Saturday, December 20, 2008

odds and sods

1) it was VERY cold out. It's warming up a bit now with the storm getting closer... but it was so cold it couldn't snow. Instead, when I went outside (and it was near -20)  there wasn't snow.. it was more like being in a snow globe... the kind with sparkles in it. Not big enough to be flakes... not big enough to really even be seen... just enough to glisten... lovely.

2) My new official uniform of winter. My super comfy jean skirt (down to my toes- it acts like a tent keeping heat in- and works really well if I happen to stand over a vent...) with long johns and wool socks (with the socks pulled over the long johns so no draft gets to my ankles)
BEST outfit ever.

3) I whacked my knuckles making my bed yesterday. Insignificant at first glance, bloody mess the next second... one of those small cuts that bleeds and bleeds. It's more like a small scoop of skin pulled from my knuckle. In itself, that's not very interesting... mostly annoying each time I put my hand in my pocket to pull out my keys (which is often at work). BUT... I have a very tiny freckle on that knuckle. So tiny, and right in the crease- that sometimes I forget I have it and end up spending time trying to wash the dirt mark off my hand. Little Freckle has been scooped out of my knuckle. I'm excited to see if the cell memory is so deep that it comes back when my knuckle heals.. or if it's lost forever.
Someone remind me after Christmas to give an update.

4) Elven footwear. (more on this after Christmas)

5) I went to the 'Worth (tiny town North East of The 'Burg) today for an outing with work... and I've decided that somehow I need to live there.

6) This week I recognized, after doing some number crunching.. that at my current rate of pay- Unless I have two jobs- I will never be able to purchase a house. I am however a little frustrated with how much energy (emotional and otherwise) it takes, maintaining two jobs. And I'm REALLY not looking forward to tax time... because it looks like I've earned so much on paper... then I nearly started crying thinking about people I know who don't have jobs... or who are cut back in hours... or the single moms... or minimum wage earners... I'm not nearly the "working poor" ... but I just don't know HOW they do it!

7) Elven footwear. No really... I was weeping I was laughing so hard. (seriously, more after Christmas)

8) Very very sadly... The Good Lovelies' concert was cancelled due to the storm last night. Little Buddy and TravWho think that they don't really exist ... and that I've made them up- last year we bought tickets for a concert of theirs... and there was a storm... and it was cancelled. Mother Nature... you suck.

9) I should be sleeping.

Friday, December 19, 2008

lost

it's been nearly 2 weeks since I sat down to write. I've got about eight hundred random stories... lost to my sieve like mind.

so, instead I'll leave you with this....

The snow is falling, the wind is blowing, the twinkle lights are twinkling, the bunny is dancing- trying not to chew on the presents sitting under the tree, I've got a cup of tea steaming on the table, and a big ball of wool... it couldn't really get much better...

Christmas shopping is pretty much done, and now I just have to finish with this project and sew up the last few items...

life is good.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

brrrrrrr

I am blessed. 
in the past week, I've only had to walk where I needed to get to 4 times. of those 4 trips, I was picked up halfway there twice.
quite lovely.

Also, my car is fixed.
which is quite lovely.
And my dad is quite lovely.

Thanks dad :)


not quite so lovely is how cold I am. 
and I just can't warm up!
I'm going to go sit on my fingers (some more)

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

with my own eyes

So my car is on the verge of death. But I'm ever so thankful, that at one point in my learning to drive, my dad told me it was possible to drive standard without using one's clutch. I took that as a challenge, and eventually perfected it. I rarely use my brakes for the same reason.
So yes, I'm thankful, because I was able to drive the verge of death vehicle across town twice (for two very important events) before eventually admitting to myself that maybe I shouldn't be driving such a vehicle.

When lovely repair man told me how much it was going to cost... I told him he was the opposite of Santa Claus.

anyway, that's not what I sat down to write.

I like to make positive-earth-friendly choices where I can, and I'd LOVE to have a hybrid, or even a little smart car- except I'd need a trailer for my giant casserole dish. And I'm always impressed when people go out of their way to spend the extra (money or time) to make a smaller impact. One of my neighbour's even has a grease car... he refit his little VW to run on recycled oil from the chip truck. Yes, it smells faintly of french fries. I'm pretty sure I even remember my dad taking a course on electric vehicles? (is that right dad?)

Anyway, I tried not to laugh too hard tonight, while I was walking home from the bank... Parked in front of the convenience store was a little smart car. It sat there for a good 5-8 mins (I could see it from down the street). It sat there idling for a good 5-8 mins.

lol, what's the point?

Saturday, December 06, 2008

longest 4 hours of my life

So, today was my birthday.
ug.
I'm not into aging. at all.

anyway, last night I had the pleasure of spending the evening with my two lovelies (Travwho and Little Buddy) - and Mamma Blodgett.
We took in the sights and sounds of the Trans Siberian Orchestra. If you ever get the opportunity to see the show... GO. It's fantastic.

