| Muffler |
[May. 9th, 2008|10:20 am] |
So, things are going well for Son's trip. He texted last night, said that the drive through Ontario is very pretty, and VERY long. It's hard not to snicker at some of his comments, I don't think he realized how long some of those stretches are.
He also told Us that he blew a hole in the muffler, and that he's getting that fixed today, before they keep going. Here's hoping it's not an expensive fix, and that he can find a second-hand one to get them out to Alberta. |
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| The starter broke |
[May. 6th, 2008|04:05 pm] |
Well, the kids were happily on the road to Alberta, I think they had just crossed into Quebec about an hour or so, when they stopped for gas.
And the car wouldn't start again.
Son knew it was the starter. And He had told Son to take the starter off the other car, pack it with their gear, just in case.
I think He's trying hard not to say "I told you so!" to Son, because it's so tempting.
So, 3 hrs in a hick town in Quebec is where they ended up, and about $180 poorer before they could leave.
I'm just hoping for no more car breakdowns before Alberta. |
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| Kids are growing up |
[May. 5th, 2008|09:24 am] |
Today, the oldest one and his girlfriend and his best friend have headed out to Alberta.
Her sister is getting married soon, so they decided to make a vacation out of the trip. Son and BF are planning to stay behind after the wedding, to find work. "Go West, Young Man".
He's a little bummed out, but I'm confident they'll be ok. At least for the drive out. GF is coming back to the Maritimes after the wedding. My only concern for their relationship is if Son stays out there too long that she won't wait for him.
They're heading for Ottawa today, they'll probably get there around 8pm tonight. |
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| It's official |
[Jun. 27th, 2007|11:06 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | work | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  complacent | ] |
Well, it's official.
I'm now a Snivel Servant for gummint. Papers were signed this morning.
Yay... I think. |
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| Skinny minnie miller? Fat chance... maybe? |
[Feb. 21st, 2007|02:07 pm] |
So, I decided just before Christmas that in the new year, I would start an exercise regime. I debated for a couple weeks as to what I would do, and how willing I would be to keep it up, even if I didn't feel like it.
I decided to walk the hallways at work during My lunch hour.
There are 6 floors in the building, but I don't walk the first floor, I find it too cold. At first, I wasn't really ready to tackle stairs going up, so I took the elevator to the 6th floor, walked the 3 wings, then walked down the stairs to the 5th, and repeated this until I was back down to the 1st floor. I did this for about 3 weeks, more or less. (Less would be because of flu season & a week's worth of vacation.) A couple weeks ago, I decided I wanted to try incorporating the stairs up in the walking. The first 2 days that week, I walked up only 2 flights of stairs. Since then, I walk up to the 2nd, walk those hallways, walk up to the 3rd, do those hallways, and keep this pattern while I make My way up to the 6th. Once on the 6th, I use one hallway and start My way down. (6th, down the hall, stairwell down one floor, 5th down the hall, other stairwell, etc.) This takes Me about 30 mins, and I can usually manage to walk it at least 3 times a week, sometimes 4 if I don't have any plans at lunch.
I started this around Jan 15. Results? I know I've lost at least 10lbs, because I had the chance to check out My weight (during PMS, I might add!) while on vacation, and I was down 7lbs. I'd also noticed My pants are fitting much looser. A pair of pants I just bought in January are now too big. I'm guessing I've lost about an inch off the waist, and at least that much off the hips. I now have to try putting the new pants in the dryer, so they'll shrink a little, and that I'm not forever hiking up My pants to My hips.
He's particularly impressed with the fact that I've stuck to the walking so far. I think I'm impressed too. :-D
Once the snow melts and the sidewalks are less scary to stomp on, I think I'd like to walk outside to one of the bridges & back to the office during lunchtime. And once the grass starts to grow, I'll get to mow it nearly 3 times a week (it's just that big of a yard, and can't be done with a ride-on), and that will help more.
Ideally, I'd like to lose another 20lbs this year. I'd be happy with 20lbs weight loss per year until I'm the size I'd like to be/should be. Then I won't have to huff & puff when I'm strapping someone down to the bench and beating the holy snot out of their ass. :-D |
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| Bad week for IT techs in gummint |
[Jan. 12th, 2007|10:59 am] |
1 - One of our IT techs in My office had an accident Wednesday night. While putting out garbage, a metal broomstick was being difficult, and when he tried to bend it, it snapped back and hit him in the face. His cheek bones on one side are crushed, and he's lost the eye. I'm not sure if he'll go on permanent disability or not, especially where he's legally deaf as well (he wears 2 hearing aids).
