Snow Day

It's been a brutal couple of weeks for commuting. While my commute is typically long, it's been ABSOfrickinLUTELY INSANE for the past two weeks. I'm averaging 5 hours a day ... yes A DAY in the car. Add that to a typically 10 hour work day and I'm FRIED.

I decided last night that since I have to work on some spreadsheet I'd take today as a snow day and work from home, idealistically getting 15 hours of work done. Unfortunately E had a temperature, so he's home today with me.

J was pretty pissed he still had to go to daycare, he must think E and I are partying here,

Now I understand ...

Why I work late so often. I got home particularly early tonight as my job took me closer to home in the middle of the day so I got home around 5:30. I typically don't get home until around 7ish, so the gifts are fed and beginning to wind down.

However, today it was like walking into a stampeded on the African planes. Seriously, I don't know how my husband copes with it EVERY SINGLE DAY!

I've been busy

So, this past weekend we dropped the gifts off with family and went to the Everything to Do With Sex Show. It was a very interesting experience and I spent WAY too much money *giggles*. Along with my first experience with a violet wand, we got to see Roxie Dlite preform and have our picture taken with her.

I've never experienced a burlesque artist before, she was beautiful, artistic and amazing. She's pocket sized, but WOW what a punch she packs. I was enthralled, almost sad when her performance was over. I'm now going to look seriously into shows in Toronto to experience again.

We topped an amazing night off with meeting an old friend for drinks. It was a long time coming for her to meet my better half, and they hit it off famously. I love it when a plan comes together. Thanks M, it was amazing to see you ... until next time!

Sometimes this Mom gig baffles me

Today I left work an hour early to ensure I could be home for ECD boy's Parent / Teacher conference. He's in SK now, and I don't want him to view me as I did my father as the absentee parent who never makes it to his school stuff. I can't do it all the time, but I'll do it whenever I can.

So, I hang out in his classroom with him, waiting my turn to speak with his teacher. He's a good kid, I get it, but sometimes I need to remember that he's in KINDERGARTEN for crying out loud. I want to talk to her about his development, any areas for focus for improvement, goal setting, action plans, expectations, blah blah blah.

Techy, RELAX, he spends the day colouring and singing songs, this isn't a performance appraisal.

I love these little doses of reality check!

iPhone, iMac, iPad ... iLove!!!

Today was one of those truly awesome days. I made some good headway on the big brutal project I've been working on at work. I solved a couple of big problems with finesses and aplomb ... then I had to face the ick ...

Last Friday night my beloved iPhone went for a bath in some Merlot ... whoops, sh!t. I knew the bugger was fried, and since Telus had pretty much washed the hands of me, so I went to the Apple store on my way home tonight. I walked in with a big pout on my face asking if they took emergency walk in's. The giggle got me an immediate appointment. I pulled out my lifeless iPhone and slid it across to the Genius and asked him to fix it, while I pulled out my iPad to read. He quickly surmised that the "liquid" trigger was tripped, I explained the bath. I was figuring this was going to cost me about $250 ... merry Xmas Tmom!

Then

To my surprise

My amazement

My absolute bliss

He said that while typically warranty didn't cover liquid kills ... he'd make a one time exception and replaced my iPhone ... AT NO CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was STUNNED, THRILLED, and blissfully walking out with a half charged WORKING iPhone.

23 minutes of backup and we're back in the game.

SCREW YOU Mr. Gates, I am now HARD CORE APPLE FAN!

Oh sure Techy .... just when you're on a roll ...

you fall off the face of the planet. A couple of reasons really. The new job, while I still LOVE it is really Really REALLY stinkin busy. Combine that with the fact I've almost completely switched over it my iPad, I haven't been blogging lately. I find the iPad is great for most social apps, but for this, I really need a Microsoft (Crasherific) device to imbed images and format text.

So, tonight I pull out the trusty little netbook and decide to pop on.

I've really got no complaints (I know, that's rare) but I don't blog as much when things are "good".

yes M, keep smiling, I am.

I'm here, it must be Saturday night!

I've been telling just about anyone who will listen that my two favourite parenting techniques are the liberal and proper application of duct tape and wine. Seriously, I've yet to come up against a parenting challenge that cannot be solved by the application of one or the other ... or both!

hhahahaaaaa I kid ... mostly.

