tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6721373729249089702024-03-05T03:04:58.196-05:00Skryker's WorldSkrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-42948569672908303422008-07-24T12:21:00.005-04:002008-07-24T13:40:58.927-04:00When the heck did July happen?<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sheesh</span></span>! Not really doing anything these days but work and home stuff, along with health management (of course!). So where does time disappear to?<br /><br />I have pictures to share, if blogger doesn't frustrate the life out of me while I'm trying to post them. :)<br /><br />Bear and I managed to get away for a couple of days at the beginning of July. Went to the town of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Gananoque</span></span>, along the St Lawrence River. The 1000 Island district. What a pretty, pretty little town! It enchanted us completely, while also leaving us wondering why our town along the same river, with more waterfront area, can't be picturesque rather than blah. It's a waste of an opportunity, that's for sure!<br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view¤t=IMG_1581.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1581.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><br />So this is from the little waterfront park down by the marina in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Gananoque</span></span>-Joel Stone Park. I'd love to have a better look at some of the houses out on the islands. They must be beautiful.<br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1577.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1577.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=DSC00122.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/DSC00122.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br />The small sandy beach and swim platform that's there for all to enjoy. Especially if you're a border collie/husky who loves to fetch!<br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=DSC00121.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/DSC00121.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><br />Plenty of pictures of boats and the marina...<br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=DSC00115.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/DSC00115.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=DSC00129.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/DSC00129.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=DSC00128.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/DSC00128.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=DSC00130.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/DSC00130.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br />And the house that we decided we wanted, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">lol</span></span>!<br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=DSC00116.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/DSC00116.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1579.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1579.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br />Town hall, in its square, with gazebo, fountain and war memorial (sadly, with a recent addition-a local soldier, killed in Afghanistan).<br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1594.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1594.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1595.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1595.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1603-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1603-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1602.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1602.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1592.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1592.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br />And the reason we spent way more time in the hotel room than we thought we would. :)<br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1591.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1591.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br />Two person jetted tub. I so want one in my house now!<br /><br />Finally, the new addition to the house. My daughter's girlfriend (who lives with us) broke us down-she took one of the outdoor kittens to the vet because he had an eye and respiratory infection, and then his mother wouldn't take him back, and the other cats were beating him up...so he's inside now. She calls him <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Asterique</span></span>, but I think his name should be Dasher (or possibly Harry, after Houdini). Cute little devil. The dogs are delighted by him and want to play with him so we have to supervise the interactions for now. Dancer is way less impressed with him. She has deigned to give him few swipes of her tongue, but for the most part wants nothing to do with him.<br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1605.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1605.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1608.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1608.