Confuzzled!?

There appears to be some confusion about a recent post of mine.

I don't mind the forward with funny cartoons, the silly videos, or the amusing anecdotes. I don't mind at ALL--on the contrary actually! I have some hurt-your-abs funny ones for sure!

What I do mind, is the crap associated with if-you-don't-forward-this-now she'll-die, forward-this-now-to-get-a-free-PlayStation, flash-your-head-beams-and-the-gangs-will-chase-you, etc....etc....

The latter examples really need to die off the Internet!!

If you get some crazy forward, please do some simple research before you forward that crap to me or anyone you give a rats behind about. All you need to do is take one sentence of a forward, throw it into your favourite search engine, and voila. I'm POSITIVE you'll find something related to it. More importantly, you'll find out whether or not the email is, in fact, true. Believe me, about 90% of the ones I do get are false.

Hope that clears up any misconceptions!

Interesting Quote

I must state first and foremost that this is NOT a bashing blog, it's just a self-reflection on some thoughts I've had for awhile. If you take offense, there's nothing I can really do about that...that wasn't my intent.
I came across an interesting quote yesterday. It sums up how I feel about going to church.

Going to church doesn't make you any more a Christian than going to the garage makes you a car. Laurence Peter

I have nothing against going to church; as a matter of fact, I'm searching for an 'appropriate' church for me to start going to. I'm all for going to church--if that's what you want to do and feel it in your heart. I'm also fine with people rebuking church, and religion in total. What one does must come from their heart and soul--and nothing else. Not one has forced you to do, not what someone told you was 'right', and not what your parents/guardians have told you to do. It should come from within you.

I'm sick and tired of people questioning or implying my lack of church going, or others lack of church going, when it is obvious how un-church like those same people are!

I'm in no position to judge; and I never have been. Lord knows how many sins I've made over my life! With the impending passing of my grandmother, my future as a possible mother, and my quest for being a better, well rounded person; I am actively looking for more growth in my spirituality. This has included personal reflection, personal studies and personal growth.

I'll leave you with a few more quotes before I close. There were taken from someone else's blog.

Matt 7:20ff. “…by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

CS Lewis, Mere Christianity: “The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual. The pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing and spoiling sport, and backbiting; the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me […] they are the animal self and the diabolical self; and the diabolical self is the worst of the two. That is why a cold self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But of course it is better to be neither.”

Junk Magnet

Why do people insist on sending me email crap?

This week alone I've managed to collect the same stupid stuff thats recycled the Internet since its creation. I don't know what type of time people have--perhaps sending these pieces of junk along to their 'loved ones' just kills some time for them. Other than that, I honestly don't have a freaking clue why people do this!!

Do you think, even for 1/2 a second, that Bill Gates is somehow tracking emails going around and promising to give you $1,000 if you forward it?
Do you honestly think that there are hypodermic needles attached to your gas nozzles?
I really don't care if you're the King of Dubai and have found my name on a will and willing to give me the enclosed amount of I respond back to you.
There are no asbestos in tampons, no needles on theatre seats (or McDonald's playpens), the Quaran did not predict 9/11, there is no lead in lipstick, I don't need to know how I can 'pleasure her all night long; or enlarge my manhood", no one is harvesting your kidneys, the ATM does not have poison envelopes (that was Seinfeld), sunscreen doesn't make you go blind, the tourist would have noticed the airplane flying behind him/her during 9/11, and so on and so forth.

Please, for the love of everything holy, stop sending me and all of humankind this crap!

I'm tired of "What goes around"

Ever feel like you've done enough "giving" in this world, and all you want is a little something in return. Something...anything. I'm sure you've all heard of the cliche "What goes around, comes around", I've heard it a lot lately.

Things have been going crazy lately.

I have been screwed by work twice this week (and it's only Tuesday).

I've done post graduate schoolwork up the wazoo only to be on a temporary contract for 3 years, told that I still have a long way to go before you become a permanent employee and told I don't qualify for anything better at this time.

My grandmother has a maximum of 6 months to live; at most.

My finances are so out of whack, I don't do it any justification by attempting to joke about it.
I'm such a "people person" to everyone because that's my nature--I like to help people. I'm not asking people to be like me, but when I ask for anything in return--whatEVER it is--it just seems like it's the biggest deal in the world.

Please...please.... don't get me wrong my readers. I'm incredibly grateful for my health, my family, my extended family and my job. Without them, I would have jumped out of my 12th floor window a lot time ago.

It just seems that everything has been going wrong lately.

I'd just really like to just start riding the "comes around" cycle for a while. I'm so due.

I'm Officially "Cultured"

Earlier this week, Stinky T suggested going to a new place for lunch. Forget the artery clogging burger places, we're doing Asian.

