Happy November!

Kinda late, I know.

But tada!! A brand new layout!!

I really like this one, it suits me. The other one was alright but it was one that I just settled for because what I was trying to do wasn’t working.

I don’t really have anything of substance to say, I just wanted to acknowledge my new layout.

P.S. Less than 2 months until Christmas!!!! Time to get crack – a – lacking!! (Not sure what that means, I just wanted to use it in a sentence)

Candy Scrooges!

Halloween it tomorrow and I am super excited. I love Halloween. Any holiday where you can dress up and eat candy is my kind of occasion but apparently there are not a lot of people agree with me. I was talking to a bunch of people and a lot of them are not dressing up or giving out candy tomorrow.

I find that very sad.

I mean don’t they realize that they are going to be disappointing a ton of kids. Halloween is one of the funnest (not a real word, I know) holidays for kids. (I think the most favorite holiday would have to be Christmas but Halloween is a close second.) And they are basically slamming the door in their face. And there are ramifications for not giving out candy. The true hoodlums will egg and/or toilet paper your house.

I am not too concerned about the vandalism part. My house has only even been egged once and that had nothing to do with Halloween. That happened because the area residents felt that a family with our complexion should not be living in their neighborhood. That is another post though.

Back to the candy scrooges –

I think that they are just mean spirited people. I could not disappoint the kids like that. They come out in the rain, snow and freezing cold dressed up as their favorite super hero because they like it. Candy is their reward for basically braving some crazy weather and going door to door to show off their costume.

But the candy scrooges that tick me off even more than the ones that don’t open their doors are the ones that take their kids trick or treating. They don’t give out candy but they have the audacity to take their kids out and expect other people to give them candy. WTF!!

So to all the candy scrooges out there - have a heart, buy a bag of candy and give it out.

I ♥ my job... part 2

Dear Arrogant Bozo

It gives me great pleasure to hold the door open for you. It is the highlight of my day. There is no need to thank me, nod in my direction or acknowledge me in anyway.

I know that you are a very busy person, always deep in thought. I mean you are a manager and you are probably preoccupied with your managerial concerns; like where to go to lunch and your company car, and those matters have replaced common courtesy.

I understand that because I am your subordinate I am non – existent to you, barely a person and because of this there is no need for you to concern yourself with me. You have to save your voice for your superiors, speaking to me would be too draining on you.

So have a nice day and I hope you don’t ever forget your card again, because I just turned up my iPod and I won’t be able to hear you knocking on the window to get in.

Kindest Regards,
Me

I ♥ my job

Dear Genius

Thanks ever so much for dumping water into the sugar bowl. It was great reaching in there this morning and finding all the sugar packets sopping wet, turning the entire container into a sticky mess. I mean I filled up the sugar container the last three times just so you could have some place to dump your mug full of water. Nothing pleases me more than cleaning up after you.

I realize that your hands are broken and that you are able to grab some paper towel from the roll that is all of three inches away and clean up your mess. I also understand that since you are the only person in the entire company that uses the sugar bowl and you can treat it as you please.

But I have one small, (teensy, really) request. Would you be able to meet me around back? My boot would like to meet your butt.

Kindest Regards,
Me

How Rude!

What the hell is wrong with people?! Is rudeness acceptable now? Why don't people say please and thank you anymore? I was out today and I swear I was a jackass magnet. I have no idea why, but except for a select few, everyone out there today was a prick.

I mean come on, if you see a someone with a stroller, a toddler in a winter jacket and a baby bag that looks like it can hold Cairo racing towards the elevator, hold the damn elevator. Don't look at them blankly as the door closes in their face. Or if you see someone with all the stuff listed about trying to make their way through a closed door, how the damn door open!! Don't squeak through it and let it slam in their face. And if some kind person is holding the door open for them, it is not an invitation for you to go through also.

It's obvious that when God was handing out sommon sense they were climbing up the ugly tree!! Jackasses!!

Drunk with Power

Here’s some background into my company. We are three companies under one big umbrella. We share the same building and most times it is hard to tell who does what. Each company has their own GM and that person is responsible to reporting to the president. We operate as separate entities except for social events.

That being said the annual Halloween contest email went out yesterday and this caused a coronary with the newest GM. He had a hissy fit and informed all of his staff that Halloween costumes are not allowed. He will send how anyone wearing a costume and dock their pay.

WTF?!?! Halloween is supposed to be fun. Is he going to ban candy too???

