Bloodwork and breakfast

In a few hours, I'm getting bloodwork done. I made the appointment on Saturday. I'm glad that I remembered to do it.

Here's hoping that it goes smoothly. I'm fasting for it. I'm already thinking about where I'm going to get breakfast.

Le Creuset fry pans are awesome!

I am going into my last week of work before my two-week vacation. I do need a break.

I recently bought a couple of Le Creuset fry pans. They were on sale. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought them.

The fry pans are great. I made breakfast in the smaller pan and it's amazing how evenly things cook in it compared to my T-Fal.

They are an investment. I'm so happy with them.

Lazy Sunday mornings and workouts

I like lazy Sunday mornings. I slept in till 10:40 am. I made corned beef hash, sauteed mushrooms, and an omelette with corned beef hash inside. Good eats.

For the last two weeks at least, I have been working out again. I alternate between cardio, weights, and pushups.

I am still not at cardio levels that I used to be at. I exercise for 15 minutes on a glider these days. I used to easily hit 35 minutes.

Baby steps.

What I didn't do back then was pushups. I can easily do twenty now. Two weeks ago, five of them was a challenge to do.

It's a good thing that I have exercise equipment to keep me going these days. I feel good.

Blogger's user interface continues to change - part 2, cocktails, and tea

Okay, I have logged on and the editor looks completely minimalistic. It's weird. It'll take getting used to.

When I say weird, I mean that my left margin is right up against the left side of the browser window. Talk about using the entire browser window!

Later on today, I'm heading into Toronto to pick up some cocktail supplies for a virtual meeting. It's weird that I'm cutting out of working from home for a bit. The place is open between 2 and 4 pm. Sure, it's a limited period to be open. I'm glad that I have some flexibility in my schedule. I typically have lunch at 2 pm. I have already worked and additional 1.5 hours to make up for this time.

Decluttering continues. I spent some time organizing my tea. I had a couple of empty boxes. I'm not sure why I kept them. 

I also have the most amazing pancake tea. It smells like breakfast, especially the maple syrup. I can't wait to have it again.

Bloodwork, fasting, food, and work

In a few hours, I go in for some bloodwork at the the lab. I am in fasting mode.

I'm not sure why I decided to spend half an hour looking at eateries where I want to have breakfast. It's not helping me right now! I'm just sitting here, salivating over my upcoming meal.

This week is odd. Yesterday, I was at the office. Today, I'm working from home. Wednesday, I'm back at the office. I work from home on Thursday and Friday.

I'm pleased that I get to take a break from my long daily commute. Next week, I'm at the office for the entire week, so my commute balances out in the long run.

Last summer feel when it's practically autumn

Saturday felt like a warm summer day. I took advantage of the day by heading over to a park in Port Perry and getting ice cream.

Last weekend, I was doing work. This weekend, I am focusing on relaxing and unwinding. It's quite the contrast.

It's nice that I am cooking more these days. On Saturday, I made myself breakfast, consisting of an omelette, bacon, and perogies. On Friday, I got a new container for my Vitamix where I can whip up mousse and more. I need to find a recipe and give it a try.

Hong Kong breakfast - so good!

I fasted for my bloodwork. All went well. I will wait patiently for the results.

Afterwards, I was hungry and needed breakfast. I visited a Hong Kong-style eatery. For just under $7, I got macaroni with luncheon meat in soup, two fried eggs, two sausages, buttered toast, Hong Kong milk tea, and hot water.

The macaroni and luncheon meat in soup reminded me of the food my mom made growing up. I never had it for breakfast until now. It was so filling.

This breakfast special is an all-day menu item. I may need to go back and get more. I can see myself hanging around that place when I am retired.

Mac mini is happy again as I prepare for bloodwork

My Mac mini has good and bad days. Yesterday was bad. Today, my Mac mini is operational and happy.

I know that it's time to get a new Mac mini. I just don't want to shell out for one. They aren't exactly cheap. I can always use my laptop, which works fine.

I'm currently fasting for bloodwork. I had a decent salad for dinner from Chipotle. I am oddly still full from it. However, I am planning where I want to get breakfast after I'm done with my bloodwork.

