Journey & Adventure

My boss is an ass. Until today, I thought he respected my opinion and certainly valued my ability to make comprehensive, well-informed decisions in his absence. Apparently, that is not the case and I am viewed as a moron that can’t possibly correctly interpret a clause in a contract without the assistance of someone else. Long story short, he is on holidays and in his absence, I’m typically “in charge” of answering any legal questions that may arise. Anyhow, I was copied on an e-mail chain, which I obviously shouldn’t have received, in which my boss sent to another individual in the company, stating “you may need to provide her (me) with your interpretation skills” (because she is too stupid to read the clause herself). That little e-mail has certainly made my “Should I Stay or Should I Go” decision a lot easier. It’s a long weekend in Canada . Monday, August 3 rd is the actual h...

Photo: Shamelessly borrowed from Threadless . NOTE: My bike is not missing, I just found this too funny not to share.

Without the distraction of quality television programming during the summer months, I find myself paying closer attention to television commercials than I normally would. O.K. that’s a bit of a lie - truth be told, I’m a commercial and advertisement junkie. I admittedly purchase items based solely on their advertising appeal or attractive packaging. For example, I’ve been converted by the Most Interesting Man in the World and now my beer of choice is Dos Equis. Although my decision to purchase a MacBook was not at all based on the brilliance of the PC vs. Mac Guy commercials, I could see how one could be easily swayed to believe that if you own a Mac, iPhone or iPod, it comes complete with an interesting life, lots of friends and excitement too. Brilliant and disturbing at the same time… I’ve been know to boycott items because I’ve disliked their advertising. For example, I refuse to purchase the Charmin brand of toilet paper. I find these commercials disturbing on s...

When my blog was first started, it was done so with the intention of sharing some of my travel experiences, and perhaps some travel tips, hints, websites, etc. Since I haven’t been on a trip since February and my recent travel experiences have been limited to my daily commute, there hasn’t been a wealth of anything useful to share, except perhaps how to maneuver a roundabout. Now that summer is upon us and the summer travel season is in full swing, I thought perhaps now is a good time to provide you with some travel etiquette tips. Today, I will feature airline travel tips. The opinions expressed here are solely mine and the information provided here may or may not provide you with a better travel experience. Your personal satisfaction is not guaranteed and your travel experiences may vary, but I can guarantee that your fellow travelers will appreciate the effort. Well maybe not. Let me rephrase that – I will appreciate the effort. Tips Chec...

With the emergence of social networking sites like MySpace, Twitter and Facebook, why have we felt the need to over-share intimate details of our lives? Have we really become that self-absorbed that we feel the need to provide a play by play on what you are actually thinking at the moment (and not the thoughts that should be shared)? I’m just as guilty as the next person for over-sharing from time to time. I have posted a thing or two that felt warranted at the time it was posted, but when a clearer head prevailed, I was slightly embarrassed by my comments. This is what I call a common sense filter and while mine might not function at 100% capacity all of the time, it does the job it should. I had assumed we all had one, but apparently I am wrong. For example, my Facebook home page has become a bleak landscape of stuff I don’t really care about and to be honest, I am embarrassed to have every accepted these people as my “friends”. I’m a very open minded person and am certainly ...

Life is a gift, accept it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is a mystery, unfold it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a struggle, face it. Life is beauty, praise it. Life is a puzzle, solve it. Life is opportunity, take it. Life is sorrowful, experience it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a goal, achieve it. Life is a mission, fulfill it. Author unknown In loving memory of my Mom (1949-2007)

Sorry for the bulleted post, but I’m having difficulty forming complete thoughts today… I am happy to report that my son has safely returned from his Alaskan vacation. He had a wonderful time, made a lot of new friends and brought home a ton of happy memories and a ton of laundry to go along with those memories… Funny thing, he completely lost track of his days and didn’t realize his birthday had come and gone. It wasn’t until the next day that he clued in that he had gained a year. It makes me kind of sad that he didn’t miss us, but it does mean he was having a great time and wasn’t thinking about home. I guess that’s either the sign of a distracted boy or a true holiday… Turns out, I worried for nothing, with the exception of one thing, he actually returned home with everything he left with - his passport, camera, wallet and even some money (shocking, I know). The “exception” turns out to be his girlfriend. Although he didn’t physically “take” her along, he did “have” one before...

I should start by saying that I am not a vain person and I don’t spend a lot of time parading myself in front of the mirror; however I now feel the need to be a little more vigilant so that these things don’t sneak up on me… I know what you are likely thinking and no, I did not discover a wrinkle – those have been around forever and in any event, I prefer to call them “experience creases”. Nor did I discover a new patch of gray hair – those too have been common knowledge for a few months now. If you care to read more about that traumatic event, you can click here . This discovery is much worse than those that have come before. To my horror, while I was applying face cream this morning, I noticed I had company and like most house guests, this one was not welcomed either. A wart you say? No, that would have been welcomed compared to this… I know it wasn’t there when I went to bed last night, so at some point during my “beauty” slumber, I was accoste...

