In his infinte Wisdom...

My hubby decided that he would try to upgrade our computer on his week off... Now instead of having a slow computer, I have NO COMPUTER!!!!

I am in serious withdrawl. I'm supposed to be working right now, but I must blog somewhere!!!

Plus, here's the grounds for divorce. He insisted on taking the pictures that I took at Christmas off of the camera, and putting them on the computer. Then he deleted them, then he crashed our system, and lost all of my photos. ARRGH!!

I am not impressed! My Dad is going to have to email me pictures of Christmas. It's a good thing that Trav is cute, or else...

He'd better take me to see Narnia tonight. :-)

Cool web site

Check out www.futureme.org It's a site, where you basically send yourself a time capsule. You write an email to yourself, or anyone else really, and you set it to be sent anytime in the future. Kinda cool, eh?

Another Christmas come and gone

We made it home safely, although yesterday, we drove back throught the thickest fog I have seen in a very long time. From about 15 miles north of Chamberlain all the way to Saskatoon it was the spookiest feeling ever. You could see about 5 car lengths ahead and that's all. And Travis is playing the slowest music on the planet and was all about the drifting off whilst driving, so I got to drive the rest of the way and listen to Avril... Yah, kinda lame, but it kept me awake.

But we got back, and the first thing I see when we get into the house is the cat. The cat had shat all over the house. The cat had shat because it was mad. The litter was clean as a whistle. My fat bastard cat shat all over because we left him and the dog alone for three days. Anyone want a cat??? I was ready to kill him but after it was cleaned up, and he decided that he loved me again, and we cuddled for a bit, then it was ok again.

On a lighter note, I got completely spoiled this Christmas. I got a camera, some DVD's, Christmas decorations, some serving trays, a spa package, and my Grandma got me a Stack'n'Spin. I am excited to throw out my old cracked margarine containers and use my new toy! (Yah, I'm a dork, it's been documented already.)

I hope that everyone has had a great holiday season, and is excited for a New Year. A fresh start awaits us. I'm already writing my resolutions as we speak.

Careful, It's a rant.

A while back, Terri over at Going to the Country had a post about the holidays not stacking up to the ones that we remember from years past. I replied in her comments with this quote:

There's a line in the movie Garden State that has made a ton of sense for me lately:

"You know that point in your life when you realize that the house that you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? ...It just sort of happens one day, one day and it's just gone. And you can never get it back. It's like you get homesick for a place that doesn't exist. I mean it's like this rite of passage, you know. You won't have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for you kids, for the family you start, it's like a cycle or something. I miss the idea of it. Maybe that's all family really is. A group of people who miss the same imaginary place."

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Sometimes the memory of something is so powerful that you forget what it was really like. It's like when you remember the house being so big when you were a child, and you get there and it's actually on the small side.

This is really something that hit me this year. In the last 12 months, I lost my grandparents, had a miscarriage, and we lost our house, and in the midst of it all when I needed the support and emotional stability of a familiar place, I went back to my parents house and nothing was the same. Emotionally and physically.

The house has been reno-ed, so the look is extremely different. My parents are different too. My Dad is making more money now than he did when I was a kid, so things are different there too. It's strange seeing the things that they buy, and remembering that my Mom would buy things at the dollar store because she had to, not because she wanted to. And since my Dad lost both his Mom and Dad within months of each other, he's become a different guy. He's more open, and more willing to share his feelings. Home is not the same place that it used to be. It's not better and it's not a bad place, it's different. I go home, and My bedroom is now my brother's. I sleep in the den on a futon. It's not My House anymore.

There is a tradition in my hometown that if you are in town, you go to the Franklin Hotel bar on the 24th of December. It's a chance to meet old friends and reconnect with them. The people that I used to be friends with are all different now. We care about different things, and that's cool, I mean people have to grow, and change, but some of them have stagnated. I mean that they are the same person they were 5 or 10 years ago. They still are in the same place with the same people and doing the same things that they were before. So the people that I wanted to feel safe and comfortable with, were no longer safe or comfortable. The worst of it, is that I am made to feel badly that I wanted to leave and make a different life for myself. That I wanted to "get off the farm" is a terrible choice.

I hope that I have made changes, both good and bad, and uncovered different facets of myself in the last 10 years, and that this self-discovery and exploration has allowed me to see the world in a new light. I am able to be a better person because of it.

