Hello, I'm Eeyore. What would you like to know?

Me: Will my co-workers ever stop driving me bonkers?

Eeyore: Wouldn't count on it, but that's just me.




Go ahead, ask me a question.

Me: Are you the most intelligent creature I'm going to have a conversation with today?

Eeyore: Probably so, but I'm always the last to know.



Got a question? Well, go ahead and ask it.

Me: Am I going crazy talking to an animated stuffed donkey?

Eeyore: I'll ask Pooh, try again later. I've got a question for you, if it's not too much trouble...sorry to bother you, but is my tail still on?


*actual transcripts from Leah's Q&A session with Ask Me More Eeyore.

Where did the weekend go? I swear, it was Friday only a couple of minutes ago...

I had a pretty quiet weekend. Chris and I did a bit of shopping on Saturday. I picked up a new dish rack and Swiffer (very exciting purchases, I know...). It was such a gorgeous day that we spent of couple of hours out by the pool. I made chana masala and samosas for dinner and we had a quiet evening in front of the telly.

On Sunday I think I scrubbed almost every surface in my home. I cleaned for 5 hours straight and still have more to do *sigh*. Having two cockatiels and a budgie is messy business sometimes. Chris came over for dinner-stuffed chicken with rice and veggies. We got in some quality alone time and watched "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone".

Now it's back to the grindstone...ugh, I really do hate Mondays. Unless it's a holiday Monday, then it's fabulous, lol. Three more weeks until we have one of those for Labour Day...I'm on a countdown.

I hope you are having a good Monday wherever you are!

When Chris called me last night, he said,"You sound really weary". I am really weary right about now. Which just proves that I am appropriately named...Leah=weary in Hebrew.

It has been a horrid week at work, with one manager making things incredibly difficult. Even though we work in a competitive business, I do not feel the need to treat fellow dealers like crap or try to rip them off or screw them over. Apparently this is way we are supposed to be...I want no part of doing dealer trades if it involves being as asshole. I have to deal with dealers that treat me like that all the time, but it doesn't mean I have to stoop to that level. Unfortunately with my main manager off this week, I am stuck under the authority of this guy. Not fun.

I was driving home last night after a dreadful day at work. I'm at a stop light and it turns green. I start out and this freaking moron flies through the red light around the corner. If I had not been paying attention I would have written off my car. Luckily I braked hard enough to avoid this bastard by inches and even more luckily the lady behind braked quick enough. I wail on my horn at the guy but he just keeps driving on his merry way. Dickhead.

So my nerves were totally frayed for the rest of the night. I get home and I have a delightful notice from Revenue Canada, letting me know that they want my income taxes paid in full, like, now. Fantastic. I'll just pull $750 out of my ass and send it to them. They got $100 and that's all they're getting for the timebeing. Throw me in jail...at least the rent and meals are free there.

Then I go to do the dishes and one of the glasses has broken in the bottom of the sink. I slice open my knuckle and blood goes everywhere. And for some bizarre reason, my knuckle bruises and swells and throbs all night. Ugh, like I needed sleep anyway. At least if they have to amputate, it's my ring finger. I would seriously handicapped in regards to communication if it was my middle finger.

So I figure at least tonight I could go out for a nice dinner with Chris and relax. No. His dad's girlfriend is coming over for dinner. "But you can come...if you want". Yeah, like that's a fabulous sounding invitation, sounds like you really planned on having me there. So hopefully tonight will be a less disastrous night alone.

Sorry, this is one major rant. But I need to rant somewhere and this is the only place I have.

I love you guys. You help keep me sane.

Happy Birthday, Neicy!

What I Have Learned: by Homer Simpson

When someone tells you your butt is on fire, you should take them at their word.

There is no such thing as a bad doughnut.

Kids are like monkeys, only louder.

If you want results, press the red button. The rest are useless.

There are many different religions in this world, but if you look at them carefully, you'll see that they all have one thing in common: They were invented by a giant, superintelligent slug named Dennis.

You should just name your third kid Baby. Trust me -- it'll save you a lot of hassle.

You can have many different jobs and still be lazy.

I enjoy the great taste of Duff. Yes, Duff is the only beer for me. Smooth, creamy Duff . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

You can get free stuff if you mention a product in a magazine interview. Like Chips Ahoy! cookies.

You may think it's easier to de-ice your windshield with a flamethrower, but there are repercussions. Serious repercussions.

