... and into the Light

I finally got some good news about my car.
I got home from work... called a friend whom I haven't talked to in a while... we caught up and then I told her about my car problems of late... she said " talk to Ty" and put him on...

Ty is a mechanic and a fellow Neon owner.
He told me that my bushings only need to be replaced when the steering actually goes and that when it goes he will put in some HIGH PERFORMANCE BUSHINGS for me!!! very cool!

So I don't have to worry about it for right now.
Thank god.

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders...
now...
I can call my little car Maggie again and stop scowling at her.

The solenoid pack and the fluid leaks are normal wear and tear for a Neon, by the way...
neons are a pain in the ass....
as is any vehicle...

But I feel better now.

How many Triscuits can you eat before exploding from all the fibre?

Just asking?
Cause I was watching CSI: Miami (thanks Firefly) and I wasn't paying attention to how many delicious, cream cheese covered snacky goodnesses I was consuming... when I realized I had eaten half the container of cream cheese and there are only 10 crackers left in the box...

Oh yeah... and I bought the box of triscuits on the way home from work tonight...

hehehe....

I am gonna hate myself later...
but right now I am too full.

Surprises are so named as they do that very thing... they surprise you.

I was given a gift on Christmas Day.
Something very small.
That was very personal, and very special and I am so grateful that this person thought of me and made me something that I will cherish for years...
something to add to my collection...

It isn't much... but it is something I will watch again and again.

It is the Barenaked for the Holidays Live at the Rehearsal Hall Special that aired on Bravo - that I missed as I don't get Bravo... That my darling friend Teddy burned onto DVD for me!!!

Thanks Teddy! You Are One Amazing Bear!

I arrived at work this morning a little early.
Hungry... Wanted to get a hot breakfast... egg white omelet with mozzarella cheese and salsa on the side... YUMMY!!!

One of the girls stops at my table and says that someone was looking for me. And asked where I was working today.
"Downstairs." I replied. "Was it a patron?"
"Yeah" she says as she hurries back upstairs.

there is nothing worse than knowing that someone has been looking for you... A regular, someone you might know in passing that comes into work and could now possibly be stalking you.
So I went up to my window... fretting quietly, wondering if the mysterious patron was going to appear.

When suddenly...
who should appear...
but BondGirl... fresh from Australia.
Unannounced. No warning. No notice. Didn't call.

All I could say was...

"What are you doing here?"
she responded...
"Can I get some change please?"

I finally got her to answer some questions and she went to lunch with her Mom... but she's around all month.
I hope I actually get to spend some time with her.

I feel deeply honoured.
I got to spend the night with Firefly.
It was fantastic... And funny.

We drank 3 coolers... between us... which in the real world is 1.5 each, but in my inebriated state is still 3 drinks... and we were... well... I already said inebriated... so I'll go with that.

It is true.
I know I am a light-weight.
It is definitely the medication and the fact that I don't drink anymore.
She doesn't drink that often either... and together we are just plain old goofy... But give us alcohol and we laugh 3 times as much.

We didn't go to White Castle... (as neither of us were in a legal state to drive) and there is no such thing as White Castle in Canada... but we had some of the best chicken fingers EVER!!! And some spinach dip and pumpernickel bread... delish!

We got dizzy decorating her tree.
Argued about which angel would sit on the top of the tree. (I won)
Laughed watching movies...
and caught up with each others busy schedules.. Hers much busier than mine.

I had had a horrid day until I got to Firefly's house.
It turned into a good weekend.
Thanks for the impromptu invite, friend!

I was flipping through my favourite blogs and came across a blog post titled "No - you blog about it!" Clora Clairvoyant asked the eternal questions: What is it like to live in your city? When you say, "let's go out tonight," are you limited to bars, movies, or cow tipping? Or do you get your choice of plays, restaurants, and museums?
Is your town full of things to do, or are things restricted only to the people with money? Is it lush and full of parks, or do you find yourself missing nature?

I thought about this and asked the simple question... I live in Niagara Falls, Do you want the tourist side or the residential... and the response came back quickly... the residential DF!!!

So after getting over the chaos that is my car and Christmas (bleh!) and such... I finally have time to write...

Living in Niagara Falls is interesting at best.
There is always something to do... depending on how far you want to go and how well you know the area.
The best shopping is in St. Catharines... a city 10 minutes out of the Falls, but there are some good stores in the northern end of the city away from all the tourists.
A million restaurants... very expensive the closer to the Falls themselves and better quality the farther away you go... I can't even name favourites... as it depends on eh time of year and my mood... also who's with me. The best breakfast is the Falls Manor... incredible!!! The biggest greasiest breakfast is the Flying Saucer! Even tourists go there.. but it is a local restaurant too... and the prices are good... I think I will always love Chatters, even though the signs on the outside say Greek, Tex-Mex, Salads and Pool. It has great food and a great atmosphere and the tourists can't find it...