This really sucks because the rest of us will all be dressed up and they will have to wear suits. I really feel for them because they had been planning to dress up as a company of zombies since the beginning of October and now he has taken that all away.

He’s a prime example of someone who takes advantage of his position.

P.S. He has made attendance at the Christmas party mandatory and no spouses are allowed. Again: WTF?!?!

Sucky Night + Cold Morning = Cranky Meli

I am in a cranky mood. Last night combined with this morning is to blame and I am trying to shake this mood. Last night wasn’t the greatest. It wasn’t the worst either but it was just filled with crappy moments.

Crappy Moment # 1 – got my exam back. As I suspected I did awful, but it was a lot worse than I expected. I got 99% on the first exam so I expecting to maybe get a 79 – 85% on this one. Nope, nowhere close to that. I failed. To pass you needed a 65 and I got a 61. The average mark was a 65, so I was definitely below average. I was in such a crappy mood after getting back the exam; I didn’t even stay until the end of class. I left as soon as I saw my mark.

Crappy Moment # 2 – my computer imploded. Or at least I think it did. When it was starting up it would make two loud clicks and then shut off again. I am not too upset about the lap top dying, I was expecting to actually. It’s old and been beat up a lot. But I had pictures saved on the hard drive that I hadn’t transferred over yet. So now I am not sure if I have lost them or not. I am going to have my techie BIL take a look at it and beg him to get them out.

Crappy Moment # 3 – shower induced head cold. Not sure how I did it but as soon as I stepped out of the shower last night I got a head cold. So I was stuffy, sneezy and had a headache from hell. It’s still here, and I feel like I am breathing through a pillow.

Cold Morning – it’s 5 right now without the windchill. With the windchill we are below freezing. It’s certainly not summer anymore.

Hypothermia

As I sit here I have a coat & scarf on and I am huddled as close as humanly possible to my space heater but I can’t get warm. You want to know why?? It’s freezing in my office. For whatever reason my office has decided to turn on the AC, even though it is just above freezing outside. Somebody somewhere in here has decided that they are hot and they need the AC on. I can promise you when I find that person I am going to strip them down to their underwear, put ice cubes in their briefs (because I know it is a guy) and make them work outside for the rest of the day. If they’re that hot, they shouldn’t mind.

OK, I am not going to do that but it is a really nice thought. :)
Now if you’ll excuse me I need to crawl back under my desk and sit on my heater.

Lost

One semi – social, intelligent, well spoken chick who loves books and reading, can’t live without the Food network and Martha Stewart. If found please return to me as soon as possible.

Last night I went out to dinner with a friend of mine. We’ve been friends since we were 13, so we have known each other for more than half our lives. She moved to the UK when she was 18 and continued moving to new and exotic places after that. So far she has lived in London, Dubai and Bahrain. She has a pretty cool life and is always traveling. She has been to all the continents except for Antarctica! At 29 that is impressive!! She only comes to town once a year and I try to hang out with her whenever she is here.

Last night at dinner she was telling me all these great stories, and funny adventures that she went on and I had nada to respond with. I had no funny stories, no exciting news, no anything to add to the conversation. I didn’t even have any witty responses to some of her questions.

I realized that I was boring. I wasn’t always boring but in the course of a year (which is when I had seen her last) nothing in my life had changed. I couldn’t help feeling like I had lost me. I hadn’t done anything, gone anywhere, or even spoken to people that were outside my immediate family or work. I don’t know where the semi – outgoing person that I used to be went nor do I know how to find that person again. The thought of spending my evenings away from Maks bothers me but the idea that I am losing myself and slowly just becoming a ‘wifey’ and ‘mommy’ bothers me too. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a wife & mother but there is so much more to my personality. Or at least I think there is, I could be wrong.

Dearest winter

How do I loathe thee, let me count the ways.

1. I hate that make the sun go into hiding, forcing me to drive into work in the dark. And making the sun set at noon!

2. I hate your icy winds that freeze my fingers and cause my nose to run non stop.

3. I hate having to dig my car out of three feet of snow and de-ice my door before I can drive home.

4. I hate having to wear sensible shoes and unflattering winter hats.

5. I hate having to put a snowsuit on a toddler and then attempt to strap that toddler into a car seat.

Please, please go away. And if you refuse to go away at least go easy on us.