There are some things that just aren't meant to be eaten.

The intelligent man wins his battles with pointed words. I'm sorry -- I meant sticks. Pointed sticks.

There are way too many numbers. The world would be a better place if we lost half of them -- starting with 8. I've always hated 8.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard "My God! He's covered in some sort of goo," I'd be a rich man.

Be generous in the bedroom -- share your sandwich.

I've climbed the highest mountains . . . fallen down the deepest valleys . . . I've been to Japan and Africa . . . and I've even gone into space. But I'd trade it all for a piece of candy right now.

Every creature on God's earth has a right to exist. Except for that damn ruby-throated South American warbler.

I don't need a surgeon telling me how to operate on myself.

Sometimes I think there's no reason to get out of bed . . . then I feel wet, and I realize there is.

Let me just say, Winnie the Pooh getting his head caught in a honey pot? It's not funny. It can really happen.

Even though it is awesome and powerful, I don't take no guff from the ocean.

I never ate an animal I didn't like.

A fool and his money are soon parted. I would pay anyone a lot of money to explain that to me.

Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll get a hook caught on his eyelid or something.

I made a deal with myself ten years ago . . . and got ripped off.

Never leave your car keys in a reactor core.

Always trust your first instinct -- unless it tells you to use your life savings to develop a Destructo Ray.

When you borrow something from your neighbor, always do it under the cover of darkness.

If a spaceship landed and aliens took me back to their planet and made me their leader, and I got to spend the rest of my life eating doughnuts and watching alien dancing girls and ruling with a swift and merciless hand? That would be sweet.

I may not be the richest man on earth. Or the smartest. Or the handsomest.

Never throw a butcher knife in anger.

The office is no place for off-color remarks or offensive jokes. That's why I never go there.

My favorite color is chocolate.

Always feel with your heart, although it's better with your hands.

The hardest thing I've had to face as a father was burying my own child. He climbed back out, but it still hurts.

If doctors are so right, why am I still alive?

I'm not afraid to say the word racism, or the words doormat and bee stinger.

Always have plenty of clean white shirts and blue pants.

When that guy turned water into wine, he obviously wasn't thinking of us Duff drinkers.

I love natural disasters because we're allowed to get out of work.

When I'm dead, I'm going to sleep. Oh, man, am I going to sleep.

What kind of fool would leave a pie on a windowsill, anyway?

I stood in line for almost an hour Friday night/Saturday morning, along with dozens of other fans and was lucky to get my book before they sold out. And I only got 3 hours sleep that night. Was it worth it? Hell, yeah. Great book...I really enjoyed it and just couldn't put it down.

The weather was beautiful this weekend-warm but not humid, thank heavens. We went mini-golfing on Saturday and had an awesome BBQ dinner-steak, caesar potato salad, grilled zucchini and mushrooms...yum!

Yesterday was quite warm, so it was an awesome day to be by the pool. Of course, I managed to burn myself again, but not too bad. We had samosas and chicken curry naan pizza for dinner, along with the leftover potato salad. We then watched half of Muchmusic's top 100 videos of the last decade. Ugh! Number one was "Stan" by Eminem, which was a cool video, but #2 was "Hit Me Baby" by Britney Spears and #3 was "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake...blech!! There was nothing even remotely interesting about either of those videos. And that god-awful "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani was in the top ten. Does that song make sense to anyone???

Now it's back to the grind Monday morning. One of my managers is on vacation this week, so the other one has to work 12 hour shifts. He will be grumpier than hell by Friday. On the bright side, we are having a big BBQ and cornroast for the staff tomorrow, which will be fun.

Hope you all are having a stress-free Monday!!

TGIF!

Exhausted...

I wish I could just flop somewhere and pass out. I have had persistent insomnia for the past two weeks and it is really taking a toll. I really don't want to go to my doctor, because the guy is a complete a**hole and I avoid him like the plague (unless I get the plague, then I would happily share it with him...)

It's been a good movie week. I saw Transformers on Monday, which was better than I thought it would be. It was cool to see the new Camaro in action, even if we won't have them in the showrooms until 2009.

Then last night Elizabeth and I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was very goo. Much more character driven and dark than the past movies. Can't wait to buy it on DVD.

Chris has headed up north until next Wednesday, so it will suck not having him around. I hate it when he goes away...it brings back really bad memories of being dumped twice previously when he went away on holidays.

