It's finally winter

I woke up this morning and it was snowing. A bit late since we didn't get any of the white stuff on Christmas (not that I'm complaining). Anyway, I got up, had lunch, and went to work. Yup, went to work on a Sunday. Wasn't too happy about it, but with the year end, and all this stuff we have to do for the last payroll of the year, I had to go in and do as much as I can. The worst part was getting to work and realizing that I left my keys at home. Ugh. It took me 45 minutes to get to work because of the road conditions (plus, some car hit a light post), about 20 minutes to drive back home (the other side of the freeway was clear), and another 25 minutes to get back to the office. By the time I finally made it to the office, it was almost 2:00 pm. About seven hours later, I went home. I definitely need a vacation...

It feels like Monday
Having Christmas in the middle of the week sure screws things up. Christmas felt like Sunday and today feels like Monday, but it's really Thursday. I'm confused.

Olive Garden
I went for lunch with a friend of mine to the Olive Garden. We both hadn't been there in a while, so we decided to go there. We figured that there wouldn't be too many people in restaurants because everyone would be too busy with Boxing Day shopping. And sure enough, the restaurant wasn't that busy. What annoyed me was our server. I realize she was just trying to be attentive, but she was overdoing it. I mean it's one thing to check up on us and make sure our food was OK, but did she really need to visit our table every 8.5 minutes? I don't think so. We got our salad and breadsticks, she asked how everything was. We hadn't even gotten through half our salad and our lunch came (chicken vino blanco - very good). And again, she came by and asked if we were done with the salad. Uh, not quite. She came back again and asked how our lunch was, but we hadn't even had a chance to taste it, since we were still working on our salad. When we finally got to the entrée, she came back yet again and asked how everything was. It got to the point where we had to pretend that we were on our cell phones, just so she wouldn't come by. Perhaps she didn't have many tables, and was bored or something. But it was like she was hovering over us, watching our every move. I think she got the hint when we started grabbing our cell phones everytime she'd pass by. Anyway, we hung out there for a while and just caught up on stuff. [Sidenote: I think I have a new drink: venetian sunset (made with sparkling wine, pineapple juice, and grenadine)].


Star Trek Nemesis
After lunch, it was off to see Star Trek with Joi (we have this ritual of seeing Star Trek or other sci-fi movies together). I know you said not to watch it (as per your blog), but I had to. And just like the other Star Trek movie Joi and I saw (I don't remember which one, and yes Joi, we did see one a long time ago), I fell asleep during part of the movie. The beginning just dragged on and on, and I couldn't get into it. I must've dozed off for a while because then some action scenes came on, and I was able to stay awake for that. Then it kinda slowed down again, and I was about to fall asleep again, but managed to keep my eyes open. Sorry Joi, but I think this is the last Star Trek movie we'll ever watch. I'll watch other sci-fi movies with you, but not Star Trek ones.


Movie #2
After Star Trek, I headed to my co-workers place and watched Original Sin. As the movie says, "it is not a love story, but a story about love". Julia (Angelina Jolie) marries Luis (Antonio Banderas), but little does he know that she isn't who she claims to be (he finds out later on in the movie). He thinks that she's this girl he's been writing to, when really she's not. She pretty much scams him for his money, but then later on they end up together because they really do love each other. Whatever. The movie was OK.

Back to work
After having a couple days off, I really don't want to go back to work tomorrow. See, this is why Christmas should be longer... =P

And so ends another Christmas...

After all the hoopla of shopping, and the parties, and the food, and the gifts, and the tree, and the lights, it's all over. So much preparation, and it's all over in one day. You'd think that with the amount of time that's spent preparing for Christmas, it would at least last for a week or something. But nope. One day only. Don't get me wrong, I like Christmas (even though I didn't quite feel it as much this year as I did in previous years), and spending time with family and friends, but it could've lasted a bit longer.

We spent Christmas at my aunt and uncle's this year. There was lots of food, and my cousin got a whack load of presents. Of course, he's only a year and a half, so he's supposed to be spoiled. He was so cute, opening up his presents. I think the best present he got was this mini Dirt Devil cleaning set, complete with mop, broom, dust pan, etc, that my brother and Shelley got for him. As soon as he opened it up, he started sweeping the floor. It was quite funny. We hung out for a while, and then headed home to open the rest of our presents.

And now it's time to get some sleep. Thank goodness I'm not working tomorrow. And I'm NOT stepping foot into a mall either. Boxing day sales last way past boxing day anyway, so why bother "fighting" with other people for stuff. Sure there's more selection and all, but is it really worth it? I'll just wait a while. They end up slashing prices even more anyway, so I'm not worried. Besides, I'd rather go for lunch with a friend of mine (whom I haven't seen in a while), and go to a movie with Joi later in the afternoon.

I think I'm losing my touch...

...with gift-giving that is. The gift I got for my brother and Shelley - they already got one for themselves. And for my aunt and uncle, they already had 2 out of 3 things I got for them. Ugh. I'm thinking I don't want to be here next Christmas...

Just wanted to say...

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

I'm done!!!

Yay! I finally finished my Christmas shopping! Yay for me!! It took me an hour, but it's finally done. And everything's wrapped. Woo hoo! I feel much better now.

Phrase of the day

"Oh my god"

Just when I thought I'm done...
After calling Irma with my panic attack, I realized that I have yet another gift to get. Ugh. The plan for one of my presents, didn't quite work as well as I hoped, which means I have to get something in place of it. Argh! Is this shopping list ever going to end? Well, at least 98% of my presents are wrapped...or should I say bagged?

Walnut Creek
That's the name of the red wine my brother and I had tonight. We both agreed that it goes well with pancit. Who would've thought?

Sunday night programming?
I actually watched tv tonight. Surprising, since I usually watch tv on Thursdays only. I almost forgot what it was like to watch tv on weekends. I ended up watching Junior with Arnold Schwartzeneggar and Danny De Vito. I could've watched The Sound of Music, but since I have the video I didn't bother. [Speaking of which, Irma, when did you want to watch it?]

I'm exhausted
Three more days...

Saturday
After work, I went shopping. I had to. My plan was to finish all of my shopping that afternoon, but that didn't happen. I got most of my shopping done, but not all of it. Then it was off to Rachel & Brian's for the "Annual Christmas Party". Since I was in the Philippines this time last year, it had been a while since I last saw most of the people there, so it was good to see them again.

• Irma breaks out in song ("..her name was Lola, she was a showgirl..." hehehe =P)
  
• Irene's on a diet?
  
• I'm still hungry

Irma and I hung out there for a while and then headed to The Keg for a drink and a late night snack.

[Sidenote: Even with this Christmas party, I still wasn't in the Christmas mode. Is anyone else feeling like this?]

I'm 99% done my shopping...
Yay! I woke up at 10:30 am, walked to the mall (since it's just across the street and I figured I wouldn't be able to park anywhere if I drove), and got the last few presents I had to get. The only thing left on my list is a bottle of wine for my aunt and uncle. Now it's time to wrap them. (I'm taking the easy route this year and using gift bags). I should be able to relax after this.

5 more days

OK, so I'm officially in my panic mode. I wasn't quite there yesterday, but now I am. I was planning to get off work early so I could finish the last bit of shopping I had to do, but that didn't happen. Instead, I left work at about 6:00 pm and ran around like a mad woman. I didn't even stop to get something to eat, since it would be cutting into my shopping time. Since the malls close at 9:00 pm (if they closed later, I didn't know about it), I figured I had about 2 hours and 15 minutes of shopping (the other 45 minutes was spent driving around). I'm not sure what possessed me to buy something for myself (I think this is a result of Irma's subliminal message), but I did. Then I got presents for 3 other people. I still have about half a dozen things to get, but I pretty much have a game plan. It's just a matter of finding the time to get all this stuff. As much as I don't want to shop on the weekend, it looks like I have no choice. I could put it off until Monday, but I don't think it's going to be much different than the weekend. *sigh*

I just realized that the reason I was feeling all flustered yesterday was because of the full moon effect. OK, so maybe it's not entirely because of the full moon, but it seems that everytime there's a full moon, my day seems to be "off", whether it be in a good way or a bad way.

6 more days

I can feel the intensity of my panic mode gradually increase as Christmas gets closer and closer. AARRGGHH!! I don't think I'd be so frustrated, if I wasn't so busy at work. Irma, I think your subliminal message had a negative effect on me. ;-) I didn't get a chance to go shopping tonight because (i) my day was completely screwed up, (ii) I was at work until 6:45 pm, and (iii) I met Sue after work and we went to Yokozuna's for sushi. I like going there because it's a nice little place and the food is reasonable, but I wasn't too happy about waiting almost an hour for our food. It's not usually like that, but apparently the cook was way behind. Gee, thanks for telling us that an hour later, when you brought us our food =P. I did enjoy the plum wine though :-)

Hmmm, maybe the reason I'm feeling so flustered is because I haven't reached my quota of alcohol consumption for the week. Or maybe it's because I need a vacation. Or maybe it's because I need to get some sleep. *yawn*

One more week

Can you believe it? Only one more week until Christmas. And here I am thinking that I still have another week before the week before Christmas (hence 2 weeks - I'm so frazzled that I can't think straight anymore). I'm not even close to being done with shopping. ARGH! I'm starting to panic. So much to do, in so little time. I really don't want to go shopping on the weekend. And there's no way that I want to be shopping 2 days (or even the day before) Christmas. I getting stressed out. I need a massage. I need a vacation. But how can I possibly think of taking some time off when it's absolutely busy at work. GRRR! Make this madness stop!!