Sincerely,
Me

Signs my day is going to suck…

• Woke up thinking that it was Saturday and was all happy because Maks was sleeping in. IT’S NOT SATURDAY!! And we were really late!!
• I didn’t have time to dry my hair and now the back of my shirt is wet and cold.
• Maks slept on our bed and shared my pillow so I slept funny. Now my back, neck and shoulder are stiff and achy.
• I broke my shoe hurdling over a hedge trying to stop Maks from getting into my cranky neighbors flowers. Since it is my only pair of closed toe shoes I am wearing the broken shoe right this second. Can we say ghetto??
• I got in so late that someone took my chocolate croissant from the kitchen.
  

I wish I could have stayed home and slept.

Why can't my past stay in the past?

I have a very checkered past. OK no I don’t, I have a very simple past - my ex-boyfriend liked to beat me.

We were together for about six years and the beatings didn’t start right away. After about two years of fighting and constant breaking up, the hitting started. I was punched in the face & stomach, I was slapped almost daily, I was raped and had a knife held to my throat several times. He came to my work and beat me up in the staircase. He choked me until I couldn’t scream anymore and then punched me in the stomach. And yes, your boyfriend can rape you. If you say no and they keep going, it is rape. I used to wake up to find him on top of me refusing to stop even as I cried and begged. He held a knife to my throat and threatened to cut out my smile because a salesman in a store said I had a very pretty smile.

It took a lot for me to leave. I thought I loved him, no I lie, I thought I wasn’t good enough for anyone else. I had self worth issues, and felt that there was no one else in this world that would love me. Nobody else out there would want me. There were some serious issues at home and I felt very alienated from my parents and sister. He was all that I had, and if the beatings were part of the package, then I would just have to live with them. I tried to leave a couple times and even went so far as to start the ball rolling on a restraining order but I never followed through on anything. We ended up getting back together and I went back to the way things were.

Then I met Milhouse.

On one of our many break ups, I met Milhouse. We met through work and I was getting to know him as part of a deal that was going on between his office and mine. We started off as friends and we were friends for a very long time before we became anything more. He helped to show me just how totally fantabulous I truly am and I love him for that. He’s not perfect but he really does love me.

After a very serious incident with my sister, my niece, Milhouse & my ex, I pressed charges. In total there were 13 charges and he plead guilty to 8 of them. He was given 18 months probation and house arrest. I was given a restraining order.

Well 18 months later, I’m married with a son. I have a new address, phone number and last name. I got a call from his PO today letting me know that his sentence is over and that the restraining order is now expired. I have the option of filing another one as a private citizen (the original one was filed by the police) or just leaving things alone.

I am not sure what I am going to do. If I file a new RO then my ex will be privy to my new address, phone number and name. But if I don’t file a new RO, what if he comes looking for me again? I have nothing to really protect me. I am not sure what steps I should take next. I just wish that my past would stay in the past.

Me spokes good

I have lost whatever hold I ever had on the English language. I just listened to a message that I left on my voicemail (I do that to remind me of things because I tend to misplace post its) and I can’t talk. I don’t know quite what I was trying to say and I was sober at the time!!

My sentences are full of likes, um, and ahs. I hate that! When people put on the valley girl accent and talk like Paris Hilton it drives me crazy, and I do it!! Shoot me now!!

I used to have an extensive vocabulary and take great pride in how I spoke (no sh*t I really did) but not anymore. Maybe this is what the working world has done to me because sure as heck no one speaks proper here. Its either here or TV. I am not sure how its TV’s fault, but everyone always blames TV for stuff so now I am blaming TV too.

Why so serious?

(I just love that line. R.I.P. Heath Ledger)

I usually try to stay away from politics, but I really have to get this out. Firstly, I am Canadian, so I am not a supporter of either candidate so this is not a shot at either of the candidates. Its just an observation.

I have been reading other blogs and I am just shocked at what I am seeing. The US presidential election has just gotten disgusting. The mudslinging and hatred that is being perpetuated is very disturbing. There is so much anger from both sides. Supporters of Obama and McCain are getting so personal. Obama and McCain just entered into the limelight, before that they were like every other senator. A nameless, faceless decision maker. Why is it people are hating them now, you only just met them. Just because they are running for the opposition does not mean that you have to dislike them by association.

Families, age, and religion are nobody's business and should be off limit. Voters should be concerned with the policies that the candidate want to implement not their private lives.

