searchingforhappy.net archives

2006-10-10T21:58:00.000-04:00

I've now opened up a new site at Vox. This site is for my Blogger archives from 2000-2006.My new site is here.I like Blogger and it has been very good to me. However it seems that with the new beta, they are moving away from people using Blogger on remotely hosted sites which made using it with my searchingforhappy.net domain a pain. I am also sick of spending money on a domain that I'm barely

The Great Purse Search 2006

2006-09-21T22:33:00.000-04:00

Every year at about this time, I decide that it is time to get a new purse. The current purse is usually fine (1), but with the change of seasons and new things in stores, the desire for a new purse becomes all-consuming. This year was no different.I spent three days searching for a purse I liked. I had birthday money from my aunt and uncle so my budget was more than it has been in previous years

2006-08-31T21:53:00.000-04:00

Today is my 28th birthday - happy birthday to me! I'm still on vacation so the best present is that I don't have to work today!

2006-08-19T19:16:00.000-04:00

I am on vacation for the next two weeks, which means that I don't have to go back to work until after Labour Day. I love it when my vacation ends in a long weekend so I can take that much more time off. Sean and I are both off next week then I am off by myself the week after. We don't have any earth-shaking plans - just visiting the inlaws 'n' outlaws (we're not sure who's who) next weekend, and

2006-07-03T16:06:00.000-04:00

I just went out to take pictures of my clematis plant that finally got some flowers on it. What I didn't know was that all the blooms had died off and I missed my chance! I'm hoping it's going to bloom again this summer, but I'm not sure if it will or not. It will be a healthier plant next year, but what a heartbreaker to miss capturing it's first blooms in pictures. They were so pretty!I'm a

2006-06-11T22:24:00.000-04:00

I wish I was perfect. Not in an annoying, know-it-all sort of way, but in a graceful way. I wish I always knew exactly what to do, or say, or think in any situation. And more importantly to actually always act on on those actions, words or thoughts. Is wanting something I can never have a self-fulfilling prophecy for failure or a catalyst for personal growth?

2006-04-22T18:07:00.000-04:00

It hasn't stopped raining here all today today, and it's making the house cold.It's also making my flowers grow which is a much more positive thing. Most of the perennials I put in last year seem to be coming back. I still can't find my hostas though. Maybe it's too early for them, but I lost some last year, so I'm not so sure about the "hostas grow well in shade" concept. Maybe this year they

2006-04-13T22:18:00.000-04:00

I want to do more creative things in my life. However, I'm having a hard time getting started. I don't feel like I can sit down to do something creative until I feel settled. Then once I feel settled enough to do something, I start interrupting myself to do other, more mundane things of varying usefulness. Just, while writing these few sentences, I got up from the computer twice and opened up

2006-03-25T20:14:00.000-05:00

Reason #405698 that I am sometimes not as bright as I'd like to think I am (which is a much nicer way of saying that sometimes, I'm a friggin' idiot).I turned on my computer today and when it loaded up, everything had a green tinge. Confused, I checked my contrast, brightness and display settings to see if anything had changed, which it hadn't. I asked Sean what he thought was wrong, and he

2006-02-14T21:13:00.000-05:00

I survived my first trip to Vegas, and had a great time. The weather was perfect for all of the walking and sightseeing Sean and I did. I even came home with some cash when I started winning on Star Wars penny slot machines on our last day there. It was weird - I went to 4 different casinos (including the airport) and won on the Star Wars machines each time, but only on that day. I guess Tatooine

2006-01-12T21:50:00.000-05:00

(Note, this post was originally written on January 8th, 2006. I changed the date because I wanted to have it be the first official non-announcement post of searchingforhappy.net.)A few days ago, two co-workers and I were discussing the concept of turning points in people's lives. We also talked about how someone could create a major turning point in your life, without knowing that they are

2006-01-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

Here's the official announcement... This is no longer geeKsuperstar.org. My site is now searchingforhappy.net. I did bring most of the old site over to this site. I'm in the process of getting photos onto Flickr. Hooray for collaborative websites that automate tedious procedures!I'm really trying to make my site interesting again. It might not be interesting for anyone other than me, but that's

