Feb. 3

Nothing remarkable happened in the last few days. I enjoy the Blog Goddess's site and figured I had better get cracking since she's the one who introduced me to this wonderous universe. I'll start with yesterday.
I usually go to Second Cup - great coffee, good services, calm atmosphere. Yesterday I went to Starbucks. I wanted a small decaf latte with skim milk. Well wouldn't you know that was a foreign language. I looked at the cup sizes the perky Starbuckian pointed to. Okay, tall = small. Then there was the skim milk, properly known as "nofat". My latte was put in a paper cup - everyone else had ceramic. I guess I'm only a tourist. I sat at the "bar" because the tables were taken by laptoppers. The 3 staff with high-pitched squeaky voices screeched phrases like "no foam grande vanilla latte" to eachother above the music that I would have otherwise enjoyed. The louder of the three ended each utterance with a higher-pitched cadence. The latte was bitter. Like, am I getting old, or what?



1. Who is/was the most influential person in your life, and why?

My parents - provided the genes, the environment and the socialization.

2. Your favourite toy as a child?

A stuffed dog with a plastic face. It looked like a collie and I called her "Lassie". My mother put her in the trash after having repaired her several times. I still ache at that.

3. Your favourite toy as an adult?

Do I have to name him? Okay okay, I'm using the toy right now

4. Who was your first crush? You don't have to name names.

Little Joe on Ponderosa

5. Remember back to the first time you had sex. Was it all you hoped it would be? (sex with yourself doesn't count)

Self-inflicted doesn't count? How about self- inflicted with a bumbling partner?

6. Do you still know that person?

Never really did

7. Can you name all six Brady kids? In order? No cheating!

No, but I can name the 7 dwarfs and the 12 nuclei of the amygdala :P

8. Have you ever wanted somebody you couldn't have? Celebrities don't count!

Is Little Joe, as a tv character, considered a celebrity?

9. Did that person know?

Seriously, of course not. Why start trouble?

10. Has somebody ever wanted but couldn't have you?

Yep

11. How many serious relationships have you had?

Romantic ones, 3
Friends, many more

12. Which one is best for you, marriage or common-law?

How about non-cohabitating, my ideal.
Never marriage - a handfasting would be better and so would a contract.
To me the only way to "live in sin" is through oppression or hypocrisy.

13. From a list of your friends, pick a quality from each that you wish you had.

This is far too personal to post here

14. If I could start my life over again, I would....(finish the sentence)

Never have been a nurse

15. Will you hire a hit man to "off" the person who sent this to you?

I always do my own dirty work ;)


Dinnertime:

If I could have any 6 creatures, living or non-living, fictional or non-fictional over for dinner, whom would they be and why?

My answer changes with my mood and my interests. Sometimes I think it would be good to have Lt. Worf beat the living crap out of some real-world tyrant. Other times it would be those with great minds in order to watch the debate; Feynman and Einstein. Dinner music would be nice: Perlman and Heifetz or perhaps Callas, Houston, Patinkin and Terfel - toss in Mozart, Tatum and Horowitz.
Sometimes it's sentimental: dead relatives. Having the chance to meet someone I would never otherwise be able to: Bugs Bunny or Julius Ceasar (or "Little Joe").

Today I say:
Buff the Beagle and Ralph the shepherd/husky because I would like them to have met.
The source, god, .......whatever you call it. I expect there to be an empty chair there.
The "Q" continuum - an omnipotent being and the Loki component. Atticus Finch - To temper Q who is morally challenged. Captain Kirk - because losing is not an option and he's such a sexpot.

To continue with my Feb. 3:

I went to The Carrot Common. http://www.thebigcarrot.ca/ I found Manuka honey. Organic bananas are much more tasty. They had organic valencia peanut butter - in glass, not plastic.
They had wild BC sockeye salmon - I'm going back next week to get some.

