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?