Is it July ?

OH my God was it ever HOT yesterday in Fredericton. It didn’t help that I had my hair down and was wearing a suit jacket, although it had short sleeves. Walking the short distance from the Crowne Plaza to the Centennial Building was sheer torture. My black shoes felt like ovens. I guess it didn’t help things that I was wearing black pinstriped pants, a black shortsleeved linen suit jacket with a black tank top under, black socks and black shoes. And I walked the line. I make a conscious effort to try on different colored clothes when I go shopping. Even if I do convince myself to buy different colors, they end up gathering dust in my closet. When I do repress my Johnny Cash side and try a different colour I don’t feel right. I don’t always wear just black… But I do prefer black. I feel confident in black. But I do wear dark greens, greys and sometimes dark blue.. The last time I tried to be brave and wore a very nice teal colored shirt with white pinstripes my coworker J exclaimed : Wow, our very own easter egg! ARGH! It doesn’t help that since I always wear dark colors, whenever I wear a light color it kind of shocks those who know me therefore making me even more self-conscious. It’s a vicious circle.

So yesterday morning J and I were waiting at the office at 7:45 am as G had told us that he would pick us up at 8am. It was cutting it close since the meeting was to start at 10am. (We were all carpooling since we were all attending the same events.) At 8:15 we were still waiting. We decided to bring our luggage outside and have a smoke while we waited for him. At 8:30 we called our boss to tell him that we would be late. He finally arrived at 8:45. Then he had to stop at Tim Horton’s to get a coffee for the drive.

I was SO so so hungry during the meeting it was insane. My stomach was sending out loud distress signals. I tried to quietly rummage through my purse to find something to eat to quiet the gurgling noises. The only thing I could find were 2 mints, but somehow it worked. When the meeting finally ended some of us went to eat lunch in the dining room, right there at the Lord Beaverbrook. I was honnestly so hungry during the 20 feet walk to the dining room that I thought I would faint. I felt drunk. Thankfully there was a lunch buffet, so I could eat right away, and the food was absolutely amazing. I must bring Steph there to stay overnight and then eat like pigs at the breakfast buffet and then again for the lunch buffet LOL.

After lunch our division walked over to the Monseigneur Boyd meeting center for more meetings and it was so hot I thought I would blister. The A/C didn’t work in the meeting room we were in and it was painfully uncomfortable. It’s one thing to be hot, but it’s worse when you’re in a meeting with other sweaty people. About halfway through the meeting our boss sent someone to complain about the heat and to get more water and the only thing they had was hot water. Great.

When the meetings were finally over, J and I walked back to the Beaverbrook to sit on the terrace for a nice cold beer. The waitress accidentally dropped a full glass of ice tea all over J, who was just telling me how she had only brought this one pair of pants and was planning to wear them again the next day. The waitress was dying of embarrassement. She told J she would pay for her soaked purse if it was dammaged. When she learned that J’s purse was a 600$ Gucci, she said well maybe I can have it professionally cleaned for you. hehe Poor girl.

We decided to go up to our rooms, J to shower and I to stick my face to the air conditionner. They are in the process of renovating the Beaverbrook, the rooms are sooo nice and fresh. Everyone was saying how they prefer it to the Delta now. The only downside is that it’s so nice that it’s going to be full all the time therefore we won’t be able to stay there as often as we do now, which is a shame because it’s so convenient being right in front of the Centennial Building, Legislature and Play House. Free parking. It’s so hard to find parking otherwise.

We all gathered in A’s room for a pre-party as usual. We stopped at the liquor store on the way to the party for more wine. While in the liquor store, already in a giggly state I spotted a bottle of “Best Bitter Beer” and said to everyone ” OMG, this is M’s bottle!” Because we always call him Mr. Bitter. Sometimes Bitter & Twisted. So we purchased the bottle of Best Bitter and later convinced our boss to present him the “Best Bitter Award”. It was hilarious hehe.

The party was at our boss’ house. We ate a herd of lobster and drank entirely too much wine. We had a great time, but it was nowhere as great as the february river cottage party. That one was awesome. Doesn’t it suck when you attend a really really great party and you have high hopes for the next one and then you end up being dissapointed ?

Look what I made!

It’s oatmeal, honey & cinnamon soaps! I can’t wait to try them!

