Happy Labour Day long weekend!

I left work at 15:00 on Friday. I worked a ton of hours this week that it made sense to leave early and start enjoying the long Labour Day weekend.

I'm all packed for my little staycation. I hope to get around to getting my hair cut and indulge in some good eats this weekend.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sadness at night

I have moments of sadness. They typically happen in bed at night.

Last night was rough. I was sad about how my ex-guy had let me go. We shared so much and everything just ended.

Poof. Just like that.

It's unfortunate that I am a sensitive, feely person. It takes me a while to sort my emotions and get over this hump. I'm not on a strict healing schedule when I need to be happy now and in a relationship. I have been good on the most part. Being busy helps. Doing what I enjoy has been therapeutic.

At night, I'm simply lying in bed. Thinking. Memories rush in. I feel sad when they are about my ex-guy.

I still haven't been able to fully cry. My eyes get teary, but they don't fall down my face. I'm not as sad as I have been in the past when he has previously broken up with me.

I know that I deserve better. I deserve to be with a good guy who loves me and wants me.

I am hopeful. I just wish that these sad moments would fade, but that will take some more time.

A break from incompetence is nearly here

My incompetent colleague is going on vacation. Today is her last day at work before I get relief from her for over a week.

She proved to me this week that she does not know how to do her job efficiently. She spent more time than necessary getting a software release out the door, making rookie mistakes, and not planning her tasks properly. She has been doing this work for over half a year.

My manager stays at work late. She was with him the whole time. He shot me an e-mail, indicating that she was taking more time than she should. I agreed and pointed out that she can't prioritize her work on top of not being efficient.

She's good at blaming other things or people. She does not take responsibility for her own actions. It's painful dealing with her.

Although her attendance has improved slightly within the last few days, she sent an e-mail yesterday that she will be at work at 7:30 am today and leaving at 3:30 pm. She cannot get to work by 10:00 am on a good day. She lives a lot closer to the office than I do. I dream of getting to work in twenty minutes.

We'll see what happens later on today. I am looking forward to a break from her.

It's time for a haircut during the long weekend

I get my hair cut twice a year. I should have got my hair cut in early July. I didn't.

Why? I got a shorter-than-normal haircut back in late December. Right now, it's at the stage where I need to get it cut, which is the length that it typically is in early July. I happen to be nearly two months late.

It's nice to be able to tie it back. When I get it cut, I won't be able to get it all in a ponytail.

I'm likely going to get it cut on the weekend. It's a long weekend, which I am looking so forward to.

My car turns heads and starts conversations, even with the windows up

My car is a conversation starter. Even when I'm stopped at a traffic light, the flame blue colour turns heads.

I was driving home from work on Monday night. I was stopped at a light. A Jeep was next to me. The guy had three car lengths ahead of him.

I looked over. He was looking at my car. Our eyes met. I had my windows up, but we could clearly read each other's lips.

"Do you love my car?" I asked him.
"Yes, the colour is beautiful," he said.
"I love it, too," I said.

He had a huge smile on his face. I gave him a thumbs up. The light turned green and we drove straight ahead before he turned right at the next light.

It's interesting how humans interact. It's also fascinating how much guys admire a nice car.

Good weekend and making friends in the dating scene

This weekend flew by. I had a great time catching up with a couple of friends who are here on vacation. I feel well-rested.

The Labour Day long weekend is coming up. I am spending most of it in my ex-guy's hometown. I was there a few weekends ago and I felt good.

Although I still have moments of sadness when I think of him and our relationship being over, I am good. I decided to put out an ad on Plenty of Fish. I have responses. I simply need to sit down and sift through them. So far, folks are nice, wanting to have coffee and chat. I'm good with that.

Baby steps into building a friendship and seeing where it'll take me. It feels like a major step, but it's a positive one for me.

Striking up a conversation over blue cars

Saturday was a great day chatting with two friends whom I haven't seen for a bit. I have known each of them since grades 8 and 9. I also enjoyed chatting with a fellow shopper.