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Fingal</span></span> doesn't quite know what to do with the little guy, either.<br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1625.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1625.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1627.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1627.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1631.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1631.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br />And a good size comparison:<br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1633.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1633.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br />He's not very big yet but so lively now that he's better that I'm having trouble getting a good picture of him.<br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1609.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1609.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br />or the flash washes him out.<br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1611.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1611.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/?action=view&current=IMG_1624.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/Arkayos/IMG_1624.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a><br /><br />So that's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Skryker's</span></span> World for now.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-51093781743376861602008-06-27T10:57:00.003-04:002008-11-13T04:19:53.565-05:00Time flies...and it's not because I've been having fun!<br /><br />Struggling with more health stuff plus parenting nightmares. No one needs to hear my whining about those things, so blogging has been pushed aside a bit.<br /><br />One good thing with dietary changes since learning I'm diabetic-I'm no longer a sugar junkie. In fact, when I get hold of something very sweet, I end up feeling kind of sick after eating it. So the carb/sugar habit can be broken-it just takes some effort to do so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8n1-Y9r484Vi6zUWYg0_1M06ZSFBueUzAdNr5C9O2s_hF6mJPoxWANX-QI3ULxFLfimEKE0t4gEFxG30BsyQOo8WLn3Ib3b3TJc4iyILD1g1w7JfyBgzk_1lMOqvUxcc3RQlgFFYcmFY/s1600-h/bubbletea.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8n1-Y9r484Vi6zUWYg0_1M06ZSFBueUzAdNr5C9O2s_hF6mJPoxWANX-QI3ULxFLfimEKE0t4gEFxG30BsyQOo8WLn3Ib3b3TJc4iyILD1g1w7JfyBgzk_1lMOqvUxcc3RQlgFFYcmFY/s320/bubbletea.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216579396161912338" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In my quest for new experiences, I just ran smack into the sugar overload thing-I tried a bubble tea this morning. Interesting idea, I guess. It's kind of a super-creamy iced tea with tapioca pearls in it. I'm still not entirely sure if I like it or not. What I do know is that it's far too sweet for me now. After less than a quarter of it, I had to stop. Too much! Can't say I'd recommend it. I think it might be one of those things that you either love or you hate.<br /><br />I'm also sure that if it were not from a mix it would be better, but that's true of so many things. Although I'm not sure I'd like milky fruit tea well chilled with tapioca in it any better if it weren't from a mix. :)<br /><br />New experience: -1<br />Skryker: bellyache<br /><br />I hope my next new thing is better.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-82039920672559008072008-05-24T15:22:00.002-04:002008-05-24T15:36:36.839-04:00An hour and counting.My work-week ends in an hour. Woo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hoo</span>! Then it's home to spend a shared week-end with Bear. *sigh of contentment* Even better, I'm off the hook for making dinner tonight, as Bear has volunteered to do so. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Somedays</span>, I'm incredibly spoiled and all that sulking seems pretty self-indulgent.<br /><br />On the other hand, I have to test my blood sugar at least twice a day now, as I'm a type II diabetic. That's not good news at all. (Especially for a needle-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">phobe</span>.) No injections, at least, but I hate adding more health issues to the large pile I already have. Related health issues-the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">polycystic</span> ovary disease put me at high risk for developing diabetes, but I still dislike feeling like my body is breaking down and giving up on me. <br /><br />To amuse myself I've been terrorizing the house with blood tests. :D Well, trying to. Bear accepted it with good grace as well as a certain amount of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">curiosity</span> on his part. The kid and her girlfriend? No luck there. They don't want anything to do with being poked. Teenagers! Left to their own devices they'll draw on themselves or scratch themselves with pins and stuff but no way in hell can I get near them with a nice, sterile lancet. Go figure.<br /><br />I figure that if it makes me feel a little better to play mad scientist, they should play along. Nope. Uhn-uh. Not going to happen. Ever.