Thinking alike with the same e-card

My guy and I were apart this Valentine's Day. We don't treat this day as being terribly important. We both agree that love isn't just celebrated on one particular day in the year. Rather, it's spread across it.

The funny thing this year is that we both sent the same e-card to each other. We know each other so well and have the same tastes in puns that it's not surprising.

Here is part of mine that I received from him:

I like that he called me good girl. It's rare, but I will take it!

New percentage calculation at work

I have a love for numbers. My guy does, too. We are math nerds.

I recently had to do an online course at work. You need to pass a final exam at the end of this course to get credit for enduring it. The course is roughly eight hours in length. Doing a final exam is painful.

You need 90% to pass the test. I ended up with exactly that percentage... or so I thought.

When I got to the very end of the test, it said that I got 9 out of 10 questions answered correctly. The percentage calculated was 89.88%. What?!

I asked the person responsible for creating the course a question on how this percentage is calculated. She admitted that something was odd. I managed to contact the training support group to get credited for taking this course.

I have never seen a weird percentage calculation like what I got. I told my guy this issue and he laughed.

"It doesn't surprise me that you'd be outraged about the calculation. It's what I love about you," he reminded me.
"You're sweet. You'd react the same way," I replied.
"That's true. We love math."

We do.

Issues with the new employee continue

I haven't talked about the new employee for a bit. She is definitely the most challenging person to understand. This post explores a lot of my thoughts that I have shared with various folks for the past month.

We have a new authoring tool that most of our team has been gearing up to move to. I have said to this person that she is not ready. She doesn't have the basics down with our current authoring tool. My team consisting of this woman and two students are staying on our current tool.

She is stubborn and adamant to learn the new tool. Her reasoning, according to what she told my two students, is that there isn't a relationship between the two authoring tools. Um, that's because you don't understand the existing tool well enough to see that your transition to the new one will be difficult if you don't have a decent foundation on how things work.

Before the Christmas holidays, I had instructions for my two students to look at the training materials on the new tool. I specifically told the new employee that she wasn't ready and to focus on learning our current tool. What does she do? She watched one of the videos on the new tool.

She has raised a number of red flags in my eyes. The first one occurred during her third interview (it was my second one with her) where she said that she was a "slow learner." I brought that up to my manager, but he dismissed it. He thought that the extra time she spends after work to learn would make her catch up.

I was right. Hiring a slow learning in an IT field is bad.

She has been with the company for over two months. She cannot grasp simple things like knowing that the entire team is away on an all-employee meeting, which means that the team will not respond to her e-mails. She couldn't attend because she had a medical appointment that day and worked from home. Yet, she constantly sent out e-mails and even texted one of my students over work when she got to this offsite meeting that was not urgent. She does not take into consideration whether folks are physically able to respond to her e-mails. She is only thinking about herself.

Most of our department has to do a test that grants you access to this new tool, but for the production (live) environment. I said to this new employee that her main focus is to get up to speed with work so that she takes over one of my documentation software release duties. Her deadline is later than everyone else's to do this test. My manager made the same comment in a departmental meeting last Thursday.

What does she do? The following day, she takes this test. She hasn't gone through all the training materials or videos. She just did the test over and over again (you select either one answer or some combination) until she passed it.

I was annoyed. I told her so on Monday. The fact that she just asked for access to the test environment and was absolutely afraid to even log on was a joke. Now, she has access to a production environment where she could mess up everything with her current "knowledge" that she allegedly proved to possess on this test.

I told her she put the cart before the horse.. How meaningful are the answers that she memorized to ultimately pass this test? Not all that meaningful at this stage.

She doesn't listen. She has difficulty comprehending simple concepts. Yet, she does whatever she feels like.

She pointed out that she's not a linear learner. Yep, it shows. She is all over the map to the point where none of us truly knows what she is thinking. She has no sound judgment about much.

I had a talk with my manager on Monday night. I told him that my students and I have been drilling her with exercises and explaining concepts in multiple different ways. It is the plan that he first devised. It doesn't appear to be helping. I levelled with him and said that she wasn't a fit for this job. He nodded.

The problem is that the company is under a hiring freeze. We let her go and I am back to doing everything. I personally don't want her becoming a permanent employee at this company. She is not pulling her weight. I don't always want to be saving the day because we can't get another employee to fill the void.

On Tuesday, my manager wrote an e-mail to her and copied me. It was a snowday. He basically reinforced that she needs to work on understanding concepts and her job. All of us have noticed that she is great at memorizing, but does not understand what she is spewing out. She doesn't have critical thinking skills. She can't think for herself.

I had this chat with my guy when we were in the States. He agrees that it's probably better to get rid of her than having her pull down everyone.

The current plan is to have my students work with her on simulating a documentation release. We are assessing how she will do within the next two weeks. I have a feeling that she will be at the level that she is currently at -- slow and incompetent.

She's a nice person. She's just not suitable for this job.

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!

Sleeping in and departing home

My guy loves to sleep. I affectionately call him my sleepyhead.

In Dallas, I left a day before he was scheduled to head back home. I let him sleep in till noon. I then gently woke him up by squeezing his arm. He took the pillow off his head.

"Hey," he said.
"Hey," I replied, kissing his head. "I have to go."
"What time is it?" he asked me.
"It's 12:15 pm," I replied.

I hugged him in bed. He caressed my head. It was a nice, loving moment.

Like the gentleman that he is, he helped open the hotel door for me as I got my luggage out to the hallway. Naturally, we kissed and hugged.

I love our quiet moments. They are memorable and are full of love, even when he just woke up and is in sleepyhead mode.

Bonuses have finally been reinstated

For the past three years, all employees in my department at work have not got a yearly bonus. The company went through a rough patch and decided to halt paying out bonuses for this long.

Needless to say, it doesn't help morale. I work hard. Every performance review has been positive. Yet, I don't have a bonus to show for it.

Last year, all of us did not get a standard of living increase on our base salary. Within the next seven days, three women colleagues will be leaving the company. All are talented and well-liked. Gone.

We got the news on Friday that we will be getting a bonus. That's encouraging news. I am thrilled. However, the damage has been done and many have already left the company.

I look forward to getting my bonus. Naturally, it will go to both savings and debt payoff.

This year will be a transformative one, which I am excited about. I have been working hard reducing my debt and increasing my credit score. I am seeing results, which motivate me.

It would be nice to get my bonus soon. I could do so much with it.

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.

Unexpected money

Something unexpected happened to me the other day. I'll need to explain a bit of background.

On Wednesday, I received a notification e-mail from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), indicating that I had a new message waiting for me. I was pretty busy with work that I didn't have a chance to log on to the site and check my account.

I check my finances fairly often. I logged into my bank account after work and noticed that I had more money than usual. I looked closer and it said that I got a tax refund. That's funny. I haven't filed my tax return for 2018 yet.

I didn't know if it was a mistake with the deposit. Years ago, my back accidentally deposited $15,000 into my chequing account. I didn't touch it. A day later, the amount reversed by my bank. I wasn't sure if it was the same thing.

I finally got around to logging on to my CRA online account. My tax return for 2017 got reassessed and I ended up with a refund, including interest. Nice!

The amount pays for my recent round-trip flight to Dallas and my car rental. Yay!

Affectionate chomping and nibbling

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Goodbye, Google+

When logging into Blogger a few minutes ago, I noticed a bunch of warnings about deprecating Google+ functionality. Google+ is disappearing for good. I didn't love it when I first tried it out with my blog, so there's no loss on my end.

I tried to like it. I never switched over to Google+ comments for my blog. I have always used Blogger comments because they suited my needs. I like how my replies look -- indented from visitor comments.

Google tried hard to get into the social network realm like Facebook. It tried Hangouts, which I have turned off permanently in Gmail since day one. I didn't like it, either.

It's funny, but I like Gmail. I own a Google Pixel 2XL phone. I love Google music. The company has decent products, but social networks isn't one of its strengths.

Bending over has a time and a place

My guy and I went grocery shopping together on my first night in Dallas. We both like shopping together. It's simply a fun outing.

We placed a bunch of our groceries and purchased items on the backseat of his rental car and headed back to the hotel. He had placed a jug of milk in a plastic bag on the floor of the car, behind him. I went over to fetch it once we had parked.

"It's okay. Let me go get it. I want you to bend over for more important things," he said to me.
"I like that," I replied.

Shopping needs to always end on such a spicy, fun note.

Updates on my eye, Valentine's Day, cooking, and my guy

I have a few updates on various things.

