That’s what I did tonight. First off, I took my brand new pumpkin carving kit to work so that I could carve out something neat. I did (photos to follow). After that I typed up my month end report for the program I run.
The lottery is at $39 million this Saturday. I hope we win.
Here are the pumpkins. Click on the image to make it bigger.
This is the one I carved. I didn’t carve all the way through the large bat or the moon. I gouged out enough to make the light glow through but won’t let the wind in to blow out the candle.
Here are the rest:
Having done this, I’m glad that there were rubber gloves to wear.
That’s what today’s been for me. First off, I downloaded the no-squint add-on for Firefox. This makes the text, photos and graphics larger. I didn’t do this because I’m going blind, although technically through aging, I am. I did it because at school the screen sits at a weird distance from my face which makes my reading glasses useless and my regular glasses difficult to use. Now things are larger and I don’t need any glasses to see what I’m doing. This is especially important when I’m going through lists of peer reviewed articles.
I did get a lot done at school today. I got a shit pile more articles to print up, listed the books I need, had a really good conversation with one of the other students, ate A&W for lunch, got more articles and then after Boy texted me, packed up and left.
From school we went to Mark’s Work Warehouse for some jeans. When I got there I was very confused as to their sizing. I was used to either small, medium, large, etc., the regular sizing (12, 15, etc.) or the inch measurement. On the ones there they had stuff like 12X32. What the hell was that!? It turns out it’s the regular sizing along with the leg length. That’s actually a really good way of doing it. Most women are used to regular sizing and having a variety of leg lengths was nice. I wish I could’ve gotten the ones I did eventually get as 28″ legs instead of 30″. Then I’d not have to do any hemming.
That’s the short of it (so to speak). The first round I didn’t know the sizes and went to bitch at Bran about it. Happily a lovely lady who’d just started there helped me out but didn’t seem to be able to find any sizes anything to fit my rotund potato shaped body. So in frustration I gave up and went over to the men’s section to figure out what I could do to help Boy and Bran find something.
Boy managed to find a pair of rugby pants that fit him well enough. Bran, however, was a different kettle of fish. Bran needs a minimum of a 36″ leg. He also needs a larger waist size. Add to that the fact that he didn’t want to wear the new “contemporary” fit (aka low rider with a muffin top) and that reduced things to try on. Instead of jeans, he picked out 3 different pairs of sweats. Each pair has a different thickness to the pile for various chillinesses that are coming up.
We also went to Canadian Tire for some other things we needed. I needed a grommet (or plural) so that I can make a place to hang my keyes off my purse. We also got something that should help me get my cork bulletin board hung up at my desk. Actually, we got two somethings. A set of little hooks that might work and if they don’t fit as we hope we have velcro patches that I can stick them to the wall with.
The last of the books I ordered from Amazon.ca came in. The Power to Criminalize by Elizabeth Comack and Gillian Balfour was waiting at my spot on the couch when I got home. Things are really coming together. I’m going to have some very intense reading to do after I finish with these classes. My comfort is that I will only have one or two classes next year and they’ll be about teaching classes. I might not even have to take them (since I’m not interested in teaching).
It was curry shrimp rice noodle soup and chicken salad rolls for supper. Bran also ordered pork and shrimp salad rolls but they have rice noodles in them and increase the carb load of his supper. Instead of eating all 4 of the rolls he had one of the cold chicken rolls. They don’t have rice noodle at all.
That’s about it for today. I have to get my jeans into the wash machine so that I can wear them tomorrow. The manufacturer recommends that to avoid dye transfer onto skin. Since I’m not wild about the concept of having blue legs I’m going to finish up creating a load.
Everyone who reads my blog needs to go immediately and read Bruno right now. Really, you do need to. The comic I linked to is the very beginning of the many year story of the life of a young woman named “Bruno”.
The reason I’m telling you all this is because it’s a great comic. It’s so great that I ordered the complete Bruno in print form. It arrived yesterday. That’s really how great it is. Chris Baldwin, the artist and writer for the comic is very talented. He also does stuff for Mad Magazine and has another online comic called Little Dee.
