Busy busy!

What a busy day!!! My boss got back from her business trip today. Finally. I needed her. It's hard to prepare handouts and stuff for a board meeting when you're not entirely sure what you are doing. I am tired now but I got a lot done. Tomorrow I'll finish it up and then we're off. The board meeting is Friday and since I have to be in the room at about 6:45 am, we are staying overnight at the hotel (it's over an hour from where I live). The meeting will take most of the day.

Good news. I got approval from my boss to take my own car to the meeting (normally we car pool). This means that I can leave straight from the hotel and head down to Washington State for the weekend retreat I am going on with Darrcie and Deb. It's going to be a busy couple of days but I'm really looking forward to them.

Have a great weekend everybody!

~Heidi

When the chairman says jump...

I jump!

As the "key contact to the board" the fact that my boss is in the air somewhere over the midwest right now, doesn't affect anything. The chairman asked for an emergency conference call and I pulled it off in under 20 minutes. From the time he called to the time we finished the conference call, it was less then an hour. Quorum and everything. Yeah me!!! Nothing like making a good impression a few days before my first face to face board meeting!

~Heidi

One Way Ticket

Thursday evening my maternal grandfather (the only grandparent I still have alive) went in for surgery. He had been admitted to the hospital on Wednesday evening after a few days of not being able to keep any food down. They didn’t know what to expect when they did the operation but it turned out that his small intestine had gotten twisted. That’s why he couldn’t keep anything down. It was blocked. They fixed it and aside from a minor scare early Friday morning (something to do with his heart) he seems to be okay.

My mom is flying out tomorrow to be with him for awhile. She got a one way ticket because she’s not sure how long she’ll be gone. It’s not a big deal for me because I won’t be home much this week anyways. Dad and Aaron are going to have fun fending for themselves though :)

Nobody knows if it is related but last Thursday was exactly ten years to the day since my grandma passed away. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long. I miss her. Here’s a picture. It's not a great picture because it's a scan of a scan but you get the idea. If you are so inclined, please keep Grandpa in your prayers. He is remarkably healthy for a man his age but the body does wear out.

~Heidi

Rhododendrons

I had Aaron take this picture of me a few minutes ago. The rhodo's are in full bloom and *beautiful* I have more to blog but it will have to wait because it is gorgeous out today and I'm going to go take advantage of it. Have a great day!
Look at those blue eyes!!!

Elvis & Electronic Staplers

My boss is a huge Elvis fan. She warned me of this during my first interview. She's going out of town tomorrow and she left early this afternoon to pack. I just noticed that on her desk is a little sign that says:
"Elvis has left the building"
:D I love it!

On another note, I just figured out why I have an electronic stapler. The photocopier doesn't have one built in!!! Can you believe it? I don't think I've ever been in an office with a photocopier that doesn't have a built in stapler. Come to think of it this one doesn't have a sorter either...but I think it's digital so that's not so much of an issue. The no stapler thing has me floored though!!!

~Heidi

Summer and Trains

Last night Robert (my middle brother) came over for dinner. The plan was that he'd come over and we'd go for a walk afterwards. It was really overcast so it took awhile to get everyone off the couch after eating but I perservered. We (Mom, Dad, Robert and I) went to a newly developed area of Aldergrove Lake Park. I think it used to be a gravel pit but they've seeded grass, and made a lake which is now a duck habitat so it's quite nice. Even though it was overcast it was fairly warm and we took a brisk walk around the perimetre of the park. This was my best indication that summer is on it's way. Walks in the evenings. The time change also allows for this and that makes me happy. :)

After walking there we dropped Dad off at home and picked up Aaron (he had been working). Then we went over by Robert and Seth's house and walked a trail that links into their cul-de-sac. It was short, basically just a connector to the school. It runs along side a rail road track. On the way back to Robert's we walked along the tracks.

I haven't talked about them very much but I love trains. I don't mind waiting for them, I love seeing them, and I love the look of train tracks. I decided last night that I would love to have wedding pictures taken on train tracks. Think of it. Black and white pictures on the tracks, with the trees covered in leaves. It could be very pretty. I told Mom and she was like,

"You don't have any conncection to trains though" which promted Aaron to say,

"Your life might be a train wreck but you don't have to start on the tracks!" The nerve!!! It made us laugh really hard though :)

Over all it was a wonderful summer evening. I'm looking forward to many more just like it.

~Heidi

78, toes, stitches, work & Easter...an update

I was caller 78 of 79 this morning to qualify for an awesome trip to the American Country Music Awards in Vegas. Even if I didn’t get the trip I would have gotten the latest cd’s from Kenny, Keith, Brooks & Dunn (which I have) and Toby Keith and Rascal Flatts (which I’d accept for free but not pay for). It would have been cool. The good news is that I actually got through. I’ve never even gotten through on that station.

