Firecat's Lair

Working On It

2009-07-15T07:52:00.000-04:00

Still haven’t quite managed to get back into the groove. It’s more like I’m running along beside it.

This week I’m adjusting to getting up early again - it’s amazing how quickly I slid back into my old habits of staying up late and sleeping in while I was on holidays - plus school is piling on the work. I’ve got a project due at the end of the week, a quiz tomorrow and an exam on Friday.

I’m rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I type this.

Last night I was all settled in the living room with my trusty lap top to watch Torchwood, only the Space Channel was frozen! Apparently it had been frozen (along with the History Channel, the Comedy Channel, and another one I can’t remember the name of) since the day before. Angry! They’d better have it fixed before next week when the new episodes start! Okay, they need to get it fixed before then, but . . . . Grr!

For those of you who are interested, Panda is doing very well. Except for her daily medication, special food, and twice weekly visits to the vet, she’s pretty much back to normal. Last night while I was trying to get to sleep she instigated a game of chase with a couple of the boys. Right now she’s sitting in the window telling the birds outside exactly what she’d do to them if she was on the other side of the screen. :-)

Monday the husband took her to the vet and she scolded him all the way there. They had to tip the cat carrier to get her out, but then she immediately jumped down off the table and onto the scale. She stood there long enough for them to record her weight and then headed for the door. It was like she’s got the routine down pat and just wants to get it over with.

In honour of Panda I’ll leave you with the following, which was sent to me by my son-in-law.

George Carlin on Cats

Getting Back In the Groove

2009-07-09T11:34:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was supposed to be devoted to writing up a storm. Notice the word supposed, if you will.

A funny thing happened on the way to getting some writing done. A crow decided to commit suicide on the transformer at the end of our driving. Flash, boom, one dead crow and a dozen or so houses without power. The hydro guys were here pretty quickly, but as my neighbor was pointing out the crow to them, it started to rain. She went back inside and the hydro guys . . . vanished.

So I was dependent on the somewhat wonky battery of my laptop and every twenty minutes or so I had to go check on the sump pump to make sure I didn’t have to start bailing, otherwise, flooded basement. And to add insult to injury, it was downright cold out! What happened to my vision of resting in the lounge chair (that my husband bought me for our anniversary) under a tree in the back yard, sipping wine spritzers while reading a book?

Gone to the birds. That’s where.

Eventually we did get the power back on, so of course the first thing I did was . . . mosey on over to AW to check out the forums since it’s been awhile since I’ve darkened their doorway. I’ve been trying to broaden my scope over there, not just check out the same old boards I usually do, so I clicked on the movies/television board and lo and behold I found the Torchwood thread. Torchwood, for those of you who live under a rock, is a spin-off from the greatest sci fi series ever, Dr. Who. And I don’t want to hear about it if you don’t know about Dr. Who either. Go Google it!

Anyway, I have been anticipating the start of Season Three of Torchwood, and as far as I know it begins again on July 20 for 5 consecutive nights. Someone on the thread mentioned that the first couple of episodes were up on YouTube, so naturally I surfed on over and started watching. I watched the entire first episode and then had to take a break for supper. When I got back, my internet was down. It wasn’t the modem, it wasn’t the router, it was just one of those things.

Maybe it was my muse trying to tell me to stop wasting time and get writing. :-)

So naturally I played Spider Solitaire until the internet was working again, and then I finished watching Torchwood. Wow, is it good! Poor Captain Jack, what he goes through, and just in the first two episodes! Can't wait 'till tonight when the third episode is up!

I’m Baack!

2009-07-08T11:33:00.002-04:00

In case I hadn’t mentioned it before, the daughter got married on the weekend. So, from the time of my last post to now I was just a wee bit busy with wedding stuff. :- )

Just a sample, here’s a run-down of what last week was like:

Monday started off with a migraine and ended with me buying a new carpet for the dining room. In between we got a call from the florist to inform us that she couldn’t get in any of the flowers we ordered for the wedding.

Tuesday was pretty much spent dusting and cleaning.

Wednesday I figured I’d better get to work on my mother-of-the-bride outfit for the wedding. I’ve been sewing for years and I’m pretty quick about it. Not only did I get the skirt finished (it was a two piece dress), I had enough time for more cleaning and to make a big dinner for my in-laws and the mother of the groom. It was at some time during this that I took a slice out of one of my knuckles. I refused to go to the hospital (no time!) And eventually the bleeding stopped.

Thursday I got started on the top part of my dress, only to discover (when I got it to the point where I could try it on) that it was too small. I got new supplies (the nearest fabric centre is about a 45 minute drive away) but didn’t have time to start working on it until after the bridal shower, which didn’t end until after 11 p.m. However, I worked at warp speed afterwards and got the dress done before I went to bed.

Friday I had a pile of odds and ends to get done, not the least of which was making salads for the barbeque we were having after the wedding rehearsal.

