Friday I had to go for my check-up at the needle-in-the-eye doctor. As soon as I walked in I could tell this was going to be a shit-show; the waiting room was jammed and that never bodes well.
Dr. Anna has moved from a location in SW Calgary to a building downtown and started her own practice. I hate, hate, HATE going dowtown. First traffic is horrible (I don't suffer bad drivers well) and then the parking thing is next on my list. I drive a GMC 3/4 ton extended cab with a long box and it's a real pig to find a spot to put it in what with them making spots smaller and smaller in an effort to squeeze out one more. I finally found a spot kitty-corner across the street from the buiding with a 2 hour limit and went in. When I saw the waiting room I started to get twitchy and thought maybe, just maybe things would start looking up. My appointment was for 2:20. That came. And went. At 3:30, I was called in and the gal checked my eyes and put those damn dilation drops in and told me to go and...... WAIT. I figgered that maybe Dr. Anna would call me soon, but noooooooo. At 4:05 one of the other gals came by and said "You're the last in line." Well obviously. I'm the only one sitting here! At 4:15 Dr. Anna finally called me in and checked things out and decided that I didn't need to come bck for 6 months this time (YAY). A 5 minute check-up took 2 hours. I made my next appointment, left the office, took the elevator down and when I hit the street I looked over and Blue was GONE!
There's nothing quite like that gut kick you get when all of a sudden your vehicle is NOT where you left it. It just didn't magically start itself and leave because it was bored! The best part? Seeing her go by on a hook. Ok, I admit it. I said a whole lot of really bad words as I was pulling my phone out. Regis, can I call a friend? Called my buddy Andy and as soon as he answered I had a little melt down. It was bad enough that he didn't recognize my voice and asked me 'who is this?'. I got my act together right away and told him what had happened and asked if he would mind coming to pick me up. I knew he had to curl later that night so it really was a big favor to ask. He asked me where I was and told me he'd come to get me and that he'd just take me home and then when he was done curling Saturday morning he'd come get me and take me to the impound yard to get Blue out of jail. That was really nice.
So there I was, no cigarettes (they were in the truck and I ended up buying some from the place that was really close to the scene of the crime) standing on the corner of 17th Ave. and 9th Street like some ho', waiting for Andy to get there. Glad the storm that's been blowing here held off 'til Saturday. It was cold enough that my butt-cheeks were jumping and I knew the knee-caps would start soon.
As promised, Andy showed up Saturday 'round noon and off we went to the Calgary Parking Authority to rescue Blue. Oh, what FUN! When we went in to the building there were at least 20 people in line. Great. And it wasn't moving. Finally made it to the head of the line and was asked for driver's license, registration and insurance. Ok, it's in the truck. Where else would it be? Go over there, someone will come for you and take you to your vehicle. Wonderful. I don't know if you've dealt with them before, but dang they're slow! Someone finally came and called my name (the dreaded Deborah, EEW) and took me out to my truck and I asked if it was ok to start it and let it run to warm up. Go ahead. Sign here to acknowledge that it was actually you that was in the truck and go back inside and WAIT, they will call you up to do the paperwork. Do the paperwork and go over there and WAIT someone will come to take you to your vehicle! By the time the dust settled it cost me $250.00 to get Blue out of jail and 3 hours wasted at the dreadful PA.
There was one humorous moment when some jack-off pulled up in a Land Rover and parked in a handicap zone. He was sitting there, waiting for someone in the building. When he was asked to move, he refused. Ok, idiot, you're in Calgary Parking Authority's yard and you pull this? One of the employees came out, ticket book in hand, and started writing a ticket. Mr. Land Rover got out of his vehicle and started beaking off at the guy, turned around, jumped back in and tore out of the lot like the hounds of hell were after him. Serves him right. And provided some comic relief for the suffering masses inside the building.
Not really the way that I wanted to spend my Saturday afernoon. I might have to flip the bill to Dr. Anna. How do you think that'll go over?
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
BP
This from today's paper. This is just an excerpt from the story, a link to the rest is at the bottom. There's a reason that safety policies are in place gentlemen!
A U.S. panel skewered British giant BP as well as Halliburton and Transocean, saying management failures were to blame for the Gulf oil spill, and warned without reform such a disaster could happen again.
Releasing a key chapter of its final report, the panel Wednesday also took aim at U.S. government officials, sharply criticizing them for lax oversight of both the operation in the Gulf of Mexico and the industry.
The root causes of the blowout were "systemic and, absent significant reform in both industry practices and government policies, might well recur," the report said.
Despite the "inherent risks" of deepwater drilling, "the accident of April 20 was avoidable," it said, listing nine key decisions which were made to save time or money even though a safer alternative was available.
The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig off the Louisiana coast "resulted from clear mistakes made in the first instance by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean, and by government officials who, relying too much on industry's assertions of the safety of their operations, failed to create and apply a program of regulatory oversight that would have properly minimized the risks of deepwater drilling."
BP welcomed the assessment, which analysts said would likely see the British company paying less compensation costs than expected — it is selling 30 billion dollars worth of assets to cover its part of the bill.
