Greg and I took a road trip today and I took this picture.

Can you guess what it is, and where it was taken?
Find out the answer in this week's Travel Tuesday!

Church Ladies

This morning Greg and I were both up at 7AM. I guess that's what happens when you go to bed at 10PM. Either that, or it is a sign of aging. Nonetheless, we started out our day great: a pot of coffee, a big juicy newspaper, we did the crossword puzzle together, and we had a full day ahead of us to do with whatever we wanted. There was a rummage sale scheduled at a nearby church, one that we could walk to. I had been looking forward to it for the past few days because it's a novelty. (It's not really rummage season, you know.) On the way over, I was laughing and telling Greg the story of one of the sales I had gone to where I had witnessed a cat fight between a Church Lady and a Freaky Seller I had recognized from the Antique Market that we go to on Sundays. It was ugly. (Click on picture and run mouse across)

The freaky guy was decked out in full spray-on hair and his usual glittery top. His make-up was running down his face, and boy! was he angry. He threw a bonafide hissy-fit at the Church Lady which caused her to get pissy and all the women around formed a circle yelling at him! It was quite a sight, let me tell you.
Anyway, Greg and I get to the Church, and we weren't sure where the entrance was as it was not clearly posted, and there was no line-up to get in. We followed a couple of ladies in, but apparently we went in through the BACK door. This little old lady dressed in red SCREAMED at us when we opened the door! "You've come the wrong way! Go back out and around! You can't come in this way!" Then she shoved me. I was so shocked, astounded, surprised, that for a minute I didn't know what hit me! I tried to explain that there was no sign, we didn't know, sorry, perhaps the entrance needed to be clearly labelled with a balloon or something? Then she shoved me again. While I was trying to talk to another lady, just to say a sign would be a good idea, this little 4'10" creature decided to start shoving Greg! All 6'4" of him! She was clearly nuts. At that point Greg got mad and told her that he didn't appreciate her shoving his wife. So she shoved him again, this time with the door! He told her she was rude, and that she didn't have to be such a bitch. Her response was that she could do whatever she liked because she BELONGED to the Church! At that point, I decided that it really wasn't worth it and we'd be better off if we left. On my way out, I could help but tell her that she "wasn't very Christian-like." I think she said something about calling the police.
LOL! All this at 10 AM.
On our way out, I couldn't help but notice that every single person heading into the sale was entering through the doors we had just been kicked out of with that little troll of a woman standing guard.
I didn't tell a soul that they were entering the wrong way.
Is that evil of me?

WCB #88

Mr. Mao and I are both very relieved that last week's medical nightmare has ended. This week we are both sleeping much better and having very sweet dreams.

This week, Weekend Cat Blogging is taking place over at CatSynth so do head on over to say hello to the Lovely Luna and visit the other kitties.

I have decided to make a move to go back to work in the Critical Care Unit. For the past 2 years I have been working in the Recovery Room and it's been a welcome break from the emotional burnout that I had from being a Trauma Nurse. As welcome as the break was, I am finding that I am missing using the knowledge and experience I have when taking care of critically ill people. There is a technical and pharmaceutical side of this kind of nursing that I've been away from for enough time. If I don't go back now, I'm afraid that things will have changed so much that I'll be left behind and won't have the confidence to do what I know I am good at.
In the last two years, the population of critically ill patients in Toronto has changed. There are far more violent incidents involving guns and knives. 10 years ago, this was a rarity, now it is the norm. The ICU is now a locked unit and the police are regular features. The faces have changed, but I have a need to go back.
I am looking forward to this, but am also nervous. Nervous precisely because the ill faces have changed. Not all patients are the 'victims,' some are the bad guys. I know it can be hard to keep an open mind when gangs and violence are involved. I am thinking that this is going to be my new challenge.
I have been planning this move back to the ICU for months, and it will take effect at the end of February. Actually, I will be working part-time in Recovery, and part-time in ICU because I think that this will be best for me. Variety is spice of life.
Last Saturday, I was called into the OR because they needed a pair of extra hands for the latest gun-shot victim. I don't normally work in the OR, and in fact was a little squeamish because they had this poor guy cut open like they were doing an autopsy. I did what I could, and know that my help was appreciated, but I know that my skills would have been much better utilized in the ICU after the surgery trying to keep this patient alive and dealing with his family.
I miss that, and am ready to go back with a fresh outlook.

