Now Is NOT The Time

So I read a little note on Twitter today, written by a local Twtter-er about the line-ups at Superstore and the duration he spent standing in said line-ups at Superstore. My thoughts? Surely he wasn't at the one I was headed to.

Fast forward thirty minutes and we were elbow to elbow with a good one third of the Winnipeg population with a promise to and from Mck that we were going to practice our patience and get to the back of the line. While in the line, people shoved, people cut, people complained about people shoving and cutting. And we were patient, just like we promised. But everyone has their breaking point.

Approximately four people ahead of me, getting their groceries put through, was an older couple, possibly late fifties, early sixties. All but one item was checked through and then suddenly, we were at a stand still. What's thehold up? Surely you can see the 800 people behind you patiently losing their patience. Surely you're aware of the line ups because up until two minutes ago you were PART of that line up.

The cashier explained the price discrepancy. We all got it. Its that price if you buy in groups of 2. Anything less and it was full price. Classic Superstore. No she says. Its the lower price regardless. Oh dear. Really? Really, you think NOW is the time to bicker over three bucks? Apparently yes. She would not accept his obviously cockamaimy theory on price and demanded a price check. Oh, you heard me. A price check. In the middle of the mayhem. The cashier got on his phone to place the price check. Or so we all thought. But in reality? He just called the fat sloth he was hoping would come see him to DO the price check. So we waited. The two people behind me had snide running commentary the whole time. And finally, the fat sloth sauntered over to see what needed price checking. Oh. Tin foil. A roll of tin foil. A single fucking roll of tin foil. Like the lady behind me said, it better be a pretty life or death situation, this need for tin foil at a reduced price.

So off our friendly neighbourhood price checker goes, as fast as his fat little legs will carry him. And we wait some more. The couple dares not make eye contact with anyone in line. Because if looks could kill? Well. We'd need two hearses and no price checkers.

Finally the cashier's phone rings. He relays the message to the couple. The same message he told them ten minutes ago. The same message that means their precious tin foil will be 4 dollars instead of one. They hem. They haw. And finally I can't take it anymore and I yell out, "I will pay for your tinfoil!". The man in front of me laughs. The people behind me go quiet. The couple quickly tell the cashier they don't want it and pay for their crap and get lost. They didn't take the tin foil. After ALL that, they don't even want their stupid tin foil. I almost bought it when it was my turn to pay. I almost coughed up the four freaking bucks for it. And you know what I would have done with it? I would have found those people in the parking lot, walked right up to where I am sure they were meticulously packing their groceries away in their car and I would have opened that container of tin foil and unraveled every last inch of it while she stared in horror. I might have even torn it into unusable sized pieces, just for fun. Spending four bucks on something I don't need and won't use would probably never have felt better.

Sneaky Bastard

I have always found that in high stress, very important situations, my body/energy level/abilities always seemed to stay right where I needed them to be, right to the very last minute. Take, for example, the Bike Tours. TONS of prep work, TONS of lead up, TONS of physical exertion in the days prior and all weekend of the tour, TONS of clean up, TONS of brain power required to make snap decisions and change course on a dime. And right up until that very last pallet was piled back into the warehouse, I had what it took in me to get it all done.

Now the days FOLLOWING the bike tours? Whole other story. The energy level shuts down. The enthusiasm shuts down. The go-go-go attitude shuts down. And eventually, the immune system that stayed so rock solid when your body was screaming to sleep and rest and be left the hell alone? Well, it shuts down too.

There was so much going on just before the big move. Final prep with the builder. Nightmare situations with the bank. Miscommunications with the lawyer. Little things on top of other little things. Work duties piling up with no light at the end of the tunnel. Packing box after box. Planning trucks and prepping loads and getting it all to the house and oh wait we forgot to eat again. Shuttling boxes upstairs and downstairs and upstairs only to realize it really needed to be downstairs. Sore backs and sore calves. Tired bodies with no sign of stopping. Work was still there, waiting anxiously for my return. And finally, we're in, and life is as it shall be going forward. And now, slowly but surely, its sneaking in.