Today, I can completely relate to Chuck...

Expectations are imposed upon us at an early age and then reinforced throughout life, although I’ve learned that my expectations of myself and what is expected of me by others usually vary. “Reexamine all that you have been told in school, or in church or in any book. Dismiss whatever insults your soul.” Walt Whitman As a young girl, you are expected to act like a lady, listen to your parents, keep your room clean and get good grades. As you proceed through adolescence, the expectations shift only slightly – you are still expected to act like a lady, don’t disappoint your parents, keep your room clean, get goods grades, start thinking about a career and find a nice boy to take care of you in case all else fails. This pattern continues throughout adulthood. Now more than ever, you need to act like a lady, be on your best behavior at all times, refrain from speaking your mind, keep your house clean, look after your family (that is assuming you have found a n...

I’ve discovered a new show that has quickly become a favorite of mine. I’ve never felt the need to seek out a particular show on television or set my PVR to record it in my absence (mainly because I don’t know how to work the television on my own); however this show has become the exception. This program is guaranteed to make me laugh and sometimes cry and although I’ve only been watching it for a couple of weeks now, I’ve become an addict. The only possible explanation for my new found addiction is the resemblance of the cast members to my own family. Yes, I'm in love with Orangutan Island on Animal Planet. What can I say? My dad has told me more than once “there are still monkeys living in our family tree” and while I was always perplexed by the statement, I now understand what he meant, as I find there to be an inexplicable bond to these handsome creatures.

T oday is my son’s 17 th birthday. As he is on a boat somewhere along the Alaskan coast and a phone call is not feasible, I’ve tried to send him a text message and cannot figure out the damn alphabet on the phone pad – all I’ve been able to come up with is “Hisspy Bistry”. Perhaps a new phone with a complete keypad or an iPhone would solve my texting challenges. On my drive into work this morning, I had to pass no fewer than 9 cars, a dump truck and a school bus. I had assumed that they must have thought it was Sunday given they were out for a leisurely drive in the country. Where is summer? If you’ve seen it, I would appreciate it if you would send it my way. A generous reward is being offered for its safe return to my backyard. Canadian summers are short enough and without it, I’m becoming suspect of my mental stability. I just grabbed a juice box from the refrigerator here at work (one of our perks) and I quite possibly look like the biggest moron on the ...

Continued from Part 1...in celebration of my 100th post (although this is now post #101), here is the rest of the list (riveting I know). In the last ten years, I have had six different jobs - thus, the need to keep busy. If I won the lottery, I would start my own travel consulting business or perhaps an all female construction company. I love thunderstorms. I have two tattoos and would like to get another one. I believe in speaking my mind, but also know when to keep my mouth shut. I am an Aries. I do not like Star Trek or Star Wars, but they are my husband’s favorite movies. I would be perfectly happy not owning a television, but could not live without my iPOD. I wish I could afford to only work 3 days a week and volunteer for 2. I spend more time complaining about my treadmill than I do actually using it. I love to read, but never seem to find the time. I’ve never been overly concerned with my weight, but can’t stand the size of my butt. I have written a children's book and hav...

As today marks a monumental occasion – my 100th Blog Post, I’ve decided to commemorate it, by composing “the list” that I have seen posted on so many other blogs. As daunting as it was at first, it was a good exercise to reflect upon my life – as dysfunctional as it may be. If you don’t care to know anymore about me than you already do, I would suggest that you hit the “back” button now, otherwise consider yourself forewarned… I love to take long afternoon naps. My drink of choice would be margaritas, but I’m too lazy to make them, so I settle for beer. I have never thrown up. I dislike mushrooms and olives. I am terrified of frogs and toads. My favorite place to eat breakfast is Denny’s. The first concert I went to was Cyndi Lauper. The best concert I went to was Meat Loaf. I set my watch 5 minutes fast. I do 80% of my Christmas shopping online. I do not like winter. I played hockey when I was younger and wish I still did. I commute 180 km/112 miles round-trip per day. My...

“This indecision's bugging me…” (excerpt from the lyrics from 1981 hit from the Clash) Hmmm…my horoscope for today is right on the money: “Working on an elusive answer to a complicated question? Don't give up, it looks like you'll find it pretty soon. You may have even passed over it a couple of times.” A few months ago, I was approached, out of the blue by on old acquaintance that has asked me to join his legal team. I was able to postpone a commitment to him at that time by simply telling him I was interested at the moment, but who knows where I would be in 6 months time. Boy, does time fly as six months is now upon me and I received the phone call from him again. I’m a firm believer that you should not close a door or burn any bridges, so I agreed to meet him to see what he had to offer. Stupid me…I’m now faced with a decision – should I stay or should I go? Although, I’m not totally miserable where I currently am, I’m not totally happy either. Pro...