Funny funnies!
Ok... so a tonne of people on my MSN list for the past week or so have been highlighting random statements about Chuck Norris. I thought it started with a personal joke between some of my section-mates at Teacher's College but I quickly discovered that it wasn't just my TC friends that were talking about him... After asking around, I FINALLY got a straight answer as to what the buzz was about...
http://www.4q.cc/chuck/index.php?topthirty
And for more funnies, check these links out...
http://www.4q.cc/vin/index.php?topthirty
http://www.4q.cc/t/index.php?topthirty
My biggest question: is it lame that I find the math/science ones the most funny?
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
Oil Changes
Are you supposed to tip the oil change boys when you go to a 10-minute place like Jiffy Lube? I got my oil changed today and afterwards was asked if I wanted my cabin filter checked (I didn't even know that thing existed!). After the guy spent close to 5 minutes taking the thing apart and putting it back together, I kind of felt like I owed him a tip... But... not knowing the "ettiquette" of the situation, I opted not to tip. My reasons:
a) there were three other guys that worked on my car and I have no idea how they would divvy it up
b) if it wasn't normal to tip the dude, I didn't want him to think I was hitting on him or anything like that...
Are you supposed to tip the oil change boys when you go to a 10-minute place like Jiffy Lube? I got my oil changed today and afterwards was asked if I wanted my cabin filter checked (I didn't even know that thing existed!). After the guy spent close to 5 minutes taking the thing apart and putting it back together, I kind of felt like I owed him a tip... But... not knowing the "ettiquette" of the situation, I opted not to tip. My reasons:
a) there were three other guys that worked on my car and I have no idea how they would divvy it up
b) if it wasn't normal to tip the dude, I didn't want him to think I was hitting on him or anything like that...
Monday, December 05, 2005
Underground Parking Stupidity
On Saturday night I went downtown with Amanda to do some shopping at MEC, visit with a friend, and stop at Lone Star for some yummy yummy fajitas! Upon finishing our dinner, we made our way back down to the parking garage where we had left my car. AFter finally locating my parking spot, I realized that I had no idea where my parking ticket was. Luckily I was able to dig through my pockets and find it which helped to avoid an $18.00 fine.
As we neared the exit, I realized that we were in a pretty high-tech parking garage in which we were supposed to park our cars at the side, walk up to a machine, insert the parking ticket, and then pay the required amount. The machine, however, did not accept my ticket... I think the crease in the middle of the magnetic information strip probably had something to do with that ;)
After several attempts to make the machine read it, I decided to press the button for assistance. Shortly thereafter, a security dude came down to take our money manually. When Amanda pulled out her $5 bill, it somehow ripped right down the middle. I laughed and said "that's ok, a little tape can fix that problem" but the security dude very quickly responded with "I'm not taking your ripped $5 bill". Thinking he was joking, I laughed and joked back with him, but he repeated himself firmly and said "No... I'm not kidding... I'm not taking your ripped $5 bill." I responded with "you can't be serious" and tried to tell him that I worked at a gas station for several years and very often had to tape money together for my customers. But this man would not budge. He actually made us give him a *non-ripped* bill, and since we only had a $10, he had to walk back to his office to get us change before we could leave the garage...
Why do people act like such idiots? I mean... really... could he not have taped that bill together for us?
Sheesh...
On Saturday night I went downtown with Amanda to do some shopping at MEC, visit with a friend, and stop at Lone Star for some yummy yummy fajitas! Upon finishing our dinner, we made our way back down to the parking garage where we had left my car. AFter finally locating my parking spot, I realized that I had no idea where my parking ticket was. Luckily I was able to dig through my pockets and find it which helped to avoid an $18.00 fine.
As we neared the exit, I realized that we were in a pretty high-tech parking garage in which we were supposed to park our cars at the side, walk up to a machine, insert the parking ticket, and then pay the required amount. The machine, however, did not accept my ticket... I think the crease in the middle of the magnetic information strip probably had something to do with that ;)
After several attempts to make the machine read it, I decided to press the button for assistance. Shortly thereafter, a security dude came down to take our money manually. When Amanda pulled out her $5 bill, it somehow ripped right down the middle. I laughed and said "that's ok, a little tape can fix that problem" but the security dude very quickly responded with "I'm not taking your ripped $5 bill". Thinking he was joking, I laughed and joked back with him, but he repeated himself firmly and said "No... I'm not kidding... I'm not taking your ripped $5 bill." I responded with "you can't be serious" and tried to tell him that I worked at a gas station for several years and very often had to tape money together for my customers. But this man would not budge. He actually made us give him a *non-ripped* bill, and since we only had a $10, he had to walk back to his office to get us change before we could leave the garage...
Why do people act like such idiots? I mean... really... could he not have taped that bill together for us?
Sheesh...
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Racing at the OU champs
This weekend I travelled to Kingston with my xcountry team to participate in the Ontario University Xcountry Championships. Although I placed an embarassing 96th out of 101 racers, I am still pleased with how I raced. I am brand new to the xcountry thing this year and was competing against the best of the best in terms of Ontario University xcountry runners. I joined the team at Nipissing this year with an open mind -- to challenge myself and experience what it's like to be on a Varsity team. And I think I accomplished both well.
My training this year was somewhat disrupted by the ups and downs associated with my current situation. Moving back to Waterloo for my teaching placement where I had to establish a brand new schedule and routine was a bit tricky to adjust to, only to have it all screwed around again when I came back to North Bay for a few more weeks of school. Although I didn't train as much as I had *hoped* to, I think I still noticed a bit of an improvement from the beginning of the season. Even if a lot of the improvement came from me just getting a bit more experience with "racing" itself.
One thing I learned (rather, reinforced) this year is that I do not like competing. Xcountry races are incredibly intense and start off extremely fast. And since each race is only about 4 or 5km, the intensity is maintained the entire way through. By the end of the race, I am only just beginning to feel like I'm starting to feel good. And by then, well, it's too late. However, that being said, I have come to appreciate more about pushing myself harder and thinking about the finish line as incentive.
Although I don't think I will keep up the short-distance competitions for much longer, I am glad I experienced this all. I still have my passion for running and am certain that this season will have an affect on my training for next year's half-marathon. Additionally, I have a better understanding of xcountry running now and can't wait to be able to put that to use as a teacher where I totally plan to help out with the xcountry team at whatever school I end up at!
All in all, my finish time of 23:30 for this past weekend's 5km race is something I am proud of. I now have a benchmark for my 5km PB and plan to work on improving that one with time. Even if I don't do a whole lot of races, it's still good to have something to push myself towards.
Huge thanks to Tim for taking me on the team and putting up with my "rookie" status... It's been a great experience to train and race with the Nipissing Varsity XCountry running team!
This weekend I travelled to Kingston with my xcountry team to participate in the Ontario University Xcountry Championships. Although I placed an embarassing 96th out of 101 racers, I am still pleased with how I raced. I am brand new to the xcountry thing this year and was competing against the best of the best in terms of Ontario University xcountry runners. I joined the team at Nipissing this year with an open mind -- to challenge myself and experience what it's like to be on a Varsity team. And I think I accomplished both well.
My training this year was somewhat disrupted by the ups and downs associated with my current situation. Moving back to Waterloo for my teaching placement where I had to establish a brand new schedule and routine was a bit tricky to adjust to, only to have it all screwed around again when I came back to North Bay for a few more weeks of school. Although I didn't train as much as I had *hoped* to, I think I still noticed a bit of an improvement from the beginning of the season. Even if a lot of the improvement came from me just getting a bit more experience with "racing" itself.
One thing I learned (rather, reinforced) this year is that I do not like competing. Xcountry races are incredibly intense and start off extremely fast. And since each race is only about 4 or 5km, the intensity is maintained the entire way through. By the end of the race, I am only just beginning to feel like I'm starting to feel good. And by then, well, it's too late. However, that being said, I have come to appreciate more about pushing myself harder and thinking about the finish line as incentive.
Although I don't think I will keep up the short-distance competitions for much longer, I am glad I experienced this all. I still have my passion for running and am certain that this season will have an affect on my training for next year's half-marathon. Additionally, I have a better understanding of xcountry running now and can't wait to be able to put that to use as a teacher where I totally plan to help out with the xcountry team at whatever school I end up at!
All in all, my finish time of 23:30 for this past weekend's 5km race is something I am proud of. I now have a benchmark for my 5km PB and plan to work on improving that one with time. Even if I don't do a whole lot of races, it's still good to have something to push myself towards.
Huge thanks to Tim for taking me on the team and putting up with my "rookie" status... It's been a great experience to train and race with the Nipissing Varsity XCountry running team!
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Math Rap
Looking for a good laugh?? I'd love to learn the story behind this one!
http://keithschofield.com/pi/std.html
Oh dear...
Looking for a good laugh?? I'd love to learn the story behind this one!
http://keithschofield.com/pi/std.html
Oh dear...
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Best FAQ ever!!!
http://web14.compaq.com/falco/detail.asp?FAQnum=FAQ2859
Having worked as a tech support rep, I think I appreciate this FAQ even more than the average intelligent person... ;)
http://web14.compaq.com/falco/detail.asp?FAQnum=FAQ2859
Having worked as a tech support rep, I think I appreciate this FAQ even more than the average intelligent person... ;)
Friday, October 14, 2005
More bear news...
Just got this email from my running coach... Don't know why, but I find this whole thing hilarious.
Due to the large number of bear sightings being reported in our area, the MNR has installed a bear trap on the College Drive campus. The trap is located behind the upper residences near the entrance to the trail system (between College Drive and the back of the residences) The trap will be monitored daily by Security Services and any bears caught in the trap will be removed by the MNR. We advise everyone to avoid the trail area where the trap has been set up.
Thank you.....Facilities Operations Department
It's actually surprising me how scared I am to run by myself these days. Even when I'm running with my team while doing our warmup loop in the woods, I have extra incentive to keep pace with the rest of the group for fear of being left behind and encountering a bear on my own! Every time I hear a snap or rustle in the woods, my eyes bug out and I freak out about the possibility of being attacked. Can we say "paranoid"???
Ah... the fun of living in the great white north!
Just got this email from my running coach... Don't know why, but I find this whole thing hilarious.
Due to the large number of bear sightings being reported in our area, the MNR has installed a bear trap on the College Drive campus. The trap is located behind the upper residences near the entrance to the trail system (between College Drive and the back of the residences) The trap will be monitored daily by Security Services and any bears caught in the trap will be removed by the MNR. We advise everyone to avoid the trail area where the trap has been set up.
Thank you.....Facilities Operations Department
It's actually surprising me how scared I am to run by myself these days. Even when I'm running with my team while doing our warmup loop in the woods, I have extra incentive to keep pace with the rest of the group for fear of being left behind and encountering a bear on my own! Every time I hear a snap or rustle in the woods, my eyes bug out and I freak out about the possibility of being attacked. Can we say "paranoid"???
Ah... the fun of living in the great white north!
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Home
There is nothing quite like the feeling of going "home". I drove home to Owen Sound last Friday and it was such a great feeling! Firstly, I am still in awe at the amazing coulours I've seen so far this year in North Bay. I swear the North must get a more beautiful fall season than the Southern Ontario regions get! Every day on my way to campus, it's like a new painting is presented to me. I was walking to campus with Kris the other morning and it was so beautiful, we had to stop and take some pictures to capture the moment!
But anyways... back to my attempt to describe this feeling - there really is nothing quite like coming home. Every time I drive into Owen Sound, I get this weird, almost giddy feeling of familiarity. Driving in the back way past Inglis Falls and by all of the subdivisions on the West side of the city, I can't help but think about how much it all feels like "home". I know every turn, and every stop sign, and even the tiniest little landmarks have some sort of memory associated with them...
Every single time, as my drive comes to an end and I turn the corner from 6th Ave onto 6th Street, I take a deep breath and sigh a sigh of relief as I see my childhood home standing strong at the end of the street, usually with mom and dad eagerly awaiting at the window for my arrival...
There's no place like home :)
There is nothing quite like the feeling of going "home". I drove home to Owen Sound last Friday and it was such a great feeling! Firstly, I am still in awe at the amazing coulours I've seen so far this year in North Bay. I swear the North must get a more beautiful fall season than the Southern Ontario regions get! Every day on my way to campus, it's like a new painting is presented to me. I was walking to campus with Kris the other morning and it was so beautiful, we had to stop and take some pictures to capture the moment!
But anyways... back to my attempt to describe this feeling - there really is nothing quite like coming home. Every time I drive into Owen Sound, I get this weird, almost giddy feeling of familiarity. Driving in the back way past Inglis Falls and by all of the subdivisions on the West side of the city, I can't help but think about how much it all feels like "home". I know every turn, and every stop sign, and even the tiniest little landmarks have some sort of memory associated with them...
Every single time, as my drive comes to an end and I turn the corner from 6th Ave onto 6th Street, I take a deep breath and sigh a sigh of relief as I see my childhood home standing strong at the end of the street, usually with mom and dad eagerly awaiting at the window for my arrival...
There's no place like home :)
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Bear Encounter
Ok... so I guess I spoke too soon! Yesterday (yes, one day after my last posting) I was on my way to school, and... well, that's right. I saw a bear!
My route to school is actually not a typical "drive to campus" because of the mere fact that I go to school at Nipissing all the way up in North Bay. To illustrate, here is a picture of the scenery I get as I turn at the Mr. Gas intersection onto the back-road that I take to campus...
Yesterday, I turned onto this road behind a truck that was driving much slower than my prefered driving speed. But since I wasn't in a big hurry, I decided to just follow behind him. Probably a good thing cause as we neared the next intersection that turns onto campus, lo and behold, a baby bear cub scampered out from the forest on our right, crossed the road, and ran into the forest on our left. Had I been driving my *usual* speed, I might have ended up with a beautiful bear dent on the front of my car...
It all happened so fast, but it was definitely a bear. The scariest part is that there are houses right beside the forest that bear was hanging out in and our campus backs onto the forest that the bear ran into. In fact, there is a residence around the corner from the intersection that I turn at. The following picture illustrates approximately where this took place...
What a surreal moment! Just a few days ago I was having a discussion with someone about how I don't think I ever cared to have an encounter with a bear, unless it was in the confines of my car, while I was still moving. Well, my wish has been granted. Now let's hope that I don't have any other bear encounters of the other kind (read: outside of my car) for the rest of my life... Crazy stuff I tell ya!!
Ok... so I guess I spoke too soon! Yesterday (yes, one day after my last posting) I was on my way to school, and... well, that's right. I saw a bear!
My route to school is actually not a typical "drive to campus" because of the mere fact that I go to school at Nipissing all the way up in North Bay. To illustrate, here is a picture of the scenery I get as I turn at the Mr. Gas intersection onto the back-road that I take to campus...
Yesterday, I turned onto this road behind a truck that was driving much slower than my prefered driving speed. But since I wasn't in a big hurry, I decided to just follow behind him. Probably a good thing cause as we neared the next intersection that turns onto campus, lo and behold, a baby bear cub scampered out from the forest on our right, crossed the road, and ran into the forest on our left. Had I been driving my *usual* speed, I might have ended up with a beautiful bear dent on the front of my car...
It all happened so fast, but it was definitely a bear. The scariest part is that there are houses right beside the forest that bear was hanging out in and our campus backs onto the forest that the bear ran into. In fact, there is a residence around the corner from the intersection that I turn at. The following picture illustrates approximately where this took place...
What a surreal moment! Just a few days ago I was having a discussion with someone about how I don't think I ever cared to have an encounter with a bear, unless it was in the confines of my car, while I was still moving. Well, my wish has been granted. Now let's hope that I don't have any other bear encounters of the other kind (read: outside of my car) for the rest of my life... Crazy stuff I tell ya!!
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Benefits of Kissing
The following link popped up on MSN the other day when my messenger opened up. I thought it was pretty funny and actually somewhat educational. Who knew that kissing actually had so many benefits... Calorie burning, face toning, plaque removing... LOL! I feel like I should follow this posting up with some whitty comment but I'm lacking for anything good at the moment...
The following link popped up on MSN the other day when my messenger opened up. I thought it was pretty funny and actually somewhat educational. Who knew that kissing actually had so many benefits... Calorie burning, face toning, plaque removing... LOL! I feel like I should follow this posting up with some whitty comment but I'm lacking for anything good at the moment...
You know you're up north when...
The following is an example of the type of breaking news we experience up here in North Bay. I got this email forwarded to me from someone on the xcountry running team who had received it from her residence don...
Subject: BEAR SIGHTING ON MONESTARY TRAIL THIS MORNING
We have had reports this morning that a bear cub (I'm sure the mother was not too far away) was spotted near the top of the Monestary Trail around 8 am this morning.
Residence Managers please post notices at your residences.
Faculty please mention to your students.
Lol... Apparently the bear(s) aren't leaving either... there have been several other sitings since this email came out. I wonder if I'll ever have such an encounter while I'm up here... Actually... I'm kind of wondering if I actually WANT to have such an encounter...???