Fond memories of pancakes and breakfasts

On Friday, we had a farewell lunch for a couple of folks on our software development team. They are leaving the company next week.

I have got to know them well over the years. They are wonderful people and hope that they enjoy their new positions.

We went to a diner roughly fifteen minutes from work. It felt familiar to me.

I realized that a few years ago, my guy and I stayed at a hotel close by. The following day, we headed to this eatery for breakfast. Since we had last been to this place, it has had a complete makeover.

When we ate there, I had ordered a pancake special. I remember not being able to finish eating everything because the portions were huge. The pancakes didn't taste that great.

On Friday, I ordered the French toast special. It was yummy.

It was nice being back here. I thought about my guy, cherishing all fond memories that we have had and continue making.

Early for breakfast - getting to the truth with a kiss

My guy asked me on Monday whether I wanted to grab some breakfast. I had already eaten, so I wasn't hungry.

"It's strange that you have time to have breakfast with me. Normally, you're running late when you head to the airport," I pointed out.
"I've changed. It's the new me," he said boldly.
"There isn't a full moon. You love sleeping in. I don't buy it," I said to him.
"Here's the truth," he explained.
"Ah, ha! I knew it!" I exclaimed, which made him smile.
"My friend needed a ride downtown, so I woke up early and now I'm here with you," he said.

He had finished eating his fried egg breakfast sandwich. He walked over to dispose of the wrapper, but ended up groping my breasts and kissing me down my neck before getting to the garbage recepticle.

After getting rid of his sandwich wrapper, he approached me from my left and kissed me. I love when he does that.

"You look especially cute and sexy this morning," he said, sitting down.
"You're pretty good to look at on a Monday, too," I noted.

I like when he stops by the office, especially to perk up a mundane Monday.

Caressing and kissing a freshly shaved head

My guy called me again. He had bought breakfast at an eatery downstairs in our office building. He also gave me exact directions on which room he was in. It was impressive.

His instructions were perfect. I walked into the room.

"I followed the fried egg scent and came on in," I replied.
"I'm glad you did," he said, smiling at me.

I couldn't help but to caress his head.

"It's freshly shaved for you," he said, liking my touch.
"I love it," I replied, and tenderly kissed his head.
"Thank you, sweetie," he said.
"It makes me happy," I said, drawing a happy face on his head.

I have missed him so much. The feeling was mutual.

Teleconference vs. my guy's call

Every Monday, I have a conference call at 08:00. This past Monday, I had a different meeting, but at the same bat time. I drove into work on the call.

I had about ten minutes left of this conference call. My guy called me on my cell phone. I had to decline it. He was determined to reach me, so he called me again. I had to take it.

"Hey, do you realize that you are interrupting my conference call?" I said.
"I'm sorry. I'm driving into work. Are you there?" he asked me.
"Yes, I am. Can I call you back in five minutes or so?" I asked.
"Sure. Take your time," he replied.

Well, I ended our call and tried to resume my conference call. I couldn't reconnect. It was frustrating, as I didn't know what the final outcome was. I called my guy back.

"I couldn't get back into the call, so it's a mystery to me what was decided," I noted.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I just wanted to hear you voice and see you before I fly off," he said.
"Where are you going?" I asked him.
"Cairo," he replied.
"That's pretty short notice," I indicated.
"Yes. I just found out about it on Friday. I'm gone for nearly three weeks. Did you want to do breakfast?" he asked.
"That's a long time. I already ate, but thanks," I replied.
"I'll call you when I fetch some breakfast and take it upstairs," he said.
"Sounds good. Drive safely and I'll see you soon," I replied.
"See you," he said.

Mondays are generally blah. Seeing him always perks me up, even though things weren't exactly smooth on this particular morning.

Long lost photos have been delivered!

My guy and I travelled to Seattle nearly a couple of years ago. He was there on business and I made it a vacation.

On our last day there, we had breakfast at our hotel before we headed off to the airport. I had forgotten to bring my phone down to the restaurant. Instead, I took photos using my guy's phone of what I was eating. I have been taking food photos for years, mainly to remember what great food I have had.

