Bloodwork later today

I'm getting some bloodwork done in a few hours. I am fasting for it.

During this pandemic, bloodwork is fine. Urine samples are not. It's one less thing to worry about.

We'll see how things go. Last time, I sat in my car and didn't get a call from the lab to come in, which was apparently the procedure. Instead, I called the lab and then got in. I will repeat for this visit.

Sleep on weekends

I slept well last night. Here's hoping that I can repeat.

I slept better on weekends. It's likely because I am not thinking about work. I don't have to start at a specific time. It's casual. It's good.

Productive Friday heading into the weekend

The weekend is finally here. Yay!

My manager took Friday off. It was nice. I noticed that I didn't get a ton of messages in my inbox. I loved it. I could focus on completing a few tasks with few interruptions.

I got a gift card thanks to a rewards program at work. It went towards a Black Friday sale. I don't normally shop during Black Friday, but there were a few items that I have been meaning to get for months and finally got around to it.

Enjoy your weekend!

Verdict: I am not working with my ex

This saga with the ex-guy throwing me into a potential work nightmare is over. Both my manager and his manager told off the persistent project manager that I do not have time to work on this user guide.

The guide is in horrible shape. It is over a hundred pages and was written by a software developer who has no concept of writing a customer-facing document. As an example, his first paragraph has five instances of etc. This guide is both long and ugly.

Yesterday, my manager pinged me on our new messaging app at work. I don't like instant messaging when it comes to work. He had a discussion with his manager. He then asked me whether I have worked with this project manager and my ex before on deliverables that are separate from what I typically do. I have not.

I said that pretty much everyone reaches out to me because they know who I am and like the work that I do. My manager said something nice. He said that I have a good reputation and that I should be proud of it.

It's good to be helpful and nice. I am thankful that I do not have to work with my ex. 

I feel that he recommended my name to this project manager because he wanted to burden me with this work. Rather, he needs someone who can fix up an ugly document and put some sense into it. It was my ex-guy's way of saying that I'm a decent writer.

I do appreciate that he has respected my wish for him to not contact me. I hope that he continues to honour it.

Cell phone cases and software updates

On Tuesday, I went out briefly to pick up a parcel at the post office. I also got some takeout for dinner.

I got two cell phone cases in the mail. One is purple that glows in the dark. The other is a clear case. I love them both. It's nice to have a protective case on my new phone.

I am currently upgrading a few software applications on my Mac mini. I'm ready for bed. I'm exhausted!

The jerk is back

I truly dislike my ex-guy.

We work for the same company. Apparently, he let his project manager know about me. This PM sent me an e-mail to let me know that he is in dire need of a writer to put together a user guide.

My ex is a jerk. He knows that I am swamped with work all the time. The last thing I want to do is work on a project that he is a part of and do even more work.

Part of me was angry at first. I thought about it more and it's his odd way to reach out to me -- to go through a loophole. He's actually saying that he misses me in his odd way. I told him to never contact me. Well, he hasn't. Instead, he has done it indirectly, which I don't appreciate.

My manager is now involved, as it's all about time allocation. He knows that our department is swamped with a major software release ahead and my work that I need to get into it. I frankly do not want to work with the ex and I don't exactly want to disclose that fact to my manager should he say yes to this extra work.

Update on my friend and Christmas panties

My friend, who has lymphoma, is going through her third round of chemo this week. She has lost a ton of weight, but is in good spirits.

On a great note, she has found a bone marrow donor who matches with her 100%. I am so happy for her. Here's hoping that she is in remission soon so she can undergo the transplant.

She has a GoFundMe page. I donated again. I am sure that her medical expenses are piling up.

I am finally able to upload the Christmas panties that will arrive in the mail soon as an add-on to my regular panties subscription:

I am looking forward to trying them out.

New phone

I got my new phone on Friday. I love it! I have been busy configuring and using it.

On Saturday, I got a screen protector for it. I love it, too. I'm waiting for my case to arrive.

I'll write more later. All is well!

Update on my phone and panties

Things are busy at work. We are less than a month away from a major software release, so it's expected.

My new phone is expected to arrive on Monday now. Although the wait seems like an eternity, I am okay with it. I bought a purple cell phone case online, so I hope that it arrives roughly at the same time as my phone. I still need to get a screen protector. I'm making progress.