It's thanksgiving weekend. This year I'm VERY thankful for the new job. Okay, I'll admit a bit of the shine came off the penny when they called a meeting at 5:02 on a Friday afternoon on a long weekend. Fortunately, it wasn't a "waste of time" meeting like the previous place. It was an important gathering to share information to propel the business forward. I REALLY am grateful for this job.

I'm thankful for how happy and healthy my family is. EVERYTHING beyond that is gravy. I'm also thankful for a beautiful bulldog who I still get to bling out from work!

*sigh*

Things I'm learning on lonely Saturday night ... I really need to learn to cook for myself (one nuked piece of pizza isn't cutting it) and I'm the type of parent that really does thrive with wine and duct tape. E is in my bedroom watching classic Transformer cartoons and J is in E's room watching Elmo videos ... I'm happy to let them both crash where they are ... P and I are curled up on the sofa and happy!

Chillaxin ..

So it seems like I'm getting into a bit of a pattern. Crazy weeks, fun weekends, then trying to chillax on a Sunday night. The boys are being helpful so far, they're hanging out in my room watching cartoons and there doesn't seem to be any bloodletting, so I'm ample to relax, look forward to the new season of Amazing Race and a cold glass of Viognier.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

He's getting all blinged out!

While my husband and kids are happy to see me happy with my new job ... #1 son is getting the best benefit from it! Happy Dog!

I feel like I've worked here for YEARS

but I just found the supply closet today. I've jumped into the deep end of the pool of my new job. I'm running at a ridiculous pace, and loving every minute of it. It's a crazy pace, but there's a lot to do and I feel like I'm really contributing to the team. Only one of my coworkers has figured out I'm not a threat, but a resource and she's dumping tons of stuff on me. Fortunately she's the one who needs to most help.

My boss promised he'd take me on a walk through of the office and introduce me around today ... so I'm anticipating that'll happen later in December. Poor guy is frantically run off his feet. He starts every conversation with "I'm sorry I haven't yet had a chance too ...". Dude, it's okay, eventually I'll wander around, introduce myself around and things will be fine!

Still loving it, enjoying the honeymoon phase and thrilling at the pace.

What happens in Vegas ...

really wasn't too scandalous to talk about. Perhaps I'm getting old, perhaps I'm not the party animal I used to be, but I tried to NOT kill myself (or bankrupt myself) in Vegas for a change.

After the Charity Event I was a team lead for on Sunday morning, I took a 9pm flight out to Vegas on Sunday night. I got it, met and drank with the team, but didn't get to bed until after 2:00 am (up for almost 24 hours).

We had a wonderful day of competition shops on Monday, then three solid days of trade shows, meetings and team building. I had an AWESOME time and even though I wore my Rockports for the show, I may have well worn the boots shown above. My feet feel like bloody stumps at the ends of my feet. At least I'm starting to get the feeling back in my toes ...

oh ....

did I mention ....

I have ANOTHER Trade Show to do Sunday and Monday? *yawn* good thing I LOVE this job. And I really do. I'm a very happy girl!

A purrrrrrrrfect fit

So I started my new job this week. It's been the best entry into a new job that I've every had. There's obviously something in the works that I'm not quiet privy to, but for the moment, I haven't been assigned a bunch of categories to be responsible for. Instead, I'm the Category Manager of Special Projects. I've got some big tasks to do, nothing beyond my skill set, and it's actually a rather comfortable pace.

What I was most blown away with (really appreciative for) was that both my boss, and HIS boss to the time to come to my office and let me know that I'm valued and they're sorry they don't have more definite direction for me. They're concerned that I'll get bored, but I'm taking the opportunity to ready, learn their systems, lingo, file paths, etc. so that when I do have a set of categories tossed at me, I'll be able to move fast.

What can I say, I'm loving it!

All I really have to say is ...

I LOVE MY NEW JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have NO idea ...

what I'd do without my posse! I love you girls, I couldn't get through this without you!

There's a storm about to roll in ...

Ok, I'll admit it ... I'm in a mood, and not a good one. Do you ever have something sitting there irritating the hell out of you? Like a mosquito that you just can't swat? Annoying as all get out but it doesn't seem to matter what you do, it doesn't help?

Ya, welcome to my holiday Monday.

One last opportunity to ...

attempt to screw me over. That's what the loony bin did. They decided to "move forward" my last day to avoid paying me for the statutory holiday. Ok, folks, I get that I won't get paid for the Jewish holidays, but seriously, you're going to go against employee standards ... oh what else shall we call them ... oh ya ... LABOUR LAWS, in an effort to save a couple of bucks?