Chocolate Overload

I got a box of these chocolates from my boss about a week and a half ago. Knowing they were good chocolates, I didn't want to eat them right away. But I finally opened them a couple days ago (I couldn't resist anymore), and all I've been eating are these chocolates. They are the best chocolates ever! Yum!!

Weather Update

We still have no snow. I wonder if we'll get some of the white stuff next week? I don't really mind, but it's kinda hard to get into the Christmas without a little bit of snow...

When is it going to slow down?

It was yet another busy weekend for me...

Friday
I left work a bit early to get my hair cut. Actually, it was more of a trim. All I have to say is that I have the best hair dresser (I'm sure everyone says that about their own hair dressers). She's always wanting to keep my hair updated with the latest colors, styles, etc. She's been my hair dresser for the past 4 years or so, and I will never look for another one. When I went in, she mentioned that I was due for another color, since mine was "boring". Uh, OK? So we talked about what colors we would do for my next appointment (which will probably be sometime in January or February). Since I'm growing my hair out for my brother's wedding next summer, we can't really try out any of the new styles. Oh well. I'm sure I'll cut my hair right after my brother's wedding.

After my haircut, Irma and I went to meet the guys at Windsor Pub to watch the hockey game. Edmonton won against Colorado 4-3 in OT (thank goodness). We called it a night after the game, since I had to work the next day.

Saturday
I went to work for 5 hours (I actually woke up at 6:45 am – that's WAY too early – and was at work by 8:30 am), then it was off to the Jubilee to watch The Nutcracker with Irma (it only took us 2 years to finally see it =P). It was such a good show! That's the first ballet I've ever seen and it was well done. Hmmm, I guess now I can say I've been to the ballet, the opera, and the theatre. What's next?

After the ballet, I went home for a little while then it was off to the Sicilian Pasta Kitchen for Irma's sister's birthday (Happy Birthday Ghie!). The food was good, but I wasn't able to eat it all. We hung out at the restaurant for a while and continued the birthday celebration at the Druid. We watched the rest of the hockey game [Edmonton lost against Vancouver 3-6 :-( ], had a couple drinks, and Irma and I goofed around on the dance floor (hehehe). By midnight, I was exhausted, especially since I only had 3 (maybe 4) hours of sleep the night before. So we called it a night.

Well-rested
I managed to sleep in until 1:30 pm today (I probably would've slept longer if my phone didn't ring), but it was so needed due to my lack of sleep from the night before. I got up, had something to eat, cleaned my room a bit, and went to work for half an hour. I even did a bit of ironing tonight. Now I'm just lazing around surfing the net…

Online Purchase
Well, not really. I just used some of my Air Miles points to get myself a new hairdryer, since mine just died. And I don't have to pay for shipping and handling either. Woo hoo! I even have enough points remaining for a flight to Vancouver (not that I'm planning to go to Vancouver anytime soon). Only thing is, I have to wait 3-4 weeks to get my hairdryer. Oh well.

Speaking of points…
Why is it that when you have some kind of "point system" (whether it be airline points or frequent shopper points), you end up spending more than you have to to get the reward? Are you really saving anything? I have a credit card where you earn a certain percentage for every purchase you make. And as you accumulate points, you can use it towards the purchase of a new vehicle. OK, so if you wanted to make a down payment of $2,500 on a car using points, for example, you'd have to spend $83,000 (approximately) on your credit card to earn $2,500 in points. Now, if I had $83,000 to begin with I don't think I'd be too concerned with using my points to buy a car. So are these points really worth it?

Press Your Luck
That's the name of the game show I've been trying to figure out for the past few weeks. A co-worker of mine started saying "no whammies, no whammies" at work (don't know why?) and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what game show that came from. (And for some reason, I didn't think to check out gameshownetwork.com? Duh!). As I was going through the list of game shows, I started to remember the game shows I used to watch way back when.

Random Thought
If you've ever watched a game show, did you find that it was so easy to get caught up in it? Especially with the trivia ones, do you find that you shout out the answer, as if the contestant is going to hear you? I know I used to. But I think it was more of a test to myself to see if I knew the answers.

You know Christmas is getting closer when...

...everyone starts to panic because it's only 12 days away and they haven't started shopping yet...
...for those who have started shopping, they seem to have this "pissed off" look about them...
...traffic going to the mall is insane. Yeah, good luck trying to find parking (I just drove by it on my way home. Thank goodness I'm not going to be in that crowd)...
...Christmas carols are being played all over the place (I never really noticed it until a couple days ago. I guess I was tuning it out before?)...

It's really hard to get in the Christmas spirit when there's no snow on the ground. I know I'm not a big fan of the white stuff, but if there was at least a bit of it, then maybe I could get into the spirit of things. Oh well, I'll take this spring-like weather any day.

Rescheduled

My hair dresser called me this afternoon to reschedule my hair appointment. At first I thought she was calling me because she wanted to remind me (since I forgot on Saturday). But apparently, something happened with their water heater and they don't have any hot water. Not good. So it's been rescheduled for tomorrow at 5:00 pm. I hope they have hot water by then...

Speaking of water...

The water in our office washroom is orange. The cold water is normal, but the hot water is orange. Because we're in an older office building (it was built in the 1920's or something), the pipes are rusting, hence the orange water. It was really disgusting, but by late afternoon, it was back to normal. Only problem was we had no hot water coming out of the taps.

What's with all the water problems?

It was a long day of shopping...

... but I think I did OK. I didn't like the fact that I didn't have a "game plan", but I've had no time to put my Christmas list together. So I thought I'd somewhat wing it. Here's a recap of yesterday's shopping adventure:

• Stop 1: Wal-Mart. Time: 9:30 am. Wanted to pick up some supplies for work, but they didn't have these pencil cases I was looking for.
  
• Stop 2: Home Outfitters. Time: 9:45 am. Had to buy myself a power toothbrush (as per dentist's orders because I brush too hard), and it also came with a bonus battery powered one. So it was like getting 2 for the price of 1, and I also get a mail-in rebate, so really I'm saving money ;-)
  
• Stop 3: the mall. Time: 10:05 am. It was so nice to walk through with hardly anyone there. Bought myself 3 tops and a couple bras (all on sale). [I know, I haven't bought anyone anything yet, but I had to finish shopping for myself first =P]. By this time, I was done shopping for me. Then I bought some socks for stocking stuffers (so that's one not-for-me present down)
  
• Stop 4: Edmonton Center Time: 11:45 am. Had a quick bite to eat to fuel up, then it was back to shopping. Got not-for-me presents 2, 3, 4, and 5. Then bought myself 2 rings and a pair of earrings. ;-)
  
• Stop 5: Southgate Center Time: 2:30 pm. Wasn't too sure what I was going to buy here, but I thought I'd visit this mall anyway. I almost bought another top for myself, but because I was debating on whether or not to get it, I just left it there. I ended up walking out of the mall with nothing.
  
• Stop 6: Went back downtown Time: 4:00pm. Wanted to check out this one store for a dress to wear on New Year's, but they were closed. :-(

I finally decided to call it a day. Whew! I don't think I've ever done that much shopping and driving around in my life. I went home for a little while, had something to eat, then hung at Irma's.

I'm taking the day off

It's been a long time since I've taken the day off. But I'm finally doing it. And the agenda for the day is: SHOPPING!! Yup, it's going to be a full day affair. I figure I better start Christmas shopping (and shopping for myself too =P), and I might as well do it while there aren't too many shoppers in the malls. Hopefully I'll get everything done...

Weekends start on Thursday

Well, that's what it seems like to me. For the past couple Thursdays, I've been hanging out with people from work. Normally, I would just go home and watch my Thursday night programming (which, by the way, I've missed for the past 3 weeks, and I keep forgetting to set my VCR =P). But instead, I hang out with co-workers and go for drinks. This past Thursday was fun though. A couple co-workers from another location, put on a show. They formed a band called Mullet and sang cover songs. They were actually pretty good. The highlight of the evening was when Niki pulled a Charlie's Angels sommersault onto the stage and ripped a section of Sam's jeans off. :-) I left after the first set since I had to work the next morning.

Moonlight Madness

The plan on Friday was to go shopping since the mall was going to be open until midnight (I wish they had this 2 days a week). I figured this would be a great opportunity for me to start Christmas shopping. But it didn't happen. I was having a beverage after work, when the ATM repair guy showed up. I didn't even know he was coming in? I don't know why he showed up at 7:00 pm, but there he was with his tool kit and all, ready to fix the ATM. Great. So that meant I had to stay until he was done. Not great. About a half hour or so later, he left. But I still couldn't leave because my co-worker and I were waiting for a friend to show up. He didn't get there until about 9:00 pm, and by that time I was starting to lose interest in going shopping. For one thing, I hadn't eaten yet, and there's no way I'd be able to shop without being "fueled up". Plus, even if I left right away, I would only have a couple hours to shop. Knowing that the mall would probably be crowded, I figured I would need more than a couple hours. So I just went home. In hindsight, I probably should've just gone to kickboxing.

Panic Shopping

After work, I headed to Southgate to get Joi's birthday present. I can't believe I left it to the last minute. I usually would've had it done ahead of time, but I've been so busy lately. I even went to a smaller mall, so that I wouldn't have to deal with (i) bigger crowds, (ii) wasting half an hour looking for parking, and (iii) getting tempted to shop for myself. Only problem was, even though I went to a smaller mall, there was still a lot of people, just crammed into a smaller space. So my focus was to go to GAP, then to the card shop, and get out of there. I made it out of there in about half an hour and went home.

You know you need a vacation when...

