I guess that's what happened to me...

I admit it!

Hi! My name is Stinkypaw and I’m an addict! That’s right. I’m a TV addict. I admit it. I have no problem crashing in front of the tube for hours, without any guilt whatsoever. I know it’s sad, but it can also be very entertaining!

Last year (or the one before I’m confused about the timeline), when some shows that we watched, like "Alias", "Will & Grace", "Charmed" came off the air I thought we would watch a little less television. I was wrong.

This past weekend we’ve watched 11 episodes of “Heroes”, one after the other. If you haven’t watched that show you’re missing something different. It keeps you coming back for more. It just twisted enough with a note of humour, it could almost be spiritual… In it are some new actors as well as some familiar faces like Claire the Cheerleader (played by Hayden Panettiere, who once was Maddie, "Ali McBeal’s" daughter), or Peter the nurse (played by Milo Ventimiglia, who was Jess on "Gilmore Girls’"), or the policeman Matt (played by Greg Grunberg, who used to be Eric Weiss on "Alias"). At first it was a bit strange for me to see some people that I liked so much on other shows playing these “heroes”, and yet… I'm loving it!

In November we also started watching “Supernatural” – we did a blitz for Season 1. I like shows that have a little X-Files feel to them. I find that “Supernatural” has also a little touch of “Charmed” and maybe some “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” (which I used to watched) as well as “Angel”.

So, I’m a TV junkie – here’s a list of my weekly hits:

- 24
- Bones
- Boston Legal
- Brothers & Sisters
- CSI (Vegas & Miami)
- Desperate Housewives
- ER
- Ghost Whisperer
- Gilmore Girls
- Heroes
- Prison Break
- Supernatural
- The Apprentice

I know, I watched too much TV. I guess the fact that I'm willing to admit that I have a problem is something, isn't it?... And what about you? What do you watch?

Image: Watching TV

Votre Friday Smile!

I recently picked a new primary care doctor. After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, he said I was doing "fairly well" for my age.

A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, "Do you think I'll live to be 80?"
He asked, "Do you smoke tobacco, or drink beer or wine?"
"Oh no," I replied, "I'm not doing drugs either."
Then he asked, "Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?"
I said, "No, my former doctor said that red meat is very unhealthy!"
Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?"
"No, I don't," I said.
He asked, "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a little too much sex?"
"No," I said. "I don't do any of those things."
He looked at me sadly and said, "Then why do you give a shit?”

***

***

La maîtresse demande à ses élèves de faire une phrase avec "et pourtant".

"Vas-y Pascal : "Hier, j'ai été à la pêche avec mon papa et pourtant il pleuvait!"
La maîtresse : "oui, ce n'est pas trop mal. A toi Isabelle".
"Le chat a attrapé une souris et pourtant elle courait vite!"
La maîtresse : "voilà, c'est très bien. A toi Lionel".
Lionel réfléchit un instant et se lance : "Les filles mouillent entre les jambes et pourtant elles ne rouillent pas !!!"
La maîtresse très mécontente: "Tu me copieras 100 fois je ne raconte pas de grossièreté en classe pour demain et tu prépareras une phrase correcte avec "et pourtant".

Le lendemain, Lionel remet sa punition à la maîtresse.
"J'espère que tu as compris. Vas-y, dis-nous ta nouvelle phrase."
Lionel : "La terre est ronde (la maîtresse se dit: pour l'instant ça commence bien) et pourtant ça baise dans tous les coins!!"

Bonne fin de semaine & try to keep warm!

Why can’t I just say no?

I tend to express myself without too much problem – I can say when something doesn’t make me happy, or if something doesn’t work I’ll have no issue letting people know about it. Yet, I seem to find myself in situations, at times, where I really don’t want to be in. Professionally speaking, that is. I just seem to not be able to say no to new clients.Whenever a potential client calls me, I feel like I have to take him on. It’s weird.

On one hand I have Hubby telling me that I don’t have to take on new clients if I don’t feel like it, and on the other hand I feel guilty for not doing “my share”. When we started the company, after we got laid off from Nortel and my burnout, we had agreed that I would mostly do our bookkeeping and work from home as much as possible. I took on new clients and soon realised that working five days a week wasn’t agreeing with my body nor my mental well-being. Hubby has always been very supportive (in every sense of the word), and often told me to drop clients that were causing me too much stress. I did.

