What's Your Hidden Talent?

Your natural talent is interpersonal relations and dealing with people. You communicate well and are able to bring disparate groups together. Your calming presence helps everything go more smoothly. People crave your praise and complements.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Did I Mention It Comes With A Remote?!?!

~At last, at last, at long last... my airconditioner has arrived! Last night I picked it up at the courier depot, brought it into the house and began the arduous task of putting the damn thing together. What is it with everything being "some assembly required these days? I've got some techie skills, but handy I am not. I find it extremely frustrating to have to figure out which little screw goes into which little hole. I know some people are naturally predispositioned to being handy in these situations, me I sweated my way through it from start to finish, literally. I positioned the thing in the window and held my breath while I plugged it in. Within a half an hour I actually had to turn it down a notch because the room was too cold. Hallelujah!!!

My two big concerns now are 1. what's preventing someone from walking up and stealing it out of the window considering that it's ground level and 2. I think the directions said something about angling the thing so that it could drip - how the hell do I do that???

Honestly, there are days when I feel like a strong, independent, self-reliant woman... and then there are the days when I buy an airconditioner and I wish that there were a man here (hint hint) to push it off on to for set up! It hurts me to admit that, but to hell with it... I hate having to be handy!

Twenty-Ten @ Google

~This is pretty neat... it's a customized Google search engine that actually functions properly.


Take a peak here and create your own.

Wedding Crashers

~I got out to see Wedding Crashers last night with Shaniqua... this movie rocks.

Check out my review here.

Party on Garth, Party on Wayne

~Well it seems as though I’m a bit behind in my blogging… but the truth is that that it’s been too damn hot at my place to sleep, let alone sit in front of the computer!

~The temperature inside of my place this past week has been between 90 and 95 F… the two fans have been useless. On Thursday night around midnight, I drug the recliner out to the deck so that Marshall and I could try and get “some” sleep. Well that too was fruitless, as the traffic beyond my neighbours place was too much of a distraction for Marshall to handle. At about 3:45 am we trudged back into the inferno, and I pulled all of the covers back on my water bed bladder and Marsh and I climbed back into bed and tried to muster up a few hours of rest. I was awoken a couple of hours after managing to drift off to sleep by the most horrid smell. It was all through the house… it smelled of death. I came to find out a few hours later from the neighbours who live below in the basement apartment that they had previously unplugged a deep freezer that they planned to sell, but had forgotten a package of chicken inside. When they opened it up in the morning to prepare to transport they were confronted with the rotting chicken, as was I when the smell permeated the entire place. I was quick to email my office and let them know that I would not be in that day, and I began my quest for an airconditioner. Poor Marshall had to wait at home for my return. He did however have a nice cold shower to bring his body temperature down, before I left.

Eight stores later and nothing under $350.00… even at that price, nothing that would fit into my windows. I was disgusted and completely exhausted at this point. Thanks to Shaniqua and Pete for taking me from store to store in search of cool air. In the end I ordered one from the Future Shop online for about $200.00 – it should arrive today or tomorrow. A couple more nights like this and I don’t know what I’ll do! J

~On a brighter note, Shaniqua threw a little get together for me on Friday night at her place. It was complete with cake, ice cream, old friends, surprise visitors, munchies, drinks, drinks and more drinks! I had a fabulous time and got fairly tanked, thanks to Cheryl’s Sake-Tini’s (1 part Sake, 2 parts pineapple juice). What a nice, fruity, summer drink. I also tried some of those new Barcardi Breezer light drinks, Pear and Berry Burst. The Pear is sooooo delicious… cool, refreshing and just a hint of flavour. I would highly recommend this drink if you’re down with the summer girlie drinks!

~On Sunday the family got together and hosted a bbq for me, complete again with cake and ice cream. Truthfully, it will be a bit before I am interested in taking another bite of cake. Perhaps for Ajay’s bday we’ll have cookies instead!

~All in all I can’t complain about my 30th birthday. Mucho thanks to my friends and family for making the event memorable and truly happy for me.

