New Year's Eve

Hey, we made it through 2018!

Thanks to everyone who has dropped by this year to read my blog. I appreciate the support! I wish you a happy 2019 to come, full of joy, love, and good health.

Take care,
Cutiebootie

Good girl, BAD girl

Whenever my guy and I converse, I like saying that I am his good girl. He will immediately say that I'm his bad girl.

In e-mail exchanges, it's even more amusing. I'll sign off by saying, "Your good girl."

My guy is consistent. He'll reinforce that I'm bad.

Hi there BAD girl,
Nice to hear from you. :)

I like when he emphasizes that I'm BAD.

Dealing with an inept colleague while on vacation

The new writer manages to still get on my nerves even when I am on vacation. She has no clue about respect for those who are on vacation.

On Christmas eve, she said that she'd wish everyone a nice Christmas. It seemed like a thoughtful gesture on her part.

We have an instant messaging tool that we use at work. I have it installed on my phone, as I take teleconferences while I am driving into work. I frankly don't like instant messaging apps. I find getting text messages to be a distraction.

Guess what she does? While I am preparing fixings in the kitchen on Christmas day, I get a text message on this instant messaging app from her. She's wishing me a merry Christmas. I have mentioned to her in the past that I don't like being contacted through this app. Obviously, this tidbit didn't register in her head, as with most information that my interns and I have relayed to her.

Two days later, I get a status report from her on this instant messaging app, saying that she's "holding down the fort." You would think that this app saying that I have been away for three days would mean something to her. Nope.

I wrote her an e-mail, copying our manager, on instant messaging etiquette. I pointed out that instant messaging is used to contact someone quickly to get a response and when it's urgent. Providing a status report or wishing me a nice Christmas over Skype while I am on vacation is not proper etiquette. I had to spell it out that I do not want to be reached on this work instant messaging app when I am on vacation. I want a work-free vacation. However, writing this e-mail to tell her to stop it and to explain how instant messaging etiquette works wasn't in my vacation plans.

I then indicated to look at our manager's e-mail that wished everyone a merry Christmas. He sent it as an e-mail, not through an instant messaging app. She does not comprehend that instant messages that she sends goes to my personal phone while I am on vacation and she is not. The last person I truly want to hear from on my vacation is this woman.

I got a reply back from her to my e-mail saying that she understood what I had said. I doubt that she truly does. It is so frustrating dealing with someone who seems to be shielded from the world and does not understand what is common courtesy.

Haircut and reunion with my hairdresser

I got my hair cut on Thursday. I got four inches off my hair length. It feels great!

For over a year, I had a wonderful hairdresser that did a great job cutting my hair. Sadly, the salon that I went to had closed. It took me a while to find a new salon with an equally competent hairdresser. I found it this past summer.

On Thursday, I went in said salon and checked in. I heard a familiar voice. It was my wonderful hairdresser. Yay!

It's nice to know that everyone at that shut down salon has moved over to this one. I got another hairdresser who has worked with Ms. Wonderful for twenty years. This one did a great job on my new hairdo.

I'm thankful that I have two hairdressers who style my hair perfectly!

Potential work-vacation trip

My guy is attending a training session in mid-January. It's being held somewhere in Dallas. However, his trip hasn't been confirmed yet.

He asked me whether I'd like to go. Considering that I am still drained from work and am currently on vacation, I said yes. I just wish that the dates were confirmed, so I can book my flight now.

I am hoping that all goes well. We are both looking forward to spending some time with each other. We haven't done such a trip in a while.

Happy Boxing Day and hieroglyphics

It's officially Boxing Day in Canada. It basically is an extra day off for most Canadians.

There will be sales happening. I will try and avoid going to stores for deals. However, I do need to get a few things at the drug store. We'll see how crazy that store gets!

My guy got me the sweetest gift from Cairo.

"I got this little gift for you," he said, handing me a small box.
"Cool," I said, opening the cobalt blue box. "Hey, it's a pendant with hieroglyphics!"
"It's your name in them," he said.
"I love it. I'll need to get a chain for it," I said.

I need to find a silver chain for this wonderful jewellery piece to dangle from it.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and yours! For those who are celebrating, I hope that you are with friends and family. If not, know that you are loved.

Take care,
Cutiebootie

Attractive head with a small scratch

I love the shape of my guy's head. It's perfectly uniform. I find it sweet and sexy to caress.

The other day, we were talking. I looked up and noticed a small scratch on his head.

"Oh, no. What happened to your head?" I asked him.
"I must have scratched it somewhere. I need to be delicate around that area when I shave," he said.
"I hope it heals soon, I said," delicately caressing the area.

I just wanted to kiss his head in hopes of making his boo-boo heal faster.

Kissing, planning my spanking, and more kissing

My guy and I sat down after we unlocked lips. It's instinctual that we hold hands, even across from each other.

He moved closer to me, wrapping his legs around mine. We kissed some more. He cupped and groped my breasts. I caressed his chest.

"If we weren't so close to the security office, I'd bend over this table to get my spanking," I said.
"Yes, my hand would make a lot of noise spanking that cute butt of yours," he said.
"We can't have security coming in to see if we are okay," I smiled.
"It's been such a long time since I've spanked you. I'll need to spank you longer and harder to make up for lost time," he reasoned.
"That's going to hurt, Mr Meanie," I noted.
"Yes, it will," he said firmly.

We both smiled, and continued to kiss and hug.

Welcome kisses, hugs, gropes, and caresses

On Friday, my team had a little get-together before Christmas. We ended up watching a movie and ordering lunch in. It was fun.

While watching the movie, my guy called me. I had to redirect his call to my voicemail. I also ended up texting him.

He was at our favourite shawarma place by work .He asked me whether I'd like to join him. I explained the whole group lunch-movie combo. I asked if he had time to swing by the office. He advised that he didn't have his badge. I let him know that it didn't matter. I asked that he drop by reception and text me. I'd then come to him.

He did just that. I came out of the room where we were having our function and greeted him. I then moved us to a room where I needed to badge us in, but he didn't need to.

We looked at each other once the door closed. I made the first move to kiss him on the lips. We have longed to kiss each other for nearly four weeks. I hugged him with one arm and caressed his perfectly uniform head with the other.

Meanwhile, my guy continued to kiss me and grope my buttocks. I have missed all that.

We were probably in this kiss-hug-caress-grope period for nearly five minutes. When we finally separated, we had this brief conversation:

"That's a nice welcome," he said, smiling.
"I agree," I said.

I'm thankful that he is back home in my arms.

Thoughts about how a newbie learns

It has been nearly two weeks that my students and I have been training the new employee. It has been a challenge for all of us.

I am still trying to figure out how this new employee learns. It's difficult to narrow down, but here are my notes:

• She is an extremely slow learner. She requires tons of repetition doing the same task before she begins to understand it.
• She is not good at recognizing patterns. If there is a clear example on the page, she does not know how to apply that example to solve her current problem.
• She does not read well. It doesn't matter whether she has a checklist or a procedure on how to do a task, she does not read details carefully. She also does not read e-mails well.
• Her comprehension is dismal. She constantly relies on my PowerPoint slides and treats them as the gospel. When she has a checklist to go through, she is still dependent on her slides and doesn't realize that the checklist takes precedence. When I quiz her on how to do something, she goes to her printed slide notes and doesn't get it. So, it's another explanation, but from a different angle. 
• She says thanks too often. Sure, we are all Canadian. However, saying thanks after every other sentence that we say does not register knowledge that we have passed on to her. It is also overkill.
• She is afraid to try anything on her own. When she had a question on how to edit a page the other day, I asked her to give it a try. She gave me a firm, "No!" Um, okay. Odd.

She does have a cartoon character voice. It's squeaky. One of my colleagues called it cute. I find it annoying the more she talks, which is pretty often.

My manager was impressed by how much information and research she did for her second interview. I didn't feel the same way. I realize now that it was all memorization. The comprehension is nonexistent. 

The red flag that I had during her second interview was that she admitted that she was a slow learner. I pointed that out to my boss. He said that the extra work that she does after hours will get her learning faster. I didn't think that it was the case then. I certainly don't see it now.

It is still frustrating dealing with someone who does not get what she is doing. I have even seen my students get frustrated.

Here's hoping that things get better, although things look bleak right now.

Missing me and flying home

I miss my guy. He's flying home as I type this post.

I like when he gets all mushy and sweet.

"You know that I miss you a ton, right?" he said in a tender moment in our conversation.
"I think so. You don't normally say it as much as I do, but I know that you do," I said.
"Yes, I do miss you a lot. I can't wait to kiss those lips of yours," he said.

The feeling is definitely mutual.

Sleeping, cuddling, kissing, and coming home

My guy called me after I had finished washing my car.

"Hey, are you ready for bed?" I asked him.
"I'm in bed right now," he replied.
"I miss cuddling up to you, kissing you, tucking you into bed, and sleeping with you," I noted.
"You're sweet. I miss all of that with you, too," he replied.

My guy hops on a plane today and is coming home. Yay!

Avocado sock and a spanking certification for being like Cheap Bastard

I was talking to my guy about the Toronto Christmas Market. I went there a couple of weekends ago with friends.