He ended up saving all his photos to his hard drive, which I refer to as the abyss or black hole. I felt like I would never see these photos again.

He surprised me an e-mail tonight:

Hey Cutiebootie,
Hope all is good on your end. Could you please check the attached pics and see if they are the ones that you wanted?

Miracles do happen! I also like the mention of end. Yes, he's hinting at my backside.

J stands for jumping out of bed to talk to my guy #AtoZchallenge

My guy and I had talked about meeting on Saturday for some quality time. I was expecting to talk to him. However, things changed a bit.

I tend to sleep in on weekends. I enjoy it more these days, especially when work drains me.

Last Saturday, I woke up briefly at 09:30. I looked at the clock and went back to sleep.

I wear a Fitbit Alta tracker on my wrist. I get notifications whenever my cell phone rings.

I woke up just after 10:00 to my Alta vibrating on my wrist. I looked at my cell phone. It was my guy. I felt like I had jumped out of bed.

"Hey," I said, in a sleepy tone.
"Hey," he replied. "Did I wake you up?"
"Yep," I said.
"Sorry," he apologized.
"It's okay. What's up?" I asked him, trying to snap out of being in snoozyland.
"I was wondering if we could meet for breakfast instead. Unfortunately, I have to pick up my cousin downtown after my course," he explained.
"Okay. Where did you want to meet?" I asked him.
"I can come pick you up," he insisted. "We can have breakfast in your area."
"Okay. Let me think of a place to go," I replied.
"Great. I will start my drive," he said.

My guy was in downtown Toronto. It would take him about forty minutes to drive up to see me. I told him that it was sweet of him to come pick me up. It would also give me time to wake up and look presentable.

Sure enough, he called me once he was outside my house. I came outside and walked over to his car. He looked good in his blue sweater, jeans, and black coat.

We agreed to go to my local Starbucks, which was a five-minute drive away. It feels like my second home, as he knows how much I like frequenting the place. I had to give him turn-by-turn instructions while trying to snap out of sleepy mode. We held hands all the way.

When he parked, I gave him his belated birthday present. Coincidentally, I couldn't find a decent gift bag to fit all his goodies. Instead, I used a Starbucks paper bag.

He thanked me for the gifts and we kissed.

"Woo hoo! Woo hoo!" said the noise coming out of my coat pocket.
"Someone is happy," my guy said, smiling.
"It's my owl LED light on my keychain," I said, pulling it out and demonstrating.
"Woo hoo!"

My guy let me know that he had visited our favourite liquidation place on Friday and it finally had almond beverage in stock.

"I'm glad that it took the place a year to restock," I replied.
"I got you some boxes," he said.
"You're so sweet," I replied. "Oh, no. That means that you are going to upsell and make me pay $30! Stress!"
"I was joking back then. It's free for you, sweetie," he insisted.
"Okay. Thanks!" I said, smiling at him.
"I will bring your gift into Starbucks."

We both got out of the car, he grabbed my hand, and we walked over to Starbucks for breakfast. It was a nice way to start the day.

Shamrock shake and period sex

I had my first shamrock shake on Friday night. I decided to give it a try when I visited McDonald's for a bite after work.

Canada is a bit behind as far as offering all-day breakfast at McDonald's. For a while, a handful of stores offered a limited selection of breakfast items. They proved to be a success. These days, you can get all-day breakfast at any store, except that the items are still limited.

As an example, I love the sausage McGriddle. It's only available during regular breakfast hours. I typically have that after I have visited the clinic for bloodwork and have been fasting for it.

However, the all-day breakfast does offer three types of McMuffins, so I am good. I tried the hotcakes (pancakes). Mine were cold and the person failed to provide me with maple syrup.

I suppose that I like breakfast for dinner because I don't often go out for breakfast. I typically eat before I go to work. If I am on vacation or on the road, I will either fix myself breakfast in my hotel room or go fetch some. Naturally, if I am going out for brunch, it depends on whether the restaurant offers breakfast items.

Anyway, getting back to my first shamrock shake in my entire life, I have also been fairly sheltered from the milkshake world at McDonald's. I rarely have them. I got into them when I lived in Minnesota. However, they were custard shakes from Culver's and were yummy.