Last week, our accountant contacted me asking if I wanted to talk with one of his client who was looking for a bookkeeper. I spoke with the gentleman. He bought this business and his wife is doing the bookkeeping at the moment, and they’re having issues, so he thought someone from the “outside” could help. He uses an accounting software that I do not know at all. Almost all of my clients use the same software as our company. He wanted to meet and see what I could do. I agreed to meet with him and his wife.

Why? Why did I say yes? Why didn’t I just say: “Sorry, I only work with X”? I’m such a twit!

What is wrong with me?

Am I the only one who does this? Say yes, and then after pondering about it for a couple of days regret having said yes? I can’t be the only one, can’t I? Is there anybody like me out there? What should I do? I need help!

Your Friday Smile!

Only a guy would do this!

Pocket Taser Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife. A guy who purchased his lovely wife a pocket Taser for their anniversary submitted this:

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 22nd anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Toni. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized taser. The effects of the taser were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety.... WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button.

Nothing!

I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arch of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.

Awesome!!!

Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Toni what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA batteries, right?!!

There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised.

Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.

All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference (pretty cute really, and loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries) thinking to myself, "no possible way!" What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best...

I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, "don't do it master," reasoning that a one-second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad.. I decided to give myself a on e-second burst just for the heck of it.

I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION!!@*!!!

I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs. The cat was standing over me making meowing sounds I had never heard before, licking my face, undoubtedly thinking to herself, "Do it again, do it again!"

Note: If you ever feel compelled to "mug" yourself with a taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one-second burst when you zap yourself.

You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. A three second burst would be considered conservative.

SON-OF-A-... That hurt like hell!!! A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. How did they get up there??? My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs.

I'm still looking for my testicles? I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return.

***



***

A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time."
The wife responded, "Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!"

Have a great weekend!

Some wise words to live by

THE TONGUE CAN BE YOUR WORST ENEMY!

Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life. What you speak about, you can bring about.

If you keep saying you can't stand your job, you might lose your job.
If you keep saying you can't stand your body, your body can become sick.
If you keep saying you can't stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating.
If you keep saying you're broke, guess what? You'll always be broke.
If you keep saying you can't trust a man or trust a woman, you will always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you.
If you keep saying you can't find a job, you will remain unemployed.
If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you or believe in you, your very thought will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs.
If you keep talking about a divorce or break up in a relationship, then you might end up with it.

Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and power packed with faith, hope, love and action.

Don't be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve.

Watch your Thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your Habits, they become character.
Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny

The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for.

Did I write something wrong?

When I was in school I always felt “different”. Was it because I went to a prep school, because my parents were strict and wouldn’t let me go out, because I wasn’t interested in smoking or drinking, or because I was good in school and enjoyed it? I wasn’t one of the cool kids, or at least don’t think I was. I wasn’t a nerd either; I was more of a loner. Often I choose to walk away, I would rather be alone and well, then with people and pretend to be someone I’m not. To this day I live by this rule.

When I did karate it was the same thing. I would go in, teach or take a class, shower and leave. Even now, I go to visit my clients, and depending on the contract I can be there for months, and even if I talk with people I tend to keep to myself. I go in, do what I’m paid for and then leave. Yet, along the way I make friends.

I never really liked the “gang” thing. I hated it in school, didn’t care for it in karate and not really concern about it when it comes to my working environment. In everything we do there’s always a little clique here and there. I’ve noticed since I’ve been blogging that certain people have their little clique, like “blogger gangs” almost, sometimes because they share a profession, they live in the same area, they’re friends in “real” life, etc. People have this need to be in a group. I don’t. I enjoy being alone. Maybe it’s because I grew up alone. I don’t know. Except here!

