Seeing as we have no kids, my life revolves around all of my pets and their friends. A quick little post so you can see how the kitties have evolved. You know how people like to categorize themselves into 'dog people' or 'cat people'? Well, the kitties are now 'dog cats' and the dogs are now 'cat dogs.' There are lots of dogs in Mr. Mao and Dutchie's lives! A far cry from the condo days.

Here are my three:This is Buddy and Trinity. We were dog-sitting for a few days. The first time in 15 years that my neighbour, Audrey, has left her dogs with someone else! I think Trinity quite enjoyed herself. Madame Dutchess making herself quite comfy on the couch at the trailer. Speaking of the trailer: What a difference. Thanks to Audrey and Darrell who spent the long weekend with us, we now have a REAL flushing toilet, hot water, our awning is secure, the fence and table has been painted, the landscaping has been done, the antennae has been taken down, and the trailer is sparkling on the outside. We called it the Weekend Trailer Makeover! Unbelievable. I now don't feel so much like a redneck. (Even though our salad bowls all say Cool Whip on the outside!) (JK) This is Buddy's favourite boyfriend, Dino. Buddy is the one smiling. Dino is part Border Collie, part Great Dane. He is a cutie-patootie, and the two of them play for hours on end. We are all heading up to to Bobcageon today for the next half of our vacation week. Dino's Grandparents have a cottage on the lake, and Dino's Papa will meet us at the end of the week. This is Mary-Anne, Trinity's sister. She loves to sleep and eat. Her unfortunate nickname is Pot Roast, let's just say she has an under active thyroid! She is a very sweet natured girl who was rescued from a horrible outdoor life at the age of two. Now she is a Diva who loves her treats.
A quick post, but I know it's been a while and I won't get a chance for another week or so to add anything. Hope you are all enjoying your summer!

My Once Monthly Post?

The Bright Side of the Sun
1. I've been getting along MUCH better with my mom these days. I can see that she is trying, which encourages me to try too.
2. Greg and I survived our 3rd squabble since we've met. All is Status Quo.
3. I joined WW again for the bajillionth time. Lost 2.4 pounds in my first week.
4. My neighbours, I'll call them The Howells (they have a dog named Maryann) joined us at the trailer a few weekends ago. Mr. Howell is very handy, and they used to have a trailer years ago. They really liked the park, and asked if they could join us for week-long vacation next month. In return, Mr. Howell will be the lead hand in the reconstruction of The Trailer. Secretly, I'm thrilled, but I am also going to plant the seed of next year, sharing the Joy (and Responsibility!) of The Trailer with them. They might just jump at the opportunity, as they also don't want to be full-time summer Trailer Park Trash.
5. Mr. Mao did very well with his dental surgery, and frequently joins Buddy and I for our morning walks. He's such a sweetheart.
6. I've got a new hairstyle. Picture Victoria Beckham with a big round face. Her hair is chocolate brown with platinum blonde peek-a-boo highlights.
7. My perennial garden is looking lovely in the back and front yards. I'm quite chuffed with myself!
8. There is talk of a new book club in my 'hood. Which is good as I've not been reading nearly as much as I would like.
9. I've had more than a few nice compliments about the good work that I am doing! (And, from the Higher-Ups, too!)
10. I helped an injured cyclist today. I was taking The Budster out for a walk down by the Lake this evening when a woman waved me down asking if I had a cell phone. I realized that there was a man lying on the driveway behind her as she yelled at me to call 911. I pushed a couple of buttons (and of course somehow got in to text messaging, which, for the life of me, can never figure out how to do at any other given time.) I ended up throwing my phone at her and told her to call, that I was a nurse and would be of better use dealing with the guy. He was unconscious with a big gash on his forehead and a pool of blood under his head. I did my Nursie-thing, and he gradually started obeying a few commands. I protected his neck, and thankfully the ambulance and firetruck showed up quickly. A bit of excitement, but it made me feel pretty good that I could help.

The Dark Side of the Moon
1. I still need my meds. I tried to wean down on them a week ago, and had terrible anxiety.
2. My BIL is driving me nuts. I appreciate that he takes Buds for a walk while we're at work, but he hangs around and eats/drinks us out of house and home. I don't figure him into the equation when I go grocery shopping. Nor, do I think I need to. Greg is planning on changing the locks as there I think there is a lack of trust going on. I'm almost embarrassed to say that he showed up here with a "Chick he's been dating." Turns out she was a hooker, and a skaggy one at that. Thankfully, I didn't see her, but Greg says that she weighted 80lbs soaking wet, had hideous tattoos all down her arms and legs, and had a foul, disgusting mouth on her.
3. BIL is living in the basement apartment of a friend of ours, and is 5 minutes away. The friend has had enough of him and is going to have him move out. I'm stressed thinking that BIL is going to assume he can move in with us. It's not going to happen. I'd sooner set my hair on fire, and put it out with a hammer.
4. It's now been 7 months since I've had a period. 5 more months to go before I can say that I am in Menopause. At 43. Nice.
5. I am a terrible housekeeper. I need a maid. It makes me feel like there's something wrong with me because I don't like cleaning. I will, but I don't like it. Some days, I'd rather stick slivers up my fingernails than clean a toilet. Is that wrong? It pisses me off when people brag about washing their refrigerator shelves every day, or ironing their t-shirts and underwear, or shining their mirrors until there is no smudge at all. What is WRONG with these people???
6. I am just waiting for the day when a hired student comes to my door demanding to see the licences for my pets. Apparently they are scouring the neighbourhoods looking for nose prints on the windows. Note: I have nose prints on the windows: Buddy's, Mao's, and probably mine. We're in trouble.
7. I have a laptop computer, but I don't have Internet connection at home because the Router that I got for free when I bargained with the nice Middle Eastern guy at Future Shop over a year ago, is not compatible with the shitty Internet provider we now have in order to save a few bucks. Likewise, there are times when our home phone line won't work because it is also with the same shitty provider.
8. I still don't really know how to use my Blackberry. My last bill was $289. Apparently, it is expensive to call long-distance from the US. I don't feel like paying it. And I doubt I'll remember how to Text Message, even though I did use the feature today.
9. I can't find the battery and charger for my digital camera so I haven't been able to take any pictures. I have the camera. And I did find the case. But, no battery. Therefore, useless camera.
10. I've been a Blogsloth. It should be a real word, but it's not.