Slowly but surely, the runny nose sneaks in. The sore throat sneaks in. The nagging cough sneaks in. The exhaustion sneaks in. The headache? Well, she barged in but she was never one to be sneaky. Slowly but surely, the sickness sneaks in and takes over. It rubs your back and tells you its ok, just let yourself shut down. I'm gonna be here for awhile, it says, its ok. I'm sneaking in, slowly but surely, and we're gonna get to know each other REAL well. I'm gonna be here for awhile, you may as well make yourself comfy. Well, as comfy as you can get with sickness invading. Slowly but surely, I'm sneaking in, and you'll let it happen, you'll get used to me, you'll give in.

Sneaky bastard.

Would You Be Mine, Could You Be Mine...

Having lived over in St.James area for close to a year, we managed to get used to our general surroundings. We had a "new" Dollarama, a "new" McD's, a "new" Superstore complete with underground parking, a "new" Walmart. You know, the necessities. But sometimes,even though you are slowly getting used to these NEW places, there are things you just miss and never find again, there are those things in the old neighbourhood that are just irreplaceable.

The video store. I still have no idea what its called but every single staff person in there has seen every single movie on those shelves and will give you the low-down every time you ask for it. We never found another one quite like it.

The car wash. Warm water. Long cycles. Always a bay available. Never a wait. Room to manouver. We never found another one quite like it.

The gas station. Run by two dudes who know us enough to not make us pre-pay after 6pm the way the rest of the general population does. Always gives cash back when they don't actually offer it. Nice enough to let us taste test the new flavor of Doritos without having to commit to buying the whole bag. We never found another one quite like it.

The Extra Foods. The nicest one in the city that had fresh everything including a near full deli counter and a mini Joe section. I don't even know where the St.James Extra Foods WAS. So clearly, we never found another one quite like it.

Big Guys. Cheap, hearty food. Best chicken burger in town (though it now has some tough competition from the Burger and Fry Comopany, though admittedly, not in St.James). Try as we might to discover the next great greasy spoon, we never found another one quite like it.

The Fyxx. Le Roast Beef on a panini. What's Gotten India with a ceasar salad. Mm mm good. Best hot choc and emperial cookies this side of Bishop Grandin. The Daily Grind pulled in as a respectable replacement coffee shop but couldn't truly deliver that same vibe. We never found another one quite like it.

So needless to say, its nice to be home. To get to know my Safeway ladies again. To see if the waitresses remember how I like my baked potato. To have the cashier marvel at how big mck is getting. To have the M&M gals automatically grab something when I walk in. To have the video store guy say "eh, don't worry about it" when we bring the movie back late. Yes. Its a beautiful day in my neighbourhood.

Things I Found in the Move

I have never seen the movie "Things We Lost in the Fire" but everytime I say the phrase "Things I found in the move" I feel like its a movie title. Though, I'm guessing, probably not as sad/depressing as the fire one sounds.

I found my favorite, actually-purchased-not-from-itunes-not-burned CD's. I found my Backpacker magazines where my trip pictures are strewn throughout 4 issues. I found my prayer flags and my tiny little prayer wheel. I found a box overflowing with notebooks that I didn't know I had. I found little statues from mck's room that were long forgotten by BOTH of us. I found knick knacks that made me smile, books that made my heart warm and pictures that took me away to far off and nearby places I'd very nearly forgotten I'd been to.

So no. There's no fire. There was nothing lost. There's no movie. Just a settled in feeling with the occassional treasure appearing out of nowhere and a quiet little, "Ohhhhh, I forgot about this" from deep inside whatever box I'm in the midst of unpacking.

Oh, Its Time

So the packing is done. The banking is done. The building is done. The lawyering is done. The hauling and carrying and shuttling is done. The unpacking is done. The sorting is done. The setting crap up is done. The deciding on places for everything is done.
And now? Its time. Body? You now have my permission to shut down. Off you go.

Now Available in Canada

So did you know that Aleve is now available in Canada? Not a fact that would normally stick with me but the way I feel right now? I could down the whole bottle and still feel fairly confident that SOMETHING would be sore tomorrow.

My back, my hips, my shoulders, my calves. Ow.