I had parked in front of Best Buy and went in to browse. There was a grocery store across the parking lot. Instead of driving over there after I was done at Best Buy, I left my car where it was and walked over.

When I came back, both the person who had parked next to me and I were thinking of getting into our cars. We were both parked such that the driver side required one of us waiting for the other to get in. I broke the silence.

"Did you want to go in first?" I said, as I needed to put my groceries in the trunk.
"Sure. Is that your car?" he asked me.
"Yes," I replied, putting my groceries into my trunk.
"I love the colour," he said, admiring the flame blue.
"I love your car's colour, too," I said, as his was a darker blue.
"I really love the colour. It's nice," he said.
"Thanks! I love blue and it looks like you do, too," I replied, noticing his baby blue t-shirt he had on.
"It's my favourite colour, too," he said, with a huge smile on his face.

I wished him a good day. He said goodbye. It's nice that perfect strangers have something in common and great taste in car colours.

Gourmet cookies make people happy

Friday was my student's last day at work. On Thursday, I got her a box of gourmet cookies as a thank-you gift.

She told me the most endearing story on Friday. She brought the cookies home on Thursday and asked her dad to have one after dinner. They both indulged in a cookie each. He has a sweet tooth and loved it.

They both went out after dinner, separately, to different commitments. Her mom arrived home later.

When my student came home, she let her mom know that I had bought cookies for her. Her mom said that she ate four cookies -- one of each flavour. Her mom doesn't have a sweet tooth, but found the cookies scrumptious. It speaks volumes.

I would probably get along with her mom. She loved the lemon delight ones the best. It's my favourite flavour.

I buy these cookies for special occasions and people. I'm glad that I made her day and her family's.

Nut joke

My manager's wife roasted a variety of cashews, walnuts, almonds, and more. On Thursday, he brought a jar in to share with the team.

When we got to our desks after our team meeting, he put a bunch of mixed nuts on a napkin. My colleague and I were talking about something work-related. When we were done, I saw him pointing at the nuts on his napkin.

"Are you counting your nuts?" I asked him.

My colleague and I laughed. When I think about what I had said, it makes me smile. It's nice to have a good laugh at the expense of my manager.

Follow-up post to frosted acrylic paddles

I was asked to post some photos of the frosted acrylic paddles that I had described in my last post. They are on Etsy and look cool to me.

Courtesy: ClearImpactToys

I like that they are lightweight and likely pack a decent sting. There are also acrylic frat paddles, which interest me, too.

Courtesy: ClearImpactToys

There is a sale going on. I may cave and get one.

Spanking arousal caused by looking at frosted acrylic paddles

I do miss being spanked.

I haven't had a chance to explore spanking myself as of late. I have been both tired and not in the mood. However, just thinking about it today made me aroused.

What sparked my interest again was seeing a set of frosted spanking paddles. They were on sale and are acrylic. They seem to be fun and effective on a bad girl's backside, like mine.

It's fun fantasizing.

Interviewing skills and conversation

Last Thursday, my manager and I had an interview with a prospective intern. He is from my alma mater, which is a first.

He was polite and knowledgeable. My manager conducted the first half of the interview, as he had to leave to attend a meeting. I took over after that.

I like honing my interviewing skills. I don't like firing question after question, or going into a huge soliloquy. I'd rather have a conversation, which made it more comfortable for both of us.

When I asked if he had any questions towards the end of our time together, he truly opened up. I like when folks are comfortable with me, and vice-versa.

His writing and editing skills are superb. He'll do just fine.

He accepted the offer. I look forward to working with him soon.

Declutting and choosing what goes in my new car

Cleaning out my old car and figuring out what goes into my new car has been eye-opening. It has resurrected my decluttering project.

I currently have a lone umbrella in my car. That's pretty good, considering that I had seven.

I went through my USB cable situation. I have reduced the number from double digits (I lost count after ten) down to three. One is for my phone, which uses USB C. One is for guests, and the cable has both micro USB and lightning. The last one is for my iPod. Yes, I'm reintroducing music on my iPod in my car through an auxiliary cable, as this device has every song that I own and is still cool in my books.