Ugh, I rant about the things that I can't change or that I have no control over.

Family and friends, food and wine, God, It's Great To Be HOME!!!

It's 20 to 9, and I've got the world's worst case of dish pan hands.

That's what happens when you are doing dishes for twenty. Mom made a 27 pound turkey. Bohemeth barely fit into the oven! I have eaten way too much, and had a glass of wine too many, but it's all good. :-)

We're all just lounging around, digesting, and trying to make room for the pies that Mom baked all yesterday. Dad and Travis are both smoring away and the rest of the family are laughing at them... It's a matter of time until my sister's boyfriend does something to one or both of them.

Santa and everyone else were way too good to me this year. I got everything I asked for. I got a new digital camera, so expect some pictures soon.

I hope that everyone has had as good a time as I have this holiday. Just remember to go easy on the 'nog... :-)

Merry Christmas

Just a quick post to say Safe travels to everyone, and Best wishes. I'll have more to say when I get home with my family. Merry Christmas Everyone!

Love always,
Tracey

Only 2 More sleeps

My Dad called last night. He ordered a fancy pants present for my sister Jennifer, but he got an email saying that it's on backorder, so now it's going to be her Birthday present instead of Christmas. Now I get to buy her gift for him here in the city, and then my Mom called me right after Dad hung up, and asked me to get something for my other sister, Christine. I thought that I had all of my shopping done!!! :-) Oh well, It's my Mom and Dad, I gotta venture out into the lines for them... But No One Else!!

Bad news

I got my period.

There goes another month of Clomid. Down the drain. I'm trying not to cry. But the dog knows something is wrong. I hope that Travis comes home soon. I don't want to be alone right now.

I don't know what to say. I'm definitely losing hope. Help. Anyone.

Pro-life vs Pro-choice debate

Becky has a link to a really interesting article about the pro-life movement on her site here. This is a very important issue in my life, and any woman's I would hope. Please check it out, if you haven't already.

The article discusses the different "levels" of the pro-life stance. ie: pro-sperm, pro-fetus, pro-baby, etc.

Sad, but it's not hard to imagine someone crusading as a Christian, and yelling at some unfortunate woman who is having to face abortion as her last resort. That's not very Christian in my eyes.
Wasn't it Jesus who said something about throwing stones???

I love my Husband :-)

Last night we opened gifts with my in-laws. We got Trav's Mom some gift certs and his Dad some fishing goodies. They had given me my gift already. I needed a new winter jacket desperately, so they got me a coat at the end of November.

I gave Trav his present. I returned the cell phone after this fiasco, and got him 2 Great Big Sea CD's and tickets to the concert at Centennial Auditorium on February 2nd. He was pleasently suprised. Trav still thought that he was getting a new phone. Tee hee hee!!!

He suprised me too. A while ago I started buying Sex and The City on DVD, and I have gotten all of them except season 6. I said that I wanted to buy season 6 on Boxing Day, while we were shopping for Christmas gifts together. He does listen to me sometimes!!

I was then told that I would be recieving something else, but that I had to wait for it, because Trav was waiting on it himself... Hmmm... I have no clue what else I could be getting. This one will be a total suprise for me. I'll keep you posted.

5 more sleeps until Christmas with my family

Well here is the final stretch. Today was my last day off until Christmas. Tonight we are going to open gifts with Trav's Mom and Dad. I am waiting for Trav to get home so that we can go.

Nothing exciting has happened this weekend. I guess that it's all going to come during Christmas!

Until then, go see Terri and join us in her neighbourhood. Draw yourself a house, and we'll all have a kick-butt New Year's Block Party :-)

First Christmas gift!!!

Went to Kim and Curtis' house last night to give them their presents. Kimmer gave me a lotion set from partylite that smells Awesome!!! We hung out for a while then went home.

This is the final stretch for the zoo / circus I call 'work'. We were $150 short today! ARRGH! What a mess...my mantra: Only 7 more days. (Which I work 6 of :-( Yuck)

I am off to bed now, some Saturday night. Going to bed at 9:00PM... only 7 more days...

Lord...Grant me Strength!!!

And now, the world's fattest Cat!!

Meet Fernando. He's 6 years old. He's fat. He's lazy. I love him.

