Friday, December 29, 2006

Just Waitin' On A Friend



Ever since Ruby's boyfriend left on the 26th, she's been watching for him at the window. I think that it's pug love.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Christmas is finally over, and we will soon usher in the new year. Personally, I can't wait for 2006 to end. I did have a wonderful Christmas, I must admit. Hubby had lots of time off, (Thanks Mr.Bossman - Ummm, is he going BACK to work soon?) and we actually spent some quality time together.

On Christmas Eve, we all went to KK's boyfriends family home. Even though we all know each other, KK and Corey have been dating over a year now, and this was the 1st time that we had a real get together. Corey's mom and Grandma are sweet, and I enjoyed every minute with them. Grandma is very entertaining. Whenever she tells a story, she stands up and acts it out, just like charades. It cracks me up.

Corey's dad on the other hand, was a complete ass-hat. I wish that he wasn't, because I really wanted things to go smoothly. He was, though, which left Hubby with no choice to go into his Cliff Claven routine.

SIGH.

Christmas was just the 5 of us, laying around, eating food and watching movies. I can't remember the last time that the 5 of us spent time together, just hanging out and having fun. We ate ourselves silly. It was great.

Boxing Day was even better. Heidi and family came over around noon, and we had our Christmas.

Ruby and the Pug chased each other for about 3 hours, until they both stopped for a breather. Poor Pug is fixed, and Ruby isn't. I don't think that that had nearly as much fun as Ruby did.

We gorged ourselves on ham, turkey, salad, turnip, pie...The list goes on, and on....

Heidi, KC, KK, and I played

this game. It was soo close, but KC and I did win. I should probably apologise to Heidi. We do tend to get a tad competeitive.
We're only a few days away from New Years Eve. I don't think that we have any plans. I think that we are going to say good bye to 2006 in our living room, and quietly say hello to the new year. Maybe a nice, quiet start will set the tone for the rest of the year. I hope.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Porkchop

Hubby and I went out for a couple of hours yesterday, and when we came home, this is where we found Porky. How cute is my angry little grandma dog?

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

First of all, I would like to apologize in advance. I am about to rant, again. If you're not in the mood to hear me whine and rant, you may want to come back another day. If you don't mind my angry ramblings, then by all means, continue on.
I am so pissed. It's less than a week before Christmas, and Hubby is laid off. Not only is he laid off, but we had no notice. To make matters worse, his last paycheque was $200 short because Mr. Bossman decided to that we should start repaying our loan to him. I don't mind repaying the loan. I don't. I am so incredibly grateful to have my heat/hot water. I am! I knew that we would repay the loan in increments of about $200 a week. It makes things tight, but I feel that it's a fair amount. I am pissed because we weren't supposed to be repaying the loan until the new year. We had NO notice that Mr.Bossman had decided to start the payments early. This is bad enough less than 2 weeks before Christmas. Now, there will be no paycheck this Friday, either, because of the layoff. Maybe none next week. Or the week after. A little notice might have been nice.
Hubby and I took the bus today. I hate the bus. HATE public transit. Last week, I was crop dusted, ON PURPOSE by an old guy. Not once, but twice. He practically crawled up inside my jacket with me. I thought that maybe he wanted me to piggy back him.
There was another older gentleman that got on at my stop with me. He had a cane. Nobody would give him a seat. He was flying around every corner that we took, falling into peoples laps. He stood the way to the mall. He still couldn't get a seat. What the eff does it take? Someone give the guy a seat!!!
The food bank. My biggest beef of the day. I loathe the food bank. I hate that I have to go there, I hate that it's dirty, and crowded, and more than anything, I hate that most of the people there getting free food are taking advantage of it.
I have a nice big ham for my Chritmas dinner. No problem there. I have frozen veggies, too. What I don't have is bread or fresh veggies, or milk. The everyday stuff. If Hubby was getting a paycheque on Friday, we would make due. The fact is, we don't know WHEN he'll get another pay, and with the holidays coming....It scares me a little. Trust me, we are desperate if we go there.
So, off we went, on the bus, to get our free food. By the time I left, I wasn't hungry anymore. The place was PACKED. I mean packed like a can of sardines kinda packed. I saw one woman with brand new Reeboks, so shiny white that they must've just come out of the box. I'm talking about brand new $200 shoes.
The next woman that I saw was wearing designer clothes, and so much jewelry that she could barely hold her head up. Seriously. Her gold chains would rival something that Mr. T wore in his heyday.
Then there was the grandma. She put her hands into the bag of buns, and prceded to manhandle and sqeeze every single bun to make sure that they were fresh. Oh, they were fresh alright, but after she touched everyone (after picking her ass and nose), nobody else wanted any. One lady took 8 loaves of bread, even after being asked to only take enough for her family size....It was 2 people, by the way. Thanks. A crate of fresh onions was brought out. You know, the green ones. I was standing RIGHT beside the bin, and by the time Ihad my hand in there, they were all gone. 4 people loaded up on green onions. GREEN FREAKING ONIONS, PEOPLE!!!!!! how many fricking onions are you gonna eat, anyway? I only wanted one bunch, but the 4 other people had taken about 12 each.
SIGH......
Wanna know the best part? We had to have Hubby's dad come and pick us up, at the food bank. I don't know why he agreed to do it. I think that he likes to see Hubby when he's feeling crappy and vulnerable. That's my theory.
Christmas is nearly here, and I have seen very little Christmas spirit. The people that I saw today were the worst that society has to offer. They were greedy, and ill mannered, and down right dusgusting. They took everything that wasn't nailed down, because it was free.
Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.
Whew.
I feel a little better now. A lot better.
Sometimes you just need to vent.
On a happy note, I am looking forward to the holidays. Our family will be with us on boxing day, the day that we cooking our spiral cut ham. Hubby gets to cook, I get to eat, and best of all, I get to visit with some of my favourite people in the whole world. My real family. That should improve my mood. There's nothing better than best friends and pug love.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Oh Christmas Tree

