Happy new year - almost!

It's just under an hour away from New Year's Day!

I'd like to wish you all a great 2023 ahead. Here's to a year full of joy, love, good health, and yummy food and drinks.

Feeling better, but my congestion is difficult to predict

I am on the mend. My congestion seems to be up and down, though. Yesterday, I was breathing well for most of the day. It seems to get worse at night, a few hours before I'm ready to call it a day and sleep.

Today, my congestion was different. I felt great until late afternoon. I do have a decongestant in spray form, which has worked wonders. I am breathing well right now.

I still have a cough, but it's mild. Today, I went to get a backup bottle of Pei Pa Koa, a Chinese cough and throat syrup. Oddly, it's sold out at my usual stores. However, I can get it online through Amazon.

We live in such a weird world. Cough and cold medication is scarce in my area thanks to kids getting sick and the supply can't catch up with the demand.

Here's hoping that things get better.

Energy levels and congestion

I spent Tuesday at home. I find that I'm energetic in the morning. Once I have breakfast, I want to nap and it's all downhill from there.

Congestion is annoying. I have been hydrating a lot that I feel much better later in the day. It's interesting having a cold.

I haven't had a cold in years. It's weird, but I'm coping as best as I can.

Sick - ups and downs

I woke up today feeling good. I had breakfast and my energy dipped.

I napped. Napping helped. More rest was needed. I then headed out for the first time in days.

Fresh air does wonders. I ended up at the drugstore. There is a huge shortage of cold and cough medication.

I have nighttime cold and cough medication. It's the daily medication that I needed. Luckily, I found some, but it was slim pickings.

It was great to feel much better when I left home until I had soup upon my return. I'm now congested, so I'm off to breath better with my nose spray.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Due to a snowstorm that blew in on Christmas Eve, I decided to make Christmas dinner (it was more luch) early. My parents and I feasted on Christmas Eve. Today, I've have been eating leftovers, which I love.

I was stateside last year for Christmas and New Year's Day. It's nice to be home for the holidays this year.

I hope that you and yours have a fabulous holiday season. I am currently dealing with a sore throat and a mild cold. I'll write more about my recent travels once I have a chance. I am on a break from work.

I basically slept for two hours this afternoon. I felt tired from being sick. I'm more energetic now, which is encouraging.

Playful smack

On Wednesday, I was talking to my friends, who are also business owners. They are husband and wife.

They are a wonderful couple and I'm so happy that we have forged a beautiful friendship. It was my first time seeing the husband smack the backside of his wife in a playful manner.

Man, the sound of that smack echoed throughout the room. It made me happy to see such affection. It was also arousing.

I haven't talked about spanking for a long time, mainly because I haven't been all that interested since I broke up with the ex. It's a weird side effect of a breakup. The interest is there. It's simply dormant.

Taking my friend out for dinner to lift her spirits up

I have a friend who got laid off last month. We used to work together before she went to this company that laid her off.

I suggested that she could take a contract with us and get rehired. My guess is that she didn't want a three-month contract with a chance to renew it.

When she called me to break her layoff news, it was just before I headed to the Twin Cities in October. I said that I'd take her out for dinner. It will happen a couple of Mondays from now. I hope that it will lift her spirits up a bit.

I have been laid off twice in my life. A good friend took me to a CFL (Canadian Football League) game and it was great. I'm sort of paying it forward.

Configuring a new work laptop

On Tuesday, I went into the office to pick up my new laptop. My current one is four years old and its lease is about to expire. The company leases all laptops.

I spent a couple of hours configuring my laptop and getting software updates installed. I then finished things up at home. So, perhaps I had spent three to four hours getting my new laptop configured.

I used my new laptop all day on Wednesday. I love it. It's much faster to open up applications.

I was exhausted on Tuesday. It was a long ten-hour day.

There's only two more workdays left before the weekend is here. I can't wait!

New writers and thoughts about them

For nearly three weeks, I have been training two new writers who have joined our team. Both are contractors. One is a young man. The other is an older woman.

It's like night and day with these two. The young man is curious and learns quickly. I see him fitting in well and doing a great job in his role.

The older woman has issues. The first is comprehension. I will mention specific details in an e-mail and she will miss reading them. Something as simple as our manager saying to not come into the office did not register at all in her mind.

I had this brief text chat yesterday, for instance:

I noticed going through her work that involved reading a report that she doesn't pay attention to details. She asked me whether we had an answer when we barely read through it. It makes more sense to me that she does not read carefully -- that she jumps from section to section -- almost as if she's in a rush or is impatient.

She didn't read this exercise carefully. I've noticed this issue with the previous three.

Her third exercise was interesting. She missed step 5. She managed to change step 9 when it wasn't called for. She didn't bother doing steps 10 and 11. Yet, she said that she was done and that her output was the same as her male peer in our training session.

Um, no.

I remember asking her, rather politely, why certain steps were omitted or missed. Typically, when you are following a procedure, you do each step sequentially. I asked if there were too many concepts presented to her. She said maybe. Hmm.

I have concerns about her. I don't think that she'll do well because she can't grasp simple concepts expressed in exercises or messages. She jumps all over the place when reading text and almost seems like she can't focus.

It's weird.

I have both new writers on my team. I get to continue to work with them, which is a breath of fresh air with the young man. However, it requires more effort on my part to work with the older woman and her omitting key details in whatever she is working on.

It's be interesting.

The ex dreamt of me

My ex-guy wrote to me recently. He had dreamt about me. He said that he missed me.

It was the most expressive that he has been since he broke up with me. By expressive, I mean showing that he isn't emotionless.

The problem is that he thinks that I'd do a staycation in his neighbourhood. Um, no. I used to do them because we could spend more time together. I have no need to be in your area, let alone tell you that I'm there.

You would love to see me. I don't want to see you. It won't happen because I am happy without you.

Nose bleeds

My first nose bleed occurred when I was in grade two. I was standing in line for something with my class. There were two guys in front of me. They were fighting. A fist landed on my nose and blood came out of my right nostril.

My teacher and I headed to the washroom. She got my nose bleed under control. I pinched the top part of my nose and we cleaned myself up.

My next nose bleed occurred last December. I was in the Twin Cities. I managed to get it controlled after 45 minutes. It was trying to get something cold on my head and pinch the top part of my nose. It was tricky, but I got it done.

On my most recent trip, I had a nose bleed three times. I realized that it was way too dry in my room and where I was. I got a portable humidifier that I had on my nightstand and in my car. It helped me out a lot.

The third nose bleed out of the series was scary. I don't recall how long it took me to control it, but I didn't have anything close that did the job to cool my forehead. It felt like an eternity.

I now always travel with a humidifier. I have my home humidifier every night before I go to bed. I need it when I return to Minnesota for sure.

I'm back... again!

It has been well over a month since I last wrote here. It has been both busy and good on my end.

I spent the last 1.5 weeks heading back to the Twin Cities. I took in two Minnesota Wild games. I also made the trip down to Des Moines, IA for the first time to see the farm team, the Iowa Wild.

The drive from Minneapolis to Des Moines is roughly four hours. I don't get why there are so many drivers who simply plop themselves in the left lane and drive the normal speed limit in it. The left lane is for passing, people.

