Hello Everyone!
We just finished a potluck lunch at work and I'm rather full. Since I'm printing tax forms this afternoon, I have a few minutes to write.
Got all my cards sent - they will most likely be late. Received parcels from Chesley on Thursday. Since things were wrapped, I'm rationing them out until Christmas Eve. I figured I wouldn't be awake enough on Christmas to open them. I need to be down at the bus depot at 5:30ish, which means leaving my place at 5. Mike & Whiskers (the latter especially) are enjoying the presents. There's a little hiding spot at the back of the tree in which she has rearranged the blanket (she ate the tree skirt last year so this year it's a fleece blanket) to her liking.
Received a few Christmas presents from co-workers so I bought a pretty grey sweater from Roots and some make-up. I've never actually bought anything from that store but I saw a sweater in the window and thought it was really pretty. I didn't end up buying it as once I put it on, it was nice but the grey was just as nice and $40 cheaper. It's a wool blend button-up cardigan with a large collar. Very warm and comfortable.
Will be doing errands and cleaning tomorrow. I want to have my place all clean and organized by the time I leave. It'll be nice to be a homebody for a few days.
Have a great day!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Dinner turned out good!
Hello Everyone!
My turkey stayed moist, even with the reheat, the potatoes stayed firm (which can actually be a problem with instant), and everything else was delicious. I have the makings for turkey sandwiches for the next couple days.
Calli's had a rough couple of days. On Monday, enough of my basket was finally destroyed that it is no longer useable. Weight from books had started a separation and although I now use a pack, the wear and tear got to it. Then, when bringing her inside, I knocked her front light and it fell apart on the stairs. Last night, a piece of her seat came off. It looks like a spring and it helps support the bum area of the seat (or I should say, "saddle"). Luckily, it fell off while I was walking her so I was able to retrieve it. It was a rather uncomfortable bike ride home as supportwise, my seat was lopsided. J put it back together as well as adjusted the distance of the brake levers for me. He's a rather handy guy to have around!
After plasma tonight, I'm heading up to his place to work on Charlotte. I have no idea why my new bike decided to have that name but it came to me while coming home last night. They're building a cargo bike tonight so I'll get to see how that's done. Afterward, I'm going to learn how to strip Charlotte (and keep your mind clean!) and learn how to build a bike from the bottom up.
Have a great day!
My turkey stayed moist, even with the reheat, the potatoes stayed firm (which can actually be a problem with instant), and everything else was delicious. I have the makings for turkey sandwiches for the next couple days.
Calli's had a rough couple of days. On Monday, enough of my basket was finally destroyed that it is no longer useable. Weight from books had started a separation and although I now use a pack, the wear and tear got to it. Then, when bringing her inside, I knocked her front light and it fell apart on the stairs. Last night, a piece of her seat came off. It looks like a spring and it helps support the bum area of the seat (or I should say, "saddle"). Luckily, it fell off while I was walking her so I was able to retrieve it. It was a rather uncomfortable bike ride home as supportwise, my seat was lopsided. J put it back together as well as adjusted the distance of the brake levers for me. He's a rather handy guy to have around!
After plasma tonight, I'm heading up to his place to work on Charlotte. I have no idea why my new bike decided to have that name but it came to me while coming home last night. They're building a cargo bike tonight so I'll get to see how that's done. Afterward, I'm going to learn how to strip Charlotte (and keep your mind clean!) and learn how to build a bike from the bottom up.
Have a great day!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Turkey Dinner
Hello Everyone!
Making real turkey dinner tonight. I get a Chrisco hamper every year (I know, it'd be cheaper to just buy groceries but I'm always strapped for cash at Christmas and a hamper means I'll at least have food!) and this year it included a stuffed turkey breast. I cooked it up last night since it took about 4 hours and I'll serve it tonight for dinner. I'm having J over and I'm cooking a proper meal. It'll include salad (mixed greens, mandarin orange segments, almonds & poppyseed dressing), turkey, dressing, gravy, cranberry jelly, potatoes (although they're instant - I hate peeling potatoes and the instant stuff is pretty good - and a Canadian invention!), and mixed veggies. For dessert will be a fruit shortbread-type pie/pastery thing with ice-cream. No, I don't normally make meals like this and no, I don't usually have all these different types of food on hand. Hooray for the hamper - I only had to get ice-cream and the cranberry jelly! The hamper included canned cranberries but I don't like the whole berry - the jelly spreads on the turkey much better.
