Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Slackin' Off

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a week since I last posted. What a bad girl I am! I've just been busy with doing stuff around the house and spending time outside with the dogs. Now that it's nice out, I try to spend time outside every day with the dogs, playing fetch and enjoying the fresh air. It's good for all of us.

This weekend I have GREAT plans! I'm going to Calgary to visit some very good friends of mine that moved away a few months ago. I'm sure I posted about it, because it was a major event in my life. Anyhow, it's her birthday this weekend AND they recently moved into a new home, so I scheduled a visit. I can't wait to see her and hang out with her all weekend!

Other than that my plate is full with a social life (yes, I can have one too) and learning at my new job. Right now it's pretty slow, since I'm doing a lot of reading to become familiar with past audits (we'll be reviewing them and undergoing a new audit in June), and learning the procedures and processes. It's not terribly thrilling, but it's a necessary evil.

Hope y'all are having a great week!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

One Hundred Things

Thank you so much to Vicky's cousin Sarah for supplying another great Blog topic! I challenge anybody to try and come up with 100 unique things that people might be interested in . . . it's not as easy as you think.

Someone challenged me to try to write a list of 100 things about myself... seriously harder than you think it would be. So here's my list:

1) I bite my nails... I just can't stop it!
2) My favourite thing to order in restaurants is a hamburger
3) I find blow drying my dogs after a bath a very relaxing thing to do
4) I like to be the best at everything I do
5) I dream of being professionally published some day
6) I hate flying in airplanes
7) I get motion sickness
8) I could eat pasta every day of the week, I love it so much
9) I love to read
10) I am addicted to Sudoku and Crossword puzzles
11) I have to have a Dilbert page-a-day calendar for my office at work
12) I write for two dog magazines on a regular basis
13) I wish I had artistic talent (painting or drawing)
14) I dream of being a canine behaviorist
15) My favourite colour is purple
16) I hate it when people are lazy
17) I live in organized chaos
18) I’m a compulsive packrat
19) I love Munchies (the snack mix with pretzels, sun chips, etc)
20) I like going to see movies in the theatre
21) I can’t stand really hot weather, I just melt in anything above 25 Celsius
22) I really enjoy a good debate
23) I’m a good writer
24) I love reading and studying canine pedigrees – I have a great memory for them
25) I never want to have kids of my own, but I love my nieces dearly
26) I recently finished my MBA, and am already looking for another course to take
27) I lived in Denmark for a year as an exchange student
28) My best friend in the whole wide world lives across Canada
29) I am fortunate to have many great friends, but most of them live far away
30) I am very afraid of spiders (should never have watched Arachnaphobia)
31) I love Broadway musicals
32) I played trumpet for several years as a teenager
33) I don’t like fish, but I love seafood
34) My mom is one of my best friends
35) I like scrapbooking, but never seem to have time to do it
36) Pictures are very important to me
37) The Barenaked Ladies are one of my all-time favourite musical groups
38) My favourite song of all time is “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison
39) My favourite canine behaviorist is Dr Patricia McConnell PhD
40) I don’t like Cesar Milan’s training methods at all (Dog Whisperer)
41) I didn’t learn how to apply makeup until I was 28 years old
42) I’m really shy, especially in groups of people I don’t know
43) I like cats almost as much as I like dogs, and would love to own one some day
44) I’m allergic to beer – it gives me migraines
45) I have had the same pen pal for almost 8 years now
46) My favourite scent (candles, oils, etc) is orange
47) I hate driving long distances in the car by myself (> 1 hour)
48) I am addicted to Diet Coke
49) I donate a significant amount of time and money to Cocker rescue
50) I have been to China and climbed a part of the Great Wall
51) I do not drink regular coffee, just the sugary flavoured kind
52) My favourite TV shows are NCIS, House, Grey’s Anatomy and the Apprentice
53) I have a brother that is 4 years younger than me
54) I maintain a constant dialogue about other drivers when I drive (usually it’s not overly friendly)
55) I really enjoy shopping, especially buying gifts for others
56) I love playing crib (the card game)
57) My favourite sport to watch on TV is curling, followed closely by figure skating
58) My favourite sport to play is curling (but I’m not very good)
59) I’m a total suck when it comes to needles
60) I love to sing along to music
61) I don’t like spicy or hot food
62) I love purses, and am always looking for a new one to add to my collection
63) I love silent auctions, I always have to bid on something
64) The colour red looks terrible on me because of my complexion
65) I am a creature of habit, I follow the same routine every day when waking up in the morning
66) My favourite thing to have for breakfast is hard-boiled eggs
67) I don’t eat ice cream very often, because it makes my teeth hurt
68) I consider myself spiritual, although I’m not a church-goer
69) I know it’s childish, but I really love getting presents. It just makes my day!
70) I really hate it when people “preach” one thing but live by their own (possibly unethical) rules
71) I am very protective of my friends
72) Bad driving makes me absolutely crazy
73) I shot a gun for the first time in my life in February 2007 and I loved it!
74) I have eaten catfish, crawfish, alligator, squid and duck
75) I hate change! (except for pocket change J)
76) I really enjoy trivia games
77) I have extremely ticklish feet
78) I really like Life Savers Gummies
79) I cannot sleep without a cover, even when it’s super hot outside
80) I’m a procrastinator
81) My favourite flowers are Stargazer Lilies
82) I’m not terribly graceful
83) I dream of owning a memory foam mattress – they rock!
84) I think that family is extremely important
85) The “disaster” that frightens me most is fire
86) I really love Honey Garlic chicken wings
87) If I had extra money to spend, I would buy books and magazines
88) I bought my car in 2006 because it has a cooler built in to the dashboard
89) I hate having dry lips, so I have lip stuff everywhere (car, office, bedroom, etc)
90) I truly do not enjoy cooking
91) I really enjoy buying gifts for friends
92) I type very quickly – more than 100 wpm
93) I’m a quick learner
94) I speak English, French and Danish fluently
95) I would like to learn to speak, read and write in Spanish
96) I treat myself to a full body massage every 2 weeks
97) I enjoy designing and maintaining basic websites
98) I have visited the Toronto Zoo 5 times
99) My favourite Disney character is Eeyore
100) I find it VERY hard to come up with 100 unique and interesting things about myself!


