No I didn't. Yes you did.

The other day Chris remarked to me, "Knocked Up is on Netflix.  I started watching it this morning. It's pretty good!" 

I remarked, "You've seen it". 

"No, I didn't", he replied.

"Yes, you did", I insisted. 

"No".

"Yes".

"No".

"Yes. We went to the drive-in. I probably have the stub somewhere", I said. 

Not long after, my Facebook notifier announced that Chris had updated his status: "I'm watching Knocked Up on Netflix. I think it's a pretty funny movie - I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it before. Amber says we saw it at the drive in but no part of this movie is familiar to me. I think she went with the girls to the theater.  I think she's currently in the other room searching for the ticket stub to prove me wrong. Did you see Knocked Up with Amber? Or am I destined to be wrong?"

A futile search later,  I was left empty-handed. I know there's a stub somewhere.  During my search he poked his head in the room.  A cocky smirk on his face, wondering how I was getting along - certain I was looking for a stub that "didn't exist".  A shout out to my friend and loyal blog follower, Jodi, who commented that perhaps I'd blogged it. Brilliant!!  I start by using the handy-dandy "search" option on the blog. Nothing. Crap.  I KNEW I saw it just after it was released to theatres. Being together so frickin' long of course it had to be with Chris, right?  Then I thought, well, I suppose, maaaaybe it could have been another guy. So I google the year the movie was released. 2007. Ok, well it had to be Chris. Confirmed. I knew it was the drive-in, so I started in the month of July searching the archives, and lo and behold my boring mundane update post from July 22 had the key I was looking for: http://amber-myhappyplace.blogspot.ca/2007/07/happy-sunny-finally-sunday-all-windows.html

Saved by the blog! Do you know he had the audacity to suggest I might have typed that up and pretended it was written in 2007? :O  Good thing he's cute!  So in addition to proving my undoubted rightness, I've also come to the conclusion of a very important discovery:   I should get back to blogging - it might help me win a few more arguments in the future!

the itsy, bitsy...

Though we're smack dab in the middle of Tropical Storm Gabrielle and the high humidity that's accompanying it, there's no question that summer has bid us it's untimely adieu.  In retrospect I have a few tales to tell about one of the few unsavory things that come along with summer. Namely bugs. Nasty, creepy, crawly, icky, disgusting bugs!

I sat on the living room couch one morning, sipping on my coffee and watching the news when Chris very calmly said, "Amber? What would you say if I told you that I saw the biggest spider that I've ever seen in my life?".  I returned that with a, "I'd say KILL IT!", followed by a narrowed-eyed, "Where?!?!".  A very calm, "Right here. In the sink", and he points, and actually steps back a little.  I grow slightly more panicked at this point, adding a bit of a begging tone to my, "Kiiiillll it!!".  Chris' suggestion to end the spider's existence in our kitchen sink?  Running hot water and drowning him.

Well no. That just will NOT DO.  Number 1, there's no way you can get the hot water to reach temperatures high enough to cause life-ending scalds to the thing. Number 2, how do we NOT know that the little effer didn't climb up the drain hole in the first place, thus proving it's ability to withstand the hottest of our hot water temperatures, and also cementing the fact that they CAN SWIM.  There was no way I could take the risk that he could simply be offered a flume ride down to its humble abode. NO!  We had to ensure that there was no risk of the possibility that he could crawl back up there and make its way out of the sink. And there was only one solution.  The man of the house had to nut up and be the one to do the killing.  They only problem?  He was convinced his idea was the winner.  And I could have nothing to do with that.  I had to be the bigger person and ensure there was no risk of that thing returning and crawling over my face at night or nesting in my ear (actually, he was too big to do such a thing; it never would have fit in my ear).

So I push up my sleeves and approach the sink - only one goal in mind:  to get that sink spider dead.  He was so big there was no doubt in the world that he'd be juicy and go down with a fight, so I had to ensure that my hands didn't do the killing.  I first enlisted a sufficient ream of paper toweling which I coated the spider with, then grabbed the dish soap bottle with the thought of smushing it to smithereens. Unfortunately the keen arachnid just hid in the small hollow between the middle of the bottle bottom and the sink.  Chris laughed.  A few seconds of panic followed before I realized that the best kill tool would be the sharp-bristled scrub brush. Yes!  That would do.  I took a bit of the paper towel cushion away and proceeded to jab and stab at it, forcing an albeit messy, but successful demise of the sink spider.

