WTFF (What The Friggin' F***??)

Okay. I think I've seen it all. I've seen alot, but now I think I've witnessed the epitome of trash.

Here it is.

I was leaving for work tonight at about 6:30, and while I was walking out to the back, there was a car blocking our driveway. As I approached my car, I thought maybe someone was stuck, or was was having car trouble. To be honest, I started stressing about not being able to get out of the driveway. Anyway, there was a guy standing out there and I could hear him talking to someone, but he didn't see me. When I realized he didn't know I was there, I said, "Are you okay?" All of a sudden, I heard a very loud scream, and looked down to find a woman squatting beside our driveway, in front of the neighbour's garbage cans, taking a goddam piss in the snow. She yells, "Don't look! Don't look! I had to go to the bathroom!! Don't look!" I could NOT believe what I was seeing. I just said in a really disgusted tone, "Holy fuck....", or something like that, and got into the car. The trash (NOT the neighbour's garbage cans) got into their car and took off down the back lane. They happened to be headed in the same direction I had to go, and they must have thought I was tailing them because I've never seen anyone drive down a back lane so recklessly before. It was so stupid.

Where do people come from? Do they not know there are places called GAS STATIONS that actually have toilets they'll allow you to use? Or would that be too embarrassing? Maybe if you're going to relieve yourself anywhere but in a bathroom, maybe choose a more discreet spot instead of someone's friggin driveway at dinner time. Who ARE these people?????

If someone was sick to their stomach and had to pull over in an emergency to throw up, NO PROBLEM! I think an adult is capable enough of holding it just a little longer. Long enough anyway.

Disgusting.

Last Night & Today

So last night Kelsey and I had to go to the store to get a few things we needed for the house. Toilet paper, etc. (I figure if everyone else can mention poo on their blog, so can I!). Anyway, before going, I needed to use a bank machine, so went to the one by my house. When I was about to park the car, I noticed this "woman" walking by the bank. This person I am referring to walks around the Safeway parking lot ALL the time, and I always see her walking up and down Osborne. She approaches people all the time and asks for money. But not in a nice way. It comes across like you owe her money and she's there to collect. Anyway, Kels stayed in the car while I ran into the bank. I did my thing, and as I took a few steps onto the sidewalk, I heard "Excuse me!!" I almost jumped out of my skin. It was the "woman". She was waiting for me around the corner where I couldn't see her, and when I came out, she jumped out at me. Picture her.....she's not very well kept, is quite heavy and a little scary looking. I said "yes?" She asked for money, and I kept walking to the car and said "No, I don't have any to give you". Then she yelled at me, "Grow up you fucking bitch!" I turned to her and said, "If you're going to be asking people for money, maybe you should be a little nicer about it". She then started doing some karate pose at me like she was going to attack me (not that I felt threatened), but then I asked her how she'd like it if I called the police. She moved towards me and was yapping about something that I don't even know because she seemed incoherent. I just thought I should get away from her before she does try something, and that's the last thing Kelsey would need to see. So I got back into the car, and tossed the idea back and forth about what to do, but felt that if I didn't do anything she may try this or something worse on someone else. So.....I called the police to just let them know what happened. They took it more seriously than I thought they would. They asked exactly where and what time it happened, and they wanted a full description of her. I was even asked if she hurt me in any way. I gave them the information they needed and was told someone would be out ASAP to check it out. I feel bad that it had to come to something like that, but it's not the first time she has approached me, and it's becoming a huge nuisance because I know how I feel when I see her, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. So, maybe this will put an end to it. This has been going on for months, and the only reason I took it to the degree I did was because she became more aggressive and slightly more threatening than she has in the past.

I guess I'd better watch my back when I go to Safeway or the bank from now on.

Kelsey wasn't freaked out at all, she said she was glad I handled it the way I did, but I did make sure she wasn't scared.

