Merry Christmas

Today was a nice day. Rod & Dana came over with Dana's parents and we had a nice afternoon/evening together. Dinner was good. Nothing major to report other than a nice family get together. We did miss Uncle Ken this year. He left for New Zealand and won't be back until April sometime.

Dad took this picture of me, mom & Jacki before our guests arrived.

Snoopy decided to crawl under the tree and sleep. She has never done anything like this before. I was sitting in the chair beside the tree and she likes to be close, so this is the spot she chose. Best present anyone could ever ask for (even though she gets fussy at times)!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

Today was dad’s 76th birthday and he hasn’t changed a bit. He is still the sweet, crazy guy that we all know and love. He still looks fantastic and is still as nutty as always. He came up with a new saying today “only 24 more years and I’ll be 100!”…. only he would think of things like that. Gotta love him!!

We didn’t really do anything special for him but he didn’t want anything. Grump! Mom made him a raisin pie, which I thought he would eat in one sitting. The weather wasn’t the greatest so it was best we didn’t go out much. I had to drive Jacki home and she had a few errands. Dad came with us to get out of the house as I believe he was getting cabin fever from being cooped up due to the weather.

I have bought him some hard to find books he was reading and wished they would all be here for his birthday, but not yet. Hopefully they’ll at least arrive before Christmas.

Here’s to 76 years and to another 76! Love ya papa!!

Goodbye Las Vegas

I couldn’t sleep as I was unsure if our alarm would go off, so I tossed and turned all night. Every couple of hours I’d wake to check the time.

The room beside us started making noise around 4:30am so both mom & I tossed until mom finally got up at 5:15am.

Showered, packed and ready to go we went down and had some breakfast. After losing again at the slots we went back to our room and got our stuff so we could check out. The taxi was quick and we got to the airport in good time.

After checking in we went thru security. They had one of those machines that you stood in and it scanned you like an X-ray machine. We made it to the gate and waited for our plane to come in.

Both mom & I were tired and slept on the plane home. Thankfully it was only a 2.5 hour ride as I don’t think I could have stood any more. I was very glad to be home even though it was -16C.

Overall it was a great trip – the concert and quilt tour were well worth it. I won’t miss the cigarette smoke (my throat is just burning) NOR the porn card guys. Gambling isn’t my thing so I won’t miss that either. The shopping was fun and I wished we’d have been able to go into all the hotels but oh well. I was successful in getting my Tom Everhart lithograph and posters, so that makes me very, very happy.

It is good to be home, Snoopy was excited to see me and I missed her. Even though every night before I got into bed I would say “move over Snoopy” just as if we were home! Yes I am such a weirdo.

Would I go back to Las Vegas? I’m not sure. I guess if there was a concert that I really, really wanted to see and could stay for just 2 days maybe.

Quilt Tour in Vegas

Tired from the shopping all day and the concert last night, we drug our sorry butts out of bed early as we were being picked up between 8:30 and 9 am for the quilt tour.

Breakfast over we went to the lobby and waited for the white van with a quilt on the side to drive up.

Our guide – Sue – drove up and we were on our way. We signed up for a 4 shop tour along with lunch. We spent the morning going to 3 different shops and spent a good 45 minutes in each. We visited:

Nancy’s Quilt Shop
Christmas Goose
Fabric Boutique

We drove all the way down to Henderson and went to a very good soup and salad bar buffet. I think that was the best meal we have had all the time in Vegas. It was nice and relaxing and the food was really good – all made from scratch each day.

The final quilt shop was called – Quiltique. If I would have known, I would have saved my money and done all my shopping here. They had a lot of 1930s Reproduction fabric.

Overall the quilt tour was a huge success. On the way back to our hotel Sue drove past Wayne Newton’s estate and up to the famous Las Vegas welcome sign.

We got back to our hotel and sorted our piles of fabric. Thank goodness we came down with very light or empty suitcases as we fill both of ours with the material. Here’s hoping we aren’t overweight when we check in tomorrow!

After a little bit I asked mom if she wanted to go down to the strip the other way before we called it a night. I was getting tired and if I stopped now I would not have wanted to continue on. So out we went again, this time down the strip the other way.

We went into New York, New York and went through the casino. It was busier than ours but not by much. Continuing on we next hit Excalibur. This hotel is very family oriented and there were a TON of kids everywhere – even in the casino! We found mom’s favourite thing, the moving sidewalks and continued on. We wanted to continue onto the Luxor but got lost as the signs weren’t the greatest.

Cutting through the Luxor’s casino we continued onto the Mandalay Bay. We only got in a few shops when I saw another Jack Gallery. Of course I had to go in and I bought another poster but this time for only $20. What a price difference! The poster is called Boom Shaka Laka Laka.

Mom was getting sore with blisters and her hips and I was getting tired. So we turned around and started back. Once outside the Excalibur we crossed the street and started looking for someplace to have dinner.

We slowly made our way and stopped in at the M&M shop. It is 4 floors of everything M&Ms. From t-shirts to candy to towels to mugs. Quickly going thru the Coke shop we finally decided on dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. We had a good meal and went back to our hotel.

While mom was in the restroom I started playing a penny slot machine. She came out and found me so sat down beside me and plugged the machine. Mom eventually won $13 and I had lost $2. Overall our gambling I think I lost about $10 but that is all I really played. I could not understand how the slots worked.

We found out that there was a marathon tomorrow morning that would close down Las Vegas Boulevard so had to get up early (YET AGAIN!) so we could catch a taxi to the airport. So we went to bed early after packing our suitcases.

Total walking distance today: 2 miles

Full Shopping Day in Vegas!

Today we got up relatively early, went for breakfast and then headed out. I wanted to go shopping at the Venetian shops and over to the Forums at Caesar’s Palace. The Venetian is about 1.5 miles one way, past the Flamingo but if we go slow and take our time we should be fine.

We crossed the street from our hotel and started going thru some of the touristy shops. The t-shirts they were selling weren’t the greatest quality and were very, very thin. We walked thru the Hawaiian Market but half the booths weren’t open yet. It was nice not to see the guys with their porn cards today. They were getting annoying last night.

We were going to go into the Miracle Mile mall, but we got stopped at the entrance with people wanting us to do the “timeshare” thing. Mom got ticked so we left and continued our way up the strip. We walked by the Paris and I’m not sure why we didn’t go into it but we kept on going. It wasn’t until we got to the Venetian that we went in.

Our first real stop was at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. I wasn’t too impressed. Some of the “people” looked strange and they really didn’t have that many figures. I thought there would have been a few more than what they had. I’m not sure how long we were there, but I bet it wasn’t 20 minutes.

Now onto SHOPPING! I had done some research beforehand and found that there was an art gallery that sold Tom Everhart paintings. I knew I couldn’t afford one but they also sold posters so I wanted to see what they had and would be happy with that. We went through some shops and stopped to get something to drink and sit down for a bit.

Mom had a bathroom break so I was looking at purses. Purses are a huge thing for me. I would have 100s if I could. I just love them. Anyways yes I bought one and when mom came out she got one as well. Now we had new purses for the concert tonight.

