sun, sun and more sun...its GLORIOUS!

No rain or snow in sight...how cool is that? The snow is melting ever so fast, and without rain, it is not the messy flooded mucky mess it usually is. There is still a lot of snow to go, but I can see the difference every day, hour by hour...whooo hooo!

We had our first BBQ on Friday, but it wasn't complete...today we have our first complete BBQ, complete with potato salad and pasta salad, huge steaks, and larger appetites...yummy! Watch me end up in some big mess at work and miss it...

I had to leave a little reminder out to the "roomies" in the house...the dishes haven't been done in two days...and we know the boy isn't busy shovelling snow..there was such a clutter on the cupboard that I knocked yet another glass off onto the floor and it smashed to smithereens. So as soon as I saw him this morning, he immediately informed me he would do the dishes after classes today. I almost feel like a bitch in expecting him to do the dishes when he works and goes to school, BUT then I remember that he is staying here rent free and he does get a few hours in between...they just chose to go out and hang with friends at Timmys instead. So the guilt doesn't last long. I just really hate doing the dishes, and when I get home from work, I am wiped out. I also expect the resident teen to pull her weight a little more as she is not attending school now, and has most of her days at home, as she works mostly evenings. I will get on her case next...lol

so girls day was a smashing success...most everyone came, and we had a great time...roll call was, in order of appearance ( think)

Jude (moi) and Via (kitty)
Angela
Kara-Leigh
Wendy
Shelley
Heather
Stacey
Kathleen
Cibele
Maureen
Amber (the resident teen - she didn't really socialize much, and then left)

we didn't watch any new movies, just some we owned - The Trailer Park Boys (part of the second season, what a riot)
Pretty Woman
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Kiss the Girls

so now I still have some that I rented to watch, but I have until Friday...might go take a look at one now - Finder's Fee. I started watching it earlier today, and it was pretty good I guess.

The 4th Monthly Girls Day

So today the gals from work invade my home, we eat, drink, watch movies, work on a creative piece of something, and natter endlessly...it is GREAT! I

the great canadian DE trek

So it looks like some of my fellow DE students (referring back to when I was actually a student) are discussing making a documentary about our linkers (which is what we call ourselves on the listserve we all belong to) by following a linker across the country and that linker stays a night with a linker in each of the provinces, and visit as many as they can along the way. It began with our buddy, Shane the Hairy Hoser talking about making the trek, then came the talk about me applying for a job up north and the mention that I would have to drive all the way to the North West Territories, so now there is talk of following me AND Shane for the documentary, which would be way cool. I just finished reading a book Round Ireland With a Fridge, which was hilarious. It was about an English guy who bet his buddy that he could hitchike around Ireland with a bar fridge, and he did and wrote the book all about his travelsRound Ireland With A Fridge I would love to write a book about my travels, and across this country would be wonderful!

So I will give serious thought to my trek and WHEN I get a job up north, I will have to talk to my friends on the link about this trek! I can't wait to meet some of them, although I have met more than a dozen of them over the past 7 years. All wonderful people, with the exception of a couple of troublemakers who shall remain nameless...

great idear, huh?

sunny and warm...what a great weather report. and rain on the way...even better...there is still a ton of snow to get rid of. Bring it on. I am going to dance in the puddles...

now we're back to the hair thing again...had SOOOOOO many compliments about the short purple hair, that my friggin head swelled and I have to dye my hair again...har har...actually the part about the compliments is true...but my head is big enough. So anyway, the roots had grown out so much, that I had to bleach out again, and thats what I spent part of tonight doing. Only I have not yet followed up with the purple dye as I just wasn't in the mood. So I am going to bed as a bleach blonde tonight, something I have never been...and I have not gotten anything close to a compliment...actually been told by three people how blondeness does not suit me. I guess I have to pull out the purple dye tomorrow...

