Sleep sleep glorious sleep

Over the past couple of weeks I have had very little sleep. I have been getting called into work non-stop, which is a good thing (who doesn't love to work?). All these night shifts really get to me because I can be a severe insomniac sometimes. Not only that I was very nauseated and vomited all day last Friday. Could the nausea be linked to a sheer lack of sleep? It only lasted Friday, but I felt pooish all weekend. I didn't eat anything shady on Friday so I'm ruling out food poisoning.

Over this past weekend there was one day where I litereally slept almost all day...not healthy! With all the health research about the benefits of sleep, I am wondering what the long-term effects of 12-hour night shifts will be. Here's to good sleeps and if not at least enough time to get something decent...haha

Happy F*!%ing Birthday to me

I woke up this morning at work at 6:31. It was a little before my watch alarm went off. Typically, these last 30 minutes in the shift are spent cleaning the truck (giving it an external and internal bath) and gathering my belongings. At 6:55 I went to my car and started it, scraped the frost of the windows and got in to drive home. No sooner had I left the parking lot of the ambulance base when I noticed something was NOT right. The car seemed to be driving a little low on the passenger side of the vehicle and was making a weird noise. Immediately I knew, beyond shred of doubt, that I had a flat or almost flat tire. I pulled into the closest parking lot I could find, grabbed my mini portable air compressor and got out of the vehicle to inspect the damage.

With fear and reluctance, I walked to the passenger side of Pedro (my Grand Prix) and assessed the damage. The tire...definitely flat. I hooked up the air compressor and began to fill the tire. I started to see little bubbles of air beading out through the tread. Crap! I knew I would need to suck it up and buy new tires for the front end of my car. It took my tiny little pump half an hour to fill the sad, flat tire - all the while I was very thankful to have my bright, chartreuse paramedic coat on to keep out the cold air. When I got home I had already decided I needed to buy tires immediately for Pedro. I checked around for prices on line and found some cheaper ones at Active Green and Ross here in town. I called up and booked an immediate appointment.

I pulled into the parking lot for Active Green and Ross (herewith called AGR) at 9:26. I went in, chatted with the man at the counter, got a good deal on my tires and went to the pet store to wait 30 more minutes to get the tires changed. My bill was estimated at a little over $300. When I returned from the pet store, the associate behind the counter was looking at me with a sullen expression on his face. Our conversation went like this:

"How long have you had this car?" He asked.
"Since August," I replied.
"You need a tie rod."
"I just had one replaced in November to safety the car."
"It was not replaced."
"No way...how much is this going to cost me?"

He brought out the paperwork and I cringed in disgust. He told me he couldn't let me leave without the following procedures because the car was not safe - it would be against the law to let me leave there.

On the paperwork:

2 tires @ $125/tire, 1 tie rod @ $130, alignment @ $80, 3 hours of labour @ $80/hr, additional fees and taxes. Adds up to over $600. Not what I wanted to spend on my car today, not what I wanted to spend on my birthday. This sudden increase in car fees means that unfortunately, buying a Pomeranian is no longer feasible. So, the thing that I have wanted for WAY too long is not going to happen because of Pedro coming down with a tire/tie rod/alignment problem....arg arg arg!!

Pictures of Pedro for your viewing pleasure

One day until...

Tomorrow is my much dreaded 25th birthday. Not going to lie, I have a lot of anxiety about turning 25. Most say this doesn't or isn't supposed to happen until you're about to turn 30. The only thing I keep thinking about is, "WOW! You are almost officially a quarter of a century old!" I never thought that the whole "I feel old" complex would kick in for me. Every time I have had a birthday, I never really felt different. Now, with me working a "real" job and having been engaged, I am really starting to notice how fast time is passing.

I look in the mirror and for all intents and purposes I still look the same as I did last year at this time. I have a few more bags under my eyes from all the shift work, bigger muscles from working out and the stress my job places on my body, a little less weight than last year, and I'm currently a brunette (something I've tried before but never maintained for such a long time).

Picture of me from last year:


Picture of me from this year:

And then there was two

I spent most of yesterday and today with my ex because I still love him. I'm trying to help him through his problems so he can become a better person. Maybe we'll get back together when he's got his stuff in order. Here's to hope for the future!

She's got Betty Davis eyes

I woke up this morning with this song in my head. Feeling pretty good today. Still trying to love life and smile. To be frank, I'm not really having a hard time either. Quintessentially speaking, everything is as good as it could be right now and will be even better in a few days time when I have my very own living, breathing Pomeranian. As the looming prospect of turning 25 keeps creeping closer and closer, I am left to ponder about these past 25 years of my life. What have I done with myself? Can I honestly say that this is where I always imagined myself being at 25.