And now, other news in triplicates...I have my books in three beautifully stacked places. I found three books that I started and never finished that I may now have a second-go-round at. I saw three hours of uninterrupted Coronation Street this morning while unpacking. I had a grand total of three meals all weekend. I busted three nails moving heavy crap. It took three loads each day this weekend to get moved in here.

And in conclusion....mck is asleep in her own bed in her own room which she loves. She just about DIED when she saw the princess hangers I bought her and immediately rearranged her closet to ensure that the appropriate princess dress hangs on the matching hanger. I think she was almost as excited to organize her dresses as I was to organize my books. Almost.

(Sidenote: the above post was written in a sleep-deprived manner. The author is not responsible for content. Unless you think it actually makes sense. Then it was ALL me.)

The View From Here

I am sitting in the den of my new house just looking out the window. Having the porch railing right in front of me makes me feel like I could be sitting in the den of the house we had in the country, only without having four hours worth of grass to cut.

I have spent much of this morning just staring out the windows. After having lived on the 15th floor in an apartment that faces other apartments, I realized two things. 1) We kept the curtains closed virtually all the time and 2) there wasn't much to look at. Maybe that's why I catch myself losing focus and staring out whatever window I happen to be near. I am filling up on window withdrawl. I literally can't walk past a window without looking outside. Maybe its because we don't have curtains yet. I don't know. But what I DO know? Is that we have a KILLER view.

Mandatory

I think that, anytime anyone reacts in a shithead kind of way to a challenging or unfortunate situation, a light should go off over their head, much like the "stewardess needed" light on an airplane, only this light would signal two huge men to come and pick up the walking pile of douchebaggery and drag it off to anger management classes where they will be taught appropriate and socially acceptable responses to a variety of lousy situations. Just sayin'.

Boxed

I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed with cardboard. I'm obsessed with shoving every item possible IN to cardboard. I have become a packing fiend. I feel lost when I run out of boxes. I feel frazzled when it seems like there's nothing to pack. And don't even get me STARTED on how it feels to realize that something is too big for the size of boxes I have. Downright depressing.

I have organized us down to socks per day for the number of days to the move. Today mck put her Thursday outfit socks on and there was a hole in one. I very near hyperventilated. Surely I wasn't going to put her Friday socks on! Instead I grabbed a pair from the laundry. This was NO time to be messing with my system!

As soon as we are done with something, into the box it goes. I planned our dinners this week with the least amount of pots and pans required as possible. Once a dinner was done and the remaining weeks menu didn't require it, into the box it went. Pat even offered to get chinese yesterday and I practically shouted at him. "No!" I said, "I have our food planned perfectly and I'm not messing it up!". I turned down an opportunity to NOT COOK. What is going on here?? What have I become?

I am a woman on a mission when it comes to getting things in boxes. I want it all in boxes. Lovely, uniform, easy to transport boxes. I am putting everything in boxes. I put couch cushions in a box. I put a TV in a box. I bought a new comforter that came with its own perfectly good zippered carrying case and it is KILLING me to not put it in a box. It would take up the whole box. It would weigh all of a pound. But its not uniform. Its not lovely. Its not easy to transport (ok maybe that ones a stretch but COME ON!). I keep looking at it. Part of me wants to use up all the boxes so its not even an option to pack it. And part of me wants to keep a box off to the side and suddenly stumble upon it like its a spare and theres nothing left to pack but, oh wait, what's this, a perfectly already packed comforter? Why, that would fit just perrrrrfectly in this one last totally unexpected empty box. Or maybe I'm just crazy.

And Your Name Was? Subtlety? Oh, Nice to Meet You

Once upon a time there was this thing called subtlety. We did not generally get along too well as I did not see the point in it. I was always of the impression that if you wanted/meant/needed/disliked/etc something, just bloody well say so. I have always understood subtlety and have realized its place in the world but often viewed it as being somewhat manipulative, a suggestive way of just saying what you really mean.

But I get its charm. Its almost like subliminal messaging. Like you just kinda sorta put the thought in someones head, just gently enough for it to stay there but not so gentle that they forget you ever said anything. Take today for example.

Me: Hey, where you going?
Jan: Just popping to the store.
Me: What kind of store?
Jan: Somewhere like Moores. Emergency tie requirement.
Me: Oh. I thought maybe you were getting something to eat.
Jan: Nope.
Me: Oh. Well if you happen to go to a store that sells milkshakes, I'll take one!

