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February 11 Winterlude eluded me...but I had a SUITE!!!Well I'm back from my travels to the eastern part of the province. I had a very productive and interesting trip to say the least. I did not, however, manage to check out Winterlude as I was way too busy being Bizzy Girl. One of the major downfalls of business travel is that it is just that: all business. Therefore my entertainment consisted solely of watching the boob tube from the time I got home to the time I went to sleep. This time, however, I was spoiled and had a whole SUITE to myself. Being Winterlude there weren't many rooms left, and this was all they could offer. Here is a glimpse into the exciting life I led this week OUTSIDE of work:
My suite at the Delta Hotel, Room #411. I feel so SPECIAL...
This is the livingroom where I read my Globe and Mail...
...and the kitchen where I made my tea every night
Two large twin beds in the bedroom...
...this is the one I slept on
Tube time!
Grey's Anatomy: I found out Code Black is a bomb threat...
American Idol: Simon being a huge prick, as usual...gawd I love him!
CSI Vegas: Catherine Willows ROCKS!!!
The News. First up: freaky face transplant lady...
Next: poor police doggy that died in the line of duty...
This big, tough police sargeant was all choked up delivering Nitro's eulogy...sniff
Oh s**t...look at the time! I never watch this much TV!
I ordered breakfast delivered to my room each morning (I should have taken some shots of that for Peabody), and it was awesome. I got tired of the bacon and eggs, so I'd try the other options. They had a doorhanger menu that you had to fill out and hang on your door each night before 2am if you wanted in room dining the next morning. They wouldn't give you a new menu every day, so I would have to keep calling the desk to have them send one up to me each night. Natalie was very accommodating, and after taking three or four calls from me requesting a menu, she finally arranged to have enough menus sent up to my room that would cover me for the remainder of my stay.
Thanks Nat...you're a peach
I ate like a Queen... Now I'm back home and back on the diet.
On a completely unrelated note, I got a message from my sister today. She was cruising the net for jobs and found this pic of our Dad on the Oshawa Hospital website (upper left). She was so completely shocked that she started to cry. I hope they keep it up there for awhile. Bless him...I have been thinking of him a lot lately, my poor Dad.
February 05 Bags are packed...Well I'm off to Ottawa again to help my eastern Ontario peeps with another mass recruit. They are a little bogged down right now with a new staff member they are trying to assimilate, and the manager just coming back from a three week hiatus. I'll be staying at the Delta again, but this time I have a small suite. Should be interesting. I have discovered that I love love love to travel for work.
I've been playing around a lot on Flickr. There are some very talented people out there who don't realize it. Go check it out and you'll see what I mean.
Some cool sites I Stumbled Upon today: a place where your mouse pointer turns into a sloppy paintbrush; a squirrel getting tongued by a giraffe; choose a scene and click and drag through an average day...really neat stuff; and for those of you who aren't followers of organized religion, The Assertive Atheist is for you.
I've been playing around with my camera a little too much lately. Here are some recent shots I've taken that aren't on Flickr yet...
My tat
My cat
My fat :O Well I've gotta get a move on. Train leaves at 4pm...
January 16 Bizzy Girl does OttawaMy job is taking me to the O Dot for the rest of the week, as I have an impromptu trip to take to help out at another branch. Maybe I can hook up with some of my eastern Ontario peeps while I'm there. Don't know how much time I'll have to blog tho, as they'll be keeping me pretty busy I'm sure. I am THRILLED that I have the opportunity to do some out of office assignments in this job. I really enjoy seeing how other offices operate and getting to know other staff members. I'll be taking lots of pictures while I'm there so I'll have some show and tell to do when I get back. Well, gotta go home and pack... B.G. ;) December 01 Christmas in 'Triple K Land'I will be spending the latter part of the holidays with my sister and my new twin nieces in Arkansas. I was originally scheduled to depart on December 27th, but today I rescheduled my flight from Toronto to Boxing Day so that I can spend some time with Mum and Mike (who are already down there visiting) before they leave, and because no one was going to be able to come and pick me up from the Little Rock airport on my original arrival date. Kind of an important detail considering they live about an hour's drive away.
