My mom chewing and spitting out her food

I keep seeing my mom change these days. Her memory is on the decline. She says hi to me multiple times within a five-minute span. She has incontinence issues and often doesn't know whether she needs to relieve herself.

As of late, I've noticed that she chews her food and spits it out. I don't know if she has now forgotten how to swallow or if she physically can't swallow solid food.

She is fine with drinking fluids. The worst case scenario would be to blend her foods and have her drink shakes.

She will chew fruit and spit it out. It's more textured foods that she doesn't seem to swallow.

It has been interesting. I can see how frustrated my dad is with her. It's a challenge to say the least.

Hairbrush incident at my local drugstore

It's a long weekend. Today is Victoria Day in Canada.

I had meant to do a trip to Winnipeg this long weekend. Due to my getting a head cold on Tuesday and saving some money, I made it a staycation. It's a longer long weekend for me.

On Thursday, I was feeling a bit better. My mom is having issues with incontinence these days. She is losing her memory, and doesn't seem to know when she needs to use the bathroom or where she should go. I decided to find some incontinence pads at a nearby drugstore.

When I got there, I cut through the hair accessories aisle to get to the incontinence section. There was a woman there. She took a brand new Goody hairbrush and proceeded to brush her hair with it.

One word: Ew!

I was congested and grossed out by what I had witnessed. I couldn't keep my thoughts to myself.

Me to the woman: Are you going to buy it?

Crickets. She decides to put it back on the hanger.

Me: You just used it. It's unsanitary and gross to put it back.

I walked away. I thought that I had felt good to come shop here. I didn't after seeing that move. Disgusting!

Now when I go to the hair accessories aisle, I'm not taking the first brush hanging there.

On the receiving end of road rage

Hello! It has been a while.

I recently when back to re-reading posts that I wrote years ago on another personal blog. I wrote about concerts. I wrote daily, similar to what I used to do here. I loved the level of detail that I had in each post.

I'd love to return and do the same thing here. It was inspiring. It was nice to read what I had written. I realized that I was a decent writer then.

This post is about a road rage incident that happened to me last Thursday.

I have so much to say about a company that I didn't expect to write about. If I could give this business zero stars on any business review platform, I would. The only positive aspect of my experience was talking to Eugene when I reported a disturbing road rage issue. Highlight Motor Group needs to highlight his excellent listening, reporting, and investigative skills. Otherwise, I have a tainted, disturbing impression of this company.

On Thursday, after work, I left work to head to Mississauga. I decided to take highway 401. Normally, I do the 407 heading there and backroad it home. Part of me regrets doing my norm.

I was in the express lanes. Avenue Road has construction and is down to two lanes. I needed to stay in the express lanes. I signalled, found a reasonable space to merge into the right lane.

The truck behind me took offence to my move and leaned on the horn for maybe five seconds. I waved to him, thanking him for letting me in. Another car did the same move as I did and was now between me and the truck.

What I didn't expect was this truck moving into the left lane. It ran parallel to my car. The guy in the passenger seat lowered his window and threw an object at my car door. The object looked like a full can of soda, but it was shorter height-wise and wider in the middle.

A friend recently told me that I'm an extremely calm person in crazy situations. I was definitely shocked when I heard the thud. My first thought was wow. My second thought was to document the situation. I'm a writer. I tell stories. This one is mine to own.

Road rage is real. It was my first time experiencing it at this escalated, physical level.

The two men in the truck are obviously not gifted intellectually. Do you think that you can throw a tantrum because you have no grace letting someone into a lane and get away with it? You're on the 401 at rush hour. You can't flee and not have me take photos of your truck, your freight number, and licence plate.

I took three photos. I called the toll-free number, and got the compliance and safety department. I talked to Eugene, who was a good listener and was understanding.

I took this photo seconds after the trailer in the left lane threw an object at my car

Trailer details

Third photo capturing licence plate details and more

He asked me what colour the truck was. At first, he thought it was a trailer and the truck may be leased to another company. That's when I said that it was indeed a truck and I could send him photos.

He wanted to give me his cell phone number. I said that I was driving. It would be best that he take my cell phone number and text me. This company has call display. He sent me a text. I sent him my photos. He confirmed that the truck was theirs.

