Last post of 2017 - reflection and gratitude

I just looked at the number of posts that I have written in 2017. I am not sure what possessed me to write 346 posts. Somehow, I did it.

As many of you know, I am a writer by trade. It's simply in a much different form than what you have seen on my blog. This blog is the perfect place for me to unwind, put my thoughts somewhere, and share my fun spanking experiences with the love of my life, my guy.

I want to thank you for reading along this year -- perhaps even longer than that! Your support, encouragement, and friendship have meant so much to me.

I'd like to wish you a safe and happy last day of 2017, and a bright 2018 to come!

Love,
Cutiebootie

Treehouse time and a handjob

I reached over to my guy's crotch area. I felt his wallet.

"Your cock is rectangular these days," I teased, which made him laugh.
"You're almost there," he noted.

Being dopey from a wonderful orgasm and a hard spanking will do that to a girl.

I found his erect penis and started to stroke it. My guy was so turned on that he immediately brought his member out for me to hold and caress.

I kissed its head first and then the shaft. His cock was responsive, which I always enjoy.

My guy wanted a handjob, so I went to work. He brought his phone out and we watched a video of a woman being taken from behind by a man.

"That's me," I noted. "I need to get a garter belt like hers."
"That would be nice. I would like that a lot," he replied.

My guy came hard. His cum coated my entire hand and ran onto his thigh. I referred to his cum as being warm hand lotion. There was a lot of it, which I haven't witnessed in a long time.

He was dopey for the longest time. I kissed him on the cheek as we both cuddled.

"I love when you kiss me like that," he noted.
"You're nice to kiss," I replied.

Treehouse time is always a treat with him.

My spanking with my new wooden paddle

The wooden paddle that my guy got me for Christmas is nice. It's a part of the Canadiana series, which has an engraved moose on one side. It's got a nice weight to it and it is wide.

I thanked him for all his gifts, including the paddle.

"It's time for your punishment," my guy said.
"No, I'm a good girl," I said, moving the paddle away from his grip.
"Take the position," he stated while trying to take the paddle away from me.
"I am in good girl position," I said, sitting next to him.
"No, I need you in your bad girl position," he said, beginning to pull me over his lap.
"Good or bad, this is my position," I replied.

As expected, that argument didn't work. He put me over his lap. My jeans and panties were intact, as we both knew that this paddle would deliver. It did!

My guy was correct in that this paddle would smack both cheeks simultaneously. Each swat delivered quite the sting to my poor backside. I loved it, although my bottom started to smart sooner than I had hoped.

"It hurts!" I exclaimed.
"I know," he said, continuing my long-deserved spanking.
"It hurts a lot," I emphasized.
"I love you," he said, continuing to paddle my backside.
"I don't love it," I said defiantly.

Naturally, he paddled my butt more. He finally played with me until I orgasmed and became limp across his lap.

"Thanks for spanking me. You spank well," I replied.
"You are my bad girl," he replied, giving me a few more smacks with his open hand.

I got up and gave him a long kiss. It was my thank-you to him.

My backside still aches a bit. It's a nice reminder of this fun evening.

Horn-y with gifts, including a wooden paddle

My guy and I are punny people. We also have a fun sense of humour.

"I love my winter tires. I don't know why I held out. It's great driving. So much grip on the road," I remarked.
"I would like to simulate the same thing with your boobs. More grip is great," my guy said, grinning.

We wanted some quality time after lunch. We often joke that it's my guy's let's-go-let's-go spirit that makes things fun.

We got into my guy's car. It has been a while since we were in his treehouse. It was cold, as it has been a colder-than-normal winter so far. My guy got out of the treehouse and had to head over to the driver's side to start his car. He accidentally hit the horn.

"You're so horn-y," I said.

Eventually, he started his car up and got back into the treehouse.

He had purchased my Christmas gifts. He's thoughtful and sweet. He got me the following:

• Jann Arden's "Feeding my Mother," which is a hardcover book
• A ceramic owl bobblehead that I had hinted about wanting a few months ago
• A sturdy wooden paddle

We had a chat about the wooden paddle.

"It's solid and huge," I replied.
"Yes, it's enough to smack both your cheeks at the same time," he remarked.
"It's going to hurt," I replied.
"Of course. It's perfect for my bad girl," he hinted.

More on its effectiveness in my next post.

Phone calls for a lunch date and spanking

My guy gave me a call yesterday afternoon.

"Hey, do you want to do lunch?" he asked me.
"Sure," I replied. "Did you want to meet halfway?"
"Yes. How about our old Chinese restaurant? At 3 pm?" he asked me.
"Sounds good. See you then," I replied.

I got there at 3 pm. I got a phone call from him.

"I'm stuck in traffic," he replied. "I'm going to be a bit late."
"That's okay. I'm already here," I said.
"I know. You are always so punctual," he said. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. It looks like there's an accident," I reported, looking at my map app.
"I have your Christmas presents. I got one that is wood and good to use on your backside," he noted.
"I'm intrigued. It's because I'm a good girl, right?" I teased.
"No, you're a bad girl. You need to embrace that side of you. I am here to punish you."

He called me a third time to indicate that he was ten minutes away. It was wonderful news.

He got to the restaurant parking lot safely. I got out of my car and I held on to his arm as we walked over in snow

"You're not wearing boots. You're such a bad girl," he remarked.
"You're wearing shoes, too. You're a bad boy," I remarked.

It was nice having a lunch date with him. He noticed that I had cut my hair. He held my hands in his as we talked.

Our food came out. He had ginger chicken. I had spicy garlic chicken. We ate and chatted some more.

"I like when you wear a v-neck sweater. It makes me imagine what I want to do to you. Your boobs also make an infinity sign in my mind," he noted, smiling.
"I like that nerdy reference. If someone who wasn't mathematical had heard that remark, he would have looked at us oddly," I remarked.

I love that he is so thoughtful, attentive, and sweet.

Boxing Day, cuddling, gifts, and reading

Happy Boxing Day! I normally don't go out on Boxing Day for sales. It's too crazy dealing with aggressive shoppers. I also don't have anything I truly need to get.

The other day, while my guy and I were cuddling, he asked his usual question.

"What would you like for Christmas?" he asked me. "I'm late, as always."
"I know. I have your presents already," I cited. "You've been travelling, so you have a good reason."

Naturally, my gift was having him to myself when he came off the plane and drove to the hotel to spend some time together. I truly have all that I need.

Frankly, I feel like I don't read as much as I should.

"I don't have Jann Arden's latest book," I replied. "It's a hardcover one."
"I didn't realize that she was an author," my guy admitted, as he knows that I love her music.
"Yes, she is. I have all her books so far, but haven't got around to picking up this one."

I have two weeks off from work. It's the perfect time to curl up and read when it's all white outside.

Merry Christmas - Fifty Shades of Santa

Merry Christmas!

It has been wonderful connecting with and getting to know you over the years. Thanks for reading and following my blog. It means a ton!

I must have been living under a rock. A Facebook friend posted this parody of Fifty Shades of Grey. This one is fitting for today, as it's Fifty Shades of Santa.

I apologize in advance if this video has ruined your entire perception of Santa. Enjoy!

All the best,
Cutiebootie

A loveseat is perfect for a blowjob

My guy asked me whether I could suck his hard member's head. I was perfectly fine with the request. It had been quite some time since I gave him a blowjob.

The great thing about the hotel room's loveseat is that it is the perfect height for my guy to sit down while I go down on my knees to suck him. He loved my tongue licking his head and shaft. He also liked how my lips looked wrapped around him.

He was in ecstasy. Moments later, he came all over my hand as I had pulled out seconds earlier. He was happy. So was I.

I went to get a facecloth to clean my guy up.

"Let's go cuddle on the bed. I love cuddling up next to you," he said sweetly.
"I love your idea," I said.

It's wonderful having him back. We both have missed cuddling.

Cuddling, kissing, spanking, and fingering

My guy and I sat on the loveseat to cuddle and talk. I caressed his head, and he kissed my face and neck.

We then spent a bit of time kissing. It was nice.

He took off my sweater and looked at my black bra. He took out my right breast and sucked on my hard nipple. I loved it.

"How have you been?" he asked me.
"I've been good, but you always say that I am bad," I replied.
"That's because you are a bad girl," he pointed out.
"No, I'm a good girl," I insisted.
"I need to punish you. You have been bad for a long time," he remarked.
"No, I'm a good girl. Can I kiss you?" I asked.
"You can. I still need to punish you," he insisted.

I love kissing his full lips. We had one long kiss before I went over his lap to be spanked.

I had a thin pair of shorts on. He started spanking me with his hand.

"You are such a bad girl," he told me, smacking each cheek.
"No, I'm good," I replied.
"You're a sweet girl. You're a sexy girl, but not a good girl," he reasons, spanking me more.

I told him that he was being mean. He pulled down both my short and my black panties. The smacks became harder across each buttock. I have missed being spanked by him. He has missed spanking me.

He pleasured me. He fingered my wet pussy until I came. I rested limp in across his lap. He kissed my bare left hip.

Moments later, he fingered by butt. He started with one finger and eventually had all four inserted. I loved it. I came hard and then became even more lethargic. He hugged and kissed me.

My guy went to clean up. I got cold and put on a sweater.

He came back and we cuddled some more.

