Can You Hear Me Now?

I haven’t felt like updating my blog lately, my life has been about work and feeling crappy and it;s all a little overwhelming and stressful. It’s Easter Sunday and I’ve already had two clients come by today and when my family is here later for dinner, I have to get my mom to help me with the handwritten part of a project I need to finish for another client. Bah.

Thankfully, most of dinner is being brought over prepared by my mom and my brother is bringing a turkey. We hold family gatherings here lately because my home is in the middle, and nobody drives except Bob. My only duty is usually to make sure my apartment isn’t a mess and that I have clean dishes available. Oh, that reminds me, I better run the dishwasher! Read the rest of this entry »

So this is my weekend to get everything else done I need to do before I leave for Montreal. You would think I was going away for 4 months, not 4 days, the way I am approaching it with my shopping habits! I picked up my new glasses the other day; I went downtown and I used Access Calgary to take me, and guess who my driver was?? The hot guy! Woot! I haven’t seen him since that entry. He is so cute, and easy to talk to, I really like him!! I wish I could request him all the time He’s got such a good vibe. We were talking about my going to Montreal and he said he just loves it there, “people really live there”. He said he has enough air miles for two round trip tickets… hmmm.

I had my walker with me that day, which always makes me feel like an invalid. For some reason I am not too self conscious about using a cane and dragging that with me everywhere, I guess because I am so used to it, it’s like an extension of me. But the walker? I mean, really, what man wants to date a woman with a walker, unless he’s 80 years old or something! Emma always makes me feel better though, she said “um, a man who drives for Access Calgary?” Heh. Sure, why not, he’s seen it all, he’s used to it. I am going to ask him out next time I see him.

(I am SO not going to do that, but it’s a nice thought).

Anyway, I picked up my new glasses and I really like the way they look (thanks Shawna, for picking them out!) Then I decided to head upstairs to ladies fashions and look around, but there was nothing that really grabbed my attention except this bright yellow shirt with sunflowers on the hip. So I got that. Then I went to Purdy’s Chocolates to buy some treats for a certain someone who can’t get Purdy?s where she lives (see, now that I have said that I CAN’T eat them! It’s for my own good that I announce it here) and took myself for lunch at the Elephant & Castle. After lunch I had 45 minutes to waste before my ride came to take me home, so I just went into the Second Cup and grabbed a coffee. With about 20 minutes to spare, I decided, hey, why not check out Reitman’s, it is straight up the elevator, I can look and be back down in time for my ride.

Reitman’s had a huuuuuuuge sale!! I found a cute black swing skirt for $9.99 and a sparkly top that would look great with it for $6.99. I wasn’t 100% sure they would fit, but if not now, they would soon, whatever, for that price you can’t lose. So I bought them, raced back downstairs and caught my ride home.

The skirt, way too big. The top, way too small. Heh. Well, the skirt is wearable, it just needed some help. I think, after trying on every item of clothing in my closet, I have an outfit to wear Thursday night in Montreal. Last night I bought new jeans too. Sigh. The jeans I have been wearing are so big and frumpy, but the size smaller I own (totally different make/store) are still too tight to wear comfortably. So I bought a pair of jeans exactly like the bigger ones I have now, but a size smaller, and since they are the same make they fit good. I also bought stockings and something I have never bought or worn before but I think will become a staple in my wardrobe, one of those tight undergarment thingys that holds everything in and smooths it out, you know, like bicycle shorts but beige and old lady looking. What next, a girdle?? How to shed 10 pounds instantly! Ha ha ha it’s awesome and soooooo not sexy. Pffft.

Today I must go to the post office and pick up some packages. I ordered a bunch of vitamins online a few weeks ago and emailed the company yesterday wondering where the hell they are, they charged my credit card on February 5th and I am in the same city, shipping should not take that long! They told me they were mailed February 11 (so why charge my card Feb. 5 if the items haven?t been shipped, morons, take a lesson from Amazon) and delivery was attempted February 14th. Apparently I was left a delivery notice (not!) so I am going to try to get it from the post office without one. I have a delivery notice for another parcel anyway, my skin care from New Zealand. I spent less than $60 including shipping and I now have about a 2 year’s supply of NZ mud and lanolin. I love that stuff; I also got some mud body scrub, can’t wait to try it. Such a bargain. If you were to go looking for the same stuff in shops here, imported from New Zealand, I am sure it would set you back a small fortune. Get it direct from the source!! That’s my beauty and shopping tip of the day. (Cause I know ya’all come here looking for my beauty secrets. Heh).

So, what else… my Edo Japan at the mall next door has been closed for renovations and that makes me want to cry. The only thing I ever want at the food court is Hawaiian Chicken (no rice, double the veggies) from that place and having to make OTHER choices makes my brain explode.

I guess all I’ve got left to do is laundry and figuring out exactly what I am bringing; print out maps/driving directions to a couple places I know we are going so cab drivers don’t try to rip me off, make a few batches of colloidal silver and put my daily doses of vitamins into little baggies. I also need to get this place in order so I don’t come home to a messy disorganized apartment with no energy to do anything about it, and work… I have a few hours I need to get done before I return to this client’s on Tuesday. One day of work left before I go! Woot!

