Well I didn't buy gas. Did you?



Oh for the record I wasn't participating in the gasout. I just didn't need to fill the tank. And in the pouring rain I was hardly going to go out and fill the tank and get soaked just to make some anti protest protest.

So what did you end up doing gas wise?

I bet you smart ones rode, walked or took transit to work!

One of the stops on my way home from the northlands was at a grocery store to get a sandwich. I wasn't in the mood for McD's or other fast food.

I picked up a roast beef and cheese sandwich (reasonally priced and good). Then got wandering. .Bad idea. Picked up pretzel chips (okay but likely wouldn't buy again unless I had cream cheese around), Lavish flatbreads, light havarti cheese and some sort of blue cheese bacon dip. Oh yeah and a diet coke.

I'll be eating the sandwich for lunch tomorrow. Thinking with some pears and mesculin mix the dip might make a nice blue cheese salad and get me some veggies.

I spent $20 and got way more food than I needed. Any reason folks say not to go shopping hungry?

This is the first Mother's day without my Mom. I have been in a really strange mood this evening and I wonder if that is part of what is doing it.

My mother is in a much better place. The Alzheimer's was stealing her mind the last few years. I don't miss her that way but I do miss, and have for a number of years, the mother I grew up with.

Please do something extra special for your Mom this Mother's day. Not monetarily - that is really meaningless but in terms of giving of yourself. Especially if you have been estranged or distant. Trust me, you'll never regret it.

Sorry for the maudlin post.

I've been getting my balcony cleaned up over the last year. All the crap out there has now gone. I've had netting put up to keep out those blasted pigeons. The concrete floor has been scrubbed and pigeon poop removed.

The floor needs a last rinse (but out of courtesy for my neighbours below I'll wait for when its raining to add extra liquid to the water already falling, and then its time for furnishing.

I'd really like to put a cover on the floor. Flooring I've found costs money. I've looked at utility tile - not much nicer on the feet than the concrete. Astroturf stuff is just gross in my opinion. Outdoor carpet is a possiblity as are those activity tiles that are sold for children's playrooms. A cotton runner that can be washed is also being considered.

I think I've found some chairs and I have a low table but a bistro style table would be nice...

Dang.. this is going to run to a couple of hundred dollars and that's if I restrain myself from getting plants too. Plants would likely run up the cost another $50 t $100.

Oh well.. about another week or so til I need to have it done so I still have some time to angst.

I got a preapproved "upgrade" offer to move to a gold Visa card today. I would earn airmiles if I took this card and get a special bonus of 15,000 airmiles when I made my first purchase on the card.

Sounds good eh?

Then I read this: " Aeroplan Flighr Rewards. The convenience of a premium credit card. Acceptance worldwide. All the benefits of the ___ Aerogold Visa card can be yours for only $120 a year, with a current competative interest rate of 19.5%...."

Competative 19.5% .. ouch.. makes me happy this isn't a standard or a poor risk card.

I used the email money transfer feature from my bank yesterday. Was pretty easy and according to the person I sent the money to I didn't screw it up.

I likely won't be doing it too much as there is a $1.50 service charge from my bank. Pffft on that. I work downtown and all four major banks (or is that all 5?) are within a 5 minute walk from the office. Ironically it is more work for them when I walk into a bank with cash and do a third party deposit into someone's account - BUT - that way I get no service charge.

Still its nice knowing this service exists and that it is within my abilities to use it!

I have a case of the "I wants" today. As a friend says "I'm in magpie mood". New things are bright and shiny and I want them cause well I want them...

Right now my magpie side is in deep lust for the following:

*a small lap top (no more than 12 inches)
*cell phone
*Sony digital camera (saw this nice $400)
*Bernina 440 with BSE ($3500)
*Flat Screen monitor for old computer at least 22 inches
*Flat Screen TV (30 inches)
*new furniture (not shiny but I want it anyways)
*patio furniture
*upright freezer and frost free fridge
*apartment sized portable washer and dryer
*new car (if i get all that I might as well get a new car too)

And i'm no fool - I'm not going near a store until my lust for material things is replaced by some common sense.

My name is yummy and I'm addicted to Ocean Express. I love this game. Started playing it on the pogo free site but its on yahoo games and a ton of other sites.

Its like reverse tetris in a way. Pattern matching which this really is, is soothing in some strange way.

I am so liking it I'm almost tempted to buy it. I did the download and did the hour of free play. That hour went by really quickly (reminded me of recess at school).