<br /><br />So I will have to content myself with being the only household pin cushion. I suppose it could be worse. Actually, it could be a lot worse.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-17195912832640764452008-05-20T12:58:00.002-04:002008-05-20T13:18:02.981-04:00SulkingThat's where I've been. I've been sulking.<br /><br />Lots of stuff going on in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Skryker's</span> World these days but nothing to really blog about. Nothing catastrophic, either. Just run of the mill crap. I don't know, seems I don't get very much me time for the last little while, either, so it's hard to sort through all the static in my head for anything comprehensible.<br /><br />Life gets that way sometimes, right? You go along feeling like you just can't deal with even one more thing- and then that one more thing gets dropped on you along with with its six inbred cousins. No more issue family reunions, OK? <br /><br />I'm happy to report that none of these issues are in my marriage. That's rock solid and the foundation that keeps me from drifting away. In fact, Bear's shifts have changed so that we get more time to spend together and something approaching a real weekend. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Yay</span>!!! We're even thinking of maybe using one of these weekends to go away together. Not far (not with gas at $1.24/litre!) but away together, alone. Time where we aren't parents, homeowners, landlords or business owners. I'm really looking forward to this idea.<br /><br />I also want to spend time with my camera, wandering and taking pictures. Some day, in between work and being <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">chauffeur</span>, cook, grocery delivery service, IT department, entertainment director, social <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">convener</span>, medical test subject and getting some sleep, I'm sure I'll find some time. <br /><br />One of these years.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-84657306009660769852008-04-30T10:33:00.002-04:002008-04-30T10:52:45.096-04:00Supporting your local coffee shopYummy!<br /><br />Finally stopped at the new little coffee place a block up from the store. Got a 16oz tea and a muffin for $2.16. Score!<br /><br />It's a tea blend I haven't had since moving to this smallish town eight years ago. Ahhhh, Monk's Blend! Loose tea, too. And a caramel swirl muffin. A nice way to start the day.<br /><br />Plus, it's networking, so I look like a business woman. LOL!Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-20282965972267288292008-04-23T13:30:00.003-04:002008-04-23T13:52:05.452-04:00Wednesday's woesNot really any woes to speak of, other than majorly frizzy hair thanks to the impending rain. It's muggy. How can it be that the snow has only just melted, and it's 22C and humid? Yesterday, it was 26C at 6pm. Just wrong.<br /><br />Someone at Leon's caught on, and the sign is back to being a No Money Miracle instead of a No Monkey Miracle. How ordinary.<br /><br />I was just talking to my neighbour. She's a retired teacher and has been active in local government and such. I knew that teen pregnancy was a huge issue here, but I didn't realize it was so very bad. She just told me that a girl who gets preggers while in High School in this area has a less than 10% chance of finishing school at the same time as her age group, and about a 15% chance of finishing at all. Higher education? About a 5% chance. How sad, especially when so many teens manage to start a family so young. <br /><br />Better sex ed in the schools? Starting earlier, so that the kids don't get the info on how to not get pregnant after it's already happened? Something needs to change, that's for sure.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-25211361958297470842008-04-22T10:43:00.002-04:002008-04-22T11:09:51.790-04:00Miss Bronwyn's bad weekend.My little girl had a terrible weekend, partly my fault and partly because of her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">labrador</span> desire to eat anything that seems vaguely like food.<br /><br />We had nachos on Friday night and it was the undoing of both Bronny and I. She, of course, managed to get into an unguarded plate and scarf down a large amount of nachos with jalapeno peppers on them. Not to mention sour cream and guacamole, beans and onions. Not really a good set of things for a dog stomach, is it?<br /><br />Anyhow, I thought she'd be OK because she didn't hang onto that food very long. <br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Prin</span>, skip over this next part, OK? You don't want to read it. Really. Go on to the next paragraph. Saturday morning, I wasn't feeling well myself and had to call the kid to come over to the store so I could go home and take some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Gravol</span>. Too late, unfortunately. And the dogs got between me and the bathroom door so that I couldn't get around them fast enough....I threw up on (yes, ON!) poor <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Bronwyn</span>. I felt <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">sooooo</span> bad! I had to spend some more time in the bathroom before I could try and clean her up, too. :( Awful! She looked so mortified and she wouldn't come over to me when I called her, either. I don't blame her for that. I got a rescue from my daughter's girlfriend, who came in and cleaned up Bronny for me. I still feel so bad that that happened.