BRISBANE, Australia (AP) - An Australian woman was killed by a pet camel given to her as a 60th birthday present after the animal apparently tried to have sex, police said Sunday.
The woman, whose name was not released, was killed Saturday at her family's sheep and cattle ranch near Mitchell, 600 kilometres west of the Queensland state capital Brisbane, state police Detective Senior Constable Craig Gregory said.
The 10-month-old male camel - weighing about 150 kilograms - knocked the woman to the ground, lay on top of her, then exhibited what police suspect was mating behaviour, Gregory said.
"I'd say it's probably been playing, or it may be even a sexual sort of thing," Gregory said, adding the camel almost suffocated the family's pet goat by straddling it on several occasions.
Camel expert Chris Hill said he had no doubt the camel's behaviour was sexual.
Hill, who has offered camel rides to tourists for 20 years, said young camels are not aggressive, but can be dangerous if treated as pets without discipline.
The fate of the camel was not known.
The woman was given the camel in March as a birthday present from her husband and daughter. "She had a love of exotic pets," Gregory said.
___________________________________
So that isn't a joke - this poor woman died being humped by a camel. So I'm voting that as the crappiest way to die. And note to all - camels have humps and also like to give them....
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
boobs
Men look at boobs.
I get it - they all do it. Some are significantly better at in than others. On Friday I experienced my worst boob-zone out. I felt like I was in a strip club and didn't know that I was at the lead. I tried to not notice - or am I supposed to be like - HELLO - what's your problem - I have a face - do you see me looking anywhere other than your face? huh? do you?
It was uncomfortable enough that I was crossing my arms over my boobs to try and shield them from the menacing stare... ARG! So what to do? Should I have made a comment - do men just get to look at boobs and women should just get over it?
On another note - what the hell is wrong with the weather - it is cold here and completely feels like fall. Tonight is the best meteor shower of the year and fog from the river rolled over my house during the peak time to watch - ! double ARG!!!!!! I managed to see two, but COME ON! That's now enough!
Alright - well I'm off to practice my pole moves - I need to prepare for my meetings tomorrow.
In the shut the hell up file...
An Eyeful A Day Keeps The Doctor Away
Staring at women's breasts is good for men's health and makes them live longer, a new survey reveals. Researchers have discovered that a 10-minute ogle at women's breasts is as healthy as half-an- hour in the gym. A five-year study of 200 men found that those who enjoyed a longing look at busty beauties had lower blood pressure, less heart disease and slower pulse rates compared to those who did not get their daily eyeful.
Dr Karen Weatherby, who carried out the German study, wrote in The New England Journal of Medicine: "Just 10 minutes of staring at the charms of a well-endowed female is roughly equivalent to a 30-minute aerobics workout. Sexual excitement gets the heart pumping and improves blood circulation. There is no question that gazing at breasts makes men healthier. Our study indicates that engaging in this activity a few minutes daily cuts the risk of a stroke and heart attack in half. We believe that by doing so consistently, the average man can extend his life 4 to 5 years."
I get it - they all do it. Some are significantly better at in than others. On Friday I experienced my worst boob-zone out. I felt like I was in a strip club and didn't know that I was at the lead. I tried to not notice - or am I supposed to be like - HELLO - what's your problem - I have a face - do you see me looking anywhere other than your face? huh? do you?
It was uncomfortable enough that I was crossing my arms over my boobs to try and shield them from the menacing stare... ARG! So what to do? Should I have made a comment - do men just get to look at boobs and women should just get over it?
On another note - what the hell is wrong with the weather - it is cold here and completely feels like fall. Tonight is the best meteor shower of the year and fog from the river rolled over my house during the peak time to watch - ! double ARG!!!!!! I managed to see two, but COME ON! That's now enough!
Alright - well I'm off to practice my pole moves - I need to prepare for my meetings tomorrow.
In the shut the hell up file...
An Eyeful A Day Keeps The Doctor Away
Staring at women's breasts is good for men's health and makes them live longer, a new survey reveals. Researchers have discovered that a 10-minute ogle at women's breasts is as healthy as half-an- hour in the gym. A five-year study of 200 men found that those who enjoyed a longing look at busty beauties had lower blood pressure, less heart disease and slower pulse rates compared to those who did not get their daily eyeful.
Dr Karen Weatherby, who carried out the German study, wrote in The New England Journal of Medicine: "Just 10 minutes of staring at the charms of a well-endowed female is roughly equivalent to a 30-minute aerobics workout. Sexual excitement gets the heart pumping and improves blood circulation. There is no question that gazing at breasts makes men healthier. Our study indicates that engaging in this activity a few minutes daily cuts the risk of a stroke and heart attack in half. We believe that by doing so consistently, the average man can extend his life 4 to 5 years."
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
brokeback
So I started writing on here about two hours ago. I haven't watched a movie in forever - I don't even remember the last movie that I saw. I wanted to watch something fun tonight and we have a copy of Borat... but I couldn't find it and as I'm searching through all the dvds we have I see Brokeback Mountain still in its wrapper. We bought it ages ago and I've never bothered to watch it. I started watching it two hours ago and came on here to rant. I was a little overwhelmed by the first scene in it - having not seen a film in a while and seeing any kind of violence really turned me off. I got on here and started talking about it and then stopped and tried to pay attention to film. I just finished watching it and I gotta say it was a very good movie. I cried the whole last 15 minutes or so of it. I had heard a lot about the movie - lots of negative stuff - but it truly was a good love story - for anyone - from all walks of life..... and there you go - I just wanted to share that.
What else is new? Not much. I should have been working tonight but I just couldn't get into it. I got another website gig today - I'm a little overwhelmed with work, but I'm also struggling with task management... but I'm going to get into list mode tomorrow and get it straight.