My glove compartment has been significantly cleaned out. My car manuals, insurance, and ownership are staples. My sunglasses and glasses will be there soon. I also have bolts for my snow tires. Finally, I have a small battery jumper and a first aid kit for emergencies.

What did I get rid of? A winter hat and mittens. A ton of plastic straws and napkins. Way too many pens.

The storage area between the two front seats will have a small flashlight, hand sanitizer, plastic utensils (fork, knife, and spoon), and the aforementioned USB cables.

I got rid of a huge flashlight that does not work, oral sex gel (I had two tubes and don't have anyone to practice on these days), and a ton of car chargers with USB ports. I don't know why I had five!

I'm making good progress. I have the trunk to get through. I will probably have reusable bags, a snow brush, and my floor mats that came with the car. I'll introduce winter floor mats when it gets cooler.

It feels good to clean house and start fresh.

Changing how to secure my Sirius XM satellite radio receiver in my new car

I have a Sirius XM satellite radio receiver. In my old car, I had to get a car vent clamp to secure it. To make a long story short, I was introduced to Sirius XM radio with my first Prius. It was integrated in the car.

When I switched from my second Prius over to my Scion iM, there was no satellite integration in the latter. I have the same issue with my new car.

Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise. I can't use my vent clamp for the vents smack in the middle of the dashboard. My navigation screen has buttons that are compact. This radio isn't compact at all when you look at the cable connections. 

I can't put my radio on the far left and right vents of my car, either. I decided to use another Scosche Magic Mount holder for this radio, which works nicely. I already have one for my phone that I have been using for years. The two magnetic mounts are within the same area, with my phone mount a bit lower than the satellite radio's mount.

It's nice when I change things around. My satellite receiver doesn't look as bulky using the magnet and the magnetic mount. Yay!

I am loving my new car. It's nice to have a fun distraction.

New car!

I am a proud owner of a new Corolla hatchback! I love it.

Naturally, there were a few odd hiccups to get it on Friday. First, I had to call my insurance to get confirmation that I have this new car insured. The insurance company failed to send it to the dealership.

Second, the vehicle registration wasn't ready in time for my appointment. I went in to take care of my paperwork and settle the bill. I then came back four hours later to get the registration and my car.

Third, while my sales person installed my licence plates on the new car, the hole were larger than the bolts. Odd! He got a couple of mechanics to looking into the issue. Both hadn't seen it before!

Fourth, my last name was spelled incorrectly on a couple of forms. Thank goodness I caught them. We had to get them corrected, reprinted, and resigned.

After all of that, I drove my car around for an hour, stopping at a couple of places before heading home. I love how quiet it is. It's like driving my Prius, but a lot more fun. I am also loving the push-button technology. My previous car was the old key method.

I'll be testing it out all weekend. Yay!

Car accessories and too many umbrellas

My car is pretty close to being empty. I simply have car manuals in the glove compartment.

I am excited to get my new car several hours from now. My first stop after getting my car is likely Walmart. I need to get some blind spot mirrors and some adhesive for my phone mount. Yep, I need to accessorize!

Remember my previous post about finding four umbrellas in my car's trunk? The situation was actually worse. In the hidden trunk storage where the spare tire is, I had three smaller umbrellas there. I had a grand total of seven umbrellas in my car.

I could have used a different on every single day. Insane!

Evening outing, with good food, company, and a hand massage

Tonight was a clear, summer evening. I went out to a little function that had little desserts, pasta, meatballs, Indian curry and naan, and more. It was nice.

I brought a colleague with me, who is also a friend. She is the little sister that I never had. She had a good time. I did, too.

I got a hand massage at this function. Considering that I type a ton at work and right now, it felt so good afterwards.

Hand massages are good. I need to have more of them.

Update on cleaning out my car

I am nearly done removing my stuff from my car. I simply have a few items in my trunk. I will be ready when I return my car on Friday and get my new one.