OK, so I might have elaborated a little bit on this post. I would never set my hair on fire nor put it out with a hammer. Nor would I put slivers up my fingernails, unless it was an accident.
All in all, things are pretty good and I guess I just need some time to myself to actually sit down and blog.

It seems as though I have lost interest in blogging on Kross-Eyed Kitty. Truth is, I feel guilty about not blogging so I don't even go near the computer anymore when I get home from work. For a while I was busy playing Scrabulous on Facebook, but even that has now lost its luster.
It's not that I don't have anything to blog about, but rather, that in my personal life I've been feeling very overwhelmed. To compensate, I don't blog, answer phone calls or even connect with my friends as much as I'd like to. It's not that I'm in a particularly bad frame of mind or anything, but sometimes I just want to run away from everyone and everything and not be responsible for anything.
Work is going really well, and I have nothing to complain about. It's still just a temporary position, but I am hoping it will turn into a permanent one. I should find out for sure by the end of the summer whether the previous educator wants her job back, but I'm 99% certain that she wants to move in a different direction with her career.
Two-four and young SIL are both crackpots, but Two-four has gotten out of hand. She is such an emotional drain on Greg and I that it affects our home life. Not that we are arguing or anything like that, but she is constantly calling with the latest drama, or coming to spend the weekend with us because they have Shrink appointments. Young SIL has been lying, depressed, catatonic, not eating, then turns around and hangs out with guys that she knows are no good for her. I actually went with young SIL to her psychiatrist appointment, hoping that Two-four would stay out in the waiting room. Well, that didn't happen, and all that did, was that Two-four did all the talking for the half hour appointment and young SIL ended up on antipsyhcotics. Dr. Shrink did ask me what my take was on all of this and I said that while Young SIL's behaviour was affecting the family, that Two-four's behaviour was the main problem. He nodded in agreement, but Two-four only interpreted that to be that the problem was because of her daughter and threw that in her face hours later.
Anyway, its come down to Greg and I deciding to get rid of the trailer. Remember that her site is just two away from ours. We've only gone up twice so far in the past two months because Greg doesn't want to have to listen to his mother go on and on and on about about the same stuff over and over and over again. I swear, sometimes she starts talking and I don't even listen to what she is talking about. I've even walked away from her and she's kept on talking. Getting rid of the trailer is one way of not spending quite as much time with her, but truthfully, I also feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking care of two properties. Our backyard is so pretty and on weekends I really just want to stay home and enjoy my garden. At the trailer, I spend most of my time doing chores.
Oh my! This has turned out to be a post with a lot of complaining!
There have also been some good things that have happened in the past 6 weeks. Texas was wonderful, and the conference was really good. I happened to run into a nurse I had worked with in Saudi, and that was really fun. We hadn't seen each other in 10 years. She looked fabulous, while I have gained 40 pounds since the last time she saw me! Yes, my weight is still an issue, and I've been contemplating going back to Weight Watchers for the 27th time. All the wine I've been drinking as a (very bad) coping mechanism has caught up with me and is sitting very uncomfortably around my mid-section. My birthday was last week and we had a little barbecue out back. My ever-so-tactful mom was there and asked me if I was pregnant. Then, Two-four and a couple of neighbours also agreed. I said that even though I hadn't had a period in 6 months, I was 100% sure that I was just fat. But, I have always said that the minute someone mistook my belly fat for a baby was probably time I start doing something about it. (Hmpf...and here I sit with my office door closed, eating chocolate.)
Buddy and the kitties are all fine. Mr. Mao is having dental surgery on Wednesday and Dutchie spends her days soaking up the sun.
Oh, one more thing...while I haven't been blogging on KEK, I have started up another blog for work.

San Antonio, Texas

All My Exes are From Texas...