On Friday, I went to see my ophthalmologist. My right eye is still doing well. I had my eye injection. I still see him every fourteen weeks, which is my favourite number.

He asked me an interesting question. He asked whether I have any new year's resolutions. I'm not the type to declare them. I have goals that I feel are attainable, such as decluttering in phases.

Then, there's Valentine's Day. One of my students indicated that she was bummed out not having a boyfriend to enjoy this day. I had to tell her that the day is overrated. Love happens all year round. Valentine's Day is just a reminder to those commercializing on this day to get flowers, candy, and hit a nice restaurant. It also tends to alienate those who are single. They need to know that they are loved by friends and family.

I cooked up a storm on Sunday. I made broccoli cheddar soup for the first time in my life. The recipe called for eight tablespoons of butter. Really? That seemed like way too much butter. I put in four tablespoons and felt that it was a ton.

My guy has made it safely to India. I have a feeling that he will have a tough time adjusting to the timezone, which is normal for him. I hope to hear from him when he isn't working or sleeping.

Travel, caffeine pills, and savings

My guy has left for India for business. Although I always miss him when we are apart, it doesn't feel as bad this time. It's likely because we spent a decent amount of time a couple of weeks ago that we are good for the time being.

He has recently stopped drinking coffee. The problem is that he isn't a morning person and needs something to wake him up.

"Let's go to to the drugstore to get me some caffeine pills for my trip," he said to me.
"Sure," I said. "I have a rewards card if we go to Walgreens," I said.
"Sounds good. Let's go there," he said.

I am the one who is the researcher. I found the local Walgreens in Dallas on my maps phone app and he drove us over there.

Sure enough, caffeine pills were on sale with the rewards card. It was several hours after I had landed and did not have a chance to pull out the physical plastic reward card from my wallet in my computer bag. Instead, I had loaded it on my Google Pay app. It scanned nicely at the store and my guy got a decent discount.

"I'm so happy. I bought one bottle and got one free with your rewards card," he said gleefully.
"I love when you're happy about saving money. You are my Cheap Bastard," I noted.
"Yes, CB is happy to have you with me in many ways," he said.

He's sweet. We both love saving money. It's helpful and feels good.

TV remote and memories of movie-watching

One of the many fond memories from time spent with my guy the other week was watching movies in bed. Instinctually, he would head over to the microwave oven and pop popcorn for us. We both love popcorn.

He watches more movies than I do. He doesn't mind watching movies that he loves again and again. Neither do I.

At one point, he wanted me to have the TV remote. He put it on my tummy. I was propped up against a pillow and was lying at an angle. The remote slid down my tummy to my crotch.

"Hey, I'm you, sweetie," I said, picking the remote up and having it stand erect from my crotch.
"You're funny," he said.

It's a fun memory to have.

Being super bad to get a second spanking

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Bad girl spanking with a leather paddle

My guy finally had the energy to get out of bed, go to my suitcase, and retrieve my leather paddle.

"I need to spank you with this implement," he said, taking it out of its protective case.
"You don't have to. Why break my good girl record?" I asked.
"I will use the studded side on your butt," he said, ignoring my good girl comment.
"What studded side?" I asked.
"This one," he said, grinning.

I forgot that one side of my paddle had leather. The other side had silicone with stars that jut out.

"That's going to hurt," I concluded, playing a terrified girl.
"That's the point. Where's that cute butt of yours?"

I was lying on my back in bed and pretended to protect my butt. He rolled me over like a log to my left, but I moved back to my protective, neutral position. He then pulled me closer to him and started spanking my left buttock.

I normally don't fight it. However, it was fun doing it. I moved. He held my arm down and continued to spank me with the paddle. I ended up spanking him in the process, which was fun and aroused both of us.

Eventually, I caved by planting my face in a pillow and flipping over on my tummy. I liked the sound of the smacks that landed across my pyjama shorts.

"Admit that you're a bad girl," he said, continuing to spank me hard.
"Nope, I'm a good girl," I insisted.
"I'm afraid that I'll need to spank you some more until your butt is bright red," he remarked.

He pulled down my shorts. He continued spanking me hard across my panties. I loved it.

"Are you a bad girl?" he asked me.
"Nope, I'm still good," I replied.

I was so wet when he pulled down my panties and spanked me with the paddle on my bare bottom.

"I like how red your butt is, bad girl," he said, continuing to spank me hard.
"It hurts, Mr Meanie," I replied.
"Good," he said.

He tested how wet I was by sliding his finger in my completely wet clit. He felt that I deserved to be pleasured. He made me reach orgasm. It was intense and amazing.

I was extremely lethargic. I kissed, thanked, and hugged him tightly while feeling the soreness of my butt increase. I love the feeling of being well-spanked and loved.

Rolling out of bed

The night before flying out to Dallas, I checked myself into a hotel by my workplace. I needed to get to the airport early. I used my points, so it was a free stay.

I had set my alarm for 05:30. I had a room with two queen beds. It was a cozy room.

At said time, I woke up. What I didn't realize was that I was sleeping on the edge of the bed and my comforter was three-quarters draped over the left side of the bed. It's a clear indication that I was tired and the room was likely warmer than I was used to.

I went to stop the alarm going off on my phone. For the first time in my life, I rolled out of bed and onto the floor. The comforter was on the floor, which meant that I had a soft landing.

Of course, being barely awake, it took me some time to figure out that I was between two beds. I had to think about how to get up all twisted around a comforter.

I told my guy this story when we were sitting on the couch in our room in Dallass. We both laughed.

"Did you make a thump?" he asked.
"I thought that I would, but I landed on the comforter. It was a quiet landing. I never thought in my life that I'd literally roll out of bed in my life," I said.

There's a first for everything.

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.

Strong relationship with fond memories

Spending a  week with my guy has made us closer. We learned a lot about and from each other.

As an example, take driving in Dallas.

"There are u-turn lanes in this city," he said to me in the car, as he demonstrated.
"That's handy. It's less intimidating than doing it at a major intersection," I remarked.

On my last day in the city, my guy asked that I take some money out of his wallet to pay me for the dinner bill that I had taken care of the night before.

"It's weird to go into your wallet and take out money," I said, taking his wallet and giving it to him.
"It's okay. There's nothing in it," he said.
"That's true. We work for the same company, after all," I said.

Finally, we talked about our electric toothbrushes.

"We have the same electric toothbrush. I used my charger to charge yours today," I said.
"Thanks, sweetie," he said.
"No problem," I replied.
"What does it mean when the light turns red?" he asked me.
"It's means that you are brushing your teeth or gums too hard. You need to back off on the pressure," I replied.
"I see. That makes sense," he acknowledged.

Although our week together has come and gone, we have fond memories and a stronger relationship because of it.

Issues with my Mac mini and file backups

I had a bit of a scare with my Mac mini a couple of days ago. It was one reason why I didn't post anything in my blog for a bit. Yesterday, my Mac mini was still out of commission. I used my laptop to make my update.

The last time I used my Mac mini was the night before I went on vacation. When I came back, I uploaded all my photos to my computer and then shut it down.

The next day, my Mac mini would not boot up. You typically get a white progress bar and then your screen to sign in. I ended up with a black screen with four options to restore my computer. It wasn't a good sign.

I rebooted it a few times. I got something different each time, including a circle with a slash across it. My Mac mini was also trying to detect the power button and my wireless mouse, but was unsuccessful.

I decided to unplug my computer's power cable from the wall outlet, wait for roughly five minutes, plug it back in, and start my computer up. Guess what? My computer came back to life. Yay!

I did some research online. This incident happens when an automatic software update starts, but doesn't install completely. It must have happened while I was uploading my photos, but I had no indication that an update had happened. Powering off my computer cleared this installation process up and allowed my computer to boot up properly.

The last time this computer died on me occurred when I was upgrading the operating system. I went to the Genius Bar at my local Apple store. For some reason, genius sounds sarcastic in my head. The solution was to reinstall the operating system, which meant that whatever files weren't backed up would be lost.

I was bright back then to have the majority of my important files, the bulk of which are my photos and music, on my external hard drive. Wiping my entire hard drive was fine. I restored them just fine.

However, after restoring my Mac mini, my music remained on my external hard drive, but my photos had to be on my computer's hard drive to sync properly with my iPhone.

This recent scare made me decide to do the following:

• Move my Photos library back to my external hard drive. I don't own an iPhone anymore, so I don't have the need to store this library on my hard drive.
• Back up my Mac mim's hard drive. 

