Lindy Lou

Latest Shopping Rant

2006-05-09T17:17:00.000-03:00

I have been shopping around for computer stuff lately. In particular, I wanted to add a bigger hard drive and some more RAM to my desktop. I also wanted to get a lock and a padded sleeve for my laptop. I did some pricing at Futureshop, BestBuy, some local small shops, and online.

The best deal on a hard drive I found was at Dell. They had a 320 gb Western Digital drive on sale for $128 Canadian.

The only place I found a laptop sleeve was on eBay. I was hoping to get a neoprene sleeve, but there weren't any that were the right size. It was a surprisingly cheap purchase - the sleeve itself was $5.50 US and shipping was $10.30 US so it worked out to be under $20 Canadian.

Laptop locks seemed to be a standard $50 at every place I looked. Dell surprised me again with a Targus Defcon combo lock for $31 Canadian.

Memory was a bit of a disappointment. I'd ideally like to put 2 gigs in my computer, but would settle for 1 gig. Futureshop had 512 mb sticks of Kingston DDR RAM on for $50 after mail-in rebate, but the mail-in rebate offer is restricted to one per household and I'd like to add at least 2 sticks to my computer. The sales person's suggestion was to put them on separate receipts and mail the rebates in separate enevlopes with different addresses (friends or relatives). He couldn't understand why this was an inconvenience. Also, $200 is more than I'd really like to pay for 2 gigs of RAM.

The sleeve that I ordered on eBay arrived within three days and fits perfectly. I expected it to be a no-name thing, but it was actually made by Targus and is pretty darn nice. It will allow me to toss my laptop in my backpack without it getting all scratched and dirty.

While Dell had great prices, they lose serious points on shipping times and communication in general. I ordered the lock and the hard drive in the same transaction on May 1. The estimated delivery date that showed up when I placed my order was May 4 (great).

It's now May 9 and when I check the status of my order online, it says "In Production" with an estimated ship date of May 5. There is a blurb that says "Although we do not anticipate a delay in your order, we occasionally run into unexpected delays in the manufacturing process. If this should happen, we will notify you and provide a revised estimated ship date."

Since my hard drive is manufactured my Western Digital and my lock by Targus, Dell's manufacturing process should be non-existant. I called Dell to see if I could get more info on when it will ship and was told that both items are back ordered until May 24, so they should ship then. It's interesting that they have the same back order dates when they are coming from different manufacturers. When I look up the lock online, it "Usually Ships: Same Day" and the hard drive "Usually Ships: 5-7 Days".

Why can't Dell put the updated info on the web site?? When I look up my order status online, I expect to see the same info I would be given over the phone! They state that they'll contact me with a revised ship date if there are any delays, but I have yet to get an email about the back order status.

Off to Zurich

2006-03-27T22:54:00.000-04:00

This is much more exciting than my library fines... I promise.

I will be spending the summer working at IBM in Zurich. My passport is thankfully up to date, but there are so many other things to think about...
- Do I need a Visa?
- Do I need any immunizations?
- Can I find a subletter in Ottawa?
- Where will I live in Switerland?
- I need to buy laptop!
- I need new luggage!
- Will my new laptop work in Switzerland?
- How do I put my NSERC funding on hold?
- Is there anything I need to put on hold at Carleton?

So scary, but so very exciting!
I think living in Zurich will inspire me to update more, with details of all sorts of Swiss curiosities.

Lindy vs Li ... on library books

2006-03-27T02:37:00.000-04:00

Back in February... the 25th to be exact, I dragged Li to the library so I could get an article out of a journal that I couldn't get online. The journal in question was shelved with the regular science texts and I could actually check it out. So I took it, along with 5 other issues of the same journal, and proceeded to checkout. I figured I would be able to keep them for a few days at most, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the due date was a month in the future.

For the next few weeks, Li would periodically mention that my books were probably due and that I should return them. I would say "No, it's towards the end of March", or "No, I always get an email the day before they're due". He would try to scare me with horror stories library fines, but I would brush him off.

Last week I finally checked the due date on my books and decided I would easily remember it because of its relation to my Crypto assignment due date. My Crypto assignment is due March 27th so on the 26th, when Li mentioned my books again, I assured him that they were due the next day and that I would renew them.

Well, I just logged into the library site and it turns out that my books were due on the 26th (a mere 2 hours ago). I was supposed to remember that they were due the day BEFORE my Crypto assignment. I was able to renew them but was fined 50 cents a book ($3 total). Not a big fine, but enough for judgement to fall in favor of Li.

I'll spare you the story of my $20 UPEI library fine.

Rant of the day

2006-03-09T20:32:00.000-04:00

WB decided to release two different versions of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:

Regular Edition in choice of Full and Widescreen with no bonus features

Special Edition in Widescreen only with bonus features

At Future Shop the special edition is $5 more expensive. ($24.99 vs $29.99)

The first three Harry Potter movies all contained two discs - one with the movie and one with the bonus features. I'm not sure why they decided to change this time. Most dvds come with bonus features now and there is no additional fee (at least outright). For movies like these, I love watching the interviews and other bonus features, but I don't necessarily want to pay $5 extra bucks for them.

I used to be a big Fullscreen fan during the transition from vhs to dvd, the black bars at the top and bottom of my tv drove me nuts. Then I clued in that parts of my movie were being cut off from the original version and I became a Widescreen convert. I started buying the Harry Potter movies in Fullscreen and continued to so they would match. When the first three went on sale for $12.99 each this week I thought it might be a good time to pick them up in Widescreen. Then I noticed that I could get all four movies in a widescreen box set (including the bonus disc for Goblet of Fire) for $59.99.

Earlier this evening I picked up the $59.99 box set. I scrutenized the box carefully in store to make sure I would be getting the bonus for GoF. The binding looked like that of the single disc edition, but it clearly said on the back that the bonus features were included. When I got it home I was disappointed to find that my 8 disc boxed set only contained 7 discs :-(.

I did some online searching and came up with a number where you could call to get the bonus disc mailed to you. Apparently it was a WB packaging problem . I tried the number, but it must have been closed for the night. I expect they send you the bonus disc in an envelope and you won't even get the proper 2-disc case. Li convinced me to go back to Future Shop to see if they'd just swap the movie for me. The customer service girl were awesome and swapped it for me so I have the right cover and case :-). Happy ending.

get 'em while they're hot...

2006-02-05T21:46:00.000-04:00

With Valentines Day around the corner, websites are filled with reminders and present ideas. I was checking out the Sears website and decided to see how accurate their listings of gift ideas "For Her" were (i.e - would I like it).

Under "For Her", there were three links: one for necklaces, one for intimates, and one for collectables. Following the page link to collectables, you can find a beautiful figurine of Homer Simpson - passed out on the couch with a donut in his hand.

Nothing says I love you like Homer Simpson ;-).

dial lindy for lawyer

2006-02-02T11:14:00.000-04:00

I am considering changing my cell phone number. I keep getting wrong numbers that waste my daytime minutes. Immediately saying "wrong number" and hanging up doesn't help because the people calling are dumb and they call back. Sometimes not immediately and from a different phone - they tell me that they phoned earlier though. Today's wrong number went like this:

Oh, It's you. I was talking to... to... Mr... Mr... Felix

I think you have the wrong number

No. I don't. This is 266-9707?

Yes. But I don't know any Mr Felix and ...

Is this a lawyer's office?

No. You have the wrong number.

Well Ismal gave me this number and told me to call it.

Well, I don't know anyone named Ismal. And I don't know anyone named Mr Felix. And I don't know any lawyers. This is my cell phone number.

This is not a law office?

No, no, no. It is my cell phone number. I am not a lawyer. I am a student. And you are using up my day time minutes!

If I was a lawyer, I could get a lot of clients without even advertising. Hmmm.

Garbage Picking Again

2006-01-19T21:46:00.000-04:00

It is amazing how many pieces of furniture get thrown out on our street. We found a beautiful wood table with a broken leg that we repaired and turned into Kelly's desk. We found a set of wood chairs, one of which graces our entry way. We found a white wicker chair and coffee table that look lovely in our living room. And tonight I found a nice black Ikea coffee table that I'm sure I'll find the perfect place for.

computer frustrations

2006-01-09T04:16:00.000-04:00

Warning - this will be a boring post.

What am I doing up at 3:30 am? Updating my firmware.

I got a 100 pack of Maxell dvd+r's in early December and then another 50 pack for Christmas. I finished off my FujiFilms earlier this evening so I cracked the seal on one of the Maxell spindles. After 3 failed burns from spindle 1, I tried spindle 2. Nero repeatedly spit my discs back to me so I tried using RecordNow with no more luck. I downloaded firmware updates from HP which wasted a cd (I could have used a floppy, but where would you find one of them these days) and still had no luck.

I started surfing forums for clues to my mystery. Some sites noted that the error I received came from using cheap media... but everywhere seemed to agree that Maxell was reliable. One site lead me to believe that I may have imitation discs. I downloaded a disc check program that can identify the true manufacturer of your discs, but the discs had to be written to be identified. I could hear Li whispering "reformat" in my ear (his answer for everything).