There seemed to be a higher number of folks on this particular route, both northbound and southbound, who occupied the left lane and should have moved over to the right lane. Ugh!

I hope to write more. It has been tough, especially when I'm on the road with my work laptop and don't want to blog from it.

Work anniversary and spaghetti

Yesterday was my work anniversary. I have been with my employer for twelve years.

My manager acknowledged it, and thanked me for supporting and leading our team. It was nice. I essentially got a $100 e-certificate, which I spent at Amazon.

I fell asleep an hour ago. I dreamt of spaghetti. I wonder what it means.

Connecting my satellite radio to my car that doesn't have an aux port

I have been working on an interesting challenge with my new car. It doesn't have an auxiliary (aux) port.

I have owned a SiriusXM satellite radio since my past car didn't have the app built in to the system. It requires an aux port to get the music going.

On Saturday, I managed to get it to work. My car has two USB ports. The one at the front makes Android Auto work. The other one is in the storage compartment next to me.

I managed to get an adapter that has one port for USB C charging and an aux port. This setup only works if I use the USB port on the dashboard and not the adapter.

Instead, I got a transmitter where you insert the audio plug into the aux port of my radio. It then becomes a Bluetooth device. I connect my car to it and I can play music. It works nicely.

The problem is that if I want to use Android Auto, I can't stream from my satellite radio. Android Auto does have the SiriusXM app, but I don't want to stream music as I drive.

So, the key is to use my GPS on my phone and connect my satellite radio as a bluetooth device from my car's console to play music. It's a nice workaround. It's simply a bummer that I can't have my GPS map displayed on my console and listen to music on my satellite radio simultaneously.

It's a minor inconvenience. I'm simply glad that I got my old satellite radio to work.

My new car and my awesome product advisor

I got my new car on Wednesday. I love it. It's like my previous car, but quieter and with more features.

I asked my product advisor (he's really my sales guy, but his new title makes more sense) if I could get protector film on my new car, similar to what I got on my old one. It protects the car from stone chips and such. I remembered this feature a week before getting the new car, so I knew that it may not be applied in time.

Sadly, it wasn't. I went back on Friday to drop off my car to get it installed.

The problem was that the dealership doesn't offer shuttle services since the pandemic. I'd have to wait for the work to be done.

"I'll drive you home," he said.

"Really? Thanks," I said.

"You're welcome," he replied.

He took me home and dropped me off at the dealership once the work was done.

He has been my product advisor for three different leased cars. I truly landed a good one.

Concert was fabulous!

The concert last night was wonderful. I saw Boy George and Culture Club for the first time in my life. I'm so glad that I decided to try my hand at getting a ticket.

The drive to get to the venue is roughly 1.5 hours from where I live. I got a t-shirt. Yay

I'm taking it easy today. I will need to briefly head out in a few hours, but it's a quieter day this long Labour Day weekend.

Selling a concert ticket and getting protective film on my new car's hood

Roughly two years ago, I bought three concert tickets for two friends and me. I had a special code for early access. Unfortunately, I couldn't get three tickets together. Instead, I got a single ticket for me and two tickets together for my friend and her boyfriend.

She paid me back for her tickets. The pandemic happened and this concert has been rescheduled to two weeks from now.

Her boyfriend can't go. So, my friend and I will sit together. I need to sell the single ticket.

I have been able to sell my last two tickets for the Minnesota Wild and Lady Gaga. Here's hoping that I can for this concert.

As for car news, I asked my salesperson if I can get protective film installed on my new car's hood. I have it on my current car and it has been wonderful. I do not have any paint chips. I'm happy that it will be installed in time for pickup next Wednesday.

New car on Wednesday that is now insured

Yesterday, I got word towards the end of my workday that my new car will arrive next Wednesday. My hope that it would be ready next week came true!

The last time I had to deal with my insurance company, I was on hold for nearly two hours. This time, I decided to call at 7 pm. I got a representative immediately.

The downside? There was so much feedback on her end. I could hear a male colleague and a female colleague more clearly than my representative. It was frustrating and difficult, but I managed to get through this call that lasted nearly fifty minutes.

At least it's done. Some cool things happened:

• Because I use an app to monitor my driving habits, I got at 25% discount on my insurance rate for the year. I saved roughly $1,100.
• My insurance rate has dropped $13 a month with the new car.

I thanked the woman for helping me out. I let her know that it wasn't her fault that the background was super noisy, but her manager may be able to do something.

I hope to get a survey. She'll get a high rating, but hearing all that noise in the background and envisioning the call centre's sound setup needs help.

It's the Labour Day long weekend coming up. I'm glad that I can spend some time with my car before it gets traded in.

Clearing out my belongings from my car and looking forward to the long weekend

I have been slowly cleaning out my car. What remains are items in the trunk that I need to remove. It won't take too long.

At this rate, I don't think that my new car will arrive this week. I am somewhat relieved, mainly because it's not payday for me this week. Next week would be better. I'm also going into the Labour Day long weekend and don't necessarily want to feel poor before it by putting down my down payment!

I will miss my current car. It has been great. I always feel sad when I trade my current car in, but the sadness doesn't last.

I am more looking forward to having a longer weekend to relax.

My boss recovering from COVID-19 and my sleepiness due to humidity

My manager caught COVID-19, as did his entire family. He returned to work yesterday, working remotely.

We had a virtual interview to conduct. I had asked the person who had set up this interview to reschedule it to accommodate my manager.

My manager started losing his voice today. He talked for maybe two minutes during the interview. I did all the talking in the interview with the candidate.

The kicker is that this candidate wasn't a perfect fit right off the bat. I wanted to shut down the interview immediately because she has no writing experience.

Such a waste of time!

Anyway, I didn't sleep well last night. It was way too humid overnight. Having the air conditioning on has made things better. I've been napping throughout the day to make up for my sleepiness.

Putting my fan together

The weekend is over. Weekends are way too short.

I pulled out a fan that I had bought a year ago. I don't know where its remote is. I also don't know where the rest of its stand is.

It's a sign that I should use what I buy immediately.

Cell phone didn't charge overnight

I plugged in my phone last night to charge. For some reason, I had 33% battery power this morning.

I don't know whether the USB cable is acting up or if my phone had overheated while I was asleep. Weird.

Luckily, I didn't have to go anywhere today, so it continued to charge at home. I typically don't go out on Sundays, so it all worked out nicely.

Anticipating a new car delivery

I am getting a new car within the next week or two. I signed for it with my sales representative back in late June.

Originally, the car's delivery date was scheduled for four to five months from late June. I was thinking that having my car in October or November would give me plenty of time to save up.

Nope, the delivery date's estimate is sometime next week or early September. Thankfully, it has been enough time to put down what I owe upon delivery. 

The most painful part of switching cars is dealing with my insurance company. I don't like being placed on hold with my insurance company to get my policy switched over. Luckily, I don't do it often, but it can take up to a couple of hours. It's not great, but the company has been good to me.

I started clearing out my car last week. There isn't a whole lot. The last thing that I will dismantle will be my Sirius XM satellite radio, which is separate device with cables. I wish that it were built in to the car's stereo, but it hasn't for years.