2005-12-31T21:11:00.000-05:00

The end of another year is upon us. Sean and I just had fondue, which I'm trying to instill as a New Year's tradition. It's the second year we've done it so does that count as tradition or not? Fondue just seems like such a New Year's thing. My mum and dad did it with my sister and I at least once at New Year's when we were kids, so I'm trying to restart the tradition that never really started in

2005-12-11T21:57:00.000-05:00

I'm tired of this domain name. After over five years of owning geeKsuperstar.org, I don't feel that I connect with it anymore. I feel like I have to hide it from most people - family and coworkers in particular. I've never made a big deal about the site, but I've never liked explaining the meaning of "geeKsuperstar" to people. It means something to me, I just don't want to explain it.As everyone

2005-05-26T21:28:00.000-04:00

I'm toying with the idea of giving up this domain and getting a new one. I'm sick of avoiding that I have a website cuz the name feels goofy to me these days. I've had this site for about 5 years, and it's pretty engraved on my brain.I'm not in denial that this site is scintillating reading - it's not. But maybe a change in domain will be the kick in the pants that I need.However, I would want to

2005-05-09T22:39:00.000-04:00

Photos of my latest soap:This is the first time I've made soap in a long time. I set up a "soaping centre" in my office where I could make soap (or any other crafty thing) and tonight was the first time I used it (I was waiting for some pyrex pots I bought off of Ebay to come in so I wouldn't be trucking the kitchen pots up and downstairs all the time). I'm really happy with the way the space,

2005-05-07T21:04:00.000-04:00

Here are pictures of the start of this year's garden chez melissa and Sean.I was planting plants for four hours this afternoon. Thank goodness the weather held up and it didn't rain. I know it's a little early to be gardening in Toronto, but I figure if I can buy the plants, I may as well try it. Besides, last year, I started too late and that resulted in fewer tomatoes. Now that my tomatoes are

2005-05-07T20:33:00.000-04:00

Apparently I lost my contact list on MSN Messenger. (Maybe I never had it on this computer - I never use it much, but of course when I want it, it's all mucked up.)So if you get a note saying that I added you for like the 4 zillionth time, just accept the fact that I am an MSN idiot.

2005-04-06T21:53:00.000-04:00

At work, I've been writing cover-my-ass emails using powerpoint-speak lately and that just doesn't sit right. Someone in my department asked the group what "TQM" meant and I spit out "total quality management" so fast they thought I made it up. (my department is not an overly corporate bunch, thank goodness!)I do not want to be a corporate drone. I will not let that metamorphosis happen.

2005-04-02T22:33:00.000-05:00

I've actually been doing some work on the site today. I have finally redone the photos section of the site. I've even added pictures from a trip I took two years ago!One of the downfalls (or benefits, depending on how you look at it) of putting up all of these photos at once is that I am only putting up the best of everything, not every single photo that I took. This is important in the age of

2005-02-20T17:54:00.000-05:00

I just found out that my cat likes to sleep in my pajama drawer. I found this out by grabbing clothes to change into, reaching into the back of the drawer and feeling fur. I pulled the drawer out a little further and there is bucKley, snoozing away.Our ex-roommate's cat used to like to open my pajama drawer and paw through it, getting my clothes all over the floor. I didn't know that bucKley

2005-02-20T16:27:00.000-05:00

Just finished dying my hair. Hope "Intense Red" perks up the February blahs. The gray-ness that permeates most days is really beginning to get to me.At least I don't have an all-black wardrobe to go with the weather. I've never understood the wearing of all black. I get wearing black due to being goth or dramatic, but I find that that the best goth or dramatic outfits I see have a little bit of

2005-02-14T21:46:00.000-05:00

Why is it that all the bargains and cool things come into my life when I am completely broke, and magically disappear when I have a little bit of money? My to-purchase list is quite large right now. It's mostly stuff to make my office more functional as well as a more enjoyable place to sit in. I'm trying not to get consumer-lust since that means that I'll make a bunch of random purchases of