The second point is significant. I don't know why I never got around to backing up my data. The photos that I take on my Google Pixel phone are automatically backed up to Google Photos, so I"m good there. My photos taken with my DSLR camera are not backed up. Should I lose them on my hard drive, I have nothing.

Right now, I am in the process of moving my photos from my hard drive to my external hard drive. I have 170 GB of photos. It will take a while!

I also have Time Machine set up to back up my files at long last. Better late than never, as the saying goes.

Back from vacation with memories of playful spankings and cuddles

Both my guy and I are back home. We had a wonderful time together. I am frankly sad that my vacation is over.

It was nice seeing him after work for just over a week. We went out for dinner. We also ordered in when he was exhausted.

Our hotel felt like our home away from home. We watched movies and made popcorn. I helped him wake up. We hugged and kissed just before he went to work. We did the same when we came back to our hotel room.

Moments after I entered our hotel room for the first time, we sat down on the couch and cuddled. I liked when he playfully spanked and tickled me. He felt my left bicep and we had this conversation.

"You are a strong woman," he said, squeezing my bicep.
"Thanks, sweetie. You're strong, too," I replied.
"Your arms are so strong," he said, marvelling my biceps as he held me.

I like when we are playful and loving. I enjoy when he playfully spanks me, which is a precursor to future spankings.

Sleepyhead who likes to snooze

It has been fun watching movies in bed with my guy. He has watched more movies than I have, so it's great getting recommendations from him. We end up cuddling, which is heavenly.

He has a tough time getting up in the morning. The alarm on my phone backs up his. He likes hitting the snooze button multiple times. I am up the first time that I hear the alarm.

The other day, he had a difficult time waking up. I ended up putting his phone on his head. It was on vibrate for ten minutes. It wasn't until I told him what time it was that he was alert and got ready for work.

He's my sleepyhead. I love him for who he is.

Spanking before boarding

I like when my guy and I chat in bed.

"I'm such a good girl," I started.
"No, you're not. I need to spank you hard just before you get on the plane in a few days, so that you remember that you're a bad girl," he insisted.

I like that he knows what to say to me. We continued cuddling some more.

Landing, sucking, and cuddling on our first day

I'm backtracking for a bit. When I first arrived at the hotel, my guy was about ten minutes away. As I was taking all my stuff out of my rental car, he pulled over and waved at me. We talked. I was heading towards the hotel lobby.

He came over moments later to take me to his hotel room. When we got there, we hugged, kissed, and I briefly unpacked after he helped put my suitcase in a spot.

We went out for dinner at a local place. We came back and did a few things, like exercise and shower, before we got into bed.

My guy was horny. I got to play with his erect member. He pulled it out of his boxer briefs and pajama bottoms. I started to hold his hard cock in my hand, but ended up putting it in my mouth instead. I can't remember when I last sucked my guy. He loved it. I did, too.

He came. I ended up pulling out and jerking him off a few seconds beforehand. It was nice making him ejaculate. We cleaned up and then cuddled for the rest of the night.

It's nice to spend time with him.

Bad girl gets a spanking while cuddling in bed

The other night, my guy and I were in bed, cuddled up, watching a movie. We ended up talking about something, which led to the following conversation.

"That's bad," he remarked.
"I'm a good girl, though," I replied.
"No, you're not," he said.

He rolled up against me and fount my butt. He started spanking my left buttock over my shorts. I kept insisting that I was good, but the smacks kept going. They were getting harder.

He pulled my shorts down and continued spanking me over my panties. I protested that a good girl should not be spanked. He pulled down my panties and gave me some hard smacks across my bare bottom. I was so turned on. He knew it.

Moments later, he made me reach orgasm. It was awesome. I kissed him. He was happy. I was, too.

Dollar Tree and rope

My guy loves Dollar Tree. I do, too. You can get practically everything there.

I found one fairly close by our hotel. We went over there after dinner. It even has a frozen foods section, including ice cream and breakfast items.

We walked by the hardware section. There was rope.

"You could use it to tie me up," I said to him quietly.
"Good idea," he said, grabbing a neat bundle.

Later on in the store, he discretely groped my buttock.

"Now, I'm all horny," he said.
"I know," I said to him.

Yes, thinking about the possibilities of using rope on me are nice.

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.

All done with packing

I am all packed. I have the usual thought that I have forgotten something. Naturally, I can always sort that out once I'm in the States.

My guy leaves later on today. He wished me a safe flight. I did the same in return.

I just have to get through my workday. Luckily, I am working from home.

Analyzing, packing, decluttering, and almost sleeping

Such an exhausting first week back at work! Although I have made some progress trying to figure out how this new employee learns and thinks, it would take me quite some time to write a post about it. I'll need to save it for a future post. I feel like I have made a breakthrough. I just wish that the outcome wouldn't be this labour-intensive.

I spent the last half an hour packing for my vacation. I just have some clothes to pack. Pretty much everything else has been taken care of. I'm pleased.

Decluttering is going well. I have another batch of books to donate. I have some more clothes that I don't wear anymore to give away. I have been getting rid of a bunch of papers that I don't know why I ended up ignoring for a while.

All is well. I just need sleep.

Early stages of packing

I started packing a bit roughly ten minutes ago. So far, so good. I still need to top up my cell phone SIM plan for the States.

So far, I have packed the essentials:

• Leather paddle
• Lubricant
• Short skirt

A good girl needs to prioritize.

Decluttering and discovering old photos

I have been doing a ton of decluttering these days. While on vacation, I didn't really feel like doing it until just before I went back to work. I am pretty motivated these days that it's surprising me!

I'm not sure why I held on to so much stuff over the years. I found a couple of photos of my ex-husband. It was early in our relationship. He looked happy.

I had no hesitation getting rid of his photos. I kept everything else. I ended up putting these photos in an album.

For years, I held on to my undergraduate textbooks in two domains that I don't use all that much these days. As much as I love math, I have decided to let my textbooks go. I can always look up information and questions online should I need to.

I donated my books on Wednesday. I recycled an old cell phone. I also donated clothes that I no longer love, but hope that others will.

It feels good to declutter.

Trip-planning is nearly done

Our plane tickets and car rentals are booked. I'm joining my guy a day after he arrives in Dallas and a day before his course ends. We are both pleased.

He had originally sent me his itinerary on Monday. I didn't get anything, so I asked him about it on Tuesday. I finally got it and was able to book everything. His bookings go through the company. Mine is obviously personal.

We are both looking forward to spending some time with each other.

Chatting and teasing my guy

I enjoy my chats with my guy.

"I have to go. I forgot my earbuds and am moving to weights," he explained while at the gym.
"No problem. Are you going to buy a protein shake or do you make yours now?" I asked him.
"I make my own. It's in my car. It costs nearly $10 to buy one here," he pointed out.
"Yes, we can't have Cheap Bastard spending a ton of money," I said.
"You got it," he confirmed.
"Well, enjoy the rest of your workout. Say hi to your car for me. She will tell you that she wants me to drive her," I said.
"You think so?" he asked me.
"I know so," I said confidently.
"No!" he exclaimed.
"I love teasing you," I said sweetly.
"I know," he admitted.

It's fun when we chat.

Tripping with my guy

My guy called me from the gym. I like when he talks to me on the treadmill. I made his workout easier, as I started our chat by doing a lot of talking. He likes listening to my funny stories.

We then talked about his upcoming trip.

"Did you get your vacation request?" he asked me.
"Yes, I did. Is your trip confirmed?" I asked him.
"Yes, it was on Friday. I'l book our plane tickets," he said.
"Yay!" I exclaimed, which made him laugh.

It's nice that we will be spending a week together. We both can't wait.

Reflection on my final vacation day

Today is my last vacation day before I go back to work. It has been a well-deserved period of rest.

Naturally, I have reservations about going back to work. I dread dealing with a new employee who isn't the sharpest learner.

On a good note, I managed to reorder contact lenses, so I ensure that I can see for the better part of this year. I have roughly a two-month supply before placing my reorder, so I wasn't exactly cutting it short.

I have enjoyed cooking more while on vacation. I hope to do more of it on weekends. I find it relaxing and fun.

Good day with a good spanking thought

Sadly, my guy and I couldn't meet up on Friday. I did have a fun day nevertheless.

"I miss you, sweetness," he said.
"I know. Your good girl misses you," I replied.
"You know that you're not good. If I didn't have to be on this boring teleconference, I would spank you for a while," he admitted.

It's all true.

Debt and donations

Here's a quick update on getting rid of my debt. I am optimistic these days.

