Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

...and have a stress-free Christmas!

1. Don't feel bad that you didn't send any Christmas cards. There's nothing wrong with e-cards.
2. Don't have Christmas dinner at your house. No worries about cooking at all. Doesn't matter that you don't have room to swing a cat (sorry Vespers & Timmy).
3. Join WW and you don't have to feel that you should bake.
4. Decide not to buy your spouse a gift and you won't feel bad that you don't get anything you didn't pick yourself. Buy yourselves a new TV instead...after Christmas!
5. Go for breakfast with a friend and avoid doing the errands that should be done. Which will make you happier? Thanks for the brekkie Heather!

So I (can you tell?) am feeling pretty darn good today. Down 9.2 at WW, off work till January 3rd, going to a movie with the neighbours tonight. Simply having a wonderful Christmastime...

Baby steps

Well I'm down 6 pounds on WW now! Yay me!

No further progress on the Christmas preparations, but the 3 of us did put a major dent in the disaster zone that was Holly's bedroom - wow there's actually a floor in there! And 3 big bags of garbage and too-small clothes taken out. So it was a productive weekend after all. We also went to see The Golden Compass yesterday afternoon. It was pretty good, but very choppy and too short. As soon as we got home, Holly started reading the book to Greg so he could see what he was missing.

Two days in a row freezing my feet off at the dog park but Myla had a good time. Actually I'm in the house and still freezing right now - we had a fire but it went out hours ago.

Went to the Marmalade Cat for breakfast with a few work people this morning; that was fun and they have such healthy food. Although the cinnamon was uncalled for (and I guessed at points).

I've got a really busy week coming up, we'll see if it contains any Christmas shopping!

So not ready

So what is it, just over 2 weeks till Christmas?! Ha! Have I made cards? well a few but they're still sitting on my desk. Have I done any shopping? Very little, and I have 2 presents that need to go in the mail. They haven't been bought yet. Have I decorated or put a tree up? no.

Just not motivated! Not motivated to blog either, obviously. But I'm not stressed over it - yet. I don't really want to go shopping on the weekends, it's going to be a zoo, so I'll go on the weeknights instead I suppose.

Oh - lost 2.6 my first week on WW; weigh in again tomorrow morning so we'll see. Dinner Wednesday with Dawn, Gina & Jane didn't help - mmm those deep fried bananas were good. The first week went well but this week I've been hungry all the time!

If this is Tuesday

it must be ask a stupid question day. oh sorry I mean Askaway... Actually it was not bad today, very busy, but mostly decent people being polite & suitably thankful for answers.

I'm going to be an observer at the library board meeting tomorrow and am very curious to hear whether the board passes several changes that management has come up with. One may affect me personally - so we'll see what happens.

I'm being a bad dog mom - Myla couldn't go for a walk till the weekend after her spay, so I took her out on Sunday morning. She met a saint bernard & a retriever and had fun playing with them for awhile. But I haven't taken her out since. By the time I get home from work it's so dark & cold that I just can't make myself go for a walk. And so far at least, getting up 1/2 hour early just isn't happening! Of course Greg is home all day and he could take her out couldn't he? But he doesn't, no matter how much I try to guilt him into it.

I've spent a small fortune on craft fairs lately but am looking forward to putting up all the decorations (after the end of this month). I really need & want to make Christmas cards but no motivation there either. I'm taking a long weekend this weekend though so maybe something will happen then.

Oh I'm going back to WW this weekend - yes you read it here first folks. AM is also going back (in Vancouver) so I said I'd do it with her. Now - to eat as much as I can during the next few days... actually I have a stomach-ache already!

Health Matters

Well I've been feeling absolutely awful the last few days. It's the rheumatiz. OK I don't know what it is exactly. I went to a rheumatologist a few years ago and he said I didn't have arthritis, fibromyalgia or anything else. So how else do you describe this pain that I've had my whole life? When I was a kid I remember my Mom would rub my knees and give me aspirin in a spoon of strawberry jam. Used to just be in my knees. It's now progressed to my shoulders, elbows, wrists, upper back, lower back, hips, knees, ankles & points in between. My torso feels fine. And I'm either becoming more of a wuss with age or it's getting worse. It never used to be that I'd miss work with it but this is the 2nd time this fall that I just haven't been able to go to work! OK I'll admit it doesn't take much to make me want to stay away from there sometimes...but still. Anyway I've made a doctor's appointment for next week and I'm going to ask for another referral - to a different rheumatologist. The other one had a brain tumour; I want a healthy one this time.