I'm exhausted, which was one reason why I decided to skip posting yesterday. However, I wanted to say that my cute panties are so comfortable that I am considering getting a pair each month.

My new phone has shipped!

Great news! My Google Pixel 4a 5G phone shipped yesterday. I hope to get it either today or tomorrow.

I get paid later on today. I haven't got around to getting a screen protector. I don't have a case, either! Luckily, I live near a number of cell phone accessory places, so I am bound to find these items.

I'm so excited!

Battery percentage and a surprise parcel

On Sunday, I upgraded my MacBook Air to Big Sur, which is the latest and greatest MacOS. The upgrade went well and I like it so far.

The only thing that bothered me was that the battery percentage was gone. You have to select the option in System Preferences. I understand keeping things simple, but having this percentag hidden by default is odd to me.

Switching gears a bit, I got a small parcel from a local vendor in Toronto. I have been a fan of this vendor's products that I had asked the owner about a small little plushie that I've seen on his social media feed. I asked whether it was for sale. It wasn't, but he was happy to send me one for free for being so supportive. It was such a kind gesture.

Well, guess what? I didn't get one. I got two small plushies. So generous. These small gifts made my day.

My new phone's delivery date is nearly here!

Back in late October, I pre-ordered my Google Pixel 4a 5G phone online. I woke up on Sunday and received an e-mail that my payment is currently being processed. I am thrilled that it will ship soon.

It's shipping around November 23, which would be a week from now. The wait feels like an eternity, as my two-year term phone term had ended in late September.

I just ordered a new phone case for it. I still need a screen protector. I always like the excitement of getting a new phone.

My current phone is great. It will serve as my phablet at home. My iPad is probably ten years old by now. It doesn't get any iOS updates anymore and I don't feel like investing in another tablet.

Verdict on using a tissue to eliminate eyeglasses from fogging up

I decided to skip a day posting here. Friday was pretty busy that I ended up taking a nap at around 22:30, woke up, brushed my teeth, and went to bed for another 7 hours!

My appointment with my ophthalmologist went well. He says that my eyes are healthy such that I don't need to see him for another six months. It's good that I don't need an eye injection. Here's hoping that this trend continues.

As for my eyeglasses fogging up, I tried the tissue technique where I had it folded as a strip at the top of my mask. At first, it did fog up, but not as badly as if I didn't have the tissue. Within a minute, there was no fogging at all. It was nice to do the eye test and not apologize for not being able to read the chart due to fog.

Another tip that I got was to wash your lenses with baby shampoo. You then let your eyeglasses air-dry. I haven't tried it, but I'm curious.

Foggy glasses when wearing a mask

I have an appointment with my ophthalmologist today. Last time I was there, I had to read the eye chart with my glasses and mask on. My glasses fogged up, so this task was difficult to achieve.

I just learned to use a tissue inside your mask, at the top, to prevent fogging. I'm going to try it and see how things go.

Years ago, I had anti-fogging spray that I used on my lenses. Perhaps I should get something similar again.

Relaxed thanks to a day off from work

I had a good day off. It was much needed.

My car has snow tires. This morning, it was 17C. The temperature dropped throughout the day. It's now 6C. My timing is spot as far as getting them installed.

Two more workdays are left before the weekend. I can't wait.

Safe dental appointment and a day off today

My dental appointment went well. I felt extremely safe. There were tons of safety precautions in place. I ended up sanitizing my hands four times!

The insurance procedure was better explained to me. The dental office asks that you pay for services upfront. It files a claim on your behalf instead of filing a claim yourself. Nice!

I am fortunate that my dental appointments are uneventful. I thought that not having been to the dentist for a year would require a ton of plaque being scraped off my teeth. Nope, my hygienist said that I've been doing a pretty good job in that department.

Today, I have a day off. I'm taking my car in to get my winter tires installed. I then have to run an errand. Other than those plans, I have the rest of the day to casually figure out what else I'd like to do.

Dental appointment

It has been a year since I visited my dentist. I finally go in for my appointment in a few hours.

Things will be different. In the past, the dental office filed my claims on my behalf. With the pandemic, I have to pay upfront and file it myself.

The downside is that paying upfront isn't cheap. However, my insurance does have a quick payment turnaround. Funds from any claim that I file directly goes into my chequing account.

