Have you ever had one of "those" weeks? You know, the ones where each day somehow ends up being slightly worse than the one before it. Considering that my hormones are out of whack this week anyhow (I love being a woman!), I don't think that's helping my situation.
Monday - class doesn't start until 1:00pm. How can that be a bad thing, you ask. Well, consider that a thunder storm woke me up at 7:00am . . . and all of a sudden life isn't as good as it was half an hour prior to that. Then, to make matters worse, the Oilers lost the Stanley Cup. Granted, that doesn't really have an effect on my life, but it was disappointing. I sure was rooting for them, but the 'Canes just outplayed them.
Tuesday - an obscenely long line-up of traffic to get downtown. What is happening to my city? As I'm sitting in my car, my glasses are putting pressure on my right eye (as if they're bent in towards my eye a bit). So I take the glasses off to try and bend the frame slightly, and they snap in half across the nosepiece. Hmmmm. Not so good. Especially considering these are my back-up glasses - my good ones broke in Shanghai and I haven't had them fixed yet. But still, I walk into class wearing glasses with a broken lens. I kind of like the extra attention they bring me! At lunch I go to the mall, to see if I can get the lens replaced. Turns out my eyes were done just over 2 years ago (yeah, like 3 seconds longer than 2 years) and so they won't even consider fixing my glasses without a new eye check-up, to the tune of $78. Fabulous. I just love walking around with broken glasses! So I book an eye appointment. After school I run to Safeway (grocery store) to try and get a gift card for a friend whose birthday is coming up (Starbucks). The girl tells me (with a completely straight face, too) that they are out of gift cards, so I'm out of luck. With this I head home, cause I'm just cranky.
Wednesday - Somewhat better than the other days . . . but only somewhat. I take my oldest dog Quigley for a walk. This dog hates heat and has almost no stamina left (he's 10, but acts 15). Why do I take him for a walk? Am I even thinking? Apparently not. They are spraying some kind of noxious chemical on the walking paths, so we walk on the sidewalk. 10 minutes into the walk, he decides that he should be carried. Umm, I don't think so. So I drag him home. Fun stuff . . . . glad I'm trying to give him better quality of life.
Thursday - wait, that's today! End up having to go well out of my way to drop something off at my brother's house, despite the fact that they have TWO cars and at least one of them could have stopped by our house instead. No call of thanks . . . hope they got what they needed. Go for lunch, and almost get hit from the side by a classmate. And get this, this person is mad at ME! Well excuse me, but when was it legal to whip around cars simply because they're signalling and slowing down to turn into a parking spot? And if you were REALLY watching, wouldn't you have seen the person in front of me whip into that space (since the car was twice as big as mine), forcing me to drive forward instead of turning? But according to this person, I should have stopped and allowed them to go around me. Guess my idea of traffic laws is skewed. Go for an eye exam, so far so good. I still have two eyes, and I can see out of both of them (better with corrective lenses, mind you). Have to bargain and plead with the lab tech to get the new lenses tomorrow, otherwise I have to wait 2 weeks. The good news is that it all only cost $300. Great.
So for laughs (and stress relief) I took all 3 dogs for a walk today. Yes, even the old one that has no stamina. What was I thinking? Was I thinking? I walked 3 dogs with one leash (and three extensions), and made it home in one piece. It was actually the highlight of my week.
At least tomorrow can only get better. Stay tuned . . .
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Monday, June 19, 2006
Go Oilers?
Well, as great as I think it is that the Oilers made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, I just don't think they're going to win. I'm rooting for them, of course, but the game is just not being played well by Edmonton at all. Granted, I'm an armchair fan - I couldn't skate and manage a stick for any amount of money. But after seeing a phenomenal Game 6 from the Oilers, this game is just disappointing.
The good news is the cooler weather. Woke up to raging thunderstorms this morning - even Farley was a bit taken aback by the noise. None of my dogs has ever been afraid of storms, but Farley was on my chest when I woke up, shaking a bit. Poor baby. He settled down once he realized that I wasn't worried, but it was an interesting way to wake up. So much for sleeping in this morning. It got sunny through the day, but it's cloudy again now, so hopefully it stays cool through the night.
Back in school this week - Business Strategy is the course. It's our Capstone course, which means it's meant to pull together everything that we've learned to date. So far it's pretty interesting, although we've only had a few hours of lecture so far. Our first case study was actually a military case study, which pulled together the various elements of strategy, fit and implementation nicely. I think it's going to be a good class.
Not much else to write about . . . life just isn't that exciting. But whether or not the Oilers win tonight, I am damned proud that they've made it as far as they have. It's been a great ride!
The good news is the cooler weather. Woke up to raging thunderstorms this morning - even Farley was a bit taken aback by the noise. None of my dogs has ever been afraid of storms, but Farley was on my chest when I woke up, shaking a bit. Poor baby. He settled down once he realized that I wasn't worried, but it was an interesting way to wake up. So much for sleeping in this morning. It got sunny through the day, but it's cloudy again now, so hopefully it stays cool through the night.
