Musings on a Small Life

Here in Canada, I'm not sure we have quite the same level of service! I had ordered something for the boys from a U.S. on-line retailer, back on November 30th. Since it still hasn't shown up, I thought I'd better see if I could find out where it is. Lo and behold, this is the info the tracking # gave me: So I'd like to give kudos to the US Postal Service, because I'm pretty darned impressed that I can see it's cleared Customs and is somewhere in Canada now, en route. Maybe Canada offers an equivalent? The way things are going at Canada Post, with the cutbacks and expected loss of service, it wouldn't surprise me if they don't. Anyway, if it doesn't show up, it won't be the fault of the USPS or even Customs! Happy Friday...or Saturday, if you're already into the weekend. One more day to work for me, then I'll be off till January 2nd. ::Sigh of relief:: Oh, and if you're in Canada, the Lotto Max is up to $...

I do find it comforting that others can relate to the difficult work situations. I slept marginally better last night, so feel more inclined to take a 'wait and see' stance today. I'm lucky in that I do respect my boss, and for 13 years have pretty much been able to come and go (within reason) as I please, as have we all. Working 7AM to 3PM, for example. Though these days it's more 7:30AM/7:45AM to 3:30PM/3:45PM. I don't like getting home later, of course, but in our larger group, I'm the only one who leaves so early and I feel like I stand out too much. I will give my boss's boss credit (she's the young one who took over after the big firing in June). Yesterday she asked me to book 3PM today for cake for someone here who is leaving (was filling in for the year for maternity leave). Then a few minutes later she came back to my desk and told me to go ahead and book it at 2:30PM, since she just remembered I usually leave around 3PM. I told her no,...

With sarcasm. My past personal issues with the former co-worker (over what she had said to me almost three years ago re: Annie) already got me in "trouble" on Monday. The first day. Mind you, I didn't say anything to that person at all, she had been speaking loudly , in her strident, grating way, at me about something. (In my books that's ranting.) I told my boss I wasn't going to tolerate it and things kind of went downhill from there. Long story short, after a chat with my boss yesterday, at his request (both she and I having to meet in the middle--me not to take things so personally and she to tone it down), I emailed her and sorted things out, told her how hurt and angry I had been, that Annie had died the next day, etc. So we have a peace on that, I guess, and are moving forward, new start, blah blah. But I can tell you that hate it here. I'm right in the middle of the suite, people coming and going, more open than I was. I hate, absolute...

So I was just over at the grocery store on campus and gave in to temptation to buy a package of “ Wow Chocolate Chip Cookies .” They’re wheat and gluten free, moist and delicious . The bag is 227 grams in total, a serving is 30 grams for 140 calories. So dumb me…I divided 227 by 30 and thought wow, a serving is 7.5 cookies and only 140 calories, that’s incredible. So I ate 8. Yep, 8 cookies. Only to think that something must be wrong with this, the cookies are far too good for so many to be only 140 calories. And to realize that there are 7.5 SERVINGS in the damned bag, not cookies per serving. I just ate 4 servings of chocolate chip cookies, at 12 grams of sugar per serving. OMG, I have no calories left for the day. *Bangs head on desk, repeatedly.* And now I feel kinda bloated…. :-P

I'm pretty sure I made Santa's naughty list this morning. I popped into the office before errands, with the intent of moving one of my bookcases (orders not to move ANY furniture be damned). I ended up moving the one...then the other, and then the two filing cabinets that are in my new cubicle space as well. I might have pulled something in my left glute (lol), as the cabinets (a) were full and (b) were extremely heavy, but I managed. I also removed the fluorescent bulb in the light fixture above my desk and put it back in above my old desk (I had removed that one three years ago). Those lights give me massive headaches. I won't tell you how I managed to gain the extra inches in height to do this, while standing on the desks, but I made sure I did it safely. Really.  Now, the furniture movers are external to our university, so not covered under union rules. But it's still a no-no to do this kind of thing yourself. (The movers are coming on Monday.)  However, ...