Expired licence plate

I got a letter in the mail saying that my licence plate on my car had expired. I typically get a letter from the Ontario government that I need to renew it months before it expires. I got nothing.

The process changed this year. You typically pay an exorbitant amount every two years to renew your licence plate. The Ontario government scrapped it, meaning that you don't need to pay and put a sticker on your licence plate every two years.

The confusion is that you still need to renew your licence plate for free. The government is no longer sending paper reminders, so it explains why I didn't know.

I've renewed online. I have a receipt. I don't know whether I get something official in the mail or if my receipt is proof.

Change is confusing in this case. I have been driving with an expired licence plate for nearly a month without knowing until now.

You can get reminders through e-mail or text, or both. I've signed up for both, just to be safe.

My manager is out sick for the entire week

My manager's entire family has the flu. I am pretty sure that he got his yearly flu shot, so the strain must be different and pretty nasty.

He said that he was out for the entire week. We had an interview scheduled for this Friday. I asked the woman who had scheduled it to change it. She was extremely accommodating and it's now set for next Monday.

I like that this week has been light workwise. I hope that it remains that way for a bit. 

My manager and the flu

My manager has been away sick for the last two days. His message to our team was oddly worded.

He said that he has "tested positive for flu symptoms." Wouldn't it be sufficient to just say that he has the flu?

I can't tell if he tested for COVID-19 and was negative and used the same sentence construction for the flu or if he is indeed so sick that he can't form a clear sentence.

Last week, we had a department outing. I didn't go due to heel pain. Perhaps he caught the flu from that event?

I hope that he feels better soon. He said that he may or may not be working later on today. We'll see.

Heel pain and sleep

Last night, I had the worst heel pain. It kept me up. Pain killers took a while to kick in. It was to the point where I finally went to sleep at 6:30 am.

Before I finally went to sleep, I sent a work e-mail to indicate that I'd be taking a sick day. I'm glad that I did. I woke up at 8 am, had breakfast, and then went back to bed.

Here's hoping that I have a better night's sleep tonight.

Weekend thoughts and humidity

Weekends come and go so quickly.

I spent Sunday writing, cooking, and relaxing. It was nice.

The only downside is that I feel like I am overheating at home. With two fans on, it's humid on the top floor of my home. Absolutely no breeze came in when I opened all windows.

Ugh.

Here's hoping that I can sleep better tonight.

Chat with friends and revelations

It's raining right now. It's nearly 2 am.

Yesterday, I had a great time hanging out with a few friends in the afternoon. We chatted, and sipped on teas and shakes. The laughter and conversation were much needed.

For the first time in a while, I could talk about my nearly eight-year relationship with my ex with others. 

I made a few statements that I hadn't said out loud until now:

• I hate the ex's guts
• We work at the same company and have never seen each other since the breakup
• It has been three years and I'm happy not being in a relationship

Hate is a strong word. It's fitting for how I feel.

The ex hurt me, which caused sadness and anxiety for months until I was okay. He came back to ask for sex, but without the relationship. It made me angry. He wanted a free hooker to put out. It wasn't my style.

I also said to do you to my friends. That's exactly what I have been doing. I am doing what feels best to me. I am okay being on my own. Sure, I miss companionship and cuddling, but I'm not ready to be in a relationship again. 

It's all okay.

Waking up from a nap and having an orgasm

I haven't been all that active sexually since I've been single. A combination of being busy and dealing with the void of not having a partner have been factors.

Yesterday, I woke up from a nap horny. I haven't had an orgasm like that in ages. It was nice.

Thinking of a best friend from the past

I had a best friend in grades 7 through 9. In grade 8, in an activity that we did in French class, she revealed that she was sexually abused.

I stayed with her and our French teacher to talk it out. I had an orthodontist's appointment and my dad was waiting for me, wondering why I was running late.

Our friendship suffered as she became more of a feminist and preferred to have lunch in the washroom by herself, rather than eating in the lunch room with a bunch of us.

Walking together to school slowly dwindled. We drifted apart. She changed high schools in grade 11. We didn't keep in touch.

The last time I saw her was in a store on Yonge Street, which is the longest street in the world and starts in Toronto. It was at the end of my second year of undergraduate studies. We said hi. She was with a woman. I was with my good friend whom we are still friends to this day.

I think of her often. Today is her birthday. I hope that she is doing well, wherever she is.

Heel pain

I woke up this morning at around 4:30 pm and had heel pain. Whenever I walk a lot, I end up overusing my right foot in some way. I ended up with heel pain.

It took several hours for the pain to subside. I was supposed to go to a work bowling events, but ended up not going because I was tired. I needed a nap.

I'm doing a lot better now. Luckily, it doesn't happen all the time. However, when the pain arrives, it does take a while for it to subside.

Escaping work for an escape room

I have roughly half a workday later on today. We have a team event in the afternoon.

I am looking forward to not working. I get to see most of my colleagues tomorrow. Two of them couldn't make it. I'm actually relieved because one is the diva and the other talks so much that he drowns everyone out.

We are doing an escape room. I've never done one before. I assembled a list of escape rooms for us to choose from and we have chosen one that is near my old neighbourhood.

My manager asked me for suggestions to have a drink and a snack afterwards. He quoted allotting $10 for each of us. I indicated that it would be fine to go over that amount and shell out ourselves for any overage. I would rather be satisfied with what I choose to eat and drink than abide by a sum that won't get me what I want.

That's just me, though. I like the flexibility to choose what I want to snack on and drink without a ridiculous restriction.

Here's hoping that the afternoon is fun and enjoyable.

Visiting the old workplace and thinking of the ex

Within the last month, I have visited my old workplace a couple of times. Both times, I was there to use the washroom. It was the office before the company that I worked for got acquired by my current one.

I stood outside this building and memories flooded in. The ex-boyfriend touched my hand holding a Starbucks peppermint mocha. Steps away, in the parking lot, he popped open his car's trunk on Valentine's Day to give me a dozen roses.

Happy memories.

Naturally, I also thought of an unpleasant memory. There was one incident in particular where I texted him and he never responded. It caused anxiety.

Our relationship had many moments of anxiety. He removed me as a contact on Skype and I panicked. He added me back later on.

Since we broke up, I removed him as a contact on Skype. He sent me a request. I never added him back.

I doubt that he experienced the same anxiety. I am far more sensitive of a person to feel that void. He doesn't have that same sensitivity.

It's interesting how we were an item for nearly eight years and how it abruptly dissolved. The fact that I was with an emotionally inept person seems so odd to me now. I miss the happy times, but I'm glad that I don't feel those moments of anxiety anymore.

Company-wide laptop issue

I'm glad that I took Monday off. My company had a worldwide laptop issue. It makes you wonder what the IT department loads that causes every single laptop to flicker and die.

I got my first work broadcast text. I don't have my cell phone number listed publicly in our company directory, but it is there for emergencies. It worked.

I did boot up my laptop tonight and it works fine. It's just in time for my returning to work later on today.

Extended bereavement leave by a day

On Friday, I made the decision to take today off and extend my bereavement leave. I wasn't sure how I'd feel today. I actually feel okay.

I think that this leave has helped me sort out past issues within my family. It was a much needed period to reflect, grieve, and be at peace with everything.