Celebration In Review

~ The celebration last night was held at The Lone Star restaurant with a few close friends; Shaniqua, Pete, Poopsie, and Shaniqua's folks... Ajay was noticable absent, but he'll have plenty of time to make it for that next weekend ;)

The service at The Lone Star was quite bad. 20 mins to wait for a table, at which time we were given a booth for 7 people. Shaniqua wasn't too pleased about the idea of everyone squeezing together and still trying to enjoy a meal. So... we moved to another table once it opened up, about 15 minutes later. We were never asked for a drink order, but once our tongues turned into sandpaper, we made our way to the bar where I ordered a large margaurita... which tasted more like lime than strawberry. About 45 minutes after we arrived, they took our order... chicken fajitas!! They are delicious at this place! The meal was delivered to the table approximately 30 minutes later. We all looked like deer in the headlights when the food was placed in front of us, because we had been eating chips and salsa for nearly an hour at this point waiting to order and eat our meal. Ah well, it's the first time the service here was so poor.

The highlight of the evening was Shaniqua and her Quest For The Perfect Picture (pictures to be posted after she emails them to me). It was horribly embarassing to have to keep getting up and moving around the table for different people combinations over and over :) But that's what you do for friends, indulge their craziness.

~ All in all it was a great day... including the surprise cake, lunch and card at work. I've got to get that card scanned in... I've never seen another one like it!

~ Kudos for all of the best wishes from everyone. So far 30 doesn't feel too bad... we'll see how I'm feeling on Saturday morning after our Friday night of real celebrations!

Happy Birthday To Me!!

Well it's happened. There is no turning back... I'm officially in my thirties :)

To all of those having birthdays today... May it be your happiest one yet!!!

Last Chance

~ Well I've been sick for the past two days, and not exactly a real joy to be around. Have to hope that things turn around by tomorrow. Yes that's right, today is my last day in my twenties. As of tomorrow I can no longer ride around on the "she's young" excuse. Maybe what I should be doing is celebrating the end of an era, as opposed to the birth of the next decade?

~ The craziest thing happened to me yesterday. It all started out by googling my name... where I stumbled upon a page that listed 'Outstanding Refunds' for the State of Massachusetts (where I lived in 2000). Considering my name, I figured that it HAD to be... so I dug through my bedroom in search of my SSN and my old license (thankfully I hang on to everything). I gave the 1-800 number a call and described to the gentleman who answered my situation: former alien resident who googled themselves to find their name on the refund list. He laughed politely and said, "Let's just see about that. Name, date of birth and SSN?" I provided the details and he put me on hold. He came back abruptly and tells me, "Happy Birthday, we have a half a million dollars here for you" ha ha ha... "actually it's more like $200 - where should I send it?" I gave him the proper mailing info and will be looking for my cheque in 2 weeks. How crazy is that?? I strongly suggest googling yourself sometime.... it really pays off!!!

