Relaxing Saturday Morning

Hello Everyone,

No plans for the day. We slept in until 9. The coffee is lovely. Mike & Whiskers had their showers. And I'm feeling lazy.

I think we'll treat ourselves to lunch in Kensington and then do stuff around the apartment.

Life is good.

Have a great day!

new cell phone

Hello Everyone,

I've joined the 21st century and now have a smart phone. It's a Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant and it's with Virgin. I've been with Rogers for over a dozen years now and I haven't been happy with their phone prices or their plans. So, I'm giving them a shot.

So far, I've been able to make a phone call (by fumbling on the screen until I saw a green phone) to Jerry and was able to add him to my contacts. This will be a big transition for me as I didn't use the features on my old phone and this is my first touch screen phone.

The new phone number is 403-827-7179.

I think her name is Sammy.

Have a good day!

Surprisingly yummy recipe

Hello Everyone,

On my week off, I ended up watching part of Rachael Ray's show. The recipe sounded easy and we tried it last night. We did a couple substitutes - no parsnip, napa cabbage instead of savoy, apple juice instead of cider and steak spice rather than the seasoning. I used super grainy mustard, which I prefer because the blended stuff is too vinegary. It turned out very tasty. Too bad so many of our friends don't eat pork. It's also very cheap to make.

Roast Pork Tenderloins with Roasted Carrot, Parsnip, Potato and Warm Apple and Savoy Cabbage Slaw

This perfect pork dinner with roasted veggies and sweet and sour cabbage slaw is a winning winter meal.
by Rachael Ray | on 01/23/12

Ingredients

2 pork tenderloin fillets, trimmed of silver skin
Kosher salt and pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fennel seed
3 carrots, sliced on an angle
2 parsnips, sliced on an angle
1 large Russet potato, scrubbed well, skin left on, thinly sliced
About 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), to coat

3 tablespoons butter
2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and chopped
1 small head of Savoy cabbage, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Serves 4

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper, sprinkle evenly with granulated onion and garlic, and slather each tenderloin with mustard. Sprinkle the fennel seed over top.

On a rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow roasting pan, toss the carrots, parsnips and potato with EVOO to coat, then season with salt and pepper. Push the veggies off to each side of the pan and set the tenderloins down in the middle. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 145°F. Let the meat stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

For the slaw, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the apples and sauté to light golden, 5 minutes. Wilt in the cabbage in handfuls; season with salt and pepper. When the cabbage has wilted into the pan, douse with the cider, vinegar and sugar and cook for 5 minutes more at a simmer.

Serve the sliced pork with the roasted carrots and parsnips, and the slaw alongside.

My Week Off

Hello everyone,

I've been taking a staycation this week and it's been wonderful. I was able to study for both my final quiz and exam. I'm happy with my overall mark, A- which has boosted my confidence in going back to school. I got my acceptance letter this week and I need to make my super final decision by February 3, when the initial deposit is due. I know it seems silly but I got butterflies when I saw the envelope.

I went to Ikea on Wednesday and got the cool Wacky Wednesday deal. We now have a nice 4 1/2' high dark brown shelving unit. It has a door on the bottom where Whiskers' food is now being stored. I moved items from the bookcase that was there and have arranged them on the new unit. I think it looks much better because the sides are open. It also ties in with our other furniture because most of it is dark. I was quite happy to get it and enjoyed the $1.99 breakfast with my friend. Oh, and the bookcase is being moved today into the bedroom.

I've also done a lot of laundry and today is my major cleaning, organizing, drive the pets crazy day.

On the weekend, we went down to Castle Mountain for a fundraiser for a friend of Jerry's. I went snowboarding on Saturday and then borrowed a pair of skiis on Sunday. It confirmed what I suspected in that I'm a lot more comfortable with skiis. So, I'll sell my snowboard equipment and pick up some used/last season stuff over the summer. I really wanted to like it for Jerry's sake but I prefer the control of skiing. And although Jerry seemed a bit disappointed, he was happy that it meant I would still play on the mountain. It was also nice that even though I hadn't been on skiis for 10 years, I was still able to make my Ss, and V stop. And the few times I did fall, it didn't hurt like snowboarding. When you fall on a snowbard, you often somersault, get a sore neck and wack your head (which is still felt wearing a helmet). When I fell on skiis, I just fell into the mountain on my side, which didn't hurt. A little bit harder on the knees but there are exercises I can do to build up muscle to prevent that. And much easier on the chair lift.