...you start to forget things. As I was in line at the GAP, my hair dresser called me and I asked if I was still going in for a haircut. What?!?! Oh crap! I was so caught up in my "panic mode" that I totally forgot. So I re-scheduled for Thursday. OK, I can't forget this time. I seriously need some time off to re-group...

Joi's Birthday Bash - Part I

Irma and I went to Boun Thai Restaurant to meet up with Joi and the rest of the crew. Although Irma and I arrived fashionably late, the only other person at the restaurant (at the time) was his brother and his family. It wasn't like Joi to be late for his own birthday dinner, but we found out later that his car broke down. He finally arrived at around 8:00 pm, and by then most of the crew was there. We had dinner and the food was SO good. Noodles, coconut rice, curry chicken, bbq chicken, a fish dish, and some spicy chicken dish. Now that I think about it, almost every dish had chicken. But everything was so good. I wanted to keep eating, but I couldn't breathe anymore.

Highlights:

• keeping Irma updated
  
• Phoun has new words for his "repertoire": incognito, rendez-vous
  
• Phoun = Pedro, Joey = Jose, Jay = Juan, Joi = Jorge (pronounced HOR hay)
  
• Joi's new toque & scarf ensemble

Next Appearance

After dinner, Irma and I went to this pub to meet up with a co-worker and his soccer team. They were having their Christmas get together, so we made our appearance, had a drink, and left after an hour.

Joi's Birthday Bash - Part II

The next stop was the Bronze nightclub for part 2 of Joi's party. I ran into a few people I haven't seen in a while. I even ran into this one guy I went to college with. Talk about reunion or what? Anyway, Irma, Irene, Ghie, and I just danced the night away.

Highlights:

• Irene and the wall
  
• quota plus 2
  
• Irma's new dance moves (hehehehe =P)
  
• laughing too much
  
• where's Irma? (apparently, she was hanging out with Ed)
  
• "employees only"

Shopping Again

After running a couple errands today, I decided to do a bit of shopping. I had about an hour and a half before the mall closed, so I figured why not? I wanted to get some earrings (since I lost one of mine on Friday), but didn't see anything I liked and that wouldn't irritate my ears (I can only wear sterling silver or gold earrings. The other stuff irritates my ears). So I just wandered through the mall, scanning for things that caught my eye. I ended up getting two shirts. Yay! All I need is a couple more things for myself, and then I can go Christmas shopping.

Dinner with the boss

All the managers, my supervisor, and myself are having dinner at my boss' house. It should be a laid back type of evening. As long as they don't talk about work (which I don't think they will), then it should be OK. I should probably get going though, since the dinner is at 7:00 pm, and I don't want to be late. Plus, I'm getting hungry too.

Not a good day

For the past week, I think I spent most of my time running between offices (since they're all within a block or two away from each other), because something seems to go "wrong" and they need me to fix it or something. Ugh. Plus it didn't help that payroll arrived late, which didn't give me much time to put these reports together. By the time I got payroll and got the information I needed, it was 1:15pm. And management needed the reports for their 2:00 pm meeting. Great. And of course, the numbers didn't balance right off the bat. But I did manage to get the reports done on time. Only problem was, my source of brain fuel only came from a banana. I didn't get a chance to stop and have lunch because I got so caught up in what I was doing, that I lost track of time. I ended up having lunch at 6:00 pm (which equates to dinner), and then headed to kickboxing. I almost didn't go because I started to feel cranky (because I missed lunch, and I was getting tired), but then I thought I needed to let this frustration out. When I got to kickboxing, I could not get motivated. I wasn't really into it and my balance was totally off. I should've gone shopping instead. But then, I probably would've ended up spending more than what I usually would have.

So much for going to sleep early...

My plan was to have dinner, check email real quick, and then go to sleep. But then a friend of mine called and we ended up chatting for 45 minutes. OK, maybe I should go to sleep now...

I don't like waiting

But I have no choice. I'm sitting in my old office waiting for payroll to arrive (because we forgot to tell them that we moved down the street), but it's not here yet. And it was supposed to be here by 9:30 am. Or at least that's how early they've been coming lately. There's no set time on when they deliver it, but it would be nice to know an approximate time (plus or minus half an hour), so I'm not sitting here wasting my time. Although I am catching up on blogging and email and stuff. =P

Where is this cold weather coming from?

We were having such nice weather up until this morning. I woke up to snow and wind and cold weather. Ugh. Not liking this at all...

Random Thought

What is it about snow that causes people to drive differently? I mean, shouldn't they realize that they need to take extra time to get to work, etc? It took me an hour to get to work this morning. And I even "scammed" my through traffic too. I didn't cut anyone off, but I used the open lane that no one seemed to want to drive in? I hope traffic isn't like this tomorrow.

I spoke too soon...
Just as I was getting comfortable sitting in front of my computer, munching on popcorn, my phone rang at around 10:30 pm last night. It was Irene telling me to get ready and that her and Irma were going to pick me up in about half an hour. Huh?!? Uh, OK. So much for staying home on a Saturday night. =P

They picked me up at about 11:00 pm and we headed downtown. Where to go? At first we weren't sure, but then we decided that our first stop should be Ceili's. We did a quick round, had a drink, and sat and listened to David Gallagher for a little while. The next stop was The Druid, but since there was a line, we didn't go in. So we headed to Whyte Ave. Plan C was The Attic, but there was a line as well. Plan D was Suite 69, and again there was a line. So when in doubt, go to the usual, where we don't have to wait in line. I didn't want to go because I've been making frequent appearances there, but it was OK. We had a couple drinks there [I had my quota minus one] and called it a night.

Highlights:

• "Can you hear me?"
  
• "Do you see him?"
  
• singing along to Rod Stewart
  
• Irene was "glowing"
  
• the ABC's of alcoholism
  
• grasshopper or caterpillar?
  
• color of the night: orange

Busy Sunday
I haven't had a busy Sunday in a long time. I even managed to get up at 10:00 am (that's early for me, especially on a Sunday) to start my day.

Shopping
The first thing on my agenda was to go shopping. Yup, I actually braved the mall. Who would've thought that I'd step into a mall on a weekend, knowing how crowded it's going to be with everyone doing their Christmas shopping? That's why I got up early. I figured that if I got there early enough, I would beat the crowds and get some shopping done. After an hour and 45 minutes, I left the mall with four pairs of pants and a skirt. Not bad considering I had a time limit and I had to deal with all those people. I know I should be Christmas shopping for other people, but I haven't made my list yet, and I haven't gone shopping for myself in almost 2 months! Plus, I realized that I need to take a full day off (or two) from work to get all my shopping done.

Afternoon Coffee
After I went shopping, I met a friend of mine for coffee. We sat around and hung out for a while, until I had to meet Irma and Joi.


Sunday Ritual with Irma & Joi
It's been a long time since Irma, Joi, and I had our Sunday ritual of watching a matinee and then going to Café Select. So that's what we did this afternoon. We went to Eaton Centre to watch Friday After Next. It was a funny movie! The three of us had a few "moments" where we burst out laughing because of what was said. The other people in the theater probably thought something was wrong with us, but it was hilarious watching the things we could relate to.

After the movie, we went to Café Select where we got something to eat and caught up on stuff. Irma and I finished the ABC's of Alcoholism from the night before, and then the three of us came up with the ABC's of Café Select

Highlights:

• "Mr. A.Hole & Mr. B.Dicks"
  
• dun da da daaaaaaaa
  
• "Let me check my palm pilot"
  
• "Did you hear that?"
  
• you know it's time to find a new hang out when you've sat in every section of the restaurant, and every server has had a chance to serve you

What a day. *yawn* I should get to sleep...

Men in Black II
Another movie I haven't seen. I watched it on DVD last night and thought it was OK. It was quite similar to the first one, but I thought the first one was better. Although I did like the Benz Will Smith was driving. =P

It's been a long week
With the move to the new office, and organizing, and settling in, it's been a bit difficult to try to accomplish any kind of work. So I put in a few hours today to try and somewhat catch up. We're still not completely organized, and probably won't be for another week or two (hopefully). I just wish everything was ready, but I know that would be too perfect. If only there was a way to put the work on hold while we're getting things organized...

Reading Material
After work, I decided to shop down Whyte Ave. I went into a couple of clothing stores and saw a sweater, but I didn't get it because I felt "iffy" about it. I guess part of the reason was because I wasn't really in the mood to be shopping for clothes (which is really weird because I've been complaining for the past week on how I need to go shopping). Is there something wrong with me? =P Anyway, I ended up at Chapters and bought Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and The Alchemist [Bern, you recommended this book to me a while ago, and I'm finally taking you up on it. ;-)]. Now the question is, when will I be able to read these books? I guess I shouldn't have bought them if I'm not going to read them anytime soon, but then if I didn't get them now, I probably wouldn't read them at all. Plus, I got a discount with my Chapters card. =P

Random Thought
Do you ever buy things that you don't really need, but think you might need them at some point in time? Case and point with the purchase of my two books earlier. I don't really need them right now, and I probably won't start reading them anytime soon, but I just felt the urge to get them. Besides the fact that I got a discount with my Chapters card, part of the reason is because my Chapters card expired today so I felt the need to put it to use so-to-speak. But then I ended up renewing my card as well. Go figure. I still have books that I bought a long time ago (because they were on sale) that I haven't opened since I bought them. Perhaps subconsciously I'm trying to expand my library?? Maybe I should stay home and read these books, instead of going out all the time. Is that possible? =P

I just realized...
...that I'm actually home on a Saturday night. First time in a long time that that's happened...