Rain coming tomorrow...does this mean that winter is offically over? Technically it is, but is it official? have we seen the last of new snow??? tune in tomorrow for a fresh bitchfest if it isn't...

arrrgggghhh...survivor was just one of those STUPID catchup shows...no real show tonight.

so here I sit again, surfing the net, chatting with friends, playing on-line games with my buds...yawn.

ok then...much better mood today...

went out with co-workers after work to Miller's Tap and Grill...our version of Cheers...it was quite a lot of fun and we had heaps of laughs...well worth it. Now I will be getting ready for Survivor tonight and will be all set...hope nothing stupid happens on there tonight!

The resident teen is out at a friend's house, watching a movie, so no whiny teenager around the house...

must go and enjoy it all...

on a brighter note...the whole Blankets Cape Breton thing is finally taking off. I printed up the brochures, and began distributing after checking with the dropoff places if it was okay to drop squares there, and they were wonderful about it. I called the local transition house Leeside Transition House and they were excited about the blankets, then I went to the senior's home and spoke to the activity director there and gave her some brochures, who also thought it was a grand idea, so here we are, our own chapter of Blankets for Canada! I can't wait to get our first blanket sewn up. I have many more brochures to be distributed if we want to make a go of it, so will be busy in coming weeks, dropping them off and networking. I have to enlist my partner in crime, Cibele to get busy too. She was to stop by with some brochures in Cheticamp yesterday and ask about getting it translated to french for the many french population in the counties....happy knitting!

so I begin again...after the peace march, we all went back to my friend's place for some cold beers and tea, and some lively chatting. I hung out there for the night, had a wonderful breakfast the next day and headed back to the void that is Port Hawkesbury...

Yesterday I was getting ready to go to Sydney and wanted to drive during office hours as I wasn't that busy at work, and I was planning on meeting up with a former coworker in Sydney. I was going to Sydney on business, so this was ok...I just had to be out of the office by 3pm...at 2:15pm, I get a call from the lawyer who is representing the agency in Sydney, with whom I have to meet at 8:30am the next morning. Now, I had been in contact with this person since December, knowing he was going to call me as a witness to give testimony on a file. Sure, no prob. Today he throws in there, just 45 minutes before I am to leave town to drive to Sydney..."by the way, did I mention that you need to bring a current CV?" OH FUCK. No, mister, you did not mention that little tidbit and I haven't updated my CV since I lived in Ontario in June of 2002...I have little or nothing social work related on there. "Well, this judge requires a CV from everyone who offers testimony"...OH FUCK.

So, after I hang up from him and much more colorful language, I tear home to get my disc with my CV on it(he's lucky I actually live in town, not like many of my coworkers who live a half hour drive away), come back to the office to attempt to update it, and realize that the brand new Word Perfect Garbage that I have on my computer and have complained about since they put it on there and made me take off my own copy of MS Word, does not open my CV properly...in fact, it screws up all the formatting, loses loads of the data, and generally fucks it up. So I stamp scream curse, etc...then pound downstairs to use the one computer that does have Word on it...I throw something together, and realize the next day that I have not changed my address, nor the status of me actually graduating from being a candidate to graduate...not a happy camper. The CV finally gets printed off...

and there I am, tearing off to Sydney, 15 minutes late, but my friend isn't bothered...we went out to a lovely supper at Swiss Chalet and then I went back to the hotel to relax. The next morning, I am up bright and early to meet the lawyer for some prep time, that all goes well, and he tells me that I won't actually be on until noon or later...fine...I am going back to the hotel to veg. Then at 11:00am, he calls to tell me they have adjourned until JUNE, and we might not need you at all. thanks a lot bud...

