SO! I've been saying I'd be putting new pics on for like what... the last year?!?!  Uhm...ya.. so, I finally got my arse in gear... pics are added....  none really of "the house"... but, well, use your imagination... see the house in the background... ahhaahahah

 

Other news....   I suppose I'm turning heads @ work again...  they've decided to pack me up & ship me off to Yellowknife for two weeks in January...  I'll be teaching the newest group of Business Reps... so that should be fun...  I might get a free "quickie trip" to see my mum & dad out of it too...  I'll likely have to fly via Vancouver.. which technically, doesn't make sense... FLY ALL THE WAY DOWN SOUTH... SWITCH PLANES, FLY ALL THE WAY BACK UP NORTH... DUH??? hahah.

 

Anyhooooo...  gotta get up @ 5AM to hit the gym...so it's bed-time for moi.

 

Luv Bran

http://www.myspace.com/flourpackinbran

Who'd have thought the Yukon would be cold???  Haha.. ya..

 

Well, we've been hit with some rather nasty weather, a bit earlier than normal..  Last week we shivered at -20... and over the weekend,

we downright froze @ -40...  by Sunday, we hunkered inside the safety of the warm house as outside, it was -51 with the windchill.

No thanks! I'll stay in....

 

I guess my car was likely feeling the same way, as she decided not to start Sunday afternoon... frozen stiff she was.  Monday morning, I thought ahead & called a cab 1 & 1/2 hrs earlier than when we had to work...  they still showed up late!!!!  Go figure: I wonder: how many people had to order cabs that morning!?!?!?

 

Monday evening, we attempted to jump start her and let her charge up for 45 mins with the help of our lovely neighbor.. but she still didn't want to do anything..  she was frozen solid...    I called to Klondyke Motors (GM) and they were able to schedule me in, but not until December 5th!!! So, I'm stuck without a car for a week!?!?!?!? I don't think so...

 

Thankgoodness, I found someone else (a husband of a woman I work with) who was willing to have everything towed to his shop tomorrow AM & work on the car...  I've been told he has better prices, and does amazing work.. so yay! I'm a happy camper....other than the weather of course... and well, having to pay for my car once she's fixed.. but theres honestly worst things in this world which could be happening, so I'll spend this time to count my blessings, rather than curse my car. :)

 

Christmas is right around the corner...  THAT's scary... hahaha..  I found out recently that I'm addicted to EBAY.... that's ALSO scary.... but fun nonetheless...   But, we bought the house this year, and well, we're poor now.. so Xmas is going to be a wee bit--nonexistent shall I say??? ....other than for family..  So, everyone else out there, I love you.. but no presents, sorry.

 

Well... back to work. hahahahahahaha

Hopefully, I'll get some pics of the new place on here sometime soon.... have some pics from when the parents were up... and when Max's friend Jordan was up... and during his visit, pics of halloween.. hahaahaha, stupid halloween.... oh dear.. so, maybe I'll play this weekend & get those added finally..  would be nice, I've been promising pics of the house for the last year!!!

 

Well, toodles, stay warm.

<3 Bran

SO: If you've been reading the previous blogs.... you'll note we had a pretty shitty weekend, well folks, IT NEVER FUCKING ENDS!!!!!

 

The car window being smashed, iPods & CD's stolen..... Bongo's vet visit turned surgery....  and then: Saturday evening, while walking the dog, Max goes and shatters his ankle!!!!!!!!!

 

I really hope that bad luck comes in three's like the good luck is supposed to...  cuz man, I just can't take it anymore!!!!  If this continues, I'll be checking myself into a comfy rubber room!!!!!! 

 

.... and back to work....

 

<3 Bran

So: Thursday begins with the sounds of my alarm clock blaring to say, "HEY! GET UP NOW!!!"  So, I reluctantly roll my arse out of bed, splash some water on my face to wake up.. and go downstairs to get ready for my morning jaunt with Bongo...  The two of us go on an adventure, trying to peer our way thru the greenbelt @ 7am... at this time of year, btw, it's still pitch black out..  but we manage.. and we make it to our paved path on Hamilton Blvd, and begin the long walk up and around Falcon Drive.  This is the walk the two of us enjoy on a daily basis.  My morning hour of zen, spent with my puppy.  Well, this morning in particular, we left out the front entrance to avoid the many constuction workers who are busy building the duplexes accross the way..  Our return home landed us coming up the back route, between the unfinished houses, and to our car park area... well, low and behold, the ground infront of us was sparkly and magical looking.. I halted Bongo on his leash as I came to realize, NO.  This isn't a magical fairy land, with the ground covered in sparkly dust...  The sparkling is a result of my rear passenger car window being smashed to pieces!!!  I stood there in shock for, hmm.. I'd say it felt like an hour, but was likely more around the one minute mark...  my jaw on the ground, no doubt.  My fucking car was broken into!!! MY FUCKING CAR WAS BROKEN INTO, RIGHT INFRONT OF MY FUCKING HOUSE!!!!!!  WTF?!?!?!

SO: I pick up the pooch, and make my way to the house... fearing he'd step on some sharp shards if I didn't.. I made it inside, jaw dragging too..  I called for Max.  He came around the corner, and once he saw my expression, his own turned confused.  I said, "Uhm... our car was broken into..."  At first, I swear, he thought I was shitting him.  With a smile, he said, "What?"  I took a breath, and repeated, "Our car was broken into..."  His smile soon faded to a look of pure annoyance.  The time was now 7:50 AM, we made our way outside.  There was glass everywhere; ten feet around the car, the ground was littered with shards of glass, glass which used to protect one from wind, and go up and down at the convenient touch of a button.  It was no longer a convenience.  Upon peering into the backseat of the car, we realized we were missing an iPod and a few CD's.  "I guess I should call the cops, eh?" I said to him as he shook his head at the mess.  "Ya...  I guess."  What a fabulous start to my day.

