Well, last night was our first class of dog training. It certainly was an experience, and explained a lot about our dog as well.
The first thing the teacher had us do was to curb our instinct and just let the dogs of the class interact with each other uninhibited. That was hard, especially when you end up with two dogs having a disagreement. And one of those dogs was mine.
Basically what was happening was that the dogs were all meeting and greeting each other, and establishing pecking order. There were 5 dogs in all. Lowest on the totem pole was a big german shepherd. She wouldn't even come into the class, the other dogs had her so scared. Next up was a golden retriever who basically lay down in submission, tail tightly under her, in front of all the rest. Third was a little "puddle" (half pug, half poodle....actually a cute dog) who didn't really assert herself too much, but wasn't cowering much either. Second place went to a bull terrier (remember Spuds Mackenzie?) who thought he was the top dog and wanted everyone to know it....but top dog went to our silly thing. She wasn't having any of it. I am ashamed to say my furry daughter gave a classmate a bloody nose on her first day of school. LOL.
My dog was top dog and she was not about to back down. Morris (second place) kept jumping up to try to get her to submit, trying to get his head above hers. She just jumped up right with him, placed her paws on his back, and smushed him into the floor with her feet until he rolled to the side in submission. Over and over this scene played, until finally he stayed down with her having one paw on his shoulder....but he did get a bloody nose in the process because they did have a brief growl-bite-and-scratch argument amidst the jumping and holding down for submission. It was VERY obvious that our dog was the dominant one, and everybody, dog, owner, and trainer could see it. Morris, however, is stubborn, and kept trying to argue the point, to no avail. *grin*
The fact that she sees herself (and has proven herself) as top dog explains a lot of her behaviour, both towards me and towards the cats. We had originally thought she was a bit thick, that as much as the cats yowled and growled and swiped and protested, she just kept trying to get them to play....now we see it's actually an ongoing battle for rank...the cats saying "we are dominant", and Dog saying "No you're not" and back and forth like little kids....
yesiam-noyou'renot-yesiam-noyou'renot-yessiam-noyou'renot. LOL
And with me, she still needs to learn that *I* am the Alpha female around here. Heh heh
She is doing quite well, considering, for just one 1-hour class. I can now get her to lie down on command for treats. It's a start. We still have to work on walking with a loose leash and the "leave it!" command. Next week, I believe we start work on keeping them from jumping up. I sure hope it works!
Well, back to house cleaning and such.
Oh! For those of you wondering, Daughter actually did not fall on her head. Her teacher did not see the accident, so had been given false info by the others. She was doing a flip on the monkey bars at school, flubbed the dismount and smashed her face about eyebrow level into the bar on her way down. Big goose egg the first night, swelling the next day that made her unable to open her eye the whole way, which has disappeared and left her with a very colourful black eye that almost goes all the way around, but not quite. With 4 teeth missing (just from being the age she is) and the black eye, we told her she should be a hockey player for Halloween. She was less than impressed. LOL
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
I Told You So
Words every parent wants to say a million times over the years. But today is one of those days when we bite our tongues and give the sympathy that is so deeply needed. Daughter's teacher called a few minutes ago. During recess, Daughter was hanging upside down from the monkey bars and fell off.....onto her head. Husband has been phoned and sent off to pick Daughter up, because, according to her teacher, she has a nasty lump and is bruising up badly, and is really hurting.
I am worried. Very worried. Head injuries are not something to fool around with. I am hoping it will be nothing, but knowing it will be something....just how severe is the question.
She was told not to do that unless she was being watched/helped, until she got better at it. I guess she forgot. That's what happens at that age. So we will not say I told you so. Not this time. Not now, anyway.
I am worried. Very worried. Head injuries are not something to fool around with. I am hoping it will be nothing, but knowing it will be something....just how severe is the question.
She was told not to do that unless she was being watched/helped, until she got better at it. I guess she forgot. That's what happens at that age. So we will not say I told you so. Not this time. Not now, anyway.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
I Wish
I wish for 8 hours of sleep in a row each night. What a wonderful dream....what a bunch of dreams I could have in that period of time. My sleep deprivation level is catching up to me. The past 2 years of getting up at 3:30-4AM, 6 mornings a week except the occasional day plus statutory holidays is wreaking havoc on my system. I am running on 6 or less hours of sleep a night, sometimes as little as 3 if it's a rough night.
Go to bed earlier you say? No can do....in order to get the required 8 hours, I would have to go to bed and be asleep before my kids even go to bed. Get up later? Nope. Have to be up at 3:30-4AM in order to be done on time. Nap? Nice wish? I have a zillion and one things to do each day, most of which I never even get done anyway, and each time I accidentally doze off, that is just that much less that gets done that day. I very rarely can stay awake for a one-hour tv show anymore. I zonk out partway through, and that quality of sleep is really bad, leaves me even more tired.
So I dream of a few years from now. Our finances will be better off, my paper money will not be needed, maybe by that time the kids will all be in school full time and I will get a day job, and then I can sleep normal people hours. I can go to sleep at 10 or 11 and get up at 6 or 7, and actually feel like I ACCOMPLISHED something, like I actually touched that vast well of exhaustion that is getting deeper and deeper at the present time. That will be really nice.
