My Dad picked me up early from work yesterday and took me up to the dealership to pick up my car. It was waiting for me when I got there, all fixed up, and No, I didn't have to pay a cent to have the faulty part replaced. I guess in some cases it pays to have a big mouth...in this case, if I didn't call them up and rag on them about the problem with the car and tell them that I found information about the problem on the internet, then they wouldn't have offered to fix it. Let me rephrase that, because they didn't actually offer to fix it "they wouldn't have agreed to fix it".
For the six hours that I was at work yesterday, it was so hard to be here. My mouth was sore and feeling raw (I think I may have come back to work too early from my fall, because of all the talking I do in the run of a shift here) and the customers were complete idiots yesterday. Here are a couple of examples of two calls I handled yesterday:
Me: "and the date of expiration of your Visa"
SC (stupid customer): "tomorrow"
Me: "I'm sorry"?
SC: "tomorrow"
Me: "Sir...your Visa expires tomorrow"?
SC (sounding like I'm some kind of moron): "Ah....no"!
Me: "Oh, well Sir, after you had finished giving me your Visa #, I had asked what the date of expiration was"
SC (in a somewhat annoyed & yelling voice: "06...XX"
Me: "Would you like an email confirmation"?
SC (in a very surprised voice): "You can do that"?
-Ah no, I'm just saying that to taunt you!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Early Start, Short Day
I rose earlier than usual this morning, because I had to take my car into the dealership to fix the problem from yesterday. I found some info on the internet about the problem I was having and called the dealership up yesterday and told them that I wanted the thing fixed and I was not paying anything to have it repaired. Here's what I found on the net:
The grease in the ignition switch is freezing and/or hardening so that the ignition switch can not engage. The dealer must recall all of these vehicles and replace the ignition switch and grease. They apparently have a redesigned switch, which certainly can be construed as an admission to the faulty design. Of course, this type of remedial measure cannot be used in court, but is certainly helpful to those of us consumers who are the victims of the faulty design.
So basically, they know about the problem, as they've redesigned this switch, but the won't recall the vehicles and will only fix it for you, if the problem so happens to you before your car hits the 50,000 km warranty cap AND if you bitch at them long and hard enough to fix it.
I've loved my car from the minute that I bought it, but this experience has left a very sour taste in my mouth. My Dad tells me "It's not your make of car...any car make does things like this, to save a buck" (meaning not recalling the problem and taking the "wait and see if it happens to customers" attitude) and I know he's right. It just pisses me off! You work your ass off to spend your hard earned money on a car that you believe is reliable, it's just frustrating.
So I have to leave work early today to go pick up my dang car. My Dad is picking me up after he's off work at 4:30 and we're going up to get it. I'm glad he's going to be there for back up incase they try and tell me that I owe them money for an oil change or some other BS that I did not ask them to do to my car. I made it very clear on the phone yesterday that I was not paying them a cent today.
The grease in the ignition switch is freezing and/or hardening so that the ignition switch can not engage. The dealer must recall all of these vehicles and replace the ignition switch and grease. They apparently have a redesigned switch, which certainly can be construed as an admission to the faulty design. Of course, this type of remedial measure cannot be used in court, but is certainly helpful to those of us consumers who are the victims of the faulty design.
So basically, they know about the problem, as they've redesigned this switch, but the won't recall the vehicles and will only fix it for you, if the problem so happens to you before your car hits the 50,000 km warranty cap AND if you bitch at them long and hard enough to fix it.
I've loved my car from the minute that I bought it, but this experience has left a very sour taste in my mouth. My Dad tells me "It's not your make of car...any car make does things like this, to save a buck" (meaning not recalling the problem and taking the "wait and see if it happens to customers" attitude) and I know he's right. It just pisses me off! You work your ass off to spend your hard earned money on a car that you believe is reliable, it's just frustrating.
So I have to leave work early today to go pick up my dang car. My Dad is picking me up after he's off work at 4:30 and we're going up to get it. I'm glad he's going to be there for back up incase they try and tell me that I owe them money for an oil change or some other BS that I did not ask them to do to my car. I made it very clear on the phone yesterday that I was not paying them a cent today.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Begrudgingly Back
I'm back at work today, but not wanting to be here. I've been on the phone here at work for 15 minutes and already my mouth is getting sore where my swollen lump is on the inside. I came to work with the attitude of "I'll give it a try and if I start to get uncomfortable, I'll go home sick".
Well, I went out to start my car to come to work this morning and nothing. I was getting the lights on the dash, but no clicking sound and certainly no grumbling noise of the engine trying to turn over.
At first I thought to myself "Great, I left the lights on and drained the battery". Then I realized that my car buzzes when I turn it off and leave the lights on, so that wasn't the case. Next I thought "Well, it's cold outside, so it won't start". Then I realized "It was WAY colder than this two weeks ago and it started no problem, so that's not it".