An alternate description, in the words of Christopher, courtesy of Facebook:

Me: Amber, there's a giant spider in the sink
Spider: DUDE! Help! I can't get the fuck out of here, I can't climb the walls! 
Me: that's bad dude, Amber doesn't like spiders
Spider: help help help help
Me: want a hot shower? 
Spider: no! that will kill me
Amber: don't wash it down the sink, it will come back!
Spider: come back and do what? I can't climb the fuck out of the sink! 
Me: I've selected the method of death for this spider, if I can't kill him this way, you'll have to do it.
Amber: (grabs 18 feet of paper towel, throws it on the spider, and then hits the four inches of cushion with the dish soap bottle)
Me: laughing
Spider: missed me, I'm going down the drain! YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME!
Amber: No you're not. (grabs scrub brush, throws down less paper towel cushion) die die die
Spider: silence
Me: laughing still
Amber: wipes up spider goo with 18' of paper towel

Moral of the story:  Chivalry is dead. And spiders are gross. And don't belong in kitchens.

Stay tuned, the bug tales are not over.

just what DO you have?

Because I'm all kinds of lazy I didn't have a lunch to bring with me today.  Because I know that I've been putting too much crap in my body I opted out of the more desirable cheeseburger and fries that I really wanted for a more sensible option of a sandwich for lunch today.  Because I wanted needed some retail therapy I opted for the ever-quick Tim Hortons drive-thru so I could order quick, eat quick, and get me to Reitmans. Because it was effin' HOT I thought I'd try that new frozen lemonade to go with my ham & cheese on whole wheat.  So I place my order... "I'm sorry ma'am, but our machine is down for cleaning so I can't get you a frozen lemonade" (might I remind you that today might have been the hottest day on record of the summer so far. But it was down. For cleaning.  Right.).  Ok. Without batting an eye, I then opted for a smoothie.  "I'm sorry ma'am, but our machine is down so I can't get you a smoothie, but we do have iced capps, lattes, etc".  Ok. So even though my heart was set on lemonade, I opt for the iced capp, because it was effing hot and I wanted something cold.  I get to the window.  I flash my debit card at the lady taking my money.  She hands me their debit machine (how the heck did we manage without that at Tims before, anyway?).  Just as I'm about to insert my card in the slot the lady says, "I'm sorry ma'am, but we're fresh out of ham (yeah I'm paraphrasing; pretty sure she wasn't completely Dr. Suess), but we have chicken, turkey, egg salad...." (are you effing kidding me?).   Thinking I really should have gone for that cheeseburger & fries, I sigh a little and accept the offer of the egg salad.  Least it wasn't processed meat, right?  She then said, "I'm just glad you didn't ask for a smoothie because our machine is down...".  I just sorta glared at her and said, "Honey, we already went down that road with the lemonade... and then the smoothie...".  She smiled meekly and said, "Well sometimes I don't hear the orders....um...here's your sandwich, have a good day now".  Looking at the skanty sandwich before me, I'm pretty certain that the next person to order an egg salad sandwich was about to here, "I'm sorry ma'am, but we're out of eggs".  I think they just rubbed the bun over the remnants of what was left of the egg salad mix and threw a brown leaf of lettuce on top to avoid saying, 'I'm sorry ma'am', to me one more time.  I did get to Reitmans though, and returned to work a little hungry, but a new outfit in hand, so the lunch hour wasn't all bad.

bad hair days and full moons seem to go together

Written at 11:30am this morning:

So, so far today I showered without a problem but before I had my finger on the button to press my hairdryer on the freaking power went out. It stayed out til 5 mins before I had to leave before I'd be REALLY late to get to work.  So I had to air dry my lovely coiff, and now it has so much product in it my head feels greasy (and I tried to run the flat iron over it when the power finally came back on in that quick 5 minutes when there was too much product in it and that was just a bad, bad, bad idea).  On account of there being no power I could not have my first coffee of the day - which is very, very important for me to have in my system prior to starting my work day (my coworkers and any customer that I come into contact can attest to that).  So now my hair looks like straw, my face feels like I smeared butter over it, and I smell like a combination of Tidestick & coffee creamer because I slobbered the one coffee I did have all over the front of my WHITE blouse.  And there's a full moon. And I'm only at my first break. Stellar.