I have to find a decent way of bringing in some money while I stay at home with Son that does not require selling for commission or whatnot, like Melaleuca, Pampered Chef, Regal, or any web-based schmuck job, telemarketer, or whatever. Maybe I can make casseroles in individual servings and sell them, like a caterer. I dunno. I gotta get some sleep.
Go to bed earlier you say? No can do....in order to get the required 8 hours, I would have to go to bed and be asleep before my kids even go to bed. Get up later? Nope. Have to be up at 3:30-4AM in order to be done on time. Nap? Nice wish? I have a zillion and one things to do each day, most of which I never even get done anyway, and each time I accidentally doze off, that is just that much less that gets done that day. I very rarely can stay awake for a one-hour tv show anymore. I zonk out partway through, and that quality of sleep is really bad, leaves me even more tired.
So I dream of a few years from now. Our finances will be better off, my paper money will not be needed, maybe by that time the kids will all be in school full time and I will get a day job, and then I can sleep normal people hours. I can go to sleep at 10 or 11 and get up at 6 or 7, and actually feel like I ACCOMPLISHED something, like I actually touched that vast well of exhaustion that is getting deeper and deeper at the present time. That will be really nice.
I have to find a decent way of bringing in some money while I stay at home with Son that does not require selling for commission or whatnot, like Melaleuca, Pampered Chef, Regal, or any web-based schmuck job, telemarketer, or whatever. Maybe I can make casseroles in individual servings and sell them, like a caterer. I dunno. I gotta get some sleep.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Beer
There's a title you don't expect to see in my blog, if you know me at all!
When I turned 18, I bought some "near beer" at the grocery store (and yes, the legal age where I was living at the time was 18). Hated it. Could not STAND it! Over the years I have not really been much of one for alcohol, sticking mostly to daquiris and pina coladas, fruity red wine, coolers. In the past few years, joining in with the pre-and post-competition parties with my roomies and chorus mates, I have expanded to Bailey's, Grand Marnier, and various other mixed drinks, but not on a grand scale, as my alcohol tolerance is pretty low. I tend to skip right over tipsy and go straight to "I don't feel so good". In a year, I probably have 4 or 5 drinks total, including competition time. But NOT beer.
Anyway, husband has joined a speech-makers group, where they learn about and practice making speeches. Husband, before I go any further, cannot have alcohol. At all. Not one drop. His liver is missing an enzyme that processes the alcohol, which meant his 18th birthday was spent in the ER...he had one beer with his friends and dropped like a stone at the table from instant alcohol poisoning.
Husband this week, needed a prop. Husband went to a liquor store and bought 2 cans of Molson Canadian cool shot! He is obviously never going to drink them, and I was somewhat curious as to why it is so popular when, in my memory, it was so bad. So with his permission (and his promise not to have any major injuries requiring me to drive him to the ER while I am under the influence), I cracked one open. Smelled it. Hmm...smells like beer, but actually doesn't smell that bad. Poured it into a glass. Looks like...well....beer. Deep breath and take a sip. Hmm....it....actually wasn't too bad! I guess "near beer" (aka .5% beer) is quite different from the real thing. So I sit here, typing a blog about beer while I slowly drink it down. My conclusion is this: It's not as bad as I thought it was, by a long shot. To a certain extent, it's kinda good. If everyone I am with is having a beer (and I have a ride home with hubby who I KNOW can be trusted as a designated driver), I might have one, too....but just one. But it still isn't something i am going to make the effort to go out and GET. I would MUCH rather have my pina coladas and such. But beer has moved up a couple of notches in my esteem. Here's to you, beer. Don't get all proud of yourself, though....you still aren't THAT great. :)
When I turned 18, I bought some "near beer" at the grocery store (and yes, the legal age where I was living at the time was 18). Hated it. Could not STAND it! Over the years I have not really been much of one for alcohol, sticking mostly to daquiris and pina coladas, fruity red wine, coolers. In the past few years, joining in with the pre-and post-competition parties with my roomies and chorus mates, I have expanded to Bailey's, Grand Marnier, and various other mixed drinks, but not on a grand scale, as my alcohol tolerance is pretty low. I tend to skip right over tipsy and go straight to "I don't feel so good". In a year, I probably have 4 or 5 drinks total, including competition time. But NOT beer.
Anyway, husband has joined a speech-makers group, where they learn about and practice making speeches. Husband, before I go any further, cannot have alcohol. At all. Not one drop. His liver is missing an enzyme that processes the alcohol, which meant his 18th birthday was spent in the ER...he had one beer with his friends and dropped like a stone at the table from instant alcohol poisoning.
Husband this week, needed a prop. Husband went to a liquor store and bought 2 cans of Molson Canadian cool shot! He is obviously never going to drink them, and I was somewhat curious as to why it is so popular when, in my memory, it was so bad. So with his permission (and his promise not to have any major injuries requiring me to drive him to the ER while I am under the influence), I cracked one open. Smelled it. Hmm...smells like beer, but actually doesn't smell that bad. Poured it into a glass. Looks like...well....beer. Deep breath and take a sip. Hmm....it....actually wasn't too bad! I guess "near beer" (aka .5% beer) is quite different from the real thing. So I sit here, typing a blog about beer while I slowly drink it down. My conclusion is this: It's not as bad as I thought it was, by a long shot. To a certain extent, it's kinda good. If everyone I am with is having a beer (and I have a ride home with hubby who I KNOW can be trusted as a designated driver), I might have one, too....but just one. But it still isn't something i am going to make the effort to go out and GET. I would MUCH rather have my pina coladas and such. But beer has moved up a couple of notches in my esteem. Here's to you, beer. Don't get all proud of yourself, though....you still aren't THAT great. :)
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Where IS Everybody?