We finally made it to the Jack Gallery and I fell in love with the place immediately. The whole one side of the gallery was dedicated to Tom Everhart. His lithographs were all over the walls and there even was an original painting there. It was only $45,000 but it was magnificent. Mom sat down while I looked around and drooled at the pictures. I did find the posters in the back and picked up two – No Way Out and Dog Breath. Plus they were only $35 each so I could afford that.

Rocky, the art dealer, was a hoot. He was a huge Peanuts fan too and we got talking. He didn’t have to work hard to convince me to purchase Salute, an inexpensive lithograph. The painting was finished the day AFTER Charles Schultz died. Rocky threw in one of the posters because I bought the in-expensive lithograph. It is being shipped home as it is framed and I can’t wait for it to arrive.

You weren’t allowed to take pictures in the gallery but Rocky took our picture with the new lithograph that came in – Crashing the Party. I’d given anything to have this painting but will settle for the photograph. One day I’ll own an original Tom Everhart painting. I’d have to have a huge wall as he only does huge wall sized paintings.

On a high, we continued on in the Venetian and then made our way over to the Forums at Caesars Palace. I really liked Caesars as it was very lavish. We didn’t buy anything but enjoyed looking at the shops. It was starting to get late so we started to head back to our hotel so we could get ready for the concert tonight.

Distance walking today during our shopping trip: 3 miles

After getting back to our hotel and changed we then started the trek back up the strip to the Flamingo. We would walk until we found a place to go eat. Well we got to the Flamingo and found a burger joint in the hotel. It was not that bad and afterwards we went to the hotel shop that sold the Donny & Marie paraphernalia. They didn’t really have that much and I was really disappointed. They had a few t-shirts, but not a very large selection. Also a few mugs, but no little trinkets. We bought our t-shirts and went to the showroom. Beside the showroom was a wall display of items you could buy (they had a better selection), but there was no one there to sell anything.

We had really good seats for the concert. We both faced the stage which was nice. The concert was awesome!! We really enjoyed it and Donny was a hoot. The brother/sister banter was so funny. I am so glad that we made the trip down there. It was an experience I’ll never forget. I bought a $19 Pina Colada in the commemorative glass and mom paid $12 for her coke in her commemorative glass.

On the walk back to our hotel, we both were tired. Mom’s legs and hips were sore and I developed a blister from the high heeled shoes I was wearing for the concert. We walked another 2 miles back and forth from the concert.

Total walking distance for the day: 5 miles

Off to Las Vegas!

Well today Mom & I are off to Las Vegas! I heard that Donny & Marie were only playing until the end of the year and wanted to go see them. So about 2 weeks ago we made reservations to fly down and catch the concert on Friday. I also did some research and found a quilt tour of various shops around Las Vegas. The tour is on Saturday and it will be a whole day including lunch. I can’t wait!

We got to the airport 3 hours early as per normal, but then to find out that we can’t go through customs to the US until 2 hours before the flight. It was sure nice for them to give us notice on these things. So we sat around people watching until we could check in.

We had to remove almost EVERYTHING to get through customs - shoes, jackets, sweaters, etc. Finally we made it just to sit around for another 2 hours. Oh the fun!

Landed in Vegas and waiting for our luggage. We took the shuttle to our hotel – Monte Carlo – got checked in and then went to get something to eat. We thought we’d try the buffet in the hotel and it was a disappointment. We paid $20 each and filled out plates. The desserts were OK, but nothing really to write home about. I thought the food was supposed to be good.

I suggested to mom that we try to walk down to the Flamingo so we could pick up our tickets for the concert tomorrow night. I said we could try to go but if we didn’t make it, we still had all day tomorrow to pick them up. We’d walk to see how far we got.

It was a cool night but it was an enjoyable walk…. Until we hit the guys handing out the porno cards. These guys are on every street corner flicking their cards and trying to hand them out to people. They have no respect and hand it out to everyone – old, young, male, female. Plus the cards are lying all over the sidewalk and street.

I was playing Japanese tourist and taking pictures of everything. We saw the fountains at the Bellagio and decided to walk on the other side of the street on the way back. We did eventually make it to pick up our tickets that evening. We watched the fountain show a couple of times.

We walked through the new shopping plaza on the strip and went into Tiffany’s. The jewelry was not very nice but the diamonds sure did sparkle!

We made it back to our hotel and went up to our room. The casino wasn’t all that busy but it was not as smoky as the casino in the Flamingo. I forgot about that – smoking allowed in the casinos…… I hope I last.

Distance from our hotel – Monte Carlo – to the Flamingo and back – 2 miles total.

Dueling Pianos

Last nights work event went off great. This was the first year that I actually had a good time. Besides having to smile all night and having sore cheeks this morning, the event was a huge success.

Previously the event was in one room at the Palliser with the food in the middle of the room and a smaller presentation room to the side. Everyone hated having to squish into the smaller room for the 20 minute presentation. Most people were just there to drink and have a good time. If you wanted to get at the food, you had to get there quickly as if you did not get in line and continually walk around the tables in the centre of the room you would not get any food. Also there was never any entertainment.

Last night was different, which is mainly due to the new Sales Director. He did a great job of changing things up and making the event successful. I over heard him say he was tired of the comments “that is how we have always done it” and changed things up. We still had the same rooms as always, but the food was in the two smaller rooms off the main room. Besides being able to access both sides of the tables in these rooms, the food was different in each room. Also I’m not sure what changed but the food was a lot better. Plus it was stocked all night so you didn’t have to fill your plate and hope to get more later on. They had a hot plate in the back of each room – one was making filet mignon on a bun (like beef on a bun but more high class) and the other room had flaming shrimp. Both were really good. Also there was sushi in the one room and seafood – shrimp, crab, and escargots – in the other.

This left the main room for mingling with clients. There was tables’ setup around the room so you could stand and drink/eat while having a conversation. Also in the main room they had two pianos on a raised stage. The entertainers had put pieces of paper on each table where you could write down the song/artist you wanted them to play. It was a lot of fun trying to stump the piano players and they did an awesome job. I don’t think they did NOT play anything that was requested. Songs from Sonny & Cher to Ozzy Osbourne were requested – they played them all. It was very entertaining and they got the crowd singing along with them.

I think the best part of the evening was NOT having the 20 minute presentation. There was a short speech by the President/CEO but nothing long winded as in the past.

There was an after party at a local pub afterwards but I did not go to that. I’m not a drinker and it is just a big drunkfest. Plus I’m tired from my late night classes and needing to catch up with my sleep.

I do have a sore throat this morning, but that is from a lot of loud talking due to the amount of people in the room last night. I do feel like I was out drinking but didn’t touch a drop! The event cost about $65K but we had sponsors from various hardware and software companies sponsor us so I’m not sure what we actually paid.

Everyone I talked to last night really enjoyed the evening – myself included!

Busy couple of weeks

The start of my busy weeks has started. I am taking a Project Management course at Mount Royal University. This is just the introduction course but it is also the first course I’ve taken in over 10 years. YIKES! We’ll see how well I do, or more specifically how long my attention span is for taking the remaining courses. It will take about 2 years but I’ll then have a certificate in Project Management.

