Team lunch and a budget

In a couple of days, I am having a team lunch. I haven't seen many of these folks in person in 1.5 years.

I look forward to seeing most of them. There are a few people that I could do without, but you can't win 'em all!

I had a one-on-one online meeting with my manager yesterday. He asked if I could pay for our entire meal. It was an odd way to make a request without my follow-up question. I asked whether I was to expense it, too. Yes.

Here's where I put my foot down. I don't think it should be my responsibility to put the charge on my personal credit card. Frankly, my manager doesn't have a backbone to charge and expense things himself because it goes to his manager for approval. He'd rather hide that fact and have me do it. I have a budget. This request was unplanned in said budget. I'm not dipping into my emergency fund. It's not an emergency.

I suggested charging it to my corporate credit card. He indicated that he went out with his management team and two people had their corporate credit cards declined.

My thought is that there is a limit for charging expenses on this card for restaurants. I called the credit card company to ask what limit was established. I had to answer eight questions, with some of them being ridiculous, to get an answer to check with my plan administrator.

Not helpful. I tore a strip off this guy. He said that he asks many customers for a verification ID and none of them know what that is. Neither did I. So, why not get rid of that question?

Asking for my work phone number is also ridiculous. I don't call myself. It's a virtual number. Why not ask for my cell phone number first?

Finally, asking for my employee number, when I feel that providing my name, date of birth with the year, my cell phone number, and mailing address are sufficient to verify that I am who I am for a single question about my account. I do not want an interrogation when I call. Posing eight questions is excessive.

Anyway, I had to open a ticket at work to ask what my limit was on restaurant transactions on this corporate credit card. We'll see if I get an answer later on today.

It's painful trying to get an answer to what I believe is a straightforward answer. Things shouldn't be so complicated.

It's back! My menstrual cycle and its irregularity

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

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

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

It's an interesting phase right now. 

Menstrual cycle and foot spasms

This week has been odd. On top of the rough start to the week, my period happened just before I left work on Tuesday morning. It's roughly four days late.

Being on my menstrual cycle drains me. As of late, they have been different. I haven't experienced a ton of cramping, likely because I am out and about. Physical activity helps.

My period also takes weird pauses. It stops for a few hours and then begins again.

Training is going well, except that my student doesn't have access to an application that he needs all the time. It's annoying that one of three approvers needs to say yes and they are all out to lunch.

My foot is going through spasms. Oh, joy! Here's hoping for better days ahead.

Hormones and stress factors

Hormones continue to fascinate me. For years, my menstrual cycle was completely abnormal. I could go a year without getting my period.

It wasn't until I lost sixty pounds that my menstrual cycle became monthly. These days, it's almost predictable to the day, except when there are stress factors.

In the past, if I were doing a major trip where there was a whole lot of last-minute planning, I would miss my period for that month.

Recently, I lost the incompetent colleague and knew about it a day before it happened. I feel that this event caused my period to be delayed.

My two students had their final workday on Friday. It wasn't until Saturday morning when my period came, a week after it should have.

Hormones are sensitive. I don't fully understand how they work, but they fascinate me and I need to live with them.

Periods and travel

My guy has made it safely to Dallas. I get to do the same routine tomorrow.

It's weird that my menstrual cycle happens whenever I am travelling. This time, it happened a couple of days ago.

He teases me that my period is that predictable. It does get in the way of quality time. Luckily, we'll have most of our trip to have some intimate fun.

Tomorrow, I need to get up early to head to the airport. The next time I post will be in the States, reunited with my guy.

Periods, travel, and spankings

My guy and I chatted for a bit the other day. He is preparing to deliver an online course next week. I am on week five of being in training mode.

At this rate, I am losing track of how each week seems to be an extension of the next. What complicates matters is that my period is ridiculously accurate. A month ago, my period started while I was in Sweden. It's back 28 days later.

It's amazing that my menstrual cycle is extremely accurate to predict these days. I thank losing sixty pounds and keeping it off for regulating my hormones. It was a mystery when I was a young woman.

My guy often jokes that I tend to get my period when I am travelling. He's about 80% correct. Weird!

I am glad that I have one more workday left. It has been a rough week. I am exhausted and need sleep.