I called my Dad at work and told him what happened, and asked him if he could come and get me and drive me to work. He came about 10-15 minutes later and looked at my car and just like I, thought it was very peculiar that it wouldn't start, because I was getting lights on my dash, but no sound of the car trying to start.
When I got to work, I had about 20 minutes before I had to start, so I called the dealership where I bought my car and explained to them that I had an '06 model and that this shouldn't be happening to my car. The guy on the phone said "Oh, well this happens a lot, just go out and try it 10 minutes after you initially tried". I said "Well, I had to arrange for alternate transportation to work this morning, so I when my ride showed up, we tried it and again, nothing". The guy on the phone goes "Oh, well I've never heard of it not starting after 10 minutes". I said "Well, it wouldn't start when my ride came and that was atleast 10 minutes". He said "Well, I've never heard of it not starting after 10 minutes". I said "Well, I'll see if I can get my Dad to stop by at lunch to try and start it". He goes "Yah, you do that, if it doesn't start, we'll have to tow it". I said "Yah, OK" and hung up frustrated.
I called my Dad and told him what the dealership guy said. My Dad said "I'll stop by and try and start it and email you and let you know how I made out. If it doesn't start, then you call your salesman and tell him what happened and that you had to arrange alternate transportation and tell him to remedy this situation".
I hope everything works out for me. What a great way to start the week!
Well, I went out to start my car to come to work this morning and nothing. I was getting the lights on the dash, but no clicking sound and certainly no grumbling noise of the engine trying to turn over.
At first I thought to myself "Great, I left the lights on and drained the battery". Then I realized that my car buzzes when I turn it off and leave the lights on, so that wasn't the case. Next I thought "Well, it's cold outside, so it won't start". Then I realized "It was WAY colder than this two weeks ago and it started no problem, so that's not it".
I called my Dad at work and told him what happened, and asked him if he could come and get me and drive me to work. He came about 10-15 minutes later and looked at my car and just like I, thought it was very peculiar that it wouldn't start, because I was getting lights on my dash, but no sound of the car trying to start.
When I got to work, I had about 20 minutes before I had to start, so I called the dealership where I bought my car and explained to them that I had an '06 model and that this shouldn't be happening to my car. The guy on the phone said "Oh, well this happens a lot, just go out and try it 10 minutes after you initially tried". I said "Well, I had to arrange for alternate transportation to work this morning, so I when my ride showed up, we tried it and again, nothing". The guy on the phone goes "Oh, well I've never heard of it not starting after 10 minutes". I said "Well, it wouldn't start when my ride came and that was atleast 10 minutes". He said "Well, I've never heard of it not starting after 10 minutes". I said "Well, I'll see if I can get my Dad to stop by at lunch to try and start it". He goes "Yah, you do that, if it doesn't start, we'll have to tow it". I said "Yah, OK" and hung up frustrated.
I called my Dad and told him what the dealership guy said. My Dad said "I'll stop by and try and start it and email you and let you know how I made out. If it doesn't start, then you call your salesman and tell him what happened and that you had to arrange alternate transportation and tell him to remedy this situation".
I hope everything works out for me. What a great way to start the week!
Monday, January 22, 2007
LOA
Hello friends in Blog-land,
I'm writing this to let you know that I'll be taking a temporary leave of absence from blogging for about a week or so, as I'm not able to work this whole week, and therefore will not have daily internet access.
Last Saturday night, I was out at Ryan's parent's place and decided to take advantage of their jacuzzi. After being in it for about 10 minutes or so, I started feeling really strange and my chest was getting very tight. I got out and went out into the kitchen, in search of my asthma inhaler, which was in my purse...which was in the kitchen. I took it and got no relief. I went to get a drink of water and colapsed. I then walked to Ryan (something I don't remember doing) and said to him (with apparantly and really strange look on my face) "Ryan...I don't feel so well" and then I fainted and fell face first into the hardwood floor.
I was only out for about a minute or so, but I managed to push a tooth all the way through my lower lip when I fell...it was a bloody mess. My face was a little swollen on the left side (which, when I came to, I was lying on that side of my body) and my knees are all bruised and sore, as are my shoulders.
I'm writing this to let you know that I'll be taking a temporary leave of absence from blogging for about a week or so, as I'm not able to work this whole week, and therefore will not have daily internet access.
Last Saturday night, I was out at Ryan's parent's place and decided to take advantage of their jacuzzi. After being in it for about 10 minutes or so, I started feeling really strange and my chest was getting very tight. I got out and went out into the kitchen, in search of my asthma inhaler, which was in my purse...which was in the kitchen. I took it and got no relief. I went to get a drink of water and colapsed. I then walked to Ryan (something I don't remember doing) and said to him (with apparantly and really strange look on my face) "Ryan...I don't feel so well" and then I fainted and fell face first into the hardwood floor.
I was only out for about a minute or so, but I managed to push a tooth all the way through my lower lip when I fell...it was a bloody mess. My face was a little swollen on the left side (which, when I came to, I was lying on that side of my body) and my knees are all bruised and sore, as are my shoulders.