Travel Tuesdays #6

This week, I'm going to stay a little closer to home. A number of years ago I traveled to Halifax, Nova Scotia for a friends wedding. We were only there for a few days, and on our last day my friend and I took a bus tour to Peggy's Cove. The trip was just an hour outside of Halifax, but the bus trip was endless. The driver was also the commentator, and as we were driving through Halifax she commented on every building we passed. Not only the historically significant sites, but also stuff like: "If you take a look out onto your left you'll see a drugstore where you can buy aspirin, cold medicine, bandages, or you can get your prescriptions filled." "Right beside the drugstore is the Vet's office where if you have a dog, or a cat, or even a bunny or a hamster you can take them there if they are sick, or even if they just need their shots." "Now look out the right window and there is the hardware store. So, if you are a gardener you can buy a spade, or potting soil, or a rake. But if you're not a gardener and maybe you need to fix up something around the house you can buy a hammer, or a tape measure, or a screwdriver, and nails and maybe even some wood." You get the idea. It was Painful! So, even though it was already late September, we opted to take a whale-watching boat back to Halifax. We didn't see any whales and it was freezing out on the Atlantic Ocean, but it sure beat taking that bus back again!

Mr. Mao...

...Is now back to his old self! Well, 90% back to his old self. His IV came out yesterday, and with the aid of appetite stimulants he is now eating and drinking again. He has lost an awful lot of weight in one week, and is pretty much just skin and bones. Biopsies taken during his surgery has shown that he had a severe bowel infection that led to colitis and he likely has irritable bowel syndrome. We are gong to have to keep a close eye on what he eats, and hopefully we will also be able to get his PICA under control. We go back to the vet tomorrow to have his pain patch removed and to get him weighed. From now on, he'll have to go to the vet once a month to be weighed. Apparently even a sublte weight loss could be an indication that his bowels are acting up again. Lord knows he doesn't want to go through this again (and neither do I!)

Many thanks to all of you for your comments and concerns about Mr. Mao. I truly believe that this helped me (and him) get through this.

WCB cont...

Well, your good thoughts must be working because Mr. Mao is home! He is a tiny bit better, and The Vet thought Mao would do better at home than he would by himself at the clinic this weekend. The clinic is closed, but she would have gone in a few times to check on him, had we not been able to handle him at home. When we went to visit Mao at the clinic this morning, the Vet had mentioned that she had tried to get a prescription for him from one of the local hospitals, but it was a real hassle. The medication is one that is often used in chemo patients to control nausea. I immediately new what she was talking about and mentioned that I could run back to work and pick it up from the stock in the Recovery Room. So, I did.
She gave Mao the first dose, and a few hours later, he was able to tolerate some food without drooling and vomiting. She called me at 1pm with her idea. Would I be willing to take Mao home over the weekend with his pump, give him all his medications, and syringe-feed him every few hours? OF COURSE! She said that this was an unusual situation, that normally she would not send a sick animal home in this condition, but she felt that since I was a nurse, I would be able to handle Mao. (And, she would be able to give me a discount on his vet bill.)
So, today I find myself being a veterinarian assistant. I am familiar with the IV pump, and the IV medications. There was one IntraMuscular injection that I had to give and that was a bit strange in that I've never given a cat a needle before, but it worked out ok. I was able count his heartbeat with my stethoscope, and as luck would have it, I was able to use my dusty Fertility Thermometer for a good cause!
Mao is doing a little better, he even purred for a little bit this evening, which I'm taking as a very good sign. He is tolerating the syringe feeds, and although he does have a bit of a fever this evening, all in all I am cautiously optimistic that he is going to pull through this.
The Vet will be making a house call tomorrow morning to check in on him, and I think that she will be happy with his progress. He might need to go back to the clinic on Monday for a complete check up, but hopefully he is through the worst.