Saturday was the actual wedding. It went off beautifully, no one would ever guess the chaos that lead up to the actual ceremony. Added to all the work we did was a bridesmaid that pulled out with little notice and a best man who got deployed to Afghanistan.

Kudos to the girls of the wedding party who went above and beyond the call of friendship in their helpfulness.

You’d think Sunday would have been a day of rest, but no, we decided to have a pot luck lunch. Out of town guests mingled with in-town guests, many of whom apparently did not understand the concept of “pot luck”. And by this I mean certain family members who shall remain nameless, but who started helping themselves before I could even set everything out.

And now, because you’ve been so patient with my ranting, here’s a picture of the happy couple:

Cutting the cake:

The day after:

For the musical tribute, go HERE

AWOL Monday

2009-06-24T07:50:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know I missed posting on Monday. I was just too exhausted to care. I was up until 1:30 a.m. Sunday night finishing my Economics paper and after I fed Panda it was more like 2 a.m. So Monday morning I was just a wee bit tired.

The weekend was every bit as busy as I feared . . . in fact, it was even busier. Saturday was divided between shopping in Peterborough and supper at the cottage, and Sunday was pretty much a blur of writing my Economics paper. I’m pretty sure I passed my exam, but I can use all the help I can get when it comes to extra marks and the paper was worth 30 per cent of my mark.

You know, I think of all kinds of things to say in my blog when I’m away from my lap top, but right now I’m drawing a blank. I had the same problem with my writing blog yesterday.

I think we’ve reached an impasse with Panda. Last time the vet saw her he stressed the importance of her eating her cat chow and drinking lots of water. She’s not a big cat, she weighs all of six pounds, and he had me force-feeding her a can of food every day, most of which she was starting to throw up. So I . . . stopped. Force-feeding her that is. I left some of her cat chow up and a dish of water on my dresser upstairs (it’s a tall dresser and she likes sitting on it) and she’s been chowing down, especially at night. She’s also been drinking the water.

She goes back to the vet today so we’ll see what he has to say about it. I’m still giving her the pills every day, but she isn’t getting the powder in the canned food. But she’s a lot happier this way and for me, that’s the main thing.

What a Week!

2009-06-19T07:08:00.002-04:00

It's really been one of those weeks. I seem to get a lot of those, don't I? I'm just grateful that this one is almost over.

This morning seems to be pretty typical of the mornings I've had lately - rush, rush, rush! In fact, this post is going to be a little rushed because I've also got to track down Panda (who's hiding on me) to give the ungrateful wretch her food and medicine, and go over my economics notes for my exam this morning.

My weekend's not looking much better either.

Sometime this afternoon I have to take Panda to the vet for her water treatment, we have to grocery shop tonight because we won't have time tomorrow; Saturday I have to go to Peterborough for the lining for my mother-of-the-bride outfit and hopefully get it sewn up, later we're expected out at the family cottage for a family barbeque; Sunday I have to finish the sewing I didn't get done on Saturday, get going on the remaining centerpiece cloths for the daughter's wedding, and I know there's something else, but for the life of me I can't remember what it is.

Remind me why I thought going back to school was a good idea? Next week we start Marketing. Let's hope it goes better than Economics. For your sake as well as mine! :-)

To wrap up the week, I have a quiz for you. Why not check to see if your outcome is as accurate as mine.

What be your nerd type?

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Drama Nerd
Anime Nerd
Social Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Musician
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Politics

2009-06-17T07:32:00.000-04:00

I have a confession to make. When it comes to politics, I’m pretty apathetic. I’m the one who will go to the polls and choose not to vote because I really couldn’t care less. One politician is pretty much the same as another, right?

Well, my economics class is starting to have a bad influence on me. The instructor keeps bringing in these videos for us to watch, of shows she’s taped off the television in which current economic events are discussed. That, combined with what I’m learning in class, is making me more interested in the world around me.

For instance, there’s talk about a summer election here in Canada and if that happens I just might have to take a good look at the candidates and their platforms and make an informed decision. What is the world coming to?

* * * * * * * * * *
Panda is still home, although she has to go to the vet three times a week to get hydrated and I still have to force feed her. However, we have come to an understanding. If I wrap her firmly in a towel, she will stay still for her feedings, although she is still free to growl at me. :-)

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If you get a chance, nip on over to my writing blog and check out Tuesday’s post. I’m having trouble deciding which project to work on next so I put a poll up. The description of the titles are listed in the Tuesday post.

I can’t believe I’m actually getting some writing (besides economic notes) done. I had my poetry group last night and had two new poems to read, both written pretty much yesterday afternoon. Each month someone picks a poetry prompt from a “bouquet” and it’s our ‘poemwork’ for the next meeting.

We meet once a month in a private meeting upstairs in a local pub where we drink and read each other our poems. Then a couple of days later we meet in a local coffee shop where we have an evening of public readings. It’s a lot of fun and it keeps the creative juices flowing.