Last night, I had difficulties falling asleep. I was too horny thinking about my guy. I wanted him next to me. I wanted him to cuddle up next to me. I wanted him to spank me hard, regardless of whether I had done something wrong or was good.

October can't come soon enough.

Periods - noting details and scheduling sex

It's that time of the month. Both my guy and I were thankful that we had so much fun last week! This week is obviously a bit of a breather.

When I first got my menstrual cycle, I was twelve years old. I noticed within the first couple of years that it was abnormal. You're supposed to have one each month. Mine were unpredictable. For the first ten years, I could go a year without one, give or take a few months.

I recall going to my doctor. I had my thyroid checked. It was fine. I got hormone pills that helped start my period.

My periods were heavy. They lasted six to seven days.

When it came to sex, it was nice that I didn't have regular periods. I could engage in sex often. I am not sure if my lack of a normal menstrual cycle ended up heightening my sex drive.

Roughly five years ago, I lost sixty pounds. To this day, I am proud of this achievement. I have been able to maintain it ever since.

What came with this weight loss was a regular menstrual cycle. These days, I can accurately predict when it is going to happen, unless I am stressed that it gets missed. I also missed my period for a month after I had back surgery.

I didn't do my regular exercise regimen last weekend for a couple of days. Whenever I skip exercising, my cramping is the worst. Yesterday, my cramps were bad. Luckily, ibuprofen works for me.

The other thing that tips me off that my period is about to happen is a dull ache in my lower back. Yesterday, it was pretty bad. Again, ibuprofen seems to help here, too.

The good news is that my cramping and lower back ache last for roughly 24 hours. I will be fine when I wake up on Friday.

Oh, and my periods these days aren't as heavy as they used to be. They also last for five days, at most.

It's amazing how hormones and my body work. I asked my doctor and she said that my weight loss ended up balancing my hormones.

My guy is sweet. He finds that I don't go into an I-hate-the-world type of mentality when my period hits. Rather, I seem more at peace. It's a bit strange, but he's correct.

He always asks whether it's okay to spank me when I am on my period. I am fine with it once my cramping goes away. I also insist of being spanked over my pants or whatever I am wearing.

Technically, it's not really a quiet week when I have my period. Spankings continue. We just take a break when it comes to sexual intercourse. I also like focusing on him by giving him a handjob or blowjob, depending on what he would like.

It's all good.

Diametrically opposed periods

On Saturday, I spent the day with a good friend. We have been friends since grade 7.

Growing up, she lived in the suburbs and I lived in Toronto. We both went to the same senior public and high schools in the eastern part of Toronto. We were in touch while we attended different universities. I then moved away to another province and country, eventually finding my way back to the greater Toronto area. She ended up moving to Toronto and staying there. We still got together whenever I was in town and we kept in touch through the years.

In June, she will be moving to eastern Ontario, in a city that is roughly a two-hour drive away from me. It's not too bad, considering that we'll be meeting midway somewhere.

I am excited for her. The change will be good for her. Naturally, I will miss hanging out with her as frequently as we have been these days. However, distance has never been an issue for us.

As weird as this segment will be, we seem to be diametrically opposed in some areas of our lives. We both realized that menstrual cycles are one such area.

She let me know as we were driving to one of our favourite restaurants that she is perimenopausal. It basically means that she is experiencing irregular menstrual cycles and menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, earlier than you typically do as a woman. She seems to get getting her period every six months. Her doctor has said that either she will continue this irregular pattern or her period will cease.

As for me, I experienced the complete opposite experience. When I first got my period in grade 7, my period was irregular right from the start. Mine never happened monthly. Sometimes, it was six months later. Other times, it could have been a year. My thyroid checked out fine. I was given pills to regulate my period and so on.

It wasn't until I lost sixty pounds nearly six years ago that my menstrual cycle became a monthly, predictable event. Hormones are interesting. I had lost and gained weight many times in my life, and my period continued to be irregular. It wasn't until I lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off that my hormones stabilized.

So, my good friend and I are like two ships in the night, except that we are Cancerian and often meet by water.

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.