And from the sublime to the ridiculous. I stubbed my toe last night. The second littlest one on my left foot. It *HURTS* SOOOO bad. This morning it was all bruised and pretty. That’s why it hurt so bad!

Seth did me one better. He was trying to get into a box of plastic wrap at work last night and gashed his hand with his box cutter. He now has four stitches on the palm of his right hand. Good thing he’s a lefty!

Work has been insanely busy. My boss is back for two days so we have to crush a bunch of stuff in. I’m doing okay though. Not being as productive as I’d like but coping with the craziness.

Easter was good. The boys came over for lunch on Friday and Sunday there was an Easter buffet for the church. Lots of food.

So, that's me as of 4:30 on Tuesday, April 18th.

~Heidi

Word of the Day #10: promulgate

prom·ul·gate ( P ) Pronunciation Key (prml-gt, pr-mlgt)
tr.v. prom·ul·gat·ed, prom·ul·gat·ing, prom·ul·gates
To make known (a decree, for example) by public declaration; announce officially. See Synonyms at announce.
To put (a law) into effect by formal public announcement.

Commentors

I CASEd this from CowtownStacy's Blog

"List the last fifteen people who have commented on your blog. If someone has commented twice, skip to the next new commenter."

1. Donnann
2. Tracy
3. Veronica in Aus
4. Diane
5. Melissa
6. Pamela Lynn
7. Melissa in Aus
8. Darrcie
9. Patti
10. Meredith
11. Christy
12. Janis
13. Martha
14. Wendy in Aus
15. Terri...who hasn't actually commented but I know she reads so I'm putting her in.


Q: Have you ever kissed 4?
A: Nope, not yet ;)

Q: What's the best memory you have of 10?:
A: Shoot! Why did I put Mere there? There are WAY too many! If I have to pick one, right now, I’d say peeing in the Empress Hotel in Victoria ;)

Q: When's the next time you're gonna see 6?:
A: I have no idea. *Maybe* at the DC crop if I can go?

Q: What do you like about 8?:
A: She is an amazing Christian woman who loves her family more then anything in the world. I hung out with Darrcie a few times before I actually met her two daughters but I felt like I already knew them because she is SO proud of them and talks about them with such love in her voice. I am proud to call her a friend.

Q: Is number 5 pretty?:
A: Yes. She’s the cutest little thing you could ever meet and she has gorgeous hair!

Q: What was your first impression of 7?:
A: This chick is nuts! And absolutely hilarious! I miss hijacking threads with you Melissa!

Q: How did you meet 3?:
A: Online. The first time I remember actually speaking directly to her was regarding some zoo borders that she had done. We bonded over hijacked threads though :) IRL we first met when she arrived in PA. By that time I felt like I had known her for so long and I knew that she was coming to stay with me for a week so we didn’t spend all that much time together.

Q: Do you think 13 could kill someone?:
A: Martha? Oh yeah. Don’t tick her off LOL

Q: Is 11 your best friend?:
A: Hmmm…I don’t know her well enough! She’s a fellow Canadian. That’s gotta count for something right?

Q: Have you seen 15 naked?:
A: Goodness no ;) Could happen though. Terri’s pretty wild :D

Q: Has number 9 seen you naked?:
A: Not naked but me climbing out of that bunk can’t have been a pretty sight :O

Q: Do you think 2 has a crush on you?:
A: Yep. Why else would she keep me around for the full 100 hours and then hire me? LOL Love ya Tracy :)

Q: What is the last thing you did with 14?:
A: Did together? Umm…nothing? :( Mostly we just read each others blogs :)

Q: Have you ever been to 3's house?:
A: nope. But I've been invited! <- good answer Stacy

Q: Would you ever kiss 8?:
A: LOL I dunno. Whaddya think Darrcie? ;)

Q: How do you know 4?:
A: Because of KENNY!!! LOL Di and are are both members of SS. When Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger split up Diane posted a poll about the rumours of Kenny’s ahem, sexual orientation. Through that thread we started chatting on a regular basis. Now we exchange emails at least weekly. Last winter she flew out from MI to see her family in WA. I drove down about three hours and we spent the weekend together. She’ll be back in August. I can’t wait!

Q: Have you ever slept with 10?:
A: ::snort:: more times then I can count. Best memory of sleeping together? The night Aaron was born and we had to put a blanket in the middle of the bed so we wouldn’t hog it!