Written at 2:20pm this afternoon:

I admit it, I'm a bit vain.  When you're trying to make people overlook your fluffy form you try your best to dress respectfully and have your general grooming in check.  For a while now, I've been treating myself to gel nails.  They make me feel like a lady.  And they help me keep from chowing down on my cuticles and nails (disgusting, gross, most non-ladylike habit of all time).  This evening I have an appointment for a fill.  They're in pretty rough shape.  As I make the motion to enter my car door at lunch, I somehow manage to jam my middle left finger nail under and up and over the door handle, instantly snapping my entire nails off.  Yes, nails.  That would mean the fake gel overlay, and the human nail underneath.  Clear off in one giant searing painful motion.  And then the blood.  Sweet baby Jesus the blood.  Oh and did I mention the pain? It felt like I had cut the tip of my finger off.  It throbbed and I bled through the first bandaid.  Yeah.  So my nail appointment is post-poned til next week.  And typing sorta hurts now so I'm going to stop.

Written at 8:45pm tonight:

Well, so I made it back to my house alive despite the near miss of the red Dodge that apparently wanted to try to get closer to me (watch where you're going, MORON!).  My feet are soaking and my finger is still throbbing.  I have no coffee for the morning but I don't dare risk going back outside.  It's almost dark and the moon is almost shining.  Besides, I'm having a bad hair day anyway.

just a few things

Things I'm pretty sure of:
- I could survive eating only breakfast foods for every meal
- I could leave the HGTV channel on all day and not be bored
- At some point in my life on earth I very well could be known as the 'cat lady'

Things I know:
-I'm SO anti-Glee
-and anti-vampire (Twilight? Vampire Diaries?  pfffffffffffffffft)

Things I JUST.DON`T.GET:
-hair feathers. Why? WHY?
-that "style" of having the arse of your pants hang just under your buttocks, sagging. WHY is that even possible? WHY?
-Uggs.  While I'm all about comfort (totally), and I actually even bought a pair of "mock" uggs a few years ago (because they were reported as "comfortable"), they're fugly. And they offer no more support than a pair of slippers.  Therefore, to me, they ARE just expensive slippers.
-high heels. I know I have the issue of weight not being on my side to support my ample plummage on a pair of tiny spikes, but c'mon, even the most daintiest of ladies can't tell me they're comfortable wearing them. I won't believe her.  I won't.
-Foursquare; aren't you just inviting someone to come into your home to burgle you of your bounty of electronics that you've already posted on Facebook?

Am I alone here, people???

the closed door

In the maze of life there are many twists and turns - each turn a new decision, the place where that turn leads offering more direction to go. Years ago, we all started out walking along the same path.  We laughed over silly things; we cried over boys; we experimented with different things; we promised each other that we'd be "BFFs" forever.  We set out on our journey then, traveling together, arm in arm, until we came to a big, thick door.  Beyond that door there were rattles, pureed vegetables, diapers, and drooling, wide-mouthed babies. I chose to walk past that door.  Everyone else walked through.  A few were hesitant.  A few knocked lightly before gracing the threshold with slight hesitation.  A few had trouble with the lock, but finally managed to open the door wide and ready.

I didn't knock; I didn't ask for a key.  For a brief minute, I stood outside that door and I fought with the idea of tapping it lightly, but then I opted to walk past, and I haven't looked back.

The trouble is, I looked behind me, and there wasn't anyone behind me.  I could hear the faint laughter and shared companionship in the distance, behind the door, paces down the hallway.

And then I felt sad and a little out of place.

customer service

Last week I had supper with a girlfriend.  We opted to to go to Pizza Delight as it was close to where I get my hair done, and I was meeting her after my hair appointment.  It's not like it was 5-star dining, so we weren't expecting any award-winning service or anything like that.  But, as a consumer, one is entitled to having a few expectations of food service, I think, whether you find yourself at your nearest Tim Hortons or a fine dining avenue. 

To start, I waited longer than I should have at the door for a table.  It was later in the evening, so there was no supper crowd the staff were contending with.  They were just, well...not there.  Finally a very friendly girl offered to get me seated, and offered to get me a drink while I waited for my friend to join.  Moments later, the same friendly girl sees my friend to our booth, and my friend was offered equally friendly service for her drink.

Then came our waitress.  She laid down two menus, mute...and walked away.  My friend and I both shared a raised eyebrow.  Not five minutes later the mute waitress returned, pen in hand, asking if we were ready to order.  We politely asked for another few minutes, wondering where that friendly girl went to.

My friend was torn between a few items on the menu - and had a question.  There is a "combo" special advertised for a certain price, and, the exact same dish advertised on the main part of the menu for a few dollars less.  She wanted to know what the difference was.  Was the combo one a little larger?  Did it come with another side dish, perhaps?  The menu made them appear identical.  Perhaps it was a typo? Inquiring minds want to know!  And we were inquiring minds!