"Did you find anything interesting?" he asked me.
"There were some unusual items. I found a single sock for your avocado," I said.
"What do you do with this sock?" he asked curiously.
"It keeps your avocado safe while ripening it," I replied.
"Wow," he said.
"I can't make this stuff up. It's all yours for a whopping $20. I sounded like you. I was outraged. I can get a pair of socks at the dollar store for much less," I admitted.
"Yes, you could get it for a dollar. You're becoming me. You are CB-certified," he replied.
"Thanks. That's a high compliment to be certified by you," I replied.
"I'll certify you when I spank that butt of yours and leave a red mark or so," he replied.
"You haven't spanked me for a while. It's long overdue," I noted.
"It is. When I see you again, I want to spank you for being my bad girl," he said.
"You'll need to rectify it soon," I replied.
"You mean erectify," he said, being punny.
"You mean you can erectify the situation. It's all you! I love it. It's clever and funny," I commented.
"That's a first. I didn't have to force you to admit that it was both clever and funny," he pointed out.

I like his certification style.

Waiting

I miss my guy. This week is his last one away before he returns home.

I can't wait to see him again.

Turnips and learning

I had a good Saturday. I slept in and got nearly eight hours of sleep.

I went out to run some errands. I am the odd one who enjoys grocery shopping on a Saturday.

I drove a few towns over to a discount grocery store that specializes in frozen items. I like the frozen, cubed turnips. There is no need to spend time peeling them. They are also uniform in size and cook evenly.

At the checkout counter, I took everything out of my basket. The cashier asked whether the turnips take long to cook. I said not really. I put them in soups and pan-fry them. She liked my answer.

I am a foodie at heart. Perhaps I look like I know what I'm doing. Not really. I learned that I enjoy eating turnips about half a year ago! I am still learning and it's a journey.

The cashier was great at packing all my groceries into my single reusable bag. I was impressed. I need to learn how to bag like she does!

Exhausting week and questioning comprehension

What a long week! I'm exhausted.

I wrapped up a major release and pushed out a minor one. I got my little team consisting of two students and me to train a new employee on our team. It's good that she has been hired to take over some of my development tasks. However, I am still unsure about how I feel about her.

The way that she learns and comprehends puzzles me. She talks a lot. Information relayed to her doesn't register in her head.

She had a question about a feature and what the difference was between the options. I asked if she wanted to try one of the options out. She said with authority, "No!" That's not a good sign if you are all questions, you can retain answers, and you are hesitant to explore.

Yes, she talks a ton. It's to the point where I have to tune out. She also sounds like a little girl and she's nearly thirty years old. It's difficult to listen to her.

I am hoping that next week will fly by. I'm simply glad that the weekend is here.

Saying thanks does the world good

I am in a thankful mood these days. I tend to say thanks all the time to those who have helped me along the way. However, I get to do more these days.

At work, we have a program where we can write something nice to someone, to recognize their accomplishments. For the longest time, I have seen our office coordinator do a bunch of tasks, such as helping me out when I have new employees or students joining my team, bringing in snacks and munchies to life everyone's spirits, and just being who she is. She does so much and rarely gets the recognition that she truly deserves.

I often say thanks to her in person or in e-mails. I decided to write something nice in our accomplishments application.

She told me that I made her day with my kind words. Mission accomplished.

Craving a hard spanking

My guy misses spanking me.

"I want to put you over my lap when I see you again," he said the other day.
"I'd like that. It has been ages since you've spanked me," I noted.
"I miss spanking that cute butt of yours. I want to lift up your skirt and start spanking you, followed by taking down your panties and spanking you hard until your butt is red."

Naturally, it made me horny.

All I want for a gift is you

My guy missed our office Christmas party. I gave him the scoop on our first Christmas party at a banquet hall in three years.

He pinged me on Skype as I was nearly home. I had to swing by my local grocery store to get an item.

I got home and chatted with him. I am always happy when I hear his voice.

"What would you like me to get you as a gift?" he asked me.
"I'd like a good-looking guy with a uniform head and a package that I'd like to open," I replied.
"Yes, you definitely have me waiting for you," he said, conforming my great taste in gifts.

He's so sweet.

Stressful Monday morning, but better in the afternoon

Ah, Monday. Either it's horrible or it's okay. I got a mix today.

A new employee joined the company. She is hopefully going to take over a bulk of my work. The problem with her is that she asks a ton of questions without doing much research. It also didn't help that her laptop wasn't available until two hours later.

As I was trying to look up information, I got a ton of questions from her. Ugh. Such a bad time to be asking ridiculous questions.

She brought her laptop home. We never covered how to connect remotely. The answer was on an information sheet that she got with her laptop. Again, more questions. Double ugh.

I got annoyed. Thankfully, things turned around as the day progressed.

My guy sent me a text in the afternoon. It was bad timing, though. I let him know that I was training a new writer and was stressed out.

"Sorry to hear that. Please ping me when you're free. Hope I'm still up," he texted.
"It'll probably be late. I train until 5 pm. I'll give you a try. Miss you," I replied.
"Same here," he said, sending a kiss emoticon.
"You're sweet," I replied, reciprocating with a kiss emoticon.
"You, too," he replied.

He makes my day when I need some cheering up.

Toronto Christmas Market and texting smileys

On Saturday, I visited the Toronto Christmas Market for the first time with a couple of friends. We had a great time hanging out.

It's pretty expensive buying stuff there. Still, if you go for the experience, you're good.

My guy called me in the afternoon. I had missed his call. It was so noisy at this market that I didn't even hear my phone ring or vibrate. He left me a smiley text, which always means that he's good. I sent him a smiley back that blew him a kiss.

Here's hoping that we chat soon.

Handjob while driving - repeat in future

My guy reminisced about my giving him a handjob while driving him to the airport.

"I enjoyed it so much. Can we do it again?" he asked me.
"We can when road conditions are good and you're back," I replied.
"I love when you make me so dopey," he admitted.
"I love it, too," I replied.

He's my sweet horny guy.

Deadlines and Christmas market - yay, weekend!

It has been a crazy week. My team got our documentation packaged and uploaded. There are a few issues that need helpdesk support. However, we worked so hard to get our deliverables out the door.

I'm glad that it's the weekend. I am seeing a couple of friends tomorrow at a Christmas market. I am looking forward to seeing them again and what's at the market.

Bounced car insurance payment and a $50 bill in the parking lot

Life works in mysterious ways.

My chequing account was short $6. My car insurance payment was supposed to automatically come out of that account. However, since there were insufficient funds, I ended up getting slapped with a $40 charge. It hurts, but I'm okay about it.

After a long day at work on Thursday, I walked out of the office and to my car. I was on hold with my car insurance company. Someone had called me, likely to follow up on my payment.

I was looking down at my phone, to make sure that the call was still ongoing. In the underground parking lot, I saw a $50 bill on the ground. I picked it up.

It's funny how things unfold in my life.

Travel, sucking, orgasm, and ejaculation

My guy may be travelling for business in mid-January. It's within the province and would roughly be a 4.5-hour drive.

"I'd like you to join me, if you can," he said.
"It would be great. We haven't been on a trip together like that for a long time," I noted.
"True. I'd love to spend time with you after work," he stated.
"Yes. I can welcome you home from work and ask if I can suck you," I observed.

He loved that. We were both pretty horny last night. We both ended up dopey after our fun session os Skype.

New record player and old cell phone

I bought a record player the other day. It was on sale. It's a gift to myself.

I bought one last year in purple, my favourite colour. It was on sale, too. The problem with it is that it doesn't spin a record fast enough and maintain its speed. It's such a shame.

This new record player can do more than just play records. It has a cassette deck, AM/FM radio, bluetooth, and an aux line to connect an iPod or other music player to it.  It plays CDs, too. I can record anything to MP3. It's quite the powerhouse.

I had to make room for it. It's not a tiny thing. It's not monstrous, either.

I liked that it forced me to clean the top of my stereo system. I found a box with an old cell phone from my days in Minnesota. I didn't think that I still had the phone. It's so tiny in comparison to the phones these days.

I felt like I had opened a time capsule of sorts. It was cool to see a snapshot of my life a while back.

Sleepyhead

My guy (MG) wanted to chat on Sunday. It didn't quite happen. He is still jet-lagged. Instead, we had this quick exchange over Skype.

MG: Sorry, fell asleep :)
Me: That's okay. You are my sleepyhead :)

He's sweet.

Attractive manager, and handjobs and blowjobs

I have a love-hate relationship with my current job position. I love training folks and working with students. I like research. I dislike incompetence and my huge workload. That's nothing new.

I was talking about it with my guy. We both don't exactly like the company's direction. We just grin and bear it.

My guy still urges me to continue finding employment elsewhere. I pointed out that I have not had a standard-of-living raise within the last two years. I have not received a bonus within the last three years.

I am currently dealing with a new project manager who thinks that she knows everything. Yet, she chimes into e-mails, which is irrelevant and adds more grief than necessary. She then flips it around to indicate that I seem unclear. Whatever. The proof is within the e-mail transcript that she is delusional.

She has set up a meeting for me to step through two documents for a final review with folks. I find it a waste of time, as we went through a first round of reviews. She can step people through it. After all, it's her meeting. I don't need to be there to walk folks through documents. People can read. She can handle this walk-through exercise, since she knows everything. Yes, read that last sentence with sarcasm.

She is a horrible communicator. I don't know where we get such incompetent project managers. Naturally, my manager just sits there and does nothing. It's probably because I have been handling everything well on my own.

Anyway, my guy and I had this chat about the situation.

"I think that it's great that you are looking for employment, as not getting any salary raise is not ideal," he sympathized.
"Yes, I haven't stopped. I just haven't found the right job," I noted.
"Fair enough. Once you find an attractive job, you can make your move," he agreed.
"If you were my attractive manager, I would definitely work for you. You'd have a job for me. A hand job, at least," I said.
"If I were your manager, we'd be doing a ton of jobs, like handjobs and blowjobs," he said.

It's nice when we incorporate some teasing and role-playing into our serious conversations.

Spank me every day

It's nice when my guy and I chat over Skype when we are apart. We had this conversation yesterday.