I'm off to Chatham to see Mom this weekend. I really hope the weather isn't too hot as she doesn't have air conditioning. And let's hope my car behaves itself this trip.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Neicy, I hope you have a blast in Denver!

ABC's

Kris was right...this is much harder than it looks...


A is for anxious, Aries, athiest, analytical, aggressive

B is for bitchy, brooding, brown-eyed, bird-lover

C is for creative, capable, clutterbug, Canadian, chubby

D is for daughter, dreamer, dramatic

E is for eager-to-please, emotional

F is for finicky, fierce, friend, forgetful

G is for generous, grumpy, gullible

H is for homebody, hungry (hell, I'm always hungry), hot-headed

I is for introverted, imaginative, indispensible

J is for jittery, jaded

K is for knowledgeable, kindhearted

L is for loyal, listener, lover and of course, Leah

M is for moody, mushy

N if for nervous, nosy, nutty

O is for over-cautious, ornery, obedient

P is for protective, procrastinator, pessimist, polite, predictable

Q is for quiet, quick-tempered

R is for reader, righteous, real

S is for sincere, squeamish, subdued

T is for thoughtful, testy, tame

U is for uptight, unusual

V is for very...something...

W is for wary, whimsical, witty, weird

X is for X-men lover

Y is for yay I'm almost done

Z is for Zed not Zee cuz I'm Canadian!

Happy Birthday, Kris!!

Some pics from RBG this weekend...

There is s little bee on one of the flowers...

Ugh...

A supermodel pose, lol...

Inside the mediterranean garden...

A monstrous bird of paradise...

The fountain outside the RBG centre...

There were really pretty mosaics...

This arch actually passes underneath a major roadway...

This aloe was easily 10 feet tall. I could use it for my sunburn...

Gorgeous lily...

Cool pineapple flower...

A butterfly taking a rest...

The fountain in the middle of the rose gardens...

I adore lilies. These ones were called "Cover Girl" lilies...

"Fair Lady" lily

A pretty covered walkway...

I neglected to make a mental note, but I think these are English tea roses.

Again, bad with the mental note, but I think it is a species of clamatis.

This flower was so striking, yet being the dumbass I am, I failed to remember the name.

It was a lovely day!

4 and a half more hours til...LONG WEEKEND! Yay! Happy Birthday, Canada! Canada Day falls on a Sunday this year, so we automatically get the Monday off. Woohoo! Adn the weather is supposed to gorgeous, so that makes it all the better.

So far, it has been a pretty tame month-end, which I am thankful for. I've been depressed all week, so the less stress, the better. My managers have all been grumpy and testy all week, but I've managed to avoid the brunt of it.

No big plans for the weekend, other than getting in some serious relax time and cleaning my very dirty little Honda. I plan on getting in at least a little pool time so I can stop looking like Casper the not-so-friendly ghost. Most of all I need some sleep, as insomnia has been ruling my life lately.

In honour of Canada Day, here is the recipe for our #1 original cocktail:

The Caesar

6 oz. Clamato Juice

1½ oz. Vodka

2 Dashes Tabasco Sauce

2 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce

Celery salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

1 Crisp Celery Stalk

Have a great weekend!

Whew. It is another scorcher out there today. Thank heavens for air conditioning, lol. I don't do well in this type of weather...it makes me more grouchy than usual.

The weekend was fairly uneventful. I went down to a yard sale that an old friend of mine was having to raise money for some astronomical vet bills she has. Her little 2-year-old british staffordshire bull terrier, Zeus, accumulated more than $9000 in vet bills. Yikes.

Chris and I went out for Indian food at a restaurant called Rice. It was pretty good, but Bombay Grill is still my favourite for Indian. Then we went home and watched "Big Fish". Great movie.

Sunday, I cleaned most of the day and then Chris came over for dinner and we watched the Nascar race. Talk about boring, lol.

With partial resolution to some of the wedding costs, I finally am feeling like doing stuff again. I found a wedding band for Chris for a great price (no point spending a ton of dough on it since he'll never wear the damn thing anyway) and finished printing the invitations. I think I may start working on the bouquets again. Only 10 months to go, lol.

Cute...

MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. Ijust finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3.. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC. " Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. "If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT. "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY. "Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. "Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM."Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA."You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER. "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. "Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY. "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION."Just wait until we get home.."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING. "You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP."Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?