Oh - on the stupid blonde front - a month ago my air conditioner started leaking. It was leaking about 4 litres or more a day. Today my landlord finally got a service crew over and the guy is up on the chair looking at it and he's all - oh the pump must be gone. He starts pulling on a cord... my eyes start to follow where the cord is going - it seems that it crosses the ceiling and comes right over to my desk. Then I start looking around and see where I've unplugged what I thought was a light... turns out - nope I'm an idiot... he just kind of laughed at me and told me to have a nice day. I just told my landlord that it had been taken care of... lord :) So have a laugh at my expense... poor dumb april :)
What else is new? Not much. I should have been working tonight but I just couldn't get into it. I got another website gig today - I'm a little overwhelmed with work, but I'm also struggling with task management... but I'm going to get into list mode tomorrow and get it straight.
Oh - on the stupid blonde front - a month ago my air conditioner started leaking. It was leaking about 4 litres or more a day. Today my landlord finally got a service crew over and the guy is up on the chair looking at it and he's all - oh the pump must be gone. He starts pulling on a cord... my eyes start to follow where the cord is going - it seems that it crosses the ceiling and comes right over to my desk. Then I start looking around and see where I've unplugged what I thought was a light... turns out - nope I'm an idiot... he just kind of laughed at me and told me to have a nice day. I just told my landlord that it had been taken care of... lord :) So have a laugh at my expense... poor dumb april :)
Monday, August 06, 2007
bc day well celebrated
Well we had a great BC Day and I hope everyone else took in the sights and sounds of our beautiful province... and to those who are in other provinces... sorry you had to be there and miss out on here :)
Here are the boys and grandpa picking berries. We found a field full of wild raspberries - it was quite the sight and every time you turned around you'd hear one of saying - gees I can't believe how many berries there are. This was at 3700 ft.
Here are the boys cooling down after a full day of hiking. We climbed to the top of this mountain looking for the elusive cave. We did end up finding the cave but there was no cut trail to the cave and we'd already spent two hours hiking. We climbed to 4050 ft - Kyle hiked the whole thing - Michael got a free ride to the top on my dad's shoulders for the most part. I took him for a while, but my dad hoofed it darn near the whole way.
The middle of this photo is where I climbed to on my last trip. This climb was about 100 ft higher. The last two hundred feet were pretty steep. I'm still surprised that Kyle made it without too much help - and he had a great time. The boys were so tuckered out that they fell asleep in the car and have been asleep since. Very good BC Day!
Here are the boys and grandpa picking berries. We found a field full of wild raspberries - it was quite the sight and every time you turned around you'd hear one of saying - gees I can't believe how many berries there are. This was at 3700 ft.
Here are the boys cooling down after a full day of hiking. We climbed to the top of this mountain looking for the elusive cave. We did end up finding the cave but there was no cut trail to the cave and we'd already spent two hours hiking. We climbed to 4050 ft - Kyle hiked the whole thing - Michael got a free ride to the top on my dad's shoulders for the most part. I took him for a while, but my dad hoofed it darn near the whole way.
The middle of this photo is where I climbed to on my last trip. This climb was about 100 ft higher. The last two hundred feet were pretty steep. I'm still surprised that Kyle made it without too much help - and he had a great time. The boys were so tuckered out that they fell asleep in the car and have been asleep since. Very good BC Day!
Sunday, August 05, 2007
voodoo whodoo
So it all came and slapped me in the face yesterday. She calls and says I have clients coming today and need the room. So like the obedient and best daughter on the planet that I am and get my loving husband and brother and we move over 600 lbs of equipment, clean the room, clean the bathroom, (vaccuum, washing, dusting) mildly decorate the room - all in a few quick hours - less than three. At 4:30 they show up and do a massage session on my front lawn. AAAAHHHHHHH!
Alright - you say - April that isn't enough... isn't enough... it gets better or worse depending on who you are related to in this story... story implies that I'm making this up... this is a true story.
2 hours later she comes in and says she needs to use the computer. Fine - 5 minutes later the clients come in with her - they spend the next 10+ minutes downstairs on the computer. We are eating dinner - we are mad. This is way over what we agreed to.
Afterwards I try to be polite - try - how did it go? No patient confidentiality here... I will spare you the gory details but I've been left thinking about it since... then I start to get to it on my issues because I wasn't going to let this get to me - and she needs to know that I'm concerned about this situation. I explain that we shuffled house for her, that we were disappointed about her not using the room (it becomes obvious at this point that she told me they wanted to be outside, but that she actually wanted to be outside... ARG - hair ignition in 5, 4, 3, 2, ...1 ), disappointed about her bringing people through our house. I finally ask if she was paid. Now... please hold onto your seats - and if you aren't sitting - sit down - 'april - this isn't about the money, this is about healing people - I shouldn't be charging people to get rid of their headache or whatever it might be' - so you didn't get paid - well they gave me this great rock - i shit you not - she showed me the rock they paid with... later this same day I tried this at save-on-foods and they told me that a rock will not pay for my milk and told me to get out of the store... who knew! I asked how this was going to pay the bills, wasn't that part of doing this... and she said - hold on again - that it would all be taken care of - she'd seen it. FABULOUS! Where is my crystal ball?
Alright - so I understand the issue of not wanting people to charge for services - I think my hairstylist should also take the barter system - that would work much better for me - I'm sure that I could round up some rocks... ok I will stop with the rock jokes... what am I getting to.. well I'm sure doctors, and other people who provide a service that people need and, in some cases, are quite desperate for, but you don't see any of them giving away services for free. Is this more that these people won't pay? I don't know what to think. I suggested that a business plan (I know.. ms science over here) should be written and then a budget would help her understand how things should go, but I think she was thinking about something else... I love the people that say - april - its all in my head - i know it will work... I've heard this before from other people starting a business... but I gotta say - free doesn't equate to good - its nice to get perks when I buy things but if something is being given away you start wondering about why... why is this free? maybe it isn't good for me.