 

I went inside, grabbed the phone, lighter, and a couple of much needed cigarrettes.  I phoned the police while looking at the mess.  They took my information, and advised they'd be up to investigate shortly.  In the meantime, Max made a call to work to explain he'd be a bit late due to the unexpected surprise. 

While outside, a few construction workers came over to see what was going on.  We received a few kind words of concern & encouragement.  The RCMP officer finally arrived.  He got out of his truck, and flipped open his RCMP issued notepad and began to take down the obvious details of the situation.  He asked if anything was missing.  We told him about the iPod, headphones & CD's which were M.I.A.  He went on to explain that the "punks" these days carry around little pieces of porcelain.  These pieces of porcelain are then hurled at car windows to offer an gapping hole where the window used to be, a lovely mess, and basically the portal in which they reach in and "help themselves" to whatever it is that caught their weasley little eyes.

The kind RCMP Officer then explained, as he handed me his business card with the case file number written on it, that we should contact our insurance company about the window.  He also advised that we could probably claim our missing items through our house insurance.  "At this point," he said, "there's really not much we can do.  We basically take a report incase the insurance company wants it.  Otherwise, if you two hear anything at all, give us a call."  And with that, he left.  It was back to us, staring at the mess of glass which decorated our parking spot.  The tears started to roll, and I just couldn't do a thing to stop them.

 

Enter the insurance company:  Back inside, I was searching through all my papers to finally get on the phone with the insurance agent to see what we could do about our car.  "The glass deductible," the consoling woman explained, "is $250.  The contents of the vehicle can be claimed via your house insurance, in which case the deductible would be $500 for everything, and the lower deductible would be waived." 

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked.   "Well, basically you'll need to provide receipts or copies of receipts to cover the contents, pay $500, and we'll take care of the rest." She educated me.

"The iPod was a gift," I explained, "from some family members who live in Kamloops.  It wasn't even purchased in the same town that we live in..."

"That's unfortunate.." she empathized.  I could tell she's heard this story many times.

She transfered me to the glass claims department after saying her many appologies.  I spoke with a man this time.  He went on to explain that the cost of the window would be only slightly more than the deductible, therefore, it would likely be within our best interests to simply pay for the window, and not bother doing the claim via our insurance.  Great, this means we're out around $500.  I fucking hate thieves.  The rest of the morning consisted of me thinking that this couldn't have happened.  I took Max to work, around an hour or so late.  I rushed home to get myself ready for work.  I had nothing left in me.  All my tears were spent, (so I thought) and my energy was now drained.  I showered, dressed, and went to work. 

 

Work was another feat in itself.  Amongst the other many employees, here I am, working away at my daily job, whilst the others around me amuse themselves with online poker games and Mah-jong tile games.  Brandyn, trying to climb the corporate ladder, has four separate projects on the go.  Have I turned the heads of those "higher up"?  Yes..  has it actually gotten me anywhere?  Fuck no.  Why do I do it? 

 

The rest of my day is spent trying to forget my morning, while masking my voice with a fake smile while speaking to customers about their billing inquiries, internet questions, and common complaints.  The day drags on.  And on, and on.  Finally, 7PM arrives, and I am free.  Max makes an executive decision:  "Let's not cook.  We've both had a shitty day.  Let's grab a couple burgers as a treat, go home, watch a movie and go to bed."  His words to me were like the next hit of heroin to an addict.  I sank in my seat, tried to smile, but all I could muster was a quivering lip.  This was all the acknowledgement he needed.  Supper was collected, and we began our somewhat breezy, drive home.

 

We get home, unload our bags, change into our comfies, and sit down to feast on our heartattacks in buns.  But wait.  What is this?  My burger seems to be a hockey puck disguised with a nice layer of spicy barbeque sauce, a wilted piece of lettuce and a poor excuse for a slice of tomatoe.  That was the last straw for me.  Number one:  I ordered a cheese burger, I expected it to be juicy... or at the very least, edible.  Number two: I can't eat anything spicy, unless I want to make a visit to the hospital for an emergency shot of antihistamine in the arm with a lovely breath of ventalen on the side.  Allergies are a bitch.

 

I gave up.  I didn't need to eat, that was fine.  Just let me be, and I'll be fine.

 

Bongo was continuously fussing over his hind paw, which was thought the previous trip to the vet cured, but unfortunetly not.  When he finally let me get a look, it appeared he had some sort of strange bump... almost as though his knuckle bone had pierced his skin.  It looked painful.  It looked infected. 

 

We finally retired to bed.  I couldn't sleep.  Everytime I felt remotely close to dreamland, I'd hear noises outside of my house.  I found myself obsessing over whether or not the "punks" would return to smash yet another window.  I can't remember when I finally fell asleep, it was late, no doubt.

 

The next morning began early, with a trip to the vet.  Bongo had a foxtail burrowed into his skin.  They had to admit him to surgery.  He was there all day.  The bill was $250.  The new vet was amazing.  Clean, friendly, knowledgeble.  Needless to say, I'm taking the new bill and the old bill, to the old, dirty, unhelpful vet to demand my $90 back.  He mis-diagnosed my dog's injury, saying simply, "There's nothing wrong with your dog.  But here's some antibiotics incase."  Thanks buddy.  He's suffered for the last month, and now I have another bill.  I'd like my money back please.  Probably not likely, but dammit, I'm going to try.

 

That's it for now.  I have a turkey in the oven, and I can't wait to eat supper.  It's been  a long couple days... yesterday was the worst... today got better.  I imagine we can only go up from here.

 

:) Brandyn                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

AHHH!! So many things I should be talking about.. BUT: I don't have the means, or time at this current moment....  

 

A quick blurb to say, the grounds around the house is finally coming around, we actually have grass now!!! It's puzzled in rectangular pieces, and well, a wonderful multimix of many shades of greens... and...yellows...hmm...???

