Oh Canada!

Yeah, I'm back and somewhat better than ever - down at least 30 pounds from my visit last year. So that's good, right?

In fact, I'm 30 pounds lighter from the beginning of the year, it's amazing what watching what you intake while exercising daily can do for your body. It also has helped with my outlook on life and I do believe I have a little more energy.

I did have some draining experiences getting into the country however, apparently the laws change up here a lot or something, but I didn't have the correct paperwork filled out - not my fault, I promise - and I had to come back the next day to sort things out and get my passport back.

Nothing like being in a foreign country without your passport, even if it is Canada, one of the friendliest countries ever! I'm not saying that for fear of deportation either, I'd have to do some sort of heinous crime for that to happen now or stay past March 16 which won't happen because um, it's cold here. Oh and I have a plane to catch on the 14th.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw those few words down because well, to be honest, I'm bored at the moment.

Enjoy your day!

8

That's the temperature it is outside this morning.

EIGHT!

At least it isn't windy. I guess.

It Didn't Even Reach Seventy

I think.

Did we notice that the calendar says August 22?

August, as in the month thrown in with the "Dog days of summer?"

Yo, Mr. Former Vice President that is making a lot of money from scaring people about the whole environment thingy, being our - as in humans - fault.

Take another toke, because whatever you are smoking, sure isn't common sense.

I shall step down now, and go find my down comforter.

Oh What a Day!!

I love days like this. They tend to challenge you as a human being and make you realize how lucky you really are.

Unfortunately, they also show that there are flaws in people and places that you would never expect.

Alas! I just love that word, and I'm not even sure what it means. I think.

It was Freaking' COLD this morning! Now normally I don't bitch and whine about the cold. Living here sixteen years I have found that there is always a week in January where the temperatures drop to places I would rather not see.

That was last week.

Yesterday it was near 50. This morning -5. That is nearly 55 degrees of difference in about 18 hours. Yikes!! No shorts today.

Of course there were no shorts today - it's a day of work and the frivolity that entails. Today, it was mostly work. Little Miss E. asked if she was getting fired on Friday. All I said was I don't know. That is being as honest as I can be. I know that the 'big guy' wants to let her go but, with him, you never know. Another mostly work item was/is the end of billing for the month.

Ugh, not much today, at least for now. Have to head home for 'family time!'

Oh, What a Day!

The alarm goes off at 4:17am.

I completely, totally, unconditionally hate that alarm! I also ignore it.

At 5:20am the REAL alarm goes off!

"Roger, Wake Up!"

Nnnn. I dnn wnnannana

"Just Get Up!"

Okakskk - or something like that! I don't really recall. I was still asleep.

Shower, skip shave, skip the other (that will come in time, believe me), get dressed and open the door to the frigid land of Chicago! Okay, technically not Chicago, but who the heck knows where Batavia is? Plus, it's actually colder here than by the lake.

But cold is cold, right?

Start the car, on the first attempt no less. Good car. :-) I thank my car every time it starts, I like to keep it happy.

Work, scratch that, PITA begins...

To summarize, woman no one likes comes back after two months of malin..., err injury/disability time, meeting to control every one Else's temper, frozen lift gate, cranky boss, inept employees, sick employees, quarterly waste of time meeting, no OT announcement, boss leaves, I look like a deer in headlights, go home.

Enjoy dinner with the family. First time in while. It was great, except that Benjy was a tad bit upset about #6 hitting the back key while he was uploading something for Maple Story. No more ski trip for Benjy. Too bad, because I was looking forward to going.

Off to RE. That would be Religious Education for those of you not in the know. Eighth grade plus Benjy. Benjy is taking seventh and eighth grade religious ed so he can get confirmed this year. We have a First Holy Communion and a Confirmation this year. Anyway, my neighbor asked me to teach her class for her (she had tickets for the Bulls game). Actually she asked my wife if I could teach, knowing that I love teaching! So off I go to teach the eighth graders about God, actually we were talking about Mary and the Communion of Saints. Was I nervous? Naw, I probably knew most of these kids anyway. Okay, that wasn't true but I still wasn't nervous. I have twenty-odd people that work for me, and I teach thirteen kindergartners Sunday School every week, what is there to be nervous about?