That said, ’tis a sad thing that I had to wait until this morning to begin reading the comic. By the time we got home from the Co-Op (where the Canada Post depot is for our area) after we’d eaten, I was beginning to see double from fatigue. I don’t mean that metaphorically either. When I was little I had a small issue with seeing two images because of being cross eyed. My left eye was turned in and until I was in school, I would see images farther than 4 feet away in double (you mean the world doesn’t have two of everything?). While that’s been fixed fairly well, when I’m smashed or extremely tired, the muscles relax and I see double again. That’s what was happening last night at about 6:30 pm. I was in bed sleeping by 7.
Naturally, because of the very early bedtime I was awake at about 4:30. I glanced at my Elizabeth Comack book Women in Trouble and then dived into my Bruno collection. I’ve been reading that since. I’m probably going to read some more at school as well because I’m taking some with me as a break from studying.
Yesterday school totally rocked. In theory I was totally involved in the conversations about the theorists (exchange theory, social capital theory, rational choice theory) and had a few “aha” moments. I love it when that happens. Then in Aboriginal Women and Law, my prof gave me a handbook that the Elizabeth Fry Society created for women who are going to federal facilities. The book is all about their legal rights and the obligations that Correctional Services of Canada has toward them. I’m pretty sure that the book will be given to women at their sentencing. I’m pretty sure there are going to be some rather pissed off corrections workers. They don’t like prisoners knowing their rights. They’ll like it even less when they discover that they’ll be individually liable for abrogating the rights of the women they are supposedly responsible for. Imagine that, they’re going to be held accountable. What a concept!
My prof is also wanting to connect me with the national CEO of the E. Fry Societies. She wants to make sure that my research isn’t just going to be an MA for me, but also might actually do some good. Imagine that! This is after she read my rough overview of my term paper direction. I rock!
I guess this means that I won’t be writing much at all.
I’m sitting here at work waiting for the last of the people to get home from a PowWow that’s happening somewhere. Once they’re in then it’s a case of waiting for people to go to bed. After that then maybe I’ll be able to concentrate on thinking about doing that paper I have due on Monday.
I’m glad I looked at what the assignment was. It’s a critical review of one peer reviewed paper. I was going to be doing a few more. I just saved myself some work. I still have to pick out the paper I want to use. I want to pick one that involves a study of some sort along with the theoretical base the study is rooted in. The thing I run into is that most of the papers aren’t nice enough to spell it out for me. I have to actually think. Nertz.
I have November’s schedule in my written calendar already. I’m sure the boss person knows, but there are a few weekend shifts that haven’t got anyone in them. I imagine they’ll be filled by someone they’re hiring. I wonder if it’s going to be my classmate. I guess I’ll find out.
It’s funny how life isn’t that eventful when 1/2 your day is spent at work, then most of the remaining half is spent sleeping. Funny how that works. It looks like they’re making popcorn down there. It also looks like they’re going to create a bit of a mess. I’m glad that I don’t have to be the one cleaning it up.
I was talking to Bran the other day about how I’d rather not be working at all. I mean, it’s not that I don’t love my job or the people I work with. It’s that I can’t give the time I need to give to my studying. Really, that’s a phrase I didn’t think I’d ever say. However, I have actually been studying. I got to school and do notes. I spent last night doing my reading for Monday’s Theory class and beginning the prep work for my paper. I’ll also be reading my stuff for the Aboriginal Women and Law class. Can you believe this? I feel kind of like I’ve entered the twilight zone of education. Maybe because it’s something I always wanted. Maybe it’s because I recognize that if I don’t do my homework I’ll be royally screwed. Maybe it’s because I want to do reasonably well. Maybe it’s because I’m losing my grip on reality the older I get. Maybe I need to cease speculating and actually get to work again.
I’m going to read about other people’s lives before I get to doing my homework.