The following is an example of the type of breaking news we experience up here in North Bay. I got this email forwarded to me from someone on the xcountry running team who had received it from her residence don...
Subject: BEAR SIGHTING ON MONESTARY TRAIL THIS MORNING
We have had reports this morning that a bear cub (I'm sure the mother was not too far away) was spotted near the top of the Monestary Trail around 8 am this morning.
Residence Managers please post notices at your residences.
Faculty please mention to your students.
Lol... Apparently the bear(s) aren't leaving either... there have been several other sitings since this email came out. I wonder if I'll ever have such an encounter while I'm up here... Actually... I'm kind of wondering if I actually WANT to have such an encounter...???
Sunday, September 11, 2005
My Car
I think I need to make my car more "fun" and reflect more of my personality. Given my extremely dark tinted windows, I sometimes feel like I'm driving a pimp-mobile! I'm thinking about some fuzzy pink dice or a hula dancer for my dashboard, but am not convinced they are my optimal choice...
Looking for suggestions... What sort of unique things have you encountered?
I think I need to make my car more "fun" and reflect more of my personality. Given my extremely dark tinted windows, I sometimes feel like I'm driving a pimp-mobile! I'm thinking about some fuzzy pink dice or a hula dancer for my dashboard, but am not convinced they are my optimal choice...
Looking for suggestions... What sort of unique things have you encountered?
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Hurricane Katrina
I just finished watching an episode of Oprah that I taped this afternoon. The show featured a special report on Oprah's visit to Louisiana to survey the damage imposed on the hurricane-stricken state.
Honestly... words can't really describe how much that show moved me. I think we've all seen enough news and read enough reports on the damage that Katrina has caused. But what we may not know as much about are the sadder and more depressing stories that haven't been featured in the news -- the pain and misery and torture that has been inflicted on the people of Louisiana.
I can't help but feel cliche by saying this, but it's really really hard not to wonder how different the outcome of this story might have been had this travesty happened to another, more affluent area, such as Miami or LA. Man the reality of life is depressing... There's got to be some good that can come of this...
I just finished watching an episode of Oprah that I taped this afternoon. The show featured a special report on Oprah's visit to Louisiana to survey the damage imposed on the hurricane-stricken state.
Honestly... words can't really describe how much that show moved me. I think we've all seen enough news and read enough reports on the damage that Katrina has caused. But what we may not know as much about are the sadder and more depressing stories that haven't been featured in the news -- the pain and misery and torture that has been inflicted on the people of Louisiana.
I can't help but feel cliche by saying this, but it's really really hard not to wonder how different the outcome of this story might have been had this travesty happened to another, more affluent area, such as Miami or LA. Man the reality of life is depressing... There's got to be some good that can come of this...
How did that happen?
Last weekend I participated in the Paradise Lake trail race just outside of Waterloo. Although I haven't been doing a whole lot of running this summer, I thought I'd give it a try to see what sort of condition I was in -- treat it as a sort of "training" run. Well... as it turns out, Saturday must have been my day. Somehow (I'm just not sure how), I manged to win my category, Women's 10km trail, in a time of 48:15. Not only did I win, but I hit a personal best! The last time I did a 10km (road!) race, I had a time of over 56 minutes! I am still in disbelief but am excited about the potential this may offer for the upcoming race season as I join the x-country running team at Nipissing. Best part of the whole weekend was winning a spanky new long-sleeved Patagonia shirt for first place along with a new pair of Montrail running shoes as a draw prize! Sweet sweet!
Last weekend I participated in the Paradise Lake trail race just outside of Waterloo. Although I haven't been doing a whole lot of running this summer, I thought I'd give it a try to see what sort of condition I was in -- treat it as a sort of "training" run. Well... as it turns out, Saturday must have been my day. Somehow (I'm just not sure how), I manged to win my category, Women's 10km trail, in a time of 48:15. Not only did I win, but I hit a personal best! The last time I did a 10km (road!) race, I had a time of over 56 minutes! I am still in disbelief but am excited about the potential this may offer for the upcoming race season as I join the x-country running team at Nipissing. Best part of the whole weekend was winning a spanky new long-sleeved Patagonia shirt for first place along with a new pair of Montrail running shoes as a draw prize! Sweet sweet!
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Linear Regression Anyone?
My friend Rene has asked me for some help, and unfortunately, the statement "I didn't learn anything in University" holds true here and I can't really offer him a whole lot of assistance. If anyone knows more about Linear Regression than I do (or at least remembers something about that stats course we took), please let me know. Links from the web, or your own summaries would probably be very helpful.
Feel free to post here, or send me an email directly...
From Rene:
I just got a new contract and they need me to do linear regression! The problem is that I've never done that before [the math I studied was quite different -- lots of discrete math] -- I have to write a program that does linear regression on a matrix they give me -- yikes! Any suggestions on where I can find out how to do this? I've been looking all over the net.
My friend Rene has asked me for some help, and unfortunately, the statement "I didn't learn anything in University" holds true here and I can't really offer him a whole lot of assistance. If anyone knows more about Linear Regression than I do (or at least remembers something about that stats course we took), please let me know. Links from the web, or your own summaries would probably be very helpful.
Feel free to post here, or send me an email directly...
From Rene:
I just got a new contract and they need me to do linear regression! The problem is that I've never done that before [the math I studied was quite different -- lots of discrete math] -- I have to write a program that does linear regression on a matrix they give me -- yikes! Any suggestions on where I can find out how to do this? I've been looking all over the net.
Baseball Game and an Anniversary
On Saturday I went to a Jays game with my dear friend/aisle-buddy (from RIM), Jeff Wong. What a good time it was! Aside from the fact that it was practically a reunion since Jeff and I never see one another, it was such a fun outting! Before the game, Jeff introduced me to one of the best hotdog vendors in town (no joke, that dog was AMAZING!). Jeff seems to know the vendor on a first-name basis and the scene while we ordered could have been straight from an episode of Seinfeld. During the game, I got caught up on all the latest baseball trivia (it is always more fun going to an event with someone who knows something about it) as well as all of the latest and greatest marketing gimmics in the new "Rogers Stadium" (I'm still sad they had to change the name - it will forever be the SkyDome in my heart). Best part was the fantastic win at the end. A tight game (2-1) always makes for a nail-biting finish!
After the game, I drove up to my cottage where some of our cottage neighbours were having a surprise anniversary party for their parents. Although I missed the surprise, the party was a fantastic success. You know that when the tears roll out for half the evening that it had to have been a successful anniversary event. John and Myrna Ives are certainly a marriage to model. Although (like most families) you don't know what problems (if any) exist in the background, you can't help but notice their love for one another and their family as well.
On Saturday I went to a Jays game with my dear friend/aisle-buddy (from RIM), Jeff Wong. What a good time it was! Aside from the fact that it was practically a reunion since Jeff and I never see one another, it was such a fun outting! Before the game, Jeff introduced me to one of the best hotdog vendors in town (no joke, that dog was AMAZING!). Jeff seems to know the vendor on a first-name basis and the scene while we ordered could have been straight from an episode of Seinfeld. During the game, I got caught up on all the latest baseball trivia (it is always more fun going to an event with someone who knows something about it) as well as all of the latest and greatest marketing gimmics in the new "Rogers Stadium" (I'm still sad they had to change the name - it will forever be the SkyDome in my heart). Best part was the fantastic win at the end. A tight game (2-1) always makes for a nail-biting finish!
After the game, I drove up to my cottage where some of our cottage neighbours were having a surprise anniversary party for their parents. Although I missed the surprise, the party was a fantastic success. You know that when the tears roll out for half the evening that it had to have been a successful anniversary event. John and Myrna Ives are certainly a marriage to model. Although (like most families) you don't know what problems (if any) exist in the background, you can't help but notice their love for one another and their family as well.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
UW model - a mathie?
Does anyone else read their Monthly UW Alumni E-Newsletter, or am I one of the few that signed up for that thing?
Anyways... I was reading through it this morning and came across the following story about a guy from UW Math (CS) who is now traveling the world as a model! His name is William Metcalfe. He graduated with our class (well, at least in '04).
Was anyone friends with this guy? He kinda looks familiar but I don't remember him ever being a part of my social circle...
Does anyone else read their Monthly UW Alumni E-Newsletter, or am I one of the few that signed up for that thing?
Anyways... I was reading through it this morning and came across the following story about a guy from UW Math (CS) who is now traveling the world as a model! His name is William Metcalfe. He graduated with our class (well, at least in '04).
Was anyone friends with this guy? He kinda looks familiar but I don't remember him ever being a part of my social circle...
Thursday, August 11, 2005
The Announcement
Well, I did it. It's official now. I gave my 2 weeks notice today at work. Let them know that I am heading to teacher's college this fall - Nipissing in North Bay to be exact.
I can't believe how hard it was to do that. My stomach was in knots leading up to the meeting with my boss, and I still feel kinda weird. I hate disappointment, and I know I've disappointed a few people. I guess it's a relief to have it over and done with, but now I get to spend the next 2 weeks doing meaningless stuff since I'm pretty certain they're not gonna want to start me on any "high-priority" projects...
I suck at making decisions - even the littlest ones like what colour of underwear to wear on any given day - so I hope this was the right one (career decision that is, not what colour of underwear I chose today). Oh well... I've come this far, I have to give it a try. If my gut is really only right about one thing in life, I think this has got to be it. I'm simply not cut out for the corporate world. I'm excited about the opportunities this new journey will bring... :)
Well, I did it. It's official now. I gave my 2 weeks notice today at work. Let them know that I am heading to teacher's college this fall - Nipissing in North Bay to be exact.
I can't believe how hard it was to do that. My stomach was in knots leading up to the meeting with my boss, and I still feel kinda weird. I hate disappointment, and I know I've disappointed a few people. I guess it's a relief to have it over and done with, but now I get to spend the next 2 weeks doing meaningless stuff since I'm pretty certain they're not gonna want to start me on any "high-priority" projects...
I suck at making decisions - even the littlest ones like what colour of underwear to wear on any given day - so I hope this was the right one (career decision that is, not what colour of underwear I chose today). Oh well... I've come this far, I have to give it a try. If my gut is really only right about one thing in life, I think this has got to be it. I'm simply not cut out for the corporate world. I'm excited about the opportunities this new journey will bring... :)
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
More comedy at work
I don't know why I find some things at work so comical, but I do. Some of the weirdest, quirkiest things can make me laugh -- a lot -- while I'm at work. Today my coworker, Jason, sent the following email to the whole office:
Excuse the interruption.
I have a pair of Nike shoes that are blue and white and are kept under the bench in the men's changeroom. I went to put those shoes on just now and noticed that someone had removed one of my shoelaces. This was done either last night or today.
I'm not sure why someone would do this, but if anyone has this lace or knows anything about this, please let me know.
Thanx
I'm not really sure why I found this so funny, but I did. I mean... who on EARTH would steal ONE shoelace from someone's shoe??? This is especially ironic given my shoe "incident" a few months back...
It's amazing the entertainment one can receive while working a day in the office...
I don't know why I find some things at work so comical, but I do. Some of the weirdest, quirkiest things can make me laugh -- a lot -- while I'm at work. Today my coworker, Jason, sent the following email to the whole office:
Excuse the interruption.
I have a pair of Nike shoes that are blue and white and are kept under the bench in the men's changeroom. I went to put those shoes on just now and noticed that someone had removed one of my shoelaces. This was done either last night or today.
I'm not sure why someone would do this, but if anyone has this lace or knows anything about this, please let me know.
Thanx
I'm not really sure why I found this so funny, but I did. I mean... who on EARTH would steal ONE shoelace from someone's shoe??? This is especially ironic given my shoe "incident" a few months back...
It's amazing the entertainment one can receive while working a day in the office...
Retainer Update
Well, I survived the first night of wearing my retainer for the first time in about, umm.... probably 4 years. I made it until about 5:30am and decided to take it out then since I was awake and lying in bed thinking about it. I even tried for a second night and made it to about 1:30am but took it out when I got up to get a drink. The pain actually isn't that bad - it's more iritating than anything. It really doesn't fit the shape of my mouth anymore (gee... I can't understand why?? ;) and as a result, presses on the roof of my mouth in weird spots and makes the skin all weird and irritated. The crazy part is, I am already starting to notice a slight improvement in my teeth. Now, if only my damn orthodontist had given me a retainer for my bottom teeth!!
Well, I survived the first night of wearing my retainer for the first time in about, umm.... probably 4 years. I made it until about 5:30am and decided to take it out then since I was awake and lying in bed thinking about it. I even tried for a second night and made it to about 1:30am but took it out when I got up to get a drink. The pain actually isn't that bad - it's more iritating than anything. It really doesn't fit the shape of my mouth anymore (gee... I can't understand why?? ;) and as a result, presses on the roof of my mouth in weird spots and makes the skin all weird and irritated. The crazy part is, I am already starting to notice a slight improvement in my teeth. Now, if only my damn orthodontist had given me a retainer for my bottom teeth!!
Monday, August 08, 2005
London Bombings and Understanding Muslim "Mis-Understandings"
I got an email from a coworker the other day. It was a pretty powerful one:
It’s with grief and dismay that a couple of weeks ago we received the sad news of the London terrorist attacks that took the lives of more than 50 innocent people and injured more than 700 others. The other sad news is that the perpetrators of these attacks were British Muslims; some of them were as young as 18 years old, and who according to their families and loved ones seemed to have normal lives.
The question that begs itself is “what drove these ordinary young boys to become merciless killers?”
Despite what’s going on in Iraq and elsewhere in the Muslim world nothing justifies killing innocent people, Islam forbids it full stop.
Going back to my question above, one sure thing that drove these boys to turn into murderers is the Islamic education they received; they got it from the wrong sources.
I’m appealing to all to help prevent kids and young Muslims living in Canada from falling into the same trap by helping the Muslim Association of Canada, a charity organization recognized by the Canadian government, build an Islamic Education Center in Kitchener to make sure that our children get the proper Islamic education.
So if you would like to make a donation please come and see me.
Thanks
Mohamed
It's people like Mohammed that will make a difference by speaking up and bringing understanding to situations like these...
It's amazing how much I still have yet to understand about the problems in our world. I learned something from this email, and hope that others may too.
I got an email from a coworker the other day. It was a pretty powerful one:
It’s with grief and dismay that a couple of weeks ago we received the sad news of the London terrorist attacks that took the lives of more than 50 innocent people and injured more than 700 others. The other sad news is that the perpetrators of these attacks were British Muslims; some of them were as young as 18 years old, and who according to their families and loved ones seemed to have normal lives.
The question that begs itself is “what drove these ordinary young boys to become merciless killers?”
Despite what’s going on in Iraq and elsewhere in the Muslim world nothing justifies killing innocent people, Islam forbids it full stop.
Going back to my question above, one sure thing that drove these boys to turn into murderers is the Islamic education they received; they got it from the wrong sources.
I’m appealing to all to help prevent kids and young Muslims living in Canada from falling into the same trap by helping the Muslim Association of Canada, a charity organization recognized by the Canadian government, build an Islamic Education Center in Kitchener to make sure that our children get the proper Islamic education.
So if you would like to make a donation please come and see me.
Thanks
Mohamed
It's people like Mohammed that will make a difference by speaking up and bringing understanding to situations like these...
It's amazing how much I still have yet to understand about the problems in our world. I learned something from this email, and hope that others may too.
My retainer
Ouch! Ok... so I decided that I'd put my retainer in for a night, just to see how it fits these days. I was inspired (read: reminded) the other day when my boss at Running Room got braces for the first time and we got in a discussion about teeth slipping after the fact and how I should really be wearing my retainer.
Wow... I didn't realize how much my teeth had slipped. This is sorta painful. We'll see if I make it the whole night through...
Ouch! Ok... so I decided that I'd put my retainer in for a night, just to see how it fits these days. I was inspired (read: reminded) the other day when my boss at Running Room got braces for the first time and we got in a discussion about teeth slipping after the fact and how I should really be wearing my retainer.
Wow... I didn't realize how much my teeth had slipped. This is sorta painful. We'll see if I make it the whole night through...
Sunday, August 07, 2005
A weekend reunion
This weekend my friend Amanda came for a visit. It had been a long time since we’d last seen one another as she has been traveling abroad for the past year. It was a great union and it was so good to catch up.
Friday night we played in my brother’s soccer league as two extra, desperately needed, females. Amanda twisted her ankle pretty good and I got my big toe stomped on, so I’d say we came out with some pretty good battle wounds! After the game we attended the housewarming party at my house and I introduced Amanda to some new coolers that she missed the release of last year. Mmmmmm… yum! Smirnoff twisted!