He said that he would have the folks dispatched to get the scoop on what had happened. I appreciated it.

I let him know how I felt. Both men needed anger management help. No one is safe being on the same road with these men who are jerks. Why launch an object at a vehicle because you're immature, you don't know how to handle your emotions, and you can't be courteous on a highway? You are unprofessional and are unfit to drive on any road.

These men picked the wrong person to target their road rage. I am not afraid to report you. If I really wanted to seek legal counsel, I could. It's illegal to throw objects on any 400-series highway and cause mischief.

You targeted me. You didn't feel the same rage with the person behind me who made the same move. Why? Do you want me to pull the female, Asian card out? I could. You've proven to be dense with your stunt that it wouldn't surprise me that you're also biased and full of hate.

You both were cowards. You realized that you couldn't pull ahead quickly in time for me to get your truck information. You moved in front of the trailer in front of me after this detailed hit you. Too late.

You should have thought about the consequences of your actions. You're dealing with me. You tried to cause harm to me and my vehicle. You're in for an unpleasant ride.

Today, I followed up with Eugene. He let me know that the driver had a meeting and "we will come to a solution on how to best resolve the situation."

Texting with Eugene from the company's compliance and safety department

As long as this company doesn't sweep this incident under any rug. I'll be pleased. I truly want them to get help with their anger or get training on how to be respectful drivers. Their actions were unwarranted and need corrective action.

I read this company's reviews on Google. You get a mix of employees who give high praise. Reviews with five stars automatically get a response of thanks from the owner. It seems wrong to review your own employer. If you have a rating that isn't five stars, the owner doesn't acknowledge it.

One word: suspect.

There was one review in which a driver had both feet up on the dashboard, on an interstate, driving. There were photos. The owner never acknowledged the need to talk to this driver about how unsafe it was to drive this way.

I'd stay away from doing any business with this company. It's in your best interest to stay alive. If I spot any vehicle from Highlight Motor Company, I'm steering clear from it.

My mom and her memory

I haven't been writing a whole lot here. I don't think it's because I have nothing to write about or that I'm lazy.

I haven't felt the need to write anything just yet.

It's likely because I'm still processing things. Trying to come to grips with my mom's memory loss is one of them.

She often opens and closes the front door. She'll bolt the door with the security chain lock without remembering that either my dad or I are about to return to the house. It's weird.

She will also open and close the washroom door on the main floor. It's a bit difficult to tell whether she needs to use the washroom and forgets to walk through the door, or if it's the same habit that she has with the front door.

Last Monday, she fell down in the washroom. My dad and I had to help get her off the floor. Thankfully, she doesn't fall down often. When she does, it's a bit scary. Luckily, she was fine.

October panties in November

Hello! I hope that you are well.

To those celebrating Thanksgiving across the border, I hope that it was enjoyable and memorable.

Canadians celebrated in October. I managed to make a Thanksgiving meal (a past post) for my parents and me between two trips. I was pleased because we didn't have a lot of leftovers left over.

I had meant to post my October panties that I got in the mail. Things got a bit busy. I ended up flying stateside twice. 

I am not travelling for a bit, so I can attempt catch up with my posts here.

Here's are the lacy panties that I got.

 The front: 

 

The back:

The colour scheme screams Halloween. They are comfy and nice.

Blown, shredded, flat tire

The good news is that I'm blogging more. I'm not great blogging once a week, though. We'll see if I get better at it.

Last Wednesday, I was going into the office in the morning. I was briefly on a toll highway and my drive sounded odd. Sure enough, I felt that one of my passenger tires wasn't normal and finally exited using the next offramp. I immediately pulled off to a wide shoulder. I looked at my passenger front tire. It was shredded.

My car doesn't come with a spare tire. It's new, so you have no choice but to get a tow truck.

I called roadside assistance. I got a technician dispatched from a towing company. I looked at the link that I got in a text message. It was based in Oshawa, but had my city after its name. Weird. It's roughly an hour away.

I got an ETA of a maximum wait time of 90 minutes. Well, it was more like two hours.