(Click to enlarge)

We Speak Your Names

I just watched Oprah’s Legends Ball. (It was last Monday but I had it tivo’d.) Oprah threw a spectacular event to honor African-American women who have paved the way for others. She spent a year planning the Legends Ball, an extravagant, glitzy, glamorous black-and-white gala. It was spectacular. So amazing. Not the fact that Oprah was the hostess, that the women got huge diamond earrings as parting gifts or that the food was so fancy. What made this event so special was the love. Those women knowing that they would be remembered forever. That improvised gospel singing by legend after legend.

For centuries, African American women have been remaking the world, giving testament to the power of hope, courage, and resilience. But it took the inspired generosity of Oprah Winfrey to honor fully the many gifts of sisterhood. For three amazing days—from May 13 to 15, 2005—a distinguished group of women was invited to celebrate the enduring achievements of 25 of their mentors and role models—and in the process pay tribute to the long, glorious tradition of African American accomplishment.

Excerpt: We Speak Your Names*
By Pearl Cleage
From Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Weekend

Because we are free women,
born of free women,
who are born of free women,
back as far as time begins,
we celebrate your freedom.

Because we are wise women,
born of wise women,
who are born of wise women,
we celebrate your wisdom.

Because we are strong women,
born of strong women,
who are born of strong women,
we celebrate your strength.

Because we are magical women,
born of magical women,
who are born of magical women,
we celebrate your magic.

My sisters, we are gathered here to speak your
names.
We are here because we are your daughters
as surely as if you had conceived us, nurtured us,
carried us in your wombs, and then sent us out
into the world to make our mark
and see what we see, and be what we be, but better,
truer, deeper
because of the shining example of your own
incandescent lives.

We are here to speak your names
because we have enough sense to know
that we did not spring full blown from the
forehead of Zeus,
or arrive on the scene like Topsy, our sister once
removed, who somehow just growed.
We know that we are walking in footprints made
deep by the confident strides
of women who parted the air before them like the
forces of nature that you are.

We are here to speak your names
because you taught us that the search is always for
the truth
and that when people show us who they are, we
should believe them.

We are here because you taught us
that sisterspeak can continue to be our native
tongue,
no matter how many languages we learn as we
move about as citizens of the world
and of the ever-evolving universe.

We are here to speak your names
because of the way you made for us.
Because of the prayers you prayed for us.
We are the ones you conjured up, hoping we
would have strength enough,
and discipline enough, and talent enough, and
nerve enough
to step into the light when it turned in our
direction, and just smile awhile.

We are the ones you hoped would make you
proud
because all of our hard work
makes all of yours part of something better, truer,
deeper.
Something that lights the way ahead like a lamp
unto our feet,
as steady as the unforgettable beat of our collective
heart.

We speak your names.
We speak your names.

Home Sweet Home!

I can’t even tell you how great it feels to have claimed my house back. My brother, his girlfriend, her 12 year old son, her 9 year old daughter, their dog Riley, their Ferret Ace, and their dead hamster whose name eludes me at the moment, have moved out today. It was such a struggle to get them out of our house. We even had to pay 150$ for the u-haul, pay for their gas, and physically help them load the truck. I rented a 24 feet long u-haul and they still needed to make two trips. The neighbors couldn’t believe the amount of crap those people had moved in. It’s hard to believe they came here from an appartment.

Of course there still is a load of crap in the basement that they have to come pick up by the end of the week otherwise it will go to the curb on trash day as they have been warned. There still lay herds of wounded unicorns and mutilated porcelaine dolls among other crap, in the basement.

I’m so dissapointed in my brother. I’m past the angry stage. I can’t believe how disrespectful he was, how he took advantage of us. He had the gall to get angry at me because he thought I hadn’t helped him enough physically, to move out. He knows about my back problems. He had the gall to TELL me that since they changed his shift at work from 1-9pm, he was going to tell the kids to come here after school from 3-7pm and their mother would come pick them up then. No. No way. They would be here 4 hours a day, eat my food and trash my house ? No way. Let their father pick them up from school and take care of them. It would be different if they were HIS kids. It would be different if the kids would be well behaved and respectful. It would be different if the kids didn’t nearly burn down my house three times that I know of.

It’s over now. They’re moved out. Almost completely. Things will get back to normal.

