Ugh, sniff, and ouch!
Greg and I had our first fight today, in two and a half years. I am not very good in arguments, I usually (always) end up crying out of frustration. In fact, I am not very good at hiding my feelings at all. I am an open book. When I am upset, or bothered people know right away. My voice wavers, my eyes mist up and I end up blubbering.
Which I did today, sort of, although not to the extent that I normally do.
I guess I am just frustrated with Greg in general. I feel like we have an 80/20 relationship, in where I do 80% of the planning and work around the house, and unless I write a list for Greg, things just don't get done. I love Greg for more reasons than I get frustrated with him, but I just feel that he has let himself go, and is just 'too' comfortable, because I have been too easy-going. I come home from work and his buddies are over. They drink beer, play x-box, watch baseball, do all those guy things that guys are supposed to do, but I'm just getting tired of it. It's like I come home from work, and already I know that there is someone else over, who likely hasn't had dinner and is going to mooch. Which I wouldn't mind so much if Greg did his share of the grocery shopping and funding his friends appetites. I do my 8 hr shift, go grocery shopping, come home, and the guys are there. I don't have anything against them, I just don't really want them over as much as they are. It seems like Greg is a permanent fixture on the couch. And today, it has really pissed me off. I'm worried about the trailer, he figures it'll get fixed in time for the season. No real planning, just that it'll get done. No planning on how we are going to pay for the repairs, just that we'll find the money. Can you tell that money has become an issue?! I'm not always good at words, and to make a long story short, I think I basically called him a lazy, irresponsible, beer drinking, fat bum. Not in so many words, but that's probably how he took it. I just need him to show more responsibility and better judgement. He seems to think that I am making a mountain out of a molehill. But, I don't think so.
Anyway, we were supposed to go to a one year olds birthday party today, and Greg just ended up storming out, with the gift in hand. And I am left at home to clean and get ready for a dinner party that I am hosting tonight.
Can I tell you how much I am not in the mood? Time to listen to Neil Diamond full blast.

Wednesday after work, Greg and I raced to the animal shelter clear across on the other side of the city, during rush hour, because Greg REALLY wanted this cat he had seen on the internet. (other guys search for porn, he searches for cats...he's interested in a different kind of pussy, I guess! Bad joke, I know....)
In short, the cat was gorgeous! A dark seal point Siamese, very affectionate and cuddly. I was still hesitant, but Greg INSISTED. I could have said 'no' until I was blue in the face, but he wasn't taking that for an answer. So, he bought the cat. It howled the whole way home.
We got home around 7pm, I called my mom to tell her we got another cat. But. I lied to her! I told her that I got home from work and Greg had brought this cat home that had been GIVEN to him by someone from work who had heard he loves Siamese cats. I mentioned that this cat looks very similar to a cat she had that died a few years ago. That was all it took. She was downtown within the hour, to see our new cat.
One look. Just one look was all it took for my mom to fall in love all over again! She picked this cat up (who, mind you, was purring whenever ANYONE picked it up...it had just spent three weeks at the shelter!) the cat purred (on cue) and my mom thought the cat had equally fallen in love with her!
Well, we had also invited another couple over, Scott and Christine, who are also animalaholics, and my mom actually hissed at me "You're not going to give the cat to THEM, are you?) "Uh, no...it's Greg's cat."
Well, she didn't stay long, but during that short time, managed to give Greg the googly-eyes while desperately hanging on to this cat, trying to convince him that the cat already loved her, and she should really keep him.
As quickly as she came, she got up, with the cat in tow, said they were leaving, raced to the elevator, and pushed the
'close door' button. Greg's new cat was abducted.
Now, to give my mom credit, at some point during her short stay, I think I did hear Greg say that if she loved the cat THAT much, he guessed she could keep him. She certainly didn't have to hear that twice.
So, easy come, easy go. At least the cat is going to a good home. And last night he slept in my mom's arms. And, I guess she really has fallen in love.
With "Batcho" (Italian for Kiss.)