It's Friday, just before 11AM, and I'm mostly moved to my new space at work...one cubicle over to the right. My former-cube-mate's space, actually. Don't ask for the logic of shuffling me one to the right, there's none, really. The larger team, of which we're now a part, is moving up today and Monday. Others in our little (original) group are shifting space too, to make room for them. Because they have higher pay grades. I'm fine, the cube is just as roomy as my old one, though more open right now (bookcases to be moved in on Monday), but two of my direct co-workers, analysts, are losing their offices to make way for those coming up. None of us is impressed, but it's all politics. And hey, we all get to sit down together for our holiday lunch this afternoon, and be one, big, effin' happy work family. Yep, it's a fun morning here.  :-P Derry demonstrates how I feel about the entire situation. Kiss my furry butt, folks. Really, t...

Nine working days for me till our Christmas break. If the neighbour kids and mother spend it with the grandmother, as they did last year, I'll be in heaven. If not...Well, I'll be doing a lot of window-shopping!  :-P We have our office holiday buffet on Friday...the 13th. Is that an omen? I'd almost rather stick pins in my eyes. It's not just our little group, but the larger group to which we now belong. (Those staff members are moving up to our space, possibly as early as next week. Yay us. That was sarcasm. I also will be moving to the next cubicle space over, for some illogical reason. Whatever.) The sucky view yesterday AM, from an office window. It had melted by the end of the day. I didn't get the touch-up painting done last Sunday, but did use up most of the new package of Roxul Safe 'N' Sound, adding insulation in between the joists in the basement, along the adjoining wall. Aside from re-carpeting my stairs ASAP in the new year,...

That would be the back of my basement door. LOL. We glued it on in 4 pieces, my (former) cubicle mate and I, while her hubby was putting up my bedroom closet shelf and guest room closet shelf. It does make a difference in sound transmission when the door is closed, so I'll be able to test it out the next time the neighbours start screaming from their own basement or the girl is just shrieking at the top of her lungs while playing (as she often does on the weekends). I'm so excited to hang up my clothes again! And yes, I mostly wear blues and teals. The stairwell painting is done except for some touch-ups that I can reach. It took two ladders, though: a very tall one and a 7 or 8 foot step ladder. All I did was reload the roller for my co-worker, she was the one who got up and did it all. Brave woman. The only thing that didn't get done was the bi-fold hall closet door. He fiddled with it for quite a while, trying to get it just right, but it turned out that...

My former cubicle mate--she's moved upstairs now--and her husband are coming tomorrow at 11AM, to help in the house. (I'm paying him his "friends/family" rate.) She'll get up on their tall ladder and do the  stairwell painting for me, while he will do the basement door (the foam-backed carpet on the inside of the door, to help with the sound from the neighbours when they're screaming in their own basement), put up my bedroom closet shelf, guest closet shelf (I think) and re-attach the hall closet bi-fold door as well as the sliding guest room closet door. All that will be left is the trim, and I've committed to having my stylist's father futz around with that in the new year. I hope he's not too pokey, but I feel obligated to hire him, given I've been going to his daughter for my hair for years. Besides, if he turns out to be good and reasonably efficient, I'll have someone to call for the slew of other things that eventually need to be...

So I'm walking home yesterday after work, up the main drag and past a Tim Horton's. It's in a rough area and the clientele reflects that. There's a car parked in the lot, guy in the passenger seat with his window rolled down about two-thirds of the way. A woman is standing outside the car and the two of them are screaming obscenities at each other. Next thing you know, pow! The woman's arm flies through the window! I don't know, but presume, her fist connected with her target. Then he's shouting at her about stealing from him, etc. I kept walking and had the thought that yeah, my neighbours could be worse than they are. Oy!