Announcement

2009-06-15T07:41:00.002-04:00

Until further notice, I’m only going to update this blog Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. My brain is starting to feel the strain of all the stuff I have going on right now.

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So, Panda is home. At least she’s home as of this post. The husband has to take her to the vet this morning to get hydrated and re-assessed by the vet.

If you’re squeamish, skip this paragraph ‘cause I’m going to describe how they hydrate her. They slip a needle under her skin and hook her up to an I.V. Panda gets to move around on the examining table while she’s pumped full of water and she’s amazingly well-behaved for it. I know because I got to witness it first hand Saturday morning. She has a bald patch on her throat as well as one of her legs from all the blood tests.

She came home with a whole bag of goodies. First, there was a bag of special cat chow that she won’t eat, then there’s cans of special cat food that she won’t eat. Next there’s capsules that she has to take twice a day and there’s a powder that gets mixed into the canned food. I get the pleasant job of mixing the powder into the canned food and then force-feeding it to her. She’s supposed to get an entire can a day.

But, for all that she’s a lot perkier and I think she’s happy to be home. She’s decided the chair in my office is “her” chair, and she has taken her rightful place as queen of the castle. And it’s probably just my imagination, but she seems to understand that I’m not force-feeding her to be mean, that I’m trying to help. I think she’s hungry, she just doesn’t like the food that she’s allowed to have.

Check the dictionary under finicky, you'll see her picture.

* * * * * * * * * *
Economics is the bane of my existence. It really didn’t help that I started the class a chapter behind everyone else. But after making some notes for review (ten whole pages!) of the first three chapters, I think I’m starting to understand what it’s all about. God help me!

I don't think it's the material, just the pace at which we're expected to learn. A chapter a day, plus a quiz this morning, the exam on Friday, and a project due next Monday.

I'm starting to think that the Intro to Tech segment was to lull us into a false sense of security about how hard this course really is!

Off to Timmies for a coffee before school. Hopefully the bleeding (from wrestling with Panda to take her pill and food this morning) will stop before I have to write my quiz.

Of Cats and . . . Cat Toys

2009-06-12T08:06:00.000-04:00

First of all, I talked with the vet yesterday and Panda’s coming home today on a weekend pass. They’re still having to force-feed her but they’re hoping that she’ll eat on her own at home. She’ll have to go back on Monday to have another blood test, but as long as we can get her to eat she should be able to stay home.

Meanwhile, her boys are driving me crazy. Normally they’re pretty much spread all over the house but the last couple of days they seem to be congregating in my office. I don’t know if they’re just feeling a little needier or if they’re just taking advantage of the fact I have the windows open finally, but all four of them have been hanging out in here.

Yesterday I’m in here, quietly working away, and Taz, the oldest, starts digging under the long bookcase. After a few minutes I break down and fetch my long ruler so I can fish out whatever it was he lost under there. I thought it was the cat nip ball they had in here, but it turned out to be a spring, which is his favorite toy.

A few minutes later, he’s at it again. So back I go with the ruler and this time I fish out another spring, only this one is a different colour. I also found a small purple mouse and a mink mouse.

The mink mouse is made of real mink and is filled with cat nip. They’re hard to find so last time I found them I bought two of them and they promptly ripped apart one (they still play with the remains) and lost the other. It’s been so long that I’d forgotten about it.

This all took place before school. After school I came in here and they were at it again. I managed to dig out a spring and a ball, but they were sure there was something else in there that I was missing.

There was only one solution. I got a pair of tongs and a flashlight from the kitchen and laid flat on the floor so I could see under the bookcase (it’s only about two inches up off the floor). Sure enough, the mink mouse was under there too, so I used the tongs to rescue it.

I gave the boys a lecture about taking better care of their toys and they appeared to be listening.

But this morning I come into my office to check my e-mail and type this post before school and they’re all milling around the bookcase again. So I grab my trusty ruler and start fishing again. I found two springs, a mouse (not the cat nip one) and a ball.

I have got to find something to block access to under that bookcase!

I think it’s interesting that while they’ll all play with pretty much anything, they each have a favorite toy as well, and just like their personalities, they’re all different.

I’ve spoken before about Panda’s attachment to pink and red, she also really loves string. Especially red string. I have a piece of red cord I bought at the dollar store - best dollar I ever spent as far as she’s concerned.

Taz is all about the springs. In fact, his nick name is Lord of the Springs. These aren’t easy to find any more, especially the large ones. They’re basically a coloured, plastic spring with a pom pom glued on each end. Simple, yet ingenious. He can bat it around or carry it around in his mouth whilst yowling for someone to throw it for him.

Romi is all about the cat nip. If there’s cat nip involved in a toy, he’s all over it. Dante, on the other hand, loves balls, cat nip or otherwise. He really loves the pom poms on the end of the springs, especially the larger ones.

