Woe is me

I decided to stay home today. I was heading to the shower before work when somehow I crawled into bed instead... It's what I need though. My sore throat is actually feeling somewhat better so if I rest up today I hope to be fine tomorrow. We're going for drinks after work to celebrate my supervisor's new job.

I took my name off my blog the other day after I came down with a case of paranoia. Just in case some people that I work with can't be trusted to keep certain acronyms to themselves!

Oh I think it's nearly time for another nap...

Congratulations

Well this morning it was back to work...back to Askaway which I haven't had to do in a couple of weeks. I was in the middle of my first question of the day: how to conjugate some French verbs with the pronoun 'qui' - when my phone rang. It was the HR assistant calling about the reference supervisor posting; to tell me I was the successful applicant and would I accept? Yippee, no interview necessary! And by the time I got back to my computer, my patron had found the answer in his textbook. That was a really good thing. Spend 5 days speaking Spanish & then come home to conjugate French verbs? I don't think my brain ever recovered.

The position starts on the 11th. Oh and get this, EGTB wants to 'mentor' me! Give me a break!!

I finished the little scrapbook on PV that I started Saturday night and brought it in to work with me today. I've certainly never accomplished that so quickly!

Unfortunately I still feel pretty horrible - nasty sore throat, kind of achy & headachy. It'll either go away or get worse I guess! I hope for the former.

That was sooooo relaxing!

The good thing about being so spontaneous is that you don't have time to develop any expectations! I didn't do much, some shopping, lots of walking around, hanging out by the pool and one afternoon at the beach. A few great meals out, plus prawns & ceviche at the beach and awesome shrimp fajita-type things at a roadside stand. I enjoyed it a lot. AM & Di were VERY surprised to see me but I think it went OK. Now that I've sampled a winter getaway I think I could make a habit of it!

Off to Puerto Vallarta!

Holy cow I can't believe I found a flight - I leave Kelowna 6:00 Monday morning and come back Friday night. (Have big plans next weekend so had to be home for those!) Now I'm just hoping AM checks her email again tonight & calls me. If I can't sleep on their couch, I'm hoping she can find me a hotel room close to where they're staying.

God I have a stomach-ache - the nerves...the spontaneity!! Now I have to try on my summer clothes!

Not Those Winds I guess

Gee I've put my life on hold these last couple of weeks & haven't even posted anything! So I applied for a job as a branch head. Many, many people expected I was going to get it. But. I didn't.

My supervisor got it instead. She had not told anyone she applied so it was a complete surprise although I had a feeling she might have. So I wasn't totally blind-sided. I celebrated my disappointment by having an absolutely crappy sleep last night and not doing any work whatsoever today. In fact I spent a large part of the day trying to find a cheap flight to Puerto Vallarta for next week! Unsuccessfully sad to say. AM & Di are there right now and I thought it would have been cool to fly down and hang out with them for a few days.

So now I have to apply for the supervisor's job... I'd better get it. As she said to me, who else would want it? Prior to this branch head carrot dangling in front of my nose, it was my dream job, so I have to drum up some enthusiasm. And EGTB is still there but we've got our fingers crossed.

In other news, it's back to WW tomorrow. I've lost 11 pounds so far and my clothes are loose so that's awesome. I got my hair cut last week, an excellent cut but of course I can never get it to look as good as Rose does.

I still have done no scrapping for months but there's a crop next weekend I'm going to and I should have my last Pick of the Patch kit by then, so maybe inspiration will strike.

Well now I'm going to search for cheap cruises....

Changes blowing in

Last night when I got home from work I was so excited I couldn't sleep! There's some stuff happening at work that might mean a big change for me (keep your fingers crossed!) and a few other job postings coming out this month. If we're lucky, EGTB (it's code) will get a new job and move away. So even if things don't turn out for me, there could still be some good things happening.

So tomorrow's a very busy day for me. Stopping at WW before work - I'm not sure how that's going to go. As I said before, it wasn't the most vigilant week for me, and I just had a yummy Lindt 70% orange chocolate bar (the little one: 4 points) for dessert. Then it's off to work and then from there to my LSS for a night (actually weekend) of inventory. But it looks like all my buddies will be there so really it'll just be a very fun time.