I have been gradually removing my items each day, rather than doing it all in one shot. I have this magnetic mount (stand) for my phone. It has a 3M sticky backing. I have one replacement backing left. I am pleased that I don't need to buy some more.

I also figured out that you can stick a magnet inside your PopSocket and then stick it on the magnetic mount. Better late than not knowing!

For the longest time, I didn't think that I needed a PopSocket. I admit that it's easier to take photos with one.

Pillows of cinnamon sugar are heavenly

On Monday, I went out for dinner after work. I had a Groupon that was going to expire in a couple of days.

I have been to this restaurant a number of times. I wanted the open-faced roast beef dinner. However, I was told that they were running out of roast beef. I got a mix of turkey and roast beef. It was different! It was still yummy.

This place has these pillows of fried dough, filled with cinnamon sugar. They are delicious. I'm glad that I had them for dessert.

I will be dreaming of them all night.

Cleaning out my car and getting rid of clutter

I am in the process of moving stuff out of my car. I hand it over on Friday and pick up my new car.

It's incredible just how much stuff I have amassed in 3.5 years. I have a ton of cell phone USB cables. I only need a USB C cable. I have pretty much everything under the sun in my glove compartment.

I have also noticed that I have four umbrellas. Why do I need so many?

Anyway, I'm into minimalistic mode. With my new car, I will work on not using my car to store so much stuff.

Road trip to meet with good, supportive friends

On Saturday, I hung out with a couple of friends. I did a road trip out to a city where one of them lives. It's also where my ex-guy lives.

The interesting thing is that I didn't think about him while I was there. It was simply fun catching up with cool people over a late lunch and dessert. They made me happy.

I like being surrounded by positive, nice people. I feel good.

Sad about my ex-guy reaching out to me through a work program

My ex-guy and I work for the same company. He works from home all the time and doesn't require going into the office. I go into work three times each week and work from home for the remaining days.

Since he let me go, he has written a couple of e-mails to me through his personal account to mine. I didn't bother to reply to either. The fact that he was late to say happy birthday to me because he was his typical late self did not impress me.

My guess is that he is wondering how I am, as I am not writing back. Frankly, I need some space and don't have anything to contribute.

At work, we have a thank-you program, where you can write a little message and award some points to someone at work. It's to show your appreciation and the recipient can get something from our company's e-commerce site. We get a certain number of points dropped into our accounts every month.

Well, he sent me some points and a one-liner to say thanks for helping him out. As nice as that gesture was, it makes me sad that he ended our relationship -- that he hurt me. Yet, he thinks that things are the same. They aren't.

Fabulous lunch, wine-tasting, and good deed

I had a fabulous lunch on Thursday. I went out with my department to a new restaurant and had a vegan pizza with lots of mushrooms. It was delicious!

Later on in the evening, I went to a wine-tasting event. I got to try three different white wines, followed by three different red wines. We also had food to nibble on. I loved it.

I said hi to a person at the event. We have crossed paths for a while. She rarely talks to folks. I decided to break the ice. It worked.

At the end of the event, she asked me if I could drive her to the closest intersection, so she could catch a bus. I said yes.

After talking to her in my car for a bit, I found out that she doesn't live too far from me. I offered to drive her home. She was so appreciative that she said that she'd buy me a coffee next time.

It pays to be nice and do something nice for someone, to make that person's day and yours.

Grateful to dig myself out and have folks take a chance on me financially

I feel grateful. I got a leased car.

My credit rating took a dive roughly two years ago. My rating was stellar before I ended up being late on a few payments for nearly three months. I have been mending my credit rating for the last year.

The combination of my being with the same car dealership for nine years and having a track record of always making my payments on time helped. I like that I am trusted even though I have made mistakes with my credit in the past.

I have had one financial bank fail to renew my credit card. The credit limit was $1,000. I was never late with my payments with this card. Yet, due to my credit rating, I couldn't be trusted by this bank. I have since paid it off.