The rest of the day was even worse...I cracked my face on my car door, slammed my toes into my filing cabinet, and some hero thought it would be funny to change a bunch of stuff around in my office...like switching all the drawers, turning around all the cards in my address file, taping weird pics of guys up on the walls, shit like that. I was just not in the headspace for it...and to add insult to serious injury...I called into work on my way back to town from Sydney only to be told I needed to come right in as we had an intake investigation, so I rushed home, dragged the kid off to see someone she needed to see - they weren't there, I barked at the fellow there that I was wasting my lunch hour to bring her there, why in hell isn't he there when he told us to come him...blah, blah, blah...go dump the kid off home, rush back to work, only to find out that my coworkers were playing a joke on me...no real intake at all actually...ha fucking ha.

so it has been a bitch of a day...I left early and went and ran some errands and came the fuck home. I can't be around people right now...

Wow, where have the days gone...I was in a peace march on Saturday afternoon in Grand Narrows, my first ever. I even made some placards and they went over very well...my slogans were:

Canadians Love Peace (love being a heart/peace symbol)
Use Words Not Weapons
Peace Creates Peace
and one other one that I can't remember...I only carried one of them, and gave the others away.

In any event, it was the second year Grand Narrows has had one, and the papers even wrote about it in advance. the Halifax Herald and the Cape Breton Post. My friends Madeleine and David were the organizers of it, and I stayed with them overnight in Grand Narrows. It was FREEZING cold for the march, and the wind whipped through the Barra Strait, carrying snow and our voices, but we had so much fun, and the miserable weather is certainly nothing to endure compared to what those in war are enduring. I took pictures and will post them on Hip Forums and link here shortly...Peace March

I will have to finish this blog later as I am trying to do too many things at once!!!

and then he kicked my ass...

my friend steve rescued me...we are going to battle at solitaire...

Sunny Days

Well holy cow, the sun is out today...what will I bitch about now? LOL

It's my day off today. And boy was I ready for it. I had a busy week, and was glad not to have to go in and face it all today. Today is all about relaxing, and getting some shopping done. I am trying to wake the resident teenager and b/f up but I guess I am not making enough noise...heh heh...they work tonight at 5 and 6. I called my friend Kathleen to get her on the move today as she is also off, but no luck...we might be doing something together later.

so here I sit, alone again, but not for long...

Saint Patrick's Day

So last night I went to a party for Saint Patrick...it was a blast...not the usual party where I drink too much and regret it in the morning, but this was a more musical one, where it was a work night, we all began early, I had one glass of Harp, and the musicians outnumbered the rest of us. There were bohdrans, pea whistles, fiddles, guitars, a banjo, electric piano, and an accordian. The music went all night until I left at midnight, and was decidedly Irish/Celtic. I had a wonderful time, and found out that the host is a distant cousin of mine...what could be better? The food was good, and of course, there was Irish Stew...as well as orange and green jello shooters...we were all watching who was picking which...lol All throughout the night, the music stopped and someone had to read out an Irish Blessing/Saying with their thickest Irish Brogue and the winner received a prize. The judge was a charming older musician who was acutally Irish born, and had some seblance of an accent. The winner for the night was my friend, Rob...who reamed it off quite well. Thanks to the both of us practicing with the watching of Waking Ned Devine before we went out...lol. We also kissed a makeshift Blarney Stone...which was actually a piece of Newfoundand slate that had been etched...I bought it on the gulf boat many years ago. Stones were pretty scarce because of all the snow we have, so it was the next best thing!

so, all in all, it was a wonderful night, and I was glad to have been invited. Now I have to set about figuring out the exact geneology that links me to the host. He is a Lamey, which is my grandmother's maiden name, and she is from this town we live in now, which he is also from. Small world!

and I never got to drink green beer...snakes! (instead of rats)

but I did get a prize for having the "reddest" hair, which is looking kind of purply-pinky-red. It was a pad of sticky notes with My Heart is in Ireland on them.

now here's something to leave y'all with...

May the lilt of Irish laughter
lighten every load
May the mist of Irish Magic
shorten every road
May you taste the sweetest pleasures
that fortune ere bestowed
and may all your friends remember
all the favours you are owed

and one final note...