What does a pastor, age or a middle name have to do with economic policy, environmental issues, and a war? Why is it that gestures, eye contact, and hand shakes are being analyzed and commented on but there are in depth analysis being conducted on contingency plans for the billion dollar bailout? Why aren't these issues on the forefront?

This is an election not a popularity contest, I think people have forgotten that.

Giving for the sake of giving

There are certain things in this world that I feel strongly about and cause me to morph into a psycho bitch.

*My opinions may not be shared by all but they are still my opinions and I am entitled to them.*

Don’t mess with my family (this includes my mother, father, son, niece, sister, and husband)
If anyone says anything remotely derogatory about my family, I can and will rip your throat out. I can say whatever I want about them whenever I chose, they are my family and I have that right, no one else does.

Pedophiles (Or anyone that else that mistreats children)
I don’t think that they are human and I don’t think that they such be treated as such. If someone is convicted multiple times over of hurting a child, I believe very firmly that they should be sentenced to corporal punishment. And I am not talking about death by electrocution or lethal injection. I think that they should suffer and die slowly.

All people are equal and should be treated as such
Regardless of gender, race, or religion every being on this planet is deserving of our acceptance and respect. If they do something to lose that respect so be it but no person should be treated like a second class citizen based on who they are. No man, woman or child should be homeless, hungry or cold. Given the society we live in we can help even it we help in the tiniest way.

That being said I am seriously ticked off at the moment.

Thanksgiving is coming up and the Food Bank has started its annual Thanksgiving food drive. Thus far I have made two donations and I fully intend to donate at least one more time before the holiday actually arrives. I don’t make a boatload of money but I have passed on some snack foods this week and I have picked up some extra cans of baby food to put in the donation box. I don’t do this for any kind of recognition; I do it so a baby somewhere in this city doesn’t cry itself to sleep because he/she is hungry.

I know that times are tight and that a lot of people are struggling to make ends meet but it ticks me off to see an empty donation box. Especially in the grocery stores and malls that are ‘up scale’. IMO – if you have the money to afford a Cadillac truck with the rims and the gas to put in it, please just buy a couple cans of soup and drop it in the box. Someone out there needs it or else they wouldn’t be doing these drives.

Also, don’t use a food drive as an excuse to clean out your cupboards. Just cause they can’t afford food doesn’t mean that they want your tea with hoodia in it or soya sauce (no joke that was in there). If you don’t have anything readily available to donate, stop by the store and pick up a can of something – it won’t kill you!

*end rant*

Life is screwing up my diet!

I know that is a sorry excuse, and that I should have the drive and willpower to make some serious life changes. But I don't. I'm lazy and would really like to just take a pill and lose the weight.

But that ain't going to happen. I have to pull up my socks and really work at this.

And I have been trying. This morning I packed up a great breakfast, lunch and snacks. They were all healthy and well balanced. Then I was informed that my attendance was mandatory at lunch. So I forfeited my lunch and went out with the group. And that's when all my wholesome thinking went out the window. I had the option of having a Greek salad with some mineral water or something truly scrumptious ~ a pizza, hamburger, or a warm apple crisp topped with caramel and ice cream. I caved and had a personal pizza and the apple crisp. I couldn't help it, my eyes zoned in on the bad stuff and couldn't focus on the healthy fare.

Maybe I need glasses, or maybe I just need to stop going out for lunch either way I blame life because if it wasn't so busy I would be skinny.

WWJD?

On my way back from the lunchroom, I was walking behind one of my co-workers. I don’t know his name and to be honest I don’t know him very well. But he’s been here for as long as I have and he always lets me use the hot water before him in the kitchen. So in my mind that makes him a nice guy.

Anyway, as I was walking back I noticed that he had a chocolate bar wrapper stuck to his butt. I have no idea how it got there, and I don’t usually make it a habit to look at his bottom but a bright orange wrapper on black dress pants can’t be missed.

So my dilemma was:

a) Do I tell him that he has a wrapper stuck to his butt? The problem with that is that he’ll think I was checking out his bum and really I don’t want him thinking that I was looking at his butt.

b) Do I walk over and swat it off, and tell him there was a bee or something? That would require me getting really close to his butt and again that is not a situation I want to be in.

c) Do I just leave it alone? If I do, won’t that be bad Karma and then the next time I have something stuck to my ass people will just let me walk around with it there and not tell me, possibly laughing the entire time??

I chose C but I don’t think that is what Jesus would do.