Here I want to be “in” (for some strange reason)… I won’t pretend that I don’t care about getting comments, that I’m doing this for myself, because that wouldn’t really be the case. If I really wanted to simply log my thoughts I would have kept doing so in my journal. I still do write in it, the deep personal stuff that I don’t want to share with the world is in there. Whatever I can’t say out loud is written down on paper, not out here for the world to see. Yes we are anonymous, to a certain extend (since I broke a blog rule and told friends and relatives about my blog), but like I had written in this post, we do create some type of friendship with our fellow bloggers. We have our regular commenters, but like in any friendship sometimes we go our separate ways.

Looking at my stats I’ve noticed that some of my “regulars” (or so I thought!) don’t come by anymore… It made me think… is it because I offended them? Why is it that some people who used to read me, fairly regularly and commented, stopped coming here. I see them at other places, so I know they are still around, and yet… not here. Why? Did I do or say something wrong? Am I not interesting enough? In July when I wrote this, I said that I liked getting an answer back to my comment, and I stand by that. Yes, I do go back to see the answer, and if I don’t get one (which is often the case) I don’t get upset. DCMM once wrote (here) about comments: “If anything, it makes people feel like they have a community, where you can feel the same way someone else feels about things... and get an affirmation as a bonus.”

It’s all part of the blogging game, which is a personal thing. Some like to do it daily, some at random, some by themselves, some like to live through others… it’s almost like sex in a way - you do it the way you feel comfortable doing it and with whom you want, that's what's cool about it.

I came to realise that along the way I’ve dropped a few blogs, and picked up some new ones. It’s fun and it feels like a breath of fresh air.

Just as the week is ending I’m realising that this week was “De-lurking Week”… Darn!

Well, I’m doing it now, so those of you, who regularly lurk in, drop me a line, it could be fun! And who knows what could happen… you might get a comment back! ;-)

Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think ok?

*Update: I corrected the word "clique". Thanks to PreppyGirl who nicely informed me that it is spelled the same in English and French! - Didn't know that! Thanks PG!

Votre Friday Smile!

This Friday Smile is all about cars/drivers.

The first one was sent to me by Jason67 and I couldn't help to think of Ananke...

Quebec Driver's 2007 Handbook:

1. Turn signals will give away your next move. A confident Quebec driver avoids using them. (That is SO true!)

2. Under no circumstance should you maintain a safe distance between you and the car in front of you, because the space will be filled in by somebody else, putting you in an even more dangerous situation.

3. The faster you drive through a red light, the less of a chance you have of getting hit.

4. Warning! Never come to a complete stop at a stop sign. No one expects it and it will result in your being rear-ended. (true, but also expensive when caught, I was just before Christmas!)

5. Never get in the way of an older car that needs extensive bodywork, especially with NB or Ontario plates. With no insurance, the other operator has nothing to lose.

6. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that your ABS kicks in, giving a vigorous, foot massage as the brake pedal violently pulsates.
For those of you without ABS , it's a chance to strengthen your leg muscles.

7. Never pass on the left when you can pass on the right. It's a good way to prepare other drivers entering the highway.

8. Speed limits are arbitrary figures; given only as a suggestion and are not enforceable in Quebec during rush hour, especially in Montreal. (So true, it's scary!)

9. Just because you're in the left lane and have no room to speed up or move over doesn't mean that a Quebec driver flashing his high beams behind you doesn't think he can go faster in your spot.

10. Always brake and rubberneck when you see an accident or even someone changing a tire. This is seen as a sign of respect for the victim.

11. Learn to swerve abruptly without signalling. Quebec is the home of high-speed slalom-driving; thanks to the Department of Public Works, which puts pot-holes in key locations to test drivers' reflexes and keep them alert. (Sadly enough...)

12. It is tradition in Quebec to honk your horn at cars in front of you that do not move three milliseconds after the light turns green. (That is so f'ing annoying!)

13. To avoid injury in the event of a collision or rollover, it is important to exit your vehicle thru the windshield right away. Wearing your seat belt will only impede your hi-velocity escape from danger.

14. Remember that the goal of every Quebec driver is to get ahead of the pack by whatever means necessary. (yep!)

15. In Quebec, 'flipping the bird' is considered a polite salute. This gesture should always be returned. (But of course!)