So when the mute waitress returned once more, my friend approaches her, asking what the difference was between the two menu items.  She looked rather blankly, and said, "Wow.  That's kinda wierd".  We voiced our query ..., "Is that one a bigger serving?  Does it come with an extra side?"... Her reply, "uuuhhh,...I dunnno".  Not, "Let me find that out for you", even.  Just, "That's wierd...he he.  Are you ready to order?"

SERIOUSLY.

To give you a mental picture, she looked like she'd just fallen off the turnip truck.  Her long hair was pulled back in a pony tail that may have started out in the back, but had slid to the side, hanging there, loosely.  When she wasn't talking (which was most of the time), her lips just sorta gaped open.  Oh, and the finale?  When my friend went to pay for her bill she handed her Visa to the waitress.  She brought it back, and stood over her, waiting for her to calculate the tip and sign. 

Needless to say the tip wasn't favorable.  Nor did it even cover the tax.

I can't make this sh!t up.  I sure hope she has bigger aspirations in life than to perfect the skill of being a waitress.

Tiny blessings

We always have to count our tiny blessings.  Here are mine for today:

• chocolate and cream cheese are a perfect combination
• there's nothing like a hair cut and colour to boost one's self-esteem
• an evening out with a girlfriend can vastly reduce one's weekly stress level
• a pending weekend with friends and wine helps to even further reduce one's weekly stress level
• Prison Break is an awesome, awesome show...awesome enough to enduce a mild addiction similar to a crack-addict (wow, wonder what sorta traffic the 'ol blog'll pick up after that term is used)

What are 5 random things you find yourself grateful for today?

point form

I owe you all an update as to what the heck's been going on and keeping from my happy place.  I've opted for point form so the post doesn't go on for days:

-In my last post, I was bemoaning the whole grey haired and wrinkled thing, but Tuesday night, I was time warped back to circa 1990-1991 after meeting up with Lori and Jodi for supper.  Their 20 year high school reunion is coming up, which had them already reminiscing, and it led to a planned supper out amongst us (something we've been saying we'll have to do for YEARS).  Unfortunately Rizpah couldn't make it, but we hope to get her out for the next one!  We laughed til our bellies and cheeks hurt; we reminisced; we shook our head at our young silliness; and, we marvelled at how we look exactly.the.same even after 2 decades have passed (heh); and, we laughed some more.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, lovely ladies, for a fabulous walk down memory lane.
-So for some reason, the network switched Survivor to Wednesdays instead of Thursdays. As that takes priority over American Idol, the blog may very well (well it has) lack any significant commentary on the singing competition until they at least get the Wednesday show down to an hour.  I tried to watch this week, but gave up before it ended due to the calling of my bed, and the fact that I was bored out of my trees.  Perhaps by the time that it's back to an hour the participants will have been weeded out enough that the suckage is lowered?  BTW I do enjoy Steve Tyler on AI very much.
-Bachelor Brad did pop the question and it wasn't Chantal, as I'd predicted.  The finale was all a little 'meh' to me.  I never felt confident that it would work out in the long run, and from what I've heard, they're still not fully committed.  I don't buy their 'love'.  I never watched "After the Rose".  I might at some point if I have a free minute on the weekend.  Or I might not. (*shrug*)
-My heart goes out to everyone who has loved ones near, from, or involved in the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that took place a few short weeks ago in Japan.  I pray they get the radiation leaks under control and hope they will be able to rebuild and move past this. Somehow. It's just heart-breaking. Chris' mom has had several exchange students stay with them over the years from different parts of the world.  Shota is now back in Japan.  Thankfully, he and his family was spared any destruction...
-The wrist is bad.  Bad. I'm numb and tingly up to my elbow and sometimes my shoulder most days.  I've taken to wearing the wrist brace a lot.  It doesn't really help.  It sucks.  A lot.  I'm signed up for an upcoming scrapbooking retreat for May...I'm hoping I'll still be able to make it...
-So far I'm going on day 3 of a ginormous headache that won't take a hike, despite my regular Advil intake. Last night I was completely useless.  After about 3 hrs of sleeping on the couch as I 'watched tv', I finally gave up and went to bed.  I'm super bummed that I missed supper out with my girlies.  I really wanted to go, but felt that if I'm coming down with something, the last thing I wanted to do was pass it around to them -especially the mommies and the mommy-to-BE!  My plan is to lay low this weekend and hopefully I'll be back up to snuff next week.  We're going to be down manpower next week at work.  I just can't be sick. I can't.
-2 weekends ago we had our first barbeque of the season courtesy of Matt & Nicole (thanks guys!), and I had to brush my car off again this morning.  Mother Nature isn't done with us yet, methinks.
-Smurf & G are moving back to Halifax.  They leave tomorrow.  It sucks. We'll miss you guys!  I predict a few roadtrips to the big H in the upcoming future!  Travel safely back home...xo.

