equally impressive.  On the other hand perhaps it's my destiny to just be Bizzy Girl and entertain dozens (do I dare say hundreds???) of websurfers and MSN buddies with my retarded anecdotes and sarcastic wit.
     
    At any rate, it's a journey, not a destination, and I'm doing my best to enjoy the ride as much as possible.  But it would be just a little bit easier if I wasn't being reminded of my age at every turn!  Call me Hey You, Lady, Sweetie, Dear, Sistah, or even BIATCH...but for the love of gawd please don't call me MA'AM!!!
     

    May 12

    Enjoying the weather :)

    I love this time of year.  The weather is mild and much more conducive to being outside on a gorgeous day.  Right now I am sitting on the patio at Casey's enjoying the sunshine and an Asian chicken salad.
     
    The beautiful weather also tends to inspire me to do some deep thinking.  I am pondering what it is that I really want for myself, and what I feel I should expect for myself.  I think I have come to an important conclusion about that today, and I am feeling very good about it.
     
    My new motto is 'all or nothing'.  I deserve nothing less, and from now on I expect nothing less.  I can now feel good about demanding this, and I intend to make no more bones about it from now on.
     
    Bizzy OUT.
    May 08

    Just a quickie...

    ...before I head into work.  I don't know how often I'm going to be able to keep my blog updated, as I will be back in class as off tomorrow night.  I haven't had much time lately to go online and do stuff, as I have been busy trying to keep my house clean, have a social life, taking care of my lawn and garden, and spending a lot of time in the kitchen preparing meals and stuff for this diet I'm on.  I'm becoming the Queen of Multitasking: in fact I'm eating my breakfast as I type this!
     

    A scene from my garden prior to being tended to.  Check the HEYOOGE weeds.

     

    Not much new to report anyway.  We are trying to get a date set for my Dad's interment, which we have been waiting to do for when my sister came home from Arkansas for a visit.  This will be happening hopefully the first week in July when we are all able to get together and pay our last respects.  The funeral home has been keeping Dad's ashes on site there in the interim.
     
    Well, I'm off to work...
      

    April 30

    Yawn...

    Well so much for the productive weekend I was going to have.  I didn't even TOUCH the bathroom, except to tidy it a bit, and the only housecleaning I did was to run a vacuum over the area rug in the living room and the couch where the cats sit all the time.
     
    I DID, however, manage to get a wicked pedicure done; have a really fun time playing mini golf and stuff with Danny; attend a spa party at Amanda's where I won some free product; listen to lots of 80's tunes; burn some scented candles; cheat on my diet; start organizing my new china cabinet; do an interesting career choice test; and do a little laundry.
     
     

    My new tootsies!  Aren't they cute?

     

     

    On the left is one of the products I bought at Amanda's show (the rest will be delivered in about a week).  It's a mini manicure in a jar.  On the right is the cool gift I won.  It's a lip masque that smooths and softens lips, fights vertical lines and lipstick bleeding.  There is also a lip balm that you apply after doing the masque that leaves your lips feeling kissably soft.  Very nice stuff.  I'm actually thinking of selling it myself!  Am I crazy or what?  Like I have time for that.

     

     

    Career Inventory Test Results

    Extroversion ||||||||||||||||||||| 70%
    Emotional Stability ||||||||| 30%
    Orderliness |||||||||||||||||| 60%
    Altruism ||||||||||||||||||||| 66%
    Inquisitiveness ||||||||||||||| 50%

    You are a Persuader, possible professions include - entertainer, recruiter, artist, newscaster, writer/journalist, recreation director, librarian, facilitator, politician, psychologist, housing director, career counselor, sales trainer, travel agent, program designer, corporate/team trainer, child welfare worker, social worker (elderly services), interpreter/translator, occupational therapist, executive
    Take Free Career Test
    personality tests by similarminds.com

    Here are the results from the neat test I just took.  I think it's pretty accurate.  I found it interesting that it focuses so much on teaching.  Guess that's what I'm meant to do!