Cut to 20 minutes later. Large chocolate shake appears on my desk. Score. So I ask the question. Was that subtlety? Or outright asking? I didn't ask him to get me one, to go out of his way. I merely suggested that if he should HAPPEN to pass by a milkshake making facility, I would not be opposed if he purchased one for me.

I dunno. Maybe that's a brutally honest persons version of subtlety. Maybe that's as subtle as I am capable of getting. Maybe its just not in me to be subtle. But whatever it was, it got me a milkshake.

Top Ten Reasons Why Today Was Better Than Yesterday

10) I got a lot of work done as opposed to crunching numbers that had nothing to do with work.

9) I packed myself out of boxes. Waiting on the next batch.

8) Found out we can get the keys a day early.

7) Confirmed the appliance delivery. Was in limbo for five days of phone tag.

6) Its as cheap as it was last time. How often does THAT hapen?

5) McK behaved all day and sat through an hour and a half conference call quietly because I chose not to tell her the phone was muted.

4) I am rested enough to not feel like if my head even caught a whiff of a pillow I'd be asleep for days. Which was my yesterday.

3) We are one day closer to Friday.

2) Our obligation to the bank and the lawyer is done.

And the number one reason why today was better than yesterday?

1) Two words. The Hills.

Another Kind of Tired

Today wore me out. Beat me up a bit. Brought me to, as I've recently read, next level exhaustion. I spent a lot of today irritated, confused and pissed off. And that there combo meal will make anyone feel next to death.

I started out being really mad at our banker. It turns out his piece of the dysfunctional pie was fairly minor and easily repaired. Then I was really mad at our lawyer. It turns out their piece of pie? Was strictly a copy-paste from the builder. Then I was really mad at the builder. It turns out that, once we had the right info, their piece of the pie was not as incorrect as we thought initially.

The REAL culprit? The one who keeps trying to steal the pie from the windowsill? Our sales agent. I swear those people will tell you whatever you want to hear sometimes. And this tidbit was told to us early on, way back when she didn't quite know yet who she was messing with. I bet she's shitting right now, dreading every time her blackberry vibrates, worrying that we have discovered where she screwed it up.

Well we figured it out, made some sense of things. Its not all crystal clear but knowing what we know now, we realize that a) the city of winnipeg likes our money and b) our sales agent is a douche bag. Lesson learned.

They're All Murderers

I've never picked up a hitchhiker. I've often thought about it, as I drive past them on the side of the road, looking desperate, running after cars that slow only to realize they are slowing to turn the corner, thumbs out, a look of pleading and discouragement competing for prominence in their eyes. I zoom right past them because I was told they are all murderers and rapists. Even that cute little couple with their full backpacks and him trying to hang just a little bit behind and the sign for Banff hanging casually from her fingertips. Zoom. Because you never know. That cute backpacking couple might have knives in their packs. Or a gun. Or a chainsaw.


So here's the irony. I've BEEN a hitchhiker twice. I've relied on the kindness of strangers who's mother perhaps never told them that I was probably a murdering hiker and I'm THIS filthy and stink THIS much not from 8 solid days in the woods but because I have the blood of a girl scout troop on my hands.

I came to realize that both of the times that I was in need of a lift was a direct result of spending a good number of days in the wilderness and emerging from said wilderness no where near where I needed to be to get home. And both times, sticking the universal symbol for "hey brother can I have a lift" out seemed like the most normal thing in the world to do.

Hitchhike #1 - a four day canoe trip cut short by a day by mutual decision. We hauled the canoe up to shore. Trusted that all items would be safe due to outdoorsmans code of do not steal anothers gear lest you find yourself caught without one day. We had never been in this area of the park before but knew roughly where a phone might be so started walking. And walking. And walking. And finally, the two drenched women (oh did I mention it was POURING??) with nothing but a quarter and an innocent smile threw out the thumb in an empty provincial park and managed to snag a lovely green Ford Taurus bursting with overweight, middle-aged couple doing a good deed for two stranded girls. We shot each other a quick look when the doors automatically locked once we got in, a sure sign they wanted to cut us into numerous pieces and dine on us with a nice bottle of red. We giggled a nervous giggle because TRULY that was just ridiculous. Right? They took us to a resort area where we called for a ride and then we walked back towards where we started from. We did not get as lucky on the way back to our gear but at least the rain had stopped. It brought out the mosquitoes but hey, we had just survived a hitchhiking, we can't have EVERYTHING.