On Saturday we had planned to do a day-hike at Hilton Falls but the balloon-sized swelling around Amanda’s ankle that morning told us we should probably find a plan B. We ended up spending the afternoon at Elora Conservation Area enjoying the beautiful weather. We finished the evening and our weekend together watching Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. It was a hilarious movie with some great girlie laughs. I especially loved the prison scene featuring “Like a virgin” by Madonna! LOL :)
It’s funny how people can come in and out of our lives for various reasons at varying times. Although Amanda and I really only knew each other through a co-op term and some drunken nights at Bomber Wednesdays, we have so much in common and pretty much picked up where we left off. An experience like that is pretty cool.
This weekend my friend Amanda came for a visit. It had been a long time since we’d last seen one another as she has been traveling abroad for the past year. It was a great union and it was so good to catch up.
Friday night we played in my brother’s soccer league as two extra, desperately needed, females. Amanda twisted her ankle pretty good and I got my big toe stomped on, so I’d say we came out with some pretty good battle wounds! After the game we attended the housewarming party at my house and I introduced Amanda to some new coolers that she missed the release of last year. Mmmmmm… yum! Smirnoff twisted!
On Saturday we had planned to do a day-hike at Hilton Falls but the balloon-sized swelling around Amanda’s ankle that morning told us we should probably find a plan B. We ended up spending the afternoon at Elora Conservation Area enjoying the beautiful weather. We finished the evening and our weekend together watching Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. It was a hilarious movie with some great girlie laughs. I especially loved the prison scene featuring “Like a virgin” by Madonna! LOL :)
It’s funny how people can come in and out of our lives for various reasons at varying times. Although Amanda and I really only knew each other through a co-op term and some drunken nights at Bomber Wednesdays, we have so much in common and pretty much picked up where we left off. An experience like that is pretty cool.
More adventure than I signed up for!
A couple of weekends ago, I competed in an adventure race in Huntsville. I found some girls in Waterloo that were interested in giving an all-girls team a try (for one girl it was her first introduction to AR), and decided to go for it. Although we didn't have much time to train together, we managed to get a practice canoe session in the week before, and had some time to figure out the race logistics.
The race itself was a blast, and I will elaborate more on that shortly, but I can honestly say that the weekend brought WAY more "adventure" than I was expecting. Here is the sequence of events that led up to our departure that Friday afternoon:
- Thursday night: drove to Kacy's, picked up her bike, and drove home with it on my brand new rack
- Friday morning: drove to work with Kacy's and my bike on my rack
- Friday at lunch: packed BJ's stuff in my car but decided to wait and put her bike on later…thank goodness! (see below)
- Friday afternoon: drove home and napped cause I wasn't feeling well
- Friday at 4pm: left my house, got on the highway to go back to work, and my bike fell off my rack!
YES... that is right. My bike fell off my rack in the middle of Highway 85, right by the King Street exit! In total shock, I pulled over to the side of the road, and backed up to the spot my bike had landed. I got out of my car and stood at the edge of the highway (with my hands on my forehead in total disbelief at what had just happened) waiting for the cars to slow down as they were swerving around my bike so I could go pick it up off the road. There was a nice guy that happened to pull over at the same time I did to assist, but he wasn't able to do much for me. We just put my bike back on the rack, used an extra bungee cord that he had to secure it, and I drove (much slower) to the Northfield exit where I continued my way to work.
BJ was sitting outside waiting for me and it took all my strength to hold in the tears that I was ready to unload. I think a few dripped out, but I had to pull myself together and figure out what to do with the situation:
First thing: call Kacy and let her know I was gonna be "late"
Top priority: find a new bike for the race cause mine was *definitely* not going to be rideable
2nd priority: call Yakima to find out what the hell just happened
The bike replacement was easy. A few emails and phone calls and I was set! Andrea B's bike was my saving grace! (even better - it was still at Trina's place from our trip to Cobourg which meant I didn't have to drive downtown TO that afternoon to get it).
After speaking with Yakima, it was clear that they didn't see it as an issue and blamed it on "user error" and recommended I tighten the straps tighter. Realizing that it wasn't worth my time at that moment, I told them I would call them back to discuss more on Monday.
BJ and I then went back out to my car to examine the situation. We put her bike on the back of my rack (actually, a $2000 bike she had borrowed from another coworker of ours - thank goodness I decided to wait to load it on the rack!), and then loaded Kacy's on the front. We tightened all the straps very carefully, and reenacted how I had loaded my bike that morning. All seemed good. Could not understand how I could have screwed up the "tightness" of the straps. Since I was still concerned about the whole situation, I drove to Adventure Guide and asked for someone to come out and take a look at my rack. I was concerned about the amount of "play" in the hitch (where the tongue on the rack connected to it) but the guy said he had a similar feel with his Thule rack. We decided to add some security by tying some climbing rope around the bikes and securing them to my rack that way. Thank goodness!
After picking up Kacy at her place I got on the 401. About 10 minutes later I was driving about 120 (average 401 speed I might add) and noticed Kacy's bike suspended in the air, secured only by the safety rope we had used. I pulled over to the edge of the highway, we got out and investigated (saw nothing wrong), re-strapped the bikes, retied the rope, and set out again. 5 minutes later, the same thing! This time it was very clear that we would not be making it to Huntsville with our bikes if we were depending on my rack. We considered our vehicle options which were limited. It felt like signs were telling us to give up then. And feeling the brunt of the day (and the crappy week at work that I had had) I was ready to throw in the towel. But after taking a vote, the girls wanted to continue and with that positive feedback, I decided that I would too. We managed to convince Sandra (my wonderful sister-in-law :) to meet us in Guelph where we switched vehicles. We drove her Acura MDX the rest of the way with all 3 bikes safely inside the car.
For departing close to 3 hours later than expected, we made some great time (missing the Friday afternoon traffic rush isn't a bad thing at all!). We headed straight to our B&B (since we missed the early registration), unloaded, organized gear, and got right into bed. The next morning I was all gitters cause I knew there was lots I still had to do:
- get our bikes put together
- install my peddles on Andrea's bike
- reprogram my bike computer for Andrea's tires
- install my bike computer on Andrea's bike
- review the whole "navigation" thing
- map our route
- pull myself together enough to do a good race
I forced as much food down as I could cause I knew how disastrous the race would be on an empty stomach. Registration was smooth and it was nice to see so many familiar faces. We got some help with some bike issues, I got BJ to help with the bike computer, and we were ready just in time for the race briefing. We only got a few minutes to map the route, but I think I did ok. And after nearly an hour bus ride to the start line, we found ourselves lined up with 50 some-odd other teams on the water for a canoe start.
The paddling section was close to 2 hours. We came into the TA 2nd or 3rd last (not last though!) which I was very happy with given
A) I was steering
B) We were an all-girls team
C) We were one of very few teams using canoe paddles rather than kayak paddles
Oh yeah... we got a really random rainstorm in the middle of our paddle while we were in the middle of a fairly large lake. It was highly entertaining as we fought our way across this lake with an incredibly strong headwind, freezing cold rain pelting on our faces, and thunder and lightning around us (ok... that kind of freaked me out a bit). By the time we cleared the lake, the rain had settled down but I was so cold that I shivered the rest of the way down the river.
It was nice to switch gears (mind the pun) and get onto our bikes. It was really confusing starting off cause there were lots of roads funneling out of the TA area and it was hard to decipher which way to go. After a few minutes, we figured it out and set off in our mini peleton. I quickly realized that I was slowing us down and asked that we slow down enough so that I could draft and keep up. I think that worked well. The navigation went well and we continued along the way to the next checkpoint. From then on in, we were on fairly technical trails that alternated between hard-packed dirt, thick puddles of muck, and gravel. There were a lot of hills. The uphills were tough, but the downhills were fun! By this point, I wasn't the slowest one anymore since I was more comfortable on my mountain bike than BJ who is primarily a road cyclist. The bike was very long and took us close to 4 hours I think. By the end, I just kept encouraging our team to keep on moving cause peddling slowly was better than completely stopping to rest.
We finally reached the CP and had less than 2 hours to finish the race. I think I knew by that point that we weren't gonna finish on time, but we still hurried through the TA and set off on the trekking section. The trek started off ok as I set off on my bearing of 220. Managed to get around a dried up marsh and cut through the bush. When we came out of the bush, we stepped right into a wide open field of thick, tall grass. Since we were looking for a checkpoint on the edge of a small pond (and had been advised earlier that some wet spots had dried up) I wrongly assumed that we had found the "pond". After circumventing the dried up "pond" and hacking our legs to pieces as we walked through the razor-like grass, we ended up getting stuck in a swamp and it took us half an hour to get out.
By this point, things started getting ugly. My teammates started acting noticeably annoyed and aggravated that we were walking (and sometimes swimming) through the green, foul smelling water, and they really started to slow down. I tried to stay as positive as I could and hang back close enough so I wouldn't get out of site, encouraging them to do what they could to catch up. However painfully slow the swamp situation was, I had plenty enough time to figure out the maps and discover my mistake and knew exactly where we were and where we needed to go. Even though race cut-off was minutes away, I wanted to persevere and prove to myself (and my team) that I could find the next CP. But by this point, we had slowed to a crawl and time was not on our side. Since the race had started an hour late, darkness was looming sooner than it should have. Given our options of getting lost in the woods again or turning back, we decided to turn back and retrace our steps to the last CP.
The last half-hour was the worst because my team started to show signs of frustration and annoyance and kept hanging back behind me. I continued along anyways, trying to make the most light of the situation that I could, but when I jokingly asked for their ranking on a scale of 1 to 10 of how bad things felt, BJ responded with "Well, in all of the races I've done, we've never been this lost before” followed by “I think this is gonna be my last adventure race".
As we were nearing the CP we had left several hours prior, we had to cut back through the bush. But retracing one's steps through the bush is not an easy task. And by this point, my compass decided to stop working. I thought it was waterlogged or damaged from being banged around on the bike section, but as I learned later, it can actually be affected by the iron levels in the earth beneath you. Even though I knew approximately where we were, I just wanted to verify that we were heading in a straight path so we didn't end up going in circles. Desperation started to set in as I realized how close it was to getting dark and I told my teammates that I was upset and needed their help. I think that was a very smart move cause their attitudes started to change… After a brief discussion with God (no joke, he answered my call!) we heard the sound of a vehicle nearby and called out to it. They heard us, and honked back. We quickly emerged out of the woods into "safety" and got a ride back to the finish line. Disappointing, but a good way to end since we rode back with another team, "A for Effort" and heard about their adventures that day.
I could go on for paragraphs more, but I will leave it at that. I should also mention that things did get better and the mood lightened as we drove home and had time to debrief. We reflected on the race and how we heard from others about how incredibly long it was, and started to feel much better about our efforts. I think they are both gonna give it another try next year which is super awesome. Maybe not as Team Sassypants again, but you never know...
When I got home, the first thing my siblings told me was that I was famous - famous since I had made the Friday afternoon traffic report! LOL
Lessons learned:
- never again will I do an AR with canoe paddles!
- similar team goals are so important in Adventure Races (we had this one covered very well for the most part)
- I am a much better and more confident mountain biker than I thought!
- Andrea's bike is WAY better than mine (a few extra hundred dollars really does make a difference!)
- navigating is challenging but I can see how you can get better with time (I will definitely learn from my mistakes)
- I am impressed with my ability to handle stressful situations – although I'm sure there is lots of room to improve, I have to pat myself on the back for dealing with all my “unexpected” adventures so well...
A couple of weekends ago, I competed in an adventure race in Huntsville. I found some girls in Waterloo that were interested in giving an all-girls team a try (for one girl it was her first introduction to AR), and decided to go for it. Although we didn't have much time to train together, we managed to get a practice canoe session in the week before, and had some time to figure out the race logistics.
The race itself was a blast, and I will elaborate more on that shortly, but I can honestly say that the weekend brought WAY more "adventure" than I was expecting. Here is the sequence of events that led up to our departure that Friday afternoon:
- Thursday night: drove to Kacy's, picked up her bike, and drove home with it on my brand new rack
- Friday morning: drove to work with Kacy's and my bike on my rack
- Friday at lunch: packed BJ's stuff in my car but decided to wait and put her bike on later…thank goodness! (see below)
- Friday afternoon: drove home and napped cause I wasn't feeling well
- Friday at 4pm: left my house, got on the highway to go back to work, and my bike fell off my rack!
YES... that is right. My bike fell off my rack in the middle of Highway 85, right by the King Street exit! In total shock, I pulled over to the side of the road, and backed up to the spot my bike had landed. I got out of my car and stood at the edge of the highway (with my hands on my forehead in total disbelief at what had just happened) waiting for the cars to slow down as they were swerving around my bike so I could go pick it up off the road. There was a nice guy that happened to pull over at the same time I did to assist, but he wasn't able to do much for me. We just put my bike back on the rack, used an extra bungee cord that he had to secure it, and I drove (much slower) to the Northfield exit where I continued my way to work.
BJ was sitting outside waiting for me and it took all my strength to hold in the tears that I was ready to unload. I think a few dripped out, but I had to pull myself together and figure out what to do with the situation:
First thing: call Kacy and let her know I was gonna be "late"
Top priority: find a new bike for the race cause mine was *definitely* not going to be rideable
2nd priority: call Yakima to find out what the hell just happened
The bike replacement was easy. A few emails and phone calls and I was set! Andrea B's bike was my saving grace! (even better - it was still at Trina's place from our trip to Cobourg which meant I didn't have to drive downtown TO that afternoon to get it).
After speaking with Yakima, it was clear that they didn't see it as an issue and blamed it on "user error" and recommended I tighten the straps tighter. Realizing that it wasn't worth my time at that moment, I told them I would call them back to discuss more on Monday.
BJ and I then went back out to my car to examine the situation. We put her bike on the back of my rack (actually, a $2000 bike she had borrowed from another coworker of ours - thank goodness I decided to wait to load it on the rack!), and then loaded Kacy's on the front. We tightened all the straps very carefully, and reenacted how I had loaded my bike that morning. All seemed good. Could not understand how I could have screwed up the "tightness" of the straps. Since I was still concerned about the whole situation, I drove to Adventure Guide and asked for someone to come out and take a look at my rack. I was concerned about the amount of "play" in the hitch (where the tongue on the rack connected to it) but the guy said he had a similar feel with his Thule rack. We decided to add some security by tying some climbing rope around the bikes and securing them to my rack that way. Thank goodness!
After picking up Kacy at her place I got on the 401. About 10 minutes later I was driving about 120 (average 401 speed I might add) and noticed Kacy's bike suspended in the air, secured only by the safety rope we had used. I pulled over to the edge of the highway, we got out and investigated (saw nothing wrong), re-strapped the bikes, retied the rope, and set out again. 5 minutes later, the same thing! This time it was very clear that we would not be making it to Huntsville with our bikes if we were depending on my rack. We considered our vehicle options which were limited. It felt like signs were telling us to give up then. And feeling the brunt of the day (and the crappy week at work that I had had) I was ready to throw in the towel. But after taking a vote, the girls wanted to continue and with that positive feedback, I decided that I would too. We managed to convince Sandra (my wonderful sister-in-law :) to meet us in Guelph where we switched vehicles. We drove her Acura MDX the rest of the way with all 3 bikes safely inside the car.
For departing close to 3 hours later than expected, we made some great time (missing the Friday afternoon traffic rush isn't a bad thing at all!). We headed straight to our B&B (since we missed the early registration), unloaded, organized gear, and got right into bed. The next morning I was all gitters cause I knew there was lots I still had to do:
- get our bikes put together
- install my peddles on Andrea's bike
- reprogram my bike computer for Andrea's tires
- install my bike computer on Andrea's bike
- review the whole "navigation" thing
- map our route
- pull myself together enough to do a good race
I forced as much food down as I could cause I knew how disastrous the race would be on an empty stomach. Registration was smooth and it was nice to see so many familiar faces. We got some help with some bike issues, I got BJ to help with the bike computer, and we were ready just in time for the race briefing. We only got a few minutes to map the route, but I think I did ok. And after nearly an hour bus ride to the start line, we found ourselves lined up with 50 some-odd other teams on the water for a canoe start.
The paddling section was close to 2 hours. We came into the TA 2nd or 3rd last (not last though!) which I was very happy with given
A) I was steering
B) We were an all-girls team
C) We were one of very few teams using canoe paddles rather than kayak paddles
Oh yeah... we got a really random rainstorm in the middle of our paddle while we were in the middle of a fairly large lake. It was highly entertaining as we fought our way across this lake with an incredibly strong headwind, freezing cold rain pelting on our faces, and thunder and lightning around us (ok... that kind of freaked me out a bit). By the time we cleared the lake, the rain had settled down but I was so cold that I shivered the rest of the way down the river.
It was nice to switch gears (mind the pun) and get onto our bikes. It was really confusing starting off cause there were lots of roads funneling out of the TA area and it was hard to decipher which way to go. After a few minutes, we figured it out and set off in our mini peleton. I quickly realized that I was slowing us down and asked that we slow down enough so that I could draft and keep up. I think that worked well. The navigation went well and we continued along the way to the next checkpoint. From then on in, we were on fairly technical trails that alternated between hard-packed dirt, thick puddles of muck, and gravel. There were a lot of hills. The uphills were tough, but the downhills were fun! By this point, I wasn't the slowest one anymore since I was more comfortable on my mountain bike than BJ who is primarily a road cyclist. The bike was very long and took us close to 4 hours I think. By the end, I just kept encouraging our team to keep on moving cause peddling slowly was better than completely stopping to rest.