1 - living with my parents - not where I hoped I'd be. I kind of wanted to either own a home or be in the process of getting one.

2 - single...again, not what I foresaw but here I am. I had hoped to be married or in the process as well. I made the decision to leave my fiance...so this is 100% my fault.

3 - employed in a field of my dreams. Definitely what I wanted! I had wanted to start this a little earlier than I did and I would have loved to have full-time, but can't complain. There are so many other people who never get into their desired field immediately from college/university.

4 - financially stable. While I guess I can't complain about my current finances, I do get by. It would better to have a lot more excess, but again the whole working part-time can put a damper on this when I have so many expenditures (i.e. car payments, insurance, loans for school, etc.)

5 - own a car. Check! Pedro my 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix and I are happily in love! In a few years I will switch him for a rocking YJ but he's great for the time being.

6 - best shape of my life. Not quite. I'm fit, but maybe a little too soft in some areas. I'm working on it daily though so it will only be a problem for a wee bit longer.

7 - happy. I am happy. I could always be happier.

8 - healthy. Other than my hypothyroidism and anemia, I am as healthy as a horse and built like one too...haha

So, the areas that need to be improved: my relationship status, my part-time employment status, and my current living situation. All the rest is pretty good. Now...if I could only win the lottery too.....haha

FOUND!

1 pint-sized, gingery-russet coloured Pomeranian. Mild temperament, non-yappy, 9 months old, thick coat of fur, likes to cuddle, scared of barks. Goes by the name of Louie. Soon will be called Louis Vuitton and living with a certain Co Co.

Isn't he cute?


Louie's picture came from here and does not belong to me. Although in a few short days he will!!! :D

Rebound Pomeranian?

I have always wanted a Pomeranian! I think that they are adorable little fuzz balls and just looking at one makes me happy. Right now I am going through a really rough time emotionally and more than ever I want to go out and buy one. Now, don't get me wrong, I know that this is not a decision one goes into lightly. A puppy is not an easy thing to take on and definitely require a great deal of attention, love, training and activity. With me working 12-hour shifts on call, it would be hard to make sure that my little fuzz ball would get an adequate amount of Coco time. Would this just be a rebound Pomeranian though, or would it be something that I could and would easily love forever? More than anything I would LOVE to say with 100% certainty that I could and would.

Right now I am torn between two puppies. Both are males, I have yet to decide names. One lives 3 hours away if I drive the posted speed limit. He is very wolf-like in his colouring and the runt of the litter. This means he would potentially be a very tiny adult. He can be found on this Kijiji link - the smallest one on the right-hand side. His breeder would like $600 for him but does not specify whether he is vet checked, micro-chipped or dewormed.

The second puppy is a little over an hour away. He is red-sable in colour and VERY fluzzy (combo of fluff and fuzz). He can be found on this Kijiji link. His breeder wants $700 for him but specifies that he will come vet checked, dewormed and microchipped. I am kind of leaning towards the closer one because it sounds like he is more set up for health, but, the idea of having the weeniest little puppy is a huge draw factor for me.

Some names I was thinking on the top of my head:
- Mr. Moogles, aka the Moogler
- Higgins
- Half Pint
- Squirt
- Gucci
- Louis Vuitton, Louis for short
- Pip Squeak, Pip or Squeak for short
- Truffles
- Amaretto
- Kiku
- Kiwi
- Pickles
- Picolo

I think that seeing how I am turning the big "25" in FIVE days, that I deserve an amazing present and seeing how I am the the only person willing to get me anything, I am going to get myself this gift. Anyone have any opinions about which puppy I should get, or what name I should lean towards?

Pipecleaners?

When I was still enagaged, I went to this one bridal show at the Carlu in Toronto. It was hosted by the Wedding Co. and was simply AMAZING!!! We won a prize pack where we got to go through the show before it opened and look at all the booths. The hosts gave us pipecleaner rings and then showed us how to make them. I absolutely LOVE these rings and have continued to make them for my friends, who adore them as well. Just thought I would give a crash course via photos/instructions on how to make a stylish pipecleaner ring!


Step one:

You will need 4 pipecleaners (at least).
Three in one main colour preferrably and one in a different colour.


Step two:

Wrap three pipecleaners around the finger you plan on wearing the ring on.


Step three:

Twist the pipecleaners around the finger until it is tight enough but comfortable as well.


Step four:

Fan out the pipecleaners until they are equally spaced.


Step five:

Begin to curl the pipecleaners down. Bend the end down as small as possible - the tighter the bend the more circular the petals will end up being.