Free will not pay for insurance (that she needs), bills, training, rent... (selfish April - you are sooo bad)... free will not make a savings program to pay for her home care.... 'april... don't worry - it's all taken care of - i've seen it.'
This rant was brought to you by the letter R and the number 1.
Alright - you say - April that isn't enough... isn't enough... it gets better or worse depending on who you are related to in this story... story implies that I'm making this up... this is a true story.
2 hours later she comes in and says she needs to use the computer. Fine - 5 minutes later the clients come in with her - they spend the next 10+ minutes downstairs on the computer. We are eating dinner - we are mad. This is way over what we agreed to.
Afterwards I try to be polite - try - how did it go? No patient confidentiality here... I will spare you the gory details but I've been left thinking about it since... then I start to get to it on my issues because I wasn't going to let this get to me - and she needs to know that I'm concerned about this situation. I explain that we shuffled house for her, that we were disappointed about her not using the room (it becomes obvious at this point that she told me they wanted to be outside, but that she actually wanted to be outside... ARG - hair ignition in 5, 4, 3, 2, ...1 ), disappointed about her bringing people through our house. I finally ask if she was paid. Now... please hold onto your seats - and if you aren't sitting - sit down - 'april - this isn't about the money, this is about healing people - I shouldn't be charging people to get rid of their headache or whatever it might be' - so you didn't get paid - well they gave me this great rock - i shit you not - she showed me the rock they paid with... later this same day I tried this at save-on-foods and they told me that a rock will not pay for my milk and told me to get out of the store... who knew! I asked how this was going to pay the bills, wasn't that part of doing this... and she said - hold on again - that it would all be taken care of - she'd seen it. FABULOUS! Where is my crystal ball?
Alright - so I understand the issue of not wanting people to charge for services - I think my hairstylist should also take the barter system - that would work much better for me - I'm sure that I could round up some rocks... ok I will stop with the rock jokes... what am I getting to.. well I'm sure doctors, and other people who provide a service that people need and, in some cases, are quite desperate for, but you don't see any of them giving away services for free. Is this more that these people won't pay? I don't know what to think. I suggested that a business plan (I know.. ms science over here) should be written and then a budget would help her understand how things should go, but I think she was thinking about something else... I love the people that say - april - its all in my head - i know it will work... I've heard this before from other people starting a business... but I gotta say - free doesn't equate to good - its nice to get perks when I buy things but if something is being given away you start wondering about why... why is this free? maybe it isn't good for me.
Free will not pay for insurance (that she needs), bills, training, rent... (selfish April - you are sooo bad)... free will not make a savings program to pay for her home care.... 'april... don't worry - it's all taken care of - i've seen it.'
This rant was brought to you by the letter R and the number 1.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
60 minutes and counting
The battle over sleep continues... tonight Michael - who is definitely over tired - is shouting... not great with the boys sharing a room, but Kyle can sleep through anything. (Note - if you haven't seen it already - check out the story on children and fire alarms. A study was completed that showed most children will not wake up to fire alarms. They showed fire fighter parents children test fire alarms and all of the kids slept through the alarm while it blared on for more than two minutes - some for more than three. A new line of fire alarms are being released in the US that are announcements by parents - basically yelling at the kids to wake up. The test children woke within 15-30 seconds with these alarms.... something to maybe watch out for or check out online. http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/10/02/hscout535228.html)
Now he is out here leaning on me because he refuses to sleep. My mom suggested reverse psychology - 'don't go to bed, stay up then..' Not sure how well that is going to work with a high-temper 19 month old...
More on the kids front - there is a huge recall going on at fisher price. We have some of the toys and I wouldn't be surprised if you have them or if someone you know has them - check out what has been recalled (83 products - Dora, Diego, Sesame Street, etc) the website is clogged with everyone else trying to download the form to return stuff - so be patient - as they suggest - and then send their crap back to them - I guess the poorly paid Chinese workers gave the toys an extra coat of lead.
Now he's pouring on the tears - better run - night night all.
Now he is out here leaning on me because he refuses to sleep. My mom suggested reverse psychology - 'don't go to bed, stay up then..' Not sure how well that is going to work with a high-temper 19 month old...
More on the kids front - there is a huge recall going on at fisher price. We have some of the toys and I wouldn't be surprised if you have them or if someone you know has them - check out what has been recalled (83 products - Dora, Diego, Sesame Street, etc) the website is clogged with everyone else trying to download the form to return stuff - so be patient - as they suggest - and then send their crap back to them - I guess the poorly paid Chinese workers gave the toys an extra coat of lead.
Now he's pouring on the tears - better run - night night all.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Here's Kyle as the great Harry Potter. This display was in Kelowna on the day the book was available. There were only signed copies left for $80 a crack... so we passed and bought our $27 copy at wally world.
Here we are on the beach in Kelowna. The sunsets are always amazing. It was a beautiful evening and we had a great time.
Here are the boys lounging at Andy's place in Kelowna. He bought the hammock for $10 at a garage sale.
A rainbow circle around the sun in Kelowna.
Here is Kyle monkeyin' around last night - he asked me to take this photo for him.
Here is Michael on the slide. He loves the slide and went at least 20 times on our visit last night - pretty good for a sick kid. :)
Here was the price of gas yesterday. To fill up my car it would cost $49,995...