"Have you been a bad girl?" he asked me.
"I don't know. I think that I've been good. I haven't been spanked for a while," I noted.
"It has been a while since I've spanked you. That's why you don't know," he said.
"It's all your fault," I stated.
"I don't think so. If I were with you, I'd spank that cute butt of yours every day," he admitted.
"Can you write that in a Hallmark card and send it to me? I love it," I replied, which made him chuckle.
"It's romantic, huh?" he said rhetorically.

We miss each other. He's sweet.

Chatting with my sleepyhead while heading over to pick up a cheque

My guy called me from Cairo. I was driving from work, on my way to a financial place to pick up a cheque. I'll write more about this topic later.

He's doing well. He was in good spirits and let me know that he was enjoying eating guava. I love guava, too.

He said that he would call me back after picking up my cheque. He didn't. I assumed that he ended up nodding off to sleep. He lives up to my sleepyhead nickname for him.

I'm glad that he called. He made my week and started off my weekend on a good note.

Losing jobs before Christmas is sad

It's always sad to hear about colleagues and people losing their jobs. It's even worse when it's just before Christmas.

The biggest news story just east of where I live is that General Motors (GM) has decided to close its Oshawa plant in 2019, which means that all workers at this plant will be unemployed. It's sad, as Oshawa is the home of so many GM employees who moved to this city to work.

I used to have a Pontiac Grand Am. I thought that my next car would be a Pontiac G6 until the entire Pontiac line got canned. GM hasn't fully recovered since the late 2000's.

This week, my company found out that pink slips have been issued to folks out of our Montreal office. On my team, we are losing three decent people, two of whom I have met and trained. It's just a sad situation and I can only offer to help if they need any references from me.

It sucks that they are losing their jobs right before Christmas.

Bubbles, my loyal pet betta fish

I haven't written much about my betta fish, Bubbles. He got that nickname because he liked making bubbles on the water's surface. He is also fascinated by bubbles that form in his tank if I have added water in there and it has been there for a while before I transfer him in.

Although he is a fish, he's greets me whenever I walk into the room. I noticed this greeting of his when I first saw him at the pet store. He's sweet. He's kind of like an aquatic dog.

My betta fish in the past have either been all blue in colour, or all red. Bubbles is different. He's green, blue, and red.

Yesterday, I changed the water in his tank and he seemed so happy when he got back in there. I'm glad that he's happy.

I used to think that it was unfortunate that he has to live alone. He can't live with another male betta. It would not end well.

I haven't tried getting a fuzzy marimo plant ball for Bubbles to play with. Apparently, they clean your tank, provide oxygen, and make the betta play with it. That's on my shopping list.

407 ETR survey rant - poorly designed and delivered survey

Tuesday was a crazy and, at times, stressful workday. I technically have three rants, but I will go with the one that has nothing to do with work.

Just before dinner, I got a phone call from a person doing a survey on behalf of 407 ETR, which is a toll highway. I take this highway going to work, but don't coming home because it can get expensive.

By doing the survey, I would receive 100 km of free travel on this toll highway. This woman pointed out that it would take fifteen minutes to complete this survey. Cool.

Well, the more I got into the survey, the more I found so many issues and flaws. This survey actually took over thirty minutes to complete. This woman sounded older. She had a British accent. She couldn't type, attentively listen to my comments, or form a simple sentence.

This survey was biased. It was really to find out what customers thought of 407 ETR after an employee who used to work there stole a list of customer phone numbers and names for his own political needs.

I frankly wanted to voice how expensive rates are getting to travel on this toll highway. I have been taking this highway for over eight years. I used to take it both to and from work. Since it's so pricy these days, I only drive on it going to work. I didn't get to express the increase in rates and how I cannot afford to travel on it to and from work.

There were a series of questions where I had the option of rating the statement as great, somewhat great, somewhat poor, and poor. I said to this woman that I wished there was a rating between somewhat great and somewhat poor. She revealed that there was. What?

There is an apparent neutral option. She didn't disclose it until I had made my statement. As a person who declared math as a major and switched it to a minor during my undergraduate days, I was outraged. Why hide this option? You are skewing your survey results.

That's when I realized that this survey was biased.

She said later on that it would look bad to her manager if I answered a bunch of questions with a neutral response. I frankly told her that I didn't care what her manager thinks. I was here to voice my answers and I felt that this survey was rigged.

On a ballot, would you hide a candidate's name? Why would you hide a neutral option on a survey question?

To add insult to injury, she called me a "he" at the end of the survey, when we finally got there. I pointed out that she was rude. I made sure that I got my free kilometres of travel and hung up.

I like doing surveys, but I will never do one for 407 ETR again. The free kilometres isn't worth the insult, time, and aggravation.

Oh, and I disliked when she would say periodically to me, "Moving swiftly." Um, you aren't. You have spent twice as much time to get me through the survey than you had initially promised.

Ugh!

Strong support and laugher help get me through missing my guy

As crazy as work is these days, it's nice that my students and I get along well. We spent the day working on various tasks as a group and got a lot done.

Hanging out with them and being able to make one another laugh was wonderful. We all needed it.

It's nice that I am back to being my happy self. I will always miss my guy when he is away, but having a good support group helps ease the temporary pain.

Missing someone that it hurts and dealing with work madness

Have you ever missed someone that it just hurts? That, for a brief moment, a sense of sadness and panic set in? After all of that passes, you're then okay?

I am feeling all of these emotions. I don't know why I am experiencing such a mixed bag, but I do miss my guy a ton.

I suppose that it doesn't help that there are issues with an upcoming, major software release. All weekend, I simply saw e-mails flooding my inbox on various issues, and what needs to be fixed in both the code and documentation.

About that job that I had interviewed for several weeks ago, it turns out that the position is on hold. I frankly didn't think it was a good fit for me. However, I have heard through the odd, contracted human resources woman that they have a different position in mind for me come January.

I don't have a favourable impression about this company. I will hear what they have to say, but I won't hold my breath.

BAD girl is still sad girl

I am still down about not being able to see my guy for a month. You would think that I'd be used to these long periods without him. I'm not.

I do like when he writes e-mails to me while we are apart. It helps.

It's nice when he starts off his e-mail by calling me BAD girl. Yes, BAD is in capital letters.

It's sweet. It's his version of a love letter that I gladly accept.

A long wait - missing my guy already

I'm bummed out right now. My guy's flight is early today, which means that we won't be able to see each other.

Like last year, he is away from a month on business. It seems like an eternity.

Although he has reassured me that we'll chat while he is away, I'm still sad that we'll be apart for such a long time.

A compliment that came out of nowhere

The other day, I got a compliment from my manager that was completely unexpected. It happened during a conference call.

To make an extremely long story short, we have a group of employees in another country that had questions. A handful of us in Toronto were on this call. They want to set up a similar structure that we have here.

The problem is that these folks want to have a team leader, but none of us in Toronto feel that any of them can handle this position. One of the tasks would be training new employees.

"You would have to train every new employee that joins us. Frankly, I think Cutiebootie and her team should continue training new folks. Cutiebootie is the best trainer that we have," my manager said.

Wow. I'll take it.

Teasing my guy and wanting a hard spanking

My guy is funny. I like teasing him about driving his car. He is adamant that he is the only person who can drive his car.

He has caved in the past. I managed to drive his car from work to our favourite Chinese restaurant.

Whenever he goes on a business trip, I ask him for his car keys. Sometimes, I playfully try and get his keys from him. He ends up spanking me, which I love.

We had this exchange the other day.

"No, I will not leave my car keys with you," he said, cheerfully.
"I look forward to driving your car," I said, playfully.
"You are such a bad girl," he said to me.
"I hope that you'll do something about it," I said.
"Of course. I like spanking you hard," he replied.

I like when he threatens to spank me.

I'm back and am doing laundry

I had a long travel day on Monday. It was pretty uneventful, considering that I drove through pouring rain and a bit of snow. I cut through three states and ended up in my home province.

I got back at a decent time. It was enough time to pick up my friend, have a bit of a chat in her living room, and head over to a restaurant for dinner. It was a nice evening.

After work on Tuesday, I went home and did laundry. It's exciting stuff! I have always been the type of person who needs to do laundry as soon as I can after some time away from hom. I find it relaxing.

My guy and I share that same love for doing laundry. He is preparing for a business trip and leaves on Saturday. I am hoping that we can squeeze in some time together before he leaves.

Concert, movie, and road trip home

I attended a wonderful concert on Saturday. I was on my feet for over four hours.

Today, I spent part of my afternoon at a movie theatre, legs reclined, watching Bohemian Rhapsody.

I drive home tomorrow. It will be a long drive, but I hope to return to Columbus again soon.

Road trips and hugbutt hugs

I have made it to Cleveland. I cut across three states with varying degrees of snow, rain, and cloudy skies throughout the drive.

I have had good eats so far on this road trip. I have a couple of hours left to drive before I get to my final destination. I get to do that later on today.

Changing the subject a bit, I saw this artwork on Instagram.

It reminds me of my guy when he hugs my butt. The only difference is that he's far from being dead!

First major snowstorm of the season

Ah, snow. Just when I am planning a road trip, our first major snowstorm hit late afternoon.

The timing couldn't have been better. It started just before rush hour. It took me 2.5 hours to get home.

The snow is supposed to subside in the early afternoon. I will assess and see if it's a decent time to head stateside.

The good news is that my vacation starts now. Fortunately, my schedule is pretty flexible. I just need to be somewhere on Saturday night.

Busy day dealing with incompetent colleagues

It was a crazy day at work. I'm exhausted.