...well not really, but the last time I was in Texas was with the Leba-loser Ex. We spent time with his cousin and wife, and they had a 6 yr old daughter named Bijan. At that time, Leba-loser and I had already been together 6 yrs, but Bijan asked where Sheri was, and why hadn't she come? Hmmm...Sherri was his Ex-gf, or so I thought. While Bijan asked this innocent question, her mother jumped in to HUSH her! Frickin Leba-loser had been to Texas the year before, and surely Bijan had met Sheri then. I call him the Leba-loser, but clearly, it was I who was the loser and chose to continue the relationship with him. Which makes me the bigger loser. Anyway, it's water under the bridge now, but a time in my life that I'm not really proud of myself for the shit I put up with. I have had a hard time forgiving myself for the way I was, but I think I am over that now.
Last Thursday we flew home from Hilton Head and arrived home at 8:30 pm. At the hospital the next morning for the education day I helped to set up. It was an AMAZING day, if I do say so myself. It was not like the regular education days that we have, but rather a positive, motivational kind of day. It started off with a Clip from the CBC about A Complaint Free World which everyone seemed to really like. We had seminars from one of the General Surgeons who has done volunteer work for the last ten years in Niger. He was truly inspirational, and always a good reminder of how good we really have it here in the Developed World. We also had hired a motivational speaker who was hilarious and talked about dealing with change. The area that I am currently educator for has become extremely negative, mostly because there is one person who is the bad apple and her rotten personality has bruised everybody else's. Anyway, this is not unusual in nursing, there are strong personalities in every group, but I'd really like to see the positive personalities carry the strength of the group. The feedback that we got from the education day was overall very positive, and I think it gave the staff another focus. We'll see how it works out.
Saturday morning, C and I were at the airport again at 5:30 am en route to Dallas, Texas! It's been a whirlwind of travel lately. We are staying in Grapevine, and we ended up at the 1.5 million square foot mall yesterday. Well, with the crazy travel and early mornings, we traipsed around the mall, with little interest in shopping. We took the trolley back to the hotel, and were in bed, asleep by 7pm. And woke up this morning at 7:30!
It's now almost noon, but it's been nice to just have an easy morning, watch the food channel, and blog.
We are heading to Historic Grapevine today, and I'm hoping that we'll be able to find some of the Vineyards out this way. C doesn't drink red wine so my job is to try to convert her. (Her request!) I told her she would be perfect if she drank red wine!)
The ASPAN (American Society for PeriAnesthesia Nurses) conference starts tomorrow, I think it is going to be an amazing few days.

Day Three-Shopping Spree!

We had a great day yesterday, despite the clouds and rain. We didn't realize it ahead of time, but Monday was also a 'free' day, other than the welcome dinner, but more of that later.
What to do at Hilton Head when the weather is dreary? Well, we could have rented bicycles and rode up and down the beach, but we didn't. We went shopping!
I really don't like clothes shopping. In fact, I hate it. Which is probably why I have a pathetic wardrobe. But not anymore! We found an awesome TJ Maxx, and an even awesomer Outlet Mall. I have to say, I turned into a Shopping Diva yesterday. Total haul: 8 pairs of shoes, 2 dresses, 2 skirt/top sets, 4 camis, 1 t-shirt, 1 white sweater and 2 pairs of capris! I think I am set for my summer wardrobe. (Do Ya think?!) Oh, and a Kitchen Aid rolling pin that was 75% off, and Villeroy and Boch mugs that were also 75% off. Those shoes that I bought? Naturalizer, 80% off! I couldn't believe it! How could I leave a deal like that behind?
With all of our shopping excitement, we lost track of time and arrived nearly 2 hours late for the welcome dinner. There were no seats left, except for these two seats at a round table, so we invited ourselves. Turns out that we invited ourselves to sit at the head table with the owner, CEO, and President of the company! Oh my. We turn up late, bedraggled (we got caught in the rain) and wearing our shopping clothes and end up sitting with these folks. We had no idea initially, so once again, ignorance is bliss. They were extremely nice, and the owner of the company seemed so pleased to meet us, he kept thumping me on the arm, and slapping me on the back. (on second thought, maybe he wasn't pleased, as it was quite possible he was trying to knock my arm out of it's socket!) Dinner was delicious. I had crab legs for the first time ever, which required a lot of work, but was very tasty. There was also suckling pig, which I tried, but couldn't get the thought of the little piggie being torn away from it's mama to have it's head served on a platter. I don't think I'll have that again.
Today the conference starts and I see tables being set up outside for breakfast.
Gotta go!

Savannah

Eye candy. No matter where you look, there's is something truly lovely to look at. The Southern Oak Trees with their thick thick trunks, their wide open arms and weeping spanish moss hanging from each limb. It was just as I had imagined.
There is something so special when you see a place and have built it up so much in your mind, and it is exactly how you had envisioned it to be...only better.
Today I went back in time, to a city that has always fascsinated me. Gone With The Wind. The history of the Civil War. The Colonial Homes. The Streets. The river. The just Everything about it.
C and I started off on the trolley ride and had a very good guided tour of the Historical Area. We jumped off at the River Walk and hung out there long enough to get hooked on buying artwork. Spent the rest of the day wandering about on foot going from one art gallery to the next. To tell the truth, it was a wonderful way to see Savannah---through the eyes of Its' Artists.
The one downfall of the day was that the battery to my digital camera died and I didn't bring the charger. I ended up buying a disposable camera so it'll be quite interesting to see how the pictures turn out. Today I realized just how much I rely on my digital---it was a huge disappointment. I did try to take a couple of artistic angle photos, but what will actually turn out remains a mystery.
Other highlights of the day:
Paula Deen's restaurant and store While we didn't get there in time for reservations, we did go in to her souvenir shop. I bought a signed cookbook, and walked into the restaurant for a sniff. It smelled good, but to be honest, the buffet looked 'just OK.' The fried chicken looked better than KFC, but the Collards looked like something Mr. Mao barfed up after eating a plastic bag. Apparently, you can order off the menu, which I think would be much better plan.
Well, it';s now past 1am, and tomorrow afternoon the conference starts.
My sliding door is open, I can hear the Hilton Head waves crashing upon the shore.
Good Night.

