Nectar of the Gods

I like beer. There is no two ways around it. Good beer, bad beer~premium brands, bottom of the barrel brands. Sweet golden brew.

I usually choose buy cases of Moosehead or Alexander Keith's. Show my Canadian pride. But when the funds are low...you've just gotta swing that way. Lucky for me, I find some of those bottom brands a tasty treat.

One snowy afternoon a few years ago, when my university roommate Mary Jane was lucky enough to have her parents car for the day, we took a trip to the Beer Store. Somewhere in the past school year, we had come across Molson Stock Ale. Now this really is the scrapings at the bottom. And just like me, Mary Jane appreciates a fine, bad beer. (Some of you might call it Old Man Beer.) We place our order: one 2-4 of Molson Stock Ale. The Beer Store guy looked at us funny, paused, then turned around and disappeared into the store room.

He returned, several minutes later. Evidently, cases of Molson Stock are not at the front of the store room. Those spots are reserved for beers like Canadian, Blue and Coors Light (all of which, I ironically despise). He placed the case on the counter. He looked us in the eye, bent over the case and blew on it. Dust scattered towards us.

He stood back up and said "Here you go ladies, enjoy...."

One might think to themselves that a dusty case of beer is a bad situation. Not us. It was still delicious and refreshing. Still did the job.

So be adventurous. Try those cheap beers, try every kind you can.

And the boss said.....

Today the manager of the accounting department came to my desk with a rather serious look on her face. At first thought.....I thought....shit, what did I do?

But no.

She leans in close, and says in a hushed voice, "That sales rep is cute. I usually wouldn't say that, but he's just so cute. You should find out about him. See if he's single and ask him out."

She winked at me and walked away.

Hmmmmm. I wonder.....

Back that thought up

Back in January, I took a TESOL course with two of my friends. We all made plans to travel overseas and teach English somewhere. Emily and Sophie had one semester of university left. After completing the course, I began to think hmmmm......while going overseas would be exciting and amazing, maybe it's not the best idea of my life right now. While I don't have a husband and children~let alone a boyfriend~to worry about leaving behind, I started getting concerned about the "things" that I own, and what would I do with them?? For example, my car. It's on a lease. What on earth would I do with it and not lose out on money? And all my furniture, and housewares....you get the drift. And further from that, did I want to escape to Asia for a year, maybe more, and put off more time of "growing up and settling down"? Eek.

But my worries were laid to rest when my mother presented me with an opportunity to build a business with her (which, if I might ad, is coming along quite swimmingly). My panic sudsided as I discussed with my mom what my goals are and the kinds of things I would like to see myself doing to reach them. Taking the TESOL course will somehow fit in somewhere, I like to think it was not just throwing away my money.

Back to Sophie and Emily. They stayed true to the plan. Sophie got a job in Slovakia, Emily got a job in China. Both are set to leave in the next 2 months or so. (I'll cry when they are both gone.) And now that the warm weather has arrived, we are hitting up the patios, kickin' it back with a beer, and making the most of the time we've got. That's Sophie on the left, Erin in the middle and Emily on the right....I'm gonna need another beer soon if I keep thinking about them going.....sniff sniff.

How unusual.....

I thought that for today, I would entertain with some strange and unusual news. I've skimmed over a several headlines on msn.ca. While the story of the man who tried to smuggle 700 snakes on a plane in Cairo is amusing, I took a unanimous vote (though I was the only voter...) to comment on the man who was arrested and sentenced to 16 months of jail for stealing $34.00 worth of gas in Saskatchewan. Take a peek at this....

SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. (CP) - Talk about the high price of gas.

A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to 16 months in jail after stealing about $34 worth of fuel from a service station in Morse, Sask. RCMP were called to the station on Wednesday. They quickly spotted their suspect vehicle on the Trans-Canada highway and a chase ensued.
The driver avoided one spike belt and stopped the vehicle prior to running over a second.

Ksamil Kalturnyk, 22, appeared in Swift Current court later that afternoon and pleaded guilty to charges of possession of stolen property, theft and dangerous driving.
He also pleaded guilty to breaching a conditional sentence order.