Here is my sexy grad. Andy is finished the in classroom sessions and is now working on car and at the hospital in Kelowna. We are very proud of him!
thiefs
Last night the boys and I went for a walk - probably 2km (ish)... I left with the sprinkler turned on because my raspberries were parched. Kyle put on his helmet and then decided he just wanted to cruise with Michael in the wagon... so we end up at a school park and had a good time (great time considering how Michael has been feeling... this helped tire him out again...) we get back to the house and about 30 minutes later I go to turn off the water... I left the water on low so it wasn't like I was wasting water and Quesnel hasn't actually put any restrictions in place this year. So I go outside and no water... no raspberries either... so some a-hole saw the water on and wanted to eat - so the turned the water off so they wouldn't get sprayed and then gorged on our jam berries. This is the third time it has happened - with the theft of the berries - not with the water. We've talked about building a fence but I just don't think I should have to take such drastic action (we back on to a fire lane) I'm thinking of planting a line of lilacs nearest to the raspberries and hoping for the best... other suggestions would be appreciated... my parents suggestion is 'fix the kitchen and sell the house' - they hate us living here - of course their idea of perfect living is out in the boonies - I love their place but wouldn't love the commute as much as they suggest they do.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
the weekend
It's Saturday, but I feel like I'm in a time warp now. Michael is sick and didn't sleep much last night. He sleeps for a while and then wakes up sad. It started on Thursday night, little bit worse yesterday in the day and then last night and today its gained momentum. I took him in today and the doctor said his lungs weren't clear and his throat is a little red. So now I'm just trying to keep him happy.... of course this has all flared his eye up so he can hardly see out the one eye... Hopefully the medicine we were prescribed gives Michael a break.
Andy went back to Kelowna yesterday - we got to have lunch with Carmen (her last weekend in good old PG) and then Andy flew back.
So now it's about three hours after I started this post - Michael is playing a little so that is comforting - he still too hot and not himself but hopefully the worst is past us. Now we are sitting on the deck trying to cool off because the house is out pacing the outside for temperature... blah! I guess maybe we will go sit downstairs... hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend.
---- scary moments -----
Now this didn't scare me until after but today when we went to the walk in clinic Michael ran out the door - it is set up in a large building with multiple businesses - so he ran into the corridor - I got up and ran after him - as I got to the door a man came in and ran towards us and then past us - I went after Michael in his direction and picked him up - from the other end of the hallway I hear - freeze it's the police - I look up - no fear - I actually didn't even get scared or think twice - but when I looked I could see it was two safeway employees - they were chasing this person. He took a look at us and then ran out the back door. They kept following and everyone around us were looking like - holy shit - that was scary. It wasn't until we were sitting in the back room waiting for the doctor that I realized that could have been a terrible situation. Of course I started to play the 'what if' game and soon realized we were probably lucky today. So I'm giving the boys extra hugs and I'll pass along hugs from all of my family and friends who I know will read this and think about hugging the boys.
Andy went back to Kelowna yesterday - we got to have lunch with Carmen (her last weekend in good old PG) and then Andy flew back.
So now it's about three hours after I started this post - Michael is playing a little so that is comforting - he still too hot and not himself but hopefully the worst is past us. Now we are sitting on the deck trying to cool off because the house is out pacing the outside for temperature... blah! I guess maybe we will go sit downstairs... hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend.
---- scary moments -----
Now this didn't scare me until after but today when we went to the walk in clinic Michael ran out the door - it is set up in a large building with multiple businesses - so he ran into the corridor - I got up and ran after him - as I got to the door a man came in and ran towards us and then past us - I went after Michael in his direction and picked him up - from the other end of the hallway I hear - freeze it's the police - I look up - no fear - I actually didn't even get scared or think twice - but when I looked I could see it was two safeway employees - they were chasing this person. He took a look at us and then ran out the back door. They kept following and everyone around us were looking like - holy shit - that was scary. It wasn't until we were sitting in the back room waiting for the doctor that I realized that could have been a terrible situation. Of course I started to play the 'what if' game and soon realized we were probably lucky today. So I'm giving the boys extra hugs and I'll pass along hugs from all of my family and friends who I know will read this and think about hugging the boys.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
h p
um - I confess - we bought a copy of potter - please don't share your potter wisdoms on here - I really want to finish it - but have no intention of reading it for weeks because I don't have time.
Overhead conversation
"Holy that lady is hot." (14-17 sitting at table in food court - they were totally and completely cougar hunting - the lady was easily in her late 40's) They had a few other less tasteful things to say about this woman and they repeated their comments for a few others that passed by... then... "Hey you guys I'm readin' potter - " "Oh I totally want to read that - I don't usually read, but I've been waiting for this... man... it'll be awesome." Head nods all around...
So I guess asses can read.. no, what I wanted to say was that I'm glad someone wrote something that appeals to so many.
Overhead conversation
"Holy that lady is hot." (14-17 sitting at table in food court - they were totally and completely cougar hunting - the lady was easily in her late 40's) They had a few other less tasteful things to say about this woman and they repeated their comments for a few others that passed by... then... "Hey you guys I'm readin' potter - " "Oh I totally want to read that - I don't usually read, but I've been waiting for this... man... it'll be awesome." Head nods all around...
So I guess asses can read.. no, what I wanted to say was that I'm glad someone wrote something that appeals to so many.
k-town
Back in Kelowna for Andy's graduation. The celebration begins at 1pm and as things happened I will have to bring the kids with me... which means that I'll be short changed on the festivities afterwards, but I'll live... I think I'll take the kids to the beach or something; if the weather holds. Weather was pretty blah today... warm - but blah and I did get to go to Farmers Market - so hooray for that. Kelowna has a great farmers' market - I've made a point of going to every single one that I can get to and I would say it is the best one in BC. (Ok - I haven't been to any in the Peace or the Kootenays... so maybe there is a better one - tell me - is there a better one?)