Ya, fortunately I have a few friends in HR that couldn't help but laugh when I called and asked for their counsel. One even commented they would have been disappointed if LBM didn't pull one last screw over.

Like the proverbial rats ...

Did I mention? I GOT A NEW JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *insert happy dance* Oh yaaaaaaa! I didn't go after this opportunity, but rather was headhunted. I got the offer ... ON MY BIRTHDAY (too cool) and was able to resign my job that day.

I had some "challenges" with the lack of flexibility *cough*respect*cough* that I had with my current employer, and I honestly felt like I was spinning my wheels. I was trying my hardest, but little was coming of my efforts. I've got the opportunity to get back into my roots and do something I'm truly passionate about. Well that and week two on the job they're sending me to Vegas for a trade show. BOOYAH.

So, today we hear rumours that the mandatory "half day Fridays" that we've been forced to take during the summer to a tune of a 10% pay cut (which only really worked out to about 3% per year) may now be permanent. Lovely, if I'd stayed I'd be earning approximately 14% less than when I joined the organization. Ummmm no thank you.

I'm gone, and I expect more of the good talent will follow!

Happiness is ........

discovering that "unoaked" is not necessarily the devil of white wines. We enjoyed our trip to Strewn (as previously blogged) but right now I'm mellowing in a glass of their unwooded chardonnay. Usually I go for th big, buttery, bold taste of a heavily oaked California chardonnay, but this Strewn find is absolutely exceptional!

So I'm watching NINE

And beyond the mostly naked female superstars, it's really not much more to me than a fabulous high school musical. Now ... I totally LOVE Fergie in this.

Perhaps a reason I like th visual candy that is this movie is that it's not porn. There's no gratuitous nudity (not that I have ANYTHING against nudity), but rather adorns the women in feathers, and fishnets and sparkles to enhance their beauty and remind you that often the most fun, is unwrapping the gift.

I'm watching one of my favourite shows ....

and all I can hear is the door creaking upstairs. The youngest gift is standing at his bedroom door opening and closing the door. I plan on letting him play this game until he comes out .... then I'm getting the duct tape!

This is your warning ...

It's my birthday on Thursday. I'm 19 (on my second time around). I'm being spoiled like a princess and plan to party like a rock star.

Just in case you need a reason to celebrate ... this is it!

*blows a kiss*

My poor liver ... but BOY it was worth it.

Wow, back from the 24 hours of solid liver abuse. Here's a summary of where we when and who helped contribute to my liver damage.

Angels Gate Winery

Is always one of our favourite places to start. It's a beautiful location in a beautiful building. When we showed up it was pretty early but within 10 minutes the place was packed. We tried a couple of flights, and the lovely blonde girl who rang us threw comp'ed our flights and gave us a free tote bag. Honestly it wasn't that much, we only dropped about $50 there, but it was a pleasure to start with.

Legends Estates Winery

This was a new find for us. It's the ONLY winery that is actually ON the lake. As a result their growing season is a bit longer and they're able to grow some of the more complex varietals. We were there with a couple of other young couples who were quiet friendly and we discussed some of the different aspects of the white wines. The other cool thing about Legends is that they have a "Diva" series which proceeds go to the local Women's Shelter. Although I'm typically not a fan of blushes, their Malbec Rose (under the Diva label) was spectacular so we purchased it.

Coyote’s Run Estate Winery

Our first winery in Niagara-On-The-Lake. It was a bit of a bitch to find (GPS didn't like the address much) but they were marked on the route markers so we found them. They're unique in that they have 2 distinct types of soils. Their red claw earth and their black soil. As a result they can grow the same grape, for the same duration, with the same treatment and still come out with dramatically different wines. I tried their 2008 Cab Franc in both the Red Paw and the Black Paw. As I prefer softer more robust wines, I like the Red Paw, but a couple tasting next to us, preferred the Black Paw. I asked the girl if she typically liked Shiraz, which she replied it was her favourite, made sense with the smoke and spice found in the Black Paw. We brought home a bottle of each to share with our friends.

Lowrey Estate Vineyards and Winery

This was the crown jewel of the trip. It was an absolute BITCH to find, but we stuck to it and found it. Wesley greeted us with excitement and enthusiasm of someone who truly loves what they do. He's a young guy, but he's making SPECTACULAR product. We bought one of each of the wines we tried and will be registering our bottles on his site so that can get the feedback and track it. He's got a blog, which I will become an avid reader of. I plan to support this young winery because they make product which is the BEST of Niagara!