After visiting some of my bloggy friends and seeing their trees, I have been inspired to post some photos of our tree.
KC took some photos of my favourite ornaments for me, because, as you all know, I suck.
This is the 1st year that I have all of the Rudolph ornaments - all of the different ones that I could find, anyway. I have Yukon Cornelius, and The Dentist Elf...what's his name? I have Rudolph with a light up nose, and Clarice, and I think that I have Santa in there some where, too.


This is KC's favourite ornament. She LOVES The Little Mermaid, and I do my best to indulge her. Maybe it's because she's 18 now, and I can barely see the little girl in my nearly grown daughter. Maybe it's because I'm just a big kid myself. Either way, Ariel has earned a place of honour on our tree.
Darth Vader. This is Hubby's ornament. Hubby was tired of seeing an angel or star at the top of the tree, so the Dark Lord Of The Sith has the glory this year. See him raising his fist in victory? He was a bit camera shy.....


R2- D2, another of my favourites. I had a big model of R2 when I was a kid, and have looking for another ever since my dad sold it at a garage sale. This will have to do in the meantime.

This was a gift from my FMIL last year. She hand painted one for all of us, and we think that they're great. I love hand made ornaments, I think that someday they will be the real treasures. Actually, they already are.

This is our tree, in all of it's glory. We would have bought a real tree ( not that this is an illusion, it's really there), but we don't have a car to bring it home. My brother bought one 2 years ago and carried it home 15 blocks. Tourists were taking photos of him the whole way. I have no desire to be either photographed or to struggle with a tree strapped to my back, so this was our only option. It's a little like a Charlie Brown tree, but I think that just adds to its charm.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

My depression has been getting the better of me lately, and I am trying to focus on all of the positives in my life. With the exception of a loan from Hubbys boss to pay off our huge gas bill, things just don't seem to be going our way. I was feeling rather blue when I opened the mail on Friday. Along with the usual bills, I recieved 2 Christmas cards in the mail. One was from a long lost friend, and the other was from my Grandma, who lives about 3 hours away. Inside the card was a long letter, and a crisp new 10 dollar bill.
How cute is that? Thanks, Grandma, for the smile. I needed one.