Ice Age

I finally saw Ice Age on DVD tonight. That movie was pretty funny. There was one scene where I somewhat had a "moment" [Irma will understand] where Manny makes these gestures with his snout. I even watched the second disk with the bonus material. What can I say, I was in a kid flick type of mood. =P

What a Day

The rest of the day was spent setting up the new office. We assembled our new desks (I think mine's in birch veneer?), which we got from Ikea [sidenote: I really like my new chair, although mine's just plain black]; put the filing cabinets back in order; and got a couple of the computers up and running (although they're not networked yet). It's been another long day. *yawn* I think I'm going to call it a night now...

Moving Day

6:00 am. That's what time my alarm went off this morning. WAY to early. Especially since I didn't get to sleep until 2:00 am. *yawn*

7:20 am. That's what time I actually woke up. Ugh. And I had to be at the office by 8:00 am. So I quickly jumped out of bed, got ready, and zipped down to work. I somehow made to work in about 12 minutes (give or take), and my boss and a couple other co-workers were starting to load the truck.

9:30(-ish) am. By this time we had 90% of everything moved over to the new office.

Now I'm just waiting to make one more trip to the office. I even got to drive the white beast (a.k.a. the company van). Although it is not very user friendly, since I wasn't able to adjust the seat, so I had to sit on the edge of the seat to reach the gas pedal. =P

Packing, packing, and more packing

Since we're moving to our new office tomorrow (which is only a block and a half down the street), most of the day was spent packing. Boxing stuff, taking furniture apart, etc. It's been a long day actually. And we're not even taking everything with us, even though it seems like we are.

I'm looking forward to moving, but at the same time I'm not. The good thing is, we'll have our own office and everything will be more centralized. The bad thing is, I won't be seeing much of my co-workers. I'm sure I'll see them almost everyday, but it's different when you're not around them all the time. That's definitely one thing I'll miss. I guess I'll have to find a happy medium somehow...

Jackie

That's the name of this girl who lives on the streets. From what my boss told me, she's constantly being abused (not so much physically, but verbally and emotionally) by her boyfriend. My boss has noticed them from time to time, and each time he walks by them, the boyfriend is aggressive with her. Today my boss finally decided to help Jackie. He managed to get her away from him, and brought her to our office. One of my co-workers had a talk with her and explained that there is help out there. A few minutes later, the boyfriend tried to get into the office, but my boss and my supervisor kicked him out. A couple minutes after that, the cops showed up. They had a talk with Jackie and took her to a place where she could get help and get away from her boyfriend.

I've never been in a situation like that where there's so much emotion. I couldn't help but feel afraid for Jackie and the predicament she was in. But the bottom line is, only she can make the decision on whether or not she wants to get the help she needs. I found out later that she comes from a wealthy family. So how can something like this happen to her? It just goes to show you that regardless of what social economic demographic you're in, you can still wind up on the streets. I hope that Jackie gets the help she needs, and doesn't go back to him.

Grey Cup Weekend

I've noticed that the past few weekends have been quite busy for me. So much so that I haven't had much time to blog. Oh well. Better late than never...

Thursday
I reached my quota of 4 beverages, went out to dinner at Bul-Go-Gi House, and then hung out with a few co-workers. OK, so I started Grey Cup Weekend a bit early, but hey, it was a long day...

Friday
The plan was for Irma and I to hit a new venue: Grey Cup party at Crowne Plaza. No problem, right? Well, I picked her up, we headed downtown, and drove by Crowne Plaza only to see a line up that stretched down the block. Since we didn't want to stand in line, plan B was to check out the Igloo, another Grey Cup party place. Again there was a line that went down the block. Great. We ended up going to a friend's house and hung out there for the rest of the evening, drinking beer and vodka, and playing cards. It turned out to be a good night just hanging out.

Saturday
My first Saturday off in a long time. Yay! I slept in until 11:30 am, since I went to sleep late the night before. It was so nice to sleep in because I really needed the rest. I got up, had some breakfast, and went to kickboxing class. It kinda felt weird going to class in the afternoon, since I usually go on Wednesday and Friday nights. It was a good class nonetheless.

After kickboxing, I went home, had some lunch, and got ready for the evening. Irma and I planned to check out the Crowne Plaza venue again, but this time we planned to be there a bit early. Since I had some time to kill before meeting up with Irma for dinner, I went to Chapters to do a bit of shopping. I ended up wandering in Chapters for about an hour and came out with nothing. It wasn't that I couldn't find anything, but rather I saw too many things I wanted to buy for myself (uh hello, I'm supposed to start Christmas shopping =P). I was getting frustrated, so I went to pick up Irma.

Once I picked her up, we went to Red Lobster and met up with Jo Anne and Christine. Dinner was so good! I was a bit disappointed when I got vegetables instead of french fries (I was so craving french fries), but I guess the vegetables were better for me anyway. The four of sat there for a while and chit-chatted.

Crowne Plaza venue - take 2. Irma and I headed downtown, drove by Crowne Plaza, and again there was a line. It wasn't as long as the previous night, but it was too cold to even consider standing in line. Since we weren't having much luck with these Grey Cup parties, we went to the usual and hung out there for the rest of the evening.

Highlights:

• Sex in the City moment
  
• sex toy discussion
  
• "becoming a burglar" by Christine
  
• intense discussions between Irma and Jay
  
• François wondering why Irma wasn't yelling at him
  
• a new grasshopper for Irma
  
• eye contact
  
• "will you cuddle with me?"
  
• half open eyes vs. wide open eyes

Grey Cup Sunday
Finally, the event that everyone was waiting for. Edmonton vs. Montreal in the Grey Cup final. My brother and I went to the usual to watch the football game. A bunch of my co-workers were there, so we hung out with them. Unfortunately, Edmonton lost 25-16 :-( They made some stupid plays, and I really think they should've won the game. I'm not a big football fan, but I know enough about the sport to appreciate the game, and know what's going on. After the game, my brother and I hung out for a while and then went home. I had a quick bite to eat, then it was off to the soccer center to watch another co-worker play.

Highlights:

• Irma's watching the game = it's Irma's fault Edmonton lost (just kidding =P)
  
• "where's you're screwdriver?" [you know you're an alcoholic when... =P]
  
• pickled eggs
  
• having my own "circle moment"
  
• Random Thought
  Some sports have certain "habits" or "traditions" during a game. Baseball players chew tobacco. Hockey coaches (for the most part) chew gum. Soccer players drink beer and eat pickled eggs after a game. But what do football players do? What do basketball players do? Just a thought... (I think I watch too much sports)

5 more weeks...

Can you believe it? 5 more weeks until Christmas! *sigh* And I haven't even begun to think about Christmas shopping. I'm actually dreading to go Christmas shopping simply because of the crowded malls. I'm not a big fan of being pushed over and stepped on while everyone gets caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I like the holidays. It's the whole process leading up to it which I don't like. I suppose I should start making my Christmas list before I even attempt to enter a mall. Or I could just go shopping for myself. hehehe. =P

Professional Development Seminar

I had a communication seminar which took up most of the day. It dealt with "strengthening the team" and developing effective relationships in the workplace, whether it be between employees, clients, or friends & family. I expected it to be a boring seminar, but it turned out to be quite interesting. It opened my eyes about myself, and helped me understand a bit better the different ways of communicating with people.

Have you ever had difficulty communicating with someone, where no matter how hard you try to explain things to them, they just don't get it? Or, they get offended somehow? Or, the message you're trying to get across is misunderstood? This seminar showed us how to read people, and by knowing their personality types, figuring out a way to communicate with them effectively. I know the type of person I am, and sometimes I can be too direct or blunt with people, regardless of the situation. But after having this seminar, I know that I can't always be like that because some people will take it the wrong way.

What color are you?
With respect to the seminar, I took a couple online tests, just to see if I'd come up with the "color(s)" I supposedly am. You can be one of four colors: blue, orange, green, gold. On one test, I ended up being almost a three-way tie between green, gold, and orange, and very little blue. Which is quite close to how I am now. So what color are you?

And the night went on…

So after the movie, I went home for a little while then Irma called me. Grace and Rohan were in from Vancouver, and they wanted to go out. So where to go? Since Irma and I don't work that well under pressure, we finally came up with Scruffy Murphy's. When we got there, the place was absolutely dead. We stayed for one drink, and went on to plan B which was the Armoury. But since there was a line, we finally decided on plan C, Suite 69. Again, we had a couple drinks [quota minus one] and danced most of the night.

Highlights:

• parallel parking (literally)
  
• cute guy watching hockey, but then he disappeared
  
• dancing beer tub chick who can't dance and kept re-adjusting her dress?
  
• being surrounded by people having their "moments"
  
• "I'm having a "moment" moment"

CFL Western Conference Final

Me and a co-worker of mine watched the football game this afternoon, between Edmonton and Winnipeg. We went to O'Byrne's, since they had a big screen, but the only problem was there weren't that many people there. A few other people were supposed to meet us there, but they didn't show up. Oh well. We stayed for a drink and then headed to the usual for the second half of the game. Going into the third quarter, Edmonton was up 22-6. But toward the end of the fourth quarter, the score was 32-30. Huh?!? As I watching Winnipeg catch up, I couldn't help but wonder if Irma was watching the game. [Sidenote: Lately, everytime Irma watches a hockey or football game, our home team ends up losing. Coincidence? =P]. Thank goodness, Edmonton won 33-30. Irma called me after the game, and sure enough, she was watching the game just as I had suspected. hehehe. =P

Next week is the Grey Cup, where Edmonton will face Montreal. All I have to say is Go Esks Go!