Hitchhike #2 - After seven days in the Alaskan wilderness, somewhere along the unending Alaska highway, 6 weary backpackers stumbled out of the forest, a stinky, hungry bunch. We were, for all intents and purposes, 6 days away from where we left the van. There was much rock-paper-scissoring to see who would be stuck doing the hitch to go get it and I won the honor alongside the big cheese who came with us. So there we were. Standing on the side of a highway somewhere between Anchorage and Fairbanks, two thumbs out, watching motorhome after motorhome go by in a blaze of "Where the Hell is Walldrug" technicolor. How sweet would it be to get a lift from a motorhome and be all showered and clean when we picked everyone up?? But alas. None were prepared to pick up the two dirty hikers on the gravel shoulder. "Show some leg" the editor said. Now heres the thing. I probably had more muscle-y legs than he did and I was all "dude, YOU'RE the one wearing a skirt!!!" (There's a really cool mens hiking skirt, trust me, its wicked). So I just told him to stand back a bit pulled the ol' polyester shorts a little higher up the mud-caked thigh and voila, a sweet young pockmarked pothead in a rusty little red jalopy pulled over for the chick with the killer calves. Oh. And Dennis too. Yeah, he's with me, sorry. We listened to bad 80's music and carried on some clearly forced and uncomfortably awkward conversation for what would amount to 6 days of hiking a ridgeline trail and suddenly we were thanking the kid profusely and joking about "wouldn't it be funny if we forgot the van keys??".

Two safe hitchhiking tales. No murderers to be found. Maybe that's what we are allotted in a lifetime. Maybe we each get 2 free rides. So, you ask, will I be sharing these stories or my "2 free rides" theory with McK? Oh HELL no. 1-800-CALL-MOM in FULL effect.

3 Weird Things

I said "peace out" to my old boss today.

I bowed out of a meeting today. Literally. I bowed, rolled my hand in a royal fashion, and walked out.

I actually wanted to pack today. I didn't. But I wanted to.

Hm. Odd.

Everything is Awesome

Yesterday I went to Dairy Queen for lunch with a friend of mine. It was a spur of the moment decision as we both just needed to get out of the office and away from the tedious tasks that ate up our morning.

There was an older couple in line in front of us. A couple who were not entirely familiar with the menu. Now typically at Dairy Queen, the staff is less than excited to be there and the fact that you want to give them your money in exchange for their food seems to piss them off. So I worried a little for the transaction about to go down.

The server was a tiny, early-middle-aged phillipino woman with enough of an accent that you could hear it but not enough of one that you couldn't understand it. And she? Was bubbly. Like, spinny-happy-the-world-is-awesome-because-we-are-all-alive bubbly. And she treated those two elderly people like they were the only people in her world AT THAT MOMENT. She was patient, she was funny, she was helpful, she was BUBBLY. My pal and I looked at each other and after the initial eye-roll for the ridiculousness that was her perkiness, we began to laugh. And not a mean laugh either!

The woman virtually skipped around the kitchen, grabbing the drinks, thanking the person who had waited so patiently in the drive thru line with such gusto that they probably forgot where they were and figured they were in Disneyland or some other place where everyone who works there is perpetually happy. Gone was our irritation, our thoughts of "who the fuck is really that happy? I mean, come ON! She's humming!". Our sour puss attitude was fast replaced with an emergency get-happy-quick plan that involved immediate contact with one another if we were getting work doldrums and a trip to that specific DQ on the asap to rememedy them. Either that or we were going to see if she would just walk around our office once or twice a week to cheer everyone up and remind them to be happy.