Last night's events

I was on my way out of the house last night, and I was kidnapped! It's ok, they fed and watered me well...We went to the Fox and Hound's for beers and nachos. Bad combo. I had heartburn and a hangover this am. Oh well, at least it was good times! BUT I STILL NEED TO SEE THAT DARNED MOVIE!!!!!

I went out and bought the last fo my gifts at ten thousand villages this afternoon. Just being in that store makes me feel good. I love the products because they tend to come with a story. Not to mention that most of the sales people there know and love the things that they sell too. There was a creche that I really really wanted for myself... Hint Hint to Santa...

Girls night out anyone???

Who wants to go see 'Walk the Line' with me???

My sister was going to come in from Prince Albert today, but b/c of the snow, she won't drive. Any takers??? The showtimes are 6:40 or 9:40. I really want to see this movie so I may end up going alone (insert sad face here) so if anyone wants to save me this horrible fate, let's go!

Par-tay at the Pacific Theater tonight!

EDIT - I realized after I posted that this breaks all of the internet's rules about meeting strangers, etc. But I am trusting, and perhaps a little naive, and It's Saskatoon people!! Plus it's a public place. I live and work in the downtown areas of Saskatoon. I feel safe in this city.

Saskatoon's forecast

Current conditions:
10:00 AM EST Tuesday 13 December 2005

Temp: -2.7°C
Light Snow Wind: N at 18 km/h
Wind Gusts: 28 km/h
Windchill: -9.0 °C


I'm not having difficulty seeing the Bez from here yet, but apparently there is a snowstorm brewing west of the city, so hopefully there is a bunch of snow again!

12 hours of sleep later...

It's amazing how wonderful waking up from an amazing sleep can feel. I am so refreshed and feeling fabulous. Of course, I wouldn't have gotten that sleep unless I'd taken 3 spoonfulls of Nyquil.

How was everyone's monday? I slept, watched Oprah, Dr. Phil, slept, finished crocheting an afghan, and tried to start knotting a scarf. I seem to have forgotten how to knit. How is this possible? The needles feel so foreign in my hands. My Grandma taught me how to knit a couple of years ago and I was not very good at it, but I could do it.

If anyone knows of a good book to help me improve this skill, let me know.

"I'b sick...do'h really, i'b stubbed ub."

I feel like garbage today. In case anyone out there cares. I'm really whiny right now. Can you tell. I'm just grouchy, so I'm up surfing the inter-web to find things to cheer me, because I'm in a bad mood.


EDIT - It feels better just to get the giggles at the picture above.

Hubby's web page

Travis has been brewing some new beers, and now he's blogging about his experiences. If anyone out there is into home brewing or just enjoys a good microbrew, check it out and say Hi!

Trav's Beer Blog

Tonight's plans.

I was supposed to be going to the Make Poverty History event at Amigo's tonight, but My friend called and cancelled at the last minute. So I cried a little, and then decided that Since the Hubby is out, I will enjoy some quality alone time with the December Vogue, and a bottle of wine, and a bathtub...


Does anyone else out there read in the tub? Or am I just strange?

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 9/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

"Uh, I'm not a coke head"

Setting: Staff Washrooms
Time: 3:37PM

Scene: I'm comming out of the washroom, and having had a cold for the last week, I'm sniffling and rubbing under my nose. The next girl in line looks at me and says to her friend under her breath "I didn't know that she did that" Her friend then replied, " Well If I had to be that friendly all day, I would do it too."

Um, I'm NOT a coke head...Just for the record, K?

Hair Trauma

In case you need a little back story: Trav's bestest friend in the whole world: Noel = Hairdresser. My Hair = very, very blonde. Noel likes = Making the Very Very Blonde me. Me likes = not paying for an expensive salon hair job, and still getting an expensive salon hair job.

Ok, now that you are caught up... In the November Vogue, Reece is looking adorable as a brunette. I am admiring this hair for a month and I finally decide to do it. Noel asks when he gets to play with my hair again, b/c my roots are starting to need bleaching again. I tell him that I want to go brunette and show him the Vogue.

After some "Are you sure? Really Sure?? Really really Sure???" He then told me that he couldn't do it in one day. That he'd have to dye the hair an auburn shade first, and then a deeper brown after that had set, b/c if he didn't then my very very blonde hair would turn a lovely holiday shade of green.