2005-02-06T14:15:00.000-05:00

The site is almost under control now. I just have to reformat the photo section. I'm not quite sure how to do it yet since I have over two years of pictures to sift through and upload. Has it really been that long since I uploaded photographs to the site? So much has happened! I still can't get the archives to format properly. I contacted Blogger support, and they responded to me, but the answer

2005-01-22T22:45:00.000-05:00

I guess three weeks between updates is better than 3 months, isn't it? For the first time in a long time, Sean and I had a very productive Saturday on our own. Usually, our most productive times at home come when my parents are visiting and they kindly offer to help us do stuff around the house. We did the following: Finished painting Sean's new office. It looks spiffy! Began setup of

2005-01-02T23:51:00.000-05:00

I've finally done something about this poor, neglected old site. I can't take credit for the design though - I used a Blogger template by Jason Sutter and changed the colours and removed stuff I didn't want. Of course, there is still fiddling to do, but this is such a great start. I really want to get this site going again. There's more to say, but I have to work tomorrow, so I should really go

2004-12-31T23:49:00.000-05:00

2004 wore me out. I'm looking forward to 2005. I've done and learned a lot this year. I really want to rework this site. I bought myself a new computer after Christmas so using a computer at home is fun again. I want to rework a lot of things in my life right now. Don't worry though, I'm not getting divorced - I really like being married. Happy New Year.

2004-11-04T10:44:00.000-05:00

I'm alive.

2004-05-08T06:40:00.000-04:00

The wedding is becoming more and more real. Not only am I getting my wedding dress fitted today, but my mom told me to bring my chequebook down so I can pay for a few things. Fairy tale and reality, all at once! The timing is good for these appointments as now I get to spend a little time with my mum on Mother's Day. Unfortunately, she works most of the afternoon on Sunday, so it won't be much

2004-04-15T21:13:00.000-04:00

I'm still here. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I have just been stupid busy. Between some very busy times at work, school (just saw that I got an A+ on my Illustrator II class-yay!), trying to have a life (life? what's that?), managing life in the new (now not so new) house and planning for the wedding, I've been a touch busy. Oh, and my computer was acting up for about three

2003-12-22T21:25:00.000-05:00

Not two days after that last navel-gazing, self-absorbed entry, I found out what was wrong. My stupid roof had a huge chunk out of it, and my office and kitchen ceilings were leaking. The roof was finally fixed on Friday (almost a month later). The inside still needs to be done though, and will not be done until after Christmas. Insurance is paying for all of this though, so that is a good thing,

2003-11-19T22:53:00.000-05:00

Stuff is good, but something isn't right. How typical.

2003-11-03T22:49:00.000-05:00

Everytime I discover a new hobby, I go out and buy as many books and supplies as I can possibly afford on the subject. Right now, the new hobby is melt and pour soapmaking, and I want everything I see. I want to spend spend spend like there is no tomorrow on all these fun new toys. Sometimes I think I get comfort knowing that I have them in the house, cuz I have yet to try the new bumblebee mold

2003-10-26T22:34:00.000-05:00

For the last two days there has been an occasional cacophony of yowling, growling and hissing as bucKley gets used to his new friend Jasco. Jasco is our friend Andy's cat, and they both live with us now. The two cats currently sound like that Jingle Cats music that you hear around Christmas time, but with more growling and hissing. No swipes have been taken yet, but they tend to stick to separate

2003-09-11T22:16:00.000-04:00

We've been in the house for almost a month now. I guess we must be fairly settled, cuz it feels much longer than that. I'm really happy here. I finally feel like there is room to move around. To actually do things rather than just sit amongst the clutter. My home, and by extension, my life doesn't feel so cluttered anymore. It's been a wild three months. A major trip, Sean's and my engagement,

2003-08-09T03:15:00.000-04:00

There is nothing like being woken up out of a dead sleep at 2AM worrying about something you did at work that day, checking your email to reassure yourself, then finding out that stuff actually *did* go wrong due to technical issues beyond your control, and now you have to try and redeem things. Hopefully the emails I sent a few minutes ago don't sound too much like I was awake at 2AM on a