Acting Debut

Well, not really. I got asked by another co-worker of mine to be in one of his video presentations for school. The subject was on sexual harrassment and I had to say a couple lines, in addition to grabbing his butt. It was kinda funny, and it turned out OK. It's a good thing no one in his class will know who I am. But then again, stranger things have happened…

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets

Louise and I made plans to see Harry Potter. I wanted to read the book again to refresh my memory on what happened, and try to compare it to the movie (since that's what I did last time), but I didn't get a chance to read it. I met Louise and her daughter at the theater an hour before it started, and there was a huge line, with kids of all ages running all over the place. Louise was closer to the front of the line, which was good since we wanted to get good seats. As we were standing in line, I noticed these 2 kids who seemed like they were inching their way around me. Uh hello, it's not like you're going to get crappy seats?! Anyway, they finally let us in about half an hour before the show. We went in, got our seats, and then I went back out to get popcorn (we got the Harry Potter deal, with this big refillable bucket of popcorn, a big drink, and a Sidekick chocolate bar).

One thing about the movie is that it is long, with a running time of 171 minutes (or so they say). There were also some parts in the movie that made me jump. Overall, it was a great movie!

Highlights:

• family sitting next to me took up the rest of the row, plus part of the row behind them
  
• guy shouting out "2 seats… looking for 2 seats…" in an auctioneer-type of voice (all he had to say was "going once, going twice, sold" and it would've been complete)
  
• getting hit in the head with a gummy bear or something
  
• sticky shoes

Now the question is, what's the plan for the rest of the evening?

The week wasn't as quiet as I thought...

Irma and I went to the usual on Thursday. What?!?! Out on a weeknight?! Well, it's not like it's the first time... Anyway, I was planning to go to the gym and then watch my Thursday night programming, when Irma called me at work. OK, plans changed. I went home first, watched Friends, then headed to Irma's place. We got to the usual and waited for her co-worker to show up. While we were waiting, I noticed that I was getting a bit too much information from Irma. I never thought that I would be "traumatized" by her. hehehe. =P (And this was brought about by the "G.I. Joe & Barbie" thing). About an hour and a half later, there was no sign of her co-worker, so we went home.

The King & I

The restaurant that is. That's where Irma, Jo Anne, Matthew and I had dinner tonight. The food was unbelievable! We had coconut rice, curry chicken, seafood nest, a chicken & vegetable dish, and sweet and sour noodles. YUM! I was surprised at how much I ate. I guess I was really hungry, especially since I went to kickboxing tonight. And suprisingly, with the amount of food I ate, I didn't feel too bloated (which is a good thing). After dinner, Irma, Matthew and I went to the usual (again) and had a few drinks [quota minus one for me]. We stayed for a couple hours, then went home.

Highlights:

• Sex in the City moment
  
• talking in tagalog
  
• "P.S... BTW... By the by..."
  
• "what's our moment?"
  
• rub the buddha
  
• "I miss you... I miss you more..."
  
• "I'm scared of you"
  
• slapping foreheads

And now for another update…
OK, so maybe I'll have a quieter week this week??? (I'm hoping…)

Drinking on Sunday?
After having a LONG nap and getting recharged, Irma and I went to Sherlock Holmes for part 2 of my co-workers birthday celebration. It happened to be karaoke night, but Irma and I didn't sing. We sang along, but we didn't take the microphone. Maybe if I had a couple more drinks? I was feeling "happy" after the third drink (1 less than my quota), since I didn't have anything in my stomach. Irma and I got some spinach and artichoke dip, and just inhaled it. We hung out for a little while, and went home.

Highlights:

• freaking out Irma with my knowledge of country songs
  
• "I can't accept this" (bartender having issues with $10 bill because he thought it was fake (when it wasn't), but we finally got rid of it by giving it to the other bartender)
  
• what's up with the bald guys?
  
• rain snow or shine, Irma and I make it a point to be out

Monday
I slept. I worked for 6 hours during the day (which I wasn't too thrilled about), went home and had lunch, and slept again. I woke up a couple times because someone phoned me, but I went back to sleep both times. When I finally woke up (only because my dad had the volume on the stereo on high), I had something to eat, and got caught up on my Thursday night programming (which I taped because I was too busy doing all this other stuff). By 11:30 pm I went to sleep again. =P

Don Pasquale
It was another evening at the opera tonight with Irma. (So much for going to the gym). We went to the Jubilee and saw Don Pasquale, a western (but sung in Italian?) about an old, wealthy man who marries his doctor's sister, but in the end it is Don Pasquale who is scammed by his new wife Norina (aka Dr. Malatesta's sister, aka "Sofronia"), Dr. Malatesta, and his nephew, Ernesto. It was a 2 hour and 40 minute comedy, which I didn't really get into until Act III. I just couldn't keep my eyes open during the first two acts. Not because it was boring, but more because of sleep deprivation. Besides the fact that I was kind of dozing off during the first two acts, it was still pretty good.

Highlights:

• "super-titles"
  
• snow angels
  
• changing seats
  
• "where's the popcorn?"

Long Weekend
Well, so much for staying home. Again, this weekend was jam-packed with events…

Saturday
After a long day at work, I took a nap since I knew I would need my energy for the rest of the night. I woke up after 45 minutes, and got ready. Then my trek began by picking up my friend Ryan, and then Irma.

The first stop was at the Shaw Conference Center for a food and wine tasting thing. When we got there, there was a huge ass line. We probably waited for about an hour before we finally got in. Once inside, we headed straight for a food booth because we were so hungry. We went to the Buon Thai Restaurant booth and got some food. It was SO good. I was still hungry after that, so I wanted to get dessert. Ryan and I found this chocolate raspberry brownie dessert thing that was really good too. After we got our energy, it was time to hit a wine booth. But where to go? It took a while before Ryan and I found a wine booth that we wanted to try out, but Irma didn't seem to have any problems. ;-) I noticed, that in no time, Irma had a glass of wine in her hand. And that glass kept getting filled throughout the evening. We made our way through the venue, sampling different wines and food. I had some ice wine, which I really enjoyed. Too bad they weren't giving full glasses of those. We also ran into Joi, Phoun, Joey, Ally, Jay, and the rest of the crew. After about an hour and a half, we decided to leave. I still had a few food/wine tickets left, so I went back to Buon Thai for more food, and back to the booth that had the ice wine. Once we got rid of our tickets, we left. I drove Ryan back home, since he had to work, and Irma and I headed back to Whyte Ave.

Highlights:

• "Bo Brady" look-alike and Mr. Six Figures
  
• "Is that her real hair?" (comment made about this lady standing in line)
  
• "You are getting sleepy…"

The next stop was the usual, for a co-worker's birthday. We sat, chit-chatted with a few people, and had a few drinks. Irma and I probably stayed for about an hour and a half, and at the time, called it a night. Only when we got in the car and I was about to drive Irma home, we decided not to call it a night. Especially since it was only 11:30 pm on a Saturday night! What's wrong with that picture?! The plan was to drive by the Druid to see if there was a line. We drove by, and sure enough there was. Plan C was to check out Ceili's, since we hadn't been there in ages. We didn't have to worry about a line up there, so we walked right in. David Gallagher (a local singer) was singing and it was good to see him again. We also noticed that most of the people at Ceili's, were at the food and wine tasting at Shaw earlier in the evening. Irma and I sat at the bar, got a drink, and next thing I know, we're being "stalked" by some out-of-towner. Great. We were getting a bit annoyed with him, so we decided to leave. On our way out, we ran into a couple other guys (Michael & Chris) and hung out with them for the rest of the evening.

Highlights:

• ran into a guy I've known since elementary, but all I could hear was "blah blah blah…"
  
• "I'm involved…"
  
• lost keys
  
• kamusta

The final stop was Overtime for last call. By this point, I had fulfilled my quota of alcohol consumption for the evening. We danced a bit with the guys and called it a night.

Highlights:

• "a block away" or "2 blocks away"
  
• squeak, squeak…
  
• new sweater

Sunday
We went to Humpty's for breakfast, and then I came home to take a nap. After a really really long nap (I'm not sure how long I was out for?), I'm up again. Because guess what, there's another "event" that Irma and I are going to tonight. I never thought I'd say this but, is this long weekend over yet?!?

Back to the Ritual

Finally, a day of rest. Whew! This past week alone has been absolute craziness. From venue to venue Irma and I went. So it was nice to have a day where we could relax and have our ritual Friday, which involves watching Sex in the City. We had some wine and some popcorn and just vegged in front of the TV. I would like to do this every Friday like Irma and I orginally planned, but for one reason or another, it hasn't been happening that way. I suppose I could make it a point to stay home (or in this case, stay at Irma's), especially since I work on Saturday mornings, but lately something always comes up. Maybe I should turn my phone off or something and make myself scarce, so I'm not tempted to go out. But then what fun would that be? =P

Re-cap of the past 3 days
I really need to get back online more often…

Monday
It was a very long day at work, with reports and payroll to do. I was planning to go to kickboxing afterward, but was too tired and couldn't find the motivation to go. Instead, a few co-workers and I had a few drinks. I went home for a little while, and then headed to the soccer center, to watch indoor soccer. I've never watched indoor soccer before, so it was cool to go. I had a couple more drinks (thus reaching my quota of 4 again =P), and went home.

Tuesday
Irma met me at work, since we planned to go out for dinner and watch a movie. Only thing was, we ended up having a couple drinks and by the time we left to go to L'Azia for dinner, we wouldn't have had time to make it to the movie. So the movie was cancelled. L'Azia was a cool restaurant, with good food and nice ambiance. (Another Café Select-ish type place?). I had the oriental mango chicken salad and it was so good!

