Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Welcome to Canada Eh :)
On my very interesting drive into work this morning, I have to question where their head is located. I live in a wonderful country. We experience two seasons, Winter and Construction. There might be some Autumn in the mix, but sometimes it passes by too quickly. Now that we are in the winter season, perhaps we should all band together and get on the same page. We all have different driving styles, some are professional, some are NASCAR wannabes, some are Sunday drivers, et cetera, et cetera. We should all be driving safely. There should be no argument with this safety. Not only are you driving for yourself and whoever your passengers may be, you should also take into account you are not the only ones on the road. Here are a few of my winter driving tips:
1. Washer fluid. Make sure you have some. Under the hood of your vehicle, there is a container specially designed to house this fluid. It comes in handy when someone passes you and sprays debris and snow onto your vehicle.
2. Wiper blades. Very good to have. Make sure they remove as much water from your windshield as possible. You do not need the extra challenge.
3. Windows. They have a purpose. They are meant to give you a view to the outside world. Before you leave your parking location, clear them. You should be able to see outside of all of them. Don't just use your debit card to clear off a little spy hole. Go big! Clear off the whole thing.
4. Snow removal. Clear all the snow off of your vehicle. Yes, the roof as well. For those of us vertically challenged, you can open your door, step onto the step and reach further along the roof. I do this after I get most of the snow cleared away. It works well for me. I only suggest this if are strong enough to support yourself.
5. Four wheel drive. Not all that great if you don't know how to operate them. There is that old adage, it's not the machine but the operator. Just because you have four wheel drive, it does not mean you can drive as you do during our Autumn or Spring month. I'm not sure about the Summer month. I'm always waiting for the friendly person to switch the sign so I may proceed slowly with caution. Four wheels will lose traction just as efficiently as rear or front wheel drive. You still must drive for the conditions of the road.
6. Reduce your speed. I cannot say this enough. If the old K car in front of you is doing a mere 30km/hr, there is a reason. I cannot tell you how many vehicles flew by me this morning, and then shortly up ahead were shiny side down. I don't know about you kind folks but I would rather arrive in one piece than in a bag on someone's table.
7. Space. I have a huge personal space bubble on a good day. It gets obscenely more in lousy weather conditions. When you think about braking, only a very small portion of your tire is making contact with the pavement (ice). The last thing you want to do is rely on that minute space when you apply your brakes. The more room you have in front of you, the more chances you have to react if you see someone ahead doing something irresponsible. Makes sense does it not?
8. Braking. This is not the only option you have to slow down your vehicle. You have all those other gears at your disposal. If you apply your brakes and they do not react, slip down a gear so your vehicle will start slow to a speed you can control. Neutral is also a good gear to become acquainted with. Do not hit your brakes hard or quickly when you start to slide. You many end up one of those unfortunate shiny side down people. If you refer to point 5, you probably will not have to worry about this point as much.
There are so many other points that I could go into, but these were the main ones I saw on my way into work today. The only thing i really want to stress is to be careful. You may not realize it, but you mean the world to someone. They will be absolutely miserable if you do something stupid that shortens your time here with us.
I've lectured enough for tonight. I'm going to put my soap box and work on my mittens. There is not much left to do with them. I plan to finish them tonight. If I do, I will be sure to post the pictures.
Have a good night everyone. Stay warm and safe.
1. Washer fluid. Make sure you have some. Under the hood of your vehicle, there is a container specially designed to house this fluid. It comes in handy when someone passes you and sprays debris and snow onto your vehicle.
2. Wiper blades. Very good to have. Make sure they remove as much water from your windshield as possible. You do not need the extra challenge.
3. Windows. They have a purpose. They are meant to give you a view to the outside world. Before you leave your parking location, clear them. You should be able to see outside of all of them. Don't just use your debit card to clear off a little spy hole. Go big! Clear off the whole thing.
4. Snow removal. Clear all the snow off of your vehicle. Yes, the roof as well. For those of us vertically challenged, you can open your door, step onto the step and reach further along the roof. I do this after I get most of the snow cleared away. It works well for me. I only suggest this if are strong enough to support yourself.
5. Four wheel drive. Not all that great if you don't know how to operate them. There is that old adage, it's not the machine but the operator. Just because you have four wheel drive, it does not mean you can drive as you do during our Autumn or Spring month. I'm not sure about the Summer month. I'm always waiting for the friendly person to switch the sign so I may proceed slowly with caution. Four wheels will lose traction just as efficiently as rear or front wheel drive. You still must drive for the conditions of the road.