There are many good reasons for drinking
one has just entered my head
if a man doesn’t drink when he’s living
how in hell can he drink when he’s dead?

and now we are getting more snow...snow, snow, snow...when the first day of spring arrives, does the snow stop? LMFAO

I hope Brad shovels the driveway before I get home...

so I am off work tomorrow...YAHOO! I have been on duty for the past week, so I get a day off on Friday, automatically. Which is wonderful! I have been waking up at 6am lately and then managing to fall back asleep by 6:30am, only to have the alarm stop my heart at 7:15am...some mornings I practically lift off the bed, it startles me that much...not to mention where the kitty lands...I will be right on track once the times spring ahead next month.

The resident teenager and I went to Halifax on Monday to tour the campus of Saint Mary's University. We really liked it and she can't wait to go there. I bought her a SMU hoodie, so now she HAS to go. Now I want to go again too...boo. I am considering returning to school in a year or two to do a master's program, but the difficulty is in deciding a major. I am interested in so many things, but can't settle on just one, and it changes each week.

This week I am interested in pursuing the Masters of Criminology program there. It looks really interesting and I hope that I will satisfy the prerequisites. I have a BA in Sociology with the option in Criminology and Legal Studies for my first undergrad degree. My second one is a BA in Social Development Studies and my third was a Bachelor of Social Work. Perhaps I will e-mail their department to find out.

The other program I am interested in is a Masters of Psychology at just about any university...definitely NOT UW as I have enough degrees from them. I want something that looks different, ha ha.

As well, I could always do the MSW, Masters of Social Work, which I would easily get into I think, but I am not convinced that is something that I need. Decisions, decisions! And then I remember about all my student loan DEBT and I get discouraged and figure I will never see a masters...

So then I start thinking about moving up north next spring to work for some big $$$ and get a handle on my student loan debt. I will likely do this, as I can't stand being suffocated by this debt right now. I have a negative balance in my bank account right now and I just got paid...what's up with that? By the time each respective institution is finished dipping into my bank account, there is very little left for me!!! Thankfully I am expecting money tomorrow, or we'd be eating Kraft Dinner all week. Is this what I went to university for???

Oh, and those crooks at Revenue Canada have still not coughed up my tax refund. so much for e-filing to obtain an early refund...I filed on February 9th, one hour after they opened for business this year...and still nothing yet. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHH. so until I get something from those vampires, I cannot even begin to think about our trip to Central America. which distresses Amber somewhat, but she will live with it as there is nothing we can do about it. I have already called and bitched about it, to no avail.

whine. pass the cheese.

Well, just a short note...SB left on the boat Monday morning, so good riddance to bad rubbish...

Ok, now for the developments from SB and EX.

Well, EX appeared in our former community last week, where we still jointly own a home. Which was fine. I took it as a sign he wanted to get away from SB, and going to the tiny outport of Grand Bruit would be a great way to do that. He opened up the house again, and settled in. THEN she showed up last night. I had already had a discussion about that SB being in my house again, after I found out about her current criminal record and charges. I was quite clear, actually...now that SB is in my house, sleeping in MY BED!!!

Now, I don't have a problem with EX finding true love again, but not with this particular conniving wench. She is a convicted fraud queen, and has been nothing but a manipulator since he met her. All I know is she better not get any ideas about what to do with MY house. I know it is technically OUR house, which is fine, and its not even about the green monster of jealousy...GAWD NO. It is about her getting her claws into my house, and doing something to it.

So the EX has also decided to smoke in the house. I have a no-smoking sign posted there and it has been up for many years. I gave up most of my vacation last summer (10 days) to paint almost the entire house and now he is stinking it up with his dirty cigarette smoke. That will be ANOTHER conversation.

From all reports, SB showing up in Grand Bruit was a surprise to EX, so hopefully he packs her back on the boat again this morning and sends her back to where she came from. If she stays, I can't believe he can be so stupid. She is obviously POISON to him and he should cut her out of his life like the disease that she is.