Meaningful hugs with my directionally challenged guy

My guy's plane was scheduled to arrive at 07:30 on Thursday. The plane had touched down ten minutes early. However, he had to wait longer for his luggage.

I could have slept in more, but got up just before 07:00. My outfit consisted of a short pair of blue shorts with a floral pattern and a purple v-neck sweater. A matching pair of lacy black bra and panties were underneath.

My guy eventually arrived at my hotel room at 08:35. I opened the door and we embraced lovingly. It was the I-have-missed-you-so-much type of hug. The door wasn't even closed yet!

We finally moved a couple of steps into the room and closed the door. We hugged some more, with a few tender kisses squeezed in. I got to caress his uniform head, which I find sexy.

"Can I freshen up?" he asked.
"Sure," I said, taking his coat.

My guy opened my closet. I pointed to the washroom.

"Directionally challenged still... some things never change," I remarked.
"Yep, I'm still me," he said, smiling, and headed in the right direction.

It was great to have him back.

Bakery run for me and travel day for my guy

I dropped by the bakery as planned to get some goodies for work. Traffic in the greater Toronto area is horrific during the start of rush hour. I spent over two hours cutting across the city.

Naturally, when I need to check in to my room to use the restroom because my bladder is about to explode, I end up behind a woman who looks at everyone behind her but the hotel person helping her out. She is also painfully counting her change to pay for a bottled pop.

Finally, I got checked in. My room seemed like an eternity to get to. When I did, my bladder was happy. I can blame my long commute while sipping tea.

Afterwards, I went out to fetch some dinner. My guy pinged me on Skype.

"Are you checked in?" he asked me, knowing how I tick.
"Yes, I just did. I'm getting dinner. Where are you?" I asked him.
"I'm in the lounge in Cairo" he replied.
"How long do you have before your flight?" I asked.
"45 minutes," he stated.
"It's good to chat with you for a bit before you leave," I remarked.

My guy is on his way back. We are both excited.

Plans and spanking checklist of important items

I like when plans and arrangements fall into place. It's nice.

I put in some hours at work on Saturday. I indicated to my manager that I would be cutting my day short on Wednesday, which is today. It gives me time to hit a bakery to get some vegan baked goods for a potluck snackfest at work this Thursday. I have one vegetarian in the group who cannot eat anything with egg in it. Often, I see her excluded from celebrations involving cake. So, I'm going to fix that problem for our gathering.

Wednesday is also when I check in to my hotel room. I like when I have enough points to do a mini staycation. My guy flies in on Thursday morning, so it makes sense to have a room for some quality time and relaxation.

I am all packed. I always feel like I am missing something, though.

Spanking implements? I have a leather paddle and a wooden ruler. He can also use his hand on my backside, which I prefer the most.

His favourite clothing items before they come off me: Black lacy panties and bra? Check. Short skirt? Yep. Low-cut sweater? Definitely.

To say that we are both looking forward to seeing each other is quite the understatement!

Two more days before I see my guy

My guy returns home in a couple of days. Naturally, I am excited to see him.

It has been almost a month since I last saw him. I miss his kisses and hugs.

I enjoy how he tells me that I'm due for a spanking. It makes me happy.

Thursday can't come soon enough!

Trying out streaming music services

I love music. For a while, I have been using Amazon Music. Almost a year ago, I bought an Amazon Echo speaker (the U.S. version, as Canada didn't have it available until now).

I decided to cancel my Amazon Music subscription. For some reason, I spent last month trying to get the app to work on my phone and nothing loaded. It worked just fine until recently. As much as I love telling Alexa to play music from my library, there were limitations. I didn't get the entire set of songs from some bands or artists.

These days, I am doing three-month trials with Spotify Premium (99 cents for three months) and Google Play Music (free for three months). So far, I am pretty happy with both. The tough part is deciding which one I will ultimately be going with.

Both have a ton of music. I love the variety.

Google bought Songza years back. I loved Songza because it had playlists based on your mood or what you felt like listening to. Google has incorporated that aspect of Songza, which makes me happy.

Spotify is popular. It even works with my Waze GPS app.

The good news is that I have roughly three months before making a decision. For now, it has been fun testing and listening to fabulous music.

At the office on a Saturday... it isn't the norm

I had to do some work on Saturday. Normally, I try not to take my work home. However, this work requires that no one is actually in our authoring system for me to copy a number of files over.

I woke up this morning and it was sort of cold. The electricity was out. I couldn't tell you how long I was without it. Considering that it has been colder than the norm this week temperature-wise, I decided to drive into work. The office has backup power in case we have a full-blown power outage.

To my surprise, I bumped into a handful of people. I wasn't expecting that!

In the lobby, I said hi to a manager. I used to work closely with him. He's probably 6'6" in height.

Four hours later, I met a software developer who is probably four months pregnant. She asked me what I was doing at work. I responded and then asked her.

"The usual," he replied.
"What do you mean the usual? Our being here is not normal!" I exclaimed.

It was a good laugh. It's nice to bump into someone whom you don't work with that closely these days.

Finally, we have a new department head. I doubt that she knows who I am, but I said hi to her on my way back to fetch my stuff and go.

Thank goodness I have a week of work to go before I am on vacation.

My summer job at a fish and chips store

As I grow older, I have noticed that many folks who have helped me along the way are passing on. I have yet another story to share.

I grew up in a friendly neighbourhood in Toronto. I went back there the other night to have dinner with my friend. We did a lot of reminiscing.

There used to be a fish and chips store a few blocks away from where I used to live. It was a family-run business. A Chinese couple owned and worked at the store for over thirty years.

When I was old enough buy an order of chips (fries) wrapped in newspaper for a dollar, I would visit the store after school. They were terrific.

A few years later, I asked my mom whether she could ask the owners if I could work for them that summer. My mom would often visit the store to get dinner. Sure enough, I got it. I had just turned eighteen years old.

I felt that I was slow learning about everything. However, my boss, Mary, had a chat with my mom and said the complete opposite -- that I was a quick learner and a hard worker.

I learned how to wrap fish and chips in newspaper. I even folded a number of open-faced newspaper holders for chips, so you could eat out of it as you walked. I honed my skills talking to and serving customers. I even learned about orange roughy.

The couple often insisted that I have dinner there. I felt odd about it. Eventually, I caved. It was delicious, as always.

The store closed just after I had earned my undergraduate degree. I have often wondered about the couple and how there were.

I decided to do a search. I learned that Mary had passed on in 2009 at the age of 72. She, like her husband, were kind and treated me like family. I regret not seeing them as much when my family had moved away a year after I had worked at the store.

May she continue to rest in peace.

That poppy looks like a butt

On Wednesday night, I went out for dinner with a dear friend. We have known each other since high school. She now lives on the west coast of Canada.

She is back in town for a wedding. It was nice seeing her and chatting for three hours in our old neighbourhood.

Before we left the restaurant, she was looking at the various works of art on the wall. They were all poppies.

"See the poppy in the second framed piece of art, third poppy from the right? It looks like a butt," she remarked.

I looked at it. I agreed.

"I like how this artwork is now a Rorschach test," I remarked.

It's great having creative friends who see butts everywhere.

New winter tires and shuttle driver comparison

Wednesday was a long day. It was also a good one.

I finally got my winter tires installed on my car. It makes a huge difference. I'm glad that I got them.

I had to get a shuttle ride home and back to the car servicing centre. I had two different shuttle drivers.

Some drivers need to work on their conversational skills. I felt like I was being interrogated by the first driver.

"What's wrong with your car?" he asked me, pulling out of the service area.
"There's nothing wrong with it. I'm getting winter tires," I replied.
"Are you parents Chinese?" he asked me.
"Yes," I replied.
"How long have you been in Canada?" he asked me.
"All my life," I replied.
"How long is that?" he asked.
"I'm not telling you. I would be revealing my age," I said firmly.

The interrogation stopped. I turned the table and asked him about cruises that he has been on.

On the contrary, I enjoyed chatting with the driver going to the service centre to pick up my car.

"Hi there," I said, getting into the van.
"Hello. Cold, huh?" he asked me.
"I used to live in Winnipeg. Today is a good day," I replied (-14°C).
"You must be a good winter driver," he concluded.
"You do learn how to drive in winter conditions when you are in Winnipeg," I replied.

We ended up talking about his winter driving experiences in Tokyo and more. He had one other customer to pick up. We all ended up chatting about being a mail carrier (this customer's mail carrier had just handed him his mail while he was walking towards the van).

When I was doing paying and getting my paperwork, my service advisor shook my hand, and wished me a happy Christmas and 2018 to come. He's a good person.

I drove home happy with my new wheels.

MonPère - a travel pillow with hands

I was briefly looking at my Facebook feed. I stumbled upon a story about a new travel pillow.

This pillow stood out. Think of Gumby, but without legs. It's a pillow with hands that you can bend to conform to your head, neck, and body.

The product is called MonPère, which translates to my dad in French.

It looks like fun. It coils away.

If I bought it, my guy would probably try spanking me with it and try being hands-on.

First snowfall

We got our first snowfall this winter on Tuesday. It happened just before 16:00. Yep, just before rush hour begins. How fitting!

A colleague indicated that he was going home early and would work from home. I liked that idea and followed suit, indicating to my team to do the same, if they wanted to. Our manager was at an appointment in the afternoon. Perfect!

