Happy Monday!

Yay! It's Monday and the beginning of another work week! I'm so thrilled. *rolls eyes* I woke up yesterday morning with a sinus headache. As the day went on the crappy feeling travelled down into my throat and lungs. I'm doubling up on the Vitamin C hoping to nip it in the bud. I also made Turkey Soup yesterday hoping it will make me feel better.

We had another quiet weekend. Friday night we watched the Gold Medal Curling match and then went to bed. Saturday morning Dave shovelled the roof of the house. Poor guy was worn out by the time he finished. I went to town and ran some errands and picked up a couple movies. By the time I got home it was about 4pm so I started supper and then we watched the new Zorro movie. Dave reeeeeally likes CZJ and I figured I could handle watching Antonio in order for him to see CZJ. I'm so good to him. *grin*

After supper we went to visit Howie and Nicky. It was their daughter's birthday and she had 6 little girls staying for a sleepover. It was a little loud but we had fun. We made plans for this coming weekend. We're going to spend Saturday night at the cottage with them and another couple. Finally, something to do on a weekend!

Yesterday I watched Flight Plan. That's the name of the one with Jodi Foster, right? I enjoyed it. I started crocheting again last night when Dave finally brought my crochet hook home from the cottage. I had bought this different kind of yarn that I'd never crocheted with before. I am fairly confident in saying that I'll never crochet with it again after this project is finished.

It's Wheezy's birthday today - go wish her a happy birthday!

Calling all Y & R fans!

Make sure you watch today! Nick and Phyllis are snowed in at a hotel room and John has his day in court. Great episode.

Talk to me about soaps! Do you watch? Have you ever watched? Which is your favorite? Who's your favorite couple?

Oh ya, we got another 10" of snow overnight.

Make it Stop!!!

I'm getting tired of this shit. Another 6" of snow last night. It just won't quit. This picture was taken a week ago Sunday while we were trying to clear the cottage driveway. See how deep it was then? Add another foot and a half on top of that.

The roads were terrible this morning and we were a few minutes late for the first time. We saw a couple idiots that had just jumped into their cars, turned on the wipers and drove. They couldn't see out of any window but the front and the snow was piled 6" high on the hood. Asshats!

Do overly polite people get on your nerves? Does too much perk turn you off? New girl is extremely "nice" and it bugs me. Am I just a grumpy old bitch?

Thursday night, just as Survivor was about to start, the phone rang. I cursed because I was just about to eat and my show was on. My friend was calling to tell me about a situation that needed to be difused quickly. Her teenage daughter, S, and friend had told her about an MSN discussion that took place between her daughter's friend, K, and my other friend's daughter, M. It was very nasty, full of physical threats and taunts. M is a bully, plain and simple. I've known her since she was about two and she's fifteen now. S's Mom wanted me to call M's Dad and let him know what was going on because she thought it would be better coming from me because I am much closer to him than she is. I called, relayed the message, and then worried about it all night and the next day. Friday I got MSN messages from M trying to find out information. I don't want to be part of it. I do wish that somehow I could make her understand that being a "mean girl" or playing the tough chick isn't cool, it's not funny and she'll regret it someday. I told her all of that but I know it won't sink in. How do you make them understand?

Checking in...

Sorry about disappearing on you all. It wasn't planned, it just happened. First the good news, no mole sightings since mole #6 was eliminated on Saturday morning around 5am.

I've had a crappy week so far. I'm not sure if it was the shovelling on Sunday or the computer issues at work that have caused my neck to freak out, but freak out it has. I've had neck problems for years and probably always will. We were in a car accident in 1987 and I've had problems ever since. This time of year is especially bad due to the frost heaves in the highway that make every trip to work and back feel like a rollercoaster ride. I've tried physio, chiro, accupuncture, drugs but it always comes back when I'm stressed or overdo it.

On Monday I discovered that the new printer I bought won't print purchase orders from our craptastic software program so I've been on the phone with the computer gurus trying to solve the problem. Today I found out that the software for the purchase orders is DOS based and the printer won't work with DOS applications so my shiney new printer has been packed up and is ready to go back. Now I have to find another one that will work with DOS.

Tuesday we tried to move the printer that prints orders from our other computer system. Yes, we have two computer systems. The old system we use for inventory wasn't Y2K compatible so we got a new program for accounting but kept the old one for inventory. We fool the old system into being Y2K compatible by telling it that it's 1978 this year. *rolls eyes* I work for such a Mickey Mouse company. When we tried to move the printer to my office it fucked up three monitors and it won't print anything period. This is causing massive confusion because all our customer orders are printed on this system and the boss is having quite a hissy fit about it.