20. My mother taught me HUMOR. "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT. "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS."You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS."Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM. "When you get to be my age, you'll understand. "

25. My mother taught me about JUSTICE. "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you

I am a lobster. I am slowly fading from a vivid shade of red to pink. That will teach me to sit in the sun for the first time this year with no sunscreen on (luckily my makeup and moisturiser have sunscreen in them or my face would be red as a beet).

We had a BBQ at Chris on Sunday afternoon and we were out in the backyard all afternoon. Chris' dad brought his new girlfriend over for us to meet. It wasn't nearly as awkward as Chris and his sister thought it would be and Jan is really nice. I made two pasta salads and caesar potato salad so we didn't have to eat the gross store-bought kinds, and then we just barbequed hamburgers. It was a great afternoon (aside from the killer sunburn, of course).

On Saturday I went out to my dad's, where my grandmother is housesitting while they are away on vacation. I haven't seen my grandma in 2 years, so it was really great to see her. She gave me the ring that grandpa had given to her when they got engaged and it's lovely. It needs to be resized to fit my monster hands, but it's a nice diamond solitaire in a bezel setting. My dad has had this ring since DECEMBER but didn't feel the need to give it to me. I went out to have dinner with her again last night and will go out with Chris for a BBQ tomorrow. I think she will still be there Sunday when I go over for Father's Day, so it's good to have lots of grandma time.

Hope you all are having a great week!

This should be interesting...

All right, since Kris and Neicy have both managed to get through this, I should at least give it a try. Please try not to fall asleep, lol...

1. I'm near-sighted. I wear my glasses every waking hour of my day.

2. I have lived in the same area all my life (within 20 km)

3. I drive a 1995 Honda Accord. It's a love/hate relationship...I love it, it hates me.

4. I am a control freak.

5. I am an athiest. My father was raised Jehovah's Witness, my mother was Anglican...they let me make my own decisions about religion.

6. I hate onions, brussel sprouts and eggs. Other than that I will eat almost anything. Kinda like a trash compactor.

7. I have a nose ring.

8. I have an irrational fear of snakes.

9. I am not an outdoors person.

10. As a infant/toddler I would literally curl myself up in a ball if someone tried to put me down on grass or dirt so my hands and feet wouldn't get dirty. My mom still can't figure that one out.

11. I have a major fear of crowds. It's only been after a lot of self-motivation that I have been able to go shopping by myself.

12. I am very sensitive about what others say to me and get easily upset.

13. I drink alcohol about once a year, if that.

14. I was a high school dropout. I eventually received my GED when I was 22.

15. I worked as a school age childcare supervisor for 5 years.

16. My first job was a cashier at a convenience store.

17. My parents divorced when I was 14. I have not been the same person since.

18. My favourite colours are purple and green.

19. I am an extremely assertive person in my professional life and a very indecisive, nervous person in my personal life.

20. I love to read.

21. I am a speed reader.

22. I have way too much mental illness in my life (myself, my mother, my fiance).

23. I was named after a neighbour from my mother's childhood. My mom had a terrible upbringing but this neighbour showed her kindness.

24. My descent is quite the mix. My dad's side is Scottish (his dad) and English/Native Canadian (his mom). My mom's side is all English.

25. I look like my two grandmothers smooshed together.

26. My father has seven brothers. I have 16 cousins on his side alone.

27. My favourite pet was my dog Peanuts. She was a pomeranian-poodle. I still cry when I think about her. We had to have her put down when I was 16 (she was 13).

28. I love to swim (as long as no one else sees me in a swimsuit).

29. I love boating. We had a gorgeous 19' bowrider when I was in my early teens and I loved being on it. It got sold in the divorce.

30. I collect Boyds Bears.

31. I have over 500 books.

32. I love anything made out of coloured glass.

33. My first car was a Dodge Omni. What a piece of crap.

34. Okay, I am so boring...

35. I love trying new foods, especially from different ethnicities.

36. I wish I was like Kris and could wear jeans to work everyday-that would be awesome!

37. I love sandals. I only own 2 pairs of shoes and one pair of boots, but at least 20 pairs of sandals. And in my lovely climate, I can only wear then for a few months. Go figure.

38. I love Star Wars.

39. And Star trek.

40. And comic books.

41. Yes, I am a geek.

42. I can spend a ridiculous amount of time playing the Sims 2 on my computer.

43. I love the name Rowan. If the rare chance happens that I have a little girl, that will be her name.

44. My middle name is Marie. My mom comes from a long line of women with Ada as their middle name. Thankfully she put a stop to that.

