Musings on a Small Life

I don't mean posting. I've just had my second "thank you" here at work today. The first from a prof re: something he and my boss were discussing. My boss is off for a couple of weeks and this prof is on a tight deadline, so I simply emailed him (i.e. my boss) to ask about the matter and then left a voice mail for the prof indicating that I'd contact him ASAP. My director subsequently got in touch with the man directly, and then the prof actually called me to thank me for my voice mail to him, for keeping him apprised. He said how much he appreciated it, and he also said that there are a lot of faculty members around campus who appreciate what what my boss does for them. Huh. After I hung up the phone with the prof I thought, oh, I'd like to work for him! Whenever do I hear a "thank you" from my own boss for anything, let alone something simple? Sometimes. But never have I had an "I really appreciate...." Then I just got an e...

For the one or two Canadians who read this blog and who have pets: CBC's Marketplace is opening their season tomorrow night with "Barking Mad," a look at the high cost of vet bills across Canada. http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2013-2014/barking-mad With 14 million dogs and cats in Canada and a 90 per cent jump in household vet care spending over the last 12 years, no wonder pet owners facing soaring vet bills are Barking Mad. I knew the obscenely high cost of vet care wasn't my imagination. Remember the $900-$1600 estimate for a basic dental for Derry? But a 90% incease? I don't have words for my disgust. I'll be watching the program tomorrow evening. BTW, you'll be able to view it on-line afterward, for anyone else who might be interested. I'm sure this kind of pet-owner emotional blackmail and vet price-gouging is common in many, many countries. Comments are off.

Yesterday was one of those "soft" autumn days, warm with a breeze, more early summer-like than fall. I took a little lunchtime jaunt down to the water, the usual route. The usual snapshots too--the only thing being different, the season! The School of Theology, same building I used to snap weekly in the spring, on the way back from physio. It was such a lovely day I really didn't want to go back to the office afterward.  :-)           I had only the little Elph of course, so you can just barely make out the boat on the water, in the middle of the sculpture (below). There were a lot of geese enjoying the day too.     Heading back to the office...the long way around.  :-)   This maple is one of the few trees with glorious colour. Most just turn brown and crispy in our city.   The visitor centre for Bellevue House. They have a lovely lawn! It was a good mental break, to get out and into th...

I snipped these earlier this afternoon from the Shiba Inu puppy cam site ( http://www.ustream.tv/sfshiba ). Haven't they gotten big? It's hard to get all five in one frame now, as you can see. And the boys no longer resemble polar bear cubs. (The girls are the brown pups.)   These two sisters snuggled up together after play time. I wonder if they've bonded or if any sibling will do. They were a sweet way to wind up an otherwise hum-drum work day.  :-) Purrs from the boys and peace from me.

I caved this morning and bought a scale. I haven't had one since my early 20s, because I used to obsess about the number on the display. (Of course I grew up in the days of the "old fashioned" analog scales, not digital ones. LOL.) But because I've been tracking calories and exercise on myfitnesspal.com, I thought I'd better be able to weigh myself once in a while too. I was weighed in mid-August when I had a doctor's appointment and had lost 7 pounds then, and now I've lost another 5.4 pounds, for a total loss of 12.4 pounds from July 23rd till now. That's fine, though I'm still a good 20 - 25 pounds overweight. I don't think I'll ever lose that much, though, and I'm okay with that. I like to eat too much and I don't do a lot of strenuous exercise, unless you count lugging six ridiculously large and heavy shopping bags home via foot and bus.  :-p But this really isn't what I wanted to write. All summer long I'v...

My boss just sent this around. But don't read it if' you're offended by "bad" language. And apologies if you've seen it before; I had not. Resetting The Password With Tech Support Tech Support:  Sorry that password has expired- you must register a new one. Computer User:  Did someone discover that password and hack my computer? T.S.:  No, but your password has expired- you must get a new one. C.U.:  Why then do I need a new one, as that one seems to be working pretty well? T.S.:  Well, you must get a new one as they automatically expire every 30 days. C.U.:  Can I use the old one and just re-register it? T.S:  No, you must get a new one. C.U.:  I don't want a new one, as that is one more thing for me to remember. T.S.: Sorry, you must get a new one. C.U.: OK, roses. T.S:  Sorry you must use more letters. C.U:  OK, pretty roses T.S:  No good, you must use at least one numerical character. C.U:  OK, 1 pret...

We exhausted ourselves yesterday, driving all over the city for this, that and the next thing. Little things for the house (new bedroom blind, living room curtain rod that has to be returned, dryer vent pipe extension, miscellaneous stuff.). Was it a full moon? All these things should have been simple, but none was. It was a crazy, stressful, Murphy's Law kind of day. Note to self: Do these things at the beginning of Dad's visits, so we wind up the visit on a calm note. In fairness, the week was great weather-wise, and yesterday was our crappy rainy day, so who would have wanted to do all this silly stuff when the sun is shining and we could be out taking pics...or eating? And as for eating, it seems that's all we did. :-) I took Dad to a lovely downtown hotel restaurant for lunch yesterday, the same one we go to every year. Excellent food, great service. Dad had the water buffalo burger and I had the crab/seafood cakes. Yummy. We both had the warm chocolat...

...Joe still gets around with a walker, feeds himself and remembers everything . He has all his mental faculties, though he's very hard of hearing and is difficult to understand (his speech). He still think every woman should be/wants to be married/remarried, though. LOL. That sure hasn't changed from Gaspé days!  :-) His daughter made a lovely lunch and we spent a few hours there before heading home. Dad was glad to see him, as it had been a few years (not since Joe's 100th birthday celebration). I think Joe was glad to see Dad too. I think he even was glad to see me, after 33 years. He seemed pleased, at any rate. I'm sure it's the only time I'll see him before he passes. He said things (i.e. life) started to go downhill after 95, as that was when he had to give up hunting, fishing and trapping. Seriously. How many 95 year olds do you know who still hunt, fish and trap in the first place?! Anyway, I know I surely don't want to live to 103! ...

Dad and I went to Gananoque yesterday, for a little jaunt. We go every year; it's a pretty spot and only 30 kms from home. We took some donation items to the Gan. shelter first -- Toby's leftover food (the former stray), canned food the boys aren't eating now, bleach and paper towel, cat treats. It was after 10AM and they were supposed to be open--several cars were there, but the door was locked, so we left the donation items on their front step. Presumably they got them at some point. They actually have a sign out front indicating they have an adopt-a-thon on now, but with the door locked and no doorbell or knocker, they're not making it convenient for people to actually adopt. We drove into town after that, parked and did our usual walk-about. Dad in front of the clock tower  The town hall. Gananoque has about 5000 residents, so is a bit smaller than Perth.  The city park. I've taken pics here for what? Six or seven years now, I think!   ...