Have a great day!

Relationship Help

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you're Christian
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So, the first time I saw this commercial, I burst out laughing. Then I started thinking?

What if you don't find anyone? Does that mean God wants you to be single?

What if you find someone that turns out to be abusive? Did God want this to happen to you?

I understand the premise - connecting with someone with the same faith and similar values. In general, this would make a good relationship.

But little red flags still pop up whenever I see it.

Brrrrr

Hello Everyone,

-30C is not fun. The wind chill has it lower at -35 to -40. On the plus, I had to go to Bridgeland (next neighbourhood over) last night and my bike had good traction. On the minus, when I was mounting my bike, my foot grazed my pretty pink fender and it broke into 3 pieces :-(

Shaw comes by tonight to pick up our phone box. Now is the adjustment period of 5 channels but a supposed faster internet. I'm rather looking forward to less channels as it will mean an opportunity to watch our dvds and play xBox. And an easier time to get off the couch to do stuff.

Two weeks of class left. Exam on th 26th and I'm looking forward to finishing it. I have the text book for the next class but I haven't signed up for it yet. You can rent text books online for 6 months and it saves 30-50% off the cost of purchasing it. As well, I have been able to pdf the entire thing anyways (they have an option where you can print your text so I downloaded CutePDF). I got some advice from my current instructor, who has taught the course in the past so I have an idea what I should focus on.

Have a good day!

Good-bye phone! Good-bye cable!

Hello Everyone,

Jerry & I went through our expenses and we've found some savings. We are saying good-bye to our landline and going with Skype for long distance. We both have cell phone anyways. If you want to "call" us, you can either call our cells or use Skype. It's free to set up an account and it's free to call other Skype members. Our "phone number" is JerryKaren00Meow. And no, I didn't come up with that. It's why I love my husband so much. We have a Skype phone on order (one that can be used for both Skype and for a traditional phone line)that comes with a year of free local/long distance anywhere in Canada & US. In the meanwhile, we have a headset that should work. It's all very new to me but it sounds promising.

We're also getting rid of our cable. We picked up a little dish & bunny ears (it sits on the mantle) and are able to get the 5 major channels. Everything else we can either view directly online or download. And, we're thinking about Netflicks since I upgraded our internet to the next level and we can watch it through our XBox.

Oh, and I'm also going to switch cell phone companies. I've been with Rogers for 12 years and it's time for a change. Especially for the type of usage I have. Virgin has options that are about $10/month cheaper and no contract. I should be switching next month so I'll keep you up to date.

Ah, technology...

Some Photos

Christmas card

Hello Everyone,

So, our Christmas cards are being ordered and will likely take a week to get here. But we got a great deal on them and I laughed when I opened the proof. It's all very cute-like. To keep in traditions, they'll be New Years cards.

Jerry's off to Castle this weekend. It's opening weekend. He's super happy and I have the weekend to work on my report of the cardiovascular system. 1 report is on its anatomy, the other is on its physiology.

We put up our tiny Christmas tree to get me in the Christmas mood. It made a difference and I'll try to put up lights in the windows this weekend. And the tree looks funny because it's only 4.5' high and there are full sized ornaments on it. And a bacon wreath. Jerry picked it up. It's a minature shalaced wreath with the circle part made of bacon. There's also a ribbon at the top and a bell. But it made him happy to put it on the tree so I'm happy too. After all, I have a pissed off clothespin reindeer on there too. You know how when you do this craft in school and have to cut & glue the red felt smile on the clothespin? Well, I had glue issues and the smile looks like a frown. I still love that ornament.

Have a great day!

Furry Creature

Hello Everyone,

So, this weekend I made 2 big purchase. 1 that I've really needed for the past 2 years and 1 that's super fun. I have needed a long warm coat for walking to work. On Friday, The Bay had their coats on sale (for 1 day only) for 50% off. I got a fabulous ivory down jacket that goes down just over mid calf. It has faux fur around the collar and the sleeves have zippers so you can tuck your mittens in easily. I tried more practical colours but the ivory lit up my face and I giggled when I put it on. Then, I went to the big craft fair and got a furry hat. Faux fur again, but the main colour is ivory with calico pattern in it. It's helmet shaped, rather than touque shaped. And it has ears! Cute little triangles that make me all happy inside when I see my reflection. I'll need to take a picture.

