How cute is this?
http://adypose.tumblr.com/post/41459358902/neverwear-my-local-library-branch-started
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
Last thing this morning, I swear...
I'm being contacted by a scammer on a dating site:
Nameremovedtoprotectmanwhodoesn'texist
I do love your eyes by the way!!! - I think based on what I read on your profile, we both seem to share a common interest. I would love to get to know you, and see where it goes from there. =)
Hope this message finds you, and doesn't get lost in your pretty full inbox -- seeing as how popular you might be!
Prince =)
At first, it was just nicer to read a message that wasn't like... well, I'll copy and paste another little gem here:
Nameremovedtoprotectthemoronic
Regardless of whether I suspected he was a scam artist or not, I still bloody well talked to him. I asked him what he did for a living, where he was situated in my city, and what his favourite bands, movies, etc, was. His response?
- I'm a Support Staff Supervisor for Bell Canada (that job could be done overseas)
- Westmount area (but he spelled it incorrectly, despite being very careful in the rest of his messages)
- Do you text? 555.555.5555
Also, his sign off is Prince. Anyway, I'm reporting him.
Nameremovedtoprotectmanwhodoesn'texist
1/31/2013 4:30:25 PM
Your
profile actually made me smile, I was hesitant to even message you,
cause I thought you were an advertisement for this site at first. You're
a really pretty girl, and I thought your profile picture was to lure us
guys into signing up for this site! LOL. I do love your eyes by the way!!! - I think based on what I read on your profile, we both seem to share a common interest. I would love to get to know you, and see where it goes from there. =)
Hope this message finds you, and doesn't get lost in your pretty full inbox -- seeing as how popular you might be!
Prince =)
At first, it was just nicer to read a message that wasn't like... well, I'll copy and paste another little gem here:
Nameremovedtoprotectthemoronic
1/29/2013 12:03:54 PM
heyyw ats upp todayyyRegardless of whether I suspected he was a scam artist or not, I still bloody well talked to him. I asked him what he did for a living, where he was situated in my city, and what his favourite bands, movies, etc, was. His response?
- I'm a Support Staff Supervisor for Bell Canada (that job could be done overseas)
- Westmount area (but he spelled it incorrectly, despite being very careful in the rest of his messages)
- Do you text? 555.555.5555
Also, his sign off is Prince. Anyway, I'm reporting him.
Stats...
I don't think the whole "don't track my own pageviews" thing is working on here. I click it every day, and still almost immediately after I've posted an entry, I go to see it within the context of the blog, and when I go back to stats, that pageview shows up. Am I missing something?
Well, I'm up early.
I really don't want to go to work today. This may sound silly, but Fridays are a bit tough at times. Some people refer to Fridays as "Fun Fridays" and my desk is in a high traffic area, so I don't get as much done as I'd like to. I'm easily distracted. Not to be a stick in the mud, but the reality is that I'm way too busy at work right now. I'm in the middle quite the clusterfuck at the moment, and I'd love to write about it in here, but if I do, it's too specific and may give more clues to the internet about what I do for a living.
I certainly need to work on my assertiveness. Today is the last day I'm driving my neighbour to work. I have a young couple who live in the same building as me, and they're very friendly. They also do not have a car. We had been hanging out a little bit, having tea and whatnot. Shortly after I first moved in, they had the audacity to ask me if they could sometimes borrow my car, like they borrow the neighbour in the next building. I told her in no uncertain terms that I do not lend my car out. Fast-forward to a couple of months later, when they're calling me every other day, and every other time I visit they're asking me to drive them somewhere or borrow my car.
This coupled with several other encounters (including the classic, "you should give me one of your nice, blank journals*" and the showstopper "you buy him a drink, too" when I offered to buy her a drink at new years**.) Have this bullshit coupled with phrases like "you don't understand***," when I'm trying to delicately tell her that someone probably didn't mean to slight her, and "your purse is ugly," said three times about a $120 purse that I had just bought the day before, and I'm fucking tired of them. She's far worse than he is. I'm sure I'd get sick of him, but he's not as much of an annoying mooch.
