You Did It

You got me to crawl out of my hole.  Sorry guys to leave you hanging.  I'm alive and doing well.  I didn't mean to worry you, l just didn't know how to break the ice and l certainly never had the time to give the whole story.  Even now, it will just be a summary.

I went to Atlantic City.....and l am sorry to say, as much as l wish, l didn't win the power ball and buy an Island in the Pacific (that would be lovely though).  Nor did l get car jacked.  Although we did drive through the Ghetto in Philly (thanks to the GPS going wacky).  And as for becoming a Queen......not bloody likely.  :-(

I have a new job.  I am travelling in Southern Ontario, and occasionally staying in hotels.

The biggest change is Fiona is gone.  I sold her to a lovely couple from Germany who are going to be travelling Ontario on weekend jaunts this year while they are here working.  I told them that when they go to sell her again......please call me first.

It has been an adjustment not living in Fiona.  I love not having to dump tanks and find water.....but boy o' boy do l miss my little space.

I do hope to get back on the road.....l am itching everyday to throw it all to the wind, but l am resisting.  Why?  Pray tell you say?  Money.  Doesn't it always come down to money?  Never enough of that shit around.  Not that l need much, but these are my "earning years".  What a crock that is!!!!  Ha ha ha

Changing Times

Tomorrow is my last day at my current job.  I am going to Atlantic City to meet up with a friend on Tuesday April 2nd.  The training for the new job starts April 7th.

The plan is to put a new floor in the van and pack it up before the end of the month, May 1st, when l will be leaving the basement apartment.

Lot's going on.....just the way l like it.

I'm hoping the weather in Atlantic City is gong to be nice.  I'm staying at the Showboat for $22.50  a night, unfortunately the taxes are almost the same price.  LOL  2 Nights $70.  Not bad indeed.

Pictures will follow....promise.  I'm driving Fiona down, l was going to rent a car for the cheaper gas but the rental companies have caught on to us people renting cars and racking up the unlimited miles in 4 days that they will only let you go to the boarding provinces or state.  I could chance it, but don't want a big bill if they find out that l went further.  I'll take Fiona with me, that way if l want a nap halfway there.....it will be in comfort!

Moving Into The 21st Century

I just signed up for my very first Skype account.  How's that for being on the cutting edge!

I haven't done it before since l call the people l want to talk to the 'old fashion' way (no it's not yelling across the farmers field), or l go visit. I have to admit, it is pretty cool, a little strange at first.  But pretty cool.

What prompted me to sign up?  No, it's wasn't Internet dating....lol, it was an interview for a job.  I seem to be ripping through jobs right now.  I was actually going to suffer though my current job because it was so conveniently close to home right now, and once back in the van, home would be closer.  I have the gym close to work, a Lowes with free wifi around the corner.

One day at work on my lunch hour, for shits and giggles l decided to check monster.ca to see what was flying around the 'job world'.  An spotted a job l wanted.  No, l mean, l really really wanted it.  I sent in my application, and waited.

The next day l got the call, a telephone interview.  That was followed up by a question and answer email.  There were around 15 questions for me to answer about myself.  After they were approved, a SKYPE interview was set.  Then a second one. Long story short, l got the job.

The best part, my job is located all over Ontario.  I will be travelling around Ontario, small towns mostly, Monday to Friday.

Spam

I've been getting a lot of SPAM in my comments section.  So if a couple slip through, and I'm not able to get them manually removed quickly enough......l apologize that you have to read such trash!

Happy St. Patricks' Day Everyone!

I don't seem to have anything worthy to say lately.  I do feel inspired sometimes, and then working in front of a computer all day long at my job zaps that out of me so quick it isn't even funny!!!!

Happy St. Patricks' Day everyone.  I went with a couple of Irish friends to a pub.  Well, actually two pubs.  The first was so crowded we bailed.  The second one we had a bit to eat and listened to some REALLY REALLY bad music.