Please begin searching for veg and fruit records - I had a huge blueberry and as I was eating it I cringed and thought about how I could have measured that one and seen how it compared to last years big ones. It would have been close... of course we aren't just looking for blueberries - biggest and best fruit and veg - all categories open... I might even make a pic you can load on your blog to say that you found the biggest one... whatever you found :)
Well it's nearly 11pm and I'm actually going to go to bed - earliest in weeks. Oh - and the rooms in the house are painted - my room has been reloaded - new bed and everything :) So we get to go home to a painted house - now I'll just have to clean - Andy is coming home with me for a couple of days - so I will definitely be putting him to work :)
Please begin searching for veg and fruit records - I had a huge blueberry and as I was eating it I cringed and thought about how I could have measured that one and seen how it compared to last years big ones. It would have been close... of course we aren't just looking for blueberries - biggest and best fruit and veg - all categories open... I might even make a pic you can load on your blog to say that you found the biggest one... whatever you found :)
Well it's nearly 11pm and I'm actually going to go to bed - earliest in weeks. Oh - and the rooms in the house are painted - my room has been reloaded - new bed and everything :) So we get to go home to a painted house - now I'll just have to clean - Andy is coming home with me for a couple of days - so I will definitely be putting him to work :)
Thursday, July 19, 2007
funk
I'm definitely in a funk. I don't think I'm getting enough vegetables... we've missed nearly every farmers market with travelling to Kelowna and last weekend we had our garage sale... I'm so used to having veggies from the market - this week has been bleak for veg - dribs and drabs really. I guess I just have grumpyitous. All from one person and then stemming off like some kind of terrible pyramid scheme - effecting everyone connected.
What's bugging me?
- stupid people
- extra stupid people
- loud people walking by my house at 11pm - SHUT UP! - go to bed - this is not a hotel or part of downtown
- kids who have no manners and eat the raspberries I was saving for my boys... I'M PUTTING UP A FENCE! - you're right - I'll put up the fence and it will be vandalized... I was thinking of putting up a sign that says - poisonous - sprayed with rat poison and little boy poison!
- home-based surgery - thank you andy for making me paranoid about spots and moles - my attempt at removing a spot failed dismally and now I'll likely have a scar - now I'm stupid... is that new...???
- people who think they are working hard, when in fact they are hardly working
- people who think that compromise is for losers
- big brother - what the hell is jen's problem... kick her out
So how are the projects coming - the boys are spending their first night together - Michael's room is crammed with stuff and Kyle's room is empty. Me and my brother put up the border tonight and then Kyle helped decorate with the extra stickers. Michael was grumpy all night too and just crashed - we'll see if he sleeps throught the night tonight... hopeful... no guarantees....
Tomorrow Kyle is going to Billy Barker Days with his class - there is a great Act Now province display - 9,000 sq ft - very cool - if it comes to your town definitely check it out - I got treated like a VIP when I showed up with my province jacket - full tour and everything... crazy! So Kyle is going to the park to sing and have fun and then I'm picking him up (Michael too) and we are heading to Kelowna for Andy's grad. Then Andy is coming home for a couple of days - as long as he doesn't pick up any more shifts... now I'm going to have some yogurt and pack a little...
What's bugging me?
- stupid people
- extra stupid people
- loud people walking by my house at 11pm - SHUT UP! - go to bed - this is not a hotel or part of downtown
- kids who have no manners and eat the raspberries I was saving for my boys... I'M PUTTING UP A FENCE! - you're right - I'll put up the fence and it will be vandalized... I was thinking of putting up a sign that says - poisonous - sprayed with rat poison and little boy poison!
- home-based surgery - thank you andy for making me paranoid about spots and moles - my attempt at removing a spot failed dismally and now I'll likely have a scar - now I'm stupid... is that new...???
- people who think they are working hard, when in fact they are hardly working
- people who think that compromise is for losers
- big brother - what the hell is jen's problem... kick her out
So how are the projects coming - the boys are spending their first night together - Michael's room is crammed with stuff and Kyle's room is empty. Me and my brother put up the border tonight and then Kyle helped decorate with the extra stickers. Michael was grumpy all night too and just crashed - we'll see if he sleeps throught the night tonight... hopeful... no guarantees....
Tomorrow Kyle is going to Billy Barker Days with his class - there is a great Act Now province display - 9,000 sq ft - very cool - if it comes to your town definitely check it out - I got treated like a VIP when I showed up with my province jacket - full tour and everything... crazy! So Kyle is going to the park to sing and have fun and then I'm picking him up (Michael too) and we are heading to Kelowna for Andy's grad. Then Andy is coming home for a couple of days - as long as he doesn't pick up any more shifts... now I'm going to have some yogurt and pack a little...
Monday, July 16, 2007
kindness
Last week my brothers girlfriend (11 years) offered to paint for me. I was surprised and not sure what to expect, but agreed, because I put in some time and with the kids my success rate was really failure on a brush :)
Today she and my brother came over and I really can't believe how great a job they did. Not only did they paint the room (top color completed and bottom color needing one/two more coats) my brother mowed the lawn, cut the hedge, cleaned the deck, washed the kitchen floor, did all the dishes, cleaned the living room, while his girlfriend did a great job on the bedroom.
It totally took a load off - especially since my first course to get me to graduation arrived today. (I know, I know.. what the hell am I doing... but I need that damned piece of paper and I'm getting it... so I'm hoping to graduate (all things going well) by next christmas...)
So there you go - my brother did something amazing for me and they are going to finish tomorrow and then continue to help me to get the rest of the job done... so hooray! Alright - back to the rest of my work - night night my happy readers.