Now....I know that gas prices are getting ridiculous again. I think today the price is "good" at $1.075/litre here in London. But it was reaching $1.15 on the weekend, I hear it topped out at $1.24 somewhere in Ontario. I have no idea what it was elsewhere in the country. More specifically, what the gas was in Morse, Saskatchewan (which, I don't even know where that is). But was it really that much that Mr. El-Cheapo had to steal it? I mean, hey, I would love free gas too. But to steal it??? Ummmmmm.......maybe not so much. What a tool. I love that he was also charged with dangerous driving, and that he was breaching a conditional sentence order. So what was that? Grand theft auto? That would be too ironic.

And in further unusual news....how about the chicken who turned into a rooster? Yeah....hen to cock. That's right. No more eggs for that chicken owner. It has undergone a rare, but natural, sex change. Who knew that could happen? Not this kid....hmmm.

Well. I think that tops out my unusual news.

Wait. No it doesn't. I found this one on ninemsn.com.au......China is cracking down on illegal roadside stall vendors who sell such items as illegal pirated DVD's, fake brand name makeup, and puppies. Yes puppies. Would you buy a puppy from a stall on the side of a road? Apparently some people in China do. Now I wonder if those puppies are purebred or knockoffs........

Today I am banging my head off the wall at work. As I have previously mentioned, I have lost the will to work here. I joke around that I have cleaned off my desk and am still unable to locate it. It's not under that form, it is not under that memo, nor under that book. I also checked the garbage bin just in case. Nope, not there. I don't know where it went. If you know, please inform me.

I think if you have read about the kinds of calls I get, you would understand.

But alas. Today is that day that is dragging on forever. I've already posted once. And look, here I am again, plunking away on my keyboard, thinking of something witty to say. But I don't feel very witty. So I went online and found something fun.....

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

So I filled it out. I guess that is me in a nutshell. Pretty cool. You should try it.

PS. I can't wait to tell Stargazer about this so she can do it.....

PPS. That took me a whole 4 minutes. And I was typing slow. And arranging my 'visual dna' on the page in various spots. Damn. Hmm...well....if....I.......keep.....typing.....slow....it....will....make...up....for....5....minutes.....

Friends, hello? Friends???

At this very exact moment, it is 11:36am on Thursday May 24, 2007. Stargazer has been offline since 5pm on Tuesday. A whole 42 hours and 38 minutes. She has not been on msn to babble with me while at work, she has not been posting blogs.

And fair enough. After all, she has finished at work and she is getting prepared to move. I wouldn't be on my computer either.

I keep checking her blog to see if she's posted, and checking mine to see if she's commented. In the back of my head, I know she has better things to do; I did not ever realise just how...addicted I was to her on the internet! That's insane that I just said addicted, but really, that is what it is like. When I am bored, or annoyed, or think of funny things, I just tell her. A click of the mouse.

Once she is moved back to Ontario, I don't know what she'll be up to, and what her internet access will be. She likely won't be online all the time now. (Ahem, again....fair enough. We don't need to be on it ALL THE TIME.)

Now...sigh....I'll have to find a new internet best friend. I keep jumping from blog to blog, looking for someone who is in Ontario. I haven't come across many Canadian blogs yet. Well, I am sure they are there, but my blog-searching skills must not be that good. Then again, why am I anxious to make a blog-friend? Hello!?!? Danger Stranger!!! I'm having kindergarten flashbacks....

Really, why am I complaining? Stargazer is coming home, she'll be a couple hours drive away from me, versus a couple hours plane ride. I get the real deal!!

I suppose I can do more work this way too. Meh.

A holiday that has "2-4" in the name, must be good!

I might have just had the best long weekend I've had in years. It was one of those weekends that didn't fly by....so heavenly, LOL!!!