After dinner, we went to the soccer center (on the northeast side of town), to watch a few of my co-workers play soccer (if you haven't noticed, soccer is a big thing with the people I work with). I don't remember what team they played against, but we won 5-0. Yay! It was so exciting to watch and I couldn't help but giggle at some of the fans for the opposing team when they were cheering (actually, it was just the way this one lady was cheering).

You would think that was the end of the night, but no. From the soccer center, we went to Stolli's where Joi and Phoun were having a fundraiser. Irma and I had something to drink (I was one short of my quota. Irma, on the other hand, had 6! Way to go! hehehe) and hung out for a little while, before finally calling it a night.

Wednesday
I finally made it kickboxing! I started to feel a bit of a cold coming on so I figured that sweating it out might help it from getting worse. It was a good class, and I'm glad I went. Finally, a day where I stayed home and did nothing.

jackass the movie

I took a friend of mine out tonight to see jackass the movie for his birthday. He really wanted to see the movie so I figured why not. Little did I know what I was getting into. If you're familiar with the show on MTV, then you know what you can expect to see in the movie. Yeah well, I don't get MTV, so I had no idea what to expect. I read a bit about the movie and didn't think it would be so bad. Let's just say it's totally a guy movie. You couldn't help but shake your head at some of the stunts they did. Basically, the guys in this movie get a kick out of inflicting pain on themselves. I'd rather not get into what exactly they did, but I have to say some of it was gross. Bottom line, it wasn't really my type of movie, but as long as my friend enjoyed it that's all that matters.

4
That seemed to be the magic number over the weekend…

Thursday
After handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, I watched a bit of my Thursay night programming, and then headed to work where they were having a Halloween thing. I wasn't planning on going, but when I heard that the guys were dressing up as women, I couldn't resist. And when I got there, I couldn't help but laugh. The scary part was that a couple of them actually looked good, and the really scary part was they were comfortable with what they were wearing. I didn't dress up (since I didn't have a costume in mind), so I just went to observe everyone that was there. Let's just say is was interesting. I had a couple drinks (OK, 4 to be exact) and then headed home.

Friday
I had an unproductive day at work. First of all, the video camera installer guys were back, hooking up the camera to the monitor. Everything seems to be working, but I think we're still missing 3 video cameras? All I have to say is I think these guys are dorks.

Random Thought
Do you ever notice that when guys communicate with some kind of walkie-talkie or have some kind of ear-piece thing, that they walk around thinking that they're all important? That's what one of the video camera installer guys was doing. He was pacing in the middle of my office communicating with someone at some other location or something, and just his mannerisms suggested that he felt he was one of the "top guys". Whatever. Even when you walk into a Gap, Old Navy, or any other store that uses those ear-piece things, it's like they all think they're on Mission Impossible or something doing undercover work?? But I'm digressing. Anyway…

My supervisor also returned from Australia, so I ended up informing him on what's been happening while he was away for the past month. After I got him all caught up, he started telling stories about his adventures in Australia. Then it was lunch time, so we got something to eat. After lunch, he had a meeting, and after his meeting we went to our new office to see what we had to get for the office (new desks, phone lines, etc.). That took the rest of the afternoon, and by the time we got back to the office, it was already 5:00 pm! So much for trying to get some work done. =P

I hung out at work for a while, then grabbed something to eat before heading to the hockey game with a co-worker of mine. Edmonton played Boston and the final score was 1-1. Edmonton had many chances to win the game, but didn't. Comrie should've scored a breakaway goal, but it didn't happen. The game was OK, but I expected better puck handling, more scoring, and maybe a fight. After the game, we headed back to the usual for a couple drinks (again, I had 4 drinks that evening). I headed home around midnight, since I had to work the next day.

Saturday
Irma and I went to Oktoberfest at Shaw Conference Center, where we partied with 3500 of our closest friends. =P When we got there, we got our complimentary beer mug, bought our oktoberfest hats (felt hat with feather), and headed straight for the food, since we were so hungry from waiting in line. Dinner was not bad, and then the polka band started playing. The last time I did the polka was in school for Phys. Ed., so attempting to do it again was a bit interesting. Let's just say we winged it.

Besides the polka, we did the Bird Dance, the Elephant Dance, and the Hokey Pokey. You'd think we were at a kid's party or something? It was fun nonetheless. We danced for a while, had a couple drinks, and then Dr. Hook came on. We stayed a bit longer, and then headed to the usual for last call.

Highlights:

• guy sitting next to Irma during dinner kept spilling beer on her
  
• long sleeve vs. short sleeve
  
• light blue vs. dark blue
  
• dancing drunk guy spilled most of his drink on the dance floor instead of actually drinking it
  
• "dose" in the bathroom and on the dance floor
  
• I reached my quota of 4 drinks for the evening

No "laid back" Sunday for me

As much as I wanted to stay home and have my typical relaxing-veg-in-front-of-the-tv-type Sunday (especially after the past few days), I ended up doing a bit of shopping. Irma and I went to the mall to get her frames, and I went shopping for a friend's birthday present. We also stopped by Chapters to look at dream dictionaries (I had a weird dream, which I will discuss later), and check out some travel books. We sat there for what seemed like an hour and then went home.

Weird Dream

I had the weirdest dream a while ago. Actually it was more disturbing than it was weird. It was about a prince and princess who were about to get married. A day or two before the actual wedding, the prince and princess were at the castle having tea or something. The princess was sitting on the couch next to a bear (which was the prince's pet???). Then the bear looked over at the princess, bit her head off, and spit it out. There was blood all over the place, and then I woke up. I was just horrified with my dream and I don't know why I would have a dream like that. I mean, it's not like I watched a horror movie or something. When Irma and I checked out what "bear" meant in the dream dictionary, it said something about having either (i) a threatening rival, or (ii) some misfortune is supposed to come my way. Not quite the explanation I was looking for. I think I need a vacation to clear my head...

Office Chaos

I'm sitting in the middle of my office with these guys installing some security stuff (video cameras, DVR, etc.). There are wires and crap all over the place, making it difficult to concentrate on work. And one of the guys has a cold because he keeps blowing his nose. Yuck! He better not make me sick. =P And during all this chaos, they somehow managed to screw up one of our computers. Great. All I have to say is that we're taking it off their bill.

Happy Halloween!!

As in previous years, I have been designated candy distributor for the evening. It should be OK. I always like seeing the little kids (those 5 years old and under) because they look so cute in their costumes. I don't like seeing the teens knocking on my door because I think they're too old for trick-or-treating. But that's just my opinion.

Random Thought
Every year I always talk about doing something for Halloween, like dressing up and going out somewhere. But every year, well at least for the past few years, I end up staying home and handing out candy to kids. Part of the reason is that Halloween is during the middle of the week, so it's hard to go out and party when you have to work the next morning. Also, I have a tough time trying to figure out a costume. You'd think I'd have some idea, since I have an entire year to plan, but I end up getting my ideas after the fact. Go figure. =P

One year ago today...

I was getting ready to leave my other job. Hard to believe that was only last year. I've only been at my current job for 10 months, but it seems like I've been here longer.

[Almost] Banker's Hours

I was going to take the day off today, but decided to go to work since I still have a few things to do before my supervisor gets back from Australia on Friday. I finally got to work at 10:30 am (yup, 10:30 am!), did some filing, had lunch, worked a little bit, then went home at 4:30 pm. I just wasn't into it today. I should've went with my original plan and took the day off and got my hair done or something.

Blah

I don't know what's with me. I've been having a tough time getting motivated at work. I mean, everything's fine when I get there in the morning, but by 2:00 pm or so I get really tired and just feel like taking a nap. Maybe all this extra time I've been putting in at work is starting to catch up with me. To date, I have 40 hours banked. I think it's time to take some time off. ;-)

You know the world is too small when...

...someone randomly stumbles onto your blog and you find that out that you have a mutual acquaintance/friend/cousin.

And what is up with the comments?

First it's there, then it's not... ugh...

Snow update

OK, the snow is official. It has snowed, and will most likely stay on the ground for more than 24 hours. Therefore, snow is officially here. *sigh*. Even though it snowed a bit on my birthday, and there were a few flurries over the weekend, I still didn't consider it "official" snow because it melted right away. Now that it has covered everything, it is definitely here.

Birthday Celebration – Day 2

Irma and Jo Ann picked me up last night and it was off to Gabriella's 4th birthday party. Again, there was lots of food and lots of kids, which is to be expected since it is a kid's birthday. What was really cute was how the kids sang Happy Birthday, first in English, then in French, then in English again (are these kids smart, or what?). We hung out there for a while, then I drove Jo Ann home since she was feeling a little under the weather. Then I drove back to the birthday to pick up Irma and Irene. We decided to go to this Irish pub on Whitemud Crossing, since none of us had been there before. We met up with a couple other friends and did a bit of dancing and a bit of drinking. Based on what happened the night before, my consumption of alcohol was more moderate, since I didn't want to have a "repeat performance". We finally called it a night at around 1:30 am.

Irma drove me home, but when we parked in the driveway, we realized that there was a time change. Hmmm, so we really have an extra hour. Since both of us were still quite awake, we decided to go to Humpty's to get something to eat.

Highlights:
• "Are we there yet?… How about now?"
  
• Irma doing "aerobics"
  
• Irene dancing with the thermostat? hehehe
  
• "I see bald people"
  
• humpty's bangers
  
• (replay) "thanks Irma…"
  
• no Molson Dry for Rick
  
• Irene dancing on the chair
  
• "Wanna see my thong? Wait, where is it?"