Arrgh!!!! I just finished a log on my blog and the whole fricken thing just disappeared as I was checking it for spelling errors!!! Arrgh! OK...I will try to remember...
Firstly...I have not written since Las Vegas as I haven't been in the best frames of mind. There are things rattling around in my head that do not make me feel great about myself, but also, make me wonder what other people really do think about me. Things that have upset me. Things that have pissed me off. But, I don't want to talk about that tonight, I need to stew about it a bit longer, and decide if it's really worth it in the long run.
I have started a few projects. OK...a lot of them (MOST OF THEM!!!) have needed attending to for quite some time.
1) Christine's Bridal Shower. I won the organization of this by default. Her Maid of Honour lives in Scotland, she asked me to be her bridesmaid as because, well, I guess I am her second best friend. (I was VERY surprised when she asked me. We are friends, but not GREAT friends.) Anyway, as time has gone on, I have realized that I kind of feel bad for Christine. I mean, here she is, she loves this guy and wants to marry him, and doesn't really have anyone close around to share this special time with. (Her mother is a flake, has run off to Oz to marry her internet Boyfriend.)
Anyway. I have actually had some fun organizing this shower. I wish that I could have done this for Denine or Leah Ann, but I was living away at the time. I have handmade invitations, maps, games planned (but nothing to painful, or corny because I hate that) the menu, the drinks. I just hope Scott's Family turns up, because they are the bulk of the invitees.
2) Dinner party this Saturday night. 4 couples. My big mouth "COME FOR DINNER!!!." Menu: Greek food. Kabobs, Hummus, rice, potatoes, salad. What can go wrong.?!
3) the Trailer. Needs new roof, new ceiling, new paint, water heater. I lose sleep over this. Plus, I have to garden, and have a wonderful plan in my head. Very colourful.
4) Condo will be on the market my May 15th. Storage locker arranged. Check. Some boxes packed. Check. Bathroom ceiling finally painted. Check. Still way to much to do...
5) my 40th Birthday party. Will be held at Salena's backyard. Don't know when or what we will eat. Will figure that out later.
6) Greg has found a Siamese cat at the shelter he wants to rescue. I have definitely met man who loves cats even more than I love cats. How can I refuse?
ok That's it for now.\
Ciao!

Leah Ann, Denine and Ramona

Vegas

Las Vegas was great. I liked it much more than I ever imagined I would. The hotels were absolutely wonderful, the casinos not nearly as smokey or noisey as I thought they would be, gambling was more fun than I thought it would be (I won $300!) and of course, our girly-weekend was a success.
Since we hadn't really spent a lot of time together since our teens, it was interesting to see how much we had changed, and, how much we hadn't changed! I think our basic personalities were still there...Denine being the leader, Leah Ann still thinks in black and white, and I go with the flo (once known as the 'follower.') Other than a few quirks, stresses and worries we got along as well as we always did. We had ourselves some tame fun, and good laughs. We walked miles and miles and miles, and then some more miles...and STILL didn't see everything!
I'm looking forward to going back, and will likely do this sooner, rather than later.
I've tried uploading some pictures to snapfish, but am not sure that it will work. Let me know!

http://www.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=22073538/t_=24177615;jsessionid=70E61A672A4D7BEBEE5C3B1B1102DE29

Tomorrow is the big day! I'm pretty excited about the Vegas girlie-weekend. I always knew that one day I'd get to Las Vegas, it's not really a 'cultural' place, but in it's own way, its always been one of the places on "THE LIST." Other places on THE LIST include (not in order) Russia. I know it sounds silly, but I am so curious about their subway system in Moscow. Apparently it is an art museum, with beautiful frescos and gilt-framed art. I love Russian history, Russian art, Russian architecture, Russian accents, Russian Vodka...Basically I think I might have been Russian in a past life. One day, I'll get there (again!)
I want to walk on the Great Wall of China... I want to visit the city of Xian and see the Terracotta Warriors. (I once had dinner with a Chinese Diplomat from Xian, he piqued my interest with his stories)
I want to go to Viet Nam. I had a visa to go there once with my Ex and we bailed. Or, rather, I bailed. To me, it is a place to go backpacking and meet people, and see the beauty. I couldn't face going there with his two Samsonites.
I want to go to Prague, and see the clock, and walk across the bridge.
I want to go to Namibia, I've heard from the numerous South African nurses I've worked with, that it is heaven on earth.
I'd like to see San Fransisco, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite Park, Savannah, Cape Cod. Just Because.
I want to go to Newfoundland...I like Newfies!
There are a million places I could go to. Buy me a ticket, I'll be there.
Sometimes, I think that this is my consolation prize. I can't have children of my own, but I can choose to continue traveling the world...instead of.
In the meantime...it's Vegas, Baby!

Usss.

OK, so it took me a while to send out my draft copy from earlier this week. I never did edit it, so I just sent it today. I guess I haven't written much, because it just never seems like anything new is happening, or nothing exciting or of interest to anyone else.

So...let's see...work is work. There is absolutely nothing new that I can say about that.