This introduction course is only 4 classes, but they are from 6-10pm Mondays and Wednesdays. The instructor seems nice and the first class wasn’t that bad. We’ll see how it goes after I’m finished. I was exhausted Tuesday morning. People at work even commented how tired I looked.

This week I have my two classes – Monday & Wednesday – and then at work we have the Customer Appreciation Event. This is the 27th Annual event and it is mandatory to attend. So I have to dress up fancy like and mingle with the mucky mucks. The event is being held in the Fairmont Palliser Hotel and it includes an after party at a local pub. There have been many stories about these parties so it should be interesting. I attended my first year working for Metafore and remembered having a blast. But I was a lonely worker bee, not in the higher profile position I’m in now.

This Saturday, Jacki & I are going to a Tibetan bazaar. That should be interesting.

Next week I have my two final classes and then on Thursday, mom, dad & I are going over to John & Sheila’s for US Thanksgiving dinner. Sheila is going to teach mom how to make real gravy in a skillet.

Next Saturday is the final wrestling event for the year.

Cali's Remembrance Day

Today was a year since Cali had gone over to the Rainbow Bridge. People who don't have pets do not understand the bond we have with our pets. The bond is very strong.

Snoopy and I went to Fish Creek - Hull Woods for a nice walk to remember Cali. We had gone here once with Cali before and I thought it would be a nice change for the both of us. Even though Snoopy had to be on-leash, I let her pick the way. She took us along a creek to the river and along the riverbank. It was a very nice day for our walk. It was a little cold but we were thankful there was no snow.

I took some pictures of our adventure today.

Creek that was frozen over but it was cracking and starting to melt.

Snoopy loves logs, so I was able to get a picture of her checking things out.

Here is a Spooky tree we came upon the final leg of our walk.

A few comments made from people about Cali today:

Sheila Pinkney - "Have a nice day today. Don't cry to much. I know that is impossible, but do try. Remember the good times and all the love Cali gave you. I smile when I think of her looking up at me through the glass table wanting to be fed."

Jacki Jenkins - "Hey there. Just wanted to wish you a day of good memories & Cali licks. You know the ones where she uses her entire tongue. Don't cry its a great memory I cherish. Makes me miss her but brings her close. Feels that tongue licking & I smile."

Linda Jetty - "((hugs)) to you my friend. Cali was with you in spirit on the walk."

Ross Lemon - "We didn't loose a puppy, we gained an angel. Cali is always with us :)"

Chef William D. Jenkins

We were talking about dinner and I asked dad when he is going to cook for mom & me. He asked what we wanted to have for dinner so I suggested chicken, green beans and either couscous or potatoes. So tonight when I came home for work, mom was down in the basement in her quilt room and dad was busy in the kitchen. I got mobbed by Snoopy & Paige as per normal, put my coat away and mom was coming up the stairs. I went up to the kitchen and here dad is cooking away.

Well guess what we had for dinner! Chicken – mom had to show dad how to do it but she left him so he had to watch it, green beans (he said it took him forever! to prepare them) and potatoes. It was a very nice surprise. He had also spent the afternoon making oatmeal raisin cookies. He is becoming a good cookie maker.

Dad also has a habit about not helping with the dishes as he seems to “disappear” with a million & one excuses – “I’ve got to brush my teeth”, “I’ve got to wash my hands”, etc. etc. By the time he comes back from WHATEVER he does, the dishes are done. So I told mom that we are going to have to cook, use every dish, pot, pan & utensil and then quickly leave so dad has to clean up.

After tonight’s dinner though I think I’ll let the dishes slide as he did a really good job with dinner & cookies for desert too!

Happy 70th Birthday / Halloween

Today was mom’s 70th birthday. For turning 70, she sure looks and acts great! She is like she is in her second childhood, which is a good thing!!

Jacki & I took mom shopping today, for nothing in specific just to spend time together. I was able to get a good haircut today and to top it off it only cost me $16.80!

Last night dad took the family – mom, Jacki, Rod & myself out for mom’s birthday dinner at this hole in the wall Chinese Restaurant. This was a last minute thing so Uncle Ken couldn’t make it. Dana has been sick so she was at home. So it was a wonderful family dinner with just the 5 of us. We all had a good time and went to Jacki’s afterwards. It was just a short walk to/from Jacki’s place.

Mom wanted an ice cream cake from Marble Slab and has been talking about it all week. She pouted that she didn’t get one Friday night after dinner but she didn’t know I had bought one and it was in the freezer at home.

My friends John & Sheila came over Saturday to surprise mom with a gift and we had the cake then. Sheila has adopted mom & dad because she is an orphan. So mom’s OTHER daughter got her a nice table centerpiece with candles on it.

Halloween was very slow and we only had maybe 30 kids. Normally there are a ton of kids around but tonight it was dismal. I shut the door and turned the light off at 7:30pm.

I watched The Rocky Horror Picture show in full (I’ve always only seen parts of it) and was disappointed. I guess my tastes have changed or it wasn’t what I expected.

My dad the groupie

So Theron Fleury wrote a book and there was his book signing today at one of the Chapters in town. Dad knew about it for a week now and today he was humming and hawing about going. I went over to Jacki's so we could do some shopping. We called home to mom to see if she wanted to come with us but she didn't. She did mention that dad was going to go to Chapters to get Fleury to sign his book. This was at 2:30pm.

We dropped him off and warned me before hand that he might have to stand in line for a while as the signing started at 2pm.

At 3:30pm, he called Jacki and told us Fleury just finished his speech and was starting to sign books.... plus there were about 400 people in front of him!

Around 5pm Jacki & I went to Chapters to see how far long dad was and he was still WAY back in line. We went to get him some water and told him to call us when he was done as he didn't want to leave now.

Well around 7pm I called him again and he indicated he was about 25 people from Fleury. So I drove to pick him up and as I got into the store he had just finished getting his signature.

So dad waiting in line for 5 hours to get Theron Fleury's autograph. I guess Fleury said that he would stay there all night to sign autographs as he didn't want to miss anyone.

Dad also said that the employees from Chapters thought there were about 600 to 1,000 people at the signing - the biggest they have ever had!

So my dad was a groupie today and has a story to tell for a little while now.

Boring October

So there really hasn't been much going on this month. I tried to arrange an outing to the local corn maze (I've never been) but the weather turned crappy and then it closed. Next year I'm gonna go in August!

Thanksgiving came and went. My friends John & Sheila & Jaime came over and we all had a good time. It was nice to have the family (included adopted Pinkneys!) to dinner.

I've been sick lately and am finally going to see the doctor this Thursday. I've had all my bloodwork, etc done so I'll see what she says then. If I don't go bald beforehand! I've been losing my hair in clumps and it is getting really, really thin.

Went to wrestling last night and it was ok. I have been in a kind of funk and don't know how to explain it but live goes on.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Wow, what an event. The Dalai Lama is the most profound speaker I’ve ever had the opportunity to listen to. He had such calmness about him and I had such a relaxed, peaceful feeling after the event.

