Plumbing, Bill Maher and Timmy Ho's...

So it all started Thursday, late afternoon. I had been to Curves and needed a shower after my workout. Colin and I were also heading out that night to see Bill Maher, so another reason to jump in the shower.

When I arrived home from work I noticed a plumbing company van parked in the driveway, and put two and two together when I went to have shower and there was no hot water. I decided to let the water run for a few minutes, but all I got was frigid water. Shortly after I turned off the tub I got a phone call from my landlord. There was water coming down into the apartment below us! She asked me to check to see if their was water anywhere in our bathroom - the floor was bone dry, but for whatever reason, she didn't believe me. A few minutes after the call, the resident maintenace guy showed up. He rolled his eyes because he knew I was perfectly capable of figuring out if the bathroom floor was dry or not.

I thought it very interesting that the plumbers were working on the building and all of a sudden the pipes in our unit start leaking - they had been fine earlier in the day.

Finally the hot water returns, and I decide to have my shower. Again, a few minutes after getting out of the shower, my landlord calls. Now not only is water coming through the apartment below us but into our Landlord's apartment as well (which is two apartments below us). Since everything in our bathroom is dry, I figure one of our pipes must be leaking.

Anyways, she sends Colin up to the roof to make sure there is no water up there. I know this is very frustrating for our landlord and neighbour below us, but if there was water on the roof wouldn't it also leak into our apartment too?

Like our bathroom floor, the roof was dry.

The plumbers were still in the building at this point, so one of them came to the apartment and knocked a big hole in the wall and found the leaky pipe. But these sort of things never happen at a convenient time. Like I said, Colin and I were heading out that night to see Bill Maher. So trying to get ready with a plumber in the bathroom makes life interesting, but we managed and let him be and went out and enjoyed our evening.

Bill Maher was so funny. My cheeks were sore after laughing for two hours straight. It was interesting to listen to what he had to say about the current state of his country and government (USA); and I liked his insight into personal opinions and making those personal opinions law. For example, you may disagree with allowing gays to marry and you are perfectly entitled to that opinion; but don't shove your opinion down everyone's throats by trying to make it federal law. There were some other good examples, but it's been almost a week since the show and I can't remember everything he said.

After the show, I had a craving for some Tim Horton's. So we left downtown and drove out to Richmond, to the Tim Horton's by the Oak Street Bridge.

Yes, I am fully aware that Tim Horton's is not considered a fine dining establishment, but patrons need to have respect for other patrons. I wanted to go to Timmy Ho's to enjoy a cup of tea, my chocolate timbits and discuss Bill Maher's show with Colin. But that was hard to do with two little kids running around the store, screaming. The worst thing about this, the parents did sweet F-all. They just let their children run around, banging into tables, disturbing everyone around them. Needless to say we didn't stay too long.

We returned home to a large hole in the bathroom wall. They put some sort of plastic clamp on the pipe to stop it from leaking and would be returning 8am monday morning to fix it. This didn't sit well with me, because this was my 4 day weekend and I had planned on sleeping in every day.

By some stroke of luck, another leak sprang in our pipe on Friday, and I will tell you why this is lucky:

The plumbers were back in the building on Friday, because units on the other side of the building had begun leaking and the laundry room flooded. This is not good. But, because the plumbers were around they were able to come in and take a look at the new leak. I had put towels around the pipe to sop up the water and it seemed to be working. One of the plumbers noticed there was a large crack in our toilet {insert joke here} and would bring us a new one on Saturday. Yeah!!! No more pink toilet. He also noticed our taps were looking a little worse for wear so he would replace those as well. So I now have a nice, bone coloured toilet. But it gets even better. The taps are fused onto the sink, so they need to replace the whole sink - which means no more pink sink, but a nice, bone coloured one to match our new toilet. And there's more... They are going to put a vanity into our bathroom. That means no longer having to use the top of the toilet for counter space!

They were supposed to come by yesterday morning, but haven't been able to get a bone coloured sink yet, and now our sink is leaking...

Friday Night Blahs...

It's not that late on a friday night, and here I am, sitting in front of my computer, getting rid of my frustrated and agitated feeling by pounding away at the key board. Normally I am happy to stay in friday night and unwind. But usually there is someone to hang out with, when I'm in the mood, but not tonight. Even Colin is out tonight. I feel like I am going crazy right now. I have so much pent up energy, even though I worked out today.

I think the frustration and agitation is from thinking to much about my current job situation: it's not what I want to be doing; I am capable of so much more; I am going nuts because there is no challenge to it and I feel like my grey matter is not getting the work out it needs. And to top it off I barely make enough money to get by on - so damn frustrating.

Of course, good things come to those who wait right? But, the early bird also catches the worm.... I can't say it enough, I am so frustrated, it's eating away at me. I need to be doing something challenging, something that uses my talents and taps my potential.