Ok...enough ranting...that SB has already taken up too much of my thoughts for the day and to use the words of a fellow blogger, the hairy hoser I'm all about the love...so lets get back to that...

just wanted to try putting a link here for the blankets4canada site that I have joined. I'm new to the whole HTML code stuff, so lets see if I have some clue what I am doing...

Click to subscribe to blankets4Canada


happy sunday morning.

another weekend of lounging/sloth here in camp cape breton...and it has begun to snow...goody, something to bitch and whine about again. I don't think it is supposed to amount to much though.

I am knitting an afghan for the resident teenager, and had to run out to get more yarn at the trusty Wal-Mart today...I had forgotten that it is now March Break...the mall was a ZOO. Thankfully, not many at the checkouts yet as I was out there early...they were still browsing, so I was out in a flash.

Stopped by to get a couple of movies at our new movie store and am struck by how LONG it takes them to check you out at the movie store. There was only one person ahead of me, and you would THINK that I could be through and out the door in 3-5 minutes. NOT. Try 10 minutes. And they were only renting 2 games and a movie. This movie store is new though, and I guess I should cut them some slack, but each and every time I go in, it takes forever to check out. They have computers too, but they have certainly not sped up the process in any way. I get much faster service at the local convenience store's movie checkout. The new movie store is a Movie Gallery and the first large store to come to Port Hawkesbury that I know of. It is much like a Blockbuster, which is GRAND! Up until now we have only had a tiny movie store which rented one or two copies of new releases, and a convenience store that rented the same. Neither held old movies, or much of a selection. Oh, and the gas station up the road rented about 50 movies. So now I am happy, except for the wait. I have rented two for tonight:

Runaway Jury
A businessman is gunned down in a vicious office attack, leaving behind a grieving wife and child. Is the murderer solely responsible for his actions or does the gun industry bear some of the blame? What would your verdict be? Would ten million dollars change your mind? Based on the John Grisham bestseller, Runaway Jury stars John Cusack, Rachel Weisz, Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman as the principles in a cat-and-mouse game played on two levels. Rankin Fitch (Hackman) has been hired by the gun industry for his expertise in jury selection, tampering and intimidation. Nick Easter (Cusack) and the mysterious Marlee (Weisz) conspire to ransom the verdict; Easter from inside the jury while Marlee negotiates with Fitch and plaintiff attorney Wendell Rohr (Hoffman) on the outside. To avoid being discovered, Nick and Marlee must stay a step ahead, as their agenda is revealed to be more than money. Briefly featuring fine actors such as Luis Guzman and Jeremy Piven, the film chooses plot over character development. So much is packed into its 127 minutes, Runaway Jury sometimes feels like a runaway train.

and

Laurel Canyon

Writer/director Lisa Cholodenko follows up her much-acclaimed 1997 debut High Art with this examination of a young couple seduced into a hedonistic, left-coast lifestyle. Taking its title from its central locale, Laurel Canyon focuses on a pair of upper-middle class lovebirds from the East Coast who relocate to Los Angeles. Freshly minted from Harvard, Sam (Christian Bale) and Alex (Kate Beckinsale) are eager to continue their medical studies out West, but they need some lodging while they hunt for a home. Enter Jane (Frances McDormand), Sam's estranged, Age-of-Aquarius mom, who's more than willing to put the couple up in her lavish digs. Jane is a successful record producer whose latest charge -- both in the studio and in her bedroom -- is Ian (Alessandro Nivola), a brazen, libidinous twentysomething Brit-rocker. As Sam and Alex settle in at Jane's, they gradually lose their straight-and-narrow approach to life and begin to experiment. Alex takes to Ian and Jane, while Sam is wooed by co-worker Sara (Natascha McElhone). Laurel Canyon features a score by Shudder to Think's Craig Wedren; the music for Ian's band was provided by Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous and indie-rockers Folk Implosion. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Lets hope they are worth the wait...