    I have not been to the gym yet, and I am starting to feel a little flabby.  I have noticed, however, that I seem to be losing weight on this diet...yayyy.  Once I am able to eat carbs again then I figure I will have sufficient energy to get back into it full force.  I find I am a little tired without the extra energy the carbs provide.  I did cheat a bit today when I was at Amanda's.  She had that spinach dip with the dark rye bread, and it smelled so good I had to have a bit.  It tasted amazing, so I had a bit more.  Yummy, but naughty.  I think I had five or six bites of bread with the dip.  That combined with the lo mein and rice I had at the Mongolian Grill last night and the ice cream for dessert hopefully won't derail me too much.  I'm right back on the horse tomorrow morning, but I won't have gone grocery shopping, so I'll be buying lunch and dinner.

    Ok well I'm off to goof off some more before Housewives.  Maybe I'll get that last coat of paint on the bathroom walls so I don't feel as if this weekend's been a total waste.

     

    April 28

    Friday RAWKS!!!!

    Tonight I am enjoying the rapture that is Friday night.  I had dinner and got my kitchen cleaned, then settled in front of the tube with Darcie (Birthday Girl!) and watched Red Eye.  Great movie!  Loved watching the bad guy get his ass kicked royally by the heroine of the story.
     
    Now I'm just chilling in front of the 'puter to get caught up on some emails and bill payments after a crazy, hectic week.
     
    I have to get enrolled for my next HR course at Durham, which starts in about a week.  Don't know how much free time I'm going to have once I get going on that...probably won't be blogging very much, that's for sure.
     
    So this weekend I'm going to get my bathroom finished once and for all (pics to come Rox!), get a pedicure (first one of the season - can't wait!), spend some time with Danny (neat new guy I'm dating), and get my house cleaned.  And to top it all off, brand new episodes of Housewives and Grey's Anatomy this Sunday night!!!  Woohoooo!!!
     
    Yeah guess you could say I lead a pretty simple life!
     

        

     

     

    April 22

    Tired...

    This Friday finds me emotionally, mentally and spiritually TAPPED OUT.  I am in a real 'fuck it' kind of mood, and I can't seem to snap out of it.
     
    I figured everyone was getting sick of reading endless boring blogs about my frikkin' bathroom project, because only Roxy (bless her heart) gave a damn enough to comment on it.  Thanks Rox!  I just need to throw one more stupid coat of paint on the walls, do a few touch ups with the brush, install the new light fixture and the new towel racks, and the bloody thing is done.  Then I can get on with my life for the love of gawd.
     
    I am a bitch tonight, and I'm not too sure why.  Maybe it's for the same reason that is causing Krista to eat endless amounts of chocolate...what do you think K?  You started it all biatch...thank you very much!!! 
     

    I'm in one of those moods where I could kick a cute bunny in the head.  Fuck off Pikachu!

     

    To make matters worse I have been away from the gym for almost two weeks now, and I'm starting to feel like a fat slob.  This is what I am going to look like by the time I get back to working out.

     

     Aren't I HAWT???

     

    I could really use a HUG right now

      

     This one's for you Krista.  How are the pole dancing lessons coming???

     

    Well I'm heading to bed now.  Maybe after a good night's sleep and some much needed R&R I'll be back to my old self...

     

    Ahhhh, that's better!

     

    December 25

    MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

    ...for those of you who observe it, that is.
     
    I am playing with my new toy: a brand new digicam I got from my father, Eric.  It's a sweet little piece of technology, let me tell you, and I am having such a blast with it.  Here is one of the very first shots I took of the Christmas treats the boys and I made yesterday...

    Mmm, yummy Rice Krispie treats!

    These were very easy to make.  Just make the mixture as usual, but use less cereal or more marshmallow to make it soft and pliable.  Then spread out thin on a cookie sheet using a buttered spatula, and use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes.  The leftover bits outside the cookie cutters can be remolded together and recut, or formed into balls so there is no waste (or you could always just EAT the cut parts as well!!!)  The fun part is using CakeMate Scribblers icing to decorate however you like.  Very good with a hot cup of tea or coffee with a shot of Bailey's!

    Tonight Darcie and I enjoyed a viewing of 'A Christmas Carol', the 1951 version starring Alastair Sim.  We laughed...we cried...we ate too much chocolate.  Now I can go to bed with the feeling that Christmas is here, and savour the magic and excitement of it all.  If it would only snow a little, that would make it just about perfect. 