Yes, you heard me right. Asian.

If you know anything about me, you'll know I'm not adventurous with food. Any food. So, this has been a very big day for me.

We headed over to Hosu, a little place close to work. It was very quaint, and I'm glad that Stinky T made reservations; we would have waited for quite sometime otherwise. Shuster also joined us--all ready to go, salivating and all. "Bubby" joined us as well, speaking of his many glorious experiences with Japanese/Korean cuisine.

We were seated and immediately and started to look over the menu. I noticed immediately that we only had chopsticks to use...dammit! Bah. It'll be me versus the chopsticks at lunch today! Forget the fact that my only experience with chopsticks have been in jest, and not in a real situation like lunch!

I ordered the extremely safe Chicken Teriyaki. Stinky T ordered some tempura, Bubby ordered a whole "Bento" box of stuff, and Shuster (God Bless him) ordered raw fishy things. This would NOT have bothered me normally--but fate decided that I sat across from him. I barely looked him in the eye throughout our lunch; otherwise, I would have spewed bean sprouts all over the place.

We had a lovely time during our lunch, until Bubby suggested that I try one of his California rolls. I figured since I was here, I may as well try it. Afterall, in for a penny, in for a pound. Apparently I was supposed to pop the whole thing in my mouth, I took a nibble. As Stinky T said, "I circumcised it".

Hosu was a great experience. I'm not sure when/if we'll go back again--but I'll never forget the incredible experience I had with Stinky T, Shuster and Bubby. The gathering of such wonderful friends reminds me of how blessed I am. Thanks guys!

The Dentist Meets Baseball

It's a long one, but a good one.

What's the best way to ruin a Saturday afternoon? Book a 1:30 appointment at the dentist's office.

I woke up on Saturday morning (after my lazy sleep in) and got ready for my appointment. I decided to brush fervently, (tangent: Why do we bother brushing so hard before going to the dentist? Isn't that what a dentist cleaning's all about? I should not brush for 3 days and make her work for the $400 she charges my employer. tangent over) and head over there.

I got there at 1.20 and wasn't immediately greeted by someone. About 3 minutes later, I was "greeted" by a woman I've never seen before--decked out in full scrubs--sporting a very attractive polyester face shield.

Without removing this face shield, she turned on her savvy customer service skills and charmed the pants off me:

Stupid Dental Hygienist/Customer Service Rep: "Yes??"
Luigilover: "I'm Luigilover. I'm here for my 1.30 appointment."
SDH/CSR: "Sit down."

Strike One.

Following this riveting conversation, I decided to take a seat and watched the forced television programming. Gotta love CBC television in the afternoon. "Street Cents". Classic.

Another family comes in, and proceeds to be immediately greeted by the SDH/CSR. The
SDH/CSR took off her face shield (now I know why she has it on...nasty), and immediately starting speaking fluent gibberish. I'm fairly certain that they were speaking Farsi, as the dentist's last name implies as much. The entire family proceeds to march into the back and they ALL get decked out in fancy dentist bibs and chill out in the various dentist chairs in the place.

Strike Two.

2 pm rolls around, and much to my chagrin, Street Cents is over (they recommended the Sony MP3 player by the way!), and the "Artistic Gymnastics World Championships: Team Final from Denmark" begins. Ugh…The horror…the horror. I love gymnastics as much as the next person; but I’d rather be watching it at home, in my pyjamas, with a variety of snacks, at an appropriate volume! Bah, it’s 2.05 now; surely she’ll see me soon and end this horror.

The Farsi family begin to file out, after looking at X-rays in the hallway, collect their free toothbrushes and speak more gibberish… they leave. Finally! It’s 2.15pm. I’ve been here nearly an hour; but we’re still within the ‘reasonable’ amounts of time one would tolerate from a professional; right?

SDH/CSR: “Luigilover?”
Ll: *gasp* “Yes?”
SDH/CSR: “Come in”

Yahooey! Forget the rude SDH/CSR….I may get out of here just yet!

Overly Cheerful Dentist: “Luigilover! How are you?! It’s been some time since I’ve seen you!”
Ll: *slightly annoyed* “Yes, it has.”
SDH/CSR: “Luigilover, sit down over there.”
OCD: “Would you mind terribly, Luigilover, if I took a break for a few minutes? I’ve been going straight since 9am and I really need to go to the bathroom”
Ll: “Sure.”
OCD: “Are you sure?”
Ll: “Yup, go for it.”

Strike Three.

I can’t deny someone the basic human function of divesting oneself of bodily wastes, so what I was supposed to say? I’ll give her 5 minutes…I mean; I’ve been here this long. What’s another few minutes--right?!