Julius is a little weird when it comes to toys. He has a foam fetish. You know those foam forms you get in pedicure kits that go between your toes? That’s how it started. He would steal them and have them chewed up before I could figure out where he’d hidden them. Now he’s graduated to a foam stamp I’d bought with the idea of painting a border on the kitchen cupboards. The stamp was a little large for what I wanted, but Julius thinks it’s perfect for him.

Ah, cats. A constant source of amusement.

Wednesday? Really?

2009-06-10T13:38:00.000-04:00

I feel like I’m running a day late and a dollar short this week. Perhaps by the end of the week I’ll have caught up, but don’t count on it.

Monday was the first day of my change to morning classes at school, and also my first day of Economics. Or it would have been if I’d been here Monday morning.

So Tuesday I was already behind in school and operating on a sleep deficit. It’s hard to retain anything when your brain just wants to sleep. And I’m finding Economics takes a lot of concentration. The loud whooshing sound in the classroom was pretty much everything going right over my head.

We do get class time to work on stuff, but there’s three women who sit behind me who tend to talk amongst themselves (loudly) and I find it really hard to concentrate. What ever happened to my ability to tune everything else out when I was reading? I remember the days when you literally had to hit me with something to get my attention when I was reading. It didn’t seem like it was that long ago . . .

* * * * * * * * * *
For those of you who’ve been asking, Panda is still at the vet’s, but she’s doing better. Her toxicity levels are lower, but they’re still having to force feed her. Until she’s willing to eat on her own, they’re keeping her there. She is getting feistier though, Monday she apparently tried to bite the assistance who was trying to feed her.

* * * * * * * * * *
Okay, now your reward for putting up with this whiney post.

I was totally looking for something else on YouTube, but I found this. If you’re a Dr. Who fan, you’ll like this. You may even like it if you’re not a Dr. Who fan, who knows? Enjoy!

Missed It By That Much

2009-06-09T08:00:00.001-04:00

I had a plan. My plan was to write my Monday posts on Sunday, and then schedule them to appear on Monday morning. Only I got so busy with other things, I forgot. And what other things occupied me? *sigh* Believe it or not, it was housework. Yes, you heard me. Me, the anti-cleaner, got bogged down in cleaning up the house.

We were only going to be gone for 24 hours, but I really hate to leave the house in a mess. Call me crazy, but that’s just the way I am.

The husband, daughter and I made a pilgrimage to London (Ontario) so the daughter could convocate from Western University. The reason we went up Sunday night, is that convocation took place at 10 a.m. and she had to be there no later than 8:30 a.m. It’s about a 4 hour drive from here to there, hence the overnight stay.

The hotel we stayed at was a little on the cheesy side (I will not bore you with the whys and wherefores of how we ended up there, you may thank me later), the mattresses were lumpy and there was a shortage of pillows. The Continental breakfast was really sad, although they had a nice room in which to sit for it.

Western University is about the size of our town. Maybe bigger. It’s really beautiful though. Of course we didn't get to see much of it because it pretty much rained the whole time we were there. We got to sit in a real auditorium (unlike Queens where we got to sit on folding chairs in a hockey arena)and I even managed to get a couple of decent pictures of the kid.

This was a great day, especially for us, as parents. Our daughter has reached a higher level of education than anyone in either side of the family has ever achieved. Hopefully she'll provide an inspiration to future generations. Next up, a PhD. Right after she finishes paying off her massive OSAP debt. :-)

But I'm still left with one question. Now that she has her MILS, does this mean we have to call her Master?

Checks and Balances

2009-06-05T09:16:00.003-04:00

I don't know about anyone else, but for me this has been a long week.

The family has suffered an incredible run of bad luck this week, and I'm not just talking about Panda getting sick (she's doing better, by the way, we're keeping our fingers crossed that she can come home today). If it's true that "that which does not kill you makes you stronger" then we should come out of this with the powers of superman!

Life is a series of checks and balances, good versus bad. Perhaps sometimes it's not easy to see the good in life, but trust me, it's there. Maybe it's just the little things, and stacked up against the bad they seem insignificant, but I think that's because it's easier to dwell on the bad instead of looking for the good.

When I lost my job, all I could focus on was the loss of income. But I doubt I could have stayed in that job much longer because of the stress. By being laid off it opened up opportunities that wouldn't have been available if I'd quit.

When my unemployment ran out and my income dropped by $200 a month, it co-incided with buying out the lease on my car, which dropped my car payments by $150 a month.

Most of the time it's not that easy to see the good in the bad that life throws at us, but if there's one thing I learned in therapy, it's that you can't dwell on the bad stuff. It only leads to a downward spiral that gets harder to recover from each time it happens.

The good in life happens randomly, when you least expect it, which makes it all the better for having happened. The bad, however, seems to wait until an opportune moment and then slams you hard. The more you dwell on it, the more it happens. It seems to be drawn by your expectation.