I went to the doctor today, because I obviously can't work with my mouth
being all messed up like it is (it really hurts to talk because my tooth
aggravates the huge swollen lump on the inside, with each word I say).
She checked it out and checked my face out and says that I've possibly
cracked my cheek, but it's not broken (I was super lucky that the worst
of it was the tooth thing and not breaking my jaw, nose, cheek, etc.).
She took my blood pressure and it's very low as she thinks my body is
still in a little shock.
The culprit was the jacuzzi - it was too hot apparently and changed my
core body temperature too rapidly. My blood vessels were contracting to
try and let off heat and it messed up the blood and oxygen flow to the
brain.
I'll be off work for the rest of the week...which really sucks, because
that means a week of no pay. You don't get leave of absence pay unless
you're out for 3 weeks or longer :(. My sick day today that I called in
won't even count as a paid day now, because something about them
re-coding today with my doctor's note.
Anyway, I'm doing much better today than I was yesterday. It's still a little
difficult to eat and drink.I've been having stuff like yogurt, scrambled eggs,
etc. I've been advised by my doctor to just take it easy the next few days,
where as my blood pressure is still low, doing minor things like a little
housework, etc., could be bad for me. I guess I'll be all caught up with
what's happening on tv this week!
Friday, January 19, 2007
Nombre, Neve, Neige...SNOW!!!
Wow, are we ever getting dumped with snow today. There was a good few centimeters already on the ground when I left for work this morning. The last I've heard is that we can expect roughly between 15-20 centimeters, but possibily as high as 30 centimeters before it's done! Craziness! Also around supper time it's supposed to freezing rain, so that will add a nice lovely icy sheath to all the snow that fell...making removal of the snow quite a chore.
So, my evening will be spent trying to cautiously manouver my way home from work, then digging out my yard and steps. If you must be on the roads tonight, be very cautious...driving conditions will not be good!
So, my evening will be spent trying to cautiously manouver my way home from work, then digging out my yard and steps. If you must be on the roads tonight, be very cautious...driving conditions will not be good!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
BRRRR!!!
Man, I'll be glad when this cold snap is overwith! It's amazing how warm it was a couple of weeks ago and then to change to these frigid temperatures! Not that the outcome of our weather warming up (supposidly tonight) is much favorable...it's supposed to snow atleast 15 cm's between overnight tonight and tomorrow night!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Rant...
OK, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Fredericton has THE worst drivers! OMG!!!
No, I'm not perfect, but I'm cautious! Holy crap people...slow the fack down and drive according to your surroundings! GEEZ! I spent the evening and the night with Ryan last night at his parent's place (they're away til March). This morning I got into my car (Holy crap-ola it's cold out there!) and drove home to my place to get ready for work, since Ryan had to leave early for Saint John. I basically just got up and drove home. Anyway here starts the examples of the extremely bad driving I witnessed...just this morning!
1) There was an accident on the bridge in the southbound lane. I couldn't really tell what had happened, all I noticed was a blue car turned sideways. Anyway, I was in the left hand northbound lane, as I was merging onto the bridge from Riverside drive (the only lane I could be in at this point). This a$$hole coming southbound decides that he's had enough of co-operating with the police, ambulance attendants and other traffic, and decides to pull out INTO MY LANE and keep on truckin'...forcing me to slam on the brakes. I nearly $hit my pants, while my car started to swerve, I was still in control however...thank God for driver's ed way back when, but holy crap, can you say almost a double accident scene! There was nothing the cops could do either because they were tied up at the accident scene and Idiot driver # 1 was already gone.
2) There is a separate turning lane to get onto my street off of the main road. After dealing with Idiot driver # 1, I was like "OK, you're almost home...you made it through that...you're almost home". I go to pull into the turning lane to get onto my street and Idiot driver #2 (taxi driver at that...'nuff said) decides that he's had enough of waiting in traffic (which was extremely backed up, due to the bridge accident) and pulls out into my turning lane (he was in the opposite direction, so the pulling-into-the-turning lane-move was not even an option for him!) and starts driving down the main road that way. I'm like "OK, WTF!!!" This same thing just happened to me like two minutes earlier!!!
3) I was at home for about an hour or so before I had to leave for work. The time comes to leave for work and the traffic is still backed up heavily from the bridge accident. I plan an alternate route to work, allowing me to use a couple of traffic lights and sail through traffic (supposidly), in the opposite direction that it was backed up in. While I'm stopped at a traffic light, waiting for it to turn green, a big transport truck hauling logs decides to enter the intersection on the yellow...and yup you guessed it...isn't able to really move anywhere because yes...the traffic is backed up because of the accident! So I sit there stewing over my run in with Idiot driver #3 this morning.