     Earlier my sister Jen came to visit with her husband Mark and baby girl Ashley.  We did our gift exchange then, and she was absolutely THRILLED with the present I got for her.  I made her swear not to tell my other sister Pam what it was, as I plan to give the same gift to her when I go down to see her in Arkansas on Monday.  Jen agreed that she would react even more strongly, and will probably cry, causing me to cry.  Hey it's all good...I come from a family of criers.

    So to one and all, have a very happy Christmas and New Year's filled with all of your favourite things and most cherished traditions!  See you in 2006!

     

     

     

        

     

     

    December 21

    Where Are You Christmas?

    Why can't I find you?
    Why have you gone away?
    Where is the laughter
    You used to bring me?
    Why can't I hear music play?

    My world is changing
    I'm rearranging
    Does that mean Christmas changes too?

    Where are you Christmas?
    Do you remember
    The one you used to know?
    I'm not the same one
    See what the time's done
    Is that why you have let me go?

    Christmas is here
    Everywhere, oh
    Christmas is here
    If you care, oh

    If there is love in your heart and your mind
    You will feel like Christmas all the time

    I feel you Christmas
    I know I've found you
    You never fade away
    The joy of Christmas
    Stays here inside us
    Fills each and every heart with love
    Where are you Christmas?
    Fill your heart with love

     

    FAITH HILL

    School's out

    Well I have another course under my belt now with Accounting I completed.  I am debating whether or not I want to jump right into Managerial Accounting next semester or if I want to take some time off.  I'd really like to get it done and over with, but I'm also stressed to the gills right now, so I'm a little torn.
     

     
    I'm on holidays, and it's AWESOME.  Today I slept in until 11:30am.  When I finally dragged my ass out of bed I did some long-neglected chores around the house.  I just finished having a bit of breakfast, and next I'm going to jump in the shower and head out to the grocery store with Darcie.  I need to get some provisions, as well as ingredients for my gingerbread cookies and other Christmas treats I'll be making with the boys.
     

     

     
     
    I received an email today from a friend about this new gang in York Region.  I don't know if there's any truth to it or not, but it seems that they prey on women who are pumping gas and sneak into the backs of their cars and kidnap them as part of an initiation ritual.  Anyone living in Newmarket, Markham, Bradford, and other neighbouring areas need to be on alert.  I don't know if you need to be paranoid, but a little extra caution never hurt anyone, and it could save your lives girlies!!!
     
    I want so bad to blog about the presents I got for my sisters, but I'm afraid they'll read by blog and the surprise will be ruined!  Oh well, it'll just have to wait until after Christmas.  I'm so excited, I can't WAIT to see the looks on their faces.  

     
    K, gotta jet...heading to the A&P...
     
     

        

     

     

    December 20

    Stick a fork in my back and turn me over...

    ...'cause I'm

     

    DONE!!!
     

    Done done done done done...woohooooo!!!  In your face you last minute shoppers!  All I gotta do now is finish the wrapping and I'm good to go.  I'm also off work on holiday now as well, so I actually have time to relax and enjoy it all.

     
    Except that I have a freakin' accounting exam to write tonight, and I have some major studying still to do.  D'oh!  Wednesday I have to go to the grocery store and get my baking supplies, come home and clean the house, and then Thursday at lunchtime I'm picking the boys up early from school and we're going to see The Chronicles of Narnia.  Then the next day we'll bake some yummy Christmas treats and maybe go tobogganing.
     
    Christmas is almost here!  The child inside of me can barely contain herself...
     
     

     

     

        

     

     

    November 24

    Canadian Joe

    Doncha just love Canadian Joe?  I want to marry him.  Thanks be to Mike Mike for sending the clip to me...you are da shizzz....

        

     

     