Recovering Sunday

After quite an eventful weekend, it was only fitting that I get the required rest that I so needed. So I slept in, stayed in my pj's all day, and vegged. I watched a bit of tv, had something to eat, played on the computer, watched a bit more tv, had something to eat again, and watched a bit more tv. Now that I finally got kicked off the tv, I'm back to the computer. Not a productive day, but hey, I'm allowed to have days like these. ;-)

... continued...
6. Dinner at Bul-Go-Gi House (with Irma, Niki, and Rick);
7. Watched the football game (Edmonton vs. Saskatchewan) with Irma, Rick, and Joi (all wearing Edmonton Eskimo hats);
8. Really loud fan sitting in our row (I couldn't hear myself think. My hearing was a bit affected the rest of the night);
9. Triple play action at the football game: (i) the football game itself, (ii) a fight broke out in the stands between some fans - a few security guards and about 7 cops later, they finally escorted them out, and (iii) some guy tried to run across the field, but was taken down by a couple security guards. With all this action, I wasn't sure what to watch. BTW, Edmonton won. Yay!
10. It started to snow. :-( But then it stopped. :-)
11. My feet were numb after the football game. I couldn't feel anything from my knees down;
12. Went to the usual hang out where I met Sue, Louise, and Lynne;
13. "Kodak moments" throughout the evening;
14. Birthday cake (tiramisu) with sparklers;
15. A shot of tequila + a shot of something else (don't know what it was) + 6 screwdrivers = Michelle being done for the evening (I won't go into too much detail at this point, but let's just say that everything was a bit of a blur).

And now I'm off to Gabriella's 4th birthday (Irma's neice, who shares the same birthday with me). Irma's here, gotta go...

Highlights about my birthday (so far):

1. Irma wishing me Happy Birthday at midnight (last night);
2. Having birthday cake with my mom just a little after midnight;
3. Getting birthday greetings/birthday emails from co-workers/friends;
4. My first birthday lunch of the week (that's right, I'm having a week long celebration ;-) );
5. Getting yellow carnations from a co-worker (which are literally brightening up my desk, I mean my day =P)...
[I'll be adding to this list]

So far, everything is going well. We'll see how the rest of the night/weekend goes. Stay tuned...

"P.S. ... BTW ..."

I had a couple (OK, three) pre-birthday drinks after work. After the day I had, it was much needed. ;-) Plus, I managed to laugh a lot, which totally took my mind off of the crappy day I had.

Plus or Minus 3 Days

That's typically the effects of the full moon. And oh the effects the full moon has had this week...

First of all, it was a busy week. Reports to do, deadlines to meet, etc. Normally, it would just be a hectic week, but for some reason things seem to be falling apart. Alarms going off (because the code I was given wouldn't work), things going missing, phones ringing off the hook, communication difficulties, etc. And of course, it has to happen the day before my birthday, and a week before my supervisor gets back. ARGH! [OK, deep breath... in with the good... out with the bad... I need a drink... oh wait I have one... =P]. Thank goodness I've been going to kickboxing. But really, I can't help but laugh at the whole thing. hehehe ;-)

Blue drink

I'm trying out this new blue drink. Not sure what it's called, but it's good. Hmmm, I might be drinking this on the weekend. ;-)

1 more sleep...

Just one more sleep. Will I make it until then?

Formula 51

I saw Formula 51 and it was OK. It's about a pharmacology graduate who gets busted in 1971 for smoking dope, thus gets his licensed revoked from becoming a pharmacist. 30 years later, he heads to England where he tries to sell this "wonder drug" he whips up, which is supposedly 51 times stronger than anything on the market, but finds himself wheeling-and-dealing with drug dealers. In the end, he comes out on top. The movie had some funny moments, but I wouldn't pay full price for it (good thing I didn't pay =P).

"...the power of suggestion..."

2 more sleeps...
Thanks for the reminder, Irma! ;-) [BTW, I called Joi and yelled at him like you told me to. hehehe.]

3 more sleeps...
*yawn*

Hot beverage for the week:

apple cinnamon herbal tea

Random Thought

Why do they put instructions as to how to make the beverage? For example:

Brewing Instructions
Hot Tea
Use one tea bag for each 8 ounce cup. Preheat cup or pot. Bring clear, cold water to a rolling boil, then immediately pour onto tea. Steep 3-5 minutes, or to desired taste.

Like it's rocket science to make a cup of tea?? "Bring clear, cold water to a rolling boil..." - as opposed to boiling murky water??

It's starting to get cold

The temperature is slowly dropping. I wasn't too impressed when I woke up to a blanket of snow in my backyard. Great. But the sun managed to come out and melt everything. So, we still technically do not have any snow. I'm really hoping that it won't snow or be cold on Friday, since I'll be at the football game. I'll dress warm regardless, but I'd really like it not to snow on Friday. *crossing my fingers*

4 more sleeps...
I can't believe it's only 4 more sleeps...

Another Busy Weekend

Thursday
Irma and I caught up on our Thursday night programming (Friends, Survivor, Will & Grace). Between watching the video tape and the actual show, we got a bit confused as to which show to fast forward? But we managed to watch everything, so now we're caught up.

Friday
After kickboxing, I headed to Irma's (again) for dinner and our ritual Friday. Joi came over a little while later, and Phoun followed suit. We played Big 2, then Clinton showed up with food! Yum! I played a couple more games, then went home since I had to work the next morning.

Highlights:
• diamonds, clubs, hearts, spades...
  
• straight, flush, full house, 4-of-a-kind, royal flush...
  
• "oh yeah, I won..." hehehe =P

Saturday
After work, I rushed home to get ready for a wedding reception at Sorrentino's. I've never been to a wedding reception at a restaurant before, but it was not bad. It was definitely more intimate than having at a hotel or banquet hall. We started off with a salad, then I had the grilled salmon (others chose chicken), and then tiramisu for dessert (yum!).

After dinner, I went to the hockey game where Edmonton lost against Boston 3-4 :-( I thought the first 2 goals scored by Boston could have been avoided. Especially the first one, since it just rolled into the net. Despite the loss, it was still a good game.

After the game, I did a quick outfit change [thank goodness for the MPV and tinted windows ;-)], and went to the usual to meet up with Irma and Maria. We stayed for a couple drinks and called it a night.

Lazy Sunday
Well, not really. I didn't do too much, but clean my closet. I took a few more things out of my closet which (a) didn't fit me anymore, and (b) were taking up space because I haven't worn them in a long time. I was also going to rotate my shoes, but it didn't happen. Besides, I need to get some protective spray for my shoes. Maybe I'll do that next weekend?

Staff Party

After a couple of really late nights, I finally got a chance to sleep in. I woke up at 8:30 am and got ready for my staff party. A bit unusual to have a staff party on Thanksgiving Day, I know, but it was more of an afternoon thing. A bunch of us met at work, where we would be transported by bus to the Molson House. Some people backed out at the last minute, which meant that there were extra football tickets available. So I called Irma right away and asked her to come out. She declined at first, but then called me back to change her mind (good job!).

So the first stop was Molson House, where we had pizza and beer. I don't drink beer to begin with, but since there was nothing else that I wanted to drink, I ended up having a beer anyway. First time for everything right? We had a few card games going, and Irma and I were playing Big 2 with Jevon and Mark. After a few card games and some beers (1.5 for me), we got back on the bus and headed to the football game. Edmonton was playing against Montreal. Even though our group was sitting in the nosebleeds, we still had a lot of fun. We were a bit loud, but it was all in good fun. Edmonton ended up losing 30-48, but that's OK. Hopefully they're in the Grey Cup.

After the football game, we got back on the bus again and headed back to the club for a couple more drinks and a few games of pool.

Highlights:
• Irma a.k.a. sortie de secours; Mich a.k.a. Eric/Samuel (based on name tags that were stuck on the bus)
  
• is it Big 2 or Big 1?
  
• "he/she's my bitch"

Thanksgiving dinner - Take 2

Since we got back from the football game a bit late (plus the fact that we hung out for a while and played pool), I was a bit late for my Thanksgiving dinner with my family. I ended up eating by myself, but it wasn't a big deal. My aunt, uncle, and cousin were over, so it was good to spend some time with them. I didn't eat as much as I would've liked, but we have lots of leftovers, so I'll probably be eating turkey for the rest of the week.

Shopping - Take 2

I went shopping Saturday afternoon with my mom, mainly to show her the coat I saw the other day. She was looking for a coat as well and ended up getting one with the gift certificate she had. I tried on the coat I liked again, and decided to buy it. Technically, it was the last one in my size because the other "size small" was the display one, which everyone tries on. But the best part was when I went to pay for it, and the price came up cheaper than what was on the tag! Yay, even better! So it was the last one in my size and on sale. It was just meant to be. =P

Wedding Reception

I went with Joi to his friend's wedding reception, which was at the Fantasyland Hotel. It was a buffet dinner with tons of food, and they had an open bar. The highlights of the evening were the dance performances. They had Ukranian Shumka dancers do a type of "welcome" dance, and then a Korean fan dance. [The bride was Korean and the groom was Ukranian]. I thought it was cool how they combined both cultures into their program. Joi and I didn't stay too long after, since he didn't know too many people there.

Where's the popcorn?

Irma and I went to our usual hang out, where we chit-chatted with a couple of my co-workers, and then just sat and people-watched. It was funny how we were just sitting there, drinking, and observing the people around us. All we needed was some popcorn, and it would've been like watching a movie or something. hehehe. After about 4 drinks each, we went to Keegan's for some munchies and called it a night.