So take my advice, my friends. When the bad stuff happens, accept it, then let it go. How can the bad be balanced by the good if you're so filled up with the negative that there's no room for the positive?

Checks and balances, my friends. Checks and balances.

New Update

2009-06-03T20:17:00.002-04:00

We spoke to the vet today and he's pleased, but surprised, at Panda's progress. If she keeps improving she should be able to come home tomorrow. I don't know that she's out of the woods yet, but at least there's hope.

The vet said yesterdy that what's happening to Panda is very much like what happened to all those cats and dogs who ate the tainted food a while back. Only that couldn't be what it was in this case because the cats all eat the same food and the others are fine.

The only thing that worries me now is, if we don't know what caused it in the first place, how can we prevent it from happening again?

Update

2009-06-03T09:01:00.002-04:00

Things aren't looking good for poor Panda.

When the vet initially saw her, he said her temperature was fine and her heart rate was good. She seemed a little dehydrated but otherwise okay.

Just after I posted yesterday the vet's office called and asked that we bring her back in. Turns out that her kidneys have shut down. They've kept her overnight to try and get her to re-hydrate to get the kidneys working again. If they're unsuccessful then they'll have to put her down.

I'll update when I know more. Right now all I can think about is our poor girl, who's already not feeling well, in a strange place with strange people doing terrible things to her. Yes, they're only trying to help, but from her perspective it must seem like they're only tormenting her.

Point of Power

2009-06-02T09:32:00.002-04:00

Yesterday in school we started off with a quiz (that I forgot to study for but I think I did okay on) and then moved on to Power Point. We’re going to have two whole weeks of Power Point later on in the course, but she wanted to familiarize us with it now.

Power Point is fun! I did a four slide show and then a six slide show. It’s just as well that I don’t have it at home, otherwise I’d have spent the whole night creating slide shows.

After school I had to rush home and take Panda to the vet. She’s been losing weight for a few months now, but we didn’t think anything of it because we’ve switched the cats to a diet control cat food. Only now she’s really losing weight, and she’s been pretty lethargic. We’re having trouble getting her to eat too, she won’t even touch her treats.

$180 later the vet couldn’t find anything wrong, but he took some blood to do some testing. I just got a call a little while ago that they want to see her back today. This does not bode well.

Not much else to say, other than if we don’t get some sunshine soon there’s going to be serious consequences. I don’t know how much more of this grey weather I can handle. And what’s with the cold front? This is June, for crying out loud. I want to open my windows without freezing to death!

I don’t know where my instructor lives, but she was saying they had frost Sunday night. Frost! For the first day in June!

As a related side note, I watched The Day After Tomorrow on the weekend (even though I have a copy on DVD) and I caught something interesting I hadn’t caught before. They were talking about global warming . . . I, like most people, assumed that global warming is causing the earth to warm up. However, that’s not the way it works. Global warming is causing the polar caps to melt, true, but this in turn is causing our over all temperature to go down, not up.

And on that happy note, I’m going to go make myself something hot to drink to try and warm up a bit.

Another Weekend, Come and Gone

2009-06-01T09:57:00.001-04:00

Hmm.

As I was typing the title for this post my finger slipped and I had ‘coma’ instead of ‘come’. I wonder what Freud would have to say about that? I kinda feel like I’m in a coma today, another grey, miserable day.

Oh joy.

This weekend I probably spent more time looking for things than doing things.

As I have mentioned before, the daughter is getting married. In a month. Ack! Where did the time go?

Saturday I sat down with my list of things to be done before the wedding and started to prioritize.

First up, the veil. I had the pattern, I had the material, I just needed to wait for the cats to take their naps so they weren’t tempted to “help” me cut it out. Okay, that was easy enough, you had to piece the pattern together, but it ends up pretty much in one big piece. That was the easy part. Then I had to pin the satin ribbon around the edge.

I sat in the living room and watched American Graffiti while I pinned. Fifteen feet of ribbon and I was short about one foot. So I had to re-pin the whole damn thing to redistribute the ribbon evenly. Argh! Sewing the ribbon in place was another adventure, as was ironing the ribbon. The iron had to be hot enough to work on the ribbon, but not so hot that it melted the tulle. But it's done and it looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

Next up were the centerpiece cloths. These are black squares of cloth that will be going on the middle of the white table cloths for the reception. One corner will have a red poppy embroidered, the opposite corner will have a white silhouette of a cowboy and bride (the other two corners will have tea lights sitting on them and there’ll be flowers in a vase in the center).

Earlier in the week (last week maybe?) I transferred the pictures to the cloth. Now it was time to start embroidering them. But first I needed to find my embroidery needles. This meant going into the dreaded craft closet.

A few months ago (a couple of years ago?) in a fit of organizational madness, I cleaned out my craft closet to organize things so I could find stuff easier. That was the theory, anyway.