The bad was terrible.  The wait staff agreed.  They even had to suffer through it Saturday afternoon too.  So how bad was it?  Well, the singers were reading the words for the songs while singing them.  They had no passion were out of key, and one was watching TV as he mumbled the words to "Sweet Caroline".  As far as l know.....that's NOT an Irish song. 

The only saving grace was the Sheppard's Pie and the girls dancing troupe that came in next to entertain us.  They were spunky and full of energy.

On that note.....Cheers!

Spring Forward

Another favorite time of year for me is the clocks going ahead in the spring.  I love MORE daylight and at times would like to live way up North so l could have 20 hours of day light. (it would still be too cold for me so the thought of me doing it is very fleeting).

Last night l went to a friends surprise 50th.  It was good to see everyone, once again confessing that l had changed jobs. To all those managers out there, l really change them because l can't stand working for a loser boss.

I guess my search is for a good boss.  Since they are few and far between.....l might as well stay where l am for a bit....or come up with an idea to start my own business.  Any ideas?

Above Freezing

Wow, we are above freezing today.  Bouncing around 3 Celsius, and the sun is shinning.  It has me thinking of floor coverings.

My plan is to redo the floor of Fiona before we move back into her.  The tile she has now is warn and decrepit, and after the interior painting she had last year it's time to finish the update.  Of course before l tackle that project it does need to warm up a wee bit more.  It's March, so that should happen pretty soon.

My sister asked me last night to "make a speech"  at her wedding........poor girl doesn't know what she's getting into.  :-)

Kissing The February Blahs Goodbye!

Tomorrow is the last day of February, and all l have to say is Thank God!  This winter has seemed to drag on and on.

We have snow on the ground in Toronto which is an anomaly.  It's been years since it has stuck on the ground for so long.  Usually it melts a couple of days after lands.

We have had a good round of minus 12 degrees Celsius for most of February.  So, am l sad to see this month past.  No Way!!!!

Feb is the shortest month, but seems the longest, and least here in Canada, and for me.

I can't say that l no longer pay rent when the first of the month comes....but that is just a matter of time, mid- to end of April l will be back in the van.  :-)

I Can't Imagine Life Without.......

The Internet.  I freakin' L.O.V.E. the Internet.

I mean......

Love Love Love it.                          Why?????


Because whenever l need to figure something out....l ask it!  If l need to see what a starter looks like on my van and where it's located, l "You Tube it" with in seconds l see someones video that was posted showing me where it is.

When a program on my computer froze last night, and the help desk was shut down.....l Googled it.  And some guy showed me what to do. This guy will never know how much he helped me out.  My frustration went  down immediately.  I fixed it myself, and l am still waiting for that phone call from the Techie.

And now, when l needed to learn how to take apps off of my phone.....l searched it out and Voila.....l have my answer!

Later tonight l will "NetFlix" something to watch, so l don't have to "wait" for my favorite program to start on TV, this way it works into my schedule.

I started a course today.....to expand my mind....and since l now work 9-5 l can't attend classes, but l can watch them on goto meeting and it's as though l am there. Except l am comfy in my P.J.'s

And hopefully one day, l can give up my job and work from the Internet!

So Thank You Internet inventors!

All Quiet On The Canadian Front

I'm still here, alive and kicking.  It's like the cold has frozen my fingers off the keyboard.  It probably more has to do with all day Monday to Friday l am on the computer for work, that it's the last thing l want to do when l get home.  Actually it's probably more to do with, l don't have any exiting things going on in the February freeze.

I was busy with two jobs, but quit the night time job at the restaurant.  I had had enough of the boss and l am doing fine at the day job.  I am actually really enjoying it.  I feel like l have so much more free time, it could be that l get up earlier now and get the job over with that makes it seem like l have so much more free time, because truthfully, l am putting more hours in there then l was at the restaurant.

So my time now consists of working day job, taking trading classes and trading on the forex.  I did take a bit of a break on the forex when l was working both jobs, a girl can only do so much.  Now the plan is to get up early during the week before the day job and take a trade or two, then head into work.