45. I am awesome at music trivia.

46. I was a very bad girl rom the ages of 14-16.

47. I used to smoke socially as a teenager but luckily never got addicted. I haven't touched one since I was 17.

48. I have a vivid imagination. Probably from so many years of playing by myself as a child.

49. I am an only child.

50. My mother was from Windsor and my dad from Kingston (one is 300 kms south-west and the other is 300 km north-east) so I don't see much of my family.

51. I hate bugs.

52. I love to sleep and nap.

53. Especially in the awesome king-sized bed I bought a couple of years ago. I could just stay in there all day.

54. I have only been on an airplane once, to go to Florida with a family friend when I was 10.

55. I love Eeyore. All my Eeyore collectables are stored at my dad's because I have no room for them all.

56. I made the mistake of collecting Beanie Babies. They , too, are at my dad's.

57. My dad lives 20 minutes away from me yet I see him twice a year. Feel the love.

58. I am addicted to Facebook.

59. I am a huge procrastinator. Why do today what you can do tomorrow?

60. I am not a neat person. I live and work in chaos.

61. I am a major worry-wart.

62. My fiance has broken up with me three times during our 9 year relationship.

63. I love bunnies. I hope to get one someday (a good mix with the birds).

64. I often wonder how I will stay sane living with 2 cockatiels for 15-25 years.

65. When I was a little girl I wanted to be a French teacher.

66. I regret losing the ability to speak French.

67. I regret not continuing my piano studies.

68. I regret a lot of my life.

69. I am a ridiculously punctual person-I despise lateness.

70. I can't believe I have made it to 70...

71. In grade school my nickname was the Walking Dictionary because I could just about anything.

72. I am not a good typist, though.

73. I lived on welfare when I was kicked out on my own at 18. I would not wish that experience on my worst enemy.

74. I went bankrupt a couple of years ago. It is my biggest shame and I have nothing to show for it.

75. My dream trip is to travel across Canada. Then go to Scotland and England.

76. I have brown hair and brown eyes...boring! Hence why I like to dye my hair.

77. I love blue eyes.

78. I want a tattoo. I have a design saved in my computer but I am too cheap to pay the money to go get it done, lol.

79. I am not a patient person.

80. I have horrible nerves and am very jumpy.

81. I love to listen much more so than talking myself.

82. I love small dogs, especially poodle mixes and Yorkies.

83. I think Paris Hilton should be shot into space.

84. I have been very fortunate to not lose anyone I was very close with.

85. I'm afraid of how I will cope when it happens.

86. I live in fear of both my mother and my fiance committing suicide.

87. I can rarely stay mad at anyone for long-life is too short.

88. There are two people in this world I will never forgive-2 of my mother's brothers, who I find out a few years ago they molested her as a child.

89. I don't like to argue or fight with my loved ones, so I tend to cave easily.

90. I love springtime and autumn, especially for hiking.

91. I have big feet.

92. I was friends with Chris for 3 years before we started dating.

93. I would love to go to college.

94. I am a soda addict (mainly diet coke but my fav is regular pepsi)

95. I love to play euchre, but never have 3 other people to play with, lol (and online just isn't the same).

96. I am not a good loser.

97. I always have jewelery to match my outfit...it's scary.

98. I hate to do dishes...good thing Chris doesn't mind doing them.

99. I am stunned that I got through this, lol.

Kris, Holli, Denise...

You guys are miles away but you are the only ones right now that make me feel like I'm not alone.

Your kind words and support mean so much. Thank you!

Grumpy.

Queen of Crabbiness, Princess of Prickliness, Duchess of Dourness, Countess of Crankiness, Sultana of Surliness, Grand Poobah of Peevishness...

I am very grumpy lately. I'm not outwardly being too crabby, but inside I am in a foul mood.

Where is the sunshine? Where is the good news and happy times? Where is the joy and love? Damned if I know. So, I need to figure out a way to find it myself because it sure as hell isn't searching for me. Or my friends. Or my family. Or my loved one.

And why? We are all damned good people. We deserve the happiness, peace, joy...all that good stuff.

I'm not sure why I'm ranting about this, but I just can't remember the last time I heard some good news or had something happy happen. And it's frustrating me.

Yes, this is a self-portrait...