GUESS WHAT….

Guess What I’m doing tomorrow morning ?

*

*

*

I’ll be watching my brother move out of my house!!!!!!!!!! *cartwheel* (Okay I can’t do a cartwheel, but let’s just pretend)

What’s in it for you ? Well as you might have noticed, the creative blogging juices have been siphoned right out of me ever since the hellish living arrangement experiment began almost 2 months ago. So bottom line is I’ll have a lot more blogs posted, time well wasted!

This is SO true!

So true, that I almost just snorted diet coke on my monitor…

(click to enlarge)

Losties Unite!

I can’t friggin wait for the Lost finale tonight!! eeeeeeee! Two hours of Lost Bliss!!!

Here’s the finale’s synopsis :

After discovering something odd just offshore, Jack and Sayid come up with a plan to confront “The Others” and hopefully get Walt back. At the same time there will be an answer to the question of where Michael has been and resolution of him and Walt. Meanwhile, Eko and Locke come to blows as Locke makes a potentially cataclysmic decision regarding the “button” and the hatch. Lastly, Desmond returns and he sheds some more light on his experience on the island in the three years prior to when Locke came down into that hatch.
The commercial says : Tonight’s Lost will change everything, find out why the plane really crashed!

Do you think the button really does something ? When Locke and Ecko discovered that other hatch and watched the Hanso Corp instruction videos, I thought that meant that the button really didn’t do anything. That the sole purpose of the counter/button was to see how long they could continue entering the number sequence. Or perhaps a way to find out if someone is alive in the hatch. So why is Ecko so fascinated by the button now ?

Also, I wonder why Jack, Sawyer, Hurley and Kate are being summoned by the others. Why those four ? Do they have special ‘talents’ like Walt ? Is it because they all have/had daddy issues ? Are the others trying to lure them leaving the other losties defenceless ? But why would they want Hurley ? Sayid, Ecko and Locke would be more logical choices…. Hurley said the owns some corporations that he’s not even aware of, maybe he owns part of Hanso Corp. ? Maybe the 4 all wear same size shoes. Who knows. Cant’ wait to find out!

I hope nothing happens to douchebag Sawyer. He’s so annoying, yet sooooo damn sexy. Have you seen him when he was doing the Gap commercials ? hehe Ew okay I just watched the “Moving August” (whatever that is), on that site. What’s with the short shorts ? I watched the “Adam tells Lauren he’s gay” clip, and Sawyer just looks and acts like a big freakin’ ape. I’m glad to see his acting talents have tremendously improved since whatever that show was heh. And I’m also glad that he grew up to become eye candy.

My last theory for the day : The mysterious island cured Locke (he can miraculously walk now), Rose (no longer has cancer), Charlie (is no longer a heroin junkie), maybe Jim really is the father of Sun’s baby ? What if the island cured his infertility ?

Hah!

Waiting impatiently for Victoria!!

Day that is… Long weekend I’m so ready for you! I have no plans exept clean clean clean and more cleaning. Sorry to leave you in limbo about the original blog topic, but I posted it on the HM board. It was about the renovations. Since this is my blog and I’ll be lazy if I want to, I’m just going to pastify it : (pastification contains more than the reno part, but here goes)

Well here’s an update on me (aka the story of Motel Vienneau)

I haven’t posted much at all lately, and I haven’t blogged much either. But I’m often lurking. Life has been crazy crazy crazy, but I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now hehe. I’m so looking forward to hearing from all of you I hope you all respond :)

First I’ve been away quite a bit since January, I’ve had to travel for meetings and also I’ve been away to three trainings/workshops/seminars. I normally space out my two annual required learning sessions more throughout the year, but this year I decided to get it over with sooner than later, avoid having to drive in the snow later (I know, I dont’ want to think about snow now, it just melted! hehe) and last but not least, I’ve finally decided and applied for 3 positions (2 for other gov. departments, and 1 for the University). I’m not getting my hopes too high because I applied in the administration support field still, keeping in line with what I do now, but I don’t have any diplomas or certifications to do so. But I do have 4 years of experience in the field under my belt now, and one really good recommendation in my favour for the dept. of Justice dept. job. I’m glad I finally decided to shoot higher, but at the same time I’m feeling torn. As annoying as they can be, I am fond of my coworkers, and I became accustomed to the slow-pace here (hello ivillage hehe), and most of all I love the flexibility. I love being able to just come and go as I please mostly. Especially during summer! But at the same time all those things I like also come with disadvantages. If I am chosen and decide to leave for another position, I feel like I’ll need to have a lot more self-discipline. But the higher salary might make up for that. Anyways, that’s it on the job front for me.