I think the game costs about $20 US. I'm so tempted but with exchange and taxes... blech...

Why? Well cause I've been dealing with the gawd awful calculator at work with a weak solar cell - my additions would fade out on me.

And today I got me a brand new calculator! The order finally came in!



And yes I do use excel.. but sometimes you just want to add numbers and both excel and the microsoft online calculator suck when all you want to do is a quick calculation!

Oh yeah and I'm "working" from home tomorrow. Woo hoo.. a sorta long weekend!!

It was a really good mail day today! No bills, a sample from Head and Shoulders, a free magazine from Homebasics including coupons and samples and coupons from Garnier.

Seriously, could they have made the meeting longer? The meeting started at 11am. We had a quick break (10 minutes) for lunch and then the meeting ran til 7:30 tonight. Oh and I had one 1/2 hour meeting before that at 10am.

I bought a bagel, donut and a decaf coffee on the way home from work. I'm wiped. The good news is I should only have 2 meetings tomorrow - each about one hour in length.

Ages ago I mentioned I was writing to pine sol to mention my problem with scents. Their answer was basically "they can't suggest anything because all products have some scents and everyone is different, thanks for writing"

You are so welcome pine sol folks. Your answer was oh so helpful.

Went for my physical today. I'm overweight but thanks to my pear shape I'm in better shape that I would be if I was an apple shape. I think this is the first time in my life having a huge butt, hips and thighs has been a good thing....

Of course I ended up with a PAP test - but better a bit of indignity than having to deal with the great big C down the road (ladies reading this please get a pap test if you haven't had one in the last year).

I'm being sent for one referral and for a mammogram and a bone scan. Fun.. fun.. fun...

Anyone here have armpits that really care about the scent of your deoderant? I mean really!

Has anyone said to you "ooh that smells like you are wearing the new meadow breeze scent and that is so much nicer than that old spring breeze scent you wore. I never told you but that old scent was disgusting - kinda like a meadow that had just been fertalized".

Like really? You want to smell whafts of scent from your pits all day?

Personally I'm old fashioned and happiest when I can't smell my pits. If I want to wear perfume I'm not looking for Degree, Speedstick, Secret or Arrid to be my signature scent.

(this rant brought to you by an offhand comment someone made to me about how different companies are always changing the scents of their deoderants -which is why we can often get freebies or really good deals on clearnance)

Another day.. another dollar.. a few more grey hairs and a few more frazzled nerves (can you relate?).

My boss took me out for lunch and we had a couple of beers each - a coworker joined us for the beers part and our boss picked up the tab. I so wasn't expecting him too a super nice surprise!

Got back to work and found out that everything I had done for the last few days (mega OT involved) was wrong. One of my coworkers found this incredibly amusing. I didn't. This wasn't a slight chuckle he was having but an all out belly laugh that included some stomping of his feet.I threw some pencils and pens at him and he kept laughing anyways. Blech..

I didn't do any damage and it was all in the spirit of good fun (I'm a lousy shot at the best of times). We went through the new data and found while different the way we did our analysis it only made a small difference - so crisis averted. Thank goodness

I left work a lot earlier than usual but a bit later than I hoped to as the coworker who had the laughing fit had questions for me.

Yes I work in a nuthouse and I'm one of the inmates...

Not really money related.. but amusing..

Every once in a while an email at work will make me shake my head.

We got one today that said that there was this situation where this individual had an illness (something to do with the prostrate), needed surgery, and then required Viagra; in order to ensure a proper recovery. Okay, whatever.

The email made an offhand comment that the claimant could be our grandmother.

I sometimes get really really scared at work.

To Whom it may concern:

I'd have more confidence in your ability to provide up to date Financial advice if you updated the poster in the window to provide statistics to the end of 2006. Showing me stats from 2000 to 2005 do nothng to inspire confidence in your services and ability to provide up to date advice

Signed

An amused passer by.

Frugal: Buying a bottle of wine at the resort because you can keep it over the weekend and finish it the next night at dinner - you save buy buying it by the bottle and not by the glass

Not Frugal: Drinking it all that night anyways because you are having such a good time!

It is a very drinkable and "light" chardonnay - not exceptional but tasty. I always enjoy this. I think it is about a 1 so not overly dry.

I'm very proud of myself - I'm on a weekend away.

I'm sitting here drinking vast amounts of coffee and hoping to come fully awake soon.

