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.