Can You Hear Me Now?

Several days ago I received an email, an email I deleted without reading because I knew it was a letter telling me what a horrible person I am and how much I suck, and who needs to read that?? The first paragraph gave me the rundown of what the rest of the email would be like, and I can’t be bothered to read that shit. I did make the mistake, however, of scrolling down the page quickly, just to see how much time this person actually wasted writing this all out (well, I am sure she feels better for it, but why she actually hit “send”, I have no clue). While scrolling down there was one thing that caught my eye and I found myself stopping for a moment. I started to read that paragraph, but quickly moved past it without reading the rest. What I did catch of it though, obviously made me very angry. I like to think of myself as a person who is learning to “not sweat the small stuff”, to not let other people get to me, that their reactions and opinions are not within my control and I need to just let it go. That’s why I wanted to just delete that email and get it off my hard drive without experiencing it or giving it, or that person, a second thought. She ain’t worth it.

Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. I did catch part of that one paragraph, and I can’t seem to let it go. A friend suggested I “blog it”, so in the hopes it will help me let it go, that’s what I’m doing. The part of the email I caught went something like this:

“You use your MS as an excuse; you pull the ‘MS card’ when it is convenient for you”. Read the rest of this entry »

I just got home from the mall and I MUST announce to any and all Wal-Mart shoppers, that they have this kit they’ve put together called “Teen Select for Young Women” (ha ha ha ha! Like that’s gonna stop me) that contains the following:

• A full size bottle of Skintimate shave gel
• A full size bottle of Salon Selectives shampoo
• A full size bottle of Tone Mango Splash body wash (love that stuff)
• A full size Soft & Dri dri gel deodorant
• One of those flip top containers of Crest toothpaste
• Large bar of goat’s milk soap
• Schick razor
• Package of Juicy Fruit gum
• “Advantage” Atkin’s low carb bar
• One Fisherman’s Friend (yes Lisa, only one)
• Can of “The Simpson’s” soda, “Lisa” flavoured (lemon-lime)

I feel the need to point out “full size” because often these kits come with sample sizes, but this is the real deal. All for the glorious price of $6.93. Considering I use a lot of that stuff all the time anyway, how could I possibly pass this up?? I’m picking up a few more when I have money this weekend. Unless, of course, you guys are running out right now to buy them all.

My real reason for being at the mall was to meet with Eric. Holy moley, what a day for this kid. His dad is in Court facing charges for child molestation. Read the rest of this entry »

Ohhh what a fun day! I woke up this morning knowing I was expected at an outdoor party/barbecue this afternoon. It was cold and wet outside, with no sign of the rain letting up or the sun shining through. Bummer. Knowing Kevin and Christine had planned this for weeks, I didn’t expect they would cancel, but definitely move it indoors… to their very quaint little house. Not exactly built to hold 30 people, never mind drunk people (as many would be soon enough!)

I arrived at 2:00 and rang the doorbell, expecting the party to be inside. Someone came out from the back yard and yelled “we’re back here!” I wandered past Christine’s “This way to the Shanti” sign and into the yard, equipped with tarps overhead, tons of seats, a fire, picnic table full of food and several stocked beer coolers. Woo hoo!

And there we sat, all afternoon. (I knew I should have worn a hoodie!! I knew it!) Christine saw me shivering and went inside and brought out the big fluffy coat I used to always see her wear when I first met her about 11 years ago (as well as a mug of hot mulled wine, bless her soul). She calls it her “Marilyn from Northern Exposure” coat and it was perfect. She let me take it home to keep as long as I want. It might be old, but it’s great, cozy, has lots of memories, and actually fits me (better than anything else in Christine’s size 6 petite wardrobe would!)

The food… oh my. You never go to Christine’s on a full stomach. No one cooks better than her, and she is the Queen of Presentation. There was several homemade dips with breads, crackers, cheeses, assorted homemade quiches and wraps; the BBQ main event featured shish kabobs with beef tenderloin and vegetables; baked potatoes (prepared butters with the chives and spices already whipped in), potato salad, pasta salad, buns (a carb addict’s dream!!)… one of the friends in attendance bakes for “Cookie Occasion” and brought two big boxes of the most delicious freshly baked cookies; it was another friend’s birthday so there was birthday cake too (I skipped that… AND it was chocolate, but one can only eat so much!!). Oh, and let’s not forget the rounds and rounds of Jell-o shooters Christine kept passing out! I think I had… 5? Lost count. (By the way, today was “free day”, the few pounds I’ve lost recently were, I’m sure, gained back today )

And the laughter! Kevin is one hell of a funny guy. A lot of the people there were. I was laughing so hard I hurt!! The running joke of the day was trying to get someone to sit in the “Flashdance chair”… the chair under an end of the tarp that when the rain gathered up in it we could tap it and the water would come pouring down on the chair. No one fell for it though; perhaps because every time someone arrived and were told “take a seat”, pointing there, everyone else would erupt in laughter. A bit of a dead giveaway.