Hilton Head

Blogging today from beautiful Hilton Head, South Carolina!
I wish I had the ability to download some of the pictures I've taken, but suffice to say, it's very, very, VERY pretty here!
Our flight was at 6:30 yesterday morning, and as you know, I'm not that technically savvy. I set my blackberry alarm for 3:50 am and went to bed. As luck would have it, my alarm did not go off, but I woke up at 4:25. WTF! It turns out that I was technically savvy enough to figure out a long time ago how to make the alarm not go off on weekends. As my flight was on Saturday morning, you guessed it...it let me sleep in. Nonetheless, I was out the door in 20 minutes and made it to the airport on time (but just!)
The flight was uneventful, but very interesting flying over HH as the tide was out.
We checked in, only to find out that C and I had seperate rooms, overlooking the ocean. Wow, talk about luxury! We are here for a conference, but it doesn't start until Monday afternoon so we have quite a bit of free time until then. Saturday after check in, we waited for our luggage to arrive. We waited, and waited and waited. Finally the bellhop came and asked for our car keys. (oh ya! I rented a car through hotwire.com. An economy car, with unllimited milage was $19 dollars a day. When we got to Budget, they had no economy cars left, so we got upgraded to an Impala, which is much nicer than my economy car at home!)
Anyway, back to the bellhop...we gave him the keys and then realized that we had already unloaded our suitcases when we first pulled up. Then we started thinking OMG! Maybe it's a scam!. We rented a cheap car, and now the same company is going to steal it bacdk from us to make money!
Hmpff. And there I was thinking what a fine way to start this leg of our trip, having to deal with the police over a stolen rental car.
Anyway, when all that was cleared up (our luggage was in the room with the people we had come down with) we put on our swimmies, grabbed a margharita and headed for the beach.
We dutifully turned every half an hour, and are a nice pink colour. Hey. After the winter we had, I am willing to risk some deadly sun rays for a few days!
Later we went for a long walk and guess what?! There are tons of star fish and sand dollars that wash up on the shore when the tide goes out! I was so excited when I found my first one, I was jumping up and down like a five year old. Only, a few seconds later I ealized that there were many, many more.
Had a wonderful dinner at a place caleed Alexander's, was back at the hotel by 9pm, and in bed by 9:30. A long, but fantastic day.
today, we are spending the day in Savannah. A city I have wanted to go to since reading 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."

Middle Aged Woman

This pretty much sums it up for me these days!

Weekend Pet Blogging

It has been a long time since I have participated in Weekend Cat Blogging. This weekend I thought I would submit a pic of all three of my little ones. Mao would still prefer if Buddy weren't around, but the Dutchess really couldn't give a crap, for some reason she can't be bothered with him, and he respects that. Buddy would desperately love to play with Mr. Mao, but that's just not going to happen.
Every once in a while I can snap a picture of the three of them together, but they truly are few and far between. Since we've had Buddy I've gotten to know the neighbours quite well. Every night at 8:30 there are a bunch of us who go for our nightly dog walk. Buddy is the only boy dog and is a total chick magnet. There are two German Sheppard's (Heidi and Bella), and a Sheppard-mix named Mary-Ann. They all LOVE Buddy! He loves to play chase, and because he is so fast, the girls are always chasing him. It's quite amusing, I really should video it. I know you'd all be captivated! ;)

The other evening we were sitting in the living room, when Greg jumped up and pointed out the window. There was a funny looking animal crossing the road and heading for the side of our house. It was a possum!

OK, as far as I know they are not common in Ontario, but I have one hiding under my backyard deck. Now, I have a soft spot for critters so I have no intention of doing anything about the little guy. In fact, I feel kind of special. I do believe that it is the first wild possum I've ever seen. (Do I sound like a city-slicker, or what?) Anyway, he can stay as long as he wants as long as he leaves my little ones alone.

I went to a candle party tonight. I didn't really want to go, but one of the Belly Dancers was having it, so I felt a little obligated. I spent $115. Money that I certainly don't have, but it felt good buying it. I think because I've been feeling like I've been scrimping for the last while, and I know that's coming to an end I feel like I can be a little frivolous. Maybe it's just the mood I'm in today as well. I stopped at Walmart on the way home because I heard that they had cute rain boots on sale for ten bucks. Well, they didn't have any left, but I ended up spending over $100. And it felt good! A lot of it was groceries, but I did throw in a top (that I didn't try on) and some bubble bath. Dog and cat treats and stuff to make a 7 layer dip that for the life of me I can't remember how to make so I bought a lot of extras. I'm going to a work gathering tomorrow night, with a group of nurses that I don't really know very well, but as their educator, I've had really positive feedback from them. I offered to bring the 7 layer dip, but I'm thinking that it can't be that hard. Worst case scenario, I'll show up with Doritos, salsa and guac.

In other news: it's Rummage Season! Tomorrow I am heading to two church bazaars, and am quite looking forward to it. There is nothing I need, but I just love other people's junk, and I'm sure I'll find something that I can use. One of the dog-walking ladies (we also all take belly-dancing classes together---so maybe I should call her one of the other Belly Dancers?!) gave me her teak bookshelf. With a little TLC, it's going to be beautiful. She replaced the shelf with those IKEA Billy bookshelves, which I totally can't believe. Oh well, my gain.