J leaves for the mountains on Friday night so we're having our own Christmas dinner tonight in case he gets tied up with last minute errands on Thursday night. I think I only have snowboard pants to buy prior to my mini-vacation but I'll get them tomorrow. Have all my Christmas shopping done and my cards are going to the post office today after work. It's doubtful if you'll get them before Christmas but rest assured, I was thinking you.
I'm really looking forward to the time off. The last time I was out of the city was Thanksgiving for an overnight trip to Banff. It'll be nice to see proper amounts of snow for Christmas. There's still a bit of snow here but generally there isn't accumulation. Even with that 2 week cold snap, I don't remember seeing even 1/2 foot of snow anywhere! It's just too dry. I hope everyone is being extra careful when travelling - I've been watching the news and those storms look pretty bad. Keep warm and stay at home to drink hot chocolate.
Have a great day!
Making real turkey dinner tonight. I get a Chrisco hamper every year (I know, it'd be cheaper to just buy groceries but I'm always strapped for cash at Christmas and a hamper means I'll at least have food!) and this year it included a stuffed turkey breast. I cooked it up last night since it took about 4 hours and I'll serve it tonight for dinner. I'm having J over and I'm cooking a proper meal. It'll include salad (mixed greens, mandarin orange segments, almonds & poppyseed dressing), turkey, dressing, gravy, cranberry jelly, potatoes (although they're instant - I hate peeling potatoes and the instant stuff is pretty good - and a Canadian invention!), and mixed veggies. For dessert will be a fruit shortbread-type pie/pastery thing with ice-cream. No, I don't normally make meals like this and no, I don't usually have all these different types of food on hand. Hooray for the hamper - I only had to get ice-cream and the cranberry jelly! The hamper included canned cranberries but I don't like the whole berry - the jelly spreads on the turkey much better.
J leaves for the mountains on Friday night so we're having our own Christmas dinner tonight in case he gets tied up with last minute errands on Thursday night. I think I only have snowboard pants to buy prior to my mini-vacation but I'll get them tomorrow. Have all my Christmas shopping done and my cards are going to the post office today after work. It's doubtful if you'll get them before Christmas but rest assured, I was thinking you.
I'm really looking forward to the time off. The last time I was out of the city was Thanksgiving for an overnight trip to Banff. It'll be nice to see proper amounts of snow for Christmas. There's still a bit of snow here but generally there isn't accumulation. Even with that 2 week cold snap, I don't remember seeing even 1/2 foot of snow anywhere! It's just too dry. I hope everyone is being extra careful when travelling - I've been watching the news and those storms look pretty bad. Keep warm and stay at home to drink hot chocolate.
Have a great day!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Back to auburn
Hello Everyone!
My roots were really getting noticeable (or at least noticeable to me) so I redyed it last night. Not a big change but at least everything is evened out now.
Been trying to get motivated for cleaning/organizing the apartment but no luck so far. I've been vegging out in front of the tv, but I need to get things done some I'm forcing myself tonight to snap out of it. Got my Christmas letter printed so I'll be mailing cards tomorrow.
Eating a yummy salad - it's lunch and I discovered blogger isn't blocked at my work computer. My salad is mixed greens, poppyseed dressing, slivered almonds and mandarin orange slices (from a can, juice removed).
Have a great day!
My roots were really getting noticeable (or at least noticeable to me) so I redyed it last night. Not a big change but at least everything is evened out now.
Been trying to get motivated for cleaning/organizing the apartment but no luck so far. I've been vegging out in front of the tv, but I need to get things done some I'm forcing myself tonight to snap out of it. Got my Christmas letter printed so I'll be mailing cards tomorrow.