I lost count after 43. This number represents how many e-mails ended up in my inbox from roughly 10:00 till 17:00. My guess is that I hit 60 e-mails easily.

I find e-mail to be a distraction. Today was a heavy inbox day. It was full of self-absorbed folks who think that my small team is there twiddling our thumbs, waiting for work. We have a ton of work to do, on the contrary.

One software developer provided two documents to us late on Monday. He asked me on Wednesday whether they were ready for him to share for his final review meeting on Thursday.

I took exception to this comment. First, my team isn't so free that we jump on his late guides and complete them. Second, we didn't know about his meeting. His expectation that we would edit them in time for his meeting was a tall order. Third, it seems ridiculous to send us what was dubbed final documents when he is having a final review meeting days later. Technically, these documents are not final. My team has another stab at making these not-so-final documents final.

I also take exception to the assigned project manager. She can't do her job. I have been doing most of her work by making sure documents get to me on specified dates and following up. Most deliverables have been late. I chase after folks because this project manager doesn't.

I have informed her that she needs to chase after folks. She should not be asking me two weeks in advance for documents. I flat out told her that I am not her problem. She needs to focus on other folks who are late with theirs. I don't see her chasing after them that way.

Then, there was another document that came two weeks late on Monday. I was not informed that this document would change. So wrong. Again, I spoke up.

I am sure that these folks do not enjoy dealing with me. Frankly, I don't care. They are not making my working life easy and are not respecting established deadlines. They are causing grief for my team.

I decided to call it a day just before 17:00. Luckily, today is my final workday this week. I am looking forward to my well-deserved mini vacation.

Naps, road trip, sleep - sounds perfect

My road trip is coming up. I hit the road on Friday.

I worked from home yesterday. I was exhausted from Monday. I took a couple of naps. It was all good.

I am looking forward to a bit of a break. I'm off to jot a few items down on a list of things to pack. I'm then off to bed!

The network is down - a perfect storm

It all started on Friday. Our content management system to author content was down just before lunch. We got database errors. My department seems paralyzed when such incidents take place. I got one of my students to report the problem.

Unfortunately, our helpdesk support is halfway around the world and doesn't look at off-hour issues. Ugh!

On the weekend, I had to do some preparation work. My team needed to create two documentation projects and requires all folks to not be working. I planned on doing this work on Saturday. Sure enough, I tried doing some copying work and database errors took place.

There errors were intermittent, though. I logged in using my regular account and I got tons of errors. I tried copying smaller sections with another administrative account and that worked. Weird.

Yesterday, I had my regularly scheduled 8 am meeting. I drive to work on the call. This meeting was delayed by half an hour. I called in about fifteen minutes from work. I couldn't connect to the network.

I walked into a meeting room that I had booked for my little team. My students told me that every network connection was down. It now made sense why I couldn't connect to my conference call. 

I walked over to the lunch room to get some hot water for my tea. I found out that there was a Canada-wide outage. Nice.

I headed back to my students to relay the news. I found out later that it was a global problem.

E-mail was down. I loved it. I didn't have any distractions. I didn't have to respond immediately to my manager's questions due to his incompetence.

Slowly, the network came back up. My team was able to log in to most of our applications and continue with our content projects. Others on my team weren't that lucky.

It was a trying day. My team handled it with grace and humour. We are good with teamwork, fuelled by cookies.

Dopey conversation at the office

My guy told me what had happened to him once he got back to the office. We had just had lunch and I had given him a handjob afterwards.

"I met your colleague's husband when I picked up my new laptop," he said.
"Yes. How did it go?" I asked him.
"I was so dopey that I was talking slowly and he problem thought I was high on weed," he recounted.
"I'm glad that I did a good job. He probably thought that you were tired," I noted.
"I hope so. I was dopey. I probably didn't make much sense. I didn't want to talk," he replied.
"You still had cum on your black slacks, right?" I recalled.
"I did. Luckily, my coat was long enough to hide it," he said.

I love when he's dopey.

USB C cable for charging his phone and punishing me

When my guy and I had last met for lunch, his cell phone had died. He didn't have a USB C cable in his car to charge it.

I had a USB C cable and a battery pack in my purse. I never thought of having his phone charge while we were having lunch. Oops!

We talked about it the other day.

"How did you get to the restaurant?" I asked my directionally challenged guy.
"My phone died across the street from the restaurant, so I was okay," he admitted.
"How about leaving to head back to the office?" I asked him.
"I knew roughly where the highway was. I just took a major street north and found it," he said.
"Cool. I'm so glad," I replied.
"I was directionally skilled," he said.

I laughed out loud.

"You're just making fun of me because I'm directionally challenged," he pointed out.
"I'm teasing you because you're sweet," I replied.

He liked that a lot.

"I now have a USB C cable my car after that incident," he said.
"That's a relief," I noted.
"I can also use it to punish you. I like red lines across your butt," he hinted.
"I'm a good girl, though," I pleaded.
"No, you're my bad girl," he said.

I like being his bad girl. I also like the thought of having him tie my hands up for a good spanking.

Parting colleague and social awkwardness

I'm not sure why I end up installing an operating system update before I blog, but I did just that last night. The update took longer than I had anticipated. I decided to skip blogging.

Friday was an interesting day. It was my colleague's last day with the company.

My team isn't the best in organizing a decent farewell for a fellow colleague. I tend to do it because I care. I got the greeting card. I collected money from everyone to get a parting gift and got it. I handed over our gift to her and made a quick speech.

My manager is horrible at saying something heartfelt. It comes out socially awkward. I asked him to sign the card. He asked me if I could write something for him. Um, no. It needs to come from the heart, unless he doesn't have one.

He did eventually write something. My colleague and I talked before she exited, stage left. She let me read what he had written. It was standard. Nothing special. It's the effort that counts, I suppose.

She clued in that I put everything together. She thanked me a ton of times and asked if she could hug me. So, we did. It was cool.

I'm thrilled that she has found a new career opportunity. It's just sad to see a decent, competent colleague go.

Chatting with my guy about stick shifters

My guy called me as he was driving back from a small town forty minutes away from where he lives.

"What were you doing there?" I asked him.
"I'm getting a shifter for my classic car," he said.

He explained that he can't shift between gears well on the existing one.

"The shifter needs to be tight," he explained.
"Yes, I have lots of experience with your shifter being tight," I teased.

He was telling me that he found some in the States, but duty and shipping fees would kill him. I reminded him that I was driving over the border in less than two weeks. I advised that he could ship it to the hotel where I am staying and I'd drive back with it.

He loved that I would do that for him. I just asked him to let me know when he has completed his order. I'd then drop it off to him when I return from my weekend getaway.

Donating shoes and clothes to folks who need them more

At work, there is a drive to donate gently used shoes for those who are in need of them. I learned about this drive late last week and was hoping that it would stick around. It did.

I found a pair of sneakers that I have never worn. Rather than having them sit at home, taking up space, I donated them.

I felt good placing my shoes in the bin, hoping that someone will put them to good use. It was an uplifting feeling of doing something good.

I need to donate more. I went through this phase several years ago with clothes. It's probably time to do it again.

Productive day with a new laptop

Monday was quite a busy workday. It was nice that my manager was away, which should be the norm!

I had a conference call on my way to work. There are three of us on this call. Two of us have something meaningful to contribute each week. Our third colleague has little to contribute that is of value on any given week.

At the office, I spent my first half an hour on the phone with my cell phone provider. I got my employee discount applied and got reimbursed $32 CAD for the difference this month. Yay!

Moments later, I spent time collecting money towards a farewell gift for a colleague who is leaving the company. I find that if I don't organize such events, no one does it within our department.

Twenty minutes later, I received an e-mail indicating that my replacement laptop had arrived. I went to turn in my old Windows 7 laptop for a new Windows 10 one. The IT folks were helpful and pleasant under the circumstances. Every employee is getting a new laptop, so to orchestrate such a massive change takes a ton of patience.

Naturally, my configuring everything ran into bumps. I needed a new cable to connect one of my existing monitors to the new HDMI port on my laptop. The folks who had those cables were unavailable. Luckily, I bumped into my colleague in the washroom who had an extra cable. It made a huge difference trying to do work on a 14" screen for most of the day to a larger 32" one!

Of course, I couldn't download all the software applications that I needed from our company portal. I spent some time with an IT person over the phone to troubleshoot the issue. Ah, fun!

Tonight, I let my laptop run, sync, and sort itself out at home. Magically, everything works now. I can download the software programs that I need. My connection to the company's intranet works. I'm almost shocked.

I also managed to spend an hour late this morning reviewing documents and answering questions that my students had. We also had a relaxing lunch together with good conversation.

I love a productive day, especially when I chat with so many different folks.

Cell phone plan and corporate discount

Every two years, I have to renew my cell phone plan. I am on a corporate discount. 

It's always an event to get the discount reapplied every two years. I'm at that stage again.

I normally have to get a special passcode. I got mine. Apparently, being able to apply it online is supposed to make it easy. It's not the case. It claims that my cell phone number isn't eligible.

I'll need to give my cell phone provider a call in the morning. Ah, what fun.

This minor hassle ties in with my budget and debt reduction. I save 25% with the corporate discount. I decided to keep the same plan that I have been with for now over two years. I don't need more data. This plan works for me.

Here's hoping that getting this billing issue fixed goes smoothly.

Road trip, food, and plans

I am doing a road trip to the States in a couple of weeks. I am away for four days.

I like planning such trips. I have already done my hotel reservations. I have been researching places to eat, which is fun. The downside is that I have more places bookmarked than meals to eat!

Variety is good. It's also nice to take a break from my hectic work schedule and relax.