Q: Do you think 12 is sexy?:
A: Sure. That’s a scary question considering I’m sleeping in her bed right now :) (No, she’s not in it!)

Q: Where is the last place you went with 9?:
A: I don’t know Patti, have we ever actually been anywhere together yet?

Q: Are you real close to 1?:
A: I don't know her in real life. But she seems very nice, and I like to think we'd be good friends if we ever get the chance to meet! <- good answer Stacy!

Q: Have you ever been to the movies with 11?
A: No.
But with #8? I went to a foreign country to see a movie with her!

Q: Have you ever gotten in trouble with 2?:
A: In trouble as in together or in trouble as in being disciplined? I don’t know Tracy, was I a good kid when you babysat me? ;)

Q: Would you ever make a move on 14?:
A: hubba hubba Wendy! LOL

Q: What do you and 4 talk about the most?:
A: KENNY!!! The single life and work…in that order

Q: How long have you known 15 and do you consider them a good friend?
A: Well we MET face to face in August 2003. Yes, I do consider her a good friend even though we’ve only seen each other a handful of times since.

Note to the lurkers: if you comment, I'll be more likely to address you by name :) Oh, and welcome!

Sonics Photos

As promised, here are some of the photos from the Sonics game on Sunday.

These guys did the half time show. (below) They were amazing!!! They did backflips all across the court from a standing still position. Very cool. My drunk friend was quite impressed that I caught them on camera :D
Darrcie and her third quarter nachos.

Notice my cool hat? They were giving them away on the way in. It's really nice looking but it has a funky elastic band on the inside so it's not all that confortable to wear :(

One of many foul shots.
I like this shot because even though that was the Suns net for the last half of the game, all you can see is Sonics. Defense! Defense! Defense! :D
The final score.

A requisite Space Needle shot. Notice the moon though? It was actually pretty clear out.

There you go. Pictures as promised. I took more but these are my favourites. Think I'll have enough for a double page spread? ;)

~Heidi

Word of the Day #9: riparian

riparian

adj : of or relating to or located on the banks of a river or stream; "riparian land"

BTW my "words of the day" are words I come across in my day to day life that I need extra definition on. I can't remember where I found this one though.

~Heidi

Remote Blogging

11:43 am
Hmph. Someone knows that I’m not working and has pulled the plug on my internet connection. I suppose I should actually try and accomplish something in the next 17 minutes before I go for lunch…

1:52 pm
Still no internet. I’ve gone for lunch and I’ve drafted a set of minutes from this mornings conference call. I should review them. I think I’ll read a meeting planners magazine instead.

2:31 pm
I just finished reading one the magazine. Now I want to go to Hawaii. I’ll have to be content with sucking on pineapple flavoured candies and spinning in my chair. ::wacko::

2:54 pm
The silence is driving me nuts. My internet is down which means I don’t have any radio. I *could* go down and get a cd but I’ll be out of here in an hour and a half anyways. Back to reviewing minutes.

3:09 pm
I’m making headway. Going nuts but making headway.

3:31 pm
Minutes are finished and emailed. I’m off to have some leftover birthday cake. Apparently my internet connection may be restored if I reboot. I will try that while getting my cake.

3:41 pm
Woohoo! My internet is back. Now I can post this :)

Things To Do Before I Die

On February 9th I drafted a list of "Things to do Before I Die". I Wanna Do It All Then I got caught up in the interview process and never got around to posting it. Since then I've had to remove two items since I have already accomplished them. "Read Pride & Prejudice" and "Join a Fan Club". My list is currently 96 items long. I reserve the right to add and remove as I see fit. I will try and keep you updated as I accomplish each goal.

If you read the "I Wanna Do It All" post, you'll note that my list is based off a list by Suzanne called 101 Things in the Next 1001 Days This makes a lot more attainable. Also Melissa just posted a link to 43 Things. A site which I surfed awhile back but never got around to blogging about. This reminded me that I needed to publish my list. 43 Things is a great place for new ideas.

