Rainbow horn incident

The hairband with rainbow devil horns that I got from the dollar store the other day looks like the following:

You are also seeing my new Chromebook.

Yesterday, I went out wearing a sweater with a built-in cape (it's pretty cool), this hairband, and a comfy pair of joggers. Sadly, I busted the right horn of my hairband, so I was working on reduced devilishness.

I got to my usual tea place. The owners were so great. I indicated that I had busted one of the horns. I had recommended Alien Tape to them to hang up a small rug on the wall. The female owner went to get her Alien Tape and cut a small piece off for me to re-attach the horn. It worked. Yay!

I'll be going out today to do a pickup downtown. I'm be wearing my fixed hairband. I like it.

Happy Halloween!

Luggage check and a rainbow devil

Yay to the weekend!

It has been over 1.5 years since I looked at the contents of my luggage. Since I am travelling in less than a month, I opened it up to check out what I had there.

I'm glad that I am a planner. I ended up placing a travel facial scrubber in there, along with branded hockey team socks for the hockey games that I'll be attending.

I'll be wearing my quick-and-dirty rainbow devil costume later on today. It'll be fun, although it's supposed to rain all day.

Hairband with rainbow horns

I decided to get a hairband that has rainbow horns and some feathery decoration in light of Halloween. I also got a feather boa. Both items cost me $2 at the dollar store.

I haven't dressed up for Halloween for years. I'm actually doing the minimum to enter a raffle on Saturday.

I do like the hairband. It's like I'm channelling energy or something with the rainbow horns.

Touching base through texts and loving my new wifi extender

I like when former co-workers end up being friends with me. One of them texted me yesterday to ask for a reference and to meet up for dinner.

It was perfect timing. She rescued me from a rather boring all-employee meeting.

On a completely different note, I got a wifi extender. I find that my wifi in my basement tends to be spotty. This wifi extender works well. I'm impressed!

Rare Monday night outing

On Monday night, I went out to get a free meal at a cool Mexican-Latin-America eatery. The food was amazing. I'll definitely need to return for more.

The place is owned by a husband-and-wife team. They were so warm and welcoming.

It was raining all night. It felt soothing driving through the rain heading over there and then home.

I did stop to get some bubble tea after eating dinner. It was the perfect way to end my outing.

Stop contacting me!

People are interesting creatures. I wish that they wouldn't contact me sometimes.

I have a contact on one social media platform who decided to message me on the weekend. He noticed that a business listing that he had created had changed to something else. I continued checking into said place. He basically said that it looked like I was checking into a government site.

So, what's the purpose of your contacting me? I told him that I was fully aware that I was checking into said location and treating it like the original. He wrote back and said that he knew that, but the new location was further away from where he was.

Buddy, why are you contacting me? If the listing is wrong, go report it. I had already done that, but I didn't want to break the news to him, which I think is what he wanted me to do or was simply clueless.

Folks are not clear with what they are trying to accomplish. Don't complain about it to me. Do something about it yourself.

The diva contacted me about an apparent issue. She inherited part of my workload over two years ago. She still doesn't get it. I couldn't tell whether she didn't understand how document revisions worked or if she didn't understand how to interpret document numbers.

Woman, you have taken over the job for over two years. It was such a basic question where she included our manager that she now looks like she can't comprehend the work that she is tasked to do for a while.

Don't bug me. I've got work to do.

Meatball soup and nail polish colour

On Sunday, I made meatball soup. It turned out well. The recipe is a keeper.

I used a beef-veal mix for the meatballs. I also used a veggie-beef broth mix. So flavourful. I'm glad that I made a large amount of it.

I decided to use nail polish on my nails. During this pandemic, I switched to using clear shellac. I looked at my nail polish collection and kind of missed seeing colour. It's nice to change things up.

SIM card activations online and notifications are annoying

Yesterday, I bought a new SIM to activate on my old phone for my dad. Trying to activate this physical SIM online with a specific cell phone provider isn't working.

Why does a straightforward procedure tend to be so aggravating. I don't get it.

Chat support is unavailable right now. We'll see if it's available later on today.

Last night, I didn't sleep well. For some reason, my hybrid smartwatch vibrates whenever it disconnects from my phone. It never did that before. I changed the notification setting off. My alarms thankfully still work.

Technology is great and frustrating simultaneously.

Fixing a novice document design issue

When it comes to document design, it's an interest of mine and I'm passionate about it. I think of how useful the document is to the end user when I'm either creating or updating a document.

A few months ago, when I looked at a document that a fellow colleague was working on, she had repeated the service that she was documenting in the title of every page. I asked her why she did that. She told me that her team lead, the diva, told her to.