***

Three dead bodies turn up at the mortuary, all with very big smiles on their faces. The coroner calls the police to tell them what has happened.

Coroner tells the Inspector: "First body: A Frenchman, 60, died of heart failure while with his mistress. Hence the enormous smile."

"Second body: "Scotsman, 25, won a thousand pounds on the lottery, spent it all on whisky, died of alcohol poisoning. Hence the smile."

The Inspector asked, "What of the third body?" "Ah," says the coroner, "This is the most unusual one. Danny Earl, the Newfie, 30, struck by lightning." "Why is he smiling then?" inquires the Inspector. "Thought he was having his picture taken."

***

Et pour terminer:

Je conduisais avec mes trois jeunes enfants un soir d'été chaud lorsqu'une femme dans un convertible devant nous se lève et nous salue de la main. Elle était complètement nue! J'étais encore sous le choc quand mon petit garçon de 5 ans assis sur le siège
arrière dit "Maman! La dame ne porte pas sa ceinture de sécurité!"

Bonne fin de semaine à tous!

A little more sleep = another dream.

Had another strange dream last night…

Hubby and I were walking somewhere (didn’t recognize the location), it was high and there was some activity going on below. At one point we saw this elephant that was digging a foundation for a house. It had already dug a big whole. Some man came by us and mentioned how he had thought of using an elephant to dig, since they are so strong. From what he was saying I understood that he had wanted to put the elephant down, but since it was still “useful” he would wait to do it. As we are watching this elephant, it walked out of the whole it was digging and walked on this pile of crap and was just stumping all over it. I could see its feet (isn’t it strange, in dreams, how you can “zoom-in and out” on something?), and was really impressed by the strength and flexibility they showed. We kept walking and looking at it, when this “house” (it could have been a shack or something similar) is dropped on the elephant’s back. It collapsed under the weight. I’m freaking out, calling for help and for the crane operator to lift it back up. Nobody seems to be hearing me nor caring. I see this guy on the phone and asked him if he’s calling for help. He looks at me funny and says “No, Duh! I was calling my girlfriend”. I grab the phone out of his hand, call him a few choice words and start dialling when I see Hubby down there, by the elephant which is covered with piles of stuffs. I’m calling his name, he looks up, waves at me and continue to go through the pile of things when he sees the elephant’s trunk, broken (it was very small, looked like a flute from where I was standing, and quite disproportionate), picks it up and puts it in the garbage can in our kitchen! I’m so pissed at him, and start to give him crap: “How could he do nothing to help the elephant and to pick up its trunk and toss it like that, so undisturbed? What is wrong with him?” Somehow (the magic of dreams!) I’m standing next to Hubby, by the elephant when I hear this faint noise, which resembled the sounds the pooch did just before she died, and sees this baby elephant, coming out from under the pile. I then think, “it was a female elephant and she was pregnant”. The baby elephant is covered with blood and yucky stuff (like babies when they’re born), looks at me with its big brown eyes and does a head stand (like they do in circus act)! I say: “Poor thing, even as new born, elephants want to perform”. The same man as before (the owner) comes by me and says something like “I only wanted to kill the elephant, nothing else”

This is when I woke up, with a splitting headache and this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach…

A friend gave me 2 books on dreams, symbolism, etc. I'll try to read them. I find it weird that I dream of animals like that, an elephant is not the most "usual" type of animal that one encounters/sees daily, is it? Anyway not here!


That is what has been happening a lot in this house, lately. The wakening part...

Last night I took two little pills (herbal medecine), and I don't know if it was related to those pills, but last night I actually slept 5 hours straight! Woohoo! But the headache, man! All day!

What is it with Cancer these days?

I just got an e-mail message from a friend who we used to see regularly, but since a couple of years we haven’t seen each other. We didn’t have a falling out or anything like that. We used to go to this little Chinese restaurant, in Chinatown, at least once a week after training. It was a family run business; the father was the cook, the son L. and daughter A. were owners and uncle M. waited tables.