<br /><br />For the rest of the silly dog's bad weekend, well, you can imagine what the nachos did for her stomach and the rest. You know when you eat really spicy food what it can do to your rear end? Yeah. That's what she had. I wasn't sure at first, and was panicking. She was yelping every time she sat down. So I checked her out-no tenderness in the belly, no signs of bloat, she didn't have any problems letting my run my hands over her, no-ahem!- signs of it being anal glands (and wasn't that fun to check out!). She's fine now after having a tender rear all weekend and some ferocious gas. <br /><br />The poor girl had spice bum. Otherwise known as "the ring of fire". I'd like to think that that will teach her not to eat nachos but I know better. The goat-dog will continue to eat first, think later. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Sheesh</span>! Motherhood is not for the faint of heart, lol!Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-26813810534283398352008-04-22T10:36:00.002-04:002008-04-22T10:41:19.726-04:00But it would be more fun WITH them....Hee hee hee! Apparently someone had some fun with the sign out front of Leon's Furniture Store over the weekend. Too bad I didn't have my camera last night. I'll take it tonight and hope that no one else has noticed yet.<br /><br />The sign currently advertises a "No Monkey Miracle!" sale going on right now. <br /><br />Yep, no monkeys required to buy furniture! What an innovation, 'cause, you know, it's really tough to get the monkeys to behave while you're shopping for a new couch. They always want to run into the bedroom section and jump on the beds.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-75329086310020314182008-04-17T12:40:00.002-04:002008-04-17T12:43:18.115-04:00Oh, hey, thanks for sharing!I don't know why people seem to want to overshare details with me....<br /><br />Had a guy in here, looking for back issues of Hustler magazine (uh, I don't carry old magazines, especially old skin mags, thanks for asking!) because his fiancee claims to have been in the magazine 10 years ago. Oh, and she's pregnant with twins.<br /><br />Do I need to know any of this? Hell no!<br /><br />But I do now. And so do you, because I had to share, lol!Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-56381235289010812942008-04-11T10:44:00.002-04:002008-04-11T10:54:53.453-04:00I was feeling better, really!I.<br /><br />hate.<br /><br />tax.<br /><br />time.<br /><br /><br />Some day, everything will STAY where I put it so that I can find it again when I need it. Was going through all the stuff since the tax guy is finally-FINALLY!!!-coming to pick it up today, when I remembered a couple of things that should have been with it. <br /><br />Were those important pieces of paper in the safe, logical place that I left them? Of course not! What fun is that?<br /><br />Well, it's all together now. Grumble. Can't wait for the phone call next week asking for the rest of the things I forgot...<br /><br />And I just got a phone call from the store landlord telling me the rent check bounced. WTF? No way! There was plenty in excess of the rent...<br /><br />Ha ha ha. The bank held a deposit on me, which caused not just the rent check but 3 other things to bounce, and then charged $37.50 per item. NSF fees for things that should have cleared. I love it. And it was even a cash deposit, too. Not a check that needed to clear, cash. <br /><br />Why did they hold it? Because I used the machine instead of a teller, since the bank was closed by the time I got there to deposit the cash. Business hours, ya know? <br /><br />Oh, this is going to be a fun one to fight out with the bank....Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-8820337148588830642008-04-04T10:53:00.003-04:002008-04-04T10:55:04.435-04:00The engine is running......but I've got no gas.<br /><br />At least, that's how I feel. The antibiotics have done their thing. No more kidney infection. Yay!<br /><br />Now I just have to sleep for a week straight and all will be well. :)Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-85558452025599034252008-03-28T10:47:00.002-04:002008-03-28T10:57:00.931-04:00I must be tougher than I thoughtI had my annual physical Wednesday, where I wanted to talk to my doc about the increase and changes in my back pain issue. Turns out I have a kidney infection.<br /><br /><br />:O<br /><br /><br />I had no idea! I thought that the extra pain higher up in my back was because I was holding myself so stiff all the time. If there were any other symptoms, I missed them. What the hell? How do you miss something like that?