4) I make it past Idiot driver #3 eventually and am stopped at another traffic light. I see the light turns yellow for the opposing traffic, so it's soon going to be my turn to drive away. That's when Idiot driver #4 is followed by Idiot driver #5 and they decide to park side-by-side in the middle of the intersection. Love-a-lee.
So I've finally made it to work...alive. Here's to 8 hours of not having to drive anyway and deal with anymore idiots...well that's not entirely true...I know I'll deal with a lot of idiot customers today.
No, I'm not perfect, but I'm cautious! Holy crap people...slow the fack down and drive according to your surroundings! GEEZ! I spent the evening and the night with Ryan last night at his parent's place (they're away til March). This morning I got into my car (Holy crap-ola it's cold out there!) and drove home to my place to get ready for work, since Ryan had to leave early for Saint John. I basically just got up and drove home. Anyway here starts the examples of the extremely bad driving I witnessed...just this morning!
1) There was an accident on the bridge in the southbound lane. I couldn't really tell what had happened, all I noticed was a blue car turned sideways. Anyway, I was in the left hand northbound lane, as I was merging onto the bridge from Riverside drive (the only lane I could be in at this point). This a$$hole coming southbound decides that he's had enough of co-operating with the police, ambulance attendants and other traffic, and decides to pull out INTO MY LANE and keep on truckin'...forcing me to slam on the brakes. I nearly $hit my pants, while my car started to swerve, I was still in control however...thank God for driver's ed way back when, but holy crap, can you say almost a double accident scene! There was nothing the cops could do either because they were tied up at the accident scene and Idiot driver # 1 was already gone.
2) There is a separate turning lane to get onto my street off of the main road. After dealing with Idiot driver # 1, I was like "OK, you're almost home...you made it through that...you're almost home". I go to pull into the turning lane to get onto my street and Idiot driver #2 (taxi driver at that...'nuff said) decides that he's had enough of waiting in traffic (which was extremely backed up, due to the bridge accident) and pulls out into my turning lane (he was in the opposite direction, so the pulling-into-the-turning lane-move was not even an option for him!) and starts driving down the main road that way. I'm like "OK, WTF!!!" This same thing just happened to me like two minutes earlier!!!
3) I was at home for about an hour or so before I had to leave for work. The time comes to leave for work and the traffic is still backed up heavily from the bridge accident. I plan an alternate route to work, allowing me to use a couple of traffic lights and sail through traffic (supposidly), in the opposite direction that it was backed up in. While I'm stopped at a traffic light, waiting for it to turn green, a big transport truck hauling logs decides to enter the intersection on the yellow...and yup you guessed it...isn't able to really move anywhere because yes...the traffic is backed up because of the accident! So I sit there stewing over my run in with Idiot driver #3 this morning.
4) I make it past Idiot driver #3 eventually and am stopped at another traffic light. I see the light turns yellow for the opposing traffic, so it's soon going to be my turn to drive away. That's when Idiot driver #4 is followed by Idiot driver #5 and they decide to park side-by-side in the middle of the intersection. Love-a-lee.
So I've finally made it to work...alive. Here's to 8 hours of not having to drive anyway and deal with anymore idiots...well that's not entirely true...I know I'll deal with a lot of idiot customers today.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Before Dawn...
...where my first name fits if using my full name, or when my day started today.
Yes, I was up bright and very, very early this morning. Why you ask? Because of the f * %$ ing snowstorm we got yesterday and last night. Have I mentioned before how much I hate snow! I got up very early to go outside and shovel my steps, driveway and to clean off my car. I go outside to leave for work this morning after a hot shower and some breakfast, only to find it's snowing again! GRRRR! The roads are just as bad out there right now as they were last night too!
Driving home last night I was a ball of nerves. I absolutely dread driving in a snowstorm. The roads last night were a complete mess and my car was fish-tailing around every turn...that's even with me driving at crawl speed. I know I'm a very cautious driving and drive according to the conditions, it's the other drivers out there that scare me on storm days. You know, the people who don't slow down a bit, still barrell through the lights and have no regard for any other drivers on the road.
I finally get home last night, relieved I made it with no problems. I made a pita pizza for supper and then worked out on my gazelle for a while. Ryan called me to tell me he'd made it home from Saint John alright (he was there for training...his father has started working as a mortgage broker at home and Ryan is getting into the business with him while his father is away for the winter) and just to talk. His parent's left for their winter home in Arizona last weekend, so we've got use of their amazing home until they're back in March. I like to say that we "retreat" at their home while they're away. Ryan asked me to come out last night if I wanted to, but I told him that I was staying put for the evening and not braving the roads. He understood and had to leave for more training in Saint John early this morning anyway. He debated on driving to my place last night, but I told him he might as well stay where he is, since it was so bad out and he was leaving very early in the morning anyway.