Shopping - Take 3

After going to work for 45 minutes, Irma and I went shopping again, but this time we had the enire afternoon. So there was definitely no pressure. ;-) I had my "fast" shoes on, so I was totally geared up to go to the mall. We walked for 3 hours straight, and I must say I was impressed with Irma's purchases. I was feeling a little bummed toward the end because I didn't have a single bag in my hand. But I pulled through, when I went into Aldo and bought a pair of brown boots. Yay! Again, they were the last pair in my size, but unfortunately they weren't on sale. I even used one of my "logical" ways of thinking to convince myself to buy the boots, which was: the cost of the boots equaled the amount of what I "saved" on the coat, and since I was willing to buy the coat at regular price to begin with, why not use the money I "saved" to get the boots? I know, I need help. =P [Sidenote: I have to wonder if the sales people at these shoe stores purposely say that "it's the last pair in that size" as a sales tactic? I mean, it always seems to happen whenever I'm shopping for shoes. Either that, or they know about my "logic"]

Thanksgiving Dinner - Take 1

After walking around in the mall for 3 hours, Irma and I had built up quite an appetite. So Irma invited me to her sister's house for Thanksgiving dinner. There was lots of food, lots of people, and lots of kids. The food was so good, and I would've kept eating but I had no more room in my stomach. I had a lot of fun playing with Irma's neices and nephews. It definitely felt like back in the day when Irma and I used to work together in the nursery (right, Irma?!)

Highlights:
• "this message will self-destruct in 5 seconds"
  
• "what flavor of white zinfandel do you want?"

Speed Shopping

I decided to skip kickboxing, after Irma suggested we go shopping. She actually wanted to go shopping tomorrow afternoon, but I opted to go shopping last night after work. As I waited for her to meet me at work, I sat with Rick and had a drink. Irma finally showed up, had another drink, and then we headed to the mall with only an hour and ten minutes to shop. No pressure. We went through the mall so fast that I forgot what Irma bought, if she bought anything at all? I saw a suede coat with fur trim that I really liked. I tried it on and fell in love with it. I mean, it was so me. I didn't buy it though because I still wanted to look around, just in case I found something else I liked. [I don't like buying things and then seeing something I like more, and then having to return the first thing. Too much hassle.]

Girls Night Out

After we went shopping, we got ready to go to the Druid to meet up with Irma's sister and Irene. By this point, we still hadn't eaten anything, so we decided to eat at the Druid and waited for the other two to show up. Once they got there, we had a few drinks and danced the night away.

Highlights:
• "There won't be anyone here. Everyone's out of town, and the only ones that are going to be here are the out-of-towners. Whom we don't seem to have a problem running into..." hehehehe.
  
• American boys - one from somewhere in Colorado, somewhere in North Carolina, and Boston

Snow update

It's not official. The snow has melted, therefore it's not official. =P

Could it be official?

...the dreaded snow, that is. *sigh* One minute it's just wind and blowing leaves and the next minute there's a big snow storm. I was hoping that it would snow after my birthday, but no such luck. What are the chances that it will melt over the weekend? If it melts over the weekend, then I still don't count it as "official" snow. My definition of "official" snow is that it has to stay on the ground for 24 hours for it to be considered snow. (Yes, another one of my quirky theories =P). There's not a lot of snow on the ground, but who knows if it'll keep snowing?

14 more sleeps...
...until I turn one year older...

A Night at the Opera

Irma and I went to see Cavelleria Rusticana / I Pagliacci, two short plays about love triangles. I couldn't really get into the first one, and found some scenes to just drag on (I was starting to doze off). But the second one was better. I guess it was because it seemed more lively, with people in more colorful costumes. Overall, it wasn't a bad opera. I thought it was much better than the one I saw about a year and a half ago.

Dinner with Irma

Instead of going to kickboxing, Irma and I went to Moxie's for dinner, where we would ultimately have happy thoughts and happy moments. ;-) One thing's for sure, we ate way too much food. But it was all worth it, especially since we had the infamous white chocolate brownie for dessert. YUM!!

Minor Case of Road Rage

I was so close to ripping some old guy's head off. Well, not literally. It happened while I was on my way to Irma's place last night. I was getting ready to turn right at an intersection. It was a red light and there was a van in front of me, so I waited for a moment. No big deal. Where I was stopped, I was blocking the entrance/exit to the gas station at the corner of the intersection. Then this impatient old guy in a minivan honks his horn at me, gives me a gesture that I'm blocking his way, and I just look at him. I mean, since when am I supposed yield to him?! He just totally pissed me off, and I probably should have just stayed where I was to annoy him, but I decided to turn into the gas station, gave him the are-you-happy-now hand gesture, and left. I was so close to getting out of my car and reaming him out. But I guess it was better that I didn't, since I just came from kickboxing class. I know I shouldn't have let it get to me, but I was having such an "off" day, plus I was PMS-ing. AAARRRGGGHHH!

New Friday Ritual

Moving on to happier things...Irma and I have a new Friday ritual, which is hanging out at her place and watching Sex in the City [BTW, thanks for the drink Irma. It helped calm me down. ;-)]. Since the weather is getting colder outside, therefore preventing us (to an extent) from going out and staying out late, plus the fact that we both work Saturday mornings, it only makes sense to stay in. This will only be during the winter of course.

Early New Moon Effect

I don't know how else to explain it, but I think I'm feeling the effects of the upcoming new moon (on Sunday). I worked twice as long as I was supposed to because of minor screw-ups. Minor screw-ups are fine as long as there aren't a lot of them (otherwise it becomes time consuming to figure out what happened). I should seriously schedule someone else to work Saturday mornings...

Scrape, scrape

Could the dreaded winter be already here? I hope not. I woke up [very early] this morning, looked outside, and noticed white stuff on the ground. I figured it was frost, but as I looked closer, it seemed like snow (it was too dark to tell). Now that the sun has come up, I'd like to think that this white crystal formation on the ground is just heavy frost. I say this because I just had a hell of a time trying to scrape my windshield. Ugh. Plus, the way I see it, if it doesn't stay on the ground for more than 24 hours, it's not snow.

xXx

After having dinner at Irma's [thanks again Irma, it was delicious! :-)], with Jo Ann, Joi, and Matthew, we headed to the movies to see xXx (minus Jo Ann), since none of us had seen it. I really liked the movie (lots of action, cool stunts). Especially the part with Vin Diesel. Oh wait, he was in every scene. =P I thought the snowboarding scene was really cool!

Half Day

I was actually supposed to take the full day off, but I decided to go into work and do some stuff, just in case I had any last minute questions for my supervisor before he leaves for Australia for an entire month. I'm hoping that everything will go smoothly and that the month will go by quick.

After two and a half hours of work, I decided to call it a day, and do some errands. First on my to-do list was getting my contacts changed. I got them about a 2 weeks ago, but for some reason my right contact lens was bothering me. It's not that it was uncomfortable or anything, it seemed to be the wrong prescription. I wore them for a few days, just in case I put them in wrong or something, but I still got the same effect. The way it sits now, it's like my left eye is further out of my head than my right. I made an appointment with my optometrist, and apparently they ordered the wrong prescription for my right eye. So now I have to wait a couple days for the new ones to come in.

Next on the list was to pick up some toiletries, which took about 15 minutes. The next stop was the travel agency to pick up some travel brochures on a possible trip I might take next year (it all depends on the money situation). Then it was off to Staples to get some office supplies. And after that, I went to Sport Mart to look for some hats, but they didn't have what I was looking for. I was also planning to get some football tickets, but I didn't have the other 2-for-1 coupon with me. So I'll have to get that some time this week.

Lazy Sunday

Seeing as I was out with Irma Friday night, and then out with co-workers last night, I figured I needed a day to myself. So I did absolutely nothing. Well actually, I checked email, talked on the phone for a bit, and then watched about 4.5 hours worth of tv which I had taped because I've been pretty busy lately. So now, I'm caught up with all my tv shows (not that I watch much tv to begin with). I need more days like this...

Out with Irma

After kickboxing last night, Irma and I went to the usual hang out to have a few drinks. To sum up the evening, all I can say is:

• happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts... happy moments, happy moments...
  
• snack choice of the evening: chips and salsa OR chips and salsa OR how about chips and salsa (hehehehe)
  
• "I see tall people"
  
• Random Thought: (I may have had this thought before) For people who wear glasses/contacts, why is it that you can't seem to understand people if your not wearing your glasses/contacts? As if you can't hear properly without seeing clearly? I was having trouble with one of my contacts, and even though I was looking directly at Irma when she was talking to me, I had to get her to repeat things to make sure I understood her correctly.
  
• "you're pretty"

Observations at Starbucks

As I was sitting in Starbucks this afternoon, waiting for a friend of mine, I noticed a few things:

• there were 3 types of people: (i) overweight people (as if to suggest that Starbucks will help them shed a couple pounds?); (ii) old people reading; (iii) moms with their kids getting their daily dose of caffeine to help them make it through the day.
  
• coffee guy making lattés, cappuccinos, etc. left, right and center, and has a comical way of announcing when your beverage is ready
  
• familiar looking guy - not sure where I've seen him before (shoe salesman or bartender?)
  
• two 12-year old girls trying to be yuppie-ish
  
• Random Thought: If coffee shop guys work with coffee (and other beverages) all day, do they still get a "coffee break"? Would they still need caffeine to wake them up so that they can make caffeinated (or decaf) drinks for everyone? Just a thought...

I bought a belt
I didn't get the belt that I wanted to get a couple days ago, but I got a casual belt for my jeans. And it was only $15! ;-)