Open Sesame !

Yesterday I bought another makeup compact. The same as the one I smashed a couple of weeks ago when I couldn't figure out how to open it. It really is very good make up, based on the remnants left after I totally destroyed the container. This time I figured out how to open it !
I know Ellen DeGeneres will never read my blog, but stranger things have happened, so here goes.
Dear Ellen :You're right, that make up you plug really is amazing. Just one thing. Could you tell the maker to at least show the compact opened the correct way? You see, in the ad, they show the lid for it flipping up, when in fact,it's a screw top. It's even more confusing that the compartment for the sponge does flip open . It would save me so much time and money, to not have to fiddle around thinking I need to flip the top open, then give up in frustration and smash the whole works. This is especially true at 6:00 a.m., when I'm getting ready to go to a place I really don't want to go to (work) and even with my glasses on I can't figure out how to open this silly package. This makes me feel vain and foolish,that I waste my time even putting on make up. Hey ! I'm an old school girl and brainwashed to believe that I must keep making the effort to look good.

So please Ellen, tell those guys that they must not confuse tired older women, who have lots on their plate to deal with, and don't need any extra frustrations. Oh yeah Ellen, one more thing . You're looking good in that ad, but then I guess somebody else put the make up on for you, so you didn't know about the kooky container.


Speaking of work. I have a serious case of the guilts. I watched a new story on t.v. about the impact of the unemployment figures on real people. They interviewed an entire family that was out of work. Mom and Dad, who had the same job for 30 years. Their children, who one by one, have lost jobs or have had their hours cut back. One young women down to 5 hours per week, which isn't much of a job. Is it? On top of that, they don't have any health care now.


Here I am with my crummy situation at work, yet I still have a job and a good paying one at that. I don't have to worry about paying the to the doctor bill either. At the same time it doesn't give my employer the right to take advantage of me during difficult times. Sure, I could be on the street or working at a sub shop (yeah I'm still not over that comment) then again,they aren't so special that the same thing couldn't happen to them. If I fall, they fall too. You can't be a manager, if you don't have anybody to manage. So stop acting smug and do your duty. Or am I thinking like a Communist, believing that those who produce are more valuable than those who oversee them?

Time to get back to the cooking marathon. The way I'm feeling and with daylight savings to get use to, I need to have food ready for during the week Otherwise we might end up eating subs all week .

Poor Blog

Poor blog I've been neglecting it. I've been indulging in my postcard hobby and Oh! so nice to be able to walk on the streets with no snow or ice. Above is a shot of the steel mill, which use to be Canadian, was bought by Acelor(France), which was bought by Mitaal(India) and then by Rio Tinto(Brazil). Now ChinaAlco, is buying up Rio Tinto, shares, because they are broke.All this in the space of a year.Crazy globalism
My son mentioned that even though steel production is way down, tin is way up. Why?
People are buying more canned food due to rising food prices and the recession. That's sad,although it is keeping the mill busy and workers employed. There have been so many layoffs.The plant where my son has a part time job has cut an entire day of production and cut staff.

My shopping trip to Toronto on Saturday was enjoyable,with a super fast commute.I took the 6:20 bus home and was in my house changing clothes,by 7:07. If it was always like thatI would never have transferred from Toronto.Then I remember those awful rush hour commutes,of 90 minutes and even 2 hours. No way do I want to go through that again.I have said this many times.We need a dedicated bus lane on the highway.That will never happen because the car is still king around here,so we are left with a half assed public system. When it works it's brilliant, when it doesn't,it's a nightmare.

Been a week now since I quit the Amantadine. I can't say that I notice any difference. The main reason I started taking it was to help me get through the work day and avoid taking so many days off.That didn't happen.I have taken a record number of sick days the past couple of months,therefore I see no point in continuing on a drug that had minimal effect. The side effects were not that big a deal but enough of a nuisance to be glad they are gone. What drug next? I don't know Right now I need to concentrate on losing a few pounds,well more than a few, several. The days are getting longer and if this decent weather holds up I'll be able to do some longer walks and not be worried about falling.
Can't give a work update right now except to say things are moving along.It really hit the fan last week, which is a good thing. I should have some news by the end of this week. Not that I'm holding my breath.