I have this neat little thing for my blog....it tells me how many people have checked out my blog on any particular day. My numbers have been extremely low lately. Everyone's off desperately trying to catch the last dregs of fall, I guess, before we head into the long, dark, cold weather. I don't blame them.
I've also noticed nobody is ever on Windows Live messenger, or very much on Facebook either (yes, i am addicted, but for the most part, I'm just continually looking to see what my friends are up to and see if i can reconnect with any other old friends).
As a stay-at-home mom who finds these ways of connecting with friends to be as refreshing as a drink of cold water, this leaves me high and dry....and awfully lonely. Some of you may say (and have in the past)that the friends that really matter are the ones you talk to on the phone and get together with on a regular basis....and to a certain extent, this is true....but I also have a lot of very close friends with very busy schedules, a crummy phone plan, and who live 3 provinces away. They are no less good friends, and these methods (Facebook, Windows Live, etc) help us stay in touch so that when I travel THERE or they travel HERE, we will not have to do a lot of time-wasting catching up and shock at how much the other person has changed, and can just go straight into the enjoying the visit, hanging out, and all that sort of stuff.
Well, when winter sets in and people start making their way back to communication on the computer, I'll be here for you all, just waiting. In the meantime, i think I need to go off, rest, and hope I stop feeling so green. (Have not been feeling well the past few days)
Oh, and for those Facebook people out there.....be careful....I've been scunnered by a few people's FunWall posts....some NASTY pics and videos out there!
I've also noticed nobody is ever on Windows Live messenger, or very much on Facebook either (yes, i am addicted, but for the most part, I'm just continually looking to see what my friends are up to and see if i can reconnect with any other old friends).
As a stay-at-home mom who finds these ways of connecting with friends to be as refreshing as a drink of cold water, this leaves me high and dry....and awfully lonely. Some of you may say (and have in the past)that the friends that really matter are the ones you talk to on the phone and get together with on a regular basis....and to a certain extent, this is true....but I also have a lot of very close friends with very busy schedules, a crummy phone plan, and who live 3 provinces away. They are no less good friends, and these methods (Facebook, Windows Live, etc) help us stay in touch so that when I travel THERE or they travel HERE, we will not have to do a lot of time-wasting catching up and shock at how much the other person has changed, and can just go straight into the enjoying the visit, hanging out, and all that sort of stuff.
Well, when winter sets in and people start making their way back to communication on the computer, I'll be here for you all, just waiting. In the meantime, i think I need to go off, rest, and hope I stop feeling so green. (Have not been feeling well the past few days)
Oh, and for those Facebook people out there.....be careful....I've been scunnered by a few people's FunWall posts....some NASTY pics and videos out there!
Monday, October 15, 2007
How Can I?
I know somebody. This somebody has in the past done something bad. This somebody promised me it was not going to happen again, I could trust this person. This somebody broke that trust once again, but tried to minimize it by explaining they had not done ALL that they had done before, just a portion of it.
How can I trust this person? This person has shattered my trust over and over, and I am in little pieces right now. I can't do this! I can't keep going through this over and over.
I KNEW something was up, something in the back of my mind said so, but I ignored it, put it aside as paranoia and blamed myself for doubting...and my little voice was right! I am so disappointed and hurt and angry and shattered and shaking....I can TOTALLY understand what can drive people to drink, to try to drown their sorrows. I, however, haven't got the money to try.
So much for climbing out of my depressive slump. I give up.
How can I trust this person? This person has shattered my trust over and over, and I am in little pieces right now. I can't do this! I can't keep going through this over and over.
I KNEW something was up, something in the back of my mind said so, but I ignored it, put it aside as paranoia and blamed myself for doubting...and my little voice was right! I am so disappointed and hurt and angry and shattered and shaking....I can TOTALLY understand what can drive people to drink, to try to drown their sorrows. I, however, haven't got the money to try.
So much for climbing out of my depressive slump. I give up.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
What would you do?
What would you do if you theoretically had a secret....something that in a sense you wished to tell somebody, but at the same time dreaded anybody finding out? Would you tell somebody and risk the consequences? Would you just keep it to yourself and hope nobody finds out? Do you hope somebody finds you out to get it off your chest, or do you do whatever it takes to keep it a secret so everybody stays happy and nobody gets mad?
Just a point to ponder, get some comments flowing maybe.
Just a point to ponder, get some comments flowing maybe.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Absolute Humiliation
I have never been so humiliated in my whole life.
I woke up at 3:30 to do a 142 paper route, came home, climbed into a hot bath and almost fell asleep in there, prevented only by Son continually yelling through the door. Still feeling depressed, more so after staring into the mirror for a long time before I got in the tub.