So yeah... that's about it.  Hope you all are feeling fine!  The weekend is so close I can smell it now.  Happy Day to you all!

Alphabet soup

Seeing as I've been a big, bad slacker, here's some more random facts that you can suffer through.  The idea was stolen from the lovely, witty, cornocopia of awesomeness that is Toughie:

A. Age:  The age at which bi-monthly colour 'touch ups' are required to disguise the grey.  And those lines?  The ones around my eyes?  I've given up on saying they're just laugh lines.  I know the difference.  They're damn wrinkles.

B. Bed size:  It's a queen.  I like the idea of a king though...more liking the idea of the house that has the bedroom that is big enough to comfortably fit a king-sized bed. 

C. Chore you dislike: Scrubbing the bathtub.  I loathe doing it.  It makes my back and wrist hurt, and I feel such a low sense of self-satisfaction after it's done because I can't, for the life of me, rid the tub of that G.D. ring!

D. Dogs:  Are slowly, slowly growing on me.  There was a time where I would never, ever, think of even the remote possibility that I'd one day be the owner of a dog, but, one day, with a bigger yard (read: a bigger house), we'll most likely be bringing one home.  I hope Zoe and Bosco can adjust. They were here first, so, if they don't....well?  And, the dog must join our family as a pup.  And, I will not be scooping the poop.  Nor getting up through the night when it whines.  Yeah.  All those things.

E. Essential start to your day:  At least one hit of the snooze button and a big, piping hot cup of coffee.  In that order.

F. Favorite colour:  I'm a big fan of chocolate brown.

G. Gold or silver:  Silver, but I'd never, ever refuse something sparkly, wrapped in white gold.

H. Height:  Um, 5'6" maybe?  Unless the weight of my gut has weighed me down.

I. Instruments you play(ed):  While I love music, there is not one thing about me that is musical. 

J. Job title: Call centre schlep.  Still. I KNOW.

K. Kids:  If it happened, I wouldn't give it up, but, I'm certainly not actively promoting, nor aiming for conception.  Put it that way.

L. Live:  In a teeny, tiny mini home, in a small mini-home park.  It's past our "5 year plan" mark, and I'm desperately coveting a larger space.  Like seriously - perusing real estate sites in between posts. 

M. Mom’s name:  Joan, or Mummy.

N. Nicknames:  Ambifer, Sunshine, 'Ber (rare), Burger (only by Alan), BUD (only by Jason).

O. Overnight hospital stay:  None yet, and I'm not looking at changing this answer any time soon, thanks.

P. Pet peeves:  Ooooh sooo many....people talking over me; whiners; when Chris puts the empty water bottle back into the fridge instead of filling it back up; scraping ice off my windows; nose whistles; people snapping their gum, or audibly chewing it like a cow on cud; people who pop and crunch a SUCK candy (people, they're meant to be SUCKED); liars; snoring; "me" people; people being over-fake...(I could go on, and on, and on...).

Q. Quotes from a movie:  "You had me at hello"; "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."; "You can't handle the truth!"; "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary."; "Nobody puts 'Baby' in a corner."

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings:  Cathy, Frederick, and Todd

T. Time you wake up:  Seeing as I'm still doing shift work, the wake up time is completely determined by the shift start time.

U. Underwear: Um, yes?  Though, I know a girl who doesn't wear any.  I can't imagine.  I mean, really - there's supposed to be a barrier...there.  Besides, I do enough laundry as it is... She must do a load every single DAY, no?

V. Vegetables you don’t like:  beets, arugala

W. What makes you run late: I tend to doddle.  It's really bad when I wake up a little earlier than I normally would. Suddenly that extra 10 minutes becomes a half hour in my brain and I end up late when I should have been early.  I also have a huge knack for getting behind school buses, Sunday drivers and red lights.

X-rays you’ve had: ankle - twice; the same ankle, and each time it was just a sprain; mouth - the orthodontist wanted to break my jaw and re-set it and put me into braces to fix my crooked jaw.  My jaw's still crooked and my ankle's weak.