In the midst of all this shit, I had agreed to drive him to work in the winter months for a small amount of gas money. For a little perspective, my commute to work is 4 minutes, I don't live far away. Everything else is out of my way. Regardless, I agreed.
This ended up meaning leaving later than I normally like leaving and yet still they asked if I can leave later. It's been nothing but an inconvenience for me. A couple of weeks ago, I told them I was starting a new project at work (not entirely untrue), and couldn't drive him anymore. Today is the last day. I've been turning down all offers of tea as well, and ignoring the phone when they call. I'm hoping they'll eventually get the hint. It's been about two weeks, and they still ask.
I want more friends in London, but these are not friends.
*$25 Moleskine. Flat out no. Piss off.
**I slammed my wallet shut, said I had to pee, and started walking in the opposite direction.
***In one of the whiniest voices I've ever heard. And I can complain with the best of them.
Sidenote: there was this other time when we went to a Christmas party with the neighbours in the next building. It was a potluck, but the young woman who lives there had still put together a fully turkey with all the fixings (fixin's?). At the end of the party, my neighbours packed up about half of the food for themselves to take home. The hosts never said "everybody take some home, this is too much food for us," which is standard, but the annoying neighbours had asked if they could take it. If I had raised this as an issue, her response would have been "well, Allison (name changed, of course) said it was okay." It was rude to ask in the first place.
Last night, I dreamt I finally got to see Nada Surf live. In my dream, they opened with Armies Walk, but I couldn't find that on youtube. Here's In the Mirror, which I actually like better than Armies Walk and is a little more appropriate to this blog:
I certainly need to work on my assertiveness. Today is the last day I'm driving my neighbour to work. I have a young couple who live in the same building as me, and they're very friendly. They also do not have a car. We had been hanging out a little bit, having tea and whatnot. Shortly after I first moved in, they had the audacity to ask me if they could sometimes borrow my car, like they borrow the neighbour in the next building. I told her in no uncertain terms that I do not lend my car out. Fast-forward to a couple of months later, when they're calling me every other day, and every other time I visit they're asking me to drive them somewhere or borrow my car.
This coupled with several other encounters (including the classic, "you should give me one of your nice, blank journals*" and the showstopper "you buy him a drink, too" when I offered to buy her a drink at new years**.) Have this bullshit coupled with phrases like "you don't understand***," when I'm trying to delicately tell her that someone probably didn't mean to slight her, and "your purse is ugly," said three times about a $120 purse that I had just bought the day before, and I'm fucking tired of them. She's far worse than he is. I'm sure I'd get sick of him, but he's not as much of an annoying mooch.
In the midst of all this shit, I had agreed to drive him to work in the winter months for a small amount of gas money. For a little perspective, my commute to work is 4 minutes, I don't live far away. Everything else is out of my way. Regardless, I agreed.
This ended up meaning leaving later than I normally like leaving and yet still they asked if I can leave later. It's been nothing but an inconvenience for me. A couple of weeks ago, I told them I was starting a new project at work (not entirely untrue), and couldn't drive him anymore. Today is the last day. I've been turning down all offers of tea as well, and ignoring the phone when they call. I'm hoping they'll eventually get the hint. It's been about two weeks, and they still ask.
I want more friends in London, but these are not friends.
*$25 Moleskine. Flat out no. Piss off.
**I slammed my wallet shut, said I had to pee, and started walking in the opposite direction.
***In one of the whiniest voices I've ever heard. And I can complain with the best of them.
Sidenote: there was this other time when we went to a Christmas party with the neighbours in the next building. It was a potluck, but the young woman who lives there had still put together a fully turkey with all the fixings (fixin's?). At the end of the party, my neighbours packed up about half of the food for themselves to take home. The hosts never said "everybody take some home, this is too much food for us," which is standard, but the annoying neighbours had asked if they could take it. If I had raised this as an issue, her response would have been "well, Allison (name changed, of course) said it was okay." It was rude to ask in the first place.