Last year, I paid off three credit cards. I managed to nab a debt consolidation loan, which has helped me reduce my monthly payments while saving interest costs in the long run. I have also been tracking my credit score more closely. I got my latest results today. My credit score has improved. I'm pleased.

I spent some time on Thursday going through my closet, trying on clothes, and getting rid of those that I do not care to wear anymore. Although I have a long way to go as far as sorting goes, I managed to fill up two bags of clothes. I will be donating them later on today.

My process of sorting clothes may be different. It works for me. I try it on. I determine whether I love it. If it doesn't fit, it automatically gets put in my donation pile. Otherwise, the item stays.

It's nice to declutter, both financially and closet-wise.

Vacation thoughts

I am hoping to see my guy on Friday. I will be heading over to our favourite shopping place where he lives. He may have a conference call that morning. I just told him to call me when he's free, as I will be spending most of the day there.

It's nice having nearly two weeks off from work. Sadly, vacation passes quickly. Still, I'm savouring every day that I am away from work.

I've accomplished most of what I had wanted to do during this break. I managed to have a relaxing time to unwind and sleep in. I cooked a ton. I got to go out and visit new places.

So far, it's been great. I wish that my vacation lasted all year!

New year with a new venture

I recently posted a photo of the Toronto skyline that I took this past summer on my other social site. Several friends pointed out how great the photo was, which I appreciated.

One friend, in particular, suggested that I sell the photo to the city. One thing led to another. I have started my own Etsy site. The idea is to earn a bit of money for photos that I have taken.

Anyone who knows me will understand that I am not the entrepreneurial type. If I were, I would be rich and would have quit my regular job by now. Rather, I like sharing my photos for folks to view. If they want to buy them, that's fine. Otherwise, this gig is more to figure out how much interest there is out there to buy pretty photos.

I don't know how lucrative this venture will be. Frankly, it's more of a hobby for me. Still, it's exciting to do something different and set this photo site up. It's a new learning experience. We'll see where this path takes me.

Happy 2019!

It's 2019! Happy New Year, everyone!

I'll be back writing regular blog posts soon. In the meantime, enjoy ringing in the new year with family and friends.

New Year's Eve

Hey, we made it through 2018!

Thanks to everyone who has dropped by this year to read my blog. I appreciate the support! I wish you a happy 2019 to come, full of joy, love, and good health.

Take care,
Cutiebootie

Good girl, BAD girl

Whenever my guy and I converse, I like saying that I am his good girl. He will immediately say that I'm his bad girl.

In e-mail exchanges, it's even more amusing. I'll sign off by saying, "Your good girl."

My guy is consistent. He'll reinforce that I'm bad.

Hi there BAD girl,
Nice to hear from you. :)

I like when he emphasizes that I'm BAD.

Dealing with an inept colleague while on vacation

The new writer manages to still get on my nerves even when I am on vacation. She has no clue about respect for those who are on vacation.

On Christmas eve, she said that she'd wish everyone a nice Christmas. It seemed like a thoughtful gesture on her part.

We have an instant messaging tool that we use at work. I have it installed on my phone, as I take teleconferences while I am driving into work. I frankly don't like instant messaging apps. I find getting text messages to be a distraction.

Guess what she does? While I am preparing fixings in the kitchen on Christmas day, I get a text message on this instant messaging app from her. She's wishing me a merry Christmas. I have mentioned to her in the past that I don't like being contacted through this app. Obviously, this tidbit didn't register in her head, as with most information that my interns and I have relayed to her.

Two days later, I get a status report from her on this instant messaging app, saying that she's "holding down the fort." You would think that this app saying that I have been away for three days would mean something to her. Nope.

I wrote her an e-mail, copying our manager, on instant messaging etiquette. I pointed out that instant messaging is used to contact someone quickly to get a response and when it's urgent. Providing a status report or wishing me a nice Christmas over Skype while I am on vacation is not proper etiquette. I had to spell it out that I do not want to be reached on this work instant messaging app when I am on vacation. I want a work-free vacation. However, writing this e-mail to tell her to stop it and to explain how instant messaging etiquette works wasn't in my vacation plans.

I then indicated to look at our manager's e-mail that wished everyone a merry Christmas. He sent it as an e-mail, not through an instant messaging app. She does not comprehend that instant messages that she sends goes to my personal phone while I am on vacation and she is not. The last person I truly want to hear from on my vacation is this woman.

I got a reply back from her to my e-mail saying that she understood what I had said. I doubt that she truly does. It is so frustrating dealing with someone who seems to be shielded from the world and does not understand what is common courtesy.

Haircut and reunion with my hairdresser

I got my hair cut on Thursday. I got four inches off my hair length. It feels great!

For over a year, I had a wonderful hairdresser that did a great job cutting my hair. Sadly, the salon that I went to had closed. It took me a while to find a new salon with an equally competent hairdresser. I found it this past summer.

On Thursday, I went in said salon and checked in. I heard a familiar voice. It was my wonderful hairdresser. Yay!

It's nice to know that everyone at that shut down salon has moved over to this one. I got another hairdresser who has worked with Ms. Wonderful for twenty years. This one did a great job on my new hairdo.

I'm thankful that I have two hairdressers who style my hair perfectly!

Potential work-vacation trip

My guy is attending a training session in mid-January. It's being held somewhere in Dallas. However, his trip hasn't been confirmed yet.

He asked me whether I'd like to go. Considering that I am still drained from work and am currently on vacation, I said yes. I just wish that the dates were confirmed, so I can book my flight now.

I am hoping that all goes well. We are both looking forward to spending some time with each other. We haven't done such a trip in a while.

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.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and yours! For those who are celebrating, I hope that you are with friends and family. If not, know that you are loved.

Take care,
Cutiebootie

Attractive head with a small scratch

I love the shape of my guy's head. It's perfectly uniform. I find it sweet and sexy to caress.

The other day, we were talking. I looked up and noticed a small scratch on his head.

"Oh, no. What happened to your head?" I asked him.
"I must have scratched it somewhere. I need to be delicate around that area when I shave," he said.
"I hope it heals soon, I said," delicately caressing the area.

I just wanted to kiss his head in hopes of making his boo-boo heal faster.

Kissing, planning my spanking, and more kissing

My guy and I sat down after we unlocked lips. It's instinctual that we hold hands, even across from each other.

He moved closer to me, wrapping his legs around mine. We kissed some more. He cupped and groped my breasts. I caressed his chest.

"If we weren't so close to the security office, I'd bend over this table to get my spanking," I said.
"Yes, my hand would make a lot of noise spanking that cute butt of yours," he said.
"We can't have security coming in to see if we are okay," I smiled.
"It's been such a long time since I've spanked you. I'll need to spank you longer and harder to make up for lost time," he reasoned.
"That's going to hurt, Mr Meanie," I noted.
"Yes, it will," he said firmly.

We both smiled, and continued to kiss and hug.

Welcome kisses, hugs, gropes, and caresses

On Friday, my team had a little get-together before Christmas. We ended up watching a movie and ordering lunch in. It was fun.

While watching the movie, my guy called me. I had to redirect his call to my voicemail. I also ended up texting him.

He was at our favourite shawarma place by work .He asked me whether I'd like to join him. I explained the whole group lunch-movie combo. I asked if he had time to swing by the office. He advised that he didn't have his badge. I let him know that it didn't matter. I asked that he drop by reception and text me. I'd then come to him.

He did just that. I came out of the room where we were having our function and greeted him. I then moved us to a room where I needed to badge us in, but he didn't need to.

We looked at each other once the door closed. I made the first move to kiss him on the lips. We have longed to kiss each other for nearly four weeks. I hugged him with one arm and caressed his perfectly uniform head with the other.

Meanwhile, my guy continued to kiss me and grope my buttocks. I have missed all that.

We were probably in this kiss-hug-caress-grope period for nearly five minutes. When we finally separated, we had this brief conversation:

"That's a nice welcome," he said, smiling.
"I agree," I said.

I'm thankful that he is back home in my arms.

Thoughts about how a newbie learns

It has been nearly two weeks that my students and I have been training the new employee. It has been a challenge for all of us.