Read more: here
A U.S. panel skewered British giant BP as well as Halliburton and Transocean, saying management failures were to blame for the Gulf oil spill, and warned without reform such a disaster could happen again.
Releasing a key chapter of its final report, the panel Wednesday also took aim at U.S. government officials, sharply criticizing them for lax oversight of both the operation in the Gulf of Mexico and the industry.
The root causes of the blowout were "systemic and, absent significant reform in both industry practices and government policies, might well recur," the report said.
Despite the "inherent risks" of deepwater drilling, "the accident of April 20 was avoidable," it said, listing nine key decisions which were made to save time or money even though a safer alternative was available.
The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig off the Louisiana coast "resulted from clear mistakes made in the first instance by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean, and by government officials who, relying too much on industry's assertions of the safety of their operations, failed to create and apply a program of regulatory oversight that would have properly minimized the risks of deepwater drilling."
BP welcomed the assessment, which analysts said would likely see the British company paying less compensation costs than expected — it is selling 30 billion dollars worth of assets to cover its part of the bill.
Read more: here
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The New Phone
I finally broke down and ordered up a new phone from my carrier. The old one started doing some funky things like assigning 'friendly' ringtones to 'unfriendly' numbers that I knew not to answer. (telemarketers, etc.) I'll deal with them at a later date. Well, said phone shows up via Purcolator on a weekday morning when the CEO is at work (of course, DUH! why would a normal working stiff like me be home at that time?) After running around the city trying to find the pickup outlet for an hour, the CEO picked it up on a Saturday morning and headed home to figger it out.
Ok, I'm not the brightest when it comes to electronics, but I'm definitely not stoopid either. This thing has all the bells and whistles on it (except for a touch screen) and it's supposed to do all things except put the dishes in the dishwasher for you. I even signed up for a 3G data pack. Now I'm all set to get my email on my phone and everythang.
Sorry, WRONG! Do you think that I can get it to retrieve my mail from my home address? Nope. From my work address? Nope.
When I picked up the latest CDs to copy to my iPod before they disappeared into the never-never land that is my disc player (there's enough discs in there that you could turn it on today and not hear the same song for way over a week) there were a couple of slips of paper inside that offered free ringtones, just text keyword xxxx to #### and magically they would show up. Cool. I like these guys and was looking forward to having some of their music there. Well the first one didn't work, and the second one? I sent said keyword off and got a message back right away. My first alarm bells should have gone off when the message had a line in it that I must be over 18 to play. That's a little strange. And they wanted a reply. Ok, so I replied and I got this back.
"Hello what is your name? and what do you want to do with this? This is my first time doing this. :)"
I should have written back that this was obviously a sexting virgin and that I wasn't interested but I didn't, I immediately texted back that this # was supposed to be a free download number and never heard a thing after that.
I kid thee not, Kind Reader; you can't make this shit up!
Ok, I'm not the brightest when it comes to electronics, but I'm definitely not stoopid either. This thing has all the bells and whistles on it (except for a touch screen) and it's supposed to do all things except put the dishes in the dishwasher for you. I even signed up for a 3G data pack. Now I'm all set to get my email on my phone and everythang.
Sorry, WRONG! Do you think that I can get it to retrieve my mail from my home address? Nope. From my work address? Nope.
When I picked up the latest CDs to copy to my iPod before they disappeared into the never-never land that is my disc player (there's enough discs in there that you could turn it on today and not hear the same song for way over a week) there were a couple of slips of paper inside that offered free ringtones, just text keyword xxxx to #### and magically they would show up. Cool. I like these guys and was looking forward to having some of their music there. Well the first one didn't work, and the second one? I sent said keyword off and got a message back right away. My first alarm bells should have gone off when the message had a line in it that I must be over 18 to play. That's a little strange. And they wanted a reply. Ok, so I replied and I got this back.
"Hello what is your name? and what do you want to do with this? This is my first time doing this. :)"
I should have written back that this was obviously a sexting virgin and that I wasn't interested but I didn't, I immediately texted back that this # was supposed to be a free download number and never heard a thing after that.
I kid thee not, Kind Reader; you can't make this shit up!
New Years Eve II
I had posted about buying a lottery ticket and celebrating my birthday at Buck's with Andy and Mrs. Andy. Sorry guys, the pot went to a single ticket holder in Ontario. Go figger. Oh well, maybe next year. Sigh.
On another note, this just in from my email in-box. A little R-rated.
The missus was watching a cooking program the other day.
I said, "What you watching that for? You can't cook."
She said, "You watch porn."
Bitch.
Update 1700 Doesn't Ontario know that they're messin' with my retirement plan? And yes, today is my birthday. Forty-too-many tho' my youngest sister insists that I'm only 37 'cause she's only 34, but she has her math wrong, she must be 33.
On another note, this just in from my email in-box. A little R-rated.
The missus was watching a cooking program the other day.
I said, "What you watching that for? You can't cook."
She said, "You watch porn."
