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.

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.

Vibrators and paddles

Being on vacation, I have been thinking about sleep and food. Thanks to a vibrator gift post at Disciplined Behaviour, I have mine picked out already.

I want the Womanizer Liberty in lilac. I will buy it sometime next week when payday rolls around.

While I was on that site, I checked out the spanking paddles. I have a decent collection, but it has been ages since I used them. I suppose that it's time to use them. I am on vacation after all.

Bluetooth speaker bottle - weird and broken

Yesterday, I received a gift from my company. It was a bluetooth speaker bottle. The idea is that the cap acts as the bluetooth speaker. You unscrew the cap and you have a beverage bottle.

It's such an odd combination. I hope that folks don't put water in the bottle and cap it.

My problem was unscrewing the cap. It was so tight that I actually broke the speaker. So, I only have a bottle without a cap.

It was a nice gesture, though. I do have many bluetooth speakers, so I'm not heartbroken about losing this one. I just wish that caps weren't secured so tight on bottles. It shouldn't take me half an hour to try and loosen it. Instead, I broke it!

Oh, well. At least I have a nice beverage bottle. It's stainless steel and pretty.

Productive Friday heading into the weekend

The weekend is finally here. Yay!

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

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

Enjoy your weekend!

Planning ahead and relaxing

I'm meeting up with a friend on a patio on Tuesday. We are both celebrating our birthdays while finally seeing each other since December of last year.

I am a decent planner. I don't need to hit a store to get a gift for her. I did all this shopping before the pandemic hit. I don't even need to get her a greeting card. I've taken care of that, too.

It's different doing a staycation this year. I'm more focused on me. I have been going at full speed at work for a few months. It's nice to take it easy.

Gift cards and crocheting

Over the last couple of months, I have amassed a number of Amazon gift cards. I'm at a stage now where I don't have anything to buy, other than items at the grocery or drug store.

Well, it's time for me to learn a new skill. I have selected crocheting. 

Years ago, a colleague-turned-friend tried to teach me how to crochet. It didn't work. I got all confused.

It's funny. I can do cork (spool) knitting. I can do finger knitting. I can weave. I can't crochet.

I have also tried knitting. I did pretty well, except that I didn't know how to bind off. That's another skill that I need to resurrect.

Anyway, I used some of my gift card balance to get crochet needles. They arrive on Monday. I'm looking so forward to trying out crocheting. I watched a decent YouTube video on crocheting for beginners. I understood it!

See, there is hope for me.

Three pairs of the same headphones

Here's to the weekend!

I have spent the last two hours rearranging items on a shelf. I'm now uploading music to my Mac mini.

Decluttering has been good. I realized that I have three pairs of Beats headphones. Two are wireless and one is wired. I have no idea what possessed me to buy them three times. One will be a nice gift for a friend, as I haven't used them.

My intern's final week at our workplace and during a pandemic

This week is my intern's final week at my workplace. It's odd that I cannot wish him a proper farewell during a pandemic.

I normally get a small gift as a token of my appreciation for all the hard work that each intern brings. This intern, in particular, has been outstanding. We share a love for food and get along well.

As a team, we send each intern off with a farewell lunch. I have told him that we'll have a deferred one for him once we are able to socialize again.

Last night, I sent him an e-gift card. It seems informal, but I wrote a personalized message. It's better than doing absolutely nothing.

Luckily, we get to talk tomorrow. We have exchanged cell phone numbers, so we'll keep in touch.

I'm not sure how my team will manage without him. He has played such an important part of our team that the void will be difficult to fill, especially when we can't backfill his role.

Sleepy, Superbowl, and socks

This trip has been super short. I took it easy on Sunday for a few reasons.

I still have muscle pain in my right foot due to my pinched nerve years ago. It acted up at around 6 am and I couldn't go back to sleep. Luckily, I went to the drug store a few hours later to get some potassium supplements. My muscle pain gradually went away.

I went to see my friend and had a lovely time catching up with her over lunch. She gifted me two pairs of socks that I love.

Congrats to the Kansas City Chiefs for winning the Superbowl this year. I wanted this team to mount a comeback and it did! I was texting with the new boy in my life about the game. It was nice. It felt normal and comfortable. Things continue to go well there.

I am nearly packed. I fly out later on today. I will need to extend my trip next time I'm here. Two days go by so quickly, especially when I'm a zombie. Late yesterday afternoon, I came back to the hotel and crashed. The nap was needed.

Mac mini update and new iPod touch

I cringe whenever my old Mac mini has a software update. The update is happening right now. Either it goes smoothly or I lose two days trying to get it to boot up.

I'm not ready to get a new one. I have a MacBook Air that is getting on in years, but works a lot faster than my MacBook Air. I don't need to shell out for a new one. They aren't cheap!

I went ahead and got myself an iPod touch. I have been doing so well with paying off my debt this year. I thought that it would be a nice gift for me that I know will last for years. I need a bit of joy.

I'm writing this post on my phone. The software update is expected to take another forty minutes. Here's hoping that all goes well.