Reif Estate Winery

OMG Reif grew up! The last time I was there, it was crowded and small. This time it rivaled any of the big houses. This time we actually PAID for our flight, and it was worth it. I did a "sensory flight" where the girl matched 4 wines to 4 herbs. The herbs brought out different qualities in the wine, it was much like food pairings, but rather simplistic. This was a fantastic learning for one of our wine nights.

Strewn Inc.

Ahhhhh Strewn, once again, we paid for our samplings but it was OH SO worth it. This has long been one of our favourite wineries, and the win on this one was their Winter Red. This Cab Franc was to be their red ice wine of the year, but when the winds shifted, the temperature rose quickly during harvesting and due to the strict VQA rules, it didn't have the sugar content to be classified as an ice wine. As a result, its a soft, mellow and darling late harvest that was a STEAL at $25 per bottle.

Hillebrand Estates Winery

Ralph saw me coming! He's the sexy silver haired, Latin Lothario! I remember him clearly from my last trip to wine country, the guy is fabulous. We ended up becoming wine club members with Hillebrand and proceeded to drink enough flights to make the first two months of the membership paid for. We were then informed that we could receive complimentary flights at their "sister" winery Peller. I'd never visited Peller before so off we went.

Peller Estates

Well wasn't this an awesome little treat. It's stunningly beautiful and had a VERY busy tasting bar. I ended up striking up a conversation with the couple next to us. Judy was from Burlington and her boyfriend Andrew from Kitchener. It was obvious he was the wine expert and she was along for the ride. After chatting for a bit, I discovered she was in the same class in high school sweetheart. Wow, what a small world. They mentioned they were off to Inniskillin .... but 8 wineries in a day was enough for me. I needed to get out of there and get some food in my belly before I lost the ability to form words.

We were staying in a great little Inn that had an Asian restaurant called Gingers. It was simply divine. http://www.orchidinn.ca/

By the time I woke up Sunday morning, I marveled that I wasn't hung over .... I think I was still drunk! I can't WAIT to do it all over again!

Getting ready for the trip

Like any athlete, I'm preparing for the trip to wine country in the most appropriate way possible. If you were going to run, you stretch. If you're going to exert a great deal of physical energy you warm up.

I'm limbering up my liver .... heading into "I love you man" territory. :-) Happy Friday!

Taking time ...

It's been a crazy week. The impact of one coworker being off on his honeymoon hit me hard this week. While I'm typically swamped with dealing with China and various retail people, this week I had to pick up some slack and deal with designers, contractors and shipping people ... ugh, I'd rather hide in a spreadsheet or chat with industrial designers.

So, with the sudden death of poor Jude this week I decided it was time to slow down a bit. The boys love hanging out at their cousins, and their home is half way to wine country. So this weekend, hubby and I will take time to stop and smell the roses ... or fine merlots and crisp sauv blancs.

I'll back Monday with a wicked hang over and a smile on my face!

Living off the grid ...

Every night on my painfully long commute home from work, I pass a good sized working farm that has a huge solar panel in front. It was installed about a year ago, and I wonder if the owners are working towards living "off the grid".

Obvious with a moniker of "TechnoMum" I'm pretty hard wired into the matrix. I doubt I could life off the grid, but it got me thinking. What if it could help reduce the drain I'm putting ON the system. What if I can help generate energy to become less of a harsh user to beautiful Mother Earth. It's something I need to look into.

Then again, with what a blow-hard I am some times ... perhaps a windmill in my backyard would have more impact!

The fragility of life

Among the mundane tasks of a mother off for the weekend, I got to enjoy some special one on one time with my youngest monster ... errrrr child this afternoon. Parking my keister on the couch, I decide to work on some of the photographic gifts sent to me by my two favourite photographers. First one is a mother from San Diego, second one a blind gentleman from Toronto. He's unique beyond his limited eyesight, but rather the amazing quality of his work.

I realized I needed a smaller image of one I'd requested from him, so I fired off my typical begging email. His works can be sold in galleries, but for some reason he's kind enough to share the images with me for free. I'm very aware of this and am likely over the top when asking for even more favours, like resizing images, and resending them, like today's request. He's never turned me down, nor ever made me feel like I'm an bother, but I still try my hardest to be Uber nice.