It was good that I had left the office early. It took me nearly two hours to get home. On a good day, I can get home in forty minutes.

I'm getting winter tires installed on my car on Wednesday. My timing is a bit off, but it's better a bit late than not at all.

My guy is fortunate to be missing all this snow. However, the first snowfall is always nice to look at.

Thinking about a former manager who has passed on

Over a decade ago, I moved to the States. It was one of those bold leaps of faith. I didn't know anyone. My skills matched a position as a technical writer.

I was a contractor at Big Blue. My mentor was a gentle soul. He was also my manager. He was helpful in making sure that I was okay and was confident in my abilities.

At the beginning, I thought that I was slow at learning everything. He was encouraging, stating that it was the contrary -- that I was a quick learner.

When I look back, I was a decent writer. I made my deadlines either early or on time. I managed to pitch in and help others, often working extra hours to pick up the slack left by others.

I recall working 12-hour days for 12 days. A student had left the company and didn't do a great job on his deliverables. 

A colleague and I were there on the weekend. We were both contractors. Our manager was also there. We chatted around my office. He was grateful that we were there, pitching in.

When I got laid off, my manager waited till around 16:45 that Tuesday. My office door was three-quarters closed. He knocked and let himself in.

"I am sorry that you got laid off," he said sincerely. "It should have been me and not you."

I can still hear his voice telling me that. It was moving. He was nearly sixty years old and was about to retire.

"It's a business decision and I don't take it personally," I tried to comfort him. "I go home to Winnipeg and there's nothing wrong with that at all."

He smiled and seemed at ease. He let me know that he would be arranging my farewell luncheon. He also got a parting gift for me. It was a Java mug. I worked on the Java team. It was fitting, even though I am not a coffee drinker.

He was generous and sweet. I just learned that he had passed away two years ago from Parkinson's Disease. May he rest in peace.

Hugging purple Woolly and waiting for a spanking

I have mentioned that I love my stuffed sheep that my guy bought me earlier this year. He's purple and his name is Woolly.

Woolly makes me smile when I see him. He's huggable and is always smiling. He also has a uniform head, just like my guy.

My guy and I had a chat about Woolly.

"Woolly is such a perfect gift. He makes our time apart more bearable. I cuddle up to him every night," I admitted.
"You're so sweet," my guy remarked. "I wish that I was in bed with you, spanking my bad girl."

Just over a week, he can do just that.

Saving money thanks to my stable eye prescription

It has been two years since I last got my eye exam. Although I have felt that my nearsightedness hasn't changed, I still needed a new prescription.

Ah, the joys of getting older! Two years ago, my optometrist indicated that my nearsightedness was improving, which meant that I would start seeing changes when I read. Sure enough, it has slightly. I read better with my contact lenses out or my glasses off. Otherwise, wearing my contacts with my reading glasses (it's an extremely low prescription) works just fine.

On Wednesday, I had my eye exam. Typically, it costs me $90, with my health insurance helping to cover that cost. Since I had my eye stroke, my eye exam was considered a followup appointment. As a result, the Ontario health care system picked up the tab instead. Sweet!

My prescription hasn't changed. I get to keep my existing pairs of glasses. Yep, I got two pairs two years ago. There was a deal that essentially got me two pairs for the price of one. I love the cost savings!

Today, I ordered a six-month supply of contact lenses that combine correcting my nearsightedness and reading. I am looking forward to them. I tried them in the past and they were helpful, but that was roughly a year ago. My insurance picks up the tab.

It's nice saving some money. I am thankful.

Sharky, pleasure, and math

It has been a while since I wrote about Sharky, a software development manager with whom I work on various documentation tasks. These days, we have a ton of software releases for existing customers. Naturally, they need release notes and documentation.

Last Friday, we crossed paths. My team was working on a major software release and we had to build our documentation. It's a long story, but it does take some time, even with some tasks being somewhat automated.

He indicated that there would be only one trouble report (it's essentially a bug report in either the software or documentation) to indicate in the release notes. I was good with that.

On Monday, I followed up with him. He had changed his story. There were 21 trouble reports and counting! Okay, being a one-year-old toddler versus a 21-year-old undergraduate student is a huge difference. Why can't he count properly?!

Anyway, this past Monday, he assigned me a trouble report to work on. It was incorrectly dubbed as a documentation issue for our part of the software, when it should go to a different writer. I wrote an e-mail to him to explain things. I indicated that he could reassign it to another writer or I could simply reject the trouble report.

"Cutiebootie, I reassigned the report," he said to me.
"Thanks. I wasn't sure whether you wanted to reassign it or have me reject it, which I enjoy," I said.
"I didn't realize that it gave you pleasure -- that it is pleasurable for you," he said.

Of note, Sharky has a thing for me. My guy and I have discussed various actions that he does or says that supports his attraction. My guy often teased me by saying, "But, Cutiebootie, he lusts after you."

My manager had heard the pleasure and pleasurable references. His eyebrows automatically raised as his eyes got larger. Last year, he went on about how Sharky resembles George Clooney. Although I don't see it, I still tease my manager by saying that Sharky is his boyfriend.

Ah, what fun!

I told my guy about it. Naturally, he takes it in good stride.

"He has good taste in women. Anyone would lust after a cute Chinese girl like you," he admitted.
"You're sweet. He's creepy, though. And, he can't count!"

I don't do well being with someone who can't do simple math. Thank goodness my guy and I are math nerds.

Yee-haw! Part 2

I work from home on Wednesdays. My guy pinged me on our corporate instant messaging app towards the end of my workday.

We chatted for quite some time.

"Are you in the countryside?" I asked him.
"Nope, I'm in the city," he replied.
"I guess that you won't be saying yee-haw, unless you are cuming," I noted.

We both laughed.

A visit to the lab - how much water should I drink?

December is a busy month as far as medical appointments go. I typically have to visit my dentist and doctor. I require blood and urine samples. On top of all these appointments, I also have an eye test.

On Tuesday, I had to visit the lab. I normally work from home after such a visit. However, I had to go into the office to make sure that my student, who was training a new contractor for the first time, was okay. She did well and I told her so. She felt good, too.

I always have a challenge when it comes to figuring out when and how much water I should consume before hitting the lab. I typically have an issue with not drinking enough water. On Tuesday, I finally got my formula down.

Roughly an hour before I visit the lab, I need to drink a bottle of water (500 mL). Half an hour before visiting the lab, I need to double that and drink a litre. I then drive to the lab, sipping on a bit of my bottled water. I get there and I am good.

I needed to have this method of madness documented somewhere as a reference.

My bloodwork is pretty straightforward. I don't look at the blood being drawn out. The nurse doing it has a gentle manner. I typically don't even feel the needle go in. We chatted. She liked my berry nail polish.

I am pretty beat, though. I am not sure if having blood drawn makes you more fatigued.

Mushy mode and hotel plans

My guy and I had been playing Skype tag. We finally got to chat on Monday afternoon.

"Hey, where are you?" I asked him.
"I'm back in Cairo," he replied. "I miss you so much."

He's still in mushy mode, which I like. I miss him, too. He also said that he misses his bad girl.

Two more weeks remain before he comes home. I have booked a hotel room for us, which we are both looking forward to using.

Rock of Ages - spanking scene

It's Sunday afternoon. I rarely turn on the TV at this hour, but I decided to have a quiet afternoon of lounging at home.

I flipped channels. Rock of Ages, the movie version of the musical, was on. I decided to watch it.

I like musicals. I already knew after the first ten minutes that it wasn't a good flick. However, I watched it like a train wreck.

What shocked me was a spanking scene. While the mayor's wife is belting out "Hit me with your best shot" with fellow Church worshippers, her husband is getting spanked with a ruler by his mistress.

If the spanking scene were more convincing, I would perhaps like it. I'm just here to share this surprising tidbit with you and to tell you not to bother watching this flick!

From booze to writing

On Friday, my team completed our documentation work for a major release. We were unwinding by chatting.

Our chat led to going on the LCBO site to look at alcohol. Earlier in the week, I had made the suggestion to go out to a bar, and celebrate by having a drink and some appetizers. They were good with it.

I had the site on my laptop and was sharing it on a huge TV that we had in this meeting room.

Our manager knocked on the door before entering. I quickly changed screens and threw up our editing tool.

He came in to talk. I have a feeling that he came in simply because he had no one to chat. Moments later, he left.

All of us had a good laugh. One of the writers was impressed that I had switched screens so quickly. It wouldn't have looked that great to have various bottles of booze displayed!

Feeling horny and coming together

The other night, my guy and I chatted on Skype. I was driving home from running errands. Both of us were horny.

"I miss my bad girl," he said to me.
"No, I'm your good girl," I corrected him.
"You are far from being good. If I were with you, I would bend you over, pull down your lacy black panties, and spank you hard till your butt is sore and red," he replied.

I was extremely aroused. I drove home safely, parked, put away my groceries, and went to change into something more comfortable. We then continued our conversation.

"What did you change into?" he asked me.
"I'm wearing a peach and white striped t-shirt with a blue bra underneath. I am also wearing black panties that have polkadots," I replied.

He was turned on. So was I. We both pleasured ourselves until we both came together. It was good.

"That song, Come Together, has a new meaning to me," I said in my state of dopiness.

Both of us laughed.

Work, concert, and countryside... yee-haw!