Y. Yummy food you make:  I make a damn fine spaghetti sauce, the best French toast, and apparently, my KD tastes better than Chris' (per Chris).

Z. Zoo animal favourites:  I don't agree with animals being caged up.  However, I have to admit to feeling a little selfish glee when I got to see the big, glorious, majestic kitties when I did go to the zoo.

Brown-haired girl?

So today being Sunday and all, I've not yet done too much heavy lifting or overexertion.  I did put a load of laundry in, and I have mentally checked, and re-checked the long list of 'to do' things that I have on today's agenda, but, that's as far as I've gotten, thus far.  Whilst enjoying my 2nd cup of java, and flicking through the available TV lineup, I stopped on, "A Charlie Brown Valentine".  Who doesn't love Charlie Brown, after all?

Now readers, a question:  am I the only one out there who was confused, at one time, by Peppermint Patty's gender?  See, on this particular episode, Charlie Brown intends to call the Little Red Head Girl, and mistakenly dials Marcie.  Marcie makes a reference to Peppermint Patty (who was there), saying that "she" was there to speak with CB.  I don't recall ever having this clarification previously, though I'm sure it was there and I never took pass of it.  I do recall Marcie referring to PP as "sir" though.  I mean really, give the picture a good, hard look.  Dark green, navy blue clothes...big feet.  Hair that could be longish, but not drawn back by a ponytail, nary a sweep of a curl?  And the name?  Patty, sure, possibly short for Patricia, but also could be short for Patrick.  I mean, he could be Irish, no?  That green shirt, right?  Irish green? Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing you, Shultz, I just thought you left it open to the viewers'/readers' discretion ;).  So, for years, growing up, I thought PP was a boy.  Just sayin'.  Today, I was

{sweet baby Jesus, the MINI POPS still produce albums!??!!??!!!  (watching YTV to view my childhood favourite, Charlie Brown), And, now that I know that, I'm left to question how they're ONLY at # 7???}

enlightened.  I mean no offense to anyone who has an affection for Peppermint Patty.  Personally, if I was the one penning the character, I would have at least spelled it Patti with an "i" ;).  Ya know, just sayin' ;)

Nuthin' to say

It's still winter.  More snow.  That fell and blew over ice because the unseasonably warm Tuesday night turned into a deepfreeze into the wee hours of Wednesday morning.  Scraping the car windows with a bad wrist SUCKS, by the way!  The sun is shining brightly now - it's actually a beautiful day.  And, schools were closed. 

There are certain days I do wish I fulfilled my childhood 'dream' of becoming a teacher.

LOLcat sums up my mood nicely.

Blue Monday

Apparently, today is Blue Monday. A Monday which should beat out all other Mondays in suckage - the Internet tells us so. As I saw the sky turn a few beautiful shades before the sun went down and the nearly full bright moon shining, I thought THANK EFF the day was no worse than any other sleepless Monday (cause really, a full moon on top of a bleaker than normal bleak Monday is a bad, bad combination). I was tired, sure, but that happens when you don't get enough sleep. I dealt with some stupidity, sure, but that's no different than any other day of the week. It was freaking cold today, with windchills reaching just about -19 celsius (nothing compared to what my poor friends in Whitehorse are experiencing, though), but I had a warm place to be all day. I had a slow commute home with heavy traffic, but I don't face that on a daily basis, like my Halifax friends.

Yeah, so all in all, I didn't have a horrible Monday. I don't think it was bleak. I don't feel depressed. However, I suppose I shouldn't take any chances...I think I will have a piece of chocolate, or two...you know, just to be safe. The Internet told me so ;).

I hope that your "Blue Monday" wasn't blue for you, either.

"I don't have pet peeves, I have whole kennels of irritation”*

In junior high I sat close to this guy named Rodney. He sniffed incessantly. It was like he had a perma-booger that was lodged in-between the inside of his nostril and the outside world. That, or perhaps he had super stuffed up sinuses. Regardless, it bugged me. A LOT. To the point that I had a hard time concentrating in class. Did I ask the teacher to move me though? Of course not. But, really...is that an acceptable reason to move your desk? Because of someone sniffing? Did I coyly pass him a tissue and beg of him to, 'blow!'? Well, no. Wouldn't that have been rude? Inside my young brain I guess I felt that eventually he'd realize it himself and he'd go retrieve his own tissue.