Last night, I dreamt I finally got to see Nada Surf live. In my dream, they opened with Armies Walk, but I couldn't find that on youtube. Here's In the Mirror, which I actually like better than Armies Walk and is a little more appropriate to this blog:
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Magnesium
Just yesterday, I was grouching and grumping to a friend about how awful things I've been feeling lately, and he told me that he has a friend who swears by magnesium, and then sent me this link:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201106/magnesium-and-the-brain-the-original-chill-pill
Now, I always tend to err on the skeptic side of things and I know that health claims are difficult to nail down, especially if it's a vitamin or natural remedy* (eff you, Dr. Oz - throwing your weight behind anything that comes along, sucking up every dime that isn't nailed down). This attitude has - sadly - blocked me from trying any supplements that may have helped me, even in the short run as placebos. Quite frankly, though, it's out of hand. Vitamins and minerals are good for you, especially if your diet is leaving gaps in your nutrition (more than likely, in my case). Plus, within the fourth paragraph down, I read this:
Magnesium is an old home remedy for all that ails you, including "anxiety, apathy, depression, headaches, insecurity, irritability, restlessness, talkativeness, and sulkiness."
I had to re-read it. I have all of those on a regular basis**, and you're telling me this might not be a horrible flaw in my personality, it might be a magnesium deficiency?
I chatted with my sister in law about it, and we got to talking about 'detox***' baths, which have epsom salts mixed with a number of other things (eucalyptus, ginger, mustard, tasty things). She also mentioned that a number of the mom's that she knows (she's very active in mommy circles in her town) take Omega-3 pills to avoid postpartum depression and continue to take it thereafter. She offered me some Omega-3 pills to try, and I took a couple. Well, wouldn't you know it, 20 minutes later, I had the worst sushi burps I've had in a long time! And this was without the added bonus of actually enjoying sushi!
At any rate, I went to cost-co and bought some magnesium on the way home. Reading up on it more now, it would seem that I grabbed the wrong one (it needs to be coupled with something else so my body can really absorb it), but I took some anyways. I'm going to head out and grab the one I should be taking soon and we'll see what happens.
* eff you, Dr. Oz - throwing your weight behind anything that comes along, sucking up every dime that isn't nailed down.
**as an aside, the talkativeness has resulted in another issue that will be discussed in a slightly later blog post.
***the word 'detox' sets me off, too.
Here's some other crap about magnesium I've been reading:
http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html
http://nutritionalmagnesium.org/health/frequently-asked-questions.html
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2008/03/30/how-much-magnes/
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201106/magnesium-and-the-brain-the-original-chill-pill
Now, I always tend to err on the skeptic side of things and I know that health claims are difficult to nail down, especially if it's a vitamin or natural remedy* (eff you, Dr. Oz - throwing your weight behind anything that comes along, sucking up every dime that isn't nailed down). This attitude has - sadly - blocked me from trying any supplements that may have helped me, even in the short run as placebos. Quite frankly, though, it's out of hand. Vitamins and minerals are good for you, especially if your diet is leaving gaps in your nutrition (more than likely, in my case). Plus, within the fourth paragraph down, I read this:
Magnesium is an old home remedy for all that ails you, including "anxiety, apathy, depression, headaches, insecurity, irritability, restlessness, talkativeness, and sulkiness."
I had to re-read it. I have all of those on a regular basis**, and you're telling me this might not be a horrible flaw in my personality, it might be a magnesium deficiency?
I chatted with my sister in law about it, and we got to talking about 'detox***' baths, which have epsom salts mixed with a number of other things (eucalyptus, ginger, mustard, tasty things). She also mentioned that a number of the mom's that she knows (she's very active in mommy circles in her town) take Omega-3 pills to avoid postpartum depression and continue to take it thereafter. She offered me some Omega-3 pills to try, and I took a couple. Well, wouldn't you know it, 20 minutes later, I had the worst sushi burps I've had in a long time! And this was without the added bonus of actually enjoying sushi!