At 2am my frustration peaked and I called the Maxell 24/7 tech support number. The guy didn't take me around the block asking me to change this and that (yahoo!)... I told him my problem and he asked me if I had tried updaing my firmware. He then gave me an address that I could return the dvds to. Hmmm - postage for 150 dvds would probably be more than the little coasters cost in the first place.

I decided I wasn't ready to give up yet and hit the HP site once more. I noticed that the burner listed on the page of drivers and goodies for my computer model was the 300i. Hmmm... I have the 300n. Another search and I found the firmware for the n model burner. Download, run, shut down, start up.... and it worked?!

My persistence paid off and I can now burn to my little heart's content. "Burn process suceeded" are happy words.

I warned you it would be boring.

Candlemaking Flunkie

2005-12-11T23:42:00.000-04:00

Candles are harder to make than I thought...
I wanted to make sand candles for Christmas presents - carved with my own unique designs. As you can see, I didn't have much luck.

Anyone with tips on how to do these, please share!

a lesson in consideration

2005-12-08T17:16:00.000-04:00

I took the bus this morning around 9:00 am. It was crowded and a number of people had to stand. One couple in business attire had a pair of seats for themselves and an additional pair of seats across the aisle for their two bags.

Lots of people on the bus had bags and held them in their laps. I'm not sure what made this pair of bags so important that they got their own seats. Meanwhile, the elderly people who were boarding had to stand. The couple seemed to not notice the dirty looks they were getting from people standing and sitting. The man did keep a close eye on his bags though, when anyone got too close to them.

I really wanted to say something to this couple, but wasn't sure what should be said. My stop came before I could decide what to say. I guess the best thing I can do now is be conscious of my own consideration for others.

I know I'm too old to throw temper tantrums...

2005-12-05T00:56:00.000-04:00

But yesterday, I got so mad at my hair that I biffed my bottle of gel from one end of the apartment (in the bathroom) to the other (the front door). Luckily no-one was coming in at the time or I may have possibly given them a serious concussion!

The rampage continued as I later searched for my newly purchased hair clips and my boyfriend bore witness to the unfortunate event. I came close to throwing a plate this time, but mananged to control myself.

I just wanted to look perfect for the christmas party Li was taking me to. Looking back, it was rather comical in a disturbing sort of way. My hair was far from perfect, but I had fun anyways.

I wonder if my hair clips will ever turn up.

First Snow

2005-11-22T17:15:00.000-04:00

I love it when I wake up to fresh snow - everything feels so bright and clean. And... with the first snow comes the need to begin to decorate for Christmas. I dug my garland and led lights out of the storage locker today and decorated the balcony. It looks so pretty. I can't wait until it's time to get a tree!

where does the time go

2005-11-07T21:00:00.000-04:00

I am due for a post, but what should I post?

I had a pretty quiet weekend involving some grading, watching tv, and shopping. Li got invitations to the Tommy Hilfiger friends and family sale (40% off at he store, 30% at the outlet) which was fun - I got two sweater, a top, a skirt, and socks. I think I know have enough sweaters to survive an ice age.

The countdown to the next Harry Potter movie is on. I want to go in costume, if I can convince anyone to come with me. I know Jason would come with me if I was on PEI.

I can still remember how I felt when the first HP movie came out and how exciting it was to see my beloved books come to life. I think I am due for a reread of the series, but I should probably wait until Christmas when i don't have assignments and projects to worry about.

My flight home is booked.... I return to the Island on Dec 14th and will be staying til the 31st. Since this year I'll be ringing in the New Year in Ottawa, I propose a faux-New Years earlier in December complete with Lindy's legendary meatballs and a faux-countdown.

links

2005-10-27T13:40:00.000-03:00

My list of links is growing.... as I remember/find the links that used to be there.

If you have been dropped it's not because I don't like you... it's becaused I screwed up my template and accidentally deleted them all. :-(

Remind me and I'll add you!

the good and the bad

2005-10-27T13:10:00.000-03:00

Subway is open on campus.... there is a maze of construction to navigate before finding it and the new employees aren't quite sandwich artists yet.

There is a nice enclosed area to keep me warm and dry where I wait for my bus... this morning there was a giant puddle of vomit that made me gag and wait outside.

I made it through the first article I have to review before my midterm on Monday.... it took me 3 hours and there are 13 more to go.

I have an awesome boyfriend and roommate in Ottawa... I miss my PEI friends (especially the McCarthys).

Housekeeping Gone Too Far

2005-10-21T12:47:00.000-03:00

A few days ago I decided to clean up my blog links... this involved updating the link to Sheena's page and deleting some dead links (ahem, Brodie).

I changed Sheena's fine, but when I was deleting my dead links, I managed to delete half my template. Oopsie...

I still have to add some links, and I'm not 100% happy with the new template, but at least I'm back online.

Elevator of Horror

2005-10-16T23:15:00.000-03:00

Although the elevator in my apartment buildng has its stamp of approval from the elevator inspection agency, it still makes me uneasy. It doesn't always like opening in the basement and likes to shudder and thump. Every now and then the floor display screen will show "8" the entire trip down to the ground floor and I hold my breath praying or the cable not to snap.

I came home around 1 am last night after going out for cocktails with Li and his friends. I was a little tipsy, but the elevator soon sobered me up... partway between the ground and 11th floor I started to hear loud screams of terror and pain, as if there were people on top of the elevator being mangled as it climbed. Li thinks the screams were coming from the 7th floor as they seemed loudest at that point and were just carrying up the elevator shaft. He also thinks they were television screams.

After I was safely locked in my apartment, brave Li went to investigate. He couldn't hear any more screaming so the mystery went unsolved. No sirens came down our road so perhaps I'll chalk it up to drunken partiers... or is there more to the mystery?

bed luxury

2005-10-14T18:45:00.000-03:00

"They're finally getting Peter Pan"
"Peter Pan what?"
"lights!"

Another meaningful conversation with Kel - apparently they are putting in lights at the Peter Pan intersection in Charlottetown.

I saw a memory foam matress pad on the Costco website and immeditaely wanted one. I was planning on picking up a feather bed pad, but thought this would be better. I love having a luxurious bed... with high thread count sheets and fluffy pillows.

When I went to the Costco in Ottawa, they only had the bed pad in Queen and King sizes. I asked a worker and he said they had trouble getting the double size from Nobusform. I asked if any other Cosco would have doubles and he said no.

Luckily I was able to order one from the Costco website and it arrived today (it only took 2 days to ship!). It came in a surprisingly small box and was double vaccuum sealed. After I took it out, I had to carefully unfold it. This process took a surprising amount of strength as the pad did not want to be unfolded. It has since puffed up and looks very inviting. I'm never getting out of bed!

Double Tagged

2005-10-05T03:35:00.000-03:00

by lilly and kelly

I'm only going to give 5 though:

My 5 Quirks/Weird Habits:

I arrange my shirts in my closet according to sleevelength, then collar height, then color
I eat all the chocolate off of each bite of Crunchie bar then savour the middle
I practice fooseball alone (when kelly won't play with me)
I color code my class notes (examples are green...)
Office supplies make me happy

I think Kell took care of the bloggers I know, so I won't tag anyone.

never programmed before?

2005-09-28T17:00:00.000-03:00

You're not alone - in fact two guys in my graduate level course in Distributed Systems have never programmed either. They discribed themselves as "theory guys". I didn't think it was possible to get to a graduate level in Computer Science without doing a little programming. In my own undergraduate I dabbled in everything from C and Java to Prolog and Assembly.

Now that I've lost half my readers, I'll change topics -
Ottawa is AMAZING for rollerblading. There are smooth paved paths that snake along the city's rivers allowing you to skate for more than an hour straight in one direction. Kel, Li and I rollerbladed all the way downtown last night from the apartment. It took a little over an hour and was very picturesque. By the time we got downtown it was getting dark so we took the much quicker (but less scenic) bus home.

I wish I had something more exciting to report on... I'll work on living a more exciting life.

mundane update

2005-09-22T14:00:00.000-03:00

Well I'm doing my second set of office hours and have yet to see a student. There are computers in the TA room, so I am adding movies to my online rental list :-).

It was my birthday yesterday! Li took me out to an amazing restaurant called Milestones to celebrate. It was swank and delicious! Afterwards, we watched the season premier of Lost... wow. I had to hide my eyes through a significant portion of it and I think I may have crushed a few of Li's ribs in my more fearful moments - but it was great. As usual, the episode ended with more questions than answers. Can't wait til next week.

adventures in ottawa

2005-08-31T05:00:00.000-03:00

We made it to Ottawa safely - shortly after 1 am. Yahoo! We parked on our apartment's street and were going to sleep in the Durango until Kel and I decided it was too hot and uncomfortable. So we checked out the bus schedule and headed downtown around 2:12 with Kel's bro Danny. We wandered around the market a bit, had a bite to eat and some caffeine at Nickels (yay for 24 hours), and then wandered some more. We checked out Parliament (from the outside) and must have looked like backwards tourists as we were clearly taking in the sights... but at 4 am in the rain.