2 - A network architect with another department had a car accident this past week. He broke his neck, and a few other select bones. Apparently, though, his spine is intact, and he will make a full recovery, but it will take at least a year. Meaning, he'll be able to walk again.
I think I'm going to be really careful in the next few weeks. |
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| Yes, We're still here |
[Jan. 9th, 2007|03:20 pm] |
I am SO bad at keeping a journal. Even as a kid, I had a hard time keeping a diary. Life just flies by so quickly that taking the time to jot down the highlights seems fleeting as well.
So, our new home pc is up & running, as well as the old pc that the new one was purchased to replace. Thanks to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) aberrantmist, the old one is now up & running. Someday, though, that hard drive will have to be wiped out so that Windows 2000 can be removed and XP reinstalled.
I finally called HP support last night, since the new pc seems to be trying to connect to the internet on its own. On dialup, that's a bad thing. The tech support guy was pretty helpful, and I understood *most* of what he said, since his first language is not English. *grumbling under breath about outsourcing* So, I tried everything he suggested, I rebooted a couple of times, and Voila! A few hours later, the damn thing tried to dial up. *sigh* So, I'll have to look at it again tonight.
Christmas holidays were fun, but definitely not long enough. And I want to know how the hell people still manage to find Us, especially since We're in the middle of nowhere and We unplug the phone! Here's a clue to the rest of you, when you try to call Us: If the phone rings 5 times and goes to voicemail, leave a damn message! It usually means We're not home or otherwise "indisposed", and if you show up during "indisposed", you only have yourself to blame for what you may see. Just a warning. ;-) |
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| It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Shopping! |
[Nov. 30th, 2006|09:57 am] |
Well, last night was an interesting evening in shopping for electronics. Daughter wants an electric guitar, she swears she's going to learn and wants to start her own all-girl punk band. So, off to Futureshop we go. We ended up buying a package deal Robson Electric Guitar. While there, He applied for a Futureshop credit card, and got a buttload of credit. Since 1/2 son wanted a PS2, we picked one up at the same time. At least those 2 big gifts are done. Then He starts looking at LCD monitors and new computers. Oh dear! We could afford it on the card, but I think we'd be better off waiting until after Christmas.
So, that's one grandmother and 3 kids bought for. Now I'm just left with figuring out what to get Parents and remaining Siblings, and I think we'll be just about done. I know there'll be a few more to buy, but at least I can browse and consider before we buy. |
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| Suck & Blow? |
[Oct. 5th, 2006|11:33 am] |
I'm sure aberrantmist will remember that first date & the shooters that night, so I thought I'd post this link. Order shooters or their containers this way, and it sounds like we could have a full night of rather interesting drinking. *snicker*
I might have to buy some Jello powder tonight, since I have ALL those plastic little cups still in the cupboard, those cups that will hold a good Jello shot. *snicker* |
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| Night of the Darned |
[Oct. 4th, 2006|11:43 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | short story, socks | ] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | work | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  silly | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | RealPlayer Playlist | ] |
I didn't compose this, but I got it from a friend on another list. And it was just too good to not share. *snicker*
( Night of the Darned ) |
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| Not so bad this month.... |
[Sep. 21st, 2006|03:40 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | pms | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | not bloated | ] |
It's not every month that PMS & The Period are horrible. Sometimes, there's no bloating, no cramping, no mood swings. I like those. Just like the one I'm having now. If all My periods were like this, I wouldn't mind that Week.
Like the Always slogan says... "Have a Happy Period". |
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| Making jam (ie: using out-of-date Certo) |
[Sep. 19th, 2006|02:03 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | jam | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  confused | ] |
Well, this will be of particular interest to aberrantmist... the blueberry jam we made on Sunday kinda turned out funny. It took too well. I had some on Sunday evening, and the bottle that I sample from was tasty, but nearly impossible to spread. It just ... gelled... really hard.
I'm going to blame it on the Certo (pectin) that was outdated by 2 years.
Now My questions are:
- Can I do something to it to soften it up, so it's spreadable?
