Oh, dear!

So I was physically en route to the gym after work, and turned around. I just couldn't do it. I came home, unloaded the dishwasher and headed to the bed. I even skipped dinner! I awoke at 11:31 pm to realize that I didn't prep at all for the parennt teacher conferences tomorrow. I got it done, had toast and cottage cheese and now I'm hoping to make an attempt to fall asleep.

Apres hockey beer

I've just returned from my hockey game after sharing a couple pitchers with my team. They do it every Monday night, but I've refrained for a couple of reasons.
1) I don't need any more alcohol in my system, especially after a weeked
2) My games can sometimes be at 10 pm, so post, is not even an option
3) I've also only saved such an event for a win. Tonight we won, and I even got an assist. I've been playing very hard and tonight I was rewarded!
There are no boyfriends on my team, but there's this one guy, Oscar who is a linemate of mine and we get along famously. He's married, but we joke around all the time, have the same sense of humour and he's good shit. Turns out he's an unemployed lawyer and grew up in Ottawa one street away from my cousins! He's a member of the tribe and I knew there was a reason we got along so well. I'm going to try to connect him with a lawyer friend of mine, after I Google him, of course.

This week is busy. Parent teacher interviews are approaching and there is some serious preparation in order.
Tonight, I decided that I love 12 hour days.

Oh, the indulging.

When Mom comes to town it really is a blast. We shopped, drank wine, went to a jazz club with friends, ate and cackled. We really are best of friends.
So a few events occurred, that are blog-worthy:
1) Friday was spent at the One of a Kind Christmas Craft Show. I bought myself a piece of art made entirely of fibres, and it is stunning. It's handmade, Canadian and it even features a glowing light. I love it! You'll see it above.
I also bought overpriced sunflower seeds and Greek salad dressing. Mom bought me very cool wrap denim pants. That show is really quite unreal. More than 600 vendors, all with unique things. We bought my brother a pepper mill made from a hollowed out tree branch and Mom of course, needed another insect. It is gorgeous.
2) Friday evening we danced, ate, drank and listened to live jazz. It was a seriously good time. When the bill came, it was noticed that an automatic 15% gratuity was added. This was noticed after I tipped the server. In my most assertive voice I asked why this was done and the dude was like, "uh, um, let me get the manager". She mentioned that it's common for parties of 6 or more, and yes, he should have made us aware of this practice. I informed her that we were in fact a party of 4 and were always a party of 4. I was pissed off that I even tipped the guy who, "uh, um" didn't know why the grat was added. I hate being taken advantage of.
3) My brother won bronze and sister won silver at a local Judo tournament. Go them!
4) While on one of our Winners trips this weekend, I spotted a pair of Uggs in my size. Now, I had already bought a pair of Uggs that were samples last week, but wasn't 100% content with them as they had already stretched and the beige colour wasn't EXACTLY what I was looking for. These ones are higher, most stable, dark green and have a very cool accent pocket with buckle on them. SO happy and we saw them today for $275. We paid $119. I love Winners. You should go.

My week so far.

So I watched a news serial last night on why we're miserable on Mondays. Could it be the fact that we are back into the grind of work? The fact that we had a horrid sleep on Sunday night? or is it the fact that we partied too hard on the weekend that we're having drinker's remorse?! I believe it's a little of all of the above. I was vile yesterday. Just a bitch. I did work out and play hockey, which felt good. As I've said before I'm a fan of sweating it out. A skinny friend of mine once told me that I'd have more energy after I started working out. Maybe she's right. I really played well last night. Alas, no points on the season.

Today was much better. I worked (Tuesday's my easy day), went to the gym and laughed about a couple of things:
1) Why does that bloody rotating stair climber count how many goddamn floors I've climbed!? It should tell me how much HARDER I have to work out to burn off the Big Xtra I got from McDonald's when I was hungover on Sunday.
2) Personal trainers should not compare the size of their biceps. They look more like meatheads than they already do. (ps- there is the cutest trainer at my gym. He's not a meathead)
3) How long would I have to sit in the sauna to burn off 500 calories?