I don't regret going to business school and getting a marketing diploma, but I am just so annoyed. Here I am with a degree from UBC and a diploma from BCIT - it's supposed to be a killer combo - so why isn't it working? Have I fallen into the lazy trap of "I have a job and I'm making money?" I guess I have, but now I am ready to get out of that trap and move up and on, to something bigger and better...

The Luck of the Irish...

So I seem to be blogging about once a week - I probably should do it more often, but I have no clue who actually reads these and there hasn't been that much going on in my life lately .

Today is Saint Paddy's day and I am somewhat decked out in green: I found an old pair of neon green flip flops I purchased in the early 90's and my vintage Canucks tee (purchased last year during the Playoffs, hmm...). I had some luck this morning, finding a super close parking spot to my work; but wasn't so lucky last night, as I somehow burned my bum in the tanning bed. I have never burnt myself in the tanning bed before. It's been hard to sit on it today... probably serves me right for doing the old fakin' bake. Apart from sore bums and good parking spots there hasn't been too much else of any interest going on.

I have been going to Curves for over a month now, and I don't think I have ever been this fit, even when I was quite active in high school and the early years of university. It was always such a chore to go for a run or go to the gym, but I actually look forward to going to Curves (which is a complete cliche, but I actually do).

Work has been crazy this week with Spring Break right around the corner - but it will be quiet over the next couple of weeks, which will be nice.

As you can see, I am fishing to write this blog and at least make it semi-interesting. So, until next time (next week?) or when I have something to actually write about... Erin Go Braugh!

The Most Organized - Least Stressed Bride....

Well I think I can claim that title for the time being. I've had a few, small stresses along the way: such as worrying as to whether or not the RVYC was actually booked for August 12 and when I thought six months was a long time, but then realized I had been engaged for five and that time had flown by so quickly, and there was the intial bridesmaid fiasco...

I now have five months till I get married and most things are done or underway. A huge weight was lifted this past weekend when I met with the florist: she is amazing and I love what we came up with for the bouquets and table decorations. And that's another thing: centrepieces are done - I originally wasn't going to do flowers and make my own - floating candles or something along those lines. My brother pointed out, however, that with the usual heat of August, candles might not be a great idea and it doesn't get dark until late. So now I don't have to worry about any decorations - Ali, my florist is going to take care of all of that!

My biggest concern with the flowers is that Colin is allergic. Of course roses are fine, but there was glitch for a while - with the heather. How can you have a Scottish wedding and no heather. The florist give me a few sprigs to take home and see if Colin has an allergic reaction to them - luckily he was thinking of another flower, very similar to heather, that causes his allergies to act up.

So now it's mostly small things - the only big things left are the cake and finding a justice of the peace. And I have five months to go. My plan is to enjoy the summer and try to make it up to Whistler for the BC Day long weekend, only a week and a half before the wedding. The trip is somewhat important and special because this BC Day is our seven year anniversary and the last time we will be celebrating our anniversary on August 1st! Next year it moves to August 12th.

So for now I remain the world's least stressful and most organized bride - but that could all change, but I hope it doesn't.

Just Say No

"Just say no." How many times did I hear that phrase throughout high school? How often was it reiterated in my Archie comics and during Saturday morning cartoons. Stand up for yourself and don't fall to peer pressure... So is that what Canada did when it said no to a missile defense agreement with the United States?

Lately we seem to be pissing of the American government - saying no to Iraq, possibly saying yes to gay marriage and the latest: no to missile defense. Is the American government angry because they aren't having their way with us? Are they feeling defeated by the fact that Canada is standing up to them... The analogy of the USA being the big bully to Canada is cliche, but fitting. There was always concern of what would happen if we put our foot down with the American Government - what would happen to us, our economy, would we be able to function?

We've been beat down by this whole softwood lumber thing for so long now and we seem to be surviving, in fact the BC forest industry is on the upswing. But that doesn't dismiss the fact that the American Government feels that is so powerful that it can ignore world body rulings, such as both the WTO and NAFTA finding the softwood tariffs illegal... And of course there's the whole mad cow fiasco, which is again rearing its ugly head. The US has decided to re-open the borders, but just days after the Canadian government saying no to missile defense, a lobbyist group has appeared wanting a reverse on the decision.

And then there's the whole situation with Condaleeza Rice all of a sudden "canceling" a visit to Canada next month. Maybe there really is a scheduling conflict or maybe it has something do to with the decision Canada made this past week.

Paul Cellucci said that we are giving up our sovereignty by not signing to missile defense; Canada is giving up it's sovereignty everytime we do something in America's favour, but not ours. Missile defense is the latest sticky issue with the United States and it won't be the last. In saying that, I hope the next time the US wants us to do something not in Canada's best interest, I hope we continue to "just say no."