Went to a ladies' breakfast at church....they were drawing names for secret sisters today. Anyway. I arrive, and sit down at a table with 5 or 6 others. Some lady i don't even KNOW comes bouncing up, and in a huge voice says "SO! I hear you are expecting?!?!?"
-No, I quietly answer.
-No?
-No! I'm not!
-Are you sure?
-YES! I am NOT pregnant!
-Oh! Well, somebody told me you were!
-No! I'm NOT PREGNANT!
-Oh. Well...I was told you were!
-*silent shaking of head as I try to control my emotions*
That has pretty much shattered my day.
A) somebody looked at me and said "hmm, I do believe that woman is pregnant!"
B) That somebody felt the need to TELL somebody I was pregnant without asking me first
C) This lady who she told has a very loud voice and drew a lot of attention
D) This lady didn't have the grace to back down and try to preserve some shred of dignity for me, and somehow felt the need to argue with me about something I really ought to know about, after all, I do live in this body and know what is and is not possible.
E) In order for her to keep at the topic, I obviously look bad enough for people to feel they are justified in trying to convince me I am pregnant.
Definitely NOT what I needed today. Couldn't feel much worse if I tried. Feel so bad I even feel too bad to cry. Couldn't cry even if i wanted to.
I woke up at 3:30 to do a 142 paper route, came home, climbed into a hot bath and almost fell asleep in there, prevented only by Son continually yelling through the door. Still feeling depressed, more so after staring into the mirror for a long time before I got in the tub.
Went to a ladies' breakfast at church....they were drawing names for secret sisters today. Anyway. I arrive, and sit down at a table with 5 or 6 others. Some lady i don't even KNOW comes bouncing up, and in a huge voice says "SO! I hear you are expecting?!?!?"
-No, I quietly answer.
-No?
-No! I'm not!
-Are you sure?
-YES! I am NOT pregnant!
-Oh! Well, somebody told me you were!
-No! I'm NOT PREGNANT!
-Oh. Well...I was told you were!
-*silent shaking of head as I try to control my emotions*
That has pretty much shattered my day.
A) somebody looked at me and said "hmm, I do believe that woman is pregnant!"
B) That somebody felt the need to TELL somebody I was pregnant without asking me first
C) This lady who she told has a very loud voice and drew a lot of attention
D) This lady didn't have the grace to back down and try to preserve some shred of dignity for me, and somehow felt the need to argue with me about something I really ought to know about, after all, I do live in this body and know what is and is not possible.
E) In order for her to keep at the topic, I obviously look bad enough for people to feel they are justified in trying to convince me I am pregnant.
Definitely NOT what I needed today. Couldn't feel much worse if I tried. Feel so bad I even feel too bad to cry. Couldn't cry even if i wanted to.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Mayday! Mayday!
Aaand my old nemesis kicks in. Hellooooo depression. Not sure why, not sure how, since I KNOW i wrote a very happy post earlier today....but right now I am super depressed and lonely and just HUMMING with the emotion that comes with it and has no name.
I am trying to stay "sane" for the kids' sakes, as it is just them and I for the evening as Husband is off making our millions. But little things bother me, I get really easily annoyed by them when I get like this. I'm not a danger to them....I just might yell needlessly at them over some little thing, and then of course they will be sad and I will feel a million times worse.
Maybe I will crawl into bed as soon as their bedtimes come and go, maybe with sleep it will at the very least ease up so I don't hit a crisis level. I hate this.
Does anybody else ever get like this? I feel like people must think I'm some annoying freak when this comes on.
And for all your sakes, I will stop typing now, because we all know how I will ramble, complain, whine, and self-depreciate in this state.
Hang in there....this plane is going down. Hopefully the landing gear will pop out before I crash and burn.
I am trying to stay "sane" for the kids' sakes, as it is just them and I for the evening as Husband is off making our millions. But little things bother me, I get really easily annoyed by them when I get like this. I'm not a danger to them....I just might yell needlessly at them over some little thing, and then of course they will be sad and I will feel a million times worse.
Maybe I will crawl into bed as soon as their bedtimes come and go, maybe with sleep it will at the very least ease up so I don't hit a crisis level. I hate this.
Does anybody else ever get like this? I feel like people must think I'm some annoying freak when this comes on.
And for all your sakes, I will stop typing now, because we all know how I will ramble, complain, whine, and self-depreciate in this state.
Hang in there....this plane is going down. Hopefully the landing gear will pop out before I crash and burn.
Me and my Tunes
For my birthday, I received an iTunes card. Until yesterday I had no clue how to use it, and would only have been able to download them to my computer anyway....but Husband had won himself an iPod awhile back, and then got one through his parts supplier. He lost the smaller of the two, but it finally turned up, months later, yesterday, between the bed and the wall. This meant I now had an iPod. A little, itty bitty square one in my favourite colour....green. This is a marvel to me. This is technology that goes beyond me. What can I say, I'm kinda simple when it comes to technology.
In any case, I fired up the computer, figured out (through Husband) how to get songs with the card, and downloaded for myself 19 songs (on a $20 card).
Husband laughs at me because my choices were incredibly diverse, and so when I plugged my iPod into some speakers so everyone could hear, some songs were a bit of a shock, going from one to another (as in, a slower song would play, and then jump into a really fast, techno-beat, run on a treadmill kind of song.).
