Who's messin' up my mornin'....

You know...for the most part I'm a pretty happy person. I generally get up in a good mood - and start my day in a good mood - and don't have many reasons to be stressed out. But of course there is the odd time little miss sunshine isn't so sunny. This morning Rich and I drove into work (we usually commute by train). We work in a busy, hectic city - lots of people, lots of traffic and lots of yahoos on the roads. Rich is a pretty calm, easy going guy....but get him on the road with idiot drivers and he's a different person. I understand this. I do. I don't like it. But I understand it. That is why I don't drive in the city and also why I don't drive on the major highways where there is heavy traffic flow. I just don't need the stress.

So this morning as we're driving in the car, listening to our favourite morning show on the radio - i'm smilin' and humming along - thinking about my day ahead - trying to ignore that every five minutes someone is either cutting us off, crossing the wrong way, stopping for a streetcar, turning on a "do not turn", etc. etc. In the meantime, my darling boyfriend is *calmly* calling them names and waving his fists...but I continue to hum and smile and look out my window at the passers-by. This continued for about 30 minutes. I'm thinking to myself that I just can't wait to be out of this car and in my building away from the craziness.

Then...on go the brakes - full stop. Some A-Hole literally cuts right in front of us with not even an inch to spare and then slams on his brakes! Thankfully Rich was paying attention and swerved around him - but man-o-man.....I had HAD it! No more humming , no more smiling, I was pissed! I turned and said to Rich - "That's IT! I'm never driving into the city again! Forget it! This sucks! I can NOT start my mornings this way!". And he turned to me and said in a calm and loving voice "but poopy...(my nickname - long story..) we have to drive in tomorrow too." I grabbed his hand - gave it a kiss and said to him "you're on your own pal". And then, as we passed by A-Hole, we honked and gave him the finger (mature i know....) and sped away. That was the only fun part of the drive!

The Sunny South, Chicago and Shoes....

Yesssssss! Our trip to Me-hi-co is booked! We don't leave till beginning of March - but thank god i have something to look forward to during the hellish cold of winter we Canadians are so lucky to have. It's funny - i'm already thinking about what to wear/pack, etc. I'm a nerd.

Went to see Chicago last night. The musical - not the city. heh. In a word - fantastic! I was surprised by all the 'youngish' girls in the audience...but then I realized why. The male lead ("Billy Flynn" - Richard Gere's role in the movie) was played by none other than Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys! He actually did a really really good job. I highly recommend you go see it if you like musicals. High energy and great performances.

You know how everything old is new again? Well...what's your feel on the "ballet-slipper" shoes that are out now? When I was shopping in Niagara last weekend - I was *this* close" to buying a pair of Steve Madden ones - black patent leather - but of course...I procrastinated and didn't. And now - that's all I can think about! So yesterday I went and bought a different kind - not patent - but still sort of the ballet-style. Sometimes I look at my feet and think "cute!". Other times I look and think "granny!". Actually - the travel agent who booked our trip told me she is going shopping to the exact same outlet mall this weekend in Niagara, NY - I've never seen the girl before I booked the trip with her - but I'm considering giving her a call and asking her to pick up the Steve Maddens for me.

Anyway - looking forward to dinner out with some of my BFAWs tomorrow and then a nice weekend of nothing! Sometimes there's nothing like 'chillin' like a villain'.
Later Taters

I have the best boyfriend in the world....

I had such an amazing weekend. On Friday, Rich and I took off work, and headed to Niagara Falls. Our plan was to spend most of our time relaxing, going for walks, and doing a winery tour or two, hitting the casino for a little while, then heading home. It was just a 'quick getaway' for us.

Well, we arrived to our hotel - valet service promptly greeted us, took our bags and parked our car. In we went to check-in; easy peasy; get to our room - and wow! what a view - 27th floor with a huge window spanning the wall which looked out onto the Falls....both the Canadian and American ones - and they were all lit up at night all different colours - it was gorgeous. Also - we had a jacuzzi that overlooked the falls too....(i know what you're thinking - but it wasn't a heart-shaped or anything...not cheesy at all...quite fun actually! ;)

Anyway....we were totally happy with the view and the room, but we had places to go! Things to buy! People to see! Well...we didn't actually have to see any people - so strike that last part. So, I turned to Rich and said 'so...what do we do first?' - and this is why he's the best boyfriend in the world....he said "Do you want to go shopping at the Outlet Mall across the border?" Like Hello......for real? (and No! he's not gay...not that there'd be anything wrong with that...well - there would if he was my boyfriend - which he is - but No! he's not gay). My baby just happens to enjoy shopping! LOVE HIM! anyway....so off we go (luckily he packed our passports - so no problems) and after BAD directions from our hotel - we finally made it to the Prime Outlet Mall in New York (it was actually only about 20 minutes away if you knew where you were going). I was in heaven. Heaven! Every store I would want to be there was there. Coach, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Tommy, Nike, Guess, i can't even remember them all - but boy, was it great!