On dh’s job front, well I don’t know if I posted back in December when he was promoted to Team Leader at work. Anyways, he’s a lot happier it seems at work now. (And consequently, at home.) There at 4-5 team leaders there, and they recently started working together to improve work conditions and employee morale. It’s working nicely so far. In fact today at lunch they’re having a free BBQ with prizes and stuff. woah hehe. Dh has been told that there would be a surprise of some sorts for him. I can’t wait to hear what it is. DH thinks it’s going to be something silly like they all know he loves cheese and Kraft Dinner so it might be something along those lines hehe We’ll see. Last but not least, DH finally worked up the courage to have a real man to man talk with his boss who was up from New York 2 weeks ago. He discussed his future with the company and yada yada yada, the conversation ended with Mr. Boss stating that May 23rd (dh’s 4 year anniversary with the company) Dh is to receive a higher than average raise! WOOHOO! finally! (It’s been 2 years since his last raise, all his previous raises were 10% so we’re anxiously waiting to see the fruits of his hard work). We might very well stay up until midnight next thursday to hawk our account online to see the amount of the automatic pay deposit LOL

About the home : Here’s the most exiting part of my update! (for me anyways!) We just signed the papers yesterday to get a loan (we refinanced our mortgage with an amazing interest rate, keeping the same amortization period that was left, paying off another loan we had that had higher interrest, so basically it’s going to fit in very very well in our budget, I love our banker, he’s great.) to do some renovations!!! I know our house is only 2 years old, but when we bought we bought what we could afford. Now we can finally : Buy an insulated, electricity wired 12×16 shed, pave the driveway, do the landscaping and finish the basement! yay! *snoopy dance*. It’s going to be so nice to live in 100% of the house instead of 50%. We’re going to hire an electrician and a plumber of course, but we’re going to try to do a lot of the rest ourselves. A nice project. Mom asked us what we’re doing next month for our wedding anniversary.. we’re going to renovate! hehe

Finally, the Motel Vienneau story. Or saga. Almost 2 months ago, we agreed to let my (22 year old) brother, his (34 year old) girlfriend, and her two kids (9 and 12) to help them get back on their feet financially. O-M-G. What a frigging mess. They can’t move out fast enough. The original deal was to let them stay for 4 months, but at the end of this month it will be 2 and I want them out yesterday. They have no respect for our house or us. The first thing they did was buy a frigging DOG. 4 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs and 2 cats. ONE bathroom. *loud sigh*. It’s insane. The plan for them to save up money didn’t work either. Even though they were living at our house, they were expected to pay a minimal amount of rent, and buy their own food. I had to loan them money and they paid about half a month of rent. God it feels great ranting about it here, because I don’t dare vent about it on my blog in case they are reading it. I have never met such slobs. My house is comletely utterly disgusting and I don’t even know where to begin when they leave. They are totally irresponsible. Last week my brother’s car insurance got cancelled for mis-payment, his car payments were also 4 paymetns behind, so my parents as co-signers of his car confiscated the car from him. Because he didn’t cancel his insurance but it got cancelled on him, if he wants to have insurance again he has to pay double the already high amount he was paying. (He’ll have to pay like 3500$ a year now) She was insured with him, so now they’re driving her jeep with no insurance, no plates, no registration. (Because they spent all their money on a car subwoofer and new speakers and other crap instead of paying for those things, and rent, their past due previous utilities etc.) UGH. this is just the tip of the iceberg. I tell you, I think I aged 15 years in the past 2 months. The poor kids are little pains in the butt, but it’s not their fault poor them, they’ve been through a lot with their mom leaving their dad for a guy 12 years younger than her (and only 10 years older than the son), they moved twice and now their mom (my brother’s gf) is in the hospital currently with an ear infection. (whole nother ridiculous story). Annnyways, I could write a book about it it’s completely ridiculous. Hopefully at the end of the month, Motel Vienneau will be closed for business. (or charity). The bedrooms we will be building in the basement will be converted into a gym, a “theatre” (projector) room, and other non-imposing-family friendly rooms until we sell teh house. So there. Call me mean :P

Hope everyone is doing well, can’t wait to hear from you!