But I am thrilled with my choices, having procured songs from some of my favourite artists, and in the majority of them, they were songs I was looking for specifically. So today, as I scrubbed down the counters and filled the dishwasher, I boogied, sang, and in one case, cried, my way through my songs. The ones I chose, for those of you who are curious, are:
Amy Grant- Sing Your Praise to the Lord
- House of Love
- In a Little while
- Got to Let it Go
Michael W Smith- Cry for Love
UB40- I Can't Help Falling in love
- Red, Red Wine
Techno-exercise versions of-Wonderful World
-Somewhere Over the Rainbow
-We Will Rock You
-Puttin' On the Ritz
-I Just Called to Say I Love You
Unknown (to me)-Bing Bang
-Come On Baby, I Want To Party
Tim McGraw- Please Don't Take The Girl
- Live Like You Were Dying
Crazy Frog- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- Jingle Bells
- Last Christmas
So, as you can see, I've been having fun. :)
Daughter is practicing for her appearance in our Sweet Adelines show in November (or will be when she gets home from school), I'm singing my stuff. Son is singing his little songs as he plays, and Husband sings along to his iPod songs, so when we all get going, I'm sure it's a horrible collision of sounds to anyone going by, if we had windows open.
I listened to my songs while I delivered papers on the two routes I had this morning....it was kind of nice to have an orchestra following me around. LOL. The only problem was that I couldn't sing along, both because it would sound really weird to the average passerby...and very few people want to hear somebody belting ou a song on their doorstep between 4 and 7AM.
I have re-started my weight-loss efforts today, with my head hung in shame. I am starting 3 pounds lighter than when I originally started in May....but about an inch thicker everywhere. Not a good thing. I haven't been getting to the gym lately, because if I did, Husband would have to get Daughter up and off to school on his own, and I would only see her when she got home from school. I have bought myself some of those cookie thins you see Colin Mochrie advertise on TV (those Oreo Thins and Chips ahoy ones), so hopefully if I'm going to snack, I can eat one of those and be satisfied until the next meal...and of course I need to watch my portions and drink a lot of water. The goal I have made with my friend is to lose 1 pound a week. No excuses. Following this plan, I will be where I am supposed to be in exactly a year, just in time to buy new clothes for my trip to Montreal and to wow all my old friends there with the new and improved me. :) At the very least, I want to fit in my old university stuff, which was size 12-13 at the most.
Well, off to let Dog in and set her loose on her latest Dino Bone. What an amazing thing THAT is! It's basically a cow leg bone. They don't splinter, they last her about a month of HEAVY gnawing (she is the sort of dog that can chew straight through a gigantic rawhide type and eat the whole thing in an hour), and keep her from getting into trouble, as without one, she will chew absolutely ANYTHING....couches, deck benches, plastic ANYTHING, stuffed animals.......
In any case, I fired up the computer, figured out (through Husband) how to get songs with the card, and downloaded for myself 19 songs (on a $20 card).
Husband laughs at me because my choices were incredibly diverse, and so when I plugged my iPod into some speakers so everyone could hear, some songs were a bit of a shock, going from one to another (as in, a slower song would play, and then jump into a really fast, techno-beat, run on a treadmill kind of song.).
But I am thrilled with my choices, having procured songs from some of my favourite artists, and in the majority of them, they were songs I was looking for specifically. So today, as I scrubbed down the counters and filled the dishwasher, I boogied, sang, and in one case, cried, my way through my songs. The ones I chose, for those of you who are curious, are:
Amy Grant- Sing Your Praise to the Lord
- House of Love
- In a Little while
- Got to Let it Go
Michael W Smith- Cry for Love
UB40- I Can't Help Falling in love
- Red, Red Wine
Techno-exercise versions of-Wonderful World
-Somewhere Over the Rainbow
-We Will Rock You
-Puttin' On the Ritz
-I Just Called to Say I Love You
Unknown (to me)-Bing Bang
-Come On Baby, I Want To Party
Tim McGraw- Please Don't Take The Girl
- Live Like You Were Dying
Crazy Frog- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- Jingle Bells
- Last Christmas
So, as you can see, I've been having fun. :)
Daughter is practicing for her appearance in our Sweet Adelines show in November (or will be when she gets home from school), I'm singing my stuff. Son is singing his little songs as he plays, and Husband sings along to his iPod songs, so when we all get going, I'm sure it's a horrible collision of sounds to anyone going by, if we had windows open.
I listened to my songs while I delivered papers on the two routes I had this morning....it was kind of nice to have an orchestra following me around. LOL. The only problem was that I couldn't sing along, both because it would sound really weird to the average passerby...and very few people want to hear somebody belting ou a song on their doorstep between 4 and 7AM.