I am still trying to figure out how this new employee learns. It's difficult to narrow down, but here are my notes:

• She is an extremely slow learner. She requires tons of repetition doing the same task before she begins to understand it.
• She is not good at recognizing patterns. If there is a clear example on the page, she does not know how to apply that example to solve her current problem.
• She does not read well. It doesn't matter whether she has a checklist or a procedure on how to do a task, she does not read details carefully. She also does not read e-mails well.
• Her comprehension is dismal. She constantly relies on my PowerPoint slides and treats them as the gospel. When she has a checklist to go through, she is still dependent on her slides and doesn't realize that the checklist takes precedence. When I quiz her on how to do something, she goes to her printed slide notes and doesn't get it. So, it's another explanation, but from a different angle. 
• She says thanks too often. Sure, we are all Canadian. However, saying thanks after every other sentence that we say does not register knowledge that we have passed on to her. It is also overkill.
• She is afraid to try anything on her own. When she had a question on how to edit a page the other day, I asked her to give it a try. She gave me a firm, "No!" Um, okay. Odd.

She does have a cartoon character voice. It's squeaky. One of my colleagues called it cute. I find it annoying the more she talks, which is pretty often.

My manager was impressed by how much information and research she did for her second interview. I didn't feel the same way. I realize now that it was all memorization. The comprehension is nonexistent. 

The red flag that I had during her second interview was that she admitted that she was a slow learner. I pointed that out to my boss. He said that the extra work that she does after hours will get her learning faster. I didn't think that it was the case then. I certainly don't see it now.

It is still frustrating dealing with someone who does not get what she is doing. I have even seen my students get frustrated.

Here's hoping that things get better, although things look bleak right now.

Missing me and flying home

I miss my guy. He's flying home as I type this post.

I like when he gets all mushy and sweet.

"You know that I miss you a ton, right?" he said in a tender moment in our conversation.
"I think so. You don't normally say it as much as I do, but I know that you do," I said.
"Yes, I do miss you a lot. I can't wait to kiss those lips of yours," he said.

The feeling is definitely mutual.

Sleeping, cuddling, kissing, and coming home

My guy called me after I had finished washing my car.

"Hey, are you ready for bed?" I asked him.
"I'm in bed right now," he replied.
"I miss cuddling up to you, kissing you, tucking you into bed, and sleeping with you," I noted.
"You're sweet. I miss all of that with you, too," he replied.

My guy hops on a plane today and is coming home. Yay!

Avocado sock and a spanking certification for being like Cheap Bastard

I was talking to my guy about the Toronto Christmas Market. I went there a couple of weekends ago with friends.

"Did you find anything interesting?" he asked me.
"There were some unusual items. I found a single sock for your avocado," I said.
"What do you do with this sock?" he asked curiously.
"It keeps your avocado safe while ripening it," I replied.
"Wow," he said.
"I can't make this stuff up. It's all yours for a whopping $20. I sounded like you. I was outraged. I can get a pair of socks at the dollar store for much less," I admitted.
"Yes, you could get it for a dollar. You're becoming me. You are CB-certified," he replied.
"Thanks. That's a high compliment to be certified by you," I replied.
"I'll certify you when I spank that butt of yours and leave a red mark or so," he replied.
"You haven't spanked me for a while. It's long overdue," I noted.
"It is. When I see you again, I want to spank you for being my bad girl," he said.
"You'll need to rectify it soon," I replied.
"You mean erectify," he said, being punny.
"You mean you can erectify the situation. It's all you! I love it. It's clever and funny," I commented.
"That's a first. I didn't have to force you to admit that it was both clever and funny," he pointed out.

I like his certification style.

Waiting

I miss my guy. This week is his last one away before he returns home.

I can't wait to see him again.

Turnips and learning

I had a good Saturday. I slept in and got nearly eight hours of sleep.

I went out to run some errands. I am the odd one who enjoys grocery shopping on a Saturday.

I drove a few towns over to a discount grocery store that specializes in frozen items. I like the frozen, cubed turnips. There is no need to spend time peeling them. They are also uniform in size and cook evenly.

At the checkout counter, I took everything out of my basket. The cashier asked whether the turnips take long to cook. I said not really. I put them in soups and pan-fry them. She liked my answer.

I am a foodie at heart. Perhaps I look like I know what I'm doing. Not really. I learned that I enjoy eating turnips about half a year ago! I am still learning and it's a journey.

The cashier was great at packing all my groceries into my single reusable bag. I was impressed. I need to learn how to bag like she does!

Exhausting week and questioning comprehension

What a long week! I'm exhausted.

I wrapped up a major release and pushed out a minor one. I got my little team consisting of two students and me to train a new employee on our team. It's good that she has been hired to take over some of my development tasks. However, I am still unsure about how I feel about her.

The way that she learns and comprehends puzzles me. She talks a lot. Information relayed to her doesn't register in her head.

She had a question about a feature and what the difference was between the options. I asked if she wanted to try one of the options out. She said with authority, "No!" That's not a good sign if you are all questions, you can retain answers, and you are hesitant to explore.

Yes, she talks a ton. It's to the point where I have to tune out. She also sounds like a little girl and she's nearly thirty years old. It's difficult to listen to her.

I am hoping that next week will fly by. I'm simply glad that the weekend is here.

Saying thanks does the world good

I am in a thankful mood these days. I tend to say thanks all the time to those who have helped me along the way. However, I get to do more these days.

At work, we have a program where we can write something nice to someone, to recognize their accomplishments. For the longest time, I have seen our office coordinator do a bunch of tasks, such as helping me out when I have new employees or students joining my team, bringing in snacks and munchies to life everyone's spirits, and just being who she is. She does so much and rarely gets the recognition that she truly deserves.

I often say thanks to her in person or in e-mails. I decided to write something nice in our accomplishments application.

She told me that I made her day with my kind words. Mission accomplished.

Craving a hard spanking

My guy misses spanking me.

"I want to put you over my lap when I see you again," he said the other day.
"I'd like that. It has been ages since you've spanked me," I noted.
"I miss spanking that cute butt of yours. I want to lift up your skirt and start spanking you, followed by taking down your panties and spanking you hard until your butt is red."

Naturally, it made me horny.

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.

Stressful Monday morning, but better in the afternoon

Ah, Monday. Either it's horrible or it's okay. I got a mix today.

A new employee joined the company. She is hopefully going to take over a bulk of my work. The problem with her is that she asks a ton of questions without doing much research. It also didn't help that her laptop wasn't available until two hours later.

As I was trying to look up information, I got a ton of questions from her. Ugh. Such a bad time to be asking ridiculous questions.

She brought her laptop home. We never covered how to connect remotely. The answer was on an information sheet that she got with her laptop. Again, more questions. Double ugh.

I got annoyed. Thankfully, things turned around as the day progressed.

My guy sent me a text in the afternoon. It was bad timing, though. I let him know that I was training a new writer and was stressed out.

"Sorry to hear that. Please ping me when you're free. Hope I'm still up," he texted.
"It'll probably be late. I train until 5 pm. I'll give you a try. Miss you," I replied.
"Same here," he said, sending a kiss emoticon.
"You're sweet," I replied, reciprocating with a kiss emoticon.
"You, too," he replied.

He makes my day when I need some cheering up.

Toronto Christmas Market and texting smileys

On Saturday, I visited the Toronto Christmas Market for the first time with a couple of friends. We had a great time hanging out.

It's pretty expensive buying stuff there. Still, if you go for the experience, you're good.

My guy called me in the afternoon. I had missed his call. It was so noisy at this market that I didn't even hear my phone ring or vibrate. He left me a smiley text, which always means that he's good. I sent him a smiley back that blew him a kiss.

Here's hoping that we chat soon.

Handjob while driving - repeat in future

My guy reminisced about my giving him a handjob while driving him to the airport.

"I enjoyed it so much. Can we do it again?" he asked me.
"We can when road conditions are good and you're back," I replied.
"I love when you make me so dopey," he admitted.
"I love it, too," I replied.

He's my sweet horny guy.

Deadlines and Christmas market - yay, weekend!

It has been a crazy week. My team got our documentation packaged and uploaded. There are a few issues that need helpdesk support. However, we worked so hard to get our deliverables out the door.

I'm glad that it's the weekend. I am seeing a couple of friends tomorrow at a Christmas market. I am looking forward to seeing them again and what's at the market.

Bounced car insurance payment and a $50 bill in the parking lot

Life works in mysterious ways.

My chequing account was short $6. My car insurance payment was supposed to automatically come out of that account. However, since there were insufficient funds, I ended up getting slapped with a $40 charge. It hurts, but I'm okay about it.

After a long day at work on Thursday, I walked out of the office and to my car. I was on hold with my car insurance company. Someone had called me, likely to follow up on my payment.

I was looking down at my phone, to make sure that the call was still ongoing. In the underground parking lot, I saw a $50 bill on the ground. I picked it up.

It's funny how things unfold in my life.