Have I talked about Belly Dancing at all? It is SO much fun. I feel like an elephant swinging my big old hips around, but it is a good way to get some exercise while having fun so you don't feel like you are exercising. This is my most favourite way to exercise. It's akin to eating something that tastes really good and is good for you. Anyway, Belly Dancing is actually very cool, and because the movements are very small, precise and isolated, I have had days where I've felt like I have done hundreds of sit-ups except I haven't, and it was fun! I would totally recommend it. Also, the music is great.

I realize that this is a bit of mish-mash but I've just been rambling off the top of my head and this is what has come out. I've had issues with my mom lately, but I think that I'm actually handling that better, which in some ways, makes it less of an issue. To make a long story short, she basically told me that she was not happy for me, she had hoped that I would do better by marrying someone who could support me. In response I said that I did have a husband who supported me. He respects me, he is my best friend, we like each other, we look out for each other...what is so wrong with that? She, of course, was focusing on the financial aspect. I should have asked her if she thought Greg would be a better person if he won the lottery? WhatEv. My mom and I then proceeded to drink a bottle of wine. Then, her friend, Ethyl called. (Pez! I forgot to tell you this! It's kind of funny!) Ethyl called, and my mom didn't want to answer the phone. I wasn't feeling any pain by this point, so I answered and talked to her. She was very nice. We didn't talk long, but she mentioned her son, Alex. I had the BIGGEST crush on Alex when I was in high school, that in truth, was mortifyingly pathetic. Alex is married to a very nice woman with a couple of kids, but I couldn't help myself but laugh and tell her what a big crush I had on him! It actually was a nice moment, because she said that Alex was a really nice man and she was very proud of him. I told her "just for fun, to tell him I say hello!" I'm sure he's going to roll his eyes. LOL!

All right, bedtime.

'night

Spring is in the air!
It's still cold outside but with the rain we've had the past two days the snow is slowly melting. On my walk with Buddy this morning, I noticed that the tulips, daffodils, and crocuses are starting to show their buds.
Ahhhhh. I can't wait to get my hands dirty in the garden!

Yesterday I eluded about our financial difficulties. Nothing too major, but I realized that we needed a tune-up when last week I went to the 'We Serve' gas station, Filled 'Er Up, and then tried to use my debit card to pay, but it was declined. Then I tried to use my credit card and IT was declined! Sucks to be me. Anyway, I left my name, licence plate and phone number with the garage and luckily I had a cheque in my wallet that was desperately asking to be cashed. I returned and tried to give the nice man a $5 tip for trusting me and you know what he said? "I think you need it more than me." And he turned down the tip!
Today, I went to the same gas station and was next in line to be served when I realized that I didn't have my wallet with me! Could you imagine not being able to pay two weeks in a row???
I was embarrassed last week...this week I would have been mortified.
Thankfully, I was able to drive away before the attendant got to me.

It's the last half an hour of my day at work...and I'm blogging! Yesterday we were up at Two-Four's place in Fergus. She was so happy to have her family around her and it was a fun day. I'm starting to get a little antsy about opening the trailer. The season starts May 1st, but alas, I'm away on business. It sounds so funny to say that: I'm Away On Business. It makes me sound so grown up! Isn't it funny the things that make you feel like a grown up? I don't really know when it happens, or when it happened, or if it is still happening, or if it never stops happening. Do you know what I mean? I used to feel like a grown up when I graduated university, but then I went on to college and didn't feel grown up anymore. Then, when I started working as a nurse, I felt pretty grown up, but I was still living at home. Then, I moved into a condo and felt pretty grown up, but I didn't have a boyfriend (late bloomer) so I wasn't sure. Then I moved to the Middle East, away from all that was comfortable to me, had my own apartment, met a boyfriend, travelled the world, but was having so much fun that I still didn't really feel grown up. In later years I have bought and sold a few condos, and yes, I guess I felt grown up. I felt even more grown up when Greg and I got married. Felt less grown up when we learned we couldn't have kids, and have felt even less grown up of late when we've had some financial difficulties (which hopefully will be sorted out in the next two weeks) . Whereupon I can hopefully start feeling like a grown up again.
And enjoy being a Grown Up who is Going Away on Business.

Earth Hour

Greg and I and our neighbours participated in Earth Hour last night. We were invited for dinner, and although it was my idea, everyone was into it. Before we left, I turned our thermostat down two degrees. As a hostess gift, I re-gifted a candle (!) wrapped it in the cover of yesterdays newspaper that had the heading "Let There be Dark", and then dropped it in the sleeve of the newspapers' home delivery bag. (OK, the bag is plastic, but it did get reused, and then my neighbour can reuse it again as a doggie poop bag!) At 8pm, we settled down to a candlelight dinner, turned off the hockey game, turned off the radio and enjoyed good old fashioned conversation. We enjoyed it so much, that we sat in candle light all evening.

It was really good time, I almost wish we could have earth hour every month.

Did you participate?

Still alive...barely

It almost seems as if this winter is NEVER going to end. Here it is, March 27th, and we're anticipating yet another snowstorm! Speaking of March 27th, it has been over a month since I've blogged. I can come up with dozens of excuses, but the truth is, I'm too lazy to actually sit down and write something. At the moment I am committing a sin and blogging at work. And even though my door is closed, I'm nervous that someone is going to come barging in and see me not really working at all!
So I was talking about the weather, and we have certainly had our share of snowfall this year, as of yesterday 189 cm. Which equals 6 feet and 2 inches .
Most of it piled at the bottom of our driveway.
While it's true that this is the first winter we've had snow on the ground all winter, I have NEVER looked more forward spring. I don't know if I wrote about how I got my brilliant pink coat, but I bought it at a flea market for $25 thinking it would be a good dog-walking coat, as it is down-filled, long, has a hood, and is wind-resistant. Initially, I was embarrassed to wear it to work as it is rather, um, bright, but as the cold winter months dragged on and on and on, I decided warmth was more important than fashion. And to make the outfit even more Vogue, I purchased a pair of olive green, rubber- on- the- outside, felt- on- the- inside, Duck Hunting boots! Because warm, dry feet are more sensible than 'pretty boots.'
Oh how I have changed since the Days of My Youth when I was all about Bling, high heels and expensive hosiery!