This guy seemed to take his sweet time getting to me. He didn't have any calls. He called me four times. Excessive? Yes.

The first time was fine. I described my location. It was the same as what I had described to the roadside assistance agent. He would have had notes.

I was parked safely on the shoulder of the westbound exit ramp. It's not difficult. There's one offramp westbound. There's one toll highway. There's one street in my city with this name.

Nope, not for this guy. I could tell that he didn't like that I was on a toll highway. He said that he'd charge me $15 for hitting it. I'm covered by roadside assistance. Deal with them, not me.

He then said that I should contact 407 ETR, the toll highway, as they have roadside help and may get there faster than he would. Interesting. He said that he would send me a link. I never got it.

The second call came from him. He asked if I got a hold of 407 ETR. I said that I was waiting for his text message. I got nothing. He finally sent it.

I got a hold of someone at 407 ETR. The woman dispatched a technician.

I got a third call from this technician. He was now in Pickering. Yep, he was taking his time. I let him know that the 407 technician was coming. I didn't have an estimated time. He then asked me whether I could move out of the 407. I said that it was original plan, but I heard metal to the ground and pulled over immediately.

It was clear that this jerk did not want to help me because I was on the 407. Toll fees. He didn't want the extra charges, likely because he didn't have a transponder or want to incur these fees.

This guy called me a fourth time. He asked me how many feet away from the major street I was located. I lost it. He claimed that he was new to the area and needed more details. I say that he was a jerk heavily dependent on technology and reluctant to help me out. He seemed to be stalling.

He actually made me share my location with him through Google Maps. I hated it. It showed sheer incompetence. I had to switch my settings to sharing my location all the time. I told him so. He hung up on me.

Jerk.

What if I didn't have a data plan? You would need to rely on clear location details, like you should have in my case.

You know what's crazy? He never said his name to me. I now know why. He's a horrible technician.

407 ETR had a technician get to me. He was great. He was there to make sure I was safe and waited for this AA Roadside guy to arrive.

We talked. I told him that I've been waiting for 1.5 hours at this stage for this technician. This ETR man drove from the west end to get to me. He also said that he had no difficulties finding me.

So, the jerk arrived in a Subaru Impreza. What? No tow truck? Such a waste of time. I had to call roadside assistance yet again, but to dispatch a tow truck. I also shared my sentiments about this jerk. I look forward to the survey. It's a form of therapy.

The ETR technician waited with me for the tow truck from another company to arrive. He even had pylons set up around my car. That's the level of service and safety that I was expecting from this jerk.

The time that it took the second towing company to get to me after getting word that I needed a technician? Fifteen minutes. 

After the jerk left, the 407 technician said to me, "He did nothing." He was right, except that he wasted my time and a bit of this 407 technician's time.

The good news is that my car has a new tire and I have wheels again.

My colleague and Thanksgiving Day

Last month, my manager decided to give a task to a colleague. I had to supervise her.

This colleague is a contractor. When I first trained her, I noticed that she couldn't follow a procedure properly. She'd do a few steps, skip a few, and resume doing a few.

I didn't get it.

With this assignment, she had to write a document from scratch. She had to poke around a software application on her own and ask questions if she didn't get it.

She isn't good with self-exploration. She never asked for help from software developers. It was to the point where I had to point her in the right direction within the application.

When it came down to incorporating my changes, she couldn't do that successfully. She is not great with details.

My manager asked me to copy him on all my exchanges with her. He was not impressed.

The company is downsizing its staff. Her contract will be terminated at the end of November.

It's bittersweet. As a person, she's okay to hang out with. As a colleague, she is horrible. I have spent a lot of time making sure that she has incorporated all my suggested changes. I shouldn't have to.

The crazy thing is that I recently did a presentation where I told writers to not copy and paste everything you get from developers. What did she do? She copied and pasted everything a developer had provided to her as feedback and didn't bother to at least reword it.

One word: ugh!

It is Thanksgiving Day right now. I am thankful that I have the day off.

Yesterday, I made a Thanksgiving meal for my parents and me. They enjoyed it so much that we all took a nap afterwards... haha!

I love leftovers and look forward to using them up in creative ways.