It has been a busy week. We have a major software release to get out the door.

My team spent Monday and Tuesday doing test uploads to a software repository. I have a couple of colleagues who were originally tasked with doing this work, but they just didn't get it. Instead, they watched as we did the work.

Today (now Friday), my team does the official uploads for this release. Since we know that the test uploads went fine, we expect the same to occur on repeat.

During all this chaos, I managed to see Jann Arden perform in Toronto on Wednesday night. This show was  different than the one that I saw in October. This show had an orchestra backing her up and it was Christmas-themed. I had a wonderful time. She never disappoints.

My guy is doing fine in Cairo.

"How are things?" I asked him on Skype.
"Good. I'm in the countryside," he replied.
"What's the countryside like?" I asked him.
"It's flat with some shallow buildings. Yee-haw!" he exclaimed.
"I didn't realize that the locals there say, 'Yee-haw!'" I remarked, laughing.

He is good at making me laugh.

Caps and cuteness

My guy likes to wear a flat cap on his head. Naturally, I love his head because it is perfectly uniform.

When I saw him last week, I took his cap off as we kissed. I enjoy caressing his head while we kiss.

After we had made out and had a bit of quality time, I tried on his cap.

"Hey, it fits my head," I said , surprised that it fit my large head.
"You look cute with it on," he said.
"You should wear it backwards," I said, putting it on him in that way.
"A different look, huh?" he said.

The other day, he said that I should wear caps more often. He like how cute I look in them. I teased and asked if I could have his. Naturally, he said that he would buy we one instead.

I'm his girl, but a bad girl

My guy and I have fun conversations on Skype when we are apart.

"I love when you are mushy," I told my guy.
"You can make anyone extra mushy," he replied. "Your cuteness and sexiness is just too much. They can mushify any guy."
"Ugh! Mushify? Horrible!" I exclaimed, with my guy laughing.
"Mushify is good, right?"
"Um, no," I noted.
"So, it's bad, just like you," he observed.
"No, I'm a good girl," I insisted.
"No, you're not. That's why you get spanked so often," he reasoned.
"You said that I am your good girl. I haven't been spanked for a while. Thus, I'm your good geeky gadget girl," I insisted.
"No, I said that you're my girl. There was no good. But, you will be spanked in a month. Bigtime."

He knows how to get me aroused. It's also fun teasing him about his made-up words.

Mushy mode about my hands and legs

My guy is extra mushy these days. It's nice. I see a boyishness when he is in this mode, which is sweet and endearing.

While driving him to the airport, we held hands. He looked at my pearl pink nail polish and said that he loved my nails.

I was still driving and he made this remark:

"You have the best looking legs that I have ever seen," he said.
"Thanks, sweetie," I replied.

I like his mushy mode that he is in.

Black Friday sales... ugh!

For the last three years, I am turned off when it comes to Black Friday sales. I don't know why it has become a tradition in Canada when this ritual comes for our neighbours to the south. However, I feel the same way about Black Friday as I do with Boxing Day sales, with some minor differences.

Black Friday used to be shopping on that particular day for bargains. Yes, you'd be shopping on a Friday. These days, you have pre-Black Friday sales. And, there's a catch, too. You can actually have a full weekend or more of these Black Friday sales.

One word: Ugh.

Boxing Day is a Canadian holiday. In the past, stores would be closed that day. There would be Boxing Day sales on December 27, which is a day after this holiday. These days, you can have your sale start on Christmas or even earlier. And, it's not a Boxing Day sale. Oh, no. It's a Boxing week sale, which could carry on for longer than week. Stores are also open on Boxing Day.

The same word: Ugh.

I don't have much to buy for either sale. It has to be something that I truly need. I am trying to adopt a minimalistic approach to debt and shopping these days.

I have also done all my Christmas shopping. I am that prepared.

On Friday, it took forever for me to drive home. It seemed like everyone was out shopping.

My guy called me from Egypt, where he is there for less than a month. It was great hearing from him.  He is over his jetlag and is safe. Chatting with him made my commute more bearable.

"How's my cute girl?" he asked me.
"I am stuck in traffic. I am literally under highway 400," I replied.
"Are you on highway 401?" he asked me.
"Nope, I'm backroading it," I replied. "It's Black Friday."
"Ah, I see," said my fellow shopper. "You don't get too many deals."
"I agree. You probably do in the States."

It's nice that my guy and I are on the same page. For Canadians, the deals are better during the Boxing Day, week, or month sales.

Mushy and sweet

Whenever my guy and I have to part for a certain period, I tend to be the one who says that I don't want him to leave. He'll reassure me that it won't be long and that we'll keep in touch on Skype.

The other day, we had the complete role reversal. I drove him to the airport. I parked. He sat there.

"I don't want to leave you. I want to spend more time with you," he said, boyishly.
"I don't want you to leave, either. But, you have a flight to catch," I reasoned.
"I know. I just want to be with you longer," he stated.
"We can kiss, but you do have to catch your flight. You're kind of late and we can't have the police come over to tell you to go," I said, with both of us looking at the police car.

We kissed. It was good. We then got out of my car.

My guy went to get a cart. I did my usual bit by fetching his computer rolling back. He loaded the rest of his bags onto the cart.

We hugged. I knew that I was hugging him tightly. He reciprocated.

It's nice that he is good at expressing how he feels. He is mushy these days. It's so sweet.

Heavy lifting and a swat

To my friends across the border, I hope that you had a happy Thanksgiving. If you are taking Friday off to recuperate from a turkey coma or hangover, enjoy the longer weekend and recovery soon!

After my guy and I were ready to hit the airport, we had the task of moving his various pieces of luggage from his car to mine.

I decided to help out by taking the smallest item out of his car and rolling it over to mine. It was his computer bag.

He normally tells me to look cute and to not touch a thing. He is sweet in that he doesn't want me to injure my flaky back.

When he saw that I had moved his rolling computer bag, he said the following to me:

"That's one of the heavier items. Just stand there and I'll take it from here."

He walked past me and gave my right buttock a smack.

"Ow!" I said. "That didn't hurt as much as I thought."
"We can change that," he threatened while getting another piece of luggage into my car.
"It'll have to wait till you return," I replied.
"Yes. I'll make sure that your butt is a nice shade of pink when I am done," he remarked.

Naturally, I was horny all day.

A handjob and gear-shifting fun

My guy was horny after kissing and pleasuring me in the car. I looked down at his crotch. Yep, his penis was erect.

I went over to caress it. We had four minutes left before I had to take him to the airport. He freed his hard cock from his pants and briefs, and I gave my guy a handjob.

He loved seeing my hand wrapped around his erect member. I had light pink nail polish on, which drove him crazy. Moments later, he came.

Naturally, we cleaned up.

"I am always amazed at how smooth your head is," I remarked, touching his cock's head with my thumb.
"I like when you caress it that way," my guy said.

I then proceeded to pretend that his cock was a gear shifter. We both laughed.

"We are late by twenty minutes!" he remarked.
"It's all your fault," I said, smiling at him.
"It's always worth it when I am with you," he admitted.

It's nice when he is dopey and mushy.

Kisses, orgasm, kisses... a kisses sandwich!

I found my guy's car in the parking lot. I pulled up next to it. I thought that the plan was to transfer his luggage from his car to mine, and then head to the airport.

I can always tell when my guy misses me a ton. The parking lot was full. He normally prefers to show his affectionate side in private. That habit went out the door. We hugged for a long time.

"Did you want to chat in my car?" my guy asked me.
"How much time do you have?" I asked him.
"We can chat for half an hour before you take me to the airport," he replied.

My guy didn't want to deal with the luggage. He wanted us in the car. He wanted to kiss me. I'm glad that he did. I wanted it, too.

I parked my car in a free, conveniently close spot. I then joined him in his car.

We made out. It was nice, as always. I took off his hat and caressed his perfectly uniform head.

"You are the best kisser that I have ever had," he remarked.
"You, too. I love your full lips," I replied as we both came up for air.

My guy unzipped my jacket and put his hand down my purple sweater and bra. He played with my right breast.

"Your nipple is always hard," he replied.
"I'm with you. That's why," I pointed out.

He rubbed my crotch. I was so turned on. Moments later, I came. It was good.

We kissed some more. He continued kissing my neck and shoulders. He's sweet that way.

Which end?

My guy called me roughly an hour from the office. He was driving in. I was in a meeting, so I couldn't talk all that much.

When he had arrived, he called me.

"Are you in the parking lot?" I asked him.
"Yes," he replied.
"Where are you?" I asked.
"At the end," he replied.

So, I hung up the phone, left work, got into my car, and went to the end of the parking lot. I didn't see him. I decided to circle around and called him.

"I'm at the end and I don't see your car," I said.
"I'm at the end. I'm by the wall," he replied.
"Ah, you're at the other end and not your usual end," I said, relieved that I had found him.

I forgot that I was getting instructions from a directionally challenged guy. Luckily, I found him.

Dropping my guy off at the airport

My guy is on the road again. He flies off in the afternoon on Monday. Luckily, I get to drive him to the airport.

"Hope I can see you tomorrow," he said on the phone.
"Of course, you will. I love spending any time with you, including dropping you off at the airport," I indicated.
"You're sweet. Thanks," he replied.

I will miss him when he is away, but I know that it isn't for long.