We finally reached the CP and had less than 2 hours to finish the race. I think I knew by that point that we weren't gonna finish on time, but we still hurried through the TA and set off on the trekking section. The trek started off ok as I set off on my bearing of 220. Managed to get around a dried up marsh and cut through the bush. When we came out of the bush, we stepped right into a wide open field of thick, tall grass. Since we were looking for a checkpoint on the edge of a small pond (and had been advised earlier that some wet spots had dried up) I wrongly assumed that we had found the "pond". After circumventing the dried up "pond" and hacking our legs to pieces as we walked through the razor-like grass, we ended up getting stuck in a swamp and it took us half an hour to get out.
By this point, things started getting ugly. My teammates started acting noticeably annoyed and aggravated that we were walking (and sometimes swimming) through the green, foul smelling water, and they really started to slow down. I tried to stay as positive as I could and hang back close enough so I wouldn't get out of site, encouraging them to do what they could to catch up. However painfully slow the swamp situation was, I had plenty enough time to figure out the maps and discover my mistake and knew exactly where we were and where we needed to go. Even though race cut-off was minutes away, I wanted to persevere and prove to myself (and my team) that I could find the next CP. But by this point, we had slowed to a crawl and time was not on our side. Since the race had started an hour late, darkness was looming sooner than it should have. Given our options of getting lost in the woods again or turning back, we decided to turn back and retrace our steps to the last CP.
The last half-hour was the worst because my team started to show signs of frustration and annoyance and kept hanging back behind me. I continued along anyways, trying to make the most light of the situation that I could, but when I jokingly asked for their ranking on a scale of 1 to 10 of how bad things felt, BJ responded with "Well, in all of the races I've done, we've never been this lost before” followed by “I think this is gonna be my last adventure race".
As we were nearing the CP we had left several hours prior, we had to cut back through the bush. But retracing one's steps through the bush is not an easy task. And by this point, my compass decided to stop working. I thought it was waterlogged or damaged from being banged around on the bike section, but as I learned later, it can actually be affected by the iron levels in the earth beneath you. Even though I knew approximately where we were, I just wanted to verify that we were heading in a straight path so we didn't end up going in circles. Desperation started to set in as I realized how close it was to getting dark and I told my teammates that I was upset and needed their help. I think that was a very smart move cause their attitudes started to change… After a brief discussion with God (no joke, he answered my call!) we heard the sound of a vehicle nearby and called out to it. They heard us, and honked back. We quickly emerged out of the woods into "safety" and got a ride back to the finish line. Disappointing, but a good way to end since we rode back with another team, "A for Effort" and heard about their adventures that day.
I could go on for paragraphs more, but I will leave it at that. I should also mention that things did get better and the mood lightened as we drove home and had time to debrief. We reflected on the race and how we heard from others about how incredibly long it was, and started to feel much better about our efforts. I think they are both gonna give it another try next year which is super awesome. Maybe not as Team Sassypants again, but you never know...
When I got home, the first thing my siblings told me was that I was famous - famous since I had made the Friday afternoon traffic report! LOL
Lessons learned:
- never again will I do an AR with canoe paddles!
- similar team goals are so important in Adventure Races (we had this one covered very well for the most part)
- I am a much better and more confident mountain biker than I thought!
- Andrea's bike is WAY better than mine (a few extra hundred dollars really does make a difference!)
- navigating is challenging but I can see how you can get better with time (I will definitely learn from my mistakes)
- I am impressed with my ability to handle stressful situations – although I'm sure there is lots of room to improve, I have to pat myself on the back for dealing with all my “unexpected” adventures so well...
Thursday, July 21, 2005
My bike rack
Last night was the end of a very long and painful process: the process of getting a bike rack for my car.
Over a month ago I decided that I wanted a bike rack. After only a couple of occasions where I had to throw my bike in my trunk, I decided it would be best for the paint on the back of my car (as well as my sanity) if I got myself a rack.
Although deciding on which type to get was a difficult decision to make (there are so many options!), I finally opted for the trailer-hitch style since it met my needs and financial situation best. I picked out the Yakama King-Pin 4 and was all set. Only problem was, I needed a trailer hitch.
My siblings decided to buy me a hitch for my birthday, but when my father went to install it, he discovered that it was the wrong size. After over 3 weeks back-and-forth with Canadian Tire and Reese (the trailer hitch manufacturer) the *right* one finally arrived.
My brother Mark spent a large portion of last night picking up the new hitch, and installing it on my car - thank goodness - this one fit! Once installed, I started setting up my bike rack to give it a try and it was then that we discovered that it didn't fit. For some reason my hitch had a little notch punched into it which was blocking the rack from sliding directly inside. After some discussion on the best way to deal with it, we decided to drill a section of my bike rack out and make it fit like a puzzle. An hour later we were all done, the pin slid through, and my rack was ready to go!
I'm so excited! And I'm not even too upset about the dent in my bank account since I figure this rack will last me a good number of years. Although it was a week late arriving (would have been extremely convenient for last weekend's trip - but we made do... right Trina? :) it is just in time for my SAC race up north this weekend.
Last night was the end of a very long and painful process: the process of getting a bike rack for my car.
Over a month ago I decided that I wanted a bike rack. After only a couple of occasions where I had to throw my bike in my trunk, I decided it would be best for the paint on the back of my car (as well as my sanity) if I got myself a rack.
Although deciding on which type to get was a difficult decision to make (there are so many options!), I finally opted for the trailer-hitch style since it met my needs and financial situation best. I picked out the Yakama King-Pin 4 and was all set. Only problem was, I needed a trailer hitch.
My siblings decided to buy me a hitch for my birthday, but when my father went to install it, he discovered that it was the wrong size. After over 3 weeks back-and-forth with Canadian Tire and Reese (the trailer hitch manufacturer) the *right* one finally arrived.
My brother Mark spent a large portion of last night picking up the new hitch, and installing it on my car - thank goodness - this one fit! Once installed, I started setting up my bike rack to give it a try and it was then that we discovered that it didn't fit. For some reason my hitch had a little notch punched into it which was blocking the rack from sliding directly inside. After some discussion on the best way to deal with it, we decided to drill a section of my bike rack out and make it fit like a puzzle. An hour later we were all done, the pin slid through, and my rack was ready to go!
I'm so excited! And I'm not even too upset about the dent in my bank account since I figure this rack will last me a good number of years. Although it was a week late arriving (would have been extremely convenient for last weekend's trip - but we made do... right Trina? :) it is just in time for my SAC race up north this weekend.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Biking Adventure to Trina's Cottage
Last weekend I completed a 100km bike ride with Trina. We started off at her aunt's place in Pickering on Friday and finished up at her cottage in Cobourg. Total travel time was probably just over 6 hours. Total journey time was closer to 12 :)
We left her aunt's place around 8:30am and took our first break about an hour into the trip after riding just over 20kms. Not bad to start. Stopped at Timmy's for a bathroom and sunscreen break, and then continued along.
Next stop was shortly down the road to fill up our tires at a gas station. Man... what a difference! (side-comment: I can not believe that they are now starting to charge 25 cents to use an air pump these days!)
When we reached Oshawa we stopped on someone's front lawn for a quick bite to eat in the shade, and once again take the opportunity to reapply some sunscreen.
When we reached the Darlington conservation authority we were a wee bit lost so we had to ask for some directions. Desperately hungry for lunch by this point, we had no choice but to keep going another 11kms until we arrived in Darlington where we could grab some food.
On our way to lunch we encountered a cool German guy on a bike trip from New York -> Buffalo -> Toronto -> Montreal. He was pretty funny looking with his ghetto bike loaded down with a tonne of paniers. From a distance as we were nearing closer to him we wondered what he was. At first we thought he was a motorcyle, but realized that he was moving far too slow for that to be the case. Then we wondered if it was maybe someone out in the country on a scooter because the load was so wide. Boy did we have a laugh when we figured it out. The guy was so interesting though, and the fact that he set out on such a long and adventurous journey without all the "gear" (or rather too MUCH gear!) makes his story that much more admirable.
Lunch was spent in the air-conditioning at Wendy's. Mmm.... yummmy... I ate a jr. bacon cheeseburger and the BLT salad. Almost finished it all too! After an hour and a half break though, we decided we better keep going.
The next 10km went pretty quickly but we stopped in Newcastle on some woman's front lawn to take a break in some shade and rest while Trina worked off a stomach cramp. The owner of the house came out to greet us shortly after we had sprawled out on her lawn. After she insisted that we come inside her air-conditioned home for a rest, we learned some interesting stories about her life, cooled off a bit, and then were back on our way.
Somewhere along Hwy#2 we met another cyclist named Ryan Dong. He is from Guelph and just so happened to be doing the Ontario portion of his Cross-Canada biking trip. He started on Vancouver Island at the end of May and has been going ever since.
The rest of the trip was painful for me as we had biked over 70kms by that point and I was "done". I kept going though and really appreciated the fact that Trina was patient enough to wait for me while I struggled up the hills at sub-10kms per hour. I was totally exhausted by the time we hit the Cobourg beach, but so psyched that I had made it.
We ran into Ryan again on the beach (since we had recommended it to him many kms back). We ate dinner together and then biked a few kms to Trina's cottage to complete the journey. I totally took advantage of the draft behind the paniers on Ryan's bike!
The rest of the weekend was really nice. I love Trina's cottage. It's fantastic!
Now that I know what it feels like to bike 100km, I'm gonna have to try to do it again. Maybe next year I'll see about doing a bit more training and try to improve my time ;)
Last weekend I completed a 100km bike ride with Trina. We started off at her aunt's place in Pickering on Friday and finished up at her cottage in Cobourg. Total travel time was probably just over 6 hours. Total journey time was closer to 12 :)
We left her aunt's place around 8:30am and took our first break about an hour into the trip after riding just over 20kms. Not bad to start. Stopped at Timmy's for a bathroom and sunscreen break, and then continued along.
Next stop was shortly down the road to fill up our tires at a gas station. Man... what a difference! (side-comment: I can not believe that they are now starting to charge 25 cents to use an air pump these days!)
When we reached Oshawa we stopped on someone's front lawn for a quick bite to eat in the shade, and once again take the opportunity to reapply some sunscreen.
When we reached the Darlington conservation authority we were a wee bit lost so we had to ask for some directions. Desperately hungry for lunch by this point, we had no choice but to keep going another 11kms until we arrived in Darlington where we could grab some food.
On our way to lunch we encountered a cool German guy on a bike trip from New York -> Buffalo -> Toronto -> Montreal. He was pretty funny looking with his ghetto bike loaded down with a tonne of paniers. From a distance as we were nearing closer to him we wondered what he was. At first we thought he was a motorcyle, but realized that he was moving far too slow for that to be the case. Then we wondered if it was maybe someone out in the country on a scooter because the load was so wide. Boy did we have a laugh when we figured it out. The guy was so interesting though, and the fact that he set out on such a long and adventurous journey without all the "gear" (or rather too MUCH gear!) makes his story that much more admirable.
Lunch was spent in the air-conditioning at Wendy's. Mmm.... yummmy... I ate a jr. bacon cheeseburger and the BLT salad. Almost finished it all too! After an hour and a half break though, we decided we better keep going.
The next 10km went pretty quickly but we stopped in Newcastle on some woman's front lawn to take a break in some shade and rest while Trina worked off a stomach cramp. The owner of the house came out to greet us shortly after we had sprawled out on her lawn. After she insisted that we come inside her air-conditioned home for a rest, we learned some interesting stories about her life, cooled off a bit, and then were back on our way.
Somewhere along Hwy#2 we met another cyclist named Ryan Dong. He is from Guelph and just so happened to be doing the Ontario portion of his Cross-Canada biking trip. He started on Vancouver Island at the end of May and has been going ever since.
The rest of the trip was painful for me as we had biked over 70kms by that point and I was "done". I kept going though and really appreciated the fact that Trina was patient enough to wait for me while I struggled up the hills at sub-10kms per hour. I was totally exhausted by the time we hit the Cobourg beach, but so psyched that I had made it.
We ran into Ryan again on the beach (since we had recommended it to him many kms back). We ate dinner together and then biked a few kms to Trina's cottage to complete the journey. I totally took advantage of the draft behind the paniers on Ryan's bike!
The rest of the weekend was really nice. I love Trina's cottage. It's fantastic!
Now that I know what it feels like to bike 100km, I'm gonna have to try to do it again. Maybe next year I'll see about doing a bit more training and try to improve my time ;)
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Looking for a wedding date
No... I'm not getting married, but my friend Kelly is! And as of now I'm going to her wedding solo. Anyone feel like joining me? It's sure to be a blast! A night out with my dancing friends is ALWAYS a good time! :)
Applications are being accepted here. All eligible applicants will be considered ;)
Note: This is not a joke... Ok... well, maybe it is. But going to a wedding by yourself is nooooo fun.
No... I'm not getting married, but my friend Kelly is! And as of now I'm going to her wedding solo. Anyone feel like joining me? It's sure to be a blast! A night out with my dancing friends is ALWAYS a good time! :)
Applications are being accepted here. All eligible applicants will be considered ;)
Note: This is not a joke... Ok... well, maybe it is. But going to a wedding by yourself is nooooo fun.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Personalized M&Ms
My coworker, Gavin, sent me this link today. I think it's pretty neat. Now that I'm in the whole weding mentality with 2 weddings looming within 2 weeks of each other next year, everything is screaming "wedding material" these days. I think these would make the cutest wedding favours ever!
My coworker, Gavin, sent me this link today. I think it's pretty neat. Now that I'm in the whole weding mentality with 2 weddings looming within 2 weeks of each other next year, everything is screaming "wedding material" these days. I think these would make the cutest wedding favours ever!
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Moving
Laura and Mike got posession of their new house on Monday. By 11pm, we had already moved several loads with the aid of both my parent's and Mark's mini vans, and our cars. So far we have moved the essentials like our beds, some kitchen and bathroom stuff, and clothes. We are painting this weekend and then the "big" move happens on the 16th when we use the U-Haul combined with our "volunteer" bodies to move the rest of the heavy stuff. I seem to have maneouvered myself out of this second move date, however, by planning a biking trip to Trina's cottage. Smart thinking if I don't say so myself!
Although I absolutely HATE packing and moving, this move has turned out to be surprisingly not-so-painful (so far). Since we are literally moving 4kms away, I have taken the "minimal packing" approach. I simply throw a bunch of stuff from my room into some plastic bins, stuff as much as I can into my car, drive to the new house, unload, and drive back to my house with the empty bins to repeat the process. I'm already more than half done and I've barely noticed the pain of moving!
Laura and Mike got posession of their new house on Monday. By 11pm, we had already moved several loads with the aid of both my parent's and Mark's mini vans, and our cars. So far we have moved the essentials like our beds, some kitchen and bathroom stuff, and clothes. We are painting this weekend and then the "big" move happens on the 16th when we use the U-Haul combined with our "volunteer" bodies to move the rest of the heavy stuff. I seem to have maneouvered myself out of this second move date, however, by planning a biking trip to Trina's cottage. Smart thinking if I don't say so myself!
Although I absolutely HATE packing and moving, this move has turned out to be surprisingly not-so-painful (so far). Since we are literally moving 4kms away, I have taken the "minimal packing" approach. I simply throw a bunch of stuff from my room into some plastic bins, stuff as much as I can into my car, drive to the new house, unload, and drive back to my house with the empty bins to repeat the process. I'm already more than half done and I've barely noticed the pain of moving!
Thursday, June 30, 2005
I got a promotion! Too bad it didn't include a pay raise...
The following email was sent by HR to my company today:
I am pleased to announce that Heather has accepted the position of Technical Marketing Specialist within the Market Development Team. Heather joined our company in September, 2004 and has made an outstanding contribution in her role as Technical Support Analyst. We look forward to working with Heather in her new role.
This should be good... It's pretty much my dream job. Too bad it didn't come many months sooner. Ah well...
My question is: "Isn't it standard for a promotion to come hand in hand with a pay raise?" I'm new to this whole thing and am trying to become familiar with industry "standards"...
The following email was sent by HR to my company today:
I am pleased to announce that Heather has accepted the position of Technical Marketing Specialist within the Market Development Team. Heather joined our company in September, 2004 and has made an outstanding contribution in her role as Technical Support Analyst. We look forward to working with Heather in her new role.
This should be good... It's pretty much my dream job. Too bad it didn't come many months sooner. Ah well...
My question is: "Isn't it standard for a promotion to come hand in hand with a pay raise?" I'm new to this whole thing and am trying to become familiar with industry "standards"...