<br /><br />And so I got scolded for waiting until my physical to come in about my back pain. *blushes* I'm under strict orders to call RIGHT AWAY if anything changes. Off to physiotherapy and to get a CT scan on my back...and the dreaded antibiotics for the infection. So far, so good in terms of allergic reactions. These ones I can take. However, they've knocked me on my ass. Of the past 48 hours I've slept 36. <br /><br />I wonder how long I would have wandered around with a kidney infection? Probably until I fell over. So I have to revise my opinion of my immune system and such. I've had a cold during the kidney infection, plus my sinuses of course, and I shook off the cold plus I was still walking around. Of course, this does explain why I've been so draggy and feeling cruddy for the past couple of months.<br /><br />I feel like such an idiot!Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-34385883850430889492008-03-25T14:22:00.002-04:002008-03-25T14:28:25.087-04:00That's just silly!I happened upon some "advice" on replacing bad for you comfort foods with healthier alternatives that made me laugh.<br /><br />In place of mashed potatoes, boil up some cauliflower in chicken broth (low-fat and no salt, of course) and then mash or puree it with a bit of olive oil and a little skim milk. Supposedly, no one will notice the difference.<br /><br />Yeah, sure. Mashed cauliflower is exactly like mashed potatoes. Oh, except for the taste. And the look. Or the texture. Oh, and how about THE SMELL??? <br /><br />Really, do you think no one would notice? "Hey, Ma, why do these potatoes taste like cauliflower, chicken and olive oil? And why are they so watery and thin? What the heck did you do to them?".<br /><br />Silly.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-83794939241442944552008-03-19T11:36:00.002-04:002008-03-19T12:45:32.414-04:00Some anger and some reflectionsI'm putting my kid on a train this afternoon to go to a funeral. It's not going to be easy for her, I know, especially since she's staying with her biomom and things are still really strained between them. But what else can you do? It's the best way for her to get to the funeral and to go and see her friend in the hospital. <br /><br />More on the accident-while it was a pure case of wrong place, wrong time for the girls, eyewitnesses say that the other driver (who was in a rented Kia Rondo SUV) was driving aggressively while speeding and talking on a cell phone. This is where the anger comes in, for certain. It's one thing that he paid for his stupidity with his own life-although I still feel for his family-but his assinine behaviour caused so much devastation for a family that didn't deserve it.<br /><br />I've been thinking all of this over since I heard about it. As a parent, it strikes so close to home. I mean, you do so many things for your kids to protect them, to give them the best chance that you can, but you have to send them out into the world. You always have a bit of fear in your heart that something beyond your control will hurt them. In your upper mind, you think about smaller things. Will someone be cruel, will they get cheated, will they have their heart broken? Deep down, though, you dread the random. You know the odds are so against your child running into a serial killer or a rapist or a drunk driver. It's not likely that a bridge will collapse or a building will catch fire. <br /><br />It's not likely. But it does happen. And so you hope that it won't happen to your kid. You worry when they're late. When you see the school phone number during the day, your heart speeds up a bit. "Ah, crap! What did she do?" while part of you is actually praying that it's only a bit of trouble and not a call to meet your kid at the hospital. <br /><br />I've lost my train of thought on this one. I think that I was going to say that it's an act of faith to let your kid out of your sight. You have to surrender control and trust that the universe will send your child home safely to you. Of course, it's the same with anyone you love. <br /><br />And maybe this is part of what drives faith. It's too scary to think that you're sending your loved ones away to be at the mercy of random chance. So you call on the blessings of benign and protective entities to watch over them while you can't. <br /><br />For me, though, that very randomness is part of my world view. I accept that bad things will happen, no matter what, and that sorrow and grief are a part of life. It doesn't make it any easier to bear the sorrow. It just means that I don't (anymore!) rail and fight against the unfairness of it all. You can play the "if only" game to the point of ridiculousness when something happens. It won't change the facts.<br /><br />But if it were my child that had died, I wouldn't be so accepting so soon.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-76863793702217131142008-03-15T14:49:00.002-04:002008-03-15T15:32:59.570-04:00In an instant<span style="font-style: italic;">It's just a typical day. There's a ray of light, because a young woman living back at home with her family after being laid off has a job interview in Toronto. It's good news for the family of six people; all four of the adults had been without work until recently, when the son got a job. <br /><br />The hardships had had an upside. The family was forced to mend some fences and re-establish their closeness again. A grandchild is on the way, too. <br /><br />It's completely natural for the younger sisters, 17 and 15, to accompany their 26 year old sister on the long ride down to the city, offering up some moral support on the way. Nothing that all of them haven't done hundreds of times. Despite the age gap, the siblings are very close.