Ugh. That's poor document design. It's pretty clear that you're in a document talking about the service. Why have it as a prefix for the title of each page that you have? You're taking the user read the same prefix over and over. Is that practical or helpful? No.

Her argument was that it was a best practice from a previous solution that she worked on. Um, no. Your page titles needs to be meaningful, but not monotonous and redundant.

My manager sent her a request to fix this issue in multiple documents. 

I'm such an advocate for the end user. This person wants answers immediately when looking at a document. It's not happening with unnecessary fluff.

My colleague had brought up this issue, but the diva was adamant that she was right. The issue is that the diva doesn't come from a writing background and it shows here. Our colleague does. I do, too.

The other sad thing is that she has been a writer on our team for seven or eight years now. She hasn't caught on.

Pushback from a colleague that rubbed me the wrong way

At work, a couple of months ago, I was given a task to take data from two horrible spreadsheets and create documents out of them. I am doing this task again for our upcoming software release.

I have made it clear that I don't want to be stuck with this task forever. I was given this task because I am normally the one who is good with taking a first stab in designing it and outlining a potential process. 

My manager agreed. He met to with my two peers who have taken over my software release work. He wants them to own this task. I was also in attendance. 

One of them did not like it. He basically asked me what my challenges were. He then said that was the reason for this meeting was that I needed help.

I find that when I handled everything on our team, very few people on my team understood just how much work I did. I have done this grunt work for far too long that I have better things to do. Anyone can do this work. I have earned it. My experience and performance speak volumes.

My manager put his foot down and said that he wants them to own this task because it's considered a part of the release work. It's true. They don't realize that I have been handling another task for years that anyone can do, but I am stuck with that for years. I shouldn't carry the burden of having two such tasks.

It was interesting to see how this guy started to push back on this task and the second task that was discussed. It was fascinating observing him.

I am on my Chromebook. I love it. Such a great purchase.

Posting from my new Chromebook

Yesterday, I got my new Chromebook. Setting it up was easy.

I like the look and its performance so far. The keyboard is noisier than my other laptops, but is comfortable to type on. I'm loving how straightforward everything is.

It's the lightest laptop that I have. It's cool.

Clothes to donate

I spent the last hour going through articles of clothing that I want to donate. Since I started this exercise on the weekend, I have two bags of clothes.

I am happy with my progress. I hope that folks who end up with my donated clothes will enjoy them.

My boss is away from work today. Yay!

Proof of vaccination and antigen tests

Ontario now has a COVID-19 proof of vaccination certificate. I downloaded mine a couple of hours ago.

I was eligible to download it on Saturday, but didn't know about it until yesterday. I like that it clearly lists both my shots. I no longer need to flag my two receipts on my phone. This one works well and comes with a QR code, which I hope works.

I have been researching places to get my COVID-19 rapid antigen shot here. I have read that Shoppers Drug Mart doesn't issue a professional-looking receipt according to some unhappy customers. Although valid for travel to the States, I have heard some horror stores of negative test results being written by hand and don't look professional when presented at the airport.

After doing quite a bit of research, I have found three other drugstores that provide certificates for the same price as SDM. So, I'll give one of them a try next month and will report back with my findings.

I am excited about travelling again. 

Wardrobe donations

On Sunday, I spent a bit of time looking at my wardrobe and picking out clothing that I want to donate. It was good. I have two bags of clothing and a couple of pairs of flip flops that I have never worn that will be donated.

I decided to get rid of a blue and white stripped shirt that the ex bought me years ago. I only wore it once. I don't know why I held onto it. I'm glad that I am getting rid of it and hope that someone will love it.

He also bought me a striped cardigan that same day. I still wear it to this day. I like it.

Even though I don't want anything to do with him, there are some gifts from him that I still have and use. They are practical and I like them.

I am continuing the wardrobe purge. The first step yesterday was good.

Visiting a mall and a restaurant after a decade

On Saturday, I visited a shopping mall that I haven't frequented in nearly a decade. It has changed quite a bit.

I used to go to a Vietnamese restaurant located in this mall with co-workers when we all used to work nearby. We all don't work at this company anymore.

I was pleased to learn that this restaurant is still alive and kicking. I went back to get some takeout. I felt the need to support it and find out whether the quality is still there. It is!

The food was delicious. I was relieved and happy.

I will try not to wait another decade to drop by this eatery and mall.

Weekend and a new Chromebook

Yay, weekend!

I like a good deal. For years, I have been interested in getting a Chromebook. I've never found one that is of good quality at a decent price. Out of the blue, I found one on sale for $200. I like the specs. I saved $280. Crazy!

I'm so happy with my purchase. I'm looking forward to receiving it soon.

Half the day off to break

Yesterday, I decided to take half the day off. I was tired and felt like I needed a break. I'm glad that I did.