I had to pick up my camera which I forgot at a friend's place on Saturday along with my dignity, came home and cooked. It's the first time I've cooked for myself since I moved in. Seriously. I remember why I hate cooking for one. The prep to make a simple pasta sauce and salad is ridiculous. The clean up is even more abhorrent and with a celery stick here, a couple noodles there, I'm not really interested in the overly spiced dish. I'll evidently be freezing at least half of it because I can barely feel my lips, it's so spicy. I wonder how to de-spice something......

A day in the life of a lady of leisure!

This morning I awoke at 10 to watch the news and eat breakfast. It's my usual dark rye, toasted with cottage cheese topped with tomatoes and cucumbers. I actually went back into the bed, but realized that if I fell asleep, I wouldn't get anything done. So, I went to the gym, worked out without music, as I forgot the iPod and went to get some makeup and to 2 of downtown's Winner's stores. I love that store. I got a lace top for tonight, a really cute pair of lace-up moccasin boots and the purse that I've been looking for since the summer. I'm very particular about my purses. I usually am impulsive, but I have been searching. It has been a quest. It had to be dark brown with silver accents and some serious pockets for my cell phone, pens, make up bag etc. It should be leather. I found it. It was priced at $59.99. My limit on purses is usually $30.00, but I contemplated and looked through every brown purse there was. I even thought for a moment that I could go with the dark green one that was priced at $29.99. I went with the brown one.
On my way home, I walked into a little hair salon to get my hair cut. I haven't cut it since May and it was time. My future sister-in-law usually cuts my hair, and I haven't found a hair stylist here. A lovely young Serbian woman cut my hair and straightened it. All for $17.00. She did a good job and if I average what I spent on the purse and the cut, it's a helluva deal!

Autumn evenings like these

It's been that sort of day when it's been raining for 2 days and the temp has dropped drastically. I had to crank the heat up and was really shivering. No, it's not from the flu shot, it's just bloody cold. My students were also making me mental this afternoon after 2 days of indoor recess. Baruch Hashem that the rain stopped, but poor B.C. My word?!

It's a messy ponytail, sushi dinner, under the fleece cover, night. It's a laying in the dark and turning the ringer on low kinda night. It's a repeat of last night's Gray's Anatomy (which I watched) and 20/20 kinda night. I am watching THE most interesting feature on the tourism industry in Dubai. In the desert - indoor downhill ski structures, waterparks, revolving beds. INSANE. Run by the sheikh the workers live in labour camps and are paid $1 per day. What the eff?! 12 hour shifts, no unions allowed and strikes are illegal. This is slavery and I think I'll parallel it into my Chumash lesson on Monday. Oh, I nixed the Master's idea for the time being. Next is a Barbara Walters special about her best 30 blunders in 30 years. I never understood how a woman with a speech impediment could be an investigative journalist.

An eventful few days

So I haven't written lately because I've been contemplating how to approach what occurred on Sunday afternoon.
I went on a date with this dude from lavalife. We went for breakfast, picked up coffee and bagels and he offered me a piece of a muffin. I mentioned that it had nuts on it so I should stay away from it because I could get cold sores. He freaked out. We were in the car and he freaked out. I dropped him off on the street corner, shocked and amazed. That evening, I got this e-mail:

Dear Naomi:

Sorry about what happened today, however, I can't date girls who get cold sores and have herpes simplex virus 1 (even though 80% of the population has some form of the virus).

I think you're a great girl and that you will find someone who makes you happy.

Take care of yourself.

It was nice meeting you. Good luck meeting the love of your life.

I responded with, "Good luck with the other 20%". Very strange indeed. I'm still in shock, really.

Since then it's been work, work, work. I fought with Rogers cable that $100.00 for an Internet connection fee is ridiculous and that I won't pay it. It's been waived. I also yelled at OHIP because the fact that I have had to wait for 3 months for health care is asinine and he then told me that it would be another 30 days for the machine to produce the card. Why the f didn't they tell me it would actually take 4 months?! I also feel like I have symptoms of the plague. Very sore throat, chills, exhausted. I tried to sweat it out at hockey on Monday, which felt good, but last night it emerged before bed. I'm popping cold fx and drinking lots of water and sleeping a ton. I hope to be in bed by 9 pm tonight.