<br /><br />Suddenly, an SUV going too fast in the other direction loses control and flips over after hitting a snow bank. It slides into the opposite lane, directly in the path of the sisters' car.... </span><br /><br />And just like that, both drivers are dead and the teen girls are in the hospital.<br /><br />Two families are mourning their dead. And the girls' parents are completely devastated, with their world turned inside out. The 17 year old is home now; she and her unborn child are OK. The 15 year old is still in serious condition with a shattered lower leg and after a bowel resection; she's been in surgery twice so far. So far, they haven't told her her beloved oldest sister is dead.<br /><br />So quick and so unexpected. <br /><br />I know this family. The youngest girl is my daughter's best friend and has been since <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">kindergarten</span>. When my kid still lived with her biological mother, the kid spent almost every weekend and school break that she wasn't with Bear and I at her friend's house. And she spent part of one summer at our house. It's surreal. My kid has a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">facebook</span> wall post from her friend from a short time before the accident. <br /><br />My heart bleeds for the parents. The oldest girl was airlifted to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Sunnybrook</span> Hospital in Toronto while the younger girls were taken to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Newmarket</span>. The parents were on their way to Toronto when they got a call telling them to go to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Newmarket</span> instead; their oldest girl hadn't made it. I can't imagine facing that situation, having to decide which hospital to go to, and then realizing that it was too late. <br /><br />So never let an opportunity to hug someone you love go by. It's too important to miss out on. Don't let the people you care about leave angry or hurt. Life can change in a flash.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-79452311173558265262008-03-15T14:46:00.003-04:002008-03-15T14:49:23.885-04:00Back again?For a longer time, this time, I hope.<br /><br />Had the weirdest cold ever last week. It settled into my eyes. They were hot and dry and itchy all week which made trying to do anything impossible. Everything I tried to read or watch went all blurry after a couple of minutes.<br /><br />Of course, I was fearing the dreaded Pink Eye. *screams in horror* Ugh! I had stupid pink eye everytime it went around my school, sometimes twice. Awful.<br /><br />This wasn't and it doesn't seem to be allergies, either, since it's going away as the cold does. Just a random weirdo virus, I guess.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-11627625393876269902008-03-07T13:37:00.001-05:002008-03-07T13:39:49.819-05:00Phew!I've got all my technology working again (I hope!).<br /><br />My back isn't so co operative, though. Can't sit for very long in the computer chairs. <br /><br />I was hoping to blog today at least a little, but it's been crazy busy here in the store. People stocking up on books for the big winter storm coming this weekend. Yep, another one. I've heard everything from 20 to 50 cms, with my town apparently right in the eye of the storm. Terrific.<br /><br />Yahoo!Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-88374166878755099612008-03-01T10:56:00.003-05:002008-03-01T10:57:26.973-05:00Tech WarsI think I've got things running again. Stupid computers. Grumble!<br /><br />I'll be reloading plug-ins for Firefox for the next little while but I didn't actually lose any data this time. <br /><br />I hate being the IT department.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-23252994222931903122008-02-29T14:00:00.000-05:002008-02-29T14:01:04.460-05:00ParanoiaWhat the heck is going on with my technology?<br /><br />I've had to use system restore or recovery on both home computers and the one here at the store lately. Scary stuff. I feel contagious.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-49482489677189263982008-02-29T11:13:00.002-05:002008-02-29T11:17:35.461-05:00<blockquote></blockquote><h2></h2><h2></h2><blockquote style="color: rgb(153, 255, 255);"><h2>Man sought for breaking into woman's apartment and viewing computer porn</h2> <p> <strong> <em>THE CANADIAN PRESS</em> </strong> </p> <cponlinefile xmlns="" type="FullStory"> <script xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" language="JavaScript">function MM_openBrWindow(theURL,winName,features) { window.open(theURL,winName,features);}</script> <cpstory> </cpstory></cponlinefile><p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> OTTAWA - Police in Ottawa are looking for a man who they say broke into a woman's apartment to view pornography on her