This is why you should make a list

There was a bake sale at work today, and I had said I'd bake for it. I made a few things that were actually baked on the weekend, but decided I'd make Rice Krispie nests (with jelly bean eggs) the night before.

So yesterday, in other words.

Now, I box on Wednesdays, which means that when I get home, I am carrying my laptop bag, my gym bag, my boxing bag, and my purse. Totally manageable.

Yesterday, though, Wanda went straight from school to work, and she'd asked me to stop at her work to pick up her school bag.

Let's see, that means I was carrying Wanda's school bag, my laptop bag, my gym bag, my boxing bag, and my purse.

Oh, and a sub, because I'd stopped at Subway.

And it was garbage day, so I had to bring in the green bin and the black box.

And a it was CSA day, so I had to make a separate trip out for the cooler.

I finally got inside. The first goal was to eat - which I did - and then I emptied my lunch dish out of my laptop bag and my gym clothes out of my gym bag and my work clothes out of my boxing bag.

Then I emptied the cooler, and finally it was time to start the nests. I picked up the cereal box to get the recipe, and discovered the box was almost empty.

I gave up and went to take a shower.

While I was in the shower, I debated the wisdom of going to the grocery store. It was late, but I'd already bought the marshmallows, and I wanted to make the nests. Besides, I had to return some laundry detergent - or try to, since I didn't have the receipt.

I decided to go.

The store accepted the detergent for return, even though it was my mistake (thanks, Metro!) and I bought the cereal I needed. By the time I got home, it was 9:30.

The nests were in the muffin tin by ten, and I added the coconut straw and jelly beans this morning.

That's when I ran out of Saran Wrap.

It's beginning to look a lot like Easter

My dishwasher is broken. It's the latch, which is really irritating, and I doubt it will be fixed by Easter since, well, I've done nothing about it.

I don't really mind doing dishes, but I will have to get it fixed at some point.

I also need to clean my house, which is a disaster. You see, I have been very slowly working on a rag quilt, which is in pieces all over my living room. Not really conducive to having company for Easter.

The next step is to start sewing the squares together. I considered doing rows, but changed my mind - I am now going to sew four small squares into a bigger square, since that will be more flexible if I need to add more squares once I know how big it turns out to be.

Man, this would make more sense with pictures.

Anyway, I have a plan for the quilt, but let's be realistic - it's not going to happen by Sunday.

Maybe I should turn Easter dinner into a quilting bee.

Spoiler alert: I'm fine

I woke up this morning and the room started to spin. I felt like I was going to fall over.

Luckily, I was still lying down, so there was nowhere to fall.

Even more disturbingly, the numbers on my clock radio started jumping back and forth between horizontal and vertical. It was pretty much the behaviour you'd expect if your nose was a hinge that swung until your eyes were at a ninety degree angle to each other.

After about 30 seconds, it stopped and I got up. I did a couple of quick stroke tests (smiling, holding up my hands in front of me, standing on one foot) and everything was fine, so I went to work.

I was concerned, though, so I went to the ER after work (instead of boxing).

It took forever - which I took as a good sign, because if they thought it was serious, I would have had a pink sticker instead of blue.

When the doctor came in, he asked a bunch of questions and did some tests. One of the tests involved sitting up on the bed and looking at him while he lowered me so I was lying down. Apparently, when he did that my eye started jumping around.

All I knew was that I got dizzy.

End result - middle ear condition, not serious, just weird - and so close to textbook that he said he'd call his medical students in to observe if he had any.

New Directions

I've mentioned before that I used to work for a large high tech company - one that went through years of layoffs and doesn't so much exist anymore.

That means that I know a lot of people who  have been laid off.

Some people found new jobs that were similar to their previous jobs. Others went in a different direction - starting businesses, going back to school, changing careers.

A few weeks ago, I met with one of my former colleagues who made a change.  He had been a director of support and now has moved into financial planning - investments, mortgages, budgeting, etc.

It sounds like it has been challenging but intentional, and I hope it works out well for him.

When I was laid off the first time, I considered different career options. I ended up deciding to stick with what I knew. I never would have suspected I'd end up doing what I do now - I didn't even know jobs like this existed.


I wonder what I'd do if I got laid off again tomorrow.

Here we go again...

I started physio last week.

When I was a kid, I broke my arm. Ever since then, I have been able to crack that wrist. A little weird, but not a problem.

Lately, it has been getting more painful - and more like I have to crack my wrist, over and over.

And then I slipped on the ice and banged my wrist (as well as my head).

So anyway, I'm in physio again.

Just like last time, I actually feel worse than I did before I started. Working on the wrist seems to have made it angry - or at least made it move in ways it's not used to moving.

The snow last week didn't help, either.

Today, she taped up my wrist when I left. It hurt for a while, mostly because I couldn't crack my wrist. Now it feels pretty good.

I will have to tape it up again tomorrow.

Just in time for boxing.

Stupid Winter Wonderland

It snowed on Wednesday.

Not just a little snow, either - there was quite a large amount. Complicating the situation was that:
a) it came down pretty solidly all afternoon, and
b) it was just above freezing, which made the snow heavy.

When I left work, it was raining (from the 9th floor), but when I got to the ground, it was snow.

I had physio (hand issue) after work, and I was a few minutes late. When I was done, I got myself out of the snowbank I'd parked in and went home.

When I got home, my driveway hadn't been plowed, but I thought, "Hey, I can make it in anyway."

I was wrong. I got stuck.

So stuck that rocking back and forth didn't work.

I started work on getting the car out. While I was doing that, Wanda came home and started to help.  No luck.

One of the neighbours came over and helped.  Still no luck.

Eventually, we threw some salt under the front tires and took a break. 

About an hour later, we went out and tried again.  A different neighbour came over to help, and then another.  We shoveled and put carpets under the tires and shoveled.

It took about another hour to get the car out.

Once it was out, Wanda drove it over to the neighbour's (whose driveway was already clear) and parked it there.  I left it there until morning.

And then the snowplow came by and I had to shovel the end of the neighbour's driveway. Sigh.

That house used to have a bottom as well as a top

From the front step