 BUT: it's finally coming along... :)  Again, no pics.. hahaahah we've been here how long??? YA.... and.. well, no excuses.. I'm just lazy I suppose. hahahaah

I suppose sitting @ a computer all day long really takes the excitement of coming home to do the same thing.. so, I usually don't... infact, today is the first time in how long???  ......I can't even think of the last time...

 

Well, the man & pup are waiting...  time to go "knit"... haahah girlz, you know what I'm talkin' about...

 

Love ya!
B  :)

Once again, it's been tooooo long!!!!

 

So much is going on!!!  Well...  maybe not. hahahahaha

The house is great, ya I know.. still no pics!  Will come in time.

 

People everywhere are having BABIES.... except me. hahahahahahaha SUCKAS! j/k.

 

Went to Dawson last weekend... HAD A BLAST... holy poo, I had such a blast that I wasn't able to make it out of bed on Saturday morning... not sure if it was the supper I ate before, or all the gin I digested....possibly a lil' from column A, and a lil from column B???  Anyhoooo went for my friends mums wedding...  amazingly enough, on the HOTTEST FREAKIN DAY EVER.... imagine, Dawson City, +30 degrees IN THE FUCKING SHADE!  Ahhh.. I died atleast 5 times...   was going back & forth between water, rum, water, wine, water, beer, water, alcohol... hahaha drunk & sober, drunk & sober, drunk & sober..  my GOODNESS.  Quite the trip...     Went to Gerties @ 11:30 PM or so to catch the midnight can-can dancers.... thought it would be a T&A show, but sadly enough, it wasn't....   so, I & the girls hunkered down @ a $5 min bet blackjack table... and tho I think the girlz lost their money, I doubled mine...  I knew it was time to leave, or I'd lose it all!!!!!!

We made our way to "The Pit".....which is a miner's bar that oh-so-many people warned me about...  but guess what?? IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!  There were people of ALL ages... live entertainment, and quite the interesting floor plan.... well, maybe the plan itself wasn't interesting, but I found myself re-arranging my chair many-a-times throughout the evening... only to realize.. IT WASN'T MY DRUNKENESS!!! THE FLOOR IS REALLY SLANTED!!!! hahahahahaha   (THATS A FIRST EH????)  So yea, I had an excuse....   What a crazy place full of character & characters....   We even took over these guys table... one whom was named Stephen... he was from New Orleans, quite the gentleman, and funny enough, could have been a twin to: Mikey - From American Chopper!!!  Funny enough, he even made his way up to the Yukon on a motorcycle... holy fuck, I can't even MAKE this shit up!!!!! hahahahah good times.  he was funny...

 

The band recognized (thanks to Crystal I'm sure..) that it was my first ADVENTURE to the Pit... and I'll tell ya, it won't be the last!!!!  Here I thought buying rounds for folks would break my bank, but it didn't!!!!  Drinks were actually CHEAPER in Dawson, errrr...atleast the pit, then anywhere I've found in Whitehorse!!!  I bought one round of shots, errr...drinks...errr, well, a round of alcohol I'll say, for what....7 or 8 people.. and it only cost me $25!!!!  So...either we had a drunk waitress, or a dumb waitresss....or... well, I don't know what...  hahahahaha

Maybe I was just too drunk to notice...ya..that's more likely.  I was pretty "staggered" by the time we made our way out of that bar....

...and let me tell YOU something... haha...  you don't know the meaning of "Ugly Lights" until you've experienced them being turned on in a bar like The Pit. hahahahahahahaahahahahahhahaahhaha that's sooo mean....... yet, accurate!

 

Anyhooooooooooo    it was a blast... and had I not fuct my car on the way home, we'd be returning for another visit tomorrow....   :(  I even have a long weekend!!! But I think I shot my tranny... the big bad beast hasn't been feeling too well....  I guess I shouldn't have driven her so hard to/from Dawson.. hehe...  I'm pretty sure it only took me what..... four hours to drive home??? hahahahahahaha pretty bad when normally it takes anywhere from 5-6---depending on who's driving...  

 

I really forgot how beautiful Dawson was...  such amazing greenery... beautiful old buildings... and you can feel this amazing aura of history.. almost as if you're back in the days of the klondike....ready to jump in the river to start panning for gold.....  The people I met were fun, interesting.. and well, quite original --all in their own ways..  It was neat to be "on vacation" not far from home...  and the drive I must say is awe-inspiring.. 

 

But the major kudos goes to Crystal...  she did an absolutely INCCREDIBLE job arranging & organizing her mums wedding...   from the food, to the setup, to the special edition bottled wine, champagne, beer & coolers...  the wedding was a complete success...  no one could have asked for a more perfect day, or a more beautiful setting......  my hats off to you girl, you pulled it off & made it look so effortless!!!  

 

All in all, the trip/wedding/Dawson experience was again, amazing...  to anyone who has never been, GO!  You won't regret it!!! Dawson is one of those towns where one could honestly "Find themselves".....  as cliche as that might sound....

...Plus it's just really pretty to look at. :)

 

Ciao for now.....  It's Friday evening... I'm almost done work.... I'll be going home to rest my weary eyes... watch a movie & go to bed...

 

*Dreamin' of more Dawson adventures*....

 

Luv Bran :)

Once again, it's been a while...  haha.  We're in the new house now.. and it's absolutely beautiful.... it's still got that "new house" smell...   Unfortunetly, the area around us in still in contruction phase... so it's kinda dusty, and the construction crews are here early, and they're quite loud... oh well, what can ya do eh???

