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.

Huge snow accumulations and frustration working with a software developer

On Monday, my area got a blizzard warning and a lot of snow. 

Snowfall estimates were bumped up to between 40 to 60 centimetres. Toronto got 47 cm. Oshawa got 55 cm. Where I live is midway between the two. I'll take the median and say that we got 51 cm. It was a lot!

I don't think that my street has been plowed yet. It's so quiet. One neighbour tried to drive on the road and was highly unsuccessful.

I got annoyed with a software developer yesterday for a few reasons:

• He sent me a Word document that was on his personal SharePoint site. I couldn't access it because he didn't share it with me. I told him to send the file to me as an attachment.
• The details in his document were vague. I had to ask him about specific parameter names. Some had global as a prefix. Others did not. Highly inconsistent. He said to follow what the old parameter names were as a guideline. Um, no. That's not how it works. If you give me a list of new parameters, I assume that they apply to all hyperlinks that you have mentioned in the same section.
• I asked which software releases these changes were for. He guessed at it. I asked him to confirm.

As patient as I am, I got more annoyed with the number of questions that I needed to pose because he took shortcuts to give me in the information. Horrible! If I have so many questions because the content provided is unclear to me, how is a customer going to understand the information that I am writing about?

I let him know that details need to be more explicit in future. Telling me that he can have a call to explain stuff was ridiculous. Just give me the correct details right off the bat and save us both time and frustration.

Here's hoping that I'm not snowed in on Tuesday.

Snow

My long weekend is over. Sad, but it's true.

We were supposed to get two waves of snow. The one on Monday morning didn't materialize, so I went out to fetch some lunch.

The second wave is here. We are expecting between 15 to 20 cm of snow. Fun!

Thunderstorms mark the start of this weekend

A thunderstorm rolled in last hour. It's ongoing.

It has been a scorcher of a heatwave for over a week. The rain is much needed.

It's supposed to rain for most of Saturday. I will still go out and run my errands. I just hope that there isn't a ton of flooding.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Staying at home all weekend and getting free food to cook

I have been at home all weekend. The snow has ended at long last. All is well.

I got free food from Goodfood for a week on Sunday. All fresh ingredients to cook various meals are included. I look forward to cooking and trying out these recipes.

I should go to bed. I have enjoyed sleeping in all weekend. Sadly, I won't be able to sleep in until this upcoming weekend.

Snowy Saturday to come

It's the weekend! In a few hours, my area will be hit with yet another winter storm.

Roughly 15 cm of snow is expected to fall throughout the day. I will be hibernating. I'll be doing a bit of writing, watching some TV, cooking, and chilling.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Walking and winter storm advisory

I walked a lot on Sunday. It has been ages since I spent almost four hours at a mall. I did.

There is a winter storm advisory for tomorrow. Naturally, it's the day that I am meeting a friend whom I haven't seen in almost a decade. I told her that I'd let her know how things unfold. The worst case would be to reschedule for Tuesday.

It's never a dull day, even on vacation!

Weather, laundry, and closing off 2019

We had rain, freezing rain, and snow on Sunday. I hope that it will be safe for me to drive to work in a few hours. Otherwise, I'll need to work from home and dig out my laptop from my car's trunk.

I got back home yesterday and decided not to bring my laptop in with me. I had my luggage and groceries to haul home that I didn't think about my laptop at all.

I spent last night doing laundry. It's relaxing, as the machines do all the work.

It's December. I am looking forward to wrapping up this year. It hasn't been the best, but I'm doing well under the circumstances.

Snow storm

We are expecting between ten to fifteen centimetres of snow today. It's starting to fall as I type.

I will likely work from home today. The hassle of driving into work under such conditions isn't worth the risk. I am also getting my snow tires on this Wednesday.

Snow in November doesn't happen often. It can and it is!

More snow

It has been a rough winter. When I wake up on Wednesday morning, snow will begin to fall for the entire day.

Oh, joy! We are expecting anywhere between ten and fifteen centimetres of snow.

I work from home on Wednesdays, so I'm good staying home. I am looking forward to warmer weather, though.

Thoughts, winter storm, and cuddles

I have a lot to say. The problem is that I said a ton on Monday at work that I am too tired to write about it right now. I'll give it a try in a future post.

In the meantime, a winter storm is brewing. It starts in a few hours. When weather forecasters recommend that you work from home, you do just that. It's estimated that 15 to 20 centimetres of snow will fall. Add to this mix strong winds and freezing rain, and it makes sense to just stay at home.

On Monday night, I went to the grocery store to stock up on food. I enjoy cooking at home these days. I make the time.

My guy is still in India. He is fortunate to not endure all this wintry weather. He told me that he prefers sleeping, especially on snowy days. I like the thought of cuddling up next to him on a snowy day. I wish we had a fireplace!

Snow and a chat about retrieving a leather paddle

On Monday, we got a ton of snow. It started at noon. I advised my small team to go home and continue working from home under safe conditions.