Myla's 'real' mom picked her up this morning to take her in to be spayed and is keeping her till tomorrow evening. She was SO excited to see Linda this morning, went galloping down the stairs and Linda was immediately covered with dog hair. I imagine Myla will be a little bit less rambunctious when she gets back tomorrow.

Well it's time to take some more ibuprofen and head off to bed. Back to work tomorrow!

more on the dog of course

Greg and I just took Myla up the hill between us and Crawford Estates. It's a beautiful sunny day (after this morning's little rainstorm) but windy as anything, especially up there. Myla got to meet a few other dogs and we learned that although she doesn't listen very well, she is at least very friendly & polite with them. And she doesn't always have a sad face!

Last night's crop was lots of fun. I didn't get much done (but what else is new?) but we had some awesome sushi, which Greg and I finished polishing off earlier today, and lots of laughs.

I certainly needed it after that crappy day I had at work yesterday. It was 'take a train to work' day (really) and there was a complete railroad set downstairs in the prime location for all the noise to come directly up to the Reference Desk. The fellow who was running it was hard of hearing so he spent the whole day TALKING IN A REALLY LOUD VOICE TO EVERYONE EXPLAINING HOW IT WORKED AND BLOWING THE WHISTLE. I thought I was going to go out of my mind. I finally asked EGTB to get him to keep his voice down (at 4:00) so things did improve after that. At one point while he was doing his noisy talk & whistle, there was a guy having a loud conversation on his cell phone to my left and a quiet-voiced young woman in front of me whom I could hardly hear. Then when I went to put a book on hold for her the computer crashed. I nearly lost it at that point. I was this close to standing at the top of the stairs and shrieking 'This is a f*ing library for God's sake - everybody SHUT UP!'

But I didn't.

and she's also hilariously funny!

Holly and I were just hanging out on the floor with her and laughing our heads off. Well, really, you just have to laugh looking at her and her sweet face.

These are just some of the pictures Holly & I took. Oh and did I tell you how she cried when I left for work yesterday morning. Apparently today she was fine, but I get greeted with great enthusiasm when I get home!

I think she likes me... :)

What I've learned so far

1. She doesn't chase the cats although she might bark at them.
2. She likes to sit in the front seat of the car & isn't too crazy about the leather.
3. She likes to lie on her bed in my scraproom.
4. She loves to run around in circles in the backyard.
5. She never woke any of us up in the night.
6. She'll be up on the couch the minute you turn your back!

Welcome Myla

 
Well I wasn't sure this would happen but Myla arrived just as I was pulling in the driveway. Her mom couldn't bear to bring her over so she came with her dad. I certainly feel sorry for them, they obviously really love this dog, but I'm glad they've passed her on to us and I think it will be fine. I just took her for a walk - she's a big girl & walks at a good clip which is good for me. Some kids set off a firecracker just as we were rounding the corner for home which certainly startled Myla but not too badly. I hope she settles in OK; she's a sweetie!

Let's try again

This is Myla - guess I'd better find out how to spell her name! She's going to be coming to live with us for awhile. Maybe just for a little while if it doesn't go well, maybe forever if it does! My friend Rose was telling me last week about a friend of hers whose dog needed a new home so I got a call this afternoon. Myla's family has moved to a place that doesn't allow dogs. They may only be there till June but if we like Myla we can keep her. She's 2 years old, part golden lab and part who knows what - something big. She seems like a pretty nice dog, may need some refresher obedience training, but she did used to live with a cat which bodes well for Vespers & Timmy. She'll be coming over Thursday morning and I'll keep you posted!