My colleague needs a lot of help

Earlier this year, I trained a woman who was supposed to replace a writer. It turned out that this woman was equally as bad. Our manager decided to terminate the first writer's contract.

This second woman's birthday is three days after mine. Yet, we are so different on so many levels. I call her the fake Cancerian, as she does not express a whole lot of empathy towards anyone and doesn't exhibit any traditional Cancerian traits. Everything is also centred around here, which is not Cancerian in nature, either.

I noticed during training that she was not good with details. She followed steps 1 through 4 in a procedure, skip a few, then do steps 7, 9, and 12. I found her lack of following sequential steps to be odd.

My manager recently gave her a task to create a document from scratch. I would be supervising. 

She isn't the best communicator. When we had our first demo session on the application, I asked questions. She didn't.

When I looked at her first draft, it was incomplete. She was given a playground to create and delete items -- literally play around with the application in a safe environment. She never did that. She simply used the data that others had provided. 

I noted a typo in a screenshot and asked her to replace it. She couldn't create a new item to fix the typo. It was almost as if she was intimidated to explore.

She called a meeting with the software developer who provided the demo. He called a few other folks. She didn't ask any questions. It's her downfall.

I have provided constructive feedback on her first draft. I have yet to see her incorporate my changes. I don't get her. I don't know why she is reluctant to make the changes.

She just sent her second draft out. She claimed that she included all topics. I didn't see that. Neither did the developer.

Our manager revealed to team leads yesterday that there will be a staff reduction. She is the one who will be let go. It's mainly because she does a mediocre job with tasks and she has poor communication skills. She is also under contract.

I don't know when he will break the news to her that she will be out of a job. Perhaps she knows that her time with our department is coming to an end. She applied for a job with the company in Ottawa.

I know the hiring person. I hope that she seeks an account about this candidate from me or my manager. She will face the same issues with this writer as we are.

It's interesting that this post was not the one that I had intended to post. It is nice that I have this outlet to share some weirdness going on. It also motivates me to write here more frequently.

Skin tag in the corner of my right eye - gone after a couple of years

During the pandemic, I developed a skin tag in the corner of my right eye. It didn't hurt. It didn't obstruct my vision. 

I can't pinpoint how long I've had it. I looked at photo and it has been there for a couple of years, at least.

The other day, I looked at it in the mirror. I felt it was time to get it removed. I had only had one other skin tag in my life. It was in my armpit area. It was so minor that I squeezed the base of it. A few days later, it fell off on its own.

I knew that the one in the corner of my eye wouldn't be that simple to remove. Its base was thicker. I decided to freeze it off with Compound-W's over-the-counter skin tag remover.

It was easy. I bought it from the drugstore and immediately used it in my car. It has this blue adhesive circle. You basically have your skin tag jut through the tiny hole, to target it for the freezing solution. It also protected the area around the skin tag, so you can't mess up the application.

You apply the applicator with the freezing material on your skin tag for twenty seconds. It did feel like my skin tag was burning, so I applied it in five-second intervals four times. It was more comfortable that way.

An hour ago, I brushed the corner of my eye because it was a bit itchy. My skin tag fell off.

Wow! The package said that it takes up to two weeks for the skin tag to fall off after the application. Mine didn't even take a full two days!

This area did sting a bit when I went to wash my face. It'll need some time to heal, but it's quite an effective skin tag removal kit. I highly recommend it.

It does run a bit on the pricy side. However, it worked like a charm. Here's hoping that I don't get another skin tag. However, I do have a kit to remove it, so I'd be fine.

Back from a rare trip to the Twin Cities in August

I do miss regularly updating my blog. I'm still not into writing daily like I used to. Yet, I have a lot to share and write about.

In early August, I returned to the Twin Cities for a concert. It was awesome. I had a great time.

It made sense that the band that I had discovered for the first time was in the Twin Cities. Guster was the opening act for John Mayer. This band blew me away and I have been a fan ever since. I returned to see this band, as they rarely cross the border.

It was also nice to return to the Twin Cities in the summertime. I am normally there for a hockey game, when it's colder. I enjoyed wearing shorts and a t-shirt every day.