It's just past midnight. It's still snowing. I'm guessing that there is at least fifteen centimetres of snow outside.

Such a snowy day reminds me of the nicer weather in Dallas. It was nice to be in bed with my guy, chatting.

"I need an implement to spank you with," he insisted.
"You can use your hand like you did the other night," I pointed out.
"No, I want less work. I want an implement," he said.
"I brought my leather paddle," I said.
"Where is it?" he asked.
"In my suitcase," I replied.
"Go get it," he said.
"You're closer to it, lazy guy," I said.
"It' seems weird to be going into your suitcase," he noted.
"That has never stopped you before. You have retrieved a paddle, condoms, and lubricant from my suitcase. I always come prepared," I pointed out.
"True. I like exerting little energy," he said, smiling.
"I know. It's called being a lazy boy. I can almost call you a sofa," I joked.

We chatted some more. Eventually, he did manage to go get the paddle, likely because he knew it was time to spank me.

First major snowstorm of the season

Ah, snow. Just when I am planning a road trip, our first major snowstorm hit late afternoon.

The timing couldn't have been better. It started just before rush hour. It took me 2.5 hours to get home.

The snow is supposed to subside in the early afternoon. I will assess and see if it's a decent time to head stateside.

The good news is that my vacation starts now. Fortunately, my schedule is pretty flexible. I just need to be somewhere on Saturday night.

Electric and sporty cars

On Tuesday, I had to take an early morning teleconference, so I worked from home for most of the morning. I then left to pick up my guy at work for lunch.

I got there and waited. I didn't see my guy at all. I decided to text him when he was running twenty minutes late. He apologized and said that he would be downstairs soon.

While I was waiting in the parking lot, I noticed that there was a nervous guy in a Hyundai Ioniq car. He kept looking at the two cars that were parked in the charging spots. He took a look at the meters, took photos, texted on his phone, and more. 

He then moved his car in front of both cars. He went inside the office and came back out. He then moved his car.

I then saw my former boss with a colleague get into his Volvo electric car and pull out. I thought that perhaps the nervous guy was running out of juice and needed to charge his car. Nope, he pulled into the upstairs parking lot. Huh?

I was exhausted analyzing the whole situation. I went into the office to use the women's washroom for a change of scenery.

I walked over to my car. My guy was following suit.

"I'm so sorry," he said again.
"It's okay," I replied, as we both got into my car.
"Everything went wrong with the software, so I was trying to fix it," he noted.
"It's okay. You expect imperfections when you teach a new course," I said, squeezing his hand.
"I know," he said, smiling at me.

I drove us over to our Chinese restaurant. The ice storm did quite a number on it. The restaurant was still closed. We went back to the Afghani restaurant for lunch. Once again, I got salad dressing with dairy on my salad when I said that I didn't want it. Ugh!

It was a nice lunch chatting. My guy showed me a purple sportscar that he likes.

"Hey, it's purple," I noted.
"It is. I like it," he admitted.
"I like it, too. If you get it, you'll have to let me drive it. You'd be in my good books," I teased.
"We'll see," he said.
"That's a positive sign. Normally, you give me a firm no. I didn't get that. You're making progress!" I exclaimed.
"Maybe. We'll see," he smiled.

I enjoy teasing him about having me drive his car, even though he doesn't have this purple one. He knows it, too.

Polite, sweet guy

On Monday, my guy and I went out for lunch. The roads were in pretty good condition. However, the plaza had a ton of slush and ice.

My guy parked and noticed that there were puddles everywhere. He insisted on driving me to the front door of the restaurant. It was a sweet, kind gesture.

I waited for him to park and walk over to the Chinese restaurant. We he got there, I tugged on the right door. It was locked. I tried the left one. Same thing. I then looked at the sign that was taped to the glass. The restaurant was closed due to flooding from the ice storm. Oh, no!

Luckily, this plaza has a number of eateries. We tried an Afghani restaurant. I have been there a number of times, but he hadn't.

The pavement was slippery. My guy immediately reached for my hand as we walked over. I love that he always wants to make sure that I am okay.

We walked in and ordered. He got the beef kofta with salad and a pita. I went with the grilled chicken skewer with rice, salad, and a pita. I asked that the salad dressing be held.

We found a booth and sat down. We chatted until our number was called, which was 13. It finally was and we both got our food.

Sadly, I had salad dressing on my salad. The dressing has dairy and I am borderline lactose-intolerant.

My guy was not thrilled. He took my tray of food back and asked for a dressing-free salad. He is truly my knight in shining armour. He came back with a new plate of non-dairy food. I was a happy camper.

It was a good lunch. He liked the food, so we now have two places to have lunch at.

After we were done, my guy decided to fetch his car and had me wait outside. He was exceptionally sweet and I told him so.

"I would do anything for you. It's easy," he admitted.
"I love when you are so naturally sweet," I pointed out.
"You're an attractive woman. You deserve being treated well," he said, being mushy.

