Canadians don't celebrate Memorial Day

It's the Memorial Day long weekend in the States. A handful of Americans on a social site that I'm on were nice to wish me a happy Memorial Day weekend. They meant well.

The problem? I'm Canadian. I don't have this day off.

I can understand that perhaps we are similar in many regards. I am mindful of holidays that Canadians have, but Americans don't, and vice-versa. However, I seem to be frequently grouped in these well wishes. I wish that I weren't.

I've actually had to tell three people over the weekend that Canadians don't celebrate it. They don't seem to check where anyone is from and default to everyone being American. One of them apologized, which was nice. The other two didn't say a thing.

The next holiday is Canada Day on July 1st and the 4th of July for my neighbours. I normally don't get too many mix-ups, but there could be a first for everything. I'll keep you posted.

Meeting up with my colleague for cheese tarts and bubble tea

I had a food perk to pick up on Saturday afternoon. I then met up with my former intern who is now my colleague.

We have been trying to get an application to work on his laptop. Our IT group sucks. We told them right off the bat that it was a profile issue. Well, they finally got around to resetting his profile. Everything works. Finally! We were both elated on Friday, but also annoyed at how incompetent this IT group is.

Anyway, he treated me to bubble tea. It was so thoughtful of him. He placed the order and I went to fetch it, as it was on my way from the food perk place and I didn't mind fetching the order. I wanted to split my food perk with him (I got four Japanese cheese tarts) because they are so good.

He loved the two tarts that I had given him. He loved them so much that he devoured them without taking a photo. Luckily, he saw me take a photo of all four before I handed two to him that I simply texted him my photo.

The bubble tea was amazing. I'm so glad that he recommended this place. I got this blue Curacao soda with small bits of pineapple. It was so refreshing and delicious.

We hadn't seen each other since last August. We see each other on a weekly meeting through video, but it's really not the same. It was great seeing and talking to him briefly yesterday afternoon.

Weighted blanket and temperature drop

I bought a weighted blanket. It was on sale. I have heard that it promotes better sleep. 

My blanket is 20 pounds. It was quite the workout getting it from the post office to my car, and then from my car, up a set of stairs, to my bedroom.

I have a duvet cover, but it's likely too thin for this weighted blanket. I went on Amazon and bought one specifically for a weighted blanket. I'm excited to get it.

In the meantime, I'm going to use it tonight and see how it goes. I'll report back soon.

It's weird that a few days ago, the temperature was 30°C. The temperature later on today is expected to be 5°C. Yikes!

Copycat diva, night guard, and two years being single

I returned to work yesterday. I dislike dealing with a diva who can't word things herself and can't think for herself. She actually copied and pasted two sentences of mine in her e-mail aimed at two other people, and copied me on it.

Wow. Such a jerk. 

My call was correct. I didn't even bother waiting for her e-mail to be sent out to seek confirmation from others. I knew what to do. She didn't.

I am picking up my night guard later on today. I'm looking forward to it.

Today marks two years since the ex broke up with me. It has taken me a long time to heal. I am finally there after kicking him to the curb and telling him not to contact me. I am proud of myself for being the one who didn't want him in my life in any form.

Tires, masks, and long weekend

Well, my appointment to pick up my new nightguard at the dental office is now on Thursday at 10 am. Yesterday, I only had my car maintenance appointment to go to.

It was pretty straightforward. I got there, checked in, waited for my car, and it was done in roughly an hour. I have all-season tires on my car again.

The only downside was seeing a customer take down his mask twice. The duration was minutes each time. I stared him down both times, but he was too stupid to understand why I was annoyed. The signs clearly say to wear a mask at all times indoors. What a jerk!

My long weekend is now over. At least my workweek is three days in length.

Napping and appointments

I did a lot of napping on Monday. I enjoyed it.

I spent the last hour consolidating my tea collection. I have both looseleaf and bags in different areas. I put them all in one big storage area. I'm pretty pleased. We'll see how it goes.

I was supposed to get a confirmation call from my dentist. As expected, it never happened. It's for 10:30 am later today, but the woman said that it would be between 10 am and 10:30 am. The uncertainty is annoying.