We are now quite wet, but at least it's warm out. Now we've stumbled into a 24 hour internet cafe which should give us a chance to dry some (and catch up on some correspondance) until Tim Hortons opens at 5:30. We can't move in until 3pm so we've got some serious time to kill.

Hair Products

2005-08-29T12:30:00.000-03:00

I went to Walmart this morning to pick up some hair gel which turned out to be on sale for $2 off. While I was excited about the price, I got a little worried when I noticed that none of the other products in the same line (John Frieda - Frizz Eas e) were on sale. I had flashbacks to when L'Oreal's 'AntiFrizz Gel' went on sale because it was being discontinued. It took me forever to find a suitable replacement. Either way, I immediately purchased all the gel they had in stock.

There doesn't seem to be any hint of such a discontinuation on the product's web site so I'll keep my fingers crossed and possibly start stockpiling. Perhaps I should write John Frieda about how much I love his gel.

3 days til Ottawa

2005-08-28T21:00:00.000-03:00

I picked up my U-Haul trailer this morning and was happy to get the size I wanted at the location I wanted. U-Haul doesn't guarantee either so I could have arrived this morning to find out the nearest trailer in my requested size was in Moncton.

I have managed to sqeeze in some family time in between packing. At the family breakfast this morning, my grandmother asked me about the U2 concert in November and where my seats were. Upon hearing that I would be in the standing area, she advised me to stay away from the "crush zone". I asked what the crush zone was and she informed me that "When you go to big concerts and get too close to the stage and everyone behind you pushes forward then you get crushed."

I laughed and told her I'd tell Li that my grandmother would prefer it if we didn't get too close. She quickly told me that I was to do no such thing as Li already must think she's crazy. Li met my grandmother at a similar family breakfast during which she shared with us a story about a crow that sounds like it says "Hello" when it caws. I'll miss my gram.

parking lot fury

2005-08-25T11:00:00.000-03:00

My Ottawa preparations are going pretty smoothly. My trailer is booked and scheduled for pick-up on Sunday. My internet and phone is scheduled for hookup next Thursday. My insurance has been sorted out. I even have a new shower curtain.

Shopping for shower curtain hooks was more interesting than I expected. Sheena, Kristen and I went to Walmart yesterday, on my hunt for shower hooks. The parking lot was busy as usual, but I found an optimal parking spot right in front of the store, three down from the wheel chair spots - and it was a pull through.

I pulled into my prime spot and was half way into the second space when a woman on the other side started to aim into the same spot. I was already halfway into the spot so I kept going slowly. She stayed with her nose aimed toward the spot and a look of anger on her face. I'm not sure whether she expected me to back up or what... but I wasn't going to give up my prime pull through.

She stayed where she was while I put the car in park and the three of us got out. Then, she educated us, "What you girls just did was illegal - you just crossed a double solid yellow line and that's illegal". I'm not sure what double solid line she was referring to, but I didn't want to provoke her further as she looked like she was going to explode.

Either way, I got my shower hooks and a free knife at Walmart. And, thankfully, my tires weren't slashed when I returned to my car.

Another Rant

2005-08-16T17:00:00.000-03:00

Moving is complicated...

Lately I have been trying to figure out what the best phone and internet plan is for me and Kel (in Ottawa). I called Rogers, Bell, and Vonage several times in an attempt to get the whole picture.

Rogers gave me completely different phone plan rates the first two times I called them and then on call #3 I learned that their phone service is essentially VOIP (voice of IP). For VOIP I would have expected better long distance rates!

Bell's website listed completely different long distance plan rates than they quoted me over the phone - you'd think they'd update the website when their rates go down. And each conversation was finighed with a plug encouraging me to sign up right now (even though I made it clear that I only wanted a few questions anwered because I had to discuss things with my roommate). I must give the operators credit for the clever way they worked their suggestions into the conversation.

Vonage looks interesting, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to make the leap to VOIP - if our internet or the power goes out, so does our phone. And they also had a "shipping fee" in addition to their setup fee and a "disconnect fee" of fifty dollars if you cancel the service before a year.

Insurance is my big thorn. I have to have proof of tenant insurance before my apartment building will release my apartment keys. I have been calling brokers and they all seem to have a minimum coverage of $30-35,000 or won't insure me if I'm not present to sign the papers.

Sigh.

Trying something new

2005-07-22T11:41:00.000-03:00

Overall, I am happy with the selection of movies for rent in Charlottetown - between That's Entertainment, Jumbo, and Blockbuster. I do wish, however, that they had exercise videos available for rent. I decided to try Zip.ca to rent exercise videos and the titles not stocked by local rental stores.

I'm not sure if I would use this service in lieu of renting movies in person, but I am eager to see how well it works. My first two titles are en route with an estimated arrival date of July 27th.

Harry Potter countdown is on!

2005-07-11T15:00:00.000-03:00

I pre-ordered my book from a local book store that is putting on a pre-release party Friday night. It starts at 10:30 and there will be a magician and other fun activities. At midnight, the books come out and I'll finally get to crack the binding of my shiny new HP.

I am debating wearing my Hogwarts robe and hat... Sheena, would you still come with me if I did?

Taking My Business Elsewhere

2005-06-22T11:25:00.000-03:00

It's a rainy day and I'm in the mood for curry. I called The Churchill Arms just now (at 11:20) to place an order for pick-up. I first asked about the special and then asked to place a pickup order. Apparently they don't take orders until 11:30, so they told me to call back at 11:30. I said I'd like to pickup the order at 12:20; I mean surely they could take a second and write it down, even if they don't make it until 11:30. No luck - they said call back in 10 minutes. Why answer the phone if you aren't prepared to to business???

Anyhow, I guess they don't want my business. I thought I had found a new fave place to eat - oh well. Lots of yummy food elsewhere in Charlottetown for a girl who eats out daily. I will not be going to the Churchill Arms again anytime soon, possibly ever. Sorry to everyone I raved about their curry to, with promises of going there.

Just another night on PEI

2005-06-01T23:15:00.000-03:00

I love PEI. I never know what fun adventures I will get myself into here. Tonight we went kayaking out at Rice Point. Dirk and I made it all the way to St Peter's Island (which looked much closer than it actually was) and staked out the camping situation.

We explored as best as we could sans shoes - there was a cabin and an outhouse. I wasn't brave enough to peek inside (the cabin - not the outhouse) in spite of the fact that there was no lock. When we got backto PEI, we learned the cabin is there for anyone to use - there is apparently a guest book inside and food. They do ask that you replace any food you eat at some point.

An overnight camping trip is definitely in order! I don't know how long we will be able to delay the adventure - I want to go this weekend.

Lindy Got Trampled

2005-05-29T01:05:00.000-03:00

Warning - Cranky Post Ahead...

I hate to be the party pooper, but Peakes was not worth $8 tonight. There were too many people - pushing me and stepping on me. Dance floor was nuts - I came close to becoming violent. When you are in a crowd with shoulder to shoulder people you should not start swing dancing and twirling your partner - you just end up crashing into others and it's not cool. Drinking would probably been wise, except drinks are waaay too expensive. A cooler should not cost $5.50. Sigh. I will not be returning to Peakes on a Saturday again this summer.

Pretty Toes

2005-05-09T14:00:00.000-03:00

I gave my feet a fancy french pedicure topped off with some sparkly rinestones. The rinestones now seem to be wearing a hole in my dainty trouser socks.

In other feet related events, I was at Aldo on the weekend and inquired about the status of the shoes I sent away in December. They appeared shocked that I had not heard anything and are looking into it. I should hear back from them by tomorrow.

recipe for me

2005-05-01T00:25:00.000-03:00

Hmmmm... it didn't ask me any questions so it is based entirely from my name.

How to make a Lindy

Ingredients:

1 part pride

3 parts arrogance

5 parts energy

Method:
Layer ingredientes in a shot glass. Serve with a slice of lovability and a pinch of salt. Yum!

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

back from the land of the mouse

2005-05-01T00:00:00.000-03:00

I have been offline since April 23rd and am definitely feeling the withdrawl. So many blog-worthy things have happened. I had an amazing week at Disney! I am too tired now, but I'll do my best to post them soon. Got my marks back and actually did OK in Graphics... wOOt! I am happy with all my marks and have renewed enthusiasm for the continuing saga of my education.

What's in a name

2005-04-21T13:21:00.001-03:00

Since Kelly seems to be making little progress in choosing a blog title, I have taken it upon myself to provide a few suggestions. Feel free to vote on the suggestions provided, or suggest your own title...

Putting on my blogging hat
Since Kelly wears a lot of hats
Philosophies of a Shopaholic
Obvious - Philosophy degree + Love of shopping
Philosopher Queen
A play on Philosopher Kings
Culinarily Challenged (sp?)
Since Kelly has a struggling relationship with cooking
The next few are just random:
The jungle I call life
Puppet Master
Paradise Found
Socra-tease

done!!!

2005-04-18T16:54:00.000-03:00

I just wrote my last exam - a very anticlimactic end to my undergraduate career. I'm not sure if I expected the dean to jump out and hand me my degree, or sirens to go off like at a casino. Either way, I am done. Hooray!

sometimes you just have to accept it...