I have re-started my weight-loss efforts today, with my head hung in shame. I am starting 3 pounds lighter than when I originally started in May....but about an inch thicker everywhere. Not a good thing. I haven't been getting to the gym lately, because if I did, Husband would have to get Daughter up and off to school on his own, and I would only see her when she got home from school. I have bought myself some of those cookie thins you see Colin Mochrie advertise on TV (those Oreo Thins and Chips ahoy ones), so hopefully if I'm going to snack, I can eat one of those and be satisfied until the next meal...and of course I need to watch my portions and drink a lot of water. The goal I have made with my friend is to lose 1 pound a week. No excuses. Following this plan, I will be where I am supposed to be in exactly a year, just in time to buy new clothes for my trip to Montreal and to wow all my old friends there with the new and improved me. :) At the very least, I want to fit in my old university stuff, which was size 12-13 at the most.
Well, off to let Dog in and set her loose on her latest Dino Bone. What an amazing thing THAT is! It's basically a cow leg bone. They don't splinter, they last her about a month of HEAVY gnawing (she is the sort of dog that can chew straight through a gigantic rawhide type and eat the whole thing in an hour), and keep her from getting into trouble, as without one, she will chew absolutely ANYTHING....couches, deck benches, plastic ANYTHING, stuffed animals.......
Monday, October 8, 2007
Mary Had a Little Lamb
With mint sauce.....or at least *I* did.
We decided, since we had been eating a lot of turkeys and chickens lately, to go for something different. So we trotted off to Superstore after a harrowing morning involving blowing a tire on a 100kph road and remembering that our jack had bitten the dust a few months back and we had forgotten to replace it. More on that in a minute...
anyway, we went to Superstore and bought a few things, including splurging on a small box of raw shrimp for Husband to get creative with, and the smallest leg of lamb I could find....approximately $15.50. Took all our groceries to the cash, where we were asked if we would like our PC points checked. What a wonderful discovery THAT was....we had forgotten that we had been collecting these points, and our $61.43 grocery bill suddenly became $1.43, because the points can be used in increments of $20. And we still have points left. Woo hoo!
The lamb was delicious. I haven't had lamb in at least a few years, and the way I cooked it was fabulous....put a few cuts into the meat, sprinkle the surface with lemon juice. Rub in a clove of minced garlic. Mix together 1 tsp of mint leaves, 1 tsp of basil, and some pepper. Rub this mix into the lamb. Place in dutch oven, on a small rack (toaster oven broiler pan rack works well), add about 3 cups of water to the bottom.Put the cover on. Bake at 325F for about 2 1/2 hours (it was about 4 pounds). It made not only a delicious, moist roasted leg, but made a fabulous gravy, too. Add mint jelly and it was a true feast, alongside our mashed sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables, salad, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream.
The shrimp, by the way, was made into a fabulous garlic shrimp and mushroom (and carrot, onion, and sticky rice) stir fry. Yum!
Now, back to our harrowing experience the other day. Good Samaritans are few and far between these days, and apparently so are people who know the protocol for passing stranded vehicles. We waited about half an hour for the tow truck to find us and put our spare on for us. In that time, only ONE truck stopped to see if they could help (and the poor guys discovered their jacks weren't working properly, either). Everybody else just kept on going, despite the fact it was blatantly obvious what the problem was. I guess we must be pretty scary. Ha ha.
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE went roaring by at 100kph, including the 18-wheelers, which create quite a back breeze, let me tell you! The poor tow truck guy was getting a little nervous.....you are SUPPOSED to slow down to 60kph when passing something like that. And even if you ignore that blatant disregard for the law, it might be nice if you at least CHANGED LANES so you aren't breezing by 40kph too fast, inches away from the poor stranded people or the tow truck driver who is just trying to do his job, changing a tire on the driver's side. Where are the police when you need them? Give these people the fines they deserve....maybe people will get the hint and think a little bit more about the reason for these laws, and even if they don't, will at least follow the laws so they won't have to pay the fine again. I can't wait for cars to have a special chip in them that can read some sort of device that tells what the speed limits are, and will not allow the cars to go any faster than that. It would not only make things a lot safer, but would certainly reduce the issues the police have to deal with on a daily basis, including the horrible crashes you read about so often where speed was a factor.
Anyway...life goes back to normal tomorrow....Daughter goes back to school, hopefully we get our tire changed, finally, I will be back to delivering papers after a few days off with a back injury, and also back to cleaning, sorting, laundry, taking care of Son, and trying desperately to get a handle on Dog.
We decided, since we had been eating a lot of turkeys and chickens lately, to go for something different. So we trotted off to Superstore after a harrowing morning involving blowing a tire on a 100kph road and remembering that our jack had bitten the dust a few months back and we had forgotten to replace it. More on that in a minute...
anyway, we went to Superstore and bought a few things, including splurging on a small box of raw shrimp for Husband to get creative with, and the smallest leg of lamb I could find....approximately $15.50. Took all our groceries to the cash, where we were asked if we would like our PC points checked. What a wonderful discovery THAT was....we had forgotten that we had been collecting these points, and our $61.43 grocery bill suddenly became $1.43, because the points can be used in increments of $20. And we still have points left. Woo hoo!
The lamb was delicious. I haven't had lamb in at least a few years, and the way I cooked it was fabulous....put a few cuts into the meat, sprinkle the surface with lemon juice. Rub in a clove of minced garlic. Mix together 1 tsp of mint leaves, 1 tsp of basil, and some pepper. Rub this mix into the lamb. Place in dutch oven, on a small rack (toaster oven broiler pan rack works well), add about 3 cups of water to the bottom.Put the cover on. Bake at 325F for about 2 1/2 hours (it was about 4 pounds). It made not only a delicious, moist roasted leg, but made a fabulous gravy, too. Add mint jelly and it was a true feast, alongside our mashed sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables, salad, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream.