I have not done well on my WW this past week. I have had a ravenous appetite, similar to a starving lion's. I am totally carnivorous this week, in fact, Greg and I have thick juicy steaks that we are making for dinner. Our plan was to have a nice afternoon on the rooftop, have a few beers and a barbecue. I had an apricot beer, and fell asleep on the couch while reading about Prince Charles and Camilla. Total number of calories burned on this glorious sunny day=0.

We did look at an open house today in the unit below ours, and that was the highlight of my day! The unit has mint green broadloom throughout, and wallpaper everywhere. The good news is that this unit, and another 1 bedroom unit in the building are selling for $264,900.00, which honestly is about $15k more than I thought about putting my place on sale for. And, my unit is beautiful, with potlights (see earlier post), wide plank laminate flooring throughout (looks like oak barn board), and california shutters. When I come home, it feels like home. That's what I am looking for in a house, too. And, when someone glimpses MY home, they will want to snatch it up in a day!!! (LOL, I have big dreams!)

Vegas is 5 days away! I plan on winning the jackpot on the slot machines with the first $20 I spend. I am not a gambler (one bad habit I don't have!) so I really don't plan on winning. When I asked Leah Ann how much she was budgeting towards the casinos, she replied that she wasn't sure...whenever we dragged her away, she supposed. I told her that I'd be waiting at the bar...although I've heard that you get free drinks as long as you are gambling...I'll have to see if that really is true!

Greg is addicted to X-box. I hate that X-box thing! What's worse is that he keeps playing this boring baseball game over and over again! And, when he's not playing X-box baseball, he's watching the friggin' Blue Jays! I WANT HOCKEY BACK!!!! I am sorry, but there is nothing more boring than baseball. Unless, of course, you are at the game, drinking beer in the sun, and watching boys. However, most boys who watch baseballs are the kind who had mullets Back in the Day...

Speaking of mullets...my brother is now sporting one! He's upset about it...but honestly. What is a stylist supposed to do, when you say you want it short in the front, but longer in the back?! To me, it clearly says "Mullet." (Pure Business in the front...All Party in the back!!!)

Speaking of family...we were all at my mom's on Saturday night for her birthday. I have to give my mom (Ingrid) credit. She looked great. She had this hairpiece thingy on that made her look like she had a flouncy pony-tail and she was in high spirits. Did I mention Dave (Sappo) was there? (See earlier post) He was ALL over her, trying to hold her hand, hugging her, and even attempting to kiss her! Hilarious! She was wierded out by it, but he still had memories of January when she was drunk and all over him. What comes around....goes around! Anyway, she didn't piss me off yesterday. Which is always a good thing.

OK, I think I have made up for my non-attendance to this blog. Have a great week!

Whoohoo! Down 3.2 lbs this week. Could it be that just going for a few walks could have done the trick? Last night, after work, Alicia and I went for a walk which was really nice. We walked to the distillery district http://www.thedistillerydistrict.com/htmlsite/index.html and although it wasn't busy, it was a destination. Considering that we only live two blocks from each other, its a shame that we don't get together more often.
Greg and I found a house that we really liked. It felt like home the minute we walked through the door. We liked it so much I took my mom to see it the next day. She liked it too, but felt it was too expensive. It was a bit out of our price range, but god it was beautiful. It has inspired us to get moving on selling the condo. I am hooked on shows like 'Sell this House' and 'Buy this House.' Really, all we have left to do is scrape and paint the bathroom ceiling, paint the laundry room and the kitchen. I love the red kitchen, but according to all the shows, you have to de-personalize your home to make it Stage-worthy. I figure by May 1st we'll be on the market. (Psst...wanna buy a condo?!)

Boring week

Hmmm....well I certainly wish that I had something interesting to write about, but I don't. I had a rather uneventful week, wasn't bad, wasn't great. I did manage to go shopping and buy a new wardrobe for Vegas, including lovely little lime green flowered sneakers (Help me! I am turning into my mother!) (For years, she has only worn silver or gold running shoes) Nonetheless, I will be able to walk the strip without becoming crippled with foot pain.
I worked in Critical Care yesterday for the first time in about three months. It turned out that my 'critically ill' pt, had too much to drink on Friday night, and I was assigned to nurse him through his hangover. To be fair, he was in a bar fight, 5 against him, and he was a bit battered and bruised. But, his main problem was his hangover. I imagine it will be a long time before he ties one on again. Anyway, it was a good day at work, got to see some of my old friends again.
So, as you can see...a very dull week. Today, Greg and I are going to a few open-houses just for something to do. The weather absolutely sucks, it doesn't know if it should rain, hail, or snow out there. Wasn't March supposed to 'Go out like a lamb?!'