I found the bag my embroidery stuff used to be in.
I found a robe I’d bought one of my sisters two years ago (I knew I’d bought it, I just couldn’t find it).
I thought I found my stitchery stuff in a box on one of the shelves, but it turned out to have quilting stuff and embroidery transfers.
At last I found it in one of two small, clear plastic bins I bought when I organized the closet so I could see my beading stuff and my embroidery stuff easier. These bins are at eye level.

Sigh.

My embroidery stuff has been re-organized and is now back in its straw bag, where it belongs. The plastic bin is now holding the overflow of beading stuff that was scattered hither and yon.

So how was your weekend?

Colour Me

2009-05-28T13:14:00.002-04:00

Colour me bad.

I ignored the number one rule of grocery shopping. Never shop when you’re hungry.

Of course it wasn’t entirely my fault. There was a guest speaker today so the class was moved to the morning so we could hear them too, so I was done school at lunch time, hence both the being hungry and the tardiness of this post.

I had to stop at the grocery store for bread on the way home from school and because I was hungry I also ended up with a bag of Doritos, a couple of boxes of cookies, and a braided apple pastry thing that tastes real yummy. And I should know, I’ve already eaten it. ;-)

Hmmm, cookies. Simple Pleasures Chocolate Thins. Thin, crispy cookie, big chocolately taste. I think I’m going to keep these in the office. Talk about an incentive to work at my desk!

Today I need the infusion of chocolate because after the speaker was done I had to get my picture taken for my student card. I was not expecting this so I was dressed in a white t-shirt (good quality, but still white) and because I don’t like hair dryers I had pulled my wet hair into a clip before going to school.

I took my half dry hair out of the clip and put on the beige jacket I had with me. Not much of an improvement, but I figured it was probably better than nothing. I was wrong. My hair looked greasy, not wet, and the beige (which I don’t normally wear) leeched what little colour I had out of my face.

I’m so glad no one ever has to see this picture.

This means you, Ciara!

School Daze

2009-05-27T09:58:00.000-04:00

I think my instructor is getting annoyed with me. She hands out assignments and I have mine finished before she’s finished droning on about how to do them. It’s not my fault I’m computer literate, why am I being punished for it?

And can someone tell me what is the point of timed typing tests when we aren’t even allowed to use the whole alphabet yet? I’m not bragging here, but while the girls in front of me were all excited to reach 35 words per minute with four or five mistakes, I’ve been typing 70 words a minute with no mistakes.

*sigh*

I was whining about the keyboarding exercises to the husband last night and he got quite the chuckle out of it, remembering his high school typing class (which obviously didn’t do him much good because he’s a two finger typist at work). But then he rhymed off some letters of the alphabet like I should know them.

Turns out he was trying to remember the letters for the home row. He asked me if he was right and I shrugged. How should I know? I didn’t learn to type in high school, I learned at business college where we did touch-typing.

We sat behind typewriters (yes, I’m so old that I learned to type on a typewriter!) that had no letters on the keys. The room was dark and we looked up at a projection on the wall for our lessons. So, no, I don’t know what the letters of the home row are. But put my fingers on the home row and I can type the alphabet without looking. In fact, I type faster when I keep focused on the copy instead of what I’m doing.

Meanwhile, back in school. I finished keyboarding lesson six yesterday while everyone else seems to be struggling with lesson three still.

The good news is, I have internet access at school.

The bad news is, I’m too intimidated to make use of it.

I’m sure this will change. :-)

I Iz Smrt!

2009-05-26T08:09:00.002-04:00

So . . . What did I do in school yesterday? I started computer fundamentals.

*stop laughing Chippy and Ciara*

I learned how to open windows and create a folder on the computer. Then I started to learn keyboarding - you know, how to type.

fff jjj fff jjj
and sometimes, just for variety:
fjf fjf jfj jfj

The goal for the speed test is 10 words per minute.

*you can stop laughing too, Crazynance!*

Here’s the Learning Outcomes from the syllabus:

Upon successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
1. Start the computer and Windows.
2. Start and close the different Office programs.
3. Work with a window and used the Help tool.
4. Log off and shut down the computer.
5. Create, save and print a file.
6. Create shortcuts and folders on the desktop and work in their own folder.
7. Set folder options and organize desktop.
8. Copy, move and manage files and folders in different locations on the computer.
9. Work in Windows Explore.
10. Compress files, work with pictures and share files and folders.
11. Manage the recycle bin and recover files from the bin.
12. Change the desktop, manage the taskbar and customize the Start Menu
13. Search for lost files and folders.

And in case you missed it, check out number 9. That’s exactly the way it's written on the sheet.

I kid you not.

Today as well as more keyboarding fun I also get to learn how to log off the computer and basic controls.

Oh joy.