Eating a yummy salad - it's lunch and I discovered blogger isn't blocked at my work computer. My salad is mixed greens, poppyseed dressing, slivered almonds and mandarin orange slices (from a can, juice removed).
Have a great day!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
I can relax now...
Hello Everyone!
Submitted my final and assignments for class yesterday. Felt good to get it wrapped up. I can now start organizing & cleaning my apartment, which had been put off over the past few weeks. It's been driving me crazy!
Got a programmable coffee maker last night from Walmart. I don't drink a lot of coffee - I'm pretty lazy, so I liked how my coffee was all ready for me when I woke up this morning. There's nothing like the smell of freshly made coffee when waking up! I was looking for an 8 cup maker but they only had 4,5 & 12. I decided to go for 12 and also bought a permanent filter so I didn't need to keep buying filters.
Since so many of you have asked, here's a photo of J and myself at my office Christmas party on Saturday. I was happy enough that he was willing to dress up. He got extra super-wonderful boyfriend points for coming back from the mountains early enough that he could accompany me. I was a bit panicked when he called at 4pm telling me about the great snowboarding conditions and the amount of snow. It wasn't until he was mostly done the conversation that he mentioned he was on his way back to Calgary. The venue was rather cold (hence the wrap) but the food was pretty good. Had a lovely time.
Will be taking it easy this week - a lot of catch-up and I need to get my sleep pattern back to normal. The temperature's warmed up and I starting commuting yesterday without my longjohns layer. Was still warm enough although I got a bit cold when running errands after work. I could feel the temperature dropping as the sky turned black. Because of our location in the time zone, it's dark by 5pm.
Have a great day!
Submitted my final and assignments for class yesterday. Felt good to get it wrapped up. I can now start organizing & cleaning my apartment, which had been put off over the past few weeks. It's been driving me crazy!
Got a programmable coffee maker last night from Walmart. I don't drink a lot of coffee - I'm pretty lazy, so I liked how my coffee was all ready for me when I woke up this morning. There's nothing like the smell of freshly made coffee when waking up! I was looking for an 8 cup maker but they only had 4,5 & 12. I decided to go for 12 and also bought a permanent filter so I didn't need to keep buying filters.
Since so many of you have asked, here's a photo of J and myself at my office Christmas party on Saturday. I was happy enough that he was willing to dress up. He got extra super-wonderful boyfriend points for coming back from the mountains early enough that he could accompany me. I was a bit panicked when he called at 4pm telling me about the great snowboarding conditions and the amount of snow. It wasn't until he was mostly done the conversation that he mentioned he was on his way back to Calgary. The venue was rather cold (hence the wrap) but the food was pretty good. Had a lovely time.
Will be taking it easy this week - a lot of catch-up and I need to get my sleep pattern back to normal. The temperature's warmed up and I starting commuting yesterday without my longjohns layer. Was still warm enough although I got a bit cold when running errands after work. I could feel the temperature dropping as the sky turned black. Because of our location in the time zone, it's dark by 5pm.
Have a great day!
Thursday, December 06, 2007
A warmer day
Hello Everyone!
Slept in today but still got my work done (and I'm ahead of schedule). Got a haircut at noon - it's now starting to form a bob. I'll try to take a picture tonight if I figure out the auto-picture feature. Picked up my contacts and so far they haven't been bad under the fluorescent lights, computer screen and bloodshot eyes. Running a few errands after work and then heading up to J's for a bit tonight.
It was a bit warmer this morning and I didn't need my scarf on. There's a shift coming tonight and it's suppose to get cold again. It was around -7C this morning when I checked the forecast before heading to work.
Treated myself to a Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks today. Very yummy.
Have a great day!
Slept in today but still got my work done (and I'm ahead of schedule). Got a haircut at noon - it's now starting to form a bob. I'll try to take a picture tonight if I figure out the auto-picture feature. Picked up my contacts and so far they haven't been bad under the fluorescent lights, computer screen and bloodshot eyes. Running a few errands after work and then heading up to J's for a bit tonight.