This May 2-4 weekend started with drinks after work on Friday with some co-workers. All of whom were sales reps, and who kicked off early. So by the time I got there, they were near ready to leave. But oh well, I still had time for a pint, a bit of bread and several jokes~some of which I was the butt of. Jerks. No worries, I am good at giving it back ;)

Saturday was a perfect day. My family met up at my grandparents house. (My brother and Jen finally got a car, I've been released from taxi duty!) Got to see my niece Olivia, ran around the yard after her, walked back and forth across the deck with her, as she has a new thrill over stairs, but she isn't very good at going down them yet. Hehehe, you can see here the t-shirt I bought for her that says "Nacho Baby"....way to funny....She wasn't as camera happy as she usually is, though, so getting a good shot of her looking at the camera this weekend was tough. But I digress....it was Grandma's birthday, we had some cake, drank mass quantities of tea (as always), and enjoyed the sunny day.

Back home, my roommate, our friend Tara and I made our way to the country bar, Cowboys. Which, if I have to be honest, is one of the worst country bars I've ever been to. I'm a country lover, but the atmosphere of this place usually screams meat market, and is full of scantily clad girls who don't like country, but go there for the guys. Walking through the dance floor, a little too much grinding goes on. Eek. But thankfully, since it was the long weekend, it was not busy at all! Really, the only reason we went was because the guy playing, Larry Berrio, is well known for his nut-hugging jeans. My friends have been telling me about him (and laughing at the same time) for a couple years now. Our chance to see him came, and we couldn't miss it! Erin is convinced he strategically places a sock in his pants, which, real or fake, he proudly displays. So gross and so funny at the same time. I think he must have used ankle socks this time around though, as it was not as 'featured' as I have heard about....

Sunday was a bit of a write off. Slept until 11:00, went for breakfast, came home and slept until 5:00. Ahhhh....so nice. Had a little dinner, went for a campfire, came back and watched "The Last Kiss" (which I highly recommend, good movie!).

Monday was another spectacular day! We went out to the Pinery, a provincial park on Lake Huron, where we spent the day hiking and canoeing. I haven't had a day like that in years, it was so amazing!!! Here are some of the pictures I took.... There were so many trilliums in the bush, I didn't know they came in such a multitude of colours! I thought they were just white, but there were pink and purple ones too. So tempted to pick one.....hahaha....if you don't know, the trillium is the emblem of Ontario, and are illegal to pick~though I'm sure almost every kid has picked one for their mom at some point!!

Canoeing skills were put to the test....nearly tipped the boat. I can't even begin to explain how Tara and I switched seats in the canoe and that I got stuck under her legs cause I was laughing too hard and couldn't move...I hope no one was watching!!

And finally, a shot of me, being a tool....zipped my hoody all the way up and made my friends laugh...this move never fails! Don't judge me too harsh....

And now I can't wait for the Canada Day long weekend. Hopefully it will be able to compare. I think we are headed to Port Stanley. Though I think I will leave my zippy hoody at home, since we won't be alone in the woods where I can make an ass of myself.

Too Many Crazies

Oh man. I lied in one of my recent posts. THIS is the craziest call I had last week. I will only sum it up for you, rather than rattle off the conversation.

Again, an error in our Sarnia-Lambton directory.

Crazy-Taxi-Cab-Man called in to inform us that we listed him in the f%*&ing white pages, and not the f%*&ing yellow pages. What kind of a$$holes are we to do that? Who gives us the right to f%*&ing decide where he is listed?? Why does he pay us to do that???

I try to calmly apologise to the crazy-taxi-cab-man for the error, and inform him I can submit the correction and have it fixed next year. (Well, that doesn't f%*&ing help him right now.) I also tell him he has not paid to be listed, it was info provided by the public utility company. I might have uttered a giggle as this was to ridiculous. I tell him that if he continues to swear at me, I will hang up. And then he says he's going to come down to our office. I say, if that is what you want to do, ok. Then he says...(are you ready for this?)...

"I'm going to come to your office, and you'll call the police. And when they show up, I'll beat them all up too!"

Seriously, I am not kidding. So I manage to confirm that he would like his listing removed from the f%*&ing white section and placed in the f%*&ing yellow section, and then hang up on him after I tell him again I will hang up if he keeps swearing.