I went to Home Hardware. I used to like Canadian Tire until Home Depot forced them to carry only popular items - no more obscure doo-dads to be found. The staff of both are no help.
Home Hardware teaches me useful stuff so I can continue to be a self-reliant person.

Riddle

I have been trying to solve this riddle for 10 years. I've lost touch with the person who told me.


What is it that a woman does every day of her life and a man does only once in his lifetime?

A Blog Challenge

I have blogger's block so to stir things up a bit I've put out a challenge. Feel free to post a response on your own blog or as a comment on mine. This may be a little inconvenient because I have all comments sent to a web-based email account to prevent spam from being posted. Be patient and I will post them; you are welcome to post more than one answer.

If you could have any 6 creatures, living or dead, fictional or non-fictional over for dinner whom would they be and why?

Homework

Some Jobs I've Had

Parks and Rec Security: I was 16 at the Amphitheatre next to Lake Ramsey poised to radio police who were in the stands, should trouble stir. The worst part was handing crying kids back to parents who lifted them over the fence to avoid paying. The best part was enjoying the shows on stage with the other teen employees. We saw Valdy, April Wine, Rush and teen dances under the stars.

Tim Hortons: Again I was 16. This supplemented my income in order to buy make-up and records; the work was relatively regular. My best friend and I were hired. She was laid off. I watched pairs hired and singles fired - always the least efficient one. I quit the night before Mother's Day. I learned about good girlfriends and bad management.

"Orient" chinese restaurant: At 18 I stayed until 4 am on weekends. After closing the boss would share a meal with all employees while commenting on the service provided during the evening. During hours of operation, the manager greeted customers, worked the cash and watched the goings on, giving us helpful advice as the night progressed. Waitresses shared tips. Anyone could earn a nickel an hour raise by working better than on the previous shift - no ceiling. We all helped eachother to provide the best service and maximum tips. Everyone was driven home after work. I learned French service, teamwork and good management.

Le Petit Gourmet: I moved to the big city for a year and lived downtown in the time that living downtown was safe and fun. If people were in Toronto, they would come to the Eaton Centre. I'm sure I saw more people I knew from Sudbury there than I did when I was living in Sudbury. At the time, I was the least educated waitress in the place. I learned about wines, how hard-earned money can be and the value of education.

Some Places I've Lived

Frood Road, Sudbury Ontario
Lively (now part of Walden), Ontario
Grandview Blvd., Sudbury, Ontario
Alma College, St. Thomas Ontario
Hyland Drive, Sudbury Ontario
Residence, Toronto General Hospital

Websites Visited Daily

www.sciam.com
www.cbc.ca
www.google.ca
www.dictionary.com
www.workopolis.com
www.reuters.com
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/
www.nationalgeographic.com


TV Shows

CSI Miami
CTV National News
Daily Planet
Nature Nut
The Daily Show / Politically Incorrect
American Idol / Canadian Idol

Foods

Brie Cheese and cream crackers with Chateauneuf-Du-Pape Fiole Du Pape
angel food cake from scratch with no topping
creme caramel made with Grand Marnier
crispy slow cooked pork ribs with baked sweet potato fully loaded
fiddleheads with butter and chicken breast roasted with lemon, white wine and tarragon
halibut but only at Old York
slow cooked steel cut oats with Organic Meadow milk and Manuka honey

Albums

Sinfonia Concertante in E-Flat, K.364 (Mozart) with Perlman and Zukerman / Heifetz and Primrose (for Stern and Zukerman, see below)
Isaac Stern - My First 79 Years
A Lasting Impression - Jacqueline du Pre (Daniel Barenboim conducting/piano)
Horowitz at the Met - Scarlatti, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff
A Boy Named Charlie Brown - Vince Guaraldi Trio
classic Kathleen Battle - A Portrait
Carmen - Callas, Gedda, Guiot, Massard,Sautereau,Berbie,Vauquelin,Pruvost,Maievski,Cales,Mars
Linda Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle 'round Midnight
Sarah Brightman - Eden
The Best of the Eagles
John Lee Hooker - The Best of Friends