She bopped as she took orders. She was happy to serve you. She made her day fun. And it seemed real. It wasn't an act. But the best part, the part that induced the most giggles? When I went up to get my blizzard. She made it herself and looked so pleased with herself after removing the silver cup collar thingy that even I could see her beaming. She walked over to me and said, "Wow! I even got the crown on there!" Because all of the ice cream swept upwards at the rim of the cup and because the name of the joint involves royalty. She thought this feat, this accomplishment was pretty darn spectacular. But that's not the best part. The best part? Was when she handed it to me. The moment she let go of her work of art and entrusted it to me she said, "Crispy Crunch Blizzard! AWE-SOME!!".

I couldn't help but laugh. "Awesome!" I replied. Sometimes people are just plain happy. And why the hell not. Let them be happy. Its actually quite contagious.

Things That Are Good as of Right This Moment

* Mck is wearing her new Ariel PJ's and she loves them more than anything.

* Mck did not complain of a mysterious yet painful tummy ache tonight as she did last night and so there was no mom-worrying done.

* I painted my nails bright red and while they look fantastic, they are remarkably distracting when I type.

* New York called and invited me over for a playdate. I don't know when or how but I am going to go there again.

* I have till Nov 2 to get my piece submitted for the contest. Phew.

* My old work team was in the office today and after miles and miles of spreadsheets it was a lovely distraction to see them.

* Someone who usually drives me bonkers, especially with this data entry crap instruction coming from him, made me laugh today. Pretty hard. I even said I'd get a shirt made with what he said on it. Classic.

* Same guy brought me a gift from his trip to Jamaica. Niceness or bribery, I don't care. Its a pretty necklace so its all good.

* My old boss asked me, ME, to update and format his wife's resume. He always said he liked my writing abilities but this was a new one for me. I was scared to change much but was flattered that he asked.

* I am supposed to take pregnancy photos of a close friend of mine. I'm nervous. I spent some time researching some creative shot ideas so she doesn't end up with the same old, same old. I think they'll be good.

* I have a new work bag and I love it. Its Mountain Hardwear and it rocks something wicked.
* My head/jaw ache is just about gone. That hurt more than the actual dental work. But its gone. And that's a good thing.

* I am nearly one week away from being surrounded by oodles and boodles of my own things again. My books, my photos, my art and wonderful treasures. I can't wait to have my maps with me, the atlas, my gorgeous fluffy towels, cozy throw blankets, extra pillows, all of my camping gear....ahhhhhhh.....eight glorious days away from now.....gooooooood!!!!!

An Odd Kind of Thankful

I realized this weekend that there are things I'm thankful for that don't typically seem like things you'd be thankful for.

1) The warranty on my Suzuki is up. Done. Finito. Normally a crummy thing. But I? Am thankful. Because now I can get the kind of car starter I want without voiding the warranty that's left or being forced to get the factory one.
2) We found a leak from one of the toilets in the basement of the new house. Anyone who knows Pat knows that no one within a five mile radius of him when this was discovered would be thankful. But I? Am thankful that we found it now, before we have moved all our stuff in with a basement full of boxes and a restriction on which toilet you can flush.

3) I only packed 12 boxes when there are probably 50 still to go. A daunting task with less than two weeks to the big day. But I? Am thankful that I got those 12 boxes done considering I had a bored 6 year old vying for my attention the whole time.

4) My sister lives two provinces away and it seems like just when we are getting closest, life gets its busiest and two provinces seem like two continents with an ocean in the middle. But I? Am thankful because she was here this weekend and I saw her three of the four days she was here and my girl and my nephew play together like they've been neighbours their whole lives.

5) Winter is coming. Its getting colder. People are hunkering down and staying inside and acting depressed and as moody as the weather. But I? Am thankful for warm fleeces, cozy mittens, soft falling snow, snowball fights with my baby and letting the idea that "yes, we can go play outside" sink in to that spot, you know the one, that spot that's been itching to go outside and play since last fall.

Yeah. Lots of odd things go on in this crazy world. But I? Am thankful. Are you?

I Should Have Known Better

So randomly in our laundry room someone had left behind one section of the previous days newspaper. Two pages in and there it was. The annual NonFiction writing contest. Two years ago (at least) I had written something for it but then decided against submitting it. Last year I simply let the deadline slip by. But this year I intend to pen a little something for it.