It's Over

Here's the latest photo of my friend who lives in the South West. Oh how I miss him.

The holiday is over and it's back to work tomorrow. The pies, cakes, cream puffs, and chocolates have all been eaten. Time to get back to eating healthy stuff. I have my fruit, veg, and water packed for lunch and I baked oat muffins for breakfast.

Lots of frustration and disappointment these past couple of weeks. Why can't people live up to their promises or at least admit it when they can't. Is a phone call that big a deal ? Here we are with a dozen different ways to communicate instantly with others and yet it seems to be more difficult to do it.

The next three months are going to be a challenge. I have used up all my vacation time and sick time . There are no long weekends or holidays till Easter. This has never happened to me before. It wasn't that long ago that I always had leave credits to spare. Weeks and weeks of sick time and at least a few vacation days to make it through the winter.
Guess I'll have to take lots of naps to make to the new fiscal year in April.

My new washer doesn't work, it's a lemon. I may end up getting a replacement . I told the store manger's assistant, that I don't want another front loading machine. They're too finicky,too easily unbalanced. We wasted a few good hours trying to set it up so that it would remain stable Built a platform for it , no good, took it off the platform and moved it to the flatest spot on the concrete floor and adjusted the "legs " snug . It was perfectly level and straight .I checked it up and down with my level. It was solid enough,I doubt an elephant could have moved it and yet the silly thing just wouldn't continue spinning. I tried everything suggested in the manual. End result is my hands are sore from wringing out soggy clothes. Ahh, so many hours wasted on so called time saving conveniences .

Time for a shower and the Opera show. Thank goodness there are small pleasures to smooth over all the crap.

I was looking over my blog. January 16 th It will be a year I've been blogging. I don't know why I thought I started it in March 2008. Where did those three months go ?

I'm going to read the whole thing over and do a summary on anniversary day.

Early Start to the Holiday

Here's a quick shot I took with my phone camera of one of my poinsettias. You can see Buddha sitting next to it.

I have started my Christmas holiday a little early, do to a miserable headache that seems to be aggravated by the cold weather. It's supposed to get milder tomorrow and rain, which I find hard to believe since it's snowing like crazy out there now and freezing !

The new washer is finally in operation and it's fantastic. I'm amazed at how little water and soap it uses. The energy guide states that it only uses about $9.00 per year of electricity .The clothes came out of the dryer much fluffier too. I don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets so that's a bonus. O.K. that's enough about laundry .

I hope I perk up a little bit before Christmas .This will be the first time in six years that I don't go south for the holiday and I'm a little sad , yet also slightly relieved. I really don't think I could have managed all the travel . I'm planning to go in April when I have a new batch of vacation time. Maybe my work situation will be resolved by then ?

Tomorrow I'm going to take a wack at making a sugar pie Haven't made one in ages. It's a French Canadian dessert, made with maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cream. If I was making a genuine French Canadian Christmas Eve meal, I would be baking a tortiere, a pork pie. Served warm, drizzled with maple syrup, it is a very yummy dish traditionally served after Midnight Mass.
This is very different from what the Italian relatives have for Christmas eve. They always prepare fish dishes as part of a 5 course meal. If I have to choose, I go for the French Canadian meal,even though it is very fattening and much less healthy than the Italian. Then again, my French grandmother who ate a ton of pork , cooked omlettes in rendered salt pork, hardly ever ate vegetables, and even poured cream on her salad , was very healthy. I think it was due to her only eating at meal time, no junk food, and being a hard worker. I remeber her telling us that during the depression they were so poor they ate lard sandwiches sprinkled with sugar !

I'm sure I'll be in bed long before midnight tomorrow . If it isn't too awful out and if I feel better I might go for a walk around the neighbourhood and check out the Christmas lights in the evening.

Credit Munch

OK I ripped off the title of my post from the Independent.
It's been a sucking weekend. No comment except to say I'm feeling better tonight and I'm looking forward to being off on Tuesday. Who knows maybe I'll even be able to put in a full paid week. Sad that I push my life away, but these days it's the only thing that keeps me going.
Anyway enough of my whining, here's an article about the rise in lunch box sales. Everyone is getting into taking a packed lunch to work and not just a baloney sandwich and banana. No people are getting imaginative with their lunches.