Letter

2009-05-25T08:50:00.002-04:00

Dear Cats,

I can understand the need to clean out your litter boxes and though it’s not my favorite job in the world I still do it because I love you. However, there’s a couple of issues we need to address.

Julius, don’t think I don’t know that it was you who emptied a mound of kitty litter onto the floor. I had just changed the kitty litter in the box so obviously it wasn’t a protest of some kind, you didn’t make use of the hole you dug in the box and you didn’t even use the kitty litter mountain on the floor. You just wanted to make a mess!

And Dante, I love you dearly but did you really have to use the hole Julius made to create a mind-numbing stench and then not even bother to cover it up?

The litter pan in the spare bedroom is larger, deeper, and just as clean (if not cleaner). Why do you guys have to fill up the litter pan outside my office door first? Look at all the time I spent cleaning up my office, I’d like to be able to use it without having my nose hairs singed.

I’m not asking for much, just a little consideration is all.

Your loving human.

* * * * * * * * * *

Dear Human,

We don’t care.

Give us more treats.

You don’t like our smell? We suggest using a clothespin on your nose.

And while you’re out buying clothespins, pick up some more treats.

Regards,

The Cats

Finally Friday!

2009-05-22T08:51:00.001-04:00

I’m trying to get myself into the habit of shutting down the lap top by 11 p.m. so I have some time to read before bed. The shutting down of the lap top isn’t a problem, but stopping reading at a decent hour is. *sigh*

Yes, this means I'm still sleeping in later than I should.

Wednesday I had lunch with a friend, which is always nice. We don’t get together as often as we’d like, but when we do we make it count. :-)

Last night I went to the public poetry reading the group has every month. This month they invited local high school students to read. Some of these kids are quite talented, it was a very enjoyable evening.

I’ve been so busy this week (and today will be no exception) that I feel like the cartoon character that’s running so fast they run right off a cliff and their legs keep moving. So, for your amusement I have this cartoon the daughter passed on to me:

Have a good weekend everyone!

Mostly School

2009-05-20T11:01:00.001-04:00

My first day of school (yesterday) wasn’t nearly as interesting as getting there. I had to deal with a mix-up over my unemployment because my school was delayed by two weeks, which put me way behind in other things I needed to get done before leaving. Fortunately, school didn’t start until 1:30, otherwise I would have been twenty minutes late for my first orientation class.

You should see the size of my first textbook. And this one’s only for the first week! Now I’m really glad I have the new bookcase. Apparently we’ll be getting a text book this size every couple of weeks.

Orientation was a little ho hum, it’s mostly learning how to train ourselves to learn more effectively.

When I got home I had a message on my answering machine from a friend of the husband’s who invited me to a meeting of the local poetry group. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I went. It wasn’t too scarey, although I chickened out of reading something of my own. Tomorrow night there’s an open poetry reading and I’ll probably go to that as well.

I got home from the poetry group meeting just in time for the season finale of Dancing With the Stars. What a disappointment! After the first couple of episodes I figured it would come down to Gille and L’il Kim, but she was eliminated the first week of the finals. And in the end Gille got beat out by the teen-aged gymnast. Just goes to show you that this is based more on popularity than talent.

Today, stomach cramps woke me up about two hours early and caused all kinds of bad things, but I think they’re pretty much under control now. My morning is more relaxing and I’m looking forward to school this afternoon. And I don’t have anything planned for this evening, which is nice for a change.

Argh!

2009-05-19T09:52:00.000-04:00

I did switch the two bookcases after all. It looks much nicer and the difference in colour is pretty insignificant, but what a pain in the butt! I had to empty both bookcases before I could move them so I had books stacked up everywhere. The shorter bookcase is my “to be read” bookcase and three of the rows were doubled up with books.

If you want to see a layout of the room, check over in my writing blog.

I need two more shelves for the new bookcase, but there’s no rush because of my awesome organizing skills. Every time I thought I was done with books I’d find more that I’d forgotten about. I filled a box with books I decided I could part with, but these were mostly used books I’d gotten at sales.

I have a double row of paperbacks I bought new, a double row of paperbacks I bought at book sales, and two rows of over sized paper backs and hardback books. These are just my “to be read” books. I can’t even begin to tell you how many books are on my keeper shelves. Not counting the daughter’s room, there are fourteen bookcases in the house.

I would really like to get my books all catalogued. If we ever had a fire . . . *shudder* It doesn’t bear thinking about. And it’s not that I want them catalogued to keep track of how much money it would take to replace them, it’s because there’s no way I could ever remember all the titles.

There’s a lot of them that couldn’t be replaced - some are really old, some are autographed . . . One of the book cases upstairs is a massive wooden structure that holds most of my books from when I was a member of the Science Fiction book club.

Yeah, I definitely have a book addiction.

After organizing the bookcases in my office I decided to clean off my desk too, which meant putting away all the crap piled up everywhere. That pretty much took me the rest of the evening.

But the good news is, it’s all done now.