2005-04-11T15:00:00.000-03:00

... when your program magically works after you multiply a number by a factor of 4. There may have been something wrong in my arithmetic, but I think it is the magic of the number 4.

My head hurts :-(.

leftovers

2005-04-10T12:30:00.000-03:00

Often when I go to a restaurant, I don't finish my meal. Especially when it's East Side Marios and I fill up on salad and bread. I always ask to have my leftovers wrapped up... but they never seem to make it home with me. I either leave them on my table or on a table beside where I pay. I know I do this so every time I ask for my leftovers to go I tell myself, "Lindy - remember to take them". It never seems to work though - I wonder if I should tie a string around my finger before going to a resaurant.

Convaluted Code

2005-04-07T23:45:00.000-03:00

I'm not sure what the definition of convaluted is... but as the hours roll by, I think my code is becoming more and more so.

wow

2005-04-07T09:30:00.000-03:00

I checked out Carleton's Athletics page to make sure they had aerobics of some sort for me and was blown away by the variety of classes I can take. They offer tap dancing, stick fighting, ballet, belly dancing, and West African dance... on top of traditional aerobics classes.

Bad news is you have to pay for and commit to a class for an entire semester. I would really like to class hop, but I guess I'll pick a neat class and some aerobics as well. Hmmm, I get a pair of rattan sticks if I sign up for stick fighting.

one day at a time

2005-04-06T22:00:00.000-03:00

My workload has seemed unending lately. Florida is a mere 17 days away, but it seems like eternity. On top of assignments, exams, and work, I should really try to squeeze in a photo appointment and have my grad pics taken.

I did take a break from school and went for a jog today. It was beautiful - I jogged along the boardwalk by Victoria Park. The water was sparkling and there were still chunks of ice floating in it. My stamina leaves something to be desired, but I'm working on it.

my poor neglected blog

2005-03-27T23:58:00.000-04:00

My boyfriend has drawn my attention to the fact that I need to update my blog, so here goes:

Both classes and work have been quite busy lately; I am really looking forward to graduation. Lots of good news:

I will have my B.Sc degree in Computer Science in another month
I am going to Florida for a week between exams and convocation
I got an NSERC CGS M award and have been accepted into Carleton to do my masters in Comp Sci

Everyone undoubtedly already knows all this, but I'm not quite sure what else to write about. Adventures have been few and far between. Summer should remedy this. I am looking forward to many trips to the beach, and camping.

Music for the Soul

2005-03-11T21:10:00.000-04:00

I love how music can bring out different emotions in me. I have recently found that David Gray is perfect for programming to... it both soothes me (so I don't get frusterated when things don't work) and motivates me (through the all night sessions I sometimes pull). I find I can write really beautiful code when listening to him.

Anonymity = Null

2005-03-10T11:15:00.001-04:00

Ever Google your name? My name (first and last) brings back 19 results - omitting similar ones. Ten of the results (including the first nine) actually pertained to me.

These include

My blog
My profile on the UPEI CS/IT Society page
My profile in the Moodle forums
My results in the APICS Programming contest - 2003
Some references to me in UPEI Newsletters
Some references to me in other blogs

I guess I'm easy to find.

Biggest Scardy Cat

2005-03-06T04:15:00.000-04:00

It's 4:15 am... I'm not sure why I'm still up, or why I decided to watch Lost. I caught an episode of the show last week and decided to download the first episode. I am about 30 minutes into the episode and seriously scared. My dvd drive just opened and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I had to turn it off and will possibly try it again in daylight (if I feel any braver).

I think I put too much of myself into what I see on TV. As I am watching the show, I am envisioning myself there... stranded on the beach with a plane full of dead people and some scary noise coming from the woods.

OK... think of something pleasant... summer, camping, no - ghost legs - eek.

I can't go to sleep like this or I'll have the worst nightmares. Perhaps there's a good infomercial on. Hmmm.

50% Nerd ... 50% ???

2005-02-13T00:30:00.000-04:00

Wow ... I am only lightly nerdy. I find this surprising somehow.

where'd the time go

2005-02-12T15:00:00.000-04:00

It has been 29 days since my last entry. What a busy month! Finally spring break has arrived. I kicked it off with a great pubcrawl last night. It didn't take me many drinks as I neglected to sleep the night before.

Hilights included...

my Matrix bathroom hijinx ... I think it's gonna bruise :-(
Kelly, Kristen and I taking over the dance floor at JRs .. it wasn't much of battle since it was vacant when we arrived
After bar pizza at my place ... and knowing I have awesome friends who will always be there

6 days til Li comes!

Moving Again

2005-01-14T22:00:00.000-04:00

I found a place to live ... yay! On Sunday I am going to be moving back into Brown's Court. I can't wait to be able to sleep in a little longer and be out on my own again. I am not a big fan of moving, but I am looking forward to setting up my new room.

Literary Reviews ... part 2

2005-01-11T01:30:00.000-04:00

I received a number of books for Christmas, which was awesome because I can be bit of a book worm.
I received some books that promise to be great literary achievements...
- Ten Thousand Sorrows by Elizabeth Kim
- The Tiger Claw by Shauna Singh Baldwin
- Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
I received some that are light and comical..
- Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella
- Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich
And I got a token geek book..
- The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick

I think 'The Art of Deception' is meant to be a security advisory, but it is full of interesting and sometimes comical tales of security breaches. I had started it over the summer (when I borrowed it from the library) and only made it halfway. I skimmed over the dos and don'ts, but really enjoyed Mitnick's "achievement".

'Shopaholic & Sister' and 'Ten Big Ones' were both hilarious. Sheena is first up to borrow the Shopoholic book; it is the 4th in the series about - guess - a shopoholic. 'Ten Big Ones' is the tenth in a series about a female bounty hunter and her misadventures.

I picked up Nany Diaries back in early December, and was expecting it to be humorous. Maybe I get too into books, but I found it to be a very stressful read. The main character had a horrible job as a nanny to put herself through school, while sharing a shoebox of an apartment. Maybe I was supposed to find humor in her misfortune, but when she was almost late handing in her thesis I was truly worried. When they paid her what worked out to be $3 an hour for her last week of work, I was really upset.

I'm hoping to have time to sneak in on more good read before classes get too busy. Stay tuned.

shoes shoes shoes

2005-01-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

Woman snaps high heel... it's a common occurrence in movies, but I have never seen it happen in real life. That is until it happened to me. Over the holidays, I met up with Kelly and Aaron downtown shopping. Kelly made the comment that she liked my shoes and I proceeded to tell her that I've had them for a while. The next step I took, my heel snapped in half. It was hanging on by a bit of material, so I walked gingerly. We still had to meet Dirk and go for tea, so I pretended the heel was intact and didn't put any weight on the heel of that foot. I think I pulled it off very well. Eventually the heel came off all together so I put it in my purse.

When someone's heel snaps on screen, there is usually a liberating moment where they snap off the other heel and fabricate a pair of flats. I couldn't bring myself to try it, hanging on to a hop that they could be fixed. Instead, I continued pretending that I had a heel until I picked up a new pair of shoes at Winners (cute Puma sneakers).

Vent about Aldo...
I have bought a lot of shoes from Aldo over the years and they have held up well. I have been known to wear heels for a day of shopping or a day at the beach. This is the first pair I've ever had trouble with. Shortly after purchasing them, the material on the heel began to peel into strips. I showed them to one of the sales clerks and she told me to take them to the shoe repair shop. The shoe repairer glued down the strips and colored some spots where the material couldn't cover. They did a good job but you could still notice the mar.

Now the heel snaps in two. When I brought them back to Aldo, they told me that they were only guaranteed for three months. When I spend $80 plus on shoes, I expect them to last for more than 3 months - especially when I don't wear them daily! Aldo sent them for repair and I'm hoping they went back to the factory for new heels rather than to a local repair shop where the heel will likely be glued together somehow.

On a final note, I will be ecstatic when pointy toed shoes go out of style. They are uncomfortable, they make your feet look like skis, I have yet to meet one boy who likes them, and they make up 90% of the heels at Aldo.

back on the island

2004-12-27T11:00:00.000-04:00

I made it home from Ottawa before all the weather and delays. Li was awesome and took me to the Post Office to mail my parcels, and then to the airport. My flight was at 12:15 so I got there to check in at 11:15 and then Li and I got coffee and spent until 11:45 with each other. I then proceeded through security.

I went through the metal detector with my tea and the security woman made me take a drink of it and then scanned the cup with her wand. They didn't bother making me drink the water in my bag though.

I got through security and decided that I should check out the purse store. I picked out a nice purse and wallet, but the clerk was on the phone and completely ignored me while she finished her conversation. I should have just left, but I really liked the purse I had chosen. When I was finally on my way to my gate it was 12:05... I looked at my boarding pass to verify my gate and realized that boarding time was 11:40. Woops.

I ran all the way to the gate, but when I got there they hadn't even started boarding. Since we had to go outside to board and the door had to remain open until all were boarded, they wait until the last possible moment.