At any rate, I went to cost-co and bought some magnesium on the way home. Reading up on it more now, it would seem that I grabbed the wrong one (it needs to be coupled with something else so my body can really absorb it), but I took some anyways. I'm going to head out and grab the one I should be taking soon and we'll see what happens.
* eff you, Dr. Oz - throwing your weight behind anything that comes along, sucking up every dime that isn't nailed down.
**as an aside, the talkativeness has resulted in another issue that will be discussed in a slightly later blog post.
***the word 'detox' sets me off, too.
Here's some other crap about magnesium I've been reading:
http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html
http://nutritionalmagnesium.org/health/frequently-asked-questions.html
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2008/03/30/how-much-magnes/
Thursday, January 3, 2013
So this is the new year...
This was the worst holiday season I've experienced in a long time. I had forced myself to be in a fantastic Christmas mood, packages delightfully wrapped and ready to go, suitcase packed. Turns out the lovely mood was a really thin veneer I'd layered over a casserole of resentment and depression (what an awful sentence, I apologize). At any rate, my good mood shattered on Christmas night when I was pelted in the face and gut with firework shrapnel. The good mood, or anything resembling a good mood, has been gone ever since.
I don't think I've ever felt more classless than when that happened.
The piece to my face hit me three inches from my eye. Close call. I'm not telling this story very well, but basically, I was surrounded by family and I only heard one feeble "Amy, are you okay?" as I ran back into the house.
I cried myself to sleep that night. There's also a distinct lack of communication within my family in terms of scheduling, but there seems to be a trend of letting me know of changes at the last minute. Why would I need to know of any changes? I don't have to consult a partner on what his plans are, so I can just suck it up and adjust my schedule accordingly. Of course, this feeling makes my sadness about being alone in this world flourish like there's no tomorrow, even though I know I'm in no place to meet anyone at the moment. Not that I'm in any shape to meet anyone.
I'm in a fog right now. On Monday, I spoke with almost no one about my holidays, which was quite difficult. I'm numb to most of what's going on, my reaction time with anything seems delayed. The past month or so, I've been great at faking well-being, but I can't even do that anymore. At times, looking at this blog, doubt creeps in. I feel sometimes that I'm just blowing my feelings out of proportion and I'm fine and I just need to be happy. C'mon, be happy. Earlier this year, I'd have thrown myself headfirst into my work, but there has been a change there that has me upset as well, so that's not feeling like an option at the moment either. Writing this entry is quite difficult, and I'm sorry if it's horribly written, but I've been doubting the existence of followers anyway.
That reminds me. Earlier this week, I was thinking that I needed to jump things in some way. Wouldn't it be great to take a course and meet new people? I took a look at the courses at the local college and was like, hey, writing could be great. At the local college, all the writing courses are online, no class time at all. Hey, college, if I wanted to sit in front of my computer and write, I could do that without dropping $200 on a course. I'm sure there's something around I could take. Someone suggested cooking classes, which would be a great idea, but I'm hoping for something that runs for several weeks, so that I can get comfortable and actually get to know some of my classmates. Art feels out of the question oddly enough; I'm incredibly self-conscious about art right now.
I just don't know. I need to hop in the shower and get ready for work now.
I don't think I've ever felt more classless than when that happened.
The piece to my face hit me three inches from my eye. Close call. I'm not telling this story very well, but basically, I was surrounded by family and I only heard one feeble "Amy, are you okay?" as I ran back into the house.
I cried myself to sleep that night. There's also a distinct lack of communication within my family in terms of scheduling, but there seems to be a trend of letting me know of changes at the last minute. Why would I need to know of any changes? I don't have to consult a partner on what his plans are, so I can just suck it up and adjust my schedule accordingly. Of course, this feeling makes my sadness about being alone in this world flourish like there's no tomorrow, even though I know I'm in no place to meet anyone at the moment. Not that I'm in any shape to meet anyone.