I return to my “Artistic Gymnastics World Championships: Team Final from Denmark” and watch some Japanese guy nearly crack his nose on the pommel horse. Nice. This has been the highlight of my day. Watching these pansy ass athletes dance around a piece of wood, while being judged on how pointy their toes are.

Some guy walks in and interrupts my television viewing while speaking more gibberish to the SDH/CSR and OCD.

Strike Four.

I guess the OCD isn’t too shy to talk to the guy and her SDH/CSR from the toilet; because that’s what she told me she was doing. Sure, take a few minutes. Grab a bite if you’re hungry, take a bathroom break and stretch your legs. I get that. But a “break for a few minutes” is NOT supposed to be 45 minutes!! It’s 3pm now. And you’re still talking to the guy and your SDH/CSR.

I pulled out my agenda to be sure that I did book a 1.30pm. At this point, I’m not sure why I’m still sitting in the waiting room. The “Artistic Gymnastics World Championships: Team Final from Denmark” is still on, but I just can’t take it anymore. And now they’re previewing the 4pm “Championship Show Jumping on CBC: Canadian Show Jumping Championships presented by Greenhawk Ariat - Equestrian from Toronto, Ontario”. Ugh. Kill me now.

OCD: “OK, Luigilover, come in.”

Ugh. 3.05pm. I might get out of here before dinner.

OCD: “How are you!? It’s wonderful to see you!”
Ll: “Yup.”
OCD: “How’s your life”
Ll: *like you care…* “Fine”
OCD: “Still at the same job?”
Ll: *yup, you’ll be fully covered still you crack head* “Yup, still the same job”
OCD: “Family’s good?”
Ll: *the torture* “Same husband, same job, same stuff”
OCD: *strange look* “Ok. Open up and let’s take a look.”

I guess she got the idea. I want to go home.
Ask anyone who knows me, I’m a people person. But if you keep here nearly 2 hours after my scheduled appointment time, don’t expect me to be too cheerful.

OCD: “You really should visit me more often”
Ll: *muffled noises*
OCD: “I’d like you to come back and see me because your gums are bleeding too much for me”
Ll: *muffled noises*
OCD: “oh oh…”
Ll: *arrgh?*
OCD: “Looks like you have a tiny cavity.”

Strike Five.

Great. I have to see her again. I booked an appointment for next Friday afternoon. I’m taking time off work. I’m not ruining another Saturday. I’ll take time off work like everyone else does. I’ll tell you how that goes. I guess OCD doesn't know the rules of baseball. You're only allowed 3 strikes...not 5!!

Single Oak in Milano -- Watercolour on Canvas

Sorry if I've been all doom and gloom lately; my grandma has been on my mind a lot as you can see. It felt almost wrong to post about anything happy or trivial in my life due to my Avo. I'll update about her as soon as I have information from the specialists.

I've decided that I needed to try to do something that doesn't involve work, school, dogs, or my husband. Trust me, I love them all (oddly enough); but I have to try to make some "me" time or else I'll just go nuts.

So, I've decided to learn how to paint.

I've wanted to learn forever. I've never been able to afford those classes they offer out there, but always dreamed about doing them. So, I bought some watercolours and waterboards and off I went.

There's a lot to learn about painting; a lot more than I thought! I went to a couple of websites to obtain basic information on painting techniques, brush strokes, etc. The painting on the left is what I came up with. I think it's pretty good for my first try.

There's a couple of gloopy parts here and there, I was a little heavy with the blue on some parts; but at the end of the day it's a great first attempt. Heck, at least it's recognisable. Now, I just need one of those froo-froo names for it like "Single Oak in Milano; watercolour on canvas".

I need suggestions. Have one?

Avo Update

I thought since it's been quite some time since I've posted last; that I thought I should give you all an update to the latest happenings with my Avo.

She was supposed to see a specialist 2 weeks ago; however, in a twisted turn of fate, he was admitted into the hospital the morning of the appointment to have emergency heart surgery. No one can blame him for that. Trying to get an appointment with a different specialist has been a struggle. She was finally secured an appointment for tomorrow at 3pm. I will update you all on the results of that when I get the news; or any news from that appointment.

I saw her the day after she was supposed to go to the specialist and it's very apparent that she's declining rapidly. She doesn't recognise people; at least not at first, and isn't very able bodied anymore. She needs help to sit down, to stand up, to bathe, to go to the washroom--the list goes on.

She doesn't say much of anything anymore. How I long for the days of her rambligs of the day, her opinions about your clothing, or when will you finally give her another great-grandchild.

She has been silenced.
No more laughter, no more advice, not even a glace of recognition.
Nothing.

Please continue with your thoughts and prayers; we'll need them.