Sore throat, sneezing, coughing...the cold in settling in my body. I despise being sick and I am fortunate enough to have it rarely happen. The funny thing is, the last time I got sick was four months ago when I moved my mother into her apartment. Kinda weird that I'm getting sick as I move her out of it.
Where's my peppermint tea, dammit! The shuttle driver was supposed to go to Tim Horton's over a half hour ago. My throat needs tea!!!! Thankfully I am off Thursday and Friday and then it's the long weekend. So five days of not having to talk to idiot customers will be wonderful. Now if I could just keep from killing my mother during those five days...
The weather is supposed to be really crappy on the weekend, with the remnants of Ernesto passing through. I'm not sure what I'm going to get up to, but it will probably involve going to Chris' frequently to get the hell out of my apartment. The big comicon is this weekend, but I don't think we can afford to go. I made a rather large purchase yesterday that I can hopefully talk about soon.
My posting will be erratic over the next few days, so I hope everyone has a great Labour day weekend!
Little Miss Sunshine. You must see this movie, it was great. The writing was awesome and the acting was top-notch. Lots of foul language, though (much like my own vocabulary...). It was the one bright spot in my week.
My mother will be back on my couch as of Thursday. She accepted by the CMHA in Chatham but they don't have anywhere available for her to live. They offered to put her up in a motel, but nooooo...she tells them she will stay with her daughter until they find a place. Which could bloody well take months. I cried all Friday afternoon...this is just killing me.
Hmmm, I need someone to stomp on like that. Pehaps our bonehead receptionist...
The housing people still have not called yet. My mother is so anxious that she is crying at the drop of a hat and can't stop shaking. You would think they would be somewhat sensitive to the fact they are dealing with a mentally ill person who has terrible anxiety (you know, being the Canadian Mental Health Association and all). I told Mom to call them if she didn't hear anything by 10:00 am. The waiting game is killing us.
Another sleepless night. The construction didn't stop until 10:45 last night and started right back up again at 5:45 this morning. With everything else going on, I just cannot sleep, even with sleeping pills. I feel like Fred Flintstone when he needed toothpicks to prop his eyes open because he was so tired :)
I think I'll head over to Mom's tonight and help with the packing. I keep putting it off but I might as well get it over with so I don't have to worry about it on the weekend. I'm debating going to see Little Miss Sunshine this weekend-I'll have to find out movie times and such. It looks like a great movie and I could use some comedy.
Yesterday was not good on the diet and exercise front. I am one of those people who eats when they are depressed. I'm finding it very hard not to give into my cravings right now, and yesterday afternoon I caved and devoured some chocolate. So I must force myself to get back in the saddle today, even though I feel like garbage. Why the heck can't chocolate be fat and carb free?
The chili was awesome last night. Chris made it with fresh jalapenos and veggie ground "beef". There are leftovers for dinner tonight-yum!
I was going to head over to Mom's tonight, but I don't think I feel up to it. I'll wait and go tomorrow or Friday to help her with packing. I think I'll just drop in to the comic book store then head home for a quiet night (well, as quiet as you can get right now with the blasted construction).
I think I am wearing the same expression as poor Garfield today, lol. It has been very quiet at work, which is a blessing in some ways but makes the day drag on forever. And someone is cooking something really good in the lunchroom, which is making stomach growl even worse. I smell bread...drool...
The wonderful construction workers were kind enough to stop banging around at 9:00 last night and let me sleep in until 6:00 this morning. I may not have to kill them all today (I realize it's not the workers fault, but they are the only visable targets).
The waiting game starts this afternoon, as the mental health people in Chatham are reviewing Mom's case. The worker said she would get back to Mom sometime between this afternoon and Thursday. I had to book next Thursday off work because one way or another, she has to move her stuff and I know there is no way she can afford the movers plus renting a car to drive herself. The movers alone will probably be $900 if the stuff has to go to Chatham. If she doesn't get accepted, we'll just put the stuff in storage here so it won't be as expensive to move it all. Hopefully that won't be the case, though...