WCB

My poor Mr. Mao is still very sick. He's now been in the cat hospital since Tuesday, and really is not much better. He's had bloodwork and xrays; antibiotics, anti-emetics, and stomache motility meds through his IV. He hasn't had anything to eat since Monday, food just makes him start drooling uncontrollably. Wednesday he had bloody diarrhea. Thursday they did a barium xray study that showed there was a probably blockage in his ilieo-cecum (bowels) that was likely either a foreign body or a tumour. So today Mr. Mao had surgery which showed absolutely nothing! There was no blockage. I can't believe it. The vet did take all kinds of biopsies, but we won't know the results of those until Monday. The vet thinks he has severe pancreatitis that has slowed his bowels right down. Now Mao is on a pain patch, as well as all the other meds. His vital signs are ok, and his bloodwork is also fairly ok. I sure do hope he is going to survive this. He is such a good little cat, and the house feels so empty without him. Even Dutchess misses him. She has moments where she just stands in the hallway and yowls which is not like her at all.

Please send good wishes Mao's way. He needs all the help he can get.

Don't forget to head on over to Rosa's Yummy Yums for more Weekend Cat Blogging!

Travel Tuesdays #5

This week, we are in Poland. I was there about 5 years ago with my friend Kevin, who is an excellent travel partner. We spent a week in Berlin, and a week in Poland. I must say, that Poland is one of the nicest places I have ever been and I enjoyed every second of it. If you are thinking of a place to go to that is a little off the beaten path (for us North Americans) I would strongly recommend going there. The people, although many did not speak english, were very gracious, the food was rib-stickingly good, and the sights are beautiful. We stayed in a vacation apartment for about $30 night and were directly in the Old Town. The girl who rented us the apartment also had a place in the mountains, which is how we ended up going from Cracow to Zakopane. The Old Town of Cracow is a World Heritage site. The Barbican was built in 1499 during the era of the Ottoman threat and remains the best example of its kind in Europe. The Barbican was both a principal gateway and a key element of defence. A covered passageway linked it to St. Florian's Gate, the historic entrance into the Old Town. You can still see parts of the original old wall. Centuries ago, this wall encircled the whole city, and a moat encircled the wall. There is a street from this Gate, called The Royal Way which leads through the centre of town, past the Cloth Hall and Main Square, to the Wawel Cathedral.


A short bus ride from Cracow are The Wieliczka Salt Mines another UNESCO World Heritage Site. This has been, for me, one of the best sites I have ever been to. We travelled far down in an elevator shaft and had a tour of dozens of rooms, all carved out of salt. In one area, there is even a sanitarium for asthma and allergy sufferers. By far the most interesting room was the Chapel of St. Kinga. I wish I could find the picture, but I do have one of myself standing with Pope John-Paul II who is carved out of salt! Here is a pretty good picture I found of the chapel. Even the chandeliers where made of salt!

Zakopane is about 2 hours away from Cracow, and was very much worth the visit. It is a very quaint resort town with beautiful mountain scenery. We did a lot of hiking, so please take note of my very trendy hiking shoes: gold platform sandals! What was I thinking? But you know, I'm sure I walked halfway around the world in those platforms, they were so comfortable! I don't have them anymore as I finally had to retire them, but I certainly do miss them.

I hope that you enjoyed the trip...I certainly did!
Now, head on over to Mitey Mite's and check out Dordogne region of France the famous place where cave paintings were first discovered, and where Jean Auel did her research for her book Clan of the Cave Bear.

Check out the modes of transportation in Iraq at The Beehive. Would you prefer a ride in a pick-up, or perhaps on an ass?
And, if you'd like to share your travel pics, leave me your link, and I'll be happy to send people over to visit.

Mr. Mao is sick...

My sweet little Mr. Mao is in the hospital. When I woke up this afternoon, I noticed that he wasn't as perky as he usually is. When Greg came home from work, I mentioned it to him. He went to pick him up for a cuddle and Mao was drooling and listless. He also barfed up some bile. I took him ot the vet's around the corner and it turns out that he is terribly dehydrated and needs IV fluid replacement. They are also working him up to rule out pancreatitis. I feel so bad, and it killed me having to leave him there. He'll be in the hospital for 3 days.