I'm in a fog right now. On Monday, I spoke with almost no one about my holidays, which was quite difficult. I'm numb to most of what's going on, my reaction time with anything seems delayed. The past month or so, I've been great at faking well-being, but I can't even do that anymore. At times, looking at this blog, doubt creeps in. I feel sometimes that I'm just blowing my feelings out of proportion and I'm fine and I just need to be happy. C'mon, be happy. Earlier this year, I'd have thrown myself headfirst into my work, but there has been a change there that has me upset as well, so that's not feeling like an option at the moment either. Writing this entry is quite difficult, and I'm sorry if it's horribly written, but I've been doubting the existence of followers anyway.
That reminds me. Earlier this week, I was thinking that I needed to jump things in some way. Wouldn't it be great to take a course and meet new people? I took a look at the courses at the local college and was like, hey, writing could be great. At the local college, all the writing courses are online, no class time at all. Hey, college, if I wanted to sit in front of my computer and write, I could do that without dropping $200 on a course. I'm sure there's something around I could take. Someone suggested cooking classes, which would be a great idea, but I'm hoping for something that runs for several weeks, so that I can get comfortable and actually get to know some of my classmates. Art feels out of the question oddly enough; I'm incredibly self-conscious about art right now.
I just don't know. I need to hop in the shower and get ready for work now.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Post-apocalyptic dating
I'm feeling both lonely and pulled in a million and In the dating world, nothing seems to be going my way. I admit, I do have a little bit of an idea of what I want; I guess some might call it a list. I don't like to call it a list, because they're actually quite broad requirements. Some of these include:
- Please have a job. Not just any job. Please have a job that places you on the path towards the kind of work you're passionate about.
- Please have a hobby. It doesn't have to be an incredibly involved hobby, if you're a voracious reader, that works for me. In fact, if you're incredibly passionate about your hobby, your job will be less important to me.
- Please practice good personal hygiene. I cannot stress this one enough, there's really no wiggle room here.
- Engineers, men working towards their doctorates or masters degrees, and genuine computer geeks (the "I create programs" guys, not the "I hang out on reddit and 4chan" guys), have a tendency to get my attention. I often find them interesting to talk to.
- Please be a kind person. Although I certainly allow for sarcasm and a bit of wit. Come to think of it, wit is pretty high up there, too.
- Kids are fine, but please don't expect me to meet them early on. Let's make sure we really like each other before we involve little people's feelings, too.
- The conversation should work between us. Not right away, because we're allowed to get nervous, or simply get our feelers out for what works, but if we can't have a steady conversation 3 months from now, what makes us think it's going to work 10 years from now. That said, I understand things may change. If that's the case, try then, not now.
I have a couple of small possibilities on the horizon, and there seems to be something that doesn't work
about each of them. This is, of course, simply my take on the situation and how I feel moving forward. They could find me repulsive, and these may not even be options really, but I can't give their side of the store. Besides, it's my fucking blog, not theirs.
The first of these is the new hire at work. He's a nice man, in his 30s, with two little girls. Physically, he's quite attractive, actually. Broad shoulders, nice bum. I've had four other members of staff (including someone close to him, and my boss for chrissakes!), mention to me that he is single. Alright guys, stop pushing. I've chatted with him a couple of times, and I've gotta say, it's felt like a bit of a chore. Also, one of the friends who had originally suggested to me that I get to know this guy seems to have changed her tune. Well, not 'seems', she's pulled a complete 180 on me.
"I think he's too boring for you."
Originally, this hurt my feelings. He's too boring for me? I'm not allowed to want someone who's reliable, quiet and...standard? I don't deserve someone who's the marrying kind? On the other hand, I do find him a bit boring. He'd better get interesting and a little less shy. Frankly, at the moment, he's not even cracking my friendship shell, and almost everyone gets into that club.