In My Mind

So hard to go back to work after having been off for a bit, but will be doing so this afternoon. Such a shame too. Going up to 11 degrees.
The mutt pulled the innards from her favourite toy and spread them across the apt. Don't know what she was thinking. At least she didn't eat any of it. She's on a raw food diet. She spat out the little bones. My mother would say she's full of beans.
I'm considering getting basic cable so I won't miss any of the American Idol and Canadian Idol shows - somebody stop me!!!!!! First I will look for a way to get the signal from either the tv or the antenna to the video recorder.
My keyboard reaches the treadmill console - there are healthy possibilities. Store the table? Add a nice big bookshelf?
I am relieved to see that tropical cyclone Daryl will bypass my friends in Port Hedland in Western Australia. I understand that tropical cyclone Peta is still in Vancouver.

Rain

Freezing rain. Icy air. Dismal. A good day for cocooning. American Idol was on tv - great to treadmill to. Instead, I hung laundry on the treadmill. As much as I savour the cold bite of winter air I lay in bed while the "mad cowell" was on (an apt title by P. Abdul, in my humble opinion).
Have you ever been tempted to buy something you've seen on an infomercial? I have. To justify this behaviour, let me first mention that I don't E-Bay (yet); I rarely purchase lottery tickets (except as gifts); I've never been to a casino. My excuse for remaining in bed is the yubisaki pillow (one of the two delightful packages I picked up from the post office today). It is everything the infomercial claims it to be; however, it's stress-relieving abilities do not work in the same way that bubble wrap does. When pressed between two fingers the little plastic thingys collapse softly. No pop!!! Considering the price of the thing, this put me in an instant panic. (Remember that I am still feeling the pain of the bank trauma - I am fragile). I rolled my head up and down lulling my cortex into theta.
After the nap I lept from bed. The rain outside persists; the fog inside has been removed.

Movement

I anticipate today to be a great.
The dog has been cuddly and snuggly; she is completely over her snarly post traumatic nail-tip-loss disorder.
I am keeping up with my blogging - my New Year's Resolution. A good way to start the day.
The tread mill has been cleared off and 3 k have been put in. *gasp* Walking home from work is no longer an option due to getting out far too late for far too long. Time to get back to moving.
Job hunting is not going well; I've been sent an application form to apply at the place my friends know I have been considering. I have said it's not ideal but it would be "better". The truth is, I either take courses and stay put; work in the same area with a geography change; take a huge cut in both pay and the opportunity to use my education; quit altogether and do what I want with no income in sight in the short term or work on a casual basis while taking courses toward a career change. Security vs. job satisfaction. Today, I'll be looking at courses and filling out that application form / polishing off the resume and fine-tuning it to fit that job which I truly don't want.
There are 2 packages waiting for me at the post office. This will be the highlight of my day. I'll walk there in a couple of hours - after the post office opens and before the freezing rain starts.
Bank stuff has been fixed, so they say; I am guarded in my anticipation of a statement free of erroneous charges.
I am enjoying all those blogs and I look forward to new entries. I thank the pulchritudinous blog-goddess for encouraging those beautiful words. Yes, I've discovered that dictionary.com also has a thesaurus.
I see that pedicures are the theme of the week. I, being a non-girly girl, have never had one. You all know that even my dog gets them regularly. For those of you who share my messenger addy, there is a picture that is very similar to my toes. Naughty naughty to the person who posted the topic of the day in the chat room: I have it narrowed down to either B or B. By the way, did I tell you that I think naughty is a good thing?
We need to put pressure on our travelling aussie friend to make a blog showing us all those photos she took with her new digicam on her mushing trip. Or, is this like Fred's cat? I've never seen it. Do you think she was really warming her toesies in a log cabin instead of braving the uncommonly warm outdoors of the Yukon?

