(A late) Thursday Confessional

This one is so so good.
I nearly posted it last Friday when it happened... then as is the case, things got a little busy and I forgot to take the time to type... Wait, that's not totally true- I started watching "go call the midwife" on Netflix and I stopped doing anything productive.

So, remember that time I bought a car and was so excited?  I'm still excited.

I was feeling a little down, when after having the car for just over a month... the windshield wiper fluid stopped pumping. I filled the darn reservoir thing, I even popped the hood and listened for the pump to turn on when I turned the wiper thingy.

It's obvious that I know a great deal about cars. I know how to pop the hood, I know how to fill the reservoir, and I know that the thing that you turn to make the wipers work is called a "thingy".

The pump wouldn't turn on. The one for the back window would, and I'd watch with glee as the fluid would spray the back window... totally useless though as it's a wet snowy winter here and the FRONT window is what I need to keep clear.

I spent a week throwing snow on the windshield every time I stopped (so it would melt and I could clear the window), then I just got in the habit of pulling over at every service centre and wiping the window at the pump. I even drove to the city with Manda and Jen for our vacation... and pulled into random service centres along the way.

I bit the bullet and decided that I was going to take the car in last Friday to get looked at. I had a few errands to run with a friend first, one of which was a fill up at the pumps...  Friend asks me what my milage is like in town... and I realize I've only kept track when I've gone on the highway, so I reach over to reset the trip ticker... and knock the windshield wiper thingy with my arm... setting off the wipers in a full glory show of wiper spray and clean windows...

In this new car, I'm suppose to pull the thingy, not turn it.

So when I first got the car I knew how to work it... and then forgot after a month... and then spent FOUR WEEKS not knowing how to operate my car and being too slow to get it looked at.

Have I mentioned the manual is in french?

drip drip

I think that tonight was my last wet ride home from work.

After 8 months of being a cyclist, I'm headed to the bank tomorrow for my bank note made out to tune of a new (to me) vehicle's cost.

Part of me is sad that I'm caving and getting a car. I  mean, at one point I'd toyed with the idea of going a year without replacing the sunfire. Going 8 months is still a huge thing... really. In a small town with a terrible transit system, it's nearly unheard of. Our transit would get me to work 5 mins late - if I took the first bus- and I'd have to walk 3 blocks to get the bus... it takes me less time to ride the 3.5 km to work. The last bus of the night finishes nearly an hour before the end of my evening shifts..

I tried to take a taxi one morning. It went to the wrong address, so even though I'd woken up 2 hours early in order to call and reserve a ride on a terribly rainy day, I ended up being 10 mins late for work.

I'm pretty excited to pick up my new car. Road trips and visits to the forrest with the pooch... ug. the freedom to go to a different grocery store!

The new vehicle doesn't have a name yet.

It's pretty much the exact opposite of the two door sunfire... I feel like it's the car I'm always suppose to have had. Yay for my Honda CRV!

icey

I don't drive often.
I last used my car on Saturday night.


And now?
I can't find my keys. I know I had them at work with me on Monday morning and that they were in my coat pocket at least until I finished shoveling the driveway (again).

And... tonight when I did need my car, my car was frozen to the ground.
Yup, that's right- the mild weather on Monday made a puddle of slush around my tires... and the minus 10 to minus 20 celcius of the past two days locked some of my tires to the ground.

Thankfully, I own a shovel,
and I know how to rock my car out of a space... it took me a good 10 minutes, but I got out.
(The neighbourhood smelled like burning for awhile there)

roadtrips with Persia

I just spent a lovely day in the city visiting some of the favourites, and catching up with some old friends... it was so good to see those faces.

I feel like each part of the day was it's own day... too many stories jumbling together, starting with Muffins in Farsi and ending with a tiny smiling elf playing the drums beside spinning speakers.
no.
really.


-yogurt and sitars
-roomie visit (how to get lost in the mall)
-catching up
-Roots Music Canada's woodshed
-polka roo debunked
-knitting in the pub with (the) rats
-"I was a smoker dating a smoker" ... "how'd you like to date another smoker?"...."admit it, that was really funny".
-the Nylons (baby, are you busy tonight?)
-dinner and music a la Cleave Anderson and John T. Davis

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?

post 1030, time... 0130

I'm trying to get into a better sleep pattern.