Canada’s having an election too

There’s an election going on in the US, big whoop di doo!!! We’re having an election too. True, ours may not be a gossip filled, mudslinging, racial and gender profiling media circus but it’s still a big deal.

So I am going to take a moment and get political.


*steps up onto soap box*

Come Election Day, I will be voting for the NDP (New Democratic Party). I have always and I will probably always vote for the NDP. I come from an immigrant working class family. We have not nor will we ever be considered to be the upper class of Canada and that is just fine with me. This country is not made up of the elite; it is made up of the working class.

The NDP is the only party that recognizes working families. They have initiatives that would work in favour of the little guy and I think that is a great thing. I truly believe in their ideologies and I think that Jack Layton is a phenomenal leader.

So if you haven’t gotten around to looking into the NDP, please do, they are looking out for you.

*steps off soap box*

Hip Hop is dead

***Disclaimer***
I do not encourage violence nor I am advocating crime, this is just my point of view. It may be offensive to some, but I am entitled to it. If you don’t agree with what I have to fine, you are entitled to that. But this is my piece and this is how I see it.

********************************************************************************

I have been a hip hop head since the age of 10. The first rap song I ever heard was ‘She Swallowed It’ by Slick Rick. Not appropriate for a 10 year old, true but I was hooked nevertheless. Big Daddy Kane, Run DMC, Wu Tang Clang, Biggie Smalls – I love them all. But I am not pleased with the way that hip hop is going and I have to get this off my chest.

Bling bling

Hip Hop was never about the bling. It was a reflection of life in the ghetto, it was about being poor. The baggy jeans, oversized shirts, were a sign of economic hardships not a fashion statement. What in the hell does a diamond encrusted chain represent? You made it, yeah you did but at what cost? Selling out to get one song on commercial radio and then fading into obscurity. Please, that’s not hip hop, that’s conforming. Might as well call yourself a pop artist.

Hip hop artists cannot sing

If you want to be a crooner get into R & B, stop trying to think that you can sing hooks.

Lingo

The constant need to create need words and calling it southern lingo doesn’t work. It just seems to perpetuate negative stereotypes. Spelling and grammar have been around before you; words are spelled and pronounced a certain way for a reason. Encourage youth to speak properly and maybe the cycle of oppression can end. Don’t complain about being held down when you don’t know how to spell dilemma correctly!!

Moves

Stop inventing dances that look like more like an epileptic seizure than a rhythmic movement to music. Arms flaying around and legs jiggling like jell-o is not a skill. Also, gyrating and bouncing your ass in front of a camera isn’t dancing either, its gyrating and bouncing your ass. Neither is a skill, and if you think it is, please read a book.

50 cent

First off I would not brag that you were shot however many times it was that you were shot. Back in the day, people shot the snitches and the dudes that thought that they were roughnecks but they weren’t. Which were you? It used to be that the glory was on the shooter not the poor jackass being shot at.

Also, you call your little group of hangers on – G Unit a.k.a. Gorilla Unit. How stupid are your friends? They are letting you call them sub intelligent primates and they are cool with it? If your personality is a reflection of the company you keep – you are a wanna be with no real talent.

Lastly, what message are the 'artists' trying to put out there? The songs revolve around what you have and how you're better than everybody else. Nice message, but how true is it? Your record label owns your name, and the radio station owns your soul. If they gave up on you would you still be rapping? I highly doubt it, and that tells me hip hop was never in your heart. Today's artist don't feel the music they feel the money and because of that an era has come to an end.

But that’s just my opinion.

Jus tickin’ me off

Maybe it’s because I’m sick, or maybe it’s because my baby is sick and at home, or maybe it is because the sun is shining and I’m inside; I don’t know but everyone just seems to be ticking me off today.

Take your damn phone off speaker. I do not need nor do I want to hear your conversation. I do not find your lame sales jokes entertaining nor do I enjoy listening to the instrumental music that plays when you are on hold.

Put your cell phone on vibrate. You are not superman; I do not need to hear the superman theme song every time someone calls you. Also, if you are avoiding a call hit ignore, don’t let you phone just keep ringing. If you don’t start picking up calls you run the risk of me walking over, and answering your damn phone, and you don’t want that.

Stop humming. I can hear you!! Dude, you really have to quit with the humming. At first it was mildly amusing but now it is just plain annoying. I realize you like whatever song it is you are listening to but I don’t need to hear your version over and over again.

Rant over, I am going to go eat a chocolate bar now.