I mentioned to the vet that despite trying to Mao-proof the house, he likes to eat plastic bags, dryer lint, anything he can find to get himself into trouble. The other day he must have gotten into the compost bin, because I noticed he barfed up corn.

I'm sure he'll be okay. He was fine yesterday, so whatever the problem is it was caught early, but I can't help but be worried about the little guy. Update #1: The xrays show that there is no bowel obstruction. Urine results are normal for a cat his age. Blood results will be back tomorrow. He has an IV, but is still drooling. The vet thinks this is due to nausea.

WCB, Updates and a Perfect Sunday

This has been a busy week at work and with after-work appointments, so this weekend has been especially welcomed.
Family Update: Two-Four has now changed her mind. Adriana is not Chronically Depressed, she either has Schizophrenia or is Bi-Polar. It runs in the family, don'chya'know. There is a fourth cousin thrice removed who has it. Uh-huh, if you need cheap psychiatric advice let me put you in touch with Two-Four. She charges 5 cents and will talk your ear off for hours on end. On being be 17 again: maybe it's harder these days. Despite MY mother's opinion, I was a relatively good kid, and she should consider herself lucky to have gotten away so easily with the likes of me. Adriana....well who knows what's going on with her. Although 17 doesn't seem that long ago, I have no clue as to why she has been doing the crazy things she has been doing. It makes me feel old. But I'd never in a million-trillion years want to re-live 17.
Vacation Update: Not only am I going to Seattle, Greg and I are 100% booked to go to Berlin and Amsterdam. I have even booked a hotel in Amsterdam for three nights. It is a budget hotel located directly across the street from Anne Frank's house. I am the happiest person in the world when I can plan a travel vacation. (Reminder to self: re-read The Diary of Anne Frank)

Work Update: I will officially have a job-share partner as of February 10th. Which means that I am going to be working part-time in the Recovery Room, and part-time in Critical Care. I am ready to make the move back to ICU, but am still not sure I can do it full-time. It really sucked the life out of me when that was my only job.
Diet Update: Things are going OK. I am losing weight slowly, but steadily. I am cautiously optimistic that I will be a few clothing sizes smaller by summer.

Last night, we went to a wedding. The Bride was the daughter of Greg's boss, and we had never met her, or the Groom. In fact, we didn't even know their names because Greg left the invitation at work. Anyway, it was an Italian wedding and there were over 300 people there, many of whom I'm guessing who were also strangers. Although, we must have been the strangest, because we sat at the table the furthest away from the head table, and tucked into a corner. It was a good wedding. The bride seriously looked like Cinderella, her dress skirt was so BIG, and her hair was so BIG, but she was a teensy-tiny-weenie girl. With a BIG smile! I am sure she had the wedding of her dreams.

Here is a picture of Greg and I last night.

See my new haircut and highlights? I went to a new hair-stylist and I was quite pleased with her work.

This morning, we woke up to a beautiful snow-fall. Here is The Dutchess in her basket looking very sweet...

And another view out of our front window...

Mr. Mao, always the trouble-maker, was nosing about in a plastic bag that I had literally JUST emptied and hadn't gotten around to putting way yet. Here he is, pretending that he is Super-Cat. Or maybe he is thinking that he can either run fast enough for him to use it as a parachute, or, conversely, sit on top of the heat return, and use it as a hot-air balloon. That cat is full of Crazy Ideas. Never a dull moment I tell you. Sometimes, I think he purposely does stupid stuff like that when we're around so that he gets even more attention. He thinks it's normal cat behaviour. Little does he know.

So, I had said that this has been a Perfect Sunday. We got up early, read the paper, and then decided to head downtown to our old haunt The Antique Market. We hung out there for a while, went to Tim Horton's for coffee, and the the Supermarket where we bought enough meat for the month and a loaf of bread. And then, we headed to our new favourite place. The Bird Park. We were there last weekend and really enjoyed the birds. This week, we brought our own bread, and because it was snowing, we were pretty much the only people there. We had fun, and of course, I took more bird pictures:

I have no idea how I got this picture of a seagull in flight, but I like it!