Another opportunity that's presented itself is from one of the neighbours. I have a very sweet, often annoying* young couple who lives in the same building as I do, and the young lady in this coupling has taken it upon herself to set me up with one of her closest friends. I met him on Saturday. I find him quite attractive, and he's quite the nice person. I had a horrible stress headache when I first met him, but shortly after, felt at ease and comfortable. The conversation is fine (so far), and we were alright teamed up for a game of Cranium. I'm finding him a fair bit attractive.
Too bad he's just a puppy.
Actually, the other little snag is that he's just moved back from the prairies and doesn't seem to be employed yet. I'm not interested in being anyone's sugar mama, I'm just trying to keep myself afloat at the moment.
So, the search continues.
Ah, also, Merry Christmas everyone.
*in their defense, if someone lives close to me, I'm probably going to label them as annoying. I have Ohnonotyouagain Syndrome, self-diagnosed.
- Please have a job. Not just any job. Please have a job that places you on the path towards the kind of work you're passionate about.
- Please have a hobby. It doesn't have to be an incredibly involved hobby, if you're a voracious reader, that works for me. In fact, if you're incredibly passionate about your hobby, your job will be less important to me.
- Please practice good personal hygiene. I cannot stress this one enough, there's really no wiggle room here.
- Engineers, men working towards their doctorates or masters degrees, and genuine computer geeks (the "I create programs" guys, not the "I hang out on reddit and 4chan" guys), have a tendency to get my attention. I often find them interesting to talk to.
- Please be a kind person. Although I certainly allow for sarcasm and a bit of wit. Come to think of it, wit is pretty high up there, too.
- Kids are fine, but please don't expect me to meet them early on. Let's make sure we really like each other before we involve little people's feelings, too.
- The conversation should work between us. Not right away, because we're allowed to get nervous, or simply get our feelers out for what works, but if we can't have a steady conversation 3 months from now, what makes us think it's going to work 10 years from now. That said, I understand things may change. If that's the case, try then, not now.
I have a couple of small possibilities on the horizon, and there seems to be something that doesn't work
about each of them. This is, of course, simply my take on the situation and how I feel moving forward. They could find me repulsive, and these may not even be options really, but I can't give their side of the store. Besides, it's my fucking blog, not theirs.
The first of these is the new hire at work. He's a nice man, in his 30s, with two little girls. Physically, he's quite attractive, actually. Broad shoulders, nice bum. I've had four other members of staff (including someone close to him, and my boss for chrissakes!), mention to me that he is single. Alright guys, stop pushing. I've chatted with him a couple of times, and I've gotta say, it's felt like a bit of a chore. Also, one of the friends who had originally suggested to me that I get to know this guy seems to have changed her tune. Well, not 'seems', she's pulled a complete 180 on me.
"I think he's too boring for you."
Originally, this hurt my feelings. He's too boring for me? I'm not allowed to want someone who's reliable, quiet and...standard? I don't deserve someone who's the marrying kind? On the other hand, I do find him a bit boring. He'd better get interesting and a little less shy. Frankly, at the moment, he's not even cracking my friendship shell, and almost everyone gets into that club.
Another opportunity that's presented itself is from one of the neighbours. I have a very sweet, often annoying* young couple who lives in the same building as I do, and the young lady in this coupling has taken it upon herself to set me up with one of her closest friends. I met him on Saturday. I find him quite attractive, and he's quite the nice person. I had a horrible stress headache when I first met him, but shortly after, felt at ease and comfortable. The conversation is fine (so far), and we were alright teamed up for a game of Cranium. I'm finding him a fair bit attractive.
Too bad he's just a puppy.
Actually, the other little snag is that he's just moved back from the prairies and doesn't seem to be employed yet. I'm not interested in being anyone's sugar mama, I'm just trying to keep myself afloat at the moment.
So, the search continues.
Ah, also, Merry Christmas everyone.
*in their defense, if someone lives close to me, I'm probably going to label them as annoying. I have Ohnonotyouagain Syndrome, self-diagnosed.
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