I love him. I reached for his hand and held it lovingly as he drove us back to the office.

Typos are goo... um, good

Over the weekend, much of the southern part of Ontario was blasted with an ice storm. For two days, I stayed at home. It was nice to be a homebody. However, I was pleased to go outside on Monday.

It took me thirty minutes to chisel the ice and snow off my car. I normally take a conference call on my way to work. As luck would have it, the meeting organizer had technical difficulties on his end.

My driveway was slippery. It was a sheet of ice. I actually had hot water in a flask and poured it over my car trunk to open it. I had both my laptop and ice scraper in there.

Surprisingly, I got to work ten minutes later than normal. The drive was fine. Most people decided to stay home. My guy and I were motivated to get to work. After all, we had a lunch date.

My guy (MG) texted me during his break.

MG: Hi
Me: Hey. How was your drive in?
MG: It was fun... NOT!
Me: I hear you. It took me thirty minutes to scrape off the ice and snow off my car. I got my workout.
MG: =)
MG: Does lunch at noon work for you?
Me: Yes, I'm good with noon
MG: That's goo
MG: Good
Me: I look goo
Me: look = like
Me: See, I've got goo on my mind
MG: =)
MG: So, noon, right?
Me: Yep, as mentioned
MG: Good
Me: You mean goo
MG: =) I gotta go. See you in a bit
Me: Have the rest of a goo day!
MG: =)
Me: =)

It's fun how when one person makes a typo, it goes downhill. Yet, we can still have fun with it.

Seeing a hailstorm and my guy

It's officially summer where I am. On Sunday, we got rain. It was unexpected to see a hailstorm!

Ah, got to love how unpredictable the weather is. What is predictable is seeing my guy this week. Yay!

Let it snow... hard!

The eastern part of North America is getting a ton of snow overnight and into Tuesday. I am hoping that I can work from home on Tuesday.

We got lake-effect snow on Monday afternoon. It looked pretty looking out the window at work. My boss had originally thought that our team should leave work early and resume work at home. However, the snow didn't stay on the ground. I am not complaining.

My drive home was pretty good. There were patches of snow here and there. Nothing major to report.

I just want lots of snow when I wake up, so I can say that I am going to stay at home and work. Please?

A disturbance in the workforce where change is constant

I do not know why important meetings tend to be held on Friday afternoons. Most of my team had to attend a three-hour meeting last Friday.

The way that we are working is changing. For a while, I have been doing the workload of roughly two people. My contractor tells me that I should be cloned. I am not sure how most would feel about that option. Perhaps my guy would like to be pleasured often and vice-versa!

I'd say about two years ago, I was reviewing the work of other writers on the team to improve the quality of our team's deliverables. It helped and made our documentation more consistent. However, when a defensive writer decided to resign, I not only handled her workload, but continued mine until I had to drop reviewing everyone's work.

My manager hinted last month that he wants to have me give review work another go, among other tasks. I told him that I need my workload reduced. He agreed. So, writing about new software features on two different teams is off my plate. These tasks go to the contractor that I have been working with for two months. Some of my other tasks will go to the co-op students.

Although I shouldn't have been working on Sunday, I did for an hour. I am training a new co-op student tomorrow. Another one is supposed to also start at the same time, but there is some uncertainty as to whether I'll see her tomorrow.

Anyway, I don't have time to spend reviewing the contractor's work on Monday. So, I decided to review her work on Sunday. She had two tasks to do. Both require rework.

The problem with her is that she is quiet and I have to ask her how she is doing. She doesn't share what she is doing unless she is prompted. It will be interesting to see how she does with the two teams that she has now inherited. I get to break the news to her tomorrow.

So, I will continue to ease her the work on her two teams, as there is a transition period that needs to take place. I am still going to be her team lead, but for one of her teams.

There is a winter storm that starts dumping snow in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. I had contemplated getting a hotel room close to work for a night. I then thought that using my hard-earned points should not be devoted towards a work-related goal. Sure, I'd like to be at work to continue training at least one co-op. If the commute is bad, I will simply do what I would normally do -- work from home.

The difference is that I will hold my training session online. It may be a challenge, but it would be better than conducting no training at all.

Change is always present. I am actually looking forward to not directly documenting new software features. I will still be writing, but I like the change. It is much needed. I don't know whether my workload will truly be reduced, as it takes time to train folks to have them become independent and confident.

Packing, Spring cleaning, and scanning a paddle

I have finally finished packing. Yep, it's just before 01:00.

It's nice to finally be on vacation. I have been pretty productive, which seems a bit odd.

I spent most of Friday cleaning up at home. I threw away old magazines and I have another bag of clothes to donate. Although it is still icy and snowy outside after yesterday's storm, it felt like a good Spring cleaning day to me.

On a good note, I found my trusty leather paddle. It is safely in my suitcase.

I wonder what those security folks do when they scan suitcases. Mine would be interesting with a paddle, a dong, and some restraints.

Perhaps those security folks don't even blink at such items anymore.