I like how there is just one swan amongst all these not-so ugly ducklings.

How did this silly goose get in the picture?!And, because it is a new camera, and I am still experimenting, here are my last two "artistic" photos: Sumac

And Feather Grass

That's it! It doesn't take a whole lot for me to have a Perfect Sunday. Peace and quiet, no obligations, just taking the time to be together and enjoy what we have right in front of us.

Head on over to Kate in the Kitchen for more Weekend Cat Blogging...those kitties make even a most Perfect Sunday just one little bit better.

Travel Tuesdays #4

Now that I'm all excited about our trip to Berlin in May, I thought I would venture out of the Middle East for a bit and post some pictures taken way back in 1990 when I traveled to Germany with my brother. The Berlin Wall was in the process of being destroyed and I feel quite fortunate that I was able to get a picture taken of me with a pick-axe at the Wall. I also have my own little chunk as a souvenir, bought from the guy who lent me his axe.

Do take the time to head on over to Mitey Mite's to check out the lovely sites of Mont St. Michel off the Normandy Coast.

And you absolutely must visit The Beeshive to see the vibrant clothing colours in Kurdistan, Iraq.

WCB is Going to the Birds!

While Mr. Mao stayed inside to play Mah Jong ...

Greg and I went for a drive to the park and met up with The Birds. There were hundreds of them: Canada Geese, Pigeons, Seagulls and pretty Mallard Ducks. Here's a bit of UBI: Did you know that one Canada Goose can poop 1kg (2.2lbs) per day? That's a lot of green poop.

This last pic is my favourite, the colours of the birds were incredible in the sunlight. Click for a larger view.

This weeks WCB is being hosted at The Cat Blogosphere , so head on over there to check out more furry felines.

Resolutions in the works...

I booked a flight yesterday to go and visit my BFF Pez for her birthday at the end of March. I can't wait to see her and her boys! It's been a while. I have also tentatively booked Greg and I on a flight to Berlin with a stopover in Amsterdam for a few days. That trip will be at the beginning of May. Also, my FIL and MIL2 are planning to drive to NYC for a long weekend, and we are going to tag along! This is the year I resolved to start seeing the world again, and to give Greg the travel bug. I've been to all of these places before, but it'll be especially nice to see them with Greg.
Thanks to Begered at Beeshive for participating in Travel Tuesdays. Go visit the Beeshive to see the other side of Iraq. Also, head over to Mitey Mite to see a beautiful sunset on the Masi Mara.

Travel Tuesdays #3

I've decided to stick with pics from Saudi for a little while longer. Prior to living in the Middle East, the only place I had ever seen camels before was at the zoo. I found it to be so strange when you'd be driving along on a highway and see a camel being transported in the back of a pick up truck. How did they get them onto the trucks? Why, by camel crane of course! You could go to the camel souk and buy yourself a camel and it would simply be loaded onto the truck. I never tried to buy a camel, nor did I know anyone who bought themselves a camel, but just the fact that you could buy a camel was kind of interesting. Imagine having a camel as a pet?!
I came across these falcons at the airport. Saudi's love their falcons. These birds were in the waiting room at the airport sitting on a seat near me. The birds were gorgeous, and surprisingly very well behaved. They did have little blinders on that I suppose kept them calm. I remember when I took these pictures that their owners were thrilled that the birds were being admired and photographed. Maybe that's why I didn't make a fuss when the one single falcon ended up being perched on the lap of a man sitting directly behind me on the plane! (Click for a larger view)

Winter has Arrived...

