Farewell 2011....Hello 2012

Well, here it is, the end of another year.  No big plans for us tonight...after a bit of a fiasco last night when having friends over for dinner, we thought it best not to entertain again tonight.  What was the fiasco, you ask??  Well, it involved a cheesecake, a stove, and ALOT of smoke.  The cheesecake turned out great, though, cause it was cooked yesterday....note to self...always check the bottom of the stove for "residuals" before you turn it on again.  A second note to self...never turn your oven on to clean when company is there...the fumes REALLY burn the eyes!!  But hey...the dinner was good, the company great, and a fun time was had by all!  Let's do it again soon, Steve and Brenda...minus the smoke and fumes!!!

So, with no plans to entertain, tonight is going to be an evening of "guilty pleasures"...chicken, chocolate and chic flick....but not in that order...and not really a chick flick.  We're going to see Mission Impossible 4, then come home to deep fried (that's the guilty part) chicken wings, followed by a chocolate fest (that would be another guilty part).  We've got to eat every bit of chocolate in the house before midnight.  Why, you ask?  See tomorrow's blog about my New Year's Resolutions!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Leftover cheesecake is every bit as good as fresh cheesecake...but then, you all knew that already didn't you????  Okay, how about this then...the Holiday Mega Pack of scratch tickets says "a guaranteed winner in every pack"...but I don't reaaaallly consider $3 as a winner...it's more like being one step up from a loser!!  Anyone who I know that has bought one of those, is like me, and only won $3....does anyone ever win more than that???

Why does that happen??????????? (Bon Voyage Susan & Kirby!)

I hate Call Waiting!  There, I've said it, and I'll say it again.... I really hate Call Waiting!  So why do I have it, you ask?  Yeah, I'm asking myself that too.  I originally got it because when I ordered my phone service with that-service-provider-who's-name-I-don't-wish-to-say, I was told that my service included 2 of 3 features.  Since I already have an answering machine, that meant I got Call Display and Call Waiting.  Not a biggie, I thought.  After all, we can go for hours, and sometimes days, without the phone even ringing...and then when it does, it's often a telephone solicitor. So how is it that whenever I'm on the phone, it is inevitable that another call comes in?  How can a phone go from never ringing, to only ringing when I'm on it?  It's one of those mysteries that just can't be explained.   I wouldn't have any trouble just ignoring the incoming call entirely, although when it happens there's this god awful noise in my ear and then I've missed what the person I'm currently speaking with has said.  Pain - in - the - butt!!  So cancel it you say??  What, and go back to NEVER getting any phone calls??  When for five minutes every few days I can FEEL popular because I've got 2 phone conversations going at once??  I've always been a multi-tasker...I guess this is how I'll exercise that skill!  So if you happen to call me some day and there's no answer, and no answering machine kicks in...you'll know I'm just having a bad multi-tasking day!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  I always suspected, but now it's confirmed...I'm a superstitious person.  What happened today to drive that point home, you ask?  It was the fortune cookie I had after my Chinese dinner.  No, it wasn't that it was bad, or scary, it just.....wasn't!  An empty fortune cookie.... oooooh, what does THAT mean???

Say that 5 times fast....

Anyone who says that there's not been any noticeable changes in the weather over the past few years hasn't been to Vegas at Christmas time!!  It was certainly cool there these past few days, but like we always say...it's always warm inside the casinos!  And we always have a great time...regardless.  My particular favourite part of the trip was when I put a $20 bill in a Wizard of Oz machine, and on my third 80 cent spin I hit the jackpot and cashed out $800.  Yeah, don't get too excited...I was waaaay down at the time...but thanks to that win I was able to come home with a good chunk of change in my pocket. 

The colder weather outside made foot travel on the Strip a bit easier.  It also made sightseeing a bit easier, too.  Now, before you get excited, when I say "sightseeing", I don't mean the Grand Canyon or Hoover Dam...you know we don't go there!!  What I mean is that it was easier to see the 5 Elvis's that were on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Flamingo Rd....and wait a minute...one of those Elvis's is a girl!!!  Can you say THAT 5 times fast!!!

WHAT I LEARNED IN VEGAS:  Not everyone thinks the way I do.  Yeah, I know, no surprise there.  But I really don't think that Vegas is the best family vacation destination... ESPECIALLY at Christmas!!  I'm sure there are millions who'd disagree with me... at least 50,000 of them were in Vegas last week.  This was one of the few trips to Vegas where I noticed strollers outnumbered power chairs.  (And before you ask... yes, I'm equally frustrated when I get stuck behind a stroller while walking on the Strip as I am when I'm stuck behind a power chair driven by an oblivious blue hair.)   But you know what??  For everyone that disagrees with me, I'll bet there are 2 that agree with me.  After all, have you ever seen a daycare center in a casino resort??  Coincidence??  I think NOT!!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night