So, I had the shamrock shake and it was okay. It tasted like fake mint. Thank goodness I only ordered the small. At least I can scratch this item off my bucket list.

It seems weird that I would also mention period sex in this post. I am roughly two hours away from finishing the Grey e-book. Ana and Christian engage in sex while Ana is on her period.

I personally don't feel like having sex when I am bloated and on my period. My guy has never asked to have sex while I am menstruating. I frankly told him that I don't think that both of us would like the sight of seeing blood during it. He nodded in agreement and is perfectly fine when I focus on my attention on him when we are intimate.

My guy loves to please me. When we started dating, he asked me whether it was okay to spank me while I was on my period. I didn't mind it, as long as I was clothed.

So, when it comes to trying a shamrock shake or period sex, I will decline both.

Wake-up call for a last-minute brunch date

I slept in on Saturday morning. I was waking up at my own pace, catching up on reading e-mails on my phone.

I have a Pebble watch. I bought it because the pedometer is accurate and I ended up ditching my Fitbit One. It took getting used to wearing a watch, but I'm good with it now. It also allows me to answer my cell phone.

My phone rang. It was my guy.

"Hey," I said to him.
"Hey, how are you?" he asked me.
"Good. I woke up about half an hour ago," I replied.
"Nice," he replied. "I have been up since 07:00."
"Wow, it's a complete role reversal between us," I remarked.
"Yes," he acknowledged. "I was wondering whether you'd like to do lunch. I am in-between test-driving cars."

My guy has a habit of asking me to go out for last-minute dates here and there. He was a bit worried that I would say no, as he knows that I like to plan what I do on weekends.

My original plan was to go to the One of a Kind Show, which is a great show to go to when you are figuring out what gifts to give for Christmas or other occasions. I did a fine job getting gifts last year. I don't have a need to do it again this year because I have nothing to buy. Instead, I decided to run my usual errands.

"Sure," I said. "Where are you?"
"I'm in downtown Toronto," he replied. "I can take the Gardiner and meet you around Highway 427."

Dead silence on my end. My guy realized what he had said.

"You're east, right?" he asked.
"Yes. The 427 is west, closer to work, sweetie," I replied.
"You know that I am directionally challenged. How about the 404?" he replied.
"Yes," I said, trying not to giggle.
"East, west, north, south. I can meet you south, but I'd be in Lake Ontario," he joked.
"That would not be good," I remarked.

It was nice to have an eating date with my guy. It was lunch for him, but breakfast for me.

Is it turned on? Or, is he?

I will need to write about my spanking in another post. I was going to do that tonight, but I had to fix an issue with my e-mail. I didn't get anything sent to my inbox for three days. It looks like a filter was automatically placed to send all my e-mails to my Spam folder. Ugh!

Anyway, on our last day in Seattle, my guy and I had breakfast. I like taking photos of what I have eaten, so that I can remember what I have had. The loose leaf tea was different at this restaurant. I didn't have my phone with me, so I asked my guy to take a photo.

Well, it has been a month since we were on this trip. In the treehouse, we were trying to send the photo from his phone to mine using Bluetooth.

We attempted to pair our phones.

"I don't think it worked," I said to my guy.
"It says that we're paired," he said, showing his phone's display.
"It doesn't on mine. I get an error saying, 'Connection unsuccessful. Make sure "My guy" is turned on and in range'," I said, smiling at him.
"What?" he asked me.
"I'm not making it up. You are always turned on," I teased.
"I wonder what "in range" means," he said, smiling.

It's fun how we name our phones after ourselves. We decided that texting the photo would be much faster, even though my guy was turned on and in range.

O is for oh no, oh yes, and orgasm

This post is a hodgepodge of thoughts and recent experiences.

A couple of Saturdays ago, my guy and I had to catch our flight out of Seattle. My guy took 1.5 hours to get out of bed. This part is the oh-no repetitive thought that was in my head.

I kept nudging him, poking him, telling him to wake up, and more. Eventually, he did get up. My guy pleasuring me and making me reach orgasm perhaps helped.