Friday, December 15, 2006

A Terminator Christmas

Several years ago, when my (step)mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told her that I wanted a Nativity scene. What I had in mind was something that would remind me of my Catholic/Lutheran upbringing. You know what I mean. Something like one of these.








THIS is what I got instead. It reminds me of something out of the Terminator movies. It weighs about 10 lbs, and if it ever fell on one of the dogs, they'd be hush puppies. Nothing screams Christmas like the T3 Nativity scene.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Crushes, Part 2

I forgot some very important guys in my first crush post. I'm sure that I'll forget more, but I just HAD to mention these guys. Oh, all of my crushes will be FAMOUS people this time.

Jerry O'Connell. Yeah, baby. He was in My Secret Indentity, and before that, he was the chubby kid in 'Stand By Me.' LOVED him in Sliders. He's engaged to John Stamos' ex, ol' what's her face.
Anthony Stewart Head. He was Giles, on Buffy. I don't really know why I like him so much. Maybe it's because you think he's stuffy and boring, but if he wanted to, he could kick your ass. He could. His brother was the one hit wonder guy, Murray Head that sang One Night In Bangkok in the 80's. Talented family.


Corey Haim. I know that he tried to sell his teeth on E Bay. I know that he is drug addidct that had to get his mom to pay his tab at Candy Mountain. I KNOW. He's a cute little Canadian boy, and I love him anyway. Sorry



Jon Erik Hexum. He was only 26 when he died. I was about 15 and it crushed my spirit. He died too young, and with so much potential. On the bright side, he was an organ donor, and many people benefited from this tragedy. Among them was a pimp, who recieved his liver (or kidneys, my memeory is a bit hazy on that part). Great news for all of the johns out there.


James Marsters, also from Buffy. He's scrawny, and pale, but also moody and brooding. I love him.













I can't post my crushes without mentioning Keanu Reeves. Dreamy. I have loved him since Bill and Ted. Or was it Rivers Edge? Who knows? Who cares? He's just dreamy. Sigh.




Wednesday, December 13, 2006

I hate Beta

I hate beta. I had to switch, because I couldn't leave comments on any beta blogs. It took me 6 trys to sign in because apparently my password is wrong. So far, I don't see the benefits of this new version.

Monday, December 11, 2006

The Spirit Of Christmas

I guess by now most of my blog buddies know that the last few days have been, er..rough. To say the least. I wasn't feeling very Christmas-y, and I normally belt the holiday songs out all day long at this time of year. Thanks to my very good blog buddy, Dilling, all of that has changed!
I recieved a gorgeous photo in the mail today - a complete surprise! Dilling sent me a photo as part of her art share, even though I am NOT an atrist, and only commented on her blog.
I have to say, it made my day. This gesture of friendship and kindness has raised my spirits and renewed my faith. I want to share this photo with you all, but it will have to wait until one of my kids can help me ( I know, I suck).
Thank you, Dilling, and Marni, and CindyDianne, and Snowcrush, and Tod, and 4D, and Gardenia, and Skippy, and Kate Isis, and Heidi (that goes with out saying), and Nonny, and Her Indoors, and Corky and Camie..... and thank you everyone for your support and friendship!
(hope that I haven't missed anyone, I love you all!)