After talking to Ryan for a while, my phone rang again and it was Carrie. It was nice to talk to her as I hadn't spoken on the phone with her for about a week or so. I was worried about her yesterday as well, because the part of Ontario where she lives got hit with a major ice storm yesterday, so I was relieved to hear she made out fine yesterday. She said the conditions there were horrendous and it took her 15 minutes of running her car before she could even begin chipping away the ice from it. She also said her power went out around lunch time and Chris had to come home from work because their basement had 5 inches of water in it, since there was no power and the sump pump wasn't working.
After talking on the phone I was about to start hemming two pairs of pants my dad gave me to fix for him, but I realized my straight pins were still up at my parent's place, which I needed in order to pin the second pair of pants (I just measured on one pair and was going to pin the second pair by using the first pair as a guide). I watched a little tv instead and then retired to bed early, in order to get up early this morning. If this snow keeps up today, my routine for tonight and tomorrow morning may be similar...I hope not!
Yes, I was up bright and very, very early this morning. Why you ask? Because of the f * %$ ing snowstorm we got yesterday and last night. Have I mentioned before how much I hate snow! I got up very early to go outside and shovel my steps, driveway and to clean off my car. I go outside to leave for work this morning after a hot shower and some breakfast, only to find it's snowing again! GRRRR! The roads are just as bad out there right now as they were last night too!
Driving home last night I was a ball of nerves. I absolutely dread driving in a snowstorm. The roads last night were a complete mess and my car was fish-tailing around every turn...that's even with me driving at crawl speed. I know I'm a very cautious driving and drive according to the conditions, it's the other drivers out there that scare me on storm days. You know, the people who don't slow down a bit, still barrell through the lights and have no regard for any other drivers on the road.
I finally get home last night, relieved I made it with no problems. I made a pita pizza for supper and then worked out on my gazelle for a while. Ryan called me to tell me he'd made it home from Saint John alright (he was there for training...his father has started working as a mortgage broker at home and Ryan is getting into the business with him while his father is away for the winter) and just to talk. His parent's left for their winter home in Arizona last weekend, so we've got use of their amazing home until they're back in March. I like to say that we "retreat" at their home while they're away. Ryan asked me to come out last night if I wanted to, but I told him that I was staying put for the evening and not braving the roads. He understood and had to leave for more training in Saint John early this morning anyway. He debated on driving to my place last night, but I told him he might as well stay where he is, since it was so bad out and he was leaving very early in the morning anyway.
After talking to Ryan for a while, my phone rang again and it was Carrie. It was nice to talk to her as I hadn't spoken on the phone with her for about a week or so. I was worried about her yesterday as well, because the part of Ontario where she lives got hit with a major ice storm yesterday, so I was relieved to hear she made out fine yesterday. She said the conditions there were horrendous and it took her 15 minutes of running her car before she could even begin chipping away the ice from it. She also said her power went out around lunch time and Chris had to come home from work because their basement had 5 inches of water in it, since there was no power and the sump pump wasn't working.
After talking on the phone I was about to start hemming two pairs of pants my dad gave me to fix for him, but I realized my straight pins were still up at my parent's place, which I needed in order to pin the second pair of pants (I just measured on one pair and was going to pin the second pair by using the first pair as a guide). I watched a little tv instead and then retired to bed early, in order to get up early this morning. If this snow keeps up today, my routine for tonight and tomorrow morning may be similar...I hope not!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Looking Back...
I received an email from my cousin Chris (not the same Chris that my best friend Carrie is marrying, lol) that I found quite interesting, so I'm going to post it here. I'm not saying the changes that have resulted from these actions is a bad thing, but it is an interesting read.
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers!, no Internet or chat rooms.......WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! If YOU are one of them…CONGRATULATIONS!
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers!, no Internet or chat rooms.......WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! If YOU are one of them…CONGRATULATIONS!
Friday, January 12, 2007
Weekend's Almost Here
Yeah! The weekend's almost here! Although this week did seem to go by fairly quickly, I'm still very happy see the work week almost over with.
I don't have too much planned for this weekend. Tomorrow morning I plan on heading to the farmer's market with my brother and then I'm going to my friend Shelly's for supper and possibly a flick. I plan on being home fairly early in the evening on Saturday, as Shelly has kiddos that will need to hit the hay at some point and that way I'll still be able to spend the evening with Ryan, if he's not involved in a poker game that night.
I don't have too much planned for this weekend. Tomorrow morning I plan on heading to the farmer's market with my brother and then I'm going to my friend Shelly's for supper and possibly a flick. I plan on being home fairly early in the evening on Saturday, as Shelly has kiddos that will need to hit the hay at some point and that way I'll still be able to spend the evening with Ryan, if he's not involved in a poker game that night.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
AM Workout
This morning I got up an hour early. I wanted to try working out in the morning instead of the late evenings like I usually do.
My reasons for trying the morning workout are that sometimes I find myself "slacking" on my workouts where they're in the evening. I find excuses such as "it's too late in the evening now to work out" or "Ryan is coming over tonight and I don't want to be on the machine when he gets here". I thought by getting up first thing to exercise, that I can eliminate these excuses. Also if I have time in the evening perhaps I could get in a second workout for the day. I'm determined to lose another 40 pounds by March (I know, an unrealistic goal, but one can dream, right?), before my dress needs to get made for Carrie's wedding.