 

I have yet to take pictures of the new place to add them on here...  we wanted to be fully unpacked before we did any of that...  just 2 rooms to go..  it's all those last minute boxes which we still need to unpack... other than that we've got the majority done...  :):):) 

 

I must say, my new kitchen is soooooo much fun!!!!!!  I love cooking on my new stove & having a dishwasher again is awwwweeesooommmmeeeeeee...the little things you take for granted eh??? hahaha

 

Anyhoooooo   should get back to getting ready...  have to drop the cavalier off @ the mechanics today for a mechanical inspection----yes, I think we've sold it!!!!!!!!

 

Well, toodles for now...

Luv B

SO:  We're in the new house!!!!!!!   We've managed to unpack SOME stuff---MY NEW KITCHEN  & other small things.... we've got a bunch of empty boxes in the house we still need to get rid of, and other boxes waiting to be unpacked...   Starchoice was installed on Sunday....and monday we were back to work......

 

It's still freaky wakin' up in the morning...  every morning since Friday, I"ve had to take a moment to look around and realize,  "Yes... we ARE in the new house... it WASN'T all a dream.." hahaha... 

The dog is loving it too..  of course we've got him on a crazy walking schedule: 1st walk @ 5:30 AM, 2nd walk @ 5:00PM (when we get home)...and his last walk usually @ :9:30PM before bed...  He's loving the stairs.. he's loving all the rooms...  he's loving it all.  :)  

 

My stainless steel kitchen is AMAZING!  The stove is beautiful to cook on, and for once I have an oven which offers even heat distribution!!!  No more hotspots!!!!   AND: I can't forget:  oh me oh my... the heavenly dishwasher.. hahahahaha  the little things that we all take for granted eh???  I love my bathroom... the soaker tub is sooooo relaxing.. and I decked it out with a thick white terry cloth shower curtain, & a fuzzy white bathmat...  oh man, just thinkin of it makes me want to go home & take a bubble bath. hahaha

 

Anyhow...  it's nice to be in the new house.... once we're completely unpacked----or atleast all put away, I'll be taking plenty of pictures to add on here & of course send out to friends....

 

The computer is still in a box, and I'm writing this @ work.. so I'm going to cut it short....

Anyhoooo.... toodles!!!!!

Love Bran

It's amazing how much crap one can accumulate while living in a certain place for a while...  We decided that since, this upcoming Friday we'll be moving to the new house, we should probably have a yardsale to ditch some of our crap so we can start fresh!

We meant to do this last weekend, but we just couldn't get our shit together in time...so I committed to it by advertising in the paper for yesterday... and we put up a couple of signs as well...

 

It's amazing how the weather can be sooooo hot for over a week (like 30+ degrees everyday..) then on the particular day we have to spend a majority of the day outside with half of our lives layed out on display, it of course rains, rains & then rains some more...  :(  I was ready for it though, I got up at 6am & managed to figure out how to put up a tarp... yay!  SO, by 9am we had a mini living room set up on the deck with an extended tarp off the back side covering more tables of crap...  I started to get worried by around 11am, as a few people had strolled on through, but we hadn't gotten rid of as much as we'd hoped... so, we stayed out there hoping more people would arrive...  AND: Arrive they did!  I was literally giving this shit away...  and now it's all gone!!!  We even had a huge free bin!!!   Well, we stayed out there until 5pm...it was hard, but we did it...   Haha, the morning began with all of us: Max, Andrea & Myself with mugs of hot coffee & baileys....  well, the baileys' didn't last long, so we all broke out the beer by 11am.. haha, what a sight for sore eyes we were!!  Funny how it seemed the deals just kept getting better as the day went on...(?!?!) hahaha  We even had a few bites on the cavalier we're trying to sell!

 

Well, it was successful nonetheless... we raked in around $275 by the end of the day... and now we have one less trip to the dump.  :)  The rest of the stuff we do have, that is still of some value, I've arranged for the Salvation Army to come pick up on monday or tuesday...  WOOHOO!  So, now we have a half empty house... mostly the stuff we're actually taking with us... and well, the movers we've booked for Friday AM are, in essance, paid for...  that's one layer of stress off my shoulders!!!!

Don't worry... the pictures will be following shortly...  :):)

 

On another good note, Max & I went to visit the new house earlier in the week, and well, I was left breathless....  all the appliances had been installed.. and my stainless steel kitched was more beatiful than I could imagine!!!  Bongo ran around that house as though he knew it was home.. and the butterflies in my tummy started to dance as I realized..."This is our house!  We are moving here in just over a week!"...  I'm still left in dis-belief!!!  Once all of or furniture is moved in... and our personal touches are added.. this is going to be a house that looks like some well established, money-at-hand, older couple owns or something....  I'm sure I'll hear atleast one person ask, "So..where are your parents?!?!"  ....could it be?  Am I turning into a responsible adult? Holy shit.

ahahahah

 

Well.... time to go start packing....  

:):):) 

 

<3 Bran

BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.... has been the noise coming from my lips lately... Since sunday, I've been sicker than, I dunno.. a sick person... hahaha.

 

I am so drained of energy & liquids, I can't stand it any longer...  I'm sooo dehydrated.. yet, I'm drinking sooo much.  Today is day 3 away from work... that sucks.  I'm going to have a hell of a lot of crap to tend to tomorrow.. I just didn't want to risk today...go in, only to leave an hour later..  nor do I want to pass this lovely bug along..  SO, home with the dog for one last day...

 

The house is coming along nicely...  I had to go to the doctor yesterday, so on they way home, Max drove me past the new place to cheer me up..   The carpet is all in, the lino is all in, the hardwood has been layed.. the countertops & cupboards have been installed... most of the lighting fixtures...  so, really, apart from the front door tile & the appliances, it's pretty much finished!!!  WAYYYY ahead of schedule I might add... I wonder if this means we'll be able to take possesion sooner???  *shrug* I don't know... but man-o-man, I've spent the last few restless nights laying in bed thinking how cool it's going to be to lay in bed in the new room...staring up at the 14 ft ceiling with ceiling fan.. hehe.. or, dreaming of cookin' up a big something for supper on my new flattop range... hehe.  The little things that amaze me eh?? haha

 

Well, I figured it's been a while... Puppy is whining to go outside.. I best not keep him waiting.