...and I'm quite happy that I got my shift covered today so that I don't have to go out and drive in that icy mess! All night long we could hear ice pellets raining against the window in our bedroom. A few times I thought it was Mao eating a plastic bag, which is one his favourite pastimes. Every night before we head to bed we have to make sure that there are no visible plastic bags for him to gnaw on. And, it's not just ANY plastic bag. He favours those ultra-cheap crinkly plastic ones. Then, after a feast of plastic, he pukes Cat Yak usually in a place where we are most likely to step in it in the middle of the night. Nice cat, eh? We've been told by the vet that he has Pica, which comes from the Latin word for Magpie, a bird that is known for it's large and indiscriminate appetite. In people, one of the causes is thought to be from an iron-deficient diet. Apparently, Pica is common in Siamese cats.
"While pica is common in many breeds, the intelligent and sensitive Siamese, Burmese, and Himalayan breeds all inherit common genes which seem to carry the urge to wool-suck or chew." As well as El-cheapo plastic bags, I have to be careful with the dryer lint, because Mr. Mao thinks that is quite tasty too. I don't think it is a diet-related issue with him, rather, he does it when he is bored and is not getting enough attention. Like, when we are asleep. Sometimes, when he can't find bags, he will suck on the tip of his tail, and then drag his soaking wet tail across our faces. He is a cute, but very weird cat.
Anyway, how did I get on to this? Oh...the weather! And I get to stay home today. Big plans for me include putting the flannel sheets on the bed. Winter is here, and I am freezing at night! I also plan to salt the driveway. It is slippery when wet at the best of times, but right now there is about an inch of ice on it. Maybe I'll salt the neighbour's driveway too. I'd hate for her to slip and fall. There are 11 loads of laundry waiting to be done and a pile of clothes to be folded and put away. Somewhere a long the way, I have to figure out how I am going to lose 2 lbs by tomorrow's weigh-in day. If I could get my period today that might help. My boobs are so heavy and sore I had to sleep in my bra last night (which I've never done before.) Another good reason to be home. It would be highly inappropriate if I were caught walking around at work cupping a boob in each hand for additional support like I am today. TMI, I know.
All right, stay warm.

Weekend Cat Blogging

Check out the bunkbed kitties.

Mr. Mao was tucked into the zebra blankie quite peacefully when Madame Dutchie came along and plopped herself down right on top of him and fell asleep.

The Nerve!
Do yourselves a favour and head on over to What Did You Eat? and meet Sher and Upsie.

Sher always has the greatest recipes and food pics, and Upsie has the best expressions I've ever seen on a cat.

There are plenty of tuna appetizers to go around!

There have been a few unfortunate, although not unforeseeable events this week. The first, is that my friends C and S are separating. They were married a few months before Greg and I and we both stood up for them at their wedding. Here is the speech I made. The day of their wedding, I remember Greg and I saying to each other "I wonder how long this will last." They actually managed to argue as wedding photos were being taken. He has been on disability for the past 4 years and, although he is no longer injured, is still sucking it up for all its' worth. She has been working overtime to support them both, and crazily enough they bought a house 9 months ago that is now in worse condition than when they moved in. They both have their issues, but he's a bigger nut than she is. Anyway, she finally kicked him to the curb. About time. He apparently did not see this coming. Uh-huh.

This morning Greg received a call from his mom, that his little sister was arrested for shop-lifting at the liquor store. Christ it's been one thing after another with her, and it's really starting to get out of hand. First of all, she should have been at school. Second of all, why on earth would she think that it is ok to shop lift. Did she not think that two young girls in a liquor store would look suspicious to begin with? Greg's mom is of course blaming this on her depression/anxiety which totally pisses me off. Even if she were to have these afflictions, she should know the simple difference between right and wrong. I am so disappointed in her. She has certainly been heading down the wrong path this year. Lucky for her she is 17 so formal charges were not laid. In my head I think what I would do if she were my daughter. But, then I think that if I had a daughter I would have tried my hardest to have prevented this crap from getting to the place where it is. I would not have allowed her to have a bf at age 14. Or, at least not to the point where they were sleeping in the same bedroom, and sometimes even the same bed. I would not have allowed her to stay home from school because she had period cramps. Deal with it baby, we all do. Anyway, I better not say to much because I'm getting all riled up again, and after all, she's not my daughter. But I do care about her, and with all my heart, wish that she would smarten up. It'll be hard though, because I don't think that Greg's mom is handling this the right way. She's ready to kick her out of the house and keeps threatening to send her to Foster Care (like that's going happen, right?) Apparently she's threatened all of her kids with this over the years. Makes me think that maybe I didn't have it so bad with my German Mother (although, god knows she's had her psychotic episodes over the years.)