In a week I hopefully will be a rich, lovely shade of brown. Until then, here I sit, a lovely shade of red instead. If my digital camera were working properly, I could show you, like Terri did, but alas, you have to come to the mall, or simply imagine my deep and mysterious red hair... Unless Santa is bringing me a new camera? (Hint hint.)

15 Sleeps until I see them!

I'm getting more and more excited to go home for Christmas with each day that passes. The visit from my Dad and Brother made it seem to speed up. Travis told me last night, "It hasn't been that long since we've seen your folks", but I informed him that it had been since Easter, when we interred my Grandfather's ashes that I'd been home last. Crazy how time passes.

on an unrelated note...
This am, Becky was on the radio talking about the international students off-campus work program. Apparently, these students are not allowed to obtain employment in the city, with the exception of a position within the walls of the University. That's kinda crazy. I mean, all students need to work. Things aren't free just because you have a student card. How are you supposed to eat, or live or buy textbooks or pencils? I complained about time management, and having to work and study while I was in school. I should have been more grateful for the opportunity to afford my beer nights with those pesky engineering guys. :-)

Starbucks Dealers...

From here.

John Lennon 1940-1980

Twenty five years ago today, the world lost one of the greatest singers / songwriters / poets / artists / activists in history. John Lennon was shot outside of his home in New York City by a deranged Mark Chapman.

I am a huge Beatles fan. Pre- and post- breakup of all of them, but John was always my favorite. When I'm asked who I'd like to meet, alive or dead, John always tops my list. My Dad was the one who introduced me to the Beatles, and I can remember the Imagine album being played on this day, even as a child. The same now in my own home, the Magical Mystery Tour is playing right now, the White Album is next.

I saw an open invitation...and I took it :-)

An invitation from Becky's site:

Seven things to do before I die:

1. See NYC
2. Figure out what I want to be when I grow up
3. Make my Husband into a Father
4. Learn to play guitar
5. Learn to cook
6. Go to Mexico with my sisters
7. See Europe, specifically the British Isles and the Medeterranian

Seven things I cannot do:

1. Lie to Rhonda
2. Lie to anyone, really... I'm a bad liar.
3. Punctuate, properly
4. Spell.
5. Paint or sculpt.
6. Cartwheels
7. Turn down a piece of chocolate
   

Seven things that attract me to my spouse:

1. He tells me I'm beautiful when I'm really not.
2. He Smells really good.
3. He holds my hand in the car, in the mall, in the theater, on the couch...
4. He tries to suprise me with little gifts.
5. He lets me call him 25 times a day to say I love You.
6. He cooks.
7. He was really nervous and scared to ask me out.

Seven things I say most often:

1. "Whatever."
2. "Well, Yah!?"
3. "Shut Up!"
4. "Ohmigawd."
5. to my Hubby when the dog is bad : "You'll never guess what your Damn Dog Did!!!"
6. to my Hubby when the dog is good: "You'll never guess what My Dog did!!!"
7. "Down by the food court, back and to your left." (Work related hazard)
   

Seven books I love:

1. Harry Potter series
2. I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou
3. The Secret World of Og By Pierre Burton
4. The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella
5. America : The Book, A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction by Jon Stewart
6. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Seven movies I would watch over and over again:

1. Garden State
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Casablanca
4. Breakfast at Tiffany's
5. Say Anything
6. A Christmas Story
7. Roman Holiday

Seven People I want to join in too:

1. Christy
2. Janine
3. Terri
4. Paula Joy
5. Brea
6. Sean
7. And Everyone else who reads this... In the Spirit of Becky's post :-)

Christmas disapointment averted

So I went out and may have returned a cell phone or I may not have, the mystery will remain until December 24th when we go to My folk's and open gifts... So there Hon! Guess away, I will not reveal anything other than that! :-)

Congrats to Darren!!!

YAY!!! Darren is going to work in the Happiest Place On Earth!!!

He just got offered a job in Disneyworld!

Congrats to you Darren, and remember who loves you when she comes to Florida and wants free admission to the park, and on the rides.... ( I'm hinting about me, I want into the park!!!)

I had a brilliant thought yesterday...

...And I was going to share it with you all, but as I logged on to do so, I got a phone call from my Dad and Brother. They had come to the city for the afternoon. So I got dressed, (I was in my PJ's, it was my day off) and I went out to see them.