My friend is recovering well after surgery

My friend had surgery on her bowel. It got twisted, which caused her abdominal and back pain. She lives roughly two hours away from me.

I went to see her on Saturday. She is healing nicely. She was understandably tired, but in good spirits.

I have known her since we were both twelve years old. She is roughly two weeks older than I am.

Both of us never thought that we'd have surgery. I had back surgery eight years ago, almost to the day. I think she felt better when we talked about and shared our surgery experiences.

I gave her a card and a gift card. I wrote how much I appreciated her. I said that our friendship meant even more now.

She thanked me several times for coming. It was the least that I could do. The drive wasn't anything. I was thankful that I could brighten her day as she continues to recovery.

It was good seeing her. I hope to check up on her again soon.

Birthday highlights and pedal boating coming up

My birthday was wonderful. I got to meet a friend in person after establishing an online friendship for a few years.

We had lunch together at a Vietnamese restaurant. She got me a birthday gift, which was so thoughtful of her. We walked around Chinatown. She gave me tons of suggestions and recommendations on places to go and restaurants to try out. She's great.

I took in a movie. Yesterday was great. I cried at the end. I haven't cried in a while. It felt good.

I had dinner at a Thai restaurant. The green curry that I had was fantastic.

Through my friend, I signed up for pedal boating later on today. At least I'm getting a decent workout during my vacation!

Coming down with a cold, having fond memories, and seeing a movie

The good news is that the workweek is over. My team got our software release work done ahead of schedule.

The bad news? I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. My nose is running and stuffy. I also have a slight sore throat. Ugh!

I took a nap for nearly an hour. It happened two hours ago. It's not a normal thing for me. I am hoping that some extra hours of sleep will kick my cold to the curb.

Now that things are less hectic, my guy not being the love of my life anymore has set in. I think of the fond memories that we have shared, but am also annoyed at how he decided to call it quits. I truly deserved a lot better.

I am hoping to go see a movie later on today. I have amassed a ton of points that it's time to splurge. I also have a movie gift card to use. I need some time for me and perhaps a hot dog.

Birthday gift question

When my birthday is coming up, my guy always asks me what I'd like as a gift. I decided to try his method out on him.

My guy's birthday is in a couple of weeks. Although I have a gift in mind, I decided to ask him what gift he'd like.

"Hey, your birthday is coming up. What would you like?" I asked him.
"I like whatever gift you give me. You're good at it," he said.
"That's nice of you to say. But, is there a gift that you really want?" I asked him.
"I have everything. I have you," he said.

He's sweet. It's one reason why I'm keeping him.

Happy Boxing Day and hieroglyphics

It's officially Boxing Day in Canada. It basically is an extra day off for most Canadians.

There will be sales happening. I will try and avoid going to stores for deals. However, I do need to get a few things at the drug store. We'll see how crazy that store gets!

My guy got me the sweetest gift from Cairo.

"I got this little gift for you," he said, handing me a small box.
"Cool," I said, opening the cobalt blue box. "Hey, it's a pendant with hieroglyphics!"
"It's your name in them," he said.
"I love it. I'll need to get a chain for it," I said.

I need to find a silver chain for this wonderful jewellery piece to dangle from it.

All I want for a gift is you

My guy missed our office Christmas party. I gave him the scoop on our first Christmas party at a banquet hall in three years.

He pinged me on Skype as I was nearly home. I had to swing by my local grocery store to get an item.

I got home and chatted with him. I am always happy when I hear his voice.

"What would you like me to get you as a gift?" he asked me.
"I'd like a good-looking guy with a uniform head and a package that I'd like to open," I replied.
"Yes, you definitely have me waiting for you," he said, conforming my great taste in gifts.

He's so sweet.

Parting colleague and social awkwardness

I'm not sure why I end up installing an operating system update before I blog, but I did just that last night. The update took longer than I had anticipated. I decided to skip blogging.

Friday was an interesting day. It was my colleague's last day with the company.

My team isn't the best in organizing a decent farewell for a fellow colleague. I tend to do it because I care. I got the greeting card. I collected money from everyone to get a parting gift and got it. I handed over our gift to her and made a quick speech.

My manager is horrible at saying something heartfelt. It comes out socially awkward. I asked him to sign the card. He asked me if I could write something for him. Um, no. It needs to come from the heart, unless he doesn't have one.

He did eventually write something. My colleague and I talked before she exited, stage left. She let me read what he had written. It was standard. Nothing special. It's the effort that counts, I suppose.

She clued in that I put everything together. She thanked me a ton of times and asked if she could hug me. So, we did. It was cool.

I'm thrilled that she has found a new career opportunity. It's just sad to see a decent, competent colleague go.

Evil eye bracelet and my guy

Roughly a month ago, a colleague complimented me on how pretty my evil eye bracelet looked on my wrist. I thanked her.

My guy bought me two evil eye bracelets while he was in Istanbul. I am wearing the one with evil eyes all around the bracelet. The eyes look dark blue on the outside. However, when light hits the blue parts of each evil eye, they appear purple.

It's a thoughtful gift. It reminds me of my guy when I look down at the bracelet. He's happy seeing me wear it.