The shrimp, by the way, was made into a fabulous garlic shrimp and mushroom (and carrot, onion, and sticky rice) stir fry. Yum!
Now, back to our harrowing experience the other day. Good Samaritans are few and far between these days, and apparently so are people who know the protocol for passing stranded vehicles. We waited about half an hour for the tow truck to find us and put our spare on for us. In that time, only ONE truck stopped to see if they could help (and the poor guys discovered their jacks weren't working properly, either). Everybody else just kept on going, despite the fact it was blatantly obvious what the problem was. I guess we must be pretty scary. Ha ha.
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE went roaring by at 100kph, including the 18-wheelers, which create quite a back breeze, let me tell you! The poor tow truck guy was getting a little nervous.....you are SUPPOSED to slow down to 60kph when passing something like that. And even if you ignore that blatant disregard for the law, it might be nice if you at least CHANGED LANES so you aren't breezing by 40kph too fast, inches away from the poor stranded people or the tow truck driver who is just trying to do his job, changing a tire on the driver's side. Where are the police when you need them? Give these people the fines they deserve....maybe people will get the hint and think a little bit more about the reason for these laws, and even if they don't, will at least follow the laws so they won't have to pay the fine again. I can't wait for cars to have a special chip in them that can read some sort of device that tells what the speed limits are, and will not allow the cars to go any faster than that. It would not only make things a lot safer, but would certainly reduce the issues the police have to deal with on a daily basis, including the horrible crashes you read about so often where speed was a factor.
Anyway...life goes back to normal tomorrow....Daughter goes back to school, hopefully we get our tire changed, finally, I will be back to delivering papers after a few days off with a back injury, and also back to cleaning, sorting, laundry, taking care of Son, and trying desperately to get a handle on Dog.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Let's All Get Training!!!!
This week has been full of suggestions for certain members of the family to get training.
Daughter is getting extra help at school to help her catch up on her French. This is a good thing, teaches her humility and a taste of the real world where not everything comes easily. I'm having fun brushing up on my French by reading her French bedtime stories. Soon we will try some French TV, maybe play the French version of some of her favourite DVDs, too.
Dog needs to go for training, too. At the end of the month. Obedience training. Having had no training in her first year of life, and being such a big dog, it's causing problems. She's a wonderful dog, but she is way too enthusiastic about....everything. She wants to play. Always. All day. Every day. With great energy. She jumps up and chases the cats, thinking they are playing tag. She jumps up to the table and steals food, she has destroyed plant pots, watering cans, a broom, all sorts of things in the backyard because she chews on them. She still doesn't have the hang of housetraining,and specializes in the submissive pee every time she gets in trouble as well. She needs to learn to listen and come when called, so we can let her loose in an off leash dog park and let her fly and burn off some of that energy. She is so eager for praise and attention, but her boundless energy has nowhere to go and she hasn't learned to control it yet. Should be fun for all of us, learning how to do things right.
Son's teacher has recommended that he go for speech therapy...he changes the first letter of each word, among other things, which makes him very hard to understand and frustrates him as much as it does everyone else that he can't get across what it is he wants to say. I agree with her wholeheartedly....to a certain extent, you never want to have to take your child for therapy....but if this will work, and he is able to get his point across more often, I think it will make life a whole lot easier for everyone. We shall see.
Daughter is getting extra help at school to help her catch up on her French. This is a good thing, teaches her humility and a taste of the real world where not everything comes easily. I'm having fun brushing up on my French by reading her French bedtime stories. Soon we will try some French TV, maybe play the French version of some of her favourite DVDs, too.
Dog needs to go for training, too. At the end of the month. Obedience training. Having had no training in her first year of life, and being such a big dog, it's causing problems. She's a wonderful dog, but she is way too enthusiastic about....everything. She wants to play. Always. All day. Every day. With great energy. She jumps up and chases the cats, thinking they are playing tag. She jumps up to the table and steals food, she has destroyed plant pots, watering cans, a broom, all sorts of things in the backyard because she chews on them. She still doesn't have the hang of housetraining,and specializes in the submissive pee every time she gets in trouble as well. She needs to learn to listen and come when called, so we can let her loose in an off leash dog park and let her fly and burn off some of that energy. She is so eager for praise and attention, but her boundless energy has nowhere to go and she hasn't learned to control it yet. Should be fun for all of us, learning how to do things right.
Son's teacher has recommended that he go for speech therapy...he changes the first letter of each word, among other things, which makes him very hard to understand and frustrates him as much as it does everyone else that he can't get across what it is he wants to say. I agree with her wholeheartedly....to a certain extent, you never want to have to take your child for therapy....but if this will work, and he is able to get his point across more often, I think it will make life a whole lot easier for everyone. We shall see.
Marketplace
A witch hunt...that's what it was, purely and simply a witch hunt. And i am MAD!!!
Last night, my father in law phoned and told us to watch Marketplace. So we did. And as we watched, we just stared in shock and horror as they aired a show they titled with some catchy name like "Is the Computer Tech Ripping You Off?"