I'm not sure what I'll do today, but I will take it easy.

New panties

I got new panties in the mail. These are sheer, meshy panties. I like the floral pattern with a black background.

Here's the front:

Here's the back:

I'm looking forward to trying them on. They look comfortable. Let's see if that's true when I wear them.

My aunt's passing with a ton of thoughts

On the weekend, my dad got word that his youngest sister, my aunt, had passed away. He has handled her death well. I think our entire family has under the circumstances.

Her funeral was on Wednesday. He attended it. I stayed with my mom at my parents' place. I'm glad that we did this setup. My dad had left food in a microwavable container for my mom to heat up. She never did until I was hungry and went to make some lunch. I noticed that the food remained untouched.

My mom is getting old. Her memory isn't great. I have a feeling that it's affecting her judgment, including heating up food. I did it for her, so she was good.

Families can be dysfunctional. Mine is no different. It has been interesting mourning someone who has not been a huge presence in my life.

When my dad and mom got married, my grandmother (my dad's mom) did not welcome my mom with open arms. There was a coldness and perhaps a distain for my mom. We don't know why.

Because my mom was not liked by her mother-in-law, my dad's two sisters also adopted the same coldness or distain for my mom. I look at that behaviour to be juvenile and ridiculous.

My aunt who passed away was the nicer of the two aunts. Her family (husband and four children) lived a block away from us growing up in Toronto. I recall occasionally getting together with them. My mom said that her children didn't treat me well. Apparently, they liked hitting me over the head. I have no recollection of that action. I ended up being far taller and larger than my cousins, so that nonsense likely stopped quickly.

My mom had to go into the hospital for surgery when I was ten. My aunt came over to babysit while my dad was with her to visit. I came on weekends. My aunt was fine. I remember her asking why I didn't cover my feet with my comforter when I was in bed. I have never done that. I always sleep with my feet poking out of it.

Her questions, like that one, had a tinge of judgment and slight disapproval. It happened a few years later when I was at the drugstore counting my money to buy something. She approached me and made a judgmental comment about the purchase that I was going to make. I ignored it and completed this purchase.

When my grandmother passed away, I flew into Toronto from Winnipeg to pay my respects. Despite knowing that she did not treat my mom nicely and that she wasn't exactly warm to me (she never truly addressed me by my real Chinese name whenever we got together), I felt the need to say goodbye. I put all her uncalled-for grudges against my mom aside to say goodbye to her.

After the funeral and burial, we had lunch at a restaurant. My aunt came over and asked why I was so sad. It was an odd way to start a conversation by making such a remark. It felt like a judgmental statement. Why not start by saying hi? I shot back that we were here for a funeral. It's not like I should be tearing up the dance floor to celebrate her death.

I'm thinking that it's the way that my dad and his siblings grew up. They can't seem to handle communicating with people and it comes out wrong. I have seen my dad do that when conversing, but it's never as horrible as what comes out of his sisters' mouths.

It occurred to me that my dad received more education (a few years) than my aunts. I feel that the lack of education plays a part, too.

Twenty years ago, my aunt and her family moved from Toronto to some city in Malaysia. She passed away in Malaysia a month ago.

She wanted to be buried next to her mom in Toronto. It took a month for her body to be flown back here.

My dad made the remark that his sister and family "must be loaded" to fly her back to her final ressting place. True. However, I'm glad that my parents and I aren't impressed or motivated by wealth.

We aren't rich. We aren't poor. We're content with what we have.

At my grandmother's funeral, when an older cousin asked what I did for a living, he got excited when he learned that I was in IT and worked for IBM. He then started to pay more attention to me and talk to me. I didn't like that at all.

The other thing was that I could speak Cantonese. My cousins on my dad's side (they are my other aunt's children) seemed both surprised envious because they couldn't. When I explained that I took Cantonese all through high school, it silenced them.

It helps to not be judgmental. I didn't really care what they thought about me. Never did. I still don't. 

I like how I have turned out. How my parents have raised me to be a good person because they are.

So, I am at peace with my late aunt. I hope that she rests easy. I am glad that she is reunited with her mom after two decades being apart.

New week with more training

Weekends certainly fly by. I'm back training my new colleague. It's week two.

She's not a technical person, but I do appreciate that she's hard-working and determined.

Here's hoping that this week will pass by as fast as this past weekend.

Sewing a button

My mom asked me to sew a button on her shirt that had come off. It was a weird request because it wasn't exactly an emergency to the average person. To her, it was.

My dad was taking a nap. I was eating. She went to the awake person for help. I let her know that as soon as I was done eating lunch that I'd help her.

It took me five minutes to sew this button back on her shirt. It's a snap button, so one of the sides had unravelled and fallen off.

She was genuinely happy that her button was back. It's interesting how a little thing makes someone so happy.

Folks needing to comment and looking ridiculous during it

I got a bit annoyed with a comment that someone had left me the other day. She was responding to my review of a salad establishment.

She basically asked why I was craving salad for a month when I could have bought some at the grocery store. This person decided to nitpick one particular sentence without seeing the greater picture.

It's not like I was sitting on my salad craving for a month, which was her interpretation. If she had looked at my other reviews or photos, she would have seen salads before and after this review. 

I basically told her that it didn't make sense doing grocery shopping in a city an hour away, heading home to toss a salad with my grocery items, and returning to this city to resume my errands. I wasted time writing an explanation. It should have been unnecessary, but she truly didn't get it.

I find that with social media, folks feel the need to comment on everything. She was being mildly critical without understanding that I needed to eat lunch and decided to get some at an eatery. 

Sometimes, less is more. It's the case here.

Training a new member of our team at work

Later on today, I begin training a new contractor joining our team. I interviewed her with my manager a few weeks back.

He decided to hire her early. So, we basically got her to join our team without getting her a laptop or any account information set up. All of this craziness happened while I was on vacation, with my friend and colleague taking over my usual onboarding duties whenever we have someone new joining our team.

Luckily, she has all her software access rights in place now. I simply go into training mode, which hopefully goes smoothly.

Back from vacation and an update on my left hand

Long time, no write!

A combination of trying to rest my wrist and going on vacation for over two weeks has caused me to stop blogging. All of it was much needed.

My wrist felt good until the end of my trip. I laundered my wrist splint, so I went out without wearing it so it could air-dry. 

I visited the Aquarium Restaurant in Nashville. There's a huge aquarium smack in the middle, so you dine and watch the fish, sharks, stingrays, and more swim. I was looking right up at the aquarium by walking over to it after I was done eating. The base had this slant going upwards and the floor was sticky. I had a slight misstep and needed to balance myself with my left hand that I rested against the glass. So, my hand hurt again. Stupid, sticky floor!

I will say that my left hand's range of motion is much better, but I do need to take it easy and wear my splint all the time. I have a backup splint now, so I should be fine. Here's hoping.

It was a half-step back, but I'm still going forward.

Nashville was so much fun. It was extremely hot and humid, with temperatures at least 31°C and higher.

I hope you are all doing well!

Wrist tendonitis

I haven't been posting regularly. It's mainly because I have been resting my left wrist.