My Dad was here for a business meeting with some people, so my brother Casey and I went out for the afternoon to raise heck! We did some Christmas shopping, and I pointed out things that I knew our sisters would like. It was a really nice afternoon. Then, @ 4 O'clock, we met my Hubby and Dad at Tony Roma's for an early supper. They were on the road by 6 and home by 10. It was a great suprise.

Only 18 more sleeps until I see them again!

Date Night Recap

So Trav came to pick me up at work @ 7, last night. We went and bought some Christmas gifts, and I got my new winter coat (Blue, my favorite colour). Then, hubby opens his big mouth, and starts talking about how before he came to get me, he was looking on e-bay at cell phones, and he's going to bid on a phone on Sunday. I start to panic, because I have just spent $150 on a new phone for him, and here he is running off buying himself one.

Does he not know the rule??? From November 15th through December 25th, you cannot purchase anything for yourself, so that others may purchase them for you!!! Anyhow, He ended up sensing my tension over the phone thing, and he said "What's the problem, you know that I need a new phone...You bought me a phone didn't you?" Then he sheepishly said, "let's go for supper now." So I never officially said that I did buy him a new phone, but he knows... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Anyhoo, we grabbed some awesome Chinese food, and then we went to the 9:40 showing of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The movie was awesome! The best of the four thus far, and there is a huge opportunity for the next couple of movies to go even darker. The return of Lord Voldemort was incredible. The books are amazing, but the movies are a great treat too.

I can't wait for the next one: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

I am going on a Date!!!

I am going on a date tonight! I haven't gone out with my Hubby since I don't know when, so this is a big deal!!

I also got my Christmas present from my In-Laws early. They saw me yesterday, outside without a coat, so they gave me a cheque with the instructions to buy a winter jacket today, or else :-) I'm working until 7PM tonight, and then Hubby and I are going shopping. (I need the second opinion, or I'll end up in a hideous shade of green, I'm sure)

I don't know what Trav has planned for our date, but I'll let you know how it all goes...

One of the best times of the year for movies.

The holiday season always seems to bring Hollywood's finest to our theaters in a last chance to grab that elusive Oscar buzz. I'm really excited about two offerings in particular.


The Chronicles of Narnia : The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is MY Lord of the Rings. When I heard they were making this series into movies I totally geeked out! I must have read and re-read these books as a child and I still read them to this day. I am really excited for the movie to open on Dec. 9th! I will be in line that evening for sure!

The second one that I am dying to see is Memoirs of a Geisha. I read this book last year, and I could hardly put it down. It is a must read, and probably will be a must see. I will probably see it at home, with my Mom at Christmas. She's the one that I stole the book from in the first place. :-)

A new baby!!

I LOVE NEW BABIES!!!

New York - Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck welcomed a baby girl into the world on Thursday. Representatives for both actors confirmed the birth. Their publicists said the child was born at 18:26 on Thursday. "Mother, father and baby are doing great," Sunshine and King confirmed. They would not give any other details. It is the first child for Garner, 33, and Affleck, 33, who were married in June.

I would be in so much trouble!

Police in Hartford Conn. are charging students with cursing. That's right, using the f-word, or s**t will cost you $103 US each and every time you utter the phrase. They apparently want to "bring back order to the schools."

If the student can't afford the fines, his or her parents HAVE to pay it for them.
WHAT!!! How does this teach them anything?? Here's the deal. The kids are going to swear so let's punish them by putting them to work picking up litter in schoolyards, or in public parks, a sort of chain-gang style of detention. How does a teenager learn anything if their parents serve out their children's sentences?

I swear like a sailor, at home, and after work, but not around children, and not in places where it is inappropriate. In fact, I'm sure that this morning alone, I would have been fined a total of $618 Canadian :-)

World AIDS Day

From the World AIDS Day webpage:

Welcome to World AIDS Day - the international day of action on HIV and AIDS which takes place every year on 1 December.

World AIDS Day is about wearing the Red Ribbon, as a sign of support for people living with HIV and a symbol of hope for the future. We want you to Wise up and Wear it.

World AIDS Day is about people getting the facts about HIV and AIDS. It's a day for people to get involved and there are many ways in which you can do so. No matter how you decide to mark the day, you can help create a more AIDS Aware society in which everyone takes action, so please make sure you show off your Red Ribbon on 1 December