Ah... A day in the life of Tech Support
An email I received from my coworker, Jason. Haha... his email made MY day!
It's rare that an email from a customer makes my day but this one did. This is what a sys admin should be. He read the FAQs, got the info he needed and then sent us exactly the info we need to help him.
Beautiful. Now if only the rest of the jerks we deal with would learn....
An email I received from my coworker, Jason. Haha... his email made MY day!
It's rare that an email from a customer makes my day but this one did. This is what a sys admin should be. He read the FAQs, got the info he needed and then sent us exactly the info we need to help him.
Beautiful. Now if only the rest of the jerks we deal with would learn....
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
The results
Well, the manager from E&C called me today at work, promptly at 8:30 as I said I would be there. As it turns out, I am a total dork and realized ON THE PHONE with him that I had somehow lost my ability to add and instead subtracted my tip from my bill... hence the confusion. The waitress actually did the right thing and adjusted correctly. Ooops! That's ok though cause I don't have a problem admitting when I'm wrong and apologizing as necessary.
The manager was so much more concerned about the fact that I had also complained about the shitty service that I received, that he wanted to do anything to make it up to me. I got out of it:
$5 cash to accomodate for the overcharge on my virgin daquiri
Gift certifcates to E&C
His business card to be sent with the gift certificates so I can personally call him the next time I'm in Ottawa to get reservations (no matter how busy the night), and the best service I've ever experienced in a restaurant!
It's amazing what a little "stink raising" can do. I actually feel badly about how this came about (ie. my stupidity and inability to add), but wow, it's cool to think about what I got out of it! :)
Well, the manager from E&C called me today at work, promptly at 8:30 as I said I would be there. As it turns out, I am a total dork and realized ON THE PHONE with him that I had somehow lost my ability to add and instead subtracted my tip from my bill... hence the confusion. The waitress actually did the right thing and adjusted correctly. Ooops! That's ok though cause I don't have a problem admitting when I'm wrong and apologizing as necessary.
The manager was so much more concerned about the fact that I had also complained about the shitty service that I received, that he wanted to do anything to make it up to me. I got out of it:
It's amazing what a little "stink raising" can do. I actually feel badly about how this came about (ie. my stupidity and inability to add), but wow, it's cool to think about what I got out of it! :)
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Random Pics
Some very random pictures posted here. Be sure to read the disclaimer first - don't say I didn't warn you!
Some very random pictures posted here. Be sure to read the disclaimer first - don't say I didn't warn you!
Credit Card Warning
Word of warning: always check your credit card statements and compare the receipt with the list amount on the statement.
Today, while catching up on some financial records, I came across another discrepancy on my credit card - the third one I've caught in the past couple of years since I've started checking my statements.
The discrepancy comes from a transaction at the Elephant Castle in Ottawa. While visiting a friend the weekend of the marathon, we went out for some drinks. Although we had totally shitty service, we were in such a rush to get out that I simply tipped a buck (grudgingly), and signed the receipt without even looking at the bill. Turned out that she had charged me full price for 2 margaritas (even though mine was virgin that time), but I was willing to forfeit the few dollars since it obviously wasn't worth challenging by the time I realized it.
However, after reviewing my statement today, I discovered that the final tally had been upped a couple of bucks and she raised my $1 tip to $3. Since this is TOTALLY unacceptable, I decided to fight this one and called the restaurant to complain. Ended up speaking with the evening manager, so I have to wait til tomorrow to see what happens.
I had a very similar situation with a restaurant in Toronto a couple of years ago, although at the time, it seemed like an innocent mistake. I guess in these situations you never know. But regardless, it really does reflect badly on the restaurant. If it was intentional, it boils down to fraud (read: illegal activity). If it wasn't intentional, it's pure carelessness. Either one, not so good.
Be careful out there!
Word of warning: always check your credit card statements and compare the receipt with the list amount on the statement.
Today, while catching up on some financial records, I came across another discrepancy on my credit card - the third one I've caught in the past couple of years since I've started checking my statements.
The discrepancy comes from a transaction at the Elephant Castle in Ottawa. While visiting a friend the weekend of the marathon, we went out for some drinks. Although we had totally shitty service, we were in such a rush to get out that I simply tipped a buck (grudgingly), and signed the receipt without even looking at the bill. Turned out that she had charged me full price for 2 margaritas (even though mine was virgin that time), but I was willing to forfeit the few dollars since it obviously wasn't worth challenging by the time I realized it.
However, after reviewing my statement today, I discovered that the final tally had been upped a couple of bucks and she raised my $1 tip to $3. Since this is TOTALLY unacceptable, I decided to fight this one and called the restaurant to complain. Ended up speaking with the evening manager, so I have to wait til tomorrow to see what happens.
I had a very similar situation with a restaurant in Toronto a couple of years ago, although at the time, it seemed like an innocent mistake. I guess in these situations you never know. But regardless, it really does reflect badly on the restaurant. If it was intentional, it boils down to fraud (read: illegal activity). If it wasn't intentional, it's pure carelessness. Either one, not so good.
Be careful out there!
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Speaking of new words...
I've been having some of the weirdest sleeps lately with the heat we've been experiencing. I am still managing to fall asleep each night (even though my room is a hot stuffy box with no air circulation) with the aid of my fan and my ability to sleep with no sheets on me (I used to have problems with that in the past).
A couple of weeks ago, I woke up several times in the night for reasons unknown. One of those times I got up, and stood staring out my window. I'm not really sure why... maybe I thought I heard a noise outside, or maybe I wanted to see if I could get some fresh air. But in my sleepy state, I couldn't help but notice a strange movement in the townhouse window across the street from me. After refocussing my eyes and taking a second glance, I realized that I was seeing my neighbours "in the act" in their living room with the curtains wide open. It's weird though cause it's all such a blur now, that I wondered if it was something I could have been dreaming. The only thing that I really remember clearly was the blinds coming down shortly after I noticed the movement. They were Venesian blinds and were in two separate pieces covering the whole window...
The next morning when I remembered what had happened, I looked across the street and realized that my neighbours didn't have venesian blinds. Totally confused, I thought for sure I must have dreamt that scenario. It wasn't until the next day when I noticed the blinds in the window of my next door neighbour that fit the exact description. Somehow, I must have seen their reflection in the window across the street. So so soo weird...
Anywho... after all that, I was telling a friend this strange story and his response was "So... you're into Voyeurism, eh? ;)"
Haha... although I really don't think it's true, I did learn a new word out of it all...
I've been having some of the weirdest sleeps lately with the heat we've been experiencing. I am still managing to fall asleep each night (even though my room is a hot stuffy box with no air circulation) with the aid of my fan and my ability to sleep with no sheets on me (I used to have problems with that in the past).
A couple of weeks ago, I woke up several times in the night for reasons unknown. One of those times I got up, and stood staring out my window. I'm not really sure why... maybe I thought I heard a noise outside, or maybe I wanted to see if I could get some fresh air. But in my sleepy state, I couldn't help but notice a strange movement in the townhouse window across the street from me. After refocussing my eyes and taking a second glance, I realized that I was seeing my neighbours "in the act" in their living room with the curtains wide open. It's weird though cause it's all such a blur now, that I wondered if it was something I could have been dreaming. The only thing that I really remember clearly was the blinds coming down shortly after I noticed the movement. They were Venesian blinds and were in two separate pieces covering the whole window...
The next morning when I remembered what had happened, I looked across the street and realized that my neighbours didn't have venesian blinds. Totally confused, I thought for sure I must have dreamt that scenario. It wasn't until the next day when I noticed the blinds in the window of my next door neighbour that fit the exact description. Somehow, I must have seen their reflection in the window across the street. So so soo weird...
Anywho... after all that, I was telling a friend this strange story and his response was "So... you're into Voyeurism, eh? ;)"
Haha... although I really don't think it's true, I did learn a new word out of it all...
Friday, June 24, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
New 'do', New beginnings
I bit the bullet and got my hair cut today. Although I was totally terrified (I never do anything drastic to my hair), and not thrilled about spending the money (I've already put this expense off for over 4 months), it turned out to be a good experience. I figure I'm good for at least another year now before I go for another one...
I bit the bullet and got my hair cut today. Although I was totally terrified (I never do anything drastic to my hair), and not thrilled about spending the money (I've already put this expense off for over 4 months), it turned out to be a good experience. I figure I'm good for at least another year now before I go for another one...
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Monday, June 20, 2005
Totally exhausted
So I realized this weekend just how much a wedding can take out of a person - even if you're not involved in it and merely attending as a guest! Going to a wedding is a full-fledged event:
up early in the morning to get ready and prettied-up
drive a couple of hours to get to the ceremony
and then head straight into party mode for the remainder of the day.
Drinking from 5pm-1am is always a test of stamina! And combine that with several hours of dancing, it's a good recipe for a long nap the next day!
Regardless, it's almost ALWAYS worth it. Heather and Neil brought in the start of their marriage with a great party! Good times were had by all. A few strange stories from the priest that we can all laugh about for years to come and some great drunken memories to go with it...
Looking forward to the next one when Kelly gets married this August!
So I realized this weekend just how much a wedding can take out of a person - even if you're not involved in it and merely attending as a guest! Going to a wedding is a full-fledged event:
Drinking from 5pm-1am is always a test of stamina! And combine that with several hours of dancing, it's a good recipe for a long nap the next day!
Regardless, it's almost ALWAYS worth it. Heather and Neil brought in the start of their marriage with a great party! Good times were had by all. A few strange stories from the priest that we can all laugh about for years to come and some great drunken memories to go with it...
Looking forward to the next one when Kelly gets married this August!
Spoke too soon?
Haha... pretty ironic posting given my last one...
Sunday night I worked at the Running Room from 1-5pm. Afterwards, I headed straight to my student's house where I was supposed to meet with her for her very last tutoring session before her exam. After ringing the doorbell a couple of times, I realized that no one was home and that I'd been stood up without notice. I called and left a message that night to let her and her mom know that I had stopped by and that I wasn't sure if I had any more free time to fit her in again before her exam. She MSNs me today with what was I *think* an apology and expecting me to fit her in no problem. Although I am good at rearanging my schedule for my students, I am simply too busy to do it for her this week (not to mention, have no incentive to after Sunday's behaviour). The shitty part is that I would totally charge for such a thing, but now that I've mixed personal relationships with business, it's hard for me to turn it back on them... Oh well... I guess lesson learned. Define my policies well ahead of time and let people know that I require advanced notice of cancellations. I've learned a lot with this "tutoring" business of mine and look forward to putting it into play next time around...
Haha... pretty ironic posting given my last one...
Sunday night I worked at the Running Room from 1-5pm. Afterwards, I headed straight to my student's house where I was supposed to meet with her for her very last tutoring session before her exam. After ringing the doorbell a couple of times, I realized that no one was home and that I'd been stood up without notice. I called and left a message that night to let her and her mom know that I had stopped by and that I wasn't sure if I had any more free time to fit her in again before her exam. She MSNs me today with what was I *think* an apology and expecting me to fit her in no problem. Although I am good at rearanging my schedule for my students, I am simply too busy to do it for her this week (not to mention, have no incentive to after Sunday's behaviour). The shitty part is that I would totally charge for such a thing, but now that I've mixed personal relationships with business, it's hard for me to turn it back on them... Oh well... I guess lesson learned. Define my policies well ahead of time and let people know that I require advanced notice of cancellations. I've learned a lot with this "tutoring" business of mine and look forward to putting it into play next time around...
Friday, June 17, 2005
I love my students!
As the school year is coming to a close, I am starting to realize that I'm gonna miss the students that I've been tutoring for the past 5 months... Each one has been it's own unique challenge (some more than others) but I've been able to make progress with all of them which makes me (and them) happy. It's also really nice to know that my students respect and appreciate what I've done for them.
My biggest challenge student, Alex, has been an interesting experience. She's got quite the personality I tell ya! Although she's a hard one to describe, a few words like "crazy" and "wild" and "no shame" come to mind as some of her strongest personality traits. It's not uncommon for me to pull up to her house and hear her yell out her bedroom window "Heather... you are sooo HAWT!" (as she likes to spell that one) as I'm walking up to her doorstep.
The other day she MSNd me to say "guess who got yo' sweet-ass a birthday present!!" I laughed out loud as I tried to imagine what she could have possibly picked out for me. When I told her she really didn't need to do that for me, she responded with:
Well...I donno usually I hate everyone...and usually i never get along with people who tuttor for me because they make me feel very inferior for some unknown reason but you make me feel comfortable and I listen when you teach me and I listen when you slide in life lessons here and there.
You deserve a present. you mame are a hard working s.o.b. I'm proud of thee lol
After stopping by last night, she greeted me at the door with a great big huge card that she made, and gave me some really fun and funky pj bottoms that are a wild green colour. What a girl I tell ya! But what fun she has been...
I am already working on the idea of some "summer school" sessions with the parents of my students. This will help with the "tutoring" withdrawl and you can't beat making some extra money on the side too...
As the school year is coming to a close, I am starting to realize that I'm gonna miss the students that I've been tutoring for the past 5 months... Each one has been it's own unique challenge (some more than others) but I've been able to make progress with all of them which makes me (and them) happy. It's also really nice to know that my students respect and appreciate what I've done for them.
My biggest challenge student, Alex, has been an interesting experience. She's got quite the personality I tell ya! Although she's a hard one to describe, a few words like "crazy" and "wild" and "no shame" come to mind as some of her strongest personality traits. It's not uncommon for me to pull up to her house and hear her yell out her bedroom window "Heather... you are sooo HAWT!" (as she likes to spell that one) as I'm walking up to her doorstep.
The other day she MSNd me to say "guess who got yo' sweet-ass a birthday present!!" I laughed out loud as I tried to imagine what she could have possibly picked out for me. When I told her she really didn't need to do that for me, she responded with:
Well...I donno usually I hate everyone...and usually i never get along with people who tuttor for me because they make me feel very inferior for some unknown reason but you make me feel comfortable and I listen when you teach me and I listen when you slide in life lessons here and there.
You deserve a present. you mame are a hard working s.o.b. I'm proud of thee lol
After stopping by last night, she greeted me at the door with a great big huge card that she made, and gave me some really fun and funky pj bottoms that are a wild green colour. What a girl I tell ya! But what fun she has been...
I am already working on the idea of some "summer school" sessions with the parents of my students. This will help with the "tutoring" withdrawl and you can't beat making some extra money on the side too...
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Weird signatures
Sometimes I see some of the weirdest signatures coming into our Support Inbox here at work...
For instance, today I received one from some dude that says "We all enter this world in the same way: naked, screaming, and soaked in blood. But if you live your life right, that kindof thing doesn't have to stop there."
Umm... Am I the only one that finds that somewhat rather disturbing?
Sometimes I see some of the weirdest signatures coming into our Support Inbox here at work...
For instance, today I received one from some dude that says "We all enter this world in the same way: naked, screaming, and soaked in blood. But if you live your life right, that kindof thing doesn't have to stop there."
Umm... Am I the only one that finds that somewhat rather disturbing?
Monday, June 13, 2005
Birthday Card Fun
Here's the text from the birthday card I received from my sister...
For your birthday Sis, here's something that'll give you the figure you've always wanted...
Do-it-yourself breast implants!
Step 1: Inflate balloons
Step 2: Place in bra
Step 3: Go out and have a Happy Birthday!
Enjoy!
(with two pink balloons taped inside)
Gotta love my family!!
Here's the text from the birthday card I received from my sister...
For your birthday Sis, here's something that'll give you the figure you've always wanted...
Do-it-yourself breast implants!
Step 1: Inflate balloons
Step 2: Place in bra
Step 3: Go out and have a Happy Birthday!
Enjoy!
(with two pink balloons taped inside)
Gotta love my family!!
Friday, June 10, 2005
What?! Backstreet's Back!?
Haha... wow... even I'm impressed with my punny subject line! But seriously... I thought the BSB had totally died off! According to Much Music, however, they are back on the charts with a new song. And as it turns out, I actually really like the song. Given the latest events of my life, it's hard not to come close to tears thinking about it, but aside from that, the it's a really catchy tune. Go Backstreet!
On a sidenote, I'm still searching for a really good place to download songs from. I'm trying to teach myself to play guitar, but it's waaaaaay harder to learn a song without the recorded format to familiarize myself with how it sounds. Any suggestions, please send them my way!
Haha... wow... even I'm impressed with my punny subject line! But seriously... I thought the BSB had totally died off! According to Much Music, however, they are back on the charts with a new song. And as it turns out, I actually really like the song. Given the latest events of my life, it's hard not to come close to tears thinking about it, but aside from that, the it's a really catchy tune. Go Backstreet!
On a sidenote, I'm still searching for a really good place to download songs from. I'm trying to teach myself to play guitar, but it's waaaaaay harder to learn a song without the recorded format to familiarize myself with how it sounds. Any suggestions, please send them my way!