Back in school this week - Business Strategy is the course. It's our Capstone course, which means it's meant to pull together everything that we've learned to date. So far it's pretty interesting, although we've only had a few hours of lecture so far. Our first case study was actually a military case study, which pulled together the various elements of strategy, fit and implementation nicely. I think it's going to be a good class.
Not much else to write about . . . life just isn't that exciting. But whether or not the Oilers win tonight, I am damned proud that they've made it as far as they have. It's been a great ride!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Hotter than Hades!
Well, my southern friends are laughing at me, but Fort McMurray is enduring the first "heat wave" of the year. Granted, for most people, this is just barely warm, but for us it's hotter than heck! It's been close to 30 Celsius all week (around 86 F), and the dogs are melting before my eyes. Poor Quigley struggles with the heat every year, and it seems that as he ages, the toll it takes just intensifies. This week he's been sleeping and slowly following us from room to room, admonishing us with his eyes (damn humans need to stay in one room!). He is drinking plenty of water, but not doing much else. Poor guy. Even Farley is hot - he is on and off the bed all night long, panting and restless. And I sleep in the basement . . . so this weekend he's getting a new haircut, something that allows him to tolerate the heat a bit better. Billy, well, he has finally calmed down. I almost dread cooler weather, since we are all enjoying the "heat-soaked" Billy of this past week.
I'm back in school next week - this time it's for a Business Strategy course. I've been slogging my way through the textbook, but I find it tough to get into reading a textbook after working all day. So it's slow going, and I have lots to get through before Monday. There are articles he wanted us to read too, so I have to look them up, print them out, and try and get them read before Monday. Always lots to do.
Other than that, it's pretty much the same old thing. Everything on TV is re-runs, and since I managed to catch most of my shows this year, there isn't much to watch. That's a good thing, since I have about 50 books to read (okay, I might be exaggerating a week bit), so I should get some reading done this summer. After this week of school I get almost 2 months off, so I should be able to get lots of reading done during that time. I welcome book suggestions too - I'll read just about anything (just not Anna Karenina again, it was painful enough the first time around).
Guess that's it for this episode of "the life and times of Kelly"
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Back In The Swing of Things
Today was Billy's first trip to the dog park in over a month. Poor guy has been missing out, first because of my trip to China, and then because of dog shows. So today was a very exciting day for him. As we drove to the park, he was whining and wiggling with excitement (either that or he really had to pee, it's hard to tell). As soon as I let him out of the car, he ran a HUGE circle around the entrance to the park, barking his head off to announce his arrival. He played with his friend Roxie (from obedience school, a pit bull-lab mix), and he also played with a Bulldog puppy that was too cute for words. His friend the Bullmastiff wasn't around today, and neither was his buddy the Golden Retriever. But he managed to play pretty hard for about 40 minutes anyhow. Then we came home and he had a bath. So he's all soft, shiny and pretty again. For at least 5 minutes.
Not much is new for me personally, except the horrible news that I somehow deleted my entire website :( What a heartbreaker! I recently got a new laptop, so I had to reinstall all of my programs (there is still lots to be done), and that includes Front Page. So as I was playing around with trying to update and publish Billy's page, somehow I managed to replace my entire website with just his page. UGH! So now I have to start over, but I don't have any of my pictures yet (Staples is backing up my old hard drive for me), so I can't even do anything. What a pain in the hind end.
Small update today, but don't want to get out of my blogging habit, so here you have it!
Not much is new for me personally, except the horrible news that I somehow deleted my entire website :( What a heartbreaker! I recently got a new laptop, so I had to reinstall all of my programs (there is still lots to be done), and that includes Front Page. So as I was playing around with trying to update and publish Billy's page, somehow I managed to replace my entire website with just his page. UGH! So now I have to start over, but I don't have any of my pictures yet (Staples is backing up my old hard drive for me), so I can't even do anything. What a pain in the hind end.
Small update today, but don't want to get out of my blogging habit, so here you have it!
Thursday, June 08, 2006
It's All Fun and Games
Sheesh, where does the time go? Seems like just yesterday I was getting doing my last blog update, and it turns out that was 2 weeks ago! Yikes! I guess when I have dog shows, school and work to worry about, the blog takes a backseat. Sorry all . . . but I don't think people are flocking to the blog either, so it's not like I'm disappointing the masses.
So I'm finally over my jetlag . . . that took at least a week. I combined it with dog show fatigue the weekend of May 26th, so the lines between different forms of tiredness got blurred. I actually felt so tired some days that I felt sick to my stomach. Thankfully that has passed, and been replaced by dog show and work fatigue. That kind of tiredness I can handle. I know I'm still tired because I'm sleeping like a baby at night, and it's unusual for me to go a whole night without waking up once. So I'm enjoying the good sleeps, anyhow. Farley is too - because of the heat, he is sacked out every night, snoring and dreaming (I think).