Travel, sucking, orgasm, and ejaculation

My guy may be travelling for business in mid-January. It's within the province and would roughly be a 4.5-hour drive.

"I'd like you to join me, if you can," he said.
"It would be great. We haven't been on a trip together like that for a long time," I noted.
"True. I'd love to spend time with you after work," he stated.
"Yes. I can welcome you home from work and ask if I can suck you," I observed.

He loved that. We were both pretty horny last night. We both ended up dopey after our fun session os Skype.

New record player and old cell phone

I bought a record player the other day. It was on sale. It's a gift to myself.

I bought one last year in purple, my favourite colour. It was on sale, too. The problem with it is that it doesn't spin a record fast enough and maintain its speed. It's such a shame.

This new record player can do more than just play records. It has a cassette deck, AM/FM radio, bluetooth, and an aux line to connect an iPod or other music player to it.  It plays CDs, too. I can record anything to MP3. It's quite the powerhouse.

I had to make room for it. It's not a tiny thing. It's not monstrous, either.

I liked that it forced me to clean the top of my stereo system. I found a box with an old cell phone from my days in Minnesota. I didn't think that I still had the phone. It's so tiny in comparison to the phones these days.

I felt like I had opened a time capsule of sorts. It was cool to see a snapshot of my life a while back.

Sleepyhead

My guy (MG) wanted to chat on Sunday. It didn't quite happen. He is still jet-lagged. Instead, we had this quick exchange over Skype.

MG: Sorry, fell asleep :)
Me: That's okay. You are my sleepyhead :)

He's sweet.

Attractive manager, and handjobs and blowjobs

I have a love-hate relationship with my current job position. I love training folks and working with students. I like research. I dislike incompetence and my huge workload. That's nothing new.

I was talking about it with my guy. We both don't exactly like the company's direction. We just grin and bear it.

My guy still urges me to continue finding employment elsewhere. I pointed out that I have not had a standard-of-living raise within the last two years. I have not received a bonus within the last three years.

I am currently dealing with a new project manager who thinks that she knows everything. Yet, she chimes into e-mails, which is irrelevant and adds more grief than necessary. She then flips it around to indicate that I seem unclear. Whatever. The proof is within the e-mail transcript that she is delusional.

She has set up a meeting for me to step through two documents for a final review with folks. I find it a waste of time, as we went through a first round of reviews. She can step people through it. After all, it's her meeting. I don't need to be there to walk folks through documents. People can read. She can handle this walk-through exercise, since she knows everything. Yes, read that last sentence with sarcasm.

She is a horrible communicator. I don't know where we get such incompetent project managers. Naturally, my manager just sits there and does nothing. It's probably because I have been handling everything well on my own.

Anyway, my guy and I had this chat about the situation.

"I think that it's great that you are looking for employment, as not getting any salary raise is not ideal," he sympathized.
"Yes, I haven't stopped. I just haven't found the right job," I noted.
"Fair enough. Once you find an attractive job, you can make your move," he agreed.
"If you were my attractive manager, I would definitely work for you. You'd have a job for me. A hand job, at least," I said.
"If I were your manager, we'd be doing a ton of jobs, like handjobs and blowjobs," he said.

It's nice when we incorporate some teasing and role-playing into our serious conversations.

Spank me every day

It's nice when my guy and I chat over Skype when we are apart. We had this conversation yesterday.

"Have you been a bad girl?" he asked me.
"I don't know. I think that I've been good. I haven't been spanked for a while," I noted.
"It has been a while since I've spanked you. That's why you don't know," he said.
"It's all your fault," I stated.
"I don't think so. If I were with you, I'd spank that cute butt of yours every day," he admitted.
"Can you write that in a Hallmark card and send it to me? I love it," I replied, which made him chuckle.
"It's romantic, huh?" he said rhetorically.

We miss each other. He's sweet.

Chatting with my sleepyhead while heading over to pick up a cheque

My guy called me from Cairo. I was driving from work, on my way to a financial place to pick up a cheque. I'll write more about this topic later.

He's doing well. He was in good spirits and let me know that he was enjoying eating guava. I love guava, too.

He said that he would call me back after picking up my cheque. He didn't. I assumed that he ended up nodding off to sleep. He lives up to my sleepyhead nickname for him.

I'm glad that he called. He made my week and started off my weekend on a good note.

Losing jobs before Christmas is sad

It's always sad to hear about colleagues and people losing their jobs. It's even worse when it's just before Christmas.

The biggest news story just east of where I live is that General Motors (GM) has decided to close its Oshawa plant in 2019, which means that all workers at this plant will be unemployed. It's sad, as Oshawa is the home of so many GM employees who moved to this city to work.

I used to have a Pontiac Grand Am. I thought that my next car would be a Pontiac G6 until the entire Pontiac line got canned. GM hasn't fully recovered since the late 2000's.

This week, my company found out that pink slips have been issued to folks out of our Montreal office. On my team, we are losing three decent people, two of whom I have met and trained. It's just a sad situation and I can only offer to help if they need any references from me.

It sucks that they are losing their jobs right before Christmas.

Bubbles, my loyal pet betta fish

I haven't written much about my betta fish, Bubbles. He got that nickname because he liked making bubbles on the water's surface. He is also fascinated by bubbles that form in his tank if I have added water in there and it has been there for a while before I transfer him in.

Although he is a fish, he's greets me whenever I walk into the room. I noticed this greeting of his when I first saw him at the pet store. He's sweet. He's kind of like an aquatic dog.

My betta fish in the past have either been all blue in colour, or all red. Bubbles is different. He's green, blue, and red.

Yesterday, I changed the water in his tank and he seemed so happy when he got back in there. I'm glad that he's happy.

I used to think that it was unfortunate that he has to live alone. He can't live with another male betta. It would not end well.

I haven't tried getting a fuzzy marimo plant ball for Bubbles to play with. Apparently, they clean your tank, provide oxygen, and make the betta play with it. That's on my shopping list.

407 ETR survey rant - poorly designed and delivered survey

Tuesday was a crazy and, at times, stressful workday. I technically have three rants, but I will go with the one that has nothing to do with work.

Just before dinner, I got a phone call from a person doing a survey on behalf of 407 ETR, which is a toll highway. I take this highway going to work, but don't coming home because it can get expensive.

By doing the survey, I would receive 100 km of free travel on this toll highway. This woman pointed out that it would take fifteen minutes to complete this survey. Cool.

Well, the more I got into the survey, the more I found so many issues and flaws. This survey actually took over thirty minutes to complete. This woman sounded older. She had a British accent. She couldn't type, attentively listen to my comments, or form a simple sentence.

This survey was biased. It was really to find out what customers thought of 407 ETR after an employee who used to work there stole a list of customer phone numbers and names for his own political needs.

I frankly wanted to voice how expensive rates are getting to travel on this toll highway. I have been taking this highway for over eight years. I used to take it both to and from work. Since it's so pricy these days, I only drive on it going to work. I didn't get to express the increase in rates and how I cannot afford to travel on it to and from work.

There were a series of questions where I had the option of rating the statement as great, somewhat great, somewhat poor, and poor. I said to this woman that I wished there was a rating between somewhat great and somewhat poor. She revealed that there was. What?

There is an apparent neutral option. She didn't disclose it until I had made my statement. As a person who declared math as a major and switched it to a minor during my undergraduate days, I was outraged. Why hide this option? You are skewing your survey results.

That's when I realized that this survey was biased.

She said later on that it would look bad to her manager if I answered a bunch of questions with a neutral response. I frankly told her that I didn't care what her manager thinks. I was here to voice my answers and I felt that this survey was rigged.

On a ballot, would you hide a candidate's name? Why would you hide a neutral option on a survey question?

To add insult to injury, she called me a "he" at the end of the survey, when we finally got there. I pointed out that she was rude. I made sure that I got my free kilometres of travel and hung up.

I like doing surveys, but I will never do one for 407 ETR again. The free kilometres isn't worth the insult, time, and aggravation.

Oh, and I disliked when she would say periodically to me, "Moving swiftly." Um, you aren't. You have spent twice as much time to get me through the survey than you had initially promised.

Ugh!

Strong support and laugher help get me through missing my guy

As crazy as work is these days, it's nice that my students and I get along well. We spent the day working on various tasks as a group and got a lot done.

Hanging out with them and being able to make one another laugh was wonderful. We all needed it.

It's nice that I am back to being my happy self. I will always miss my guy when he is away, but having a good support group helps ease the temporary pain.