A while back, I noticed swelling in my left wrist. Two weeks ago, it was noticeably swollen. I went to an urgent care clinic to have it checked out. I had a nice doctor who diagnosed what I had as being wrist tendonitis.

I got anti-inflammatory medication and a prescription for a wrist-thumb splint. I have been wearing the splint all the time, except when I am showering or washing my hands. I'm nearly done taking all my anti-inflammatory pills.

Yesterday was the first time in ages where I didn't see any signs of swelling. I had more range of motion with my wrist. The pain isn't as bad. I am happy to see some good progress.

The rest has helped. I have learned not to use my left hand as much. It's interesting that my right hand is the dominant one, but my left wrist is the one with the problem.

I hope that I make a good, full recovery.

New panties

Yesterday, I received my new panties as part of my subscription. These ones are frilly, feminine, and meshy!

Here's the front:

The back:

I can't wait to try them and see how they look and feel.

My wedding anniversary - reflections

Today would have been my wedding anniversary. Although the marriage didn't work out, this date is firmly in my head forever.

It was a week before my undergraduate convocation. That month of June was crazy. I got married, graduated, and moved to a different province.

If I could do things differently, I would have taken my time getting married. I knew him for nearly three years at this point. I needed to know him better. It was a long-distance relationship, so I didn't pick up on some of his quirks that were red flags.

I suppose that's what happens when you are young and in love. You overlook red flags. You then spend time trying to muster the strength and finances to get out of the relationship.

I look back and I've learned a lot from my marriage. No regrets.

Paid off a credit card

On Friday, I paid off a credit card that I've had for over a decade. It felt good.

I actually had to call customer service to get the final payoff balance. I had to wait another seven minutes on hold to have the woman calculate it.

I was on hold for nearly half an hour. At least I got the payoff total that I needed.

That's one problem about Canadian banks. They aren't upfront with your final balance. You are expected to pay what you owe on your statement. You then wait for another statement that calculates the interest.

I like how my bank in the US does it. There's the payoff balance and your statement balance for credit cards and lines of credit. You know exactly how much to pay off. You don't need to call customer service to have someone calculate the payoff balance for you.

Weird, Canada.

I'm happy that I have got rid of a loan and a credit card so far this year. My financial situation is looking better.

Being in the same online meeting with the ex and hearing his voice

This morning, I had a knowledge session at work. We all connect online. 

The ex-guy was apparently chatting with a presenter whom I work closely with when I joined the session. I heard his voice. He said a single word that I couldn't make out. I have a feeling that he saw my name and reacted by saying some word before he stopped talking.

I hadn't heard his voice since June 2019. It was weird.

I was okay. I am okay. As long as we don't interact, I'm fine. 

We still work for the same employer. It helps that we aren't in the office and we are in different departments. Otherwise, it would be awkward.

Carnival and tacos

On Saturday, I visited a large park that had a carnival. It took me back to being a kid again. Every year, there was a carnival several blocks away. I have fond memories playing games and eating fair food.

At this carnival, I had tacos. I sampled birria (beef), al pastor (pork), and tinga (chicken). They were delicious!

I had a great time. I hope to return soon.

Warmer weather and salads

I must admit that with the warmer weather that I haven't been writing as much as I'd like.

I have noticed that when the weather is warmer that I don't feel like eating hot bowls of ramen or stews. I am back to craving salads. I had on last night for dinner and it hit the spot.

Yep, I'm also trying to eat a bit better. As much as I love noodles and pasta, it's also nice to not get into a carb coma and nap after a huge bowl.

I made a one-skillet chicken dish with green beans and mushrooms. It turned out nicely. It was my first time following this recipe.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Three years being single

Today marks three years since my ex-guy broke up with me. Time flies. It also heals. 

I still think of the memories that we had. I also think about how wrong it was for me to be with someone who wasn't the best fit for me. I am in tune with my emotions. He wasn't and probably still isn't. 

I severed my connection with him on a number of applications, including Skype. I recently saw that he wanted it re-established on Skype. I haven't.

Although I miss having a special someone as my partner, I am not ready. And, that's okay.

Happy birthday to my best friend!

Today's my best friend's birthday. We have been friends since we met in summer school when I had just turned sixteen years old. He is 1.5 months older than I am.

He came out to me as being gay when we were in university. I still remember that conversation over the phone. He didn't know how I'd feel I was good with it.

We caught up today when I texted him to say hi and wish him a great day. I didn't realize that his Facebook account was hacked and he had created a new account. He didn't know that my Instagram account had got hacked, either. We both weren't following each other, which is funny when I look at things now.

We sent a bunch of texts today. It was nice catching up. We hope to meet over a meal or something soon. It has been way too long!

Long weekend and loan payments are over

Last week, I got great news. I had finished paying off my personal loan five months early. I felt great.

I have been making payments every two weeks for just over the last three years. I like freeing up those payments to put towards my other debt.

It's the long Victoria Day weekend here. I have been catching up on a few things while trying to relax. It has been nice so far. 

Back from a last-minute trip back to the Twin Cities

Hello! I hope that you're doing well.

I got playoff ticket for the Minnesota Wild. Two Sundays ago, I flew down to the Twin Cities. It was the most rushed trip that I have ever done, but it worked out well.

I saw the Wild lose their first game, but win their second one. It was my first and second times seeing the Wild in playoff hockey mode. I had wonderful experiences.

Taking a break from blogging is both needed and missed. I am currently writing on a Microsoft Surface laptop. I never thought that I'd get one, but I like it so far. The touchscreen takes getting used to!

I returned home on Sunday night. I am relatively settled again to blog. I find writing here to be therapeutic, which I have missed.

Wild have home ice!

The Minnesota Wild have home ice advantage. The team is likely playing its first game on Monday.

I am waiting for the official NHL schedule. It means that I am either flying out on Sunday or on game day Monday to the Twin Cities.

I'm excited to see my first couple of Wild playoff games. The downside is getting my travel plans together. I can't until I see the schedule. There are two other games that are ongoing right now.

Waiting is such a pain sometimes!

Sports and rankings

The Toronto Raptors lost last night. The team is out of the playoffs.

The Minnesota Wild won in overtime. It's down to the wire to determine whether it gets home ice or not for the first round of the playoffs.

It's a bit of a pain for me. I am at a holding pattern to book anything. I want to fly down and see a couple of games, but I can't until I know whether the team is in second place in their division (home ice advantage) or third (they play at least games 3 and 4 at home).

It's best that the team gets home ice. They do better. However, it would be cheaper for me to fly down to the Twin Cities if they don't get home ice advantage. It means that I can fly during the weekday, which is cheaper. If they start playing next Monday, flights aren't cheap!

Such a weird problem to have. I like booking ahead, but I can't in this instance.

Farewell gift basket has been sent!

I went ahead and asked my friend for her mailing address. She gave it to me without any questions. Nice!

I bought her a spa basket with the contributions that I got from colleagues. It's such a perfect gift for her. She needs and deserves pampering! It's expected to arrive at her home on Friday.

Gift mission accomplished!

Update on my friend leaving the company, but moving to a new career elsewhere

Last Friday was my friend's final day at work. My team is horrible at sendoffs. I ended up creating an online meeting for us to say goodbye to her and solicited donations towards a farewell gift separately, if folks wanted to donate.