Today she and my brother came over and I really can't believe how great a job they did. Not only did they paint the room (top color completed and bottom color needing one/two more coats) my brother mowed the lawn, cut the hedge, cleaned the deck, washed the kitchen floor, did all the dishes, cleaned the living room, while his girlfriend did a great job on the bedroom.
It totally took a load off - especially since my first course to get me to graduation arrived today. (I know, I know.. what the hell am I doing... but I need that damned piece of paper and I'm getting it... so I'm hoping to graduate (all things going well) by next christmas...)
So there you go - my brother did something amazing for me and they are going to finish tomorrow and then continue to help me to get the rest of the job done... so hooray! Alright - back to the rest of my work - night night my happy readers.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
looky lou's
Well it was garage sale day and it was perfect weather for it. It got hot at 1 o'clock, but it was manageable. I sold nearly everything I wanted to - the only thing that is left is the king size head board and I figured I'd end up with that for a while yet. The guy who bought the bed just didn't want it... I should have made it non-negotiable... I sold Michael's crib and they woman who bought it rejected the mattress outright... I was in a giving mood and I didn't want to take it all back in the house - the mattress is terrible... but - well I guess I will just get rid of it myself.. my garage is actually looking like a garage now - awesome.
I got way too much sun - I'm pretty pink - I did manage to drink a lot all day so I don't think I will have heat stroke or anything like that tonight... I hope... I do have a knawing headache though - heat related I'm sure.
My brother brought two loads in his element for the garage sale and he went home with one of those larger trunk size rubber maids - so he did really well... they are moving to Port Hardy in a month and they've got an excellent head start on packing now that they offloaded all that stuff.
So since people must comment about me after I leave a garage sale here are my comments about some of the looky lou's that we had to do...
1) If it says sold on it - it's sold
2) If it is more than $5 it works - why would I sell something that didn't work
3) If I'm sitting in one spot and the table stops 5 ft in front of me - the stuff behind me is not for sale... it is behind me for a reason
4) If I put $20 on something I will negotiate - I will not be taken up the you-know-where for $5... I did pay for it at one time and that's just insulting...
5) 1+5+3 does not equal $4
6) No my children are not for sale
7) Yes - it is plenty hot enough for me and thank you for commenting on my pink skin - I don't think I've ever heard that before
8) Asking more than three questions about something is like saying you want to buy it - don't leave me hanging
9) Just because you've seen me in passing doesn't mean we are best friends and that I should give you everything I own
10) If the sign says 9am - arriving at 7:50 is not going to make me happy... and when you ask - is this all and I'm still pricing stuff I am allowed to give you the finger
I got way too much sun - I'm pretty pink - I did manage to drink a lot all day so I don't think I will have heat stroke or anything like that tonight... I hope... I do have a knawing headache though - heat related I'm sure.
My brother brought two loads in his element for the garage sale and he went home with one of those larger trunk size rubber maids - so he did really well... they are moving to Port Hardy in a month and they've got an excellent head start on packing now that they offloaded all that stuff.
So since people must comment about me after I leave a garage sale here are my comments about some of the looky lou's that we had to do...
1) If it says sold on it - it's sold
2) If it is more than $5 it works - why would I sell something that didn't work
3) If I'm sitting in one spot and the table stops 5 ft in front of me - the stuff behind me is not for sale... it is behind me for a reason
4) If I put $20 on something I will negotiate - I will not be taken up the you-know-where for $5... I did pay for it at one time and that's just insulting...
5) 1+5+3 does not equal $4
6) No my children are not for sale
7) Yes - it is plenty hot enough for me and thank you for commenting on my pink skin - I don't think I've ever heard that before
8) Asking more than three questions about something is like saying you want to buy it - don't leave me hanging
9) Just because you've seen me in passing doesn't mean we are best friends and that I should give you everything I own
10) If the sign says 9am - arriving at 7:50 is not going to make me happy... and when you ask - is this all and I'm still pricing stuff I am allowed to give you the finger
Thursday, July 12, 2007
teeth
Oh - I didn't mention that I went for a checkup today. It was terrible, it also taught me a lesson. Lesson 1 - go to dentist more often so scaling doesn't feel like that... LORD - I had to take tylenol tonight for my jaw and for my gums... could she have dug more - Lesson 2 - make sure the boys take care of their teeth and love the dentist - I witnessed a 10 year old have a meltdown today and it was very sad. The dental assistants could not get him to go back in the room to get the needle for the cavity. I actually wanted to cry because his pain and fear was so intense - where was his mom? She went shopping for an air conditioner and wasn't answering her cell. He sat there for an hour and the whole time he wouldn't change his mind - then the mom comes in and says - go to the van... he leaves and she says to the dental assistants - sorry he was such an ass, i can't believe how big an ass he is - and the assistant heard - he is such an ass - and thought she meant the dentist - the looks that started to happen were funny - then she said - wait - I mean my son - which didn't make it any better because - what the hell - you don't need to publicly embarrass your children. So I learned that I need to be there for my kids - and that situations like that need to come first even if it is 35+ degrees. Love your babies... hug your parents, love your family and keep them close.
the bed
Crazy madness has landed on my house. My mom asked to rent a room from me to run her "practice" this fall. As a result of that we are shifting all the rooms in the house to try and accommodate her... it is crazy!
What it means... well I sold my king size bed... that in itself is crazy - I can't believe we sold it and I can't believe it is gone. It's the bed that Kyle and Michael slept in and I was actually quite sad to see it go. My house feels quite empty with out it - (what am I going to do when the boys live.... don't get me started... must be hormonal) - anyhow - my bed is gone - I've bought my brothers bedroom suite - queen size - and I'm setting that up in the boys room once its painted... then the boys (both) will move into our room and Michael's room will become a new spare room - the bed downstairs for guests will go in the new spare and our treadmill/gym will move to there the bed is now... this will free up the space for my mom... this is totally like the ernie (sesame street) with the sugar that goes to the fish bowl and the fish go to a pot and now they cook in something else... and why did I buy my brothers stuff - well he is moving to Port Hardy for his girlfriends work and they leave in a month - I've seen him more this week than I've seen him in a year...