The food was really good and the people so friendly. We became regulars. At the beginning they didn’t our names, so when friends would meet us there for dinner and arrived before we did, M. would refer to us as “Molson Dry” (for Hubby) and “Karate” (for me). As time went by we got to know them on a first name basis, and we became friends. They served the bests Hot & Sour soup in town. Everything we ate there was good, and their almond cookies… home made and so yummy. I’m drooling just writing about their food! About two years ago they had to close their restaurant. It was so sad, but L. and I kept in touch. We would send each other jokes, a line here and there, some pictures of his kids, we kept in touch that way.

Since October his father has been sick, what started out as being diagnosed as an ulcer is now some sort of generalized cancer near the lungs and liver. The poor man is suffering and weighs about 75lbs… The family is asking for help because they are facing the medical system and its decision to give up on this man who gave his life serving the public for 40 years with his great cooking talent. He worked 12-14 hours/day, 7 days/week. The only time he didn’t work was when the restaurant was closed. It seems so unfair, and yet Cancer is trying to claims another victim.

So many people are facing this ugly monster; it’s not easy for anybody, neither the people directly suffering nor the people around them. It’s scary. The fear of the unknown is so real when having to deal with cancer.

I feel so bad for them. They’re good people.

Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Hearts break.
Colleagues forget favours.
Careers end.
Parents die.

When we began this adventure called life, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Life happens no matter what, doesn’t it?

Sleep brings on dream.

I’ve been sleeping like crap for the last six months. I realised that it’s been that long while talking with Hubby about my lack of sleep. I’m reaching a point where I can’t function almost.
It reminds me of this blog I used to read where its author would complain about her lack of sleep, she went away on vacation and her blog disappearred. (I miss reading you “She wears plaid”, I hope you’re well…).
When we took pooch in I would get up with her, early, for her morning pee. That is when it all started. Then the hot flashes, which are keeping me awake or waking me which ever comes first… My mind is going, non-stop. I've tried meditating, reading, listening to music, pills, nothing really works... It's getting bad.

You know all the jokes about women and their menopause, no wonder we turn bitchy, we lack sleep and eventually it does affect our moods, even the best demeanoured ones... Not a fun time.

I had the strangest dream last night, which means I was “out” for a while, yeah! Can’t remember the last time I’ve dreamt. Oh yeah, it’s true; one needs to be asleep for one to dream! I forgot that part!

My dream:

It started in our bedroom. I heard noises and I could hear the rain (yes, it’s been raining here for the last few days, no snow yet ). I see, in the dark, this big panther sitting by our bedroom door watching me (That could be our black cat, in real life). Then I feel these claws on my chest, I look up and it’s a big owl sitting on my chest. That’s what the panther is watching, ready to pounce. I try to call out Hubby's name, sleeping next to me, but I have no voice and he’s sound asleep. I grab the owl and throw it at the panther. They ran off, but somehow (that’s the thing with dreams, isn’t it? ) the owl flew back in our room and hit the ceiling fan and fell on me. As the panther is about the jump on me I grabbed the bird again, but then the panther snaps at my wrist. One of his teeth is caught into my bracelet. Again I try to scream, but Hubby isn't waking up. I’m fighting with the panther to get my arm out of its mouth; I stand up on the bed trying to turn on the light and then remembered that the ceiling was on (which I actually did turn on last night, before coming to bed, to help with the hot flashes…). So, I ducked, jerked hard and managed to get unstuck. I go back to bed, and still hear noises, and then this goat jumps on the bed, and walks away. It does that a few times. Each time I try to talk but no voice.

Since I still hear noises, I get up and go downstairs. When I get down I see our whole ground floor totally upside down, somebody has been through all our stuffs – we’ve been robbed! Then I let out this scream, very guttural and think “There are people stealing our stuff, they still might be in the house, and I’m naked.”

That is when Hubby woke me, by putting his hand on my shoulder asking if I was having a bad dream…

Weird dream, hun? The weird thing is, this is not the first time I dream something like this: people are in our house while we’re sleeping… creepy!

Do you have any idea or interpretation of that dream? Let's hear it.

Your Friday Smile!

BIG TECHNICAL BREAKTHROUGH - Apple Computer

Apple Computer reported today that it has developed computer chips that can store and play music inside women's breasts.