To explain the situation, my friend originally got a job as a project manager within the company. She was to move to a different department.

I had warned her about her soon-to-be new manager. She was toxic towards me and isn't a nice person. Sure enough, she never finalized my friend's contact and how much she would be earning. She also wanted my friend to work both was a writer and project manager for two months at her current pay.

My friend appreciated the warning that I gave her. She decided to quit. She deserved better. I don't blame her.

She does have a new job lined up and starts just over a week from now. I'm happy for her.

As a team, before this pandemic, we would normally get together for a farewell lunch. My friend isn't comfortable being in a large crowd. Instead, she'd rather have a meal with me and one other colleague. We'll be doing that soon.

I have collected enough funds to get her a spa gift basket. I need to figure out how to get her mailing address to get it delivered to her. I may need to ask my manager first. Otherwise, I may need to ask her directly, which kind of ruins the entire vibe.

Happy belated Easter!

Happy belated Easter! I spent a good part of my morning making Easter lunch for my parents and me. It turned out well.

I woke up at 8 am, which is my usual wakeup time during the weekday. I felt that it would be best to serve lunch at 12:30 am, as opposed to 2 pm if I got up at my usual weekend time of 9:30 am.

 

Here are some food pics. I'm starting with a plate of stuffing, mashed potatoes, and roasted veggies and turkey.

 

 I love stuffing. I tend to put onions, mushrooms, and celery in it.

I love how crispy the skin ended up on the turkey. Delicious!

If you do observe Easter, I hope that it was peaceful, and that you were able to spend it with folks that you care about and love.

The winds of change

While I was away in the States, my friend, who is also my colleague, had good news to share with me. We had a quick call as I was driving over to the arena to see a hockey game.

She had landed a project manager job in a different department. I was thrilled for her because she has expressed wanting to be one in the past. I did say to be careful. She would have a manager who was toxic towards me and enjoyed trying to sabotage me. She was unsuccessful.

Well, on the weekend, my friend said that there was an abrupt change. She ended up resigning. Wow! I was not expecting to hear that statement from her.

We are getting together later on today. She said that she'd explain everything to me. I have a feeling that perhaps this toxic woman did something that made my friend quit. We'll see.

My hacked account ordeal and its recovery

A few Saturdays ago, one of my social media accounts got hacked. The following Sunday, I recovered it for five minutes. I saw this account get hacked again.

Recovering an account should not be difficult. It is.

My hacker changed my e-mail address and password. I had no choice but to do a video selfie, which compares video me against photos and videos of me on my feed.

It took me nine times to get my first confirmation. Ridiculous. I'm me. I have not had reconstructive surgery!

When you change your password to recover your account, you should get logged out of all app instances. Nope, this hacker was still logged in, and changed my e-mail, password, and handle.

Two-way authentication was on. It complicated things.

David versus Goliath.

I got help from my savvy contact. We planned for a few days. Our plan went down last night - successfully!

My video selfie was approved on the first try. You need great lighting. It helped!

Hacker had an IP address from Italy. My best shot was to recover in the wee hours Italy time. It worked.

When you do recover your account, do these steps:
1. Change your password again. You do it once before you access your recovered account. Do it again.
2. Change your e-mail account.
3. Turn on two-way authentication and make sure that you have it go to at least a text message.

I'm thankful to be back. This particular social medium had e-mails saying that you can click a link to secure your account when an unauthorized change occurs goes to FAQs. Not impressed. Do better.

April panties

On Saturday, I got new panties in the mail. I love my subscription!

Here's the front:

The fabric is comfortable. I like the lace. It doesn't feel itchy wearing them.

The back looks like the following:

I'm not sure why there are so many pieces to it. Perhaps getting a larger piece of fabric is more expensive than stitching two smaller pieces together to form most of the back? Who knows.

I do like it. It's functional with a bit of lace. I'm happy!

I'm back!

Hello! It has been a while.

I spent the last ten days in the Twin Cities. I ended up not posting a thing.

I should get back to writing about having one of my social media accounts hacked. A local business with cool owners reached out to me yesterday when I returned. Their business account got hacked and wanted to know how I got mine back.

Getting you account hacked is scary and frustrating. More later.

Have a great day!

Hacked social account

One of my social media accounts got hacked on Saturday afternoon. It has been a pain trying to recover it. The hacker decided to change my e-mail address.

I was briefly able to log on Sunday morning after going through a verification process. You would think that when you change your password that this application on all devices would log you off everything. Nope, it didn't.

This hacker's location is in Italy. He (for the sake of using a pronoun) was still logged in after my password change. He changed my account handle and e-mail address. I got hacked again.

I got notification of these changes. There was a link in the message to click if this change wasn't done by me, but it goes to an FAQ page. It doesn't revert the changes at all.

Useless.

I'm still working on getting my account back. It has been a royal pain, to say the least.

I have more to say, but I'll save it for later. Let's just say that it's frustrating.

Returning to the office with more questions

Yestterday, I got official word from my employer that the office will be reopening to employees who are fully vaccinated on April 4. I have more questions than anything.

On a good note, I have taken April 4 off as a vacation day. I am doing a working vacation the previous week. It will likely be my last one working remotely.

We will be adopting a hybrid work model. It's supposed to be a 5-50 split being in the office and working remotely. Considering that it takes me an hour to drive into work, I want to see if I can make it more like a 60-40 split in favour of working from home.

I'm not sure how it will be organized. What if everyone wants to go into the office for work on April 4? I don't think the office can handle that capacity.

There is no organization or detailed planning. Do we sit where we used to over two years ago? Will my badge to get security clearance work?

Anyway, we'll see how things are communicated over the next few weeks.

Yay, weekend!

Happy weekend! 

I have started mine off by cleaning a section of a room. I have neglected it for a while. It felt good attending to it.

Sore wrist with minor swelling

Friday is here. Yay!

I have a sore left wrist. I also have a bit of swelling. My guess is that one end of my cuff bracelet dug into it while my head rested on it as I slept.

I need to sleep differently.

It's weird. I took my cuff bracelet off and hope that the swelling subsides.

Skype and the ex-guy

I don't use Skype as much as I used to. I have it installed on my work laptop. I used to chat with my ex-guy when he was on the road.

These days, all I do is upgrade my Skype app. 

He has two Skype accounts. I used to be connected to both. When he broke my heart, I removed both accounts from my contacts list.

I still have our chat history. I went there and he had sent me a contact request.

I don't know when he had sent it. I made it clear to him that I want nothing to do with him.

He remains unconnected on Skype.

Happy International Women's Day!

Happy International Women's Day! 

Years ago, when I was working for a company that got acquired by my current employer, I had to prepare release notes for every software delivery. They were done in an Excel spreadsheet.

One word: ugh!

Excel wasn't the right format for telling people about changes and fixes within software. Crunching numbers or making calculations with formulas? Yes. Paragraphs of text? No.

The manager who dealt with customers and shared this spreadsheet decided to change it without telling me. He went into our shared repository, checked it out, and changed the tabs such that the latest release was the last tab. The first tab that you saw in Excel was a release from eons ago.