I always feel so shlumpy during the winter. I dress for warmth and that doesn't necessarily mean glamourous. But I felt glamourous walking to the grocery store. And the coat is very warm too.

Last night I went over to SAIT as I needed to do a typing assessment test. They charged me $50 to do a computerized test that took 10 minutes! That's stupid! And yes, I passed their 30 words per minute requirement. My net wpm was 50 so that works out to $1/word to prove my speed. I could see $25 for the typing test licensing fee, the computer, and the girls sitting out front administering the tests but $50 is a bit much.

I tried deep water aquacize on Monday. It was fun and although I know my muscles worked, I wasn't really sore. I'm getting a membership at the local rec centre this week so I can start getting into shape. It's a 7 minute walk from home, I can play in the pool or do classes and there's also weights/cario equipment. And Akita helps to cover the cost.

Have a great day!

Whiskers' New Game

Hello Everyone,

Whiskers has a new game. It's called "Throw Mum's Keys on the Floor". Here's how it goes:

Mum sets keys on the couch because she's not organized enough to put them in her purse right after opening the front door.

Whiskers "happens" to be on the couch too.

Whiskers hops over to the keys and pushes them with her nose. They make a nicy jingly sound.

When Mum isn't looking, she picks them up in her mouth and throws them on the floor.

Mum sees her house keys on the floor. She sets them back on the couch so she remembers to put them away. She give Whiskers a pet for being such a well behaved bunny on the couch.

Mum turns around and...

Mike the Student

Hello Everyone,

Some background: I love taking baths. Nice long 2 hour baths with bubbles and chocolate and a good book. Mike does not like baths. He has a love/hate relationship with the bathroom. The bathroom is where his litter box is. When he uses his litter box, he gets treats. It's also where the shower is. But, he gets lonely when I'm in the bath and will sit outside the door to wait for me. And he does the cute "stick the paw under the door" and meows pathetically.

So, when I take a bath, I bring Mike into the bathroom with me. Once the door is shut, he meow constantly as if his world has ended. Sometimes he'll get distracted by bubbles but he'll pace back and forth until I get out and let him escape - which is when he'll be back outside the door.

I have a weird cat.

Anyways, last week I brought my Anatomy & Physiology book in to study while in the bath. I brought Mike in. The routine started per usual.

I started reading the chapter out loud to help me study.

Mike calmed down, curled up on the mat and listened.

I was shocked.

I read for a little bit and then let him out but kept the door open enough that he could come back in. He scurried to the door but stayed outside the doorway. I started reading again and by his own free will came back inside, curled up on the mat, and learned about cell tissue.

I thought maybe he just wanted to hang out to have Mommy time without Whiskers.

So, I tried this again a couple days ago. He learned about joints.

Have a great day!

The head bone's connect to the...

Hello everyone,

I've been memorizing bones. I never learned the proper names of them so it's a slow process. I'm lucky though that Jerry is a willing assistant lol.

Bones are classified lots of different ways. For study purposes, I'm working on axial bones and apendicular bones. Axial bones are the ones found in your head and main torso. Apendicular bones are found in your arms and legs. This is to help me study and I'm still working on proper spelling.

Apendicular bones:

Starting at the pectoral girdle.
The pectoral girdle consists of the clavical (collar bone) and the scapula (shoulder blade). The clavical attaches to the sternum at the front and the scapula at the back. Clavicals are also more prominent in males than females. Jerry's looks funny because he broke his right clavical and instead of being straight, it goes straight and then disappears. The broken piece goes into his body rather than continuing near the surface across.

From the pectoral girdle,
The humerus is the long bone at the top. There is no elbow bone (or funny bone ha ha! although that's why I remember the humerus). In your lower arm you have the ulna and the radial. The ulna is larger and is found on your pinky finger side. This can be remembered by "pull my finger" PU! Next are your wrist bones, the carpals. They are "short" bones and I think there are 8 of them. They fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Next are 5 metacarpals. Then 14 phalanges. These are the bones in your fingers (3 on each finger) and thumb (2).

Now down to the pelvic girdle.
The pelvic cradle has 5 bones but I don't remember them all yet. There are two large ones on each side and then the pubus bone in the middle.

The leg is connected to the pelvic girdle through a ball and socket joint. The femur is the largest bone in the body. Next is the patella (knee). The lower body has two bones, which I was not aware of until the weekend. The large bone is called the tibia (your shin) and the smaller one is the fibula. Your ankles and feet are similar to your wrists and hands, The ankle bones are called the tarsus. Next are the 5 metatarsus and then you have 14 phalanges.