Tomorrow afternoon, I get my winter tires swapped out. It was a good call to take the day off.

Super glue and poor design

For a while, one of the rubber feet on my work laptop constantly falls off. As a temporary solution, I glued it back with nail polish. It works for a few months before I need to reapply it. I knew that I needed to get some super glue soon.

I went to the dollar store on the weekend and picked up a tube. The rubber foot is drying nicely as I type.

The weird thing about the super glue is that it came in a cylindrical container. The glue and the tip were separate when I got them. After screwing on the tip with the lid and using it, the glue does not fit in the container anymore.

Poor design. I'm not about to unscrew the tip and have super glue all over me. Instead, I had an empty mason jar that is now the super glue's new home.

Victoria Day long weekend!

It's the Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada. We have Monday off. I have also taken Tuesday off as a vacation day, so I've extended it.

So far, it has been great. On Saturday, I slept in till 10:00 am. I haven't done that for a while.

It's hot and humid these days. Summer has arrived early with temperatures reaching 29°C. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

New snack store

A new snack store opened within a five-minute drive from where I live. It offers a number of exotic candy, chocolate, drinks, chips, and more.

I placed an order online. I decided to schedule it for pickup after work. When I got there, I was in sugar and snack heaven!

I just consumed a lemon KitKat bar from Brazil. I bought one and got another one for free. It was so good. It was white chocolate paired with a nice lemony taste, with the signature wafers, of course.

It's deadly that this store is so close to home. If you don't hear from me, I'm likely at this store.

Clean teeth and thoughts about coughing up funds

I have clean teeth.

Before getting my teeth impressions for my night (mouth) guard, my dentist noticed some "potholes" in a couple of molars and patched those ups. You could see a bit of the dentin, which was scary. It was a cost that I wasn't expected, but I managed to have enough in my emergency fund to handle it.

With my nightguard, the office wanted a deposit for $200. I told her that I didn't have that much. Instead, I managed to put down a deposit of $68 dollars. It costs well over $400 for it. I frankly feel that the restorations and cleaning are my down payment, along with being a patient for nearly two decades.

I'm not a fan of paying up first. I frankly feel that the office is making sure that it gets paid immediately and inconveniencing customers. I learned that I don't need to file the claim myself -- that the office still does it. It doesn't jive with the woman's explanation when I pressed her about it last week. She said that the office was short-staffed. Yet, you can still file claims on behalf of your patients. Interesting...

I dislike policies that only make sense to a business and don't benefit patients.

Dental appointment and an emergency fund

I've got a dental appointment later this morning. I'm having routine cleaning and an impression done to get a mouth guard. I grind my teeth at night. My current mouth guard needs replacing.

In the past, the dental office would submit claims on my behalf. During this pandemic, it now requires that I shell out the cost first, and then submit my claim to get reimbursed. It's quite the hardship for customers who don't have the money available. I have been fortunate to have established an emergency fund, so it'll temporarily pay for this cost and I'll put the money back in this account once my claim is processed.

I'd say that nearly two years ago, I never had an emergency fund. I have come a long way.

It's back! My menstrual cycle and its irregularity

My menstrual cycle continues to be irregular. I have missed the last two months.

Out of nowhere on Sunday, my menstrual cycle made its presence known. It is heavier than usual, which doesn't alarm me. When I have missed a cycle, the next one tends to be heavier.

It's weird. I was starting to get used to not having them. I don't get hot flashes at night anymore, but they do happen during the day. Luckily, they are mild.

It's an interesting phase right now. 

Food perk pics

On Saturday, I got my food perk.

The first photo has my pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw, cornbread, and pickle slices:

Everything was delicious. The woman who helped me with my perk was so nice and awesome!

Here's a close-up shot of my pulled pork sandwich:

I had a wonderful experience!

Break and food perk

The weekend is here. Yay!

I took a mini break from blogging. It was good. All is well.

Later on today, I'm picking up a food perk. I'm looking forward to a pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw, and cornbread. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Balancing work and mandatory training

Work is picking up again. 