My alarm went off earlier than usual this morning. I turned it off, reset the time for an hour later and layed my head back down to sleep. I couldn't fall back asleep because I felt guilty with what I had done. I got myself up and out of bed, changed into my work out clothes and worked out. Looking back now I am glad I forced myself out of bed and did this, but I felt like crap being up early and exercising at the time I was doing it!
My reasons for trying the morning workout are that sometimes I find myself "slacking" on my workouts where they're in the evening. I find excuses such as "it's too late in the evening now to work out" or "Ryan is coming over tonight and I don't want to be on the machine when he gets here". I thought by getting up first thing to exercise, that I can eliminate these excuses. Also if I have time in the evening perhaps I could get in a second workout for the day. I'm determined to lose another 40 pounds by March (I know, an unrealistic goal, but one can dream, right?), before my dress needs to get made for Carrie's wedding.
My alarm went off earlier than usual this morning. I turned it off, reset the time for an hour later and layed my head back down to sleep. I couldn't fall back asleep because I felt guilty with what I had done. I got myself up and out of bed, changed into my work out clothes and worked out. Looking back now I am glad I forced myself out of bed and did this, but I felt like crap being up early and exercising at the time I was doing it!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
7
Seven years ago we were still getting used to the fact that we were living in the year 2000. Seven years ago today I started work with the company I'm currently employed with. I can't believe that I am still here seven years later, doing the exact same monotonous job, which I hate. Well actually, yes I can believe it. It's so hard to get a decent paying job here without being able to speak french. So today being anniversary day is not a happy day, it's more of a sad day, lol.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Calling From Korea!
So the storm yesterday wasn't as bad as it was made out to be. I emailed my Dad at lunch time (he goes home for lunch) and asked him how the roads were. He said that the city had them all plowed and as long as it didn't get cold out, they'd be clear when I drove home. He was right, the roads were in A-1 condition. The same could not be said for my street or driveway, lol
I gunned the gas in order to get in my driveway past the hump of snow-crap that the plow had left at the end of it. I had something quick to eat and then suited up to spend a soggy hour outside shovelling. What a chore that was! It was raining outside while I was out there, which added more unpleasant-ness to an already unpleasant task. The snow was so heavy and saturated with water, making it extremely heavy to shovel. I most certainly got my work out last night!
After an hour I came inside, completely drentched and jumped in the shower. When I got dried off and into my jammies, I went downstairs and settled in for some tv watching. The phone rang and it was Angela calling from Korea! The funny thing is, is that I had been thinking about Angela all day yesterday, and how it has been so long since I've talked to her and have seen her. She went to Ottawa to meet her future in-laws over Christmas and then as soon as she got back from Ottawa, had to fly to Korea for work. It was so nice to hear from her and chat for a bit. She'll be back Saturday night. Depending on how she's feeling, I may see her on Sunday night.
I gunned the gas in order to get in my driveway past the hump of snow-crap that the plow had left at the end of it. I had something quick to eat and then suited up to spend a soggy hour outside shovelling. What a chore that was! It was raining outside while I was out there, which added more unpleasant-ness to an already unpleasant task. The snow was so heavy and saturated with water, making it extremely heavy to shovel. I most certainly got my work out last night!
After an hour I came inside, completely drentched and jumped in the shower. When I got dried off and into my jammies, I went downstairs and settled in for some tv watching. The phone rang and it was Angela calling from Korea! The funny thing is, is that I had been thinking about Angela all day yesterday, and how it has been so long since I've talked to her and have seen her. She went to Ottawa to meet her future in-laws over Christmas and then as soon as she got back from Ottawa, had to fly to Korea for work. It was so nice to hear from her and chat for a bit. She'll be back Saturday night. Depending on how she's feeling, I may see her on Sunday night.
Monday, January 8, 2007
SNOW!
Well I guess it was bound to happen at some point. Old Man Winter decided that he really did like Fredericton and came back to us this morning. I really hate it when it storms because I really hate driving in a storm. It's not me and my driving that I'm worried about. Without sounding too cocky, I think I'm a pretty cautious driver, especially in a storm. It's the other drivers out there that I worry about.
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel that Fredericton has an abundance of horrible drivers. In the run of a week I cannot tell you how many morons I see out there on the road. And you know those whole Global TV commercials "SNOW means SLOW" that's been drilled into our heads for years...apparantly I'm one of the select few who have seen that commercial.
It looks like it may be a slow day here at work today. We're not really busy yet, although the morning is young at this point for many of our customers. I'm really nervous about driving home tonight at 6 p.m. as it's supposed to be freezing rain at that point...that's after dumping supposidly 4 inches of snow that's supposed to fall today. So hopefully it will get busy soon to take my mind off of it.