I'm counting the days until my trip. I am looking forward to celebrating the holiest of holidays in the land where white supremacy still lives and breathes. Myself I prefer a more 'live and let live' approach to other races. After collecting their 'White Skin Rules' newsletter from their front porches on Sunday mornings, many of the residents of the Bible Belt head off to church, then follow with a trip to WalMart. Anyone who has half a brain knows to stay the hell away from WalMart between 11am and 2pm on the Sabbath.
I put a nice dent in my shopping list tonight. I'm leaving the kids until last because there is a big sale at Zellers coming up on December 11th, and I plan to take advantage of it. 10% off everything in the store. Woohoo lookout everyone, Bizzy is a lean, mean, shopping machine, and she has her game face ON.
Today I ran into a close friend of a guy I dated last year. He and I did not part on the best of terms because, well, he was A FREAK!!!! Seriously, we got along famously until things got serious, and then it all went to hell. He started acting very strangely and playing SERIOUS head games with me. He ended up ignoring me and not returning my phone calls, and then a month or so later came crawling back in an email begging me to give him another chance. My reply went something like "How about never? Is never good for you???" It has been one year exactly since we parted, and in that time he has met someone else, gotten engaged and broken it off. WTF???
"I hope he finds himself soon," the friend lamented. I thought how the hell can he find himself when there are so many other personalities fighting for attention??? "You should give him a call," she continued. "You still like him, don't you?" Well I wasn't going to go there with her, but you couldn't pay me enough money to pick up the phone and stir that pot again. No sir. "Yeah, sure," I replied.
Nothing else is new. I'm done...
August 24 SighhhhhCheck it out! Got the idea from Peabody's site...
 So cool!
Bizzy's favourite hideaway when I'm in Ohio is The Brandywine Inn about a 30 minute drive SE of Cleveland. Wish I was there right now...(seriously, the photo doesn't do it justice)
Go see Pea, and get the link to make your own neat mag cover. Fun stuff!!!
August 03 The eagle has landedWell folks, Bizzy finally got both her bags back. Halle-friggin-luyah. There was a knock on the door a few minutes ago, and a man with lone bag was on my doorstep.
"Back from Taipei, I see," I quipped sarcastically. "Do we know where it actually ended up?"
Laughing he shook his head. "I have NO IDEA." He said, handing me the delivery slip to sign.
I honestly don't know how they can afford to pay a delivery company to drive around the country delivering people's misplaced luggage, when they just filed for bankrupty protection last fall. Check out this link people, and read all about it! You can Google "US Airways" and "lost luggage" and find tons and tons more links about it. Pass it on, and don't let it happen to you!!!
*gets down off soap box*
August 02 Listen carefully people...I am back from my journey to the land of red, white and blue! What an awesome, but ridiculously short trip. The boys had a blast, and the family was thrilled to meet them. My adventures this weekend have left me with a valuable lesson that I would like to pass onto my MSN peeps. If you forget everything else Bizzy ever says, if you choose to never visit my space again after today and reject the pearls of wisdom I have to offer, promise me you'll take this one piece of advice with you:
AVOID US AIRWAYS AND PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT ALL COSTS!!!
They are the BIGGEST bunch of CLUSTERFUCKS you will ever want to meet! I had a stopover on my way to Ohio, and was told that I didn't have to pick up my bags because they would be send ahead to meet me at my destination. Well when I went to collect them at Cleveland Hopkins airport they weren't there. US Airways told me that they would be delivered to the place I was staying by 7pm.
7pm came and went with no bags.
We were at Grandma Connie's place when my cellphone rang around 11:30pm. It was the delivery guy asking me to come identify the bags because he wasn't sure they were mine. I convinced him to just leave them because I was about 10 miles away from the Bed and Breakfast at the time.
On the way home, it was the same bullshit. We went to collect the bags from the carousel, and they weren't there. I went to speak to the people at the US Airways desk, and they had me fill out a form so that they could track my bags. They told me they would be delivered to my home by that evening.
Didn't happen.
I called the hotline number this morning they gave me to track the luggage, and was told that they had not received an update yet. They said they were going to follow up with Pearson International (my home airport), and I gave them my work phone number because I was told they would be calling me to let me know when they would be delivering the bags. I received no such call today. When I called back after work, I was told that ONE of the bags was located. I have no bloody idea where they ended up, but they were apparently sent on different flights! The person told me that the one bag should be delivered within the next hour to my home.