I was almost ill today when he quickly answers me back that he's not sure when he can get to the request as he found his significant other had passed away some time this morning in her sleep. Rather suddenly and without warning. From what I knew, she'd experienced some back problems that had her off work for a while, but the last I'd heard, she was planning to return to work.

I honestly can't fathom what it would be like to wake up next to your beloved and find they're no longer of this realm. I can only imagine this poor friend is devastate and completely lost. I expressed my sympathies, but as always feel woefully inadequate.

Remember folks, hug your loved ones, you NEVER know when their (or your) ticket is up. I'm so very sorry Richard, for the loss of your beloved Jude.

They say

That the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome .... or something like that. Seriously, when am I going to try something new or accept that this insane ride is simply my lot in life?

*sigh*

Not so graceful

Today at work, I was heading back from my boss's office and in an effort to maximize my time, I hurried along the highly polished floor right in front of my office area when one leg began to slide. Then the next one went, then the hallway was spinning as I was gaining a new perspective on my surroundings.

WIPEOUT!

It wasn't pretty, and I'll be in pants for a week or so until the enormous bruise on my leg subsides.

Happy humpday!

Oh ... My ... Virgin Scribe!

So, I've started my journey on listening to books on CD. I've started with JR Ward's Lover Avenged. This book has captured my attention. I failed with the twilight series, but YEOWZA'S ... this is somewhere between Twilight and Jackie Collins. WOW. Seriously, I had to crank the AC driving home this afternoon and it had nothing to do with the humidex!

Lost in the rainforest?

So Chapters didn't have my book. They had a pretty impressive selection on the rest of the Author's books, but not the one I was looking for. I love my technology. I immediately sent an email to hubby telling him to order it from Amazon.

That was Monday.

This is Wednesday and they haven't even given us notification that the book has shipped.

WTF?

Seriously, does the order get shipped along the river? In my usual impatient way, I went on to Kobo to read the first chapter for free. It's a beautiful book and I'm eager to get my paws on it. But nothing. Grrrrrrrr .....

Joining a book club

Ok, while I've previously assumed (and commented) that book clubs are for little old ladies with knitting and lots of cats.... time to eat your words bella!

I've begun hanging out (virtually) with a pretty diverse and dynamic group of women. I've had a group of working mother friends for almost 5 years, and while this new group (smaller about 15 of us) came from the same website as my working mother friends, it's from a debaters board, so it's a pretty high caliber of women. I've begun playing scrabble on line with a couple of them, I've rediscovered my desire to blog, and I've joined a book club.

This month we're reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and I'm still not entirely sure what the book is about. A few of the DA members have commented that they were assigned to read it in school, somehow I doubt it's much like Farley Mowatt and the Call of the Wild, but these are some of the American Mom's so it's an opportunity to be exposed to something I never have before.

Good times ahead, I'm heading out shortly to go to Chapters to see if they have it. Wish me luck, it'll be the first book in a while that doesn't rhyme, have pop up characters or more pictures than words!

Because working with Dilbert would be a HUGE improvement

http://rantfromacube.blogspot.com/

In search of another blog of mine, I came across this one. Ahhhh good times!

Guilted into blogging

Ok, really not so much, but since I'm now following some of my favourite DA mom's blogs I felt I needed update mine.

So, yesterday afternoon I met two different men in a hotel ....

Ok, you can pick your jaw up off the floor now!

I had a job interview with a retailer. One of the hotels in Toronto (The Hyatt on King) rents out some of their floors to offices. The ironic thing was that I stayed at this hotel in March with Russ when we went to the Symphony (holy crap that was only two posts ago). I met with the HR manager and the person to whom I'd be reporting.

::shrugs:: I've done this a lot of times (interviewing not meeting men in hotels) so I don't tend to get wound up until there's an offer (and a GREAT one) in front of me.

The commute would SUCK, but I'm eager to get back into retail, so I'm game. Of course, I always (stupidly) somehow mention I have children, so I'll likely pay the "mommy penalty".

Reason # 6,342 why ...

I will never make it as a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom). Poor women don't get a sick day! I'm off today with strep with the youngest. He's doing awesome, I feel like death.

A brave new world

This past week was March Break so I took a MUCH needed break from work, the Internet, and pretty much all demands and enjoyed myself. With the two gifts safely tucked away with family, husband and I decided we needed a night out, our style. We checked into an elegant hotel in the entertainment district of Toronto. Large king sized bed, a view of the CN Tower, a TV big enough to make us feel like we were in a movie theatre, it had EVERYTHING.