2003-07-15T22:06:00.000-04:00

Events that have occurred in the last 10 days that have shaped my life in varying degrees: 1) July 5- saw Metallica at the Skydome. Despite the cruddy sound (which I didn't notice much - I wear earplugs to most shows - you only get one set of ears you know), they put on a great show as usual. I really liked the stills they projected on the video screens of old pictures, covers from various

2003-07-02T21:47:00.000-04:00

i had my first wedding anxiety dream last night. Of course, it was about my sister's wedding and not my own. We were getting ready, and my mother decided that I needed to wear a headpiece resembling a swimcap made of fake flowers on my head. This was attached to my hair with bobby pins, which I painfully discovered when I ripped it off yelling "Why would I wear this stupid thing when I paid to

2003-07-02T00:22:00.000-04:00

One neat thing about apartment living is that when there are holidays with fireworks (well okay, Canada Day and Victoria Day - when else do you use fireworks?), I can see several different shows from varying distances without leaving my balcony.

2003-06-18T23:01:00.000-04:00

there's stuff to say but none of it is interesting.

2003-06-12T22:18:00.000-04:00

i'm here...been busy beyond my control lately. fortunately, i think it's starting to sort out. in the major life-changing news category, sean and i are engaged, and we are looking for a house. the song "I'm An Adult Now" by The Pursuit of Happiness has been running through my head constantly since sean mentioned that it was an appropriate song for us right now. yikes

2003-05-24T23:14:00.000-04:00

A plastic mould containing 4 bars of sparkly red hemp oil soap is sitting on my table hardening right now. Yes, I've decided to give melt and pour soapmaking a try. It seems to be a nice companion to aromatherapy because I can use essential oils to fragrance the soap. The inaugural batch has been tarted up with benzoin and patchouli essential oils, and tea rose fragrance oil. Some explanations

2003-05-14T23:40:00.000-04:00

Well, hello little website. Long time no see. As what seems to be usual lately, work has been keeping me busy and has essentially killed my desire to indulge in hobby and creative stuff for a few weeks (months? years?). I've been wanting to redo this site for months now, and have almost ironed it out, but just haven't had the time or desire to finish it. Basically, I have all sorts of things

2003-04-14T23:49:00.000-04:00

Working till 9 PM when you are a office drone is not fun. At least I can feel subversive by blasting loud music out loud at my desk. I can't even claim all of it as OT cuz I have to go have an ultrasound on Wednesday morning and I'll be late for work. Don't worry, I'm not pregnant. My doctor's office phoned me last week saying that my doctor wanted me to get an ultrasound cuz the blood test

2003-04-07T23:43:00.000-04:00

now that i should be asleep so i can be pleasant for work tomorrow, i can't seem to close my eyes. listening to sean pseudo-snore beside me was too cruel so i got out of bed again. i try not to be one of those lifepartners who wakes up the other one just to say "i can't sleep" but i really, really want to right now. That'll teach him for going to bed at a sensible hour after working all day when

2003-04-05T13:29:00.000-05:00

Well, the freezing is finally gone. Now I can drink without dribbling and talk properly. I could actually talk fairly well by mid-afternoon yesterday, but it's nice that my lip no longer feels like it's twice as big as my head. I've stopped bleeding, but I seem to be tasting a lot of blood, but that's from the blood clots that are healing so that's a good sign. The stitches aren't making me

2003-04-04T21:38:00.000-05:00

This morning all four of my wisdom teeth were pulled. I'm doing much better than I thought I would. The anesthetic didn't make me nauseous (they explained that it was different than a general anesthetic by the kinds of drugs that are in it). That was my biggest fear, since I am such a puke-phobic. I was in surgery for about 45 minutes (I asked, since time stopped while I was under sedation and

2003-03-29T23:58:00.000-05:00

The blog section of this site is celebrating it's third birthday today. if you look back in the archives, you won't see my original test posts, but I know I started it on march 29th. It is also Sean's and my 7th anniversary today. I really feel like our relationship has matured over the years. At least we still like each other, and Sean still makes me laugh. I guess we'll keep each other - stay

2003-03-17T23:09:00.000-05:00

I started doing my taxes, and while they look okay (meaning I've entered everything in and there's a refund so it must be right), I'm afraid to file them. Didn't I go through this last year too? Wonder how long it will take before I can file my own taxes without feeling like I have to call my mother?