I slept. I felt much better afterwards.

The good thing about a shorter workweek is that it's over faster. The downside is that folks seem to feel the need to cram more work into the week. Weird!

I managed to book my second trip to the States. I leave in late November and return in early December. I then go back just before Christmas and stay there for three weeks. Yay!

Ordered takeout from the wrong location

I did something odd last night. I ordered takeout with my app, which isn't all that weird. I didn't realize that it defaulted to a place roughly an hour away from where I was. I drove to the closest restaurant where I thought that I had placed my order.

I had already paid for my meal and it was ready. It was too far away for me to pick it up. So, I had to cancel and forfeit my purchase. I was oddly okay with it and hope that someone else orders the same meal.

It was so weird. I normally am pretty careful about location. I'll need to pay more attention next time.

Shorter workweek and travel plans

It's a short workweek. I thought that yesterday was Monday, so I'm already messed up!

I am planning to travel at the end of November. I am contemplating making it a work-from-across-the-border trip. I'll take a couple of days off to be a tourist and I'll also have the weekend to continue exploring. It'll be a decent mix as I ease into travel, but not going crazy like I used to.

I see more of my friends travelling these days. I feel more comfortable planning travel myself.

Ending a nice Thanksgiving weekend

My long Thanksgiving weekend is coming to an end. It has been nice.

This year, I was able to get a smaller turkey to roast. Since this pandemic, turkeys have been massive such that I easily had leftovers for over a week. It won't be the case this time.

I am making good use of my leftovers. I like being creative with them and creating new recipes.

To break things up, I went out for a couple of hours. I needed to get bagels, which are perfect to make turkey sandwiches.

My friend's final resting place and Thanksgiving Day

A couple of days ago, it was my friend's birthday. She had passed away in January. It was odd not sending her a message to wish her a happy day.

A few hours ago, her daughter friended me on Facebook. She had shared a photo of her mom's resting place. It actually helped me locate the area and lot where my friend is buried. I managed to find a map of the cemetery and pieced everything together.

I am still contemplating plans to head down to the States in late November. I haven't booked anything yet. I need to plan a few things out. For sure, I'm there in December.

It's Thanksgiving Day. I made a Thanksgiving feast yesterday for my parents and me. I have a decent recipe for leftover pastries that I hope to make later on today.

Weekend and food

It's the weekend. Finally!

Last night, I pre-ordered some chicken pot pie samosas. They sound as yummy as I'm sure they taste. I also pre-ordered some lunch at the same store.

Here's hoping that my turkey-stuffing shopping goes well later on today.

Thanksgiving weekend

It's Thanksgiving weekend coming up. I got the vegetable part of my shopping list done on Wednesday. I have the turkey and stuffing to get on the weekend, and I'm all set to go.

I am looking forward to the longer weekend. I like making Thanksgiving dinner. I also love leftovers.

Happy Friday! I'm so glad that there's one more workday to go.

Rest and working from home

Yesterday, I needed the morning to get some more sleep. One of the nice things about working from home is that I can get away with it when I don't have many meetings to attend.

I woke up at 8 am and didn't feel great. I attended a meeting at 10 am. I went back to bed. I woke up at noon and felt better.

It was perfect. I had meetings at 2 pm and 3 pm and attended those. I was so productive thanks to some rest.

New panties

My new panties came in the mail. It looks and feels festive.

Here's the front:

The back has this look:

I'm looking forward to wearing them. They feel so soft for lace.

Rummy bears

The other night, I made rummy bears. Yep, they are gummy bears soaked in rum.

 

My friend noticed my gummy bears loaded tea. It had a few gummies in it. She gave me her recipe to make rummy bears:

1. Place gummy bears in an air-tight container.
2. Fill the container with your favourite rum (I used Cruzan coconut rum) such that it barely covers the gummies and stir.
3. Let them soak overnight.
4. Take them out of the boozy solution to dry and bounce back to gummy form.
5. Eat!

They had full coconut rum and fruit flavours. So good! I'm sure that they'd taste good with vodka, too.

My gummies were lower in sugar. They worked out nicely!

Keep out of reach of children, if they last that long... haha!

Thai restaurant suggestion - success!

Yesterday, I recommended a bunch of eateries to the couple who have named a shake after me at their business. One of the suggestions was a Thai restaurant.

They actually went there for lunch and loved it. It was nice seeing a video of what they had to eat. It was cool that they trusted me.

Skin care

I feel the need to change my skin care routine. My skin looks blotchy. I can't tell if it's due to the sun or aging at this stage.

I admit that I don't moisturize as much as I should. So, I've started doing that more.

One more day to get through and the weekend is here. Yay!