So after spending a lot of money we had worked up an appetite, so back we went to our hotel. Where for dinner? Where else - the Casino Buffet! Hell ya...that's all i can say. I managed to stick to my eating plan (i'm still watching those bad carbs!) and didn't have any sugar/dessert, etc. but wow - did it ever look good!! It was a great dinner. We played some blackjack and some slots - I lost about 10 bucks - then a quick walk after dinner and to our delight - fireworks were being set off over the falls - it was beautiful! The weather was cool - but no rain - so it was great. Saturday a.m. - we had buffet breakfast at T.G.I.Fridays - which was located in our hotel - and was FREE! so good! and then packed up and headed to Niagara-on-the-Lake for a wine tour and tasting at the Inniskillen Winery. mmmmmmmmmmmmm. I bought a few bottles of the Late Harvest Reisling and can't wait to crack those baby's open.

Anyway - that was my great weekend. Now I'm back home and back to reality and thinking about what to make for dinner. Rich is outside raking leaves so i'm going to make him something really nice cause he deserves it! I wonder if he likes peanut butter on his toast..... ;)

i'm still here.....

sorry haven't blogged for a bit....can't do it during the day, and lately have had some busy nights....working late, visiting family, buying furniture, putting together furniture, rearranging furniture, being exhausted....you know how it is.

So - just briefly....what's new? um...oh - well - we bought a fireplace! it's very cute - white - looks great in the living room - very cozy. We just sit on the couch now and stare at it. It's funny. I'm going to Niagara this weekend - both the Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake - going to chill out, take in some wineries, see the sites, got a great room overlooking the Falls with hot-tub - yee haw!! Going to see Chicago (the musical) next week...then going to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra the following week with my brudda! - supposed to be an amazing show. Starting to think about our vacay down south in Feb...leaning towards Puerto Vallarta....but that's about all that's new for now!

The invitations for Festive get-togethers are starting to come - family ones, friend ones, work ones, etc. Haven't even thought of buying gifts yet!

Hope you're all getting in the holiday spirit! And oh ya...I'm totally going to join the shazzizle. (my devoted readers will know what i'm talking about). Anyway - sorry for the short post - but will try to make it up to you later.

Peace/Out/Word to your Motha

Bells & Whistles, or Nuts & Bolts?

So, on Tuesday I went to the complex on a guest pass and did a fitness class. It was called "stretch and tone" and the instructor was "Emily!". "Emily!" is just a little spit-fire of a thing. She looks about 17, is very tiny and is full of piss and vinegar. Even her name has energy..say it with me..."Emily!" - she was great.

At first I had my doubts as I walked into class - it's not the poshyist place on earth. But in the same respect, people are just there to workout. Nobody cares what kind of shoes you have on; how good your hair looks; if your mascara is sweat-proof or not - they don't really look at you at all. The class was great - a mix of cardio and weights and stretching and toning - I worked up a good sweat and really enjoyed it.

Tonight I'm going back (have one guest pass left) to try the "Much more than Dance!" class. description: "Dance, get fit and have fun! Each week learn a new style of dance. From jazz to hip-hop to Latin and more! Add in some muscle-toning and you've got a fabulous, energy-filled hour!" Sounds fun yes!? I'll give it a go. Oh, and guess who's teaching? "Emily!"

Here's my dilemma. This complex has everything I need - weights, cardio equipment, aerobics, yoga, swimming, aquafit, whirlpool, sauna, a spa, massage studio, and is only a five minute drive from my house. BUT...it's really 'plain jane'. No fancy neon lights, no shag carpet in the lobby, no mirrors in aerobic studio...no shazzam you know?...more like just a shazzizle. Then there are places like Extreme Fitness (for example) which is more poshy - offers all the same equipment/classes, is only a little farther away and is priced comparably. It has the 'shazzam!'

What to do, what to do? I kind of like the laidback, low-key atmosphere of the complex, but sometimes I also like the froo-froo too. It makes you feel kind of fancy; music is usually upbeat; bright lights big city feel. But, I've done the froo-froo before and often felt like I was in a fashion show and couldn't go workout till my hair was perfect and my nike pants matched my nike top. And god forbid you leave the gym without a total makeover after your workout.

Not sure I want to be bothered with that when all I really want to do is run in with my gymbag, throw my hair up, work up a good sweat, and get outtie. Hmmm...maybe I just answered my own question. What do you think? When it comes to choosing a gym...do you go for the Shazzam or the Shazzizle?

Holiday stress.....I mean fun.

Christmas is a comin' and the goose is gettin' fat...
please put a penny in the old man's hat...
if you haven't got a penny, then a hay-penny will do...
if you haven't got a hay penny, then god bless you.

...and for all my friends who aren't 100 - a hay penny is half a penny and that's a song that my mom and I would sing for no apparent reason - mainly cause it had an easy tune I could play on the guitar.

but it got me to thinking...that christmas is definatley coming! I know because of the difficulty of planning when and where to see everyone. It's starting already. My friends at work and I had a hell of a time just finding a night for the four of us to go out for dinner. Also - with my family, we have to start early for our xmas plans, as there are the "in-law" families to co-ordinate as well...my brothers' wives need to work around their families too, and aunts and uncles always come for dinner. Throw in my boyfriend's family and there ya have it - just a touch of stress. who's house christmas eve? Who's house christmas day? who's house boxing day? and so on...