This particular contest runs with a theme suggestion that you do not necessarily need to state word for word but can be implied, even subtly, within your piece. This year it is "I should have known better". I have a doozie stored up in the old noggin for this one but, seeing as it is in the vein of the previous non-submitted piece, will I have the guts to send it in? I think I will ponder the theme tomorrow. Perhaps I'll come up with something amazing that I should have known better about.

It Snowed! It Snowed!

I'm likely the only person in Winnipeg that is excited about this but people, we played OUTSIDE! In the SNOW! With NO BUGS! And it wasn't FREEEZING! COME ON!!

Reasons Why My Kid Is Cool

Sometimes, just when I think my kid must have come from someone else cuz there's no way I could produce something that rotten/whiny/crabby/stubborn, she does stuff that reminds me why she is the COOLEST KID ON THE PLANET.

Take, for example, her three favorite tunes. While I have always been able to convince her to listen to my music by figuring out ways that each song is about a princess, she has only just lately taken to REALLY liking the songs she hears. So much so that she wants to know all the words. Which means playing them repeatedly. Which, I guess, could happen with worse songs. Like anything from Dora. Her three faves currently? Early on Tuesday by Jesse Cook, I'm Your Man by Michael Buble, and Tell Me Baby by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Baby Its Cold Outside with Ella Fitzgerald is a close runner up for third.

I like to forget that she also loves the Pussycat Dolls and Beyonce. I guess I can't have everything.

Falling Into Autumn

Its crisp out these days. Its that time of year where most people get a little mellower, sink a little deeper into themselves, ache to be just a little bit warmer. I hear grumbling wherever I am. Moaning about the chill, groaning about the damp. We have more grey sky than blue right now and the brilliant sun, when out, is already setting by the time I head home from work. But I think, in my animal life, I am a polar bear because none of this seems to bother me.

I won't deny that I enjoy warm weather. I like sitting in the sun sipping a cool beverage. I am not opposed to moderately warm temperatures. But I don't like hot. I like cool. I like layers. I like scarves and mitts and fabulous knit toques. I like that both McK and I are hat people and can rock a fabulous knit toque. I like fleeces in jacket or blanket form. I like down anything but most especially booties. I like 4 season tents and sleeping bags rated to minus 30 degrees celcius. I like comfortable boots that don't dig in where strappy sandals used to.

I like a hot cup of coffee on a cool morning where both my breath and my mug are steamy. I like hearing the crunch underfoot as I wander. I like watching the leaves fall down like rain. I like seeing what's around the bend in the trail just by looking through the bare branches. I like a fire to warm chilled hands and bring color and life to a darkened morning. I like watching puddles freeze over and lakes follow suit.

I like the mist that falls before the snow. I like the wind that makes the leaves dance as they drop. I like the feeling of the weather on my skin once I've come inside from a long walk. I like that the trails are free of bugs and other people. I like that it feels like the woods are my playground and Mother Nature is my babysitter and the rest of the world went out for the evening and left us to fend for ourselves.

And while most people begin to consider their hibernation plans at this time of year, I, like my polar bear kin, am just getting ready to wake up. Yes, its crisp out these days.

Dear You.....Yes, You

To the squealing one:
The high pitch thing only works when you're 2. And even then its not entirely adorable. Today you brought it to a new level and I have no idea who was suffering on the other end of your phone but rest assured, I suffered enough for both of us.

To the gabby one:
When I see you everywhere but at your desk, ALL day long, and you call me to tell me someone made a point about your absenteeism and you tell me how absurd it is, please know I am agreeing with you strictly out of politeness and because I do not want the akwardness of admitting that I agree with them hanging over us. What DO you do all day?

To the helpful one:
Please don't think I'm an idiot for asking you tons of questions. I trust you to know the answer and you have never let me down. Sometimes, when the answer is right in front of my face, I'm not asking you cuz I'm too lazy to see it, I'm asking you cuz I had no idea to look there.

To the pregnant one:
I know you had a scary weekend but I trust that everything will be ok for you. You are SUCH a good person and deserve the happiness that little Blinky will bring you and you will both come through it all with flying colors.