The Queen's Birthday

2009-05-18T09:55:00.003-04:00

Happy Victoria Day!

How was your weekend?

I feel like I spent more time in Wal Mart this weekend than anything else. Friday night we went to see about getting a new patio set. The girl we finally tracked down to help us claimed there were three sets left in the store. After an hour she was still unable to find even one of them. Finally she took our phone number and said they’d call when they found them.

Saturday morning Wal Mart phoned that they’d found two of the sets, so we trekked on over. An hour and a half (and five sales people) later they managed to find one of the sets and we ended up having to make two trips to get it all home.

Then Sunday I took the daughter and her fiancé to Oshawa to have their pictures taken (it was part of their wedding package). We had to be there early, especially for a Sunday morning. So early, in fact, that after dropping them off I drove around for awhile looking for something that was open. I ended up at Wal Mart where I cooled my heels for an hour or so.

I felt like I had a pretty productive day on Saturday, despite having to hang around Wal Mart. I bought my new bookcase Friday night, and Saturday morning, with the help of the cats, put it together. It needs a couple more shelves, and I’m still not sure I like where it is, so I’m sitting here “thinking” about it as I type.

I have two tall bookcases and a shorter one lining the west wall of my office. Underneath the wide, north facing window is a long bookcase (it pretty much goes from one side of the room to the other). Then on the east wall I have my new bookcase, which is the same size as the two tall ones opposite it.

Although size-wise it would look better to have the three tall ones together, there’s just a shade difference in colour. Apparently, they don’t sell the darker woodgrain any more. It’s not a big difference in colour, but it is a noticeable difference.

*sigh* Decisions, decisions.

I must say the long bookcase under the window is looking good though. I took everything off it, de-haired the books and cleaned off the shelves, then alphabetized the books as I put them back. I just wonder how long it’s going to stay looking that good.

Today I'd like to finish getting my office cleaned up and maybe even get some writing done. But first, I need to take something for the headache I woke up with.

I refuse to let the pain in my head ruin my day!

Friday, Again?

2009-05-15T09:34:00.002-04:00

Boy this week went fast. And I have precious little to show for my time.

I've been getting up earlier, but the last couple of days I've made up for it by having a nap in the afternoon. Wednesday I napped trying to get rid of a migraine, and Thursday I napped because the sinus medication I was taking made me so sleepy I couldn't focus on the computer screen.

Writing-wise I spent a lot of time struggling with a poem I want to submit to a horror anthology. It's a themed anthology and I thought it would be fun. I was wrong. It felt like for every three words I wrote down I deleted five. I've never had to struggle with a poem the way I did this one. Not even the sestina from the PAD challenge gave me this kind of grief.

I also focused on my short stories and picked one to edit over the course of the week. You can see the finished product over on my writing blog .

By hook or by crook I'm getting a new bookcase this weekend. It really drives me crazy seeing all those books stacked up and bagged up and boxed up. I want them out where I can see them.

Wow. Talk about distracting. I just saw a cement truck go by. What on earth would a cement truck be doing in this neighborhood? This is an older, quiet neighborhood with well established homes - there's no room for new construction. Maybe he got lost. Maybe it's a sign that the next story I should work on is my horror story about a basement (the scarey part had to do with the cement).

Maybe I'll start working on it right now.

Have a good weekend. :-)

One of Those Days

2009-05-14T08:45:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was another one of those days. I woke up with a bit of a headache and things went downhill from there.

I don’t feel that I accomplished much, other than updating my blogs, which I did first thing in the morning. After that I read other people’s updates and then decided that since I couldn’t concentrate anyway, I might as well run some errands.

First stop was the dollar store, where I hoped to find one of those little date books so I could keep track of things I’ve committed to (like driving the daughter somewhere, meeting a friend, etc.). I didn’t find a date book, but I did find five dollars worth of other . . . stuff.

Next I went to Wal Mart to buy a new bookcase, only Wal Mart didn’t have the one I wanted. They had the right size, but in the wrong colour. So then I went to Zellers who had my book case in the right colour, but wanted thirty-four dollars more for it. *sigh* Zero for two.

By this time my headache was starting to develop into a migraine, so I went home and had some lunch and then, because I couldn’t concentrate on my writing, I tried having a nap. It didn’t help. I did some work on my blogs, removing a couple of widgets that were too distracting and updating my Blog list. I was out of sinus medication, which sometimes helps, so I went out again to get some.

The sinus medicine started kicking in after supper, and reduced the headache to something I could live with. Unfortunately, it was just in time to watch the season finale of America’s Next Top Model and the two hour season finale of LOST.

LOST was excellent, as always. We got to meet the mysterious Jacob and we learned just how long he’s been on the island (although not why). There were connections made with several of the other characters, but none of the loose ends were tied up. The ending was sufficient to keep me guessing until the next season.

Needless to say, I didn’t get a whole lot of writing done last night.