But...it won't take away from the excitement I seem to feeling more and more each day. I'm not sure why, but for some reason I'm really looking forward to this holiday season. Has nothing to do with gifts at all - just the thought of getting a tree, and decorating the house and playing christmas music and drinking hot chocolate, and seeing friends and family, etc. I think I might get a menora this year too - and celebrate Hannukah as well. I'm totally into it this year. It's just that little bit of anxiety that comes up when I think about making everyone happy with the schedules - cause i'm a people pleaser you know...I want it all to always work out the best it can for everyone...so I try to plan ahead.

but...if planning ahead is supposed to ease my stress...why does it seem to cause me more? I think this year I should just let everyone else figure things out and I'll just show up where and when I'm supposed to. As long as I have one full day with my family, I'll be happy. (ok...maybe two) ;)

Who Dat??

Hi! Happy Friday! I'm much happier today because the sun is shining, and it's almost the weekend and I'm getting a Mehndi tattoo today!

I have to say, I've impressed myself thus far with my blogging. I really thought I would have given it up by now. (i know it's only been about a week, but you know, I warned you about the whole discipline thing). And although I have been writing almost daily, I'm sure it will slow down at some point. But one thing I'd like to say, is that I love love love when I get "comments" on my blog. It makes me feel like someone out there is getting something out of this too! Like I'm adding a little 'sumpin sumpin' to go with their morning coffee, ya know? But...what drives me crazy is when the comments are left "anonymously" - with no name!! I know that's the whole point - the person wants to be anonymous...but...I don't like it. It's creepy. It's like someone knows me, calls me "leece" - which must mean you're a close friend or family, yet won't include their name... what up wit dat homes? Like the first comment on my post from yesterday...WHO DAT?!!?

So, a little favour I do ask - if you want me to know it's you, kindly type your name after you comment - you can still post "anonymously" - but just leave me a clue maybe! Yes, that will be fun...it will be a new game I will play. "Guess the Commenter". Having said that, if you don't want me to know it's you...keep up the good work! ;)

I can't believe these winter blahs! and it's not even winter yet!

I don't know about you, but man...the darkness is already getting me down. As autumn approaches and the daylight hours start to shorten, I can slowly feel my moods and energy levels change, and even though the days may still be sunny, and the colours are beautiful with the leaves changing, etc....you start to get 'that feeling in the air' that winter is just around the corner. My commute home from work is about 40 minutes in total - that's with the train ride, getting out of the parking lot, fighting traffic, etc. etc. Once late October arrives, I'm getting home in he dark, as I'm sure many of you are.

In the spring and summer, it's great - it seems like there's hours left in the day to go shopping, hang out with friends, take in a movie, walk along the waterfront trail..you name it ....lots and lots to do. However, this time of year, I am perfectly content with getting home from work, putting on my comfy cozies and hopping into bed. But who wants to do that every night? it's not healthy... for the mind, or the body.

A few years ago I learned to downhill ski, for the sole purpose of having something to do during the winter nights. But...things in my life have changed over the last few years (for the better!) and it left me without any peeps to hit the slopes with! I'm not much into skiing alone.

So, I decided to take a look at our community recreation complex - it has a great reputation, offers everything from swimming to weight training, cardio equipment, aerobics, yoga, squash, tennis. spa, etc. - you name it - they got it. I do the treadmill thing at home a few days a week, but I wanted something "new"; something to get me out of the house once in awhile. My plan was to come home from work tonight, have dinner, and go check the place out. I was excited about it all day actually....even during dinner, I knew when I was done, I was going to change my clothes and head out. The rec centre is only a five minute drive from my house (if that...) - it's very close!

So, I finished dinner, helped the BF clean up a bit - he looked at me and said "ok...wanna head over now"....and what did I say?...."um.....no....i'm tired and want to get my comfy cozies on and stay in k?!". Whaaa Haaapppen? what is my problem? Do any of you go thru' the same thing? The darkness totally plays with my mind. So, if any of you are wondering what to get me for christmas - i'll take one of those fancy lights that emulate the sun. I thought about asking Santa, but apparently he's on sick-leave due to Seasonal Affective Disorder. ;)

Not much to talk about today...other than Betty Botter of course.

My friends at work (my BFAWs that is) want to do a Christmas Cookie Exchange - which means I have to bake - which means I have to find a recipe, which got me to thinking about batter, which led me to recite the following poem...enjoy!

Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said "this butter's bitter! If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter! But a bit of better butter, not a bit of bitter butter, that will make my batter better yet!" So, she bought a bit of butter, better than her bitter butter, and she put it in her batter and her batter was not bitter. So, for Betty Botter's batter, not the bitter butter batter, it was best brand better butter she could get!

Wow! say that five times fast. Have a great Wednesday! and don't forget ANTM on tonight!! (oh...and Laural - did you hear! Jay Manuel is going to be the new host of CNTM! Better than that Tricia chick - she sucked arse!)

Later Taters.