Trying to Walk the Dog

Rob is having problems with walking the dog lately...



Me? Not so much....

How to deal with long flights and jet lag....words of wisdom from moi!!

As some of you may know, I just returned from a trip to Bali, Indonesia. Total flying time = 21 hours. Time difference = 12 hours. Although I didnt make it AROUND the world, we did fly over the world as routing was over the North Pole and down to South East Asia. Party on. So here is some wisdom I have gained over this, and many other, long flights as well as combatting the evil jet lag....

1. Get an aisle seat. I dont care if you are short or tall, fat or thin. Get an aisle seat! You can stretch out your legs more, you wont feel claustrophobic and most importantly, you can ask the attendent for water and bevies every time she walks by.

2. Get the pressure socks: I have heard they work. And I really should invest as my ankles ended up looking like this by the time I arrived in Hong Kong. Thats right folks, complete lack of ankle bone.

3. Pee early and often: After about five hours the bathroom will be disgusting and, Im sure, disease ridden. Plus, you can guarantee that there will be some man who wont put the toilet seat down and wont flush the damn toilet either!!

4. Get up and stretch: I recommend the bulk head area unless there is a screaming child, in which case, back near the kitchenette. You can talk up the attendents and get more bevies.

5. Get a nice soft travel pillow: This is the only way to sleep semi-comfortably I have learned. First, take a sleeping pill. Second, place the travel pillow on the back of the seat in front of you. Then lean forward. If you have an a**hole whom insists on putting his or her seat all the way back so that their head is in your lap, this technique just wont work. As for airline attendent intervention.

6. Master the heavy sigh: It will let people know of your irritation without leading to violence.

Toe Update

Its been a week. The toe is coming along nicely - I can walk without a limp! But dancing on pointe is just out.

Below, toe after six days...Nilla was very sympathetic...either that or she was contemplating eating my feet.

Clumsy? Moi??

Oh I am a talented, talented soul....

I hurt my back at the gym last week. Just some muscular tightness - nothing major thank goodness - and in response finally invested in a heating pad. Ahhhh, heating pads....wonderful wonderful things.

Monday, as I was still suffering from the sore back, I decided to use the heating pad while working. Downstairs I went, got said heating pad and a cup of coffee and the, proceeded up the stairs. Not thinking too clearly (hey, I was CARRYING coffee, I hadnt DRANK the coffee), I did not make sure to lift the cord clear of my feet. You can probably guess what happened next....I tripped. At which point I kicked out my left foot to prevent a face plant into the stairs. And I stubbed my toe....uh....bad.

This is my toe after about 8 hours....

And after 24 hours...


The good news is that I saved my coffee in the fall. The bad news is that my running training is now on hold....:(

Big Promotion

So I got a big promotion at the part time job. Cashier manager. Oh yeah baby! The power may go to my head.

So what does this mean? This means that now I have some room to tell customers EXACTLY what I think i.e. customer comes into the store at 10 after 9. Store closes at 9. Tell customer "Im sorry ma'm we are closed," "customer says "what are you going to do ...kick me out?". NOW I can say, YES, YES I AM! GET THE HELL OUT!!!

Oh the power....

Deep Thoughts by MEC

I received a call yesterday from a co-worker asking if "everything was okay" as I had been "awfully quiet lately." After responding that "everything was fine" I realized that I HAD been awfully quiet lately. This wasnt due to an unusually heavy work load or any deep crisis. No. My epiphany was that I periodically had these quiet stages - lasting a few days in length - where I tend to clam up, communicate little with those around me and, one could say, hibernate.

This led me to further self examination. Was I depressed and just didnt realize it? Was it a surge of work ethic (ha ha!). I realized that every couple of months, and most notably after some kind of change, I go through these stages where I slow down, become more quiet, and just absorb all that has happened in life. Who am I (MEC!), where am I (not just in Renfrew!) and where am I going (to work? the gym? Toronto?).

I think I am emerging out of my quiet contemplative days now. Oprah would be proud.