The government is trying to be all subtle about something. Thus far I’ve seen two ads for this subtle thing. First are two male moose rutting to the sound of a coin falling and doing the coin rattle thing. Then it’s a maple leaf falling into the water with the same sound. A web site is flashed and it took until the second ad to register.
It’s time to buy Canada Saving Bonds.
That explains the sound of a falling coin, not the flutter of paper money.
Well, technically I went to Firefox and asked for help, but I’ve got my function of the arrow keys back.
What happened was I pressed the F7 key which brings up “caret scrolling”. When you press that and say “yes” it changes things. I’ve changed things back and I’m much happier. Now if I could only figure out what I did to stop my delete key from deleting marked text in Word I’d be a very happy camper.
Today was a pretty much lost day. I woke up at 8 full of good intentions of getting to school by 9:30 or so and getting the work I had to get done finished. Yeah, it didn’t happen. At about 8:30 I was overcome with severe fatigue (I was awake late because I worked last night to midnight). I reset my phone alarm to 11 but instead of am, it was pm. I didn’t get up until just after 2 am when the phone rang. I did get to school by 3 though. Bran took me to Tim Horton’s and I got a chicken salad sandwich (which is different here than they make at Stonebridge) and a coffee. I got to school, chatted while I ate and then went off to the computer lab.
The computer lab for Arts and Science’s grad students is in the basement level. I got to see Cameron because he was having a meeting with his adviser and wanted to get some work done so that he would at least seem like he knew what he was doing. He wasn’t there long though. I sat next to a woman who is a Native Studies grad student. She shared some TMI. I never quite know why people do that.
Why do people share way too much information about themselves to people they barely know? I mean, it’s not like I’ve taken more than 3 classes throughout my undergrad with this women. However, I know that she used to work with corrections, that one of the persons there made her life hell there. I know that she’s in a relationship with a man in a Healing Lodge (basically a minimum security facility for Aboriginal men or men who are willing to accept the teachings of Elders and such). I also know that the person she used to work with has broken several of Corrections’ basic tenets including talking to her about a current inmate (bad breach of confidentiality even if she is “dating” him). There’s one thing that she considers a threat to her life, but what is, in essence, telling her to go play in traffic”. I told her that it’s more like an immature thing and not a threat to her. I mean, it’s not like he said that he was going to throw her into traffic. Anyway, it all boils down to the fact that I just don’t care, didn’t care then, and care even less now. I didn’t want to know that and I was too damned wussy to say I didn’t care and didn’t want to know. So now she thinks we have this intimate bond that doesn’t exist and any time I see her she’s going to puke her woes all over me and I’ll be like, ewwww! Curse me and my good manners!
Eventually she left (yay!) and I managed to actually get some work done. I think I’ve done an ok job on this one. However, I’m not sure it matters. I don’t think they give out part marks. I guess I’ll find out. It’s all done and in my backpack.
I should go to bed. I have to be up to shower and get ready for school. I have more things to take to my spot. Tonight, before I settled in to do my homework Bran and I went to Staples, London Drugs and Zellers. I got a small digital clock, a power bar, a stapler, staples to go in the stapler, a small step stool (two steps that will be used as a footstool under my desk as well as a way of climbing a bit higher to reach things). I’m also taking a large and rather powerful magnet to stick on my locker door to keep my pen/paper holder from falling down too far. They don’t put strong enough magnets on those things and it keeps slipping down. Alas, this magnet is strong and I can’t put it in my purse (phone and music player go in there) or in my backpack (computer – if I demagnetize that I’d be very unhappy). I’m going to stick it into my right hand coat pocket. That should keep it away from any delicate electronics.
We also got three huge bath sheets. Bran’s is the dark blood red, mine is the sky blue one and Boy’s is a moss green colour. They really are huge. I’ll be able to wrap it around me and not have spaces where bits of my cellulite will be displayed where the towel doesn’t meet. I like that in a towel.