At least with airplane security measures, they would have to wait until I boarded or remove my luggage from the plane... that would have bought me enough time. The flight was relatively uneventful. I had more tea and some horrible trail mix. My mom made one of my favorites... lasagna.

Canada Post Beats Fed-Ex

2004-12-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

I dropped two boxes (containing my Computer) off at Fed-Ex on Tuesday morning before 9 am. That evening, I dropped two boxes off at Canada Post between 5 and 6 pm (containing misc stuff).

My two boxes shipped with Canada Post arrived on PEI before lunch today... we'll see where Fed-Ex comes in.

******
Update -
The Fed-Ex parcel arrived within a few hours of the Canada Post parcel.
I am happy with the speedy service of both :-)

shipping ... part two

2004-12-14T09:45:00.001-04:00

Oy, what a night. I boxed up my computer last night for its trip to PEI. I also boxed up some clothes and misc. stuff because it just won't all fit in my suitcase. I had stashed my computer boxes on top of my closet which is at least 8 or 9 feet high. Getting them down was quite an adventure. To get the first down, I stood on my bed and wacked at it with my campfire chair. For the second, I stood precariously on a spinning stool and inched it forward with a coat hanger. This all took place after 1 am - apolgies to my roommates. I managed to drop my crt monitor on my foot and now have a curious dent in it... my foot not the monitor. I hope it goes away - it really hurt. I would have said loud bad words if not for the time of night and the knowledge of 2 sleeping people in the next 2 rooms.

A few things will not be making the voyage with me and will be needing a new home... a 4 drawer plastic storage thing, a laundry basket, and a campfire chair. I'm sure Patricia, Li, or Dirk could use them. I owe Li big time... he came over this morning, picked up my boxes, and drove me to fed-ex. I was most impressed with the cost of shipping things fed-ex... ground shipping my computer with Purolator cost $137. Same computer, same distance - $72 with Fed-Ex. I was, however, surprised at their lack of technology. He looked up the price in a chart in a book and used a calculator to figure out the cost with taxes and insurance. This may account for the price difference?

a tie that cares

2004-12-13T11:45:00.000-04:00

When having a secret relationship with someone at work it's best not to address them by their pet name at work... I was tormenting Li at his desk today when he said "Baby!" in a rather loud scolding voice... oops. Not sure if our secret affair is so secret anymore. Ah well, as if they didn't already know.

On the weekend I was shopping with Patricia and a friend of hers from school. Her friend was searching for a tie for her boyfriend. She had picked out a black shirt and was combing the racks for a tie to go with it. I found a silvery one with diagonal stripes that I showed her and she liked. I then found a gold one with specs of black that I liked better. After much dispute, we asked a man walking by for his advice.

I was blown away by how much this man had to say about ties... he asked who it was for, his age, skin color, and where he would be wearing it. He told us the varying stripe widths and colors of silvery tie made it "too crass" for a hospital and would probably appear arrogant. The gold one was classier and seemed to elude a much more caring personality. Who knew men thought about the personality of their clothing.

Christmas Party

2004-12-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday night was my Christmas Party for work. The pictures are here. The first ones are mine, the ones that begin with letters were taken by other people. I wish I had taken some standing pictures so I could have some of my dress. I guess I'll just have to dress up in it again. The food was amazing... we had a salad with sweet potato dressing, turkey medallion, beef tenderloan, roasted potatoes and mixed veggies. Dessert was chocolate cake... which I didn't care for.

There were some amazing prizes including 3 $1500 shopping sprees, airfare to anywhere in North America, dvd players and other electronics - I didn't win any. The band played oldies music and I danced up a storm in my massively high heels.

After the party, a bunch of the co-ops went to Zampub to play fooseball. Li, Andrei, Christina and I chose to go to Mtl instead. We had a blast dancing, but my feet weren't happy with me.

donut obsession

2004-12-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

I have never been a big chocolate fan... I don't eat chocolate cake or ice cream. I'll eat chocolate bars with stuff in the middle (like Crunchie or Kit Kat) but don't eat Aeros and such. That being said, I'm not sure what to make of my recent obsession with Chocolate Glazed donuts from Tim Hortons.

About 2 weeks ago the person in front of me in line at Tim Hortons ordered a chocolate glazed donut. Something went off in my head and I ordered one as well. Since then, I haven't been able to make it through a morning at work without one. I just finished one.

The Dress

2004-11-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

I was getting a little discouraged in my dress hunt, but then found a store in Syracuse with a ton of dresses. Some were $150 and up, while others were in the $40 - $50 range (US dollars). I shyed away from the more expensive ones and grabbed 5 to try on. I subjected poor Li to my fashion show and we narrowed it down to 2 possibilities - a long light blue one and a shorter green one. The shade of green was a little too funky for a Christmas party so I asked Li to go and see if they had one in another color.

Laden with parcels, Li flips through racks and comes back with the same dress in a pink/burgundy color and a black dress that was completely different. I decided to try on the black one he brought back. It was strapless and longer in the back than the front. I came out and Li smiled and said he really liked it.

As I was judging myself in the mirror, a woman shopping with her daughter said "That looks really nice, but I think you need the next size dear." Her poor daughter was mortified, and the woman promptly apologized. I told her it was fine and she pointed out the line my underwear was making at the back.

The dress had eyelets for a ribbon down one side but was missing the ribbon, so I asked Li to get me another. I put on the one he brought back and really liked it. I took my underwear off and came out. Li liked it and I decided it was the one. I glanced at the woman who told me I needed the next size, and she gave me the thumbs up. She no doubt thought Li had gotten me the next size.

Not sure what the moral is... maybe "Going commando solves panty-line problems"?

Shopping in Syracuse

2004-11-22T16:15:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, Li and I ran off to New York for the day. Not New York, NY ... but if anyone comments on anything I got there, I plan on saying "I got it in New York" ;-). The drive was only 3 or 3.5 hours and flew by thanks to good company, good tunes, and comfy seats equipped with bum heaters. I brought $300 US with me and came home with almost $70 left. My best deal was a $4 sun dress at Old Navy. I was also happy to find a dress for my semi-formal Christmas party (I'll post about this in greater detail later).

I found a really funny talking George W. Bush doll that is full of humerous and inspirational quotes... a perfect gift for my cousin, Adam. And I got my mother (a Nascar fan) some Dale Jarrett memorabilia. It sucks that you don't get any allowances when you taking merchandise back into Canada after spending less than 24 hours in the States. We claimed about $80 (US) and paid $13 duty.

The Surprise

2004-11-21T23:15:00.000-04:00

Friday night, Li had a surprise for me... half was at his house and half was in Kanata. We were on our way to his place when his friend Tom called. Tom was working at the Civic Center and had forgotten a white t-shirt which he needed to wear - they wouldn't let him work without it. We had to be in Kanata for 8:00, so Li grabbed a long-sleeved white shirt and we delayed the surprise at his house until after the surprise in Kanata. The shirt Li grabbed wasn't really a t-shirt, so I made him bring a t-shirt as well.

Li seemed really stressed because apparently it was a movie we were going to in Kanata that started at 8, and he wasn't sure we would make it. When we got close, I made him call Tom to find out where to meet him. Traffic around the Civic Center was nuts so I offered to run the shirt in while Li parked somewhere (illegally). I was getting really stressed and upset because Li seemed really mad. I kept telling him "It's ok, we'll probably only miss the previews".

He paid $10 for parking in spite of my suggestion that he should park on the street while I run in. He said "Tom will pay me back". We get to the gate and I tell Li that he should call Tom to get him to meet us where we were. Li answers, "Why don't we just go in?". I tell him "No, we don't have tickets to get in".... He pulls out a pair of tickets to Great Big Sea, and I nearly lost it. This was the surprise!

The concert was AMAZING, and so is my boyfriend.

bars and cookies... a perfect match

2004-11-14T15:00:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention a key element about Mtl in my previous post (Mtl is the bar I went to on Friday). At the bar there was a person walking around with a tray of bite sized cookies! They were so yummy. I think every bar should offer free cookies to its patrons. It would make the world a much happier place... and probably end war and strife. Well, maybe not... but it would make me happy at least!

another weekend in ottawa

2004-11-14T13:15:00.000-04:00

Friday night was supposed to be another night at Zaphods. We went over to Alana's to pre-drink and then headed to the Market around 11 or so. I bought a new cooler to try... Mojito. It was in a green and black, zebra-striped bottle that looked really neat. There was a lime on the front, so I figured it was a lime beverage of some sort. Well it was lime... lime and mint! I guess it's good if you want fresh breath while you're drinking... I don't think I'll be buying it again.

The line at Zaphod's was insane so it was decided to go to Mtl instead. I was wearing jeans and a Zaphod's worthy-shirt and didn't quite fit the scene at Mtl, but had fun anyways. The music was alright, but I hate it when dj's play 30 secs of a song and then move on to another one. Li and I got pizza on our way home... the guy in front of me to the last 2 slices meat-lovers :-(.