5 More Things/6Weird Things about Me

I have been tagged by Skippymom to reveal 5 MORE things that you may not know about me, and by Gardenia, to come clean with 6 weird things about me. I'll combine them together and tell you some of my deep, dark, secrets.
When I asked my kids to help me with my weird list, the answer was the same from all 3. Compulsive vacuuming. I hate housework, and because of my depression, it is an even bigger struggle. I do however, vacuum. My vac never gets put away, it just gets parked. I heard the kids whispering about an intervention.
I love the smell of gasoline and new tires. When I was little, my Dad had a towing buisiness, and it reminds me of him. If only I could find that in a perfume......
The next one is a big one. I once had a crush on my brother. Before you all start playing the Duelling Banjos theme from Deliverance, there is a bit of a back story. He wasn't actually my brother at the time. He was my Dads girlfriends kid then, and I thought he was oh so sweet. Our parents got married, my Dad adopted him, and now we are completely estranged. So much for brotherly love.
I married my 1st husband out of guilt. Catholic guilt, actually. We had a daughter, and were living in sin, and my parents were freaking out. I knew that he wasn't Mr. right, just Mr. RightNOW, but married him anyway. I cried walking down the aisle because I KNEW that it was a mistake. They weren't tears of joy.
I stayed married to my 2nd husband because I loved his mom so much. I didn't want to lose her, and I felt like a 2nd divorce would be the equivilent of wearing a big scarlet letter on my chest. As it turns out, that the divorce was one of the best things that I ever did.
I know things before they happen, and I often have dreams that come true. Don't start asking me about lottery numbers or ask me to tell you your future. It doesn't work like that for me. Sometimes, I just KNOW things. I knew that I was going to lose my baby when I was pregnant with my son. There was no reason to even think this, as I was healthy and (relatively) happy at the time. He died as aresult of (my) being kicked, but I knew the day BEFORE. I even told a friend the day before he died. I had a dream about a little boy that lived on my street years ago. In the dream he fell through the ice while playing hockey and drowned. It happened about 2 weeks later. It's not all bad. When a 4 year old neighbour took off from her yard, everyone imagined the worst. I knew that she was safe, and found her hiding in the bushes across the road from our apartment. I had a feeling that she was safe, and somhow knew where to find her. Weird.
I hope this enough for you guys. I think that you know pretty much everything about me now. No more secrets.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Want a really good true story?
Check out the Adult in Question from Random Me and Stuff.
www.randommeandstuff.blogspot.com
You won't believe it.

And Finally

We got the bill paid. Hubby went to city hall and paid it, and it was reconnected in about 2 hours. YAY! The final bill that was given to Hubby, and that we paid, was different once again, then the bill that we recieved YESTERDAY.
I can fight this. I should fight this. I just don't know if I will. It stresses me out too much. I don't think that even if and when we prove our case, they will give us any of our money back.
You can't fight city hall. Truly. Did they win? Yup. They won. They got everything that they wanted, and then some. I can sleep peacefully, and warmly, in my own bed tonight. The kids are safe, and our Christmas will be a good one, because we will all be together. They can NOT come after me again, because they have nailed me for EVERY address that they had on file for me. I don't have to look over shoulder, or worry about this popping up ever again.
Did they win? Yup. They won, but I will be one sleeping peacefully tonight.

Friday, December 08, 2006

And, Breathe

Ok. I am a little more composed. Hubby has a cheque for almost the exact amount that we need, and we should be able to cover the rest. Hubby approached his boss, and his boss agreed to loan him the money to pay the bill. I spoke with the gas company, and they have agreed to put off cutting the water until 4pm today. We should have the WHOLE bill paid by then. I don't know if they will restore my heat/hot water today, and seeing as how it's a Friday........If they don't turn the heat on by tonight, we're going to a cheap motel. (Hubby got paid today, so we can swing it for one night).
I still have my paper work, and I am going to ask that this whole matter be looked into. I KNOW that I do not owe this money. Every bill that I ever had for arrears (before) was for $429.00, which I paid.
I don't understand HOW the city can cut my water when I am NOT, and NEVER have been behind. It makes no sense. By cutting my water, they would be deconstructing my family. Obviously, I can't have a 12 year old diabetic here with no water. I was thinking about it last night, and you need water for almost EVERYTHING. Cooking, cleaning, bathing, brushing your teeth.....I was dreading having to tell my 12 year old that not only is her birthday party cancelled, but she is also going into foster care because of the ASS HATS at city hall.
So, Hubby is picking up his cheque in less than an hour. Hopefully, we will all be warm and snug in our beds tonight.
Having all of my blog buddies cheering for me, and praying, in some cases, has made a real difference. Thanks..............................

