Watching People In Labour

Willem and I took in Hamilton's Labour Day parade. There was a dragon, and we got a frisbee and some candy and there were dogs and buses and trucks and an old timey school teacher and whistles and pipers and waving and fun. Awww.

So You're Leaving The Wolf With The Lambs?

A couple of my roommates went to Costco this week. Among many things, their trip yielded the classic Monster Mix bucket of candy. I say classic because a friend's mother buys her one every year to share with her friends. So the bucket of candy has been a staple at Pony Villa (and dorms before that). Anyway, it came out that I might be the only one home on Hallowe'en night.

Let's break this down - everyone else gone, me alone with an entire bucket of candy, the expectation that at the end of the night the bucket will be empty. Hmmmm.

I wonder how this will all play out.... wonder indeed.

Life (updated, with a big side note)

The side note comes first. Side note on the side note - did I make that up? Is there such a thing as a side note? Or is that a term I invented in my head and use with such frequency that others both believe it and use it?

Ok - so in the past month or so I have found out 3 pieces of information that people should never, ever have told me. The information they gave me is oh, so very dangerous in the hands/mind of someone like myself.

1. One friend told me that when I change my facebook status she gets a text messagey buzz thing to her phone. That's right, every time I change my facebook status her pocket or purse or desk buzzes. Oh the power.
2. Another friend told me pretty much the same thing, but its with emails. He is doing something in construction or landscaping. So I'm pretty sure if I send my emails right I could be responsible for having him fall off a roof or taking his foot off with a shovel.
3. I was also informed that the labour organization for which I am a contract worker, uses Google Alerts. Thusly, when they are mentioned online a dude in Vancouver (I think) gets an email telling him about it. And I am not going to lie, that totally makes me want to embed the 4 letter abbreviation for this organization (to be named later in the post) in random posts that have nothing to do with it, just because I know someone is going to get an alert about it. And does that make me immature, irresponsible, silly, power hungry, a little dumb? Yes, yes it does.

So, a slight clarification on my job. I do not actually work for that labour group. I am an independent contractor, doing some work for them. I'm doing some pretty cool work with some often very complicated documents. The end result will be a lot of good for a lot of people. So I'm actually pretty tickled to be a part of the process. I'm also tickled to be getting a pay cheque - oh to be able to tell Rogers to reactivate my cell...sigh.

Its a pretty sweet deal. I work from home and make my own hours (there some stipulations in there). So I love going to bed at night and wondering, "hmm, what time do I want to get up and go to work tomorrow?" Its all pretty much determined by what else I'm doing in that day. I also love the whole dressing for work thing. I can get up, put on the same pair of basketball shorts that I've been wearing all week, throw on a clean t-shirt and I'm set. Mmm, I also enjoy being able to swear both at the computers and the documents in the privacy of my dinning room. That same privacy is nice when I have to get up to stop my back from hurting and I do crazy dances, or hop on my exercise ball to loosen up.

It lacks a little more sugar (hello pay cheque) and a comfy chair (borrowing one tomorrow) and then I'll pretty much be the queen of contractors.

Saving Money For New Pants

Some of you long time readers may remember that I am broken. And by that I don't mean in the spiritual sense (though there is always that too :| ), but that my back sucks. If you are a current in-the-flesh friend, especially one with strong hands then you likely hear me bitch about my back, legs, butt and solicit your strength to alleviate the worst of the pain. Its been like this for a few years and you'd think that my Mom's multiple surgeries, the injections she gets in her spine for pain management or the fact that most of her conditions are genetic might push me into action to build up core muscles, drop extra weight and just make things better for my body. You might think that. But you'd be wrong if you did.

I started a rehab program today (for my back, you jerks - you're just gonna have to live with all that other stuff). Its a build up my core, drop that extra weight that sits in my 'here' and save myself from surgery or explosion (when I try to have kids) program.

What prompted this you might ask? Women's fastpitch. I want to return to women's fastpitch. I'm not asking for PWSA Tier I or anything. I realize that I have to ease back into that windmill with a hop. I know I've been away from competitive ball for a long time so I'm gonna be rusty. But man, watching Chelsea play last month may have moved me to tears because I miss that game so much. May have. So I want to play competitive ball next summer and I can't be a chubby, broken women to play it (well).

I enlisted the help of one of the Phys Ed profs at Redeemer to help me set some realistic goals, and to help with the know-how. 'Cause I really didn't know what I needed to do to build things up, pare things down, and tone things around. I got the help, the routine has been worked out. I'm getting a how to use scary machines review later this week and well, I'm doing it.

I figured if I blogged about it, it might bring up some accountability. So you have permission to ask me about it. Ask me how its going, where my struggles are, where the victories have come, etc. Oh, and even though I'm working out and such, you can still take me out for Big Macs, pizza, cheesy bread, and buffalo chicken fingers. Its ok. I promise.

Trick or Treat

I went trick or treating. I dressed up as a city worker named Steve.



I went with my friend Melissa. She is both young and cute.



Her cuteness gives my age credibility with those handing out candy. Wouldn't you want to give candy to us?



This was my favourite punkin.


The End.