On Saturday I got to go to Ikea... I love Ikea! There were mobs of people, but it was fun anyways. After Ikea, I went to Kelsey's. I hd yummy chicken alfredo. A cute little boy approached my table staring at my drink. He pointed at my lemon and said "Bee!". His mother tried to tell him it was like an orange, but I don't think he believed her. I lost my gloves somewhere in Ikea, but got a new pair at Walmart.

Saturday night, I went to Eric's birthday (a friend of Li's). Afterwards, we went to a new club - "The Edge". I wasn't dressed for it... Having not been home since the morning, I was wearing jeans, a golf shirt an a baby blue fleece. Tek and Alicia went in ahead of Li and I. I heard Tek say "$5 cover", so was surprised when the girl gave me back a $5 bill and $5 in coin from my $20. I hung back to see how much she charged Li, and she gave me a look and said "Didn't I give you your stamp?". Li also gave her a $20 and got a $10 bill back. We went into the club and I asked Tek how much cover was... he said $5 so I stomped off back to the door. The guy standing beside the money girl said "You can't stand there". I said I wanted to talk to the girl, and then asked him how much cover was. He also told me $5 and I told him that she charged me and my boyfriend $10 each! She didn't argue when I told her she overcharged us... I think she had done it intentionally.

The bar wasn't very crowded, and the dj also played 30 sec song clips. The drinks were pretty cheap, but small. A whiskey sour was only $3.50 and they had $1 shots (in which you ould not taste any alcohol). Li's friends, Eric and Tony, got really into dancing and put on quite a show. Some girl Eric and Tony work with also put on a show... she kept pulling down her 80's style shirt to show us all her bra. Not very attractive! I think she was threatened by Alicia because when Alicia came up to the group, this girl asked her, "Do you even know them?". Tek, Alicia, Li and I finished off the night at Elgin Street Diner, where I had poutine (yum) and a tea.

ramblings

2004-11-09T14:45:00.000-04:00

Today can not end quickly enough. I am seriously climbing my cubical walls. I found Gatusso cheesy instant noodles at the grocery store and am very excited to try them again... I used to love them, but haven't been able to find them for years. Picture Campbells Insant Noodles, and replace the sauce with a watery cheese sauce. Doesn't sound appetizing, but they are amazing!

Five of the golden doodles have been sold. That means four to go. We have all nine until December 5th at least ... lots of time for me to play with them :-) I must confess that I haven't been going to the gym and feel REALLY guilty. I blame the weather ... it's hard to motivate myself to put on shorts when I'm shivering under umpteen layers in my cubical. There are no classes I like on Wednesdays, so it's doubtful I will go tomorrow.

2004-11-08T09:30:00.000-04:00

Ok... I am overdo for an update yet again. Had a great weekend, but it was definitely too short. Friday night was games night... I played 90's Trivial Pursuit with my boyfriend Li and some of his friends. It was a blast... there was a question about The Onion that I got right :-) In general, Li and I did well with the "Wired" category.

Saturday I got my camera back - wOOt! I was so excited. That night I went to Blue Cactus and had a yummy Cosmopolitan. Sunday Li and I decided to go to the Art Gallery. It was such a nice day that we walked around and took lots of pictures. The Art Gallery was amazing; I got a cute headset that I could listen to and hear about the different pieces. The Contemporary section included the trailer of a semi, a row of metal blocks along the floor and a lot of paintings of lines. I definitely feel more cultured.

on literature

2004-11-01T10:37:00.000-04:00

I was due for a new book so this weekend I picked up Reading Lolita in Tehran and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. Something light for the bus and a something a little deeper for curling up with at home with tea.

I just finished The Bielski Brothers which had a really interesting story, but the writing wasn't anything special. It was a true story, but the author wasn't able to convey the characters in such a way that I felt like I really knew them. Maybe that wasn't the point, but I like to feel a connection of sorts with the people in the books I read.

By far, the best book I've read this year is The Time Traveler's Wife. It was unlike anything I've ever read and a great fictional story. Brodie has it right now (not sure if he'll actually read it), but anyone is welcome to borrow it after him.

...for the sake of updating

2004-10-21T17:50:00.000-03:00

I'm over due for a post... Sheena is seriously putting me to shame! So what's new...

I have been freezing. I'm going to go get tights to wear under my pants, and possibly some long-sleeved undershirts. I was going to get long johns last night, but they were too unflattering. Who would see them? Everyone in the locker room, which is everyone I work with. They just didn't fit right; they were really long and therefore bunched up everywhere. I think the bunchiness would be uncomfortable. I may also be tempted to get a pair or flashdance-esque leg warmers. I'm not ready to wear leg warmers as a fashion statement, but I'd be tempted to join a dance class to wear them.

Last night I went on the Ghosts and Gallows haunted walk. It was really good! The highlight was definitely the jail. I couldn't believe how tiny the cells were. I kept expecting something to reach out and grab me. I intend to go back for the one that is completely at the jail.

thanksgiving round 3

2004-10-15T09:30:00.000-03:00

Turkey dinner #3 was last night (#4 if I count the Thanksgiving lunch I had in the cafeteria last week...) with my housemates. We all made something (potatoes were my job) and Paula bought a seriously massive turkey. But it was almost a turkey dinner sans turkey...

The turkey was in the sink and Paula covered it with a big wooden cutting board while she went out. However, it was no match for Stella the ninja poodle - she managed to displace the board and chowed down on raw turkey... ew.

Paula called all over Ottawa in search of an unfrozen turkey. None were to be found, save a $55 bird that would take a day to cook. She got a small frozen one as well as a ham and did some turbo defrosting/cooking magic. All was well in the end and we feasted. It was fun to hang out with the people I live with (something I never do).

On another note, my legs are sooo sore today. I am impressed with the step class - anything this painful must be good. Today is legs/back/triceps weight class and kickboxing... can I handle either? can I handle both?

general update / ramble

2004-10-14T10:45:00.000-03:00

The puppies have their eyes open now and have discovered how to escape from their swimming pool. It involves climbing on top of each other... sooo cute. After they manage to escape, they yelp until they are put back in the pool.

Looks like tomorrow I'll be going on a haunted walk of Ottawa. I am really looking forward to doing some more touristy stuff. I may also venture out to Old Navy this weekend... for some not so touristy stuff.

I miss my Gord and my PEI workout posse... it was impossible to skip out on the gym when I had people to pick up. I'm finding I don't push myself hard enough when I go to the weight room. I'm going to a chest/shoulders/biceps class today and may stay for step. The classes start at 12... I will likely find an excuse not to go before then. I'm such an optimist.

golden doodles

2004-10-13T08:15:00.000-03:00

Well, I finally learned the paternity of the puppies... it was a golden retriever, in the park, with the candlestick. It was a golden retriever at least, and that makes the puppies "golden doodles" (mother being a poodle). Apparently they are very popular and are being sold for $1000 a piece. There are 8 boys and one girl; the girl is already spoken for. I feel better knowing that Stella's pregnancy wasn't an accident.

I have too many hang ups on what's appropriate to ask people. Puppy paternity, for example. I figured it was an accident and didn't want to bring it up. I also hate asking for directions... I will walk to a secluded place and discreetly peek at my map. Not the safest thing to do when lost - I know.

turkey overdose

2004-10-11T21:30:00.000-03:00

I had two amazing turkey dinners this weekend. The first was Saturday night at Patricia's. Catherine (another Islander) was in town for the weekend and staying at Pat's. She made turkey dinner #1 and it was delicious. After the food, the highlight of the dinner was definitely the unorthodox attempt to open a bottle of wine made by Yale (it involved a drill). We followed it up by watching "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle" (which was absolutely hilarious) and I finished the night dancing at Zaphod's. Oh, and had 2 am poutine.

Sunday was my attempt at Thanksgiving dinner. I got a 14 lb bird, not sure how many it would be feeding, as well as stove top stuffing (my one cheat) and an apple pie. We planned on eating at 6, so I went over to Dirk's shortly before 2 ... with the bird in my backpack :-). Patricia had class all day, but was coming over for 6.

Dirk insisted that we name the turkey... I chose Henrietta, which is really more a chicken name, but oh well. I think Dirk started to have second thoughts when he saw me pull out the neck and giblets, but helped give Henrietta her last bath and a salt rub. We positioned her in the pan, "utilising the strings" (eh Dirk?) and put her in the oven for the 3.5 hour cooking time my Grandmother advised me it would take.

A bit into the cooking, the oven started to lose heat... it wouldn't stay at 350°. We fiddled with the controls until it seemed to be going up and then went on an alcohol run. Hurray for liquor stores being open on Sunday in Ontario. When we got back, we watched Return of the King while the bird cooked... until the oven went wonky and wouldn't stay one. We fiddled some more and then called the landlord. He was no help, but we got it going eventually - for some reason both top and bottom elements came on, even though it was set to bake. I guess two elements are better than one?

Patricia came over, but was soon sound asleep. After a while, the oven went off again. It was decided that the turkey would need another oven if we planned on eating. Dirk tried the neighbours, but they weren't home, so he called his friend up the block. Melda graciously let us use her oven and even gave us her keys as she was going out for dinner with her bf, Ryan.