    November 13

    More about MOI

    1. WHAT NAMES DO YOU GO BY ONLINE? Bizzy Girl, Catherine the Great
    2. WHAT KIND OF PANTS ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW? Navy blue fleece drawstring pajama pants with snowflakes on 'em (yep, not getting dressed today).
    3. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My washing machine spin cycle and the hum of my CPU.
    4. WHAT ARE THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER? 7458
    5. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? An egg and cheese sandwich on whole grain bread with a cup of tea...mmmmm.
    6. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE? I always liked 'Thistle'
    7. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? Windy, overcast and frikkin' COLD
    8. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My sis Pam in Arkansas for an hour...miss her like crazy.
    9. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX? Hair, how they move, and (this is pathetic) whether or not they are wearing a ring.  It is involuntary...my eyes just automatically go there.
    10. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU WITH THIS? No one tagged me...I just stole this from Michael's space!
    11. HOW ARE YOU TODAY? Great.  Slept in and got nothin' special to do today.
    12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE DRINK? Diet Coke with a twist of lime.
    13. FAVOURITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK? Crown & Ginger on ice.
    14. FAVOURITE SPORTS? Uhhhh....
    15. HAIR COLOUR? Right now it's dark blonde with lighter blonde and red highlights.  Next time, who knows???
    16. EYE COLOUR? Bluey-green hazel hybrid (they're really quite amazing).
    17. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes, but they're not coloured.
    18. HOW MANY SIBLINGS DO YOU HAVE? Five.  Pam - 34, Jonathan - 33, Jen - 29, Sophia - 9, Davis - 8.
    19. FAVOURITE MONTH? October - 'cause it's my birthday month, and because I live for the sight of the leaves changing colour....breathtaking!!!
    20. FAVOURITE FOOD? There's not much I don't like...except weird stuff like tripe.
    21. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? 'Blair Witch: Book of Shadows' at Hallowe'en.  Wonderfully creepy!
    22. FAVOURITE DAY OF THE YEAR?  Has to be Christmas, but Halloween (OK Mike yer freakin' me OUT!!!  I honestly didn't see he had this as his answer before I answered the previous question) would be a close second.
    23. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT? Believe it or not...yeah.
    24. SCARY MOVIE OR HAPPY ENDINGS BETTER? I can't help myself...I'd pick a freaky flick always.
    25. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer...winter SUX.
    26. HUGS OR KISSES? Both actually.  Simultaneously if possible!!! :P
    27. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?  Relationships.
    28. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? OMG chocolate!  I just don't get that not being EVERYONE'S fave!
    29. DO YOU WANT YOUR TAGGIES TO WRITE BACK? Not applicable: I don't like to bug people by tagging them with these things.  But if anyone happens onto my site and feels the urge to do the questionnaire for themselves I'd love to hear from you!
    30. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Maybe my new buddy Colin in Winnipeg?  C'mon dude, don't be shy!
    31. WHO DO YOU THINK IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Santa Claus... definitely.  He never responded to me when I was ten years old and wanted the deluxe Barbie motorhome complete with all the accessories.  Yep...I'd say Santa Claus.
    32. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS? Alone with my two kitties.  I have a tenant in my basement and a student moving in to my spare room upstairs at the end of the month.
    33. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT? Do textbooks count?  Sighhh all I have time to read now is my frikkin' accounting textbook. :(
    34. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Black magic marker, thanks to my kids. >:(
    35. FAVOURITE BOARD GAME? Monopoly...good call Mike!

    What a stench

    Last night Tanya and I went to the airport to pick up Amanda, who was coming back from a week in Cuba.  She was supposed to arrive at Terminal 3 on Skyservice Airlines, but her flight had been recently changed, and we couldn't find her on the arrivals screen.  Tanya was panicking, so we called everyone we could think to.  After finally getting some assistance we were told that she was actually arriving on an Air Canada flight at Terminal 1!.  So we had to get back in the car and make our way over to the parking garage over there.  Aie, yie yie.
     
    So we finally pick her up and she is dying for a cigarette after five or six hours on the plane.  She pulls out this American crupple pack and lights one up.  Jeez Louise the stench!  And to make matters worse we are about to get into the car, so of course it is stinking us right out even with the windows cracked.  We stopped at Jack Astor's at the Scarborough Town Centre and had a bite (wow that place was packed at 10pm!).  On the way home another cigarette, and she doesn't seem to notice we are choking.  Well of course I could smell the smoke on me the whole time, and when I got home and took off my jean jacket I couldn't even put it back in the closet for fear it would infect the rest of my garments.
     
    What's a girl to do?
     
    One word...FEBREZE.  I spritzed my jacket with this stuff and the next day the smoke was gone.  All you could smell was the faint traces of my Freesia body splash (Bath and Body Works of course), and not hardly a hint of the foul American tobacco!  Excellent.  Febreze rocks.  Every household should have a bottle of this magic elixir.
      