Hopefully this weekend we may be able to get in the new place to take some pictures.. then you can see all the colors we picked.. oooooo!!!! I'm so freakin' excited.. hehe

Ciao for now.

B

Wow...  the days lately are just flying by!!!  So much we've done, and yet, so much to do!!!

 

Today was a pretty great day...  Took the day off work, but went in for an hour or so as I was  invited to a meeting with the senior management & executives of the company to present some of the work we concluded @ the FMO I participated in, in the end of April.  This was huge for me.  I felt quite honoured to have been invited as there were 24 other people from across the company who they could have asked to do this task, but my name was the first to come to mind apparently.  Even though I'd taken the day off to handle some tasks around town, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.  They were so intent on having me there, that they actually scheduled the meeting around MY time!!!  To think, the president of the company changing HIS schedule to match mine!!!???!!!  Needless to say, I was excited.  So they basically gave me a copy of the power point presentation they were going to give to the attendees of the meeting, and told me which area they wanted me to cover.  The slides that I had to focus on were already going to be at their finger tips, so I figured I'd present a taste of what the life of a rep is currently, VS. what it could/WILL be in the future ---> provided they succeed in implementing our recommendations.  I was a bit nervous, as when I arrived, the meeting was already in progress..   For a short moment, I thought I goofed & showed up late...(I could have SWORN I actually came early..)  but was relieved when told that the meeting was actually in progress from earlier.. but the first part of the session was in regards to topics which did not involve me....budget's, financial reviews, revenue forcasting etc.

SO: when they were ready, they invited me in & it was time for the show.  :):)

I managed to kick it off with some quick, light humour, and from there I suddenly relaxed.  It was as though I'd come down with a sudden case of verbal diarrhea!!  I made sure to be prepared; I spent some time yesterday making notes of some items I wanted to highlight, and again this morning I prepared by giving the speech to my dog while getting ready to go..  (he was impressed!!)  The words just flew out of my mouth... I made sure to keep eye contact with everyone at the round table.. and also made sure to acknowledge the folks who were conferenced in via phone.  I displayed as much enthusiasm as possible to show I really believed in what I was presenting...I stated the facts, delivered the issues,  and offered solutions.   By the time I was finished, everyone was full of smiles & nods.  The VicePresident of the company and one of the top corporate guys had to check out a bit early as the meeting ran a tad late & they had to give an interview, but before leaving, they made sure to thank me for coming in on my day off, and tell me they were very impressed with my presentation &  enthusiam.  I sold them on everything.

The funny part is that I was the youngest person present by atleast 15-18 years.  I nailed it.  I was on cloud nine by the time I was out the door & on my way to my car.  The high lasted for about 30 mins or so.. then my body became drained of everything.  What a rush. 

 

It's crazy how lately everything's flipped one hundred and eighty degrees.  Work is going great.  We're on our way to the new house.  Our debt has been figured out.  Everything is happening just the way it should---> which normally makes people happy...not to say that I'm not, BUT, everything is falling into place so easily, it makes me wonder what *bad* thing is on the horizon.... it's never this easy for us?? Have we paid our dues?? Is it smooth sailing from here on in???  I've been in a complete state of awe, it seems, for atleast the last month...  Amazing.  Simply, amazing.

 

Other good news today...  Max & I signed our mortgage papers with the Housing corp today..  the day is almost upon us!!!  It's my birthday this weekend... YAY! PRESENTS FOR BRANDYN!!!

....and finally, it's getting warmer outside....   We've had quite a bit of rain lately...  better to have rain, than snow.  :)

 

Max has created a new weight program for me...   so far after Monday & Tuesday (today is my rest day) I've discovered I have a lot more muscles in my body than I realized.. and it seems every single one of them hurt today... oh well, I'm looking forward to the results... :)

 

Well, I'm parched, and tired... and Lost will be on tonight, so with this, I bid adieu.

Salut!

<3 Bran  :)

So yesterday was the conclusion of a long, hard week.  I was invited to take part in this week long workshop/brainstorming session for work called the "FMO" - which stands for "Future Mode of Operations".  What is was, was a collaboration of 25 of the most skilled people from almost every dept in the company...  We were invited/requested there as we were all told we were the top level/skilled in each dept.   It was kind of neat to meet some of the people I deal with on a daily basis, who live in other parts of the operating area..  Half of the group was from Yellowknife, the other half from Whitehorse, and one guy from Iqaluit.

 

I really had no idea what to expect going in to this project.  Northwestel has created a work space for project teams to do some "free thinking" in, and be able to come up with the best ideas possible.  This building is called the ExCite building.  It's a pretty crazy lookin place inside.   Every single wall in the place is covered with whiteboards, and you can literally draw on everyone of them...  there are walls put up in places where there shouldn't be walls, to create smaller "thinking spaces"...  there are pods of computer desks equiped fully with computers, phones, cabinets..   in the lunch room there are tables, rolly chairs, full kitchen facilities (including a dishwasher) along with munchie machines and pop machines, couches and even a phooozeball table...this encourages a clear mind apparently---if you're stuck on an idea, or you've reached some sort of congenial bump in the road, go to the kitchen, play a game of phoooooooooozeball, and clear your mind again.

 

So basically, the first day we were all in this huge meeting room, all the walls covered in---yes that's it! Whiteboards...   and basically they explained our "Purpose" for the week.  It was our job to create/build a plan of attack, or "process" to take us to the next level in the world of business in the future.  This includes - how we handle the cust's today, and how that will change tomorrow.