The premise of the show was that they set up hidden cameras and broke a very small part in a computer. They then called in 10 in-home computer techies, including a Doctor Dave tech who Husband actually knows. They had these young guys watching the footage, and commenting on the service and all, and, well, I could have just slapped them silly...they tore every single tech apart, and some of the things they said were either dead wrong, or made no sense. For example, this problem, they said, was easy to diagnose....so they tore a strip off the techs who got it wrong. Problem is, in the space of time in which these techs were making their diagnosis, in some cases, the wrong diagnosis was understandable. What they did NOT consider was that human error does occur, and given a bit more time, these techs most likely would have realised they were wrong and looked some more. For the record, our guy got the diagnosis right.....but they made him look bad by putting in some sound byte where he was making some noise. I don't know if he had been singing to himself or whatever, it really doesn't matter....they made it look like he was making strange noises to "talk" to the computer. Whatever.
Anyway, the biggest thing that bothered me had to do with the prices. I don't know what their source of prices was, but they were way off. Maybe they were looking at one of these cheapie websites where you get what you pay for, and there is no guarantee, no warranty, nothing. I don't know. But in every case, they said the Tech was overcharging the customer. Not once did they consider that the tech has to make a living. Not once did they consider that part of the cost was labour. Our guy tried to sell the customer a part that was much bigger in memory size, which, of course, did cost more than the smaller part....it held something like 4X more space or something. He didn't have the same size as the computer originally had. Why? Because that size part is hard to find, it's pretty much been phased out. The tech tried to explain that, but the narrator made it look like he was trying to screw the customer.
Basically, the whole show set out to prove that computer techs are out to scam you.They were even compared to used car salesmen! That's a low blow, and totally untrue.
Now, I am sure there are SOME techs who are out to gouge the customer and don't care about service and customer satisfaction, but I know for a FACT that there are a whole heck of a lot more who are NOT, and who are now going to suffer because of this show. Now we are going to get less calls, and a lot of the ones who DO call are going to harass Husband and accuse him of overcharging and all the rest.
Sure, it's good and cheap (comparatively) to buy the part and fix it yourself....if you can do it, all the more power to you.....but for the people who don't know how, and NEED someone to do it FOR the, come on! You HAVE to factor in labour and a small markup so the tech can feed his/her family!!!!!! We aren't out to get people. We are NOT scamming people. At least in the case of our company, our prices are fair, you get guarantees and warranties, our techs are TRAINED and know what they are doing....and if they make a mistake, they make it right!
Last night, my father in law phoned and told us to watch Marketplace. So we did. And as we watched, we just stared in shock and horror as they aired a show they titled with some catchy name like "Is the Computer Tech Ripping You Off?"
The premise of the show was that they set up hidden cameras and broke a very small part in a computer. They then called in 10 in-home computer techies, including a Doctor Dave tech who Husband actually knows. They had these young guys watching the footage, and commenting on the service and all, and, well, I could have just slapped them silly...they tore every single tech apart, and some of the things they said were either dead wrong, or made no sense. For example, this problem, they said, was easy to diagnose....so they tore a strip off the techs who got it wrong. Problem is, in the space of time in which these techs were making their diagnosis, in some cases, the wrong diagnosis was understandable. What they did NOT consider was that human error does occur, and given a bit more time, these techs most likely would have realised they were wrong and looked some more. For the record, our guy got the diagnosis right.....but they made him look bad by putting in some sound byte where he was making some noise. I don't know if he had been singing to himself or whatever, it really doesn't matter....they made it look like he was making strange noises to "talk" to the computer. Whatever.
Anyway, the biggest thing that bothered me had to do with the prices. I don't know what their source of prices was, but they were way off. Maybe they were looking at one of these cheapie websites where you get what you pay for, and there is no guarantee, no warranty, nothing. I don't know. But in every case, they said the Tech was overcharging the customer. Not once did they consider that the tech has to make a living. Not once did they consider that part of the cost was labour. Our guy tried to sell the customer a part that was much bigger in memory size, which, of course, did cost more than the smaller part....it held something like 4X more space or something. He didn't have the same size as the computer originally had. Why? Because that size part is hard to find, it's pretty much been phased out. The tech tried to explain that, but the narrator made it look like he was trying to screw the customer.
Basically, the whole show set out to prove that computer techs are out to scam you.They were even compared to used car salesmen! That's a low blow, and totally untrue.
Now, I am sure there are SOME techs who are out to gouge the customer and don't care about service and customer satisfaction, but I know for a FACT that there are a whole heck of a lot more who are NOT, and who are now going to suffer because of this show. Now we are going to get less calls, and a lot of the ones who DO call are going to harass Husband and accuse him of overcharging and all the rest.
Sure, it's good and cheap (comparatively) to buy the part and fix it yourself....if you can do it, all the more power to you.....but for the people who don't know how, and NEED someone to do it FOR the, come on! You HAVE to factor in labour and a small markup so the tech can feed his/her family!!!!!! We aren't out to get people. We are NOT scamming people. At least in the case of our company, our prices are fair, you get guarantees and warranties, our techs are TRAINED and know what they are doing....and if they make a mistake, they make it right!
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