Ok, onto the axial bones. The skull has a whole bunch of bones that I don't know yet. Anyways, the spine...

The spine consists of vertebrae, which are classified as "irregular" shaped bones. Starting from the top:
Cervical 7 - the top one is called Atlas and the next one is called Axis. These are the smallest and weakest vertebrae.
Thoracic 12 - they are attached to the ribs
Lumbar 5 - they are the largest of the unfused vertebrae
Sacrum 5 - they are fused
Cocyx 4 - they are also fused (the tail bone)

Heading to the ribs. There are 7 true ribs, 3 false ribs and 2 floating ribs. The top ribs (true) are attached directly to the sternum via cartilage. The next 3 are also connected but the cartilage from each rib meet and then join up rather than connecting directly. The floating ribs do not connect at all.

So, I'm missing the bones of the sternum, the skull and the pelvic girdle. But, I did all this from memory and I'll need to keep practising while walking to work. And I haven't learned the individual names of the carpals and the tarsus yet.

I hope you enjoyed your anatomy class. And if you are like me, you were wiggling your body or feeling around when I was going through it all. It's rather interesting.

Have a great day!

Where is November going?

Hello Everyone,

It's crazy that November is in its later half. Time has flown by so quickly that I have trouble processing next Sunday is Advent 1. Time to start putting up decorations. I'll do just the wreath and some candles and then do more decorating over the next following Sundays. We're celebrating Christmas the weekend before in Lethbridge so we're going to get a real tree. The deal is I put up with the mess of a real tree this year and we get to buy one of the super nice trees from The Bay when they go on sale after Christmas. I showed Jerry another ecologically friendly option, but he flat out refused.

http://boutique.cascades.com/ca/en/catalog/christmas-trees

I tried embedding the link without success so you'll need to copy/paste it in your address bar.

I ended up with a B- (70%) on my quiz, which I was a bit disappointed with but that's how it goes. I did find it hard and I wasn't feeling well but at the same time, I studied quite a bit for it. The material was much harder than the stuff they recommended we use to study with and at least now I know what level of detail is needed. It's not that I find the material hard but it's that there is so much of it and it's all new to me.

Had a relaxing weekend with Jerry. He was suppose to go snowboarding on Saturday but it fell through. We went to a friend's place on Sunday and Lara & I went to a big craft fair at Spruce Meadows (the horse jumping venue you often see on CBC). It was a lot of fun and there were some beautiful things. I picked up a pair of felted earmuffs made by a woman who not only dyed and felted them, she also helped raise the sheep.

It was very cold last week but there's a chinook today. For example, yesterday's high was -16. Oh, and it was -20 when I bought groceries in the morning. This afternoon it's +2.

Have a great day!

Stupid Cold

Hello Everyone,

I've fought it all weekend but finally my cold won and I'm stuck with sexy secretary voice - between coughs, that is. Oh well, it's managable.

It was Jerry's first day of work at Canada Post. He has a manual to learn and he's going to head in to his shifts early to practise sorting. From talking with him on the phone, it seemed to go well.

First winter wonderland of the season. We had snow falling for a couple hours and there is a little bit accummuated on the roof I can see from my office window. I also got a new monitor stand today and I rather like it. It has two extra arms that stick out where I can put my plant and a few little things. So far, I'm enjoying the monitor being slighty higher.

I have my first quiz on Thursday. I am finding the Anatomy & Physiology class very interesting so far. Lots of info. Now, when I go pee, I think our bodies are pretty cool. We've so far been working our way up from molecules to cells to tissue. Tomorrow night is our first system - the integumentary system (skin, hair, nails etc). I am looking forward to the quiz as it will give me a good idea of what depth of knowledge the school is looking for. And it's all multiple choice.

Have a great day!

Something New

Hello Everyone,

So, I have registered for my first class and I start tonight. It's Anatomy and Physiology. The Medical Transcription program has several courses I can take ahead of time, which means a lighter course load (and more hours for employment) next fall.

That is, if I get in. They only accept up to 20 students and this year, they only accepted 15. It's industry driven and there were more jobs than graduates last year (which is great for job prospects). I filled out my application form on Saturday and spoke with an instructor.