So, how about I give a brief synopsis of what has been going on this past month or so. Believe it or not, Kross-Eyed Kitty has partaken in belly-dancing classes on Wednesday nights! And, my belly certainly is dancing, although in a different tempo to my hips! I've been going with a few of the ladies in my neighbourhood and it's actually been a lot of fun. And a lot of more exercise than I thought it would be! I have a cute little jingly-coin sarong that makes the dancing even more fun. I would highly recommend taking some classes if you can find any in your area.

Little Buddykins is a real sweetheart and sometimes it's hard to remember what life was like with him in our family. Mr. Mao likes to tease him, but then can't take it when Buddy teases him. He has never hurt the cats, but definitely wants to play with them, and they don't understand. Every night, the neighbourhood ladies take our dogs for an off-leash walk. There used to be just three dogs, but in the past month, it's increased to five. Every night at 8:30 the pack gets going. I should take a video and post it because it's an absolute hoot watching them play. Buddy is the only male dog, so he gets to be the Chick Magnet. He's also pretty much the leader of the pack, although he is the smallest. He loves to play chase with him in the lead and the Sheppards and Rottweiler trying to keep up with him! The only downside to these runs, is that with all the wrestling that goes on, my dog smells like spit. Ew.

It's been along time since I've participated in weekend cat blogging so here is a pic of The Dutchess with Buddy. His bed is not usually on the window bench, that's still the kitties domain.

Work is still going very well, and I'm still enjoying it. At the end of April, I am fortunate enough to be going on two business trips! I've never had this kind of an opportunity before, and am pretty excited! The first trip takes me to Hilton Head South Carolina for a 3 day conference, but we are staying an additional 2 days. I'm home for a day to host an Education day for the OR and Recovery Room nurses, and then the next day I leave for another 8 days to go to Grapevine, Texas. Not too shabby!

I'm stating to feel guilty now with my door closed. I should probably get back to work. We are supposed to be having some snow flurries this afternoon, but I don't think that this Robin knows! He thinks Spring is in the air. I wish!

Winterlude in Ottawa

I seem to spending a lot of time on the computer lately at work. When I get home, I'm not so much in the mood. Plus, our computer room is upstairs and the tv is downstairs. Back in the condo days I could watch tv (ok, Greg could watch hockey) and I could blog, but we'd be in the same room and that was nice. When I get home from work, I like being in the same room as Greg. Call me weird, but I like my husband, and I like being around him.

Anyway, with my new job, they are going to be providing me with a laptop computer! My plan is to start blogging more. I love this job, and all the benefits that go along with it. I do put in a lot of overtime, and I truly do believe that I am doing a good job. Even if I don't quite get what people are talking about at meetings. The other day I was in a meeting and they were talking about doing a 'straw draft' of a redevelopment project that we are working on. OK, call me naive, but I thought they were talking about getting straw and figuring out what was going where. I put up my hand and said that in the ER department they got styrofoam and planned the environment. Blank Stares All Around The Table.

Ahem. So, years of working bedside, and now I'm thrown into the business side of things, as well as the educational. Clearly, I have a lot to learn. I've learned that "Straw Drafts" "Straw Dogs" and "Straw Votes" are really not made of straw. Just a start of the new lingo.
The educational side is absolutely fabulous and I enjoy it so much. I've had good feedback from the nurses and I feel great about it.
So enough about work.

This past weekend I went to Ottawa (Canada's Capital) to visit my friend. We left Saturday morning, drove 4 hours, and then took the dogs out for a beautiful walk at the Arboretum, an experimental farm that was started in 1889. Sunday morning we headed to the Rideau Canal and walked around for a while watching the skaters. Parliament Hill is in the background of the first picture.

And we got to eat Beaver Tails! They are a deep fried pastry that is shaped like a Beaver Tail and you can put a variety of toppings on. This one was sugar and cinnamon. Delicious!We also spent some time at the Winterlude Ice Sculpture Garden. The work in these sculptures is absolutely incredible.Handmade wooden dolls

Maple Syrup Snow Candy

A Polar Bear up close and personal!

An Inukshuk

The Peace Tower

I hope that this Canadiana post kinda sorta made up for my lack of blogging lately.