It was a bit warmer this morning and I didn't need my scarf on. There's a shift coming tonight and it's suppose to get cold again. It was around -7C this morning when I checked the forecast before heading to work.
Treated myself to a Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks today. Very yummy.
Have a great day!
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Update
Hello Everyone!
I know it seems like I've dropped off the face of the earth - it's been a busy time for me but by next week, things will have calmed down and I can go back to keeping this up to date.
Absolutely love payroll - I'm catching on quickly and I'm starting my certification in January. Akita's paying for everything. I'll hold off on ABC courses until I get a better feel for the certification workload. It's a part-time course, run online.
Will be spending Christmas in Fernie (ski resort in the BC Rockies) with J and his family & friends. Catching the Greyhound early (6:30) on Christmas morning so I'll get there shortly after noon. Will take my first snowboarding lesson on the 26th. Will snowboard (or ski if I really don't catch on) on the 27th & 28th. Leave on the 29th as I need to be back in Calgary for youth group on the 30th. I'm very excited!
We decorated my little tree on Thursday. Made roast beef (from M&Ms so I didn't need to season it) with potatoes, carrots and onions added to the pan. Turned out pretty good even though I had all the timing off. The roast was done a lot sooner than expected (thank goodness for meat thermometers) but luckily J was running late so I could remedy the situation. Everything eventually got cooked and was still warm by the time he came.
Have the office Christmas party this Saturday. Found a fabulous black dress on the discount rack ($39.98! - it was originally over $100 more). Got an early Christmas present from Mom & Dad so you'll be able to see photos. Picked up my new camera today so I could learn how to work it before the weekend. I'll also take some photos of J so you'll know what he looks like. He has his winter beard, which I think is rather cute. He does have a chin under it so he's not one of those guys with a weak chin who grows a beard to cover it up. The beard is more a practical thing since he's out in the cold all day.
Still biking even though it's averaged -15C during the day for over a week now. Calli doesn't handle snow well and J will be building me a winter bike. Basically, through his connections, he's going to find a used frame, will build (or have a friend of his build) the wheels, and will put together a single gear for me. It'll be much easier to handle. He gave me my present early - a shopping trip to MEC for winter biking gear. I got me a jacket, two middle layer shirts, winter tights (well, they're not overly tight but that's the best word to describe them) and glasses. It has made a huge difference in my comfort level. I carry a change of clothes in my bag and my new winter boots ($39 at The Bay - I've found some amazing shopping deals recently!) are warm enough that I haven't had to wear heavy winter socks. He was planning to get me this stuff anyways and he figured he might as well give them to me now so I can make sure everything fit, looked great, and I could keep warm. I pointed out the third reason was rather selfish because if I was warm, I would be more likely to brave the cold to visit him. It was a wonderful and thoughtful present.
I've resisted buying cycling gear because I tried to convince myself that I'm a casual rider. I'm not - I cycle a minimum 100km per week and so far the weather hasn't stopped me. The snow does slow my commute up to an additional 15 minutes but that's only when the roads are slippery. The city does a poor job of clearing the core and last Tuesday, it ended up being quicker for me to walk my bike on the sidewalk rather than try to manoeuvre my usual sidestreet with the traffic and road conditions. Don't worry - I keep myself very visible, have an additional red light on my bag and I don't weave in and out of traffic like some crazy cyclists.
Have my Christmas shopping pretty well done. I need to pick up a couple small things (which I already know what they'll be) but I'm sending my presents to Chesley on the weekend. I'll try to get organized and send my cards this weekend too but in all honesty, it'll likely be next week. If they arrive late, it's not Canada Post's fault - it was me.
The furry family is well. Mike still escapes outside when the door is open but he's not protesting when I pick him up and bring him inside. He tries to avoid the snow but he's not all that smart. Whiskers is being quite friendly. So far, the Christmas tree has staying intact. Gilbert's been a bit neglected these past couple weeks but I'll spend some quality cuddling time with him next week.