Thursday, December 07, 2006

The Truth About My Gas Bill

I am completely humilitated by this, but angry as hell at the same time. I have nothing to hide and I have no problem telling everyone what is happening.
This bill is not for one month, but goes back YEARS, according to the people in the good city of Kitchener, where I live, pay taxes, and to whom I make the payments on my gas and water.
The utility company came to me over a year ago, saying that I owed $400 from a previous address. I didn't dispute it, I really wasn't certain as to whether or not I paid the bill, from an address that we had left 2 years earlier. I agreed to pay it. The bill (after I made a $100 payment, and arranged to pay the rest within 2 weeks), then went up to $800, with the gas company saying that I now owed for another address. The bill then went up to $1200, $1500, $2000, and finally, $2500. The explanation given to me was that I had not made ONE payment on a gas bill in OVER 5 years. (one of the addresses in question was my ex husbands).
I do not reciepts that go back over 5 years. I am lucky to find anything from this month. Common sense would tell you that I had made payments on the bill, or it would have disconnected YEARS ago. I found some reciepts, a couple, which the gas company never gave me credit for. One account # that we are being billed for, never even exisited. If they can make a mistake on that one, then why not all of them, or at least more than one. They refuse to even consider the fact that we don't owe this amount. The bill has now jumped from $2500 to $3256.88 without an explanation. (They want an extra 50 for when that reconnect me). Since we have lived here, I have been paying my bill, including $150 that I paid last WEEK.
I know that we look like dead beats. I know it. I do not owe this money, and I have no way of paying off such a large amount. I am paying my bills, as best as I can. We just finished paying that crazy hydro bill. I paid it in full, even though I was double billed for a portion of it.
So, the utility company refuses to cut me any slack. We have offered to make payments, but they won't hook us back up until we are paid off in full. I am afraid to make payments, I am afraid that the bill will continue to grow, and we will never be paid off. They are disconnecting our water tomorrow. I don't owe ANYTHING for water, other than this months bill. They are cutting the water until they get $2000 for the GAS. Does this sound like black mail to you? It does to me.
Once the water is cut, we have to place the girls elsewhere. Not only can we NOT live here without water, but the Children's Aid will take them if they find out. I can NOT imagine a Christmas without my kids.
We have phoned the mayors office. He can't/won't help. We have phoned everyone. EVERYONE. Does anyone have a number for God?


P.S. After some digging, I did find some paper work from the gas company. The numbers do not match, and the amounts owing for the addresses in question are not the same as what the gas company claimed today. I also found one reciept for a payment not credited to me. I think that is all coming too late. The lady that Hubby spoke with today advised us to pay the bill in full, and then they would re-evaluate what we owe. They would be more than happy to reimburse us after the fact.
I think that it's too late anyway. The gas is already cut, and the water is going first thing in the morning. Keep your fingers crossed, guys. I could use some happy thoughts.
It just keeps getting better around here. I just got a bill for $3206.88 from the gas company. They didn't even give me a chance to make payments or explain. Nothing. The gas has already been cut, so now we have no heat, and no hot water. Just in time for Christmas.
I don't even know how I"ll tell KK and J. Who cares about fucking Christmas gifts when you have no heat? We lived for over a year boiling water in a pot for hot water, and I can't do it again. It took me 2 months to pay off the $1200 that we owed hydro. This will take us 4 or 5 months, and in the meantime - no hot water or heat.
I may not be around for awhile, guys. This is something that I just can't deal with right now. Sorry about the language. If I'm not back before, have a good holiday.
Bridget
I just read the fine print. Tomorrow the water gets cut. With no water, the kids can't live here. If Children's Aid finds out, they'll take them away. Merry Christmas, kids.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Crushed

Who remembers my crush tag? Anyone? Everyone? Scroll down, it's still on the page. I wrote about a few of my crushes, including my 7 yr old crush, Dennis Fanti. Normally, I change the names a bit (like I did in my weird job post, except for Rick the Creepy Morgue guy), but I thought that one name from 30 years ago....Who'll ever know?
Dennis will, cuz he just e mailed me. Yup, the one that I desribed as "hot, in a 7 yr old kinda way." I could DIE.
I'll let you know what happens next................................

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

My former MIL is coming over today. I love it when she comes over. It seems like we don't get enough time together. Isn't it always that way with the people that you love?