In other news I just wanted to post these 2 pictures as well:

"The togetherness of computer geeks"

And this great piggy bank which Suzanne at work gave me for a much-belated birthday present. It's so I can buy shoes next time I'm in NYC - for her!! I love it!!

The garden in fall

It's my day off so I thought I'd take some pictures this morning. Needed to take some pictures to scrap with all my new fall embellishments!

Otherwise, when last I posted it was after the non-existent auction. All the stuff from Greg's shop (and more) is back in our basement & carport although Greg is taking a load to the dump as we speak.

I had my hair coloured last week and although people have been clamouring for pictures, you just can't tell what it looks like! Which is, I guess, far more noticeable to me than to anyone else. I wanted to go darker blonde so the roots wouldn't always show so easily but she got carried away and put a bunch of brown foils in the front which I am just not liking.

Greg's brother is coming for a visit next weekend - he hasn't been out here for a few years so we're looking forward to seeing him.

Same old same old at work, people are getting very frustrated there. I am waiting to see how a proposed re-organization may affect me later this year (could be a good thing).

A-M was here last week, walking the half marathon. Good for her! Maybe next year I will give it a try.

Anyway as you can see, my world is not very interesting right now. So there you go...

What if you held an auction....

...and nobody came?

Well last night was a bust! Nobody came.

Poor Greg. I felt bad for him, but he accepted that he'd screwed up the advertising. Too little, too late. There was a little radio advertising. He missed the deadline for one paper, forgot to put the time in the other ad. The flyers that were (supposedly) delivered to businesses in the mail - well he checked with his neighbours and only one of them had gotten it.

So there was no shortage of helpers, but only 2-3 customers. Guess we'll try again tonight although I don't see how it will be any different. He was talking about renting a truck and taking everything to an auction house, but I don't know for sure what the new plan is.

The only thing I know for sure is - it's NOT ALL COMING BACK TO OUR HOUSE!!

no dog

and I am sad. But it's about the worst possible week to try to introduce a new pet 'cause it's going to be chaos around here. And Sally is a lovely dog but she does need some training - not a perfect right out of the package dog like Ruby was. However I'm sure she'll get adopted very soon so I'm not worried about her...and me, well I'll keep on looking. But maybe not this week!

Talk about altered books...

I found this site at dooce.com... Wow! I would love to see one of those up close. Many of the comments refer to the poor books. Please! I don't think any altered book artist uses anything but ratty old books that would end up at the dump otherwise.

I'm supposed to be organizing boxes

but instead I'm taking a trip down memory land with every box that I do look in. Just opened a box of stuff that was in my Mom's curio cabinet. She collected swans, so it's heavy on the ceramic & glass swans. Some of them are beautiful - I'm keeping a couple of my favourites - and some, well, let's just say somebody might want to buy them... Also in there was my grandfather's silver christening cup from Norway which I'm keeping. A couple of days ago we found the copper tea set that my mom liked so much. Teapot, cream & sugar. Made in Sweden and presented to somebody on their 50th birthday in 1916. Not the initials of anybody in our family so who knows where that came from. Like I say, my mom loved that thing & didn't mind polishing it now & again, but it's not my style at all. So I guess it'll go... But boy do I have a hard time letting go of 'stuff'.


Earlier this afternoon I went down to the SPCA to meet a dog I'd seen online on Thursday. Her name is Sally, she's a border collie/dalmatian cross and cute as anything although she needs to lose some weight. So I put a $20 deposit on her so nobody else can adopt her before they close tomorrow. It's really not good timing but what the heck. We'll see what the Mr. says tomorrow when we go see her again.

Help Wanted

So Greg is shutting down his computer business at the end of this month. This is the news I got when I got home from my trip! He has to be out by the end of the month. He's been trying to sell it with no luck so he's just packing it in. (His rent was being dramatically increased.)

What he plans to do is auction off his remaining stock and also get rid of all of our junk at home at the same time. He's not hiring an auction company but is looking for an auctioneer wannabe and some people to help out at this gala event which is going to take place over 2 or 3 days next week (I know, short notice isn't it?). Wednesday through Friday I think.