I am down to two credit cards. One of them expires in a few months. Part of me has a feeling that this credit card company will do the same thing and not renew my card. The other part of me is hopeful that it will keep me on. However, if it does let me go as a customer, I won't be hurt by it. I would be okay with a single credit card and will reconsider having a backup card down the road.

The toughest part right now is getting my downpayment on my new car paid. I was expecting to do this exercise in January. The fact that it has been moved up by half a year took me by surprise. The good news is that I was able to negotiate a lower downpayment and still have lower lease payments.

Again, I am grateful. It's amazing how you are treated when your credit rating plunges. Your payment history or track record doesn't matter to most places. Your credit rating labels you. Occasionally, there is a glimmer of hope and I got it.

New car lease

I have a new leased car. Thanks to everyone who provided details on switching to a new lease early and pointing out details that I needed to investigate. I appreciate it!

Last week, I had a talk with my manager. He loves cars and recommended getting the C-HR. I test-drove it on Wednesday and it handles well. The problem is that it has huge blindspots on the sides. The rear passenger windows are tiny and it's dark back there. I didn't feel comfortable doing shoulder checks. Down the road, if this car model is redesigned and changes are made to the passenger side windows, I'll reconsider it.

I currently have a Scion iM. It was rebranded as a Toyota iM. It is now the Corolla hatchback. It felt comfortable when I drove it. I like having a push-button start like my Priuses in the past. I like going into drive mode and giving my foot a break by pressing the Stop button. I like going into parking mode and having the emergency brake automatically engage.

It felt fun to drive, just like my current car. I didn't experience that with the C-HR.

The crazy thing is that I put less money down and my payments are much lower. I have been with Toyota for nine years, so it's nice that my track record with them has been good.

I get my car in a couple of Fridays. I need to start clearing my stuff out of my car. My glove compartment is atrocious. I will work on not doing that with my new car.

Long weekend is over... off to dreamland!

This long weekend has been great. I have returned home and return to reality later on today.

I hope that all is well with you. I'm off to dreamland in my own bed, with my own pillows. It's perfect!

Lots of walking and thoughts about pillows

On Saturday, I walked a lot. I walked an entire mall. I had a late lunch by driving over to that restaurant, and then came back and shopped some more at a plaza.

I felt good, although my feet are tired right now. It has been a good long weekend so far.

I head back home later on today. The only damper is the pillows in my hotel room. They don't support my head and neck as well as my own pillows at home do. Otherwise, I feel rested. It's a quiet hotel.

Weekend in Belleville

I'm spending this long weekend in Belleville. It's roughly a 1.5-hour drive east from where I live.

I didn't realize that Belleville has a casino. It has definitely been a learning experience!

Later on today, I am going to check out the area some more. So far, I like what I have seen. It was also nice to casually make my way over here.

The long weekend is here!

I am so glad that the long weekend is here. Friday was not the best day at work dealing with my annoying colleague who can't own up to her own actions.

I have completed packing for my mini staycation. I always feel like I am missing something, but I can always get what I am missing as I go.

I'm off to bed now. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Six months before my car lease is over

I have a leased car. The lease is six months away from being over.

Apparently, I can take my car into the dealership to get a complimentary assessment on how it is doing and options that I have, including buying it. I also have the option to break my lease and get a new car without any penalties, depending on the car that I choose, I am guessing.

This process is completely new to me. I have never had a six-month-before-the-lease assessment in my life. It must be recent, as I have leased a total of four cars in my life, including this one. I can only guess that it is to retain customers.

It seems like the trade would be from my Scion iM (it has been rebranded as the Corolla iM) to the Corolla Hatchback. I don't know whether selecting a different car model is eligible for breaking a lease and keeping my payments roughly the same. We'll see.

If you have any insight, please let me know. It's all new to me as I continue my research on cars.

August staycation and pay

It's August. Summer seems to be breezing by fast!

The long weekend is coming up. I am doing a mini staycation. I am looking forward to it.

I have a few things to pack. I have travelled a fair amount in July that pretty much everything I need is still in that one piece of luggage.

I like August. I get paid three times, which makes me feel rich for a brief period. It's good.