Sleep and snoring

I didn't sleep all that well a couple of nights ago. Muscle spasms in my toes on my right foot would not cease for a couple of hours. I took four Ibuprofen tablets during this period and I finally went to sleep.

I only had three hours of sleep that night. On Thursday, I had a full day of work. I came home and was fine. I didn't need a nap.

On my phone, I have a sleep app that I use. It monitors how long I'm asleep, when I'm in a deep sleep, when I snore, and more. I like when it records my snoring. I am not a loud snorer and I tend to snore when I am exhausted.

Sure enough, I looked at my snoring statistics from last night. I was snoring for 25 minutes. I was snoring louder than I typically do. It's fun hearing my snoring!

I felt absolutely refreshed when I woke up on Friday morning. It was wonderful.

I get to set my clocks back an hour on Saturday night. I love getting an extra hour of sleep. 

Departing colleague who thinks I'm Yoda

Another colleague in my department has decided to leave the company. She has been with us for 1.5 years.

I have been pretty busy at work with various software releases. She had a question for me and wrote an e-mail. I answered it a couple of hours after she had sent it, as my team was still trying to get our deliverables out the door.

In my response, I decided to wish her the best with her new job. I indicated that I was going to miss working with her, while still happy about her moving up in the world. She is the person who did not properly lock a washroom stall that she was in and I walked in, thinking that it was free. My guy still teases me now and again about it. It's funny, but we both have moved on from that odd moment.

My colleague wrote back and expressed pretty much the same thing -- that she wished that she could continue to work with me. She went one step further by saying that I am her Yoda. It's sweet, as she feels that I have an answer to any question that she has.

Another colleague and I are organizing her farewell lunch. I am also collecting money towards her parting gift. It's nice that we are all a thoughtful bunch and we get along.

Odd dream

Last night, I had an odd dream. It involved this brief exchange between my guy and me:

"I have these final words to say to you," he said in my dream.
"No, I don't want to hear that you're leaving!" I replied.

I woke up startled. I don't know what the dream means, but it was upsetting.

In a fog, I didn't know if he meant that he was breaking up and leaving me, or if he was leaving for a business trip.

I had to think for a moment to realize that it was a horrible dream. I went back to bed and was fine. Weird!

Thoughts being an interviewee

At work, I conduct a number of interviews. I tend to make interviews a conversation rather than an interrogation. I want the interviewee to be comfortable, which allows that person to open up. I then get as much information out of the candidate to determine whether that person is a good fit.

It has been ages since I went for an interview. It's strange to be the interviewee.

For a while, ever since this job opportunity was plopped into my inbox, I have been mixed about the position. I like the idea of being in a new work environment, being closer to home, and having the challenge of learning a new field. However, after being interviewed by four different people on Monday, I still don't feel that it's my dream job.

The person who could potentially be my manager reminded me of my current manager. Both have been in the industry for nearly two decades. Both don't have a good command of the English language. Both aren't good at listening.

I respectfully butted heads with this person. I saw the passion that came out of me. I didn't back down. If they didn't like that about me, so be it. I'm actually pleased that I took a stand.

This person basically said that this position would be a drastic change for me. He felt that I was doing more of a management role than a writing role. He went on to say that at my workplace, there are tons of writers. You lose one and you're fine. At this company, it's smaller. You lose a person and you feel the impact.

I completely disagreed with him. I have lost a writer a year on my team for at least the past four years. Thanks goes to my micromanaging manager. My team loses a writer. I feel the pain of picking up the slack and doing the job of two people. It is my current situation.

He completely dismissed the fact that I am in the trenches, writing daily, doing the grunt work. I hammered that point. He didn't get it. He's stubborn, just like my manager.

Is it worth taking a pay cut to be at a different company with a manager exhibiting similar personality traits and deficiencies? I think not.

I did feel good coming out of the interview. I got along with the woman with whom I had my phone interview. It was good getting back into the interview scene again.

As much as it would be nice to escape my current job for another one, this open job opportunity doesn't feel right to me.

Dopey guy and weed

It's nice when my guy is dopey after he has ejaculated. It's fun talking to him.

"Now that weed is legalized, remember not to use your credit card to purchase it. Otherwise, you may not be able to travel for work," I told him.
"Oh, that's bad," he said in a boyish tone.
"I love when you're dopey!" I said, sweetly kissing his face.

He's such a sweet guy. He continued smiling at me.

Interview preparation

I finally have my interview later on today. I am probably more prepared than I have been for past interviews. I even have my questions written down.

I'm still not sure whether it's my dream job. It doesn't hurt to attend and give it a try.

A handjob after lunch

After my guy and I had finished lunch, we decided to spend some time in my car. It was my time of the month, so I said that I'd be focusing on him.

We sat in the front seats of my car. I got to caress my guy's perfectly uniform, attractive head.

"May I kiss you?" I asked him.
"Yes," he said with a smile.

We kissed. Our kisses are far more passionate and beautiful when we have been longing to see each other.

"I loved that," my guy said to me after we unlocked lips.
"That was nice," I said, smiling at him.

We kissed some more. My guy was getting horny. He let his hard member out of my black slacks. I had missed seeing and playing with it.

I immediately gave him a handjob. I told him that I missed it being warm outside. It was much easier for me to wear a short skirt with no underwear and have him play with me.

My guy loved that visual. Moments later, he ejaculated. There was a lot of cum on my hand and on his slacks.

Yep, we certainly had missed each other.

Chin and ears

My guy and I were in my car the other day. He looked at me lovingly.

"I've always loved your chin. It's cute," he said, touching it.
"You're sweet," I replied.

It's nice. I feel the same way about his ears.

Classic car meet classic spanking threat

For a while, my guy has wanted to get a classic car. He bought a 1978 Monte Carlo.

"I love it. It's manual," he said.
"Cool. When can I drive it?" I teased.
"Um, I'm not bringing it to work," he said.
"That's okay. I'll drop by your place on the weekend," I said.
"It won't be there," he said.
"I'll stay at your place until you let me drive it," I said.
"I'll have to spank you every day," he hinted.
"It's a good tradeoff, I think," I said.

I like when he plays a mean guy.

Groping and being observant of my weight loss

In the parking lot of the Chinese restaurant, my guy saw a car parked in the lot that looked just like mine. He told me that he headed over there and noticed that it didn't have an M&M's cap on the gear shift. Moments later, he saw my car and headed over.

After we unlocked from our tender kiss, we headed over to the restaurant. We waited to be seated. He quietly groped my left buttock again.

"That's my butt," I said to him.
"Yes. I love it," he admitted.

We sat down and looked at the menu. He looked over at me, as it has been a long time since we last saw each other.

"Have you lost weight?" he asked me.
"Yes, I have. My pants are looser than they were a couple of months ago," I admitted.
"It shows," he said.
"Can you still see me?" I joked.
"Yes, I can. You're cuter than ever," he said.

He's sweet. He is the only person who notices such subtle weight changes that I go through.

Meeting my guy for lunch, hugs, kissing, and groping

On Tuesday, I got a call from my guy as he was heading over to the office. I had to break the news to him that I was working from home.

He went into the office to pick up his new laptop. He had to get the IT guys to make sure that everything was transferred properly on his new laptop. He decided to give me a phone call and do lunch. We met midway.

We went back to a Chinese restaurant that we have frequented a handful of times. I had to text him the address, as he is directionally challenged.

I got there and tried calling him. My call immediately went to voicemail. To me, it was a sign that his cell phone was dead.

He knocked on the glass of my car's door. It startled me. I got out. We hugged. It was one of the best hugs. It's the kind of hug that quietly says that I miss you and love you.

We must have been in that embrace for a good minute. He groped my left buttock.

"That's my butt," I whispered in his left ear.
"I know," he said, continuing to grope my buttock.

We then locked lips. I have missed kissing him. Again, it seemed like we were kissing for a good minute.

I like that we block out the world when we are together. It's nice.

Missing my guy and postponing an interview

I miss my guy. I am waiting for him to visit the office these days. Unfortunately, he isn't the most prepared person as far as making sure that his files are backed up on his current laptop before handing it over and getting a new one.

The wait continues.

My interview that was scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed. I said that Friday would work best. I am losing interest in attending. The more that I think about the position, the more I don't think it's the right fit. I am still interested in seeing what questions will be posed, though.

It's an interesting position to be in.

Short weekends and accurate menstrual cycles

Weekends are not long enough. This one went by incredibly quickly.

When I first went on a low-carb diet and lost at least thirty pounds several years ago, my menstrual cycle became regular. Since my first period, each one after that was irregular. I could go for months or even a year before my next one.

Since losing a grand total of sixty pounds, my period has been monthly, with the occasional missed month each year.

Recently, I went back to being on a tighter low-carb diet. Sure enough, my period is even more accurate. It's every thirty days instead of a month, plus or minus a week. I find it interesting that my hormones are more balanced.

Here's to more observations as I continue being on my low-carb regimen.

Weed scents in front of Best Buy

As I had written in a previous post, weed is legal in Canada. However, it depends on where you live to be able to smoke it in public.

I was at a Best Buy on Saturday afternoon. I visited a city a bit east of where I live. Roughly an hour later, I came out of the store. I smelled weed in the air.

I tend to associate smelling weed to being at a music concert. It will take me a while to associate it to my daily life.

My sugar levels are great and I'm glad I can touch-type!

On Friday, I went to see my family doctor for my routine three-month checkup. The last time I was there, my sugar levels were higher than normal.

I had bloodwork done on Wednesday. She shared the results with me. Everything looked great. Yay!

I shared that news with my guy. He's proud of me. Getting back on the low-carb routine does wonders.

My doctor has changed her process of note-taking in her office. She now uses a computer instead of writing notes down everywhere. She complained to me that her typing takes forever.