    I got the biatch to help me with my accounting homework, so she SORT OF redeemed herself.

    Last night I had the most bizarre dream.  It really stuck with me so that I had to write it down immediately upon waking.  The girls and I were running a clothing store in Oshawa that was right next to a Gap store in Scarborough (I know the geography is all f**ked up).  They sent me with an old videocam to our competitor to do some covert shooting of their operations to try to benchmark a few practices.  Well the rivals were onto me, and I was chased off before I could even get a clear shot of anything.  It was a very old camcorder that wasn't working right, and it had a handheld mirror on the top for a viewfinder (!!!). On the way there and back I passed 32nd St.  In spite of the fact that I clearly saw the name on the street sign, everyone was telling me that this street hadn't existed in years.  Then we got back to my place and it was nighttime.  Nikki opened the door to my son's room (I had recently cleaned it out because I have a student moving in at the end of the month).  It was a disaster as if someone had ransacked it.  The pillows and blankets were all in a big pile on the bed.  As I started to sort through it I found my oldest son Josh under it all, fast asleep.  This was very wrong as he was supposed to be with his Dad for the weekend.  He started acting very strange like he was possessed.  Gawd what the hell am I thinking to have such strange dreams?

    I got up late today...about 11:30am.  Sheesh I can't remember the last time I slept that late: I must have needed it.  More accounting homework and some laundry and grocery shopping and then Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy tonight!  Anyone wanna join me?  No smoking allowed though...

     

        

     

     

    November 01

    Who's afraid of the Pretty Lady?

    So I get talking to a woman at work the other day who is depressed because she is single and lonely.  She has tried everything from online dating to singles clubs to blind dates with no luck.  For almost thirteen years she has been living the single life after her rocky marriage ended.  Although she loved it at first, it seems the novelty has long since worn off.  She longs to meet the man with whom she will find that 'connection'.  Bitter and jaded, and hurt so many times she has stopped counting, she has finally just resigned herself to the fact that she is (to quote Drew Barrymore's character on The Wedding Singer) 'doomed to walk the planet alone' for the rest of her life.
     
    So what, right?  How many times have we heard this sob story from both women and men alike?  It ain't the first time, and it's damn sure not going the be the last.  This is why sites like LavaLife, Date.ca, and Match.com have such outrageously high memberships, and why some matchmaking companies can get away with charging people like my poor friend Brian $5,000 for their services (really dude - that's just ri-goddam-diculous!!!).   However something about this girl's situation may surprise you...
     
    ...the woman is DROP DEAD GORGEOUS.
     
    Seriously...absolutely gorgeous...intelligent, educated, hilarious and easy going to boot.  Now I have to say that I can sort of identify with this woman a little, as I am attractive and single-and-not-crazy-about-it, but we differ in that I have chosen to pursue a lifestyle that affords me very little time for dating and aggressive socializing truncating any opportunities for romance.  Since our conversation I began to wonder why doesn't this awesome person have a husband after over a decade of dating?  From what I can gather, it seems to me that guys are just a weeny bit intimidated by beautiful women.  I mean, these gals are way out of the leagues of most men, so they must definitely already be spoken for, right?  Most guys don't seem to be willing to accept the rejection, and don't even bother trying, which contradicts what I have always believed about men, and that is that they LOVE a challenge.  It is a situation steeped in irony...that beautiful women have to try harder than average-looking women to land a great guy.
     
    It's a kerrrazzy world we live in people!
     
    So if any of you eligible guys out there happen to be in a dental office in Durham region feeling especially brave, and see an amazing looking redhead behind the desk (that's about all I can say because she will kill me if she finds out I blogged about her), or for that matter, any stunningly beautiful woman you happen upon, give her a smile and ask her if she'd like to go out for coffee sometime.  You just might be pleasantly surprised!
     

        

     

     

    September 27

    9000 HITS BABY

    Woohoo!!!

    9000 hits!!!!!

     

    Spaz You Go Girl  Wakka Wakka 

     

    Props to Jean-Sébastien for being my 9000th visitor!  Go visit him and check out his space.  Pretty cool stuff.
     
    Merçi mille fois mon ami!  Je te donne un kiss: MUAHHH!!!

     
     Almost to 10,000 y'all!  Keep hitting me!  You guys RAWK!!!!!!!!!!!!