Well Bizzy's still sitting here with no fucking bags.
This is the biggest circus I have ever seen. I usually fly Continental, and thought I'd try a different airline this time because the price was right. Big friggin' mistake. Please people, benefit from the fruits of my misfortune! Do not let this happen to you!!!
 
July 28 Leavin' on a jet plane...   Well folks, early tomorrow morning Bizzy and the boys are heading out to the airport to get on a 10:30am flight to Cleveland, OH. This means that we have to be up and out the door by 7:30am so that we can be there the mandatory two hours before the friggin' plane takes off. There is a stopover in Philly at noon, and the next plane is scheduled for takeoff an hour later. This will give us time to grab a quick lunch at the airport.
The boys are pumped as ever about this trip! I don't do much with them, so this will be a different experience. We think my older son might have O.D.D. (Oppositional Defiant Disorder), which makes outings and trips extremely stressful and emotionally draining experiences. Children like this need super-patient and understanding parents. We do the best we can, but the trick is unwavering firmness and consistency with discipline, and this is something I have always struggled with.
So I will be spending the weekend with a bunch of Democrats. My family is actually made up largely of these left wingers, but there are a few Republicans in the mix, which makes for interesting dinner banter, as good ol' George Dubyah is usually up to something that is making the news. I could sit and listen to the debates all night. It never gets too heated, and everyone respects everyone else's opinions...even if they're wrong!
 I'm gonna miss my 'puter while I'm away! I spend so much time on the damn thing at work you'd think I'd be glad to have a break from it! Actually I'm so dependent on my PC that I don't think I could function long without it. I do my banking on it, order gifts, communicate, BLOG - of course, and do all my planning and organizing. Sheesh what did I ever do before I got my 'puter???
Well gang, I hope you don't miss me too much while I'm away! I'm sure it will be an adventurous trip, and the kids will be meeting about 50 new relatives that they've never seen before. For those of you who aren't aware, I was adopted at birth and reunited with both biological parents in 2000. My bio dad, Eric, has a heeyoooge family, mostly on his mother's side. Every 4 or 5 years everyone gets together in Ohio for a Park Family Reunion. They get T-shirts made up and everything. It spans over a long weekend, and everyone chips in and helps with meal preparation, cleanup, etc. Bizzy loves it 'cause she's ALL ABOUT family! Here is a pic of just a portion of the family at the last gathering for Uncle Winn's 80th birthday.
That's Bizzy in the back row on the right. Eric (my bio dad) is the dude in the white Park Family T-shirt in the front row on the left. And what would a trip to the States be without a pit stop at BATH AND BODY WORKS??? Ooooh Bizzy's goin' shopping! Won't be able to spend too long, tho, as I'll have two restless kids in tow and an ETA at my destination in Ohio for dinner time. Gotta squeeze in a quickie tho! I've even gone online and mapped out the nearest store en route so I can catch it on the fly! Bizzy's a diehard shopper peeps!
...because I'm WORTH IT!!!
Well I'd best be off. Gotta finish packing and make sure we haven't forgotten anything. Seems I've misplaced my camera *frowns*, so I might not be taking any snapshots! Hopefully someone will send me some. I'll be sure to post them if they do.
Arrivederci tutti!
July 09 I have no idea what I'm doing...I've gotta book a flight for me and the boys to go to Ohio for a family reunion at the end of this month, and I have no idea how to go about it. I am cruising the cheap ticket sites looking for the best deal, and it's down to the wire because it looks like ticket prices are starting to go up as the price of gas increases. I have this fear of getting to the airport and trying to get through customs, and them not letting us pass because the boys don't have passports, and mine is expired (although that has never been a problem before). Oh pleeeeeze don't let me get screwed!!! I should not have procrastinated on this.
We are staying in Northern Ohio at a gorgeous Bed & Breakfast in an old carriage house on the grounds just behind the main house. It has been beautifully renovated into two separate large rooms complete with loft bedrooms and jacuzzi tubs in the bathrooms.