I remember last year my sister saying she was having a hard time sleeping... and I remember thinking "that SUCKS... glad I don't have that problem!" 

I've never had a hard time getting to sleep... especially after that year of not getting enough sleep- it was like my body learned "if you stop moving, shut down". 

Lately, I wonder if my body has memory problem.

Tonight however... that's not what's kept me awake.

Ok, so I made the foolish decision to stay up and watch the end of Jumanji on Tv. I'd never seen the end of it (did you know it came out in like... 1995? I had no idea) When I went to see it in the theatre, it was with a few people from my youth group- and the film tore. So we only saw half, and they gave us free tickets to come back to see it... and I never bothered. Anyway... the Tv version is pretty choppy. They skipped a lot I think. Or maybe the original sucked. 

No, I haven't been kept up by visions of rhinos chasing me down from a board game (like the movie)... no, instead, I was just doing some chasing of my own.

The movie ended, I stood up. I looked for 'Touf..  he was out in the sun porch, so I thought. Nope.. not on the sun porch.

So I turn to go back into the house, but glance outside at my car.

funny.. it's raining.

funny, the rain makes it look like I don't have that dent on the side of my car...

funny, the rain makes my car look clean.

funny... the rain makes it look like the interior light is on in my car.

...

the light turns off.

I look down the road and watch two youth... I'm guessing 16-17, backwards hats, close to the same height, baggy pants, one in black, one in tan, both with backpacks... laughing and walking away.

I walk out the door and follow them.

nearing the corner... and I've gained considerably on them 'cause they don't know I'm there.... 

I call out "ummm, excuse me?"

One starts to look back... and... the other says NO... and they keep walking.. they get to the corner, and I see them start to run as they round... 

So I TEAR down the street (barefeet ... my flip flops broke today) and round... to nothing. I keep running (even though I hear laughter and shouting coming from inside the first door on the corner) just to make sure they aren't around the side of the building....

then... 

I go and stand on the street corner for 10 mins. 

A guy and a girl come out the door, walk to the pizza place, and come back... they didn't buy anything. They try to talk to me as they return (I'm standing in front of their house). I grunt. and glare at them... knowing full well they were sent out to see if I was sticking around.

I walk back to the house.

Put on a sweater.

then go back to standing in front of their house.

get bored after two minutes.

and go home and call the police.

I should have just walked to the police station. 

It's across the street... it's just they make everything a hassle when you go in there... 

And besides. I've heard that none of them are single.

That... and I'm still not wearing any shoes

too wound up to go to sleep now. 

cop car just passed the house for the third time.

pony cart

I've asked for a pony for Christmas countless times.
I've had two in my life, one was given to me (to use) and the other I paid for (when I should have been buying textbooks).

I need another.

Because when you dish money out for your horse, at least it loves you in return... not like my car. My car shows me no love.

I prayed my car into the parking space at Canadian Tire this afternoon.

Last night, my battery light came on... in G-Town. Scary. I prayed it home. Then I prayed it to work last night, then prayed it home this morning... and prayed it back to work. Really and truly, it should not have gone as far as it did, but I had no choice, working two jobs demands it.

I left the office with the dashboard lights fading, I got to the halfway point and the ABS light came on.... I pulled into the parking lot and my air bag light lit.... I pulled into a parking space AS the car stalled.

Yes, it was the alternator, yes, the battery died too, and yes, the brakes went crazy as I left the repair shop... and yes, my radio is no longer functioning.

thankfully, they took my car back and fixed the brakes (snow caused it to seize.. meaning the ABS were stuck on) without a charge... (car repair lady is hero of the week) but they don't have the code for my radio... so I have to try to get that from the dealer tomorrow.

I stood in Crappy Tire and tried my very best not to cry.

well... I guess it's a good thing that I have two jobs.

the good news and the bad news

good news....
I get a new bed to sleep in at work

bad news...
I think my car may remain at work without me in the morning.. I'm pretty sure the alternator blew on my way home from the board meeting.

good news...
I had a bored meeting, but was productive and... was nice to see everyone again.

bad news...
I carpooled for half the trip, the driver drove 30 most of the way.

good news...
I got to go to a (really interesting concept) drumming course for work today. And got to see a cutie boy I hadn't seen in years, who just happened to be running the teaching portion of the event.

bad news...
The individual I took didn't like loud noises, so we only participated in about a quarter of it.

good news...
I'm the number one search for both fresh parsley AND parsley seasonings, and I didn't do anything this week to push it. how lovely.

good news....
Since dad is in the USofA, I'm getting cute new rubber boots mailed to him, and he'll bring them home to my feet.

there are others... but I'm ready for bed.