Then he calls back. He demands to speak to my boss. Jody tells him I am the manager of this department, he insists that I must report to someone. She obliges and gives him the number to our corporate office where my boss works.

So he calls Suzanne. He rattles off the same slurs to her, but his insane two lines to her are:

"Who do I make out the lawsuit to?" She says that is something he would have to speak to his lawyer about, and he replies "I don't have a lawyer, I take care of everything myself." So she says "Well then sir, I think you should be able to answer your own question." (Hehehe, this is why I love her).

Next insane line that he says to her "How do you know I wasn't just released from prison on a life sentence and that I won't come and murder you?" OMG. He really did say that. Her reply was "If you were in prison on a life sentence, they would not have released you."

WHAT A WEIRDO!!!!!!!!!!

Can't I call the police and report him for making threats against our company and the police? I have his name and number after all....

(Please Lord, assist me in my quest for a new job, because this is too ridiculous....)

Fraudulent Lunch

Today was a sneaky lunch hour for myself, Crystal and Jody. We faked a lunch date, so we could really scam a great dinner.

The company we work for, offers trade packages to various businesses, mainly restaurants, for advertising. In other words, a $5000 ad could be paid for by $2000 cash, and $3000 in gift certificates to that restaurant. We use these trade certificates for various things, such as to host business functions, to treat clients, and to offer as incentives to sales reps, and as thank you's to our office staff members.

Crystal is in charge of the trade: distributing it, tracking it, reporting it. That kind of stuff.

Crystal is also my friend who agrees we get shafted a lot around here.

~wink~

You see where I am going here?? So earlier this week, Crystal and I decided it was high time that we treated ourselves to lunch, on the company's dime. But we really only get a half hour lunch time, not much for going downtown and enjoying a nice meal.

We conspired. Crystal requested that she be able to treat Jody and I to lunch, for doing such a great job around here. Our sales manager approved it.

We agreed to "fake" a lunch excursion, but in reality, go for dinner instead.

We went to my house for lunch. I made myself a grilled cheese. Crystal and Jody brought sandwiches from home. We sat around my living room and giggled at our sly genius. When enough time had passed to make it believable that we would be able to rush downtown and gobble food, we headed back~we got the extension on our lunch hour ok'd by the sales manager.

So now, in less than 3 hours, we will be sitting in a cozy little Italian restaurant, sipping the house wine, eating crab and lobster cakes, waiting for our gourmet entrees to arrive.

And no one will be the wiser.

Why lie???

Sigh. Most memorable call of the week.

Me: "Good afternoon, Melissa speaking."

Crazyman: "Hello, am I speaking to a manager of this company?"

Me: "You are speaking with the Customer Service Associate of Canada."

Crazyman: "Good. You can tell me who authorizes your company to produce your Sarnia-Lambton directory. Where you get the information from."

Me: "Ok sir. Well, we purchase all of our listing information from the local utility companies."

Crazyman: "I don't believe you. I just got off the phone from XXX Company, and they said they do not give out listing information. Do you actually buy it from them, or copy it all out directly from their book?"

Me: "We purchase the information, sir. They provide it to us in electronic files. Several companies purchase this information from them."

Crazyman: "Well that is not what they said."

Me: "I am sorry they told you this sir, however, I assure you, this is the situation. What seems to be your concern?"

Crazyman: "Well there is a listing in here that should not be here."

Me: "I apologize sir. We are aware that unfortunately we do get provided with outdated information. The files they send us are not the files they use for their own directory."

Crazyman: "Well, it's my parents. And they have been dead for two years. This is the third time you have listed this!!"

(That's right, dead for TWO years, but we've listed it THREE times since.)

Me: "Sir, we've only produced a Sarnia directory for two years."

Crazyman: "....that is what I meant."

Me: "I certainly apologise if this has caused you any grief, I can process a request to have this listing removed in the future should XXX Company provide this information to us again."

Crazyman: "Well, I would like to tell you how much this upsets me, I mean, they have been dead for two years. I just want to let you know that if this happens again, it will be a police issue."