- If I can't do anything about it, what can I make with this jam so that I don't waste all these berries?
aberrantmist had offered to help clean out My cupboards of old baking goods. I think that's a good plan. I know that I have some cornmeal that's at least 2 years old, uncooked kidney beans in a jar that are at least that old, and high-fibre cereals that I wanted to incorporate with some home baking and THAT cereal is anywhere from 1-3 yrs old. I see a weekend of cooking & baking coming up soon. ;-) |
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| True Canadianisms |
[Sep. 12th, 2006|01:20 pm] |
Got this from a friend at work today *snicker*
25 Signs Showing You Might Be Canadian
1. You're not offended by the term "HOMO MILK".
2. You understand the phrase, "Could you pass me a serviette, I just dropped my poutine, on the chesterfield."
3. You eat chocolate bars, not candy bars.
4. You drink Pop, not Soda.
5. You know that a Mickey and 24's mean: "Party at the camp, eh!!!"
6. You don't care about the fuss with Cuba. It's a cheap place to go for your holidays, with good cigars.
7. You know that a pike is a type of fish, not part of a highway.
8. You drive on a highway, not a freeway.
9. You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
10. You know that Casey and Finnegan were not part of a Celtic musical group.
11. You get excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
12. You brag to Americans that: Shania Twain, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion & Mike Myers are Canadians.
13. You know that the CEO of American Airlines is a Canadian!
14. You know what a toque is.
15. You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
16. You know that the last letter of the English alphabet is always pronounced "Zed".
17. Your local newspaper covers the national news on 2 pages, but requires 6 pages for hockey.
18. You know that the four seasons mean: Almost winter, winter, still winter, and road work.
19. You know that when it's 25 degrees outside, it's a warm day.
20. You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
21. You know how to pronounce and spell "Saskatchewan".
22. You perk up when you hear the theme song from 'Hockey Night in Canada'.
23. You are in grade 12, not the 12th grade.
24. "Eh?" is a very important part of your vocabulary, and is more polite than, "Huh?" |
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| High school reunion |
[Aug. 27th, 2006|10:00 am] |
Last night, He & I attended My 20-yr high school reunion. In a nutshell, it was a disappointment. Although I recognized a few faces, there weren't many who attended, out of a class of 380. I had ONE friend that I wanted to see who showed up. The reunion was at a restaurant-tavern in Moncton, and although the trip there & back was ok, the reunion itself was quite a bore. Even My friend echoed My disappointment. However, I did get to talk to her, which was great. We caught up on happenings, talked about a few of the friends we hadn't seen in years, and talked a little about our old school.
But the person who shined the most last night was Him.
I graduated from a French high school, and He doesn't speak the language at all. Most of the people there pretty much spoke in French, and I knew He was bored, but He didn't show it. He really is a great guy.
There's talk of having a 25-yr reunion, but unless it's planned better and more people that I knew back then attend, I think I'll stay home.
It was just an awful reminder of how much I wanted to move past My teen years. |
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| Trying to get back to regular eating patterns |
[Aug. 23rd, 2006|09:29 am] |
I only tend to think about food issues when I'm on PMS. Unfortunately.
I want to get back to My regular eating patterns again, and soon. It feels like I've been slipping away from the resolutions I'd made to never go back to My top weight through food choices. Although I don't think I've actually gained any weight this summer, I know that I haven't lost much, if at all, either.
So, to help get back on track, last month, I bought one of the books of the "diet" that I liked the most. Diet isn't the right word, but My brain's just too locked into PMS to think of the right word. I've been doing the Somersizing plan for over 4 yrs now, and I've had, and still have, quite a bit of success with it. Except that the success since the initial 6 months has been slow. Changing My ways of thinking in regards to food is not an overnight task.
Before I decided to lose weight over 4 years ago, My sister had loaned Me one of the Somersizing books (by Suzanne Somers, if you haven't figured it out by now), and I read through it. All of it. Recipes included. I was impressed, but not ready to commit to such a lifestyle change just yet. Then He & I went on a vacation, and some events during the vacation made Me change My mind.
For anyone who's ever been a part of a 12-step recovery program knows that one has to reach the "bottom", one has to be as low as one can get, before being ready to accept change. But I've also heard others tell Me that they "brought the bottom up" to where they were, because although it could get worse, they weren't willing to let it get that bad. That's what happened to Me during the vacation.
I don't regret the changes, not in the least. But sometimes I wish it were a little easier to stick to the eating plan, as well as get My ass off the chair and get more exercise. I've seen proof that both work really well for My overall well-being, and when it works, it really works all together. Except for the housework. Well, I'm sure I could come up with other excuses, but bottom line, it often feels like I don't have the time to accomplish all the things that need to be done and some of the things I'd like to do.
I've come to the conclusion that most of the exercise that I am willing to do comes in the form of yardwork. I dislike walking just for the sake of walking, but I'm not opposed to walking across town to run an errand, as long as time permits. Walking while I mow the lawn is great, because it doesn't feel like walking. I'd like to find another form of exercise that doesn't feel like exercise, and where I accomplish something useful while exercising. I feel like I need to multitask when exercising. I'm still working on that one.