To the candle burning one:
There is only so much you can do whilst burning the candle at both ends before the breeze kicks in and your energy is snuffed out. Slow down. You're doing amazing. Pace yourself.

To the bad email writing one:
Putting "word on the street" in an email and then typing something you know to be fact makes you look like an idiot. Following it up by telling the person conspiring upon the email with you that you believe in recognizing an issue and dealing with it is actually opposite to what you're doing. You think you've mastered passive aggressive but you have no idea. You're just pissing people off.

This isn't really a "things left unsaid" post based on the fact that I have and will tell people most of these things. Even the three doozies. Because yes, sometimes I'm a jerk in disguise.

You Can Deal With This, or You Can Deal With That

So I used to think I was a good prioritizer. But after today I realized I never really had to worry about competing priorities. I just plowed through my to-do list at work and got shit done. It was a list of my creation, a list that often carried itself over into the next day because other things popped up. None of which seemed to compete for space at the top of the priority hierarchy.

Today I began a big job for my direct boss. Its rather daunting, rather dreary, and I can think of many things I'd rather be doing. However, its important and time sensitive so it sits firmly atop the leader board.

Mid-morning my services were half volunteered to another department with another daunting task hanging over them. A quick little training sesh and I knew exactly what I was to do. Mind numbing to be sure, but easy and quick. So I stuck with the easy and quick one. I powered through a good chunk (though in le grande scheme it was more of a tiny nibble) before realizing I needed to think a little harder about my priorities and where I should be focusing my attention.

I had been given instruction on the required spreadsheet for the "big job". I knew what the desired result was and how it was to look once populated. I knew its time-sensitive nature. Yet, I stuck with easy and quick. Because it was easy and quick and thus satisfying in its sense of accomplishment. But I only stuck with it for a moment more. I realized that I needed to bring some truth to that part on my resume where I claim to be "proficient at recognizing priorities and effectively basing my workload on said priorities" or something to that blahblahblah affect. I knew what my priority was and should be. I knew what clearly needed to come in second.

It was just me and my spreadsheet, acting all grown up, working on the boring job cuz it was, like, IMPORTANT or whatever.

Oh, By The Way...

So yeah, remember that spreadsheet issue I was having a few posts ago? Yeah. Turns out I am the one making said spreadsheet. Oh. I am? Yeah. Yeah I am. Crap.

Every Once In Awhile

Tonight, watching Brothers & Sisters, I cried. I didn't cry when Kitty found out about her cancer. I didn't cry when she realized how it would affect her baby. I didn't cry when she told her mother or her husband. I cried when the mom cried at the very end, in the very last minute of the show, when she finally let herself fall apart. I cried when she realized that she was tired of being strong for everyone else and that even being as strong as she had been up to that point, bad things happen and you won't always be strong for them. I cried, a mothers tears for a daughter. I know, I know. Its just a TV show.

I need a vacation.

After Hours

I know a lot of people say they love to get to work early and get stuff done before other people get there. They even go so far as to say that 45 minutes or hour before the rest of the world shows up for work is their most productive time of day. And up until today, I agreed with them.

I would have agreed that yes, the quiet of an empty office is condusive to mass quantities of work getting done. But then I started thinking about it and thinking about when I get my best work done.

You see, if you're there in the early a.m., people are often times connected to work by their phones and you still get interrupted. They slowly start to trickle in and you are inundated with calls of Good Morning and the distraction of people milling about and settling in. Your phone starts ringing before you're ready for it to and suddenly you have a new to-do list of things that just "popped up". Good idea in theory. Buuuuut....

I have grown to be a fan of the "last hour". That sweet spot from 5 to 6 where most people are stuck in traffic or picking up little bobby from hockey or already home making supper. Its that time where slowly but surely, lights are clicked off, doors are closed and feet shuffle on downstairs to head out into the dusky evening. It is then, in the dimness of a darkened office void of people and activity or the buzz of the start of a new day, that the work gets done.

No one bugs me. No one calls me. No one needs something RIGHT NOW. Its just me, my half done to-do list and an hour to power through it. I put my music on, turn on my little desk light and hunker down. And sometimes, as I cross things off my list of tasks, when I know everyone is gone, I might even sing along.