Me: "I can appreciate your concern sir. As I said, this is information provided to us by another company, you would really have to take it up with them."

Crazyman: "Well I tried. And they said they don't do it."

Me: "As I said sir, they do. The person you would have spoken with would just be a regular customer service representative. They would know nothing of what the corporate business sales are."

Meanwhile I am typing in a directory search engine, search this phone number....and find a listing for his dead parents online....on three different sites.

Crazyman: "I'll call that department then."

Me: "Ok. Just to make you aware, I have just taken the liberty of searching this phone number online, and have located it listed as your parents name and address on three sites."

Crazyman: "I don't believe you."

Me: "Ok then. I'll process your request. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience to you and your family. Have a nice day."

Crazyman: "Fine."

I hang up the phone, and reach over for my Sarnia directory. Figure I'll confirm the address he gave me because he rushed through it, and I want to make sure I get it removed accordingly.

Hmmmm......there seems to be NO LISTING FOR THE DEAD PARENTS IN THE DIRECTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think to myself, oh, maybe he is looking in last year's book. Open that one. Still no listing for these people.

HE MADE IT UP!!!!!!!!!!!! He just harangued me for nothing!!!!

Honestly. Some people.

Fabulous Five

Ok, so I haven't particularly been in the best of moods lately, just a little down on life. I need to buck up and stand tall, and take life for what it is.

Sometimes a little reminder of what is good in life is all it takes. So here I go. Here are five things I am grateful for in my life.

1. Family ~ I am grateful to have family members who are close knit and loving, and who will stay by each other's side for the long haul. That even though we don't always agree with each other, we haven't turned our backs on each other, as some of our other family members have done to each other.

2. Friends ~ I am grateful to have friends who seem to want to keep me around (hahaha). Friends who can make me laugh and giggle, and feel appreciated and respected. Friends who take me for who I am.

3. My job that I hate ~ Yes, I hate my job, but I am grateful to have it, as it provides solid employment, a decent pay, includes a benefit package, and has taught me valuable skills that I can carry forward into the workforce. If I did not have this job, I might not be able to have some the 'luxuries' in my life that I enjoy on a regular basis. Additionally, my job does allow me for some freedom in the workplace that I might not get with another organization.

4. My car ~ I am grateful to have a reliable, fuel-efficient car. It allows me the freedom to travel as I please. I can visit friends and family who live elsewhere at anytime, and not have to rely on anyone else to do so. I can carry out my errands without hassle, I can jump in my car on a whim and go somewhere, I can attend to family emergencies at the drop of a hat.

5. Being Canadian ~ That's right, I am grateful to be a Canadian. There are many places in the world who face poverty and war, who don't have clean water and enough food, and who don't have appropriate social systems in place--like healthcare. There are many things to be said for living in North America, where we are all able to lead our lives in such afforded comfort, that we should all be grateful for. While I don't necessarily agree with all that the government does (or does not do), it is minuscule compared to the benefits; Canadians are given so many rights and opportunities that many others in the world don't get. I truly am thankful to be Canadian.

Now I just need to keep reminding myself of these things, get my head out of my ass and smarten up.

Sweet Auntie!!

Olivia Elizabeth Lynn was born on October 5th, 2005. At first, I thought, so what....it's just a baby. No big deal. Why is everyone making such a big deal?

Now I beg to differ....such a big deal, and I am going to gush about this kid. She is the first baby to be had by any of my siblings. My brother beat my sister to the line, but made up for it by asking her and her husband to be the God parents. She was delighted to say yes. So now I get to have the role of favourite aunt. Well, I can try for it anyways. And this is how I intend to do so...

1. I will teach her the meaning of humour and wit. I have begun this already by teaching her to say "redrum" in a scratchy voice and to wiggle her index finger. While she is just learning to talk right now, I feel that in no time, she will grasp this act. My brother and Jen are getting married in September, and my goal is to have her say this to the wedding guests. The good news is that my mother finds this funny. The bad news is that it creeps out Jen. (Mission accomplished then.) I am also teaching her the use of 'Spirit Fingers', and will one day watch Bring it On with her.