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel that Fredericton has an abundance of horrible drivers. In the run of a week I cannot tell you how many morons I see out there on the road. And you know those whole Global TV commercials "SNOW means SLOW" that's been drilled into our heads for years...apparantly I'm one of the select few who have seen that commercial.
It looks like it may be a slow day here at work today. We're not really busy yet, although the morning is young at this point for many of our customers. I'm really nervous about driving home tonight at 6 p.m. as it's supposed to be freezing rain at that point...that's after dumping supposidly 4 inches of snow that's supposed to fall today. So hopefully it will get busy soon to take my mind off of it.
Friday, January 5, 2007
A day off...and I couldn't even sleep in!!!
Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday. I had a doctor's appointment in the morning and decided to take the whole day off. It was just a routine appointment, don't worry, all is well. All I will say about the appointment is new intern working with my family doctor (although very nice) = inexperience and "OMG, that was very unpleasant"!
On my drive back to the Northside from the medical clinic, I drove past the TD tower building and saw TONS of people out of the sidewalk. It was a little after 10 a.m., so I figured it was break time and they were all out having a smoke. Wrong. They were all outside waiting to get inside the building to process their application for a passport. It was nuts! They were lined up almost to King Street and there were so many people out there, that there was a commissionaire outside with them!
Ok...yes it is a royal pain in the a$$ that the US now requires that we have a passport to fly into their country. Yes it is a royal pain in the a$$ that next year we'll have to have one to even drive into their country. I know the Canadian government's intelligence is questionable, but seriously, come on! You knew there was going to be an abundance of people who were going to apply for a passport in the new year. Surely something can be done to help this situation, rather than having people waiting, for what I've heard is a minimum of three hours, outside in the cold. It's also easy to see why the Canadian government didn't put up a fuss when ole George W decided he wanted us all to have a passport to enter his haven. Our government is making a fortune off of this! At 120 bucks a pop (thanks for raising the price as of January 1st...convenient, eh), think of the quid our government is raking in off of this!
On my drive back to the Northside from the medical clinic, I drove past the TD tower building and saw TONS of people out of the sidewalk. It was a little after 10 a.m., so I figured it was break time and they were all out having a smoke. Wrong. They were all outside waiting to get inside the building to process their application for a passport. It was nuts! They were lined up almost to King Street and there were so many people out there, that there was a commissionaire outside with them!
Ok...yes it is a royal pain in the a$$ that the US now requires that we have a passport to fly into their country. Yes it is a royal pain in the a$$ that next year we'll have to have one to even drive into their country. I know the Canadian government's intelligence is questionable, but seriously, come on! You knew there was going to be an abundance of people who were going to apply for a passport in the new year. Surely something can be done to help this situation, rather than having people waiting, for what I've heard is a minimum of three hours, outside in the cold. It's also easy to see why the Canadian government didn't put up a fuss when ole George W decided he wanted us all to have a passport to enter his haven. Our government is making a fortune off of this! At 120 bucks a pop (thanks for raising the price as of January 1st...convenient, eh), think of the quid our government is raking in off of this!
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Back To The Grindstone
Yesterday was a hard day. It was the official "back to the grindstone" day. I went back to work (which royally sucked), I started back up with my Weight Watchers program (which wasn't a bad transition...only that there's still loads of "junk" leftover from Christmas, that I want to eat) and I started working out again. Although I started out slow with the working out and didn't "giver" like I usually do. My legs were getting tired and I thought that since I had taken two weeks off, maybe it was smarter of me to start off slower. I am planning on stepping it up more though in the new year, as Carrie's wedding is only a few months away and I want to be down to my goal by then. I'm sure if I start off right, right from the start and avoid any "cheat" days, that I can do it.
To add to the blah-ness of yesterday, Ryan locked the keys to his truck, inside the truck last night. He left for Quebec this morning to go skiing with a friend he went to school with (he's coming back on Friday). It's pretty bad that here it is January and he has to travel to another province to find snow...not that I'm complaining about it though...I hate the stuff. Anyway, last night he met this guy that he's travelling with at the Taproom to discuss their travel plans. When he went outside to get in the truck he couldn't find his keys. He looked inside the truck and there they were...in the ignition with the doors locked. He called me from his cell phone to tell me, and I called a towing company to go and unlock him. After only having to wait 10 minutes for the tow guy to get there, 2 minutes and $40 later, he was on his way over to my place.
We had a nice quiet evening at home, just enjoying one another's company. I had taken all of the Christmas decorations down :_( while he was at the Taproom, but I couldn't pull apart my Christmas tree (yes a fake one), so that waited until Ryan got home. My living room looks so bare now without all of the Christmas decorations and the tree. I really hate taking them down, but leaving them up year round and being known as the neighborhood crazy lady is not a good thing, LOL!