Wow. February already. I had all good intentions of having sent out postcards already to the few Old Faithfuls out there by now. Tonight after work I thought I'd stop by the local drugstore and by some pretty pics of Toronto. No luck, however I did spend $65 on beauty creams. My SIL has had botox injected into her forehead and collagen in her lips so I figured that I didn't need anything that drastic, but I could spluge and buy myself some special lotions and potions. I ended up with Biotherm Anti-aging something or other. I'll let you know if I found the Fountain of Yutes. (I've always liked that part in My Cousin Vinnie...)
Vinny Gambini: It is possible that the two yutes...
Judge Chamberlain Haller: ...Ah, the two what? Uh... uh, what was that word?
Vinny Gambini: Uh... what word?
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Two what?
Vinny Gambini: What?
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Uh... did you say 'yutes'?
Vinny Gambini: Yeah, two yutes.
Judge Chamberlain Haller: What is a yute? [beat]
Vinny Gambini: Oh, excuse me, your honor... [exaggerated]
Vinny Gambini: Two YOUTHS.

oh. off on a tangent.
Where was I? Oh yes, beauty creams. I had bought something a while ago that everyone was raving about but have to say, I was disappointed. Once I had the restore and renew on, then day cream, then my makeup (of which I don't wear foundation) I felt like I was wearing a mask. It didn't feel right. I was worried that if I scratched my face for any reason that a bunch of crud would end up under my fingernails. (Hey! Do you like that description?!)

Anyway. If anyone is interested, I'll let you know about how the Biotherm works out.

In other makeup news: I have switched from my old Tried & True Super Thick Lash Cover Girl mascara to a new Cover Girl mascara that I would totally recommend called Lash Blast. I prefer the blue shade, but whatever floats your boat. Navy blue makes the whites of your eyes look whiter, (or so 17 Magazine told me 30 years ago.)

Would you like me to go on about Beauty products that I'm liking these days? I also prefer Dove's Pro-Age cleansing foam. It feels good and takes off all my make-up. BTW: the thing I love the most about the CG mascaras I choose is that they come off with soap and water. No scrubbing or oily-stingy-liquidy -stuff that- gets-in-your-eyes needed.

Alright, I have no idea what really got me started talking about makeup and creams and stuff.

It was postcards. Apparently, there are no tourists who visit the suburb that I live in (even tho Pez's Father was the major of this city once upon a time) and I visited 3 stores tonight before I gave up. The second store I went into was a convenience store and when I asked if they sold postcards they didn't have a clue what I was asking about. The boys sent me next door to the Dollar Store.

Where, I got lost for 45 minutes and ended up spending way more money than I had intended, and still didn't find any postcards of good ole T.O.

So, to BobKat, Pez, Moon, Interrupted Wanderlust, and Begered I am going to go through my vast postcard collection and send out postcards of various places I have been. And since I still have Christmas stamps...uh...that's what your getting!

a midweek contest

On my new Crackberry, I have a choice of:

1. Email (ing) So and So
2. SMS (ing) So and So, or
3. MMS(ing) So and So

My question is:

What is SMS?

and, What is MMS? (Ok, I know...that's two questions)

Since I got my Blackberry, I've seen this SMS/MMS everywhere, and of course I don't have a clue.

First to explain this to me wins....

A handwritten postcard from Toronto with the prettiest stamp I can find!

The most creative to explain this wins...

A handwritten postcard from Toronto with the prettiest stamp I can find!

The most technically confusing explanation wins...

A handwritten postcard from Toronto with the prettiest stamp I can find!

The funniest explanation wins...

A handwritten postcard from Toronto with the prettiest stamp I can find!

Get the gist? Basically, no matter how you explain this, if you leave a comment, I'll send you a postcard (if you want one!)

Contest closes this Thursday. (maybe I'll come up with a better blogpost by Friday?!)

You know how chocolate, raisins, grapes, garlic and onions are toxic to dogs? Well, I found out the hard way that so are macadamia nuts.
Yesterday morning Buddy did not want to get out of bed, not even for a pee. We litarally had to lift him out of bed and plunk him down in the backyard. He peed, and then within seconds he was back into bed. We knew he was having an off day, but didn't know what the problem was. A little while later, Buddy made his way into the living room to hang out with us, and that's when I noticed that he was limping and his hindquarters were shaking. I thought maybe we had run him too hard the day before, that maybe he had pulled a muscle.
I took him for a little walk to the park, and when he pooped I noticed the nuts. When we returned home, I mentioned the nut-poop to Greg and then, thinking I was being funny, I said "imagine if we poisoned our puppy?"
Lo and behold, thanks to WWW this is what I came up with:

The danger of macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts are another concern. A recent paper written by Dr. Ross McKenzie, a Veterinary Pathologist with the Department of Primary Industries, points to the danger of raw and roasted macadamia nuts for pets. The toxic compound is unknown but the affect of macadamia nuts is to cause locomotory difficulties. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated. Dogs have been affected by eating as few as six macadamia kernels (nuts without the shell) while others had eaten approximately forty kernels. Some dogs had also been given macadamia butter.Luckily, the muscle weakness, while painful, seems to be of short duration and all dogs recovered from the toxicity. All dogs were taken to their veterinary surgeon.
Pets owners should not assume that human food is always safe for pets. When it comes to chocolate, onions, garlic and macadamia nuts, such foods should be given in only small quantities, or not at all. Be sure that your pets can’t get into your stash of chocolates, that food scraps are disposed of carefully to prevent onion and garlic toxicity and that your dog is prevented from picking up macadamia nuts if you have a tree in your garden.

WE POISONED OUR PUPPY.
We immediately drove to the Vet, and he reassured us that Buddy would be fine once the nuts went through his system. I felt like the biggest loser dog parent ever. I would have never forgiven myself if he'd have died because I gave him people food. I never even have stupid macadamia nuts in the house, but we happened to receive a bag for Christmas and it seemed like a good idea to eat them the other night. We would have been better off eating a pound of lard, at least Buddy wouldn't have been poisoned.

The good news is, is that Buddy is back to normal and racing like the wind again. We've all learned our lesson: no more people treats for Buddy.