Bars: Go to St. Catharines to get away from the tourists and the teenagers... There's a great one on Saturday nights called Stellas... but watch out for cougars... hahaha

As for nature.. there is an amazing scenic trail the runs the entire length of the Niagara River.. and trail a trail that runs through the city... no need to get away from tourists any time of year... there's a lot of space... you just have to be aware of parking... that sucks.. but it comes down to where you want to go and how close you want to get to the falls... I prefer Chippawa or the Whirlpool anyway... easier to find parking( free is best). And you can feed the geese at Dufferin Islands.. a little nature preserve... big fun... but watch out - some of them are getting brave! They'll come right up to you now.)

This time of year - if you can brave the negative Celcius temperatures (that is in the 20's or lower for you American's) you can check out the pretty Winter lights that are set up around the Falls and the park... it's quite lovely... For everyone... hahaha

Movies are always available here, if one isn't playing in Niagara Falls, there are 3 movie theatres in St. Catharines within a 15 minute drive... and that isn't too bad... and another in Welland (the same distance away). My movie nights with Firefly lately consist of my driving to Burlington which is almost an hour to her house... but that's OK... cause... well, it's Firefly and her I lurves!!! hehehe...

The thing is... Niagara Falls in about an hour and a half from downtown Toronto (depending on traffic) so even if you want to see a show or get major concert tickets they are always available... and it isn't that inconvenient to go... and so many people do go all the time... it makes for a good day.
Niagara-on-the-Lake is 20 minutes away and they have the Shaw Festival - known for putting on some amazing Bernard Shaw plays... supposed to be fabulous... I haven't seen any but it is on my to-do list for this year... And N-O-T-L is amazing for shopping (expensive but some cool shops and wineries) and just for a great wander around and look at stuff kind of day. There is also a Fort there that offers ghost tours.. I took my godchild 2 summers ago and it was the freakiest thing I ever did with her... most definitely would go again...


One of the things C.C. asked was about the weather in my part of the world...
well in the summer it gets hot and humid... sometimes up to 31C occasionally 35C (I think that's in the 90's) and in the winter we get snow, wet snow (which is a combination of rain and snow at the same time and that also means it is above the freezing mark) and freezing rain... and really f@#$ing cold - which means the temperature can drop to -30C or lower... and that is not pleasant.
Just so you know... it doesn't snow when it is that cold... weird huh!

One of my favourite things to do ... and I only do it once a year with my friend BondGirl is to go to Clifton Hill - the major Tourist Hill by the Falls and ... well... act like Valley girls and idiots... doing some of the attractions, fooling around, holding hands and giggling at everything... It really is something you have to do once in a while... Why live in a tourist destination if you can't act like a tourist once in a while!

Honestly... there is a million things to do here... and I am lucky if I feel like doing any of them...
usually I find myself staying in and enjoying it.
I did go for quite a few walks along the parkway this summer and there is a guy a Blockbuster who continuously flirts with me.. that's nice.
I work with tourist in one of the tourist destinations - a casino - and on my days off I don't really wnat to be around them... so I tend to avoid the crowds as much as possible, I don't like bars, but have been forced into a few in my day!!!
There is no shortage of gyms and malls, outlet malls too. The States has good shopping too!(As I am not a shopper it doesn't really interest me either way - but I do know these things)

Do I wish I lived somewhere else? I wish for many things... I wish I was debt free and was not tied to the job I have... I don't hate or dislike my job but I would like the opportunity to pursue something else without being in dire financial straits.
I wish I could be closer to my godchild - but that would take me further from my friends and I have come to enjoy their company ever so much...
Do I wish to live somewhere else?
For now... I will stay here... I like it.

Leaving work was a treat tonight.
The layer of ice on my car made it impossible to get into the car without beating the crap out of it... then I could get the door open.. then I got the ice brush from the back... then I had to beat it again to get in the front... I am silly in that I always open the back door to get the scraper from the trunk (back seats fold down - whoohoo!)
So then I spent 15 minutes or more scraping and beating the layer of ice off my car after I had it started... before I could go anywhere...

I have a tummy ache...
and it is snowing pretty bad...
even though the roads are slushy,
I am in no mood to get all dolled up and go to the party... who wants to scrape a car in a cocktail dress...

and I am not feeling up to going in alone.

Tonight is the work Cocktail party.
I have the best dress to wear - that looks smokin' hot!!! WHOO HOO!!! And I have no idea if I am going to go to this party.