We embarked out on an adult night, enjoying a spectacular meal that didn't not have ANYTHING in common with chocolate milk, hot dogs or apple sauce. Fine wine, wonderful food left us with full bellies and smiles on our faces as we walked across the street to Roy Thompson Hall. Husband's best friend has seasons tickets to the Symphony, the Opera and Tafflemusik. He was (fortunately for us) out of town and gave us his tickets to a Russian Symphony. I gasped when I saw the prices on the tickets. Our dinner and hotel room still wasn't as expensive as the two tickets.

It was a resplendent night, there were beautiful, well-to-do people everywhere. From ball gowns and tuxedos, to suits and lovely dresses, it was a true night on the town. We were spotting those in the spotlight of local media and the "who's who" of the affluent scene.

After the first half, I scurried off to the ladies room before the line began. Quickly taking care of business I finish up at the sink and powder my nose. Out of the corner of my eye I notice someone significantly taller than I. I am impressive enough at 6'1" (with my boots on) but this woman had to be 6'6". I quickly checked out what shoes put you at that height and noticed she was wearing kitten heels. Hmmmm, knee length skirt, polished hounds-tooth jacket, smart bob haircut, but her shoulders were slightly rounded, slouching a bit .... then I spotted the hands. Clean and neat but rather large and my eyes immediately went to her throat, the Adam's apple very apparent.

I was amazed, this brave woman, being in one of the most main stream vanilla of events and simply doing her best to fit in and enjoy herself. I can't even begin to comprehend the difficulties of being born in the wrong body and constantly dealing with the judgements and scorn of family, friends and strangers. This brave and beautiful person reminded me that really, all in all, I have it easy, there are so many others with a tougher road, and so few walk it so gracefully.

I smiled at her and she smiled back. It was one of those "moments" that you can really grow on. Not that we'll see that after-school special any time soon.

Lawless Sunday in the GTA

After ditching ... errrr, I mean leaving our sons in the care of their beloved family .... hubby and I did the 90 minute drive home. Within 15 minutes of the beginning of the drive, hubby noticed a woman (early 20's) chatting away on her cell phone (not hands free). He was surprised since the fine is $110+ and very publicized recently. I told him "I see it all the time".

About 25 minutes later, we notice someone backing up on the highway to try to avoid the collectors and get back on the express. Fortunately there was a handy OPP officer to assist. And by assist I mean hand over a $155 fine. Stupid thing is that he was bailing on the COLLECTORS to get back on the EXPRESS. It's not like he was breaking the law to not miss an exit ... bonehead.

As we pull on to yet another highway, and we're snickering about the fact lawbreaker #2 got nailed, we noticed two guys (early 30's) on the side of the highway hitchhiking! REALLY? Let's not discuss the stupidity about stopping on one of Canada's major highways to pick up two (possible) axe murderers, but I didn't realize people still hitch hiked! I'm hoping the OPP officer was following our route, perhaps he could lend those guys some assistance!

Who knew the Greater Toronto Area was becoming the Wild Wild West!

looking up to scratch a snail's belly

I promised this blog wouldn't focus on the negative, but this one is just too good not to share!

So, I've been "torn a new one" at work for not focusing on work and using my blackberry (I have an iPhone) to chat. I need to "focus" at work, they're PAYING me to be there ... blah blah blah. So it was rather ironic when my boss asked me to "borrow my sync cable" so he could charge his iPhone (remember, I'm not supposed to have this at work).

He managed to hit an all time new low today. He calls me ...

Him "Do you have your sync cable here?"

Me "Yes"

Him "Can I borrow it?"

Me "Sure"

Him "Great, bring it to my office"

I almost answered "yes master".

Not only did I have to deliver it, I had to go BACK at the end of the day to retrieve it. Hubby says he wouldn't BELIEVE these stores if he hadn't met this guy!

and my beater car is ....

I have this awesome coworker, she's a total Newfie. We love her TO BITS and wouldn't change her for the world. She taught me the word "slewber" and I taught her "vernacular" ... we're a pretty dynamic pair.

She's recently purchased a new house and she was explaining all the things she needs to buy for it. She gave away her dining room table to ensure she got a new one (like me, she only eats at the dining room table for special occasions). She needs new beds for both her kids, and said she needs a new fridge, stove and dishwasher. She says they're "white" and "old" and this "viking brand" she's never heard of. The fridge is working fine, but they're going to put it in the garage as a beer fridge.