I have planned a trip to Atlantic City for Easter Weekend.  A friend from Washington DC is meeting me there so that should be fun, and l am pretty confident that it will be warm enough to enjoy it.  I won't be taking the van since gas prices are so high and it will be cheaper to rent a car, drive it fast and pay for hotel then to putter along in the van at 10-12 MPG.

Sorry l have been gone so long.......I will try to not let it happen again!!!!!

Snow Day

It is a snow day in Toronto.  We have had a wee bit of snow, probably about a foot by now, and it's still snowing.

The day job stayed closed today so l am lucky to get paid for staying at home and watching the 6th season of Dexter.  Whoot Whoot. 

The night job, l called at noon and said l wasn't coming in.  I live a half hour drive from the restaurant, on a good day, snow day is worse.  Last night it took me an hour and a half, and it wasn't anything like today as far as volume of snow.  There are other staff that live closer.....so they can do it.  I did it by myself last night, everyone else was called off. 

I just got back in the house from shovelling the driveway.  Where l am staying the owner is in Florida until tomorrow so her daughter, my best friend, and l shovelled the driveway with ancient metal shovels.  Until, we borrowed the neighbours plastic, light weight shovels.  It made the job so much easier.

When we were shovelling, a young girl turned down the street across from our house and got stuck.  She was turning her wheels while going forward, so l went over to help her out, instructed her to keep her wheels straight, and we pushed.  It went nowhere.  I asked her nicely if l could drive. No need to expend energy for nothing, when you know what they are doing is WRONG!  She let me get behind the wheel and away we went.  I drove her to her house at the end of her street, and walked back to mine.

Her mother was coming down to help her and saw me in the car and said...."who's driving your car??"  I love being in the big trusting city.  :-)

I have noticed my beast of a girl Fiona handles very well in the slippery roads, whether snow or rain, must be her weight, and the mad skills of her owner!!!!

How many more months until spring???  The goal is to be back in Fiona by Mid April again.

I Miss My Van

Wait, no....l didn't sell it.  I miss sleeping in it.  Today warmed up to a balmy 12 degrees Celsius, okay, not quite balmy but a big improvement over what was yesterday and what is coming tomorrow.

So in between the two jobs, l had a 20 minute nap.  It was so nice under my couple of throw blankets.  I felt like a million bucks when l woke up.

Last week l had to have a nap in there and it was so cold.  I had fired up the Little Buddy Heater but it barely had time to warm up, and by the time the 20 minutes were up, l could still see my breath in the van.

Today was nice......l can't wait for the weather to change for the better on a more permanent basis.

Toilet Blushes....News At Six

This is a sign that has had me chuckling every time that l use the facilities at my new job.  Obviously spell check found nothing wrong with the sign.......

Minus 21 Celcius

It's on days like this that l am glad l am not living in my van for the winter.  Burr...baby it's cold outside.  However, Fiona started like a charm when l put the key in the ignition for work today.  Not bad for an old girl.

It's the coldest day Toronto has had in two years.  Sure we have nothing on Edmonton or Calgary....but it's cold for us Torontonians.

I took Fiona on a day trip to Buffalo on Sunday, it was a very windy day but we handled it well, puttered along (as l always do with the van) at 55 miles an hour.  If it was warmer, l might have gotten out and snapped some pictures of one of the natural wonders of the world (Niagara Falls), but l didn't.  Being from Toronto l have seen them a thousand times and it was only going to be for your benefit, and l have been having trouble posting pictures on blogger, or l would have posted sooner.

Well, everyone is about to come into work, so l will end this here.......stay warm!

Work

Wow, keep me busy with work  running from job to job and l have a hard time finding time to write in this blog.  Of course, some of that has to do with -  there's not much happening here with me. :-)

I have decided to cut back my hours on my original job to a more humane number of hours, 3 nights, 20 hours a week.  Of course my new job is 5 days a week, 9-5. 

In recent years l have discovered that l would rather get up early and work first thing in the day rather then hang around all day and then head to work when most of the populous is finishing up for the day. It gives me too much time to think about how much l would rather not have to head into work.