Step six:

Continue to curl each pipecleaner down. After each pipecleaner is curled, twist the petal to face in the opposite direction (i.e. if you curled the petal to the right, turn the whole petal to the left).


Step seven:

Take the fourth pipecleaner. Wrap this pipecleaner underneath the petals - make sure that the pointy end of the pipecleaner is adequately covered so you don't get poked by the ring when you're wearing it. Usually a couple twists around the base is good enough.


Step eight:

Take the long end of the new pipecleaner and put it through the petals. Start to curl this pipe cleaner down but instead of curling it like a petal, curl it into more of a spring or slinky-like shape.


Step nine:

Once you have curled this pipecleaner completely, squish it down into the petals. It should have a little elevation to it. If there is too much elevation, twist the pipecleaner tighter and continue to squish it together.


Finished product:

Doesn't this ring look so cute? It's a perfect thing to do at birthday parties for little girls or together with your lady friends at bridal showers. Coordinate the pipecleaners and you and your girls can wear them out together when you hit the town. I recently did this with my ladies this past Friday - the complements kept coming all night! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Points to ponder

So throughout the course of the last couple of days, certain "items" have been brought to my attention.

1 - My engagement ring - purchased on borrowed money from my ex's friend - does anyone else find that bothersome? He still owes his friend more than half of the purchase price...who gets in debt before the wedding? Big no-no!

2 - Not once, after I made my decision, was I asked by my ex, to reconsider, to try to work things out, or to stay.

3 - My ex's main priority at this time does not appear to be trying to get me to change my mind but rather, to purchase a large amount of expensive things that he does not need

4 - My ex seems to be rather amused/excited at the idea of bachelorhood. Is this what he had wanted all along? Was he purposely behaving like a grand ol' douche-bag to make me cancel the wedding and leave him?

Having mutual friends has made these factoids apparent to me. I don't know whether to be appalled or thankful that I got out of things with enough advanced notice. Who does that? I mean...SERIOUSLY!!!

Starts with Goodbye

This song pretty much sums up how I am feeling right now. Made a very difficult decision: hearts were broken, tears were cried, things were packed and moved...I guess it's all part of growing up and being a responsible adult. Sad things is: I still really love him...

Starts with Goodbye

I was sitting on my doorstep
I hung up the phone and it fell out of my hand
But I knew I had to do it
And he wouldn't understand


So hard to see myself without him
I felt a piece of my heart break
But when you're standing at a crossroad
There's a choice you gotta make


I guess it's gonna have to hurt
I guess I'm gonna have to cry
And let go of some things I've loved
To get to the other side


I guess it's gonna break me down
Like fallin' when you try to fly
Sad but sometimes
Moving on with the rest of your life
Starts with goodbye


I know there's a blue horizon
Somewhere up ahead, just waiting for me
Getting there means leaving things behind
Sometimes life's so bitter sweet


I guess it's gonna have to hurt
I guess I'm gonna have to cry
And let go of some things I've loved
To get to the other side


I guess it's gonna break me down
Like fallin' when you try to fly
It's sad but sometimes
Moving on with the rest of your life
Starts with goodbye


Time heals the wounds that you feel
Somehow, right now


I guess it's gonna have to hurt
I guess I'm gonna have to cry
And let go of some things I've loved
To get to the other side


I guess it's gonna break me down
Like fallin' when you try to fly
It's sad but sometimes
Moving on with the rest of your life
Starts with goodbye


I guess I'm gonna have to cry
And let go of some things I've loved
To get to the other side


Start to wave goodbye
Like fallin' when you try to fly
It's sad but sometimes
Moving on with the rest of your life
Starts with goodbye


Na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na, yeah


These lyrics are not my own, nor is the song - it belongs to Carrie Underwood Copyright: © GREEN WAGON MUSIC © UNIVERSAL-POLYGRAM INT'L PUB INC

Crazy idea!

So while searching online today I found a blog with the most interesting premise. The entire blog is all about pictures shot from the blogger's mobile phone. Those who know me would tell the world that I LOVE to take pictures - most of the time they aren't that good, in fact, sometimes I go a little too camera happy. I think I am going to try to incorporate my love of picture taking on this blog....don't worry - I am not going to go overboard! I will try to focus on things that are inspiring or unique. Sometimes there will be a post with just a picture and no explanation - depending on how bizarre or interesting the photo is! Stay tuned for more! Here's a couple of pictures from 2009:

Flowers I grew in my garden in the spring



A sunset on the way to work one day



Props to anyone who can guess where this was taken



A pretty summer sky scene