I only worked out for a short period last night, as I was so wiped out and ached so bad from the day before I could barely stand. I lasted about 11 minutes while watching 90210 and then I had to stop before I fell over. I feel better today so I should be all set for Buffy tonight.
Chirs is coming for dinner tonight and is going to make me veggie chili. He makes the best chili and all the ingredients that go into it I can have on my diet, so woohoo!
Man, am I in rough shape today. It took me about ten minutes just to remember what I did on Saturday. The phone has rang off the hook today at work, but thankfully no one has been too demanding or I would have bitten their heads off (great customer service happening today...)
On Saturday it rained all day so going to look at cars for Chris was out of the question. We went bowling instead and had a really good steak dinner. I got home Saturday night to find some moron parked in my parking spot, which got my blood boiling. By the time I settled down and fell asleep it was 1:30 am.
Sunday morning, 5:15 am. Loud banging noises and the delightful sound of trucks and bulldozers backing up (you know, that bloody beeping sound) wake me up. They are replacing the culverts on the street directly in front of my apartment, which I knew, but 5;15 in the freaking morning?!? I was so mad and felt so sick from not getting enough sleep, I just wanted to cry. So going to comic convention was out, as I really wasn't up for the drive so we just went mini golfing and took a nap. How thrilling...
The construction started right back up at 5:30 this morning, so it looks like it will be a week of lousy sleep. If it gets much worse, I may have to go stay at Chris' and just come home to check on the birds.
On a positive note, I did my workout with Buffy every day except Thursday when I went out with Elizabeth. I hadn't planned on doing it on the weekends, but I wanted to watch the next episode of Buffy so bad I couldn't help myself!
I am barely coherent right now, so I may not post until later today or tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great weekend.
It's Friday! Whoopee! I cannot wait to sleep in tomorrow morning after all the sleeplessness this week. I missed Buffy last night, as I didn't get back from dinner until 9 o'clock and I was afraid working out before I went to bed would keep me up. I should have bloody well done it since I couldn't sleep anyway.
Dinner with Elizabeth was good. I had skinless chicken with mushrooms and salad, so I stuck to my diet. My only cheat was the teeniest bite of her cheesecake, just enough for a taste. I love cheesecake. It should be a food group of its own. After dinner I took her to Walmart, since no one in her family drives and the bus doesn't go as far as Walmart, so she only gets to go when I take her. They were out of everything I wanted! No flavoured water, no Crystal Light singles, no Avantage dinners...I was so pissed! The shelves all around the store looked like they had been ransacked. Very disappointing trip.
My dad called me last night on his way home from work. He had left early to go home and cut the grass because the grass was taller than the puppies. OMG, PUPPIES?? He is going tonight to pick up the two new Yorkshire Terrier puppies they bought. They are two little boys named Barney and Bailey. I cannot wait to see them! My stepmother had two Yorkies previously, Buffy and Corky. They had to be put down a couple of years ago (16 & 17 years old, respectively) and it broke my stepmother's heart. They were such awesome dogs, so I'm sure these new additions will bring lots of fun and excitement.
That is so me! I get grumpy when I'm dieting, as all I want are large quantities of carbs and sugar. The third night of Buffy watching went well, and I have felt delightfully achy from head to toe for the past three days. It's good ache, let's me know that my body is being used in ways is hasn't for a looong time.
I have to go out for dinner with my friend Elizabeth tonight, so ordering will be a challenge. Maybe we can go to Swiss Chalet or Red Lobster, where they will have some lean meats and veggies. I've cut out diet pop for the most part, so it will nice to treat myself to a Diet Coke (going from 3 or 4 a day to none has been an adjustment!).
Tomorrow's Friday-yay! There is a comic convention this weekend on Sunday In Toronto that I wouldn't mind going to check out. It's only $5.00 to get in, which is cool. The big one coming up Labour Day weekend is $20 a day to get in, so I'm not sure if it's in the budget.
Five hours of driving just blows. I feel so wiped, since I was so worked up last night I barely got any sleep. Early to bed tonight with a healthy dose of ativan, I think.