100 Things About Moi

1. I was born and raised in Canada
2. I've only ever travelled throughout North America
3. I've been on 2 bus trips... scary
4. I survived Spring Break in Daytona once
5. I've been to Disney World once
6. I hate roller coaster rides
7. I am terrified of drowning in the open ocean
8. I love red wine
9. My drink is dark rum and coke (alcohol)
10. Ice tea is my other drink (non-alcohol)
11. My favourite foods are: roast beef, turkey, pasta
12. Ice Cream is my downfall :)
13. I'm addicted to winning
14. 20 Black is my lucky number in roulette
15. My dog, Marshall, is the joy in my life
16. Ajay is a close second ;)
17. I just read the Da Vinci Code
18. I hated the ending
19. I am however still looking forward to the movie
20. I am terribly impatient
21. I am very spoiled
22. Those two things can make loving me challenging
23. However, somehow he manages :)
24. I love taking pictures
25. My home is filled with frames full of family and friends
26. I think The Golden Girls is a funny show
27. Without Estelle Getty is would have sucked
28. I hope I don't end up living with 3 of my friends lol
29. I detest answering the telephone
30. I have caller id so that I don't have to sometimes
31. My friends always think I am call screening
32. Sometimes I am
33. My favourite pastime is watching movies
34. I have a decent dvd collection (about 70)
35. I prefer watching movies with someone so we can talk about the movie
36. I loathe people talking during a movie
37. I am allergic to honey
38. I love the taste of honey
39. I hate shopping, but love to spend money
40. I want to be a mommy someday
41. I fear not having the energy to enjoy it
42. I'd like to bring 3 children into the world
43. I fear not making enough $ to provide for them properly
44. I have one niece
45. She reminds me so much of my brother and I
46. My parents got their wish, we'd have children like us
47. I have one brother, younger
48. All of my grandparents have passed away
49. I would have loved to have had them meet Ajay
50. I hope that he builds a relationship with my remaining family
51. I am not a fan of hot or cold weather
52. I own fans and warm jackets to compensate
53. A good man helps out when it's cold too ;)
54. I'm addicted to British television
55. I watch Coronation street weekly
56. Ab FAb, Chef, Vicar of Dibley, and Eastenders are also great!
57. My middle name is Michelle
58. My fake name is Kellee
59. Fake names are great for taxis, cold calls, and greasy guys
60. We play the lotto twice weekly
61. When we win, I want to travel
62. I always joke that I'll go to Milan for shoe shopping
63. When I was a kid I hated meat
64. I'm now a big fan of beef, poultry and fish!
65. I wish that I were a better cook
66. I HATE doing dishes
67. I enjoy doing laundry... it's peaceful
68. When I was growing up, I secretly wanted to marry Alan Alda
69. He didn't age very well, so I'm glad that I didn't
70. I think that turtles, and butterflies are cute
71. I've never been a girlie-girl
72. I didn't wear pink for about 20 years
73. Now I realize that it actually looks good on me
74. Sometimes my eyes are brown, sometimes they're violet
75. I pay someone to hurt me; I get my brows waxed monthly
76. My birthday has always been my favourite day of the year
77. I'm looking forward more to Ajay's this year
78. The Wizard of Oz is my favourite movie
79. I've always wanted ruby slippers
80. Gonzo is my favourite muppet
81. I've always been attracted to men with odd shaped noses
82. I think Lost is the best show I've seen in a long time
83. I could get addicted to it, like I was to Knot's Landing
84. Ikea is a great place to shop... we need one here
85. I usually go to the States once a year to shop
86. I have yet to go this year
87. I'd like my next big trip to be to India
88. I'm terrified of going
89. Being surrounded by multitudes of people makes me anxious
90. New York City was overwhelming
91. I'd go back again anytime :)
92. If you ever go, do the 3 hour boat tour, amazing!
93. I don't smoke, it stinks
94. I barely drink anymore, but on occasion I get smashed
95. I love playing hostess... it's me at my best
96. I rarely have people over though, it's tough with Marshall
97. I have over 23 biological aunts and uncles
98. I also have over 60 first cousins
99. My family is nuts
100. I fit right in :)

Four More

~ So when you live in the land of much snow and ice, where you can anticipate being dumped upon for up to 6 months out of the year, it's hard to complain about hot, sunny weather. On the other hand, when your house heats up like a gigantic oven, that's nearly impossible to cool down... it's damn easy! I've looked into air conditioners, but the initial cost, and then on top of the electrical to operate 10,000 BTU's of sweet, sweet cold air, is a bit much on the budget. That leaves me with three options: 1. throw a tent up on the front lawn ( the only area I have access to here ) where at least Mother Nature is tossing around the occassional breeze, 2. Fill the tub up with cold water and ice cubes, don my swim suit and splash around for a couple of hours with Marshall or 3. Go and buy another fan... a powerful, magical contraption that WILL cool my house down, or at the very least this room, or it shall be returned for a full refund :)

~ Four days and counting... starting to feel better about the whole thing... maybe I'm in the acceptance stage now. lol, going through the death of my twenties.... the peak of my youth. Until just this moment, I hadn't thought of it that way... but when you give it some consideration, it's plausible. I was sad, angry, I even bargained with myself that if I didn't celebrate that I could just "forget" that it even happened and I could stay 29 until someone else made a big enough deal about it that I couldn't "forget" any longer. And now I'm entering acceptance... it's gonna happen, so I might aswell enjoy it. What a nutjob :)

Five Days

~ So the first question that comes to mind this morning is: "What the hell are my titles going to be after the big day?" Do I begin the count down to 40? I don't really see 40 as being so bad, not after 30 at least. Perhaps by the time 39 rolls around I'll see it differently.