Monday, June 06, 2005
Car insurance renewal
Yesterday I completed the very exciting task of renewing my license plates for the very first time. I had such a wonderful experience, that I thought I'd share it with my blog readers :)
Most important lesson learned: Do NOT renew your plates at the MTO cause it is a total waste of your time. I've heard nightmare stories about the long lineups there and I experienced it firsthand once when I had to get my picture taken when renewing my license.
Alternative solution: Visit the MTO kiosk! A co-worker recommended this thing to me and I'm so excited about knowing it exists! This thing is available in most major cities (http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/kiosk/locations.htm) and I visited the one at the Conestoga Mall. It's the easiest thing ever, and in less than 4 minutes you can have your plates renewed.
Word of advice, however... be certain that you have ALL information you need prior to approaching the kiosk. This includes:
- Insurance policy number (not sure why they want this info)
- Total # of kms on your odometer (I had to guess at mine - hope it was accurate enough!)
- payment method (can either be credit card or debit)
Hopefully this can make someone's plate renewal process a little more enjoyable the next time it's due :)
ps. man this makes me feel old! I wonder how many more years I'll be renewing my plates for...
Yesterday I completed the very exciting task of renewing my license plates for the very first time. I had such a wonderful experience, that I thought I'd share it with my blog readers :)
Most important lesson learned: Do NOT renew your plates at the MTO cause it is a total waste of your time. I've heard nightmare stories about the long lineups there and I experienced it firsthand once when I had to get my picture taken when renewing my license.
Alternative solution: Visit the MTO kiosk! A co-worker recommended this thing to me and I'm so excited about knowing it exists! This thing is available in most major cities (http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/kiosk/locations.htm) and I visited the one at the Conestoga Mall. It's the easiest thing ever, and in less than 4 minutes you can have your plates renewed.
Word of advice, however... be certain that you have ALL information you need prior to approaching the kiosk. This includes:
- Insurance policy number (not sure why they want this info)
- Total # of kms on your odometer (I had to guess at mine - hope it was accurate enough!)
- payment method (can either be credit card or debit)
Hopefully this can make someone's plate renewal process a little more enjoyable the next time it's due :)
ps. man this makes me feel old! I wonder how many more years I'll be renewing my plates for...
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Congratulations to Laura & Mike! (Laura P that is :)
I just got word from Laura P that she and Mike got engaged this weekend in Owen Sound! Mike planned it all out with Bruce and Janet and took Laura to one of the most beautiful spots in Owen Sound to do the proposal - Inglis Falls. Laura was totally clueless, but after some thought, decided to say yes ;) Her ring is beautiful and they're aiming for a wedding date in May or June of next year. Man... the weddings are just starting to roll in these days! It's gonna be a busy summer next year! Congratulations guys!
I just got word from Laura P that she and Mike got engaged this weekend in Owen Sound! Mike planned it all out with Bruce and Janet and took Laura to one of the most beautiful spots in Owen Sound to do the proposal - Inglis Falls. Laura was totally clueless, but after some thought, decided to say yes ;) Her ring is beautiful and they're aiming for a wedding date in May or June of next year. Man... the weddings are just starting to roll in these days! It's gonna be a busy summer next year! Congratulations guys!
Monday, May 30, 2005
Damn 2-hour mark
Well, I travelled all the way to Ottawa this weekend to give my 2-hour time goal another attempt in the NCM Ottawa Half-Marathon. Given a few other set-backs (read: good excuses) prior to race day including a horrible cold, ongoing chest injury, and stolen shoes (ie. had to break in brand new shoes 2 days before race day), my race did not go as well as hoped. I think my only really legitimate excuse can be focussed on the intense heat that day (which winter training does not prepare one for). After an extremely tough race, I finished with a chip time of 2:04:04.
I guess it wasn't meant to be this time around. However, there's nothing like determination... I'm already planning my training for next year! Hoping to incorporate some heart-rate training that I've heard so much about. Should be fun! For now though, I think I'm gonna switch up my physical activity and focus on the biking, trail running, and baseball (haha... if you can call that physical activity!).
Well, I travelled all the way to Ottawa this weekend to give my 2-hour time goal another attempt in the NCM Ottawa Half-Marathon. Given a few other set-backs (read: good excuses) prior to race day including a horrible cold, ongoing chest injury, and stolen shoes (ie. had to break in brand new shoes 2 days before race day), my race did not go as well as hoped. I think my only really legitimate excuse can be focussed on the intense heat that day (which winter training does not prepare one for). After an extremely tough race, I finished with a chip time of 2:04:04.
I guess it wasn't meant to be this time around. However, there's nothing like determination... I'm already planning my training for next year! Hoping to incorporate some heart-rate training that I've heard so much about. Should be fun! For now though, I think I'm gonna switch up my physical activity and focus on the biking, trail running, and baseball (haha... if you can call that physical activity!).
Friday, May 27, 2005
My boobs
I realize this is a rather odd post... but holy crap!... I can not believe how small my boobs are these days! It kind of just happened too. Just last Christmas my family actually ended up in a conversation about how big my chest looked in a sweater I was wearing (yes... that is a conversation to go down in the family history books). But during my visit to Victoria Secret last month, I realized that I have shrunk an entire cup size - maybe even more! I'm guessing this is due to the fact that I have lost over 15 lbs since January, but MAN, I had no idea that I stored so much fat in my chest. Kind of disappointing really. If this isn't incentive to put those pounds back on, I don't know what is!!?
I realize this is a rather odd post... but holy crap!... I can not believe how small my boobs are these days! It kind of just happened too. Just last Christmas my family actually ended up in a conversation about how big my chest looked in a sweater I was wearing (yes... that is a conversation to go down in the family history books). But during my visit to Victoria Secret last month, I realized that I have shrunk an entire cup size - maybe even more! I'm guessing this is due to the fact that I have lost over 15 lbs since January, but MAN, I had no idea that I stored so much fat in my chest. Kind of disappointing really. If this isn't incentive to put those pounds back on, I don't know what is!!?
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
My scarf
I finally managed to finish my scarf this weekend. It's awesome! So soft and fuzzy! Click here to see a pic!
I'm taking orders for Christmas 2006. If I start now, I just *may* have them done by then... ;)
I finally managed to finish my scarf this weekend. It's awesome! So soft and fuzzy! Click here to see a pic!
I'm taking orders for Christmas 2006. If I start now, I just *may* have them done by then... ;)
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
BRUTAL!
I'm currently sitting here at my computer while at the same time channel surfing on the TV in my room. I am trying to watch the finale of American Idol but am feeling the strong urge to continually flip away from it as a result of the pain my ears are experiencing from Carrie's off-key singing. Granted, I haven't been following the show this season, I'm not quite sure how she made it this far given her aparent inability to stay in tune. If I were choosing to vote tonight (which I'm not), I know who my clear winner would NOT be!
I'm currently sitting here at my computer while at the same time channel surfing on the TV in my room. I am trying to watch the finale of American Idol but am feeling the strong urge to continually flip away from it as a result of the pain my ears are experiencing from Carrie's off-key singing. Granted, I haven't been following the show this season, I'm not quite sure how she made it this far given her aparent inability to stay in tune. If I were choosing to vote tonight (which I'm not), I know who my clear winner would NOT be!
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Cuddle Parties
My friend Trina stumbled across an ad for a "cuddle party" the other night when she was waiting outside the cafe we were meeting at to celebrate her birthday. This sounded like a rather interesting idea, so we did some reasearch on this one and came across the following link: www.cuddleparty.com. A rather interesting concept. Don't know if I could handle this one cause I have a feeling I would be weirded out and too afraid of the weirdos you might meet at such a convention, but the idea certainly is a good one. It's amazing how much we need human touch and how much you notice it when it's not there...
My friend Trina stumbled across an ad for a "cuddle party" the other night when she was waiting outside the cafe we were meeting at to celebrate her birthday. This sounded like a rather interesting idea, so we did some reasearch on this one and came across the following link: www.cuddleparty.com. A rather interesting concept. Don't know if I could handle this one cause I have a feeling I would be weirded out and too afraid of the weirdos you might meet at such a convention, but the idea certainly is a good one. It's amazing how much we need human touch and how much you notice it when it's not there...
Another useful forward - this time on Credit Card fraud
SCENE 1
A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, "Funny, I thought I locked the locker...........hmmmmm."
He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked okay - all cards were in place. A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whopping bill of $14,000! He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions.
Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen. ”No," he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made. An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet. The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.
Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them. How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? $9,000.00! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? Small amounts rarely trigger a "warning bell" with some credit card companies. It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to big one!
SCENE 2
A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card along. Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person.
He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man. All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card. No exchange of words --- nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.
Verdict: Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time. Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, thinking that it has to be theirs.
For your own sake, develop the habit of checking your credit card each time it is returned to you after a transaction!
SCENE 3
Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I had called in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked directly to my checking account. The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, and then laid it flat on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure.
While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing. I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a picture. He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on. It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to what he is doing.
He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved. Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card. Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened.
Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor. All I am saying is be aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever you are using your credit cards, take caution and don't be careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card. Be aware of phones because many have a camera phone these days.
When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your card and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number off. Some restaurants are using only the last four digits, but a lot of them are still putting the whole thing on there. I have already been a victim of credit card fraud and, believe me, it is not fun. The truth is that they can get you even when you are careful, but don't make it easy for them.
SCENE 1
A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, "Funny, I thought I locked the locker...........hmmmmm."
He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked okay - all cards were in place. A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whopping bill of $14,000! He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions.
Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen. ”No," he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made. An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet. The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.
Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them. How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? $9,000.00! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? Small amounts rarely trigger a "warning bell" with some credit card companies. It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to big one!
SCENE 2
A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card along. Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person.
He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man. All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card. No exchange of words --- nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.
Verdict: Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time. Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, thinking that it has to be theirs.
For your own sake, develop the habit of checking your credit card each time it is returned to you after a transaction!
SCENE 3
Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I had called in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked directly to my checking account. The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, and then laid it flat on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure.
While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing. I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a picture. He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on. It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to what he is doing.
He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved. Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card. Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened.
Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor. All I am saying is be aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever you are using your credit cards, take caution and don't be careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card. Be aware of phones because many have a camera phone these days.
When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your card and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number off. Some restaurants are using only the last four digits, but a lot of them are still putting the whole thing on there. I have already been a victim of credit card fraud and, believe me, it is not fun. The truth is that they can get you even when you are careful, but don't make it easy for them.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Happy Birthday and Congratulations!
A huge congrats goes out to Andrea who just completed her first FULL marathon last weekend in Mississauga. I'm so proud of her and am so happy for her accomplisment. What a tough thing to do! Personally, I think I'll stick with my half-marathon races for the next while…
Happy Birthday to Trina who turns 26 today! Hope your day is as special as you are!
A huge congrats goes out to Andrea who just completed her first FULL marathon last weekend in Mississauga. I'm so proud of her and am so happy for her accomplisment. What a tough thing to do! Personally, I think I'll stick with my half-marathon races for the next while…
Happy Birthday to Trina who turns 26 today! Hope your day is as special as you are!
Seattle
The second half of my journey began with a Greyhound trip down to Seattle (after stopping at the enormously huge MEC in Vancouver on my way to the bus station). The ride to Seattle was minimally entertaining, however, I still managed to come out of it with some interesting stories. Firstly, I almost managed to get myself fined by US customs for failing to claim a grapefruit in my possession. They asked if I had any fruit in my bag and I told them about an apple and an orange that I had saved for lunch. They had to confiscate the orange due to some issue they are having with some strain of fruit fly, but when my bag went through the scanner, they managed to find a grapefruit that I had forgotten about at the bottom of my bag. They informed me that they *could* had fined me $200 for failure to disclose that info, but they let me off easy because they believed that I had genuinely forgotten about that piece of fruit. All in all though, I’d say that the US customs people were much friendlier than I expected. My second story involves me slamming my finger in the bathroom door on the Greyhound. My bladder was about to burst, and since there were no public washrooms available at customs, I held my breath, walked in, and WHAMMO – the door slammed right on the nail of my middle finger. I nearly passed out from the pain, but managed to suppress the high-pitched squeal that was ready to escape. The most annoying part: the bus driver decided to make a 20 minute stop at Burger King around the corner since there were no bathrooms at the border. Nice eh?
I arrived in Seattle to another beautiful, sunny, and warm day. The Greyhound station is in a good location downtown and it was a short walk up to Bauhaus (an alternative coffee shop with a capital “A”) that Ming suggested I hang out at. I spent the afternoon with a latte in hand, reading a book, and soaking up the sun while I waited for Ming to get home from work. As soon as Ming showed up, we were on our way to China town for a dinner with his soccer team where I experienced “Hot Pot” for the first time. Yum yum! After that I had a quiet evening at Ming and Cormie’s new apartment while the three of us combined our math skills / creativity to hang pictures on their living room wall.
The next day was my 2nd day of rain while I got lost on Capitol Hill trying to make my way downtown. By the time I found the bus stop, the sun was shining and I arrived just in time for lunch with the gang at Amazon. Amazon is in a beautiful building and has an amazing view of the city! They also have a wicked cafeteria! The rest of my afternoon was spent walking downtown, along the waterfront, and through Pike Place Market. That evening I joined Natalie and her soccer friends for a game of scrimmage in a beautiful park on the hill. It was so much fun!! I forgot how much I love playing soccer! Later that night we headed out to Chapel (Ming’s favourite bar in the entire city of Seattle) for some drinks. The next morning I woke up hang-over free, but equally as sore as the morning after my race. I have learned that soccer muscles are ENTIRELY different from long-distance running muscles!
I hobbled around downtown Seattle on Thursday doing some shopping in the American Stores. Found myself a good deal on some khakis from Gap (I love bargain shopping) but spent far too much money at Victoria’s Secret. I’ve heard that you can’t beat a good VS bra, and I fell victim to that one – big time! Oops. Oh well… hopefully I will see it as an investment – I haven’t experienced buyer’s remorse on this one yet, so I think I’m in the clear. That night I cooked dinner for Ming and Cormie and shared Pilsbury cinnamon rolls with Natalie while we watched The OC.
Friday I had planned a trip to Mt Si to see what sort of views it could offer but after a complication with the rental car company, it was too late for me to get that adventure started. So instead I settled for an afternoon journey to a beautiful park with an awesome view of the city. I came home that night in time for a BBQ “chez Ming”, and we entertained ourselves by Googling “world records”, having chin-up competitions, and trying on various articles of clothing ;) Later that night we visited another bar on Capitol Hill, and stumbled home around 2am. It appears that I somehow managed to fall asleep in Cormie’s bathroom, but John was nice enough to wake me up when he found me and I slept beautifully on my futon for the rest of the night. I re-claimed my title “Queen of no hangovers” the next morning, and went out to experience the famous breakfast Taco from a local diner. It was deelish!
My final day in Seattle was another beautiful day. Ming, Cormie, Nat, Diana, and myself went for a walk in another park, and played Frisbee/soccer/football at the same time. It was a great relaxing way to finish my trip and from there it was back to the Greyhound to make my way back up to Vancouver. On my way home I was very surprised to find that Canadian customs was less friendly than the officials I met at the American border on my way down. I also met some silly English boys on the bus who seemed terribly stressed about learning that Canada used a different currency than America (haha… it was pretty funny). I stayed that night at Alice’s apartment (she graciously offered the keys to her place since she was away that weekend) and I got up early the next morning to take in my last Vancouver sites before heading home. I had planned to climb Grouse Mountain, but after missing my first bus, the journey was going to be to tight (I was not wanting to miss my flight), so I opted for grabbing a latte from Starbucks and enjoying the scene down at Kitsilano beach. Words really can’t express it – it was AWESOME! Vancouver certainly is a unique city. Us Ontarions could learn a thing or two from them in terms of stress levels.
When I arrived home, I was kindly picked up by Andrea and Graham at the airport who took me to their place to grab my car that they let me store in their driveway for the week. Silly Graham had even taken the time to clean a bit of the interior of my car and change my rubber winter mats over to my summer ones. What a guy!
And now I’m back to the grind. Vacations never seem to be long enough!
Huge thanks to Ming and Cormie for putting up with me for the week. I had a great time and hopefully didn’t get *too* in the way. You guys will have to come back to Waterloo so I can return the favour! Oh yeah… and thanks to Cormie for letting me steal his MEC pack for the week :)
The second half of my journey began with a Greyhound trip down to Seattle (after stopping at the enormously huge MEC in Vancouver on my way to the bus station). The ride to Seattle was minimally entertaining, however, I still managed to come out of it with some interesting stories. Firstly, I almost managed to get myself fined by US customs for failing to claim a grapefruit in my possession. They asked if I had any fruit in my bag and I told them about an apple and an orange that I had saved for lunch. They had to confiscate the orange due to some issue they are having with some strain of fruit fly, but when my bag went through the scanner, they managed to find a grapefruit that I had forgotten about at the bottom of my bag. They informed me that they *could* had fined me $200 for failure to disclose that info, but they let me off easy because they believed that I had genuinely forgotten about that piece of fruit. All in all though, I’d say that the US customs people were much friendlier than I expected. My second story involves me slamming my finger in the bathroom door on the Greyhound. My bladder was about to burst, and since there were no public washrooms available at customs, I held my breath, walked in, and WHAMMO – the door slammed right on the nail of my middle finger. I nearly passed out from the pain, but managed to suppress the high-pitched squeal that was ready to escape. The most annoying part: the bus driver decided to make a 20 minute stop at Burger King around the corner since there were no bathrooms at the border. Nice eh?