So, without further ado, my list :)

~Heidi

96 (and counting) Things To Do Before I Die

1. Fly first class
2. Live on my own in my own place
3. Eat at Sonic
4. Live in another country...or at least another province
5. Host dinner party for at least 8

6. Visit an art gallery
7. Go to Texas
8. Ride in a hot air balloon
9. Fly in a small aircraft
10. Visit a planetarium

11. Take a winery tour
12. Do high tea somewhere
13. Attend Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
14. See a drive in movie
15. Get room service and have breakfast in bed at a nice hotel

16. Play blackjack at a casino
17. Make homemade ice cream
18. Try ten new foods
19. Go sailing
20. Ride in a limo

21. Be debt free
22. Go horse back riding on the wide open plains
23. Sleep under the stars (without a tent)
24. Fly in a 747
25. Collect all 50 US state quarters

26. Attend my ten year high school reunion
27. Visit Australia
28. Visit Great Britain
29. Get a cat
30. Take a cruise

31. Work an election
32. Watch all moves on AFI top 100 list
33. Be in Ottawa for Canada Day
34. Draft a will
35. Spend one weekend totally unplugged. No TV, No Computer, No Phone

36. Visit the Maritimes
37. Tour the US Eastern seaboard
38. Pour water from the Atlantic ocean into the Pacific
39. Fast for 24 hours
40. Be in audience of a game show or talk show and/or try out for a game show or reality show

41. Learn to cook
42. Cook a turkey
43. Play with a hand bell choir
44. Complete 25 different crossword puzzles
45. Take a Self Defense Class

46. Fire a gun
47. Host a fondue
48. Take real swimming lessons (learn proper backstoke, kick turn)
49. Leave to drive a stick shift
50. Try yoga

51. Take a cake decorating class
52. Visit Nashville
53. Go parachuting
54. Take a refresher First Aid course
55. Sell something on Ebay

56. Try snowboarding
57. Try Golf
58. Watch the Yankees/Mariners play ball
59. Drink tequila in Tijuana
60. Go to Disney Land/World

61. Get a bikini wax
62. Buy a new condo (or house) (or town house)
63. Go white water rafting
64. Climb Mt. Cheam
65. Have a baby (or two, or three)

66. Read through the entire bible
67. Stay at a bed and breakfast
68. Go to Las Vegas
69. Go to Paris in the spring time
70. Learn enough about classical music to be able to identify popular pieces by ear

71. Shop at the Mall of America
72. Visit all five great lakes
73. Stay overnight in NYC
74. Go to Boston in the fall
75. Stay overnight at a Casino

76. Visit the San Diego Zoo
77. Visit Sea World
78. Take a full two weeks off at a time
79. Go on a blind date
80. See a live horse race and place a bet

81. Visit the Grand Canyon
82. Take a trip by train (aka travel somewhere on Amtrak)
83. Do the Vancouver Sun Run
84. Go to midnight mass
85. Attend Sunrise Easter Service

86. Go skinny dipping
87. Visit all 10 Provincial Legislature Buildings. (3 down 7 to go)
88. Buy cowboy boots
89. Go to the Olympics
90. Fly in a helicopter

91. Go to a NASCAR race
92. Get married
93. Participate in a team sport for a season
94. Sing a solo at church
95. Really try to loose weight/get in better shape

96. Learn another language

Generation Gap

Have you ever heard of "Milli Vanilli"? Yeah, neither had I :P

One of my drunk friends from the basketball game (I never did get their names so I'll just refer to them as the drunk guys...see my previous post if you have no idea what I'm talking about) made a comment about one of the players looking like Milli Vanilli. He tried to get me to agree with him but I had to confess that I had *no* idea what he was talking about.

Seriously, I've never heard of them. Darrcie was floored as was the guy in front of us. Apparently Milli Vanilli are the original lip syncers. They even had their Grammy taken away because it turned out that the vocals on their album were preformed by anonymous studio musicians. I've only learned this thanks to a link that Darrcie sent me. Read all about Milli Vanilli here: Milli Vanilli and the Scapegoating of the Inauthentic

The guy beside me was incredulous that I've never heard of them. He was like "I'm not THAT much older then you?! (he is 28) How can you not know about them?" Anyways, it was pretty funny to me :)

So, have you heard of Milli Vanilli?

~Heidi

My Weekend

Friday evening after watching “McLeod’s Daughters” (it’s addictive like a soap opera!) Mom and I went for a walk to enjoy the last of the good weather. (It’s been raining ever since). At eight I sat down and watched the Tim McGraw TV special “Tim McGraw: Reflected”. As far as TV specials go, it was really good. I’m glad I got to see it.

While I was watching the special, Dad went down to Home Depot and got a 6’ piece of doweling and some brackets which he installed in my bedroom. I now have a place to hang my square dance skirts and crinolines!!! No more piling them up on the floor :) I’ve been collecting them for over a year now. Friday was the first time I counted all of them. I have twelve! And four crinolines, actually five crinolines…only three of them are the big ones though.