Bitch.
Update 1700 Doesn't Ontario know that they're messin' with my retirement plan? And yes, today is my birthday. Forty-too-many tho' my youngest sister insists that I'm only 37 'cause she's only 34, but she has her math wrong, she must be 33.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
One of the best jokes to come along (and it's not even political)!!!
As Air Force One arrives at Heathrow Airport , President Obama strides to a warm and dignified reception from the Queen.
They are driven in a 1934 Bentley to the edge of central London , where they change to a magnificent 17th century carriage hitched to six white horses. They continue on towards Buckingham Palace , waving to the thousands of cheering Britons; all is going well.
Suddenly the right rear horse lets fly with the most horrendous earth shattering fart ever heard in the British Empire . The smell is atrocious and both passengers in the carriage must use handkerchiefs over their noses. The fart shakes the coach, but the two dignitaries of State do their best to ignore the incident.
The Queen turns to President Obama, " Mr. President, please accept my regrets... I am sure you understand there are some things that even a Queen cannot control."
Obama, always trying to be "Presidential," replied: "Your Majesty, do not give the matter another thought... Until you mentioned it, I thought it was one of the horses.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Trails in Life
I've been reflecting on where I'm at and how I got here a little lately and then this song was released that made it more intense so I went and bought the album (I do that, people always tell me to just download the song but there are always gems on them that never get air time). Dean Brody is a good Canadian boy from BC and puts out some pretty good stuff. There are a couple here; one that pertains to this post, and the other that I've put up for my Military (Ret.) followers at the end.
Not really any need to watch the video, but it's pretty good.
What follows is from the liner notes.
The Trail
Growing up, learning to hunt was a rite of passage in our home. I remember one excursion in particular: the weekend my Dad took me to base camp up Old Rum Creek. After some 4am toast and coffee, we saddled up the horses and used a flashlight to find the beginning of the trail. Then Dad turned off the light. All I could make out was the saddle horn in front of me and I started to question my Dad's good sense. To put my mind at ease, he said horses could see better than people and that there shouldn't be any cliffs or flooded creeks along the way. Far as I could tell he believed what he was saying, so I did too and off we went - in the dark.
It was a crazy feeling, trusting an animal to see what I couldn't and to stay on a trail that I didn't know. But after an hour or so the sun came up and that old horse led us out to some of the most beautiful country I had ever seen.
Now I'd like to say life is like that horse, meandering along, taking you to a place you eventually want to end up. But if life is a horse, mine has taken me to the whiskey trough and back, munching on wild crops of cannibis along the way. But I'm learning that the trail isn't as important as who you share it with - like that morning in the mountains with my Dad, it's the company that makes it worth it all. - Dean Brody
I believe that the Higher Power has a plan for us and we should trust to His/Her instincts and not to question his wisdom. All things happen for a reason. I moved from Kamloops to the lower mainland to follow my then boyfriend, the jockey (that's a whole other story), and that's where I ended up getting in to the trade and becoming a jorneyman electrician which has served me well over the years. It's given me the resources to be able to keep my horses and my dogs and keep a roof over my head, food and beer in the fridge, the occasional new pair of jeans and fuel in the truck. So I think that, like Dean, I'll keep trusting that horse and the trail he's leading me down.
Now what more, I ask you, could a girl ask for?
Not really any need to watch the video, but it's pretty good.
What follows is from the liner notes.
The Trail
Growing up, learning to hunt was a rite of passage in our home. I remember one excursion in particular: the weekend my Dad took me to base camp up Old Rum Creek. After some 4am toast and coffee, we saddled up the horses and used a flashlight to find the beginning of the trail. Then Dad turned off the light. All I could make out was the saddle horn in front of me and I started to question my Dad's good sense. To put my mind at ease, he said horses could see better than people and that there shouldn't be any cliffs or flooded creeks along the way. Far as I could tell he believed what he was saying, so I did too and off we went - in the dark.
It was a crazy feeling, trusting an animal to see what I couldn't and to stay on a trail that I didn't know. But after an hour or so the sun came up and that old horse led us out to some of the most beautiful country I had ever seen.
Now I'd like to say life is like that horse, meandering along, taking you to a place you eventually want to end up. But if life is a horse, mine has taken me to the whiskey trough and back, munching on wild crops of cannibis along the way. But I'm learning that the trail isn't as important as who you share it with - like that morning in the mountains with my Dad, it's the company that makes it worth it all. - Dean Brody
I believe that the Higher Power has a plan for us and we should trust to His/Her instincts and not to question his wisdom. All things happen for a reason. I moved from Kamloops to the lower mainland to follow my then boyfriend, the jockey (that's a whole other story), and that's where I ended up getting in to the trade and becoming a jorneyman electrician which has served me well over the years. It's given me the resources to be able to keep my horses and my dogs and keep a roof over my head, food and beer in the fridge, the occasional new pair of jeans and fuel in the truck. So I think that, like Dean, I'll keep trusting that horse and the trail he's leading me down.
Now what more, I ask you, could a girl ask for?
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