2003-03-04T23:18:00.000-05:00

nothing like pouring your heart out and watching the internet screw it up. ctrl-c and ctrl-v are your friends. Maybe it was a sign, since much of it was going on about how pressured I'm feeling lately, and it came off more whiney than productive or problem-solving. However, maybe everything doesn't have to have an answer. But that doesn't take the pressure off. And I don't know what will.

2003-02-21T21:55:00.000-05:00

Mental note: watch this site. It's funny. Lately, I think about things I want to put on the site, and by the time I get around to writing them, I don't think they're interesting/relevant/funny/important anymore. Things like how I'm annoyed with my doctor because she repeated last year's trick and now i have to go back for another appointment. What irks me is that if she had taken the half an

2003-02-09T22:04:00.000-05:00

My parents came to visit Sean and I today. They drove 6 hours to spend 3.5 hours hanging with us. They're silly but it's good to know that they love us that much.

2003-02-03T22:23:00.000-05:00

my sister is getting married. i got a message from her on friday night saying "i'm really drunk right now, i just had my birthday party, and i'm engaged. call me back." so i called her back and she drunkenly confirmed that she really is engaged. they are planning on getting married in October, and i've been asked to be the maid of honour. so things will probably be nutty for the next few months.

2003-01-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

There is just so much to do! I mean that in the best way possible. I am really busy, but in a good way. Between work, home, eat, sleep, there is knitting, Illustrator class, housecleaning, aromatherapy stuff, things to read on the internet, things to read on paper and in books, yoga classes - so many things to do, and accomplish, and enjoy! I do want to devote some time to getting this site

2003-01-15T21:14:00.000-05:00

My scarf is progressing nicely - I might even be able to wear it before winter ends. Of course, I'm seeing more and more projects that I want to do; more and more knitting books I want to buy. Once I find a hobby, I get very into it, and I want to learn absolutely everything about it. Problem is, about fifty percent of the time, I lose interest and end up with a whole pile of stuff I bought for

2003-01-05T02:24:00.000-05:00

Johnny Cash's video for "Hurt" (a cover of the Nine Inch Nails song) makes me cry. It seems silly to talk so strongly about the video for the song versus the actual song itself, but the video is a perfect accompaniment and makes the song even better. My grandma liked Johnny Cash. If she was alive, I would play this for her and ask her what she thought of it. If she liked it, it would give me

2003-01-01T19:29:00.000-05:00

happy new year! It's not that nothing has been happening, it's more like I've been too busy to talk about any of it. Lots of things have happened! I learned to knit, and after showing my first project to both Sean's and my mothers, they were quite impressed. It was supposed to be a dishcloth (since it is basically a square of straight knitting), but I decided I should keep my first project

2002-11-12T23:12:00.000-05:00

The content on this site has really gone down in the last year. It looks like that most of my entries of late have been about either my lack of ambition, or veiled comments about my work life. The work comments are veiled because I don't like talking about my job on the site. I don't feel like having to explain anything I've said here to the people who control my paycheque. Sometimes I think I

2002-10-31T21:02:00.000-05:00

boo.

2002-10-24T21:23:00.000-04:00

As usual, I'm late in reviewing the shows I go to. I've been waiting to see the Flaming Lips for a long, long time, and I was not disappointed. I could not stop smiling the whole time I was watching the show. They ended up losing power to some of their stuff halfway through the show, but they carried on and played a fabulous set. This really was one of the greatest shows I've ever seen, and I

2002-10-17T21:53:00.000-04:00

tidbits from my life as of late... I could use this entry to go on about how there is so much to do, and how I have no desire to do any of it. But really, who cares? Seriously, even I'm getting sick of that. I just have to suck it up and do it all already. Diet pop on an empty stomach makes me really, really, REALLY hungry. (and gassy) I'm trying to learn how to knit - my mom gave the supplies

2002-10-05T22:26:00.000-04:00

So I've been busy. I won't bore with a long explanation - let's just say that my priorities seems to be getting out of whack again. Will big changes be coming soon? Who knows. Frustration levels are high, and I'm beginning to question them. Each weekend

2002-09-17T23:19:00.000-04:00

A public service announcement brought to you by geeKsuperstar.org Get your teeth cleaned. Regularly. If you wait 4 years between cleanings and then go and get one done, it hurts. A lot.