Oh, what a night! (part 2)

Yesterday was the laziest day in history. Although, I did wash my duvet cover which is really my least favourite job around the house.
I got ready for the Leafs game and had a few predrinks at a buddie's place. I do love partying with a guy, it's good times. The beers there were $12, granted they looked like 1 litres glasses. I also decided it was necessary to buy some sort of cheering device, so I went with the foam hand. It's a classic. An oldie but a goodie. I had a $10 bill in my hand, thinking I'd surely get change. Nope. It was $12.49. Shocking. Of course I still bought it.
The game was stellar. Lots of goals to celebrate. A number of beers and an overall good time. Met up with a girlie for a drink post game and called it a night.

Oh, what a night!

So I've had a craving for rotisserie chicken lately. The best part about it is making chicken salad with celery the next morning. I picked a whole chicken up for $6.99 (are there different grades of chicken like there are for beef?) I got the ghetto bird from the Price Chopper and enjoyed it with oven fries and corn after a workout at the gym. For whatever reason, I always need to blog that I went to the gym. Some self-fulfilling prophecy. Is that the right context to use that phrase?

If you don't think I ate the crunchy skin parts that cooked to the pan, then you don't know me very well.

I had a brownie for dessert and headed to see "Borat". Holy hell. Hysterical. Although there were many anti-Semitic jokes and segments, it was classic. The only question I have is, "Why does Borat have such an obsession with gypsies?"

I'm trying to stay up late in anticipation of a late sleep in with my ear plugs and blindfold to prep for the Leafs game tomorrow. One of my strengths is building up an event, so I can blog about it later. Shabbat Shalom!

I love my life!

Today, I felt refreshed and rejuvinated! I awoke to an email from a class parent who is giving me a ticket to the Leafs game on Saturday. Platinum seats, baby. I planned a great lesson for the grade and it went well. Tonight is laundry and vegetating as I've worked out already 3 times this week and I've been so busy. I'm contemplating applying to do my Masters of Education at U of T, but because the deadline is so soon, I'm not so sure. Any thoughts?

This is so liberating!

There is something to be said about being home when I "should" be working. It's the sleeping in late, the daytime television, the midday workout and errand running at my leisure.
FYI, the bed has been assembled and I slept very well with my earplugs and blindfold.

I am SO frustrated!

Tonight, I lost my temper. It's still lost. So the bed slats finally arrived and I raced home to meet the guy here. They were packaged ever so nicely in the box and I was so anxious to open them and ensure that they are in fact like the originals. They are exactly the originals, so I took out the drill, bolts, every allen key that I own. I dismantled the ghetto bed slats that I've been sleeping on for the past 3 months and I began the process. I have one beam and all the slats with the original bolts and I CANNOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME figure it out. I would like to launch myself out of the second floor window, I am so frustrated. I cannot seem to bolt the beam down so that the slats can fit on top of the beam and then be bolted together. I am taking a 10 minute break, but it appears as though I'll be sleeping on the air mattress tonight. Luckily, I'm taking a mental health day tomorrow, which evidently I needed more than I thought. If there are any handymen in the GTA, I'm hiring!

Is it pathetic

That I check out the team we're playing in hockey the night before so I can find out if there are any members of the tribe on the opposing team? Tomorrow there are and one of them is the lead scorer. That's hot. I suppose he could be middle-aged or in his late teens, but we'll see if any of them are worth pursuing.
I did in fact make it to the gym downtown this morning at 11 am. I then walked through a posh neighbourhood pretending to be chi chi while eating a panini and sipping on a ginko biloba infused smoothie. I'm a really piece of work.
Sundays in my world are intended for laundry, catching up on the phone, making my weekly big salad and laying on the couch. I just wish I had someone to nuzzle with on these nights. Woe is me.

Yo, yo, yo!

So this week has proven to be a standard week in the life. I did work out 3 times and I played hockey and did yoga. It's pretty impressive if you ask me, but we'll see how long it lasts.
I also saw two movies. "Running with Scissors" - about living with mental illness and betrayal and "Shortbus" a montage of sex and exploration, very hilarious too! Borat is on the agenda for this weekend I'm hoping.
Last night I partied hard. Danced like a lunatic and had a blast. We even knew the bartender from years ago in Winnipeg. Such a small world. I suffered from the head bob in the cab on the way home, but lucky I had Nicks to attend to me. Today I am hungover and don't even have the energy to online date.