USB C cables have many uses

One of the first errands that I had to run on Saturday was a stop at the gas station. I needed to fill up my car with gas to actually get on with my day!

A while back, I spotted a new technology section at this gas station chain. There were tons of USB cables. It makes sense, as many of us have phones and tablets. We need to stay connected, even on the road.

In the past, I have owned phones that either use a lightning cable (iPhone) or a micro USB cable (Blackberry). I own a Google Pixel phone. Naturally, it is special and needs a USB C cable.

Guess what? This gas station sells them for $10. Wow! That's a deal compared to how much they sell for at other electronic stores.

I took the plunge and purchased the USB C cable. There were only two colours: black and hot pink. Considering that all my USB cables tend to be boring black, I went with the hot pink.

Let me say that this cable works well. It's one of those flat cables. All the ends are protected. It charges and syncs my data nicely.

I bought a crappy USB C cable several months ago. Depending on the angle at which you insert the cable, it either charges my phone or decides to go on strike.

"What should I do with this useless cable?" I asked my guy.
"I can tie you up with it and spank you," he suggested.

I suppose that I'm keeping it.

Thug-version of Macbeth on YouTube

My guy shared a YouTube video with me the other day. It was a summary of Shakespeare's Macbeth, explained by a thug. It was hilarious.

Part of me wishes that I had the video form when I had studied this play in grade 12. Instead, I had the equivalent of Coles Notes (Canadian version of Cliffs Notes) to read through, which helped a ton.

He knew that I would like this video. I like when we share such things with each other. It's fun and thoughtful.

Meeting going at a snail's pace

Work is enjoyable again, except for one member of our team who has been there for a good four years. He talks a lot. He is a scatterbrain. He copies the world on every single e-mail. He's not the most productive colleague.

On Wednesday, he pinged me on our work instant messaging app. He told me that he was in a meeting and asked if I could join. He then sent me the meeting invitation while the meeting was in progress. Nice.

I declined. I don't go for such late invitations, unless it is urgent. This meeting wasn't. I was also working from home and didn't feel the need to be there for work that he had to do.

On Thursday, we had our team meeting. He basically spent twenty minutes of an hour-long meeting making a big deal about the tasks that he was working on and those that he hadn't touched. He also had a bit of a riff with our manager, which made him look like a jerk.

He talked so much that my team didn't get to share what we had worked on this week. I have a writer and a student on our team. We were all bored out of our minds listening to him.

The highlight? Both the writer and I looked at what the student had doodled in her notebook. She drew a snail. We all laughed. It was perfect.

Botox

I would classify myself as low maintenance. I don't wear makeup all that often. I am very much a tomboy, except that I like doing my nails, and shopping for clothes now and again.

I did something different on Wednesday. I am an elite member on Yelp and decided to take part in an event at a beauty place. It provided your choice of a facial, filler (for lips), or botox for free.

All of these selections are so foreign to me. However, it would be a good introduction to any of them. I have never done any of these services in my life.

Both my guy and I have full lips. So, the filler option wasn't for me. I decided not to do a facial. The last thing I need is for my oily skin to break out because my face has been massaged more than usual.

Yep, I did botox. There is a first for everything.

For the longest time, I have had this fairly deep crease on my forehead. It is probably due to working with folks who possess either poor judgment or lack common sense. So, I probably raise my eyebrows a lot and end up saying, "Huh?"

I wanted to see whether my deep creasy line could be faded in some way.

This event was wonderful. I was greeted promptly and given a bottle of water. I filled out forms and waited until my technician was free. She was knowledgeable. She is a registered nurse. She explained the procedure and answered all my questions.

Sure enough, my deep forehead line could be faded away. She administered botox on my forehead. The needle didn't hurt. I just felt small pricks here and there.

It has been a day and I am seeing a difference. My crease line is shorter. It's pretty neat. And, yes, and I can still crack a smile and my forehead still moves.

Botox is expensive, though. My treatment would have been $300 had I not been invited to this special event. I am grateful for being invited. It is effective and I had a good first experience.

High Sierra upgrades

Yesterday, I was planning to write a post. However, High Sierra was calling my name, so I had to attend to it.

To put things into perspective, High Sierra is the latest Apple operating system. Generally, when I upgrade, I don't experience anything crazy. I do, however, have that anomaly a few years back. My Mac mini would not boot up after the installation and I had to visit a Genius Bar to get it fixed.

My Mac mini is getting up there in years. I'd say that it is nearly seven years old. So, the upgrade took longer than I had anticipated. It was well over two hours, from download to installation.

I actually had the installation run and I hopped into bed.

I woke up the next day and my Mac mini was operational. Yay!

I also have a Macbook Air. I just finished upgrading the operating system on it. It's a newer device in comparison. It took under two hours.

All is well. It's nice to blog again. I still need to figure out all the new features that I haven't got a clue about!

My right eye is back to normal... yay!

Last Wednesday, I went to my ophthalmologist for an appointment. I used to go monthly. This appointment was the first one in two months, which is good news. It simply means that my right eye is making good progress.

To recap, I had an eye stroke back in late March. I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that I was constantly looking through a water droplet and was getting dizzy.

I didn't think that I would make a fully recovery. Just reading up on various studies saying that it was rare wasn't the best news. My guy felt that if anyone could make a full recovery, it would be me. I didn't want to set my standards so high. He understood.

He was right. On Wednesday, I went in and did my eye test. I could read even the tiniest print during the eye test. I was shocked!

My doctor said that my right eye is 20/20, meaning that the blood splats have disappeared from my central vision. I am now seeing him every three months for my eye injections. There is still a chance that fluid will seep out.

I am thankful that my sight has been restored. It also helps that I have kept my stress and blood pressure controlled. My ophthalmologist cites bad luck as the cause. He also indicated that I am young to have this condition happen to me, so my recovery was easier. Handling a crazy workload at work back then didn't help. I am glad that things are much better these days.

Manage and spank me

I get along well with my manager. He revealed an interesting tidbit of information over lunch on Friday.

A few years ago, there was a manager who was in charge of technical support. He apparently had a conversation with my boss. He told him, "You need to manage Cutiebootie."

It's funny. He never mentioned anything to me until now. This support manager left the company around three years ago.

Several years ago, this manager told me to change a set of tabs in a spreadsheet. He wanted the most current tab at the end. I indicated that it didn't make sense. The most current tab should be at the front. He was adamant that he was right.

What did I do? I gave him an updated spreadsheet with his changes. After that, I flipped it back to having the most current tab at the beginning. I proceeded to slap on a password on this spreadsheet. It was evident that he wanted access to this file. It was also obvious that he didn't know how to use Excel, for I had to do a ton of work to restore it.

I owned this spreadsheet. This manager did not.

I pointed out this episode with my manager, who wasn't my boss back there.

"That doesn't make sense to have that current tab at the front," he agreed.
"I know. He probably wasn't thrilled that I shunned him out of the spreadsheet," I admitted.
"He was afraid of you and didn't know how to approach you. So, he talked to me," he revealed.
"Did you say anything to him?" I asked.
"Nope. He asked me to manage you. I didn't say anything. You were doing a fantastic job. I didn't need to say anything," he said.

I like who I was back then, standing up for what I believe was best for both the customer getting this spreadsheet and for me. Luckily, I haven't changed.

I told my guy this story. He found it amusing that this manager was intimidated by me.

"I wonder what would happen if you were my manager and I locked you out of this spreadsheet," I pondered.
"I think you know what would happen to that cute butt of yours," he smirked.
"I'd enjoy the consequences, I'm sure," I noted.
"I liked the offices back in the old office place. I would call you into my office, close the door, bend you over the desk, and spank you hard for being such a bad girl," he replied.

He's sweet. I miss those offices, too.

Issue with making everything plural, including a person having butts

I have noticed this oddity with my manager for a while. He tends to pluralize words that do not require an s at the end. As an example, he will say documentations instead of documentation.

We had this conversation the other day:

"I had to work my butts off to finish this work," he explained.
"Butts? You have two butts?" I asked curiously.
"A left and a right," he said, bursting out laughing.
"No, you have two butt cheeks. You have one butt," I explained.

Who knew that I would be having a grammatical discussion about butts and butt cheeks in my workplace as a professional. Fun!

Dreadful Diva is gone... yay!

Tuesday was the day. It was dreadful diva's last day with the company.

I worked from home that day. I suppose that I was lucky to not be in the office. I was in a four-hour conference call that started at 07:00.

My manager had his regular one-on-one meeting with her. It was different, though. He had one human resources (HR) person with him, and another HR person on the phone.

On Thursday, I held a regular weekly meeting with my two writers. I have one writer who has been on our team for just over a month. I also have a student who has been with us for just over two months.

Although I wasn't expecting a bit of a therapy session, it happened. We are all so comfortable talking to one another that I am glad that it happened.

They expressed how uncomfortable it was to hear dreadful diva (DD) complain and vent about various aspects of her job. Although someone had reported to my manager that negative comments were directed at a number of folks, including me, the writer on our team indicated that there wasn't anything aimed directly at me -- that it was more process and more towards our manager.

My student missed a deadline by a day, which was unusual. She admitted that she was affected by the negativity coming from DD. She felt sluggish. I get it.

It was a good conversation with them, with all of us sharing our observations and concerns. It's over, thankfully.