I have asked a couple of friends if they are going and no one wants to go.
They hate work functions.
I was informed that I HAVE to go by one of the guys that I know at work... but he isn't taking me...

So if I go tonight I am going alone.
I don't know if I can do that...

I even got the balls to ask the boy I have a crush on... he refuses to go, just because so many people claim that he is the life of the party. hehehe. And he hates work too... But I tried.... I tempted him with the sexiness of the dress and he raised his eyebrows, but still said he can't. Bastard.
Oh well.

There is no aquafit tonight.

I want to do something as I have the dreaded yearly physical at 9am tomorrow morning... and that is not something I am looking forward too... so I should do something sort of fun tonight.

But should I go in alone?

I left work today like normal.
Walking up to my car I discovered frost of the windows.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Until I got in and realized the frost was on the inside of the car.

How does frost get inside the car?
And why does it take so long to go away?

I had to laugh...
and I got to take the time to listen to some music... not the usual 3 songs that it takes me to get home...
it was an extra 4..
whoohoo!!

She's following me around again.
And she was sleeping at me feet... closer than normal...
although - I was sleeping across the top of the bed... not head to feet, head to head... very strange and disorienting waking up sideways in bed... but the cat was pinning me against the pillows.
She insisted on cuddling this morning too... very odd for her.
Now I get stared at for not sitting on the couch and choosing to be on the computer.. but I have to much in my head to veg out on couch today - but not enough motivation to leave the house... the cat is highly irritated...
wants ME at her beck and call...

I want to sleep.
A peaceful sleep.
A quiet sleep.

I don't think that will happen... I haven't had that all week.
No worries...
According to my best friend - sleep is over-rated and I'll get enough when I'm dead.

I got there with ten minutes to spare... But there were no other cars in the driveway and the street was empty...
'This might be a quiet night' I thought. 'Wonder if any one else is going to show.'
I go in, check in with the front desk and head back to the change room. Three minutes later I walk onto the pool deck and am greeted by a grinning Jen.
"HI DF, you can start by treading water for 4 minutes holding 10 pounds in weights."

"Um... What?... How do you do that? And Why??"

Turns out she was joking... sort of...

and...
I was the only one to show up for aquafit tonight... so I had a solo class. With Jen.

I am exhausted...
8 lengths, 25 minutes of cardio, 15 minutes of abs, and oh yeah...
turns out you put the weight on your shoulder and tread water without dropping it...
I lasted 35 seconds before I dropped it... hehehe...
but I got out of the pool jumped in and picked the stupid thing up again.. 5 pounds it is... Jen was proud... I saved the weight. Yeah me!
It's not that I can't tread water.. I can do that for an hour... but with a weight on your shoulder.. that is HARD!!!

It was a fun class, just the two of us... I still think she's kind of mean though.. I hurt everywhere.

I may not like Christmas.
But that doesn't mean that I don't have Christmas spirit.
I live to give... as long as I get some sort of enjoyment out of it.

For example.

The Christmas collar that I got the cat has red and white stripes and 4 jingle bells.
Every time she moves her head she jingles like Santa and as she hates it she shakes her head a lot.

It amuses me.

A lot!!! LOL!!

The bird likes the bells too - he meows like a cat, making Shadow run to find the new cat, which makes the bells jingle...
I, in turn, laugh.

Christmas is fun here...

If I could only find a way to "safely" put bells on the bird I'd be good!

Ok... Not really. I got this e-mail from a friend and had to share.
Enjoy!

1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.... I know where my watch is pal, where the hell is yours? Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?

2. People who are willing to get off their ass to search the entire room for the T.V. remote because they refuse to walk to the T.V. and change the channel manually.

3. When people say "Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too".
Damn right! What good is cake if you can't eat it?

4. When people say "it's always the last place you look". Of course it is. Why the hell would you keep looking after you've found it? Do people do this? Who and where are they? Gonna Kick their asses!

5. When people say while watching a film "did you see that?". No Loser, I paid $12 to come to the cinema and stare at the damn floor.

6. People who ask "Can I ask you a question?".... Didn't really give me a choice there, did ya sunshine?

7. When something is 'new and improved!'. Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before it, couldn't be new.

8. When people say "life is short". What the hell?? Life is the longest
damn thing anyone ever does!! What can you do that's longer?

9. When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks "Has the bus come yet? ". If the bus came would I be standing here, dumbass?

Ok... so the e-mail only had 9 things... but keeping with my movie title post title themes I had to pick something... and this was to good not to share.

"Sorry DF. Aquafit is cancelled tonight.
There's been a pool fouling.

They are still cleaning it up..."

okay...

is it wrong that I wanted to go laugh at my new "friends"...
Cause that's funny!!!