I have to call the office from the parking lot. I also have to wear shoe covers that the dental office will provide.

It's definitely a change going to the dentist's office.

Alex Trebek

Alex Trebek, host of Jeopardy! and other Canadian game shows before it, has passed away. 

Cancer sucks. He was 80 years of age.

I grew up watching him on TV. I loved watching him host High Rollers and Pitfall. I then watched Jeopardy! religiously, to the point where I got my parents to watch the show with me. To this day, they both enjoy watching the show.

He always made sure that there was a Canadian question on each Jeopardy! show. I loved that he always had Canada on his mind. 

Such a huge loss. May he rest in peace.

Making progress

On Friday, I was in a knowledge session meeting for work. Towards the end of it, I looked at the list of participants and noticed that my ex was there.

I didn't feel anything. I wasn't annoyed or hurt. I wasn't happy to see him online. I was indifferent. I have made progress.

In the past, he has told me that he always goes through the participant list in his meetings. I wouldn't be surprised that he did so in this one.

I told him to stop contacting me. He has respected my wish so far since we texted in early July. Perhaps he has made a bit of progress, too.

I do pity him. He ruined a good thing and only has himself to blame.

The United States has a President-elect and a Vice-President-elect now. I feel hopeful that this change will be a positive one.

Holiday panties and thong set for being nice and naughty

I have panty subscription service. I get a cute pair of panties every couple of months.

I just looked at the festive holiday versions that you can get on top of your regular subscription. I love them!

Unfortunately, Blogger is not letting me upload any photos right now. I'm getting a server error. I'll simply have to describe what they look like.

The panties version has NICE written on the backside in yellow letters. The panties are a festive green.

There is also a cheery red thong with NAUGHTY written on the back waistband. The thong looks comfortable, which has always been my main concern when it comes to wearing one.

Yep, I will get them and hope that I can upload photos of them when they do arrive. I am both naughty and nice, after all!

Long week telling people to clear their browser cache

Long week. One more workday. Yay!

I find that working with software testers to be tedious. I'm often defending my work -- that my changes are correct and proving them wrong because they can't do something simple.

The other day, I had one tester tell me to remove a sentence. I told him that I had no idea what he was talking about. He presented his screenshot, which was a snapshot of our documentation from the night before. I showed him what I was looking at, which did not have that sentence. I even went once step further by saying that a particular setting was shown in his screenshot, but it's invalid and removed from mine.

Case closed. Sadly, it's a part of my job to tell people to clear their browser cache.

Flu shot and interviews

Yesterday, I got a phone call to get my flu shot. The call came in while I was conducting an interview with my manager. I actually had to tell the guy from the drugstore that I needed to call him back and that it was a bad time for me to talk to him.

Yesterday was a crazy day. I have a bunch of documentation updates to make on top of having three interviews with candidates for one intern position. It means that I am likely conducting training in early January.

My arm that got the flu shot is sore right now. Other than that, it went smoothly.

US election and the need for process improvement

The US election. I like watching election results because I'm a numbers person.

After all these years, I don't fully comprehend the electoral system. I find that the entire voting process drags on and could be scaled down to be more efficient.

That's just me, though. I look at inefficiencies with whatever I see and do. I do that at work, and make suggestions and proposals to make things better.

Luckily, I'm not tasked with making the US voting process simpler and easier. I applaud the record turnout. However, it seems ridiculous to spend eight hours lining up at a polling station to cast your important vote.

Anyway, I am still watching the election programming. I like that I can watch Global TV on Amazon Prime. It's cool and convenient.

Early morning meeting and a generous plushie gift

I should be off to bed now. I have a meeting that starts at 7 am for four hours. Oh, joy!

On a nice note, a local business has a small monkey as a mascot. It has a small plushie version of this mascot. I asked whether it was available for purchase. I got a response from the business immediately. It doesn't sell plushies, but the owner wanted to send me one for free for being a supporter for a few years now.

This generous gesture has made my week!

A different Halloween

Halloween was different this year. Our government (local and provincial) recommended not having kids trick or treat this year. It was eerie not seeing any kids out and about.

I bought Halloween candy, as I do every year. Since I didn't give any out, I have the arduous task of eating it.

It's now November 1st. It's also Daylight Saving Time. Oh, joy!