And of course I have to ask - is it hot enough for you? It was over 35 degrees here and the house is only now starting to cool off. That said - the boys went to bed - of course Kyle has a fan and Michael seems to deal with the heat quite well. I'm not coping that well - my office air conditioning has been farting out on me - yesterday it was an oven - today it was the freezer... I asked for it to be fixed and got told - maybe - well THANK YOU very much - maybe I'll do some work then...
What it means... well I sold my king size bed... that in itself is crazy - I can't believe we sold it and I can't believe it is gone. It's the bed that Kyle and Michael slept in and I was actually quite sad to see it go. My house feels quite empty with out it - (what am I going to do when the boys live.... don't get me started... must be hormonal) - anyhow - my bed is gone - I've bought my brothers bedroom suite - queen size - and I'm setting that up in the boys room once its painted... then the boys (both) will move into our room and Michael's room will become a new spare room - the bed downstairs for guests will go in the new spare and our treadmill/gym will move to there the bed is now... this will free up the space for my mom... this is totally like the ernie (sesame street) with the sugar that goes to the fish bowl and the fish go to a pot and now they cook in something else... and why did I buy my brothers stuff - well he is moving to Port Hardy for his girlfriends work and they leave in a month - I've seen him more this week than I've seen him in a year...
And of course I have to ask - is it hot enough for you? It was over 35 degrees here and the house is only now starting to cool off. That said - the boys went to bed - of course Kyle has a fan and Michael seems to deal with the heat quite well. I'm not coping that well - my office air conditioning has been farting out on me - yesterday it was an oven - today it was the freezer... I asked for it to be fixed and got told - maybe - well THANK YOU very much - maybe I'll do some work then...
Monday, July 09, 2007
home again
We made it home from Kelowna - 7 hours - had lunch in Cache Creek and waited 35 minutes for a (one) sandwich - not impressed - especially in plus 30 with two kids who were mostly patient. Now I'm sitting here unwinding from trying to Michael to bed. I started at 9pm and he finally went to sleep at 12:15. aaaahhhhhhhhH!!!!!!!!!
I initially was just staying in his room and not laying with him but just being there. I gave up after an hour and half. At 10:45 I started telling him he had to sleep and put him back to bed over and over again. After an hour and half of that I put him into bed and stood in the room for 1 minute and he fell asleep. Because he cried and stomped his feet for so long I keep hearing it - but he is definitely sound asleep. Tomorrow will be lots of fun - I will be tired, and grumpy on account of tonight and trying to - in the middle of this sentence I hear someone walking - Kyle has gotten up - LORD!... he went back to bed. This last week has been murder for their sleeping schedule and now trying to get them back on track is going to be BLAH!...
I guess I should just go to bed. Tonight's Andy's first night on car (in the ambulance)... I'm nervous for him and part of me doesn't want to go to bed because I keep thinking about him and how things might be going. I'll hopefully have an update on how the first night went tomorrow... or rather later today... since darn it anyway it is now july 9.... night
I initially was just staying in his room and not laying with him but just being there. I gave up after an hour and half. At 10:45 I started telling him he had to sleep and put him back to bed over and over again. After an hour and half of that I put him into bed and stood in the room for 1 minute and he fell asleep. Because he cried and stomped his feet for so long I keep hearing it - but he is definitely sound asleep. Tomorrow will be lots of fun - I will be tired, and grumpy on account of tonight and trying to - in the middle of this sentence I hear someone walking - Kyle has gotten up - LORD!... he went back to bed. This last week has been murder for their sleeping schedule and now trying to get them back on track is going to be BLAH!...
I guess I should just go to bed. Tonight's Andy's first night on car (in the ambulance)... I'm nervous for him and part of me doesn't want to go to bed because I keep thinking about him and how things might be going. I'll hopefully have an update on how the first night went tomorrow... or rather later today... since darn it anyway it is now july 9.... night
Friday, July 06, 2007
where did I go?
Sorry for not posting in a while. I've been crazy busy and we are still on the road.
What have we been up to? Well the kids and I came to Kelowna on the 28th. On the 29th I asked Andy if he wanted to go to Vancouver - because - hey - why not? So we drove down - had sushi at Richmond Sushi....mmmmmm! (? not sure if this is what made me feel bloated and blah since....hhmm???) surprised Paula and Kyle spent the night with her - the next day we IKEA-d it and that night we all camped at Chateau Paula - I camped on the couch and spent most of the night on the bathroom - blah! Oh we also went to Granville Island because I can't seem to get enough of that place... (suspect place for getting ill though) Sunday we drove back to Kelowna because Andy had his first hands on day - that's right folks - raise your glasses and say it out loud Andy passed the first part of the paramedic program. He is completed the in class stuff and now has to complete a list of stuff in the car and in the hospital. He's completed two shifts and has a bunch more lined up for the next few weeks.
