Great Big World Out There

At the gas station

I just had an uncontrollable need for a coke and some packing tape.  Luckily I live within eyesight of a Flying J so I headed off there a couple minutes ago.  No packing tape, alas,  I will have to look harder in my own house.  There's got to be some around here somewhere.  

There was a woman in the store.  One of 'those' women.  The kind who smoked a pack a day too many, and speaks in volumes normally reserved for the stage.  My first notice of loud lady was when she loudly proclaimed that she was parked in the wrong spot - a spot that wasn't actually a parking spot.  She told her 9 year old kid to go move the car while she stirred her coffee (the kid did not in fact do this, despite her repeated requests).  At one point she loudly muttered, 'OH, did I lose my stir stick in here?'

I don't think it's the stir stick that's missing, if you catch my meaning.  

I was still looking for packing tape while shamelessly being amused by this crazy lady.  She moved on to the check out, pausing to remark loudly upon the cleverness of providing carrot cake for purchase by hungry customers.  (Imagine that, knowing your customers well enough to sell what they want!)

She then saw the sandwich display.  Whereupon she randomly asked her kids, 'If I let you slam 1 of your pops will you eat a bologna sandwich?'

Kids: 'YES!'

She loudly paid her bill ($1.56 in small change) and headed out to the car, talking yelling about how she had to phone the kids dad, he would think they were halfway to Saskatchewan, and they were in the wrong spot and also they needed to turn by the green arrow.

I was exhausted by the time I went to pay.  As I left the store, I saw loud lady loading her kids into the car, whereupon she pulled out of the 'wrong' spot.  While it is true that the spot she was in wasn't truly a legit parking spot, her solution was not really an improvement.  As I got in my car and backed out, I saw that she had chosen to back into the spot next to the non-spot.  The handicapped spot.  

She hadn't even backed in the whole way - so she effectively blocked traffic on that whole side of the gas station.

I went out the back exit, to keep the stink of stupid off me as much as possible.  I'm so pleased I had that coke craving.

cannot think of a thing to say

but I need to say something, so I shall gibber madly for the next 10 minutes and see what I come up with.

I spent most of my weekend looking for a bathtub faucet.  You'd think that wouldn't be hard, but oh, how wrong you would be.  I tried a couple of stores in Leduc but could not find a) suitable faucets or b) a person who might know where the damn faucets might be.  Then there was a problem with the pipe bit coming out of the wall, so we went through 2 replacements before we found a way to make the third version work. 

All this so we could continue to have a hand shower without having to rip out a wall.  I learned about shower/bathtub faucet items though.  I think I want a roman faucet set in future bath tubs I build in a future house. 

Speaking of bath tubs, I know it is probably the thing to have fancy jetted tubs and all the whistles and bells.  I can't stand those things.  You need to empty your hot water tank (I will have on demand hot water so not a huge deal, but still) to fill the bloody thing, and I don't particularly need to go swimming every night when I take a bath.  Because yes, I am a bath person.  Not so much a shower person.  I take a bath before bed every night because it switches off my brain.  Or at least start the switching off process.

I have ideas for future house building but the prospect of making decisions fills me with dread.  I'm not usually decision-making averse, but damn.  I don't want to decide on 15 different floor choices, the type of furnace (with A/C, thank you very much, ideally geothermally powered, however that works) and if I should get that stuff that stops your house from burning.  I know I don't need granite counter tops, because please.  I am not that pretentious.  Except when I fly long distances, and then give me the first class treatment because it hurts my back to be scrunched up in a stupid seat. 

I have embraced stupid games on Facebook the past week or so.  I am enjoying the building of 4 farms, two mafia families and now I have moved on to zoos and fish aquariums.  Not so fond of the fish aquarium thing, their server has been stupid and off all evening so I think I will quit that one once the server is back.

I submitted the thesis to the grad studies faculty today.  We'll see how long it takes to be accepted.  Or if it is in fact accepted.  They have to do the checking of apostrophes and so forth.  Sucks to be them, if you ask me.  All I know for certain is that I am mighty f'ing tired of looking at the bloody thing.  Stupid thesis.  I hate you.

I have now written for 9 minutes, that wasn't so bad after all.  I have to work on my zoos, my farms and my mafia now so I shall sign off.  Happy Monday.

supermarket sweep

I was wandering through the channel guide this morning and came across supermarket sweep on the gameshow channel.

There are 2 things wrong with the above statement.  1. that I recognized a game show called supermarket sweep (answer questions, then run around a fake grocery store for the most expensive items, the one with the biggest shopping bill wins.

2.  That I pay for the gameshow channel.  Yeek.

***

I have to dash off to church in a little while.  I've run through the songs for today, nothing too hard.  I'd never seen the first song before but I've run through it a couple of times and now we should be fine.  

After church I will need to return another bathtub faucet.  I bought 2 of 'em yesterday, and both of them didn't work properly.  I am irked by this.  Irked!  I don't know if what I need exists, or if I will have to order one on the internet.

I am done

See that spot back there?  The one about 400 miles and 3 months ago?

That's the spot where I needed to take some damn time off and didn't.  I have some travel planned the first week of October.  I'll be in Banff.  I like Banff.  I wasn't going to go to Banff this year, long story, but now I am going.  Then I'm off to Winnipeg for some football and some friends.  That will be nice.

I was going to go back to work right away but you know what - I am done.  Tired as hell and I've been doing what I've been doing without a break for way too fucking long.  So.  Vacation.  Me.  Can't wait.  Would go now but can't afford to take the time since I have deadlines coming up.  