2002-09-11T22:38:00.000-04:00

While I don't think I would have ever forgotten how I felt a year ago, this entry and the entries after are a glaring reminder of the pain, sorrow and fear everyone felt. Is still feeling. Seeing so many pictures again made the memories all too real. The picture where they are carrying Father Mychal Judge, the priest who died giving the last rites to a fireman made my heart break all over again.

2002-09-08T21:09:00.000-04:00

While it's always cool to win free tickets on the Super7, is does not make me a millionaire. but at least it's keeping my hopes up, which I suppose was the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's point. Isn't it good to see businesses succeed? But are they really succeeding if I am not yet a millionaire? That's a point to ponder.

2002-09-03T22:37:00.000-04:00

lots of things have happened in the last few days, but i'm not really sure how to write about them and make it sound remotely interesting. The biggest news is as follows: My birthday was on Saturday, so today I returned from my vacation to work as a mature 24 year old. stop laughing.

2002-08-29T11:45:00.000-04:00

Since people are searching for it, and I meant to write about it, here is my mini-review of Tool's show at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton on August 25. The first half was great, the second half much less so. The second half began with a 10 minute intermission (since Tool does not do encores) and then went into mostly instrumental tracks until they played "Lateralus" at the end. The timing on the

2002-08-26T10:55:00.000-04:00

It's funny how every time someone takes a vacation, the week before is always horrific. I'm on vacation now, and that definitely happened to me last week. A non-scientific poll (me asking others around the office) confirmed this theory. However, none of this matters now cuz I am on vacation, and I can just forget about work until September 3rd. I don't have a whole lot planned for this week. I'm

2002-08-10T22:38:00.000-04:00

Pictures of Sean's bike are up now.

2002-08-10T18:06:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's taken me this long to make my "home office" chair actually comfortable to sit in. And that it only took a screwdriver, duct tape and about half an hour. The problem was that the lever to make the chair go up and down didn't work, because it had fallen out of place. The chair also had a slight lean to the right that wasn't really uncomfortable, but I could *feel* it, and

2002-08-07T23:21:00.000-04:00

Sean bought a motorcycle. He brought it home yesterday. Preteen girls are hitting on him already ("cool bike!"), which I find very amusing (too bad I didn't witness it). No pictures yet cuz when I went to shoot, my batteries got stage fright. Here's a picture from the Suzuki homepage. The only difference is that Sean's is blue. Not knowing much about bikes, all I can say is that it's pretty and

2002-07-28T21:57:00.000-04:00

The main light fixture in my living room is a 5 light-bulbed-pseudo chandelier. Utiliarian, looks okay, has a dimmer, typical apartment fare. While sitting at this computer tonight for several hours, away from where the fans blow but near the open balcony door (even though the breeze is just not blowing into the house, I finally began to sympathize with Sean's complaint of having this light

2002-07-18T22:13:00.000-04:00

The phrase "thinking outside the box" has been bothering me lately. Not only is it overused, I don't really see it as an accurate way of describing creative thinking that moves beyond the normal and expected realm of corporate business-think. When I think of something "outside the box", I think of something new (e.g., a computer) that has just been unpacked from a box.No modifications, no

2002-07-12T23:06:00.000-04:00

Ever since Canada Day, when I lost my watch, I've noticed that a lot of people don't wear watches at all. I made this discovery while trying sneak peeks at other people's watches, and realizing "oh, they're not wearing one at all." I've always worn a watch, so it's been weird to not have one on, but I'm not sure if I miss having it. Sure it's nice to look at when I'm waiting for things (like

2002-07-08T23:15:00.000-04:00

*tumbleweed rolls by* Hey, do tumbleweeds really exist? I just did a fast search on Google's image search and could not find a picture of a real one. So if you can enlighten me, please do. In the last little while I've done the following: 1) Went to Edgefest, where I met Robin Black and the Intergalactic Rock Stars at an autograph signing. They were surprisingly nice considering they were