6. Reduce your speed. I cannot say this enough. If the old K car in front of you is doing a mere 30km/hr, there is a reason. I cannot tell you how many vehicles flew by me this morning, and then shortly up ahead were shiny side down. I don't know about you kind folks but I would rather arrive in one piece than in a bag on someone's table.
7. Space. I have a huge personal space bubble on a good day. It gets obscenely more in lousy weather conditions. When you think about braking, only a very small portion of your tire is making contact with the pavement (ice). The last thing you want to do is rely on that minute space when you apply your brakes. The more room you have in front of you, the more chances you have to react if you see someone ahead doing something irresponsible. Makes sense does it not?
8. Braking. This is not the only option you have to slow down your vehicle. You have all those other gears at your disposal. If you apply your brakes and they do not react, slip down a gear so your vehicle will start slow to a speed you can control. Neutral is also a good gear to become acquainted with. Do not hit your brakes hard or quickly when you start to slide. You many end up one of those unfortunate shiny side down people. If you refer to point 5, you probably will not have to worry about this point as much.
There are so many other points that I could go into, but these were the main ones I saw on my way into work today. The only thing i really want to stress is to be careful. You may not realize it, but you mean the world to someone. They will be absolutely miserable if you do something stupid that shortens your time here with us.
I've lectured enough for tonight. I'm going to put my soap box and work on my mittens. There is not much left to do with them. I plan to finish them tonight. If I do, I will be sure to post the pictures.
Have a good night everyone. Stay warm and safe.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
My That Went By Quick
It is Sunday already. My week end just flew by. At least I have something to show for the quickness :)
My Gone Batty Mittens:
I also completed my Mauresque socks:
These are not my favourite pair, but I did enjoy some aspects of their creation. I like that part where you wrap the yarn around 5 stitches. I am not sure what it is called, but I do like the effect.
I also watched a lot of movies. I finally watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. That is a great movie. I like that concept. What would it be like if our growth was reversed and we became younger as time moved on. I also watched Passchendale. I was a bit surprised by this one. It did not center on the war, but rather a love story that took place around that time. The war was a big part of the plot, but main story was very interesting to watch.
Well, tomorrow is another work day. I hope you all had a great week end.
Good night :)
My Gone Batty Mittens:
I also completed my Mauresque socks:
These are not my favourite pair, but I did enjoy some aspects of their creation. I like that part where you wrap the yarn around 5 stitches. I am not sure what it is called, but I do like the effect.
I also watched a lot of movies. I finally watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. That is a great movie. I like that concept. What would it be like if our growth was reversed and we became younger as time moved on. I also watched Passchendale. I was a bit surprised by this one. It did not center on the war, but rather a love story that took place around that time. The war was a big part of the plot, but main story was very interesting to watch.
Well, tomorrow is another work day. I hope you all had a great week end.
Good night :)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
I'm in a Better Frame of Mind
I am in a much better frame of mind. It all started with a little dinner at Denny's. There we were, sipping on our drinks and waiting for our hash browns when we heard this weird heavy breathing sound. Now, my mother always told me never to stare or point. So we continued to drink our drinks quietly and think the best route to take to peak around to see where the noise was coming from. We needn't of worried about making a spectacle of ourselves. I gave up on subtlety and quickly glanced over my shoulder. There to my surprise is an older couple........sleeping........in a restaurant! Move over People of Walmart for the People of Denny's. The older gentleman had fallen asleep reading the newspaper. His lovely wife had fallen asleep using her bewbs as a pillow. I dare you try that. I can rarely fall asleep if I'm not in my own bed, with my pillow, on my side; never mind the sleeping in public bit. I still am unsure how she managed that position. She did look really comfortable. I finally figured out the snoring noise was coming from her. She was suffocating herself in her chest. I felt sorry for the server. How do place the bill on the table? You might startle them. Then you have a whole new set of problems on hand.