Nada. Zip. Nyet. Nothing.

That's right. Sure it started off a little slowly, but when Mr. Bug gets on a roll, there is just no stopping him. I believe that the kids not only had fun, but even learned a thing or two.

Next up, Girl Scout Cookies....

I am a sucker that is born every minute. I am also the 'Cookie Dad,' and have been for the past three - or is it four years, and I had to prepare the sheets for cookies. I dread this part because the forms are in triplicate and I tend to always make, at least, one mistake. I also have to add up all the cookies ordered, and then make sure I am ordering enough cases of cookies. Then there are the rewards, and figuring out what the girls wanted. It usually takes me about an hour to get through it all. Next month, it's pestering the parents to come and pick up the cookies, then pay for them. Why I choose to do this is unclear, actually the only, I repeat ONLY reason I am doing it this year is because Jenni is the troop leader.

That is it. No other reason. I don't even like the cookies anymore. (Okay, small lie there, I do like them, sorta, kinda a lot)

So, I am dreading the ordering, and guess what? They made it super easy this year! Yes, the Girl Scouts have finally found out how to set up a Spreadsheet!

Way to go, Idaho! (obligatory Toy Story reference)

No reason why I wrote that, it just popped into my head. Scary.

Anyway, it took all of ten minutes! I am so done! NO MORE COOKIE DAD FOR ME!
Plus Jenni isn't going to be the leader next year, and... that's it!

Day over, next stop, my bed and a 2:30am wake up. The Lord needs company, even if it is ten below!

God Bless!

Happy MLK Day!

I, of course, am at work. That's okay though, since I get to now "float" this holiday to a date when it will be more beneficial to me, like at the beginning of my Disney trip in December. I will also be "floating" my President's Day holiday to cover the back end of my vacation to Disney.

Can't wait! Just over ten months away!! We are so excited to be going when the Christmas decorations will be up, and then there is the - oh what is it called, the Very Merry Mickey something-or-other? Ugh! I hate when I do that.

I heard some scary news over the weekend.... My Goddaughter can get her Driver's Permit this year. What's up with that?! I mean she's six, right? Actually, she'll be fifteen in September, it's amazing how time seems to fly right on by as we get older. I told her, that if she wanted, I could teach her how to drive. To which I got a rather hesitant "Okay?"

Don't know what the deal is with the questioning tone, I mean I have been driving for well over twenty years now, and... Whoa! Now, I think I will sit down and reflect silently for a minute.......

........ Okay, done. Like I was saying, no major accidents, heck I've only crumpled my hood twice, and only once with my child (who was sitting in the front seat at the tender age of, I think, three). Other than that, just a few unjustly prosecuted speeding tickets, and only a handful of those, okay maybe there were six or seven handfuls, but I'm a good driver. I even have a sticker on the back of my Driver's License that says so.

So there.

The weather is warming up. I think that today it was supposed to get to the low twenties. That is practically shorts weather, if you ask me.

I replaced my kitchen faucet yesterday! It was fun, and a time in which I wish I would have thought to take pictures. Let's put it this was - there is no way in Hades that anyone, anywhere, will be able to reuse the old faucet. Maybe I'll get a picture of it later, garbage day isn't until Thursday. Then I can share the whole story.

Did I do a proper tease? If not, what pointers do you have for moi? Or even for me. :-)

Uh.................................... dramatic pause.................................................. Wow!

Don't know what that was for, just felt like adding it. I wonder if maybe I should start writing and editing these out better, before I post them? Naw, it's not me, not my style. Besides, it's just practice for that masterpiece that is forthcoming.

No really. It is. I promise.

See, now I can't go back on that, can I?

Okay, back to work I go.