:-O

OMG I asked her if her summer beater was a Bugatti Veyron. Seriously, a VIKING??? Now if she'd told me the stove was a Wolfe, I may have actually smacked her.

Bursting with pride

I'm a mild hockey fan. I typically cheer for the Montreal Canadien's for two reasons. 1 - I was born in Montreal and 2 - I live in a MAJOR Toronto Maple Leafs fan base, so it ticks off a lot of people.

I had my confidence shaken in Hockey being "Our" sport. Ours being Canada's. The men got SPANKED by the Americans, and they had to play a long road to get back to the medal round. The THRASHED Germany, which was not to be a difficult challenge, but then to face their greatest adversary, the Russians ... well they THRASHED them too. Crosby, Stall and Nash (hey, wait a minute ... ) put the rhythm back into the Hockeymania ...

But ...

All along ...

The Canadian WOMEN'S team were awe inspiring. As I sit here watching them play for what could be (and hopefully will be) Canada's 8th GOLD medal of these games. I'm reminded of one thing ...

CANADIAN CHICKS KICK A$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It WILL be the first time Canada has EVER won 8 gold medals .... and again, I'm so proud of our amazing women.

I learned two things today.

First off, when you constantly work to exceed someones expectations, their expectations becoming exceeding REDONKULOUS!!!!!!

Secondly, it seems that my employer would prefer that we are like children in the '50's ...that we are seen and NOT heard. One of the owners actually walked through my area (fortunately I wasn't around for this little gem) and said "ahhhh, nice and quiet". Yes Sir, that's correct, gone are the sounds of happy employees.

Related to a champion!

Congratulations to Ch Robobull Fabelhaft Im On Fire who not only took Best in Breed, but Best in Class (non-sporting) at the 2010 Westminster Kennel Club show. Why am I so proud? Because this beauty is a relative of our beloved Bulldog Parker. He's from the same breeder. I told Parker "he dude, your family won" ... he blew snot bubbles to show his excitement when he chuffed.


http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/2010/results/group/non-sporting.html

Getting what you pay for

I've been fighting with facebook lately, I'm sure we all have. I'm SO tired of my layout changing, seeing "ooppss sorry, something went wrong" ... et al. There are so many glitches, I guess it's bound to happen when a free site gets so popular, but darnit, this is my addiction you're talking about. I can't access all of it on my iPhone, so I NEED it to work when I get on line.

Seriously, I want a refund!

The greatest gift(s)

I haven’t had the desire to write much, that’s been apparent. Even though I felt it coming, learning that the last opportunity failed to materialize was a crushing blow. I was VERY excited, it was an INCREDIBLE opportunity and I was dying to get it. Although this is the closest I came, once again, they “decided to go with another candidate”. PHUCK! While I’ve learned how to manage my boss, and I have low expectations of him (although he still fails to even measure up to that), I need to be satisfied to dance with the devil I know.



I’ll admit, I had been in my own little funk, then, last night, I got home and rolled around on the floor with the boys for 30 minutes having tickle fights. Honestly, that sorted me out more than anything more than anything else had. Then the real reality check came last night when one of the working moms from my group posted how she regretted having her kids. I was SHOCKED. Not just that she said it, but I couldn’t understand it. I’ve never once regretted either of my boys, and I am grateful I didn’t get the job so that I CAN spend more time with them. There’s one thing about being sad for not getting something you want, it’s a whole different level of hell for hating the gifts you have.



I wanted to SCREAM at her. I wanted to toss the brutal honesty at her that she doled out on others before. I wanted to sake WAKE THE PHUCK UP and GROW THE PHUCK UP. Stop “self medicating” and get HELP for crying out loud. You’re OBVIOUSLY depressed and that’s not good for anyone. I couldn’t help but think that if you regret having your children, they’re likely aware of that too. Those poor boys, I couldn’t help but ache for them.



It made me see, that once I was that insane workaholic. That corporate climbing career executive; not even flinching at putting in 80 hours a week to do my job better than anyone else, to be better than anyone else, to win more than anyone else. But then came along the two GREATEST gifts of MY LIFE. I was trying to get back on that insane track, and I failed. THANK GAWD FOR THAT.



So, to the poor woman who hates the best of her, I’m very sorry for the level of hell you must be trapped in, but I’m also very grateful you shined a spotlight on my life and made me realize how truly lucky I am!

Well ...

I gave it my best shot. I left it all out on the ice (hockey analogy) and did everything I could. Hopefully, it's enough.