Had a nice quiet easter weekend. Lots of recharging done and moved ahead on the "make a real room out of the storage bin that my second bedroom has become". Got quite a lot accomplished on that. This involves cleaning up my quilt fabric stash. Any quilters will know that a fabric stash quickly moves out of control. I have stuff today to go to goodwill as well as some things for the foodback that I forgot I put in there.

Have a card to send out today towards a memorial brick. Someone I have met a few times died after a battle with cancer. I wasn't that close to him but I'd like to contribute. I have card ready to go in the mail with a small contribution. Other than that yesterday was a no spend day which was nice.

Didn't cook ahead this weekend. Likely not a smart idea but I have a small stash of leftovers that should take me a ways into this week.

Despite my late start I managed to spend a good load of money today.

First stop the bank to get some cash and deposit some cheques. That done I did a Timmies stop (Tim Horton donuts) for steeped tea and a treat!

Then off for some maintenance. Had a blast at the hair place. Helped a kid decide on a style, tons of joking around with the staff and other patrons. My hair looks great - though once again I had to get the brush out as soon as I left to get rid of the dorky way she styled it. For some reason they always style it very strangely - or maybe that is normal and what I do is really strange.

Then a stop for some aesthetic services so I now have nice smooth bits was well as pretty fingers and toes.

Picked up a couple things at staples and then it was off to the Liquor store for some Beer. Easier to get to from where I was going and I get air miles there that I don't get at the Beer Store. Well they didn't have the brand of beer I wanted (they were out) so it was off to the Beer Store.

Then a quick trip to Canadian Tire to get some housewares stuff...

I'm shopped out!

This video is absolutely riveting and has made me think about how adverting affects (or is that effects, I'm such a bad grammarian) society's values.

The video is about 1/2 an hour long. I was suprrised at how quickly the half hour went by and how interesting it was. Definitely worth the watch IMHO.

If you watch it I'd be very interested in what you thought of it.

I'm tired. I'm happy tomorrow is a holiday here (Good Friday). Any friday one doesn't have to work is a very good day indeed.

My plan right now is to make tomorrow a no spend day. There are some things I want to do here but most of all I want to unwind and take it easy.

I keep thinking I should step up into the modern age and get a cell phone.

A few things so far have stopped me

1. Liking not having to be accessible to everyone all the time

2. The cost

3. The angst involed in choosing a plan (and then immediately finding a deal that would have been better)

4. Twenty years ago people who talked to themselves animatedly in public were thought to be crazy. Now they are hip and using a blue tooth. I'm too old to pass myself off as hip and I'm too young to be want to be seen as a crazy old lady.

So, so far I've stayed a luddite.

I bought lunch and a few things at Whole Foods today! Even with a free product coupon for Soy Milk ($4.39 for 1.89L of Silk which was totally outrageous)the bill came to nearly $30 - OUCH. I see how it has the name Whole Paycheck! LMA0!

No need to pack lunch today because it is potluck day. Our potlucks are a big event quite often as our entire floor gets in on it - with about 80 people I'd say! This one is an easter bonnet theme but I'm not feeling festive enough to go and buy an easter bonnet. I don't suppose a baseball cap or a beret would be a substitute?

I do have to remember to bring the stew though! It looks like it came out pretty good! We'll see how people like it!

A while ago I got annoyed my tupperware collection and tossed everything but the containers from one set (all from Superstore/Loblaws/NoFrills - no name brand that they sell 30 pieces for $10 or 6-8 of one size for $2.99).

At last I have them contained in a small area and no longer take ages to find them! As I use them for lunch everyday it makes it so much easier to do dishes - now I have an easy place to put them away after they are clean.

Little things but makes it easier to take lunch everyday and cook ahead. Also means I have more room in the cupboards as the tupperware fits in a small spot

Got my interest cheque in respect of my last month's rent payment - $61 - Yeah it is rent on my money but still nice when the landlord sends me a cheque rather than me sending him one.

That will happen again soon enough - the first is not that far away!

Dang it! Dang it! Dang it!

If its not enough we all have 5 million passwords to remember now we have to remember security questions too.

Obviously by the tone of this post I am not going a good job of this.

Now I'm locked out of my checking and savings accounts.

A friend and I share a subscription to a dinner theatre. Being the thrifty souls we are we go midweek so it is only half the cost it would be on the weekend!

Tonight was Guys and Dolls. I had never seen the performance and really enjoyed it, though I didn't like the voice of one of the singers that much!

Tomorrow morning is going to be painful.