Last night, we had a couple over for dinner. Greg calls them The Sexuals. Clearly, they Really love each other. They arrived at 6pm, and didn't leave until 12:30am. Holy crap! At 10:00 I started figuring that they would leave soon, it being a school n ight and all. But they didn't. At 11:00 she started wheezing because she is allergic to the cats. Still, they did not leave. At 12:00 I started yawning, and they put on their coats. At 12:30 Greg escorted them out.
I will take this as a compliment that we have a comfortable home.
Good Night!

Travel Tuesdays #2

It was always fun to take a cab out to the original city site and wander around in the mud ruins. Most times, my friends and I would be the only people there. Click for larger pictures.


"City of old Diriyah
The ruins of the historically significant city of Diriyah, standing imposing and silent in the desert about 12 miles (20km) northwest of Riyadh city centre, provide an interesting excursion. The city, stronghold of the powerful Saud family, was the site of an important Islamic reform movement in around 1745, when two influential Imams called for the people to return to the true faith and abandon heresy, polytheism and superstition. The city was once the biggest in the Arab Peninsula, but was overtaken by Riyadh after being destroyed by the Turks in the early 19th century. The ruins of many of the mud-brick buildings remain to be explored."

For some reason, I am unable to post pictures, and I have struggled with this for the past couple of days. It's very frustrating.

The new year's resolutions are going ok-ish. I talked to my mom yesterday and she was feeling sorry for herself that we didn't see her this weekend. She had had a few glasses of wine, and it was not a good conversation. She had been in our neighbourhood, visiting my dad's site at the cemetary (5 minutes from us) and she didn't feel comfortable just dropping by. So, she decided to turn on her passive-aggressive switch saying things like "I wouldn't dream of coming by unannounced" and "I wouldn't want to disturb you"and "How are your relatives?" (meaning Greg's family) and "I have to be so careful with what I say, you're so sensitive." Give me a break. She's upset because she thinks I said something to my brother to upet him because he's kept to himself this past week. On January 31st I had called their house to welcome my mom home from her trip. On my mind was also breaking the news that her friend had died. Imagine my shock when I called to speak to her, and my brother tells me that she missed her flight becasue she is in Boston in a hospital. I freaked out, I felt instantly sick to my stomache and then my brother laughs and says he is just kidding. WTF?! When I told him that I didn't think it was funny, he hung up on me. I called him back, and he tells me that I just don't get his sense of humour. Oh ya, that's funny. Anyway, clearly he felt bad about it because he didn't come over for NY eve, and we haven't heard much from him since.

I don't dare tell my mom what this is about and quite frankly, I had forgotten all about it. But it's my fault that I upset him, and now he's moody, and she had a bad weekend. ARGH!!!

And, for the record, she can stop by any time she likes. Although, it would be great if she had a cell phone.

Anyway.

We did have a very productive weekend. We've been working on our office, repainting the walls. And, don't laugh, I have ordered wallpaper to put on one wall. Ya, ya, I know all about the bitching I did about the paper that was already hanging when we moved in. But THIS paper is going to look very modern, very contemporary. Trust me. It's on special order, so it'll be another few weeks before we get it up. But I'm pretty excited about it. And, although Greg is dragging his heels, he has also agreed that the room is mostly mine, so I can do what I like with it. He's happy that he's got his Jam Room downstairs with his drum kit and guitars and seventeen thousand amplifiers and I've given him free rein to do whatever he likes with it as long as he installs a door.

Hey, whaddaya know. I was finally able to upload a picture. This was taken on the weekend in our backyard. Notice the green grass and the buds on the lilac bush? It appears that here in Central Canada we have bypassed Winter and headed right into Spring. I don't particularly mind, but I can't help but think that this is incredibly abnormal. And, from the sounds of it, things have been abnormal everywhere.

Travel Tuesdays #1

For the first edition of Travel Tuesdays, I thought I would start with a few photos from Saudi Arabia. I worked there in the 90's which seems like a lifetime ago, and now that I think of it, it WAS a lifetime ago! Deira Souk was enormous and you could buy anything there. Household goods, fabric, antiques, carpets, brass knick-knacks, jewels and gold. We were paid once a month, and payday always included a trip to the gold souk, where you could buy jewellery based on the daily price/weight of gold. Click on the pic to enlarge.