Bank Problems

Okay, so I wasn't going to use this to whine. I have changed my mind.
In the middle of Oct. someone stole my credit card number to purchase some very pricey items. The credit card company charged me $20 for being over the limit and raised my limit. Less than 2 weeks later some more pricey items I didn't buy were added. Immediately after receiving the bill statement, I was assured I would not have to pay charges I didn't make, and that I was to pay only the amount of the purchases I had made. I signed and returned the affidavit they sent me.
In the meantime I contacted all the businesses and utilities which had been instructed to bill my credit card.
This month's statement included interest and the amount I had been told would be removed. Although I was given a new card, the old number remained when I accessed the bank machine to pay what I owed. After a long wait in line I was given a paper receipt for having paid the amount I calculated as being what I owed this month.
Tonight, I put my debit card in the machine; I was unable to make a transaction and the card was not returned to me. Same bank. I phoned. Tomorrow I will have to go to the bank.
If this doesn't resolve, I'll give you the name of the bank. :)

Boner

The dog's nails are shorter, as is my patience. She is chewing a frozen bone. It will prevent swelling in her bitten lip. No blood was shed my me. The procedure took 2 hours. The dog has learned how to remove the muzzle. Groomer next time? You betcha!

Dog Troubles

Due to popular request I am dog blogging. I sit here frozen in aprehension, for my dog's nails need to be clipped. I am not in the mood to be bitten without flinching. I don't believe I am up to the battle of the muzzle. I am getting older and slower much faster than the dog is. The dew claws are curled toward the foot pad; I must cut them tonight.
The back ones are relatively easy: from behind, cup the knee with one hand and clip with the other. The front talons come next after the muzzle has been applied and the foot hair has been cut. The dog must be distracted at the near-to-last second or she will pull back and I could cut the quick. If the muzzle has not been applied, the dog will bite the sharp shearing blade.
The lengthy part of this ritual is the muzzle application. I finally found one that fits the snout. I had tried the sock over the head; netting; treats; being patient and soft-spoken; being firm and confident; the slippery table so the dog had to concentrate on her footing; a second person and the vet. Everything short of anesthetic.
Well, enough procrastinating. Here I go. I will keep you all updated.

A reason to blog

Captain's log 0212:
The ground level windows are covered to prevent light from disturbing dog's and my sleep during the day. With the cooler nights, usually only the fan runs on my air conditioner. There is a skunk outside. I know this because the compressor of my air conditioner just made a noise.

Nuts

So I'm slogging home with a nice rhythm, in spite of the wobbling my back-pack is doing. SMACK! The zipper undoes and my jar of oven roasted no salt, no oil, peanuts hits the pavement. I had been looking forward to sprinkling a few on my nightly salad. Although I was close to Sobeys, this was no comfort; I had bought the peanuts on my nightly treck to the Danforth Shopper's D - they had been on sale. Glass throughout my stuff. Sidewalk dirt on my things.
Almonds on my radish/gr. pepper/romaine/radish root/red pepper/herbie vinegrette drsg. concoction are just not same.

What's It All For?

While slugging home I was day dreaming about what all this exertion and time loss is for. A fitness club membership? Now that's ironic.
To get in better shape? What for? Then I read the Penguin (John Bingham)'s article about the gargoyle on your shoulder that doesn't let you enjoy things for their own sake - the "voice" that tells you it's for nothing, or you didn't do it well.
What I am enjoying is the camraderie of the work place. We don't know who our team members are yet (for the fitness challenge); in spite of competing for big prizes the atmosphere is one of support and cooperation. I am also enjoying the movement of my body, the feel of my muscles working, the floaty dissociation during longer workouts. And food sure tastes good. Icing my legs is bliss.
Who knows what it's all for? Who cares? I'm enjoying the trip.