I make a lunch everyday. Mostly things I can nibble on like pieces of cheese, veggies, fruit and a couple of cookies. We do have a decent lunch room and several mini kitchens at work. My new routine is to go to the lunch room after the mid day rush. I crash out on one of the lounge chairs for twenty minutes or so. The lady I sit next to now at work is cool and doesn't make a big deal about me going for a brain break. It helps get me through the day. I'm still extremely tired when I get home in the afternoon. This weekend it took the full two days to recover. Oh ! can I keep going ? I suppose I have no choice . I'm hoping for some resolution of my work situation by the end of November.

I know it sounds odd for me to say that I'm enjoying the early darkness and cooler temperatures. I find it relaxing.

While I'm on the topic of food Here's an interesting program at St Anne's hospital for veterans.
They are able to make some very appetizing looking food for patients with dysphagia ( difficulty chewing and swallowing) Looks like the real thing yet is easy to eat. Check out the photo of one of the meals. I ran across this while checking some information for Remembrance day Nov. 11.
I'll be doing a post about it then.

The Quiet Room

Today for the first time and due to extreme fatigue , I paid a visit to the" Quiet Room" at work. This room use to be a first aid station with an attending nurse. They got rid of the nurse and replaced her with a network of first aid volunteers. The room has a single bed, a wheel chair, and some first aid supplies. Can't really say much about the bureaucratic nonsense I had to go through to use this room just to lie down for half an hour. The last thing I need is to get sacked for violating confidentiality. Even though my manger thinks it's OK to violate mine by sending snoopy , none of her business, letters to my doctor. My doctor, in a very polite way, told her where to go. Naturally, the bureaucrats can always justify their stupidity and make it appear that they are doing something for my own good.
Dear managers, you know how you can help me ? Stop trying to help me.

The only good thing that happened all day is I was able to buy the first field tomatoes at the Farmer's Market. They still had raspberries too, so I'm good to make peach melba and another shortcake.

At 10:00 there's a documentary on PBS , "18 with a Bullet" about gang violence in San Salvador. Did you know that there's a gang called the MS gang ? From what I have already seen in the previews these guys are really nasty fellows. Should be interesting .

Food Glorious Food

Mmm the taste of my first strawberry of the season

Today was a day of errands and practical walks . First thing this morning I went to the Farmer's market looking for local strawberries. The one farmer from Dundas, which is now part of Hamilton, thanks to amalgamation, had what turned out to be yummy, yummy, strawberries. Decided to try one of his green house tomatoes too.
We chatted about food politics. All this talk of buy and eat local is according to him, a load of hype.
The supermarkets aren't interested in their produce and when they are want it cheap. That's because they can get a deal on the California stuff and Oh it's true! Those big, watery, tasteless,
red blobs, are every where. Even the the organic store around the corner sells them. Why do people continue to buy them ? Guess maybe they've never had a chance to try local ones and don't have time to go to the market. Any wonder when a property developer comes along and offers a farmer $5 million for his land, he takes the money and runs off to Florida ? I'm hoping this guy will stick around. (did I say the same thing in a past post ?)

Next stop was to pick up supplies for Mexican dinners. A lady originally from El Salvador, runs a very messy, unorganized shop with food from every hispanic country you can imagine. The supermarkets do have a variety of ethnic foods because our population is so diverse, yet for some reason the Mexican food is in the snack aisle next to the tortilla chips. Mostly corporate Old El Paso offerings.

Lastly, I picked up a large basket of sweet red and orange peppers. A deal at $5.00.

I can't beleive what a weakling I am. I only had two bags of items and it felt like a ton.
Luckily , who came up behind me on my walk up the big, sunny, hill ? My son, who carried it all the rest of the way. So I made him some very good strawberry shortcake with real whip cream.
Too good Too good.

On my second trip out this evening, the guy at the hardware store was incredulous when I asked him for ceiling fan weights.
I had a time convincing him that yes, there was such a thing, and yes, I have bought them at this very store. Hey ! I'm not that much of a space cadet that I imagine such things , at least not yet.
My feet feel like they are vibrating. What the heck is up with that ?