I had a talk with my manager after we had finished conducting an interview on Thursday. He had indicated that DD was confrontation from the start when she first entered the meeting room and saw the HR person.

DD apparently cited that my manager had indicated during her interview that she would be a team lead, taking over my job. Um, I don't recall any of that. If she did, it wouldn't happen a month after starting. She could barely use our authoring tool.

She has selective hearing. In her interview, we had mentioned our new authoring tool. During her first week in training, she constantly referred to that tool. We haven't moved over to it yet!

My writer pointed out that during her interview that she did not hear our manager mention that she would be taking over a lead role. You are given such a role when you have proven that you are competent. My new writer, who is essentially my mini-me, is perfectly competent. It's the reason why she is taking over my writing duties.

DD said that she is planning on suing the company for being misled. The suing part doesn't surprise me. Before she joined the company, she had her lawyer go through the benefits package. I knew that she would be a difficult person right from the start. My manager nodded in agreement.

He also noted that she pointed out that she had quit her previous job to take this one. Well, that's life. You decide whether you want to take the plunge and try a new job. Sometimes, it works out. In this case, it didn't.

We are all relieved that she is gone. Sadly, she caused some grief after she was led out of the office and building. She had our IM app on her phone. She apparently used it to say goodbye to folks. She also asked someone to go out for lunch.

If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't have done any of that on a corporate tool that you shouldn't be using once you are terminated. Instead, I would leave, go home, think, and then write goodbye e-mails to folks instead.

My manager had IT terminate her session at a server level. It's incredible how stressful Tuesday was for our team.

I am so glad that this nightmare is over. I'm not sure how the suing-the-company saga will unfold, but she doesn't have a case when her performance was the main cause of her termination.

Onesies for spanking and unwrapping

For the longest time, I have contemplated whether to get a onesie. I have weighed the pros and cons for quite some time.

Similar to a romper or even a pair of overalls, I find getting in and out of them to be a chore. What happens if you desperately need to run to the washroom to empty your bladder and your timing is off? It's like doing a Houdini routine to escape out of the outfit.

I found a onesie that has deep front pockets. As my guy would say, I like functional, practical items. This onesie has a long zipper in the front. It looks cozy to wear as we get closer to winter weather.

What I like more is the onesie's backflap with a zipper. Yes, that answers my concern about my bladder. More importantly, it's the perfect outfit for a spanking.

"How do you feel about spanking me when I am wearing a onesie with zippers?" I asked my guy.
"I love the easy access. I like when my mind wanders, thinking about what's waiting for me underneath it," he admitted.
"That's a yes then?" I asked.
"Definitely. I like the idea of spanking you across my knee and then carefully unzipping the backflap to spank you across your panties... or maybe you aren't wearing any," he hinted.

Not only did I buy myself my first onesie, but I got him one. I like having a present that I can unwrap, too.

Fifty Shades Freed - the movie trailer is here... both of them!

With all that drama happening at work with dreadful diva, I got good news on Monday. No, make that great news, especially for a typically boring Monday. The new Fifty Shades Freed trailer was released. Yay!

For those who have read along with me, I decided to watch Fifty Shades of Grey two months after the movie's release and loved it so much that I became a fan of the movie trilogy, I do. It's my guilty pleasure.

I found two versions of the trailer. Here's the first one:

Here's the second one:

I love both of them. In the second trailer, I like how Ana asks whether she can drive his car and he says no. It reminds me of my asking my guy to drive his beloved vehicle. In both cases, the women drive the car.

Valentine's Day can't get here any sooner!

Spanking me for not getting a perfect paper

My guy shared the following video with me. It's a video on the difference between white and Asian parents when it comes to reacting to their child's grades.

We have done a bit of role-playing where he asks for me to get a spanking implement to spank me with. However, we have never done a scene in which I am spanked for getting poor grades.

"I would love to give this scenario a try," I said to him.
"Me, too. Would you like to be over my lap or bent over when I spank you?" he asked me.
"How about both? You can bend me over and spank me over my panties. Then, I can be over your lap for a bare-bottomed spanking," I suggested.
"Sounds good to me, sweetie," he said.

It's great when we both like each other's suggestions.

New smartwatch with new syncing challenges

I recently went back into the world of smartwatches.

For over a year, I had a Pebble Time Round watch. It's a smartwatch that looks like a regular watch. I loved that it would keep track of my steps.

Sadly, Pebble went away. Fitbit bought the company. The app that used to count my steps died. So, I had to go back and use my Fitbit.

Don't get me wrong. I love my Fitbit Alta. However, I hate tapping the screen to figure out what time it is or how many steps I have taken. It's not the most sensitive screen. I would sooner have a button to cycle through the data.

It was one of those fluky moments. I was in my guy's neck of the woods. I decided to visit Fossil at one of the local malls. I have wallets, jewellery, and cell phone cases from that store. I never really looked at watches.

The young saleswoman showed me the hybrid smartwatches. They look like regular, classy watches, but they are indeed smartwatches that sync to your phone through an app. Instead of charging the watch, it runs on a battery. She gave me a thorough demo of both the watch on her wrist and the app that she had on her phone.

I loved the watch that the woman had on. I loved the concept. I even had one that I had in mind to purchase, but had to think about it.

I am such a geek. I sat in the mall and researched this watch. Was there a way to sync the steps over to my corporate health app? I need to have this feature, as you earn cash incentives for exercising with my company.

Sure enough, I figured out that I could get it to work. So, a couple of weeks ago, I bought my hybrid smartwatch in rose gold. It's nice. I love it. My guy smiled at me when I first told him about it. He loves when I get excited over technology.

The trick is that the Fossil Q app needs to sync with the Up by Jawbone app first. My company uses the Virgin Pulse app for our health program, which Up links to.

I couldn't get any of my steps to sync properly from Q to Up. I contacted Fossil support. It is slow, but they are friendly.

I am a decent troubleshooter. I decided to unlink and link Up from my Q app first. I then went into the Up app and removed the link to Virgin Pulse. Finally, I went into my Virgin Pulse app, disconnected and reconnected the link to my Up account.

The last step was verifying that my Up app had the Virgin Pulse app links again. It was.

Guess what? All of these actions got my steps to sync properly. Go, me! I still have yet to hear from the support guy.

The best part of this exercise is that I do not have to wear my watch and my Fitbit Alta on each wrist.

Canning delays and relaxing with Airpods

I am hoping that this post is the last one about the toxic diva for a bit. She is still going to be canned. My manager has already initiated the process. The downside is that there is a legal process within the company. As a result, she won't be gone on Monday, so there is a delay.

I can only hope that she is gone sometime next week. She worked from home on Friday. Her e-mails got me so annoyed that my manager hinted that I should watch my blood pressure. Although he has the occasional, odd lapse in judgment, his heart is generally in the right place. He stepped in and replied, putting her in place. I de-stressed by getting a cup of hot chocolate.

He had a conversation with my mini-me, in private. He basically hinted that he was going to give her a number of added responsibilities, which she welcomes. He asked her to keep it confidential until he works out all the details. In other words, he has not let her know about the diva being canned, which I expected.

He proceeded to tell her that we need to be respectful with others and be professional. He added that there have been a ton of negative comments and rumours taking place about others. He confided in me, saying that judging by the look of my mini-me, she nodded. He knew that she had been affected by such negativity recently.

It's interesting that I don't see my working relationship changing with both my mini-me and my student after the diva's negative comments. My stance still holds true. If you have worked with me and know me, you know the truth. I don't need a diva to poison their minds with false, negative perceptions about me.

Thank goodness it's the weekend. I am unwinding. 

I recently got a pair of AirPods. I don't think that I have paid so much for a pair of earbuds. However, the sound is incredible and I am enjoying not being chained to my device. The fact that they automatically connect and disconnect when you put them in their pod case is pretty cool. And, yes, I have them paired with a non-Apple device. They work well.

Turfing the diva... yay!

My manager and I had a confidential talk about our troublesome new writer. Before I dive into those details, this writer decided to indicate that she was taking a sick day on Thursday.

Having her away from the office felt good. None of us had to deal with her diva-like tendencies.

My manager indicated that he had spoken to his manager about this writer. They both agreed that she needs to be canned. She has her own agenda, doesn't listen, and is a loose, unproductive cannon.

Her workload won't go back to me. Rather, the other writer who has already taken over a portion of my work will take over her work. Essentially, this writer is my mini-me. She works well and she is okay with taking on my workload, minus the other lead tasks that I do.

That's good. I can continue working on processes and other details.

My boss got word from another colleague that the diva has been saying negative things about both of us. I asked him not to tell me what they were. I don't need to know.

My view is that whenever someone has something negative to say about me, not only is it untrue, but it signals insecurity. The diva gives the impression that she knows everything. She doesn't. Instead, she needs to say horrible things about folks to make her feel better.

She also seems to buy her way to being liked. We recently had a colleague from Brazil visit for three weeks. Although the diva didn't know her, she bought her a parting gift last Friday. Odd.

During her first week, she said that she would buy me a tea. The following week, she did the same thing. She never did. Perhaps she was waiting for me to make the first move. I don't fall for such a trap.

Anyway, my boss is planning to can her either on Friday or Monday. The latter looks more promising. Either way, I feel a weight being lifted.

The diva has been a bad influence on a number of writers. I have noticed this week that as soon as either my boss or I walk into the lunchroom in which she is in, she immediately looks, gets up, and leaves. Ah, such maturity!