2002-06-25T13:40:00.000-04:00

happy 25th birthday sean! VIRGO AND CANCER (taken from here) A stimulating affair, for they arouse each other's beneath-the-surface sensuality. Cancer isn't too forceful, which suits Virgo fine. And the little attentions won't be neglected, which suits Virgo even better. Cancer is affectionate and sentimental, and that makes Virgo feel secure. This couple also likes money and domestic comfort,

2002-06-24T23:00:00.000-04:00

Whenever I see a picture of myself, or look at myself in the mirror, I always look really tired. I think it makes me more tired. Must stop looking at myself. It's vain too.

2002-06-24T22:43:00.000-04:00

After copious amounts of food and alcohol, I returned home yesterday from the all-girls weekend. While many of the usual stories were repeated, I did learn some interesting new tidbits about various family members, who would be pissed if I told them here. Of course, I forgot to take pictures, but they probably wouldn't have went online anyway cuz it's not nice to put pictures of people on the net

2002-06-16T02:15:00.000-04:00

Lots of stuff going on. I took a class this week called "Lotions and Potions", which was about how to make your own lotion (and how to add fragrance to it), massage oils and perfume. For a two hour class, I learned quite a lot. I didn't think I'd be able to make my own lotion but once I tried the stuff the instructor made (and I scented with an essential oil blend they provided), I realized

2002-06-07T23:50:00.000-04:00

Sean's and my South Park characters look like this: Okay, so my hair isn't that long, and Sean doesn't usually carry firearms, but they look more or less like us, and that is cool.

2002-06-07T23:34:00.000-04:00

I just finished scrubbing my kitchen floor. I really ought to do it more often, because the usual ritual of sweep, wet Swiffer, scrub on hands and knees and wet Swiffer again is really not fun. That said, I keep looking over to my floor in awe, cuz my kitchen hasn't looked this clean in forever. White vinegar and orange, tea tree, lemon, eucalyptus, lavender and palmarosa essential oils are my

2002-06-05T22:00:00.000-04:00

I'm still kicking. Not by much though. I've been in serious workeatsleep mode lately. Work has been much more stressful as of late, due to some major restructuring that has left the company doing the typical "work harder with less resources" dance. I hate being referred to as a "resource" so the above expression probably shouldn't have been used. However, since people understand and relate to it

2002-05-23T23:38:00.000-04:00

Usually I'm pretty frugal with my money. So why is it that I owe a whole pantload of money on my credit card right now? Busy busy blah blah blah...work is for chumps but we all knew that. Wish my plants would hurry up and arrive. Although I do have a package to pick up, I think it's the pesto book that I ordered, and not plants at all. I should not be up this late on a worknight. I remember

2002-05-20T23:06:00.000-04:00

Had a great time at the Monster Magnet show last night. Very eclectic crowd. It was held at Club 279, which is the new club above Toronto's Hard Rock Cafe. The place had a really odd setup, but had all sorts of TVs broadcasting what was happening on stage. If you were somewhere and couldn't see the whole stage, you could watch the video feed. Being short, I couldn't see much when we were closer

2002-05-16T22:26:00.000-04:00

It bothers me that I don't always say what I want to say here. I just don't feel like having someone with authority at work call me into their office and fire me for breaking some fine-print rule about confidentiality. I don't want to slag the company, because I do enjoy my job on the whole. Sometimes I just feel so frustrated. And trapped. I know I should be happy that I work with an all-round

2002-05-10T16:05:00.000-04:00

This weekend I'm visiting my parents, which means the following: 1) I get to see my sister's new kitten, and her new apartment 2) I get to take home the food processor my mother found for me 3) I get to give my mom her Mother's Day present in person, rather than just phone her 4) I get to visit with my best friend Hopefully I'll get pictures of the kitten doing cute things. Or pictures of

2002-05-10T14:29:00.000-04:00

What a brave kid. Marc Hall is allowed to attend the prom with his boyfriend

2002-05-05T19:27:00.000-04:00

Pictures of the rearranged balcony are up in the gallery. Sean and I went out today and got some patio chairs and I got some plants to start my herb garden. I then ordered the rest of the herbs I wanted from Richters. I stuck to the list of things that I wanted, but I still spent a lot of money. The credit card company is going to love me this month.