Now... whoever has read this I challenge you to write a list of 100 things about yourself and post it!

Thursday, April 12, 2007

So proud of ME!

Well, as anybody who has been reading this blog for at least a year knows, I am the world's greatest procrastinator. If I have an assignment or paper due, I just do NOT get it done until the last minute. I'm convinced it's in my genetic code. Anytime I have tried to write a paper sooner than the last minute, it turns out to be garbage. Just poorly written and not nearly as coherent as I typically am. Anyhow, I have my VERY LAST MBA paper due tomorrow, and it is DONE! It has been done since about 3:00pm, and if I do say so myself, it's pretty good. If anybody is interested in learning all about the US-Canada Softwood Lumber dispute, by all means let me know. I'd be more than happy to enlighten you :)

Just had to share my pride . . . it's not often I do stuff in advance, but I guess the slow time at work prior to switching to my new job came in handy this week.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Had to "steal" this!

I borrowed this from my friend's cousin's blog . . . I figured it looked like fun. Thanks you-know-who-you-are!

Ten Random Things about Me:
10. I'm very indecisive
9. I love the color purple
8. I chew my nails
7. I love to read
6. I can memorize dog pedigrees very easily, while forgetting everything else
5. I do not want kids
4. I hate scary/gory movies
3. I watch way to much television
2. I can't go a day without checking my email
1. I love shopping

Nine Ways to Win My Heart:
9. Be honest
8. Make me laugh
7. Cook me dinner
6. Be intelligent
5. Love my dogs
4. Write me notes, letters or emails
3. Care about my family
2. Have a backbone
1. Accept me for me

Eight Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
8. Attend Westminster dog show
7. Go to New York
6. Visit New Zealand
5. Own a house on some land
4. Become a published writer
3. Live in the same province as my best friend
2. Watch my nieces graduate from University
1. Volunteer for a good cause

Seven Ways to Annoy Me:
7. Cut me off in traffic
6. Lie to me
5. Act as if you know everything, when in fact I know that you don't
4. Say mean things about my dogs
3. Badmouth people I care about
2. Talk to me like a child
1. Drive like a moron

Six Things I Need:
6. My family
5. My dogs
4. Books
3. A Home
2. An Internet connection for my laptop
1. Meaningful work

Five Things I'm Scared Of:
5. Losing someone in my family
4. Spiders
3. Fire in my home
2. Being unemployed
1. Heights

Four Favorite Things in My Room:
4. My bed
3. My books
2. Dog crates
1. My TV

Three Things I Do Everyday:
3. Snuggle with my dogs
2. Read
1. Check my email

Two Things I'll Always Cherish:
2. My family
1. Pictures

One Confession I Must Make:
1. I am really quite shy, I just hide it well.

Friday, April 06, 2007

Gracie-Lou-Who!

She's 8 months old today . . . isn't she bee-yoo-ti-ful? I love her, even when she's very, very bad! Which, when there is a full moon, is very, very often!






Happy Easter!

Yes, it's Easter weekend already . . . it seems to me that Easter is getting earlier and earlier every year. I remember when we used to celebrate it at the end of April, and now it's at the beginning of the month. Oh well, it means a long weekend for me, so I'll celebrate it whenever I'm told to :)

My folks are away, so I have the house to myself. I've been busy since they left, with grooming client dogs, but I have still managed to enjoy the peace and quiet. Living at home isn't really that tough (thankfully I have an excellent relationship with my parents), but sometimes it's nice to pretend it's just MY house for a while. The dogs enjoy not sharing my attention with others too.

I'm feeling domestic today, so I'm going to cook supper instead of ordering pizza, which is my standard operating procedure when the resident chefs are away. It's not a complicated meal, but if I don't post in a few days, know that I gave my self food poisoning LOL

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend, and that the sun is shining and you have some family and friends to share it with.