Jacki texted me around 9:30 saying she was heading home to get ready for the event. I had taken a ½ day vacation but couldn’t leave that early. I informed her that I would let her know when I was on my way to pick her up.

After talking with my boss, I let Jacki know that I was on my way to pick her up. This was around 11 am. I met her at Starbucks (seems that we hit Starbucks before we do anything!), picked up a coffee and drove down to the grounds. I’m saying we got to the grounds at 11:15 and I am glad we did.

Walking up to the Saddledome, we saw a huge line up to get into the building. Also there were tents around and a lot of security people and volunteers. One volunteer stopped us to tell us that we could not take our drinks inside and asked if we had any cameras. Cameras were not allowed into the event. I wished I would have known that beforehand as we had to check our cameras. I hoped we would get them back. They also checked my purse as it had to be a certain size to be let in otherwise you had to check that as well. I was safe.

So cameras checked we got into the long line-up. The doors didn’t open until 11:30 and we chatted with a couple of ladies in front of us who had come in from Cochrane. We waited what seemed to be a long time and the line was moving horribly slow. Not until we got just to the doors did we see what the hold up was. Every person was being scanned with the security wands and purses/bags searched.

Finally we made it thru security, had our tickets scanned and were in the building! There were table’s setup around the concourse where you could purchase T-shirts and bags. Various tables had Tibetan items you could purchase as well – it depended on the vendor. Jacki bought me a nice Yak blanket and herself a shawl. The vendor kept telling everyone “Wash cold water, little soap and dry 5 minutes”.

With items in hand we walked the concourse. There were a few nice items and Jacki bought a couple of T-shirts. While walking around the concourse I saw a monk so I walked right by him and accidently (intentionally) bumped into him (so now I’m really blessed!). Of course I said excuse me. We weren’t hungry but went and stood in line to get to the washroom. Lucky we did this as again the lines were starting to get busy!

So bladders emptied, items in hand we found our seats. We were on the lower bowl right beside the stage. We weren’t sure where he was going to give his speech as the stage was full of chairs/stands for an orchestra. There was a little raised stage at the back and we were hoping that is where he would be.

On the back of each of the seats in the Saddledome were white scarves. The white scarves (or kata) are a traditional Tibetan greeting that symbolizes purity of intention.

An orchestra came out at 1pm and played for about ½ an hour. Following that, Mark Tewksbury came out and was the Emcee for the event. He along with Sandra Oh (from Grey’s Anatomy) did a good job. There were a few performances – school children putting on a mini-play and light show, Tibetan singers/dancers and finally a 200 person choir.

Once the choir completed, the lucky kids got to sit on the stage. The UofC made a presentation to give the Dalai Lama an honorary Doctorate in Law. Then the Dalai Lama came out. The whole crowd stood and gave him a standing ovation. Of course at that time everyone was in their seats and the place was packed. All you could see was a sea of white scarves.

The UofC presentation over, the Dalai Lama started thanking them for the honorary degree and said that it is amazing he got that as he was the laziest student there ever was. Unbeknownst to him everyone in the crowd was still standing and he talked for a good 5 minutes before one of his entourage came and whispered that we were still standing. At that point he told everyone to sit down.

He spoke for a good hour talking about peace, compassion (how everyone is born with this and seems to lose it along the way), science and the youth. He was very awe inspiring to listen to. At the end he asked for questions and Mark Tewksbury came out with a list of them. Of course he answered them with dignity.

Leaving the Saddledome there was such a feeling of calm and peacefulness. He indicated he had no magic powers, but his presence was magical. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event and I am sure glad I went. If everyone in the world could be 1/16th as compassionate as him I’m sure we’d all be in a better place. I’m just hoping the youth who attended got his message and will make the next generation a generation of Peace and not death.

Black Ants

I had this very strange dream last night. I was somewhere in the jungle and then in the desert after getting off a sailboat and submarine. All I can really remember is having these huge black ants crawling all over me and having a hard time trying to get them off. You really had to knock them off with force and then step on them as they would start crawling all over you again. The ant looked exactly like the following picture and was about 3 inches long.

It was weird and I woke up kicking. Poor Snoopy, she has to deal with my freaky dreams.

Quilting and Wrestling

Well I would never have thought that quilting and wrestling would be such a match but it seems so today. Mom & I went to the Creative Stitches craft show today. I spent more money than I intended but it was a good show. I wasn't really going to get anything special, maybe some reproduction 1930s material to add to my stash. But I bought 48 fat quarters of 1800 type material and the Jane Stickle quilt CD.

I first saw the Jane Stickle quilt when I took some quilts in to be long arm quilted. The lady had a framed poster of this quilt and I immediately fell in love with it. She showed me a few pieces she was working on but I never thought much of it again. Mom just recently got a few quilts back from her and I went with her to pick them up. This time I took a picture of the quilt and was going to do some research on it when I had time at work.

This quilt was made by a lady named Jane Stickle in the 1800s. She finished this quilt that is currently in a museum in 1863. It has become a mecca for quilters and very popular. There are 225 blocks and over 5000 pieces in this quilt.

This is what the original quilt looks like and I'm hoping whenever I get my quilt done it will be similar:

I am also going to blog about the quilt as it is a long journey and something many people have done. It won't be for a while as I have a few other projects I want to get out of the way first but stay tuned.

So what does quilting have to do with wrestling you ask? Well tonight I went to wrestling. It is the old style wrestling matches like the Stampede wrestling when I was growing up. Growing up I had two substitute teachers who eventually became wrestling gods - Brett & Owen Hart. It is a lot of laughs for only $20.

Tonight standing in line waiting to get in we all see the wrestlers leave and go to another part of the building. We are all wondering what is going on as the ring it all setup and are confused. I saw my friend from Junior High who works with the wrestling association and he told me that the room the wrestlers normally use was already taken up..... by a QUILTING BEE! I thought that was funny!

The events tonight were good with a few new characters and a mixed match (man & woman team). The crowd was strange tonight as they were not paying attention half the time and the wrestlers couldn't get them going. But all in all it was a fun evening.

I took some pictures to post. My camera is slowly dying and it needs to be replaced but I was able to capture a few pics.

This "BUTT" shot was at the end of one match. I don't think the wrestler realized that half his cheek was showing.

This is Ravenous Randy.... he was supposed to have made it to the big league but something happened and he is back. He is a tremendously gifted athlete and a crowd favourite. It was nice to seem him back tonight.

Finally we have "M" who is a bad guy. Looks like he has his Halloween costume already!

September is Almost Gone

Well this month has been a whirlwind of activity, starting the month off with the closing of the WorldSkills competition project. Working the 1 day down at the grounds was a lot of fun. The project completed with a lot of success. This was my first major project of any substance. Needless to say we were able to bill this out at over $100K! Too bad I don’t get a commission for running it successfully.

Unfortunately because I worked September 5th, I did not get to enjoy the LONG weekend. Monday was nice to have off though. John & Sheila came over, we made perogies and we watched the Stampeders game. We had a nice meal and day.