I was annoyed. As the writer, I owned this document. Not this manager.
I undid his changes. Customers wanted the first tab to be the latest. I slapped a password on my spreadsheet. 

He noticed this password protection and wanted it removed. I said no.
A couple of years later, my current manager and I reminisced about this manager who had just retired. We ended up talking about this incident, with both of us hearing each other's side of the story.

After I had shared my experience, my manager said that this guy had approached him and said, "Control her."

This remark was news to me.

My manager said that I was doing great. He concurred with me. He didn't need to intervene. I had his support.

My manager is far from being perfect. He has flaws like all of us. On the whole, he has always been supportive. It showed here with a ridiculous, archaic, boys' school remark.

Today is an important day for women. Do you. Shine when you have a strong point to make. Be yourself.

As a man, support women. Be an ally. You'll do a world of good.
Of note, I ultimately ditched the Excel spreadsheet. I moved our release notes to Word, followed by our current authoring tool. Our team no longer handles release notes directly, but I handled the transition to the current person who writes them.

As women, we have come a long way. However, there's plenty more to do. Don't stop. Be your best.

Weekend over and a new humidifier

Weekends fly by.

My humidifier that I've had for over a decade died. I loved that it was a penguin. However, it wasn't a top-loader, which was a pain.

I got a new one to replace it. I love it. It changes colour. I oddly don't find it bright when I have it on at night. I simply change it to dark blue and I'm good.

I do find it soothing to look at when I have it cycle through all the colours. I fill it with water from the top, which is life-changing.

It works well. I find that it's so dry in the winter that I'm congested, so I need humidity.

Shakshouka

Today, I made Shakshouka for the first time. It worked out well. It's essentially sauteed onions, red bell peppers, garlic, and spices, with tomatoes added in and simmered. You then add eggs and have them steamed with a lid on.

Here's my plated result:

I am thrilled that it turned out well. It's so easy to make. I'd make it again.

Weekend cooking and trip planing

The weekend is here. Yay!

I'm thinking of making shakshouka this weekend. I have never made it before, but the combination of eggs with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and spices makes me want to give it a try.

I booked my plane ticket to return to the Twin Cities. I'm taking in a couple of hockey games. It'll be a combination of work and time off.

Have a great weekend!

Early meeting and snow

I have an early morning meeting in several hours. I'm trying to wind down. 

The good news is that I'll end my day at 3:30 pm. It's supposed to snow on Wednesday, so I'll run my errands after work today.

It's snowing right now, but it's not heavy.

Okay, I should get some sleep or I'll be sleeping through my meeting!

Weekend is over

The weekend has come and gone. I do miss the longer weekend that I had before this one. I am all for a five-day weekend.

Have a great week ahead!

Errands, including package pickups and Whole Foods

On Saturday, I ran a number of errands. I had a few packages to pick up at the post office. I also had an Amazon package to pick up at Whole Foods.

I like Amazon hub lockers. You simply scan your barcode that you get in an e-mail and the locker magically opens up. You take out your package and leave. It's great.

I haven't had a locker door open up and hit my face. That's my worst nightmare.

I then got groceries at Whole Foods. Hey, I'm here anyway. I might as well. I bought four items and they came up to $36.

I always find that I'm broke when I shop here. At least I like how unique the items that I get are.

Busy workday and bonus pay

It was a busy workday on Tuesday. The day flew by. I loved it.

Diva woman drives me crazy. I asked for her feedback last Friday. She provided it yesterday. Ugh!

She also said that she had "a couple" of thoughts, which ended up being three. A couple is two. Double ugh!

My friend, who is also my colleague, asked me about when we typically get our bonus pay. It's coming up. It's typically the last pay period in March. It feels like you have won the jackpot because you get your bonus pay with your regular paycheque.

I like looking forward to a surplus of money. 

Extended weekend, and shoulder and neck pain are over

My five-day extended weekend is over. I feel rested. My neck and shoulder pain are gone. All is good.

Shorter workweeks tend to be busy for me. I am hoping that this week is an exception.

Fitness reward, incompetence at work, and sushi

I am a part of a corporate fitness program. There is a fitness challenge every quarter. I achieved my challenge for this quarter, which consists of getting $75 towards anything at the online store.

I typically get an electronic gift card. It gets sent to my work e-mail. I had to log in to my work account to fetch the code and use my gift card.

The problem is that I ended up glancing at e-mails from work and I didn't want to. I noticed that one developer decided that since I was away for two days, he had to forward the work to my colleague.

First, his update isn't urgent. It was already assigned to me and I needed more details from him. Second, he sent the update to the wrong person who isn't my backup. She's the incompetent one that decided to forward a question to this developer's boss and take on this task. She didn't tell him that she isn't my backup.

I'll need to sort these issues out when I return. I have already told this developer in the past that this incompetent person isn't my backup. Some folks don't know better.

Anyway, today is Family Day. I hope to go out and pick up some sushi. I just looked at some photos and everything looks good. I shouldn't look at food before I go to bed. I need a snack now!

Long weekend, with a stiff neck and truck protests

It is a long weekend here, with Family Day on Monday. Due to putting in a ridiculous number of extra hours recently, I decided to take this past Thursday and Friday off from work.

I have enjoyed this extended long weekend, except that I tweaked my neck, so it feels stiff and also affects my left shoulder. All this weirdness happened on Friday. The stiffness and pain has subsided a bit, so things are mending

On Saturday, I was supposed to pick up an order of food downtown. The problem was that the police decided to put blockades up to limit the truck protests. Due to these blockades, I couldn't get to this eatery to pick up my food. I spent a good 1.5 hours in traffic and decided to give up. I let the eatery know and the woman was nice to credit my account for a future food purchase. How nice!

I had bought crispy pork belly and vegan coconut jelly desserts. I am a bit bummed about not having them, but I hope to order them again when they are back on the menu.

Spank me, it's Valentine's Day

A friend of mine posted this photo on Valentine's Day:

I like it, although I didn't have anyone to spank me on this day.

You have probably noticed that I haven't talked about anything about spanking as of late. I'm just not in the mood. I realize that it's tough when you don't have someone to spank you. Self-spanking hasn't been gratifying as of late.

However, it's little pick-me-ups like this one that help a bit.

Amazon locker, parking, and minivan mixup

Yesterday, I decided to get some air and pick up a couple of packages at my local Amazon locker hub. It happens to be inside a Whole Foods.

Unfortunately, a large, white minivan decided to park super close to my car in the parking lot. It was a Chinese female. I just stared at her as I left my car to go into the store. I was not impressed.

When I came out with my packages, I got to my car and slowly squeezed myself into my car. A woman came over and asked whether it was a tight squeeze. She offered to move her vehicle.

Wait a minute. This woman wasn't the same Chinese female. I asked her whether she had the correct van. I made her laugh when I said that she didn't look Asian and I knew that I had given that woman a dirty look for parking ridiculously close to my car.

She owns a white minivan, but the sun in her eyes made her believe that this vehicle was hers. I said that it happens. I wished her a good day and she reciprocated.

She was nice. I liked chatting briefly with her. I appreciated her kindness and humanity.

Documents are done. Now what?

The good news is that I completely my two documents last night. I can finally do regular work later on today. 