The weekend passed in a blur of hair appointment, shopping, errands, gift wrapping and alcohol. Must. Have. Rye. Before. During. And. After. Wrapping. Derry helped me, pics on the Fuzzy Tales blog . Nicki slept through it all, only getting up to move from the stool at one point, to the couch. Probably to get away from the mess. But the only time-sensitive thing I have left to do is get some Christmas cards done. I have hopes for this week. I want to do some shopping for the boys--I'm on the hunt for a good, sturdy cat tree (to replace one of the two that they have). So far no luck, nothing different at either PetSmart or PetValu. And speaking of PetValu, when I was there on Friday I snapped pics of a couple of other cats: I didn't even notice those adorable owls in the background until I downloaded the pics. I want one! An owl, that is.  :-) I also didn't notice the brown tabby in the back, left, until after the fact. LOL.   I hope everyone...

I stopped at one of our PetValu's yesterday, for cat food on sale, and saw Daisy:     I thought she was about 6 months old, she's so small, but she's an adult. I asked about her leg and got her story (click image to enlarge):   The store clerk actually told me that Daisy and her kittens had been left in a sealed Tupperware container, so I'm not sure how shelter staff could possibly know her age with such precision. Unless she had been adopted from the shelter as a kitten? She'd have been microchipped before adoption, if that were the case. In any event, I'm crossing my fingers that she finds a fantastic forever home. She obviously needs and deserves to be doted on and spoiled for the rest of her life. Purrs from the boys and peace from me.

...but this is what pedestrians in this city have to contend with all winter. And even the sidewalks that are plowed are too icy to walk on, because the City doesn't sand/salt them. Snapped around 6:30 this morning, the sidewalk on a main thoroughfare (looking west, then east).   I was heading east (below). This is a major public transit route, btw. It's like this all over the City, and exponentially worse when you have to clamber over 3-foot snow banks as well. Impossible to do, if you're not able-bodied. I was so annoyed that I sent these pics off to customer service at City Hall. Whether I get a response, or whether the sidewalk actually gets cleared, is another matter. BTW, the south side was done, but not this north side. DUH. Reason #57 I detest winter! There. My gripe for the day.  However, I'm thrilled it's Friday, tons of stuff to get done this weekend--I feel frazzled, but I know things will come together. Mostly. Maybe.  :-P...

                          [This is it for winter, right? There's no more, right?]

So I took the curtains back to Target yesterday morning, then made the "mistake" of going downstairs to look at their Christmas section. They had all their trees on for half price, most sold out. All reasonably priced and all, IMO, lovely. Actually, they have the nicest trees, for the best prices, that I've seen anywhere around town. And I've been looking. They had a 4.5 foot Virginia pine for $32.50 and I couldn't resist. THIS is what a small tree should look like, and it was worth it to me, I feel happy looking at it.  :-)     The other little tree is now upstairs on my landing, looking cute with all its old-fashioned ornaments (pics on another camera, not yet downloaded). And that's it for my holiday decor. I had "help" from the boys putting this up.  :-)   Back to work now...I woke a few times in the night, thought it was still Sunday. Alas, the "break" is over.  :-) Wishing everyone a good day...Purrs fr...

No painting this weekend, but I was on the go from 7AM (out to catch a bus) till 4:30PM. Up at 3AM, which is usual for me these days. Ever since the time change, actually. But before I left the house, I put up the little 4.5 foot Christmas tree, the one I bought a few weeks ago.       It's not bad, really, not too scrawny for a $15 (on sale) tree. It'll be cute when I get some decorations on it (maybe tomorrow). Now, Home Depot has a gorgeous, full 5-ft tree (saw it there today), but it's about $70, more than I can justify on a small tree that I have up for only a month. So the day's been a blur of store after store, for various items, some holiday shopping, some house stuff. The afternoon was spent in a mess, putting together the 2-shelf Target bookcase I brought home, then cleaning up, vacuuming, doing laundry, sorting through things that hadn't been put away yet (from the pack-up for the reno), decluttering and doing some reorganizin...