Missing someone that it hurts and dealing with work madness

Have you ever missed someone that it just hurts? That, for a brief moment, a sense of sadness and panic set in? After all of that passes, you're then okay?

I am feeling all of these emotions. I don't know why I am experiencing such a mixed bag, but I do miss my guy a ton.

I suppose that it doesn't help that there are issues with an upcoming, major software release. All weekend, I simply saw e-mails flooding my inbox on various issues, and what needs to be fixed in both the code and documentation.

About that job that I had interviewed for several weeks ago, it turns out that the position is on hold. I frankly didn't think it was a good fit for me. However, I have heard through the odd, contracted human resources woman that they have a different position in mind for me come January.

I don't have a favourable impression about this company. I will hear what they have to say, but I won't hold my breath.

BAD girl is still sad girl

I am still down about not being able to see my guy for a month. You would think that I'd be used to these long periods without him. I'm not.

I do like when he writes e-mails to me while we are apart. It helps.

It's nice when he starts off his e-mail by calling me BAD girl. Yes, BAD is in capital letters.

It's sweet. It's his version of a love letter that I gladly accept.

A long wait - missing my guy already

I'm bummed out right now. My guy's flight is early today, which means that we won't be able to see each other.

Like last year, he is away from a month on business. It seems like an eternity.

Although he has reassured me that we'll chat while he is away, I'm still sad that we'll be apart for such a long time.

A compliment that came out of nowhere

The other day, I got a compliment from my manager that was completely unexpected. It happened during a conference call.

To make an extremely long story short, we have a group of employees in another country that had questions. A handful of us in Toronto were on this call. They want to set up a similar structure that we have here.

The problem is that these folks want to have a team leader, but none of us in Toronto feel that any of them can handle this position. One of the tasks would be training new employees.

"You would have to train every new employee that joins us. Frankly, I think Cutiebootie and her team should continue training new folks. Cutiebootie is the best trainer that we have," my manager said.

Wow. I'll take it.

Teasing my guy and wanting a hard spanking

My guy is funny. I like teasing him about driving his car. He is adamant that he is the only person who can drive his car.

He has caved in the past. I managed to drive his car from work to our favourite Chinese restaurant.

Whenever he goes on a business trip, I ask him for his car keys. Sometimes, I playfully try and get his keys from him. He ends up spanking me, which I love.

We had this exchange the other day.

"No, I will not leave my car keys with you," he said, cheerfully.
"I look forward to driving your car," I said, playfully.
"You are such a bad girl," he said to me.
"I hope that you'll do something about it," I said.
"Of course. I like spanking you hard," he replied.

I like when he threatens to spank me.

I'm back and am doing laundry

I had a long travel day on Monday. It was pretty uneventful, considering that I drove through pouring rain and a bit of snow. I cut through three states and ended up in my home province.

I got back at a decent time. It was enough time to pick up my friend, have a bit of a chat in her living room, and head over to a restaurant for dinner. It was a nice evening.

After work on Tuesday, I went home and did laundry. It's exciting stuff! I have always been the type of person who needs to do laundry as soon as I can after some time away from hom. I find it relaxing.

My guy and I share that same love for doing laundry. He is preparing for a business trip and leaves on Saturday. I am hoping that we can squeeze in some time together before he leaves.

Concert, movie, and road trip home

I attended a wonderful concert on Saturday. I was on my feet for over four hours.

Today, I spent part of my afternoon at a movie theatre, legs reclined, watching Bohemian Rhapsody.

I drive home tomorrow. It will be a long drive, but I hope to return to Columbus again soon.

Road trips and hugbutt hugs

I have made it to Cleveland. I cut across three states with varying degrees of snow, rain, and cloudy skies throughout the drive.

I have had good eats so far on this road trip. I have a couple of hours left to drive before I get to my final destination. I get to do that later on today.

Changing the subject a bit, I saw this artwork on Instagram.

It reminds me of my guy when he hugs my butt. The only difference is that he's far from being dead!

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.

Busy day dealing with incompetent colleagues

It was a crazy day at work. I'm exhausted.

I lost count after 43. This number represents how many e-mails ended up in my inbox from roughly 10:00 till 17:00. My guess is that I hit 60 e-mails easily.

I find e-mail to be a distraction. Today was a heavy inbox day. It was full of self-absorbed folks who think that my small team is there twiddling our thumbs, waiting for work. We have a ton of work to do, on the contrary.

One software developer provided two documents to us late on Monday. He asked me on Wednesday whether they were ready for him to share for his final review meeting on Thursday.

I took exception to this comment. First, my team isn't so free that we jump on his late guides and complete them. Second, we didn't know about his meeting. His expectation that we would edit them in time for his meeting was a tall order. Third, it seems ridiculous to send us what was dubbed final documents when he is having a final review meeting days later. Technically, these documents are not final. My team has another stab at making these not-so-final documents final.

I also take exception to the assigned project manager. She can't do her job. I have been doing most of her work by making sure documents get to me on specified dates and following up. Most deliverables have been late. I chase after folks because this project manager doesn't.

I have informed her that she needs to chase after folks. She should not be asking me two weeks in advance for documents. I flat out told her that I am not her problem. She needs to focus on other folks who are late with theirs. I don't see her chasing after them that way.

Then, there was another document that came two weeks late on Monday. I was not informed that this document would change. So wrong. Again, I spoke up.

I am sure that these folks do not enjoy dealing with me. Frankly, I don't care. They are not making my working life easy and are not respecting established deadlines. They are causing grief for my team.

I decided to call it a day just before 17:00. Luckily, today is my final workday this week. I am looking forward to my well-deserved mini vacation.

Naps, road trip, sleep - sounds perfect

My road trip is coming up. I hit the road on Friday.

I worked from home yesterday. I was exhausted from Monday. I took a couple of naps. It was all good.

I am looking forward to a bit of a break. I'm off to jot a few items down on a list of things to pack. I'm then off to bed!

The network is down - a perfect storm

It all started on Friday. Our content management system to author content was down just before lunch. We got database errors. My department seems paralyzed when such incidents take place. I got one of my students to report the problem.

Unfortunately, our helpdesk support is halfway around the world and doesn't look at off-hour issues. Ugh!

On the weekend, I had to do some preparation work. My team needed to create two documentation projects and requires all folks to not be working. I planned on doing this work on Saturday. Sure enough, I tried doing some copying work and database errors took place.

There errors were intermittent, though. I logged in using my regular account and I got tons of errors. I tried copying smaller sections with another administrative account and that worked. Weird.

Yesterday, I had my regularly scheduled 8 am meeting. I drive to work on the call. This meeting was delayed by half an hour. I called in about fifteen minutes from work. I couldn't connect to the network.

I walked into a meeting room that I had booked for my little team. My students told me that every network connection was down. It now made sense why I couldn't connect to my conference call. 

I walked over to the lunch room to get some hot water for my tea. I found out that there was a Canada-wide outage. Nice.

I headed back to my students to relay the news. I found out later that it was a global problem.

E-mail was down. I loved it. I didn't have any distractions. I didn't have to respond immediately to my manager's questions due to his incompetence.

Slowly, the network came back up. My team was able to log in to most of our applications and continue with our content projects. Others on my team weren't that lucky.

It was a trying day. My team handled it with grace and humour. We are good with teamwork, fuelled by cookies.

Dopey conversation at the office

My guy told me what had happened to him once he got back to the office. We had just had lunch and I had given him a handjob afterwards.

"I met your colleague's husband when I picked up my new laptop," he said.
"Yes. How did it go?" I asked him.
"I was so dopey that I was talking slowly and he problem thought I was high on weed," he recounted.
"I'm glad that I did a good job. He probably thought that you were tired," I noted.
"I hope so. I was dopey. I probably didn't make much sense. I didn't want to talk," he replied.
"You still had cum on your black slacks, right?" I recalled.
"I did. Luckily, my coat was long enough to hide it," he said.

I love when he's dopey.

USB C cable for charging his phone and punishing me

When my guy and I had last met for lunch, his cell phone had died. He didn't have a USB C cable in his car to charge it.

I had a USB C cable and a battery pack in my purse. I never thought of having his phone charge while we were having lunch. Oops!

We talked about it the other day.

"How did you get to the restaurant?" I asked my directionally challenged guy.
"My phone died across the street from the restaurant, so I was okay," he admitted.
"How about leaving to head back to the office?" I asked him.
"I knew roughly where the highway was. I just took a major street north and found it," he said.
"Cool. I'm so glad," I replied.
"I was directionally skilled," he said.