computer. </p> <p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> Investigators say a woman in her 20s woke up at 4 a.m. Wednesday to find a man with his pants down looking at pornography on her computer. She confronted the man, who fled through the front door of her apartment. </p> <p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">He is described as white, about five-foot-seven and 170 pounds, roughly 30 years old with pale skin, short, dark hair and thick, black glasses. </p> <p xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> Police are asking for anyone with information to come forward. </p> <br /> <p align="center">© 2008 - The Canadian Press</p><p align="center"></p><blockquote></blockquote><p></p></blockquote><p align="center"><br /></p><p align="center"></p><blockquote></blockquote><p></p><blockquote></blockquote><p align="center"></p><br />Holy crap! What a thing to wake up to!<br /><br />Lucky for her he was more interested in looking than touching. It's still a horrible violation...but it's kinda funny all the same. <br /><br />I can't help but thing one's ego might be a bit bruised. "What, you break into my apartment and I'm not good enough to molest? You gotta go and look at sleaze on the internet instead?!?"<br /><br />I admit, I have a really odd sense of humour.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-84256278739575357512008-02-26T14:05:00.002-05:002008-02-26T16:00:35.955-05:00Scary Movies<a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/02/21/funny-pictures-mindless-dogma/"><img src="http://icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/files/2008/02/funny-pictures-cat-greets-dog-at-door.jpg" style="word-spacing:512557px;font-size:512557px;" alt="Humorous Pictures" /></a><br />Enter the ICHC <a href="http://www.quicksprout.com/2008/02/19/online-poker-cats-contest-ichc">online Poker Cats Contest!</a><br /><br /><br />I watched <a href="http://www.jesuscampthemovie.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Jesus Camp</span></a> on the weekend. <br /><br />I had no idea. Wow! They are out there, and they are training their children to save you.<br /><br />Whether you like it or not.<br /><br />If you've never seen this documentary I highly recommend it. It's the most bizarre combination of radical religion and politics. Or religion and radical conservative politics. Whichever. Sprinkle a huge dose of pig-headedness and a heap of "We're the only ones with the truth and we know what's best for everyone" and you have a situation brewing.<br /><br />Yep, American Evangelical Christians are plotting to take over. They're going to do it by voting, by praying and by creating a politically active, radical group of kids. The big thing on their agenda-outlaw abortion again. It's pretty chilling to watch a group of little kids being led to pray fervently to have abortion outlawed, and to watch an anti-abortion activist shameless play on an impressionable group of youngsters by passing out dolls of fetuses to them and telling them that a third of their friends aren't here today because people ended "God's plan" for them. <br /><br />This is one of the workshops depicted in the film, which follows three children to a month long summer camp meant to prepare these kids for their place in God's Army, fighting the culture war that's going in in American today. Another one involved the leader of the camp berating and chastising the children for being phonies and hypocrites until they started to cry and beg God for forgiveness. It was like watching something about a cult operating. First you break them down, and they you tell them how much you love them. Eeeeeeeeee!<br /><br />Anyhow, it's a very eye-opening and thought provoking film.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-65784135990901682572008-02-22T12:40:00.000-05:002008-02-22T12:41:24.693-05:00Another new lookI got bored again.<br /><br />So we'll try black and green for a bit and see how I like it.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-8385847516519166792008-02-22T11:26:00.002-05:002008-02-22T11:54:47.949-05:00Parking WarsI hate being an enforcer. It goes against my nature in a couple of ways.<br /><br />First, people should know better, right? There shouldn't be a need for enforcement-people know what's expected of them and they shouldn't need fear of punishment to do what's right. Now, that's a nice thought but I'm not that hopelessly naive or optimistic about human nature. It's much more likely that the reverse is true. People know what's expected, but they'll do exactly what they figure they can get away with, regardless of anyone else affected by their actions. <br /><br />And I am generally a rules and law abiding person. I dislike rules and such that are blindingly obvious-don't like having my intelligence insulted or my morals questioned. :D I'm also not above bending or breaking regulations that either don't make sense to me or I'm willing to accept the consequences of forgoing (like <a href="http://furryprincess.blogspot.com"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Prin</span></a> and her speeding ticket-the justified one-if I get busted, it's a fair cop and I won't dispute that I was in the wrong). I do like to make up my own mind about things, and I expect that others do, too. I still expect them to be considerate in their choices. I can't stand a drunk driver that tries to justify their behaviour by saying that they'll only hurt <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">themself</span> (bullshit!) or that they are willing to take their lumps if they get caught. Taking responsibility for your own actions, by definition, requires that you make responsible decisions, right?