We're heading off on that big silver bird this afternoon. Unlike previous trips, I'm not lugging my netbook to Vegas this time, so there will be no blogging while I'm away.  I'll have a single-minded focus on this trip...win, win, win.  I've told my financial planner to be waiting for me upon my return.  I'll be the one with the huge bag of quarters...just kidding, the machines don't pay out in change anymore...that was loooong ago.  No, I'm going to come home with a big win this trip.  A grand or two...maybe five.  It's all about positive thinking and affirmation.  So there, I'm going to win $5,000 in Vegas.  Make it so Number One! (only you Star Trek Next Generation fans will get that reference)

You won't be hearing from me again until after Santa has come and gone.  So, to all of you faithful readers, have a great Christmas.  Yes, I said Christmas...not Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings...I went for the big one...Merry Christmas.  Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  For all of you Corner Gas fans, Brent Butt is coming to the Imperial Theatre on March 17th.  We saw him years ago when we lived in Ottawa.  He put on a very entertaining show, so when I saw him coming to town, I immediately bought tickets.  And they are reasonably priced as well...only $38.  Here's hoping he is half as good as he was back in 2005!   Although I am a bit concerned....back then Corner Gas was on and doing great...kind of a Canadian "Seinfeld"...cause it, too, was a show about nothing...or close to it.  Now he's starting the second season of his new show "Hiccups" and I've only got one word to say on that subject....yech!!  It's ain't no Corner Gas!!!

It's that time again

And by "that time", I don't mean the time to eat too much turkey....although it is that time.  Nor the time to over indulge in Christmas cheer...even though, yes, it is that time too.  But what I'm talking about is the time to call Rogers....again.  It's a monthly thing...whenever I get a bill... it's time to call them and straighten it out.  Hopefully, this will be the last time.  And I tried something new when I called in...I used the ole "win more flies with honey than vinegar" approach.  Sure enough, it works.  I got everything corrected w/o being transferred off to someone else.  Well, I THINK I did...ask me again in 4 weeks!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It's a great time of year for visiting.  We're just back from PEI where I got to visit an old friend.  No, she's not old, but our friendship goes waaaay back..15 years to be precise.  Well, now that I think of it, maybe she could be described as old...but she's younger than me...so what does that make me??  Even older...right Michele??  

Cake...not just for breakfast anymore!

After having a few friends over yesterday, we spent the day today...eating leftovers!  Shrimp for breakfast, nacho dip for lunch, meatballs for supper and a couple of pieces of cake sprinkled between meals...and I still have a fridge full of food.  Tomorrow...veggies and dip, chicken and cheese tacos, and punch.

Thanks to all who came and a special thanks to those who brought gifts.  They were greatly appreciated!

And for those of you that asked...I will post some of the recipes over the next few days.  You'll find them on the border to the right.  Enjoy!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  There is a limit to how much food a person can eat...and it's somewhere around 1/3 of a plate of nacho dip, 25 shrimp, 10 meatballs and 2 pieces of cake...but who's counting???

Rain, rain go away

It takes 21 days to create a habit.  That's what I learned on one of the many courses I took when I worked.  Since early in November, I've been getting the newspaper delivered...it's become a habit.  I get up and have my breakfast while I peruse the headlines, read the obits, and do the Jumble...in that order.  Except today.  It rained today.  And I don't mean a little shower.  I mean a torrential downpour.  Puddles everywhere...including where my paper was lying in the driveway.  Would it be so difficult to throw the paper on the front porch out of the elements?  Apparently so.  A couple of times we've been fortunate enough to have it placed up against the garage door, or else it was double bagged to keep it dry.  Not today...so my paper is laid out on the tile floor drying.  It'll be awhile before it's dry enough for the ink to work on the Jumble.  By the time it drys enough so I can hold it up to read it, it may be yesterday's news... but the upside is ...I won't have to wait a day to see if I got the Jumble right !!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  I love my e-reader.  I'm loving it more now that I've have to unpack several boxes of books that I've not gotten around to reading as yet.  And when I compare that to my little e-reader, which currently holds about 40 books and still weighs only a few ounces, I'm certain that it's one of our more valuable technological advancements.  When I buy e-books, I've always used promo codes that I find on-line and give me anywhere from 15 - 25 percent off.  It's great...and cheaper than buying hard copy books.  So it's economical AND environmentally friendly.  Apparently, though, there's not enough profit being made now off e-books...cause most of the books I look at purchasing now have a publisher restriction on the use of promo codes...and they now cost up to $14.99...I can buy a hard copy book at Costco for that price or less...  Guess it's time to put that new library card to use!!