I now have a theory paper to do for Monday. It’s like doing the little bit of literature review of my thesis. I have to read and review various peer reviewed articles and write up my own theoretical approach. At least that’s what I think I need. I know I don’t have to have an abstract for it. It should be only about 3 or 4 pages in length so it shouldn’t be too difficult. The nice thing about it is that I’ve already got a nice number of articles read and I can use the bibliography from my other class (Aboriginal Women and Canadian Law). I like grad school because of that. Everything is interrelated and overlapped with one’s thesis. Or as well as it can be done all things considered.
Note that I’ve not tried any of these remedies, but hey, if they work, yay! I stole this from The Other Side of the Rainbow.
Did You Know That Drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately — without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional “pain relievers.” OR…
Did you know that Colgate toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns. OR..
Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They’ll clear up your stuffed nose. OR…
Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 Tablespoon of horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil, for instant relief for aching muscles. OR…
Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria. OR…
Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly — even though the product was never been advertised for this use. OR…
Honey remedy for skin blemishes… Cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight. OR…
Listerine therapy for toenail fungus… Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again. OR…
Easy eyeglass protection… To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear nail polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them. OR…
Coca-Cola cure for rust… Forget those expensive rust removers. Just saturate an abrasive sponge with Coca Cola and scrub the rust stain. The phosphoric acid in the coke is what gets the job done. OR…
Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer… If menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can’t find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly. OR…
Smart splinter remover…just pour a drop of Elmer’s Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue. OR…
Hunt’s tomato paste boil cure…cover the boil with Hunt’s tomato paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head. OR…
Balm for broken blisters…To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine… a powerful antiseptic. OR…
Heinz vinegar to heal bruises… Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process. OR…
Kills fleas instantly. Dawn dish washing liquid does the trick. Add a few drops to your dog’s bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly. Rinse well to avoid skin irritations. Goodbye fleas. OR…
Rainy day cure for dog odor… Next time your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh. OR…
Eliminate ear mites…. All it takes is a few drops of Wesson corn oil in your cat’s ear. Massage it in, then clean with a cotton ball. Repeat daily for 3 days. The oil soothes the cat’s skin, smothers the mites, and accelerates healing. OR…
Quaker Oats for fast pain relief….It’s not for breakfast anymore! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 m inute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.
Today’s one of those Mondays where I’m up at 7 am or so to shower and go to school and then I have to stay awake and work until midnight. Those are hard days. Today is made all the harder because my coworker isn’t here to pick up the slack that I don’t want to be trailing around with. So I’m on shift alone.
I managed to get something resembling an abstract and annotated bibliography done for the class I had to get that done for. I have absolutely no idea if it suits the purpose, but it’s handed in. I also finished my presentation preparation. Actually, that was done last night and I printed out all the handouts. Alas, because this morning involved my sister being at our place and such like, I managed to forget them on the printer. Bran was sweet and obliged me by bringing them to me in class. It seemed to go alright, though one never knows with that sort of thing.
At 3:30 I was out of class and on my way downstairs to get a ride to work. On my way down the ramp I encountered a log jam of older women who were in no hurry to get anywhere. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not really made for speed (more for comfort) but when I’m going somewhere I want to be going somewhere. It was made worse by the entire mob of women stopping at the bottom of the ramp and blocking teh way for both people going up the ramp and coming down. I’m afeared that I was much less civil about asking them to move their collective butts. I pointed out that they’re being rude and blocking the way for anyone who needs to be anywhere. I guess they got the point because at least some of them moved out of the way so that I could get by.
So now I’m at work. In a little while I have to get up and go do a building check. Such excitement. I’m going to go to be at school tomorrow working on my statistics homework for Thursday. I’m hoping to have most, if not all of it done by tomorrow afternoon when Bran comes to pick me up. Cross your toes for me, would you please?
Anyway, it all boils down to the fact that I just don’t care, didn’t care then, and care even less now. I didn’t want to know that and I was too damned wussy to say I didn’t care and didn’t want to know. So now she thinks we have this intimate bond that doesn’t exist and any time I see her she’s going to puke her woes all over me and I’ll be like, ewwww! Curse me and my good manners!