The bright spot on Tuesday arrived in the form of a beautiful arrangement of flowers from Dave. There are two roses, a couple Stargazer lillies (my absolute most favorite flower), some fresia (which smells soooooo wonderful) with babies breath and greens. I wish he hadn't spent the money on it but I did appreciate the thought. I wasn't expecting anything and would have been completely okay with no flowers. I did feel a little guilty because I didn't get anything for him. I reminded myself that there were many years that I gave him presents and got nothing in return so that eased my guilt. *grin*

When the flowers arrived I had a moment of panic and thought that I should tip the delivery person but then I remembered that I never received any tips when I delivered flowers for the same florist and I got over it. I did notice that the vase was packed in a box that made less tippy for the delivery person. I never had that luxury when I was delivering for them.

Jamie called last night to wish me Happy VDay and asked me if Dave and I wanted to go ice fishing on the weekend. I asked what time they go out and he said around 6am. Am I crazy for even considering going? I sure would like some walleye in the freezer.

In other news, they're calling for another foot or so of snow tomorrow. Yay! We haven't even cleared all the snow from the last two storms at the cottage yet and we're in for another one. I'm officially over winter.

I don't know if I'll have time to catch up on everyone's blogs. I'll try to peak in and see what's up but please forgive me if I'm a little light on the commenting this week. *smoooches*

Friday Questions

1. I forgot to bring margerine for my leftover mashed potatoes on my lunch. Would peanut butter be a reasonable substitute?

2. Did Bob blow up her blog? Or did she ban me because I called her Bobdebigmeaniestupidhead?

3. Should I go grocery shopping after work? I need groceries but I hate the thought of going after work. And there's no way I'm driving back to town on the weekend.

4. Who's excited about the Olympics starting today? What's your favorite winter sport to watch?

5. Do you think Wayne Gretzky is involved in the betting scandal?

The Mole Hunter - Part III

Recrap - Lights in not a happy camper. Moles are invading her space. Holly is deathly afraid of the evil broom and $35.00 has been spent on rodent elimination. Moles #1 and #2 have been tossed onto a four foot snowbank as a treat for any wild animal that would like a little snack.

Wednesday afternoon after being invaded by Russians at work I arrived home and opened the door almost expecting to see a re-enactment of a scene from Ben or Willard. We step inside and are relieved to see that Holly hasn't met us at the door with molemouth. I send Dave off to check the traps and under my pillow in case Holly has actually caught one and buried it under my pillow for future enjoyment.

Dave's search comes up empty but he reports that one of the traps has been seriously nibbled upon so he McGivers the trap so it has more of a hair trigger. I can't forget that there is still at least one more rodent loose in my home but a generous serving of Southern Comfort begins to put those thoughts to rest. Dave heads outside to start shovelling the four feet of snow off the garage roof and I'm left inside with my trusty attack dog. I'm sure she was just looking uninterested in the mole hunt, trying to lull the mole into a false sense of security.

I sat down at the computer to begin writing chapter two of my adventures and I'm about (not aboot) three paragraphs into it when the trap located about 10 feet away snaps. I immediately spring out of my chair and land on top of the bookshelf attached to my desk. When my heart start beating again I crawled down and buzzed Dave on the intercom and let him know that his presence is required toot suite.

Mole #3 eliminated! Woohoo! They say that things come in threes and I've never wanted to believe that more than I do at this moment. Please, please, let three be the magic number. Dave removed the body, reset the trap and headed back outside where him and his buddy were hoisting the snowblower up on the garage roof. I head for the liquor cabinet where I mix myself another generous portion and finish my chapter.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. No more snapping mousetraps, no sightings. I went to bed with a good feeling for the first time in a couple nights. This morning I still thought right away of shaking my slippers and I had Dave check my boots before I stuck my feet inside but still no more sightings.

When we arrived home tonight I was anxious to know if there were any more dead bodies to be removed. Thankfully, the traps were empty. I think we may have evicted the last unwanted houseguest. This may be the last chapter in this story. Please let this be the final chapter.

*glares at Bobdebigmeaniestupidhead* I ain't afraid of no mouse! *giggle*

The Mole Hunter - Part Two

Tuesday night after work we made a quick stop at Canadian Tire where we stocked up on mouse "treats", mouse traps and more electronic rodent deterents. All the way home I shuddered at the thought of having to enter the mole zone. Holly met us at the door, happy and excited as usual to see us, wagging her little tail so hard that it wiggled her entire body. Our back door entranceway is about 4 feet by 7 feet and we have a couple of trays where we put our boots and shoes. I set the bags down while I scanned the area for any unusual movement, ready to make a run for it if I saw anything. I pulled my slippers out from under the little wooden stool that sits beside the boot trays. Using my feet I gave them a good stomp to turn anything inside them into a pancake. Dave was already over by the fireplace getting the fire going again and Holly was outside for her pee.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I catch the dreaded movement. MOLE!!!! Again, Dave went running for the evil broom and told me to watch where it went so he could go after it. I saw it run in front of the door and then back into the corner and crawl into one of the winter boots. Dave came back and handed the evil broom to me and then opened the door and started tossing boots outside. Holly, of course, chose this moment to return from her pee and came bounding up the stairs to get some love from Mommy and Daddy. She took one look at Mommy standing there with the evil broom and turned tail and ran back out the door.