Condoms after making up in New Jersey

A few years ago, my guy and I were in a suburb in New Jersey for work, but for different purposes. We were both supposed to be on the same flight going to Newark, but he never made it on the plane. It was a good thing, as he decided to end our relationship before this trip.

I was miserable for a number of reasons, the main one being that he had broken up with me. It was also my time of the month and I was coming down with a cold.

Things changed when we met at the office in New Jersey. He had issues at the border, which explained why he was late. I could tell by looking into his eyes that he wanted to know that I was okay, but didn't ask in front of my writing colleagues.

The following morning, he pinged me on Skype. We chatted briefly. He wanted to see me after work. We went out for dinner, which was painful at first. He then wanted me back, said that he was sorry, and we cuddled for the rest of the night. We were a couple again.

A couple of days later, my period was over. He was so elated. We went to a Walgreens and he bought a three-pack box of condoms. It was our first time having anal sex. It wasn't as enjoyable as our most recent experience last month. However, it was memorable!

We had two condoms remaining from that box. For years, I knew that I had kept them. I simply didn't know where they went.

Well, a week ago, I found them in a drawer. They are still good. The expiration date isn't for another year.

The condoms are good, as is our relationship.

Visting Costco, whining, and seeing me

As of late, my guy calls me while he is working out. Needless to say, I like when he does.

For the past week, he hasn't called me until Friday night. I knew why.

"How's the new Costco?" I asked him, as the store just opened last Wednesday.
"Great! It is an extension of my home," he admitted.
"I knew that it would be the case. At least I know where you are. How often are you there?"
"I was there twice on opening day, yesterday, and today," he recalled.
"You are averaging a visit a day. It's not surprising," I said, which made us both laugh.

My guy loves Costco. The new store close to him has a gas station, so he is in heaven.

We talked about the fact that he has a quick one-day business trip to Texas next week. He started whining about the price of his ticket. Again, it's nothing unusual.

"It's okay. The company will reimburse you," I consoled him.
"It's know, but the price is outrageous," he said, continuing to complain.
"Yes, but it's a last-minute trip, sweetie. You are expected to pay more," I reasoned.
"I know. I just need to tell you how I feel," he stated.
"I know. You enjoy whining. You are entitled to it, after all," I said.
"I wasn't whining, really," he remarked.
"No, you just told me with a whiny tone," I observed, which made him laugh.

We talked a bit more about the topic.

"What don't you whine about? Sleep is something that you don't whine about," I recalled.
"That's true. I love sleep. I don't whine about you," he said in his sweet way.
"That's nice. Maybe you're being sweet to make up for not calling me for nearly a week?" I teased.
"No, it's true. Can I see you on Saturday?" he asked me.
""Sure, but I will be focusing on you. My time-of-the-month ritual happened yesterday," I mentioned,.
"That's okay. I want to see you."

So, we had a nice date night on Saturday. More about that in a bit.

I is for intimate insolence

On Sunday night, we drove back to the hotel after having a delicious dinner. When we got back to the room, my guy had to look up the address of our company in Montreal. He was okay having me take a shower first.

I had to wash my hair, so I took a bit longer. I came out all relaxed and fresh. It was then my guy's turn.

The sad thing about the room is that we have two double beds. I felt like my guy was so far away. He tried to convince me that I'd have more blankets, as he tends to hog them whenever we are sleeping in the same bed.

My guy and I do fit on the same bed. We cuddled for a bit. He then found my bottom and gave me several smacks with his bare hand.

"You are such a bad girl," he said, accenting the end of his sentence with a hard smack.
"How am I bad girl?" I asked him rhetorically.
"You are always bad. I want to play with you, but you're on your period," he reasoned, continuing his hard assault on my butt.
"I can't control that," I reasoned.
"But, it's still your body, so it's your fault," he explained.

The smacks came harder and lasted longer than I had expected. I must have received at least fifty smacks. I enjoyed every moment of it. He did manage to make me reach orgasm, as I was so turned on by being spanked and fondled.

As for him, I gave him a handjob. I tried something new by rubbing his erect penis with both my hands. I loved how it felt in my hands and how smooth its head was.

My guy came again. We cuddled for a bit. I was rubbing my bottom. My guy asked whether the spanking was too hard. My butt did hurt, but I told him that he spanked me well.