Since we went out for supper, we didn't have left overs for my lunch. So, I thought I was being clever and bought a salad from the grocery section of the Walmart. It looked really nice. All the colours, crisp greens, bright red tomatoes. I was all excited about my lunch. So the next day, around lunch time, OK more like 10h30. I'm on the phone with a board member and I thought I would prep my salad. Tricky little lid. It said pop tab to open. OK. I can do that. OMG! It sounded like a shot. You could tell the neighbourhood I grew up in wasn't the friendliest. I sort of ducked down a bit. The smell thought. For the love of Pete. It was deadly. I thought the guys in the shop were doing some weird motor experiments again. Or maybe someone sadly ended the life of a skunk and the odour was clinging to their car. Finally, my blondness subsided and I realized it was my salad. I was quite embarrassed. I quickly dumped the remains in the trash can. Wasn't very effective. That odour was persistent. I doubled bagged it. Still not good enough. Finally, i found my little can glade odour hiding stuff. I emptied that little canister. Now we have a stinky office with a faint scent of mountain mist. Nope. Still pretty gross. Triple bagging that sucker now. OMG. It was too powerful. I had to travel outside with that bomb and toss it into the dumpster. I just hope animal control or environment Canada doesn't call. I don't really want to be responsible for some nuclear disaster.
Well now that I have provided you all some details about my dining experiences, I am going to retire to the living room for the new episode of Fringe.
Good night everyone. :D
Since we went out for supper, we didn't have left overs for my lunch. So, I thought I was being clever and bought a salad from the grocery section of the Walmart. It looked really nice. All the colours, crisp greens, bright red tomatoes. I was all excited about my lunch. So the next day, around lunch time, OK more like 10h30. I'm on the phone with a board member and I thought I would prep my salad. Tricky little lid. It said pop tab to open. OK. I can do that. OMG! It sounded like a shot. You could tell the neighbourhood I grew up in wasn't the friendliest. I sort of ducked down a bit. The smell thought. For the love of Pete. It was deadly. I thought the guys in the shop were doing some weird motor experiments again. Or maybe someone sadly ended the life of a skunk and the odour was clinging to their car. Finally, my blondness subsided and I realized it was my salad. I was quite embarrassed. I quickly dumped the remains in the trash can. Wasn't very effective. That odour was persistent. I doubled bagged it. Still not good enough. Finally, i found my little can glade odour hiding stuff. I emptied that little canister. Now we have a stinky office with a faint scent of mountain mist. Nope. Still pretty gross. Triple bagging that sucker now. OMG. It was too powerful. I had to travel outside with that bomb and toss it into the dumpster. I just hope animal control or environment Canada doesn't call. I don't really want to be responsible for some nuclear disaster.
Well now that I have provided you all some details about my dining experiences, I am going to retire to the living room for the new episode of Fringe.
Good night everyone. :D
Friday, November 27, 2009
Rough Day
I didn't really have a good day today. I went to the funeral of someone who is very special to me. I found out on Monday that the gentleman had passed away that morning. I'm very close to his wife. She is very much a mom to me. Brian and I both think the world of this couple. They were married for 50 years. We attended their anniversary party not too long ago. The same people at that party were at this funeral.
The pastor today said it wonderfully. They were best friends and soul mates. That was definitely the case with this wonderful couple. There are very few people in this world who find their best friend. I'm still not doing very well. All I can think about is that she is in the house with the dog and the cat. His belongings are still there. She says she feels numb. That sounds like a good way to be until you can deal with your grief when you are ready. You know what I really don't understand? When people say be strong. Why? Why do you need to be strong. Why can't you be however you feel. I suppose it is because they really don't know what to say. I also really hate hearing, I know how you feel. I strongly doubt that. Even if you too have sadly lost your soul mate, that is your grief. That is a feeling only you can feel. You have no business telling anyone you know how they feel.
I don't really feel like saying much else.
Night everyone.
The pastor today said it wonderfully. They were best friends and soul mates. That was definitely the case with this wonderful couple. There are very few people in this world who find their best friend. I'm still not doing very well. All I can think about is that she is in the house with the dog and the cat. His belongings are still there. She says she feels numb. That sounds like a good way to be until you can deal with your grief when you are ready. You know what I really don't understand? When people say be strong. Why? Why do you need to be strong. Why can't you be however you feel. I suppose it is because they really don't know what to say. I also really hate hearing, I know how you feel. I strongly doubt that. Even if you too have sadly lost your soul mate, that is your grief. That is a feeling only you can feel. You have no business telling anyone you know how they feel.
I don't really feel like saying much else.