Sometimes I think I need to go somewhere that needs a Tim Horton's and make my millions.  It'd be like printing money.  Or similar.  

***

Watching toddlers and tiaras.  What the hell is wrong with some people?  Live your own  damn life, not your kid's.

***

My knee is hurting me. I wonder what I did to it?  It was 32 degrees outside today according to my car.  How can you not love that at this time of year?  I haven't had supper because I forgot.  I think that is making me a little dumber than normal.  I can't stop thinking of random things to say and  then typing the random thoughts randomly into this browser.

I've begun a new project.  I want my dvds to fit better into my cabinets and I want them to be in dvd holders. I hate wallet things. So I ran out and got myself some cases earlier this week.  I'm gonna throw some of the DVDs into cases before I go to bed.  I'm also going to get rid of some of the duds.  I don't know why I bought so damn many dvds in my past.  I don't want to do that anymore.  Rather spend my money on books.  I love books.  BOOKS!!!!

Am hungry.  I wonder if there is still ham in the fridge.  I could really go for some ham, dammmit.  mmmm.  Ham.

oooh, pretty

I just switched to the new version of typepad.  I like how it looks, but I am not sure where anything is jsut yet.

Looks a lot like vista.

I need to stop playing farm town.  I need to do some laundry.  I have weeds to get rid of in the garden. I  need to engage a landscaping company to plant some grass.  I need to finish cleaning out my closet.  I have a pile of things in my car that should not be in my car.  My car needs to be washed.  I have a pile of things in a dresser that should not be in the dresser anymore.  

oooh, pretty

suppose I called you up tonight

I spent my day requesting something that I am sure will not be granted.  I could be irritated by that or just be glad the shitty job is over with so the denial of my request can start as quickly as possible.  I'd rather just get the shit jobs over with so I can go do something interesting and exciting.  Except.  I didn't have anything on my list of things to do that was dreadfully exciting.  

I'm working on the rejigging of some tables for publication.  I wish I'd had this table idea sooner, let me tell you.  Would have saved me some paper for my thesis, at least.  Certainly not any sanity, since they take a bit more effort than the other way I did them. 

***

What else did I do today?  Hmm.  I made fajitas for supper.  I went to work late so I stayed late to make up for my tardiness.  Tardy is such an odd word, I don't really like it.  Tomorrow a bunch of people are moving out of our office space since their space has been renovated.  It should be loud, noisy and generally disruptive. Theree will be cake though, so all is not lost.  

***

I've had a headache for 3 days.  I wish it would go away. I'm out of things to say now.  So I will go to bed and read my book.  

title: I told you so, carrrie underwood

Rainy days and weedy weekends

I cleared the potato patch this weekend.  It was covered in thick nasty weeds.  Weeds that could be chopped up and used as kindling if they weren't covered in thousands or millions of wee little seeds.  I hate those weeds for two reasons - they look like hell and my skin reacts to them big time.  The reaction doesn't last long - at least not once I've scrubbed thoroughly. I did a fairly decent job of weeding 

***

I am utterly addicted to Farm Town on facebook.  So help me.  It's much easier to be a fake farmer than a real one.  Internet chat makes me crazy - teenagers can't or won't spell correctly.  Demand to be hired (so you earn points and coins and such) or yell at everyone.  I don't hire them on principle, dammit.  If they are really annoying I just add them to my blocked list and I never see them again.  Lovely, that.

***

I thought I'd lost a cheque I received last week.  It was sitting between my passenger door and the passenger seat.  Guess I don't open that door very often.  No passengers, either.  Huh.  

***

Now I have the football game on.  All is well.  We've gotten an interception so far, a rather festive one as interceptions go.  Yesterday I made pulled pork but I didn't cook it long enough.  Next time I think I'll use a different cut of pork. I shall have pulled pork for supper tonight.  Lunch tomorrow.  Whoo. 

***

I haven't got much to say.  I've been farting around on the computer most of the weekend, interspersed with bouts of weeding - real weeds as above or the accumulated crap of life.  I have too many books, too many clothes and I am on a mission to get rid of as much as I can.  No one needs this much stuff.  You just don't.  Proof I don't need more crap - I went to Walmart this morning and didn't buy a thing.  NOTHING.  I had a list of things I needed but they didn't have any of the things I wanted in stock.  Imagine that.  I saw things I might normally have bought - realized I didn't need new shoes (I don't wear most of what I have), a water bottle (I have glasses to drink from), chenille throws (all fixed in the throw department).  

This is good.  I will save money AND have less crap.  I think all that til debt do us part I've been watching has been rubbing off.  My debt is totally under control - and what I have left is mostly student loans.  It'll all be paid off by this time next year.  Go me!

mmm

I bought corn for supper.  Now it feels like summer - I love the smell of corn cooking.  Add in a fresh grilled cheeseburger and some pasta salad and voila - excellent dinner. 

***

I can't think of anything to say.  I'm tired.  I started playing a stupid farming game on facebook.  I'm really only writing right now because I am waiting for my grapes to be ready for harvest - it'll take another half hour for that. Writing nonsensical blather - what a great idea!  How convenient that I am good at blathering on about nothing. 

I did spend some time today blathering on about a new research project.  I hope it gets funded because it could be interesting. 

***

I left the BBQ on!  Shit.  I will go turn it off now -running would not make a difference because it has been blasting away for a long time.

Sometimes I am an idiot.