I've been trying to finish up my Christian History class and I've had a hard time focussing. I enjoyed the content and had a great teacher. I just haven't had any interest in doing the assignments. My professor has given me an extension for my work so I'll need to have everything in by Monday. This is part of the reason why I've been stressed - I know I have work that needs to be done but all I can do is stare at my computer screen. It's likely I need a break from school and I hope the payroll courses are enough of a change to snap me out of this lethargy.
Broke my glasses a couple weeks ago. Stepped on them and snapped them right in half. So far super glue is holding them together (repair about once a week). My contacts have arrived so I'll be switching to them for my main sight aid. I had been thinking about switching back to them for a while and it'll mean I can hold off for a while longer to get new glasses. Because of my prescription, they'll run me around $400, which is not in my budget at this time.
Love having my place to myself again. It's a bit messier before but I enjoy the freedom. I really enjoy having a bedroom solely for sleeping. It's made a huge difference in my quality of sleep. I ended up moving into the spare bedroom and turned my old room into a storage area. I keep the piano and my bicycle in there. I moved my home office to the little alcove where the piano was. There's enough space for me to keep most of my stuff there and I'm close enough to the phone jack that I didn't need to run wire everywhere. My job in the new year is to organize that back room. I've already declutter in the fall but I've got a long way to go.
Have a great day!
PS - an update from my last post. I met J in Kensington for coffee and he mentioned he hadn't eaten yet. He ended up treating me to a fabulous, authentic Italian meal in a very trendy restaurant. We had Napolitana style pizza, antipasto and then some kind of tasty dessert, a bit like a cake? The chef trained in Italy and the restaurant is certified by an Italian agency so it meets Italian standards for quality. Our meal was paired with a lovely wine and I was completely taken by suprise by J's celebration for me. I would have been happy with some fabulous coffee from our usual coffee place but this completely wowed me. I could tell J really enjoyed it. He was trained as a chef and worked in some higher end kitchens. He got really excited when describing the antipasto components to me (never had anything like that before! He really went into details when describing ingredients and how they were prepared) and the food was amazing.
Lucky for me, J is very easy going with food and has tolerated my cooking to date. It can be frustrating - I need to plan my meals in advance and he can somehow magically make something delicious appear on a plate in 20 minutes. Needless to say, I never refuse a meal at his place.
I know it seems like I've dropped off the face of the earth - it's been a busy time for me but by next week, things will have calmed down and I can go back to keeping this up to date.
Absolutely love payroll - I'm catching on quickly and I'm starting my certification in January. Akita's paying for everything. I'll hold off on ABC courses until I get a better feel for the certification workload. It's a part-time course, run online.
Will be spending Christmas in Fernie (ski resort in the BC Rockies) with J and his family & friends. Catching the Greyhound early (6:30) on Christmas morning so I'll get there shortly after noon. Will take my first snowboarding lesson on the 26th. Will snowboard (or ski if I really don't catch on) on the 27th & 28th. Leave on the 29th as I need to be back in Calgary for youth group on the 30th. I'm very excited!
We decorated my little tree on Thursday. Made roast beef (from M&Ms so I didn't need to season it) with potatoes, carrots and onions added to the pan. Turned out pretty good even though I had all the timing off. The roast was done a lot sooner than expected (thank goodness for meat thermometers) but luckily J was running late so I could remedy the situation. Everything eventually got cooked and was still warm by the time he came.
Have the office Christmas party this Saturday. Found a fabulous black dress on the discount rack ($39.98! - it was originally over $100 more). Got an early Christmas present from Mom & Dad so you'll be able to see photos. Picked up my new camera today so I could learn how to work it before the weekend. I'll also take some photos of J so you'll know what he looks like. He has his winter beard, which I think is rather cute. He does have a chin under it so he's not one of those guys with a weak chin who grows a beard to cover it up. The beard is more a practical thing since he's out in the cold all day.