Leaving Jake at day care today was a little better than it has been all week. He didn't cry when I left today, but after we got there and I was putting his shoes on, he had a look on his face, so I asked what was wrong, and he said, "I have to go home and poop". I said, "No, you can go here. They have a bathroom you can use, but we can't walk all the way home now". He didn't look too happy, but when I handed him over to Mary (one of the workers who is SUPER nice), I said to her very quietly, "Jake just told me that he has to go h-o-m-e- to p-o-o-p (in case you didn't notice, I had to spell it to her because I didn't want him feeling any more self-consicous about it than he already did). My God...he is his mother's son, that's for sure. Anyway, Mary just took his hand, and I said good-bye, and as I was leaving I could hear her asking him if he wanted to go potty. I had to tell her because I didn't want him to be too scared to ask on his own and then he'd get sick. He would never poop his pants and have his snappy fall off or anything like that, but I just didn't want him to get a stomach ache.

He should have a good day today because they're going to McDonald's for yunch. They're walking, so he'll get a ton of fresh air and excercise today.

So, I left and here I am at home ALL ALONE and not even requiring a nap since I didn't work last night. This is such a treat. Mind you, I'm going to clean this house like it hasn't been cleaned in a very long time.

That's my story for today.

Day Two

Jake and I headed out at 8:30 this morning on what is going to be our daily walk to day care. He had a hard time when I was leaving today. He was trying to say that he wanted to play the Dora Game, but he was all choked up and could hardly get the words out. Not a nice way to leave him there. One of the workers went to him and was trying to get him to play as I was leaving. He told me he wanted me to stay for a "big minute". But I held it together and walked home with my empty sled blowing in the wind behind me.

Anyway, I'm not leaving him there all day today because I knew he'd have a harder time today than he did yesterday. I just know him, and we'll have to work up to a full day. I might just do the half days for this week and see what happens. Mind you, walking at 8:30 and then again at 11:30...it doesn't give me much time to have a nap. I'm so tired, but I'm thinking since I have time alone here that I should clean something. I guess I could always do that later. Apparently it's not going anywhere.

It's nice to see a bit of sunshine out there this morning. The gloominess is getting to be too much. I just don't want the cold weather that usually goes along with sunny skies in the winter. I suppose I should just stop whining about it since I can't do anything about it anyway.

As usual, I'm counting the number of shifts I have left at work until my weekend. And right now, it's two. Tonight and tomorrow and then I'm off until Sunday. This evening shift is really killing me. It's been 3 months, and I'm still not used to it. I don't think I ever will be. May 1 won't come fast enough. I'll for sure be working days by then, and I'll feel more human than I've felt in a long time I'm sure. It's fun getting 4 1/2 hours of sleep every night. I might miss that.

I guess the topic of conversation all over the country today is yeserday's election. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm really glad it's over. All the phone calls that we have been receiving from the various parties (mostly PC) are finally going to stop. I called home on my break last night and was talking to Kenny. He said that someone from the NDPs called him at about 7:45 or so asking if he'd had a chance to make it to the polls to vote. He apologized and said that he did not as he worked late and then his wife (that would be me) had to get to work, but that she (being me again) voted earlier. The person on the phone then asked Kenny if he would like someone to come and pick him up and take him to vote because there was still time. He declined the offer explaining that his kids were in bed so he couldn't leave the house. The person on the phone said that if he didn't mind, someone from their party could come and sit with the kids while he went to vote. I'm not even going to comment on that one.

We were getting phone calls from the PCs on a regular basis over the last 3 weeks. When the advance polls opened, a message was left on our voice mail, "Hello, Charlene!!! This is so-and-so from Michael Richards' / Stephen Harper's party calling!! (the guy was extremely enthusiastic) The advance polls are open today!! If you need assistance getting out to vote, please call me back at ### (whatever number), and we'd be more than happy to come and pick you up!!" It was relentless this year. We had candidates coming to our door and everything. I don't mind so much when it's going on, but towards the end of it all it becomes enough.