Opinions Wanted

I think I've found my new career.  I know what I want to do with the rest of my life.  I want to become a Professional Focus Group Participant.  What a great way to make a living.  Going to meetings and sharing your opinion.  Can you think of a better way to make money?  I participated in my first tonight.  I "worked" for 90 minutes, sharing my opinion on a website and got paid $50 for my efforts.  Where else can you get paid for telling someone what you think??  If there's one thing I became proficient at in my 25 years on the Force, its attending meetings!  So that's the easy part.  And tonight I didn't have to know how to create a website, or how to do anything technical.  I just had to have an opinion...and you know what they say... opinions are like assholes...everyone's got one!!  And I like to share mine whenever asked...especially when I'm being paid!!   And yeaaaaa, sometimes even when I'm not ;)

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Even a 50 year old body can benefit from physio...  I really thought that I would have seen my last physiotherapist last March when I had "shoulder issues".  Imagine my surprise when that same issue reared it's ugly head again a few weeks back.  How could I suffer any strain injuries when I'm not even working??  How can one hurt themselves doing NOTHING??  Oh well, after several visits, I didn't think I was going to respond at all  the treatment.  I didn't seem to be making an progress at all...and the only thing that's changed since March is...I'm another year older now.   I have very mixed feelings about the usefulness of this type of therapy anyway... and now that I have limited medical coverage, my tolerance for any long drawn out treatment plans is even less.  But, today I am pleased to say, I'm finally seeing results.  Another couple of appointments and I expect I'll be good as new...okay, okay, good as old...but good none the less!!

No, I haven't forgotten

I haven't forgotten what it's like to work a full 8 hour day, on your feet and serving the needs of the public.  I remember how things can get hectic and mistakes are made.  I know that you don't go out of your way to make mistakes, cause who wants to deal with the flack that mistakes cause.  But...when you work in a drive-thru window, I'm guessing that more often than not, the mistakes aren't discovered until the customer has managed to leave the drive-thru area and returned to their home, a substantial distance from where the mistake occurred.  I can be as understanding as the next person when the occasional mistake is made....yes, I can TOO!!  I just ask you to picture this.  I'm the ONLY car in the drive-thru at McDonalds.  I've got my coupon in hand for a free hot McCafe beverage.  I follow the instructions on the reverse and first advise the drive-thru attendant that I have a coupon.  I keep my order as simple as possible...a peppermint hot chocolate.  That's it, that's all.  Imagine my surprise when I finally get the little opening on the cover peeled back (using my teeth cause I'm driving and can't take my hand off the wheel!!), and get my first mouthful of the nice hot, sweet....waaaaaittt a minute...NOT PEPPERMINT hot chocolate.  How does one get such a simple order screwed up??  I'll never know.  Did I turn around and return to get the order corrected...nah...I was half way home by that time and couldn't be bothered to turn around.  Had it turned out to be a cup of coffee I surely would have...but since they got the order HALF RIGHT, it was hot chocolate, I just told myself to "suck it up princess" and carried on home.  Peppermint is highly overrated anyway!  ;)

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  I still hate Rogers, and wish I could cancel my service with them.  No, I can't get into details...otherwise I'm able to trigger that little OCD issue I have and then I'll have to spend the evening on the phone with them trying to correct yet another billing discrepancy...cause as the saying goes "he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day"...tomorrow's another day....maybe I'll feel like fighting then...

Decking the Halls

Yes, it's going to be a busy day.  I'm putting up my Christmas decoration today.  No, I didn't forget the "s"...I'm just putting up one.  Okay, okay, I'll put up a couple...maybe 3...but no more than that.  And one of them will NOT be a tree.  Nope, not even a little one...  You know my position on the whole 'Christmas decoration' thing...it's nothing more than a "make-work project"...you put them all up in December (yes, they shouldn't go up any sooner than that) just so that you can take them all down again in January (or sooner!!).  Who needs it.  Haven't you got enough other stuff to do??  I don't know....like the daily Sudoku puzzle in the paper??  Or the Jumble??  Anything really, as long as it doesn't include repeating an exercise in reverse that you just completed a month before.  Yeah, I know...sounds a bit "bah humbug"-ish, doesn't it??  I prefer to call it an extremely practical approach to an over commercialized time of year.  ;)

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It's possible that I have a bit of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).  Just a touch though, and it only rears its ugly head at certain times...and those times are when I've lost something.  To say I become single-minded in my mission to find whatever is lost, is an understatement.  I lost my glasses last week and it ruined my whole evening.  Not because I couldn't see to read, or do the daily Jumble in the paper, but because I spent the entire evening retracing my steps...in my mind, of course.  The only thing that stood between me and driving all over town was a raging snow storm...which only made my evening worse, because there was nothing I could do to FIND my lost glasses.  Yes, I do have other pairs.  No, I don't need those specific ones to read.  And yes, I am a hopeless obsessive compulsive.  And no, Kier hasn't started to use this little "quirk" to drive me around the bend....not yet, anyway...