80, great.

The past few days I'd taken to writing a letter each morning and carrying it in my pocket. It started out "Dear Officer, if you've pulled me over then what they say about Murphy's law must be true."
From there it went on to say that I planned on purchasing my stickers for my car plates on yesterday's date.. the first date I'd have off work in time to get to the licensing place... errr.. the first date since I remembered (last week) that I needed to get new stickers.
Thankfully, I didn't have to get the letter out of my pocket, I was never pulled over.

Yesterday I got to the mall on time, only to discover something odd. Remember that time the thieves broke into my car, and hurt my feelings by not stealing my CDs? The cops wouldn't take a report as nothing was stolen.... I discovered yesterday that in fact... they had taken my car registration papers.
So, not only was I driving with an expired sticker... but I didn't own my car.

What did I do?

I got the hic-ups.

Then I went and requested new owners papers, stickers, and a change of address on my licence.

All was well with the world again, I hurriedly stopped for some groceries, then trotted off to my car. Bags in each hand, I wiped the dirt off the spot on my car's plates and proceeded to stick the sticker on..... upside down. Luckily, I caught myself just as I was sticking it on, and only the very corner of the sticker had touched the plate... I slowly pulled it back... and voila!
Ripped the sticker in half.

My plates now hold a sticker for the year "80 CED", ripped down the middle and pieced back together .

Great.

Fresh and Tasty

A thing happened yesterday.

Not a good thing, but turns out, not a bad thing either.

Roomie's computer kicked the bucket at work... which is very sad, it's been puffing smoke on the rare occasion... but it means that she's got a lappy now. A lappy that will pic up a neighbour's wireless signal when we move into the new house until our own Internet is hooked up.
For that, I am truly thankful.

Also, I was looking at the stats again today, While the most common random entry into the site (via google) is "fresh parsley" or "parsley substitutes" or "parsley as a seasoning" or even "can you get high off of parsley?", I continue to be number 5, sometimes number 6 in the search! How sad.
Especially since most people don't know how the name came to be here...
flash back
(flash back music)
(flash back special effects)
(maybe some hazy smoke around the edges)
(and cold vinyl car scent..)
I'm in a car... I'm not alone.
I am the passenger.
Beside me, Kim.
Behind me, her young daughter and infant son.
Kim and I are having a conversation, when from the back of the car we hear a small voice trying to get our attention.... Trying to get MY attention.
"umm ummm... uh.... Parsley? Will you play barbies with me?"

And so came the moniker. And it stuck.

you can't be serious.

Last night I walked out to my car, and without giving it a once over... got into it and drove away. I reached my friend's home, went inside... then walked to my car....

SOMETIME yesterday after work, weather it was while my car was parked at home, or while it was parked at my friend's... someone HIT my car! Smashed it! Dented it! Scratched it!
My car... and I.... are none too happy about this.

I went out when I got home, and wandered the cars parked near where I park my car... it was dark, I brought my flashlight.

I like that my dad suggested I go vandalize their car if I found it...

I really want to.

He's always been a really good "eye for an eye" type guy like that :)

all that junk inside your trunk

when I was touring with Watoto, each night had us in a new home... you never really knew what it was going to be like until you arrived, BUT... generally you could get an idea by looking at their car. Not so much what type of car they were driving (well, no, that's not true, Canadians were well reflected by their choice of vehicle, Americans... not so much.... not at all) but more by what was in their car, or... what condition their car was in.
Tonight I was clearing some of the stuff from my car. And while I did, I wondered how people would classify me, or what impression they'd have of me by the contents of my little sunfire...

Tonight included, but wasn't limited to:: three pairs of high heels, one board game, eight pairs of socks (mostly pirate themed) a crock pot, a kitchen aid mixer, one (size small) goat skin East African drum, a winter coat, a lawn chair, festival blanket, library books, sleeping bag, rocking chair, cast iron pan, a pair of barn boots, swimming gear, gym bag, meeting minutes, and two empty coffee cups.