I did go to Sheila’s on Friday September 11th and we girls had pizza and watched the Stampeders game. John was out of town but luckily he made it in time to watch the game with us. His business is starting to take off and I am so excited for them both. It will be interesting in a couple of years to say “I knew John when he was first starting out!”….. That is when he is a multi-millionaire, which I know IS going to happen.

Sheila & John had a birthday dinner and a movie on Saturday for me. Sheila cooked another great meal with corn pasta. It was really good. We then went and saw Inglorious Basterds which I loved. It was kinda gory but I really enjoyed it. Quentin Taratino is one of my favourite movie makers.

I did take my birthday off – September 14th – but really didn’t do anything special. It was a hard day for me. That day a year ago was the first day that Cali started to go downhill. That was the day that she fell over when I took her outside to do her business. I don’t think my birthday will be special for me anymore, just a very sad reminder.

I had cashed in some of my air miles points and got 2 tickets to the Flames pre-season game. I took Dad (of course!) and I think he had a good time. The unfortunate part was that we were in the nose bleed section – 5 rows from the TOP of the Saddledome.

On Thursday I was lucky to get 2 prime tickets to the Flames game. Again this was a pre-season game but it was also the game where Theoren Fleury made his debut back with the NHL. He didn’t play the greatest during the regular game, but got the winning goal in the shoot out. The crowd loved him and kept cheering for him. Dad and I sat right on the centre line on the first balcony. The seats were AWESOME – they should be for $295 each! Thank goodness I got them for free.

Last Saturday was the Corporate Challenge Volleyball Tournament. This year we made it into the challenge and since I love volleyball I joined up for the company’s team. There were only 2 girls – myself and another – so there were no substitutions. We played two sets only. We lost the first set and won the second. The team we beat had to win over the team we lost to for us to go on. That didn’t happen so I was home early. It was a lot of fun and we are looking at joining a league to play in the winter.

I started to go to Yoga at work Tuesdays. It is during the lunch hour and has been really relaxing so far. We go until the middle of November so I should be very flexible by then.

This Saturday Mom and I are going to the Creative Stitches event down at the Stampede grounds. There should be a lot of quilting supplies and material to be bought! I also am going to wrestling Saturday night so I’m gonna be tired Sunday.

Next Wednesday, Jacki & I are going to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Saddledome. I am very excited to see and hear him speak. It will be a once in a lifetime experience.

In October I’m organizing a trip to a local corn maze and we’re also gonna be picking pumpkins!

Big Toe Dream

Ok here is another classic weird Valerie dream. Only I can have such vivid dreams. This was a short dream so this will be a short post. Plus I have to get up early and work tomorrow morning (ug! a Saturday on a long weekend!).

I had stubbed my toe the other day on my bed and it has been a little sore. Last night I a dream that my toe started to swell. It was very uncomfortable and I was lying down but couldn't get to relax or comfortable. I did wake up a few times in a fitful sleep trying to get comfortable. The dream goes on and the toe starts to get bigger and bigger when it finally is the size of a large grapefruit. It was so huge and I couldn't get comfortable. I woke with a start and had to turn on the lights to see if my toe indeed was huge but it wasn't. It still took me what seemed like forever to get back to sleep as I couldn't get comfortable.

I woke this morning with a normal size toe and a beagle sleeping with her head on the pillow snoring beside me. What more can a person ask for!

Nothing new going on here lately so nothing really to write about. Once this WorldSkills is complete I'll be able to have some adventures and stories to write about.

GlobalFest Fireworks Finale

We went to the fireworks finale last night and it was awesome as always. This is the 6th year in a row that I went with my friends John & Sheila. I convinced mom & dad to come and I THINK they had fun.

We had dinner first at the Olive Garden which was nice. Dad & Sheila made arrangements for Dad to teach Sheila how to make perogies. So on September 7th, I'll be posting some pictures of the Chef and his protege - keep a watch for this!

We were at the park early this year (before the place opened) and had to stand in line at the gate. Ok stand in a crowd of people who didn't follow the "line". People are so rude. We caught the bus from the Marlborough Mall parking lot down. This is WAY easier than trying to park near Ellison Park where the fireworks are. Plus you don't have to deal with other idiot drivers and pedestrians walking this way and that.

We sat in our usual place on the North side of the lake. This is the best spot as previous years when the wind comes up, it blows East and the people there have to see through the smoke. Same with the people on the south side.

I have to remember for next year to bring a blanket as it got cold. The day was beautiful but I forgot that we are right beside the lake and it gets colder than if the lake wasn't there. Dad only brought a light jacket and I know he froze but he wouldn't admit it and wouldn't take my sweater - knucklehead.

We had a good time chatting until the fireworks started. Dad teased everyone by asking them if they wanted some hot chocolate out of his thermos, mom was bugging John about peeing in a bottle because the line to the port-o-potties was long and I seemed to have been the "security and information booth" at the same time.

On the bus ride to the park, this weird lady sat beside me. She was complaining that she had to pay extra for the bus ride and telling me her life's story. I guess Sheila was behind me just giggling listening to me and this lady. Mom & dad were across from me and were laughing at poor Sheila.

While sitting at the park, the family beside us asked me to look after their chairs and blanket as they wanted to go look at the various tents and to get some food. Later after they had come back they were going back to the tents and then asked me when the show started. I just gave them a time but I really didn't have a clue when the fireworks started. Luckily I had a good guess as they came back just as the fireworks started.

I was also asked by a Japanese couple to watch their chairs as well. The man came back and got the chairs as they were moving.

All in all it was a good time and I really loved the fireworks.

Jury Duty!

I have been all excited today as tomorrow is Jury Duty day! Woo hoo!! With my summons I received a notification to call a certain number after 2 pm for instructions. I waited all day for this time to come. I am going to make sure that I capture this day for both myself and all my loyal fans out there! (that's funny)

At 2:19 pm I called the number and listened to the recording. Tears almost started running down my cheeks when the recording indicated that the Jury selection has been cancelled for tomorrow and there will be no rescheduling. IF they need my services again I will be re-summoned. I'm heart broken. There goes my chance to see in person and experience a trial, being selected, something! Gone, brushed aside like bread crumbs on a dirty counter.

I'm very disappointed in the legal system and its process. Here I am ready to do my civic duty when most people are trying to get out of it and they cancel it on me. NOT FAIR

So this is my theory as to why it was cancelled...... The people on both sides and the legal system saw my last name and because of the huge scandal with the Ryan Jenkins they decided to call it all off.

I think I should be able to sue Ryan Jenkins (or his estate? his family?) for causing me grief and heartbreak of not going to court. I'll settle for a break and enter case, drunk driving, anything!!????!

On the Ryan Jenkins front... before he hung himself Dad got a call from MacLean's magazine asking him if he was related in any way. They also got a call asking if an Elena was here. Wow, freaky.

Poor Rod got a call from a local radio company wanting to do an interview as they said they had a hot tip that Rod was Ryan's brother. Geesh give it a rest people. This was also before the guy was found.

So that is my sad story for this week. I was so excited all week just to be let down.

I did get tickets for the GlobalFest Fireworks Finale on Saturday evening but I think I need more than that to cheer me up. Sigh....

