Journey & Adventure

“Mondays are the potholes in the road of life”. Tom Wilson Reasons I Hate Mondays... I always need to stop at the gas station on Monday mornings. One would think I would plan ahead and just fill-up on Sundays, but sadly – no. I guess I’m too stubborn to admit that I didn’t win the weekend lottery and will in fact have to go to work. On Mondays, my commute route is littered by “speed traps”. If I were a cop, I would prefer to catch speeders on a Friday – you know catching them as they race to start the weekend, but sadly I’m not a cop and as such don’t make the rules. Only sick bastard cops insist on catching those poor people that have hit the snooze button a few too many times and then had to stop and get gas and haven’t had their damn coffee yet. Yes, I am speaking from experience! On Mondays, the drive-thru at the coffee shop is always packed with lazy-asses that refuse to get out of their car and walk inside to get their coffee. Yes, I re...

I am happy to report that I scored the tickets I was hoping for. Whoo Hoo!! Funny thing, I actually managed to buy more than I needed. Yup - you see when I was trying to purchase them on line, the best I could get were the 2nd best tickets, so in desperation I purchased them and then I checked ticket availability again and this time, the best tickets were available, so I purchased them too. Thinking I would be such a fantastic mom and treat my son to his first rock concert, I asked my son if he would be interested in going and taking a friend. His response "Ummm, no I don't think so - those guys are old and I don't even know any of their music. It would just be awkward." Whaaat? So now I have an extra set of tickets to unload, which I'm sure won't be too big of a problem - I have friends that are old and would actually appreciate them, not unlike my unappreciative, uneducated, uncultured 17 year old. *sigh* I joke, he is a good kid, but his taste in mu...

I received this in an e-mail yesterday and thought it was quite entertaining. These are apparently random thoughts from 25-35 year olds, but I can certainly relate to most of them and I'm not in this age group...36 maybe. My apologies if you’ve already received it, but unfortunately, I don’t have anything else entertaining to share today. Not that you may find this entertaining, but it is to me, so whatever...enjoy it (or not)...your choice. PS - It's quite long... Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you'...

I wish to thank Jessi @ Jessi, Bob and The Monsters for this wonderful award. Please stop by Jessi's blog and read about her crazy life (staring BBB, many children, many animals) and her upcoming adventure to Djibouti. Thanks again Jessi! The Rules 1. “The Honest Scrap” award is not one to hold all to your self but it must be shared! 2. The recipient has to tell 10 true things about themselves in their blog that no one else knows. 3. The recipient has to pass along this prestigious award to 10 more bloggers. 4. Those 10 bloggers all have to be notified they have been given this award. 5. Those 10 bloggers should link back to the blog that awarded them. 10 Things There are a few people that probably already know some of these things, but they don’t read my blog, so I don't think I’m not breaking any rules. I don’t like ice cream and rarely eat sweets or chocolate. I get bored easily at work and need to be cont...

It's that time of week again - the time where I express my want-of-the-week. This week, I want tickets to see these guys... Tickets go on sale on Saturday, so let's all hope I'm fast enough to snag myself some tickets. Now, I'm off to purchase some additional hair spray and find some platform boots, so I can rock the look...

It constantly amazes me how corporations hire and retain morons, while letting good employees slip through their fingers. When I first started with this company, I thought “Wow, this place is fantastic and everyone really has their shit together. Finally, I’ve made the right move.” Soon however, just like a new penny, the shininess wears off, reality sets in and I’m left feeling tainted. *sigh* I know I shouldn’t focus on the negative and should spend more time focusing on the positive, but with all of the morons surrounding me, it’s hard. Let me explain… Our new payroll person started yesterday. Thank god, we might actually get paid next week. Oh wait, maybe not…here is a sampling of things that I’ve heard through my cube wall over the past two days. Some of the times, her words may have been spoken to me (over the cube wall), other times; I’m not sure who she was talking too. “I can’t figure out how to lower my chair.” Response from me: ...

Today’s rant is brought to you by the construction road crews that litter my commute routes. Dear Pave-All Construction Company, I cannot understand why road construction has started so late in the damn season. Yes, I said LATE in the season. In realize it’s only August, but keep in mind, we are from Canada and summer is short here, so the 3rd week in August is ridiculously late to be starting an entire road resurfacing project. Don’t you agree? What are you thinking? Is there a particular reason why you have chosen this specific route for ripping up the pavement and causing a muddy mess? In my opinion, the road you have chosen does not need to be resurfaced. If you’re looking for work, I’d be happy to point you in the direction of at least 5 other roads on my commute route that are in need of new pavement, but the one you are resurfacing isn’t one of them. You see, I consider myself a bit of an expert in this particular route, as I drive it 5 days a week, 2 times a day for 50...

I went to Jiffy Lube at lunch to have my oil changed. Jiffy Lube is meant to be one of those quick lube places, promising an oil change in 15 minutes or less. This was not to be the case today and after 20 minutes of waiting in line, I became distracted by the Taco Bell drive thru next door and left. Mmmm – Taco Bell . Why do certain parents find it perfectly acceptable to allow their 5 and 6 year old children to behave like demons in public? There is nothing worse than witnessing a 6 year old boy whining like a 2 year old girl. I’d love to give them something to whine about – both the parents and children. My son is about to start his final year of high school and the boy does not have a clue of what he is going to do with the rest of his life. In a mere 6 months, a decision should be made because he will need to start applying to colleges. It’s stressing me out just thinking about his lack of interest in the whole process. The weather is supposed to be c...