I never did any scrapping over the holidays although I did kind of clean off my desk. But I now have the printer hooked up to my laptop so maybe I can actually print a photo now & then as the mood strikes!

Happy New Year

 

Here's Holly and Myla on Christmas morning - one of the few photos taken that were actually in focus!

So I'm not a big New Years person. The last time I remember going *out* for New Years was in the late 80's! And I don't do resolutions either. This year I did manage to stay up till past midnight. Greg started his partying fairly early in the day; I don't think he stayed awake much past 12, but he'd gone downstairs before then and we didn't see him again. (His computer was giving him trouble so he went to the laptop in the basement instead.) Holly had slept for awhile earlier in the evening, but got up about 11:30. She and I watched Air Farce, wished each other a Happy New Year and went to bed! Needless to say, she and I felt just fine the next day. Greg, however, did not! No complaining, but he spent the day on the couch.

I only made one resolution - to keep a record of books as I read them. Especially for a librarian, this should be an obvious one. So far, I'm doing well. Not that I've read more than one book in the last 36 hours...I included the ones I'd read over the holidays.

I was feeling that 2007 hadn't been a very good year, but upon re-reading my blog entries I guess it was pretty good after all. Just been out of sorts the last couple of months. I do feel better now though. And I'll be kind of glad to get back to work tomorrow. I work the next 2 Saturdays so will miss the WW meetings, however I'll still weigh in before work. Hey did I tell you? 10.6 pounds! At least up until this past week - we'll see what this Saturday brings. I got into the cheese & crackers big time. Oh there might have been some chocolate too...

Speaking of Myla, we've reached an agreement where Linda (her 'real' mom) is going to come and take Myla out a few times a week. She had her for a couple of hours today and may come back tomorrow. It's good 'cause Linda's been pining for her and God knows the dog's not getting enough exercise with us. Plus we've decided that come June we will be giving her back (although I haven't told Linda yet). I think she really wants her back too. She's a great dog, but basically she's just too big for us. She needs more obedience training which I don't feel like doing, at least right now; I've got too much else on my mind. So I can't take her for a walk on-leash. She chewed through the halter I bought and also through Ruby's old leash. So we spend a lot of time at the dog park, which she loves. Don't know why though; the minute she walks in the gate she gets humped. This happens without fail every single time we go there. She's just some kind of magnet I guess. But she's so good-natured she puts up with it. Most of those dogs, if she nipped at them, would back right off but she just stands there. Funny girl.

Snow Day

It was snowing like crazy when I got up this morning. The animals were ambivalent about going outside. Myla and Timmy thought they wanted to go out, but when it came down to it, only Vespers was brave enough to venture forth.

bye-bye Christmas

Well one thing about not getting all stressed & hyped up about Christmas is that you don't suffer so much from the post-Christmas blues! We went over to Greg's mom's yesterday: there were 14 of us and there were still lots of leftovers! I gave our 4-year old great-niece my camera and sent her off to take pictures of everybody. Here are the results!


and the photographer herself

'Twas the night before Christmas

and I have a stomach-ache! See this is what happens when I eat some junk after doing WW for a few weeks. I thought I should have a few treats since it's Christmastime but I was wrong I guess. Just glad they've got a porta-potty at the dog park...

I had another breakfast date this morning - with my friend Georgia this time. So we killed a couple of hours at Second Cup and then did a bit of shopping. I got a few last minute things at London Drugs. Bought a spontaneous expensive gift for Holly. What a nice Mom I am (I knew she wouldn't be too impressed with 3 books for a Christmas present.)

Yesterday was her 14th birthday. I took her and a few friends to play lazer tag and then they came back here for ice cream cake & hung out for a couple of hours.


Yesterday as well Myla's 'real family' came and picked her up for an overnight visit. Linda was concerned that she might not remember them - ha! She went mental! At the same time, we had another dog (my friend Carrie's) over for a visit and Myla didn't know who to jump on, she was so excited. They had a good visit & brought her back this morning. I told Linda she could come and take Myla out any weekday she liked after the holidays. She's been pining for her the whole time so I won't be surprised if she wants her back in June. Which is fine - really it is.

Here she is with Mr. Impark.


Well I wish you all a Merry Christmas and God Jul! I tried to take a picture of our tree at an angle (so it would look straight) but it was out of focus!

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!!