My new blackberry has an alarm feature with a snooze setting on it. Finally I am able to press snooze every 10 minutes for as many times as I like :) which is already starting to drive Greg nuts. I am not a morning person and never have been. For Greg, the alarm goes off and he jumps out of bed---I seriously don't know how people do that! I am quite capable of being ready and out the door in 20 minutes (with a packed lunch) as I tend to get organized the night before. I shower and wash my hair before I go to bed, and cross my fingers that I don't have a 'sleep-part' on the crown of my head in the morning.
This morning my alarm went off at 6am, I pressed snooze until 6:50, had a shower, jumped back into bed (after I pushed Buddy out of the way) to warm up, got out of bed again at 7:05, drank coffee and have been playing on the computer for over an hour which now already makes me 10 minutes late for work. Well, not exactly LATE as I don't have to keep regular hours because I don't have to relieve anyone at the end of their shift. So, this morning I have been dilly-dallying and although my alarm first went off at 6am, it is now 8am and I still have to dry my hair, get dressed, and slap on my make-up before I leave to battle with rush hour traffic.
Geez...I should have set my alarm for 7am and gotten an extra hour of sleep.
Do you guys snooze, or do you get up with the first alarm?

The Holidays

The circus left town a few days ago, and I can finally breathe. Actually, it was a fantastic Christmas this year and everything went very smoothly. I was spoiled rotten by everyone, it was like being a kid again. I got a red Blackberry Pearl and I'm really loving it! Imagine...first with a memory stick, and now with a Crackberry! I'm becoming quite the electronics junkie, if I do say so myself.

Christmas eve was spent with my mom, brother, BIL, Greg and I and at the last minute I invited Sal, her hubby and baby Liam. It was really nice having a baby around at Christmas time and he was a doll. Thankfully, Buddy is really good around little kids.

I'm starting to think that my mom is on medication as she has also been on her best behaviour. She genuinely seemed to have a great time, and there were no arguments whatsoever. A first on Christmas eve, although it helps that my brother has been sober for over a year now. (I'll have to take a few lessons from him in the new year.) A big thanks goes out to Pez who sent me a lovely purple lunch bag so I won't have to use liquor bags anymore :)

Christmas Eve dinner was very good. I had won a free turkey at Zellers because I had spent over $300 (one stop shopping AND a free bird!) There was a drumstick left and that was basically it. Perfect. No leftovers!

Christmas Day we went to Greg's dads' place for dinner and more gifts were opened. I got The Joy of Cooking (2006) to replace my 1953 version that I picked up at a rummage sale. The 2006 version has omitted the picture of how to skin a squirrel, if anyone was wondering. The cookbook is very impressive with 4500 recipes for the Way We Cook Now. I am absolutely going to try some out, especially since another New Year's resolution is to start cooking again. (And stop eating pizza...a guilty pleasure of mine.) Dinner was fabulous and quiet which is unusual because the last time we were invited for dinner there were 25 people at the table. It's not unusual for the whole neighbourhood to be at the in-laws house every night. I don't know how they put up with it. I'd move. Anyway, dinner was quiet, but shortly after we finished eating, 18 people showed up for dessert. We had brought Buddy with us, and although MIL2's mother initially was pissed off, at the end of the night she told me we could bring him back any time. I think she was worried that Buddy might jump up on her and pull off her artificial leg (!)

Boxing Day we had our annual Open House which started back in the days of the Condo. 30 people came and stayed for hours! Kids came and were banging away on Greg's drums. My brother showed up with a lovely woman who turned out to be a dental hygienist from the dentist we go to. My mom (of course) hung around so she could check her out. Two-Four was on her best behaviour and did not offer to 'Do' any of Greg's cute friends. (The first year we had the Open House she got S#!&Faced and every guy that walked through the door she'd jump on his lap at the first opportunity and proclaim 'you're cute! I'd Do ya!' She's had to live that one down, but it was kind of funny!) 10 people crashed at our place that night, and the bar was pretty much emptied, but everyone had fun.

I'd like to say that Boxing Day was the end of our festivities, but we had an other gathering to go to on the 27th at Greg's sisters' place so we could spend some time with the grandparents. I had packed up Greg's brothers gifts before we left so we could drop him off at his apartment on our way home at the end of the night. He'd already spent 3 nights at our place, received gifts from me, and food and booze but in the end I was 'Greg's Bitch-wife who was making him go home." Gee...thanks.

The next morning, Greg woke me up, told me to get dressed that we were going to drive Two-Four, SIL and her Useless Tool of a BF home. We took the opportunity to head by the trailer, and although there is at least a foot of snow on the roof, it does not appear to be leaking.

We have spent the last two days not answering the phone, or door and we didn't go to our neighbour's open house, even though they came to ours. Just couldn't do it. Last night we watched The Sound of Music which is only about the 25th time I've watched it. Love that movie!

That's Christmas in a nutshell.

And today is last day of the year.

All in all it's been a great year. We got a new puppy and he's a darling. Greg and I both got new jobs and we're loving them. We've spent a full year in the house and are very happy here. The kitties are also happy here, although they would probably be happier without Buddy trying to play with them. I managed to lose 15 pounds this year. Not as much as I had wanted to, but better than nothing. Next year, I'll lose another 15. How's that for a doable Resolution?

Most importantly, Greg and I are still going strong and this makes me the most happiest.

Wishing you all a Wonderful, Happy and Healthy 2008!