The diva is closer to my manager's age. I am wondering whether she feels threatened by someone like me, who is equally as seasoned of a writer, but who is far more competent, be her team lead.

My manager describes her as a poison. I agree. I actually said to him that she is toxic. I avoid toxic folks at all costs.

Drama with the new diva

The new writer, who is supposed to be seasoned, is causing quite a bit of drama. She's a diva.

On Monday, her desk didn't have a chair. Instead of looking for one, she decided to sit at another desk in a different area.

In our office, we have various neighbourhoods. You belong a specific neighbourhood. She went into a completely different one. The manager there had to ask my manager who she was.

She has since sat there all week. She didn't tell anyone why until my manager asked her. He figured out that she had moved due to her chair disappearing.

He told her that he got a chair. She didn't move back. She then cited that it was dark over in our area and she needs natural light.

Then, there is the review process. I have told her that her work goes through a peer review first (me) before it goes to a technical person. She doesn't seem to get it. I have gone through this procedure numerous times.

My manager has told me that he is seriously considering canning her. I told him last week that she's not the right fit for us. The burden will hit me yet again. Instead of doing what I need to do, I will probably continue to do development work.

This new writer is actually causing more grief than needed. She disappears for a couple of hours each day and has dragged a number of folks to join her.

Tomorrow is a new day. Let's see what happens.

Happy Halloween - being naughty

It has been so busy that I completely forgot to wish everyone who enjoys Halloween a safe and scary one!

I live around the corner from an elementary school. Halloween is important on my street. I'm the type who loves shelling out candy and giving out full-sized chocolate bars. Why? You need about five of the treat-sized ones to feel like you actually ate something!

My guy and I had this chat earlier in the day:

"So, what are you going to be for Halloween?" he asked me.
"Nothing special. I'm going to wear my M&M's outfit," I replied.
"I know how much you love M&M's," he remarked.
"How about you?" I asked him.
"I'm always your Mr. Meanie," he answered.
"I must be your naughty M&M's girl then," I replied.
"You sure are. I like spanking my sweet girl," he replied.

Halloween is also a good time for a spanking. Then again, pretty much any day is a good one for me.

Banking changes - what is old is new again

I have been with my current bank for over two decades. Back then, I had made the switch from one bank to this one due to a change in credit card (the bank changed from Visa to MasterCard) at the former.

To make a long story short, I had made a payment to the new credit card and the transaction got lost electronically. I didn't like the response that I got from that bank -- that nothing could be done. Instead, I cancelled all my accounts with this bank and moved my accounts over to a different one.

Two decades later, I am in the same predicament. Within the last month, my bank has made a couple of atrocious withdrawals from my account, which has caused a lot of stress. The latest one involved a transaction that came out of my account a week early and messed up my payment plans. I was livid and it happened during the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Ever since these two recent incidents, I have decided to change banks yet again. The funny thing is that my new bank isn't really new. I have always had a no-fee chequing account with this bank. I never bothered to use it until now.

I made the bold step the other day by changing my banking information with payroll. Once I see my pay get deposited to my newish chequing account next week, I will continue moving my various accounts over.

It's exciting to make such a change. I will also be saving on monthly fees. I don't know why I didn't make the switch sooner, but it's definitely better to do it now than to continue down this horrible fee path.

Research on winter tires by my guy

My guy is sweet. I asked him for help on getting winter tires for my car. He said that he would look for deals for me.

He loves Kijiji. He found a fairly decent set of used tires that have barely been used. The person is within my neck of the woods. My guy even pointed out what I should look for and what questions I should ask.

It's nice to have a knowledgeable tire guy.

Stressful Friday and a reflective, relaxing Saturday

On Friday, there was drama with the new writer on my team. She isn't working out.

I gave her a task to update a crucial page in our documentation. The details were outlined in a PowerPoint presentation. Our manager also got involved.

Before our meeting on Friday, we had had three previous meetings. Each time, we had changes that needed to be made.

Just before our meeting, my manager asked me whether I had reviewed her work. I indicated that I hadn't seen the link to it. Instead, we did a bit of an analysis.

In the meeting, it started out okay, except that her attention started focusing on something else. Figures. Her attention span is all over the place.

The meeting got worse when my manager and she confronted each another. What rubbed me the wrong way was that she found out through another writer on our team that my manager and I had reviewed her work beforehand. She claimed that it was still work in progress, which was the whole point of the meeting.

I didn't feel great about being accused of prematurely looking at her work at first. However, when you do go into a review meeting, it makes sense to review what is currently there. Is that crazy?

The changes are pretty straightforward. She ends up doing her own thing while not paying attention to important details. This page details what versions of various application can work with our software product. It's important. You can't make stuff up as you go.

She has a ton of issues. Whenever she gets a task, she has the need to meet the person and hold meetings. The rest of our team does not understand why she makes things more complex than they should be. You are giving a document. Just do the work. Why do you need to meet that person immediately?

She isn't the right fit for us.

It is unfortunate that we cannot fire her, which my manager has hinted. We have yet another hiring freeze and he cannot afford to throw me back into development work.

I feel much better today. It helps to have a decent night's sleep to unwind.

My phone locked itself automatically - weird and good

I thought that Friday would be a quiet day at work. Nope. Drama and weirdness occurred.

I will go with my strange incident. After work, after a trying day, I went out to have a drink and a bite to each with a friend.

We went to a bar and grill close by our workplace. I was checking my phone while waiting for him and it automatically went into lockdown. I tried using my known password, but I couldn't unlock my phone.

After dinner, I had to drive to a different part of the area that I vaguely know. I am so glad that I have a GPS in my car. Otherwise, it would have taken me a bit longer to get there, especially when it gets dark so early in the evening.

I got home and called Google Pixel support. I must say that tech support there is pretty slick. You basically type a brief synopsis of the problem online, click a button, and in a minute, you get a phone call.

The person on the other end said that my phone had to be factory-reset. It meant that I would lose all my data.

The cool thing about this phone is that I have unlimited photo storage and my phone is automatically backed up. So, restoring my phone was straightforward. It went ahead and downloaded all my apps.

In some ways, my phone works better than before.

I asked the tech support person why my phone would simply lock on its own and not let me in. He figures that the cause was a bug somewhere, but he has noted the issue down.

I am so dependent on my phone. However, not using it for four hours felt pretty good.

Declining my second interview

I decided to pass on that second job interview. It's interesting how a few events managed to change my thoughts about the position.

This potential job opportunity is a contract. I don't mind that. I would also be taking a pay cut. Again, that's not a concern, for the job requires working from home.

These days, it's health benefits. This job doesn't offer any. I need peace of mind that I am covered. Paying for my own isn't an option.

The fiasco with the resource manager saying that another candidate had been selected over me, and then apologizing by saying that he got the hiring managers mixed up put a damper on things. As much as I was okay with the mixup at the time, it's still not the best emotional roller coaster to be on.

I was asked to produce a network topology diagram. It has been a while since I did all this preparation work for an interview, but I managed to get it done on Saturday.

This week, things got busy at work. This hiring manager contacted me through e-mail and phone. I couldn't attend to both.

During this process, the hiring manager corresponded with me using two different personal e-mail addresses. He panicked and guessed at what my work e-mail was. He then sent me an e-mail on how concerned he was. I didn't appreciate it. The last thing I want is a hiring manager to be contacting me at work. Our IT department does data mining, among other data checks. I don't need the company realizing that I want to jump ship.

So, I wrote to him and said that I wasn't interested anymore. I actually am good with my decision. I have health benefits and I like my colleagues on the whole. Sure, a change would have been great, but I am going through change with my job duties at my current place of employment. I want to see where I go with them.

Teasing my guy in anticipation for a spanking

My guy works from home when he is not on the road. One benefit is that he can sleep in. He admitted to me that he gets up at noon these days.

"I'm a night owl," he told me.
"I know. I'm a night owl, too. The difference is that I can get up without hitting the snooze button so often that I need to replace the glass on my phone," I hinted.
"I can't wait to get you over my lap and spank you for that remark," he threatened.
"Me, neither," I replied.

It's enjoyable teasing him and getting myself in playful trouble.

Being vulnerable... he's here!

When my guy and I started dating, it took him a while to open up to me. He wasn't great at expressing how he felt. He would tell me that he felt vulnerable and a bit uncomfortable.

These days, he embraces his vulnerability. We both trust each other. He comes to me when he needs to talk. The feeling is mutual.

After sex, we both are in a lethargic, relaxed state. We say the most fun things afterwards. The other day, my guy ended up singing. That's nothing unusual.

"I'm here! I'm here!" he sang to me.
"I know. You're next to me," I said, sweetly kissing him.
"I'm here! You're here!" he said, in a dopey voice.
"You're here. Me, too," I said.

He's sweet when he is in this state. I just want to hug him even more.

Encouragement to seek a side job

My guy and I are supportive of each other. When we first started dating, my guy would often suggest things that I could do to earn extra income on the side.

It's funny, but I don't have that business-money sense like he does. He teaches a course on the side. This semester, my guy doesn't have a course to teach.

He has often encouraged me to teach a night or weekend course, like he does here and there. He also suggested that I do tutoring or provide editing services on student papers.

I decided to do something different. I asked him whether I should earn a bit of money by becoming an Uber driver.