The intake interview with the Chatham-Kent Mental Health Housing went well. I am glad I was there with her, because my mother cannot be objective about her mental condition. The worker said she was going to recommend Mom get placed within their system and would present her case to the directors on Tuesday. She is supposed to get back to Mom by Wednesday or Thursday to let her know if she has been approved. Please, please, please let her be approved...
Then it will be a matter of them finding her a place to live in a week. Talk about a tight timeline.
I have to show you the flowers Chris brought me yesterday-they are so pretty and different with the colours.
Episode 1 of Buffy down. I lasted 25 minutes at a good pace on the Gazelle before I was ready to pass out. I figure it will take a few weeks to get to the full 45 minutes, so I'll just a few minutes each day. it was hilarious watching Buffy, though-they were all so young! I am really looking forward to getting through these episodes and reliving all the Buffy goodness.
I drank almost 4 litres of water yesterday. That's just over a gallon in US terms. I felt like I was swishing when I walked! Not to mention our work only has one women's bathroom and I swear someone was in it everytime I had to go. When it's time to renovate this dealership, my first request will be a staff bathroom for the women (there are 10 of us, for heaven's sake!). It's always fun when there is a line-up of us outside the bathroom, hopping around doing the pee-pee dance. I've already had a litre so far today...
Monday again. Yeehaw. Can't you feel my incredible enthusiasm for being back at work?
It was a very quiet weekend. Chris and I went out on Saturday to look at a couple of cars for him, but no luck. We went to Kelsey's for dinner and pigged out on all sorts of yummy food and then had a quiet night at home. On Sunday I ventured out to Walmart to pick up some food and tote containers. I then putzed about the apartment, packing up glasswear that is collecting dust and filing all my bills and paperwork. Not very exciting, to say the least.
I did unbury my Gazelle, so I am all set for my first episode of Buffy and my workout. I also found my dumbbells, so I can use them too. I started using Fitday.com again, which is an online food and exercise diary. It's a good way to keep track of what you are eating and it breaks it all down for you into fats, carbs, protein, etc. Plus it's free, which is always a bonus.
I have to take the day off work Wednesday to drive my mother to Chatham for an intake interview for housing. It's a 2.5 hour drive there, so I am really dreading it. Plus I have a bad feeling about the whole thing. They were supposed to let her know last week whether she had an apartment or not but now they want to do an intake, which should have been done at the beginning of the application process. I just know she is going ot be back on my bloody couch come September 1st. It is almost exactly a year from the last time she moved in, and that lasted 7 months. Ugh. Hopefully my gut feeling is wrong and it all works out, but I don't hink my karma is that good.
Name origins. I always love going through baby name books and seeing what people's names mean. My first name means "weary" and my middle name means "bitter" in Hebrew. My last name means "foreigner or stranger" in Old French. So I am a weary, bitter stranger. Go figure. How about you?
A good site for last names is here: http://genealogy.about.com/library/surnames/bl_meaning.htm
First names: http://www.name-meanings.com/
I hope you haven't seen this before-it's awesome! It's worth sitting throught the six minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozp8Cnnpt0Q
As Garfield once said,"Diet is DIE with a T". I have got to get back on the diet and exercise wagon that I fell off of (again). I'm not healthy, and need to kick my ass into gear before I wind up diabetic.
I think I have a good plan for the exercise part, which is always the hardest for me (I am such a couch potato). I have one of those Gazelle gliders, which is really fun to use and easy on my knees. I just bought all seven seasons of Buffy, so my plan is this: each day when I get home from work, I pop in one episode of Buffy and use the Gazelle while I watch. This will give me about 45 minutes on the Gazelle each day (I can fo 30 minutes now, so it may take a bit to work up to the 45). I figure it will give me something to watch that I enjoy that will distract me from the boredom of exercise. The plan is to start Monday, after I clear up some space in the living room (ie. my mom's leftover crap and the previously mentioned hanging underwear). I know I can do it, I just have to want it bad enough to stick to it. Maybe I need a battlecry like Evelyn in Fried Green Tomatoes-TOWANDA!!