<br /><br />I hate being a tattle-tale or a snitch, too. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Blech</span>! That's a hold-over from childhood. No one wanted to be the rat. <br /><br />All that said, I find myself needing to be the parking police. :( For some reason, there is a person that insists on using one of my two store spots to park in. She lives in one of the apartments upstairs and her assigned spot is much farther away from the back steps than my spots are. Well, tough! All of the tenant spots are farther away than the merchant's spots. Merchants pay higher rent. Rank Hath Its <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Privileges</span>, after all! <br /><br />I do understand that the weather stinks, and it would be tempting to park in the best spot to avoid as much snow and ice as possible. I also could care less if she did so after hours. What do I care then? While the store is open, though, I need that spot for my customers. Especially the older or handicapped ones. They truly <span style="font-style: italic;">need</span> to park closer. The annoying parker does not. She is hale and healthy-apparently just lazy. <br /><br />She's even hovered around in the lot, waiting for me to leave. That tells me that she knows who I am and that she shouldn't be parking where she does. That's even more irritating. She avoids me, so that I can't say anything directly to her. <br /><br />Well, tickets speak louder than words anyhow, right? Apparently, the price of a ticket is worth it for her to park in that spot. ARRRRRGGGHHHH! I finally left a note on her car, pointing out that my customers are complaining and I was about to go to a daily ticket plus a complaint to the landlord about it.<br /><br />So now she parks in her own spot.<br /><br />I won, but I won by being a bully. I don't really think that this is a victory. Not only did I fail to get her to do the right thing willingly, but I sank down to her level to get rid of her. I had to find my own lesser nature to deal with her. <br /><br />If you need me, I'll be looking for some anthills to kick over or some little kids with milk money I can steal from them.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-570440156724417452008-02-19T10:55:00.002-05:002008-02-19T11:21:18.208-05:00February blahsYep, I got 'em.<br /><br />Every year, really. By the time February rolls around, I'm ready to become a bear and curl up in a cave until spring. Pass me that blanket, will ya?<br /><br />This year, of course, I delayed the onset of the blahs by getting married. I don't think that that's going to work every year, somehow. Especially since that is a one-time deal for me. I'm married, and that's it. <br /><br />So I'm dragging my ass around lately. Tired all the time, gloomy and irritable...bah! Not much of a honeymoon. <br /><br />It does reinforce how well Bear knows me, though. I've been apologizing so much for being blech, and when at first I was saying I didn't know what the heck was wrong, he just looked at me and said "It's February.". <br /><br />Pause.<br /><br />Yeah, that two word sentence completely sums it up. Or, in his expanded version, "February always sucks ass for you." And it does. I tend to have a migraine pretty much constantly because of the abrupt weather shifts, I'm tired and grumpy, jittery, and miserable and the weather is grim. But my wonderful husband was way ahead of me and expected this. He just quietly started doing stuff to make things easier for me and is around for hugs and reassurances when I need them.<br /><br />I can live through this. There's no real reason for it because my life is good. It's temporary. I guess that makes it easier to bear?<br /><br />Ah, hell! Pass me another blanket and wake me up when Spring gets here, OK?Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672137372924908970.post-23625296411864111762008-02-14T13:15:00.003-05:002008-02-14T13:21:25.022-05:00A listA list of things I've found tucked into books traded in:<br /><br /><ul><li>bookmarks-from this store and others, as well as purchased book marks</li><li>pictures-sad, because I normally can't get them back to whoever.</li><li>bus transfers</li><li>bus or train or airplane ticket stubs</li><li>grocery lists</li><li>receipts</li><li>scraps of paper with phone numbers on them</li><li>a ticket stub for a hockey game (Islanders vs Canadiens March 28 2006-season ticket, too!)</li><li>a tourist map for County Limerick, Ireland</li><li>business cards</li><li>old lottery tickets</li><li>fortunes from fortune cookies</li><li>string</li><li>elastics</li><li>yarn</li></ul>Weird stuff.Skrykerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460441684056458952noreply@blogger.com7