I got to meet some new people as well as hang out with people I’ve known a long time. I also got to see an old co-worker I haven’t seen in years! We’re both in accounting and work in the restaurant/bar industry with it and there is never a shortage of stories there, so we had a lot to talk about. It was SO good to see her.

Well, even all the food, laughter, mulled wine, hugs and “my” new cozy coat couldn’t keep me from needing to warm up when I got home. Seven hours in the chilly outdoors calls for an evening inside in my flannel jammies with a mug of hot chocolate!

I was reading over some past entries and I realized I should do some updating because I know you’re all dying to know the outcomes of things I’ve written about. Well, I am here to ease your troubled minds

Releasing The Need - July 23

Ohhh I have lived yet another example of ‘when someone shows you who they are, believe them’? Someone showed me who they are a few months ago, and I didn’t believe them. I’ve had a funny feeling ever since, but I pushed it aside and told myself I was just being silly. I even pushed the gut feelings away when they were really strong last month and I was panicking about it. I had myself convinced it would be okay and to not worry about it. Well, luckily, it all came to a head now and not later, and it’s all good. Great, actually. Took me a few months, but I finally realized what my gut was telling me was right (again, as always, hellooooooooo McFly, anyone home???) Oh yes, and the karmic energy?? Getting better every day!!

He Said- - July 23

Never heard a peep from this guy, as I expected (although deep down I hoped it would be different). I was bummed at the time, but I rarely think about it anymore. Funny how that happens when you’re busy! C’est la vie, life goes on.

House Concerts - July 30

I passed the name of the guy who held this house concert on to Jim Bryson, who has already made contact. Hopefully Jim will be performing there in the future! I’ll let you all know if he is. It was a great time, and it will be a blast if Jim does one too! He’s awesome, and so funny too. I love his self-deprecating humour…

Untitled Day in the life entry (Can’t link ‘em if they’re not titled… oops) - July 30

I bought my chair! It’s like this, but it’s black and it’s Roots!

Back on Track - August 2

Well I know I went OFF track the days Dana was here with Krispy Kreme, Purdy’s, Olive Garden, Santa Fe Grill, etc. but I’m doing good again. In fact, I have made a conscious choice to make sure I am as healthy as I possibly can be for my trip to Toronto next month, so I have been mostly eating fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and lean meats. I am waiting for the sugar withdrawals to kick in and make me crazy, but so far so good.

Shocking, horrifying and unimaginable - August 13

Update and more about the life of Gayle Grinds HERE

Google is Good - August 16

I never heard back from those bands about Sean (I am assuming they or he read my email and thought -WHY?… psycho!) but I am 100% positive he has got to be in The Shovels. It was entertaining for me to reminisce though, and Googling him gave me a fun way to procrastinate my business plan, but I think I’ll leave it at that! If he had responded out of curiosity, I would have tried my best to remind him who I was and how we met (maybe just send him here to read the entry!) but since he didn’t I
ll leave it alone and just look back fondly on that experience. Oh, and if ‘The Shovels’ ever tour out here I’ll surely go see them!

Update on the update - just received an email from Random Killing, a really nice one actually, and this guy said Sean recently quit the place he was working at so he’s going to ask the other clowns about contact info. He told me Sean is in a band called “Dodge Fiasco” with his brother (personally I think that is outdated information, being the Internet Search Queen I am), and if I can find their email, it would go to his brother because Sean doesn’t know how to work a computer. LOL! I’ve also heard from another guy that is going to pass my email address on to Sean via his brother, and “we’ll see what we can do about getting him in front of a computer”. Hee!