On Monday me and the kids drove to Calgary... my sister thought it was a four hour drive (377 km) from Calgary to Kelowna - a little off - it took us 9 hours to get there... very long! It was worth the trip as we got to see my sister, the calgary zoo and the science world. We cut the trip a little short because her box - they call them apartments in Alberta - was a little over heated for us and I couldn't put us through another night - sorry to my sister for us staying short, but thanks for letting us stay and have some fun - good time, not a long time :)
So I drove back to Kelowna (7 hours back... I learned how to drive like an Albertian while I was there) on Wednesday and we are here until Sunday. Yesterday we took it pretty easy because it was 36 degrees outside. We went out in the morning and didn't dare go out again until 7pm that night. It was still damn hot, but cooler and we headed to the beach which was nice and refreshing. Today we drove to Vernon and took in the Okanagan Science centre (I bought a pass to Exploration Place in PG and it gets you free access to all other affilated science centres in Canada and US - it was paid for itself about 5 times over now...) and say the dinosaurs - for a small town it was a good exhibit - don't go with Vancouver/Calgary science centres in mind - it was entertaining none the less. We also took in the mall and I managed to get some nice tops at Weiners.
And now I'm here - looking out over Kelowna enjoying a breeze and waiting for Andy to come back with some pizza and coolers for us to enjoy. Tomorrow is farmers market and garage sales and then back to Quesnel on Monday.... I'll have photos once I get back to Quesnel. I hope everyone else is having a good summer and I look forward to reading about your adventures on your blogs... and on damned facebook.
What have we been up to? Well the kids and I came to Kelowna on the 28th. On the 29th I asked Andy if he wanted to go to Vancouver - because - hey - why not? So we drove down - had sushi at Richmond Sushi....mmmmmm! (? not sure if this is what made me feel bloated and blah since....hhmm???) surprised Paula and Kyle spent the night with her - the next day we IKEA-d it and that night we all camped at Chateau Paula - I camped on the couch and spent most of the night on the bathroom - blah! Oh we also went to Granville Island because I can't seem to get enough of that place... (suspect place for getting ill though) Sunday we drove back to Kelowna because Andy had his first hands on day - that's right folks - raise your glasses and say it out loud Andy passed the first part of the paramedic program. He is completed the in class stuff and now has to complete a list of stuff in the car and in the hospital. He's completed two shifts and has a bunch more lined up for the next few weeks.
On Monday me and the kids drove to Calgary... my sister thought it was a four hour drive (377 km) from Calgary to Kelowna - a little off - it took us 9 hours to get there... very long! It was worth the trip as we got to see my sister, the calgary zoo and the science world. We cut the trip a little short because her box - they call them apartments in Alberta - was a little over heated for us and I couldn't put us through another night - sorry to my sister for us staying short, but thanks for letting us stay and have some fun - good time, not a long time :)
So I drove back to Kelowna (7 hours back... I learned how to drive like an Albertian while I was there) on Wednesday and we are here until Sunday. Yesterday we took it pretty easy because it was 36 degrees outside. We went out in the morning and didn't dare go out again until 7pm that night. It was still damn hot, but cooler and we headed to the beach which was nice and refreshing. Today we drove to Vernon and took in the Okanagan Science centre (I bought a pass to Exploration Place in PG and it gets you free access to all other affilated science centres in Canada and US - it was paid for itself about 5 times over now...) and say the dinosaurs - for a small town it was a good exhibit - don't go with Vancouver/Calgary science centres in mind - it was entertaining none the less. We also took in the mall and I managed to get some nice tops at Weiners.
And now I'm here - looking out over Kelowna enjoying a breeze and waiting for Andy to come back with some pizza and coolers for us to enjoy. Tomorrow is farmers market and garage sales and then back to Quesnel on Monday.... I'll have photos once I get back to Quesnel. I hope everyone else is having a good summer and I look forward to reading about your adventures on your blogs... and on damned facebook.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
the weekend
Tonight was good. I feel like I almost got ahead. I'm behind on some work stuff but my house is in order and it is totally thanks to my parents spending some time here today. I decided that today was the day to get my brick stairs installed. So me and the kids went and picked things up and got to it. It was going fine - and then my parents showed up and completely took over. I was a little miffed but if they hadn't helped out I may have been out there all day. In one hour we completed the following:
All of this happened because I cashed in some of my royal bank visa points and got a $100 at Rona... I still have $30 to spend at Rona as I didn't need as much brick as I'd thought.
So what else? Well I finally got out and hiked.
I went alone - this was taken by a sturdy rock and my automatic settings. I went up 500 ft on this hike to the top of an open quarry. It was awesome! It was a little intimidating and to be honest it sounded like a grouse was chasing me up the mountain... but it was my heart thumping in my ear... LORD! In shape... well I think most people would have had a hard time on this hike. I completed the 500 ft up in under 40 minutes and returned in about 20. It was so steep in one spot that I had to side step up. It was worth every minute. I did another 1 km hike on another trail about 30 minutes later and now I want to get out again. Won't be for a while - unless I can get out with Andy when we see him in FOUR DAYS - HOO-FRICKin-RAY!!!!!!
This is it for him this week of classroom study - so everyone think happy thoughts and send them to Kelowna for us!
All of this happened because I cashed in some of my royal bank visa points and got a $100 at Rona... I still have $30 to spend at Rona as I didn't need as much brick as I'd thought.
So what else? Well I finally got out and hiked.
I went alone - this was taken by a sturdy rock and my automatic settings. I went up 500 ft on this hike to the top of an open quarry. It was awesome! It was a little intimidating and to be honest it sounded like a grouse was chasing me up the mountain... but it was my heart thumping in my ear... LORD! In shape... well I think most people would have had a hard time on this hike. I completed the 500 ft up in under 40 minutes and returned in about 20. It was so steep in one spot that I had to side step up. It was worth every minute. I did another 1 km hike on another trail about 30 minutes later and now I want to get out again. Won't be for a while - unless I can get out with Andy when we see him in FOUR DAYS - HOO-FRICKin-RAY!!!!!!
This is it for him this week of classroom study - so everyone think happy thoughts and send them to Kelowna for us!
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