 

It was crazy the way they were trying to get us to "think outside the box"...  at first, it all seemed like a bunch of mumbojumbo...  but by day 5 everything came together.

There was another FMO about  year ago (...I think...)  and we were basically building off the foundation blocks they created...  this became our map... build solely on crazy ideas of how one should be treated in the "new world", all written on sticky notes & put up in a linear path on the whiteboards.  These ideas were added to, and added to, and rearranged, and added to.. and dropped down a level to include more detail...  then re-assessed, and added to some more...     Five days of 25 people brainstorming is not an easy task.   It's very difficult to control a group that size..  we all went off on crazy tangents, and there was some whom I swear, just liked to hear themselves talk...   This session was inccredibly intense, and very mentally draining...  the end result was our "New Process for the Future"..... and the recommendations *we* were able to suggest in how the company would get there.

 

Now what's going to happen, is the information we've come up with, is going to be re-analyzed a million times over by the executives, who'll decide which projects are a green light..... these projects will now be delivered to project teams to put the ideas to play--real time.  Technically, we just spent millions of company dollars. haha.

 

On the bright side of things, though it was testing at times, and I even cried one day because of the sensory/information overload... (And no, I wasn't the only one...)  I was able to meet some absolutely amazing people, and we proved that we could all put our heads together and produce some really amazing work...  and it's our work that will pave the way of this company going forward.  I believe there will have to be some major changes put in to play to alter the "Customer Experience".... but these changes will be for the best, for everyone---business & employees & customer's alike. 

 

Being so frustrated at the end of the day was good for me...  Since the weather's been getting better here, I took it upon myself to start walking home after work again....  It was a great way for me to clear my mind of everything crazy... and get some excercise too....      If I didn't do *something* like that after each day of this session, I really don't think I would have made it...    there were WAYYYY too many thoughts in my head... my brain barely shut off as it was....I had to physically exhaust myself to ensure a good nights sleep...

 

So, my regular walk path was started again:  left work, walked up 4th Ave...  hiked'er up 2 Mile Hill....  reached the Arena @ the top & made my way down Range Rd...  crossed Mountainview Dr, and either continued up Range to go home, or a couple days I turned up Mountainview thru the greenbelt & came in the backyard....    The walk is a good hour & 15 mins or so... and a huge chunk of it is VERY UPHILL....   :)  So, needless to say, my legs are very tired/sore... and I could really go for a foot rub.   ;)

But it all works well in the end, Max is off the same time as I am right now, so I walk home, he drives...  he get's home & changes into his comfy's, and puts Bongo-dog in his harness...   they go out the back way & start walking to meet me!  So far we've only met up twice, but it works out well:  We meet right on the corner of College Drive infront of the jail... Bongo is super happy he's walking, and even happier when he sees we're both with him...  and is usually quite tuckered by the time we arrive home....   :)  The moving date is soon approaching, so we want him to get more used to longer walks...rather then shorter, more frequent ones...  so far, he's reacting quite nicely.

 

Well, it's 9:38 AM on Saturday...  both my men are still in bed..  I should go start some house-cleaning...

Ciao for now.

Luv B  :)

 

 

 

So...  last weekend, Max & I were bored....  so, we decided to drive around and either look at RV's..just for fun..  or go to some open houses--for fun.  Well, we ended up in Tahkini, looked at one open house there...  it wasn't anything special... then we drove up to Granger looking for a couple of other open houses...    Well, we didn't find them... the signs were out, pointing up the street for theopen house... then by the time we got to the top of the street, there was another sign pointing down the street to the open house..  ahhh frick. They probably just forgot to  take them when they left.

 

Anyhow...  I drove Max to that falcon ridge development..   What it is, is a multitude of units on the same property, kind of like free standing condo's.  None of the units are actually attached, but some are quick close, and they all look the same other than different colors on the outside.  We decided to look.  Now, I had the upper hand, because I'd come to see these units with a g/f just the weekend prior.. so I knew what to expect: They are beautiful!!!  (haha)  They don't look like much from the road, but they're pretty damn fancy inside.

Well, Max & I looked at the top version of the 4:  Top of the World  (ya.. they're all named after highways for some odd reason: the dempster, the cassiar, the klondike & the top of the world....)  Well, once we looked inside, we were hooked!!!  It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house....   the master bedroom is huggggge....   (17X18ft--it's a 1/4 of the house)  there's a 5 ft soaker tub upstairs...  a standup-2bench shower downstairs...  every single closet in that house is walk in....(HIS & HERS in the master bedroom..)  it comes with an appliance allowance so you'll have brand new everything....   there's a deck off the 2nd bedroom upstairs... and the kitchen has a peninsula counter...and an open concept to the living room...so you can cook & entertain @ the same time....  Once the complex is finished, there'll be a clubhouse across the street from our house that will be complete with a weight room, & cardio excercise equipment.. some hobby rooms & an indoor gold simulator...  they'll also be some putting greens outside.  There's a common area behind our house with picnic tables & stuff...  and eachunit has it's own parking etc right infront of their house...

 

We took the plunge on the condition that we sell our current place first.  Now here's the thing:  Max & I bought this trailor inthe summer thinking we saw all this potential in it... we thought we'd get it at a good price, and fix 'er up!!  Well, over the winter, we've both come to the conclusion that neither of us are very handy/crafty people!!!  We have no idea what we're doing... SO:  let's sell it, and move into something BRAND NEW.  So..  this one woman expressed interest in our place, she came to look at it, and boom, the next day it was sold...  :):)    That brings me back to the new place..   The unit we've selected is on a corner lot----so it won't be huge or anything, but we have a bit of a yard...   But also, our unit is still in drywall phase..so we were able to pick out absolutely EVERYTHING!!!  Wall paint, cupboards, countertops, carpet, flooring... EVERYTHING!!!!    WE DID IT THIS WEEKEND, AND HOLA SHIZA.... IT'LL BE FREAKIN SWANKY AS HELL WHEN IT'S FINISHED!!!!   We also went out and bought all brand new appliances (fridge/stove/dishwasher) from a local guy in Whitehorse:  X-Press Furniture..  THIS GUY WAS AWESOME!  The owner, Russell, gave us a wicked deal on stainless steel EVERYTHING.... I think WE actually made money off of HIM in the end... but fuck man, it's going to be SWEET AS HELL!!!!!