Maybe the PCs had it right.....call everyone as often as you can. Not enough to annoy the general population, but enough to make the candidate's name stick in someone's mind. To some people who don't know much about the various parties but only know there's an election coming up, if they hear "PC" or "Conservative" enough times, maybe that would be sufficient for them to decide to vote that way. I think the word "Conservative" gives people a feeling of safety if they don't know any better. Pure marketing. Now all we can do is watch what happens.

Have a great day everyone....

Bingo!

Safeway Bingo....I'm addicted. What's wrong with me? I just need one letter to spell "Safeway" and one letter to spell "Bingo". Plus, I love circling the numbers on the game card. I never expect to win anything instantly, but all Bingo cards that enter this house go to me. Kelsey and I fight over them. So far, I've had 4 cards with 10 bonus Air Miles each. I know that's not much, but it's better than nothing. I don't plan on travelling with my points because I've been collecting since 1997 and I don't think I've reached 500 points yet. I have 'purchased' a phone for the house, plus some Goldeyes tickets, but nothing more than that. I really think I'm going to start redeeming points for little things here and there. Maybe it would be a good idea to order a bunch of movie passes and let Kelsey give them to her friends as birthday presents. We all know how many birthdays that girl gets invited to, and this might be a good way to save some money on gifts. I'll have to give that some more thought to see if it really is worth it. Anyway, I'm convinced that I'm going to win something significant from Safeway. And by significant, I'm talking a $25.00 gift card. To me, that would be like winning the lottery. If I do win big ($25.00 gift card), all of you will benefit. You can hold me to that.

A few things are going on today. Jake's first day of day care (not sure if this is going to be a permanent decision yet or not); voting; which I will do after taking him to day care since they're in the same building; and playing Safeway Bingo. I'm nervous for Jake because when I asked him if he wants to go to day care, he said, "No. I yike you." But then when I tell him what's at day care, he seems more interested. I know he's going to cry when I leave. That's a guarantee. I'm only leaving him there for a few hours on his first day, and I'll see about working it up to more, but that's only if I decide to continue. With him being in day care while I'm still working evenings, I might be able to get some rest for an hour or two. That makes me almost happy about sending him. I'm not happy about sending him because I know how much he likes to be at home with me, plus the older I'm getting, the more resistant to change I seem to be getting (topic for future post). I'm not big on the thought of seeing him upset when I leave him, but at the same time, I think he needs more than being at home with his tired mother. Maybe if I just remind myself of how I felt at the sight of the chocolate milk he poured out of his cup without me knowing soaking into the carpet in his bedroom, and staining it at the same time, the decision won't be as hard to make. I love being at home with him, and I really enjoy our routine, but I think I'd like it better in the summertime when we can spend alot more time outside. I know he'll be fine, I know he'll be in good hands, but I just need to get through the first couple of days and I'll be fine too. Once I know where to go, I'll feel better. But will they remember we're coming tomorrow? What if they don't? What if I go to the wrong place? Can I leave the sled outside while I take him in? Should I walk down the back lane or go down Rosedale?

One thing I should remember about it all is that I'll be doing alot of walking back and forth between home and day care, so that can't be a bad thing. Then I won't have to feel as guilty for drinking Pepsi. Or eating chips.

I will also vote before I come home. Not sure which way I'm going yet. Green, Orange, Blue, Red.....??? I'll decide when I get there, but I have a pretty good idea. I'm not going to not vote. I don't care what anyone else decides to do, but I just wouldn't feel right personally if I opted not to.

I'm sure I'll be playing my Bingo after Kenny gets home from work. That's usually when the daily Safeway trip takes place. I went grocery shopping the other night and got THREE Bingo cards!!!! I was so excited. I didn't win anything though, but the anticipation while I was playing was more than I could handle. It made me want to play more. At least we're not going to lose our house or car over me playing Safeway Bingo.....

Well, wish me luck with day care! I guess it should be more like, wish Jake luck with day care. I'm sure he'll have plenty of stories to tell about his day. I'll be sure to pass them on.