Friday I also spoke with Meredith. Good news. She’s definitely coming home at the end of this year. Her time in Australia has been an excellent experience but it’s time for her to come home and move on with her life. I can’t wait till you’re back in the same hemisphere Mere :)

Saturday I went to my friend Terri’s Memoranza event. Terri and I initially met through SS. The first time we actually were face-to-face was at Showcase in Calgary. It turned out that we only live about 30 minutes apart!!! The next time I actually saw Terri was at the Vancouver Crop last November when Veronica was out. The Memoranza (short for “Memory Extravaganza” – replacement for “National Scrapbook Day”) event was great. I ended up sitting across from one of the ladies that I square dance with on Thursday’s. With Terri’s help, I got about 12 pages done and some of them have really unique, striking colour combinations. Thanks Terri!

Sunday was a lazy morning at home. Around noon Mom, Aaron and I headed down to Costco. Then we came back, had a quick lunch, and I headed stateside to Darrcie’s for the Sonics game.

Darrcie is another internet friend that I met though SS and CM. (Try explaining THAT at the border). At the Vancouver Crop (yes, the same one as mentioned above) I was commenting that I have basketball stickers to use up. Darrcie mentioned that her parents have season’s tickets to the Seattle Sonics and asked if I would like to go. Of course I jumped at the chance :) Sunday was the game.

The last time I was at an NBA game was when the Vancouver Grizzlies played the LA Lakers on Meredith’s birthday in 2000. For that game we were up in the balcony section of GM Place. Sunday we were in Section 113, Row 2. (This is the seating chart for Key Arena in Seattle).

See the space between 113 and 110? That is the tunnel to the home team dressing room. We were right beside it. It was awesome! I’ll upload pictures later on.

I like the headline from www.supersonics.com “Thriller at the Key: Sonics Edge Suns”. And they did. It was a great game. Neck and neck the whole way. Very entertaining. Even for me. Someone who has a working knowledge of the game thanks to high school gym class, but that’s about it. The *only* player I recognized on the court was Canadian Steve Nash on the Suns team. It was okay though. Actually it was probably better that way. I wasn't always looking for one or two players. I could watch them all equally.

Just after the second quarter started the two empty seats beside us were claimed by two mostly drunk basketball fans. They (especially the one right beside me) were very entertaining. Evidently they had started their day at the Mairners game and were continuing it and their drinking binge, at the Sonics game. They left after the third quarter. Must be nice to have company seasons tickets and be used to coming to games.

Final score was 116 to 114 for the Sonics. The deciding shot was a three pointer by Ray Allen that came with just 24 seconds left in the game. Very exciting :)

The game was finished by just after eight and I was home, in bed by 11:30. Darrcie, thank you so much for taking me. I had a blast! I'll try and upload some pictures later on.

~Heidi

Business Cards

My new business cards came in. I’m official now! I’ve developed a bit of a tradition. The first card that I hand out always goes to my mom :) Friday night I handed it too her. After the requisite oohing and aahing, she asked “Don’t you have a direct line? Do I always have to go through that other girl?” “Yes Mom, I’ve moved up in the world. I am no longer the receptionist and I now have the option of screening my calls.” :D Of course my success is just an annoyance to her. ::rolleyes::

~Heidi

Word of the Day #8: bacchanalia

Main Entry: bac·cha·na·lia
Pronunciation: "ba-k&-'nAl-y&, 'bä-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural bacchanalia
Etymology: Latin, from Bacchus
1 plural, capitalized : a Roman festival of Bacchus celebrated with dancing, song, and revelry
2 : ORGY 2, 3

Context, from one of my meeting planning magazines regarding conferences at all-inclussive resorts: "...acceptance by corporate groups has presented problems because the idea of taking employees to an all-inclusive resort sounds like one big excercise in bacchanalia."

Sounds good to me. LOL

~Heidi

Seth's Sheets

I've been meaning to post this for weeks and I keep forgetting. Seth probably won't be too impressed that I'm telling the world about this...well...maybe he will be. He's pretty proud of them :)

What am I talking about? My brother Seth was at SuperStore a few weeks ago and he bought sheets. It wouldn't be a big deal or even blog worthy but he bought red sheets. And a black duvet cover. And they're SATIN!!! :D My mother just about died from laughter when he told her. She was like "Seth! Don't you know that there's a bit of a reputation that comes with RED SATIN SHEETS???"

Like I said, he is proud of them. He loves the feel of satin and his defense is "red and black are my favourite colours!"

Oh and little Mr. Resourceful? He doesn't use a top sheet so instead of letting it languish in un-use, he draped it on top of the box spring and is using it as a bedskirt! I haven't seen it yet but apparently it looks pretty good.