I laughed out loud.

"You're just making fun of me because I'm directionally challenged," he pointed out.
"I'm teasing you because you're sweet," I replied.

He liked that a lot.

"I now have a USB C cable my car after that incident," he said.
"That's a relief," I noted.
"I can also use it to punish you. I like red lines across your butt," he hinted.
"I'm a good girl, though," I pleaded.
"No, you're my bad girl," he said.

I like being his bad girl. I also like the thought of having him tie my hands up for a good spanking.

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.

Chatting with my guy about stick shifters

My guy called me as he was driving back from a small town forty minutes away from where he lives.

"What were you doing there?" I asked him.
"I'm getting a shifter for my classic car," he said.

He explained that he can't shift between gears well on the existing one.

"The shifter needs to be tight," he explained.
"Yes, I have lots of experience with your shifter being tight," I teased.

He was telling me that he found some in the States, but duty and shipping fees would kill him. I reminded him that I was driving over the border in less than two weeks. I advised that he could ship it to the hotel where I am staying and I'd drive back with it.

He loved that I would do that for him. I just asked him to let me know when he has completed his order. I'd then drop it off to him when I return from my weekend getaway.

Donating shoes and clothes to folks who need them more

At work, there is a drive to donate gently used shoes for those who are in need of them. I learned about this drive late last week and was hoping that it would stick around. It did.

I found a pair of sneakers that I have never worn. Rather than having them sit at home, taking up space, I donated them.

I felt good placing my shoes in the bin, hoping that someone will put them to good use. It was an uplifting feeling of doing something good.

I need to donate more. I went through this phase several years ago with clothes. It's probably time to do it again.

Productive day with a new laptop

Monday was quite a busy workday. It was nice that my manager was away, which should be the norm!

I had a conference call on my way to work. There are three of us on this call. Two of us have something meaningful to contribute each week. Our third colleague has little to contribute that is of value on any given week.

At the office, I spent my first half an hour on the phone with my cell phone provider. I got my employee discount applied and got reimbursed $32 CAD for the difference this month. Yay!

Moments later, I spent time collecting money towards a farewell gift for a colleague who is leaving the company. I find that if I don't organize such events, no one does it within our department.

Twenty minutes later, I received an e-mail indicating that my replacement laptop had arrived. I went to turn in my old Windows 7 laptop for a new Windows 10 one. The IT folks were helpful and pleasant under the circumstances. Every employee is getting a new laptop, so to orchestrate such a massive change takes a ton of patience.

Naturally, my configuring everything ran into bumps. I needed a new cable to connect one of my existing monitors to the new HDMI port on my laptop. The folks who had those cables were unavailable. Luckily, I bumped into my colleague in the washroom who had an extra cable. It made a huge difference trying to do work on a 14" screen for most of the day to a larger 32" one!

Of course, I couldn't download all the software applications that I needed from our company portal. I spent some time with an IT person over the phone to troubleshoot the issue. Ah, fun!

Tonight, I let my laptop run, sync, and sort itself out at home. Magically, everything works now. I can download the software programs that I need. My connection to the company's intranet works. I'm almost shocked.

I also managed to spend an hour late this morning reviewing documents and answering questions that my students had. We also had a relaxing lunch together with good conversation.

I love a productive day, especially when I chat with so many different folks.

Cell phone plan and corporate discount

Every two years, I have to renew my cell phone plan. I am on a corporate discount. 

It's always an event to get the discount reapplied every two years. I'm at that stage again.

I normally have to get a special passcode. I got mine. Apparently, being able to apply it online is supposed to make it easy. It's not the case. It claims that my cell phone number isn't eligible.

I'll need to give my cell phone provider a call in the morning. Ah, what fun.

This minor hassle ties in with my budget and debt reduction. I save 25% with the corporate discount. I decided to keep the same plan that I have been with for now over two years. I don't need more data. This plan works for me.

Here's hoping that getting this billing issue fixed goes smoothly.

Road trip, food, and plans

I am doing a road trip to the States in a couple of weeks. I am away for four days.

I like planning such trips. I have already done my hotel reservations. I have been researching places to eat, which is fun. The downside is that I have more places bookmarked than meals to eat!

Variety is good. It's also nice to take a break from my hectic work schedule and relax.

Sleep and snoring

I didn't sleep all that well a couple of nights ago. Muscle spasms in my toes on my right foot would not cease for a couple of hours. I took four Ibuprofen tablets during this period and I finally went to sleep.

I only had three hours of sleep that night. On Thursday, I had a full day of work. I came home and was fine. I didn't need a nap.

On my phone, I have a sleep app that I use. It monitors how long I'm asleep, when I'm in a deep sleep, when I snore, and more. I like when it records my snoring. I am not a loud snorer and I tend to snore when I am exhausted.

Sure enough, I looked at my snoring statistics from last night. I was snoring for 25 minutes. I was snoring louder than I typically do. It's fun hearing my snoring!

I felt absolutely refreshed when I woke up on Friday morning. It was wonderful.

I get to set my clocks back an hour on Saturday night. I love getting an extra hour of sleep. 

Departing colleague who thinks I'm Yoda

Another colleague in my department has decided to leave the company. She has been with us for 1.5 years.

I have been pretty busy at work with various software releases. She had a question for me and wrote an e-mail. I answered it a couple of hours after she had sent it, as my team was still trying to get our deliverables out the door.

In my response, I decided to wish her the best with her new job. I indicated that I was going to miss working with her, while still happy about her moving up in the world. She is the person who did not properly lock a washroom stall that she was in and I walked in, thinking that it was free. My guy still teases me now and again about it. It's funny, but we both have moved on from that odd moment.

My colleague wrote back and expressed pretty much the same thing -- that she wished that she could continue to work with me. She went one step further by saying that I am her Yoda. It's sweet, as she feels that I have an answer to any question that she has.

Another colleague and I are organizing her farewell lunch. I am also collecting money towards her parting gift. It's nice that we are all a thoughtful bunch and we get along.

Odd dream

Last night, I had an odd dream. It involved this brief exchange between my guy and me:

"I have these final words to say to you," he said in my dream.
"No, I don't want to hear that you're leaving!" I replied.

I woke up startled. I don't know what the dream means, but it was upsetting.

In a fog, I didn't know if he meant that he was breaking up and leaving me, or if he was leaving for a business trip.

I had to think for a moment to realize that it was a horrible dream. I went back to bed and was fine. Weird!

Thoughts being an interviewee

At work, I conduct a number of interviews. I tend to make interviews a conversation rather than an interrogation. I want the interviewee to be comfortable, which allows that person to open up. I then get as much information out of the candidate to determine whether that person is a good fit.

It has been ages since I went for an interview. It's strange to be the interviewee.

For a while, ever since this job opportunity was plopped into my inbox, I have been mixed about the position. I like the idea of being in a new work environment, being closer to home, and having the challenge of learning a new field. However, after being interviewed by four different people on Monday, I still don't feel that it's my dream job.

The person who could potentially be my manager reminded me of my current manager. Both have been in the industry for nearly two decades. Both don't have a good command of the English language. Both aren't good at listening.

I respectfully butted heads with this person. I saw the passion that came out of me. I didn't back down. If they didn't like that about me, so be it. I'm actually pleased that I took a stand.

This person basically said that this position would be a drastic change for me. He felt that I was doing more of a management role than a writing role. He went on to say that at my workplace, there are tons of writers. You lose one and you're fine. At this company, it's smaller. You lose a person and you feel the impact.

I completely disagreed with him. I have lost a writer a year on my team for at least the past four years. Thanks goes to my micromanaging manager. My team loses a writer. I feel the pain of picking up the slack and doing the job of two people. It is my current situation.

He completely dismissed the fact that I am in the trenches, writing daily, doing the grunt work. I hammered that point. He didn't get it. He's stubborn, just like my manager.

Is it worth taking a pay cut to be at a different company with a manager exhibiting similar personality traits and deficiencies? I think not.

I did feel good coming out of the interview. I got along with the woman with whom I had my phone interview. It was good getting back into the interview scene again.

As much as it would be nice to escape my current job for another one, this open job opportunity doesn't feel right to me.

Dopey guy and weed

It's nice when my guy is dopey after he has ejaculated. It's fun talking to him.

"Now that weed is legalized, remember not to use your credit card to purchase it. Otherwise, you may not be able to travel for work," I told him.
"Oh, that's bad," he said in a boyish tone.
"I love when you're dopey!" I said, sweetly kissing his face.

He's such a sweet guy. He continued smiling at me.