To add to the blah-ness of yesterday, Ryan locked the keys to his truck, inside the truck last night. He left for Quebec this morning to go skiing with a friend he went to school with (he's coming back on Friday). It's pretty bad that here it is January and he has to travel to another province to find snow...not that I'm complaining about it though...I hate the stuff. Anyway, last night he met this guy that he's travelling with at the Taproom to discuss their travel plans. When he went outside to get in the truck he couldn't find his keys. He looked inside the truck and there they were...in the ignition with the doors locked. He called me from his cell phone to tell me, and I called a towing company to go and unlock him. After only having to wait 10 minutes for the tow guy to get there, 2 minutes and $40 later, he was on his way over to my place.
We had a nice quiet evening at home, just enjoying one another's company. I had taken all of the Christmas decorations down :_( while he was at the Taproom, but I couldn't pull apart my Christmas tree (yes a fake one), so that waited until Ryan got home. My living room looks so bare now without all of the Christmas decorations and the tree. I really hate taking them down, but leaving them up year round and being known as the neighborhood crazy lady is not a good thing, LOL!
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Welcome 2007
It's hard to believe that the holidays are now officially over. It's always sad for me at this point - having all the joy and excitement of Christmas and New Year's sucked away. I also hate taking down and packing away all of the Christmas decorations for another year - it solidifies that the season is indeed over. I usually take my tree down on New Years Day, but never got around to it yet...it will probably come down tonight. I sat downstairs last night with the tree all lit up and got a little sad, thinking that this was probably going to be the last night to be able to sit back and admire it's glow and the coziness it lent to the room.
New Year's Eve for Ryan and I was great. My parents took us, along with my brother, out to dinner (annual tradition). This year we enjoyed a fabulous meal and drinks at McGinnis Landing. From there Ryan and I went back to my place and packed up the car to head to Kim and Jon's for the evening. They were hosting a New Year's party again this year and seeing that their place is in Oromocto, Ryan and I opted to spend the night there rather than one of us staying sober in order to drive home, or fighting for hours on the phone trying to reach a cab company. I rarely drink, but New Years is one night that I do like to indulge.
We got to Kim's at around 8-8:30 p.m. and lugged everything into the house. We sat and chatted for about an hour or so, and then Jon's brother Nick and his girlfriend Janet arrived, after having dinner at Brewbaker's. From there Jon's sister Whitney and her boyfriend Tom arrived, then Jon's cousin Art and his wife, two kids and his in-laws. The party with the kiddies left just before midnight and the three couples rang in the new year with kisses to our partners and champaigne toasts. It was a wonderful ringing in of 2007. About 45 minutes or so later, Jon's friend Nick Theriault and his girlfriend Ola arrived. It turns out that Ola graduated high school with Ryan and I, and she just arrived home from the Philippines - having to fly out of Hong Kong...where Ryan just flew home from. We thought that perhaps she was on the same flight as Ryan, but we figured out she arrived home a day before him. Still, it was freaky the co-incidence. I do have some great pictures from the night, which I can hopefully post sometime this week. My parent's computer is wacked and I can't upload my pictures to it. My brother has a great computer, which he'll hopefully allow me use to upload them. :)
On a sad note, my friend "Poet"'s father passed away over the holiday weekend. Click the link on the right hand side that says "Poet's Hideaway" to see her tribute to her dad.
New Year's Eve for Ryan and I was great. My parents took us, along with my brother, out to dinner (annual tradition). This year we enjoyed a fabulous meal and drinks at McGinnis Landing. From there Ryan and I went back to my place and packed up the car to head to Kim and Jon's for the evening. They were hosting a New Year's party again this year and seeing that their place is in Oromocto, Ryan and I opted to spend the night there rather than one of us staying sober in order to drive home, or fighting for hours on the phone trying to reach a cab company. I rarely drink, but New Years is one night that I do like to indulge.
We got to Kim's at around 8-8:30 p.m. and lugged everything into the house. We sat and chatted for about an hour or so, and then Jon's brother Nick and his girlfriend Janet arrived, after having dinner at Brewbaker's. From there Jon's sister Whitney and her boyfriend Tom arrived, then Jon's cousin Art and his wife, two kids and his in-laws. The party with the kiddies left just before midnight and the three couples rang in the new year with kisses to our partners and champaigne toasts. It was a wonderful ringing in of 2007. About 45 minutes or so later, Jon's friend Nick Theriault and his girlfriend Ola arrived. It turns out that Ola graduated high school with Ryan and I, and she just arrived home from the Philippines - having to fly out of Hong Kong...where Ryan just flew home from. We thought that perhaps she was on the same flight as Ryan, but we figured out she arrived home a day before him. Still, it was freaky the co-incidence. I do have some great pictures from the night, which I can hopefully post sometime this week. My parent's computer is wacked and I can't upload my pictures to it. My brother has a great computer, which he'll hopefully allow me use to upload them. :)
On a sad note, my friend "Poet"'s father passed away over the holiday weekend. Click the link on the right hand side that says "Poet's Hideaway" to see her tribute to her dad.
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