It was tight getting breakfast in, checking out of the hotel, walking over to the parking lot to get our respective rental cars, trying to find a gas station to fill up, and returning our cars. Of course, it took more time to take the shuttle from the rental place to the terminal, check in, go through security, and figure out which gate to go to.

While lining up to go through security, my guy polished off my bottled water. He was then crushing the plastic bottle with his hand as if it were a stress ball. I looked at him, giving him the stop-that-it's-annoying look. He looked sweet, as if he were a little boy who could get away with anything.

By the time we had walked up to the gate, we were boarding. Thank goodness!

We were not seated together when we flew from Seattle to Chicago. We did sit together for our final segment home. This is the oh-yes part. It was nice to hold hands, chat, kiss, and cuddle.

It was a great week together. The oh-no part is what we are experiencing these days. My guy is travelling on business for another three weeks. This week is the first and we miss each other. However, it won't be long till we're together again.

Quick Skype texting

Sometimes, it's worth texting my guy when I don't have a ton of time.

My guy is in Mexico this week on business. I am still in Las Vegas on vacation. We have a two-hour time difference, which isn't too bad.

On Tuesday evening, I had a show to see that was to start at 21:30. I saw my guy on Skype and pinged him twelve minutes before the show's start time. We texted.

"I'm staying at an Egyptian-themed hotel," I texted.
"Good. Do they serve fava beans, which are a part of a traditional breakfast in Egypt?"
"My friend and I went to an Irish restaurant and I had baked beans instead."

Later on, we had this exchange:

"I'm visiting Starbucks every day," I told him.
"Wow, I'm surprised," he replied.
"Are you being sarcastic?!" I wrote back.
"Me? Oh, no."
"Riiight," I wrote back.

It was a good thing that the show had a late start. We texted quite a bit. We had an extra ten minutes to text with each other.

We had to end it abruptly. I sent him a smiley blowing him a kiss. He sent me one with sunglasses, winking at me. We miss each other, but Skype is important when we are apart.

L is for lifting weights

I had a rude awakening on Tuesday morning. At 06:00, the sound of my guy's obnoxious alarm on his phone woke us up. The sound was a combination of an annoying car alarm and a vibrator that had gone haywire.

My heart felt like it wanted to separate permanently from my body for a bit. I told my guy that even I don't set my alarm that early when I expect to show up at work by 08:30. He smiled and thought that I was cute, but that I had a point.

My guy had slept pretty well, so I was pleased. He wanted to go to the gym and asked if I wanted to accompany him. We have never worked out together, so it was a nice first for both of us.

I had bought a $5 black t-shirt from Old Navy the day before. It had the number four on the front. I am not superstitious, as the number is bad luck in the Chinese culture.

My guy asked why that number was on my shirt. I had told him that my shirt also came in orange, which had the number nine on it. When you put both shirts together, you get 94, which is the year (1994) in which Old Navy was established. I don't look good in orange and this shirt didn't come in my size, so I lucked out.

I noticed that the washing instructions tag was inside my new t-shirt, on my left side. I said that it was bugging me, but that I liked my t-shirt. Without any hesitation, my guy found his utility knife and offered to remove the tag. He did it carefully and thoroughly. The tag no longer irritated my side. He's handy and thoughtful.

When I travel, I have a swimsuit, cover-up, shorts, and a t-shirt with me. I like to squeeze in a workout when I can. Luckily, these articles of clothing don't take up much space in my suitcase.

My guy worked out at a leisurely pace. He walked on the treadmill for a while. I started off with the elliptical machine because I like working my calves, hamstrings, butt, and heart.

I moved over to the lat pull and leg press machines, before ending my workout with the exercise bike. My guy moved over to do free weights and ended up stretching on the mat. He has a nicely toned chest, which I love resting my head against when we're cuddling. He also has nice biceps that I like touching and caressing.

We both left the gym after working out and headed back to the hotel to change into our regular clothes. He ironed the dress shirt that I had bought him over a year ago and I admired his handy work.

We then when to the lounge to get some breakfast. We chatted as we downed a pretty decent breakfast.

Afterwards, we went back to our room. My guy hugged me and left for work. I wished him a good day. As for me, I headed off to a bunch of outlet stores that I had passed by en route to Montreal.