I arrived in Seattle to another beautiful, sunny, and warm day. The Greyhound station is in a good location downtown and it was a short walk up to Bauhaus (an alternative coffee shop with a capital “A”) that Ming suggested I hang out at. I spent the afternoon with a latte in hand, reading a book, and soaking up the sun while I waited for Ming to get home from work. As soon as Ming showed up, we were on our way to China town for a dinner with his soccer team where I experienced “Hot Pot” for the first time. Yum yum! After that I had a quiet evening at Ming and Cormie’s new apartment while the three of us combined our math skills / creativity to hang pictures on their living room wall.
The next day was my 2nd day of rain while I got lost on Capitol Hill trying to make my way downtown. By the time I found the bus stop, the sun was shining and I arrived just in time for lunch with the gang at Amazon. Amazon is in a beautiful building and has an amazing view of the city! They also have a wicked cafeteria! The rest of my afternoon was spent walking downtown, along the waterfront, and through Pike Place Market. That evening I joined Natalie and her soccer friends for a game of scrimmage in a beautiful park on the hill. It was so much fun!! I forgot how much I love playing soccer! Later that night we headed out to Chapel (Ming’s favourite bar in the entire city of Seattle) for some drinks. The next morning I woke up hang-over free, but equally as sore as the morning after my race. I have learned that soccer muscles are ENTIRELY different from long-distance running muscles!
I hobbled around downtown Seattle on Thursday doing some shopping in the American Stores. Found myself a good deal on some khakis from Gap (I love bargain shopping) but spent far too much money at Victoria’s Secret. I’ve heard that you can’t beat a good VS bra, and I fell victim to that one – big time! Oops. Oh well… hopefully I will see it as an investment – I haven’t experienced buyer’s remorse on this one yet, so I think I’m in the clear. That night I cooked dinner for Ming and Cormie and shared Pilsbury cinnamon rolls with Natalie while we watched The OC.
Friday I had planned a trip to Mt Si to see what sort of views it could offer but after a complication with the rental car company, it was too late for me to get that adventure started. So instead I settled for an afternoon journey to a beautiful park with an awesome view of the city. I came home that night in time for a BBQ “chez Ming”, and we entertained ourselves by Googling “world records”, having chin-up competitions, and trying on various articles of clothing ;) Later that night we visited another bar on Capitol Hill, and stumbled home around 2am. It appears that I somehow managed to fall asleep in Cormie’s bathroom, but John was nice enough to wake me up when he found me and I slept beautifully on my futon for the rest of the night. I re-claimed my title “Queen of no hangovers” the next morning, and went out to experience the famous breakfast Taco from a local diner. It was deelish!
My final day in Seattle was another beautiful day. Ming, Cormie, Nat, Diana, and myself went for a walk in another park, and played Frisbee/soccer/football at the same time. It was a great relaxing way to finish my trip and from there it was back to the Greyhound to make my way back up to Vancouver. On my way home I was very surprised to find that Canadian customs was less friendly than the officials I met at the American border on my way down. I also met some silly English boys on the bus who seemed terribly stressed about learning that Canada used a different currency than America (haha… it was pretty funny). I stayed that night at Alice’s apartment (she graciously offered the keys to her place since she was away that weekend) and I got up early the next morning to take in my last Vancouver sites before heading home. I had planned to climb Grouse Mountain, but after missing my first bus, the journey was going to be to tight (I was not wanting to miss my flight), so I opted for grabbing a latte from Starbucks and enjoying the scene down at Kitsilano beach. Words really can’t express it – it was AWESOME! Vancouver certainly is a unique city. Us Ontarions could learn a thing or two from them in terms of stress levels.
When I arrived home, I was kindly picked up by Andrea and Graham at the airport who took me to their place to grab my car that they let me store in their driveway for the week. Silly Graham had even taken the time to clean a bit of the interior of my car and change my rubber winter mats over to my summer ones. What a guy!
And now I’m back to the grind. Vacations never seem to be long enough!
Huge thanks to Ming and Cormie for putting up with me for the week. I had a great time and hopefully didn’t get *too* in the way. You guys will have to come back to Waterloo so I can return the favour! Oh yeah… and thanks to Cormie for letting me steal his MEC pack for the week :)
Monday, May 09, 2005
Reflections on my trip out West
It’s certainly been a while since my last post. The month of April was spent gearing down for my half-marathon in Vancouver which I completed last Sunday, May 1st, followed by a week vacation out West.
My journey began on April 29th when I left the cold/wet/snowy spring weather in Ontario, to arrive in sunny/warm Vancouver. Upon arrival, my very first observation was the vast amount of “green” that I saw. My first stop was Stanley Park, so I hopped on a bus and headed straight downtown. Although I tried to be cautious of the amount of walking I was doing (pack and all!), I couldn’t help but want to explore the beauty that the park had to offer. And since it was a beautiful day, I had to capitalize on the opportunity! I enjoyed a walk along some of the forested trails and ended up at “Third Beach” where I spent the afternoon relaxing with a book in hand, the mountains in view, and the sun on my face. Later that evening, I met up with Alice at her place near Kitsilano beach and we headed out for all-you-can-eat sushi (yum!) with her friend, Devin.
Saturday morning, Alice and I picked up my race kit and spent the rest of the afternoon at the Vancouver aquarium (while we tried to minimize the amount of walking). Dinner that night was a spaghetti “carb-load”, and then I was early to bed with pre-race jitters. The next morning I awoke to the same pre-race nerves along with the scary realization that I just *may* have done too much walking the two-days prior. My legs were SORE (not a good way to feel on race day) and I was desperately wishing I had my own personal massager to prep me for my race. Instead, I settled for a warm shower, an Advil, and what little amount of oatmeal I could stomach. Despite everything, my race experience was awesome! (and the feelings and emotions experienced deserve an entire post just on their own!). I made it to the race start with close to an hour to spare and so I spent that time admiring the sites surrounding me, reflecting on what I had done to reach that point, and focusing on my race. With the shot of the gun, I was off!... ok… well, sort of. Two minutes AFTER the sound of the gun, I finally crossed the start line to begin the 22.1 kms that lay ahead. This time around I vowed to resist the urge to take off with the adrenaline in my body in order to conquer a “negative-split” time. After numerous uphills and one REALLY LONG 10+ minute climb, the last portion of the course was generally a comfortable downhill and I was right on target for my goal time of 2 hours. The last 3 kms I was feeling good and doing my best to keep my pace right around 5 min/km. As I neared the finish line, I was eyeing my watch and givn’ it all I had. When all was said and done, my final time was 2 hours and 22 seconds – 22 seconds off my goal time, but a 16 second improvement over last year in Ottawa. Given the many many circumstances (and excuses) I have (too much sight-seeing, time-change, difficult course), I’m pleased with my time. I’ve already decided though, that I’m gonna give it another go in Ottawa in another month.
That afternoon Alice and I took advantage of the yet-again beautiful weather and headed out to Capilano Bridge to check out the famous suspension bridge and Tree-Tops attraction. If she’d been up to it, I think I would have also tackled Grouse Mountain since we were right in the area, but I decided to let my body rest and we headed home for a quiet evening in.
The next day was a crap day weather-wise, so I spent the day shopping on Robson Street and in Granville market. Found myself a really cool necklace, a couple of great bargains, and picked up a bottle of wine to share with Alice that evening. After a yummy pasta dinner out, we came back to her apartment and both fell asleep after one glass of wine each. So much for a wild girls night!
I had planned to spend the next couple of days on Vancouver Island doing some whale watching and possibly even some surfing lessons, but my body was still feeling the effects of a chest injury I had given myself on race day (long story, but yes, it IS possible to strain one’s chest while running), so I decided to head down to Seattle a day early and join up with Ming and the gang there. Since this post has already become a novel and a half, I’ll write more about that one when I have another chance.
Thanks to Alice for being such a great host in Vancouver and for the great times we had! I loved getting the chance to catch up after so many years and enjoyed our inspiring conversations.
It’s certainly been a while since my last post. The month of April was spent gearing down for my half-marathon in Vancouver which I completed last Sunday, May 1st, followed by a week vacation out West.
My journey began on April 29th when I left the cold/wet/snowy spring weather in Ontario, to arrive in sunny/warm Vancouver. Upon arrival, my very first observation was the vast amount of “green” that I saw. My first stop was Stanley Park, so I hopped on a bus and headed straight downtown. Although I tried to be cautious of the amount of walking I was doing (pack and all!), I couldn’t help but want to explore the beauty that the park had to offer. And since it was a beautiful day, I had to capitalize on the opportunity! I enjoyed a walk along some of the forested trails and ended up at “Third Beach” where I spent the afternoon relaxing with a book in hand, the mountains in view, and the sun on my face. Later that evening, I met up with Alice at her place near Kitsilano beach and we headed out for all-you-can-eat sushi (yum!) with her friend, Devin.
Saturday morning, Alice and I picked up my race kit and spent the rest of the afternoon at the Vancouver aquarium (while we tried to minimize the amount of walking). Dinner that night was a spaghetti “carb-load”, and then I was early to bed with pre-race jitters. The next morning I awoke to the same pre-race nerves along with the scary realization that I just *may* have done too much walking the two-days prior. My legs were SORE (not a good way to feel on race day) and I was desperately wishing I had my own personal massager to prep me for my race. Instead, I settled for a warm shower, an Advil, and what little amount of oatmeal I could stomach. Despite everything, my race experience was awesome! (and the feelings and emotions experienced deserve an entire post just on their own!). I made it to the race start with close to an hour to spare and so I spent that time admiring the sites surrounding me, reflecting on what I had done to reach that point, and focusing on my race. With the shot of the gun, I was off!... ok… well, sort of. Two minutes AFTER the sound of the gun, I finally crossed the start line to begin the 22.1 kms that lay ahead. This time around I vowed to resist the urge to take off with the adrenaline in my body in order to conquer a “negative-split” time. After numerous uphills and one REALLY LONG 10+ minute climb, the last portion of the course was generally a comfortable downhill and I was right on target for my goal time of 2 hours. The last 3 kms I was feeling good and doing my best to keep my pace right around 5 min/km. As I neared the finish line, I was eyeing my watch and givn’ it all I had. When all was said and done, my final time was 2 hours and 22 seconds – 22 seconds off my goal time, but a 16 second improvement over last year in Ottawa. Given the many many circumstances (and excuses) I have (too much sight-seeing, time-change, difficult course), I’m pleased with my time. I’ve already decided though, that I’m gonna give it another go in Ottawa in another month.
That afternoon Alice and I took advantage of the yet-again beautiful weather and headed out to Capilano Bridge to check out the famous suspension bridge and Tree-Tops attraction. If she’d been up to it, I think I would have also tackled Grouse Mountain since we were right in the area, but I decided to let my body rest and we headed home for a quiet evening in.
The next day was a crap day weather-wise, so I spent the day shopping on Robson Street and in Granville market. Found myself a really cool necklace, a couple of great bargains, and picked up a bottle of wine to share with Alice that evening. After a yummy pasta dinner out, we came back to her apartment and both fell asleep after one glass of wine each. So much for a wild girls night!
I had planned to spend the next couple of days on Vancouver Island doing some whale watching and possibly even some surfing lessons, but my body was still feeling the effects of a chest injury I had given myself on race day (long story, but yes, it IS possible to strain one’s chest while running), so I decided to head down to Seattle a day early and join up with Ming and the gang there. Since this post has already become a novel and a half, I’ll write more about that one when I have another chance.
Thanks to Alice for being such a great host in Vancouver and for the great times we had! I loved getting the chance to catch up after so many years and enjoyed our inspiring conversations.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Bathroom Ettiquette
Ming's post inspired me to post this today since I've been thinking about it for a while...
Do women not understand the meaning of bathroom ettiquette?! I mean... we've all heard about the ettiquette that is used (read: enforced) in the men's washroom with the urinals... But don't women understand that a similar rule should also apply for our washrooms too? You have no idea how many times I will go into the bathroom at work, pick my "usual" stall to do my business, only to have someone else come in and choose to use the stall directly next to mine. Out of a choice of 8-10 stalls, does this not seem a bit unusual? I certainly think so. The next time you use the bathroom, consider the respect of your fellow bathroom-goers, and choose your stall accordingly :)
Ming's post inspired me to post this today since I've been thinking about it for a while...
Do women not understand the meaning of bathroom ettiquette?! I mean... we've all heard about the ettiquette that is used (read: enforced) in the men's washroom with the urinals... But don't women understand that a similar rule should also apply for our washrooms too? You have no idea how many times I will go into the bathroom at work, pick my "usual" stall to do my business, only to have someone else come in and choose to use the stall directly next to mine. Out of a choice of 8-10 stalls, does this not seem a bit unusual? I certainly think so. The next time you use the bathroom, consider the respect of your fellow bathroom-goers, and choose your stall accordingly :)
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Hickeys
I really don't understand the purpose of hickeys. I mean, I realize the biology behind how they arise (yes... prolonged sucking of the skin will draw blood to the surface and cause redness and even bruising), but how on earth do they *really* happen? I've done the science experiment myself (and with the help of others) and it's pretty damn hard to get a hickey to the state of being a very large and obtrusive "love mark". It takes a LOT of work and focussed efforts for the sucking to have this dramatic end result.
Although I suppose it *is* possible for such creations to occur if one were extremely "in the moment", I can't help but wonder if hickies are actually instead the result of some weird branding ritual intended to make some sort of statement.
While working at the Running Room on Sunday, I had a university-aged couple come to try on shoes. After spending nearly an hour helping them to find the perfect shoe, I couldn't help but notice some very eye-catching red and purple welts on the guy's and girl's necks respectively. I used to think that only teenagers got hickeys and it was basically their silly way of rebelling and showing others (including their parents) that they had some steamy make-out session. Given the age of my recent customers though, my theory is now weakened.
I dunno... maybe I just haven't lived rebelliously enough in my day... But then again, maybe I just prefer to avoid the whole "diseased" look.
I really don't understand the purpose of hickeys. I mean, I realize the biology behind how they arise (yes... prolonged sucking of the skin will draw blood to the surface and cause redness and even bruising), but how on earth do they *really* happen? I've done the science experiment myself (and with the help of others) and it's pretty damn hard to get a hickey to the state of being a very large and obtrusive "love mark". It takes a LOT of work and focussed efforts for the sucking to have this dramatic end result.
Although I suppose it *is* possible for such creations to occur if one were extremely "in the moment", I can't help but wonder if hickies are actually instead the result of some weird branding ritual intended to make some sort of statement.
While working at the Running Room on Sunday, I had a university-aged couple come to try on shoes. After spending nearly an hour helping them to find the perfect shoe, I couldn't help but notice some very eye-catching red and purple welts on the guy's and girl's necks respectively. I used to think that only teenagers got hickeys and it was basically their silly way of rebelling and showing others (including their parents) that they had some steamy make-out session. Given the age of my recent customers though, my theory is now weakened.
I dunno... maybe I just haven't lived rebelliously enough in my day... But then again, maybe I just prefer to avoid the whole "diseased" look.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
The Blues
Yeah... I got 'em. This sucks.
If anyone has a good remedy, please click here. Random stories are welcome. Anything that might bring a smile to my face.
Yeah... I got 'em. This sucks.
If anyone has a good remedy, please click here. Random stories are welcome. Anything that might bring a smile to my face.
Monday, April 04, 2005
Dryer lint
Got this forward from my grandma and thought I'd share it with the rest of the world. Probably the majority of my readers don't even own a dryer, but I figure it's one of those "useless pieces of knowledge" that might actually be useful to know for later on in life...
I had a wonderful morning, the heating unit went out of my dryer! Why does everything seem to fall apart this time of year!???
The guy that fixes things went in to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. We always clean the lint from the filter afterevery load of clothes. He told us that he wanted to show something. He took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. Now, this thing is like a mesh - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like - WELL......the hot water just laid on top of the mesh!!! It didn't go through it at all!!! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh and that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that???!!!! Learn something new everyday!
I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, thought I'd share!
Note: I went to dryer and tested my screen by running water on it. The water collected a little but ran though the screen. I dried it off and was ready to put it back in the dryer since the water ran through it but, I thought was the heck it won't hurt to wash it while I had it out. Warm soap water and a nylon brush and I had it done in 30 seconds. I then ran the water over the screen and what a difference the water just gushed through it with no puddling at all and this time I was running thre water at a faster rate. That repairman knew what he was talking about.
