Nietha’s blog

Summer is finally here! What are your plans?

Thursday afternoon is the work retreat which should be pretty cool. We return Saturday.

By then Rikki & Kristy should be in town for their visit. I took Monday & Tuesday off, and Wednesday is a stat holiday (Canada Day).

Those are the only things happening so far... I am really not a planner in any sense of the word.

What is it too soon for?
Submitted by Design Shark.

It's too soon for the days to start getting shorter again. =(

Have you ever burned yourself?

Yep, but I don't remember it, thankfully, cause I was too young.

What's the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome within the last 24 hours?
Submitted by ILoveYouMr.Dragon.

Just getting around, man. Worked from home for 2 days cause it hurts to walk with my injured left knee, but I made myself go in today and then after work I headed to a family dinner and noticed my right foot was really sore... due to all the favouring I've done of my left leg! Uggghhhhh. So now, just sitting still, both my knee and foot hurt. It's ridiculous and I feel like I'm 80. stupid frail ass weak body. aaaaand I'm totally out of bandaids.

/gripe

If you could enforce one rule of etiquette, what would it be?
Submitted by S@ngarang.

Remembering to say Please and Thank You and Excuse Me.

I live on the 10th floor. I got in the elevator and there was a man already in it, who was slightly familiar to me. There are 12 floors but the 12th is a "penthouse" suite that the apartment manager lives in, so I knew he had to be from the 11th floor.

Man: "would you like me to come by sometime and clean your bathroom?"
me: staring at the man for 2 or 3 seconds
me: "uh, no thanks, I'm good"
Man: "you sure? stuff from mine is always falling down to yours so I wouldn't mind cleaning it"

This is where I finally realized he said balcony and not bathroom. And he does drop crap on my balcony, most recently liquid (I'm assuming water because he has plants). He lives above me and over one. One time his patio umbrella thing (what're those called?) fell onto my balcony and I went out and handed it back up to him. Right now there are a couple slowly deflating balloons on my balcony which I assume are his. And I think one time he gave me a bunch of apricots.

me: "no, it's okay"
Man: "it's really not a problem"
me: "it's alright, I never go out on my balcony anyway"
Man: "well if I cleaned it then you could go out on your balcony!"
me: "heh, I suppose, but I still wouldn't go out"
Man: "alright, if you're sure, I just feel bad"
me: "I don't mind, really"
Thankfully the elevator trip was over then.

I mean, c'mon, even if I DID care that he was messing up my balcony, why would I even consider inviting a strange man into my apartment? How did he think that would come across?

This past long weekend I had Sunday, Monday, Tuesday off so as soon as I got home from work on Saturday 2 of my brothers picked me up and we headed to Mom's for a few days.

I don't visit my parents place very often as they live in the boonies so usually we meet somewhere like my sister's. Last time I'd seen Mom was Christmas when she came down to the coast, but I can't remember the last time I saw my Dad (he usually stays home to take care of the pets).

Anyways, so yeah, boonies, north of Kamloops... and I know they have no internet... so I was counting on my crackberry to keep me connected via chat, email and texting. What do you know, about 25 minutes out of Kamloops there's absolutely no signal.

We saw 4 deer on the way to Mom's though - a group of 3 near the road and then 1 that was JUST off the road, like barely outside the painted line. That was a little worrisome, hopefully he kept away from traffic.

We reached Mom's around 11pm. I asked how they got cell reception and they said they're on Telus. Well, my brother and I are on Rogers and apparently totally screwed.

There was a bunch of family there we weren't really expecting - an uncle and his family (wife and 2 kids) plus another cousin. So, fairly crowded in my parents 2 bedroom wee little house, but I'd never met my uncle's family before and I enjoyed their company a lot, so cramped space was a small price to pay. I thought it was funny though that I was there 3 nights and each night slept in a different spot.

Sunday I went with Mom and aunt-in-law to a small town about 20 minutes away to do a bit of grocery shopping and checkout any garage sales that were happening. They had told me previously that I should get cell reception there... and, of course, I forgot my cell phone at the house because I had set it aside to charge it. Doh!

There were only 2 garage sales... at one I found a little plastic rack kind of thing that had "CLK" etched on it. I picked it up and showed it to Mom, "hey Mom, look, my initials" and one of the ladies selling the stuff overheard and she said, "those are my initials! if they're your initials too, you can have it for free" I said thanks and she asked what my name was, and she replied that hers was Carolyn Linda K. She said she used it for remotes as you always have so many of those. I said I'd probably use it as a mail holder.

At the second garage sale some NES games were on sale for 25 cents each... one was Dragon Warrior which is an awesome game so I picked it up, then figured may as well get all 3 since they're so cheap. (I don't actually have a NES myself but have a friend that does, so I was planning on giving them to him... but I forgot them at Mom's =P)

Saw 2 more deer on the drive back to Mom's.

Most of my weekend was playing Wii or watching movies. We played some Yahtzee as well. Steven mostly watched TV, read and played his DS. Wayne spent a lot of time outdoors with the other boys, shooting (targets, not animals), hanging out at the river, or enjoying the fire pit in the backyard. He really likes campfire hot dogs.

Monday around noon my uncle's family left. In the afternoon we headed to town to pick up a DQ ice cream cake for Dad's birthday... and I forgot my phone again! Steven said, "I think it's psychological now, you want to be off the grid" ha.

Tuesday we left around 2pm. On the highway this bald eagle came swooping down right in front of the car in front of us, to grab a squirrel on the side of the road. It was so close, very cool.

So it was just quality relaxing time at the 'rents... though I had to get 3 spiders killed as they were disturbing me.

It was weird seeing a bunch of knickknacks, art and decorations that I remember from childhood... and seeing all the old pictures Mom has around. I guess going back "home" will always be kindof surreal.

It was also nice to get home and sleep in my own bed however. Will miss the good home-cooked food though! Very appreciative for the bannock Mom made for us to take home.

Share a song that you like to wake up to.

Haha, I actually wake up to Dreamin by Weezer as it's the mp3 I picked for WinAlarm to use.

I couldn't find a music video so here's a live performance.

If you could pick between the superpowers of flight or invisibility, which would you choose?
Submitted by aynge.

Flight. The novelty and practical jokes you could play with invisibility would run out quickly for me. I don't care enough about other people to want to spy on them (lol).

If you were to open up a business of your own, what would it be?
Submitted by beth.

Running a gaming centre would be cool... it would offer more than just the platforms for gaming, it'd have actual cooked food and a social atmosphere and lots of events and competitions.