I am thrilled that I don't have to look at an ugly spreadsheet for a bit. I am thankful for the extended deadline.

I have worked so many extra hours that I am taking most of Tuesday off. I could technically take the whole day off, but I'll work 2.5 hours in the morning before I get my car serviced. I have a backlog of work that I should have got to last week.

I plan on taking Friday off. Monday is Family Day here, so it'll be an extra long weekend. I'm debating whether I want Tuesday off.

It's Valentine's Day. If you are celebrating today, enjoy it. Otherwise, know that you are loved.

Delay in a software release is to my advantage

This major software release continues to have hiccups. It means that many people are working on the weekend.

It's good news for me. I have one page of updates left. It is sadly the longest update to make, though.

This page lists a number of products that are used in our software itself. The original list had seven products. It is now closer to 1500. It means that I need to add all these products in, including their versions.

It's a pain. I am down to roughly 700 products left to add. It's doable getting this task done by Sunday.

I can't wait to get this task over with.

Happy weekend!

Progress and plan of attack on an massive spreadsheet

I spent Tuesday working on a page of updates. It took me a good eight hours of thorough work.

I have roughly ten pages left. I am going to copy and paste content as-is. It's not the best method, but it does make my documents complete.

Once all that is done, I'll cycle back and do my thorough fixes. It's my current plan that will definitely get the content in by end-of-day Wednesday. If I can't get my thorough fixes in by Wednesday, that's okay. I'll continue fixing them for the next software release.

I dislike scope creep. An additional 2,000 rows of information in this one spreadsheet was completely unexpected.

Spreadsheet nightmare and next weekend's plans

I have a deadline of Wednesday to get two documents delivered. It's involves in regards using ugly spreadsheets as my source. They went through massive updates since I last used them in December.

I spent Sunday working on these documents. I have made good progress, but need to go through roughly 2,000 rows of data. I've already gone through that may rows! We'll see if I can get through this nonsense.

Next weekend will be better. I'm getting together with a friend on Saturday now that our lockdown has been lifted once again.

New panties have arrived!

On Friday, I received new panties in the mail from my subscription. Yay!

They are cotton with lace. Here's the back:

The front has the same lace design. There's a little bow on the front:

I haven't worn them yet. They look pretty comfortable, as they are cotton panties and seem to have a fuller cut.

Snow doesn't seem as much as predicted

The snowfall so far hasn't been huge. We had our first wave last night. The second wave is happening now.

I just realized that I have a drive-thru event later on this evening. Here's hoping that the snowfall isn't that bad as what's being predicted.

I went out briefly yesterday to fetch something from my car. It was a mix of ice and snow on my windshield.

More snow!

It's snowing. It's so peaceful looking at the snow falling.

It's supposed to be a two-day snow event. Here's hoping that all is great.

Lunar new year and more snow coming

I enjoyed having a day off on lunar new year. I went out to fetch some bubble tea, a bite to eat, and groceries.

We are going to be hit with yet another snowstorm for the next couple of days, starting later on today. We are expecting at least 20 cm of snow. Oh, joy!

Right now, it's raining. Just when the snow from our last snowstorm is starting to melt, we get more snow.

Happy lunar new year!

It's here! Happy lunar new year!

Here's to a year full of wonder, hope, joy, and good health. Cheers to a terrific year ahead, with some fun and good eats for good measure.

I have the day off. I'm so glad that I do.

Taking Tuesday off for Lunar New Year

Weekends fly by quickly. Crazy!

I'm taking Tuesday off. It's Lunar New Year. During this pandemic, I have been taking this day off. In the past, I'd work through it.

It's nice to take the day off and soak in the festivities. 

Performance review with nice comments

On Friday, I had my performance review with my manager. It was held online for the second year in a row.

It went well. My manager said a number of nice things. Some of them were the following:

• I am reliable and trustworthy. If he gives me a task to do, he can sleep well, knowing that it'll be completed.
• He misses our talks about food!

It was a nice way to kick off my weekend.

Chatting and planning with a friend

Yesterday, my friend, who is also my colleague, and I had a texting conversation. I could tell that lockdown number 4 in Ontario is getting to her.

Restaurants are reopening for dining next Monday. Currently, you can either do takeout or sit at the patio. These changes happened while I was on vacation in the US. Considering how much snow and how cold it has been lately, takeout is the better option.

She immediately perked up. There are some people who need that social interaction. She is one of them. I'm the type that likes people, but I'm perfectly comfortable hibernating.

I'm looking forward to seeing her. We are both triple-vaccinated. It's nice to plan getting together with a friend.

Driving during rush hour and eating patties

Last night after work, I drove across the city to pick up an order. The drive during rush hour going westbound was a bit crazy. It's never fun having the sun in your face!

Driving back home was far more enjoyable in the dark. It was my usual drive home early two years ago, before this pandemic. It wasn't busy, which was nice.

I bought a dozen beef patties after I had picked up my order. They were so good. They were hot. I ate two of them in my car before heading home.

Thank goodness I bought a dozen. At the rate that Imm consuming them, they won't last long!

I'm Dear Abby

One of my colleague's mother had passed away late last week. I knew that this person was going on bereavement leave, but my manager quietly let me know on Monday that it was his mother.

The reason why my manager had disclosed this information was that he didn't know what to do. I became his go-to person for advice.

He isn't the strongest person writing heartfelt messages that express emotion. On the other hand, I'm perfectly fine emoting and expressing how I feel.

So, I helped him out. I indicated that we should send flowers to express our support. He showed me flower arrangements and I picked out one. Done.

I wrote a short note that he could cut and paste. I also recommended that he send the flowers to the funeral home for the visitation.

He thanked me directly and in an e-mail to our department. He also said that I was his Dear Abby.

I am good dishing out advice. I knew that as a young person (it sounds crazy, but I was and still am fairly wise for my age), but it was incredibly noticeable yesterday. It's always good to help someone out.

Weekend thoughts about cooking

Just like that, the weekend is over.

On Sunday, I made beef burger soup and meatballs with sauce. They both turned out well. I'm happy that I have leftovers that should last for most of this week.

I find cooking enjoyable on Sundays. It's simply sad that weekends tend to be shorter than we'd all like!

Lunar new year is next week. I placed an order for some snacks. I get to pick them up this Friday. Yay!

Meatballs and soup

As I wait for my hair to dry from washing it, I am thinking about what I want to cook later on today. It's enjoyable and a way for me to unwind.

My original thought was to make meatballs in sauce. The plan is still there, but I'm making fewer meatballs.

What I am doing instead is taking some of the ground beef to put in a burger soup. I am in soup mode that I think making a burger soup would be fun.

I made a huge batch of zuppa toscana last weekend and it was great having it for a few meals. I love soup, especially when it's colder outside.

My manager and a moisturizing mask

My manager has been away all week. He mentioned on Monday and Tuesday that he wasn't feeling well, and that what he has is not COVID-related.

As much as it has been great to not have a cluttered inbox at work, I'm concerned. Here's hoping that he feels better soon from whatever he is recovering from.

I spent the last hour caring for my face. I put a moisturizing mask on my face. It felt good. I can't remember when I last did it. I should focus on caring for my face more often.