Joe Joe!

It's not like anyone who is reading this doesn't know who Joe Joe is. We can all remember the welcoming sound of his mother's voice when it was time for him to go home and have dinner, or rub her bunions, or whatever he did in that house. The sound wasn't welcoming because of her sweet voice, but because we knew this would be the end of the scent that surrounded him wherever he went. There was really no polite way to tell Joe Joe that it was time to go home because he loved being around everyone so much, so if we did tell him that we had to go out, or go in to eat, he'd say okay and turn around and sadly shuffle off home. Not to get all sad or sentimental or start feeling guilty about Joe, but there are some pretty funny stories that will probably stay with us for a really long time. They've already been with us for 25 years, so I'm sure the memories are burned into our brains. I think the first memory Jenn has is that her first friend in the whole world was at age 3 with a 41-year-old mentally challenged man who smelled kind of funny, walked on the side of his foot, and only had a few teeth left in his head that were black.

The funniest thing was watching him teach Jenn (or, Jen-E-Fair who is Chal and Keestofair's sister), how to ride a two-wheeler. The poor guy could hardly walk, but yet there he was (at age 41), holding the back of 3-year-old Jenn's bike, running like a madman to make sure she didn't fall off. It is amazing that he never had a heart-attack.

Remember the first sign of spring living on Dunrobin? The first visit from Joe usually marked it. Then that was it until snow fell. He was a part of many parties and family get-togethers at our house, and he even provided records so there could be more music to listen to. All of our friends and family knew who he was.

Summer wasn't summer until Joe made an appearance. He'd tell us tales about going to the Ex and winning a sailboat, going to the lake, and he'd go on and on about the antics of Hawkeye and Hot Lips on Mash.

I haven't seen or heard from Joe since the day our family no longer lived on Dunrobin, except for a few years ago when Chris was on his route, and Jenn was living on Rothesay. From what I understand, Chris was in Jenn's area, saw him and showed him where Jenn's house was. Jarret was playing outside, and there was a knock on Jenn's front door. When she opened it, Joe and his friend Robert were standing there. Can you imagine what Jenn thought when she saw him?? Her first friend!! And now her child had the opportunity to meet him too! What a feeling! It just struck me so funny. A few weeks after that day, I was talking to Jarret and someone told me to ask him something about Joe. So I just asked him out of the blue, "What was Joe's friend's name?" (As if I knew but just couldn't remember) Without even hesitating, Jarret responded, "Robert". How he even remembered is still beyond me.

Poor Joe has been brought up in so many conversations we've had over the years, but obviously he had an impact on all of us in one way or another. I'm sure every morning when we lived there, he couldn't wait to get outside to see what we were all up to.

From what I understand, Joe's life was much better the last time anyone in our family was in contact with him, AND he had a friend. So, things are probably okay with him. Moreso than when we knew him as kids.

As for his teeth, well, I think they all fell out a very long time ago. He probably keeps his extra set in a jar.

I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but I keep being told that I 'should start a blog'.....my 10-year-old has one, so I guess I should get with it and start one too. It's about 2:05 a.m. right now and I just got home from work a while ago, so I'm trying to kill some time before I head off to bed. Letterman is on TV and I'm drinking what else, but Pepsi.

Even knowing how much of a zombie I'm going to feel like tomorrow (technically "later"), I can't just head off to bed, so here I am. I'll just have to make sure to have a nap. After Y & R though. I always try to put my 3-year-old to bed at 1:00 when Y & R starts, and when it's over at 2:00, I usually doze off for about an hour, or until he wakes up. That usually helps, but sometimes it's just not enough.

Anyway, I'm going to stop typing now just in case I'm not doing this right. I don't want to spend too much time typing if it's giong to be for nothing.

I hope to see a few posts, and I'll do my best to keep it exciting for everyone. I'm not sure how I'll come up with a way to do that, but it will be my work in progress.

Take care ......