Because of the fluctuating temperature in Dirk's oven, we had no idea how long the turkey would take . We checked it frequently, having to walk up the street and three flights of stairs each time. Patricia continued to sleep. A bit past 8:30, it was finally done... only 2.5 hours later than our estimated eating time. It was surprisingly juicy, in spite of having spent 6.5 hours in an oven. By the time the gravy was made and the veggies served, it was almost 9. We woke up Patricia and then stuffed ourselves. It was soooo good.

Since there was only the three of us, 14 lbs was a bit much. We delivered an offering of food to Melda and Ryan for saving our feast and each took a tupperware dish of leftover meat.

While my perfect Thanksgiving didn't play out the way I had planned, I wouldn't change a thing. Sometimes the rockier road is more scenic.

souvlaki heaven

2004-10-11T20:00:00.000-03:00

On Friday the co-ops at work had another goup lunch... it seems that every time we get together less and less people come. There were 15 for Mexican at Lone Star, 10 for buffet at Pizza Hut and now 7 for Greek at the Souvlaki House. With such a diverse bunch, it's hard to pick a place everyone likes.

A girl on my team warned me about the portion sizes at the restaurant, but I was not expecting my platter to be such a feast. I ordered the Chicken Souvlaki Platter - It was a pile of seasoned chicken bordered by a pound of potatoes, a pound of rice and a massive greek salad. I ended up leaving with a very heavy dish of leftovers which I am eating as we speak. Yum.

thursday night

2004-10-08T13:45:00.000-03:00

I went out last night. It was fairly tame, but fun. I went to The Heart and Crown with Dirk and his roommate, Merin. I had Sangria and yummy chicken nachos.

Whenever I'm around Dirk and his Ottawa friends, I feel my world knowledge is less than adequate. I must shamefully admit that I don't read the newspaper or watch the news. I didn't know that Parliament almost fell.. and when I was told, I assumed it was in the architectural sense - possibly termites in center block? But I have hope that they will educate me and I will reform my self-centered ways.

After the Heart and Crown, Dirk and I went to check out Zaphod's. It was a completely different scene from my last two visits. The music was more mainstream, but old school. Some crazy break dancers cut up the floor. We stayed at Zaphods until last call.

Did mention I'm dog sitting... I was greeted by dog doo in the hallway when I got home. I'll spare you the details, but my it was too much for my stomache to handle (No Brodie - I didn't eat it).

pub crawl

2004-10-07T17:00:00.000-03:00

Everyone is making posts about the pub crawl so I might as well too. It sounds like fun... I won't be there, but I doubt anyone will notice :-(

Apparently the shirts are in... you can pick them up in CASS after 2 pm tomorrow (Friday). There will be extras for sale in CASS in the afternoon and then at the first bar - The Wave.

I bought a shirt for myself so I can pretend I went on the pub crawl. I should have gotten it shipped here and I could make up my own pub crawl in Ottawa. I'd have to marker in the bars I substitute of course.

But I digress... it's times like these (thanksgiving and pub crawl) that I really miss home. This weekend is a double wammy - missing both good family stuff and friend stuff.

merits of hand dryers

2004-10-06T13:25:00.000-03:00

I normally curse hand dryers in bathrooms as they are often times the only means of drying your hands in a lavatory. Paper towels are so much faster and don't dry out your hands as much. At work, however, we only have paper towels and they are most ineffective at drying clothes.

I had turkey meal #1 for lunch today and managed to slop gravy onto my sleeve. Not wanting it to stain my favorite sweater, I go to wash it out in the washroom. After a bit of soap and water, my shirt is gravy free, but very wet. Had there been a hand dryer, I could have dryed it out and no one would be the wiser. Alas. I squeezed out as much of the water as I could and patted my arm dry with paper towel. Now I am sitting at my desk with an uncomfortably wet sleeve and shivering. Why can't I have my cake and eat it too?

Turkey Overdose

2004-10-06T08:30:00.000-03:00

What looked like a potentially dismal thanksgiving away from home may turn out to be a turkey overdose. Today, the special in the Caf at work is turkey... tomorrow, the people I live with are having a thanksgiving feast... Saturday, there is talk of turkey at Patricia's and I might cook a turkey on Sunday or Monday (if Patricia and Dirk are interested) just to round things off.

I rented Fahreheit 9/11 last night... but fell asleep part-way through. It's from Blockbuster though, so I have it for two nights and can try again tonight.

Also, I saw the puppies last night. For those who don't know, my landlord (Paula) has 2 dogs. The female, Stella, gave birth to 9 puppies last week.... while I was home alone! Well, she popped out 3 while I was alone. Luckily Paula came home... she was out shopping for puppy things. I am most impressed with the lack of noise Stella made through the entire process. She breathed a little heavy, but there was no moaning or barking. Anyways, there is a kiddie pool in the living room with 9 cute little puppies.

Manic Monday

2004-10-04T10:10:00.000-03:00

The weekend was tame but enjoyable. On Friday I met up with Patricia and her roommate Matthew at the lockes -- we browsed the Market and then went for yummy Bubble Tea at Bubblicity. Afterwards, we went to a massive used book store on Dalhousie. I got a $10 general book on Linux and an awesome book that someone will probably be receiving for Christmas...

Speaking of Christmas, is anyone interested in exchanging presents or drawing names?

We grabbed a bite in the Rideau food court and then Matthew headed home while Patricia and I rented Mean Girls. The Blockbuster boy was a serious hottie. We giggled as he teased us and gave us our free pink nail files. Mean Girls was cute... not what I expected, but I enjoyed it.

Saturday I woke up early to get my October bus pass... the line on Friday was scary so I wanted to be there first thing. I then went bra shopping ... I got a super cute shirt that necessitated the purchase of a low bra with removable straps. I met up with Patricia in the mall (who had an interview that morning - good luck!) and we browsed some more before hitting the liquor and grocery store.

I picked up a 1.5 L bottle of wine and ingredients for lasagna as the first of many (hopefully) dinner parties was planned for that night, at Dirk's. There was myself, Patricia, Dirk, Merin and Shane. The lasagna was amazing... I bought the noodles you don't have to pre-cook, and was a little nervous... but oh my it was yummy.

I had brought over "The Count of Monte Cristo" to watch before going out, but slept through almost the entire movie. We went to Zaphod's that night - fun times. Sunday was spent at home as I did laundry and buried my nose in the books.

Zaphod's

2004-09-22T13:40:00.000-03:00

Being the geek that I am, I have read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". It is this fact that made Saturday night truly an experience as I went to Zaphod's. For those non-geeks, Zaohod Beeblebrox is/was the president of the galaxy.

The bar seemed to be as much of a cult as the books. The walls were painted black and covered with planets and other astronomical such. Inside the ladies room, a painting of Zaphod himself graced the door. And, of course, there was an assortment of cocktails named after key features of the book... I tried a "Deep Thought" and a "Slartibartfast"...

Again, for the non-geeks, Deep Thought is the computer that came up with the ultimate answer to life (42) and Slartibart is a planetary designer who worked on Earth (which is really a computer built to come up with the question to the utimate answer).

The music was good... everyone danced and was merry. I will return.

parliament

2004-09-20T09:05:00.000-03:00

I've been falling behind in updates, sorry Jason :-)...

Last Wednesday (Sept 15th), I went on an after-hours tour of Parliament with my personal tour guide, Dirk. I couldn't see into many of the rooms, but what AMAZING architecture.

Highlights include the library story (how the libraray was saved from the fire of 1916), and the stone mason story (how the carvers left their mark on parliament by carving their own faces into the stone - my favorite is the guy with glasses).

I had no idea how advanced the technology at the Parliament buildings was. Check out their state of the art, Emergency Evactuation Chair. Tee hee.

Also, I got to see my first live groundhogs, which was neat - they look a little like beavers without beaver tails! Apparantly here are a lot in Ottawa - the ones I saw were on the lawn in front of center block.

The animal life around Parliament also included a cat santuary. Apparently they all have had their shots and are taken care of by the "cat man".

on shipping...

2004-09-14T17:44:00.000-03:00

Well, I had my mom ship two boxes to me from PEI... one containing my CPU and the other containing my Monitor and some coats that wouldn't fit in my suitcase. Now if I were running a shipping company, I would think that it would make sense to keep two boxes from the same orgin, en route to the same destination, together...

But no... yesterday I received the box containing my tower, but the other box was affected by a "Mechanical Delay"... Today, when they attempted delivery, they decided they needed an "Address Correction". Yesterday's delivery guy was smart enough to figure it out, but the delivery guy with my monitor apparantly needs some clarification...

I called and told them that the address on the package must have been sufficiently clear for them to deliver one box...

I hope my monitor arrives in one piece...
WAH!

new drinking game...

2004-09-14T09:57:00.000-03:00

Requirements
- 1 deck of cards
- People
- Drinks

Begin with the deck of cards shuffled and placed face down in the middle. The first player draws a card and does what it says according to the following:

A-4
Player who drew card takes 1-4 drinks (A=1, 2=2...). Discard.

5-8
Player who drew the card assigns 5-8 drinks to the other players...
If Fred drew a 6, he could give 2 drinks to Betty, 1 to Tim and 3 to Simon. Discard.