PS..... We had a relative pass on this week - Donna (Sedonia) Fedorus. I don't think I ever met her but my sympathies go out to all.

WorldSkills & my job

I have had a request to explain what the heck the WorldSkills is and what my job is so here goes....

The WorldSkills is a competition like the Olympics but for "skills". For example, some of the skills are Plumbing, Fashion Design, Cooking, Carpentry and so on. The skills are to get people (mainly young students still in high school) to think of other careers besides going to just University. They are not putting down the University choice, but some people just aren't suited for that route. This gives students a chance to see what other options are out there.

The WorldSkills competition is for students currently in technical colleges from around the world. There will be students competing from Australia, Malaysia, UK, Germany, etc.... The events are free to the public so anyone can go down and watch whichever event they like.

One event I personally want to see is the Mechatronics. They build robots and will be building teams to play hockey against each other. Sounds very interesting.

If you are interested you can go to their website for a better explanation. It can be found by clicking on WorldSkills2009.

Now for my job. The company I work for was contracted by the City of Calgary (one of the sponsors of the WorldSkills) to provide 18 technicians per day to install computer hardware, printers, cabling, etc. So after interviewing and hiring 27 staff for this we have been down setting up the Stampede grounds for this huge event.

For people who have been to the Stampede, they will know how big the grounds are. Well just imagine the whole park (plus the new buildings) being used. On the grounds they have put up huge tents (some the largest in the world). Every square inch of the grounds will be used for this competition.

Some of what we have to setup are:
- 850 PCs
- 120 laptops
- 40 printers
- 10 plotters
- lay 43 kms network cables

So my job is to make sure the techs are working and doing a good job. And to follow-up with the WorldSkills people if there are any issues and fixing them. I've had a few issues and am disappointed in one team that is working there but things are relatively going good.

Tomorrow I am spending the whole day down at the Park helping out and watching how the techs work. After the project I have to do reviews for all 27 people so I'm gathering info tomorrow.

I'll be glad when this project is done - September 9th.

I am excited though as Friday is Jury day. I'll keep you all posted!

Needing to find things to do at work

I need to find things to keep me busy and especially make me LOOK busy while at work. I am again in the situation where I have nothing to do. I’m surfing the ‘net but am only going to shopping sites so that could be VERY dangerous. I am also playing Spider Solitaire and it is getting boring.

Today at 9 am I was going out of my tree. I did nothing but start playing solitaire and was completely bored by 9. I would normally ask for things to do but no one is really busy and I don’t want to give them a reason to get rid of me. I’ve also been told by my boss to make sure that I always look busy, so you know they have reviewed my position and don’t deem it useful.

I’m also in a very high traffic location and people are walking by my desk all the time. I do have my back against the wall so people can’t see what I’m working on, but if they come around either corner they can get a glimpse of what’s up. I also have an extra monitor on my desk so can jump between the laptop and second monitor screens. This helps out a bit.

I do have some old paperwork at my desk that I constantly move around and pretend to look at. I’m a clean freak so every night before I leave I ensure nothing is left on my desk. So during the day I look busy with all this paperwork strewn around my desk. That I’ve mastered. It is the “keeping myself from going nuts” that I’m having problems with.

I haven’t even received one email today. How sad!

Grand Opening

Well Mom, Sheila, her daughter Jaime & I went to the Grand Opening today of the new outlet mall in Balzac. We went straight after work and got there around 5:30 pm. We shopped, had some food and were done around 9 pm. We had a good time looking at things and bought just a few items. Most of what we bought was from Body & Bath Works. They have the best lotion and soap there.

This type of mall is something new to Calgary and we'll see how long it lasts. The place was packed all day long and when we got there it was still busy. We were lucky and got rock star parking - very close to the door.

The interior is quite interesting and I took a picture of the huge fire pit they have at one of the entrances.

I also got a picture of my mom groping a huge bear! See the proof below.

To be honest I think that is the first and last time I'll go to the mall. Most of the stores are very high end and I would never shop there. Plus with Chinook opening another 200 stores in the next year, there is no reason for me to drive to the other side of the city.

We all had a good time and it was an enjoyable evening.

Bubble Wrap Suit

Well it appears I need to purchase the following suit...

Last night was volleyball practice and guess what! Yes I hurt myself. I went for a ball and the ball hit my hand and bent it back. I pulled or strained something and it hurt like the dickens. It started to swell so I had to call it quits. Luckily there was only three of us at practice so it was no real loss.

I went home and put ice on it. Sleeping was a little fun as it was really sore but I slept with ice and it wrapped, so I was able to get a few winks. Advil and ice will be my friend for the next few days.

So let’s recap my injuries so far this year:

1. Slipped on ice in February. Started 7 weeks of physiotherapy for tearing my MCL in my right knee.

2. Slipped on stairs on July 8th. Off work for 3 weeks with concussion and sore back

3. Hurt my right wrist practicing volleyball on August 18th.

They say things happen in 3s so that should be it!

Mom says that I try to hard, that is why I got injured. I just say I’m a clutz!

BIG Work Project ready to start

I’ve been working on a BIG project since June 25th and it is ready to come to fruition. The project officially starts tomorrow. This is the biggest project I’ve worked on so far since starting my new job in December 2008.

I’ve had to come up with a number of staff required for this, their schedule, do the interviews and a project cost vs. revenue.

The project requires 27 technicians that I had to break up into 3 teams working for 13 – 9 hour days. It took me almost a month to get the schedule right but it is done and I can’t wait to have this project start.

Tomorrow morning I am going down to the Stampede Park for 7 am. That is when the first shift is starting and I want to make sure everything is running smoothly.

So until September 5th, I’ll be at the Stampede Park almost every day checking on things.

Seems my August is going to be busy. Besides watching this large project, I am also playing on the company volleyball team for the Calgary Corporate Challenge. We are practicing every Tuesday evening in August. Our first practice was last week and for being out of shape I didn’t really hurt a lot. My right knee was sore but that was due to my MCL injury I had earlier this year.

I’ve also got a few company events that I have to go to as well. Plus my jury duty on August 28th!

Oh and wrestling…. Since I missed last month’s event I am going to make sure I see this month’s event.

Sandwiches

So we have been watching an Australian drama on DVD this summer called McLeod’s Daughters. It is actually very good and we are hooked on it. Originally we had started watching the series on TV, but were only able to catch it mid-way. We did watch the first few seasons on DVD as Jacki had purchased them.

Since Dad got his library card this year, we decided that we’d start watching the whole series starting from the beginning. I showed Dad how to check the library for availability of the series and he has been very diligent in either getting the DVDs or requesting a hold be put on them so he can pick them up.

We were going great guns for most of the summer when we hit a stumbling block and had to wait over a week for the next DVDs to come back to the library. Amazing how popular this show is.

Currently we are watching season 7 and it is starting to get familiar as these are the shows we have been able to catch on TV. The series on TV begins again in September but I’m sure we’ll have watched the whole series by then. It is too bad that there are only 8 seasons.