Dave put one boot on and then realized that he had thrown it's twin outside so he grabbed an unmatching one that was for the correct foot and went outside and closed the door. We managed to coax Holly back in the house but she blasted by me with speed that a Greyhound would be jealous of. He shook all the boots out and still no mole. We were puzzled. WTF? Where did the little bastard get to? Back inside came the boots and we started to put things away. Movement again! This time in front of the closet door and Dave saw it too. With me standing guard with the evil broom, he began pulling shoes and boots out of the closet, shaking each one as he went. When there was a single boot left inside the closet and the entranceway was littered with shoes and boots of every shape and size, he pulled away the final boot fully expecting to find the mole. I was doing my part by perching on the wooden stool with the evil broom as if I was hunting moose from a tree stand. Dave just shook his head but I had his back.

Nothing. No mole, just a mess. We were baffled and he began putting the boots back in the closet. As he reached for one boot a furry little head with beady little eyes peaked out at him. He grabbed the boot and threw it out the door. With mismatched boots he grabbed a running shoe and went out to eliminate the mole. At this point I'm thinking about reality tv. We've got The Mole, Fear Factor and Survivor all rolled into one. Dave beat the daylights out of that tiny little piece of fur. He considered setting it free, but it had found it's way inside once and, as I learned with the cows on my Dad's farm, if there's a place to get through once, they'll get through again, so it was lights out for mr mole.

Feeling slightly better about things I settled into my lazyboy chair to read the paper and have a drink. Dave went about setting the new traps in places that Miss Holly couldn't get to. Thirty minutes later I hear the unmistakable sound of a mouse trap snapping the neck of a rodent. Mole number two had gone to the big mole hole in the sky. Excellent. There can't be more, can there? Just to be safe the trap is reset and I start to relax. I was still pretty cautious where I stepped and turned lights on wherever I went. I had a load of laundry in the dryer and noticed that the laundry room was quite humid so I had Dave check the vent and sure enough, it had come loose. I'm really hoping that's where they were coming in. With the dryer vent rehooked I went to bed hoping not to be awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of snapping mouse traps.

This morning I once again gave my slippers a good kick before sticking my bare feet inside them. I'm getting jumpy now. Holly brushed up against me and I jumped about a foot off the ground. Nothing in the traps but Dave saw another mole run through the living room. Fuck! This time Holly saw it too. She immediately shifted into Holly Hunter mode. For her, this was the coolest thing going. During the summer she spends hours at the cottage hunting chippys and squirrels. Not that she'd know what to do if she caught one but she loved to hunt them just the same. Indoor squirrel hunting in the middle of February is probably on par with sitting on a Caribbean beach with a frosty drink for us.

Dave and I left for work. I shuddered at the thought of her actually catching one and chewing on it all day while we were at work. Dave, being a male, pulled the couch out from the wall so that Holly would have more room for the chase.

To be continued...

The Mole Hunter - Part 1

Lights is not a happy girl. Monday night when we got home from work I found a piece of dog food near my bedroom door. I remember thinking, there better not have been a mouse carting the dog food around. I ignored that thought and decided that Holly must have been taking snacks with her when she was napping on my bed while we're at work. About a half hour later I heard Dave say, "WTF? I just saw a mouse!" Then he corrected himself and said that it was probably a mole or vole because it was so tiny. I didn't really care what he called it as long as he caught it. Soon.

Some background for you. I'm allergic to mice or mouse shit or something related to mice. I sneeze, I wheeze, my eyes itch and water and I feel like I'm dying when I'm somewhere that either is overrun with rodents or if you sweep the dust around. When we first moved into our house I started sneezing one night and told Dave there must be a mouse in the house. He laughed and said I was crazy because the house was brand new and it was airtight. There was NO WAY a mouse could get in. As he said this, a mouse ran across the floor in front of his feet. We set traps and caught about 20 before he finally figured out where the furry little bastards were getting in. Once that was moved (it was the dryer vent) there were no more mice and more importantly, no more sneezing. When we bought our cottage it was overrun with them too. I couldn't even clean it. My girlfriends cleaned it before I could breathe inside.