This is considered to be a major breakthrough because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.

***

Hubby said he thought of me when he saw this:

...wonder why?!

Have a good one! One week done in 2007 already!

You don't know me...

I have been tagged by Christina to list five things you don't know about me.

I feel that I've already wrote a lot about me already, but here goes:

1- I bite my nails, at least once every other month!

2- I once picked up my mom and sat her in the sink, which came off the wall – my dad was really impressed!

3- I kicked a guy in the nuts and told him to “contract”, after he had punched me in the breast and told me the same thing!

4- I keep ALL the cards I get! I have all my birthday cards since I was born, like the “It’s a girl” ones…

5- When I leave a comment on a blog, I do go back to see if/what the author answered. (For this one I have to thank 3Carnations' post... made me think of this... in case you didn't know that about me!)

And, I'm not tagging anyone!

Glad it's over!

I have this habit, when New Year comes around, to do a review of the past year to help me see what I did, accomplished, and dropped, etc.

I felt that 2006 hadn’t really been a good year as such… too many things happened and not really good things. Sure there were some pleasant ones, but I think the bad ones took over the not so bad…

Culture wise it wasn’t bad. We saw some good shows like Mr. Cosby stand-up routine, Charles Aznavour’s Farewell Tour, some good plays and movies (have a look at “What entertained me” to see what did). We had a good week away hiking in North Conway, NH.
Weather wise it was a yucky year, at least here in Montreal. We basically had no winter, except for one BIG snowstorm, in which we got caught in driving to Charlevoix – “the drive from Hell” – then it rained A LOT when spring came, our summer was stupid hot and our fall was the longest ever. This winter isn’t looking too hot either, no snow basically – which is great for driving, but it sucks when it comes to winter sports!

Health wise it was shitty as well… I stopped taking anti-depressant in March because I was getting some physical symptoms… I’m not really sure if this was good or bad. Yippee, I’m off the meds! Yikes, I have these unstoppable shakes! And let’s not talk about the mood effects.

In July I was diagnosed with sleep-apnea and now have to sleep with a mask. It’s been over six months and I still have issues sleeping with it! Fun! Fun! This is supposed to « help » me sleep – yeah right! Then came my surgery. Sure I’m happy that since I was operated I have been pain free, just that was worth the operation! BUT then, since a week post-op I’ve been living with full-blown menopause! OMG, the hot flashes! They are more like power surge! Unreal! The last two months I’ve been sleeping like crap, not because of apnea, but because of hot flashes. I wake up in sweat, literally dripping… Since I can’t take anything, at the moment until my endometriosis is completely resolved, and since the natural products don’t seem to work, let’s just say that it sucks! I need sleep! Good sleep! Not that one-hour, wake up in a puddle of my own sweat, type of sleep! I’m craving that drug induced sleep, that’s what I want! Finally, to top it all off the week I turned the big 4-0 my pooch died!

Looking back on things, it feels like it was just one thing after the other… and to add to the equation, my MIL was diagnosed with cancer and its progressing fast. 2006 wasn’t a good year and despite me having good times and all, like when we took in the pooch, or my birthday party, I part of me is so happy that 2006 is over. I know that some people had it way worst than I did, but at times, like now, it feels good to cry a little…

One can only hope that 2007 will be better.

Happy New Year!

I wish you a day of ordinary miracles,
A fresh pot of coffee you didn't have to make yourself,
An unexpected phone call from an old friend,
Green stoplights on your way to work or shop.

I wish you a day of little things to rejoice in,
The fastest line at the grocery store,
A good sing along song on the radio,
Your keys right where you look.

I wish you a year of happiness and little bite-size pieces of perfection that give you the funny feeling that there is something out there smiling on you, holding you so gently because you are someone special and rare.

I wish you a year of Peace, Happiness and Joy.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.
Send this phrase to the people you'll never forget.
It's a short message to let them know that you'll never forget them.
If you don't send it to anyone, it means you're in too much of a hurry and that you've probably forgotten your friends.

Take the time!

Wishing you the very best for 2007!
May you always have love to share, health to spare,
and friends that care.