Insomnia is not fun...
My friend and co-worker Karey is leaving for Mexico on Monday to get married to her long-time beau. I am so excited for her (and more than a little jealous!). I bought her the Boyd's Bearstone pictured here. I know she and her fiancee have a small collection of them, plus Karey knows how much I love Boyd's so hopefully she will think of me whenever she looks at it.
My Boyd's collection is quite large, between my mother buying them for me over the years and buying a ton of them myself off Ebay. I just love all the detail that goes into these adorable little bears. I have two display cabinets full of the little critters. My favourites are probably the Christmas ones!
Bah! Mothers. Can't live with them, can't kill them. I had best stop here, because I will go off on a huge rant. Grrr.
I had a pretty quiet evening last night. Six loads of laundry, so my apartment has clothes hanging from every available space as I only have an apartment-sized washing machine and no dryer. The upside is everywhere in the place smells like yummy fabric softener. That's the best part about laundry day :). The downside is there is a rack with my underwear drying on it right smack in the middle of the living room (it's the only available open space). Thankfully I don't get many visitors!
Lucky has had all of his flights feathers grow back, so he is flapping happily about the apartment. Hopefully Gypsy's will grow back in as quickly. The vet seemed to think it was their diet that made them lose the feathers. Here's the thing: I had converted both cockatiels to a pellet diet and they had been on them for two years. When my mother moved in last fall, the birds were out all day and kept going into my budgie's cage and eating all her seed. Mom made the brilliant decision to just start giving them all seed (which is basically like feeding your kids cake and candy all day-it's fat and carbs). Now it is just as much my fault, as I should have put my foot down with her, but it wasn't worth another argument. So back on seed they went, which has resulted in Gypsy's egg-laying and the feather-plucking. So for the past two weeks I have been working to get them all on pellets. The cockatiels have warmed up to them and are eating but Toby refuses to touch the pellets. I have mixed them in with her seed, tried them on their own... she just keeps picking them up and throwing them on the floor. When I come home, Toby bangs her food dish against the side of cage, as if to say 'Hey, woman, what's this junk in my bowl? Gimme the good stuff!". Ugh, they are worse than children some days :p
Another long weekend that flew by in an instant. Still, it was great not being at work for three days with how turbulent the atmosphere is around here.
Saturday was pretty quiet. I was in a grumpy mood that I just couldn't shake. I had dinner with Chris, his dad and his sister then we went mini-golfing. On Sunday I took my mom grocery shopping and brought her back to my place for lunch. We spent the afternoon watching home improvement shows and enjoying the air conditioning. On Monday, Chris and I went to a conservation area in Rockwood and went paddleboating. That was fun, although the park was insanely packed.
Now back to the grind today...
I'm melting, meltiiiinnng...The air conditioning broke down here at work, so it's a little toasty. Thank heavens I have a fan in my office. Our showroom is 90 degrees! I think the receptionist may wilt away, but that really wouldn't be a bad thing since she is such a tool.
So the bill for the car...$857.00. Quite the difference from $450.00, eh? When you are reduced to laughing hysterically at all that is going on, I not sure that is a good thing. Chris and I were supposed to have a quiet evening alone last night, but lo and behold his sister decides not to go into work AGAIN so that put the kibosh on that.
I have to pick my mother up from the train station tonight. She's been gone 9 days and the first thing she will ask me is if I missed her. Ummm, no? Sorry, but a break from dealing with her was needed desperately. Hopefully she managed to get some housing issues sorted out because I will go off the deep end if she is back on my couch by August 31st. Not to mention Chris will go ballistic.
On a good note, I had some gift certificates for Future Shop (an electronics store) so I went shopping yesterday. I picked up the special edition of "V For Vendetta", which is an awesome movie. I also got "The Chosen Collection", which is all seven seasons of Buffy! For only $139.99!!! I am so psyched to start watching them. Joss Whedon is the master. Now I just need the first four seasons of Angel and I will have the complete Whedon collection. I am such a geek :p