So back to Monday night. Dave looked around and couldn't find it but he thought he saw it in the laundry room vent. He put drops of Oil of Wintergreen in all the furnace vents which made my eyes burn and gave me a headache. I spent the rest of the night with my feet up wishing that I could trade Holly in for a cat. While I was watching 24 I caught a glimpse of movement over in the corner of the rec room. Dave ran for the broom and Holly jumped up from where she was curled by my feet and promptly wrapped herself around my neck. Miss Holly is afraid of brooms you see. While Jack Bauer was saving the world I was protecting Miss Holly from the evil broom.

We still hadn't managed to catch it (or them) and all our mousetraps had been taken to the cottage. Dave brought in the electronic mouse repeller from the garage and plugged it in in my bedroom. That gave me a little comfort but I still slept with the blankets up around my ears. I awoke yesterday morning and my first thought was to make sure there was nothing alive and furry in my slippers. Can you tell that this is really freaking me out? Because it is. Seriously. I turned on every single light switch on my way to the shower and tried to convince Holly to play Find the Squirrel but she just looked at me as if to say, "Whacho talkin' about Mommy, squirrels aren't allowed in the house." By the time I was ready to leave I was relaxing a little until I stuck my foot in my boot without checking it first. I felt something and quickly flung my boot across the hallway. Inside was another piece of dog food. *shiver* That means that a rodent had been inside my boot. I tried not to think of that as I forced myself to once again stick my foot inside my boot and head to work.

Dumper or Dumpee?

This morning on the way to work the morning crew on the radio were saying that today is "National Dump your Significant Jerk Day" and they were asking if you're a dumper or a dumpee. It reminded me of a boyfriend that I'd completely forgotten about when I wrote my How We Met story. It reminded me of him because he was the only person to ever dump me.

Pete was the friend of my girlfriend's boyfriend and, in retrospect, I think I was set up with him for convenience sake. He was a very nice boy as far as my parents were concerned. He came from a good family, had a part-time job and was a jock. Tall and blonde and always polite, he made a very good impression on my parents. We went out together for about three months. Most of our dates involved the drive-through for fast food and then making out on his parent's living room couch. I had never had a boyfriend and I was completely clueless. He lived in North Bay and I was a naive country girl. He told me that he had just broken up with a long-time girlfriend and I'm pretty sure he went back to her after he dumped me. He called me one night and told me it was over. I cried my heart out for a few days and then totally got over it. There definitely wasn't huge chemistry between us but it was fun while it lasted.

So are you a dumper or a dumpee? Tell me your dump stories. *grin*

Four Things Meme

I was tagged by Carey who was tagged by Mon Cherie and Dweeze.

Four jobs I've had:

1. Waitress
2. Secretary *waves @ Nookie*
3. Junior Draftsperson
4. Flower Arranger

Four movies I can watch over and over:

1. Steel Magnolias
2. Boys on the Side
3. The Big Easy
4. Dirty Dancing

Four Places I have lived:

1. Powassan, Ontario
2. North Bay, Ontario
3. Eldee, Ontario
4. A dream world.

Four Shows I love:

1. Survivor
2. 24
3. Lost
4. Amazing Race

Four highly-touted TV shows I detest:

1. The Superbowl *ducks*
2. Everybody Loves Raymond (except me)
3. Star Trek
4. WWE Wrestling

Four books I'd recommend to anyone, anytime:

1. Up Country - Nelson Demille
2. Last Man Standing - David Baldacci
3. Gone Too Far - Suzanne Brockmann
4. A Thin Dark Line - Tami Hoag

Four places I have vacationed:

1. Alaska - Anchorage/Eagle River
2. Dominican Republic
3. Cozumel, Mexico
4. Florida - Daytona Beach/Redington Beach

Four of my favorite dishes:

1. Scalloped Potatoes
2. Fettucini Alfredo
3. Quesadillas
4. Baby Back Ribs

Four sites I visit daily:

1. SBlows OT
2. Circle of
3. Blogger
4. Environment Canada - to find out how many inches of snow to expect. 10 more inches last night.

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. At my cottage
2. On a beach in the Caribbean
3. Wrapped up in a strong pair of arms
4. Alaska

And I'm tagging:

1. Seana
2. MTW
3. Zombs
4. HD

I? am an idiot!

Before the holidays I busted my butt to quote a major parts contract and our company ended up getting it because of my hard work. Did I get any recognition for this? Noooooo. Now I have no time to play and I'm very unhappy about it.

It's not like I'm benefitting personally from this massive pile of work that's been dropped on my desk. I think it may be time to ask for a raise. Anyone want to help compose the email requesting one cause I just don't have time.

I miss playing with you guys all day and I hate being so hit and miss with my responses too.

*smooooches*