 

Now, I have some pics of one of the units that match ours....  but the appliances & colors are different...  we picked out a grey/charcoal paint for the walls.....   the darker cupboards, ivorylike countertops speckled with browns & blacks & grey's....  grey tile for the entry, grey lino for the kitchen/bathrooms....  darker knitted carpet with grey/brown specs in it....and the hardwood laminat for the livingroom--this stuff is the newer kind that's darker, and looks more like real hardwood...you can see the grains & knots & stuff in it... What's super cool too is that the whole house is energy efficient--it's one of those "Green Homes"...so it's super cheap to heat (Toyo stove in the living room: it only takes 1 tank of oil per year..)  and it's also wheelchair friendly--which means all the doors are super wide and all the bathrooms are super huge too (5 ft turning radius..)  ahhh!  SOOOOO EXCITED!

Anyhoooooooooo...  I'll add some pics of that our place WILL look like, minus the colors & appliances...

 

HOLY POOH, I'm so excited.  So, closing date is June 16th 2006.  The funniest part is when we bought THIS place, we said we were going to fix it up and sell it by the summer...   then this winter we thought we'd probably have to stay another year... but I was afraid the roof would fall on my head while I was asleep.. so we turned enough of a profit on this place to make our downpayment on the NEW place... and well, holy fuck!!! We signed papers this weekend!  Ahhhh!!!!  So I'll probably be house broke for a while, but oh well, it's cool if i'm living in a brand new house.. ahahaha

 

Anyhoooo I should get going:  I have a crazy dog here bidding for my attention...

Bye for now.

B

 

Hola crap, it's been a while!!!  Well, it's St. Patty's day is upon us....  which is always a great holiday, seeing as I'm Irish, and well.. I like to drink. hahaahhaha kidding.  (...or am I????)

 

This is a great day to remember my Grandma Thomas (formally Crilly), rest her soul.  She was my lil' old Irish Gramma... she was about 5 ft tall (if that..)..   I used to tell her she was from the land of the little people.. haha cuz she was so short, and well... cuz she was from Ireland...duh.  SO:  Cheers to you Gramma...  I hope you're enjoying a mug of green beer, OR you're having a nice taste of bailey's on ice.  :)

 

Here's the kicker.... my grandpa: Sydney Thomas (rest his soul too..) was Welsh...  SO: my sister & I were doomed to be alcoholics. HAHA

 

So perhaps I'll add my little St. Patty's Day morning adventure....

 

I got up this morning all, blah blah blah... time to get ready for work...blah blah blah... taking my time...  blah blah blah... watched a wee bit of TV...  blah blah blah... started to dry my hair....blah blah blah... woke Max up to go start the car...  made my lunch, and was ready to go a bit earlier than normal... (surprise, surprise!)   Well, once again, I live in the North... and though we've had a very good winter, but the last few days have proven to be nothing but terrible....  Yesterday morning was -30 when I went to work...(JUST THE TEMP, NOT INCLUDING THE WINDCHILL!)   and this morning, it was -35...   Well, I hear a "SHIT!" from Max...as he grabbed the keys & ran out the door to start the car...  At this time, I thought he'd already started it, so I was concerned when I poked my head out the door (found a frozen paw'd puppy waiting to get in..) & saw Max with a frown on his face...

"The car won't start..."  he said to me, with sad eyes & frost biting at his ears..

 

I told him to hold a sec, put on my coat, and went out to investigate.  Maybe it's just that my baby likes the warm hands of a woman to start 'er up...my lil' 2000 Grand Am SE...  silly car.

 

Nope!  I turned the ignition, she rumbled a bit, but didn't catch.  I released the ignition.   I turned the ignition a seconde time, she turned over.. RRR'd a sec, then went dead.  I released the ignition.  I turned the ignition again, and nothing happened.  Oh.  The car won't start.

 

It was at this time the panic kicked in.  Holy shiza!  It's 8:10 AM and I have to be at work @ 8:30.  The first thing I thought of was my neighbor...the only one who's vehicle is home... I'll give him a call and ask for a boost.  I called over to Jim's house, and got the machine.  Could this be?? The man who is always up when I go to work in the morning, is just not up yet?  I waited a couple minutes, and called again.  Still, no answer.  This is when I thought to myself... no matter how hard I try, I will definetly be late for work this morning.  I called my supervisor Doug.  I honestly think he originally thought I was calling in sick...  but he laughed when I told him my car wouldn't start due to the cold, and that I'd probably be a bit late.

 

I then thought of my g/f Andrea: perhaps she'll be on her way to drive her mum to work.. and perhaps she can help me out...that is, IF she answers the phone.

Much to my suprise, AND luck, Judy answers the phone.  YAY!  They agree to come to my rescue.  I go out to the car, open the trunk, and take out the jumper cables.  That's when I found that the latch on my trunk doesn't work when it's cold either, and now my trunk won't close. YAY!

 

I go inside to stay warm until the girls show up.  I call my supervisor again, he laughs at me when I ask what the proper way to jump start a car is, without blowing anything up.  haha.

 

Well, they arrive, we hook up both batteries with the jumper cables.... turn on Judy's car...  and go to turn mine on.  I turn the ignition.  She turns over: RrrrrRrrrrRrrrr...  Nothing.  I turn it off, and try again.  RrrrrRrrrrRrrrr. Nothing. Fucking bitch.  I know there's juice, because the lights turned on.  I try again, with the same results.  No luck today Bran. 