Disappointment

I took a taxi to work to get the distance right. 3.71 K Not 5 K omg I have to change all those training logs. It feels like 10 K. Maybe the distance from work to home is bigger than the distance from home to work!
Everyone at work is stiff and sore - and we all move like sloths. Had to get up for an emergency and we hobbled in like Pokeys. The cause for some is the "celebrity work-out" that involves 5 min. of lunges. For me it was the karate stance held for something under a minute, but I must add that I did this several times. What the heck do I need karate conditioning for? My dog is 5 lb. and I live next to a home for the aged.

two days in a row

Since the fitness challenge at work, the building has turned into a gym. People are walking the halls and the perimeter of the grounds; going to the exercise room; eating veggies; wearing work-out gear; the vending machines are full. The cafeteria is almost empty. There is now a survey in the cafeteria to improve services - I think there will be a lot of responses asking that the junk food, trans-fat loaded food and processed pre-fab hot items be removed. The little store is out of exercise/health magazines. Conversations about health and fitness break out in the hallways. Staff can be seen demonstrating proper technique of various exercises for eachother throughout the work environment. I do not exaggerate. What will come from all of this? Stay posted.

Real Life Riddle

The question is:

If slow twitch muscle fibers use triglycerides for fuel and fast twitch muscle fibers use glycogen for fuel, can triglyceride levels be affected by the intensity and duration of activity a person does?

The reason I ask this is that I was fitness tested at work today and I have a large proportion of fast twitch fibers relative to slow twitch fibers. That is, I suck at endurance but can do short bursts surprisingly well. This is particularly strange given that I don't do anything intensely but I do engage in endurance activities such as walking home from work (5 k) at least 3 times a week and going for a 45 minute walk on my break more often than not - I've been doing this for more than a year. My triglycerides are no problem and never have been. Logic says I should have more slow twitch fibers.
Do cardiovascular variables or the amount of weight I haul have anything to do with it?
How difficult is it to change fibre types by altering activity?
Any fitness/exercise experts out there?

The Dog's Paper

Dog has finally paid me
back for all the money, hard work and emotion I have invested in her.
She now will use only the doggie pee pads belonging to the dog who moved in across the hall with it's new owner. Dog yowls and begs to visit several times a day in order to do her business there.
Dog-across-the-hall won't use his paper unless it is hidden in the bathroom where my Dog doesn't use it.

Live and Let Die

Bravo to the husband. I only hope that those who know my wishes have the courage to carry them out if I do not have to ability to do so myself. Let it be known that I believe the most horrible, evil, selfish thing that can be done is to project and impose one's values, self, ideas, lifestyle on others. I may not agree with others. I try my utmost not to trample on the choices of others and hope I may have the opportunity to support others in things I may not believe in for myself. I do not believe in absolutes. I believe right and wrong are subjective ideals. If I choose not to live it, I walk away from it. Yes, there are times to stand up and I hold myself accountable for determining when, and how I behave in this regard. I cannot and do not wish to speak for others. I make mistakes;I change my mind and my behaviour. This is an ongoing process and evolution. Please do not attempt to prevent me from making my own choices.

Back

Moving on to something other than the conference. My nephews and my brother left a voice mail message of "happy b-day". Cards and treats were great - even got one from the dog. Too bad I have to work tomorrow. I'm thinking I'll be thrown in the shower or roasted in a similar manner. Is this fear justified? No, but it is understandable given that it has happened to me when I was a student. I have an urge to withdraw. I will try an opposite action to allay the fear by arriving at work early (private joke for conference members). Maybe the colourist will take pity on me and squeeze me in tomorrow morning (I still have those roots). I need to get caught up on some of these activities of daily living.

yesterday continued

No comment on 2nd conference day - a deja vu experience.
More snow here. I wonder if w-mart sells snowshoes.
Got stuff in the mail - very good stuff - made my day.
Gotta run - to be continued later tonight.