3. Ok. I am at a loss of what else I will specifically do, other than bestow her with copious amounts of love. When she is eating Cheese Nips and offers one to me, regardless that she just put it in her own mouth and dropped it on the floor, I will accept it with smiles and gratitude. (Then gingerly put it behind me so she doesn't see that I haven't eaten it).

And when the time comes, I'll introduce her to the good beer, not that crap her parents drink. Hehehee.....

Last night's folie

My landlords are great. They are an early 30-something couple, who run a business from home, and who bought a kickass house in one of the coolest neighbourhoods in my town. And they rent the top floor of the house to me. So that makes them cooler. (Ha!)

Paul and Christie really are the best landlords that a girl could ask for. They are always around when you need them, but don't hassle me with silly stuff. When Paul is away on business, Christie calls up to see if we want to come down and have dinner with her, or she'll just show up at the door with plates of food. When Christie is away, Paul calls up for a beer. They scratch our back, we scratch theirs.

One of the things I love about them is their dog, Foley. He's a mix of I don't what all, but definitely jack russel. He's a hyper, hilarious, loving little guy. When Paul and Christie go away over night, we often take Foley upstairs and take care of him. Stuff him full of doggie treats and tire him out with too many belly rubs.

I got home from my soccer game yesterday to a message on our answering machine, of Paul asking if we could take Foley for the night, as he has to go to Toronto for the night. In my glee of spending some quality time with the dog, I didn't listen properly. Paul's SUV was not in the driveway, I assumed he had left already. So down I went and whisked away Foley.

We shared a lovely evening. I ate my Subway sub (mmmm....pizza subs are the best) in the backyard, and helped myself to a Blue Light from Paul's fridge (it felt like a safe trade to me, one beer for taking care of the dog). Then we went up to my apartment, watched tv and snuggled in the chair. I even changed my bedding to let him sleep in the bed with me (dear lord, I generally HATE having dogs on the furniture, and especially the bed) because that is what he is used to. Usually he sleeps with Erin in her bed because she doesn't mind, but she was supposed to be away for the night.

I got bored of TV and decided it was time to hit the hay and read my book. There I lay with Foley, all cozy. Someone's at the door. It's Erin. She made it home. Even she couldn't believe I had let the dog on my bed (see....that's how wrong I think it is....even my roomie said "Foley! You're not supposed to be on there!!). She came in and we made a fuss of the dog, and she told me her funny family stories of the day. And then we heard this thumping from downstairs. Lots of moving around, and even some yelling. I got freaked out, no one was supposed to be there!! But a quick look out the window, and there was Paul's SUV.

I called down to see what was going on, was he back for the night, or just popping in?

The message he left was for TOMORROW night. I stole his dog. (And his beer.) I freaked him right out~he thought he had locked the dog outside by accident, and that Foley had escaped from the backyard, and was never going to be seen again.

Poor Paul. Thought his dog was gone, when really, he was living it up with me upstairs. I think he suffered a mild panic attack.

Opps.

But now I get to look after Foley tonight! Two nights of puppy love....really, it all worked out well. For me, anyways.

All Hail the Queen

Canada's favourite long weekend is fast approaching.

Ok, I don't really know if it's Canada's favourite long weekend, but it's the first long weekend of the summer, so maybe it should be!! It is a time that we spend with our family and friends, where we act all crazy as if summer has actually arrived.


We head out to camping sites, pitch tents, set up coolers, perhaps fish. Some of us are foolish enough to think that the lake will be warm enough to swim in, and take a dive, only to quickly find out that is not so. But they all say it was a refreshing dip in the lake~I don't believe them. I've tried the May 2-4 camping on several occasions. If you knew me, you would know I love a good camping weekend. But I don't enjoy freezing off my butt. So this kid would rather stay in town, and hit the patios to enjoy my beer :)


As a side note, I would like express the following confusion....I just googled images for "camping" and so many nudie pics came up!!! Why do naked people and camping fall under the same category???? Aahhhh....they must be the folks who have jumped in the lake, came out all freezing, and in the process of changing out of their swimsuits (assuming they were not skinny dipping) to their sweatsuits, their prankster friends must have taken a pic. Yes, I am sure that is the situation. Otherwise Google has a situation on their hands. I just saw too much T&A for 10:30 on a Monday morning....