I'm making my first attempt at scheduling a post, so if you are actually reading this, it means that I've succeeded. Yeah for me! It also means, that I'm not an idiot after all. O.K., well maybe I am, just not today. Today, instead of blogging working, I will be enjoying a trip to the “ass doctor”. Note the sarcasm in my voice. There will in fact be no enjoyment to this trip. Rest assured; it’s not me that’s going to be in the hot seat (no pun intended). Even I wouldn’t feel the need to share that with you - at least not until I’ve had a few drinks and have gotten to know you better. No, I’m chauffeuring H and believe me after this little visit, “pain in the ass” will hold a whole new meaning - to both of us.

This week, I just want one thing and it’s cheap…solitude. Is that too much to ask for just one day? "I love people. I love my family, my children…but inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up. " Pearl S. Buck

As, I am still awaiting a firm offer of employment from this opportunity, I will share with you another “bad-boss” story. This one is about a guy named Jack. I fondly thought of him as Jack Ass. Jack was from Texas. As you know, everything is apparently bigger in Texas and therefore Jack was the grandest asshole of them all. There are many things that made him an unacceptable boss - for example, this man believed it was perfectly acceptable to submit expense receipts for lap dances and when I questioned the validity of these as business expenses, I was told “not to worry my pretty little head about it” and just submit them as “entertainment expenses”. Yup, who knew? My office was side-by-side with Jack’s and instead of simply walking to my office or picking up the phone and dialing my extension, he would yell down the office corridor. “GIRRRLLL! I say, I say, GIRRRLLL! Can you come in here a second?” Seriously, he sounded like Foghorn Leghorn with his Texas accent and the sl...

Upon reading a few blogs of late, I am noticing a pattern…we are slowly going crazy. I’m noticing that our lives are being driven by outside forces and the driver happens to be a blind-folded monkey, driving a stick shift. Aren’t we supposed to be the masters of our own destiny? Yes we are, but too few of us have received this memo. At least, we should have received the memo, but truth be told, we probably deleted from our inbox without reading it - after all, we don’t have enough time to sort through all of the spam we are inundated by on a daily basis. Why isn’t there a spam filter on life? Life “spam” is delivered in all forms and by all methods and media. Whether it be demands that are placed upon us by our job, our family, friends, our gender, the economy, our pets, the weather; we are all allowing ourselves to be manipulated to the point of self-implosion. Why? Why aren’t we doing anything about it? Why do we continue to allow our li...

Just a photo today ... This photo was taken of a friendly pelican on Bonaire in November, 2008. Bonaire just happens to be where I'll be headed again in a mere 2 months, 30 days and 5 hours, 20 minutes (not that I'm keeping track or anything) with 28 of my closest friends... As with all my photos, this one is courtesy of J.

I have a friend that unexpectedly lost her high-paying, high profile job in October, 2008. Given that she was the major bread winner in the family and he was self-employed with little to no income, friends and family were extremely concerned for their well-being and offers of financial assistance poured in. Soon afterwards, it was revealed that she and her husband had a mortgage in excess of $300,000 and she had credit card debt in excess on $60,000, plus loans for a car and motorcycle. I realize that everyone gets in over their head from time to time, but would like to believe that most of us would see this unfortunate turn of events as a sign that perhaps we need to reevaluate our spending habits and maybe make cutbacks to our existing lifestyles – particularly in light of the economy. Such has not been the case. She (not her husband) has taken no less than 5 vacations within the last 9 months and I’m not talking about mini-weekend getaways. I’m talking full-fledged Caribbean an...

Citizen 20th Anniversary Aqualand Eco-Drive Edition Dive Watch/Dive Computer – This is my “ultimate dream” scuba toy. With the dive watch/dive computer combination, it is fun, functional and eco-friendly, as it never needs a battery - it runs on stored energy from any light source. It’s also water resistance to 660 ft! Not that I could possible survive at that depth; but it’s cool knowing it would. On second it probably wouldn’t last long, considering it’s dependent on a light source. Hmm…regardless of its flaws, I still want it. Panini Press Gourmet Sandwich Maker - I love sandwiches and I especially love grilled sandwiches - grilled cheese, grilled ham and cheese, grilled turkey and swiss. Mmmmm... I have been asked for a Panini press as a Christmas, birthday, mother's day or even Valentine's Day present for two years now. Why isn't my husband listening to me? He likes sandwiches too, so I'm not sure what his problem is. Well, in all fairness to him, ...

I jumped in my car this morning and while I was saying goodbye to my husband, he noticed I had a partially fl at tire. Quickly we switched vehicles, so he could take mine in to have the tire checked. I was thinking what a great husband I had, until he announced that his truck needed to be filled up and it would be great if I could get the oil changed for him on my lunch. $65 later, I was on way to work…ughh! My co-worker on the other side of my cube wall has voluntarily left our company. Although her last day was only on Friday, I’m already missing commiserating with her. I suspect I will miss her more come payday, as she was our payroll coordinator and they haven’t found a replacement for her yet. I arrived at work this morning to find a carrot cake sitting on my desk - not just one piece, but a whole cake! I have our receptionist to thank for that. I just happened to mention in passing yesterday, that I love carrot cake and viola – today I have cake. She...