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.