As far as the food plan goes, I've done a lot of research on this, and I've come to the conclusion that I prefer the low-carb lifestyle over any other. Somersizing allows Me to eat well and do the low-carb plan, while still getting the grains and dairy that I need (and want) (it's closer to food-combining than actual low-carb). I don't miss things like potatoes and corn and white bread & pasta, like I used to... I actually find them rather bland now, and they no longer hold as much taste appeal as they used to. But when most of the quick foods We used to eat for supper are made from these products, it makes it more difficult to be creative with meals, so as not to be bored with what's still permissible. However, I have come up with one recipe that I really like, and don't get bored with, as a side dish for supper.
Low-carb pan-fried veggies with cheese sauce
1 cup fresh or canned veggies (I like canned mushrooms, but bell peppers and onions work really well too)
1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
2 Tbsp cream cheese (Kraft makes really nice flavoured ones, like Roasted Garlic and Sundried Tomatoes)
2-3 Tbsp heavy (whipping) cream
Spices to taste (garlic, parsley, chili powder, basil, oregano, etc.)
In a non-stick pan, heat oil and spices until just hot. Over medium heat, add veggies, and pan fry until caramelization just starts. Add cream cheese on top of veggies, cover for 2 minutes. Remove cover and blend the cheese with the veggies. Stir in cream. Turn heat down to low, cover with a screen mesh (those metal mesh covers for frying work well) and gently let bubble for 5 mins. Stir to blend cheese with cream. If the sauce is too thin for your taste, simmer another 5-10 mins; if sauce is too thick, add a little more cream and heat until well-blended. Serve warm. Makes 1-2 side dish servings.
I've modified this recipe several times over, such as adding a few tablespoons of Parmesan or grated Cheddar or Mozzerella cheese after the first 5 mins of simmering. Havarti is a really nice addition too, especially if it's a flavoured Havarti. I like this side dish with just about any of the meats that I prepare, and if I'm having leftover meat, and the meat is a little tough, I'll add it to the pan with the veggies to soften the meat, and add extra flavour to the sauce. Yes, it's a really rich sauce, but that's the beauty of eating low-carb... no sugar, but oils can be used as a flavour enhancer. |
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| Where are all the good drugs?! |
[Aug. 22nd, 2006|10:30 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | pms | ] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | @ work | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  yucky | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Duran Duran playlist | ] |
I'm whiney today. I'd rather be home and sulking with My blankie than being at work. Sleep would be a good thing, too.
The blue pill is helping, but marginally. At least I'm not all cramped over My desk.
Yet. |
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| How does one...? |
[Aug. 14th, 2006|03:29 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | sleep | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | tired | ] |
... manage to teach the body to live on less sleep than it's already used to getting?
It irritates Me that I need 8-9 hrs sleep nightly, while loved ones around Me (including Him) only require 6-7. I feel like I'm missing out on so much in the evenings, because I'm in bed by 10pm.
I'm open to suggestions, but caffeine can't be a part of those suggestions. ;-) |
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| Lesson learned! |
[Aug. 4th, 2006|11:35 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | hair colour | ] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | work | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  itchy | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Media Player playlist | ] |
Sometimes I need to be hit over the head with a 2x4 for something to finally sink in. And sometimes that 2x4 comes in the form of a burned scalp.
I had decided that I would use a temporary hair colour kit that I'd purchased about 18 mos. ago last weekend. Colour turned out nice, and I knew that My scalp would be itchy, but I didn't expect this. My scalp is burned from ear to ear, and forehead to nape of neck. It's starting to heal now, but before it started healing, I had another reaction.
Because the itching was bad enough when going to bed, I opted to take a Benadryl, so that I wouldn't scratch in the middle of the night. Actually, I took 2. The next morning (Wednesday), My face puffed out... bad enough that it freaked out everyone in the office. No trouble breathing, but the area around the sinuses was quickly puffing up. No itchiness around the swollen areas (I think it's due to excess skin that hasn't receeded yet from My weight loss), but it was interesting to peek through big cheeks again.
I called the dial-a-nurse line, and she suggested taking more Benadryl. I've since asked a few more nurses about this, and Benadryl shouldn't react this way, so they're telling Me to keep taking the Benadryl. But I've stopped taking it, and the swelling is going down. It's not all gone yet, but since this weekend is a holiday weekend, I don't plan to take any more. And I think I'll dunk My skull into a big bowl of skin moisturizer, just so I can stop feeling the itchy feeling, if only for a few hours.
The skin is starting to peel now, so it looks like I have bad dandruff, especially since I'm wearing a black top today. *rolling eyes*
Live & learn.... *sigh* ... the hard way. |
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