Touch-typing is second nature to me. I suggested that she take a touch-typing course when she has a chance. Once you learn, you're good. I'm so glad that I took this course in my final year of high school. It has served me well.

Second interview

I did a phone interview on Monday. I have been asked to do an in-person interview next week. So far, so good.

I would love a career change. After the phone conversation, the job opportunity seems okay to me. It's not screaming the dream job. Is that weird?

Anyway, I will attend the interview and see how I feel.

Cannabis is legal, but you can't smoke it publicly in certain parts of Canada

Yesterday was the first day of cannabis being legal in Canada. There are stores where you can buy your strain of weed.

The downside is that you can't smoke pot publicly throughout Canada. It depends on where you live.

As an example, you can't smoke it in the city of Markham. It's best to smoke it at home.

Weed edibles aren't available until a year from now. It'll be interesting to see how things develop with weed being legal here.

New laptops and preparation differences

Every employee at work is getting a new laptop to replace his current one. The last time I got a new laptop was a good five years ago.

I dropped my laptop a few years back at home on hardwood. One of the corners of the screen pops out now and again. I am so ready for a new laptop!

My guy has never got a new laptop since our past company was acquired by our current one. He has been concerned about being passed over. I have sent him whatever e-mails come my way to him on replacement laptops.

I finally got my confirmation e-mail to indicate that my new laptop is being prepared. I asked my guy if he got his. He did.

For months now, we have received instructions to move our files to cloud storage, which is supposedly to make the transition from one laptop to another as smooth as possible. Naturally, I am in good shape. With my guy, the reason why he hasn't picked up his new laptop is because he is finally getting around to moving his massive number of files to the cloud.

I have a feeling that I will get my new laptop before he does. He's so predictable, as am I. He does everything late. I am the planner who is prepared. We wouldn't have things any other way.

New job opportunity closer to home

I haven't been actively looking for a new job these days. Often, recruiters will contact me.

It happened again. A recruiter contacted me through e-mail. This time, it's for a position that targets a few skills from my past. I also get complete control of how I want my department to grow.

More importantly, this company is located in the same city in which I reside. It would take me fifteen minutes to get to work.

Should I get this position, I wouldn't have to commute on a toll highway for nearly an hour. Wow!

I decided to go ahead with submitting my resume. I have a phone interview on Monday. I need to find past and present samples of my work.

I'm optimistic. A change may be what I need these days.

Concert, food, and sleep

It has been a busy couple of evenings. I went to see Jann Arden in concert the other night. I love her music so much!

I just came back from a food event this evening. It was a ton of fun. I'm now trying to learn how to wind down for the day. It's tough!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Steve Perry

Steve Perry. Ah, memories.

I grew up listening to his solo work. "Oh Sherrie" is still one of my favourite songs from the 80's. I then went into a Journey phase. and loved singing to everything, especially on road trips.

He has released a solo album. He has been away from the music business for roughly 25 years.

The sad, touching part was that he fell in love with a French-Canadian woman. She sadly succumbed to terminal cancer in 2013. He promised her that he would not go into isolation again should something happen to her.

He kept his promise. Such a moving, sweet story. Wow.

I'm off to listen to his new album.

Debt and credit card reductions

I'm working on reducing my debt. It's a constant battle.

I am hoping to pay off one of them in a couple of months. I have been working on it for a while and I see a bit of light.

My ultimate goal is to get rid of a grand total of two credit cards this year. Last year, I got rid of one. I don't know what possessed me to have so many credit cards. They are evil!

My guy feels the same way about credit cards. You only need one or two.

It's nice that we can chat about finances. It's healthy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! For those who are celebrating, I hope that you have a wonderful day.

I am thankful for my friends and family, including you. Thanks for following along and supporting me here.

Take care,
Cutiebootie

A Star is Born

I watched another movie today. I managed to squeeze in A Star is Born at the movie theatre. I loved it. It's another love story with twists and turns.

My guy would love this movie and Crazy Rich Asians, I reckon. He is still experiencing back pain. It's the only downside of our weekend. However, it's nice to know that we are thankful for our patience, love, friendship, and a ton more during this Thanksgiving weekend.

Crazy Rich Asians

I finally saw Crazy Rich Asians. I loved it.

Although I can never relate to being in a rich family, I get being on the receiving end of prejudice and unfair judgement. I also relate to how dysfunctional families can get and how unreasonable family members can be.

I may go back and see it again. The other movie that I want to see is A Star is Born. I have a feeling that I may have difficulties getting tickets, but I'll try.

My guy is still going through back pain. It sucks.

Rough start just before Thanksgiving

My guy is going through a rough patch just before the Thanksgiving weekend. Yesterday, he had back issues and couldn't attend a car event with me. Unfortunately, he isn't doing too well today.

I am at least in his neck of the woods. I arrived here a few hours ago. Here's hoping that I can visit him tomorrow and that he is feeling better.

Same routine, minus being done packing

I'm packed for the weekend. I'm early. It's because I am going out on Thursday night and won't have much time to get my last-minute packing done.

There isn't a whole lot happening here. It's the usual. I miss my guy tons. Work is still crazy. It'll be nice to unwind this weekend.

New cell phone, staycation, and upcoming spanking

It's October. It's crazy how time flies these days.

I didn't write yesterday. I got my new phone. I am enamoured by my Google Pixel 2 XL phone. Unfortunately, I couldn't restore my data from the cloud. However, it's kind of nice to start from scratch. It just takes a bit longer to download and configure everything.

I went to get a couple of phone cases after work last night. I have purple and pink ones now. I also got a glass screen protector, but I'm not a huge fan of it. It's a full-screen one, but the adhesive is only around the edges, which means that I have this rainbow slick smack in the middle of the screen.

I ordered some other glass screen protectors. They aren't full-screen ones, but I probably like them better because I typically go with that style.

Anyway, I spent a bit of last night packing for my weekend staycation with my guy. I keep thinking of him and look forward to getting spanked at long last.

Weed and open chats

The other night, I had a conversation with my former intern over dinner. It's nice that we are friends.

We got around to talking about weed being legalized later on this month across Canada. She was worried about using her credit card to buy weed online and then not being able to travel across the border. I said that she can either wait for the weed stores to open and pay with cash, or just go to the States. where weed is legalized She liked my suggestion.

It's neat that we are so comfortable talking about such issues. We don't judge. We have always been open. It's nice.

Evil eye bracelet and my guy

Roughly a month ago, a colleague complimented me on how pretty my evil eye bracelet looked on my wrist. I thanked her.

My guy bought me two evil eye bracelets while he was in Istanbul. I am wearing the one with evil eyes all around the bracelet. The eyes look dark blue on the outside. However, when light hits the blue parts of each evil eye, they appear purple.

It's a thoughtful gift. It reminds me of my guy when I look down at the bracelet. He's happy seeing me wear it.

Missing my guy, getting a new phone, and reducing debt

One week from now, I'll be spending the Thanksgiving long weekend with my guy. I miss him tons these days.

We were both pretty busy this week. He gave an online course all week. I continued working with my students on various tasks. I feel less exhausted this week. However, I came home on Friday after work and took a nap. I rarely crash!

I decided to get a new Google Pixel 2 XL phone, which replaces my dead Google Pixel one. I have been debating waiting for the newer 3 XL model. With a contract, I would be forking over quite a ton of money for it. I only had to pay $200 down for this new phone and I get to keep my existing cell phone plan. I hope to get the phone sometime next week. It's being shipped to me for free and it's also free to activate the phone myself.

These days, I am continuing to reduce the number of credit cards that I have. It's not healthy having so many. I am getting around to having two. Baby steps.

Death of my Google Pixel phone

Time of death: 8:25 am. Wednesday, September 26, 2018.

My Google Pixel phone worked just fine during the Elton John concert the other night. I took photos and a single video. Everything on my phone was automatically backed up.

As usual, before going to bed, I set my alarm on my phone, plugged it in, and went to bed.

I have two alarms set. One is on my old iPod, which works nicely. It woke me up on Wednesday morning. My phone did not.

I looked at my phone. The screen was dark. Pressing the power button did nothing. Pressing any button did nothing. Ugh.

Recently, I had a new batter installed. I thought that it may have caused the booting-up issue. I took it to the place that swapped out the phone's battery to look at it. The guy cleaned the USB-C connection on my phone. Nothing.

I left my phone with them to do diagnostics. Two hours later, I got a call. He couldn't revive my phone. The motherboard was shot. He said my phone was in pristine condition. There was no sign of water damage or odd abuse. He thought that perhaps there was a power surge overnight. Nope, I have a surge protector.

The good thing about this business is that it refunded the cost of my paying for the new battery. That was cool.

I have never owned a phone that has died in less than two years. I am currently using my four-year-old BlackBerry Passport. It works like a charm.

Next month, I am eligible to upgrade my phone without paying off its remaining balance. I am hoping that I can hold off for that long. I am still interested in getting a newer Google Pixel phone, despite this issue.

In the meantime, I have reported my dead phone to Google support. We'll see if anything can be done or if my phone is just a paperweight.

Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour

Last night, I went to see Elton John in concert. He is on his farewell tour.

I have seen him in concert at least three times. The last time was back in 2009 when he was touring with Billy Joel. For some reason, I thought that this tour was six years ago. I was so wrong.

Anyway, I had a fabulous time. The only issue that I had was two women sitting next to me. They insisted on chatting through the whole concert. Why? None of us around you paid good money to hear you talk about topics that don't interest us. If you want to chat, do it outside.

What was even worse was one of the woman's leather jacket that she had on It had this pointy piece on it and it kept on poking my right arm for the first hour. I eventually elbowed her a number of times. She decided to switch places with her friend. I got relief.