Still biking even though it's averaged -15C during the day for over a week now. Calli doesn't handle snow well and J will be building me a winter bike. Basically, through his connections, he's going to find a used frame, will build (or have a friend of his build) the wheels, and will put together a single gear for me. It'll be much easier to handle. He gave me my present early - a shopping trip to MEC for winter biking gear. I got me a jacket, two middle layer shirts, winter tights (well, they're not overly tight but that's the best word to describe them) and glasses. It has made a huge difference in my comfort level. I carry a change of clothes in my bag and my new winter boots ($39 at The Bay - I've found some amazing shopping deals recently!) are warm enough that I haven't had to wear heavy winter socks. He was planning to get me this stuff anyways and he figured he might as well give them to me now so I can make sure everything fit, looked great, and I could keep warm. I pointed out the third reason was rather selfish because if I was warm, I would be more likely to brave the cold to visit him. It was a wonderful and thoughtful present.
I've resisted buying cycling gear because I tried to convince myself that I'm a casual rider. I'm not - I cycle a minimum 100km per week and so far the weather hasn't stopped me. The snow does slow my commute up to an additional 15 minutes but that's only when the roads are slippery. The city does a poor job of clearing the core and last Tuesday, it ended up being quicker for me to walk my bike on the sidewalk rather than try to manoeuvre my usual sidestreet with the traffic and road conditions. Don't worry - I keep myself very visible, have an additional red light on my bag and I don't weave in and out of traffic like some crazy cyclists.
Have my Christmas shopping pretty well done. I need to pick up a couple small things (which I already know what they'll be) but I'm sending my presents to Chesley on the weekend. I'll try to get organized and send my cards this weekend too but in all honesty, it'll likely be next week. If they arrive late, it's not Canada Post's fault - it was me.
The furry family is well. Mike still escapes outside when the door is open but he's not protesting when I pick him up and bring him inside. He tries to avoid the snow but he's not all that smart. Whiskers is being quite friendly. So far, the Christmas tree has staying intact. Gilbert's been a bit neglected these past couple weeks but I'll spend some quality cuddling time with him next week.
I've been trying to finish up my Christian History class and I've had a hard time focussing. I enjoyed the content and had a great teacher. I just haven't had any interest in doing the assignments. My professor has given me an extension for my work so I'll need to have everything in by Monday. This is part of the reason why I've been stressed - I know I have work that needs to be done but all I can do is stare at my computer screen. It's likely I need a break from school and I hope the payroll courses are enough of a change to snap me out of this lethargy.
Broke my glasses a couple weeks ago. Stepped on them and snapped them right in half. So far super glue is holding them together (repair about once a week). My contacts have arrived so I'll be switching to them for my main sight aid. I had been thinking about switching back to them for a while and it'll mean I can hold off for a while longer to get new glasses. Because of my prescription, they'll run me around $400, which is not in my budget at this time.
Love having my place to myself again. It's a bit messier before but I enjoy the freedom. I really enjoy having a bedroom solely for sleeping. It's made a huge difference in my quality of sleep. I ended up moving into the spare bedroom and turned my old room into a storage area. I keep the piano and my bicycle in there. I moved my home office to the little alcove where the piano was. There's enough space for me to keep most of my stuff there and I'm close enough to the phone jack that I didn't need to run wire everywhere. My job in the new year is to organize that back room. I've already declutter in the fall but I've got a long way to go.
Have a great day!
PS - an update from my last post. I met J in Kensington for coffee and he mentioned he hadn't eaten yet. He ended up treating me to a fabulous, authentic Italian meal in a very trendy restaurant. We had Napolitana style pizza, antipasto and then some kind of tasty dessert, a bit like a cake? The chef trained in Italy and the restaurant is certified by an Italian agency so it meets Italian standards for quality. Our meal was paired with a lovely wine and I was completely taken by suprise by J's celebration for me. I would have been happy with some fabulous coffee from our usual coffee place but this completely wowed me. I could tell J really enjoyed it. He was trained as a chef and worked in some higher end kitchens. He got really excited when describing the antipasto components to me (never had anything like that before! He really went into details when describing ingredients and how they were prepared) and the food was amazing.
Lucky for me, J is very easy going with food and has tolerated my cooking to date. It can be frustrating - I need to plan my meals in advance and he can somehow magically make something delicious appear on a plate in 20 minutes. Needless to say, I never refuse a meal at his place.
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