People? People Who Need People - - August 19

Okay I know this was just yesterday, so how much could have possibly happened to update? Well not much, really, but I mentioned the “money coming from somewhere” thing? and #1) a client just dropped off a LOAD of work for me tonight; and #2) I got a call out of the blue from CIBC Visa, ‘you have been pre-approved blah blah blah…’ for once I listened to the whole spiel. I signed up for the card, had my interview, got approved on the spot and ‘your card will be there in 7-10 days’. Okay, okay, I KNOW a Visa card isn’t the answer and will only land me in further debt (my other Visa? Over its limit, thankyouverymuch) but for my trip??? COULD NOT have come at a better time. One of my main concerns was making enough money to plop on my Visa to get it under its limit so I’d have room for my hotel and a few other things in Toronto. (I mean, credit card debt really is a way of life for me, I don’t sweat it). Now I don’t have to worry!!! I still intend on making more actual CASH between now and then, but maybe now I won’t have to ask a couple clients for advances like I was going to. This timing totally rocks. This trip and all the plans surrounding it is working out so freakin’ awesome I could just explode!!!

People really are wonderful. Don’t ever doubt that. When one lets you down, out come a ton of genuine good people that surprise the hell out of you.

I’m going to Toronto in September. My accommodations for part of the time fell through (which I now know is for the best… my gut told me to get out of it last month, but I didn’t listen. Gut is always right, people!!! We have had this discussion before! LOL) I’m so glad it came to a head now and not while I am out there. Anyway, once my accommodations fell through, I started looking for a hotel. I will be able to stay with my cousin part of the time, but because I have a lot of plans for late nights in downtown Toronto, I now want to be central for the first part of my trip. One of my friends in Toronto offered her place as a possibility, but she is insanely busy the weekend I arrive and I’d really feel like an imposition. I figured a hotel would just work best.

So, I sent out a plea for help. Not a plea for “take me in please”, just simply a plea for names of cheap hotels in central Toronto. I sent it to every email address I have for a person in Toronto, or that travels a lot, or may know the answer. I even opened it with “sorry if you don’t know me well, just looking for a quick answer and you may have it…” because I sent it to some musicians I have met out that way (musicians and cheap hotels go together), but certainly don’t KNOW. Read the rest of this entry »

Shhhh don’t tell anyone I’m here, I’m really in bed!! I always think of things to write about right before sleep…

So I spent a good portion of my day procrastinating a business plan I was supposed to be writing (and DID finally finish at 10:00 p.m.) by fiddling around in Google. I love to Google!! You can find out ANYTHING. Today’s project was to locate a drummer. A drummer I met about 10 years ago that left a lasting impression on me, and when the name of his old band suddenly hit me today while chatting with a friend about it, I decided to try to find him. Read the rest of this entry »

Oh.My.God.
Fred… rocks.

So earlier tonight I went to my Singles dinner. Meh. You know, I signed up for a dinner for ages 30-40. I can’t go to the 25-35 yrs. (as much as I’d like to) and 35-45 is just a little too old. So I decided the 30-40 are the only ones I would attend. Well, I’m 36. Of course, I feel, act and look 10 years younger (shaddap!) and as for the rest of the group… well, they didn’t. Except for one man, I’m betting no one at that table was under 40. Gypped!!! I paid good money to join this dinner club, I want to meet people in my age range!! Unless, of course, they all were under 40, and I’ve simply managed to corner the market on looking under 50 when you actually are.

Still, it was a pleasant evening. Nice people. Great food and ambience (the Village Cantina in Inglewood… great food, cute place and nice patio if you don’t mind the wasps). Conversation? Well…. I’ll just say it… I rule in that area. At a dinner last year a man referred to me as the “social sparkplug” at our gathering. Perhaps it’s the Hostess in me… I have to make sure everyone is having a good time. So if conversation slows, I get it going again with questions and comments… if no one has laughed in the past 3 minutes, it is my duty to drop a witty one-liner. I just can’t be in a situation like that and have dead air for too long… six people at a table should never experience dead air.

For some people, it is very difficult to bring themselves to meet up with 5 complete strangers for dinner. And once you get there, your experience depends on your attitude going in. For me, for the first one I went to last year, I went in with no expectations and a very positive attitude, and lo and behold, I had the best time. I met several people I still keep in touch with to this day and got a great date with one of the guys out of it (and saw another a couple times too). I guess my first experience was so good, I keep hoping the next one will be as well. First time’s the charm?? ‘Cause the two since then can not compare….meh.

I’ve got one dinner left to use up my membership. Maybe in a few months I’ll give it another go. I’ll bring my positive attitude and wit to the table if the dinner club would bring the right people… Well, you never know!