Let's see if I can write more regularly. I'll start with perhaps once a week and see how all that goes.

Back again, discussing an annoying contact on a couple of apps

I have been taking extended time away from my blog. It's partially because I'm still trying to determine whether writing about regular topics about my life is a good fit here. 

I feel that it is. I don't have anything spanking-related to say. It's still dormant -- both my drive and the dating scene. I'm still not ready to engage in a relationship, romantic or spanking, with anyone.

All is good with me. I took a week off from work earlier this month to do a road trip to Ottawa. It was nice seeing three people whom I haven't seen in a while. It ranged from four years ago to when I was in high school when I last saw these people. Eons ago!

I am on a social platform that allows me to post photos of businesses, review them, and check in when I'm at them. There is one friend who has decided that she wants to rule all of Toronto, to the point where I think she checks in without really dropping by the actual business. It's kind of like a drive-by check-in.

Well, she has rubbed me the wrong way. Because she's friends with me on this app, she knows exactly where I check in. When she sees that I have overtaken her with check-ins to specific businesses, she will go there just to be the leader. She frankly sucks the fun out of checking and I don't appreciate her monitoring my check-ins that closely.

The whole point of checking in on this app is to indicate that I'm physically there. I'm buying something. I'm browsing. I'm supporting a business.

For her, it's a competition. It's being on top. It's annoying. It's not my style.

Well, she decided to overtake a neighbourhood where I have been the leader for years. We are also friends on Instagram. 

I'm pretty sure that both app give her full perspective on what I'm doing. In Ottawa, through a series of check-ins between me and our mutual friend on the review app, she sent me a message on IG to have fun with this person. Her monitoring was a bit creepy.

Yesterday, after she took over "reigning" my neighbourhood on this app, she commented on some sugar-free gummies that I had made and put up in an IG story.

I got new gummy moulds that featured cute animals. Most folks would say that they were all cute. She pinpointed to me two of the animals that she felt were cute.

Um, okay. Why did you have the need to be that specific? Do I really care what you think?

I frankly feel that she was rubbing in the fact that she took over check-ins in my neighbourhood. She was exercising her dominance by saying that she only liked some of the gummy animals.

I wrote back and said that ALL of them were cute. Two of my closest friends said that they were cute. Inclusive.

I learned that I can hide videos, photos, and live videos on stories for specific accounts that follow mine. I decided to hide them from this woman. She doesn't need to follow me that closely. I don't need to receive comments from her that annoy me.

Hiding stories from her instantly made me happier. It shows that social media can be detrimental with people who ruin the vibe and fun. She has ruined both for me. 

I don't need to interact with her. I'm glad that she no longer has access to my stories.

Blog shift and my mom's deteriorating memory

I may shift the content focus on my blog down the road. 

I still don't have anything to write about that pertains to spanking. I don't have anyone to spank or administer one on me. Frankly, spanking hasn't been on my mind as much as it used to be.

Maybe it's the result of a not-so-great breakup and having the ex return wanting sex, but not a relationship. I thought that he was special and sweet. I was wrong.

My mom's memory is fading away. Today, she was watching some program on TV and managed to pause it.

I asked her why there wasn't any sound coming from the TV. She first said that the entire neighbourhood was experiencing a power outage. I let her know that there was a picture on the screen, so there was power. She then said that there was nothing on TV.

I found the remote and pressed the play button. Programming resumed.

It's weird how my mom will make excuses when asked a question, as if she's covering up something. I think it's more that she doesn't remember and she has to conjure up reasons that make sense to her. Her reasoning makes no sense to others.

Courses are fun

At work yesterday, we had our weekly team meeting. Our manager indicated that we had a couple of courses to take as a group.

I have re-inherited a writer who needs to be hounded because she can't work independently. She has told me for over a month that she has work for me to review. I have yet to do any reviewing because she has been working on "last-minute changes" that apparently stretch for weeks.

She used to be a part of my team years ago. She got a different team lead. Due to a bunch of assignment shuffles, I now take on more of a team lead role and I lose writing new software enhancements. I basically have half the team under my wing.

Change is good. Inheriting this woman again isn't good, though.