I decided to take some courses ahead of time before I make my final decision to enroll. That way, I have a better idea of the course load, can I still make it as an in-class student, and is this information I can learn. I didn't take biology in high school - just chemistry, so my experience in medical stuff is the first aid manuals and watching Grey's Anatomy.

Here goes testing the waters...

Have a great day!

How Credit Scores Work

Hello Everyone,

I received a flyer from a financial advisor about how credit scores work. This is based on the FICO score, which is a unique number between 300 and 900, used by Equifax and TransUnion.

From your score...

35% payment history (do you pay your bills on time)
30% amount owed (how close are you to your credit limit)
15% length of credit history (how long have your accounts been active)
10% new credit (how many accounts have been opened recently)
10% types of credit used (mortgage, revolving - credit card, auto loan)

You can request your credit score report for free by mail if you go to www.transunion.ca or www.equifax.com/home/en_ca.

It's been a couple years since I got my last one so it's about time for a new one. Financial advisors usually recommend checking it every year or so.

Stupid Chuck E Cheese

Hello Everyone,

So, I was on Chuck E Cheese's website to print off coupons. I saw the American coupons.

US - buy 60 tokens and get 30 tokens free $15
Can - buy 60 tokens and get 20 tokens free $19.80

I want my 10 extra tokens and $4.80

Stupid Chuck E Cheese.

but I like their games too much...

Yay for Jerry!

Hello Everyone,

So Jerry starts training November 14th with Canada Post. It's 10 days of training followed by 2 tests. After that, if all goes well, he'll be on-call.

He was hoping to start mid-October but isn't complaining about the wait. At least he's almost there.

It'll be a tight October for us but we can make do. I now have to put off my job search for a couple months as I won't risk my steady pay cheque with Jerry's instability.

But it does bring me back to school in the fall. SAIT is having an open house at the end of October so I can apply to the medical transcription prgram for free (save $50). I've been thinking about this for a while. You can take it through other schools by correspondence but I think I want to be in class for this. They also include a practicum. It would mean I could work in a hospital or clinic for a couple years and then have the freedom to work from home. The pay is comparable to what I'm making now and there is increasing demand.

So, do I look for another payroll opportunity or stay with Akita and see what happens next fall?

Payroll was not on my radar as a career and I accepted my position after being at reception. It's given me lots of opportunity - fair pay, education, new experience. But it's not something I love. It's a job. But, I'm good at it and I've invested a lot of time toward my education.

If I take the risk, I need to come up with $7000 to cover all the tuition, student fees etc. And then figure out how to cover my monthly expenses as it's full-time. I don't have savings right now as all my leftover money is going toward debt repayment (past mistakes that I've learned from). But it would mean once I'm done, I would have a new career (that I chose for myself), slightly lower at first but increasing wages (that will be back to par in about a year), a way to supplement my income by picking up a few at-home contracts and the freedom to work wherever I live.

Jerry has said he will help financially but it'll take time before he's on with Canada Post permanently. And I can pick up a part-time job. I can make it work - I can be financially creative.

And that's crazy tuition! My first year in the navigation program cost $2,298.35. I still remember that because it was the largest cheque amount I had ever written at the time. But the current tuition amount includes books, student fees, transit pass (included in fees) etc and it's for 9 straight months.

Or, I could take it by correspondence and it costs $5800 but it would mean I could continue to work full-time. And have no life because it's 20+ hours of studying each week. Or I could take a couple years to build up some savings and delay the opportunity.

I don't know.

Anyways, I hope you have a great day!

stupid cold

Hello Everyone,

I've caught a cold but at the early stage. Had a 3 hour nap when I got home from work.

Good news for Jerry. He retook the Canada Post exam and is now at the final stage. He goes for a medical this weekend and if all is good, will start training mid-October. I will be very happy if it all work out. He's been excited at the prospect of working for them. And I'll be happy for the stability.

I've decided to withdraw from my Finance course. I'll get a partial refund as it's within the first month of class. The material was a lot more than I can handle right now. I keep the text book though so if I decide to give it another shot, I can do extra reading beforehand.

And I've decided I'm going to leave Akita. It's been four years and I'm at a stand still. I've done the same work for four years and nothing would change for another 3 (when the current payroll manager wants to cut her hours a bit). I'll take my time though to make sure something is lined up first. Although Calgary has weathered the financial difficulites fairly well, there are some indications that something is going to happen.

Mary is built and is lovely to ride. Smooth and fun. I'll post photos soon. Have a good day!