He also plans to auction off some stuff as a fundraiser for the food bank (which is right across the street from his shop) and was wondering whether any of my scrapping buddies might want to help out by putting in a few hours or donating any works of art, the proceeds of which would go to the food bank, or to another charity of your choice.

So I know I'll be spending the next several days in the basement sorting through all the boxes of stuff down there and wishing I were still in a foreign country ;) But if anybody is willing to give us a hand, just let me know. Thanks!

shoes

Well here I am back home again and feeling not that great. Jet lag I guess. But not too jet lagged to spend the day mostly on the computer! So for those who are interested, I've found pictures of the 3 (count 'em) pairs of shoes I bought in New York. I find pictures online as my size 11's don't photograph so well!

Last Day in New York

Well it's been a blast but I guess I'm ready to go home. Today I'm really tired. We went on a 4.5 hour comedy cruise last night. The comedians were mostly very funny but the 2 hours beforehand trapped on a boat with poundingly loud & unfamiliar music with only about 6 people older than us - well that was a bit much.

But otherwise it's all been great. I saw lots of things I didn't get to last year: Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Macy's,Time Square, Tony Bennett at Radio City Music Hall (which is absolutely enormous!), the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cloisters, and the United Nations. Tonight we plan to go up the Empire State Building. I've had a ton of dinners out, several cosmo's and done lots of shopping. Gee no wonder I'm tired!

This time tomorrow I'll be en route to Montreal, then Vancouver, then home to Kelowna by evening. And a day of rest before going back to work on Friday. Oh and I've taken about 300 pictures since I left home!!

another year older and deeper in debt

So you know how the Scandinavian countries have a reputation for being expensive? Well I'd never really bought into that before - probably because I never go out to eat while I'm here, and I don't usually buy much of anything.

Well this time I did eat out. Heidi and I went for a fabulous sushi dinner last night. It was soooo good! A sushi sashimi combination, not a huge amount, but enough. We also had dessert, Heidi had a 'banana split', I had a chocolate pineapple cake - both beautifully presented - and a beer and coffee each. The bill was nearly $200 for the 2 of us!! At home it would probably have been about $45 each. So that was a shock...but an excellent meal!

I've also bought a few things - a couple of books, a pair of earrings, some other little stuff. After I get through the dutyfree shop I hope I have enough to get some shoes in New York! which reminds me I'd better do some online banking...

Heidi and I had spent the afternoon at the Folkmuseet (folk museum) which is an open air museum containing about 250 old buildings which come from all over Norway and have been rebuilt on this site. It's in the same part of town as the Viking Ship Museum, Kon-Tiki, Fram etc. The last time I was at the Folk Museum it was raining so today instead was a beautiful day.

Blogging from Norway

OK I wasn't going to udate my blog while I'm away but what the heck. I'm drinking so much coffee that it's difficult to sleep so I might as well be productive after everyone else has gone to bed.

An uneventful flight over to New York and just spent not quite 24 hours there. After hanging out at Starbucks across from Mark's apartment for awhile I decided to take a bus tour for the afternoon. We didn't have the most interesting guide but it was relaxing just to sit there on the top of the double decker and gawk around. Unfortunately I've already forgotten what most of the pictures are of.

On the train to Newark airport I met an American family who were on their way to their first trip to Norway, meeting distant relatives. They were fun to talk to and since we had plenty of time to kill before the flight it was great to have someone to talk to.

When I arrived here we immediately drove up to my cousin's 'hytte' (cabin) in Gausdal which is north of Lillehammer. They have a very nice place up there, out in the country but with all the modern conveniences. The pictures are from there: view from the kitchen window, Gudbrand cutting the grass on the roof, my brother Hans & I, and a typical rural scene a little ways down the road. We did a bunch of shopping and getting the hall ready for Saturday. The reunion itself was fun, I have cousins who came from Sweden, France, New York plus me and all the rest who live in Norway. A very multilingual lot too.

So now we're back in Oslo for a few days. I fly back to New York Thursday morning. Tomorrow I'm meeting my friend Heidi for the afternoon. Bye for now!