2002-05-04T23:41:00.000-04:00

Today started off on the uneventful side, but we actually got a few things accomplished today. I cleaned up and rearranged the balcony to incorporate more window (or in this case, balcony) boxes, and get them in the best sunlight I could. We face northeast, and we're on the 16th of 18 floors so our sunlight isn't great. All I need now is some patio chairs, some plants and more dirt and it'll be

2002-04-30T08:56:00.000-04:00

Today I saw a guy driving a car with a roll of toilet paper hanging from the rearview mirror. I guess he's had too many laundry disasters involving the 401 and fast food. Either that, or he has a small child who is frequently sticky. While I think having the toilet paper in the car is a good idea, I would feel silly hanging it from my rear view window. But I don't have children or laundry

2002-04-29T20:57:00.000-04:00

I just checked my grades online and found out I got an A in my last DTP course. Being able to check this stuff makes me glad I took the time to go down there and get my student numbers sorted out. Tthere actually wasn't any sorting to do, but I needed to get my PIN to access the web stuff, so the trip was worth it.

2002-04-24T16:50:00.000-04:00

And another thing. I had forgotten until yesterday just how easy it is to spend a wack of money at the drugstore. When I worked at a drugstore, I used to get 20% off everything but sale items, prescriptions, stamps and baby food. Between my discount and knowing what was on sale at all times, I used to go on these huge buying binges there regularly. A lot of it was practical stuff like soap,

2002-04-24T16:31:00.000-04:00

Things have perked up and I am now busy in a good way. Within a week of receiving my tax return, I spent it all. Not on dull stuff like bills or anything like that, because that would be wrong. The first thing I bought was clothes for work that don't make me feel like I'm a corporate drone. I also signed up for the aromatherapy correspondence course I wanted to take (it's actually "aromatology"

2002-04-20T19:06:00.000-04:00

Now, we'll never get the full Alice in Chains reunion we hoped for. Many people close to Layne Staley seem to have been quoted as saying he was close to death's door for a long time. The saddest part about his death is that he died alone, and was not found for several days. Rest in peace Layne.

2002-04-17T22:43:00.000-04:00

And another week without posting. Work has really been taking it out of me lately. I am trying to better manage it so I can keep my work and personal lives productive and joyful. I finished my second class last night (Intro to Desktop Publishing - Macintosh). I realized just how much I had actually learned at work and in class when I was one of very few students who completed the test. The class

2002-04-11T19:47:00.000-04:00

I'm still at work. And I'll have to be back at work in just over 12 hours. At least it's Friday tomorrow.

2002-04-08T08:21:00.000-04:00

I'm going through the "busy at work/no desire to blog" stuff again. It's time to learn how to better prioritize my time so I can do everything I want to do, rather than just the things I have to do. I'm actually at work now - I was hoping to get some stuff done this morning, but so far, have accomplished nothing work related. This is unfortunate because it is quiet and I could have gotten at

2002-04-03T23:18:00.000-05:00

I just netfiled my taxes for the first time. The final phone call to my mother (who I was only phoning to get that final reassurance to just go ahead and do it already) resulted in me getting a much smaller refund than planned cuz I misread some of the instructions. At least I better have misread them, or I'm gonna be ugly. If I had not phoned her, I would have just filed them, and nothing would

2002-04-03T17:08:00.000-05:00

After hearing so much about MTV's "The Osbournes" all over the web, I'm really excited to see that it's finally coming to Canada. I actually emailled MTV Canada (where it will be played) asking why they didn't carry it, even though their programming guide said they did. (That seemed to stop after my note though.) This show and MuchLoud make digital cable worth paying for.

2002-04-03T13:15:00.000-05:00

I got a B- in my Basic Layout for Design and Desktop Publishing Course. Not great, but not awful either. The letter mark equals out to about 70-72% so it sounds better when I say it like that. I could not have received it at a better time, because I was just going to call them nagging since the course ended more than a month ago.