You see, I'm terrribly affected by repetitive, inane noises... a tap dripping...someone drumming their hands on a desk...clinking one's ring on a table...someone snoring...an answering machine or cell phone beeping over and over and over with an unheard message...nose whistles...snapping of gum, or better yet, chewing of gum with one's mouth open that makes that distinct 'chewing noise'...nose whistles (oh, did I already list that?)...

Repetitive noises such as these make me ragey. I really would be the perfect candidate for some sort of torture method whereby the victim is tightly bound and made listen to one of those noises on repeat. I wonder how long I would last before I decided to try to swallow my own tongue in an effort to make the noise stop? I can't be the only person out there like this, am I? Anyone else wanna fess up to being equally susceptible as I am? What do you do to cope? Do you make a physical effort to make the annoyance stop - like getting up and moving away from the noise, or telling someone to stop their damn chewing in your ear, or suck back the G.D. snot already? Or do you try to pretend it doesn't exist - imagine yourself on a faraway beach of white sands and turquoise waters, sipping on a frosty, umbrella drink? Maybe I need therapy.

*Quote by Whoopi Goldburg

One or the other

Borrowed from the lovely Trudy*:

You can pretend you want to know a little bit more about me...

1.Sweet or Savoury? Look at me - obviously I enjoy large helpings of either. A lot.

2.Dresses or Jeans? Jeans - especially Mr. Reitmans comfort fit ones. Thank you Mr. Reitman!

3.House or Apartment? - While maintenance, snow removal, and the fact one is not responsible for replacing broken appliances is a very attractive option, having to deal with shitty-ass neighbors outweighs any goodness. And why put hundreds of dollars out to rent something when you can put those hundreds towards something that might possibly be yours someday?

4.Shop Online or Offline? - I hate shopping - specifically when it's the Christmas season, and have often considered doing my entire Christmas shopping online. However, having the option to touch something and feel it before you buy it is much more attractive to me, so I brave the stores :).

5.DVDs or Downloads? - Both; and lately, way too much Netflix. I love commercial free tv.

6.Cocktails or Juice? - Unless there's cocktail mix in my juice, I don't normally drink juice. So cocktails. And keep 'em coming.

7.Chocolate or Strawberry? - Having to choose between one or the other, there will be no way I will ever, ever choose a strawberry over a piece of chocolate. However, I do very much enjoy chocolate-dipped strawberries.

8.Laptop or PC? - Laptop, without a doubt. I'll probably never own another PC again.

9.Magazines or Newspapers? - Magazines. I hate the black residue a newspaper leaves.

10.Facebook or Twitter? - I don't tweet. Yet.

11.CDs or MP3s? - CDs, and lately a whole lotta iTunes for my iPod.

12.Kids or Pets? - PETS

13.Macaroon or Cupcakes? - Cupcakes; I don't much like coconut.

14.Walk or Run? - I do whatever I possibly can to never, ever run.

15.Breakfast in Bed or Breakfast Out? - I don't like crumbs in my bed. But I'd prefer to have breakfast made for me without leaving the house, so that I may stay in my jammies and have the freedom to loaf for as long as I possibly can.

16.Market or Supermarket? - I enjoy going to a market to support our local farmers, but honestly end up at the supermarket for most things because I'm too lazy to go to different places for things I can get at a one-stop shopping place.

17.Sourdough or Grainy? - For a treat, a little sourdough is good, but for day to day I'm trying to incorporate a lot more whole grain foods into my diet.

18.Heels or Flats? - I loathe, loathe, loathe high heels.

19.Late nights or Not? - I used to be a night owl; over the last couple of years, however, by 11pm I'm almost nodding off.

20.Coffee or Tea? - Coffee, and copious quantities of it. During the colder months, I am known for sipping on a spot o' tea rather regularly though.

*I had borrowed this from Trudy months ago, and had it started in my drafts since then. Once I posted it I went to her blog to read her answers again. Without knowing it some of my answers bear a bit of resemblance to hers...which is a complete accident. And a testament that we're related. And both kinda awesome :).

*Yawn*

3 hours sleep does not a happy Amber make. Holy EFF I'm tired. The Atlantic region was pummeled with yet another windstorm over night. The gusts, in excess of 90-100kms, had the makings of a superb winter storm and a potential snow day today, but the temps? 3 degrees Celsius. So, it's just a shitty hair day and a long day after having less than adequate beauty rest. I remember Mike & Molly ending on tv, and quickly fell asleep after the tv was turned off. Mother Nature, with her incessant howls, didn't figure I needed much though, and when she started exercising her 'voice', it was just after 2am, and I've been reluctantly wide awake ever since.