"That's a great idea," he said. "You know your way around the city, you're personable, and you like to drive."
"I'm thinking that it would be a great fit. I could drive on the weekend and earn a bit of cash," I replied.
"For sure. You'd be a great driver."

The good news is that I have been approved. I simply need to register for a business number.

Staying calm in traffic after a mixup

It has been a long week.

On Friday, while driving home from my various shopping excursions, my cell phone rang. It was my resource manager from the employment agency. I took the call.

He broke the bad news. He explained that the hiring manager who liked my skills during my first interview decided to go with another candidate who was more qualified. I was actually okay with the news. I explained that I hadn't been interviewed in over seven years and was simply pleased that I have a decent set of skills that gets noticed.

It was a cordial call. We hung up.

Five minutes later, my phone rang again. It was the same person. I was still stuck in traffic.

He indicated that he had made a mistake. He is working with two different hiring managers with the same first name. Mine is still interested in conducting a second interview.

It was an odd mixup. My resource manager apologized. I indicated that it has been such a crazy week that mistakes happen.

It's a good thing that I am a calm person stuck in traffic.

Trip is postponed, but sweet words carry on

My guy broke a bit of bad news.

"My trip to Seattle is postponed again," he told me.
"Bummer," I replied. "Keep me posted. I will join you when it's resurrected."
"I was really looking forward to having you for a week," he admitted.
"You have me already," I said, smiling.
"I know. I just love seeing you after work when I am on the road."

He's sweet, as always.

My team and my guy - thoughts

I have three folks on my team. Two are full-time writers and the third is my student.

Technically, all three are new to my team. On a good note, they all get along. It's an interesting dynamic.

My student and I get along well. She does not hesitate to do any task that I give her. She does require an occasional trigger word to get her on track on a few tasks. Otherwise, she completes them with quality and I am pleased.

One writer is essentially my mini-me as far as work ethic goes. She is a self-starter and simply runs with whatever tasks are available. She is a fast learner and does have a lot of experience with an authoring tool that we will be cutting over to. She's great, her work is close to being perfect, and is taking over roughly have of my development work.

The concern is with the other writer. She is the oldest member of the team. I tell her information. It goes in one ear and completely out the other. I feel like I am a broken record.

She also does not read e-mails carefully. Often, she doesn't read them at all. She prefers instant messaging over e-mails. I am the complete opposite. I find the former distracting.

When I do work from home, I put myself into do-not-disturb mode these days. It means that you see me online, but I won't accept instant messages.

Both the student and the younger writer understand that I get a ton of e-mails. They also know that I am completely accessible through e-mail. The other writer seems to be all over the map.

She told me the other day that she felt that she was doing student work. She does have an issue with status, indicating that she is a senior writer. It's funny. She doesn't give me the impression that she is.

Perhaps it's me. I am also in that same senior writer as far as experience goes, although she has more of it. However, I do not label one task as being for a student and another for a senior writer. I do tasks that need to be done. Period.

Over the last few weeks, it occurred to me that I have a ton of knowledge. Even older technology that I have to resurrect from the dead comes to me naturally, which has been the case for the past few days. It's funny that I acquired this knowledge mainly through trial and error. I don't see any initiative with the older writer when it comes to self-learning. It's there with the younger one. The student has it, too.

My concern is that the older writer, who is supposed to take over the other half of my development duties, won't be able to hack it. She is set in her ways, which is a red flag.

The good news is that I am taking Friday off. I will be seeing my guy, so it will be a good, relaxing time away from work.

Gord Downie and Jann Arden - Canadian music celebrated and loved

I worked from home on Wednesday. It was highly productive. It was also a day of music. 

Gord Downie, lead singer of the Tragically Hip, died. He was only 53 years of age. He succumbed to brain cancer. He will be missed.

His music represents Canada. It is Canada.

I then went to see Jann Arden in concert tonight. I have seen her more than any other singer or group in concert. She is so funny. I love her songs and her voice. She, too, is Canadian. A true gem.

Although things change, my love for their music never ceases.

I am currently listening to a tribute to Gord Downie and his band. So good.

Course is done and all is well

I completed the second part of my refresher course on Tuesday. It was shorter than I had anticipated. Then again, doing a nearly four-hour course over two days is a decent length.

I have received positive, favourable feedback. I am thankful and pleased.

It's a good thing that I am working from home on Wednesday. I plan on going into productive mode. I am banning myself from our instant messaging tool. It is such a distraction.

Control and targeted audience for a course

On Monday, the first part of delivering my refresher course to colleagues went well. I have one more session to do on Tuesday, which will be shorter.

My manager was there simply because he had created the meeting. I suppose that it's a control thing. Technically, it would have been best if I had created the meeting with conference and Web details to join it.

He sat through the three hours. At the end, he said that he didn't understand anything. At my desk, he said the same thing when he provided his feedback.

My response? The course isn't for you. The targeted audience isn't you. It's for writers who have used this authoring and publishing tool. Naturally, you won't understand anything. You were simply there to admit colleagues into the meeting online and on the call.

He nodded. Enough said.

Training

At work, I am teaching a refresher course. It is split up into two sessions. The first session starts on Monday morning.

It's interesting that I am both relaxed and nervous. I have given the same training for a while. This course focuses on fundamentals that need reinforcement. I think that it's good that I feel nervous. It means that I care about the content that I am about to deliver.

I didn't think that I would ever be in this position. It's cool that my guy understands what I do and vice-versa.

Fun step pleasuring and exciting my guy

It's always wonderful pleasuring my guy. Last weekend, in our hotel room, he was completely naked, minus his socks that I noticed later on.

It's practically instinctual for me to wrap my hand around his hard member and jerk him off. He loves the look of my hand around it. I had berry-coloured nail polish on.

"Kiss me," he said.

I did. He gets more excited when I do.

He also loves my shoulders. He pulled down my t-shirt, exposing my right shoulder. He looked at the colour of my bra strap.

"You're wearing a black bra," he said.

His excitement went into overdrive. He loves a black bra and panties on me, which was exactly what I was wearing. At this point, I just had the former on.

Moments later, he came. We kissed, embraced, chatted, and then cleaned up.

I am always content when he ejaculates. Naturally, he is, too.

Rescheduled trip and hugs

Over the weekend, my guy brought up some good news.

"It looks like my trip has been rescheduled to next month," my guy said.
"That's great. Can I come?" I asked him.
"Of course. It will give us plenty of time to play," he hinted.
"Yay!" I said.

We both can tell when we have missed each other. We don't need to say a thing. When we embrace, we feel it. We hug each other tightly. It's feels good.

Passed the first stage of my interview... yay!

This post is an update on trying my hand at applying for a new job and being the interviewee. I haven't been in this position for over seven years.

On Thursday afternoon, I had a phone interview. I was notified of it on Wednesday. The agency representing me is pretty thorough. The resource manager taking care of me let me know what questions were going to be posed. What I didn't have any time to do was to send my answers to him. Work is busy to begin with. The last thing I feel like when I am at home is to write bucketed answers to questions.

I felt good during the interview. The hiring manager flat out told me that he wanted me back for a second interview. My resource manager told me that this company rarely tells candidates about coming back for a second interview. Normally, the hiring manager thinks about it for a day. Sweet!

The hiring manager felt that my skills were a perfect fit and told me that he liked how confident I was.

It was a good day.

Anniversary month - so down with it!

October is our anniversary month. I feel like saying, "We made it!" We have certainly had our fair share of ups and downs, as is the norm in life. My guy and I are more in love than ever.

For the first couple of years, I didn't do much maintenance around my pubic region. I just let it go. My guy never complained. In fact, he said that it was fine, but recommended a trim or two.

It took our time briefly apart where I decided to keep my pubic hair nicely trimmed.

I do see the advantages. My guy likes to go down on me. He did that after taking off my lacy black panties and having me rest of my back on the bed.

He spread my legs wide. He then pleasured me with his tongue. It was incredible. My orgasm was intense. It was so good. I was immediately lethargic and he knew it.

He came over to hug me.

"Thanks for saving the world. You are my superhero," I said to him.
"I'm glad. I'm naked boy," he replied.
"You're tongue boy. A very talented one," I said, hugging him tightly.

It wasn't a bad start to our long weekend together. No complaints at all.

Knocking on my door to save the day by undressing

I'm back! It was a nice, well-deserved break with my guy over Thanksgiving.

I drove over to his neck of the woods on Saturday. I booked a hotel for us, which felt like a decent staycation. I am also close to renewing my elite membership with this particular hotel chain, so it all works out.

After I had checked in to my room and had settled in, I let my guy know of my hotel room number. He came over in a flash. He knocked on my door. I opened it and let him in.

We hugged and kissed as soon as the door had closed. He grabbed my buttocks and groped them, which I loved.

He took my hand and led me over to the bed. We both sat down at the edge. I caressed his head, which had a bit of stubble. It was soft and nice.

He started to take off his clothes.

"You don't waste time, do you?" I asked him, watching him take off his shirt.
"We don't have much time," he said.
"Are you going to save the world?" I asked him, as he reminded me of a superhero.

He laughed, as he took off his pants and briefs. He then kissed me and gently led me to the bed to stretch out. He then helped me remove my black lacy panties under my short skirt.

It was pretty good welcome. Yes, there's a pun in there.