What's in your car?

confusion:: HOW did the chicken cross the road?

I live on a fairly quiet street traffic-wise.... except for when train 48 pulls in or out (yes, there REALLY is a train 48!) or when any of the other commuter trains are filling and emptying. Then.... I live in congesta-land... I've sat a full 5 minutes at the end of my driveway waiting for the cars to clear so I can leave my house.
I live a few doors down from the station... there are two exits to the main road from the station, the first goes directly to the road... but it's a blind exit and has resulted in many an accident, and the second takes a detour past my house onto a side road that leads to the main road... which is half a blind exit (oh, love the hills). It might have been Monday that I noticed the workers changing the street lights to include the little side road... there-by moving the stopping line for South bound travellers BACK by about 35-40 feet... They started the lights on Tuesday.... I've YET to see all the cars stop in the right spot.
This town is such a creature of habit, each time the light changes 3-5 cars are left sitting in the MIDDLE of the intersection... still blocking the side street. (Having ignored both the "stop here on red" and "do not block intersection" signs)
good grief!

ahhh... did I do that?

As with any new job, there are reams and reams of paper to be read, countless polices to put to heart, and names to put with faces.
I'm feeling silly.
I've been in and out of that building nearly daily for 6 years prior to being employed there.
And, in that time, I've met... pretty much every person who works there, or is supported there. Now, here's the problem.. it's not that I've "met" them for real, it's more, I've heard their name in passing, or, just seen them so often that they deserve the Canadian traditional greeting "hey how's it going, [insert comment about the weather being too hot or too cold or too dry or too wet], see you later!" So, combine that with- my inherent inability to remember names... and you've got a disaster.
There are about 20 staff in this building... they all know my name... and I can't remember who is who.... thankfully though, there are multiple Tracy's Tammy's and Patty's, so I figure I have to get it right some of the time.

I LOVE the admin lady... though mostly she spends her time laughing at me as I wander around trying to orient myself.... she's approached me 7... yes, 7 times in the two days I've been working for them asking me how to pronounce my last name... I heard rumour that she's extremely nervous she's going to mispronounce it on the tele-directory... I didn't bother to tell her she's misspelled my first name on everything.

Ok, so... I'm sitting with one of the managers today and she's giving little antidotes of things that have happened, and how they fit under policy...one after another....no word of a lie...

Her::"So, on occasion there are minor accidents that occur on the property, and so and so is the one you'd go to see about such and such.... for example, there was a time that someone backed their vehicle into the hand rails and they needed to be repaired"
Me:: "uh... that was me"
Her:: "oh!" (starts laughing)

Her:: "on occasion our own personal property can get ruined... yadda yadda yadda.... for example, if you were to drop your cell phone and have it run over in the parking lot..."
Me:: "uh... that was me too"
Her:: (nearly doubles over in laughter) "I was just using that as a fake example" (more laughter)
Admin lady:: (walks into the room) "now, has she told you what to do in case you run anything over with your car?"
Her:: "we've got to get this girl a parking space so she doesn't have to drive around"
(cackling)
Me:: bright red.


I'll find the link to the van back-up incident eventually.. ever get caught up in reading your own archives?

Bus from the double hockey sticks...

you know those dreams where you're crashing.. or falling, or someone's chasing you? and you can't breathe? And your heart is pounding.. and you have to look away, but you can't look away, because if you do... well, you know you'll die instantly...
I had one of those days the other day.
You think it's going to be all fun and games when you get on the bus and the driver is introducing herself and singing along at the top of her lungs to some Dixie Chicks.. When your driver laughs a lot and talks about how she's been working a lot of hours, she only does charters... and jokes about whatever....
The people at the beginning of most horror films think they're starting a fun day too... at the beginning of the movie.

Then you notice your bus lurching from side to side....
Then you notice the cars you're flying past... the cars you're passing by inches... not inches from the side of you.. but inches from your bumper. You're tailgating... and passing at an incredible speed.... And then you notice the driver using her left foot on the gas and brake... the right taking a little break over in the aisle. Then the phone calls start... and the text messaging on the 401... and you start to think to yourself... "hmmm, I sure wish I'd written a will before I left the house today"

true that

in response to yesterday's post... yes, It's not quite protecting one's identity if you then go ahead and tag them in a note on facebook... BUT since these posts don't originate in Facebook, but in my one true love: the annon-sorta blogger, the king of "Badum dum ching" is safe and secure in his anonymity.

now.. to the point- and yes I do have a problem staying on task this month- Jmack pointed out that perhaps the most memorable part of the trip was NOT in fact his body flailing display of armless bear chow- but perhaps some other such event.