2004 Year in Review:

Things I did:

• Made some new wonderful friends that I absolutely adore and appreciate;
• Had a lot of fun at various BillyNotes related gatherings throughout the year;
• Presented my first public speaking gig, to a bunch of high school kids to tell ‘my life story’ and discuss how life often throws us a lot of curve balls and we choose how we react to them;
• Developed a new mentoring type relationship with Eric and got back in touch with John;
• Met Shawna from Winnipeg in person and she came and stayed with me in June, and we had tons of fun;
• Developed a major crush on a client and got over it. Heh
• Started up this journal blog thingy and got totally addicted to writing in it;
• Saw a LOT of live music throughout the year and met a lot of great musicians;
• Including Lindy!!!!!!! Several times!! xoxoxoxoxoxo
• Went to my first house concert (I’m not counting living in a house with, or visiting musician friends, who play in their living rooms regularly! lol);
• The second half of my year was a lot more fun than I ever imagined it could be with the help of Jason and the Polyjesters. Love you guys!!!
• Went to Toronto and had a blast visiting old friends, making new ones and taking in the live music;
• Visited with a lot of people from out of town! Lots of visitors this year;
• Met a few men like every other year, was flirted with, got my hopes up, analyzed their actions and words, etc. and then…
• I GOT IT.
• Bought a plane ticket to Montreal (Emmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!);
• Gave… time, money, food and toys to a variety of charities and causes… most recently to assist the victims of tsunamis… we have to. You can NOT just sit back and not do something. Every dollar helps (Donate every time you shop at Wal-Mart, that is easy enough to do at the till);
• Went to a lot of lunches, dinners and parties… A LOT.

Things I didn’t do and wish I had:

• Lose weight;
• Listen to my gut all the time;
• Make enough money to buy a holiday home in Russell, New Zealand;
• Find the love of my life;
• Write a book;
• Meet Oprah Winfrey and become her best friend;
• Swim with dolphins;
• Make it onto People Magazine’s ‘50 Most Beautiful People’ list;
• Pay off my credit cards.

So there’s always next year!!

The past few days have been very full and tiring!! I am glad they are over and after getting a few more things done over this evening and tomorrow, I can RELAX and bring in the new year feeling rested and happy!!

Tuesday night we celebrated my brother’s 40th birthday. FORTY!! My mother has a 40 year old!! My mom, Bob and Darren all came over and we ordered Chinese food. There was a “Happy Birthday” banner on the wall that you would see as soon as you walked in, but of course Darren came in the patio doors so he didn’t see it. Mom made him go to the other door and pretend he was just arriving again. We also hung balloons up all over the place that kept falling down because I have that invisible scotch tape that won’t peel paint off walls. It also doesn’t stick very well! And I wasn’t about to wreck my hair rubbing ballons in it to get the static. Nosireee! We gave Darren a gift bag filled with DVDs, an inspirational calendar and magnet, Clodhoppers and other little stuff. Mom gave him a Safeway gift card too. After dinner we had cake and ice cream… mom bought the ice cream a few hours earlier and put it in my freezer, and when we went to get it, it had melted considerably!! Another couple hours and it would have been soup. (A damn good mocha almond soup, but soup, nonetheless). I noticed that everything in my freezer was softening (yet the ice that covers the inside walls wasn’t melting. Hee!) I put a call in to the answering service for my building’s maintenance to send someone over to check it out in the morning. Read the rest of this entry »

Coming home from a client’s yesterday, I had a very enjoyable trip because of the Access Calgary driver that drove me. It’s a pretty long drive from this client’s location, and it can seem a lot longer depending on how many stops are made along the way, and who is driving! Not that most drivers aren’t nice… you get the odd one who is stressed and miserable, but most of the time they are quite pleasant (until you get them talking about Access Calgary on the whole, then they’ve got a lot to bitch about!!). Sometimes I get REALLY super extra nice and friendly ones, and yesterday was one of those days. He even let me stop at the bank on the way home so I could deposit a cheque. That’s a HUGE DEAL to me because it’s a $15 cab fare back and forth for me to do that otherwise. The timing of me needing to make a deposit does not always coincide with when I’ll be seeing family or a friend that can take me on the way to somewhere. Access Calgary drivers are not supposed to make additional stops, so it’s great when they’re ahead of schedule and don’t mind. One time a driver even took me through the Tim Horton’s drive thru. AND he bought me my coffee! Heh. Read the rest of this entry »

I just wanted to see what the “predatory” face looked like. THAT’S ALL.

Tomorrow night I am attending a Christmas party held by one of my client’s and his wife. They have a Christmas open house every year. It’s really nice. They’re the kind of hosts that supply alllllllll the alcohol and food. AWESOME food, I might add, quite the spread they put out. This client is a great and trusting friend too, I absolutely adore him, so I would not miss it for the world. I am one of the few guests “he” gets to invite; his wife invites the rest. Heh. For as lovely an evening as it is, I do have one beef… I am ALWAYS the ONLY single person there (children do not count here). It’s married couple after married couple after married couple, their kids, and me. Wonderful people, all of them. I just really don’t seem to have anything in common with them! Fingers crossed that there is ONE other single person there this year. Puh-leeeeeeeease!!! Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever been in love with your best friend? Oh, I know, some of you are going to say you MARRIED him. Yeah. Lucky you! I’m not quite there yet. I’m talking about being in love with your best friend, who absolutely does not feel the same way. Sure, he thinks the world of you, and “loves” you, just not that way. So you have to suck it up and move on.

I remember it well… It was about 10 years ago, and I think it was the single most painful time of my life that I can recall. It’s the only time I actually cried so hard over a guy that I think I howled. Read the rest of this entry »

This one is for the ladies!

I got my book. I’ve read it, and I’m happy to say, I am cured!! I get it now. I really, truly get it now. Men are not complicated… we make it that way. We make it that way by trying to “figure them out” and make excuses for their behaviour. The fact is, if you’re trying to “figure him out”, he’s probably just not that into you. When a guy is into you, he will let you know. He will call. He will ask you out. “He’s really busy”. Bullshit excuse! He’s not that into you. If he was, he would look forward to taking that break from his hectic schedule to call you. Who doesn’t enjoy talking to someone they like?? If he’s not calling you, it’s because you are not on his mind. It’s really not that hard, so why make it so. Read the rest of this entry »

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!