I’m leaving the last bit there, because I want life updates from you too, blog readers :) Comments give me blogging fuel!

About the fear of blogging about the Motel Vienneau situation on here, well… what the hell. Let’s just hope they won’t read. Besides, it’s not like they don’t know that I want my house back and why.

Are you feeling gypped because all you got was a pastification ? A re-told story ? Old news ? Exclusive for you blog readers : An update on the update :

I have talked to my brother today and told him that he has 2 weeks to move out. Until the 31st. That’s it that’s all. The “surprise” for DH at the company BBQ was that he was featured in a trivia question part of a question hunt type of thing. There was an ipod nano for the winner. They were instructed to NOT search for the answers during work hours. The questionnaire was sent after the 10h30 break and some girl sent the completed quiz in at 11h45. Therefore she cheated and answered it during company time. She won, but because she cheated they switched the prizes and instead she won a usb memory stick. hah! The question Steph was featured in was ” Which programmer has a red sports car model on his desk ?” Now if you know Steph you’d know that a sports car model on his desk sounds so very out of place. He just looted it from an ex employee’s desk. There was a company party later that night at the Cosmo, free drinks and all. Some customer service girl got so smashed that she asked the New York president home. (She has a bf, he’ s married) and Pat danced on the dance floor with his balls hanging out of his zipper. (yes, literally.) We weren’t there to witness it because we’re too old to come home smashed at 2am to get up at 6am for work. We’re still waiting to hear on the raise amount. Tuesday. yay!

I’m driving myself nuts with my long paragraphs.

Chantal will be irked about my long rambling blog entry again :P

Are you exited for the 70’s show series finale and the OC season finale ? I am! I’m all ready with strawberries, choco chip cookies, and ice cream :D

I am trying to think of a catchy title…

But because of Heather I have this song stuck in my head “God blessed the broken road, that led me straight to you… ” and I can’t think of anything else. I need to whack myself on the head with my phone or something. I don’t know why I just had that thought. Please consult with your doctor before following any advice on this blog. I’m not sure head whacking works as a means to remove a song from your brains.

The lyrics really are beautiful though.

“Bless The Broken Road”

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn’t see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I’d like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You’ve been there you understand
It’s all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Now I’m just rolling home
Into my lover’s arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

I want to blog about what I wanted to blog about, but first there was that song, and now weird people are taking up brain space also. Oh and my stupid cold is taking up a fair percentage too. My coworker J just managed to royally screw up her MS excel for the zillionth time. I have no idea what she does to it, but it just totally spazzes out and it’s not responding and she doesn’t want me to end the process without her saving. Well then. Call Xwave. (Tech support). I’m not mean, I just have a cold. You’re allowed to be mean when you’re sick.

Then M messages me on MSN to ask : Are you driving around to see what’s in the trash ? Um. No… For the last 2 weeks and next week it’s “big garbage” spring pick up in Greater Moncton, and apparently he scored a “new” sofa/living room set, new kitchen chairs, a new patio set and a crap load of toys for the kids. Apparently it’s really exiting and he can’t wait to go again. He says that on the radio they keep encouraging people to go dig through other’s trash because it’s environment friendly etc. It’s weird because on the channel I listen to, they DIScourage people from doing that. I guess going trash hunting is not really my thing, but I don’t mind when other people come shopping in my big garbage pile. Last year we through out about 6 pieces of furniture, computer monitors and old printers, and Steph and I enjoyed watching through the window as people came in groups of giggling little thieves to loot. A LOT of people do it. Probably because a lot of people like me prefer putting perfectly good things to the curb knowing soemeone will pick it up, rather than have a yard sale.

I remember the very first time (and also the last time) I had a yard sale. I was about 14, and my mom and I sold like a zillion wine/champagne glasses from her “collection” and we made 400$ and all the profits went towards a brand new leather coat for me. I was so cool with my black leather coat, pink neon shoelaces and my Vuarnet t-shirt!

Okay I’m going to run to the bank hoping my mind will clear and if so, I’ll be back with my original blog topic :)