~ Today so far has been a bullshit day. This morning just as I was leaving the house to head for work, I let Marshall in the house and he proceeded to give me a nice kiss right up the front of my pink shirt. His kisses are often covered in mud you see. So I had to make a mad dash to grab something else clean and hussle my ass out the door to the bus stop. Where I was just in time to grab a seat next to a screaming 4 year old, whose mother seemed oblivious to his antics. Thank god for my .mp3 player! It barely saved my sanity. By the way, mp3 is 10 years old today. (thanks Ajay for the update).


~ My dear friend, we'll call her Shaniqua for her protection, has been asking me what I'd like to do to celebrate the big 20/10, but I've been at a loss for ideas. I do know that I don't want some crazy blow out where everyone I've known, but haven't spoken to for the past 15 years, is there partying the night away. Something low key, surrounded by good friends, old stories and a couple of girlie drinks should be just nice. Shaniqua seems to think that I'm being too laissez-faire about the whole thing... but the reality of it is... my family is unavailable to participate for various reasons, my boyfriend remains out of town for school, and the damn thing falls on a Wednesday night. What the hell is there to be excited about. I'm willing to settle for her and I going out to grab a bite... but she thinks that's too common. My family has offered to have a bbq the following weekend, when they "think" they're all available. I guess the thing is that every year, for as long as I can remember, this is how it's been... things just don't come together. Someone, or something is always missing from that day... yet year after year I anticipate it coming, in hopes that one of these times it'll go right. What are ya gonna do? :) Have a couple of drinks and hold out for 31!


~ Off to do the work thing...

Update: Next Wednesday night I'm going to go and drink my face off...

One Week

~ Unbelievable. For a month now I've had that movie review blog posted, and it has been a struggle to get more than 50 hits on average a day. Something that I thought would be interesting and helpful. I post one time on Twenty Ten about my anxiety of growing older and I've had over 130 hits, 3 emails, and 5 comments in the past 24 hours. Go figure. No complaints by the way, keep 'em coming!


~ "Time Out" is such a great notion, and works about 50 percent of the time with my 6 year old niece. However, with my 18 month old pitlab, Marshall, it works everytime. If you've ever heard of a Gentle Leader, you know the ease it can give to a dog who likes to pull when it walks. I've found another amazing use for this simple little contraption, the Time Out Lead.

Anyone who knows me well enough to have met Marshall, has undoubtedly heard me ask him, "Do I need to get your lead?" at times when he is flying around the house like a bouncy ball at full speed. Marshall will stop in his tracks and give me a pitiful stare. Sometimes all I do is hold the lead up in the air so that he can see it. This is also an effective control method. I don't get it... yes, it keeps his mouth closed, but not tightly. I think he just realizes that he's in trouble once the lead comes out.

This is my first time as a dog mommy, I had no idea how much work and unconditional love would be involved. Thank god for kisses and the Time Out Lead.


~ Seven days to go... and I have no idea how I'd even like to celebrate it. Something low key sounds like the best idea, as I'm still not even convinced that it's something that I want to be festive about. My past birthdays have always involved scads of friends and tables covered in drinks. Anyone remember my 21st, or 22nd or any of the others in this past decade? If so, please feel free to fill me in... it's all a blur to me now.

~ Anyone got any suggestions on how to celebrate this nightmare?? Lemme know.

8 Days To Go

Why Write This Blog?


~ For the past 5 years I have been dreading turning 30, typical whine of young women I suppose. I see the end of my twenties as the last of my trivial good times, with responsibility and maturity beating down my door. Eight days to go and no where to run. I guess that I'm just going to have to suck it up and blow the damn candles out, and drown my sorrows in a huge piece of chocolate cake.

~ I've always wanted to host a site where I could review local restaurants and movie reviews. Being a movie theatre frequenter I figured that the marriage of the two would make for not only an interesting read, but also an opportunity for those seeking an honest, straightforward review on recent flicks. So I started a blog... which has been a bit mediocre so far, as now that summer is here, I've actually been to the movies less. Turns out I'm a movie freak in the winter when there's nothing else to do but freeze your ass off. I also can't stand the templates on this site, for this blog I chose the one that my boyfriend said was least like me, the pink one. lol Sometimes it feels good to do what they least expect. Ya know?


~ People have always said that crazy things happen to me and that I should write about it... sounded like too much work, but lately I'm filled with free time. I only get to see the bf about once a month, twice if I'm a good girl. Finishing his education abroad (close enough, but still too far away) has been painstaking, but hopefully it will bring him some satisfaction.