What, am I still living in Halifax?

In spite of all the weather forecasts for a "traditional" Canadian winter, so far, what we've had more of is grey skies, fog, freezing rain, rain, and a slushy, snowy mess. It's like living in Halifax all over again, without the proximity to salt water.

Early yesterday morning coming in to work.

Right now I would take cold temps and sunshine over this.

We had one glimpse of the late afternoon setting sun a few days ago (snapped from my bedroom window).

On the plus side, I've hardly had to wear extra layers under my clothes, and I'm wearing short-sleeved tee-shirts under my cardigans. (That has nothing to do with my age and hormonal state, I'm sure.)

As for other trivial things: The Ikea mirror should arrive today. (Remember the $169 shipping charge for a $40 mirror? It was a website error, so I went ahead and placed the order.)

I had to order a new pet fountain for the boys, as the pump on the one they had quit. It had stopped working about a week ago, and online information indicated they often just need to be taken apart and cleaned (the bits and pieces of the actual pump), so I did that with success. But it died again on Tuesday and I gave up on it. The cost of a new pump actually was significantly more than new fountain. ($45 CDN plus $128 shipping--seriously, or $75-$90-ish with shipping included). I'm pretty sure I bought that fountain in July 2015, so if the new one doesn't last longer I'll give up on them altogether. I'm not shelling out $60+ tax every eighteen months for a new one. 

And a down-alternative mattress topper I ordered from Wayfair.ca has been shipped too, though it won't get here for a couple of weeks. (It's for the guest futon, which has a pretty firm mattress and could use some softening up.) There's a whole price reduction/customer service story with this, but the upshot is that once again I did a foolish, middle-aged lady thing and look ridiculous. But I did get a whopping $6.76 credit out of it. 

Just back away from the keyboard, Kim.

In fairness to me, nowhere on this page (when I click via my order) does it indicate the size.

(This is the current price, purportedly for the twin, as of January 26th.)

A little less trivial: My dad will be visiting for about eleven days in April! I'm excited about that, as we've not had any one-on-time since fall 2014. I'm taking only a few days off, as his visit falls over the Easter holiday anyway. The weather could be dicey, as it's often a snow/rain mix at that time, but I'm sure we'll make the best of it. (And at least he should be able to sleep in relative comfort on the futon!)

The work week has been up and down, some early-week craziness, interviews for a maternity leave position in our department, scheduling for interviews for a new assistant director position in our office, etc. The usual!

I'm practicing shifting my thoughts around work, from something that is all-consuming to something that I do (and get paid for) in my spare time. Work does take up one-third of my day, but that leaves two-thirds for other things (well, sleep included). I'm trying to remember that my real life is my life outside of the office. I find the subtle shift in thinking quite beneficial. (The PDF e-book I had downloaded on stress management is here: http://perfectinnerpeace.com/ebook.)

That's about it, finally. I know, I know, I rarely ever can do a short post. But this is my online journal and no one has to read it. LOL.

Oh, since Squirrel Appreciation Day (or whatever it's called) passed me by:

From the weekend. His tail tip is white-ish.

 

And a bonus pic of Carlos, my co-worker's dad's adoptee. Apparently he's smitten with Carlos!

Peace.