The weekend of May 26th I had a visitor - my good friend Vicky came, and brought her little Cocker girl Mercedes with her. Despite having major WestJet issues (let's just say the Fort McMurray branch SUCKS), we had a fabulous weekend. It was the Northland Kennel Club dog show, which is 6 shows in 3 days. Tiring, but a great chance to get points on your dog. Mercedes walked away with 4 Best of Breeds, a Group 1, a Group 2 and two Group 3's, so that was nice for Vicky. And Satan (yes, my own dear boy) managed to pick up 6 points from the Bred By Exhibitor class, so I was thrilled too. This is despite being skinny as a rail and refusing to gain weight. He is now eating the same amount as a small horse, so I'm hopeful that he won't be so skeletal when I take him to the Cold Lake shows.
Last week I had a one week intensive course for school on Bargaining and Negotiation. Just try and negotiate with me now! I'm a pro! Okay, maybe not a pro . . . or even very good . . . but at least I understand the principles and could argue myself into a better position than ever before. The class was very practical, with lots of trying of techniques, so I found it to be very useful. Two weeks off, and then another one week intensive on Business Strategy starts. The textbook is pre-assigned reading, so I'm slogging my way through that now.
Last weekend (yes, the one that just ended) there were back to back Cocker specialties in Edmonton, in conjunction with the NACA (Northern Alberta Canine Association) shows. Both days were lots of fun, and Billy even won a prize for being first in his class (never mind that he was the only Bred By dog LOL). It was really great seeing some of my dear Cocker friends again, and especially some of my friends in other breeds. Both Billy and Farley participated in Junior Handling, and for me, that was the highlight of my weekend. Farley looked so awesome with his friend Alyssa (whose mom has Shibas, but we won't hold that against her LOL), it was almost like he was never sick! I have to admit, I cried while watching him strut his stuff with his special girl. And Billy works so well for Coralee (who spent time with him while I was in China) that they are a fabulous team.
So now it's back to life as usual. Busy at work trying to catch up from being away for almost a month. And busy at home trying to get organized and get the clutter down to a dull roar. One more show for the summer and then I'm back on hiatus, so it had better be a good one!
So I'm finally over my jetlag . . . that took at least a week. I combined it with dog show fatigue the weekend of May 26th, so the lines between different forms of tiredness got blurred. I actually felt so tired some days that I felt sick to my stomach. Thankfully that has passed, and been replaced by dog show and work fatigue. That kind of tiredness I can handle. I know I'm still tired because I'm sleeping like a baby at night, and it's unusual for me to go a whole night without waking up once. So I'm enjoying the good sleeps, anyhow. Farley is too - because of the heat, he is sacked out every night, snoring and dreaming (I think).
The weekend of May 26th I had a visitor - my good friend Vicky came, and brought her little Cocker girl Mercedes with her. Despite having major WestJet issues (let's just say the Fort McMurray branch SUCKS), we had a fabulous weekend. It was the Northland Kennel Club dog show, which is 6 shows in 3 days. Tiring, but a great chance to get points on your dog. Mercedes walked away with 4 Best of Breeds, a Group 1, a Group 2 and two Group 3's, so that was nice for Vicky. And Satan (yes, my own dear boy) managed to pick up 6 points from the Bred By Exhibitor class, so I was thrilled too. This is despite being skinny as a rail and refusing to gain weight. He is now eating the same amount as a small horse, so I'm hopeful that he won't be so skeletal when I take him to the Cold Lake shows.
Last week I had a one week intensive course for school on Bargaining and Negotiation. Just try and negotiate with me now! I'm a pro! Okay, maybe not a pro . . . or even very good . . . but at least I understand the principles and could argue myself into a better position than ever before. The class was very practical, with lots of trying of techniques, so I found it to be very useful. Two weeks off, and then another one week intensive on Business Strategy starts. The textbook is pre-assigned reading, so I'm slogging my way through that now.
Last weekend (yes, the one that just ended) there were back to back Cocker specialties in Edmonton, in conjunction with the NACA (Northern Alberta Canine Association) shows. Both days were lots of fun, and Billy even won a prize for being first in his class (never mind that he was the only Bred By dog LOL). It was really great seeing some of my dear Cocker friends again, and especially some of my friends in other breeds. Both Billy and Farley participated in Junior Handling, and for me, that was the highlight of my weekend. Farley looked so awesome with his friend Alyssa (whose mom has Shibas, but we won't hold that against her LOL), it was almost like he was never sick! I have to admit, I cried while watching him strut his stuff with his special girl. And Billy works so well for Coralee (who spent time with him while I was in China) that they are a fabulous team.
So now it's back to life as usual. Busy at work trying to catch up from being away for almost a month. And busy at home trying to get organized and get the clutter down to a dull roar. One more show for the summer and then I'm back on hiatus, so it had better be a good one!
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