9
Sociable. Everyone drinks. Discard.

10
Hold on to this card - it is a bathroom pass. It may be used (only once) at any point during the game. Place in discard pile to use.

J
Hold on to this card until you wish to use it. To use...
At some point in the game, place your finger on your nose. Every other player must then do the same and the last one to touch his or her nose has to drink. Discard after use.

Q
Make up a new rule - for example: 'No pointing allowed'. Any player who breaks the rule must drink. Discard.

K
Player Play changes directions (from clockwise to counter or vice versa). Discard.

Play until all are drunk!

settled

2004-09-08T09:00:00.001-03:00

I'm all moved in and am getting used to my neighborhood. Dirk and Alana helped me tote my sparse belongings to the new place on Sunday. My computer is being sent up today... when it arrives I'll post some pics of home, work, etc.

I went out this weekend... Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. I missed Patricia's birthday... sorry... I'll make up for it. Next big event is Dirk's birthday party on Friday. The following weekend, I'm going to Montreal to say goodbye to Andrew. He'll be there for his sister's wedding and it will be the last chance I have to see him before he leaves for Korea... for an entire year! Why haven't teleportation devices been invented yet... one would make my life much easier.

I miss everyone a lot. Sorry this post is kind of boring... I'll try to get into a bar fight or something this weekend.

new digs

2004-09-04T15:00:00.000-03:00

Less than a week into my hunt, I have found a place to live...

I have a room in a really nice, old house. It's owned by a cool woman with 2 massive dogs. I'll be also living with two others... a guy named John who apparently spends a lot of time golfing and a girl named Ashley who goes to Ottawa U. My room is the smallest, but I have an amazing private deck. It's not a furnished room, but Paula (the owner) has an extra bed and desk that she's letting me use.

Another key factor... it's downtown, really close to the Market (where I'll be partying) and the Rideau Center (where I'll be shopping). It's also close to groceries and restaurants etc. I have the key and can move in anytime after 6 tonight. Yay!

UHaul Divas

2004-09-02T14:00:00.000-03:00

I'm feeling better now... I had lunch with some other co-ops and have been trying to keep my mind off of home. On a lighter note, I'll share my UHaul adventure...

Alana's bed has been at her old place for the summer. Her lease there was up, so she had some shifting of furniture to do. As boys seem to be in short supply, she recruited the help of myself and her roommate Meg...

Alana booked a UHaul for the task... a 14 foot beast of a cube van. I met her and Meg at apartment #1 (the former residence) at 5:00 on Wednesday. From there, we took a bed (box-spring, mattress and frame), desk, chair, shelving unit, plastic drawers and a lamp. It was a tight squeeze (yeah right), but we got it all into the UHaul. Alana's subletter met us there and helped us with the bed, but afterwards we were on our own.

After we were loaded, Meg manuvered the UHaul out of the way while Alana returned her keys. Meg managed to find the 4-ways... excellent job Meg! Alana then took the drivers seat for the trek to apartment #2 (Sweetland). Dirk is inheriting Alana's former bed so we had to disassemble it and move it out of the way before unloading. At this stop, we tried out the ramp which was especially exciting. Also, a friendly neighborhood boyscout saw us and offered his muscle... even though he was still in his slippers.

At Alana's, we unloaded everything but the desk (well... in our excitement we unloaded a piece of the desk... 2 actually... but then reloaded them). We then had to put Alana's old bed on board and she and I made the journey to apartment #3 (Dirk's). We didn't hit anything, but driving something that big makes you swear like a trucker. We had to park a distance from Dirk's (because of the busy street he lives on) and carry everything around the block and up a very steep set of stairs (you owe us Dirk). We even assembled the bed for him! I got to see some sketchy parts of town and a guy with a bloody face as we returned the UHaul and bussed it home.

I feel I should write something more...
The End?

sad

2004-09-02T09:15:00.000-03:00

I woke up this morning and wanted to cry... I still do actually. I haven't found a place to live yet, I don't know if I like what I'm doing, I'm sick, I miss home and I feel alone... I need a hug.

... day 3

2004-09-01T10:45:00.000-03:00

Well the building I'm working in is amazing... I'll take some pics when I get a chance. The decor is very modern with funky lines. Interesting color palette... dark purple, dark gray and splashes of mustard. There is also a lot of artwork.

There is a cafeteria with an awesome selection (including Tim Hortons). It offers fresh fruit, a salad bar, soup, sandwiches, entree specials and the usual grease. I've been trying to eat healthier so I've been consuming a lot of the fruit. There is also a gym that employees can join for less than $15/month. It isn't big, but has some really nice cardio and weight machines. There is also an aerobics room with classes daily, including cardio, step, kick-boxing and yoga. Today I'm going to try 'Nothin' but Cardio' which is a half hour class and then, if I can still move, take in 'Beginners - Nothin' but Core' which is a 15 min ab class... I think.

A lot of people work here, but no-one I ask seems to know (or care) just how many. A lot of people seem friendly, but a lot seem to not take notice of others. Either way, I've been trying to give everyone a smile.

Arrival

2004-08-30T17:37:00.000-03:00

Well, I arrived safely in Ottawa on Sunday morning around 11. I had 2 suitcases, my back pack and the address of Dirk's gf Alana (who I was to stay with temporarily). Alana wasn't due back in the city until the evening, but she had told me to just show up and identify myself to her roommates (she has 3). I called Alana's from the airport to give her roomies a heads-up, but no-one answered.

Phone Call to Dirk #1
I called Dirk to tell him that no-one seemed to be home, but we decided I should make the journey downtown and take it from there. I knew the address, so I hopped in a cab. The cabbie had to do some detouring ...it seemed some roads were closed for biking... possibly a race or just Sunday biking? When we finally hit Sweetland there was an un-addressed building and then 16 ... 18 ...

Phone Call to Dirk #2
I called Dirk for the to see if the un-addressed building was my destination. It was, so I payed for the cab and went into the lobby. I buzzed the apt, held my breath... and got no response...

Phone Call to Dirk #3
I called Dirk again and told him no-one was home... he suggested that I go to Second Cup around the corner, but I had too much luggage to bother. I knew Alana had talked about having a patio so I asked Dirk about it... They had a ground floor apt so it was totally feasible for me to stash my bags there...

I dragged my suitcases around the side of the building and surveyed the patio... It ran along the side of the building so the short sides faced the street and the back parking area and the long side faced another building. The railing was quite high, but I tried hoisting a suitcase over my head. No luck. I dragged them around to the back and tried again... no go.

I then decided to take a plastic chair off the deck to use in my manuevers. I climbed on top of my suitcases and hoisted myself over the rail to fetch a chair... a girl walking by gave me a funny look at this point. Even using the chair I was unsuccessful in getting my bags up onto the deck.

Phone Call to Dirk #4
I called Dirk again to tell him that I couldn't lift my suitcases up... I told him that I would hang around for a bit...

I put the chair back on the deck and decided to sit there for a while until someone comes... hopefully soon. I dug out a book to read and began to envision Alana's roomies coming home and being seriously freaked that a stranger is on their deck. After a while I decide to try the suitcase hoist again...

I stack the two suitcases vertically on top of each other and then pull one up while hanging off the railing. It was a serious struggle, but I managed to get the heavier (more important) suitcase on the deck. One left... I didn't want to climb completely off the deck because I wasn't sure if I could get back up without 2 suitcases to stand on... I hang off the side of the railing while bracing myself against the side of the building and manage to pull up the extending handle. I then pull the case up and try to get it to balance while I climb back over the rail. With another big tug I have both suitcases on the deck.... Victory.

You have no idea how hard it was to get the suitcases up... I have some serious bruises on my arms from the struggle...

I wrote a note to stick on the suitcases for Alana's roomies so I could leave to go exploring, but I chickened out. I had everything I my suitcases and wasn't prepared to leave them outside and unattended in downtown Ottawa.

Around 2 pm, one of Alana's roommates came out onto the deck and I introduced myself (after startling her). One of the roommates isn't going to be in Ottawa until Sunday so I am staying in her room. I basically vegged out for the rest of the day and caught up on some much needed sleep. Dirk called and checked on me a few times :-) Thanks Man!

98.7% Packed

2004-08-29T01:50:00.000-03:00

On Friday night, the McCarthy sisters hosted an amazing pool party where I had to say goodbye to a lot of good friends. Thanks to everyone who came and for all the thoughtful sentiments expressed. I am going to miss y'all sooooo much!

It still hasn't sunk in, but in less than 5 hours I will be moving to Ottawa. I don't have a place to live yet, but will hopefull have no trouble finding something. In the meanwhile, Alana has generously offered her couch.

As I reflect on the summer, I think we really made it count. I don't think I've every had as much fun or as little sleep! Almost every night was an adventure. Here's to living in the moment.

My Turn

2004-08-28T21:37:00.000-03:00

Everyone seems to have a blog but me... I have always shyed away from the idea of putting info about me on the internet. It's the same underlying paranoia that keeps me from giving my phone number or even postal code to stores where I shop.

But, I have finally managed to convince myself that no one will even bother reading my blog except my friends. So here goes...