I don't even mind working the am then heading into the second job and working the pm all in one day, but have me putter around in the day doing what l want all day long then heading to work - yuck!

Dead Mans' Milk

I just got home from an interesting night. 

It started off by having plans for a fun night at a friends for "game night".  We were to arrive at 6pm for the festivities to begin.  I arrived early since S is like a sister to me and l had some veggies to cut up for the festivities.

After cutting the veggies we were catching up on our lives when we received a call from "the boys".  They were downstairs in the front of the building (she lives on the 7th floor in a 16 story high rise in Etobicoke, Ontario), they were standing over this man that was collapsed on the sidewalk and wanted S to call 911.  We went out to the balcony to see the boys and the man.

She quickly called 911 and gave her address and that we need an ambulance for this man.  The boys didn't call 911 because they weren't sure of S's address.  We all know how to drive there, but are all unsure of the correct number of her building.

S's apartment overlooks the parking lot where this man was collapsed,  so we could carry on a conversation with the boys on the ground.  He seemed to be breathing, barely, and wasn't responding to their prodding.

Anyways, 911 wanted to talk to the boys who were down on the sidewalk with the man.  She hung up, l ran down with a blanket for this man.

The boys noticed the man when they drove into the parking lot and also a couple of people that had walked past him laying on the ground before the boys could get over to him to see if he was alright.  He was laying on his back with his legs buckled below him.  She lives in a nice part of town.  Did they think he was drunk?  A bum?  Either way, they never gave him assistance.  Even a bum passed out on the street in the cold weather would soon parish, l guess it didn't matter to these people.

The fire trucks came first.  A station is only around the corner.  They proceeded to give him CPR and shocked him, twice.  He had no pulse.  They continued to work on him until the ambulance came.  Those guys worked on him for a while.  We all went upstairs to let them work on the guy.  We were all upset by this.

We couldn't believe that people would just walk by a guy collapsed on the sidewalk and not do anything.  What is wrong with people?

The ambulance didn't rush off.  We knew that meant he didn't make it.

Our game night was quieter then normal, and a few more adult beverages were consumed to take the edge off. 

Police called back around 9;30 pm for some more information, and confirmed that he did die, and that he lived in the building on the 5th floor.  He had almost made it home.

After the boys left, and as the girls were leaving, we noticed a bag of groceries by the door.  The boys came with bags of food and drinks when they came upstairs, stuff they had brought, and in the chaos of the commotion downstairs must have grabbed the dead mans groceries.

We had dead mans' milk. 

We don't know what condo he lived in just that he lived on the 5th floor..  Did he live alone?  Should we return his groceries to the widow?  Is there a widow?  Would a grieving loved one want the groceries returned, or would that be cruel?

We kept the groceries, put them in the fridge. I don't think they will ever be used by S, it would just be wrong.

It's amazing how things can change on a moments notice.  Who ever this man is/was, he is no longer.  I send him and his family my prayers tonight.

Excuse This Commerical Break

It seems that we are inundated with commercials now a days.  Since so many of the public have TEVO and are able to skip commercials on TV the advertisers have found other annoying ways to get in front of the public.

I have patiently waited for commercials to finish on the Internet so l could see a news clip/video of some sort that l had clicked on only to find out that because l am in Canada, l can't see the said clip.

It seems that l watch more commercials on the Internet now then any commercials played during my television show viewing days.

Today, l went to the movies to see Lincoln and after shelling out my $8.00(never mind the $8.00 for the popcorn l also shelled out) because even though it's New Years Day, it was still cheap Tuesday, l had to endure 15 minutes of commercials. I saw a couple of cell phone commercials, an insurance commercial, a bank commercial and 3 university/college commercials......and others l can't remember. 

I could understand if l didn't pay any money to view these movies, but l did pay, and that pisses me off.  I might even consider giving up going to the theater and wait until they come out to the REDBOX and pay my $1.50 to view them - commercial free.