It's amazing how some folks need a hammer dropped on their head to take a hint in manners.

Hamstring pain and a sick day

On Sunday, I experienced hamstring and heel pain all day. I kept on popping in ibuprofen tablets throughout the day.

I went to bed on Monday at 01:45. I woke up at 03:20 to hamstring pain. Ugh!

I tried going back to bed. I woke up again at 05:35. Sure enough, my hamstring pain was still there. I got up to walk it off and went back to bed.

My alarm went off an hour later. I turned it off, wrote to those at work who needed to know that I would be taking a sick day, popped a couple of ibuprofen, and went back to bed.

I woke up at 11:00. My hamstring pain went away at long last. 

The pain came back briefly at around 17:00, but it went away and I have been good since. It's strange how long this pain has lingered.

I did more walking than I normally do on Saturday. Otherwise, I can't think of why this pain would have lingered for so long. I haven't done a ton of exercise. Here's hoping that the pain is gone. 

Fifty Shades of Hay

I love guinea pigs. I used to have them as pets. Part of me wants to get a guinea pig as a pet again.

I saw this photo the other day on Facebook. I don't know who to give this pic credit to, but it made me smile.

What a cute guinea pig! I love the mask and handcuffs on the bed.

Dr. Death podcast

I love listening to podcasts. I have probably been listening to them since 2005.

I am currently listening to Dr. Death. It deals with Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon who operated on 33 patients and eventually murdered three of them. He was an incompetent medical practitioner and the Texas medical board didn't act promptly when the first wave of complains came in.

It's a six-part podcast. I am listening to the fifth episode and can't wait for the final one. I feel for his patients who were operated on by this crazy doctor.

Messed up staycation weekend

My guy (MG) is funny. He texted me as I was in my car on Friday night, about to drive home from the mall.

MG: Hey
Me: Hey, just about to drive home.
MG: Home? I thought you were doing a staycation in my area this weekend.
Me: No, that's Thanksgiving long weekend.
MG: Oh, I see. In that case, drive home safe. =)
Me: Thanks! Have a great weekend =)
MG: You, too. =)

It's sweet that he misses me so much that he got the dates wrong.  

Periods, travel, and spankings

My guy and I chatted for a bit the other day. He is preparing to deliver an online course next week. I am on week five of being in training mode.

At this rate, I am losing track of how each week seems to be an extension of the next. What complicates matters is that my period is ridiculously accurate. A month ago, my period started while I was in Sweden. It's back 28 days later.

It's amazing that my menstrual cycle is extremely accurate to predict these days. I thank losing sixty pounds and keeping it off for regulating my hormones. It was a mystery when I was a young woman.

My guy often jokes that I tend to get my period when I am travelling. He's about 80% correct. Weird!

I am glad that I have one more workday left. It has been a rough week. I am exhausted and need sleep.

Last night, I had difficulties falling asleep. I was too horny thinking about my guy. I wanted him next to me. I wanted him to cuddle up next to me. I wanted him to spank me hard, regardless of whether I had done something wrong or was good.

October can't come soon enough.

Thoughts about a shift in my career

I write for a living. I also train new employees and students who join my department. I like the mix.

The problem for a while is that I tend to do the workload of two people. I am also tired of my boss scaring the main writer on my little team. When that person quits, I end up picking up the slack and doing my old job responsibilities, as well as the current ones on my plate. This scenario is what I am going through. I've been down this road so many times that it's old hat, which it shouldn't be.

Now and again, I get recruiters asking me whether I'm interested in a number of job opportunities. I got one for a technical trainer. I decided to ask more about it. Let's see what happens.

It would be interesting if I did take on a full-time trainer role. It would be a shift in my career, rather than having a foot in two different doorways.

Thanksgiving staycation plans with my guy

Good news! I will be spending the long Thanksgiving weekend with my guy. September seems to be breezing by. Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away.

Things are still busy on my end. I get to work from home today, so that'll give me a chance to not talk a whole lot and to catch up on some quiet work.

Teasing over the phone while driving

My guy likes when I tease him.

"I'm about two minutes from home. How about you?" he asked me over the phone.
"I'm roughly five minutes away," I said.
"That's good. Continue to drive safely," he said.
"I know why you called me. You were thinking of someone whom you could chat with during your long drive home and you chose me," I teased.
"Is that what you think?" he said, mildly outranged.
"No, you're just being your thoughtful, sweet self to see how I am. I love teasing you," I admitted.
"You're welcome to tease me all you like. I love it," he replied.

I'm glad that he does.

Teasing him about driving his future electric car

It's fun teasing my guy. We were talking about electric cars.

"When you get an electric car, I can drive it," I teased.
"No, you cannot drive it," he said firmly.
"Sure, I can," I said.
"If I had a bicycle, you can ride it," he said.
"Yay! I win!" I said with delight.
"You'll take two wheels out of four?" he asked me curiously.
"It's a good start. You said yes, which is a step in the right direction," I said.

He likes when I tease him. He knows that I do it lovingly.

Chatting about food while driving home

It's a good thing that my guy and I didn't make plans after he got off the plane on Saturday. It sounds odd, but it'll make sense when I describe the whole ordeal.

His flight was delayed by half an hour. Ten other flights had arrived when his did. There was a huge lineup to do the customs declaration and even a longer time talking to a border official.

He called me at nearly 17:00. He should have been home by that time, but he had just picked up his car. We were both driving home, in the same direction, but our starting points were off by about 200 km.

Instead, we talked about food.

"I really love the powdered low-carb peanut butter that you got me. I love it. I took it with me on this trip," he said.
"I'm glad," I replied.
"I also got a beef shawarma wrap at the restaurant that we were at last weekend. It's so authentic and tasty," he said.
"I'm happy that you love the food there. It's my favourite shawarma place," I noted. "I can't find a decent one close to home."
"You may want to try Scarborough. There are a bunch of Middle Eastern places," he suggested.
"That makes sense. I'll check it out sometime," I replied.

We chatted for just under an hour, which was enough time for both of us to arrive home safely.

Cell phone options and battery replacement

Last weekend, I went to get my cell phone battery replaced. My phone is a month shy of being two years old. It hasn't been holding a charge well for a few months now.

After getting the battery replaced, my phone feels like it is brand new. It's nice to not charge it for the entire day and have its battery life rapidly deplete.

My guy is heading home. He has a OnePlus 2T phone and loves it. He has recommended my getting the OnePlus 6T phone when it's available.

I just read how much the new iPhone X phones are going for. Yikes! I feel like I'd be selling my soul getting one.

I am still interested in a Google Pixel 3 XL phone. I love my Google Pixel phone and feel like I'm ready to go with a larger screen. It simply depends on how much that phone is going for and how it feels in my hand.

It's crazy how expensive phones are getting. Maybe I should get an analog phone and call it good.

Miracles at work and exhaustion

It has been a busy week. We just finished two software releases. My new students have done well in helping push them out.

I had a rare moment the other day where all three of us attended our team meeting and were actually excused after ten minutes to go back to our software release work. I thought that there was a blue moon. I got up and ran out the door before my manager decided to change his mind.

I'm exhausted. Thank goodness it's Friday!

My guy returns home on Saturday. He hasn't enjoyed staying at his hotel. He tends to stay in there and work after he comes from from work. Otherwise, he is sleeping.

Puns and fun

I usually work from home on Wednesdays. For the past month, it hasn't been the case. I have been either receiving or delivering training. I had to be at work.

Yesterday, I finally worked from home. It was nice to have a quiet day to catch up on tasks that have been piling up.

I let my guy know that chatting with him would be perfect. We had a great conversation.

"I'm staying at the Westin. It's horrible. It's not a five-star hotel here. It's more like three," he noted.
"I'm sorry to hear. You know that you like to vent about such things to me," I noted.
"Yes," he paused. "Had I known how bad it is here, I wouldn't have Westin my time and would have stayed somewhere else."

He laughed at his own pun. He's a punny guy. It was nice hearing him crack himself up.

"I tend to laugh at my own puns these days," he remarked.
"You probably have to because there is such awkward silence after you dish out a pun that you need to fill the void with your laughter," I noted.

We both laughed. It's nice that we are both punny and funny.

Being helpful and hinting a spanking

On Saturday, I drove my guy to the airport. It's nice when we hold hands and chat as we headed over there.

I parked by the curbside at the arrivals level.

"I'm going to get a cart. Don't touch any of my luggage," he said to me.
"I'll try not to. It's tough," I replied, which made him smile.

Sure enough, I couldn't resist but to take his computer rolling bag out of my car's trunk. I left his larger piece of luggage alone.

He came over with his cart and looked at me with a playful disappointed look on his face.

"You seem to have a problem within insisting on lifting my stuff out of the car," he said, putting his luggage on the cart.
"It was the smaller item. I was just being helpful," I said.
"I need to do something to you when I get back," he hinted.
"But, I'm your good girl," I replied.
"I need to punish you," he said, hugging me.
"We'll see. I haven't been spanked in a while," I noted.
"We'll change that," he said.

I went to kiss him. He leaned in and we locked lips. I love when we kiss. It's wonderful.

Playfully looking for car keys

After lunch, my guy and I drove in our separate cars from the restaurant to the parking lot at work. Despite his overshooting the street where we were supposed to turn and then making a u-turn, I was in front of two indecisive drivers who were too afraid to turn left. Ugh!

Anyway, I parked next to his car and he placed his two pieces of luggage in my car.

"I keep feel like I forgot something," he said to me.
"Do you have your passport?" I asked.
"Yes," he said.
"You can give me your car keys. I will make sure that your car is fine," I hinted.
"Um, no," he said.