So what does this have to do with sandwiches you ask? Well the drama is about a bunch of women who run a huge cattle/sheep farm in Australia and in almost every single episode they are eating sandwiches. Whenever there are sandwiches on TV I can see Dad to start to drool and he gets hungry. It is pretty funny. He’s like Homer Simpson and doughnuts, but with sandwiches.

Mmmmmmmmm, sandwiches.

I’ve been called….

So I received notification the other day that I’ve been called up for Jury Duty. I am so excited! I’ve always wanted to be on a jury to see what it is truly like. You see it on TV but I want to experience it for real.

Will I get picked?
What type of case will I hear?
Will it be high profile!!!?
What juror number will I be?

So on August 28th I have to go down to the Calgary Court Centre early so I can go through security and see what all the fuss is about.

I just checked the internet and you can actually see what court cases are being held.

I'll definitely keep you posted on this!

First day back

Well today was my first day back to work after being off since July 8th. The day went OK but I'm still having problems with bright lights. I came home with a headache. I had the building guy remove the florescence lights from above my desk and wore my sunglasses at times. Let's hope tomorrow goes a little better.

The drive was OK - I wasn't as shaky as I've been lately. I just need to ensure that I concentrate and be careful.

I still have the red rash all over my body and it is itchy, but I'm hoping that starts to go away soon. My chest is still red and sore.

Unfortunately due to my little "accident" I won't be able to go on my trip south with my friend Sheila. We were planning on a road trip to Missoula, Montana to do some shopping and have a nice little getaway. But since I can't drive and it was my turn, I had to cancel.

It was going to be the "Great 2009 Cracker Barrel Odyssey" trip. I had it all planned out. It is about an 8 hour drive from Calgary, but I had some stops arranged and we were going to stay in Whitefish the first day in a nice little motel called "Cheap Sleep Motel". We were also going to take the "Going-t0-the-Sun" road through Glacier National Park. It is supposed to be very scenic.

We were going to hit a lot of antique and quilt shops until we got to Missoula. Sheila wants an old fashioned rocking chair from The Cracker Barrel. I love that place. It has a great restaurant and nice shopping in the front. I really enjoyed it when we went to Texas in November. The fried catfish was great!

So now I have to come up with something to do for Sheila for making up for our trip. So any ideas out there, please feel free to offer them!

Snoopy hasn't been feeling well the past few days. Last night she was moaning and shaking. I had to hold her to calm her down. My poor little girl is getting old. She is 11 1/2 years and starting to show her age.

I remember when she was a puppy. She was a wild thing. There was one time when we were still out on the farm waiting for taking possession of our house. She was a little bugger and would always run and chase gophers, roll in horse poo etc. No matter how much I called, she would just keep running. That's the beagle in her..... always following her nose. She ran out on the road and a semi was coming straight at her. I thought she was a goner. She was lucky and the truck just missed her. Little devil.

One little slip...

... is all it takes. This year isn't my year for staying healthy. Back in March I slipped on some ice at a client's site and hurt my knee. I was in physio for 3 times a week for 6 weeks and it still isn't the same. Thank goodness Workers Compensation paid for that.

Last Wednesday.... I week ago to be exact, I was going down the stairs after feeding Paige and Snoopy at 4:30am. I missed the second last stair and hit my head. My head hurt like a dickens so I just sat there for a bit thinking if I pass out it is better to be in one place. Everything seemed to be OK so I went back to bed.

I woke up as per normal, had a shower, got dressed, ate breakfast and then started to drive to work. Last week my boss was on holidays so I was in charge. Things were going sour so I wanted to get to work early.

On the drive in, the pain in my lower right back started. It intensified so much that I almost passed out. I made it to work and thought I just needed to stretch. Just walking across the street to the office was horrific. I went and got my laptop and files I would need and headed for home thinking I'd work from home.

Again the pain worsened so I called my doctor's office to see if I could get in. They were not open yet but I left a message and headed straight there. I was lucky as I was the first patient of the day and was able to see her right away.

She examined me and said that I had a mild concussion and would have back pain due to the fall. The back was starting to freeze up and she gave me some Robaxacet with a prescription for stronger muscle relaxants if I needed it.

I went home and told mom & dad what happened. I laid in bed for a bit and could not for the life of me get comfortable so I took my first pill. Well the pill didn't last for very long as I threw that up quickly.

That whole day I couldn't get comfortable and the pain was excruciating. I had thrown up another 3 times and had mom take me to the Urgent Care centre.

We got to the Urgent Care centre at around 8pm got checked in and then had to wait. We waited and waited. I was in so much pain I wish they would have just put me out of my misery.

I was finally called and was taken into a room. The nurse - the worse nurse in the world - came in, took my vitals, asked what happened and then left. Even after I threw up the 5th time she didn't come back for a long while. Finally she did and gave me a clean dish to puke in if I needed it.

At around 11 pm the doctor finally came in. He again asked what happened, this time physically examined me and was sending me for some x-rays of my back. He also said he'd give me some medication for the pain and that I needed to be re hydrated. Well duh! I couldn't keep any food down, had thrown up 5 times and was sitting in a room for a good 3 hours with no water or anything.

So I had the x-rays and they came out normal. I then had 2 other grumpy nurses come in and take my vitals again and hook me up to the IV. They started me with saline, then something to calm my stomach down. Finally I was given a bag of Toradol but that didn't do the trick. The pain was still very intense. I think the nurses and doctor wanted to go home as they next came in with a shot of morphine. Well Ladies and Gentlemen, that surely did the trick.

Mom & I got home around 12:30am and I went to bed before the medication started to wear off and I couldn't get comfy nor sleep.

The next few days weren't much better. I had been given Tylenol 3s with codeine and oh by the way have I told you I wasn't able to have a bowel movement??? Also whenever I ate the pain intensified.

I finally had a bowel movement and boy did I feel 100 times better. The pain was gone in the back! I could handle the headache and dizziness now.

Monday I went to the doctor as the pain is still there and my bowel movements weren't the greatest. Also it burnt like heck when I peed. Yup, you guessed it - an urinary tract infection. Oh the joy!

So I got drugs for the UT infection and an appointment to have ultrasound on my kidneys and bladder. That is today. I've fasted and am ready to drink my 4 glasses of water before having to be at my appointment.

I've been off work this week (with a doctor's note) but have been worried about it all along.

So the moral of this story is that a little fall is very dangerous or painful.

Thunderstorms and Farts

Thunderstorms - Snoopy HATES them! She can hear them coming and she starts to pace, ears back and listening intently. As they get closer she starts to shake. I'm not sure what happened to her when she was little to make her afraid of thunderstorms but she is a complete wreck. She also then pees due to them.

Mom and I were in the office the other day when a storm was brewing. We had Snoopy in the room with us and I thought she'd be fine. But she then squatted down on the dog bed and peed! Good thing the bed was washable. I couldn't believe it. I had to get out one of her doggy diapers to put on her.

When I had to leave her and put the diapers on her, she would rip them to pieces and I'd come home to find a huge shredded mess to clean up. Also - you guessed it - a nice pee spot.