Robert (the middle brother) just shakes his head whenever we bring it up :)

~Heidi

Springtime

Yesterday was an absolutely glorious spring day. The sun was shining, there was just a bit of a breeze and the air smelled SO good! Fresh cut grass and springtime flowers all combined into a lovely perfume.

Our new house is about 3 kms (2 miles) from the church we attend. We have a regular Wednesday service and last night I convinced Mom to walk there with me. It was wonderful. We set a pretty brisk pace but nothing that made us break a sweat. It took us about 40 minutes and I felt better and slept better last night then I have in weeks. Dad came in the van so we caught a ride home. I could make this a regular event though.

After the service I remembered to have my pastor sign my passport photo. (It has to be witnessed by a recognized guarantor). Now all I have to do is fill out the application and take a drive into the passport office! I’m getting there, slowly :)

Have a great day!

~Heidi

Yet Another Quiz

Q1) Last thing you burned while attempting to cook?
I didn’t grease the muffin cups well enough for my Yorkshire pudding on Sunday so they came out kind of crispy. Other then that, I haven’t actually attempted to cook in so long that I haven’t had a chance to burn anything!

Q2)describe yourself in three words?
Happy, outgoing, tolerant

Q3) How long does it take to get ready for your day?
depends on how long I have between getting out of bed and when I need to be on the road. Usually between 30-45 minutes.

Q4) Favorite place to blow 50 bucks?
Walmart

Q5) How many people have you thought were "the one"?
None yet

Q6) What is something that turns you off from the opposite sex?
insecurity

Q7) What kind of car do you drive?
2000 Toyota Corolla

Q8) What's in your CD player right now?
Tim McGraw’s Greatest Hits II: Reflected

Q9) What celebrity would you have coffee with?
Dierks Bentley

Q10) What celebrity would you NOT have coffee with?
Pamela Anderson

Q11) What kind of toothpaste do you use?
Crest and Colgate. I have a tube at both houses :D

Q12) What time do you usually go to bed?
11ish

Q13) Last movie you saw?
Bridget Jones Diary II: The Edge of Reason

Q14) Last TV show you watched?
McLeod’s Daughters on Friday (that’s the last show I had seen the last time I did a survey like this)

Q15) Who is my best friend?
Your best friend? I stole this from a random blog so I have no idea LOL

Q16) Who in your family do you best get along with?
My mom

Q17) Who do you have a crush on?
I am currently crushless, if you can believe it!

Q18) What time is it right now?
4:23pm and yes, I should be working

Q19) Are you planning a vacation/travel soon?
Yes. To Lopez Island at the end of the month.

Q20) When/Where was the last time you traveled?
Last overnight trip was to Darrcie’s in January. Before that was up the Sunshine Coast and to the Island with Veronica. Before that was PA.

Q21) How many times have you been in love?
never

Q22) How old will you be in 10 years?
34 Yikes!

Q23) Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
with a “man, two car seats and a mini van” :D

Q24) snacking weakness?
Chips. All kinds.

Q25) Roller Coasters?
I have gotten over my disgust at paying to get sick and now I actually enjoy them.

Q26) Ever run out of gas?
No. My dad has, twice. So far I haven’t though. I *did* put 50 litres of gas into my 50 litre tank one time…that was interesting. I now understand the TRUE meaning of “sucking fumes!”

Q27) Ever been on a train?
Not a proper passenger one like Amtrak or something.

Q28) Ever been on a blind date?
nope. Wanna set me up? ;)

Q29) Ever been to Europe?
not yet!

Q30) What would you do if you could be the opposite sex for one day?
Finish going to the bathroom in under three minutes LOL

Q31) Would you tell anyone it was really you?
Heck no!

Q32) Ever been arrested?
no

Q33) Have a crush on anyone you work with?
Ummmm…because I have former co-workers reading my blog I’m pleading the fifth ;)

Q34) What is something you believe in?
God, Heaven, Hell, true love

Q35) What is something you fear?
I don’t dwell on bad stuff so I find this question hard to answer. As a teenager I was afraid (like everyone else) of the world ending on Y2K and of not growing up, getting married and having kids. Now, even though I definitely want those things, I’m not afraid that they won’t happen. If they are supposed to, they will. If they aren’t they won’t and I won’t die.

Q36) Do you prefer big or small?
Size doesn’t matter, it’s how you use it ;)

Q37) What is the worst physical pain you have ever experienced?
When the novacaine wore off before the T3’s kicked in after I had my wisdom teeth out.
I’ve been pretty sheltered pain wise. It sucked but it wasn’t unbearable.

Q38) What is your favorite television show?
ER and McLeod’s Daughters are the only ones I catch regularly anymore. Ask me in a few weeks when dance is over.