 

Thankfully, I'm able to catch a ride downtown with Judy and Andrea.  I arrive at work (after stopping for a Timmy's french vanilla cappucino) only 30 mins late....conveniently on day I'm to receive my Overall Performance Review for 2005.  AHH!!  Well, thank god I rockass at my job.  hahaha  The OP went VERY well, I'm happy to say!  ....and the rest of my day hasn't been too shabby either.  :)

 

Max tried the car again periodically throughout the day... with no luck.  Andrea is going to meet with me after work, and we'll try again.  I called the guy at the dealership, and he suggested that we probably didn't leave the cars connected long enough to charge the battery... so we're going to leave them going for about 5 minutes, start my car... then take a 1/2 drive around town, or up the highway to allow the battery to charge to full power again.  Hopefully we won't have to purchase a new one...  he didn't think so, I'm hoping not.   :)

 

So that was the run-down of my fun morning adventure... fuck I hate winter...and WTF anyways?!?!?!?! It is March freakin' 17th!!! WHY THE HELL IS IT STILL -35 OUTSIDE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!??!   Fucking winter.

 

Anyhoooooooo another great excuse to sit in the pub & have a green beer.

 

Signing off for now......................tahtah.

 

PS:  Always remember:  God created liquor to keep the Irish from ruling the world.  ;)

 

 

So Friday was the final day of in class teaching.  It came with mixed feelings of happiness, and sadness.  My class presented me with a bottle of wine, a funky wine glass, a candle, a calming face mask, a piece of chocolate and a new tropical fern plant... I named him Spidey.  He's really a "Rabbit's foot fern"... which is wierd, because he doesn't resemble a rabit at all..  infact, I named him Spidey because there are these funky, furry spider legs that grow beneath the ferns & above the soil...  they look like blonde tarantula legs!! Pretty funky I thought!   They spoiled me.  Is it bad to say:  I loved every minute of it????

 

Anyway...  the morning was a tearful event for me... I don't know why I was so emotional, but these guys were such a great group...  This upcoming week I'll be supervising them while they take live calls...  they are all excited, anxious and nervous.. but I know, they'll do great.  One of my students had his wife come in, to take pictures of the graduating class...  The buzz of excitement filled the room with the most amazing energy...  At that moment, I felt truly proud; I then came to the realization that this awesome experience was coming to an end.  It was my bittersweet conclusion.

 

As for the wine, it was delicious!  A new taste for me to try, so I drank the whole bottle last night.  It was a Merlot by the name of "Fat Bastard"!!!  Quite the name eh???  I recommend it to any wine taster...  it's full bodied, with a lovely dry fruity taste...  I'm sure I'll be indulging in that flavor again.  :)  Tonight I've a bottle of Lindemann's Bin #50 Shiraz---absolutely one of my favorites.  :)

 

Well, the two men of my life are in bed...  perhaps I'll crawl in & join them.  Max & Bongo...  haha, funny guys.  :)

SO: I finally get a call saying my furniture is going to be delivered, yesterday...  my appt was for 5pm.. and they never showed...   Yay! Am I suprised?? No.. I've been waiting for my furniture since Dec (YES I SAID DECEMBER!!!) 5th.  They originally promised delivery on Dec 17th... then it was Jan 7th... then Jan 17th.. and then I never heard from them.. haha.  Finally, I called them, wondering about a few things...IE: Why have I been billed for pieces I have not received???  Anyhow... the appt yesterday didn't happen, so they rebooked it for today, and the missing pieces of my furniture puzzle was delivered an hour ago..

 

A happy camper, one might think...??  NOT QUITE!  My armchair has a black stain on the arm.  My love seat has a pull in the arm....   and conveniently, I picked out Chenille as my material, so, when there's a pull, the pull will continue, until you're sitting on a wooden frame...  WTF??????

 

I HATE THE BRICK!!!!  BAAAAAD Customer service....  BAAAAAAAAAAAD Quality products..  I'm sooooooo ready to... well, I shouldn't say, I could be arrested.  I'll leave it at that.

 

 

Another excuse to gorge yourself silly on chocolate!!! hehehe  Well, within reason I suppose.. he he...

 

So, I'll update the CAR situation:

 

I went to the RCMP on the weekend, spoke to a Constable named Lindsey.  She was nice, and seemed to be genuinely concerned & interested in my lil' situation.  I gave her EVERYTHING:  money grams, phone#'s, names, addresses.....  everything I could find on the guy.... he's a ghost now tho... I tried calling the number he originally called on (cell phone) and it's since been disconnected.  Anyhooooo...  she explained that there won't be able to be any charges pressed on the guy because I'm not out any money....  so that's shitty...  But she said she wanted to still run the money gram serial #'s thru the system to see if there are any matching serial #'s...  she said normally in these types of cases, the same money orders (serial#'s) are sent out to numerous people, and they come up flagged all over the country as fake/counterfeit....  Anyways... enough on that.

 

As for the fucker(s) who was trying to rip me off, well: I received yet ANOTHER email from him on the weekend...he wanted me to re-send payment info to him...  I simply responded:

 

James:

 

Please note, I never had any intentions of sending payments to you.  I am fully aware you were trying to rip me off from the start, as your money orders have come back counterfeit.  Pls be aware, I have contacted my local authorities to report your ass.  (I have been in touch with: RCMP, NYPD & FBI)  I only kept the communication going for as long as possible to have  you send me as much info as possible about yourself, so I could then forward the info on to the police.

 

HAVE A NICE DAY.

 

I have not heard back from him since.....  too bad.

:)

 

Anyhooooooooooo......3:22 my time, I've got this class until 4:30.. then I'm off to grab the car from Max.  I'm gonna head downtown to pick up some sweets for my sweet.  :)

 

Ciao for now!

Bran