NOTE FROM ME.....Had to go try this myself....by golly, it was true! Water puddled and hardly went thru my 'clean' screen.....filled the sinkwith water/soap and brush brush brush and voila! Water straight thru.....think maybe those dryer sheets were invented by the Maytag guys just to finally give them some work?
Not sure who all those people were that did the experiment themselves, but it sounds like it's unanimous. This trick actually works! Happy laundering... :)
Got this forward from my grandma and thought I'd share it with the rest of the world. Probably the majority of my readers don't even own a dryer, but I figure it's one of those "useless pieces of knowledge" that might actually be useful to know for later on in life...
I had a wonderful morning, the heating unit went out of my dryer! Why does everything seem to fall apart this time of year!???
The guy that fixes things went in to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. We always clean the lint from the filter afterevery load of clothes. He told us that he wanted to show something. He took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. Now, this thing is like a mesh - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like - WELL......the hot water just laid on top of the mesh!!! It didn't go through it at all!!! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh and that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that???!!!! Learn something new everyday!
I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, thought I'd share!
Note: I went to dryer and tested my screen by running water on it. The water collected a little but ran though the screen. I dried it off and was ready to put it back in the dryer since the water ran through it but, I thought was the heck it won't hurt to wash it while I had it out. Warm soap water and a nylon brush and I had it done in 30 seconds. I then ran the water over the screen and what a difference the water just gushed through it with no puddling at all and this time I was running thre water at a faster rate. That repairman knew what he was talking about.
NOTE FROM ME.....Had to go try this myself....by golly, it was true! Water puddled and hardly went thru my 'clean' screen.....filled the sinkwith water/soap and brush brush brush and voila! Water straight thru.....think maybe those dryer sheets were invented by the Maytag guys just to finally give them some work?
Not sure who all those people were that did the experiment themselves, but it sounds like it's unanimous. This trick actually works! Happy laundering... :)
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Mystery of the week
Does anyone recognize any of the following names?
Paul Robson
Jane Haque
Walter Jarsky
Jacque Beauvais
Jason Cook
Joe Balant
Judy Haddad
Cheryl Ibbotson
David Shanoff
Debbie Fleming
Doris Chen
Felix del Aguila
Gordon mahaffy
Helen Nolan
Jason Francoeur
Julie & Ronni Bates
Camilla Gryski
Casey Meng
Qiu Wang
Christos
Narcissist Design Co. & The Perfect T
Daniel Neysmith
David Room
David Keeble
My reason for asking: I received a very random email forward from a "Paul Robson" last night with a silly picture of a penguin standing on top of on a panda bear. My first reaction was that it was a virus, but I was pretty sure they couldn't be transmitted via jpgs. Totally puzzled by why my name was on his list of recipients, I googled him and found out that he's an economics graduate from UW. After responding to his email and politely asking him how on earth he might know me, he responded with "Sorry Heather, It's a mystery. I deleted you from my contact list."
Anyone who knows me will know that this is gonna drive me nuts until I figure out the connection (as I am certain there is one somehow, probably less than the cliche "6 degrees"). Anyone with any leads, please show me the light! This mystery CAN be solved!! :)
Does anyone recognize any of the following names?
Paul Robson
Jane Haque
Walter Jarsky
Jacque Beauvais
Jason Cook
Joe Balant
Judy Haddad
Cheryl Ibbotson
David Shanoff
Debbie Fleming
Doris Chen
Felix del Aguila
Gordon mahaffy
Helen Nolan
Jason Francoeur
Julie & Ronni Bates
Camilla Gryski
Casey Meng
Qiu Wang
Christos
Narcissist Design Co. & The Perfect T
Daniel Neysmith
David Room
David Keeble
My reason for asking: I received a very random email forward from a "Paul Robson" last night with a silly picture of a penguin standing on top of on a panda bear. My first reaction was that it was a virus, but I was pretty sure they couldn't be transmitted via jpgs. Totally puzzled by why my name was on his list of recipients, I googled him and found out that he's an economics graduate from UW. After responding to his email and politely asking him how on earth he might know me, he responded with "Sorry Heather, It's a mystery. I deleted you from my contact list."
Anyone who knows me will know that this is gonna drive me nuts until I figure out the connection (as I am certain there is one somehow, probably less than the cliche "6 degrees"). Anyone with any leads, please show me the light! This mystery CAN be solved!! :)
Monday, March 21, 2005
Funny Story
Oh my gosh! I almost forgot to post about this one!...
So the other day after my usual Monday evening run I was waiting patiently at a stop light (like all responsible drivers should) and drifting off in my own little dreamworld. When all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a little red Plymouth Colt turn the corner in front of me. This car caught my attention because it was the same one that an ex-boyfriend of mine used to drive. I thought... "no way... that can't be him... he can't still be in this city"... But sure enough, I caught a glimpse of the driver as it passed, and it was indeed, my "psycho ex" (the title comes from a very long story that you'll have to ask me about in person some day if you have any desire to learn more about it). I laughed aloud thinking about the strange encounter, and when the light turned gree, continued along my merry way wondering if I would ever run into him again.
Well, not more than a month later (last week), I was on my way to my first shift at the Running Room. Feeling totally ravenous from having not eaten much all day, I decided to stop at a gas station to pick up a quick snack on my way to work. And since I was coming directly from my brother's place, I happened to select a gas station I wouldn't normally pass by. As I entered the store I quickly scanned for the chip stand, grabbed a bag of Doritos (yummmy!) and headed to the cash. It was at that moment that I noticed the cashier making an overly obvious attempt to avoid eye contact with me. I looked at him and quickly realized, it was the psycho ex! I said hello and called him by his name and he almost tried to pretend like he didn't know me. But I continued the conversation and asked him what was new and all he could say was "umm.... I'm.... here...?" I asked him how his school was progressing or if he was done yet and he said something about finishing up this year. Since I was in a hurry, I wasn't able to talk longer, but I couldn't help but laugh as I walked out the door. For someone who was soooo confident and strong headed and egotistical while we were dating, I couldn't believe what I saw. What a weird encounter...
Am I a sick person if the only emotion this whole situation stirs up is laughter?
Oh my gosh! I almost forgot to post about this one!...
So the other day after my usual Monday evening run I was waiting patiently at a stop light (like all responsible drivers should) and drifting off in my own little dreamworld. When all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a little red Plymouth Colt turn the corner in front of me. This car caught my attention because it was the same one that an ex-boyfriend of mine used to drive. I thought... "no way... that can't be him... he can't still be in this city"... But sure enough, I caught a glimpse of the driver as it passed, and it was indeed, my "psycho ex" (the title comes from a very long story that you'll have to ask me about in person some day if you have any desire to learn more about it). I laughed aloud thinking about the strange encounter, and when the light turned gree, continued along my merry way wondering if I would ever run into him again.
Well, not more than a month later (last week), I was on my way to my first shift at the Running Room. Feeling totally ravenous from having not eaten much all day, I decided to stop at a gas station to pick up a quick snack on my way to work. And since I was coming directly from my brother's place, I happened to select a gas station I wouldn't normally pass by. As I entered the store I quickly scanned for the chip stand, grabbed a bag of Doritos (yummmy!) and headed to the cash. It was at that moment that I noticed the cashier making an overly obvious attempt to avoid eye contact with me. I looked at him and quickly realized, it was the psycho ex! I said hello and called him by his name and he almost tried to pretend like he didn't know me. But I continued the conversation and asked him what was new and all he could say was "umm.... I'm.... here...?" I asked him how his school was progressing or if he was done yet and he said something about finishing up this year. Since I was in a hurry, I wasn't able to talk longer, but I couldn't help but laugh as I walked out the door. For someone who was soooo confident and strong headed and egotistical while we were dating, I couldn't believe what I saw. What a weird encounter...
Am I a sick person if the only emotion this whole situation stirs up is laughter?
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Catching up...
A huge congratulations to Trina on the completion of her first half marathon! Trina completed the Burlington Chilly Half a couple of weeks ago and finished with a time just over 2 hours. Way to go girl!! Congratulations also goes out to Mike (my Ericsson co-worker/roommate buddy from 3B) and Brenda on their recent engagement. I'm so happy for you two!
Career news: I am now officially a part-time employee of the Running Room in Waterloo. I applied a couple months back (before picking up my tutoring students), but last week I got called for an interview. Next thing I knew, I was on the staff list! It's been fun so far. 2 shifts under my belt and I'm schedule for an opening shift on my own next Sunday. Crazy stuff!
Marathon news: I was all set to brag about my exciting flight news (round trip tickets to Vancouver for $282 taxes included) when, much to my disappointment, I got the sad news of Jetsgo's closure (less than 2 weeks after I booked my flight with them). I was so pissed, but called my credit card company the morning I found out and filed my "grievence report". Supposedly I should be getting my money back the day after my flight is scheduled to depart. Thanks to my big brother Mark for feeling sorry for his poor sister and donating his
Air Miles points to my cause. I still have to pay $140 in flight taxes, but that's definitely the best deal around these days!
Motivational news: Saturday evening I met up with a friend to go climbing at Sportsworld. It's been years since I have been climbing (last time was probably with Ming and others in 2B), and I had forgotten how scary it was until I was half-way up my first wall. After a while though, I eased into it and remembered how much you can rely on the "safety" in the rope. The best part of the night was conquering climb after climb with a little coaxing from below. Just when I was ready to give up from sheer exhaustion in my arms and grip, a little shout from below convinced me to keep on going. It's such a cool feeling when you overcome something that you didn't think you could ever finish! Man... am I ever sore today though!...
Finally... if someone is looking for something really stupid but cute to cheer them up, check this out: www.it.dev.duke.edu/tmp/I_Like_You.swf
A huge congratulations to Trina on the completion of her first half marathon! Trina completed the Burlington Chilly Half a couple of weeks ago and finished with a time just over 2 hours. Way to go girl!! Congratulations also goes out to Mike (my Ericsson co-worker/roommate buddy from 3B) and Brenda on their recent engagement. I'm so happy for you two!
Career news: I am now officially a part-time employee of the Running Room in Waterloo. I applied a couple months back (before picking up my tutoring students), but last week I got called for an interview. Next thing I knew, I was on the staff list! It's been fun so far. 2 shifts under my belt and I'm schedule for an opening shift on my own next Sunday. Crazy stuff!
Marathon news: I was all set to brag about my exciting flight news (round trip tickets to Vancouver for $282 taxes included) when, much to my disappointment, I got the sad news of Jetsgo's closure (less than 2 weeks after I booked my flight with them). I was so pissed, but called my credit card company the morning I found out and filed my "grievence report". Supposedly I should be getting my money back the day after my flight is scheduled to depart. Thanks to my big brother Mark for feeling sorry for his poor sister and donating his
Air Miles points to my cause. I still have to pay $140 in flight taxes, but that's definitely the best deal around these days!
Motivational news: Saturday evening I met up with a friend to go climbing at Sportsworld. It's been years since I have been climbing (last time was probably with Ming and others in 2B), and I had forgotten how scary it was until I was half-way up my first wall. After a while though, I eased into it and remembered how much you can rely on the "safety" in the rope. The best part of the night was conquering climb after climb with a little coaxing from below. Just when I was ready to give up from sheer exhaustion in my arms and grip, a little shout from below convinced me to keep on going. It's such a cool feeling when you overcome something that you didn't think you could ever finish! Man... am I ever sore today though!...
Finally... if someone is looking for something really stupid but cute to cheer them up, check this out: www.it.dev.duke.edu/tmp/I_Like_You.swf
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Work Funnies
The joy of working at a small company means random emails to the entire mailing list, some of which are pretty hilarious. Here's two from this week:
Subject: Car licence APLS 236
Message: You've left your lights on. You're ok for a while, though, because you also left your engine running. Dave
Response (to the entire company): Thanks Dave. These remote starters are neat, but you have to watch how you put your keys away :-)
Subject: Wrong keys
Message: I am hoping that someone on this distribution list would know the whereabouts of my keys. I hung my keys up shortly after 1pm in the gym and when I returned at 1:45 to fob out of the gym.... I realized my keys were gone. If someone would like to swap their keys for mine... preferably the person who currently owns my set of keys, please reply to me. I would like to have them before I go home.... so that I can go home :-)
Thanks, Mark
The joy of working at a small company means random emails to the entire mailing list, some of which are pretty hilarious. Here's two from this week:
Subject: Car licence APLS 236
Message: You've left your lights on. You're ok for a while, though, because you also left your engine running. Dave
Response (to the entire company): Thanks Dave. These remote starters are neat, but you have to watch how you put your keys away :-)
Subject: Wrong keys
Message: I am hoping that someone on this distribution list would know the whereabouts of my keys. I hung my keys up shortly after 1pm in the gym and when I returned at 1:45 to fob out of the gym.... I realized my keys were gone. If someone would like to swap their keys for mine... preferably the person who currently owns my set of keys, please reply to me. I would like to have them before I go home.... so that I can go home :-)
Thanks, Mark
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Backwards Reality
I can not believe how backwards our country (and government) views the current sporting/olympic "crisis". After reading a story on CBC.ca yesterday, I was floored to learn how Canada plans to get out of our performance slump at the Olympics and boost our medal count at the 2010 games. They think that funnelling a hole pile of money down a specific channel that targets only the top athletes will miraculously lead to a specific number of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Canadian performances at the Vancouver games 4 and a half years from now.
I don't think so...! I think the problem goes so much deeper and is tied to our generally lazy and unfit Canadian culture. Look at the physical education program in our elementary schools and think about how much changes in that area could have bigger and "grander" effects. By targeting the Canadian poplulation as a whole when they are young and at their most influencial phase of life, instilling a passion for (and even just the habit of) physical activity and sports can have a trickle effect and result in a much larger Olympic candidate pool to choose from. Sure this may take a lot more work (revamping the curriculum, changing views, making people do stuff they just don't want to have to do) and extra money. But forecasting the medal results at say, the 2020 Olympics, and even the financial rewards on our public healthcare system could speak wonders for this theory.
This "band-aid" approach is true in so much of life. The scary part is that it is simply a fact. With the sonic speed that life runs at today and the resulting pressures we endure, we fail to take the time to examine problems at the root. Instead we do whatever we can to find *a* solution and we suffer longer-term as a result.
I can not believe how backwards our country (and government) views the current sporting/olympic "crisis". After reading a story on CBC.ca yesterday, I was floored to learn how Canada plans to get out of our performance slump at the Olympics and boost our medal count at the 2010 games. They think that funnelling a hole pile of money down a specific channel that targets only the top athletes will miraculously lead to a specific number of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Canadian performances at the Vancouver games 4 and a half years from now.
I don't think so...! I think the problem goes so much deeper and is tied to our generally lazy and unfit Canadian culture. Look at the physical education program in our elementary schools and think about how much changes in that area could have bigger and "grander" effects. By targeting the Canadian poplulation as a whole when they are young and at their most influencial phase of life, instilling a passion for (and even just the habit of) physical activity and sports can have a trickle effect and result in a much larger Olympic candidate pool to choose from. Sure this may take a lot more work (revamping the curriculum, changing views, making people do stuff they just don't want to have to do) and extra money. But forecasting the medal results at say, the 2020 Olympics, and even the financial rewards on our public healthcare system could speak wonders for this theory.
This "band-aid" approach is true in so much of life. The scary part is that it is simply a fact. With the sonic speed that life runs at today and the resulting pressures we endure, we fail to take the time to examine problems at the root. Instead we do whatever we can to find *a* solution and we suffer longer-term as a result.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Best deal in town!
So I've managed to pick up a couple of tutoring students this term. Both girls happen to be taking the same course, Grade 10 Academic, which is super convenient for me. After my first couple of sessions, I've realized just how much I'm cut out for this. I love helping them with their math! It gives me a fun challenge to re-teach myself what they are learning each week, and then try to think (on the spot) of a different way to explain it to them so they can see it, and better understand it, from a different angle.
I've discovered that I am a total sucker and these people are getting WAY more than their money's worth. For a measley $25-$30 these students are getting one-on-one sessions, for 1.25 - 1.5 hours, in their own homes, with yours truly. Given that the going rate in this city is $40/hour (and usually a very strict hour), I think I'm a steal. I wonder if I will ever actually end one of my sessions "on time"? :)
So I've managed to pick up a couple of tutoring students this term. Both girls happen to be taking the same course, Grade 10 Academic, which is super convenient for me. After my first couple of sessions, I've realized just how much I'm cut out for this. I love helping them with their math! It gives me a fun challenge to re-teach myself what they are learning each week, and then try to think (on the spot) of a different way to explain it to them so they can see it, and better understand it, from a different angle.
I've discovered that I am a total sucker and these people are getting WAY more than their money's worth. For a measley $25-$30 these students are getting one-on-one sessions, for 1.25 - 1.5 hours, in their own homes, with yours truly. Given that the going rate in this city is $40/hour (and usually a very strict hour), I think I'm a steal. I wonder if I will ever actually end one of my sessions "on time"? :)
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