I don't really have any solid plans yet for this long weekend. Other than having to take a trip to Grandma's~as her birthday is this weekend. Ahhhh....she and the queen have so much in common, hahaha!! Besides that festive moment, I have a potential plan of going to Molly Bloom's. And I'm not sure what my dear roomie is up to. I would like to have a BBQ in the

backyard and kick back a few beers with my landlords though. And I'm sure there will be some fireworks to enjoy Monday night at a nearby park. Can't pass the May 2-4 weekend without fireworks (and screaming kids, and barking dogs, and high teenagers...)

I will revel with the rest of the nation in the bliss of a 3 day weekend, and look forward to the impending summer season, when camping is more reasonable.

What did you just ask??

Age is a tricky thing.

Here I sit at 27, a world of opportunity still presented before me. I am currently in a transition in concern to employment, and in my living arrangements~preparing myself for a move. All is good, things are going the direction I want them to.

Yet I get stuck on the age factor. A lot. No, not just a lot...ALL THE TIME. I did not ever think that I would grow up to be that person who worries about this. I think things like 'dear lord, I'm 27 and I haven't found a career yet,' but more often than not, I think 'dear lord, I'm 27, still single with no prospects in sight.' I can't believe I am that girl who thinks in the singledom vs coupledom process. Not to say that I don't enjoy being single, because I do, I'm having a fab time with my friends. And they are all (ok, most of them) single to, so it doesn't seem like a big deal.

However, I would like to point out that in the past two weeks, I have been asked a question three times I had not yet encountered in my 27 years. And it's bringing about the 'dear lord, I'm 27 and single' feelings in a not so nice fashion.

"Do you have any children?"

Do I have any children????? WTF!!!!!!! Usually I get asked "Are you old enough to be drinking that beer?" because I surely don't look like I'm 27. (Or behave as such). Do I have any children??? So now my neurosis over being 27 will evolve to 'dear lord, I'm 27, single, no prospects of marriage, and will have a withered up uterus in no time and not be able to have any children at all by the time I do get married....'

People should first ask "Are you married" before they ask if I have children. I know that marriage first is not always the case these days (my brother is a prime example), but still, be polite and ask. When I say no, assume there are no children.

Do I have children....sheesh. I don't even know if I want children. But I don't want a withered up uterus, I want the option to be there. Oh people.....how they distract me and make me think crazy things.

Back in the Gap

Today is another gap-tastic day. No, I don't mean The Gap. I'm not prepped out today. I mean spacey, gapped out. I hate head colds. I can't think straight, let alone, talk to angry people...boo earns. I want to go home.

Ooohhhh....I just want to whine all day long. But don't worry. I won't whine on my blog anymore. And I won't fall asleep on my desk today either. I promise!

Sniff sniff.....

Eek!

So I woke up this morning with a touch of a head cold. It has made me drowsy and a bit listless today at work (that's apart from my usual blah attitude while I am here).

I think I might have just fallen asleep for a moment at my desk. Woops. I am having an email issue, and IT has been working on my computer from their desktops, so I've been sitting here with not too much to do. So I lay my head down for a moment....hmmm...better not do that again.

Oh jeeze...just another sign that I need to move on to a more stimulating job.

Sista's kick ass

Once again, the summer soccer league has started. Sista's in Soccer is a ladies rec league that I joined last year, and had so much fun, joined again this year.

For those of you who know me, I know, it is shocking that I would join an organized sport. Actually, it's shocking that I would get off the couch...hahaha!! For those of you who don't know me, well, I think you just figured it out~this kid is pretty lazy.