But that's not what this post is about. 

instead it's a tale of my poor bladder and the longest trip I've ever taken. Not that my bladder is poor. Or that it functions poorly, but rather, I felt bad for my bladder- and my bladder made me feel bad too.
Actually, the story isn't about my bladder at all. 

We left the Hammer at about 11pm. It's maybe a two hour drive home to the 'Burg late at night- no traffic thru the city to slow you down, night drives are great.
I had to pee when we left the Hammer- I'd even made a comment about wishing I could pee like a man as we walked to the car. Travwho wanted to get something to drink, we decided to find a spot to stop once we were on the main road home.
We got to the highway and started to fly along to find some sort of familiar land mark-stopping place. Then we saw a sign "express lanes closed at next exit". That was fine, there wasn't a ton of traffic, we were moving along fine, it was about 45 mins into our trip (why hadn't we stopped to pee yet????) and we were in Toronto
Suddenly, the traffic stopped. Strange, but we figured it would start moving pretty soon as cars sorted themselves out, going from 6 lanes to 3. 

I was pretty tired, I'd had a really early start to the day- and it had been pretty intense (story for another day) so I decided to close my eyes. I woke up an hour later. 
We still hadn't moved.
In the end, we moved something like .4 kms in an hour and a half.
sick.
and I had to pee.
still.
Eventually we start to move again. 
Only to see a sign.
"two right collectors closed at such and such a street"
traffic slows
again
we move along, only to see a sign
"lane closed"
we slow
now it's 2am
I still have to pee
And I haven't eaten since lunch.
we end up moving from the express to the collectors a few times, see very little in the way of actual construction, and no reason for NOT moving.
2:30am, Little Buddy finds an exit he's comfortable taking to find a bathroom.
we get stopped by the ride program.

I'm ready to LOOSE it.
on EVERYONE.

(so far, being 30 sucks)

I make a dash to the bathroom, buy an orange juice and pray that it helps restore blood sugar levels to a non-kill level ("non-kill everyone I encounter" I mean).
We hop back in the car... and hit another ride program. I'm still near hysterics, apparently the sugar hasn't hit my blood stream yet.
The car in front of us is stopped ... and eventually pulled over. every minute that passes makes me shake a little more.
We are finally on our way, 45 mins to home... totally doable. 
I start to calm... and take in my surroundings.
"hey guys?" (says I)
"are we suppose to be getting a snow storm sometime tomorrow?"
(guy) "I don't know, why?"
(me) "they sprayed that salt stuff on the roads again.. you can see the lines"
discussion ensues over the effectiveness of the dried salt spray on the roads vs. the granular salt.
(me) "ha ha, wouldn't it be funny if it started to snow? and then visibility got to zero, and we never got home? ha ha ha ha!" (I look and smirk at the clear cold sky)

... can you see where this is going?


the snow started about 5 mins later.

it got worse

we drove slower (80) (kms)

and slower (60)

we passed 7 snowplows (going in the opposite direction)

and it kept snowing, and it got harder to see... and steer. Eventually we got to the Port's exit, Little Buddy pulled off there, and we started to creep towards Travwho's home. (50)
more snow... moving slower (40)
Thank goodness we were driving so slow...  because after all that... at 3am, a block from Travwho's house.. a deer jumps out and nearly lands on the hood of the car.
Little Buddy keeps his cool and doesn't kill the beast... I'm again near hysterics.
Thankfully the Christmas lights are on at Who's house, and we're able to find it in the snow.  
Then we slip slide all the way into town... I half laugh, half cry most of the way.
I am safely deposited at home, and Little Buddy and Mamma Blodgett (who has to be at work in a few hours) continue on their way...
I get a txt message from Buddy about 20 mins later... his wheel wells had filled with so much snow the shocks stopped working, and he had to stop on the way home to knock it out....

what a night.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

The Saddest Hibiscus

I was given the most luscious hibiscus tree... plant? this fall.
It sat in the sun porch, and just bloomed.
and bloomed.
and bloomed.
It was the happiest hibiscus of them all.

One day, I decided to bring the tree into the house, winter hit, and the sun porch was now more of a cold storage room, with it's night time frosty temperature dips threatening the well being of my dear Bloomy McBloomerson.

He still continued to bloom
and bloom.

but something sad happened.

He decided that he was depressed.
or got bored.
and to bring some action into his life... he decided to turn all his leaves yellow, and make them all fall off.

Now he's the saddest, most naked hibiscus of them all.
except for the blooms.

(ps. he's onto week three of being naked- sticks and flowers... today I noticed some leaf buds opening up)