True.. Niagara Falls is beautiful.. the honeymoon capital of the world, and true one of my favorite parts was the power plant- in nerdly fashion- I learned more about power generation in one 30 min tour and video than I ever have before.... But perhaps the entire trip's memory could have been eclipsed by one single feature of this trip....

Sue the bus driver.


more on her later.. I have some SHELTER VALLEY work to do... (hee hee.. none too subtle eh? It's SVFF time again...

to add insult to ... er.. no, just insulting.

I don't know who should be taking it worse... me? or the folk singers?

Today was my day off... Mondays are my ONLY official day off, I also get every other weekend. How did I spend this day? Mostly in my Pj's playing puzzle pirates... a little Jack a la 24, then off to my car to visit Dalton before going to my Dad's.

My car.

I walked to my car. The door wasn't closed properly. Which isn't normal, as my door frame leaks a little, so I'm always careful to close it fully. Also not normal... my CD case sitting on my seat. Also not normal, my sunglasses case sitting on the seat. Also not normal, my registration in the back seat. Also not normal, the console open.

Someone broke into my car!

And by "broke into" I mean, they opened the door... I don't lock it, I don't have time to get the window fixed were it to be shattered. I immediately opened the trunk... *phew* drum still there, CD player still there, Krazy Karpet still there. Nothing missing from the trunk. I go back to the driver's side... and tally the loss. One pair of sunglasses (3 years old) and $1.75 in Canadian Tire money (which I'd counted at the car wash the other day).
Not too bad.

So at first I felt violated... someone went into my space and took my stuff.
Then I was insulted.... what? they don't like my taste in music?

bubbley

So while the worms were drowning in my driveway yesterday morning, I dragged myself to my car... with the intent to drag myself to work....

Never before in my life I had a flat tire... So last week when my tire got a little soft and I actually had to go put air in it, I was a little nervous! One week later I was putting more air in it! horrible. And I don't want to buy a tire. (my new mantra)

SO, back to the drowning worms.

I walked to my car and the first thing I note:: my tire is not flat.
Thank you God!
I walk a little closer and the next thing I note:: there is hissing.
The rain drowning the worms is now pointing my ears to my tire... the rain drowning the worms is all over my tire....
The rain drowning the worms is now bubbling and hissing.... at a giant nail stuck in my tire.
sigh.

It's ok... my mantra helped... it got patched last night.

but wear them at night?

Tears streaming down my cheeks, I wondered if the drive home from Peterborough would ever end.
One eye shut, and the other threatening to do the same... clenched into furrows, wrinkles that some day I'll look back on.... and wonder at my choices.

The scenery passed by, cotton fields, whipped cream peaked trees, glistening streets. The sky the brightest blue, dotted only by the chance fluffy cloud...

I raced those clouds... desperate to stay with them....

I really should buy some sun glasses

post 600

ok, I had some time while I was waiting to pick someone up, cell phones can be a wondrous thing.

Our Cobourg Sunoco's number is 905-373-8317, when I asked for the manager, the man (Mike) on the phone asked how he could help. I explained that I really liked the car wash that I'd gotten the day before, that the machine did a great job, better than I could and with a lot less water (I always end up soaked and start writing on the street with the hose....) I also said I appreciated the fact that there was a sign referring to the fact that it might take a little longer to get in, because it was about quality not speed... blah blah, chit chat... I then mentioned the 9:3 ratio of cars with their engines running for more than 20 minutes at a time, and asked him if he would consider placing a no-idling sign. His response was that it was a good idea, but he wasn't just going to "slap any old make-shift sign" up, and that I should contact the Sunoco customer relations department.
I called them, related my story again, and was told it was a good idea, she would email the manager and tell him, and would pass the message along to the org as a whole.
Here's the customer relations number for you too 888-858-7242
And Mike at our local shop 905-373-8317

took me a total of 5 minutes including dialing 411 for the local number.