It's fun teasing him. I went to dig for his keys in his pocket, but he prevented me from getting them. I always enjoy when we are being playful.

Sign and sell manuals

Even though my guy and I had an hour together yesterday, we made the best of it.

"I got you gifts. I have training manuals," he said, handing them to me.
"Ooh, they are for me and my students," I replied.
"Yes," he said, smiling because I was smiling.
"Thanks, sweetie. Can you sign them so that I can sell them on eBay and make some money?" I teased.

Dead silence. We then both laughed. It's the realization that we won't make any money selling them.

Roles - reversed and maintained

In our relationship, I tend to be the one who is punctual. My guy is the tardy one.

Our roles got reversed today.

I left 1.5 hours before we were to meet at 13:30 for lunch. There was a ton of construction everywhere that I ended up needing an extra twenty minutes to get to the restaurant.

My guy called me just before 13:30.

"Hey, there. Where is the restaurant?" he asked me.
"When you get off the highway and travel south, you are turning right, and then right into the parking lot," I pointed out.
"Cool. I'm nearly there," he advised.
"I'm not. It's pretty bad on the roads,"  I replied.
"It's okay. Take your time," he said.

My guy rarely worries. However, he was concerned when he still didn't see me. I had pulled into the parking lot when he was leaving me a voice message.

"I didn't want to think that you were in a car accident or something," he said.
"I'm okay. It's just horrible road work and traffic today," I replied.

We had forty minutes to eat lunch, which was more than enough time for us to eat and chat.

My guy being directionally challenged and my giving him directions showed that we didn't change our roles there.

Trying hard

I had a slightly slower day at work on Friday. I managed to get a hold of my guy online.

"Are you still flying out on Saturday?" I asked him.
"Yes. We can do lunch before I leave," he replied.
"Cool. What time did you want to meet?" I asked him.
"1:30 pm," he replied.
"Great! Hope you'll be on time," I hinted.
"I'll try hard," he said.
"I can vouch for the hard part," I teased.

He sent me a smiley emoticon. I returned the favour. It's fun when we text. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Travel and training

My guy is flying off to another business trip on Saturday. The good news is that I get to have a bite to eat with him before he leaves.

He's gone for a week. It's unfortunate that I can't join him.

Work is still crazy. I'm training. I barely have time to do my regular work. Thankfully, I have one more workday before the weekend is back.

Dreaming of a new cell phone as my current one needs a new battery

My cell phone contract will expire next month. We have two-year contracts in Canada.

I love my Google Pixel phone. The problem these days is that the battery does not hold a charge. Part of me wants to get a new battery and swap it out. The other part of me thinks that I can wait over a month to get a new phone.

It's exciting getting a brand new phone. My issue is whether to stick with Google Pixel or jump back to being an iPhone user.

The good news is that both companies will be showcasing their new phones before my contract expires, so I have time to compare and contrast.

In the meantime, it's sad that my phone needs to be constantly chained to a power source. Perhaps I will go ahead and get a new battery for it. It is a good phone.

Busy Tuesday - feeling drained already

My first day back from a long weekend was busy at work. I have two new students to train. I'm dealing with two visitors from South America. I will be training all week, including two folks remotely.

I have only been to work for one day and already feel drained.

The funny thing is that I was perfectly fine after work going to the drug store to look at chocolate chip cookies that were on sale. It's amazing how food energizes me. I bought a couple of packs to bring to work for colleagues.

Here's hoping that this week ends quickly. I need another weekend.

Low-carb update - my clothes fit better

I have so much to say and don't know where to start.

My business trip went well on the whole. I'll dive into all that a bit later.

The downside to going on a business trip is that following a low-carb diet can be tricky. For example, all meals on Air Canada are heavily carb-based. I managed to not eat the bread roll. However, if you don't eat your meal, you are bound to be hungry. The best bet is to bring your own food.

There were a few meals where I caved. I had the best raspberry sorbet in my life. I also had beer and a few breaded items. Other than that, many meals were buffet-style, so eating my usual low-carb way was easy. Breakfast, in particular, was a breeze. I had scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and meatballs. Dinner normally consisted of some protein and I had all the salad in the world.

Last week, I had a few farewell lunches at work for various folks. I had beer and some carb items at a sushi all-you-can-eat restaurant.

I am back on my normal food regimen now. After all of these interruptions, I tried on a pair of jeans, a pair of shorts, and two jackets that were tight over a month ago. Guess what? They all fit comfortably on me now.

I'm pleased with the results. I'm motivated to continue.

Happy Labour Day

It's the long Labour Day weekend here in Canada. Our friends over the border also have a long weekend. For those who have the day off today, have a wonderful Labour Day!

All is well with me. I haven't done anything terribly adventurous this weekend. I'm relaxing, as I was travelling back home last weekend and need this weekend to recuperate.

Blogger comment notifications and business travel

For several months now, e-mail notifications for Blogger comments have died. I had to manually check in the Comments section of the Blogger editor whether you fine folks have left messages.

Well, the other day, I got an e-mail from Google, asking me to confirm whether I wanted e-mail notifications whenever comments have been added on my blog. Yes, please!

It's nice that things are getting back to normal.

My guy is set to go on another business trip this Saturday. He asked me whether I would like to accompany him. I would have typically said yes without any hesitation, except that I am training new students starting on Tuesday, along with two other colleagues in another country.

I am hoping that he goes on another business trip a month or so down the road. I'd love to join him and spend some time together.

Farewell to an intern and hello to a pillow fight

Today was my intern's last day. It was nice that she loved the card that I had picked out for our entire team to sign. She also liked the gift that I had purchased on behalf of our team.

She isn't the sentimental, emotional type. She did manage to say that she was glad that I was her team lead and that I can vent to her at any time. All of her comments made my day and speak volumes about how much she enjoyed being with us.

I just realized that I am in training mode, either giving or receiving it, for at least a month. It's cool that both my guy and I are in this mode for a bit.

The other day, my guy teased me. It's fun being on a couch. I got a couch pillow and had a mini pillow fight with him. I like that we are both so playful. Pillow fights are fun.

Kisses, hugs, and hard nipples

It's tough sometimes when my guy and I have to part our separate ways after a nice reunion. I didn't want him to leave and hugged him a little tighter. He understood and we hugged some more on the couch.

It was nice when we kissed and hugged before he left the hotel room. He groped my left breast.

"Ooh, no bra," he remarked.
"You finally noticed," I said.
"Hey, both your nipples are now hard," he said.

He was right. I was wearing a purple blouse and both nipples were protruding. He has that effect on me.

Dropping in at 6 am to cuddle and kiss

Last Sunday, my guy knocked on my hotel room just before 06:00. I opened the door and liked seeing him smile at me.

"I'm sleepyhead," I said, which made him smile.
"I know," he replied.

He got plenty of sleep on the plane. This time around, he found the bathroom just fine. Last time, he thought the closet was the washroom.

We sat on the couch and cuddled. I got him some powdered peanut butter. It's great for travelling. You just add water, stir, and you get peanut butter. It has practically no carbs, which made him happy. I also got him sugar-free mints from Sweden.

He thanked me. He moved in to kiss me on the lips. I loved having his lips pressed against mine. It was nice.

We held hands. He admired my pink nail polish. He loved looking at my hands. He then enjoyed looking at my wrist.

"You're wearing the evil eye bracelet," he observed.
"Yes, I have been wearing it since you got me it. I love how when light hits it, the blue changes to purple," I said.
"Nice! It looks good on you," he said.
"Thanks! I love it," I replied.

It was my time of the month. He was also a bit tired from his travels, so it was nice to chat and cuddle.

"Is your shirt new?" I asked him, snuggling up to him.
"Newish. I got it at our favourite liquidation outlet for $5. My pants were $10," he said proudly.
"I love you, CB," I said.

I love when my sweet Cheap Bastard takes pride in saving a ton of money while looking stylish.

Evil eye bracelets and pouring rain

Before I drove my guy to the airport over a week ago, he gave me presents from Istanbul. He had asked me what I wanted from the city.

It's easier for me to think of things that I'd like, for I have been to the city before. I asked him for looseleaf tea.

When we first met, I had an evil eye bracelet. It had a dainty chain that eventually snapped. I tried to repair it, but I couldn't salvage it after a couple of tries.

I then got a replacement one. Months later, that one died, too.

Istanbul is known for all things evil eye. So, I asked my guy if he could get me an evil eye bracelet. Not only did he get me one similar in style to the ones that I once owned, he got me another one that has small evil eyes all around the bracelet. I loved them both when I saw them.

It was raining fairly hard that day. I got soaked walking from the restaurant where we had dinner over to my car.

"I'm wet right now," I said, as my shirt and hair had absorbed some of the rain.
"Of course, you are," he said with a smirk.
"I didn't mean that!" I said. "Then again, I am sitting next to you."
"You're sweet," he said, holding my hand.

We got to the airport. I gave my guy my umbrella so that he could fetch a cart for his luggage. An older gentleman saw our umbrella exchange and smiled.

My guy came back and loaded everything onto the cart. We kissed and hugged. It seems more romantic when it's raining and you're saying goodbye to a loved one for a brief period.

A couple hours later, he called me.

"Hey, is your flight delayed?" I asked him.
"Yes, but only for forty minutes," he said. "I heard that it's pouring in Toronto."
"It was quite the downpour driving home, but I'm safe," I replied.
"That's good," he said.
"You're sweet. Thanks for the evil eye bracelets. I'm wearing one of them now. I love them," I remarked.
"I'm so glad," he replied.

He's thoughtful and sweet. It was nice to hear from him before his flight took off.