Q39) Ever photoshopped yourself to look better in a picture?
No, but only because I don’t have the program. I have removed red eye though…

Q40) Tell us something about your childhood?
It was idealistic like a childhood should be.

Q41) What would it cost you to get all your hair shaved off?
*MY* hair???? A zillion dollars. Seriously. I doubt I’ll ever do it. It is sooooo much a part of who I am. I don’t think I could be one of the millions of people that look at me daily and say “I used to have hair as long as yours”. Nope. I couldn’t be a used to be :)

Q42) Best time to catch you in a good mood?
When I have money in the bank, not a lot of plans and I’ve just heard some great songs on the radio.

Q43) If you could be anything for one day, what would it be?
For just one day? Kenny’s personal assistant.

Q44) Most prized possession?
my scrapbooks

Q45) Would you ever sell it/for how much?
LOL like anyone would want them.

Q46) What is one of your pet peeves?
Bad drivers

Q47) Favorite kind of ice cream?
one with nuts and chocolate bits and stuff in it. Stuff is good :)

Q48) What song are you listening to right now?
”Come a Little Closer” Seriously! The radio knew you were going to ask ;)

Q49) If you could sucker punch one person who would it be?
Certain people who don’t realize that I have a life outside of their circle of influence and try and make me feel guilty for enjoying it.

Q50) Would you like to tell us one of your secrets?
Oh where to start LOL

Random Memory: Hot Dog Days

Hot Dog Days used to be my favourite day of the month. We lived close to the school and often went home for a hot lunch but Hot Dog Day at school was special. It cost 50 cents for a hot dog, 50 cents for your choice of regular milk, chocolate milk or a juice box (I *always* got chocolate milk) and 50 cents for a glazed donut.

Mid morning on the special day, the aroma of boiled hot dogs would start to waft down the hallway. Heaven to small children with short attention spans. At the appointed time, the grade sevens (highest grade in the school) would come around with the appropriate number of hot dogs, drinks and donuts per class. Then the teacher would dole them out according to her master chart. Any kid that got more then one hot dog or donut was considered “cool”.

Once in awhile the deadline for getting our money in was missed. Those days I got to go down to the office and purchase hot dogs from the PAC parents. Then I’d take and deliver them to my brothers in their classrooms. That was almost as fun as getting your hot dog with the class.

There is something sacred about the taste of a well boiled hot dog on a doughy white bun, chocolate milk and a glazed donut. Back then I didn’t like the taste of ketchup so I would only add mustard and relish to my hot dog. Yum. When the “meal” was over, I’d take my napkin from my hot dog and donut and stuff them into the milk container. Compartmentalized garbage. A great way to finish.

In the intermediate grades they started introducing pizza day and they even experimented with cheeseburger/fish burger days (from McDonald’s). In high school, besides the regular cafeteria offerings which is another whole post, they sold individual samosas. All quite good but none of it was quite as magical as Hot Dog Day in elementary school.

~Heidi…who doesn’t actually eat hot dogs any more but who would enjoy a nice cold glass of chocolate milk and a glazed donut right now…

WMC

Veronica, I forgot to tell you this.

After Dad, Mom, Aaron and I walked through CANstruction we decided to stop for coffee. Dad wanted to go to a local coffee shop at Canada Place, Aaron and I said "Go ahead, we're going to Starbucks" (I mean really, who supports local business anymore? LOL) So all four of us went to Starbucks.

Aaron ordered a White Chocolate Mocha. I told him that it was one of your favourite drinks. He promptly declared "Then I really like her" :D So there, if Ian or was it Aidan? Anyways, when they get over you, I've got a little brother waiting to join your fan club ;)

~Heidi

Benefits of a good employer

For a long time I have felt that my letter writing skills are weak. Granted I haven’t had to use them very much so I haven’t had the opportunity to strengthen them. When I AM required to draft a letter, I agonize and sweat over it and ultimately procrastinate (if possible).

During the second interview for this job, I was required to draft a letter to demonstrate my skills. Formatting a letter is not the problem for me, content is. Obviously they were happy with what I came up with or I wouldn’t be here.

Immediately after that interview I had a conversation with a previous co-worker of mine. She is a hero of mine when it comes to writing. She has a Masters in English and she is incredibly gifted. She thinks nothing of sitting down and hammering out a proposal or feasibility study for a variety of topics. I know that I am weak in this area so I asked her if there was a continuing education course out there that I could take to give me confidence. She sent me some links to SFU and I took note of them.