Night everyone.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Week End Stuff
I hope you all were able to enjoy the weather I did this week end. We went for a walk yesterday and I was able to comfortable where a sweater and sneakers. This time last year, I believe we had a foot of snow. I'll take this winter any day. I do enjoy the winter season, but only for a month or so. After that, I'm tired of pushing my truck out of the parking spot in the morning because of the snow and ice. I also do not really care for sub zero wind that seems to suck the breath right out of you.
I watched quite a few movies this week end as well as a few of the series that I am addicted to. I finally couldn't wait any longer and wanted to see what the fuss was all about with regards to Twilight. Alright. I can see the draw. It had a good story. The characters were charming. I was suckered into the hype. I have to read the books now. I've added them to my Amazon wish list along with the Sookie Stakehouse books on which True Blood are based. I also watch My Bloody Valentine. I'm not going to recommend this one. I will say that it was a simply horror story that caught my attention for an hour or so. Because the plot was somewhat predictable, I was able to work on these:
I'm not really sure what I think of this pattern. It is called Mauresque Socks. I am knitting them because of the Pentathlon Sock group from Ravelry has introduced them. I like the idea. It does have a pleasing look. I think I am just put off because of the few mistakes in the chart. If it were not for the Yahoo group, I think I would still be swearing at them. What I am really enjoying is the yarn I'm working with. It is so soft. It also stripes up. The striping is not very noticeable at first. I just realized it did after I looked at the pictures I took online. That was a pleasant surprise.
There really is not much else going on in my little world. I'm just watching a lot of television and working on my little projects. I find I always mellow out around this time of year. It may be that because of all the illness that travels around. I personally think it's because of the shorter days. I drive from work home in the dark now. That is depressing. At lease I can keep myself amused.
I hope you are all well. Talk with you later.
I watched quite a few movies this week end as well as a few of the series that I am addicted to. I finally couldn't wait any longer and wanted to see what the fuss was all about with regards to Twilight. Alright. I can see the draw. It had a good story. The characters were charming. I was suckered into the hype. I have to read the books now. I've added them to my Amazon wish list along with the Sookie Stakehouse books on which True Blood are based. I also watch My Bloody Valentine. I'm not going to recommend this one. I will say that it was a simply horror story that caught my attention for an hour or so. Because the plot was somewhat predictable, I was able to work on these:
I'm not really sure what I think of this pattern. It is called Mauresque Socks. I am knitting them because of the Pentathlon Sock group from Ravelry has introduced them. I like the idea. It does have a pleasing look. I think I am just put off because of the few mistakes in the chart. If it were not for the Yahoo group, I think I would still be swearing at them. What I am really enjoying is the yarn I'm working with. It is so soft. It also stripes up. The striping is not very noticeable at first. I just realized it did after I looked at the pictures I took online. That was a pleasant surprise.
There really is not much else going on in my little world. I'm just watching a lot of television and working on my little projects. I find I always mellow out around this time of year. It may be that because of all the illness that travels around. I personally think it's because of the shorter days. I drive from work home in the dark now. That is depressing. At lease I can keep myself amused.
I hope you are all well. Talk with you later.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Secret Identity
Here I am at work. For a brief moment, I am all caught up on my paperwork. This rarely happens. There must be something I'm forgetting to complete. At any rate, I'm surfing the online news sites and stumbled on this title: "Belle De Jour" call girl exposes herself..... Further reading of this explained that is the lady whose life the television show, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, was based.
This got me to thinking. If you could have a secret identity, what would you do? Let's just say, there would be no repercussions, no limit of funds and no limit for travel. You can be anything you want.
I would like to be a villain. Someone that gets to wear a cool costume and kick ass boots. I'd be able to actually run in said boots as well. I'd love to have a supernatural power. Perhaps teleportation. I'd get to utter that line: to take over the world (insert evil laugh here). I just sometimes wish I wasn't always on my best behaviour. I'd love to cause a little chaos every once in a while.
Happy Monday everyone. It's the start of a new week and maybe some new experiences.
This got me to thinking. If you could have a secret identity, what would you do? Let's just say, there would be no repercussions, no limit of funds and no limit for travel. You can be anything you want.
I would like to be a villain. Someone that gets to wear a cool costume and kick ass boots. I'd be able to actually run in said boots as well. I'd love to have a supernatural power. Perhaps teleportation. I'd get to utter that line: to take over the world (insert evil laugh here). I just sometimes wish I wasn't always on my best behaviour. I'd love to cause a little chaos every once in a while.
Happy Monday everyone. It's the start of a new week and maybe some new experiences.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)