It is the most beautiful place I've ever stayed in. Eric is old friends with George, the proprietor, and always rents the entire carriage house for us when we are in the area. It's actually a very romantic spot...not a place one would typically bring children. However there is a 100-year-old maple tree on the sprawling grounds with a swing, the falls are just down the road, and George keeps many different animals on the property, so the kids are more than amused during their stay. I hope to have some photos to post after the trip.
Well another week done. The weeks when the kids are gone seem to fly by so FAST. Why for is that? They are home Sunday, and off to day camp on Monday. Gotta keep the little bums busy or they drive you insane. I had a wonderful, peaceful, relaxing and productive week at work that is about to end. Back to the normal BS on Monday. Sighhhhh. My colleague and I are counting the days to January, when peace will once again descend upon our little office. I have been subject to the stress and frustration of having to deal with difficult personalities at work for the past six years. It is very tiring. I keep telling myself that there is a reason I keep getting stuck with these types of people...as if it was because I was meant to learn something from them. All I know is that I would give ANYTHING to just be able to go to work and do my job without having to deal with attitudinal people with whom I am forced to collaborate.
Hey so I've done three days in a row at the gym! I'm VERY proud of myself. I have an appointment next week with one of their resident personal trainers, and you should SEE these girls! If I could end up looking HALF as good as they do I'll be thrilled! My expectations aren't unrealistic, I just want to avoid the 'spread' that comes as you get older. I am still watching my diet, and counting carbs. Oh, and I'm avoiding doughnuts forever now after coming across this...
Ewwww... OK well Anne wants to join me at the gym tomorrow again. I wasn't going to go, but I guess I have to! She wants to try out the facilities to see if it would be worth her joining. She has bad knees and thinks the cardio machines are going to bother them. I think she will be surprised, as the machines now are so much better than they were when she owned a treadmill. And I could stand to burn a few more calories anyway. I figure as long as I keep going I will get the habit started. I'm afraid if I stop going then it will be easier to just not go back again, and I can't afford to waste the money I paid on this membership for the love of gawd.
July 03 Wow what a weekend!Back from the cottage...had a BLAST! Didn't get much reading done 'cause there was too much fun to be had! Went out on the paddleboat; did a canoe run; went swimming; worked on my tan; went for ice cream; played cards; watched a movie; ate LOTS of junk and drank like a fish - didn't get much of a buzz going tho.
COTTAGE LIFE: the view from the deck! Gorgeous, no? I have to say that the highlight of the weekend was last night: we were all in bed about to drift off to sleep, when I happened to look out the window. The stars looked so pretty, and I mentioned it to one of my girlfriends, so we decided to venture outside in the dark to get a better look. I went out ahead of her while she grabbed her glasses, and as I reached the end of the dock I was overcome by the scene before me. The water was completely calm and still, and there was no noise from surrounding cottagers. As I sat down at the end of the dock I was speechless. The giant sparkling blanket of dark velvet in the sky embedded with twinkling diamonds, so plentiful that I could barely make out the common constellations, was edged by a dark skyline of trees at the other side of the lake. The Milky Way could easily be seen, like a billowing stream of campfire smoke, running right through the middle of it all.
...WOW...
I have NEVER seen so many stars in my life. As I tilted my head upward in an effort to take in the entire peaceful and breathtaking scene, a tear ran down my cheek. I felt completely in awe of Mother Nature and this tiny little planet that we call home. It was well worth the hour's trip to a little cottage on Lake Belmont in Havelock!!!
My friend joined me, and was equally amazed at the beauty of the night sky. We tried to find the dippers, but couldn't make them out among the thousands of other brilliant stars. Just then, a bullfrog started grunting, and a little later a couple of loons began talking to one another across the lake. Vive le Canada!!!
We stayed out there for about a half an hour just taking it all in, until we got chilly and went back to bed. I wished I could have stayed out there all night!
So, home now and back to reality! Got to get caught up on the laundry and housework. Yay. The kids are gone for the week, so I'll have a nice peaceful and hopefully productive seven days! As much as I love going away, it's always nice to get back home to the old routine!
Here's a cool quiz I found to test your smarts on famous Canadians! See if you can tell who the Canucks are! Yours Truly scored 83%!!!
Be sure to check out my new MOVIE REVIEW, and NEW SPACE SPOTLIGHT too!!!
 Bizzy |
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