Late last week I was asked to draft another letter. Realizing that this is going to be a regular task in this position I took my draft letter to my boss along with the course information. She will review the letter. It needs work, I expected that. She also approved me to take the course! Because it relates directly to my position and I feel that I need the skills that it will teach me, work is paying for it! Yeah!

Here are the details from the website:

Preparing concise, high-impact documents that achieve results is essential for success in business. This course, designed for the business writer, examines a variety of documents including memos, letters, reports and proposals, and analyses the writing process (inventing, drafting and revising) for each. Study the techniques and strategies that effective business writers use to overcome procrastination, generate ideas, organize content, develop persuasive arguments and revise efficiently and accurately. Required texts are provided. Enrollment is limited to 12.

(Note the “overcome procrastination” line :D)

I registered online today. Cross your fingers that I get in!

I also found out that because I am required to travel with this position, work will pay for my passport application! Maybe THAT is why I’ve been stalling on it :D

~Heidi

Quiz: Who do you blog for?

1. Do you blog to make friends with people you will eventually meet in real life? I blog for *me*. If my internet buddies benefit then great. I don’t blog to meet people though

2. Do you blog for the sake of the B? Do you blog for yourself as a sanity-seeking form of online diary that is really neat cause it can link to all kinds of other things on the fancy Interweb? Yes. I definitely blog for sanity reasons and I *love* the fact that it is an online diary with links and pictures and stuff.

3. Do you blog to discover people with whom you share a number of opinions about a topic? Nope. My blog isn’t private and I have had people post comments because of something that I have written but I blog for me and to tell people about the things that I find interesting.

4. Do you blog to attract readers? And, do you have an expectation of what sort of readers you have? Would you still blog if nobody read your blog? No, sort of and yes. Again, while my blog is public I don’t do it to get readers. I blog for friends and therefore I expect that most of my readers are people I know IRL or whom I have established relationships with. Would I blog if no one read it? Yep, but I’d also post on SS more then ;)

5. Do you blog to distinguish yourself .. because you think blogging is cool and you think it makes you cool(er)? No. I blog because it is a great format. Easy to use and it makes SO much sense. It is WAY easier to post something once and have a bunch of people read it. Plus, it’s instant and relatively permanent. I like that.

Happy almost Easter

New CD's

Last night I stopped at Walmart to pick up some pictures. While I was there I checked out the music department. They had re-issued copies of George Strait's "If You Ain't Lovin'...You Ain't Livin'" and Toby Keith's "Boomtown" (which has the single "Big Trucks" that I have been wanting to get". Each CD was $5.99. GREAT price!

Today Mom and I took a drive down to Walmart in the states. We made the border guard laugh. She was like "You just passed a Walmart" and we said "yeah, the American one has different stuff and even with exchange it's often cheaper" Which it is...if you are careful.

Mom bought some cotton batting material. $3.99/yard. In Canada it's over $8.00! I hit the music department again. Kenny's "Be As You Are" for $9.72, George's "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" for $5.88 (and it should be noted that that was awarde Album of the Year from the CMA's in 1984) and Tim McGraw's brand new "Greatest Hits II - Reflected" for $9.72. I wasn't going to buy the Tim CD but I couldn't pass up that price.

As a comparison, $9.72 USD at today's exchange rate is $11.54. I have yet to see Kenny's BAYA CD for less then $17 in Canada. That's a savings of over $5. Well worth the drive.

You do have to be careful though. There were other CD's that were just as much or MORE down there. Definitely a buyer beware situation.

I'm happy with what I got though :) Oh, and coming back the guard didn't even ask to see my reciept so no duty. It was great!

~Heidi

3% margin of error

The phone rings this morning. From the call display I can tell it's some type of tellemarketer.

Me: Hello
TM: Hello, is this Mrs.XXX
Me: Yes (lie #1 :D)
TM: Can we take about thirty seconds of your time to do a quick survey?
Me: Sure
TM: Do you or anyone in your house have allergies or asthma?
Me: No (lie #2, Dad has both and all us kids suffer from allergies but I just in case this opens up a whole new line of questioning, I answer the easy way)
TM: Are you married?
Me: No (Hello? They asked for MRS. XXX but I'm not married. Good one :P)
TM: Are you the homeowner
Me: No (we rent)
TM: What percentage of your house is carpet
Me: I dunno, a lot
TM: To give credibility to our pathetic thirty second survey I need to know your field of employment <-- paraphrased :P
Me: Administrative
TM: How long?
Me: 8 years (actually it's only been seven but eight sounded better :P)
TM: Thank you for your time.

So there, I am officially the "3% margin of error" listed on the survey results. Like Mom says, if you have to be anything, be a statistic.

~Heidi