Monday was great. I have this eight-hour mandatory training course to do online and I got through a good chunk of it. I was hoping to complete it on Tuesday, but I got sidetracked by work that I was not expecting.

Figures. It's weird. Hopefully, I'll be done with it in a couple of days and can get back to completing my online course.

It's nice to take training and get a break from dishing it out.

Vaccine and an early meeting

On Monday afternoon, my friend shared the news with me that she got her COVID-19 vaccine. I was so happy for her. It lifted her spirits up.

I was thrilled that she reached out to me. We had talked about my experience last week when she asked me how I felt after getting my shot.

It was great news to the start of the workweek.

I'm off to bed soon. I have a 7 am meeting that occurs every five months. It's that four-hour meeting that it way too long.

Cursive handwriting and calligraphy

On Friday, during my lunch hour, I took a workshop on cursive handwriting. It was highly relaxing and therapeutic.

I should get back to doing calligraphy and cursive handwriting again. It was a lot of fun. I use my keyboard every day. It's nice to literally unplug and go back to the old way of doing things.

Have a great weekend!

Stuffed peppers and the weekend

I have never made stuffed peppers in my life. I saw some red and orange bell peppers when I was at the grocery store and decided get some. I hope to make this recipe on the weekend. I won't be adding rice in it, which makes it non-traditional.

This workweek feels long. I am ready for the weekend.

COVID-19 is scary

Last weekend, I placed a food order for pickup this Saturday. I just found out that a supplier that this business works with has team members that got infected with COVID-19. Ugh! I hope that those affected will be okay.

Canada is ramping up its vaccine supply. Every adult is expected to get one shot by the end of June. It's a good sign.

The business has found a new supplier, so I'll be proceeding with my food order. COVID-19 is so scary. I can't wait for the day when we kick it to the curb.

Eye appointment, cafe stop, and writing advice

I visited my ophthalmologist yesterday. All went well. I go back in six months, in my usual monitoring mode. I'm happy.

I got to visit my favourite cafe next door. I was so happy getting a raspberry white hot chocolate and an albacore tuna sandwich. Yum and yum!

A fellow writer at work in California reached out to me asking for advice. I'm not sure how she found me. I hope to ask her that question next. She's apparently new to her project.

My former intern returns as a contractor

Yesterday, my former intern joined our team as a contractor. It's great having him back.

The downside was getting his laptop up and running. We had several obstacles, including not having a password for him to log into said laptop. Crazy!

We did manage to get what we wanted to work. There's more to come later on today.

Ankle pain and refresher training

I woke up before 7 am on Sunday with ankle pain. I walked a lot of Saturday, so it was not surprising.

I have an odd workweek this week. My former intern has returned to the workplace as a contractor. Training will be different. I am doing a refresher part, which really depends on him.

I also start my workday at 8 am. I am looking forward to not doing daily chats with my team at 4:45 pm.

Tacos, enchiladas, and a Nutella milkshake

Happy weekend!

On Saturday, I was out and about. I had a perk to pick up near downtown Toronto. I got a free fried fish taco, with chips and salsa. I had the taco in my car, as we are in lockdown 3.0 and dining in isn't allowed. It was so good.

I was last there over a year ago. I hung out with friends for a few hours before this pandemic. We were in a food hall, so we ordered a lot of food.

It was nice heading back. I also got a Nutella milkshake from another eatery there. I got chicken enchiladas from the same eatery that provided the free perks.

I do need visit Toronto more often. It's my hometown with cool neighbourhoods that I need to explore more.

Training and a shift to my workday start time

Training is over for my colleague in India. I actually liked starting my day early. I let my manager know that I'd like to start my workday at 8 am (I typically start between 8:15 am and 8:30 am, so it's not a huge shift), and he was okay with it.

By starting at 8 am, my quitting time becomes 4:30 pm. He said that I'd be missed at our daily chat at 4:45 pm. I actually don't mind missing it, as some of the chatter with my colleagues is downright boring.

It's nice that I'm missed. I tend to be the one who sparks conversation. Take me out of the picture, and it's not as interesting because you have men who talk until the cows come home.

It's the weekend at long last. Yay!