A laptop and a planned hard spanking on a Friday afternoon

Last Friday, my guy drove to the office in the afternoon to fetch his laptop from our IT department. He then had some steps to do to restore his data.

My department has these software development sessions every other Friday. It's to share knowledge and strengthen our competence to do our jobs better.

My guy and I are no longer in the same department. However, the information that he needs to do his job still comes from my department. So, I forwarded him the invitation to these development sessions. He attended his first one that day.

We both agreed after the session that developers are not good at presenting a decent picture of why someone would need to use a software feature. Rather, they are more concerned about describing what they have done from a technical perspective, which left some product managers in the same session rather confused.

My guy left the room early. I could tell that he was not impressed with the session. He left his instructions on how to restore his data next to me. I texted him and asked where he was. He decided that he wanted to start restoring his data first, but obviously couldn't do it without the details that he had left next to me. He told me to come see him on the third floor. So, I did.

He was glad to see me and the instructions. I caressed his back while we were talking. I could tell that he liked that a lot.

Anyway, we both worked away for the next 1.5 hours. I texted him and asked how the data restoration was going. He said it was still progressing and asked whether I wanted to join him. I was done with work, so I packed up and went down to the third floor to see how he was.

We had a nice chat. My guy had simply picked up his laptop and only had ten minutes left before his laptop's battery would die. Naturally, I had my laptop charger with me, so we used it to keep his data restoration going.

At one point, I rested my head on his shoulder as we waited for the restoration to finish. He rested his head on top of mine. It sparked my guy to get turned on.

"The v-neck pink sweater that you are wearing is making me want to take a look under it to see your breasts," he admitted.
"Too bad your laptop is taking a while," I replied, placing one hand on his thigh while caressing his back with the other hand.

My guy was rubbing the back of my right thigh, which was so pleasurable. He couldn't resist but to reach over and squeeze my left breast under my sweater. I gently caressed the back of his neck, which he loved.

Just after 18:00, his laptop's data was restored. I love when he is boyish.

"Let's go have treehouse time!" he exclaimed.
"I'd like that," I replied.
"I can still spank you while you're having your period, right?" he asked me, like the gentleman that he is.
"Yes, you can."
"Good, because I want you to have a sore bottom for a couple of days."

Fridays are great when we are both in the office.

Timing, flights, that time of the month, and a spanking to come

They say that timing is everything. This week seems to reinforce this old adage.

My guy and I had planned to have dinner on Tuesday night. I was at the office and his flight would have touched down at 17:00.

Naturally, the greater Toronto area had snow, freezing rain, and ice pellets scheduled during the rush hour that day. My fine menstrual cycle application on my phone said that my period would be expected to occur the same day.

Well, I received a text message from my guy while I was away from all my electronic devices at 13:00, indicating that he was stuck in Frankfurt. Instead, he would be arriving on Wednesday afternoon.

An hour later, I saw his message and caught him online. We texted for a bit.

It turns out that my guy had missed his connecting flight by five minutes. Instead, he had to check in to a hotel for the evening, without his luggage. The next available flight was the following afternoon. I was glad that he didn't have to spend his time at the airport.

I don't go into the office on Wednesdays anymore. I asked whether we should reschedule dinner for that evening. He told me that he'd be in the office on Thursday and Friday. That news was positive.

My period started on Wednesday. So, quality time for me will be limited for a bit. Ah, timing!

On Tuesday afternoon, I did manage to speak to my guy on Skype. He was horny and sweet.

My guy likes tires. He wondered why I didn't have winter tires on my vehicle and insisted that he get me a set. Love does funny things to people, but it was a pretty thoughtful gesture on his part.

My guy also told me that he wanted to spank me for not uploading a bunch of intimate photos to our private, shared folder. We had taken these photos a few months ago. I like that he will come up with any reason to spank me. The best one is simply that I am a bad girl.

We managed to get him off. It always makes me feel good when he does. He was happy. He needed it. He did have a not-so-great travel day, after all.

I wished him a good evening and a safe trip home. On a good note, he flew in on a calm, snow-free evening. I also get to see him at work for two days this week, which I didn't expect.

Things eventually do work out. It's all about the timing.