Happy New Year!

Last year, I did not made any resolutions, other than I was going to read more books. Which was a resolution I did manage to keep, so kudos to me. January 1st of any year I don't start any of the promises I've made to myself. It ends up being a slothful day and this year was no exception. This was last year, January 1. Today, we lounged on the new couch, watched the Ali G marathon, ate nuts and napped. All in preparation for tomorrow. This year, I have made a list of New Year's resolutions.
Ready?
1) Lose 35 lbs. Tomorrow after work, I am heading to a WW Meeting. Sarah Ferguson herself sent me a New Year's letter inviting me back. So, I'm going. How can I refuse? Besides, the $21.95/month that the WW on-line programme charges my VISA card clearly has not worked for me. I've been paying WW for a year now, and have only managed to gain another 10 lbs. I will go to the meetings. However, I will not talk about the buttery pounds melting off of me on this blog. If you really want, you can follow my progress over at Down Kitty Down!
2) I will post everyday at Down Kitty Down , mostly for my own benefit as a way to keep me in line.
3) I will spend more time with my mom. A few things have happened in the past week to make me realize that I need to make more of an effort. Firstly, Amanda, at Putting Out Fires has had a rough time over the holidays as her mom is in the hospital with a diagnosis of leukemia. Second, while my mom was away, one her friends died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. She was the same age as my mom. I already know the sadness of losing a parent, and I can't help but think that my mom is not getting any younger. I should be making the most of having a mother, even if she pisses me off at times.
4) This year I will start travelling again and will infect Greg with the travel bug.
5) Watch out for "Travel Tuesdays" on this blog. I want to scan some of my best photos now that I have a new scanner.
6) I will get my red wine consumption under control. No doubt, this will help with resolution #1.


I think these are the resolutions that I can reasonably handle. Wish me luck!




Happy 2007, and good luck with your resolutions!

Christmas Week

One of my gifts this year included a ticket to go and see The Toronto Maple Leafs play. I'm not a huge fan, in fact, prior to meeting Greg, I don't think I'd even ever watched 5 minutes of the game. After 4 years of watching on TV, I still don't know the rules, but I know Greg loves the sport and I enjoy watching him get really mad or really happy depending on how the game is being played. It's a lot more fun going in person to see the game as the crowd is absolutely crazy. The only problem I had was that I didn't really know what was going on because there was no commentator, and even Greg wasn't saying as much as he does when he's talking to the TV. I managed to follow the puck around the ice for the most part, but as there was no instant replay, or PVR, I had no idea why the crowd was booing or clapping until WAY after the fact.

Christmas Eve was quietly spent at home with our brothers. No one got drunk, everyone behaved. And, I had a special gift to open in extra special wrapping paper. See the paper? Greg managed to save a piece of the living room wall paper that we tore down. It seems that there was a half a role that he found in the garage. I had to laugh, I thought I'd seen that last of that hideous pattern! Inside the package was a new digital camera, and I am so pleased with it. I can't wait to start taking more pics!

On Boxing Day (Dec 26) Greg and I hosted a Housewarming Party. The first guest came at 2pm, and the last guest left at 12:20 am. It was a very long day and I think about 40 people showed up including some of the new neighbours. It was a lot of work, but very fun, and all in all, I think it was a success. I got to play barkeeper, but I'm not sure how good of an idea that was. Seems I've got a rather heavy hand mixing drinks. I had a rather heavy head the next day.

I think my favourite part of the holidays, was when they were over and we could finally veg in front of the couch. Pez sent me this movie, and I think it is my new favourite Chick Flick. I LOVED it! Even Greg thought it was good.

Hope your holidays were as enjoyable as mine.

WCB #81

Mr. Mao and the Dutchess would like to wish all of our BlogFriends a very Merry Christmas! We hope that the Holidays bring you warmth and joy.

We'll put on our happy faces again once we're out of this crazy gear!

Head on over to Tiggy the Tiny Tiger's place for more WCB, and also to welcome Tiggy and Sarah J to Toronto.