I predict copious quantities of caffeine today. And chocolate. I've already consumed two coffees and two ginormous and to-die-for peanut butter balls. Peanut butter balls = Christmas to me. Tonight, I'm meeting up with my BFF's for the annual Girls Night Gift Exchange at Julie's. There will be eats; there will be laughs, and we get to leave with a gift. You can't get any better than that, can you? It's my light at the end of a very dark, and very long tunnel today.

Oh, and btw...my replacement card came in the mail yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!! VICTORY! Citizensbank officially falls into my list of superior customer service experiences. KUDOS, Citizensbank. Thank you for allowing Christmas to come to the 'hood for me!

Serenity??

Day 1 back to work after staycation
+ a full moon
+ issues with a Christmas gift delay requiring the purchase of a whole different gift entirely
+ having to listen to Celine Dion Christmas carols
= a less than "happy place" for yours truly.

*whimper*

...checking it twice...

Ooh-kay! Well, I did make it to the post office yesterday, so now the cards are off to meet their intendeds. Based on the flow of incoming cards, everyone else is in the same boat as me; that, or I just won't be getting many this year :P. I did a quick stop at English Butler to finish a few gifts, and we did get out last night to pick up a few groceries (though without a list in hand, so I can rhyme off at least 5 things we forgot). I didn't start my wrapping yet, and the house is still a mess. I have two gifts left to buy - but I know what I'm getting so it shouldn't be too stressful, unless you mention my account balance. Jeeeebus that went fast. And I don't get another pay cheque til Christmas Eve. So yeah, I'm just about done. My bank decided that one for me.

My goal is to get the house cleaned and the wrapping completed today - in time to stop over at my momma's for Mummy & Me day. I fear I may have to postpone that. It's almost 8 o'clock and I'm still wiping sleep crusties out of my eyes. So, with that, off to brew a cup of java and dig around for the scotch tape. Oh, and I'm also going to do a snow dance. This rain and damp weather has turned me into an aching, arthritic mess. Besides that, how can anyone get into any Christmas spirit without a nice blanket of snow? I can't even visit the Rustico lights without snow on the ground. Do join me, will y'all?

Happy Hump (oh sweet baby Jesus it's Wednesday already).

Happy Thursday

When I woke up early this morning to start my day I happily turned the alarm to the "off" position from "on", meaning it wouldn't be set to scream at me again tomorrow morning. Until 30 seconds later, when it registered as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, that it was Thursday, and not Friday.

I hate that.

BUT! It is Thursday -- I have one more wake up ahead, and then that alarm clock goes off for an entire week! ;). Yessiree, folks, a week. I am on staycation next week. Glorious staycation. Christmas in the 'hood will be DONE by week's end. And I have sooooooooooo much to do in that short week. But, it WILL be done, as the Internet is my witness!

Plus, it's Turkey Thursday. My work is putting on a lavish turkey dinner for our Christmas gift. It's being catered by the Olde Triangle. I've worn my eating pants in preparation, and I can't freaking wait.

Happy Thursday!

this post brought to you courtesy of Lou Bega

I've been a little neglectful lately. The weekend passed me by in a blur. There was a ton of things I should have done that went undone. I'm working the late shift this week, so even though I have huge ideas, plans and expectations that I will fill my morning hours preparing for Christmas with finishing my cards; finishing the decorating of the tree; starting to wrap; heck, even doing a load of laundry or two, in actuality, the pull of the warm bed sucks me in every time. This morning, just as I had flipped my pillow over to the cool side to snuggle in for that final hour before I had to get up, Mambo#5 started on the radio, and I immediately jumped out of bed. I figured it was a sign from a higher power. Words cannot express how much I deeply loathe that song. Unfortunately, the Christmas preparations went untouched, but I was able to clean up the kitchen and make the living quarters a tad bit more liveable.

Tonight, I'm meeting up with the girlies after work at P&W to celebrate Erin's birthday (birthday post dedicated to her on the way!), and tomorrow morning I have to leave the house early for an appointment before work, so you can guess that I will continue to leave the Christmas preps untouched for yet another day. The weekends before Christmas seem to be filling up with invitations and goings-on... before I know it, the day will have come and gone. The overwhelming sense of panic is starting to set in. It's time to breathe. It's time again to focus on the real meaning of Christmas...that, and perhaps playing Lou Bega on repeat every early morning til the day before?