Last year, I say with my head bowed, our team came in last place. I think it's kind of funny. I am not a particularly competitive person, so I was just playing for fun. I recognized that I was not a superstar, rather, an out of shape 20-something woman who was giggling on the field. We scored one goal the entire season, and it was during our last game in the play-offs. Yes, all teams made it to the play-offs; it's a non-competitive league, and fair is fair. We let out such a whoop and holler when we did score that I am sure the other team thought we were jerks, surely not realizing that it was our first and only goal. Oh well. Mind you, in our defence, half of our teammates bailed shortly into the season, and we were left many games with only one or two subs, while the opposing team had a full rotation. I think we turned green with envy. Well, I turned green because I thought I was going to puke from all the running. But we'll pretend it was envy or something.

We had our first game of the season this past Sunday. We have several ladies from last year on the team again (aka, those who didn't bail out), and lots of new ones. I'm pleased to announce that we lost the first game 2-0 (because last year we lost 12-0 at the first game....we've had a change in goalies, thank heavens). And now that my legs are aching, my back is a little stiff, I can't wait for practise tonight, and next Sunday's game. I can feel it, we are going to score 2 goals this year.

And on the 7th day....there was still one more left

I have always known that I am the kind of person who draws from my "well of energy" by being alone~I crave time alone, where I come out rejuvenated and ready to keep moving forward. These past eight days with my mom, where I barely could take a pee by myself, have been a bit of a strain for me. And I felt like such a jerk, because I could feel my temper rising, my annoyance increasing. I had to bit my tongue sooooooooo many times...a few times I didn't....I'm a bad daughter.

Utter irony is that I've been noticing that the qualities that I don't like about myself, have come straight from my mother. I feel at the stage I am at now, I am not too annoying, and have the ability to curb them from getting worse. She, on the other hand, seems to have these qualities magnified over the years. For example, I have a bad habit of repeating myself, I am forgetful of what I tell people, and get excited when I think I have something new to say. Turns out, it's usually not news to them. My mother will tell me the same thing numerous times over a non-specific period of time. On the drive home, for example, she told me the same sentence 7 times in the span of a couple hours. Yes, I will acknowledge that she was incredibly tired, and was likely telling me this for the sake of talking. But still....I already know mom, stop talking. Hmmm....I don't think I want to list off the things I find annoying about myself, and even more so of my mother. After all, she might come to bloggerland one day and read this (eek!!!!).

So let me sum up the trip. We stayed at The Domaine Bourget Inn & Spa, in Bourget, Ontario. It is such a quaint, beautiful place out in the country, it really was peaceful and relaxing. Bourget is a small French community about half an hour outside of Ottawa (Who know it was French...imagine our suprise....!) My mother has a different idea of experiencing a city than I do. Her idea is shopping. And while I love shopping, it is something that I can do at home, anytime I want. And it's not even like we went shopping downtown in boutiques, or in markets. No, we hit up the outlet stores. Yes, I found a coolio purse from Winners (hehehe....you should have heard the debate in my head--do I buy the amazing pink puma's or the awsome matt & nat purse....), and yes, I scored at La Senza with a free sports bra, it just wouldn't have been my first choice.

Thankfully, we took a day and went all the way into Ottawa (all shopping was in the suburbs), and went to the Canadian Museum of Civilization. It is one of my favourite museums, and I was delighted to share it with my mom, as she had never been there. Very cool. We spent a day and got facials at the spa (very relaxing), drank wine and enjoyed the ambiance. We spent a day and drove to Montreal, where we (suprise) spent the day shopping in the Eaton Centre (where it would have been cool to buy the matt & nat purse, but alas, Winners it was in Cornwall). We had intended on visiting a specific church, but time went too fast and we had to leave. So now I have pictures of buildings in Montreal taken from the drivers seat while sitting at red lights. So spectacular.

But don't get me wrong, I had a great time! We got a lot of work accomplished (the intent of the trip was to work on the development of the business we are starting!), and spent good mother-daughter time together. However, I think that if we arrange to take a trip again together, it should either not be for as long, or I need to take a day in the middle of it to do my own thing. That way, I won't be tempted to strangle her.