Anyway, this incompetent person had this exchange with our manager in the meeting:

"How about Cutiebootie? Did she complete the courses?" she asked.

"Of course she did. It goes without saying," he replied.

It was odd that she asked if I did. It actually made the females on our team look bad. The males are doing much better in the course completion department. I'm the only female who has completed them.

My manager knows how I tick. Give me a course to take and I will do it as soon as I can because I like learning. It's that simple.

Income tax filing

Yesterday, I was on a quest to complete my annual TurboTax purchase. I went to Costco first because I had a rebate coupon to redeem. It didn't have what I was looking for.

I then visited Staples, which has been my go-to store for tax software for the last few years. Sure enough, it had the software that I was looking for. It was too bad that I had to shell out for it, as opposed to using my rebate coupon.

Tonight, I filed my tax return. I'll do my parents' returns later on this week. I'm a bit late this year completing them, especially mine.

I'm glad that mine is done. I feel accomplished.

Moth visits

Last Sunday, I came back from another trip to the Twin Cities. I visited both my late friend and my mentor at two different cemeteries while I was there. The former requires a day trip down to northern Iowa.

In Chinese culture, when you see a moth, it's a sign that someone who has passed on is visiting you. I saw a moth that hung out with me for quite some time. I'm not sure which friend it was. I will go with my mentor because he was the last person I visited.

I wouldn't say that I'm an overly superstitious person. However, when it comes to spirits from my past visiting me in the form of moths, I have a decent record. I'm glad that they do drop by. It's nice. 

Asobu skinny mini insulated bottle that glitters

I found an eco-collective store earlier this year. It's awesome. I love having laundry detergent strips that are especially perfect for travel.

The other day, I was talking to a friend about insulated bottles for beverages. She recommended an Asobu skinny mini bottle. It fits in a purse, which I love. 

I remember seeing it at the eco-collective store. I decided to head back to this store today.

I found this bottle that keeps hot drinks hot for twelve hours and cold drinks cold for 24 hours. Cool!

Originally, I had my eyes set on a pink glittery bottle. The owner was so nice that he showed me a purple-blue glittery bottle. I loved it so much that I didn't even need to think about getting it.

I love this new insulated bottle.

Telling the ex to shove it

I wrote back to the ex and asked him whether he has changed. I expected no as an answer.

He said that he has changed in some ways, but still wants a no-strings-attached, friends-with-benefits relationship with no commitment. It's not my style.

I told him that we weren't "starting over" and that his wording was misleading. I told him that he neither deserved my time, nor my heart.

I'm proud of myself. I walked away. I told him to take his stupid offer and shove it. I am worth more and deserve better.

Making pudding with chia seeds

Lately, I have been doing recipe development with chia seeds. I bought a bag of chia seeds, thinking that I'd put them in my protein shake. I then had a parfait in the Twin Cities that had a layer of chia seeds in a pudding form. I got inspired to try and make my own pudding.

It has been fun testing out recipes. Chia seeds are interesting. They absorb so much liquid. I've been having chia seeds in pudding form for the last few days. I like them.

Here's my attempt at a layer of dark chocolate coconut chia seed with a top layer of orange cream oat beverage yogurt. The bottom has mashed berries. I added protein powder to both layers.

 

I'm still working out my recipes as I go. It has been enjoyable so far.

Communication with the ex

I wrote back to the ex late last week. Yesterday, I got a reply from him.

I basically asked how he would make it comfortable for me if we do meet up. I indicated that I'd be looking across the table at a man who deeply hurt me, causing me emotional pain, anxiety, and depression. I didn't want a relapse.

He wants to start over with me. The thing is that he doesn't deserve to have my heart after shattering it. I have been fine without him in my life.

I doubt that he has changed. I don't know if he wants to. I got no indication that he does.

Panties

I received my panties from my ongoing subscription in late December. I was sick with a nagging cough and completely forgot to post them.

I got this red pair. I like the little bow at the front with a small jewel. It does have sheer parts, which I love.

The back is sheer:

These panties are comfy. I don't have many red panties. These ones are cheerful.

I am expecting a new pair this month. I look forward to seeing what I get next.