~K~

I wonder ...

In this day and age, are there REALLY Gypsies, and would they BUY my children if I could find them? Since eBay gets really pissy when you list them.

A full moon ...

Now while I am tempted to steer this towards a "Full Monty" bent, I'll keep it more on topic. Let's talk about the effects of a full moon.

~ an awesome photo op

~ puts women into labour

~ forces upon the tides globally

~ lights up a clear night sky beautifully

but ... it also turns my typically loving, affectionate and well mannered 4 year old into this hideous, whining, fire-breathing MONSTER.

Tonights lesson

No matter how cute, or how eager your 4 year old is ... DO NOT LET THEM CARRY THE PIZZA TO THE KITCHEN!

Fortunately it still tastes the same with wine :-)

SWING ... and a miss

Ok, so, let me check the date … two days ago … ONLY TWO DAYS AGO and I’m signing the praises of Apple. I was recently asked which company do I most respect and admire, and I answered, without a moment of hesitation Apple. It’s FANTASTIC product, it’s user friendly, it’s reliable and it’s beautifully marketed … but ...

And OH MY GAWD WHAT A BUTT …. iPad … seriously? SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?! I get it, iPhone, iPod … iPad … I’m NOT the only person here thinking feminine protection products am I? iTab (because there’s an iTouch and it’s a Tablet) … iSlate … because that just sounds sexy … but iPad?!!?!? I feel like I need to conceal it and sneak off to the bathroom with it!

As the propellor spins ...

Ok, so I've changed the settings, anonymous posting is now allowed ... be kind :-)

Seeing the light ... again

As many of my friends know, I’ve finally made the leap to the darkside. After years of being a dedicated Windows OS user, from Desktop to laptop to PDA and integrated devices (Palm Treo and eventually the loved/hated blackberry) I’ve returned to my roots with the iPhone. Ok, so I had a nano, but that hardly counts. It was really just a device to play music at my desk at work, I rarely listened to it other times, and easily handed it off to the husband when I ditched the crackberry for the iPhone.



When I say return to my roots, the very first personal computer that I purchased was circa 1994 and it was a Mac Desktop. With an astonishing 16MBs of memory on board, I felt I could conquer the world, or at least launch the space shuttle or something … right? Ahhhhhh what did I learn with this computer?

1. My first truly negative Customer Service experience with Future Shop when within 15 days of purchase the hard drive blew and it took 90 days to get an Apple rep in to replace it.

2. That an UNLIMITED internet package is a REQUIREMENT. I had pneumonia and discovered on line chatting to keep me entertained. I almost had a heart attack when I got a $150 internet bill the next month.

3. In a PC world, conversion programs to Mac DO NOT WORK.

My next computer was a PC. I gave up and joined forces with the rest of the world, particularly when they launched Windows 98 (which I believe was Mac 95). From Toshiba, to Gateway, Acer to Dell, HP to iNext, I had a number of different products carrying me through the next decade +. Memories of the conversion programs kept me firmly planted in a Windows world. But, as more integrated devices came along, I got tired of carrying my PDA, cell phone, small digital camera and MP3 player. I had a blackberry, okay, good for chat, like the integration to Facebook, easy PDA & Cell phone, but there was NO WAY I was giving up my Nano. It’s a simple case that NO ONE does MP3 as well as Apple. Ok, time to get a new device, get the HELL away from Ma Bell and head to the iPhone.

OH MY GAWD I’m IN LOVE!!!! Ok, I miss the blackberry IM (aka the Batfone) and typing isn’t quite as easy with my claws, but other than that this device is BEAUTIFUL. I seriously had to dumb it down, as I was frustrating myself trying to “out smart it” to get it to work like I’d always had to with my PC based devices. Once I handed myself over to the ease, beauty and simplicity of this product I found myself in Tech HEAVEN.

What’s next? A Macbook? I don’t know yet, I’m still digging my groovy little netbook. Hubby wants a Mac Desktop, and as soon as he hocks his clarinet he can afford it, but for now, I’m pretty stoked about my little iPhone which is NEVER more than about 3 feet from me.

So ... not a lot to say so far TechnoMum ...

ya ya ya ... WHAT was I thinking setting a blog up in December?!!!?! Ok, the rant blog is done. I skated around danger with that one. I think that whole scene is better left for the funny pages, but Dibert already exists, so lets refocus.

I don't know where this one is going to go, but what the heck, it's ME, so it should be good for a couple of giggles ... we'll see.