The only way to make Snoopy calm down and not pee is to literally squeeze and hold her. It is a sad sight - me squeezing Snoopy in my arms and physically laying on her. She still shakes and also whimpers but that is the only way I can keep her settled. What would Cesar Milan say about that!

Thursday night a storm blew in and I heard the bang. I jumped out of bed to find Snoopy to make sure she didn't pee anywhere. Thankfully she didn't. I grabbed her and took her back to bed. I had to squeeze her tight and lay on her for a good hour. The storm must have blown over as I woke up later with her in my arms still but me no longer squishing her.

I hear this coming up week is to be full of thunderstorms so I am doubtful I'll get any sleep. Ah the joys of owning a neurotic dog.

That reminds me of a funny story about Cali. Cali was awesome with no fears.... except of her own farts! Yes I said it.....her own farts. If she let one go, she would quickly turn around to see what that noise was and where it came from. It was a funny sight. If you were standing near her, she would look up at you with her eyes as if saying "what did you do that for!".

Then one day she must of have gotten into something as she had the farts all night long. If she moved, she farted. If she laid down she farted. Poor girl probably thought she was dying. It was so bad that she started to whimper and any movement she would let out another ripper. I had to at one time lock her in the spare room as she was farting constantly. Being the softy I was and hearing her whimpering I brought her back to bed and held her. I had to talk her to sleep where the farts seemed to have then disappeared.

Farts will always remind me of Cali - especially of the day she had the bad gas and it didn't matter what she did, a fart would come out.

Bestest Road Trip Evar

Today I went to Radium Hot Springs with friends. We left the city a little late (11 am) and the first thing that happened..... WE GOT STUCK IN TRAFFIC! It took us a good hour to get out of the city. The day was perfect - not too hot and not cold. As we arrived at the Banff Park gates we again hit traffic and it took forever to get in (ok maybe 15 minutes). Finally free to go we drove to Radium.

Sad thing... I've lived in Calgary all my life (except for my metal lapse of 8 months in Winnipeg) and have never been to the Radium Hot Springs before. It took my friend from Oklahoma and her husband to get me to go there! Ok my life is officially boring.

The hot springs were great and it only cost $6.30 to get in (including GST/PST being in BC). For a 2 hour drive that isn't bad. If you wanted you could stay in the springs all day. You might come out completely wrinkly but you can have a good day. It was very relaxing and I almost fell asleep. There are two pools there - a hot one and cold one. The hot was 39C and the cold springs was 29C. We started in the hot, moved into the cool and then back into the hot. The soothing mineral-rich warm water and scenery combined to relax my muscles and return my peace of mind.

After spending a good 2 hours in the springs we got out and went to grab something quick to eat. Radium isn't the biggest town so we stopped off at an ice cream shoppe and had a small sub.

On the drive home, I asked Sheila if she could find a moose for me as I took my camera and never really seen a moose up close. She said she'd do what she could. It was around 6:30 on our drive home and we started to see a lot of deer. I was really hoping to get my moose, but no luck.

Instead we drove around a corner and on the side of the road was this great black bear. We stopped and watched it for a bit. It was eating up dandelions like there was no tomorrow. I didn't know they ate them and wanted John to catch it so we could take it home to clean up the dandelions around town.

John made a noise and got the bear to look in our direction. That is when I got this great shot. The bear looked to be in good shape and was making a good dent in the dandelions.

Just as we were about to drive off, I spotted a cub coming out of the woods. It was cute as could be.

Then a second cub showed up! This one wasn't as adventurous as the first one but it eventually came closer to its mom too.

I wanted John to catch me a cub to take home as a Father's day gift but he chickened out and wouldn't do it. What a friend!

A lot of people had stopped and were taking pictures and wouldn't you know it there has to be fool in every crowd. People actually started to get out of their vehicles to get closer and take a picture! It would serve them right if the bear attacked them, but then the poor bear would be put down because some jackass got hurt. We were afraid that these people were going to startle the bear, it would warn the cubs and I could see one of them running onto the road and getting run over. After telling people they should really stay in their cars we drove off.

We drove a good 10 minutes until we came to a store/rest area. John went in and asked if there was a way to get a hold of a ranger as we didn't want the bears to get hurt. The store owner seemed to indicate that the mother and her cubs have been seen a lot but when he was told that people were getting out of their cars he radioed for the ranger right away. So we did our good deed for the day.

We saw another black bear on our drive but it was further in the woods and Sheila didn't stop this time (meanie!). There were cars pulled over every now and then but we didn't see any more animals. Then we came upon this wolf on the side of the road. I say it is a young wolf, John thinks it is a coyote. You be the judge.

This guy crossed the road several times and seemed to be afraid but he wasn't going very far. He seemed to want to get close to the vehicles. Again the stupid people seemed to come out of the woods and threw food out of their cars for him to eat. Where do these people come from? Wild animal = wild food NOT McDonald's! I really hate people.

Anyways I got a few good shots of him and Sheila was able to pull up beside him so I could get these great shots.

It was a very exciting drive home but I'm pooed and now off to bed to dream of bears, wolves and relaxing in the hot springs.

2009 Travel Adventure Cancelled... or Postponed

Well since it is almost the end of June it looks like my Travel Alberta trip this year has been cancelled.... or maybe just postponed. I have yet to do a short trip or day trip, especially with Snoopy. I still would like to go to some places this year, so we'll have to wait to see what happens.

My friend Sheila and I have been talking about going to Missoula, Montana as she wants to go down to Cracker Barrel and get a rocking chair. We saw them when we were in Texas in November.

I'm looking into the trip and will keep the blog updated with info as it comes available.

Procrastination, Funeral & Grief

Yesterday I went to a funeral of a lady who I had worked with in the past. We had worked together back about 10 years ago. I then found out she worked for the same company I currently am with, just at a client site. So we never really knew this until I went to the client site for a meeting and saw her there. We weren't "close" friends, more like acquaintances.

Her death seemed to have hit me hard. I think because I knew she was sick and always said I'd call her so we could catch up but never did. I guess I feel guilty about that.

She had a nice service and I needed to attend. Besides the guilt of not calling her, the service seemed to have put closure on Aunt Phyllis' death since I was not able to go out when she passed away. It also helped me in the closure of letting Cali go.

Grief can be a powerful thing and you don't know how much it really affects your life and your being until you finally get a little closure. The light at the end of the dark tunnel seems to be getting closer where I can start to feel like I can let go.

The Great Quilt Room Cleanup

Today mom and I spent about 6 hours cleaning up and re-organizing her quilt room. After about 2 years, it just wasn't working. You could not use the full cutting table as it was constantly full of half projects on the go. So we decided to re-organize and it turned out really good.

We moved the quilt books, magazines and binders off the shelf in the closet onto the bottom of the cutting table. We hardly use them but when we do, it will be easy for us to access them.

We then put all mom's projects on the shelves and labelled them so she knows what is what. It gave us more room I think.

We then cleaned up and removed an extra table around the sewing area. Now you can walk around with ease!

The counter wasn't that bad so we just tidied it up a little.

Look a place for visitors to sit! There was a chair under all that material.